Items. Dump information in manually. import it or use ou rpop-up ... ence manual with extensive examples, ancl sample pmgmms. Satisfaction ...
AUGUST 1988
Inside: SPECIAL ALL-MACINTOSH SUPPLEMENT
REVIEWS
lD
AppleA/UX PC Input Devices Three 20-MHz 80386s VersaCAD for the Mac
] 1nJJJJlllJ
A McGRAW-HILL PUBLICATION
PRODUCT FOCUS Script-Driven Communications
The First o the 25 Machin
IN DEPTH
The C Language
with Kernighan and ' !hie, Stroustrup, and oth
08 0 440235 0
ost approachable hat language''
1- Darryl Rubin, Al Expert, on Turbo Prolog
rful
version of Basic ever"
-EtharJ W111er, PC M~on Turbo Basic
-John H. Mayer, Computer
on TufboC
·
Meet Turbo Prolog 2.0:
. ..tificial Tiiie igence liko·
olt~e never seen it!
The Critics Agree: Borland'~
"Turbo C... will stun you with in-RAM
compilations that operate at warp speed."
Turbo C's® sleek compiler is so fast and powerful. we used it to write our equation solver. Eureka.'" Even better. all that muscle is wrapped in a smooth. integrated environment with every thing you need to make writing. editing and compiling your programs a snap :
· Compiles 10.000 lines per minute* · Online, context-sensitive help · ANSI compatible · Six memory models-tiny to huge · 450 library functions · Utilities: Librarian. Make. GREP · Source code for MicroCalc
spreadsheet
· Command-line version of the compiler · lnline assembly that lets you mix
C and assembler
System Requirements for lhe IBM PS/2N and lhe IBM· ramlly or personalcomputtrsand all \00% compatibles. PC-OOS(MS-OOSl 2.0 or
la1<r. 384K RAM.
-Richard Hale Shaw, PC Magazine
· Professional-quality graphics library supporting VGA. CGA, EGA. Hercules. and IBM 8514
· Interfaces with Turbo Pascal 4.0
and Turbo Prolog
Just $99.95
" A lightning fast. fully featured C compiler suitable for almost every thing . .. Borland's Turbo Ccompiler is flexible. fast and friendly.
-Peter Fel.dman, PC Week "
Heap Sort
Turbo C 1.5 Microsoft C5.0
Compile lime
4.7 sec.
16.3 sec.
Compile & link time
7.4 sec.
19.5 sec.
Execute time Object code size
I Execution size -
10.5 sec. 1119 6392
15.5 sec. 1313 7891
Sort benchmark run on an 8 MHz IBM AT using Turbo Cversion \ .5 and the Turbo Linker version 1.1; Microsort C,·ersion 5.0 and the MS overlay linker version 3.61.
"Turbo Pascal 4.0 flies
4.0 is ballistic!" -Tom Swan,
Almost from its introduction. , Turbo Pascal® has been the world wide Pascal stan dard. It's fast. It's flexible. It's affor dable. And it gives you full control. Compile more than 27.000 lines of code per minute*. And work in a complete. integrated programming environment with pull-down menus and a full-featured editor . You don ' t have to swap code in and out to beat the 64K barrier: it's designed for large programs. Break your code into convenient modules and work with them swiftly and separately. If there's an error in one. you can see it and fix it.
System Requirements For lhe IBM PS/2N and 1he IBM· ramlly or personal computers and all 100% compatibles. PC-DOS (MS-DOS) 2.0 or
later. 384 K RAM.
t Customer satlstacllon is our main concern: lf w!lhin GO days of purchase
this product does not perform ln accordance with our claims. call our customer service department. and we will arrange a refund .
All Bcr1a11d l'.Jl)ducts a1-e tra<Em.'.l.rks oc 1-eglst.em:I uademarks c:t Bocla11d lnttr
natmal. Ire_0116' brand aoo ~ocl names a1-e trademarks <:I Uw;;ir respecU\-e
lnden;, ~MghL 01988 Borland lnternallmal. Irr:.
Bl 1230A
~ Turbo Languages are Super!
like a rocket ...
1987 Programmer's Journal
Powerful features include:
· Producing EXE files · Separate compilation · Built-in project management · Graph unit including support
for IBM CGA. EGA. VGA. and 3270. Hercules and ATI 6300 · Online. context-sensitive help *Run on an 8 MHz IBM PC AT.
Add expertise:
The Turbo Pascal Toolboxes
Start with Turbo Pascal Tutor for just $69.95 and add the others as your interests and expertise grow:
· Database Toolbox · Editor Toolbox · Graph ix Toolbox · Numerical Methods Toolbox · GameWorks
Toolboxes require Turbo Pascal 4.0
Just $99.95 each
" Each new Turbo Pascal 4.0 Tool box is a virtual treasure of program ming methods and tips.
-Giovanni Perrone, PC Week "
Circle 26 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 27)
"Turbo Basic compiles faster than anything I have seen." -Ethan Winer, PC Magazine
Turbo Basic® is the lightning-fast Basic compiler with a total devel opment environ ment that puts you in full control. Even novices can write professional programs with Turbo Basie's full-screen windowed editor. pull-down menus. and trace debugging system. You also get a long Iist of innovative Borland features Iike binary disk files. true recursion. and increased compilation control. Plus the ability to create programs as large as your system's memory can hold-not just a cramped 64K . The choice is basic: Turbo Basic!
Just $99.95!
" Turbo Basic. simply put. is an incredibly good product ... Not only is this the most advanced BASIC ever. but Borland has lived up to its Turbo tradition.
- William Zachmann, Computerworld ' '
Add another Basic advantage: The Turbo Basic Toolboxes
· The Database Toolbox · The Editor Toolbox
Toolboxes require Turbo Basic 1.1
Just $99.95 each.
System Requirements For lhe lRM rsn·· and the IBMt> fam ily of
JM.'r.mnal computers and al\ 100% cnm11aliblcs. PC·OOS (MS-DUSI 2.0 or later. 384K ~M . 640K to compile l.OOlhoxcs.
c --_----,. Compare the BASIC differences I. 1iirlm flasir· r _,__O_ui_ck_BASIC 4.0 Compiler
QulckBASIC 4.0 Interpreter
1L.
Compile & Link to stand-alone EXE:
Slze of .EXE
3 ec
7 sec.
s " --+----·-- -----1----
28387
j _ _ 25980
&xecu~cm time
w/80287
Execution time
w/o 80287
0.16 sec. 0.16 sec.
16.5 sec.
21.5 sec:.
--- ---·-- - --
286.3 sec.
292.3 sec.
·· ·· · · · - -·---------~-
or The Elkins lpLimizaLion Benchmark program from March 1988 issue Computer Language was used. The Program was run on an IBM
PS/2 Model 60 with 80287. The benchmark tests compiler's abiliLy to optimize loop-invarianL code. unused code. expression and condi
Lional evaluallon.
Turbo Prolog 2.0: Powerful Artificial Intelligence for your real-world applications!
New Turbo Prolog® 2.0 lets you harness powerful AI techniques. And you don't have to be an expert programmer or artificial intelli gence genius!
You get an all-new Prolog compiler that's been optimized to produce smaller and more efficient programs than ever before. An improved full-screen. completely customizable editor with easy pull down menus. All-new documenta tion. including a tutorial rich with examples and instructions to take you all the way from basic program ming to advanced techniques. Even online help!
System Requirements For the IBM PS/2"' and the IBMfD ramlly nf personal oompul.ers and alt 100% compatibles. PC-DOS (MS-DOSI 2.0 or later. 384K ~M.
More new features!
· An external database system for developing large databases. Supports B+ trees and EMS
· Source code for a fully-featured Prolog interpreter written entirely in Turbo Prolog. Plus step-by-step instructions to adapt it or include it as is in your own applications!
· Support for the Borland Graphics Interface, the same professional-quality graphics in Turbo Pascal, Turbo C. and Quattro
· Improved windowing · Powerful exception handling
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so the two languages can call each other freely · Supports multiple internal databases · High-resolution video support
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Call (800) 543-7543
Circle 28 on Reader Service Card (Dealers: 29)
Turbo Prolog Toolbox is 6 toolboxes in one!
More than 80 tools and 8,000 lines of source code help you build your own Turbo Prolog applications. Includes toolboxes for menus. screen and report layouts, business graphics. communications. file transfer capabilities. parser generators. and more! Toolbox requires Turbo Prolog 2.0 Just $99.95
" If I had to pick one single recommendation for people who want to try to keep up with the computer revolution. I'd say, 'Get and learn Turbo Prolog.'
-Jerry Pournelle, Byte 1188
An affordable, fast. and easy-to-use language.
-Darryl Rubin, Al &pert "
INTERNATIONAL
El\JTE
AUGUST 1988 VOLUME 13 NUMBER 8
PRODUCTS IN PERSPECTIVE
67 What's New
89 Short Takes
Dell System 220, a small but powerful desktop system
T-DebugPLUS 4.0, symbolic
debugging for Turbo Pascal 4. 0
Cambridge Computer Z88, small is beautiful Grammatik III, comprehensive
grammar checking Watcom C 6.0, a class act
Paradox OS/2, a solid entree into OS/2 applications
EXPERT ADVICE
101 Computing at Chaos Manor: A Fond Farewell by Jerry Poumelle Is Jerry's old friend Zeke
II retiring to greener
pastures?
115 Applications Plus: New Directions by Ezra Shapiro The column's horizons are expanded, and GrandView defines a new class of software.
121 Down to Business: Staking Out the Territory by Wayne Rash Jr. What trends are most important to business users? This new column starts with some thoughts on networking and database servers.
125 Macinations: What's Up with Apple? by Don Crabb New columnist Don Crabb discusses Macintosh products
and issues.
131 OS/2 and You: WhyOS/2? by Mark Minasi The debut of this column covers some of OS/2's attractive features.
2 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
135 COMl:
The Wired Society
by Brock N. Meeks Noted telecommunicator
Brock N. Meeks surveys the communications landscape.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Co\'er Story: 25-MHz 80386 Machines/140
140 25-MHz Computing
Buzzsaws by Rick Grehan
From Compaq, Everex, Intel, and SimpleNet, here they come: the first of the 25-MHz 80386-based AT clones.
REVIEWS
148 Product Focus: Communications
According to Script
by Steve Apiki and Stan Diehl Stand-alone communications packages that can handle a communications session unattended.
Communications Packages/148
- ~~
f4:i' ,.,
~~~
v9J'
162 Variations on the 20-MHz Theme
by Ed McNiemey The Tatung TCS-8000, Proteus 386A, and Everex Step 386/20 offer a range of performance and capabilities.
173 Four Surrogate Mice by JeffHoltzman PC-Trac, FastTRAP, Trackball Plus, and Felix offer the functionality of a mouse without the hassle.
185 Unix for the Mac II
by David Betz and Eva M. White Transform the Mac II into a Unix workstation with A/UX.
VersaCAD/195
195 VersaCAD on a Mac by Paul Tuten The MS-DOS-based drafting tool is now available
in a Macintosh edition.
200 Review Update
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL AVIS© 1988
202 Introduction: The C Language
205 The State of C by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie Originally designed for systems programming, C has become one of the most widely used languages in the world.
215 A Better C? by Bjarne Stroustrup
The C + + language is a superset
of C that supports data abstraction and object-oriented programming.
219 It's an Attitude by Jonathan S. Linowes A mechanism for doing object-oriented programming in conventional C.
226 Resource Guide
FEATURES
',
229 Making the Move to OS/2 by Robert E. Shostak, John Socha, Linda Dudinyak, and David P. Reed Top programmers from Borland, Norton, and Lotus talk about what it took to port their programs to OS/2.
HANDS ON
239 Ciarcia 's Circuit Cellar: Why Microcontrollers?, Part 1 by Steve Ciarcia A tutorial perspective of the Intel 8031/8051 microcontroller family.
249 Some Assembly Required: The Pitfalls of Porting, Part 2 by Rick Grehan Porting an MS-DOS application to the Mac is discussed.
DEPARTMENTS
6 Editorial: Touching All the Bases 11 Microbytes 22 Letters 33 Chaos Manor Mail 38 AskBYTE 51 Book Reviews 291 Coming Up in BYTE
READER SERVICE
290 Editorial Index by Company 292 Alphabetical Index to Advertisers 294 Index to Advertisers by Product
Category Inquiry Reply Cards: after 296
PROGRAM LISTINGS
From BIX: see 182 From BYTEnet: call (617) 861-9764 On disk or in print: see card after 248
The C Language/202 Circuit Cellar/239
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AUGUST 1988 · B YT E 3
El\JTE
EDITOR IN CHIEF Frederic S. Lange
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REVIEWS (Hardware, Sottw11re, Product Focu1)
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4 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Integrated Software or Schematics & C wor
Introducing HiWIREil!Plus
Wintek's smARTWORK® pioneered low-cost printed circuit-board CAD. Then HiWIRE set the standard for productivity and ease-of-use in schematic capture. Now Wintek introduces HiWIRE-Plus, integrating HiWIRE's schematic features with a powerful printed-circuit design facility.
Creating Schematics
With HiWIRE-Plus, simply connect library symbols with wires and buses. Creating and changing symbols is fast and painless. Produce your drawing using a dot-matrix printer, laser printer, or pen plotter.
Circuit-Board Design
HiWIRE-Plus gives you all the design freedom you want: you choose the grid size, trace widths, and pad shapes. The board size and number of layers are vir tually unlimited. HiWIRE-Plus is perfect for surface-mount, micro strip, and ECL applications.
CURRENT VERSIONS
HMllRE, V1.1r4; smARlWORK, V1.4r1
Circle 249 on Reader Service Card
HiWIRE-Plus Advantages
D One tool for schematics and printed-circuit artwork
D Easy-to-learn menu-driven operation; complete docu mentation and tutorial
D Schematic libraries with TTL, CMOS, ECL, ladder, micro processor, and discrete components
D Netlist and bill-of-materials utilities included
D Circuit boards up to 60x 60 inches and 256 layers
D Variable grid size, trace width, and pad size (.001" resolution)
D PCB library with DIPs, SIPs, SMDs, PGAs, TOs, and edge and D connectors
D Schematic-to-layout cross checking
D Design-rule checker D 800 number for free support
"H1WIAE", "smAAlWORK", 'W1mek", and the Win\ek IOIJO are registered trademarks ol Wintek Corporation.
System Requirements
D IBM PC, XT, AT, or PS/2 with 512K RAM, printer port, color monitor, and CGA, EGA, or VGA graphics card
D Microsoft Mouse D IBM ProPrinter or Epson
dot-matrix printer, and/or
D Houston Instrument or Hewlett-Packard pen plotter
Higher Performance Better Value
Still only $895, HiWIRE-Plus delivers quality schematics and PCB artwork. You don't need to guess if HiWIRE-Plus is right for you -we guarantee it! Try it for 30 days at absolutely no risk. Call toll free today and put HiWIRE-Plus to work for you .
Wintek Corporation 1801 South Street Lafayette, Indiana 47904-2993 (800) 742-6809 or (317) 742-8428 FAX: (317) 448-4823 Telex: 70-9079
Europe: RIVA ltd., England, Phone: 0420 22666, FAX: 0420 23700 Australia: Entertainment Audio Pty, Ltd., Phone: (08) 363-0454
AUGUST 1988 · B YT E 5
EDITORIAL · Fred Langa
TOUCHING ALL
THE BASES
Hybrid speed demons,
a new 80386 chip, four
new monthly columns,
and an In Depth section on the C language
J ust 90 days ago, a handful of rela tively new 20-MHz 80386-based machines sat comfortably at the top ofthe heap: the fastest desktop computers. Today, they have been rele gated to second-tier status by a veritable explosion of25-MHz computers.
Their reign, in turn, also may be brief: We know of at least one manufacturer who is preparing 30-MHz motherboards using "goosed" 25-MHz chips. (If it turns into a working product, you'll read about it in a future BYTE.)
But, at least for now, 25 MHz is as fast as it gets for real, desktop machines using more-or-less conventional archi tectures. The enhancements usually in clude fast RAM accessed by a propri etary 32-bit-wide memory bus and built in disk caching. The rest of such a machine tends to be built from stock IBM PC AT-class parts. Our cover story gives you an early look at preproduction models of four examples of this new wave of hybrid speed demons.
Speaking of hybrids, the cover story also discusses the Compaq 386S, a very small-footprint machine that uses a new kind of 16-MHz 80386 chip: It's 32 bits wide internally, but it communicates with the outside world through an IBM PC AT-style 16-bit bus. (No, at this time, you can't use the chip as a plug and-play replacement for an 80286. To date, the only such replacement we know of is the Cheetah Adapter/386, which we covered in April 1987.)
This new chip, which is called the 80386SX, may produce a whole new
kind ofIBM PC AT-class machine based on the 80386. (The 80286 could be pushed downward into entry-level ma chines.) In theory, this would simplify things, because everyone above the entry level could standardize on 80386-spe cific software and thus circumvent some of the current hoop jumping required to cope with the limitations of the 80286. (An entry-level user isn't likely to bump up against the 80286's shortcomings.) It's a development that bears close watching.
While enhancements abound on the IBM PC side, the machines based on the 68000 family haven't exactly been dead in the water, either-witness the steady stream of new products for the Mac intosh.
In fact, there's so much interesting Macintosh material, that we've placed a special Macintosh supplement between this month 's Products in Perspective and In Depth sections. Be sure to take a look.
With all this activity, it's getting more difficult to stay abreast of all the impor tant developments in microcomputing harder to touch all the bases. That's why we've added four new monthly columns starting with this issue. They'll help en sure that you get the information you need- when you need it-in these criti cal areas :
OS/2: You've read about the theory, you've seen some sample code, and you may have seen an actual OS/2 application in action. But chances are, you don't own a copy of OS/2 yet. Noted OS/2 consul tant Mark Minasi's "OS/2 and You" col umn offers some welcome perspective on making the move to OS/2 by combining technical insights, practical tips, and plain old common sense. Communications: Brock Meeks, an award-winning author, writes about his passion : telecommunications. Each month, Brock's "COMl :" column will offer a mix of "hard" and "soft" tele communications topics, examining the
technology and issues relating to point
to-point and area computer communi
cations.
Business: Wayne Rash's name is familiar
to longtime BYTE readers: He's a regu
lar and popular contributor. When he
isn't writing for BYTE, Wayne makes his
living as a computer consultant to gov
ernment and business. His specialty is
solving the distinctive problems encoun
tered by those who deal with large instal
lations of microcomputers-networking,
security, operational issues ... the list of
possible bottlenecks is almost infinite.
Proven solutions to those myriad prob
lems are the focus of his "Down to Busi
ness" column.
Macintosh: Don Crabb is another famil
iar name. Don has been a regular re
viewer of Mac products for us. He's a
participant in Apple's educational con
sortium and a frequent beta tester of new
Mac products. The "Macinations" col
umn is Don's forum to share his experi
ences with us.
This month's In Depth section also de serves special attention: It focuses on the top language for serious software devel opment today . Virtually every major software package available today was coded in C: The C language is quite liter ally the foundation of today's software industry .
For our In Depth, we went to the folks who literally wrote the book: We have excellent articles by Kernighan and Rit chie, Bjarne Stroustrup, and others . (Dennis Ritchie is the designer of the C language; he and Brian Kernighan are the authors of the standard "K&R" refer ence on C. Bjarne Stroustrup is the cre ator of the general-purpose, object oriented superset of C called C + + .) This In Depth also features an unusually rich two-page Resource Guide. It's defi nitely a keeper.
-FredLanga Editor in Chief (BIX name '1/anga")
6 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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~ First Looks
March 15, 1988 ~
" ... the FlexCache 20386 yields the highest number of MIPS (million instructions per second) per dollar ."
.
z
~ June, 1988
8 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
ALR F!excoche 25386 ord 20386 ore lrodemmks of Advanced logic Research. lnc . Compaq Deskpro 386/20 is a lrodemork of Comp~
- .. .
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Redefining
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MICROBYTES
Staf/-written highlights ofdevelopments in technology and the microcomputer industry
Experimental Adder Circuit Could Speed Up Clock Cycles
P robably the most fun damental operation in computing is the use of logic gates to add two register values. The speed of regis ter-to-register addition plays a large role in determining a computer's clock cycle speed. A typical I6-MHz machine would have an add time of 62 nanoseconds (this figure does not include register-to-register times, which would increase the number somewhat); high-
performance machines like the VAX typically have an add time of 45 ns.
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new adder circuit that they hope will speed up addition times to about I ns for full 32-bit addition . The "sub nanosecond arithmetic project," directed by profes sor Michael Flynn, is spon sored by the Center for Inte grated Systems, a very large scale integration (VLSI)
ParcPlace Hopes Smalltalk
Makes It Big
A !though BYTE devoted almost an entire issue to Smalltalk in August I98 I, the object-oriented program ming environment has re mained relegated to academic and research institutions. In that issue 7 years ago, Dr. Adele Goldberg wrote that the "Smalltalk system is tak ing flight into the main stream ofthe computer pro gramming community." As president of ParcPlace Sys tems (Palo Alto, CA), a new company dedicated to
promoting and enhancing Smalltalk, Goldberg hopes to make good on that claim, although somewhat belatedly.
ParcPlace is working on new features for the environ ment, including expanded libraries of "reusable parts" and "reusable frameworks" (a series of interacting re usable parts). These librar ies will enable designers of user interfaces to select graphical objects or a se quence of activities involv ing objects for use in their designs, similar to how a
conventional programmer might call an existing func tion from a library foruse in a program. "We're trying to provide tools for develop ment of new interfaces, but we're dedicated to the stan dards of the vendors, " Goldberg said. Objects con sistent with AT&T's new Open Look version of Unix, for example, would be in cluded in the Smalltalk reus able-parts libraries. "Our objective is to provide a mal leable information environ ment where you can specify the user interface you want and find parts in libraries. Not everyone is a graphic artist or human factors ex pert," Goldberg said.
Other projects that Parc Place is working on include graphical interfaces for Structured Query Language (SQL) database systems, and interfaces to object-ori ented databases with exten sible data types and "active objects" stored in the data base. An active object can actually interact with the
continued
research center funded by several major electronics companies.
The adder circuit is based on a new addition algo rithm that combines the best features of three com monly used addition algo rithms: Ling's algorithm, the carry look-ahead algo rithm, and the conditional sum algorithm. The adder circuit requires only three gate delays (the time span betweentheinputandthe output of the final sum), while current adder circuits generally require about eight gate delays.
"Ultimately," Flynn said, " we 're trying to create a technology to achieve I ns cycle times ." He sees the adder circuit as the first step in that direction. How ever, the speed of the new circuit won't have much im pact until other major pro cessing bottlenecks, such as memory and cache access speeds, are also accelerated. The entire design of micro processors will have to change in order to realize I-ns processing speeds, Flynn said.
The first prototype is currently being fabricated using emitter coupled logic (ECL) gates. Flynn said he hopes the first chip will yield an addition speed of about I .5 ns. The research group is also working on a CMOS version. The next phase of the project will in clude the development of a bipolar ECL floating-point multiplier circuit.
The "subnanosecond" project is futuristic, but Flynn sees more immediate potential for application of the adder and multiplier circuits in floating-point coprocessors.
Nanobytes
· The current shortage of I-megabit single in line memory modules (SIMMs)-chips that are widely used in Apple Computer's Macintosh and LaserWriter-is likely to continue for an other year, an Apple ex ecutive says. Apple chief operating officer Del Yocam said it will take until the "middle ofnext year" for supply of the chips to reach acceptable levels for manufacturers. This could mean, sources said, that Apple will have to delay intro duction of new machines, such as an enhanced Mac SE. Yocam said the scarcity of I-megabit chips is due to Japanese failure to foresee the growth in demand for I megabit chips and the Reagan administration's trade embargoes. The memory chips Apple al ready has under contract will have to be used in units already in produc tion. You can go into cer tain computer shops and buy the SIMMs, but you'll pay a pretty price for them. · Only 2 percent of the computer software sold in the Arab Middle East is legitimate, according to Oliver Smoot, executive vice president of the Com puter and Business Equipment Manufacturers Association. Smoot said the 98 percent piracy rate is largely among users working for govern ments and state-owned companies. · Many users didn't like
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 11
MICRO BYTES
NANOBYTES
it, but one software indus try executive thinks it's time to bring back copy protection for certain types of programs. "I think copy protection for business software went away prematurely," said Ken Wasch, executive di rector of the Software Publishers Association. Wasch told a group of Amiga developers in Washington, DC that software companies gave in to user demands too easily. "All we have to protect ourselves is moral persuasion," he said. Wasch added that the SPA uses litigation as a second line of defense. · In the future, laser printer engines with very high resolution may not be required, says presi dent Luis Villalobos of Conographic (Irvine, CA), which makes Post script-compatible printer controller cards that go in IBM PCs and compat ibles. Villalobos said he has seen 300- to 600-dot per-inch monochrome and color print engines, beyond the prototyping stage, that can vary dot size and/or intensity to produce apparent resolu tions of 1000 to 3000 dpi. Color images pro duced on these systems can rival conventional op tical-based printing techniques, Villalobos said. · Meanwhile, CSS Labs (Irvine, CA) is coming out with a laser printer controller card that has its own INMOS Trans puter and could, the com pany says, crank out 45 pages per minute. The GRIP board for IBM PCs and compatibles will work with several laser engines, the company said. When not working on printing tasks, the
continued
12 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
user when selected. For ex ample, active objects could be used to monitor the data base system to keep track of who's using it and for what purposes, or for more mun dane tasks such as automati cally sending electronic mail to other users of the database network. Parc Place is also working on de
velopment tools for C + +
(an object-oriented language based on C), which Gold berg said "complements Smalltalk-80 and gives C
programmers the chance to look at extensible data types."
In the last year, Parc Place has made available a version of Smalltalk-80 for the Macintosh, and the com pany expects to have an MS-DOS version in beta test ing this summer. Priced be tween $695 and $1295, the Smalltalk versions for the Macintosh and MS-DOS are fully compatible with the versions of Smalltalk run ning on Sun, Apollo, and
Hewlett-Packard work stations.
In any case, Goldberg has high hopes for Smalltalk. She points to software de velopers, such as Borland's Philippe Kahn, talking about incorporating "Small talk-like features" in their products. And she sees the move in the microcomputer world toward graphical inter faces and the need for por tability across operating sys tems as golden oppor tunities for Smalltalk.
Synchronous SCSI Seen as Coming Standard
for Peripherals
A s CPU performance keeps increasing, the 110 speed of disks and other peripherals is becom ing the major bottleneck in system performance. The best solution to the 110 bottleneck is the synchronous small computer system in terface (SCSI), according to some product designers. Adaptec (Milpitas, CA), a major manufacturer of disk controllers, sees increasing use of embedded SCSI con nections in hard disk and tape drives, as well as in other peripherals such as printers, said product manager Danial Faizullabhoy. "In a year or so," he said, "SCSI
will be the de facto periph eral interface."
Synchronous SCSI is at tractive because it is about 40 percent faster than asyn chronous SCSI and also out performs "native bus inter faces" such as the IBM PC AT bus and IBM's Micro Channel, proponents say. While the standard AT bus has a maximum data transfer rate of 1 megabyte per sec ond and the Micro Channel transfers at about 3 mega bytes per second, synchro nous SCSI clocks in at about 5 megabytes per sec ond. Although Faizullab hoy does not see SCSI replac ing native bus interfaces, he
said that Adaptec expects most major computer manufacturers, including IBM, to have built-in syn chronous SCSI ports in the next product cycle, if they don't have them already.
Adaptec will soon be an nouncing new controller products using synchronous SCSI. According to Faizul labhoy, the next phase in the development ofSCSI will be moving up to 16-bit bandwidths. In the 1990s, he said, we'll see 32-bit-band width SCSI interfaces. Mean while, ESDI will drop off, leaving primarily SCSI and native bus interfaces domi nating the market, he said.
AM D's Database Manager Chip Replaces
Software Routines
A new microprocessor peripheral that could speed up database manage ment tasks by replacing soft ware with hardware has been developed by Advanced Micro Devices (Sunnyvale, CA). The Am95C85 Content Addressable Data Manager (CADM) coprocessor is de signed to take over from the CPU such data-manipulation tasks as sorting, searching, inserting, and deleting
records . It could be used in networking and communica tions, file serving, high speed graphics systems, and other areas that require fast data manipulation.
The Am95C85 uses 1.6 micron CMOS technology and contains 1K byte of RAM and a control unit. The control unit enables a single command to access the CADM's memory without having to provide physical
addresses. According to the company, the chip can pro vide content-addressable searches for 8-byte fields in less than 10 microseconds. The chip's architecture en ables cascading up to 16 of the devices for large database systems .
AMD has been working on the processor for 4 years, said Dave Horton, a devel opment manager for the chip.
continued
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AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 13
MICROBYTES
NANOBYTES
on printing tasks, the board could be used as a high-speed coprocessor. · In a move seen as a crucial step in U.S. ef forts to overtake Japan's leadership in the semicon ductor industry, the De partment of Defense will boost its funding of Sematech (Austin, TX), the chip-research con sortium, by $100 million a year through 1992. Sematech chairman Sandy Kane responded to criticism that the Penta gon will pull the group's research into defense oriented projects. "Our work is not going to be de fense-related," he said. According to Kane, the Pentagon recognizes that "a healthy U .S. semicon ductor industry will ulti mately be good for the national defense." · "If you ask me what the future of the micro computer is, it is in multitasking and parallel processing," says Henri Rubin, chief operating of ficer of Commodore In ternational (West Chester, PA). In an interview with BYTE, Rubin said that Commodore's use of coprocessor communi cations is an indication of where the company is going technologically. The Amiga maker has · been a leader in support ing both Motorola and Intel processors within the same computer, he said. "Some people say we just have two com puters in a box," he said, "but that's not true. It's more than that." · Our trend signaler isn't blinking brightly yet, but we could be seeing a drop in prices of galli um-arsenide chips. GigaBit Logic (Newbury Park, CA) has cut prices of its high-speed GaAs
continued
14 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
"We saw the need to off load some tasks from the sys tem CPU," he said. "One of the problems we faced, though, was like the chick en and the egg: The hardware people didn't want to build boards when there was no software to access the chip, and the software folks didn't want to port their code when there was no hardware to use it."
The chip uses a new memory cell that's "sort of a cross between RAM and
FIFO," Horton said. "The cells enable us to split memory at a certain point, holding all memory above the split constant while let ting us shift the remaining memory up or down, adding or deleting records." Hor ton theorized that the first PC application board prob ably would have one or two chips on-board, with sock ets for a total of up to I 6.
Currently, AMD has a demonstration board and software available. The
first commercial product that will use the chips will be a network bridge, from a Euro pean company, that will de tect packet-address informa tion in real time and direct it along the correct path in the network. In such an ap plication, there is no time for the conventional lookup table approach.
CADM prices are $49.20 for the 12-MHz version and $66.50 for the 16-MHz ver sion in quantities of 100. The chips are available now.
The Electric Cadaver
T wo doctors at Stanford Medical Center have de veloped an electronic text book for anatomy students that clearly demonstrates the potential power of hyper text and multimedia con cepts in electronic publish ing. The Electric Cadaver was developed by Dr. Robert Chase, a specialist in anat omy, and Dr. Steven Freed man, a physician with a long-standing interest in elec tronic publications for med ical practice and training.
Built on a Macintosh II with Apple's HyperCard, the Electric Cadaver is a dy namic cross-referencing sys tem that describes the structure and function of each part of the human anatomy. (Freedman built the first version 4 years ago on an IBM PC AT using Ash ton-Tate's Framework). Images are displayed in digi tized form on the computer screen and simultaneously in analog form on a videodisk player. The user can click on any part of the human body and then select from an index of topics on the screen.
Most parts of the anat omy are presented both in x-ray and bone structure form; many parts are shown from different angles and magnifications. In addition, results of physical injuries can be visually described. For example, clicking on
the facial nervous system dis plays a normal human face on the screen. By then click ing on indicated "injury zones" on the map of facial nerves, you can see the re sulting types of paralysis in the face on the screen.
The HyperCard applica tion includes an indexing sys tem that can select any image on the videodisk play er via serial communica tion. The Electric Cadaver has a "Frame Editor" that lets users customize the elec tronic textbook by adding or editing frames, adding text, and creating animated sequences. The system dem onstrated to Microbytes in cluded video movies, devel oped by Chase, of various anatomical functions, as well as still-frame images.
The still-frame images are derived primarily from a database of I600 anatomi cal images (which was devel oped with the help of the man who invented the View Master). The images were converted in two-dimensional format to a videodisk by photographing each frame on a high-quality video cam era, adding captions with a character generator, and converting the videotape to videodisk.
According to Chase and Freedman, the Electric Cadaver is a tremendous timesaver as a teaching and
reference tool for medical students. "Traditionally," Freedman said, "students develop their own 'meta books' by excerpting, com piling, and cross-referencing source material from multi ple text books and other ref erences. This is an incredi ble waste of time. "
The electronic textbook eliminates the need for this kind oftedium and provides a much more visual and in structive presentation of the information to be learned, Freedman said. The system is also useful as a reference for physicians and sur geons; for example, a doctor could use the system to compare a CAT scan or x-ray of an unhealthy patient with a corresponding image of a normal anatomy in the Electric Cadaver.
Chaseand Freedman hope to digitize the Cadaver's images in three dimensions, using a system like Digital Video Interac tive, which would allow the graphics to be dynamic and adjustable so that students could change parameters (such as bone density). The doctors plan to add images from microscopic anatomy and are also exploring the use of bar code readers and other pointing mechanisms so that the system could be connected to a real cadaver.
continued
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Sysgcn Incorporated. 556 Gib raltar Drive. Milpitas. CA 95035. (408)263·4411. @ Copyright Sysgcn. Inc. . 1988. Trademarks: PS/2 - IBM Corporatio n, Sysgcn, Bridge-Tape, Bridge-File - Sysgcn. lnc. Registered trademarks: IBM - IBM Corporation.
MICROBYTES
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percent. OBL cut its 160040 2-gigabit-per second Clock and Data Recovery chip from $180 to $75, and its 120014 lK-byte static RAM chip (2.5-ns cycle time) from $92.80 to $45. · MIDI Expo West is set for September 10-11 at the Anaheim (CA) Marriott Convention Cen ter. Last year's New York version attracted 3500 musicians, com posers, software writers, and equipment design ers. This year, the pro gram's educational track will cover such topics as MIDI basics, computer music, and sampling tech niques. For more infor mation, contact Tc_1y
continued
ece1v1na Report
YARC Claims 50-MHz Operation for Mac II Booster Board
YARC Systems (West lake Village, CA) has developed a coprocessor board for the Mac II that the company says can cause ap plications to run about 10 times faster than on a stan dard Mac II. The McCray board is based on Advanced Micro Devices' 32-bit Am29000 processor and Am29027 floating-point pro cessor. YARC claims that a Mac II equipped with one of the $4295 boards can out perform many expensive workstations.
The McCray takes ad vantage of the NuBus multi ple-master capability that enables boards to access the bus directly, put addresses on the bus, and communicate with other boards to facili tate parallel processing, said YARC president Trevor Marshall. The standard Mac
intosh interface remains in tact, he said.
Marshall noted that the McCray's 50-MHz operation is beginning to strain the current printed-circuit-board technology. "While the board is only about 12 inches long, propagation delays at 50 MHz along the signal paths had to be accounted for when we were adjusting timing," said Marshall. When asked about potential radio-frequency interfer ence from the McCray, Mar shall said that because the board has no link to the out side, such as a serial con nector, radiation would not be a problem.
The McCray has 2 mega bytes of instruction RAM in a "mostly zero-wait-state" configuration and 512K bytes of one-wait-state data memory; a daughterboard
slated to be available soon will increase data memory to 2.5 megabytes.
The McCray requires a Mac II with 1 megabyte of memory, a hard disk drive, a color or monochrome display, the Apple 32-bit ROM upgrade (for early ma chines), and an average of 10 watts of power. The stan dard operating system is the Macintosh Finder. An as sembler, linker, and debug ger are also available.
You can load up all the available slots in the Mac II and expansion chassis with McCray boards and let the Mac's MultiFinder and 68020 assign parallel pro cessing tasks.
YARC, which spells Cray backward, stands for Yet Another Ruddy Copro cessor, the firm says.
continued
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A/P
16 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 170 on Reader Service Card
The Intelligent Tool for Intelligent Application
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Circle 108 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 11
MICROBYTES
NANOBYTES
mation, contact Tony Scalisi at Expocon, 3695 Post Rd., Southport, CT 06490, (203) 259-5734. · Discovery Systems (Dublin, OH) has cut the
price of mastering CD ROM disks to $1500 and
the cost of duplication to $2 per platter. The optical disk manufacturer says the CD-ROM business is gaining momentum, what with Apple's CD ROM drive and Tandy's decision to sell such drives in its retail stores. · Understanding Neural Networks: A Primer is now available from Graeme Publishing (Am herst, NH). The publish er says the $95 report is an "easy-to-read over view of scientific and commercial develop-
Mac II Operating System Will Interface with NuBus
Apple Computer (Cu pertino, CA) is readying a new operating system for the Mac II. Multitasking Realtime DOS (MR DOS) is a message-based operating system that can interface with the NuBus used in the Mac II. Apple is trying to avoid unnecessary NuBus in terface work on the part of card makers by giving them a standard set ofcommunica tion services to applications.
Apple first used MR DOS internally on the Mac-
APPC card, which per forms LU 6.2 gateways to IBM machines. Diagnostics such as code downloaders and dumpers are included, as are the schematics for the board's hardware (which has its own 68000 processor and local memory). The card has 24 square inches of prototyping surface.
"We've taken thehard part of making a NuBus mas ter and encapsulated it, pro viding an area where devel opers can add their value,"
TECHNOLOGY NEWS WANTED. The news staffat BYTE is always interested in hearing about new technological and scientific developments that might have an impact on micro
computers and the people who use them. We also want to keep
track of innovative uses of that technology. If you know of ad
vances or projects relevant to microcomputing and want to
share that information, please contact the Microbytes staff at (603) 924-9281, send mail on B/X to Microbytes , or write to us at One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458.
said an Apple representative. "The more mundane things are done, so you now have a standardized platform. The operating system was re leased to help this standard ization. It also allows us to move various products across different types of [Apple] cards. Communica tions stacks for different pro tocols can be ported easily now. We are committed to having intelligent cards. That may not be the only way to go, but that's the way we are going in the communica tions and networking envi ronment at Apple."
Since source code to the operating system will not be released, developers will have to depend on Apple to maintain the operating system for them as the Mac hardware platform changes.
Computers For The Blind
Talking computers give blind and visually impaired people access to electronic information. The question is how and how much?
The answers can be found in "The Second Beginner's Guide to Personal Computers for the Blind and Visually Impaired" published by the National Braille Press. This comprehensive book contains a Buyer's Guide to talking microcomputers and large print display processors. More importantly it includes reviews, written by blind users, of software that works with speech.
This invaluable resource book offers details on training programs in computer applications for the blind, and other useful information on how to buy and use special equipment.
Send orders to:
National Braille Press Inc.
88 St. Stephen Street
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 266-6160
$ 12.95 for braille or cassette, $14.95 for print. ($3 extra for UPS shipping)
NBP is a nonprofit braille printing and publishing house.
18 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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r- -· ·- --1 FROM END TO BEGINNING Windows for Data begins where other screen packages end, with special features like nested pop-up forms and menus, field en try from lists of choices, scrollable regions for the entry of variable numbers of line items, and an ex clusive built-in debugging system.
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LETIERS
Efficient Recursion In his article on benchmarks ("Problems and Pitfalls," June 1988, page 217), Al fred Aburto Jr. remarks on the signifi cant performance difference between a simple loop to compute Fibonacci num bers and the recursive algorithm used in the benchmark. The inference he draws from this, that "Apparently, recursive function calls are highly inefficient," is a common misapprehension of such data. Instead, it is recursive algorithms that are often laughably inefficient and non linear. A loop for the 24th number re quires only 24 iterations, whereas a re cursive algorithm for the same number involves 92,735 procedure calls, typi cally extravagant for recursive state ments ofsimple problems. (Why are Lisp programs slow?) It seems that his func tion calls are in fact quite efficient if something done nearly 3900 times as often takes only 4500 times as long.
Greg Bailey Santa Barbara, CA
Bit-Map Assistance I have found "Better Bit-Mapped Lines" (March) very helpful in implementing an extremely· fast line-drawing routine. While coding the Pascal into assembly language, however, I noticed that the dx_diag and dy_diag increments in oc tant 4 should be interchanged (see figure 4 on page 253).
This could have introduced a subtle bug, and I thought maybe others could avoid problems, especially when coding in assembly language, where it is tempt ing to turn these dx and dy increments into INCs and DECs.
David Miller Cedar Falls, IA
Test Facilities I was delighted to hear about your new testing facili_ties (Editorial, April). Benchmark comparisons and manufac turers' statements of Mean Time Be tween Failures are fine for choosing among a group of similar machines, but what an ever-increasing number of peo ple in science and industry really need to
know about their potential purchase is, "Just how much abuse can this machine take?" Computers originally intended for home and the office are turning up in ever more exotic environments, with ever-decreasing margins between opera tion and failure. The big concern then be comes what kind of safety margin is left to work with.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. Please double-space your letter on one side of the paper and include your name and address. We can print listings and tables along with a
letter if they are short and legible. Address
correspondence to Letters Editor, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH03458.
Because of space limitations, we reserve the right to edit letters. Generally, it takes four months from the time we receive a letter until we publish it.
A lab of the type you describe could supply people with some much-needed information. The thought of running ex pensive computer equipment into the ground may seem a little drastic, but the savings in time, money, and equipment might well be worth it. I hope you aren't reluctant to push your tests to the limit. It could be of value to many ofus.
Eric J. Pilger Honolulu, HI
Clearly Fuzzy The idea of "fuzzifying" Prolog as pre sented in "When Facts Get Fuzzy" by Bradley L. Richards (April) is certainly appealing. Unfortunately, the author's Prolog code lacks clarity and precision; rather than adding separate predicates such as fuzzyy(TruthValue) and threshold( ThresholdValue), itis sim pler to add an extra argument to each fuzzy fact.
For instance, rather than
scary(king_kong) :- fuzzy(0.5)
it is simpler to write
scary(king_kong,0.5)
and then pass the truth value as an argu ment, rather than performing obscure manipulations of the database with "as sert'' and "retract."
Stewart Rosenberg Trouy, France
Corrected Attribution In Pete Wilson's otherwise interesting comparison of processor architectures ("The CPU Wars," May), there is an error.
The 6502 was not "originally de signed by Mostek." It was designed by M. 0. S. Technology, which did not later contract its name or otherwise become Mostek. As early as 1977, M.0.S. Tech nology had already been purchased by Commodore (copyright page and intro duction to The First Book ofKIM.) Mos tek is still a separate company. The 6502 has been made by several companies, in cluding Rockwell.
It is my understanding that the 6502 and M.0.S. Technology were created by a team that broke off from Motorola, I as sume after losing some design arguments over the 6800. The team created a ma chine with one accumulator rather than two, but-far more important in the real world-two index registers, including one with the powerful capability of in dexing indirectly from page zero for rapid (if not automatic) movement of gstrings and blocks. The first model (6500) was plug-compatible with the 6800 but priced at about one-fifth the 6800. The second model, the 6502, was much better because it had a built-in clock, reducing the chip count.
Perhaps most important, while Motor ola was uptight and bureaucratic about samples of its $90 chips, M.O .S. Tech nology gave away samples of the 6502 ($20 each, list), including to two guys named Steve who put it in the Apple. It was also put in a lot of video games and controllers. (So maybe the comment on page 239 about 6502s being in closets is correct. I'm writing this letter on an
continued
22 BYTE · AUOUSf 1988
Who Says FoxBASE+
is Better than dBASE"?
- ·-·-··- . F.ox software
The Experts!
Fox SOftware
lMlil··-W..ar....
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P.L. Olympia, Founder & President, National Dbase Users
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dB.ASE Author: "For the PC, FoxBASE+ has consistently set the performance standard for dBASE compatible languages. For the Macintosh, FoxBASE+ /Mac will set standards for innovation and leader ship in a new dBASE implementation."
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This is what they said about Version 2.00 of FoxBASE +.
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~~~~~~~~~ Fox Software ~~§
Circle 91 on Reader Service Card
FoxBASE and FoxBASE+ are trademarks of Fox Software. dBASE and dBASE Ill PLUS are trademarks of Ashton-Tate.
Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computers, Inc.
Nothing Runs Like a Fox.
Fox Software
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Circle 41 on Reader Service Card
LETTERS
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FULL AT&T C++: ANNOUNCING VERSION 1.2
Guidelines announces its port of version 1.2 of AT&T's C++ translator. As an object-oriented language C ++ includes: classes, inheritance, member functions, constructors and destructors, data hiding, and data abstraction. "Object-oriented" means that C + + code is more readable, more reliable and more reusable. And that means faster development, easier maintenance, and the ability to handle more complex projects. C ++ is Bell Labs' answer to Ada and Modula 2. C ++ will more than pay for itself in saved development time on your next project.
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WORM Standards
I welcomed "A Quintet of WORMs" by Wayne Rash Jr. (February), but I was surprised that it said nothing about stan dards-or the lack of them. It seems to me that WORMs will not take off as a form of data storage until there is an agreed standard format, as has happened with the High Sierra format for CD ROM. There has been a massive develop ment of CD-ROM since the adoption of this standard, such that it could easily be come a standard feature of PCs in the next few years.
I work in a social research unit, and in the near future I expect we'll be using desktop machines to analyze large data sets for which we currently use main frames. For example, data from the next census in both the U.S. and the U.K. is likely to be distributed on CD-ROM. However, the initial mastering costs will probably make it prohibitively expensive to produce some of the smaller, less widely used data sets on CD-ROM, such as the U.K. General Household Survey or the U.S. Health Interview Survey. WORMs would be a convenient and rela tively low-cost way of distributing such data sets. Yet this is unlikely to be attrac tive to either the users or the distributors of such datasets when there is no stan dard format. With no agreement on a standard, presumably IBM's own format will become a default standard, even though IBM produces only a one-sided WORM drive while others are producing double-sided drives.
The other drawback, from the user's point of view, is the proliferating number of drives that seem to be required-flop py disk drives, CD-ROM drives, and WORM drives-not all of which are likely to fit into one box. I have noticed that WORM cartridges look quite differ ent from CD-ROM disks . Is it at all like ly that there will be a single drive that will read both CD-ROMs and WORMs?
Charlie Owen London, England
Hartley's Limitations
Before you discard the Fourier transform in favor of the Hartley, be aware of some serious limitations ("Faster Than Fast Fourier" by Mark A. O'Neill, April). The trivial nature of the so-called cas
continued
24 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
Circle 99 on Reader Service Card
It's A Matter Of Security
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Circle 86 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 87)
415-498-1111 48431 Milmont Drive, Fremont, CA 94538
AUGUST 1988 · B Y T E 25
Circle 147 on Reader Ser~ice Card
LETTERS
D BUSINESS 1-EZ ·FORMS business form generation, completion and printing program.
I
D CAD 3 - The PC-Flow 1.0 computer aided flow
I chart generation program. Color graphics required.
[[] COMM 4 a, b ,c ,d ,e - (5 disks) Join the world of
sysops with RBBS Bulletin Board System 14.1D.
I
(gJ DATABASE 1a,b -(2 disks) File Express 3.8
I menu driven general purpose database manager. D I EDUCATION 1-lnteracb've DOS tutorial for new
PC users. Makes learning DOS painless.
[[] FINANCE 1 a,b-(2 disks) PC Accountant 2.0
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D I
GAMES 1-3-D Pacman, Kong, Spacewar, JanitI Joe, futuristic Flightmare and more. Color required.
D GAMES 2-0ubert, Pango, Centipede, dun geons and dragons style Zoarre, etc. Color req.
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D GAMES 3-Blackjack with customizable rules,
Armchair Ouar1erback (you call plays), and more.
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D GAMES 4-Star Trek, the Castle adventure
I game, and the original Colossal Caves Adventure. gi
D GAMES 5-The Hack adventure game from the 1i'i
I universities. Like Rogue, only much richer.
1I;
D I
GAMES 6-Pinball, Othello, Dragons, Sopwith
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(fly a Sopwith Camel) and more. Color required.
[[] INFO 1a,b-(2 disks) Cooking recipes database
I with keyword/ingredient retrieval. Add your own.
[[] MUSIC 2a,b--(2 disks) PianoMan 3.0 polyphonic
music recording and playback program.
D ORGANIZER 1-DeskTeam, a Sidekick clone,
I
and the Judy personal calendar program.
D PRINTER 1-Resident print control and font utility, intelligent spooler, banner maker. and more.
I I
0 SIMULATION 1-Maze making program, MIT's
I Life simulation, starfields, etc. Color graphics req.
D UTILITIES 1-A collection of invaluable general purpose DOS utilities. An absolute must for all.
0 UTILITIES 2-More invaluable DOS utilities in-
I I
D I eluding screen burnout, ram disk, and more. UTILITIES 3-A comprehensive set of debugging
and diagnostic utilities for monitoring your computer.
NEW RELEASES/UPDATES
D BUSINESS 2-Expressgraph business graphics. Chart your data and find trends. Color graphics req.
[[] CAD 1a,b-(2 disks) Fingerpaint 1.2 advanced
painting and Altamira object oriented design. Color.
[[] CA D 2 a ,b-(2 disks) DanCad3d, an advanced
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[[] COMM 2 a,b-(2 disks) Procomm 2.42, an excel
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D EDUCATION 3-PC-Fastype 1.20 typing tutor,
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[[] FINANCES 3a,b-(2 disks) Express Cale 3.12,
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D GAMES 8-Striker helicopter attack and Risk, the game of world domination. Color required.
D GAMES 12-Backgammon (play the computer)
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D UTILITIES 5-Hard disk utilities for verifying, for matting, parking and optimizing your disk drives.
D UTILITIES 6-Advanced utilities including Mark/Release (remove resident progsw/o reboot!)
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Masterkey (undeletes files from hard disks).
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Most software listed is shareware or user-supported.
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Ia.;I,~__I _~~_-2~_l.9?_m~?_.;;_!~m_~~_1_11;.m1
function (cosine x + sinex) should give transform (FHT) is twice as fast as the
rise to some suspicion: It is no more than fast Fourier transform (FFT). The tim
a "colorized" sine function, with 45 de ings in table 1 compare O'Neill's algo
grees added to the angle and an ampli rithm with a simple (complex number)
tude equal to the square root of 2. The FFT for one forward and one reverse
plain sine function would serve just as transform .
well.
These timings show that there's more
The Fourier transform uses cos x + j to speed than a smaller number of arith
sin x, which preserves all the original metic operations. In particular, speed of
signal information in two orthogonal array access is often crucial in "real" nu
functions-but which the Hartley simply merical applications.
lumps together. Consequently, any at
In a comment on Bracewell's work,
tempt to take the inverse transform is Bold (Proceedings of the IEEE, 73 (12),
fraught with hazard-the original infor 1863-4) points out that a real FFT can be
mation has been lost. (The sum of two performed by a complex FFT on n/2
numbers is 7-what are the numbers?) points, considerably faster than the times
Anyone considering using this trans above. If speed really is crucial, FFT al
form should be aware of its limitations. gorithms can be tuned to the architecture
John C. Polasek ofthe machine in use.
Orlando, FL
B. D. Ripley
Glasgow, Scotland
Bigram vs. N-Gram
I read Roy E. Kimbrell's "Searching for Elusive Shareware
Text? Send an N-Gram!" (May) with I have been given a copy of a very good
interest.
backup program called Hardsave 1. Oa.
I wonder whether the developers con It has a message saying "Shareware from
sidered using a "least-common bigram" Andrew P . Wimple , Donations $20
(LCB) approach similar to that described please."
by E. Onderisin (Proceedings ofthe ACM I would like to send Mr. Wimple a do
Annual Meeting, 1971) and implemented nation, but he has not left his address
at !ITRI (LARC Reports, 7 (1), 1974). anywhere in the software. Do you or any
The LCB method yielded improvements of your readers know where he can be
over traditional methods. Perhaps an contacted?
LCB or a "least-common trigram" ap
Jeremy Brown
proach would be simpler and less re
Leichhardt, Australia
source-intensive here, too.
Peter Halpin Data Liberation
Great Falls, VA I am writing this letter to request a new
Freedom of Information Act. I am refer
You Call That Fast?
ring to the availability of data structures
Mark O'Neill ("Faster Than Fast Fou
for software.
rier," April) claims that the fast Hartley
continued
Table 1: Timings comparing O'Neill's algorithm with a simple (complex number) FFTfor one forward and one reverse transform.
n = 256
n = 1024
FHT
FFT
FHT
FFT
IBM PS/2 60
Turbo Pascal 4.0
+ 80287
5.16 0.88
3.62 1.09
2 3. 51 4. 02
19.56 5.54
RM NimbusVX
16-M Hz 80386
+ 80387
2.4 7 0.33
1.76 0.33
10.98
9.28
1.54
1.81
Atari ST Prospero Pascal 2.1 2
Sun 3/160 + 68881 + 1164/5
5.36
0.32 0 .2 5
4. 01
0.38 0. 18
24.75 21 .03
1. 55
1.90
1. 17
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VAx.8650
0.085
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0.420 0.270
26 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
The change
to a pure language
Now, Cprogrammers can move · Object Oriented Programming · 'Codeview' Compatible
over to C++ JVith Zortech C++
C++ is to CJVhat Modula 2
Zortech C++ is compatible
- the JVOrlds first 'true' C++
is to Pascal. C++ brings 'classes' with 'Codeview' -Microsoft's
compiler for MS-DOS machines.
to C, so you can create separate
industrystandardsource code
Zortech C++ is a 'true' compiler and fully conforms to Bjame Stroustrups specification as outlined in his book 'The C++ Programming Language:
modules that contain their own data and data-related operations. These 'classes' then become neJV types that can in turn be used to create further modules - this alloJVs you to practically create
Previous implementations of your own language.
clocuaon+ntdali+nyecgaciJnebaVtplnoeetrdaeCtobc.aloOtecrmtafducpnuaoisellulliatyrnotsg'etetrthC,iaemt+nhlesoi+slsna.sJtgVootaurrssra'cn es iy·csaoanAuYrsNtouaeSupkxIeiedsCryotsionSenu'tugtorphCMefaAprvisrcNeeorttSgoorIstaoChmf.trNsoCo-wowCar, w+Tyuo+aruybo
Now, C++ comes ofage JVith C compatible programs and easily
debugge1:
· Improved Program Structure As stated in 'The C++
Programming Language; by using C++ "It would not be unreason able for a single person to cope with 25,000 lines ofcode~'
· Other benefits Heres just a few: Operator
overloading, overloading function names, default arguments to functions and better type checking.
the introduction ofthe JVorlds first migrate to c++ to take full advan
true C++ compiler- from Zortech! tage ofthe new C++ features.
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1 Designed · for the 80386 There's a
revolution taking place in desktop computing. Arevolution that's been launched by asquare wafer ofsilicon known as the 80386 microprocessor chip. It puts minicomputer potential at PC users' fingertips. It's afact that virtually every leading PC manufacturer has built a"box" around this chip. And it's afact that the "New Operating System" will, supposedly, even run on it. But, it's also afact that thei.r system wasn't designed for the 80386. Ours is. And it's called PC-MOS/386:M
4 Thousands ofDOS Programs PC-MOS/386TM 1 gives you the best ofthe past, and the best for your future. Which means that while PC-MOS/386TM totally replaces your old DOS, you won't have to replace the programs you've spent alot oftime learning.
And it all happens so effortlessly. You'll continue to reap the benefits of your favorite DOS programs, while entering anew arena of power.
~ . Thinkofit! Programs like dBASE III, WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3 and Sym phony, WordStar, MultiMate...literally thousands of DOS programs-all com 1tible and multi-user available.
2 PCandPS/2 · Compatible
In designing PC-MOS, we knew our first priority was
to exploit the minicomputer 1 capabilities of80386-based
PCs & PS/2s. But we went
Ifurther, and developed a
\ system which would be fully compatible with the millions of existing PCs, PC ATs, and PC-compatibles. Power without sacrifice. You'd expect nothing less from the new standard bearer.
5 Familiar ·Commands
COPY
Like DIR and COPY
Just as you don't have to learn awhole new array of
lb- .~. -~-·-~· jl!iiillil
software to take advantage of PC-MOS/386~M neither do you
have to learn an entirely new set ofcommands.
Instead, the system builds on the knowledge you already
have. "COPY" still copies files, and "DIR" still gives you a
directory listing. As you might expect, we didn't stop there. There's awealth offeatures that have strengthened the com mands you know, making them more powerful and easier to use.
3 One, Five, Up to Twenty-five Users,1.iii·J--;J..iiiiiiiiifl
You can choose from avariety ofwork
· From the beginning, PC-MOS/386TM iWas .Jmiiiiiii.(- .l! designed as aversatile operating system which
stations. Mix and match dumb terminals .ij-~...a·iiiL costing under $500 each with PCs and
could support twenty-five users as easily
PS/2s running our terminal emulation
as it supports one. The system comes in
software.
single, five, and 25-user modules, so
All of the host's resources can be
you're able to start with what you need
shared. Programs, data, hard disks,
and expand when you're ready.
-==>--== tape backup units &printers (including
In amulti-user setting, PC-MOS/386TM uses the ~== high speed laser printers) are suddenly available to all
computing power of the host PC to drive workstations linked to standard RS-232 ports.
!illl_llllf~liiii ~"" users. An 80386-PC has minicomputer potential. 113~§ With PC-MOS/386TM you can "mini" your micro.
28 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
ofUsersWdlChoosePC-MOS/386:
6 Concurrently Supports Virtual 8086 and 1 80386 32-Bit Mode
al-~"---:'?_;_":~~
· -111111
_,_T-,,.';... .:;:~:;,_:.:=.:- ~
80386-based PCs &PS/2s are dual-personality computers. To run DOS programs, they act as PCs with a640K memory limit. But to take advantage oftheir minicomputer capacity, they operate in true 80386 mode which lets them address up to four gigabytes ofmemory. PC-MOS enables the 80386-host and its workstations to independently switch between these modes-making DOS compatibility and 80386 power simultaneously possible.
7. Multi~asking
· While it's true you could look else
where for multi-tasking, why would you
want to? The other multi-tasking operatin~ ...._iiiiF==
system is not now, nor is it planned to be,
multi-user. It won't even run multiple DOS appli
cations in multi-tasking mode.
Now consider PC-MOS/386~M At the touch of a key: you can switch between up to 25 different tasks. And if you have workstations connected to a host, they get multi-tasking, too. Finally...asystem that won't hold you back.
9 Remote ~~~~: ·Access
It's been said that information is power. ..which makes PC-MOS/386TM adeadly weapon to your competition. Imagine on-the-road salespeople being able to file call reports and access your latest inventory data. Picture execu tives being able to access your corporate database from across the country, or around the world-giving them the information they need, when they need it.
Visualize branch offices tapping time-critical data with nothing more than amodem and aworkstation.Working at a home office in the evening or over the weekend suddenly gets awfully productive. And that makes good business sense. The kind ofsense you can't afford to be without.
011 The Price...As you
J; · evaluate operating systems,
ask yourselfifit's reasons you're consider ing...or rhyme. Ask if you're getting a system for tomorrow, or one that was made for yesterday. See ifyou're being forced to buy new hardware because of their software. And consider this. Only one operating system in the world can u eyou the raw power, features, and functionality that you demand. Its name is PC-MOS/386~~~ And it's immediately available in one, five and 25-user versions starting at $195.
8 File/Record Locking and · Security When you decide to
implement either anetwork or amulti user system, there's atwo-fold problem which must be solved: protecting your work from accidental misuse and securing it from intentional theft. PC-MOS/386TM solves both aspects ofthis problem. Password protected security allows you to assign file, directory, and task access to each use1: Plus, files and records are locked using either PC-MOS' proprietary system or NETBIOS emulation.
PC-MOS/386N isa trademarkofThe Software Link, Inc. PS/2, PC AT, NETBIOS, dBASE III, MultiMate, WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3 & Symphony, & WarlStar are trademarks of IBM Corp., Ashmn:fote, WordPerfect Corp., Lotus Development Corp., & MicroPro, respective!}( Prices and technical specifications subject m change. Copyright © 1987. All Rights Reserved.
For the dealer nearest you, In Georgia: International/OEM Sales: Resellers/VARs:
CALL: 800/451-LINK 404/441-2580 404/263-1006 404/448-5465
-MODULAR OPERATING SYSTEM
~ THE SOFTWARE LINK
Circle 222 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 223)
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 29
LETTERS
As a software developer and consul tant, I am often called upon to aid indi viduals converting from one software package to another. The only problem is, very often it's difficult or impossible to obtain the data structure of the existing software package.
Recently I was asked to help a physi cian convert from one medical billing and insurance program, sold by one of the largest companies in the U.S. , to a different package from a different ven
dor. This physician had used the original program for several years and had accu mulated several thousand patient ac counts in the system.
Both a colleague and I contacted the vendor and requested a map of the pro gram's data structure. We did not re quest source code or any proprietary in formation, and we were willing to pay any necessary costs. Our request was firmly refused, and no amount of plead ing, cajoling, or threatening could pry
Ifyouthink Y.OU can buy a better Ccompiler, don't. We'll buy it for you.
Buy Let's C® with csd'"
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Why are~ making this incredible offer? Because we"re absolutely cer tain Lets C and csd C Source Debugger are the best C programming tools you can own.
Rest assured that. like its competition. Lets C features incredibly fast in-memory compilation and produces extremely tight. high quality code. The differences lie in how much faster you can perform other programming chores.
Our debugger. for example. can cut development time in half. But thats not all:
'"csd is close to the ideal debugging environment ... a dg!nite aid to
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-WilliamG. Wong. BYrE
And comparatively speaking: "No debugger is included in the Turbo C package. ..a serious shortcoming.'"
-Michael Abrash. Programmer's Journal Unlike our competition. Lets C includes its own full-featured assembler, features documentation with complete examples and technical support with complete answers-thej!rst time you call.
LET'S C:
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model · Integrated environment or command
line interlace · 8087 sensing and support
LET'S C AND csd FEATURES csd:
· Fuil UNIX compatibility and complete
· lib raries ~;~~~?;:,e~:~~~l~~ties including make,
· MicroEMACS lull screen editor with source code included
·Supported by dozens of third party libraries
· Debug in Csource code, not assembler
· Provides separate source. evaluation. program and history windows
· Abihly lo sel trace points and monilor variables
· Caninteractively evaluale anyCexpression · Can execute any Cfunction in your program
·Trace back !unction
So ifyou're thinking a bout buying any other C compiler, think again. But this offer is only available for a limited time. So think fast. Andseeyour software dealer or call 1-800-MWC-l 700 soon. {1-312-472-6659 in Illinois.)
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11111 Mark Williams Company
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the data structure from this prestigious vendor. Needless to say, the resulting data conversion was difficult and expen sive, and it involved a great deal of man ually reentering data.
I honestly do not know why this com pany refused our request, but I have run across this response countless times with numerous software houses. Could it be that paranoia has become so widespread that it totally obscures the judgment of major software developers, or are they simply so petty that they will hold their existing users as unwilling captives so they can continue to milk them for up grade and maintenance fees?
Whatever the reason is, it has no justi fication. It is inconceivable to me that any software vendor could refuse to fur nish a data map, particularly when the data is as vitally important as accounts receivable.
Furnishing the data structure of a pro gram is not at all comparable to furnish ing source code. The data structure tells little, if anything, about how the pro gram works-it merely shows the owner of the data just where and how it is stored. Furthermore, a map of the data structure is useful only to individuals who already own the program. In no way could furnishing data structures ad versely affect the sales or proprietary rights of any software vendor. Quite the contrary: In my opinion, the failure to furnish data structures should serve as a strong deterrent to buying the program in the first place.
I think the time has come for all soft ware vendors to furnish data structures with their programs. As more and more people become increasingly dependent upon computers for storing their vital data, they should have freeaccess to that data. Even the most wonderful program might be obsolete next year, and even the largest vendor may be in Chapter 11 next week.
I strongly advise individuals consider ing the purchase of any software that may have a major impact on their lives to de mand that the data structure of the pro gram be furnished at the time of pur chase. Whether they are programmers or not, if they need to convert to a different program in the future, they'll have to pay a programmer far less if the data struc ture is already available.
Evan P. Provisor Sharon, CT
Quattro and Benchmarks Your comparison review of Quattro and Surpass ("Double Threats to Lotus
continued
30 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 137 on Reader Service Card
Circle 14 on Reader Service Card
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· ERROR FREE . . Uses high level MNP5 hardware error correction procedures to guaranty 100% error-free data.
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LETTERS
1-2-3" by Diana Gabaldon, June) re quires some amplification.
First, you didn't mention the two add ins that are bundled with Quattro at no extra charge: Menu Builder and Tran script. Menu Builder lets users create menu trees that are customized to their specific needs. Quattro is shipped with both its own menu tree and one that emu lates Lotus 1-2-3.
If your readers have ever lost valuable data, they'll appreciate Transcript. It
provides a log file of keystrokes and com mands selected throughout the spread sheet session. Errors can be handled eas ily with the undo command. Transcript also protects against power failure or sys tem crashes and audits changes made to a spreadsheet.
Second, Quattro provides a macro record and debugging environment. The macro record is an excellent way to create macros quickly and easily. It sim ply records the user's actions as they are
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performed. With the Quattro debugger, users can execute macros in slow motion (step by step), pausing as they go along, and set breakpoints that "freeze" a macro when it reaches a cell or satisfies a given condition. Users can execute a macro at full speed until it reaches a breakpoint, then continue either in slow motion or at full speed until the next breakpoint.
Your benchmark appears to be a his torical "all cells dependent on one cell" model and is not representative of a real world spreadsheet.
Lastly, your review summed up Quat tro as being the first-time user's choice. On the contrary, our research shows that more than 50 percent of cur rent Quattro users are previous Lotus 1-2-3 users.
Becky Jones Product Manager Borland International Scotts Valley, CA
We 're glad you mentioned the bench marks: Our traditional spreadsheet benchmarks are deliberately not opti mized for any one kind of operation historically, we've made no assump tions about how a spreadsheet will be used. While this approach has the ,ad vantage ofbeing open-ended and allows head-to-head comparisons of spread sheets over time, these benchmarks cer tainly aren't perfect. For one thing, they lack fine detail that might allow readers to, for example, differentiate between performance in routine business mat ters versus performance in statistical number crunching.
We 're changing our benchmarks: In our June issue, ~rolled out BYTE's new system benchmarks for hardware. These, the first second-generation micro computer benchmarks, produce results (from the most general to the most de tailed levels) that are valid indicators of real-world performance in a variety of applications.
We 're now in the process of doing the same thing for our suite of software benchmarks. Watch for our new, second generation software benchmarks later this year.-Eds.
FIXES
Small Footprint 80286
80386, 16 MHz or 20 MHz
80286 12, 16, or 20 MHz
1=c1~Tl~CN
2380 Qume Drive, Ste. F San Jose, CA 95131
Sorry, Wrong Number In the June What's New on page 88, we printed the wrong telephone number for Plu*Perfect Systems. The correct num ber is (213) 395-4584.
32 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
Circle 90on Reader Service Card
I
Compaq presents high-perforrnance computing for everyone.
Introducing the COMPAQ DESKPRO 386s. New technology delivers affordable 80386 performance for anyone considering 80286PCs.
~......t off to a
fast
Now, breakthrough technology from Compaq brings the power and potential of 80386-based personal computing to millions of business PC users.
Introducing the COMPAQ DESKPRO 386s. It's the first personal computer powered by the revolutionary new Intel"' 386SX* microprocessor. It's also the first designed specifically as an affordable, high-performance alternative to 80286-based PC's.
The COMPAQ DESKPRO 386 swill run the software you have today-such as MS-DOS"' and Microsoft"' Oper" ating System/2 from Compaq-up to 60% faster than most 10-MHz 80286 PC's. It will also run the 32-bit software that 80286 PC's won't run at all. Microsoft Windows/386, for example.
·
You can tailor the COMPAQ DESKPRO 386 s to your exact needs. Choose high-performance storage options such as 20-, 40-, or HO-Megabyte Fixed Disk Drives. Tape backup options.Evendiskettedrivesin 51/4-inch and 31/2-inch sizes.
VGA graphics are built in. So is one megabyte of high speed memory, expandable to 13 megabytes without using a single expansion slot. You can also add a mouse , printers and more without using additional slots.
All these features and more are packed into a sleek new design that fits places the competition can't.
So get into the PC passing lane, and head for all the 80386 power and performance you really want, with the revolutionary new COMPAQ DESKPRO 386 s.
Introducing the COMPAQ DESKPRO 386125. The most powerful PC available.
--
~~--~-----
~
-
- --=- -
~
Never look
back.
Once again, Compaq introduces a PC that leaves every other in the dust. With its new Intel 25-MHz 386*micropro cessor and exclusive 32-bit COMPAQ Flexible Advanced Systems Architecture, the new COMPAQ DESKPRO 386/25 runs up to 60% faster than most 20-MHz 80386 PC's.
FLEX Architecture uses separate memory and peripheral buses operating in concert to maximize system performance, while maintaining compatibility with industry-standard hardware and software. The 25-MHz cache memory controller keeps data instantly accessible, so the processor works at 0 wait states 95% of the time.
With the addition of a 25-MHz Intel 387* or WeitekTM coprocessor, you can match the numeric processing of a
dedicated workstation, at a fraction of the cost.
You can go from one standard megaby~~ ofhigh-speed
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tions such as most networks and multiuser systems, you
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For CAD/CAE, as a file server and for multiuser .
systems, the new COMPAQ DESKPRO 386/25 is the ulti
mate solution. And, for intense PC users who don't have a ..
millisecond to spare, nothing less will do!
'
It simply works better.
r11mPAa
Now there's room
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on the fast track.
When Compaq pioneered high performance personal computing and introduced the industry's first 80386 based PC's, we gave performance-hungry busi ness users, engineers, analysts and software developers the tools they needed to perform intense applications faster and better. Now, with the new C0\1PAQDFSKPR0386sand COMPAQ DESKPRO 386/25, we're not just pushing 80386 technology forward; we're widening it. So that PC users at every level can take advantage of the industry's highest performance-Compaq 80386 performance. The new COMPAQ DESKPRO 3868 lets anyone considering 80286 PC's head straight for 80386 per
formance . The original COMPAQ DESKPRO 386 and COMPAQ DESKPRO 386/20 deliver even higher per formance for more de manding applications. And now, at the top of our line is the new COMPAQ DESKPRO 386/25. The most powerful personal computer available. Together, they create the highest-performing PC line available. In each one, our exclusive design lets every component run at optimum speed. This pro vides a substantial per formance edge, while maintaining compatibility and connectivity with your current hardware and software. Now, you'll run your current MS-DOS"' applica- · tions at top speed. Plus new 80386 software, such as Microsoft Windows/386 . With MS"' OS/2, UNIX"' or XENIX~ you'll simultane ously run multiple programs,
switching between them instantly. And, with a COMPAQ 80386 PC, you'll do it all faster. Now, with legendary Compaq performance and quality available to every one, the fast track is wider than ever.So accelerate. Call 1-800-231-0900, Operator 64. In Canada, call 1-800 263 -5868, Operator 64. We'll give you the location of your nearest Authorized COMPAQ Computer Dealer and a free brochure for any COMPAQ 80386 -based computer.
COMPAQ· and COMPAQ DESKPRO 386° are trademarks of Compaq Computer Corporation. Microsoft~ MS·DOS~ XENIX· and MS· are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. MS· OS/2 and MS" Wi ndows/386 are products of Microsoft Corporation. Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. ·Registered U.S. Patent and Trade mark Offi ce. COMPAQ DESKPRO 386/25 graphics ©1988 Accent Soft· ware, Inc. ©1988 Compaq Computer Corpora· tion. All rights reserved.
'Hereafter referred to as 80386SX, 80386 and
80387 respectively.
t Using two optional COMPAQ 300·/600·
Megabyte Fixed Disk Drive Expansion Units.
romPAa
It simply works better.
CHAOS MANOR
MAIL
Jerry Pournelle answers questions about his column and related computer topics
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Dear Jerry, I'm a student of economics and com
puter science, studying at the University of Karlsruhe.
There are three reasons why I'm writ ing to you. First, I really enjoy reading BYTE, because it's one of the best (ifnot the best) available computer magazines.
My second reason for writing is be cause I'd love to take part on BIX, but as you know, the German Bundespost ("post" is the "abbreviation" for Public Organization for the Suppression of Technology) is very restrictive concern ing computer communications and, of course, is charging fairly high fees for any long-distance call.
Perhaps BYTE or McGraw-Hill could encourage activities to bring BIX to Eu rope. I'm thinking of a BIX bulletin board somewhere in Europe, whose con tents would be sent to America once or twice a day and vice versa. This would already be a big leap forward, although it would not be as interactive as the original BIX.
Perhaps-and now I might just be day dreaming-HIX could advance to be come IBIX (International BYTE Infor mation Exchange), bringing together computer users from all over the world.
My third reason to write to you is that I've recently bought an inexpensive add on board for my IBM PC AT. To find out what kind of board I'd bought, I went through all my issues of BYTE to locate any reference to Definicon Systems, the name on the board. I was lucky to find a pointer to an older BYTE in which the DSI-32 coprocessor board had been re viewed. I was very glad to realize that I now own a "tiny VAX" to plug into my computer (a DSI-32 board running at 10 MHz, complete with memory manage ment unit and 2 megabytes of RAM).
I've already written to Definicon Sys tems for further information and soft ware, and I hope to get enough to help get the board running . Since BYTE tried to encourage buying this board by having arranged special prices for Green Hills software, I believe there still may be
many people who use the DSI-32 board. Perhaps some of them would be willing to exchange information or programs with me. Readers can get in contact with me at the address below.
Axel Mock Dahlienweg BE 7513Stutensee1 Federal. Republic ofGermany
Thanks for the suggestions. I find De finicon stuffblazingly fast.
I passed your comments on to George Bond, executive editor of B/X, who had this to say:
"We 're interested in worldwide partic ipation in BIX, too. Already BIX has membersfrom North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. We do recognize the high costs of B/Xing from outside the U.S. , and we are contin ually Looking for ways to help users re duce them.
" Incidentally, although BIX is not available directly in Europe, another BYTE service-BYTEnet Listings-is. BYTEnet Listings is a BBS with code de scribed in BYTE articles in its download areas. There currently are BYTEnet List ings boards in more than 30 nations worldwide. "-Jerry
Solving Problems with ASK
Dear Jerry, Last year, you wrote about having
troubles with your resident software and gave an example of a batch file that re writes the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. That's one solution, but I think I've got a better one.
The advanced edition of the Norton Utilities includes the program ASK, which is very useful for solving such problems in a tidy way . With ASK, you can build menus in a batch file, input into the batch file, and set the errorlevel
continued
Jerry Pournelle holds a doctorate in psy chology and is a science fiction writer who also earns a comfortable living writ ing about computers present and future. He can be reached clo BYTE, One Phoe nix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458.
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AUGUST 1988 · B Y T E 33
CHAOS MANOR MAIL
according to your input. (For a better ex planation, just look it up in the Norton Integrator.) A better solution to your problem could look like this:
ECHO 1. Ready!, SuperKey, SideKick ECHO 2. Lightning, SideKick ECHO J. DESQview ECHO 4. Windows ASK "What shall I load, "1234 if errorlevel 1 then goto .... . if errorlevel 2 then goto .... .
If you want to stick to your method, you could write a little program that re boots the system via interrupt 25.
When you're using DOS 3.3, you can write better code using call instead of goto. This way your code will be much more readable.
Now to your discussion about word processors. I do almost all my editing with the Norton Editor (yes, I'm a Peter Norton fan), which can do all I need and is very small. It also supports a mouse if
connected. Just press the left mouse but ton, and you can move the cursor around; press the mouse button again, and you drop the cursor at the new location. I find that very useful. When it comes to out put, I use TEX. My second-choice editor is MicroStar from the Turbo Editor Toolbox because it cooperates with Lightning so nicely.
P.S. Just in case you are interested, I am 14 years old.
Konrad Neuwirth Vienna, Austria
Actually, I find that DESQview does pretty well on an 80386 for nearly every normal operation; when I want to run without DESQview, I generally want to change the CONFIG.SYSfile as well, and ASK won't do that.
I'm a Peter Norton fan also.-Jerry
XyWrite's the One Dear Jerry,
With rising frustration, I have read all the columns in your series on your search for a word processor that is transparent to you as a writer and yet has all the features that you as a hacker might want.
I am a practicing attorney, and as such
I need to create nonstandard documents from scratch with reasonable regularity . I also lecture and have to prepare appro priate outlines in varying detail, tailored to the particular course.
Six or so years ago, I was introduced to XyWrite by the head of our word-pro cessing department, in which we ran Atex at the time. I switched over from my then-beloved WordStar, and I've stuck with it ever since.
The key to XyWrite, which I don't be lieve you have yet had an opportunity to appreciate, is the ability to configure the program in just about any way you choose.
Do you want a keyboard that gives you all the editing functions without remov ing your hands from the keyboard? That's what I have. The keyboard driver for XyWrite is an ASCII file that loads when the program boots and can be re written to put all the editing functions under whatever mnemonic or ergonomic design you choose.
Suffice it to say that I have assigned to the Control key (or, in a few cases, Con trol-Alt or Alt-Shift) combinations of my choice all the following functions:
· Cursor movement: one space up, down, forward, or back; one word for ward or back; one sentence forward or back; one paragraph forward or back; top
continued on page 201
34 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 218 011 Reader Service Card
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When you want to talk computers..
AT ARI COMPUTERS
AMIGA SOFTWARE
MS/DOS SYSTEMS
65XE 64K Computer ... .. .. . . 109 .99 130XE 132K Computer ....... 149.00 520ST-FM Monochrome Syst. . 699.00 1040ST Color System . . . . . . . .. Call SF124 Monochrome Monitor .. 169.00 SF1224 Color Monitor . . . . . .. 329 .00
Mimetics
NEC APC-IV Powermate . . .. 2,399.00
Amigen Gen Lock ... .. ... . . . 159.00
PC-TOO 80286 1.2MB, 512K .. 899.00
New Tek Inc.
Toshiba T-1 000 Laptop ...... 799 .00
Digi-View 2.0 . . .... .. ..... .. 149.00
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60MB Tape Backup
6-Pak Plus 576 Board
. 149.00
Hard Drives CMS MacStack 60 . .. .. . . .. . . . ... 899.00 Everex 40MB SCSI ... . ... .. .... ... 999.00 PCPC .
MacBottom HD45 ... .. . ... . 1149.00 Floppy Drives Central Point Magnum 800k ..... .... . ... . 209.00 Mirror Technologies BOOK Floppy External . .. . .... 199.00 Monitors Network Specialties
I
Hot Shot 286 Accelerator ... . . 349.00 Hercules Color Card . ... ... .. . . . .. . . . 169.00
Graph ics Card Plus . . . . . . ... 199.00 Intel Inboard 386 Board .......... 799.00
5th Generation Logical Connection 256K ..... 339.00 Quad ram Quad386XT 80386 PC-Upgr... 799.00 Video 7 Vega V.G.A. Adapter ........ 299 .00
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v
COMPUTER MAIL ORDER
36 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
.........When you want to talk price.
0
MONITORS
MODEMS
PRINTERS
·
Amdek
Anchor
Atari
Video 21 OA 12" Amber ... .. .. 89.00 6480 C64/128 1200 Baud . .. 99.99 XDM-121 Letter Quality XL -XE 209.00
Video 410 12"A/G/W ... . (ea.) 139.00 520 ST520/1040 1200 Baud . . 129.00 XM-M801 XL-XE Dot Matrix . . 199.00
Magnavox 7BM623 12" TTL Amber ...... 99.00 CM8505 14" RGB/Composite . 189.00 CM8515 14" RGB/Composite . 269.00 9CM053 14" EGA .. . ... . .... 379.00 9CM082 14" VGA Display .... 459.00
NEC GS-1400 14" Monochr. TTL .. 219 .00 JC-1402 Multisync-11 ... . ..... 599.00 Packard Bell PB-1418F 14" Flat TTL A/G/W . ...
1200E 1200 Baud External .. . 129.00
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2400 Baud 112 Card w/software 149.00
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.. ........ ...... ..... (ea.) 119.00 Evercom 2400 Baud External . 209.00 FX-86e 240cps, 80 col. . . ....... Call
PB-1420CG 14" Mid-Res CGA 269.00
FX-286E 240 cps, 132 col . ... .. Call
PB-1422EG 14" Hi-Res EGA .. 369.00 PB-8426-MJ Uniscan Monitor . 399.00 Princeton Graphics Max-12 12" TTL Amber ...... 149.00 Seiko CM-1430 14" VGA Display .... 649.00
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P2200 Pinwriter 24-wire ...... 379.00 P660 Pinwriter 24-wire . . . .. 459.00 P760 Pinwriter 132 col ...... . 679.00
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Packard Bell
ML-320 300 cps, 80 col ...... 379.00
269 Magnavox CM 8762 $
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1200 External ... . . .. .. . . .... 89.99 2400 External . . ....... . .... 169.00 Practical Peripherals
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Direct 2400 Baud External . . .. 199.00
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DISKETTES
Maxwell MD 1-M SS/DD 5Y4" . .. . .. ..... 8.49
MD2-DM OS/DD 51/4'' . .. . . ... .. 9.49 MF1-DDM SS/DD 3112'' ........ 12.49
MF2-DDM DS/DD 3112'' .. . . ... 18.49 MC-6000 DC-600 Tape . .. ..... 23.99 Sony MD1D SS/DD 5112'' . . .... . . .. . . 6.99 MD2D OS/DD 5112'' .. .. ...... .. 7.99 MFD-100 SS/DD 3112'' ... . . ... 11.99 MFD-200 OS/DD 3112'' .. . .. . . . 16.99
Panasonic KX-P1080i
144 cps, 80 col. S169
Panasonic KX-P1091i 194 cps, 80 col .... 199.00 KX-P 1092i 240 cps, 80 col .... 339.00 KX-P1595 200 cps, 132 col. .. 479.00 Star Micronics NX-1000 140 cps, 80 col . .... 179.00 NX-1OOOC C64/128 Interface .. 179.00 NX-15 120 cps, 132 col ...... 329.00 Toshiba P321-SL 216 cps, 24-wire .... 499.00 P351 -SX 300 cps, 24-wire .... 999.00
In the U.S.A. and in Canada
Call toll-free: 1-800-233-8950
Outside the U.S.A. call 717-327-9575, Fax 717-327-1217
Educational, Governmental and Corporate Organizations call toll-free 1-800-221-4283
CMO, 101 Reighard Ave., Dept. A1, Williamsport, PA 17701
OVER 350,000 SATISFIED CUSTOMERS · ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED · CREDIT CARDS ARE NOT CHARGED UNTIL WE SHIP POLICY: Add 30/o (minimum $7.00) shipping and handling. Larger shipments may require additional charges . Personal and company checks require 3 weeks to clear. For faster delivery, use your credit card or send cashier's check or bank money order. Credit cards are not charged until oNe ship. Pennsylvania residents add 6% sales tax. All prices are U.S.A. prices and are subject to change, and all items are subject to availability. Defective software will be replaced with the same item only. Hardware will be replaced or repaired at our discretion within the terms and limits of the manufacturer's warranty. We cannot guarantee com patibility. All sales are final and returned shipments are subject to a restocking fee. We are not responsible for typographic or photographic errors.
A108
Circle 55 on Reader Senice Card
AUGUST 1988 · B Y T E 37
ASK BYTE
Circuit Cellar's Steve Ciarcia answers your questions on microcomputing
A Drive for All Seasons
Dear Steve, I'm looking for a 31h-inch floppy disk
drive capable of coping with the IBM 1.44-megabyte format as well as the Apple SOOK-byte format. I have asked most of the major brand representatives in Europe about this, but so far I've been without luck. I think there must be quite a market for such a device, so I don't understand why it should not exist.
H. Anjou Gothenburg, Sweden
There's an old saying in this country that there's an oddball in every crowd. In the computer crowd, the oddball is Apple Computer. Apple's disk system for all its computers uses an unusual data encoding method called group coding, whereas modified frequency modulation (MFM) encoding is the basis for the dominant in dustry standard dictated by IBM. Apple's method is very software-intensive, using a variable-speed 80-track drive to obtain its BOOK-byte-per-disk capacity.
The IBM 1.44-megabyte disk drive uses industry-standard controllers. The differences between the systems make de signing a single drive to work with both a bit adventurous. At least two companies have attempted to market controllers that permit industry-standard 40-track dou ble-sided drives to be used with the Apple I I series; both failed. It seems highly un likely that anyone will design and market a disk drive that works with both kinds of controllers with acceptable reliability. I'm not saying it can't be done-just that no one is likely to do it.-Steve
Alive and Kicking Dear Steve,
Do you know where I can get software to let me use my Osborne 1 with a hook up to an IBM PC XT? I've tried several sources without success.
Steven Takle Fridley, MN
I don't know ofany specific software package that links Osborne or other CPIM machines to IBM PCs. Maybe you
can find something on CPIM bulletin board systems (BBSes), CompuServe, or The Source. You can find a large list of user groups and BBSes in Computer Shopper magazine.
You can operate a PC from a remote computer of almost any type with some communications programs. Procomm, for example, has a host mode that provides many of the features of BBS control pro grams, and it has a shell-to-DOS func tion that allows the remote user full ac cess to the PC. All 110 is redirected to the COM port. This would allow you to use Modem7 or some other program on your Osborne to run the PC remotely. Pro comm is available on most local BBSes, or you can order it from Datastorm Tech nologies, Inc., 1621 Towne Dr., Suite G, Columbia, MO 65205. One advantage of downloading from a local BBS is that you can try it before you buy it. -Steve
IN ASK BYTE, Steve Ciarcia, a computer con sultant and electronics engineer, answers questions on any area ofmicrocomputing and his Circuit Cellar projects. The most repre sentative questions will be answered and pub lished. Sendyourinquiryto
Ask BYTE One Phoeni"x: Mill Lane Peterborough, NH 03458
Due to the high volume of inquiries, we cannot guarantee a personal reply. All letters and photographs become the property of Steve Ciarcia and cannot be returned.
The Ask BYTE staff includes manager Harv Weiner and researchers Eric Albert, Tom Cantrell, Bill Curlew, Ken Davidson, Jeannette Dojan, Jon Elson, Frank Kuech mann, Tim McDonough, Edward Nisley, Dick Sawyer, Robert Stek, and Mark Voorhees.
Protocol Problems Dear Steve,
My computer is a Hewlett-Packard IPC, a machine that is apparently a poor stepchild.
My problem concerns connecting an external disk drive. According to the manuals, any drive that uses the Amigo
or SS-80 protocol can be directly con nected (via the HP-IB or IEEE-488) and operated using drivers in the operating system. Since I don't want to pay HP's price for its drives, I've been looking for another source. Unfortunately, no one has heard of the required protocols.
Do you know of a source of informa tion? I've already tried HP and local dealers. I've also written to drive manu facturers, to no avail.
James A. Hazel Bremerton, WA
A field that is evolving as rapidly as microcomputers creates its inevitable or phans and unsupported, expensive, and hard-to-find products.
For a number ofreasons (but mostly by accident), the Seagate ST506 and ST412 hard disk drive interfaces have largely dominated, with a strong showing by the Shugart Associates system interface (SAS/) and small computer system inter face (SCSI). The HP-IBIIEEE-488 inter face, though usable with hard disk drives, was developed to connect labora tory instruments to minicomputers; it is therefore less than optimal for hard disk drive applications. The newer, simpler Seagate and SCSI drives have dominated, with run length limited (RLL) coming on fast as a variant.
With this in mind, it should be no sur prise to you that I haven't been able to lo cate any third-party drives that would be compatible with your system. Your choices would seem to be as follows: Go without a hard disk drive, buy HP's ver sion, or get a different computer-such as a PC or PC compatible-for which bargain-priced drives are offered by dozens ofsuppliers. -Steve
Identical Printers Dear Steve,
What is the difference between Epson and IBM-compatible printers with regard to the Centronics interface? Is this differ ence a hardware- or software-dependent feature?
Also, is it possible to interface an
continued
38 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
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digitalk products
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periscope products
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175 135
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Vleature Deluxe Harri Disk utility.
120
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Vopt Hard Disk OptirrizaJ1on utility... ............................
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Periscope II with NM/ Breakout
455 369
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Turbo CTOOLS ....................................................
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Sidekick Plus...... ..
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Turbo Pascal Database Toolbox .............................
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395 285
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Turbo Pascal Gameworks Toolbox ........................
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Turbo Pascal Graphix Toolbox. .. .......................
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Turbo Pascal Numerical Methods Toolbox
100 68
Turbo Pascal Tutor .......................
70 49
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150 115
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100 68
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450 289
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1395 1119
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Advanced Norton Utilities
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Norlon Commander .............................................. 75 55
Norlon Editor ........ ... ......................... .. ................ 75 59
Norton Guides Specify
100 65
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Norton Utililie! .............
....................
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txm products
DATABACK . ..... .. ............... ...................... New
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MACK DDS .. . ... ..........................................New
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Turbo GGRAPHICS Development Library ........New
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wilh Sowce Cooe .. .......................... ...... ....New
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695 529
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130 115
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CALL CALL
EXTEND FDRT77 Extens byDesign l
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Flow Charting II+ by Pal/on & Palla ..
229 189
GRASP byPaul MaceSo/Mare . ................................
99 85
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325 CALL
Instant Replay Ill by Nos1raolam1
150 129
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MathCAD byMathSolt . .. ................................ ....... . 349 319
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100 89
PC Tools Deluxe DyCeolr.1>lfhm1St
79 69
PMI Products All tta11er1es .
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STATGRAPHICS bySTSC
895 699
TUB Version Control Dy B,
100 89
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300 269
TurboGeometry Library by Disk sa11wa11
100 89
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Circle 182 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · B Y T E 39
Circle 107 on Reader Service Card Integrand's new Chassis/System is not another IBM mechanical and eh1ctrical clone. An entirely fresh packaging design approach has been taken using modular construction. At present, over 40 optional stock modules allow you to customize our standard chassis to nearly any requirement. Integrand offers high quality, advanced design hardware along with applications and technical support all at prices competitive with imports. Why settle for less?
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40 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
ASK BYTE
Epson-compatible printer with an IBM PC? If so, how is this done?
Finally, I'd like to know the intrica cies involved if you use a serial interface (RS-232C) for the printer.
V. Shyamasunder Bangalore, India
The hardware for an Epson interface is identical to an IBM-compatible printer interface. This interface was originated by Centronics. The commonly used sig nals include 8 data bits, an active-low data-available strobe, an active-low ac knowledge strobe, an active-high level busy signal, and ground signals. The dif ference between the two types ofprinters lies in the graphics mode each supports; the graphics mode is controlled by the computer via the high bit ofdata sent to the printer.
In graphics mode-high bit set-an IBM-compatible printer will reproduce the high-ASCIIscreen graphics character of the IBM PC family; a non-IBM-com patible Epson will produce different characters. In text mode, high bit clear, the two printers will produce the same output. You can use an Epson-compatible printer with an IBM-type computer, ifthe IBM graphics characters are not re quired, simply by connecting the com puter and printer with a cable that has suitable connectors at the ends, typically either a 36-pin Amphenol-type connector or a DB-25 connector.
You can use a serial printer with an IBM-type computer via a COM port and a suitable . cable-usually with a DB-25 connector on the printer end and a DB-9 or DB-25 connector at the computer end. Since many serial printers follow DTE (data terminal equipment) protocol rather than DCE (data communications equipment), you'll need a null modem adapter or cable for successful opera tion. These adapters interchange thedata and handshaking lines. While it's easy for experienced users to construct cables and adapters for serial interfacing, it is frequently frustrating and time-consum ing for novices. Sources such as Jameco Electronics and JDR Microdevices (both advertise in BYTE) carry ready-made cables and adapters that will prevent or eliminate most problems.-Steve
Polylingual Clone Dear Steve,
I'm interested in buying an IBM AT clone. However, I need the system to op erate in English and Japanese (my key board has four character types: English, kanji, katakana, and hiragana) . In Japa nese mode, I need to be able to select the
character I need from a shift/function key and have this character displayed on the CRT or printer.
Many printers can print in different languages (e.g., the Epson can print in German and French), but Epson USA couldn't help me. I need this system to operate as a regular computer or word processor.
M. J. Cavanaugh Steger, IL
A PC clone that writes in English and three different Japanese character sets sounds like a tough item to find in the U.S. market. The old Epson MX-80 printers sold in the U.S. a few years ago did include a katakana character set, but I haven't seen any otherprinters with this feature.
You may be able to use Microsoft Win dows ifyoucangeta copy ofthe Japanese version. Microsoft Systems Journal (March 1988) contains an article on im plementing Windows for Japanese com puters. The article vaguely implies that a Japanese version ofthe PC AT or clone is required. It is not necessary for the printer to have the Japanese characters, however, because Windows uses its own fonts and prints in graphics mode when you use a dot-matrix printer.
You may be able to find out if this ap proach_is feasible by calling Microsoft at . (800) 426-9400.-Steve
Computerized Slide Show Dear Steve,
I am attempting to store some docu ments that are four to eight pages long on my IBM PC. The documents contain mostly text, but some have line drawings, graphs, and maps. I'd like to retrieve these documents and display them on the screen with as little extraneous display as possible . Most word processors and desktop publishing software display more than the document on the screen. What options do I have for storing and displaying documents in this manner?
I'm using an IBM PC AT with an EGA card.
Doyle L. Jones Clinton, MS
If I understand correctly, you want to
display documents page by page on your PC, but not necessarily for editing. In other words, you want a slide show.
There are a few programs that are de signed especially for this kind of task. Two are Show Partner and Show Partner Professional by Brightbill-Roberts & Co., 120 East Washington St., Suite 421,
continued
Circle 185 on Reader Service Card
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WITH A ZOMB HARD DISK ............... ······
or a hundred, we'll custom config ure to your exact specifications, too.
From a long list of third party, brand name components.
Including 3.5 microfloppy drives, high-speed 1: l interleave controllers with ESDI and SCSI hard disks and 800x600/640x480 resolution VGA graphics.
ORDER BY PHONE. lrs EAsY.
You don'teven have toleaveyourdesk to order a Proteus.system. Or systems. Just call us direct.
The exact configuration you want will quickly land on your doorstep. All you have to do is plug it in, tum it on and blast off into lh~ wild, blue yonder!
~~~;a;~ec;~
THE INTELLIGENT CONCLUSION!
377 Rt.17 So, Airportl7 Ctr, Hasbrouck His, NJ 07604 ·Telex 510·610·0960 ·FAX 201-288·9518 Electronic rnlalog and 24-hourlech support: sel your modem lo 1200B/118/N dial 201-288·8577 VARJRe>ellerlvo]umediscounlsavailable. Payment methods: credit card, COD, company POs
DATABASE MANAGEMENT
GRAPHICS
UTILITIES
LANGUAGES
Clipper . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 36B Energraphics ..... . .... . $1B6 1 DIR Plus ... . ........ $ 46 Basic Compiler (Microsott) . . . $ 175
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~.: :;:..:;.:.::=..=.. ·:_: : .·.·=~.=:·.
dBase 111 Plus . . . . . . . . . . . 369 Freelance Plus . . . . . . . . . . 309 Bookmark .. .. .. .. .. .. . 56 CComplier (Microsott) .... . 259
dBase 111 LAN . . . . · . . . . . . 599 Generic CAD w/Dot Plot 3.0 . . . 72 Brooklyn Bridge . . . . . . . · . . 69 Cobol Compiler (Microsoft) . . . 415
DB·XL Diamond . . . · . . . . . 105 Eureka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BB Genifer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1BB Nulshell .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 72 Paradox 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . 415 PFS: Professional File . . . . . . 119
Harvard Graphics 2.1 . . . . . . . 239 ln·A·Vision . . . . . . . . · . . . 259 Microsott Chart 3.0 . . . . . . . . 229 News Room .. .. .. .. .. .. 30 News Room Professional . . . . . 42 Printmaster Plus . . . . . . . . . 29 PrinlShop . . . . . . . . . . · . . 32
Carousel 2.0 . . . . . . . · . . . 3B Copy II PC . . . . · . . . . . . . 1B Copywrite .. .. .. . .. · .. . 39 Corefast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B9 Cruise Control . . . . . . · . . . 29 Cubit .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. Call Disk Optimizer 2.0 . . . · · . . . Call
For1ran Compiler (Microsott) 4.0. 259 Latlice C Compiler . . . . . . . 209 Macro Assembler (Microsott) .. B6 Pascal Compiler (Microsott) .. 175 Quick Basic 4.0 . . ...... . 57 Quick C ...........·. 57
Q&A ............ . .. 1B5 Turbo Graphix Tool Box . . . . . 5B Disk Technician . . . . . . . . . . 56 Ryan McFarlan Fortran . . . · . 379
Quickcode Plus . . . . . . . . . . 129 VP Graphix . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Double DOS 4.0 . . . . · . . . . Call Ryan McFarlan Cobol ..... 609
Rapid File . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Windows Drawl! w/Clip Art . . . . 159 OS Back-Up Plus . . . . · . . . . 46 Turbo Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . 5B
Revelation. . . . . . . . . . . . 459 Revelation Bump Disk . . . . . . 239 R:Base Clout (New Ver.) . . . . . 175 R:Base For DOS . . . . . . . . . 425 Reflex .. . .... ... .. . . 7B VP Expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . Call VP Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
MICE
PCMouse w/Paint (Buss or Serial) . . . . . . . . . B5
PC Mouse w/Autosketch (Buss or Serial) . 99
Microsott Buss Mouse 1.0 . . . . 92 Microsott Serial Mouse 1.0 . . . . 92 MS Buss Mouse w/CADD . . . . 107
Fastback . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Fastback Plus . . . . . . . . . . . B6 Keyworks .. .. . .. .. .. .. 53 Mace Utililies . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Microsott Windows 2.03 . . . · . 57 Norton Commander . . . . . . . . 35 Norton Editor . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Norton Utilities 4.0 . . . . . . · . 46
Turbo C . . ...... .. .. . . 5B Turbo Pascal 4.0 . ..·.... . 5B Turbo Prolog . . . . . . . . . . . 5B Turbo Prolog Toolbox . . . . . . 5B
TRAINING
Chuck Yeager
Adv. Flight Simulator . . . . . . S 25
PROJECT MANAGEMENT MS Serial Mouse w/CADD . . . . 107 Note It Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Lets C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3B
Harvard Total Project Mgr. II .. $ 309 Microsott Project 4.0 . . . . . . 2B7 Timeline 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
WORD PROCESSORS
Easy Extra . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 52
MS Buss Mouse w/Windows . . . 122 MS Serial Mouse w/Windows . . 122 Oplimouse
(PC Mouse) w/Dr. Halo Ill . . . 7B
INTEGRATIVE SOFTWARE
PC Tools Deluxe . . . . . . . . . 36 Printworks for Lasers . . . . . . . 67 Referee . . . . . . . . . . . · . . 3B Sidekick Plus . . . . · . . . . . . Call Sideways . . . . . . . . . . · . . 37 Smart Notes . . . · . . . · . . . 43
Mastertype ....... . .. . . 23 Mavis Beacon Typing . ..... . 29 MS Learning DOS . . . . . . ·. 29 MS Flight Simulator . . . . . . .. 29 PC Logo .. .. .. .. .. .. . 79
Word (Microsott) . . . . . . . . . 1B5 Ability Plus . . . . . . . . . . . $ 137 SQZ Plus .. .. .. .. . .. .. 53 Turbo Tutor 4.0 .... ·..... 42
Multimate Advantage II . . . . . . 249 Enable 2.0 . . . . . . . · . . . . 352 Superkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5B Typing Instructor II . . . . . . . . 27
PFS: Professional Wrile . . . . . 102 Framework II . . . . . . . . . . . 349 Take Two MGR . . . . . . . . . . 66 Typing Tulor IV .... .. . . . . 27
Volkswriter 3 . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Volkswriler Deluxe Plus . . . . . 57 Webster New World Writer . . . . 53 Websler Spell Checker . . . . . . 32 Webster Thesaurus . . . . . . . . 37
MS Works . ..... . . .. . . .· 113 PFS: 1st Choice . . . . . . . . . 76 Smart Sottware System .. Best Price Symphony . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
ACCOUNTING
Turbo Editor Tool Box . . . . . . 5B Unlock AT . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Unlock DPlus . . . . . . . . . . 49 XTree Professional . . . . . . . . 61
COMMUNICATIONS
Carbon Copy Plus . . . . . . . $ 105
SPREADSHEETS
Cambridge Analyst . . . . . . . . $ 79 4 Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 HAL ................ B9 Lotus 1-2-3 Ver. 2.01 . . . . . . . 295
Word Perfect . . . . . . . . · . . . Call Word Perfect Executive. . . · . . . Call Word Perfect Library . . . . · . . . Call Wordstar Pro Pack 4.0 . . . . . . . Call Wordstar 2000 Plus Personal . . 205
DESKTOP PUBLISHING
Newsmasler II ...... . .. . $ 39 Pagemaker . . . . . . . . . . . . Call
ACCPAC ......... . . . . Call Computer Associates . . . . · . . Call DAC Easy Accounting . . . . . . 52 DAC Easy Payroll . . . . . · . . 3B ln·House Accountant . . . . . . 105 One Write Plus 2.0 . · . . . . . 117 One Write AIR, A/P, Payroll . . . 117 Time Slips Ill . . . . . . . . . . . 109
MONEY MANAGEMENT
CompuServe Subscriplion Kit . . 19 Crosstalk XVI . . . . . . . . . . . B7 Crosstalk Mark IV . . . . . . · . . 109 Mirror II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Remote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B7 Smartcom Ill . . . . . . . . . . . 136
ACCESSORIES
Copy II Option Board Deluxe . . . $ 99 Masterpiece .. .. .. .. .. . 79
Lotus Manuscript . . . . . · . . . 309 Lotus Report Writer . . . · . . . . 67 MS Excel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2B5 Multiplan 3.0 (Microsoft) . . . . . 113 PFS Professional Plan . . . . . . 52 Quatlro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13B Supercalc 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 Twin Classic . . . · . . . . · . . 32
PFS: First Publisher . . . . . . . 65 Dollars & Sense w/Forcast . . . . $ 92 Masterpiece Plus . . . . . . . . 92 VP Planner . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
IE =cJ c Ventura Publishing · . · . · . . . 475 MMEMBEMR
TobiasManagingYourMoney4.0. 114 Masterpiece Remote · · · · · · · 1OT VP Planner Plus . . . . . . . . . Call
No Charge for VISA and Mastercard
All products carry only manufacturer's warranties. We do not honor
l· I ~ ...._
MICROCOMPUTER
We Do Not Charge Your Card Until Your Order is Shipped You Pay the Ground Shipping $6.00 (except Alaksa and Hawaii) We Pay the Air Difference
guarantees, rebates, trial period priviledges or promotional programs offered by manuafactures. No APO, FPO, or international orders, please.
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::: :::::;:::;:;::: ;:;:;..
Prices, Tenns &Availability Subject to Change Without Notice
1::1::=1::!\l\l~ImM:wtmmttt:m:m:::::::::::::::I:r:::::::::::: rr:::: ::::::r:::::::::::r:rI:::::::::rn ::::::::1::I1:m.m:::r1r::::]
Alps All models . . . . . . . . . . Call
ASTTurbo Lazer . . . . . . . . $4310
C.ITOH .. .... .· .. . . .. Call
Citizen Printers
120D ............ . 139
180D . . . .. . .... . . . 189
MSP 40 ........ ... . 319
MSP 45 . ... . .·..... 465
MSP50 .......... . . 399
MSP55 ..... . ... . . . 529
Premier 35 . . . . . . . . . . 509
Diconix 150 ..... · .... 309
300 .. ......... .. . 480
Epson Printers . . . . . . . . . . Call
Hewlett-Packard
Disk Jet ... ....... .
Lazer Jet Series I . . . . . . 1775
NEC
P2200 .... ...... .. 329
850 Silent Writer . . . . . . . 1539
Other Models . . . . . . . . . . Call
Okidata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Call
182 + .. . . . . · . ' . . ' ' 209
192+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
292.............. 355
294 . ' . ' . ' ' ' . ' ' . . . 715
Panasonic
1080 I M2 . . . . . . . . . . 165
10911 M2 . .. . ·. ... . 199
10921 . ' . ' ' . ' ' ' ' ' . . 325
1524
560
1592
409
1595
469
3131
305
3151 . ' ..... . .. .. ' 475
Lazer 4450 . . . . . . . . . . 1635
Star Micronics . . . . . . . . . . Call
Toshiba
321 SL . . . . . . . . · . . . 489
341 SL '. . . . . . . . . . . . 655
351 sx . ... ' . . . . . . . 945
Page Lazer . . . . . . . . . . 2415
DISK DRIVES
Bernoulli Box 10 Meg .. . .. .. . .. . . $ 889 20Meg ........... . 1015 40 Meg . .. . . .. . ... . 1559 Beta Ext . . . . . . . . . . . 1015 Beta Int .. . .. . . . ... . 775 PC2 Card . . . . . . · . . . . 139
Seagate 20 MG w/WD Controller . . . . 275 251-1 . ' ' . .. ' ' . ' . ' . . 469 AT 40 MEG Full Height . . . 550 Other Models . . . . . . . . . . Call
Teac 1.2 MEG AT . . . . . . . . . . 89 Floppy F55 BR . . . . · . . . . 79
Toshiba 3.5 Dr 720K . . . . . · . . . . 95 3.5 Dr 1.4MB . . . . . . . . . . 115
DISKETTES
Maxell MD-2Qty. 100 . . . . . . Call Maxell MD-2HD Qty. 100 . . . . . Call Sony 5'!. Qty 100 . ... .. .. $ 65 Sony 3112 Qty. 100 . . . . . . . . 159
MODEMS
Hayes 1200 . ' .· . .. . ' .. ' . $ 280 1200B .... .. . ·. .. . 245 2400B . ' . . . .. . . ' . . 385
Prometheus 1200B w/Soflware . . , . . . 75 2400B w/Software ..... . 119 Other Models . . . . . . . . . . Call
US Robotics Password 1200 . . . . . . .. 175 Courier 2400 ..... . . · . 289 Courier 2400E . . . . . . . . 335
KEYBOARDS
Keytronics KB5151 . . .. ... . ... . $ 119 KB5153 .. . ... . . .. . 149 KB101 .... . , . .. . . . 79
BOARDS
AST Hot Shot ...... . .. .. Six Pack Plus (256K) . . . . Xlormer . . . . . . . . . . . . 560 3G + . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 Other Models . . . · . . . . . . Call
ATI EGA Wonder . . . . . . . . . . 175 VIP Plus . . . . . , . . . . . 265
Hercules Color Card . . . . . . . . . . 145 Graphics Card Plus . . . . . . 175 lncolor .. .. .. .. .. .. . 209
Intel Inboard 386 PC . . . . . . . . 719 Inboard 386 w/cable . . . . . . 979 4020 .............. 375 802876 . . . ' ' ' · . . . . . . 175
Orchid Designer EGA . . . . . . . . 299 VGA . . . . . . . · · . . . . . 220
Paradise
Autoswitch 350 . . . . . . . . 130
VGA + .. ... ...... . 239
VGA Professional
355
Video-7 VGA .......·.... . 269 Vega Deluxe . . . . · . . . . 180 V-RAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
TERMINALS
Wyse 30 .. ...... . .. .. .. 285 50 . .. . ·. ' .... ' .. ' 369 85 . . .. . . ' . ' ' . . ' .. 439
HARD CARDS
Plus 20 MG . . . . . . . . . . . $ 525 Plus 40 MG .. .. .. .. .. . 659
COMPUTERS
AST Model 80 . . . . · . . . . . . $1695 Model 140X . . . · . . . . . 2609 Model 140 . . . . . . . . . . 2815 Model 340 . . . . · . . . . . 4205 Model 390 . . . . · . . . . . 5839 Other Models . . . . · . . . . . Call
NEC Multispeed EL II . . . . . . . 1495 Powermate . . . . . . . . . . . Call
Toshiba T-1000 . . . . . . . . . . . . 749 T-1200F . . . . . . . . . . . 1565 T-1200FH. . . . . . . . . . . 2285 1200FB . . . . . . . . . . . . 2415 T-3120 . . . . . · . . . · . . 3068 T-3200 ... . ......... 3789 T-5100 .. ·. ... . ... .. 4899
Wyse 386 .............. 2735
MONITORS
Amdek Monitors . . . . . . . . . Call
NEC Multisync II . . . . . . . . . . $ 589 Monographic System . . . . . 1299 Other Models . . . . . . . . . . Call
Princeton Ultrasync . . . . . . 485 Samsung . . . . . . . . . . . . . Call Sony Multiscan (1303) . . . . 545 Mitsubishi
Diamond Scan . . . · . . . . 499 Zenith 1490 . . ' ' . ' ' ' ' . ' ' ' . ' 609
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To Place an Order: 1-800·528·1054
· Order Processing (602) 944·1037
To Follow Up on an Order: (602) 944-2552
10:00 a.m-3:00 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
~.
.~_.-:.;-;;~ -'
Order Line Hours: Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
ic;;'ic;;'i i iwii ORDER LINE
Saturday 9:00 a.m.-1 :00 p.m · We Do Not Guarantee Machine Compatibility
Mailing Address: 8804 N. 23rd Avenue I Phoenix, Arizona 85021
1-800-528·1054
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ASK BYTE
Syracuse, NY 13202, (315) 474-3400. Another is EGA Paint with EGA Slide
by RIX Softworks, Inc., 18552 MacAr thur Blvd., Suite 375, Irvine, CA 92 715, (714) 476-8266.
These products are widely available from mail-order suppliers or in computer stores. -Steve
Communication Problems Dear Steve,
I recently purchased a Macintosh SE, and I was under the assumption that such a sophisticated machine would hook up to my printer, a Toshiba Pl340. I also as sumed that any software-such as Micro soft Works and Lotus's Jazz-would also operate with the printer. No such luck. Although I have just begun searching, I have had equally poor luck in unearthing any information that will help me solve the problem.
My Toshiba is a good product, and I'd like to continue to use it with the Mac. I have an Apple Ile and have had no prob lems with any of the printers I have used with it. I can't understand why a superior machine would present such a frustrating limitation.
I do have an Orange Micro C/Mac/GS linked between my Panasonic 1091 and the Mac. However, printing is so slow that I could write the documents by hand faster. I don't consider this a realistic solution. I'd appreciate any suggestions.
David T. Barrat Acton, MA
The success of the Macintosh com puter, after an under-powered beginning, has been one ofthe more interesting phe nomena of the post-1985 computer scene (parallel with, and quite distinct from, the overwhelming continued dominance of the IBM line and its clones). Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of the Mac is its penchant for doing nearly everything in a non-IBM way. What works with IBM won't work with the Mac, and vice versa.
The individuality, though perhaps somewhat interesting, creates problems that aren 't easily solved. Attempting to use the Mac with other than its own spe cially designed printers graphically illus trates some ofthose problems.
Your desire to use your Toshiba printer with the Macintosh is understandable, but it may not be possible. The Macintosh uses software drivers to communicate with devices like printers; these drivers can be found in the system folder. Apple Computer supplies drivers only for its Imagewriter and LaserWriter printers. To use a d{fferent printer, the appropriate
driver must be installed in the system folder of the Macintosh. So far as I can determine, there is no driver available for your Toshiba printer. Unless you create your own driver (a nontrivial task), or one becomes available from another source, your Mac and Toshiba won't sing the same song or speak the same lan guage. -Steve
Joyless Joystick Dear Steve,
I'm trying to interface an external de vice to my Amiga 500 through the second joystick port. I have experimented and read a few books on the Amiga, but I can't find any way of doing output through the port. I've experimented with pokes and peeks, and I've found that I can input information through the port with the following code:
LOOP: PRINT PEEKW( 14614540) POKEW 14614582, 0 GOTO LOOP
Could you show me how to do output through the port or refer me to some source?
Virender Dayal Hoboken, NJ
I understand your desire to use an un usedjoystick port on your Amiga for out put. Tinkering with hardware and explor ing new applications is one of the true joys ofcomputing. Your desire to get out put, however, isn't practical.
There are essentially two kinds ofcon nections to electronic circuits: inputs and outputs. Except in the case ofspecialized devices, like transceivers and analog switches, the two functions aren't inter changeable. The Amiga 500's joystick port is for input only, and there is no way-short of redesigning, cutting, sol dering, and praying-that you can change this. -Steve
Do-It-Yourself CAD/CAM Dear Steve,
I am an amateur engineer and designer with some professional experience in FORTRAN programming. I'm inter ested in knowing if I could construct a ! megabyte computer that would have the capability for CAD/CAM operations and FORTRAN programming. I don't think I would need BASIC for my application.
My goal is to use CAD/CAM software to construct an item on the monitor, then cut the item in selected locations and use FORTRAN to make an engineering strength analysis. I could then redesign as necessary without removing the item
from memory or even from the screen. I see various companies that sell com
puter components. Can I buy a keyboard, motherboard, monitor, and other com ponents to put together a system to help me with my engineering? I don't need the extra space and chips that I guess are needed for BASIC or, say, Symphony-I would use those resources for CAD/ CAM and FORTRAN.
Joseph Weiss Jr. South Hutchinson, KS
While I think you could construct a computer along the lines that you de scribe, I think it would be far more prac tical to purchase a standard one. There are a few things you haven't considered that make the decision fairly simple.
It turns out that all computers are pretty much the same under the hood, so any machine that can run FORTRAN or CAD/CAM programs will also run BASIC and other languages. You don't need additional hardware gizmos for those other programs; as far as the com puter is concerned, they 're all just programs.
By the same token, Symphony and all the other programs will run on the same IBM PC clone that will handle FOR TRAN or AutoCAD, simply because they 're programs written to use that hardware. In fact, you'll find that the CAD programs tend to have more strin gent hardware requirements, because they need high-resolution displays, plot ters, printers, digitizing tablets, and mice to handle complex graphic I10.
If you 're interested in CAD work, plan to buy at least an IBM PC AT clone with a 40-megabyte hard disk drive, a VGA compatible monitor, and a mouse. That's the minimum hardware for reasonable performance. Hard copy output can go to either a laser printer or a plotter; the for mer can handle word processing with ease. But the tab will run about $5000for all that hardware, and you won 't realize sign{ficant savings by assembling parts from several vendors. -Steve
Sounds in the Silence Dear Steve,
I want to communicate by telephone with my cousin, who is hearing im paired. I'd like to be able to use my com puter and a modem, but my cousin has only teletypewriter (TTY) equipment, and I understand that there is no modem that can connect to a TTY.
The president of the Maryland State Society for the Hearing Impaired tells
continued
44 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
'Rll(gr= makes intemal and e.xtemal tape backup !f'!Stems far the IBM PC/XTIAT, PS/2 er compatibles.
and an extemal unit far)OUT Mac
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Whether you've got an IBM, a compat ible, or a Macintosh, you can cotmt on 1allgrass. We back you with all the storage capacity you could ask for, plus all the features, all the support, and all the speed you'll ever need. And we make tt easy to protect your valuable data. Since all operations are automatic
and unattended, you can just set it, and forget it.
Best of an, we stand behind our products with the industry's only 3-year warranty.
But there's one other reason why so many more people are asking for 1allgrass. It's because the competition is asking so much more for their products.
1988 T;ilglass tCcln'IOlog>es, Inc ·1BM" is a reglSlered 1ra<1ernmk of lrwarnahonal Bvs111ess Machines. Inc. "Mac1111os.h- and ..M.1c Plus- a.re tiademasM ol Apple Cornpulttt. Inc.
Circle 234 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 235 )
Let 1allgrass start backing you up. D ll 1-800.:rAL-GRAS. Or write to: Tullgrass 'Technologies, Inc. 11100 \!\est 82nd St. Overland Park, KS 66214
r!JJTALLGRASS
B TECHNOLOGIES
When it's worth soving, it's worth Tallgross
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 45
Save Hundreds of
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Dollars When You Re-Ink Costly
Printer Ribbons
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EPSON PRINTER RIBBON INKER $52.95
IMAGEWRITER PRINTER INKER $49.00
INK & RIBBONS
Black Ink, 4 oz. bottle
$ 4.50
Black Ink, Pint
16.50
lmageWriter ribbons, uninked 2/10.00
lmageWriter ribbons, inked
2112.00
Colored Ink, Multi-Color Ribbons CALL
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Sturdy, stackable 200 lb. test corrugated cdb. dividers, lid. Specify High-Gloss White or Satiny Wood-Grain finish.
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me that the Bell Telephone System has a very expensive converter that will allow modems and TTYs to connect. He tells me further that the deaf community uses machines that are based on the TTY code because (a) such machines are readily and economically available, and (b) most of the members of the deaf community cannot afford the Bell System converter.
I think you can make an enormous contribution to the many people who are hearing impaired and to the microcom puter community as well. If such a con verter exists, surely you can design equipment that will serve the same func tion and that can be made from economi cal and readily available parts.
George Allison Essex, MD
I've received many useful suggestions for Circuit Cellar projects from readers such as yourself I will seriously consider your suggestions concerning modem/TTY compatibility.
There are definitely some possibilities that deserve consideration and explora tion. The microcomputer world is fre quently afflicted with incompatibilities, and the differences between current microcomputer modems and the older TTY-based equipment illustrate the situ ation nicely.
While there are viable marketsfor var ious computer modems and TTY equip ment, there is a much smaller market for protocol converters for the two communi cations methods. The small size of the market limits the amount ofdevelopment you can accomplish without going broke.
As you said, there seems to be no gen eral-purpose equipment on the market, other than the expensive converters sold by the phone company, that permits com munication between a typical microcom puter and a TTY unit used by hearing impaired individuals. Modifying existing commercial equipment is usually imprac tical unless the TTY capability has been designed into it from the beginning.
At one time Novation made an internal modem called the Apple Cat for Apple II series computers. After a simple factory hardware mod(fication, you could use it with special software (available on disk from Novation) to work with the 45.5 bit-per-second, Baudot-coded (5-bit) protocol used by TTY. However, Nova tion no longer makes it. Texas Instru ments also has a software package avail able for the TI Professional that lets that computer emulate a TTY terminal, but it works in conjunction with unique TI hardware and thus has little generality.
-Steve·
46 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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BOOK REVIEWS
The Armchair Universe
by A. K. Dewdney
W. H. Freeman & Co. , New York: 1988, 330 pages, $19. 95 cloth, $13. 95 paper
Reviewed by Hugh Kenner
F or nearly two years, a Turbo Pascal program I play with on my Zenith Z-100 has been accumulating short cuts and speedups. It exam ines areas near the border of the famous Mandelbrot set and represents their detail with colored patterns. It began as a direct translation into Pascal of a program that, being in in terpreted BASIC, was far too slow. The authorofthe BASIC program had been guided by a short algorithm in the August 1985 Scientific American. My" copy of that issue was long ago swiped by someone, and the li brary copy I recently con sulted had lost the article to a vandal's scissors. I was pleased to find it reprinted in this first collection of A. K. Dewdney's Computer Recrea tions columns.
I suspect that's not an un common scenario. Dewdney is very likely responsible for more filched and mutilated copies of Scientific American than any other current author. He has also prompted, world wide, uncountable hours of coding time. That's because he doesn't list programs; he states some interesting theme and shows you how to think about implementing it. At the back of The Armchair Uni verse is a list of suppliers, and Dewdney' stone dissuades you from even thinking about buy ing such canned software-an altruistic act, given that Dewdney himself might be one ofthe suppliers. He'd like us all to get our feet wet and
snuffing out benign systems, three pieces on "Core Wars" deal with plagues that propa gate through memory, zap ping anything they find except themselves.
our minds stretched by learn ing to program (i.e., think se quentially). He wants us to shed the chains of "software slavery," a state "inadvertent ly encouraged" by packagers.
This collection has some thing for almost everyone. If, like me, you're challenged by graphics, there are chapters
entitled "The Mandelbrot Set" and "Wallpaper for the Mind." Higher Math? Try "Golomb Rulers" or "Hyper cubes." Artificial Intelli gence? Try "RACTER," "Facebender," "Checkers," more. Life? Puzzles? Simula tions? They're all here. Andif your fantasies run to aliens
In the Age ofthe Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power
Programmer's Guide to the Hercules Graphics Cards
Manufacturing Intelligence HyperCard Power
Good Medicine for Pros The great merit ofDewdney's approach is his patient, genial concentration on how to define a project and relax and think about it. His book might even be good medicine for pros who scorn the very idea of recre ational computing. Thus he cites the solution of Jon L. Bentley (Programming Pearls columnist for Communica tions ofthe ACM) to the prob lem of finding anagrams. As sume the computer has access to a dictionary (as it must, to know if what it has found is a word). The obvious way is to exhaust the permutations, checking each in the dictio nary. At 120 permutations for just 5 different letters, that's slow. But here's Bentley's "Aha!" way: Sort the letters of each dictionary word in as cending order; sort the result ing list; and pair its entries with the parent words, like this:
aecrs aecrs aecrs aecrs aecrt aecrt
acres cares races scare cater crate
That big but uncomplicated job once done, any anagram problem is reduced to a single letter sort and a quick lookup. You want anagrams for acres? The sort is aecrs. The lookup finds cares, races, and scare. And that is all, so far as this dictionary knows.
One pleasure in The Arm chair Universe problems is en joying them in themselves (every day, in countless news-
continued
ILLUSTRATION: KATHERINE MAHONEY © 1988
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 51
NOTHING BEATS
MADE IN THE
BOOK REVIEWS
U.S.A.
AND GTEK®, INC.
papers, anagrams entrance edge ofthe grid still have eight the players of a game called neighbors because left wraps
MAKES IT THE
Jumbles), and another is the · to join right, top to join bot light they can throw on deeper tom. Yes, that does make the
BEST'!
problems . A story I especially country toroidal. I have a feel enjoy has Dewdney in a quarry ing this game could be imple marveling at a fossil trilobite, mented on a spreadsheet.)
when a man named Smith, a "First, large blocks of votes
professor of paleontology, develop within the grid. The
happens by. Why, Dewdney blocks are geographic areas
asks him, did the trilobites be where everyone has the same
come extinct? Why, Smith re opinion." (Recall FDR's old
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lated algorithms-PALEO TREE, in which genera and species survive, mutate, or die out; and NEOTREE, in which families (and their names) be come extinct, leaving space for Smiths to flourish in. The chief difference is that NEO
nance. Finally, the two-party system collapses as everyone ends up voting the same way. The smaller block vanishes as democracy votes itself out of existence-or does it? This is a neat philosophical question."
Dewdney hastens to remark
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Smith? In fine-tuning that program, I'd insert a Vanity Factor.) Start with 1000 family names, and, by NEOTREE's showing, in about 23 genera
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tions three-quarters of them will be extinct. That's because it's the males who carry on the name, and the empirical prob
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ability is 0. 317 that a family persuasion. (And what hap
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Thereafter, attrition slows down. Will the number ever shrink to 1? Perhaps in Goo golplex years (that's 10 to the 10th to the IOOth). Or more likely not. IfSmiths are a tena cious tribe, so are Joneses.
Then there's the Voting
and I haven't tried it.)
Simulation vs. Reality
Many of Dewdney's chapters conjure up the besetting devil of Computer Simulations: Do I really gain insight into real world events, or am I just
Simulation dreamed up by two amusing myself with a model
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say, blue for Republican, red for Democrat. We next as sume that opinions follow those of forceful neighbors.
"Sharks and Fish on the Plan et Wa-Tor" is a good example. Fish die of being eaten by sharks; sharks die if they
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Select a voter at random; select one of his eight neigh bors at random; change his persuasion to that of the neigh bor. Silently and rapidly, this simulates a lot of argument, a lotofmalleability, and strange
haven 'teaten recently enough. Both have single offspring at fixed intervals (it works best when the sharks breed more slowly). Bothmoveatrandom, point to point, north, south, east, west, with this complica
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things happen. (Voters near an
continued
52 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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Overwrite the vector for interrupt 3, so you can't use breakpoints. Quaid Analyzer can use any of the other 255 vectors for break points instead.
Overwrite the vector for interrupt 1, so you can't single step. Quaid Analyzer scrupu lously saves and restores interrupt cells when changing them. You won't notice changes to vector 1 except at the one in struction doing the change. Step over it with another command.
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54 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
BOOK REVIEWS
tion: A shark will always move to (and eat) an adjacent fish when there is one.
I haven ' t tried this one, either, though the program ming looks simple . What Dewdney reports is scenarios sensitive to geometry. Neither the initial distribution nor the actual movement seems im portant, but when a tight school of fish forms, then the sharks discover and destroy it, then die themselves for lack of food. Result: zero population of any kind. (Though some times a smaller school offish, elsewhere on the sc reen , would go unnoticed until the sharks were extinct. Result: an ocean crammed with fish.)
An evident simplifying as sumption is that nothing ever happens to fish, save getting eaten by sharks. Still, the game exhibits cyclic ups and downs that resemble the fluc tuating numbers of predators and prey in situations that have been tabulated, as when Hud son's Bay Company counted a whole half-century's lynxes and hares. A lot of hares fed a lot of lynxes; then as hares drew near extinction lynxes died off, too, permitting a re surgent hare population .. . You see the pattern.
A graph of some very smooth things called the Lotke-Volterra equations looks rather similar , and they've been invoked to model predator-prey fluctuations . But by Dewdney's report, graphs derived from the Wa Tor game look more like the Hudson's Bay data than Lotke-Volterra curves do . He's puzzled, though, by cer tain long-term instabilities. I'll leave it at that. Computer modeling still awaits its Leibniz.
BRIEFLY NOTED
In the Age of the Smart Ma chine: The Future of Work and Power by Shoshana Zuboff. Basic Books , New York: 1988, 468 pages, $19.95. The television intro duced to entertain may end up
shaping the very schedule of our days. The microwave bought for convenience may change the type of meals we eat. Thus, examining a tech nology only in light ofits origi nal intentions may obscure the actual effects. Such is the case with computers: They are in stailed in order to increase productivity, but, in fact, they fundamentally alter the work environment. Shoshana Zu boff takes a long, careful look at what happens to the work place when computers are introduced.
Zuboff has two basic ways oflooking. First, she uses her eight in-depth studies ( 1981 to 1986) of companies that had recently made the transition to computerization. Second, she puts observations about the current work environment in light of a history of work in formed by her wide readings in philosophy, psychology, and sociology.
Zubofftakes the body as the focal point of her history of work. At first, work was phys ical labor that required bodily effort and bodily skills. As work has developed-or at least changed-throughout the centuries, it has been distrib uted, and the types of knowl edge necessary have changed. (Zuboffs analysis of knowl edge develops from her de scription of the different ways one ' s body inhabits one ' s en vironment, rather than begin ning from an assumption that mind and body are fundamen tally apart. This approach proves fruitful, in line with the work of the French phe nomenologist Maurice Mer leau Ponty.)
Zuboff looks to her case studiestofindthestateofwork today. Her findings are not surprising . For example, at a pulp mill where workers went from checking on the pulping process by sticking their hands into the vats to checking a digi tal readout on a computer con sole, the workers have traded bodily involvement and skill ful knowledge for a more ab stract relationship with their
continued
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-SOFTWARE-
Accounting
Oac Easy Acct. Dae Easy Light . . Dae Easy Payroll .. .. . . Dollars & $ense .. . In House Acct. Managing Your~
. $54
~a
Communication Programs
Brooklyn Bridge Universal Carbon Copy Plus .
. . $7 . ... 10~
Crosstalk XVI . . ........... . ..... 89
Crosstalk MK4 . .
. .. 11 O
Flying Dutchma1
..... 64
PC Anywhere 111
..... 96
Languages
Microsoft Pascal .. . .
Microsoft Quick Ba
....... 59
Microsoft Quick C . .... Ryan McFarlan For
....... 59 ...... 390
Ryan McFarlan Col
. ... 612
Turbo Basic .
Turbo C 1.5 . . Turbo Pasca
Turbo Prolol;
Multi-User Software
Fox Base + . .
. . $299
Microsoft Wo
.. . . 195
'Nord Perfect
.. . 310
Nnrrl Pi:irfPrl
i:i::i 7~
Da
!rS
Clipper .. ....... , , . . . . . . . $370
Condor 3 ..
.. ..... 325
DataPerfect . . .
. Low Price
DBase Ill Plus . .
. ...... 375
DB-XL Diamo
115
Fox BasP P111c , ·· , · · · · · · · · . ... 189
Genifer .. . .. . . .. . . . · .. · . · . . 189
Paradox£.Ut"r
. 435
PFS: Pro File. . .. . ......... .. .. 139
Powerbase .
. . 169
Q&A3.0 . ..
QuicksilvE
. J..l~
Revelatior
... 485
R Base Fe
.... 425
Reflex .. .. .. .. . . . .. .. . . .. ... 90
Relate I
............ ... . 112
VP~~
..... ~
Desktop t-
1g
Pagemaker Ver. 3.0 .. ..... . .. $549
PFS: First Publisher
. 55
Ventura Publisher .. . ... . ·. . . . 493
l i raph1cs
Boeing Graphics
.......... $20!
Chartmaster ................... 19!
DesignCad2D&3D
..... 141
Diagram Master . . . .
10<
Easy Cad
GenericCac' .
In-A-Vision .............. .
Microsoft C~
..... .. . ... .
NewsroomF
Printshoo.
Ability Plus . Enable. Microsoft Works PFS 1st Choice . Smart System Svmohonv
.$145 .352
. . 116
. .. 79
A?Q
Languc;ges
Lattice C Compiler ...... . ...... $220
Microsoft C Compiler Ver. 5.0
. 260
Microsoft Fortran Ver. 4.1
. 260
Mir.rnc:.nft M::irrn Ac:.c:.i:imhli:ir ~ 1
AA
Project
Microsoft Project ..... . Super Project Plus Timeline 2.0 . . . Total Havard
.$305 ..... 255 .. .. . 265
Spr eadsh eet
Lotus 1-2-3 . Microsoft PC Excel
. ........ $29! .. 27~
Quattro . . . Surpass . . Twin . . . . . VP Planner Plus . . . .
. ..... 14< . ..... 32~
. ..... 3~
. ... . .. 81
Utilities
Core Fast. ............. . Low Prices
Copy II PC .. .... . ... . . ....... $19
Copywrite .
oa
Cubit ·... Deskvi
Direct 1 Eurekc .· . ·.···....···....
Fastba Formtool
Graph in
Mace .. ... ......... . ...... .. Microsoft Windc
Norton Advanc1 .............. , Norton Utilities ..... ... ... . ... .
ii° . .. .... .. .. . . .· PC Tools Delux1 ...... .... .. ..
b'g'(5~
~~
Righwriter . . .. .............. .... 75
Sidekick Plu:
... 115
Sideways . ......... . .... . .... .
Sqz Plus. . .
. ... 55
Superkey .
. ... 55
Lightening · .
. .. 79
XTree.
. ... 35
Word Processing
MicrosoftWord4.0 ............. $185
Multimate Advantage II . .
. 259
Q and A Write .. .. ..
11n
Webster Spellcheck . Wcrd Perfect Ver. 5.0 . . . .
. .. 37 . 204
Word Perfect Executive .
. .. . 106
WordPerfectlibrary2.0 .
.. 65
Wcrdstar Pro .
. 233
Wnrrlc:.t::ir?nnn .+. Pi::lrc:.nn::il ~rl
1Q4
-HARDWARE
r
Accessories
Copy II PC Deluxe ............. $101
Curtis Ruby. ..... ... . Logical Connectio
. ..... 59
. . 379
Mach Ill Joystick.
Masterpiece .
Masterpiece + . ........ ..... .
50 Watt Power!
Boards
AST
Advantage Premium .
.$319
Rampage286 .
. 379
Sixpac Plusw/64K .
. 129
EVER EX
2MB Above PC/XT w/o Mem
3MBAboveATw/oMem.
.. ... 89
HERCULES
Graphics Plus . ........ . .... .... 179
INTEL
Above PC 64K ....
.225
Above 286 w/5
.. 379
Orchid Tinv Tu1
..... 289
COMPUTERS
AZ386
80386-16 Micro Processor, 1 MB of Ram, Teac 1.2 MB disk drive, 220 watt power supply, 6 layer mother board, RT keyboard . . ..... $2595
AZTurbo286
512K. 6 & 10 MHZ, keyboard , 200wattpowersupply, one 1.2 teac
drive, Phoenix Bias .
. $999
AZ Turbo 8088-2
135 watt power supply, One 360K
drive. 640K. kevboard .
. $569
AZ10
150 watt power supply, dual360K
drive. 10 MHZ mother board,
340K. keyboarc' . . . . . .
. $589
AST286 Premium or
386 Premium Computers
512K, RAM , RT enhanced style
keyboard, parallel , serial and clock.
1.2MB floppy disk drive, 7 expansion
slots. DOS 3.3 & Bas<c;
Available Now
. Best Prices
EGA Boards
ATl Ega Wonders .. Genoa Hi-Res
Orchid Designer . Paradise Auto 480 . Paradise VGA Plus . Paradise VGA Proff. ... VeaaVGA
.$175 .. 186
.. . 259
1AO
Casper
.
Princeton Ultra Scar
Mitsubishi Diamond
NEC -Multisync II . .
Zenith 14" Flat Scre1
.$ 410 ... 539
. 499
Hard Cards
Plus20 MB .. Plus 40 MB
..... $529 <<a
Hard Drives
Seagate 20 MB w/cont
. $265
Seagate 30 MB w/cont . . .
. 295
Seagate 40 MBAT251-2 ......... 399
Seagate 80 MB AT .
. . 659
Seagate ST-125 w/<
..... 329
)eaqate ST-138 w/I
..... 39!
Modems
AZ300/1200w/o Soft ........... $69 Everex300/1200w/Soft Everex 2400 INT Hayes 1200EXTw/o soft Hayes 1200B INTw/Soft Hayes 2400 EXTw/o Soft Novation Parrot 1200 w/Sc
IC. Onhnti.....,, ')Ann 1u/n C.r
Mice
Genius. ......
.. ......... $49
Logitech
.... 68
Microsoft Bus w/Paintbrush ....... 92
Microsoft Serial ................. 92
Optimouse w/Dr Halo ............ 89
Optimouse w/DPE . . .
. . . 185
Monitors
AMD E K 410 Amber .................... $145
MAGNAVOX
RGB............ .. ..
. .. 255
NEC GS Amber.
. ... 190
SAMSUNG
Flat Amber ..
..82
TIL Amber w/tilt Colorw/tilt . .
... 76 .. 249
Printers
CITIZEN
MSP40 .....
.. ........ $285
120D ... .. . ... . . ..... .. . ... 146
MSP50
...... 385
EPSON
LQ500 .. . . ................ .349
LQ850.
. .. 559
NEC
P5XLP .. ... . ..... . ....... .... 869
P5200 .. . . .. . .... , ..... .. ... 539
P2200 .
.. .. 339
LASSERS NEC890 .
.. ..... 3300
AST TURBO PS. OKIDATALASSERLINE~
. ... 3199
1?QQ
OKI DATA
OKl390 . ........ .. . .. .
OK1391
STAR MIC NX 1000. NX 1nnn r
copyright
TOLL-FREE ORDER LINE 1-800-421-3135
WAREHOUSE DATAPRODUCTS
2701 West Glendale Ave. · Phoenix, AZ 85051
We do not guarantee compatibility
Circle 248 on Reader Service Card
Servicing our PC buyers with low pricing and technical experience since 1979.
Phone Hours: Monday thru Friday 7am-9pm. Saturday 9am-5pm MST
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 55
si·kur; a. [L. securus]: The ability to keep your
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And when your business keeps
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[
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Circle 236 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 237)
desk. Your precious programs and
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. I
AUGUST 1988 · B Y T E 57
Circle 145 on Reader Service Card
~ ~~\
Keyboard Protector
BOOK REVIEWS
Finally! A Keyboard Protector That:
· PROTECTS CONTINUOUSLY · 24 HOURS A DAY · Against computer downtime due to liquid spills, dust, ashes, staples, paper clips and other environmental hazards.
· REMAINS IN PLACE during the operation of your keyboard. SafeSkin is precision molded to fit each key- like a "second skin."
· EXCELLENT FEEL · The unique design eliminates any in· terference between adjacent keys, allowing smooth natural operation of your keyboard.
· SafeSkin IS VIRTUALLY TRANSPARENT · Keytops and ' side markings are clearly visible. In fact, SafeSkin is so clear, sometimes you may not know it's there!
· DURABLE · LONG LASTING · SafeSkin is not a "throw away" item. Many of our protectors have lasted over 3 years under continuous daily use, without failure.
SafeSkin is available for most popular PC's and portables including: IBM, APPLE, AT&T, COMPAQ, DEC, EPSON, KEY TRONICS, NEC, TANDY, TOSHIBA, WANG, WYSE, ZENITH. Specify computer make and model. Send$29.95, Check or M.O., VISA & MC include exp. date. Dealer inquiries invited. Free brochure available.
Merritt Computer Products, Inc. 4561 S. Westmoreland / Dallas, Texas 75237 / 214/ 339-0753
MAXIT increases your
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· Add up to 256K above 640K for pro· grams like FOX BASE tand PC/FOCUS.
· Short card works in the IBM PC. XT, AT, and compatibles.
· Top off a 512 IBM
· Compalible with
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Sidekick above 640K.
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Extend lhe productive life of your, IBM PC, XT, AT or compalible. The MAX!T 256K memory card and software works automatically. If you have questions, our customer support people will answer them, last.
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Order loll free 1-800-227-0900. MAX!T is just $245 plus $4 shipping, and applicable state sales tax. Buy MAXIT today and solve your PC's memory crisis.
Outside the U.S .A . call 1-415-548-2085. We accept VISA, MC, American Express
MAXIT 1s a 1rademark CJf Osborne McGraw-Hill. IBM is a registered irademark of International Business Machines Corpora11on; Sidekick is a registered 1rademark of Borland ln1ernat1onal. Inc; FOXBASE ~ rademark of Fox Software; Hercules is a lrademark of Hercules Computer Technology, Inc; XT and AT are regis1ered trademarks of ln1ernat1onal Business Machines Corpo ration; Compaq is a registered trademark of Compaq Computer Corporation.
work. Zuboff discovers that this has resulted in a certain amountofalienation. More in teresting, she describes what happens to social relationships and work flow when employ ees are moved into cubicles to go one-on-one with a CRT.
Even when the results are not surprising, and even when the case study accounts go on too long, Zuboffkeeps it inter esting by putting the results into a larger historical and philosophical context. (She does, however, tend to suffer from the Academic Syn drome: She uses lots of jar gon- "textualization" and "automaticity "-and dis cusses many marginally rele vant authors .)
The second partofthe book moves from the question of knowledge to that of power. Zuboff maintains that com puterization changes the type and justification of manage rial authority. Originally, a boss got the right to lord it over people because he or she was the owner. Then bosses re ceived their legitimacy by vir tue ofhaving worked their way up the ladder. Now , bosses (or managers) have authority by dint oftheir mastery ofthe Sci ence of Management.
Part Three discusses the techniques that "can shape and control behavior and so can be harnessed to the inter ests of those who employ them"-the techniques by which authority maintains it self in the computer-laden workplace. Frequently, com puterization leads to increas ingly centralized control, usually accomplished by cen tralizing knowledge (i.e., managers become informa tion hogs). Yet Zuboff reports that several years after the transition, some companies were recognizing "the need for critical judgment at the in formation interface" and the value of "intellective skills" in analyzing and responding to digital information.
But the chief technique of control is "the information panopticon"-the omniscient, objective computerized
record of all that occurs in the workplace or plant. Zuboff is particularly good at disclosing what life under that unceasing eye is like for both workers and managers.
At the end, Zuboff offers a briefview ofa nonhierarchical organization that more uni formly distributes knowledge and skill. She also includes a section entitled "Dissent from Wholeness," which describes the disadvantages of this seem ingly more egalitarian envi ronment: a loss ofsense of def inition, rights, and autonomy .
At times tendentious, at times based on too few exam ples, at times too long, In the Age of the Smart Machine re mains an important work.
-David Weinberger
Programmer's Guide to the Hercules Graphics Cards by David B. Doty, Addison-Wes ley, Reading, MA: 1988, 370 pages, $24. 95. This book de livers a comprehensive treat ment of Hercules graphics cards. It is occasionally marred by a bit of hype and homage to Hercules Computer Technology, but it overcomes this with clear explanations of the architecture of each card, many solid programming ex amples, and some knowing advice on the design of graph ics software. David B. Doty describes the original Her cules graphics card, the later RamFont card, and the latest InColor card in detail.
Because the Hercules cards are programmed without using the PC ROMBIOS, writ ing programs for them is de cidedly different than pro gramming for other IBM graphics adapters. Doty wrote his programming examples in Microsoft Assembler and Microsoft C, but the assembly language functions can be readily changed to work with the stack frame conventions of another compiler. The func tions include detecting a Her cules adapter and its type, writing a dot, reading a dot, drawing a line, displaying text, drawing circles, filling a
continued
58 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 164 on Reader Service Card
Circle 232 on Reader Service Card
InComm
1200B Int Modem
$62
w/Software
Samsung
14" RGB Monitor
$215
640 x 230 .51 Dot Pitch
Color·
Graphics Card
$44
Parallel Printer Port
ACCESSORIES
MODEMS
CopylIPC Brd Deluxe . . . . ... $ 99 Masterpiece + .. .. . . . .. .. . . . . . . 95
COMPUTERS
NEC Multispeed .. .. .. .. . ...... $1429
Multispeed EL II ........ 1525
Toshiba
T-1100 S/Twist ... ..... .. 1455
T-3100/20.... .. .. ........ 3140
BOARDS
AST Adv Prem lmb .. ..... $ 419
AST 6Pac Prem lmb . . . . . . . 525
ASTSixpac ................. 115 Hercules Grph + . .. .. ....... . 182
Intel Above 286 . .. .. . . . . .. . . . Call
EGA BOARDS
Hayes 1200 . ..
.. .. $ Call
Hayes 1200B .. .. .. .. . .. .. . .. . Call
Incomm RPC1200 . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Incomm RPC2400 ...... . ... . 147
Incomm T1200 . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 76
Incomm T2400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Incomm T2400EC ..... . . . . . . 224
MONITORS
Amdek410 ........ .. ...... . $ 145
Princeton MAX15 . .. . .. .. . .. Call
Samsung RGB. .. .. . .... . . ... 215
Samsung Amber· .. ... . ... ... 82
3COM
]
3C501 ELink ...... .. .... .. . $ 356
3C503 ELink II .. ...... ...... 345
3C523 ELink/MC . . . . . . . . . . . 432
ATIEGAWonder .. ........ $ 175 Genoa SuperHiRes+ ......... 195
Orchid Designer.. ..... .. .. .. 272 Paradise 480 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 ParadiseVGA+XT .. .. .. .. . 259 Paradise VGA Prof . .. .. .. .. 385 Vega VGA .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. 269
PRINTERS
Citizen
120D .. . .. . . .. .. . .. ...... .. $ Call
180D . . . . .. .. . .. . .. .. .. .. .. . 199
MSP-15E .... .. ...... ...... 319
MSP-40 ....... ......... . ... 285
EGA MONITORS
C.Itoh
ProWriter C715 . . .... . .... 925
Princeton U/Sync .. .... .... $ 519
NEC Multisync 2.... .... .... 599
ProWriter Jr.+ .. .. .. .. .. .. 255
StarWriter DlO .. ..... . ... 754
Samsung . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 359 NEC
P5XLP .... ... . .... .. .. .... 819
HARD DRIVES
P2200. . .. . .. . . . . .. . .. .. .. . . 335
Seagate 125 w/cont. ........ $ 321
Seagate 138 w/cont .. .. . .. .. . 411
Seagate 30MB w/cont. . ... . . 294
Seagate 20MB w/cont . . ... .. 269
Okidata
Call on all models.
Panasonic 1080I/M2 .. .. .. . .. . .. .. .. .. 179
1091I/M2 .. .. .. . .. . . . .. . . . . 199
KEYBOARDS
10921 . .... ........ .. .. .... . Call
Star
Keytronics 5151.. .. . . . .. .. . . $ 12f
NX-1000 .. .. ....... . .... .. . 179
Keytronics 5153 .. .. .. .. .. .. 161
NX-1000 Color ... .. .. ..... Call
MICE
NX -15 ... .. .. .... .... .. ..... Call
Toshiba
Logitech .............. .. .... $ 68
MSBusMouse ... .. ...... .. . 99
321SL .. .. . .. .. .. . .. . .. .. .. 500
341SL .. .. .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 674
Optimouse w/DrHalo . . . . . . . 92
351SX ... .. .. .... .. ..... : .. 1005
ACCOUNTING
INTEGRATED
DacEasy ...... . ...... .... ... $ 54
Dollars & Sense .. .. .. .. .. .. . 95
Managing Your$.. . . ... . . . . . 119
Ability Plus ...... .. ......... $ 139 First Choice .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. 79
LANGUAGES
. I
COMMUNICATION
Carbon Copy Plus .. .... .... $ 106
CrossTalk XVI .. .. .. .. . .. .. . 89
CrossTalk 4..... ...... . ...... 115
PC Anywhere .. , .. .. . .. . .. .. 57
SmartCom II .. ... .. .. . .. .. .. 82
MS QuickBasic ......... .. ... $ 60 MS Quick C .. .. .. .. . .. . .. .. .. . 60 Turbo Basic .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. 59 Turbo C . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 59 Turbo Prolog .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 59
SPREADSHEETS
DATABASE
Clipper . . ... ... . . . ......... .. $ 370
Data Perfect ... . .... ... ... . . . 25&
DBase III .. .. .. .. .. . .. . .. .. .. 379
DBXL Diamond . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Fox Base·+ .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. . .. . 190
Lotus 123 . . . . . . .. ... . . .. .. . .$ Call Plan Perfect .. .. " .... .. .. .... . 192 Quattro . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. 150 Surpass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
UTILITIES
Paradox 2.0 . . .. . .. .. . . .. . . .. . Call
Q and A. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .. .. . . . 188
Relate & Report . .. .. . .. .. .. . 100
CopylIPC ....... .. .... ...... $ 18 Desqview ...... .... .. ...... .. 71 Duet .. . .. .. . .. .. .. .. . .. . .. . .. 48
I I
DESKTOP PUBLISHERS
Fastback Plus .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. 88 Formtool .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Pagemaker ...... ..... .. .... $ Call PFS First Pub .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 55
Ventura ........... . .. ... ..... 495
Mace ... ...... ............... . 48 Norton Advanced . . .. . . . . . . . 72 PC Tools Deluxe .. . . .. .. . . . . . 36 Sidekick Plus...... ... .. .. ... 119
GRAPHICS
Sideways Print . . ........... . . . 39
Chartmaster . ... .... . . .... .. $ 199
WORD PROCESSING
w GPreinntesrhicoCp a.d..3...0................... .......... 5313
ordPerfect5.0 . ....... .. . $ 219
a. t
C II
Wordstar ProPack . .. .. .. .. . Call
l l J l T ' I .gnmas er .. .... .. · .. .. " ·.. a
Wordstar 2000 .. ....... ... ... Call No Charge for Mastercard or Visa '~ 1
Call For Items Not Listed
TERMS: No charge tor V is a or Mastercard. We do not charge your card UNTIL WE SHIP your order. Manulacturers warranty applies in all cases. all warranties are handled by the manufacturers. We accept Purchase Orders from authorized companies only, for3.5% above cash price . No COO orders. No refund on opened software. All prices are subject to change. Allow 14 days for personal/company checks. Ar izona orders add 6.7% tax. We do not guarantee Compatibility.
Circle 105 on Reader Service Card
BOOK REVIEWS
MODULA 2 FOR MOTOROLA 68K FAMILY
INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT AND SYSTEM-SOFTWARE
MODULA2-CROSS-DEVELOPMENT-SYSTEM
e Complier/Linker
Interactive Real-Time-Cross-Debugger
M2-compatlble Crosa-Asaembler
e Hool Syotema ~
IBM PC + Compatibles ~ Macintosh ~ soon ~ UNIX ~ VAX VMS
~ Li [Q) ~
REAL-Tl ME-DISTRIBUTED-SYSTEM KERNEL
Interprocess Communication: local and lnternode · Messages and Mailbox
Time- and Event-Handling ·
Device-Driver Features
HIERARCHICAL-Fl LE-SYSTEM
Easy adaptable to your hardware
RTDS-lnlerlacs
[:DHE~I ~~A~~~~~ ~ SDosvftswloapremsnl- and Syotem
\Al
J Prozess-lnlormat1kD U
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HGuI nWdeAldRingEerstAr. G432 CH-4053 Basel
Development In MODUL.A2 ADA C
Tel. 061/50 71 51 BRD:004161
c talk TM
Object-oriented Extensions For C
C_talk, A SERIOUS TOOL FOR
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D Adds encapsulation, inheritance and dynamic
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D Smalltalk-like Browser for building objects.
D Semi-automatic Make for building applications.
D Preprocessor for converting objects to standard C source code.
D Foundation classes to help you get started.
D Professional telephone support from our engineering staff.
Start building software components into your next application. Join the leading edge today.
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C_talk isdesignedlor an IBM" PC (or compalib1e) with : Microsofl~ C, Lallice C. Turbo C, or C86. A syslem with a hard drive and mouse is highly recommended
ISM is a reg istered trademark of ISM
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<dd_H,.Ql>j<d
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60 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 4 3 011 Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 44)
closed shape, printing a screen, and saving and restor ing an image to and from a file. The source code contained in the book is available directly from the author for $30.
Today, Microsoft's C 5.0 and Borland's Turbo Pascal 4.0 provide comprehensive support for the original Her cules card, but Doty's book provides thorough back ground information, even for users of these languages. Whether the RamFont and In Color cards will succeed in the market as well as the original is still unclear, but for some one who needs to program for either, the book is essential.
-Ben Myers
Manufacturing Intelligence by Paul Kenneth Wright and David Alan Bourne, Addison Wesley, Reading, MA: 1988, 352pages, $40.95. This book is not only an excellent text for the engineer learning about factory automation, but it also serves as a good basis for an engineer about to specify an automation project. The au thors ask all the necessary questions to determine what an automation project should accomplish. Written for the manufacturing engineer as well as the software engineer, Manufacturing Intelligence provides enough knowledge so that each can understand the mechanical and computation al tasks required in factory automation.
The book is divided into four sections. The first de scribes the present and imme diate future state of the ma chine tool industry. It also highlights one of the author's developments, Cell Manage ment Language (CML), a software environment offer ing a high-level solution for controlling a number of in compatible machine tools and robots.
The second section goes overthe different parts needed for intelligent machines to function. These include vi sion, machine control, and manipulators. The third sec tion looks at how the know!
edge and talent of a skilled craftsman can be transferred to an intelligent machine. In cluded here are examinations of artificial intelligence, flex ible fixtures, and sensor tech nology. The last section of the book speculates on the future of manufacturing technology.
The book offers both a glos sary and a good bibliography. The chapters are well cited, so readers can pursue any issue that is presented.
-Keith H. Erskine
HyperCard Power by Carol Kaehler, Addison- Wesley, Reading, MA: 1988, 435 pages, $17. 96. This book is a review of the widely ac claimed Macintosh program for the novice and entry-level HyperCardarian. Copiously illustrated, it has great breadth of subject matter, but little depth. Carol Kaehler devotes only paragraphs to concepts such as passing messages to the next handler, yet she sup plies practical and indexed hints. For instance, she ex plains how to make sure a card inherits the correct back ground-not a trivial task in some situations. She provides utility scripts in one chapter, but leaves the reader to extend them .
The book covers some ofthe HyperTalk language at the in troductory level in one brief appendix. HyperCard Power is at its best when it shows sim ply and step by step how to ac complish unified HyperCard tasks.-LarryLoeb ·
CONTRIBUTORS
Critic and author Hugh Ken ner lives in Baltimore, Mary land. David Weinberger works for! nterleafand lives in Brookline, Massachusetts. Ben Myers designs and writes IBM PC graphics applications and lives in Harvard, Massa chusetts. Keith H. Erskine is a program coordinator for Sun Microsystems in Billerica, Massachusetts. Larry Loeb is a dental surgeon in Walling ford, Connecticut.
WHEN YOUR µP CODE DEMANDS THIS KIND OF
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PERFORMANCE, SPEED IS OF THE ESSENCE.
AVMACTM assemblers can make your high-performance design
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The last lap: Compatible simulation/debugging.
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SYSTEMS, INC,' THE SOURCE FOR QUALITY PERSONAL µP DEVELOPMENT TOOLS.
Circle 16 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 61
NEC has the perfect monitor for any desktop. For starters, there's our MultiSync® GS. It offers up to 64 gray scales for supe rior monochrome text and graphics, a flat 14" diagonal screen for minimal glare, and compatibility with just about any system you may be using, including PC/XT/AT/386 and PS/2. ·
Then there's our MonoGraphTM System, for the ultimate in desktop publishing. It includes a graphics board that works with PC/XT/AT/386 (or 100% compatibles) and runs software like Microsoft Windows, Ventura Publisher and PageMaker. Its square 16" screen offers 1024 x 1024 resolution and the best of both por trait and landscape-style displays; there's room for a whole page of material, with space alongside for .menus, icons and scrap.
The GS graphic scicen was created usll'lg 01 HALO. wrvcn 1s a 1eg1s1c1ed uaoemar~. and os used co1irlcsy ol Mctloa Cybeint1ics
Best of all, with either monitor you get a feature no one else can give you at any price: NEC. For literature or a dealer call
-
1-800-447-4700. For technical details call NEC Home Electronics
ve..-.aPubl1sh·r·sa1radcma1ko!Vcntu1·5o1lware
(USA) Inc. 1-800-NEC-SOFT.
Compurers and Commun1cat1ons
Circle 157 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 63
Double Your
Productivity With
Carbon Copy Plus
Carbon Copy Plus"' - the industry standard in remote control software - easily lets two PCs share the same application program over ordinary phone lines.
So now you can share the same keyboard, screen and disk with a remote user thousands of miles away, allow ing you to give effective product demonstrations, sup port remote customers or train new users-without ever having to leave your office!
Remote control and much more!
Ofcourse, Carbon Copy Plus offers other advanced remote communications features, including remote printing, remote access to a local area network and remote ses sion capture and playback. But Carbon Copy Plus also offers many of the same teatures found in "standard" communications programs, such as file transter, terminal emulation and complete scriptingmacros. And much more!
Introducing Version 5.0
If you thought Carbon Copy Plus was powerful before wait until you see the new Version 5.0. Carbon Copy Plus has always been able to transmit text or graphics, but
now our new universal graphics translator merges incom patible graphics formats. So you can jointly update a CAD diagram using your CGA, EGA, VGA or MCGA system with an associate who is using the Hercules"' standard.
just as important is our new background file transfer capability. This lets you easily send or receive files, at any time, without exiting your current application . Now you can double your productivity by working on one spreadsheet file while an associate sends you another'
1\vice as easy
Find out why Carbon Copy Plus has become the industry standard in remote communications and is fast becom ing one of the most popular communications programs overall. Call us today. We'll show you how easily you can increase your productivity.
Ful[v 1m11slarcdjorcig11 vos1<ms now amrlable.1
A separate Carbon Copy Plus is required for eac11 PC location.
Carbon Copy Plus is a tradema rk a l Meridian Technology.
All other products referenced are trademar ks of their respective companies
MERIDIAN TECHNOLOGY INCi/iii/iii/
;\ SUBSIDl ;\RY OF MICROCOM 7 Corporate Park Suite JOO Irvine. C:\ 92714 (714) 261-1199
64 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 144 on Reader Service Card
11\ITE
PRODUCTS IN
PERSPECTIVE
67 What's New
89 Short Takes Dell System 220 T-DebugPLUS 4.0 Cambridge Computer Z88 Grammatik III WatcomC 6.0 Paradox OS/2
Expert Advice:
101 Computing at Chaos Manor
by Jerry Pournelle
115 Applications Plus by Ezra Shapiro
121 Down to Business by Wayne Rash Jr.
125 Macinations by Don Crabb
131 OS/2and You by Mark Minasi
135 COMl: by Brock N. Meeks
First Impressions 140 Compaq Deskpro 386/25,
Everex Step 386/25, Intel SYP302, and SimpleNet's Netpro 386/25
Reviews 148 Stand-alone communications
packages 162 Tatung TCS-8000, Proteus 386A,
and Everex Step 386/20 173 PC-Trac, FastTRAP, Trackball
Plus, and Felix 185 Unix for the Mac II 195 VersaCAD on a Mac 200 Review Update
-.
- -A--ll----
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 65
IT'S TIME TO DO SOME
SERIOUS 386 BUGBUSTING!
PROBE's 111e1111
bar a11d p11ll
dow11 menus set a
11ew standard for
debugger
interfaces.
POP registers 11p a11d dow11 with a single key.
PROBE has - - - - -
source-level debugging to let you " C" your program.
This is a11 out-ofra11ge memory-overwrite bug. Since it is interrupt related, it only appears i11 real time.
W elcome to your nightmare. Your company has bet the farm on your product. Your demonstration wowed the operating committee, and beta ship ments were out on time. Then wham!
Then, so you can look at the cause of the problem, the 386 PROBE automatically stores the last 2K cycles of program execution. Although other debuggers may try to do the same thing, Atron is the only company in the world to dequeue the
All your beta customers seemed to call on the same day. "Your software is doing some really bizarre things',' they say.
pipelined trace data so you can easily understand it. ·Finally, 386 PROBE's megabyte of hidden, write-protected
Your credibility is at stake. Your profits are at stake. Your sanity is at stake.
THIS BUG'S FOR YOU
memory stores your symbol table and debugger. So your bug can't roach the debugger. And so you have room enough to debug a really big program.
You rack your brain, trying to figure something out. Is it a
random memory overwrite? Or worse, an overwrite to a stack
based local variable? ls it sequence dependent? Or worse, randomly caused by interrupts? Overwritten code? Undocu mented "features" in the software you're linking to? And to top it off, your program is too big. The software debugger, your program and it's symbol table can't fit into memory at the same time. Opening a bicycle shop suddenly isn't such a bad idea.
THIS DEBUGGER'S FOR YOU
Announcing the 386 PROBE,.,' Bugbuster, *from Atron. Nine
COULD AGOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP
PUT YOU IN THE TOP TEN?
Look at it this way. Nine of the top-ten software products in
any given category were created by Atron customers. Maybe
their edge is - a good night's sleep.
Call and get your free, 56-page bugbusting bible today.
And i -
of a nightmare right now,
of the top-ten software developers sleep better at night
give us a purchase order
because of Atron hardware-assisted debuggers. Because they can set real-time breakpoints which instantly detect memory reads and writes.
Now, with·the 386 PROBE, you have the capability to set a qua/(fied breakpoint, so the breakpoint triggers only if the events are coming from the wrong procedures. So you don't have to be halted by breakpoints from legitimate areas. You can even detect obscure, sequence-dependent problems by stopping a breakpoint only after a specific chain of events has occurred in a specific order.
number. We'll FEDEX you a sweet dream.
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~ '
BUGBUSTERS
W!!!ll
A 01v1s1on ot No11nwest instrument Systems, Inc .
Saratoga Office Center · 12950 Saratoga Avenue
Saratoga, CA 95070 · Call 408/253-5933 today.
"'Vcr!ooions for COMPAQ. PS/2-XOs and cnmpalihlc~. Copyright ©. 1987 by Atmn. 386 PROBE is a lraJcmark of Atron. Call 44-2-855-888 in 1hc UK and 49-8-985-8020 in West Germany.
Circle 15 on Reader Service Carri
TRBA
WHAT'S NEW
SYSTEMS
The Incredible Shrinking System Unit
Multiuser 386 Power in an 11-inch Cube
C !aimed to be the "world's smallest," Ad vanced Logic Research's lat est systems are the FlexNode 286 and the FlexNode 386. Both occupy 4V2 by 15 inches of desktop real estate and perform at 20 MHz with zero wait states by using paged interleaved cache memory.
The systems have 1.44 megabyte PS/2-compatible 3 V2-inch floppy disk drives and industry-standard 10 I-key keyboards. Both have four full-length 16-bit expansion slots, as well as an optional expansion unit that provides an additional four slots and sup port for a second hard and floppy disk drive. Within those additional slots, you can place ALR-designed ARC net, Ethernet, or token-ring adapter cards.
The FlexNode 286 comes standard with 5 l 2K bytes of RAM, expandable to 5 mega bytes with add-in cards. The 386 comes standard with 1 megabyte of RAM and can be expanded to 13 megabytes with an optional ALR RAM Pak. There is also room for an optional math coprocessor.
Both machines include a four-slot backplane with a sin gle RS-232C serial port, a parallel port, and a floppy disk controller. Price: $1990 for basic 286; $2549 with 30-megabyte hard disk drive and controller; $2990 with 50-megabyte hard drive and controller; $3490 for basic 386; $3990 with 30 megabyte hard drive and con troller; $4449 with 50-mega byte hard drive and controller. Contact: Advanced Logic Research, Inc., 10 Chrysler Ave., Irvine, CA 92718, (714) 581-6770. Inquiry 751.
The FlexNode system has a 5- by 15-inch base.
Laptop Makers Shed Light on Their Screens
Mitsubishi's mp286L lap top features a fluores cent backlit liquid crystal display (LCD) and four slots for add-in capabilities. The 12-/8-MHz, one-/zero-wait state machine comes stan dard with a 6V2- by 91A-inch display and 640- by 400-pixel resolution.
Features include dual 1.44-megabyte 3 V2-inch floppy disk drives and 640K bytes of RAM that you can expand to
2.6 megabytes. The CGA controller is in
one slot, additional memory is in a second, and a built-in Hayes-compatible 2400-/ 1200-/300-bit-per-second modem is in the third. The fourth slot could be used for a local-area-networking card.
Weight is 16 pounds, not including the optional 7-pound battery pack. Price: $3195; OS/2, $325. Contact: Mitsubishi Elec tronics America, Inc., Com puter Systems Division, 991 Knox St., Torrance, CA 90502, (800) 556-1234; in California, (800) 441-2345. Inquiry 752.
SEND US YOUR NEW PRODUCT RELEASE We'd like to consider your product for publication. Send us full information, including its price, ship date, and an address and telephone number where readers can getfurther information. Send to New Products Editor, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill lane, Peter borough, NH03458. Information contained in these items is based on manufacturers ' written statements and/or telephone interviews with BYTE reporters. BYTE has notformally reviewed each product mentioned. These items, along with additional new product announcements , are posted regularly on BIX in the microbytes.sw and microbytes. hw conferences.
Housed in an 11-cubic inch box, the Unix-based QB2 386 from Cubix has the advantage of being MS-DOS compatible while acting as a file server for up to eight pro cessors or terminals.
It runs with zero- or one wait-state performance be cause of an alternative bank ing scheme. When configured with 4 megabytes of memory, it runs with zero wait states. When configured with 8 megabytes, it runs with one wait state. The standard package includes an 80387 co processor and an Ethernet controller.
The QB2 386, as the name implies, is based on Intel's 80386 processor. It runs Unix version 3.0 and comes standard with 2 megabytes of RAM, expandable to 8 mega bytes. In a standard config uration, it includes an 80 megabyte hard disk drive, a 60-megabyte tape drive for backup, and a 1.44-megabyte 5 114-inch floppy disk drive.
The built-in power-fail system involves nickel-cad mium batteries for IO-minute on-line protection. If the power stays off for longer than 10 minutes, another battery sub system kicks in for up to an hour. Software that automati cally shuts the system down is activated next, but not before the system tells you it's time to quit because it's operating on batteries. Price: $8995. Contact: Cubix Corp., 2800 Lockheed Way, Carson City, NV 89706, (702) 883-7611 . Inquiry 753.
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 67
WHAT'S NEW PERIPHERALS
Compact Keyboard Conserves Desktop Real Estate
B y compressing row spacing, Mechanical En terprises has designed an IBM PC AT-and XT-compat ible 100-key keyboard that's 60 percent smaller than tradi tional AT-enhanced keyboards.
The microtype keyboard measures only 11 by 6 inches and weighs less than 2 pounds. Mechanical Enter prises says its studies show that touch typists achieve nor mal typing speed after a short familiarization period. Price: $150. Contact: Mechanical Enter prises, Inc., 461 Carlisle Dr., Herndon, VA 22070, (703) 435-9496. Inquiry 754.
End Those Scrolling Blues
A dual-page landscape monitor from Nutmeg Systems lets Macintosh desk top publishing aficionados view two complete pages
Space-saving 100-key PC-compatible keyboard.
when they write, edit, and pre pare layouts.
The Nutmeg 19, available for the Mac Plus, SE, and II, has a 79-dpi resolution in a 1024- by 768-pixel paper white phosphor display. The horizontal refresh rate is 63.65 kHz, and the vertical scan rate is 63. 73 kHz.
The monitor measures 17 by 19 by 18 inches and weighs 42 pounds. Nutmeg also uses a proprietary video interface that lets you easily upgrade your monitor if you move up to a Mac II. Price: $1899 for use with the Mac II; $1699 foruse with either the Plus or SE. Contact: Nutmeg Systems, Inc., 25 South Ave . , New Canaan, CT 06840, (203) 966-3226. Inquiry 755.
A Passport to Portable Data
P !us Development's latest technological innovation is called the Plus Passport. It's a removable hard disk sys tem that lets you insert l 1A inch thick, 3 1h-inch 20- or 40 megabyte hard disks into the company's custom chassis like you insert video cassettes into a VCR.
You then have an MS DOS- and OS/2-compatible hard disk subsystem that works on all the IBM ma chines and compatibles, in cluding systems with Micro Channel architecture.
The drives use l -to-1 in terleave for efficient data throughput and are rated for
Put Up to 8.4 Gigabytes in the Palm of Your Hand
W hile the battle over digital audio tape (DAT) for recording music rages in both Congress and the music industry, a Cali fornia company has adopted DAT technology for storing truly massive amounts of computer data.
Gigatape's Giga 1200 DAT subsystem writes from 1.2 to 8.4 gigabytes on a standard 4-millimeter digi tal tape cartridge. The com pany claims that the unit is compatible with all the IBM machines and compat
ibles, including thePS/2s, as well as with the Macintosh, MicroVAX, and other workstations.
The Giga 1200 uses heli cal scan technology, origi nally developed for the VCR industry, and the latest digi tal recording techniques. Helical scan technology in volves using two read/write heads on a drum that rotates at 2000 rotations per minute.
The tape speed is 0.32 inches per second, and the data transfer rate averages l 92K bytes per second. But
read/write is sustained even through 1.5-megabyte-per second bursts. That means an entire tape can be loaded with information in less than 2 hours. Error correction is handled with a proprietary code that the company claims keeps bit and burst errors to less than one in
101~ .
Price: $6500.
Contact: Gigatape, Inc.,
5266 Hollister Ave., Santa
Barbara, CA 93111 , (805)
964-8990.
Inquiry788.
shocks of up to 150 g's. If you use the Passport for booting up other drives, you can back up as much as 40 megabytes of data in less than 5 minutes, says Plus Development.
The drive cartridges fit into a drive subsystem that fits into a standard 5 \4 -inch half height bay. Price: 20-megabyte PC ver sion, $1250; 40-megabyte PC version, $1450; 20-megabyte Micro Channel version, $1350; 40-megabyte Micro Channel version, $1550. Contact: Plus Development Corp., 1778 McCarthy Blvd., Milpitas, CA 95035, (408) 434-6900. Inquiry 756.
Yes, We Have No DataDesk Keyboards
DataDesk International keyboards were incor rectly associated with EECO keyboards in the June What's New section on page 70 (" 123-Key Keyboard Remem bers Macros") .
DataDesk is an indepen dent designer and manufac turer of two popular key boards: the Turbo- IO l for IBM PC compatibles, and the Mac-10 l for Macintosh computers.
The two keyboards togeth er are compatible with just about everything on the mar ket, including the Tandy 1000, AT&T PC 6300, and IBM PCjr. The two keyboards are 101-key units with firm keys that produce a definite "bounce feeling" that many users prefer over PC-clone and Macintosh keyboards. Price: Turbo-101, $149.95; Mac-101, $169.95. Contact: DataDesk Interna tional, 7651 Haskell Ave ., Van Nuys, CA 91406, (818) 780-1673. Inquiry 757.
continued
68 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
If you perform calculations, the answer is obvious.
MathCAD 2.0. It's everything you appreciate about working on a scratch pad- simple, free-form math- and more. More speed. More accuracy. More flexibility. Just define your variables and enter your formulas anywhere on the screen. MathCAD formats your equations as they're typed. Instantly calculates the results. And displays them exactly as you're used to seeing them in real math notation, as numbers, tables or graphs. MathCAD is more than an equation solver. Like a scratchpad, it allows you to add
© 1987 MathSofl. Inc.
Circle 138 on Reader Service Card
text anywhere to support your work, and see and record every step. You can try an unlimited number of what-ifs. And print your entire calculation as an integrated docu ment that anyone can understand.
Plus, MathCAD is loaded with powerful built-in features. In addition to the usual trig onometric and exponential functions, it includes built-in statistical functions, cubic splines, Fourier transfarms, and more. It also handles complex numbers and unit conver sions in a completely transparent way. Yet, MathCAD is so easy to learn, you'll be using its full power an hour after you begin.
Requires IBM PC~ or compatible, 512KB RAM, graphics card.
IBM PC* International Business Machines Corporation. MathCAD~ MathSofl, Inc.
What more could you ask for? How about the exciting new features we've just added to MathCAD 2.0 .. .
· Built-in equation solver · Full matrix operations · 1\vo to four times increase in
calculating speed · Easier full-page text processing · Auto-scaled plots · Memory enhancements · Additional printer and plotter
support · And more. If you're tired of doing calculations by hand or writing and debugging programs, come on over to our pad. MathCAD. The Electronic Scratchpad. Call for a detailed spec sheet and the name of a MathCAD dealer near you. 1-800-MathCAD (In MA: 617-577-1017).
Math CAO"
MathSoft, Inc., One Kendall Sq., Cambridge, MA 02139
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 69
WHAT'S NEW ADD-INS
Manipulate Video on Your Mac II
Now you can use your Mac II to display video captured from standard video sources, then manipulate that image and add graphics with the ColorCapture board by Data Translation.
The board allows real-time video that's been captured on video cameras, VCRs, and still-video equipment to be dis played on the Mac II. Two versions are available-one for the National Television Sys tem Committeee (NTSC) stan dard in North America and Japan, and one forthe Phase Alternate Line (PAL) stan dard in western Europe.
Once you capture the image, you can crop the pic ture, add text or graphics, ex port color images to other ap plications, sharpen and soften edges, adjust brightness and contrast, add or subtract images, print hard copies, animate, and output to a videotape.
Resolution is 640 by 480 pixels, and images can be dis played from a palette of 32,768 colors. The board fits into a single Mac expansion slot with a cable that extends from the board to plug into video cameras, VCRs, or elec
Real-time Mac II video translation.
tronic still-video equipment. For live display, you can attach composite or ROB monitors directly to the board.
Additional specialized functions include a zoom/pan/ scroll controller, which allows instantaneous magnifi cation and close-up examina tion of image regions. There's also a graphics memory plane for merging text and drawing lines, arcs, curves, boxes, icons, and so on. Price: $2995. Contact: Data Translation, Inc., 100 Locke Dr., Marl borough, MA 01752, (617) 481-3700. Inquiry 758.
Low-Cost, High Speed Modem
T he ATI Technologies 2400etc is a 2400-bit-per second internal modem that allows for the equivalent of 4800-bps data transmission with its data-compression techniques.
Only modems with MNP Class 5 error correction will communicate with this modem at maximum speed, however. MNP Class 5 pro vides for what the company calls "100 percent error-free data transfer." This IBM
T he ConoDesk 6000, a Postscript-compatible printer controller, outputs Postscript code 10 times faster than competing units, the manufacturer claims.
Scalable fonts for Ventura Publisher, PageMaker, and Windows let you scale every typeface to all standard Post script point sizes and rotate them to any angle .
The controller uses a pro prietary 32-bit microproces
sor and 2.5 megabytes of RAM and works with the IBM XT, AT, Compaq 386, and compatibles. It supports Hewlett-Packard LaserJet and Canon-engine printers .
There are 13 typefaces with Postscript-compatible metrics and a 228-character set for Ventura Publisher and PageMaker. Optional soft ware includes ConoScript, the interpreter that allows the printer to print Post
Script files. Optional hard ware includes HP LaserJet Series II and Canon LBP-8II video interface boards. Price: $2995 for the base system with interpreters for Windows and PageMaker; $695 for the ConoScript in terpreter; $100 to $700 for a floating-point processor. Contact: Conographic Corp., 16802 Aston, Irvine, CA 92714, (714) 474-1188 . Inquiry 789.
PC-compatible unit fits into
a standard half slot and also
operates at 1200 and 300 bps .
Price: $239.
Contact: ATI Technologies,
Inc., 3761 Victoria Park Ave.,
Scarborough, Ontario,
Canada MlW 3S2, (416)
756-0711.
Inquiry 759.
Serial·Mice Can Now Take the Bus
T he Pointing Device Adapter (PDA) lets you convert your serial mouse to work on a standard PC bus, freeing up that serial port for other things.
This MicroSpeed product, a 'h-length card with software for Microsoft, Logitech, Mouse Systems, and compat ible rodents, is compatible with the IBM AT, XT, PS/2 Model 30, and compatibles.
The PDA's features are many . They include an 1/0 ad dress that's the same as that for bus mice, and interrupt se lection for IRQ 2, 3, 4, 5, or 7. MicroSpeed's MAP (multi axis pointer) driver with bal listic gain support is included, allowing you to better control the pointer on the screen with the mouse. While the ballis tic gain feature has been avail able on the Macintosh mice for some time, MicroSpeed says this is the first time you can buy a mouse for PC com patibles with variable speed control.
Finally, there's a device driver for Windows applica tions, an AutoDesk device in terface driver for AutoCAD, and MicroSpeed's KeyMAP keyboard emulator software. Price: $69. Contact: MicroSpeed, Inc., 5307 Randall Place, Fremont, CA 94538, (800) 232-7888; in California, (415) 490-1403. Inquiry 760.
continued
70 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Get Sprint and you'll never
be afraid ofthe dark!
Nothing holds a candle to Sprint!
reatures ·=Yes 0 =No
Sprint WordPerfect MS Word WordStar Multi Mate
1.0
4.2
4.0
4.0
Adv. 1.0
Maximum file size Thesaurus (integrated)
·Disk
Windows Open (maximum)
6
Files Open (maximum) Cross-Reference (dynamic)
·24
Indexing Options Columns: Parallel
Snaking (chg. # same page)
··7
H-P LaserJet Support
Full
Postscript Support Mouse Support (integrated) Dynamic Shortcuts Alternative User Interfaces Verify Spelling as you type Programmable Macro lang.
F·····ull
-----·-----··--·
Save r ile 1
5.9
Top to Bottom2
7.5
Search and Replace3
1.6
rind Unique Word
3.3
·Disk
·Disk
·4MB
·128K
2
8
1
1
2
8
1
1
0
0
0
0
··1
· 3
· 3
Not same pg . 0
· · 0
Partial
Pull
Partial
Pull
Text 0
·Pull
0 0
Text 0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
41. 1
9.7
4.4
1.0
7.5
49 .4
8.1
21.0
6.6
4.6
17.1
13.4
6.2
7.0
13 .8
20.6
Suggestell List Price
$199.95 $495.00 $450.00 $495.00 $565.00
Time tests were performed on an Acer 286 (8 MHz). 640K RAM. 1File size !03K. 21636 lines. 3 14 occurrences. Times shown are in seconds.
menchmark details available upon request.)
Prices and spccirlcallons suhject i.o change without notlee
·cust.omer sausraction is our main concern: if within BO days of !>Urchase this product does not perform in accordance with our claims. call our cuswmc1· ser vice
department. and we will arrange a refund.
or or All Borland products arc trademarks or registered trademarks Borland lnt.ernational. Inc. Other brand and product names are trademarks their respective
holders. Copyright c19aa Borland International. Inc
Bl 1237
Circle 30 on Reader Service Card (Dealers: 31)
Forgetting to "Save" is a fact of 1ife as are power outages. and it used to be that a power outage could wipe out everything you've done. Not any more. Your work is always safe when you Sprint.®
Sprint's "Auto-Save" auto matically saves your words as you type, so if the lights do go out. you may be in deep dark ness but not deep trouble.
Sprint's Auto-Save is more than "insurance." it's also invisible. You know it's there. but it does its job without interrupting yours.
Sprint: It's the word processor with everything!
You name it. Sprint's got it. Incredible speed. Auto-Save. a customizable user interface. and professional output. Sprint even includes a bonus pack of alter native user interfaces that make it act like WordStar,® MultiMate.® WordPerfect,® Microsoft® Word. or other familiar word proces
sors-a $99 value free!
Sprint has all this and does
all this for only $199.95 instead
of the up to $600 that some companies demand. Sprint auto matically saves your words; it also automatically saves your money. Sprint-The fast track to performance word processing.
60-Day Money-back Guarantee*
For the dealer nearest you Call (800) 543-7543
INT l RtVArtONAI
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 71
WHAT'S NEW HARDWARE · CONNECTIVITY
An Affordable and Expandable Fiber
Optic Network
Your PC or PS/2 Can Now Talk AppleTalk
Eight XT- or AT-compat ible computers, eight printed circuit boards, one networking hub, and fiber optic cabling constitutes the simplest form of the new Ethernet local-area net work (LAN) from IONet Communications.
But you can expand that with more fiber-optic cabling, more boards, and more hubs. Each hub supports eight com puters. To form a 392-com puter, IO-megabit-per-second (mbps) LAN with as much as 6 kilometers between any two nodes, you'll need 54 hubs, 392 boards, and lots of cabling.
To expand the network even further, you can add a re generative repeater and link two 392-computer networks . A second repeater allows you to link more than 1000 com puters. The boards use Intel's 82586 Ethernet controller chip and have Hewlett-Packard LED sources and positive intrinsic-negative (PIN) photodiode receivers to trans mit and receive 850-nano meter light pulses through 62 .5-micron multimode fi ber-optic cabling with recom mended SMA or ST connec tors. Total delay between two hubs on 392-computer clus ters is 25 nanoseconds.
Repeaters, which restore amplitude (like the hubs) and retime the signals, add 750 ns to transmissions. Repeaters also allow connection of fi ber-optic to coaxial or cheaper net (thin coaxial) cabling.
If you add two more full length cards to one of the com puters, you have a bridge that will link clusters of 1ONet 1-mbps LANs with several types of networks, including
Ethernet local-area network from JONet Communications.
Ethernet, Token Ring, and ArcNet. The networking soft ware is lONet's existing package, lONet 4.0, which in cludes an electronic mail package called Network Cou rier from Consumers Software . Price: PC board with soft ware, $1295; hub, $2995 ; re peater, $1395. (Fiber cabling and installation not included .) Contact: lONet Communica tions, 7016 Corporate Way, Dayton, OH 45459, (513) 433-2238 . Inquiry 765.
Ethernet Stalks the Twisted Pair!
I fyou're considering in stalling Ethernet but the hassle of running coaxial cable through the walls and floors is giving you pause, Hewlett-Packard has a simple solution. Its newest product, HP StarLAN 10 PC Link, uses the already-installed tele phone wiring in your building to network your PC or com patibles at 10 mbps.
PC Link includes a half-
length PC card and software called OfficeShare, which provide the transport mecha nism between MS-DOS- or Unix-based systems, as well as the twisted-pair Ethernet net work that HP introduced last year. With PC Link, you can locate as many as 12 PCs up to 100 meters from the network ing hub. And those capabilities will increase when repeaters and bridges become available, since StarLAN 10 can sup port a total of 1024 PCs or Unix devices.
Yoo can also connect your PCs using existing coaxial Ethernet networks with a de vice called the Twisted-Pair Media Access Unit. Accord ing to HP, before its all twisted-pair products became available, such coaxial-to twisted-pair devices were the only way to connect PCs to Ethernet. Price: PC Link, $695; hub, $2995; Twisted-Pair Media Access Unit, $295. Contact: Hewlett-Packard Co., Customer Information Center, Inquiry Fulfillment Dept., 19310 Pruneridge Ave., Cupertino, CA 95014, or call the HP sales office listed in your telephone directory white pages. Inquiry 766.
T he first IBM PC- and PS/2-based AppleTalk file server supports up to 30 machines at 230 kilobits per second (kbps). It consists of a board and software for the host and the clients.
The Tangent Technologies card, dubbed the Tangent Share, eliminates the need for a dedicated Macintosh file server or for individual hard disk drives at each work station. As a nondedicated file server, it allows you to store files and applications from any IBM PC, PS/2, or Macintosh on the AppleTalk network host, to use the host as a local disk drive, or to trans fer files between incompatible systems.
TangentShare provides both "administrator" and "super user" privileges from any IBM or Apple machine on the network. Administrator machines can perform such management functions as adding users to the network and changing passwords. The super user machines, desig nated by the administrator machines, have complete ac cess privileges to all directo ries in the network. There can be multiple administrators and multiple super users on each network. Price: $700 for board and file server software; $325 for board and IBM PC client software; $400 for board and PS/2 client software. Contact: Tangent Technol ogies, 5990-K Unity Dr., Norcross, GA 30071, (404) 662-0366. Inquiry 767.
continued
72 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
l SA'i"""U:!3/'i\.l
£3!1V 6 a~c:.>aLC:IB
Cut yourselfabetter deal.
Buy MICRO CADAM CORNERSTONE '" R. 1.3, send us your obsolete PC CAD software, and get a $1,000* check from CADAM!
If you've always wanted real mainframe-based CAD power for your IBM® PS12;· PC/AT® or compatible system, here's a sharp new offer from CADAM®
Buy new MICRO CADAM CORNERSTONE R. 1.3 now. Compare its productivity, ease of use, and mainframe-
based features with your conventional PC CAD system. (You can go right to work with your existing CAD tiles, thanks to MICRO CADAM CORNERSTONE'S new DXF data translator.)
111en cut up your obsolete software and send us the half with the label, along with your completed rebate coupon and proof of purchase for MICRO CADAM CORNERSTONE R. 1.3 We'll cut you a check for $I,000.
CADAM's rebate offer is the ultimate deal on the "ultimate PC CAD production tool." But act fast. Rebate expires October 3I, I988. See your dealer today for
qualification details and rebate coupon. for the location of your nearest dealer, phone CADAM toll-free today: 800-255-57IO.
MICRO CADAM CORNERSTONE . .. The Ultimate PC CAD Production Tool
A LOCKHEED COMPANY
"This rebate ma ynot he cnmbincd with any other ~pcci:il C1\0AM JNC promotion or disco1111L~ and is :1v:1ilahlc only i111hc ll11 i1cd States to end user:;. Ccri:iin resi riftions ;1 pply-set'. rcba1c coupon avai lable fnun your MICR OCAllAM CORNERSTONE dealer for dct:tils :ind restrictions. All ~ales will he verified with dc:1lcr of record.
CAllAM is :1 TCKiS!crcd tradcnwk aml MJCIW CAIJAM CORNERSTONf. is a tr:idcmark of C,\l>AM INC. AuloCA!fis a. TCKiStcrcd trademark of Autodesk, Inc. 11.lM ;111d l'C/M :ire registered lrademark~ and PS/2 is:! tr:idenwk of lnwrn:uional Business M:1chines Cor("IOralion. ©1988 CAllAM INC
Circle 35 on Reader Service Card (Dealers: 36)
AUGUST 1988 · B YTE 73
ONCE IN A BLUE M 0 0 N.
. . . . .. .
SCAN MAN TM Pop any image up to 4"x l l"straight into your IBM PC, XT,AT, PS/2 or 100% compatible system. Clip it, crop it,resize and rotate it, color it Merge it. Save it. Store it. Choose between high contrast or high detail. Import images into any best-selling DTP application(PageMaker;TMVentura:Metc.).
Use it in any majorpublishing program. All you need is $299, a spare card
slot, and five minutes to set up. HOW ON EARTH IS THIS POSSIBLE FOR $ ~ 99
C 0 MES A STRO
CALL TOLL FREE:(800)231-77170R(800} 552-8885 /NCALIFORNIA
Please send me my SconMon:
BYBBB
0 SconMon for IBM PC, KT. AT, PS/2 models 25 and 30, and 100% compatibles
$299.00
0 SconMon for IBM PS/2 model 50 and above and I 00% compatibles $349.00
Shipping and Handling (per item}:
$ 6.50
CA Residents odd applicable soles tax: 0 Check or Money Order Enclosed 0 Visa
$ _ __ Total: $ _ __ 0 MasterCard
CardNumber _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Exp. Date _ _ _ __
ScanMag
Hand-Hetl Scanner fri
~ LOGtTECH
Personal Periptierats Worldwide.
PageMaker is a trademark of Aldus and Ventura Publisher is a trademark of Ventura Software Inc.
Card/10/der Name_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ --,(P,l""e"a's<>.,..p , r l , . . , , n " " ' t ) , - - - - - - - - - - - Author ized Signature _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ __ _
Sl1ipto: Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~_ _ _ _ _ __ Phone _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Address - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- - -- -- City/State!Zip _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __
Offer valid in the U.S. only.Allow 2-3 weeks fer delivery 30-day Money Back Guarantee. DEALER /NOOIR/ES WELCOME Send to: LOG/TECH, Inc. attn: Coupon Redem(XionProgram,6505 KaiserDrive. Fremont, CA 94555
WHAT'S NEW HARDWARE · OTHER
Who Can Make a 4-inch Scan? The ScanMan Can
W ith 200-dpi resolution, ScanMan provides a way for you and your IBM PC, AT, XT, PS/2, or com patible to add graphics to desk top publishing, business pre sentations, and other documents. Then you can store the images in your per sonal database.
The ScanMan has a 4 inch-wide scanning window, and it can scan images that are up to 11 inches long. The scanner, interface board, graphics editor, and ScanWare software are included.
ScanWare allows for scan ning directly into Microsoft Windows or to Logitech's Graphics Editor. The Graphics Editor allows many manipu lations, including image siz ing, cut and paste, color, re verse and rotate, insert, and magnify. Compatible appli cation packages include Aldus PageMaker, Ventura Publish er, Logitech PaintShow, Logi tech Publisher, PFS: First Publisher, and ZSoft PC Paintbrush. Price: $299. Contact: Logitech, Inc., 6505 Kaiser Dr., Fremont, CA 94555, (415) 795-8500. Inquiry 761.
Logitech 's 4- by 11-inch scanner.
More HP DeskJet Memory for Soft Fonts
Expansion memory cards for Hewlett-Packard DeskJet printers can expand your printer memory by 128K bytes with one cartridge or by 256K bytes with two cards.
Popular soft fonts such as Helvetica require as much as 256K bytes of memory. In fact, a single point size can use more than SOK bytes. These memory cards, therefore, pro vide for the necessary soft font memory. But in addition, the memory cards are com patible with hard fonts that fit into HP expansion slots.
Four 32K-byte by 8-bit static RAM chips are used in each 5- by 3-inch cartridge. Each cartridge is specifically designed for one of two op tion slots available on each HP printer. Price: $129. Contact: Pacific Data Prod ucts, Inc ., 6404 Nancy Ridge Dr., San Diego, CA 92121, (619) 552-0880. Inquiry 762.
Monitor Testing Made Simple
0 ne tool now tests moni tors and nothing else. It's called the Montest-A5D3, and it tests at least six types of
The IEEE 488 Controller That Stands Alone
A newIEEE488control ler from IOtech lets you control instruments and store data in 32K bytes of nonvolatile memory.
Called the Macro488, it allows up to 100 macros, or instruction sets, to be loaded into the unit's memory from any computer with an RS 232C or RS-422 data port.
You can control up to 14 instruments simultaneously
with the Macro488. It's ideal for applications, such as vehicle testing, where vi bration, and excessive tem peratures, and humidity can cause problems. Because it stands alone, its relative im munity to vibration prob lems places the Macro488 at an advantage over computers in the field . It also operates over a temperature range of between 0°C and 35°C and a
relative humidity range of between 0 and 70 percent.
A built-in clock with time
and date stamping lets you collect data at precise times or at regular or irregular intervals. Price: $995. Contact: IOtech, Inc., 2597 l Cannon Rd., Cleve land, OH 44146, (216) 439 4091. Inquiry 790.
standard personal computer monitors: IBM PC mono chrome, Color Graphics Display, Enhanced Graphics Display, Mac II, IBM PS/2, and IBM Professional Graph ics Display. You use it to set alignment, convergence, and color balance.
The Montest-A5D3 gener ates four patterns-color bars, cross hatch, full raster, and a window-and has all the hard ware and adapters needed to directly drive either analog or digital monitors. The Mon test-A5D3 measures 8 by 6 by 2 inches and weighs less than 2 pounds. Price: $925 . Contact:Network Technol ogies, Inc., 19145 Elizabeth St., Aurora, OH 44202, (216) 543-1646. Inquiry 763.
Printer Ribbons That Won't Fade Away
L ong after most printer manufacturers began con centrating on desktop pub lishing applications, one com pany decided to reinvent the ribbon.
Chronos Computers now offers Sta-Blk reinking printer ribbons for more than 350 popular printers, including the Apple Imagewriter I and II, the C. Itoh ProWriter, and two Epson models. The reinking technology makes the ribbons last at least 20 times longer than conventional ribbons, the company claims. Besides that, the ribbons don't fade. Price: $49.95 for the Epson printer version; $39.95 for the Imagewriter or ProWriter versions. Contact: Chronos Com puters, 4186 Sorrento Valley Blvd., Suite H, San Diego, CA 92121, (619) 455-8200. Inquiry 764.
continued
76 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Nope
PCs MS/DOS OS/2 Multiuser-
All, PC Jr. too
<640K programs
Still waiting
Primitive
Networking PC Nets only
Fault
You must
Tolerant be kidding
>640K programs Shipping
Mainframe quality PC, mini & mainframe CPU & Disk Recovery
THE LASTDBMS
ONLY $199
CALL 1-800-0RACLE 1
Oracle Corporation, the world's fastest growing software company,1 has just climbed past Ashton-Tate to become the world's largest supplier of database man agement software and services.2
Why?
· Because ORACLE®runs on PCs, plus mainframes and minicom puters from IBM, DEC, DG, HP, Prime, Wang, Apollo, Sun, etc. virtually every computer you have now or ever will have. Ashton-Tate's dBASE runs only on PCs.
· Because ORACLE is a true dis tributed DBMS that connects all your computers - PCs, minicom puters and mainframes - into a single, unified computing and infor mation resource. dBASE supports only primitive PC networking.
· Because Oracle has supported the industry standard SQL language since 1979. Ashton-Tate promises to put SQL into dBASE sometime in the indefinite future.
· Because ORACLE takes advan tage of modern 286/386 PCs by letting you build larger-than-640K PC applications on MS/DOS that run unchanged on OS/2. dBASE treats today's 286/386 PCs and PS/2s like the now obsolete, original PC.
Don't go down in !fames. Bail out from dBASE. Call 1-800-0RACLEI and order your $199-PC copy of ORACLE3 today. Or just ask and we'll send you information on ORACLE, the number one selling DBMS on minicomputers and mainframes.
ORACLE0
COMPATIBILITY · PORTABILITY · CONNECTABILITY
Call 1-800-0RACLE1,
ext. 149 today.
Dear Oracle,
I PC ORDER PROCESSING Oracle Corporation
I 20 Davis Drive · Belmont, CA 94002 I want ORACLE to be THE LAST DBMS
for my 286/386 PC. Enclosed is my
I 0 Check or 0 VISA 0 MC 0 AMEX credit card authorization for $199
(California residents add 7% sales tax).
I I understand th is copy is for PC develop ment only. Offer valid only in the US and Canada.
I
I Prinl Name Title
Date
~iJ3 ny
I Streel (P.O. Box numbers not acceptable) I City
s~,,-"~~~~z=ip~~~~~~
.I Phone I C"dil c .,d Numb"
Card Expiration Date
1 Revenue doubled In 9ol Oracle's 10 years. t Sales rate over SZOO mllllon In current tlscal year. , for PC development UH only. Requires a286/386 PC plu1 l·M8yle ntended memory. Oller valid only In US &Cinada. © 1988 by Oracle Corp. ORACLE~ Is areg. trademark of Oracle Corp. dBASE Isa reg. trademarkol Ashton-Tale. MlcrosoH &IBM own numerous reg. lrademarks. TRSA
Sig na t u r e
BYTE
I am a value-added reseller (VAR): D YES D NO
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 77
WHAT'S NEW SOFTWARE · PROGRAMMING
Del I Releases OS/2
Dell Computer reports that its version of Microsoft's OS/2 is a single user multitasking operating system for 80286 and 80386 systems . It supports VGA video adapters based on Chips & Technologies, Video Seven, and Cirrus
Logic VGA controllers. Dell's OS/2 lets you in
stall Microsoft OS/2, MS DOS, and Xenix on the same hard disk. Utility pro grams such as Etree and Speed are included. Etree displays a visual tree of the disk directory, and Speed
lets you change the process
ing speed and keyboard re
peat rate.
Price: $324.95.
Contact: Dell Computer
Corp., 9505 Arboretum
Blvd., Austin, TX 78759,
(512) 338-4400. Inquiry 770.
80386 C Compiler Creates Protected Mode Code
T he NDP C-386 C com piler from MicroWay is a globally optimizing compiler that was designed for the Intel 80386. It generates native 80386 protected-mode 32-bit code that runs under DOS or Unix V.
The compiler is capable of running with arrays larger than 64K bytes and can run pro grams as large as 4 gigabytes .
NDP C-386 is a full imple mentation of PCC, Bell Lab's Portable C Compiler, whose syntax is a superset of Ker nighan and Ritchie C. The compiler includes all standard PCC extensions along with supersets of ANSI C and Microsoft C extensions. The new extensions include a set of graphics and BASIC-like screen handling functions, in addition to hooks to the oper ating system.
Coprocessors supported include the MicroWay/Weitek mWl 167 and the Intel 80387 and 80287 coprocessors.
MicroWay's C compiler runs on any 80386-based cm:1 puter or AT compatible with an Intel Inboard or other 80386 add-on board. A float ing-point coprocessor is re quired, as well as 2 mega bytes of extended memory.
You 'II also need a hard disk
drive with at least 2 megabytes
of free memory. DOS 3.2 or
higher or Unix 386 System V
Release 3 is also required.
Price: $595.
Contact: MicroWay, P.O.
Box 79, Kingston, MA 02364,
(508) 746-7341. Inquiry 768.
Document It!
T o simplify the process of documenting C programs, Software Blacksmiths de signed C-DOC, a set of docu mentation tools for C pro grammers. The tools also modify your programs and can insert documentation as a part of each individual mod ule header.
C-Call documents the callerIcalled hierarchy of a group of programs. It creates graphic tree diagrams that show the flow structure. It also produces a table of con tents of files versus modules, processes functions and macros with parameters, and generates cross-references of function definitions and usages.
C-Ref analyzes and docu ments the use of local/global parameter identifiers. It also produces summaries for indi vidual modules for use in headers, and it produces a module- or system-level cross-reference of all identifi ers, definitions, and usages.
C-List analyzes and dis plays the flow structure within modules. It will reformat a source program and produce structure outlines of the flow structure .
C-Hdr uses outputs from C-List to generate and update module headers.
The program runs on the IBM PC, XT, AT, and compat ibles with DOS 2.0 or higher and 256K bytes of RAM. Price: $89. Contact: Software Black smiths, Inc., 6064 St. Ives Way, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5N 4Ml, (416) 858-4466. Inquiry 769.
A Rascal for Pascal
A Pascal compiler for $19.67? Rascal (rhymes with Pascal) supports a 64K byte code and a 64K-byte data segment, performs floating point arithmetic with an 8087, and produces a .COM file in two passes. The company re ports that the compiler is ca pable of compiling about 1000 lines per minute on an IBM PC and compares the object code produced to that of Turbo Pascal 4.0.
Rascal features 30 opera tors and 6 distinct classes . It also includes 156 standard
procedures . The compiler rec ognizes explicit register ref erences through standard iden tifiers, the company reports. It also recognizes explicit branches to labels, proce dures, and functions.
Source code for the code generator and library is in cluded. You can compile the code generator with either Turbo Pascal 4.0 or Rascal. The Rascal-generated code is about 50 percent faster, ac cording to the manufacturer. Price: $19.67. Contact: Eugene Nelson, 1009 Vilas, Suite 3, Madison, WI 53715, (608) 257-7588. Inquiry 771.
Facelt Builds Menus
I nstead of drawing a win dow, typing in the text, and positioning it on-screen, Facelt automatically builds single windows and multi menu systems from your data base and ASCII files. It de termines the window size based on the amount of text to be displayed. It also auto matically positions the win dow on-screen, configures the spacing between choices, and determines the correct number of columns.
Virtual windowing and built-in scrolling are other fea tures of Facelt. The program is compatible with dBASE III Plus, FoxBASE+, DBXL, Clipper, Quicksilver, and Bor land and Microsoft lan guages. Language-specific modules are contained within Facelt. It runs on PS/2s and compatibles . Price: $99. Contact: Black and White International, Inc., 23 West 88th Street, New York, NY 10024, (212) 787-6633. Inquiry 772.
continued
78 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
You've known Genoa as a developer of high performance graphics chips, and a leading manufacturer of graph ics boards and tape backup. Soon you'll be able to depend on us for all your PC graphics add-on hardware.
Over the next year, we'll be unwrap ping a series of graphics products. Each is designed to give you the most reliable, yet innovative engineering features. And above all, the highest performance possible.
Our SuperVGA Hi Res family, featured here, is the first in our new product series. SuperVGA Hi Res offers breathtaking color and resolution. From 16 colors in 1024x768. Up to 256 colors in 800x600. You'll see more of your spreadsheets at once with SuperVGA HiRes.132 columns and 60 rows.You'll do Windows or OS/2. In fact, every SuperVGA HiRes feature is designed to turn your IBM PC/XTI AT and PS/2 models 25 and 30 into real graphics engines.
Delivering
SuperVGA HiResTM now!
· 100% IBM VGA compatible · Advanced features
-1024x768 in 16 colors and 800x600in 256 colors/Model 5200
-512x512 in 256 colors/Model 5100
· 132 columns text · For both analog and
TILdisplays
If you're looking for PC graphics add-ons, take a look at Genoa first. Our new line of products is starting
delivery nowt
For the Genoa dealer nearest you or to add your name to our mailing list contact: Genoa Systems Corporation, 75 E. Trimble Road , San Jose, CA 95131. Fax: 408/434-0997. Telex: 172319. Or phone: 408/432-9090. In the UK, contact Genoa Systems Limited , phone 01-225-3247. In the Far East contact Genoa/Taiwan, phone: 2-776-3933
Circle 94 on Reader Service Card
Genoa
SYSTEMS CORPORATION
Delivering PC Graphics
408/432-9090
rc.1 1988 Genoa Systc1r1s Cornorallon. SunerVGA H1Res 1sa lrademark al Genoa Systems Corpora!1on.W1ndows 1sa lrademaikol Microsort. Inc. IBM PC/XT/A1 PS/2,and OS/2 are lrademarksot ln1erna1tonat Business Machines.
WHAT'S NEW SOFTWARE · SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING
Data Analysis All Over Your Screen
D SP Development Corp. says the most difficult thing about DADiSP is pro nouncing its name. It's pro nounced "Day-Disp," and it stands for data analysis and digital signal processing.
You use the program after you've acquired data from a variety of instruments. DADiSP 2. 0 is a package that lets you import ASCII and binary single or multichannel data files into the database as a data set. The program has a menu-driven interface and lets you analyze your data graphically and numerically. The waveforms are represented in windows that are treated as cells in a spreadsheet. When you make a change to a wave form in one window, the pro gram makes the necessary alterations to others.
The worksheet can hold up to 64 windows, with each of fering graphics operations such as scrolling, zooming, expansion, compression, and cursor movement.
The program has over 160 analysis routines, including signal arithmetic, signal cal culus, waveform generation, Fourier analysis, frequency domain analysis, correlations, and trigonometric and statis tical routines. DSP reports that the size of waveforms is un limited, as the program pages large waveforms to and from your disk during calculations.
DADiSP waveforms are presented in multiple windows.
DADiSP runs on the IBM PC, XT, AT, and compatibles as well as on Sun and other workstations. It runs under DOS, Unix, and OS/2, ac cording to DSP. Price: DOS version, $795; Unix version, $2495. Contact: DSP Development Corp., One Kendall Sq., Cambridge, MA 02139, (617) 577-1133. Inquiry 773.
Go Solo!
S olo 101 is a statistical program that features fill in-the-blank-type panels that give you your statistical analysis options. If you need help knowing what to put into a panel, you move the cursor to the field and a help message pops up.
With Solo you can calcu late the mean, standard devi ation, and percentiles, and
you can generate frequency tables and cross-tabulations. The program also performs multiple regression with re sidual analysis, stepwise re gression, robust regression, weighted regression, and cor relation analysis. You can store residuals, predicted values, confidence intervals, and other observation-type sta tistics in Solo's database. Forecasting techniques include trend analysis, single and double exponential smoothing, and seasonal adjustment. Analysis of variance proce dures include general linear models, unweighted means, and repeated measures.
Solo includes a data-entry spreadsheet, database utilities, data import, report writing, and transformation capabili ties. With the spreadsheet editor, you can cut and paste sections of the database, ap pend data to existing informa tion, and reorder columns for easier data entry and viewing.
AUtOL;AU on me Mac 11
A utoCAD Release IO runs on the Mac II and adds three-dimensional wireframe construction and surface modeling capabili ties, along with new drawing and editing features. These include user-defined coordi
nate systems, dynamic real time zoom and three-dimen sional rotation, and multiple view ports.
Release 10 is data-file compatible with MS-DOS and Unix versionsofthepro gram, so you can read and
write drawing files inter
changeably between two dif
ferent machines.
Price: $3000.
Contact: Autodesk, 2320
Marinship Way, Sausalito,
CA 94965, (415) 332-2344.
Inquiry 776.
The data-import facility lets you read and write ASCII files. You can also sort, merge, transpose, or make subsets of databases. A re port writer also lets you output to a printer or ASCII file.
The program runs on the IBM PC, XT, AT, and compat ibles with DOS 2.1 or higher, 512K bytes of RAM, and a VGA, EGA, CGA, or Her cules graphics card. Price: $149. Contact: BMDP Statistical Software, Inc ., 1440 Sepul veda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025, (213) 479-7799. Inquiry 774.
Preview AutoCAD Drawings
W hether you're using AutoCAD or not, you can pop out of whatever pro gram you 're in and take a look at an AutoCAD (DWG) draw ing with SoftWest Quick-See. Because it is a stand-alone program, you don't need Auto CAD to run it. The manufac turer reports that it displays a drawing at close to AutoCAD Redraw speeds.
SoftWest Quick-See runs on the IBM PC and compat ibles with DOS 2 .1 or higher, 256K bytes of RAM, and a Hercules monochrome display adapter, EGA, CGA, or VGA. A math coprocessor and a hard disk drive are not required. Price: $99. Contact: The Great SoftWestern Company, Inc., 207 West Hickory St., Suite 202, Denton, TX 7620 I , (800) 231-6880; in Texas, (817) 383-4434. Inquiry 775.
continued
80 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
NO OTHER DESKTOP
PUBLISHING SYSTEM OFFERS
THIS FEATURE.
With the new Mannes mann Tally®Universal'"' Publishing
System, you can practically fly.
Thanks to a Raster Image Processor board that plugs directly
into your PC or compatible, you'll process your pages at a speed lim ited only by the speed of your computer. Not-as is typical-at the speed of the printer. And you'll
transfer ready-to-print data directly to the printer through a video interface at an incredible 3-million bits per second.
So when you're using the Postscript®compatible interpreter, you'll produce a printed page almost twice as fast as most other systems. But that's just ground speed.
If you use Aldus®Page
Maker or Ventura Publisher~you'll
· Systems:
I. Universal Publishing System [includes a PostScript compatible interpreter and Docu·
ment Description Language [DDLJJ 2. DDL Publishing System (DDL onlyJ.
·Resolution: 300 x 300 dpi. ·Emulations: loth systems include HP"'
Laser Jet. · Memory: 2 Mg. ·Typefaces: UPS includes 35 typefaces, DDL
System includes 22 typefaces. · Speed: 10 pages-per-minute. · Dual paper cassettes standard, 250 sheets
each.
· Dual output bins standard, 250 sheets each. · Manual feed handles single sheets, enve
lopes, transparenc ies, and labels. · Worl<load: 10,000 pages-per-month.
Circle 135 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 136)
really take off. Because when you select DDL instead of the Postscript compatible interpreter, you'll double that speed again.And with full page bitmap graphics, you can get print ed output up to 17 times as fast.
So call the number below for the name of your nearest dealer and log in your time on the New Mannesmann Tally Universal Publishing System. A pilot's license is not required.
MANNESMANN
TALLY
1-800-843-1347
In Washington state, call: 206 251 5524 Ext. 130
Ext. 130
lest results available upon request. PostScript is a registered trade·
mark or Adobe Systems, Inc. DDL is a registered tr<1demark of
Imagen Corp. Ventura Publisher is a registered tr<Jdemark of Ven·
tura Corp. Pagemaker is a registered trademark of Aldus Corp.
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 81
CITIZEN
0 LUXE.
WHAT'S NEW SOFTWARE · BUSINESS
Slideshow on the Desktop
A Helping Hand from Handi
NON you can create slides with access to 16.8 mil lion colors on a Mac II to use in your desktq> presentations. Microsoft has enhanced PowerPoint 2.0 with templates that have built-in color schemes, background effects, and fonts. Other added fea tures include a spelling checker and a find-and replace command.
To take advantage of the preselected color schemes, you select a background color, and the program suggests con trasting colors. Ifyou merge slides into other presentations, you can choose different color schemes, with all ele ments of the slide converting to the new color scheme.
The spelling checker comes with a main dictionary that you can supplement with your own words. Word-pro cessing features of the pro gram include tabs and decimal tabs, variable line and para graph spacing, and five out line-like levels for bulleted copy points.
The program also lets you import graphics from Mac Point, PICT, and EPSE file formats. Using the Macintosh Clipboard, you can incorpo rate graphics in any format, according to Microsoft. You can also incorporate black and-white graphics and then color them.
PowerPoint 2.0 runs on the Mac Plus, SE, or II running System 4 .l or higher with l megabyte of RAM and two BOOK-byte floppy disk drives or a hard disk drive. The soft ware is compatible with Ap pleShare and MultiFinder. Price: $395. Contact: Microsoft Corp., 16011 Northeast 36th Way, P.O. Box 97017, Redmond, WA 98073, (206) 882-8080. Inquiry 777.
Sample desktop presentation slide from PowerPoint 2. 0.
Make Your Commodore 64/128 a Desktop Publisher
C reate multiple-column page layouts on the Com modore 64 and 128 (in 64 emulation) with PaperClip Publisher from Electronic Arts.
Yoo can create documents of up to 50 pages in length; manipulate text and graphics with ruler, margin, and col umn guides; enlarge pages with the magnify mode; and resize boxes and have text flow between them.
A text editor is included, and the font converter utility lets you convert fonts from popular word processors. Yoo can also import text files from PaperC!ip II and other word processors.
The built-in graphics edi tor lets you import and edit graphics from other pro grams. Yoo can also choose from a variety of box back grounds and outlines, and you can work on pages from 3 by 3 inches to 8 by 14 inches with as many columns as you want. PaperC!ip Publisher also supports a wide variety of printers.
The program runs on the Commodore 64 and 128 with
64K bytes of RAM, a 1541
or 1571 floppy disk drive, and
a mouse or joystick.
Price: $49.95.
Contact: Electronic Arts,
1820 Gateway Dr., San Mateo,
CA 94404, (415) 571-7171.
Inquiry 778.
1-2-C Compiler
C ompile 1-2-C converts your worksheets into C source code instead of BASIC. It also handles more than just Lotus files and will compile any .WKS files.
Once your oorksheets are compiled, you don't need the original spreadsheet pro gram, as the worksheets be come stand-alone .EXE files.
Compile 1-2-C, formerly known as LTS2C, runs on the IBM PC, XT, AT, and com patibles with 640K bytes of RAM and a 1.5-megabyte hard disk drive. The program works with Lotus 1-2-3 re leases IA and 2.01 and works with all 1-2-3 commands ex cept Graph and Window. The program is not copy protected. Price: $299. Contact: Resource Analysis International Corp., 125 81 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066, (213) 390-7661. Inquiry 779.
T he makers of Handi call it "information integra tion software." It's one pro gram that combines a database manager, word processor, calendar, scheduler with alarms, and report generator. Yoo can run it as either a stand-alone or a memory-res ident program.
HandiBase is the database manager. Each database holds a maximum of 65,500 B-tree indexed records. Each record can contain up to 4090 bytes of structured and free-form data. Each database can sup port up to 20 structured fields .
HandiWord is a word pro cessor that performs word wrap, text block manipula tion, find/replace, cut/paste, import, export, and other test manipulation functions. It han dles large documents of up to 60,000 characters.
The program's calendar module is called Handi Scheduler, and it features an alarm that you can set to re mind you of appointments or other events. When the alarm goes off, a small window pops up on the screen when you' re in other programs, and some text reminds you of why the alarm has gone off.
HandiReport is the report generator, and it lets you print form letters, labels, business reports, invoices, and more.
Handi runs on the IBM PC, XT, AT, and compatibles with DOS 2.1 or higher and 74K bytes of free RAM. Price: $49. Contact: HandiCorp, Inc ., 17080 142nd Place NE, P.O. Box 1263, Woodinville, WA 98072, (800)451-3496; in Washington, (206) 481-7026. Inquiry 780.
continued
84 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
EtnulateTheBest
WithTheBrightest.
There's no denying the availability of some outstanding dedicated terminals to access Digital~ Hewlett~Packard, and Data General® host systems. Which makes the
task of precisely emulating the performance of those dedicated terminals on an
IBM® PC or compatible a rather significant challenge.
Based on the feedback we've received from SmarTerm® users, our family of
terminal emulation software has met the challenge, passed every test, and surpassed,
in the opinion of a host of enthusiastic users, the performance of the host system
terminals being emulated.
The reasons why we shine are fundamental.
Every SmarTerm emulation is precise. So precise, in fact, that a dedicated
terminal's Smaiferm counterpart fully emulates not only advanced performance
features but also unique terminal quirks and bugs.
Every SmarTerm emulation is easy to use. It's one thing to make software do
what hardware does. It's another challenge to minimize software's human wear. The
people designing our products understand the nature of the people using them.
Every SmarTerm emulation is easy to learn.These days, training costs are a hot
topic. Software intended to boost overall system efficiency must recognize the value
of learning speed. We have.
It's also easy to learn more about how SmarTerm emulations can help you
shine.Your software dealer can supply all the details. Or you can contact us at
perSO/f (608) 273-6000 to request complete specifications and a demonstration disk of the
SmarTerm emulation that precisely matches your requirements.
®
It! !988 Persofc. Inc., 465 Science Drive. Madison. Wisconsin 53 711 U.S A Pcrsoft and SmarTcrm arc rcgis1crcd trademarks of Pcrsoft. Inc. All Rights Reserved. IBM is a registered trademark of
lmcrnarional Business Machines Corporation. Oigical is a registered trademark of 01g1tal Equipment Corporation. Daw General is a registered 1radcmark of Dara Genera l Corporation
Circle 173 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 85
WHAT'S NEW SOFTWARE ·CONNECTIVITY
NetBIOS compatibility, electronic mail, en· hanced network software, and support for OS/2 an added to 10-Net Plus local· area-network (LAN) soft·
added is Network Courie1 from Consumers Software.
Make Connections with Reunion
Reunion software lets you access and process infor mation between an IBM PC, an asynchronous host main frame, and minicomputers. It provides two-way communica tion between host computers and PC applications, terminal emulation, file transfer, multitasking, and program de velopment. The program's multitasking ability lets you run it in the background of other application programs, transferring files, sending mail, or retrieving host infor mation, while you continue to use the application program in the foreground.
The program is menu driven and contains a dialing directory and help. To fur ther simplify use of the pro gram, you can redefine or re map any key on your PC keyboard. You can also create macros with Reunion, automating repetitive tasks so that one keystroke can perform a series of commands.
A Writer facility lets you create, modify, compile, and test scripts. It also imports any ASCII editor for use with in Reunion. A Learn facility
NorKs ana nas tne aomty tc .ink various mail servers to ~ether. It also features net
>Vnrlr-mnnitnrina tnnl~ ~nn ~
:ne sottware, maKmg 11 :ivailable for IBM Token R.ing and Ethernet systems. <\pplications written for pre
-~---------~--- _.J: 1 /"\ 'lo.T- ... --- ~ 11
lets you automate communica tions sessions, allowing you to alter scripts. The Connect facility offers a modular structure for connecting to host computers and informa tion services. It also includes a dialing directory.
Reunion's application lan guage, Resource, contains about 75 commands that let you read and write to PC files, initiate and control other PC applications, call other scripts as subroutines, and let the host computer initiate PC applications.
Terminals emulated in clude the IBM 3101 Character Mode; DEC VT-220, VT 100, and VT-52; generic TTY; and PC7171 for protocol con verters. Methods of file trans fer include XMODEM and YMODEM, Kermit, Link ware, and nonprotocol ASCII.
To run Reunion you'II need an IBM PC or PS/2 with DOS 2.0 or higher and at least 384K bytes of RAM, with at least 512K bytes needed for Linkware file transfers. You also need an asynchro nous COM 1 port, a COM2 port, or a Net/One network adapter, and a CGA, EGA, VGA, or IBM monochrome adapter. Price: $175. Contact: Westford Harbor Co., 288 Littleton Rd ., POB 240, Westford, MA 01886, (617) 692-9440. Inquiry 781.
:'rice: :tiJ9:J BM Token unbundled). Contact: 1ONet commum cations, 7016 Corporat( Way, Dayton, OH 45459. :513) 433-22 Inquiry 782.
Networking with DataEase
DataEase, a database management program, is now available in a network version. Applications you've developed with single-user DataEase can run on DataEase LAN with a single keystroke, the company reports.
The LAN version provides three record-locking and two file-locking strategies for viewing and editing shared data. It also ha8 a MultiView feature, which shows you multiple related files with one keystroke.
With DataEase LAN 1.1, you can have 26 databases per directory, up to 255 files per database, and up to 255 reports per database. It also provides B-tree indexing, wild-card searches, and 99 predefined choice fields . You can import DataEase, Lotus, dBASE II and III, DIF, ASCII, and mail merge files, and you can ex port to Lotus, DIF, Multi Mate, ASCII, mail-merge, and Graffalk file formats.
DataEase LAN 1.1 runs on theIBM PC, XT, AT, 3270 PC, PS/2s, and compatibles with at least 640K bytes of RAM. You also need an in terface card supported by the
DOS 3.1 network interface or
Novell Netware 86 or 286 ver
sion 2. Oa or higher. The
database management program
runs with Banyan VINES
2.1, 3Com EtherSeries and 3 +
1.2, IBM PC LAN 1.1, No
vell Netware 86/286 2. Oa or
higher, and the AT&T
StarLAN.
Price: $700; $900 for the
Workstation pack, which pro
vides access for three addi
tional PCs.
Contact: DataEase Interna
tional, Inc., 7 Cambridge Dr.,
Trumbull, CT 06611, (800)
243-5123; in Connecticut,
(203) 374-8000. Inquiry 783.
Macintosh E-Mail System
Macintosh users can add the ability to communi cate electronically over AppleTalk networks with QuickMail. This desk acces sory offers an automatic log-in option, log-in/log-out, and password security.
With QuickMail you can have real-time private or public conferences; you can also generate a transcript of the conferences. A public bulle tin board is included, and you can invoke a privacy feature for a specified length of time.
You can forward messages to other users, print them out, or save them to disk. You can also attach up to 16 files or clipboards per message and reply to or edit sent messages.
The program works on networks with the Macintosh 512KE systems and higher with at least one hard disk drive. It is compatible with AppleShare, TOPS, and Mac Serve networks. Price: $300 per 10 users. Contact: CE Software, 1854 Fuller Rd., West Des Moines, IA 50265, (515) 224-1995 . Inquiry 784.
continued
86 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
·· MORE AND MORE PEOPLE
ARE SWITCHING TO TOPSPE MODULA-2
TopSpeed 's seam lessly i111egrared e nFironmen t.
VID. rite Visual !111erj(1ce
Deb11gger, comi11 g soo11.
10 I 2 3 4 :; 6 7 Sm
111111
I
I
The successor of Pascal: JPI TopSpeed Modula-2 produces better code than Microsoft C, Turbo C, Logitech Modula-2, and Turbo Pascal 4.0.
"JP/ Mod111a-2 looks like anorlter JPI TopSpeed Modula-2 is a professional Modula-2
classic in rite making. Ir gener development system with full support of memory models,
a/es code as good as or be/fer rlw11 leadi11g C compilers a11d rite programmi11g e11viro11me111 is a gen11i11e pleas11re ro 11se. Ar rite price ir's a rremendo11s bargai11,
multi-tasking, long data types, structured constants, long and short pointers, 80X87 inline code and emulator, sepa rate compilation, direct BIOS/DOS calls, etc. The com prehensive library includes CGA, EGA and VGA graphics
and wirlt l11ck ir j11sr migltr do for support, math functions, sorting, file handling, window
Mod11la ll'lwr T11rbo has do11e for Pascal.'·
management, a time-sliced process scheduler and more.
Dick Pountain Byte Information Exchange short.takes conference
The Compiler Kit incl udes: High-speed optimizing compile r. integra ted menu-driven environment with multi-wir.dow/multi-file editor, auto matic make, fast smart linker. All Modula-2 sources to libraries included.
BONUS: Complete high-speed window management module included
"/liked all of rite hard-disk space
with source. 258-page User 'sManual and 190-page Language Tutorial.
rlwr 11·as reuJl'ered ajier I delered my BORLAND. MICROSOFT,
The Tech Kit includes: Assembler source for start-up code and ,·un-time
and LOG/TECH compilers.
library, JPI TopSpeed Assembler (30.000 lines/min). TSR module.
because 111a-2 all
wriitreltreTsorpaSrpeeoebdsMoloedre ." cnoicmalmiunnfoicrmataiotinosn.dr7iv2e-pr,aPgRe OmManluoacla. tor,
dynamic
overlays,
and
tech
Robert D. Randall
System Requirements: IBM PC or compatible. 384K RAM, two floppy
Donnelley Marketing
drives thard disk recommended).
Circle 115 on Reader Service Card
Sieve be11cltmark meas11red by rite Bririslt Srandards lnsrirwion (BSl)-25 irerarions 011 a11 8MH-;:,AT
Compiler Kit $99.95. TechKit $59.95.
To Order:
In th e US & Canada, ca ll :
1-800-443-3100
Ext 255, 24 Hours.
Or mail us your order with
a check, money order, or
VISA/MC information .
30-day unconditional
money-back guarantee.
Shippi ng & handlin g ch arges:
In North America: Add $5.00 ship ping & handling, plus $2.00 for each additional product. Overseas: Add $20.00 shipping & handling. plus $8.00 for each additional product.
Jensen & Partners Intern a tion a l
IIOI San Antonio Rd , Suite 301 Mountain View CA 94043 Phone: (415) 967-3200
In England and Europe contact: Jensen & Partners UK Ltd., 63 Clerkenwel! Rd., London ECIM 5NP. Phone: (01) 253-4333. Compiler Kit £59.95, (add £4.69 for VAT & handling in the UK; £4.00 hand li ng in Europe). Tech Kit £34.95 (add £4.03 for VAT & handling in the UK; £4.00 hand !ing in Europe).
TopSpeed is a 1radcmJrk of Jensen & Partners International. 01her brand and produc1 names are 1rademarks or regis1ered rrademarks of their respec1ive holders.
WHAT'S NEW
~.
SOFTWARE · OTHER
Design Your Own Logo
Using an IBM PC with a TrueVision TARGA or VISTA graphics board and Flamingo's Logo Editor, you can create logos and illustrations.
The object-oriented draw ing program lets you trace or create illustrations with smooth antialiased edges. The Logo Editor comes with ob ject types such as curves, ovals, arcs, circles, lines, rectangles, irregular polygons, and text. You can choose ob jects from pop-up menus and manipulate them with a mouse or graphics tablet. You can also group, ungroup, ro tate, flip, move, copy, scale, stretch, delete, and undelete objects.
You can edit the text that comes with the cubic spline outline definitions and incor porate the text into your logos. Eight outline fonts are provided.
Layout tools include flat, gradient, or TARGA image background styles; and grids, resident color palettes, and color creation models. You can render your work on screen through an antialias ing process that smooths the curves and lines. You can also store your designs as logos or as fonts. Logo files are read back into the Logo Editor and printed onto any TARGA image file. Font files are com patible with Flamingo Graphics' RIO.
Logo Editor runs on the IBM PC AT and compatibles with at least 640K bytes of RAM and a 10-megabyte hard disk drive. You also need a TARGA frame buffer and an analog RGB or composite monitor. The company also recommends Expanded Memory Specification mem ory and a math coprocessor.
An illustration created with Flamingo's Logo Editor.
6690.000 10710.000
HotDij matches digitizer data to other programs.
Price: $895.
Contact: Flamingo Graphics,
875 Main St., Cambridge, MA
02139, (617) 661-1001.
Inquiry 785.
Digitize Me
P lace data from a digi tizer tablet directly into your word processor, spread sheet, or other programs with HotDij, a memory-resident utility.
HotDij contains prepro grammed control characters to
match the digitizer data to your other programs. You can also define up to four addi tional sets of control charac ters. The program adds con trol characters to enter the data into columns on the monitor. It adjusts for drawing scale and corrects for drawing place ment errors. HotDij keeps track of changes in scale or drawing location, as well as the application in use. Whenever you reboot, HotDij remembers your previous application and sets up for it The program allows for keyboard input and accepts ASCII input to the digitizer.
HotDij is menu-driven. It also offers you a selection of
34 predefined digitizer inter faces. When you install the program, you must match the report format of the digitizer tablet to your computer.
Designed to run on the IBM PC and compatibles, you'll need at least 64K bytes of free RAM and an asynchro nous communications port. The program comes with a wiring adapter to connect your system with a digitizer. Geocomp reports that the program works with any digi tizer that sends ASCII. Price: $335. Contact: Geocomp Ltd., 749 Van Gordon Court, Golden,
co 80401, (303) 233-1250.
Inquiry 786.
Perk Up Your Output
I fyour standard 9-pin dot matrix printer produces dull-looking output, The Image Printing Utilities may be able to help. The program achieves higher-quality output by making three print passes over each line, with a different pattern of dots each time. The dot density is 216 dots per inch vertically by 240 dpi horizontally .
The program includes 16 fonts, and all except the Graphics font include the en tire character set of an IBM Graphics Printer.
The program takes up 35K bytes of RAM for each font loaded. It runs on the IBM PC and compatibles with DOS 2.0 or higher and at least
128K bytes of RAM.
Price: $89.95.
Contact: Image Computer
Systems, P.O. Box 647, Avon,
CT 06001, (203) 678-8771.
Inquiry 787.
88 B YT E · AUGUST 1988
. . ·t.···hboJ·w~-. · "··> '·l·tt 11· 11···· P,.u.c.ll!f".\,,,,..· . ·
l 1· t w.> IJW".
..... ..1... ~0it t·· l1·1-,,. CM t
One picture is worth a thousand words!
Kiss those endless upgrade fees goodbye! After well over three years of development, RIX is
pleased to announce the Final Version of our EGA specific graphics editor, EGA Paint 2005. RIX
was the first (and still the only) graphics, software company to introduce an EGA specific
graphics editor, the first to create a combination TARGATM image translator and print package,
the first to release a VGA specific hi-res graphics editor (in July), and now the first to
release a final version of any software program ... ever! We at RIX had originally planned
to release a separate package to implement desktop publishing capabilities but when the
release date arrived, we felt our loyal users deserved a fully self-contained graphics package.
Now RIX has made it possible for you to make a little history too with EGA Paint 2005 Final
Version, At $129.00, surely the best value in graphics programs ever! Find out why. Order
today! RIX SoftWorks, always the best ... for less!
COMING IN JULY
COLORIX VGA PAINT!
ColoRIX VGA Paint is the cat's meow for your Hi-Res VGA system! ColoRIX supports all modes of VGA. and has time saving features
---- ---------~ --- --
RIX SoftWorks, Inc.
18552 MacArthur Bl. · Suite 375 · Irvine, CA 92715 · (714) 476·8266
like: Automatic color graduation generation, block palette freeup, image drag for 30 effects, a completely self-contained presenta tion package which has animation capabilities, and much more. We'll be shipping in July, first come, first served so get your order in now! Only $199.001
CAll US TOil. fllEE:
In CA (800) 233·5983 Outolde CA: (800) 34&-9059
Circle 420 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 421)
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 88PC-l
REGIONAL
WHAT'S NEW
PACIFIC COAST
Data for Here, or to Go
T he Disk Pack has two slots that hold removable hard disks (20 to 160 mega bytes) and is fully compatible with Macintosh, Apple, IBM PC, XT, AT, and compatible computers, according to Mega Drive Systems .
The base, which contains the two slots for the removable hard disks, has a SCSI inter face bus and a Mac-compatible connector. You can choose between several formatted capacities for the hard disks: 20,45, 70, 120,orl60 megabytes. Each weighs about 21h pounds, and you
can daisy-chain disk packs to hold as much as 1 gigabyte
Disk Pack works with IBM PCs, Macs, and Apple computers.
of on-line data. Disk Pack connects di
rectly to the Mac Plus, SE, and II through the SCSI port. A SCSI board is required to con nect the Disk Pack to an Apple Ile, Ile, IIGS or Mac 128K, 512K, or 512Ke. SCSI connector kits ($469 for IBM PC, XT, AT, or compatibles and $749 for the PS/2 series) are also available. Price: Base (two-slot), $699. Modules: $849, 20-megabyte; $1299, 45-megabyte; $1599, 70-megabyte; $1999, 120 megabyte; price not available for the 160-megabyte. Contact: Mega Drive Sys tems, 1801 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 507, Los Ange les, CA 90067, (213) 556-1628 or (800) 322-4744. Inquiry 835.
continued
The new modem$ with built-in data com p ression are all the rage.
l I
F\y C00d1' o~ g l 1965)
· With "d," FlySpeed's userfriendl
y directory program, you'll
Trouble i$, they use the Limpel-Ziv
-----
be able to look at your files sorted bv
algorithm-something le$$ than op timal!
3I
file name, file date, etc. And vou'l! be able to page back and ·forth
The centerpiece of the Collection is st/exp, the
Ffilr-ystSpcoemed
·
mercial implementation of Fly Coding~ st/exp con1presses text files
2
...... lt!l75) Lill
~ . ung (19531
ln·11 co<
-
through long directories to _your heart's content. (Say goodbye to
directories scrolling offscreen.) · And \vl1en Merli11, the text-
lypi caily to 30% or less of their
- ASCII
retrieval member of FlySpeed.
original size, at rates of over 1000
words per seco11d, allowing you not
Do you kno\V " 'ht·rl' -your
adbelbeuttsoincJraenautea,ry·c,·o·ymomu'lulnnicoat toen, l·yanbde
only to communicate faster, but also Optimal Rl'pn·st·ntation store information more quickly and
save valuable disk space.
of Lan!-{trn!-{t' isi'
efficiently, but you'll actually be able
But now that you can communi
to find i(later! i11sta11tly, based upon
cate and store in.formation so much
any word or combination of words
more efficiently, you need a more ef:
in ·a document. Because Fly Coding
ficient way of' creating it. So we
is inherently indexed.
created Typing Demon, a spin-off
You wouldn't expect computers of
of our w ork on communication aids
the 21st century to store and com
for the handicapped. Typing Demon
mtmicate infori11ation in the same
partially automates typing, speeding
fi word-processing
quare Nothing revolut
by iona
25% or more. ry-just the dif-
M'Icr0CompU
er
S
ineffici~nt . fon~1at used in the 1950.s.
Now, for JUSt 15 bucks, neither will yours.
ference between finishing the after-
126 Hancock A\1enue
noon's word-processing at 4:45, ver- Spartanburg, S.C. 29302
SUS 6:00 p.m.
(803) 583-9655
88PC-2 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 417 on Reader Service Card
Great Software for your PC $2 per disk (Reg. $6)
We are making this special offer to introduce you to membership in PC-SIG: The World's Largest Source of Low Cost Software for the IBM-PC and com patibles.PC-SIC disks are normally $6 each (less with membership) and come packed full of Shareware-software marketed in the revolutionary new way that allows you to try out a program before registering it with the author. PC-SIC provides your gateway to this software with the bimonthly SHAREWARE Magazine, Hotsheets and a 424+ page software directory. All this for a yearly membership fee of $20 (USA).
Some of the advantages of buying from PC-SIG: We are the oldest and largest Shareware vendor. Our disks are the latest versions. Free technical support by phone. Most complete library of Shareware: over l 000 disks. 48 hour shipping.
Join PC·SIG and receive 424 page directory, bi·mon!hly Shareware Magazine, Holsheels and special discounls.
Take any disk listed in th is ad $2 each - when you join today! Offer expires August 3 I, 1988.
Communications
0 499 PROCOMM: E<tremely versalile lelecommunicalions. 0 310,1022,1023 0-MODEM: Afavorite. Lei's your compuler
!alk via phone.
C 212,334,621 ABBS-PC: Se! up your own bullelin board.
Computer Languages/Education
0 577, 578 C TUTOR: Learn C language.
D 965 PASCAL COMPILER: Full-screen edilor, incremen!al
compiler and more.
D 254 PC·DOS HELP: Gives you on·line help lo remember
!hose DOS commands.
0 105 PC-PROFESSOR: Learn beginning BASIC.
0 775·778 PSEUDOSAM: Macro assemblers & debuggers for many popular microprocessors. including 8088/86/286s.
0 481 STILL RIVER SHELL: Menued DOS commands. Makes lile easier.
0 403 TUTOR.COM: Learn beginning DOS.
Databases
0 287.288 FILE EXPRESS: Cuslomize. menu driven dala base.
0 5, 730, 1015 PC-FILE+ : The mos! powerful and popula~
dala base.
0 830 WAMPUM: d8ase Ill clone, bu! easier lo use. (Hard disk
req)
Educational
D 844 ABC FUN KEYS: For ages 2·5. Teaches !he alphabet 0 612 FOREIGN LANGUAGES: Beginning Spanish. French,
German & llalian.
0 229 FUNNELS & BUCKETS: Fun game teaches younger
children arithmetic.
0 320 PC·TOUCH: Typing tulor. (Color Req) 0 477 WORDGAMES: Stimulates the inlellect
Financial
0 164, 773 CASHTRAC: Manage checking accounts, track
inveslmenls.
0 151 FINANCE MANAGER II: Double entry bookkeeping. 0 469,470 MR. BILL Itemize invoices, age accounls. elc. 0 331 PC-GENERAL LEDGER: Wrilten by a top financial
manager.
D 575 PC·STOCK Track & evaluate stock !rends. (Color req)
Games
0 452 AMULET OF YE ND OR: Hack. a dungeons & dragons
adventure game.
0 708 BACKGAMMON: You against the compuler. Also. Wheel of Fortune.
[] 780 BRIDGE PAL: Compuler plays 3 hands.
0 228 CRIBBAGE: And a few other games as well.
Circle 4 19 on Reader Service Card
l I457 GREATEST ARCADE GAMES: Flightmare. Jump Joe,
Spacewar (Color req.}
0 476 PATRICK'S BEST GAMES Bugs Centipede. 3·D
Packman, Castle. Packgal. Spacevad.
1 557 PINBALL RALLY: 3 great games of dexlerity and speed. (Color req.)
I 120 PC-CHESS: Your move.. .
I 791 POKER: Play draw poker head lo head. Or lry some
Blackjack.
694 SLEUTH: A murder has been commilted ... '. 197 TWO TREKS : Beam me up. Scottie! 0 891 WHEEL OF MISFORTUNE: Spin the wheel. win or go bankrupt'
Graphics
(Masi require CGA or EGA Card)
0 701-704 DANCAD 3D (4 disks) Create and animale 3d
drawings. (Hard disk req)
L l 828 EDRAW: Draw flowcha11s, schemalics. even prinled
circuits'
Cl 763 FINGER PAINT: A 3d wire frame modeling program.
(Runs also wilh Hercules Card.)
C 870 HG Cl BM: Run color graphics programs with your
Hercules Card'
[ 1788 IMAGE 3·D (EGA ver.): Create. view. edil 3d objects.
0 762 IMAGE 3·D (CGA ver)
[J 1001 MAC PASTE: Read, save, edit and print Readmac or Mac Paint piclures.
0 344,345.1032 PC.KEYDRAW: Graphics and "slideshow" presentations.
r·J 244 SLIDE GENERATION: Create slidesllransparencies.
Home & Hobbies
D 966 ASTROLOGY 94: Calculale and prinl char!s.
C 361. 632 FAMILY HISTORY: Trace your family tree.
O 929 LOTTO: Will !his really help you win!he loltery?
0 395 HOME INVENTORY: Keep track al eve1ything you own.
Music
0 127 PC·MUSICIAN: Compose and play your song. D 279 PIANOMAN: Plays your music or its own in chords.
Religion
I l 974 BIBLE QUIZ PLUS: Learn the Bible irivia game. [ l 766· 772 THE BIBLE (7 disks): King James version.
I 581. 582 WORD WORKER: Pertorms text searches of words in the Bible.
Security/Hacking n 598 MASTER KEY: Like Norton Ulililies. Recover las! files,
etc.
414 UNPROTECTIPROTECT: Copy a variety of copy
prolecled disks.
Spreadsheets
I I 524 ,525 EXPRESS CALC: Powerful bu! friendly
spreadsheet
199,1016.10 17 PC·CALC: Like Laius 1·2·3 bu! easier.
Word Processing n 719 LETTER WRITER: Print out "personalized" lelters.
0 528 NEW YORK WORD: Allows split screen, mail merge &
more.
480 PC·OUTLINE: Like ThinkTank. Organize your ideas & thoughts.
0 455 .681,682 PC· TYPE: Jim Bultan·s own word processor.
Has it all.
[] 78, 627 PC·WRITE: Powerful. multi featured, spelling checker, laser support.
r;;;e;e ~nd the dis; I hav;;hecke;:bove~ I
_ _ _ disks x $2 each
1 year PC-SIG Membership
$20 .00
31/2"·add$1 per disk
FREE Shipping and Handling
Amount enclosed
$ _ _ _ _ __
By: [l Check ' I Visa C MIC
Card No:_ _ __ __ _ _ __ _ _ __
Exp.
Sig._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Office
0 608 AUTOMENU: Create easy access menus for your hard
drive.
D 824 DESK COMMANDO: Tools to tame your hard drive. 0 404 EZ·FORMS: Create your own business forms. D 388 FORM LETTERS: Variety al business lelter formats. 0 483 MAILMONSTER: Add. edit. sari and prin! labels by
calegories.
0 405 PC.DESK TEAM: In memory calculator. calendar.
phone dialer, alarm & more'
Printers
0 517 IMAGE PRINT: Leiter quality from your dot matnx. 0 718 LO PRINTER: Print fancy fonts on your do! matrix.
0 523 SIDE WRITER: Print banners or wide spreadsheets.
Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _
Address _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ __
City· _ __ _ __ _ State _ _ Zip _ _ _
PC - SIG
746
10300 East Duane Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
I ·i::
OfleI val,ct tn USA only · Dealer lf1Qu1nes fn,111!<1 I
l-- - - - - - - - - - - - __Jl
Order By Phone:
800/245-6717
(In Calif. 800/222-2996)
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 88PC-3
REGIONAL WHAT'S NEW PACIFIC COAST
Borland's Turbo Prolog 2.0
P rolog 2.0 features a database system with tools for developing and maintaining large databases and an interpreter that you can build into applications that require metaprogramming capabilities. You can also mod ify the interpreter to handle a new logic programming lan guage, inference engine, or expert shell system.
Other new features include customizable interface, sup port for multiple internal databases, and mechanisms for handling error situations and controlling user breaks. A separate Turbo Prolog Tool box ($99.95) includes support
for menus, business graph ics, communications, screen and report layouts, file transfer, and parser generators.
Turbo Prolog 2.0 requires an IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, or compatible, 384K bytes of RAM (640K bytes recom mended), OOS 2.0 or higher, and two floppy disk drives (hard disk drive recom mended). Video card support includes monochrome, CGA, EGA, MCGA, VGA, 3270, 8514, Hercules, and AT&T 400-line. Turbo Prolog Toolbox requires Turbo Prolog 2.0. Price: $149.95. Contact: Borland Interna tional, 4585 Scotts Valley Dr., Scotts Valley, CA 95066, (408) 438-8400. Inquiry 836.
Page Preview Added to WordStar
W ordStar Professional 5. 0 features page pre view capabilities that let you view up to 144 pages in thumb nail form on a single screen. Yw can also view single and facing pages in WYSIWYG format. A zoom view lets you look at font and linebreak details.
An optional menu-driven interface is compatible with IBM's Systems Applications Architecture. Footnoting, automatic reformatting, macro, undo, and automatic save capabilities are also added.
WordStar Professional 5. 0 lets you create newspaper-style
columns. Yw can edit two documents simultaneously. Brown Bag Software's PC Outline, MailList, and Tel Merge, a communications program, are also included.
WordStar Professional 5.0 runs on the IBM PC and com patibles with OOS 2.0 or higher, 384K bytes of RAM (512K bytes of RAM is re quired for page-preview and outlining capabilities), and two floppy disk drives or a hard disk drive. A graphics board is required for page preview. Price: $495. Contact: MicroPro Interna tional Corp., Customer Ser vice, 33 San Pablo Ave., P.O. Box 7079, San Rafael, CA 94901, (415) 499-1200 or (800) 227-5609. Inquiry 837.
Building your own fonts can be difficult and very time consuming. For Example: Building your own 24 point font could take as much as 59 minutes of your and your computer's valuable time, and that's just one font! To get the same typeface in a different weight (regular, bold, italic, etc.) will take you almost another hour, again, and again, and again. Most business people simply can't afford that much time. Can you?
MERLIN MASTER FONTS
are affordable pre-engineered, easy to use, downloadable fonts for your HP-LaserJet or compatible printer. Our soft fonts are tried and tested, there's
no guess work. You know what you're going to get. Best of all, they are ready
to use as soon as you open their exclusive "pop-up" storage box.
MASTER FONTS are available in these typefaces :
American Centum
For more information or to order call toll free:
~ew f f)rl;(
1 · 800 · MERLIN· 0
(1-800-637·5460)
Block
MERLIN Hevl
Use your Visa, MasterCard, Am Ex or COD
Cficma(or
Roman
Garmon
Point sizes range from 8 to 34 point and 50 point headline. All font packages include the typeface in regular , bold, italic and two distinctive weights, Shadow and Reverse Shadow.
MERLIN MASTER Paks
Over 50 fonts in a variety of sizes and weights, both landscape and portrait and includes FREE DOWNLOAD and DISPFONT font utility programs. All for
only $149.95
Smaller Paks available, starting at $79.95
PUBLISHING GROUP '"
1240 Johnson Ferry P1ace + Suite A 10 · Mane/la, GA 30068
'Because you rea[[y can 't ajfonf to 6ui!.d your own fonts ! This ad was produced using Merlin Master Fonts
Dealer inquiries always welcome.
Authorized Dysan Dealer. Distributing exclusively on Dysan certnied diskettes. Las or Jet is a registered trademark of Hewlett Packard
88PC-4 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 416 on Reader Service Card
(w/Nation.Wide Pro1ec1ion Plan)
EQUITY I+
· 360K Floppy
~~iiiil~ ·· 20 Meg Hard Disk · S64e0riKal/PRamrallel Port · Monochrome Card
· Monochrome Monitor
EQUITY II PLUS
·MS DDS · GW Basic
· 1.2 Meg Floppy · 40 Meg Hard Disk
S1295
· 640K Ram
· Serial/Parallel/C/C · 80286 CPU · Monochrome Monitor
EQUITY Ill+
· 80286 CPU 6-8 J2 MHz
· Graphic Card
· 1.2 MEG Floppy
·MS DDS
· 40 MEG Hard Disk
· GW Basic
· DDS 3.2 Mono Monitor
In order to provide the best service, & Graphic Card
EPSON EQUITY Is exclusively sold on location.
S2195
comPAa
-------------------------------·-------
386 130 meg/20 MHz . . . . . . .. . . .6695
286 40 meg ...... . .... .. . . . .. .2395
386 40 meg/16 MHz ....... . .. . . .4195
386 60 meg/20 MHz . . . . . . . . . . . 5650 Portable 111 40 meg/20 MHz . ...... 4195
CARD & MONITOR EXTRA
PS/2 model 30/20 meg .. ... . . . .. 1775 PS/2 model 50/20 meg . . .... . ... 2595
PS/2 model 60/40 meg . . . . . . . .. 3250
PS/2 model 60/71 meg ... . . . . .. .3995 PS/2 model 80/40 meg .... . . ... .5100
MONITOR EXTRA
-
·16/8/4.77 MHz switchable 80386 · 8/16 MHz, no wait state (Upgradeable to 20
MHz)
· 1 parallel port. 1 serial port with c/c
· Socketed !CJ optional math coprocessor
· B layer motherboard/B lull expansion slots
· High-resolution monochrome monitor. Hercules compatible.
16 MH · 1.2MB lloppy drive
· 3 hall-high internal device slots
Z
$2295 · 200 watt power supply/101 keyboard
· FCC approved
c.~M~
80286 · CCl1PVrER 5~Srfr.S 1016 MHz .switchable · 0 or 1 wait stale
20 MHz $2895
· B expansion slots lo Jill all ol your expansion needs
· 512K memory-High quality pre·tesled chips (upgradable lo 1
MB on the motherboard.)
· FREE amber monitor and Hercules compatible graphics card.
20 MHz
$1350 · One high quality lloppy drive. 1.2 Meg
· 200 Watt power supply/101 keyboard
12 MHz · AT style keyboard with 10 function keys
· 1 parallel DCJI with clc battery backup
· Slol for math co·processor 80287 · FCC Class B approved.
$1250
LAP-TOP
Toshiba 3200-40 ... . . .. .. . ... . .. 3795
Toshiba 3100-20 . . .... . . . . . . . . ... Call
Toshiba 1000 ..... .... . . . . . . . ... .Call
NEC Multispeed
. . . . . .. .. .. 1395
NEC Multispeed EL . . .... . .. . . .. 1595
EPSON LT .......... . .. .. . . . . ... Call
CITIZEN
WE STOCK OKIDA.TA
EVE REX
TOSHIBA NEC WYSE
HITACHI
HARD DISK
Seagate 20 meg ........ . . . . .... 305
Seagate 30 meg ... . ..... . . . ... .365 Seagate 4096 80 meg .... . . .. . ... 795
Seagate 251 .... . ...... . . . . . .... 395
Miniscribe . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . .. .. . .Call Micropolis . .. ... . ......... .. ... Call
SOFTWARE
Microsoft Word .... . . .. . . . . . .. . .239
Word Perfect 5.0 .... . . .. . . . ... .. 249 I Lotus 1-2-3 ... ...... . . . . . . . . .... 297
dBase Ill+ ......... . .. . . .... 385
Microsoft Works .... ... . .... ... .. 119
AND MANY, MANY MOREi
PRINCETON GRAPHICS SONY ACER
HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS
AMDEK HAYES SAMSUNG CALCOMP
PC MOUSE MICROSOFT MICE
LOGITECH MITSUBISHI
IRWIN &ARCHIVE TAPE BACK TAX AN
SPECIAL
of the Month
Microsoft Mouse . .. $109 Microsoft Excel ..... $309 Aldus Pagemaker . . .$479
· 1
EPSON®
PRINTERS
Epson FX850/1050 ... $379/535 Epson LQ850/1050 .. .$5591785 Epson LQ500/2500 ... $359/895 Epson LX800/EX800 .. $199/445
AST
AST 386 model 340 . . . .. . . . .. .4395 AST 286 model 80 . . . . . . . . . . . .1745 AST 286 model 120 . . . . . . ... Call AST 286 model 140 . . ...... .. .. 2695
CARD & MONITOR EXTRA
CITIZEN
PRINTER
180D/15E . .. .. . . . . .$179/385 MSP40/45 . . ....... .$299/439
MSP50/55 . .... ..... $399/509 Tribute 124/224 . . . .. $529/679 Overture Lazer . . ... . ... $1459
HP LASER Jet II .$1750
WE ACCEPT LC, CASHIER CHECKS, MONEY ORDERS, VISA, MC, AmEx
3% charge on VISA, MC & 5% on American Express
COMPUTER LANE
HOURS: 1-800·526-3482 (OUlside CA) 221~~~8~2i~~~VD.
M-S 9-6
(818) 884 8644 (In CA)
112 BLOCK W. OF TOPANGA
CORPORATE ACCOUNTS WELCOME CALL FOR VOLUME DISCOUNTS
Tradema~~f ~:~p~ (818) 884-8253 (FAX) Compaq is a Registered
CONSULTANTS CALL FOR PRICING
Prices subject to change without notice
IBM is a Registered Trademark of International Business Machines
Circle 411 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 88PC-5
Circle 424 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 425)
VUTEK SYSTEMS
ANNOUNCES FREEZFRAME H
.,... The Frame Grabber that runs with any software, anytime .
.,... Text/Graphics overlay on live video
.,... EGA/CGA text/graphics overlay on captured still frame video
.,... TV. quality images
Software included: ..... Video Editor- cut/paste,
paint program ..... Universal Interface Driver ..... Printer Drivers
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL (619) 587-2800
VIJTEK SYSTEM S, INC. 10855 Sorrento Valley Road San Diego. CA 92121
[I)
V11Tek
SYST EMS. I NC.
Important TIPS* for BYTE Subscribers:
Receive Product Information 10 Days Earlier!
IDENTIFICATION CARO
John Sample 78543 2189
All you need is a touch-tone telephone and your subscriber.I.D. number.
See instructions facing the Reader Service Index in the back
of this issue for outrageous time-saving opportunities!
*BYTE's Telephone Inquiry Processing Service
88PC-6 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
TCS 8000
16 MHZ , 0 WAIT - STATE
32 BIT, EXPANDABLE 16MB _lllJllJ!Qll!J!DDmnmmnl111Ifr
;.I· .-~.l.<.,_,>,'~".l·r;i·.l:t~'tl;f,'.'f·,;,Y.'>~<..'
. !
~'
f
. . ~ ····· · ····
- - ············-···-···················-..
; r. ::~
TCS 7000
6, 8, 10, 12MHZ
COLOR MONITOR MONO MONITOR T.ERMINAL
MODEL RES.
MODEL RES.
ET- 10 SERIES
· CM 1322N · CM 1370A · CM 1380F · CM 1495
640 X 200 720 X 400
640 X 350
800 x 560
MM 1222 MM 1422 MM 1295
800 X 350 800 X 350 800 X 560
Circle 423 011 Reader Service Card
~TIA" TI uNG 408-435-0140 "1!....~ VAR. DITRJBUTORS.OEM
INQUIRIES ARE WELCOME. ~
TA TUNG SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY INC.
2060 RINGWOOD AVE., SAN JOSE CA, 95131
Circle 414 on Reader Service Card
VIRUS PROTECTION
Give your PC complete virus protection. Our products provide the most powerful and ef fective cures for computer viruses - and are simple to use.
Our Products will diagnose and ill:: tack viruses, as well as shield your system from harm - and remain transparent.
In addition, we attempt to search out and destroy those really tough viruses that are mailed to us. (This helps us maintain our software products so they are ready for any
thing). This service is free of charge to our software customers.
Our products offer superior virus protection at low prices. Call today and we will ship your order immediately.
Villarreal Consulting 4633 Capitola Avenue San Jose, CA 95111-2624 (408) 972-0179
VC-IMMUNE Continually diagnoses your disks and files and alerts the user w)l.en ever an infection occurs. Not copy protected... ...... ........ .. ..... ....$49
VC-SHIELD Protects your system from harm ful virus actions and looks out for suspicious virul activities. Not copy protected.. ................ .$49
Disk Examination Service Mail your disks suspected of in fection to us. We will attempt to isolate and destroy the virus. There is no charge for unsuccess ful attempts.. ....... ....... .... ....$19
ALTEC ZIP-386
$2,265
* Intel 80386 microprocessor * IM high speed memory installed * Expandable lo 10 MB * Phoenix 386 BIOS or Award 386 BIOS * 4 speed (4.771618116 MHz) * 200Wpower supply * Case with re-set bullon * Enhanced keyboard * Hard disk/lloppy disk controller card * 1.2M lloppy disk drive * Monochrome/Graphics card
wilh printer porl
* HI-AES Monochrome Monitor * User's manual * 1 year warranty
ALTEC-286 Enhanced System
II
[~] 1mi1111Uii111111111111111111111
$1,095
* Intel 80286-10 microprocessor * 640K RAM * Dual speed 6110 MHz * 200W power supply * AT style case * Enhanced keyboard * Hard disk/floppy disk controller card * 1.2 M floppy disk drive * Monochrome/Graphics
card with printer port
* HI-AES Monochrome Monitor. * Phoenix BIOS * User's manual * 1 year warranty
ALTEC·XT Turbo System
D
a.-
$685
* 8088·1 microprocessor * 4.77110 MHz * 640K RAM * 150W power supply * AT style keyboard * Floppy controller card * 360K floppy disk drive * Monochrome/Graphics
Jlll1llillilllllllllllllllllll ll!I /jffj§.;:.-...............................-;.:,J\ I \I ',
card with printer port
* HI-AES Monochrome Monitor * Phoenix BIOS * User's manual * 1 year warranty
ALTEC-286Jr System
$1,075
* Intel 80286-10 microprocessor * 640K RAM * 200W power supply * ATjr style case * AT style keyboard * Hard disk/floppy disk controlled
card
* 1.2M floppy disk drive * Monochrome/Graphics
card with printer port
* HI-AES Monochrome Monitor * User's manual * 1 year warranty
ADDmOIW. FIATURES
ColotSyst~m
EGA System 20M loan! d~k 40M hardd~k
360K floppy disk drive 720K 3\li' floppy d~kdrive 1.44M 3\li' ftoppy d~k drive
ADD
; $200.00
: $400.00
: s23s.oo 1386 & 2861 : $405.00 1386 & 266)
: $60.UO
: $120.00
: $175.00
s2BS.oom1 '465.00 IXI)
A ALTEC Technology Corporation 5751 Rickenbacker Road, Los Angeles, CA 90040 Tel: 1-213-888-9100
Order Desk: 1·800-255·9971
88PC-8 ~ YT E · AUGUST 1988
Circle 410 on Reader Service Card
SERIOUS DEBUGGING
C NEW! NEW! NEW! NEW! )
AT A REASONABLE
RUN CODEVIEW
PRICE
IN ONLY SK
All the speed and power of a hardware-assisted debugger at a software price
Hardware-level break points
REAL-TIME break points on memory locations, memory ranges, execution, 1/0 ports, hardware and software interrupts. More powerful break points than ANY software-only debugger on the market. Soft-ICE gives you the power of an in-circuit emulator on
your desk.
Break out of hung programs
With a keystroke - no external switch necessary. Even with interrupts disabled.
Breaks the 640K barrier
Soft-ICE uses ZERO bytes of memory in the first lMB of address space. This is especially useful for those subtle bugs that change when the starting address of your code changes. With Soft-ICE your code executes at the same address whether the debugger is
loaded or not.
Works with your favorite debugger
Soft-ICE can be used as a stand-alone debugger or it can add its
powerful break points to the software debugger you already use.
You can continue to use your favorite debugger until you require
Soft-ICE. Simply pop up the Soft-ICE window to set powerful
real-time break points. When a break point is reached, your
debugger will be activated.
·
CodeView is a great integrated debugger, but it uses over 200K of conventional memory. MagicCV uses advanced features of the S0386 microprocessor to load Code View and symbols in extended memory. This allows MagicCV to run Code View using less · than SK of conventional memory on your S0386 PC.
Don't let 640K be your limit!
If you are closing in on the 640K limit and would like the power of Code View, MagicCV is for you.
Don't let the debugger hide the bug!
Even if you're not closing in on the 640K limit, running CodeView with MagicCV makes your debugging environment much closer to the end user's program environment. You can use CodeView to locate subtle bugs that only occur when there is plenty of free memory, or those difficult bugs that only occur when your program is running with a couple of TSRs loaded.
How MagicCV works
MagicCV uses the S0386 to create a separate virtual machine for CodeView. MagicCV uses between 4K & SK of conventional memory as a bridge between the DOS environment and CodeView.
Solve tough systems problems too
Soft-ICE 1s ideal for cfebugging TSRs, interrupt handlers, self bootin~ programs, DOS loadable device drivers, non-DOS
operatmg systems, and debugging within DOS & BIOS. Soft-ICE is also great for firmware development because Soft-ICE's break
points work in ROM.
MagicCV is easy to use
If you are a CodeView user, you already know how to use MagicCV too. Just type MCV instead of CV; everything else is automatic.
Save $86
How Soft-ICE Works
Soft-ICE uses the power of the S0386 to surround your program in a virtual machine. This ,pves you complete control of the DOS environment, while Soft-ICE runs safely in protected mode. Soft-ICE uses 80386 protected mode features, such as paging, 1/0 privilege level, and break pomt registers, to provide real-time hardware-level break points.
"Soft-ICE is a product any MS-DOS developer serious enough to own a 386 machine should have."
Dr. Dobb's Journal -- May 19SS
MagicCV Soft-ICE
$199 ...._...-------~ $386
Buy Both and Save $86
MagicCV with Soft-ICE
Usmg Soft-ICE with
CALL TODAY
CodeView gives you the
(603) 888 - 2386
features necessary for
professional level systems
30 day money-back guarantee
debugging. MagicCV
Visa and Master Card accepted
and Soft-ICE can work in
t\U-MEG~ TECHf\OLOGIES
concert with CodeView to provide the most
PO Box7607 powerful debugging
Nashua, NH 03060-7607 platform you will find
anywhere. As an extra
Bolh require 80388 AT compatible or IBM PS/2 Model 80.
MaglcCV requires al leas! 384K of extended memory.
CodeView Is a trademark of Microsofl Corporation.
bonus, by ordering both MagicCVand Soft-ICE
together you save $86.
Circle 418 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 88PC-9
Buy with
ence
Reputable computer dealers
This message is brought to you
will answer all these questions
by:
to your satisfaction. Don't settle for less when buying your computer hardware, software, peripherals and supplies.
the MICROCOMPUTER MARKETING COUNCIL of the Direct Marketing Association, Inc.
Purchasing Guidelines
6 E. 43rd St.,
· State as completely and ac New York, NY 10017
In an effort to make your telephone purchasing a more successful and pleasurable activity, The Microcomputer Marketing Council of the
curately as you can what
M M C merchandise you want in
cluding brand name, model number, catalog number_
MICROCOMPUTER
· Establish that the item is in
MARKETING COUNCIL
stock and confirm shipping
of t he Direct Mar keting Association. Inc.
date.
Direct Marketing Association,
· Con firm that the price is as
Inc. offers this advice, "A
advertised.
knowledgeable buyer will be a successful buyer." These are specific facts you should know about the prospective seller before placing an order:
· Obtain an order number
and identification of the
sales representative.
· Make a record of your order, noting exact price in
Ask These Important Questions
· How long has the company been in business?
· Does the company offer
technical assistance?
cluding shipping, date of order, promised shipping date and order number.
If you ever have a problem, remember to deal first with the seller. If you cannot resolve the problem, write to MAIL ,
· Is there a service facility?
ORDER ACTION LINE, clo
· Are manufacturer's warran OMA. 6 E. 43rd St., New York,
ties handled through the
NY 10017.
company?
· Does the seller have formal return and refund policies?
· Is there an additional charge for use of credit cards?
· Are credit card charges held until time of shipment?
· What are shipping costs for items ordered?
(9 D irl'ct Ma rketin g Associatio n, In c. 1988 88PC-10 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
SF-286
Mono System EGA System
8MHz
$995 $1369
10MHz
$1119 $1569
10MHz COWSl
$1349 $1720
12MHz COWSJ
$1499 $1870
16MHz ( 386)
$1950 $2315
Basic System Features:
80286-16 bit CPU, 80287 socket, 512K RAM ex pandable to 1MB, fully compatible AMI BIOS, 1.2Mb Floppy Disk Drive, combined floppy/hard disk controller. Keytronics 101 enhanced keyboard, clock/calendar with battery backup, 195 watt power supply, 48 hour burn-in testing, operations manual, one year limited warranty and optional on-site maintenance agreement.
SF-286-8MHz
20Mb Mono Special.. .......$1199
Basic System features plus: Monographics board with printer port, Samsung 12" amber mono monitor and Seagate 20Mb hard drive.
SF·286-8MHz
20Mb EGA Special.. ......$1569
Basic System features plus : Everex EGA graphics board, Mitsubishi 1410-C or Evervision EGA color monitor and Seagate 20Mb hard drive.
SF-286-8MHz
20Mb VGA Special.. .........$1849
Basic System features plus: Everex EVGA graphics board C 640 x 480, 800 x 600, up to 256 colors l, Mitsubishi Diamond Scan multisync color monitor and Seagate 20Mb hard drive.
SF-286· 12MHz
20Mb EGA Special.. ... ... ...$1699
Basic System features plus: Monographics board with printer port. Evervision 14 " flat screen amber mono monitor and Seagate 20Mb hard drive. Upgrade to 40Mb Seagate hard drive, Add $160 Upgrade to 80Mb Seagate hard drive, Add $500
EGA Bundle.......................$459
Everex EGA autoswitch graphics board and Evervision EGA color monitor.
Super EGA Bundle.............$629
Everex EGA Deluxe autoswitch graphics board c 640x480, 752x41 O l, and Mitsubishi 1371-A Diamond Scan multisync color monitor.
Super VGA Bundle .............$769
Everex EVGA graphics board c 640x480, 800x600, up to 256 colors l and Mitsubishi 1371 -A Diamond Scan multisync color monitor
Hard Disk Specials Cfor PC )
Seagate ST225 20Mb + Controller.. .. ...... .. $265
Seagate ST1 25 20Mb + Controller............$329
Seagate ST238 30Mb + Controller... .. .... .. .$289
Seagate ST251 40Mb + Controller.. .... . .$449
Hard Disk Specials Cfor AT )
Seagate ST125 20Mb c 40ms l... . . . ......... $269
Seagate ST138 30Mb c 40ms l ..... .... .. ... .. ..$339
Seagate ST251 40Mb c 40ms l
.. .. ..$369
Seagate ST251 -1 40Mb c 28ms l ........ ... .. .. .$429
Seagate 4096 80Mb c 28ms l.. .... .. ..... .... ... .$729
Micropolis 1335 71 Mb c 28ms l.. .... .. .. .. .. $599
Everex Modems
Everex Evercom external and internal half-card modems c fully Hayes compatitlle l with Sitcom Communications software.
Internal 1200 Baud Modem .. .. ...... .. .... ... ....$CALL
External 1200 Baud Pocket Modem .... ........$139
Internal 2400 Baud Modem.
.$149
External 2400 Baud with Mini 110...... .. .... ... $229
Misc. Specials
Mini 110 CPAR, SER, CLK, CAL l. .. .... ....$49
Mini 1/0 with Game Port.. .. .. .. ....... .......... $55
Mini 1/0 + Logitech C7 serial mouse .. ........$119
Mitsubishi 3.5" 720K floppy drive .. ..... ... ... ....$99
Mitsubishi 3.5" 1.4Mb floppy drive.......... .. .$129
150 Watt Power Supply........ ....... ... ... .. ... ....$49
200 Watt Power Supply...... .... .. ......... ... .. .. ...$79
2Mb EMS memory board with OK............. ....$80
3Mb EMS memory board with OK .. ....... ........$99
·Special Prices valid only through B/31/BB
SeaQal e, Samsung, Miniscribe, Everex, Mil subishi, Heyes. Micr opolis, Bitcom, logitach, are 1radema111.s or registered 1redemarks a IIheir respective companies.
SFmtcro4.2 8 t 1<1 1aa
Circle 422 on Reader Service Card
UGUST 1988 · BYTE 88PC-ll
More Digital Equipment users will make more DEC com puting decisions at DEXPO West than at any other event in the world. You'll do more to achieve maximum pro ductivity from your DEC system in just three days than you'll do in the other 362 days of the year .
Compare 15,000 products, side by side. Save time and money when you evaluate all of your options, firsthand. Talk to hundreds of product specialists. They've all got solutions-find out who's got the best.
DECus· Attendees: DEXPO West Is Free and Easy DECUS Symposia attendees are admitted FREE to DEXPO West. (DECUS is not affiliated with DE XPO and requires separate registration).
Call Today for Free Show Preview & VIP Tickets Call 800-628-8185 right away, and you 'II receive special money-saving show tickets. Plus, get a preview of l 00 product s on e xhibit at DEXPO West 88-a small sample
of all you'll see when you attend.
· More VAX, MicroVAX, and PDP- 11 enhancements .than any other show-ever1
· "Apple-DEC Connection" features50 Mac-to-VAX exhibits.
· Hands-on instruction & expert advice-direct from 350 leading product developers.
· Communication products to integrate multi-vendor systems.
DEXPO
West88
The W orld's Largest DEC Computing Exposition Disneyland Hotel
Anaheim,CA October 18-20, 1988
800-628-8185.
Coll between 8:30 o.m . and 5:30 p .m., Eastern Time (in New Jersey, coll (609f 987-9400).
Organize d by:
Expoconsul International. Inc..
3 Independence Way. Princeton. NJ 08540
'Registered tro:lemarl<: of Digital Equipment Corporation. DECUS is not sponsaed by or ottiliated with DEXPO.
88PC-12 B YTE · AUGUST 1988
More Than A Computer Store!
Authorized Dealer!
m
AUlOCAD
+TOPS
Call for our Low Prices
WYSE
mI I I I 2061386
512 RAM, 1.2 Floppy, 40 MB HD
Also in Stock:
WYSE Terminals Call for Best Price!
NEW!
LAPTOP SPECIALS
ASr
PREMIUM
'7£NlrN >1 181/183-20
In Stock Flat Screen Monitor
CALL!
286/386
512RAM, h.
1.2 Floppy, - - ---::..:=i
,I .:1-r
-
:
- - ~.
40 MB HD, Hi-Res Mono Card, DOS 3.2,
/ .. d::;a ~:·
GW Basic
~.~---""'
$2395
TOSHIBA
386 Model Also in Stock
Toshiba 1000 ......................$749 Toshiba 1200 ....................$2395 Toshiba 3100/20 ...............$3099 Toshiba 3200 .....................CALL Toshiba 5100 ..................... CALL
ACER
710/910
Systems ;:
NEC
NEC Multispeed EL .......... $1595 NEC Multispeed 20 MB .... $2435
512K Memory, 20MB HD, 6/10 0 Wait State
In Stock Now Call
For lowest Prices!
Software & Printer
Specials!
Word Perfect ... .. .... .. ................. .. $194
Microsoft Word ........................... $209
Lotus .......................................... $305
Epson LX800 .......................... ... $209
Epson EX800/1000 .............$415/519
Epson LQ800/1000 ............. $315/519
Epson LQ500/2500 ............. $349/899 Epson LO 850/1050 ..... $549/749/729 NEC P6/P7/2200 ......... $492/645/379
Toshiba P321SUP351SL .IN STOCK HP Laser Jet Series 2 ............. .CALL!
Ast Turbolaser P/S ..... .. ............ $3250
NEC 890 with PS ....... .... ..........$3195
Authorized Repair and Service Center. Fast Turnaround. Call for Service Contract Information.
- - -- -
COMPUTDWN
"More than a computer store"
Pleasant Hill:
San Francisco:
(415) 682-TOWN (415) 956-TOWN
Mountain View:
(415) 962-TOWN
(415) 682-8696 FAX (415) 989-8696 FAX (415) 969-8696
1527 Contra Costa Blvd. Phelan Bldg. #219 760 Markel Street
Pleasant Hill CA 94523
San Francisco CA 94108
2455 Old Middle Field Way Mountain View CA 94043
Authorized Dealer for Novell, Epson, AST, Samsung, Zenith, Toshiba, Autocad, AT&T, Leading Edge, Okidala, NEC, Canon, HAYES, Ashton Tate, Universal Data Systems, Microsort, Ventura & Aldus. Call for our Low Prices!
Prices subject to change. Not resposible for typographic errors.
Circle 412 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE SSPC-13
Dealers Call For Complete Confidential Price List
=------ =----------:--:---·.-----=--- ""
PS II Model 25 Mono/Color .. .. $969/1195
PS II M.25 Mono/Color+20MB$1395/1650
PS I Model 30 2DR. + 20MB . .. ..$1595**
PS I Model 30-002/021 ..... $1195/1645
PS II Model 50-021 . . . . . . . . . .**$2395
PS II Model 60-44MB/70MB .*$3195/3595*
**PS II Model B0-115 20MHZ ... .$6095**
PS II Model B0-44MB/70MB .**$3995/4695
AT 339 (BMHZ, 512K, 30MB) . .In Stock
AT 06B (6MHZ, 256K) .
. . . .$2395
PC/XT 2DR. 256K ...... ... .. $995/1195
Mono. Disp. B503/XT Style . .. .. $189/225
Color Display B512 .... . . ......... $439
EGA Disp B513/XT Style ....... $495/595
Ext. Drive F/PS2 (51/4) ........ ... .$285
Pro Printer II/XL . . ....... $349/505*
Pro Printer X24/XL24 ... . ..... *$519/675
Quit Writer 11/111
... $865/1095*
IBM DOS 3.3 (min. 5) . . . . . . . . .$85
NEW IBM 50 & 70's IN STOCK.
*Quantity Discount Available*
New Reduced Prices
~seagate
SEAGATE HARD DRIVES
20MB/30MB W/Controller . . . ... $259/289
30MB/40MB (403B/4051) . .. . . .$385/450
40MB (ST251)/40MB (4053) .. .. *$349/449
BOMB (4096)/BOMB (277R) . . . *$649/445
MINISCRIBE
40MB (3650)/40MB (3053) ..... *319/535
40MB (6053) Full Height .
. .... 495
BOMB Full Height (60B5) .
. ... 679
HARD CARDS
20MB/30MB for XT .
. . .345/399
40MB Card F/XT 40MSC ........ . .499
20MB/30MB For PS/2 .. . . . .. . ... 399/435
MISCELLANEOUS
COMPAQ 300MB HD .
. ... .2995
COMPAQ Portable 20MB .. ... .... .... 495
COMPAQ 40/60MB F/DP3B6 . .. .. .745/895
10/20MB IBM Hard Disk .. .... . . .145/195
130MB Compaq Hard Disk . ... . .. . .1695
comPAa®
DESKPRO MODELS
3B6/20 MHZ 60 MB HD .......... 4995**
3B6/20 MHZ 130 MB HD . . . . . .6395**
**3B6/20 MHZ 300 MB HD . ... 7995**
3B6 40MB 16MHZ Factory . . . .3895
3B6 130MB 16M HZ Factory .. . ..... 5495
2B6 Model 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1595
2B6 640K, 20MB/40MB HD .. 2095/2295
2B6 Model 40 (Factory)
.. 2695
Deskpro 2DR. 256K/20MB .... .1095/1395
PORTABLES
**New Portable 3B6/40MB . ... . . .. *5395
**New Portable 3B6/100MB ........ 6699
II Model 4 (Factory/Upgrade) . . .2595/2395
·11 Model 2 2DR., 256K (B02B6) ..... 1895
** *Ill Model 40MB** . ....... . .. . .. 3895
***Ill Model 20MB** . . . ... . .... 3375
Compaq Amber/Green Monitor . . . . .195
Compaq ColorNGA Monitor . . . .. .525/555
Compaq EGANGA Adapter .. 325/399
C. DOS 3.3/3. 2/3.1 .
. .. 89/79/59
Call on Memory and Other Compaq Products
**Quantity Discounts Available**
Dealers & Consultants Only
Corporate &Retail Customers Call For Quotes
INTEL
BOB7-3 XT/B02B7-6 AT .... . . **$99/160 BOB7-2 XT/B02B7-B AT . . . . . $145/249 B02B7-10 AT 10MHZ . ....... ... $289 B03B7-16 for B03B6 . . ........ $455 B03B7-20 Base Systems ........ $725
OKIDATA
1B2/1B2S 120CPS, 30nlq .... $239/279
192 + /193 + 200CPS, 40nlq .$329/419
292E/293E 200cps, 100nlq . . $359/489
393/393 Color 450 cps .... $945/1029
ML294/ML2410 .
. .. $737/1695
Lazer Line 6 . ... ... . .. . .. . . .. $1299
10 MB. Inter/External .. ... . .$255/379
20 MB. Inter/External . . .. .. $299/399
40 MB. lnter./External . .$379/535
Call for PS/2 Tape Back Up Units
Call for Archive, Tecmar, Sysgen
TOSHIBA
321SL/341SL (216CPS) . . ... $465/645 351-SX/351-2 Color . . .... $995/1019 Toshiba T1000fT1100 .. .. .. .$749/1450 T1200/T3120 . . . . . . . . . .. $2295/2950 T3200/T5100 . . ...... . .$3595/4495 Toshiba Modem/Compatible .. $279/249
HEWLETT
PACKARD
Laser Series II . . . . . . . . . . .Very Low
*Desk Jet New 250 CPS .
$669
1MB F/HP II Compal/HP .... $329/369
2MB F/HP II Compal/HP .... $629/669
HP Plotter 7475A .... .... ... . .$1395
HP Scanjet Scanner w/lnt . .. .. *$1195
NEC NEC
Multispeed EL/HD .. .. ... .$1455/2299 Multisync II/Plus+ . .. ..... .$579/875 Multisync XL 20 + . . . ....... $1995 LCB60 + /LCB90 . ... . .. ... $1899/3195 P760/P2200 . .. . .... .. . .. . .$599/333
***LOTUS 1-2-3 - $289*** ***LOTUS SYMPHONY 3Y2" - $259***
D-DATA
4742 Woodman Avenue Sherman Oaks, CA. 91423 (818) 905-0994, (213) 859-3410 FAX # (818) 905-8869
M :l\tcr( ':ml .
One stop shopping for dealers & consultants
STB MULT/F CARD (OK) .... .$49 MODEM 1200/2400 BAUD . .$69/95
DC 1000 TAPES .
. .$7 IBM MONO/CLR/EGA .$79/145/325
INTEL 80B7-3 . .. .... . . .... .$79 INTERDYNE T.B.U. 10/20MB $75/95
THERE WILL BE A CHARGE ON ALL CREDIT CARD PURCHASES. UP TO 2% DISCOUNT ON PREPAYMENT.
88PC-14 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 413 on Reader Service Carel
\r - , -· DATA TRANSFER SWITCHES 1
AB SER14IiA~-m' .5I 0
AB PARALLEL
$28.50
ABCD SERIAL
$39.50
ABCD PARALLEL $42.50
AB CROSSOVER $39.50
ABCD DB9 TYPE $43.50
ISOLATING LINE STRIPS
SURGE & RF NOISE
SUPPRESION
BAR 6--1 $19.95
6 OUTLETS
, ;~:.ii.-
Wt 6' FT. COAD
I ~ ·-
-A.
12 @ 14.50 24@12.25 -
, _ 1 :f
I T T THE PERFECT UPS by
$666 $999. RETAIL · DEALER VIP EXECUTIVE 400
2 AT or 3 XT SYSTEMS
T1ue On-Line UPS designed for micro and mini power supplies. SINEWAVE output. Fits between CPU and CRT Only 20 Lbs. Size 1.9"H.x 15.8"Wx1 5"
NEW KNAPCO UPS SYSTEMS Ez UPS THIN-LINE····
2.2" I /\G I 124 · 2~ /.\JS. HS·2~21'0\ff FOH NOVELi. 200% lli. INHUSll CAPACITY - SUHGE. H.FI. EM!. f1HOTEC- l10N. THUE ON-LINE SINE WAVE ,..J%
525 / I OOOVa. UST
DE ALEfl.
VPSC 525
$995.
$645.
TOSNIC
TRUE
MICR0 - 110() ON-LINE
UPS SYSTEMS
SELF CONTAINED
~
GELL· CELL BATTERIES SMALL PROFILE LIST OI<:ALEil.
500 VA. $1499. $1199.
750 VA. $1899. $1425.
1 K VA. $2299. $1724.
2 K VA. $3999. $3199.
3 K VA. $6599. $5279.
5 K VA. $9379. $7499.
LINE TAMER
FERRO POWER CONDITIONER
- - ·1 Surge suppressors
I)
IEEE Standard 587
Rejection 120/60d8 .
4 Outlets,6ft. Cord
150 Va.
Regu lation ;t3% I Retail Dealer
$139. $ 99.
300 Va.
$199. $149.
450 Va.
$259. $197.
600 Va.
$299. $225.
1000Va.
$489. $349.
1200 Va.
549. 439.
IMPORT
VOLTAGE REGULATORS
- TVR500
TVR1000
~
TVR2000 I~
$129. $199.
$295.
TVR3000 INPU~ 85135V.$395.
EMl-RFI + SURGE
EURO-TRANSFORMERS
STEP UP/DOWN 110v.-220v.
300 WATT 500 WATT 1300 WATT "2000 WATT
*3000 WATT
$ 39 $ 59 $ 85 $125
$215
*Se lec t V o lt age 100/ 11 0/120v.
U /Down 200/220/240v.
SPIKE PROTECTORS
MS p - 1 $ 12.25 12@ £10 .95
AMERICAN POWER CONVERSION
RETAIL
DEALER
330 XT $399.
$259.
LOW COST UPS PROTECTION FOR NETWORK STATIONS
450 AT $599.
$389.
AT TYPE SERVERS. 3 COMSERVERS, ANO CAD STATIONS
520 ES $699.
$449.
FOR SFTLEVEL 2 ANO VINES FILE SERVERS RS 232 PORT
800 RT $1099.
$709.
LARGE FILE SERVERS WIT/-/ MULTIPLE /-/ARD DRIVES
1200 vx $1399.
$905.
LA N's Best friend
FOR MULTIPLE PC'S OR VERY LONG BACKUP TIME 1to2 M s. transfer time, compact, quality engineered, .
runs diagnostics. RS232 port, prevents surges, sags, spikes, noise & interference
Circle 415 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 88PC-15
ARCHITECTURE FOR THE 90'S
SHAPE OF THE FUTURE
THE ~~EEVERE)f- SYSTEM 386/20
COMPET ITIVE BENCHMARK TESTltlG HESULTS
Bo5etl 011 in hou·r. 1..s1mQ. Everex Computer Srs·ems o,.,mon hes com1"!"'d rh*< follow1n4 b·mchm..r~ IMI te$1.1hi..
Features ·Fully compatible with the IBM_.. PC/AT"" · !ntel'r 80386 micropr ocessor, running at speeds of 20, 10, 6.7 MHz with zero wait states. (16
and 8 MHz on the 386116) · Speed-selec:lable by keyboard, so!tware or !root-panel switch · The bus operates at 10 or 6.7 MH:. ·The machine uses write-back cache memory (64K, l28K or 256K of 25 ns static RAM) ·Socket for an 80387 math coprocessor option, running synchronously at 20, 10 or 6.7 MHz. (16
and 8 MHt on the 386/16) · l Megabyle DRAM expandable to 8 Megabytes on the system board (120 ns DRAMs, 256 Kb or
1 Mb) · Front panel LEDs lot power-on, disk access and speed indication · Alpha-nume:ic realtime diagnoslic display {8-digil) · l.2 MB floppy d iskette drive · Six 16.bi t and two B·bit bus expansion slots · One 32·bit memory expansion slot · SpecialEverex very hiqh performance (1:1 mterleave) hard diskllloppy combination controller · Front access to up 6 to 5 hall.height mass storage devices · Enhanced lQl.key keyboard · System clock/calendar/conliguralion data in CMOS RAM wilh ba1tery backup · Everex enhanced BIOS · Easy-to.use SETUP utility in ROM, supports over 45 drive types · BIOS supports 3.5~ 7270K diskette drives · Front panel key lock to disable keyboard · Front access reset switch · Speaker e na b le/disable switch · Complete, easy to follow user manual · UL hsted power supply; switchable 120240 VAC · 13 months on·site warranty · 1 serial and 1 parallel port
COMPATIBILITY TESTING RESULTS
The Eve re "' System 38" 1.. -- '-~en eval uated by ;·<;(CAL. .in
;nciepe:iciem th1rd·p11.\., ___ ...1qhou~e. The !es1 obiective. O$
S!~:ed in XXCAL'i report of February 16. !988. was "to re1·eal
a~w problems or mcons1stenc1es rel.sLve lo~ selected Qroup of
ofl·the·shelt commercial soltwore. networks. ood peripheral
;:;roduc~" on ?he fa·erell. Sy!!tem 386. XXCALs li.i.. .... JC1.!lns
"1:is1.illeci each applica:1on per docurnentahon... lthen] tested all
funcuons, commands, and options directly related lo a
s:iccessfuland l},orough !es'. o! !he produc.:t,.
En1uSl·PJ86120
UI
Comp~q te~tJ"t<;> ?06 'Xi
451
[ n r u S t · p 3 8 6 116
3.93
[ nrH S!·p286116
'·"
AST Fr~·"'""" 356 Zi
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:ol!lpdq D~llr>ro 385 !6
B!-!?S2 Mode:80.lEMHz
~·muSt·p2H/l2
UI
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rr.lo6Jt
;omp11q0esl.;ir.2B612
Bt.!?52Mo-;jeU:SCl.6<i
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3$.D
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~4£
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.~ £
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OTHER EVEREX COMPUTERS
3F 286 System
· 80286 CPU · l.2MB Floppy · 5l2K Memory · lO 1 Keyboard · FL/HD Controller
· 6/8/10 Keyboard S e le c t a b l e
· l95 Watt Power Supply · Optional 80287 Sockel · FCC UL Approved
BMHz 'l' Wail S tale 80286 Mono System ........·.·.. , . · · . .$990
lOMHz 'l' Wait Stale 80286 Mo no Sys tem
... $1239
lOMH z 'O' Wai! Stale 80286 M ono System. , ·...·...··· , ... $1339
12MH-z 'O' Wail Stale 80286 Mono System . . .. ,.,., · · ,, ·.. ,., .$1575
For an EGA System . , · , , · · , · , , · ,
. .odd $350
3F 386 System
With a 3F 286 or 386 computer. you can do desktop publishing. word processing, process control. networking. database applications. accounting spreadsheets. inventory control. circuit design. computer aided design engineering and manufac turing. and architectural design-the list goes on!
· 80386 CPU · l.2MB Floppy · !MB Memory · IOI Keyboard
· FL/HD Controller · 64K Cache · l6MHz CPU 'O' Wait State · 195 Watt Power Supply
16MHz ' O' Wait Stale 80386 Mono System . ... ,., .·..... , ··. .. $1975 For an EGA System . .... , , · , · , .· , , , ·· , , · , · .... $2299
These computers will also run w ith OS/2, MS OS/2.
Lotus 123. Dbase III. Unix. Xenix. lnformix.
AutoCAD. Smarttalk. Q&A. Sidekick. Gem.
Turbo Pascal. Multimate. Word. Wordperlect.
Wordstar. Ventura. Novell Netware 286. IRMA board.
Modems. Bernoulli boxes. Network Cards
Hard Disk add on (or above Systems: 20MB 65m· . . 40MB 39m· .. ..
. . ..... $249 .. $399
BOMB 28m· .. · .. . .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. ·
.. ...$710
144MB 16.Sms
, ·· , .· , .·· ··· , . , ..·. , ·. , ..·.. ·M ·· $1995
PRICES ANO AVAILABILITY SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
Call Us For Full Line of Peripheral Products.
We Also Carry Hard/Floppy
Drives. Monitors. Printers,
Motherboards and
All Major Software.
3F
3F Associates, Inc. 44100 Old Warm Springs Fremont, CA 94538
(4l5) 659-0403 FAX (415) 651-9190 I
88PC-16 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 409 on Reader Service Card
SHORT TAKES
BYTE editors offer hands-on views ofnew products
Dell System 220 T-DebugPLUS 4.0
zaa Portable
lirammatil< 111 Watcom C6.0 Paradox OS/2
Dell Machine Sets 80286 Speed Records
Y ou can sum up the new Dell System 220 in three words: small, powerful, and affordable. The new unit is one of the smallest desktop systems around, as well as the fastest 80286-based system available. And at $1799, including a video graphics array (VGA) monochrome monitor, it is easily the best million-instructions-per-sec ond-per-dollar value on the market.
The new system owes its prowess to a new 20-MHz CMOS 80286 processor, cur rently available only from Harris, and ah igh-speedchip set from Chips & Technol ogies that saves plenty ofboard space.
The System 220's small size-it takes up about as much space as a briefcase can be misleading. Inside, there are three IBM PC AT -compatible expansion slots, laid horizontally frontto back. There are also sockets for up to 8 megabytes of fast 80-nano second memory, a socket for an 80287 math coprocessor, two serial ports and a printer port, and space for a number
THE FACTS
Dell System 220 $1799 with one floppy disk drive and VGA monochrome monitor; $1999 with color monitor; $2699 with 40-megabyte hard disk drive and color VGA monitor
Options: MS-DOS 3.3 with cache and disk utilities, $119.95. 1 megabyteofRAM, $500. 100-megabytedrive, $1700.
Dell Compute,r Corp. 9505 Arboretum Blvd. Austin, TX 78759 (512) 338-4400 Inquiry 851.
of hard disk options. My preproduction unit
came with a lively 29-milli second 40-megabyte hard disk drive and two 1.44-megabyte floppy disk drives. Inside was an 80287 and a megabyte of memory. The system also came with a Mitsubishi color VGA monitor. In normal use, the Dell System 220 seemed immensely faster than my usual 6-MHz AT clone with a 20-megabyte drive. Also, both the floppy and the hard disk drives on the 220 were surprisingly quiet. My im pression of the 220's speed was backed up by our bench marks, which rated the 220 at about 1 percent faster than an IBM Model 80.
With all its features, the only thing the 220 might pos sibly lack is an 80386 proces sor. This could become a fac tor in the future, when an 80386 with a 32-bit memory bus might be required forcer tain high-performance soft ware. Butthe220alsolacksan 80386 machine's high price tag. And for the foreseeable future, the 220 will probably be the best number-crunching bargain on the market.
-Rich Malloy
Squash Those Bugs
W henever you write a pro gram that does more than print "Hello World" on the screen, you're likely to run into bugs. When you have to squash those bugs, a good symbolic debugger like T-DebugPLUS 4.0 for Turbo Pascal 4.0 can make your life much easier.
Add-on programs for the Turbo Pascal environment have always found themselves
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 89
SHORT TAKES
in something of a quandary, since one ofthe main strengths of Turbo Pascal is its in tegrated set of editing, de velopment, and debugging tools. To convince users to turn away from one of the Turbo tools, a product has to be pretty impressive. I think this debugger could turn a few heads.
T-DebugPLUS begins by offering features found in most symbolic debuggers. You can examine and alter variables using the names you gave them (instead of ad dresses), set permanent and conditional breakpoints, set watchpoints, and single- or multiple-step through a pro gram. In addition, T-Debug PLUS lets you open watch win dows on up to 8 variables at a time (12 at a time with EGA or VGA graphics), switch be tween debug and output
screens, switch between source code and assembly code views, and make use of expanded memory specifica tion or extended memory to debug larger programs.
The instruction set in T DebugPLUS is mnemonic to a good extent, and commands can be chained together in macros. Both when I worked through the example code pro vided with the package and when I used it on larger pro grams, I found that the fea tures of the package were easy to learn and use, so that I was able to really use the software after a short time.
T-DebugPLUS comes with an installation program that patches TPC.EXE, TPMAP.EXE, and TURBO.EXE so that all will support local symbols. The patched versions of the pro grams create TPU and TPM files that are twice as large as
those created by unpatched versions, but are otherwise compatible with normal Turbo Pascal files.
Using T-DebugPLUS is a simple matter. You compile your code toan .EXE file, using the/$T+ command-line option of TPC.EXE or by setting the "Turbo Pascal map file" op tion to On in TURBO.EXE.
After compilation, you must exit to DOS and run TDebugPLUS as a separate pro gram to debug your code. This marks a change from earlier versions of T-Debug, which ran as a part of the integrated Turbo Pascal environment. According to TurboPower Software, the change was made becauseofthe increased memory requirements of Turbo Pascal 4.0.
Though the new version of T-DebugPLUS does not fit into the Turbo environment as
seamlessly as older versions, l found it to be a valuable, easy to-use tool in debugging pro grams. Given the price and utility of the package, the slight increase in inconve nience is most forgivable.
-Curtis Franklin Jr.
THE FACTS
T-DebugPLUS 4.0
$45; with source code,
$90.
Requirements: IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2,
or compatible with
at least 256K bytes
of RAM.
TurboPower Software P.O. Box 66747
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
(415) 322-3417
Inquiry 852.
A Z88 Portable to Go
T he Cambridge Com puter Z88 is a laptop por table that weighs less than 2 pounds and is scarcely larger than a copy ofBYTE. Achiev ing this compact size involved compromises: the Z88 has no disk drives but uses RAM for mass storage; it has only an 8 li ne liquid crystal display rather than a 25-line one; and it's not IBM PC-compatible but comes with a complete suite of applications software in ROM, like the Tandy Model 100.
The processor is a CMOS Z80 with 32Kbytes ofinternal RAM and 128K bytes of ROM. The 9-pin serial port works at speeds up to 38,400 bps. Power is supplied by four Walkman-size disposable dry cells that last about 20 hours. There are three slots at the front for memory cartridges.
My test machine came with 128K bytes ofextra RAM and 128K bytes of EPROM. A built-in PROM programmer lets you use the EPROM as
90 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
THE FACTS
Cambridge Computer Z88 Portable Computer $549.00
SSI Computer System Inc. 424CumberlandAve. Portland, ME04101 (207) 761-3700 Inquiry 853.
Options: 32K-byte"E.PROM carttidge, $45; 128K-byte RAM or EPROM canttitlge, ~l li!\)I PC Link software and cable, $75; serial printer cable, $14; parallel printer cable, $65; modem, $225.
nonvolatile, write-once mem ory for semipermanent data like address lists; an optional ultraviolet eraser lets you re use EPROM packs. 512K-byte RAM cartridges will be ship ping soon, allowing up to 1.5 megabytes of RAM . The com pany is also promising ! megabyte cartridges soon.
The keyboard is molded from a single sheet of black rubber and looks like a choco late bar. Recent history has given rubber keyboards a bad name, butthis one is different . It has a surprisingly positive action, and you can quickly begin to touch-type on it. The 64-key layout is of standard typewriter pitch, with a full size space bar and four cursor keys.
The display is a supertwist LCD with dark blue charac ters on pale yellow. It shows 8 lines of 100 characters; the middle 80 are used for text, and each side is reserved for menus and indicators. It's deeply recessed to avoid dam age, and the top edge throws a shadow that hinders viewing in some lightings.
continued
STAT HICS®
Select the points you want to remove from your regression model . ..
... Then press F6 to refit the model and recalculate the statistics.
Because "Statistical Graphics"
Is Better Than Just Statistics and Graphics
Most of today's PC statistical packages give you all the statistics you'll ever need. Some even give you a few graphics. But only STATGRAPHICS from STSC gives you integrated statistical graphics in an environment you control.
Unique "What If" Interactivity
STATGRAPHICS lets you explore data relationships fully, producing higher quality, more timely solutions. Define your data and assumptions, run the procedure and review the results, modify data and assumptions repeatedly and take another look-and another. All without leaving the procedure or making permanent changes to your data.
Integrated Statistical Graphics
Coupled with STATGRAPHICS' interactive environment are over 50 types of graphs-traditional pie and bar charts, histograms, 3-D line and surface plots, quality control charts, and more. All are integrated with the procedures so that they can be displayed instantly and modified repeatedly.
Query data points, do on-screen forecasting and model fitting, overlay graphs, or zoom-in on any area for a closer look. With flexibility like that, you can spot and investigate visual trends in your data-trends you may have missed if you looked only at the numbers.
Over 250 Statistical Procedures
· Direct Lotus® and d BASE_"t interfaces
· ANOVA and regression analysis · Experimental design · Quality control procedures · Multivariate techniques · Nonparametric methods ·Exploratory data analysis ·Forecasting, time series
analysis, and more.
STATGRAPHICS-
The Best Way to Do Statistics!
Put the power of STATGRAPHICS to work for you today-all for only $895*. For our free convincer kit or the name of a dealer near you, call
(800) 592-0050 ext. 400
In Maryland, (301) 984-5123; Internationally, (301) 984-5412. Telex 898085 STSC ROVE
A wide variety of graphs supported on over 100 displays, printers and plotters, including the new IBM PS12r1o1 Series.
Circle 226 on Reader Service Card
STSC STSC, Inc. 2115 East Jefferson Street Rockville, Maryland 20852
·suggested retail price in U.S. and Canada.
International prices vary. Avail ab le through
deale rs and distributors worldwide.
STATGRAPHICS, Lotus, and dBASE are
registered trademarks of Stat istical Graphics
Corporation, Lotus Development Corporation,
and Ashton:rate, respectively.
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 91
SHORT TAKES
GETSUPERSOFT's SERVICE DIAGNOSTICS
All the software, alignment diskettes, parallel/serial wrap-around plugs, ROM POSTs and extensive, professional documentalion to provide the most comprehensive testing available for IBM PCs, XTs,ATs and a// compatibles under DOS or Stand Alone. No other diagnostics offers such in-depth testing on as many different types of equipment by isolating problems to the board and chip level.
NEW: SuperSoft's ROM POST performs the most advanced Power-on-Self-Test available for system boards that are compatible with the IBM ROM BIOS. It works even in circumstances when the Service Diagnostics diskette cannot be loaded.
NEW: 386 diagnostics for hybrids and PS/2 S !
For over nine years, major manufacturers have been relying on SuperSoft's diagnostics software to help them and their customers repair microcomputers. End users have been relying on SuperSoft's Diagnostics II for the most thorough hardware error isolation available. Now versions of Service Diagnostics are available to save everyone (including every serious repair technician) time, money, and headaches in fixing their computers, even non-IBM equipment.
All CPUs & Numeric Co-processors System Expansion & Extended Memory Floppy, Fixed& Non-standard Disk Drives Standard & Non-standard Printers System Board: OMA, Timers, Interrupt,
Real-time Clock & CMOS config. RAM
All Color Graphics & Monochrome Monitors
Parallel & Serial Ports Mono, CGA, Hercules & EGA
Adapters All Keyboards & the 8042 Controller
The ROM software is powerful and cleverly inte grated. A combined word processor/spreadsheet called PipeDream works like Lotus 1-2-3, using spreadsheet cells to hold document text, and acts as a simple database.
PipeDream is easy to use and permits quite sophisti cated layouts. It supports un derline, italic, and boldface, which are visible on the WYSIWYG bit-mapped dis play. To the right of the text area is a window that shows a 1-pixel-per-character page preview; as well as verifying layout, this helps you find your place in long documents.
You can interrupt any pro gram and pop up another, and you may run as many copies of PipeDream, working on dif ferent files, as memory per mits. The other programs in clude a good appointment diary/calendar, a calculator (with built-in unit conver sions), a clock/ alarm, a termi nal program, and BASIC. There are also pop-up system services, including a file man ager, setup options, and
Printer options. When you switch off the Z88, it saves the whole environment and starts back up where you left off.
The operating system sup ports hierarchical directories, 110 redirection, and proper batch files with an auto execute option. RAM car tridges are treated as separate devices, like disk drives. You can print files directly to serial or parallel printers, but the best way to use the Z88 is to upload files to a desktop PC at your office or home. The PC Link package consists of a plug-in ROM, a cable, and a disk of PC software; upload ing is controlled entirely from the PC screen via menus. The communications package con sists of a 1200-bps matchbox style modem plus a communi cations program in ROM.
Don't disdain the Z88 just because it lacks an 80386 or a hard disk drive; the clever software makes it a match for many a larger machine. And when you have to carry it around all day, small really is beautiful.
-Dick Pountain
Join the ranks of XEROX, NCR, CDC, SONY, PRIME, ... who have bundled SuperSoft's diagnostics with their microcomputers at no risk because of our 30 day money back guarantee.
Service Diagnostics for PC, PCIXT, and compatibles only .. .
...... .. .. $169
Alignment Diskette for PC, PCIXT and compatibles (48 tpl drives). . . . ... .. . $ 50
Wrap-around Plug for PC, PCIXT and compatibles (parallel and serial) ......... ... $ 30
Service Diagnostics for AT and compatibles only
.......... ... ....... .. .... ... .. $169
Alignment Diskette for AT and compatibles (96 tpi drives) .. .... .................. $ 50
Wrap-aroundPlugforAT(serial) .... ............... ........
............. .. .. ......... $ 15
ROM POST for PC, PC/XT, and compatil
.................. ...... ....... ..... $245
ROM POST for AT and compatibles only ........... ............... . .................. $245
Service Diagnostics: The KIT (includes all of the above-save $502) ......... $495
Service Diagnostics for allotherCPUs (386, V20, V30, Harris. etc.) ................. $195
Diagnostics II is the solution to the service problems of users of all CP/M-80,
CP/M-86and MS-DOS computers...
......... .... ....... . ..... $125
ROM POSTfor PS/2andcompatiblesonly
...................................... $245
Alignment Diskette for PS/2 and compatibles (3.5 inch) . .. ............ . . . ........... $ 50
FIRSTINSOFTWARETECHNOLOGY P.0.Box 1628 Champaign, IL61820 (217)359·2112 Telex270365
SUPERSOFT is a registered trademark of SuperSoft. Inc.; CDC of Control Dala Corp.; IBM PC, AT & XT of lolernational Business Machines Corp.; MS -DOS of MicroSoll Corp.: f\EC of NEC ln!ormalion Systems, Inc., PRIME of PR IME INC.; Sony of Sony Corp.
92 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 228 on Reader Service Card
An Analyst for Your Writing
G rammatik III is a new version of Reference Software's IBM PC-compati ble program for analyzing documents for grammatical and stylistic errors . Unlike Grammatikll, which checked documents against a fixed phrase dictionary, Gramma tik III uses parts of speech and suffix analysis to provide more comprehensive gram mar checking.
Not only does Grammatik III find possible errors, but it also offers suggestions for im provement. Grammatik III scans your document and finds basic errors like double words, unbalanced punctua tion, or improper capitaliza tion, as well as more subjective problems like use of the pas sive voice, pretentious expres-
sions and cliches, wordiness, and split infinitives. In addi tion, Grammatik III checks for subject-verb disagree ment, double negatives, in complete sentences, and other incorrect usages. Since writ ing "errors" are often subjec tive, you can customize Gram matik III to ignore certain types ofphrases.
While Grammatik II worked best with ASCII files (it had problems with word processing control codes), Grammatik III is designed to work with most major PC compatible word-processing programs. When you first in stall the program, you select from a menu of word proces sors and text formats. You then run your document through Grammatiklll, either interac tively or in batch mode. When in interactive mode, it flags suspected problems on the
continued
$299 For 3-D C
you can't be
by spendin
thousands more.
You can spend thousands of dollars for three dimensional CAD software and still not get the power and capability that DesignCAD 3-D offers for a remarkable $299! DesignCAD 3-D is proof positive that you don't have to spend a fortune for quality.
The compatibility that DesignCAD 3-D offers you means that it can be used with almost any PC compatible system. It supports more than 200 dot matrix printers, more than 80 plotters and most digitizers and graphic adapters. DesignCAD 3-D can read drawings from most other CAD systems.
DesignCAD 3-D allows you to develop and advance
The best reason to buy DesignCAD 3-D is not the low
any design in 3 dimensional space, while providing you
price, the performance or the compatibility. The best
with features such as shading, hidden line removal,
reason is the amazing ease of use. DesignCAD 3-D's
printer and plotter support. DesignCAD 3-D's extensive powerful commands mean that you can produce
file transfer utilities allow you to: transfer documents
professional 3-D drawings in less time than you thought
to and from IGES, DXF HPGL, transfer to GEM and
possible. In fact, we think you'll agree that DesignCAD
Post Script and to read ASCII text files and X, Y, Z
3-D is easier to learn and easier to use than any 3-D
coordinate files. It allows up to 4 simultaneous views
CAD system for IBM PC, at any price!
(any angle or perspective) on the screen. Complex extrusions, extensive 3-D text capabilities, auto
Seeyourlocal computer dealerfor DeaignCAD 3-D, or contact:
dimensioning and a host of other features are all included with DesignCAD 3-D, all at no extra charge.
PC Resource Magazine has listed OesignCAD 3-0
as one of the six new computer products worth watching in 1988.
·:·:·American
Small Business Computers, Inc.
327 S. Mill St., Pryor. OK 74361 (918) 825-4844 FAX 918-825-6359
Telex 9102400302
Circle 13 on Reader Service Carri
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 93
Circle 69 on Reader Service Card
SHORT TAKES
New, Expandable Diskette Duplicator
Model 4D delivers 240 copies per hour, using anyIBM PC/XT/ATorcompatible.
·Multiple Formats, Including PS/ 2 · On-Screen Production Statistics · Expandable Up to 8 Drives ·Multi-tasking
--~ $1,995
New Desktop and high-volume Production Autoloaders also available, for unattended operation. For more information
or to order, call 415-651-5580.
P.~t~P-_at_h_ _ _ _ _ __
Precision Media Duplication Products
~ 1988,Oa ta path Te chnologies, Inc .· 46710 Fremont Blvd ., Fremont, CA 94538.
Inc.
wit h ymr choice of: - McGraw Hill Scierce 1rd Technical Refer erce Set . . . . $895 - Grolier Electronic Erc yclopedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $895 - Mcrosoft Bockshelf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $895 - ~-5G llrary []isks 1 10001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $895
Dxftrd EnjS1 Ci:tCray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . lml"lJ . $9'ti Comstock Stock Photography On CO . . . lml"l.I . . . $445
Gro~r or McGraw fl or Boo~ ielf or PGSG . . . . . . . . . . . $269
The BbE Lbray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $495 Ki'IHJthmer Ercycklp!da of D1errca Technoagy . . . . . . . . . . $945 Registry of Mass Spectra Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $2655 Geav001 US. Atffi iTd M~r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $795
[rroLL FREE ORDER LINE . 800-MEGABYTe (634--2298)11
Hitochi 1503S External CO-ROM Drive with Audio . . . . . . $729
1503S with Digital At.do Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1229
Hitochi 3500S Internal V2 Height CO-ROM Drive w/Audio . . $719
Maxtcr 800 MG WORM Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3799
I Optotech Laserbcrk 400 MB WORM Drive . . . . . . . . . $2799
Port<t:E 2EEi with CD-IDv1 Dive .. . .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. $3it6 CO-Capture ($149] Caotu'e Oigita Auclo hlCJ'mat10'1 tram ell( co to RAM or [J;s"
CD-P8y ($89) p~Also~owJ,.f'Y~~1~ta'r;:; ~~" ms CJl Hta:hi
!I'd CCJ'll'ltbe drM!s. OutpJt ta hea:!ll'l!res CJ' ariiler.
CD-PlayiSaroer ($1·9 J Sare te<W'es as CD-Pay Ji.5 the <tilty ta rare tw.o
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ixrt.s rn en adi:J aJ crd tq:i between th em
CD-AuloFile C$149 J /lur.aret.i:aiv creates dat<tl!B! rec<J'ds of al jW' audo ms.
CD ms. />bis yw ta stare a ~!erred !Ev ,.,q.erce f!J' each dB<.
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screen. You can edit the prob bottleneck rather than the disk
lem phrase or sentence, ignore access speed).
it, or instruct Grammatik III In my tests, Grammatik III
not to flag this type ofproblem found a lot of errors but also
in the future. After you've fin missed some blatant ones. For
ished checking the document, example, it missed "many
Grammatik III saves the friends of mine lives in New
edited version and makes a York" and the incomplete sen
backup ofthe original.
tence, "So should be fun." It
Grammatik III also pro did find "their going to have a
vides a statistical summary of party," and gave the message:
the document (number and [the context of "their" indi
type of errors found, a "read cates you may have meant
ability index," and other "there" or "they're ."] Al
statistics).
though it missed some errors
In batch mode, Grammatik and also flagged some correct
III marks your document grammatical phrases, the pro
without your intervention, gram is helpful in identifying
saves the marked file, and possible stylistic or grammati
creates a backup of the origi cal problems.
nal. You can then work with
-Nick Baran
the marked document using
your word processor. Gram THE FACTS
matik III includes an optional spelling checker, but spelling checking more than doubles
Grammatik III $99.00
the grammar-checking time. If your word processor has a separate spelling checker, it's probably better to use it.
I tested a beta version of Grammatik III using an IBM
Requirements:
IBM PC, XT, AT, or compatible, 128K bytes ofRAM, DOS3.0orhigher, one floppy disk drive.
PC XT with an Orchid 286 ac celerator card (TurboEGA). In batch mode, a 10,000-word document took about 4 min utes to check. I tried the pro cess using both a hard disk and a RAM disk and got about the
Reference Software 330 Townsend St. Suite 123 San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 541-0222 Inquiry 854.
same results (the CPU is the .
Can You Stand Another C Compiler?
S tart with your basic C compiler: ANSI C sup port, Make feature, symbolic debugger, editor, integrated development environment , overlay linker. Also give it support for the usual confus ing array of memory models (small, medium, compact, large, and huge), and the abil ity to generate instructions compatible with the 80x86 processors, up to but not in cluding the 80386. Plus sup port for the 8087, 80287, and 80387 math coprocessors.
You now have all the under pinnings of Watcom C 6.0. And most of the other C com pilers that have hit the ground in the last year.
Nowgiveitaprice: $495. A little steep? Not for what amounts to two compilers.
Here' s where Watcom C be gins to part company with the crowd. It actually consists ofWCC, which operates with a 64K-byte data area; and WCGL, which makes use of all available memory (up to 640K bytes). The idea is that, though WCGL is slower than
wee, it can compile all the
monstrous programs that would overflow WCC' s mem ory allotment.
continued
94 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 49 on Reader Service Card
Software Breakthrough:
the RANDOM information processor
New Concept
With all the software tools available, it is
· Information Windows
With Tornado, you process information in stacks
"Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent" PC World, Patrick Marshall
surprising that an important need has
of superfast "intelligent" windows - several on
been overlooked-a way to deal with the your screen at once. You type into the windows; countless bits of RANDOM information interconnect and prioritize them; and scan through you spend hours with every day. Tornado
them in remarkable ways.
"one of the niftiest ... programs 1've ever seen." BYTE, Jerry Poumelle
will not only give you instant access to this important information ... it will help you make better decisions and even think more clearly. Try Tornado risk-free and discover the productivity software package for your PC that works wonders.
·Free Form
Tornado is FREE-FORM. It works the way you think. To start a new window you just press N, and enter information. No file names. No extra keystrokes. To retrieve information you just press G (for Get), with any word or phrase--you11 watch Tornado zip through your windows like
lightning linking and opening those requested. You can even flip through your windows with the arrow keys and watch them instantly pile up and lift away. These are just three of 18 easy but powerful features.
"Excellent value"
Info World, Review Board
"Editor's Choice" PC Magazine
Regular Tornado-$99.95- Full version with all commands and full information capacity (up to 25,000 windows and 2,500,000 characters). Library Tomado-$149.95- All commands full capacity, plus "Library" of windows contai~ing: free-form year logger, simple project planner, grid maker, city1state/ area code/ time zone translator, and more templates and references.
· Countless Uses
There are thousands of uses for Tornado. When Harry calls you on the phone, in two seconds flat you11 display the six windows on Harry before he finishes his first sentence! No more embarrassing pauses or
scrambling for information.
· Productivity Tool
To reach your goals, you need tools that maximize your productivity and help you make your best decisions. Tomado fits the bill perfectly. In fact user surveys show you may well use Tornado more than any other software package' Order today risk-free.
To order call:
Limited
.s499s Time Offer ONLY
(Mini version)
30-DAYMONEY-BACK GUARANTEE
(When ordered direcl)
Tornado is so versatile you can:
write and print a letter faster
(800) 342-5930
than ever; track things to do;
edit electronic mail; and plan a project Technical questions & NJ: (201) 342-6518
or event quickly and easily. You can
24 hr. modem: (201) 342-8101
even build a sophisticated "knowledge"
base or an unstructured data base without programming. And that's not all. Track phone conversations, numbers, customers, and all your other RANDOM information. On a
rr···········1 I DYES, send me
I I -Mini Tornado
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I _Regular Tornado
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portable, Tornado is your ideal
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$149.95 I
· RANDOM Information
Did you ever realize that over half the information
moving office. Best of all, you tailor Tornado to your own needs--easily1
· 25,000 Windows
Instead of one window or ten, imagine up to 25,000!
I Please add $J.50 to help cover
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you deal with every day is the RANDOM type?
It's like extra memory .. .for your brain! The uses are
I coupon or call (800) J42-59JO. . I
Not databases - not spreadsheets- not long documents - but the information scattered around your workplace and in your head. Yet amazingly, until now there was no great software to help you the tools were either too structured or without organization. But now, at last, there is a quick and easy solution- Tornado acclaimed by . rave reviews and accepted by corporations nationwide. Whether you are a business executive, consultant, engineer, or in any other profession, you need Tornado -- it will save you endless time and effort every day-guaranteed -or your money back. Here is how it works:
endless. If you can "type· it-·you can "Tornado· it. And because it's memory resident (if you choose) you can quickly jump in from other programs--even move information between them. All this power, yet reviewers agree you can start "Tornado-ing" in 15 minutes- not 15 days.
· Three Versions
Choose the Tornado that's right for you:
Mini Tornado-$49.95-NEW! Lowest cost version limited capacity (up to 600 windows and 60,000 characters); does not have: cut & paste, window join, screen grab & put, time & date & sequence stamp, multiple forms, compound searches.
I Payment: VISA MC CHECK I
I Credit Card Expiration
I
Card II
I
II Not Copy Protected 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee I Name:
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· · · 1 ... ~ FEATURES: free-form & predefined windows, scrolling within window, impon & expon to files &
screens,cut & paste,auto word wrap,time & datestamp, move&join& dup windows,mono orselectable color,definable Hot-key
or n.on-iesident, unloadable, LAN suppqn,context help,extended ASCII,smart fully adjustable windows, parallel text processing, progressive ~lution and "and--0r--not"likescarching without keywords. and more. COMPATIBITLITY: IBM-PC/ XT1AT/ PS2 and comp¥ ibles; mono, CGA, 80 col EGA, and Hercules displays; OOK minimum RAM CAPACITY: Up to 500 windows and 50K per pile - SO piles. Not copy protected.
I Telephone:
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I
·~MICRO& I
·-·····------· I
LOGICS I
I ept T-160, 100 2nd St., POB 70 I I Hackensack, New Jersey 07602
© 1988 Micro Logic. European marketing by Atlantex Inc. (203) 655-6980. Trademarks: IBM-PC1XT; AT/ PS2-IBM
Circle 163 on Reader Service Card
Fast Microprocessor
Development
SHORT TAKES
· ._~··'"l.Lllll·-.r
·
New Unilab 8620 analyzer-emulator-
SAVE TIME, CUT COSTS
Don't waste days single-steppingthroughsuspect code. Isolate trouble fas t. Use our highspeed analyzer-emulator to trigger on symptoms-bydata sequence, cycle type, address, data range. See program traces before and after trigger points as you record and display traces on the fly. Mop up via traditional breakpointing.
· Real time 8/16 bit universal emulator · Advanced 48-channel bus state analyzer · In-Place Emulation for 150 different µPs · 1µsec program time measurements · Fast parallel interface: load 64K in 5 sec · Stimulus generator included · Continuous real time viewing of registers, ports · Built-in EPROM programmer · 2730 bus-cycle trace buffer · Complete integrated toolkit
Call Toll Free 800/245-8500 or (in CA} 415/361-8883
IN S TR U M E NT S
702 Marshall Street, Redwood City, CA94063
SERIES 32000 MODULA-2 COMPILER
THE FACTS
WatcomC 6.0 $495 (includes Express C)
Requirements: IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, or true compatible, DOS 2.0 or higher, and 5 l 2K
bytes of memory
recommended.
Options: Watcom Express C, $125 (if purchased separately)
Watcom 415 Phillip St. Waterloo, Ontario Canada N2L3X2 (800) 265-4555
Inquiry 855.
Program development system for Series 32000 based embedded systems running on IBM-PC/XTIA T and PS/2-30
/Jes cription: - AthJ.i n bo:m.J consisting o f Series 32fKKI c hip St."'! ;uu.l ROM -rcsitlc m
EDITOR, COMP IU:R. LINKER. DECODER anti MAKE UTILITY llul't Hardwau:
- IBM PC/XT/ATorcomp:nihlc wi1h fn.'C h::ilfcartl slot
Jlost S offt't·nre:
- DOS 2.0 or l:ilcr
Target llard..,au : - Any Series 32000 based c:mbctltlctl .;ys1cm
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I performed some informal tests on the Watcom compiler, stacking it up against Micro soft C 5.0 on my 10-MHz AT clone. I modified our new Sort benchmark to create an array whose elements were in re verse order, and I hand-timed the execution speed of the re sult. (I used small models for both compilers and set no compile switches-I handed identical copies of the source code to each compiler.) The Watcom compiler's version completed in 11 .3 seconds, while Microsoft's took over 15 seconds. However, the execut able file Watcom created was over 12K bytes in size, while Microsoft C created an 8K byte executable file. I figure it's the same old equation: speed atthe cost of space.
And, yes, you 'II find yetan other editor supplied with the Watcom disks. The editor is simple enough to use, allows you to work on more than one document simultaneously via multiple workspaces, can op erate in either line mode or
screen mode, and supports editing macros.
Watcom's answer to Turbo C and Quick C is Express C. As you might guess, you can operate Express C with Wat com's editor in an integrated environment so that all devel opment functions-compil ing, linking, editing-occur in memory.
What you might not guess is that Express C also includes a memory-resident source-level debugger that allows you to trace program execution, view and modify variable contents, set breakpoints, and display your program's output. If you launch Express C with the /d option, the debugger automat ically fires up when you com pile and run your program. While experimenting with the debugger, I stumbled onto a bug in the benchmark pro gram! was creating. Butthat's what it's there for, right?
When I pitted Express C against Turbo C (using yet another variant of the Sort
continued
96 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 11 on Reader Service Card
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PRoREF is three products in one-- a pop-up help system for the 232 routines in PRoBAs, pop-up help for your routines, and an extension of the QuickBASIC pragran.rning environment See the calling syntax and help for any PRoBAs routine, or any of your routines, with just a few keystrokes or mouse clicks. Pop-up an ASCII chart, calculator, keyboard scan code module or almost any IX>S program 'ia hot-key. Just $50 . OOI
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98 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 267 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 268)
benchmark with a smaller array size), I found that Turbo C chalked up a compile-and execute time of 9 seconds against Express C's 28 sec onds. I thought I could attrib ute Express C's poor showing to the fact that it performed array- and pointer-bounds checking unless told other wise. But even when I told it otherwise, it still hit the wire
at about 27 seconds . Watcom delivers a high
bang-for-the-buck ratio when compared to Microsoft C 5.0. Watcom C is a class act, and the source-code debuggers for both the high-end C 6.0 and theintegratedExpressC make the whole package a real possi bility for doing heavy-duty de velopment work.
-Rick Grehan
Paradox Takes
on OS/2
If you've used the MS-DOS version of Paradox, Para dox OS/2 will be immediately familiar. Except for the OS/2 line on the opening screen, the actual user interface is identi cal, and it works exactly the same; it is compatible with files, scripts, and reports from earlier versions.
The differences showed up when I started doing some ac tual work. Because Paradox OS/2 runs in 80286 protected mode, it directly addresses all your system memory . That eliminates the time-consum ing disk reads and memory swapping that take place under the MS-DOS version.
This immediately trans lates into speed. Database ac cess, moving around tables, and doing usual work like sorting and generating reports is noticeably faster, though your mileage will vary de pending on the type of data base you 're using and what you 're doing with it.
You can run multiple Para dox OS/2 sessions at the same time, and even share data and utilities among them. This is heady stufffor those ofus used to the one-task-at-a-time limi tation of MS-DOS .
Paradox OS/2 uses the same concurrency controls to coor dinate multiple sessions that Paradox 2 uses to coordinate multiple users on a network . There are, of course, some limitations. You can't physi cally make changes to two ses sions concurrently, so Para-
dox OS/2 has the same abilities as its MS-DOS broth er to lock tables and set what the program calls "private directories."
If you're new to OS/2, you'll soon find that there's a boundary to the apparent magic, especially if you have limited memory. Each session you start exacts its cost in pro cessing time and RAM. While Paradox OS/2 can use up to 16 megabytes of RAM, my PC AT clone had only 3 mega bytes, the minimum you need to run the program. Things started to slow down apprecia bly by the time I started the third Paradox session.
Paradox OS/2 is far from the ultimate OS/2 application. It's really just a sophisticated port from the MS-DOS ver sion, which already had its own multiple-session hooks in its network support. But it's a tantalizing glimpse of the pos sibilities that OS/2 will offer.
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E XPE RT AD VICE
COMPUTING AT CHAOS MANOR ·
Jerry Pournelle
~ ~
A FOND
FAREWELL
Is Jerry's old friend
Zeke II retiring
to greener pastures?
T his is a shameless commer cial. As I write this, Legacy of Heorot by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steve Barnes is on the best-seller list in England. About the time you read this, the paperback ver sion will be out from Pocket Books. If every BYTE reader goes out and buys one, it will hit the best-seller list here. If you all buy another for a friend-
Well, anyway, it's a good book about the first interstellar colony (sent out by the National Geographic Society), it has a nice computer in it, and you can buy the book at your favorite bookstore. Mean while, there's a lot happening at Chaos Manor.
Writers are superstitious about all kinds of things . Goethe had to have a drawer full of rotten apples. Schiller wanted cats in the room. Some need a particular brand of coffee or a favorite coffee mug.
Not all writers worry about furniture, but many do. I confess I'm one of them. Of course, I don't think of it as supersti tion, just good organization.
What I want is a big desk, the bigger the better, that I can get right up close to, and high enough for drafting work. For years, I used a 4- by 8-foot piece of half inch mahogany plywood screwed to the top of an ancient student desk that stood on little feet to raise it; the result was overhangs on all four sides deep enough that I could scoot a chair right up to the desk. It was a little odd getting to the drawers, but the system worked.
Of course, I didn't do my writing on that structure, because it was too high to set a typewriter on. Instead, I set my Selectric on a regular typing table, one
large enough to hold not only the type writer, but pages to be retyped or a few books. The typing table was at right angles to the desk, so I had only to swivel around to get at it. That way, I could lay out notes and research work on the big desk, turn left to the Selectric when I was writing, and turn back to the desk to re view notes.
When I got Ezekial, my old friend who happened to be a Cromemco Z80, I set things up the same way , with Zeke tak ing the place of the Selectric . Of course, an S-100 system with 8-inch disk drives wouldn't fit on a normal typing table, and I ended up building a furniture sys tem that had the computer itself near the floor, the disk drives on a counter, and the 15-inch monochrome Hitachi moni tor on top of the disk drives.
The keyboard first went on the Selec tric's old typing table; later, I got a larger table that would hold the keyboard and a bunch of notebooks and stuff. The moni tor was at eye level and 30 inches away , just far enough that I didn't need the reading element of my bifocals to read the large text put up by the Processor Technology VDM board. There were only 16 lines of 64 characters, but that was enough.
I wrote on that system for years. Eze kial himself evolved into Zeke II: a CompuPro S-100 "boat-anchor" box and CompuPro 8-inch disk drives, but the same Hitachi 15-inch monitor driven by the same VDM memory-mapped video board. Larry Niven bought an exact du plicate of Zeke II. We wrote a number of books on those two machines. I also wrote these columns and everything else I did, a total of several million words .
I tried the IBM PC when it first came out. I even bought one, but for research only. I had no temptation to use it to write books. PC text editors weren't good enough. Their only advantage was that a PC would put up 24 lines of text as op posed to Zeke's 16, but against that the PC was very slow compared to Zeke. In
particular, it scrolled slower. With Zeke I could instantaneously flip back and forth by pages, which more than made up for the 16-line limitation. Also, it took a lot longer to read and write IBM 5 1A-inch disks than 1.2-megabyte CompuPro 8 inch disks. For the first 5 or 6 years after the PC came out, there was just no incen tive to change over from Zeke.
Slowly, though, PCompatibles got faster and better. EGA video put up read able text in color. New PCompatible the saurus and spelling programs came out-although Oasis Systems' The Word Plus was for a very long time the best spelling program around (it's still the basis for the spelling checker in many well-known word processors) . Writing utilities like Grammatik II (and now III) and the Readability program would work only with PCompatibles . Editor pro grams sprouted features not available for my old CP/M..system. I found I was using the PC more and more.
Eventually, the only things I was writ ing on Zeke II were books in collabora tion with Larry Niven. When we brought in Steve Barnes to work on Legacy of Heorot, we had another problem: Steve was using WordStar on a Kaypro PCom patible, and his files had to be translated from PC-DOS to CP/M.
Fortunately, we had the means to do it: the Golem, my big CompuPro Dual Processor (80286 master, Z80 slave board), can read and write 360K-byte 5 1A-inch DOS disks, and it also sports a pair of 8-inch floppy disk drives (as well as a 40-megabyte Priam hard disk drive) . We could feed Steve's disks into the Golem, run his files through a filter, and write them out on 8-inch disks that Zeke II could read into our CP/M text editor.
When we finished Legacy ofHeorot, I decided enough was enough. Niven was working on a new book with David Drake, and Drake uses a Toshiba TlOOO PCompatible with 3 'h-inch disks. Get ting Drake's stuff onto the CP/M system
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 101
CHAOS MANOR
and Larry's onto Drake's Toshiba was no easy job. It was time for a change.
Niven was persuaded to go buy a PCompatible: a Zenith Z-386 with a hard disk drive, a 19-inch Electrohome moni tor, and both 51A- and 3 1h-inch floppy disk drives. That took care of the Drake collaboration. I converted our latest stuff over to PCompatible format. Now I was doing all my writing on PCompatibles .
I had long since set up a PCompatible on the opposite side of my desk from Zeke; swivel left to the PCompatible, swivel right to Zeke (and also to a termi nal that coutrols the Golem) . Which PCompatible it was changed from time to time: first Big Kat the Kaypro 286, then Fast Kat the Kaypro 386, and now Zanna Lee the Zenith Z-386. Zeke II sat there watching in silence. He had nothing to do, and we turned him on only when a visitor wanted to see him.
Then BYTE wanted a column for the special Macintosh edition. Apple sent a Mac II. About then, Cheetah put to gether the Big Cheetah, a 20-MHz 80386 with a Priam 330-megabyte internal hard disk drive and a Maximum Storage APX 3200 WORM (write once, read many) drive. Commodore sent the Amiga 2000. Atari sent a Mega ST. Every one of those machines had to be set up on test stands far away from my desk, making it very inconvenient to use them-and after all, the point of this column is to write about stuffl've used for practical work.
Something had to be done, and I did it. Three weeks ago, Zeke II retired. We had a little ceremony and wheeled him out. At the moment, the poor old fellow is sitting in the storeroom. All his parts are there-disk drives, Hitachi monitor, key board, and all the cables-but they aren't assembled. I haven't really had the heart to do it. As far as Zeke knows, he was turned off one day and hasn't been awak ened again . Suppose I connect him up and he sees where he is? Unthinkable. I confess I don't really know what to do with him. What I'd like is to find him a good home. Oh, sure, there are some mad hobbyists who'd like to have all his parts, but I can't allow that. What I want is someone who will use him-but who? Who, after all, is likely to want an an cient Z80 machine that's physically larger than a two-drawer file cabinet, has 8-inch disk drives that spin all the time, and has a 16-line by 64-character display driven by the world's last operating Pro cessor Technology VDM board? He's a wonderful old guy, but he's also a mu seum piece. I know from my mail that I have very
clever readers, and some seem as devoted to old Zeke as I am. I've decided to have a contest: I'm soliciting the best sugges tion as to what to do with Zeke, the Com puPro S-100 Z80. I'm not sure what the prizes will be. Something appropriate, like dinner at a COMDEX or West Coast Computer Faire for the best half dozen letters, and something a bit more special forthe winner.
The rules are simple: I'll consider any suggestion provided that Zeke will be kept intact and there 's some chance of
The Mac
has a well-deserved
reputation for being
easy for utter beginners
to use.
implementing it. If you want to tell me why Zeke ought to be given to you, or your family, or some favorite institution, feel free. If you think he belongs in the Smithsonian, you'll have to show me some evidence that the Smithsonian would be interested. If you think he ought to be sent to the center of the gal axy, you 'II have to explain how that could be accomplished.
The decision of the judge-me-is final, all entries become part of the gen eral chaos in Chaos Manor, and some will be returned but others won't be be cause they ' re lost or the dog ate them. Contest closes on Thanksgiving Day.
The Furniture Dilemma When I first got Zeke, there wasn't any commercial computer furniture. In those days, you either made do with typing tables or designed and built your own "workstation." In the early 1980s there was a flood of the stuff, most badly de signed. Gradually, evolution and the market took care of the situation, so that now you can get quite a bit of computer furniture designed for PCompatibles. There's also some for the Macintosh.
Alas, there is absolutely nothing satis factory for the Mac II; and what has evolved for PCompatibles isn't going to be useful much longer. The problem is mice.
Until recently, PCompatible users
didn't need mice. You couldn 't operate a Mac without one, but many considered a mouse for the PC to be a pretentious bit of luxury. Slowly, though, PC users began to change their minds. Some programs require mice-it's possible to use Micro soft Word without one, but you won't like it much. Others weren't designed for mice but work better if you have them: WordPerfect with either Mouse Perfect or a properly written script for Logi tech' s Menu mouse support package is a good case in point, being much easier to use with a mouse.
Also, the Mac has a phenomenal (and well-deserved) reputation for being easy for utter beginners to use, and much of the Mac's design philosophy is drifting over into PCompatible software designs. The upshot, in my judgment, is that mice are taking over the computer world, and pretty soon none of us will feel at home without them.
That's where the furniture problem comes in. With the exception of a few special items jiggered for the Mac and dependent on the old Mac's small foot print and weird keyboard, there isn't any computer furniture designed for mouse users.
One of the best kinds of computer desk starts with a more mundane item-office desk or credenza or even a solid counter top-and puts a keyboard drawer under neath. There are a number of keyboard drawers, and while many of them are overpriced, all the ones I've seen work quite well and are easy enough to install. All the keyboards I've used fit well in the drawer tray, and the system is solidly built so things don't wobble when I type. However, every one of those keyboard drawers, without exception, is too nar row to hold both a keyboard and a mouse.
I suppose it's only a matter of time until someone gets smart and makes a computer desk with a keyboard area large enough for both keyboard and mouse, but that hadn't happened by Spring COM DEX; I looked at every computer furni ture display in Atlanta, and except for one desklike system that's a full 4 feet wide, there wasn't a thing. Sigh.
Amiga Progress One of my high points of COMDEX was a demonstration of new developments for the Amiga given by Dr. Harry Rubin, chief operating officer of Commodore America. Rubin ' s enthusiasm for the Amiga is unmatched; he reminds me of some of the company executives back in the early days of microcomputers.
One thing they showed me was Unix
continued
102 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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Real-time Programmers:
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Build multitasking into your applications. add com munications and interfaces easil y. write blazing code with a C-like assembler.
Choose a rea l-time multitasking 0 15. worV with a classic real-time toolbox.
Call a Tech Rep TODAVI
C Shaip Real-timeToolklt
includes graphics
$495
DESQview API Tools
multitasking. interfaces
$550
Greenleaf Comm Library
complete. \or C
$185
QNX-real-time multitaski·ng 015 $6ii0
RlsC-highlevelASMC-like $ 80
Tlmesllcer - multitasking·
$295
Nonna( SPECIAL
$479
$449
$129 $629 $ 75 $265
$399
$419
$ 10 5 $599 $ 59 $239
Order before August 31, 1988 and mention "BV888" for these special prlcei
386 Assembler /linker 386 Debug - by Phar Lap 386/DOS Extender DESQview PSt2 F77L-EM - by Lahey FOX BASE + 1386 High C - by MetaWare OS/286 & 386 by AI Architects Paradox 386
C Language-Compilers
AZTEC C86 - Commercial C86 PLUS - by CI High C Optimizing Compiler lnstant-C/16M Lattice C - V3.3 Microsoft C 5. 1 - with Codeview Microsoft Quick C NDP C-386 by MicroWay Turbo C by Borland Watcom C6.0
PC $ 389 PC $ 129 PC $ 919 PC $ 109 MS Call PC $ 419 PC Call PC Call MS Call
PC $ 499 MS $ 359 PC Call PC Call MS $ 259 MS $ 299 MS $ 69 MS $ 529 PC $ 67 MS $ 259
dB ASE IV - features new user interface "Control Center." Multiuser file/record locking, "ANSI +" SQL, Query By Example. 255 field records, 99 files open. Parent-child file relations. DOS shell.
PC $ 499
DataBase & File Management
Advanced Revelation CLARION - complete environment DataFlex by Data Access DataFiex multiuser Magic PC - visual database Paradox V2.0 List: $725 Paradox Network Pack XDB-SQL Database
PC $ 779 PC Call PC $ 595 PC $1049 PC $ 169 PC $ 499 PC $ 719 MS $ 449
Clipper compiler dBASE Ill Plus dBASE Ill LANPack
DBXL Interpreter by Word Tech FoxBASE + V2 .0
011irk~ilvPr f)inmnncl
PC $ 389 PC $ 399
PC $ 649 PC $ 99 MS $ 259 PC $ 369
C-terp by Gimpel - full K & R C Trainer - by Catalytix Interactive C by IMPACC Associates Run/C Professional Run/C Turbo C-terp
C Libraries-Files
M::; $ ZllJ
PC $ 89 PC $ 189
MS $ 145 MS $ 79 PC $ 119
BTree/ISAM - Single user CB TREE - Source, no royalties c-tree by Faircom - no royalties r-tree - report generation dB2C Toolkit V2.0 db_VISTA - Source
MS$ 99 MS $ 109 MS $ 309 PC $ 239 MS $ 259 MS Call
C Libraries-General
Blackstar C Function Library C Tools Plus - VS.O C Utilities by Essential Greenleaf C Sampler Greenleaf Functions LIGHT TOOLS by Blaise Turbo C Tools by Blaise
PC$ 99 PC $ 99 PC$ 119 PC $ 69 PC $ 129 PC$ 69 PC $ 99
C·Screens, Windows, Graphics
C Display Manager C-Worthy Interface Library dBASE Graphics for C ESSENTIAL GRAPHICS - fast GraphiC - new color version Greenleaf Data Windows
w /source Quick Window/C Terminal Mapping System TurboWINDOW/C - for Turbo C VC Screen View Manager by Blaise Vitamin C - source. menus Windows for C - fast Windows for Data - validation
PC $ 109 PC $ 249 PC $ 69 PC $ 235 PC $ 279 PC $ 155 PC $ 259 PC$ 75 PC $ 279
PC $ 75 PC$ 119 PC $ 199 PC $ 159 PC Call PC Call
Note: All prices subjec1 to change without notice. Mention this ad. Some prices ar~ specials. Ask about COD and POs. Formats: 3'' laptop now available, plus 200 others. UPS surface shipping add $3 per nor· malitem.
dBRIEF with BRIEF dBC Ill by Lattice Documentor - dFlow superset Genifer by Byte! - code generator Integrated Development Library Networker Plus QuickCode Ill Plus R&R Report Writer Seek-It - Query-by-example Silver Comm Library Tom Rettig's Library UI Programmer - user interfaces
PC Call MS $ 169 MS $ 229 MS $ 249 MS $ 129 MS $ 229 MS $ 189 MS $ 139 PC $ 79 MS $ 139 PC $ 79 PC $ 249
Other Products
ASMLIB - 170 + routines Back-It by Gazelle Baler CO/SESSION - remote access Dan Bricklin's Demo II Disk Technician - smart upkeep Fast Back Plus Flash -Up Easy Flow VS.O
Link & Locate Mace Utilities MKS RCS PC/Tools Deluxe-by Custom Plink 86 PLUS - overlays PVCS Corporate - by Polytron PVCS Personal
R-DOC/X Show Partner FI X Seidl Version Manager Source Print - V3.0 TLIB Tree Diagrammer Visible Computer: 8088 WKS Library by Raima
PC $ 125
MS $ 119
PC $ 459
PC $ 229
PC $ 169
PC $ 89
PC $ 149
PC$ 69
PC $ 125
MS $ 309
MS $ 85
MS $ 155
PC$ 69
MS $ 275
PC $ 339
PC $ 135
MS $ 135
PC $ 328
Ms $ 269
PC $ 75
PC$ 89
PC$ 65
PC $ 65
PC $ 179
Fortran·C Translator
For_C by Cobalt Blue - complete F77 to C opti
mizing translator. 99% efficiency, MIL-STD -1753
and common F77 extension support. Runtime
libraries with complete C source.
MS $ 659
l j,ll.!1i1it.it$i1iJ;ijJliJ¥+i., 4+i1
Call for a catalo g, litecature, a n d solid value
5-B Pond Park Road. Hingham. MA 02043 Mass: 800-442-8070 or6 l 7-740-2510 6188
800-421-8006
productive environment.
0 ver 5,000 of you were forced to make sacrifices to use BRIEF, The Programmer's Editor. Advanced com pilers and new programming environ ments, like Turbo C and QuickBASIC, took up so much RAM that BRIEF could not fit in the same 640k.
If you wanted to retain BRIEF's uniquely powerful featuresi while working with larger programs, you had to sacrifice speed and continuity. Instead of a tight Edit-Compile-Edit loop, you had to slog through an obso lete Edit-Exit-Compile-Exit-Edit loop.
Now you no longer have to m a ke that s acr ifice.
You can enjoy the featuresi that have made BRIEF the best-selling and the best regarded2 programmer's editor without sacrificing environ ment integration.
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ng
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1 For example: real multi-level Undo (not simply Undelete). flexible windowing, unlimited file size. unlimited number of simultaneous files. automatic language sensitive indentation. 2 For example: "The quintessential programmer's editor." Dr. Dobb's Journal "Right out of the box. it's a versatile. e.xtre m eJy pa we.rful editor that handles most any programming task w>th aplomb ." - Computer Language "Simple to learn and use and extremely sophisticated. Strongly recommended." - PC Magazine "Not only the best programmer's text editor I've ever seen. but it is also a tour de force in the way it was conceived and implementeCi: ·Computerworld "So far surpasses users' expectations that it is revolutionary." MicroTimes Magazine '"llKI~~· is truly outstanding." - Microsoft Systems Journal
Current BRIEF Users:
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800-821-2492 _Souion <SyStems:
S41 Main Street, Suite 410 South Weymouth, MA 0219 0
617-337-6963
Circle 181 on Reader Service Card
Circle 224 on Reader Service Card
CHAOS MANOR
running on what appeared to be an they distributed new ROM chips for the expose the ROM chip. After that, things
Amiga 2000. This was full System V 2000. Joanne Dow was given a copy for are simple.
Unix, no compromises, and, even loaded installation in my machine, and about an AmigaDOS is not simple. I watched
down with several simultaneous tasks, it hour ago she came over and did the job. Joanne do her magic for a while, but I
certainly looked fast enough. Fair warn
ROM installation in the Amiga is sim soon lost track. What I can say is that
ing: this is a show report. I'll have more ple but tedious. You have to remove about after about half an hour of work she had
on it when it's running here at Chaos eight screws so that you can move the set up the Amiga 2000 so that on power
Manor and I can turn Alex loose on it. I hard disk drive, floppy disk drive, and up you must boot it with a floppy disk-it
can only say that what I saw at COMDEX power supply. The good news is that still won't entirely boot from the hard
impressed the heck out of me.
they're all mounted on a rigid frame that disk drive-but that process is considera
Meanwhile, at the Amiga developers' moves as a unit, so once the screws are bly faster than it used to be. The good
conference held just before COMDEX, removed, the whole assembly lifts off to news is that once that's done, the Amiga
- - - - - - - -- - -- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . can be reset and rebooted from a RAM
disk. That takes only a few seconds.
I don't know of any other computer
RESIDENT EXPERT
that can boot from its own RAM disk. There are other developments. There's
POP-UP REFERENCE GUIDES...
a new version of the Amiga operating system, which is said to speed up disk op
erations. There were certainly plenty of
software developers at the COMDEX
Amiga booth. A number of "standard"
PC programs, including WordPerfect,
have been ported over to the Amiga and
work fine there.
All in all, the Amiga seems to be im
proving steadily. More when I learn
more. I'm supposed to have Unix for the
Amiga coming in the next week or so.
STARTING AT $19.95!
Need help with your favorite pro gramming language or business ap plication but don't want to interrupt your work to fumble through a bulky user's manual? Consult RESIDENT EXPERT...our pop-up "super-help" utility containing all the reference material normally found in pro gramming language reference guides and user's manuals.
Start with our lightning fast shell program (including our free PC DOS / MS-DOS reference guides) and select your own custom library from our extensive list of titles.
The shell program uses only 58K of memory, supports auto look-up, keyword string searches, and full cross indexing. Our optional com piler lets you develop your own reference guides (or context sensitive help systems).
Summer '88 Pricing...
Resident Expert Shell ...... $19.95
Resident Expert Compiler .. . 39.95
Reference Guides for...
dBase III Plus (new) . ..... . $39.95 Microsoft C (5.0) . ... ..... . 39.95 Microsoft Quick C ( 1.0) . ... 19.95 Lattice C (3.2) . . . ....... .. 39.95 Lotus 1-2-3 Rel 2 (new) . .... 39.95 Turbo Pascal (3.2/4.0) ..... 19.95 Turbo C ( 1.5) .. ... . ... . . . 19.95 PC Prgrmr's Reference ..... 39.95
(BJOSIDOS/ 80286/MASM Guide)
1-214-727-9217
Santa Rita Software
1000 E. 14th St., Suite 365
Plano, Texas 75074
Scanners Live in Vain Spring COMDEX wasn't very exciting if you were looking for something new. There were almost no new products, and not much more new technology. There was, however, considerable excitement among dealers, a general feeling that the doldrums are over and the computer in dustry is ready to take off again.
The most exciting new hardware prod uct I saw was the Logitech ScanMan. This is a small hand scanner that inter faces with a Logitech printed circuit board. You run the scanner over text or pictures or whatever, and it makes a bit mapped image similar to a PC Paint file.
Meanwhile, over in the Apparel Cen ter-where all the newcomers to COM DEX are sent-Flagstaff Engineering was exhibiting a program that takes scanned text images and turns them into machine-readable files. I suppose I'd better explain that.
Computers can store text in two differ ent ways . The most familiar way is as ac tual text files, in which the machine "knows" what's there. Each letter, num ber, and punctuation mark is stored as a uniquely recognizable binary number, so that the machine can not only reproduce the text, but also manipulate it in orderly ways . It can make alphabetic sorts, look at words and compare them to dictio naries, and in general act as though it
continued
104 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 212 on Reader Service Card
NEC Multis peed . . . . . . . . . . . .$1348.64
NEC Mu lt ispeed EL . . .
. . . . 1499.76
WHY PAY
1100 Plus.
. 51484.10
3100 w / 20 Meg . .. . 2998.SO
1000 . ..... . .... .. . . 7S9.41
NEC Multispeed HD w/20 Meg ... 236S.77
NEC Powermale 2, 40 Meg .
. NEW
NEC Powermale 2, 66 Meg ..... . LOWER
NEC Powermate 386, 66 Meg ..... NEC
RETAIL?
1200 .... . .... .. .. .2237.SS 3200 ... . ... .. SPECIAL BUY 5100 . . ........ NEW MODEL
NEC Powermate 386, 130 Meg .. . PRICES
5·300 4/8 MHz, 512K, 6 Slols S/P/C,
LASER TURBO
XT Turbo , 512K, 1 floppy,
No/JorJy $etu EMS
MEMORY
Monographics board, DDS, Keyboard S-300, 1 Floppy . .. ..... ... .. S749.50 S-300, 20 Meg ............... 989.95 S-300, 40 Meg . .. ... . . . ... .. 1117.82
P/S/G, Enhanced keyboard , EMS mem . . ... . . .... ... . 5699.10 XT Turbo, 1 tloppy, 20 Meg . .989.34
For Lsss
~
S·SOO AT Compatible 8/10 MHz, 8 Slols, S/P/C, Monographics Board, DOS, Keyboard S-500, 1.2M Floppy . ........ $1095.45
XT Turbo, 1 floppy, 40 Meg . 1194.22
S-500, 20 Meg . . ... . ...... . .1469.80
XT Turbo, 1 floppy, 70 Meg . 1345.75
S-500, 40 Meg ....... .. . . . .. 1624.45
.piiijiiiiiijiiiiiij~. .
COMPUTERS
PRINTERS
AS[
.. $1312.20 MDL 170 . . . . .S2988.36
MOL 80 ....... 1619.70 MDL 300 . . .3490.40
MDL 90 ....... 1916.15 MDL 340 ... .. 3945.65
MOL 120 . . .. .2260.05 MOL 390 .... .5589.40
MOL 140 . . .2629.55
I~MPS2
MDL 30. 2 dr .. S1272.20 MDL 502. 30 Meg .. NEW
MOL 30. 20 Meg .1n5.17 MOL 50Z. 60 Meg . .IBM
MDL 60. 40 Meg .3340.15 MOL 70. All Mdl& .. PS2s
MOL Ml.
60. 80,
7m0 MMeegg.35496995..6800
MOL80. MOL 00.
40 70
Meg .4497.67 Meg .5330.30
CDIRPIUl '"
286, Model 1.. S2095.55 386, Model 300.59168.20 286, 40 Meg .... 2580.19 Porl. II. Mdl 2 . .. 1896.10 286. 70 Meg . .. 2895.20 Port. II. Mdl 4... 2797.00 386. Model 60 .. .5579.30 Port. Ill, Mdl 20 .3577.85 386. Mod!J 130 . .7059.92 Port. Ill. Mdl 40 .4159.33
i,) Alll.T
6300 Wffi ... ............. ....... . S1099.42 6312 WGS .. ... . ... . . . .......... . .. 1692.12 6386 WGS .... . .... . .. .. .. .... ... . .3187.78
TOSHIBA
nroo. T1100 Plus ... S1484.10 T1000 ..... S749.41 20 Meg 2998.50 T1200 ... .S2237.55
T3200 ... SPECIAL BUY T5100 .... NEW MODEL
PMl<ARIJ Hrt t
P888 IXT Turbo) ..~
. S645.64
PB88 w/ 1 floppy. 20 Meg · . . . . . . . . . . .956.80 VT286 .... . ..... . .. .. .......... .... 1299.36
VT2B6 w/ 20 Meg . . . . ...... . ....... .1573.50
VT286 w/ 40 Meg . . ....... . ... . , . ... 1724.10
VT3B6 . . ....... .......... .. . . . NEW MODEL
WYSE MDL 2108 .. S1082.50 MOL 2214. , .. S1868.30 MOL 2112 . ... .1568.20 MOL 3216. . . .2658.05
;ea"' ~;~tl'mS
Supersport Model 2 .... . ... . . . ALL ZENITH
Supersport Model 20. . . . . . . . MODELS IN Supersport 286 Model 20.·.... . . STOCK CALL
Z-183. 20 Meg.. . . . ..........FOR PRICE
14fJ Other Com}uters Available Ur n l'!e, ues!
i ·L1''1f5
l;t1 ·1·Iff ;l·IJ
FLOPPIES, DRIVES & TAPES
1/2 height floppy drive ........... . .... S99.00
MINISCRIBE 20 Meg 1/2 height wI cont. .329.14
MINISCRIBE 30 Meg 1/2 height w/RLL . .345.95 SEAGATE 20 Meg 172 height hard drive .289.69
SEAGATE 30 Meg 1/2 heigh! wI RLL . .... 309.72
SEAGATE 40 Meg 112 neigh! . . . . . . . . . . 399.50 GENOA 60 Meg int. tape /flll. tape . .734.60 ~95.10
GENOA 125 Meg inl. tape . . . . . . . . . . .. 995.85
!OMEGA 20+20 External 5y, . . ... . . . .1795.73 IRWIN 20 M/40 M Internal Tape .. .399.10f.i39.20
MINISCRIBE 40 Meg 28ms ·.... ·· . . . .. 609.40 MINISCRIBE 80 Meg 28ms ............ 795.45
MOUNTAIN 4440 int. ,ext . . . .. .. 36B.80ti47.75
PRIAM 40 Meg ,liO Meg . . . ... 669.55 /177.95
PRIAM 130 Meg hard disk
.. 1967.68
SEAGATE 30 Meg /40 Meg . . . . . .479.80 ti58.98
SEAGATE 4096 80 Meg hard disk . .... . .645.10
HARDCARDS PLUS DEVELOPMENT 20 Meg . . ...... S555.55 PLUS DEVELOPMENT 40 Meg ........ . .765.80
EPSON
EXBOO . . CALL FX86e . . . . .COWTM FX286e ... . . . FDR FX850... . BEST FX1050 . .. ... PRICE
LX800. . . . .. ALL L0500 . . . . . . EPS ON LQ850. . . . . MODELS LQ1050. . . . .IN L0 -2500 . . . . STOCK
IQJ©Ql~I~~( by Kodak 15op 1300 ......... . .. ....... s31g_11 /479.11
I ~M Pro Printer II .. $429.95 Quietwriter Ill .S1295.62
NEC
P560XL . .. . . .S914.75 5200 .... . ... S532.25 P2200 . . .... . . 369.65 5300 ... . . . ... 696.47 3550 ..... .. . . .744.12 8850 . . .... .. 10B0.75 P960XL ...... 1067.70 CALL FOR ACCESSORIES
Ol(pUA
ML 182S .... S279.76 ML 182P . ..... 232 50 LASERLINE 6 .1286.69 ML 292 Plus ... 377.44 ML 293 Plus .. . 516.55
ML 294 . . ..... 737.10
ML 320... .S336.63 ML 321 .. . .. 472.28 ML 390 . . . . . . . 469.96 ML 391 . .. .. . .638.4B ML 393 . . . 949.55
ML 393 Color .1057.60
PANASONIC
1080i . . . . ... S179.60 1091i . . . . .S219.85 1092i ... ... ... 334.2B 1592 . .... . ... 433.44 1595 .. . . .... .459.45 3131 .· ........ 274.32 3151 . . .... . . .. 409.52 1524 . ... ..... .579.10
G CITIZ EN
1200 . ·. ·. . .. S169.55 MSP55 .. . . ... S4B9.66 MSP50 . ... ... . 385.64 Premiere 35 .. 477.17
TOSHIBA P321SL .. . ... S494.85 P351-2 Color .S1199.95 P341SL . . .. .. . 634.17 P351SX .. 1019.45
LASER PRINTERS
H-P Laser Jet Model 2 . ..·.·.····.· .S1699.40
AST Turbolaser P/S . . . . .
. ... IN STOCK
H·P Deskjet. . ........... . ........... 689.00
NtC LC8oil /LC890 ...... . . .. l~HZ.44/ 3295.60
PANASONIC Laser .. . . . . ....·..... ... 1605.35
TOSHIBA Paaeyser,·f . . . · · .. . . .. SAVE
: 11 :f
B087- 2/8087-3 . . . . . . . . .. .... S159.33/122.50
80287·6/·8 / -10 . ... · ... 174.30/299.55 1339.25
803B7-16 /80387-20
.. 497.68 1771.44
PLOTTERS, DIGITIZERS
& SCANNERS
CALCOMP 1023 . . .. . S3838.3B 1043 ...... $6535.15 1042 ...... 7539.95 1044 ... .10,305.06
ttt1U N11 DXY-885 . . $1149.79 DPX-2000. $3464.12 DXY-990 .. .1457.82 DPX-3300 .. 4689.52
SU.fll_l!IASKETCH 12x12 .... . $376.30 12x18 .. ··· SS3~ .5(j
HE WLETT PACKARD HP7440A . ... S968.30 HP7475A .... 1417.44 HP7550 ... . .2926.56 HP7570 .. LOW EST PRICE HP SCANJET . .. SAVE
HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS
HI DMP-42 HI OMP·52 / 52MP
HI OMP-56A HI OMP·61/62
~ ~ SHARP F0-300S1220.10 TOSHIBA 3010. S1314.44 SHARP F0-420 . 1399.95 GBC-1656 . . . 1459.80
. ... S640.40
SOFTWARE & STARTER KITS WESTERN DIGITAL 3 Node LAN kit
wI Western Digital software. . . . ..... S720.34 Entry·level 286 Starter Kit. 4 Users ...... 489.90 Entry·level 286 Starter Kil. 8 Users . . .. . .SAVE NOVELL 286 Software wI Keycard . ..... 1569.09 NOVELL SFT Netware Level I . . ........ 2148.66 NOVELL SFT Netware Level II V2.1 .. . .. 2757.60 Nondedicated Netware Software 286
wI Keycard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1495.09
INTERFACE CARDS
ARCNET PC110 LANBoard . .
. . . $199.27
ARCNET PC210 LANBoard ........... . .249.50
ETHERNET Interface Connector
.. 329.80
ETHERNET Plus Board (for 286) . . ... .709.74
G-NET Interface Card wI cable . .··. ·· .. .299.52
WESTERN DIGITAL Ethernet Cards . . .269.10
ACCESSORIES ARCNET Passive Hub ... . ... ...... · . .. S85.00 ARCNET Active Hub ....... . ...... 499.98 Ethernet Terminators . . . ... .. . .. . . ... . .. 37.50
Novell trained and aulhorized sales and support. Call CDW for all new Sottware versions.
Mt!·l ·WFI 1 3·1&1Wl:!!'1-W·@li
AST 5251·11 Plus . . . . . . . . . . . ....... .S619.04 EVEREX 1200B/ 2400B . ....... .. 109.90/ 199.50 IRMA 3278/79 . .. ... .. · . . .·.. ........ 695.17 Pi'CKAPD BELL 2400 lnt/2400 Ext .. 169.95/199.22
Hayes
HAYES 1200 . .. S289.60 2400 . . . . S424.68
1200B
... 269.20 2400B ........ 379.65
ll}:f l oholics
1200B
. S108.45 2400B . .· . . . .. S199.70
1200 External .. 129.10 9600 HST . . ... E65.20
llt·t~°li'.I
1200 Int. .. . .. S194.50 2400 Int. ..... S299.10 1200 Plus .... .22B.88 2400 Ex!. ..... 3B9.44
M :l.)1i i!; \'l :M3;(1 1Jt.l>ill;!<I W
PERMA POWER 6 Outlet Surge Supp . . . S29.40
TRIPPLITE
BC-450 . ... S419.78 LC·120Q ..... .S136.B5 BC·1200 ... . . .. 748.55 LC-1800 ... .... 189.75 4 outlet . .. . .... 44.25
DATASHIELD
500 wan ..... S560.05 1200 wan .... S994.75 800 Watt ...... 638.50 6 Outlet Surge ... 27.85
MISC. & ACCESSORIES
A-8 Switching Box (par. or serial) . . .S39.95
BASF 5 Pack of 10 OS/DD w/case . . . .49.00
KENSINGION Masterpiece ···... .·. ... . . .99.99
KENSINGTON Masterpiece Plus
.. 118.40
KEYTRONICS 5151 IBM or AT&T .. . .. . .. .149.95
KEYTRONICS 101 . . . . . . . . . . .
. ... 104.65
Prinler Cable (IBM lo Centronics) 6 ft. . . . .19.99
M :.t·l:C·I3:l ;t·J:.14 .'.t·l:l i i·l;f. .
AT&T Monochrome Monitor. . . . . . . . . . . S189.40
AMOEK 310A / 410A . .
. . 119.99 1149.99
AMDEK 1280
.......... ..... . .679.78
COMPAQ monochrome monitor ..··. .... 188.46
COMPAQ VGA Mono . ............ ..... 193.10
IBM PS2 8503 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1B7.90
NEC Multisync GS ...... .... . ........ .184.52
NEC Monograph. . . . . .... . ... . .. 1297.25
PGS MAX 12E amber color .. ··.· , .·· , .139.40
PACKARD BELL Green or Amber ......... 86.95
TAXAN 123 Green/ 124 Amber ... 119.50 / 124.05
M 3·1 ! ·1;13;MiJ:lt·JZ, t·l!! iio! ;fW
AMDEK color 600T/ 722 .. .... .S349.24/ 444.49 IBM PS2 8512 Color .......... .. .... . .42B.40 IBM PS2 8513 Enhanced Color ....... .498.20 SAMSUNG RGB Comp ............. . .. 238.60 PGS HX-12 Plus .. . ......... . ........ .417.15 lAXAN 650/nil . .............. 469.90 /299.80 MAGNAVOX B762 . . . . ..... .. . . ... .. .. .259.05
VOA & EGA PRODUCTS
VGA & EGA MONITORS COMPAQ VGA monitor .... . . . .. .. .... S548.68
MAGNAVOX 943EGA . . . . . . . . . . . . .3B7.40
MITSUBISHI Diamond Scan .......... .. 522.20 NEC Multisync II/ PLUS . .. . ..... ~6i888 Ul
~f~K~X~is1mLx~G1 ~g~itar .· .·.·: .. :. : . ~ram
PGS Ultrasync .. ... . .... ..... ........ 515.33
SONY Mult1scan !3031 1302 .... ·· 599.451649.25 TAXAN 770 PLUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 499.40
ZENITH Z-1490 . . . .
. ..... 768.31
VGA DISPLAY CARDS
ATI VGA VIP..
. ........... S307.24
GENOA VGA . . ... . ..... . ... . .... . .... 289.70 PARADISE VGA .... . ......... . ....... 297.68
ORCHID VGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278.14 VIOE0-7 VGA .. . ... . ..... . .. .. ...... .299.15
EGA DISPLAY CARDS
ATl Wonder Card
S199.95
GENOA Super EGA Hi-Res BOO x 600 ... 234.40
NEC MVA 1024 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . 960.50
NEC GB-1 640x480 . . . . . . . . .
. . 239.43
PARADISE Aulo Switch EGA 480 .. ..... 169.65
VIDEO 7 Vega Deluxe .. . ....... ... 249.74
CAD MONITORS & CARDS MITSUBISHI 6905. 19 inch . . . . . .. S2295.96
MITSUBISHI 6922, 19 inch ... . . . . .... .1974.60 HITACHI 4119. 19 inch ............... 2310.65
CONTROL SYSTEMS ARTIST 1016 ...... 15B2.20
VERMONT Cobra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 1977.75
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"knows" what the files contain. The other way machines can store text
images is as bit-mapped images. In this case, the computer doesn't know that what it has stored is text; as far as the ma chine is concerned, this may be a picture of the planet Jupiter, a random drawing made with a paint program by a 3-year old, a line drawing of the Washington Monument, a Gary Larson cartoon, or anything else. The machine isn't ex pected to know anything about the image: its only obligation is to faithfully reproduce it when called upon. The fact that this particular image happens to be a picture of a page of text is completely irrelevant.
As an example: Mrs. Roberta Isdell Pournelle's father, the late Frank Isdell, was one of the early union organizers in the copper mines in Idaho. Those were rough times: his house was dynamited by the Pinkertons in retaliation for his union activities. Frank Isdell kept a journal, handwritten on yellow lined paper. It makes fascinating reading. Mr. Isdell died long enough ago that most of his grandchildren don't remember him well, and Mrs. Pournelle and I have decided to use our considerable computer resources to publish that diary so the kids will know just what their grandfather was like.
The first part of that job is easy. We simply use an image scanner to make copies of his manuscript pages. Once we have those, we can reproduce them in any way we like, on paper with a laser printer or even as page images to be stored on a CD-ROM. What we'll have is the elec tronic equivalent of photocopying or photographing those pages.
The problem with that is, you can't do anything with the images other than re produce them. Since the machine can't read those notes, it can't do spelling cor rection. It can't index. We can't search for key words. Like a camera, it can only produce a new image copy; and that's not quite what we had in mind. Our intent is to produce an annotated work embedding Frank Isdell in his times, with notes and maps. To properly do what we want, we'll need true text files. The only way to get those is to have someone type them in. No computer is smart enough to take handwritten text and turn it into ma chine-readable text.
The Trouble with Kerning If Frank Isdell had typed his notes, we wouldn't have such a problem. There are hardware scanners with programs that recognize typescript letters, one letter at a time. If they encounter a typeface they
haven't seen before, they can be taught that one, too. These machines are called optical character readers (OCRs).
When an OCR sees the symbol ';', it is clever enough to recognize that as a semicolon and store it in memory as the binary equivalent of number 59. Simi larly, an A is assigned the number 65, a is stored as 97, and so forth. The num bers are ASCII. ASCII is an arbitrary scheme that assigns a unique number to every letter, number (from 0 to 9), and punctuation mark. ASCII isn't the only such scheme-IBM sometimes uses a system called extended binary-coded decimal interchange code (EBCDIC), which assigns quite different numbers to each letter and punctuation mark-but it's the one used by all microcomputers.
OCRs have been with us for a long time, and they're quite good for what they're intended for, which is typescript. The trouble arises with printed text. Whereas typescripts (with exceptions like the IBM Executive, but let's not complicate matters) allow the same width to each letter-the i takes up just as much room as the m-printed text doesn't work that way. Not only is the space allocated to the i less than that given the m, but some letters actually overlap, as for example when they type set the letter combination WA. This pro cess is known as kerning, and it has been around for centuries, because kerned text is more readable and just plain looks bet ter than typescript. The trouble is that kerning confuses the computer.
For years, we've heard announce ments of OCR scanners that could read kerned text, and every now and then one comes out; but none of them has been worth much. At COMDEX, Flagstaff Engineering was demonstrating the Spot program that can take image-scanned text from either the Hewlett-Packard or the Panasonic scanner and turn that into machine-readable ASCII files.
The program isn't perfect. It has to be taught each typeface, and every time it runs into a kerned pair it has never seen before, it complains until you teach it what it means. You have to tell it that the symbol WA is to be interpreted as two ASCII characters rather than one. Once it learns that, it remembers. Eventually, it will know all the kerning pairs in that particular book, after which it can read the book.
I have a bunch of books I wrote on a typewriter before I got old Zeke. I either don't have the typescripts of those books, or they were so marked up in editing as to be unscannable; in any event, I have no
continued
106 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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AUGUST 1988 · B Y T E 107
CHAOS MANOR
Items Discussed
APX-3200 .... .......... ............ $2675
Maximum Storage 5025 Centennial Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80919 (719) 531-6888 Inquiry 937.
Battery Watch .................... $39.95 Traveling Software 18702 North Creek Pkwy. Bothell, WA 98011 (206) 483-8088 Inquiry 938.
Cheetah386Motherboard ..... $1195 Cheetah International 107 Community Blvd., Suite 5 Longview, TX 75602 (800) 243-3824 Inquiry 939.
ForComment: .. ......... .. .... ..... .$995 Print Shop......... ........... ..... $34.95 Broderbund Software 17 Paul Dr. San Rafael, CA 94903 (415) 492-3200
Inquiry 940.
Grammatik II .. ... ................... $89 Grammatik III.. ...... ..... ..... ..... $99 Reference Software 330 Townsend, Suite 123 San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 541-0222 Inquiry 941.
Readability ... ....... ... ...... .... $59.95 Scandinavian PC Systems 51 Monroe St., Suite 707A Rockville, MD 20850 (800) 628-2828 ext. 982 (301) 738-8826 Inquiry 942.
SideKick Plus... ... .... ........ .. $199.95
Borland International, Inc.
4585 Scotts Valley Dr.
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Spot .. ..... ...................... ..... .$9.95 Flagstaff Engineering 1120 Kaibab Lane Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (602) 779-3341 Inquiry 944.
machine-readable copies of my early works, and no easy way of making any.
That's all changing. Flagstaff Engi neering has enough confidence in their programs that they're arranging to get me the loan of a Hewlett-Packard scan ner, which they say will work with their software so that when we put printed copies of my old books in, we'll get ma chine-readable language out.
I can't wait to try that.
Traveling Strikes Again Mark Eppley of Traveling Software doesn't seem to know the rules: he held a press conference (his first ever) at COM DEX to announce a product they're actu ally shipping. I understand that seven different PR agencies were so horrified they tried to straighten him out: you hold press conferences to announce stuff that you're going to ship Real Soon Now, not something that you've actually got out the door.
Anyway, Traveling has a small mem ory-resident program for laptops that keeps track of battery use. By doing Shift-Alt-B, you get a "fuel gauge" display that estimates the time remaining before the batteries in your particular
laptop (you tell it which one you have during setup) go dead.
This is one of those utilities Traveling developed largely for their own use, then partway through decided it was a salable product. You can live without it-I have for several years-but it's certainly a convenience if, like me, you have a faulty memory. I have several times got on an airplane with a partially charged Z-183 and run out of juice before the flight was over. My fault, but very annoying. Trav eling's Battery Watch program would have prevented that.
I can't testify to its accuracy for all laptops, but I did test a prerelease version on my Z-183, and it's pretty good on that: it reported I had 2 hours left when in fact the machine ran for 2 hours and 10 minutes. An hour later it reported 1.1 hours remaining, so it was in fact updat ing its prediction by watching my use pattern.
Battery Watch has a "deep discharge" option designed to really run down your nickel-cadmium battery. Running it down until it's complete discharged and then recharging it maintains the capacity and increases the life span of the battery. Otherwise, the battery develops a "mem
ory"; if not completely discharged, it only partially recharges. The deep dis charge option may be useful for some laptops, but it certainly isn't needed for the Z-183. When I tried the program, it did continuous reads on both the hard disk and floppy disk drives.
Moreover, after I'd been running the deep discharge option and listening to it grind my hard disk and floppy disk drives for a while, the backlit screen turned itself off. The prerelease version of Battery Watch didn't know how to take control ofthat, which is odd, because you set the time-out constant (how long the screen will stay lit between keystrokes) in software, meaning that number has to be stored somewhere in the machine's memory. The backlit screen uses plenty of power, and if you can keep it on, that surely would be the most harmless way to deep discharge your battery. As it hap pens, Norman Spinrad discovered a way to do just that on the Z-183 : simply give the machine the SHIP command.
SHIP is supposed to park the hard disk drive head in a landing zone, after which you turn off the computer. If you don't turn it off after issuing SHIP, the Z-183's screen backlighting stays on until the bat tery is gone, which is surely a more be nign way than grinding the disk drives.
Mark Eppley says that the production version of Battery Watch does keep the backlight on during a deep discharge. And, although using SHIP is a gentler method to discharge the batteries, using the deep discharge option speeds up the entire discharge/recharge operation.
The fuel-gauge part of Battery Watch works fine, and anyone who does a lot of traveling with a portable will be better off for it.
Peep Shows One reason COMDEX wasn't very excit ing was that about half the new stuff on display has been vaporware for a very long time: products announced but not yet demonstrated, much less shipping. No matter how exciting a product is, after you hear about it long enough you lose interest.
Some companies know this, and they have a policy of not making public an nouncements until they've really got a product. On the other hand, they also know that writers have an insatiable ap petite for new things to write about, which presents them with something of a dilemma.
One way out of that is what's known in the trade as a peep show: your booth on the show floor has only shipping prod
concinued
108 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 160 on Reader Service Card
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CHAOS MANOR
ucts, but you also have a hotel suite where not as elegant as some of the high-end you bring selected distributors, dealers, programs, but it's easy to get into and and customers for private showings; and good enough for a heck of a lot ofjobs.
if there's any time left over in your Anyway, Broderbund hasn't aban
schedule, you bring in reporters and col doned games, but they have become a se
umnists you can trust to respect informa rious contender in the business and edu
tion-release embargoes. As an example, I cation markets.
saw the Zenith laptop computers almost One of their better efforts is ForCom
a year before they were announced to the ment: (despite the cutesy-pie name).
public-I'm rather proud that they incor This is a program that lets from a few to a
porated a couple of my suggestions into whole bunch of people take text files, ex
the final product-and the Zenith Flat amine them, and make editorial com
Technology Monitor long before it was ments complete with date and initial
shown to the industry in general.
stamps. The commented version can
When I first began writing for BYTE, then be sent on to someone else, either by
there was a full 4-month delay between disk or through a local-area network
my draft and the actual publication. Over (LAN). Either way, there are simple
the years, they've whittled that down a ways for the final editor to collate the
lot: I'm writing this on May 20, just be comments and either implement or re
fore the Science Fiction Writers of Amer move them. One of the neatest features is
ica's annual Nebula Awards banquet, and selectivity: if one of the people making
it will be in the August issue, meaning · comments turns out to be a ~omplete id
that it will be on the stands in mid-July. iot, you can set the system so that you'll
Of course, I should have had this in a never see those remarks.
weekago....
Despite the fact that Niven and I are
Anyway, one of the COMDEX peep about the most successful writing team
shows was held by Intel, and I have their since Nordoff and Hall, I'm no great fan
permission to say this much: Intel has a of collective writing; realistically,
new PCompatible communications sys though, most corporate documents are
tem, hardware and software, that will necessarily collaborative efforts. Policy
knock your eye out. I've been saying for memos have to be vetted by several de
years "one user, at least one CPU," and partments. Letters often must be re
Intel has taken that to heart. I guarantee viewed by a number of specialists. All
you' II hear more about this one.
this can be expensive, especially if it's
done in face-to-face meetings.
ForComment:
ForComment: can take up some of that
I first saw Broderbund in San Francis burden. It's easy to learn and easy to use,
co's Brooks Hall at one of the early West and it's not overdeveloped for the job it's
Coast Computer Faires. They had a tiny supposed to do. It supports about a dozen
booth over against one wall, and they word-processing programs (including, of
were showing the best computer games course, straight ASCII text files). My
I'd ever seen. The next year they had a only complaint about ForComment: is
larger booth, and the year after that they that it doesn't recognize Q&A Write,
had one of the biggest in the show, all which is the editor Niven and I are using
built around computer games.
for our next novel.
If you know computer games, you're
likely to know something about com SideKick Plus
puter graphics, and the temptation for Readers of this column will know that
games companies is to use that expertise I'm a longtime addict of SideKick; in
in an attempt to penetrate the business deed, one ofthe reasons I abandoned old
market. Sometimes that doesn't work Zeke was that there was nothing like
few even remember the name of Info SideKick for CP/M. I can't imagine
com 's business programs-but some there's anyone out there who doesn't
times it works spectacularly, as witness know what SideKick is, but just in case:
Broderbund's Print Shop low-end desk it's a memory-resident program that
top publishing programs and utilities for gives you instant access to a notebook,
the IBM PC.
calendar/datebook, desk calculator,
I recently received a report that Print phone book and dialer, and ASCII con
Shop was the best-selling PCompatible version table. It's a program you can get
program of 1987, and I've no reason to totally dependent on, as Mrs. Pournelle
doubt that. I've covered it in other col discovered after I installed a copy on her
umns; in the unlikely event you don't AT&T 6300 Plus machine.
know about it and you have the slightest The only real problem with SideKick
interest in using a PC for simple bread was that it ate too much memory; and
and-butter print work, check it out. It's since it was one of the earliest of the
memory residents, it didn't cooperate too well with other such programs. If you loaded it last, though, it worked quite well; and if you used it in its own DESQ view window, the memory requirements were no problem at all. Consequently, although I've had SideKick Plus for some time, I was in no hurry to install it. Bet ter is the enemy of good enough, and SideKick was good enough ....
That was foolish of me. SideKick Plus does a lot more than address SideKick's problems.
It does take care of those. True, it uses more memory than SideKick did, but un like its predecessor, SideKick Plus knows how to load most of itself into Lotus/Intel/Microsoft EMS 4.0 ex panded memory. Of course, you must have an expanded memory board, but that's no problem: a whole bunch of ven dors will be happy to sell you one. Alas, that will be expensive. A year ago, mem ory was essentially free. Now, given the U.S. Department of Commerce's suc cess in creating and enforcing a memory chip cartel-I guess the government thought Japan, Inc., was at a competitive disadvantage and wanted to level the field-I don't know what a good ex panded memory board will cost.
The important thing is that SideKick Plus has a whole bunch of new features, including an outline processor that com petes with Ready!. For the past couple of years, I've used both SideKick and Ready! (Ready! has always had the abil ity to stuff most of itself into expanded memory, so it doesn't take up too much prime memory space); now, I'll prob ably eliminate Ready! entirely.
There are also alarm clocks, lots of enhancements to the calculator, real im provements to the calendar/scheduler, and enough more that it's pointless to go on. If you liked SideKick, you 'II love SideKick Plus. If you don't use Side Kick, you probably ought to rethink your situation. It was that good, and SideKick Plus is even better.
Strongly recommended.
Developer's Dreams There's been a recent spate of news about a design defect in the Intel 80386/80387 chip combination; sometimes when doing 32-bit calculations, the two chips get into an Alphonse/Gaston situation, each expecting the other to do something first, and the system is locked up.
The latest major system here is a big 20-MHz Cheetah 386, with a Priam 330 megabyte hard disk drive. The neat thing about the Cheetah 386 motherboard is
continued
110 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
If you need or are accustomed to the throughput of a 32 -bit mini, including any of DEC's VAX series, MicroWay has great news for you. The combination of our NOP compilers and our mW1167 numeric coprocessor gives your 386 PC, VAX speed!Jf you don't own a 386 PC, we provide a number of economical PC and AT upgrade paths.
Many of our NOP Fortran-386 users are reporting turn around times that are two to six times faster than their VAX. The exact times are a function of the VAX processor being used, thespeedof the386,the number of users being served by the VAX, and the coprocessor being used with the 386. There are currently over 400 developers using our NOP tools to port 32-bit applications.To help the 386/1167 engineering standard emerge, MicroWay is co-marketing
several mainframe applications that have been ported by our customers. In addition, this ad in-
Dr. Robert Atwell, a leading defense scientist, calculates that NOP Fortran-386 is currently saving him $12,000 per month in rentals of VAX hardware and software while doubling
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Fred Ziegler of Aspen Tech in Cambridge, Mass. reports "I ported 900,000 lines of Fortran source in two weeks without a single problem!" AspenTech's Chemical Modeling System is in use on mainframes worldwide and is probably the largest application to ever
run on an Intel processor.
Dr. Jerry Ginsberg of Georgia Tech reports "My problems run a factor of six faster using NOP Fortran-386 on an mWt 167 equipped
386120 than they do on my Micro VAX II.·
troduces the first of many utilities that will ease the porting of your favorite in-house programs. These include tools like NOP-Plot, which provides CalComp compatible screen and printer graphics, and NOP Windows.
MicroWay has mW1167 boards in stock that run on the Compaq 386/20, IBM PS2/80, Tandy4000, AT&T 6386, Acer386/20, Everex Step 386/16(20), H.P. Vectra RS/16(20) and others. We now have a new board for the Com paq 386/20 which combines an 1167with VGA support that is register compatible with IBM the "SlotSaver". It features an extended 800x600 high res mode that is ideal for 386 workstations.
Finally, we still offer the 16-bit software and hardware which made us famous. If you own a PC or AT and are looking for the best
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32-Bit Compilers and Tools
NOP Fortran-386n' and NOP C-386TM Com pilers generate globally optimized mainframe quality code and run in 386 protected mode under PharLap extended MS-DOS, UNIX, or XENIX. The memory model employed uses 2 segments, each of which can be up to 4 gigabytes in length. They generate code for the 80287, 80387, or mW1167. Both compilers in clude high speed EGA graphics extensions written in C that perform BASIC-like screen operations . ...... . . . .. . . . .. . .. $595 each
·NOP Fortran-386TM Full implementation of FORTRAN-?? with Berkeley 4.2, VAXNMS and Fortran-66 extensions.
· NOP C-386TM Full implementation of AT&T's PCC with Microsoft and ANSI e.densions.
NOP Package Pricing: 387FastPAK-16 : NOP Compiler, PharLap, and80387-16Coprocessor . ... . . . $1299
1167FastPAK-16: NOP Compiler, PharLap, and mW1167-16 Coprocessor . ... . $1695 1
NOP Windows TM_ NOP Windows includes 80 functions that let you create, store, and recall menus and windows. It works with NOP C-386 and drives all the popular graphics adapters. Library ... .. $125, C Source .. ... $250
NOP PloF"' - Calcomp compatible plot pack age that is callable from NOP Fortran . It in cludes drivers for the most popular plotters and printers and works with CGA, Hercules, EGA and VGA .... . . . . . . . ..... .... . .. . $325
NOP/FFTTM - Includes 40 fast running, hand coded algorithms for single and double dimen sioned FFTs which take advantage of the 32 bit addressing of the 386 or your hard disk. Call able from NOP Fortran or NOP C with 1167 and 387 support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . .. $250 387FFT for 16-bit compilers .... . .... . .. $250
387BASICTM - A 16-bit Microsoft compatible Basic Compiler that generates the smallest .EXE files and the fastest running numeric code on the market. ... ... . ... .. . . . .... .. $249
MicroWay®
80386 Support
Parallel Processing
MonoputerTM The world's most popular Transputer develop ment product runs all MicroWay Transputer software using either aT414 or T800.The T800 processor has built-in numerics and provides performance comparable to an 80386 running at 20 MHz with an mW1167. The new 3L Paral lel C and Fortran Compilers makes this an especially attractive porting environment. Can be upgraded to 2 megabytes. Monoputer with T414 (0 MB) . .... . . . $995 Monoputerwith T800 (0 MB) . . . . . .. $1495
QuadputerTM This board for the XT, AT, or 386 can be pur chased with 2, 3 or 4 Transputers and 1, 4 or 8 megabytes of memory per Transputer. Two or more Quadputers can be linked together to build networks with mainframe power which use up to 36 Transputers. One customer's real time financial application has gone from 8 hours on a mainframe to 16 minutes on a sys tem containing five Ouadputers. . .. from $3495
Transpu ler Compilers and Applications MicroWay and 3L offer Parallel languages for the Monoputer and Quadputer. MicroWay Parallel C . .... .. ... .. .. . $595 MicroWay0ccam2 . . . . .. . . .. . .. .. . $495 3L Parallel C .. . .. .. .... . . . . . .. ... $895 3L Parallel Fortran ..... . . . ........ $895 µField - A specialty finite element analysis package targeted at Transputer networks. Ideally suited to take advantage of the 6 Megaflop speed of the Quadputer.. . ... $1600
Call (508) 746-7341 tor our tree catalog!
Numeric Coprocessors
mW1167l'"' - Built at MicroWay using Weitek components and an 80387 socket. mW1167- 16 .. . ....... . . . . ... . .. . $995 mW1167-20 . .. . .. . ... . ..... . . . . $1595 mW1167/VGA-20 "SlotSaver" .. . . . . $1995 8087 .. . . . ....... . .. . ... . . ....... $99 8087-2 . . ... . .... . .. . .... . .. . ... $154 80287-8 . . ... . .. . .. . . . . . .. . . . ... $239 80287-10 . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . $295 80387- 16 . .... . ..... . .. .. ...... . $475 80387-20 .. . . .. ... . .... . ... ... . . $725 287Turbo -12 (for AT compatibles) . .. . $450 DRAM . .. .. ..... ... . . ...... . . . . CALL
(All of our Intel coprocessors include 87Test.)
PC and AT Accelerators
MicroWay builds a number of 8086 and 80286 based PC accelerators that are backed up by the best customer support in the industry. Number SmasherT"' (8087 & 512K) .. $499 FastCACHE-286/9 MHz .. .. . . . ... . . $299 FastCACHE-286/12 MHz . . . . . . .. . . .$399 SuperCACHE-286/12 MHz ......... $499 Intel lnboardr"' PC (1 MB) .. . . . ... .. $950
Intelligent Serial Controllers
MicroWay'sAT4TM, AT8TM,andAT16TMarethe fastest 80186-based intelligent serial control lers on the market. They come with drivers for UNIX, XENIX , and PC MOS. AT4 ... $795 ATS ... $995 AT16 ... $1295
32-Bit Applications
COSMOS-M/386 - SRAC's finite element package for the 80386 with an 80387 or mW1167 provides mainframe speed and capacity. Turn around times rival the VAX 8650 and are 6 to 15 times that of an AT: from $995
PSTAT-386 - This mainframe statistics pack age has been used by government and in dustry for20 years. The full versionwasported. Requires 4 to 6 megabytes of memory: $1495
NOP/NAGTM - Features a library of 800 en gineering and scientific numerical algorithms. Callable from NOP Fortran . . . . . . .. . .... $895
Micro VVay
The World Leader in PC Numerics
P.O. Box 79, Kingston, MA 02364 USA (508) 746-7341 32 High St., Kingston-Upon-Thames, U.K., 01-541-5466
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AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 111
CHAOS MANOR
UPS ShipMate'" Manifest S295
PRINTERS · LASERS · SCANNERS
AST1urbolase11PS.... Call
Cillnn 120·0 .... , ..... $139
180·0 · . . ·· ' · ···· ·. $157
MSP·ISE . ·· . ···· , ·· S295
MSP-40 .. ..... . ... . 1269
MSP-45 ..·. ···. . ··· SJ89
MS·-50 .... ... . .... S35'l
MSP-55 .. . ·. ·· , .... S449
Prem1c1c3S . .. ··· .·. S4J9
Tribule\2.\ .·.·. ...· $439
Tnbute224 . · . .· · . ,. S579
Oitonii150 .......· · .. s.JOQ
H·P Laser Je! Series 11, ·· 11699
JDL850 ... ......... .. Call
NECP-6 . . . . ... .. . . . 1425
P-7......
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P·9 ·· . ·....· .. .... 11019
3510.3550 .......... U19
8810.8850 .. . .. · . · . : 1!039
Panuonlc 1080e·M2 , ··· , 1155
1091t·M2. .
Sl90
10921. . . .
. $289
1524 ..... ·· · ··· . . . 1524
1592 ... ··· . . · ·· .. S389
1595 . . . ........ .. l399
301 .......
$150
3151 ... ... ....... S365
Scaooet .......... S899
Per$on1tl1:ier(Mac) . . . 11356
SlarMicrooics
NX11XKJ · ·.·.······· 1169
NXIS . ···· ,, ,, ·.· . S195
NDIS ..
. ... S37S
NRIO · ·
· ·· · Sl2S
NR15 .·· ··. , . · · S419
Tasl!flli 321 SL . , ·· . , .· 1465
341 SL . · · ·. . ··.··· Slill9
3~1 sx .... .··.. .. ' S888
351C·2 . . ···.. . . SI019
CHIPS04k.2::.SUKJB7.00287/387 . ········· . ..·. · · . . . Cill
MONITORS · TERMINALS · PANELS
Amdek 1280w/card · · ... S639
Hilichi .......... ····· Call LagUechMulliscan .. ···· 1449 Mi1111blshi
Diamond Scan · ··. ... 1475
Olhe1s ..·.. · . . .·. · . C1H HEC Multisync . ······ . 1539
Mullisync:U, Plus& XL ·. ······ . · . Cilll
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Slgma Oesigns
LaserView 15119" · · Call
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SOFTWARE
ACT! .. ·· · ········· . 1198
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Canvas !Mac:I...
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Clipper ... . · .· , .·
Sml9s9
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d8ase111Plus ..· · ....· $355
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Excel Mac/PC ..·.. Sl16/Sl81
FastBack Backup ·. ·· ..· S75
FoxBasePl11s . ..... .. S119
GEM Draw Plus . . . . . . ·· SIMI
Genc11c Cadd 3.0.. . ·. ·· . S5S
Generic& DotPlot30 · · .· S71
Ge11er1c Editor Choice .·. Sl\9
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Ha1vard Graphics . . · . . . m5
Ha1v.1rd TO!Pro1M91 .·. S317
Lighlmg HD Speedup ·. . .. S54
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Calcomp 1043;GT ·. · ..·. Sfi195
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OMP41142.
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that the Cheetah designers saw the puter science people had the same
80386/80387 lockup problem in ad difficulty .
vance, and they are pretty sure they've XCOPY sometimes does not save sub
designed around it. This kind of hard directory information, even though it re
ware arcana is a bit out of my league, but ports that it did. Later on, when you try
I do know this much: I've got a program to recover the files and can't find them,
said to invoke the Intel lockup bug, and it the tendency is to blame the WORM
certainly doesn't do anything to the drive; but in fact the fault lies with
Cheetah. Since the bug is probabilistic, it XCOPY, which sometimes just plain gets
could be that I just haven't run the lockup lost in subdirectories. Microsoft says
program long enough, or, who knows, they're aware of this and will fix it.
there may be a bug in the bug program. Enough about WORMs. What I'm
But I don't seem to be able to do anything really gushing about is the big Cheetah
to that Cheetah that can hurt it.
machine. Back in S-100-bus CP/M
In fact, this machine is a developer's days, Dr. William Godbout's CompuPro
dream. It's blindingly fast. The Priam machines dominated the development
hard disk drive is large enough to store market: the major software developers
nearly every program I have. I have both had CompuPro machines, and most of
1.2-megabyte high-density and 360K those who didn't, wished they did.
byte "standard PC" floppy disk drives. There's no similar situation in the
The Cheetah links to everything else PCompatible world . There may never be.
through a serial port: so far, I've tried I will say this: Cheetah has the potential.
Brooklyn Bridge, Traveling Software' s Their machines are reliable, fast, simple,
LapLink and DeskLink, and ArtiSoft's and well designed. Combine a Cheetah
LANtastic. All work fine, so I've had no 386 motherboard, Priam 330-megabyte
problems transferring data into and out hard disk drive, and Maximum Storage
of the system .
WORM, and you've got something ap
The real kicker is the Maximum Stor proaching a software developer's dream
age WORM drive. I seem lately to have machine.
developed a love affair with this thing.
I talked about WORM drives last Winding Down
month. Now I'm ready to make a flat Once again I'm out of space, and there's
statement: any software developer or se still a huge pile of stuff on my "ready"
rious writer who doesn't have a WORM table. One of the most important items is
drive has rocks in his head.
ArtiSoft's LANtastic, which is just pos
Well, OK, I know better than to say sibly good enough to make 1988 the year
things like that. There are probably cir of the LAN.
cumstances I don't know about. How
The game of the month is FTL's Dun
ever, for serious software developers, geon Master for the Atari ST. I warn you:
money is not a good reason to avoid get this game is addicting.
ting a WORM . If you're really serious The book of the month is Infinite in All
about your software development or your Directions by Freeman Dyson (Harper
writing, you can't afford not to have one. and Row). In 1887, Adam Gifford left a
If your work is worth money, it's worth a bequest to establish a series oflectures on
good backup system; and the WORM is natural theology. Since then, Gifford
darned near the ultimate in backups.
lecturers have included William James
A WORM drive lets you save-and re and Alfred North Whitehead. The 1985
cover-every version of your work. A · Gifford Lectures were given by Dyson. I
WORM cartridge holds between 200 and certainly don't agree with him on many
300 megabytes, and it costs a bit more of his points, but Freeman Dyson is one
. than $100. You won't need more than one of the sanest people I've ever met. ·
per software project. (Two if you 're
really a worrier: use them on alternate Jerry Pournelle holds a doctorate in psy
days, and keep one in a safety deposit box chology and is a science fiction writer
well away from your house or office. who also earns a comfortable living writ
That way, a fire can't do you in.)
ing about computers present and future.
I've used half a dozen WORM drives Jerry welcomes readers' comments and
in the last couple of months; of those, the opinions. Send a se{f-addressed, stamped
Maximum Storage WORM drive has envelope to Jerry Pournelle, c/o BYTE,
been the simplest to install and easiest to One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough,
use. One caution: WORM drives and the NH 03458. Please put your address on
DOS program XCOPY do not work well the letter as well as on the envelope. Due
together. I've had problems with it, and tot he high volume ofletters, Jerry cannot
when I was out to Colorado Springs I guarantee a personal reply. You can also
found that the Air Force Academy com contact him on BIX as "jerryp. "
+- Circle 154 on Reader Service Card
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perating Microstat-11 couldn't be easier. No matter what your statistical needs are. Simply select the options you need from the menu system with a keyboard or a mouse and your answer is available instantly. No complex
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114 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
EXPERT ADVICE
APPLICATIONS PLUS ·
Ezra Shapiro
NEW
DIRECTIONS
The column and a shareware classic get a "Plus," and GrandView defines a new class of software
U
nderstanding why we've changed the name of the col umn from "Applications Only" to "Applications
Plus" requires a little historical perspec
tive. When I began writing it, BYTE had
no equivalent of today's Short Takes,
and application reviews in general were
in short supply. The name "Applications
Only" was a signal to readers interested
in software that here, at least, they could
find reactions to lots of programs .
Times change, and BYTE's coverage
of software has expanded noticeably .
There is no longer quite the pressing need
for short reviews. I've also found thatthe
name has caused me grief when I've
found myself writing about hardware
or-heaven forfend!-programming.
Every time I've digressed into those
areas, I've had to concoct some strained
rationale for the excursion.
So we've borrowed a gambit from the
software business by giving the column a
"Plus." It sounded better than "En
hanced. " The major change will be a lit
tle breathing room for the author, yours
truly. The core material will remain
software-oriented, but I won't feel
sheepish if I write about industry issues
or trackballs. I'm also hoping to add
more head-to-head comparisons of prod
ucts and maybe a few application proj
ects. Expect any changes gradually, and
let me know if they work.
Beyond ThinkTank When I first heard about GrandView (Symantec, $295), I had no idea what to
expect. The name sounded more appro priate for a street, or possibly a suburb, than it did for software. Also, I had been betting that the next product from the Living Videotext Division of Symantec would be an MS-DOS version of More , the state-of-the-art Macintosh outliner. So when I plugged in GrandView, I was wondering whether I would find More ... or less.
In fact, GrandView could probably be called "too much of a good thing ." It's billed as "Desktop Planning, Writing, and Information Management, " and there 's a lot to it. It is not merely an up grade to ThinkTank. This is a new type of software, and on first glance it com bines aspects of an outliner with solid word processing, project tracking, and categorization. It strikes me as being a comprehensive blend of ThinkTank, Q&A Write, lnstaPlan, and possibly SideKick Plus, though it does not borrow all the features of each of those products.
If you 're familiar with the long devel
opment history of Living Videotext out line packages, you've noticed a steady movement from pure outlining to, well , information management (for want of a more precise term) . The company has done a superb job of listening to its cus tomers, and GrandView represents the latest attempt to serve the needs of the business executive. ThinkTank users have been crying for better word process ing, and they have slavered at More. They've used the outliners to develop to do lists, plan projects, store databases of names and addresses, develop agendas, and so on.
Living Videotext staffers have been amazed at the odd tasks their programs have been forced to perform. And gradu ally, the sample files included with the rest of the product line have changed to reflect this trend, to the point where the examples could be called "A Manager's Guide ." If you were to develop generic documents by sweeping all the paper off
continued
ILLUSTRATION: CHRIS SPO LLEN © 1988
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 115
APPLICATIONS PLUS
an executive's desk and analyzing the contents, you'd get the idea.
\ Anyway, you start by developing an outline, but you can switch instantly to a document view with full-power word processing (and spelling checking, I might add), or to a category view, where you can attach keywords and priorities to items. Thus, you can produce a more personally styled output document than you could with ThinkTank, and you can easily home in on important tasks.
The outliner, which can be seen as the organizing spine of the program, lets you perform all the usual Living Videotext operations: cloning, hoisting, marking and gathering, time stamping, and so on. You've got keyboard macro capacities, and GrandView lets you construct instal lable templates so you can quickly zap a preset form into your outline.
Aside from a few minor annoyances, such as the fact that once you've asked the installation program to set up a sec-
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!'.:JEZ-FORMS Rev. 015 CIHO -Menudrh' en fonns generator, misc. skeleton forms. ~SB.AS Vl.3 (170) - Small Business Ac
counting System. Menu-driven. Best avall 0 PRO PC·ACCT V3.0 (15:16) · Integrated GIL , AIR &A1P. Menu-drl\'en. Help. :J EASY PROJ!:CTVl.1 (440) - Complete proj"Cct maca~ment system. E;i...Tellent. Cl RE.AL P.6TATE ANALYST (83) · Menu drlvrn. mortgages. lnlerest. etc. :JCK - CHECKBOOKV3.l (79) · Full fea tured checkbook program v.1th r-eports. 0 BIDS 'N QUOT£& VO.9 (483J · Prepares cost estimates & proposals. Does labor. mater'lal, sub-contractor costs. etc.
a CJ BVS1NE88 LETTERS (303 304) - (2
disk seU 650 business leuers to flt all your needs. Edit wl any word processor.
LI Mil. BII.L V3.1 (311 a: 311) - 12 disk
seU nme & bllllng a;ckage: co ~ts . credits. reports. audit trail. etc. '.) PC-PAYROLL V1.3 "64) - Menu driv en payroll s:r.;tem: 100 emp lO )~es or Jess. SI REnAL PROPERTY (318) - Keeps track or l't'Otal aCtJ\1ty. ~enu drl....en. Cl SLICWORB.8 (311) · Framework c lone. lntegraled database, spreadsheet. word processor. & communications. ::J PARTSIHV!:JlfTORYCONTROL 1479) Tracks Inventory or a parts & service
business: qty. ordered. supplier. etc.
:J OCM:B.ETMD.OER Vl.1 (448) - Main
tain docket for la~y·er or law fl rm. :J l'l1'AJCCE MANAGER V4.0 ("77) - Ac counting package ror business or person al ftnances. Double emry .system.
j SOAR Vl.92 (4-49 a: 460) - 12 disk set!
Accounts receivable program. Handles a variety or services or products.
COMMUNICATIONS
::JRBB8 BULLETINBOARDV18.l (290 · 192) - 13 disk set) l\irn your computer Into a RBBS. Industry standard .
:J QMODEM V3. l 1193 a: 194) · 12 disk
sell FUii rea1ured modem program_
SI PROCOllY V1.41 (153 a: Ml 12 disk
set! Meou driven modem program.
DATABASE ::J Fll.E EXPRE88 V4.14 (33 a 34) · 12
disk sell Menu driven. easy to use data
base ror beginners to e>.:perlenced.
0 WAMl'tJM V3.1B (37 a: 38) · (2 disk
setl Menu d~ven dBase Ill clone. supports
1
runctlons or dBase. Knowledge of dBase
su~r.sted. L.atest update.
:I PC-PUE + V1.0 (493 - 496)- 13 disk
sell f\.rll-reatured database: help scr'C'ens.
menus. macros. One of the best.
:J dGENERATE Vl.O USU) - Scl"t'en &
source code generator by Tom Rettig.
dBase Ill required.
EDUCATION
O COMP06ER (3) - Create, save. edit, play. & printyourmuslc . ~ le e ... :1 LETTERJ'"ALL Vl.l (119) · Improve your touch typing skllls: 16 \e\-els.
Cl THE WORLD 30 (117) · Display maps
of the world. CGA required.
:::J FU!flll!:LS a BUCKETS V 2.0 (130)
Great learning game: add, subtract. multi
ply, & dl\'lde_ Ages 5 - 10 .
D ERYH'S ABC'S (131) · Teaches alpha
bet & numbers. Computerized Etch -a
Sketch. Ages 2 - 6. Basic required.
::J AMY'S FIRST PR.IKER (133!· Alpha
bet, numbers. counting . shapes, match
ing. etc. Ages 4 - 8. CGA & Basic req.
O POLYGLOT V6.0l (139) - Vocabularv
builder. Grades 7 · college. Excellent.
-
GAMES
O BIACKJACK (98) · Advanced black
jack game with tutor, mulllple players.
Bes1 one yet. CGA or Hercules.
:1 MONOPOLY V6.7 (108) - Just !Ike- the
board game, 2 to 4 pla~'!'rS. CGA r't'q.
a ::J DUNGEONS DRAGONS v1.1 (1015)
The Classlc Game. Can you surd\'C'?
Q LAB VEGAS (116) · Craps. Roulkte,
Poker. & mor't'. CGA req., Basic on some.
J 3D CHESS Vl.01 (1115) - Excellent
chess ~me. Switch ~tween 20 & 30.
Cl soirrAIRE (111) . 4 different games.
~le~ graph\C5. CGA '"'quired.
.'.J SUPER PINBALL (111) · 5 different
games. CGA required .
:J WORDPIAY (387) - Wheel of Fortun('
clone. You pro.H'lde the prizes. CGA req.
::J DIGITAL LEAGUE B.<SEBALL (344) Pick )."Our team & pla~-ers _ Slee graphics.
;:J MINIATURE GOLF CGOZ5l · 18 hole golf
course with graphics.
GRAPHICS
:J FINGER.PAINT V1.0 (181) · Paint pro gram: 6 fonts , ~I sizes. Desktop publish· lnl.l & slide-show. CGA, EGA. or Herc ules. :l -CALENDAR CREATOR (~l - Create & print ~'O ur o"·n mon1hly calendar.
.'.J DUICAD 30 V1.0B (414 a: 4115) · 12
disk setl Advanced 2D13D dr.:&rtlng pro gram. Stereoscopic 3D "ire frame anima tion. EGA,CGA, Hercules. 640k req. D CITTDESKV6.0(l97l · Desktop pub llsher with "taphlC'$ capabllty.
.1n31r.13
::J TURBO ·c· TUTOR (4S9 a 490) · 12
disk sell 14 lesson tutorial : learn to pro gram In "C" lan~ua~e. ::J "C" LAMOUAOEV1.l (199 & 300) -12 disk set! Complete programming environ ment . Soun:-e, compller. samples. ~TURBO P.t\SCAL TUTOR (101 . 17 les son tucorlal "1th samples, etc.
MISCELLANEOUS
::J STRESS & SHRINK (74) · Stress
stl"t'SS test. Shrink · personality anal)-"Sls.
J l"ASTBUCB.8 (1911 · \ilen u -drh·e n
home llnance packa5;!e. Easv to use.
:J HEALTH RJBK c33u . Diagnose ~-our
ov.,, ailments.
:J LITTLE BIACK BOOK 14411 · C'r"ates
pocket sized addr'('SS book. Prints mlnl ·
alphabt"tJzC'd pa2es.
j TIMESAVEii (441) Crea te de.II~ ·,
monthly calendar or appolnlmenrs.
SPREADSHEET
:::J LOTUS 123 PROGRAMS (2S · 32) - 15
disk setJ Contains as many appllcatlons
and ulllllles that we could find. Requires
Lotus 123 program.
::J LOTOS L&ARNll'IOb SYSTEM l4118) Beginning 1utorlal ror Lo1us 123.
OAS !;AST A8 V3.0 (302) - Lotus clone.
52 column sheet. graphing, supports
functions or 123, "\\'KS" files. etc.
UTILITIES
SI 008 HELP (2531 ·He lp screen for DOS
commands, runctlons & batch mes at your
nngertlps. For DOS 3.XX.
0 DOS TC"I'ORIAL V4.1 (1"6) - Menu
driven.learn to use your computer.
~ LQ V1.l (f509) - Produces high quality
text on dot ma1rlx printers. Multiple fonts
with print spooler.
a :::J LASER.JET FONTS I ll (471 472) - 12
disk setl Mo~ downloadable roots for HP
L.aserjN Plus Il l. Hel,-etlca. Sc ript. etc.
:::J LASERJET FONTS/ UTll.ITmS (32SJ ·
Contains 'Pamphlet' (sideways printing) &
misc. other utllllles & roots.
::I PRINTPRO Vl.1 14381 ·Change prlnler
operation from within A....,-y appllcatlon at
A~'Yllme.
:J DESKMATEB Vl.01 (178) - Sidekick
like utllit)' plus more features.
:I AC"I'OME1fU V4.0l (180) - Access pro ·
grams.batch fJIC's, commands. etc.
WORD PROCESSING
:l BIDEWlUT'ER (6) - "Sideways" printing.
.'.J PC-WRITE V1.71 (9 · 10) · 12 disk setl
Full featuttd word processo~: all the fea
tures of the expensive one's.
.:J LEITER.HEAD (89) - C1'C'ate and print
your own letterhead on letters and en\'e·
lript"s. IB\1 tEpson comp. prln1er req.
'.J OAIAXYV1.3 (ll) - Easy to use word
processor: menus & quick keyboard com
mands. Lots orreatur'('s.
j PC TYPE + (373 · 3715) · 13 disk set) A
powerful word processor. Buttonware.
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116 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 172 on Reader Service Card
ond printer you can't back down from that decision, the program is as solid as Living Videotext's other offerings, and the company has one of the best records in the business for shipping hassle-free products. I encountered no oddities, but the 3 weeks I've been testing have been far from enough to hit all the options.
But I have found the program rather Byzantine. You can't just plug it in and go; gotta read the manual or you're lost. Good documentation and on-line help provide a big assist, but you won't learn the program without a few hours of hard study . While the integration is smooth and painless-you can switch quickly among the various views-it's also con fusing at first go. Once they've mastered it, GrandView enthusiasts will spend most of their time living in the software, only coming up for air to fiddle with a spreadsheet or database.
For the quick-and-dirty outline per son, like me, who likes to have Ready! around so that I can jot quick notes, GrandView is simply overkill. But I have to say that this is a first impression. I'm still flustered by the category view, and I need to experiment in depth.
One of the problems facing people who evaluate software is the need to write about new products as soon as pos sible after they hit the street. GrandView demands much more study. I suspect that, as with any complicated piece of software, I'm going to have to ease into it and work with it for a while before pass ing final judgment. Think of WordStar, XyWrite, dBASE, or most spreadsheets; you can get the rudiments in a few weeks, but the programs seem tough at that point. It's not until you've explored the nooks and crannies that you appreci ate their real power.
Though my first reaction is somewhat negative, I'm positive that the product will succeed in management applications and that anybody who is looking for a tool that goes beyond simple outlining will be delighted by GrandView. So I'm going to hold off, take some time, and give you an extended-use report in a few months. GrandView is intriguing and important enough to demand at least that much attention.
A Way with Words It certainly isn't the greatest word pro cessor ever sold, but Professional Write 2.0 (Software Publishing, $199) is without question a solid and workable MS-DOS program. There's something comfortable about the Software Publish ing interface; you know what you're
continued
-- ----·...·..... . -
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flexibility
· Full duplex communication allows file transfer capability with many communications software packages.
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and
· Pop-up RAM resident PC support software allows peripheral selection via hot key.
· Super fast throughput allows data to pass through with no
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expandability
·Manyuser-definable parameters including separate baud rates, flow control and parity for each port.
· Internal serial-to-parallel and
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BayTech
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· Designed and manufactured in the U .S.A.
Bay Technical Associates, Inc., Data Communications Products Division
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APPLICATIONS PLUS
doing from the start, and you rarely have to consult the excellent manual.
I had almost forgotten how pleasant it is to work with this company's products. Software Publishing is another o fthe few big companies that rarely releases buggy software, and it aims at the businessper son who's intent on getting to work rather than the computer guru who's in love with technicalities.
By now, the interface itself has be come something of a standard. You've seen it in PFS:Write, Q&A, and a host of imitators. Function-key menu bar across the top of the screen, boxed center area for your typing, ruler and two status lines across the bottom. Hitoneofthe function keys, and a longer menu pops down. De fault selections in menus are always highlighted, and the default choices make sense.
Most commands can be selected either from the menus or by hitting a Control sequence (Alt combinations are reserved for macros). Nothing fancy, and good correlation with printed output. It will probably offend the purists who prefer an absolutely blank screen, but the rest of us will find it unobtrusive. You've got three pleasant color schemes to choose from, and all of them are easy on the eyes (es pecially on an EGA monitor or better).
Here's what you get with Professional Write 2.0: a spelling checker with a 77 ,000-word main dictionary and a 5000-word personal dictionary. A 20,000-word thesaurus. A built-in calcu lator and column math. An address book for mail merge that has a nice entry screen and room for 2000 entries. Auto matic envelope printing (nice, if your printer can handle it). Macro recording. Line drawing, and access to the extended character set. Support for expanded memory. File encryption. A wide selec tion of printers and multiple font capabil ity, including Postscript. Context-sensi tive help.
Nothing spectacular in that list, but Professional Write does offer a couple of tricks worth mentioning. Not only can you save a 40-character description of each file, but you can search the com plete text of all your Professional Write documents, directory by directory, look ing for a specific search string. And the program imports files from major word processors, Lotus 1-2-3, and dBASE III without any headaches.
Using the program takes absolutely no brains, and I couldn't break it as hard as I tried. My quibbles with it are relatively minor: I'd prefer a larger user dictio nary, and the 2000-entry limit on ad dress books seems low, even though you
Items
Discussed
GrandView............. ....... ... $295 Symantec Corp. Living Videotext Division 117 Easy St. Mountain View, CA 94043 (415) 964-6300 Inquiry 934.
Procomm Plus .................... $75 Datastorm Technologies, Inc. P.O. Box 1471 Columbia, MO 65205 (314) 449-7012 Inquiry 935.
Professional Write 2.0 ......... $199 Software Publishing Corp. P.O. Box 7210 Mountain View, CA 94039 (415) 962-8910 Inquiry 936.
can create as many as you require. I do, however, question the use of the
word "Professional" in the program's name. This product strikes me as a basic word processor, fine for everyday use but probably not the best available for industrial-strength applications. You could probably write a book with it, but I wouldn't want to use it for a doctoral dis sertation in math or physics. Likewise, it lacks legal line numbering and multiple column printout. So it's not really a top echelon package.
Professional Write 2.0 is a good answer to Q&A Write, with a few fea tures not available there, but I do rec ommend checking out the Symantec product if Professional Write sounds in teresting to you. In fact, you probably ought to get demonstrations of a few other midlevel word processors at the same time. You won't be disappointed with Professional Write, but it's kind of a Ford. Depending on taste, you might do just as well with a Chevrolet.
Shareware to Commercialware This column is not the only thing to add a "Plus" to its name; Procomm, that ven erable shareware workhorse, has gone commercial and has become Procomm Plus (Datastorm, $75). The only way to get your hands on this new revision of the product is to buy it from a dealer or order it directly; you won't find the Plus ver sion on your local bulletin board. Tom Smith and Bruce Barkelew, the authors
ofthe program, are two of the nicest guys in the business, and I hope the change in the program's status lets them earn a de cent living at last.
Procomm was definitely one of my fa vorite telecommunications packages: full-featured, clean, and fairly easy to understand. Procomm Plus adds some new stuff: support for more file-transfer protocols than I knew existed (including Kermit and a couple for error-correcting high-speed modems), emulation of any terminal you'd ever want to emulate, split-screen mode for CB-style on-line chat, host mode for interactive dial-in operations, and a simple text editor.
The neatest addition is a decent script language that can be mastered easily; the team's earlier efforts required you to write in gibberish. The program already had a good interface for setting keyboard macros, exit to DOS as a shell operation, automatic session logging if desired, and a one-keystroke screen capture.
There are two other advantages to buy ing the private version. The first is the printed manual. Procomm Plus has some complex aspects, and step-by-step docu mentation is a big help. The second ad vantage is the support files you get in the package, which include scripts for every major on-line service and widespread bulletin board software; and dialing di rectories for bulletin boards in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. The package also includes long lists of both U.S. and inter national bulletin boards. This is the kind of nicety that is almost never provided with shareware.
The program is certainly the equal of many packages already on the market, and it can legitimately compete with the category leaders. Note, however, that there is no provision for background op eration, and that the script language falls short of some of the more extensive pack ages, like Mirror II, the latest Crosstalk, and Framework.
But on the whole, you won't go wrong purchasing and using Procomm Plus unless your requirements are sophisti cated in the extreme. For day-to-day tele communications, this is highly recom mended.·
Eua Shapiro is a consulting editor for BYTE. You can contact him on BIX as "ezra. "Because ofthe volume ofmail he receives, Ezra, regretfully, cannot re spond to each inquiry.
Your questions and comments are wel come. Write to: Editor, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458.
118 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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PS/ 2 and Micro Channel are trademarks of International Business Machines
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99 South Bedford Street, Burlingto n, MA. 01803
Circle 40 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 119
More and more, programmers and work station builders are using DESQview 2.0 as a development tool. The reason is simple. They can create powerful, multitasking solutions today for the millions of DOS PCs in use today. Solutions comparable to those promised for tomorrow by CJS/2.
Some of the applications under development right now using DESQview 2.0 API Tools: CAD, Medical systems, insurance, 3270 mainframe communications, network management, real estate, typesetting, point of sale, education, commodity trading,
80386Power
80386 programmers can take advantage of the 80386' s protected mode for large programs, yet run on DOS and multitask in DESQview-side by side with other 80386 and DOS programs. The breakthroughs that make this possible: DOS Extenders from
The API Advantage
stock trading and online voting. PharLap Software and AI Architects and DESQview support of these DOS extenders.
Programmers who take advantage of DESQview's API
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So if you are a developer, looking to create programs with mainframe capabilities, but wanting to sell into the existing base of miJJions of DOS PCs, come to Quarterdeck's first DESQview API Developers Conference, August 16-18, 1988
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Aprogram taking advantage of the DESQview 2.0 API can
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concurrently. It can schedule processing after an interval or people who are creating DESQview 2.0 API workstations
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nications to rapidly exchange data between programs, share common code and data; or interrupt at critical events. It can use DESQview's menuing and mousing capabilities to create menus. And there's lots more it can do.
And if you want to get a leg up before the conference, ask us about the DESQview API Tools for assembler or C programmers.
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Quarterdeck Office Systems 150 Pico Blvd.,Santa Monica, CA 90405 (213) 392 9851
120 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 197 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 198)
EXPERT ADVICE DOWN TO BUSINESS ·
Wayne Rash Jr.
STAKING OUT THE TERRITORY
What's best for your office? This new column offers real-world answers.
I
n many ways, business users of small computers are just like any other user. We have the same prob lems with hardware that breaks,
software that isn't shipped when prom
ised, and salespeople who know less than
we do about the machines they sell.
But there are differences. We may buy
hundreds ofcomputers, risking hundreds
of thousands of dollars if we make the
wrong decision. We may have an office
floor with 60 people who need to share
the same information. Or we may have a
VAX in the basement that we need to con
nect our personal computers to.
This is why I'm writing a business col
umn about small computers for BYTE. It
will approach personal computers from a
business viewpoint, but without the bias
you find in the "single machine" maga
zines. No one type of computer is the
solution to all problems, so no one com
puter will dominate this column.
That's not to say that I won't write
about IBM and clone machines or about
Macintoshes. They are the most heavily
used by the BYTE readership, and I will
devote a Jot of space to them. On the
other hand, I won't ignore the Unix
world or the less popular, specialty ma
chines either. All these areas show great
promise, and the future of your business
may lie with one of these machines.
The PC Guru If you're reading this magazine, there's a good chance that you're the person in your organization who is the "Corporate Techie," or the "PC Guru." While you
may or may not be in the organization chart as a computer staff resource, you
serve as one. When people find out that they can't format a floppy disk, or that they did format their hard disk, you're the person who gets the call. You're also the person who seems to have a constant stream of visitors to your desk, all asking the same question: "I've been thinking about getting a personal computer. What kind should I get?" In many companies, you 're also the person who wields a Jot of the influence about what the company buys and how it uses small computers.
One of the best ways to decide what will work in your office is to look at the experiences of others. It's a lot cheaper to Jet someone else take the risk while you learn from their experiences. Some times you can't do that, though, so the next best thing is to read about them.
For this reason, I'll try to illustrate my examination of the business small com puter user with case histories where they're appropriate. I'll also tell you about trends I see that are important to business users, and I'll report on hard ware, software, and services that might affect your business. What I won't do is give conventional, safe answers where another answer is better, nor will I deal with information you can find out from a quick read of the manual.
Networking One question that inevitably crops up each week or so concerns networks. Now that local-area networks (LANs) are known to exist, everybody wants one. Usually, the rationale is as simple as, "We have to be able to talk to each other." This means that there is a need for some portion of an organization to share some common data. Normally, the first application that comes to mind in volves a database, although word processing tends to follow closely.
Often, the request for a LAN comes without a full understanding of whether that is the correct solution. Your col league or client has read about these won derful networks and thinks a LAN is the
answer to the organization's information flow. It can be, of course, but it can also do a lotto impede that flow.
The software you choose can play a big role in making the LAN work properly especially when many users on the LAN need to use the same database. Choosing the wrong database can make your net work seem to come to a stop.
I ran across an example of this prob lem with a network that was using dBASE III Plus on a number of worksta tions to access a single large database on the file server. At the same time, other users were trying to use WordPerfect. As soon as more than three or four people be gan to use the database, performance dropped drastically.
This happened, of course, because all the database users were trying to use the file server's disk at the same time. The first user to try got control, and the others waited in a queue. Since many single-user databases running on a net work, including dBASE, treat the LAN as a disk channel, all the work for all the stations was being done by a single drive. The drive churned away, searching and indexing, while the other users waited. Of course, the repeated disk accesses added to the network traffic, slowing things even more. Response time was well over a minute on some screens.
Clearly, a number of actions can be taken to improve response time when using a database on a network. Some net work operating systems, including Novell NetWare, allow very flexible ar rangements of hard disks. Likewise, add ing more network server cards to the file server can help improve throughput. Probably the best solution, though, is to pick a DBMS that's designed as a multi user system in the first place.
The Database Server Network performance problems with databases that were originally designed for single users have led a few manufac
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 121
DOWN TO BUSINESS
turers to develop new solutions. One of the best is the database server. This is a database engine that resides on a CPU dedicated to database use. Queries come to the database engine, and results are re turned to the users. Ashton-Tate, devel oper of dBASE, has announced that, with Microsoft, it will develop just such a database server, but it has yet to deliver.
Meanwhile, a few other companies have said that they will bring out server based database engines. XDB Systems of College Park, Maryland, has one.
A server database engine such as XDB works by dividing the DBMS into a front end processor and the data engine itself. The front-end processor resides on the user's workstation. It provides the user interface and translates the user's actions into SQL commands. These commands are then sent to the database server.
When the database server receives an SQL command from a workstation, it performs the requested operation and re turns the result. The constant traffic of disk accesses is removed from the net work, and the file server is freed from the need to support the database as well. As a result, functions not related to data base management continue unimpeded, and your file server can be smaller. ·
Powerful Engine There is a down side to all this, of course. In the first place, XDB requires that you dedicate at least one CPU as the database server. Although you can use any IBM PC clone as the server, the ca pability of the server directly affects the speed of the database operations. Dr. Bing Yao, president ofXDB, told me that an 80286-based machine should be con sidered for serious database use, and that he would tend to recommend an 80386.
There's also the need for disk space. In addition to buying a large-capacity disk forthe file server, you also need one forthe database server. Because this disk will be doing all the network's database work, it should be pretty fast. If perfor mance gets to be a problem with a single database server, XDB allows you to add additional servers.
Fast and Easy There is a silver lining. XDB uses indus try-standard SQL to communicate with its database engine. This means that you can move your mainframe data to your microcomputer and take along the que ries that you used with DB2 as well. You can also go in the other direction, using queries from XDB to extract information from a mainframe database.
Setting up most applications is quick
Products
Mentioned
XDB Server ...... ...... ... ... .. $1995
XDB-SQL
Developers ....... ...... ... ... .. $495 Run-time ....... ..... ...... ..... $195 XDBForms Developers .... ... ..... ... ......$295 Run-time ........ ........ ... ..... $95
XDB Systems, Inc. 7309 Baltimore A-.e., Suite 220 College Park, MD 20740 (301) 779-6030
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and easy. XDB provides a fourth-genera tion query language for writing custom applications. In addition, there is a forms manager that allows you to define the database as you design the forms. Expe rienced developers can make use of C and COBOL libraries for creating appli cations that can't be developed in other ways. Finally, experienced SQL users can enter queries directly into an interac tive SQL system.
Once the applications are developed, the user has no way of knowing whether the system is using the database engine on the network, or a single-user database on the local workstation. Indeed, XDB will work equally well in either case without changing the applications. That way, you can create an application for all your users without worrying whether it will ultimately find itselfon a network or a stand-alone computer.
If you've already made the decision to invest in the hardware, software, physi cal plant, and personnel necessary to op erate a LAN that carries a significant database processing load, the additional server and disk capacity you need to as sure adequate performance is worth the cost. When you couple its fast operation and industry-standard query language, XDB is a good deal for the serious data base installation.
What's New for Business? The network version of XDB was one of the pieces of good news at Spring Com dex. In some ways, though, this does not look to be an exceptional year for innova tion in the world of IBM-compatible computers. When I checked with the firms claiming to have OS/2 products at Comdex in May, only 22 products were shipping. A few more were due out this
summer, but many will not arrive until after Comdex in the fall, or even into 1989. If you use IBM PCs or compatibles and need software, you probably should plan on looking to the DOS world in stead. There, products seem to be gain ing maturity and functionality.
A number of Comdex vendors told me they were still waiting to see what would happen to the market before they com mitted resources to OS/2 . Hardware de velopment likewise seems stunted, with most manufacturers simply creating new versions of add-on boards that already exist for PCs or PC ATs and clones. There were some significant efforts demonstrated to give the PC/AT world the same capabilities as the PS/2. These included VGA cards and hard disks and controllers with 1-to-l interleave.
The Macintosh II continues to woo business buyers away from manufac turers of IBM and compatible machines. Informix promised that its new super spreadsheet, Wingz, would finally make it to market. WordPerfect for the Macin tosh finally shipped just before Comdex. Autodesk announced a version of its AutoCAD for the Mac. Bolstered by the widespread belief that the Mac is faster and easier to use, these products are gaining interest from executives, espe cially now that Presentation Manager for OS/2 seems to be so far away.
Unix is making a push as the business standard for microcomputers. While at Comdex, I watched as Commodore's chief operating officer Henri Rubin used a mouse to click open windows on Unix, MS-DOS, and Amiga DOS on his Amiga 2000 equipped with a 100-megabyte disk. Dr. Rubin told me that the Amiga would soon be available with additional ports to support multiuser operation. He also showed me an Amiga with a screen resolution of 1008 by 800 pixels. I won der if Commodore is aiming at the lucra tive workstation market.
On the IBM side of business, things have slowed down a little just now. Per haps this is the time for a breather. On the other hand, perhaps it will give some of the other architectures a chance for a little more market share. ·
Wayne Rash, Jr. is a member of the pro fessional staff of American Management Systems, Inc. (Arlington, Virginia), where he consults with the federal gov ernment on microcomputers. You can reach him on BIX as "waynerash. "
Your questions and comments are wel come. Write to: Editor, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458.
122 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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111
229
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322
~~~rn°d"i.;;1~\s6 v~~~r~s~~~P:
799 Endeavors.
399
130 HALD '88, Media Cybernetics .. .... ........ .. 229
PC MOSl386 , Soltware Link.. .....
~~WNi~~cilinii1·t··:: ::: ::::::::
1B1 1B2
~'!':~,~~8i:. ~0~£:~::p·1;·ics ::::::::::::::::
554
162
1279 MetaWINDDW PLUS .. ............ .............. . 232
Turbo WINDDWIC .. .......... .... ......... .. ...... . BO
DEBUGGERS
Turbo HALD !Turbo Cl, Media Cybernetics BO
OBJECT - ORIENTED
ACTOR, White Water Group ..
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ASSEMBLERS
COBOL
ADVANTAGE C+ t, Lifeboat .
479
1n m ADVANTAGE Disassembler, Lifeboat . .. $ 279 Micro Focus Products ... ................. $CALL
Microsoft Mo\SM .. . DPTASM, SLR Systems ...................... .
~e~J~a0!8kb~.1
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B5 159
BASIC Flash-up, Software Bottling Co .... .... .. ... $
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2466253990
MS Pa·c~!i, Mi c' osolL... ..... .. .. .. Pascal-2, ure \l.On Software .. ... Turbo Pascal, JJorl ~nd ........ .. .. ..
69
Professional Pascal, Metaware
69
PASCAL LIBRARIES ITURBOJ
.... ' .. $
tt··············· ~;~:a~;~~a~~te:il~~:r~'IJL~~dbuir1n~tu~tis ~6 AZTECC-Commerciol, Manx.. ...............$ C~!J~ Turbo Pascal S & ETools, Quinn-Curtis ..
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1~~
155
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Greenleof Functions ...... .... .. ............... PforCe, Phoenix.. ...................................
145 215
386
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763 382
EDITORS
OPERATING SYSTEMS
B~'~M,Wi~~ -sy·s·t~·m ·~ ·-············:.: .....$
199
199
69
549
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90 SCREENS/WINDOWS
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2 Pmate, Phoenix ..................................
SPF/PC, Command Technology ...........
69 VEDIT PLUS, CompuView ...................
9BO0 101
XTC, Wendin FILE MANAGERS
70
269
11 5
1B5 131
BO
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... .$
MS Windows, Microsoft.......... ...
MS Windows Dev. Kit, Microsoft
PANEL Plus, Lifeboat ..... .... .
PANEL /DC or ITC ................... ... ....... ..
~~nad~~scfa;r6:i~eJ;0rN~~~~-~~tiVe: : ::::
229
69
329
395
99
162
CALL
ScreenStar w/Source, Essential ......... ... 169
101 Btrieve, Softcraft.. ....................... $ 1B5 Sol tCode,Software Bottling Co .
119
Xtrieve. ......................... .
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101
c:m.'E~ ~~~~0onck sys iii.n::::
109
141 OTHER PRODUCTS
B1 199 141
B9 179
c·tree, Faircam .. .. ................ . r·tree ...
dBC Ill, Lattice ... dBC 111111 w/Source dBC Ill PLUS db..VISTA OR db _OUERY, Ra1ma ..
XOL, Softcraft ..................... ..
31B
241
172
363
599 CALL 599
Dan Brickltn's Demo Program,
Software Graden . . . ... ...... $
MKS Toolkit ........................... .. MS DS/2 Programmer's Toolkit
~n1l.itr1~i'~~~iiiiei1lx :::::::.:::::::............. .
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60
139
239
101
279
323
66 GRAPHICS
Pre-C, Phoenix ............ .. ...... ..... .... .......... 159
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B1
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: : : : : : : : : : : mt CIRCUIT OESIGN·SCHEMATIC CAPTURE
HiWIRE, Wintek Corp ............................ $ B49
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282
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79
79
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395
STATISTICS
129
379
445
229
499
FORTRAN LANGUAGE
375
279
199
25
PSpice, M1croS1m ... .. . .. .... .. .. ... .. ..
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Probe groph1cs post-processor ... .......
Ports parometer est1motor ................
Monte Corio Analys is .............
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........ ...
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...........
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899 309
399 399 309 309 449 849 469 469
AutoCAD, by Autodesk ....
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Autosketch, by Autodesk .......... ..
65
Speed Enhanced Version .
Desipn CAD, American Small Bus "C:iimp·
79
219
Drafox 1 Plus.Foresight
. .. .. . 239
Draf1x 3-D Modeler.Foresg ht .
. 169
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ECAD Pelton Engineering
699
FAST CAD, Evolution Comput ing ....
1,849
Generic CADD .. .. ... ..... .... .. .
69
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315
469
319
749
659
99
749
539
229
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159
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339
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:~~~~~~PS~~tems_ U~lim·i·t~-~-of_C~ ..... $
FSIMPLEX, ... .................. Turbo View, Sublogic Corp
459
239
319
B9
355
79
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89
449
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AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 123
Embedded systems designers have already used CrossCodc C in over J72 di/lerent applications.
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· You can easily write assembly language routines that call C functions and vice versa, because the compiler uses simple, well documented parameter passing conventions.
How About Low Level Control? CrossCode C comes with an assembler that has all the features that assembly language programmers require. In fact, you could write
your whole application with it:
· The assembler features an advanced macro language, conditional assembly, "include" files, and an unlimited size symbol table.
· Detailed cross references show you where you've defined and referenced your symbols.
· After a link, you can actually convert your "relocatable" assembler listings into "absolute" listings that contain absolute addresses and fully linked object code.
Can It Handle The Link?
The CrossCode Clinker is designed to handle truly huge loads. There are no limits on the number ofsymbols in your load or on the size of your output file. And you can always count on full 32 bit target addressability, because the linker operates comfortably in the highest ranges of the 68020's address space.
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124 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 221 on Reader Service Card
EXPERT ADVICE MACINATIONS · Don Crabb
WHAT'S UP
WITH APPLE?
Late shipments, abandoned products, and blown promises are driving the rest of us crazy
A
s I write this column, it is the third week of May. I am still waiting for Apple to release its System Tools 6.0 software
for the Mac. I had hoped to report on the
updated released versions of the System,
Finder, and MultiFinder. Apple prom
ised members of the Apple University
Consortium (AUC) in March that the re
vised System software would be available
on AppleLink, CompuServe, GEnie,
MacNET, and elsewhere by the end of
April, with .complete shrink-wrapped
kits (a la System Tools 5 .0) and printed
documentation soon after.
Apple's new System Tools 5.0 software
Late, incomplete, and confused distri installed on our laboratory Macs. One of
bution has plagued the release of Mac the primary uses for these machines is to
system software since the first update in teach introductory programming. Be
1984. In the last year, though, the confu cause of its friendly interface and novice
sion and problems have spread to other centered development environment,
Apple software products, growing almost along with its multiple-window approach
in parallel with Apple's impressive fiscal to interpreted execution and debugging,
performance. As Apple has grown from MacPascal is a perfect environment for
an entrepreneurial enterprise to a more learning. It's safe to say that MacPascal
traditionally managed technology com helped sell a lot of Macs to universities.
pany, several important products have Almost as soon as the System Tools
either fallen between management cracks 5.0 was installed, we started having seri
or been released woefully incomplete. ous problems with MacPascal 2 .1 (the
The fact is, Apple has blown a lot of latest version). Program files became cor
promises lately. Two more examples will rupted, printing failed, working pro
serve to clarify my point: MacPascal and grams refused to run, and so on. To
A/UX.
make an excruciating story short, after
considerable effort I found that Apple
MacPascal
had simply dropped MacPascal. No more
Ever wonder what happened to MacPas
versions. No bug fixes. No more Mac
cal? Did you know that you can't current
Pascal. Nothing. Apple recommended
ly buy it from Apple (or anyone else)? I
that we either run MacPascal 2 .1 with
first discovered the "MacPascal prob
old system software or migrate to another
lem" in January. It was then that I had
Pascal. What was even more frustrating
was that no one at Apple could point to whose decision it was to drop MacPascal.
It's now 5 months later, and the only good news is that Apple is near an agree ment with Symantec/Think Technol ogies (the original authors) to take Mac Pascal back into its fold for an eventual rewrite and rerelease next fall. Are they kidding? People who are using MacPas cal can't put their work on hold until the autumn of 1989. Most Pascal users will probably adopt our strategy: migrate to Think's Pascal compiler, Lightspeed Pascal, even though it's not as good a product for learning programming.
A/UX Apple's much-ballyhooed Unix for the Mac II, A/UX, is another of Apple's software mistakes . The product missed its initial ship date (August 1987) by more than 6 months. When it finally shipped in February of 1988, Apple had not done its homework in addressing one
continued
ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT KAUFMAN
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 125
MACINATIONS
of its largest groups of potential A/UX customers: users of System V and BSD 4.2/4.3 Unix.
As announced, A/UX was simply not competitive with Unix offerings from Sun, Apollo, and AT&T. It was too ex pensive, and could be purchased only on an Apple 80-megabyte hard disk; tape distribution was not available. Apple had made no provisions for distributing the· source code for A/UX. Dedicated Unix users simply must have the source code.
And despite earlier promises to the con trary, A/UX deflated the hopes of a large segment of its intended market by being mostly plain vanilla System V. A/UX definitely was not Unix for the rest of us.
To be fair, we should be able to forgive Apple for this last failing, especially since A/UX 1.0 is its first Unix release. Apple got a lot of technical things right with 1.0. It also broke new ground by making it easier to recover from Unix file-system errors and install new de-
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vices. But the other A/UX problems point to a larger management problem: an inability to announce and deliver soft ware on schedule and as described . Apple's spin-off company , Claris, will help somewhat (by taking applications like MacWrite away from Apple), but the management difficulties remain for Apple's languages and system software.
Apple's mistakes make a disturbingly long list; I hope the folks there are learn ing from the errors. All the lawsuits in the world won't help retain or increase market share if the way it has handled A/UX, MacPascal, and system software becomes a trend.
System Tools 6.0 I've worked with a beta version of System Tools 6.0 for several weeks. About all I can say is that it lives up to its beta desig nation. It didn't work properly on the Mac II , SE, or Plus I used for testing . Whether I copied the files to clean hard disks or used the Installer to update an existing System, the stuff just didn't work right. Screens froze for no reason, the mouse went dead, and bombs with just about every ID number known to In side Macintosh cropped up. Since this is labeled an "early beta," I hope the prob lems are fixed before release.
The new software included a couple of interesting new features worth remem bering: a notification manager and a new font format. The notification manager is supposed to notify foreground applica tions running under MultiFinder when a background application (e.g., a telecom munications program) needs direct at tention. As it stands now, the notification manager should be useful if you expect to upload or download several files in the background while working on something else in the foreground. I hope software publishers will take advantage of this ca pability to allow other functions that need occasional attention to operate in the background (e.g ., program compila tion or hard disk backup).
The new font format, NFNT, allows up to 16, 000 fonts to be loaded into a sys tem, up from the 256 you can load now (without using a third-party DA/font manager like AlSoft's Font DA/Juggler Plus). You can also install up to 32 ,000 individual fonts in your system with the new format. The increased limits come from NFNT assigning font numbers to en tire font families rather than to individ ual fonts. Unfortunately, NFNT fonts are not compatible with the existing ones, and Apple does not yet have any software to convert the old fonts to the new format
comi11ued
126 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 175 011 Reader Service Card
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Circle 171 on Reader Service Carrl
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 127
Circle 119 on Reader Service Card
MACINATIONS
(the beta version of the Font/DA Mover 3.8 that I tested in the System 6.0 pack age lacked a conversion feature) .
The beta 6.0 System disks I tested, de spite taking up four 800K-byte disks, also lacked any NFNT fonts. Still, Apple would not have created the new font for mat if it didn't plan to use it, so NFNT util ity software and fonts might appear as early as the Boston '88 MacWorld Expo. I expect that vendors like Adobe, who have substantial investments in existing libraries of typefaces, will eventually convert some or all of their fonts to the new NFNT format.
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FoxBASE +/Mac I've been working with FoxBASE+/ Mac, a relational database, since De cember 1987, when it was a low-num bered beta. I've had the initial released version ( 1.0) fbr about a month now, and I'm impressed. FoxBASE+/Mac isfast. Not just a little bit fast, but a lot fast. In the 1000-, 10,000-, and 50,000-record flatfile tests I've run, it's faster than any other Macintosh database, relational or not. The same blazing speed held up in the limited multifile relational tests I tried (relating 3 files of 10,000, 5000, and 2500 records each) . FoxBASE +I Mac outruns 4th Dimension, McMax, dBASE Mac, FileMaker Plus, Reflex Plus, Omnis 3 Plus, Double Helix II, and others at the basic tasks of creating, im porting, modifying, sorting, retrieving, and deleting database information.
FoxBASE +/Mac is a dBASE III Plus compatible database for the Mac. It can run any dBASE III Plus code directly (once you've ported it over to the Mac using TOPS, or through a serial connec tion, or by using the Apple File Exchange software and a PC-compatible Mac disk drive). It can also read dBASE data files without modifications. FoxBASE +/Mac also read the PC FoxBASE files I tried.
FoxBASE+/Mac, however, is not the first software to offer complete dBASE III Plus compatibility on a Mac. The dMacIII program, first published by Format Software (a West German com pany), and rewritten and rereleased in 1987 by Nantucket Software as McMax, claims that honor. McMax is fast too, al though slower than FoxBASE.
If FoxBASE +/Mac were just a faster version of McMax, its market would be limited primarily to developers who want to port their dBASE III applications over to the Mac. Happily, speed is just part of the appeal of FoxBASE+/Mac.
Unlike McMax, FoxBASE+/Mac in cludes a set of command extensions and additional features that go way beyond
128 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 125 on Reader Service Card
MACINATIONS
dBASE. FoxBASE can build applications
that incorporate many familiar Macin tosh software features , such as pull
Items Discussed
down menus, radio buttons, scrollable
and editable text windows, dialog and
Apple Macintosh
FoxBASE+/Mac 1.0 ..... .... ... ...$395
alert boxes, resizable and scrollable out
System Tools 6.0 .. .. ,... ...... .. ... .. $39 Fox Software, Inc.
put windows, font and font-size control,
Apple Computer Inc.
I I 8 West South Broadway
icon-style menus, and color on the Mac
20525 Mariani Ave .
Perrysburg, OH 4355I
II. These features give FoxBASE+/Mac
Cupertino, CA 95014
(419) 874-0I62
much more utility as a Macintosh-only
(408) 996- I010
Inquiry 908.
database applications development sys
Inquiry 905.
tem than McMax. FoxBASE+/Mac's
FullWrite Professional ....... .. ...$395
direct competition is Acius's 4th Dimen
A/UX 1.0
Ashton-Tate Corp.
sion. It easily beat 4D 1.04 in my bench
Apple Computer Inc.
20101 Hamilton Ave.
mark speed tests (4D 1.04, the current 20525 Mariani Ave .
Torrance, CA 90502
release as of May I988, suffers from a
Cupertino, CA 95014
(213) 329-8000.
number of speed problems), and I sus
(408) 996-1010
Inquiry 920.
pect that even the improved 4th Dimen
Price not set at press time
sion, version I. I, will still be drubbed by
Inquiry 906.
FoxBASE in speed testing.
FoxBASE +/Mac also costs $300 less
than 4D. But speed and price are not the computer store (not a chain franchise) . tures that Word lacks, such as review
only concerns for database developers Version I .O is slow. In fact, as a basic notes and revision journaling.
and users. The total development and editor, it is annoyingly slow. I tried writ
Like many beta testers, I had problems
user environment is just as important as ing this column using FullWrite but gave with FullWrite reading Word files, but
any performance and value rating based up because the screen scrolled too slow my system didn't crash. Instead, the file
only on speed and list price. In this more 1y, and search-and-replace operations would open with corrupted text. The re
complete comparison, FoxBASE still has creeped along (I finished the column leased version doesn't have this problem.
a lot of catching up to do. 4D provides using MindWrite l.I). I used a I-mega
Despite FullWrite 's slowness com
more features, more development aids, byte Mac Plus in these tests. Brief testing pared to Word and MindWrite, I still
and a better overall environment than on an 8-megabyte Mac II showed that liked the program. It's very easy to fig
does FoxBASE +/Mac. 4D also offers a
ure out and use. If I was in the habit of
run-time version for developers, and it
creating long structured documents with
supports multiple users (with proper file
some graphics elements in them, I'd
and record locking) over AppleShare.
probably choose FullWrite over a combi
Fox Software expected to release a
nation of PageMaker and Word, because
impressed. FoxBASE is run-time version of FoxBASE +/Mac in
June for $300. By that time, the company
it would be simpler to learn and use and still produce an acceptable result.
should also have released a LAN version compatible with the file and record lock
not just a little bit fast,
As a basic full-screen editor/word pro cessor, though, FullWrite Professional is
ing utilities of AppleShare and 3Com's 3+Share.
but a lot fast.
just too slow on a I-megabyte Mac Plus, and it requires too many machine re
Given how rapidly Fox Software has
sources (at least I megabyte of memory,
gotten a serious Mac relational database
preferably 2 megabytes, and as fast a
into the market, I'd keep a close eye on it.
hard disk drive as you can afford) . For
I expect version 2.0 will keep its speed
my basic writing needs, I'll stick with
and add more development tools.
FullWrite performed well. Therefore, on MindWrite l. I and Word 3.02, because I
a fully configured Mac II, FullWrite is a don't need all the DTP features of
FullWrite Professional
good editing choice.
FullWrite. MindWrite's wonderful out
Here's a program that looked like quint
There's no question about FullWrite's liner is reason enough for me to rely on
essential vaporware. First announced at
credentials as a high-end word proces it, while Word's scrolling speed and
the January I987 MacWorld by Ann
sor, though. It surpasses Word' s desktop global updating acumen more than make
Arbor Softworks (the FullPaint people),
publishing (DTP) features by adding up for its other flaws. ·
its release was repeatedly postponed.
page-layout and drawing functions (al
Ashton-Tate finally bought it in Febru
though it's no match for the page-layout Don Crabb is the director oflaboratories
ary and began shipping it at the end of
capabilities of a complete DTP program and a senior lecturer for the computer
April. I've tried version I .0 for a week
like PageMaker 3.0). Besides the basic science department and the college at the
and have some initial impressions.
DTP capabilities, Full Write has a slew of University of Chicago. He is also a con
At $395 it's competitively priced with editing and formatting features just like sulting editor for BYTE. He can be
Microsoft Word 3.02, although Micro Word: a spelling checker, an outliner reached on BIX as "decrabb. "The views
soft 's aggressive volume and educational (yes, a usable integrated outliner, unlike expressed are his own.
discount purchase program often drops Word's useless one), automatic hyphena
Your questions and comments are wel
Word's price to less than $90. In con tion, automatic indexing and table of con come. Write to: Editor, BYTE, One
trast, I paid $2I 9 for my copy of Full tents creation, and floating footnotes. Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH
Write Professional from a local Chicago FullWrite also has some nice editing fea- 03458.
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 129
1-800-422-3525
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·TE CHNICAL OATA ANALOG INPUT. 1he analog 1npu1 lunc11ons ol me adap1e1 ooer
a1e 1n e19rie1 programed or mlerruphng mode lr.e analog 1npul
tuncltons prov·de 12·b·tre1a11,..eaccuracy
RESOLUTION - 12 b11s
1NPU1 CHANNELS· l our d 1!1eren11al
1NPU1 CURREN 1
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Normal mode
Common mode
COMMON MODE flfltc.Cl·Dl1P nl1G
lft1tQ·t ·l·l'l t'.lol·I~
error
Erro1 S1ao1Lo1y GAIN Err or
S1ao111ty OFFSEl
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Unipola1 s1ab1hly
Bipolar st ao11oty
MQNQ TO NIClllY 1HR0UGHPU1 lo memory
llm11edtoless1nan :<:mA
: JO vons ma·1mum w11ttou1 damage
power on 01 power on
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1100
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aC11us1ao1etoO ;: 24 ppm1oegreesC of FSA tmait !24 opmldegrees Col FSA (ma.J OtoSOdegreesC 1S .OOOconvers1ons1second min
The anaioo outPu1 lunchoris 01 ine aaap1e1 operate on prog1amea
110 moae Tl'le analog o ulp ul !ul'lthons prov·Oe 12 -b·I re lahYe accu
racy
AESOlUTION
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Numbe· 01oulpul cnannels
2
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Circle 14 2 011 Reader Service Card
EXPERT ADVICE
OS/2 AND YOU II Mark Minasi
WHYOS/2?
It was the El Dorado of DOSes, lying beyond multitasking, beyond 640K bytes. This new column takes a practical approach to understanding-and living with-the reality of OS/2.
0
ne of the big selling points of the original 1981 IBM PC was its large (for the time) 256K-byte memory and
greater speed. Several microcomputers
in the PC's price class, like the North
Star Horizon II and the Altos machines,
offered multiuser and multitasking capa
bilities. These capabilities were offered
on machines with slower CPUs and less
memory, so multitasking capabilities
seemed (to me and to other IBM PC buy
ers at the time, that is) a reasonable fea
ture for the PC's operating system. In
fact, at the time, Digital Research of
fered a multitasking version ofCP/M for
the PC. DOS 1.0 wasn't multiuser or
multitasking, but at $40 it was the cheap
est available operating system, so 96 per
cent of the early PC owners chose it over
the other options, CP/M or the p-System.
By late 1982, everyone at the local PC
user's group had heard of a rumored
DOS 2.0. Some of the rumors said that it
would be multiuser and multitasking.
DOS 2.0 arrived, sans multiuser and
multitasking. Ah, well, we told our
selves, the next version would redress
these deficiencies. In 1984, IBM fired
our hopes by offering a new and more
powerful computer. The initial press re
leases showed a computer with dumb ter
minals on it and made reference to a 4 megabyte memory capacity. The new "multiuser" AT had powers and abilities beyond that of the PC, we were told. A new DOS, version 3.0, came with it, but it didn't really do anything new save take up an extra lOK bytes or so. IBM said that a DOS to exploit this new machine's powers would be released "soon."
The rumors continued. DOS 4.0 would be bypassed altogether for DOS 5.0, the El Dorado of DOSes: Beyond multitasking, and memory beyond 640K bytes-the once-monstrous 640K bytes had become a straitjacket. The trade rags said Microsoft figured that it could knock it out by early 1986. DOS 5. 0 then tried to go undercover, assuming new names seemingly each week: CP-DOS, A(dvanced) DOS, 286DOS. We didn't care what they called it. We wanted more memory and multitasking.
Finally, on April 2, 1987, IBM an nounced a whole slew of new hardware and software. DOS 5.0 was finally an nounced, calling itself OS/2.
The attractive features of OS/2 are multitasking, access to larger memory, a graphical user interface, an improved local-area network manager, legal termi nate-and-stay-resident programs, better harmony among programs, a rich system interface, and compatibility with many familiar DOS commands, and, with the Presentation Manager, OS/2 provides a device-independent platform. I'll exam ine the first three this month and take the rest up next month.
Multitasking OS/2 is designed to be a single-user, Unix-like operating system for 80286 and 80386 PCs. A dozen or more (12 for OS/2 1.0, 17 for OS/2 1.1) programs can run at the same time, all loaded into memory and executing.
This concurrent multitasking goes be yond many simple systems currently available under DOS that load several programs into memory but give actual
CPU attention only to the one that you are currently interacting with. In these sim ple systems, no background processing occurs. Such systems' main values are that they let you cut and paste between applications and that they eliminate the time required to load and unload a pro gram. A good and inexpensive example of these programs is Software Carousel from SoftLogic Solutions.
Gordon Letwin, Microsoft's chief ar chitect of OS/2, says that it is fundamen tally different from minicomputer oper ating systems like Unix. Multiuser systems, he says, must appear to fairly allocate computer resources among multiple users. OS/2, on the other hand, need not appear fair to the multiple pro grams running in the system. In fact, Letwin argues, you really want to give the lion's share of the CPU time to the program in the foreground-the one the user is currently interacting with. Letwin claims that OS/2 does this.
OS/2 has a relatively sophisticated task-switching algorithm, incorporating a 189-level priority scheme and a dy namic adjustment algorithm for those priorities that takes into account things like how long a task has been CPU starved and whether or not the task is just waiting for I/0. In a future column, I'll show you how to manipulate these priori ties for optimum performance.
Large Memory "Breaking the 640K-byte barrier" has become a cliche, but OS/2 does it. The 80286 and 80386 have, of course, always had the ability to address large amounts of memory, but not while in the "real mode" (are the other modes "unreal"?) that DOS requires. Access to more mem ory is allowed under "protected mode" 16 megabytes of memory, in fact.
OS/2 even goes beyond 16 megabytes. It can use extra disk space where there is insufficient RAM. If you try to run, say, a 3-megabyte program where only 2
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 131
OS/2 AND YOU
megabytes of RAM are free, OS/2 will transparently store 1 of the 3 megabytes on disk, treating it as if it were RAM . This scheme, called " virtual memory," is OK in a pinch, but access to disk is so much slower than access to memory that you '11 want to avoid this one where possible.
Another reason to avoid virtual mem ory under OS/2 is that the virtual mem ory manager is buggy . The process of moving memory blocks temporarily to disk and back is called "swapping." The swapper program will use all the free space on your hard disk drive-you can't tell it to use only x megabytes for swap ping. The swapper under 1.0 is moder ately stable, although I 've crashed it a few times. The swapper under the cur rent 1.1 beta release is very fragile. If you want a stable OS/2 platform for your programs , disable the swapper by adding MEMMAN=NOSWAP ,MOVE to your CONFIG. SYS file. Bugs like this are fairly com mon in a new system, and they will no doubt be fixed in a future release.
As the largest disk addressable by OS/2 is the familiar 32 megabytes (yes, the old DOS limitation on disk size is still with us) , and the maximum RAM ad dressable by OS/2 is 16 megabytes, a program using both RAM and virtual memory could theoretically be as large as 48 megabytes .
The virtual memory scheme could be very useful were it not for the fact that OS/2 seems unable to swap itse(f An IBM PC AT with 2.5 megabytes of RAM cannot boot the Presentation Manager code that Microsoft shipped to develop ers in April, as it must have at least 2. 7 megabytes to boot. Apparently , all of OS/2 must reside in RAM.
Another disappointment about OS/2's use of large memory is not Microsoft's fault, but Intel's . Even in protected mode, the 80286/80386 chips are de signed to address the 16 megabytes in terms of 64K-byte segments. Going across segments requires more code and is slower. Many compiler writers, dis mayed at how much more slowly a pro gram runs when doing a lot of segment swapping, have simply limited static data areas to 64K bytes-one segment.
It would be a real shame if inexpensive compilers maintained this now antedilu vian constraint. There are, of course, no inexpensive compilers for OS/2 cur rently . But an expensive one, the BASIC compiler, still has the 64K-byte limita tion on static data.
For OS/2 to get beyond the 64K-byte segments, it would have to put the chip in a different, incompatible mode, the "32
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bit" protected mode, but this is only available on the 80386 chip.
Graphical User Interface Whether you like them or not, WIMP (windows, icons, mice, and pointers) in terfaces are chic these days. The Mac has established a solid market, and the well dressed PC these days looks like a Sun engineering workstation with a small screen. The hardware for WIMP is now in place-VGA is as good as Mac graph ics , and the PS/2 comes with a rodent in terface built right in . OS/2 supports EGA and VGA, as well as a variety of mice. Unfortunately, the current OS/2 releases do not support Hercules graphics.
The "point and click" ease of a graph ical user interface makes using applica tions easier and reduces training time. The Mac can be described as not an ap plication platform, but rather an applica tion funnel in the sense that all Mac ap plications not only can look the same, but pretty much must look the same. The downside of this uniformity is that it grinds programmers' gears: All of us who have ever touched a compiler to code fancy ourselves artists in the field of user interface design.
The graphical user interface is han dled by an optional program called the Presentation Manager (PM). The PM is to OS/2 as Windows is to DOS: Windows is not necessary under DOS, and the PM is not necessary under OS/2. Including Windows/PM, however, opens the doors to some interesting applications.
It' s hard to say too much good or bad about the PM, as the current beta code (early June 1988) is very , well , unstable. In his letter to developers, Microsoft' s Steve Ballmer basically said, "Here's what we've got so far, it's not reliable,
better stuff is coming. ... " I can't see how Microsoft will have a
shippable final product by October-the date Microsoft and IBM have promised release to the general public-but I wish them luck. It's easy to take potshots at Microsoft for everything being so late, but I don't see how it couldn 't have been late. According to Microsoft, it took 35 programmers 4 years to write OS/2 . That's a mighty large programming proj ect to manage-larger, I'd guess, than anything the company has tried before.
Ifyou know Windows, you 'II spot a lot of it in the PM. The Control Panel is the same, the Alt-spacebar character does similar things, and, as in Windows 2 .0, it can be managed without a rodent by using Alt keys. Applications can still communicate via the Clipboard.
However, you '11 also miss a few things. As of this writing, Microsoft does not provide the desk accessories that Windows has-the clock, calculator, Re versi game, notepad, paint program, and terminal. This is a serious flaw, and it points to a major deficiency in OS/2: The frills are gone. Where DOS generally came with a BASIC interpreter and the all-purpose DEBUG, neither is supplied with OS/2 despite its $400 price tag. Come on, now. Would giving us DEBUG and GWBASIC really hurt sales of those $500 compiler/CodeView combinations?
OS/2 Tip of the Month If you're going to use a serial printer under OS/2, OS/2 won't talk to the printer if it doesn't see some activity on the CTS line of the serial port, line 8 on an AT's 9-pin port or line 5 on a standard 25-pin port. The following minimum cable worked to let me "print" from my desktop OS/2 machine with a 9-pin serial connection to my 9-pin laptop (a sneaky way to capture screens for use in text) :
Side 1
Side 2
2-----------3
3-----------2
5-----------5
7
7
I
I
8
8
·
Mark Minasi is a managing partner at thefirm ofMoulton, Minasi & Company, a Columbia, Maryland, which special izes in technical seminars. He can be reached on BIX as "editors. "
Your questions and comments are wel come. Write to: Editor, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458.
132 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
'
Look at DOS. It looks back atyou. It makes you doall tlze work.
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See DOS run like you've never seen it before. Like you won't see it run with any other DOS enhancement shell. See version 2.0 of the Norton Commander'" a dramatically advanced version of the program Infoworld called "tops in its class ... a new level of convenience for MS/DOS users'.' The new Norton Commander combines the functions of a hard disk manager with all the features you need to support and enhance the DOS command line. Yet it's flexible enough to get out of your way when you don't need to see it. ~ovice or expert, you'll want to see yow- dealer f'nn~ ~ ~~~ __
nght away. And see how fast DOS can run .,L.t.:Ll!r IVur iuri coMruT1NG
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134 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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Circle 17 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 18)
EXPERT ADVICE
COM 1: · Brock N. Meeks
·
THE WIRED
SOCIETY
Surveying the electronic communications landscape
C yrus Field never imagined in his wildest dreams the global effect of his accomplishment in 1866: the laying of the At lantic cable. Ten years later, Secretary of State William Evarts spoke the following words at a ceremony commemorating that event:
"Columbus said, 'There is one world, there shall be two.' Cyrus W. Field said, 'There are two worlds-there shall be one.'"
Welcome to the wired society. Telecommunications is the infrastruc ture of the computer industry, the lifeline of a wired society. Whether you 're push ing binary files across the country on a dedicated line or simply typing in a com ment on BIX over voice-grade telephone lines at 1200 bits per second (bps), some form of communication is taking place. Consider this electronic communica tions landscape: Local-area networks (LANs) are the city streets; computer conferencing systems are the interstate highways; packet-switched networks are the global trade routes; and bulletin board systems are the rambling country roads that stitch communities together.
A Technological Misfit The world's economy flows across an electronic global highway every day, much of its information base at the beck and call of a simple carrier tone. Yet, for all its importance, telecommunications is a bastard child: merely acknowledged, begrudgingly accepted, never quite fit ting in.
For example, a BYTE survey shows that 60 percent of you own a modem and
18 percent plan to buy a modem in the near future. However, use of communi cations software ranks a distant fourth behind the "big three" of applications: word processing, spreadsheets, and data base programs.
My love affair with PC-based commu nications began with a Commodore Vic 20, a 9-inch black-and-white TV, and a 300-bps direct connect modem. After some 6 years on-line, half of that spent writing about telecommunications topics ranging from pirate bulletin boards to se curity issues to governmental attempts to strangle free access to public informa tion, my blind love affair has matured into a clearer understanding of and a healthy respect for telecommunications.
A good friend and fellow communica tions writer, Art Kleiner, told me he hit a "curmudgeon stage" with the technol ogy a couple years back. This stage en tailed an uneasy satisfaction with the overall environment of "being on-line." So, instead of merely defending the tech
nology to critics, he began asking ques tions. And demanding answers.
Why is the technology so difficult to understand? Why is it so difficult to get a modem and communications software package to successfully dial a remote computer? Why, why, why?
My own curmudgeon stage shortly followed Art's. But this isn't a bad thing. As Art told me, "It's made me look for answers and explore ways to push the technology, instead of just accepting whatever came along as well and good." His philosophy is an information-age extension of the old dictum "Question authority."
So I'm a bit skeptical when I hear that telecommunications is just about to take off, poised to become the "next wave" of computer productivity. It hasn't hap pened, folks. And for good reasons.
For example, people still oversell the technology. It's good for some things, but bad for others. And there are built-in
continued
ILLUSTRATION: PAUL COZZOLINO© 1988
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 135
COMl:
problems with every application, but that isn't it being done on a larger scale?
should come as no surprise; few things The burgeoning modem market is be
more technologically advanced than a ginning to demand dial-up 9600-bps
disposable lighter work dependably.
modems, and the industry is starting to
For all the above grousing, however, I respond. One small catch, however, is
believe the real advancements and advan compatibility, the plague ofthe computer
tages of telecommunications are indeed industry. For example, many 9600-bps
just around the corner (the trouble comes modem manufacturers use the Microcom
in defining just how far up the street that Networking Protocol (MNP) for error
corner lies).
correction, but each implements it in a
In this column I'll look at the complex slightly different way.
factors driving the communications in
The telecommunications environ
dustry today and tomorrow. To do that, ment, as a whole, is no different. The
I'll examine three broad areas of the in drive for faster, faster, faster creates a
dustry : technology, issues, and effects. fractured marketplace with incompatible
implementations of "standards" in a
Technologies
kind of free-market "to each his own"
For the purposes of this column, com
mentality.
munications technology deals with the
There are signs of a "coming togeth
nuts and bolts of pumping bits and bytes
er" on these issues, however, and I'll
from the desktop to other intelligent de
keep a close watch on those develop
vices. Access may be via a direct connec
ments. One good sign is the growing ac
tion, a local-area network, or dial-up
ceptance of the X. 400 electronic message
communications.
exchange standard among providers of
My discussions will focus on topics electronic mail services.
such as modem technology. Modems are Then there's communications soft
becoming more sophisticated, capable of ware, which is like any other piece of
pushing data faster and more efficiently. software: The one you 're reared on is the
How is this being accomplished, and why one you'll most likely die for. Trying to
get people to change their brand of com munications software is like trying to get the Dalai Lama to change his religion.
When are communications software developers going to learn that the quint essential user isn't the quintessential pro grammer? And that the user doesn't want to learn a programming language that may as well be Urdu, just to write ad vanced script files?
For telecommunications to become as indispensable as the word processor, pro grammers are going to have to concen trate on truly seamless approaches to telecommunicating. The program should take care of most of the work so you can just boot up and go on-line.
I'll be looking at the best and brightest of the future communications packages here. I don't expect miracles right away, but I'm impressed with rumblings I hear coming just over that horizon.
Another aspect of the technology is the systems-the networks and informa tion services-with which the modems and communications software interact. These include computer conferencing systems like BIX, consumer information
continued
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136 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
Circle 242 on Reader Service Card
S~rise. Now you get both in the same package. New ChpperTMfrom Nantuckee
Ourlatest version - Summer '87 - is still the best performing compiler ever. It lets users run dBASE"' applications up to 20 times faster. But there's a lot more to it than raw speed.
Because new Clipper is one of the most powerful, full -featured development languages ever. And gives you more control over your applications than any release of dBASE ever will. Now or in the future.
Instead of designing Clipper as an add-on, we've structured it as an extended database language that uses dBASE as a subset. In addition to emulating the dBASE language, we've added commands for menus, screens, windows and extended functions. As a result, you get dBASE compatibility and an entirely new level of power and versatility.
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cated applications in less time. And by using our full-featured debugger, you'll be done even faster.
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Circle 155 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · B Y T E 137
COMl:
utilities like CompuServe, LANs, elec tronic mail (E-mail), and international packet-switched networks. It's in these "hot spots" of telecommunications that the technology comes alive, or should come alive.
Tom Mandel, a futurist and senior an alyst atthe Stanford Research Institute in Palo Alto, California, is completing a landmark study entitled Interactive Tele communications Services: Precursors of the Wired Society. He says, "Direct con sumer access to information through elec tronic means is going to grow dramatically in the next 5 years. I think we'll see a growth rate, in terms of users, of anywhere between 25 and 30 percent. "
Although Mandel is optimistic about the growth of interactive systems like BIX, CompuServe, and E-mail, he says, "We won't see a true mass market emerge." Instead, several niche markets will spring up and profit.
Such niche markets include services like NewsNet, which offers the full text of some 300 specialized newsletters and publications; on-line services like BIX, which cater primarily to a more techni cal crowd; or Quantum Link, an on-line entertainment service for owners of Commodore computers. In essence, there isn't likely to be one service for all people in the near future.
"To create sufficient demand for a mass market, people are going to have to be given a reason to go outside their nor mal media requirements: TV, the news paper, and magazines," says Mandel. "To create sufficient demand for new services at levels attractive to the every day Joe, the design, delivery, and pricing of consumer services will have to im prove significantly."
Here, I'll examine these "niche mar kets"-what's hot, what's not, and why.
Issues Congress, in grappling with the effects of new technologies on today's society, has issued several reports out ofthe Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) . The bottom line forthe OTA is that any kind of electronic communications systems, with the possible exception of E-mail ser vices, is actually a publishing medium. When you place something on-line, you become an author; the system becomes the publisher.
This author/publisher relationship raises issues of copyright, intellectual property rights, free speech, and the rights of privacy . A 1986 OTA report states, "Electronic dissemination creates some very complex issues with respect to the public interest, and involves the intel
lectual property system in other issues such as communications, antitrust, and freedom of speech." A broad brush, indeed.
I 've
had students from
around the world take
my class, and I've never
set foot in a classroom.
Beyond these thorny issues are those of governmental regulation and legislation. Earlier this year, the Federal Communi cations Commission (FCC) withdrew a proposal that would have dramatically increased the rates that on-line service subscribers would have to pay. The FCC withdrew it, in large part, because of a tremendous grass-roots coalition be tween service providers and their sub scribers: you and me.
It was an issue near and dear to all users of on-line services. And they won. But only because the entire issue was hashed out on every imaginable system from the basement BBS to BIX.
In 1986 Congress saw the need to pass the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, an amendment to the Wiretap Act of 1968. This landmark legislation gave at least some basic privacy rights to private electronic correspondence. And earlier this year, the first lawsuit under the ECPA was filed in an Illinois court.
Such issues can't be separated from discussions about communications, be cause after the smoke of technological advancement clears, the issues are still smoldering. I'll look at these, too.
Effects Any technology that directly affects the way humans interact creates unexpected results. A historical example is the tele phone. Thought of as merely a business tool when first brought into the public, a way for the boss to stay in touch with the remote worker, it quickly became a social tool and has largely remained so, relegat ing its original intent to a secondary level.
Electronic communications change the way people work, how they work, and the very structure of organizations that implement such systems (ask Oliver
North-who destroyed paper documents but didn't understand that deleted E-mail messages on a PROFS system are ar chived-about the effects of electronic communications). For example, commu nications technology is changing how edu cational systems accomplish tasks, and new methods of teaching are springing up.
I teach graduate-level courses for Con nected Education, a program for the Media Studies department under the aus pices of the New School for Social Re search in New York. And although I've had students from around the world take my courses, I've never set foot in a class room; the courses are all taught via the EIES conferencing system located on the campus of the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Nonprofit organizations are beginning to use computer communications to ex tend their effectiveness-and their bud gets. And the presidential candidates are relying on telecommunications to help them coordinate campaigns and keep statewide campaign offices informed of new strategies .
These effects are crucial to the success of communications because they offer tangible results that you can point out to the critics of the technology.
This column will also highlight note worthy applications of communications and keep you informed on how they af fect various segments of the world.
Future Stock In the coming months, I'll take a look at aspects from each of these various areas. From the bumpy back roads of BBSes to the superhighways of computer confer encing systems, the global highway will be well traveled.
My regular "watering holes" are: BIX ("brock"), MCI Mail ("bmeeks"), and CompuServe (7036, 1355) . For those of you who are hooked into the more eso teric Usenet (you know who you are), I can be reached on the WELL via the path way "ihnp4!ucbvax!cogsci.berkeley . edu!well!brock."
As well-traveled as I am across this electronic landscape, I don't stop every where. If there's an issue, a topic, or a technology that you think deserves a stop along the way, let me know. ·
Brock N. Meeks is a San Diego-based freelance writer who specializes in high technology. You can reach him on BIX as "brock."
Your questions and comments are wel come. Write to: Editor, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458.
138 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
futroducing REMOfE2 It's never been so easy to do so much in distant PC operation.
Until now, to have this kind of flexibility and control over a host PC, you'd have to be in the same room.
Now, even if you're thousands of miles away, REMOI'E2 allows you to operate a host PC's application software with total control and exact mapping of the host keyboard ...fast file transfers even while an application program is running ... remote printer redirection ... an error-checked, data compressed link even with conventional modems. .. and CGA color graphics.
REMCTI'E2 comes in two parts-R2HOST and R2CALI.r available together or separately, so you can create the combination to meet your exact needs. R2HOST is also accessible from most terminals and terminal emulators.
Circle 65 011 Reader Service Card
REMCTTE2 is packed with features users have asked for. Achoice of three distinct automatic and manual answering modes. Directory-to-directory file transfers using a half-screen display of host files. Proprietary file transfer protocol with redundant file skipping and partial file recovery (other popular protocols also supported). A "Phone Book" that facilitates one-entry calls from listings of names, numbers, and passwords. Host call-back capa bility. Integrated, context-sensitive help system. LAN access. Mainframe access to an IBM host with IRMA. And more.
Discover the new remote control program from the makers of CROSSTALK. Ask your dealer about REMOI'E~ or write us.
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AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 139
FIRST IMPRESSIONS · Rick Grehan
25-MHz Computing Buzzsaws
She Canna Go
Much Faster Than This,
Captain!
T he 80386 system builders have cranked the dial up another notch. And from Compaq, Everex, Intel, and SimpleNet, here they come: the first of the 25-MHz 80386-based AT clones. Several other companies, including IBM, Advanced Logic Research, and Everest Computer have also announced 25-MHz machines.
Judging from the preproduction sys tems I just looked at, "AT clone" is not a precise term. It's probably more accurate to say that these machines have AT parts grafted onto them. Like the Six Million Dollar Man, with his frail, biologic human parts stitched together with superhuman bionic limbs, these ma chines marry a significant portion of an 8-MHz AT that limps alongside a high speed, 32-bit 80386 system. Each ma chine accomplishes this dual personality in different ways, yet there are striking similarities-at least on the surface.
All four machines have a number of 8-MHz AT compatible expansion
slots that you can feed from the market's never-ending supply of peripheral boards. Each machine also has a 32-bit expansion bus for a high-speed memory board supplied by the company (sort of a similarity and a difference-since each machine's 32-bit expansion bus is propri etary). This leaves you in a predicament: If you want to upgrade memory beyond what you can place on the motherboard, you can either buy a slow, less-expensive AT-bus memory board from any number of sources, or a fast, more expensive 32 bit memory board from the company that made your machine.
Compaq Deskpro 386/25 Compaq's Deskpro 386/25 looks so much like the Deskpro 386/20, you'd swear all the company did was jack up the CPU to25 MHz and jack up the price to over IO grand. But if you examine the motherboards, there has been some re design: Most of the remaining dual in line package (DIP) chips have been re placed with surface-mount technology.
However, Compaq refers to most of the design and options of the Deskpro 386/25 as "current technology." Cur rent, that is, with respect to the 386/20. (For a review of the Deskpro 386/20, see
the February BYTE.) The only new options for
the 386/25 are new hard disk
drives (up to 600 megabytes in an expan sion unit), a new 80386 hardware techni cal manual, and sockets for the new 25 MHz versions of the 80387 and Weitek 1167 coprocessors. Interestingly, you can install both coprocessors in the same machine. They will coexist peacefully, and your software can choose between them. (A 25-MHz Weitek processor was not available at the time I was writing this. I did, however, benchmark the ma chine with a 25-MHz 80387).
The Flex architecture is still there (see the February review for details), only now it's running at a higher clock speed. As with the 386/20, you can download the BIOS (including the video BIOS) to RAM for faster execution. The CPU and math coprocessor sit on a local high speed bus with cache memory and are managed by an 82385. Compaq contin ues to deliver the high level of quality the company is famous for. The chassis is well built, with plenty of attention to radio-frequency-interference shielding.
My test system was loaded: a 300 megabyte ESDI (enhanced small device interface) hard disk drive, 3 megabytes of RAM, a l.2-megabyte 5 1.4-inch flop py disk drive, a 135-megabyte tape back up unit, Compaq's Video Graphics Con
troller board (VGA compatible) and more stan dard periph erals than I
Everex
140 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
have space to mention. You can purchase the Deskpro 386/25 in one of two models that differ only in mass storage. The Model 300 has a 1.2-megabyte 5 1A-inch floppy disk drive and a full-height 300 megabyte hard disk drive and sells for $13,299; the Model 110 has a half-height 110-megabyte hard disk drive and a price tag of $10,299. You can add combina tions of 1- and 4-megabyte memory expansion boards to bring the system's total memory up to 16 megabytes.
Everex Step 386/25 What really attracts me to the Everex is the tinted-glass window on the front panel that slides open to reveal a minia ture starship' s control panel. This 2 'h by 5-inch area is a tiny paradise of switches and lights. Across its top is an amber alphanumeric LED panel that keeps you abreast of equipment checks at boot-up (it says things like "DMA OK") and which disk, cylinder, and head is ac cessed during normal operation ("C:0017 O" means drive C, cylinder 17, head 0). Beneath the LED is a power light and a hard disk access light. Farther down is a three-position toggle switch be side three lights, one each for 8-, 12-, and 25-MHz operation. The next panel down holds the turnkey lock for locking your keyboard, and moving lower you come to a pair of push buttons: one for shutting off the speaker and another for rebooting the system.
Inside, the Everex is all business. It houses eight expansion slots: six AT style, one 8-bit "drop-slot," (for 8-bit boards that have added to their real estate by extending below the lip of the connec tor) and one 32-bit slot. The 32-bit slot in the review machine held a 2-megabyte RAM card. On the motherboard were eight 256K-byte single in-line memory modules (SIMMs) (filling all the SIMM slots available) and 256K bytes of high-speed static RAM (SRAM) for
the cache. The review system also had an 80-megabyte full-height hard disk, a 1.2 megabyte 5 'A-inch half-height floppy disk drive, and a 1.44-megabyte 3 V2-inch floppy disk drive. For video, Everex supplied one of its EGA boards and an Evervision MN-200 monitor.
Everex also provides extensive utility software, including a hard disk utility package and RAMdisk software. The hard disk utility software includes an ex tensive diagnostic section, as well as software for creating either Extended DOS partitions, which allow you to create logical drives of up to 32 mega bytes each on a single physical drive, or Super DOS partitions, which allow you to create a single partition of up to 285 megabytes on one drive.
You must be careful about one thing on the Everex, though: The configuration program (you get to it by a hot-key se quence-I stumbled into it via a bug in the ROMs that an engineer at Everex as sured me would be eliminated on future machines). The program asks you a lot of questions. Unless you have the manual to explain what they all mean, and unless you are intimately familiar with the op tions you have tacked onto your system, you can really bunge things up.
The cost for a minimum Everex 386/25 system-case, power supply, motherboard, keyboard, 1 megabyte of memory, DOS 3.3, and a 1.2-megabyte floppy disk drive and controller-is $5999. The configuration I tested has a price tag of just over $9500.
Intel SYP302 Here's a machine for OEMs only. I've included it here because it will show up on the shelves as the basis for systems from other manufacturers. The System SYP302 from Intel's OEM Platform di vision gets you a motherboard (populated
with a range of memory amounts), power supply, and hard and floppy disk drives (optional). The OEM has to supply the frivolities of computing .. .such as a key board, video boards, CRTs, and what ever additional peripherals you need. (For a motherboard with 2 megabytes, a chassis, and a power supply, an OEM can expect to pay $6449 .)
My Intel system came with a half height 44-megabyte hard disk drive, with a pop-out to either add another one or re place the current one with a full-height drive. It also had a 1.2-megabyte 5 'A inch floppy disk drive and pop-outs for three more half-height drives under that. Between the power supply and 110 sock ets, I found 4 megabytes of memory in 4 SIMM packages, with room for 4 more. (You can take the machine to 24 mega bytes with plug-in memory cards.) Hid den somewhere on the motherboard (I looked, but couldri't find it-I suspect it was in the darkness beneath the drives) is 64K bytes of35-nanosecond SRAM used as processor cache memory. There's also a socket for a 25-MHz 80387. Fortunate ly, the socket was occupied on the ma chine I tested.
There is no Intel 82385 cache control ler chip on the SYP302, though I fully expected to see one. In conversation with an Intel engineer, I was told that this is because at the time the engineers were designing the SYP302 system, Intel was unsure that a 25-MHz version of the 82385 would be available in time for the SYP302. Consequently, the engineers of the 302 set about creating a cache con troller from discrete components. The caching system is posted write-through (more on this later) and uses a direct mapping scheme; that is, there is no so phisticated algorithm-such as a least recently used formula-used to update main memory from the cache.
Arranged along the back of the motherboard is a lineup of eight 1/0
continued
Intel SYP302
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 141
25-MHz 80386 MACHINES
connectors. You can use seven of these as 16-bit AT slots (they operate as though attached to an 8-MHzATmachine), and the eighth as an 8-bit drop slot. Two of the seven AT-compatible slots are lined up with 86-pin AT32 32-bit expansion slots that operate at full 25-MHz proces sor speed. Currently, the AT32 slots will accept only an Intel AT MEMS 8-mega byte expansion board.
The Intel SYP302 uses the Phoenix BIOS. You can have the BIOS down loaded to RAM at boot-up time (the BIOS routines execute faster out of RAM than out of ROM) , and a jumper on the motherboard chooses either DOS or Unix operation. Unix operation maps the ROM to the very top of the physical mem ory-address space so that Unix sees a large contiguous RAM space.
The Intel machine has to take the prize for being the most unattractive of the group. Its left front panel juts out in a way that suggests either a design afterthought or an engineering kludge and is actually an artistic attempt to hide the intake vents that span the front underside of the chassis. Keep in mind, however, that this is an OEM machine. Anything that
might be even remotely mistaken for a frill took a back seat to function .
Netpro 386/25 SimpleNet's Netpro 386/25 is one of the first systems based on the Intel SYP302 box. On the outside, the Netpro 386/25 looks just like the Intel system. When you remove the cover and look inside, the Netpro 386/25 looks just like the Intel system. Then, when you run the bench marks, the Netpro 386/25 performs-if you allow for statistical errors in tim ings-just like the Intel system.
The only possible performance differ ences you will see depend on the periph erals you plug in. In the case of my Net pro machine, I received an Orchid Designer VGA board and a combination hard/floppy disk drive controller hooked to an 80-megabyte hard disk drive, a 1.2 megabyte 51A -inch floppy disk drive, and a 1.44-megabyte 3 1h-inch floppy disk drive.
At the time of this writing, the Netpro 386/25 is available in two models: The Model 1 is a 4-megabyte monochrome system with an 80-megabyte hard disk drive, a 1.2-megabyte 5 1A-inch floppy
Table 1: Speed differences between 20- and 25-MHz 80386-based systems range from about 50 percent improvement to more than double, when running such standard tests as BYTE 's Matrix inversion.
CPU
IBM IBM PS/2 Compaq Everex Compaq Intel Netpro PCAT Model 80 Deskpro Step Deskpro SVP302 386/25
386/20 386/25 386/25
Matrix
11.69
String Move
Byte-wide 80.41
Word-wide:
Odd-bnd. 80.41
Even-bnd. 40.26
Sieve
73 .65
Sort
84 .39
4.75
39.51
39.09 19.66 29 .11 33 . 11
3.06
26.1 1
31 .01 13.0 7 23.18 26.89
2. 44
16.02
20.01 8.02
15.2 5 11.44
2.47
25 .01
25.65 12.51 15.2 5 11.45
2.2 5
21. 59
23.64 10.80 16.33 12.19
2.56
2 1.57
23.60 10.80 16.34 12.19
CPU Index: 1.00 2.27
3.13
5.08 4.20 4.44 4.35
FLOATING-POINT1
Math Err or2
Sine(x) Error
eX
Erro r
46.46 10.77
O. OOE+OO O.OOE+OO
20 .05
4.61
2.00E-09 2.00E-09
17.20
4.50
1.00E-09 1.77E-02
7.01 O.UOE+OO
3.29 2.00E- 09
3.06 1.77E-02
5.71
5.64 5.86 5.82
O.OOE+OO O.OOE+OO O.OOE+OO O.OOE+OO
2.65
2. 58
2.64
2.66
2.00E-09 2 OOE-09 200E-09 2.00E-09
2. 54
2.47
2.56
2.57
1.77E-02 1.77E-02 1.77E-02 1.77E-02
FPU Index: 1.00 4.15
6.10
7.47 7.64 7.40 7.38
1 The floating· point benchmarks use 8087-compatible instructions only. 2 The errors for the floating-point benchmarks indicate the difference between expected and actual values, correct
lo 10 digits or rounded lo 2 digits.
All l imes are in seconds. All figures were generated using the 8088/8086 version of Small-C (16-bil integers). Figures for 80386 machines do not use 80386-specific instructions. For a full description of all the benchmarks, see " Introd ucing the New BYTE Benchmarks," J une BYT E.
disk drive, an EtherLan adapter, and a retail price tag of $12,499; the Model 2 sports a VGA display, an extra 31/i-inch floppy disk drive, a 102-megabyte hard disk drive, and a price of$13,499.
As an aside, the monitor I received with the Netpro was an RE5515 multi scan monitor from Relisys. For the most part, it worked quite well, but during the benchmarking, the BYTE Lab personnel noticed that whenever the system changed graphics modes, they had to ad just the horizontal width of the display. This did no damage to the hardware or program execution, but the effect was unbearably annoying.
All the Difference in the World These machines' claim to fame is speed. Caching obviously plays an important role in this area; when I inadvertently disabled the cache on the Intel machine, its performance dropped to what I would expect from a 16-MHz AT . Many manu facturers of these (and other) high-speed systems spend much of their time touting their caching system's high "hit rate" and low "effective wait states." What about these systems?
The Everex uses a proprietary Ad vanced Memory Management Architec ture (AMMA) that-according to the company-gives the system a perfor mance boost beyond standard cache sys tems. First, 1AMMA permits you to ex pand the cache memory from 64K bytes (the minimum) to 256K bytes as your system memory expands. Second, pro cessor cache systems based on the Intel 82385 cache controller chip-the Com paq uses the 82385-are write-through, which means that as the processor writes data into the cache memory, it also writes the data to the system memory so that system memory is kept up to date with cache memory. A write-through cache will experience a performance re duction during write operations that ac cess the slower main memory. (To be specific, Intel refers to the 82385's cache implementation as posted write-through and claims that a posted write-through allows the 80386 to issue a write to the cache and proceed with the next opera tion without having to wait for the update to slower main memory. However, if multiple write operations occur back-to back, the system can bottleneck as the processor waits for the cache controller to update main memory.)
Everex's AMMA controller imple ments a true buffered-write cache that updates main memory only when neces sary (e.g ., when the direct memory ac cess system reads a section of main mem
142 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
25-MHz 80386 MACHINES
The Compaq 386s
ory that corresponds to memory updated in the cache) and does so in blocks of up to 128 bits at a time.
Is the AMMA worth its salt (or sili con)? My guess is that the best indicator of the AMMA' s speed advantage over an 82385-based cache would be the String Move benchmark (see table 1), and in fact the Step 386125 does turn in times that are noticeably faster than the other systems for that benchmark. Whatever the reason-larger cache size or smarter cache management-the Everex does seem to be able to move data between the CPU and memory more quickly than the other machines. For the other bench marks, the Everex shows no clear win over the Compaq, and only a marginal lead over the Intel and Netpro.
A Dual Personality
As sophisticated as these machines are, I cannot help pointing out how similar their philosophy is to that of the Apple IIGS. The IIGS used the 65816, a pro cessor that was an upgrade to the 6502, with larger registers and a wider address range. Compare this with the 80386's improvements over the 80286/8086. The IIGS had internal fast RAM, but the sys tem was slowed to 1 MHz during access to the Ile-compatible I/O slots. Compare this with how these machines must re duce execution speed during access to the AT-compatible slots. Finally, the IIGS had a special fast-RAM/ROM memory-expansion slot. Compare this with each of the 25-MHz machines' pro prietary 32-bit high-speed memory ex pansion slots. It seems that compatibility plagues the hardware engineers of the PC world as well as the Apple world. Are these dual-personality machines the only possible response in the demanding face of compatibility? And how much trouble are we getting into with all the propri etary 32-bit buses?
My personal choice among these ma chines is a toss-up between the Everex and the Compaq. The Everex does ap pear to have a leg up on the Compaq and the Intel-based machines in terms of raw speed, but the Compaq comes from a fine heritage of dependable workhorses, and there's certainly plenty of Compaq peripherals to draw from.
Ultimately, you have to ask yourself whether or not the extra speed is worth the extra cost. Is there enough software out there that makes use of the 80386 that you need right now? The 80386 should begin showing its real power as more multitasking applications appear, and a serious Xenix or Unix user might have no other choice. For those who use these
T hough not a 25-MHz machine, I find the new Compaq 386s to be more interesting than the other ones re viewed here. Why? Because the Com paq 386s uses the new Intel 80386SX processor, a 16-MHz CPU that is re lated to the 80386 in the same way the 8088 is related to the 8086.
Internally, the 80386SX and 80386 look identical, externally the 80386SX uses a 16-bit data bus. For the manu facturer, this translates to simpler board design, lower chip cost, and smaller package size. For us, it means we can get a good 80386 system for less money.
Another attraction of the Compaq 386s is its integration of much of the pe ripheral hardware onto the mother board. Not only will you find the ex pected: real-time clock and calendar, parallel printer port, and serial port; there's also the unexpected: VGA con troller (with a 16-bit data path that soft ware may one day take advantage of), and a mouse port. Compaq also throws in some welcome utilities: their expanded memory manager (CEMM) package for support of the Lotus/Intel/ Microsoft Expanded Memory Specifi cation (LIM/EMS) and Compaq's own disk-caching software.
Compaq serves the 386s in a variety of flavors. Yoo have your choice of no internal hard disk drive (the Model 1 at $3799), a 20-megabyte hard disk drive (the Model 20 at $4499) or a 40-mega byte hard disk drive (the Model 40 at $5199). All three models include 1 megabyte of memory, a 5 1.4-inch 1.2 megabyte floppy disk drive, and 4 AT style expansion slots as standard. If backup is one of your sensitive areas, you might check into their tape backup systems: 40 or 135 megabytes. Be care ful when exploring the memory-up grade paths for the Compaq 386s, though. There are four memory expan sion options available in a variety of per mutations that take the system to a max imum system memory of between 4 megabytes and 13 megabytes. Inside the Compaq 386s are four AT-style slots and one high-speed memory expansion slot.
I'm also giving the Compaq 386s
machines as MS-DOS applications boxes, it may well be that a specimen from the apparently endless supply of faster-and-faster AT clones will do. Still, it's nice to put on your goggles, black flight jacket, and Red Baron scarf and sit down in front of all those megabytes and
Compaq 386s
CPU Sieve: Sort: Matrix: String Move:
Byte-wide: Word-wide:
Odd-bnd .: Even-bnd.: Doubleword-wide: O d d - b n d .: Even-bnd .:
32.73 27 .04
5.38
52 .24
44 .05 26.14
29.42 19.70
Floating Point Math: Error: Slne(x): Error: eX:
Error :
11.12
0.0
4.63
2E-9 4.53
1.77E-2
high marks for external appearance particularly when placed next to the Bauhaus design of the Intel box. It has a smaller footprint than an AT (15 by 16 inches), so it fits nicely onto typing tables that the other 80386 systems would topple.
For an idea of the machine's perfor mance, the table above shows the bench mark results for our 80386 low-level tests. The Compaq 386s runs at about half the speed of it's bigger brother (the Deskpro 386/20) for the CPU and FPU tests. The Compaq 386s is not a barn burner in the speed category, but if your plans include a solid 80386 machine it's worth a closer look.
megahertz to whip through an applica tion in a morning instead of a whole day.·
Rick Grehan is a BYTE senior technical editor. You can reach him on BIX as "rick_g."
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 143
e Dell System 220.
ce ~ainthe critics stole th'ewo1tls ri t
out of ourmout
"The Dell S)Jstem 220nms mostPCLabs system benchmark tests atspeeds that wouldmake)JOU think
)JOure nmning a 386.JJ
-PC MAGAZINE
"the Dellmachine is renewedevidence that the
price of286--haseddesktop equipmentcontinues to
drop rapid~ makingsuch machines very at!ractivefor
daily work underMS--DOS even as they holdoutthe
promise ofnmning 05/2in thefature.JJ
-WILL FASTIE, FC WEEK
':..indudes a )Jears on--site support...in the price ofthe
computer. This is the sweetest support deal cfferedh)J cmy computer vendor in the industry.}}
-ERIC KNORR, PC WORLD
"The hotitemftom a technicalpointofview is the
S)Jstem 220. This machine nms a 286processor at20MHz,
which is its major claim tof ame.JJ
-WILL FASTIE, PC WEEK
"the S)Jstem 220has moregoingfor itthanjustspeed}}
144 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
-PC WORLD
The reviews are beginning to pour in. And they read like a wish list for every power user looking to exceed the ordinary limitations of a 286 computer. The computer everyone is praising in such glowing terms is the Dell System 220. The first 286 computer with a clock speed of 20 MHz. It's totally MS-DOS® and MS®OS/2 compatible. Yet it sells for much less than you may pay for a 386 computer. Because you buy it direct from us. Eliminating the mark-ups and mar gins of computer stores. We design and build every Dell computer right here in Austin, Texas. We put each and every one through a comprehensive burn-in and a battery of diagnostic tests before we ship it. And after we ship, we give you the best technical support you'll find any where in the computer industry. Our technicians are on the phone from 7AM to 7PM every business day.
Almost any question you may have
about a Dell system can be answered over
the phone. And, in the rare case, that your ques
tion can't be answered by an on-line tech nician, we'll send a Honeywell Bull tech nician by the next business day.
A full year of on-site Honeywell Bull service is included within the purchase price ofyour Dell system.
Your Dell computer also comes with a thirty-day money back guarantee.
And we back every one of our com puters with a one year limited warranty on any defective parts or workmanship.
For more information about Dell computers, read the reviews in the trade press, turn the page, review our product offerings, and call us at (800) 426-5150.
You'll like what we have to say.
800·426:5150 - D- E- L- L TO ORDER CALL
C-O- MrU-TE-R
CORrORATION
----
IN THE U.S. AND CANADA
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 145
The Dell
Computer
Store.
Welcome to our store. We believe you'll find this an extremely pleasant shopping experience.
Our sales staff is on hand to serve you from 7AM to 7PM (CSTI from Monday thru Friday.
Just call (800)426,5150 and we'll give you the technical assistance and information you need to make sure youre buying the system that's right for your needs.
Then you have the option of either a direct purchase or your company can take advantage of our Leasing Plan:""
Once you've made your choice, our Total Satisfaction Guarantee gives you thirty days from the day you receive your system,
to decide ifyou are absolutely, totally satisfied
with the product.
Ifyou're not, simplyreturnthe system and
you'll receive a full refund.No questions asked. Your Dell computer is supported by a
team of technical experts that can be reached
every business day, from 7AM to 7PM (CSTI,
simply by calling (800) 624,9896
In most cases, any question you may have about your Dell system can be answered by one of our technicians on the phone.
Our technicians are also supported by Honeywell Bull service engineers who can be sent to your office by the next business day, should on,site service be required.
This optional service contract is avail, able in over 95% of the United States, with over 1,000 engineers in 198 service locations.
We also offer a OneYear Limited War, ranty, which warrants each system we manu, facture to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for one full year. During that period we will repair or replace any defective products properly returned to our factory.
Feel free to call or write for the com, plete terms of our Honeywell Bull Service Contract, Guarantee and Warranty. Dell Computer Corporation, 9505 Arboretum Blvd., Austin, Texas 78759,7299.
Dell products are available on GSA con, tract. Call us to get GSA pricing.
146 BYTE ·AUGUST 1988
THE NEW 20MHz386
SYSTEM
310.
THE NEW 20MHz286
SYSTEM
220.
The top of the line. It's our highest performance computer available, faster than the IBMt PS/2t Model 80 and the Compaqt 386/20. It runs at 20 MHz with the latest 32 bit architecture. Since it also has Intel's Advanced 82385 Cache Memory Controller, and high per formance disk drives, the System 310 is ideal for intensive database management, complex spread sheet development, CAD/CAM, desktop publishing or perfor mance as a network file server.
Standard Features: · Intelt 80386 microprocessor
running at 20 MHz. · I MB of80 ns 32-bit RAM
expandable to 16 MB without using an expansion slot. ·Advanced Intel 82385 Memory Controller with 32 KB of high speed static RAM. · Socket for 20 MHz 80387 coprocessor. · 5.25" 1.2 MB or 3.5" 1.44 MB diskette drive. ·Dual diskette and hard disk drive controller. · Enhanced IOI-key keyboard. · 1parallel and 2 serial ports. · 200-watt power supply. · 8 expansion slots.
Options: · l MB RAM upgrade kit. · 20 MHz Intel 80387 math
coprocessor. · 2 MB or 8 MB memory expan
sion boards. 'ieaseforaslowas$148/Month.
System 3!0
Hard Disk Drives
40 MB 2Bms
90MB IBms ESDI
150 MB lBms ESDI
322 MB lBms ESDI
With Monitor & Adapter
VGA Mono
VGA Color
VGA Color Plus
$4,099 $4,299 $4,399
$4,899 $5,099 $5, 199
$5,399 $5,599 $5,699
$7,399 $7,599 $7,699
As fast as most 386 computers, at less than half the price-more power for the money than any other system. An 80286 system that runs at 20 MHz, with less than one wait state. Completely compatible for both MS-DOS® and MS® OS/2 applications (it runs faster than IBM PS/2 Model 80), and with a remarkably small footpr int, the System 220 is the ideal executive workstation. The system uses page mode inter leaved memory resulting in a performance increase of about 15 percent.
Standard Features: · 80286 microprocessor running
at20MHz. · 1 MB ofRAM expandable to
16 MB (8 MB on system board). ·Integrated diskette and VGA
video controller on system board. · One 3.5" 1.44 MB diskette drive. ·Integrated high performance hard disk interface on system board. ·Enhanced 101-key keyboard. · l parallel and 2 serial ports. · LIM 4.0 support for memory over 1 MB. · Real-time clock. ·Three full-sized ATt compatible expansion slots. · Socket for 80287 coprocessor.
Options: · 3.5" 1.44 MB diskette drive. ·Intel 80287 coprocessor. · 1 MB RAM upgrade kit.
"Lease/or as Iowas $85/Month.
Sysrem 220
One Diskette
Drive
40MB 29ms Hard Disk
100 MB 29ms Hard Disk
With Monitor
VGA Mono
VGA Color
VGA Color Plus
$2,299 $2,499 $2,599
$2,999 $3,199 $3,299
$3,799 $3.999 $4,099
THE
125:MHz
SYSTEM
A Full Line Of ComputersWith A Full Line Of Conhgurations.
200.
At Dell, we understand that every business application includ, different users have different needs. ing: accounting, communications,
A great value in a full-featured AT So we tailor each system to the
desktop publishing, graphics, word
compatible. An 80286 computer running at 12.5 MHz, this compu ter is completely MS-DOS and MS OS/2 compatible. The System 200 offers high speed drive options,
user's individual requirements. We offer monitors, graphics
boards, tape backups, dot matrix
processing, integrated applications and user training.
So when your Dell System
industry standard compatible BIOS and laser printers, hard disk and arrives, you can do productive
and on-site service. As Executive Computing said of this computer's
diskette drives, expanded memory
work the minute you unpack
predecessor, "If faster processing speed and low cost are two key issues affecting your purchase decision, this machine might be the ideal choice for your office'.'
boards, serial mice and more. We also offer third party soft'
ware applications for virtually
the box. We can build you the system
you've been looking for.
Standard Features: · Intel 80286 microprocessor run
ning at 12.5 MHz. · 640 KB ofRAM expandable to
16 MB (4.6 MB on system board). · 5.25" 1.2 MB or 3.5" 1.44 MB
diskette drive. ·Dual diskette and hard disk
drive controller. · Enhanced IOI-key keyboard. · I parallel and 2 serial ports. · 200 watt power supply. · Real-time clock. · 6 expansion slots. (4 available
with hard disk drive controller and video adapter installed). ·Socket for 8 MHz 80287 coprocessor.
Options:
· 512 KB RAM upgrade kit. · 8 MHz Intel 80287 coprocessor.
*.leaseforaslowas$?8/Month.
System 200
With Monitor & Adapter
Hard Disk Drive
Mono
VGA Mono
VGA Color
VGA Color Plus
20MB $2,099 $2,299 $2,499 $2,599
40MB 40ms
$2.299 $2,499 $2,699 $2,799
40 MB 28ms
$2,499 $2,699 $2,899 $2,999
90MB IBms $3,299 $3,499 $3,699 $3,799 ESDI
150 MB lBms $3,799 $3,999 $4,199 $4,299 ESDI
322 MB lBms $5,799 $5,999 $6,199 $6,299 ESDI
COMMON TO THE SYSTEM 310, SYSTEM 220 AND SYSTEM 200:
The Dell System Analyzer. MS-DOS and OS/2 compatible. Security lock with locking chassis. 12 month on-site service contract (Available on complete systems).
PRINTERS/SOFIWARE. we Qffer afall-line efprinters andpopular soft.ware.
Allprinters come with our 30.-day money-back guarantee and one year warranty.
LASER PRINTERS.
LASER SYSTEM 150; $5,995. 15 pages per minute, text and full-page graphics. Dual 250 sheet-input trays.
LASER SYSTEM 80; $3,295. 8 pages per minute, text and full-page graphics.
LASER SYSTEM 60; $2,195.
6 pages per minute, text
and full-page graphics.
DOT MATRIX PRINTERS.
PRINTER SYSTEM 800; $699.95. Highest resolution text and graphics from a 24-wire dot matrix printer. Draft quality at 200 cps. Correspondence quality at 132 cps. Letter quality at 66 cps. Standard parallel and serial interfaces. Wide carriage.
PRINTER SYSTEM 600; $499.95. 9-wire dot matrix. Draft quality at 240 cps. Near-letter quality at 60 cps. Standard parallel interface. Wide carriage.
PRINTER SYSTEM 300; $199.95. 9-wire dot matrix. Draft quality at 144 cps. Near-letter quality at 36 cps. Four standard fonts. Paper parking. Standard parallel interface.
SOFIWARE. Operating System Software.
Dell Enhanced MS-DOS 3.3 with disk cache and other utilities; $119.95.
Dell Enhanced MS OS/2 Standard Edition 1.0 $324.95.
TO ORDER CALL
800·426:5150
IN THE U.S. AND CANADA
All prices and specifications are subject to change without notice. Please inquire for current details. Dell cannot be responsible for
errors in typography or photography. In Canada, leasing is not currently available and configurations and prices may vary. Microsoft,@
Ms® and MS-DOS® are owned by Microsoft Corp. tSignifies registered or unregistered trademarks owned by entities other than Dell
I Computer Corporation. *Payments based on a 36-month open-end lease. Please inquire for further details.
© 1988 DELL COMPUTER CORPORATION.
AD CODE NO.l IEHBI
Circle 261 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 147
PRODUCT Focus · COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE
Communications
The BYTE Lab tests communications programs that can go to work when you go home
Steve Apiki and Stan Diehl
Carbon Copy Plus Crosstalk Mk.4 Crosstalk XVI HyperACCESS Instant Terminal MaxOnline Mirror II Move-It PC BLAST II Procomm Plus Relay Silver Smartcom Ill Softerm PC
148 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
If you were stranded on an island with a bottle of aspirin, a personal com puter, and a modem, what communi cations package would you most like to have along? Make the wrong decision and you're likely to need the aspirin. Finding software that lets you use your modem may be easy, but the package with the speed, automation, and flexibil ity to let you make the most of your sys tem is a rare find indeed.
Data communications is often the same procedure from day to day. But say you just got a new 19,200-bit-per-second modem and you need to find a package that can handle it. You may want some thing that can run in the background without a multitasking operating system. Or maybe you're just tired of running through the same log-on procedure by hand, over and over again. The best thing about new software is the performance increase you can get for a relatively small amount of money.
The subjects of this month's product focus are MS-DOS-based, stand-alone communications software packages that have a script language-a feature that can relieve you of hours of tedium and hours of connect time. Generally, a script lan guage lets you program your system to handle a communications session unat tended. Programmed with a sophisti cated script, your computer can recog nize prompts from the host systems and act accordingly-say, sending queries or transferring files.
The packages we reviewed vary, how ever, in their ability to save you from sinking that saved time back into learn ing a cumbersome script language or a difficult command sequence. They also range in maximum transfer speeds from 2400 to 115,200 bps, and in price from about $70 to about $250-but you don't always get what you pay for.
System requirements are generally the same: Most run under DOS 2.0 on a sin gle 3 1h-inch or 51.4-inch floppy disk drive and in 192K bytes ofRAM. All the
packages let you use BIX, CompuServe,
or other information services, and they
let you upload and download files from
your company's mainframe. However,
many of them will perform at their top
transfer rate only when they're talking to
a computer running the same software.
We'll highlight differing requirements in
the individual sections that follow (also
see table 1).
Carbon Copy Plus 5.0
Meridian Technology's Carbon Copy
Plus 5.0 is a good example of a package
that is strong overall and provides unique
features for specialized needs. It re
quires an unusually large (256K-byte)
section of memory, but it exchanges code
size for speed by loading its configura
tion program directly into memory. It in
cludes 224 pages of documentation.
Carbon Copy is more than a utility for communicating with mainframes-it's also a remote PC control package. Be cause of this, it is broken down into two executable programs, CC for the host and CCHELP for the remote side. The remote user can access host command files to read or write, control the host's graphics screen, and send output to the host's printer. Disk access is made possible through CCDOS, a DOS look-alike that gives host file control to the remote user through an almost transparent additional program layer. For example, CCHELP is able to specify the host's drive C by en tering HC:. Actual file transfers are ac complished with a simple COPY com mand and are conducted using Carbon Copy's own error-checking protocol.
The host can limit file access by dis abling CCDOS. As an added security measure, the host can dial a preset call back number upon receipt ofa valid pass word from an inquiring computer. CC can also be run in a resident (back ground) mode so the host user can con tinue to run applications while file trans fers are taking place.
continued
According to Script
PHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL AVIS© 1988
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 149
PRODUCT FOCUS
COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE
Table 1: Features and price are unrelated in the packages we tested(· ==yes; 0 = no).
Package name
Price
Copy
Documen
protected2 tation
Carbon Copy Plus 5 .0
$195
·
Crosstalk Mk.41.01
$245
0
Crosstalk XVI 3.61 Hyper ACCESS 3.28 Instant Terminal 1.1
$195 $149 $ 95
·0
0
MaxOnline 2.4
$ 70
0
Mirror 113.6.12
$ 70
0
Move-It 4.02
$150
0
PC BLAST II
$250
0
Procomm Plus 1 .1A
$ 75
0
Relay Silver 1.01
$150
0
Smartcom 1111.08
$249
0
Softerm PC 3.0
$195
0
1 Requires two floppy disk drives.
2 Disks can be copied, but duplicates will not work together.
224 pages 424 pages 199 pages 232 pages
71 pages 222 pages 368 pages 155 pages 322 pages 340 pages 591 pages 218 pages 728 pages
Minimum RAM (bytes)
Maximum data
transfer rate (bps)
Learn mode
256K 256K
38,400 115,200
·0
96K
115,200
0
192K
57,600
0
192K 256K 192K 128K
19,200 19,200 115,200 19,200
··0
0
256K 192K 192K 512K 256K
38,400 115,200
19,200 115,200 115,200
···· 0
Text editor
Back ground operation
·0
0
·
0 0
0
0
0
0
·0
·0
·····0
0 0
··· 0
All this host mode power doesn't come at the expense of terminal-emula tion capability. Carbon Copy can hold its own against dedicated mainframe links, with transfer speed that puts it right up with Crosstalk Mk.4, support for the most common transfer protocols, and emulation support for five popular terminals.
The terminal commands are clear and efficient, mostly Alt-key combinations. In fact, Carbon Copy was the best at our manual keystroke benchmark, and, though the commands are short, they are by no means cryptic. The compilable script language is similarly tight, al though it does not contain the advanced decision-making structures of some packages.
If you're interested primarily in MS DOS-based communications and need a package that will enable very intimate data sharing over the telephone, then this may be the one you 're looking for. Keep in mind, however, that all the special ized features require at least two copies (one for the host and one for the remote terminal) at nearly $200 apiece.
Crosstalk Mk.4 version 1.01 A real communications software Cadil lac, Crosstalk Mk.4 version 1.01 from Digital Communications Associates (DCA) is a hefty package that requires two 360K-byte floppy disk drives and the assimilation of a 424-page user's man ual. It includes a comprehensive script language and a top-drawer price of$245. The list of terminals it can emulate is as long as your arm (see table 2); you can
edit text with a built-in editor; and, in ad dition to supporting every major file transfer protocol, it introduces one of its own, called DART.
DART is essentially an upgrade of the older Crosstalk protocol, with new fea tures that include crash recovery and time and date stamping. Crash recovery enables file transfers to continue after an error is corrected, appending new data onto that already sent.
If, despite all the protocol options available, you still must do an ASCII transfer, you won't have to worry about speed. With a rate of 115,200 bps sup ported and the ability to send and receive with only limited line waits, Crosstalk turned in an excellent time on our file transfer benchmark.
The command mode is built on the Crosstalk system of loading command modules for making preset calls. The modules can contain connection settings, protocols, and terminal emulations. This system is relatively easy to use once you get familiar with it, although keeping track of all the two-letter commands often requires hunting through the man ual. Crosstalk Mk.4 had an average showing on our keystroke benchmark; it suffered from the need to send an atten tion signal before any commands.
Most outstanding of all its features is its CASL script language. CASL uses multiple decision loops, has specialized disk-access commands, and can create much more than script files. Because of its command specialization and its size (over half the manual is dedicated to CASL commands), writing simple
scripts like our script benchmark can be difficult for those unfamiliar with the language. Fortunately, Crosstalk Mk.4 provides a learn script that lets you record a session into a script file that can simply be edited. With the learn script, what would have taken nearly 500 key strokes to program by hand was reduced to the 197 indicated in table 3.
Although Crosstalk Mk.4 is a very powerful package, its price puts it in a range (shared by Smartcom III, as dis cussed later) reserved for only those in real need of its most advanced features .
Crosstalk XVI 3.61 Crosstalk XVI, though the standard by which other communications packages are measured, falls short of the mark it self in our tests. Version 3.61 requires only 96K bytes of RAM and costs $195.
The software emulates nine popular terminals, but it supports fewer proto cols and is more difficult to learn than most modern packages. The common way to run command mode is to load command files containing directory in formation. You can supplement this by following script menus or by entering two-letter commands. As with Crosstalk Mk.4, the process takes some getting used to but can be efficient once you are familiar with the language. There is a status table that you can access with a sin gle key to find your connect options; however, finding the table with less com monly used information (like the modem commands) can take several commands. The system had an average score on our
continued
150 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
You can rely on your file server
for LAN communications···
·
'
·
· ·
·
All you need is patience.
And faith.
You're getting the drift of this message already. File servers aren't designed to solve the PC user's commu nications problem. But now there's a system that is.
Now there's COMMIXT"' J2. It's a general purpose local area network for PCs and minicomputer hosts. It connects you with the host, other PCs, and peripherals such as printers, plotters, or modems through simple, pop-up menu commands.
For file transfer and E-mail as a background task. For printer spooling and sharing directly from your applications programs. For terminal emulation that's automatic. COMMIX 32 will let anyone perform common LAN tasks-without the need for expert assistance.
Install it quickly. Expand it easily. Almost any PC user can install and connect with COMMIX. With each connection, you're saving time and money. Because each COMMIX connection costs as little as $125.
Circle 110on Reader Service Card
Then take advantage of expansion possibilities. With our optional Ethernet® Link Module, you can create larger LANs with thousands of users. And through our optional Wide Area Network Module, distant COMMIX LANs can appear as one network. If you're lost at sea. And looking for solid LAN. The COMMIX 32 is available now. Send us a message: ITRON, a Division of Jnfotron Systems Corporation, 130 Gaither Drive, Suite 116, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054. TEL: (609) 722-5575 FAX: (609) 234-0451
l-800-42J-8044
111111111
ITRON
An lnfolron Division
COMMlX is a 1rademarli of lrW01ron Corporation. Etherntl Is :a registntd !Ddrmartr; ol Xerox Co1poration
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE
151
PRODUCT FOCUS
COMMUNICATIONS SOFfWARE
Table 2: You should check a package carefully to make sure it supports the protocols and emulations you need (· = yes; 0 = no).
Protocols
Package name
Carbon Copy Plus 5.0 Crosstalk Mk.4 1.01 Crosstalk XVI 3.61 HyperACCESS 3.28 InstantTerminal 1.14 MaxOnline 2.4 Mirror II 3.6.12 Move-It 4.02 PC BLAST II Procomm Plus 1.1 A Relay Silver 1.0 Smartcom 1111.08 Softerm PC 3.05
· · 0 0 0 0 · 00 0 0 0 0· 0 0 0 0 · 0· 0 0 0 0 0 0 0· 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 · 0·
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 · 0
0 0
· · 0 · · · · 0 0 · ·
· ·
· · 0 · 0 0 0 · · · · 0 ·
0 · 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 · 0 0 0
0 0 0
· 0
· 0 0
· 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
· 0
0 0 0
· 0
0 0 0
· · · · · · · · · · · · ·
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
· 0
0
· ·
0 0
· · 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
· · · · · · · · · · · · 0
· ·
0
· · · 0
0
· 0 · 0
0
· 0
0 0
· 0
0 0
· 0 · 0
0
· · 0
0 0
· 0
0
· 0
0
· 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
· 0
0 0 0 0
· · · · · · ·
· ·
· 0 · ·
1 Character mode only.
2 Requires additional hardware (e.g.. IRMA and SmartAlec).
' Requires 7171 protocol converter or equivalent.
' DEC emulators included; 40 others available at additional cost.
s Supports 33 additional terminals not listed here.
manual keystroke test. Writing a script file is simply a matter
of listing commands, and there are no shortcuts except for abbreviated com mand strings. Decision loops based on received strings must be implemented using the when construct-a technique that can lead to errors with unexpected input.
Only the XMODEM error-checking protocol is supported in addition to Cros stalk's own. Data transfer rates are sup ported to 115,200 bps, but our ASCII transfer test shows the severe perfor mance hits that you get when flow-con trol characters and character waits are necessary for error-free transmission. Crosstalk XVI was one of the few pack ages we tested that took longer to send a file to a faster machine than to receive it-a clear indication of high software overhead.
Overall, Crosstalk XVI is an average package at an above-average price. Crosstalk look-alike programs are easy to come by, but many of them have added features and flexibility that Crosstalk has not.
HyperACCESS 3.28 Hilgraeve's HyperACCESS is a versatile communications package with solid file transfer ability and unique features that
make it useful for widely varying appli cations. Version 3.28 sells for $149.
HyperACCESS supports XMODEM, Kermit, and its own Hyper protocol. De spite its moderate maximum transfer rate, HyperACCESS compared favor ably to higher-rated packages in our throughput tests, with low overhead and flawless XON/XOFF synching. The software features optional data compres sion capability for both XMODEM and the Hyper protocol.
But speed is not HyperACCESS's only asset. It also has a powerful host mode that allows remote control over DOS and DOS programs. Remote user access can be limited to read only, DOS only, or one program only.
One weakness in an otherwise good package is its use of a menu-driven com mand mode. Although the manual key stroke score was average, the commands involve constant flipping through layers of menus. Transferring files is especially taxing.
HyperACCESS features Hyper Pilot, a compilable script language that lets you check for syntax errors before you're actually on-line. Unfortunately, the script language itself does not allow many shortcuts, and it fared poorly on the programming keystroke test. In addi tion, if you're used to other software's
script languages, which are all similar, you'll find that learning Hyper Pilot re quires some adjustments.
Instant Terminal 1.1 Take our advice: When the Instant Ter minal manual mentions that a little file on the supplemental disk is intended only for a "computer engineer, technician, or programmer," don't listen. Print the file. Using the sparse 55-page reference manual that came with the package, we assumed Instant Terminal was a cheap Procomm clone. In fact, the sign-on screen tells you that Datastorm Technol ogies, the Procomm people, licensed the software to Softronics. But with a little digging, we found a full scripting lan guage and features that are only hinted at in the published documentation.
Instant Terminal even ran a Procomm script, including GOSUBs and condition als, without an edit or a hitch. Still, it's not a full implementation, the most nota ble omission being a learn facility.
One other problem with the "cheap Procomm clone" assumption: Procomm costs less. With a single emulation, In stant Terminal will run you $95.
As the name suggests, Instant Termi nal touts its terminal-emulation features. Our review copy included a software module and documentation supplement
152 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
PRODUCT FOCUS
COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE
Terminals Emulated
~
...Cl)
~
Q
... ... ~
4)
s ...,.. <! ... J...
8 8 i i i i s Ill ~
,..~:,
,..:..§,..
~ ~
,..:, ~
~
~
~
~
~ ~ ~ ~
~
~
'q" Q Q Q Q
.;?
'q"
J;
........
~
.~ ...
,;~;-~
6 J ~
Cl)
~
~Jr ~~
....
Q
~~~ ~
ii
ii
~ ~
~
Oj
....
....
....
CZJ -.I
~
~
..Q..
Cl)
~ J...
If ~ ~
Cl)
Cl)
Cl)
i ~ ~ ~
J... J... J...
~
Cl)
~ J...
~
~
.:s;
~"'
~
~
~ ~
§
· 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
· · · · · · · ··0···
· · · · · · · · 0 · · · 0
· 0
0
· 0
0 0
· · 0 · · 0
· 0 ·0.4
0 0
· 0
0 0
· 0
· 0
0 0
· · 0 · 0
0 0
· 0
· 0
0 0
· 0
0
· 0
0 0
· 0
· 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0
· 0
0 0 0 0
· 0
0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
· 0
0 0
· 0
e1
·e1 · · · 0
.,0
· 0 · 0
0
e2
0.3
0 0 0 0
.0 3
0 0 0
0
e2
.0 3
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0
e2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
· 0
0 0 0
· 0 · · 0
0
· 0
0
· 0
0 0
· 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
0
· 0
0 0 0 0
· · 0
0
· 0
· 0
0 0 0
· 0 · · 0
0
· 0
· · ·
0 0
· 0 · · 0
0
· 0
· 0 · 0
0
· 0 · · 0
0
· 0
···0
0 0 0
· · 0
0
· 0
0 0 0 0
· 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0
· 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0
0
0 0
0
0
0
0
·0
0
0
0
Table 3: The packages varied widely in ease ofprogramming and thoughput. (All times are in seconds.)
Package
Keystrokes Keystrokes 1-megabyte 1-megabyte Perfect-line Perfect-line Typical-line Typical-line
to create for manual send at receive at 1200-bps 1200-bps 1200-bps 1200-bps
BIX script BIXsession highest bps highest bps send
receive
send
receive
Carbon Copy Plus
286
Crosstalk Mk.4
197
Crosstalk XVI
237
HyperACCESS
479
Instant Terminal
343
MaxOnline
158
Mirror II
117
Move-It
145
PC BLAST II
419
Procomm Plus
142
Relay Silver
117
Smartcom Ill
162
Solterm PC
195
19
310
722
590
588
26
318
770
595
592
24
873
618
592
591
26
296
770
589
592
19
885
884
596
597
26
579
549
619
597
25
475
926
594
598
44
1653
1660
589
590
38
435
1259
596
592
22
452
542
587
587
30
740
656
593
592
23
98
262
582
584
33
950
954
667
665
592
589
589
591
588
589
593
597
596
595
606
598
597
597
587
593
600
594
590
588
594
595
587
585
655
661
for DEC VT-220 emulation. An order form enclosed with the package lists 40 additional emulator modules. Although most of the telecommunications pack ages reviewed here include a variety of common emulations, documentation was almost invariably poor. Instant Terminal fills this gap. So if you need to emulate an obscure terminal, or if you have a spe
cific application on only one or two ter minals, look into Instant Terminal. However, if you access multiple hosts, take note: The first emulation goes for $15; after that, they're $50 a shot.
MaxOnline 2.4 Though sometimes bogged down by multiple menus, this $70 package offers
abundant features for its price. The menus are well designed, making Max Online a very easy package to use, espe cially for novices. The operations you need most show up on the first screen. And if anything's missing, you can add new functions by editing USER.MNU.
MaxOnline reaches a maximum data
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 153
PRODUCT FOCUS
COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE
transfer rate of only 19,200 bps, but it ~cored credibly on our benchmarks, tim ing under 10 minutes on both I-megabyte transfers. Adequate scripting and a func tional learn mode combine for easy auto mation, while the 222 pages of documen t at ion include plenty of instructive programming routines and command ex amples. The distribution disk also con tains demonstration scripts .
MaxOnline touts a windowing feature that supports simultaneous file transfer from two COMM ports. It falls short of true background mode, but it can speed up extensive file-transfer tasks. While one window downloads from a remote host, the other port can process files over a direct line . You can customize each window and easily jump back and forth . Remote operation excels for a program in this price category. Simple commands set passwords, restrict log-ons to specific users, allow varying levels of access, and trigger an interactive chat mode . Easy file management is also available .
The compact scripting language han dles most basic commands. It would not, however, support an IF WAITFOR state ment, counting instead on a time-out error to break from the mail loop. Pa rameters are easy to change, with an overview screen and menus available for most entries. MaxOnline illustrates how far communications software has come: A little money buys a professional pack age with plenty of power.
Mirror II 3.6.12 Being accustomed to a given command system and script language may be your only reason for sticking with an other wise weak communications product. SoftKlone's Mirror II 3.6.12 solves that problem by letting you use the familiar Crosstalk system while adding a learn command, background mode, text edi tor, strong terminal emulation, and some friendly screen displays . All this, includ ing 368 pages of clear documentation, will run you a mere $70.
Although the command structure is virtually identical to Crosstalk's and is notanyeasiertolearn, Mirror II's screen displays present your connect informa tion clearly and let you scroll through all the parameters you have set. It per formed at Crosstalk 's level in the manual keystroke test, the only difference being an added stroke to get past the initial screen display without waiting it out.
Running Mirror II in the background is easy, requiring only a hot-key toggle to switch between itself and another appli cation . It can handle the difficult task of simultaneously receiving a file and
doing disk-intensive operations with only about a 5 percent performance hit, and without errors. Be warned that Mirror's l 92K bytes plus your operating system take up a big chunk of a 640K-byte mem ory, and you may be severely limited as to the other applications you can run .
If you 're not used to the Crosstalk script language, there is a learn facility to help get you started. Using it enabled us to cut the programming keystrokes down to an excellent 117 , including edit ing. Mirror adds the ability to access a command completion register to the stan dard Crosstalk command set, which makes possible decision loops based on 22 separate conditions .
The software supports all common protocols, including Crosstalk. It scored very well in our ASCII send test, but lower than average on our ASCII receive. In this case, the flow control necessary to properly send the file from the Com paq 386/20 to the AT at 115,200 bps was unusually sluggish .
Mirror II is a very good, strong, and flexible package for less than half the price of Crosstalk. Those comfortable with the Crosstalk command file format may well find a new favorite here.
Move-It 4.02 When you boot up Move-It, all you get back is an asterisk. After delving through so many programs with reams of overlapping menus and multiple key strokes for one simple command, that lonely command prompt was refreshing. Of course, you have to rely on the 155 pages of documentation-without an in dex-and a few help screens to get you through the learning phase. The stark screen display disguises a powerful pro gram with a full scripting language.
Though simple in concept, the pro gram's price tag ($150) puts it in a class where it must match the performance of some tough competition. Unfortunately, it lacks the basic features required to meet that goal. Take the phone book, for example: It is a raw ASCII file, where each line contains an entry, and a comma separates each argument of an entry (e .g . , phone number, data transfer rate, and parity). Again, the simplicity ap pealed to us, but for the price of this package, you should not have to exit the program and run up a word processor each time you add a phone entry . And during XMODEM transfers , you should get more of a status update than just a row of dots across the screen.
Move-It's elegant scripting almost makes up for the lack of a learn facility. Even without automatic generation of
PRODUCT FOCUS
COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE
code, it took only 145 keystrokes to pro gram the full BIX session. Move-It han dles the BIX mail loop with typical effi ciency. It first looks for the read/action prompt (meaning mail is in the box) , then jumps to one label if the prompt is encountered, or to another label if it is not; thus:
MA r ead/acti on: J Uno_mor e_mail FALSE J Umore_mail
Unlike many of the programs we re viewed, you don't have to wait for a time out to fall through the mail loop. This structure not only produces efficient code but also handles a variety of com plex chores.
Still, when the program drifts away (an affliction all too common during telecomputing), you start to miss the menus and status prompts so common in the other packages. And this program drifts off more than others. It hung when it couldn't detect a dial tone, it hung when connected to a Hayes-compatible modem it didn't think was compatible enough, and it even hung when an invalid data transfer rate was entered. There's nothing more infuriating than a hung program that stares back at you with only that lonely asterisk.
PC BLAST II
In a category with Smartcom III and Crosstalk Mk.4, the $250 PC BLAST II faces some brutal competition . Even with 300-plus pages of documentation and some powerful features, it just doesn't achieve top-of-the-line status. The manual lacks coherent organization, and the sparse index skips the first two sections. BLAST scripts handle complex chores, but they run erratically- a fatal flaw when automating on-line proce dures . BLAST also comes up short on maximum data transfer rate (38,400 bps) and number of protocols supported (only XMODEM and the functional, though nonstandard, BLAST protocol) .
BLAST reverts to some cryptic script ing language. Unfortunately, the docu mentation covering the command struc ture doesn't help much . While most programs use the Wait For standard to await specific prompts, BLAST uses a TTRAP command. Still, even after em ploying numerous traps and delays , BLAST insisted on flooding BIX with a burst of commands. Although BIX han dled it, some services won't. For proto col transfers, you've got to access the on line menu and then send local keystrokes to automate the menu selections. This in
efficient method invites trouble. The TUPLOAD and TCAPTURE commands sup port only text transfer. On top of that, BLAST lacks a learn facility.
The setup file enhances automation by triggering script files and loading vari ables such as @logfile and @password, but this doesn't make up for the ineffi ciencies. A keystroke count exposes the problem: The manual session took 38 keystrokes to complete, while the com mand script required 419. For the price BLAST demands, it should be doing more of your work. Other programs in BLAST's price category deliver elegant scripting, full features, and smooth op eration-an enviable standard, and one that BLAST simply does not meet.
Procomm Plus I.IA Procomm Plus offers the best of both worlds: cheap yet powerful, easy to use yet rich with features. At first glance, it appears plain enough for public domain, and yet it supports almost any telecom puting application: 11 standard proto cols, 14 terminal emulations, every com mon configuration up to 115,200 bps, host mode, split-screen chat mode, an automated phone book, macros, and a surprisingly powerful script language. In the old price ($75) versus perfor mance ratio, Procomm leads the field.
Procomm employs the familiar PC Talk key sequences to get the job done. The key combinations are, for the most part, logical; and for those that aren't, one keystroke calls a comprehensive overview screen. The 340-page manual, well-organized and indexed, does not leave you ripping out pages with one hand and hair with the other. Page references at the beginning of each chapter supple ment a detailed table of contents and a complete index.
Although some compatibility quirks are to be expected in the world of tele communications programs, Procomm did better than some. A few of the pack ages could not handle the POPCOM modem, a purported Hayes compatible, but Procomm had no trouble with it at all. Another Hayes compatible inces santly reported Carrier Detect High, and most of the programs had problems with this. Some dealt with it on boot-up by flashing a warning or initiating a reset. Some even dropped into terminal mode, fully on-line, refusing to believe that no one was home. Procomm Plus simply ig nored it. Perhaps this exposes a lack of sophistication, but it can be a blessing. Telecomputing causes enough headaches without your program getting picky.
continued
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0 ur tests seek to evaluate communi cations software performance in two broad categories: throughput and ease of use. To this end, we devised benchmarks to pinpoint performance ability in eight separate areas.
The first is our manual keystroke test, where we record the number of keystrokes necessary to carry out a de fined session on the BIX conferencing system. It provides a quantitative mea sure of the relative complexity of using the command mode. The session con sists oflogging on, filing and download ing mail, filing and downloading mes sages, and logging off. Keystrokes that are used for commands in terminal mode (i.e., commands for BIX's use only) are not counted. We made every effort to use keyboard shortcuts where these were available. The count begins on the first stroke after the program is started and ends when we have returned to DOS.
For our second test, we wrote a script language program to automate the same BIX session, and we determined the
The Tests
keystrokes needed to enter and execute the script. Since BIX's mail subsystem requires that you file memos individu ally, and the amount of messages can vary from day to day, the program must have some kind of input-based decision structure to work properly.
We chose to use the language's best structure, not necessarily its most com pact, for handling unexpected condi tions. If abbreviated commands were possible, we used them. If the package had a learn facility, we counted only the keystrokes needed to use the learn mode and to edit the resulting script.
Throughput was measured using two data files (a 64K-byte file and a I-mega byte file), transferred between a stan dard IBM PC AT and a Compaq Desk pro 386/20 under fixed conditions. The terms send and receive are always refer enced to the AT . The I-megabyte ASCII transfer test times the send and receive timings of one million A characters via a null modem connection and using no error checking. We pushed for the greatest error-free transfer rate we
could get, which is not merely a func tion of data transfer rate; it often meant adjusting flow control and line or char acter wait parameters. At 1I5,200 bps, we should see I-megabyte transfer times of about 90 seconds (1 megabyte/ (115200/10)), but typical times were more on the order of IO minutes, which was the fastest transfer time the soft ware (and the disks) could correctly handle.
To determine how the software re acted under everyday conditions, we measured the transfer rate of a 64K-byte data file at I200 bps over two simulated phone lines. The first line, simulated by our modem testing equipment, was a "perfect" line, with virtually no noise and no line impairment. The connection was made using two I200-bps Hayes compatible modems. The second line simulated was a "typical" line, with typical noise, attenuation, and phase jit ter. These parameters were determined by the preliminary draft of EIA-496, a specification for universal communica tion equipment tests.
As for the script language, Procomm boasts a complete command set: if ... then ... else looping, case structures, a Shell command for DOS operation, sub routines, and advanced screen handling. This power does not come at the cost of simplicity. For instance, Procomm han dled the BIX mail loop with ease:
WAITFOR "read/action" ;BIX prompt
; when you have mail
IF WAITFOR
; if you have mail,
GOTO more_Jllail ; go get it
END I F
Sure, it looks obvious; but few packages handle the loop so easily. For all but the most complex programming projects, Procomm scripting will do the job. Only the lack of a true background mode dampens our endorsement. The Shell command allows you to escape to DOS while still on-line, but file transfers will not proceed until Procomm returns to the foreground.
Procomm meets a software designer's most stringent standard: Pack in the fea tures, but keep the interface simple. It doesn't intimidate, but it can still handle
complex applications. Above all, it strives for invisibility, flashing menus at you only when asked and remaining as
unobtrusive as possible. A noble achieve ment, and a goal all too often neglected.
Relay Silver 1.0 Relay Silver I .0 is a fully featured com munications software package that re quires 192K bytes of RAM and two flop py disk drives. It includes two manuals with over 500 pages of well-referenced documentation, and it sells for $I50. Re lay Silver is weak in throughput, ease of commands, and terminal emulation, and the unusual extra features it adds are not enough to make up for these basic lacks.
Among the added features are a so phisticated background mode, a text edi tor, and a script language learn facility. The background mode allows Relay Sil ver to run as a true terminate-and-stay resident (TSR) program, always accessi ble through a hot-key combination. Unfortunately, background file transfers were quite slow when running a disk intensive application in the foreground.
ASCII transfers were quick enough, but hard to get going. At high speeds, the software occasionally locks when using XON/XOFF, apparently because the re ceiver doesn't catch all the data and never sends the next XON. For hard-wired con nections, Relay Silver needs a null modem cable configuration that differs
from that of almost every other package. The command mode is menu-driven
beyond reason, and to accomplish any file transfers with the menu, you must edit an entire directory specification. A command entry mode of sorts is avail able through an attention key, but that handy bit of information is buried well within the documentation. Once you find it, you can enter script commands di rectly from the keyboard. Even with this shortcut, Relay Silver had a lower-than average score on manual key counts.
On the plus side, Relay has a powerful script language and a good learn facility. Relay also finished with an excellent keystroke count in our programming test. The commands are simple and intu itive, and editing a learned script can take remarkably little effort. In addition, Relay includes an application program interface-software hooks that let you easily incorporate Relay scripts into your own programs. The manufacturer says a new release of Relay Silver with script enhancements and additional terminal emulations will be available this fall.
Smartcom III 1.08 For elegant scripting, full features, and pure telecomputing power, you just can't
continued
156 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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Print samples were created using Microsoft Word, M icrosoft Excel, and Aldus PageMaker
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 157
PRODUCT FOCUS
COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE
Company Information
Communications Research Group 56I5 Corporate Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA 70808 (504) 923-0888 Inquiry 900.
Meridian Technology, Inc.
7 Corporate Park, Suite IOO
Irvine, CA 927I4
(7I4) 26I-1199
Inquiry 893.
Datastorm Technologies, Inc. I62I Towne Dr., Suite G Columbia, MO 65202 (3I4) 474-846I Inquiry 901.
Relay Communications, Inc.
4I Kenosia Ave.
Danbury, CT06810
(800) 222-8672 Inquiry 902.
Digital Communications Associates, Inc. SoftKlone
I000 Holcomb Woods Pkwy.
336 Office Plaza Dr.
Roswell, GA 30076
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(404) 998-3998
(904) 878-8564
Inquiry 894.
Inquiry 898.
Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. P.O Box I05203 Atlanta, GA 30348 (404) 44I-I6I7 Inquiry 903.
Softronics 7899 Lexington Dr., Suite 2I0 Colorado Springs, CO 809I8 (800) 225-8590 Inquiry 896.
Hilgraeve, Inc. P.O. Box 94I Monroe, MI 48I6I (800) 826-2760 Inquiry 895.
Woolf Software Systems, Inc.
23842 Archwood St.
West Hills, CA 91307
(8I8) 703-8I I2
Inquiry 899.
Maxon Systems, Inc. 353 Vintage Park Dr., Suite B Foster City, CA 94403 (4I5) 377-0269 Inquiry 897.
beat the Old Guard. Smartcom III re quires a hefty 5 I2K bytes of RAM, an 80-column display, and a hard disk drive, but the package includes every thing: a full-functioned editor, file com pression and data encryption, on-line disk management, a complete command set, an integrated compiler, simulta neous sessions, remote access capability, and an excellent learn facility . The four disk set is not for the casual user, as the $249 price tag attests, but if you have heavy-duty uses in mind, Smartcom III will do the job.
Multiple menus and excessive help screens can be annoying and inflexible, but Smartcom Ill's implementation of those features works. You can find your way around the system and experiment with only occasional glances at the ample (2I8-page) documentation.
The editor, unlike many integrated editors, is fairly painless, and, when
editing script files, it offers some helpful debugging tools. Debugging the scripts of other packages can become tiresome because most errors are only discovered on-line. The Smartcom compiler, acces sible from within the editor, catches many errors; and when problems do arise, you can avoid the headache of switching from one module to another or, worse, from one program to another. After Smartcom detects a compilation error, it puts you right where you need to be: back in the editor.
Hayes has included a complete pro gramming environment with multiple conditional structures, windowing, speed optimization, and full error trap ping. The language is verbose (even with a learn facility, it took I62 keystrokes to edit the automated session). But the sell ing point here is power. With the less ex pensive packages, you usually employ a generic routine and hope all unfolds as
expected, but Smartcom lets you pick the right command for each application. Start the learn facility and watch Smart com create your script in an upper win dow as the session churns along on the main screen. It even scrambles your password. Slick.
Smartcom blazed through our I-mega byte benchmarks. Unlike almost every other program, Smartcom could truly handle its advertised maximum data transfer rate. Sending the file from the AT to the Compaq, Smartcom scorched along at I I5 ,200 bps with no delays at all and broke the tape in 98 seconds. Of course, the AT can't capture that fast, but Smartcom let us know about character errors right up front. Instead of waiting for the I -megabyte transfer to complete, only to find errors in the file, we simply aborted the process, popped down to 38 ,400 bps, and sent the file to the AT in a record 262 seconds.
If you need a full range of features, or if you plan an extensive programming project (such as a bulletin board system or a complex sequence ofunattended ses sions), the Smartcom investment pays off quickly.
Softerm PC 3.0
Although Softerm did not excel at our benchmarks, registering 954 seconds on the important I-megabyte receive test, it did run through them with admirable ease. The configuration parameters were not only comprehensive but easy to find and modify. When a problem did occur, the excellent documentation (over 700 pages packed in two manuals) covered it. And there's lots to cover: a complete script language, learn mode, background operation, direct remote access, six pop ular protocols, queue scheduling, and a text editor.
For terminal emulation , Softerm breaks away from the pack. Chapter 4 of the reference manual lists 45 terminals, and each is well documented. That chap ter alone runs 200 pages. In an area where most of the packages come up woefully short, Softerm deserves spe cial accolades.
Unique resident features are also note worthy . Softer m's Communication Agent, coupled with an unattended host mode, enables true background opera tions. A hot-key toggle lets you queue a script file containing the MONITOR com mand, turning control to the remote ter minal while the local computer runs DOS operations or application pro grams. Resident menus also offer disk management and sophisticated host ac
cominued
158 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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bO'J HEWLETT
fA PACKARD
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AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 159
A MESSAGE To
PRODUCT FOCUS
COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE
OUR SUBSCRIBERS
F ROM TIME TO TIME WE MAKE THE BYTE SUBSCRIBER list available to other companies who wish to send our subscribers material about thei1 products. We take great care to screen these com panies, 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.
Many BYTE subscribers appreciate this controlled use of our mailing list, and look forward to finding information of interest to them in the mail. Used are our subscribers' names and addresses only (no other information we may have is eyer given).
While we believe the distribution of this information is of benefit to
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cess. The File Agent uses configurable device specifiers, letting you access re mote computers as if they were local disk drives.
Softerm 's learn mode creates only macros; you've got to enter script code manually. The editor saves you some keystrokes by generating commands and by catching entry errors, but it can be in flexible. In fact, the script language it self suffers from a rigid structure. Not an open programming environment, but the kind you may appreciate at debugging time or when coding complex sessions.
The menu structure is somewhat con fusing. For instance, F4 from the Sof term Functions menu, labeled File Transfer, does not let you transfer files; for that feature, you must call the Utility Functions menu. A better design would save keystrokes and enhance clarity.
With so many features and admirable power, Softerm deserves its place along side the expensive communications packages. It can do the job, but it's not a program you can go to work on right out of the box. A steep learning curve, an noying rigidity, and poor performance in our benchmark tests thwart the promise of this full-featured package.
''IT MAKES C·C·CROSSTALK
SEEM T·T·TONGUE·TIED."
If you 're talking to a DEC mainframe, no communication software emulates the VT220, VTIOO or VT52 terminal more
accurately, easily, or eloquently than VTERM. *
Hot keys. Kermit. Automatic reformatting for spreadsheets and databases. VTERM has it all.
Why not join the 60,000 users of VTERM (many of whom moved up from Crosstalk). And try the DEC terminal emulation package that has everyone in the business buzzing.
Ir------- FR-EE-E-VA-L-UA-T- IO- N - KI- T. ------~I
I D Yes, send me a free time-limited,full-blown working copy of VTERM/220, I which is mine to keep.
I Name
I
I Title I Company I AM~
II Telephone
VTERM I
0 I I I DEC Terminal Emulacor
I am a user D dealer O. Mail to:
I
1
Coefficient Systems Corporation
1
I
611Broadway,NewYork,NewYork10012(212)777-6707 BYC-8/881
~-----------------------~ * VTERM refers to VTERM/220. VTERM/4010, etc. products tram Coefficient Systems Corporation_
Crosstalk is a trademark of Digital Communications Associates, Inc.
Questions? Want faster action? Call (2U) 777-6707, ext. 420.
The Big Picture
Today's communications software has come a long way. Learn modes, easy macro definition, and context-sensitive help make telecomputing simpler than ever. With powerful scripting and abun dant features, the best programs don't sacrifice sophistication. If you have a quick and easy session to run, complex features stay out of your way; but if you need more power, it lies in wait. By gleaning the features and checking benchmarks, you should pick a package that is most closely aligned to your application.
For instance, if you have limited hard ware and perform long file transfers, background operation becomes vital. It frees your local keyboard and enhances productivity. It also limits your choices considerably: While most programs can access DOS without logging out, they lack true background. On the other hand, if you desire simultaneous transfers, a program like MaxOnline or Mirror II can do the job by accessing both COMM ports.
Our line simulator benchmarks show all packages performing XMODEM transfers equally well. Clearly, though, with I-megabyte transfer rates ranging from over 20 minutes to less than 2 min
utes, software affects throughput. And a
high data transfer rate does not necessar ily ensure performance; software over
160 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 4 5on Reader Service Card
PRODUCT FOCUS
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COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE
ELIMINATE
COSTLY WIRING
head and line waits can significantly hamper transfer speed. Crosstalk XVI
AND MODEMS!
and Smartcom III both tout maximum data transfer rates of 115,200 bps, yet their I-megabyte transfer times differ by as much as 13 minutes-very significant when tying up a valuable resource.
Proprietary protocols can make a dif ference. Carbon Copy compressed our file of 64,000 A characters and sent it in 12 seconds. The BLAST protocol han dles noise exceptionally well. Each pack age emphasizes specific features, but a couple of them bring it all together.
THE MODEL 570
QUICK MUX
· 8 full duplex ports
· 19,200 baud all ports
simultaneously
· 5000' link distance
· No configuration switches
· Built-in surge protection
· Bi-directional control signal for each port
· Includes 8 25' cables · Complete diagnostics
Top of the Line For overall performance, Smartcom III leads the field. It set the standard for 1 megabyte transfer, the most telling ofour benchmarks. It includes all necessary features and throws in all those little ex tras that make the job easier-such as re calling filenames from the first couple of
· Channel activity indicators
· Male or female connectors
· $548 with cables
Contact us today at Telebyte Technology Inc., 270 E. Pulaski Road, Greenlawn, New York 11740, (516) 423-3232.
keystrokes, encrypting files and scram bling passwords for added security, and allowing simultaneous on-line sessions.
Smartcom's scripting also sets the pace. When faced with ever-changing
~a\~3\Co0t~3o~\)·ct3o\'ote2-V.e:9.u6oo\r.
, .60 0 ·
prompts and the vagaries of on-line com munications, you need a language that
- &-c'1l:. .::-:1~-u&-I-:
has full error trapping and can handle all
the anomalies. You'll still run into pro
''IT MAKES PROCOMM LOOK
gramming limits, but, for an application
language, Smartcom attains the state of
the art.
Price vs. Performance
LIKE AMATEURCOM.''
Here Procomm Plus wins our endorse ment. Unobtrusive and easy to use, it still includes all major features and sup ports an enviable set'of protocols and ter minal emulations. It achieves simplicity with standard Alt-key combinations and with a comprehensive menu that's a sin gle keystroke away. Its power comes
If you talk to a DEC mainframe, no software emulates the VT220, VT 100 or VT52 terminal more accurately or professionally than VTERM. *
Hot keys. Kermit. Automatic reformatting for spread sheets and databases. VTERM has it all.
Why not join the 60,000 users of VTERM (many of
from a surprisingly strong scripting lan guage. And it's highly flexible-an in dispensable feature for telecomputing
whom moved up from Procomm). And try the DEC terminal emulation package that's in a totally different league.
tasks. Although it lacks the sophistica tion of Smartcom III or Crosstalk Mk.4, Procomm Plus does the job admirably well at a reasonable price.
Generally, we were impressed by the overall quality of all the packages tested.
Ir------- FR-EE-E-VA-L- UA-T- IO- N - KI- T. ------~I
I
D Yes, send me a free time-limited,fufl-blown working copy of VIERM/220 , I
which is mine to keep.
I Name
I
I Title
VTERM I
Once lagging behind the telecomputing revolution, communications software has filled the gap with full programming ca pability and creative proprietary fea tures. Going on-line has never been
I Company I Address I
.~~
0 I I I DEC Temiinal Emulator
I
~-----------------------~ easier. ·
Steve Apiki and Stan Diehl are testing editors for the BYTE Lab. They can be
I am a user 0 dealerO . Mail to:
I
Coefficient Systems Corporation
1
I
I 611 Broadway, New York, New York 10012 (212) 777-6707 BYP-8188
* reached at One Phoenix Mill Lane, Pe VTERM refers to VTERM/220, VTERM/4010, etc. products from Coefficient Systems Corporation.
terborough, NH 03458, or on BIX as
Procomm is a trademark of Datastorm Technologies, Inc.
"apiki "and "sdiehl. "
Questions? Want faster action? Call (2ll) 777-6707, ext. 419.
Circle 46 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 161
SYSTEM REVIEW
~ ~
Variations on the
20-MHz Theme
The Tatung TCS-8000,
Proteus 386A,
and Everex Step 386/20
take different paths
to high performance
Ed McNierney
As more 80386-based computers become available, you'd think they'd be as similar as peas in a pod. Butthat's not the case. As computers based on the 80386 move be yond the initial 16-MHz wave to 20 MHz, design variations between differ ent systems become more prominent. Those variations show up clearly as dif ferences in performance.
The 20-MHz systems reviewed here the Tatung TCS-8000, Proteus 386A, and Everex Step 386/20-follow differ ent design philosophies. The three sys tems show a remarkable range of perfor mance and operational capabilities for a set of machines that are superficially so similar. Each couples its CPU with an enhanced AT-style keyboard, a reason able-size hard disk drive, and an EGA display subsystem. Yet on closer inspec tion and testing, each shows unique per formance features, and the group as a whole shows a variation in performance of more than 100 percent on some of the benchmarks.
on memory access are severe. Unfortu nately, memory costs are such that the several megabytes of sub-SO-nanosecond static RAM (SRAM) required to give the 80386 unimpeded memory access would make any system prohibitively expen sive. But that much fast memory isn't necessary; good performance can be ob tained for a fraction of the cost by using a well-designed memory system. Each of the three systems reviewed uses a differ ent approach to memory architecture.
The Tatung TCS-8000 takes the sim plest approach. The CPU accesses all the 80-ns memory.through a 16-bit data path and requires no proprietary 32-bit exten sion bus. The resulting system runs with two wait states at all times, and you can add more memory with any conventional memory-expansion board. Unfortu nately, this simple solution almost al ways results in a performance penalty that puts the TCS-8000 at the bottom of this three-system heap in memory-inten sive operations. However, that fast RAM makes the Tatung TCS-8000 almost as
fast as the Compaq Deskpro 386/20, which uses 100-ns RAM.
The Proteus 386A takes an intermedi ate approach with a motherboard that can support 4 megabytes of 100-ns memory with a 32-bit data path. This dynamic RAM (DRAM) is supplemented by a 64K-byte 45-ns SRAM cache. Since most applications do not require more than 4 megabytes of RAM, this system provides a reasonable performance com promise. This system also does not use a proprietary 32-bit expansion slot, so if you add more memory, it must be ac cessed through a 16-bit bus. The cache system caches all memory, however, not just the memory on the motherboard; as a result, the performance degradation that the 16-bit memory produces is moder ated. Testing showed that this caching had little effect on the performance of the system, which ran memory-intensive op erations just slightly faster than the Tatung TCS-8000.
The Everex Step 386/20's memory system is perhaps the most unusual of the
Not peas in a pod: From left to right, the Tatung TCS-8000, Proteus 386A and Everex Step 386120 travel different paths to improved performance.
Fast Cache The most prominent factor in an 80386 based system's performance is the mem ory architecture. Since the 20-MHz 80386 is an exceptionally memory hungry processor with a instruction pre fetch queue to keep filled, its demands
162 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
group, but it produces the best overall performance. You can install up to 8 megabytes of 120-ns DRAM on the sys tem board, with another 8 megabytes available in a full 32-bit expansion slot. To boost the performance of this DRAM, a 64K-byte SRAM cache (ex pandable to 256K bytes) is also used but with a twist.
Most PC cache systems are the write through type. If data is in the cache, it's read from there; otherwise, it's read from main memory. But when data is written, it's always written to the cache first and then "through" the cache into main memory. As a result, the cache of fers little benefit on memory writes. However, since the bulk of a CPU's work consists of reading instructions to exe cute, this write penalty does not seri ously affect performance.
But Everex, deciding to squeeze all possible speed out of its system, has im plemented a write-back cache instead. In this cache system, if a data write occurs to a memory location in the very fast 25 ns cache, that write occurs only to that memory and not to main memory. It then marks the cache location as "dirty" be cause its va!Ue differs from the main memory location it is caching. When that same location is read again, it is read di rectly from the cache until a new mem ory access causes that cache location to be overwritten. When new memory is moved into the cache, the current con tents of the cache are checked to see if they are dirty. If so, those contents are
written out to main memory before they're overwritten. Thus, a memory lo cation that is frequently written to gets written much more quickly than in a con ventional "write-through" system.
Tatung TCS-8000 The TCS-8000 as reviewed lists for $5288, not including a math copro cessor. The system supports a 10-MHz 80287 or 80387 coprocessor, neither of which Tatung supplies; the review sys tem was equipped with a 10-MHz 80287. You can't vary the coprocessor speed, but you can switch the system CPU speed between 20 MHz and 8 MHz from the keyboard using the Ctrl-Alt-Minus keys. The system always powers up in the slower 8-MHz speed. If you really get into trouble, a convenient hardware reset switch is provided on the front panel of the system unit.
The motherboard of the review unit held 2 megabytes of 80-ns RAM on SIMM (single in-line memory module) chips, with sockets for up to 4 mega bytes. You can add more memory with an AT-style memory card. There are eight slots: two 8-bit and six 16-bit. The serial/ parallel card and the EGA card take up both 8-bit slots, and the floppy/hard disk drive controller takes one 16-bit slot, leaving five 16-bit slots free.
The review unit had one 1.2-megabyte 5 1A-inch floppy disk drive and one full height hard disk drive. There is room for two other half-height devices. The Mini scribe 6053 40-megabyte hard disk drive
performed well and reliably, but it fell behind the performance expected of a drive in this class. According to the Coretest, it had a data transfer rate of 169.9K bytes per second, an average seek rate of 33. 7 milliseconds, and a track-to-track rate of 5. 7 ms. As a result, all the Tatung's disk-based benchmark results were the poorest of the three machines.
Although a disk support software package was included with the system, it did not include a disk-cache utility, as the other two systems did. Disk-cache util ities are becoming standard equipment on 80386 machines, and one could im prove the Tatung TCS-8000's general performance.
The display adapter is an ATI EGA compatible short card with additional support for Hercules graphics modes and several enhanced EGA modes, including 800 by 560, 640 by 480, and 752 by 410 pixels. Tatung supplied its own EGA CM-1480 monitor, which features an ad ditional monochrome mode: When the monitor is operating in text mode, a switch can change the normal white-on black display to amber on black, green on black, or bright white on blue.
The Tatung system suffers from a poor keyboard. Although the feel of the keys is similar to that of many of the softer key boards, the lack of a firm touch is over shadowed by the poor layout. The layout resembles the new IBM Enhanced 10 I key layout at first glance, but there are
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 163
Everex Step 386/20, Proteus 386A, Tatumg TCS-8000
APPLICATION-LEVEL PERFORMANCE
WORD PROCESSING Everex 386/20 Proteus 386A Tatung TCS·8000
XyWrlte Ill+ 3.52
Med/Lrg
Med/Lrg
Med/Lrg
Load(large)
:14
:13
:13
Word count
:02/:16
:02/:17
:03/:22
Search/replace
:04/:20
:05/:22
:05/:23
End of document
:02/:13
:01/:13
:02/:14
Block moves
:10/:10
:10/:10
:11/:11
Spelling check
:07/:47
:07/:50
:09/1:02
Microsoft Word 4.0
Forward delete
:11
:11
:14
Aldus PageMaker 1.0a
Load document
:11
:05
:16
Change/Bold
:21
:23
:28
Align right
:16
:20
:21
Cut 10 pages
:16
:17
:19
Place graphic
:04
:05
:05
Print to file
1:40
1:44
2:02
Dlndex:
3 . 06
2.73
2.31
SPREADSHEET Lotus 1·2·3 2.01
Block copy Recalc Load Monte Carlo Recalc Monte Carlo Load rlarge3· Recalc rlarge3 Recalc Goal-seek Microsoft Excel 2.0 Fill right Undo fill Recalc Load rlarge3 Recalc rlarge3
Everex 386/20 Proteus 386A Tatung TCS-8000
:02
:03
:03
:01
:01
:01
:15
:16
:16
:04
:03
:03
:04
:04
:04
:01
:01
:01
:03
:03
:03
:04
:04
:05
1:26
1:28
2:01
:01
:01
:01
:20
:22
:26
:01
:01
:01
DATABASE dBASElll+ 1.1
Copy Index List Append Delete Pack Count Sort
Everex 386/20 Proteus 386A Tatung TCS-8000
:51
:50
1:42
:19
:19
:23
1:52
2:56
3:44
1:40
1:35
2:03
:02
:02
:03
1:19
1:36
2:30
:17
:16
:19
1:16
1:15
1:23
D Index:
1.55
1.45
1.06
SCIENTIFIC/ENGINEERING
Everex 386/20 Proteus 386A Tatung TCS-8000
AutoCAD 2.52
Load SoftWest
:38
:57
2:01
Regen SoftWest
:26
:45
:47
Load StPauls
:10
:19
:15
Regen StPauls
:05
:09
:09
Hide/redraw
8:48
14:37
15:22
STATA 1.5
Graphics
1:27
1:17
2 :17
ANO/A
:14
:23
:28
MathCAD2.0
IFS800 pts.
:12
:22
:23
FFT/IFFT 1024 pts.
:13
:26
:25
D Index:
3.68
2.26
1.94
COMPILERS Microsoft C 5.0
Xlispcompile Turbo Pascal
Pascal S compile
Everex 386/20 Proteus 386A Tatung TCS-8000
3:33
4:20
4:51
:04
:05
:06
D Index:
3.37
3.20
2.98
D Index:
2.75
2.22
1.92
All times are in minutes:seconds. Indexes show relative performance: for all indexes, an 8-MHz IBM PC= 1.
LOW-LEVEL PERFORMANCE1
CPU
Matrix String Move
Byte-wide Word-wide
Odd-bnd. Even-bnd. Sieve
Sort
Everex 386/20
3.04
20.05
25.05 10.00 19.10 14.29
fl'!! Index:
4.07
FLOATING POINT~
Everex
386/20
Math
7 .18
Error·
O.OOE-+00
Slne(x)
3.30
Error
2.00E-09
e"
3.19
Error
1.00E-09
Proteus 386A 3.19
31.25
25.29 15.65 20.00 21.48
3.22
Proteus 386A 32.52
O.OOE.+00 14.37
2.00E.-09 12.10
1.00E-09
Tatung TCS-8000
3.54
29.42
29.59 14.74 22.50 25.00
3.01
Tatung TCS-8000
27.99 O.OOE.+00
11 .17 2.00E-09
9.76 1.00E-09
DISKl/O
Hard Seek· Outer track Inner track Half platter Full platter Average
DOS Seek 1-sector 32-sector
Fiie 110'
Seek Read Write 1-megabyte Write Read
Everex 386/20
3.33 3.31 10.00 12.56 7.30
11.97 41.90
0.11 1.09 1.01
6.89 7.03
Dlndex:
1.41
Proteus 386A
3.28 3.33 6.64 8.35 5.40
8.25 41.82
0.13 1.16 1.14
7.33 7.66
1.44
Tatung TCS-8000
3.31 3.30 13.29 16.64 9.13
18.47 64.30
0.11 0.98 1.14
8.55 8.22
1.17
i:;J Index:
5.96
1.42
1.74
NIA = Not applicable; mode not supported by graphics adapter. ' All times are in seconds. All figures were generated using the 808818086 version (1.1) of Small·C (16-bit integers).
Figures for 80386 machines do not use 80386·specific instructions. 2 The floating-point benchmarks use 8087-compatible instructions only. 'The errors for the floating-point benchmarks indicate the difference between expected and actual values, correct to
10 digits or rounded to 2 digits. ·Times reported by the Hard Seek and DOS Seek are for multiple seek operations (number of seeks performed
currently set to 100). 5 Read and write times for the File VO benchmarks are in seconds per64 Kbytes. ·For the Livermore Loops and Dhrystonetestsonly, higher numbers mean faster performance.
VIDEO
Text ModeO Mode1 Mode2 Mode3 Mode7
Test average
Graphics CGA: Mode4 Modes Mode6 EGA: Mode 13 Mode14 Mode 16 Graphics average
Everex 386/20
9.12 9.09 8.59 8.57 N/A
8.84
1.70 1.65 1.67
3.48 3.59 3.70
2.63
D Index:
1.59
Proteus 386A
16.53 16.51 16.55 16.55 16.87
16.60
1.56 1.54 1.65
3.35 3.65 3.70
2.57
1.17
CONVENTIONAL BENCHMARKS
Everex
Proteus
386/20
386A
LIN PACK
172.03
623.40
Livermore Loops&
(MFLOPS) 0.17
0.04
Dhrystone (MS C 5.0)
(Dhry/sec) 6793
5945
Tatung TCS·8000
22.02 22.01 21.68 21.68 N/A
21.85
2.00 2.01 2.01
3.98
4.27
4.12
3.06
0.94
Tatung TCS-8000
507.90
0.05
5291
For a full description of all the benchmarks, see "Introducing the New BYTE Benchmarks," June BYTE.
164 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
--- ... -
Iii .. ~·
14.4 11 .9
I
10.2
'Cumulative applications index. Graphs are based on indexes at left and show relative performance.
REVIEW
VARIATIONS ON THE 20-MHZ THEME
4 ·4 * Everex Step 3B6/201
Compaq 3B6/20 18.0
IBM PS/2 Model BO 11
IBMPCAT 5
0 Word
Processing
0 Spreadsheet 0 Database
O Scientific/
Engineering
0 Compilers
Everex Step 386/20
Proteus 3B6A
l"'I
Tatung TCS-BOOO
Compaq 3B6/20 IBM PS/2 Model BO
IBM PCAT
D CPU D FPU D Diskl/O D Video
some variations in key positions. The system's documentation includes
four binders of material, two of which are supplied by Microsoft for the Tatung version of MS-DOS 3.21 and for GW BASIC. The other two manuals are the Tatung user's guide and technical refer ence; these two suffer severely from con fused English, spelling and grammatical mistakes, and poor organization and in dexing. Information is scrambled throughout the manuals, and not much effort was spent keeping complex and technical information separate from the standard user information required to set up and operate the system.
A poor set of documentation makes it difficult to take a computer system seri ously. The cost of writing documentation is small compared to developing and dis tributing an 80386-based computer sys tem, yet better documentation would pro duce a big benefit for both the manufacturer and the user.
The TCS-8000 has a 1-year parts and labor warranty ; service is provided by Tatung.
In general, while the Tatung system did not fail or break down, it didn't have any outstanding features. Its quirky key board and generally ordinary perfor~ mance put it near the bottom of the list when compared to the other systems available. A new manual, better support software , and a new keyboard could make the system a reasonable, if unre markable, 20-MHz 80386 choice.
Proteus 386A
The Proteus approach to personal com puters is to be a hardware supermarket. Its catalogs include a wide variety of hardware options, and you order them in whatever combination you want. Proteus offers support and service with a 15 month on-site warranty with each of its systems. For users who don't have the courage or the time to take the cover off their system units every time something goes wrong, a comprehensive support system like Proteus's can be very welcome.
The Proteus 20-MHz 80386 system comes with a socket for an optional 80287 math coprocessor. The keyboard controls the system's operating speed and pache memory controller. The Ctrl Alt-Plus and -Minus keys switch the op erating speed between 20 MHz and 6 MHz, and the Ctrl-Alt-Left-Shift-Plus and -Minus keys enable or disable the SRAM cache memory when the system is running at 20 MHz. The cache is always disabled at 6 MHz, because at that speed
continued
AUGUST 1988 · B Y T E 165
REVIEW VARIATIONS ON THE 20-MHZ THEME
Company Components
Size Software Options Documentation Price
Tatung TCS-8000
Proteus 386A
Everex Step 286/20
Tatung Co. of America, Inc. 2850 El Presidio St. Long Beach, CA 90810 (213) 979-7055
Proteus Technology Corp. 377Route17 Airport 17 Center Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604 (201) 288-8629
Everex Computer Systems Division 48431 Milmont Dr. Fremont, CA 94538 (800) 356-4283
Processor: 80386 running at 20 MHz, switchable to 8 MHz; socket for optional 10-MHz 80287 or 80387 math coprocessor Memory: 1 megabyte of 16-bit two-wait-state DRAM standard on motherboard, expandable to 16 megabytes Mass storage: 1.2-megabyte 5V4 inch floppy disk drive; optional 40 megabyte 51/4-inch hard disk drive Display: Optional Enhanced EGA card with Hercules emulation; optional Tatung CM-1480 EGA monitor Keyboard: 101-key Modified Enhanced keyboard 110 interfaces: One DB-25 parallel port; one DB-9 serial port; six 16 bit and two 8-bit expansion slots Other: Phoenix Technologies BIOS with ROM-based Setup utility; hardware reset switch
.
63/4 x 22V2 x 181/:i inches; 59V2
pounds
Processor: 80386 running at 20 MHz, switchable to 6 MHz; socket for optional 10-MHz 80287 math coprocessor Memory: 4 megabytes of 32-bit zero-watt-state DRAM on motherboard, expandable to 16 megabytes; 64K bytes of 45-ns SRAM cache memory Mass storage: 1.2-megabyte 5V4 inch floppy disk drive; optional 720K-byte 3V2-inch floppy disk drive; optional 320-megabyte 5V4 inch hard disk drive Display: Optional Everex EVGA enhanced EGA with Hercules emulation ancj high-resolution EGA display modes; optional NEC MultiSync II display monitor Keyboard: 101-key Modified Enhanced keyboard 110 interfaces: One DB-9 and one DB-25 serial port; one DB-25 parallel port; six 16-bit and two 8 bit expansion slots Other: American Megatrends BIOS with ROM-based Setup utility; hardware reset switch
6% x 211/:i x 171/:i inches; 54
pounds
Processor: 80386 running at 20 MHz, switchable to 10 or 7 MHz; optional 20-MHz 80387 math coprocessor Memory: 2 megabytes of 32-bit zero-wait-state DRAM on motherboard, expandable to 16 megabytes; 128K-byte 25-ns SRAM cache memory, expandable to 256K bytes Mass storage: 1.2-megabyte 5V4 inch floppy disk drive; optional 80 megabyte hard disk drive Display: Optional Everex EGA card; optional Everex EGA monitor Keyboard: 101-key Modified Enhanced keyboard 110 interfaces: 1-to-1 interleave floppylhard disk drive controller; one DB-9 serial port; one DB-25 parallel port; six 16-bit, one 8-bit, and one dual 32-bit or 8-bit expansion slot Other: Front-panel LED status display; hardware reset switch ; speaker disable switch; Everex Enhanced American Megatrends BIOS with ROM-based Setup utility
7 x 22 x 17V2 inches; 58 pounds
MS-DOS 3.21; GWBASIC 3.2; Tatung display drivers; Miniscribe disk management and diagnostic software
MS-DOS 3.30; GWBASIC 3.3; Everex EVGA utilities; SpeedStor disk caching and utility software
MS-DOS 3.3; GWBASIC 3.3; Everex Magic 1/0 support software; Everex EGA display adapter support software
Monochrome display adapter: $99 Hercules/EGA card: $189 VGA card: $595
720K-byte 3V2-inch floppy disk drive: $98 20-megabyte to 320-megabyte hard disk drives: $261 to $2895 Everex EGA card: $139 Everex EVGA card: $269 14-inch monochrome monitor: $129 EGA monitor: $375 NEC MultiSync II monitor: $675
80387-20 coprocessor: $1495 Weitek 1167 math coprocessor board: $1995 40-megabyte hard disk drive: $550 BO-megabyte hard disk drive: $795 Everex EGA card: $169 Everex EGA monitor: $399
Tatung TCS-8000 User's Manual; Tatung TCS-8000 Technical Manual; MS-DOS User's Guide; GWBASIC Manual
MS-DOS User's Guide; GWBASIC Manual; Everex Magic 110 Adapter reference; Everex EVGA Display Adapter reference; SpeedStor disk utility software reference; Proteus User's Guide
Everex System 386 User's Guide; NEC Everex Magic 110 operating manual
Standard system with 1 megabyte of RAM , 1.2-megabyte 51/4-inch floppy disk drive, and floppy/hard disk drive controller: $3500 System as reviewed: $5288
Standard system with 1 megabyte of RAM, 64K-byte cache, floppy/ hard disk drive controller, and 1.2 megabyte 51/4-inch floppy disk drive: $3190 System as reviewed: $8522
Standard system with 1 megabyte of RAM, 64K-byte RAM cache, floppy/hard disk drive controller, and 1.2-megabyte floppy disk drive: $4399 System as reviewed: $6437
Inquiry 883.
Inquiry 884.
Inquiry 885.
166 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Princeton's Very Good Answers.
Without question, Princeton's PSC-28 and PSM-03 monitors will bring you the ultimate in
VGA performance. Princeton was the first to offer truly compatible VGA dedicated monitors.
Our PSC-28 is a 770 x 570, .28mm dot pitch, high resolution analog color monitor that can
display an infinite number of colors. The PSC-28 also features a convenient color button for
green, amber or cyan text. The PSM-03, a high resolution analog monochrome monitor
gives you outstanding 800 x 630 resolution, and the ability to display infinite shades of
gray. Plus sharp crisp graphics and character definition from its dynamic focusing circuitry.
Both monitors are compatible with IBM PC~ XT~ AT~ PS/2, Apple Macintosh SE*
and compatible personal computers. Each gives you full compatibility with the leading
VGA adapter cards including the QuadVGA and VEGA VGA. So if VGA meets all your
needs (and you don't require the additional flexibility of our famous ULTRASYNC and
MAX-15 autosynchronous monitors), investigate the cost/performance value of the
PSC-28 and PSM-03.
PSM-03
Unsurpassed quality, service and
performance make it hard to beat
Princeton monitors. We offer better
value than our competition. We call it
~
the Visible Edge. For answers to all
your questions about VGA compatible
monitors, contact us at 601 Ewing
· .-.u, Street, Building A, Princeton, New
Jersey 08540 (609) 683-1660, x 810.
·Requires proper adapter card
PSC-28
GRAPHIC SYSTEMS
AN INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS COMPANY
Circle 178 on Reader Service Card
THE VISIBLE EDGE
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 167
TURN-POINT AMERICA
a) 80286 Motherboard - 12.5 Mhz 0 wait state, Norton SI 15.3. socketed for 4 Mb DRAM. EMS software included.
b) 80386 Motherboard - Available in 16/20 Mhz and 20/25 Mhz versions, full AT size or XT size, socketed for 2 Mb or 8 Mb DRAM.
c) VGA Card - 100% register compatible with IBM, resolutions up to 1024x768xl6 colors, hardware zoom, pan. and scan, application driver software included.
d) Super Multi 1/0 - Floppy controller for l.44Mb thru 360k. 2 serial. 1 parallel. ·1 game port.
Please call our toll free line for distributor pricing. All of Turn-Point America's products carry a one year parts and labor warranty. Visa, MasterCard, and COD accepted.
Circle 245 on Reader Service Card TRADEMARKS and REGISTERED TRADEMARKS: IBM - International Business Machines
Sales 1-800-247-6413
Tech Support (702) 746-1818
Turn-Point America
eclat corporation
3495 N. McCarran Blvd. Reno, NV 89503 Telex: 650 308 4898 MCI Fax: (702) 746-2306
REVIEW
VARIATIONS ON THE 20-MHZ THEME
the standard DRAM is fast enough to keep up with the processor at all times. The front panel features a hardware reset switch for desperate moments. The sys tem Setup program is in ROM and can be accessed during boot-up.
In the review system, the Proteus motherboard came with 4 megabytes of 100-ns DRAM for the main memory and 64K bytes of 45-ns SRAM for the cache memory, both in DIP chips installed in sockets. Additional system memory re quires an AT-style expansion card. The motherboard has eight slots: six 16-bit and two 8-bit. The EGA/VGA and paral lel/serial cards take both 8-bit slots, and the floppy/hard disk drive controller card takes a 16-bit slot. This leaves five 16-bit slots free . As configured, the re view system lists for $8522.
The computer has space for five half height disk drives. The review unit in cluded a standard 1.2-megabyte 51.A-inch floppy disk drive and an optional 720K byte 3 1/2-inch floppy disk drive. The hard disk drive was a full-height Maxtor XT-4380E 320-megabyte ESDI (en hanced small device interface) drive. The Coretest rated this drive as having a data transfer rate of 212.5K bytes per second, an average seek rate of 13 ms, and a track-to-track rate of3. 7 ms.
Although the Proteus 386A uses a hardware cache memory system, its per formance on memory-intensive bench marks is not appreciably different from the Tatung system, which does not have a cache. Disk-intensive tests, however, show excellent performance due to the high-performance ESDI hard disk drive. This disk comes with SpeedStor disk management and caching software, which allows the entire disk to be split up into only three DOS partitions, two of which are larger than 32 megabytes.
With the SpeedStor software cache in stalled in extended memory, the disk benchmark times dropped dramatically, some running as much as 25 times faster; but even withoutthe cache, the disk's 13 ms average access time greatly boosted system performance. For someone in vesting in a 20-MHz 80386 system, a high-speed hard disk drive is an essen tial, and the disk drives that Proteus sup plies are more than worth the money.
The Proteus 386A uses an Everex EVGA card that can generate either TTL (EGA-style) or analog (VGA-style) out put signals and is an extremely flexible display device. In addition to the stan dard device drivers, the EVGA software utilities include a wide selection of in stallable font files that replace the EGA's standard fonts with either more attrac
tive, more decorative, or more compact fonts, including one suitable for 132-col umn text displays. The card comes with device drivers to support a variety of high-resolution display modes for Auto CAD and Microsoft Windows. Proteus supplied a very nice NEC MultiSync II monitor with the review unit.
The Proteus User's Guide comes in a small three-ring binder and is well orga nized and easy to read . It includes a "New Users" section for beginners and a "For Advanced Users" section for more experienced owners.
The Proteus keyboard is another "clone keyboard ." Its layout resembles the IBM Enhanced keyboard, except that the Backspace and backslash/vertical bar keys assume their older AT positions. The keyboard offers no tactile feedback at all, and the keys offer so little resis tance to pressure that it's a wonder they spring back again. A better keyboard de sign wuuld help this system a lot.
If it's used with a replacement key board or as a file server on which the keyboard gets little use, the Proteus 386A is a reasonable performer with a solid backing of warranty support and repair service. It is worthy of serious consideration in disk-intensive opera tions, provided you can tolerate the minor annoyances in the system.
Everex Step 386/20 In. several respects, the Everex Step 386/20 is the outstanding member of this group of machines. Its appearance sets it apart right from the start, with a flashy front-panel LED text display, speed and control switches, and a collection of indi cator LEDs all protected by a sliding transparent cover. The text display tracks the progress of the system's power-on self-test and boot procedure, and from then on it continuously displays the disk drive, cylinder, and head most recently accessed by the disk drive con troller system.
The front panel provides three control switches for selecting the system's oper ating speed at power-up, turning the sys tem speaker on or off, or causing a hard ware reset to occur. The system can operate at either 20, 10, or 7 MHz, and the Ctrl-Alt-Plus and -Minus key combi nations allow you to speed up or slow down the processor. The system includes an optional 20-MHz 80387 math copro cessor whose speed matches the CPU and which is synchronized with it at all times.
The review system has a list price of $6362; it came equipped with 2 mega
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REVIEW
VARIATIONS ON THE 20-MHZ THEME
bytes of 120-ns DRAM on SIMMs and 64K bytes of 25-ns SRAM in socketed DIP chips for the cache memory . You can add additional memory via a propri etary 32-bit expansion slot; up to 16 megabytes of memory can be added at exactly the same performance level as the original system-board RAM. The motherboard has eight slots-six 16-bit and two 8-bit. The floppy/hard disk drive controller uses a 16-bit slot, and the Everex EGA and parallel/serial cards both use 8-bit slots. One 8-bit slot shares space with the 32-bit memory-expansion connector.
The system uses a very fast SRAM cache, and the resulting performance shows a noticeable improvement over the other two systems (which were quite close to each other in system speed). The benchmark results show clearly superior performance across the board . The Everex memory system definitely makes a difference.
The Step 386120 has room for five half-height devices. Data storage in the review system consisted of a standard 1.2-megabyte 5 1A-inch floppy disk drive and a Toshiba MK-56FB 72-megabyte hard disk drive with an RLL (run-length limited) controller. The Coretest indi cated that the Toshiba drive had a data transfer rate of 490K bytes per second, an average seek time of 27 .5 ms, and a track-to-track time of 5.6 ms.
Video display was handled by an Everex EV-659 EGA/parallel card. I used an NEC MultiSync II monitor with the review system.
The system came with a number of utilities, but without an operating sys tem; I used the MS-DOS 3.3 shipped with the Proteus system. The company says that it is now shipping DOS 3.3 with the system. The utility software includes test and diagnostic programs and a RAM disk and disk-cache utility. The system Setup program is in ROM and is accessed during boot-up.
The keyboard itself appears to be iden tical to the one used by Proteus, with the same soft feel and poor tactile feedback.
, The Everex Step 386/20 comes with a I-year on-site warranty for parts and labor. Service is handled by National Computer Service and covers the U.S. and Canada.
The manual for the system was avail able only in a prerelease photocopy form, but it was a well-organized document. A printed version is now available. The manual contains little extraneous mate rial and gets to the point clearly and quickly. Additional documentation sup plied for the monitor (from NEC) and the
1/0 adapter card was also up to the same standard.
On the Bench I tested all three computers with a variety of software: Microsoft Windows l .03, SideKick 1.56, Turbo C 1.0, Quick C 1.0, and BRIEF 2.0. For hardware tests, I used my Everex Evercom 1200-bit-per second modem and the Microsoft Bus Mouse. Everything worked fine with each computer.
The Small-C and Application bench marks tell the whole story . The Everex Step 386/20 took the honors in the CPU test. This speed difference can be attrib uted to the SRAM cache combined with the fast 100-ns main memory. The Pro teus 386A put in a good second-place performance, with the Tatung TCS-8000 showing a respectable third.
The FPU tests went hands down to the Everex Step 386/20-not surprisingly, since !t was equipped with a 20-MHz 80387 while the other machines were running 10-MHz 80287 coprocessors. The File 1/0 test went to the Proteus 386A. It was running a 320-megabyte Maxtor with a very fast (13-ms) access time. The Video test gives the relative speed of the video cards; in this case, the Everex Step 386/20 (running-what else-an Everex card) was the leader.
The Application tests ranked the three in this order: Everex Step 386/20, Pro teus 386A, and Tatung TCS-8000. The Everex Step 386/20 pulled ahead with the combination of its SRAM cache, fast math coprocessor, and efficient hard disk drive. The Proteus 386A placed a close second, with the Tatung TCS-8000 trailing the pack.
Everex Step 386/20 Pulls Ahead If you 're comparing machines by price, the Proteus 386A and Tatung TCS-8000 offer good value. The Proteus 386A has the advantage of a superior warranty, and you can order the computer with the options you want. But if you 're betting on a performance and value horse race, the Everex Step 386/20 wins by several lengths. It features good performance and a convenient front panel, and it is manufactured and supported in the U.S. As these early entries into this high speed market show, a careful selection of well-coordinated components can pro duce a true high-speed powerhouse system.·
Ed McNierney is a principal engineer at Lotus Development Corp. and lives in Groton, Massachusetts. He can be reachedonB/Xas "meed."
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Four Surrogate Mice
Trackballs and trackwheels are becoming common for manipulating text and data
Jeff Holtzman
Clockwise from top left: the MicroSpeed PC Trac, MicroSpeed FastTRA P, Fulcrum Trackball Plus, and Llghtgate Felix.
Intrigued by graphic interfaces but hate mice? Then you might try one of the following four pointing devices to get the functionality of a mouse without the hassle. PC-Trac, FastTRAP, and Trackball Plus utilize optomechani cal trackball technology; the fourth, Fe lix, employs a new optical data-tablet technology. I tested serial versions of these four devices on IBM and compat ible equipment; PC-Trac and FastTRAP also come in bus versions, and a Macin tosh version of Felix is available.
Generally speaking, mice have some advantages over trackballs, including smaller size and, often, better bundled software. Trackballs, however, are usu ally easier to control, so you may like them better than mice for more detailed operations. If you're used to a mouse, it may take a while for you to get used to a trackball. But after overcoming your ini
tial resistance, chances are you'll enjoy using it.
MicroSpeed, the company that got its start in the DOS world with a clock speed-enhancement accelerator, de signed and manufactures both PC-Trac and FastTRAP (which stands for fast tri axis pointer). These two devices are sim ilar internally and externally-and they even use the same CMOS microcon troller. PC-Trac combines an opto mechanical trackball with three buttons; to that configuration, FastTRAP adds an additional vertically oriented wheel, called a trackwheel, that also drives an optomechanical system. PC-Trac and FastTRAP sell for $119 to $169, de pending on the version you choose.
The Fulcrum Trackball Plus, put out by Fulcrum Computer Products, is the Volkswagen of trackballs for personal computers. It combines low price ($95) with many mouse and digitizing pad em ulations, and less-than-perfect support for text modes. Budget-conscious buyers and those who require multiple emula tions will find this a satisfactory, if unin spiring, product.
Cats hate mice, and Lightgate's elec tronic Felix is supposed to be a mouse killer. The documentation is full ofnear religious fervor about Felix's merits. Hype aside, it turns out that Felix works acceptably fornavigating text and graph ics screens. Its software is a little rough, however: Depending on the application you' re running, you must load various RAM-hungry drivers via a large batch file. And the documentation does little to help you figure out how to streamline the process of loading the drivers. But you will like the fact that Felix comes with a special Lotus 1-2-3 driver that makes it practical to use a pointing device with that program.
PC-Trac and FastTRAP The serial version of PC-Trac is available for $119, the bus version for $139. Fast-
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 173
REVIEW FOUR SURROOATE MICE
Name Type Company
PC-Trac
Trackball
MicroSpeed, Inc. 5307 Randall Place Fremont, CA 94538 (415) 490-1403
Features
Microsoft Mouse emulation in hard· ware, three buttons, ballistic-gain-control software, 200· dot-per-inch resolution; 10K bytes of memory used
Size
71/2 x 41/4 x 21/2
inches;
12 ounces;
6-footcord
Hardware Needed
IBM PC, XT, AT. PS/2, or compatible with one floppy disk drive
Software Needed MS-DOS 2.0 or higher
Documentation
PC-Trac User's Guide; KeyMap User's Guide; "50 Things to Do with a Used Mouse"
Price
Serial version: $119 Bus version: $139
Inquiry 889.
FastTRAP
Tri-axis pointer
MicroSpeed, Inc. 5307 Randall Place Fremont, CA 94538 (415) 490-1403
Microsoft Mouse emulation in hard· ware, 2- and 3-axis operation, three buttons, ballistic· gain-control soft· ware, 200-dpi resolution; 10K bytes of memory used
71/2 x 41/4 x 21/2 inches; 12 ounces; 6-footcord
IBM PC, XT. AT, PS/2, or compatible with one floppy disk drive
MS-DOS 2.0 or higher
FastTRAP User's Guide; KeyMap User's Guide; "50 Things to Do with a Used Mouse"
Serial version: $149 Bus version: $169
Inquiry 890.
Trackball Plus
Trackball
Fulcrum Computer Products 459 Allan Court Healdsburg, CA 95448 (707) 433-0202
10 mouse and digitizing tablet emu· lations, six buttons, power pack, 100-dpi resolution; SK bytes of memory used
41/2 x 53/4 x 13/4 inches; 41/2 ounces; 4-footcord
IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, or compatible with one floppy disk drive and a serial port
MS-DOS 2.0 or higher
3-page installation instructions; 30· page technical manual
Felix
Pointing device
Lightgate 6202 Christie Ave. Emeryville, CA 94608 (415) 596-2350
Two emulalions, one button, 1-to-1 pointer-to-screen mapping, 1·2·3 and AutoCAD support. power pack, 320· dpi resolution; 40K bytes of memory used
6x 6x1 inches; 12 ounces; 7-footcord
IBM PC. XT, AT, PS/2, or compatible with one floppy disk drive
MS-DOS 3.1 or higher
15-page installation guide; 17-page Lotus 1-2-3 guide
$95 Inquiry 891.
IBM version: $199 Macintosh version: $149
Inquiry 892.
Note: The Macintosh version of Felix does not include Hot Spots. Versons torthe Mac II and SE were due in July.
TRAP costs $149 for the serial version; the bus version is $169. Both devices use
the same case, which is about 2 Y2 inches
high at the highest point. The feel of the trackball in both PC-Trac and FastTRAP is smooth and solid. I wish, though, that the FastTRAP trackwheel had more re sistance and its switches required less pressure; these alterations would give it a more consistent overal 1tactile sense.
Because oftheir overall similarity, I'll discuss the two devices as one, distin guishing between them only when necessary .
When you rotate the trackball, in either the text or graphics mode, the po sition ofa special on-screen cursor varies accordingly. When the cursor moves to a menu title bar or icon, you press a button to make the functions represented by that
menu or icon available for use. Further trackball movement lets you traverse the list of menu items; pushing a button then executes the currently selected function.
Text-mode programs seldom include drivers for pointing devices, so many pointer vendors include programs that enable their devices to at least emulate cursor-key motion . MicroSpeed, for ex ample, includes a utility called KEY MAP.COM that allows trackball motion to send the cursor up, down, left, and right. This utility also lets you program each of the device's three push buttons to deliver a single keystroke. Each button can also be used alone or in combination with the Shift, Alt, or Control keys, giving you a total of 12 programmable button combi nations to provide functions such as tra versing the menu system of your spread
sheet. However, there aren't enough button combinations to map every func tion of your word processor or spread sheet. KEYMAP. COM would be much more useful if you could program multiple keystrokes for each button-key combination.
An editor also lets you define as many as 32 named sets of programmed key substitutions, which are maintained in KEYMAP.COM. To define more than 32 templates, you can create and save pro grams under different names, such as KEYMAPl. COM, KEYMAP2. COM, and so forth. MicroSpeed supplies key sets for WordStar, Lotus 1-2-3, Turbo Pascal, and several others.
You can operate both PC-Trac and FastTRAP either in a Microsoft Mouse
continued
174 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 93 on Reader Service Card -+
REVIEW FOUR SURROGATE MICE
emulation mode or in native mode. With native mode, you can utilize Fast TRAP's tri-axis capabilities. Microsoft mode is the default, but you can alter a DIP-switch setting to force booting in na tive mode. In Microsoft mode, you can program the middle button to emulate si multaneous depression of the two outer buttons.
Both devices provide an emulated drag mode. Without this feature, you might find it hard to drag a trackball, pressing the button with one finger while you rotate the ball with "others. For example, to choose a block of numbers for formatting in Excel, you position the cursor at one corner of the desired range, initiate drag mode by pressing the middle button, move the trackball to select the desired spread sheet cells, and terminate drag mode by pressing the middle button again.
The trackball is handy for navigating even a standard text-mode spreadsheet, such as VP-Planner. You can move by row or column much faster with the trackball than even by holding a cursor key down. And with FastTRAP, you can use the trackwheel to page up, down, left, or right, very quickly.
If you use WordStar 4.0, the trackball cursor movement is somewhat jerky. You will have better luck with other editors, such as the one in Turbo Pascal that allows the cursor to roam freely about the screen.
You can use FastTRAP's trackwheel in several ways. You can traverse menus without moving the cursor from the cur rent position, traverse the third (z) axis in a CAD program, or, in conjunction with a utility supplied by MicroSpeed, page up and down in a spreadsheet or word processor.
Even if you're not doing three-dimen sional CAD work, the trackwheel can come in handy. In AutoCAD, for exam ple, to get at the command menus, nor mally you must move the drawing cursor (cross hairs) from wherever you are to the far right edge of the screen, make your selections, and then move the cross hairs again to wherever you need the cur sor. With FastTRAP, simply rotating the trackwheel activates the menu; you can traverse it by using more rotation, select ing items as usual with the left button. When you move the trackball again, you pick up where you left off with the cross hairs. You must load a separate driver, however, to use AutoCAD and Windows in this mode.
Software Drivers You can install either device easily since they both emulate the Microsoft Mouse
Test Setup
I tested each device in this review on two machines: an ASf Pre mium/ 286 (10 MHz, zero wait states) with 1.5 megabytes of Ex panded Memory Specification (EMS) 3.2 memory, a 40-megabyte hard disk drive (ST-251), an Orchid Designer VGA card, and an NEC MultiSync monitor; and an IBM PC XT with 1.5 megabytes ofEMS 4.0 memory, ·a 20-megabyte hard disk drive (ST-225), a Hercules mono chrome graphics card, and a Micro soft Mach 20 accelerator board.
On the AST, I used the following software to test each device: Auto CAD 9.0 (VGA mode), Windows 2.0 (in Orchid's proprietary 800- by 600-pixel, 16-color mode), and AutoSketch (EGA mode); under Windows, I tested several of the desktop accessories, as well as Page Maker l .Oa and Excel. On the IBM, I tested each device with VP-Plan ner, AutoSketch, and WordStar 4.0, all running under DESQview 2.01. I also tested compatibility with DESQview itself.
in hardware . If you have a Microsoft or compatible mouse, you just unplug the mouse and plug in FastTRAP or PC Trac; the existing mouse driver will allow you to use it just as you would your mouse.
For best performance, you should take advantage of MicroSpeed's software drivers. You can load the drivers via CON FIG.SYS using MAP.SYS, or via AUTO EXEC.BAT using MAP.COM. With either driver, you can specify which serial port the device is connected to, among other parameters.
Driver versions 2.0 and higher allow ballistic gain control, a feature that pro vides dynamic speed and distance man agement. For example, when you rotate the trackball slowly, the pointer tra verses only half the screen. But if you ro tate the ball quickly over the same dis tance, the pointer traverses the whole screen.
FastTRAP's documentation consists of a well-written, well-organized 40 page manual that contains both an index and a table of contents. Beginners will find the information presented clearly and logically; advanced users will not find it insulting. Approximately half the book contains technical information on
how FastTRAP works, software proto cols and functions, and even a wiring di agram for 9-pin and 25-pin serial ports. (Microsoft charges $25 for this type of optional technical information.) A sepa rate manual discusses how to use
KEYMAP. COM.
Documentation for PC-Trac was not complete when I wrote this review. The review device came with the FastTRAP manual and semifinal PC-Trac-specific documentation. MultiSpeed says the fin ished version will be shipping by the time you read this review, ~nd it will not in clude the FastTRAP manual.
A booklet of cartoon's called "50 Things to Do with a Used Mouse" is sent free to PC-Trac and FastTRAP owners when they send in their warranty regis tration card.
Trackball Plus Although Trackball Plus is about the same height as the MicroSpeed devices, it has only about half the footprint. The device has a grand total of six push but tons, only some of which are available in any given emulation mode. You change modes by pressing various combinations of buttons, or by using STB. COM from the DOS command line.
Emulations include: mice from Micro soft and Mouse Systems; graphics tablets from Houston Instruments, Retrograph ics, Tektronix, Hitachi, and Summa graphics (ASCII and binary); and the USI Optomouse. Separate software drivers provide the proper program in terface for the Microsoft and Mouse Sys tems emulations; for the others, the tar get application must have a built-in driver.
The Trackball Plus plugs into an RS 232 serial port; versions are available with both 9-pin and 25-pin connectors. A separate cable runs from the serial port connector to a wall-mount transformer that supplies the unit with power. After plugging in the hardware, you set the de sired mode and then (if necessary) in stall the Microsoft or Mouse Systems driver. Both .COM and .SYS drivers are supplied for these two emulations. Ful crum's drivers are unlike most mouse drivers that load at the DOS command line: You cannot remove them from memory without rebooting. When you try to install a different driver, you re ceive a Driver already installed message.
The trackball itself functions fairly well in graphics applications. It has a good feel, and on-screen motions are smooth. However, there is no way you
continued
176 BYTE · AUGUST 1986
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AUGUST 1988 · B YT E 177
REVIEW FOUR SURROOATE MICE
Inside the Trackballs
B oth PC-Trac and FastTRAP use 24-pin CMOS microcontrollers from National Semiconductor's COPS (Controller Oriented Processor System) family. They contain the program, data, and temporary storage, as well as system timing and 110 control. Inputs to PC-Trac include three push buttons and two slotted optical encoders; FastTRAP is similar but has a third encoder plus a trackwheel and a shaft-mounted encod er wheel. The devices have identical cases, but a panel covers the unused trackwheel slot in PC-Trac.
Four transistors on a printed circuit board interface the input devices to the microcontroller; except for the push buttons, all the electronics are mounted on one other small printed circuit board. The two boards are interconnect ed by a four-conductor flex circuit. All subassemblies-the PC boards, encoder shafts, switch caps, and cable-are press-fit into the base of the case. Everything is nicely arranged, and the overall impression is one of quality de sign and manufacture.
Because of the devices' low power re-
quirements (a few milliamperes), they do not need a separate power trans former; as with most mice, they draw the power they require directly from the control lines of the port to which they are connected.
The COPS microcontroller is not in terrupt-driven; rather, it continuously scans the six input ports. When it de tects a switch opening or closure, or a trackball or trackwheel motion, it for mats a message that it sends to the host computer via the serial port. In mouse mode, it sends a standard 3-byte mes sage that contains button status and an 8-bit relative x,y displacement. In native mode, it adds a fourth byte that allows the transmission of third-button status and z-axis information from the track wheel.
At the programming level, interface with the mouse driver is accomplished via the standard interrupt 33 hexadeci mal. MicroSpeed's driver recognizes the standard Microsoft function calls (0 to 19), and it adds 11 extended func tions of its own (64 to 74) .
A look at the inside of Trackball Plus
showed that it was built with Jess ele gance and economy than the Micro Speed devices. The PC board is hand soldered, and traces of flux were evident all over the board. An Intel 8051 running at slightly over 7 MHz provides the unit's intelligence. A sepa rate 2764 (SK-byte) EPROM contains the control program and data. Like the MicroSpeed devices, the 8051 works on a polled (not an interrupt-driven) basis.
Lightgate was notably tight-lipped about Felix's internal operation. How ever, by both inspecting the device and talking with technical-support person nel, I was able to gather some informa tion. Two orthogonal plastic slides with precision-etched slots serve to interrupt the beams between a pair of orthogonal optical encoders. A proprietary micro processor then processes that informa tion, formats it, and sends it to the host computer. The microprocessor senses changes in the pointer's velocity and alters the outgoing message rate, there by varying on-screen response.
Layout, materials, and construction in Felix are all first-rate.
can adjust sensitivity, nor can you use ballistic gain control.
In the Microsoft mode, I found the sensitivity satisfactory under Windows and AutoCAD, but unsatisfactory under AutoSketch. In addition, in the Summa graphics Bit Pad One mode under the version of AutoCAD (9.0) used for test ing, I got no results from operating the alternate cursor button, which should allow you to move the cursor between two locations. According to the manufac turer, this version of AutoCAD precludes the efficient use of the alternate cursor button. Like the MicroSpeed devices, the Fulcrum Trackball Plus supports a drag emulation mode.
A separate program, SETCUR.COM, is supposed to allow the trackball to emu late cursor keys in text applications, but I found this emulation erratic when used under WordStar. It did work with Xy Write, however. The installation docu ment states, "Use of this function with word-processing programs, where pre cise horizontal control is needed, may be unsatisfactory." It is. On the other hand, when I used just the supplied Microsoft emulation driver, I had no trouble navi gating DESQview's menus with Track ball Plus.
Ergonomically, the buttons aren't up to today's standards. They are awkward ly located and definitely biased toward right-handed users. In fact, I can't see how a left-handed person would be able to use them at all. Yoo also have to use too much pressure to activate them.
A 30-page technical manual and a 3 page installation guide are included. Neither is written or produced in the style of most of today's manuals, and nontechnical users may have trouble finding the necessary installation infor mation. However, the company safs the documentation and the packaging are be ing redone, and by the time you read this, the updated documentation and packag ing should be available.
Felix Protruding through the Felix low-profile hardware case is a single button mounted on a moving shaft. This button normally functions as the left mouse button; the right button is simulated by moving the shaft to the upper-left or upper-right corner and double-clicking. Right-hand ed and left-handed users will find it easy to use Felix since both corners are pro vided . When you double-click in the lower-right corner, Felix enters a "preci
sion" mode in which cursor movement is restricted to just a portion of the screen. However, you have to press the button farther down compared to similar de vices, and there is no tactile feedback to inform you when contact has been made. Thus, I found double-clicking under Windows to be slightly tiring.
Felix's software lets you change the button assignments and even move the buttons to the keyboard (i.e., using Felix just for positioning, and using keyboard keys to perform button functions). The software is supplied in both 5 1A-inch (360K-byte) and 3 1h-inch (720K-byte) formats.
Felix's chief claim to fame is a 1-to-l mapping with the screen (in nonprecision mode). When you move the pointer shaft to the upper-left corner of the 1.1- by 1.1-inch active portion of the device, the cursor will be in the upper-left corner of the screen. When you move the pointer to the lower-right corner, the cursor follows suit. In precision mode, a smaller por tion of the screen is mapped to Felix, thereby allowing more accurate position ing in that portion of the screen.
Felix's secondary claim to fame is a feature called "Hot Spots." Hot Spots
continued
178 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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Circle 203 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 204)
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 179
REVIEW FOUR SURROGATE MICE
are locations at the perimeter of the pointing area that provide keyboard macro functions. By moving the pointer to a Hot Spot and clicking, you can insert a number of keystrokes into the currently running application.
There are 12 Hot Spots. You can acti vate each alone or in combination with the Control, Alt, or left or right Shift key, for a total of 60 Hot Spots. Felix comes with a number of predefined sets of Hot Spot macros, an editor for creat ing your own, and a print utility for dis playing and printing them. The Lotus and AutoCAD Hot Spot macros are ex tremely useful for getting at often-used functions quickly.
You can utilize Lotus macros remark ably well, so it is practical, and even de sirable, to use Felix with the spread sheet. For example, moving the pointer into the upper-right corner sends a slash (/) keystroke, activating 1-2-3 's familiar horizontal menu.
Other Hot Spots let you move to the be ginning or end of the spreadsheet, scroll by row or column, or make large jumps to distant areas of the spreadsheet. Hot Spots that you activate in conjunction with the Alt key let you execute common Lotus functions (e.g., learn and recall modes, and paging up, down, left, and right). You can add 36 custom macros to the other Hot Spot layers.
According to the manufacturer, cursor positioning is erratic under DESQview and programs running under it, so I ran my test software directly from DOS. Lightgate is presently working on drivers for Microsoft Windows/386.
Except for the less-than-desirable tac tile feedback for the push button, Felix's overall feel is quite nice. The pointer slides easily, and I had no trouble posi tioning it accurately on the 800- by 600 pixel enhanced VGA screen. Lightgate is correct when it says that the 1-to- l pointer/cursor mapping can aid productivity.
Running an Application To run an application with Felix, you move to the application's subdirectory and load Felix drivers, followed by the application itself. For example, to load AutoCAD, you would move to its sub directory and type C>FELIX ACAD. This Felix command actually invokes a fairly lengthy batch file-more than 100 lines in the version tested-that does condi tional testing to determine which appli cation you 're loading, and then loads the appropriate drivers.
MOUSE.EXE is used for most applica tions, but FLXACAD.EXE loads drivers for
AutoCAD and AutoSketch, and FLX 123. EXE loads the Lotus (or 1-2-3) driver. Another program loads the Hot Spot macro file for the selected applica tion. Then the application itself is run.
Processing a long batch file is ineffi cient; a shorter batch file for each appli cation would be an improvement. To speed things up, you can move the appro priate lines for your application to a sepa rate batch file. To avoid unnecessary waiting, Lightgate should have either supplied separate batch files to load each application or written a single software driver that supports all-or at least most-applications. The supplied drivers generally occupy about 40K bytes of memory, about 3 to 5 times as much as most mouse and trackball drivers use.
You install Felix by plugging the cable into your 25-pin serial port (or into the supplied 9-pin-to-25-pin adapter, which is then inserted into the port), plugging a small power transformer into an AC out let, and then inserting the coaxial power plug into the rear of the 25-pin connector.
An installation program copies files to a subdirectory called \FELIX on the user's disk. The program also adds that directory to the path statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The old version is saved as AUTOEXEC.OLD.
According to the manufacturer, a new version (1.05) is due out by the time that this article is in print. Lightgate says the new version will feature support for rela tive mode, for programs such as Dr. HALO.
The quality of the documentation is not as good as the quality of the device itself. Here's an example of the gibberish that permeates the main manual: "Felix buttons use an innovative technology which is about to change your pointing life. Their operation is based on the kinesthetic space created by the little square which is Felix's travel area. The implementation is our ergonomically in formed solution to the challenges and hazards of input device use ."
Even the sections in which the com pany really is trying to present useful in formation are difficult because of the verbose, self-conscious writing style. To get the device working, I found the READ.ME file and the FELIX.BAT file to be more useful. All in all, the manual needs to be thoroughly reworked to make it eas ier to understand how to set up and use Felix.
A separate manual covers using the special 1-2-3 driver software. You will find it more informative and less filled with rhetoric than the main manual.
Trackball versus Mouse If you need a pointing device, first you must choose between a mouse and some other device. The main disadvantage of a mouse is that you must have some clear space on your desk on which to operate it. All the devices discussed here overcome that problem. A trackball can also be ad vantageous for fine, detailed work, be cause it's easy to control the ball with your fingertips. Some mice, however the new Microsoft Mouse in particular are light enough to make fingertip con trol possible. Overall, I prefer a mouse because it's smaller and easier to handle.
If you decide against a mouse, Ful crum's Trackball Plus is easy to set up and use, and it is the least expensive de vice of its type. A developer desiring in formation on the software protocols of the emulated devices might buy one for the documentation alone, because soft ware protocol data regarding the various devices is all conveniently collected in this one manual. However, Trackball Plus suffers from its lack of support for text modes, its nonergonomic buttons, and its right-handed bias.
Despite its problems, Felix is an in triguing device. Its positioning system and Hot Spot macro system are top notch. You will find the push button less than perfect, however, as is the collec tion of software drivers. With more com pact and elegant drivers, rewritten docu mentation, and some form of tactile feedback on the button, Felix will be a product to contend with.
Currently, however, the MicroSpeed devices are my favorites. Both are well designed, engineered, and manufac tured, and neither requires a bulky and inconvenient external power transform er. The documentation is excellent, the plug-in-and-go Microsoft emulation makes it easy to get started, and the bal listic-gain-control drivers provide a long m iss ing capability for MS-DOS machines.
FastTRAP costs $30 more than PC Trac. Viewed simply as a mouse replace ment, it may not be worth the extra ex pense. But if you are working with AutoCAD or want a fast way of paging through your word processor or spread sheet, it is worthwhile. Other developers are working on FastTRAP drivers that may also justify the extra expense. ·
Jeff Holtzman owns Publishing Con cepts, a firm that specializes in evalua tion, ver~fication, and documentation of high-technology products. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and can be reached on BIX as "editors. "
180 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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Circle 255 on Reader Service Canl
Personal System/2 and PS/2 are registered trademarks of IBM Corp. AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 181
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Circle 450 on ReaderService Card
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184 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
Circle 219 on Reader Service Card
SOFTWARE REVIEW
Unix for-the Mac 11
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WithA/UX, the Mac II becomes a low-end workstation
David Betz and Eva M. White
Sure, the Macintosh Il's hard ware is as powerful as some workstations, and it even uses a 16-MHz 68020 like the Sun and Apollo workstations. But before you call the Mac II a real workstation, you need to add a powerful operating system that supports multitasking, virtual memory, and networking to a variety of machines: one like Unix, for instance.
That's exactly what Apple's A/UX 1.0 is all about. It's a port of AT&T Unix
System V Release 2 for the Mac II. How ever, A/UX differs from most other workstation versions because it is based on AT&T System V instead of Berkeley 4. To maintain compatibility with other workstations, A/UX includes important Berkeley Standard Distribution (BSD) 4.2 and 4.3 extensions, such as signals and sockets.
A/UX supports up to two additional users (using the Mac Il's serial ports) and the ability to network across an Ethernet using NFS (Network File Sys tem) and TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol).
What really makes A/UX different from most other versions of Unix is that it gives you the ability to run Mac applica tions and to access the Mac's user inter face Toolbox ROM routines. With these routines, you can write a Unix applica tion with a Mac windowing interface. Unfortunately, this initial release does not provide a point-and-click windowing interface to Unix similar to that of the
Mac operating system. In A/UX 1.0, you can run only one Mac application at a time, and the Toolbox routines don't yet support the Finder, desk accessories, or the printing manager (see "Unix and the Mac Interface" by Rick Daley on page 89 of the Macintosh Special Edition.)
To run A/UX, you need a Mac I I with a minimum of 2 megabytes of memory and a paged memory management unit (PMMU). A/UX comes installed on an Apple 80SC 80-megabyte hard disk drive. You can get it on either an internal ($4879) or external ($4979) drive. If you buy it on an external drive, you'll also need an Apple small-computer-system interface cable system to attach it to the Mac. Also, if you plan to use A/UX as a multiuser system, Apple recommends adding 2 megabytes of memory for each additional simultaneous user. You will also need an EtherTalk card.
The 80-megabyte hard disk drive comes preformatted into five partitions: a small Mac Hierarchical File System (HFS) start-up partition (2 megabytes), a large (56-megabyte) partition that com prises the root (/) and user (/usr) Unix file systems, and a 14-megabyte partition that Unix uses as swap space. The re maining two 3-megabyte partitions hold duplicate copies of the eschatology file system, which are used by the auto-re covery utility.
UsingA/UX Starting A/UX involves booting the Mac operating system from the start-up parti tion and then launching the sash stand alone shell application. You can choose to either make sash the start-up applica tion or just double-click on the sash icon. Sash opens a window and starts a count down timer that, if allowed to complete the 10-second count, will then start the Unix boot sequence. Interrupting the counter will drop you into the stand alone she! I.
While the main function of sash is to
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 185
REVIEW
UNIX FOR THE MAC II
A/UX 1.0
Type Multitasking operating system
Company Apple Computer, Inc. 20525 Mariani Ave. Cupertino, CA 95014 (408) 996-1010
Format Apple 80SC 80-megabyte hard disk
Language C and assembly
Hardware Needed Mac II with a minimum of 2 megabytes of memory and a 68851 PMMU
Documentation Getting Started with A/UX A/UX System Overview A/UX Installation Guide A/UX Command Reference (A-L) A/UX Command Reference
(M-Z and Games) A/UX Programming Languages
and Tools, Volumes 1 &2 A/UX Programmer's Reference A/UX Local System Administration A/UX System Administrator's
Reference A/UX Text Editing Tools A/UX Text Processing Tools A/UX Communications User's Guide A/UX User Interface A/UX Toolbox: Macintosh ROM
Interface
Price Monochrome system: $9297 Color system: $9897 Internal upgrade: $4879 External upgrade: $4979
Inquiry 904.
load Unix, you can also use it to manipu late the files in the A/UX file systems, or the files in either of the two eschatology file systems. Sash provides a subset of the standard Unix file manipulation tools, including mv, cp, and ed, as well as the file system checker fsck and the file sys tem debugger fsdb. Other uses for sash are to partition hard disks, to build A/UX file systems, and to change ker nel-tuning parameters.
Standard Unix
A/UX comes with all the standard Unix tools for software development, text
processing, and communications. The software development tools include com pilers for C and FORTRAN, an assem bler and linker, a source code control system (secs), a program maintenance utility (make), a parser generator (yacc), and a lexical analyzer generator (lex).
The text-processing tools include the vi text editor and the nroff and troff text formatting utilities. Apple also includes a utility license from Adobe to convert the output of troff to PostScript.
For communications, A/UX provides uucp, the Unix-to-Unix copy program, and its associated utilities, which allow multiple Unix systems to communicate through ordinary dial-up connections as well as by hard-wired serial links. The uucp software is the basis of the world wide Usenet network. However, the Use net software itself is not included with A/UX.
The system comes with public domain software source code for GNU EMACS, Kermit, and Unix compression utilities. This software takes up 9 megabytes of disk space, and you can delete it if you need the space.
A couple of features unique to A/UX are the auto-configuration and auto-re covery utilities. The auto-configuration utility simplifies the normal Unix proce dure for installing new devices. Under Unix, installing a new device requires editing make files, copying the required drivers, and rebuilding and installing the kernel. To install an A/DX-supported device, you need to shut down A/UX, power off the Mac, install the hardware, bring the system back up using the de vice's installation disk, and run the installation program on the disk. This in stalls the driver software and reboots A/UX . When A/UX comes back up, the auto-configuration utility rebuilds the Unix kernel to add the new device driver software and then reboots again with the newly created kernel.
The auto-recovery mechanism is in tended to guarantee that you can boot Unix into multiuser mode even after fairly severe file system damage has oc curred. This mechanism uses the escha tology file systems to maintain backup copies of all critical Unix files. If, during the boot process, the recovery program detects that any of these files are missing from the main Unix file systems, it re places them with copies from the recov ery file systems. The auto-recovery pro gram also checks for bad blocks on the disk and fixes file protection and owner ship on critical files.
The sash utility handles the auto recovery features of A/UX. If sash has
trouble performing the Unix boot se quence, it invokes an auto-recovery pro cedure. The full auto-recovery takes about 45 minutes, but you can reduce this time significantly by disabling the block check portion of the auto-recovery pro cess. Even in the case of an abnormal shutdown, like a power failure, the Unix fsck utility that runs as part of the start up sequence can usually fix most prob lems without having to resort to the lengthy auto-recovery process.
To test the auto-recovery utility, we renamed the kernel (/unix) to /unix .save and attempted to reboot the sys tem. When the reboot failed, we invoked the auto-recovery program, which re stored the kernel from one of the recov ery file systems. We found out the hard way that any time you rebuild the kernel, you should be sure to run the two pro grams /etc/eu and /etc/eupdate to up date the files on the recovery file sys tems. This procedure is only mentioned in the ReadMe file on the hard disk. We missed this step the first time, and the auto-recovery utility was unable to re store the kernel. Also, somehow in the process, we managed to delete the back up copy. Fortunately, we were able to use the sash copy utility to move the ker nel manually from one of the recovery file systems.
Backup strategies
The auto-recovery mechanism is not a substitute for making regular backups, since it can restore only critical system files. It makes no attempt to restore user data files or programs. Auto-recovery is intended only to get the system back up and running after serious failures so that you can use normal backups to recon struct the complete system.
Another good reason for making a backup is that when A/UX boots for the first time, it starts out in what is known as single-user mode. In this mode, all the Unix file protection is disabled, and it is very easy for an inexperienced user to do significant damage to crucial files. The safest approach would be to make a back up copy of the 50-megabyte Unix file sys tem using one of the several Unix backup utilities supplied, such as CPIO.
Unfortunately, performing a backup isn't easy. The only backup medium A/UX 1.0 supports is the 800K-byte floppy disk drive (version 1.0 does not support the cartridge tape drive). Since there are about 45 megabytes of files on the system as distributed by Apple, a full backup requires approximately 56 800K byte floppy disks.
continued
186 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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s platform or the Macintosh® 11, eed one source for your graphics he TrueVista series. The chart below s several key differences in the
cts .
TrueVista Series
FEATURES
BUS
MAXIMUM
32 bits/pixel
ADDRESSABLE 16 bits/pixel
RESOLUTIONS 8 bits/pixel
VMX EXPANSION
PRICE
512x512 1024x512 1024x 1024
2-10 Mbytes
$2995.
1024x512 1024x1024 2048x 1024
2-10 Mbytes
$4250.
; · .~
- -~ ~ ~~ ~11_J
:
. "
. - ·r:'"-3_ __J
1024x 1024 1024x512 1024x 1024 2048x 1024 1024 x 1024 2048x 1024
2048x2048 2048x 1024 2048x 2048
2-10Mbytes
TBA
TBA
$5995.
$4250.
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Now There's SoftwareYou Can Count On, Too.
To complete the equation, add in STAGE'", our comprehensive graphics environment for the 34010. Since STAGE is host-independent, it allows you to access the coprocessor directly, regardless of the. bus. So your program on the AT can be quickly ported to the Macintosh II. Customers will not be tied to one platform either, as files and programs will be compatible across both hosts. STAGE is currently available for the AT Vista series, and will be available soon for the NuVista as well.
With the new members of the TrueVista family and the release of STAGE, you now have
everything you need to develop exciting new products for the next generation of computer graphics. And many applications are already appearing to assist you in your immediate needs. Contact us to learn more about our products or our third-party developer program and the support available to you. You'll soon see how you can count on Truevision to provide all your graphics solutions.
TRUEVISION1~.
7351 Shadeland Station, Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46256 800/858-TRUE
INTERNATIONAL: Canada416/499·9400 France 33-13-952-6253 Italy 39-2-242-4551 Switzerland 41 -1-825-0949 U.K. 44-1-991-0121 West Germany 49-89-612-0010 Other 617/229-6900
REVIEW UNIX FOR THE MAC II
Macintosh Toolbox Support Apple supplies several tools with A/UX to support developing applications that use the Mac interface. You use a utility called mfs to move files between the Mac operating-system environment and
A/UX. This utility is not capable of han dling HFS floppy disks, so you must for mat SOOK-byte floppy disks as Macin tosh File System (MFS) volumes. The launch utility runs applications that were built in the Mac operating system and
[ appoome.~ oo"'ce oodo
#include <types.h>
/* Include header files *I
lnitGraf (&qd.thePort)
I* Calls to toolbox *I
[
i r c A/U~~
I----, compiler
/usr/include/mac/* Header files de
Id - ........- - - - .
usr/lib/libmac.c: - - - - - - - - - - - - - . Library contains entry points for all functions
and variables
A/UXC
link editor
Script reserves space for global variables
Iappname Executable code file
Figure 1: The steps involved in creating an AIUX application that uses the Mac ROM.
Figure 2: The steps involved in creating a resource file.
moved over with mfs. You can debug Mac applications using the standard Unix debuggers adb(l) and sdb(l) .
The launch utility successfully ran MacPaint 2.0 and MacDraw 1.9.5, but MacWrite 5.0 bombed, giving a mem ory-fault error. However, the error didn'tdisable the machine in any way.
A/UX comes with a resource compiler (rez) and decompiler {derez) whose source files are compatible with their counterparts in the Mac Programmers' Workshop (MPW). The rez utility trans lates resource description files to binary files that resource-manager functions in the Toolbox ROM can use. These re sources describe the windows, menus, and dialog boxes that are familiar parts of all Mac applications. The decompiler translates binary resource files back to source form. It is useful for making al terations in existing resource files without having to reconstruct the entire file from scratch if no source is available for it.
There are two approaches to develop ing A/UX applications that use the Tool box. You can develop them under the Mac operating system using the tools there, transfer them to A/UX using mfs, and run them using the launch. Or, you can develop, debug, and run them using A/UX tools. Figure 1 shows the library and header files that make up the Tool box and, graphically, how you construct the code portion of an application under A/UX. Figure 2 shows how you con struct the resource file. (Under the Mac operating system, the code portion and resource portion are stored together; under A/UX, these two pieces are in sep arate files.)
To build an A/UX application, you must include the appropriate header files in your program source and then link with the Toolbox files libmac. a, low. ld, low.a, and maccrtO.o. The library lib mac.a contains the entry points for the Toolbox functions and variables; low.ld and low. o arrange access to the Mac low memory globals; and maccrtO. o initial izes the Toolbox interface and the trap dispatch tables and then invokes the main routine of the application.
The initialization code also opens a special device driver, called /dev/ uinterO, that sets up access to the screen buffer, handles events in a manner simi lar to the event manager in the Toolbox ROM, tracks the cursor, and sets up the A-line trap handler.
Applications access the Mac Toolbox ROM by issuing A-line trap instructions. A/UX handles these trap instructions by
continued
188 BYTE · AUGUSf 1988
Systat. Because other statistics and
graphics packages are not enough.
Systat now offers more statistical graphics than any other PC or mainframe package. And we still give you less bulk with more statistics.
Statistics Basic statistics, frequencies, t-tests, post-hoc tests
Multiway crosstabs with log-linear modeling, association coefficients. PRE statistics. Mantel-Haenszel. asymptotic standard errors Nonparametric statistics (sign, Runs, Wilcoxon , Kruskal Wallis , Friedman two- way ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U, Kolmogorov Smirnov, Lilliefors, Kendall coefficient of concordance) Pairwise/ listwise missing value correlation. SSCP. covariance. Spearman. Gamma, Kendall Tau, Euclidean distances. binary similarities Linear, polynomial. multiple. stepwise. weighted regression with extended diagnostics Multivariate general linear model includes multi- way ANOVA, ANOCOVA, MANOVA, repeated measures, canonical correlation Principal components, factor analysis, rotations, components scores Multidimensional scaling Multiple and canonical discriminant analysis. Bayesian classification Cluster analysis (hierarchical, single , average, complete, median, centroid linkage, k-means, cases, variables Time series (smoothers, exponential smoothing. seasonal and nonseasonal ARIMA. ACF. PACF, CCF, transformations, Fourier analysis Nonlinear estimation (nonlinear regression, maximum likelihood estimation, and more).
Graphics Overlay plots Drivers for most graphics devices
Two dimensional: Error Bars Scatterplots Line and Vector Graphs Vector, Dot. Bubble and Quantile Plots Bar Graphs (single. multiple. stacked, range) Box plots (single and grouped) Stem-and-leaf diagrams Linear. quadratic. step. spline. polynomial. LOWESS. exponential smoothing Confidence Intervals and ellipsoids (any alpha value) Smooth mathematical funct ions Rectangular or polar coordinates Log and power scales ANOVA interaction plots Histograms (regular. cumulative. fuzzy) Stripe and jitter plots Gaussian histogram smoothing Scatterplot matrices Voronoi Tesselations Minimum spanning tree Maps with geographic projections (U.S. state boundary file included) Chernoff faces Star plots Fourier plots Pie charts Contour plots on regularly and irregularly spaced points Control charts and limits Three dimensional: Data plots Smooth function plots Vector plots Linear, quadratic, spline, least squares surface smoothing Three dimensional type fonts.
Data Management Import/export Lotus, dBase, and DIF
files Full screen data editor Full screen text editor Unlimited cases Missing data. arrays, character variables Process hierarchical, rectangular or triangular files, irregular length records
Character. numeric. and nested sorts Merge and append large files Unlimited numeric and character variable transformations Subgroup processing with SELECT and BY Value labels and RECODE Statements Macro processor with programming language, screen control. file manipulation. applications generation. and report writing.
SYSTAT
Circle 230 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 231)
Systat operates on IBM PCs and compatibles, MS- DOS and CP/M machines, several UNIX minicomputers, and the VAX/Microvax. Menu/windowed Macintosh version also available. Single copy price $795 USA and Canada , $695 Foreign. Site licenses, quantity prices and training seminars available. No fees for technical support. Statistics and graphics availab le separately.
For more information. call 312 664.5670 or write Systat Inc. , 1600 She rman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201.
The following ar e registered t rademar ks: CP/M of Di gital Research , Inc .. IBM PC of IBM. Inc ., MS-DOS of Microsoft. In c., Macintosh of Apple Compu t er Inc., UNIX of AT&T and VAX of Digital Equi pment Corporat ion.
Systat. Intelligent software.
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 189
REVIEW
UNIX FOR THE MAC II
Table 1: While the Sun 386i/250 is significantly faster than the Mac //running AlUX, in this configuration, the Sun costs about twice as much.
Number o fTasks 12 4 8
Mac II with A/UX SUN 386i/250
2.9 4.9 8.2 15.7 2.0 3.0 6.0 12.0
Note: In both cases, the real execution time is reported. The SUN 386i uses a 25-MHz 80386, and the Mac II uses a 16-MHz 68020.
switching to supervisor mode and dis patching to code within the A/UX ker nel. Once this code determines that the trap was a Toolbox ROM call, it invokes the trap handler and switches back to user mode. The user-mode trap handler then uses the dispatch tables to call either a ROM-based routine or a RAM-based patch. RAM-based patches update ROM code, as in the standard Mac operating system, and redirect Mac operating-sys
tern calls to routines that translate them to equivalent Unix calls.
You must then create the resource file containing definition objects such as windows, menus, and dialogs, and com pile it with the rez resource compiler.
Finally, to run any programs under A/UX that use the Mac interface, you must have the program toolboxdaemon running as a background process. This program is responsible for setting up the shared memory structures that all Tool box applications use. It is also responsi ble for cleaning up after a Toolbox pro cess when it exits. This includes removing shared memory structures and windows from the screen. In version 1.0, the shared memory contains mostly cur sor data.
Missing Mac User Interface In A/UX, there is no facility like the Mac Finder to launch applications and man age files. A/UX provides three different shells (command interpreters)-the tra ditional Bourne shell (sh), the Berkeley C shell (csh), and the Korn shell (ksh). Each of these shells uses a command-line interface.
The closest A/UX comes to having a windowing interface is a sample pro gram, called Term, that lets you open multiple windows, each running the Unix command-line interface. Since this is a sample program, full source code is provided so that you can modify it to suit your own needs.
As you would expect with a Mac appli cation, Term lets you move or resize each window. One nice feature is a history mechanism that makes it possible to scroll back through a session to review output that has already scrolled out of the window. Unfortunately, you cannot cut and paste in these windows.
Each window acts as a terminal emu lator implementing a subset of the DEC VT-100 control codes. You can also select the font and size of the text in each window.
Since A/UX allows only one Toolbox application to run at a time, it isn't possi ble to run any other program that uses the Toolbox from within the Term program. This means that to run another Toolbox program, you need to close down what ever is going on in each of the windows and exit from the Term program. This
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190 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 77 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 78)
REVIEW UNIX FOR THE MAC II
limits the usefulness of the program as a standard interface to A/UX.
Expanded Networking Ifyou want to go beyond the three users that can be accommodated by the console and the two serial ports, you can buy an Ethernet card and use the networking software that comes with A/UX.
A/UX supports Sun Microsystems' NFS, which allows a Mac II running A/UX to participate in a network of workstations and hosts and to share files. NFS makes it possible to treat files on other systems as if they were resident on your local machine.
There is also support in A/UX for the TCP/IP network protocol. This protocol and a number of utilities included with A/UX let you copy files between nodes on a network and establish remote log-in sessions with other nodes.
AU/X doesn't support AppleTalk, so if you want to connect a LaserWriter printer, you have to use an asynchronous link to one of the serial ports.
Even though the system comes with networking software, the documentation does not include the A/UX Network Ad
ministration manual that you need to set up a network. This manual is available for $18.50 to APDA (Apple Program mer's and Developer's Association) members.
To measure the multitasking perfor mance of A/UX, we ran the multitask ing-shell benchmark published in the August 1984 BYTE on page 406. For comparison, we ran the same benchmark tests on a Mac II with 5 megabytes of memory and A/UX on an external 80 megabyte hard disk drive, and on a Sun 386i/250 with 8 megabytes of memory and a 327-megabyte hard disk drive run ning Berkeley Unix 4.3. In the bench mark results, A/UX on the Mac II ran notably slower than the Unix implemen tation on the Sun system (see table l). However, performance may be accep table when you consider that the Sun sys tem costs about twice as much.
Close, But No Cigar Apple's A/UX is a good first step toward transforming the Mac II into a Unix workstation. It's good because it gives you multitasking, virtual memory, and access to a network. But it is not yet well
integrated with the Mac user interface. Also, the limitation of running only a single Toolbox application at a time makes it difficult to use even the Term program as a standard interface.
You might expect A/UX to make the Mac II into a true workstation, but it doesn't quite measure up. Although it does provide the ability to connect to a network, it does not provide the kind of interactive interface that is familiar to users of other workstation products. While the Mac interface is available from within A/UX, the primary interface is the Unix command-line shell.
However, A/UX is a good implemen tation of Unix System V and should be useful where there is a need for a system that allows Unix applications to run in a network environment and where the abil ity to run Mac applications is required. A/UX will be easier to use when and if Apple provides a Finder-like interface that will truly transform the Mac into a point-and-click Unix machine. ·
David Betz is a Unix consultant and a former senior editor for B/X. Eva M. White is a BYTE technical editor.
ARTS 8
LETT
ARTS &
LETTERS
Clown dra Arts & L Wn Using the Edl.iar anedtters. Graphi.cs
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Compose diagrams, maps, flow charts, word charts, and organization charts. Cut, copy, and paste your compositions into any of the popular desktop publishing applications that support Windows, or print directly to any laser printer (a Postscript-equipped printer is not required).
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Depending on your level of artistic ability,
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Even if you're a skilled artist, modifying predrawn clip art can save lots of time when you're working against a deadline.
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
Arts & Letters is a trademark of Computer Support Corporation. Ventura
Publisher is a trademark of Ventura Software, Inc. PostScript is
a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc.
Editing Features The Graphics Editor allows you to adjust the
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Exchanging Data Arts & Letters supports a variety of techniques for
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Circle 56 on Reader Service Card
II' I
JJ I
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PSpice
The Standard for Analog Cira.tit Simulation
Now Available on the Macintosh II
Since its introduction just over four years ago, MicroSim's PSpice has sold more copies than all other commercial Spice programs combined. In addition to running on the IBM PC family, in cluding the new PS/2, the Compaq 386, the Sun 3 workstation and the VAX/VMS family, PSpice is now available on Apple's Macintosh II.
All these features which have made PSpice so popular are available:
· Standard parts libraries for diodes, bipolar transistors, power MOSFET's, opamps, voltage comparators, and transformer cores.
· GaAs MESFET devices.
· Non-linear transformer devices modeling saturation, hysteresis, and eddy current losses.
· Ideal switches for use with, for example, power supply and switched capacitor circuit designs.
In addition, all these PSpice options are available on the Macintosh:
· Monte Carlo analysis to calculate the effect of parameter tolerances on circuit performance.
· The Probe "software oscilloscope", allowing interactive viewing of simulation results.
· The Parts parameter extraction program, allow ing you to extract a device's model parameters from data sheet information.
· The Digital Files interface, allowing you to transfer data from your logic simulator to (or from) PSpice. The interface performs the necessary D to A or A to D conversions.
Each copy of PSpice comes with our extensive product support. Our technical staff has over 50 years of experience in CAD/CAE and our software is supported by the engineers who wrote it. With PSpice, expert assistance is only a phone call away.
Please call or write today for a free evaluation copy of PSpice. Find out for yourself why PSpice is the standard in analog circuit simulation.
f l MicroSim Corporation
23175 La Cadena Drive, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 U.S.A. · (714) 770-3022 (800) 826-8603 ·Telex 265154 SPICE UR
194 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 149on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 150)
APPLICATION REVIEW
VersaCAD
on a Mac
A VersaLINK application converts VersaCAD drawings to and from ASCII text, Initial Graphics Exchange Specifi cation (IGES), and .DXF files. In these formats, you can exchange drawing in formation not only between different CAD applications but even between dif ferent computer systems.
A CAD package for PCs finds its way to the Macintosh
Paul Tuten
Bom with an established name in the MS-DOS world, Versa CAD Macintosh Edition is a comprehensive two-dimen sional drafting and design system for creating accurate working drawings for a variety of disciplines. The VersaCAD package comes with a 247-page user's manual that includes a tutorial section, a "tour" disk that contains a demonstra tion program, and a disk with a Hyper Card Help stack. These also serve as valuable training aids.
VersaCAD Macintosh Edition retails for $1995. It requires a Mac Plus or SE with 1 megabyte of RAM or a Mac II with a minimum of 2 megabytes of RAM, an Apple monochrome or color monitor, and Finder 5.5 or higher. You'll need extra memory to use large monitors and to make use of Multi Finder. If you have a Mac Plus or SE, you should equip it with an accelerator board with a 68881 math coprocessor to take full advantage of VersaCAD's speed. Fi nally, you'll needa minimum of 4 mega bytes of hard disk space for programs, temporary workfiles, and drawings.
VersaCAD 1.1, the version I tested, supports a comprehensive list of output devices, including the Apple Image writer and LaserWriter for nonscale hard copies. For accurate drawings, it sup ports plotters from Bruning, Calcomp, Data Products, Enter Computer, Hew lett-Packard, Houston Instrument, United Innovations, Mutoh, Numonics, Roland, and Western Graphtec.
The Working Area The main display consists of a drawing window bordered by the familiar Macin tosh title bar, close, resize, and scrolling buttons. In addition, five window-option icons are embedded along the bottom left scroll bar. Clicking on these window icons lets you magnify any area of the drawing for detail work, or back away for a bird's-eye view of the entire drawing, regardless of its size.
Beneath the menu bar is a Message window that prompts you for input dur ing object construction and editing. At the screen's bottom is a Coordinates win dow that shows the location of the draw ing cursor in absolute, relative, or polar coordinates. To the left is a Tools win dow-a palette of icons for object cre ation and manipulation tools. You can toggle all these windows (plus two hid den Constraints and Construct palettes) open and closed from the Settings menu bar selection.
I found that I was using the Constraints and Construct palettes more than the Message and Coordinates windows, so I closed the latter two to save room on my SE's screen. For SE users, a more pro ductive, but also more expensive, solu tion would be to add an external monitor to display the drawing window. Then you could display the support functions win dows on a second screen while using a multimonitor program, such as E-Ma chines' Double Feature.
A Pick of Tools The two choices on the top of the Tools palette are Selection and Group. The Se-
continued
AUGUST 1988 · B Y T E 195
REVIEW
VERSACAD ON A MAC
VersaCAD 1.1
Type Two-dimensional CAD package
Company Versacad Corp.
2124 Main St.
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 960-7720
Format Six 31/2-inch floppy disks
Hardware Needed Macintosh Plus or SE with 1 megabyte of RAM, or Macintosh II with 2 megabytes of RAM, and a hard disk drive
Software Needed Finder 5.5 or higher
Language
c
Documentation · 247-page user's manual
Price $1995
Inquiry 907.
lection tool lets you pick individual ob jects for editing and manipulation. Each object that Selection calls up displays its associated, movable, pivot-and-handle point. The Group tools let you build ag gregates of objects.
The palette has 12 more tools, which you use to add objects to your drawing. The Line tool lets you create a single or continuous line, and Multiline draws two or more parallel lines simultaneously. Rectangle lets you draw squares and rect angles by designating opposite corners or three points. Polygon draws regular polygons with 3 to 180 sides.
To draw a circle, you choose a center and a radius or designate a diameter and its two endpoints. You can make an el lipse by picking the axes or a center and the axes. You create an arc from two end points and an arbitrary point on the arc, or from a center point and two endpoints. With Bezier, you can create three-point Bezier curves and multipoint spline curves. You handle point entry by screen position, grid snap, object snap, or coor dinate entry (this is also the case with all the tools mentioned previously).
You can write on the drawing, either in
individual lines or in blocks, using the Text tool. Character height and width, as well as line spacing, may be varied. You can assign foot numbers to your built-in LaserWriter fonts for Postscript output. VersaCAD can automatically apply lin ear and angular dimensions, either sin gly or as baseline or chain dimensions.
The last six tools on the palette are for object manipulation. You can move and stretch objects and groups of objects. You can copy in one er two directions, er cir cularly, leaving one or more copies. Ro tate lets you move objects about their as sociated pivot points. Scale shrinks or expands objects or groups of objects, either proportionally or unproportion ally. Mirror flips objects or copies of ob jects about an axis. The Explode com mand breaks objects and symbols into their component parts.
The Construct palette contains impor tant tools for precise geometric construc tions. Extend/Trim lets you trim ele ments to other elements and objects. With Break, you can split a line and trim it to two different objects or two different portions of the same object. Fillet lets you draw a specified radius between two self-trimming lines, as does Chamfer. Perpendicular lets you create right-angle lines at any distance from the endpoint of a normal line. With Parallel, you can draw lines at a specified distance from each other. The Tangent function makes lines at a specified angle to circles, arcs, and ellipses, or tangent to arcs and per pendicular to lines . You can use Isomet ric to create an isometric view from three orthographic views.
The tools in the Constraints palette are used in conjunction with those in the Tools and Construct palettes. Con straints tools help you make your draw ings more precise. Besides Free (or un constrained) input, there is Rotation, X Lock, and Y Lock, which let you fix in put to a specified angle, or to an x or y axis .
The Grid and Increment snap tools set up a grid with incremental points. These points then attract the cursor to the near est specified location for geometric input. This is nice in some ways, but it often dramatically slows repainting when the grid is displayed. The No Snap function switches this option off. The In tersection, Object, and Equation tools are excellent for accurate placement of objects in relation to each other, during both construction and later manipula tion.
In most cases, the tools have additional options that you can obtain by double clicking on each tool's icon.
Picks from the Menu The menu bar displays the Apple symbol with whatever desk accessories you have installed, along with About VersaCAD and Help. The Help item contains a drawing of the three palette windows mentioned previously, with labels that describe each tool function.
The Files menu contains New Draw ing, which is for creating an empty draw ing that retains the current settings of the properties, units, and window . Open Drawing retrieves drawings and also allows them to merge with the current drawing (at the same drawing units). Close stores the drawing window. Save Drawing and Save Drawing As put the current work on disk arranged by objects or by current group. Crunch compresses the workfile by permanently removing all deleted objects.
New Library lets you create special files of symbols. Symbols are collections of objects that are used repeatedly, such as windows and doors, or bolts and nuts . Obviously, having them predrawn as part of a library can save you a good deal of drawing time. Open Library gives you access to your symbols files.
Page Setup and Print give you a non scale hard copy of displayed drawings on a printer. Besides a long list of plotters to select from, Plot Select contains an en capsulated Postscript selection; this op tion lets you use VersaCAD drawings with page layout programs. Plot Setup and Plot produce accurate output of the entire drawing, to any scale, on laser printers and plotters. Quit closes the VersaCAD program.
The Edit menu selection has the usual Macintosh Undo, Cut, Copy , and Paste options, plus Clear Last Entry, Restore Last Entry, Select All Objects, and Show Clipboard Contents. It also has addi tional items to aid you in editing objects. A Properties item lets you edit the level number, pen number, color, line density and width, line style, and top and bottom z-coordinate values of objects. A power ful Geometry item lets you look at and edit almost every geometric attribute of an object on the drawing; you can also in voke Geometry by double-clicking on the object. Handle moves the handle point of the selected object to alternate locations or back to the object's default location.
The Group menu contains options that you use in conjunction with the Group se lection from the Tools palette. Clear Current Group removes all objects from the current group. Build by Inverse creates a group by replacing all objects in the current group with all other objects.
continued
196 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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their"l-2-3 WISH LIST" "At most, this feature is a life
DAYBREAK
saver; ... it can save the day
(and maybe a job). -.J. Blake
TECHNOLOGIES, INC. Charge to your credit card and call
Lambert, Computer Age,
toll-tree: 1-800-40-0JOO, ext. 36\E
August, 1987. Well, we say
Toll-free number is for credit card
this is the second most
orders on! )'. For product information, call CustomerService at (213) 542-5888
important piece of software
System Requirements: lBM or compatible
,-------------------------,
you can buy, right after DOS.
with DOS 2.0 or higher and hard disk.
Rush My Cocoon Today!
_ _copies of Cocoon@ $49.95
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l'aymem Method 0 Check or monel' order enclosed, made payable 10
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Cocoon :u\ll Silk are1raclemarks ofDa~hreaklCclmologies. Inc. l[)M and PE-Hare r<.i-:istered tradcm:1rks ofl11tcri1:11ional Businc:>sillachinesCorporation.Louis. 1·2·5 :1nd Sy111phon~· :1re rei-:islercd tradem arks of Lotus Develop111e1n Corpor;1tion. Microsol1 and MS·llOS are rei-:islm:d 1rade111arks ofMicrosoft Capor:llion. Wrrdflerfecl is a n~i-:istcred trademark ofWonlPerfecl Crnpor:llion. WordStar 2000 and \VonLl\tar Professional arc rq~istt'rec\ trademarks of ~liuol'ro lntem:Uional Corpor:Uion. Enahle
is :i rq.~islered !radrmark of 1he Softwar~ Group. i\hi lit)' Plus is a rci-:istered trademarkof ~ligcnl Sofmwr Inc. Codcsmilh b :1 regislcred tr:1c\cm:1rk of Visual Age. P-fo: is a registered tr;1dcn1:1rk of Phoenix Computer Products Corpor:Hion
Circle 70 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 71)
REVIEW VERSACAD ON A MAC
Build by Properties lets you create or edit groups by all objects that do or do not have specified properties in common. Build by Fence creates groups by speci fying objects either inside or outside a rectangular area, and Build by Objects lets you add or subtract specific object types to the current or new group.
The Settings menu contains valuable features, such as Input, which lets you di rectly input absolute, relative, or polar coordinates for geometric creation and manipulation. Besides the usual decimal degree and degrees-minutes-seconds op tions in the polar mode, bearing is also available. Properties lets you set such ob ject attributes as level number, pen num ber, color, line density and width, up to
eight line styles, and top and bottom z co
ordinate values. VersaCAD is sometimes referred to as a two-and-one-half-dimen siona l system because it can record z-coordinate values but not display them.
This ability to record z coordinates can
be useful if you are using drawing-coor dinate data in CAM.
You can add arrows or center markers to objects, and you can set template prop erty to objects being added. These ob jects could serve as construction lines for layout development, and they can be turned off for displaying or plotting.
With the Units item, you set the draw ing's unit of measure when you begin. There can be only one unit of measure per drawing. VersaCAD works on the concept of real-world modeling. That is, if you are going to lay out a schematic ofa new interstate highway, for example, you might make miles the unit of measure and choose polar coordinates in bearing format. On the other hand, if you were designing an assembly jig for an airplane wing, you would make inches your unit of measure and choose absolute coordi nates in decimals of an inch. For an E size plot of both drawings, you can set the plot scale so that 1 unit equals 0.125 inch.
All the necessary units are available, including decimals and fractions of inches and feet, and fractions of miles, millimeters, centimeters, meters, and kilometers. If you want, you can also de fine your own units of measure.
Levels lets you specify up to 250 levels to display and plot. Levels are not self protecting; for example, you can trim lines to each other even if they are in dif ferent levels. You protect levels by turn ing them off, thus making them invisible.
Configuration sets the size of tempo rary Hatch files needed to calculate hatch boundaries. Preferences lets you
set a drawing's background, grid, se lected object, and cursor color (if avail able). Show Marker, Template, and Symbol turn the display of these items on and off. The workfile has a running clock of usage time that can be stopped with a Pause option.
Also under the Settings menu are Con straints, Coordinates, Message, Tools, and Construct items, all of which I've previously discussed. Symbols opens the symbols library from which the currently selected symbol was placed. Hatch lets you add hatching lines to any enclosed boundary; it also calculates areas and cross sections. Many of Settings' option windows can be left open for more conve nient access.
The Inquire menu contains Drawing, which shows all the level numbers and pen numbers used on a drawing, along with the total number of objects, sym bols, and time used. Workfile displays the storage that all the objects and sym bols use, the total number of different symbols, and the corresponding storage you have left; it also indicates total draw ing time and the elapsed time since your last file operation.
VersaCAD's workfile can contain 6000 objects, 2000 symbol components, and 200 unique symbols. This should be adequate storage for most drawings, but if it isn't, the workfile storage space can be expanded by an experienced program mer. Keyboard equivalents for almost all icons and menu options are present.
Stackware Utilities Bill of Material is a HyperCard stack that counts all symbols used on a drawing. Descriptive data such as name, size, unit cost, unit weight, labor, and grade for each symbol in your library is entered in the Bill of Material stack. A Count func tion automatically counts the symbols, and Create Report prepares a materials list type of report that shows the totals of each symbol and all the descriptive information.
You can edit any part of the report and save it as a text file for use in a word pro cessor or spreadsheet, or you can convert it to VersaCAD format for use on the face of the drawing.
Bill of Material also contains a utility for calculating the total length of lines and rectangles on the drawing. For ex ample, in a plumbing drawing, if all drain pipes are represented by lines of the same color, or on a certain level or pen number, Bill of Material can auto matically add the total length of these lines.
The FileDump stack provides a conve
nient way to examine and edit the con tents of drawing and library files. The source code for getVcad and putVcad are provided. These script functions ex tend HyperCard and let it read/write VersaCAD files; they also let you create customized VersaCAD HyperCard util ities. Sample drawings and libraries are included in the VersaCAD and Bill of Materials tutorials.
Drawing Conclusions The most serious of VersaCAD's few limitations is the lack of an auxiliary view system for creating drawings with views of different scales. For example, if you want a drawing with a quarter-scale main view and a half-scale section view, you have to either draw both views at their respective scales and plot full-size, or draw the main view at half size and the section view at full size and plot at half scale, or draw the main view full-size and the section view twice-size and plot at quarter-scale. In any case, you have a model with one or more views that are not real-world size. Perhaps a better al ternative in this example would be to keep the views in two different models and overplot them on the same paper at the different scales-but VersaCAD has no built-in provisions to do this.
A vital feature of VersaCAD is its workfile. When you are working on a drawing, all work is done in a temporary workfile that VersaCAD automatically saves on disk. Thus, even if you are working on a new drawing that you have not saved, you will probably not lose all your work if a system error occurs, which I did occasionally experience.
VersaCAD seems to have all the nec essary tools and options that a draftsper son needs to get the job done. However, I would not buy VersaCAD for an out-of the-box Mac Plus or SE. Without a co processor accelerator board in the sys tem, VersaCAD's slowness is a limiting factor. For example, I constructed a model with about 100 objects. On a va nilla Mac SE, a repaint of the model took well over a minute. On a Mac II, the same drawing took less than 3 seconds.
VersaCAD Macintosh Edition is a full-featured drafting tool that is well suited for a broad range of applications. But if you're going to spend almost $2000 for the program, do yourself a favor and run it on a machine that won't make you long for your drafting board. ·
Paul Tuten of Wichita, Kansas, is a tool engineering contractorfor the aircraft in dustry and uses a CAD system daily. He can be reached on B/X as "editors. "
198 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Can Your
Spreadsheet
Do Any
Of This For
$69.95?
javeli11"'-type lime series model in your co11ve111io11al spreadsheet
...w
i
y I
I
1 I
''Silk's improved graphics, fine use offunction keys, interactive
!
I I
L...J help, global search andreplace,
...... r-1
- -..!
I I
and easy-to-rearrange worksheet are reason enough to buy. ..
~ Uit!~l~I~ EDJTOR'S
At some point, you have to think about moving onward and upward (from Lotus). Silll givesyou rea
CHOfCE son enough:' - PC Magazine
English language f ommlas
User-de.fined
Spreadsheet
validation criteria validation
AndThat'sjustThe Start OfSilk's®Exciting Features ...
With all this - and more - going for Silk,Jim Gultinan of Cordata concludes ''On ascale of 1to 10 with Lotus beinga 10, Silk is a lt' Soft Sector sums it up by saying "Silk is one of the most complete spreadsheet packages on the market today"
Yes, here's your spreadsheet wish list come true. At a price
· 1\vice as fast as Lotus® with 8087/ 80287
you dreamed of1
coprocessor installed · Keystroke logging prevents the loss of your
worksheet sessions
· Fast, productive forms processing - just fill in
the blanks ·Allocation models- cut the pie anyway youwant · Excellent use of function keys · GJobaJ search and replace · Enhanced graphics · Easy-to-rearrange worksheets · Goal seeking, i.e. what price to charge to make
X% profit?
· 1\vo foreign exchange formats
Special Introductory Offer - New Version 1.1
IsJust $69.95 !
In reviewing the original Silk spreadsheet, Seybold Outlook said "this is a lot of software for the money" And we say "with this special introductory offer, it's a lot less!" Enhanced Silk 1.1 is just $69.95 when you order directlyfrom the pub lisher, now through September 30, 1988. After that, it's still an exceptionalvalue at $298.00 retail.
Why not order right now? And see for your self why Orange Bytes Magazine says "lfy Silk, but be careful, you may find your copy of 1-2-3 collecting dust:'
I
-------------------------,
Rush My Sil k 1.1 1bday!
_ _copies of Silk U @ $69.95 _ _ _
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\ TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
\
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Charge to your credit card
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Payment Method
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product information, call Customer Service at (213) 542-5888.
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\ System Requirements: IBM® PC or compatible with
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Signan1re_ _ _ _ __ _ _ __
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PC-DOS® or MS-DOS® 2.0 or higher, with 512KB mem
ory; hard disk recommended.
Silk is a registered trademark or ll:11hreak lechnologies. Inc IBM and PC·OOS are re~istered trademarks of International Business Machines Corpor;llion. 1.otus and Lotus 1-2-:1 m~ regis1ered trademark.rnr I.mus Oevelopmelll Corporalion. ~licrosort and MS·llllS are registered trademarks of ~licrosofi Corporation. Javelin is a regi$lered trademark orJavelin Software Company.
Circle 72 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 73)
Review Update
Fine-Tuning the Benchmarks
The June issue saw the introduction of BYTE's new system benchmarks. The August issue marks the first, and prob ably not the last, revision. Version 1.1 of the low-level Small-C benchmarks in corporates several changes, all in the Disk 110 tests.
A bug fix for the DOS Seek 1- and 8 sector test came first. In the original test, checks for the end of disk failed because the test stored the sector variables in inte ger format. We quickly ran into sector sizes too large for Small-C to deal with as integers. We fixed the problem by changing the integer format to character pointers.
This fix uncovered an additional prob len} .with the 8-sector part of the test. Ba sically, the 8-sector read was too sensi tive to the effects of disk buffering. In version 1.1, we've enlarged the 8-sector read test to 32 sectors.
Finally, we changed the method ofre cording the results for the File I/O test. We've switched from seconds per K byte to seconds per 64K bytes for reporting th~ disk throughput times.
Apart from these changes, we've also made a couple of additional revisions. For the application-level benchmarks, we've dropped the Cursor Move test from the word-processing suite because of unreliable results. Second, we've switched from using an arithmetic mean to a geometric mean for calculating both the application-level and low-level indexes.
In light of these changes, we've rerun all the benchmarks for Advanced Logic Research's FlexCache 20386, which we reviewed in June, as well as for our base line systems. The revised disk results are shown in the table above. The changes in the application benchmarks give the FlexCache a cumulative application in dex of 18.0. Application indexes for comparative systems are as follows: 18.0 for the Compaq Deskpro 386/20, 11 for the IBM PS/2 Model 80, and 5 for the 8 MHz IBM PC AT. The review of three 20-MHz 80386 systems on page 162 this month also reflects all these changes.
In upcoming reviews of 80386 sys tems, we'll be using a newly ported 32 bit version of the BYTE Small-C com
The results for the revised Disk 110 benchmarks still show that ALR 's FlexCache 20386 comes in slightly ahead ofthe Compaq Deskpro 386120 in disk performance.
FlexCache Compaq
20386
386/20
IBM PS/2 IBM PCAT 0
Model BO, (8 MHz)
DOS Seek 1·sector read 32-sector read
8.48 17.00
10.68 19.08
14.98 32 .79
14.95 65.18
File 1/0
Seek Read (sec/64K bytes) Write (sec/64K bytes)
0.11 0.42 0.79
0.13 0.45 0.78
0.12 1. 11 1.07
0.29 1.33 1.23
Disk 1/0 Index
(relative to PC AT)
2.50
2.23
1.46
1.0
Note: All times are in seconds. except as noted.
piler for low-level benchmarks. For details on the 80386 version ofthe bench marks, see the text box "80386 Bench marks" by Rick Grehan on page 142 of this issue.
One last note: The graphs for the sys tem reviews in June-ALR's FlexCache 20386, NEC's MultiSpeed HD, and
Hewlett-Packard's Vectra CS Model 20-were labeled incorrectly. The appli cation indexes, cumulative application indexes, and low-level indexes were cor rect, but the keys for the graphs were labeled in reverse order. We apologize for the error.
- Cathryn Baskin
Deviance with Concurrent DOS 386
Sometimes benchmark tests give you alarming results, and it's difficult to pin down the problem. That's just what hap pened with my review of Digital Re search's Concurrent DOS 386 in the July issue.
The BYTE Lab ran the single-task benchmark for Concurrent DOS 386 on several different systems and obtained essentially the same results (which were printed with the review)-that it per formed about as well as MS-DOS. But the test results obtained using my own ARC 386i were quite different, at least at first. In fact, my preliminary findings showed a single task under Concurrent DOS 386 to be about 3 times slower than the same task running under MS-DOS.
I initially ran the benchmark tests on my ARC 386i with 3 megabytes of 16-bit 120-nanosecond memory on an Everex 159 memory card installed "above" the 512K bytes of 32-bit memory on the
ARC's motherboard. With the 16-bit memory installed, Concurrent DOS 386 barely puttered along, taking 40 seconds to perform one iteration of the bench mark in one window, while the same task ran in only about 13.5 seconds under MS-DOS.
Because the test program was only about 5K bytes, I decided to try the test without the 16-bit memory board in stalled. Admittedly, running even a 5K byte program in only the 512K bytes of 32-bit base memory makes for a tight squeeze since Concurrent DOS 386 is so large. And certainly, most real applica tions cannot fit in so little memory. Nonetheless, without the 16-bit memory, performance improved noticeably. A single task actually ran faster than under DOS, taking 12.5 seconds to complete an iteration.
The explanation for the anomaly is painfully obvious: Running tasks in 16 bit memory on an ARC 386i slows per formance down dramatically.
-Alex Lane
200 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
I
I
dBASE® Users-Attack
the Mac with FoxBASE+/Mac
New Frontiers, No Fears.
FoxBASE +/Mac gives you the unprece dented ability to run your dBASE pro grams on the Macintosh immediately without changing a single line of code! But there's much more. With FoxBASE+/Mac you can create beautiful, robust applications that are truly Mac-like-using the familiar dBASE language!
Speed and Power.
FoxBASE +/Mac gives you speed to burn-plus the power and performance you've come to expect from Fox. In fact, FoxBASE+ /Mac is by far the fastest database system available on the Mac today- up to 200 tirnes faster!
View Window.
The View Window is the master control panel for FoxBASE +/Mac's graphical, non-programming interface . Use it to open and close files, set up indexes, establish relations, access BROWSE, and even to modify database structures!
BROWSE.
FoxBASE+/Mac's BROWSE feature brings new convenience and power to database display and editing! You're in complete control- BROWSE lets you dynamically adjust the size and order of fields displayed, add or delete records, and split the window to show different database sections side-by-side. Together, BROWSE and View Windows eliminate the need to write programs for common database operations!
Integrated Graphics.
Copy and paste graphs, charts, diagrams and even pictures into your database instantly! FoxBASE + /Mac gives you the power to display these graphics, or merge them into reports and documents!
FoxBASE a11d FoxBASE+ are trad emarks of Fox Software. dBASE and dB:\SE III PLUS are Lrademark s of Ashton- Tate. Ma cintosh is a tra clemark of Mcintosh Laboratory, In c., lite nse d to Apple Co mput er, Inc.
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You can create stunning screens like this with FoxBASE +/Mac -immediately!
This actual FoxBASE +/Mac screen photo illustrates the View Window,
Command Window, Integrated Graphics, Memo field editing,
Trace and Debugging Facilities, and the BROWSE feature.
Command Window.
FoxBASE+/Mac's Command Window gives both experienced developers and novice user ultra-convenient access to the dBASE command language-just type a command into the Command Window, and it's executed!
Get The FoxBASE+/Mac Facts Now!
Call (419) 874-0162 Ext. 320 for more information about FoxBASE + /Mac. Or visit your local software retailer.
FoxBASE+/Mac is part of the award-win ning family of products from Fox Software. For two years in a row, FoxBASE+ has been given the prestigious Editor's Choice award by PC Magazine, and scored an impressive 9.2 out of a possible 10 when tested by InfoWorld's Review Board!
~§§§§§§§§§§============~~~~~ Fox Software ===
Circle M26 on Reader Service Card
Nothing Runs Like a Fox.
Fox Software, Inc.
(419) 874-0162 Ext. 320
118 W. South Boundary FAX: (419) 874-8678
Perrysburg, OH 43551 Telex: 6503040827
AUGUST 1988 VOLUME 13 NUMBER 8
11\JTE
Macintosh Special Edition
Editorial: Microcomputing's Vanguard by Fred Langa
4
Short Takes
7
Twelve All-Time Favorites by Ezra Shapiro
21
Macintosh Red ux by Bruce Webster
29
Take a Walk on the Mac Side by Jerry Pournelle
35
MultiFinder Revealed by Phil Goldman
46
The Well-ConnectedMacbyJanetJ. Barron and Robert L. Mitchell
57
HyperCard: What Is It? by Brian L. Dear
71
HyperCard: How Does It Work? by Laurence H. Loeb
75
Using Color QuickDraw on the Mac II by Jan Eugenides
83
Unix and the Mac Interface by Rick Daley
89
Editorial Index by Company
95
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL AVIS© 1988
BYTE(ISSN 0360-5280) is published monthly with an additional issue in Oc 1obcrby McGraw-Hill Inc. Founder: James H. McGraw ( 1860-1948). Execu tive, ediiorial, circulation, and advenising offices: One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458. phone (603) 924-9281 . Office hours: Monday through Thursday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM, Friday 8:30 AM-1:00 PM, Eastern Time. Address subscriptions 10 BYTE Subscrip1ions, P.O. Box 7643, Tea neck, NJ 07666-9866. Postmaster: Send address changes. USPS Form 3579, undeliverable copies, and fulfillmcnl questions 10 BYTE Subscriptions, P.O. Box 7643, Teaneck, NJ 07666-9866. Second-class postage paid al Peterbor ough, NH 03458 and additional mailing offices. Postage paid at Winnipeg, Manitoba. Rcgis1ration number 932 1. Subscrip1ions arc S22.95 for one year. SJ9.95 fortwo years , and S55 .9S for1hrccyears in the U.S . and its posses sions. Jn Canada and Mexico, S25.95 for one year, S45.95 for two years, S64.95 forihrcc years. S75 for one-year air delivery 10 Europe. Y28,800 for one-year air delivery 10 Japan, Y14.400 for one-year surface delivery 10 Ja pan, S40 surface delivery elscwhc1c. Air delivery IO selected areas at addition al ra1es upon rcques1 . Single copy price is $3.50 in the U .S. and i1s posses sions, SJ .95 in Canada, S4.SO in Europe, and SS elsewhere. Foreign subscriptions and sales should be rcmiued in U.S. 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 editorial correspondence to: Editor. BYTE. One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough. NH 03458. Unacceptable manuscripts will be rcturnc:d if accompanied by sufficient postage. Not responsible for lost manuscripts or photos. Opinions expressed by the authors arc not necessarily 1hosc of BYTE.
Copyright © 1988 by M:Graw-Hill Inc . All righa: reserved. Trademark registered in 1hc United Stues Patent and Trademark Office. Where neces sary, permission is granted by the copyright owner for libraries and others registered with 1hc Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) to photocopy any arti cle herein for1hc flat fee of SI .50 per copy of the article or any part thereof. Correspondence and paylTIClll should be sent di rectly 101he CCC, 29 Congress St., Salem. MA 01970. Specify ISSN 0360-S280/83. SI .SO. Copying done for other than personal or internal reference use without the permission cl McGraw-Hill Inc. is prohibited. Requests for special permission or bulk orders should be addressed to the publisher. BYTE is available in microform from University Microfilms International, JOO North Zeeb Rd.. Dept. PR. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 or 18 Bedford Row, Dept PR, London WClR 4EJ, England.
Subscription questions or problems should be addressed 10: BYTE Subscriber Service, P.O. Box 7643, Tea neck, NJ 07666-9866.
1988 Mac Special Edition · B Y T E
..
The business computing world has recently undergone some fairly radical changes.
Consequently,so hasthe entire concept of "saffty:'
Because, at present, onlyone computer offers all the promise for the future, and delivers on it today: the Macintosh® II personal computer.
First,we met your standards.
Serious business has some seri ous standards, and Macintosh II is prepared to meet everyone.
Like breakneck speed. Full ex pandability.Vast memory. Achoice of monitors. Awide range of sophis ticated programs for every business use. And the capacity to store even the most intimidating mountain of information.
Its own power aside, Macintosh II is also more than prepared to meet the standards of other machines. Whether they speak MS-DOS, UNIX® or assorted dialects of mainframese, from IBM to DEC.
So it can workwith files from -and run-MS-DOS programs like Lotus 1-2-3 andWordPerfect.
Connections are perfectlypain ent efforts into asingle document.
less via the Applefalk® networks~
In the Macintosh tradition,
tem, using awide variety ofcabling, what you see on screen is exactly
including Ethernee
what you can expect on paper. And
, Then,we raised them. Ofcourse, theres more to busi ness than simplymeeting standards. Which is whywe've put such effort into exceeding them.
Macintosh II is an entirely new generation of computer, building on the graphical interface pioneered by Macintosh. Its working at full strength today, with an operating system that exploits every bit of its astonishing power.
The latest part of that system, MultiFinde( adds multitasking cap abilities. The result being, you can switch effortlessly between applica tions or do anumber ofdifferent things at the same time.
This higher standard leads to
everyprogramworksvery much the same way, helping to cut training costs drastically.
Its atechnology that can_actu ally raise the standard ofhowyou .get all your information. Because with Macintosh, all your computers (including mainframes) can be ac cessed in the same intuitive way.
Butwhyread about itwhen you can be an eyewitness. Seethewhole family of Macintosh computers and LaserWriter®II printers at an author ized Apple dealer. Call 800-446-3000, ext. 300, for a location nearby.
Then you'll understand why so ·many business people feel the same wayabout getting a Macintosh II:
Better safe than sorry.
a newworld ofpossibilities.
For example, you can now use
advanced programs fer Apple® Desk top Publishing- the standard we
The power to be your besr
created over two years back- right
alongside yuur business programs.
So its much easierto integrate differ
© 1988Apfie CIJfflpuier; Inc.)/Ifie, theApfie logo,MacinJash,AppleTalk andlaserl"i'riter are regisleredtrademarks ef,andM11//iFtr1cler and ffyperCard are trademarks ofApfie Camputer; Inc. MS-DOSis a registeredtrademark ofMicrosojl Corp.UNIX is a registeredtrademark ofR&T IBM isa regisleredtrademark ofIBM Corp DEC is a lf!gisterod trademark ofDigital Equipment Corp. WardPerfecl is atrademark
2 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
· ·
' ~\acintosh n
.--------++-----Multitasking. It's afact, mt apromise. Our MultiFinder letsyou run multipleprograms simultaneously.
-+-----+-+- Compatibility. Digests datcz.from-and even runs-MS-DOSprograms.Works with minis and main.frames, too.
- - ---+-+---A/Jplicanons. New-generation programs .forevery business use. Not nextyear. 7bday.
- -+-!-- Display. Chooseanysizeorsha]e,includ ing color andlarge-screen.
-----..--- GraphicalInterface. Wepioneeredt~ intuitivegraphics-based operatingsystem otkrs are only now beginning to imifi.lte.
+----++--Hyper<Ard~ ArevoluJionary way to customizeyour Q/jice's in.formation-using associa.tions insteadofcommands.
-f-,--- Expandability. ITT'th sixslots, Macintosh II is open tojustaboul anything.
ofWrndPer/ecl Corp. Lo1urn11d 1-2-3 are trademarks ofLo/ur Developmenl Cap Eihernei is a registered trademark ofXeroxCarp. NuBus is a trademark of'll=.s ftzslrumen/s. Maanlash II comes with a CPU
(which isn I sbotJm here) anda moure(which is). For /he sake ofcustom conjiguralion, monitor and kejJoard arepurchaslldseparale/y. Ar arepr desk, chair, lraW can a11d//011crlCU{J. 1988 Mac Special EditloOJ · BYTE 3
EDITORIAL · Fred Langa
Microcomputi ng 's Vanguard
More and more, it's a Blue and Red world out there. BYTE readers have seen it coming for years.
Q
uick! Name the only maga zine whose coverage of the Macintosh II won an award
for editorial excellence in an
international competition that was spon
sored by the Society for Technical
Communication.
Need a hint? It's a large publication,
routinely reaching over 147,000 Macin
tosh users, far more than publications
like MacWeek, Macazine, Macintosh To
day, and the like.
Another hint: In addition to being one
of the world's largest magazines for Mac
users, it's one of the very few that has
been there from day one back in 1984; it
has covered every Mac in detail, from the
first fledgling machine through the
world-class power oftoday's Mac II.
Still stumped? Well, it's about the
only magazine for Mac users that doesn't
have a "Mac" in its title.
You 're holding it in your hands :
BYTE.
BYTE's readers were among the earli
est and most enthusiastic adopters of the
Macintosh. Year by year, as the Mac's
power and expandability have grown-as
it has finally delivered on that early
bright promise-the installed base of
Mac users among BYTE readers has
climbed steadily. Today, over 35 percent
of BYTE's 420,000 readers use Macs,
and that number is still growing fast.
What amazes me is that almost all
BYTE's Mac users are also IBM PC
users. These readers are truly the van-
guard of microcomputing-proficient on more than one type of machine and com pletely comfortable in the increasingly common office environment where Macs and PCs sit cheek by jowl. Like all BYTE readers, these folks are a versatile, prag matic group, not at all locked into a sin gle mold, or constrained by arbitrary philosophical blinders. Faced with a given task, they'll use whatever hardware and software will get the job done well, religious debates about microcomputing purity be damned. They 're the corporate gurus who can assist any user on any ma chine anywhere in their organization.
But you already know this: It's you I'm talking about.
For some 4 years now, BYTE has covered the Mac as part of our "regular" coverage. No, that won't change. For ex ample, the August issue of BYTE carries a full review of A/DX-Apple's interest ing implementation of a "semigraphical" Unix fortheMacll.
But from time to time we want to do more, to concatenate our coverage and focus attention on the Mac in a major way.
The result is the Mac supplement you're now reading. If you use a Mac, you'll find plenty of useful information on Mac technology and applications in BYTE's best tradition-information that no Mac-specific magazine gives you.
If you're not currently a Mac user, you'll find a rich vein of interesting, perspective-building information that
can broaden your microcomputing hori zons and help prepare for the day when count on it-you're called upon for ad vice in a Macintosh matter.
For example, "MultiFinder Re vealed" isn'tjust a glossy list of features or a simplistic user's guide to Multi Finder. Instead, Apple's Phil Gold man-one of MultiFinder's creators provides a true insider's look at how the Mac's multitasker works.
Another Apple employee, Rick Daley, explains some of the design decisions un derlying A/UX, and he offers insights that can help make your use of or pro
gramming for A/UX more effective. A very meaty piece on networking the
Mac will fill you in on Mac-to-Mac, Mac-to-PC, Mac-to-VAX, and other connectivity options to allow the Mac to peacefully coexist with other hardware in almost any setting.
Two articles on HyperCard explain its strengths and weaknesses (as one author points out, there are times, after all, when a word is worth a thousand pic tures). They go on to show you how to build practical, workable stacks, and point to some of the best sources for ob taining user-written stackware.
Jerry Pournelle, Ezra Shapiro, and Bruce Webster all offer their own unique perspectives on how far the Mac has come, where it's going, and what it's like to make the switch from the DOS world to that of the Mac.
A hands-on article on Color Quick Draw shows you how to make use of the Mac II's color capabilities.
And (of course) lots more. We're pleased to bring you this high quality bonus reading, and we welcome your feedback by mail (Write to: Editor, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458), by BIX, by MCI Mail, or by telephone . Enjoy.
-FredLanga Editor in Chief (BIX name ''flanga")
4 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
NEW!
111rbo Pascal Numerical Methods 1bolbox'"
Borland's new Turbo Pascal Family makes programming fast and easy
Numerical analysis at your fingertips! This complete collection of state-of-the-art routines and programs solves all the most common prob lems in science and engineer ing. And you 're free to include the source code in your own programs. Includes:
o Solutions to equations
o Interpolations
o Matrix operations: inversions. determinants.and eigenvalues
o Differential equations
o Least squares approximations
o Fourier transforms
Only $99.95!
NEW!
Turbo Pascal Database 1bolbox®
Provides you with the search and sort routines you need for your Pascal data base applications.
o Turbo Access locates. inserts or deletes records using B+ trees. and does it fast.
Turbo Pascal®code com piles and runs at better than a sizzling 12,000 lines per minute. Its clear. logical design makes it easy to learn and use.
Turbo Pascal is truly compatible with Inside Macintosh . which means that you're on familiar ground-that's why so many Mac users have made it their standard . Best of all, it's only $99.95!
NEW!
The Turbo Pascal 111tor is just for you!
A companion to Turbo Pascal, 'l\Jrbo Pascal 'l\Jtor quickly teaches you how to program your Mac in Pas cal! This interactive tutorial on disk and 700-page man ual really show you how from the basics to advanced programming on the Mac in 'l\Jrbo Pascal, MPW Pas cal or any version of the lan guage you're using.
You get ...
o A concise history of Pascal and step-by-step concepts for the beginning programmer.
o A Programmer's Guide taking you through all the specifics you'll need from Pascal pro gram structure to data types. records and fi !es.
o An advanced programming section covering Ii nked Iists. stacks. sorting and searching algorithms and more.
o A full guide to using the power of the Macintosh in Pascal. from use of the visual interface to memory manage ment and debugging.
o Source code on disk you can use in your own programs without paying royalties .
Only $69.95!
o Turbo Sort uses the Quick sort method to sort data on single items or multiple keys .
o You get source code on disk and a free sample database using the Mac interface that you can tailor to your spe cific needs.
Only $99.95!
' ' Turbo Pascal is fast: 12.000 lines of good. compiled Pascal code in 60 seconds.
Howarfl Katz. MACUSER ' '
All products require a Macintosh with at least 512K.
All Bmlam:I producls a1e 11ademarks or ieQistered 11adma1ks 01 BOiiand
ln!ernalio11al, Inc.. CJ Boflanel/Analylica. Ille. Other b1andand p1oduc1
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holders. Copyriohl ~19 8 7 Borland lnlernalional
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For the dealer nearest you or to order by phone
INT E RNATIONAL
Call (800) 543-7543
Circle M9on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: MIO)
When The Price Counts
As MuchAs The Perfom1ance
A picture is worth a thousand words. But should it cost you thousands of dollars to scan one into your Macintosh'" generated documents? We think not! Announcing the new super hero of scanning technology - VisionScan'" .
DeskPaint is also compatible with other popular paint pro grams like Illustrator'" and Freehand'".
WE ALSO HAVE A WAY WITH WORDS
VISIONSCAN - A FULL FUNCTION OPTICAL SCANNER FOR $695.00
VisionScan is easy to use. Our unique flat bed design will allow you to quickly and quietly scan virtually anything. VisionScan does not require an additional investment in hardware, nor does it monopolize your lmageWriter'" like the other lower priced scanner. In fact, VisionScan software operates as a desk accessory and will allow you to continue using the computer while scanning. VisionScan is shipped complete with all of the hardware, software and connecting cables needed to allow your Macintosh to begin scanning immediately. And it works in the ambient light found in most office environments.
GREAT WITH GRAPHICS
VisionScan is the perfect companion to your desktop publishing program . Included with every VisionScan is DeskPaint'" . the graphics editor desk accessory. DeskPaint will allow you to edit the captured image by cropping, re sizing, redetailing, lightening, darkening or otherwise embellishing it to suit the design of the page. And all of this can be done without exiting from your desktop pub 1ishing programs like PageMakerTM, Quark XPress'" and Ready,Set,Go! TM, to name just a few. VisionScan with
For an additional $200.00 a specially developed version of Read-It!'" O.C.R. by Olduvai Corporation is also available. Read-It! is a trainable software program that will allow your Macintosh to read and store the printed word.
VISIONSCAN - TECHNOLOGY MADE AFFORDABLE
Call us! Mike and Lisa are ready to ship your VisionScan today.
30 DAYS TO WVE IT
We are so confident that you will love your VisionScan that we will give you 30 days to use it. If at the end of that time you don't think that VisionScan is a great buy, call us and send it back for a full refund.
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TOLL FREE 800-654-5294
IN MINNESOTA 612-633-3255
2644 Patton Road, Rose,·ille, MN 55113
© Copyright Warp Nine Engineering, Inc.
Circle MSJ on Reader Service Card
VisionScan is a trademark of W?lfl Nine Engineering. Inc. Macintosh and lmageWriter ae trademarks of Apple Computer Company.
DeskPaint is a trademark of Zedcor, Incorporated . Pagemaker and Freehand are trademarks of Aldus Corporation.
Quark XPress Is a trademark of Quark. Incorporated. Ready.Set.Go! is a trademark of Letraset USA.
Read-It' is a trademark of OLDUVAI Corporation. Illustrator is a trademark of Adobe.
SHORT TAKES
BYTE editors offer hands-on views ofnew products
Spectrum/24 MacRecorder PageMaker 3.0 scriptExpert Gofer for the Mac
The SuperMac Spectrum/24 Video Board
Ifyou try to use a Macintosh II with a standard video board to do image processing, you'll soon discover that hav ing only 256 colors available for a digitized picture is pretty limiting. No longer: Not only does SuperMac Technology's Spectrum/24 video board provide you with a 1024- by 768-pixel display on a 19-inch monitor, but each pixel can have 24 bits of color informa tion. Put another way, while standard video boards use 1 byte per pixel for color infor mation and give you a choice of only 256 colors out of a palette of 16,777 ,216 colors, the Spectrum/24 uses 3 bytes per pixel in a "chunky-planar" color format that lets you use the entire color palette. The Spectrum/24 also supports Apple's 13-inch AppleColor RGB monitor. Because Apple has recently announced 32-bit indexed and "chunky" direct
color formats that are incompat ible with the Spectrum/24's color format, it's sold only to developers. When Apple issues its system using the new color formats, SuperMac plans to re lease an !NIT that will patch QuickDraw to properly drive the Spectrum/24.
The Spectrum/24 comes with an adapter cable and a 3 ~-inch floppy disk . The adapter cable matches the video board's DB-25 connec
tor to the DB-15 connector of making sure to place Super
either a 19-inch SuperMac Mac's Monitors CDEV into
Color Trinitron monitor cable the System Folder to replace
or an AppleColor RGB moni Apple's Monitors file.
tor cable. On the disk, a Moni
In the 1-bit color (black
tors CDEV file lets you set and-white) mode, you can
the display's depth (1, 2, 4, 8, configure the Spectrum/24
or24 bits) and size (640by 480 for a 4096- by 15 36-pixel
pixels, 1024 by 768 pixels, or display, which comfortably
in the 1-bit mode [4096 by holds a MacDraw document
1536 pixels]) from the Control that's two pages tall and seven
Panel. The SMT-Images appli pages wide. Hardware pan
cation displays 24-bit color ning, where the image auto
images. Several digitized matically scrolls vertically or
images are on the disk for use horizontally when the mouse
with SMT- Images and show off pointer reaches the screen
the board's capabilities. The edge, is supported for this ex
source code for SMT is in tended display. This panning
cluded, so a developer can feature worked smoothly.
write applications to use the If you find 8-bit color
board's color capabilities.
images breathtaking, 24-bit
Board installation is quick color images will knock you
and easy: You simply turn off out. In this mode, digitized
the Mac II, pop the hood, and pictures retain their photo
plug the Spectrum/24 into a graphic quality. There is no
NuBus slot. Then close the . granularity to the image: You
hood, connect the cables, cannot see any fringing or
switch on the power, and drag "boundaries" in areas of
the software files from the subtle color changes at all. On
floppy disk to the hard disk, the down side, you'll need
THE FACTS
Spectrum/24 video board $2000
Requirements: Macintosh II with 2 megabytes of RAM and color monitor
.
SuperMac Technology 295 North Bernardo Ave. Mountain View, CA 94043 (415) 962-2900
Inquiry M141.
more memory: a minimum of 2 megabytes of RAM is re quired, and you'll do lots bet ter with 5 megabytes or more. Screen updates are noticeably slower, if not downright se date, but that's because there is 3 times as much color infor mation to manage. However, you can set the display to the usual 8-bit color mode and work as before and use the 24 bit color mode only when your work requires it. Finally, 24 bit color image files are a lot larger than their 8-bit color counterparts: A typical 24-bit color file often fills an entire 800K-byte floppy disk. Plan to budget for a large hard disk along with the extra memory .
Although the Spectrum/24 demands more memory and limits display performance, the results are well worth it. The ability to use a virtually unlimited choice of colors with this board makes the Mac II a serious image-processing engine.
-Tom Thompson
Digitize Sound, Put It in HyperCard
MacRecorder is one of those great products that lets you be constructive and also have some fun . It's a hardware/software combina tion for inputting sounds into a Macintosh and then manipu lating them with a sound-edit ing program. The package comes with a small recording device, the MacRecorder it self, and the editing/enhanc ing software, called Sound Edit. And if that's not enough to justify paying out $199, Farallon has tossed in the neatest HyperCard applica
conrinued
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 7
Circle M29 on Reader Service Card
SHORT TAKES
- MEMORY UPGRADES-uperMac
1 Megabyte CMOS SIMMs . Ca/I.I Dataframe Xl'30 (w/Cd>lcl .. S849 68020 Accelerator Boards Call! [)ataframe XP60 <wl c11>Jc1 ... I l 97
-HARD DRIVES Hardware House / 11/enwl 3 112" Driz·es fur SE/II:
Dataf'rame XPl 'iO Int e rnal. 2097
--·MONITORS Classic II
MAX 30 (31mb Seagate. .13ms) .. $477 13" Mac II Color Monitor .. S399
MAX 40 (liOmb Quantum . l 2ms) .. 647 Moniterm MAX 80 (SOmb Quantum. 12ms) .. 977 Viking 1 (!9"sE/lll .... ..... .. .. Sl'i49
CMS
Radius
30 Ml3 "MacStack"
. S589 Full Page Disp lay <~I:«·l' hos l SI449
60 MI3 "MacStack" ........... 777 Full Page Display lsE/11> ...... 1549
60 MB Tape Backup.. C"//for etlu!r CHS proz/11as: Prices toe /o11110 pri11t/
..697
Sony 13" Multiscan color .. .. ..
... S677
Microtech lnt'I (5-Year Warranty)
Sigma Designs
Nova 20 MB External .. ..... S597
Lase1view I9" <SE/ lll ...... .. .. $ I69'i
Nova 30 MB External ..... 697
Nova 50 MB External
.. 997
Nova 80 MB External ..... .. . 1397
PCPC MacBottom 21 MB SCSI .... S747
Mad3ottom 32 MB SCSI ...... 847
Ma c Bottom 45 MI3 SCSI ... 11 47
Internal 1200 ham/ modent8 tll'ftifa/Jle
- APPLE HARDWARE Mac SE 30mh System:
(2 800l~ F1uppies, 30wh !11ten1t1!
Seagote. Ke)'/}(utnl! .... .. ........ S269'i
/\·lac II w/Keyboard .......... . 3099
Laserwriter II SC . .. . .. 2249 Laserwriter 11 NT..... .. ..... 3699 Laserwriter II NTX . .. . 'i 199
CALL TOLL FREE: 800-356-2892
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,36:\7 Lon1~t St .. Phib.. PA 1910·1 lll!:i) .~H(l-l2UH MC/VISA . You will not ht: d1argcd lllllil s hippt'd. Pri<."6 :;uhjt't.:t to ch;mgl· wi1hou1 no1it.:c.
FORTRAN PROGRAMMERS
If you are serious about your FORTRAN on the Macintosh, you should be using DCM's MACTRAN PLUS.
MACTRAN PLUS is a fully integrated development system comprising of:
- an Editor with multiple files capability
'
- a native code optimising Compiler with the option
to generate in-line 68020/6888 1 code
- an on-line Symbolic, Source'Level Debugger
- a Linher with Library facilities
Featuring:
''' simplified interface and full access to Mac Toolbox
'' full ANSI 77 standard with extensions from VAX and
ANSI BX for easy porting of mini and mainfra me
applications: including Namelist, DOWHILE, IMPLICIT
NONE and long variable names (31 chars)
* generate clickable, stand alone applications
'' IEEE 754 floating point conventions including double
precision complex
'" execution time array bound, arithmetic overflow/
underflow checking option
* batch mode of operation, bit manipulation functions,
cross reference listings
'" library manager to organise relocatable modules into
libraries
Visit us at the Mac Expo
Booth #420 and avail special show discounts.
l':.J:I
1710TwoTandyCenter
= = L:.il~
Fort Worth, TX 76102
t'.~"i.l u~ '.T.l.'
(817) 870-2202 Tix 756916
Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer. Inc. MACT!l.Al\ PLUS is a trademark ofDCM Ltd. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their
respective holders.
THE FACTS
MacRecorder $199
Requirements: Any Mac with at least 512K bytes of memory; Farallon recommmends at least 1 megabyte and two 800K-byte floppy disk drives for working with SoundEdit; HyperSound requires at least 1 megabyte of memory, at
.
least 128K bytes of ROM, a hard disk drive, and HyperCard; users ofolder Macs will need a cable with male DB-9 and female DIN-8 connectors.
Farallon Computing 2150 Kittredge St. Berkeley, CA 94704 (415) 849-2331 · Inquiry Ml42.
tion yet-a program for put ting recorded sounds into HyperCard stacks.
The MacRecorder digi tizer, about the size of a big mouse, has a built-in micro phone, microphone-in and line-in jacks, and a volume knob. It plugs into either the modem or the printer port. If you've got an older Mac with DB-9ports, you'll firsthaveto find an adapter cable; the digi tizer connector has an 8-pin
male plug. You can record sound live or from an audio system. With two MacRe corders, you can record two channels simultaneously. The built-in microphone isn't bad; I recorded live sounds and taped music with it, and the re sults were free of distortion.
The device samples sound at 22 kHz, but if you want to save space, you can set it as low as 5 kHz (where you can store as much as 3 minutes in a megabyte of RAM or disk
space; at 22 kHz, the maxi mum is 45 seconds). When each second at 22 kHz takes up 22K bytes of memory, you have to decide between sound quality and storage. Farallon says MacRecorder will "accu rately" record frequencies of up to IO kHz.
After you've gotten the sounds into the Mac, you can work with them using Sound Edit. The program displays a window of waveforms; below it are the function icons (e.g., record, playback, and input level) and indicators (e.g., a box that shows the length of a waveform). You work with the waveform as you would a piece oftext: selecting, editing, cut ting and pasting, and changing characteristics. Sound strings can be stored in formats for other applications, such as Studio/Jam Session, Sound Cap, and VideoWorks.
The powerful editor has a
continued
8 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition Circle M20 on Reader Service Card
Affordable CADD. And it's only the beginning.
The CADD stands for Com puter Aided Design and Draft ing. With a suggested retai! price of just $99. 95, Generic
CADD level l makes the power
of real CADD affordable. And it's just part of a family of Generic CADD products that will make you more productive than ever before.
Standard Mac interface for ease of use.
Now you can produce accu rate drawings with real world scale on the Mac Plus, Mac SE, or Mac 11. You can edit multiple drawings in separate windows and cut and paste between
them. CADD level l is also
multifinder compatible.
Symbol Libraries boost productivity.
From office furniture to spe cialized electronics symbols, our Symbol Libraries save you the time of redrawing repeti tive elements every time you need them.
Add the power of real CADD to your Mac.
Move your Macintosh draw ings into the real world . Call us
at 1-800-228-3601 for your free
CADDalog or the name of your Generic dealer. And find out why we say the only thing generic about us is the price.
(CJ \988 Generic Sollware, Inc. Generic CADD Leve l I is no1 copy protec!ed and comes wilh a 60-doy _money bock guoronlee. Registered users gel free technical support lrom Generic level \,and Generic CADD a re trademarks of Generic Sohware, Inc. M ac intosh is a 1rademark of the Apple Computer Corp.
\ 19 11 No< th C<eek Pmkwoy Sooth, Bothell, W A 960 11
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"VAX-to-the-Macs"
SHORT TAKES
Specialists~ With A
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Maeno, VMacs, and Reggie are nademarks of Whi1e Pine Sofr ware, Inc., DEC, VT, VA X, are cradcmarks of Digital Equipmem Corpora!ion; MacDraw, MacPaim, an d Clipboard are trademarks of Apple Computt'r, Inc.; Macimosh ~ a n adema rk licensed ro Apple Compurer, Inc.
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good box of special effects that let you do all kinds of things to the sounds you've re corded, including adding re verb, changing pitch and vol ume, filtering, and flanging. The program can also gener ate frequency-modulated sig nals and tones.
One of my favorite effects turns recordings backward; we could have used something like this 20 years ago to run Beatles songs backward and find out if Paul was really dead, without ruining our record players.
SoundEdit also has a mixer that lets you work with input from four different channels. I don't know ifprofessional stu dio engineers would use this program (and I'm sure Faral lon doesn't expect them to), but you could use it at home to do some interesting things with music tracks.
HyperSound is where you can get really constructive with this package. It's an inno vative program for recording mono sounds and then pain1es sly copying them into HyperCard stacks, from which you can play them back. The possibilities for develop ers working on music instruc tion or history stacks, for just onesampleapplication, are in triguing . And it really works.
Getting graphics into Hyper-
Card is simple; Farallon has made getting sound into it just as easy . You just record the sound or music or voice using MacRecorder and then copy it to the stack that you want it in; you don't have to do any HyperTalking. Due to Hyper Card limitations, output has to be in mono.
HyperSound ' s interface looks like a cassette tape deck; you don't have to be a record ing engineer to figure this thing out. The accompanying manual has a good section on sound and recording , explain ing things like waveforms and frequencies , samples and cycles , and envelopes and mixers.
This is one ofthe best Mac packages out there because it ' s innovative and inexpen sive; it lets you work with sound and play with sound. For people developing stack ware, it's a low-cost way to add sounds to stacks, which is no little feat. My one com plaint is that I wish Farallon would sell a version that comes with the adapter (male DB-9 and female DIN-8 con nectors) needed to hook MacRecorder to older Macs. Finding such a cable is not easy in some parts of the world, like New Hampshire, for example.
-D.Barker
Mac: SE ............Call Mac:+ Roms .... l DD.
Mac: Plus .........Call Mac: 5 l 2e ........Call Mac: 5 l 2........ $75D.
Keyboards ..... Call MotherB"ds ....Call Power Sply... 225.
Aldus Makes a Fine Program Even Finer: PageMaker 3.0
H i~ ~< 11' illl@17!'1 1~
8DDk Urives.... Call
SE2D Internal to: Hard Urives... Call
aving done time in a newspaper production
45 meg. lnt .... 575. Carry Bag ........ 45. room, I'm partial to the paste
lDD Meg........ 1375. Mouse ............... 65. up approach to page makeup.
Mac: mouse to Kensington turbo (lJlJJ& Jfil.ililrJufilIID.@il [~
You know: Take the typeset galley, run it through the hot wax, slap it down on the
mouse ...............55.
rm rFJ @ rr[(~
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gridded layout sheet, and hack
4DDk External. 75 .. Shreve Systems
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at it with an X-acto knife until it fits the design (or at least seems to fit). I took an instant
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Image l........... 3DD. Fax 318-865-2DD6 because it uses the paste-up
metaphor, an intuitive ap
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proach that makes sense to me, and it means no more cranky typesetters, hot wax-
ers, and deadly knives. But I had enough problems
with the first version of the program to make me start shopping around for another desktop publishing package. The 1985 edition of Page Maker sometimes just did weird things. Text wouldn't flow properly into the col umns, chunks of type would disappear, and sometimes the program just wouldn't do what it was supposed to do . These inexplicable problems didn't occur consistently, which
continued
10 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition Circle M 45 on Reader Service Card
Mac II/PC Workstation
Recapture Valuable
Desk Space!
Everyone who needs the power of a Personal Computer or Mainframe also needs the space that the Monitor and Processor occupy. With no desk space to organize work and lay out projects, the computer's effectiveness is limited. The Mac II/PC Workstation by Ergotron takes a totally new approach to work station ergonomics. It provides a unique arm suspension system and shelf area giving the operator the ultimate in ad justability and space savings.
The Radial Arm raises the monitor off the desk and an adjustable Shelf takes the Processor out of the way, but still within reach of the operator.
The list of features includes:
· A sturdy tubular frame that is positioned on the side of or behind your desk or work area.
· 611 vertical Monitor adjustment with the simple touch of a hand.
· 20" horizontal Radial Arm adjustment - the monitor can be pushed into a "park" position.
· The Mechanism on the end of the Radial Arm provides unequalled 360° rotational and 20° tilt adjustment for the CRT.
· Adjustable Processor shelf.
· Compatible with Macintosh, PC's & compatibles, Mainframes, and other CRT's and graphics systems that have monitors weighing up to 65 lbs.
· Ideal for Businessmen, Engineers, Graphics Designers, & Desktop Publishers.
For more information, contact Ergotron or your local Computer Dealer.
E ~GO I I:::con®
3450 Yankee Drive, Suite 100 Eagan, MN 55121 612/452-8135 · 800/888-8458
Circle M25 on Reader Service Canl
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 11
Circle MSO on Reader Service Card
Make Your Mac Into a
Forecasting Wizard!
RATS Time Series/Econometrics
RATS is your key to an integrated environment for analy sis, forecasting and graphics with time series data. Gen erate forecasts using Box-Jenkins (ARIMA), exponential smoothing, large model simulations, and others. Use the wide variety of regression procedures to analyze your data. Almost unlimited power is yours for only $300!! Call or write for more information today!
EZ-X11 Seasonal Adjustment
With EZ-Xl 1 and your Mac, seasonal adjustment has never been easier. It handles both quarterly and monthly adjustments, and includes trading day and holiday op tions. You can adjust series singly or set up EZ-X 11 to adjust hundreds at a time. The full Mac interface makes Xl 1 comprehensible. Al $150.00, it's a program you must have. (Works with or without RATS).
VAR Econometrics P.O. Box 1818 Evanston, IL 60204- 1818
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SHORT TAKES
.-- . -.·.
-
THEFAC~:>
I
.
PageMaker 3.0 $595 ($75 upgrade for registered owners of2.0)
Requirements: Macintosh Plus, SE, or II with a hard disk drive; System 4.1 and Finder 5. 5 or higher
Aldus Corp. 411 First Ave. S Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 622-5500
Inquiry M143.
Pack your Mac in seconds
Padded Cordura case holds either Macintosh Plus or SE. Padded interior compartments protect and organize your Mac's keyboard, mouse and external drive. It's easy to carry with leather handle grip and adjustable non-slip shoulder strap. Six colors: Black, Burgundy, Charcoal, Navy,
Royal and Platinum New version also holds extended keyboard.
For a dealer near you call toll free
1-800-548-0053
West Ridge Designs
®
1236 N. W. Flanders · Po rtland, OR 97209
madethemevenmore frustrat ing. But the fact that they weren't consistent makes me wonder if some Mac weird ness was to blame. (I've seen Mac users with EE degrees shrugandsay, "Well, theMac just does screwy things some times.") I came close to being unemployed once when a long document was delayed be cause of my problems with PageMaker.
Aldus fixed all that with version 2.0. I've pushed that program hard and not run into any snags. With PageMaker
3.0 for the Mac, PageMaker got even better.
The biggest change to 3. 0 is a feature Aldus calls "auto flow." In the older editions, you have to place text on the page column by column. You click the mouse, and the text pours onto the page, stopping when it gets to the bottom of the first column. You then click on a little thing that looks like a window-shade handle to getthe rest ofthe text, move to the next column, and pour in some more text. You keep doing this clicking and load
ing/clicking and pouring, col umn after column, until the whole story is on the page.
Well , with autoflow, you have to click only to getthe text pouring out; the program will then snake it into subsequent columns and not stop until the whole threaded file is down on the page. This automatic flow ing of text doesn't work with complicated or fancy lay outs-for that, you have to use the old manual approach or the new semiautomatic ap proach-but it works swell with basic pages. This might not sound like a big deal, but if you're working on a long document that involves laying down lots of files on multi column pages, autoflow can save you hours.
If you need to wrap text around graphics, the semi automatic text-flow mode is adequately fast and easy to use . In general, PageMaker is now considerably better at placing text in unusual ways and gives a designer more flexibility in laying out a page.
Aldus has also added publi
continued
12 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition Circle M52 on Reader Service Card
....... Amplitude
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ORYOU CAN USE
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But no longer. Because we've just solved the scientific and engineering programming problem.
Picture the perfect programming language.
Imagine software where diagramsare reallyexecutable
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Imagine running experiments and simulations through
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Imagine a programming environment so powerful that
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The Macintosh made it possible. LabVIEW made it
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Circle M 38 on Reader Service Card
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1988 Mac Special Edition · B.Y TE 13
Computers For
The Blind
Tallcing computers give blind and visually impaired people access to electronic infor mation. The question is how and how muchl
The answers can be found in "The Second Beginner's Guide to Personal Computers for the Blind and Visually Impaired" published by the National Braille Press. This compre hensive book contains a Buyer's Guide to talking microcomputers and large print dis play processors. More importantly it in cludes reviews, written by blind users, of software that works with speech.
Send orders to:
National Braille Press Inc.,
88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115
(617) 266-6160
N BP is a nonprofit braille printing and publishing house.
SHORT TAKES
cation templates to Page Maker. These are predefined layouts for different kinds of documents , such as a newslet ter, a brochure, a business re port, or a product spec sheet. Chic designers wouldn't dare use such things, but if you're in a hurry to produce a docu ment that looks clean and readable, these templates are useful. You just delete the text that's on the prefashioned pages and dump in your own from your word-processing package. Minor adjustments depend on how fussy you are, and you can make major ad justments to these templates if you 're so inclined.
I can't do justice to Page Maker's capabilities and fea tures in this space. I've got enough room to say that 3. 0 is a
better package and is worth every penny of the $75 up grade from 2. 0. I've yetto find a bug. The manuals are some of the best I've read; Aldus does a fine job explaining how to use what could be a very complicated program. If you don ' t like reading manuals, you can work your way through this program just by jumping into it. But I wouldn't recommend that .
Although I've got a list of things I'd love to see incorpo rated in the next version, my only complaint with 3.0 is that it requires a hard disk drive, which means another expense for some users and (here comes the bottom line) means I can't run it on my Mac at home.
-D.Barker
Push-Button Pri >gramming
for HyperCard
Equations Made Easy
------- J"l~
1
Jl, !
=
(c27IlPl'
)
(12M
!!':
I
k
)·/;:'(.
o 11'
l''no t~ansm ission,!
1in limit k-IO;j I
-- r.''· (~t'1111(2Mi1)'' '
. ·--..
(322&!)
~
~
analysis f orweves that impinge on a
blackholefromoutside("lel'twud
·~I' f
O e
Paste Into any Word Processor or Page Layout document as PICT or text format.
All mathematical s ymb olo avallable from an editable palette .
E xpressionist 2. 0 is a powerful application a nd desk ac
cessory that ena bles mathematical equations to be quickly and easily placed into your word processor or page layout
documents. If you use equations. and you have a Macin tosh, you will find Expressionist very useful. All you do is
create. copy. paste. a nd get results like this:
sirf'(x) =Jfoo~ ~ dt
_!___ A Oa,...a,fJ, .../J,
p! ar··ap Yi'··~1Y,1 .. 1.. ·~11q
=
)T""
~
"a,..11 fJ, ...{J
A a, ...q,uy, .. ._..'.... y,,..'
U1-c= Ct1<..t: (l,.
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Send S129.95 to:
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a llan bonadio associates
8 14 Castro Street #54
"An excellent toolkit that all
Sa n Francisco. CA 94 114-2809
technical people should have... "
(41 5) 282-5864
· J ean Lo uis Gassee. Apple Computer Inc.
W hile you can use Hyper Card without doing any programming, the HyperTalk scripting language allows you to customize HyperCard but tons, cards, and fields. Unfor tunately, Apple's HyperCard user manual provides little in formation on how to use Hy perTalk. So, to learn it, you must turn to other sources. One is scriptExpert, written by Dan Shafer and distributed by Hyperpress Publishing. The scriptExpert program is a push-button code genera tor for HyperTalk. You can
THE FACTS
scriptExpert $79.95
Requirements: Macintosh Plus, SE, or II with I megabyte of memory and HyperCard
Hyperpress Publishing P.O. Box 8243
Foster City, CA 94404
(415) 345-4620
Inquiry M144.
write HyperTalk scripts by simply selecting commands and messages that are dis played on the screen in the form of buttons. As you select commands , scriptExpert prompts you for appropriate messages, arguments , and loop constructs. For example, say you want to add a button to a card that beeps and displays a message. From the script Expert command screen, you select the Beep command and enter the number of beeps you want. Then you select the Answer command and enter the message and user re sponses desired. As you enter correct HyperTalk com mands, the resulting script ap pears in a window in the right corner of the screen. An on line help library is included that provides help and exam ples for any HyperTalk com mand. You can also zoom into the script window for full screen editing of your script. After saving your script, you can return to the appropriate stack and paste the script into a button.
continued
14 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition Circle M 3 on Reader Service Card
TM
New
It's about time.
New features make Tempo II smarter, easier, faster!
Save time ...
"I couldn't use my Macintosh with out Tempo."
Smart controls. Menu, dialog box, check box and window actions re play as intended, even when conditions change.
Play macros by name. It's your choice-play a macro by its key code or by typing its name in a popup dialog box. And, specify how many times to repeat the macro when youplay it!
-V.P.. Food Processing Industry Commerce, Calilornia
Save effort...
"Has made my medical reports a joy to compile!"
-Consultant Obstetrician London
Autopaste.Tum any selected text or graphics into a macro, to insert para graphs, artwork, etc., with a keystroke.
Universal macros. Macros you record in one program can play in all programs.
Popup menu. The Tempo II menu is always available, even whenother menus cannot be selected.
Save money ...
"Tempo saves us
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-CPA San Francisco
The next step in Macintosh automation.
Plus features from Tempo 1.2...
Simply record your actions for instant replay
Pause for a given time, until a preset time, or for user entry. Include your own dialog box to guide a new user.
Link macros together, either directly or conditionally, based on any text that may be copied via the Clipboard. Nest macros, too, virtually without limits.
Tempo II watches and records while you work, then goes to work for you. In any program. Instantly.
From a repetitive font and size change, to a series of complex data
and files. Autopaste text or graphics. Perform hundreds of search and move operations. All with a keystroke.
See for yourself. Let Tempo II put all of your manual labors on automatic.
Repeat for any numberof times, or repeat if or unt il a condition is met.
Real Time-repl ay cursor move ments and delays exact!y as you record ed them.
base entries, record them once, replay with a single command. Tempo II saves you time, which makes your work faster, easier,fun even.
One click starts recording. Even mac
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For Macintosh Plus, SE and Mac II. Great with MultiFinder, works wonders with win dows on large or multiple screens, ideal for hard-driven Macs (and their masters).
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New features make your work easier. Transfer instantly between programs
Call 800-367-6771 today!
Affinity Microsystems, Ltd. 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 425 Boulder, CO 80302 303- 44 2-4 8 40
©1988 Afllni1y Microsystems. Ltd. All righl;o; reserved.
800-367-6771
Circle M2 on Reader Service Card
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 15
Circle M43 on Reader Service Card
EXPANSION CHASSIS for the Macintosh
Accelerators
ExpanSE, ExpanSE Plus, &
Large Screen Monitors Expanse I I, expansion
Communications chassis from Second Wave,
Data Acquisition Inc., enable your Macintosh
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IS-DOS
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Manufacturers: Use the chassis
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~ Second Wave expansion
chassis come complete with an interface card,
To order a chassis, contact:
Second Wave, Inc. 9430 Research Blvd.
cables, and the chassis with SE or NuBus slots, a power supply and fan.
S!;COh.JD Echelon II, Suite 260 Austin, TX 78759
WAV~ (512) 343-9661
SHORT TAKES
At first glance, scriptEx pert seems very inflexible. When you start a script, you have to either finish it or start over. The scriptExpert pro gram insists on correct syntax and won't let you add invalid commands to your script. You can't save partially completed scripts and then come back later and edit them. But the purpose of scriptExpert is to help you generate working scripts, and the inflexibility actually helps novice Hyper Ta lk programmers avoid bugs. Experienced program mers will find scriptExpert useful because it reduces the amount of typing you have to do. For example, say you want to create an IF ... THEN . . . ELSE loop. The scriptExpert program sets up the If loop, and you just fill in the condi tional statements and variable values. The program automat ically indents the appropriate code within the loop to make your script easy to follow.
Ifyour script does have logi cal bugs, you can edit the script using HyperCard 's built-in editor.
My only complaint is that scriptExpert does not recover well from user errors. I lost a couple of scripts by making mistakes when editing the script window on my own.
The 50-page scriptExpert user manual is primarily a tu torial that takes you step-by step through the process of de veloping a HyperCard stack application. Knowing virtu ally nothing about HyperTalk programming, I found the tu torial extremely helpful in un derstanding the basic concepts of developing a HyperCard application on my own. Al though experienced program mers may find scriptExpert useful, it is really aimed at be ginners learning HyperTalk. A good complement to the pro gram is Dan Shafer's book, HyperTalk Programming.
-Nick Baron
Protect Your Copies of BYTE
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16 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
Text Retriever Pops Up
on the Mac
Gofer, that handy little pop-up program for finding text buried in a file somewhere, has helped me out countless times on my MS
DOS machine. Because I also use a Macintosh, I was inter ested when Microlytics brought out a Mac version of the search-and-retrieve pro gram. We've got a densely populated 80-megabyte hard disk in the BYTE Lab Mac II; there are so many files and folders on it that it's tough to quickly find whatever it is you'relooking for.
The program works as a desk accessory. After you call it up, you tell Gofer what you want it (Microlytics insists on calling it "him") to find, where you want it to look, and how you want it to look. The program will search for any combination of characters or numbers, which you specify in a text-entry box. You then
tell Gofer where to go, and it will look in any or every file or folder on any floppy or hard disk. The program goes on its search and keeps you posted in a window, in which you can seewhereGoferislookingand how many finds it's hitting. The program will flash the
finds on the screen as it flies through files or will stop at each find, depending on how you've set up the search.
You can get very specific about what you send Gofer after; you can instruct it to find exact matches or "close" matches. Asking for close matches can be risky, though. On a search of document files for anything close to OS/2, for example, Gofer turned up hundreds of finds, including just about every word that be gan with 0. Microlytics says this approach will be fine tuned for the next version.
If you want to be really pre
SHORT TAKES
1ne same quam~ diskettes used by software publishers. 100% certified, Lifetime war ranty.
Order in 50's. Add $ 3 per u~uu 50 for UPS.
1-312-433-8796
MacOnly, Inc.
PO Box 256
Highland Park IL 60035
Requirements: Mac 5 l 2Ke with System 4.1/Finder 5.5 or higher
Microlytics, Inc. 300 Main St. East Rochester, NY 14445 (800) 828-6293 (716) 377-0130
Inquiry M145.
cise and thorough, you can set
up Boolean searches using the logical operators AND, OR, NOT,orNEARBY; for exam ple, you could tell Gofer to look for Shapiro NEARBY Pournelle, and it should find all the places where Shapiro and Pournelle are mentioned within a certain specified dis tance of each other.
Gofer will copy files to the Clipboard or write them to an application. Ifyou want a hard copy of what you find, you can send the retrieved text to a printer. This capability wasn't implemented in the beta ver sion I used, which was called l.Oa33, but Microlytics says it will be ready soon. The pro gram can also work as a file browser, letting you scan se lected files without having to set up a search.
I used Gofer to look through tons of Word and PageMaker documents, scattered across hard and floppy disks. In its simple search mode, it almost always found what I asked it to look for. When I polished up the search using the operators, it always found the text I asked it to look for. The only odd ness was the scrambling of
PageMaker files. In Gofer's display window, they were readable but filled with gib berish text and hieroglyphics. This should be corrected when Microlytics (or developer Mil lennium Computer Corp.) adds new "handlers" for dif ferent storage formats.
It's asking for trouble to compare the MS-DOS version ofa program with the Mac ver sion, but I' 11 do it anyway . While both programs are good, reliable, fast text re trievers, the Mac version is easier to use. The whole Mac approach-windows, menus, and dialog boxes-makes it easier to set up a search. On the other hand, it took me a while to get comfortable with the MS-DOS version .
After Microlytics imple ments the features mentioned in the prerelease documenta tion (such as letting you be more specific as to which files to look in) and makes the "close match" unit more dis criminating as to what it turns up, Gofer will be a fine desk accessory for anyone who has to go through lots of crowded places to find something.
-D.Barke1
Brand new . Not
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-LI·.I A complete encyclopedia of all typefaces and clip art currently availble for the Mac. See what they're offering before you buy. The enclyclopedia is FREE, but there is ~ $ 2 shipping charge.
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Circle M31 on Reader Service Card 1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 17
Peoplewho deal with"baud
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For MIS/EDP and communications professionals, Datapro's print and on-line directories and reports cover every aspect of computer hardware and softwarE from mainframes to micros, as well as communications and office automation.
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As the newest addition to the Douglas CAD/CAM line of printed circuit hoard design and manufacturing systems, the Profes sional System is a fully integrated engineering tool that will take you from the schematic drawing to the final routed hoard. The soft ware features full color, unlimited multi-
Circle M22 on Reader Service Card
©1988 Douglas Electronics Photography:© 1987 Ted Jew
layers and .001" control which makes surface mount technology (SMT) and other difficult tasks a snap. Professional Layout includes a parts placement facility. Schematic includes fully interactive digital simulation and net list generation. Aflexible, multi-pass router
completes the design cycle with a 16 layer
routing capability. TI1e new age of electronic CAD has come
with the high resolution and speed of a Macintosh engineering workstation. You'll he designing your first circuit hoard just minutes after the Professional System software has been loaded into your computer. In addition, the Macintosh's graphics capa-
Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
hilities allow for powerful features such as the ahil ity to transfer Professional System drawings into final engineering documentation.
Computer-aided design wasn't meant to he time consuming and complicated. If your present CAD system has got the best of you, it may he time you enter the new age of electronic CAD with the powerful, easy to use Douglas CAD/CAM Professional System.
Take your first step by ordering a full feature Demo. All three programs are included for just $25.
Call or write for more information and to place your order.
Douglas Electronics
718 Marina Blvd. San Leandro, CA 94577 (415) 483-8770
BYTE MACINTOSH SPECIAL EDITION
Twelve
All-Time Favorites
Ezra Shapiro
Let's say you were going to be ship wrecked on a desert island for the rest of your life, and someone offered you a twist on the classic question. Instead of the traditional 10 favorite books or records, you would be allowed to bring your 10 most prized software packages for your Macintosh (yes, it's a very re fined desert island, with three-pronged electrical outlets all over the place). What would you choose, and why?
The above is a therapeutic exercise that was suggested to me by Bruce Webster as a way to help me narrow my focus when I was beginning to work on this article. I dutifully sweated over my list, cheated a little ("Does it have to be 10? How about 14?"), and came up with my own per sonal Mac favorites. Some of the choices were predictable-and some were a little weird-but I had concocted my list.
I proceeded to put it away and ignore it for a week; when I returned to it, I no ticed that it made a pretty good assess ment of the state of refinement, or lack thereof, in the Macintosh universe. It also recapitulated my history with the Mac, a long story of alternately falling in and out of love with the machine.
In the Beginning These days, it's not very fashionable to advocate a computing environment based on a closed system architecture. In many ways, however, today's open Macintosh owes its rich universe of software-if not its very existence-to the authoritarian nature of its initial design. Ask any mem ber of the original Macintosh design team, from Jef Raskin on down, and you 'II get the same answer: The Mac se duced developers into using a standard ized interface.
The difficulty of writing meaningful code in the limited memory space of the first 128K-byte Mac made the interface routines provided in the machine's ROM so attractive to programmers that they adopted the standard Macintosh "look" without too much grumbling. The Tool-
Ezra recounts the
Mac's history
and names his dozen
top programs
box ROM turned out to be far more than a collection of shortcuts for programmers; it became the guiding force in all Mac software. The combination of the Tool box, a modular program structure, and extensive use of bit-mapped graphics proved to be a fertile ground indeed for the development of new software.
And it was new software, too, built around graphics rather than text. The Mac was the first successful personal computer that pumped out pixels rather than characters (though characters could be made from pixels easily enough). Looking back, it's not surprising that MacPaint was the program that propelled the Mac into consumers' hearts, while MacWrite evoked little enthusiasm, par ticularly from business buyers. But as the Mac slowly matured, the software base grew with it. The gaps began to be filled with spreadsheets, database managers, and other prosaic applications. It took a few years, but the Mac became a "real" computer at last.
But in the beginning, the Mac was something of a dog. Intriguing, yes. Easy to use, yes. But boy, was it frustrat ing to do any serious computing on the machine.
When I first joined the staff of BYTE in 1983, I found a Lisa on my desk. After playing with it for a few days, noting its slowness and inflexibility, I embarked on a serious project to unload the ma chine on anyone in the office who would
take it off my hands. I worked out a trade and was relieved to replace the Lisa with a stock IBM PC. Nothing fancy, but soft ware availability alone made the ex change worthwhile.
The Lisa spawned the Macintosh, and in 1984 a few Macs began filtering into the office. What caught my fancy-and indeed made everyone take notice of this new machine-was MacPaint. On a character-oriented machine like the IBM PC, I pushed words and numbers. On the Mac, I could doodle or even produce le gitimate artwork. I was enchanted. So here we have the first program category for one of my Mac favorites-design.
Today, I vote for SuperPaint from Sili con Beach Software. It's a direct descen dant of MacPaint, but it allows for much greater refinement. You can create with all the MacPaint tools, perform distor tions, swap graphics with a wide range of other programs, edit at laser-printer res olution, magnify and shrink your work area with pinpoint control, and, in gen eral, have a real good time. SuperPaint also lets you work on a second plane of draw-type artwork, so you also get much of the functionality of MacDraw.
I have to give a nod of appreciation to GraphicWorks, which is equal in many respects to SuperPaint, though more con fusing and tougher to learn. Graphic Works was originally named Comic Works, and it's designed to integrate text and graphics into the sort of panels you'd have in a comic strip. The airbrush tool is more adjustable than SuperPaint's, and you can work on multiple layers. Another nod goes to Adobe Illustrator, Aldus FreeHand, and Cricket Draw, all excel lent programs at the higher end of profes sionalism for the serious artist. But the all-around winner is SuperPaint.
One aside: I have to promote one other art program to my list, Fontographer from Altsys. With it, you can create your own laser fonts. It predates any other program that manipulates the Bezier
continued
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 21
TWELVE ALL-TIME FAVORITES
curves that make up Postscript outlines, and it contains the germ of the technol ogy on which they're all based. If you're patient, you can do wonderful things with this product.
Back to the Story Even though I fell in love with MacPaint, I did not fall in love with MacWrite, Apple's companion word-processing program. The typefaces were nice, but I could run rings around it with grubby old WordStar on the IBM PC. So I held back; I was not yet ready to become a Mac convert.
The program that started to convince me that the Macintosh might be a tool for more than creative doodling was Think Tank 128 from Living Videotext. This gem of an outliner ran perfectly well on those early memory-poor Macs. Writing an outline, then moving branches of it from place to place, made perfect sense as a mouse operation. It was exciting to realize that text manipulation could, in fact, be a very visual process.
ThinkTank 128 was rudimentary compared to the version for MS-DOS machines; many of the spiffier editing features were nixed due to memory con straints. But as soon as the Macintosh was fattened to 512K bytes, there was ThinkTank 512, which was more than enough to fulfill the promise of its prede cessor. ThinkTank 512 had a host of new features, including a convenient text edi tor that let you create long text sections as part of an outline, and the ability to im port graphics. ThinkTank 512 was sud denly far more than an outliner; it was a word processor, a database for artwork, and a spectacular tool for constructing tightly organized reports.
The reigning heir is called More (though Living Videotext has become part of Symantec), and it defines the state of the art in outline processing. More remains true to the visual outliner from which it grew, but it's almost an op erating system in and of itself-an oper ating system within the context of in dented outlines. You can use the program to sketch ideas, flesh them out with the word-processing functions in the editor, create databases with installable outline templates, dial phone numbers, convert your outlines to tree diagrams or bullet charts, and on and on and on.
More was one of the first programs to launch the discipline of desktop presenta tion, and it is so good a program that I almost forgot to include it in my list. It's such a natural, I assume everyone has it; I have to remind myself that it isn't sold as a part of the Mac package.
The Next Phase Shortly after the arrival of the 512K-byte machine, dubbed the Fat Mac, my head was turned even farther by PageMaker from Aldus and Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet. PageMaker was responsible for that all-consuming concept of desk top publishing. It lets you gather text and artwork created with other programs and pull them into finished layouts. It's based on the metaphor of the paste-up artist's drawing board, and you cut and paste on the screen as you would in a graphics studio, only you can dispense with the scissors and the rubber cement.
PageMaker began as a sophisticated piece of program design, and Aldus has continued to improve it. We 're now up to version 3.0, which finally lets you create humongously long publications without having to perform every little design op eration one at a time. It fully supports style sheets (in fact, it can exchange named styles with Microsoft Word 3 .01), and it is a pleasure to use.
I have to nod at Quark XPress and Ready-Set-Go! 4.0, PageMaker's worthy competitors, but PageMaker was my first love in this category. Also, PageMaker was the program that con vinced me that the Mac was a real ma chine, one that I could both use and love.
Excel proved that the Macintosh inter face was ideal for spreadsheets. Though I wouldn't have thought so before, it turned out that zooming around on a grid of numbers was made easier with a mouse. And Excel allowed linked work sheets to avoid the bloat of large work sheets fenced into smaller regions for printing. The program also has an excep tionally powerful macro language. Excel was the spreadsheet that finally began to get the Mac into business workplaces.
However, I haven't included Excel as one of my top choices, but only due to my personal habits. Though I like spread sheets, I'm not a number cruncher by trade. I vote for Microsoft Works, a nice integrated package with spreadsheet, word processor, database, and telecom munications modules. Nothing spectacu lar, but solid and reliable. With the addi tion of two add-in programs from Tim Lundeen, WorksPlus Spell (one of the slickest spelling correctors I've ever used) and WorksPlus Command (an awe inspiring macro package that completes the job of integration), Works handles just about everything I need to do. Need less to say, it's also my winner in the word-processing category.
If you need super power in any of Works' areas, I'd recommend going with a stand-alone program (Works is a mite
slow), but for overall flexibility, Works with the Lundeen additions is my pick.
This Year's Craze "Hypertext," the current buzzword in Macintosh application design, has come to be a term that's at least as ill-defined as desktop publishing, the former title holder in the ambiguity department. As near as I can figure, hypertext means "interrelated text and graphics organized by the creator into a structure not neces sarily bound by the limits of hard-copy output." In other words, hypertext is an attempt to exploit the abilities of the com puter itself as a presentation device. Typically, hypertext programs let you link screen areas (called buttons) that can be clicked with a mouse to reveal new regions of data.
Rather than nominating HyperCard, Apple's hypertext Erector-Set-in-a-box, or Guide, a solid implementation of the concept, I find myself leaning toward TeleRobotics' Course Builder, a pro gram that lets instructors manufacture self-contained teaching programs that implement many of the core ideas of hypertext. Written by the prolific Bill Appleton, Course Builder lets you link artwork, sound, text, and animation into the framework of a teaching system. A student can move from item to item at his or her own pace, answer multiple-choice or specific-answer quizzes, and refer to related materials in a neatly structured environment.
What's so beautiful about Course Builder is that you don't have any need to program; you define the course using a straightforward "logic editor" (that's my phrase, not Appleton's). You simply link blocks representing elements of your course in a kind of flowchart, and then Course Builder does the rest for you.
The other prong in my mild attack on HyperCard is provided by 4th Dimen sion, the database development system from Acius. If you're going to have to program, you might as well go for top power. This is a full-featured relational database that gives the developer abso lute control of the interface. You want your own menus, click boxes, entry forms, whatever? Fine, you got 'em. You can program and debug in a program merish way, or you can build a flowchart (much like Course Builder), and away you go. This is my choice for databases.
My third hypertext-like favorite is a game, Chris Crawford's Balance of Power. Working with maps, menus, graphs, and descriptions, Balance of Power lets you play out a global political
continued
22 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
Circle Ml3 on Reader Service Card
TWELVE ALL-TIME FAVORITES
confrontation between the U.S. and the USSR. Click your mouse on Mexico on the map, and you get a display of the sta tus of your relations with that country . Select menu items to adjust your policies, read newspaper reports, or dig for his torical or quantitative analysis. Very hyper, and one hell of a game.
Finally, Some Fun
YideoWorks II from MacroMind is an other impressive example of pushing the Mac interface to its limits. It's an anima tion package that lets you mix sound and graphics into your own Macintosh movies . You have to write a script (called a "score"), which takes some time to learn, but once you get the hang of it, you 're in the motion picture business. VideoWorks II even provides a nice shortcut if you're pressed: You can place an object on the screen in one position, place it again in a second spot, and VideoWorks II animates the transition .
It could very well be next year's hyper text; if not, it still represents a great area for creative exploitation. Even if you don't want to make your own cartoons, you can use it to animate your bar-graph or pie-chart presentations. Imagine an exploded diagram that actually explodes!
Here's why. Want to draw a picture without ever leaving the program? Easy Want to wrap text all the way around it or let the text flow right through? Easy Want to see it all in glorious color?
Easy
Need a particular word or phrase by searching through all files, open or not? Easy Need to use our superior diction ary , thesaurus, hyphenation or outlining?
Ea~y
Want to undo what you just did,
or any number of things you did before? Easy. Want to use the fastest word processor on the market? Ea!1y Line numbers? Envelopes?
Auto-save? Col umn selection? Adjustable page preview? Ten clip boards that can be edited and printed? Your favorite page lay out ready when you open a new file? Easy It's all easy when you have Nisus.
:1lilll,ac~~~~~
~isus is a trademark of l'aragon Cont:epts. lnr.
(6 19) -+H l -1477 Out side CA (H OO) 922- 299:\ -195 -i Sun \'all e\· Rd ., Del 'Jar , C:\ 9201-i
24 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
Circle M40on Reader Service Card
Not All Roses
Of course, depending on whom you talk to, the Macintosh interface is far from perfect. It lacks a number of the ameni ties we've come to associate with more traditional computer systems. The icon based environment is certainly easy to learn, but some users eventually resent the way the Mac's simplicity gets in the way of real operating speed. I have rounded out my set of favorite programs with three utilities that extend the power of the Macintosh ' s operating system to cover some of the gaps .
One of the Mac's most lamented defi ciencies is the absence of a good key board macro facility . Fast touch-typists find the constant interruption of mouse movements to be both distracting and time-consuming, particularly during text entry. Though most menu functions can be abbreviated to a combination of shortcut keystrokes, mouse actions (e .g. , scrolling and selecting) are not usually automated from the keyboard. Enter QuicKeys from CE Software, a keyboard enhancing utility that lets you attach any single Mac operation to a one-keystroke combination command. You can still mouse along if you want to, but judicious assignment of functions to keystrokes will keep your fingers on the keyboard
continued
V.I.P.
The First Family of Macintosh Programming
Getting the most from your Macintosh means taking control --- programming! Creating full-featured Mac programs used to be difficult. Not any more! Programming a Mac is as easy as using one.
Visual Programming
The idea is to use the visual power and intelligence of the Mac to make it easy to program. You program visually and the Mac interacts with you, preventing mistakes. Thus the name Visual Interac tive ProgrammingTM or V.l.P. for short.
V.I.P. is a new type of language where a graphic interface replaces a text editor. Traditionally, programming is done by typing program statements into an editor following the rigid rules of a language's arcane syntax.
Visual programming, on the other hand, is done by pointing, clicking icons and entering expressions and arguments into an on-screen diagram.
A V.I.P . program is composed of graphic elements which can be cut, copied and pasted. The program is auto matica ll y structured with classical logic forms such as 1f . .then ...else or loops such as while...do and for .. .next. These are presented graphically. The program becomes visual!
V.J.P. provides more than 220 pre compiled procedures, greatly simplifying programming. On-line help is always there, keeping you on track.
m·ln
V.l. P. 's Graphic Editor
Beginners Love It
V.l.P. , an interpreter, provides quick feedback. It's ideal for learning. Create programs with full Mac features thirty minutes after opening the package. A separate tutorial, Macintosh Introductory Programming, explains the basics.
V.l.P. is also great for experienced programmers who are seeking a painless introduction to the Mac.
Experts Are Amazed
V.l.P. forms the nucleus of a powerful development system. A family of products offers amazing versatility.
Managers, sold separately, add new procedures facilitating spreadsheets, databases and vertical applications.
Translators, also sold separately, tum a V.I.P. program into "C" or "Pascal" source code, ready for compilation.
Imagine the benefits of developing in a friendly, interactive environment and with a few mouse clicks, having a stand alone application.
Extend HyperCard & 4D
V.l.P. programs, translated to "C", can be automatically compiled to HyperCard XCMDs or XFCNs or Fourth Dimension external procedures. These can offer added features such as multiple windows or full color on a Macintosh II .
Write Programs Faster
V.1.P . improves productivity. In tests at Fortune 500 corporations, programs were finished ten times faster. V.l.P . also means linear progress; the last IO% of a project won't take 50% of the time. Other benefits are structured programs and automatically documented modules.
The Press Agrees
V.I.P. received overwhelmingly positive reviews. MacUser called it "the wave of the future", while MacWorld described it as a "Very Important Program".
MacTutor characterized V.l.P. as 'The Next Generation".
Features
Icon-based programming. Simplified interface to Mac toolbox. Visual, source level debugger. Fast, interpreted with many pre-compiled routines. 200 page tutorial/reference manual. 20 example programs (2 disks). Run-time package. No license fees. Not copy-protected.
V.I.P. only $149.95
Managers: Speech $49.95, Grid $59.95, Matrix $95. Advanced I $95, Advanced II $125, Communications $125, Data base/Forni $295. Translators: to Light speed C or Pascal, MPW C or Pascal, or to Turbo Pascal $89.95 each. Tutorial: Macintosh Introductory Programming Book (2 disks/275 pages) $49.95
Order V.I.P. Today
To order, see your dealer or call Mainstay at (818) 991-6540. Master card, VISA, AMEX and COD are OK. Add $5 for shipping/handling. CA residents add 6.5% sales tax.
For more information, write or call Mainstay, 5311-B Derry Ave. Agoura Hills, CA 9130 I (818) 991-6540.
In Europe, contact Mainstay at 71 rue des Atrebates, Brussels, Belgium (02) 733 97 91, Telex 62239.
Mainstay
Vi sual Interactive Programming is u lradcmark of Mains tay. Ligh1spccd is u trademark of Symantec. MPW and tlypcrCmd arc lradcmarks of Apple cnmputc r. Fourth Dimension is a 1rudcmark of ACIU S.
Circle M 33 on Reader Service Card
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 25
TWELVE ALL-TIME FAVORITES
Items Discussed
Balance of Power ............ .... $49.95 Mindscape 3444 Dundee Rd. Northbrook, IL 60062 (312) 480-7667 Inquiry M241.
Suitcase ..... ............. ... .... ... $59.95 Software Supply 599 North Mathilda Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94086 (408) 749-9311 Inquiry M248.
Course Builder ............. .... ..... $395 TeleRobotics International 8410 Oak Ridge Hwy. Knoxville, TN 37931 (615) 690-5600 Inquiry M242.
Fontographer ..... ....... ... ... ......$395 Altsys Corp. 720 Avenue F, Suite 108 Plano, TX 75074 (214) 424-4888 Inquiry M243.
4th Dimension ........ ....... ........$695 Acius 20300 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 495 Cupertino, CA 95014 (408) 252-4444 Inquiry M244.
More ... ..... .. ...... .... .... ..... .. .... $295 Living Videotext 117 Easy St. Mountain View, CA 94043 (800) 441-7234 (800) 626-8847 in California Inquiry M245.
PageMaker .. ... ..... .... .... .... ..... $595 Aldus 411 First Ave. S Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 622-5500 Inquiry M246.
QuicKeys ... .................... ... $99.95 CE Software 801 73rd St. Des Moines, IA 50312 (515) 224-1995 Inquiry M247.
SuperGlue ............. ... .. ....... $89.95 Solutions International 29 Main St. P.O. Box989 Montpelier, VT 05602 (802) 229-9146 Inquiry M249.
SuperPaint ......... ... .... ... .. ..$149.95 Silicon Beach Software 9770 Carroll Canyon Center, Suite J San Diego, CA 92126 (619) 695-6956 Inquiry M250.
VideoWorks II ....... ............... $195 Macro Mind 1028 West Wolfram St. Chicago, IL 60657 (3 12) 871-0987 Inquiry M251.
Works 1.1 .. ....... .. .. .. ... ... .. .....$295 Excel.... .... ........ ..... ...... ... ... .. $395 Microsoft 16011 Northeast 36th W!ff P.O. Box 97017 Redmond, WA 98073 (206) 882-8080 Inquiry M252.
WorksPlus Command ... ....... $99.95 WorksPlus Spell ............. .... $79.95 Lundeen & Associates P.O. Box 30038 Oakland, CA 94604 (800) 233-6851 (800) 922-7587 in California Inquiry M253.
and your train of thought intact. You can even chain keyboard macros into long se quences, thus automating a whole string of commands.
My second utility, one that is fast be coming everyone's favorite, is a little program from Steve Brecher of Software Supply called Suitcase. The original Mac design allows for only 16 desk ac cessories and a limited number of fonts
(the maximum varies from program to program). If you like to have a large col lection of memory-resident desk accesso ries, or if you want wider access to the growing panoply of Mac typefaces, you need Suitcase. Though there are theoreti cal limits, installing Suitcase gives you as many accessories and typefaces as any mortal normally needs. You're more likely to run out of RAM and/or disk
space before you make Suitcase choke. The third utility, Solutions' Super
Glue, is a print-to-disk driver that lets you look at formatted output on the screen without requiring the originating program. If you send a file to disk using SuperGlue, the saved image can then be manipulated by any other program as if it were a graphic. Thus, you can capture a page of a spreadsheet, drop the image into a layout program, shrink it, and make marginal notes before printing it out. You can build a report with a word processor that uses the output of any so phisticated analytical tool you have.
In many cases, the SuperGlue image is smaller than the original file, which is handy for data transfer and true elec tronic publishing. The program lets you crop, resize, reposition, and extract text from images to your heart's content. Why Apple didn't see a need for such a utility built into the operating system is beyond me, but this little gem is an essen tial addition to the Mac arsenal.
I wish I could add one more capability to this list of remedial utilities-batch files, some sort of concise language to pipeline a series of operations that in volves a number of programs and a num ber of files. I'd settle for the ability to add a shell to the Mac interface that could give me (dare I say it) a command line with batch handling that is not based on icons. I realize that this flies in the face of the icon-and-mouse dogma, but the more you work with computers, the more you appreciate ways to slice off a few sec onds, even if it involves procedures that are not quite so easy to learn.
The Wrap-Up
There you have it, an even dozen recom
mendations spanning the range of Mac
intosh applications: SuperPaint, Fontog
rapher, ·More, Works (with WorksPlus
Spell and WorksPlus Command), Page
Maker, Course Builder, 4th Dimension,
Balance of Power, VideoWorks II,
QuicKeys, Suitcase, and SuperGlue. If
you ask another Mac aficionado for his or
her top dozen selections, you probably
won't get the same list, but I guarantee
you'll get several duplicates. The Mac is
getting its share of excellent software. ·
Ezra Shapiro is a consulting editor for BYTE. You can contact him on BIX as "ezra. "Because ofthe volume ofmail he receives, Ezra, regretfully, cannot re spond to each inquiry.
Your questions and comments are wel come. Write to: Editor, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458.
26 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
IBJJ
111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
. . Macintesh 11
It was getting pretty crowded. As more and more Macintoshes started showing up at work, the duplication of computers, monitors, printers and keyboards was simply getting out of hand.
And while there was still a need to use vital programs like Lotus® 1-2-3® and dBASE~ there was also an ever increasing demand for the Macintosh. Would the two computer environ ments be able to work together?
Times have changed. Now Macintosh'" Ils can run MS-DOS® software just as easily as Macintosh applications. With AST's Mac286;· the AT-compatible, 80286 computer-on-a board that runs inside the Macintosh II. Its advanced hardware design actually runs faster than an IBM® PC AT.
With Mac286, familiar MS-DOS programs take advantage of many of the elements of the Macintosh environment. Copy and paste text, print on an Apple®LaserWriter,'1 store your files on the Mac hard disk and share DOS files with other users. It's that easy.
Of course, the future is built in, too. By installing an advanced hardware solution for MS-DOS compatibility, you're insuring a home for the best of today's, and tomorrow's, soft ware programs.
Because there's one thing you can always count on in the world of personal computers. Times will change.
If you're interested in putting an AT-com patible computer inside your Mac II, call AST at (714) 863-0181 or fill out the coupon, and we'll tell you how you can have the best of both worlds.
1
DYe~
!;I
send
m--;information
on
the
Mac286~
DYes, have an AST representative call me.
I
I
Name
I
Title - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1
Company ____________ I
Address
:
City _ _ _ _ _ State __ Zip _ _ _ _ [
Phone - - - - - - - - - - - - - :
I Se1:d to: AST Research, Inc. 2121 Alton Ave. I
Lrvme, CA~2~ 4-499~ Att~M.C~ BYT~l~I
AS[
RESEARCH INC.
Titnes Have Changed.
AST marke ts produ cts worldwide-In Europe and the Middle
East can, 44 I 568 4350; in the Far East can, 852 5 717223.
AST and AST logo registered and Mac2M trademark of AST
Research, Inc. IBM and AT registered trademarks Internationa l Business Machines Corp. Apple and LaserWriter registered and
M<1cintosh trildem<1rk of Apple Computer. Inc. MS-DOS registered trademark MJCrosoft Corp. Lotus and 1-2-3 registered trademarks of Lotus Development Corp. dBASE registered trademark Ashton -Tate.
Copyright © J988 AST Research. Inc All rights reserved.
B Y TE
MACINTOSH SPECIAL EDITION
Macintosh Redux
Bruce F. Webster
It's mid-April as I write this, and a lot of water has gone under the bridge since last I wrote for BYTE. I've moved back to California, penned a number of articles for other publications, written some manuals for a certain unnamed software firm, and have even started work on my first honest-to-goodness book. So, why am I here? Because, in light of my exten sive and consistent coverage of the Mac intosh from 19S4 to 19S7, BYTE has gra ciously invited me back for the first-ever BYTE Macintosh supplement. They fig ured I might have a few things to say , and, true to form, I am not at a loss for words.
The still-warm (but cooling) news is, of course, the lawsuit by Apple against Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard for "vio lation of audiovisual display copyright, " because Apple thought that the New Wave user interface from HP looked too much like the Mac Finder. And, of course, Microsoft has filed a countersuit. The merits and issues of this case are best dis cussed elsewhere (and, in fact, I think I will), but it indicates the direction Apple's attitude has taken since the Mac burst upon a skeptical world 41h years ago.
Evolution in Action I first saw the Macintosh in Guy Kawasa ki's office at Apple, in December of 19S3, a month or so before its announce ment. Wayne Holder and I were there, representing Oasis Systems/FTL Games as president and vice president, respec tively . Our ostensible purpose was to consider porting our word-processing utilities (spelling, punctuation, and style checkers) to the Mac. Our real purpose was to see the Mac ahead of time. I was initially disappointed at the lack of slots, but Guy assured me that schemes were underway to use the high-speed RS-422 ports as "virtual slots."
Three weeks after the Mac was an nounced (February, 19S4), I bought one, offthe shelf, with money out of my own pocket. It had 12SK bytes of RAM, 64K bytes of ROM, a 512- by 342-pixel mono
The path from
then to now
was anything but
easy for the Mac
chrome display, a single 400K-byte flop py disk drive, no slots (virtual or other wise), and an S-MHz 6SOOO processor. It was slow, crashed a lot, required multi ple disk swaps to copy a file, and had lit tle software available. But it was mine, and I was thrilled to have it.
The Macintosh I use today is a Mac II, with 5 megabytes ofRAM, 256K bytes of ROM, two displays (AppleColor high resolution RGB monitor with a fully ex panded Mac II video card, and a Sony GDM-1952 19-inch Trinitron RGB monitor with the SuperMac Spectrum video card), a 40-megabyte hard disk drive, an SOOK-byte floppy disk drive, six NuBus slots, a 16-MHz 6S020 pro cessor, and a 16-MHz 6SSS1 math co processor. It's fast, seldom crashes, has thousands of software titles available, and copies files with no extra disk swap ping. Unfortunately, it's not mine, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to come up with the money to buy such a system.
Apple has come a long, long way in the past 4 years, as has the Macintosh. The Mac was initially derided as a toy or dis missed as a curiosity. And through the last 4 years, it's always been a major source of controversy and contention. The Mac versus IBM debates have been hot and heavy, reaching a level of inten sity reserved for such classic issues as calculators (RPN vs. algebraic notation), languages (Pascal vs. C, BASIC vs. Pas cal, and assembly vs. high-level), and
operating systems (Unix vs . anything else).
Now, the Macintosh is the system that everyone either wants or wants to imi tate, IBM included. That's something of an amazing feat.
How Apple Got There The path from then to now was anything but easy for the Mac. It's hard to remem ber now, and seems incredible in retro spect, but it was several months after the Mac's introduction before external disk drives (much less hard disk drives) were generally available. After an initial spurt of sales, fueled by technophiles like me, the Mac went into a slump for almost a year, a slump that many believed was not only the end of the Mac but the end of Apple as well. Some of Apple's decisions along the way (anyone remember the $1000 RAM upgrade from 12SK to512K bytes?) did little to help things. Even the emergence of the "Fat" Mac with 512K bytes didn't help that much; software and operating system alike were space hogs, and the memory and disk configurations of the Macintosh just weren't sufficient to handle their demands.
The real breakthrough, in retrospect, was the Mac Plus. With 1 megabyte of RAM and an SOOK-byte floppy disk drive as standard, plus a small-com puter-system-interface port for hard disk drives and significant speed improve ments in the operating system and ROM, it was the first Mac system that had the resources and horsepower to do serious work. Sales took off, surprising every one (including, I suspect, Apple); for a while there, the Mac Plus was the single best-selling model of computer in the U.S. The enlarged basic configuration and improved sales drew in a lot of soft ware development firms that had been watching from the sidelines.
The final steps toward success were the introductions of the Mac SE and the Mac II. Like a lot of other folks, I fo
continued
- Circle M7 on R£ader Service Card
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 29
MACINTOSH REDUX
cused mostly on the Mac II (an open Macintosh, at last!) and dismissed the Mac SE as just another "toaster," in a platinum case instead of beige. However, it was the SE that shot off in sales this time, displacing the Mac Plus. The key was the capacity for an internal hard disk drive. Sales reports I've seen indicate that about 80 percent of all Mac SEs are sold with a hard disk drive.
Meanwhile, the Mac II established an open architecture for the Mac family. Hardware developers now had a standard upon which to base their efforts, and owners had a machine that could be ex panded with special tools and bizarre cables. And, despite the hefty price tag, Mac II sales have been strong.
What Apple Does Right Given its strong financial condition and growth of market share, Apple has done many things right. But what the company does best isn't something that shows up directly on the balance sheets, though ul timately it's reflected there. Its greatest strength is that Apple operates from a
place ofvision. Before I get accused of succumbing to
Apple evangelism, let me explain. I've visited a lot of computer firms, talked with their leaders and employees, read their press releases, and used their prod ucts. It's obvious that a lot of them have an attitude of "sell the iron and move on." Most of those companies just get by, despite (in some cases) having signifi cant or innovative products. The ones that succeed the most are the ones with a vision, whatever it may be.
Apple, from what I can see, has a very well defined vision of the future and its role in that future. Its vision is reflected in its internal documents, in the talks given by its people, and by its communi cations with developers. The company is planning now for products that will be re leased in 5 years, based on how it thinks things will (and should) be then. Apple sees its products as a force for social change-hence the almost religious fer vor at times. But this imbues the com pany with a desire for innovation not often found at firms concerned only with the bottom line.
That innovation gives Apple an impor tant place in the market; it is the leader and everyone else is following, even IBM and Microsoft. What else can you say after an IBM spokesman, at a press con ference about the forthcoming Presenta tion Manager, explains the product's need by pointing to the relatively brief time required for learning how to use the Macintosh? Would products like Presen
tation Manager, GEM Desktop, and Amiga's Workbench really exist if it weren't for the Macintosh? The fact is, Apple has some hot ideas and technol ogy, and others want it for their systems.
In the ancient Chinese game of Go, there is a term, sente, which refers to one player having control of how the game is being played. I have sente if every move I make forces you to respond. I may have a
pple has
a very well defined
vision ofthe
future and its role
in that future.
weaker position overall, but for now, I get to control how the game goes, be cause you perceive each of my moves as being too threatening to ignore.
Apple right now has sente in the com puter market. Apple plays the user-inter face move; pretty soon, everyone is try ing to come up with a Mac-like user interface (while, of course, avoiding a lawsuit). Apple plays the desktop pub lishing move; pretty soon, everyone says they're into desktop publishing. As other moves come into play, the rest of the players must react. That may be overstat ing the situation, but not by much. Just look at all the nifty "new" concepts in hardware and software on MS-DOS sys tems and ask yourself: How many of these showed up on the Mac first? Apple leads instead of following.
This is not to say that Apple doesn't derive ideas and concepts from else where; its heritage from the Xerox PARC and other such places is well known. But the Xerox PARC stuff was around for years; why didn't anyone else use it be fore Apple? As it was, IBM (and Micro soft) waited until the Mac user interface was well established (and well proven) before tentatively following suit. No pun intended. It's easy to see how many con cepts pioneered or developed on the Mac have migrated to other systems; there is little evidence of concepts flowing the other way.
One more thing that Apple does right, at least from the viewpoint of its employ ees and stockholders: It makes money.
Lots of it. True, that's not always popu lar with consumers. I' ve groused for years about Apple's standard product pricing policy: Start it out high, let it drift down as needed to keep supply and demand matched, make one last official price cut to make room for its replace ment product, then (at some point) halt production and let the remaining inven tory sell off. And it works, especially with good products. The result is that Apple had $1 billion in sales during the last quarter of 1987, with net profits dou ble those of a year earlier. On top of that, Apple has no real debts. Adjusting forthe 2-to-l stock split that took place last year, Apple stock currently sells for about $82 a share, whereas 3 years ago it hit bottom at around $13 a share. And that cash allows Apple to continue its innovation.
What Apple Does Wrong I was tempted to make this section "What Apple Did Wrong," but it's too easy to pick over Apple's past mistakes, and, besides, it's been hashed over too many times already . What's more, Apple has fixed many of those problems. The real question is, what is Apple doing wrong now?
First, Apple is squandering its advan tage. Sente works only as long as you are willing to avoid responding directly to your opponent's moves. Once you decide to turn and fight, there's a good chance of sente shifting to your opponent. And I think that's what may very well happen with the Apple lawsuit against HP and Microsoft.
Let me stop here to say that I am not as unsympathetic to Apple's suit as others are. Apple has a copyright on the Mac user interface; to fail to defend that copy right could mean losing it. And, as I've pointed out, it is Apple who spent the money and took the risk, and the com pany is less than thrilled about other folks jumping on the bandwagon after the fact, especially when some of those folks have the initials IBM. Apple has fought long and hard to get into corporate offices; its penetration is based largely on the strength of its user interface and its desk top publishing abilities. The IBM/MS-DOS domination is based on a substantially inferior user interface; how much of Apple's gains will disappear if the Other Side comes up with something even half as good as the Mac?
Having made Apple's case, I must now assert my feelings that the lawsuit will ultimately costthe company more than it saves. Reaction among industry, press, and users (including a lot of Mac users)
30 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
MACINTOSH REDUX
has been overwhelmingly negative. Some have even pointed out how good IBM looks by comparison. This, of course, ignores IBM's litigious history, as well as its subtle hints about landing with both feet on anyone cloning PS/2s without a license; I'm not sure the com parison is valid.
I don't think the lawsuit is unfounded, but I do think that it won't slow up the competition as much as Apple hopes, and it will cost the company more in goodwill than it's worth. Ultimately, the only way for Apple to continue to succeed is to continue to innovate. Rightly or wrong ly, many interpret the lawsuit as a tacit admission by Apple that it doesn't have much else going for it.
The second thing that Apple is doing wrong is ignoring the home market. MS DOS clones have gotten so inexpensive that they are making a substantial pene tration into households, hurting sales of Apple Ils (especially the overpriced IIGS), Amigas, and Atari STs. Apple has taken a step in that direction by dropping the price of the Mac Plus some, but the drop isn't enough; you won't see signifi cant home market penetration of the Mac until it hits the critical $999 price point. Given how little it costs to make a Mac Plus at this point (even with the rise in RAM prices), Apple could afford to sell the Mac Plus that cheap. True, margins on the Mac Plus itself might be a bit thin, but anyone who buys a Mac is going to buy an Imagewriter and probably an ex ternal floppy or hard disk drive.
Besides, Apple is ignoring the influ ence that the home market can have on business purchases. If I buy a cheap MS DOS clone for home, I have a strong in centive to have an MS-DOS system at work as well. If I have a Macintosh at home, chances are I'm going to want one at work, too, both because I can bring work home and because it's a heck of a lot easier to use all the way around. Folks have a way of getting hooked on the Mac; having an inexpensive home system could well be another foot in the office door.
Third, Apple is getting a bit too com placent, smug, and fat. Complacent, in that it is slow to correct design flaws and bugs in its products and has sometimes been unwilling to even acknowledge their existence. Smug, in that the com pany goes around telling everyone its vi sion and seems terribly sure that no one else has an equal (much less superior) vi sion; that no one else might pass it up in the race for leadership. Apple might be in for a surprise. Fat, in that its current growth is explosive and appears to bog
down operations somewhat. I've had friends interview at Apple recently who have commented on how nobody seems to know fully what's going on, that they aren't willing to take action or make a decision. A recent article in the San Jose Mercury News (Business Section, March 17, 1988, by Alex Barnum) stated that the group within Apple that is responsi ble just for finding and buying real estate consisted of over 100 people. The symp toms of corporate obesity are starting to appear.
Apple's Current Problems On top of what I think are its current mis takes, Apple also has a number of prob lems to face. The biggest problem is the aging of its system software. John Scul ley has publicly stated that Apple is doing a slow rewrite of the entire operating sys tem. Good. MultiFinder is, from a user's viewpoint, nicer than the original Find er, but it's still not a true multitasking system. Ultimately, it's going to require a from-the-ground-up rewrite of the Mac operating system to transform it from what was developed for that original, crippled 128K Mac to something capable of truly supporting a multimegabyte, multitasking system with large mass storage devices. The question is, can Apple do that without making all the cur rent software obsolete? The answer is, possibly, but it ain't gonna be easy.
Another problem is the challenge of developing applications for the Macin tosh. Apple has done little (if anything) to make the Macintosh easier to pro gram. In fact, with the introduction of color, sound, and MultiFinder, program ming the Mac has become even more dif ficult. Look at all the major companies that have had delay after delay in release dates for Macintosh software, in some cases over a year. A fair amount of criti cism has been leveled at those firms (and sometimes justly so), but the trend has gotten too broad for it to be strictly a problem of the firms themselves.
A case in point: the WordPerfect Cor poration. I happen to be good friends with one of the lead programmers on the team that developed the Macintosh ver sion of WordPerfect. Back when I was living near the company in Orem, Utah, I used to ask him regularly how things were going. The response I usually got was a rueful grin, a shake of the head, and a brief discussion on the newest ob stacles presented by the Mac operating system and ROMs. These were bright, talented, knowledgeable programmers; they were just frustrated by a system that was difficult to code for. The common
wisdom about programming the Mac is that there is a steep learning curve at first, then it tapers off. In truth, there are two steep curves, the second showing up as you try to get an application ready for market. In other words, once you get the knack of it, it's very easy to produce Mac software that's 75 percent reliable . It's that last 25 percent (especially the last 10 percent) that's a killer.
Finally, lawsuit or no lawsuit, Apple can't keep its competitors from being in novative . Even IBM appears to have learned some things from Apple and seems to be taking steps to foster creativ ity in PC development and to market its products more aggressively. The prob lem with being the leader is that everyone has a clear shot at your back. If Apple can't respond quickly and effectively, it may find itself falling behind.
Future Directions Ezra Shapiro made a cogent observation about predicting the Macintosh's future: Those who know what's really being de veloped won't talk, and those who are free to speak don't really know what's going on. I'm in that latter group, but, heck, I've never let a lack of hard infor mation stop me before.
In the MS-DOS world, you have an al most continuous spectrum of systems from under $1000 to over $7000; in many cases, you can use the same expan sion cards (and certainly the same soft ware) on both extremes of that range. In fact, it's easy to start out with a system in the sub-$2000 range and upgrade it, piece by piece, to the over-$6000 range, with commensurate improvement in power, speed, and flexibility .
By contrast, you've got four basic Macintosh systems: Mac Plus; Mac SE with floppy disk drives; Mac SE with a hard disk drive; and Mac II with a hard disk drive. (Yeah, you could buy a Mac II with just floppies, but that's like buying a Ferrari with a two-gallon gas tank.) The Plus, SE, and II have three different standards for hardware expansion; the Plus has different ROMs than the SE and the II; and only the II supports color (of ficially). In other words, you basically have three subfamilies within the Macin tosh line, with little ability to recycle hardware as you upgrade.
Apple needs something to bridge the gap (in money, size, compatibility, and performance) between the Mac SE and the Mac II. Two possibilities come to mind. One is an "SE-in-a-box" : a system that looks somewhat like a Mac II, though possibly smaller, with just a 16
continued
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 31
1
Exxon
2
General Motors
3
Mobil
4
Ford Motor
5
IBM
6
Texaco
7
E.I. du Pon t
8
Standard Oil (Ind .)
9 Standa rd Oil of Cal.
10
General Electric
11
Gulf Oil
12
Atlantic Richfield
13
Shell Oil
14 Occidental Petroleum
15
U.S. Steel
16
Phillips Petroleum
17
Sun
18 United Technologies
19
Tenneco
20
ITI
21
Chrysler
22
Procter & Gamble
23
R.J. Reynolds Ind .
24
Getty Oil
25 Standard Oil (Ohio)
26 AT&T Technologies
27
Boeing
28
Dow Chemical
29
Allied
30
Eastman Kodak
31
Unocal
32
Goodyear
33
Dart & Kraft
34 Westinghouse Elec.
35
Philip Moms
36
Beatrice Foods
37
Union Carbide .
38
. Xerox
39
Amerada Hess
40
Union Pacific
41
General Foods
42 McDonnell Douglas
43
Rockwell Int.
44
PepsiCo
45
Ashland Oil
46 General Dynamics
47
3M
48
Coca -Co la
49 Consolidated Foods
50
Lockheed
51
Georgia-Pacific
52
Monsanto
53
WR . Grace
54
Signal Companies
55
Anheuser-Busch
56
Nabisco Br ands
57 Johnson & Johnson
58
Coastal
59
Raytheon
60
Honeywell
61
Charter
62
General Mills
63
TRW
64
Caterpillar Tractor
65 Aluminum Co. of Amer.
66
Sperry
67 Gulf & Western Ind.
68
Continental Group
69
Bethlehem Steel
70
Weye rhaeuser
71
Ralston Purina
72
Colgate-Pa lmolive
27million
Americans can't read.
And guess who pays the price.
While American business is trying to stay competitive with foreign companies, it's paying an
added penalty. The penalty of double-digit illiteracy.
Believe it or not, Zl million American adults can't read and write. Another 47 million are literate
on only the most minimal level. That adds up to almost one third of our entire population ... and
probably a disturbing number of your employees.
What does illiteracy cost you? Get out your calculator. Illiterate adults make up 50°ro-75% of
our unemployed. Every year they cost us an estimated $237 billion in lost earnings. They swell
our welfare costs by $6 billion annually and diminish our tax revenues by $8 billion.
Illiteracy costs you through your community, too. It robs the place where you work and live of
its resources. It undermines the potential of the people who make your products and the people
who buy them. No dollar figure can be assigned to this. But over the years, this may be the
costliest loss of aII.
What can your company do about this? It can join in local efforts to fight illiteracy. It can
volunteer company dollars and facilities for better school and tutorial programs. It can invest in a
more literate community.
The first step is to call the Coalition for Literacy at 1-800-228-8813 or fill out the coupon be
low. Do it today. You may find it's the greatest cost-saving measure your company has ever taken.
,---------------,
Aliterate America is a good
I C I want my company to 101n the fight against il literacy I Please send brochure with add1t1onal information
II
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32 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
MACINTOSH REDUX
MHz 68000 on-board and a socket for a 68881. It would have room for two flop py disk drives, or a floppy and a 3 1h-inch hard disk drive. It would also have, say, four slots. Such a box could sell for around $2000, the current street price for an SE with two floppies. Yet it would allow users to make use of multiple video cards, color displays, and other Mac II expansion cards. And it would be a great add-in box, encouraging owners to ex pand in a way the Mac SE doesn't.
The second possibility is a mini-Mac II, essentially a Mac II in the box de scribed for the Mac SE above . It would create a Mac II that didn't take up quite so much space or cost quite so much. It would have fewer slots, but the smaller box would be more popular in corporate desktop settings. A motherboard up grade from the SE-in-a-box to the mini Mac II would be yet another source of revenues for dealers and Apple alike. It would be priced to sell for about $1000 less than a equivalent Mac II system.
Finally, there's probably a Mac III in the future-essentially a Mac II with a 68030 processor, an 80-megabyte inter nal hard disk drive, and lots of memory. It might even have some direct memory access support and a graphics copro cessor, though Apple has shown a sad re 1uctance to unburden the CPU from doing just about everything. The Mac III will be a good $1500 to $2000 more than an equivalent Mac II system and will be aimed at the workstation market.
From Scorn to Success Apple has done a great job of taking a system that so many scorned and making it a rousing success. However, success can lead to complacency, complacency to caution, and caution to stagnation. The Macintosh has replaced the Apple II as Apple's breadwinner. Is Apple working on the Macintosh's replacement?
As for me, the ride's been fun. The Macintosh has long been my system of choice, and the shots I've taken at Apple over the years have been out of a desire to see things improve, not out of any intent to harm or tear down. I hope that things do continue to improve at Apple; I'll be interested to see what steps the company takes over the next year or so. In the meantime, I've got work to do, so I'll get off my soapbox and get to it. ·
Bruce F. Webster is a freelance writer liv ing in Soquel, California. You can reach him on B/X as "bwebster. "
Your comments are welcome. Write to: Editor, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458.
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34 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
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Circle M 49 on Reader Service Card
BYTE MACINTOSH SPECIAL EDITION
Take a Walk
on the Mac Side
Jerry Pournelle
I'd worked until quite late and was trying to sleep in, when I was awakened by hys terical laughter. Roberta was standing at the foot of the bed whooping, "Now they've done it!"
"Uh? What?" I demanded. "Now they've done it!" No matter what I said, she cackled in sanely and repeated her line. I got up and padded to the front door, where I found they'd indeed done it: I was greeted by a pile of boxes higher than my head. In fact, several piles of boxes, all wedged together. Enough boxes that it was im possible to get past them . We were barri caded by boxes of computers. "Now they've done it," Roberta gig gled. I had to admit things had gone a bit far. Just then the UPS truck drove up with more boxes, only there wasn't any way for him to get past the ones Federal Express had delivered-and the mailman was coming. Eventually, we got the stuff sorted out and brought inside. It wasn't all com puters. Some was stuff we had ordered from Sears. Some was software-it's amazing what all Microsoft sends in their OS/2 package. Most, though, was from Apple: a Mac intosh II, a color monitor and monitor stand, two enormous boxes of software, a LaserWriter, and another box of accesso ries for the LaserWriter, including cables for AppleTalk. There was also Priam's new 330-megabyte MacDisk and some other stuff I've forgotten. All told, it nearly filled the front room. Each box from Apple was topped off with a paper threatening dire conse quences if! lost anything: machine, soft ware, boxes, packing material (including plastic worms); Apple wants everything back. The letter is stiff enough that I con templated packing everything back up and getting it out of here the same day, but of course I didn't. Eventually, we had everything upstairs and unpacked, and I sent the boxes out to our public stor age locker.
Jerry unleashes
a Macintosh II on
his treasure trove
o f software
Setting Up Everyone has the problem of computer furniture, but with me it's worse than most because we have so many systems here: not just computers, but also printers and monitors. Although there are always one or two main machines I'm using constantly, most systems are here just for testing. There's not enough space for everything, so some machines have to be brought out, used awhile, then put away until new software or boards arrive and they're needed again.
I looked at commercial computer en closures, and I even bought one from Yield House, but it was too expensive and too large.
Then I bought several heavy-duty, two-shelf, lab-equipment rolling carts and fastened keyboard drawers under their top shelves. These were large enough for big machines like CompuPro S-100 "boat-anchor" systems with 8 inch disk drives. The only problem was that the carts were too big; it wouldn' t take many to fill the storeroom.
Then the local Builder's Hardware had a sale on microwave carts. These come with casters and three shelves. There' s even an enclosed bottom compartment, where I can store system documents and software. The tops of these carts were too high for comfortable typing, but I solved that by making a plywood shelf that I attached at the proper height and putting a keyboard drawer under that.
These carts worked so well that Roberta is using one as the permanent place for her AT&T computer.
Those were fine at first. The carts were nearly perfect for early IBM com puters. Alas, they're no good at all for Macintoshes. There's no room in those keyboard drawers for a mouse to operate. You can put the mouse on the shelf above the keyboard , but reaching across the keyboard for the mouse gets tiresome in a big hurry.
After many experiments, I set up my Mac Plus on an oversize typing table . The Plus sits on the AST-2000 hard disk drive, the DataDesk 101-key keyboard sits in front of that, and the mouse rests next to the keyboard on a genuine Apple mouse pad thoughtfully provided by Apple's Bruce Chamberlain. All in all, it works quite well .
I've also seen a computer desk called a Mac Station from Hubbard Furniture. This comes on casters and has a drop down keyboard shelf that's wide enough for keyboard and mouse. Alas, neither the Mac Station nor a simple typing table will work with a Mac II. The machine is too large, and you don't want to sit as close to the Mac II monitor as to that of the Mac Plus.
Hubbard also has a two-shelf system on casters. This isn't bad, and it would be more than good enough for most offices; but due to severe space limits, I need the area under the table for manuals, and the Hubbard system wasn ' t designed for that. I could see that the Mac II was going to need a lot of space for manuals-at least at first-and I'd also need a place to put the MacDisk.
I temporarily solved the problem by putting the Mac II on one of the rolling lab carts and setting the keyboard and mouse on a typing table in front of it. This works pretty well, but it makes for an awfully big station.
The furniture problem isn't made any easier by the Mac II's basic design. The
continued
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 35
THE MAC SIDE
keyboard port is on the back, on the right side as you face the Mac II. The cable has to be plugged into the left side of the Mac II keyboard, because, although there's a cable socket on the keyboard's right side, you have to plug the mouse into that.
I suppose if you're left-handed every thing would be fine. Well, maybe not. Even if you plug the mouse into the left side of the keyboard, you won't want to route the keyboard cable along the right side of the Mac II because that's where
the hardware reset button is. Sometimes you just can't win.
Once you decide where to put the Mac II, setting it up is a snap. The monitor is clean and crisp. Its stand is worth com menting on, too. Most monitor stands are clearly afterthoughts, but the Mac !I's tilt/swivel stand was clearly designed for the system and is about the best-working one I've ever seen.
After you get everything installed, you won't have to reach behind the ma
chine very often, either. A Ithough there's an on/off switch back there, the Mac II has a shutdown command in soft ware . When you use it, both the Mac II and the monitor are completely powered down. There's a switch right on the key board that turns them back on. This is an idea whose time has come.
Incidentally, it's just as well that the shutdown procedure turns off the Mac !I's monitor; it gives off more heat than my 19-inch Electrohome monitor.
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Getting Started When the Mac II came, I was in the mid dle of doing my taxes. Tax time at Chaos Manor used to be pretty grim, but lately it's been much better. First, over the years I've refined my accounting pro gram-written in compiled CBASIC for CP/M and later transferred to an IBM PC-to the point where it does most of the work.
There's still a flurry of year-end entries into the journal, but that's more tedious than difficult; and once all the entries are made, the accounting soft ware posts them to over a hundred ledger pages, keeping track of what was family expense and what was business expense, then posts the proper percentages of fam ily items like electricity and house insur ance into the appropriate ledger pages. I did have to go in and manually correct entertainment to match the new tax law ' s 80 percent requirement, but that was no problem.
The second reason I don't go mad try ing to do my taxes is SoftView's Macln Tax. I've said before that MaclnTax is worth buying a Mac for-and I haven't changed my view. Taxes are traumatic enough, though, that I didn't want to be learning to use the Mac II while I was doing them, so I set MaclnTax up on the Mac Plus.
Everything worked fine until I wanted to print my tax forms. Then I discovered that the Mac Plus had forgotten how to use the Imagewriter.
I don't normally have a printer at tached to the Mac Plus. The Image writer, a very early one bought (along with the 128K-byte Mac that eventually was upgraded into a Mac Plus) about a month after Apple brought out the Mac intosh, normally resides in my youngest son's room. Richard Stefan is on the Notre Dame debate team-they're going to both the state and national competi tions this year-and has his own Mac that he uses to support the debate team activi ties. Every year, though, I borrow the Imagewriter to print my taxes, and it has always worked until now; thus, it was
36 BYTE · 1988 Ma c Special Edition
Circle M 19 on Reader Service Canl
THE MAC SIDE
quite a shock when it wouldn't print. Since it was after 6 p.m. on April
15th, I was more than a bit concerned. Then I remembered the Mac II. Surely it would know how to print. In something of a panic, I unpacked the Mac II and set it on one of my test stands. I didn't read any papers. I just plugged the cables into the obvious places and turned it on.
It came up just fine. I used the Mac Plus to download MaclnTax and all my tax forms onto a 3 1h-inch floppy disk and brought that over to the Mac II; made a new folder on the Mac II 's hard disk drive and labeled it "Taxes 1987" ; and copied everything into it. MaclnTax came up fine when I double-clicked it. For about a minute I contemplated setting up the LaserWriter, but I thought that might be pushing my luck. I connected up the Imagewriter and tried to print.
I forget the error message, but it was considerably more informative than the one I got with the Mac Plus; it said some thing about driver not installed, I think. Whatever it said drove me to open the Mac II manual for the first time. That told me that on disk I I of the System Tools I would find the Imagewriter
driver, and I should copy that into the System Folder on the Mac II's start-up disk. Then I should use the Chooser, which I'd find by pulling down the Apple Logo, to install the Imagewriter, after which everything ought to work fine.
It did. In a couple of minutes I had the satisfactory sound of the printer going wheep! wheep!, and I could go to dinner. It took about an hour to print out the forms, but so what?
I figured out the next day that if I'd followed the same procedure-copying the driver into the System Folder and using the Chooser to select it-on the Mac Plus, that would have worked, too. I think what happened is that sometime in the past year, one of the boys updated the system software on the Plus and didn't bring over the printer driver.
Anyway, once the taxes were done, it was time to set up the Mac II properly. As I said earlier, the modified micro wave carts were totally inadequate, so I found a new and better workstation; the Mac II is now right next to my desk.
The Mac II is shipped with a booklet that says "DON 'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL YOU'VE READ THIS ." Natu
rally, I didn't see it until long after I had the Mac II up and running; if I had, I wouldn't have had to go to the thick Mac II manual to get my taxes printed. The booklet is pretty complete on how to set it up and get going. A pity I didn't see it earlier, but there was no harm done.
On the other hand, I did learn that you really can get these things going with a minimum of fuss and bother. Most of the setup is intuitive, and where it's not, the manuals are very clear and well indexed. Usually . There are exceptions, as we' ll see; but my pleasant introduction to the Mac II certainly prejudiced me in its favor.
Priam MacDisk I have a Priam 330-megabyte hard disk drive on my big Cheetah 386, and I love it. While I was on the phone to Priam's Pat Kline, I mentioned that I was getting a Mac II.
"We make the same disk for the Mac that you have on your PC." She laughed. "Want to try one?"
That decision didn't take long. As it happens, the MacDisk came in the same
continued
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Circle M23 on Reader Ser~ice Card (DEALERS: M24)
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38 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
shipment as the Mac II. I didn't install it on Panic Night-at the time I wasn't in terested in anything but getting my taxes out the door-but when it came time to set up the Mac II, I had the MacDisk ready.
The first problem was that the docu mentation, while quite complete, never mentioned the Mac II at all. It told how it could be connected to a Mac Plus or an SE, but that's all. But it was clearly a small-computer-system-interface (SCSI) device. I called Priam just to be sure; but if I hadn't managed to get anyone, I was prepared to go ahead and connect it to the Mac II anyway. As it happens, I got a technician who told me I'd guessed right-installation is the same for the Plus, SE, and II.
The MacDisk is a self-contained box about the size of a ladies' shoe box. It has two lights on the front and a little window on the back. The lights are the usual power-on and disk being accessed. There are buttons above and below the little window. By pushing these buttons, you can make any number between 0 and 7 appear. If you intend to boot your ma chine from the MacDisk (as you might if you have a Plus or an SE with no other hard disk drive), the number must be set to 1; otherwise, it can be anything but 1 or 7 (7 is reserved by Apple for internal use).
The little buttons are close to the power switch on the back, so it's easy to hit one by accident. If you do, there's no permanent harm done, but your Mac may not be able to findthe MacDisk until you put the setting back the way it was.
Installing the MacDisk is the simplest thing in the world. Set the priority num ber in the little window; connect the SCSI cable to the Mac II and the Mac Disk; plug the SCSI terminator (supplied in the box with the MacDisk) into the other slot on the back of the MacDisk; and turn on the power switch. Now turn on the Mac, insert the disk that comes with the MacDisk, and transfer the Priam file into your start-up System Folder. Resetthe Mac.
Once that's done, you're in business. The MacDisk is already formatted, and it has 330 megabytes available. It's blaz ingly fast: an 11-millisecond average seek time, meaning it's about as fast as RAM disks were in the old CP/M days. Like all Priam disk drives, it's rugged. I've had one in my old CompuPro 8/16 Dual Processor since 1982. It's in use just about every day, and while I always tell people to back up their data, the fact is that I have never lost a byte from any Priam disk drive.
When you turn off the power to the MacDisk, it automatically parks the heads in a safe landing zone. You can then carry it to another machine, like a Mac Plus or an SE, plug it in, and-pro vided that you've installed the disk-ac cess driver-the new machine will be able to get at all the files on the MacDisk. I've been using the MacDisk for painless data transfer from the Plus to the Mac II.
Also, since the MacDisk has two SCSI ports on the back, you can daisy chain it with any other SCSI device, including another MacDisk. In my case, I chained it with the AST-2000 that resides under my Mac Plus. The AST-2000 does not have two SCSI ports, but it doesn't mind being downstream of the MacDisk.
I have two minor complaints about the MacDisk. First, it has a more high pitched noise than I prefer. It happens that though I am nearly deaf in the lower frequencies, I hear high frequencies bet ter than most people, so I may be ultra sensitive; no one else seems even to have noticed the sound. Also, I don't want to make too much of this. The MacDisk is certainly no noisier than the fan in the Mac II, and after a few minutes, I don't notice either one of them.
The second complaint is the cable's length. The cable Priam supplies is just long enough to let you put the MacDisk next to your Mac II. If you put it on the right-hand side, it will block access to the hardware reset switch. It would go nicely on the left side, but as it happens, I have the Mac II all the way over to the left side of its lab cart.
A better place for the MacDisk is on a shelf underneath the Mac II, and that's where mine is, but it has to sit on a box because the blooming cable isn't long enough to let it rest on the lab cart's lower shelf.
The odd part, incidentally, is that the AST-2000, which sits underneath the Mac Plus a mere 3 inches away from the Pius's SCSI port, comes with a cable about 3 feet long. One day I'll swap those cables.
Anyway, those are minor irritations, easily worth putting up with for what I get: blinding speed, utter reliability, and enough disk space that even I won't fill it up soon. Highly recommended.
Keyboards
I've been using DataDesk 101-key key boards on all my PCompatible computers for some time. I was never much im pressed with the original Macintosh key board, and the one they installed when they upgraded the machine to a Plus wasn't a lot better; so when DataDesk of
THE MAC SIDE
Circle M44 on Reader Service Card
fered me a Mac Plus keyboard, I jumped at it.
I've been using it for months now, and I'm very fond of it. True, after I spilled Grand Marnier in it the keys began to stick, but I cured that by washing it in the kitchen sink; about 100 dead ants floated out. I dried it with a hair dryer, and it has worked fine ever since. DataDesk key boards are rugged, and I like their feel.
Naturally, I supposed that the Mac II keyboard would be the usual Apple clunker, so even before I gotthe Mac II, I got DataDesk to send me their Mac II keyboard.
I was wrong. You can save money by buying a Data Desk keyboard and getting your Mac II with no keyboard at all, and that may well be worth doing. There's nothing wrong with the DataDesk keyboard. Indeed, it's pretty good. It even has the sockets for the keyboard cable and mouse in the cen ter of the board, which is a much better place for them than where Apple has them. DataDesk also gives you free soft ware to configure your function keys; Apple makes you pay extra. The feel of the DataDesk keyboard for the Mac II is not the same as those for the Mac Plus and PCompatibles; it's more like the original IBM PC keyboard's feel. It's also about that noisy. If you loved the old IBM keyboard, you'll love this. The thing is, though, the Apple Mac II keyboard is more than pretty good. It's very good indeed. It's sculpted . The keys have a good feel-for my money , better than the DataDesk Mac !I's (but not as good as the DataDesk for the Mac Plus or PCompatibles). The only odd thing about Apple's Mac II keyboard is that the little bumps to indicate home keys to a touch
typist aren't on the f and j keys where
you'd expect them, but on the d and k keys. This can take getting used to.
Apple's Mac II keyboard does cost more, and you 'II also have to buy config uration software; whether it's worth the difference in cost is something for you to decide. For me, the bottom line is that I've installed the Apple keyboard on the Mac II and put the DataDesk keyboard in the closet; but then, I'm not paying for it. (I still use the DataDesk keyboard on the Mac Plus.)
Software After I got the Mac II set up with the 330 megabyte MacDisk, I went poking about in nooks and crannies turning up Mac software. There was a lot. After a while, I happily sat down to a perfect orgy of software installation.
Alas, a lot of stuff won't work with the Mac II.
It's particularly sad that I can't run Strategic Conquest Plus on the Mac II. This was my runner-up Game ofthe Year for 1987, and it's in contention for 1988 as well; it'sone of those games that's fun to play many more times than once. You can save games in progress on the AST 2000 hard disk drive on the Mac Plus; to actually run the game, you need the copy-protected hard disks. (You can run the game from copied disks, but if the game detects that, it sets the difficulty level impossibly high and proceeds to blow you away.)
You can start the game from the hard disk drive, but it looks to the floppy disk drive; ifthe game's disk 1 is in the inter nal drive, the floppy disk drive trundles for a moment, then ejects disk 1 with a message asking for disk 2. Disk 2 con tains all (and only) the files concerned with sound effects. After they're loaded into memory, the disk is ejected and the machine asks for disk 1 again.
If you try running the game on the MacII , though , it loads and appears to be running; but disk 1 never pops out, and you are never asked for the sound-effects disk. The game plays, but there are no sound effects. I then tried transferring both game disks to the hard disk drive and starting up from here (with the origi nal disk 1 in the Mac !I's floppy disk drive), but I got the same result. It never sees the sound effects.
On the other hand, the Mac !I's screen is bigger than the Pius's-and the game shows more of the game map on the Mac !I's screen than it did on the Plus. Also, when it generated a map, it made the strangest one I've ever played on (and I've played a lot of Strategic Conquest Plus, I'm ashamed to say). I played it for a while; the game seems to play fine, ex cept for the lack of sound effects. Even tually, I saved the game onto a floppy disk and transferred it to the Mac Plus. It runs fine there. I'm even winning; I wasn't winning on the Mac II, which I suspect thought I was playing with a pirated copy.
On the other hand, Reach for the Stars, another game much played here, not only runs fine on the Mac II but comes up automatically in color. You see more of the star map, and it's certainly faster. Of course, it's not copy-protected, either.
Compatibilities There's no predicting what will run on the Mac II and what won't. Dark Cas tle-one of the most visually impressive
continued
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1988 Mac Special Edition · B Y T E 39
THE MAC SIDE
games ever done-won't run; whether " The simplest way to avoid this type of it failed disastrously: when I tried to run
it's started from the hard disk drive or problem is to turn off the Macintosh and it, the machine hung so thoroughly that I
the floppy disk drive, it gives the follow start up using Dark Castle disk number had to use the hardware reset to recover.
ing message:
one."
Apparently the MindWrite folks had
"Sorry, Dark Castle cannot run be Needless to say, following that advice the same problem I did when I tried to
cause there is a problem with the way only produces that same message.
run MindWrite 1.1 on the Mac II. They
memory is allocated (77588878 high MindWrite is a rather good word pro wrote MindWrite 1.1 to Apple's specs
bytes) .
cessor and outline program that I have and released it shortly before Apple re
"This could be due to other software grown rather fond of on the Mac Plus. It leased MultiFinder. They tell me that
that is already installed in memory (for isn't copy-protected, either: it runs fine Apple changed the MultiFinder just be
example, Switcher, Tempo, RAM disks, off the Pius's hard disk drive. However, fore they released it, in a way that causes
print spoolers, network software, etc.). not only wouldn't it work on the Mac II, MindWrite 1.1 to crash. They're provid
ing a free update that corrects the
problem.
On the other hand, WriteNow, an eas
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I could go on listing things that do and
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software will run on the Mac II. In gen eral, it's less likely to work if it's copy protected, but that's no infallible guide, as witness MindWrite. All I can really tell you is to experiment.
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In one very quick operation, the CopyMaker Plus copies diskettes, prints up to 15 lines of
wrap-around labels.
Setting up the Mac II was simple enough that I didn't think there'd be any
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After all, the directions were clear. I
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In 5 minutes both were done, and it was time to test the printer.
It wouldn't work. The Mac II couldn't find the printer. Unfortunately, the error
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message wasn't any more helpful than that, either.
I went back through the printer docu ments and carefully followed the instal lation procedure again. When that didn't
work, I read everything I had about
40 B Y TE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
Circle M56 on Reader Service Card
THE MAC SIDE
AppleTalk. Alas, that wasn't much, but it was enough to show I'd connected all the cables properly.
Finally, I tried setting up the Mac Plus to run the LaserWriter. I got the same re sults as with the Mac II. That printer just wasn't talking to computers. It was time to call Apple. I suppose I could have used this as an opportunity to test Apple's technical-support system, but BYTE was in a tearing hurry for this column, so I called the office that sent me the Mac II in the first place.
The people there know their stuff. I described what I'd done. I was conducted through a few tests. I'd guessed them from the documents, but I was glad to have my guesses confirmed. The diagno sis was positive: either a cable was bad, or the electronics board in the Laser Writer had gone south in shipment. I was offered a choice: they'd send new cables and a new electronics board by Federal Express, or I could take the printer to a local Apple dealer. I opted to have the parts sent to me.
By this time, I was really desperate. This was a Wednesday afternoon. Thurs day at noon I was due to catch an airplane to Colorado Springs to take part in some activities at the Air Force Academy. On Saturday morning, 1, was due to catch an airplane that would get me back here just in time to attend Larry Niven's 50th birthday party-and this column had to be in New Hampshire by the following Monday morning.
Apple was true to their word: on Thursday morning, the new cables and board arrived. It took me precisely 1 minute to replace the LaserWriter's elec tronics board. (I'll admit that I rehearsed by removing and reinstalling the original the night before.) Then I plugged in the new AppleTalk cables and turned on the system. It still didn't print, but that was because I'd skipped a step in the reinstal lation; when I called in the Chooser and set things up properly, everything was fine.
Cables After I got back from Colorado Springs, I left the new cables in place and rein stalled the old board in the LaserWriter; not only wouldn't it print, but I got the same symptoms as before. So that board definitely was defective; it wasn't the cables at all.
On the other hand, it might have been. I've had some experience in cable design: I was once in charge of human factors for a good part of Boeing, and designing cable ends so that they can't be plugged in backward or to the wrong place is one
task of the human factors group. Thus, I can say with some authority that the Apple cabling system is a miserably poor design.
The original Macintosh-all the way up to the Mac Plus-used standard DB-9 plugs for the printer and a different plug system entirely for the keyboard. Under the new system (Mac Plus, SE, and II), all Apple cables terminate in tiny round
cable ends about % inch in diameter.
Some of these cables have 8 or 9 active
pins in them. Others have only 3 or 4. They' re supposed to have small plastic
keys that make it impossible to plug the wrong cable into the wrong socket, but in fact that doesn't work. It's not only phys ically possible, it's also fairly easy to jam an AppleTalk (9-pin) cable into a socket intended as the auxiliary key board socket. Worse, since these are on the back of the machine and are labeled only with ambiguous (and tiny) icons,
continued
With all the advantages ofthe Macin~h.
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1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 41
THE MAC SIDE
- - - · - - - -·-1that's easy to do even if you're trying to be careful. I managed to do it, with the 11,1:;;~ result that the machine did some very odd things until I set it right. Worse, though, if you do jam the cable into the wrong socket, you may well
damage the cable. The pins in a male
Apple cable are tiny and are easily
ii····· pushed deep into the cable end. I ruined two AppleTalk cables . One was repair able with needle-nose pliers and a lot of
patience. The other had the wires pushed -1!"".'!'=!!e'!lll!'"l!ll~=!l!I so far back into the cable that nothing
- -- -- - -1 would get them out again. Since it's also ;;;;:;;;:::;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;j impossible to take the cable housing
apart, once that plug is damaged, you're
rm1tnm1nnrlf11ff1probably going to have to buy a new
cable. Except for potential profits to Apple in
cable sales, I see no reason for going to
these delicate and unrepairable cable
ends . I predict considerable profit for a
third-party outfit ready to supply better cables for Apple computers.
WriteNow Nonsense WriteNow is not a bad editor, but its pub lisher, T/Maker, has done something that could drive you crazy if you're not careful.
T/Maker provides you with two disks, one containing the WriteNow program, and another with a demo version called Sample WriteNow, which you're free to copy and pass on to friends who want to try it out. Sample WriteNow works just like the regular version, with one excep tion: it prints "CREATED WITH SAM PLE WRITENOW" across the top and bottom of every page of every document you create.
Here's the problem: if you have Sam ple WriteNow anywhere on your hard
continued
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42 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
Items Discussed
Mac-101 ...................... ....$169.95 DataDesk International 7651 Haskell Ave. Van Nuys, CA 91406 (818) 780-1673 Inquiry M254.
Reach for the Stars ........ ..... ..... $40 Strategic Studies Group 1820 Gateway Ave. San Mateo, CA 94404 (415) 571-7171 Inquiry M259.
Mac Station .. .. ... .. Price not available Hubbard Furniture 1946 Raymond Northbrook, IL 60062 (312) 272-7810 Inquiry M255.
Strategic Conquest Plus ..... .. . $59.95
PBI Software, Inc.
1163 Triton Dr.
Foster City, CA 94404
(415) 349-8765 Inquiry M260.
MacDisk ......... ......... ...... .... $4895
Priam Corp.
20 \\est Montague Expy.
San Jose, CA 95134
(408) 434-9300 Inquiry M256.
VideoWorks II .. .. ... ... .......... ..$195 MacroMind, Inc. 1028 West Wolfram Chicago, IL 60657 (312) 871-0987 Inquiry M261.
MaclnTax ...... .......... .. .... ... .. .$119 SoftView 4820 Adohr Lane, Suite F Camarillo, CA 93010 (805) 388-2626 Inquiry M257.
MindWrite ..... ... .. ...... ... ..... ...$195 Access Technology Access/MindWork Division 200G Heritage Harbor Monterey, CA 93940 (408) 648-4000 Inquiry M258.
WriteNow 1.07 .. .. ..... ....... .. ...............$175
2 .0 ... . .. . .. .. ...... ..... ...... . ...... $195
T/MakerCo. 1973 Landings Dr. Mountain View, CA 94043 (415) 962-0195 Inquiry M262.
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THE MAC SIDE
disk when you click on a WriteNow docu ment, it could come up in the Sample version.
That is and isn't T/Maker's fault. When you click on a Macintosh docu ment of any kind, the Finder will locate the appropriate application no matter where you've got it ferreted away (unlike DOS machines, which won't look out side of the current directory unless you explicitly tell them to). In the case of WriteNow, the version you get depends on which one you most recently fiddled with-even moving a version to another folder seems to be enough to reset the de fault to that version.
It happened that Larry Niven's birth day came just after I got the Mac II. Now that I had a LaserWriter, I thought I'd make a really fancy card to go with the present. I'd used WriteNow on the Plus, and since I was more or less familiar with it, I tried it first. Alas, I hadn't elimi nated Sample WriteNow before I did that, and my 3 hours of composition were completely wasted, since I couldn't print the card without the "CREATED WITH SAMPLE WRITENOW" idiocy.
Surprise: so diligently does the Finder search for that idiotic Sample version that even with the Sample version on another hard disk, the Finder will go find it and bring it in when you invoke WriteNow by clicking on a document.
After eliminating all traces of Sample WriteNow from the MacDisk, I wrote a new birthday card by invoking Write Now. It printed fine; but the next time I called it in, that damnable message printed across top and bottom.
I was about to erase all copies of WriteNow and go to MacWrite or Ready Set-Go!, when I got suspicious and used the Mac II's Find File desk accessory to search for the word Sample in a file name. Sure enough, it told me there was a copy of Sample WriteNow on the inter nal hard disk drive. When I erased that and tried to bring in my birthday card, the system told me I should get the appli cation file out ofthe Trash.
In rage, I turned off the machine. When I turned it back on, I was finally rid of the Sample Curse: now I can bring in documents and print them without the horrible "CREATED WITH SAMPLE WRITENOW" printed top and bottom.
For all that, WriteNow is a good editor that is easy to use-once you've perma nently eliminated all traces of the Sample program.
Locked! The real reason for getting a Macintosh isn't languages (although if you're an
APL addict, you 'LL find that works better on a Mac than it's likely to on a PCom patible). When Excel was available only on a Mac, you might have been seriously tempted to get one just for that; but now they've got Excel available running under Windows, and it's at least as good on PCs with EGA as it is on the Macin-
The real
reason to get a Mac is
that it can run
programs and do things
few other machines can
do. VideoWorks II is a
spectacular program for
the Mac.
tosh. MaclnTax also runs about as well on PCompatibles with EGA as it does on the Macintosh.
You might get a Mac because of its ease of operation. Unfortunately, there are problems. I personally find it as easy to get around in PC-DOS as to manipu late icons, and indeed, I can get awfully sick of dragging little pictures to the Trash. Worse, though, the Mac can do strange things to you.
Example: in trying to test the Mac Disk, I created an enormous file by copy ing into one folder named Foo every thing else on both the MacDisk and the Mac's internal hard disk drive. Then I moved the files back and forth. Eventu ally, I was through playing and needed to eliminate the Foo folder.
I dragged it to the Trash, but it wouldn't erase. The Mac kept telling me the folder contained locked files. To make it worse, after the machine told me it wouldn't do what I wanted, it made me click on "OK," even though it wasn't OK at all.
Study of the Mac II manual eventually showed me how to determine whether a file is locked or not: you have to find the file, select it, then go up to the menu bar and "Get INFO" on it. After that, you can unlock it.
Unfortunately, the Mac operating sys tem has no other way to tell you which
files are locked, so you have to go through them one at a time. I had over 70 different files in Foo, and I had to look at each one before I could erase the thing. I can't say I appreciated that.
VideoWorks II The real reason to get a Mac is that it can run programs and do things few other machines can do. VideoWorks II is one of the most spectacular programs for the Mac. This is a program for creating and displaying animated graphics. It will also do sound effects.
I've only started playing with Video Works II, and I already love it. The tuto rial programs are good enough that I haven't much needed the manual. The manual is good enough to remind you of what you learned in the tutorials. Video Works II can take advantage of color monitors and other features of the Mac II; indeed, it's one of the best demonstra tions of the Mac !I's capabilities. Rec ommended.
Winding Down I'm out of space, and there's still scads of Mac II stuff lying on my desk. I haven't discussed HyperCard, which is another program you might consider getting a Mac for.
There's no room for Owl Internation al's Guide, a program that's a serious match for HyperCard. What with the Apple/Microsoft lawsuit, one wonders how hard Microsoft will work on Mac software in the future, but even so there's a pile of it now.
The Mac game of the month is PBI Software's Strategic Conquest Plus. I hope they come up with a version that works on the Mac II.
I expect it's obvious that although I started off with serious reservations, I like the Mac II quite a lot. The bottom line is that I've moved Old Zeke, my original CompuPro Z80, off to the store room, and I'm using a CAD program to help me design furniture to put the Mac II in his place. ·
Jerry Pournelle holds a doctorate in psy chology and is a science fiction writer who also earns a comfortable living writ ing about computers present and future. Jerry welcomes readers' comments and opinions. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Jerry Pournelle, c/o BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458. Please put your address on the letter as well as on the envelope. Due to the high volume ofletters, Jerry cannot guarantee a personal reply. You can also contact him on BIX as "jerryp. "
44 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
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Circle Ml 8 on Reader Service Card
1988 Mac Special Edition · B YT E 45
BYTE MACINTOSH SPECIAL EDITION
MultiFinder Revealed
Phil Goldman
MultiFinder is a first-generation multi tasking operating system for the Macin tosh. It runs on all machines from the Macintosh 512Ke up to the Mac II .
The phrase "first generation" has two important meanings. First, it highlights the fact that MultiFinder has been added to the system software at a time when the Mac environment is relatively stable and well defined. Therefore, it was neces sary to support all the features ofthe sys tems, some very subtle, that applications have come to depend on.
"First generation" also implies that there will be successive generations. MultiFinder is released every six months as a part of the Apple system-software update. As a result, MultiFinder is an evolving product; yet, at the same time, it must guarantee that applications con tinue to work across releases.
The Look of MultiFinder MultiFinder doesn't markedly change the look and feel ofthe Macintosh. When a Mac boots up, the only indication that MultiFinder is running is the small icon located on the far right-hand side of the menu bar. The look does change, how ever, in one small but important way: When you open an application from the Finder (the application you see when you start up the Mac), the Finder itself doesn't disappear. Before MultiFinder, you could execute only one application at a time, and only one application could be visible at a time.
With MultiFinder, multiple applica tions can be visible at once. Each applica tion is represented by its set of windows, known as its layer. As a user, you inter act with only the frontmost layer (i.e., the application in the top layer receives all the user events, such as mouse and keyboard clicks), the same way you typi cally interact with only the frontmost window of a given layer. Other layers can be visually active, but the actions of the corresponding applications don't occur in direct response to your actions. The
One ofMultiFinder's
especially when you want real-time con trol. If the operating system itself decides
when to switch between tasks, as in pre
coauthors provides
emptive multitasking, it can't always know exactly when is the best time to
clues to
switch; it simply doesn't know as much about a task as the task itself does.
the mysteries
On the other hand, cooperative multi tasking requires correct responses from
every task. If a single task decides that it
ofMultiFinder
won't yield the CPU, then the entire sys tem will appear to hang. Even if a task
just holds the CPU for too long a period,
the response time of the system can suf
fer dramatically.
The entire structure of the Macintosh
application in the frontmost layer also application model revolves around the
owns the menu bar.
assumption that an application will con
You can switch between applications stantly call the Toolbox traps, _GetNext
in three ways. First, clicking the mouse Event, _WaitNextEvent, and _Event
in any window of a layer brings the appli Avail, to retrieve an event and respond
cation in that layer to the front. Second, to it. It's relatively painless to switch be
the apple menu includes a list of the cur tween applications when those calls are
rently running applications; choosing a made.
particular item with an application's For these same reasons, cooperative
name brings that application's layer to multitasking would be a disaster in a ge
the front. And third, clicking on the icon neric Unix environment. In this case,
in the menu bar cycles through the appli there is a real loss of transparency as
cations in each layer.
Unix tools are command-line-driven
rather than event-driven, and thus don't
Cooperation, Not Competition
necessarily make certain calls with any
At the very heart of MultiFinder lies its known frequency. Also, when you use
task-switching mechanism. This mecha such an environment, you're more likely
nism implements an operating-system to create your own quick-and-dirty appli
technique known as cooperative multi cations, which might crash but shouldn't
tasking, which allows the tasks them hang the entire system if they do. Of
selves to completely control the mecha course, if you use only shell scripts as
nism. In MultiFinder, a task is simply tools, then it would be simple to build the
one instance of an application program. necessary cooperation into the shell
There is no policy to which applications interpreter.
must adhere; each task determines ex The moral of this is that cooperative
actly when it wishes to yield control of multitasking is very useful, but only
the CPU-it will never return control when you can make certain assumptions
until it explicitly decides to do so.
about the run-time environment. How
Cooperative multitasking has its ad ever, there wasn't much of a choice for
vantages and its disadvantages. As an ap the Macintosh. Although the existing ap
plications developer, you can assume plication model could theoretically sup
your application has complete control port preemptive multitasking, it would
over the machine while it runs. Thus, you involve a great deal of rewriting of Tool-
can make many simplifying assumptions,
continued
46 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT WISNEWSKI © 1988
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 47
MULTIFINDER REVEALED
box and operating-system code, code that is currently in ROM. In addition, there would be greater compatibility problems.
Heaps of Memory Before explaining the hows and whys of cooperative multitasking under Multi Finder, let's discuss the backdrop against which task switching occurs: the mem ory model provided by MultiFinder.
MultiFinder doesn't radically change the Macintosh interface that a user sees, but instead extends that model in a logi cal manner. This is also true of the model that the applications developer uses. The memory model, for example, changes little except to support multiple applications in memory at one time.
The basic Macintosh memory model consists of one application heap (a heap is a large chunk of memory partitioned and managed by the Memory Manager) and one system heap. MultiFinder has multi ple application· heaps (see figure 1). These heaps are created as nonrelocata ble blocks in the MultiFinder heap, which is located in the same place as the single application heap is in the basic model-directly above the system heap.
MultiFinder still uses a single system heap. The basic Macintosh model has a somewhat arbitrary partitioning of mem ory and resources between the system and application heaps. With the new model, one of the primary purposes of the system heap is to share resource blocks among the applications (resources are blocks of data that are read from re source files and tracked in memory using resource maps).
This design works out nicely for three reasons. First, sharing naturally saves space, which is critical on a system with 1 megabyte or less of RAM. The space needed by a single application can be a very large percentage-sometimes 100 percent-of the machine's total memory.
Second, moving system resources out of the application heap implies that sig nificantly fewer system-memory re quirements will be made of the heap. An application that attempts to do a complete accounting of memory usage in its heap has problems when the system allocates blocks behind its back. The new scheme alleviates this problem to a great extent.
Finally, since all the shared resources are located in the system heap, they don't
"·
Addresses increasing
MultlFlnder Memory Map
Above ButPtr world (RAM cache, inits,etc.)
MulfiFinder jump table
Multi Finder globals
MultiFinder stack
I...
MultiFinder code and data
I
Backgrounder
I
I
Finder
I
I
Application heap
I
Free space, handles
MultiFinder heap
Some other application heap
Free space, handles
...
System heap
Low memory
I
Figure 1: The MultiFinder memory map. Notice that MultiFinder has more than one application heap.
need to be reinitialized each time an ap plication launches. Much of the time spent in the original system's launch code, and in the initialization code of the application itself, was spent reloading the resources from disk. Some of these re sources, such as fonts, can be very large.
However, MultiFinder's sharing creates a much greater, and much more dynamic, need for space in the system heap. Early in the development effort, the system heap was significantly en larged when MultiFinder itself started up. However, it became obvious that this was too great a space penalty to pay. The Memory Manager was modified to allow the system heap to grow and shrink (at the expense and gain of the MultiFinder heap) as memory needs dictated, thus al lowing extra space for both system-mem ory requests and new application heaps.
Although the changes to the memory model are fairly subtle, some applica tions make assumptions that are no longer valid. Some applications assume that the system and application heaps are contiguous. Others assume that certain resources will be put in the application heap rather than the system heap. The latter assumption is particularly danger ous because of the actions that an appli cation might take based upon it. For ex ample, one application has a procedure that continually purges such resources when there is no free space in the appli cation heap. Under MultiFinder, the ap plication is actually freeing space in the system heap, and not alleviating the problem at all. Worse, the application actually ends up deadlocked in a loop, continually purging these resources but never freeing up enough memory .
This entire situation is a result of cer tain strong implicit assumptions about the "classic" Mac ' s memory model. Fortunately, very few applications make such assumptions.
Context Switching MultiFinder employs cooperative multi tasking, switching contexts only when the application calls the trap _WaitNext Event, _GetNextEvent, or _Event Avail. The scheduler does a context switch in three cases: as part of a layer switch, as a switch into a background ap plication, or to let an application update its windows.
A context switch is a fairly large oper ation on a Macintosh. The environment is so rich that the context belonging to a task is potentially very large. Fortunately, on average, most applications avoid creating huge contexts for themselves (except for the many low-memory locations that are
48 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
MULTIFINDER REVEALED
accessed on their behalf) by making use ofthe memory-saving features below.
In general, a context switch consists of saving the context of the task being switched in (known as the source task) and then restoring the context of the task being switched out (the destination task). In the Mac, the switch also requires re moving (and saving) application-specific entities from system data structures from the source task, and restoring those enti ties from the destination task. These enti ties include:
·Device-control entries (DCEs): The Unit Table is an array of handles to de vice-control entries, located in low mem ory. Each DCE corresponds to a local driver, one that belongs to the applica tion. The driver's resources come from the application's resource file. (Al though it might come from a different file, it can never be the system file.) The memory for the driver is located in the application's heap.
When a task is switched out, the sys tem must remove all the DCE handles for its local drivers from the Unit Table and save them in a structure local to the task. When the task is switched back in, the system restores its drivers from its local structure. When an application quits, either with dignity or because of a crash, the system again removes its DCE han dles from the table.
Most applications don't employ local drivers. An application's own desk ac cessory (such as a word processor with a spelling checker) is simply a special type of driver on the Mac.
However, most of the drivers come from the system file, including the sys tem desk accessories, AppleTalk drivers, and default print drivers. These drivers are never switched; therefore, it's very important that the unit number (i.e. , the index into the Unit Table) of a particular local driver not match that of any system driver. If it does, then when the local driver is switched in, its local DCE han dle will clobber that of the system driver in the Unit Table. Worse, when the task is switched out, there will be an empty hole in the Unit Table, and you won't know which system driver should be restored.
· Trap patches: Trap patching is the method by which the routine associated with a given A-line trap is replaced by a new routine. (An A-line trap captures those instructions whose first byte is A .) Pointers to these routines are kept in two tables in low memory known as the oper ating-system and Toolbox trap tables. The A-line dispatcher indexes into the
appropriate table based on the number of the trap executed.
While most applications never need to patch traps, there are some that do. For example, an application might patch out all the Memory Manager traps that allo cate master pointers (MPs). When the Memory Manager runs out of MPs in a heap, it allocates a new block of them. This new block is nonrelocatable, so it could easily cause fragmentation. There fore, the trap patches would just make sure to compact the heap if there are no MPs left when the trap call is made.
MultiFinder tracks the traps that each application patches . When the applica tion is switched out, its patch-routine pointers are removed from the trap table and replaced by the pointers to the previ ous routines. When the application is switched back in, its routines are re stored. Patches are also permanently re moved when the application quits.
In order to track patches by the appli cations, MultiFinder itself must patch the trap _SetTrapAddress, which is the mechanism by which other traps are patched. At the time the trap is called, a record is saved denoting the new trap routine, the old routine (i.e., the one that is currently being used), and the trap number.
One of the problems with patching is that the application's patch must jump to the old routine; it can't call the old rou tine as a procedure. This is necessary be cause system patches often look back up the stack to see who called them. They will activate only if they see a particular return address on the stack. Therefore, you have to call these routines without changing the stack. The only way to do this is to jump to them.
This has two major implications. First, it's not possible to do patch code entirely from a high-level language. At the very least, you 'II need assembly lan guage glue (a glue routine is one that con verts between the different calling con ventions of other languages and the Pascal that the Macintosh ROM ex pects). Second, it's illegal for an applica tion to have a patch that does post-pro cessing-that is, that has code after the call to the old routine.
· Vertical-blank tasks (VBLs) : VBLs are small routines that run during the verti cal-retrace interrupt on the Macintosh. This is the interrupt that signifies that the Mac screen has just been completely re drawn from the screen memory. It is used for creating flicker-free animation and also for any type of quick, repetitious tasks.
Under MultiFinder, VBLs are treated much like DCEs; that is, they are switched in and out of the VBL queue as their corresponding application is switched in and out. MultiFinder doesn't track these VB Ls in the same way it does trap patches. Instead, during the context switch, it walks down the VBL queue, looking for tasks that fall within the ap plication's heap; the VBLs are saved and removed like the DCE handles. They are restored in the same manner. The VBLs belonging to an application are also re moved when it quits.
This method provides a way for appli cations to have persistent VBLs. That is, if an application installs its VBL in the system heap rather than its application heap, the VBL is never removed, not even if the application itself quits.
· Resources: The Resource Manager has been changed under MultiFinder so that all resources from the system file are placed in the system heap. This is neces sary in order to share these resources among the applications. It's impossible to share a resource in another applica tion's heap; the data for the resource will be destroyed if that other application quits.
Originally, MultiFinder used an algo rithm for resources similar to those for VBLs, patches, and DCEs. That is, it would walk through the system map, sav ing and restoring resource entries be longing to each application. Besides the wasteful redundancy of data involved, using this method greatly damaged the application-initialization and context switching times. The latter time was so poor that background tasking seemed too inefficient to implement if a context was to be provided to the background application.
The sharing itself is easily imple mented by allowing all the applications to share the system resource map in their resource chains. A resource chain is a linked list of resource maps used as a search path for resources (see figure.2a). Therefore, the old picture of a resource chain has been transformed into a re source wheel (see figure 2b), with the system heap as its hub and each chain as a spoke. The arrows illustrate the search order for resources. They also represent the only order in which the list compris ing each spoke is linked. It's impossible for any application to traverse from its spoke to another, so each application still sees only its resource chain.
· Low memory: Toolbox and operating
continued
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 49
MULTIFINDER REVEALED
system low-memory locations are con ceptually divided into those locations that are application-specific and those that are system-wide. For the most part, these correspond to the Toolbox and op erating-system locations, respectively, but there are many exceptions. Under MultiFinder, the application-specific lo cations are saved and restored between low memory and a copy of those loca tions (one per application) when the task is switched out and then back in.
You must take special care when switching certain memory locations. Some must be switched in a prescribed order relative to others. For example, there is a system VBL, called the "stack sniffer," that constantly checks to make sure the bottom of the application's stack is above the top of the application's heap. Its purpose is to detect collisions be tween the two-if detected, a system error is generated, and the application quits. Therefore, it's necessary to actu ally set the variable named StkLowPt to 0 (disabling the stack sniffer), and then
switch out the variable that points to the application heap. You must restore this variable, called ApplZone, from the new application before you restore StkLowPt, because as soon as the latter becomes nonzero, the stack sniffer is reenabled. When this occurs, the system had better be in a consistent state.
· Registers: Each application must have its own set of registers, so the context switch remains transparent in this regard as well. However, since MultiFinder knows that context switches occur only inside calls to particular traps, it needs to save only those registers that, by conven tion, a trap routine won't destroy: data registers D3 through D7 and address reg isters A2 through A7.
Some of these registers indirectly con tain more context information that is switched when the register itself is. For example, register A7 points to the appli cation's stack. Therefore, when A7 is switched, so is the run-time stack being used, even when processing is still in the
System map
Application map
Map opened by application
Resource Chain
Figure 2a: The original MultiFinder planfor sharing resources involves searching a resource chain like this one.
App2
Map opened by application
pplication map
Map opened by Application map application 3
Application map
Resource Wheel
Figure 2b: A more efficient plan has been implemented using a resource wheel. The resource chain still exists for each application, but the plan adds the system heap as the hub ofthe wheel.
heart of the MultiFinder switching code. Likewise, register AS typically points at an application's global variables, which are referenced as negative offsets from this pointer; for this reason, they are known as AS globals. When register AS is switched, references to globals are switched as well.
If the machine has a floating-point unit (FPU), as the Mac II does, then the floating-point registers and context are also saved and restored. Here, the term "context" refers to the internal state of the FPU itself.
Moving Between Layers A layer switch is the process by which another layer of windows comes to the front, ahead of the current top layer. The process is rather lengthy compared to a context switch (it occurs across several calls to _Wai tNextEvent or _GetNext Event), and actually includes it as part of the layer-switch process.
Layer switching is not transparent to the application. In fact, the switch re quires the explicit cooperation of the ap plications being switched, whether they know it or not. They must accomplish such activities as changing the active state of their topmost window, convert ing their local Clipboard format to and from the global one if necessary, and de sisting from attempting to control the cursor or the menu bar.
It's difficult to persuade older applica tions (written before MultiFinder) to do all these things, so a little subterfuge is in order. MultiFinder uses a technique known as scrap coercion to fool an appli cation into believing that you have chosen a desk accessory (with a window that's very far off-screen) and the copy item (from the edit menu) from the source task; it convinces the destination task that you have chosen the paste item and then closed the desk accessory. (Scrap is data that you want to transfer between applications.)
The motivation for employing this process is twofold. First of all, it forces the source application to deactivate its frontmost window (usually deactivating its scroll bars) in its layer when moving from the front, and vice versa for the des tination task, which is coming to the front. Without this, the visual effect of multiple layers would be confusing-the frontmost window of every layer would appear to be active. Worse, some appli cations take advantage of the fact that no other window lies on top of the frontmost window, and do semilegal drawing that wouldn't work if the application weren't
continued
50 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
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MULTIFINDER REVEALED
in the frontmost layer. An application can't see the window list of other appli cations, so the scrap-coercion desk accessory window can be viewed as a re minder to the application that there are other windows above it, even if it can't quite see them.
In another way, the desk accessory acts as a marker for the rest of the world, and this is its primary role in the scrap coercion process-to "coerce the scrap ." That is, it must persuade an application to convert its private scrap to the global scrap (the data for the Clipboard). This is important because the application's private scrap could be located anywhere, in any form, in memory or on disk. When the application converts to the global scrap, it puts the data in a well defined location (in a file named clip board or in memory referenced from low-memory global ScrapHandle) in a well-defined format. Thus, MultiFinder can copy the data to the global scrap of the destination application.
The premise behind scrap coercion is that once you have cut or copied work with desk accessories, it's necessary for an application to convert to the global scrap when you wish to paste the Clip board into a desk accessory . Likewise, the application must convert the global scrap to its private one when it thinks you have chosen paste with the frontmost desk-accessory window. The application thinks that the desk accessory has altered the contents of the global scrap; thus, the private one must be refreshed.
If applications are somewhat more MultiFinder-friendly, you don't need to go through the entire charade. If an ap plication can handle Suspend and Re sume events, then it knows when it's be ing layer-switched to and from (for which it receives Resume and Suspend events, respectively, as notification). However, in this case, it's still necessary to convince the application of the desk accessory activity, so it will deactivate its top window. Therefore, an application can actually set a flag that officially deems it MultiFinder-friendly, meaning that it will deactivate its front window when it receives a Suspend event and activate it again when it receives a Re sume. In this way, you don't need any of
Figure 3: MultiFinder 's method of
optimized scrap coercion. Note that you can keep the number ofstates down by
using Suspend and Resume events and if
your application has the most recent data in its scrap. This method eliminates the process ofcopying between global scraps.
52 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
Sta rt
Yes
Generate mouse down in the menu bar, and wait for app to call _MenuSelect to get menu item chosen by user
Return "About MultiFinder" as item name of DA Wait for the app to try to open the fake DA
Yes Abort the switch Put up a window far off-screen and return a "reasonable" reference number for the fake DA
Pass through activate events caused by
opening new window
Generate a Suspend event
Generate a Command-V (for paste of fake DA)
DA = desk accessory
No
Prepare to exit the old app
Prepare to enter the new app
Move the scrap from the old app to the new
and set cuUcopy count of new app to
the global count
Yes
Yes
Generate a Resume event
No Yes
Generate a Command-C (for copy of fake DA)
Close the fake DA window
Done with scrap coercion (return control to user)
Layer switch initiated
End
MULTIFINDER REVEALED
the machinery for the desk-accessory charade, thus speeding up the layer switch.
MultiFinder uses a state machine in order to implement scrap coercion. Each state represents the accumulation of all the expected actions the application has accomplished during the process, and the arcs between states represent the cor rect or expected action to get closer to getting the desk accessory opened and eventually closed again. An action basi cally consists of a call to some Toolbox trap, most likely _GetNextEvent or _Wai tNextEvent, or a time-out caused by not calling the expected trap soon enough.
The state machine is really known as optimized scrap coercion (see figure 3). The original notion of scrap coercion came from Switcher, an application from Apple to switch applications, allowing one application at a time on the screen. Much of the time in Switcher's scrap co ercion was spent copying the scrap be tween applications. Therefore, Multi Finder keeps track of whether you have done a cut or copy, and thus changed the Clipboard, and it copies handles only when the application being switched to has stale data. This is reflected in the flowchart. Notice that the number of states entered is much smaller if the ap plication receives Suspend and Resume events and is MultiFinder-friendly. The number of states is also smaller if the ap plication already has the most recent data in its scrap, and the potentially time-con suming process of copying between global scraps is completely eliminated.
What's New One of MultiFinder's goals was applica tion-level transparency, as evidenced by the machinery described for context and layer switching. However, in certain areas, providing new services creates major optimizations in time and space. Thus, only those applications that use the new services break the transparency; for them, it's obviously beneficial.
WaitNextEvent: One example of the new services is the new Toolbox trap _Wait NextEvent. This trap is similar to _Get NextEvent, in that it can be used as the event dispatcher at the heart of any event loop. In addition, it provides a way for an application to sleep for a specified time if no events are pending. This allows the trap to move away from the polling be havior implicit in the use of _GetNext Event, which is called as often as pos sible.
continued
1988 Mac Special Edition · B YT E 53
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54 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
Another service provided by _Wait NextEvent is to return a new event, mouse-moved, when the cursor has moved outside a bounding region pro vided by the application. This again makes polling unnecessary, as in the case where an application needs to change the cursor as it passes over differ ent areas on the screen. This need might occur, for example, when an application wants to change the cursor from the ar row to the I-beam cursor shape while the cursor moves into a region that contains editable text.
A final need for polling in the classic Mac model was to give drivers time to run. This was accomplished by requiring the application to call the trap _System Task as often as possible, which, in turn, would dispatch time to the drivers as ap propriate. This requirement is elimi nated by using _WaitNextEvent. The trap routine is responsible for scheduling the drivers.
The Pascal calling convention for the trap is as follows:
FUNCTION WaitNextEvent(mask: INTE GER; VAR event: EventRecord; sleep: LONGINT; mouseRgn: RgnHandle): BOOLEAN;
The mask and event parameters are the complete set of arguments for _GetNext Event. The sleep parameter is the num ber of clock ticks until the system should awaken the application (and return a null event to it) if no events have been re turned beforehand. MouseRgn is a handle to a region that should bound the cursor.
Temporary memory calls: MultiFinder provides a service by which it can, for ex ample, allocate or deallocate blocks in its heap just as it would handles in other heaps. This is useful when an application has a short but memory-intensive need. There is a new set of traps for accessing t':lese services-different from the direct Memory Manager traps available. These traps allow for a level of indirection that will prove useful for MultiFinder. For example, they would allow memory to be found in places where it wasn't originally located (perhaps not even in a heap). This might be useful, for instance, if a Mac II NuBus card provides extra RAM, but the RAM isn't contiguous with main memory; with these new traps, it would be possible to build an other heap from which to allocate tem porary memory .
More importantly, the explicit calls for the temporary memory allow Multi I Finder to track memory use by all appli
cations. Therefore, if an application quits without deallocating its memory, or if it crashes, then MultiFinder can clean up after it and not orphan the temporary memory blocks that the application didn't release. Also, it would be desir able to do more stringent error checking on the blocks, as an inconsistent Multi Finder heap could easily cause the entire system to crash.
Launch: The original operating-system trap _launch terminates the current ap plication and then executes the new ap plication. Recent systems have provided an additional feature to _launch known as sublaunch. Basically, in sublaunch, an application sets a certain launch flag that tells the operating system that it expects to be relaunched after the new applica tion terminates. This provides a degree of automation when the launchee is to be used for a brief, specific purpose. How ever, it suffers from all the obvious prob lems inherent in a unitasking model. Also, the launcher's context (e.g., the documents that are open, the window sizes, and the positions) is lost when the application is relaunched, unless it ex plicitly saves and restores it itself. Even then, this is a fairly time-consuming pro cess to sit through.
With MultiFinder, the application can set yet another launch flag that tells the operating system that the application ex pects to return from the launch trap it self; it doesn't automatically wish to be terminated. In this way, the application avoids the loss of context caused by the sublaunch, as it just sticks around.
In its development stages, MultiFinder always allowed _launch to return to the launching application, rather than termi nating it. This offered a great deal oflev erage to many applications in that they automatically could take advantage of the new launch capabilities without having to be programmed for them explicitly. Un fortunately, some applications implicitly assume that the _launch trap will never return. Usually, the problem is that there is simply no more code in the program after the call to _launch; after the re turn, the application runs wild. Thus, it was necessary to force applications to prove that they were ready to continue running. They prove it by setting the Twi tchLaunch flag in the extended _launch parameter block.
Under MultiFinder, the call to _launch is simply a request to launch and execute an application. In the trap it self, memory is allocated for the applica tion from the MultiFinder heap, and the system data structures necessary to sup
MULTIFINDER REVEALED
port the application are initialized. How ever, the first instruction of the applica tion code isn't actually executed until the layer switch, which was also initiated in _launch, is completed. In newer ver sions, MultiFinder determines if the launchee already exists. If it does, Multi Finder merely initiates a layer switch to the application; it doesn't create a new copy.
Open document and quit events: When the user chooses Shutdown from the Finder's Special menu, the Finder will try to quit all the other running applica tions first. It does this by passing a spe cial event to MultiFinder, one per appli cation, which MultiFinder converts into the actions necessary to persuade the ap plication to quit gracefully.
Basically, these actions are used to in form the application that the user has de cided to quit. More specifically, they convince the application that the Quit item has been selected from its File menu. Then control returns to the user for responses to any ensuing dialogues, such as requests to save changed docu ments before quitting.
A problem arises if the application has no File menu or Quit item, or if they are spelled slightly differently. Therefore, the Finder doesn't actually pass these strings explicitly in the Quit event that it sends to MultiFinder. Instead, the Finder specifies two resource IDs, num bers 100 and IO I . These are used to find string resources of type 'mstr' where the two IDs refer to the File-menu name string and the Quit-item name string, respectively.
MultiFinder first looks in the applica tion for these resources. If it doesn't find them, then it will use the default ones lo cated within its own resource map. This allows applications with nonstandard versions of these strings to still be quitta ble before shutdown. For example, Hy perCard has its own resource ( 'mstr' , 101) set equal to the string "Quit Hyper Card." Using the resources also solves the one problem posed by using applica tions in other languages. You can cus tomize older applications with different menu strings by using ResEdit or some other tool to put the 'mstr' resources in the application's resource file. Multi Finder itself can be modified so that its default 'mstr' resource is in the lan guage most commonly used by the appli cations it runs.
In much the same way as with the Quit event, the Finder also sends an Open event through newer MultiFinders when you open the document of an already
existing application (usually by double clicking on its icon) . The Open event is converted to the actions necessary to convince the application that you have chosen the Open item from the File menu, but it really looks for the re sources ( 'mstr', 102) and ('ms tr' , 103), respectively, for the title and item strings. Unlike the situation with the quit actions, in this case MultiFinder doesn't return control to the user quite yet.
Most applications at this point bring up the Standard-File dialog box to allow you to choose which document to open. MultiFinder already knows which docu-
E xplicit
calls for temporary
memory will allow
MultiFinder to track
memory use by all
applications.
ment it wishes to open (the Finder has told it), and, therefore, it convinces the application that it has indeed put up the dialog box (by patching out _SFGetFile and _SFPGetFile), and that the user has chosen the particular document. Since the dialog box is never made visible, what you see after the double-click in the Finder is a layer switch to the document's creator application, followed by the ap plication magically opening a window for the document.
Building and Burning Bridges
During the development of MultiFinder, we were amazed at how many applica tions worked with it, no matter what twist or turn we were experimenting with at the time. These applications were so resilient that they seemed to be impossi ble to break, even while MultiFinder it self was unstable.
Unfortunately, certain other applica tions were much more fragile. While the number of incompatible applications eventually became very small, this was due largely to explicit fixes within Multi Finder to fix problems within the appli cations themselves, bugs that the Multi Finder environment revealed.
For example, a couple of applications
would crash unless they were loaded into the first megabyte of the MultiFinder heap. Therefore, we had to "special case" these applications and make sure that the launch-time memory allocation kept the blocks for these applications within the first megabyte. This was dif ficult because the Mac's Memory Man ager has no concept of absolute ad dresses; the memory-allocation traps grab memory from wherever they can find it. You have to play some ugly tricks on the Memory Manager to get the bounded block.
Another problem with the allocation is that because the application's heap block must lie so low in the MultiFinder heap, it might have to be launched into a block lower than the system heap can shrink, and thus these applications might be unlaunchable even when there's plenty of memory above I megabyte. In any case, they definitely stunt the system heap's growth.
Another application assumes that the value of low-memory global CurrentA5 never changes during asynchronous file reads and writes. This variable is so named because it serves as a static pointer to an application's globals; you could reload register AS from this global if for some reason the register's contents had changed. Unfortunately, the asyn chronous file-completion routine sup plied by the application runs at interrupt time, so it might execute after another application that has a different value for CurrentA5 is already running. There fore, MultiFinder waits for a pending asynchronous file operation to complete before context switching.
There are many more examples of such hacks in MultiFinder. From one point of view, they are ugly, application specific pieces of code that shouldn't be part of an operating system. But, from another point of view, they can be seen as bridges between the liberties permitted applications in the original Macintosh operating system and the more restrictive rules necessary in the MultiFinder envi ronment. Newer applications must obey these rules, so no new hacks will be added. In addition, as applications are re vised and fall into disuse, it will be possi ble to remove the hacks for them. Thus, these bridges will eventually be burned-but not until the entire applica tion base has crossed them. ·
Phil Goldman is coauthor ofMultiFinder and a member of the Macintosh OS Group with Apple Computer in Cuper tino, Cal(fornia. You can reach him on B/Xas "editors."
1988 Mac Special Edition · B Y T E 55
FLEXSCAN,. 90705, PC Hi-Res
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AutoCAD
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elBM VGA(PS/2). 8514/A, PGC, EGA
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e Apple Mac. Il and SuperMac Spectrum
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Non-Interlace signal delivers flicker-free
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signal select switch between 2 video input eselecting white or Amber displays colored
application in shades of gray or amber
·Tilt-Swivel stand standard
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56 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
Specifications are subject to change wit hout notice.
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BYTE MACINTOSH SPECIAL EDITION
The Well-Connected Mac
Janet J. Barron and Robert L. Mitchell
What constitutes a network? Everyone has a different opinion. Essentially, a network is any hardware or software con figuration that interconnects computers and other intelligent devices to allow a meaningful exchange of data.
A network can comprise a simple set of connections that allow two Macin toshes to share a laser printer. It may be a more sophisticated local-area network (LAN) that supports application, file, and peripheral sharing, or it may include microcomputer-to-host links that let the Mac access mainframe resources, such as the corporate database.
The success of the Mac has helped Apple get its foot in the corporate door. Now, with an increasing number of Macs in the office, the next step is to integrate them with other computing resources. Macs, IBM PCs, minicomputers, and mainframes can share the same building, but they can't always share the same ap plications or data. Fortunately, much of the technology necessary to network these disparate environments is already in place.
The foundation of Mac networking is the LAN: the physical and logical con nections that assemble data into packets and route it through a cabling system to its proper destination. Upon this plat form, higher-level functions such as file sharing, electronic mail (E-mail), and internetwork communications occur.
Applecentric Networking Because networks have never been easy to implement, most people probably think of LANs as being quite compli cated, consisting of a bunch of jerry rigged wires connecting groups of simi lar, local machines. The ease with which you can construct an AppleTalk network may go far to change that image. ·
Anthony Cagle, Apple's manager of Communications Product Development, breaks networking into two basic models: a simple AppleTalk Personal Network configuration in which you can
A guide to
networking on the
Macintosh
share peripherals among multiple work stations, and a more sophisticated, more recent model that, via Appleshare file server software, centralizes file storage to let networked Macs share resources and control file access.
At the heart of the company's commu nications strategy is AppleTalk, a propri etary seven-layer communications archi tecture that's similar to the International Organization for Standardization's Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model. AppleTalk comprises a suite of networking protocols built into the Mac that serve as the foundation of the Apple Talk Personal Network and that deter mine every aspect of Macintosh commu nications, from the type of LAN inter connections that is used to how applica tions communicate between workstations (see figure 1).
What sets an AppleTalk LAN apart from its PC LAN counterparts is that it supports peer-to-peer communications between devices . Unlike a 3Com or Novell PC LAN, there is no controlling node in an AppleTalk network; all com munications are of equal importance and all commands are processed sequen tially.
An AppleTalk network is also rela tively easy to set up because the network is self-configuring. This is made possi ble by the AppleTalk Name Binding Pro tocol (NBP), which dynamically assigns a name and address to each node as it's connected to the network. By contrast, adding a new node to a typical PC LAN requires the system administrator to bring the network down and then make
the necessary hardware and software changes to reconfigure it.
AppleTalk's Printer Access Protocol (PAP) provides the connections neces sary to allow shared access to a laser printer, and AppleTalk Filing Protocol (AFP) determines how file sharing takes place over the network. AppleTalk runs over a proprietary shielded twisted-pair cabling scheme called LocalTalk at 230.4 kilobits per second (kbps). Since AppleTalk is part of the Mac operating system, network operating-system soft ware is not required. The AppleTalk de sign also includes a Loca!Talk interface that's built into the Mac serial port, eliminating the need for a LAN interface card.
LocalTalk supports up to 32 users over distances of up to 1000 feet between nodes. However, bridge devices, such as Hayes's NetBridge, let you interconnect distinct AppleTalk LANs to expand the total number ofusers. Repeaters amplify the AppleTalk signal to extend maxi mum cabling distances; the TOPS re peater, for example, increases the maxi mum cabling distance to 2000 feet.
Alternatives to LocalTalk AppleTalk is not limited to LocalTalk connections: You can configure it to op erate over a variety of other media. One alternative is to use less expensive un shielded twisted-pair wire. Farallon Computing' s PhoneNet, for example, re places Loca!Talk with telephone wire and RJ-11 telephone jacks. You can daisy chain the devices together or use existing telephone wire in a star config uration. In the latter, a hub controller routes data between devices. Another, more expensive implementation is Northern Telecom's LANStar Apple Talk, which supports up to 1344 Mac Ils, IBM PCs, and other devices at 2.56 megabits per second (mbps) over existing telephone wiring. A central controller can directly connect all devices, or it can
continued
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 57
THE WELL-CONNECTED MAC
Application-specific semaphores and protocols
'
I
I
AppleTalk Filing
Protocol
Postscript
I
I
AppleTalk
- Data Stream
Protocol
Routing Table Maintenance
Protocol
I
- Zone Information
~
Protocol
Echo Protocol
-
I
Apple Talk
Session Protocol
~
I
AppleTalk Transaction
-
Protocol
I
Printer Access Protocol
I
Name Binding Protocol
I
Datagram Delivery Protocol
I
I
Other
Link-Access
Protocols
AppleTalk
Link-Access
Protocol
I
I
)
LocalTalk hardware
7. Application 6. Presentation 5. Session 4. Transport
I 3. Network
2. Link access 1. Physical
Figure 1: AppleTalk 's seven-layer architecture is similar to that ofthe OSI reference model. The protocols, however, are proprietary.
act as a bridge between AppleTalk LANs throughout a building.
If electrical interference or network security is a problem, another alternative is to run AppleTalk over a fiber-optic ca bling system, such as that supplied by DuPont Electronics of New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. Fiber isn't easily tapped, it's impervious to electromagnetic inter ference, and you can run it up to 4900 feet between devices. On the other hand, fiber cabling systems are expensive, and the medium's high bandwidth (in the hundreds of megabits) usually makes it more cost-effective as a backbone for interconnecting multiple AppleTalk LANs. Dupont's scheme currently sup ports transmissions at LocalTalk speeds (230.4 kbps), far short of fiber's poten tial. Dupont is working on a system that will support AppleTalk at higher speeds.
If LocalTalk speeds are too slow, you can run AppleTalk over a 10-mbps coax ial-cable Ethernet network. Ethernet is key to connecting the Mac to many other computing environments. Apple's imple mentation, EtherTalk, is a NuBus Ether net interface card for the Mac II that re places AppleTalk's physical and link
access protocols with the IEEE 802.3 coaxial-cable Ethernet specifications. Other vendors, like Kinetics, offer an Ethernet interface card for the Mac SE or an external box that works with the Mac's small computer system interface (SCSI) port.
An alternative to connecting Macs directly to Ethernet is to provide an AppleTalk-to-Ethernet gateway, such as Kinetics' FastPath. Macs on Loca!Talk access Ethernet through a device that converts between LocalTalk and Ether net protocols.
A recently approved standard for run ning Ethernet over unshielded twisted pair wire offers the advantages of Ether net speeds without the expense of installing coaxial cable. A Mac interface card that supports Ethernet over standard telephone wire should be available from Kinetics by the time you read this.
Loca!Talk simply provides basic con nectivity between Macs. Yw 'II need ad ditional software to support services such as file sharing. Apple' s Appleshare file-server software lets you share files stored in a central location. Designed around AFP, Appleshare runs on a dedi
cated Mac Plus with a hard disk drive and lets you restrict access to files you create. You must first log on to Appleshare be fore you can access the server. You own each file that you create, and you deter mine who has access to each file and at what level. Each person on the network can have no access, read-only access, or read-and-write access. Another security feature is Appleshare 's drop folder; any one on the network can deposit docu ments into it, but files in the drop folder are invisible to everyone except the fold er's owner.
In addition to file-sharing capability, file- and record-locking capabilities are necessary to ensure that two users don't attempt to write to the same file at the same time. Each application must handle this function for its own files; most con form to the AFP specifications .
The main drawback of Appleshare is that you have to dedicate a Mac Plus as a file server. One alternative, TOPS, takes advantage of AppleTalk 's peer-to-peer communications capability to provide distributed file service; all nodes act as both file servers and requesters (see the
continued
58 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
Introducing our new MacintoshTM Communications
Package: 2400bps modem, MicroP~oneTM
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· 2400, 1200, or 0-300bps operation.
· Automatic adaptive equalization I for error-free operation over
common phone lines. · LED displays for all functions.
· Full or half-duplex operation .
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· User modifiable, non-volatile, RAM stores modem configurations.
· Automatic answer mode.
· Complies with Bell 212A, 103, FCC Part 68, etc.
We've made a great deal greater! By itself the PM2400SA is a great value . But, along w ith the modem, our Communications Package includes both the cable you need and MICROPHONET~.. the communications program
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Improved technology. Performance. Value. And the best guarantee in the business... a performance guarantee that's 5 full years long. Hardware, software, a rock solid guarantee, and super ior value...we' ll say it again, " macnificent!"
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All products and names trademarked are properties of their respective manufacturers.
© 1988 Practical Peripherals. Inc. All rights reserved.
·IBM & APPLE ENHANCEMENTS· INTERFACES
Circle M42 on Reader Service Card
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 59
THE WELL-CONNECTED MAC
T OPS is an AppleTalk-compatible distributed network operating sys tem that lets Macintoshes and IBM PCs share files, hard disks, and laser printers. Unlike Appleshare, however, TOPS does not require a dedicated cen tral file server, but distributes this function between all workstations. TOPS consists of software for each Mac and IBM PC, and it runs over Local Talk or telephone-wire cabling, such as Farallon Computing's PhoneNet. It's compatible with applications that sup port the AppleTalk Filing Protocol (AFP), and it can also support Sun workstations.
If you 're using IDPS/DOS on the PC, you'll also need the TOPS Flash card or another AppleTalk PC interface card. FlashCard supports standard 230.4-kilobit-per-second (kbps) Local Talk speeds for laser printer and PC-to Mac communications, but it can also transmit PC-to-PC at 770 kbps. By the time you read this, a similar product may be available for the Mac, according to TOPS. FlashCard includes a standard plug-in card with software drivers and an installation guide.
Distributing File Service TOPS is a distributed network operating system. When you use IDPS, you don't need to dedicate a Mac as a file server,
It's TOPS
Nicholas M. Baran
as you do with Appleshare, Apple's cen tralized file-server software. Each ma chine in the network acts as both a "cli ent," using the resources of other machines, and as a "server," providing its resources to other computers on the network.
For example, if your v.orkstation is an IBM PC XT, once you run TOPS/ DOS and log on to the network, you can "publish" local file folders, volumes, or an entire hard disk, so any networked Mac or PC can access it. Only those files that you publish are available to other network clients. On the Mac desk top, the XT's hard disk appears as an icon representing another Mac hard disk. The Mac can also transfer files from the XT for local storage.
A key issue with every network is se curity. TOPS uses a password scheme that you can apply to any published folder, volume, or disk on the network. You can also specify that the files be read-and-write or read-only access, and that only one user access the volume at a time. It's not possible, however, to let some users have limited access and some have no access to a file, as you can with Appleshare.
By contrast, Appleshare lets you set access privileges with a desk accessory, and security is more stringent. You must log on to the network to access the file
server. You own the folders (or sub directories) that you create, and you determine which users have access to those folders and what level of access each user has.
Setting Up I set up a TOPS network that consisted of a Mac SE, an IBM PC XT, and an Apple LaserWriter IINTX, arranged in a typical daisy-chain configuration. I connected the devices to each other via Farrallon's PhoneNet connectors, which consist of two RJ-11 plugs: one input jack, and one output jack. The daisy-chain end connectors have only one RJ-11 connection; a special resistor provided with the connector kit termi nates the other plug.
Getting TOPS up and running is sim ple. You connect each Mac by plugging a LocalTalk connector into the Mac's printer port. If you 're connecting PCs to the network, you install FlashCards, connect the RJ-11 cables supplied with the PhoneNet RJ-11 connectors, and in stall the software on each system, and you 're ready to go. TOPS on the PC is a RAM-resident program that you load from the DOS prompt or via an AUTOEX EC .BAT file. The program requires 170K bytes to 230K bytes of RAM, and it is copy-protected, so you must buy a copy of TOPS for each workstation.
text box "It's TOPS" by Nicholas M. Baran). Another way to avoid buying a dedicated server is to allow a Mac to act as both a central file server and a work station. Tangent Technologies' Mac Serve, for example, offers the benefits of centralized file storage for up to 16 users on a Mac hard disk. You can designate the hard disk of any Mac as a shared disk and divide it into private or shared vol umes. This arrangement works best with a few nodes; as network activity in creases, the server workstation's perfor mance rapidly decreases.
Mac to PC Unlike the Mac, there is no de facto com munications architecture built into the IBM PC. Rather, each LAN vendor has developed its own proprietary set of net working protocols. While these compa nies use industry-standard LAN topolo gies, such as Ethernet and Token Ring at
their lowest levels, each one has its own method of providing higher-level func tions. The result is a fragmented ap proach to interconnecting Macs and PC LANs.
There are two ways to integrate Mac and PC LAN environments: You can in tegrate PCs into an AppleTalk network, or you can extend the PC LAN environ ment to support the Mac. The latter may not be an option if your PC LAN doesn't support the Mac, however. On the other hand, if all you need to do is perform simple file exchanges between Macs and PCs or occasionally access a PC applica tion, you may want to look into several LAN alternatives (see the text box "Ex changing Data" by Cynthia W. Harri man on page 62).
PCs can participate on an AppleTalk network via an AppleTalk PC interface card, which fits into a standard expan sion slot on the IBM PC. However, this
still limits PCs to printing documents on a networked laser printer. Appleshare PC, an extension of Appleshare, lets PC users access an Appleshare file server. Other software packages, such as Tan gentShare from Tangent Technologies, let you configure an IBM PC or PS/2 to participate on an AppleTalk network as an AFP-compatible file server.
Another way to network Macs and PCs is by linking the Mac to a PC LAN. However, PC LANs are generally more complicated and more expensive than AppleTalk LANs, and they may be less cost-effective for small work groups. The dominant vendors are 3Com, No vell, and Banyan. As a participant on the LAN, a Mac may have access to a range of services, including E-mail, file shar ing, gateways to hosts, and other LANs.
3Com offers an extension to its 3 +Share network operating system that allows the Mac SE or II to participate as a
60 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
THE WELL-CONNECTED MAC
On the Mac, the TOPS system resides as a desk accessory that automatically loads when you start the Mac. (You can bypass TOPS installation by holding down the Command and Option keys when you start up.)
Making an Impression
Aside from file sharing, perhaps the greatest incentive for using TOPS is be ing able to share a laser printer. But using a laser printer on the network has some limitations. PCs can't print di rectly to the laser printer unless you buy a copy of NetPrint software for each PC. If you don't have NetPrint, you can send a file to the laser printer from the DOS prompt using the TPRINT com mand, which is similar to the DOS PRINT command. With TPRINT, you have to first print the file to disk using your word processor or some other ap plication and then send it to the laser printer via TPRINT. This two-step print ing process can prove to be a bit cumbersome.
NetPrint intercepts output that has been directed to the PC's printer port and sends it instead to the laser printer on the network. It supports Postscript files and includes a translator for print ing IBM ProPrinter or Epson-compat ible files. NetPrint operates in the back ground so that you can continue with other work after you've sent the file to the print queue.
Another feature allows Mac or PC users without hard disks to share hard disks in other workstations. I created a
separate directory on my PC's hard disk for Mac files, installed several Mac programs on the PC, and ran them from the Mac without a hitch.
The major consideration when shar ing a hard disk is data compatibility. Obviously, you can't use a Mac file in a PC application unless it has a compat ible data format. TOPS provides a set of translator programs on the Mac that converts between many popular Mac and MS-DOS application files . For ex ample, you can translate a WordStar file to MacWrite or a Lotus 1-2-3 file to Jazz. Many other applications use com mon data formats on the PC and the Mac or include conversion utilities.
My only complaint with the TOPS system is the documentation, which could explain some details more clearly. I had to make several calls to TOPS's technical-support line before I had things running smoothly. However, TOPS's technical support was excel lent. TOPS also provides on-line techni cal support on BIX.
The cost foc TOPS is about $250 for each Mac, $59 per laser printer, and $430 for each PC without NetPrint. In
cluding NetPrint, which I highly recom mend, the cost per PC rises to almost $620. Although the price per PC is a bit steep, TOPS is an elegant and simple solution for small networks of PCs and Macs.
TOPS2 .0
Type AppleTalk networking software for Macintosh and IBM PC
TOPS/Macintosh Price: $249 Requirements: Mac 512K, Plus, SE, or II
TOPS/DOS Price: $189 Requirements: IBM PC or compatible with DOS 3 .1 or higher; 512K bytes of RAM recommended; one expansion slot for Flashcard
TOPS Flashcard Price: $239 Requirements: IBM PC and one available expansion slot
TOPS NetPrint Price: $189 Requirements: Same as TOPS/DOS
TOPS Teleconnector Price: $59
Company TOPS. a Sun Microsystems Co. 950 Marina Village Pkwy. Alameda, CA 94501 (415) 769-9669
Inquiry M151.
Nicholas M. Baran is a BYTE technical editor. He can be reached on BIX as "nickbaran. "
3Com network node. As such, it can share peripherals and access PC or Mac files stored on a central file server. An Appleshare file server can also support Mac workstations over a 3Com network; however, 3Com's file server does not support AFP. Appleshare file servers on LocalTalk can be linked directly to a 3+Server, which acts as a gateway to 3Com's Ethernet network. Macs with an Ethernet interface card can also operate on a 3Com network directly. A product is also in the works that will allow the Mac to communicate with the 3 +Open file server, which runs OS/2 Extended Edition.
Once linked to a 3Com network, Mac participants can access gateways to other LAN environments, such as a token-ring network. Many large corporations also use 3Com's internetwork bridges and gateways to construct wide-area net works (WANs) that connect geographi
cally dispersed LANs via Tymnet or other packet-switched networks.
Novell recently introduced NetWare Macintosh, an AppleTalk-compatible version of its NetWare LAN operating system. In contrast to 3Com's approach, Novell does not require that an extension of its network operating system reside on each Mac. Instead, Novell has mapped the AppleTalk protocols to NetWare. All protocol translation occurs on the Novell file server, which provides the Mac with transparent access to Novell LAN re sources. To Macs attached to a NetWare LAN, the NetWare server appears to function as an Appleshare device. You can connect the Mac to a NetWare server via Ethernet or LocalTalk connections. Once linked to the Novell LAN, you can access resources on DEC and IBM hosts and can take advantage of X.25 inter faces to packet-switched services and WAN bridges.
At the time of this writing, Banyan had not introduced its much rumored soft ware that would extend its VINES net work operating system to the Mac. How ever, Macs can indirectly access files on a Banyan server via a TOPS network. A PC attached to both a TOPS and a VINES network acts as a gateway be tween the two environments.
Mac to DEC
Early last spring, Apple and DEC an nounced a joint development effort to in tegrate AppleTalk and DECnet net works. While products have yet to emerge, areas for potential product de velopment include terminal emulation, file sharing and network management, and services such as E-mail. The Apple/ DEC alliance strengthens AppleTalk's credibility in the corporate world and may provide users with network-man
continued
1988 Mac Special Edition · B YT E 61
THE WELL-CONNECTED MAC
Exchanging Data
Cynthia W. Harriman
I f a simple exchange of data between Macs and IBM PCs and compatibles is what you 're looking for, several inex pensive alternatives to constructing a LAN are available: establishing a direct connection, performing disk-format conversion, and adding PC coprocess ing to your Mac.
Direct-connection schemes use file transfer software to send data between the Mac and PC over dial-up lines or through an RS-232C or small computer system interface (SCSI) link. Disk-for mat conversion requires adding a third disk drive to your Mac that can read and write PC disk formats. PC coprocessing boards and software let you run PC ap plications on the Mac. Depending on your needs, a combination of these op tions may be appropriate. You may also need file-translation software to allow Mac applications to read PC files.
Direct Connection The easiest approach to exchanging data is to cable the Mac and PC machines to gether for quick file transfers. If you choose this approach, you can connect the serial ports on the two machines with an appropriate cable (if you al ready own one, Apple's Imagewriter I printer cable has the right pin-outs), and you can use standard communications software to send files back and forth.
A more basic approach is to buy a turn key package like MacLink Plus. This product comes with a serial cable and easy-to-use custom file-transfer software for both the Mac and the PC. The draw back of serial connection, however, is that you 11 have to transmit at a relatively slow speed: 57 .6 kbps is the current limit.
You can overcome this constraint by using the Mac Plus, SE, or Il's SCSI. This requires a SCSI PC board and a connecting cable to the Mac's SCSI port. Transmission speed ranges from 1.4 mbps (Mac SE to PC) to 4.2 mbps (Mac IT to AT)-substantially faster than serial connections. QuickShare is one product that supports SCSI Mac-to PC file transfer.
If your machines aren't close enough to allow direct connection, you can use a modem to establish a dial-up connec tion. For example, MacLink Plus offers a modem option that includes password protection. You can boot MacLink Plus on your office PC, then dial in from a Mac at home, enter the password, and download a Lotus 1-2-3 worksheet. You can then wock oo it using Excel (which accepts 1-2-3 files) and send it back to the office PC when you 're finished. The remote Mac controls the session; you don't need someone at both ends. In ad dition, MacLink Plus translates many PC application files to Mac application formats.
Adding a Drive
Another popular file-transfer solution is to add a special disk drive that lets the Mac read and write DOS-formatted disks. Several options currently exist that let you add an MS-DOS drive to the Mac, and at least one product, Match Maker, provides a Mac drive on the PC. While all three MS-DOS drives let the Mac read PC disks, each differs in its hardware requirements, its user inter face, its file-translation capability, and the PC media it supports.
Dayna Communications' DaynaFile
connects to the SCSI port on any Mac Plus, SE, or II and handles both PC-to Mac and Mac-to-PC conversions. It's available in configurations that support either 360K-byte and 1.2-megabyte 51A inch floppy disks, or 720K-byte and 1.44-megabyte 31h-inch floppy disks. DaynaFile interacts with the Mac's op erating system and other software to ap pear as another Mac drive. In Finder, you can transfer files to and from your PC disk just as you would between Mac floppy disks. Within applications, you can access PC files transparently with the usual Open and Save commands. DaynaFile also includes translation software that converts between PC and Mac application files.
Apple's PC 5.25 Drive is similar to DaynaFile, but it requires a special in terface board that makes it usable on only the Mac SE and II. You can trans fer files in both directions, but the flop py disk drive reads only 360K-byte PC disks and requires a special transfer program (included with the Mac) to move files; Mac Finder and Mac ap plications can't access the PC disk directly.
A third alternative is Peripheral Land's Infinity I, a high-capacity 5 JA inch floppy SCSI drive intended as a mass-storage device foc Mac files. It reads 360K-byte and 1.2-megabyte PC disks, but you can't write Mac files to it.
Ifyou primarily use a PC, you can in stall MatchMaker, a half-size drive controller board and software that lets you connect a single- or double-sided Mac external floppy disk drive to your PC. The software supports five com mands: COPY, DIR, DELETE, TYPE, and
agement capabilities under Ethernet that AppleTalk currently lacks.
The venture also benefits DEC, which has had limited success with its personal computer offerings. Integrating the Mac into DECnet will be good news for the many firms that use both Macs and VAXes. DEC's research has shown that 36 percent of its VAX users also have Macs and need ways to integrate and en hance these systems.
In the meantime, there are several ways to connect Macs and VAXes. These include VT-100 and VT-200 terminal emulation, DECnet software for the
Mac, and AppleTalk file-server software for the VAX (see figure 2). The latter two alternatives require a Mac connec tion to DECnet's Ethernet backbone via an Ethernet interface card or an Apple Talk/Ethernet gateway.
Terminal-emulation packages, avail able for the Mac Plus, SE, and II, per form the necessary protocol translation to allow the Mac to act as a DEC termi nal. Terminal emulation requires soft ware for the Mac and the host, and an RS-232C cable to link the two machines. In addition to remote-terminal capabili ties, many terminal-emulation packages
also provide file transfers and other functions. Pacer Software's PacerLink, for example, supports file transfer, vir tual disk, and print spooling.
Unfortunately, terminal emulation does not take advantage of the Mac's in telligence; all processing takes place on the host. One solution is to install DEC net software, such as Technology Con cepts' CommUnity-Mac, which lets a Mac function as a DECnet end node. Such packages support the Mac interface so that attached Macs can share host re sources and access files transparently. Unlike terminal emulation, however,
62 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
THE WELL-CONNECTED MAC
Products Mentioned
!NIT (format). [Editor's note: For more information on QuickShare, DaynaFile, and MatchMaker, see "PCs and Macs Working Together " by Emil Flock in the May BYTE.]
Coprocessing
If you need to run PC programs as well
as access PC data on your Mac, con
sider adding PC coprocessing. You can
choose either of two coprocessor boards
from PerfecTek and AST Research, or
you can select software from Insignia,
which emulates MS-DOS on the Mac.
Mac coprocessing is currently unavail
able for the PC.
When comparing coprocessing op tions, look into the way each product emulates various PC video options (CGA, Hercules, and monochrome are available); how it allows for keyboard differences between the two machines; whether it can access DOS data files and programs from a PC floppy disk drive attached to the Mac; and whether MS-DOS files can share a Mac's hard disk drive. Further, check out how much memory this two-for-one approach eats up, and how performance compares to that of a stand-alone PC or AT.
Whatever system you use to exchange data between Macs and PCs, keep in mind that transferring data between the two machines may be only half the bat tle; files often need to be translated be tween Mac and PC application formats before they're usable. Luckily, the cur rent trend is toward greater file compati bility between Mac and PC programs. For example, Microsoft's Excel can ac commodate Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets, and Mac and PC versions of Excel,
DaynaFile single-drive unit .. .. ... $650-$850 two-drive unit.. ....... $810-$1205
Dayna Communications, Inc. 50 South Main St., Suite 530 Salt Lake City, UT 84144 (801) 531-0600
Inquiry M182.
Infinity I ....................... $1095 Peripheral Land 47800 Westinghouse Dr. Fremont, CA 94538 (415) 657-2211
Inquiry.M184.
Mac+ PC foc MacPlus ..... ............. ..$995 for Mac SE .. .... ... ..... .. ... $1095
PerfecTek Corp.
726 South Hillview Dr.
Milpitas, CA 95035
(408) 263-7757
Inquiry M188.
Mac286 .. .. .. .. .... .. ........... $1499
AST Research, Inc.
2121 Alton Ave.
Irvine, CA 92714
(714) 863-1333
Inquiry M186.
Microsoft Word, and other applications are available. But many other programs still require file-translation software that may or may not be included with the data exchange option you choose.
MacLink Plus ... ... .... .. .. .... .$195
DataViz, Inc.
16 Winfield St.
Norwalk, CT 06855
(203) 866-4944 Inquiry M180.
MatchMaker ............ .. .... ..$149 Micro Solutions 132 West Lincoln Hwy . DeKalb, IL 60115 (815) 756-3411 Inquiry M185.
PC 5.25 Drive ..... .. .. .. .... ... .$528
Apple Computer, Inc.
20525 Mariani Ave.
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 996-1010 Inquiry M183.
QuickShare ...... ... ... ....... ...$465 Compatible Systems Corp. P. 0. Drawer 17220 Boulder, CO 80308 (303) 444-9532 Inquiry M181.
SoftPC .... .... ............ ...... ..$595 Insignia Solutions, Inc. 1255 Post St., Suite 625 San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 885-4455 Inquiry M187.
Cynthia W. Harriman of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is the author of The MS-DOS-Mac Connection (Brady/ Simon & Schuster, 1988) . She can be reached on BJX as "editors. "
DECnet node emulation allows the Mac to function as an intelligent peer device and requires no special host software. Connection to the DECnet backbone re quires an Ethernet interface card or Ethernet gateway . CommUnity software for MS-DOS computers and Sun work stations also provides connectivity with the Mac via DECnet.
A third option is to buy software, such as Alisa Systems ' AlisaTalk, that lets a VAX operate as an AFP-compatible file server. A similar alternative is Pacer Software ' s PacerShare, which is an im plementation of Appleshare forthe VAX .
These packages let the Mac access VAX files and laser printers, and they are based on AppleTalk for VMS , a develop er's tool that implements the AppleTalk protocol suite on the VAX.
Once Mac-to-VAX network links are set up, application-level communications can occur. One promising development in Mac-to-VAX communications is Net work Innovations' CL/I , an SQL-based connectivity language that programmers can use to transparently link Mac and VAX databases. Mac databases that sup port CL/ 1 can automatically retrieve data from a VAX database. Access of re
mote data is transparent to the user, to whom all transactions appear to be hap pening locally. An Apple subsidiary, Network Innovations plans to extend CL/ 1 to support other host computers in the future. A few Mac database pro grams, such as HyperCard, are already providing VAX links through CL/I.
Mac to IBM Host The primary method of connecting the Mac to an IBM mainframe is through terminal emulation. Several configura tions are possible (see figure 3). A co
conrinued
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 63
THE WELL-CONNECTED MAC
Mac Plus, SE, or II with terminal-emulation
software
Mac Plus or SE
Dedicated Appleshare file
server (Mac Plus)
MS-DOS PC with AppleTalk interface card and Appleshare
PC
D
LaserWriter
D
RS-232C
Local Talk
connector
I~ ~I 1--~~~-r~~--'~~~"""T~~~-E_t_h_e_rn_e_t~ba_c_k_b_o_ne~~~--,.--~~~~~~--.
Gateway
VAX with AppleTalk
LocalTalk or SCSI
!{)
forVMS M~ot d~~ M·~S~(w:~.}
software and Ethernet interface card
interface card
Mac II with NuBus Ethernet interface card
Unix workstation
Figure 2: Macs connected to DECnet's Ethernet backbone can function as DECnet nodes, or the 114.X can act as an AppleTalk file server.
axial cable can connect the Mac to an IBM 3174 cluster controller, which as sembles terminal input into packets and forwards them to the mainframe.
A similar approach is to install an AppleTalk-to-IBM 3270 gateway such as Tri Data Systems' Netway 1000. The Netway acts like an IBM 3274 cluster controller to let multiple workstations on AppleTalk establish concurrent 3270 ter minal-emulation sessions (Netway sup ports up to 16 simultaneous sessions). Most 3270 terminal-emulation packages also support file transfer, but the Mac is still a dumb terminal: It simply acts as a window to processes occurring on the host.
The third option is far more powerful. It's a peer-to-peer approach in which Mac applications support MacAPPC, a developer's tool that implements IBM's Advanced Peer-to-Peer Communications or Logical Unit (LU) 6.2 architecture on the Mac. Unlike terminal emulation, MacAPPC lets the Mac interact transpar ently as an intelligent node with any computer supporting LU 6.2.
In an APPC environment, the user may know nothing about the network and need not be aware of when a connection to the network or to another computer oc curs. The application running on the Mac handles this automatically. Appli cations supporting MacAPPC operate on behalf of the user to transparently pro vide connection to the network.
MacAPPC comprises a set of APPC functions that reside on a Mac II acting as a nondedicated LU 6.2 gateway on AppleTalk. MacAPPC includes a 68000 based intelligent communications card installed in the Mac II, and an LU 6.2 server utility that supports LU 6.2/Node Type 2 .1 functions and acts as the LU 6.2 gateway.
The system administrator controls the APPC gateway. Once activated, the gate way downloads all the LU 6.2 and Node Type 2 .1 protocols onto the 68000 card, which distributes sessions over Apple Talk to Macs running special driver soft ware. The Mac's Chooser lets you select from one or more LU 6. 2 gateways on the network.
With the advent of MacAPPC, the stage is set for distributed processing be tween Macs and IBM mainframes. You 'II have to wait for the development of applications that take advantage of this new platform, however.
Mac to Others Apple's push is in the areas of DEC and IBM connectivity; however, the Mac can link to many other systems, as well. For example, several methods are available for connecting Macs with Unix worksta tions and hosts. Here, the standard Mac intosh operating system, which supports AppleTalk, requires a different approach than the A/UX Mac, Apple's Unix work station. A/UX supports the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and Sun Microsystems' Net work Filing System (NFS)-the de facto network transport and file-sharing stan dards in the Unix environment (see "Unix and the Mac Interface" by Rick Daley on page 89).
Since the A/UX Mac supports NFS and TCP/IP, connecting to a Sun or other
64 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
THE WELL-CONNECTED MAC
D-· MacSE intern al 3270 card
4101()
Mac II NuBus 3270 card
Cluster controller IBM 3174
- , lgb, lg b l - I · · I AppleTalk 3270 IBM 3725/3745
gateway
-
-·
LocalTalk
IBM
connector
~,lgbl§h,
Communications controller
S/370 mainframe
~ -~ ~i---~o LocalTalk connectors
MacAPPC gateway
Figure 3: MacAPPC goes beyond 32 70 terminal emulation and 32 70 gateways to let the Mac act as an intelligent peer node on an IBM SNA network.
Unix workstation is simply a matter of buying an Ethernet interface card to es tablish the LAN connection. For the standard Mac operating system, TOPS/ Sun workstation software lets a Sun workstation act as a TOPS network file server. Macs can access both PC and Sun files on the file server, and can indirectly access host files through an NFS net work. The Sun workstation connection to the TOPS network requires an Apple Talk-to-Ethernet gateway.
Information Presentation Technol ogies offers even broader connectivity with Unix-based systems. Its product, uShare, connects Macs, NUX Macs, PCs, and Apollo workstations, and it provides gateways between AppleTalk, Ethernet, and Apollo Domain token-ring networks. Macs can also take advantage of gateways between Apollo, DEC, and IBM environments.
The uShare software lets the A/UX Mac or an Apollo Unix-based worksta tion function as a nondedicated Apple share-compatible file server on an Ap pleTalk LAN, or the Mac can emulate a
Unix workstation to access and run Unix applications. To the Mac, the Unix work station appears as an ordinary Apple share server. Connection is via an Apple Talk interface card in the Unix host or an Ethernet interface card in the Mac. Other services supported include E-mail, vir tual disk, and print-spooling capabili ties.
Beyond the Unix environment, links to other hosts are limited to terminal em ulation. Packages are available to con nect the Mac to Prime, Pyramid, Data General, Stratus, Tandem, Wang, Hew lett-Packard, and Cray hosts.
Coming Attractions In addition to supporting AppleTalk, Apple has stated its commitment to de velop links to IBM's Systems Network Architecture (SNA), the OSI protocols, and the TCP/IP internetworking proto col suite. Apple has also committed itself to supporting the OS/2 environment, and the company is developing a Micro Chan nel-compatible AppleTalk interface card forPS/2s.
When it comes to support for inter networking, Apple is being pragmatic; it plans to support both OSI and TCP/IP. Apple already supports TCP/IP on the A/UX Mac and plans to support it under the Mac operating system. Regarding OSI protocols, Apple is also working on X.400 and X.25 gateways. An X.400 gateway would provide LocalTalk con nectivity to other networks supporting the X.400 E-mail interchange standard. An X.25 gateway would provide a direct interface between AppleTalk and public packet-switched networks such as Tym net. Support for token-ring LANs is also in the works. However, Apple has not an nounced when these products will be available.
Apple owns a minority stake in Touch Communications, an OSI software ven dor that implements the full suite of OSI protocols in a variety of computing envi ronments. Touch's OSI Mac Developer's Kit ports the OSI protocol stack to the Mac. Developers who write applications for Touch's OSI Mac can link them to
continued
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 65
THE WELL-CONNECTED MAC
A Sampling of Mac Connectivity Products
3+ for the Mac
MacMainframe
3+ for the Mac ...... . .............$495
Mac II card .... .... ................. $995
3 +Share and 3 +Server ........ $7995
Mac SE card ........ ... ........ .. .. $795
Extension of3+Share network
External unit ..... ........... .. ... $1195
operating system that connects the Mac 3270 terminal-emulation card
to 3Com's 3+Network
Requirements: Mac 512Ke or higher
Requirements: 3 +Share, Ethernet
(external unit)
interface card or Local Talk, 3 +Server Avatar Technologies, Inc.
3Com Corp.
99 South St.
3165 Kifer Rd.
Hopkinton, MA 01748
Santa Clara, CA 95052
(617) 435-6872
(408) 562-6400
Inquiry M1S7.
Inquiry M1S2.
Constellation III for the Mac
3+Mail for the Mac ... ...... ..... .$595
Constellation III ................ ... $495
lets Mac send E-mail to other Macs
Mac network interface card ... ... $249
or PCs over 3 +Network
20-megabyte Omnidrive ....... $2795
Requirements: 3+Share, 3+
Mac network operating system that
for the Mac
runs on Omninet twisted-pair LAN
3Com Corp.
Requirements: Omninet, Mac
Inquiry M1S3.
interface card, Omnidrive disk server
Corvus Systems, Inc.
EtherLink/NB.......................$595
160 Great Oaks Blvd.
Ethernet interface card
San Jose, CA 95119
Requirements: Mac II
(800) 426-7887
3Com Corp.
Inquiry M1S8.
Inquiry M1S4.
MacIRMA ......................... $1195
AlisaTalk .......... .. $4700 to $14,400, IRMA card for Mac 3278, 3279
depending on VAX CPU
Requirements: Mac II or SE
Software lets DEC VAX/unction as
Digital Communications Associates
AFP file server
1000 Alderman Dr.
Requirements: AppleTalk/Ethernet
Alpharetta, GA 30201
gateway or Ethernet interface card
(404) 442-4000
Alisa Systems, Inc.
Inquiry M1S9.
221 East Walnut St., Suite 175
Pasadena, CA 9110 l
FastNet.. ..................... $899 and up
(818) 792-9474
Ethernet controller products for the
Inquiry MISS.
Mac SE, Plus, and II (SCSI version also
available); includes Technology
TSSNet .. .. .. .. ...... ....... .. .........$495
Concepts, Inc. 's CommUnity-Mac
DECnet terminal-emulation andfile software
transfer software for the Mac
Requirements: Mac SE, Plus, or II
Requirements: AppleTalk/Ethernet
Dove Computer Corp.
gateway or Ethernet interface card
1200 North 23rd St.
Alisa Systems, Inc.
Wilmington, NC 28405
Inquiry M1S6.
(919) 763-7918
Inquiry M160.
InterBridge ... ....................... $799
Bridge device interconnects AppleTalk networks via remote or direct connection Requirements: Mac 512Ke or higher Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. P.O. Box 105203
Atlanta, GA 30348 (404) 449-8791 Inquiry M161.
PhoneNet Per Mac .................. . ....... $59.95 StarController ................... $1695
Cabling system supports up to six AppleTalk nodes over twisted-pair. Optional StarController links up to I2 PhoneNets Requirements: None Farallon Computing, Inc. 2150 Kittredge St. Berkeley, CA 94704 (415) 849-2331 Inquiry M162.
uShare Mac .................. ................$149 Host ..................... $395 to $2995 AppleTalk interface card ........ $395
AFP-compatible file-server software for AIUX Mac II, Apollo, and other Unix machines. Supports AppleTalk, Ethernet, and Apollo Domain token ring environments Requirements: Mac Plus, SE, or II; Unix to Appleshare connection requires AppleTalk/Ethernet gateway, Ethernet interface card, or AppleTalk Interface Card (for Unix hosts). Information Presentation Technologies, Inc. 23801 Calabasas Rd., Suite 2011 Calabasas, CA 91302 (818) 347-7791 Inquiry M163.
Liaison ............................. ...$295
Software bridge that interconnects localTalk networks via RS-232C or dial-up links. liaison also connects localTalk and EtherTalk networks and lets remote Macs access AppleTalk or EtherTalk networks Requirements: Mac 512Ke or higher, RS-232C cable, or Hayes-compatible 1200-bps modem on each network Infosphere, Inc. 4730 Southwest Macadam Ave . Portland, OR 9720 l (503) 226-3515 Inquiry M164.
66 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
THE WELL-CONNECTED MAC
MacServe .. .. .... .. ........... .. .. .. . .$250
PacerLink ... ... . ... .. . .. .. $2000 and up
Software converts Mac on AppleTalk
Software performs terminal
to disk and print server; read-access
emulation,file transfer, and resource
file sharing only; runs in background
sharing between Mac and DEC VAX
mode
(VMS and Ultrix) , Prime, Pyramid,
Requirements: AppleTalk
Cray, and Stratus hosts. Connection
lnfosphere, Inc.
is via Ethernet (AppleTalk/ Ethernet
Inquiry Ml65.
gateway or Ethernet interface card) ,
RS-232C, or modem
FastPath . . .. . .. ... .. .... . . . .. .. .. .. . $2495
Requirements: Mac 512Ke or higher
AppleTalk to Ethernet gateway
Pacer Software, Inc.
Requirements: Mac 512Ke
7911 Herschel Ave., Suite 402
Kinetics, Inc.
La Jolla, CA 92037
A Division of Excelan
(619) 454-0565
2540 Camino Diablo
Inquiry Ml70.
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
(415) 947-0998
PacerShare ..... . .. .... ...... $400 and up
Requirements: Mac Plus or higher.
Turns ~XIVMS into an Appleshare
Inquiry Ml66.
file server and lets the Mac access ~X
files
EtherPort
Requirements: PacerLink, Ethernet
EtherPort II .... ... .... .... .. ... .. ..$695 Pacer Software, Inc.
EtherPort SE ................. ..... .$695 Inquiry Ml71.
SCSI connection ...... $1150 to $1250
EtherPort SEL. ... . :. .... . .. .. .... .$695 NetBridge ... ... .. ..... .. .. .... .. .. .... $399
Network interface controllers for
AppleTalk network device bridge
direct Mac-to-Ethernet connections.
Requirements: Mac 512Ke or higher
EtherPort II and SE are internal
Shiva Corp.
cards for the Mac SE and II. EtherSC is 222 Third St., Suite 100
a stand-alone device that uses any
Cambridge, MA 02142
Mac SCSI port. The SEL is an interface (617) 864-8500
to Synoptics' lattisnet
Inquiry Ml72.
Requirements: Mac SE, Plus, or II
Kinetics, Inc.
InBox
Inquiry Ml67.
Software for three Macs ..........$350
Each additional Mac .. .. . .........$125
Series II, Series III Twinax
Per PC . . .... .. ......... . .. ........ . .$195
Series II (multiport) ...... . ... ... . ... .. . E-mail software for AppleTalk
$1495 to $3495 networks
Series III (single port) ...... .. .. $1195 Requirements: AppleTalk
Mac to IBM System 34, 36, and 38
Symantec Corp.
protocol-conversion and file-transfer
Think Technologies Division
software
·
135 South Rd.
Requirements: Any Mac
Bedford, MA 01730
KMW Systems Corp.
(800) 648-4465
6034 West Courtyard Dr.
Inquiry Ml73.
Austin, TX 78730
(512) 338-3000
TangentShare Server .... ..... ... . .$700
Inquiry Ml68.
AFPfile-server software for IBM PCs
or PS/2s
MacMenlo . .. .. .. ..... ........ . ... ... .$395
Requirements: IBM PC or PS/2 with
Tandem 6520 and 653X terminal 512K bytes an
d a hard disk drive
emulation and file-transfer software
Tangent Technologies, Ltd.
Requirements: Any Mac
5990 K-Unity Dr.
Menlo Business Systems, Inc.
Norcross, GA 3007l
201 Main St.
(404) 662-0366
Los Altos, CA 94022
Inquiry Ml74.
(415) 948-7920
Inquiry Ml69.
CommUnity-Mac Per license . .. . ... ..... . ... $495 to $350 Media/documentation fee . .. . .. ..$200
DECnet-compatible software;
includes VT-100 and VT-220 emulation
Requirements: Mac Plus, SE, or II
Technology Concepts, Inc.
A Bell Atlantic Co.
40 Tall Pine Dr.
Sudbury, MA 01776
(800) 777-2323 (617) 443-7311 Inquiry Ml75.
TOPS Terminal .......... ... .. ... .. .$189
Terminal-emulation software that links to any host supporting TCP/IP Requirements: Mac 512K er higher, AppleTalk/Ethernet gateway or Ethernet interface card 1DPS, a Sun Microsystems Co. 950 Marina Village Pkwy . Alameda, CA 94501 (415) 769-9669 Inquiry Ml76.
Netway 1000 ......... . .. .. . . ... ... . $3995
AppleTalk-to-3270 gateway device provides IBM 3270 terminal emulation and file transfer for up to 16 Macs Requirements: Mac 512Ke or higher, AppleTalk Tri Data Systems, Inc. 1450 Kifer Rd. Sunnyvale, CA 94086 (408) 746-2900 Inquiry Ml77.
Reflection 1 for the Mac ... .......$249
Hewlett-Packard 2392A terminal emulation and file-transfer software Requirements: Mac 512K or higher Walker Richer & Quinn 2825 EastLake Ave. E Seattle, WA 98102 (206) 324-0350 Inquiry Ml78.
Mac240 ...... .. .. . ... ........ .. .... . . .$199
DEC VT-JOO , VT-200 , VT-220, VT 240 terminal-emulation software Requirements: Mac 512Ke White Pine Software, Inc. 94 Route lOlA Amherst, NH 03031 (603) 886-9050
Inquiry Ml79.
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 67
THE WELL-CONNECTED MAC
Apple's Macintosh
Connectivity Products
Network Interface Cards
LocalTalk PC Card AppleTalk interface cardfor the IBM PC that provides basic connectivity to a LocalTalk network; it lets the PC access a networked laser printer. Price: $249
EtherTalk Interface Card An Ethernet interface cardfor the Mac II. Price: $699
Terminal Emulation
AppleLine A protocol converter that translates between AppleTalk and IBM 3270 protocols to establish Mac-to-IBM mainframe communications. Price: $1295
MacTerminal Multifunction terminal-emulation software that lets a Mac emulate a DEC VT-52 or VT-JOO terminal or an IBM 3278 Model 2 terminal when used with an AppleLine protocol converter. Price: $125
AppleLine 3270 File Transfer Software that works with the AppleLine protocol converter to transferfiles between the Mac and an IBM 3270 mainframe. Price: $99
Software Development
AppleTalk for VMS An implementation ofAppleTalk that runs on a U4X. Price: $5000 per site license
CL/1 Database connectivity language from Apple subsidiary Network Innovations Corp. Mac database applications supporting CUJ can transparently access data in VAX databases. Price: $3000 to $23, 750 per host
MacAPPC Hardware and software that lets Mac applications support IBM's Advanced Program-to-Program Communications architecture. APPC allows for distributed transaction processing between Macs and other computers supporting APPC. Available late 1988. Price: $2500 per site license
MacWorkstation Software that lets minicomputer and mainframe host software developers create applications that support the Mac user interface. Price: $2500 per site license, $5000 per developer's license
LAN Software
Appleshare Apple's file-server software that runs on a Mac Plus. The Mac Plus becomes a dedicated file server. Price: $799
Appleshare PrintSpooler Print-spooler software that runs on Appleshare. Price: $299
Appleshare PC Software that lets PCs participate on an Appleshare file server. It requires an AppleTalk interface card. Price: $149
Interpol Network-management utility; troubleshooting and fault isolation. Price: $99
DEC VAX and IBM PC environments through Touch's OSI implementations for those systems.
Another promising development is Apple's MacWorkstation, which lets host software developers and programmers build a Mac user interface into host based applications. MacWorkstation goes a step beyond terminal emulation in that it gives host applications access to the Mac interface without requiring host processing time. In addition, MacWork station "Exec" software modules let pro grammers migrate some host-processing tasks to the Mac.
One benefit of MacWorkstation is that it makes network use more efficient. By allowing MacWorkstation to handle the user interface, Apple claims that some beta users have reduced network traffic by 75 percent. MacWorkstation will run
over a variety of connections, including AppleTalk, Ethernet, serial, and IBM SNA networks.
What's Missing Ultimately, to have a complete range of networking capabilities for the Mac, companies such as Apple, DEC, IBM, and others must agree on ways to make their systems work together. Progress to ward this goal is being made through Apple's joint development project with DEC and through commitments to OSI and to providing links to IBM's SNA. However, to a large extent, Apple de pends on other companies to provide con nectivity products for the Mac.
Apple plans to meet with many of these companies to present a complete set of specifications and interfaces for which developers will be invited to build prod-
ucts. The point, as Apple's Cagle puts it, is to develop products that go beyond simply allowing the Mac to emulate dumb terminals. "Are we doing any thing more useful than would be done by putting a dumb terminal on a desk?" Ca gle asks. "If not, for the same amount of money [that you'd spend on a Mac], you can get several dumb terminals."
Developers need to do more than just provide a window to the mainframe, Cagle says. "Electronic mail is a begin ning, but there are a lot of vertical appli cations that are very important. We in tend to be more focused from the perspective of the user's needs." ·
Janet J. Barron is a technical editor and Robert L . Mitchell is an associate techni cal editorfor BYTE. They can be reached on BIX as "neural" and "r.mitchell. "
68 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
THE WELL-CONNECTED MAC
Circle M48 on Reader Service Card
Glossary
AFP
AppleTalk Filing Protocol allows file sharing to take place by controlling file access on an AppleTalk network.
APPC Advanced Program-to-Program Communications, also known as Logical Unit (W) 6.2, is IBM's SNA session protocol. In an SNA network, APPCallows direct, peer-to-peer communications between applications, eliminating the need for a host to act as an intermediary.
Gateway An intelligent device that interconnects dissimilar networks; it performs necessary protocol conversion to allow communication between both environments.
LocalTalk The physical network components and link-level protocols for sending data across an AppleTalk network. These protocols are built into the Mac and can run over shielded twisted-pair or telephone wire at 230. 4 kbps.
AppleTalk Apple's proprietary communications architecture for the Mac. AppleTalk 's seven-layer structure is similar to that ofthe OSI Reference Model (see the text box "Overview ofAppleTalk, "on page 164 ofthe July 1987 BYTE).
Bridge A device that interconnects similar local-area networks, such as two AppleTalk LANs. Both LANs must share a common addressing scheme. No protocol conversion is necessary.
CSMA/CD Collision Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection. LAN access protocol used in Ethernet and the IBM PC Network. Nodes listen to the bus and wait until the network is quiet before transmitting. When two nodes attempt to transmit simultaneously, each detects the resulting collision and waits a random time interval before attempting to retransmit (see the text box "IEEE 802 LAN Standards," on page 150 in the July I 987 BYTE).
CSMA/CA Collision Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance. Network access scheme used in AppleTalk's link access protocol. As with CSMAICD, the node waits until the bus is quiet before attempting to transmit, but rather than detecting collisions, CSMAICA attempts to minimize their occurrence by using request-to-send and clear-to-sendpackets before sending data (see the text box "Overview ofAppleTalk, " on page I 64 in the July 1987 BYTE).
LU6.2 SeeAPPC.
Node Type 2.1 Also called Physical Unit 2. I . IBM SNA network-node specification that allows direct physical links between peer nodes. Previously, SNA specified a master/slave relationship in which two nodes couldn 't establish a session without going through a mainframe.
SDLC Synchronous Data Link Control. Link-level protocol that forms the foundation ofIBM's SNA.
SNA Systems Network Architecture. IBM's communications architecture that defines physical connections, protocols, and procedures for all IBM computers and devices.
TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol. A set of internetworking protocols originally developed by the Department of Defense for ARPANET; now an industry standard.
X.400 International standardfor E-mail exchange specified by the CC/TT.
· Most formats available · Also available:
Bar code printing software Magnetic encoders Portable bar code readers Readers for other micros and terminals
TPS ELECTRONICS
4047 Transport Street
Palo Alto, CA 94303
415-856-6833
Telex: (Graphnet)
371 9097 TPS PLA
FAX: 415-856-3843
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 69
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70 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
Circle M 4 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: MS)
BYTE MACINTOSH SPECIAL EDITION
HyperCard
What Is It?
Brian L. Dear
Finally, the Macintosh has a friendly en vironment for programmers. HyperCard has been called a hypertext system, a re lational database manager, a game, and an "information handler." Despite all proclamations, however, it's none of these; rather, it's a tool for developing any and all of them. Undeniably, it's a fun way to work, but what exactly is it, and why the fuss? HyperCard is an au thoring system, and it is significant be cause it is the first authoring system to reach the general public.
Classifying HyperCard as an author ing system opens the door to all the issues, implications, and problems that have come to be associated with such sys tems. For example, one of the strongest temptations for an author is to overuse available special effects: too many colors or fonts, too much text, too many graph ics, too much audio. Much of the stack ware currently available for HyperCard suffers from these kinds of problems. Perhaps, if we understand what is already known about authoring, we can lessen the likelihood of repeating history.
Authoring Systems An authoring system is an integrated software toolkit used to create interac tive applications that communicate knowledge. Typically, the goal of these applications is to impart knowledge, and the purpose behind using them is to learn. In computer-based learning appli cations, for example, this knowledge falls into a particular academic or train ing domain: The application takes the role oftutor; the user takes the role of stu dent. Increasingly, authoring systems have been used to develop other kinds of applications as well. With an authoring system like HyperCard, the knowledge is likely to be of a more practical nature, such as name and address lists, appoint ment calendars, and travel and business information.
Authoring systems are not new. There is an old and well-established authoring
Sometimes a word
is worth a
thousand pictures
community, whose scope, historically, hasn't spread much beyond the bounds of educational institutions. Authoring sys tems originated out of a need to generate large amounts of computer-based learn ing materials, or courseware, in a shorter period of time than it would take with a traditional programming language.
Educators have many long-standing reasons for favoring authoring systems over more traditional programming lan guages. Key among them is the emphasis on interactivity, or give and take, with the machine. In computer-based learn ing situations, it's crucial that the com puter actively stimulate and involve the student. Stimulation requires a wisely chosen blend of outputs-graphics, text, and, when appropriate, color, audio, and video. Involvement requires the same wise selection of available inputs-key board, mouse, touch-sensitive screen, digitizing pad, speech, and so on.
Good courseware is, by definition, highly interactive. A good authoring sys tem typically features a variety of tools, providing a rich assortment of possibili ties for stimulating and involving the stu dent. While the number and sophistica tion of these tools varies greatly from system to system, experienced authors agree on the "essential" ingredients.
· Branching. An authoring system must support direct, conditional, and user controlled movement through the appli cation. · Creating, storing, and displaying bit mapped graphics. For most applications,
you need a resolution of at least 512 by 350 pixels; the system should support such resolutions. · Response analysis. Since interactivity is the key to success in an authoring sys tem, it should support a powerful set of string functions to examine a user's in put and match it against a list of correct alternatives. The system should also check for correct spellings and let you set a threshold level for misspellings; that is, it should accept ·minor misspellings if you wish. · Audio and video support. The system should support the software routines re quired to control random-access audio and videodisk devices. · Multiple levels of authoring. Because expertise varies greatly from author to author, the system must be able to sup port a range of authoring skills. The low est level is typically menu-driven and the easiest to use. A more experienced au thor would probably access a higher level, which should include an editor for writing source code in an authoring language. · Standard programming features. The authoring language should support the constructs found in a standard program ming language, such as IF . . . THEN ... ELSE, REPEAT ... UNTIL, FOR ... NEXT, and soon. · File manipulation. The authoring sys tem should support the necessary tools to manipulate (e.g., create, read, write, and destroy) files; in other words, it should support database management. · Other language support. You should be able to write your own routines in a gen eral-purpose language, like Pascal, C, or assembly language, and include them in the authoring language.
Strengths and Weaknesses When you need to develop a highly inter active application, an authoring system is probably your best bet. A good authoring system often turns out to be especially
continued
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 71
HYPERCARD
amenable to developing materials that have nothing to do with education. Over the years, many people have discovered that such a system proved to be just the right tool for creating presentation pro grams or developing games (except for those that require assembly language, such as arcade games). Authoring sys tems save time because you don't need to program a specific set of response-anal ysis, display, and branching routines for each application. These functions are built in and usually much more flexible than those available in a traditional lan guage library.
On the other hand, applications devel oped with an authoring system almost always run more slowly than their tradi tional counterparts. Sometimes the in creased flexibility is worth the cost in speed and efficiency, but it's a choice you have to make. Applications devel oped with an authoring system are also likely to consume more disk space and memory, due to the larger overhead re quired. HyperCard, for instance, re quires a great deal of overhead to keep track of cards, buttons, and scripts.
Three Ways of Seeing The Macintosh interface is based on solid psychological theory that can be traced to the work of psychologist Jerome Bruner and his colleagues . In Bruner's book Toward a Theory of Instruction (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1966), he identified three types of mental representation: enactive, iconic, and symbolic.
The first, enactive representation, in volves how we remember action, move ment, and coordination-the "psycho motor" skills. Learning the latest dance, how to swing a baseball bat, or how to operate a stick shift, we represent these skills enactively. When we want to "tear off" HyperCard's Tools menu, we call upon enactive representations of various actions with the mouse: clicking, drag ging, and releasing.
The second type of mental representa tion is iconic; it refers to the mental sum marization of visual and other sensory stimuli. We call on iconic representa tions to fill in, complete, or extrapolate. Icons and bit-mapped graphics are two examples of the Macintosh's heavy use of iconic representation.
The highest levels of abstraction in volve the third type, symbolic represen tation: This refers to words and lan guage. When we name a card in a HyperCard stack, write a HyperTalk script, or say the word HyperCard itself, we are using symbolic representations.
any
nonprogrammers are quickly becoming HyperTalk experts.
ware had a great impact on the possibili ties available. In a way, this was a bless ing, because the limitations forced you to consider your options more carefully.
As these hardware and software limi tations disappear, the range of options widens tremendously . HyperCard is merely a hint of the future for authoring systems. But as the range of options ex pands, we will have to be increasingly careful with our designs.
Creating Stacks
Stack developers need to be especially
The Macintosh is considered a user careful in designing stacks. There is a
friendly machine because it appeals to strong temptation to overdo it and get car
all three forms of mental representation. ried away with all the options available.
It's easy to learn, and its software is easy Designing and developing interactive
to use because of the heavy dose of enac computer applications is an exciting and
tive and iconic representation, forms we engrossing task, but it requires restraint,
are most likely to resort to when learning temperance, and constant consideration
something new. The success of the Mac of the user for whom the stack is in
intosh user interface is largely due to its tended. Here are some points for you to
rich mix and constant cycling of the en consider, based on lessons learned by au
active, iconic, and symbolic.
thors of computer-based learning
In contrast, we could classify IBM PC materials.
software-dBASE III, WordStar, and the
command-line style of MS-DOS itself, · The right tool. Is HyperCard the right
for example-as more symbolic than tool for the job? Or would a conventional
Mac software. One theory might be that Macintosh programming language be
preference for a Mac over an IBM PC or more appropriate for this application?
vice versa is due at least in part to how HyperCard isn't the solution to every
comfortable you are with heavily sym problem.
bolic representation.
· Time. How much time do you have to
Recent software developments reveal develop the stack? Applications take
some intriguing trends. The IBM PC time, and you're just as likely to find
world is paying more and more attention bugs in your HyperTalk scripts as you
to enactive and iconic representations: are in a C or Pascal program. The au
Witness Microsoft Windows, Excel, and thoring process is very similar to the life
OS/2. The Macintosh world, on the other cycle of creating any programming prod
hand, is now adding more symbolic kinds uct; good programs require constant test
of representation to its repertoire: Con ing and refinement.
sider A/UX, Apple's implementation of · Goals. Why are you using HyperCard?
Unix.
What do you hope to achieve? Does your
HyperCard takes advantage ofthe var goal meet the user's needs; for example,
ious capabilities of the Macintosh inter will it increase the user's productivity?
face. It resides in the Mac's very flexible · Usefulness. Will the stack serve some
operating environment, whose design is genuinely useful purpose? Or are you
sensitive to all three modes of mental writing it simply as an exercise, as pro
representation. HyperCard incorporates gramming practice? Experienced au
highly advanced concepts in computer thors always ask, "Why does this appli
science, many of which originated in the cation need to be on-line?" You should
research on object-oriented program make a list of all the reasons why it
ming environments such as SmallTalk. should be on-line and compare it to one
Many people who have never pro showing all the reasons it would work
grammed before are quickly becoming fine off-line-in print, for instance.
experts in HyperTalk and stack develop · Audience. Who will be using the
ment because of its ingenious context. stack? Is it for personal use, or do you
Everyone knows what a button is.
plan to sell it commercially or offer it as
Older authoring systems, especially shareware? Even if it's just for your own
those on time-shared minicomputers or . use, you should be sensitive to how its de
mainframes, were limited in their ability sign appeals to the three levels of me'ntal
to meet an author's demands. The speeds representation. Pictures get old fast.
at which you could display text, graphics, Sometimes, as Bruner said, a word is
and animated sequences on older hard
continued
72 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
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1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 73
HYPERCARD
worth a thousand pictures. If you ' re de signing the stack for many users, then you need to be extra sensitive to the broad range of user preferences.
For example, suppose you're design ing a personal financial-planner stack that ends with a simple electronic check book. Which would be better for its users: making them use the mouse to click on a bunch of buttons in a fancy graphic representation of a calculator (emphasis on the enactive and iconic) , making them type their arithmetic ex pression into the HyperCard message box (emphasis on the symbolic), or giv ing them the option to do either? · Sound. The Macintosh can generate fairly decent digitized and synthesized sound. You should use sound resources with restraint. Ask yourself whether the stack's users will really benefit from those digitized audio clips of Captain Kirk's voice. · Title pages. Do you really need one? How often do you expect users to access
the stack? Will they use it all the time, or only once in a great while? Most soft ware packages deliberately lack a title page. Consider what the users really get out of looking at your title page every time they enter the stack. · Shadowing. Shadowing two adjacent sides of a box may indeed enhance the three-dimensional illusion. But are you trying to highlight the box, or the infor mation in the box? If you 're only shadow ing for aesthetics, you may be better off without it. · Fonts. Using too many different fonts is almost always worse than using just a few. If the design calls for using unusual fonts in a stack intended for other users, remember that many users may not have your font files on their systems; if you use them, you may have to include them as resource files in your stack. · Foreground vs. background. A rela tively recent feature of authoring systems is the ability to designate some portions of the screen as foreground and others as
background. Sharing the same back ground among a sequence of cards re duces both the amount of new informa tion on the screen and the amount of storage required for the stack. · Visual effects. One of HyperCard's more interesting-and fun-features is its collection of visual effects. When de signing your application , however, be careful about using them. Effects like barn door, iris, dissolve, and venetian blind may be stimulating and attention getting, but they may also be distracting. An application that uses a lot of visual ef fects tends to call attention to itself; in other words, too many or too complex vi sual effects can make what should usu ally be a transparent interface all too apparent. · Degree of realism. If there's one thing authors of computer-based learning ma terials face every day, it's the balance be tween realism and practicality. How re alistic do graphics have to be to get the point across? Unfortunately, many Mac-
"Take a note of that ; his Lordship says he will turn it over in what he is pleased to call his mind"
Richard Bethell, Lord Westbury
Figure 1: Do the Rolodex card-file notches really add to the understanding ofthe information in this stack?
Figure 2: Tom scraps ofpaper and memo pins look realistic, but what purpose do they serve on a computer screen?
Figure 3: The books make a pretty menu, but is it an appropriate user interface?
74 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
tt File Edit Go Tools Obje cts
first Name and Init i al
_J Lo st Nam e
Mr./M s.
Cu stom er Numb er
I.. -
Order dote
·---------d Mail or Phone
,__Q_... a
~V_i_s·_l_M_C _N_um_b_e_r_ _ _E.:....x..:..p.:....lr_u.:....tt..:..on.:.....:....Co__:U.:....e_ _ Credit Cord or Che c k
\~ ;=L=·=--'===~--~·-· -~· ===$I1===~J1M-k.t2. c1od_e _a._1
@R ed Widget
O Blue Widget
0 Green Widget 0Book Order
I Check S
======!
.G_i_ft'"-0"'r_de'"r-'D"" ' - - - -T ot ol Due LI- - - - '
t J I Customers
I
Order En t ry
1-
Conee l
New Order ) dill
Figure 4: Forms like these may work fine on paper, but on line they impede the user 's productivity.
HYPERCARD
intosh developers can't resist the tempta tion to over-simulate physical reality: In effect, they try to make hardware out of software.
Stackware developers need to ask themselves these kinds of questions over and over again: Do I really need that pretty, digitized image of a telephone? Will the users really benefit from pic tures of Rolodex cards so faithful to the real thing that even the card's notches are present? Real Rolodex cards have those two notches for a reason. Think long and hard before putting them on-line. Re member, in stackware (as in course ware), graphics gobble up disk space fast. Consider the degree to which your HyperCard displays facilitate or impede the user's abilities to mentally process what you have presented (see figures l, 2, and 3). · Forms. When designing fill-in-the blank forms on a computer display, first consider how faithful the form must be to its paper equivalent. Some forms, like the 1040 tax form, work well when faith fully transferred on-line. Users are quite familiar with the paper versions of the 1040 forms; thus, a faithful computer rendition is important. But most paper forms demand a better design when put on-line. Remember that paper forms are designed primarily for the benefit of the clerk who must read them. Since on-line forms eliminate that drudgery, the de sign of such forms should consider its users (see figure 4).
A New Standard In its short lifetime, HyperCard has be come the standard against which all others must now compete. Its ease of use and intuitive interface have captured the imagination and boosted the confidence of many novice programmers.
But we must remember that Hyper Card is the latest in a long line of author ing systems. Many lessons have been learned over the years, and stackware developers should strive to consider the issues, both good and bad, that authoring systems raise. With an understanding of the design principles of authoring sys tems, we are less likely to make the same mistakes again. ·
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I am grateful to Apple Fellow Alan C. Kay for a discussion of Bruner's theory and the Macintosh.
Brian L. Dear is director ofproduct de velopment at Coconut Computing, Inc., in San Diego, California. He can be reached on BIX as "whofan. "
HyperCard
How Does It Work?
Laurence H. Loeb
Make it work
the way
you want it to
What I remember most from the Boston MacExpo in August 1987 is Bill Atkin son's smile as he showed off Hyper Card' s tear-off menus for the first time. He waited as the implications of using tear-offs started to percolate through the room. As more and more people started to comprehend what their eyes were tell ing them, Bill broke out into this great, loopy grin that said, "Isn't it nice to have something work the way you want it to?"
This new tool forced me to do some se rious questioning about how I'd been using the Macintosh in my dental busi ness. I had been using several discrete programs to do the business functions, in a manner that had remained basically the same since 1984. I generated informa tion for each patient with a database and a word processor, and I used the Finder to sort by date for accounts receivable. A simple system, true, but it worked.
I had tried to make an electronic pa tient chart with MacPaint. While I could save the graphical information I needed, I hadn't used it very much. I needed dif ferent kinds of information while I was working, not just graphics; I needed the text as well. Moreover, I didn't want to have to reenter data I already had in elec tronic form. I needed the maximum re turn for each input.
HyperCard lets me combine graphics with text-it's MacPaint with buttons that do things. (I use a mouse better than a keyboard when I l"\ilve gloves on, any way.) A HyperChart can bring up de tailed areas of interest without a fixed se quence. That's the point ofthe navigation
features: to let HyperCard keep track of where you've been. It does housekeep ing-and windows, to boot. They're called cards, but you can do things with them that are "windowlike."
The patient chart is a common denomi nator in dental treatment: It's a graphical record that's pretty standard in content. Specific implementations of it may vary, but the information tends to be similar. Ifl could devise a way to present this record on a Mac's screen, I could refer to it, as I do to paper records, during treatment. And while I was at it, I thought I'd make it user extensible; that is, ifl wanted to change the symbols I used to mean various kinds of treatments, or add new ones, I could without a major effort.
Customizing with HyperCard HyperCard gives me the paint tools that let me customize an application any way I see fit-and they're built in. I don't need any complicated calling sequences. Eventually, I used the background of a card the same way I had used the Mac Paint document earlier; that is, the back ground contains the basic graphical in formation I need on all charts (see figure 1). I can then overlay whatever symbols I want on top of this, ending up with a graphical record that is the equivalent of a drawing on a preprinted form (see fig ure 2). IfI need a reminder about some thing specific, I can attach a Post-it note at the touch of a button (see figure 3). More "paper simulation," sure, but that's what I'm comfortable with.
After deciding on the basic paradigm, I had to decide how the stack should "flow." In this application, I need to move from the general to the specific from the basic chart to a specific tooth. And what simpler way to getthere than to click over its position on the chart? HyperCard lets me do this with a "trans parent" background button-one that a patient-information card can inherit. If I click on the button, it tries to do what its
continued
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 75
HYPERCARD
C file Edit Go Tools Objects
Figure 1: The basic graphical information neededfora dental chart.
Figure 2: This chart contains bone-level information drawn with a brush tool.
fou r
181 Mesl ol D Llnguol
ctonf!
~ Occlus:ol
181 Dl<1ol O Ruccol
Figure 3: A Post-it note serves to remind me ofanything unusual.
Figure 4: I can put in the treatment for a spec(fic tooth by pushing the applicable buttons.
script tells it. Since it's "transparent," all I see is that I'm pointing at and click ing on a specific tooth. In the back ground button's script, I set up the card I want to go to next. Once I select a spe cific tooth-and, by implication, the card as well-I can either record current information or call up a history of what has occurred in the past.
I find that the simplest way of showing history is to have a procedure record in English that I can display as I need it. To make the integration work well, the stack has to create this record as each treat ment is recorded. To input the informa tion, I simply click on the applicable but tons (see figure 4 ), and the stack creates a text container with this information in it. To do this, the stack checks the high light property of each of the buttons when the card is closed by the action of the return button. (A fragment of the closeCard routine I used is shown in
listing 1.) If the highlight of a detail but ton is true, that button has been clicked. The stack then builds a text container that has the name of the clicked button in it.
When I have recorded all the treat ment information, a button click updates the appropriate text file with all the text containers for a particular date. (It would be easy, for example, to use tabs in build ing the text file if I later wanted to use this file in Excel or another database that recognizes tabs.)
Adding the Extras One protection I wanted to build into the stack was to have it remind me if I forgot to save my changes. Almost all Macin tosh programs do this, so why not a stack? The script to do this is deceptively simple (see listing 2) and is performed when control leaves the patient's card. (The variable changedRec is set to true when one of the hold variables has some
thing other than empty in it. The name of the current patient, currentpt, is also thename of the patient's card.)
This script shows HyperTalk's ability to send messages that HyperCard can actually perform. Instead of having to goto a line of a script, you can pass an activating message to a particular object, and it will perform its own script. For in stance, in this script, sending the mouse Up message to the button has the same ef fect as clicking on the button with the mouse. This kind of system message is an elegant way to program "top down." Each object can potentially be accessed as a executable module. (Yes, this is ob ject-oriented programming.)
But HyperTalk can't deal with every thing: It can't put up a standard Mac file select dialog box, for example. For this, HyperCard 's designers left a "back door" entry, called XFCNs, which pro vide a way to link code generated by an
76 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
HYPERCARD
Listing 1: This routine checks the highlight property ofthe buttons when the card is closed.
on closeCard
[omitting global setups and the like]
put empty into buildline
--you can't use a container without letting
--HyperCard know about it first
put empty into flagger
- -check each button
get the hilite of background button id 4
if it is true then
put "L" before buildline
put true into f lagger
--let our end know we have
--something in the buildline
end if
get the hilite of background button id 5 if it is true then
put "B" before buildline
put true into flagger
end if
[more similar code omitted]
if flagger is true then put "--5--" & return & buildline &&
restmat & return into hold5 --holding area for tooth 5
end if end closeCard
Listing 2: This script puts up a typical Macintosh reminder so I don't forget to save my changes.
on closeCard global changedRec get the hilite of button 3 if it is true then --indicates the save check box is clicked if changedRec is true then --put up dialog box
answer "Save changes to patient record?"
with "OK" or "Cancel"
--exit now if they don't want to save changes
if it is "Cancel" then exit closeStack
send mouseUp to card button id 45 of this card
--press the "update patient record" button
--just as if the mouse had clicked it
put false into changedRec
--since we wrote the patient's record,
--reset the flag
end if --end the first if construct end if --end the check box construct end closeCard
other programming language (like C or Pascal) into HyperTalk-accessible verbs. Steve Maller of Apple wrote a nice XFCN to put up the file-select dialog box. In my text-editor card, I use this widely available XFCN, along with
Dewi Williams's HyperTalk function for getting only the last part (the true filename) out of a full path name; that's what the FileName XFCN puts into a container (see listing 3).
continued
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1988 Mac Special Edition · B Y T E 77
HYPERCARD
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Listing 3: This routine gets the real filename out ofa full path name.
on mouseUp put FileName ("TEXT") into theFile --invoke the FileName XFCN only showing TEXT files set lockscreen to true if theFile is not empty then -- cancel hasn't been pressed open file theFile
read from file theFile for 16384
--take the entire file in at once; up to the EOF
put it into card field "Text Box"
--display file in text box on card
set the scroll of card field "Text Box" to 0
--set to the top of the field close file theFile put LastPathComponent(theFile) into card field "File Name" --file name from full path
put "Patient Record" into card field "whatKind"
--force feed this, so the edit card can be reused
end if
set lockscreen to false
end mouseUp
LastPathComponent: given a file pathname, returns the last component (i.e., whatever comes after last colon, if anything). From Dewi Wil liams
function LastPathComponent name --scan backwards for the last colon.
repeat with i = the length of name down to 1 if character i of name is "·" then exit repeat
end repeat
if i is 1 then Name was of the form ":thing" or "thing". Check for leading colon, and adjust if necessary. Done for generality.
if first character of name is "·" then
put 2 into i
end if
else
add 1 to i -- skip the colon
end if
-- Name was of the form "Thing:otherthing". Return "otherThing". put empty into lastpath repeat with j = i to the length of name
put character j of name after lastpath
end repeat
return lastpath
end LastPathComponent
78 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
One of the tools I used during develop ment was a stack that had most of the available public domain HyperCard tools available on it. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. The creator of the Developer Stack is Steve Drazga, who organized the information in a HyperCard-like man ner. This is an extremely well done stack. He even put HyperTalk syntax in it for a quick on-line reference, similar to Steve Capps's Programmer's On-Line Companion. I found it easier to have the syntax available within HyperCard for the odd quick reference than to have to search through a book. (I probably could
have used the Help stack that is included with HyperCard, but the arrangement in the Developer Stack was much more compact.) Updating the stack is also done in an ingenious manner that doesn't require downloading the entire stack again and again. You can transmit just the changes, and the stack updates itself.
System Details I finally came up with a "master record" card that I could clone into specific pa tient records. This is the first card you encounter upon opening the stack. I wanted to allow only three actions at this
HYPERCARD
MacRobotics TM
Listing 4: This script creates an employee card by hiding and showing a card field.
--"edit the employee data" button on mouseUp
set lockscreen to true set the scroll of card field 4 to 0 show card field 4 show card button id 9 set lockscreen to false end mouseUp
--when done editing click this button on mouseUp global nopush
put true into nopush send opencard to this card --surprise! send an openCard message end mouseUp
--what happens when you open an employee card? on openCard
global nopush if nopush is true then
--otherwise the openCard message
--would scrarr~le the popping order
put false into nopush
else
push recent card end if set lockscreen to true hide card field 4 --hide the history field put card field 4 into record --put the text into a variable if offset("**",record) > 0 then
--"**" is a marker for end of
--employee's address information
put char 1 to (offset("**",record) -2l
of record into card field 3
--put up to the "**" into a visible LOCKED field,
--so user can't mess with the data
else
put "Error encountered in opening card" into msg
play boing
show msg
wait for 3 seconds
hide message
pop card
exit openCard
end if set lockscreen to false end openCard
point-go back home, make a new card, and open an existing one. So I wouldn't alter the master card, I covered it with buttons in the forefront that will do these tasks when clicked. Most HyperCard novices overlook the manner of arrang ing buttons (or other objects) so that an intended overlap occurs. The Home Card button overlaps all the other buttons on my stack, for instance. Iftwo HyperCard objects occupy the same space, one will
overlap the other. To get the desired overlap, you select the button and invoke the bring closer/send back HyperCard commands. This is similar to what you
might do in MacDraw with objects, ex cept that in HyperCard each type of ob ject has its own layer.
Ifl select the open button, a dialog box appears asking for a name. At this point, an implicit shift in the card handling may occur. You can define a special name to mean that a different kind ofrecord-for instance, an employee record-should be retrieved rather than a patient record. That employee card may include em ployee data, such as address and phone number, or you could use it as a payroll system if appropriate HyperCard func
continued
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Add-Ons for the Blind
What you add on to your computer, if you're a blind operator, is almost more important than the compute r itself. Scanners, modems, braille printers, speech synthesizers, brai lle output devices and a host of other peripherals are described in "Add-Ons: T he Ultimate Guide co Peripherals for the Blind Computer User." The product reviews co ntained in this book are written by those who know them best- blind computer users.
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HYPERCARD
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An assortment of public domain stacks is available on BIX in the stackware area of the listings
tions are embedded in it. I made a HyperText employee card
simply by hiding and showing a card field. (A card field works for this rather than a background field, because it can store individual information as well as display it. If you used a background field common to all employee cards, there would be more overhead to make sure the correct information was being shown.) Listing 4 contains the script for the but tons that do all the work for this field.
Create Your Own What possible use would you have for a dental stack? Perhaps a lot, if you 're a dentist; probably none if you're not. But HyperCard as a tool can, with a dose of ingenuity and creativity, help you make something that you need. I certainly couldn't have created this application as simply without it, and DentalStack has helped me a great deal. ·
Laurence H. Loeb is an electrical-engi neer-turned-dental-surgeon in Walling ford, Connecticut. He is comoderator of the macintosh conference on BIX. He can be reached on BIXas "lloeb. "
The Macintosh as an Engineering Workstation
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80 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
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1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 81
The Joystick Ousts the
Mouse
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BYTE MACINTOSH SPECIAL EDITION
Using Color QuickDraw
on the Mac II
Jan Eugenides
I have to admit it: I didn't think color on the Macintosh was important. But when I began to explore my new Mac II, I saw I was wrong. Color adds vitality and clar ity; it's no mere frill. Best of all, it's not that difficult to add color to your own programs, using Color QuickDraw.
I obtained an early beta draft of Inside Macintosh Volume V (1987, Apple Pro grammer's and Developer's Assoc.), which contains information on the vari ous color routines. After much experi mentation, I worked out an interesting method of color animation. The tech nique involves constantly modifying the color lookup table contained in the video RAM. It works with any AppleColor monitor and video card, and should work with any third-party video board as long as it supports a 256-color mode. This ap plication produces absolutely stunning, almost mesmerizing, effects, so I've named it Mesmer (see photo 1). The C listing is fairly long, so only fragments of it appear here. [Editor's note: The com plete listings for this article are available in a variety offormats. See page 3.]
I'll briefly explain some of the fea tures of Color QuickDraw and how these are used to produce Mesmer's effects. A detailed description of Color QuickDraw is beyond the scope of this article, but it is available in Inside Macintosh Volume V or you can check out Scott Knaster's Macintosh Programming Secrets from Addison-Wesley. We' re only going to cover the groundwork we need to under stand what Mesmer does, and dive right in for a close look at the code. At the end of this article I'll explain some caveats to using this technique, but Mesmer pro vides several working examples of how to access and use Color QuickDraw for your own needs.
Here's a working example ofa Mac II
color animation
Color QuickDraw If you are familiar with QuickDraw, Color QuickDraw holds few surprises. Most ofthe same drawing commands are available, except that you can now speci-
Photo 1: Mesmer in operation.
fy the color to be used for the operation. The standard Macintosh drawing inter face, the grafPort, supports the eight original QuickDraw colors: black, yel low, magenta, red, cyan, green, blue, and white. Since Mesmer uses 256 colors to produce its effects, this requires you to draw in a color grafPort (cGrafPort) instead. The structure of a cGrafPort is practically identical to a grafPort, and both structures are the same size. Apple was able to pack more information into a cGrafPort by changing several fields (bkPat, pnPat, and fillPat) from bit pattern data to handles pointing to color information. Also, the portBits field no longer points to a Bi tMap structure that itself points to the grafPort's bit mapped data, but has a handle to a color pixel map that contains information on the color image. The easiest way to allo cate a cGrafPort is to simply call NewC Window ( ) in your application. This ROM call is similar to the old New Window( ) call, but instead creates a color window using a cGrafPort.
All colors in Color QuickDraw are manipulated in an RGB space. The ROB space serves as a common ground where applications can use color in a consistent, hardware-independent manner. Color values are represented by an RGBColor data structure that specifies the red, green, and blue components of a color. (See code fragment 1.) Each of the three components are short integers (16 bits) that can have values from 0000 hexadeci mal for the lowest intensity to FFFF hexadecimal representing the highest in tensity. If all three components are zero, the color is black. If all three are FFFF hexadecimal, the color is white. When ever all three components are equal to one another, the result is a shade of gray. All other combinations result in colors . You should note that although RGBColors store each component as a short integer, Color QuickDraw currently uses only one byte of information per color compo
concinued
1988 Mac Special Edition · B YT E 83
COLOR QUICKDRAW
Code fragment 1: RGBColor data structure.
typedef struct RGBColor( unsigned short red; unsigned short green; unsigned short blue; RGBColor;
I* magnitude of red component */
/* magnitude of green component */ /* magnitude of blue component */
Code fragment 2: ColorTable data structure.
typedef struct ColorTable(
long
ctSeed; I* unique identifier for table *I
short short
ctFlags; I* flags describing the spec array */
- ctSize ; /* number of entries 1 *I
CSpecArray ct Tab l e ; I* array [0 .. OJ of Co l orSpec *I
ColorTable, *CTabPtr, **CTabHand l e ;
Code fragment 3: The Environs structure.
s hort machine, ra m; Environs(&rom, &machine);
Code fragment 4: Using GetGDevice to extract the pixel depth
GDHandle
gH;
Pi xMapHandle
pH;
gH = GetGDevice() ; /*get a handle to main graphics device*/
pH = (**gH) .gdPMap;
/*get a handle to its PixMap*/
i f ( (**pH) . pixelSize == 8 )
/*examine the pixelSi ze field*/
/*a pixel size of 8 indicates 256 colors are available*/
Code Fragment 5: Inner drawing loop for Mesmer.
for(theta = 0.0; theta< 480.0*v; theta += v)
(
RGBForeColor(&color); /*set the drawing color*/
r theta/v;
x = midx+r*cos(theta); /*make some patterns*/
y = midy+r*sin(theta);
LineTo(x,y);
/*draw a line from the last point to
this one */
index++;
/* cycle thru al l 256 colors in the clut */
if(index>=255)index = 0;
Index2Color(index,&color);
)
Code fragment 6: Using SetEntries( ).
for(n = 0; n < 512; n++)
(
tempval = temptable[255];
/* shift all entries down one */
for(j=254; j>=O; j--)
temptable[j+l] = temp t able[j];
temptable[O] = tempval;
SetEntries(0,255,temptable); /*install the new clut */
Delay(lL,&ticks);
/*slow rotation slightly*/
}
84 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
nent, which gives you a palette of 224 or 16,777,216 colors.
How is an RGBColor presented on, say, a monitor? Color QuickDraw uses a lookup table mechanism that translates RGBColors into values that a video board then uses to index into its own map of color information. The information in this map, or color lookup table (CLUT), is used by the hardware to drive the monitor. This arrangement effectively hides the messy hardware details from programmers and allows them to focus on developing products rather than worry about compatibility problems.
Color QuickDraw groups a cGraf Port's colors into a data structure called a ColorTable. Its structure is shown in code fragment 2. As you can see, each entry in the color table is not simply an RGBColor but a ColorSpec. A Color Spec data structure consists of a value field (short integer) followed by an RGBColor. This value field is nothing more than 3 to 5 of the most significant bits of each component of the RGBColor record. These values are used to index into the video board's color map to deter mine what colors you see. My output de vice was a color monitor, but these values could index into a color map whose values describe the "best-fit" colors for a color printer. These values are used in ternally by Color QuickDraw (actually the Color Manager) and shouldn't be modified by your application. I'll show how this mechanism works in the "Using the Color Manager" section.
In place of the old familiar Bi tMap used by a grafPort is the PixMap, a structure that defines the cGrafPort's pixels. The first three fields of a PixMap are the same as those of a Bi tMap: a pointer to the pixel image (baseAddr), an offset that determines the number of bytes from one row of pixels to the next (rowBytes), and the boundaries of the image (bounds). A PixMap contains ad ditional fields that define the horizontal and vertical resolution of the image (hRes and vRes); the image' s depth, or physical bits per pixel (pixelSize); and other information. In its current incarna tion, Color QuickDraw uses a "chunky" pixel image format that has all of a pixel's bits stored consecutively in mem ory, and all of a row's pixels stored con secutively as well.
Although QuickDraw works with RGB colors, it also provides other ways to define a color. Color QuickDraw has conversion routines for HSY (hue, satu ration, and value), HLS (hue, lightness, and saturation) and CMY (cyan, ma genta, and yellow) color models. The
COLOR QUICKDRAW
Color Picker package contains routines to display a color wheel that lets you select a particular color from it (see photo 2), and routines to convert between the various color definitions.
There's more to Color QuickDraw, of course: color cursors, color patterns, new drawing modes, a new picture for mat, and new text-handling routines. But, in general, Color QuickDraw can be regarded as an enhancement to the old QuickDraw, not a departure from it. Pro grams written with the original Quick Draw still run under Color QuickDraw, as long as they don't make any assump tions about an image' s pixel depth or memory requirements.
SysEnvirons ( ) call. Apple's Technical Note #129 explains how to do this.
Once you have determined that the color calls are available, you should de termine the current pixel depth; put an other way, how many colors are current ly available? This question arises from the fact that the number of colors dis played can be set by the user via the Con trol Panel.
For simplicity, I designed Mesmer to
Change olor - Ind H #35
require 256 colors. This is not a great idea for a commercial application, which should be capable of running with any number of colors, but it's fine for a short demonstration application. To ensure that the display is using 256 colors, Mes mer examines the pixel depth of the main graphics device, which is the display that encompasses that part of the Desktop with the menu bar.
continued
Checking Your Machine Environment When writing a color application, it's a good idea to add code that checks whether Color QuickDraw is available on the Macintosh executing your program. Since these routines are written in 68020 code, attempting to run them on a Mac Plus or Mac SE will produce a system bomb-a clearly undesirable result. For tunately, it's easy to have your applica tion check what type of machine is run ning it. The Environs() function returns information about the machine and the ROM; it is shown in code frag ment 3. If a Mac II is running your appli cation, machine will be equal to 2.
Currently , only the Mac I I has color capabilities, so this is a sufficient check. However, for future compatibility, it's better to check directly for the availabil ity of Color QuickDraw itself, using the
Photo 2: The Color Picker Dialog box. You can select a color by pointing and clicking on the color wheel or by typing values into the text field boxes. Values for a color can be entered as an RGB color model or an HSV color model.
Listing 1: The gDevice data structure. Mesmer extracts information about the depth ofthe screen from gdPMap, which is a handle to the PixMap associated with this gDevice.
typedef struct GDevice
{
short
gdRefNum;
I* reference number of driver */
short
gd!D;
/* client ID for search procedures */
short
gdType ;
/ * device type */
ITabHandle gdITable;
/* handle to inverse lookup table */
short
gdResPref;
/* preferred resolution of GDITable */
SProcHndl
gdSearchP r oc; / * list of search procedures */
CProcHndl
gdCompProc; /* list of complement procedures */
short
gdFlags;
/* grafDevice flags word */
PixMapHandle gdPMap;
/* PixMap for displayed image*/
long
gdRefCo n;
/* reference value */
GDHandle
gdNextGD;
/ * handle of next gDevice */
Rect
gdRect;
/* device's bounds in g l obal coordinates */
long short
gdMode ; gdCC Byte s ;
/* device's current mode */ I* rowBytes of expanded cursor data */
short
gdCCDepth;
/* depth of expanded cursor data */
Handle
gdCCXData;
/* handle to cursor's expanded data */
Handle long
gdCCXMask; gdReserved;
/* handle to cursor's expanded mask */ I* future use. MUST BE 0 */
GDevice, *GDPtr, **GDHandle;
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 85
COLOR QUICKDRAW
Graphics Devices Because the Mac II supports a variable size screen, different pixel depths, and even multiple screens, we need a way to keep track of and manipulate whatever video devices are attached. Color Quick Draw uses a structure called a gDevic e, or graphics device, that describes each device 's characteristics. The structure of a gDevice is shown in listing 1. ·
When you start up the Mac II , it deter mines the number of installed video boards, reads the device-specific infor mation on each (such as screen size and pixel depth) , and creates a linked list of gDevices for each video board.
A gDevice doesn't have to correspond to a physical device, however. A logical gDevice behaves just like a real screen device, but it won ' t have a software driver associated with it. For example, you can create a logical gDevice in mem ory, and draw into it. This is useful when you want to write into an off-screen Pix Map whose pixel depth or set of colors is different from that ofthe screen.
The routine GetGDevice() returns a handle to the current gDevice, which is just what we need to find out how many colors the monitor is using. Code frag ment 4 shows the C code for doing this.
Another thing you should check, al though it's not color-related, is the size of
the screen . The QuickDraw global screenBits. bounds contains the rect angle of the main screen. Mesmer uses this information to open a full-screen size window. If your application needs to figure out the shape and size of a Desk top that spans several screens, the low memory global GrayRgn (at address 9EEh) contains the RgnHandle (region handle) to a standard QuickDraw region that describes the Desktop.
Creating a Color Look-Up Table To achieve its swirling animation ef fects, Mesmer requires a customized CLUT. Color QuickDraw uses a CLUT to select the colors to be displayed; each graphics device has its own. The colors in the screen ' s CLUT are the only colors available for display . A request for a par ticular RGB value is matched to the near est available color in the CLUT, and that color is displayed. An application cannot be sure of getting the exact color it re quests unless it provides a CLUT to the graphics device that specifies the exact values it needs. Mesmer sets the screen's CLUT directly. An approved method of accomplishing this in a way that is more suitable in a complex environment is the Palette Manager (see the "The Good and the Bad" section).
I took advantage of the HSY color def
inition to calculate a "rainbow" of colors (that is, colors that blend smoothly from one hue to another). By leaving the satu ration and value parameters at their high est values and varying only the hue, it's easy get colors that are evenly spaced all around the rim of the color wheel. These are the most brilliant colors available, which is just what I wanted for Mesmer. The Color Picker's HSV2RGB() routine converts each HSY color to its RGB equivalent, and these values are then stored in an array. Listing 2 shows a part of the code I used to create Mesmer' s CLUT. It generates an array of256 even ly spaced colors that are then written into a clut resource of an arbitrarily named resource file. After creating the file, I used ResEdit to copy and paste the clut resource into Mesmer's resource file.
Using the Color Manager The Color Manager is a set of routines designed to work directly with graphics hardware, providing RGB color space in formation to Color QuickDraw or in structing the hardware to modify its color map as required to display a new set of colors. Macintosh graphics devices convert arbitrary pixel values in their frame (display) buffer into actual RGB values, as determined by the CLUT for the device. Changing the CLUT changes
Listing 2: LightspeedC code to generate the color look-up table (CLUT) resource for the Mesmer application. A CLUT that contains a "rainbow" ofsmoothly blended colors is generated and written into a resource file called Fred.
/*color table generator*/ MakeCLUT ()
CTabHandle HSVColor short
ctabH;
hColor;
refNum;
ctabH (CTabHandle)NewHandle((long)sizeof(ColorTable)); /*allocate space
for color table*/
hColor.saturation = 65535;
/*set saturation to max*/
hColor.value 65535;
/*set value to max*/
for(n = 0; n < 256; n++)
/*for 256 colors*/
{
hColor . hue = n*256;
/*create 256 evenly spaced hues*/
HSV2RGB (&hColor, &(**ctabH) .ct Table [n] .rgb);
/*the value field is just the most significant bits of the RGBColor*/
(**ctabH) . ct Table [n] .value = O; /*just set it to zero, color manager does
the rest*/
(**ctabH) . ctSeed = GetCTSeed(); (**ctabH) .ctSize = 255;
/*size of color table minus one*/ CreateResFile("\pFred"); refNum = OpenResFile("\pFred"); AddResource (ctabH, 'clut', 200, /*add our new clut to it*/ CloseResFile(refNum);
/*use the current version identifier*/
/*create a resource file*/ "\pFred") ;
86 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
COLOR QUICKDRAW
the colors displayed without changing the pixel values stored in the frame buffer. This is the secret of Mesmer's animation effects: Once an image is created, the colors can be changed by modifying the device's CLUT without redrawing the image. By carefully selecting the se quence of colors in the CLUT and shift ing the index to them around, you can generate a wide variety of special ef fects. Mesmer's graphics, as nice as they are, really just scratch the surface.
There are three sets of Color Manager routines that Mesmer uses to produce the animation effect: Color2Index( ) , Index2Color(), and SetEntries(). Color2Index( ) finds the best match to a random starting RGBColor for each drawing sequence. It returns the index value into the CLUT for that color, which becomes the starting color. For each iter ation of the inner drawing loop, this in dex is incremented. It wraps around at 255 so that all 256 colors of the CLUT are used in sequence, starting with the random color. This produces a rainbow colored drawing. The pattern itself is randomized as well, so it produces many combinations of colors and patterns.
As the index is incremented, the In dex2Color( ) routine is used to retrieve the RGBColor corresponding to that in dex from the CLUT. The Color Quick Draw call RGBForeColor ( ) sets the drawing color, and LineTo() does the actual drawing. This inner drawing loop is shown in code fragment 5. The vari able vis set randomly before the loop be gins, as is the starting index value, in dex. The variables v, theta, and r are
all float-type variables, while index, x, and y are short integers.
Once the rainbow-colored pattern has been drawn, the real fun begins. Set En tries () changes the current gDevice's CLUT (in this case, it's the screen). You can change the entire table, or just specified entries. Mesmer uses SetEntries ( ) to swap the whole CLUT. First, a copy of the CLUT is made. Next, each table entry is rotated up one posi tion, with the contents to the top entry moved to the bottom. Then the screen is set to the new CLUT using Set Entries ( ) . The result is that each color on the screen changes to the color that was adjacent to it in the CLUT. Because the colors are selected sequentially around the color wheel, it appears as though the colors themselves move to the next line in the pattern. Since the pat terns move in a circular way outward from the center of the screen, the colors appear to swirl outward as well, blending and changing as they go (see photo 1). The C code fragment 6 shows how this is done. After the CLUT rotates a couple of times in one direction, it reverses direc tion for another two full rotations.
There is one caveat to using the Set Entries ( ) routine. You must be careful to set the CLUT back to its original state before leaving your application. Other wise, you can wind up with some very strange and even illegible displays pro duced by subsequent applications that rely on the screen CLUT having the stan dard set of colors. Mesmer does this by using its own copy of the standard CLUT, saved as a resource. A better way
would be to save and restore the current
CLUT each time the application runs.
The Good and the Bad
The main disadvantage to Mesmer's ap
proach is that it uses the Color Manager
directly, instead of the Palette Manager,
to animate colors. The Palette Manager
routines operate more or less transpar
ently across multiple screens, while the
Color Manager routines do not. Thus,
Mesmer is limited to operating on the main screen only. Apple strongly recom mends that color animation be accom plished through the Palette Manager to avoid potential problems that result from manipulating colors at the Color Man ager level. In a multitasking environ ment, changing the screen CLUT di rectly can confuse other applications that are running concurrently with your own, since there is no way for them to sense that the colors have changed. Nothing will crash, of course, but the displays may be less than optimal.
The advantage to Mesmer's animation scheme is that it's relatively easy to imple ment, while the Palette Manager routines are more complex. Since most of us have only one screen, Mesmer still serves as a good example of how to use Color Quick Draw, and it shows the interaction between Color QuickDraw, the Color Manager, and the video hardware. ·
Jan Eugenides is a senior software engi neer at Solutions Inc. in Montpelier, Ver mont. He has written articles for several Macintosh-spec(fic magazines. He can be reached on BIXas ''j. eugenides. "
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1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 87
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BYTE MACINTOSH SPECIAL EDITION
Unix and the Mac
Interface
Rick Daley
A/UX 1.0 is Apple's version of AT&T Bell Laboratory's Unix System V version 2 for the Macintosh II. What makes A/UX stand out from other Unix systems is the A/UX Toolbox (software that gives A/UX programs access to the Mac user interface ROM routines) . With the Tool box, applications developers can give their programs the familiar look and feel of the Mac user interface. (For further details on A/UX 1.0, see "Unix for the Mac II" by David Betz and Eva M. White on page 185 of this issue.)
The Toolbox is a set of tools and li braries that let you run existing "well behaved" Mac applications under A/UX, or write new A/UX applications that can use the Mac user interface.
There are two main components in the Toolbox: It has a program named launch for executing existing Mac binaries, and a C library named LIBMAC.A for creating new A/UX programs that can access the user interface toolbox as well as standard Unix libraries.
Table l shows which Mac operating system routines the Toolbox 1.0 sup ports. In this first release, you can run only one A/UX Toolbox application at a time, and the finder, desk .accessories, and printing manager are not supported. Nor does the Toolbox support custom de vice drivers. The A/UX Toolbox in A/UX 1.1 (which should be in beta ver sion by the time you read this) will sup port the desk manager, the printing man ager, the color manager, and the palette manager.
Compatibility Issues The main compatibility issues are in the areas of memory management, process scheduling, and file management. To understand what is invtilved in integrat ing these environments, you must first understand the differences between A/UX and the Mac operating system. A/UX is a multitasking, 32-bit virtual memory operating system; the Mac is a single-tasking operating system that uses
The AIUX Toolbox
tions. The first section is the user inter face toolbox, which contains code to pre
for the Mac II
sent the standard Mac user interface. These include routines to draw text and
gives you the
graphics, to create and manipulate win dows and menus, and to get input from the user through the mouse and key
potential for a
board. The second section of the Mac ROM contains the operating system
point-and-c-lick Unix
calls. These are routines to read and write files, to allocate memory, and to manipulate various devices, such as the serial ports. Figure l shows the strategy that A/UX uses to communicate between an A/UX
C program and the Mac ROM: When you
a handle-based memory manager. A/UX make a call to the Mac operating system,
requires a 68851 paged-memory-man the Toolbox routes the call to one of
agement unit (PMMU) for multitasking A/UX's operating system calls; when
and virtual memory support as well as you make a call to a Mac user interface
protection of one task from another . Vir routine, the Toolbox translates it to a call
tual memory lets a process access more in the Mac user interface ROM code.
memory than the machine physically The A/UX Toolbox sets up a memory
has. Unfortunately, these features isolate map that is close enough to the one used
you from the hardware, and you are ex by the native Mac operating system that it
pected to make requests to the operating fools the code in ROM and in applica
system kernel to manipulate the hard tions. Because the PMMU's job is to
ware. This is important, because it keep programs from accessing anything
means that a bug in one program won't but their own code and data, Apple had to
inadvertently crash the entire system.
provide a means to get around some of
While the Mac operating system pro the protection facilities of A/UX so that
vides an interface to the hardware, it can programs can get to the screen's frame
not prevent you from accessing hardware buffer and the Mac ROM. Before trans
and memory directly. Other conflicts ferring control to a program, the Toolbox
between the Mac operating system and library makes several calls to the A/UX
A/UX are caused by the fact that the kernel to change the memory map mak
Mac's handle-based memory manager ing the ROM and the screen's frame
assumes only 24 bits of significance. The buffer accessible. Also, it creates a small
A/UX library takes care of the 24- to 32 memory segment at virtual address 0 to
bit problem for programs that used the contain Mac low-memory globals. The
prescribed interface, but some programs ROM code maintains these globals, and
go around the Mac operating system's in some applications can even access them
terface to gain speed. You must modify directly. The resulting memory map is
these so-called "ill-behaved" applica shown in figure 2.
tions for them to run under A/UX.
The recommended way for an applica
tion to access the Mac ROM routines is
A/UX and the Mac ROM
through the 68000 CPU family's 1010
The Mac ROM contains a large library of emulator trap mechanism, often called
routines that an application can call. an A-line trap. A 1010-emulatortrapoc
These routines are broken into two sec
continued
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 89
UNIX AND THE MAC INTERFACE
Table 1: A list ofthe Macintosh operating system calls that the Toolkit 1. 0
supports.
ROM library
Apple desktop bus AppleTalk manager Binary-decimal conversion package Color manager Color picker package Control manager Deferred task manager Desk manager Device manager Dialog manager Disk driver Disk initialization package Event manager, OS Event manager, toolbox File manager Font manager International utilities package List manager Memory manager Menu manager Package manager Palette manager Printing manager QuickDraw Resource manager SANE package Scrap manager Script manager SCSI driver Segment loader Serial driver Shutdown manager Slot manager Sound manager Start-up manager Standard file package System error handler TextEdit Time manager Utilities, operating system Utilities, toolbox Vertical retrace manager Video drivers Window manager
Implemented?
No
No
Yes
Dummy routines only
Dummy routines only
Yes
No
Dummy routines only
Some dummy routines
Yes
Some dummy routines
Dummy routines only
Partially
Yes
Partially
Yes
Yes
Yes
Partially
Yes
Yes
Dummy routines only
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Partially
No
Yes
No
Some dummy routines
Not needed
Yes
Partially
Yes
Partially
Partially
Yes
Partially
No
Yes
l Macintosh application running under AJUX
Standard ,..~-----1
AJUX libraries
* l Macintosh
OS subset
t Macintosh user interface
toolbox
r----.-t_t_
AJUX Toolbox
ROM interface
routines
Macintosh
Macintosh
user
Macintosh
OS
interface
ROM
toolbox
90 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
curs when the CPU executes an instruc tion that begins with the hexadecimal digit A. The CPU then transfers through an exception vector to a routine that han dles the A-line trap. A/UX also uses the A-line trap mechanism to access the Mac ROM.
Under the Mac operating system and the A/UX Toolbox, the A-line trap rou tine uses the low 12 bits ofthe A-line trap word and a dispatch table, found in the low-memory globals, to locate the ad dress of the routine that actually per forms the requested function. Initially, the entire dispatch table is loaded with pointers to functions in ROM. However, under the Mac operating system, many entries in the dispatch table are replaced with pointers to functions in. RAM. These patches are installed to fix bugs and to add new features. Consequently, Apple had to install these same patches under the A/UX Toolbox. And, of course, calls made to the Mac operating system are replaced with equivalent Unix system calls.
For example, A-line traps that call the file manager are replaced with code that uses A/UX system calls, .such as open, close, read, and write. A-line traps that call the vertical retrace manager are re placed with code that uses the A/UX sys tem calls setitimer and signal.
Memory Manager The differences between the two mem ory managers require the most adjust ment. These differences mainly stem from the fact that A/UX is a 32-bit vir tual memory system while the Mac is a 24-bit handle-based system.
Apple implemented A/UX's virtual memory by making calls to the C li brary's malloc, free, and realloc rou tines. These routines simply maintain a circular list of memory blocks. When an application makes an allocation request, the system searches the list to find the first free block that is large enough. If there is no free block large enough, the sbrk system call asks the kernel to ex tend the heap, thus creating more virtual memory. If this fails, which only hap pens if the area of the disk reserved for paged-out memory is full, then so does
Figure 1: The strategy AIUX uses to
communicate between an AIUX C
program and the Mac ROM. Ifthe C
program makes a call to the Mac operating system, the Toolbox routes the call to an equivalent AIUX kernel
function; ffthe program calls a Mac
user interface routine, the Toolkit does an A-line trap to the Mac ROM.
UNIX AND THE MAC INTERFACE
the request. These routines don't per form memory compaction, ' so they are much simpler than the algorithms that the memory manager uses in the Mac op erating system.
Without compaction, memory frag mentation can cause paging even though there is actually enough physical mem ory. Applications can start paging and run more slowly even if they allocate less memory than the system has.
However, there are also some advan tages to A/UX's memory-allocation scheme. It does not spend time moving blocks around in an effort to compact the heap. A common bug in a Mac applica tion is to dereference a handle, then call a memory manager routine using the de referenced handle. Since the block can move due to heap compaction, the de referenced handle is no longer valid. These bugs will not occur under the A/UX Toolbox because memory blocks are moved only when their size in creases. Applications also have trouble recovering from out-of-memory condi tions; many don't even try to recover, but some try and fail. Even ifthe application recovers, it's still likely that it won't be able to do what you request. With virtual memory, running out of memory is very rare.
Some of the Mac memory manager functions don't make sense under virtual memory. In a virtual memory environ ment, it's not clear what value the call to determine the amount of free memory available should return. The current im plementation returns I megabyte minus the amount of memory already allo cated. However, the amount of memory an application can allocate is typically much more than this. This seems to keep existing applications running well. Still, developers of future applications should really try not to use these calls; it's better to allocate the amount needed and check to see ifthe request succeeds.
Significant Bits The most common reason a Mac applica tion fails to run under the A/UX Toolbox is if it stores extra data in the high bits of pointers. Having only 24 bits of the 32 bit handles be significant was a limitation designed into the 68000 CPU. However, the 68020 CPU used in the Mac II can use all 32 bits of addresses. The current version of the Mac operating system, to maintain backward compatibility, uses the PMMU to ignore the high 8 bits of ad dresses. Under A/UX, all 32 bits of ad dresses are significant.
Some current Mac applications go around the memory manager routines to
gain speed. The memory manager rou that applications often bypass is access
tine NewHandle allocates a relocatable routines to low-memory global variables.
storage block. Instead of returning a These variables are automatically up
pointer to a memory block, like the C dated via hardware interrupts in the Mac
routine malloc, NewHandle returns a operating system, but not under A/UX.
pointer to a master pointer, which points For example, under the Mac operating
to the memory block (see figure 3a).
system, some applications directly ac
This extra level of indirection lets the
conrinued
memory manager compact memory by
moving these relocatable memory
blocks. The application can still find the data because the memory manager will update the master pointer when it moves
l Stack
200000000h
the block. The memory manager stores
some flag bits in the high-order bit of the handle, telling the memory manager
Screen frame buffer 10500005h
whether the corresponding block is relo
catable or temporarily locked (and there fore can't be moved).
ROM
10000000h
Storing these flag bits in the high
order bits of the master pointer works in the Mac operating system, but not in
t Application heap
A/UX where all 32 bits ofthe address are significant. So the memory manager ver
Application data
sion that runs under the A/UX Toolbox stores the flag bits in a second longword
Application code or launch program 400000h
of memory, just after the master pointer
(see figure 3b). This works fine as long
as the application uses the access routines to manipulate these flag bits. Unfortu
Low memory globals Oh
nately, many applications currently by
pass the access routines. For example, Figure 2: Except for the low-memory
rather than calling the HLock routine, globals, none ofthe addresses that AIUX
some applications just set the appropriate uses are the same as the ones used by
bit in the master pointer. These applica the native Mac operating system. This
tions will not run under A/UX without doesn't matter, since everything is
modification.
referenced through pointers in memory.
I ·. . r
Another example of access routines
Handle
i_nt:.e._r-_-_-_j----'!~~1 1 _ Fi_a_gs_.....___M_a_st_e_r p_o__
blook
Figure 3a: A relocatable memory block under the Macintosh operating system. Flag bits are stored in the high bits ofthe master pointer. This saves space, but it doesn't work in a 32-bit environment.
I I Handle I
Master pointer
~
I Flags
Unused
l- Data block
Figure 3b: Under the AIUX Toolbox, the flag bits are stored in a separate long word. Some space is unused, but this is 32-bit clean.
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 91
UNIX AND THE MAC INTERFACE
cessed the Ticks variable, which con tains the number of clock ticks since the last reboot. This variable never gets changed under the A/UX Toolbox; you should use the TickCount access routine, instead. Other such variables include Time and EventQueue.
Application developers are sometimes concerned about the extra CPU time the A-line trap mechanism uses. The over head is not very large, but it can make a difference in some tight loops. In.those cases where the A-line trap overhead is significant, you should consider using the GetTrapAddress trap to get a pointer to the access routine. Then you can call the routine directly, without the over head of the A-line trap. In the case of a trap like HLock, it is not quite as fast as setting the bit directly, but it will work on all future systems.
Process Scheduling Mac applications are event-driven. Typi cally, the main body of an application is a loop that uses the GetNextEvent trap to look for events, such as keystrokes or mouse clicks. If there are no events pend ing, GetNextEvent returns null.
The busy-looping model worked fine in the original Mac system. However, it is a waste under a multitasking operating system such as A/UX. Busy looping takes time away from any other processes that are currently running. Also, the pro cess scheduler makes scheduling deci sions based on how much CPU time a process has recently used.
To solve this problem, a new trap, named Wai tNextEvent, will be added in A/UX 1.1. Wai tNextEvent is similar to GetNextEvent, but you use it to yield the CPU until an event is available. This trap is available under the A/UX Toolbox, MultiFinder, and even under the Mac op erating system, if you use a recent system file. All future applications should use WaitNextEvent when possible. Wait NextEvent is defined in C like this:
short WaitNextEvent(eventMask,
theEvent,timeOut, mouseRgn)
short
eventMask;
EventRecord *theEvent;
long
timeout;
RgnHandle mouseRgn;
The eventMask and theEvent param eters are just like the parameters to Get NextEvent. The eventMask specifies a set of events the application is interested in, and theEvent is a pointer to a record that will get filled in with information about the event. The timeout parameter defines how long (in sixtieths of a sec
ond) WaitNextEvent should wait before fork is in a separate file. Finally, the Ap
returning a null event. The mouseRgn pleDouble format files can be more effi
specifies a QuickDraw region that con cient to manipulate than AppleSingle for
tains the mouse. If the mouse moves out mat files. Since both forks are stored in
of this region while Wai tNextEvent is one file with the AppleSingle format, the
waiting, an event of type app4Event is second fork gets moved whenever the
returned with a value of FAOOOOOOh in first one increases in size.
the message field. This allows an appli A/UX's filenames are 14 characters
cation to use WaitNextEvent even if it is long. You can use a backslash instead of a
tracking the mouse position.
colon to separate directories, and the
filenames are case sensitive, whereas the
Storing Macintosh Files
Mac does not differentiate between up
Another area where A/UX differs great percase and lowercase. Also, in ASCII
ly from the Mac operating system is in files in the Mac environment, lines are
file structure. An A/UX file is just a se terminated with a carriage return (ODh);
quence of bytes. Some information about under A/UX lines are terminated with a
the file is also stored apart from the data. line feed (OAh) . This difference is usu
This information includes the file's ally masked by the C language's newline
name, length, owner, permissions, and character.
creation date. A Mac file has two se Another issue unrelated to the file sys
quences of bytes: a data and a resource tem is that the Toolbox is run as a process
fork. Typically, the data fork contains in user mode, so privileged instructions
the same sort of data you would find in an are not available. This means you must
A/UX file. The resource fork contains a use move ccr <ea> to access the condi
list of resources. Resources can store a tion code bits. The instruction ccr is
wide range of things. For example, they available on the 68020 but not on the
often contain templates that describe 68000, so you will have to check which
windows or menus. Often, resources CPU your code is running on. Because
contain code fragments. The segments the finder is not available under the Tool
that make up a Mac application are stored box routines, you must call the Ini t
as code resources. You refer to a resource Dialogs and TEinit routines yourself,
by a resource specification, which is a or use the -i option with the launch
four-character type, and either an ID command.
number or a name. Resources are manip
ulated by the Mac resource manager. In Not Here Yet
addition to the two forks, a Mac file con Unfortunately, A/UX 1.0 is really only
tains information that the Mac Finder the foundation for a point-and-click
uses. This information includes the file's Unix. It makes it possible for you to write
type, creator, and icon location.
applications using windows and menus,
Apple has defined two closely related but you still have to use the same com
formats for storing Mac files on non-Mac mand-line interface and telegraphic com
file systems . The formats are called mands to use A/UX. A novice can't sit
AppleSingle and AppleDouble. The down and execute A/UX commands
A/UX Toolbox supports both these from windows and menus.
formats .
The version of the A/UX Toolbox that
In the AppleSingle format, both of the shipped with A/UX 1.0 was really only
forks and the finder information are all useful for developers. Applications could
stored in a single Unix file. In the Apple use the user interface toolbox, but sever
Double format, the data fork is stored in al key features were missing. The most
a separate file. The file containing the notable omission was access to the print
resource fork and the finder information ing manager. However, version 1. 1,
has the same name as the file containing when it becomes available, will fill in
the data fork, but it is prepended with a % these holes by adding support for print
character. The AppleSingle format is ing, desk accessories, and color devices .
generally more convenient; it is easier to Ultimately, A/UX will be a Unix that
rename, move, and manipulate files in a naive user can use without ever seeing
this format. However, the AppleDouble anything but the mouse and window
format also has several advantages . based user interface that has made the
First, this is the only way to store re Mac so successful. At the same time, a
sources in an application built under programmer will still be able to use all
A/UX. The executable code must be the tools that make Unix so powerful. ·
stored in a separate file. Second, it is
often desirable to access a file's data fork Rick Daley of Cupertino, California, is a
using Unix utilities. This is simple with software engineerat Apple Computer. He
the AppleDouble format, since the data can be reached on B/X as "editors. "
92 B Y T E · 1988 Mac Special Edition
Only
s4.oo
Per Disk
Public Domain and Shareware Software for MaclntoshTM Computers
Programs and Utilities to meet all your computing needs.
NOVELTY
dalds. cameras. cards. dollar bills.
Contains ~lscellane -
eyegtasses & many more.
ous modem utilities.
O Trivia llr. Maze Games [M224] Contains MacPuzzle. Maze. Mr. Cy
D Novelty 1 [MlOl] - Contains 3 BI
orythm programs. a diet helper.
Morse code and I-Ching astrology. D Novelty 2 (Ml02] - Contains Mac
baby. an educational
program written with
Vldeoworks. that teach-
~
es the evolution of a
baby In the womb. Does
not require Vldeoworks
to run. a VW player Is Included on
the disk.
a.\SIC PROGRAMS
These programs require Microsoft Basic (Mbaslcl version 2.0 or later to run. O Basic Programs 1 - 5 [MlOS Ml07] - (5 disk set) Contains over 200 miscellaneous Basic programs. Includes games. business. utilities & more. All the Basic programs we could llnd on 5 disks.
GRAPHICS TOOLS
D Disney Characters [Ml26] · Con
talns Minnie. Mickey. Scrooge. &
other Disney characters.
O Animals #1 llr. #2 [Ml27 llr. Ml28)
- (2 disk sett Contains mlscellane ous animal graphics Including
cheetah. bear. racoon. lion . horse.
jaguar. owl. pigs & many more_
O Planes [Ml29] - Contains graph
ics of planes featuring F-14. F-15.
F-16. DC- I 0. hellcopter & others.
D Fantasy Graphics #1 llr. #2 [Ml30
llr. Ml31) - (2 disk sell Contains mlscellane o us graphics. In cludes: Conan. drag ons. castle. ghosts. knights. minotaur & more. D Borders (Ml32] - Contains mis
cellaneous borders Including thick.
thin. gothlc. & others_
0 Icons I Clip Arts #1 [Ml33) Contains miscellaneous Icon/clip
art graphics. 15 various llles con
taining a multitude of
small 1'"aphlcs.
D Communications #3
(Ml70) - Contains mis cellaneous modem
utllltles & programs.
D Copy UtOltlcs [Ml71)
- Contains miscellaneous copy and
Initialization utilities Format disks
faster. copy disks quickly & easily.
DESK ACCESORIES
O DA's #1 [Ml82] - Contains screen
saver desk accesorles.
D DA's #2 (Ml83] - Contains bust ness desk acceso1ies.
DDA"s#3 [Ml84J-Contalns desk top desk accesorles.
O DA's #5 [Ml86) - Contains mis
cellaneous keyboard & printer desk
acceso11es. O DA's #6 [Ml87) - Contains mlscel laneous paint & word processtng
desk accesorles.
D DA's #9 [Ml90) - Contains hu mourous or games desk accesmies.
cloid. Trivia & others.
·
O Mind Games [M225) - Contains
Concentration. Destroyer. Eliza.
GoMoku. Master Guess·and sever
al others.
D Novelty Games [M226) - Con
tains Blorythm. Climber. Cookie.
Juggler. Lotto 6/49. Mac Attack &
more.
D Space Games
~ ~
[M227] - Contains As teroids. Pierre Molle. Space Artlllery_Space Invaders & othets. O Card llr. Casino
Games [M228] - Con
tains Blackjack. Casino. Draw Pok
er. Hearts & several more.
D Word Games [M229) - Contains
Ars Magna"'· Storymaker. Websters
Revenge (DEMO). & Wheel.
O Arcade Games [M230] - Contains
Bash Big Blue. Centipede. Daleks.
Mac Bugs & others_
D Star Trek [M232) - Also con rains
miscellaneous adventure games. O Adventure Games #1 [M233)
D ~ Graphics #1 (Ml08) - Con
tains 17 various graphic programs
that show on your screen. Hours of
fun.
D Graphic Tools / Printer Utilities
[Ml 11) - Several printer utilities
and tools for creating slide shows.
editing and making screens and
much more.
D Paint Tools [Ml 12) - Contains
many Illes for viewing.
printing and manipu
lating paint llles. Can
be used to view Mac
paint graphics.
MACPAINT GRAPHICS
These graphics can be printed , viewed or changed by using Ma c pain t, Fullpaint or similar bit mapped paint packages
D Star Trek Graphics [Ml15] - Con
tains miscellaneous Star Trek
graphics. Includes Kirk. Spock.
McCoy and more. Great for Star
Trek fans.
D Famous \\bmen #1 llr. #2 [M116 llr.
M117] - (2 disk set) Contains mis
cellaneous famous women graph
ics. Includes Madonna. Brooke.
Marilyn, Tina. Natalie & more.
D Car Graphics [Ml 18) - Contains
Porsche. BMW. car logos. Mercedes
and other car graphics.
D Holidays Graphics [Ml 19) - Con
tains Christmas. 4th of July.
Thanksgiving & more holiday·
graphics.
D Mlscellaneous Objects [Ml21] Contains miscellaneous objects graphics like arrows. aspirin. ban
O Icons I Clip Arts #2
[Ml34) - Contains mis cellaneous lcon/cllp art
graphics. I 4 more Illes
of art.
O Sports [Ml35) - Contains miscel
laneous sports 1'"aphlcs of baseball.
skier. football. tennis. running &
others ..
D Space [Ml36) - Contains miscel
laneous space graphics with Ad
Astra. comet. earth. Lost. NASA.
Space dock. Space race & more.
D Famous Men #1 [Ml38) - Con
tains miscellaneous graphics of fa.
mous men. Includes Beatles. Bo
gart. Rambo. R2D2. the Caz &
more. D Comic Book Characters [Ml40] Contains Garfield. Bill the Cat. Opus & others. O Mlscellaneous Graphics #l[Ml41] - Contains miscellaneous graphics that could not be categorized. Fea tures Batman. blllboard. ghostbust ers. robots. jack In the box & oth ers.
FONTS
O Laser Fonts # 1 [Ml 44) - Contains
fonts that require an Apple Laser
writer. Anti-particle. Avant Garde.
Bookman. New Helveltlca. New
Century & Zapf Dingbats. Also 2
utlllty folders.
O LaSer Fonts #2 [Ml45] - Contains
fonts that require an Apple Laser
writer. Palatlno. Thin Times. Tiny
Helvetica & Zapf Chancery. Also
has Postscript Worker & PS Tester
utilities.
UTILITIES
O Editor Utilities #1 [Ml66) - Con
tains miscellaneous text editor util
ities
D Editor Utilities #2 [Ml67] - Con
tains more miscellaneous text edi
tor utilities
D Communications #1 [Ml68) Contains Red Ryder modem utility.
O Communications #2 [Ml69J
BUSINESS
D Business #1 [M207] - Contains
Inventory. Depreciation. Auto ex
pense. amortize. blll payer & mort
gage calc. O Business #2 [M208]
Contains scheduler. New
Rolodex. rolodex. Peale.
· reminder. directory. Ad
dress & Idea Liner.·
D Business #3 [M209) - Contains
miscellaneous Pagemaker tem
plates. Requires Pagemaker to use
or modify.
D Business #4 [M210 -
M214] - (5 disk set) Con tains miscellaneous Multl plan /Excel templates. All the templates we could llnd. Requires Muttlplan /
BlWIJ
Excel to use or modify.
EDUCATION
D Math #1 [M216) - Contains Mac
Grapher. MathMaster. Number In
vestigator & two other programs.
Ages IO - adult.
D Math #2 [M217)- Contains Mac
Graph. MacMathTM Demo & Math
2 I 3D grapher.
D Spelling Aids [M219) - Contains
Word Drlll. Spelllng '!Utor. Spin &
Spell. Word Search. 1yptng 1\ltor &
Venn. Can be modified for
all ages.
O Chlldrens (M220] .
Contains Animals. Dot 2
Dot. Flashcards & Lau
ra's Letters. Ages 5 and
up.
O Teachers Aids [M221) - Contains Grades database & Qulzmaster.
O Board, Breakout llr. Fllght Games [M223] - Contains 'ra.tttzee. Connect 4. Pente TlcTac1be. Blocks. Bricks. Stuntcopter & many more ..
Contains Crvstal Quest adventure game--DEMO.
r--··--··c;RI;~~-~~-------·i
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Please write disk numbers.
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@$4.00 =
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Circle M41 on Reader Service Card
1988 Mac Special Edition · B Y T E 93
'·
Most young people have one answer to this problem. They avoid it until they're out of college. But they could be getting solid work experience while they're still in col lege. With your company's help. And ours.
We're Co-op Education. A nation wide program that helps college students get real jobs for real pay, while they're getting an education.
But we can't do it without you.
Those real jobs have to come from real companies. Like yours.
For more information on how you can participate in this valuable program, write Co-op Education, Box 775E, Boston,MA 02115.
Not only will you be giving stu dents a chance to earn money and pick up the most valuable kind of knowledge, you'll be giving yourselves a chance to pick up the most valuable kind of employee.
Co-op Education.
Yo u ea rn a fut ure w hen you earn a degree.
nn
~J:c~ A Public Service of This Publicatiori ©1987 National Commission for Coorierative Educat ion
94 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
EDITORIAL INDEX BY COMPANY
Index of companies covered in articles, columns, or news stories in this issue
Each reference is to the first page of the article or section in which the company name appears
INQUIRY#
COMPANY
PAGE INQUIRY#
COMPANY
PAGE INQUIRY#
COMPANY
PAGE
M2SS M244 M211
MI43 M246 MISS MIS6 M243 MIS3 M214 MIS6 MIS?
ACCESSTECHNOLOGY .. ... ..... .. ..... ... 35 ACIUS .... ..... ..... .......... .. ... ...... ........ . 21 ACTIVISION ... .. ........ .. ........ .... .... .. ... 71 ADDISON-WESLEY ............ . ............. 83 ALDUS .. .. ..... .. .......... .. .. .. .. .. ......... 7, 21
ALISA SYSTEMS .... .. .. .. ... .. .............. . 57
ALTSYS .. ...... . .. .. ... .... .. .. .. .. . ... ....... .. . 21
APPLE COMPUTER .. .. .. .. .... .. ....... 57, 71
AST RESEARCH ..... .. ........................ 57
AVATAR TECHNOLOGIES ......... .. ....... 57
M247 CESOFTWARE .. .. ... .. .... ... .... ... .. ....... 21 MIS I COMPATIBLE SYSTEMS ... ... .·.... . .. .... . 57 MISS CORVUS SYSTEMS .. . .. .. . . . . .... . ........... 57
M2S4 MISO MIS2 MIS9
Ml60
DATADESK INTERNATIONAL ......... .. . 35 DATAVIZ ........................................ 57 DAYNA COMMUNICATIONS .............. 57 DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
ASSOCIATES ..... .... ...... ............... .. 5 7 DOVE COMPUTER .. ...... . .... .......... .. .. 57 DUPONT ELECTRONICS ................... 57
Ml42 FARALLON COMPUTING .... .... .... ... 7, 57 MI62
HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS .. .. .. .... 71
MI61 HAYES MICROCOMPUTER
PRODUCTS ............ .. ... .. ... .. ........... 57 M2SS HUBBARD FURNITURE .. ... ... . ..... .. .... 35 M 144 HYPERPRESS PUBLISHING ................. 7
MI63
Ml64 Ml6S MIS7
INFORMATION PRESENTATION TECHNOLOGIES .. ... ..... ... ..... ......... 57
INFOSPHERE ... ... .. .. .. ...... .... .... ...... .. 57
INSIGNIA SOLUTIONS .. ......... .. .. .. ..... 5 7
M213 Ml66 MI67 M16S
KANODE ASSOCIATES ... .. ........ .. ...... 71
KINETICS...... ..... .. ............ .............. 57
KMW SYSTEMS ........................... . ... 57
M24S LIVING VIDEOTEXT .... .. ...... ........ .. .. 21
M2S3 LUNDEEN & ASSOCIATES ........ ......... 21
M2SI M261 Ml69 M14S M2S2 MISS M241
MACROMIND ... .... ......... ..... .... .. .. 21, 35
MENLO BUSINESS SYSTEMS ............. 57
MICROLYTICS .......... ... .. ................ .... 7
MICROSOFT ... .. .. ..... ......... .. ...... .. .. .. 21
MICROSOLUTIONS ..... .... ...... ... ..... .... 57
MINDSCAPE ...... .. .. ... .. ....... ........ ... .. 21
NETWORK INNOVATIONS .... .. ..... .... .. 57 NORTHERN TELECOM ...... .... .. ......... 57
Ml70 PACERSOFTWARE .. .. ... .. ....... ........ .. . 57
MI71
M212 M260 MISS MIS4 M2S6 M21S
PBC ENTERPRISES ...... ... .. ... .. .. ...... .. 71
PB! SOFTWARE ............................... 35
PERFECTEK ... ................. ......... ...... 57
PERIPHERAL LAND .................... ..... 57
PRIAM ........ ..... ... ......... .. ...... .... .... .. 35
PUBLISHING RESOURCES ..... .. .. ..... ... 71
Ml72 M2SO M2S7 M248 M249 M2S9
MI41 Ml73
SHIVA .......... .. ........ .. ...... .. ...... .. .... .. 57
SILICON BEACH SOFTWARE ...... .... .... 21
SOFTVIEW .. ......................... .. .. .... .. 35
SOFTWARE SUPPLY ......................... 21
SOLUTIONS INTERNATIONAL ... ........ 21
STRATEGIC STUDIES GROUP .. .... ... .. .. 35
SUN MICROSYSTEMS ....................... 57
SUPERMAC TECHNOLOGY .... ... .......... 7
SYMANTEC .. .. ................................ 57
M262 T/MAKER... ... .... ..... ... .... .. .... .. .. ... .... 35
Ml74 TANGENT TECHNOLOGIES .. .. ....... .... 57
M17S TECHNOLOGY CONCEPTS .. .. ... .. .. .. ... 57 M242 TELEROBOTICS
INTERNATIONAL.. ...... .... ... ........... 21
MIS2 3COM .. .. .. .......... .. .. ...... .. ..... ..... .. .... 57
MIS3
MIS4
Ml76 TOPS . .. ... .. ..... .. ........ ... . .. .. .............. 57
TOUCH COMMUNICATIONS ....... .... .. . 57 Ml77 TRI DATA SYSTEMS ...... .. ................. 57
MI7S WALKERRICHER&QUINN .. ....... .... . 57
BYTE ADVERTISING SALES STAFF:
Dennis J. Riley, Director of Sales, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458, tel. (603) 924-9281
NEW ENGLAND ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, ONTARIO CANADA & EASTERN CANADA John C. Moon (617) 262-1160 McGraw-Hill Publications 575 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116
ATLANTIC NY, NYC, CT, NJ (NORTH) LeahG . Rabinowitz (212) 512-2096 McGraw-Hill Publications
1221 Avenue of the Americas
36th Floor New York, NY 10020
(203) 968-7111
McGraw-Hill Publications
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Regional Advertising (So. CA, Mid-Atlantic, New York/New England) Elisa Lister (603) 9~0 BYTE Publications One Phoenix Mill Lane Peterborough, NH 03458
Regional Advertising (Southeast, Southwest) Denise Vernier (603) 924-9281 BYTE Publications One Phoenix MiII Lane Peterborough, NH 03458
International Advertising Sales Staff:
Mr. Hans Csokor
Publimedia Reisnerstrasse 61 A-1037 Vienna, Austria 222 75 76 84
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Iberia Mart I Madrid 4, Spain
14552 891
Mrs. Gurit Gepner
McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. PO Box 2156 Bat Yam , 59121 Israel
3 866561 321 39
Michael Karnig Andrew Kamig & Associates
Finnbodavagen S-131 31 Nacka, Sweden
8-44 0005
Ros Weyman
Serving Germany , Austria. & Switzerland McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 34DoverSt. London WIX 4BR
England 01 493 1451
Mr. Alain Faure McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 128 Faubourg Saint Honore 75008 Paris
France (1) 42-89-03-81
Karen Lennie McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 34 Dover St. London WIX 4BR England 01 493 1451
Emilio Zerboni McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. Via Flavia Baracchini 1 20123 Milan, Italy (2) 89010103
Seavex Lid. 400 Orchard Road, #10-01 Singapore 0923 Republic of Singapore Tel: 734-9790 Telex: RS35539 SEAVEX
Seavex Ltd. 503 Wilson House 19-27 Wyndham St.
~=l~tS~~~f~S Kong
Telex: 60904 SEVEX HX
·Regional Ad..rtlslng (Pacific NW, Midwest, New York/New England) Scott Gagnon (603) 924-6830 BYTE Publications One Phoenix Mill Lane Peterborough, NH 03458
BYTE Deck Malllnll' National Ed Ware (603) 924-6166 BYTE Publications One Phoenix Mill Lane Peterborough, NH 03458
A/EiC Computing Deck Computing for Engineers Mary Ann Goulding (603)924-9281 BYTE Publications One Phoenix Mill Lane Peterborough, NH 03458
HiroMorita McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. Overseas Corp. Room 1528 Kasumigaseki Bldg. 3-2-5 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-Ku Tokyo 100, Japan 3 581 9811
Mr. Ernest McCrary Empresa Internacional de Comunicacoes Ltda. Rua da Consolacao, 222
?i36-'2"~~o1i!uto, S.P., Brasil
Tel: (II) 259-3811 Telex: (100) 32122 EMBN
1988 Mac Special Edition · BYTE 95
READER SERVICE
To get further information on the products advertised in BYTE, fill out the reader service card by circling the numbers on the card that cor respond to the inquiry number listed with the advertiser. This index is provided as an additional service by the publisher, who assumes no liability for errors or omissions.
Alphabetical Index to Advertisers
Inquiry No.
Page No.
M1 1ST DESK SYSTEMS, INC. .
. .. CIV
M2 AFFINITY MICROSYSTEMS .
.15
M3 ALLAN BONADIO ASSOC . .
. . 14
M 4 ALPHA MICRO . . . . .
. 70
MS ALPHA MICRO
..... 70
· APPLE COMPUTER. : .... .... . ... 2,3
M56 APPLIED DATA COMMUNICATION ... 40
· AST RESEARCH INC. . . . . ..... . 27
M7BASF . . . .. .. . . .... . . . . .. ..... .. 28
MS BEVERLY HILLS COMPUTER . .... .. 73
M9 BORLAND INTERNATIONAL .
. ... 5
M10 BORLAND INTERNATIONAL . . . ... 5
M11 BRAINPOWER .
. . . 43
M57 BYTE BITS
. . . . . . . . .
. 79
· BYTE SUB SERVICE
.77
M41 CALIFORNIA FREEWARE
.... 93
M12 CAPILANO COMPUTING
. ... 80
M13 CE SOFTWARE
. 23
M14 CH PRODUCTS
. .. .. . . . .. . . 82
M15 CH PRODUCTS . .
. .. 82
Inquiry No.
Page No.
M16 COMPUTABLE FUNCTIONS INC. . . 87
·COMPUTER CONTINUUM . . . . . . . 79
M18 COREL SOFTWARE ...... .. . .. . .. . 45
M19 D2 SOFTWARE .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. 36
M58 DATAPRO
. . . . . . ........ . 88
M20 DCM DATA PRODUCTS .. ...... . ... . 8
M21 DESIGN SCIENCE . . . ...... . ...... 37
M22 DOUGLAS ELECTRONICS . . . . . . . 20
M23 EDUCOMP COMPUTER SERVICES . 38
M24 EDUCOMP COMPUTER SERVICES . 38
M25 ERGOTRON . .. . .. . .... .... . ... . . 11
M26 FOX SOFlWARE . . . . . . . . · . . · . . . . Cll
M27 GENERIC SOFlWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
M28 GENERIC SOFTWARE . . .. . .. .. . ... 9
M29 HARDWARE HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . 8
· INFORMIX SOFlWARE . . . ..... . ... 33
M30 10 TECH . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .. 42
M31 MACONLY, INC. . . .... . . . .. . . . ... 17
M32 MACDOCTOR ELECTRONICS . . . . cm
M33 MAINSTAY. . . . . . . . . .
. 25
Inquiry No.
Page No.
M34 MANX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS . . .... . 51
· MCGRAW-HILL INFORMATION ... 18, 19
M35 MICRO CAD/CAM INC.
. . 41
M36 NANAO
... 56
M37 NANAO . . . . . . .
. . 56
M38 NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS
.. 13
M39 PALOMAR SOFTWARE INC.
. . 54
M40 PARAGON CONCEPTS INC.
. ... 24
M42 PRACTICAL PERIPHERALS .
. 59
M43 SECOND WAVE INC.
. 16
M44 SHER-MARK PRODUCTS . .
. . 39
M45 SHREVE SYSTEMS .... . ........ .. 1O
M47 SUMMAGRAPHICS .. . . .
. 81
M48TPSELECTRONICS ..... .·..·. . . . .69
M49 VAMP INC .. .. .. . .. . .....
. . 34
M50 VAR ECONOMETRICS .
. 12
M51 WARP NINE ENGINEERING
... 6
M52 WEST RIDGE DESIGNS .
.12
M53 WHITE PINE SOFTWARE. . . . .
. 10
· Correspond directly with company
Index to Advertisers by Product Category
Inquiry No.
Page No.
HARDWARE
M60
ADD INS
AST RESEARCH INC. . . ..... 27
M61
DRIVES
M18 COREL SOFTWARE.
. .... 45
M32 MACDOCTOR ELECTRONICS . Clll
M62
INSTRUMENTATION
COMPUTER CONTINUUM ..... 79
M30 IOTECH
.... 42
M63
KEYBOARDS/MICE
M14 CH PRODUCTS . .. M15 CH PRODUCTS .. M47 SUMMAGRAPHICS .
. . . 82 .. .. 82
. 81
M64
MASS STORAGE
M4 ALPHA MICRO . . . . . . . . . MS ALPHA MICRO . . . . . . . . . . M7 BASF. M18 COREL SOFTWARE .. .
. 70 70
.. 28 . . 45
MISCELLANEOUS
M56 APPLIED DATA COMM. · AST RESEARCH INC. .
M43 SECOND WAVE INC. M44 SHER-MARK PRODUCTS
. . 40 . 27
.. 16 . .. 39
M65
MODEMS/MULTIPLEXORS
M42 PRACTICAL PERIPHERALS .... 59
Inquiry No. M66
Page No. MONITORS
M36 NANAO .. .. ... ......... .. .. 56 M37 NANAO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 M44 SHER-MARK PRODUCTS . . . 39
M67
PRINTERS/PLOTTERS
M30 IOTECH
. 42
M68
SCANNERS
M48 TPS ELECTRONICS .
. 69
M51 WARP NINE ENGINEERING . .. . 6
M69 APPLE COMPUTER
SYSTEMS 2,3
SOFTWARE
M70
APPLE2/MAC APPLICATIONS
Business/Office
Ml 1ST DESK SYSTEMS, INC. . . CIV
M11 BRAINPOWER . . . . M26 FOX SOFTWARE ... .
. .... 43
. . en
M71
APPLE2/MAC APPLICATIONS
Sclentlflc/Technlcal
M3 ALLAN BONADIO ASSOC...... 14
M12 CAPILANO COMPUTING . . 80
M21 DESIGN SCIENCE .
. .. 37
M30 IOTECH . . . . . .......... 42
M38 NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS . .. . 13
Inquiry No.
Page No.
M50 VAR ECONOMETRICS.
. 12
M72
APPLE2/MAC APPLICATIONS
Miscellaneous
M23 EDUCOMP COMP. SERVICES . 38 M24 EDUCOMP COMP. SERVICES .. 38
M73
APPLE2/MAC APPLICATIONS
Word Processing
M40 PARAGON CONCEPTS INC. ... 24
M74
APPLE2/MAC-CAD
M22 DOUGLAS ELECTRONICS . . 20
M27 GENERIC SOFTWARE ... ... 9
M28 GENERIC SOFTWARE
.... 9
M35 MICRO CAD/CAM INC.
.. .. 41
M49 VAMP INC.
. .. 34
M75
APPLE2/MAC-LAN
M13 CE SOFTWARE . . ............ 23
M20 DCM DATA PRODUCTS .
.. 8
M76
APPLE2/MAC-LANGUAGES
M9 BORLAND INTERNATIONAL . .. . 5
M10 BORLAND INTERNATIONAL .... 5
M16 COMPUTABLE FUNCTIONS INC.87
M20 DCM DATA PRODUCTS . . . . 8
M33 MAINSTAY
. 25
M34 MANX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS .. 51
M77
APPLE2/MAC-UTILITIES
------------
M2 AFFINITY MICROSYSTEMS ... 15
Inquiry No.
Page No.
M9 BORLAND INTERNATIONAL . .· . 5 M10 BORLAND INTERNATIONAL . .. . 5 M19 D2 SOFTWARE . ..... . . .. . ... 36 M34 MANX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS .. 51 M39 PALOMAR SOFTWARE INC. ... 54
M78 APPLE2/MAC-COMMUNICATIONS
M42 PRACTICAL PERIPHERALS. . . 59 M53 WHITE PINE SOFTWARE .. 10
M79
MAIL ORDER/ RETAIL
M8 BEVERLY HILLS COMP. .. .. 73
M41 CALIFORNIAFREEWARE . . . 93
M29 HARDWARE HOUSE ... . ...... 8
M31 MACONLY, INC. . . . . . .
17
M45 SHREVE SYSTEMS ...... .. . . 10
MBO
EDUCATIONAL/ INSTRUCTIONAL
M58 DATAPRO ......... ..... ... . 88 INFORMIX SOFTWARE . . .. 33
· MCGRAW-HILL INFO . . .. 18,19
·
MISCELLANEOUS
M25 ERGOTRON .. .. .. . .. ..... 11 M52 WEST RIDGE DESIGNS . . .... 12
'Coffesponddirectlywithcompany
96 BYTE · 1988 Mac Special Edition
Macintosh
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Name _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _
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F. What type of personal computer do you primarily use?
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ffxou thinkallmemory,
upgrides arecreated letus make afew points ofdistinction
Before you buy a memory upgrade, it pays to really exam ine what you're getting for your money.
We can show you what to
This guide tells you in plain able motherboard space.
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memory increase-and that's Brainstorm accommodates
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Use whatever Apple soft ware and accessories you want with Brainstorm, be
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bility up to 4 megabytes.
that explains how memory
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you tips on getting the most
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Lompaiwuny_ guaranteea
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Brainstorm lets you up grade quickly and easily by simply exchanging a plug in memory module. You can even do it yourself.
SOFTWARE THAT
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\\e're pointing out the fact that Brainstorm comes with a complete set of Per formance SoftwareTM. Of course, most upgrades in clude utility software.
NO FAN NEEDED
and external drives that use clip-on SCSI ports.
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a fan to keep its cool, because install the daughterboards
it uses special PowerSaver'" of accelerators.
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ivity at a price you can afford;
only $779 for a Brainstorm with a two megabyte module for a Mac 512E . Order Brainstorm now by calling (415) 964-2131, extension 25.
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GUARANTEES THE
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do the same trick...
pair or replace it free for one
year. The memory chips are
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free replacement for as long
YOU MORE
as you own your Macintosh.
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The Brainstorm memory And, you get the special
apart is our user's Gui<JR, To kit doesn't penalize you
guarantees of both expand
Increased Mac Performance. by taking all of your avail- ability and compatibility.
Circle M32 on Reader Service Card
Accessory Progra1ns:
1stDESK accessory programs increase data productivity, versatility, and appearance.
· lstPORT-4: File Transfer and Conversion.
1stPORT is the only productive method to transfer and convert any data, formatted or unformatted, from any computer or other data rnurce. 1stPORT features our exclusive graphic interface that reformats column boundaries easily. Optional HyperAccess automation.
LINE WELL where you get the new "lines". Drag a LINE to add or change a boundary.
Areo
Comp on
NORTH Ajax Co .
lstSCAN-4: Graphic Forms
lstSCAN automatically creates an exact reflection of your printed form as a database entry
screen in 90 seconds from any MacPaint file. The file created is a standard lstDESK file ,
ready to enter up to 2 billion records and print with Laser quality fonts.
a
Application Generation Progra1ns:
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· lstTEAM and lstFILE; Relational database engines.
1stTEAM and 1stFILE are stand-alone central processing programs that merge, analyze, report, join, append, and convert TEXT, while performing productively in a mini-mainframe environment. They are each complete information management systems capable of maintaining mailing lists, lead tracking, order entry and inventory. Both feature MACROS
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1stMERGE is a stand-alone list manager that creates a standard 1stDESK file and outputs directly to your word processing program with three mouse clicks. Create a form letter in any
~ ~
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word processing program that can Save-as-Mac Write. 1stMERGE inserts the names just as though it were personally typed. Just use"[ )" brackets to define the data insenion points.
~-~ ~ ~
Level-3 vs. Level-4; Single-User vs. Power-User
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1stFILE-3 is the single-user, low-end version of the Level-4 offerings having fewer fields and characters, no pre-programmed time and date MACROS, and lacking certain other power-user
[PillllName] [L63tName]
Jl Ul \;.)
features. The choice of 1stFILE-4 or 1stTEAM-4 depends primarily on how much repetitive
[Str. Address)
[City), [Sla1E I [Zip Code]
~
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work you do. These multi-user programs look and feel similar and can produce identical output. 1stTEAM-4 offers the significant advantage of creating our exclusive HyperAccess Icons for data automation and transparent data exchange with HyperCard. These icons are actual command documents that can be launched from the finder singularly, or " linked" to perfonn an unlimited number of steps. In addition, HyperCard can be used to transparently
Dear[Title] [L63tName],
·
l!llll(ine yolll':lell enjoying all trum attnc tioro 63 a landovner in ' IUIIIY'outh centnl Florida {J
·tan unbe!JeVllble plice ! Tiu: [L u1 Name] family ca.n be the envy of enryone in [City]. (Sta1E ] vhtn )l)U announce you' re moving !rom [Str. Addre ss] 10 A.lliga10r Acre' !
~
(!) I
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nm these HyperAccess icons. lstFILE-4 can run HyperAccess icons, but cannot create them. 0 lstBBS: Remote Bulletin Board.
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CHAOS MANOR MAIL
continuedf ram page 34 or bottom of screen; top or bottom of document. · Screen: one screen forward or back; scroll 12 lines up or down. · Delete: character; next or previous word; to end or beginning of line; sen tence (cursor anywhere in the sentence); paragraph (cursor anywhere in the paragraph). · Other: underscore from cursor to end of line; change case (uppercase to lower case or lowercase to uppercase); direc tory; certain other DOS functions; auto matic paragraph numbering.
And that's only a partial list. If you want these things laid out as in WordStar, you can come close. In fact, with that in mind, someone has written a keyboard file for XyWrite called XyStar. Many other functions are available, and all are called by two-letter codes that can be installed or rearranged within the keyboard file at any time you wish. You can have more than one keyboard file and load the alternates for use at any point in a document. You can create style sheets, or their equivalent, save them as save/gets, and load them at boot-up or any other time, including in the middle of a document. Text reformats instantly as you make insertions or deletions. The spelling checker can either do a whole document at once or correct you as you go along. Be assured that I have no connection with XyQuest other than my faith in its product.
Peter H. Weil Larchmont, NY
My original introduction to XyWrite was from my friend and publisher Jim Baen, who told me I'd love it. Alas, by
then I was addicted to SideKick, and in those days XyWrite wouldn't run with SideKick or, indeed, with any other mem ory-resident program.
The latest XyWrite does work nicely with memory-resident programs, and it even runs under DESQview, so there aren't any real barriers to my using it; but by the time they got it to do that, I was in the middle ofa book with something else.
I'll get at XyWrite Real Soon Now, I promise. I know that a lot of my col leagues use it, and it does a neat job of interfacing with Atex, which most pub lishers like. -Jerry
OS/2 Makes It Easier Dear Jerry ,
You've missed some of the major points concerning OS/2. These include the following:
· Hardware independence. OS/2 has the potential of blowing the roof off the soft ware industry. Instead of having to write device drivers for video, printers, and in put devices, programmers can concen trate on improving algorithms, adding features, and better debugging. Develop ing new products and upgrades to old ones can thus be speeded. By the way, there is absolutely no reason OS/2 won't support EGA. All someone has to do is write a display driver for it. Once. The issue of device independence also applies to Microsoft Windows, which is part of the proving ground for these ideas. · OS/2 does not replace MS-DOS. OS/2 will not be available to end users until sometime this year. Applications will start to trickle out about that time. It won't be until 1989 that OS/2 applica tions will start putting pressure on the MS-DOS market. Millions of 8088/86 machines will be able to run only MS DOS. Many of these machines will never
need OS/2. Microsoft has announced its continuing support of MS-DOS. · You don't have to buy a PS/2. IBM would like you to believe that the PS/2 is the wave of the future. Fortunately, be cause OS/2 frees applications from being hardware-dependent, we will be saved from enslavement to Big Blue. All you will need to run OS/2 with Presentation Manager is an 80286 or higher proces sor, 2 or more megabytes of memory, a hard disk drive, and a graphics adapter. These are my recommendations, not necessarily the listed requirements. These features are increasingly common these days. It's not as if you are required to buy the most expensive configuration available. Many 8088 machines will be upgradable to OS/2 compatibility .
If you can run CP/M until your Z80s grow moldy, then I'm sure there will be those who are still running MS-DOS when I crumble to dust. Operating sys tems are tools for applications; applica tions are tools for users. In the "old days , " users shopped for software and then bought the computer that ran it. Now that computers have become some what commodity items, users will shop for software and buy the operating sys tem that runs it. If you don't need OS/2, then don't buy it.
Dennis Williamson Memphis, TN
We 'll just have to see what happens; the key to OS/2 will be how many soft ware developers write programs making use ofit. I do hope you 're right about the operating system making things easier; I also hope that someone gets a good Mod ula-2, or even Ada.for OS/2, since I am not about to try programming in C, par ticularly the C that comes with the OS/2 Developer's Kit. -Jerry·
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AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 201
IN DEPTH
205 TheStateofC by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie
215 A Better C? by Bjame Stroustrup
219 It's an Attitude
by Jonathan S. Linowes
226 Resource Guide
TheC
Language
p rogramming languages-what can you say about them? They're supposed to let you write software that can be understood more easily than machine language, and in fairness they do. But many are so terse and cryptic that you wonder how machine language could be any more difficult to read.
And choosing the right language for a particular task is becoming as complex as knowing which dialect of which tongue the people speak in a remote area of Botswana. If you're writing artificial intelligence applications, you want one language; for scientific formulas, you want another; and the choices multiply almost by the number ofvariables in your system. On-line business applications might require one language, while the off-line ones should be written in yet another.
One constant that arises out of this ap parent chaos is the choice of the C lan guage for system programming. From its inception, C has lifted the system pro grammer out of the constant bit-twid dling of assembly language-a welcome relief. And now C is expanding its influ ence to applications programming as well. But Chas its limitations. While you can program around most of them, you have to do just that.
C+ + was designed to be C's succes sor. It overcomes many of the limitations of the C language, it offers object-ori ented programming, and it presents a more comprehensive applications-pro gramming language.
This month, we are proud to offer two articles by noted experts in the C lan guage. First, the famed team ofBrian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie ex
plains how C is evolving in "The State of C." They delve into what C can do-and what it can't-and provide a look at the elements involved.
Then, the guru of C + +, Bjarne Stroustrup, explains how C + + differs from C and describes the object-oriented approach to applications programming in "A Better C?''
But C devotees are not to be outdone. In "It's an Attitude , " Jonathan S . Linowes shows how object-oriented pro gramming can indeed be accomplished in C, although that's not its natural habi tat. This article discusses the OOPC conventions.
The battle between C and C + + is just heating up. There are quantities of C compilers and interpreters available for both the Macintosh and the IBM PC worlds. More and more companies are announcing C + + compilers and trans lators.Chas seized control of the system programming field, but only time will tell whether C or C + + will win the fight for the applications arena.
-Jane Morrill Taz.elaar Senior Technical Editor, In Depth
202 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT TINNEY© 1988
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 203
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IN DEPTH
THE C LANGUAGE
The State of C
It's not just for
system programming anymore
Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie
C is a general-pur pose program ming language that was originally
designed and implemented
around 1972 by Dennis Rit
chie at Bell Labs. Its early
growth was closely associated
with the Unix system where it
was developed, since both the
system and most of the pro
grams that run on it are writ
ten in C . In recent years, C
has become popular in a much
wider variety of environ
ments, and it is no longer tied
to any one operating system or
machine.
The C language was origi
nally designed for "systems
programming" -that is, for
writing programs like com
pilers, operating systems, and
text editors. But it has proven
quite satisfactory forother ap
plications as well, including
database systems, telephone
switching systems, numerical analysis,
BCPL is a "typeless" language: It oper
engineering programs, and a great deal
ates only on a single data type, the ma
of text-processing software. Today, C is
chine word. As such, BCPL was an ex
one of the most widely used languages in
cellent match to the hardware of word
the world, and C compilers exist for al
o r ien te d machines. In 1970, Ken
most every computer.
Thompson designed a stripped-down
version of BCPL for use with the first
Where Did It Come From?
Unix system on the PDP-7; this language
C has its roots in the language BCPL, de
was called B. It too is typeless.
signed by Martin Richards around 1967.
With the advent of the PDP-11, on
which the next version of Unix was written, it became clear that a typeless language did not match this hardware nearly as well. The PDP-11 provided several different sizes of fundamental ob jects-I-byte characters, 2 byte integers, and 4-byte floating-point numbers-and B provided no way to even talk about these different-size objects, let alone operators to manipulate them.
The C language was origi nally an attempt to deal with a variety of types of data by adding the notion of data type to the B language. In C, as in most languages, each object has a type as well as a value; the type determines the mean ing of the operations that can be applied to the value, and how much storage is occu pied. For example, declara tions like int i, j;, double d;, and float x; determine the opera tions and space requirements of the vari
* ables . In the statement d =x + 1 j ; , the
compiler uses the type information to de
* termine that integer multiplication is ade
quate for 1 j , but the result must be converted to floating point before it is added to x and then converted to double precision for assignment to d.
continued
ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT TINNEY© 1988
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 205
IN DEPTH
THE STATE OF C
Although C was originally imple mented for a PDP-11, it was used on other machines as early as 1975. Steve Johnson implemented a "portable com piler," designed to be relatively easy to modify, to generate code for different machines. Since then, C has been imple mented on most computers, from the smallest microcomputers to machines as large as the CRAY-2. The C language is sufficiently well standardized, even without a formal standard, that with some care you can write C programs that will run without change on any machine supporting the language and a minimal run-time environment.
C began on a small machine and was derived from a sequence of small lan guages; its designer preferred simplicity and elegance to features. Furthermore, C has, from the beginning, been meant for system-programming applications, where efficiency matters. Accordingly, it's not surprising that C is a good match for the capabilities of real machines. For example, it provides as its basic data types only those objects that are directly supported by typical hardware: charac ters, integers (perhaps of several sizes), and floating-point numbers (again in several sizes).
You can create more complicated ob jects like arrays, structures, and so forth, but C provides few operators for manipu lating them as a unit; you must write the functions that compare strings, assign one array to another, and so on.
Somewhat more unusual, C doesn't provide input and output operations as part of the language. This is not to say that C programs can't do 1/0, of course, but simply that 1/0 is done by functions defined by the user or in a library, and not by built-in statements of the lan guage. This is in contrast to, for exam ple, FORTRAN's READ and WRITE, and the INPUT and PRINT of BASIC, which are parts of those languages.
To complete the list of things that C might provide but doesn't: It has no stor age management, like Pascal's new func tion, and no facilities for concurrent pro cessing, such as Ada's rendezvous mechanism. You can easily write these capabilities in C, but they are provided by function libraries, not as part of the language. Function calls are notationally clumsier than direct operators; for exam ple, compare BASIC's string comparison
IF A$ = B$ THEN .·.
to the way you might write it in C:
if (equal( a, b)) ...
Function calls also involve more over head than in-line code.
In any case, the degree to which fea tures are omitted from C is one of its.dis tinguishing characteristics.
Linguistic Elements Controlflow: Control flow in C is quite conventional, although richer than in FORTRAN or BASIC. C contains two decision-making statements: if ... else and switch. In the statement
if (expr) statl else stat2
expr is evaluated; if it's true (nonzero), stat] is executed; otherwise, stat2 is exe cuted. The entire else part of the state ment is optional. In
switch (expr) { case constl: statl case const2: stat2
default: stat }
expr is evaluated and its value compared against the various consts. If it finds a match, the corresponding stat is exe cuted. If it doesn't, the stat for the de fault part is executed. The default is optional. The switch statement is like Pascal's case statement, except that Pas cal has no default.
C also contains three loops: while, for, and do. In the statement
while (expr) stat
expr is evaluated; if it's true, stat is exe cuted, and expr is evaluated again. When expr becomes false, the loop terminates. The statement
for (statl; expr; stat)) stat2
is equivalent to the while loop:
statl while (expr) {
stat2 stat) }
The do statement is like Pascal's re peat ... until except for the sense of the termination test. In the statement
do stat while (expr)
stat is executed, and expr is tested. If it's true, the loop repeats.
The statement break causes an imme diate exit from an enclosing loop or
switch; the statement continue causes the next iteration of a loop to begin. C also provides a goto statement, but it's infrequently used.
In all these examples, a stat can be a
single statement like x =3 or a group of
statements enclosed in braces, which are like begin ... end in other languages. Statements end in semicolons.
Data types: The basic data types in C are char (a single byte); int, short, and long (integers of various lengths); and float and double (floating-point num bers of two different lengths). The char data and the various integers can be signed or unsigned.
You can combine these objects into an infinite (in principle) set of "derived" data types using arrays, structures, unions, and pointers. Arrays are famil iar:
char mesg[lOO];
defines an array mesg of 100 bytes, ac cessed as mesg[O] through mesg[99]. C doesn't provide a string data type; it uses arrays of char instead, with the end of the data marked by a 0 byte. This is what the compiler generates for a string con stant like "hello world\ n ". Within a string, certain "escape sequences" like \ n are used to represent special charac ters like newline. This string contains 12 characters and a terminating 0 byte.
A structure is a collection of related variables that need not have the same type (like a record in Pascal). For example,
struct object { int x, y; /*position*/ float v; /*velocity*/ char id[lO]; /*identification*/
}; struct object obj;
declares a structure called object and defines a variable obj of type struct object. Individual members of the structure are referred to as obj . v, and so on. Notice that the object structure in cludes an array id, whose components are obj. id( OJ through obj. id[9]. You can have arrays of structures, as well.
C provides pointers, or machine ad dresses, as an integral part of the lan guage, in a much less restricted form than in Pascal and Ada. The declarations
char *pc; struct object *pobj;
declare pc to be a pointer to char, and pobj to be a pointer to an object struc
206 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
IN DEPTH THE STATE OF C
ture. The value that a structure points to is accessed by *pc or *pobj, as sug gested by the form of the declaration; the
e) "dereferencing" operation * is equiva
lent to the caret in Pascal. Individual members of the structure are accessed by, for example, pobj->v.
If pis a pointer to an object of type T and currently points to an element of an array of Ts, then p+l is a pointer to the next element in that array. Similarly, if p and q point to elements of the same array, and p is less than q, then q - p is the number of elements from p to q. In short, arithmetic operations on pointers are scaled by the size of the object to which they point; the actual size is usu ally irrelevant as you program. When it is relevant, a sizeof operator exists to compute it, so the program doesn't spec ify the explicit size for any particular machine. C's complete integration of pointers and address arithmetic is one of the strengths of the language.
Operators and expressions: C has a rich set of operators compared to most conventional languages. Besides the
usual arithmetic operators + , - , *, I,
and % (remainder), several other groups deserve special mention.
First, C provides operators for ma nipulating bits within a word (see table I). For example, the function in listing l counts the I-bits in its argument by re peatedly testing the rightmost bit, then shifting the argument one position to the right until it becomes 0. The declaration unsigned means that n will be treated as a logical quantity, not an arithmetic one.
The function bitcount illustrates a second group of operators. Any operator such as >> that takes two operands has a corresponding "assignment operator," such as»=, so that the statement
v = v >> expr
can be written more concisely as
v >>= expr
This notation is easier to read, particu larly when v is a complicated expression instead of a single-letter variable. ·
A third group of operators deals with logical conditions. The operators && and 11 are evaluated left-to-right, and evalua tion stops as soon as the value of the ex pression is known. In a construction like
if (i < N && x[i] > 0) ...
if i is greater than or equal to N (which is presumably the size of the array x), then the test involving x[i] will not be made. This behavior of logical operators is
called "short-circuit evaluation." Functions: The overall structure of a C
program is a set of declarations of vari ables and functions. These definitions are often kept in separate files if the pro gram is large; you can compile them sep arately and link them together with a linking loader.
Within a function, variables are nor mally "automatic" -that is, they appear when the function is entered and may dis appear when it is left, as in the bitcount. However, if you declare a variable as static, it retains its value from one call to the next. Variables declared outside of any function are global; they can be re ferred to anywhere in the program.
Functions are recursive; the standard (and hackneyed) example is the factorial function (see listing 2). The arguments to a function are passed by value, which means that the function receives a copy of the argument, not the original object. (Notice that the function bitcount mod ified its argument; this is safe because it's actually a copy.) You can always ob tain the effect of call by reference when necessary by passing a pointer to the ob ject. Function arguments and return values can be any of the basic types pointers, structures, or unions. To pass an array, you pass a pointer to its first element.
The ANSI Standard
For many years, the definition of C was the reference manual in the first edition of The C Programming Language. In
1983, ANSI established a committee to provide a modern, comprehensive defi nition of C. The result, the ANSI stan dard, or ANSI C, is expected to be ap proved late in 1988. Modern compilers already support most of the features of the standard.
The language has changed relatively little since 1978; one of the goals of the standard was to make sure that most existing programs would remain valid, or, failing that, that compilers could pro duce warnings of new behavior.
Basically, the most important change is a new syntax for declaring and defin ing functions. A function declaration can now include a description of the function's arguments; the definition syn tax changes to match. This extra infor mation makes it much easier for com pilers to detect errors that are caused by mismatched arguments; in our experi ence, it's a very useful addition.
continued
Table 1: The C operators for manipulating bits within a word; these are necessary for many system-programming applications.
& bitwise AND
I bitwise OR
bitwise exclusive-OR one's complement « left shift » right shift
Listing 1: The bitcountfunction counts the I-bits in its argument by repeatedly testing the rightmost bit, then sh(fting the argument one position to the right until it becomes 0.
bitcount(n)
/* count 1 bits in n */
unsigned int n;
int b; for (b = O; n != 0; n >>= 1)
if (n & 1) ++b;
return b;
Listing 2: The classic example ofa recursive function-the factorial function-written in C.
fact(n) int n;
/* returns n ! (n >= 0) */
i f (n <= 0)
return 1;
else
return n * fact(n-1);
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 207
IN DEPTH
THE STATE OF C
To illustrate, consider this typical fragment ofC as it would once have been written:
int n; double x, sqrt(); x = sqrt(n);
The sqrt function expects an argument of type double, but n is an int. This error is not detected, and the results are guaranteed to be nonsense. With the new function prototype syntax from ANSI C, you would write the fragment this way:
int n; double x, sqrt(double); x = sqrt(n);
Here the compiler has been informed about the type that sqrt expects, so it generates code to convert the integer n to floating point. Ifyou inadvertently wrote an expression that couldn't be converted
to double, such as x = sqrt(&n);, the
compiler would catch the error. The syntax of function definitions
changes to match; formal parameters are listed between parentheses after the function name. Thus, the function bit count would become:
bitcount(unsigned int n)
{
There are also other small-scale lan guage changes. Structure assignment, enumerations, and the void data type, all of which had been widely available, are now officially part of the language. You can initialize automatic structures and arrays, and you can do floating-point computations in single-precision; this may lead to more efficient computation on smaller machines.
The properties of arithmetic conver sions are spelled out more carefully. There are now hexadecimal constants and escape sequences as well as the octal ones. The C preprocessor, which does textual macro substitution, is much more elaborate; it gives substantially more control over the macrogeneration pro cess. Most of these changes will have only minor effects on your program ming.
A second significant contribution of the standard is the definition of a li brary to accompany C. It specifies func tions for accessing the operating system (e.g ., to read and write files), formatted input and output (scanf and printf), memory allocation (malloc), string ma
nipulation (e.g., strcmp), mathematical computations (e.g., sin and log), and the like.
A collection of standard header files to be included with user-written programs provides uniform access to declarations of functions and data types. Programs that use this library to interact with a host system are assured of compatible behav ior. Most of the library is closely mod eled on the Unix system's "standard 1/0 library," and similar routines are widely available on other systems as we! I. Again, you won't see much change.
Because most computers directly sup port the data types and control structures that C provides, the run-time library re quired to implement self-contained pro grams is tiny. The standard library func tions are only called explicitly, so you can avoid them if you don't need them. Most ofthem can be written in C and, ex cept for the operating-system details they conceal, are themselves portable.
An Assessment of C C is a compact, efficient, and expressive language. Indeed, C is good enough that it has almost completely supplanted the use of assembly language programming on many systems. The use of a clean, readable high-level language has over whelming advantages; one is simply that it becomes possible to read programs, which is excruciatingly difficult in some languages.
C is a relatively "low level" language. This characterization is not pejorative; it simply means that C deals with the same sorts of objects that most computers do namely, characters, numbers, and ad dresses. These can be combined and moved about with the arithmetic and log ical operators implemented by real machines.
Since C is relatively small, it can be described in a small space and learned quickly. You can reasonably expect to know and understand and, indeed, regu larly use the entire language.
Another advantage is its portability. Although C matches the capabilities of many computers, it is independent of any particular machine architecture. With a little care, it's easy to write portable pro grams that can be run without change on a variety of machines. The standard makes portability issues explicit and pre scribes a set of constants that character ize the machine on which the program is run.
Another of C's strengths is its absence of restrictions. A popular trend in pro gramming languages is "strong typing," which (roughly speaking) implies that
the language undertakes to check care fully that the program contains only valid combinations of data types. Strong typing sometimes catches bugs early, but it also means that some programs just can't be written, because they inherently require violations of the type-combina tion rules.
A storage allocator is a good example: You can't write Pascal's new function which returns a pointer to a block of stor age-in Pascal, because there's no way to define a function that can return an ar bitrary type. But it's easy and safe to write it in C because the language lets you state that a specific violation of the type rules is intentional.
C is not a strongly typed language, but as it has evolved, its type checking has been strengthened. The original defini tion of C frowned on, but permitted, the interchange of pointers and integers; this has long since been eliminated, and the standard n9w requires the proper decla rations and explicit conversions that good compilers had already enforced. The new function declarations are another step in this direction. Compilers will warn of most type errors, and there is no automatic conversion of incompatible data types. Nevertheless, C retains the basic philosophy that programmers know what they are doing; it only re quires that you state your intentions explicitly.
C has even proven to be a good lan guage for other languages to compile into. One of the best examples is the Yacc-compiler compiler, which converts the grammar specification for a lan guage into a C program that is used to parse statements in that language. Natu rally, one language specified this way is C itself.
What's wrong with C? At the lowest level, there are some poor choices of op erator precedences. Some users feel that the switch statement should be changed so that control doesn't flow through from one case to the next, as it does now. The concise syntax is sometimes daunting to newcomers; complicated declarations are often hard to read. One of the new ex amples in the second edition of The C Programming Language is a pair of pro grams to convert C declarations into words and back again.
Portability problems sometimes arise if you rely on undefined or implementa tion-defined properties. For example, the order in which function arguments are evaluated is not specified, so it's pos sible to write code that depends on that order and will thus execute differently on
continued
208 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
How to create high-performance programs
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Performance/Price Chart (execution times in seconds)
I 1) fib
Power C Quick c~ Turbo c~ 23.8 53.4 26.4
2) sieve
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3) tdbl
3.5 9.0 9.6
4) diskio
13 .5 14.4 14.3
5) report
11 .0 71.7 60 .7
6) drystone Compile/Link EXE File Size Compiler Price Debugger Price Library Source Total Cost
36 .6 41 .6 31.8 73 9 113.5 81.4 25120 32092 27184 $19 .95 $99.00 $99.95 $19 .95 NiC NIA $10 .00 $150.00 $150.00 $49.90 $249.00 $249.95
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Benchmarks compiled using Make utility, command -line compiler.
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8
Circle 152 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 209
IN DEPTH THE STATE OF C
Computers For The Blind
Talking computers give blind and visually impaired people access to electronic information. The question is how and how much?
different machines. This is not a grave problem, since it's easy to detect the de pendency, but people still overlook it from time to time, with unfortunate effects.
The answers can be found in "The Second Beginner's Guide to Personal Computers for the Blind and Visu ally Impaired" published by the National Braille Press. This comprehensive book contains a Buyer's Guide to talking microcomputers and large print display processors. More importantly it includes reviews, written by blind users, of software that works with speech.
Send orders to:
National Braille Press Inc., 88 St. Stephen Street Boston, MA 02115, {617J 266-6160
NBP is a nonprofit braille printing and publishing house.
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Over the past decade, C has evolved, al though the rate of change has been slow. The ANSI standard formalizes these changes and adds a few of its own. There has been a steady increase in the amount of error-checking by the compilers: Al though there are still few restrictions on what you can say, you now need to be more explicit when you're doing some thing strange.
Where is C likely to go in the next few years? The most likely evolution is to continue this slow but steady improve ment, with new features added cau tiously . Caution is necessary simply be cause of the importance of maintaining compatibility with the huge body of C code already in use. Changes cannot be made gratuitously.
Realistically, C itself isn't likely to change to a major degree; rather, new languages will come from it. One exam
ple is C + +, which provides facilities for
data abstraction and object-oriented pro gramming while remaining almost com pletely compatible with C (see "A Better C?'' on page 211) . In the meantime, C wears well as your experience with it grows. With 15 years of C experience, we still feel that way. ·
Editor's note: Adapted with permission from Potentials, December 1983, pages 26-30. Copyright 1983 lEEE.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kernighan, Brian W., and Dennis M. Rit
chie. The C Progranuning Language. I st ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1978. This is the standard refer ence on C. Kernighan, Brian W ., and Dennis M. Rit chie. The C Programming Language. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1988. This edition describes ANSI C.
Stroustrup, Bjarne. The C+ + Progrom
ming Language. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley, 1986.
Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie are members of the Computing Science Research Center at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey. Dennis is the designer ofthe C language. Together they wrote the standard refer ence on C. They can be reached on BIX as "editors. "
210 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 273 on Reader Service Cord
Test Drive InfoWorld's
Best 386 Value!
Of the 24 80386-based machines tested by Info World only 3 received "Excellent Value" ratings. Micro I received the highest rating of the group.
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MICRO 1 POWER 388
The speedy Power 386 by Micro I is among the five fastest systems for CPU speed. It features solid performance scores and a competitive price tag.
The Power 386 clocked an impressive 5.20 CPU in our Autobench testing. This speed surpasses the Compaq Deskpro 386/20 by .21 and rates a well deserved excellent score. The system's SO-megabyte Seagate hard drive had a sequential access of 2.86 for a very good score. With a rating ofJ.21. hard disk random access also receives a very good score.
Neither sofiware nor hardware compatibility was a problem for the Power 386. Micro I claims Microsoft OS/2 compatibility. Soflware compatibility is very good; hardware compatibility earns an excellent score.
The Micro I machine met all the expandability requirements. earning an excellent score in this category.
Micro I packs manuals for hard disk. 80387. 1/0. monitor. and V-Cache in one common binder. The user's manual includes step-by-step operation and installation guidelines for beginners. Documentation earns a good score.
A one-year warranty is offered on the Power 386. Micro I also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on the system. Repairs are handled by the vendor or authorized dealers. A five-year extended warranty is available. Support policies are good.
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MICRO 1 POWER 388
Compan11: Micro 1 Inc.. 557 Howard St., San Francisco. CA 94105; (800) 338-4061, (415) 974-5439 in CA. List Price: $6.145. Features: 20·MHz. zero-wait-state 80386 CPU; EGA board and monitor; one serial port; one parallel port; 80287 coprocessor support; optional card available for 80387 support. Peripherals: Enhanced keyboard; 200-watt power supply; battery-powered clock/calendar. Storage and Memor11: BO-megabyte MFM hard disk; 1.2-megabyte floppy drive: 4 megabytes of RAM. Support: One-year limited warranty; 30-day money-back guarantee. Pros: Second highest performance scores overall. Cons: Technical support difficult to reach. Summar11: Low price and solid performance make this system hard to beat.
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AUGUST 1988 · B YT E 211
lntrodu~ the thepossiblewa,__toOS
possible.
Microsoft. C5.1
Opti111izi11gCrm11'ikr
I fur Perso1ia/ ComputersRmmi11g tile MS, 0512 orMS-DOS. Operuri11g S>·stcm
Microsoft C Optimizing Compiler 5.1 Techbox
CQ!npiler · Optimizations that genernte the fastest ccxle for DOS and
OS/2 systems. - In-line ccxle generation. - Loop optimizations. - Elimination of common subexpressions. · Full OS/2-system suppo1t to break the 640K banier. New. - Family AP! progiams that run under DOS and the OS/2
systems. New. - Write multithreaded programs and Dynamic Link
Libraries. New.
· Small, medium,compact, large ,and huge memory mcxlels. · Mix mcxlels with NEAR, FAR. and HUGE keywo1ds. ·Fast com,,Pila1io11 (10,00J lines/minute) with Microsoft
QuickC. · Fastest math, in-line 8087/80287 insnuc tions, and
floating-point calls. · More complete support of proposed ANSI standard. · Over 350 librnry functions, including a graphics library.
Microsoft CcxleView · Full OS/2 systems suppo1t. New.
- Debug applications of up to 128 MB under the OS/2 systems. New.
- Debug multithreaded programs and Dynamic Link
Libraries. New.
· Sowi::e-level debugging for precise conno! over programs. - Dynamic b1eakpoints in the source . - Debug programs wrinen in a variety of Microsoft languages. New. - Full symbolic display ofC structures_ New. - Interactively follow linked lists and nested structures. New.
- Watch vruiables, memory, 1egisters, and flags.
Other Utilities ·Fast linking (twice as fast as the C 4_0 version linker). · OS/2 incremental linker- up to 20 times fasterthana full
link. New. · OS/2- and MS-DOS =onfiguiable progiammer's
editor. New.
Everything about Microsoft®C Optimizing Compiler version 5.1 is dedicated to the professional programmer.
Fast code. Fast development. Fast debugging. And full support for both MS-DOS®and the OS/2 systems in a single package.
There's no faster C code on a PC, because power ful optimizations, such as in-line code generation and loop enregistering, generate executables that are com pact and efficient. The documentation even teaches
you special coding techniques to squeeze every last bit of speed out of your code.
Fast code isn't all you get. Under MS®OS/2, the 640K barrier is gone so you can write C programs as large as a gigabyte. You can call the operating system directly. Create more responsive programs (multiple threads allow program operations to overlap). And build Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) that can be shared, saving valuable memory. DLLs also allow your main programs to be smaller, so they load faster.
212 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Microsoft C5.1
\ For Personal Comp111ers R111mi11g tlie MS, OS/l orMS-DOS. Opemri11gSys1c111
Microsoft C Optimizing Compiler 5.1 Techbox
Compiler · Optimizations 1ha1genera1e 1he fastestccxle fcr DOS and
OS/2 sys1ems. - In-line ccxle generation. - Loop optimizarions_
- Elimination of common subexpressions. · Full OS/2-system SUPJ'OO 10 break lhe 640K barrier. New.
- Family AP! programs that run under DOS and the OS/2 systems. New.
- Write multithreaded progrnms and Dynamic Link
LibraJies. New.
· Small.medium, compact.lmge.andhuge memory models. · Mix models with NEAR, FAR. and HUGE keywords. · Fast compilalion (10.CJO'.l lines/minute) wi1h Micmsoft
QuickC'." · Fas1es1 malh, in-line 8087/80287 instructions. and
floating-point calls. · MOie complete support of proposed ANSI slatldaro. · Over 350 library functions, including a graphics library.
Microsoft CodeView
· FulIOS/2sys1emssuppo11. New.
- Debug applications of up to 128 MB under the OS/2
syslems. New.
- Debug multi1hreaded pmgrams and Dynamic Link
Libraries. New.
·
· Sowre-level debugging fer precise conttol over programs.
- Dynamic breakpoints in lhe source.
- Debug programs written in a variely of Microsoft
languages. New.
- Full symbolic display of C sttucture.s. New.
- lnterac1ively follow linked lists and nesled structures.
New.
- Watch variables, memory. registers, and flags.
Other Utilities ·Fast linking (twice as fas! as the C 4.0 version linker). · OS/2 incremental linker- up to 20 times faster than a foll
link. New. · OS/2- and MS-DOS reconfigurable pmgrnmmer's
editor. New.
You can even write a single Family API program that runs under both MS-DOS and MS OS/2.
Microsoft Editor is the first reconfigurable text editor for programmers that lets you develop under MS-DOS and MS OS/2. Under MS OS/2, multitask ing lets you edit one file while you compile another, which cuts development time. You can even generate multiple compiles that report errors directly back into your source code.
Microsoft CodeView® is the highly acclaimed
Microooft. !he Mirn,;cift logo. MS. MS-DOS. and CodeView are registenxl o-.idcm:ut.s of Micm;oli Corporatioo.
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 213
The future of personal computing is dear. More
labels while you're writing a report in Wmi
powerful Ks. Easier to use Ks. Withgraphic;
Perfu:t, or laying out anewsletter in Ventura
and character-based programs working side by
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side. Talking to each other. Multitasking. Wm
DESQview even lets you transfer text,
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DESQview"' is the operatingenvi ronment that gives JX)S the capabil ities of(13/2."' And it lets you, with your trusty ffRlS, 8006, 802B6, or 00386 K, leap to the productivity ofthe next generation For not much money. And without throwing out your favorite software.
Add DESQview to your Kand it quicklyfinds your programs and lists them on menus. So you can just point to the program, using keyboard or mouse, to start it up. DESQview
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Fulfill the 386 promise.
For80036K useJS, DESQview becomes a386 control program when used in conjunction with Quarterdeck's Expanded Memory Manager (QEMM}386-t,tiving faster multitasking as weifas virtual windowing support.
And when you use DESQview on
an IBM PS/2"' Model 50 or 60 with QEMM-50/ffl and the IBM Memory Expansion Option, DESQview gives you multitaskingbeyond 640K.
Experts are voting for
knows where that program lives. And
DFSQview. And over a
what command loads it For those who have trouble remembering full screen. Open more programs than you
[X)S commands, it adds menus
have memory for. And muftitask them. In
to[X)S.It even Jets you sort your fur programmers, ~ew's 640K. Or if youown aspecial
files and mark specific files to be API, with its 51rength5 minter EMS 4.0 or EEMS memory
cop1'ed,ba-1v,-~t,..'Ui -up, or deletedall without having to leave the
ttwaassakkyiontoogm,abdmrauiprntu~troaattiqhOeu!lif5du:tauanrnded.m~euatlshtyi
Iboan1, or a386 K, DESQview ets you break through the [X)S
program{iou're in.
the API's mailOOxesand shared 640K barrier for multitasking. If
u- t
ot:>
o
all / DESQvi ew
accom-
plishes all this with asubstantial
aopbnrolOegOtr)oawmdi~sthgpcnrao~pgbrroiagmlriamtmiesersdruianrkeneing
you have other non-EMS mem ryexpansion products likeASr's
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If all of this sounds like promises you've
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·
why, by popular vote at
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When you want to use several programs ue_ ~o_16 megabyternf continuous workspace. o F T H E was voted "Best K Environ
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gram. View your programs in windows or calculating and tell Paradox to print mailing
DESQview Jets you have it all now.
T'TrhiWs nAalln.GslaArReGfa':AURlD"Ii;Ydde;tigMrrel~fladItleaIBsMIBFCMA.CT aSn/d2f$X/32/,215-l2a-n3d,Pfairl..flofyi<r,uvht.1.'d11!f.umfecl!e. \l6)1l"lu'crai~ ~AiRnC::,Atl!e)e,l'rsdaelV,A<lrvixvleflalo)oWnl..AImST.JRbATMrf>al!l\Yl H'. ~ im>387-274H4afrua1stp5,riIll.CJhdaaing>in~lmHnaajt{i!oSo..~ Olfi.y cxp~ ns. Augu<tT3~1Vi1e'w&.
214 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 199on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 200)
IN DEPTH
THE C LANGUAGE
ABetterC?
This child ofC goes its parent one better in compatibility and portability
Bjame Stroustrup
T he C ++ language is a general-pur pose programming language that is, except for minor details, a superset of C. It improves on C through its support of data abstraction and object-ori ented programming. The main influences on its design, in addition to C, were Simula 67 and Algol68 (see refer ences 1 and 2).
C + + was first installed 5
years ago. Today, it has sev eral independent implementa tions and many thousands of installations. It is being used for major university research projects and for large-scale software development in com panies such as Apple, Apollo, AT&T, and Sun.
It has been applied to most branches of programming, in cluding banking, CAD, com piler construction, database management, image processing, graph ics, music synthesis, networking, pro gramming environments, robotics, sim ulation, scientific computation, switching, and very-large-scale-integra tion design.
A BetterC c+ + improves the notational conve
nience of C and provides greater type
safety. It compensates for C's weak nesses without compromising C's
strengths. In particular, there is no pro gram that can be written in C but not in
C + +, nor is there a program that can be
written in C so that it achieves greater
run-time efficiency than it does in C + +
(see reference 3). C is clearly not the cleanest language
ever designed nor the easiest to use, but it
owes its current pervasiveness to several key strengths:
· Flexibility: You can apply C to almost every application area and use almost every programming technique with it. The language has no inher ent limitations that preclude writing particular kinds of programs. · Efficiency: C's semantics are "low-level." That is, its fundamental concepts mirror those of a traditional com puter. Consequently, it's rel atively easy, both for you and for a compiler, to efficiently use hardware resources for a Cprogram. · Availability: Given any computer, from the tiniest microcomputer to the largest supercomputer, chances are that there's an acceptable quality C compiler available for it, and that such a com piler supports an acceptably complete and standard C language and library. There are also libraries and support tools available, so you rarely need to design a new system from scratch. · Portability: While a C program may not be easily or automatically portable from one machine (or operating system) to another, such a port is usually possi
continued
ILLUSTRATION: ROBERTTINNEY © 1988
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 215
IN DEPTH
A BETIER C?
The Origin of C+ +
oriented programming and are thus out side the scope of ANSI C and unaffected by changes in the draft ANSI C standard.
Rich Malloy
C ++ (pronounced "C plus plus"), like many other languages, began life as a tool to solve a specific problem. Bjarne Stroustrup, a Bell Labs re searcher, needed to write some simula tion programs. Simula67, the first real object-oriented language, would have been ideal for these programs except for its comparatively slow execution speed. Dr. Stroustrup chose instead to write a new version of C, which he called "C with Classes." By 1983, the language had evolved considerably and the name
was changed to C ++.
After further evolution, Bell Labs' parent company, AT&T, began offering
the language as a product in 1985. The name C + +, like the language it
self, is terse but meaningful. The name, coined by an associate of Stroustrup's named Rick Mascitti, concisely de scribes the evolutionary nature of the
language. The term "+ +" is, of
course, the increment operator in C,
suggesting that the language C ++ is "a
bit more than C." A possible alternative
name, C +, is not only less inspired but
also liable to generate a syntax error.
Rich Malloy is an associate managing editor at BYTE. You can reach him on BIXas "rmalloy. "
ble. The level of difficulty is also usually low enough that even porting software that contains inherent machine depen dencies is both technically and economi cally feasible.
C + + preserves these strengths and
remedies some of C 's most obvious prob lems. For example, function arguments
are type-checked in C + +, and coer
cions are applied where they are found to be appropriate:
extern double sqrt(doublt);
II declare square-root function
double dl = sqrt(2);
II fine: 2 is converted to II a double
double d2 = sqrt("two");
II error: sqrt() does not II accept a string
The // notation was introduced into
C + + from BCPL (see reference 4) for
comments starting at the II and ending at the end of the line.
As shown, C + + makes you specify a
function's argument types in a function declaration so that the standard type con versions (such as int to double) can be implicitly applied, and type errors (such as calling a function requiring a double with a char* argument) can be caught at compile time. With minor restrictions, the draft ANSI C standard accepts the
C + + function-calling rules and the syn
tax for function declarations and func tion definitions (see reference 5).
C + + provides in-line substitution of
functions:
inline int max(int a, int b) { return a>b?a:b; )
int x = 7· int y = 9;
max (x,y ) ;
II generat es : x>y?x:y max( f (x),x); I I generates: II temp=f(x); temp>x?temp:x
Unlike the macros commonly used in C, in-line functions obey the usual type and scope rules. Using in-line functions can lead to apparent run-time improvements over C. In-line substitution of functions is especially important in the context of data abstraction and object-oriented pro gramming. With these styles of pro gramming, very small functions are so common that function-call overhead can become a performance bottleneck.
In addition, C + + provides typed and
scoped constants, operators for free store (dynamic store) manipulation, and many other features.
When the ANSI C committee finishes
its work, the definition of C + + will be
reviewed to remove gratuitous incom patibilities. This will not be a major task,
though, because C + + and ANSI C have
already absorbed most of the "new ANSI C" features from each other.
For example, the notion of a pointer to " raw storage," void*, was incorporated
into C + + from ANSI C , as were nota
tional conveniences such as the suffix u indicating an unsigned literal (e.g ., 12u) and hexadecimal character constants (e.g ., '\xfa'). However, the most im
portant features of C + + relate to the
support of data abstraction and object-
Data Abstraction Data abstraction is a programming tech nique in which you define general-pur pose and special-purpose types as the basis for applications (see reference 6). These user-defined types are convenient for application programmers since they provide local referencing and data hid ing. The result is easier debugging and maintenance and improved program or ganization.
In C + +, you can define types that
you then can use as conveniently as, and in a manner similar to, built-in types. Common examples are arithmetic types such as rational and complex numbers.
class complex { doubl e re, im;
public: complex(double r, double i) { re=r; im=i; ) complex (double r) { re=r; im=O )
II float->complex conversion
friend complex operator+(complex, complex);
friend complex operator-(complex, complex);
11 bi nary minus friend complex
operator-(complex); 11 unary minus friend complex
operator* (complex, complex); friend complex
operatorl(complex, complex);
);
The declaration of class complex speci fies the representation of a complex num ber and the set of operations on it. The
keyword class is C + + 's term for user
defined type. The declaration of class complex has two parts.
The initial part specifies the represen tation of a complex number and is by de fault private. This representation (con sisting of the two double-precision floating-point numbers re and im) is ac cessible only to the functions defined in the declaration of class complex.
The second part of the declaration specifies how a user ·can create and ma nipulate complex numbers. It is called the public part of the declaration be cause it provides an interface to the gen eral public. It consists of two construc tors and the usual arithmetic operations. A constructor is a function that con structs a value of a given type. The first constructor for complex creates a com-
continued
216 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
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IN DEPTH
A BEITER C!
plex number given a coordinate pair; the ging can also be greatly simplified by
second creates a complex number given a proper use of such data hiding.
single floating-point number (using the Programming with classes shifts the
obvious mapping of the real line into the emphasis from the design of algorithms
complex plane). Together they provide to the design of classes (user-defined
the two obvious ways of initializing a types) . Each class is a direct representa
complex variable. For example:
tion of a concept in the program; each ob
ject the program manipulates is of some
complex a= complex(l.2);
II a becomes (1.2,0)
complex b = complex(3.4,5.6);
·specific class that defines its behavior. In other words, every object in a program is of some class that defines the set oflegal
operations on that object. This lets you
The arithmetic operations are defined by program in a language with a set of
friend functions : Specifically, these types, or concepts, appropriate to the ap
functions are completely ordinary except plication. An engineer might use com
that they are granted access to the other plex numbers, matrices, and fast Fourier
wise inaccessible representation of com transforms, while the telephony-soft
plex numbers by the friend declara ware designer might prefer types such as
tions . The notation operator+ is used to switch, line, trunk, handset, and digit
name a function defining the addition buffer.
operator, +. The number of arguments In C + + , this style of programming is
determines whether an operator function supported by a general and flexible set of
implements a binary or a unary operator. mechanisms for data hiding, by con
For example, operator-( complex, com structors providing optional guaranteed
plex) defines subtraction of complex initialization, by destructors providing
numbers, whereas operator- (complex) optional guaranteed cleanup (termina
defines unary minus.
tion), and by operator overloading and
Such functions can be defined as
user-defined coercions providing a conve
complex operator+(complex al,
complex a2)
nient and conventional notation for many kinds of applications. All these features are cleanly integrated into the language,
re~urn complex(al.re+a2.re,
al. im+a2. im) ;
and all uses are checked for type viola tions and ambiguities at compile time to catch errors as early as possible and to
avoid unnecessary run-time overheads.
and used like this:
Object-Oriented Programming
main()
{
complex a = 2.3;
Concepts do not usually come as self contained entities. On the contrary, most concepts relate to other concepts in a va
complex b = complex(lla, 7);
riety of ways. For example, the concepts
complex c = a+b+complex(l,4 . 5); of airplane and car relate to those of vehi
cle and transport; the concepts of mam
mal and bird relate to each other through
Here, a receives the value (2.J, 0) by the more general concept of vertebrate
implicit application of the constructor animal, through the concept of food , and
complex( double); b receives the value so forth; and the concepts of a circle,
(1/ 2 .3, 7) ; and c becomes the value rectangle, and polygon involve the gen
(2 .J+l/2.J+l,7+4. 5)-that is, about eral concept of a shape.
(3.7,11.5) .
Therefore, representing concepts di
The constructors and the operator rectly as types in a program also requires
functions let you use complex numbers ways of expressing the relations between
just as if they were built into the lan types. C + + lets you specify hierarchi
guage. In-line functions let the run-time cally organized classes. This is the key
efficiency of a user-defined type come feature supporting object-oriented pro
close to an equivalent built-in type.
gramming. Hierarchical organization is
Hiding the representation is the key to an extremely important way of coping
modularity. It allows the representation with complex issues in many fields and
of a class to be changed without affecting has, not surprisingly, also proven to be a
users. For example, you might decide to good way of organizing programs in a
change the Cartesian representation of wide variety of application areas.
complex used above to a polar one. Such Consider defining a type shape for
a change would affect only the functions use in a graphics system. The system has
listed in the class definition. User code, to support circles, triangles, squares,
such as main ( ) , is unaffected. Debug and many other shapes. First, you spec
ify a class that defines the general prop erties of all shapes:
class shape { point center; color col; 11 ...
public : point where() { return center; void move(point to) { center= to; draw(); virtual void draw(); virtual void rotate(int);
II
);
You can define the calling interfaces for draw () and rotate ( ) , but you can not yet define their implementation. They are, therefore, declared virtual (the Simula67 and C ++term for "to be defined later in a class derived from this one"). They will be defined for each spe cific shape. Given this definition of class shape, you can write general functions manipulating shapes:
void rotate_al l(shape* v[], int size, int angle)
II rotate all members of
II vector ''v'' of size ''s ize'' 11 "angle" degrees
{
for (int i = O; i < size; i++) v[i]->rotate(angle);
For each shape v [ i] , the proper ro tate ( ) function for the actual type of the object will be called. That "actual type" is not known at compile time.
To define a particular shape, you must say that it is a shape and specify its par ticular properties:
class circle : public shape
II a circle is a shape
int radius; public:
void draw() {I* ..· *I); void rotate (int) {}
II yes , the nul l function
);
A class is said to be derived from another class, which is then called its base class. Here, circle is derived from shape, and shape has a base class of circle. A de 'rived class is said to inherit the proper ties of its base. In addition to such inher ited properties, a derived class has its own specific properties. For example, class circle has the member radius in addition to the members col and center that it inherited from class shape.
Note that the new shape center was
continued
2168 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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IN DEPTH
A BETIER C?
added without modifying "old code," such as the rotate_all() function and other shapes. The ability to extend a pro gram by adding new variations of a basic concept (i.e., adding new derived classes given a base class) without touching old code is a major boon. Using traditional techniques, such additions require ac cess to the source code of the system you want to extend, require understanding of the key implementation details of the old code, and carry the risk of introducing errors in the already-tested old code. Furthermore, using derived classes, im provements and bug fixes done to a base class are automatically "inherited" by every class derived from it.
I chose the "shape" example because everyone understands about shapes, not because object-oriented programming has anything particular to do with graph ics. Graphics is a good area for object oriented techniques, but most uses of such techniques in C + + have nothing to do with graphics. Other examples are compilers, operating-system kernels and device drivers, switching software, and network simulations.
In many contexts, it is important that the C + + virtual-function mechanism be nearly as efficient as a "normal" function call. The additional run-time overhead is about five memory refer ences (depending on the machine archi tecture and the compiler), and the mem ory overhead is one word per object plus one word per virtual function per class.
C + + provides multiple inheritance (see reference 7), or the ability to derive a class from more than one direct base class. For example, if you have a class task representing the concept of a con current activity, and a class displayed representing the concept of something displayed on the screen, you might write:
class displayed_task : public displayed, public task
{ ... }
Now a displayed_task is really both a displayed and a task, so a displayed_ task can be used wherever a displayed or a task is required:
void wait(task*,int);
II do something to a task
void update(displayed*);
II do something to a displayed
f ()
(
II make a displayed_task:
displayed task* dtp = new displayed task( I* appropriate arguments *I);
wait(ctp,10);
II use displayed_task as a task
update (ctp) ;
II displayed_ task as displayed
Naturally, the usual type-checking rules, ambiguity rules, and encapsula tion mechanisms are applied to multiple inheritance to ensure the usual degree of safety and efficiency.
WhyC++? What distinguishes C+ + from other programming languages? C + + was de signed under severe constraints of com patibility, internal consistency, and effi ciency. No feature was included that would cause a serious incompatibility with C at the source or linker levels; would cause run-time or space overheads for a program that did not use it; would increase run time or requirements for a C program; would significantly increase the compile time compared with C; or could only be implemented by making more demands than in a traditional pro gramming environment.
Traditional languages such as C, FOR TRAN, Pascal, and Modula-2 don't pro vide anything comparable to C + + 's fea tures for data abstraction and object oriented programming. This gives the C + + programmer a strong advantage when it comes to understanding, writing, and maintaining programs. It's often im portant that the improved structure of C + + programs be achieved without sacrificing efficiency or restricting the range of areas for which the language is suitable.
Ada provides facilities for data ab straction that may not be as elegant as C + + 's but should be about as effective in actual use. But Ada doesn't provide an inheritance mechanism to support ob ject-oriented programming, so C + + has greater expressive power in this area.
C + + is distinguished among lan guages that support object-oriented pro gramming, such as Smalltalk, by a vari ety of factors: its emphasis on program structure; the flexibility of encapsulation mechanisms; its smooth support of a range of programming paradigms; the portability of C + + implementations; the run-time efficiency (in both time and space) of C + + code; and its ability to run without a large run-time system.
C + + is a programming language in the traditional sense and is not a complete program development system or a com plete execution environment. It can be in stalled easily into an existing C program development or execution environment,
and C + +-specific tools can then be added as needed. In addition, several C + +-specific environments are being built to suit specific needs (see refer ences 8 and 9).
The emphasis on explicit static struc ture (as opposed to a weak type-check ing, as in C, or purely dynamic type checking, as in Smalltalk) is particularly important for projects involving many programmers and for individual pro grammers using large libraries written by others. C + + 's strong type-checking and encapsulation mechanisms have re peatedly proven themselves by dramati cally reducing integration time for larger projects. Similarly, C + + provides a good base for designing libraries with precisely defined, elegant, and statically checked interfaces.
C + + has a single, very flexible, type system. This makes it possible to use hy brid programming styles without violat ing the C + + type system. It also lets you choose a style of programming closely matching individual application areas. ·
REFERENCES 1. Birtwistle, Graham, et al. SIMULA BE G/N. Studentlitteratur, Lund, Sweden, 1971. Chartwell-BrattLtd., U.K., 1980. 2. Woodward, P. M., and S. G. Bond. Algol 68-R Users Guide. London: Her Maj esty's Stationery Office, 1974. 3. Stroustrup, Bjarne. The C+ +Program ming Language. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley, 1986. 4. Richards, Martin, and Colin Whitby Strevens. BCPL-The Language and its Compiler. New York: Cambridge Univer sity Press, 1980. 5. Prosser, David F. Draft Proposed Amer ican National Standard for Information Systems-Programming Language C X3 Secretariat, CBEMA, Washington. 6. Stroustrup, Bjarne. "What Is 'Object Oriented Programming'?" IEEE !YJftware Magazine, May 1988. 7. Stroustrup, Bjame. The Evolution of C++: 1985-1987. Santa Fe, NM: Proc. USENIX C + + Workshop, November 1987. 8. Linton, Mark A. "Distributed Manage ment of a Software Database." IEEE !YJft ware, November 1987, pp. 70-76. 9. Stroustrup, Bjarne. Possible Directions for C+ +: 1985-1987. Santa Fe, NM: Proc. USENIX C++ Workshop, Novem ber 1987.
Bjarne Stroustrup is the designer and
original implementor ofC+ +. He works
at AT&T Bell Labs, Murray Hill, New Jersey. You can reach him on BIX as "bstroustrup. "
216D B YT E · AUGUST 1988
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IN DEPTH
THE C LANGUAGE
It's an Attitude
There's a lot ofextra coding, but you can do object-oriented programming in conventional C
Jonathan S. linowes
0
bject-o~ente? pro grammmg 1s not dependent on any given program
ming language; it's an atti
tude. Structured program
ming asks you to answer the
questions, "How is my data
transformed?" and "What
are my inputs and outputs?"
Object-oriented program
ming asks, "What are the
things I will be working
with?" and "What do I expect
these things to do?" It is be
coming a popular alternative
to conventional structured
techniques for organizing and
thinking about programs.
OOPC is a mechanism for
object-oriented programming
using standard C. It's not a
programming language in it
self, nor is it a preprocessor.
Rather, it's a collection of
conventions and program
ming techniques that, if fol
lowed, give you many of the benefits of
today's object-oriented programming
languages-benefits such as data encap
sulation, modularity, and inheritance.
Through OOPC, I introduce the con
cepts of object-oriented programming in
a practical and familiar context, rather
than complicating the issue with a new
language and a new syntax. To demon
strate OOPC techniques in action, I have
implemented the MyShape example
adapted from The C+ + Programming
Language by Bjarne Stroustrup (Addi son-Wesley, 1986), pages 213 to 221.
Object-oriented programming tech niques are very good for prototyping ap plications. In fact, OOPC was developed for the MIT Media Laboratory UseIT project, a user-interface test-bed system. The UseIT system lets you easily build
components of a user inter face, modify an interaction technique (such as changing a pop-up menu into a pull down), and quickly program entirely new objects. This was a fairly complex project with multiple programmers and required the ability to make quick code modifica tions. Using object-oriented programming techniques made the UseIT system easy to understand and modify.
Objects as Virtual Devices
You can think of object-ori ented systems as a collection of independent virtual de vices communicating with each other, each with its own internal structure. These vir tual devices, called objects, consist of properties (private data) and methods (the opera tions applied to that data). The internal structure of an object is not accessible to any other ob ject or program. This concept of data en capsulation is key to object-oriented pro gramming, as it separates the object's implementation from its use. Objects communicate with other ob jects through messages. You send mes sages to create new objects, to modify and inquire about an object's property
continued
ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT TINNEY© 1988
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 219
IN DEPTH
IT'S AN ATTITUDE
values, and to request the object to per form specific actions . In a sense, mes sages are like op codes to the object. An object can send messages to any other ob ject, including itself.
You create objects by instantiating classes. Classes act as templates for ob jects, which have a particular set ofprop erties and methods. All instances of a given class have the same properties and methods, although the values of each property will vary.
The distinction between object classes and instances is analogous to the rela tionship between structure definitions and structure variables. For example, in C, struct sname { ... }; declares a tem plate for structure sname, and struct sname varname; declares varname as an instance of sname.
Object classes are organized into a hierarchical taxonomy of subclasses and superclasses. With subclasses you can define increasingly specialized object types. Superclasses let you share gener alizations among separate classes.
An object inherits all the properties and methods of its superclass. A class can distinguish itself from its superclass by assigning different default property values, substituting methods for specific messages, and adding new properties, methods, and messages.
When you send a message to an object, the object's message handler receives the message and checks for a local method for that message. If it has none, the mes sage is forwarded to the object's super class message handler, and the method there is used. If the superclass doesn't recognize the message, it sends the mes sage along to its superclass, and so forth, until a method is found. The message is declared invalid if no method is found.
UsingOOPCObjects The OOPC programmer interface con sists of a header file, the functions New and Send, and a library of message-han
dler·functions. Message handlers receive messages and invoke the corresponding methods. Every object class in the object library has a message handler.
The header file, OOPC.H, contains common definitions for standard data types in OOPC, such as class message handler function declarations and mes sage definitions.
Instance objects are identified with a reference, or handle, of type Object, defined in OOPC.H, returned when a new instance is created. You must use this identifier whenever you reference the ob ject-for example, when sending it mes sages. When you use'the Object handle,
Listing 1: OOPC code for the MyShape example program. This code creates several shapes-a rectangle, a line, and a face (MyShape)-and then stacks them on top ofeach other.
stack_on_top( p2, p3 ); stack_on_top( pl, p2 );
/* re-draw */ refresh_shapes( screen);
stack on top ( q, p ) Obje~t q, p;
Msg_North_Result north; Msg_South_Result south; Msg_Move_ Param move;
Send( p, MSG_NORTH_r, NULL, &north ) ; Send( q, MSG_SOUTH_r, NULL, &south);
move.dx = north.x - south.x; move.dy = north.y - south.y + 1; Send( q, MSG_MOVE_p, &move, NULL);
refr esh_shapes ( screen Object screen;
ext ern Object s hape_lis t [ ] ;
ext ern i nt shape_count;
Msg_Dr aw_Param draw;
i nt i ;
Send( screen, MSG_CLEAR, NULL, NULL);
draw.screen = screen;
for (i=O; i<shape_count; i++)
Send ( shape_li st(i], MSG DRAW p, &dra w, NULL ); Send( screen, MSG_REFRESH, NULL, NULL ) ;
applications need never know the inter nal structure of the object.
You create a new instance with the function New:
object= New( handler ) ;
where handler is the message-handler function for the class of the object you
Common
Superclass
Shape
1f Subclass
Hline
Rectangle My Shape
Figure 1: Class hierarchy in the MyShape example.
220 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
IN DEPTH
IT'S AN ATTITUDE
#include <stdio.h> ~include "oopc.h"
main ()
(
Object Object Msg_Set_Rectangle_Pararn Msg Set Hline Param Msg=Set=MyshaPe_Param Msg_Draw_Par am Msg_Move_Param int
screen; pl, p2, p3; set_rect_p; set_hline_p; set_myshape_p; draw_p; move_p; i;
regardless of which object receives the message.
Unfortunately, because OOPC re quires that you be able to send different data structures to the same function, you can't perform type checking to verify that the correct blocks are specified for a given message. However, the message naming convention, combined with the parameter- and result-block structures, form a satisfactory interim solution without a preprocessor. The naming con ventions make it easier to visually verify the code, and the C compiler will verify the types of each specific parameter/re sult field within the blocks.
/* create screen buffer *I
screen= New( Screen);
/* create shapes */
pl =New( Rectangle ) ;
set_rect_p.xmin = O; set_rect_p.ymin = O;
set rect p.xmax = 10; set rect p.ymax = 10;
Send( pl~ MSG_SET_RECTANGLE_p,-&set_rect_p, NULL);
p2 =New( Hline );
set_hline_p.x = O; set_hline_p.y = 15; set_hline_p.length Send( p2, MSG_SET_HLINE_p, &set_hline_p, NULL);
17;
p3 =New( Myshape );
set_myshape_p.xmin = 15; set_myshape_p.ymin = 10;
set_myshape_p.xmax = 27; set_myshape_p.ymax = 18;
Send( p3, MSG_SET_MYSHAPE_p, &set_myshape__p, NULL ) ;
/* draw them *I
refresh_shapes( screen ) ;
/* re-arrange the shapes */
move_p.dx = -10; move_p.dy = -10;
Send( p3, MSG_MOVE_p, &move_p, NULL);
are creating. The function New returns the handle of the instance into whatever variable name you've specified for the object. When you create an object, New allocates memory for the object's prop erties and initializes this memory to de fault values. It returns a null object if it can't create the instance.
Objects are sent messages with the Send macro function:
error= Send( object, message, ¶meters, &result ) ;
where object receives the message, message enumerates it, and the last two arguments are pointers to the parameter and result blocks whose contents depend on the particular message specified (they could be null). The function Send re turns an error code (O=ok).
A message is actually just an enumer ated integer type, such that each message
has a unique. value. Some examples in clude MSG_SET_RECTANGLE_p, which sets a rectangle's corner coordinates; MSG_ASK_NORTH_r, which requests the
top-center point of a rectangle; and MSG_DRAW_p, which tells the object to draw itself. The name extensions _p, _r,
and _pr remind you that the object re quires a parameter block, result block, or both, along with the message.
When a message requires parameters, it has an associated data structure for stuffing the parameter values, named, by convention, messageJaram. For ex ample, Msg_Draw_Param is the param eter block for the MSG_DRAW_p message (Msg_Draw_Param specifies the screen on which to draw the object). Similarly, results are returned in the structure mes s age_Result. For example, structure Msg_North_Result contains the point returned by MSG_NORTH_r. These pa rameter and result blocks are the same
An Example The class hierarchy in figure I shows the superclasses and subclass used for the MyShape example. The class Rectangle includes coordinates defining its two corners. MyShape is a subclass of Rect angle that implements a picture of a face. It uses the Rectangle properties to define its border and adds properties for the eyes and mouth (defined as horizon tal lines). Messages and methods regard ing the border of a MyShape object are in herited from its superclass, Rectangle; other messages are handled by the local method, MyShape. In OOPC, all objects are subclasses of class Common.
The main program, shown in listing l, creates three shapes-a rectangle, a hori zontal line, and an instance of MyShape (a face)-and draws them on the screen. Then, the line is stacked on top of the face, the rectangle is stacked on topofthe line, and the drawing is refreshed.
When an instance of a class is created, its properties are set to default values, leaving it to the application to set them to desired values. For example, new rect angles are created at (0,0)-(0,0), which is not very useful. The new object must then be set, such as at (0,0)-(10, l 0), as in the example.
The MyShape example shows how you can write procedures that manipulate ob jects without knowledge of the objects they will be manipulating. For example, the stack_on_top function rearranges arbitrary objects, as long as they under stand the messages MSG_NORTH, MSG_ SOUTH, and MSG_MOVE, to get their top center and bottom-center points and to change their positions. Similarly, the function refresh_shapes sends MSG_ DRAW to the objects in the display list, without knowing anything about the ob jects there. In fact, you can code and compile these functions before writing the object classes they are manipulating.
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 221
IN DEPTH
IT'S AN ATTITUDE
Listing 2: The chain ofinheritance for the rectangle class. Ifa r ectangle
object is notable to recognize a message, the Base macro will pass it up to a
superclass, Shape, to see ifthe message is defined there. IfShape can't decode the message , it will pass it up to Common. If Common can 't understand
the message, an error is returned.
/*------------------------------------··----------------------------
* excerpt f rom file: rectangle . c * definition of rectangle object structure
------------------------------------------------------------------*/
typedef struct { # include "rectangle.p" ) Rectangle_Object;
/*-- --- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* file: rectangle.p
* properties for Rectangle class (subclass of Shape)
--------------------------------------------------*/
#include "shape.p"
/ * inherit ed propert ies */
/* local properties */
int xmin, ymin;
/* northeast corner */
int xmax, ymax;
/* southwest corner */
/*-------------------------------------------------
* file: shape.p * properties for Shape class (subclass of Common)
-------------------- - ------------------~----------*/
#include "common.p"
/* inherited properties */
/* no l ocal properties */
/* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -
* file: common.p * properties for Conunon class
--------------------------------------------------*/
/* Conunon is top level, has no parent */
/* properties common to all objects */
Functionp dispatch; /* message handler function */
/* other properties may include a class identifier, archive file name, etc, */
/*-------------------------------------------------
* excerpt from file: rectangle . c * methods for Rectangle class (subclass of Shape)
--------------------------------------------------*/
#include <stdio.h> #include <malloc.h> #include "oopc.h"
/* base class dispatcher */ #define Base (this,msg,par, re s )
Shape(this,msg,par,res)
/*- --------------------------------------------*/
/* message dispatcher */ /*------ --- --- --- ------ --- - - ---- ---- -----------* /
continued
222 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Implementing OOPC Objects OOPC uses an #include chaining tech nique that requires that each object be compiled separately. Each class is made of at least two source files: class.C and class.P. The .C file contains the mes sage handler and individual methods . The .P file contains the class properties. You must include the header file OOPC.H at the top of every source ( .C) file in addi tion to the object's class property file.
Using nested file inclusion, the .P files provide the mechanism for property in heritance. For example, listing 2 shows the Rectangle_Obj ect data structure. The fields of this structure are included from the RECTANGLE.P file. The first statement of the file is another include file, SHAPE.H, containing the properties from Rectangle' s superclass.
Superclass properties appear in mem ory before subclass properties, as shown in figure 2, which facilitates method in heritance. When a message is deferred by a class to its superclass, the object's handle is passed. Since this handle is actually a pointer to the object's prop erty data, the superclass can access the properties it knows of, yet need not (and should not) access the subclass prop erties.
Each object class has a single message handler function having the same name as the object itself. Thus, rectangles have a message handler called Rectangle.
The handler is a "switch" statement with cases for each message recognized locally by the class, calling the corre sponding method-a static local ·func tion. Ifthe message handler does not rec ognize the message, the message is forwarded up to the superclass message handler. Listing 2 is an excerpt of the file RECTANGLE.C, showing the chain of in heritance an unrecognized message will follow.
Even if an object has a method for a message, it can still inherit the super class method and then augment the re sult. In the initialization method, for example, the object first inherits its superclass method to initialize the super class properties and then initializes its own properties.
Because the topmost class is Common, the first property of every object is a pointer to the object's message-function handler. The Send macro function takes advantage of this fact by simply access ing the first field of the object. The fol lowing is an excerpt from OOPC.H show ing how Send is implemented:
t ypedefint(*Functi onp)( ) ;
continued
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AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 223
IN DEPTH
IT'S AN ATTITUDE
int Rectangle( this, msg, param, result )
Rectangle_Object* this;
Message
msg;
Caddr
param;
Caddr
result;
int error = O;
switch (msg) { case MSG NEW r:
error= Rectangle_new( result>;
break;
case MSG INITIALIZE:
error= Rectangle init( this );
break;
case MSG SET RECTANGLE p:
error= Rectangle ;etrect( this, param );
break;
case MSG MOVE p: error= R~ctangle_move( this, param );
break;
case MSG_DRAW_p:
error= Rectangle draw( this, param );
break; ·
case MSG NORTH r:
error= Rectangle_north( this, result);
break; case MSG SOUTH r:
error= Rectangle_south( this, result);
break;
default:
error= Base( this, msg, param, result);
break;
return error;
/*---------------------------------------------*/ /* rectangle class methods */ /*---------------------------------------------*/
static int Rectangle_move (this, param) Rectangle_Object *this; Msg_Move_Param *param;
this->xmin += param->dx;
this->ymin += param->dy;
this->xmax += param->dx;
this->ymax += param->dy;
return O;
~
Object handle
Object+ sizeof(Common_Object)
Object+ sizeof(Shape_Object)
Object+ sizeof(Rectangle_Object)
Object+ sizeof(MyShape_Object)
Common properties Shape properties Rectangle properties MyShape properties
Figure 2: Memory organiuition ofMySha.pe class properties.
224 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
typedef struct { Functionp dispatch; } *Object;
#define Send( obj ,msg,param, result)\
((*(obj->dispatch))(obj,msg, param, result) )
To implement Send, I first define the data type Functionp, which is a pointer to a function. Then I define a data struc ture that declares as its member an item called dispatch, which is of type Func tionp. Finally, I give this structure the tag *Object, so that Object is a data type that is a pointer to a structure whose first member is a pointer to a function. In the Send macro, obj is of type Object, so obj->dispatch will fish out the pointer to the desired function. The rest of this line executes the function.
Finally, the function New is an inter face for sending a MSG_NEW message to a dispatch function. New creates an in stance for an object class that you can then use with the function Send.
typedef struct {Object object; } Msg_New_Result;
Object New( dispatch) Functionp dispatch;
{ Msg_New_Result new; (*dispatch) (NULL, MSG_NEW_r, NULL, &new ) ; return new.object;
}
Limitations of OOPC As you can see, there is a lot of extra cod ing you must tend to yourself, such as set ting up the include chain and making sure that you pass the correct parameters to an object. These are details that an ob ject-oriented language can manage for you. Object-oriented languages differ in their support for memory management.
The advantage of using a conventional language is that it doesn't require the ad ditional investment of buying and learn ing a new language. Plus, it's code-com patible with any existing libraries and tools you currently use. ·
Editor's note: The source code for the OOPC object classes and the MyShape example are available in a variety offor mats. See page 3 for further details.
Jonathan S. Linowes is a founding part ner of Sir/in Computer Corp. in Hudson, New Hampshire, specializing in database and computer graphics systems. He can be contacted on B/X as "editors. "
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AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 225
IN DEPTH THE C LANGUAGE
Resource Guide
·Advantage C + + .. ........ .$49S C Native Compiler....... $1000
The C Workshop .. ...... $69..95
Delta-C ........... ... .. .. .. .. ..$495
PC, xr,AT, and.compatibles
PC-DOSfor8088, 8086, 80186,
PC compatible
NC4016
Run/C Interpreter.. .......$120
and 80286 machines
PC, xr, AT, and compatibles
Whitesmiths, Ltd.
Wordcraft
3827 Penniman"Ave.
SC-C .. ...... ............. .......$695
PC, xr, AT, and 80386
Run/C Professional .......$250
59Power Rd.
0 .aldand, CA 94619
machines
PC, XI. AT, and compatibles
Westford, MA 01886
(800) 888-0852 c:.xt. 955;
Silicon Composers
Lifeboat Associates
(617) 692-7800
in California,
21,0 California Av.e..,,Suite K
55 South Broadway
Inquiry 954.
(415) 534-2212
Palo Alto, CA 94300·
Tarrytown, NY 10591
Inquiry 958.
(415) 322-8763
(800) 847-7078; in New York,
Consulair 68020 C
Inquiry 964.
(914) 332-1875
Inquiry 947.
Develop111ent System ......$600 C68 ... ......... ....... ... .. .. ....$795
Moc
PC compatible
Designer C + + .......... ...$495
MacC .. .... .................. ...$425 C68/020.... ....................$995
MS-DOS and PC compatible;
Aztek C68K-r B-shell ....$120 Mac
PC compatible
80386 Unix, 80386 Xenix
Aztek C68K/MPW-p .....$175 Mace Jr ·. ..... ...... .......$79.95 ·
Alcyon Corp.
Oasys
Aztek C68KIMPW-d .....$299 Moc
6888 Nancy Ridge Dr.
230 Second Ave.
Mac
Consulair Corp.
San Diego, CA 92121
Waltham, MA 02154
Manx Software
P.O. Box2192
(619) 587-1155
(617) 890-7889
P.O. Box55
Ketchum, ID 83340
Inquiry 959.
Inquiry 965.
Shrewsbury, NJ 07701
(208) 726-5846
(201) 542-2121
Inquiry 977.
C-8096 ... .......... ..... .......$995
Desmet DC88 ... ... ..... ..... $99
Inquiry 948.
PC compatible
PC comptitible
CrossCode C for the
Archimedes Software, Inc.
C Ware Corp.
C Compiler.. .. ..... ........ ..$495
. 68000 .. ..... ........ .... ... ... $1595 2159 Union St.
PC, xr, AT, and compatibles
PC compatible
·
San Francisco, CA 94123
P.O. Box428
Paso Robles, CA 93447
C/2 ... ..... ..... ... .... ...... ... .$560
UniWare Z80 C
(415) 567-4010
(805) 239-4620
PC, XT, AT, and compatibles
Compiler ............ ... ..... $1595 Inquiry 960.
Inquiry 966.
IBM Corp.
PC compatible
Old Orchard Rd.
Software Development Systems,
C-86 Plus C Compiler ....$497 Eco-C ... .. .. ..... ..... .. ... .$59.95
Armonk, NY 10504
Inc.
PC. XT, AT, and PS/2
Moc and Z80 CP/M
(914) 765-1900
3110 Woodcreek Dr.
compatible
ECO-C88C
Inquiry 951.
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Computer Innovations, Inc.
Compiler .. ................. $99.95
(800) 448-7733; in lllinois,
980 Shrewsbury Ave.
MS-DOS
C Compiler.. .. .. ..... .. ... .. .. $99
(312) 971-8170
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Ecosoft, Inc.
PC compatible
Inquiry 955.
(201) 542-5920
6413 North College Ave.
Supersoft, Inc.
Inquiry 961.
lndian11polis, IN 46220
510 West Park Ave.
C_Talk.... ·............. $149.95
(317) 255-6476
P.O. Box 1628
Champaign , IL 61820
PC compatible CNS, Inc.
C 86188 IUX866......... . $1295
Inquiry 967.
xrand AT compatible
(800) 678-3600; in lllinois, (217) 359-2112
Software Products Dept.
7090 Shady Oak Rd.
Real-Time Computer Science
Corp.
Guidelines C + + ........ ..$295
PC, xr, AT, and compatibles
Inquiry 952.
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
1390 Flynn Rd. , Unit E
Guidelines Software, Inc.
(612) 944-0170
Camarillo, CA 93010
P.O. Box 749, Suite B
C Compiler (oneuser)....$895 Inquiry 956.
(805) 987-9781
Orinda, CA 94563
PC compatible
Inquiry 962.
(415) 254-9183
Wintek Corp.
C-terp
Inquiry 968.
1801 South St.
MS-DOS version.. ... .... ... ....$298
Definitive C
Lafayette, IN 47904
Xenix version .. ....... .... ......$398
XTunder THEOS ..... .. ... .. ..$395
(800) 742-6809; in Indiana,
Gimpel Software
ATunder THEOS .. ......... ...$499
(317) 742-8428
3207 Hogarth Lane
THEOS C .. .... ...............$599
Inquiry 953.
Collegeville, PA 19426
AT, 80386 machines under
(215) 584-4261
THEOS
Inquiry 957.
Theos Software Corp.
1777 Botelho Dr., Suite 360
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
(415) 935-1118
Inquiry 963.
226 BY T E · AUGUST 1988
I N DEPTH
THE C LANGUAGE
HigbC ........... ..............$595
Living C Plus ........... $199.95
MPWC ........ .. ... .. .. .... .. .$150
Toolworks C .... .... ..... .$49.95
PC compatible
PC, AT, XT, and PS/2
Mac
PC compatible; MS-DOS and
High C for the 80386 .....$895 compatible
Apple Programmers and
CP/M
80386
Living Software, Inc.
Developers Association
The Software Toolworks
MetaWare, Inc..
P.O. Box 1188
290 Southwest 43rd St.
13557 Ventura Blvd.
903 Pacific Ave., Suite 201
Framingham, MA 01701
Renton, WA 98055
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(617) 881-6343
(206) 251-6548
(818) 907-6789
(408) 429-6382
Inquiry 975.
Inquiry 981.
Inquiry 986.
Inquiry 969.
"LPl-C" .... .. .......... .......$695
NDPC-386 ...................$595
Turbo C ........ ............ $99.95
Hyper-C ....................... $100
80386 and 68000 compatible
PC and 80386 compatible; MS PC, XT, AT, and
compatibles
Mac
Language Processors, Inc.
DOS and Unix .
Borland International, Inc.
Spectra Micro Development
959 Concord St.
MicroWay, Inc.
4585 Scotts Valley Dr.
P.O. Box 41795
Framingham, MA 01701
P.O. Box79
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
Tucson, AZ 85717
(617) 626-0006
Kingston, MA 02364
(408) 438-8400
(602) 884-7402
Inquiry 976.
(617) 746-7341
Inquiry 987.
Inquiry 970.
Inquiry 982.
·Mac-to-IIGS C
Watcom Express C .. ......$125
Instant-C .....................$495
Compiler ... ...................$500 Objective-C (per user) ...$495 lnrrodJJctoryoffer............ ... $75
PC, XT, A.T, and compatibles
Apple I/GS
PC/MS-DOS
PC compatible
Rational Systems
Megamax C ........ .... . $199.95
The Steestone Corp.
Watcom C (includes
P.O. Box480
Mac
75 Glen Rd.
Watcom Express C) ... ....$495
Natick, MA 01760
Megamax, Inc.
Sandy Hook, CT 06482
Introductory offer .. .... .... ... .$295
(617) 653-6194
P.0. Box 851521
(203) 426-1875
PC compatible
Inquiry 971.
Richardson, TX 75085
Inquiry 983.
Watcom
(214) 987-4931
415 Phillip St.
Lattice AmigaDOS C
Inquiry 978.
Optimum-C ......... .. ..... ..$139
Waterloo, Ontario
Compiler ..... ..... .... ..... .. .$200
PC compatible
Canada N2L 3X2
Amiga
Microsoft C (includes
Datalight
(519) 886-3700
Lattice AmigaDOS C
QuickC) .......... .. ...........$450 17505 68th Ave. NE, Suite 304
(800) 265-4555 (U.S. and
Development System ......$375 PC compatible; OS/2, MS-DOS
Bothell, WA 98011
Canada)
Amiga
QuickC ......................... $99 (206) 367-1803
Inquiry 988.
Lattice C Compiler.. .... ..$450
PC, A.T, and compatibles
Inquiry 950.
MS-DOS and OS/2
Microsoft Corp.
Lattice C + + ........ ........$500
16011 Northeast36th Way
Amiga
p .0. Box 97017
Zortecb C .. .. .. ..... ....... $49.95
QC88 C Compiler .... ...... $90 MS-DOS; PC compatible
PC compatible
Zortecb C + + .. ........ .. $99.95
Lattice, Inc.
Redmond, WA 98073
The Austin Code Works
MS-DOS, PC compatible
2500 South Highland Ave.
(206) 882-8080
11100 Leafwood Lane
Zortech, Inc.
Lombard, IL 60148
Inquiry 979.
Austin, TX 78750
366 Massachusetts Ave.,
(312) 916-1600
(512) 258--0785
Suite 303
Inquiry 972.
Mix C Compiler... .. .... $19.95
Inquiry 949.
Arlington, MA 02174
PC compatible
(800) 848-8408; in
Let's C/csd ...... .. .. .. ..... ... $75
Mix C Works .. ......... .. $39.95
Sierra C (68000 cross
Massachusetts or international,
PC and PS/2 compatible
PC compatible
compiler) .......... .......... $2000 (617) 646-6703
Mark Williams Co.
Mix Software
A.T compatible
Inquiry 989.
1430 West Wrightwood
2116 East Arapaho, Suite 363
Sierra Systems
Chicago, IL 60614
Richardson, TX 75081
6728 Evergreen Ave.
(800) 692-1700; in Illinois,
(214) 783-600 l
Oakland, CA 94611
(312) 472-6659
Inquiry 980.
(415) 339-8200
Inquiry 973.
Inquiry 984.
Llgbtspeed c ................$175
Mac Think Technologies, Inc.
135 South Rd.
Bedford, MA 01730
(617)275-4800
Inquiry 974.
Small-C PC compatible A variety of shareware and
public domain versions are
available.
Inquiry 985.
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 227
NATURAL LANGUAGE INTERFACE
' ' .... . )
.......
·
.
' '
. 't t
THE COMPUTER CHRONICLES MAKES KEEPING UP WITH THE INFORMATION AGE EASY
Stewart Cheifet and Gary Kildall are your co-hosts for a weekly half-hour television program aimed at computer users. owners. educators and computer industry pro fessionab If you're looking for help in finding out what's new and what's news, tune in toTHECOMPl TTER CHRO:\'ICLESevel)·wcek on your local public television station.
Regular commentators arc .Jan Lewis, President of Lewis Research Corporation and publisher/ editor of
HyperAge magazine, and George Morrow, founder of Morrow Designs.
Topics this season include: CD ROMS- Shareware - Multitasking - Business Graphics - Investment Software - , PC Imaging - PC ~etworks - Decision Support Software - Laser Printers - l-lypercard Input Devices - and MlTCll MORE.
Each week THE COMPllTER CHRO:\'ICLES looks at the top stories of the week in Random Access. a news segment designed to keep you infonned about the latest developments in the computer industry.
THE COMPlTTER CHRO'.'JICLES. a weekly half hour of public television that just might he the help you need.
JAN LEWIS
GEORGE MORROW
The Computer Chronicle~ is funded in part fry McGraw-Hill's ll\IU
magazine. The Computer Chronicles is a co-production of WITF/ Harrisburg and KCSM/San Mateo.
228 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
THE COMPUTER CHRONICLES IS NOW ON BIX
Bix, the Byte Information Exchange, now has a conference for the Computer Chronicles.
Now you can communicate directly with the staff of the Computer Chronicles to suggest topics for future shows or to request information or details on past shows.
Once on Bix , iust type "Join comp.chron" at the colon (:) prompt
FE ATURE
MAKING THE MOVE
TOOS/2
Top programmers from Borland, Norton, and Lotus talk about converting a database, TSR, and spreadsheetfrom MS-DOS to OS/2
ith all the talk about OS/2-its multitasking fea
W
tures, the heritage it brings from MS-DOS, the problems it leaves behind, complaints that it costs too much or takes up too much memory
the question foremost in the minds of most per
sonal computer users is: Should I bother? Granted, OS/2 has
some powerful features, but how many programs will actually
run under it, and how many of tho.se will take full advantage of
its capabilities? If only a few programs run under OS/2, or if
they run only in the DOS-compatibility box, why not just stick
with MS-DOS?
Whether or not a critical mass of OS/2 programs becomes
available depends on two things: how hard it is to write new
OS/2 programs, and how hard it is to port established MS-DOS
programs to OS/2. Given the time it takes to develop an applica
tion program, we can expect that the first OS/2 programs will
be updates ofMS-DOS programs.
So, how hard is it to port a program from MS-DOS to OS/2?
To find out, we asked top programmers from Borland, Norton
Computing, and Lotus Development to tell us about their expe
riences in converting a popular program to run under OS/2.
Their thoughts should be valuable if you' re considering upgrad
ing to OS/2-and wondering whether the number of available
programs will justify the cost and effort-or if you're thinking
about porting your own programs to OS/2.
AN OS/2 PARADOX
Robert E. Shostak
Y ou might expect that with its gaggle of new features, in cluding multitasking and interprocess communication, porting a DOS program to OS/2 might be a big job. Indeed, if you plan to take advantage of these new features, a port could
involve significant redesign and implementation work. On the other hand, if you don't need fancy multitasking capabilities and your program has minimal direct interface to the operating system or BIOS, you might only need to recompile and relink your source code.
Paradox is a high-end relational database management sys tem. It is quite a large and elaborate program, so we ended up dealing with many of the issues that would arise in porting other applications.
These issues fall into two categories: external and internal. External issues arise by virtue of new or different features in OS/2 that are apparent to the user. Internal issues, by contrast, are implementation concerns that have no bearing on function ality or performance and are therefore transparent to the user of the program.
External Issues
The more interesting considerations in porting to OS/2 have to do with taking advantage of its new functions, such as multi tasking. These are the ones that users will notice; they ' re also the ones most likely to vary from application to application.
In the case of Paradox, we wanted a user to be able to run multiple copies (called instances in OS/2 parlance) of the program simultaneously. In fact, we wanted to make it possible for these instances to access the same tables simultaneously. For example, a user should be able to query a table at the same time that the program is printing a report for that table in the background.
OS/2's session manager automatically handles scheduling among multiple instances of a program(s). It does not, how ever, automatically manage concurrent access to data. But since Paradox 2.0 was written as a multiuser (i.e ., networked) application, it already had the built-in mechanisms needed to synchronize multiuser access to tables. We had only to adapt these mechanisms so that multiple sessions would be treated in the same way as multiple users.
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 229
FEATURE
MAKING THE MOVE TO OS/2
The most difficult technical problem we needed to resolve to obtain this effect involves Paradox's "private directory" ma chinery. In a multiuser configuration of Paradox, each user designates a certain directory as his private directory. It stores temporary tables (such as the Answer table) that other users cannot access. It is essential that no two users specify the same private directory, and, in fact, this directory is usually chosen to reside on each user's local hard disk.
A nOS/2
program must be better behaved
than a IXJS program.
In order to handle multiple sessions in addition to multiple users, we needed to provide a unique private directory for each session. To obtain maximum transparency to the user, we opted to use a mechanism that would automatically create a new sub directory for each session a user initiates. The mechanism de pends on OS/2's support of global shared memory, allowing different program instances to communicate with one another.
Other external issues we needed to deal with had to do with sharing memory and CPU resources among OS/2 tasks. Under DOS, applications (other than terminate-and-stay-resident [TSR] programs) typically grab all the memory when they're loaded. Applications also assume, of course, that they have ex clusive use of the CPU. Under OS/2 and other multitasking or multiuser operating systems, programs must be better behaved. In particular, they must be careful to allocate only as much memory from the operating system as they actually need. They must also be written in a way that does not tie up the CPU un necessarily; for example, a tight keyboard-check loop could needlessly hog the CPU. Under OS/2, you need to give control back to the operating system periodically so it can dispatch other tasks while your task is waiting for input.
Internal Issues The most obvious difference between programs written for OS/2 and those written for DOS is the way programs make calls to the operating system. In DOS, an operating system call is made by loading up some registers with arguments to the call, then issuing INT 2lh (hexadecimal). In OS/2, program mers must replace these INT 21 h calls with calls to a set of named routines known as the OS/2"Application Programming Interface (API). You can think of the API as a function library of the kind normally provided with languages such as C and Pascal. The main difference is that references to functions in the API are resolved not at program-link time, but at load time, using OS/2's dynamic-linking capability. Arguments pass to the API routines on the stack, just as with high-level languages.
Most DOS function calls have an exact correspondent in the API, though the arguments or error-handling conventions may be somewhat different.
The API also has functions to replace the BIOS interrupts that DOS applications typically call. Owing to its multitasking capabilities, OS/2 needs much more control over devices such as the screen and keyboard than does DOS, so tasks don't inter fere with each other. Indeed, these devices and the mouse are
treated as first-class system devices. With OS/2, gone are the days when you could write directly to screen memory at B800. Of course, this is a benefit rather than a restriction, because it resolves the compatibility issues associated with BIOS-level primitives and provides greater device independence.
Be aware that OS/2 programs use Pascal calling conventions to call API functions, with the consequence that the arguments are popped off the stack by the API function itself, not by the caller. Many C compilers use the "caller pops" convention as the default, which means you might need to use a compiler op tion to get the right effect. You should also make sure your com piler does not truncate the names ofexternal references to eight characters, since many ofthe API functions havelongernames.
If, like Paradox, your program is written at least partly in assembly language, you need to be aware of a number of other minor internal issues. Assembly language for OS/2 needs to be written more carefully than for DOS in a number of respects. First, OS/2 requires that every segment be given a class name of either CODE, DATA, or STACK; in DOS, on the other hand, class names are largely unimportant.
Another restriction is that segments in class CODE cannot con tain self-modifying code. The reason is that OS/2 permits code segments to be shared among different instances of the same program, or even different programs. If the first instance of an already-loaded program changes its code, the second instance (which will be a copy of the instance already residing in mem ory) would not be a true copy of the original code.
A further constraint is that segment registers cannot be used as general-purpose scratch registers for 16-bit quantities, as they can under DOS. Since OS/2 programs run in protected mode, you can load the segment registers only with valid mem ory handles, called selectors. If you load a segment register with an arbitrary 16-bit datum, you are likely to t£igger a pro tection violation.
Still another internal issue we came across in porting Para dox is the difference in how the system handles the Control Break key combination. Under DOS, applications that detect Control-Break typically trap interrupt 1Bh, which is triggered by the BIOS when that key combination is pressed. Under OS/2, a Control-Break key press generates a signal. Signals are asyn chronous event notifications, much like software interrupts, which an application can trap using the DosSetSigHandler API primitive. OS/2 will also generate signals when the user presses Control-C or when a process is terminated.
Better Than Expected As you can see, our port required the consideration of many technical issues, though most of them were fairly minor in scope. The process was greatly facilitated by the protection fea tures of OS/2, which make debugging C code much easier. Since references to invalid memory addresses are caught in stantly by the operating system, bugs manifest themselves in OS/2 much sooner than they do in DOS.
Upon completing the job, we were delighted to discover that the resulting product-Paradox for OS/2-performed even bet ter than we expected. Not only does it offer true multitasking, but it also runs faster than the DOS version, owing to OS/2' s support for large amounts ofphysical and virtual memory.
Robert E. Shostak, formerly chiefscientistfor Borland Interna tional, is the cofounder ofa new company, Mira Technology. He is the co-creator ofthe popular Paradox database management system, and cofounder ofthe product's parent company, Ansa, a subsidiary ofBorland. He can be reached on BIXas "editors. "
continued
230 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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Circle 166 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 231
FEATURE
MAKING THE MOVE TO OS/2
GUIDES TO PORTING, PORTING GUIDES
John Socha and Linda Dudinyak
2 or 3 caused OS/2 to lock up. Registering with screen group 0 caused no visible problems, but we still weren't able to deter mine what it's for. In the end, we decided to register the Guides with only screen groups 4 through 12. This allows you to run the Guides as a pop-up on top of an application in any of those windows.
0 ur first impressions of OS/2 weren't exactly positive. After all, here was an operating system whose manuals filled 2 feet of shelf space, compared with the single manual for MS-DOS 2.0. We weren't thrilled at having to master such a complex operating system. But once we cracked the manuals, we changed our minds.
Our task was to convert the Norton On-Line Programmer's Guides-a pop-up reference program for programmers-from a TSR program running under MS-DOS to a protected-mode OS/2 program that could run concurrently with other pro grams. TSR programs like the Norton Guides are often diffi cult to write under DOS. But not under OS/2.
TSRs under OS/2 OS/2 handles most of the hard work of writing a pop-up pro gram under OS/2, making such programs almost a joy to write. There are three main areas where OS/2 proves quite helpful: monitoring the keyboard for the hot key, saving the current screen contents, and switching screen modes. Since MS-DOS is not a multitasking operating system, TSR programs for MS DOS need extra code to switch screen modes and to determine when the programs can make DOS calls. Both problems vanish entirely under OS/2 because they're handled by the operating system, which leaves only the issue of how to monitor the keyboard.
Under OS/2, this function is supported by device monitors, which allow programs to monitor raw keystrokes before they're passed on to the keyboard services. Any program that registers itself as a device monitor can monitor the keyboard buffer (looking for a hot key), change key sequences, or add key se quences (which is useful for macro programs). The Norton Guides monitors the buffer looking for Shift-Fl and pops up on the screen as soon as it sees this key combination.
Writing the device monitor for a single screen group was easy. What we wanted, however, was to register the Norton Guides as a global device monitor, which can monitor key strokes in all screen groups. In this way the Guides could pop up in any screen group, not just the screen group from which Guides was installed. We discovered several interesting things about screen groups in the process.
Now Appearing on Multiple Screens OS/2 has 16 independent screen groups; this allows multiple programs to run at the same time, each with its own virtual screen. Strictly speaking, a screen group refers to all the threads that are attached to a given virtual screen. The physical screen (the monitor) displays only one virtual screen and can be switched between the different screen groups at wil 1. So far, so good.
What isn't obvious is that the first four screen groups (0 through 3) are reserved for use by OS/2: I is unknown, 2 is for the session manager, 3 is for the DOS-compatibility box, and 4 is for detached processes. Registering a device monitor with all these screen groups can cause OS/2 to lock up. Only screen groups 4 through 15 are available for OS/2 programs.
As it turns out, we were able to register our device monitor with screen group I without any ill effects; the Guides popped up over the session manager. But reg_istering with screen groups
A Problem with Threads Another sticky issue had to do with the thread priorities. The Norton Guides starts a separate thread for each of the 12 screen groups it monitors. Each thread goes through a very tight loop that reads one character (from its screen group), checks to see if it's the hot key (in which case it calls pop_up_ng), and writes the character to the next keyboard monitor in the chain (or Kbd CharIn and KbdPeek if there are no more monitors) .
We had a problem, however. When we typed characters on the keyboard, they appeared very slowly on the screen. We soon found that the individual threads didn't have high enough priorities. For some reason, the 12 threads weren't receiving enough of the system time to be able to pass on keystrokes efficiently.
Our first thought was to increase the priority on each of the 12 threads we created to time-critical. We suspected that in creasing each thread's priority shouldn't slow down the system, since each thread would receive CPU time only when a new keystroke became available. We tried this method, and it seemed to work-that is, until we ran a program that used the mouse.
Programs that use the mouse can't afford to sit around until KbdCharin returns a keystroke, since they must also constantly poll the mouse. As a result, they must loop until either there is a mouse event, or there is a keystroke waiting in the buffer. This looping consumes more CPU time than a program that simply waits until KbdCharin returns a keystroke. This means that less CPU time is left over for background tasks. We didn't under stand why this should cause a problem; having set the priority of our 12 threads to time-critical, we assumed that our threads would receive time when-and only when-new keystrokes be came available. But for some reason, this wasn't the case for programs that used the mouse.
Thanks to Microsoft's technical support, we finally found a solution that seems to work in all cases: We set the priority on the main thread (thread 1), rather than the individual threads, to time-critical. This in turn set all the child threads used to monitor the 12 screen groups to time-critical as well. We still don't understand why the other method didn't work and this method does, though it almost certainly has to do with the algo rithms used in the OS/2 scheduler, which Microsoft has not made public.
Optimizing Screen Performance The other area that required some attention was optimizing screen performance. Most programs in the DOS world write directly to the screen to obtain fast screen updates because both the DOS and ROM BIOS calls for writing to the screen are very slow. OS/2, on the other hand, provides a number of different procedures for writing to the screen that are fairly fast-as long as you follow a few basic rules. These procedures include writ ing to the physical screen (which is possible, but discour aged), writing to a logical screen, and using the VioWrtxxx calls.
We first considered writing directly to the physical screen, since our code was fine-tuned for writing directly to screen memory, but we quickly abandoned this idea since OS/2
continued
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Circle 121 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 233
FEATURE
MAKING THE MOVE TO OS/2
doesn't allow pop-up programs (which use VioPopup) to access the physical screen.
The next option was to use the logical screen buffer, which lets you write to a screen buffer as if it were the physical screen. You then have to call VioShowBuf to display the changes you've made to the logical screen. Again, we abandoned this approach because pop-up programs are not allowed to use these calls.
In other words, pop-up programs are allowed to use only the VioWrtxxx calls to write to the screen.
As it turned out, we were able to convert our library routines over to calls to VioWrtxxx easily and quickly since, in most cases, we replaced long assembly language routines with a few C calls. Unfortunately, updating the screen display went from very fast (in the OOS version) to painfully slow. Something was wrong .
The Case of the Missing Cursor The original assembly language code for the Norton Guides used a virtual cursor for writing characters and strings to the screen-the system kept track of where the virtual cursor was last positioned, and it recalled this offset from the screen buffer when placing new characters on the screen. This let us write one character at a time almost as quickly as writing a string.
OS/2, on the other hand, has no virtual cursor for writing. Instead, whenever you want to write a character or string to the screen, you have to pass the row and column where you want to start writing on the screen. So when we converted our assembly language routines in the Guides over to OS/2 calls, we often asked OS/2 to write a single character at a time. Each time we asked it to do that, it had to calculate the offset in the screen buffer from the row and column values. This calculation takes time, which accounted for the slow screen updating in our ini tial conversion of the Guides.
The solution was to write an entire line (or at least large chunks of a line) at a time, rather than a single character at a time. Once we rewrote several routines to buffer their output for transfer in large chunks, screen performance increased to the point where the OS/2 version of the Guides was nearly as fast as the OOS version.
Helping Ourselves We were delighted with the ease of converting the Norton Guides from a TSR program running under MS-DOS into an OS/2 protected-mode pop-up program. The conversion was much smoother and quicker than we could have hoped for; it took a total of about 2 months from first opening the OS/2 box until we shipped the OS/2 version of the Norton Guides.
Thanks to OS/2's DOS-compatibility box, we were able to use the Norton Guides itself to help us convert the Guides to OS/2. As we were starting the conversion, we had a 900K-byte Guides database to the OS/2 API that was nearing completion. The database has a DOS-to-OS/2 equivalency chart that helped us learn OS/2 and convert the Guides software. To access the database, we ran the original version of the Guides in OS/2's DOS-compatibility box. The database is cross-referenced elec tronically, and we found using it to be faster than looking things up in the manual.
John Socha is director ofR&D at Peter Norton Computing and creator of the Norton Commander and the Norton Guides soft ware. He is also coauthor of Peter Norton's Assembly Lan guage Book. Linda Dudinyak, a programmer with Norton Com puting, converted the Norton Guides into an OS/2 program. Before joining Norton Computing, she worked at Lotus Develop ment on Lotus Metro. They can be reached on BIXas "editors. "
1-2-3 FOR OS/2
David P. Reed
I n developing 1-2-3 Release 3 for OS/2, the development team at Lotus learned a number of useful things about program ming for OS/2 that would benefit anyone about to embark on a serious OS/2 programming project. One of our objectives for 1-2-3 Release 3 was that it be the ultimate Family API applica tion-with common, compatible code for both DOS and OS/2 versions, down to the binary level-without being limited by the functions available in the Family APL Other objectives, such as high quality, performance, and portability, made the picture more complex.
Realizing these objectives required, first, that we go beyond the standard Family API by emulating OS/2 functions in DOS to enhance the Family API and bring it closer to OS/2's func tionality; second, that we get directly at the graphics functions of the EGA, VGA, and other special devices; and finally, that we use OS/2 's dynamic-link library (DLL) facility for configurability.
The Family Way The Family API, a subset of the OS/2 system API, is designed to allow construction of applications that run equally well in DOS (versions 2.0 and higher) and OS/2. The Family API sub set lets you do nearly anything you would have done in MS-DOS and BIOS calls.
One advantage this facility provides to the designer is that programs that stick to the Family API can be linked and bound into "dual-mode executable" files that can run either in MS DOS or in OS/2. The BIND utility combines the OS/2 program with a special stub loader that takes over at program start-up in MS-DOS, replacing the calls to OS/2 system routines with stubs that emulate those calls with their MS-DOS equivalents. An additional advantage is that each system loads only those portions of the bound executable file that are of interest to that particular system.
These dual-mode programs are great for those little (and not so little) utilities, such as installation programs and file util ities, that you don't want to maintain separately on each operat ing system.
But there's more value to this mechanism than might be ob vious right away. For example, suppose you want to write a pro gram that behaves well in DOS but, when running in OS/2, uses some ofthe new features ofOS/2, such as starting up a program as a background task, loading a DLL, or changing the size of memory segments. You can still tell whether these features are available at run time by using the DosGetMachineMode call (in cluded in the Family API subset), which returns a 0 if you are running under DOS, and a I if under OS/2 .
Or, you can extend the Family APL Imagine a typical OS/2 call (say, DosSetMeUpAndKnockMeDown) that wasn't included in the Family API subset. You can add new routines to the li brary of emulators that are substituted by OS/2. Al 1you need to do is write your own DosSetMeUpAndKnockMeDown call that works in DOS and add it to a library that you bind in with your program. When you run the program in OS/2, it will call the OS/2 version, and when you run in DOS, it will call the substi tute version.
In 1-2-3 Release 3, we built our own simple multitasking sys tem that is implemented in OS/2 by using threads (which are not in the Family API), and in DOS by hooking various BIOS inter
continued
234 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
MICROMINT'S Gold Standard in Single Board
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AUGUST 1988 · B Y T E 235
FEATURE
MAKING THE MOVE 10 OS/2
rupts. Using the Family API and dual-mode executable file quently (every few instructions) in the course of drawing lines,
tools made it a straightforward project.
symbols, and characters. In OS/2 protected mode, IN and OUT
instructions cause an illegal instruction trap. However, you can
A Peripheral Issue?
The wide variety of peripheral equipment, such as printers,
plotters, video displays, and math coprocessors, made possible by the IBM PC's open architecture is a boon to users . However, dealing with that variety in a programming environment in volves a great deal of planning. For Release 3, we decided to
bypass this restriction by using the linker's definition (.DEF) file facility to make one or more code segments run at the pro cessor's 1/0 privilege level (IOPL).
In this situation, the required graphics code will usually be written in assembly language. Since the code cannot be de bugged with a debugger and can cause the whole operating sys
break the code up and have one major portion-the core-that tem to crash (just like a device driver), it is a good idea to keep
would always be the same no matter what peripherals were these IOPL routines short and simple. We recommend passing
present, and a set of replaceable parts-the drivers-that could arguments in registers (though you can use the stack if you
be chosen by the core, depending on the environment. For ex specify the right information in the .DEF file). For example, a
ample, depending on the presence or absence of a math copro routine that does an OUT to port 3D5h of the current value of AL
cessor, the core could load a hardware-optimized or software might be written as follows:
emulated math library.
OS/2 provides a nice tool for implementing these replaceable RISKY SEGMENT BYTE PUBLIC I CODE I
modules in the form of DLLs. Although OS/2 provides several PUBLIC OUTJD5
different ways to use DLLs, our development team chose one OUTJD5 PROC FAR
that was particularly appropriate for handling the case of re
MOV DX,JD5H
placeable modules.
OUT DX,AL
One form of dynamic linking allows you to use ordinal entry RET
points to select the entry points of a DLL. To define the inter OUTJD5 ENDP
face to a replaceable module, we assigned ordinal numbers to RISKY ENDS
each of its entry points (e.g., 1=INIT, 2 =TERMINATE,
3 =ADD, 4=SUB, and so on). Then each version of a replace The segment RISKY would be declared as an IOPL segment in
able module received its own unique name: FLT87.DLL, the .DEF file, and the entry point OUTJD5 would be declared as
FLTSOFT.DLL, and FLT1167.DLL, for example.
IOPL as well.
At start-up time, we decide which modules to use (depending With all the work done at assembly and link time, the payoff
on which peripherals are available) and load them. To use a par comes when OS/2 loads this program. OS/2 loads the segment
ticular version of the module, we initialize a table of pointers to RISKY so that it runs at IOPL level, and an 80286 call gate is set
each of the ordinal entry points ofthe desired module. First, we up for the procedure OUTJD5. When some program calls
call DosLoadModule to get a module handle for the module of OUTJD5, it actually calls the call gate, which causes the proces
the right name. Then for each integer n from 1 to N, we call sor to switch modes to the IOPL, switching to a new stack re
DosGetProcAddr to get the address ofthe entry pointtoput into served for that purpose. Here, it is perfectly acceptable to exe~
the entry-point table.
cute OUT instructions, and so forth. Then, when the RET
Finally, to call the entry point at run time, we use the C instruction is executed, another mode switch and stack switch
macro facility to make the procedure look just like a regular C happens, so that you are now back at the caller's level.
call:
One more note about saving and redrawing: If you create
your own graphics, you lose OS/2's screen-group switching
#define floating_add/
(*( (void ( *) (void)) entrypoint [2]))
features and have to spawn a separate thread to handle saving and redrawing the screen. Unfortunately, such a thread is
nearly impossible to debug!
where entrypoint [2] is the pointer to the desired floating
point add procedure that we obtained. The user of float Lots to Learn, Lots of Benefits
ing_add ( ) , then, never needs to know that it is a DLL.
Fashioning 1-2-3 Release 3 so that it will run equally well
One more key point: If a DLL must be written in C (only under OS/2 and DOS has, thus far, been easier than we ex
a few of ours were in the Microsoft Macro Assembler pected. OS/2 has fewer bugs than we anticipated from the ini
[MASM]), it must be compiled with special options under the tial release of a major operating system. Its documentation is
Microsoft C 5 (or IBM C/2) compiler. The option /Au specifies also better than we thought it would be-certainly better than
that entry points are to load the 80286 segment register DS with the first generation of MS-DOS manuals-though still lacking
the DGROUP group address belonging to the DLL itself, and in its tutorial aspects .
that the segment register SS will not equal DS. Few of the stan
The programmer who wants to explore OS/2 will find lots to
dard C libraries can be safely called from such DLLs because learn, discover, and invent with this new environment. OS/2
of this special memory option. See the C compiler manual for has a tremendous amount of power and flexibility that we're all
further details.
only just learning to use. Over time, we'll learn even more so
phisticated things to do with it, from which users and program
Minimal-Fuss Graphics
mers alike stand to benefit. ·
Although OS/2 will eventually have the full graphics function
ality available in the Presentation Manager, OS/2 's initial sup
David P. Reed, vice president for R&D with the Software Prod
port for graphics is limited. On the other hand, 1-2-3 has al
ucts Group at Lotus Development, heads up the team that de
ways had graphics, so we had to find a way to make graphics
signed the forthcoming 1-2-3 Release 3. He has an MS and a
work under OS/2-something that is not obvious at first.
Ph.D. in computer science from MIT. Dr. Reed came to Lotus
The major block to doing graphics right is that 1/0 operations from Software Arts, the developers of the original VisiCalc
(IN and OUT instructions) to EGAs and VGAs must be done fre spreadsheet. He can be reached on BIX as "editors. "
236 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
111E FAS1ES1
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AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 237
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HANDS ON
CIARCIA'S CIRCUIT CELLAR ·
Steve Ciarcia
Part 1
WHY
MICROCONTROLLERS?
Microcontrollers are used in keyboard and disk interfaces and in numerous other devices. Here's a tutorial on the 8031 /8051 microcontroller family.
Photo 1: Two versions ofthe Intel MCS-51 family: the 8031 ROMless microcontroller and the 8751 programmable (EPROM on-chip through the lfUartz window) microcontroller.
G onearethedayswhenacom plex project required a suit case full of TTL !Cs and a wire-wrap gun . As with most of the recent Circuit Cellar designs, under the hood there are a few carefully chosen discrete res controlled by a microprocessor. The trade-off is simple: Hardware is expensive and software is cheap-once you get it right.
Many of you have noticed that I have been using two popular microcontrollers from Intel-the 803 1 and the 8051-as the control elements in Circuit Cellar de signs. I've received many requests for general information about these micro processors and for guidance in applying them elsewhere. With that as an incen tive, I decided to present this combina tion tutorial/development system project.
In this first part of a two-part article, I'II introduce the members of the 8031/ 8051 chip family and describe using them as embedded microcontrollers. The second part will present all the elements of a useful development system intended to simplify the process of designing sys tems using the 8031 /8051 family.
The Difference in a Name
It's important to be clear on the distinc
tion between microcomputers, micropro
cessors, and microcontrollers. That way,
you 'II understand where the 803118051
family fits in the big picture.
A microprocessor is just the CPU part of a computer, without the memory, I/O, and peripherals needed for a complete system. For example, 8088 and 80286 chips are microprocessors (the "micro" prefix designates that this CPU element is at the chip level). All other chips in an IBM PC are there to add features not found within the microprocessor chip it self. The hardware designer can choose different chips to implement those fea tures in different ways, although a de signer has little room for choice if the end result is supposed to be an IBM PC clone.
When a microprocessor is combined with 110 and memory peripheral func tions, the combination is called a micro computer. Of course, vendors anxious to designate that their computer is more powerful than others often shed the "micro" prefix, but it's still a micro computer given today 's definition. Ulti mately, good economic sense suggests that all computers, including minicom puters and mainframes, will utilize the same basic elements, just differentiated by quantity.
The fact that combining a CPU with memory and 1/0 produces a microcom puter also holds true at the chip level. Many companies add these peripheral functions onto the same substrate with the CPU to make a complete microcom puter. These devices are called single ch ip microcomputers to differentiate them from their big-cousin desktop microcomputers .
Generally speaking, microcomputer chips are designed for very small com puter-based devices that don't need all the functions of a full computer system. In cost-sensitive control applications ,
conri 11ued
COPYRIGHT © 1988 STEVEN A. CIARCIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 239
HANDS ON
CIARCIA'S CIRCUIT CELLAR
even the few chips needed to support a CPU like an 8088 or Z80 are too many. Instead, designers often employ a single chip microcomputer (or a slightly ex panded circuit using one) to handle control-specific activities. When single chip microcomputers are designed or used in industrial control systems, they are often called single-chip microcon trollers. Basically, there is no difference between microcomputers and microcon trollers; the name depends on how we use them.
Frequently, microcontrollers are used to replace circuit functions that ordinar ily require many low-level chips or need the main CPU's attention each time the circuit is active. The IBM PC keyboard interface circuit is a prime example of the use of a microcontroller chip. In the PC, a half dozen chips (excluding I/O ad dressing and decoding) are necessary to
receive and decode the serial clock and data bit stream from the keyboard. In the IBM PC AT (and the CCAT I presented in September and October 1987), this low-level circuitry is replaced with an 8742 microcontroller that completely simulates the old circuit and incorporates additional features in one chip.
The Intel 8051 Family The Intel 8051 is a classic microcon troller (a generation more advanced than the 8742) and a true single-chip micro computer containing parallel I/O, coun ter/timers, serial I/O, RAM, and EPROM or ROM (depending on the part type). The 8051 family contains several members (Intel refers to it as the MCS 51 family), each adapted for a specific type of system.
The different versions are outlined in table l, and a block diagram of the 8051
Table 1: Members ofthe 8051 microcontrollerfamily tree.
Device name
8051 8051AH 8052AH
ROMless version
8031 8031AH 8032AH
EPROM version
(8751) 8751H 8752BH
ROM bytes
4K 4K SK
RAM bytes
128 128 256
16-bit timers
2 2 3
is shown in figure 1. The 8051 has two close relatives, the 8751 and the 8031 (see photo l), and a cousin, the 8052. All versions contain the same CPU, RAM, counter/timers, parallel ports, and serial I/O. The 8051 contains 4K bytes of ROM, which must be custom-masked when the chip is manufactured. In the 8751, the ROM is replaced with EPROM that you can program (the schematic for an 8751 programming adapter for the Circuit Cellar serial EPROM program mer presented in October 1986 is avail able by writing to me) .
The 8031 is meant for expanded appli cations and uses external memory. The 8031 uses three of the four on-chip paral lel ports to make a conventional address and data bus with appropriate control lines.
You might wonder why you'd choose a single-chip microcomputer in the first place if you end up converting it back to function as a CPU with other peripheral chips. Basically, it depends on the de gree of expansion required. Since the 8031 still contains RAM, a parallel port, and a serial I/O port-even when func tioning as the CPU core of an expanded circuit-the eventual number of chips necessary to expand the I/O or memory is still considerably less for the same ulti mate capability than with a straight
External interrupts
Interrupt control
r---.,
I
I
I
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4K ROM
8KROM in8052
-i} i --
ir;;2~}
256 bytes
(8052)
RAM in 8052
~ounter
128 bytes
Timer 1
inputs
RAM
TimerO +-
CPU
osc
Bus control
41/0 ports
Figure 1: Inside the 8051.
240 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
~ P2
P3
Address/data
Serial port
i
TXD RXD
HANDS ON
CIARCIA'S CIRCUIT CELLAR
microprocessor and peripheral chips. I'll go into the possible expansion techniques later.
Intel and other companies sell varia tions of the 8051 family with more inter nal memory, more 1/0, lower power, and so forth. An 80C3 l is a CMOS low power version of the 8031, for example. The 8052, which I have also used in proj ects, is the same as the 8051, except that it has another counter/timer and addi tional RAM and ROM.
Using an 8051 is as simple as hooking up the power supply and clock crystal. Unlike the 8031, however, you have to supply Intel with a program for the 8051 so it can create a chip mask defining the internal ROM. (If your program is not quite right, it's time for another mask.)
As you might expect, both mask mak ing and chip building take time and money. (Since I did this for a recent proj ect, I thought you might be interested in some manufacturing information. If you plan on making an 8051 microcontroller and need to mask your own chip, the one time masking charge is about $3000, with a minimum order of 1000 chips.) Mask programming makes sense for an application that uses thousands of identi cal 805ls a year, but it is not practical for low-volume systems and prototypes.
The 8751 has all the features of the 8051, except that an on-chip EPROM re places the ROM program storage. Mak ing a program change is as simple as erasing the EPROM with ultraviolet light and burning another program. Many de velopers use 8751 s until the code works, then commit to a large 8051 order with the program in ROM. If the product vol ume is low enough, it's often worthwhile to use 8751 s in the final product. An 8051 costs about $4 to $5 apiece in thou sands; an 8751 is about $25 to $40.
The 8031 has no on-chip program storage at all. The system must include an external EPROM and an address latch. Considering the falling prices of EPROMs and the heavy costs of using either 805ls or 875ls in low volumes, the 8031 is a viable alternative despite the additional chips. For many small sys tems, the 8031/EPROM combination is far more cost-effective than an 8051 . (This is the type of system I'll describe in my examples.)
As I mentioned before, all members of the 8051 family have the same core hard ware and therefore use the same core in struction set. While some members have one or two additional instructions for features unique to the particular chip, I'll use the term "8051" to describe the "8051 chip family," unless I'm talking
about a specific version with unique requirements.
Making It Real With all that in mind, let's look at con figuring a usable "computer/controller" using an 8031 microcontroller chip as part of the system. Remember that in a single-chip microcontroller, internal hardware replaces all the digital logic you'd normally add for control, timing, and so forth. Yoo need add only the key board, display, relays, switches, and user-specific 1/0 that actually makes up the final product.
Figure 2a shows the bare-bones 8031 microcontroller system: the 8031, a 2764 EPROM to hold 8K bytes of program, and a 74LS373 latch to demultiplex the address/data bus. The system has 128 bytes of RAM on the 8031, a bidirec tional parallel 1/0 port, a bidirectional serial port, two counter/timers, and two external interrupt inputs. With a 12 MHz crystal (most often, we select 11 .0592 MHz for communications rate compatibility), it executes most instruc tions in one machine cycle-a peak rate of 1 million instructions per second. Not bad for three chips, is it?
A single 1/0 port can scan a 16-key matrix. With an additional output bit, it can drive a 2-line by 20-character smart liquid crystal display at the same time. The remaining 1/0 bits can handle triacs or power field-effect transistors for AC or DC control. Burn a program into the EPROM, and you have a real-time power controller. Run the serial port through a MAX232 RS-232C level converter, and you have a standard serial port for re mote control or status monitoring at your master computer.
Ifyou don't need the serial port, coun ter/timers, and external interrupts, the 8031 can use those special bits as a sec ond parallel 1/0 port, so the minimum system can have up to 16 1/0 bits. Each bit can be tested, set, and cleared individ ually under program control.
If one or two parallel 1/0 ports aren't enough for your application, figure 2b (an expansion of figure 2a) shows what' s needed to get three more: Add a single 8255 programmable peripheral inter face. The 8255's port C can be set up for automatic handshaking, so now you have the basis for a serial-to-parallel (and back) format converter or 24 more 110 bits for a bigger controller. Notice that no "glue" chips are needed between the 8031 and the 8255.
Because the 8255 uses the RD\ and WR\ bits, the second 1/0 port isn't com pletely free. The 6 remaining bits can
still handle either general 1/0 or their in dividual special functions, though.
If your application requires more than 128 bytes of RAM, figure 2c (figure 2a expanded to include 2b and 2c) shows how to get 8K bytes of RAM by adding a 6264 static RAM chip. Now you can build a fancy buffering format converter, a data logger, or a serial-programmable power controller. A 62256 RAM would give 32K bytes with no more effort, still with no glue chips!
Finally, for those ofyou who need lots of RAM and 1/0, figure 2d (figure 2a expanded to include the circuitry of 2b, 2c, and 2d) shows how to connect multi ple 1/0 chips. The 74LS138 decoder generates chip select signals from the 8031 's output addresses, with each select covering an SK-byte range. The system shown has l 6K bytes of RAM and seven bidirectional 1/0 ports. Pretty nice for seven chips.
The point of all this is that the "com puter" part of your control system need not require elaborate hardware. For a unit of any reasonable size, you'll spend most of your hardware design time on the 1/0 devices rather than on the 8031 cir cuits, which is exactly as it should be.
Perhaps now you understand why I have been using the 8031 frequently. The main benefit of a microcontroller is the ease of adding new features to your sys tem, just by changing the program, not changing the circuit-board connections. A new EPROM can give the hardware a completely new personality. Try doing that by rewiring a board of TTL control logic!
The Software Swamp Every microprocessor has an instruction set exhibiting the conflict between all the instructions that could possibly be useful and the few that fit on the chip. The 8051 has many bit-manipulation instructions and few general instructions, reflecting its design as a controller rather than as a computer.
Most 8051 instructions are 1or 2 bytes long, with the remainder requiring 3 bytes. All instructions except MUL and DIV execute in one or two instruction cycles. An instruction cycle is 1 micro second (µ.s) at a 12-MHz clock rate. MUL and DIV lag along at 4 µ.s.
If you've written assembly language programs for any other microprocessor, you'll find some of the same instructions in the 8051 's code. To understand the 8051 's instructions, you must be famil iar with the three main address spaces defined on the chip: 64K bytes of pro-
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 241
HANDS ON
CIARCIA'S CIRCUIT CELLAR
:.--------"'-1:: XTALI
1pF
XTALJ
I
XTAL2
T11.0592MHz
11
-
1 ICJ
C2
80 31
27 pF
PIN S 10 -1 7 MAY BE USED AS A GEN ERAL-PURPOS E
1/0 PORT IF T H E SPE CIAL r
FU NCTI ONS ARE NOT NE EDED
r
RST EA /V DD
RE CEIVE DATA _--1.2... RXD TRAN SMIT DAT A __!!_ TX D
(TTL SERIAL DATA)
EXTER NAL I NTERRUPT I _ . l L iNfi EXTERNAL INTERR UPT 0 _ _ g _ INTO
TIMER I INPUT _____!1_ Tl TIMER 0 INTERRU PT _____li TO
r~t:) P17
Pl6
PIS
Pl4
GENERAL
PIJ .,!.._.
Pl2 ,_3__
PURPOSE
110 PORT
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2B P27 P26 27
I~~ P2S 26
P 24 P2J P22 2J P21 22 P20 21
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PROG RAM STOR AG E ENA BLE AD DRE SS LATC H ENABL E
I
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WR IT E EXTERNAL MEMORY
RD 17
RE AD EXT ER NAL MEMORY
M I N IMUM 8031 SYSTEM
FIGURE 2A
I
8031 SYSTEM WITH
110 EXPANSION
FIGURE 28
8031 SYSTEM WITH 1/0 EXPANSION
RAM EXPANSION
8031 SYSTEM W ITH
ADDRESS DECODE 110 EXPANSION RAM EXPANSION
F IGURE 2C
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AOOO H BOOOH
20 00H OOOOH
FIGURE 20
II
I
Figure 2: Growing an 8031 system. (a) A minimum configuration, (b) minimum system with 110 expansion, (c) system with 110
and RAM expansion, and (d) system with address decode logic and even more RAM and 110
242 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
HANDS ON
CIARCIA'S CIRCUIT CELLAR
+5V
th ~
l Vpp
LlL PGM
07 19
AD 7
lB 06
AD6
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All 23 All
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A2
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9
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A7
3 A7
1/02 l3 AD2
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A4
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AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 243
HANDS ON
CIARCIA'S CIRCUIT CELLAR
gram memory addressed by the program counter (PC), 64K bytes of external data memory addressed by the data pointer (DPTR), and the on-chip internal data memory addressed in several different ways. Each instruction implies a particu lar address space, so you have to know where your data resides to select the right instruction.
There is a sharp distinction between internal and external data addresses. In ternal addresses refer to locations on the 8051 chip, which can be accessed in a va riety of ways. External addresses are lo cated off the chip, in the 64K bytes of ex ternal data memory, and can be accessed only with MOVX instructions.
The four main internal data memory addressing modes are direct, immediate, register, and register indirect. Direct mode embeds an internal RAM address in the instruction. Immediate mode uses the data value itself. Register and regis ter indirect modes use a register number, with indirect addressing taking the con tents of that register as a direct address to access the data.
The MOVX instructions transfer a single byte between the accumulator and exter nal data memory. The DPTR register contains a 16-bit external data memory address, which can be either loaded by a single MOV or incremented. Unfortu nately, there aren't any other 16-bit in structions.
The 8051 has a single accumulator, called ACC or A depending on the in struction. Nearly all instructions use the accumulator in one way or another. An auxiliary accumulator (called B, of
course) is used by MUL and DIV. Many data-manipulation instructions can move data to or from one of the active banks of eight "working registers" in internal RAM. Four register banks are available.
Because most controller applications require handling at least a few 1/0 bits, the 8051 has a rich selection of bit manipulation instructions that are com pletely separate from the standard byte instructions. A single instruction can set, clear, complement, or copy any bit in in ternal data memory . The on-chip 110 ports show up in that address space, so there's no need for the "read, mask, set, combine, write" instructions found in most other microprocessors.
Unlike the Intel 8088 or Z80 micro processor families, the 8051 has no ex plicit 1/0 instructions. The on-chip 1/0 ports are mapped into the internal data memory-address space and accessed with the same MOV instructions used for other transfers. You have to map off-chip 1/0 into the external data memory-ad dress space and access it with MOVX instructions.
Rather than belaboring the various in structions in detail, I'll introduce them next month in short chunks of code that do useful tasks as we build some hard ware. With those examples as a base, you should have little trouble designing your own system.
Ugly Reality The trade-off for not wiring up a board of TTL gates is writing a program for the EPROM. That program tests the inputs, computes the outputs, and handles all the
Photo 2: A prototype ofthe DIYI-51 development system. Note the DIP clip at the end of the cable for attaching onto the target system's processor.
t1mmg to make the system work cor rectly. Unless you are much better than average, your program won't do the right thing the first time you try it out.
The ugly reality of microcontroller systems is getting the software to work. It's made considerably more ugly by microcontrollers buried inside special ized systems-those never intended to look or act even vaguely like a computer.
For example, which system would you rather debug: an IBM PC AT with a full keyboard, EGA display, hard disk drive, and state-of-the-art editors and debug gers, or a microcontroller in a 3- by 5- by 4-inch box with four push buttons and two LEDs, cabled to a heater in a vat of photographic solution?
The traditional way to debug micro controller programs is called "burn and crash." You burn the program into EPROM, plug it in, turn it on ... and then try to figure out why it crashed. Doing a Sherlock Holmes on the listing is the only way to find bugs in the program, al though a logic analyzer and an oscillo scope help a lot.
The major problem with burn-and crash debugging is the damage caused by a crash if you are trying to debug a pro gram when the controller is attached to actual machine hardware. Imagine what happens when your new 10-story ham merhead crane controller goes "full speed counterclockwise" and refuses to reset.
Obviously, bum and crash has its limi tations. An 8051 simulator program run ning on a host computer development system removes most problems and sim plifies finding program bugs. The simu lator reads the EPROM's data and inter prets the 8051 program one instruction at a time. Because all the 8051 's registers, 1/0 ports, and memory are provided by simulator variables, you can display and modify memory contents at will. Even better, because the simulator's software replaces the 8051 's hardware, there's no way that an errant program can damage anything.
With the simulator, you can use pro gram breakpoints to stop execution at specific 8051 instructions or when a given condition occurs . Also, since the simulator records how the 8051 program got to a particular instruction, you can undo each step back to the source of the problem at the press of a key.
Unfortunately, while a simulator is a great step up from burning and crashing, it is not a true real-time test. Because the execution of each 8051 instruction re quires the execution of many program in structions in the development system, the
244 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
HANDS ON
CIARCIA'S CIRCUIT CELLAR
Debug
RAM
EPA OM programmer
Capital Gain.
Cable to IBM
PC interface from
parallel- 1 - - - - 1 IBM parallel-printerporttodata i---........i
5-volt
printer port
address, and control buses
power supply
Time and again, you've
Bidirectional bus buffers
heard it said, "To
make money, you
Cable to target system 8031
have to have money:'
The truth is, you
Figure 3: A block diagram ofthe DDT-51 803118051 development system.
have to know how to save money before
simulated run time is much slower than the real-time rate on the actual hardware. A further complication is that interrupt timing is not easily duplicated on a simulator.
The ultimate solution is an in-circuit emulator (ICE), which is a special devel opment system peripheral plugged into the 8051 's socket in the actual hardware (called the target system). From the tar get's point of view, the ICE is an 8051 running at full speed. From the user's perspective, the ICE provides many of the features of a simulator, along with the ability to run programs at full speed using the real hardware.
Ideally, an ICE will have no effect on the target system, because all the 8051 's features are provided in high-speed hard ware. The 8051 's internal registers and I/O ports are visible because the ICE uses discrete logic rather than a single chip. The development system directly monitors what's going on, logic compar ators control the breakpoints, and there's no interference until the ICE stops at the selected instruction.
All this hardware makes ICE systems rather expensive. If you are developing many 8051 designs, an ICE is the only way to go. As a practical matter, how ever, an ICE is far beyond the typical user's budget and is generally reserved for the corporate lab.
A More Modest System There is a middle ground between personal computer-based software simu lator~ and hardware ICE systems. It's often enough to stop at a breakpoint and single-step through instructions while watching the target system's LEDs blink and relays click. By trading off some speed and hardware for time and money, a much simpler program development
system can provide many features of an
you can think about
ICE at a fraction of the cost.
making more.
The DDT-51 system is an IBM PC based 8031/8051 development and dy namic debugging tool (see photo 2). It
That's why more and more people are
uses a modified parallel printer port and a small circuit board to give the IBM PC complete control over the target system's
joining the Payroll Savings Plan to buy
hardware. The DDT-51 downloads the 8051 program into 8K-byte static RAMs, thus eliminating the need to burn
U.S. Savings Bonds. That way, a little
an EPROM for each program change. An on-board 2K-byte static RAM holds the small amount of 8051 code required to
is taken out of each paycheck
support single-stepping and breakpoints.
automatically.
A disassembler shows the current 8051 instruction on the IBM PC's display while single-stepping, as well as the cur
In no time, you'll have enough Bonds
rent 8051 registers and internal data memory values.
This system connects between the
for a new car, your child's education, even
IBM PC and the target system (see figure 3). It has only about a dozen chips, in cluding the world's simplest (and slow
a dream vacation. Whatever you
est) 2764 EPROM programmer. The DDT-51 won't handle all possible
8051 target systems, but it will give you a
save for, Bonds are the safest, surest way
good start. With that in hand, we can continue on with other interesting Circuit
to gain capital.
Cellar project designs.
Experimenters
As is the custom with Circuit Cellar proj
ects, the software for the DDT-51 devel
opment system is available for download
.Tstaokclei·~~Gs~y,0~1
ing from my multiline bulletin board free
of charge. The number is (203) 871
inAmerica.
1988. Of course, this downloaded soft
ware is limited to noncommercial per
sonal use unless licensed otherwise.
\,V he11 uo11 put part of !1011r savi11gs
i11to U.S. Savi11gs 8011ds uo11're
Next Month
The hardware and software specifics of
helpi11g to /J11ild a /1righterf11t11re for uo11r count ru and for uo11rself
the DDT-51. ·
conrinued
f:WI A pub lic service al !his pubric at ion
~~· ! and The Adver11s1ng Counc il.
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 245
Tile bad IH'\\ s is. th is is a quiz. Tile goocl news is. \\!'I'<' going to 111;11\e it l'Cls~·
1\ll tlJrCC or liH'S(' 2-!-pill dot nwtrix printers ;ire vl'rsatil('., rug gl'cl ol'l'icc-quality prinl.l'l'S. They all provide Cl VCll'il'ly or l.ypl' styles Clllcl com1rnt ihilily \\ ith most populm sol'l\\ill'C. But Llwrc·s only one Top Dot. Ancl ;1 II l hi' rl lH'S ~' Oll lll'Cd lo !'incl it are right h<'I'<' in this acl.
fop Dot's high p('l'ror111ancl' 1'1';1t.ures inclurll' co111hi1wcl l<·tt<·r·
qu;ility lC\l :11HI graphics. color pri 11 ling. mid ;1 sizzling -180 cps clr;1il SP<'l'CI.
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Special thanks for the technical serviceable. A newer version is available from
contributions provided on this article PseudoCode, P.O. Box 1423, Newport News,
from JeffBachiochi and Ed Nisley.
VA 23601, BBS phone (804) 898-7493 . Avocet Systems (120 Union St., Rockport,
uwgrams specific to the Intel 803118051 architecture are reprinted by permission ofIntel Corp.
ME 04856, (207) 236-9055) produces excel lent "industrial-strength" assembler and sim ulator programs for a variety of microproces sors and microcontrollers. The AVMAC51
assembler and AVSIM51 simulator have con
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tributed to many recent projects. They give
One advantage of using an industry standard excellent results. I recommend using one or
like the 8031 is that it's easy to obtain. The both of these as the best way to optimize the
following companies are a few possibilities: performance and cost benefits of the DDT-51
development system and-an excellent way to
·p., P.O. Box 677, Thief River get a system up and running in a short time.
6701, (800) 344-4539 ;5 Shoreway Rd. , Belmont, CA 1592-8121 levices, 110 Knowles Dr. , Los 5030, (800) 538-5000 :hnology, Inc ., 2219 South 48th AZ 85282, (800) 245-2235
Editor's Note: Steve often refers to previous Circuit Cellar articles. Most of these past arti cles are available in book form from BYTE Books, McGraw-Hill Book Co ., P.O. Box 400, Hightstown, NJ 08250.
Ciarcia 's Circuit Cellar, Volume I covers articles in BYTE from September 1977
through November 1978. Volume II covers
The 8051 family doesn't have the wealth of publications you're used to seeing for the IBM PC. Fortunately, Intel prints a few useful and surprisingly readable manuals covering the tricky hardware and software details. These manuals are available from your local Intel of fice for a reasonable fee, or contact Intel Corp ., Literature Dept., 3065 Bowers Ave.,
December 1978 through June 1980. Volume III covers July 1980 through December 1981 . Volume IV covers January 1982 through June 1983. Volume V covers July 1983 through De cember 1984. Volume VI covers January 1985 through June 1986.
Circuit Cellar Ink
It's virtually impossible to provide all the
Santa Clara, CA 95051.
pertinent details of a project or cover all the
The order numbers include the latest revi designs I'd like to in the pages of BYTE. For
;ion after the dash, so you may find that
that reason, I have started a bimonthly supple
here's a new edition out:
mental publication called Circuit Cellar Ink,
which presents additional information on
projects published in BYTE, new projects,
f!:mbedded Controller Handbook, number
and supplemental applications-oriented mate
U0918-005: The straight dope on all Intel's
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send $14 .95 to Circuit Cellar Ink, P.O . Box
ncluding the 8051 family. It includes many
3378, Wallingford, CT 06494. Credit card
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orders can call (203) 875-2199.
m51 software and applications.
'vticrosystem Components Handbook, number
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1eavy-duty specs, not for beginners.
There is a multiline Circuit Cellar bulletin board system (running TBBS 2.0M) that sup ports past and present projects in BYTE and Ink. You are invited to call and exchange ideas and comments with other Circuit Cellar sup porters. The 300-/1200-/2400-bps BBS is on line 24 hours a day-at (203) 871-1988.
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l\lthough the DDT-51 development system in
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you'll eventually need a "real" EPROM
Jurner. You need look no further than the
:ircuit Cellar serial EPROM programmer
wailable from CCI, 4 Park St., Suite 12, Ver
~on, CT 06066, (800) 635-3355.
'°ftware
fhe single most essential program is a cross 1ssembler that runs on your IBM PC, eats as ;embly language files, and spits out hexadeci mal files for the EPROM burner. You can ;pend as much or as little on these as you see fit, but doing assemblies by hand is not much fun. I speak from experience.
The shareware Pseudo-SAM 8031 cross as ;embler is available on the Circuit Cellar BBS mder the name PS51Al23.ARC. It has most Jf the useful features, few frills, and is quite
To receive information about the Circuit Cellar Ink publication for hardware de signers and developers, please circle 100 on the Reader Service inquiry card at the back of the magazine.
Steve Ciarcia (pronounced "see-ARE see-ah ") is an electronics engineer and computer consultant with experience in process control, digital design, nuclear instrumentation, and product develop ment. The author of several books on electronics, he can be reached on BIX as "sciarcia. "
Your questions and comments are wel come. Write to: Editor, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458.
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FOLD HERE
HANDS ON
SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED ·
Rick Grehan
Part2
·
THE PITFALLS OF PORTING
Moving from
an MS-DOS "glass
teletype" into the
windowed world of the Macintosh
he IBM PC grew up in a text oriented world. Its confusing array of video modes and the fact that you have to settle for text or graphics but not both make it seem like graphics on the PC was an af terthought-and programmers are still paying for it. A program on an MS-DOS machine must create its own environ ment, and that environment may be as simple as a series of commands entered a line at a time, or as complex as mouse activated windows and pull-down menus. In contrast, the seamless integration of graphics and text was most important from the Mac's very inception... and programmers are still paying for it. On the Mac, a program's environment has largely been predefined. This situa tion is fine for the Mac user, who can ex pect a high degree of consistency in the user interfaces of all Macintosh pro grams. For programmers, it's a mixed bag: You don't have to work out the de tails of how user interface components (such as windows and menus) operate the Mac designers have done that al ready. But you do have to deal with start ing friction that's orders of magnitude greater than that found on MS-DOS ma chines. In other words, the Mac has all these built-in tools, and the programmer has to figure out how they work. The programmer's travails are exacer bated when faced with porting an exist ing MS-DOS application to the Macin tosh. You don't have the luxury of designing the program from scratch with the Mac's user interface in mind. To
avoid a massive redesign of the entire program (unless you can afford it), you must perform reconstructive surgery and graft Macintosh windows and menus onto your program. Such was the case as Small-C made its journey across the gulf from MS-DOS to the Macintosh.
On an Even Keel The two largest problems in taking Small-C to the Macintosh were the 68000 processor and the Finder. Once I had located code for a run-time library, the latter was easy compared to the former (see the text box "Small-C Run Time Library" on page 250). Dealing with the 68000 meant coping with one feature that I knew would be a pleasure and another I knew would be a problem. Let's get the problem out ofthe way first; it's called alignment.
If the 68000 accesses a word or a doubleword in memory, it must do so at an even address. When a program on the Macintosh attempts to grab anything other than a byte from an odd address, you get that infamous system-error bomb box with ID=2 in the corner.
Now, keep that "feature" in mind as you consider that Small-C dynamically reserves space on the stack for a func tion's local variables. What happens if you define a function with a mix of int and char variables as local variables? Examine the following code:
funcl() { int a;
charb; int c; .. code ... }
Variables a, b, and c are local and re quire 9 bytes of space on the stack. Their offsets into the local block of storage are 0 for a, 4 for b, and 5 for c. See the speed bump coming up? Since Small-C sets aside only 1 byte for b, c ends up at an odd address. And c is an integer (i.e., a
doubleword). Oops. The way out of this dilemma requires
adding an unused byte here and there to keep local int variables on an even byte alignment. The Small-C compiler's declloc( ) routine determines how much stack space a given function's local variables require. As declloc() scans the list of a function's local variables, it adds to an accumulating variable (called declared) an amount that depends on the variable's type (1 byte if char, 4 bytes if int or pointer) and whether or not the variable is an array.
The declloc ( ) routine also has the job of keeping track of each local vari able's offset into the function's local stack space (so when an expression refer ences a local variable, the compiler knows what code to emit). To correct for alignment, I modified declloc ( ) so that, if it is reserving space for an int variable, it checks the total space that has already been reserved for local vari ables. If declloc() determines that it has already reserved an odd amount of space (so the int variable would end up at an odd address), it adds 1 byte to the local variable space, correctly aligning the integer.
Actually, the alignment problem gets much more subtle. You cannot set the 68000's stack pointer-the A7 register to an odd address; you can only push and pop words and doublewords. Conse quently, if a function defined only a char as a local variable, Small-C would emit SUBQ. L #-1, SP to reserve 1 byte on the stack-and blooey. I corrected that by modifying the compiler so that it does not allow a function's local variables to allot a net odd amount on the stack.
All this means that you can end up with some wasted bytes in a function's local variable space. How many depends on how int and char definitions are in terleaved. Minimizing wasted bytes would involve adding more intelligence to the compiler than I thought necessary.
continued
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 249
HANDS ON
SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED
Small-C
Run-Time Library
T he amount of effort that you must put into simply displaying a charac ter on a Macintosh is simply staggering. This is thanks to the complexity of the Mac's ROM routines; it is as though you have to crack a software barrier in order to execute the most rudimentary opera tions, but once you've crossed that threshold, even complex graphic and disk 1/0 operations become simple.
I knew that if I began working from scratch to create screen 1/0 routines, file 1/0 routines, event handlers, a win dow handler, and so on, porting Small C would be just a dream (or maybe a nightmare). I therefore invoked that most sacred of all programming dicta, "Don't reinvent the wheel," and went in search of a set of packaged routines. That's when I discovered Steve Wil
liams's book Programming the Macin tosh in Assembly Language (Berkeley, CA: Sybex Books, 1985).
This book contains the complete source code listings for the run-time li brary routines I needed: window han dling, text display, disk 110, and more. (There are functions in Williams's li brary that Small-C never uses; I kept them in, anyway, in case you wanted to extend the language in some direction that I haven't thought of.) I set about modifying those routines to interface with Small-C, and I had a working run time library in weeks' less time than I would have if! had started from scratch. In addition to all this, it's a great book, and it's worth the $24.95 price if you're serious about Macintosh assembly language.
(It would actually mean having the com piler rearrange the order in which char and int variables are stored in the local stack space. Some Macintosh C com pilers, having run into the same problem, add this technique of variable rearrange ment as an option. It's an option because rearranging variables makes debugging harder: You can't look at the source code and get a clear picture of where variables are stored.)
On the subject of variables, let's talk about initialization. Most C compilers let you initialize a variable at declaration time with instructions like these:
int j=4; int k[JJ={0,1,2}; charc='F';
These instructions would compile to as sembly language that, for the 8088, might look like the following:
j DW 4 k DW0,1,2 c DB 'F'
This is fine for the 8088/80286. When the executable file for this program is brought into memory, the proper values for j, k, and c are automatically loaded. Not so for the Macintosh.
When you launch an application on the Mac, the system moves the code into memory and makes data space available to the application in a global data area
(normally set to 32K bytes). Unfortu nately, you cannot initialize the contents of this area; you can only reserve space in it. (If you're using the Macintosh De velopment System [MDS] assembler, you use the DS directive to define storage space in the global data area.)
You can initialize locations in the code space (the memory where the applica tion's executable file resides) using the DC directive. However, you should use the DC directive only for defining con stants, so that the code segment stays read-only. (Strictly speaking, you can use DC to define variables, but this gets you into a host of problems, particularly on future processors such as the 68030, where the separation of code and data is strictly enforced.)
What this all boils down to is that BYTE's 68000 Small-C does not let you initialize variables at declaration time. This can get messy if you have, say, a large array to initialize and you're faced with having to create a long string of as signment statements. A good solution is to create a fast assembly language routine that reads from a table and "mass-loads" the array from the table entries.
The Good Part
The real blessing I was looking forward to in porting Small-C to the Mac was that the 68000 would allow me to break the 64K-byte barrier: 32-bit registers meant 32-bit integers and 32-bit pointers. It's true that there would be a limit of 32K
bytes to global data space, but there was no theoretical limit to data storage local to functions, or storage you could acquire through malloc ( ) and related functions. Besides, 32K bytes is nothing to sniff at for any language called "small."
The jump to 32-bit integers required only that I alter routines in the compiler that dealt directly with the size of inte gers in the target code. In other words, I had to change those parts of the compiler that handled code like the following:
int i,j ,k[14];
j=k[i*3];
For the int declaration code, the
68000 compiler reserved 4 x 16 = 64
bytes: 4 bytes of code per integer, rather than 2 as on the 8088 version. Also, when the compiler encounters the assign ment statement and generates code for the index portion (i*J), it has to add code to multiply the result by the number of bytes per integer so the index into the array is resolved into a true byte offset. The 8088 version of Small-C simply dou bled the index (as did the original Small C); the 68000 version quadruples it.
Memory Management
Remember the memory map last month? The MS-DOS version of BYTE Small-C handled the memory management func tions (alloc ( ) and free ( ) ) by simply reserving space in physical memory above the user's program. This scheme was simple and consequently resulted in an obvious restriction on alloc ( ) and free ( )-namely, that you had to free blocks of memory in reverse order to how they were allocated (see figure 1).
Well, the Macintosh memory manager routines _Newptr and _DisposPtr changed all that. Ifyou're already famil iar with these trap routines, you 'II see the connection right off: They do exactly what alloc ( ) and free ( ) are supposed to do. Consequently, whereas the MS DOS version of BYTE Small-C must maintain the run-time library variable _Umemptr to keep track of free memory, the Macintosh handles everything auto matically. And for gravy, the Macintosh routines regularly compact memory, so Macintosh Small-C programs needn't free memory blocks in reverse order.
Let's be careful here. Notice that the memory management routines I'm using allocate pointer blocks, not handle blocks. As programs make calls to the Mac memory management system, the operating system will, as required, purge
continued
250 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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HANDS ON
SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED
unused blocks and move relocatable blocks to create large contiguous free space (a process referred to as "defrag mentation"). Blocks accessed via han dles are relocatable unless you specifi cally tell the operating system otherwise (by "locking a memory block"). Since the handle is a double-indirected pointer, the block can be moved and the second pointer modified without affecting the
handle. However, blocks accessed via pointers are nonrelocatable, because moving the block would require modify ing the pointer.
Since BYTE Small-C's alloc() function reserves nonrelocatable blocks only, it is conceivable that a BYTE Small-C program that makes repeated calls to alloc ( ) and free ( ) might de plete memory by fragmenting it so badly
t
Free memory
Higher memory
1 - - - - - - --1+ - _Umemptr
C Source Code
a= malloc(i); b= mallocO); _ _ _ _ ___. .._--~..-:::;_~-- c = malloc(k);
d=malloc(I)
User program
Figure 1: The 8088 version ofBYTE Small-C handles memory allocation as an upward-growing stack tracked by the global variable _Umemptr. Memory blocks (left) allocated by the source code (right) must befreed (using the free()
function) in the reverse order to how they were allocated (i.e., the block that d points
to must be released before the block that c points to). BYTE's Small-C for the Mac removes this restriction.
Heap
Handle
I T l~
that the operating system can't create a usable free block (see figure 2). In spite of this restriction (and for most programs you can ignore it), the Macintosh ver sion's memory management routines are far better than the MS-DOS version' s.
Life with the Finder There's a fundamental difficulty in crowbarring a language originally devel oped on the "glass teletypes" into the windowed world of the Macintosh. In my port, the difficulty appeared cloaked in the guise of the system variables argc and argv[]. C programmers will recog nize argc as the system variable that in dicates the number of arguments on the command line; argv[] is an array of pointers to each of the argument strings.
But wait: This is on the Macintosh. You don't execute programs, you launch them by double-clicking on an icon. There is no command line. What, then, do you do with argc and argv [ ]?
Macintosh C compilers use various ways to skirt the problem of the com mand-line arguments. For example, Lightspeed C simply does not support them; Aztec C provides a shell program that creates a Unix-flavored line oriented environment. I took a hybrid route. When you launch a BYTE Small C program, it opens a window and prompts with Command line:. Whatever you type in response to this prompt is passed on to argc and argv[].
I realize that, although this approach makes porting programs from MS DOS Small-C to the Mac easier, the technique is slightly inelegant. How ever, the source code for the compiler is available in Programming the Macintosh in Assembly Language (see the text box on page 250). If you don't like the way I've handled command-line arguments, you're welcome to alter the compiler appropriately.
Exit(O)
Throughout the porting of Small-C to the
Pointer
Mac , I asked myself over and over what
-
I
l
compromises I was willing to live with. I'm sure that, for a commercial product,
these questions translate to the determi
nation of trade-offs between deadlines
and lost features . The silver linings are
whatever additional goodies a new archi
tecture lets you attach to your program. ·
Figure 2: On the Mac , a pointer is a 32-bit entity that holds the address ofa block ofmemory. A handle is a pointer to a pointer to a block. Notice that the system can relocate the upper block without altering the contents ofthe handle; not so with the lower block.
Rick Grehan is a BYTE senior technical editor at large. He has a BS in physics and applied mathematics and an MS in computer science/mathematics from Memphis State University. He can be reachedonB/Xas "rick_g. "
252 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
PUT
420,000
MICRO MENmRS
mwORK.
Advertise in the new BYfE magazine and let the people other people come to for advice help spread your message. We have a total of 420,000 paid read ers who are powerful because they're knowledgeable. Each one is a leader in personal computer decision making at his company. And each one believes that ads in BYfE are a valuable source of information.
O 93% provide advice about acquiring micros,
peripherals and software, an average of 25 times a month.
O 85% are directly involved in purchasing decisions about microcomputers and related equipment for their company.
O 96% work for a company that currently owns or uses microcomputers.
O 75% of these companies plan to buy an average of 145 microcomputers in the next 12 months.
In short, when it comes to making a purchase decision, people listen to BYfE readers. So if you're not planning on advertising in BYfE, you may be planning an advertising schedule without teeth.
~~BYTE
SOURCE: 1988BYT£ Subscriber Profile
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 253
II
I
-
-
.
- '""T-" .-..........--·THE 'BUYER'S M A R T - - - -
A Directory of Products and Services
THE BUYER'S MART is a monthly advertising section which enables readers to easily locate suppliers by product category. As a unique feature, each BUYER'S MART ad includes a Reader Service number to assist interested readers in requesting information from participating advertisers.
RATES: 1x-$475 3x-$450 6x-$425 12x-$375 Prepayment must accompany each insertion. VISA/MC Accepted.
AD FORMAT: Each ad will be designed and typeset by BYTE. Mvertisers must
furnish typewritten copy. Ms can include headline (23 characters maximum), descriptive text (250 characters is recommended, but up to 350 characters can be accomodated), plus company name, address and telephone number. Do not send logos or camera-ready artwork. DEADLINE: Jilt copy is due approximately 2months prior to issue date. For ex ample: October issue closes on August 11. Send your copy and payment to THE BUYER'S MART, BYTE Magazine, 1Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458. For more information call Mark Stone at BYTE 603-924-3754.
ACCESSORIES
FREE CATALOG
Thousands of parts and new surplus electronic pa11s at super low prices. FAST ORDER PROCESSING AND SHIPPING (95% of anorders shipped within 48 hours).
CALL OR WAITE FOR A FREE CATALOG. .
ALL ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
P.O. Box 567, Van Nuys, CA 91408-0567
1-800-826-5432 Inquiry 576.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER
and make It laat longer. Call(800)356·5794Ext1002 for a FREE catalog from the world's largest manufacturer of uninter ruptible power systems.
Call or write today!
BEST POWER TECHNOLOGY, INC.
P.O. Box 280, Necedah, WI 54646 In Wis. (608) 565-7200 Ext. 1002
(800) 358·5794 Ext. 1002
Inquiry 5n.
ACCESSORIES
SMART PRINTER STAND
UNDERSTAND is an attractive printer stand with switchable data cover~ sion, surge suppression & power switch. Saves space
& avoids clutter! UNDERSTAND-PP:
$2 95 (2 parallel in, 1 parallel oul)
UNDERSTAND-PS: $395 (1 parallel & 1 serial in, 1 parallel out)
-
MAS Inc.
15941 S. Harlem Aw ., Suile 333,, Tinley Park, IL 60477
(815! 469-4501
Inquiry 581.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
FREE Al DEMO DISK
0 u r eye·opening 2 O page calalog features Experl Syslem Shells & Toolkils plus ""'" fitly olher Al Pro grams. Please send large SASE wtth one dollar poslage
for yoll" free demo and calalog so we can keep disk
prices low. Expert Syslem Six Pack- six Experl Syslem Shareware Shells wilh sample rulebases and full documenlalion jusl $59.95.
THINKING SOFTWARE, INC.
46-16 Sixty-fifth Place, Woodside, NY 11377
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
muLISPTM 87 for MS·DOS
Fast, compact, efficient LISP programming environ· ment. muLISP programs run 2 to 3 times faster & take 'h to 'h the space of other LISPs. 450 Com mon LISP functions, multi-window ed~ing & debug ging, flavors, graphics primitives, lessons & help, demo programs, comprehensive manual.
Soft Warehouse, Inc.
3615 Harding Ave., Suite 50~ Honolulu, HI 96816 (808) 734-5801
Inquiry 585.
BAR CODES
BAR CODES & BIG TEXT
On EPSON, IBM, OKI dol matrix ex LaserJet Design any fer. mat/size on ONE """! screen. 1-120 fieldsllabel. 13 lexl sizes to 1" - readable at SO ft. AIAG, MIL-STD, 2 of 5, 128.
UPCIEAN, Code 39, elc. Color, R0\lllfses, Fie Input, FAST-$219. Olher menu·driwn bar code progams from $49.
30 day $ back.
Worthington Data Solutions
417-A Ingalls St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(800) 345-4220
In CA: (408) 458-9938
CUT RIBBON COSTS!
Re-ink your printer ribbons quickly and easily. Do all carlridge ribbons with just one inker) For crisp, black professional prilt since 1982. You can choose from 3 models: Manual E-Zee Inker - $39.50
Electric E-Zee Inker - $89.50 Ink Master (Electric) - $159.00
fOOO's of satisfied users in 5 years. Money back guar8Jlt66.
BORG INDUSTRIES
525 MAIN ST., JANESVILLE, IA 50647
1·800.553-2404
In IOWA 319-987·2976
Inquiry 578.
HIGH PERFORMANCE RULES BASED
EXPERT SYSTEM "SHELL" (H.E.S.).
Caters for thousands and thousands of rules, integrate with your existing database. Easy to use, no kncrNledge of pro gramming required. Applications: medical diagnosis, fault diagnostics, business, admin . banking, finance, insurance, law, engineering, available on PCIXT/AT, MS-DOS, Xenix, Uni x. Demo copy $84 (with facility to create 300 rules). Full version $21,000.
HORIZON SOFTWARE LTD.
Z1 East St., Leicester LE1 6NB. U.K. Tel (44) 533 556550 .
Inquiry 582.
BAR CODE READERS
From the manufacturer for PC/XT/AT, & PS/2. At· taches as 2nd keyboard, reads as keyed data. Ex ternal or bus install. With steel wand-$399. Also Kimtron, Link, Wyse, & RS-232. Portables, Lasers, slot badge readers, and MagStripe too!
30 day $ back.
Worthington Data Solutlons
417-A Ingalls St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(800) 345-4220
In CA: (408) 458-9938
SELF-INKING PRINTER RIBBON
Awarded Unlled States Patent 14701062 l.Bsts 10·15 times longer than the convenlional ribbon
For printers using 1f.1:· width open spool ribbon:
Oltidata·82A..S3A-84-92-93 Dec LA 180/120
Taletype·33. 35
Dec LA 301 18~ 1443
Star Gemini 10X
Teletype-Model 40
Extel
Tl 800/810, 820, 880
C.008:::! us by mail, phone or telex and we will rorward you a brochure.
CONTROLLED PRINTOUT DEVICES, INC.
POB 869, Baldwin Rd., Arden, NC 28704
(704) 684-9044 · TELEX: (FILMON-AAEN) 577454
Inquiry 579.
Eliza in 'C'
Originally developed at MIT, Eliza is perhaps the first artificial Intelligence Program. Now available with full 'C' source code. MS/DOS diskette $79.95, or 9 track 1600 tape $179.95. MC, Visa, or COD.
(206) 391-3725
LAN Comp Systems
14524 Issaquah-Hobart Rd ., Issaquah, WA 98027
Inquiry 583.
PRINT BAR CODES/BIG TEXT
FROM YOUR PROGRAM
Add bar codes and b ig graphics text to your program. Print from ANY MS·DOS language. Bar codes: UPC, EAN, 2 of 5, MSI, Code 39. Epson, Oki, IBM dol malrix taxi up 10 'h". LaserJet up to 2·. Font cartridges not required. $159-$239. 30 day $$ back.
Worthinaton Data Solutions
417-A lngiris St. Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(800) 345-4220
In CA: (408) 458-9938
FREE SAMPLE LETIERHEAD
Now you can have personalized conlinuous form letterheads in small quantities at low cost. Send us your name, address, phone number and printer make and model number and we'll send you your personalized samples.
FORMSMART INC.
P.O. Box 592, E. Freetown, JA 02717
nquiry 580.
254 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
NanoLISP $99.99
An MS-DOS Common LISP interpreter that sup· ports most Common LISP operations and strictly adheres to the standard. Numerous advanced and extra features, excellent debugging facilities, sam ple Al programs, fully-indexed manual, free technical support.
Microcomputer Systems Consultants
Box 6646. Santa Barbara, CA 93160
(805) 963-3412
Inquiry 584.
BAR CODE MADE EASY
PERCON" E-Z-READER.. keyboard interfaces and multiuser RS·232 models make it easy to add bar code to virtually any computer/lerminal WITHOUT SOFTWARE MODIFICATION. · Immediate shipping. TVKI mt warranty. Bar code printiing software avai able. Call for details on fast, accurate,~ data entry. Substantial r~ller discounts.
PERCON®
2190 W 11th St., Eugene, OR 97402
(503) 344-1189
Inquiry 586.
BAR CODE
READ & PRINT BAR CODES
Fast, reliable data entry into your programs as If from your keyboard . Internal unit for PC, XT, AT PS/2-M30. RS-232 unit for DOS & Non-DOS systems (incl. all PS/2). Stainless steel wand and LASER interfaces. Powerful Bar Code and Text printing software.
Seagull Scientific Systems 601 University Ave, Suite 150, Sacramento, CA 95825
(916) 386-1n6
·
BAR CODE READERS Among the industries best and mosr: widely used ban::ode " ' -· reeds all major barcode formals (code 39, 2 of 5, UPC'EAN, codabat), connects - . n keyboard & system, ad\iBnced CMOS uses kB'iboatd po.wr Sl.pply, connects to all IBM compatibles and DIN terminals, oompkttely OS indepen dent, software Independent. Same dll'J ship, 1 )9ar warranty, ~~tisfaction guarantee. CALI.. for press too ION to
Solutlons Engineering Sales
8653 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910
800-635-6533
nquiry 587.
DATA INPUT DEVICES
Bar Code & Magnetic Stripe Readers for microcom puters & terminals, including IBM PS/2 & others, DEC, Al&T, CT, Wyse, Wang. All readers connect on the keyboard cable & are transparent lo all software. Low cost bar code print programs & magnetic encoders are also available. GSA contract #GSOOK87AGS5346.
TPS Electronics
4047 Transport, Palo Alto, CA 94303 415-856-6833 Telex 371-9097 TPS PLA
Inquiry 588.
For PCIXT/~ and compatibles, and APPLE II. Keyboard emulating model with wand tor only $249. Reads 2 of 5, UPC/EAN/JAN/UPC E, Code 39, COOABAA with 1 yr. warranty. Also RS-232C and CENTRONICS models with choice of wands, hand-held, and auto scanners.
Call or write for free catalog.
TRADE MATRIX of Slllcon Valley
3639 Satinwood [)'., San Jose, CA 95148
(800) 222-4229 Ext. 39, (408) 238-1784
Inquiry 589.
CAD/CAM
,.... _ I
New! CADKEY3 Version 3.02
CADKEY CADExpert . ..... On-line Tutorial Newt CADKEY 1 .. CADKEY 3 on a Budget New/ CADKEY Solid Synthesis Real Power!
We also carry the new CADJET Master Templates and other fine support products for CADKEY.
HLB Technology
rr..
PO Box 527, Blue Ridge, VA24064
703-977-6520
MCNISA
Inquiry 590.
ISN't IT TIME THAT YOU DID
SOMETHING NEW WITH YOUR CAO SOFTWARE?
Etch yo.x CAD design i1 wood, plastic, glass, etc. Cut your CAD drawings out of wood, plastic, vinyl, rubber, etc. Introducing the Kern Electronics
CAD/CAM controller. We specialize in making your idea become a reality.
..
Kern Electronics
812 King Ave. S.W., Wadena, MN 56482
218-631-2841
Inquiry 591.
CASE
Affordable CASE
A new concept in Computer Aided Engineer ing for developing PC/DOS applications! C Dispatcher generates fast, efficient C code for command and menu driven applications. Develop, document, and change easily. Many features. For many compilers.$295.00 MCNisa
Amaryllls Inc.
563 WattaCJ,Jadoc Ad.· Bolton, MA 01740
(617) 365-5456
Inquiry 592.
FINITE STATE COMPILERS
A Case program that develops complex soltware pro
grams in minutes instead of hOLfs! The COM· PEDITOR forms source Finite Stale programs in: ADA, BASIC, C, FORTRAN and PASCAL.
IBM PC, XT, AT. PS/2
175K RAM Dos 2.0+
Price: $175,00 per compiler (With Primer) Sampler $30
AYECO
5025 Nassau Circle, Orlando
INCORPORATED FL 32808 1-800-537-4753
Inquiry 593.
CD-ROM
Public Data on CD-ROMs
· Econ/Stats I-Indices & other economic data · Consu/Stats-BLS/Census consumer studies 1973
& 1964 · Agri/Stats-Agricultural series · Makes tables, DIF, or ASCII · $49 each, req. MS-DOS · CD-ROM publishing services available
Hopkins Technology 421 Hazel la., Hopkins. MN 55343
(612} 931-9376 Compuserve 74017,614
Inquiry 594.
COMMUNICATIONS
MULTI-LINE PC-DOS BBS
The Bread Board System (TBBS). Secure, reliable, full featured commercial information system for IBM XT/AT/386/PS2 or compatible. Menu editor allows customization by nonprogrammers. Kermit. X & Y Modem. High performance allows up ll 32 simultaneous callers. User audit trail.
300/1200/2400/9600 bps.
eSoft, Inc.
15200 E. Girard Ave. #2550, Aurora, CO 80014
(303) 699-6565
Inquiry 595.
FAX MACHINES $395
MURATA FAX 1200N600 ....... ............ $7951925 SHARP FAX F0300IF0500 ........ . . . ..... $1195N495 lOSHIBA FAX 3010013300/3700 ...... $1088N240/CALL RICOH n/20 . .. , " .... .. .. .... , .. ..... $1295N595 CANON FAX20 ........................... $1279 PC/XT SYS.Receive/Transmit FAX+Scanner . . .$1595 PC/XT Telephone Answer & 'Wicemail ........... $1195
Prepay prices Visa/MC 2% cod 2% restock 20%
TELEPHONE PRODUCTS CENTER
23591 #213 Et Tero Rd ., El Tero, CA 92630714/739-9555
INSURES VOUR COMPUTER SAFEWARE provides full replacement of hardware, media and purchased sottware. As Httle as $39 a year provides comprehensive coverage. Blanket coverage; no list of equipment needed. One call
a does it all. Call am-10 pm ET. (Sat. 9 to 5)
TOLL FREE 1-800-848-3469
(local 614·262·0559)
SAFEWARE, The Insurance Agency Inc.
Inquiry 597.
COMPUTER RENTALS
RE NTA LS
WEEKLY MONTHLY YEARLY
IBM -APPLE
$18 9 ~~~r!i~~ Full Stock
Oeliw1y
Free Service & Maintenance
PER MO.
IBM PS/2 Model 50
800 PC-RENTL
Inquiry 598.
CROSS ASSEMBLERS
CROSS ASSEMBLERS
Universal Linker, Librarian
Targets for 36 Microprocessors
'
Hosts: PC/MS DOS, micro VAX, VAX 8000
Developed and supported at:
ENERTEC, INC.
BOX 1312, Lansdale, PA 19446
215-362-0966
MCNISA
Inquiry 599.
CROSS ASSEMBLERS
Macros, PC Compatible, Relocatable, Condi tionals, Fast, Reliable . . ....... from $150
also: Disassemblers
EPROM Programmer Board
MICROCOMPUTER TOOLS CO.
Phone (800) 443-0779
In CA (415) 825-4200
912 Hastings Dr., Concord, CA 94518
Inquiry 600.
Professional Series
PseudoCode releases its PseudoSam Professional
Series of cross assemblers. AU popular processors.
Macros, Conditional Assembly, and Include Flies. Vir
tually unlimited size. For IBM PC's, MS-DOS 2.0 or
greate' With manual for $35Jl0. Each add~ional $20.00.
(Ml res. 4% tax). Visa/MC. (Dealer lnqulnea Welcome.)
Order from distributor:
Micro Kit
6910 Patterson, Caledonia, Ml 49316, 616-791-9333.
Inquiry 601.
.,,,,_Al-ird"'8_1isliig_...,,32- 680XO Cross Assemblers
or Nao< ~quaily606XDCrosllAsse_ltial,..,\OUflBM PC
""""'"""""-'NCWOElies, OOH""""" OAG, 0C. OS. EOU, """'
-~-(OC8p!MACROSJ, ..,...m'""'*'-Basi::"""'"'""*S
---41- l\lCOtd:s..Unblg~creatseiltiet~cr~thXl!Ja\and
indlrle a li:nla ¥Micl\ C8alBs Scat1Jrtls or bNty outJM lies. Nd Cl:JV'I pro.
iecced. Minimum requirement! are 320K, DOS 2.XX, & 1-BV' · OSOO.
Basi: 6llXlMllll11>-449B5
Linking 68lm801~
~ VZS4, MC~. MNfl:ISiJBtt.s +6% sales tu. libPO~acwt
,...._ RAVEN Computer Systems
Box 12116, St. Paul, MN 55112
(612) 636-0365
Inquiry 602.
ASSEMBLERS & TRANSLATORS
Over20 high quality, full function, fast relocatable and absolute macro assemblers are available im· mediately. Source language translators help you change microcomputers. Hosts: MS/DOS, CPMBO, !SIS.
RELMS'"
P.O. Box 6719, San Jose, CA 95150
MCNISA
(408) 356-1210 nNX 910-379-0014
AMEX
Inquiry 603. AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 255
- - - - -T:'HE'.BtJV.ER'S M A R T - - - -
CROSS ASSEMBLERS
Z80/HD64180
SLR Systems cross assemblers run on PC and are compatible with Microsoft MBO/LBO. $195.00 for assembler and linker. We have CPIM emulator cards for PC. Up to 12.5 mhz ZSO clock speed, start· ing at $249.95! Also Z80/HD64180 C compilers.
Z·World
1m Picasso Ate., Davis, CA 95616 (916) 753-3722 Please see our ads on page 273.
Inquiry 604.
DATA CONVERSION
MEDIA CONVERSION/DATA TRANSLATION
More rhan just a straight dump or ASCII transfer/
Word Processing, DBMS, and Spreadsheet data on Olske
or Tapes transferred directly into applications running on Mainframes, Minis, Micros, Dedicated Word Proceeaora, rypeeettera, and Elllctronlc Publlahlng systems.
IBM PSJ2 & Macintosh supported #1 In the translalion industry!
CompuData Ti'anslators, Inc.
3325 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1202, Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 387-44n
1-800-825-8251
Inquiry 605.
DATABASE MGMT. SYSTEMS
SOFTWARE KIT PACKAGING
OEM supplier to one of the wOfld's mgest computer companies offers quality packaging and supplies for your software products. From diskettes to printed manuals. Quality products reflecting your company's image is our highest priority. Cal or write.
COMPUTER LOGICS LIMITED
4845 Transit Road Unit K-8, Depew, NY 14043
(716) 633·2810
Fax (716) 633·2813
Inquiry 606.
dBASE Ill WORKALIKE $39 1 on 1 = 311 "a programmable relational DBMS... the
menu mode is a fancier and more complete wrsion of dBASE's ... faster operation in the interactive mode. .dBASE Ill is a trademark of Ashlon:rate .. .at $39, 1 on 1 ~ 311 is a geat deal for those who would be glad to hi!Vli a dBASE Ill Plus clone" PC MAaAZINE
5/fl'/88. $39 + $4 sh! AMEX add $2.00
1 on 1 Computer Solutions 26 Finchwood Dr., Trumbull, CT 06611
203-375-0914
Inquiry 607.
DATA/DISK CONVERSION
DISK CONVERSIONS
Media transfer to or from: IBM, Xerox, DEC, Wang,
Lanier. CPT, Micom, NBI, GT, also WP, WS, MS/WRD, DW3, MM, Samna, DEC DX, MAS 11,
Xerox-Writer, ASCII.
FREE TEST CONVERSION
CONVERSION SPECIALISTS
531 Main St., Ste. 835, El Segundo, CA 90245
(213) 545-6551
(213) 322-6319
Inquiry 610
DISK & TAPE CONVERSIONS
AUTOMATICALLY
SAVE TIME AND MONEY
Over 1000 formats from Mini, Micro Mainframe, l/Jord Pro cessors, & Typesetters.
TAPE ConvBt'sions as low as $23.00 MB
DISK Conversions as low as $15.00 per Disk
Call or write TCDAY for a cost saving quotation.
CREATIVE DATA SERVICES
1210 w . Latimer Ale., Campbell, CA 95008 (408) 866·6080
Inquiry 611.
DISK INTERCHANGE SERVICE COMPANY
DISC specializes in transferring flies between incom· palible disk fonnats, and between disk and 9·track tape.
· Dedicated Word Processors · Mini, Micro & Mainframe Computers · 9-Track Tape (800, 1600 and 6250 BPI) · MSOOS, CP/M, UNIX, DOS, PRDDOS, lSX+, RH1
2 Park Drive · Westford, MA 01886
(617) 692-0050
Inquiry 612.
HEWLETT PACKARD
TO MACINTOSH
Translate programs written in Hewlett Packard BASIC to run on the Macintosh. Copy files from HP Technical computers to Macintosh. Custom work quoted. Write:
Indy Conversions
5525 N. Broadway St., lndianapoli.s, IN 46220
Inquiry 613.
DEMOS/TUTORIALS
INSTANT REPLAY Ill
Build Demos, Tutorials. Prototypes, Presentations. Music. Timed Keyboard Macros, and Menu Systems. Includes Screen Maker, Keystroke/Time Editor: Program Memorizer: and Arnmalor. Rec\J Grear Re;iews! Simply the BEST i'.bt copy pmtected. f\b royalties. 60 day satisfaclion money back guar. IBM and Compatb. $149.95 U.S.Chk/Cr. Crd. Demo Diskelle $5.00
NOSTRADAMUS, INC.
3191 South Valley Street (ste 252)
Salt Lake City, Utah 84109 (801) 487·9662
Inquiry 615.
DISK COMPATIBILITY
IBM PC's USE Mac DISKS
MatchMaker lets you plug any Macintosh exter nal floppy drive into an IBM PC. Half size card and software lets you copy to/from, view directory, in· itialize. or delete files on the Mac diskette. Works with PCs, XTs, ATs, and compatibles. The easy way to move information!
$149.00 Visa/MC/COD/Chk.
Micro Solutlons Computer Products
132 W. Lincoln Hwy.· DeKalb, IL 60115
8151756·3411
Inquiry 616.
DISK DUPLICATION
DUPUCATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM 0 FFLATTERY Let us Flatter you!!! See us for all disk duplication needs. 10 disks to 100,000 and more All formats-All systems. Best prices-Our own in-house printing of documentation-labels-sleeves.
SYSTEMS SUPPORT DATA
223 North Royal Avenue, Front Royal, VA 22630 1-800-231-4355
Inquiry 617.
DISK DUPE EQUIPMENT
DO YOUR OWN DUPLICATION
Copy 10,000 or only 10 . .. .. in as little as 15 seconds each with famous Mountain Duplica tion equipment at the very best prices!! See us for all of your duplication equipment needs from Disks to Drives to Duplicators.
SYSTEMS SUPPORT DATA
223 North Royal Avenue, Front Royal , VA 22630 1-800-231-4355
Inquiry 618.
QUALITY CONVERSIONS
· Disk
· Scanning
· Tape
·TYPEWRITTEN $.33 per page to ASCII
·TYPESET 6-24 point Low Rates
(·wp Formats available)
IMAGES
Logos/Line Art/Glossies
1st Run Computer Services Inc.
1261 Broadway, Suite 508, New York, NY 10001
(212) 779-0800
Inquiry 608.
CONVERSION SERVICES
Convert any 9 track magnetic tape to or from over 1000 formats including 3V2", SV· ·: 8" disk formats &
word processors. Disk to disk conversions also available. Call for more info. Introducing OCR Scan· ning Services.
Pivar Computing Services, Inc.
165 Arlington Hgts. Rd., Dept. #B
Buffalo Grove. IL 60089 C312l 459-6010
PS/2 DRIVES FOR PC's AT's
CompatiKiUPC .......... .... ..... $329
CompatiKiUAT . . . . .
. ... .. ... $309
Built-in floppy controllers-no problem.
Supports multiple drives and formats. Lets your
computer use IBM PS/2 1.4M diskettes plus more!
Call for further information or to place an order.
VISA/MC/COD/CHECK.
Micro Solutlons Computer Products
132 W. Lincoln Hwy. , DeKalb, IL 60115
81Sn56·3411
Get the Expertise You Needl
Disk/Disk · Tape/Disk · OCR
5v,, Over 1.000 formats! 3'h. or 8 inch disks; 9 track
mag tape; 1OMB Bernoulli cartridge. Data base and word processor translation. Specialists in Govern· ment Security Data. Call for free consultation.
Computer Conversions, Inc.
9580 Black Mtn. Rd., Ste J, San Diego, CA 92126
(619) 693-1697
Inquiry 609.
256 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
FREE dBASE Ill + COMPILER DEMO DISK
Donl buy Clipper· until you see our FREE dBASE Corn· piler Evaluation Kil. Includes DEMO DISK with 8 PRG's and results of compiling with Clipper. Quicksilver & Fox
BASE + . Also 15 benchmark tesls, complete magazine
reviews, and detailed brochures aboul all 3 compilers. FREE. No obligation. Call 24 hours, 7 days.
dataBASE Specialties (415) 652·2790
P.O. Box 2975, Oaklard, CA 94618
CHEAP DISKS!!!
Although this headline may not convey
quality . . ... our 31h" floppy disks do!
100% Certified
72pk only 98e
1.44 MEG only $2.60
SYSTEMS SUPPORT DATA
223 North Royal Avenue, Front Royal, VA 22630 1-800-231-4355
Inquiry 620.
- - - - - T H E BUYER'S M A R T - - - -
DUPLICATION SERVICES
SOFTWARE DUPLICATION
·One Stop Shopping· Technical Support · Custom Packaging · Drop Shipping · Copy Protection · Fast Turnaround
· Competitive Pricing
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
800-222-0490 NJ 201-462-7628
MEGASoft
I'll. Box no. Freeho~. NJ ams
See our ads Oii page m.
Inquiry 621 .
HARDWARE
IBM PS/2's Up to 41% om
Reta/I
)t)or CosJ
MODEL 50-386 MODEL 60-041
(New) 5,295
$Call 3,395
MODEL 60-071 MODEL 80·041 MODEL B0-071 MODEL 80-111 MODEL 80-311
6,295 6,995 8.495 10,995 13,995
3,850 4,395 4,995 7,895 9,995
American Mero Computer Center (305) 985-9406 2890 Griffin Rd., Suite #4, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33312
Inquiry 627.
SOFTWARE PRODUCTION
· Disk duplication
· Warehousing
· All formats
· Drop shipping
· EVERLOCK copy · Fulfillment
protection
· 48-hour delivery
· Label/sleeve printing · Consultation &
· Full packaging
guidance
services Star-Byte, Inc.
713 W. Main St., Lansdale, PA 19446
215-368-1200
800-243-1515
Inquiry 622.
ELECTRONIC PROJECTS I
BUILD TALKING ROBOT!
- Build B.E.R.T.© the Basic Educational Robot Trainer - Featured in BYTE April & Mey I f!1 - Even a child can program this talking Robel, built
from off-the·shelf components - Minimum Kit $43.00 U.S. - Complete Kit $165.00 U.S. - For further Information write to:
GoCo Dist.
Suite 806, 1146 Harwood St.
Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6E 3V1
Inquiry 623.
NEMESIS"' Go Master"'
Go is a popular Oriental game of intellectual com· plexity and elegance. NEMESIS, recognized worldwide as the best Go program, is an ideal playmate and tutor. Pournelle's game of the mont~ twice: ' 'II you are Interested In Go, buy this pro gram." BYTE 7/fIT
Toyogo, Inc.
100 Fitth Ave., Dept. Y. Waltham, MA 02154
(617) 890-4184
Inquiry 624.
MYRIAD MODEM
2400BPS ONLY $119
· Heyes compatible ·For IBM PC/XT/AT
& compatibles ·Made In USA
· Free Sitcom software
· 4 Com ports selectable · 2 years warranty
DATA ERA STORE (408) 729-4589
1556 Halford Ave., No. 168, Santa Clere, CA 95051
Inquiry 628.
8096 Mlcrocontroller
Single Board 8096n, Ser. Interface, 5 V only;
Assembler+Forth in EPROM+Manual/Software Guide $400. Add-on EPROM Simulator incl. download S/W $350. Hardware/Software evaluation package incl. cabling and tutorial books $580. Cross Compiler (Assembler/Forth) available.
DIGITAL MICRO CONTROL
15617-25th Drive S.E., Miii Creek, WA 98012 (206) 338-2406
Inquiry 629.
CHIP CHECKER
· 74154 TTL + CMOS · 8000 Nat. + Signetics
· 14/4000 CMOS · 14--24 Pin Chips
· 9000 TTL
· .3" + .6" IC widths
Tests/Identifies <NfJr 650 digital chips with ANY type
of output In seconds. Also tests popular RAM chips. IBM
compatible wrsion $259. C128 + C64 wrsion $159.
DUNE SYSTEMS
2603 Willa Dr., St. Joseph, Ml 49085
(616) 983-2352
Inquiry 630.
FLOW CHARTING II+ HELPS YOU!
Precise flowcharting Is fast end simple with Flow Charting 11+. Draw,ed~andprintperfectcharts: bold and noonel fonts, 26 shapes - 95 sizes; fast entry of am:MS. bypasses & con nectors: Fast Insert Lina: shrink screen displays 2~umn chart; 40 column edit screen for detail work, much moral
PATTON & PATTON
81 Great Oaks Blvd., San Jose. CA 95119
1-800-525-0082 (Outside CA) 408-629-5376 (CA/Int'!)
Inquiry 625.
STRUCTURED R.OW CHART
NSChartcreates Nassi-Shneiderman (structured) flowcharts from a simple POL. Keywords define structures & text strings appear in the chart. Easy to create, even easier to revise! Automatic chart siz ing, text centering. Translators from many languages available. For Mac and IBM PC.
SILTRONIX, INC.
P.O. Box 82544, San Diego, CA 92138
1·800-637-4888 Inquiry 626.
INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH SINGLE BOARD COMPUTER Has optimum features for monitor + control applica
tions: 16 Chan AID · 4 RS232/422 Ports · 48 Prog 1/0
Lines · 8 Opto INs · 8 HiDrive OUTs · 4 Timers · Watchdog · 104K Memory · 5.25 x 8.0 Options: Resi dent FORTH OS with Target Compiler, Editor, Assem
bler, + Auto Load/Start; 5 MHz 8085 · 4 Chan DIA ·
Battery Backed Clock/RAM· Networking · PC Support
E-PAC 1000 + $249.00
E-PAC 2000 + $449.00
EMAC INC.
P:O. Bo)( 2042, Carbondale IL 62902
(618) 529-4525
Inquiry 631.
87C51 PROG. $125.00
The UPA 87C51 Programming Adapter leis you use your general purpose programmer to program the 87C51, 8751H, AM08753H, 87C252, and 8752BH. Also lets you program the 87C51/8751H security bits and the 87C51 encryption array. It's very simple and VERY cost ettective.
LOGICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
6184 Teall Station. Syracuse NY 13217
(315) 478-an2
Telex 6715617 LOGS
Inquiry 632.
HARDWARE
SAFETY BUBBLE FOR YOUR PC
PCB-76f76C available from MemTech
512Kbyte or 1 megabyte ol non-volatile Bubble Memory. IBM PC, XT, AT, or compatibles. Designed to operate in the harshest environments. Driver compatible with Version 2.0 through 3.3 of MS-DOS and PC DOS.
Priced from: 512K, 1 megabyte $1245.
contact:
MemTech
101 Blue Ravine Rd., Folsom, CA 95630
(916) 351-3100
Inquiry 633.
* * BUY
SELL
TRADE
Apple · IBM · Compaq · Service Parts
· Accessories · Systems ·
PRE-OWNED Electronics, Inc.
30 Clematis Avenue, Waltham, MA 02154 800-274-5343 FAX 617-891-3556 Service Centers and Dealers welcome
Inquiry 634.
HARDWARE ADD-ONS
PC CARDS/KITS
· 8 bit ND card, 0-5V
. .. .. . $79
· 8 bit DIA card, 0-2.5V .... .. . . ......... $79
· Relay driver card, 8 outputs (3A) . . . . . . . 5149
· Digital 1/0 (8 TIL inpuUoutput) .
. .. . $79
· JB XT computer kit w/monitor . . ..... 5499
· FREE CATALOG-parts, kits, computers
JB COM PU·TRONIX
3816 N. Wadsworth Blvd., Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
(303) 425-9586
Inquiry 635.
INFORMATION
100 TABLES
From the U.S. Statistical Abstract
"The U.S. Statistical Abstract" has a wide variety of public information on (economics, health, educa tion, crime, the world and more.) 100 selected tables of the 1988 Abstract are now available on disk in (CAL, WKS, CSV, or TXT) formats for (PC or MAC or most CP/M)-549.95
FAIR FACTS
Box 536, San Ralael. CA 94915
Tel. 415-485-1781
Inquiry 636.
INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
STOCK-MASTER 4.0
Commercl11l grade Inventory m11n11gement
software 11t micro pr1ce11.
· Supports alt 12
· Stock Status Reporting
transaction types
· Activity Histo1y Analysis
· Trend Analysis
· Bill of Materials
· Quallty Control
· Purchase Order Writing
· Multiple Loce!Jons
· Order Entry
· Purchase Order Tracking · Material Requirements
· Open Order Reporting · On Line Inquiry
· Serlalflot # Tracking
Applled Micro Bualneaa Systems, Inc.
177·F Riverside Ave.· NEMpor1 Beach, CA 92663 714-759-0582
Inquiry 637.
LANS
LANLINE-1
with SAFFRON-1 Nffi'llAE . . . ....... 115.200BAUOXFRRATE
Link Four PC Computers To Any PC Computer Vie A$232
Ports. Link PC XT's, Af's, Desktops, or Laptops. MENU Driven: Raad Directory, Remove Dir, Copy Files, DalataFllas,
end Print To Any Printer Connected. 31/2 end SY· disks . · You Will Love It
reg $139.95SPECIAL INTRODUClORY . . . . .. $19.95
DEALER INQUIRIES INVITIED .
. . 1-800<;54-7222
TAMPA BAY DIGITAL 1750 DREW ST, CLEARWATER, FL 34615 813-443-7049
Inquiry 638.
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 257
· I
- - - - - T H E BUYER'S MART---__;;;;-
-=
LAPTOP COMPUTERS
LAPTOP SPECIALS
LAPTOPS: · Toshiba · Zenith · NEC · OO"AVUE AFFORDABLE SY·" or 3¥.a" DRIVE UNITS for LAPTOPS & DESKTOPS Including 11111dy 1400 LT. · DICONIX PRINTERS · 768 card for TIOOO · 2400 BAUD MODEMS for Ulptops · l1!ptOp software · Hard dri\19s · Fast reliable and friendly service. For lDN Pricing call
COMPUTER OPTIONS UNLIMITED
201·469·7678 (7 Days, 9 am-10 pm Eastern time)
Inquiry 639.
LAP-LINK
The ultimate solution tor linking laptop computer with arrt IBM
canpalible desktJp PC. 115. 200 balJd trans1er ~than
any other product available. No installation necessary, easy to
use split screen design . Includes incredible "universal cable"
that comediii any Mo computers. Transfer entire disks faster
than a DOS COP'J command! Only $129.95 including unive1sal
callle and bolll 3'1,. and SJ/.- disi.. "Bridge"°"""" can trade In for only $89.95 wlo cable.
Travellng Software Inc.
19310 North Creek Parkway, Bothe1rwA 98011
1-800-343-8080
(206) 483-8088
Inquiry 640.
LEGAL
LEGAL DOCUMENT MAKER
All pleadings and documents.
Any word processor software.
Free Brochure.
New! Supra II'" .
TSC · The Software Company
P.O. Box 872687, Wasilla, AK 99667 (907) 373-6550
Inquiry 641.
DEVELOPMENT TOOLS
Professional Programmers Extender: Standard Mac interface, lists, printing, graphics, tiling. Ex· tender GraphPac: Quality color graphs. Line, bar, semi-log, customizable symbols.
INVENTION Software (313) 996-8108
Inquiry 642.
MEMORY CHIPS
MEMORY CHIPS
41256-15-12·10 ........ ... Coll 51000 (1 Meg)
. C.11
4164·15 ....... .. , .. ..... C.11 51258 for Compaq 386. 6A3
4164·12 .. ......... '.' .. C.11 6087~ . ' . . ' ..... . 961143
41128 Piggy Back for l'J. .. 2.63 80287<>1!-10 ' .. 15512331293
41464-12 (64Kx4). ' . . . . . . 3.27 80387 .
. .. C.11
414258 (256Kx4) . ...... .. C.11 NEC¥:zo.8 . .
. .. C.11
2764.2n2BZ7256,27512 . . . C.11 Mouse . .... . . .... . ... $49
Prices subjfld to change
ESSKAY 718-353-3353
Inquiry 643.
MUSIC
MIDI - PC/XT 884.95
Your MIDI instruments can talk with your PCIXT via a MIDIATOR8. Sottware INCLUDEDI Mfil Sequencer, Perf0<· mance SplittedhJto.Cholde<, & MIDI Monitor. Reqt.ir8s 256K, DOS 2.0+,, Std. Serial Port (COM1 or COM2) & std. cables. Needs no modifications, exp. slot, or paNer sup. Introduc tory Price $84.95+5.00 slh, TX res. add 7.25% tax. MC, VISA, Check (allow 10 days).
Key Electronlc Enterprises
9112 Hwy. BOW., su·rte221·B,, Fort Worth, TX 76116
(817) 560·1912
Inquiry 644.
258 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
MUSIC
PC/MIDI Hardware & Software-$149.95
The new standard in the PC/MIDI world!
· MIDI Interface Card
· 64-track digital recording
· Sequencer Sollware
· 600 ticks per quarter
· MIDI Cables
note resolution
(1 in/3 out)
· S0.000 events
Dewloper'a source code $19.95. Best MIDI off..- ewr madal
Make check payable to:
MidiMusic
SOD E. Arapaho. Sutto 609. Richardson, T1C 75081
1~58-11101
21'1238-5269
Inquiry 645.
PROGRAMMER 'S TOOLS
Microsoft QulckBASIC
does Database Management. db/LIB Database Library
is 100% dBASE file compat. Only $139.00.
AJS Publishing, Inc.
(800) 992-3383 (818) 985-3383 In CA.
CLIPPER'" DEVELOPMENT TOOLBOX
Alternmive Business Training, Inc. introduces BOATSWIUN'S MATE©. a set of over 200 functions, procedures, and DOS Ulililies for dBase.. programmers who use clipper as a com
piler. Thousands of development hours have gone into this software in order to save you hours of programming time. Whether you are a novice or a serious clipper developer, the
BOATSW\IN'S MATE© is for you. Free list of library func
tions available. Source code available.
Call 1-800.:J2S.-7677
In N.H. 1·357-8665
ALTERNATIVE BUSINESS TRAINING, INC.
206 Washington St.. Keene, NH 03431
Inquiry 646.
TLIB"' 4.0 Version Control
The best gets betterl They loved TUB 3.0: "packed with features .. . [does deltas] amazingly fast. . . ex cellent''-PC Tech Joumal Sept ffl. "has my highest recommendation"-A. Richardson, Computer Shop· per Aug ffl. Now TUB 4.0 has: branching, more ksf.IDrds, wildcards & file lists, revision merge, LAN and WORM drive support, more. MSIPC-DOS 2.x & 3.x $99.95 + $3 s&h. Visa/MC.
BURTON SYSTEMS SOFTWARE
PO. Box 4156. Cary, NC 27519
(919) 858·0475
Inquiry 647.
804918051 Dlsassembler
Intelligent code tracking disassembler inputs data from Intel hex, Motorola hex, straiglt binary and Intel object file forrriatli. PrDYides comment.programs for target pro cessor. Great for disassembling output from high level language compile·~ for hand optimization. variety of op tions for customization. Disassembler $149.95; Demo $5.00, appl'd to purchase; S/H in U.S incl. MCNISA
MONITRONICS, INC.
BOO W. Rock Creek Rd., Norman, OK 73069
405·364-0024
Inquiry 648.
TURBO PLUS $99.95
Programming tools for Turbo Pascal 4.0 ScrBBn Pslnler.
Code Generator, llO Fields, Dynamic Menus,
Programming Unit Ubraries, Sample Programs,
280 Page /llust1ated Manuel. 60 Day Satisfaction
GuarantBfJI Brochures & Demo Diskettes avail.
Highly F·..orabl· Reviews/ IBM & Compatibles.
Nostradamus Inc.
3191 South WI/lay St. (Suite 252) Sall l..sks City, UT 84109
(BOI) 4117-9662
Inquiry 649.
I I
PROGRAMMER 'S TOOLS
Modula-2
Novell's Btrieve is the industry standard file manager: PMl's new Repertoire/Btri8119 Toolkit lets Modula-2 pro grammers write sophisticated Btrieve applications quick ly and conwnienlly. Includes full copy of Repertoire. On· ly $149. ForJPI, Logitech, Stony Brook, FST, etc. From the creators of Repertoire, DynaMatrix, EmsStorage, Graphix, Macro2, and NetMod. MCMSA/AMEXIPO/COO.
P M 14536 SE SOth, Portland, OR 97206 (503) 777·8844; TLX: 6502691013
Inquiry 650.
FREE BUYER'S GUIDE
See Page 39
Programmer's Connection is an independent dealer
representing morethan 250 manufact1Jers with a.oer 700 soft
ware pcoducts for IBM personal computers. Call to receive
our FREE comprehensive Buyer's Guide or refer to page 39
of this issue to see a partial list of our software products.
Programmer's Connection
800-336-1166
216-494-3781
Inquiry 651.
The S 0 U RC E G E N E R A T 0 R (c)
More than a "DISASSEMBLER". Takes executable machine code program \ .EXE or '.COM) and produces '.ASM file. Generates: symbol, opcode, operand, and even a comment. Plus Table of all references. Generated files can be mod'Jfied and reassembled. $95.
Wrlleto:
SYLVERSOFT Inc.
5 Pare Samuel Holland, Suite 130 Quebec, Canada G1S 4S2
Inquiry 652.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
OUTSTANDING IBM SOFTWARE
ONLY $2.75/DISK OR LESS
Our collection contains the latest versions of the Best
~~:~!~~ ~~~~~:n=~~~~~~i~~~~a=:
Orders shipped First Class Within 24 holKS and
Satisfaction is guaranteed.
Wit· or ca/I !or FREE CATALOG Today
162~u~t~:W~;ui1e #~8~!1.!~j !a~P
Inquiry 653.
$3.00 SOFTWARE FOR IBM PC
Hundreds to choose from, wordprocessors,
databases, spreadsheets, games, lotto, com
munications, business, music, bible, art, education,
language and useful utilities for making your com·
puter easier to learn. Most programs have
documentation on the disk.
WRITE FOR YOUR FREE CATALOG TODAY!
BEST BITS & BYTES
P.O. Box 8245, Depl·B. Van Nuys, CA 91409
In CA: (818) 781·9975
800-245-BYTE
Inquiry 654.
FREE CATALOGUE
PUBLIC DOMAIN/SHAREWARE
· 400 IBM PC & compatibles disks·
200 Amiga disks · 125 Alarl ST disks
PC disks as ION as St.25 each, Amiga & ST as low as $1.80
eachl Rent or buy. Frse shipping/ Call toll free, write or cir
cle reader service for FREE BIG CATALOGUE with full
descriptions. Please specify computer-'8 tv. turnaround!
Computer Solutlons
PO Box 354-0ept B, Mason, Michigan 48854
1·800·ff14·9375 (M-F 10-8 EST) 1·517·828·2943
Inquiry 655.
-- .. ...
- - -- -THE BUYER'S M ART -- - -
RENT SOFTWARE $1/DISK
Rent Public Domain and User Supponed Software for $1 per disk full or we'll copy. IBM (3'12" also), Apple, C-64, Sanyo 550 and Mac. Sampler $3. VISA/MC. 24 hr. info/order line. (619) 941-3244 or send #10 SASE (specify computer) Money Back Guarantee!
FutureSystems
Box 3040 (T), Vista, CA 92083
ottice: 10-6 PST Mon.Sat. (619) 941-9761
Inquiry 656.
SOFTWARE/ ACCOUNTING
ACCOUNTING TUTOR $79.95
Peanuts and Caviar Accounting Software is de signed to introduce the principles of accounting and bookkeepin!J to non-accountants through its software and .textbook. It then may be used as your business' accounting software. Being used by educational institutions to teach accounting (e.g., Pepperdine, etc.) $79.00
COUNTERTRADE PRODUCTS, INC.
5145 1dylwild lt, Boulder, CO 80301 303-530-5433
Inquiry 662.
SOFTWARE/BUSINESS
TPR088 · ROUTE FINDER A powerlul interactive system for finding routes on
transportation networks w/up to 512 nodes and 16K links. TPR088 can find the shortest path between two nodes, sequence up to 50 stops, compute minimum spanning trees and times/distances between all points. Req. IBM PC. 192K, graphics adapter. $149 w/fllJ87 support. users guide. sample U.S. Highway network. VISNMC.
EASTERN SOFTWARE PRODUCTS, INC.
POB 15328, Alexandria, VA 22309
(703) 360-7600
Inquiry 667.
QUALITY SOFTW4RE IBM/COMPATIBLES
Get a Wad Processor, Spreadsheet, Database,
Money Manager and 5 arcade games plus our
10,000 program catalog for ONLY $10.00 (+s/h)
800-992-1992 (National)
800-992-1993 (Ca only)
619-942-9998 (Foreign)
VISA, MC, AMEX Accepted. (COD + 1.90)
The lnternatlonal Software Ubrary
51M04 Encinitas B l vd., Encinitas, CA 92024
Inquiry 657.
FREE SOFTWARE Buy or Rent $1/dlsk
Worlds laJ98S! Free Software Library of IBM PC & Com
patibles and Maciltosh. Over 3000 programs for
Religion, Utilities, Business, Com, Word Processor,
Education, and Games m 5.4" and 3.5" formal Best
quality, Lowest rate, and Fastest sesvice. For fast free
catalogue write to:
SOFTSHOPPE
P.O. Box 1S022. Ann Arbor, Ml 48105 13131 763-8721
Inquiry 658.
$4.00 SHAREWARE $4.00
IBM-PC Compatible Software · Over 700 Disks to Choose From · Not Half Full Like Some Distributors · Dozens of Programs in All Categories
Call or Write /or FREE Catalog on Disk - Please specify 514 " or 3 1?" Disk
The Software Kingdom
P.O. Box 358, Manch6ster. NH 03105-0358 1-800-S52-DISK (In N.H.) (603) 621--0444
Inquiry 659.
SECURITY
BIT-LOCK® SECURITY
Piracy SURVIVAL 5 YEARS proves effectiveness o/ powerful nwltilayered security. Rapid decryption algorithms. Reiablelsmall port transpar91l/ security device. PARALLEL or SERIAL port. Countdown and timeout options also available. KEY-LOK~ security at about 112 BIT-LOCK cost.
MICROCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS
7ll05 S. Windemere Circle, Uttleton, CO 80120 (303) 922-6410 or 798-7883
Inquiry 660.
=on COPY PROTECTION
r:~ =:::a:~:
m:':n~~~urcte;;:;~
DISKETTE inlrodlJCSS }OU to Superl.D:k·-irwisible CO(l'I pre;
tection for IBM·PC (and compatibles) and Macintosh.
· Hard disk support
· No source code changes
·Customized 11Brsions
· LAN support
· New upgrades 111aflable
(408) 773-9680
SOFTGUARD SYSTEMS, INC.
710 ~ Sui!e200. ~. Qll 94086
FAX (.fOI) m-rw
Inquiry 661.
dBASE BUSINESS TOOLS
· General Ledger
· Purch Ord/lnvntory
· Accounts Recvbl.
· Accounts Payable
· Order Entry
· Job Costing
· Sales Analysis
· Job Estimating
$99 EA. + s&h wldBASE 2, 3 or 3+ SOURCE CODE
dATAMAR SYSTEMS - Cr. Crd/Chk/COD
4876-B Santa Monica Ave.
SEl1 Diego, CA 92107 (619) 223-3344
Inquiry 663.
FINANCE MANAGER II
Easy t o learn, fully integrated, menu-driven book keeping system for small business and personal use. IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or compatible. Tly before you buyl General Ledger evaluation copy for only $10!
CALL TODAY! (719) 528-8989 HOOPER INTERNATIONAL: PO Box 62219,
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80962
Inquiry 664.
SOFTWARE/BASIC
XGRAF DRAWS IN BASIC!
FINALLYI XGRAF replaces OuickBASIC's poor drawing commands with assembly language calls that work on Hercules, EGA, VGA, CGA and EEGA screens. Only $99.00 + $4.00 S&H. Call us at 1-800-423-3400 (9:00 AM to 8:00 PM EST)
KOMPUTERWERK, INC.
851 Parkview Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15215 For info., c all (412) '182-0384
Inquiry 665.
SOFTWARE/BASIC TOOLS
QulckWlndows
As seen In the Microsoft Value-Pack Catalog!
Create windows, p op-up and pull-down menu s, data-entry screens, and multiple-input dialog boxes quickly and easily. Full support of Microsoft mouse. Join the many Fortune 500 companies using OuickWindCM'S and order your copy today. OuickW indows $79. Advanced $ 139. For Micro soft QuickBASIC or BA'iCOM .
Software lnterphase, Inc.
5 Bradley SI., Suite 106 · Providence, RI 0 2908 (4011274-5465
Inquiry 666.
SOFTWARE/BUSINESS
DATA ENTRY SYSTEM
Head&<JOMl dal!! entry with l'M>pass \r ilicalion for the PCIXT/AT · PSl2 & compalibles. loaded with fealties ike: Auto ci.p & s!Op, veMy bypass, Ja'l9" diecl<l, & table lookups. Fully menu driven only $395.
Call for free 30 day trial period.
COMPUTER KEYES
21929 Mak ah Rd ., W rxxf.Nay, WA 98020
(206) 776-6443 1-800-356-0203
dFELLER lnventorv
Business inventory programs written in mod1fiabte dB aBE
source code.
dFElLER Inventory $150.00
Requires dBASE Uor Ill, PC·DOSICPM
dFELLER Plus $200.00
with History and Purchase Orders
Requires dBASE Ill or dlASE Ill PUs (For Stockrooms)
Feller Associates
550 CR PPA , Route 3, Ishpeming. Ml 49849
(906) 486-6024
,
Inquiry 668.
= 1·2·3® + @RISK Risk Analysis
Manage risk with @RISK 1-2-3 Add-In! An @RISK simulation automatically reflects thousands of " wha t-if" scenarios. ·View full range of possible outcomes · Monte Carlo simulation · Graphs in .PIC format · 30 new probability distribution @functions Now required tor all Harvard MBAs
FREE DEMO
Pallsade Corporation
2189 Elmira Road, NB'Yt'field, NY 1486 7 (607) 564-9993
Inquiry 669.
SOFTWARE/CHURCH
PowerChurch Plus®
Fast, friendly, reliable c hurch admin istration system. Full fund a c coun ting , m a iling lists, membe rship , c ontributions, atte ndance, word proc e ssing, a c c ts. p a yable, payroll, multi- user support, and muc h m o re , all for $695 com plete. FREE demo v ers ion .
F1 SOFTWARE
P.O. Box 3096, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(213) 854-0865
Inquiry 670.
ROMAR CHURCH SYSTEMS'"
Membership·61 fLe1ds plus alternate addresses; labels, leuers, reports any field(s). Otfering-256 funds; optional pledge; Slatements; post to 255x/yr. Finance·gen. ledger w/budget; up 1o 500 subtotals & 99 depts ., month & YTD reports anylime for any month. Allendance- 8 sewice times. 250 events per ser· vice; 60 consecutive weeks. Available for f:oppy. 3V2 & hard disk. A.d to o short! Write for free 48·page guide.
Romar Church Systems, Attn: BJB
P.O. Box 4211, Elkhart, IN 46514
(219) 262-2188
Inquiry 671.
STOREHOUSE
Treasurers, make your job easy and fun ! You'll im press your church board with the professional look of your new reports. Members will be grateful for the handy tithe receipts. No more budget alloca tions to calculate. Spend more time doing what you want to do. Top quality- $295.
Scott D. Charlton
7509 Pear Tree La., Fort Wor1h, TX 76 133 (817) 370-1450
Inquiry 672.
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 259
SOFTWARE/CULINARY
·Ethnic Recipes
I
IBM Compatible Floppy
Greek, Arab, Slav, Ethiopian
Send $9. 11 inc. tax & shipping
Golden Cobra
P.O. Box 25, Palmer, TX 75152
Inquiry 673.·
SOFTWARE/ENGINEERING
Affordable Engineering Software
FREE APPLICATION GUIDE & CATALOG
Circuit Analysis · Root Locus · Thermal Analysis · Plot·
ter Drivers · Engineering Graphics · Signal Processing · Active/Passive Filter Design · Transfer Function/FFT Analysis · Logic Simulation · Microstrip Design · PC/MSDOS · Macintosh · VISNMC
BV Engineering ·Professions/Software
2023 Chicago Ave.. Suite 8·13. Riverside. CA 92501 (714) 781-0252
Inquiry 674.
Enaineer's Aide
Join the Desktop Engineering Revolution!
· Pipeline/Ductwork Sizing · Orifice/Control Valve Sizing · Pump/Fan/Compr. Sizing · Project Financial Analysis · Heat Exchanger Sizing · Conversion Calculator · Fluid Properties Library · Specification Writer Above programs In one stand arone Integrated package for $695. For IBM PC & Macintosh.
EPC<>N
1·800·367-3585 (24 hr)1·805-484-5381 (Ca)
Inquiry 675.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
MICROSAFE: Inexpensive, easy to learn and use Finite Element Analysis for IBM PCs and com patibles. Up to 400 nodes. 600 beams. 500 plates. Graphics. 2-0: $75, 3-0: $120, Both: $160. Overseas add $20. Evaluation copies. NOT COPY PROTECTED. Ask·for brochure.
MICROSTRESS Corp. (Dep. BM1J
10950 Forest Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98178-3205
(206) 772-0508
Inquiry 676.
SIMULATION WITH GPSS/PC"'
GPSS/PC~ is an IBM personal computer implementa tion of the popular mainframe simulation language
GPSS. Graphics, animation and an extremely interac tive environment allow a totally new view of your simula tions. Simulate complex real-world systems with the most interactive and visual yet economical simulation
software.
MINUTEMAN Software
P.O. Bo)( 171N. Stow. Massachusetts. U.S.A.
{6171
{800)
Inquiry fJT7
Circuit Analysls - SPICE
Non-linear DC & Transient; Linear AC. *Version 3B1 with BSIM, GaAs, JFET,
MOSFET, BJT. diode. etc. models, screen graphics, improved speed and convergence. ,. PC Version 2G6 available at $95. Call. write. or check in.quiry # for more info.
Northern Valley Software
28327 Rothrock Dr., Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90274
(213) 541-3677
Inquiry 678.
260 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
SOFTWARE/ENGINEERING
FREE ENGINEERING MAGAZINE
Personal Engineering is a monthly magazine sent free of charge (USA only) to scientists/engineers who use PCs for technical applications. Topics each month include Instrumentation · Data Acq/Control · Design Automation. To receive a free sample issue and qualification form either cir cle below or send request on letterhead to:
Personal Engineering Communications
Box 1821 , Brookline, MA 02146
Inquiry 679.
EC-Ace ANALOG CIRCUIT ANALYSIS
You can aff0<d to get sta1ted with EC-Ace, a subset al the powerful ECA·2 circuit simulator. Includes al the basics and built-in graphics. · ftC, DC, Temperature, Transient · A full 525 pg. ECA·2 manual. · Interactive, twice as fast as SPICE.
EC-Ace 2.31 IBM PC or Mac $145.
Call 313-863-8810 for FREE DEMO
Tatum Labs, Inc.
1478 Mark lWain Ct.. Ann Arbor. Ml 48103
Inquiry 680.
SOFTWARE/GENERAL
US$5 ... INCLUDING DISK
Over 2,000+ software titles for IBM-PC Apple J [,+ ,e,c,GS, Macintosh, C641~ Amiga. Latest titles and versions. Lots of
hi-quality manuals. Best services.
1200 bps Pocket-size Modem . . .
. . $159
256K Auto Hi·Aes EGA card . ·.. . .·..·... . ...·· ..$179
16 MHz Af/286 Motherboardl4 Mb .
. ........ $649
lDls of bargains, ram chips, etc. . . . Specify your computer type. FREE catalog sent to you by air.ma.fl. Write:
IBRAHIM BIN ABU BAKAR, Dept. BYTE
Raflles City P.O. Bm1 1029, Singapore 9117
REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE
Inquiry 681.
SOFTWARE/GRAPHICS
PC TECHNICAL GRAPHICS
TEKMAR is a graphics fibrary f0< the EGA or Tecmar Graphics Master. Similar to Pl.01'10. includes WINDON. VIEWPORT, AXIS. Suppo1t f0< HP. HI plotters. Curw fit ting, complete plotting program. Log, semi-log, multi-axis, 3-D. contours. Jeriy Pournelle (Aug 86 Bytet. "As good as ""f I have e"'" seen..." Demo disl<;, literatU19 <Mlilabte.
Advanced Systems Consultants 21115 Devonshire St. #329. Chatsworth, CA 91311
(818) 407-1059
Inquiry 682.
TurboGeometry Ubrary
(Source & Manual)
Turbo Pascal, C, Mac, & Microsaf1 C. Over 150 2 & 3 dimen sional routines induding: lnten;edions, Transformations, Equa· lions, Hidden Lines, Pecspedive, Curws. Areas. \blumes, Oi~ ping, Planes, Matrices, \lectors, Distance, PolyOecomp. IBM PC (Comp.), MAC.
VISA/MC $99.95.
Disk Software, Inc.
2116 E. Arapaho /WI1, Richardson, TX 75081
(214) 423-7288
Inquiry 683.
* Scientific &
* Engineering * Graphics * System
Numeric Spreadsheet Lotus 1-2-3 Interface
Log, Date & Linear Axes Curve Fitting & Smoothing
See "What's New" page82,ByteJune, 1988. Sup ports all video standards, PC printers & plotters. Ten curves with 5000+ points each. Plus many more ad
vanced features. Cal Today.
Edmond Software
3817 WindOYer Drive
1-405-842.{)SSS
Ertmnnrt. nK 7.VH:\
1-~992-3425
Inquiry 684.
SOFTWARE/GRAPHICS
FPLOT PEN PLOTTER EMULATOR
Use your dot matrix or laser printer as an HP pen plotter. Fast hi-res output. Vary line width. Includes VPLOT virtual plotter utility to capture plotting com mands. Supports NEC P5/P6, IBM Proprinte1; Ep son LQ/MX/FX. HP Laserjet. Uses Hercules. CGA. EGA or VGA for screen preview. $64 check or m.o.
HORIZON SOFTWARE
Sutle 605. 24-16 Steinway St., Astoria. NY 1t103
212-418-8469 Inquiry 685.
GRAPHICS PRINTER SUPPORT
AT LASTI Use the PttSc key to make qualify scaled B&W or color reproduclions of your dispay on any da matrix. irkJet. or laser prinlel GRAFPLUSsuppotls all ve1sions of PC or MS-OOS with IBM (incl. EGA l.{;A}, Tecma( and Hercules graphics boards.$4995.
Jewell Technologies, Inc.
4740 44th Ave. SN, Seattle, WA 98116
800-628-2828 x 527 (206) 937-1081
Inquiry 686.
CGA-->Hercules"' Graphics
Mo®-MGA· all°"'5 ~u to use business graphics, games, BA.SICA graphics and aher CGA specific softwale with ~ur
Hercules· Monochrome Graphics adaptor and monochrome montlor. \\llrks with all CGA ?'ograms. $79.95 (+ $5 s&h) for
the 3k'ISR wmon. ~ay rnooot back guaran!Be. cai "'v.Tite:
T.B.S.P. Inc.
2265 VllestMX>d Blvd., Suite 793, Los Angeles, CA 9C0&4 (213) 312--0154
Inquiry 687.
SOFTWARE/HEAL TH
FamilyCare'" Software
This comprehensive medical diagrostic program gives paten1!; peace of mind whai dealingwith heallh problems d newborns thmugh teenage1s. It analyses hundreds of possible symptoms, injuries, and diseases, offering specific instruction tor medical care, home lrea!ment, and medications. It provides ansoMHS quicldy in life.ttlreafening situations.
FamllyCareTM Software
Lundin Laboratories, Inc.
29451 Grsenfleld Rd., Suite #216. Southfield, Ml 48076
800/426-8426 or 313/559-4561
Inquiry 688.
SOFTWARE/INVESTMENT
The new Bualnesa Week lO P 1000 and Mutual FLWld SCl>teba8'd OfsUttee use the enOtmOUs pi>Ner ~ your IBM or compalible PC kl select, rate, and compa1e euery equily and fixed income mutual fund oo lhe mar1<8t (Mutual Fund Scoolboan:f), and virtually E1Yery
Business 1Neek 1000 ~any (TOP 1000)-AI th8 touch d a lraj. Mutual Fund So:nboatd Dlakalttes:
$49.95 each or $239.90 for subscript.ions to bah.
10P 1000 & lOP 1000 EUTE Dlakettn: $199 t>r the 10P 1000 & $299 br the ELTTE \.'8fSion which aff9rs naln6S & addfBSSBS d thB top officers IOOI Order ntJN or receive more 1111oftna1ion b'j calling 1-800-553-3515
(In Illinois, call 1-312·250-9292).
or wri1B 10: Business Week Diskettes
PO. Box 621, Bk Grcm, IL 60009
FORTH·RIGHT & FORTH·WITH
DRUMA FORTH·83
ror Strict '83 STANDARD. Ideal i~lnl'l0fB. 1Me+ memory.
64K speed & compactness to 320K. Comprehensiw DOS !nter1aces. On-llne doelglossary. Headerlesa code. ASCU1SCA. files. O\her sup
ports. Powltrful dewlopment envtn:inment.
· IBM PC/fl/AT & AU. compotlbtea ·Standard package $79, S&H $2. VISA/MC · 15 day money back. CALL or \NRITE
DRUMA INC.
6448 Hwy. 290 East E103, Austin, TX 78723
o-ra: 512-323--0403
Bl!ollrd: 512-323-2402
Inquiry 690.
- - - - - THE BUYER'S M A R T - - --
SOFTWARE/LANGUAGES
FORTRAN for Macintosh
~nguage Systems FORTRAN i; a fult-featll'ed FOR
n TRAN compiler integrated w/MFW. Full ANSI FOR n TRAN plus VAX-type extensions. SANE numerical
calculations & data types incl. COMPLEX"16. 68000, 68020 and 68881 ooject code. Arrays greater than 32K. Link with Pascal, C, MacApp. $304 w/MPW via air. MCNISA/Check. MAC+ , SE, Mac IL HO req.
Language Systems Corp.
441 Carlisle Drive, Herndon, VA 22070 (703) 478-0181
Inquiry 691 .
The SPINDRIFT Library
At. last! Now there's a way for FORTRAN programmers lo do the things they always wanted to do: Execute other programs via CALL EXEC: edit key control of CURSOR; WINOONS; POP UP HELP: Wildcard file search: Savel restore screen images; COLOR. 150 subroutines and functions in all. Price: $149. + S&H Write for DEMO DISK: $5 credited to purchase.Specify your Compiler.
Spindrift Laboratories, Ltd.
116 S. Harvard /we., Arlington Hts., IL 60005 (312) 255-6909
Inquiry 692.
MULTl-USER DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM
Gain Iha 80386 edg e tor your applications wilh THEOS C,
an advanced compiler !or the new THEOS 386 multi- user, multitasking Opefating system. Meets ANSI C Slandard, plus offers the pl:M'8r of 250 additional functions lor VOi graphics, real·time processing and file access. Provides UNIXand DOS source code compalibilily. Breaks64K limitation . Twowlume manual se t BASIC Language p ackage also available.
For complete multi~ user solutions, call us today.
THEOS Software Corp.
1777 Bothelho Or., Suile 360, Walnut Creek. CA 94596
(415) 935-1118
FAX (415) 935-1177
Inquiry 693.
SOFTWARE/LOTTERY
WIN LOTTO GAL HOWARD'S systems have won $27 mlttlon for 9 Lotto jackpot winners! Now available on IBM PC 51/4'' diskettes the complete authentic Gell Howard Wheeling Systems (Smalt l..Llck Computer Wheer $29.95 + $2 s/h): also Gail Howard's Smalt l..Llck Computer Advantage~ $39.95 + $2 s/h (specify Lotto game). VISA/MC welcome. Smart Luck Computer Systems, Dept B-1 1271 West Dundee Rd., SI.Ile 16-A. Buffalo Grove, L 60089 312·934-3300.A Ii st of Gail HtJWarct's Lotto books is also available.
Inquiry 694.
SOFTWARE/MATHEMATICS
What? You've never seen
a complex function?
Try f(z) - The Complex Variables Graphing Package
for PC's with CGNEGA
"Let our animated screens show you what the printed page cannot."
Lascaux Graphics
(212) 654-7429
Inquiry 695.
SOFTWARE/PACKAGING
HARD 10 FIND COMPUTER SUPPLIES FOR
SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS & POWER USERS
Cloth binders & slipcases like IBM's. Vinyl binders,
boxes, and folders in many sizes. Disk pages, envelopes, & I-ls. Low quantity imprinting. Bulk disks.
Everything you need to bring your soflware to market.
Disk and binder mailers. Much morel Lovv Prices! Fast service. Call or write for a FREE CATALOG.
Anthropomorphic Systems, Limited 376 E. St. Charles Ad. , Lombard, IL 60148
1-800-DEAL-NOW
312-629-5160
Inquiry 696.
SOFTWARE/PACKAGING
SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE
LETS TALK LABELS
We do disk labels (5V4" & 31h )
· Beller · Faster · Cheaper ·
Becau se we specialize in disk lab els... let's Talk
We also have Tyvek Sleeves
Mallet· · Binders · Vinyl Pages
We are a complete software packaging service.
Hice & Associates
9303 Cincinnati·Col umbu s Rd ., Wesl Chesler, O H 45069
513-777-0133
Inquiry 697.
SOFTWARE/PRODUCTION
Bullet Design Software
Five-disk pack designs projectiles from your description. No math, engineering skill. Used by military, commercial bullet-makers i1 nine coun tries. By world's leading authority in the field. $72. (200-pg. book, $5) VISNMC
Corbin Software
600 Industrial Circle, Whitte O ty, OR 97503 503-826-6737
Inquiry 698.
SOFTWARE/SCANNERS '
Optlcal Character Recognition Stop retyping: PC-OCR· software wiUconvert typed or printed pages into editable text fJtes l'.J< )Cur v.ll<d processoc: WCJl<s with HP ScanJet, Canon and most other scanners
Supplied with t5 popular fonls. User trainable: you can teach PC-OCR" to read virtualy ar~ typesyle. ind. loreig1 lonts. Proportional text. matrix pri1ter output. Xerox copies OK. $385. Check/VISA/MC/AmExp/COD
Essex Publlshlng Co.
P.O. Box 391, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009 (201) 783-6940
Inquiry 699.
SOFTWARE/SCIENTIFIC
DATA ACQUISITION & ANALYSIS ON PC'S · Ffee e4>Pllcatiorl as:si:3tance.. Tel us eb0\11 ~ DSP, OIOOfl$S a>nl/d, AID
or ot'.needs. OuJ Bq>ef1~etaftwillpttM:ltl\QJWltl a ~ !Okldon klfit )O"Medllll"d~ .
· M:J &. IEEE 488 t.o&i'dS from M*aB~ Scinil'c SollJlione and Anmg
°""'"" · Matf'&b soflw.ug indudlng PRIME FACTOR FFT ~ne libmty, FOURIER PERSPECTIVE II ecMrad linea1&p111ms ~ · Mtnu driven sof!wa/8 ttom Un)r.al, l.abor<R:lry Tec:tirdogiM. OUlnnCurtis,
and Golden. SdentifGVnQineer1ng 2 &. D gra.phlc8.. See "Wh1t'1 N-·· page 80, BYTE July, 1988
WW~ Gt.JAR.ANTEED
ALLIGATOR TECHNOLOGIES
Fn. 8cll( 9106, Fountain Vall8'/. CA 92708 Tel. {T14) 850-9984 FAX. (7'14) ISG-9987 MC. ALLk;AlOR
Inquiry 700.
SOFTWARE/SCIENTIFIC
Scientific/Engineering/Graphics Libraries Turbo & Lightspeed Pascal, Modula-2, C
Send for FREE catalogue of software tools for Scientists
and Engineers. Includes: Scientific subroutine libraries,
device independent graphics libraries ~nduding EGA, HP
plotter and l.aserjet support), scientific charting libraries,
3-0 plotting library, data acqu'isition libraries. menu-driven process control software. Versions available for a variety of popular languages.
Quinn-Curtis
1191 Olestnut St., Unit 2·5, Newton, MA 02164
Inquiry 703.
SOFTWARE/SORT
OPT-TECH SORT/MERGE Extremely fast Sort/MergelSeect utility. Run as an MS.
DOS rommand or CALL as a subroutine. Supports most languages and filetypes including Btrieve and dBASE. Unlimited filesizes. multiple keys and much more! MS-DOS $149. XENIX $249.
(702) 588-3737
Opt-Tech Data Processing
00. Box 678 · Zephyr Cove, NV 89448
Inquiry 704.
SOFTWARE/TAX PREP.
W-2 (COPY A) ON FLOPPY
°' The W-2 MAG program makes an IRS/SSA FORMAT flowt
trom a dala entry semen impotttd A.Sen file. lndudes manual
and application forms.
· Used nation wide
· Menus, user friendly
· Step-by·slep data entry · Prints W.2 tonns
· Free phone support
· PC compatible
llllnols Business Machines Inc.
Department PC
1403 Box 310 TfO'J Rd., Edwardsville, IL 62025
PH. # (618) 692-6060
Inquiry 705.
SOFTWARE/TOOLS
C or T Pascal Code Instantly
Complete database in just minutes. Draw & Paint your screen, show what fields to use for indexes That's it- running source code in 6 seconds. Automatic context sensitive help, programmer docs on each program. $389fTPascal ver. or $499fTC or MS-C ver.
Call ASCII (800) 227·7681
Inquiry 706.
·
1
·
I
..1
ti
l
l
Spectra Cale Data Processing
!'<:quire and analyze data lrom commercial or custom
analytical instrumentation . Fast real-time display, WYSIWYG plotting. Extremely fast applications for curve fitting, deco<M>lution, PLB algorithms etc Spectral se3lth and an:hive. Array programming language includes matrix, FFT, graphic commands.
GIC
395 Main St ., Salem, NH 0 3079
800-862-6004
603-898-7600
FAX 603-898-6228
Inquiry 701 .
100% GUARANTEED!
Top<lualrty PC Software for Engineers & Scientists.
All with complete money-back guarantee. See
MATH700L· The Numerical Methods Toolbox
$95 n BYTE's June '88 'What's New." Gulf's line
includes: MATHTOOL · , CHEMCALC@ PIPE
CALC@ & PETROCALC @.
FREE CATALOG! from
Gulf Publlshlng Company
Oepl. LE · P.O. Box 2808 · Houston, T8l<as ms2
(713) 520-4444
FAX: (713) 520-4433
Inquiry 702.
NATURAL LANGUAGE SOFTWARE
Use JAKE to create a front end to your database, game, "'graphics program! JAKE lral\Sfates English queries and commands nto C function calls and data sin.di.res. JAKE offers oontext·sensitive semantic processing ; inte1faces easily; <64K mem.
$495. INTERACTIVE DEMO $10
ENGLISH KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS, INC.
5525 Scotts Valley Or. #22, Scol1il Valley, CA 95066 (408) 438-6922
Inquiry 707.
STATISTICS
STATA
Statistics and graphics join to make STATA the most
powerful package for the PC. No comparable pro
gram is as fast, friendly, and accurate. $20 Demo.
Quanfrtydiscount available. Call tol~free for more in·
formation. AXNISA/MC.
1-800-STATAPC
Computing Resource Center
10801 National Boulevard, Los Angetes, CA 90064 (213) 410-4341
Inquiry 708.
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 261
a .
1
·
· ·
I
ii
STATISTICS
THE SURVEY SYSTEM
An easy-to-use package designed specifically for questionnaire data. Produces banner f0<mat, cross tabs & related tables, statistics (incl. regression) & bar charts. Codes and reports answers to open-end questions. All reports are camera-ready for profes sional presentations. CRT interviewing option.
CREATIVE RESEARCH SYSTEMS
15 Lone Oak Ctr., Dept. 8, Petaluma, CA 94952
707-765-1001 Inquir y 709.
RESULTS NOT SIGNIFICANT?
Next time use EX-SAMPLE. Expert program estimales sam· pie size using power analysis for comparisons of means,
props, regression, ANOVA, chi-square, tog-linear, LISAEL, surveys, experiments, many more. Justify sample size to fund·
ing agencies, plan sampling budge!. Can pay for ilself in a single study. IBM/MS-DOS, $195+slh. (50% educ. disc.). VISA/MC/PO, 30-day guarantee. CaU nON for FREE brochure.
The Idea Works, Inc.
100 West Briarwood, Columbia, MO 65203
1-800-537-4866
314·445-4S54
Inquiry 710.
STATISTIXTM II
Comprehensive, powerful and incredibly easy-lo
use. Full screen editor, transformations, linear
models (ANO/A, regression, logit, PCA, etc),
ARIMA, most standard stat procedures. Clear, well
organized documentation. Satisfaction guaranteed.
I~
$169 PC DOS, $99 Apple II.
NH ANALYTICAL SOFTWARE
P.O. Box 13204, Roseville, MN 55113
(612) 631-2852
I
I
Inquiry 711.
I.. I
NCSS
Professional, easy to use, menu driven statistical
system. Used by over 5,000 researchers.
: ~:~ ~t~~~:~~,(~fi'1:~o)!.~~9
· 5.3 Power Pac Supplement-$49 · 5.4 Exp. Design/OC-$49 · 5.5 Survival Analysis-$49 We accept checks, PO's, Visa. MC. P<Jd $3 s/h.
NCSS-B
865 Ea si 400 North, Kaysville, UT 84037
801 -546-0445
Inquiry 712.
StatPac GoldTM
Voted World's Best Statistical & Forecasting Package in 1987 by PC World Magazine readers. Six times more votes than the next closest competitor. More comprehensive & easier to use than all others. Get fhe facts. Call now for your FREE brochure.
1-800-328-4907
Walonlck Associates, Inc.
6500 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis., MN 55423 (612) 866-9022
Inquiry 713.
TEXT RETRIEVAL
TEXT RETRIEVAL
OOfeJ, high speed lax! retriewlsoftwant for IBM PC compalible and Apple
Macintosh compu\ets.. Highly acciaimed.
· No file conwrsion or indexing required.
· Searches lot tart in any tla, (ASCII, EBCDIC, WOfdS!at etc.)
· RAM residenl ®Elfalion b hvned'iale availability, also runs as a stan
dard DOS application-Desk fttxfJSS(Jry on the Macin!OSh.
· MoY8S !ext across dfferent file lormats (Displir,.Write IO 'NordStar, MS
W:>rd to Wo1dPerfet1, etc.i
ON..Y S19.951
Calt or write to order: (VlSA, MC, COO, Check)
Mlcrolytlcs
300 Main St., Suite 1591. East Rochester, NY 14445
(800) 828-6293
(716) 3n -0130 In NYS
Inquiry 714.
262 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
UTILITIES
CleanU p
the Fiie Management "tystem FEATURES: global file search, wild card & Attribute file marking, source & target space info, file copy to multiple disks when f ull, pop up windows, prompted file deleting and many more for MS/DOS.
Price: $ 49.95
1-800-553-0846
Acme Software Works
1380 156th Ave. N.E. Suite 147, Bellevue, WA. 98007
Inquiry 715.
...
LOGGER ®
Logger, lo< IBM-PCandcompatibles, tracks and reports:
User, Time on, Time off, Directories used. Programs us
ed, Program starVend time, and calculates totals. Tracks
directories/files: Opened, Created, Renamed, Deleted.
Completely transparent. Retails for 574.95 with quan tity discounts avallable.
System Automation Software, Inc.
8555 161h St .. Silver Spring, MD 20910
1·800-321-3267 or 1·301-565-8080
In quiry 720.
Enhanced DOS Commands
Get directory listings of all files that don't match a
template. Search all directories for files matching a
template. New commands and new versions of existing
commands, all with lots of variable options. Plus a ll com mands accept special codes to reduce repetitive en tries. Get the most from DOS with these time-saving
routines. For MS-DOS/PCDOS 2.0 and higher. $29.95
Drlscoll Graphics
135 E. Church, P.O . Box 625 Clinton, Ml 49236
Inquiry 716.
MATCH PRINTERS TO PC
Match-A·Ptinter adapts mos! printers to PC/PS2 and compatibles. Wilh Ihis resident driver. ge1 the ful exlended J8M ASCH characler set on most pnftett French, Spanish. Geiman, lt ~ian. Swedish, Greek. elC.. and logic symbols. Wori.. great with Apple lmagewriter and D.M.P. Epson and most daisy·wheel prin!ers. Solve character compatib~ity now, great tor academic and engineering appkalion. Introductory
PJ1ce $59.95 & $2 S&H. California residents add 6WJ,.b sales tax.
MO/Checks.
MATCH SOFTWARE
6426 Coldwater Canyon, North Hollywood, CA 91606·1113
Toll free # 1 (800) FLOPPYO
Inquiry 717.
COPY ATlO PC The 1.2mB clive has long _ , kncwn to READ but NOT
reliably WAITE on 360kB floppies. Wdh "CPYAT2PC""'
1.2mB drives CAN reliably WAITE 360kB floppies saving a slot for a second hard disk or backup tape. "CPYAT2PC" (Not Copy Protected) offers 'the preferable SOFTWARE SOLU
TION .' ONLY $79+$4 SIH VISA/MC/COD UPS BIR
MICROBRIDGE COMPUTERS
655 Skyway, San Carlos, CA 94070
Order toll free 1·800·523·8777
415-593·8777 (CA)
212-334-1858 (NY)
TELEX EZLNK 626T.l089
FAX 415.593.7575
Inquiry 718.
FasTrleve®
FasTrieve, for IBM-PC and compatibles, indexes your wordprocessing documents to instantly (< 1 sec.) retrieve text using your search expressions (boolean statements, phrases, spelling variations). Retrieved text can be edited, printed, and saved to disk. Retails for $99. Discounts available.
System Automation Software, Inc.
8555161h St ., Silver Spring, MO 20910
.... 1·800-321·3267 or 1·301·S6S-8080
Inquiry 721 .
$79.95!!
Buy the REDUtilities nowl Programs include:
Disk cacheto speed hard disk. Printer spooler.
Batch file compiler. Path command for data
files. Wild card exceptions. Protect hard disk
from accidental formatting. Sort directories.
Over 10 more programs. IBM PC. Visa/MC.
The Wenham Software Company
5 Buney SL, Wenham. MA. 01984 (617) 774-?0'JRJ
Inquiry 722.
WORD PROCESSING
FARSI I GREEK I ARABIC I RUSSIAN
Hebrew, all European, Scandinavian, plus either Hindi, Pun jabi, Bengali. Gujarati, Tamil, Thai, Korean, Viet, or IPA. Full featured multi-language word processor suppolts on-screen foreign characters and NLQ printing with no hardware modifications. Includes Font Editor. $355 dot matrix; $150 add'I for laser; $19 demo. SJH in U.S. incl'd. Req. PC, 640K, graphics. 30 day Guarantee. MCNISA/AMEX
GAMMA PRODUCTIONS, INC.
7ll Wilshire Blvd., SUite 609, Santa Monica, CA 90401 2131394-8622 Tix: 5106008273 Gamma Pro SNM
Inquiry 723.
Recover deleted files fast!
Disk Explorer now includes automatic file recovery. Yru type i1 the deleted file's name, Disk Explorer finds and rest0<es il Disk Explorer a5o shows what's really on disk: view, change or create formats, change a file's stalus. change data in any sectcr. MS-DOS S75 U.S. Check/Credit card welcome.
QUAID SOFTWARE LIMITED
45 Charles St. E. 3rd Fl.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4Y 1S2
(416) 961-8243
DuangJan
Bilingual word processor for English and: Arme· nian, Bengali Euro/Latin, Greek, Hindi, Khmer, Lao, Punjabi, Russian, Sinhalese, Tamil, Thai, Viet .. $109+$5 s/h (foreign + $12 s/h). Font editor includ· ed. For IBM with dot-matrix & LaserJet printer. Demo $6 + $1 s/h.
MegaChomp Company
3524 Cottman Ave., Philadelphia, PA ~9149-1606
(215) 331-2748
Inquiry 724.
HANDS OFF THE PROGRAM®
- Locks Hard Disk. - Restricts Floppy Use. - Protects Subdirectories.
- Normal Use of DOS Commands and Application Software.
- IBM PC, XT, AT and True Compat ibles.
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ill S:Jlt ,. /20.W.B. Ma1··· "°T- 22S. H .'l'IS · . . . 12 SS0
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BIS 311 · / 103.,.8. Priam ID-llH). IUIS .. , .· 3 -100
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11,..,,. ,.i...... 1-,.,. s l-1+ 1o··ll···" ·11+· r t. ,.- 11,-....,1. ...... 1.,, I ll'l l1\V i··n·s i- trn· 1llrf01l.·"··ri. ..r 1 ll\ll'\l)t ......,...,,....<1 1..
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 263
ELECTRONICS
NEC V20 & V30 CHIPS
Replace the 8086 or 8088 in Your IBM-PC-and
Part No. Increase Its Speed by up to 40%!
PrK:e
UP070108-5 (5MHz) V20 Chip······· $ 7.49 UP070108-8 (8MHz) V20 Chip· ·· · ·· · $ 8.95 UP070108-10 (1 0MHzJ V20Chip ~ $ 14.95 UP070116-8 (8MHz) V30 Chip·· ····· $ 11 .95 UP070116-10 (10MHzJ V30 Chip ~ $ 19.95
74C>O
Part No.
1.9 10+ Part No.
1·9
7-4-00.-.- .- .-. -· ·-. -2-9--.1-9 748!i . .
.65
7402. . . . . . . . .29 7404.. .... . . 29 7405. . · . . . . · .35
7406. ' ' ' ' ··· .39 7407.. ···... .39 7408. ·... - .. .35 7410.. . .. ··. 29
7414... ..... .49 7416.. ...... .39
7417. . . . ' .· .39 7420 " . " .. .35 7430.. . " . . . .35 7432.. . ' ' .· .39 7438. .. .. . ·· .39 7442... .. ' ·· .55 7445.. ..... . .79 7446. . ...... .89 7447.. . ' . " · .89 7448. ··..·. . 2.05
7472. ···.·.· .89 7473.' .... .39 7474.. ····.· .39
7475.. ' ' . " . .49 7476. . . . . . . .45
.19 .19 25
.29 29 .25 .19
.39 .29
.29 25 .25 .29 .29 .45 .69 .79 .79 1.95
.79 .29 29
.39 .35
7 486.
.45
7489.. ..... . 2.05
7490. . . . . . . . .49
7493.. .· ' ··· .45
74121 . ..... · .45
74123.. ···.. .55
74125 . . .. .. .55
74126.. . .. . .69
74143....... 3.95
74150.. .. ... 1.35
74154.. ' . ... 1.35
7 4158. · ' . +.59
74173. · " . ' · .85
74174.. . - ... .59
74175. . . ·..· .59
74 176.. .. . :99
74181. . .. 1.95
74189... " " 1.95
74193.. . .
.79
74198... . .. . 1.85
74221 . · ' ·. ' · .99
74273. ...... 1.95
74365.' ' . '.' .65
74367.. .. - . .65
10+
.55
.35 1.95 .39
.35 .35 .45 .45 .59 3.85 1.25 1.25 .99 .75 .49 .49 .69 1.85 1.85 .69 1.75 .89 1.85
.55 .55
74LS
741.SOO.. .... 29
74l.S02.. . . · . .29
74L504.... ·· .35
74LS05. . . · . · .35
74LS06...... 1.09
74LS07.. .·. . 1.09
741.SOB. . . ··. .29
74l.S10.' . ' . . 29
74LS14... .·. .49
74l.S27.. . . . . .35
74l.S30.. .. ·. .29
74LS32... ,. , .35
74l.S42. .
.49
74LS47... , ., .99
74LS73.. . . . . .39
74L574... . . . .35
74l.S75..
.39
74LS76. . . . . . .55
74LS85. · , , · · .59
74l.S86. · · · · · .35
74l.S90.. .... .49
741.S93.... . ' .49
74LS123... · , .59
74l.S125. . . .. .49
74t.S13a . ·· . .49
741.5139. ···. .49
74LS154..... 1.09
74l.5157.. ·. . .45
74LS158. . ·· , .45
74l.S163.. .. . .59
74LS164.. · . , .59
.19 74L5165.... . .75 .65
.19 74LS166... . . .99 .89
25 74l.S173. .... .59 .49
.25 74L5174. ·· . · .49 .39
.99 741.5175, ··. ' .49 .39
.99 74L5189. . . 4.59 4.49
.19 74l.S191.'' ' · .59 .49
.19 74l.S193.. .. ' .79 .69
.39 74l.S221... . . .69 .59
.25 74l.S240. . . . . .69 .59
.19 74LS243.. ... .69 .59
.25 7 4L5244. . . . . .69 .59
.39 74LS245. .
.89 .79
.89 74LS259. . . . . .99 .89
.29 74LS273.
.89 .79
.25 74LS279 . , · , .49 .39
.29 74LS322.. ·· . 4.05 3.95
.45 74L5365... ... .49 .39
.49 74LS366... . . .49 .39
.25 74LS367 . . . . .49 .39
.39 74LS368... .. .49 .39
.39 74LS373. .
.79 .69
.49 74L5374.... · .79 .69
.39 7 4LS393 .. · . .89 .79
.39 74LS590. · ... 6 .05 5.95
.39 7 4l.5624. ··· . 2:05 1.49
.99 74LS629. .. . . 2.95 2.85
.35 74LS640..... 1.09 .99
.35 7 4l.5645, ... . 1.09 .99
.49 74l.S670 . . .. 1.09 .99
.49 74L.5688..... 2.39 2.29
74S/P~OMS·
74SOO.. . . " . .. ' .. . 29
74S04.' ·. ' ' ·· '. ' .' .29
74508.. . .. . .. . . .. . .35
74510.. ' · . . .· .. .·. .29
74S32. ' ' .. " ' . ' .' . .35 74574.. . ... . . . ~ .25
74S85.. ·.·· . · . ~1.19
74586... ....·..··· .49
745124.
. .. 2:T51.95
745174.. ...···.··. .79
74S175.. .·····... ' .79
74S188". ' ' ' ". ' . " 1.49
74S189. . '.'.'' '.'. 1.69
745196. . .. . . .. 2:-49 1.49
745240....... . .... 1.49
74S244.'"'"" '.' 1.49
745253 . . .. .. . :T9 .49
74S287".'
1.49
745288".... .. ..... 1.49
745373. . . . . . - . .... 1.49
745374. .. · ' ... . . 1.49
74S472". ·· ' . . ... 2.95
74F
74FOO. .··· .
.29
74F04.. · , .
.29
74F08. .·.. . ·.·..·· .29
74F10. ..... . .. :29 25
:~~ 74F32. .·.·.. . · . · · .
74F74. . ........· . .
74F86. ···· , ... ,ss 29
74F13a.
.69
74F139..
'69 .59
74F157.
'69 .49
7 4F193.
. .. 2.95
74F240.
:99 .69
~:~~~~:: : :: ::: ·;sg ::
74F373.. . · · . . . . . . .99
74F374. · , · . · .
.99
CD- MOS
CD4001.. ..... . ... . .19 CD4076. .. ......... 59
CD4008... . · · · · <;g .49 CD4081. . ·. · · · . · · · . .25
CD4011
.19 CD4082. . . . . · . . . . . . .25
CD4013.
.29 CD4093. . . · . . . . . . . . .35
CD4016.
.29 CD4094··· . ...·.. , . .89
CD4017
.49 CD40103. . . ·.. ..... 2.49
CD4018.
.59 CD40107.. .. · · ~ .29
CD4020..
.59 CD40109.. . ..... . .. .79
CD4024... . . . . . . . . . .49 C04510. . .. . . . . . . . . .69
CD4027 . . . ......... .35 CD4511 .. .......... .69
CD4030, ····· , · .. · · .29 CD4520. ... , .···· , . .75
C04040. . . . . . . . . .65 CD4522. . . . . . . . . . . . .79
C04049. . . . . . . . . .29 CD4538. .. ..... , . . . .79
CD4050.. .
.29 CD4541. .. . . . . . . . . . .89
CD4051. . .
.59 CD4543. .. . . . . ..... .79
C04052. . ..
.59 CD4553. . . .....· .. . 4.95
CD4053. · . . .. . . . . . .59 CD4555. . . . . · . .. . . . .79
CD4063........ .... 1.49 CD4559. . .. ... iL% 4.95
CD4066. .. . . . . . . . . . .29 CD4566.. . .. ~ 1.75
CD4067. ..... .. 'H!S 1.49 CD4583..
"39 .59
CD4069.. . . . _. . . . . . 25 CD4584..
.39
CD4070. . · .. .. · .. . · .25 CD4585. . . . · · · .. . · · .89
C0407l. ........... .25
MC14411P. ........ 8.95
C04072.. ........ , . .25
MC14490P. .
. . 4.49
MICROPROCESSOR C OMPONENTS
MISCEUANEOUS CHIPS
Part No.
Price
6500/ 6800/68000 CDlll.
Part No.
Price
6000 SERIES Cont.
Part No.
Price
0765AC. . . . . . +.95 3.95 WD9216... .. 6:95 4.95 95H90. . . . 9:95 4.95
Z60, ZBOA, Z808 SERIES
Z80.......... +25 .99
Z8Q.CTC..... 'H9 .99
ZBO-OAAT........ 4.95
Z80-PIO...... H9 .99
Z80A.....
. ... 1.69
Z80A-CTC. .. .. 1.79
Z80A-DART. . ... 4.95
Z80A-PIO... . .
. 1.69
Z80A-SIO/O.. . .. 5.75
ZBOB. . . . . . . . . . 3.49
ZBOB-CTC........ 3 .95
2808-PIO. . ~ 3.95
6500/ 6600/ 68000 SER.
6502. . ' . ''''. '. "2.65 65C02(CMOS) fr.95 7.75
6520.' '
'' 1.95
6522. ' .. ' .' " ... ' 3.95
6532. . . .. 6:49 5.49
6551. ..... . .. <t:"'9 2.95
65C802 (CMOS) +lHl5 15.95
6800. ' ' .
' ' 1.95
6802. ' '
. 3.95
6810.. . ........ 1.25
6821.. . . . . ' ... 1.75
6840. . ·. ' . . fr.95 3.49
6845. .
g;j5 2.95
6850.
'.'. ' '. 1.95
6852. . . ' . . . .,~ .75
6854. ' ' ' ' ' .~1.19
MC68000L8 . ++95 9.95
MC68000L10 ~ 11.95
MC68010L10 -19'95 29.95
MC68010RC128 "69'95 99.95
8031. ~ODO . ~E~l·E·~ . 3.95
80C31. . .
. 9.95
8035.. '". ' ' '. 1.95 8073. . . . . . . . . . 9 .95
8080A. . ' · ' "95 2.49
8085A..
2.49
8086. ' . " ' ' ' ' 5'!54.95
8086-2.. .. .. " ' ' .. 6.95
8087(5MHz) ..... 99.95
8087-1 (10MHz) ..229.95
8087-2(8MHz) ... 159.95
8088.
' &.49 5.75
8086-2 .' ' . g;j5 7.75
8116..
. .. 4.95
8155. ' ' ' 8155-2. . 8156.. 8202. ' '
" ' ' ' ' '2.49 . . 3.49
. ..... 3.95 50!5 4.95
8203. ''' ''' ' ' 9;!56.95 8212. '."'''"'' '2.29
8224. ' '.' '. '' ' · . ' 2.25
8228..
. . . . 295
8237-5. ..··. . +95 4.49
8243.. ' ..... 2£5 l 75
8250A.
. .. 6.49
82508 (For IBM) . . .. 6.95
8251A.
. 1.89
8253-5. '
. ' .. 1.95
8254.. '.'
'4.95
8255A-5.
. . 2.95
8259-5.. ' · . ·· ' .. .. 2.2 5
8272. . .· ·. .. ~ 3.95
8279-5.. . " ' ' ' ' ' 2.95
8741.
9.95
8742. . .. ' '£!9,95 19.95
~~~~4~~dsiii1Vi ."..~§~
8749 . .. . ' . " ..... 9 .95
6751 (3.5·8MHz) .... 39.95
8751 H1 (3.5·12MHzl. .. 44.95
8755. . ....... 14.95
DATA ACQUISITION
ADC0804LCN .. ~ 2.79
AOC0808CCN. . .... 5.95
AOC0809CCN .. lr.95 3.69
AOC0816CCN. ++95 8.95
ADC1205CCJ-1 .. .. 19.95
OAC0808LCN. . . . 1.95
DAC1008LCN. . . . . 4.95
AY·3·10150. . . . 4.95
AY-5·1013A.
. . . 2.95
MICROPROCESSOR SALE!
Part No
Pri c e
8052AHBASIC CPU w/BASIC Interpreter...... . . . $29.95
MC68008L8 32-Bit MPU (8-Bit Data Bus) .. $tti:95 $9.95
MC68701
8-Bit EPROM Microcomputer.... . . $14.95
MC68705P3S 8-Bit EPROM Microcomputer . .$tt:95 $9.95
MC68705U3S 8-Bit EPROM Microcomputer... .. . $10.95
80286-10 16-Bit Hi Performance MPU....... $99.95
80287-8
Math Co-processor (8MHz). ..... $245.95
80287-10 Math Co-processor (10MHz). . . . . $309.95
80387-16
Math Co-proc. (16MHz) GRIDARR·v : · · $494.95
80387-20
Math Co-proc. (20MHz) GR10ARR·v ·· · $795.95
Part No.
Price Part No.
Prico
"4116-15
16,384x 1 (150ns).............. 1.09
4128- 20
131,072x 1 (200ns) (Piggyback) S£S 2.75
·4164-100 65,536x l (100ns).. .......... 4.25
"4164-120 65,536x 1 (120ns).. " " " .. 3.75
"4164-150 65.536x 1 (150ns)...
. ' 3.25
"4164-200 65,536x l (200ns)..
" ' ' " 2.75
"TMS4416-12 16.384 x 4 (120ns).. . .
. '." 9.95
"41256-80 262,144 x 1 (80ns)..
. . .. 14.95
"41256-100 262,144 x 1 (100ns)............ 14.49
"41256-120 262,144 x l (120ns)..
'' 13.95
"41256-150 262,144 x 1 (150ns)..
.. . 12.95
"50464-15 65,536 x 4 (150ns) (4464)...... 1095
"511 OOOP-10 1,048,576x 1 (100ns) 1 Meg.49:9539.95
"514256P-10 262,144 x4 (100ns) l Meg. " ... 89.95
"2016·12 2018-45 2102 2114N 2114N-2L 21C14 5101 "6116P-3 "6116LP-3 "6264LP-12 "6264P-15 "6264LP-15 6514 "43256-15L
TMS2516 TMS2532 TMS2532A TMS2564 TMS2716 1702A 2708 2716 2716-1 27C16 2732 2732A-20 2732A-25 27C32 2764-20 2764-25 2764A-25 2764- 45 27C64-15 27128- 20 27128-25 27128A-25 27C128-25 2 7 2 5 6· 2 0 27256·25 27C256·25 27512-20 27512-25 68764
STATIC RAMS
2048x 8 (120ns). .
.. . . . ... 4.95
2048x8 1024x 1 1024 x 4
1024x 4 1024 x4 256x4 2048 x8
( 4 5 n s ). . . (350ns).
..
......
6.95 .89
(450ns). ..... .. . . . . (200ns) Low Power.
~
:::
.99 1.49
(200-15) (CMOS).
.49
(450ns) CMOS. "' " ' ' " 1.95
(150ns) CMOS. ...... ... 6.49
2048 x8 (1sons) LP CMOS. '. 6.95
8192 x8 (120ns) LP CMOS.. " " 13.95
8192x 8 (150ns) CMOS.... . 10.49
8192 x 8 (150ns) LP CMOS. " " ' 12.95
1024 x 4 (350ns) CMOS
'3.49
32,768 x8 (150ns) Low Fbwer. '. ' 12.95
EPROMS
2048 x 8 4096x8 4096x8 8192 x 8 2048x8
256x8 1024 x 8
(450ns) 25V. ...... ~ 5.95
(450ns) 25V.
. 6:95 6.49
(450ns) 21 v. " " . ' 5'95 4.49
(450ns) 25V. " " . ' g;j5 7.95
(450ns) 3 Voltage . .!H!S 6.95
(111s). .
.~ 4.95
(450ns). . .............. 4.95
2048x 8 (450ns) 25V. . .. . , . .. 3.75
2048x8 (350ns) 25V. ..
4.25
2048 x 8 (450ns) 25V (CMOS) . .. 5.49
4096x 8 (450ns) 25V. ' .. "'''' "3.95 4096x8 (200ns) 21 V. " ' " ' ' " ' ' 4.25
4096x8 (250ns) 21 V........... '3.95
4096 x 8 (450ns) 25V (CMOS) . . 5.95
8192 x8 (200ns) 21V.
.. 4.25
8192 x 8 (250ns) 21V.
'' 3.75
8192 x 8 (250ns) 12.5V "" """ 3.95
8192 xa (450ns) 21v.......... "2.95
8192 x 8 ( 150ns) 21 V (CMOSJ . .6.49
16,384x 8 (200ns) 21 v . ·
"6.95
16,384 x 8 (250ns) 21 V··. , ·. , .·· . .5.95
16,384 x 8 (250ns) 12.5V..... .... .525
16,384 x 8 (250ns) 21V (CMOS). '6.95
32,768 x 8 (200ns) 12.SV. .
6.95
32,768x8 (250ns) 12.5V........ . '5.95
32,768 x 8 (250ns) 12.SV (CMOS) . 7.95
65,536 x8 (200ns) 12.SV. . . . ..... 13.49
65,536 x 8 (250ns) l 2.5V.... +t:95 11.25
8192 x8 (450ns) 25V...
. 13.95
2816A-25 2817A 2865A 52813 (21V)
EEPR DMS
2048x 8 (250ns) 5V Read/\Nrite. . .. 5.95
2048x 8 (350ns) 5V Aead/\M·ite.. .. 7.95
8192 x 8 (250ns) 5V Readl\IVrile. . .9.95
2048 x8 (350ns) 5V Read Only.. . 1.49
lAG570.
'4&.959.95
WD1770.. ... +"'95 9.95
SI3052P, . .. ~125
6504A ·. .. · ·· . +.95 1.19
6507 6510
' .. " +.99 2.95 9.95
6525.. .. ' " ' -+.95 2.49
6526
'.' *-9512.95
6529
2.95
6545-1.
.. ~3 . 25
6560, .
''' ' ." 10.95
6567..
.. 19.95
6569.. . . .. . . """9515.95
6572. '
fr.95 6.95
6581 (12V). . ... 14.95
6582 (9V). '*-95 6.95
8360.. " ·· '' ··· '' 14.95
8501 .. ' . · '.' -Hl$ 8 .95
8502.. .. . ... iL% 4.95
8563.' '
.. . .. . 15.95
8564. ··. . ··· g;j5 4.95
8566. · · '. " '2'+.9515.95
8701 .. " '. ' " .·· ' 9.95 8721. . . . +4:95 11.95
8722.. ... '.' g;j5 6 .95 ·251m4-04 . . . 4&.95 8.95
310654-05.. ... ... 9 .95
318018-03 . -Hl$8.95
318019-03 '. '-Hl$8.95
318020-04 ' ' . -Hl$ 8.95 325302-01 . .....·. l 0.95
325572-01 , .. . . .. ' 14.95 "82S100PLA"".. 15.95
901225-m ' . ' .1t95 9.95
901226-01 . ... . . . . 11.95
901227-03 . " .. " 11.95 901229-05 ... "" 11.95
·No specs. a"ailable
0 Note: a2S100PLA = U17 (C-64)
74CCMOS
74COO ..29 74C02 ... .29 74C04. ".29 74C08 . " .35 74C10 ;is .19 74Cl4 . ' ..59 74C32. · . .35 74C74 . . ..59 74C85 . .1.49 74C86 ....35
74C89~93.95
74C90 .. .99 74C154 .. 2.95 74C17J+e5.59
74C174 . . ..79 74C175 · . .79 74C221 ".1.79 74C240 . ' .69 74C244 . .1.79 74C373 ..1.95 74C374 . . .1.95 74C912 . B.95 74C915 · '.99 74C920 . .4.95 74C921 ...4.95 74C922 ·. 3.95 74C923 ' .3.95 74C925 ..5.95
.MISC. COMPONENTS
TANTALUM CAPACITORS
TM. lf35 .1µ1 @JSV. .
.18 TM4.7/35 4.7JJI @ JSV.
.45
TM1135 11il@ JSV. . . . . . . .18 TM6.8135 6.8µ1@ JSV. . .49
TM2.2/35 2.2111@ JSV. . · .24 TMl0/35 10µ1@ JSV. . .69
POTENTIOMETERS
Values available (insen ohms into space mar~d "XX"): soon. 1K. 2K.
I SK. 10~ 2 0~ 50~ 100~ 200~ 11.EG
43PXX ·· Wan. 15 T001 .99 63PXX ~ Wa~ I Too
.89
TRANSISTORS AND DIODES
"= · 2N2222A .
.13 Fff2907.
.13 1N4004. .
.35 2H4401 .···.·. .12 1N4148..
.1 2 .07
2N3055
.65 1N270. .
.25 1N4735..
.25
2N3904.
.12 1N751. . .
.15 C106B1. ..
.49
SWITCHES
JMT123 Sl'DU ln-Ol1 1.19 206-8 SPOT, l&·pn Oii' 1.29
MPC121 SPO\ Dn-011-0l1 1.19 MS102 Sl'Sl.- .39
D-SUB CONNECTORS
D825P Male. 25·pm
I .75 DB25S f·m·o. 25·poo .79
LEDS
.121 XC556R 1114, Fled. . · . · ·
XC556Y n:v. . Yelow. . . . . .15
XC556G T114, G1ce/\ . · · · · . .15 XC556C Tm. Clt!arlAed. . · · .15
IC SOCKETS
Low Profile . t···
Wire Wrap (Gold) Level #3
1~ :::::: ::::. ; } 1~~
· ·::::: .~~
16LP. ,,
.13 16WN.
.69
24LP.. ...... , ...... .25 24WN.
. . ..... 1.19
28LP. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .27 26WN. .
. . . 1.39
40LP. . ...... ....... .29 40WN.
1.89
Soldertall Standard (&oJd &llnl &Hader Plug Soclmt&Abo Aallable
74HC HI-SPEEDCMOS
Part No.
Price Part No.
Prlee
74HCOO. 74HC02.
. £5 .19 74HC175.. . . £5 .19 74HC221.
' '69 .49 . HB .89
74HC04. " " " " ',!'9 .19 74HC240.
74HC08.
',!'9 .19 74HC244.
' '99 .69 '99 .69
74HC10.
' ,!'9 .19
74HC14.
. .. '49 .29
74HC30.
',!'9 .19
74HC32.
. ,!'9 .25
74HC74. " " " ",;is .29 74HC75. .... . .. .. ;!9 .35
74HC245.. . " " " '99 .79
74HC253.
''59 .39
74HC259. " " " '. <19 .39
74HC273. " " " " '99 .69
74HC373.
''99 .65
74HC374 .
". '99 .65
74HC76.
" " , ,\!; .35 74HC595.
. +£91 .09
74HC85. ......... ,TS .55
74HC688. ' ... " .. '99 .79
74HC86 . .
'' '99 .35 74HC943
. 8.95
74HC123. . . , ·. · · · <19 .69 74HC4040. · . .. '99 .79
74HC125.
. . '49 .39 74HC4049. . " " .. '59 .39
74HC132 . ....... . '69 .39 74HC4050.
. " '59 .39
74HC138.
" ' '49 .39 74HC4060. .. .. . '99 .89
74HC139.
' . . '49 .39 74HC4511 . .. " ' +£9 .99
74HC154. .. . . HS1.19 74HC4514 . . . . . . +T9 .99
74HC163.. 74HC174 . .
. .. '65 .39 ' ' ' ' . '69 .49
74HC4538. .. 74HC4543.
'.'."+.iii
.89 .89
74HCT - CMOS 1TL
74HCTOO. ·.. .···· ,!'9 .17
74HCT02.. 74HCT04 .
'%9 '17 ., ,!'9 .17
74HCT08.
,!'9 . 17
74HCT10... .. .. £9 .17
74HCT32.. ...... £9 .21
74HCT74. ..
.. '49 .25
74HCT86..
. ''49 .19
74HCT138.. . : " " '59 .35
74HCT139..
'59 .35
74HCT157.. . . . " ' '69 .19
74HCT174. " " " '69 .35
74HCT175.
. '69 .39
74HCT240. . " " .. '99 .89
74HCT244.
". '99 .39
74HCT245. ...... HB .79
74HCT373. . ..... HB .55
74HCT374. .. . HB .49
LIN AR
DS0026CN.. ..... , . . 1.95 LM1458N .
.39
TL074CN .. . . , .. , , , · . 1.19 LM1488N. : : : : : : : : : : .49
TL084CN.
.99 OS14C88N (CMOS) . . . 1.19
AF100-1CN. .... . . . . 8.95 LM1489N. , ·. , , , · . . . .49
LM307N.
.45 OS14C89N (CMOS) . .. 1.19
........ . LM309K....... : : : : : 1.25 LM1496N.. . . <19 69
LM311N . .
.45
MC1648P.. . .:: a,os 1.95
LM317T. ........ .79
LM1871N..
' ' 1.95
LM318N. LM319N. .
..... : : : 1..9299
LM1872N . . . . ' . .. 1.95 LM1896N·1. , ·· . 4,-19 .79
LM323K. .
. . ' 3.95 ULN2003A.· .·.· .·... .79
LM324N. , .
.39 XR2206. . , ·· , . .. . . . 3.95
LM338K....... : ... : 4.95 XR2211 .. .... . ' ' . 2.95
LM339N.·. , , .. . . . .. .39 XR2243. ·..·.... , ... 1.95
LF347N... .. , ··. , '1.79 26LS29. ..... .. lr.95 2.95
LM348N. ·...·· .
.69 26LS31..
. . 1. 19
........ ... LM350T.. ...... .
LF351N .
2.95 26LS32. ..
. 1.19
.39
26LS33. .. . ..... . .. . 1.49
LF353N.
.49 LM2901N.... .. ... "*3 .15
LF355N. . ::: :: : : : : : : .79 LM2907N. . . .. . . 1.29
LF356N.. .. , . , . ..... .89 LM2917N (a pin)..... . 1.95
LF357N. · ,,, ...... " 1.09
'&95 3.95
LM358N . . LM360N..
' '' ' ': 2..1499
' . +.69 .99 .+95 .49
LM361N .
1.79
LM380N·8.. . .. .'. '99 .85
LM386N-3.. . , ... , ... .89
'.''' 1.95 +95 .75 . . ....... ...... 4.79
LM387N.. ... .. .. ... .99
LM393N....... .... .39
LM399H. .
. .· 2.95
LF411CN..
.Hg. .79
TL497ACN . . . . ·
.99
NE540H (C540H) . . l'".15 1.49
NE555V
.29
XRL555
.59
LM556N. .
.49
NE558N.. · .'.:::::::: .89
LM565N.
.99
LM567V. NE592N..
.79
. . <19 .69
LM741CN.
.29
LM747CN . . . MC1350P. ..
'+eil
.59 .89
MC1372P.... . . +95 .99
MC1377P. .·... . .. . . 2.29
MC1398P.. . . . &95 4.95
LM1414N. . .. +£9 .49
. ' . ' ' ' ' ' . '. 1.69 MC3487P....... +.69 .99 LM3900N. .... .. .... .49
LM3905N. ....... · .. 1.19 LM3909N . .. .. · .. .· . .99 LM3914N... ...... . 1.95 LM3916N.. .. . .. 1.95 NE5532. .... .. : : .... .69 NESS34.. ... . ..... . . .69
~m~ ltl:~:grnj :::1~g
~g6~~ tt'~~:g~-~15.':::. 1 ·~~
7812T iLM340T-12) . .49
7 815T (LM340T-15) . . . .49
7905K iLM320K·5) +oa5 .99
7905T (LM320T-5) .... . .59
75472 . .
. . ' '59 39
75477.. . ... . MC145106P
"
<19 .49 '45 1.95
MC145406P. .° " " 2.95
PARTIAL LISTING · OVER 4000 COMPONENTS AND ACCESSORIES IN STOCK! · CALL FOR QUANTITY DISCOUNTS
*RAM'S SUBJECT TO FREQUENT PRICE CHANGES
264 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 112 on Reader Service Card
Now Available···Jameco's NEW Summer Fiver #137 with 48 pages of
-
ComputerPeripherals, Components &More!
M C M' .ltMBE"'
_ _ __
M ~~~IC~~R.:O.C.'.O~:>M,:P,~Uu"T~CEIRL
JE23
Part No.
JE24
Dim.
L~xw·
Contact Points
JE27
Binding
Posts
Price
JE20 JE21 JE22 JE23 JE24 JE25 JE26 JE27
617 x "" 3114 x 21/e 617 x 1:\\i 617 x 21's
6'h x 31· 617 x 414 61,te x Sf4
714 x 71fi.
200 400 630 830 1,360 1,660 2,390 3,220
0 $ 2.29 0 $ 4.49 0 $ 5.95 0 $ 7.49 2 $14.95 3 $22.95 4 $27.95 4 $37.95
COMPUTER PERIPHERALS
.c Jameco
IBM PC/XTI AT
Compatible
Motherboards
· ·~
·Award BIOSROMs included
... .
~.) ....
f"I
'",: ·\ . " .
l
· -
. '
I
·
!
·-. --
JE1001
JE1001 4.77 /BMHz (PC/Xl) ·..· $ 99.95 JE1002 4.77/10MHz (PC/Xl) . .. $119.95 JE1007 6/8/10/12MHz (AT) ···· $349.95
Jameco
r: Computer
Power
f · 1elr1pi-riwi
Protection JE1190
JE1190 PowerBase········· $29.95
JE1191 6-0utletPowerStrip ·· · · $11.95
Jameco IBM PC/XT/AT
Compatible Keyboards
JE1016 PiCtlKed
JE1015 Slandard ATlayoul (XT/AT) · · $59.95 JE1016 Enhancedlayout(XTtAn ··· $79.95
Jameco Extended BO-Column Card for Apple /le
· BO Col./64K RAM · Doubles amounl ol data your Apple lie can display as well as its mem ory capacity · Ideal lor word processing · Complete with instructions
JE864 $39.95
ADD12 ID;sk D·;ve 11, 11+, /le) $99.95
DATA BOOKS
400041 NSC Linea·DataBook-VoL I (88)..... $14.95 400042 NSC Linea· Data Book·Vot II (88)·.. . $ 9.95 400043 NSC Linear Data Book-Vol. Ill (88).... $ 9.95 210830 lntelMemo·yHandbook (88)....... $17.95 230843 Intel M~ Hndbk. Set (88)... - $24.95
IBM ATCOMPADBLE KIT Mini-286 6/8/10/12MHz Kit
Baby AT Motherboard
(Zero-K RAM includes J E1007 Aw..-d BIOS ROMs)... ... $349.95
!*9:0":1 ;:..,
JE1015 X</AT Style keyboard·.... $ 59.95
FREEQAPLUS
JE1017 Baby AT FUp-Top Case.. .. $ 69.95
_ DlagnostJJj
JE1022 5V4" Hi-Density Oisk01ive. - $109.95
Software! I A·tt
JE1032 200 Watt Po- Supply.... $ 89.95
I ·---- JE1043
JE1065
360K/720K/1.2M Fk>ppy
Controller Card....... . · $ 49.95
lnpuVOutput Card. ··· .· .. $59.95
Regularlist $789.65
SAVE $99.10!
JE1059 $519.95 (EGA Monik>r and
\ - Bi'~~ ·-·"-'l2"~.'b"h.·:.-,·· p~·T\-.n.U..-.'·i.;l
Card not included)
JE2009* IBM AT Compatible Kit······· $689.95
JE286M JE2009 Technical Manual... . .... . . $29.95
'RAM not included Minimum RAM configuration 512K (18 Chips 41256-120, see left)
IBM COMPATIBLE DISPLAY MONITORS
12" Amber Monochrome
TTL Input, High Resolution (PC/XT/AT)
AMBER.. .. .. . .. .... $99.95
14" RGB Color CGA Compatible
Amber/Green/Color Switchable, 640 x 200 Resolution (PC/XTtAn
TTX1410. .. ..... .. $279.95
14" EGA Color -EGA/CGACompat., 720 x 350 Max. Resolution(PC/XTtAn TE5154.... . ..... ...... ..... . .... ... ..... $399.95
14" EGA Monitor and EGA Card - EGA compatible, 720 x 350 Max.
Resolution - displays up lo 16 colors (PC/XTtAn
JE1059. ... ... . .. .... ... ... ... .... .... ... $519.95
14" Multiscan Color - VGA/PGC/EGA compatible, BOO x 600 Max. Reso
lution (PC/XT/An
CTX1435................ ... ...... . . . ..... $549.95
. IBM PCIXTIAT COMPATIBLE CARDS .; ' . : .. ~
Graphic
Display Cards
.,... ·- · /
'. · l,,-· \
·-·« · JE1050
1J fil~.. ... -
~~ .~ i'~,,.. .
·
-
ol · · · ;J
JE1050 Mono Graphics Card w/Prinler Fort (PC/XT/AT) ····· $59.95
JE1052 Color Graphics Card w/Printer Fort (PC/XTtAn······ $49.95
JE1055 EGA Card with 256K Video RAM (PC/XT/AT) ······ $169.95
JE1011 ~JtiJ~;&hra~~~~.~~~~: .... . ......... . $119.95
Multifunction, 1/0 and Expansion Cards
1/0 Card with Serial, Game, Parallel Printer
JE1060 Fort and Real lime Clock (PC/XT)····· · · · ····· $59.95
JE1061 RS232 Serial Half Card (PC/XTtAn ·. ····..····· $29.95
1/0 Card with Serial, Game and
JE1065 Parallel Pr;nter Fort !An.··· ··. ···········. $59.95
Expand to 384K (zero-Kon-board) Multifunc. w/Serial,
JE1078 Game, Parallel Printer Fort & Real Time Clock (PC/XT) ·· $69.95
2MB of expanded or extended memory
JE1081 (zero·K on-board) (An ·····.········.··.· $119.95
JE1082
3MB of expanded or extended memory, parallel printer port. serial port and game port
(zero-Kon-board) (An·.··············· · · $169.95
Floppy and Hard Disk Controller Cards
JE1040 360KB Floppy Disk Drive Controller Card (PC/XT)···· $29.95
JE1041 20/40MB Hard Disk Controller Card (PC/XT)· ·· . ··· $79.95
JE1043 360K/720K/1.2MB Floppy Disk Cont. Card (PC/XTtAn $49.95
360K/720K/1.2MB Floppy/Hard Disk
JE1045 Controller Card (An.·.· ······ · ·········· $149.95
.Seagate 20,30 , 40 and 60MB
Half Height Hard Disk
Drives
ST225 ST225XT ST225AT ST238 ST238XT ST238AT ST251 ST251XT ST251AT ST277 ST277XT ST277AT
20 MB Drive only (PC/XT/AT)··· ·· $224.95 20MB w/Conholler (PC/XI)·· . ·· $269.95 20 MB w/Controller (AT)...·.·.. $339.95 30MB Drive only (PC/XT/AT)· ·· · · $249.95 30MB w/Controle< (PC/XT)·.·.· $299.95
30MB w/Controll... (An·. ·. .... $389.95 40MBDriveonly (PC/XT/AT).·.·. $429.95 40MB w/Conl Card (PC/XT)..... $469.95 40MB w/Control1er Card (AT).... $539.95 60MB Drive only (PC/X</An..... $499.95
60MB w/Controlle< (PC1xn.. · .. $549.95 60MB w/Controller Card (AT)..·· $639.95
XR4
TB40
40MB Tape Back-Up
for IBM PC/XT/AT
40MB Tape Back-Up·· . · $369.95
40MB Tape Cartridge. ....·....· $24.95
Jameco 5.25" PC/XT &AT Compatible Disk Drives
JE1022 (Pictured)
JE1 020 360KBlad< Bd. (PC/xr!AT) ··· $ 89.95 JE1021 360KBe;geBzt(PC/XT/An ··· $ 89.95
JE1022 1.2MBBe;geBzL(PCIXT/An · $109.95
3.5" PC/XT/ATCompatible Disk Drives
352KU
3.SM 720KB (Bezels and Instal lation Krt ;ncL) (PC/XT/An....· . $129.95
3_5n 1.44MB (Bezels and Instal MF355B lation l(jt lncl.)(PC/X</AT). ..... $149.95
2400/1200/300 Modems
Datatronics
. ... ~ · ~· /
g
· Hayes command compat
· ible ·Bell 103/212A com
patible· Auto-dial/auto
answer · FCC approved
.- =.- a.Ill m:llllm '
1-year warranty · Includes
MaxiMile Communicalion
Soltware
12 00H 12001300 Baud Internal Modem·. · . $ 69.95
2400S 2400/1200/300 Internal Modem.·.· $139.95
1200C 1200/300 Baud External Modem. . .. $119.95
2400E 2400/1200/300 External Modem ·... $179.95
TEST EQUIPMENT
Digital Multimeters
Kingdom KD302: ·Pocket Size in handy carry case · 3Yz Digit LCD · Auto or manual ranging · Audible continuily tester · Tests: AC/DC Voltage.
Resistance and Continuity ·One Year Vilarranty ·Size: 4\1.i'L.x 2'W .x \7.l-1
KD302 .. $27.95
Melex M4650:
· Handheld,high accuracy · 4'h Digit LCO · Manual ranging wilh Overload Protection · Audible continuity tester ·Tests: AC/DC Voltage,
Resistance. Continuity Capacitance. FreQuency · One 'rear Vilarranty ·Size: 7'Lx 31h'W x l~'H
M4650 .. $89.95
Circk 112 on &aderService Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 265
OUTSIDE USA····CAll
(718)692·0071
FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE Call Mon-Fri: 9:30am-5pm
(7181692· 1148
OR WRITE TO: Montgomery Grant P.O. Box 58 Brooklyn,NY 11230
FAX NO. 718-692-3372
TELEX NO. 422132HMOLLER
TOSHBA 1000 ·
·5t2KRAM·720KFloppyDrive 4.77MHz · Super Tw1s1 LCD Screen
$699
~/
·
-
NEC·MUTISPEED......... $979
NEC MULTISPEED EL.11$1369 NEC MULTISPEED HD. $2149
TOSHIBA 1200..............$2149
TOSHIBA 3100/20.........$2929 TOSHIBA 3200..............$3695
TOSHIBA 5100..............$4895 TOSHIBA 1100+............$1369
ZENITH 181................... $1349 ZENITH 183/20 ............. $1949 SPARK by Datavue
640K w/2 720K Drives.....$989 SPARK EL........·.............$1149
MODEMS. EXTERNAL DRIVES and ACCESSORIES available for all Laptops!
ft/EC ., PowerMate 1
/8MPC!XTIATCOMPATl8LE
PACKAGE
· 600266 10 MHz erocessor
. ·
$1299 640KRAM·1.2MB Flop;:y Drive
"!· t2" Monilor
Same PacJ<aQe wilh NEC 20 MB Hard Onve
Powermale II with Monilor
$1529romPA$l7l·799
SEAGATE 20MB 1/2 Ht. w/Control/er............ $219 30MB 1/ 2 Ht. w /Controller.............$319 40M{l1 /2 Ht. w/Controller. .. .... .. .. ..$439
MINISCRIBE 40MB l / 2 HI. w/Controller........ ..... $369 CMS20M8Card.......·. .......·... ..........$339 CMS 30MB Card.. .......... ..... ...... ......$379
commodore
Commodore 128 Computer · Commodore t571 Disk
$699 Drive· Commodore 1902 Color RGB Monitor
· Commodore 1515 Column Printer
64/c PACKAGE
i
Commodore 1541 Disk
a EPSON EQUITY 111+ 40 MB Hard Drive Package IBM AT Compatible
· Keyboard ·60266 Proccossor
640K RAM·6/6/10 MHz ·l.2 MB
.,s18,.99 $
FloppyDrive·40MBHard Dn·ve 1r Monitor ·BExpansion Slots
Serial and Parallel Ports
EPSON EQUITY II+
: . . . IBM ATCompal/bis Hard
: ·~ Drive Package
3 99 ~ ~\~'~,~ MicroproKDerciyvoeeoas· r2ds0 o.M6Br4H·0Kard1R.AD2MrMiveB. F·8lMo0p2o8pn6yo
~
Mom/or
LOGITECH MOUSE M·7 $59. 95
l~I PACKAGES
s2~lf!i~~rf!~IE \<i-t'o":~ ·
ilor · All Hook·up Cables & Adaptors· Pkg. ol 10 Diskel/es
APPLE llC APPLE llE
$579 $779
Apple llGS Compu/er · 3.5" Disk
Drive · Apple RGB Color Moni1or Package of to Diskenes · All Cables & Adapt0<s · Package ol
lO Diskenes . Al>f:l · Sohwaie
$ J379
MAC l"LUS Com outer Package......$1399 IMAGEWRITER II Prinler ..................$449
MAC SE Compulerw/Dual Drt.e....S 1949
MAC SE Computer w/20M8 APPLE Hard Drive................... 52599
APPLE MAC 11... .................... ...... .CALL
PRINTERS
EPSON
PANASONIC
FX-BSE.. .. .......$289.95 FX -2 B6E ..... .... $419.95
L0-500.. ... ......$315.95
LQ-B00.. .........$329.95 LO-B50.. ...... ...$509.95
LQ-1050....... ..$699.95
10BOi·ll ...........$159.95 1092i.... ... ........$289.95 1091-ii.............$1B9.95 KXP-1524.......$499.95
TOSHIBA
EX-B00.. .........$419.95 321 -SL.... ........$479.95
l.X-800.. ..........$199.95 341-SL........ ....$649.95
351-SL ...... ... ...$799.95
commodore -~ ..;;:::.,,,__
AMIG . . ,,___ ~
779 ,,.
AMIGA 500 Computer $
"4,t!liJJ
w/1084 RGB Monitor
$979 AMIGA 500 Computer
w/1084Monitor &: 1010 3.5" Floppy Drive
ALL PERIPHERALS IN STOCK
A~1 512K EXPANSION · A·1010 3.5" Fl.OPPY DIWE·A·1020T 5.25" DISK OfWE WITH TIWlS. FCRAER · A-20880 BRIDGE CARD· A·IOM f\'.3B
COLOR MONrrOR · A· 1880 MOOEM · A· 1080'
~~~~~=~~~f
FORA-2000·A·20!52 2MBEXPANSIONFORA·2000.
AMIGA2000/NSTOCK
· IBM XT Computer · IBM Keyboard 256K RAM E)(pandable to 640K · 360K Disk Drive · 20MB Hard Drive ·Package of 1ODiskettes {Monitor Op tional)
$1299
$ J079 IBM XT Package with
2 360K Floppy Drives
PACKARD-BELL 386 40 MB Hard DriveSvstem
IBM AT Compatible
I MB RAM · 60366 1i MHz Microproccessor · 1.2 MB
l~~:ii~~·~~~SB·~~~a~~~
eyboard · Senal & Parallel
arts ·1r Monitor
$2699
LEADING-EDGE'9 MODEL D Package
IBM PC!xr Compatible
512 KRAM Keyboard · 4.7-7.16 MHz. 360K Floppy Drive · 12· Monitor 6066·2 Processor
$729
~r.\~i::::r..~lh $989
PRINTERS
OKJDATA
MODEL 30 Package
· IBM Computer · Two 720K Drives · 640 K RAM · Burlt·in Graphics· Serial and Parallel Ports·Ootional 12~ Monitor
4f~~~~~ $1199 ·
$1599 PFISCl!2JP.MY ODrDivEeL&3020wMitBh 7IB2M0K
J599 Haid 0r~~$
PS/II Model25.........- ...............S1049 PSI/I Model 25 w/Color Monttor......................$1 299 PS/II Model 60 w/44 MB & 720K F/oppv......·.·.$3299 PS/II Model 60wn OMB & 720K FlooPV.....·....$3698
PS/I/ Model 60 w/44 MB & 720K FIOPPV..........$4295
PSI/I Model 60wno MB & 720K Flooov...........$489'
5.25 External Drive for PSlll.....S229
AMSTRAD a IBM Personal Svstem II Monitors 8503 Monochrome Manitor_......-......_. ,...S209 8512 Color Monltor...................................$459 8513 Color llon/lor...................................$519 IBM Proprlnlor 11.......................................$369
IBM PC/xr Comoatible
PACKAGE
,;,;;.,.
569 5t2K ·One 360K Drive·
C~Ma:lopc~hki:cCsa:C~le~annrdtdal··r·SMMe~roianl~o&
$: . _
"1"""'1...,..,"ts"""FR;;E;,f~~fui
Stand
and FREE Solrwait
83a9 ~~~~;dy,;d~r..e $
VENDEX HEADSTART IBM PCIXT
4.77-6 MHz. Dual Fro~~ Drrves . 7 Compatibl
~~~~oo Sl~~..a~!t& S~~~~~~~
Mouse . Available in Colo or Mono Sys1em. · Over $1000 Wonh ol Software· NO CHARGEI
$849 $999 MSyosnleom
sCoslloerm
Circle 51 on Reader Service Card
¢ompu$ave
PLOTTERS
PRINTERS
Calcomp 1023GT .. 3785 Houston 62 .........__..... 4495
AlpsAllegro 24 ......... 365 NEC 5200 .................. 528
Calcomp5902 ....... 3395 HP 7475 ..................... 1395
Canon BJ t30 .._.... 795 NEC 5300 ................. 698
Call Toll Free: 1-800-624-8949 Calcomp 1043GT ..6275 HP 7550 A.................. 2895
Cilizen120D........... 142 NEC P5XL ................. 815
Enter SP 1800 ....... 3095 HP 7595 ..................... 7595
Cttizen 180D .......... 158 NEC P9XL..............1018
Houslon DMP 52 .... 2795 loline 3700 ..................... 3045
Citizen MSP40 ........282 Panasonic 1080M2 .... 158
BOARDS
Above Board 286 ...... 31 9 Orchid liiny Turbo ... 259 Adv. Dig. Slave ...... SAVE Orchid Designer ....... 268
AST 4Port .. . . .. .309 Paradise 480Auto .. 145 AST 5251-11 E........... 595 Paradise VGA+ ....... 238
ATIVGAWonder .SAVE Paradise VGA Pro .352 ATI EGA Wonder ...... 172 STB VGA EM ............ 299
BOCA RAM AT ............ 142 Sigma VGA H......... 252
Genoa EGA HiRes+ _209 Vega Deluxe ..............179
Genoa VGA HiRes ... 435 Video 7VRAM ....... 489
COMPUTERS
AST Model 286 ... CALL Sharp PC-7100 .............1745
AST Model 386 ..... CALL Toshiba 1000 ................. 729 Mitsubishi 286/11 O 1039 Toshiba T1200F .......... 1635
NEC Laptops ......... SAVE Toshiba Ti200H ......... 2395 Intel 25 MHz ............ CALL Toshiba 3100/20 ........ 2995
Samsung Laptops SAVE Toshiba 3200 ............... 3685
Sharp PC·7000A ... 1165 Toshiba 5100 .............. 4785
Sharp 4521 .. ........... 1975 Zenith Supersport ......... 1625
Sharp PC-4502 ..... 1165 Zenith Supersport 286. 3395
Houston 41/42 ......... 2095 loline 4000 ..................... 3995
Houston 61 ................. 3295 Roland 980 .................... 1195
Houston 56A .............. 3795 Roland 880 ............. 92 9
Numonics/TaxanNersatec/JDUOther Models ....... CALL
DIGITIZERS
Calcomp12 x12 ........... 365 Kurta IS 8.5 x 11 ......... 249
Calcomp44 x 60 ......3745 Kurta IS 12 x 12 ........... 315
Calcomp36 x48 ....... 3195 Kurta IS 12x17 ........... 535
GTCO 24 x36 .... .... 1945 Summa 12 x 12 + .......... 348
GTCO 36 x 48 ........ 2395 Summa 12 x 18 ........... 598
Citizen MSP45 ........ 408 Panasonic 1091M2 ... 198
Fujitsu DL3400 ......... 512Panasonic1524 ....... 549
Okidata 390 ........... 475 Panasonic 1595 ...... 439
Okidata 391 ........... 649 Star NX1000 .....169
NEC P2200 ........... 325 Toshiba P351SX ........959
Canon 811 ............. 1565 NEC LC 890 .......... 3185
HP LazerJetll .. SAVE Ouadram Postscrpt 2795 Brother/C.ltoh/Data Products/Data South ......... CALL
Diconcx/Epson/Genicom/OMS/OTC1TI ............ CALL
SOFTWARE
Hercules VGA .............. 242 Video 7 Vega VGA. 252 Acer 80386:16 MHz/O WaiU1 Meg Ram ................... 2745
Hitachi 11 x 11 ............. 439 Summa 24 x 36 ........... 3095
CCompiler 5.1 ....... 279 MSWord4.0 ...........212
Melheus 1104 ........... 1099 VMI IM 1024 ............ 2795
Acer 80386:20 MHz/O Wan ..........
...CALL Kurta IS3 ...............CALL Summa42 x 60 ........... 4195
Carbon Copy+5.0 .108 PC EXCEL2.01 .... 299
ArtisUBNW/Everex/Number 9/Computone ........CALL NEC Powermate Portable 286/640k/20M .......... 2645
MODEMS
DBase Ill Plus .......... 374 Quattro ...................... 142
TalllreelQuadramNerticom/lnte~West. Dig........ CALL
NEC Powermate Portable 286/640k/40M .......... 3095 ATI ETC. ·-................ - 159 Novation Parrot ......._....... 85
Fastback Plus ............ 95 Ventura Publisher .499
MONITORS
Sperry PC IT 512k/44M HD/Keyboard..... . .... 2795 Anchor 2400E ............ 145 Practical 12001 ................... 65
Harvard Graph 2.1 275 WordPerfect 5.0 ...... 199
Amdek 310A .................. 69 PGS Ultra Synch ..... 498
Samsung S500 AT: 1OMHz/40M Drive .......... 1565 AST 9600 .................... 779 Prometheus 24008/2 .... 119
DISK DRIVES
Amdek 1280 ...... 645 PGS LM 300 ............ 539
Televideo 386: 16 MHz/2m/1 .2MDrive ..................... 2595
Avatex 1200 Ext. .......95 Prometheus 2400G .... 149
MAC Hard Drives ... Call Seagate 20M Kit ... 265
lntercolor 19"VGA ... 1595 Tatung Multiscan ...... 479 Wyse 2108: 8 MHz/512k/1.2M Drive .................... 1199
Hayes 1200 ...............279 Racal-Vadic 2400VP .399 Miniscribe 40M ............ 312 Seagate 30M Kit ... 282
Mitsubishi 1371A ..... 489 Taxan 770+ ................. 515
Wyse 2112: 12.5 MHz11 M11.2M Drive .................1699
Hayes 2400 ............... 412 USA Courier 2400 ........ 299
Miniscribe 6053 ......... 509 Seagate 251 .......... 375
Mitsubishi 20" Auto .1845 Thomson 4160RGB .225 Wyse 2214: 12.5 MHz/OWa5it/1.2 Drive .............. 1895
lncomm T2400MNP .235 USA 2400E ...................... 345
Miniscribe 6085 ........... 695 Seagate ST251· 1... 445
NEC Multisync II ...... 569 Thomson EGA .......... 299
Wyse 386: 16 MHz11M/1.2M Drive/OWait ........... 2795
Migent Pocket .............. 109 USA HST 9600 ......... 649
PlusCard 20M ..........522 Seagate 4096 ...... 695
NEC Multisync +...... 915 Sigma Laser 19" .... 1765 Unisys 386: 16 MHz/1M/1.2M Drive/O Wait ........... 2599
Multitech 224 EH .....388 Ven-Tel 18000 ................ 939
PlusCard 40M.. ...655 Toshiba 3.5" Kn .......... 94
NEC Multisync XL .2095 Wyre 700 ...................... 678 ITI/Altos/CompacyAT&T/Apple ............... ....... CALL
Multitech 224 EC ..... 325 Zoom 2400 HC .............. 139
AST/Archive/Alloy/CDC/Genoa/Iomega ......... CALL
NEC Multisync GS .... 179 Verticom 2Page .... 1765
TERMINALS
Avatex/Case/EverexlUDS/Other Models .... .......... CALL
Micropolis/Maynard/MaxtorfTallgrass/Tecmar CALL
Magnavox Multi ....... 512 Zenith 1490 ............. 598
Altos V................................. 485 Televideo 965 .......... 419
Seiko 1430: 14", Multiscan, 1024x768, .26mm .... 649 IBM 3151 ....................... 385 Wyse 30 ...................... 289
HOURS: MON-FRI 7AM-6PM/SAT 9AM-2PM
SCANNERS
PC Hand Scanner .... 158 Dataoopy 730 .. ....... 1095
Kimtron KT-70 PC ......... 359 Wyse 50 ...................... 359
Link ..
......... CALL Wyse 60 ...................... 395
Televideo905 .............. 315 Wyse85G .................. 399
,\IHZON ,.\ SALES: H102J-B7--t8SS. ( TSTOMEK SEIH ICE ((1021-t.H--tHS<i t°lllllpuSa\ ~: 42117 S. :l71h Sr. l'hllvni\ A/. 8~11411. l'rice' l'L'lkL'I c:r-h di,counh and
PGS LS-300 /w PC Paintbrush &OCR .............. 965
Televideo 955 ............ 375 Wyse 99GT ...................469
:ire ' uhjev110 d1:111ge "i1l111ut noliL·e. \\'e do 1101 guar:111IL'<' n1111pa1ihili1~. \tajor
AST/Hewlelt Packardffaxan/Others . ................. CALL
Visual/Link/CIE/Adds/Oume/Falco .............................. CALL
c.:rcdi1 i:anl, :111d ,ekL'IL'd l'o·, are :1LTq11cd.
International orders arc welcome.
PACIFIC-286-12
· 00286-12 ·I 2MB Floppy0nve(OpllonS1203'h'' Dm1e) · 640K Ram (Oplion S95 tor 360K Drive) · Sena!/Parallel · 101-Key Enhenced Key Board · SJ= 133(1 Wail)
SI :r 15 2 (O Wail S150 Option) · 6112 MHz Key Board SwrlchabJe · WA2 HO & FD Con1ro1Jer
MONO SYSTEM · WiMonoMon1lor · 20 MB Hard Disk
CGA COLOR SYSTEM WICGA Mon1lor 20 MB Hard Disk
EGA COLOR SYSTEM · W/EGA Card
W/ EGAMorntor W/ 20 M8 HA1d Disk
$1195 $1395 $1580
CRT-PORTABLE 8088
· Compaq Type · 8088-1 10 MHz · 2 Floppy Drive · 150W Power Supply · TTL Oisply 9" Amber ·Key Board
$770
LCD-286 PORTABLE
· 10 MHz 80286 ·64 0KAam · SI ::: 10.3 · K~y Board ·LCD Screen · Super Twist
Back L19h1ing
·Serial/Parallel · 1_2 MB Floppy Drive · 80287 Socket
: ;~oM~ ~~;:'D7su:ply
· 23 lbs. · Size 15h" x 9'11· x 8"'
$1595
PACIFIC-386
· 80386-16{20MHz) ·SI = 23 · 1 MB Memory · One l 2 MB Floppy Drive · 40 MB (Seaga1e ST-251) · 101 Enhanced Key Board · 200 W Power Supply · 110 Card SenaltParallel · 80387 Socket
MONO SYSTEM · W/Mono/P Card ·Mon o Mon11or
$2395
EGA. COLOR SYSTEM
$2785 · W/EGA Card !640x350)
·EGA Monllor
:· Conpaq Type
~o::~. ~1~~~1~~~;2o~~:)
· 200 w Power Supply ·TTL 01sp!y g·· Amber
:· At Key Board ~~;~r~ :e;~l~~~l~~~~r
· 20 MB Hard Disk
$1389
PRICE SUBJECT TO
CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
Dealers are welcome
Call For Quantity Price
LCD-386
· 20MHzSl ,,, 23 · 80386-16 · One 1 2 MB Floppy Dnve · 40MB Hard Disk {ST-251) · LCD Screen {640x200) · Key Board · 110 Senal/Parallel
$2795
PACIFIC COMPUTER (818) 571-5548
120 E. Valley Blvd.. ltH, San Gabriel , CA 91776 FAX' 818-571-0905
(800) 346·7207 (CalltornleJ
ORDER ONLY
(800) 421-1102 (Outside California)
Circle 167 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 168)
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 267
RS-422/232
CURRENT LOOP
I:..
;
!!l'B
-
----
'
I'
c.... · ·
flf J
Ill - :
--
I , .. ~ . e
m
·
~.
-I
t
t ·
· i~
... "
DS-225
· Single channel async communi cation board for IBM PC/XT/AT
· Software selectable lo be RS/ 422/485, 232 or Current Loop
· Selectable Address & Interrupt
1-800-553-1170
~GUATECH -~ INCORPORA T EO
478 E. Exchange SI., Akroo, OH 44304
(2'16) 434-3154
TLX: 5101012726
Circle 186 on l&Olkr Service Card
· Two Parallel Printer Ports
· Two 8-Bit Digital 110 Ports
· Two Serial Ports, RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485
· Address Selectable · Selectable & Shareable Interrupts
1-800-553-1170
478 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44304
TEL: (216) 434-3154 FAX: (216) 434-1409 TLX: 5101012726
Circle 181 on Realkr Service Card
- 72 Digital 1/0
.
~
'
. .,
.
.
'
' ~
.
-
w
Z.ot..
.. :: · I ,.: - ~ ' J..!:.
PXB·721 Parallel Expansion aoara
· For IBM-PC & Compatibles · 72 Digital 1/0 Lines · Simple Programming · Uses One Expansion Slot · Fast Delivery
1-800-553-~i95
~GUATECH
-~ INCORPORA TEO
478 E_ Exchange St., Akron, OH 44304
(216) 434-3154
TLX: 5101012726
Circle 189 on l&Olkr Service Cqrd
· FOR IBM & Compatibles · Flexible and Inexpensive · Money Back Guarantee · Free Technical Support
Fast Delivery
1-800-553-1170
~GUATECH
~ INCORPORAT ED
Leaders in Communication Technology
478 E. Exchange SI., Akron, OH 44304
(216) 434-3154
TLX: 5101012726
Circle 190 on ReaderService Card
R5·2:S2
WAVEFORM SYNTHESIZER Communications Board
· For IBM-PC/XT/AT & comp.
· Dual RS-232C interface · Optional software supports
COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4 · Jumper selectable interrupts
Fast Delivery 1-800-553-1170
~GUATECH
~ INCORPORATED
478 E. Exchange St.. Akron, OH 44304
(216) 434-3154
TLX: 5101012726
Circle 192 on &OlkrServiceCard
· For IBM PC/XT/AT and compatibles · Generates user-definable signal · Up to 2000 points per envelope
$795.00
1-800-553-1170
478 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44304
(216) 434-3154
TLX: 5101012726
Circle 193 on ReaderService Card
R5·422
Communications Board
· For IBM PC/XT/AT/PS/2
i·
· Dual channel RS-422/RS-485
· Selectable/shareable interrupts
· Ditterential drivers to 4000 It.
· Immediate delivery
1-800-553-1170
Lea ers in ommunication Technology
478 E- Exchange SI., Akron, OH 44304
(216) 434-3154
TLX: 5101012726
Circle 188 on Reader Service Card
IEEE-488
· GPIB controller board for IBM PC/XT/AT
· Control up to 14 Devices · User friendly Software Commands · OMA Transfer lo 200k byte/sec.
$345.00 including software
~GUATECH
~ INCORPORATED
478 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44304
(216) 434 -3154
TLX: 5101012726
800 -553-1170
Circle 191 on Relllkr Service Card
R5·422
Communications Board
FOR
PS/2
MODELS 50, 60, 80 · DUAL CHANNEL · ADDRESS SELECT ABLE · BAUD RATE TO 256 K · INTERRUPT SELECTABLE
1·800-553·1170
~GUATECH
~ INCORPORATED
Leaders In Communication Technology
478 E. EXCHANGE ST.
AKRON. OH 44304
(216) 434-3154
TLX: 5101012726
FAX: (216) 434-1409
Circle 194on l&OlkrService Card
EXTERNAL 2nd FLOPPY DRIVE
FOR LAPTOPS
Toshiba Tandy 1400 LT Datavue Zenith $219.95
BOOK External Floppy tor Mac $199.95
2nd Floppy tor IBM PC Jr $199.95 IBM PS 2 $199.95
True Data Products
115 So. Main Street Uxbridge, MA 01569
1-800-635-0300 1-617-278-6555
Circle 243 on Reader Service Card
EPROM PROGRAMMER
THE EP -l"S A GREAT VALUE AND HERE"s WHY:
·READS, PROGRAMS,COPIES OVER 350 EPROM AND EEPROMS
FROM 30 MFG'SINQ.UDING 2716-27513,2004-28256,27011
· READS/ WRITES INTEL MOTOROLA STRAIGHT HEX & BINARY
e OPTIONAL HEADS PROGRAM INTEL B74X,8751,87C51,8755
e MENU-DRIVEN CHIP SELECTION BY MFG & P/N;NO MODULES
· FAST. SLOW, QUICK PULSE PROGRAMMING ALGORITHMS
eSPUTS FILES BY BASE ADDRESS AND 000/EVEN (16 & 32 Bil)
e ALL INTEWGENCE IN UNIT; ZBO MICROPROCESSOR BASED
e 5, 12.5, 21 .25 V PROGRAMMING FOR CMOS & ·A SUFFIX PARTS
· FREE pc.cos SOFTWARE
· RS232 TO ANY COMPUTER
e GOLDTEXTOOL ZIF SOCKET · 8 BAUD RARES TO 38,400
e MONEY BACK GUARANTH e ONE YEAR WARRANTY
e 2 FREE FIRMWARE UPDATES e SAME DAY SHIPMENT
· CHECKSUMS SUPPORTED e UV ERASERS FROM $34.95
CALL TODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION
800 / 225-2102
BP~
10681 HADDINGTON #190, HOUSTON, TX 77043 713/461-9430 TLX: 1561477 FAX: 713/461 -7413
Circle 32 on Reader Service Card
6805/6305 SINGLE CHIP
MICROCOMPUTER
DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS
Two system s allow the IBM PC/XT/AT to be used as
a complete development system lor the MOTOROLA
6805 series single chip microcompu ters. Model
MCPM·1 supports the MC68705P3, P5, U3, U5, R3,
& R5 c hip s. Model MCPM -2 supports the
MC1468705F2 & G2 cmos versions. Both systems are
priced at $495 and include a cross assembler pro
gram, a Simulator/Debugger program and a program
ming ci rcuit board with driver software. A system is also avail. for the HITACHI 63705 ZTAT micro.
THE ENGINEERS COLLABORATIVE P.O. Box 53, West Glover, VT 05875 (802) 525-3458
Circle 85 on Reader Service Card
M o·t i o n C o n t r o I & Acquisition
A card in your PC creates the fast LAB 40 bu s
which supports up to 8 modules . User Friendly Packages for PC/XT/AT.
· Intelligent DC Servo: Joystick, numeric con
trol, motion record/playback, C calls. Up to 16 axes. Two axis package w/motors $1550 (USA).
· 4-Axis Stepper w/source code & motor $316.
· Scor,e/FFT 650KHz AID 4 ch. w/source $525. ·Madu es: 8 & 12 bit AID, Relay, Stepper, Clock,
Servo & Amps, Prag Controller (Forth, A/D,
EEPR OM, 68HC11, RS-232/422/485, LAB 40). "Adapter for RS-232 for Mac and others. "Free immediate technical support & literature. Call (415) 755-1978 or our BBS (415) 755-1524.
75 Southgate,
Daty City. CA 94015
-
( 0<'!f1~5~1~~ ( 0~!~n3~2~4'!!
UNIVERSAL LOGIC PROGRAMMER
·PROGRAMS, READS. DUPLl
lOOIC noGIMWER
CA TE S, TESTS AND
SECURES
HUNDREDS
OF 20· AND 24-PIN
DEVICES
· 23 UNIVER· SAL PIN DRIVERS
WITH INDE· PENDENT
DAG. ADC&
B~
PLD-11 00
SLEW FUNC TIONS PROGRAM ALMOST ANY LOGIC DEVICE
e MENU DRIVEN OPERATION IS EASY TO LEARN AND QUICK
TO OPERATE
e CONNECTS TO ANY IBM COMPATIBLE COMPUTER VIA
PARALLEL PRINTER PORT
e EDITS FUSE DATA & TEST VECTORS WITH FULL SCREEN EDITOR
e TESTS WITH VECTORS & SECURES AFTER PROGRAMMING
e SUPPORTS ALL POPULAR PLO DEVELOPEMENT SOFTWARE
e GOLD TEXrDOL ZIF IC SOCKET · ONLINE HELP FUNCTION e MONEY BACK GUARANTEE e SELF CALIBRATING ·TOLL-FREE TECH SUPPORT eJEDEC FILE IN/OUTPUT
· UPDATABLE VIA FLOPPY
e ONE YEAR WARRANlY
e EPROM PROGRAMMERS ALSO e SAME DAY SHIPMENT
e JUST$798
ALL FOR FREE DEMO DISK 800/225-2102
BP~
10681 HADOINGTON #190 HOUSTON, TX 77043 713/461-9430 TLX: 1561477 FAX: 713/461-7413
Circle 32 on Reader Service Card
Fix common problems fast!
You don't need to be an expert to diagnose and correct problems involving PC setup. All you need is HELPMETM software! More than 300 tests. On-screen help tor under standing and correcting iden tified problems. Quick identification of system con figuration and compatibility. $99 plus shipping and han dling. MC and VISA accepted. California Software Products, Inc., 525 N. Cabrillo Park Drive, Santa Ana, CA 92701 (714) 973-0440.
Circle 37 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 38)
Circle 80 on Reader Service Card
OS-HO
1.49
3.50 "
4. 75
DC-1000 .... . .. 12.80 DC-300X LP .... 19.65
DC-2000 ..... . . 17.40 DC·600A . . .... 21 .85
SUMMER SPECIALS
* Box d Ten 5.25" DS/00 -48 TPI
350
* 1290 Disks (min 10 boxes) . . . .. . ... .·. . · .. . Plaslic Slorage Box of TEN 3.50" OS/DD
* 57 Rainbow Color Disks (min 5 boxes) . . . . . .
KAO High Densily in Minidex/78
00
* w1lh 60 KAO 5.25" OS/HD "'AT'" . ..... .
KAO 3.50" OS/OD in Microdex/25
3300
* 17 wilh 25 KAO 3.50" OS/DD . .. . . . . .. . .
3M 3.50" OS /OD in Flip 'n File
50
* 1 with 10 3M 3.50" OS/DD (min 5 boxes) ..
BASF in Minidex/60 with
995
30 BASF 5.25 " OS/DD (min 2 boxes) ... .
Yerba1im ~
oataLitePfus·
- A Koda Canp.1l'y -
5.25" OS/DD
3.50" OS/D D
5.25" OS/HD
.75 1.59 1.49
(min . 5 boxes)
~1"!!'!!!11'!'!-.-
·s. 25~ Sulk Disks with Tyvek. color·coded 10 labels and w/p 1abs. add 6c
Put your name on the world 's besl diskettes' Choose from 3M, BASF, KAO Color or Sony Media. Call for lnformali on .
TERM S: VISA. Maste rcard or AMEX. COD only add SJ 00 Prepaid Ofdersdeducl 2';t cash discount PO"s accepted from 1ecognized inslitut1ons and corpo1at10nS on Net 30 Shipping : S41100 or !ewer disks
WE BEAT ANY PRICE!
Toll Free Order Line:
1-800-523-9681
lnformalion Line:
1-801-255-0080
TLX -9102404712
FAX-801-572-3327
n DISKCOTECH
DISKCO TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
213 Cottage Avenue
P.O. Box 1339
Sandy, Utah 84091
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 269
Austria .
02 22 38 76 38·0
Auslralia
02 654 1873
Denmark
02 65 81 11
Finland
See Sweden
France
01 69 412 801
Greal Brilain
01 464 2586
Israe l
03 499034
Korea .
02 784 7841
New Zealand
04 886 375
Norway
See Sweden
Portugal
01 83 56 70
Spain
03 217 2340
Swilzerland
01 740 41 05
Wesl Germany
08 131 16 87
Sweden
040 92 24 25
noHau U.S.A.
408 866 1820
51 E. Campbell Ave.. 1t107E Campbell. CA 95008
CORPORATION
(408) 866-1820
Circle 159 on Reader Service Card
2400BAUD
$95 MODEM
30 DAY FREE TRIAL
WE AREN'T KIDDING ... HIGH PERFORM
ANCE TEXAS INSTRUMENT CHIP SET, YET
LOWEST COST 2400 BAUD AUTO SPEED SE
LECT ANYWHERE. FULL FEATURED. HAYES COMPATIBLE IBM INTERNAL HALF CARD. SOFTWARE INCLUDED.
CompuCom Corporation
(800) ACT ON IT (408) 732-4500 (CA)
Circle SO on Reader Service Card
STOP THROWING AWAY SUSPECTED MEMORY CHIPS. WITH TODAY'S HIGH MEMORY CHIP PRICES YOU CAN EASILY JUSTIFY RAMCHECK'S COST AFTER TESTING ONLY 20 MEMORY CHIPS. RAMCHECK BOASTS A BUilT-IN 8088 POWERFUL PROCESSOR FOR TESTING EVERY CELL OF A 64K/256K DRAM CHIP IN JUST 2.3 SECONDS. ONLY $199 FOR DEALERS, PROFESSIONALS, CORPORATIONS, GOVERNMENT AND SCHOOLS ($249 RETAIL). THOUSANDS SOLD WORLDWIDE.
·... an Indispensable tool for anyone
who services, sells or otherwise handles products
that use memory chips."
-
®
Made in USA by: 11,"[lffiJ~ ~
10804 FALLSTONE RD. SUITE 214
(713) 879-6226
HOUSTON, TX 77099
Circle 264 on &oder Service Card
DYNAMIC RAMS
1 MBIT 100ns $39.00
51258 100ns $12.00
41464 150ns $10.75
41256 100ns $13.15
41256 120ns $12.00
1"' 41256 150ns 4Jllff1
41264 150ns $14.75
1"' 4164 150ns .Ctf..Jl!JO"t " For high-~. Zip. Plce. Sln-m ·~ F'lea!e t
· PROCES$0RS 80387·16 'l!imHt. 80287-10 ltml-U
80287 -8 80287·6 8087·1 8087·2
-
~It 10mH.l
ltnHt
8087 Yo.30 Y·20 V-20
"""' w.b
·1'....l!flQMli
Z7C101 250nl
2'1C512 200l"d
:27512 250!\'!I
vzs :21C25G 2SOrt5 250nt
2712M 250"t$
27C:s4A 200M
"""' ·VS4
~
·ll...BAM.S
""" ,,,...
$ 24.QO $ 15.00 $ 12..95
s '
s
5.50
u4.9s5
s '
4.95 3.50
Circle 106 on Rutkr Service Card
.
· ·Multi-user Database! ·Powerful!
·Multiple Operating
<
System Compatibility!
·Attractive Dealer
'
Pric1ng1
·Full Dealer Support!
Da!aflrx 1s a 1radernclrk. of Ocl!cl Access
Dealer Inquiries Invited
·· --~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
!·
24000 Telegraph Road
I
Soulhf1elcl. Michigan 48034 USA 13131 352-2345
I ~
Circle 47 on Reader Service Card
9-TRACK MAG. TAPE SUBSYSTEM· FOR THE IBM PC/XT/AT AND···
For information interchange. backup and archival,storage,
e,~ ~~~~:i~~g~ss=l~~:~~~~~·~1'e~:~~~g:
·IBM format 160013200 and 800 cpi.
· Soltware lor PC-005,MS-DOS, XENIX.
·Also lor AT&T. DEC, VAX, VME, S-100, F!S-232. IEEE 488.
Wnt1t. Pho116 or rwx tor 1rlormlllf011.
AKSystems
20741 Marilla St Ctte1swor1h.CA 91311 !818] 709·8100 TWX:910-493-2071
Circle 10 on Reader Service Card
ANGEL II Universal Print Buffer
SIXMOST USEFUL INTERFAC DEVICES IN ONE BOX
Bycombirnngalllhe!eat1.1esolamega
byte buller, an inler1ace converter, a
protocalconver1er,anautomalltAI!
swltth,atodegenetli:lr,andanlnler
raeelestenlxmostuseluiinterlaeede
vices 1nooebo~~ANGEL lt1sabufler
1n its O'lfTI class. UgNes !he ma.rmim
valuea1~10westrost, f! pr()\lldes1he
comp1e1enessandcoover.eocetolhe
ccmpuleruserlhal was neveravatlab!e
belore.ll1sttie1dealbuHerloryour1.aser
pri"lter, Planer. CAM-CAO, an<! Desijop
Ptblshmg appbm· ANGEL I DOES
IT ALL FDR YOU!
THE ANGEL II GIVES YOU THE BEST
VALUE IN '/llE MARKET TODAY!
Angelll·64K
S225.00
AngelU-256K
5325.00
Angelll·lM
$545.00
We"""'V"'-Mas~COO{oish).
TotxdlrfromlheU.S. CalTol-FreB:
1-800-263-74417
COMPllfER AGE LTD.
P.O. BOX 73U NOBLE'TOK 01\I. LI>G JNO
1-1 4161-859-0370
ANGEL \I 'S OUTSTANDING FEATURES
ard~. rCs'acas
,....., F'OWt.RUPNllGO!t aJtlltMM!r;Zt.
ThefnlWl«lll&!M1"des~a:iq:fts 5Mard51<nOala~'ll.!llo&UA
""" t W#l.SlalWllR5-2'32¥dC.nri:sC!ft«· lalS. ll.limJl!lalpcomt5~twdwn OTROSR~XM-Xdllcrstral nl l!IJSY.-ACKcoDuili»Pil'lilel t let'O!)'SQG151f~IOZQl:.1t.I
~lisa ~ ll'f:rrltbdlerN!ca"ld!lllCla"clr9'D'l11 ~twn!t. dNbl5.ft~1J1'" rtll.l MbllA b Um*~ Senal rtMWW~.,,~ °"1~~30JI0192K ~·emblilbri1J1~orn1seasy IOMllWdtslTeOIOlasl
Q...q,...-........o. .r-.... 1~0seUltn'Wtorn112tW:bb'ta"81arllD1
""
Circle 53 on Reader Service Card
... at your command
Master Switch is sophisticated yet flexible. Several computers can access one another or share printers and modems. Use serial or parallel interfaces, up to nine ports. The buffer is expandable up to one megubyte. Access a job control menu from euch computer to view the queue or cancel, hold. and release jobs. Many orher features.
Master-Net sof!ware allows OOfT1PU IC'r networking and electronic ma il capabilities fo r PCs.
Olhe r solulions from ROSE
· Printer Sharing · Protocol Conversion · Bufrering · Micro to mainframe
· Multiplexers ·Modems · Manual Swilches ·Cables
!~~/J~:~c:~::i°n~i2';~tff~~ff6f,;f'o~,~c:;:~~~,c:;;ir,1~c~.':/i~·o1J.·i11g
Oealt'r and OEM inquil"iu are welcome.
ROSE ~)
~ ~ELECTRONICS ..
PO BOX74"71 KOUITON 1X77774
CAllFORCATA\OG 713 933 7673
Circle 206on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 207)
Circle 120 on Reader Service Card
This real time MULTITASKING KERNEL
slmpllfles real life
product development
· No royalties
· · Dynamic memory
· Full source cOde included
alloca1ion
· · C interface
· · Even! Manager
· Pre-emptive scheduler
· · Semaphore Manager
· Intertask messages
· · Resource Manager
a Terminal Handler
· ' Buller Manager
AMK NOOO Op-9tw·· on ·nr M000/ 10/20 1pNm
Ct :~u=y 11!;! ~~ KADAK Ptoducts Ltd.
· Qpt1ons-asklo1pr1celist ~~~~::r~B ~IO~:;::a V6J IVS
4Sh·PP·!l9i"""dl""9 e·lr·I
TeJe1< 04-55670
AHlt·-*"'-l0tllOllO. ~IJ(J
Fa~ !604) 734-8114 TelePhOne {604l 734-2796
Circle Jl8 on Reader Service Card
5Y4" DS/DD 39c 100% CERTIFIED LIFETIME WARRANTY
Price based on quantity of 250 in bulk includes Tyvek sleeves and label kits.
800-222-0490 In NJ 201-462-7628 FAX 201-462-5658
e e 24 HOUR SHIPMENT
MEGASoft
P.O. Box 710, Freehold, NJ 07728
Full service duplication facility
Circle 140 on JU.Ur Service Card
PDK51
The $595 Solution to 8051
Product Development
The PDK51 is a powerful and economical choice for the d9"81opment of 8051-based systems. The PDK51 is used with an IBM-PC or equivalent and includes:
· SIBEC-11 8052 Basic Mlcrocontroller · SXAS1 Cross Assembler · ROM-Based Mon~orlDebugger · PROM Programmer · Pu.Yer Supplies · Documentation, Tutorial and More
Call Now! (603) 489-3232
[I] Binary Technology, Inc. Main St., P.O. Bo x 67, Meriden, NH 03770
Circle 113 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 114)
FCC APPROVED!
Sub·Mini AT! The Space Saver 3-DR. Capability &·Expansion Slots!
UNIVERSAL E(E)PRO M
PROGRAMMER $495 (Kits from $165)
· No personality modules; Menu driven de vi ct selection. ·Built-in Erascrffimcr option ($50); Conductive foam pad. · D"ucctlccbnicalsupport; fo"ull 1 yearlnlln¥nty. ·Stand aJonc duplication & vcrify (27XX parts). ·Quick pulse algoritbm(212S6 under 60 sec).
· 27nto 1 Mbi1; 2Sn:; 68.a; CMOS; EEPROMS. · 8741,·2,·4,·8,-8H,·9,·9H,-51,·CSl,·S2,·55, 9761 & more. · IBM-PC, Apple, C PM or Unix drlvrr;Autohaud RSZ32.
·Offset/split Hex:, Binary, Intel & Motorola8,16,32 bit.
· Manual wllb complele schematla.
VfSA MC AMEX
Colltodayf°'data.sltuLr.I!
B&C MICROSYSTEMS
355 WEST OLIVE AVE. SUNNYVALE, CA 94086 PH' (408) 730-5511 FAX (408) 730-5521 TELEX' 984185
Circle 20 on IUader Service Card
3112" DS/DD 1.09
Price based on quantity of 300 includes sleeves, labels and tabs.
800-222-0490 In NJ 201-462-7628
FAX 201-462-5658
e e 24 Hour Shipment
MEGASoft
P.O . Box 710 , Freehold, NJ 07728
Circle 141 on Reader SerVice Card
········ IBM PC/VT220
EM220 $169
V7220. VT/02 m111/a1io11 Fil<' Transfer 132 Column modl'S Color Support
HotK<'Y
1111 TEK 4105
EM4105 · 1ek1ro11ir 4/05 e11111/atio11
$349
7fk1ro11ix 40/0 emllllllion V7220. Vf/02 e111ulatio11
Pic111r<' files
HiRh reso/wion lwrdcopy
VGA mu/ EGA mppr111
I
Diversified Computer Systems, Inc.
3775 lrisAve., Suite 18 Boulder, CO 80301
(303)447-9251
Trmlenturlu= V1102. V7220-DEC: IBM PC. XT - IBM Corp; Tektmnir - T'*.troninl11c
Circle 75 on lUotkr Service Card
Basic System:
· 8/10MHz Speed, 0 Wait
· 3-LEDs. Reset & Turbo Swilch
· 0- 1MB on Board With 0K
· 200-Wall Power Supply
· AT Style Keyboard
· 1ea 1.2M Floppy Dis k Drive
· 1ea Floppy/H.D. Controller
· 1ea Mono Graphics Card W/Printer
· 1ea 12" TTL Amber Monitor W/Swivel Base
· Assembled & Tested
$963.00
10MHz XT Turbo Basic System:
· Baby AT Case W/Keylock
· 1ea Floppy Disk
· 4.77/lOMHz Hardware
Controller
Selectable
· 1ea Mono Graphics
· B Expansion Slots
Card W/Printer
· 0-640K on Board With OK
· 1ea 12" TIL Amber
· 150 WaIt Power Supply
Monitor W/Swivel
· XT Style Keyboard
Base
· 1ea 360K Floppy Disk Drive · Assembled & ested
$493.00
10MHz or 12MHz AT-286 Basie System:
· 6110 or 6/12 MHz Speed, · 1ea 1.2MB Floppy
0 Wait · 8 Expansion Slots
Disk Drive · 1ea Floppy & H.D.
· 0-1MB on Board With 0K
Controller
· Regular AT Slide Case or Digital Display Case
· 1ea Mono Graphcis Card W/Printer
· 200-Walt Power Supply · /fr Style Keyboard
· 1ea 12" TTL Amber
Meritor W/Swivel Base
· Assembled & Tested
Regular Case Digital Case
10MHz
93&00 959.00
12MHz
1001.00 1022.00
PERIPHERALS AT/XT
For XT
1. Floppy Disk Controller With Cable $22.50
2 . Hard Disk Controller With Cable
$72.20
3. 0 -384K Multifunction Card, OK
$86.30
4. Monochrome Graphics Printer Card $43.80
5. Color Graphics Card
$46.30
6. Color Graphics Printer Card
$50.00
7. Enhanced Graphics Adaptor (EGA) $131.10
8. Color/Monochrome Display Card $61.30
9. Parallel Printer Card
$18.80
10. Dual Game 1/0 Card
$18.80
11 . Serial 1/0 Card
$25.00
12 . Dual Serial 1/0 Card
$43.80
13. Mouse For AT/XT W/Oriver Software $61.30
14. Multi 1/0 W/Controller
$68.80
15. Multi 1/0
$56.30
16. No-Slot-Clock
$28.80
17. 576K RAM Card, OK
$35.00
18. 4.77/8MHz XT Turbo Motherboard $93.80
19. 4.77/10MHz XT Turbo Motherboard $100.00
20. XT Slide Case
$35.30
21. XT Flip Top Case
$32.90
22. Baby AT Case, XT
$ 4 7. 10
23. 150-Watt Power .Supply
$48.80
24. 150-Watt Power Supply (UL)
$68.80
For AT
25. Floppy/H.D. Controller W/Cables $156.30
26. 128K RAM Card, OK
$68.80
27. 2MB EMS RAM Card. OK
$123.80
28. Serial/Parallel Card
$46.30
29. 6/10MHz AT Motherboard, O Wait $331.30
30. 6/12MHz AT Motherboard, O Wait $393.80
3 1. 8/10MHz Mini AT Motherboard, 0 Wail $362.50
32. AT Slide Case
$64.70
33. AT Slide Case W/Digital Display
85.90
34. Mini AT Slide Case
61 .20
35. 200 Watt Power Supply
81.30
36. 200-Watt Power Supply (UL)
95.00
37. 200-Watt Power Supply For Mini AT 78.80
ORDER HOT LINE 1·800·543-5107
Technical Information (714) 990-2097 Hours: Mon. · Fri. 9:00 am - 6:00 pm PST
Please w rite for our complete price list.
JAWIN COMPUTER PRODUCTS
~ 565 W. Lambert Rd., #C i..-.
~ Brea, CA 92621
lllliiliiill
Terms: Please add 5% (or $2.00. whichever is higher)plus .251
lor each $100 00 CA residents please add 6% sales lax. we accept VISA/MC/Cash . Personal checks please allow 2 weeks to clear. All merchandise is warranted for 1 year unless otherwise slaled.
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 271
,, .
I
$145/195
LOW COST PC/XT/AT INTERFACE FOR IEEE-488 (GPIB/HPIB)
· Includes INSTALLl\BLE DOS DEVICE DRIVERS
and software supporl Cor BASIC
· ~~~o:sisl~~f~(\; ~u~.ft' ror C, PASCAL, t'<JRTRAN
· Sck:ctablc base 110 addrcs.s, IRO and OMA
: ~~s7::c~;~p~;,TJald~~~~l;~~~~~r~ ~~~t~ii?rosy· Mems BULLETIN 801\RD
· Ouanlity discounis available
VISA MC AMEX
Calltoday/ord0fasl11:ct.'!
B&C MICROSYSTEMS
VMEbus
Multibus I & 11 I·
1:
S-100 bus
I ·
Ir
To achieve performance, you need a performance bus. To find out the latest information on any of the above buses, you need
SUPERMICRO
the magazine for integrators and users of VME, Multibus, and 5-100.
SUPERMICRO. PO Box 2089, Pro.o, UT 84603
To find out how you can receive a trial issue, circle the number below.
Circu 21 on Reader Service Card
, ~.
Dealers !
Network-OS LAN Systems - Includes Boards, Cabling, Terminators and Software. Two-user hardware and software for under $1,000 list!
Close-Up Remote Communications - Support your customer without leaving your office. Authored by Cogitate for Norton-Lambert!
Context Sensitive Help for DataF/ex, PM/
COBOL. Clipper and dBase Ill - Puts your application's documentation "on line."
Dataflex Database Management - True MultiUser database for MS/PC-DOS, Unix and Xenix. Site licensing available.
Dump/Restore-XT- Seven utilities for the MS/ PC-DOS user.
Call or write today for our catalog and p1icingl COGITATE, INCORPORATED "A Higher Form of Software" 24000 Telegraph Road Southfield, M 48034 (313) 352-2345/Telex: 386581 VissjMs.ste1Card Accepted
Cin:k 48 on Reader Seniice Card
Cin:le 227 on Reader Service Card
9TRACK TAPE SYSTEM
·Mainframe to PC Data Transfer · High Speed Backup ·All Soltware. Complete Syslem ·Service and Support. easy
Installation call (818) 343·6505 or write to: Contech Com..,ter Corp. P.O. Box 153 Tarzana. Calif. 91356
CONTECH
Cin:le 62 on Reader Service Card
· 2400, 1200. 300 Baud Async Modem ·Hayes·AT" Command Set ·CCITTV.22bls, V.22& Bell212N103Compatble ·Auto Answer/Auto Dial · Corrpact Size · Programmable non-volitile phone number
memory, user configuration &speaker volume
Order Now Toll Free
U SA:S00-533-8049 CA:S00-624-5628
" EXACT TERMINAL EMULATION AND COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE" · PRECISEEM ULATION OF THE
DECVT52, VT100, VT102. VT220 · EXPANSION MODULES FOR
OVER 40 EXACT EMULATIONS · 9 FILE TR ANSFER PROTOCOLS. · EASY TO USE, QUICK TO
INSTALL, AN DMUCH MORE · IBM PC , XT, AT. PS/2
FOR INFORMATION 800/548-9TI7
SCmlONICS 3031593-9540 TELEX 450236
IMAGING CARD
DV-01 GRAYSCALE FRAME GRABBER
Composite video in/out 256 x 240 resolution Digitize/display at frame speed 256 gray levels in 16 Meg. color palette out PCIXT/AT compatible
1;;;,;a1v;Si;;;, ·;: ·
$849.00 Complete with software
P.O. Box 596, Pittsburg, KS 66762 (316)231-6647
Cin:le 63 on Reader Service Card
OPTICAL DISKS
~~S~Rp~V~
as featured In PC WEEK 4126/88 · 800MB storage on single disk · connecting to any host via SCSi interface · Plui'n Play to any operating system
only :i>4995 Limited time only
PANASONIC LSSOOO
$2495 200 MB
OPTICAL MEDIA
For IBM & Panasonic Optical
Drives - $52
We carry a full line of 51/4" & 12" Optical Drives
SKAN TEKNOLOGIES, INC. optical storage systems
(212) 809-5570 (516)295-2237
Cin:le 217 on Reader Seniice Card
Attoche1 out1lde
Now get popular speech technciogies in ONE pro- ductl Speech Thing is a rull-leolured 8 bit DIA sound converter. Easily attaches outside the computer-no slots required. Software includes prerecorded speech vocabularies. synthetic text to speech (speaks any ASCII text), demo programs, and com plete editing lectures. Price only S69.95. Also ovoiloble. Voice Mosler PC plug in board ror dlgllol recording, editing, ond VOICE RECOGNITION. (11& quires Speech Thing tor sound output.) Only 579.95. Patented price/performance br&akthroughsl TO ORDER BY MAIL Include S4 shipping &. handling CS6 Canada, 512 overseas) per order. Visa, Master Card phone orders accepted. 30 day money bock guarantee. one year warranty. Other voice 1/0 sys tems available for Apple, Commodore, and Atari computers.
@ Coll or write !oc:iov !or FRH Producl Catalog COVOX INC. (50 3) 342-12 71 6 75 Conger SI. . Eugene. Oregon 97 402
Circle 64 on Reader Service Card
REAL VOICE Digital Recording
for your PC, XT. AT or Compatible
·VOICE MAIL SYSTEM ·TELEMARKETING
- Inbound & Outbound
·SMARTEST ANSWERING MACHINE
·AUTODIALER-DATABASE ·VOICEPAD' "
- Voice for your Programs
·PROGRAMMER'S TOOLKIT
-(optional '79"') 'h card , software, cables. and speaker
s23goo + s s/h (415) 652-9600
Talking Technology, Inc. 4383 Piedmont Ave. Suite B
Oaktend. CA 946 r1
Circle 233 on IWzder Se1'11ice Card
HD64180 Single Board
Protyping I Control Computer
Get your 64180 project going quickly!
The SBC JOO is a complete computer powered by a wall transformer. Available C compiler, assemb ler, linker and debugger run on a PC. Has banery-backed RAM, battery-backed clock, power fail interrupl. SBX bus
connectors, se rial and parallel 1/0, prototype area ror up
to 20 [C's. Only $295 including se ri al cable, power supply, 32k of bauery backed RAM and schematics.
Z-World
1772A Picasso A venue Davis. CA 95616
(916) 753-3722 "ZBO Family Specialists"
In Ge rmany: iSystcm 08 131/1687
Circle 259 on IWzder Service Card
Circle 215 on Reader Se1'11ice Card
See how well you can pro gram for
ZBO or HD64180
This professional, IBM-PC based,compiler is a com
plete implementation of the ·c· language for the zao
or HD64180 microprocessor. Includes features such as: function prototyping, 31-characler names. single precision floaling point, full library source, MBO-LBO
·c· and SLR Systems compatibility, etc. Hi-TechTM
has been established for years in Australia. Pricing from $295.00. We also have Z80/H064180 co·proc essor cards for IBM-PC and PC/AT. Call for a full catalog of Microprocessor development tools.
Z-World
1772A Picasso Ave. Davis, CA 95616 (916) 753-3722
"ZBO Specialists"
In Germany: iSystem Tel: 0813111687
Circle 260rm IWzder SerVite C~
2 9Circle 81 on Reader Service Card
TYVEK S"LWEIETVHES"
~
1000+
ea.
lOLK 5~,f DISKS
Double Side-Double Den.
1003 Tested &Certified Error Free,
at "Minimum 553 Clippin~ Level or Higher'."'Lifetime Warran y·; With
Tyvek Sleeves &Write on Labels
100
.38c
each
200
.35c
each
600
.32c
each
DEALERS WELCOME
Telex ~4933362· Fax #405·495·4598
Shipping Charges Vary With Quantitv Call
Die~ -·~
Do<n"':l:re 1·800 ·45H84g
~e01t1t11~ ec [Oo"t:f,a,:a~N·OcvIOniot~>o8ll10'10·8.8llsH05..0,.rT·,604o2C o1nso·6ca.221
PO"°' 1,JM LilS\IC C4S , "" H 112
~(j~~~q~~,J~~~~~~~y~t~cM~fr'?o~~c~~~~
AK,Hl. 0 1 PR <tdd ~~ addll1ooa1 IOr PAL
3NI
5Ji
580·
R~~ 95Jt 85!J 79j
· ~~~. 175!1 165!1 16Q_O
"Worldwide" Orders Accepted
QBLJAALSIMFETR~ IC~
SAFEWARE® Insurance provides full replacement of hardware, media and purchased software. As little as $39/yr. covers:
· Fire · Theft · Power Surges · Earthquake · Water Damage · Auto Accident
For information or immediate coverage call:
1-800-848-3469
Jn Ohio ca/11-614-262-0559
t )
SAFEWARE. The /11sura11ce Agl.'ltCl' /11c.
Circle 210 on Rloder Service Card
11624 · l4-Une dlgit21 VO; IO MHz 8255.
$95
AD500 · 8 channel IZ-bir (plus sign) inregr·ling AID:
programmable gains of I. IO, & 100. lli·Z inpur and 7
digit21 Unes.
$239
ADIOO ·Single channel version o( AD500 with 10 digilal
Lines.
$149
AD200 · 4 channel, IZ5 uS. IZ-bir AID board.
$239
ADA300 · 8 channel. Z5 uS, 8·bir AID: single DiA: l4 m
VO Lines (IQ MHz 8Z55).
$239
DA600 · Fast senling dual Iz.bir DIA
$169
PD200 · Proro~iieidevelopmenr board ·ilh address decoder.
buffer: 100 + page appUc:irioniproiecr manual.
$99
XB40 · l'<rem:il connecrioniprorol)pe bo.inl ·'ill c:ible. $4 9
G: Allboords indude BASIC. Pascal. and Forth drit~.
:11 day rrlum; I Y""' uYirranty. Cal/for "Real World
/nJerfacing" application notes.
Real Time Devices, Inc.
P.O. Box 906 State College, PA 16804
(8141 234-8087
Circle 205 on Reader Se1'11ice Card
"INTERNATIONAL ORDERS ACCEPTED"
TELEX#4933362 · FAX#405.495.459g
AUGUST 1988 · B YT E 273
WE OFFER: 1. Same Day Service - All orders
shipped, insured, within 24 hrs
2. Guaranteed Satisfaction - Lifetime
warranty, 30-day return guarantee 3. In-stock Inventory - No delays,
no disappointments
4. No Minimum Order - Quantity
discounts also available
5. Pre-Approved Purchase
Orders and Visa & Master
Card Accepted
AND GREAT PRICES! 5.25 Black Disks, OS/DD .. 5.25 Color Disks. 8 Colors
Available, OS/DD .. .. .. . 5.25 Black Disks, OS/HD . 5.25 Color Disks, 8 Colors
Available, OS/HD . ..... . 3.5 Blue or Gray Disks,
OS/DD ............. . 3.5 Color Disks, 5 Colors
Available, OS/DD ..... . 3.5 High Density, Black
only .. ..... . ....... .
.36 ea. .46 ea.
.82 ea. .94 ea.
1.12 ea.
1.28 ea.
3.80 ea.
100% certified and tested.
Error free lifetime warranty. All disks
include generic white box, Tyvek
sleeves, labels, write protect tabs,
shrink wrapped.
CONTINUOUS FORM LABELS
Si2e
Across Box Oty. Price/1,000
23/4 x 7/16 1 across 10,000 $1.95
23/4 x 7/16 4 across 20,000 $1.95
2112 x 15116 1 across 5,000 $2.18
2112 x 15116 3 across 15,000 $1.98
23/4 x 23/4· 1 across 2,500 $12.00
23/4 x 1-7/16 1 across 5,000 $3.00
3 x 15/16 4 across 20,000 $2.00
3.3 x 15116 4 across 20,000 $2.05
3112 x 15116 1 across 5,000 $1.90
3112x.15/16 2 across 10,000 $1.90
3112 x 15116 3 across 15,000 $1.90
3112 x 15116 4 across 20,000 $1.90
4 x 15116
1 across 5,000 $3.21
4 x 15116 3 across 15,000 $3.21
4 x 1-7116 1 across 5,000 $3.25
4 x 1-7/16 3 across 15,000 $3.25
Prices quoted for full boxes only. · Designed for the 3112· disk.
"The Quality Disk & Label Specialist
Since 1982"
1040 Broadway
Westville, NJ 08093
609-456-6996
FAX# 609-456-7172
All products assembled in the U.S.A.
All orders F.O.B. Westville, NJ
C.O.D. orders add $2.20
274 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
PC488B
$445
IEEE-488 INTERFACE CARD WITH
BUILT - IN BUS ANALYZER
· GPBASJC package complemcofs IBM / Microsoft BASIC interpreter and compiler lo crcalc a programming environment slmllar to HP desktop computu1.
· Additional libraries 0£ over 20 high level 488 dcdicaled funclions for C, Pascal or Fortl..navailablc(SSO).
·Powerful meoU·drlvco bus aoalyur, which can run in the foreground or in 1hc background while 488 programs or commands arc cxcculcd, features program stepping. break points and real time bus data aaptun:: (4k arcular burfer).
· Instant toggling bclwccn foreground and Analyur scrtta.
: iii;~~~ !i!!~s~~r~Cd0d'r1:1~~Q.b:~Y·
VISA MC AMEX
Callroday/ordara sheer!I
B&C MICROSYSTEMS
35 5 Wes'
JR (408)7
' 94086
X 9841111
· "INDISPENSABLE" Ii
Jerry Pournelle, Byte, 8/87
Vopt is the fast, safe disk
organizer. It will quickly eliminate the file fragmen
: ' '
tation that slows your disk :>
operations.
Vopt includes Vmap for '
viewin!iJ the organization of I· your disks plus numerous other utilities that test and .· report on the efficiency of your system.
Call for a free demo disk!
,
$59.95
$3 shipping/handling CAadd6.5%salestax.
GOLDEN BOW SYSTEMS
1
2870 FIHh Ave., Suite 201 San Diego, CA 92103
800/284-3269
..
la:-1.
· ~.. ....
. .
h
,
, llt ·
. . .·.~.....,.
' Curves, ellipses ' User defined library
· Any size symbols · Paper size to 34" x 44"
' Pop-up menus
'WYSIWYG
' Automatic PANning to scan dra ing quickly
' Hercules monochrome, CGA, EGA
' IBM/EPSON, NEC, OKIDATA, HP LaserJet
' HP·GL, OM/PL, SweeIP plotters
I~ ~ ~
Oaytron Eleclronics
·dd s&h ($4 USA, $20 forc;g.) 610 S. Sherman,#1()4
~exas residents add 8% ule. tu Rkhardson, Tx 75081
CALL 1-214-669-2137
Find ru I-ow cu whole family of EMU-TEK graphics terminal emulacion
software makes good sense for che work you do. Call today for more informmion.
(714) 995-3900
(800) 962-3900 (800) 972-3900 (Calif.) IOBOI Dale Sc., Suite M-2 Stanton, CA 90680
PAUEPROM PROGRAMMER CARD
Pin MMI. NS, Tl, AMO, AL TERA. CYPRESS, RICOH, and PANATEC PALS. Supparls EPLD po!arily, RA, and sharec product term types. ·Functions Include: Reac Write, Verify, Protect, Edit, P1int, and File load and save of program. .JEOEC supported. ·Software Included
·Lqvnanne 1sa1 L:>l\nZ·L:>Mn
6 Channels at 100 Mhz ·Internal Clock up to 100 Mhz ·External Clock up to 25 Mhz
E= ·Threshold Voltage TIL. ECL nr v.:iri.:ihlP lrnm ·rn In .i.1nv
Vdl1;;lld!;I\ MUUl!Jlt! CUdlU:
·All Sollware Included
CALL NOW FOR ORDERS AND
TECHNICAL INFO (201) 994-6669
Link Computer Graphics, Inc. 4 Sparrow Dr..
Livingston, NJ 07039. fLX: 9102409305 LINK COMPUTER
UTNR.MI\... MAM
1048Kx9 100 ns :i;ouu.oo 1048Kx1 100 ns 36.25 256Kx1 60 ns 16.00 256Kx1 80 ns 15.30 256Kx1 100 ns 14.50
* 256Kx1 100 ns 15.50
256Kx1 120 ns 13.25 2s6Kx1 150 ns 11.75 + 64Kx4 120 ns 16.95
EPROM
128Kx8 200 ns 64KxB 200 ns 32Kx8 250 ns 16Kx8 250 ns
STATIC RAM
l~?c;~, - " 12Kx8 120 ns
6264P-12 BKxB 120 ns
SAT O£UYEm Mu18'Cardl\ll.$A Of UPS CASH COO
..a.UDEDoo Factory New, Prime Parts .uPoo
~~ MICA~ROCESSOAS UNLIMITED. INC.
..(918) 267·4961 i· ~~~s o~.~::" 11t· "'"'.. · 1
Fr: ,., S1tu5l1
11
No mi nim.um o,dor. PtNH r.- II';;&! prclfl
ll.cjtel ~
ct'1W1Q1 ~ & ll'!Mlanctmulr&,&'41110 S IJoio~~ OnSe9~by II PM CSTcan1111L.1.1111 ~ bolockt~ i.ta. nulll!Omlng, vW F.o.al ~~
A1r @ '6.00.0t~MCllnulU.,Pr\cdy0- 61- J 'I0..::$1
Circk 148 on ~OIUr Service Card
The Amazing A-BUS
An A-BUS system with two Motherboards
A-BUS adapter (IBM) In foreground
Plug into the future
With the A-BUS you can plug your PC (IBM, Apple, TRS-80) into a future of exciting new applications in the fields of control, monitoring, automation, sensing, robotics, etc.
Alpha's modular A-BUS offers a proven method to build your "custom" system today. Tomorrow, when you are ready to take another step, you will be able to add more functions This is ideal for first time experimenting and teaching.
A-BUS control can be entirely done in simple BASIC or Pascal, and no knowledge of electronics is required'
An A-BUS system consists of the A-BUS adapter plugged into your computer and a cable to connect the Adapter to 1 or 2 A-BUS cards. The same cable will also fit an A-BUS Motherboard for expansion up to 25 cards in any combination.
The A-BUS is backed by Alpha 's continuing support (our 11th year, 50000 customers in over 60 countries).
The complete set of A-BUS User's Manuals is available for $10.
About the A-BUS:
· All the A-BUS cards are very easy to use with any language that can read or write to a Port or Memory. In BASIC. use INP and OUT(or PEEK and POKE with Apples and Tandy Color Computers) · They areall compatible with each other.You can mix and match up to 25 cards to fit your application Card addresses are easily set with jumpers · A-BUS cards are shipped with power supplies (except PD-123) and detailed manuals (including schematics and programming examples).
Relay Card
RE-140: s129
Includes eight industrial relays. (3 amp contacts. SPST) individually
controlled and latched. 8 LED's show status. Easy to use (OUTor POKE in
BASIC). Card address is jumper selectable.
Reed Relay Card
RE-156: $99
Same features as above. but uses 8 Reed Relays to switch lowlevel signals
(20mA max). Use as a channel selector . solid state relay driver, etc.
Analog Input Card
AD-142: s129
Eight analog inputs. 0 to +5V range can be expanded to 1OOV by adding a
resistor. 8 bit resolution (20mV). Conversion time 120us. Perfect to
measure voltage, temperature. light levels. pressure. etc. Very easy to use.
1 2 Bit A/D Converter AN-146: s139
This analog to digital converter is accurate to .025%. Input range is -4V to
+4V. Resolution: 1 millivolt. The on board amplifier boosts signals up to50 times to read microvolts. Conversion time is 130ms. Ideal for thermocouple. strain gauge, etc.1 channel. (Expand to 8 channels using the RE · 156 card)
Digital Input Card
1N-141 : $59
The eight inputs are opt ically isolated. so it's safe and easy to connect any
"on/off" devices. such as switches. thermostats. alarm loops. etc. to your
computer. To read the eight inputs. simply use BASIC INP (or PEEK).
24 Line TTL 1/0
oG-148: $65 ·
Connect 24 input or output signals (switches or any TIL device) to your
computer. The card ca n be set for: input. latched output. strobed output.
strobed input. and/or bidirectional strobed 1/0. Uses the 8255A chip.
Clock with Alarm
cL-144: $89
Powerful clock/calendar with: battery backup for Time. Date and Alarm
setting(time and date): built in ala rm relay, led and buzzer: timing to 11100
second. Easy to use decimal format. Lithium battery included.
Touch Tone® Decoder PH-145: s19
Each tone is convertedint oa number which is stored on th eboard. Simply
read the number with INP or POKE. Use for remotecontrol projects. etc.
A·BUS Prototyping Card PR-152: s15
3'h by 41h in. with power and ground bus. Fits up to 1O l.C.s
ST-1 43 CL·144 RE-140 IN -141
AD-142
Smart Stepper Controller sc-149: s299
World's finest stepper controller. On board microorocessor controls 4
motors simultaneously Incredibly. it accepts plain English commands like
"Move arm 10.2 inches le ft". Many complex sequences can be defined as
"macros" and stored in the on board memory.For each axis.you can control:
coordinate (relative or absolute). ramping, speed. step type (half. full. wave).
scale factor, units. holding power. etc. Many inputs: 8 limit & "wait until "
switches. panic button. etc. On the fly reporting of position. speed.etc. On
boarddrivers(350mA) for small steppers(M0-103).Send for SC· 149 flyer.
Remote Control Keypad Option
RC- 121 : $49
To control the 4 motors directly, and "teach" sequences of motions.
Power Driver Board Option
PD-123: $89
Boost controller drive to 5 amps per phase. For two motors (eight drivers).
Breakout Board Option
BB-122: $19
For easy connection of 2 motors. 3 ft. cable ends with screw terminal board.
Stepper Motor Driver
sT-143: s19
Stepper motors are the ultimate in motion control. Thespecia l package
(below) includes everything you need to get familiar with them. Each card
drives two stepper motors (12V. bidirectional. 4 phase. 350 mAper phase).
Speci a l Package: 2 motors (M0-103) + ST-143 PA-1 8 1 : $99
Stepper Motors M0-103: $15 o r4fo r$39
Pancake type, 2'1·" dia. 'I·" shaft. 7.5' /steo. 4 phase bidirectional. 300
step/sec. 12V, 36 ohm, bipolar. 5 oz-in torque.sa meas Airpax K82701 ·P2.
Current Developments
Intelligent Voice Synthesizer. 14 Bit Analog to Digital converter,4 Channel
Digital to Analog converter. Counter Timer. Voice Recognition.
A-BUS Adapters for:
IBM PC . XT. AT and compatibles. Uses one short slot Tandy 1000,1000 EX & SX, 1200, 3000. Uses oneshort slot
Apple 11, 11 +. lie. Uses anv sl ot
TRS-80 Model 102, 200 Plugs into 40 pin "svstem bus"
Model 100. Uses40 pinsocket (Socket isduplicated on adaoterl. TRS-80 Mod 3.4.4 D. Fits 50 oinbus. (With hard disk.useY·cablel TRS-80 Model 4P. Includes exlracable. 150 pin bus isrecessed) TRS-80 Model I. Plugs into 40 pin 1/0 bus on KB or E/1. Color Computers (Tandy).Fits ROM slot. Multipak or Y·cable.
AR· 133..$69 AR-133. ..$69 AR-134 ...$49 AR - 136 ... $6 9 AR-135 ...$69 AR-132 .. $49 AR-137$62 AR-131.$39 AR-138...$49
A-BUS Cable (3 ft, 50 cond .) CA-163: $24
Connects the A-BUS adapter to one A-BUS card or to first Motherboard.
Special cable for two A-BUS cards:
CA-162: $34
A- BUS Motherboard
MB-120: $99
Each Motherboard holds five A-BUS cards. A sixth connector allows a
second Motherboard to be added to the first (with connecting cable CA·
161: $12) Up to five Motherboards can be joined this way to a single A
BUS adapter Sturdy aluminum frame and card guides included.
Add $3.00 per o·der l or shipping ,
Visa, MC, c hecks , M .O. we lcome. CT & NY rea ldent e add salH tax. C.O.D. ad d $3.00 e><l ra.
Canada: shipping Is $5 Overseas ad d 10%
~
.s;o.,···dusrrto·Como··r
ALPHA fPrl@?@Gn©flgJ
242- B We st Aven ue, Darte n, CT 06820
Technical info:
(203) 656-1806
~~e~;~no~~y 800 2 21 ·091 6
Connecticut orders: (203) 348·9436
All lines open weekdays 9 to 5 Eastern time
Circle 12 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · B Y T E 275
urcte tY on tceaaer "erv1ce Lara
.
D scover the Difference ..·
2 FiYil't LIFETIME WARRANTY
.I Pkg'd in 6 different co lors, bulk or boxed ,/ 100% tested and certified .I Guaranteed clipping level of 65% or above
.I Includes tyvek envelopes (not paper), write protect tabs and user labels
.t Quality at affordable prices
5-1/4" · 48 TPI OS-DD
.49
BULK COLOR OR GRAY
OS-HD 96 TPI IBM-AT Compatible
.90
.59
BOXED COLOR
.99
, Ir.CENTEClf® PreAmmiue~riQcau'as lity Color Diskettes
.I TIMELESS WARRANTY
.I 75%+ clipping level quaranteed
,/ Each disk 100% tested and ce11ilied
.I 18 COLORS for data organization
.I Pkgs. include sleeves. w/p tabs. & ID labels
5-114'' - 48 TPI
OS-HD 96 TPI
OS-DD
.84
1 39 IBM-AT Compatible
PLASTIC STORAGE BOX
COLOR
·
.63
BULK COLOR
1.15
3-1/2" · 135 TPI OS-DO COLOR
1.75
PL ASTIC STORAGE BOX
3-1/2" -135 TPI BLACK OS-HD
4.50
BASF
5- 1/ 4 " 48 TPI
OS-HD 96 TPI IBM-AT Compatible
.98
3-1/2" OS-DD
1.39
Call for best prices on Data
Cartridges elikan Ribbons
l~l'°~J~ 5-1/4" · 48 TPI
OS-DD
'.l ~~ M-ADT SCo-HmpDa9t6iTblPeI
.79 ~. -1°'" =- 1.50
I
Nasfiua
5-1/4"· 48 TPI OS-DD
.50
TERMS: P.O. orders accepted, government and schools on
net30. SHIPP ING: U.S. orders add $3.00 per 100 diskettes
or fraction thereof, add $3.00 for COD orders.
PRICE' PROMISE: We will better any lower delivered price
on the same products and quantities adve11ised nationally.
~ u
1-·..c l.
:·-,~1-r
1,·
r -~·
=-------
"
Toll Free Order Line:
Information Line:
1-800-233-2477 1-801-561-0092
- - ~ 1SC INTERNATIONAL
SUPPLY COMPANY 1376 W. 8040 S. /WEST JORDAN, UT 84088
HRS: 8 AM TO 5 PM (MTN. TIME)
276 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
8051 SIMULATOR 11
for lhe IBM·PCIXT or Z8IJ CP/M microcompuler
s99
The 8051SIM sollwore package ossisls in !he debug
of 8051 microcomputer programs.
8051SIM is a screen oriented, menu and command
II
driven program thol simulat es the Intel 8051 family
at single chip microcomputers. II accepts lnlel HEX lites
(produced by most cross assemblers) and features
Memory display/modify, Trace. and Single Step
commands.
By providing the programmer with on interactive
method of developing 8051 programs, 8051SIM
speeds up !he development proGess without lhe ex
pense and physical limitations of on in·circuil
emulator.
8051SIM con prove invaluable when learning the
instruction set. sinceinslruc!ionscon be executed in·
leroclively. and !he effects ore immediately apparent
on !he display.
f f i CALL TODAY FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION~
HiTech Equipment Corporation
Q560 Block Mounlain Rood. Son Diego. CA Q2126
For lmmedlale Aclion Call:
619-566-1892
Circle 104 on RetUkr Serviee Card
Get the whole
stoiyon graphics
terminal emulation.
To find out more about software that lets your PC emulate TEKTRONIX"' 41DS/6/7/9 a n d DECVTIOO"'terminals, call or write:
Cl GRAFPOlnT
4.340 Stevens Creeks Blvd., Suite 280, San J<>Se. CA 95129 (4081 249-7951
Circle 96 on RetUkrServiee Card
Dear Advertiser, Great News!!!
Now you can advertise your clients pro ducts to over 20 million potential customers Nationwide on our Electronic Horne - shopping service. Also thru our Customer Access Machines. 24 hrs a day, seven days a week . No cost for use by user. Just buy, buy,
Nationwide!!!
Space is ·short Cost is $149.95 per Screen Regularly $395.95 per screen.
Send Ad Copy and Check to:
WorldWide Services
6925 Unio n Park Suite 300
Salt Lake City, Utah 84047
or Call 1-800-228-0640
Circle 251 on Reader Service Card
GANG/SET ( E) EPROM
Modol tJS-Eo s995oo·
°'"°""°"' $34s·
MULTIPROGRAMMERS TM
· Model 135 isoSET Progrommer,GANGOuplicolor, & UNIVERSAL Device Programmer.
· Progromsvirlually oll 24, 28, & 32-pin (EJEPROMs.
· RAM expandable lo 2MegoByle. · Oplional support for 40-pin EPROMs, Bipolar
PROMs, 40-pin Micros, & (E)PlD/GAl/fPlA
Devices.
· J8.Mon1h WARRANTY & 12.Monlh FREE Device
Updates.
1-800-523-1565
In Florido: 1-40 7 -994-3520
1l:11t.l'
l.l
n..a...Sllfltl
·
BYTEK Cor poration 1021 S. lloqe.rs.CJ,., Boco
Rolon,
Fl
33487
FAX:1407) \19·-l6 ISTele." 4996369 BYTEK
· !U.S. Prices onlvl
Circle 34 on Reader Service Card
ATTENTION p·cad USERS
No w you can in c rea se t he produ ct
ivit y of yo ur software by using the
n ew ...
RAPICAD buffer/decoder.
Two buffers in one unit w ith parallel
and se r ial in/out. Up to 1 Meg total
memory.
NO EXTERNAL DECODER
needed any more ... be cause
RAPICAD is fully pcad box compati
ble and software transparent, allow
ing the u se of p·cad and any other
.z ·.
software with any printer, plotter,
laser, etc.
Prices as low as $995.00
It
INTECTRA Inc.
2629 Terminal Blvd .
Mtn. View, CA 94043
,,
(415) 964-5018
,~ ............................ .......
,,
Dear Retailer,
Great News!!! Now you can sell your products to over 20 million potential home personal computer users using our Electronic Home Shopping Network .. .
Nationwide Ill Personal Computer Owners beginning in June will be able to access our Network Free! !! to purchase products·of all types. No $5.00 per hour charge, plus registration fees. Just buy, buy, and buy. 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, all from the comfort of their home.
Act Now!!! Space is Short. *No upfront costs!
"A 5% fee is added to each Item ordered.
Call Now!!!
1· 8 0 0 · 2 2 8· 0 6 4 0
WorldWide Services 6925 Union Park Suite 300 Salt Lake City, Utah 84047
Circle 252 on ReaderService Card
OPTION A 12" Mono Amber Monitor Graphics Card w/par port
s51900
OPTION B
640 x 200 Color Monitor Graphics Card w/par port
OPTION C
12" Mono Amber Monitor Graphics Card w/par pOfl
20 Meg Hard Drive
sa1900
OPTION A AT
12" Mono Amber Monilor Graphics Card w/par porl
rf' ~t1.'-1.
PRINTERS
" " PANASONIC KXP1080I 144CPS . .199 KXP10911 192CPS . .229 KXP10921 240CPS . .379
Tractors - Sheet Feeders
CITIZEN
1800 180CPS 9 Pin 10" .199
MSP15E 160CPS 9 Pin 15 " 369
MSP40 250CPS 9 Pin 10" 369
Cables - Ribbons Available
EPSON 3V2 DISK DRIVE
· In 51/· Mounting · 720K
s9900
10 101 s9200
150 WATT POWER SUPPLY
· Direct PC Replacement
s5900
EVEREX MEMORY & 10 CARDS
EV138 0-576K ~or XT . . EV173 Par/Ser/Clock 0-1 Meg XT . EV173A Par/Ser 0-1 Meg AT .. EV159 RAM 3000 Lotus/Intel 0-3 Meg . EV170 LO . Par/Ser/Clock ............ . EV659 EGA 640 x 350 Auto Switching .
8900 . 10900
7900
.11900 6900
. . 14900
EVEREX TAPE BACKUPS
40MB Mini Cartridge, 1.8MB/min, XT
.. 35900
40MB Mini Car1ridge, 3.6MB/min, AT.. ..
.35900
40MB Streaming Cassette, 5MB/min w/cont. ... . ... 53900
60MB Streaming Cassette, 5MB/min w/cont. ..... 61900 60MB Streaming Cartridge, 5MB/min w/Full cont . . .. 77900
125MB Streaming Cartridge, 5MB/min w/ Full cont ... 95900
External Add 19500
HARD DRIVES &)>Seagate
COMPLETE KITS ST225 20Meg w/cont. & Cables .. ST238 30Meg w/cont. & Cables. ST251 40Meg 1/z HT 40 Mil w/soltware ST251-1 40Meg, 2.8 Mil Sec ST4026 20Meg Full HT 40 Mil . ST4096 80Meg Full HT w/soltware .
.. .279" . .29900
..... 37900
.47900 . .27900 . ... 69900
MODEMS
~VERE>r
EV-920 EverCom 12 300/1200 bps . EV-940 Internal 300/1200/2400 EV-945 External 300/1200/2400 .
Mead I Hayes Compatible 1200 Baud w/Bitcom 5 yr. Warranty . 1200 Baud External, 5 yr. Warranty . 2400 Baud Internal. 5 yr. Warranty .
7400 ... 15900
.23900
6900 9900 . . . .. 129'"
640 K 200 Color Monitor Graphics Card w/par port
12" Mono Amber Monitor Graphics Card w/par par!
20 Meg Hard Drive
s139900
MONITORS
GOLDSTAR EGA 640 x 350
SAMSUNG 12 " Monochrome Amber . 14" RGB Color 640 x 200 . 14" EGA Multi sync .
. ... 7900 . . 24900
. ......... 44900
RAM UPGRADES
4164 150 NS, 64 x 1 . 4164 120 NS, 64 x 1 . 4164 100 NS , 100 NS, 64K x 1 41256 150 NS, 256K x 1 . 41256 120 NS, 256K x 1 . 41256 100 NS, 256K x 1 .. 4464 150 NS, 64K x 4 . 1Meg 100 NS, 1048 x 1.
. .. .3"
3" .. 4" .. 12" .1345
.13" . ..... 1215
. .. 3900
INTEL COPROCESSORS
Intel 8087 5Mhz
9900
Intel 8087 8Mhz .
Intel 80287 6Mhz .
. . : : ,,.~{,*-" ·
. .... 14900 . . 11900
Intel 80287 8Mhz.
. ~i."f1>-'""" .
Intel 80287 1OMhz
'1-0 .,11>-.,.
Intel 8038716Mhz . ······ -J' ,.. ··· ·
.23900 .... .28900 ..... 47800
Intel 80387 20Mhz .
... 77900
SIMM RAM UPGRADES
LETTER QUALITY PRINTER
Why pay $1149 far a C.llah
STARWRITERTM F-10
When our 40 cps letter quality daisywheel printer from the same manufacturer is only
100 for $249
These printers were originally priced to sell at over $1100. Through a special arrangement MEAD has purcha sed these units from a major computer manufacturer and is ottering these printers at a fraction of their original cost.
· 6 ft. Serial Cable.
· AT or XT RS232/Serial Interface · Bidirectional Tractor . · Cut Shee t Feeder
Lisi 24900
TANDON
160K FLOPPY DRIVE
· TM 100-1A · 160K · IBM Pkg & Instructions
Mead 89DD
List 199DD Mead 3900
OKI DISK DRIVE
· 360K IBM Compatible
· 511<'', 1/3 Height · 90 Day Warranty
List 19900
Mead 4900
800-654-7762
SALES; 7 a.m.- 6 p.m. PST
702-294-0204
CUS IUMER SERVICE I ORDER STATUS : 9 a.m.-4 p.m. PST
FAX 702-294-1168
.. $ 1900 3900
14900 19900
· 40 CPS · Accepts Paper to 15 inches · Form Length and Pitch Set from Conrol Panel · Industry compatible ribbon. printwheels and control commands
· RS232 Serial Interface
10 MEG HARD DRIVE
COGITO
· 1/2 Height · 65 Mil Sec.
list 29900
Mead 10900
Add 7QDD wlcontroller
MITSUBISHI FLOPPY DRIVE
1.2 MEG
· Black Face · 1 Year Warranty
LISI 9900
Mead7900
EPSON OR IBM
PRINTER STANDS
list 39°0
Mead 1900
DATA CARTRIDGE
~c:O
3M COMPATIBLE
S9 ea
· DC 300 XLP · 45 Meg or Less · lndiv. Wrapped
Lisi 3900
Mead 1400
NO SURCHARGE FOR MC/VISA
TEAMS: MC · VISA · COD · CASH
Purchase Orders from Oualllled Firms
Personal Checks · AE add 41/i
PROGRAMMERS
FOR IBM PC/ XT/ AT
· Select Device wnh vender name & type number ditectly
· Enable user to set up Program Pulse Width. Vpp. Vee.
Over-program Pulse Width &Iteration Counts
·Capable of set & 8/16/32-bns wide-word programming.
XP6000A Adapter & cable installs n PC for
$55
connecting programmer externally
XP6001 1-socket 1M·bns EPROMs programmer $160
XP6002 8-socket 1M·bns EPROMs programmer $375
XP6003 1·socket MCS-48 micros programmer $2 15
XP6004 1·socket MCS-51 micros programmer $270
XP6014 4-sockets 1M·bns EPROM programmer $260
AT-101/A EPROM Erasererases30 24·pin ICs $195
wnh timer
2 YEARS GUARANTY + 30 DAV$ "10N
Xe nder Corporation mt KENNEDYllll'D.l fl ., JEHSE\' an. NJ U7JU6
Xtnder
TEI..: 201·(1SIJ-8!91 Tix: ? 111 l~O fU-i CH:\ MPION
Fax: 201-864-9737
Circle 254 on Reader Service Card
ON TARGET ASSOCIATES
Products and Services for Design and Manufacturing Engineers.
Micro Channel Design Consulting Prototype Cards N e w s l et t er
PS/2 ~=========--ASIC's
Adapter Bracket Sets Bum -in Mother Boar ds
We will move your PC/XT/AT products to the Micro Channel, or create your new design.
CA LL: (408) 980-711 8
for our Free catalog
ON TARGET TARGET TARGET
... the PS/2 leaders.
PS12 and Micro Chance l arc trademarks or IBM Coru.
Circle 161 on R.eader Service Card
9-Track Tape Subsystem for the IBM PC/XTI AT
Now you can exchange data files between your IBM PC and any mainframe or mini· computerusing_IBM compatible 1600 BPI 9-Track tape. Unit can also be used for disk backup . Transfer rate is up to 4megabytes per minute on PCs and compatibles. Subsystems
include r or 10 1/1" streaming tape drive,
tape coupler card and DOS or XENIX compatible software. Prices start at $2,995.
OLJRLSTRR;
9621 Irondale Ave., Chatsworth, CA 91311 T elephone: (818) 882-5822
Circle 195 on R.eader Service Card
The BEST
for LESS
29~
Ouality5'!4"DSIDDDiskeHes Min.100
Guaranteed Two-for-One Replacement if found inilially defecii-ve wilhin six months
FREE sleeves,tabs, labels
51/4' COLOR (Min. 100)
. . ... .. 39C
5114" HIGH DENSITY (Min. 50) . . . . . 69C
Brand Box 5'14'' (Min. 10) . . . .
$3.99
Brand Box COLOR 5V4
with FREE Plastic Case (Min. 10) ... $4.99
31/ :!" DSIDD (Min. 50) .
$1.09
100% Lifetime w...anty
Shipping: $4.50 per rrin order/$2.00 each addll. lot
MCNISAOnly
1·800·537·1600
Operator No. 227
MS
Dept. No. 1523 P.O. 801 61000 San Frarcisco, CA 94t61
Circle 143 on R.eader Service Card
DATA ACQUISITION TO GO
INTERFACE FOR ANY COMPUTER
FREE IBM SOFTWARE
Connects via RS-232. Fully IBM com patible. Built-in BASIC. Stand alone capability. Expandable. Battery Option. Basic system: 16 ch. 12 bit AID, 2 ch. DIA, 32 bit Digital 110. Expansion boards available. Direct Bus units for many computers.
(201) 299-1615 P.O. Box 246, Morris Plains, NJ 07950
ELEXOR
Circle 84 on Reader Service Card
ANALOG 110 and DSP
ideal tor PC based Measurement/Test, Control, Acoustics, and Signal Processing
PC· 12
·16 SEo r 8 0 Finputs, programmable gain amplifier, precision S/H. 12·bit ND, dual 12-bit 0/A, 1/0 Filters, 8·bit digital 1/0, memory mapped 1/0 assisted by timer. $650.
PC·12SC · 12-bit ND & D/A with 1/0 Filters and timer, for voice 1/0, IEEE Speech Course, etc. $450.
PC·DMA 12· 12·bit ND and D/A to 100 KHz, dual channel OMA controller for concurrent 1/0 capability, programmable H/W timer for zero timing jitter, 1/0 filters, program· mable gain and offset amplifier, 16-chan nel auto-scan multiplexer, 8-bit digital 1/0, etc. $1250.
PC-OMA 16·FealurescompatibletoPC·DMA. but with 16·bit ND and dual 16-bit D/A. $1595.
PC·DSP 22 · 22·bit floating point DSP board for PC, compatible to the above PC·DMA boards for R/T DSP, 1 K complex FFT in 1Omsec.
SAMPLE ·S/W for PC·DMA performs continuous EDITOR hard disk transfer, search, audio edit, etc.
Other new products include 1 MHz 12·bit ND and DIA.servo motor controller, etc. All products supported by S/W driver and application packages.
CANETICS, Inc. PO Box 70549, Pasadena, CA 91107
(818) 584-0438
Circle 39 on Reader Service Card
"D" SIZE PWTIER
szz95oo
RETAI L
1169500
INTRODUCIORY
omR
· Repeata"ility .001" · Speed at 7" Per Second · Vacuum Paper Hold Down · High Resolution Circles: Suitable for
PCB Artwork
(4151 490-8380 :ZERICON STIVENSON BUSINESS PARK BOX 1669, FREMONT, CA 94538
Circle 251 on Reader Service Card
Okldata ML 82A and ML 83A Printers :
IBM EMULATION ''PWS"
Epson ComPatab·lttv/Le11er Ouahty
PC·WRITER
ONLY
$99.DO
plus shippi ng & saie s
·
iaw: (Cahl addreues)
Money back. guaran t ee
·FULL EMULATION OF THE IBM PC GRAPHICS PRINTER
·LETTER QUALI TY PRINT ING
·ELITE CHARACTER PITCH
· SUBSCRIPTS/ SUPERSCRIPTS
·DOT ADDRESSABLE GRAPHICS
·FRDNTPANELFEATURE
SE LECTIDN
To Order: (7141 261 -0228
0
Otal l r Inf o rm ati o n Av 1 1l1bte
RAINBOW llCHNOlOGIES. INC.
11011·A Mitchltff So, Irvine, CA 92714
(714) 261 -0228
Telex: 386078
Circle 202 on R.eader Service Card
Satellite Communication
MICROSAT II Expansion Board $700
IMMEDIATE DELIVERY
· For IBM PC/XT/AT and compatible. · Satellite data receiver - 9600 baud. · Satellite bulletin board. · Satellite video and
audio option - Add $200
PERSONAL SPACE COMMUNICATIONS
707 Johnson Road, Blaine WA 98230 (604)597·6298 TLX 04 -508306 FAX !604)597-6214
Circle 114 on R.eader Service Card
TIMELINE INC. COOL SUMMER DEALS!
1~------- ORDERDESKONLY-------~ ~-------------. . . . . - - - - - - - - - 1
Continental U.S.A.
Inside California
L.A. & Technical Info
OEM INQUIRIES
(800) 872-8878
(800) 223-9977 (213) 217-8912
WELCOME
VGA COLOR GRAPHICS
PACKAGE
POSSIBLE DISPLAV MODES VGA GRAPHICS:
BOO x 560 x 16 colors 320 x 200 x 256 colors
UPGRADE YOUR
't:r/ATTO
VGA GRAPHICS! '
ALSO: 640 x 480 x 16 colors 640 x 350 x 16 colors 640 x 200 x 16 colors 640 x 200 black & whfte 320 x 200 x 4 colors Hercules Graphics 40 and 80 column character mode
INCREDIBLE!
The manufacturer of this monitor SET THE STANDARD FOR COLOR GRAPHICS. The card is an ATl
· 1-:r' color screen · Max resolution (800x560) · Bandwidlh: 17 Mhz
improved VIP CARD. The package comes with user friendly manual and step-by-step instruclions. One year warranty on the monitor. two year
· Software selectable to VGA, EGA, CGA, MDA, HGA
· Anti-reflective, coated non-interlaced
warranty on the card.
flicker free screen
CALL FOR QUANTITY DISCOUNTS. · .31 dot pitch
REMEX
ADAYIEC ZENn"H
7" DIAGONAL SCREEN
RFD480
FLOPPY DISK DRIVE 2/3 HT · 360K · DS/DD
s29
4000A
CONlllOll.ER
1/0 for the ST412-506 hterface Using MFM Encoding
s79
HIGH RESOLUTION
AMBER MONITOR $29.95
* s79 AST ADVANTAGE For AT. 1-Serial, 1-Parallel Port
MODEL DJ7NKZ
1
-
Has
0- - - -
Cext-e6-nd0e0d-m8-elYmLoEr-y.;;.(..n..o...:E...M_TS_'_o0"r-EEESM-S-).--10'--K-rn-em-a-y-) -i
s1 5 .ll"U""
· ·
Flat faceplate 900 lines at center
650 lines at
10,000 ftpi
1<>+
ea. comers
* ea 19.95 3-917.95 ea
!minimum order 2) · Operates from
1-----------------------1
12VOC at 1.4 amp
s79 . 1.2 MB-OKIDATA
Vertical input is 47
*
Half Height Floppy for AT. 1.2 MB · DS/DD · 96 tpi
* 89 FULCRUM TRACKBALL $ Stationary Mouse. PC Magazine Editor's
to 63 Hz
· Horizontal frequency: 15 Khz
(adjustable)
4 for $99.00
For split video (TTL inputs) operation.
first choice for CAD use.
Not composite video.
1490 W. ARTESIA BLVD, GARDENA, CA 90247
rnS>Oe Cahf0<ma
I·BK) <a~~)n~;~~;8A7a
~
LA Area & Technical Info
(800) 223-9977 ~
' (213) 217-8912
15% Restocking fee for returned orders.
NO SURCHARGE FOR CREDIT CARD ORDERS!
Minimum Order: $25.00.Shipping &handling charges via UPS Ground: $.50/lb. UPS Air: $1 .00/lb.Minimum Charge: $4.00. We acceptcashiers checks. MC or VISA No personal check COD"s. California residenls add 6Y2% sales tax. We are not responsible for typographical errors. All merchandise subject to prior sale. Phone orders welcome. Foreign Orders require special handling. Prices subject to change without notice.
Circle 239 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 279
MICRO CHANNEL
ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT SUPPLIES
INTRODUCING : The PS/2 Burn-In Board!
For Design and Manufacturing Engineer.; I . Fi!"itPanive B:1ckpbnc for P$12
Mic1t1~ncl
2. Teilad:iptt:~
wilhoot JX>'lol.'Cr cycling compu!.crs 3. TcstWpc.c:ni ""'ithout dmutging c.omputer · . Optionol moduk;md sof1w.1~ provides single step bus emulation
CA LL now for your FREE Catalog. Quality PS/2 compatible products available.
ON TARGET TARGET TARGET
ON TARGET Associates 1034 W. Maude Ave. , # 602 Sunnyvale, CA 94086 (408) 980-7118
PSl2. ;wd Mlcni Cha.noel an: tndcnwln of IBM Corp.
Circle l 62 on ReaderSer11ice Card
6800
Family Development
Software
Winlek Corporation 1801 Sou1h S1reet
Lafayette. IN 47904-2993 (317 ) 742-8428 or (800) 742-6809
Circle 250 on Reader Service Card
CHIP SHOP
CALL FOR THE LOWEST PRICES
SABINA INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Phone 1-800-2SABINA
Phone 1-714-594-6336
FAX 714-595-4008
Cirw:k 209 on Reader Service Card
FRUSTRATED?
Sott-X-plore· v2.2 isa disassembler and patcher you can use to explore and customize your ISM PC XT AT or clone.
·uses four algorithms to separate code from data at 10,000 lines per minute.
· any file up to 500kb in size or RAM and ROM memory
· 8086 up to 80386/387 · MASM ready output · unique labels for Branch, Jump, Calla1 and
Dela ·comments MSDOS and BIOS services. and IN/
OUT ports · saves result of first pass to expedite future
listings
Order now: $99.95 plus S4 s&h and use MC, VISA or COD. (CT 7.5'!b sales tax)
RJ Swantek & AHocletea 178 Brookside Road Newington, CT 06111
(BOO) 446-4656 .. · ... ··· ·(203) 560-0236
Circle 208 on Reader Ser11ice Card
THE KEYBOARD LAPTOP TABLE
DESIGNED TO ADD COMFORT WHILE
WORKING AT YOUR COMPUTER.
A Unique Gitt°" Promotlon11l lteml
REGULAR PRICE $19.95
ORDERYOURSTODAYATOUR
SPECIAL BYTE PRICE
$14 9 5 MASTERCARD VISA
·
AMERICAN EXPRESS
Plus S &H
Universal Data Inc.
120 INTERSTATE N. PKWY .. E. SUITE 420 ATLANTA. GA 30339
1-800 535-3282 DEALER INQUIRY WELCOME
Circle 246 on Reader Service Card (DEALERS: 247)
PAL®/PLA DESIGN
APPLICATION
HANDBOOK $24.95
A Comprehensive Textbook on Theory and Hands-on Design Implementing Programmable Logic
PAI. is;i rt·,..:isu:r'-·d tr;1dl'm:uk of MM I.
PAL®/Pi.A DESIGN
From A Name You Can Trust
LOGICAL DEVICES INC.
1201 N.W. 65th Place Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309
1-800-331-7766 (305) 974-0967 Telex 383142 Fax (305) 974-8531
Circle l 27 on Reader Service Card
~ HUSKYTM
EPROM
PLD
MICRO
GANG
SET
PC based PROGRAMMER $599.00*
"modules not included.
From A Name You Can Trust LOGICAL DEVICES, INC.
1201 N. W. 65th Place, Ft . Lauderdale, FL 33309 1-800-331 -7766 (305) 974-0967
Telex 383142 Fax (305) 974-8531
Circle 128 on Reader Service Card
RS-232C/422A USERS: Bl-DIRECTIONAL CONVERTER for EXTENDED USE
Convert RS-232Cto RS-422A and/or
. ·~~· · ·_·
RS-422A to RS-232C .,
' ··
onivS49.95 ·.::~.
Guaranteedsatislaction. Bi·d1rectional, first·Quahty, versatile convener. htends cable lengths 1.41 to 4.000 feet! Bil rates up to 90K Baud. (Two B & B RS·422CON Converters can extend your RS·232C capability up to 4,000 It)
1nt1 uc1um~ leD825PcaviedotlorRS·2l?C~nd1nciudesle~1eoe2ss cunnecto1loiflS.·22A :nolWll!sN~bnesCORnttlcd
Requires 12V DC at 100 ma. ()pliOnal power supply available lor only$14.95.
Order Direct from Manufacturer TODAYand SAVfl' SAME-DAY SHIPMENT! MONEY·BACK GUARANTEE!
. f ttm1 V1s.1. MC . USl'IOIOtltPGs~ . PO "s t·omQU1hld111~d hmn.-ottid ll1noOef! IJJO!l61tt~SJl e1111
B&B ~!~~~r.!!!il~
1W Bo,t>l Meiror\JJ O!M · ~. Ba< 1()1(} · Oti211a. IL ll13fil
Phone: 815-434-0846
Circle 19 on Reader Service Card
I'
Advertise your
computer products I·
through
'
BYTE BITS
(2" x 3" ads)
For more information ~·
I call Dan Harper at (
603-924-6830
·
BYTE
-
70 Main St.
'
Peterborough, NH 03458 :
Circle 269 on Reader Service Card
Low Prices, Fast Service.
I
1 satisfaction Guaranteed! Since 1975 i
1200 Baud
~~lml
Deluxe Modem : :
$58
EPSON 9 Pin
$L~-~O~ ·
Turbo-XT
$398
2400 baud '12 card internal . .. 5128
1200 baud external ..... ... ... 588 2400 baud external . ....... . . 5168
EPSON Near Letter Quality Near Letter Quality Printer FX-850, FX-1050. EX-800 .... Call
· 4.77 & 8 MHz \
30 MB Hard Disk
EPSON 24 Pin
· 640K Motherboard with 256K · 8 slots · 8087 socket
Comp!ete kit with '
controller
· ~
$369
· 150W power supply Option A
~S) $298
LQ-500
List Price 5529
· High resolution amber monitor 1O MB PC/XT Kit ............ $198
EPSON Letter Quality Printers
· Hi-res graphics card
add
·Parallel printer port ..... .s148
20 MB PC/XT Kit. .. . ........ $248
20 MB Card ................. $398
LQ-850, LQ-1050, LQ-2500 .. Call
Option B
40 MB for AT ............... $338
Pil~!~~;~~
·Hi-res RGB color monitor
·Hi-res graphics card
add
·Parallel printer port ... . . .s29a
Option C
40 MB PC/XT Kit. ........... $468
e Mountain 40 MB Tape ....... $398
360K Disk Drive
Half height, IBM compatible
LaserJet II
Lis~~,~~?s95 ~
·Hard disk drive ·Dual hard disk controller
30MBforXT 40MBForPC/XT/AT
add S298
add s495
rn I#};, Amdek 310A $98
0 r 698 . Best selling hi-resolution
Direct Drive
$ 68
· ·' 1
Tandon TM100-2 full height
for IBM PC or XT ........... 5118 1.2MBforAT ................ 598
5%'' drive for PS/2 ....... . ... s268
Extra Toner Cartridge .. ..... . 598
PDP4MBRAMcardw/OK .. 5198
1 MB 2 MB 4 MB
s348 5648 s1148
HP DeskJet
~
$
-~ · · ·
non-glare amber monitor
--·· ·
No Slot Cloc~ k'~$48 31h" Disk Drive
List Price 5995
·
300 x 300 DPI with full with full page graphics
MICROSOFT.
$98 720K .... s98 1.44 MB .... 5128
PDP 128K RAM . ......... . ... 598
lJ]lr MS-DOS 3.21 ........ VGA Package
infel Math Coprocessors
8087 s98
8087-2 s138
Monitor & Card $648
Extra ink cartridge . . ... . . .. . . 518
Laser p n·nter . P ·
8087-1 3198 80287-8 s228
80287-6 $178 · 800 X 560 80287-10 $268 ·Up to 256K brillant colors
$1198 - ..........~
Limited
Quantity!
80387-16 $468
PC Mouse
80387-20 $728
LogiTech mouse ......... . ... :78
MMGelo.cnur·sIouessosmfytsomtueosmuess·em· ··o··u··s··e··
Fas t rap D e Iu x e
J·tOraYSctk.ICbka
II
.
· · ·
.··
·
·
·
.
·
· ·
.
· · · · ·
· · · · · ···· · · · · · ·
..···
·
· · ·
·
$· 19088
$58
· ·
·
$98 $24
Hi-res EGA card 640x480 ... . $128
EGA monitor 640x350 ....... $378 VGA AutoSync monitor 800 x 560 ................... s498 NEC MultiSync II 640x560 ... 5598
RGB color monitor 640x240 . 5258
V p
eargaad
V1. sGe AVGc aAr
dca·r·d·
· ·
· ·
· ·
· ·
· ·
· ·
· ·
· ·
· ·
· ·
5278 $278
1.5 MB RAM card ...... . .... s198
Toner cartridge .. . .. . .. . . . ... s58
Ol(IDATA · . · ·
Okidata 320... .
-
. . s358
Okidata 321 ................. 5498
Okidata 390 ................. $498
Okidata 391 ................. 5688
COMPUTJER
~~~:~:Pe~la~c:e.~o;r~d;e:r·s1~to~l:l ~fr:e~e~!~~~~0J·~···l··l ··rE.:::=;~=~==============;:=:= All others 1-213-973-7707 Fax machine 1-213-675-2522
Prices at our eight store locations will be
higher on some items.
California
Torrance. Santa Ana. Woodland Hills
M C Kearny Mesa . Sunnyvale
Texas
M~-·
Addison. Houston
Georgia Smyrna
~~~~g~NoG~~!.!~~ 1111
.i.. . . i .... ,~ ······,x......... ··
m on RiiiiliT&ervwe r:iiiil
We accept checks. credit cards or purchase orders from qualified firms and ins titutions. No surcharge on credit card orders. CA .. TX. & GA. residents add sales tax. Prices & availability subject to change without
notice. Shipping & handling charges via
UPS ground 50<1:/lb. UPS air 51.00/ lb. Minimum charge 53.00.
4901 W. Rosecrans Ave. Box 5046 Hawthorne. California 90251-5046
AUGUST 1988 · Tl!
I C'S IC's, Parts, Components...Shipped Fast! West Coast's Largest Selection ... Call for More
RAM Upgrades!
··· priced in sets of 9
· 64K/120ns . ..CALL
· 64K/150ns ... ... CALL
· 256K/ 100ns .. .CALL
· 256K/120ns
CALL
· 256K/150ns . ..CALL
DYNAMIC RAMS
4116f.!00ns . . Call MK4332/200ns . . Call 4164/200ns . . Call 4164/150ns .... . . Call 4164/120ns . . . . Call 4164/PIN ONE . .. Call 4416f.!00ns . . . Call 4416/150ns . . . Call 4464/120ns . . . Call
4464/150ns .. . Call
41256/100ns
Call
41256/120ns . Call
41256/150ns ..... Call
412641150ns
Call
4128/150ns ..... Call
811814517
. Call
1MEG/100ns . . Call
TMS4161/150ns . Call
STATIC RAMS
7400 SERIES
7400 . .. . S.18 7474 . . .. S.35 74157 ... S.65
7402. .18 7475. .35 74158 . . . .65
7404
.18 7476. .35 74173 . . · .65
7405 . .18 7485
.35 74174. ·- .65
7406 . .35 7486 . .35 74175 . - - .65
7407 . . .35 7490
.35 74176 . · · .65
7408. .25 7493
.35 74181 . . . 175
7410
.25 7495 . .35 74189 . . . 2.95
7414 . . - - .35 74121
.35 74193 . - · .65
7420
.25 74123
.45 74195 ·· , .65
7426.. .. .25 74125
.45 74198 .. . 165
7427.
.25 74126
.45 74221 . · . .75
7430
.25 74148 . - . .65 74273 . . 1.75
7432
.25 74150 . 120 74365 . . . .50
7438
.25 74151 . - . .65 74366 · · . .50
7442
.30 74153 . · - .65 74367 . .50
7446. .85 74154 ... 1.20 74368 . . . .50
7447
.95
74C CHIPS
74COO .. s .25 74C154 $2.85 74C374 $1 .69
74C02 .25 74C173 .99 74C903 .. 1.19 74C04 . ·· .25 74C174 .. .99 74C906 . . 1.19 74C08. .35 74C175 . . .99 74C912 .. 6.95 74C10 .35 74C221 . . 125 74C922 .. 3.95 74C14 .49 74C240 .. 1.69 74C923 .. 3.95 74C32 .35 74C244 . . 1.69 74C929 .. 4.89 74C90. : : 1.19 74C373 . 169 74C932 14.89
2102LP/450ns S.99 6116/120ns . .. . .. $2.95 2101/450ns . ... ... 1.79 6116LP/150ns . .. 2.45
Partial Listing Only!!!
2112/450ns 2114/450ns
2.69 6264LP/120ns . . . 4.95 .89 6264LP/150ns ..· 4.45
Call us for components...
21142 .. .. .. .... .. 1.19 6264/150ns . .·... 4.25
2114L/2
.. . . 1.99 62256/120ns .. . .. 12.85 74LS SERIES
6116/150ns ... . 2.45 62256/100ns ·.... 19.95
74LSOO .. S.19 74LS125 S.45 741.S241 S.99
74 HCT SERIES
74LS02 . .19 74LS126 .49 ?4LS242 .99 74LS03. .19 74LS138 .45 74LS243 .99
74HCTOO S.25 74HCT161 S.65 74HCT540Sl99 74LS04 . . .19 74LS139 .45 74LS244 .99 74HCT02 25 74HCT163 .65 74HCT541 1.99 74LS05 .. .19 74LS153 .59 74LS245 .99
74HCT04 25 74HCT164 .65 74HCT563 2.99 74LS08 . . .19 74LS154 1.29 74LS257 .69
74HCT08 .25 74HCT175 .65 74HCT564 2.99 74LS09 . . .19 74LS157 .40 74LS258 .69
74HCT10 .25 74HCT240 129 74HCT573 199 74LS10 .. .19 74LS158 .40 74LS259 .99
74HCT27 .30 74HCT241 129 74HCT574 199 74LS14. .35 74LS161 .49 74LS273 .99
74HCT74 .49 74HCT244 129 74HCT640 199 74LS27 . . .28 74LS163 .49 74LS322 1.79
74HCT138 .50 74HCT245 129 74HCT646 2.99 74LS30 . . .25 74LS164 .49 74LS323 179
74HCT157 .65 74HCT257 .65 74HCT563 2.99 74LS32 . . .28 74LS165 .49 74LS365 .59
74HCT160 .65 74HCT259 1.10 74HCT564 2.99 74LS47 .. .99 74LS166 .99 74LS366 .59
LINEAR
74LS73 ·. .35 74LS173 .49 74LS367 .59 74LS74 . · .35 74LS174 .49 74LS368 .99
CA3086 CA3089 CA3403 LF347N LF348N LF356H Lf441
LM301 LM309K
Sl.19 LM566 1.19 LM567 1.19 LM723
149 LM733 149 LM741
1.99 LM747 1.69 LM748 .30 LM1414
·.00 LM1886
Sl 10 LM3900
75 LM3909 30 LM3911 30 LM3914 .30 LM3915 60 LM3916 65 LM4024 1.49 LM4044
3.29 LM4136
.45 1.25 1.95 2.75
2.75 2.75 3.95 3.95 1.50
74LS75 . .35 74LS175 74LS76 .. .35 74LS189
74LS85 . . .49 74LS190 74LS86 . · .28 74LS 191 74LS90 . . .45 74LS192 74LS93 . · .45 74LS193 74LS107 .45 74LS195 74LS109 .45 74LS221 74LS123 .49 74LS240
.49 74LS373 3.95 74LS374
.49 74LS393
.49 74LS624
.49 74LS629
.49 74LS640 .49 74LS641
.65 74LS670 .99 74LS688
.99 .99 .99 189 189 189 1.89 .99 189
74F SERIES LM317K 295 LM1330 1.95 LM4558 .75
LM317T 1.75 LM1350 1.25 LM7555 2.50
LM318 1.15 LM1358 195 LM7556 2.SO 74FOO . . S .35 74F153 .. $59 74F243 $129
LM319 .95 LM1372 2.25 LM7660 2.95 74F02 . .. .35 74F157 . .59 74F244 . 129
LM320f.XX .60 LM1408L8 2.SO LM71i63 2.95 LM320K-XX 135 LM1458 40 LM78H05 6.95
74F04 .. 74F08 . .
.35 74F158 . .35 74F160
.59 .59
74F245 74F251
....
1.29 .79
LM323K 4.25 LM1488 60 LM78H12 6.95 74F10 . .35 74F161 . .59 74F258 .79
LM324 LM33502
LM33602
LM337H LM337K
.35 LM1489 1.19 LM1889 1.19 LM2003 2.49 LM2206 4.95 LM2111
.60 LM8038 2.50 MC3423 .75 MC3459 3.75 MC3470 1.19 MC3480
375 74F11
35 74F163 .59 74F280 : : 2.89
1.49 74F20
.35 74F174 .69 74F373 .. 1.49
2.69 74F32 .. . .35 74F175 . .69 74F374 .. 149
2.99 74F64 .. .49 74F181 . . 199 74F379 .. 1.99
6.99 74F74 .. . .49 74F189 . . 2.99 74F399 .. 2.99
LM338K 6.95 LM2211 2.75 MC3486 1.69 74F86 . .49 74F219 .. 4.99 74F521 .. 2.99
LM340T-XX .60 LM2240 1.75 MC3487 169 74F109 .49 74F240 .. 129 74F533 .. 2.99
LM340K-XX 1.35 LM2900 1.19 LM3524 1.99 74F139 . . .49 74F241 .. 1.29 74F534 .. 2.99
LM358 .45 LM2901 1.19 TOA1170 5.49 74F151 . .59
IC SOCKETS LM376 169 LM2917 1.29 TOA1180 5.99
LM380
95 LM3045 1.19 TL074 165
LM386 LM393 LM497 LM565 LM556 LM558
LM564 LM565
.95 LM3054 .65 LM3079 2.50 LM3130 .30 LM3140
.45 LM3160 85 LM3161
2.75 LM3162 1.SO LM3852
1.99 TL081 1.49 TL082 .95 TL084 .95 ULN2003 1.95 ULN2064 1.95 ULN2074
1.95 ULN2081 1.49 ULN2981
.75 SULDERTAIL HA16SIT . ..59 22PINW/W 1.29 .85 8PINL/P .. S.10 HA18S/T. ..69 24PINW/W 1.29 125 14PINL/P ... 12 HA20S/T .. .79 28PINW/W1.59 1.19 16PINL/P ... 12 HR22SIT . ..89 40PINW/W 199 179 18PINL/P ... 16 HA24S/T . ..99 HI RES W/W 1.99 20PINL/P ...20 HA28S/T 1.19 HR8W/W S.79 1.49 22PINL/P .. .22 HA40S/T 149 HA14W/W 1.19 1.99 24PINL/P ...25 HA64S/T 4.99 HA16W/W 129
28PINL/P ...27 WIREWRAP
HA18W/W 1.39
74HC SERIES
40PINL/P .. .29 8PINW/W S.59 HR20W/W 169 4BPINL/P ...99 14PINW/W .59 HA22W/W 179
s 74HCOO. S.25 74HC125 50 74HC174 S.65 64PINL/P 2.49 16PINW/W .69 HR24W/W 1.99
74HC02 .25 74HC132 .50 74HC175 .65 HI RES
18PINW/W .99 HR28W/W 2.29
74HC04 .. ..25 74HC133 .50 74HC240 129 HR8S/T .. S.39 20PINW/W 1.19 HR40W/W 3.49
74HC08 .. ..25 74HC138 .55 74HC244 1.29 HR14S/T ·.. .49
74HC09 . ...25 74HC139 74HC10 ..25 74HC148
.55 74HC245 129 .75 74HC368 .65
SPECIAL FUNCTION
74HC11 .. .. .25 74HC151 74HC14 .. ..25 74HC153
.65 74HC373 .65 74HC374
t29 129
VOICE RECOGNITION 16450- 16 BIT CHIP SET .. .... $49.95 USART ...... .. $16.95
74HC20 .... .25 74HC154 375 74HC4020 .99 YAMAHA OXY
8250- 8 BIT
74HC32 .... .25 74HC157 .65 74HC4060 .99 CHIP SET .
29.95 USART . . . . . . . . 6.95
74HC74 . ...35 74HC161 .65 74HC4066 .99 TMS6100
5832-CLOCK ... . 3.95
74HC85 . . ..65 74HC166 1.15 74HC4075 .89 SPEECH CHIP .. 9.95 58167 - CLOCK .. . 8.95
74HC112 . ..65 74HC173 .65 74HC4078 149 TMS 5200 SPEECH CHIP .. 7.95
CMOS
CD4001 .. S.18 CD4017 .. S.59 CD4047 .. S.65 CD4069 .. S.29 C04510 . . S.69 CD4543 .. S.89
CD4002 . .18 CD4018 . .59 CD4048 .. .75 CD4070 .. .29 CD4511 .. .69 CD4555 . .99
CD4007 . .59 CD4020 . .59 C04049 . .29 CD4071 . .29 CD4512 .. .69 CD4556 .99
CD4008 .59 CD4024 . .49 CD4050 . .39 CD4072 .29 CD4518 . · .79 CD4584 . . .69
CD4009 . .59 CD4025 .59 CD4051 .39 CD4073 . .79 CD4519 . .79 CD14409 6.95
CD4010 . .29 CD4027 . .35 CD4052 . .59 CD4076 . .65 CD4520 .. .79 CD14410 7.95
C04011 .29 CD4030 .. .29 CD4053 .59 C04081 .29 C04522 .. .79 CD14411 8.95
CD4012 . .29 C04040 . .65 C04060 .. 149 C04082 . .29 C04538 . · .79 CD14412 8.95
C04013 . . .29 C04042 . C04016 . .59 CD4046 .
.65 CD4063 .. 149 CD4093 .. .35 .65 C04066 . .29 C040103 190
Call Us For More!!
IQ·! U;Mdf{i1l;fJ 'fJ·til·I SIMM RAM MODULES
8087 (5 MHz) . $105. 8028710 (10 MHz) 365. 8087-2 (8 MHz) .... 160. V20·5 (5 MHz) ... $9.95 80287 (5 MHz) .. .. 185. V20-8 (8 MHz) ... 12.95
80287-8 (8 MHz) .. 265. V30-6 (8 MHZ) .. . 17.95 ·
64K x 9(150n5) .. . CALL 256K x 9(120n5) .. CALL 1Mb x 9(120n5) ... CALL
MOS EPROMS
256K x 8(120n5) CALL
1702A - lms .. _.. $5.95 27128 - 450ns .... $4.95 2532 - 450ns . . 4.50 27256 - 200ns . 7.95
·
1Mb x 8(120n5) . . CALL
CRYSTALS 2564 - 450ns ... 9.95 27C256 - 250ns. . 7.95
2708 - 450ns
4.25 27512 - 250ns .. .. 13.75
2716 .. ........·.. 4.95 8741 ... .... . 24.95
2716-1 .. ·.··.·· .. 5.95 8742. .. .. ... 24.95
27Ci6 ....... ... .. 5.95 8748.
. .. 16.95
TMS2716·450ns
8749 .. ...·. . ... . 19.95
(3v) . . .. .. ..· 8.49 8751 ....... . . ... 49.95
2732 - 450ns . .. . 3.95 8755 ....... _·. .. . 19.95
2732- 250ns . ·... 4.95 68764 ·..·.. _.... 19.95
1OOOMHz .. 5315 50688MHz S215 15000MHz S1.15 1.8431MHz . . 325 6000MHz . 2.25 16000MHz . 225 2.000MHz ... 115 6144MHz . . 115 18 OOOMHz 1.15 1097151MHz 2.25 6.5536MHz 1.15 18.431MHz . 1.15 14576MHz .. 115 8OOOMHz ... 1.15 20000MHz 115 3000MHz .. 225 9000MHz .. 2.15 22.1184MHz 1.15 32768MHz .. 1.15 10.000MHz . 1.15 14000MHz . 2.15
27C32 .... ..... ... 6.95 68766 . .. . ... . . . 19.95 3.579MHz ... 1.15 11.000MHz 1.15 36.000MHz . 115
2764 - 450ns 2764 - 250ns
3.95 68701 .. . ... . ... . 24.95 4000MHz.. . 21512.000MHz 125 48000MHz . 115 4.95 68705P . . ....... 19.95 4032MHz .. 215 13.000MHz .. 215 32 768KHz .. 1. so
27C64 - 450ns .. 6.95 2816-EE. . . .. 7.95 5OOOMHz . 2.15
27128 - 250ns . 5.95 2864-EE .. .. . 19.95
OSCILLATORS
Z80 SERIES
· 1.000MHz . 5550 6SOOMHz SS.SO 16 OOOMHz . 5so
Z80CPU ... Z80CTC .. Z80DART . Z80PIO .. ZSOACPU . Z80ACTC . Z80APIO
. ... Sl.49 Z80ASIO/O
$4.95
149 Z80ASI0/1 .
4.95
4.49 Z80ASI0/2. _ .· 4.95
149 Z80ADART . .
4.99
199 Z80BCPU .. .
2.99
199 Z80Bcrc. ..
3.99
199 Z80BPIO .
3.99
18432MHz . 5 50 7 !68MHT .. 5.SO 10157MHz . sso 1000MHz . 550 8OOOMHz .. 5.50 18000MHz . 550 1.4576MHz . SSO 9000MHz 5.SO 18 431MHz 5.SO
1500MHz .. 5 50 10 OOOMHz 5.50 19 [,1;()8MHz 550 36864MHz 5SO 11 OOOMHz 5.SO 20 OOOMHz 5so 4 OOOMHz . 550 11.000MHz . 550 21000MHz . 550 491520MHz 5SO 12 SOOMHz 5.SO 24 OOOMHz . 550
SOOOMHz . . 5SO 14 318MHz 5SO 24 576MHz . 5.SO
I:! Iijil !·1 ;lil;liJjjf''f4 J·1fW 50688MHz . 550 15000MHz 5.50 37150MHz . 5.50 6000MHz . 550 15.360MHz .. 5.50 43 200M Hz . 5.50
825123 ......... S 129 74S189 ... ...... Sl69 6144MHz 550 15 758MHz .. 550
CONNECTORS 825126 . .. ..... . 1.29 74S287 . . ..·..··. 1.99
82S129 . . . . . 199 74S288 · . . . · . . . . . 199
82S137 ... .. .. . .. 2.99 74S471 · ·· ·... · 4.99
82S181 .·.·.··.· 7.99 74S472 · · .·. ..· ·. 6.99 82S191 .. .. ... ... 11 .99 PAL 16LB . .. ..·. . 4.99
74S188 .
1.29 PAL 20L8 . . . . . 9.95
62PIN ST (PC/XT) $195 50PIN W/W (Apple) 4.50 50PIN ST (Apple) 2.50 62PIN ST (AT) 4.95
EXTENDER CARDS
8000 SERIES
8031
.. S. 2.95 8212 . .... . . . . Sl95
8035/39.. ...... 2.95 8216
1.95
8080A .·. ··. .·.· 3.95 8224 .. ..
195
8085A .
2.95 8237A/S
5.95
8086 . . .
7.50 8250 . . . . .
6.95
8088
7.95 8251A/S .
195
8088-2 ..
9.95 8253-S . ··· ·-- - 195
80186-6(5MHz) 14.95 8255-S . .. .·..... 2.95
80186·3 (8MHz) 24.95 8257-5 ·· . ·.. .··.. 2.95
80286·6 (5MHz) 19.95 8259·5 .
2.95
80286·8 (8MHz) 34.95 8272/765 . . . . . · . . 4.25
80386 (16MHz) .. 525.00 8275 .
. 24.95
8202 .... ....... - 11.95 8279 .. .. . .. . .·. .. 4.95
8203. .. ... ...... 14.95 8284 . ..·. ... .. ·.. 4.95
APPLE ... .. . .. $14.95 IBM PC ........ . $24.95
SlOO . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.95 IBM AT
34.95
PROTO CARDS
APPLE .. . .. .... $12.95 IBM PC . ...... $24.95
SlOO ..
19.95 IBM AT . .
34.95
DIP SWITCH
1POSITION . S.49 7 POSTION . . S.89
2 POSTION .... .. .. .59 8 POSTION ...
.89
3 POSTION . . ·... .. .69 9 POSTION .. ... .. . 129
4 POSTION .... . .. .69 10 POSTION ... . 1.29
5 POSTION . .. . ..·. .79 12 P05TION .... .. 1.49
6 POSTION.. ...... .79
68000 SERIES
68000/8MHz . ·.. $12.95 68020/16MHz .. $249.95 68010/8MHz . . ·. 19.95 68450.. .... .... 49.95
68010/lOMHz . 39.95 68881/12MHz . 179.95 68020/12MHz ... 149.95 68881/16MHz . 219.95
6502 SERIES
6502 . . 65C02 6502A .... 6502B .·
6510 ···
.... $2.95 6520
11.95 6522 4.95 6532
6.95 6545 9.95 6551
.. $2.95 4.95
4.95 9.95
4.95
6800 SERIES
6800 .. ........... $2.95 6821 ....... .. ... $2.95 6802 .. .. ·... . .. . 4.95 6845 . .... . ·.. .. . 4.95 6810 . ·... ·. ·.·.. . 2.95 6850 . .. . . .... .. ·. 4.95
ECONO ZIFS
16 PINZIF · ..... $3.50 40 PINZIF ........ $6.95
24 PINZIF .
3.95 64 PINZIF . . · · . . . . 9.95
TEXTOOL ZIFS
16 PINZIF . . $4.50 40PINZIF .. $9.95
24 PINZIF
5.95 64 PINZIF .... . .. . 17.95
28 PINZIF .. .. ... · 8.95
IC TEST CLIPS
14 PIN .
. $3.95 40 PIN .
. $19.95
16 PIN
3.95 64 PIN . . . . . . . . . . 39.95
24 PIN .. . ....... 12.95 68 PLCC . ·.. ..·· 69.95
LCC SOCKETS
68 PIN ... . .. ... . S14.95 100 PIN ... . .. ... $22.95
84 PIN
19.95
CalllorMore...
Since 1976...The Nation's
TOP Computer Supplier
~* Advanced Computer Products, Inc.
Mail Order: P.O. Box 17329 Irvine. CA 92713 for Fast Service
Retail: 13!0-B E. Edinger. Santa Ana. CA 92705 Order by Phone!
NEW PHONE FOR ALL USA
800-FONE ACP
800-366-3227 · 714-558-8813
· S25.00 Minimum MAIL ORDER
OUR POLICY
· No Surcharge tor VISA 01 Mastercard
· Volume purchasing agreem~nls available · Orders subiecl lo availability
: ~~~~~~~~~~~;i~~~~~~~-"~~~~o~f~~~~~~~~~n ce1tain items
· limited warranties and other conditions may apply
Call for our NEW 1988 Catalog...
282 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 5 on Reader Service Card
ACP's Break thru Prices!!
Since 1976...The Nation's TOP Computer Supplier
Quantum
Q540 42.6Mb
Un!ormalted. 40ms. per1ecl !or 286 & 386 AT's
ACP.. .famous since 1976 for delivering the Best Deals!!
89 TRUE BLUE!!··
REAL IBM® Internal 1200Baud
~~~!~1ic disc
·
88 Factory Direct! Amdek®
TIL Amber Monitor
12", Model 31 OA, List $240.
·
While Supply Lasts!
Newt ~Av.o-;;~! 915
AT Replacement Battery
Dlrec1replacement1or roaHimo clocks. AT/2861386
PC COMPATIBLE CARDS
ACP Advanced CardsJIBM
MonographicslHGAw/prinl port .·. 55.
Colo1'1Jraphicsw/printerpo1! .... .. 55. SupetEGAGenoa compalible . . 169. SuperVGA,1024x768 ......... 339. Diamond Mulli l/0,2s,p,g.CIXT .. 139.
xrXT Si.l·Pak compatbJe/OK .. .... 89. 286 Accelerator card ... . · 269. xr Mui_. VO wlftoppy cont1 .. . ... 69. XTdu.11Floppyrot"ltroller ........ 29.
XT Serial VO card . . . . . . .. .. . · 29. XT/AT Parallel llD card . . · · · . 29. AT Serial 110 card . . . . . . . . . . . .. 39. XT/ATGameadapterporl .. . 29.
XT/AT EPROM programmer .... 149. AT3.5Mbw/Multil/O,OK .... 199. ATSuperMULTI VOw/f!oppy .... 119. PS/2 Multi VD . ........... . .. ,99. PS'2 FIOPPY controller 1.4Mb ..... 89. HP t..aserjet 1Mb Ram ca-d .... . 349.
MOTHERBOARDS XT Turbo yjBIOS. 8MHz . . . . .. 89. XTTurbo\WB!OS, 10MHz ...... 99. AT 286 w/BIOS. 10MHz ·.. 289. AT Baby w/BIOS, 12MHz . 299.
hT 366 w/BIOS. 16MHz ... 1499.
HARDWARE
AST Research
Xlormer/286, 512K, 10MHz. .. 699.
Advantage 2/386,mod.80, 1Mb 725.
Advantage 21286.PS/2,0K .. . . 349.
Advantage P1emium 286,512K · . 389.
Rampage 21286,PSl2,512K ..· 499.
Rampage286, 512K .
. .. 489.
AST Sixpakplus. OK . . .. ..... 11 9.
An Technologies EGA Wonder 800 . , ·....··..·. 199.
VGAIVIP. . ..·.. . .··. . ·.· 319. 2400elcint.ModemwlMNP·5 . 188.
GENOA Super EGA. Super VGA . ..
. ..call. cell.
GULFSTREAM EZ·FAX Board wlsoltware ... 1188.
HERCULES Color Card/ CGA.. Graphics Card Plus .
. 149. . .. 174.
lwrEL
Inboard 386/PC to 386 .. . 888.
Inboard 386/AT to 386
1059.
Above Board 2PSl2 mod50/60 . 299.
Above Board 286,AT.512K .. . ·. 329.
Above Board PSl286,model30 · . 349.
8087 (5MHz) . . . . . .. .... 102.
8087·1 (10MHz)PSl2. .. ... 205.
8087·2 (8MHz) ...·....... 158.
8018J.6 (6MHz) .
. . 18S.
80187-8 (8MHz) .......... 255.
80187·10(10MHz) .
. .. 309.
80387·16 (16MHz) . . ..... S49.
80387·10 r10MHzl .......... 799.
ORCHID Technology
lily Turbo 286 -REDUCED! .. . 289.
Designer VGA Board · . . . . · . . . 299.
RAMOUEST 50/PS/1. 1Mb . . . 699.
PARADISE
Auloswilch 480 .
. 199.
VGA Plus ..... . .. .. .. . .. . .299.
OUADRAM Ouad386XT .... .. ...... . .. 747. Prosync(640x480,752x410) . . 269. Microlazerll bulferw/64K . . . . . 239. Quadspriint XT accellerator . . . 98. Liberty EMS XTcard, OK . ...... 98. Si~erOuadboafd.Sixi:rakcomp... 98.
VIDEO 7 VEGA Deluxe. Vega VGA . .
. ...199. .. .... .299.
INPUT DEVICES
Advanced PC Keyboards 5160 64key XTIATswitchable 59. 5161101keyXflATswitchable 79.
CH Products Mach 1Joystick·l8M .. . ... 39. lloch II J""1id<·App~ . · ..... 39.
Mach Ill Joystick-IBM .
. 49.
Mach Ill .klystick·Apple . . .··· . 49.
Gamecardlll · ·.
. ...... 39.
KEYT RON/CS KB101101key/AT .. . . KB515184keydeluxe
. 89.
119 .
KRAFT
IBM PC/XT/AT Joyslick .. Mouse PC/XT/AT serial ..
.. 33.
. . 89.
LIGHTGA1F Felix lex" PCfXTJAT ........... 159.
LOG/TECH
Bus Mouse PCIXTIAT . . . . . ... 99.
Serial Mouse PCIXTIAT ..
. 99.
Serial Mouse PS/2
99.
MICROSOFT Bus Mouse w/PC PainIbrush. . . 105. Serial Mouse w/PC Painlbrush .. 105. Serial PS/2 w/PC Painlbrush ... 118.
MSC Technologies PC Mouse serial PCJXTIAT . . 98.
PS/2 Mouseserial ........ , , ·· 98. PC Mouse bus PCIXTIAT . ..... 98.
SUMMAGRAPHICS
SummaSkelch
449.
FLOPPY DISK DRIVES
SONY 31f.tMicrofloppy1.44Mb ..... 149.
TEAC
55BV 360K Floppy/PC/XTIAT . 89.
TOSHIBA AMERICA
FD04403 3112· Micro 700< . . 129.
3112"Micro 1.44Mb wlkit . . . 139.
ND04D 360K FloppyPCIXT .. .. 84.
ND04E-G360KFloppyATgray .. 84.
N008DE·G1.2MbATgray. 110.
HARO DISK DRIVES
MICROPOLIS 1333A 53Mb Full ht., JOms. . . 649. 1335 85Mb Flril hl,65ms . . .... 849.
MINISCRIBE 3650 43Mb Half hl ~ 61ms. . . 389. 6053 53Mb Full hl..28ms . . . 649. 6085 85Mb Full hl.,28ms .. ..... 849. 8438 38Mb Hall h1.,65ms.RLl .. 299. PLUS Development Plus20 Hardcard, 20Mb,49ms , . 549. Plus40 Hardca1d. 40Mb,39ms. . 719.
SEAGATE ST225 25Mb,65ms. w1WD cont. 299. ST138 38Mb New! 3112" ....... call. ST23838Mb,65ms.w/WD RLL 398. ST251 51Mb,40ms. . . . . . .. 449. ST251-151Mb.28ms.. ... . ... . 4 9 9. ST403B 38Mb,40ms-REoucE01. 469. ST 4096 96Mb,28mS.REouc£01. 799.
WESTERN DIGrrAL Fileca1dPSJO PSJ2mod.25/30 .. 389. FilecardJO . . .. . ......· . .449. 1006RAH Contr. 1:1interleave . . . 199. 1003RAH Controller RLUAT . . . 187. 1003WA2 Floppy/Hard/AT . . . 149. 100~·2 7X Controller RllJXT . , .. 98. t002·WX1 Conlroller IXT. . ·· . 89.
BACKUP DEVICES
ALPHAMICRO VCR Video tape backup card .. .. 349.
/OMEGA Bernoulli 20Mb 5114" internal ... 945.
Bernoultidual20Mb5114"ext .. 1699.
Bernoulli dual20Mb 8"ext. .... 1 8 9 5.
a· ...... Tri-pak 20Mb c:arin·dge,5114' . .. 189.
Tri·pak 20Mb carllidge.
2 5 5.
PC38 Adapter card PCIXT/AT. 189.
PS4 AdaplerPS/2mod.50,60,80 299.
IRWIN 1100 XTIAT 10Mb backup(inl) . . 199.
1200 xr 20Mb backup(int) . . . 369. 145C AT 40Mb backup(inl). . . 499.
245P PS/2 40Mb backup . . . . 479.
TAUGRASS Technologies
1020i AT
. .. ... 338.
1020iXT 1040iAT
..... 338. .. 599.
1040i XT
.··. · 599.
C.IJ ror Ext1tmal Prfcln{l/
COMPUTERS
Advanced 386 Clonas Advanced386116base system 1795. Advanced386116 wl4TMb .. . 2195.
Advanced3661l6w/80Mb .. 2495.
Advancad 286 Clonas Advanced286H0base system . · 849. Advanced286110 w/20Mb ... 1099. Advanced286/10 w/40Mb .. 1299.
Advanced XT Clones AdvancedXT base system .... . 489. AdvancedMIXTw/monol20Mb ·. 999.
c·ll for options & dtltalls......
AST Research Premium286Model140,40Mb .. 2995. PremiumWOIKStatioo ........ 2195. Premi1JT1386Mcxlel340,40Mb , 4699.
call for all ASTmodels. ....
COMPAQ
POl\!lb!e Ill Mcxlel20 . . ..... call.
Oeskpro286 Mcxlel20
call.
De<kpco386 Model40 .. .
call.
Porlable386 Model40 .
cell.
EPSON EQu1tylt EQuityll+ ... EO;uilyllh ..
.. call. . . call. .· call.
HYUNDAI
Hyundai286. ....
. ..... .call.
HyundaiXT ..... . .. ... , . .cell.
HyundaiPCLANTerminal . . call.
NEC MuHispeed El backlit LCD ·. ... cal l. MuHispeed HD.20Mb ..., ·· cell.
SHARP
4501 Laptopsinglelloppy ..
699.
4502dualfloppy, 640K ....· . . 1295.
45201..aptop,20Mb ........ 2195.
PC7100 Porlable, 20Mb
2195.
PC7221Po1table286,20Mb·. . 2895.
TOSHIBA T100J Laptop singlefloPPY ..... 749. 1"1100+ dualllOPP'J. .... ..... 1420. T1200 l..aptop, 20Mb . . . . ... 2395. T31001..aplop286,20Mb .. , 2995. T32002861ullkeybd.40Mb ... 3995. T5100 386, EGA. 40Mb . · 4995.
NETWORKS
3COM
Ethernet ca-d... Ethemetllwrd
. ...·.399. .. 399.
WESTERN DIGl1AL
StarlanlNovell slarter kit . . . . . 1077.
(nefWOfklorlessthan$400/node)
Ethernet Plus adapter board ·... 239.
ViaNet I.AN sollware
120.
Slarhub.
. 329.
MODEMS
Advanced MODEMS
1200baud wlsoftware(int) . . .... 79.
1200baudExternal. ..·........ 89.
1200baud Pocket MODEM . . 99.
2400baudwlsollware(inl) . . 149.
2400baudExletnal .
. ... 159.
HAYES
Smartmodem 12008 yjsw(inl) .. 299.
Smarlmodem 1200 External . . . 299.
Smar1modem2400Bw/sw(n1) .. 447.
Smartmodem 2400 External ... 447.
MIGENT Pocket MDOEM 1200.. . . . . .. 129.
PROMETHEUS
2400G Exlernal ............ 199. 2400812 w/sonware (inf) ...... 149. 2400PS PS/2 w/scllware(lnl). . 299.
1200812 wl'sofrw:Mr lfltf sale! . . 79.
MONITORS
AMDEK VIOE0310A 12' amber ffi .. .. 99. 410A 12·ambergrn orv.tlite ... 153. 1280 13" g1aphics(1280x800) . . . 799. LaserOriveCD ROMwlMic'solt 899.
IBM MONITORS 850312" Mono(640X480) ·· , . 228. 851214'Coloranalog ....... . . 527.
MEMORY LOSS?
Don't feel like lhe Lone Ranger ... we are also suffering from loss of memory. ACP sells more Memory Upgrade IC's than other other mail order supplier... Bul! ... the present shortage is driving us up a walll. We can't get lhem at the right price, but we are getting them. PLEASE BEAR WITH US...as ihe market price comes down our price will come down.
SELLING Chips? Call us, we're buying.
Special
AMcEK
Purchase EPSON
Cl0SE0UTS!,
.. ·
·
~~1~1~6°~.5..~.'~:· °.~~~~~~.~ach
Quadram Quadsprlnt Card
3928¢
~rade PglXT to 10 MHz ..... ....... sale ·
98.
a~~~ac~ Si~~~~~J~OK ............ sale
Liberty Card, EMS. OK ...
.sale 98.
699. EPSON Equ;ty I+"" ...... sale
!~~~a~~~e1.~.~~~-~-~-1··~.~-~-~~..... sale 79. 149.
Sharp PC5000 Portable ....... sale
~~~~~~~e~1~~~~s~~~~e~..sale 129. 249. Dlablo 620 Printer ................ sale
~1~i:~d;~~~s~~j~~~-~~t:r2.o 299.
8513 11· EGA(640x480) .. 595.
851416"Hi·res{1024x768) .... 1395.
MAGNAVOX
Mulliscan 14"munimcxle
599.
EGA 14" wlgm&amberswitch . 399.
CGA 13' color .. . .. . .. . ... 288.
TO .Mono 12"gm oramber ...... 89.
NEC Muttisync U13· TTUanatog .. , .. 595. Munisync Plus 15" VGNEGA . 945. MuHisync Xl 20"(1024x768) . 2275. Monograph S'/S (1024K1024) ... 1555.
SAMSUNG/LT/ Ftatsaeen12"amberTTl ...... 99. Mono 12·amber HL .. .. ·. . . 88.
CGA 14" RGB Color . . .. . . .... 288.
EGA 14' EGAJCGA Color · . ... 395.
SONY
CPD130213" Mul!iscan color . . 699.
CP01303 13" EGA
. 569.
WYSE
WVJO 14" terminal . . · . ... 349.
WVSO 14· terminal .. . . . . . ... 419.
WYOO 14' terminal ASCII . . . . 519.
PRlllTERS
DICONICSIKODAK 150P Portable printer{par) ..... 339. JOOP w/Wde caffi.lge(par). . 539.
EPSON LX80080column, 180cps ...... 199. EX800,FX286e,FX86e,L0850, L01050,L01000 ..... ...... . call.
ACP is lull line Epson dealer
HEWLEJT PACKARD
LaserjetSeriesll ...........1699.
Deskiet wl1aser quality. . . . . ... 895.
Scanjetllalbedscanner .
. i549.
IBM PRINTERS Proprinter I. 24(kps ·........ 435. Proprillter X24. 240cps 24pin . 635.
ProprinterXl24.240cps24pin .. 835.
NEC
P1100, 14p·(360x360dpi) _.... 399.
P565Xl Color.100cpsNLO ... 1095.
P660 Pinwriler. 65cpsNLD . . .. 599.
LC890 Silenlwriler l..aser
3649.
OK/DATA
ML393.180cpsNLO .
. '. 995.
Ml182+,paral1el .. ·. , · .. 245.
ML192~.parallel . ·· , ,
... 319.
ML193+,paiallel .·... ..·. . . .469.
taserline6(1eqJ8Mint.) ·. 1399.
PANASONIC
KX·P1080i, 160cps dratt,par ... 185.
KX·P109ti, 192cpsdrall,par . . 198.
KX·P1092i, 240cps drafl, 132 339.
KX·P1524, 24pin,80cpsNLO 495.
SEIKOSHA SL80A1,24pin .... ...... .366.
SL130A1, 24pin. ........ , ... 749.
SBP10A1, 18pin. 800cps ... . 3299.
SKJOCIOA 1, 9pin, JOOcps.s.lp · . 399.
SKJOOSA1, 9pin, JOOcps,132 .. 499.
TOSHIBA
P321SL. 24pin, 216cps . . . . . 579.
P341SL, 24pin, 216cps .... , 699.
P351SX.(cotor add $179)
1099.
Page~ 12. Highwlume ..... call.
PLOTTERS
HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS
OMP41 or 42 . .
. ....2399.
DMP51 or 52.. SCANCAO
. . ......3099. . 2499.
DMP56A ................. 4399.
ROLAND
DXV880, 8 pen AB size . 1088.
DXV980 ................ . 1488.
ACCESSOR IES
COMPUTER ACCESSORIES P15 Power !Nector ... ........ .' 89. P25401JUetstandalone ........ 62. F20Prin1Saver ..·....... , .. 289. A200 PC Data Display Module .. 888.
KENSINGTON Masterpiece Powe1 Center . . ... 98. Masterpiece Plus . . ... .·.· 108.
System Saver lie . .
. .... 69.
Sys1emSaverllgs .. . .... ... , 119.
P1inler Mul!le1, 8():;.olumn . . . 39.
MICROCOMP. ACCESSORIES
51/4"Roll!opDisketleFile. . · . . 29.
31/2"Ro!ltopDisketteFite .
. 22.
PC Vacuum Cleaner ...
39.
CRTValel(12'x12") . ...... 119.
Unde1desk Keyboard Drawer . . . 49.
FUPn' FILE
FNFMiniXT,1005114',smoke . , .. 10.
FNFMicroXT. 1003112',smoke . .. 11.
FNF Maxi.50 a·. smoke . . .
. 15.
FNFMicro,25 31/2", smoke ....... 8.
UniversalPnnlerStand .......... 9.
DISKEITES·llfetlme warranty
s V4" OSIDD Oiskenes PCIXT360K
MaxeHMD2·D ..... . ....... .. . 11.
Verbatim Datalile OS/DO.·. .... 12.
FujiM02D ................11.
Advanced Color w~aslic box ..· . . 8.
s 1/4" OSIHO High0ensityAT1.2Mb
Maxell MD2·00 ...... ..... .. 23.
Verbatim DatalileHD. .. ··· .. .·· 23.
FujiMD2HD.
. .. 22.
31/2" HighDensityDisks(t .44Mb)
Maxell ..... .....
. .. 49.
Verbatim Data!ile .
. . . · 49.
f\Jj .. .
· ·. .49·
Sony ·
" " - ....49.
PRINTER BUFFERS Advanced64Kpa1aHelbul1er .... 129. Advaoced 64KAB butter ...... 169.
SWITCH BOXES
Advanced 2-posilion AB. 3636 . 29.
Advanced 2-posilion AB, 2525 . .. 29.
Advancedparlserconverter ..... 69.
Advancedserlparconve1ter .. 69.
BullaloSX PC share (up to 7) ... 499.
Logic:al Conneclioo256K .
. 499.
INTELLICOM
Longlink·Pa1a~reJ..
. .... 199.
Long!ink·Seiial ........ .
.199.
Ouicklink·Par to Ser·64K .
149.
Oulcklink·Par to Par·64K ..· . .. 149.
Megalink·4p1t Buff-Par & Ser . .. 299.
TRIPPLfTE lsobar4 st11gesuppw/4outle1S .. 59. lsoba18surgesuppwt13outlets . . 69. UneCon11itionerw/4outlels ..· 149. Backup Power Supply.450W 399. BackupPowersupply, 675w .. . . 575. Backup Power Suppl'/, 1CXXM ... 999. Backt4l Power Supply, -ZOCO.... .· 1299.
GOLDST AR DVWSCOPES
OM 6135·3.5 DVM..
. . 49.95
OM 6135-3.5 OVM .. . . .. S2.9S
OM 6335·3.5 OVM . _ .... S9.9S
OM 6133-3.5 OVM . . . . . . 59.95
OS· 7020·20MHz Scope . . . . .. 419.
DS·7040·40MHz Scope .
699.
MEMORY UPGRADES
64K or 256K Upgrades(set of 9) call.
1MbS1MM'sorP.am's
call.
SOFTWARE
ncp ·not copy protected
cp -copy protected
ALDUS-ncp
PagemaketllBM .. , , ····... .499.
Pagemaker/MAC . · · · . .... 379.
Freehand/MAC.
. .... call.
ALPHA SOFTWARE·ncp
Advanced Keyworks1.0. .
175.
Alphallhree1.0 ........... 232.
AMER. SMALL BUSINESS·ncp
Design CAD JD 3.0. ...... ... . 168.
ANSA P.yaciJx v1 .1 . ... . ..........329. Paraduxv2.0w/EMS&EEMS . . 424.
ASHTON TATE·ncp
dSaselllplus1.1 .
· ... 422.
P.apidlile1.2 ....... . ........219.
Multimale Advanlegell 1.0 .... . 275.
ApplausePresentalioopkg ..... call.
BORLAND·ncp
Sidek.ickplus ..·....... . .....139.
Sidekick1.0saJe!oldvers.
. 19.
Turbo BASIC 1.0
...·... 69.
Tu1bo PASCAL 4.0
69·
TurboC 1.5 . Reflexl.14 .. Quattro .. ELJreka.
. .. . .. 69. . .99. . .149. 99.
BRODERBUND·cp
Prirrt Shoo .. "" ". ·
G1aphics.Lib1ary1 or2 .. Toy Shop MemoryMate2.0·ncp . .
... 40.
" 23. . . . . 37 . . ... . 45.
COMPUSERVE SubsCliplionkit ......... . .... 29. Groilers Online Encyclopedi.1 ...... 34.
COMPUTER ASSOCIATES-ncp Supercalc4v1.1 ............. 339.
Superproiect plus v3.0 . .. ··· .·· 339.
CROSSTALK COMM·ncp
CrosslalkXVl vJ.61 ... ....... 99.
Crosstalk MK4 v1.01
139.
DAC SOFTWARE-ncp
OAC Easy Light v1 .0. . ....... 49. DAC Easy Accounting v2.0. . . 69.
DIGrrAL RESEARCH-ncp
GEM Oraw plus v2.01 . . . . .· 185.
GEM Oesk1op Publisher ...
270.
EXECUTIVE SYSTEMS-ncp
XTREE v2.0 . ........ .... .... 45. XTREE Professional v1.0.. . ·. 89.
FUNK SOFTWARE-ncp
SidewaysvJ.2 ..
. ........ 42.
lnWordvtO. .
. .. 59.
Sth GENERATION·ncp Fastback Plus .............. .. 99.
FOX SOFTWARE Foxba:set single user. ....... . 220.
GENERIC·ncp
Generic CADO 3.0
65.
LIFEfREE·ncp VolkswriterJPlus . Tolal Wordv1 .0 .
. .. 160. . .. 2S9.
LOTUS
Hal .
. ·.
lotus1231Ha1Bundle ...
Manuscript .
. . .99.
call. . .... 349.
MECA-cp ManagingyourMoney.Tobias . . 129.
MICROL YT/CS Galer . W.dlndef
. ..... 45. . . . . 65.
MICROPRO·ncp
Wordstar Proles.sional Rel4 .··.. 269.
Wordstar2CXXlRel3.
. ·. 199.
MICRORIM-ncp R:8AS< 5000 . . . . RBase SystemV .
. .369. . .. 469.
MICROSOFT-ncp
W1ndows386 '
" " '139.
Wllldows 2.03 ................ 66.
QuickC v1.0
.69.
Quick BASIC .
. . 69.
Wadv4.0 ..
. ......219.
Excel v2.0JAT
. . . . . . . 319.
NORTON· ncp
Utilities4.0 ·· ·
. ...... 69.
Commander ... .. . ..... .... ... 49.
Guides(assem.C,bas, or pascal) 59.
PAPERBACK SOFTWARE
VP Plannersale! ..... , , . · , ··· 49.
VP Expe11 .. , , ··
... 69.
SURPASS SOFTWARE-ncp
Surpass v1.0 .· ,.
. ...299.
SYMANTEC-ncp 0 & A v2.0 Q&AWrile ..
Grand View .
.... 219. . .. 139.
. ....175.
TRAVELING SOFTWARE
LaptinkPlus.
.. 86.
TURNER HALL·ncp SOZ! Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 65. Note-i!Plus(lotus123notes) .... 55. Cambridge Spreadsheet Anis! ... 75. 4Word(123WOld~) . . . . 65.
XEROX Venlura .. ,
. 499.
WORDPERFECT-ncp
WordPerfect v5.0 . . . . · . . . . 240.
WordPe1iec1 Ubraryv1.1 ......· 65.
WordPe1feclExecuUve ·..·.. 125.
Data.Perfect v2.0
... 299.
..... Advanced Computer Products, Inc.
Mail Order: P.O. Box 17329 Irvine, CA 92713 for Fast Service
Retail: 1310·8 E. Edinger. Santa Ana. CA 92705 Order by Phone!
NEW PHONE FOR ALL USA
800-FONE ACP
800-366-3227 · 714-558-8813
· $25 .00 Mininum MAIL IBO ER
OUR POLICY
· NoSachargelor VISA or Mastercard
· vo1umepurchasin~g1eementsavai1ab1e · Orders_ su~lett to availabilily
: :g~'Wefu~~~~~~o~ici~8~~~~~-~~~f~es;o~b~~l~~~~~s~" certain items
· Limited warranties and other cond1110ns may apply
Call for our NEW 1988 Catalog...
Circle 5 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 283
2112 2114 2114l·2 TMM2016·100 HM6116-4
HM6116·3 HM6116LP-4 HM6116LP·3 HM6116LP·2 HM6264LP· 1 5
HM6264LP-12 HM43256LP-15
HM43256LP· 12 HM43256LP-10
256x4 1024x4 1024x4 2048x8 2048x8 2048x8 2048x8 2048x8 2048x8 8192x8 8192x8 32768x8 32768x8 32768x8
(450ns) (450ns) (200ns)(LOW POWER) 1100ns) {200ns)(CM05)
l150nsllCM051 1200nsJICMOSJILPJ 1150ns)(CM05111Pl 1120ns)ICM05)(LPI (150ns)(CM0511LPI (120ns)(CM05)(LP) 1150nsHCM05)(LPI I120ns)(CM05)(LP) (100ns}ICM05)1LPI
2.99
.99 1.49
1.95 3.29 3.95 4.29 4.95 5.49 6.49 6.99 12.95 14.95 19.95
DYNAMIC RAM§
41i6-250
16384x1
4116-200
16384x1
4116-150
16384x1
4116 -120
16384x1
MK4332
32768x1
4164-150
65536x1
4164-120
65536111
MCM6665
65536x1
TM54164
65536x1
4164-REFRE5H 65536x1
TM54416
16384x4
41128-150
131072x1
TM54464-15 65536x4
41256-150
262144x1
41256 -120
262144x1
41256·100
262144x1
HM51258-100 262144x1
1 MB·120
1048576x1
1 MB-100
1048576x1
(250nsl
.49
(200ns)
.89
1150nsl
.99
f120nsl
1.49
(200nsl
6.95
(150ns)
2.89
(120ns)
3.19
(200ns)
1.95
I150ns)
1.95
(150ns)fPIN 1 REFRESHI 2.95
(150ns)
3.75
(150ns)
5.95
I 150ns)
1.95
(150ns)
12.45
(120ns)
12.95
(100ns}
13.C5
1100ns)(CM05)
6.95
(120ns)
34.95
( 1 OOnsl
37.95
EPRDM!i
2708 2716
2716·1 TMS2532 2732 2732A 2732A-2
27C64 2764
2764-250 2764-200 MCM68766
27128 27C256 27256
27512 27C512
1024x8 (450ns)l25V)
2048x8 (450ns)(25V)
2048x8 (350ns)l25V)
4096x8 1450nsll25VJ
4096x8 (450ns)l25V)
4096x8 1250ns)(21VI
4096x8 1200ns)l21V)
8192x8 (250nsl(12.5V CMOS)
8192x8 (450ns)(12.5V)
8192x8 (250ns)l12.5V)
8192x8 (200ns)l12.5V)
8192x8 (350ns)(21V)(24 PINI
16384x8 1250nsll12.5VI
4 .25
32768x8 1250nsll12.5V CMOS) 7.95
32768x8 (250ns)(12.5VI
5.95
65536x8 (250nsll12.5V)
11 .95
65536x8 1250ns)(12.5V CMOS) 12.95
xxV:Program Voltage
MEMORY PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE DUE TO
MARKET CONDITIONS . PLEASE CAU 10 CONFIRM PRICES.
HIGH·YECH SPOTLIGl\,T
IMBEPROM§
· 12BK xB ORGANIZATION · 200 NS ~12 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 1~ ~i::: 8 ~ ~ 0 a · CMOS DESIGN
FOR LOW POWER
!/i34.9S
8000
8031
3.95
8035
1.49
8039
1.95
8052AH BASIC 34.95
8080
2.49
8085
1.95
8086
6.49
8088
5 .99
8088-2
7.95
8155
2.49
8155 · 2
3.95
8741
9.95
8748
7 .95
8749
9.95
8755
14.95
8203 8205 8212 8216 8224 8228 8237 8237·5 8243
8250 8251 8251A 8253 8253·5 8255
Bi!OO
14.95 3 .29
1 .4 9
1.49 2.25
2.25
3.95
4.75 1.95 6.95 1.29
1 .6 9
1.59 1.95
1 .4 9
8255-5 8259
8259-5
8257 8272
8274
8275
8279 8279-5 8282 8283
8284
8286 8287
8288
1.59 1.95 2 .2 9
2.25 4 .39
4 .95
16 .95
2.49 2.95 3 .95 3 .95
2.25 3.95 3 .95
4 .95
MATH CDPRDCE!i!iDR!i
8087
5 MHz 599.95
8087-2 8 MHz 5159.95
8087-1 10 MHz 5229.95
80287
6 MHz 5179.95
80287·8 8MHz 5249.95
80287-10 10 MHz 5309.95
80387-16 16 MHz 5499.95
80387-20 20MHz 5799.95
6500
l.DMHz
2.25 (CMOS) 7.95
1.65 2.95 13.95 5.95 2.95 2.95
i!.DMHz
6551A
2.69
2.95 5.95 11.95 3 .95 6.95
3.DMHz
Z·BO
i!.5/lfffz
Z80-CPU
1.25
4.0/tlffz
Z80A-CPU ZBOA -C T C ZBOA·DART Z80A-DMA ZBOA·PIO ZBOA·SIO 0 ZBOA-510 1 ZBOA-SIO 2
1.29 1 .6 9 5.95 5 .95 1 .89 5.95 5.95 5 .95
li.Ollfffz
284 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
1771 1791 1793 1795 1797 2791 2793 2797 8272 UPD765 MB8876 MB8877 1691 2143 9216
UART§
J .95 4 .95 3 .95 4 .95 3 .95 9 .95 6 .9'5 1 0 .9 5
MISC.
AOC0804 ADC0809 DACOSOO DAC0808 0AC1022 MC1408L8 8T28 8T97 DPBJ04 9334 9368 9602 ULN200J MAM232 MC3470
52 .95 S2.95 S 2 .9 5 S 2 .9 5
CRYSTAL§
32.768 KHz
1.0 MHz 1.8432
2.0 2 .4576 3 .579545 4.0
5.0 5 .0688 6.0 6 .144
8.0 10.0 10.738635
12.0 14.31818 16.0
18.0 18.432
20.0 22.1184 24.0
32.0
.95
2 .95 2.95
1.95 1.95 1.95 1.95
1 .9 5 1 .95 1.95 1.95
1.95 1 .95 1.95
1.95 1.9 5 1.95
1.95 1.9 5
1.9 5 1.95 1.95
1.95
§CILLATOR
-
74Fl74!i
74FOO
.35
74F02
.35
74F04
.35
74F08
.35
74F10
.35
74F32
.35
74F64
.55
74F74
.39
74F86
.55
74F138
.79
74F139
.79
74F253
.89
74F157 74F240
74SOO 74502 74504 74S08 74510 74532 74574 74586
745112 745124 745138 745153 745157 745158 745163
745175 745195 745240 745241
745244 745280
745287 745288 745299 745373 745374 745471
745571
.89 1.29
.29 .29 .29 .35 .29 .35 .49 .35
.50 2.75
.79 .79 .79 .95 1 .29
.79 1 .4 9 1.49 1. 49
1.49 , .95
1 .69 1.69 2.95 1 69 1 .69 4 .95
2 .95
74LSOO 74LS01
74LS02 74LS03 74L504 74l505 74L508 74l509 74LS10 74L511
74l512 74L513
74L514 74L515
74LS20 74l521 74L522
74L527 74LS28 74l530 74LS32 74L533
74LS37 74LS38 74LS42
74l547 74LS48 74LS51 74LS73
74L574 74l575
74LS76 74LS83 74l585 74L586 74LS90 74l592 74LS93 74LS95
74L5107 74l5109
16 74L5112 .29 74L5241 .69
.18 74l5122
45 74LS242 .69
17 74l512J .49 74LS243 .69
.18 74LS124 2 75 74L5244
69
.16 74LS125 .39 /4l5245 .79
.18 74LS126
39 74L5251 .49
.18 74LS132 .39 74l5253 .49
.18 74L5133
49 74l5257 .39
.16 74LS136
39 74l5258 .49
22 74LS138
39 74L5259 1.29
.22 74l5139
39 74l5260 .49
.26 74LS145 .99 74L5266 .39
39 74LS147 .99 74LS273 .79
.26 74L5148 .99 74L5279 .39
.17 74l5151 .39 74l5280 1.98
.22 74L5153
39 74l5283 .59
.22 74L5154 1 49 74LS290 .89
.23 74L5155 .59 74L5293 .89
.26 74LS156
49 74LS299 1.49
.17 74LS157
3~ 74L5322 3.95
.18 74LS158
29 74LS323 2.49
.28 74LS160 .29 74LSJ65 .39
26 74L5161
39 74L5367 .39
.26 74LS162 .49 74LS368 .39
.39 74LS163 .39 74l5373 .79
.75 74LS164 .49 74LS374 .79
.85 74L5165 .65 74l5375 .95
.17 74l5166 .9 5 74L5377 .79
.29 74l5169 .95 74L5390 1.19
.24 74LS173 .49 74l5393 .79
.29 74l5174 .39 74L5541 1.49
.29 74L5175 .39 74LS624 1.95
.49 74L5191 .49 74L5640 .99
.49 74LS192 .69 74L5645 .99
.22 74LS193 .69 74l5670 .89
39 74LS194 .69 74L5682 3.20
.49 74LS195 .69 74L5688 2 .40
.39 74L5196 .59 74L5783 22.95
.49 74L5197 .59 25LS2521
.34 74l5221 .59 26LS31
.36 74l5240 .69 26LS32
7400
7400
7402
7404
7406 7407
7408
7410
7411
7414
7416 7417 7420 7430
7432 7438
7442 7445
7447 7473
7474 7475 7476
7483 7485
7486 7489
7490 7493
74121
74123 74125
74150 74151
74153
74154 74157 74159
74161 74164
74166 74175
74367
.19
.19 .19 .29 .29 .24 .19 .25 .49 .25 .25 .19 .19 .29 .29 .49 .69 .89 .34 .33 .45 .35 .50 .59 .35 2 .15 .39 .35 .29 .49 .45
1 .35 .55 .55
1.49 .55
1.65 .69 .85
1.00 .89 .65
UNEAR
Tl071
69 LM567
.79
TL072
1 .09 NE570 2.95
TL074
1.95 NE592
98
TL082
.99 LM723
.49
Tl084
1 .49 LM733
.98
LM301
.34 LM741
.29
LM309K 1.25 LM747
.69
LM311
.59 MC1330 1.69
LM311H .89 MC1350 1.19
LM317K 3 .49 LM1458 .35
LM317T .69 LM1488 .49
LM318 1.49 LM1489 .49
LM319
1.25 LM1496 .85
LM320 see7900 ULN2003 ,79
LM323K 3 .49 XR2206 l .95
LM324
.34 XR2211 2 .95
LM331
3 .95 LM2917 1.95
LM334 1 .19 CA3046 .89
LM335
1.79 CA3146 1.29
LM336 1.75 MC3373 1.29
LM338K 4.49 MC3470 1.95
LM339
.59 MC3480 8.95
LM340 see7800 MC3487 2.95
LF353
.59 LM3900 .49
LF356
.99 LM3911 2.25
LF357
.99 LM3909 .98
LM358
.59 LM3914 1.89
LM380
.89 MC4024 3.49
LM383
1.95 MC4044 3.99
LM386
.89 RC4136 1.25
LM393
.4 5 RC4558 .69
LM394H 5.95 LM13600 1.49
TL494
4 .20 75107
1.49
Tl497
3.25 75110
1.95
NESS5
.29 75150
1.95
NE556
.49 75154
1.95
NE558
.79 75188
1.25
NE564
1.95 75189
1.25
LM565
.95 75451
.:.19
LM566
1.49 75452
.39
NE590 2.50 75477
1.29
H~T0-5 CAN. K : T0-3. T =T0 ·220
4001 4011
4012 4013
4015 4016
4017 4018 4020 4021
4073 4024
4025 4027 4028
4040 4042 4044 4046 4047
4049 4050 4051
4052 4053
4060
CMOS/HIGH SPEED CMOS
.19
4066
.29
74HC154
.19
4069
.19
74HC157
.25
4070
.29
74HC244
.35
4081
.22
74HC245
.29
4093
.49
74HC273
.29
14411 9.95
74HC373
.49
14433 14.95
74HC374
.69
14497 6.95
74HCTOO
.59
4503
.49
74HCT02
.69
4511
.69
74HCT04
.25
4518
.85
74HCT08
.49
4528
.79
74HCT32
.25
4538
.95
74HCT74
.39
4702
9.95
74HCT138
.65
74HCOO .21
74HCT139
.69
74HC02 .21
74HCT161
.59
74HC04 .25
74HCT240
.69
74HC08 .25
74HCT244
.69
74HC10 .25
74HCT245
.69
74HC14 .35
74HCT273
.29
74HC32 .35
74HCT373
.29
74HC74 .35
74HCT374
.69
74HC86 .45
74HCT393
.69
74HC138 .45
74HCT4017
.69
74HC139 .45
74HCT4040
.69
74HC151 .59
74HCT4060
Circle 116 on Reader Service Card
1SV .12 1 .0 111 3SV .45 1SV 42 2.2 3SV .19 1SV .4S 4 .7 3SV .39 1SV .99 10 3SV .69
Ol!!iC: sov .OS .00111t sov .OS sov .OS .oos sov .OS sov .OS .01 sov .07 sov .OS .OS sov .07 sov .OS .1 12V .10 sov .OS .1 sov .12
MDNDUTHIC: .1u! sov .18 .47 11! sov .2S
ELECTROLYTIC:
RADIAL
2SV .14
sov . 11 sov .11
3SV .13 16V .1S 3SV .20 2SV .30 16V .70 25V 1.45
,,,t AXIAL
sov .14 10 sov .16
22 16V .14
47 sov .1 9
100 3SV .19
470 sov .29
1000 16V .29
2200 16V .70
4700 16V1 .25
BYPA!i§ C:APACITOR!i
.01 µ1 CERAMIC DISC 100 155 .00 .01 JJf MONOLITHIC 1001 510.00 .1 11f CERAMIC DISC 100156.50 .1 pf MONOLITHIC 100 1512.50
"'!iNAPABLE" HEADER!i
CAN BE SNAPPED APART TO
MAKE ANY SIZE HEADER.
All WITH .1·· CENTERS
111t40 STRAIGHT LEAD
.99
111t40 RIGHT ANGLE LEAD
, ,49
211t40 2 STRAIGHT LEADS
2 .49
211t40 2 RIGHT ANGLE LEADS 2 .99
7805T 7808T 7812T 7815T 7905T 7908T 791 2T 7915T 7805K
49 .49 .49 .49 .59 .59 59 .59 1 .59
7812K 1.39
7905K 1.69
7912K 1.49
78l05 .49
78l 12
49
79L05 .69
79l 12 1.49
LM323K 4.79
LM338K 6.95
Ol!iCRETE
1N751 . 15 1N414825 ~,(II
1N400410 ~1gg
1N5402 .25
KBP02 .55
2N2222 .2S
PN2222 .10
2N2907 .25
2N3055 .79
2N3904 .1 0
4N26
.69
4N27
.69
4N28 4N33 4N37 MCT-2 MCT-S Tll-, 11 2N3906 2N4401
2N4402 2N4403 2N6045 TIP31
.69 .89 1 . 19 .S9 1.29 .99 .10 . 2S .25 .2S 1.75 .49
Ul APPROVED
·ADJUSTABLE HEAT SETTING WITH TIP TEMPERATURE READOUT
·REPLACEMENT TIPS AVAILABLE S2.9S
FR·4 EPOXY GLASS LAMINATE WITH GOW PLATED EDGE·CARD FINGERS
SILK SCREENED LEGENDS. MOUNTING BRACKETS INCLUDED
-1
'
-_ --- - 1--~ _·_..--~--_- :=_ : - - ----- .· i · - ni
JDR·PR32 JDR·PR16 JOR-PR16PK JDR-PR16V
JDR·PR10 JOR-PR10PK
IBM·PR1 IBM· PR2
FORP!ili!!
32 BIT PROTOTYPE CARD 16 BIT CARDWITHl /ODECODING LAYOUT
PARTS KIT FOR JDR·PR16 ABOVE 16 BIT CARO .FOR VIDEO APPLICATIONS
FOR AT
16 BIT CARD WITH 110 DECODING LAYOUT
PARTS KIT FOR JDR·PR10 ABOVE
FORXT
WITH + SV AND GROUND PL ANE AS ABOVE WITH 110 DECODING LAYOUT
t I !iHDRTIN6mr--, BLDCK!i
51·1.DD
:.--
EXTENDER CARD§
FOR PROrOTYPE DEBUGGING ANO TROUBLESHOOTING
EXT-8088 FOR XT SYSTEM EXT·80286 FOR AT SYSTEM EXT-16 MICROCHANNEL 16-BIT EXT-32 MICROCHANNEL 32-BIT
§DWERLE§§ BREADBOARD§
100 TIE PTS. 630 TIE PTS. 1360 TIE PTS.
2.9S 6.95 17.95
WBU·204 WBU-206 WBU-208
1660 TIE PTS. 2390 TIE PTS. 3220 TIE PTS.
D
DESCRIPTION
ORDER BY
CONTACTS
10 20 26 34 40 so
SOLDER HEADER
IOHxxS
.82 1.29 1.68 2 .20 2 .SB 3.24
RIGHT ANGLE SOLDER HEADER
IDHxxSR
.85 1.35 1.7 6 2.31 2.72 3.39
WIREWRAP HEADER
IDHxxW
1.86 2 .98 3.84 4 .50 S.28 6.63
RIGHT ANGLE WIREWRAP HEADER
IDHuWR 2.0S 3.28 4 .22 4.45 4 .80 7.30
RIBBON HEADER SOCKET
IDSxx
.63 .89 .9S 1.29 1.49 1.69
RIBBON HEADER RIBBON EDGE CARD
IDMxx IDEn
s.so 6.2S 7.00 7 .50 a.so .es 1.25 1.35 1.7S 2 .0S
10' GREY RIBBON CABLE
RCxx
1.60 3.20 4 .10 5 40 6 .40
FOR ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS. SEE D·SUBMINIA TURE CONNECTORS. BELOW
31/0LT
··.95 LITHIUM BATTERY
HOLDER ·t.49
!iPECTRDNIC!i CORPORATION EPRDM ERA!iER!i
Model IT1mer
PE -140 I NO
PE -140T I YES
PE ~ 240T I YES
Chip Capacity
9
9 12
Intensity (uW t Cm1J
8,000
8.000 9,600
Unit Cost 589 S139
$189
D·!iUBMINIATURE CONNECTOR§
DESCRIPTION
SOLDER CUP RIGHT ANGLE PC SOLDER
WIREWRAP IOC RIBBON CABLE
MALE FEMALE MALE FEMALE MALE FEMALE MALE FEMALE
ORDER BY
DBxxP DBxxS DBxxPR DBnSR DBxxPVV'W DBxxSV.W IOBxxP IDBxxS
.4S .49 .49 .5S 1. 6 9 2.76 1 .39 1 .4 5
CONTACTS
15 19 2S 37
.S9 .69 .69 1.35
.6 9 .7S .7S 1.39
.69
.79 2.27
.7S
.es 2 .49
... 2.S6
4.27
3.89 S.60 6 .84 9 .95
1.99
2.2S 4 .2S
2.0S
2.3S 4.49
so
1.85 2.29
...
FOR TROUBLESHOOTING SERIAL COMMUNICATIONS
m ·OPEN/CLOSE INDIVIDUAL CIRCUITS
· 20 JUMPERS CROSS-CONNECT ANY TWO CIRCUITS
· 10 LEDS SHOW CIRCUIT ACTIVITY
·GENDER-BO S34 .9S
~
DATARA!iE
· ERASES 2 EPROMS IN 10 MINUTES ·VERY COMPACT. NO DRAWER · THIN METAL SHUTTER PREVENTS
UV LIGHT FROM ESCAPING
HOODS
METAL GREY
MHOODxx 1.05 1.15 1.2S 1.25
HOODxx
.39 .39
.39 .69 .7S
-. .~. . . . . . . . ..
ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS:
INSERT THE NUMBER OF CONTACTS IN THE POSITION MARKED ""xit OF THE "ORDER BY PART
NUMBER LISTED
EXAMPLE A If> PIN RIGHT ANGLE MALE PC SOLDER WOU LD BE DB1 5PR
MDUNTINli HAROWARES9t
6ENDER CHANEiER!i
FOR 25 PIN D·SUBMINIATURE
CONNECTORS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .
GENDER·FF FEMALE·MALE
Ill
GENDER-MM MALE-MALE
IC !iDCKET!i/OIP CONNECTOR§
GGEENNDDEERR--NMMF NMUALLLE-MFEOMDEAMLE
7.9S 7.9S
87..99S5 ll·lll!lllll~llllllll
DESCRIPTION
ORDER BY
CONTACTS 8 14 16 18 20 22 24 28 40
GENDER· JB JUMPER BOX 8.9S GENDER·MT MINITESTER 14.9S
.JDY§TICK
SOLDERTA.IL SOCKETS xxST
.11 . 11 .12 .1S .18 .15 .20 .22 .30
WIREWRAP SOCKETS ZIF SOCKETS
TOOLED SOCKETS
fOOLED SOCKETS l:OMPONENT CA.RAIERS
DIP PLUGS me
xxWW ZIFu AUGATuST AUGATxxWW ICC xx IDPxx
.59
..-~
.62
1. 3 0 .49 .95
.69 4.95 .79 1.80 .59 .49
.69 4.95 .89 2 .10 .69 .S9
.99 ...
1.09 2.40 .99 1.29
1.09 S.9S 1.29 2.SO .99 1.49
1.39
·
1.39
2.90
.99
-·
1.49
S.9S 1.49 3 .15 .99
.es
1.69 6.9S 1.69 3.70 1.09 1.49
1.99 9 .95 2.49 5.40 1.49 1.59
Circle 116 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 285
VGA COMPATIBLE PACKAGE
·&4gaa
ITS TIME TO TRADE UP NOW THAT JOA BREAKS THE PRICE BARRIER ON 2400 BAUD MODEMS · AUTO 01AL ANSWER · SELF TEST ON POWER-UP · TOUCHTONE OR PULSE DIALING · HAYES& BELL SYSTEMS COMPATIBLE · FULL OR HALF DUPLEX · MI RRO R II CO MMUNI CA TIONS SO FT WA RE INCL UDED
MCT-1211200 BAUD 112 CARCJ
EXTl=RNAL MODEM§
MCT-12E 1200 BAUD MCT-24E 2400 BAUD
$ 69.95
$ 99.95 $169.95
COMPUTER CA§E!i
ATTRACTIVE. STURDY STEEL CASES FIT THE POPULAR SIZ ED MOTHE RBO ARD S AND INCLUDES PEAKERS , FA C EPLAT ES. EXPANSION SLO TS. FRONT PA NEL KEYLOCKS, LED INDICATORS AND ALL NECESSARY HARDWARE .
DIABLO
!PlRiINjT!E7Rg
gs
· LETTER QUALITY AT 20 CPS. 132 COLS · 10. 12. 15 PITCH & PROPORTIONAL SPACING · SERIAL & PARALLEL INTERFACE · AUTO PAPER LOAD. FRICT ION FEED · FULL XEROX WARRA NTY
MONffOR - &CARD
TOGETHER
· 800 x 560 MAXIMUM
RESOLUTION
· 640 x 480
IN 16COLORS
·320 x 200
IN 256 COLORS
· IBM STYLE.
ANALOG MONITOR
·F ULLY VGA, EGA,
CGA. HERCULES &
MONOCHROME
COMPATIBLE
CENTRONIC§
LASER !liff,g5
PRINTER
NEAR TYPE'!iET QUALITY AFFORDABLE AT LA'!iT
· 8 PAGES PER MINUTE · 300 DPI RESOLUTION' · 1 YEAR WARRANTY · CHOICE OF EMULATION BOARDS
MULTI-PRINTER EMULATION BOARD:
EPSON FX-80 EMULATION-NOTHING ELSE REQUIRED IBM PC GRAPHICS. PROPRINTER & DIABLO 630 EMU LAT ION REQUIRES ADDITIONAL FONT CARD
HP LJ + EMULATION BOARD:
HP LASER JET EMULATION - 3 RESIDENT FONTS &
2 PITCHE S ADDITION AL FONT CARD AVAI LABLE
1.5MB RAM CARD EXTRA FONT CARDS TONER CARTRIDGES PFS FIRST PUBLISHER
$139.95 $199 .95 $59 .95 $99 .95
NEC MULTl!iYNC
· ORIGINAL CGA1EGA PGA COMPATIBLE MONITOR · AUTO FREQUENCY ADJUSTMENT · RESOLUTION AS HIGH AS 800 X 560
CA§PEREliA
· 15. 75 21 85 KHz SCANN ING FREQUENC IES · 640 X 200 350 RESOLUTION · 31 MM DOT PITCH · 14 "' BLACK MATRIX SCREEN · 16 COLORS
CA§PERRliB
· COLOR GREEN AMBER SWITCH · 39MM DOT PITCH · 640 X 240 RESOLUTION · 14 ·· NON-GLARE SCREEN · RGB 1IBM COMPATIB LE · CABLE INCLUDED
§AKA TA
MONOCHROME
· IBM COMPATIBLE TTL INPUT · 12·· NON -GLARE SCREEN · CABLE FOR IBM PC INCLUDED
SAMSUNG MONOCHROME MONITOR
MONrrOR !iTANO!i
MODEL MS-100
· TILTS AND SWIVELS · STURDY PLASTIC CONSTRUCTION
MODEL MS-200
· TILTS AND SWIVELS · BUILT ·IN SURGE SUPAESSOR · INDEPENDENTLY CONTROLS UP TO 5 AC OUTLETS
POWER SUPPLIES
FOR IBM XT COMPATIBLE
·UL APP., 135WAT T S · + SV .15A, + 12V 4.2A
- 5V .5A, - 12V .SA
PS-135 PS-150 150W MODEL $69.95 FOR IBM AT COMPATIBLE
286 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
$34 .95 $39. 9 5 $89.95 $149.9 5
IBM
COMPATIBLE
KEYBOARD§
FU..L UNE YEAR WARRANTY
IBM ENHANCED STYLE LAYOUT
$79.95
· AUTOSENSE FOR XT OR AT COMPATIBLES · LED INDICATORS ·AUTO REPEAT FEATURE
· SEPARA TE CURSOR PAD
MCT-5339
IBM AT STYLE LAYOUT
$59 .95
· SOFTWARE AUTOSENSE FOR XT OR AT COMPATIBLES
· LED INDICATORS ·AUTO REPEAT FEATURE
MCT-5060
MAXl-'!iWrrCH KEYBUARU'!i ENHANCED STYLE LAYOUT
$84.95
· STANDARD ENHANCED KEYBOARD LAYOUT · TACTILE FEEDBACK
· LIGHTED NUM. CAPS, AND SCROLL LOCK · NUMERIC & CURSOR KEYPADS . 12 MF" KEYS
MAX-5339 MAX-5060 MAXI-SWITCH, AT STYLE
PC MAGAZINE"S EDITORS CHOICE
ALL MODELS HAVE SERIAL SUPPOR T !COM 1 COM2) . 200 DP I. RESOLUTION. LOTUS 1·2·3 SHELL. SELF -INSTALLING SOFTWARE AND "POINT EDITOR""
SERIAL MOUSE W/PC PAINTBRUSH BUS MOUSE W1PC PAINTBRUSH BUS MOUSE W1PC PAINTBRUSH1CAD
3.S" FLDPPY
D·1IS4KgDgRsIV
-· E ...--"-: " ~-
f.-ltfB 3'/il' DRlllE · ULTRA HIGH DENSITY · ALSO WORKS WITH 720K DISKS
FDD-1.44 x BLACK FACEPLATE
FDD-1.44 x BEIGE FACEPLATE
Circle 117 on Reader Service Card
i'!O MB, 65 M!i, !iT-i'!i'!5 WITH MCT-HDC CONTROLLER WITH MCT·ATFH CONTROLLER
·i'!i'!5.00 $2 69.00 $3 39 .00
30MBRLL, 65M!i, !iT-i'!3B WITH MCT· RLL CONTROLLER WITH MCT-ATFH·RLL CONTROLLER
·i'!49.00 $299 .00 $389.00
4D MB, 4D M!i, !iT-i!51 WITH MCT-HDC CONTROLLER WITH MCT-ATFH CONTROLLER
Mi!9.00 $469.00 $S39.00
THE NEW ST· 251· 1 DRIVE IS 30% FASTER W ITH AN AVERAGE ACCESS TIME OF 28 MS. EASY TO INST A LL HALF-HEIGHT DRIVE.
WITH MCT-HDC CONTROLLER WITH MCT-ATFH CONTROLLER
$S69 .00 $639 .00
60 MB RU.. 40 M!i, !iT-i!77 WITH MCT-RLL CONTROLLER WITH MCT-AT/FH CONTROLLER
- 9 9.00 $S49 .00 $639.00
FULL HElliHT DRIVE§
30 MB, 40 MS, ST-4038 80 MB, 28 MS, ST-4096
$SS9.00 $89S.00
INTERFACE CARD§ FROM
MODULAR CIRCUIT TECHNOLOliY
DISPLAY ADAPTOR§
MONOCHROME 6RAPHIC!i CARO S59.95
TRUE HERCULES COMPATIBILITY SUPPORTS LOTUS 123 · PARALLEL PRINTER PORT CONFIGURES AS CPT1 OR
LPT2 · USES VLSI CHIPS TO ENSURE RELIABILITY
MCT-MGP
ENHANCED 6RAPHIC!i ADAPTOR ·149.95
100°1., IBM COMPATIBLE. PASSES IBM EGA DIAGNOSTICS · 256K OF VIDEO RAM ALLOWS 640 X 350 IN 16 OF 64
COLORS · COMPATIBLE W ITH COLOR AND
MONOCHROME ADAPTORS
MCT-EGA
COWR 6RAPHIC!i ADAPTOR
COMPATIBLE WITH IBM GRAPHICS STANDARDS
· SUPPORTS RGB. COLOR & COMPOSITE MONOCHROME · 640 320 X 200 RESOLUTION. LIGHT PEN INTERFACE
MCT·CG
MULTIFUNCTION CARD§
MON06RAPHIC!i MULTI 110
· n9.75
TOTAL SYSTEM CONTROL FROM A SINGLE SLOT'
· CTAL 2 FLOPPY ' S. SERIAL . PARALLEL. GAME POAT .
CLOCK CAL · AUN COLOR GRAPHICS SOFTWARE ON A
MONOCHROME MONITOR
MCT-MGMIO
AT MULTI 110 CARD
S59. 95
USE WITH MCT -ATFH FOR MINIMUM 0: SLOTS USED
· SERIAL. PARALLEL AND GAME PORTS · USES 16450
SERIAL SUPPORT CHIPS FOR HIGH SPEED OPS
MCT· ATIO
ATIO-SERIAL-2ND SERIAL PORT
$24.9S
MEMORY CARD§
5761( RAM CARD
S59.95
A CONTIGUOUS MEMORY SOLUTION N A SHORT SLOT
· USER SELECTABLE CONFIGURATION UP TO 576K
· USES 64K & 256K RAM CHIPS (ZERO K INST ALLEDl
MCT-RAM
EXPANDED MEMORY CARD 2 MB 0: LOTUS INTEL MICROSOFT COMPATIBLE MEMORY
FOR AN XT · CONFORMS TO LOTUS INTEL EMS · USER EXPANDABLE TO 2 MB · CAN BE USED AS EXPANDED OR CONVENTIONAL MEMORY. RAMOISK AND SPOOLER
MCT-EMS MCT·ATEMS AT COMPATIBLE VERSION $139 9S
DRIVE CONTROLLER§
FWPPY Ol!iK CONTROLLER
Si!9.95
QUALITY DESIGN FOR SINGLE SLOT CONTROL CF 4
FLOPPY "S · INTERFACES UP TO 4 FDD"S TO AN IBM PC
OR COMPATIBLE · SUPPORTS BOTH DS DD AND DS OD
WITH DOS 3 2
MCT· FDC
MUL Tl 110 FWPPY CONTROLLER ·79.95
A PERFECT COMPANION FOR OUR MOTHERBOARDS
· SUPPORTS UP TO 2 360K FLOPPIES . 720K WITH DOS 3 2
· SERIAL. PARALLEL. GAME PORT. CLOCK CALENDAR
MCT·MIO
MIO-SERIAL-2ND SERIAL PORT
S1S.9S
MUL Tl 110 CARD
·59.95
USE WITH MCT·FH FOR A MINIMUM OF SLOTS USED
· SER IAL PORT. CLOCK CA L ENDAR W ITH BATTERY BACK·
UP · PARALLEL PAINT ER PORT ADDRESSAB L E AS LPT1
OR L PT2
MCT-10
AT MULTIFUNCTION CARD
S139.95
ADDS UP TO 3 MB OF RAM TO YOUR AT
· USER EXPANDABLE TO 1.5 MS. OR 3 MB WITH OPTIONAL
PIGGYBACK BOARD (0 K INSTALLED) · INCLUDES
SERIAL ANO PARALLE L POAT
MCT·ATMF-MC PIGGYBACK BOARD ATMF SERIAL·2ND SERIAL PORT
$29.9S
$24.9S
1.i! MB FWPPY CONTROLLER S69.95
ADD VERSATILITY AND CAPACITY TO YOUR XT · SUPPORTS 2 DRIVES. BOTH MAY BE 360K OR 1 2 MB
· ALLOWS DATA TO FLOW FREEL y FROM xrs TO AT"S MCT· FDC· 1.2
FWPPYIHARD CONTROLLER
XT SYSTEM STARVED FOR SLOTS' TH IS CARD FREES ONE UP · INTERFACES UP TO 2 FDO"S & 2 HOD"S. CABLING FOR 2 FOD11 HOO · SUPPORTS BOTH D SrOD & DS100 WITH DOS 3.2
MCT·FH
ATIFH CONTROLLER
FLOPPY HARD DISK CONTROL N A TRUE AT DESIGN · SUPPORTS UP TO 2360K . 72QK, 1 2MB FOO"S AS WELL AS 2 HOD 'S USING STANDARD CONTROL TABLES
MCT·ATFH
RLL Ol!iK CONTROLLER IMPROVE SPEED AND STORAGE 0: YOUR AT
COMPATIBLE · SUPPORTS UP TO 2 ALL HARD DISCS ANO 2 FLOPPY DRIVES · SUPPORTS 360172011 2 MB FLOPPIES IN 5 25" & 3 5·
MCT·ATFH· RLL
TEACDISK DRIVE
3fiOK 5'/4 " URIVE · RELIABLE DIRECT DRIVE
M OTOR · DOUBLE-SIDED/
DOUBLE-DENSITY f 0 -55B
'/., HEIEiHT Fl.OPPY Dl!iK DRIVE!i SW TEAC FD·SSG OS /HO 1.2M
sw· FUJITSU M2SS1A OS /DO 360K
S1/·" FUJITSU M2SS3K OS /HO 1.2M SW' OStOO 360K SW' DS tH0·1.2M 31/i' MITSUBISHI OS /DO (AT OR XT)
ARCHIVE XL
TAPEBACK
·35!195
i!OMB HARD Dl§K DNA CARD
·34g
· SAVES SPACE ANO REDUCES POWER CONSUMPTION
· IDEAL FOR pc·s WITH FULL HEIGHT FLOPPIES
·LEAVES ROOM FOR A HALF LENGTH CARO IN
ADJACENT SLOT
~~ · ~ JuslT'NOTE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT
SALESPERSON, HELEN MORSE, AT YOUR Cli>MPANY HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL ANO COURTEOUS. THIS IS A PLEASANT OHANGE FFIOll MOST TELEPHGNE SAl:ESPEOPLE I DEAL WITH. PLEASE PASS MY THA~KS TO HELEN. I PLAN ON DOING FREQUENT BUSINESS WITH JDR AS MY NEW COMPANY, ODEM IMC, GETS GOING, ANO HELEN'S ATTITUDE AND HELPFllLNE,SS ARE A MAJOR REASON WHY I LIKE DOING B USINESS WITH YOU. ,
Fl .C.K.
BENSALEM, PA
=................
INBOARD 3Bli/PC !JB!IS.DD
UPGRADE YOUR XT TO A 386 FOR LESS THAN $1000 · 16 MHZ PROCESSOR REPLACES 8088 · 1 MB INSTALLED · EXPAND TO JMB WITH PIGGYBACK CARD
· 5 YR WARRANTY
INBOARD 386/AT ABOVE BOARD PS 286
ABOVE BOARD 286
$1199.9S $399.9S
$369.9S
Circle 117 on Reader Service Card
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 287
-
IOMHZXT
COMPATIBLE EA§Y TO A§§EMBLE IN JU§T ~
! l i f i 5 f i50 HOUR§ WffH A §CREWORNER.
§AVE MONEY ANO LEARN ABOUT YOUR COMPUTER AT
THE §AME TIME.
INCLUDES SERIAL PORT. 2 PARALLEL PORTS, CLOCKiCALENDAR AND GAME
li!MHZAT COMPATIBLE
·110170
ADAPTOR. RUNS COLOR GRAPHICS ON A MONOCHROME MONITOR · MOTHERBOARD · 256K RAM MEMORY · 135 WATT POWER SUPPLY · FLIP· TOP CASE · AT STYLE KEYBOARD · 360K FLOPPY DRIVE · MONOGRAPHICS 110 CARD · MONOCHROME MONITOR
· 12 MHZ BABY AT MOTHERBOARD · 256K RAM MEMORY · MIN I-AT CASE Wi POWEA SUPPLY · AT STYLE KEYBOARD · I 2 MB FLOPPY DRIVE · FLOPPYtHAAO DRIVE CONTROLLER
o MONOCHROME MONITOR
· GRAPHICS ADAPTOR
IEiMHZ IMB3BEi
!liif!if!9B65
· MYLEX 386 MOTHEA80ARO · I MB RAM ON BOARD · 200 WATT POWER SUP PLY · Al S TYLE CASE · ENHANCED Al STYLE KEYBOARD · 1 2 MB FLOPPY DRIVE · Al FLOPPY HARO CONTROLLER · MONOCHROME MONITOR · MONOGRAPHICS CARO
TURBO 4.7718 MHZ
*99.95 Ii! MHZ MINI BOi!B6 *399.95
· 4 77 OR 8 MHZ OPERATION WITH 8088-2 & OPTIONAL
8087·2 CO-PROCESSOR
· FRONT PANEL LED SPEED INDICATOR ANO RESET
SWITCH SET SUPPORTED
· CHOICE OF NORMAL TURBO MODE OR SOFTWARE
SELECT PROCESSOR SPEED
MCT-TURBO
MCT-XTMB STANDARD MOTHERBOARD
$87.95
· 6 MHz . 10 MHz (011 WAIT STATE). 12 MHz (1 WAIT STATE)
· USES ZYMOS AS1c·s FOR LESS CHIPS, GREATER
RELIABILITY
· SUPPORTS 256K-1024K MEMORY
· RE-CHARGEABLE HIGH CAPACITY NI-CAO BATTERY
· 6 16·BIT SLOTS. 2 8·BIT SLOTS
· MOUNTS IN STANDARD XT CASE
MCT-BATMB - 12 MCT·BATMB 6110 MHZ MINI 80286 BOARD
$389.95
BOi!B6 618 MHZ
*379.95
· 8 SLOT (2 EIGHT BIT. 6 SIXTEEN BIT) AT MOTHERBOARD · HARDWARE SELECTION OF 6 OR 8 MHZ · I WAIT STATE o KEY LOCK SUPPORTED . RESET SW IT CH, FRONT PANEL
LED INDICATOR
· SOCKETS FOR 1 MB OF RAM AND 80287 · BATTERY BACKED CLOCK
MCT-ATMB
16 Miiz MYLEX 386 *1649.00
· 1 MB RAM ON BOARD
· 8 SLOTS. 2 B·BIT. 6 16·BIT
· SUPPORTS 80287 MATH CO -PROCESSOR
· SUPPORTS 80387 W tADAPTOR
· 64 KB CACHE FOR NEAR 0 WAIT STATE
· USES AMI BIOS
MCT-386 MB
MCT-386 MB-4 4 MB MEMORY INSTALLED $2649.DO
MCT-386 MB-MCB MATH CO-PROCESSOR
ADAPTOR BOARD
$149.00
·fj!ggs
ID MHz §INliLE CHIP
· SINGLE CHIP USES LESS POWER. IMPROVES RELIABILITY · KEY SELECTABLE SPEED. 4 77 MHz OR 10 MHz · 2 .3 TIMES FASTER THAN A STANDARD · RESET SWITCH. KEYLOCK ANO SPEED POWER
INDICATORS SUPPORTED
MCT-TURB0-10
EPROM PROGRAMMER
·fj!ggs
PROGRAMS 27XX & 27XXX EPROMS UP TO 27512
· SUPPORTS VARIOUS PROGRAMMING FORMATS ANO
VOLTAGES
· SPLIT OR COMBINE CONTENTS OF SEVERAL EPROMS
OF DIFFERENT SIZES
· READ. WRITE. COPY. ERASE CHECK AND VERIFY
· SOFTWARE FOR HEX ANO INTEL HEX FORMATS
MCT-EPROM
MCT·EPROM-4 4 GANG PROGRAMMER
MCT-EPROM-10 10 GANG PROGRAMMER
MCT -PAL
PAL PROGRAMMER
MCT-MP
PROCESSOR PROG.
IYEAR WARRANTY ON MCT PRODUCT§
· 300AY MONEY BACK
liUARANTEE
·TOLL-FREE TECHNICAL
SUPPORT
· NEXTOAYAIR §HIP AVAILABLE
288 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
Circle 117 on Reader Service Card
Protect Your
Copies of BYTE
NOW AVAILABLE: Custom-designed library files or birrlers in elegant blue simulated leather stamped m gold leaf.
Binders-Holds 6 issues, opens flat for easy reading. $9.95 each, two for $18.95, or four for $35.95.
FRAME GRABBERS
HRT 512-24
RESOWTION
256 x 256 x 4 256 x 256 x 8 512x512x8 512 x 512 x 24
PRICE
with frame
grab
495 795 995 1495
frame
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NA NA NA 1095
·ISM PC/XTIAT COMPATIBLE ·DIGITALIZE IN REAL TIME ·COMPOSITEVIDEO IN · 24 BIT RGB OUT except model HRT 256·4
16 level gray scale out · SOFTWARE LIBRARY OF IMAGE ANALYSIS ROUTINES ·FREE SOFTWARE UPGRADES TO REGISTERED OWNERS ·FULL CREDIT ON UPGRADE PURCHASE IN FIRST YEAR RETURN OLO BOARO ANO JUST PAY DIFFERENCE
INPUT DEVICES loptionall
.$99 . . S:i59
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Tango-Schematic ~·-n11 l.ihmr .llana~er.
TangO:PCB I mil (jri<l. lJ l.:1ycr.i. GL'1her Output.
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800 433 "7801 _, l
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ACCEI. Technologies. 7358 lhtde St., San Diego, CA 92121
Files-Holds 6 issues. $7.95 each, two for $14.95, or four for $27.95.
Order Now!
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u,....~ltJI·~~-..-,.
ASao*~~~ Rl'h' dt1'2001.4CI<
(;(-EMSJMB
S!l6DhM1POOCfT1ZOOBModelfl
E. EwJaSuperEGA(aOO·&IXQ
$189 F.~\GAQld
G.Gfl'IOaSl.(lelroAfl!IOOx600)
. Sl19H. ~UJ8Gpqlll11
SIMI~ S'IZ9 5289 $199
Schwab Computer Center
''lhl E-SID19" -A<hoi1md £ - 0 - l e r
:l282EICaminoFle:a1.SvllaC!atii. CJ..95051 408.241-1210
M-F 0-7', 5IO'" 11~ P~~wlfholltnotlce
VlSAIMOo\e
E(E)PROM (18K·1MB) PAL (20 & 24 pins) BIPOLAR 8741/42/48/49/50 CPU 87(C)51/44 CPU ~NAMIC/STATIC RAM & TTL TESTER Oplion: 4 Sockel adaptor
only $585 comple1e
Olher products available. Individual program mers for E(E)PAOM (up to 1MB), PAL, BIPOLAR, 8748 series, 8751 series, Memor}f!TL Tesler, and gang programmers with 4, 8, & 16 sockets. Also induslrial quality EPROM Eraser with limer and safety switch is available (erases 30 of 28 pin eproms at a time).
OEM & Distnbutor welcome. 10 % educational discount
473 Sapena Ct #24
Santa Clara. CA 95054 XELTEK VISA
Tel (408) 727-6995
M/C
FAX (408) 727-6996
AMEX
ADAPTEC
PC/XT Controller ST506/412
... .. $45
2071 PC/XT to STS06 RLL (1 drive).
.$79
2072 PC/XT RLL..
. .. .$9B
2310 PC/AT to ST506 ALL .
.$149
3530 SCSI lo Tape OIC 36
.. $78
4000 SCSI to STS06/412 . . . .... .. . .. ..
. .....$89
4520 SCSI lo ESDI .
. .$98
5500 SCSI to ST506/412 . . . .. .. .. . .... .. .. . . . . .$125
55BO SCSI to SMD . ..
. .. .$175
XEBEC
S1410 SAS! Con1roller .
S1420 SASI to 5v.'' Floppy & Hard Disk Controller.
Apple II, II+. llE Host Adapler.
OTHERS
OMTI 20C, L SASI Controller
DTC 510A SASI Controller .
WO 1002-SHD Xebec Compatible SAS! Controller.. .$109
Konan OJ-210 3.5" SAS! lo STSOfi/412 (Xebec 1410 clone) .. $89
· Call for cable prices. · Controller manuals $B each.
Computer Surplus Store "WE
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EDITORIAL INDEX BY COMPANY
Index of companies covered in articles, columns, or news stories in this issue
Each reference is to the first page of the article or section in which the company name appears
INQUIRY#
COMPANY
PAGE INQUIRY#
COMPANY
PAGE INQUIRY#
COMPANY
PAGE
ADAPTEC..... ... ... .... ........ .... ..... 11
ADDISON-WESLEY ................... 51
751 ADVANCED LOGIC RESEARCH ... 67 944
ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES... ... 11 785
967 ALCYON .... ... ......... .. .... ..........226 908
904 APPLE COMPUTER ... .... 11, 125, 185 891
905
906
989 APPLE PROGRAMMERS &
786
968 920
DEVELOPERS ASSOCIATION ..226
ARCHIMEDES SOFTWARE ...... ..226
ASHTON-TATE ......... ... ............ 125
788 965
759
AT&T .. .... ...... ..... ..... ...... ....... ... 11
ATI TECHNOLOGIES ...... .. ... ...... 67
976
776 AUTODECK.. ...... ....... ...... ..... ... . 67 780
AVOCET SYSTEMS ........ .. .... ... ..239 903
772
BASIC BOOKS .. .... .... ........ .... ..... 51 BLACK AND WHITE
INTERNATIONAL. ........ ... ... .... 67
766 895
774 BMDP STATISTICAL SOFTWARE .. 67 959
856 BORLAND
787
INTERNATIONAL..11, 89, 101, 226
943
790
940 BRODERBUND SOFTWARE ........ 101
974 CWARE ....... .................... .. ... .226
784 CE SOFTWARE .... ...... ....... .... .... 67
939 CHEETAH INTERNATIONAL.. .... 101
764 CHRONOS COMPUTERS ... ...... .... 67
984
964 CNS ...... .. ...... .... ..... .... .... .... ....226
980
COMMODORE
955
INTERNATIONAL....... .. ......... . 11 892
900 COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH
983
GROUP .. .. ... .. ... ..... ... ... ... ... ...148 761
COMPAQ COMPUTER ........ ... .. ..140
COMPUTER & BUSINESS
956
EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS 981
ASSOCIATION ....................... 11 937 969 COMPUTER INNOVATIONS .. ......226 897
CONOGRAPHIC ..... .. ........ .. .. 11 , 67 985 CONSULAIR .. .... ........ .............226 754
CSSLABS .. ........ .... ...... ... ...... ... 11 986 753 CUBIX ..... .... .. .. ........... ....... ..... 67 893
977 758 DATA TRANSLATION ................. 67 777 757 DATADESK INTERNATIONAL ..... 67 760 783 DATAEASE INTERNATIONAL. ... .. 67 768 958 DATALIGHT ..... ..... ..... .... .... ... ..226
935 DATASTORM
752
TECHNOLOGIES ........ .... 115, 148
770 DELL COMPUTER................ 67, 89 988
DIGIKEY ... ......... .... .... ....... .... .239
894 DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
763
ASSOCIATES ... .. .... ........ ... .... 148
755
DISCOVERY SYSTEMS ...... ..... .... 11
973 773 DSP DEVELOPMENT .... ...... ....... 67
975 ECOSOFf ... .... ... ......... ... ..... ....226
778 ELECTRONIC ARTS ... ........ ..... ... 67
762 771 EUGENE NELSON ....... ............. . 67
885 EVEREX COMPUTER SYSTEMS
756
DIVISION .... .. .............. .. 140, 162
884
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
979
COMMISSION ...... .... ... ... .... ... 135 970
FLAGSTAFF ENGINEERING.... .. . 101
FLAMINGO GRAPHICS ... .. .. .... ... 67 854
FOX SOFTWARE ........... ....... .... 125 902
FULCRUM COMPUTER
779
PRODUCTS .. .... ..... ..... ...... ..... 173
GEOCOMP ....... .. ..... ............. ... . 67 942
GIGABIT LOGIC .... ....... ......... ... . 11
GIGATAPE .................. ....... ..... . 67
GIMPEL SOFTWARE.. ....... ....... .226 972
GRAEME PUBLISHING .. ...... .. ... . 11
GUIDELINES SOFTWARE ......... .226 898
HANDICORP .. .. ........... ....... .... .. 67
HAYES MICROCOMPUTER
PRODUCTS ........ ..... .. ...... ...... 148
HEWLETT-PACKARD ......... .... .. . 67
946
896 769 963
HILGRAEVE ...... ..... .... .... .... .. ..148
IBM ....... ... ... ...... ... ........ ... .. ....226 IMAGE COMPUTER SYSTEMS . .... 67 936 INTEL.. ......... .... .. ............ 140, 239 978
IOTECH.. ...... ........ .. ....... .. ... .. ... 67 853
JAMEC0.. .. .... ..... .. ... .... .. ..... .. ..239
JDR MICRODEVICES ....... ... .. ....239
KRUEGER TECHNOLOGY ....... ..239
LANGUAGE PROCESSORS ..... ... .226
960 LATTICE ... ... ..... .... ... ...... .... ... .226
934 LIFEBOAT ASSOCIATES ... ...... ...226
LIGHTGATE ...... .... ........ .... ..... .173
767 LIVING SOFTWARE .. .... .... ... ....226
883
LOGITECH ........ ..... ... ... .. .... .. ... 67
782
MANX SOFTWARE .. ... .... .........226
765 MARK WILLIAMS .... .. ..... ...... ..226 957 MAXIMUM STORAGE.. ... ...... .... 101
775 MAXON SYSTEMS ... ..... ....... ... .148
MCGRAW-HILL BOOKS........ ... ..239
MECHANICAL ENTERPRISES ..... 67
MEGAMAX... ....... ...... ... .. ...... ..226
971 MERIDIAN TECHNOLOGY ... .... .148
982 METAWARE .. .. .... .. .. ... .. .. .... .....226
938 MICROSOFT ... .......... .. .67, 131, 226 852 MICROSPEED ... .................. 67, 173
MICROWAY .............. ..... ... .. 67, 226
907
MIT MEDIA LABORATORY ... .....219
MITSUBISHf ELECTRONICS
855
AMERICA ...... ............. .......... 67
781
MIX SOFTWARE .. ........ ....... .....226
962
NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES .... ... 67 961
NUTMEG SYSTEMS.. ... .............. 67
899
966
OASYS ... .. .. .. .. ... ...... ........ .. .. .. .226
OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY
846
ASSESSMENT ....... .. ... ...... .. ...135
PACIFIC DATA PRODUCTS .. ........ 67
PARCPLACE SYSTEMS ... .... ........ 11
PLUS DEVELOPMENT............... . 67
PROTEUS TECHNOLOGY .. ....... .162
PSEUDOCODE... ...... ....... ...... ...239
RATIONAL SYSTEMS.. .. ......... ...226
REAL-TIME COMPUTER
SCIENCE ...... ............. .. ... ..,..226
REFERENCE SOFTWARE ..... 89, 101
RELAY COMMUNICATIONS ...... . 148
RESOURCE ANALYSIS
INTERNATIONAL. .. ........... ..... 67
SCANDINAVIAN PC SYSTEMS .... 101
SEMATECH .. ....... ... ........... ...... 11
SIERRA SYSTEMS ..... .. ... ..... .....226
SILICONCOMPOSERS . .... .... ... ..226
SIMPLENET .. .... .............. ...... ..140
SOFTKLONE ........ ... ... ............ . 148
SOFTLOGIC SOLUTIONS .... .. ..... 131
SOFTRONICS ... .. ....... ... ........ ...148
SOFTWARE BLACKSMITHS .... .... 67
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
SYSTEMS ..... ....... .. ,... ...... ... ..226
SOFTWARE PUBLISHERS
ASSOCIATION ...... .. ........ .. ..... 11
SOFTWARE PUBLISHING .. .... .... 115
SPECTRA MICRO
DEVELOPMENT...... ... ......... ..226
SSI COMPUTER SYSTEM ..... ....... 89
STANFORD MEDICAL CENTER .. . 11 STANFORD RESEARCH
INSTITUTE .......... .. ..... ...... ... 135
STANFORD UNIVERSITY ..... ...... 11
SUPERSOFT ..... .... ...... .. .... .. .... .226
SYMANTEC ... ..... .... ... .... ....... .. 115
TANGENT TECHNOLOGIE_S ...... .. 67 TATUNG COMPANY OF
AMERICA .. .... ..... ..... ..... .... ... 162
lOCOMMUNICATIONS .... ..... .... .. 67
IONET COMMUNICATIONS ...... .. 67
THE AUSTIN CODE WORKS .. .. ...226
THE GREAT SOFTWESTERN
COMPANY .. ... ........ ......... ...... 67
THE SOFTWARE TOOLWORKS ...226
THE STEPSTONE ....... ... ...........226
THEOS SOFTWARE .... ... .. ...... ...226
THINK TECHNOLOGIES ...... ... ..226
TRAVELING SOFTWARE .......... .101
TURBOPOWER SOFTWARE .... .... 89
VERSACAD .. ...... ...... .... ..... ... ... 195
W. F. FREEMAN ...... ...... ... .. .. ... 51
WATCOM .... ..... ... ...... ... ...... 89, 226
WESTFORD HARBOR .. ...... ........ 67
WHITESMITHS .... ................... 226
WINTEK .. .... ..... .. .... ...... .... .....226
WOOLF SOFTWARE SYSTEMS....148
WORDCRAFT .... ..... .... ....... .... .226
XDB SYSTEMS..... .... ... ...... ....... 121
YARC SYSTEMS .... .... ..... .... ..... .. 11
ZORTECH ... .... ........ ...... ..........226
290 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
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COMING UP IN BYTE
PRODUCTS IN PERSPECTIVE:
The Product Focus for September will zero in on 600-dot-per-inch Post script-compatible laser printers . Testing of 13 such machines by our laboratory staff has brought out some interesting and surprising features.
System reviews include 80386-based laptop machines from both GRiD and Toshiba and a desktop 80386 from AST Research.
A hardware review will look at I0 facsimile transmit/receive boards for the IBM PC and compatibles.
In software reviews, first on the list will be a look at Ada-as imple mented on the Macintosh. Next comes a look at two application reviews. One is Dataplex, a new data-entry and format-conversion program from Tools and Technologies; the other is Total Word from Lifetree Software, a product that straddles the line be tween word processing and desktop publishing.
Possible Short Takes for September include two 25-MHz accelerator boards for the Macintosh-from Ra dius and Novy Systems, respectively. Also in for scrutiny will be a new product from Borland International: Turbo Prolog 2.0. Konan has a new disk drive controller with built-in memory. Proximity Software has re leased Choice Words, a Merriam Webster dictionary on a disk. An ex tended Short Take will look at a card size motherboard replacement from Sota.
Our expanded columns section has contributions from Jerry Pournelle, Ezra Shapiro, Wayne Rash Jr., Don Crabb, Mark Minasi, and Brock N. Meeks. In their own ways-and from their own perspectives-each pre sents a thoughtful look at the products and technologies that make up the whole world of microcomputing .
IN DEPTH:
FEATURES:
The most obvious component of most computers, regardless of how they're used, is the screen. Now that we've looked at monitors in a previous Product Focus, we're going to take a look at the technology that underlies the display interface. In September, we'll have an overview of the current state of the art, followed by a detailed discussion describing how some of the most striking displays in the industry are developed and created.
In our new Hands On section, Steve
Ciarcia presents the second part of his
microcontroller project, and Rick
Grehan presents the next installment
of Some Assembly Required
floating-point without a coprocessor.
We also have articles available on
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new user interfaces, parallel
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AUGUST 1988 · B Y T E 291
READER SERVICE
To get further information on the products advertised in BYTE, fill out the reader service card by circling the numbers on the card that cor respond to the inquiry number listed with the advertiser. This index is provided as an additional service by the publisher, who assumes no liability for errors or omissions.
· Correspond directly with company
Alphabetical Index to Advertisers
Inquiry No.
Page No. Inquiry No.
Page No. Inquiry No.
Page No. Inquiry No.
Page No.
3 A+ L MEIER VOGT . . . .. . ... . 169
4 A+ L MEIER VOGT .... . ... .. 171
263 ACCEL TECH. . . . ...... ... . 289
5 ADVANCED COMP. PROD. 282,283
6 ADVANCED LOGIC RESEARCH 8,9
7 ADVANCED LOGIC RESEARCH 8,9
8 ADVANCED MATRIXTECH.246,247
267 AETECH .. . .. . . ... ... . ... . . 98
268 AETECH ... . ... . ...... . . . .. 98
10 AK SYSTEMS .. .. . ....... . . 270
11 ALOIS SCHONBACHLER ...... 96
12 ALPHA PRODUCTS . .. .. .... 275
13 AMER. SMALL BUS. COMP. . .. 93
· AMPRO ......... .......... 114
14 ATI TECHNOLOGIES . ........ 31
15 ATRON .. . ....... . ... .. .. .. 66
16 AVOCET SYSTEMS .......... 61
19 B&B ELECTRONICS . . . . . 280
20 B&C MICRO .. .. .
.. . 271
21 B&C MICRO . . . . . . ....... . 272
22 B&C MICRO . . .
. . 274
23 BAYTECHNICALASSOC..... 117
2 4 BEDE TECH... .. . ..... . . . .. . 46
· BINARY TECH. ... , . . . ...... 271
450 BIX ......... . . .... . . .. 182,183
25 BLAISE ... .... . · .· . .. ...... 33
26 BORLAND . . ' ' ' ' .. · . ' ' ' ' ' ' . . en 27 BORLAND ' . .. ' ' · ' · ' · ' ' . ' ' ' 'en
28 BORLAND ........·. · .·. ..... 1
29 BORLAND . ... · . . . . . . . , , . . . . 1
30 BORLAND . . .
. . .. . . .. 71
31 BOR~ND . . . . .
. ... 71
32 BP MICROSYSTEMS .. . . . .. . 269
32 BP MICROSYSTEMS .. . ..... 269
33 BUS COMPUTER SYSTEMS .. 263
BUYERS MART.
. . 254-262
aYTE BACK ISSUES ...... . .. 296
269 BYTE BITS . .. . , . . , . . .. .... 280
BYTE CIRCULATION ........ 248
BYTE MARKETING . . . ... .. 253
BYTE SUB. MESSAGE ....... 160
BYTE SUB. SERVICE .... . ... 291
34 BYTEK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 276
35 CADAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 73
36 CADAM ...... . .. . .......... 73
37 CALIFORNIA SOFTWARE . . .. 269
38 CALIFORNIA SOFTWARE . . .. 269
39 CANETICS . . .............. 278
40 CAPITAL EQUIPMENT ....... 119
41 CAPITAL EQUIPMENT . .. . ... . 24
42 CENTRAL COMP. PROD...... 272
271 CHANCELOGIC INC......... 237
266 CITIZEN AMERICA , . . . . 82,83
CLEO SOFTWARE . . . . . . . 204
43 CNS INC.... .... .
.. .. 60
44 CNS INC. .
. . ........ 60
45 COEFFICIENTSYS.CO. ... .. 160
46 COEFFICIENT SYS. CO...... 161
47 COGITATE . ....... . ........ 270
48 COGITATE.
. ..... 272
49 COMPACT DISK PRODUCTS ... 94
COMPAQ COMP. CORP.... 32A·D
50 COMPUCOM GROUP . ....... 270
51 COMPUSAVE . .
. .. 267
52 COMPUSERVE ............ 216C
53 COMPUTERAGELTD........ 270
· COMPUTER CONTINUUM .... 269
54 COMPUTER EXPO ... ... . .. . . 50
55 COMPUTER MAIL ORDER .. 36,37
56 COMP. SUPPORT GROUP 192,193
57 COMPUTER WAREHOUSE . 42,43
58 COMPUTER WAREHOUSE . 42,43
60 COMP. DISCOUNTWAREHSE. 105
61 COMP. SURPLUS STORE .... 289
62 CONTECH ... . .... ... . .... . 272
63 CONTROL VISION . .. ... . ... 272
64 CDVOX .......... .. . ... . .. 272
65 CROSSTALKCOMM.... . . ... 139
292 BYTE · AUGUST 1988
66 CUESTA SYSTEMS
. 106
67 CUESTA SYSTEMS
. 106
68 DATA ACCESS .. . . . ...... . . 251
273 DATACODE, INC.
. .. . 210
69 DATAPATHTECH...... .. ... . . 94
.· DATRANCOAP. ....... . . ... 223
70 DAYBREAK TECH. .. .. . ... .. 197
71 DAYBREAK TECH. . . · . ... 197
72 DAYBREAK TECH.
. . . .. 199
73 DAYBREAK TECH. . . . . . . .. 199
74 DAYTRON ELECTRONICS .... 274
75 DCS (DIVERSIFIED COMP.) . . . 271
261 DELLCOMP. (N. AMERICA)144·147
262 DELL COMP. (INT'L) .... . 144-147
272 DESTINY TECHNOLOGY ... . . 225
77 DIGITALKINC.
190,191
78 DIGITALK INC.......... 190,191
79 DISC INTERNATIONAL
. 276
BO DISKCOTECH . .
. .. 269
81 DISKETIE CONNECTION .... 273
82 DISKS TO GO . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
83 ECOSOFT .. ..... . . ..... . .. 113
84 ELEXOR . . . . . .
. . . .. .. 278
85 ENGINEERS COLLABORATIVE 269
86 EVEREX . . . . . . . . . .
. . .. 25
87 EVEREX . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .... 25
88 FLAGSTAFF ......·.·.·.. .. 100
89 FLAGSTAFF . . , ........ .. . . 100
90 FORTRON INC .. .....·.· ... . . 32
91 FOX SOFTWARE .... .· . · .. . .. 23
92 FTG . .. . .... . .. , . , . · , · , . . 274
93 GATEWAY 2000 .. . . . . · . · . ... 175
94 GENOA ........ ....· , · ..... 79
95 GOLDEN BOW
... 274
96 GRAFPOINT ............. .. 276
97 GTEK INC. . . ..
.. ...... . 52
98 GTEK INC. . . ..
.. . 52
99 GUIDELINES SOFTWARE . . . . . 24
101 HAMMERLY COMP. SERVICES 97
102 HEWLETI-PACKARD . . . ... 157
103 HEWLETI-PACKARD . . ...... 159
104 HI TECH. EQUIP ............ 276
265 HIGH RES. TECHNOLOGIES .. 289
105 HIWARE .. .. .. .
.. .... 60
106 IC EXPRESS . . .. .. .
.. . 270
264 INNOVATIONS
.. . . 270
INTECTRA . . .
276
107 INTEGRAND ............. . .. 40
108 INTELLIGENCEWARE . . . . . . 17
109 IOTECH..
. . . . 289
110 ITRON ..... . . . . . ..
.. 151
111 JADE COMPUTER PROD. . . 281
112 JAMECO ELECTRONICS . 264,265
113 JAWIN COMPUTER PROD.... 271
114 JAWIN COMPUTER PROD. .. . 271
115 JENSEN & PARTNERS INT'L. .. 87
116 J.D.R. MICRODEVICES .. 284,285
117 J.D.R. MICRODEVICES .. 286,287
117 J.D.R. MICRODEVICES . . . 288
118 KADAK ....... ....... .. .. 271
119 KEA SYSTEMS . ..
. .. 128
120 KEASYSTEMS .......... 270
121 KNOWLEGDGE GARDEN .... 233
122 KONAN
.... . 172
123 KONAN ..... ........ .. .... 172
125 LAHEY COMPUTER SYSTEMS 128
126 LINK COMP. GRAPHICS ..... 274
127 LOGICAL DEVICES . . . .
. 280
128 LOGICAL DEVICES. . .... 280
129 LOGITECH . .
. 74,75
130 LOGITECH . . .
. . 74,75
131 LOGITECH . . . .
. . . 154
132 LOGITECH ..
.. .. 154
133 LOGITECH
........ 155
134 LOGITECH .
. .. 155
LOTUS DEVELOPMENT . . . . 20,21
MAC SUPPLEMENT .. ... M1·M96
135 MANNESMANN TALLY ........ 81
136 MANNESMANNTALLY . ....... 81
137 MARK WILLIAMS .. . .. . . . . .. . 30
138 MATHSOFT..
.. . ..... 69
MAXELL DATA PRODUCTS . . . 7
MCGRAW-HILLNRI .. . . .. 216E-F
139 MEAD COMPUTER . . . . . . .. 277
140 MEGASOFT . . . . . . . .... . .. 271
141 MEGASOFT
... . . .... 271
142 MENDELSON ELECTRONICS . 130
143 MEP(MICROELEC.PROD.) .. 278
144 MERIDIAN TECHNOLOGY ..... 64
145 MERRITI COMPUTER PROD... 58
MICRO LOGIC CORP. . ....... 95
274 MICRO 1 .. .. . .. .
.. ... 211
146 MICRO 1 . .... . ... . ...... 216A
147 MICROCOM SYSTEMS ....... 26
MICROCOMP. MKTG. CNCIL. . 217
MICROLYTICS ............. 218
MICROMINT . . .. .. , . . . . . . . 235
148 MICROPROCESSORS UN LTD. 274
149 MICROSIM CORP........... 194
150 MICROSIM CORP. .
. . .. 194
MICROSOFT ...... . .... 212,213
151 MICROWAY .......... . .. . .. 111
152 MIX SOFTWARE . . . .
. . . 209
153 MONTGOMERY GRANT ...... 266
154 M.H.I.... ........... .. .. 112
155 NANTUCKET . . . ....... . . . . . 137
156 NATURAL MICROSYSTEMS .. 201
157 NEC HOME ELEC. DIV... . . 62,63
NEC INFO. SYS.. ' ' ' ' . " ' ' ' ' cm
159 NOHAU CORP. . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
160 OKI DATA . .........·.·.. .. . 109
161 ON TARGET .. ..... · ... . ... 278
162 ON TARGET . .... ·. · . . .. ... 280
ORACLE .... ............ ... 77
163 ORION. . ..
. ..... 96
164 OSBORNE/MCGRAW-HILL .... 58
165 OSBORNE/MCGRAW-HILL ... 170
166 OSBORNE/MCGRAW-HILL ... 231
167 PACIFIC COMPUTER ........ 267
168 PACIFIC COMPUTER ... . . 267
169 PARSONS TECHNOLOGY .. .. 177
170 PATION & PATION .. .
. .. 16
171 PC DESIGN . .. .......... ... 127
172 PC PLUS. ... . .
. . 116
173 PERSOFT .
. .... . . 85
174 PERSONAL SPACE COMM . . .. 278
175 PERSONAL TEX . . .. .. ...... 126
176 PETER NORTON
.. . . 133
177 PETER NORTON
.. . . 133
178 PRINCETON GRAPHIC SYS... 167
181 PROGRAMMERS SHOP ... . 103
182 PROGRAMMER'S CONNECTION . 39
183 PROGRAMMER'S PARADISE . 107
185 PROTEUS TECH. CORP....... 41
186 QUA TECH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
187 QUA TECH . .............. . 268
188 QUA TECH . . . .. . · .
. . 268
189 QUA TECH . . . .. ..... . ..... 268
190 QUA TECH ....·.· . ·. . . .. .. 268
191 QUA TECH
. 268
192 QUA TECH . .. . ...... · .. .. . 268
193 QUA TECH . . . . . . . .. . . . 268
194 QUA TECH . . . . . . . . . .
. 268
QUAID SOFTWARE LTD.
. . 54
195 QUALSTAR ...... ..... . .. . . 278
196 QUANTUM . .
. . 10
197 QUARTERDECK OFFICE SYS. 120
198 QUARTERDECK OFFICE SYS. 120
199 QUARTERDECK OFFICE SYS. 214
200 QUARTERDECK OFFICE SYS. 214
201 RADIO SHACK . ..... . ... . .. CIV
RAIMA .... ..... .. . ..... . ... 35
202 RAINBOW TECHNOLOGIES .. 278
203 RAINBOW TECHNOLOGIES .. 179
204 RAINBOW TECHNOLOGIES .. 179
205 REAL TIME DEVICES ...... . 273
. 206 ROSE ELECTRONICS . .... .. 270
207 ROSE ELECTRONICS . . . . . . 270
208 R.J. SWANTEK . ..... ... .. . . 280
209 SABINA INT'L. .. .... . .. . ... 280
210 SAFEWARE. . . . . . . . . . . . 273
211 SANTA CRUZ OPERATIONS ... 53
212 SANTA RITA SOFTWARE ..... 104
213 SCHWAB ............ ...... 289
214 SCIENCE & ENGIN. S/W . . . . 123
215 SEA LEVEL . . ... .. . . . . ..... 273
216 SHAMROCK COMPUTER
. 99
57 SILICON SPECIALTIES .... 42,43
58 SILICON SPECIALTIES .... 42,43
17 SIMPLE NET SYSTEM . .. . .. . 134
18 SIMPLE NET SYSTEM . . . 134
217 SKAN TECH . . . . . ... ..... . 272
218 SN'W ELECTRONICS ...... . .. 34
219 SOFTKLONE DISTRIBUTING . 184
220 SOFTRONICS ...... .. . . .... 272
221 SOFTWARE DEVELOP. SYS... 124
222 SOFTWARE LINK, THE .... 28,29
223 SOFTWARE LINK, THE . . .. 28,29
224 SOLUTION SYSTEMS ....... 103
225 SPECTRUM SOFTWARE .. . . .. 13
226 STSC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 91
227 SUPERMICRO . . . . . . . .. 272
228 SUPERSOFT. . .. . . ..... . . . . . 92
229 SYSGEN ................... 15
230 SYSTAT .. . ........ . ..... . . 189
231 SYSTAT . . .. . . ......... .. . . 189
232 S.C . SYSTEMS . . .. .. . . . ..... 59
233 TALKING TECHNOLOGY ... .. 273
234 TALLGRASS TECH .. .. . . . . ... 45
235 TALLGRASS TECH .. ... ...... 45
236 TANDON . . . ... . . .. . ... .. 56,57
237 TANDON... .
. . . 56,57
238 TELEBYTETECH. INC....... 161
57 TELEMART . . .. , . , . . . . . . 42,43
58 TELEMART . .... .... . .... 42,43
270 TELEVIDEO ... · ...... .. . .. 238
239 TIMELINE . .... . . . . . . ... ... 279
240 TOSHIBA . . . . . .
. .. 48,49
241 TOSHIBA ................ 48,49
242 TOUCHBASE SYSTEMS INC. . 136
243 TRUE DATA PROD..
. . 269
244 TRUEVISION . . . .......... , . 187
245 TURNPOINT SYSTEMS ...... 168
246 UNIVERSAL DATA . . . . . . . 280
247 UNIVERSAL DATA ... .. . ... . 280
· VERMONT CREATIVE .... . ... 19
248 WAREHOUSE DATA PROD.
55
249 WINTEKCORP. .. ... ..... . . . . 5
250 WINTEK CORP. . . .
. ... 280
251 WORLDWIDE SERVICES ..... 276
252 WORLDWIDE SERVICES ... . . 276
253 XELTEK . ...... .. . .. .. ... . . 289
254 XENDER . .. .. . . . . . .. . .. .. 278
255 ZENITH DATA SYSTEMS ... .. 181
258 ZEOS INT'L. . . . . . .
. 47
257 ZERICON .. ..... . . . ...... . 278
258 ZORTECH . .... · . · . ·... . . . .. 27
259 Z-WORLD . . .... .. . .. . . ... . 273
260 Z-WORLD ....... . ......... 273
INTERNATIONAL SECTION 881S-1-32 No North American inquiries please.
476 ABC COMPUTER . . . . . . . 881S-23
477 ANAL YTICAL ENGINES . . 881S·22
478 BCL . .............. . .. 881S-26
479 BIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 881S-31
· BYTE BACK ISSUES
881S-20
· BYTECIRCU~TION . . . 881S-30
· BYTE SUB. MESSAGE ... 881S·1 8
· CALEND . . . . .. . . . . . . . . BBIS-13
480 COMPUADD .. .... . .... 881S·11
READER SERVICE
Mac Supplement follows page 200. See Reader Service Index and card on page M96.
Advertising Supplement included with this issue: Priority One Electronics (U.S. Subscribers)
Inquiry No.
Page No. Inquiry No.
Page No. Inquiry No.
Pege No. Inquiry No.
PegeNo.
481 CUBIX...... . .. . .... 881S·7 482 ECOSOFT AG . . . . . . . . . . 881S·26 483 ELONEX . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 881S·25 503 GLOBE MFG. SALES .... BBIS-18 484 GREY MATTER ........ . 881S·21 485 IAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 881S·27 486 IES ..... . ...... . .. . ... 881S·12 487 INES ..··....... · . · ... 881S·26 488 INVERDATA ............ 881S·22 489 LASER TEAM . . . . . . . . . . 881S·24 490 MICROPROCESS. ENGIN. 881S-24 491 MICRO TECHNOLOGY. . . . 881S·2 492 MITSUBISHI KASEI . . . . . 881S·32 493 NIPPON COLUMBIA ..... 881S·19 494 NOVELLDEVELOPMENT 881S·29
· SEMITECH MICRO ELEC. 881S·15 · SOFTLINE CORP........ 8815-17 496 STONE COMPUTECH CO. 881S·28 497 STONE COMPUTECH CO. 881S·28 498 STONE COMPUTECH CO. 881S·28 499 S·100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 881S-9 500 s-100 .. ..... ..... .... .. 881S·9 501 USASOFTWARE . . . ... . . 881S-5 502 WARREN POINT LTD..... 881S-24
REGIONAL SECTIONS
Mld·Atlentlc
88M/AT1·8
· BYTETIPS
.. .... 88M/AT·2
391 COMMUNICATIONS RES. . 88M/AT·6 392 COMPUTER LANE . .... 88M/AT·5
COMP. FOR THE BLIND. BBM/AT-4 393 CORTEX .... . . ..... .. 88M/AT·3
MICROCOMP.MKTG.COUNCIL 88M/AT·8 394 OWL COMPUTER ....... 88M/AT·7 395 S.F. MICRO ..... .'.. . .. 88M/AT·1
Mldweet
88MW1·8
378 ALTEX ELECTRONICS .. . 88MW·8 · COMPARECOMPUTERS. 88MW·5
377 CORTEX .. . . . . . . .... . . 88MW·6 378 HARD DRIVES INT'L . . . . 88MW·7 379 HARD DRIVES INT'L .... 88MW·7 380 KORE, INC.......... . .. 88MW·2
· MICROCOMP. MKTG. COUNCIL 88MW·3 381 SCIENTIFIC SOLUTIONS. 88MW·1 382 SCIENTIFIC SOLUTIONS. 88MW·1 383 Y.E.S. MULTINATIONAL . . 88MW-4
Northeeat
88NE1·20
429 APPLIED PROG. ELEC.. 88NE·8.7 BYTE TIPS .. .. . ... . . . .. 88NE·4
430 COMMUNICATIONS RES. 88NE·19 · COMPARE COMPUTER . . . 88NE·8
431 COMPUTER AGE ....... 88NE·10 432 C.H.A.S. MICRO .. . . .. . .. 88NE·2
433 F&W COMMUNICATIONS 88NE·17 434 MANZANA .... . . .. .. . . .. 88NE·1
· MCGRAW-HILL BOOKS .. 88NE·18 ' MICROCOMP.MKTG.COUNCIL .88NE·12 ' MICROSMART . . . ..... . .. . 88NE-14.15 435 NEURALWARE ... .. . .. . . ..... 88NE-11
436 PC LINK..... .... ....... .. .... 88NE·5
437 PIONEER SYSTEMS ........... 88NE·3
438 POWER COMPUTER .......·.. 88NE·13
439 RIX SOFTWORKS .. .. . ........ 88NE·20
440 RIX SOFTWORKS ........ .. ·.. 88NE·20
· ROITT. TINNEY GRAPHICS . . .. . 88NE·16 441 UNIOTECH ................ .. . 88NE·9
Peclllc Coeat
88PC 1-18
409 3-F .. . .. .. .... . ... .. . . 88PC-18 410 ALTECTECHNOLOGY .... 88PC·8
· BYTE TIPS .... . .. .. .. . . 88PC·6 411 COMPUTER LANE ....... 88PC·5 412 COMPUlOWN ......... 88PC·13 413 D-DATA . ... ..... .. .. . . 88PC-14
· EXPOCONSULINT'L .... 88PC-12 415 KNAPCO ..... . .... . . . . 88PC·15 416 MERLIN PUBLISHING .... 88PC-4
· MICROCOMP. MKTG. COUNCIL 88PC·10 417 MICROCOMP. SQUARE ... 88PC·2 418 NU-MEGA ...... . ....... 88PC·9 419 PC SIG ........ .... ..... 88PC·3 420 RIXSOFTWORKS ........ 88PC·1
421 RIX SOFTWORKS . . ... ... 88PC·1 422 S.F. MICRO .. . . .. ...... 88PC·11 423 TATUNG SCIENCE & TECH.88PC·7 414 VILLARREAL CONSULTING88PC-8 424 VUTEK SYSTEMS ... . .... 88PC·6 425 VUTEK SYSTEMS ... . . ... 88PC·6 .
Southe11t
88SE1·8
399 HARD DRIVES INT'L ..... 88SE·1
400 HARD DRIVES INT'L .. . .. 88SE·1
401 KNAPCO ....... . .... . .. 88SE·3
MCGRAW-HILL BOOKS ... 88SE·7
· MICROCOMP. MKTG. COUNCIL 88SE·5
MICROMINT . .. . ...... . . 88SE·8
402 OMEGA MICRO SYSTEMS 88SE-4
ROBT. TINNEY GRAPHICS 88SE-8
403 WJL . ... . .. .. . . .... . .. . 88SE·2
Southwest
88SW1·8
387 ALTEX ELECTRONICS . . . aasw-1 · BYTE TIPS ............ 88SW·2
389 COMPUTER LANE . . . . . . 88SW·8
COMP. FOR THE BLIND .. 88SW·4
388 D·DATA ...... . ........ 88SW·3
· MCGRAW-HILL BOOKS .. 88SW·7 · MICROCOMP. MKTG. COUNCIL 88SW·5 · ROBT. TINNEY GRAPHICS 88SW·6
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AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 293
READER SERVICE
To get further information on the products advertised in BYTE, fill out the reader service card by circling the numbers on the card that cor respond to the inquiry number listed with the advertiser. This index is provided as an additional service by the publisher, who assumes no liability for errors or omissions.
· Correspond directly with company
Index to Advertisers by Product Category
Inquiry No.
Page No. Inquiry No.
Page No. Inquiry No.
Page No. Inquiry No.
Page No.
HARDWARE
280
ADDINS
12 ALPHA PRODUCTS . . . . . .. 275
21 B&C MICRO ... . . ... . .. . .. . 272
22 B&C MICRO . ... . .. . .. .. . .. 274
· BINARY TECH .. .. . ... ..... 271
40 CAPITAL EQUIPMENT .. .... . 119
41 CAPITAL EQUIPMENT . . .. . ... 24
· COMPUTER CONTINUUM .... 269
63 CONTROL VISION .. .. . . . . . . 272
· DATRAN CORP .
.. .. 223
94 GENOA . . . .... .. . . . . . .. ... 79
487 INES . . . . . . . . .
. . . 881S·26
109 10 TECH .. .. . . .. .. · . . . . 289
122 KONAN ...... . . . ...... . ... 172
123 KONAN .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 172
142 MENDELSON ELECTRONICS . 130
151 MICROWAY . .... . ....... . .. 111
159 NOHAU CORP. . . . . . . . . . 270
162 ON TARGET .... .... ..... .. 280
164 OSBORNE/MCGRAW-HILL .... 58
174 PERSONAL SPACE COMM.... 278
186 QUA TECH ...... . . . . . ..... 268
187 QUATECH ... ' .' ·...·. . .. . 268
188 QUATECH ........... . . . .. 268
189 QUATECH .... . ...... ..... 268
190 QUA TECH .. . .. ... ... .... . 268
191 QUA TECH . .. . .... ... . . ... 268
192 QUATECH .. ......... .... . 268
193 QUATECH ........ .. .. .. . 268
194 QUATECH ..... ....... . . . . 268
205 REAL TIME DEVICES ...... . . 273
207 ROSE ELECTRONICS . .. ... . 270
381 SCIENTIFIC SOLUTIONS . 88MW·1
382 SCIENTIFIC SOLUTIONS. 88MW·1
215 SEA LEVEL ... . . .. ... .. ... . 273
227 SUPERMICRO ... ......... . 272
233 TALKING TECHNOLOGY ... .. 273
244 TRUEVISION . .. ...... ..... . 187
260 Z-WORLD . . .
. 273
281
DRIVES
434 MANZANA ..... . . . . . . . .. 88NE·1
229 SYSGEN . .......... ........ 15
282
HARDWARE PROGRAMMERS
20 B&C MICRO . ......... .. ... 271
32 BP MICROSYSTEMS . . . .. .. . 269
32 BP MICROSYSTEMS . . ..... . 269
34 BYTEK .................... 276
97 GTEK INC . . ... . ... . . ........ 52
98 GTEK INC. .. ... .. . ...... . 52
264 INNOVATIONS . .. ... .... . .. 270
380 KORE, INC.. ... . .
. 88MW2
126 LINK COMP GRAPHICS . . . 274
128 LOGICAL DEVICES .. . . . . .. .. 280
253 XELTEK .. .. .. . ........... 289
254 XENDER ... . .. ......... .. . 278
283
INSTRUMENTATION
84 ELEXOR
. . .. . .. ... ... 278
162 ON TARGET .. . ............ 280
284
MASS STORAGE
10 AK SYSTEMS ........ . ..... 270
86 EVEREX . .. . . . . .. .. . .. . .... 25
87 EVEREX .......... .. .... .. . 25
· MAXELL DATA PRODUCTS . . ... 7
492 MITSUBISHI KASEI . . . . . 881S·32
493 NIPPON COLUMBIA ..... 881S·19
195 QUALSTAR ... .. .... . ...... 278
217 SKAN TECH ... . .. ..... . ... 272
234 TALLGRASSTECH ........... 45
235 TALLGRASSTECH ........ . .. 45
236 TANDON .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 56,57
237 TANDON ..
. .. 56,57
MISCELLANEOUS
19 B&B ELECTRONICS .. . . .. ... 280
24 BEDE TECH ......... . .. . ... 46
66 CUESTA SYSTEMS .. . . . .... 106
67 CUESTA SYSTEMS ......... 106
69 DATAPATH TECH ......... . .. 94
503 GLOBE MFG. SALES . ... 881S-18
INTECTRA .... . . . .. .. ... . .. 276
107 INTEGRAND . . . ..... . . . . .... 40
488 INVERDATA . . . . . . . . . . . . 881S·22
118 KADAK ... .. . ... . ..... . .... 271
145 MERRITT COMPUTER PROD... 58
163 ORION . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
246 UNIVERSAL DATA ...... .. . . 280
247 UNIVERSAL DATA ...... . ... 280
285
MODEMS/MULTIPLEXORS
14 ATITECHNOLOGIES ... ...... 31
42 CENTRAL COMP. PROD..... . 272
50 COMPUCOM GROUP . : .. .... 270
417 MICROCOMPUTER SQUARE .. 88PC·2
238 TELEBYTE TECH INC.... . ... 161
242 TOUCHBASE SYSTEMS INC. . 136
286
MONITORS
157 NEC HOME ELEC. DIV... . . 62,63 423 TATUNG SCIENCE & TECH.88PC-7
292
NETWORK HARDWARE
23 BAY TECHNICAL ASSOC..... 117
48 COGITATE ..
. .... .. .. 272
110 ITRON .. . .. .. .. .. . ..
.. 151
156 NATURAL MICROSYSTEMS . . 201
174 PERSONAL SPACE COMM.... 278
206 ROSE ELECTRONICS ... . ... 270
207 ROSE ELECTRONICS ...... . 270
288
PRINTERS/PLOTTERS
8 ADV. MATRIX TECH . . . 246,247 266 CITIZEN AMERICA . . . ... 82,83
53 COMPUTER AGELTD...... . . 270
102 HEWLETT-PACKARD ........ 159
103 HEWLETT·PACKARD .. .... .. 157
489 LASER TEAM . . . . . ..... 881S·24
136 MANNESMANN TALLY ... . . . .. 81
135 MANNESMANN TALLY . . . ..... 81
· NEC INFO. SYS. .. ........ .. cm
160 OKIDATA ...
... .. .... 109
178 PRINCETON GRAPHIC SYS... 167
202 RAINBOW TECH . ... . . . ... . . 278
206 ROSE ELECTRONICS .. . . .. . 270
255 ZENITH DATA SYSTEMS .. . . . 181
257 ZERICON ........ . . . ...... 278
289
SCANNERS/DIGITIZERS
88 FLAGSTAFF . .. . .... .. ..... 100
89 FLAGSTAFF ............... 100
433 F&WCOMMUNICATIONS 88NE·17 265 HIGH RES. TECHNOLOGIES .. 289
129 LOGITECH ... ..... .... .. 74,75 130 LOGITECH ........ .. .... 74,75
424 VUTEKSYSTEMS .. . . . ... 88PC-6 425 VUTEK SYSTEMS ... . .... 88PC-6
290
SOFTWARE SECURITY
64 covox . . .. ...... . .. . ... . . 272
189 QUA TECH ...... . .. . . . .. .. 268
190 QUA TECH ....... .. . .. . ... 268
191 QUATECH ..... .... . .. .. .. 268
193 QUA TECH ......... . . . .... 268
203 RAINBOW TECHNOLOGIES .. 179
204 RAINBOW TECHNOLOGIES .. 179
414 VILLARREAL CONSULTING88PC-8
291
SYSTEMS
476 ABC COMPUTER . . . . . . . 881S-23
6 ADVANCED LOGIC RESEARCH 8,9
7 ADVANCED LOGIC RESEARCH 8,9
· AMPRO ................... 114
3 3 BUS COMPUTER SYSTEMS .. 263
393 CORTEX . . .
. .... 88M/AT·3
377 CORTEX
88MW-6
481 CUBIX
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8815-7
261 DELLCOMP. (N. AMER.) . 144-147
262 DELLCOMP. (INT'L) ..... 144-147
483 ELONEX . . .
. .... 881S 25
85 ENGINEERS COLLABORATIVE 269
90 FORTRON INC . .... . ...... . . . 32
433 F&WCOMMUNICATIONS 88NE-17
93 GATEWAY 2000 . . . . .
. .. 175
113 JAWIN COMPUTER PROD.. . . 271
114 JAWIN COMPUTER PROD. ... 271
274 MICR01 .. .. ..
.. .. .... 211
146 MICRO 1 ..
.. ... .. 216A
· MICROSMART ...... 88NE-14,15
402 OMEGA MICRO SYSTEMS 88SE-4
394 OWLCOMP. SERVICES . 88MIAT-7
167 PACIFIC COMPUTER ........ 267
168 PACIFIC COMPUTER ........ 267
171 PC DESIGN . . .............. 127
437 PIONEER SYSTEMS . . 88NE-3
185 PROTEUS TECH. CORP.. .... . 41
201 RADIO SHACK . . . . .. . .. . CIV 213 SCHWAB .... ......... . ... . 289
' SEMITECH MICRO ELEC. 881S·15 498 STONECOMPUTECHCO. 881S·28 497 STONE COMPUTECH CO. 881S·28 498 STONE COMPUTECH CO. 881S·28 240 TOSHIBA . .. ..... . .. . .... 48,49 241 TOSHIBA ............ .. .. 48,49
245 TURNPOINT SYSTEMS . . .... 168
441 UNIQTECH . .. . . ........ 88NE·9
256 ZEOS llH'L . .... .... ..... .. . 47
259 Z-WORLD ................ . 273
287
TERMINALS
270 TELEVIDEO . . .... . .. .. . . .. 238
SOFTWARE
293
IBM/MSDOS APPLICATIONS
Bualneaa/Olllce
30 BORLAND . . .. · ...·. . ... . ... 71
31 BORLAND .. . .....· . · . .. . . .. 71
47 COGITATE . . . . . . .
.. . 270
68 DATA ACCESS ...
. .. 251
72 DAYBREAKTECH.
. .. 199
73 DAYBREAKTECH. . . . .. · .... 199
91 FOX SOFTWARE ... .. ....... . 23
92 FTG .... .. .. ........... ... 274
95 GOLDEN BOW
.. ... 274
LOTUS DEVELOPMENT . ... 20,21
MICRO LOGIC CORP. . . ..... . 95
MICROLYTICS .. . ..... . ... . 218
155 NANTUCKET.......... . . . .. 137
494 NOVELL DEVELOPMENT 881S-29
· ORACLE ........... . ....... 77
169 PARSONS TECHNOLOGY .. . . 177
199 QUARTERDECK OFFICE SYS. 214
200 QUARTERDECK OFFICE SYS. 214
RAIMA .. .... .
.. 35
294
IBMIMSDOS APPLICATIONS
Sclentlllc/Technlcal
39 CANETICS
.. .. .. .. .. .. 278
74 DAYTRON ELECTRONICS .. .. 274
83 ECOSOFT .. .. .. .. .. .... .. . 113
138 MATHSOFT . . . ...... . . . ..... 69
149 MICROSIM CORP... . . ...... 194
150 MICROSIMCORP.. ... . . ... . 194
435 NEURALWARE ... . .. . .. 88NE·11
170 PATTON & PATTON ..... ... . .. 16
175 PERSONAL TEX · .. ... .... .. 126
225 SPECTRUM SOFTWARE ...... 13
226 STSC .
. ... . . .. · . . . .. 91
230 SYSTAT . ... ......... .. . ... 189
231 SYSTAT .
. .. 189
295
IBM/MSDOS-CAD
263 ACCEL TECH ... . . . . . .. ... . 289
294 B Y T E · AUGUST 1988
READER SERVICE
Mac Supplement follows page 200. See Reader Service Index and card on page M96.
Advertising Supplement included with this issue: Priority One Electronics (U.S. Subscribers)
Inquiry No.
Page No. Inquiry No.
Page No.
13 AMER. SMALL BUS. COMPUTERS .. . 93
35 CADAM.
.. ........ ... .. 73
36 CADAM . ........ .... . ...... 73
249 WINTEKCORP............... 5
296
IBM/MSDOS-LAN
206 ROSE ELECTRONICS . . . . . . . 270 207 ROSE ELECTRONICS . . .. .. . 270 211 SANTACRUZ OPERATIONS ... 53
17 SIMPLE NET SYSTEM . . . .. . . 134 18 SIMPLENETSYSTEM . ...... 134
297
IBM/MSDOS-GRAPHICS
105 HIWARE . .... ............. . 60 137 MARK WILLIAMS . . .. .. . . .... 30 152 MIX SOFTWARE .. .. .. .. . .. 209 418 NU-MEGA ......... . .... 88PC-9 176 PETER NORTON .... . ...... 133 177 PETER NORTON . . .... . ... . 133
· QUAID SOFTWARE LTD. . . . . . . 54 197 QUARTERDECK OFFICE SYS . 120 198 QUARTERDECKOFFICESYS . 120 208 R.J. SWANTEK .... ... .... . . 280 212 SANTA RITA SOFTWARE ..... 104 228 SUPERSOFT ................ 92
* VERMONTCREATIVE . . ...... 19
56 COMP. SUPPORT GRP... 192,193 272 DESTINY TECHNOLOGY .. ... 225 486 IES .... . . . . ... ... ... . . 8818-12 439 RIX SOFTWORKS .. .. . . . 88NE-20 440 RIX SOFTWORKS ... . . .. 88NEmm 420 RIX SOFTWORKS . . . . . . . . 88PC-1 421 RIX SOFTWORKS .. ..... . 88PC-1
298
IBM/MSDOS-LANGUAGES
3 A + LMEIERVOGT .. . . .. . . .. 169 11 ALDIS SCHONBACHLER ...... 96 16 AVOCET SYSTEMS .. . .. . ... . 61 26 BORLAND .. . .. . ... ........ . Cll 27 BORLAND .. .. .. . ........... Cll 28 BORLAND .. .... .. .. .... .... . 1 29 BORLAND .. ................. 1
* CALEND ... . ... .. ·.... 8818-13 43 CNS INC.................... 60 44 CNS INC...... . ......... ... . 60 77 DIGITALKINC......... . 190,191 78 DIGITALKINC . .... .. ... 190,191 99 GUIDELINES SOFTWARE ..... 24 485 IAR .. ... . . . . . . . ...... . 8818-27 108 INTELLIGENCEWARE .... . ... 17 115 JENSEN & PARTNERS INT' L . .. 87 125 LAHEYCOMPUTERSYSTEMS 128 131 LOGITECH . ........... . . . . 154 132 LOGITECH . ... ..· . . ... . . .. . 155 133 LOGITECH ......... · .·.... 155 134 LOGITECH ... . .. .. .... . ... 154 137 MARK WILLIAMS ....... . . .. .. 30
· MICROSOFT . ..... . .... 212,213 152 MIX SOFTWARE ..... . . . .... 209 502 WARREN POINT LTD..... 881S-24 250 WINTEK CORP........ . ... . 280 258 ZORTECH ... ... ..... . ...... 27
299
UTILITIES
300 IBM/MSDO -COMMUNICATIONS
· CLEO SOFTWARE .... . ..... 204 45 COEFFICIENT SYS. CO. . . .. . 160 46 COEFFICIENT SYS. CO. . .. . . 161 I 391 COMM. RESEARCH .... BBM/AT-6 430 COMM. RESEARCH .. .. . 88NE· 19 65 CROSSTALK COMM. .... . . .. 139 75 DCS {DIVERSIFIED COMP.) . . . 271 96 GRAFPOINT . ... .... .. . . . .. 276 119 KEA SYSTEMS . ............ 128 120 KEA SYSTEMS . . . .... .. . . .. 270 144 MERIDIAN TECHNOLOGY . . .. . 64 173 PERSOFT .................. 85 219 SOFTKLONEDISTRIBUTING . 184 220 SOFTRONICS ...... . ....... 272
301 OTHER-CROSS DEVELOPMENT
221 SOFTWARE DEV. SYS. . . .. . . 124
* MAC
M1-M96
SUPPLEMENT
302
MAIL ORDER/
RETAIL
409 3-F ................ . . . 88PC-16 5 ADV. COMP. PRODS..... 282,283
-t10 ALTECTECHNOLOGY .... 88PC-8 376 ALTEX ELECTRONICS ... 88MW· 8 387 ALTEX ELECTRONICS ... 88SW-1 477 ANALYTICALENGINES .. 8818-22 429 APPLIED PROG. ELEC...... 88NE·8,7 478 BCL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8818-26
· BUYERS MART . .. . ..... 25~262
4 A+LMEIERI
. · . ·. ... 171
267 AETECH .... .... .. .. .... .. . 98
268 AETECH . . . . . . ... ....... ... 98
15 ATRON ............... .. .. 66
25 BLAISE .. .. ............... 3,
37 CALIFORNIASOFTWARE .. .. 269
36 CALIFORNIA SOFTWARE .. .. 269
271 CHANCELOGIC INC' . ... . .. . 237
273 DATACODE, INC; . : ... . . . . .. 210
70 DAYBREAKTECH . ....... . .. 197
71 DAYBREAKTECH . . .. . ... . .. 197
101 HAMMERLY COMP. SERVICES 97
104 HI TECH EQUIP..... . . ...... 276
49 COMPACT DISK PRODUCTS ... 94 · COMPARE COMPUTERS . 88MW-S * COMPARE COMPUTERS .. 88NE-~
480 COMPUADD . . ...... . . 881S-11 51 COMPUSAVE .............. 267
431 CQMPUTER AGE ....... 88NE-10 54 COMPUTER EXPO . . ... . . . . . . 50
389 COMPUTER LANE .. .. . . BBSW-8 392 COMPUTER LANE . . . . . 88M/AT·5 411 COMPUTER LANE ... . ... 88PC-5
55 COMPUTER MAIL OROER . . 36,37 57 COMPUTER WAREHOUSE . 42,43 58 COMPUTER WAREHOUSE . 42,43 412 COMPUTOWN . .. ... .. . 88PC-13
nqulryNo.
Page No Inquiry No.
PegeNo.
60 COMP.DISCOUNTWAREHOUSE .. 10!
61 COMP. SURPLUS STORE . . .. 28!
62 CONTECH ........... . .... . 27:
432 C.H.A.S. MICRO .. . ...... 88NE-:
79 DISC INTERNATIONAL ...... 271
80 DISKCOTECH . .. .. . ....... 26!
81 DISKETTE CONNECTION ... . 273
82 DISKS TO GO .............. 274
413 O.DATA . .. . ... . . · ... . . 88PC-14
388 D-DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88SW-3
482 ECOSOFT AG . . . . . . . . . . 8818-26
484 GREY MATTER . . . . . . . . . 8818-21
378 HARD DRIVES INT'L .... 88MW-7
379 HARDDRIVESINT'L . . . . 88MW-7
399 HARD DRIVES INT'L ..... 88SE-1
400 HARD DRIVES INT'L .. ... 88SE-1
106 IC EXPRESS .... . ... . . . . . .. 270
111 JADE COMPUTER PROD. . ... 281
112 JAMECOELECTRONICS . 264,265
116 J.D.R. MICRODEVICES .. 284,285
117 J.D.R. MICRODEVICES .. 286,287
117 J.D.R. MICRODEVICES ...... 288
415 KNAPCO .... . . . ....... 88PC-15
401 KNAPCO . . ... . ....... . . 88SE-3
MCGRAW-HILL BOOKS .. 88NE-11.
· MCGRAW-HILL BOOKS .. . 88SE-7
· MCGRAW-HILL BOOKS .. 88SW-7
139 MEAD COMPUTER .. . . . .. ... 277
140 MEGASOFT ........ . ...... 271
141 MEGASOFT ... . . . . . ... . .. . 271
143 MEP {MICRO ELEC. PROD) ... 278
147 MICROCOMSYSTEMS ..... . . 26
· MICROCOMP. MKTG.COUNCILBBM/AT-8
MICROCOMP. MKTG. COUNCIL 88MW-3
MICROCOMP. MKTG.COUNCll88NE-12
MICROCOMP. MKTG. COUNCIL88PC-10
MICROCOMP. MKTG. COUNCIL 88SE-5
MICROCOMP. MKTG. COUNCIL 88$W-5
MICROCOMP. MKTG. COUNCIL ... 217
MICROMINT ............... 235
MICROMINT .. .. ..... . .. 88SE-8
148 MICROPROCESSORS UNLTD. 274
153 MONTGOMERY GRANT ...... 266
154 M.H.I...... . . . .. . . .... . . ... 112
394 OWL COMP. SERVICES . 88M/AT-7
436 PC LINK ..... . .......... 88NE91
172 PC PLUS . . . .......... . . . . . 116
438 POWER COMPUTER . . .. 88NEmm
181 PROGRAMMERS SHOP ..... 103
182 PROGRAMMER'SCONNECTION . .. . 39
183 PROGRAMMER'S PARADISE . 107
209 SABINA INT'L .. . .......... . 280
213 SCHWAB . . . ... . . .... . . .. . . 289
214 SCIENCE & ENG. S/W . . . . ... 123
216 SHAMROCK COMPUTER ..... 99
57 SILICON SPECIALTIES . . . . 42,43
58 SILICON SPECIALTIES .... 42,43
218 SN'W ELECTRONICS ...... . . . 34
· SOFTLINECORP... . .... 881S-17
224 SOLUTION SYSTEMS . . .. .. . 103
499 S-100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 881S-9
500 S-100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 881S-9
232 S.C. SYSTEMS
.... . ... 59
395 S.F. MICRO ........ . .. 88M/AT-1
422 S.F. MICRO .. ... .. . . . . . 88PC-11
57 TELEMART .... ... ....... 42,43
58 TELEMART .... . .. ....... 42,43
239 TIMELINE . .... · .... . ...... 279
243 TRUE DATA PROD........... 269 501 USA SOFTWARE . . . . . . . . 881S-5 248 WAREHOUSE DATA PROD. . .. . 55 403 WJL .... ... . . ......... . 88SE-2 383 Y.E.S. MULTINATIONAL. . 88MW-4
303 EDUCATIONAL/ INSTRUCTIONAL
BYTE BACK ISSUES ..... . . . . 296 BYTE BACK ISSUES . . . . . 8818-20 269 BYTE BITS ... .. ......... .. 280 BYTE CIRCULATION . . ...... 248 BYTE CIRCULATION . . . . 8818-30 BYTE MARKETING ..... . .... 253 BYTE SUB. MESSAGE ....... 160 * BYTE SUB. MESSAGE . . . 8818-18 * BYTE SUB . SERVICE ..... . .. 291 BYTE TIPS . . . . ... 88M/AT·2 BYTE TIPS .... . ... .. .. . 88NE·4 · BYTE TIPS . . . .. ... . .. .. 88PC-6 · BYTE TIPS . . . .. . .. . . .. 88SW· 2 * COMPUTERS FOR THE BLIND88M/AT-4 · COMPUTERS FOR THE BLIND 88SW·4 · EXPOCONSULINT'L .... 88PC-12 121 KNOWLEDGE GARDEN ...... 233 127 LOGICAL DEVICES . .. . ...... 280 490 MICROPROCESS. ENGIN. 881S·24 165 OSBORNE/MCGRAW-HILL ... 170 166 OSBORNE/MCGRAW-HILL . . . 231 419 PCSIG ........... . ..... 118PC·3
304
DESKTOP
PUBLISHING
416 MERLIN PUBLISHING . ... 88PC-4
* MISCELLANEOUS
UN 11\M\.:C I · ··· , ··· · · . · · . · ~(fJ
ROBT. TINNEY GRAPHICS 88NE-16 ROBT. TINNEY GRAPHICS 88SE·8 I · ROBT. TINNEY GRAPHICS 88SW· 6 210 SAFEWARE .. .. ....... . .. . . 273
305
OPERATING
SYSTEMS
l:tlO \.JUl\N I UM .. . . ............. IU
222 SOFTWARE LINK, THE .. . . 28,29 223 SOFTWARE LINK, THE .... 28,29
306 ON-LINE SERVICES
479 BIX ...... . .. .. .. .. .. .. 8818-31 450 BIX ................... 182,183
52 COMPUSERVE . . . . . ... . . . .216C 251 WORLDWIDE SERVICES ..... 276 252 WORLDWIDE SERVICES .. . .. 276 491 MICRO TECHNOLOGY. . . . BBIS-2
AUGUST 1988 · BYTE 295
1985 1986 1987 1988
BACK ISSUES FOR SALE
Jan.
$6.00
$6.00
SPECIAL ISSUES and INDEX
Feb.
$6.00 $6.00 $6.00 $6.00 BYTE '83-'84 INDEX
$2.00
March $6.00
$6.00 $6.00 BYTE 1985 INDEX
$2.50
Aeril
$6.00
$6.00 $6.00 BYTE 1986 INDEX
$2.00
Ma~
$6.00
$6.00 $6.00 BYTE 1987 INDEX
$2.50
June
$6.00 $6.00 $6.00 $6.00 1985 INSIDE THE IBM PCs
$4.75
July Aug.
SeEt.
Oct. Nov.
$6.00 $6.00 $6.00 $6.00
$6.00 $6.00 $6.00 $6.00
$6.00 $6.00 $6.00
$6.00
1986 INSIDE THE IBM PCs
APPLICATIONS SOFTWARE lDDAY SPECIAL
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I Add r e s s - - - - - - - - - - -- - -- - - - - - - - ! City - -- - - -- -- - State_ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ : l ip _________ Telephone_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
1 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 11 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 10 11 11 13 14 15 26 17 1e 19 30 31 31 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 41 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 51 53 54
55 56 57 58 59 60 61 61 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 10 11 71 13 74 75 76 n 1a 19 8D e1 82 83 64 85 86 e1 BB 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 10 1 101 103 104 1os 106 101 108
:: :~~ :~~ ::! ;;~ ~:: :;: ::~ ::: :;: :;: :~ :;: :!! ::~ ::: ::: ::~ ::: ::: :~ ::~ ;~ ::: :: ;~: :::
163 164 165 \66 167 168 169 170 11 111 173 174 175 116 m 178 119 180 181 1e1 183 184 185 186 187 188 189
190 191 191 193 194 195 196 191 19e 199 100 101 101 103 104 105 106 101 208 209 110 111 111 113 114 115 116
211 118 119 110 111 111 113 114 115 115 111 11e 119 130 131 131 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 141 143
2u 2·s 246 247 248 m 150 251 252 253 254 255 256 157 256 259 260 261 261 263 26< 265 168 267 168 269 110
m m 111 111 113 174 115 176
178
180 181 1e1 183 184 185 186 187 186 189 190 191 291 193 194 195 196 197
198 199 JOO 301 301 303 304 305 306 301 308 309 310 311 311 313 314 315 316 311 318 319 310 311 311 313 314
315 316 317 318 319 330 331 331 333 334 335 336 331 338 339 340 341 341 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351
361 353 354 355 358 357 358 359 360 361 361 383 364 365 368 367 368 369 370 371 371 373 374 375 378 377 378
379 360 381 361 363 384 365 366 387 368 389 390 391 391 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 401 403 404 405
406 407 408 409 410 411 411 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 410 411 411 413 414 415 426 417 418 419 430 431 431 433 434 435 436 437 436 439 440 441 441 443 444 445 448 447 448 449 450 451 451 453 454 455 456 451 456 459 460 461 461 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 m 473 474 475 476 m 478 479 480 481 481 483 484 485 466 487 488 489 490 491 491 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 soo s01 501 503 504 sas sos 507 sos 509 s10 s11 s11 s13 514 515 516 517 518 519 510 511 511 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 !>30 531 531 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 ~~~~~~w~~~~~~-~~~~m~~~~~~~~
~~~mmm~m~mmm~~~~~~~~~~m~m~~
595 596 597 598 599 600 601 601 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 611 613 614 615 616 617 618 61S 610 611
mm~~~~~B19BJO~mm834~~m~~-~woo~w~w~
549 650 551 65l 653 654 655 650 657 658 659 660 661 661 683 664 BBS 688 667 688 688 870 671 672 673 67· 675 mmmm660~~683~BBS688W688688~~-~894~~-~~~mm 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 710 711 711 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 710 711 711 713 714 715 716 711 118 719
~mmmrnmrnmrnm~mmmmmmwmmTMmillmTM~lli ~llim~mmm···mTM~mmmmrnmmmmm~mmm ···m·wmmmm~·~mTMm~~~~604~60BW608609m
811 811 813 814 815 816 817 818 819 810 811 811 813 814 815 816 817 818 819 830 83 1 831 833 834 635 836 837
m~~~WffiWWWW~~~~~~654m~5~~660~~~654
891 893 894 895 896 897 898 899 900 901 901 903 ~ 905 906 907 908 909 910 911 911 913 914 915 916 917 918
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 36 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 46 49 50 51 52 53 54 5S 56 57 56 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 66 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 76 79 60 61 62 63 84 85 86 67 118 69 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 96 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 1116 107 1116 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 116 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 126 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 146 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 156 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 166 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 176 179 160 161 162 163 184 165 166 167 168 169 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 196 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216
mnmmwmmrnmmmmm~mmm~mmmmm~mw~ ·mmwmm~~~~~lliTM6TMTM~~m~~~TMmTM~m mmmmmmmmm~wm~~~TMmTM~~mmmam~m
290 299 300 301 302 lJ3 304 305 306 307 306 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 316 319 320 321 322 323 324
mmmmmm~m~~mamam·w·w~·~mmm~~ -~~·TMmTM·~~~~~~~m~~mmmmmmmmm m~~~~~~~w~~mmmm~·~mm~~~···a
406 407 4116 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 426 429 430 431 432
m~~~-~~·w·~~··w~m~~~m~~~illTMa ~~~~TM~466ill466466mmmmmmmmmm~~~~~TM466
487 466 469 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 sos 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513
mmmmmm~~~~~·mmmm~~~~~-~~~~~ ~~643~~~w~~~~~~~~~E~m~~~~~~~w ~~Rmmrummmmmm~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~
595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 606 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 6'6 617 616 619 620 621
622 623 624 625 626 627 626 629 630 631 632 ~ 634 635 635 637 635 635 640 641 642 643 644 645 646 647 646
~~~~~TM~TMWTM~~~~~~~~w~~mmmmmm mmmm~~~~~~~w~~m~~~~~696W696~·~~
703 704 705 706 707 708 709 710 711 712 713 714 71 5 716 717 716 71 9 720 721 722 123 724 725 726 727 726 729
~mmmmmmmmrn~mmmmmmwmmTMmmm~mm
m~~TMTM····TMTMTMTMmmmmmrnmmmmTMTM·~ TMTMTMTMTM~~mrnm~·~mTMmsoo~~!l03~605~D606609m
611 612 613 614 615 616 f17 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632 633 834 835 636 637
636~~W~643644~~W~~~~~~TM~TM~~~~~~~~ ~~w~~mmmmmmmmmm~~~~w~~w~~m~
692 693 894 695 696 697 696 699 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 907 906 909 910 911 912 913 914 915 916 917 916 919 920 921 922 9Zl 924 925 926 927 926 929 630 931 932 633 934 835 936 937 936 939 940 941 942 943 944 945
~w~~~~~~~~TM~TM~~~~~~~~~~~mmm mmmmmmm~~~~~~~w~~m~m~~m~~~m
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111 ··I I·I I 1.11. I I 11. I I 11 .. 1.1 ··I·I I·I 11. I I 11. I I 11. I I
OUR NEW PRINTERS MAKE EVEN
BADWRITING LODIGOOD.
CHAPTER ONE IS MIDNIGHT
THE BLACKEST HOUR
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We're sorry that our new 24-wire Pinwriter°' P5200 and P5300 printers can't do much for the
quality of your writing. But they can certainly do wonders for the way it looks. The secret is the
ribbon. Other dot matrix printers only use a fabric ribbon. Our Pinwriters print with both a fab
ric and a letter-quality, multi-strike film ribbon-the same kind used on executive typewriters.
The NEC Pinwriters can also enhance your writing in other ways. They have seven resident
type styles. Plus four more are available on plug-in font cards. Which means you can express
your thoughts with just the right typeface. You can also get an inexpensive, user-installed color
option. And if graphics are part of your story, these Pinwriters produce the highest resolution
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Call NEC Information Systems at 1-800-343-4418 to see
NEC PRINTERS. lHEYONLY STOP
how much better our new Pinwriter P5200 and the wider
WHEN YOU WANfTHEMID.
P5300 can make your writing look. Whether you're a budding Hemingway, or a Hemingway & Company.
NEC
---==:..-..::::.....::::::::::::::'.:::::::=-~! NEC Information Systems, Dept. 1610, 1414 Massachusetts Ave., Boxborough, J\1A 01719.
C&C ComPY·~~ and Cammun1eal1011s
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Comes with its own software
With the included Personal DeskMateTM 2 software, you get seven popular applications: Text-an easy-to-use word-processing program; Worksheet-a spreadsheet-analysis application; File-an efficient electronic-filing system; Paint-a colorful graphics program; Music-for playing and composing songs; Calendar-to keep those important dates; and Telecom-to
communicate with other computers and information services.
Start computing
immediately
_ _ This system is ready to run
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from day one because the TX
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comes with 640K RAM, a 720K
_--:-
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Choose from a variety of computers
Tandy offers a complete line of PC compatible computers for every need. Visit a nearby Radio Shack today and take advantage of this special offer featuring the remarkable Tandy 1000 TX with Personal DeskMate 2 and the CM-5 Color Monitor.
Offer includes Tandy 1000 TX (25-1600) and CM-5 Color Monitor (25-1043). Monitor appearance may v~ry. Personal DeskMate 2 communications require modem. Intel/Reg. TM Intel Corp . IBM/Reg. TM IBM Corp. MS-DOS/Reg. TM Microsoft Corp
Sale begins 6/21/88. ends 8/23/88.
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COMPUTER CENTERS
A DIVISION OF TANDY CORPORATION
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