-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- PCM Online December 1994 FIRST THINGS Contents: [] The Issue at Hand: Editor's Notes -- Under Construction [] Letters to PCM: The readers talk back Entire contents copyright 1994 by Falsoft, Inc. PCM -- The Premier Personal Computer Magazine -- is intended for the private use and pleasure of its subscribers, and reproduction by any means is prohibited. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Issue at Hand \|/ by Lauren Willoughby ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EDITOR'S NOTES UNDER CONSTRUCTION Welcome to PCM Online's second-ever issue! I guess you could say we're in our " Terrible 2s," but it feels more like "Terrific 2s" on this end. Online publishing is an exciting new step for us -- it's so immediate. We've been accustomed to 90-day lead times, so experiencing nearly instantaneous turnaround is like a breath of fresh air. It's also been challenging to try and gauge the editorial mix to see what you folks will like best. It may seem like we're "under construction" for a while as we mix and match columns and experiment with formats. But you can help us out here. This is supposed to be an interactive publication, remember? Tell us what you want! Let us know what you like, what you don't, and what you think we could do better. Our Internet address is pcm@shivasys.com. Don't be shy. >>[ All Aboard, Paying Customers! ]<< We hope you like this issue and the November issue we ran up the metaphorical flagpole. But, we gotta remind you, the free ride is up with this issue. The next issue, January, is for paying customers only. So please make our SysOp distributor happy and send him some money. (Or have your SysOp send our SysOp money!) You don't really want to miss any of our glowing prose, do you? >>[ Dangling the Bait ]<< Let us entice you by describing articles and columns we have in the works. Are you interested in broadcast-quality animation, ray-tracing and rendering? We're looking at programs like TrueSpace, Pixar Typestry and Autodesk 3D Studio, which get you ready for prime time. Multimedia authoring? That's up a sleeve for a future issue too. How about tutorials that get you productive with major applications (like Excel, Word and Lotus) pronto? An article covering quick-start tutorials is slated for January. We are also going to launch a book-review column ("The Offline Reader"), which will help you zero in on the most helpful third-party software references. And don't forget, we have the BEST games column around, plus reviews of commercial and shareware programs in every issue. Come see us again. Until then, Happy Holidays! -=------------- -=*=- -=*=- -=*=- -------------=- Letters to PCM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TYPING PCM PROGRAMS Editor: It's time for me to start typing the monthly programs from PCM. How do I do it? How do I determine the number of spaces, when some spaces between words and/or lines vary from nothing to more than an inch? When I see dots, lines or hyphens all the way across the 80- column width, must I have the exact number that are printed in the program -- or can I shorten the line a bit? Sometimes a left-hand column has what appears to be an explanation printed in the right-hand column, such as: 250 IF A = 57 THEN 8000 'Cursor Down 260 IF A = 49 THEN 7000 'Cursor Up Should this be entered in the program, or is it just an explanation to me? I need to know every detail on where, how, etc., in order to begin typing these monthly programs. Harvey Samuels Rochester, New York Determining the number of spaces in listings can sometimes be difficult. Often you can figure the number of spaces by looking at the line immediately above or below the line in question. If you can't determine the exact number of spaces, put in as many spaces as you think should be there and adjust it later if necessary. Spaces are often used to align onscreen text such as in menus, so you can tell when you run the program if you've inserted the correct number of spaces. Any text appearing after REM or an apostrophe ('), such as REM Cursor Up or 'Cursor Down, are comments and need not be entered in the listing. One possible exception is when a comment is on a line by itself, as in: 120 'Print Menu you should enter at least the line number and the remark character (either REM or the apostrophe) in case that line is referenced in a GOTO or GOSUB statement. Although everyone has his or her own method of entering listings, we generally follow the logical flow of the program. In other words we start entering the listing from the beginning and place a check mark by each line we've entered or a question mark by any line we've entered but are not sure is totally correct -- for instance, if we can't determine the number of spaces in the line. When we get to a line that jumps to another section (such as GOTO 500 or GOSUB 1000), we save the listing to disk and run it to make sure it is correct to that point. Once we've made any necessary changes, we enter the listing from the line referenced in the GOTO or GOSUB statement. In this manner we can continue running the program to check each section one at a time. When we reach a RETURN statement, we check our work once again and start from where we left off before we followed the branch. Here's a short listing as an example: 10 PRINT "Test" 20 GOSUB 100 30 PRINT "END" 40 END 100 PRINT "A subroutine" 110 RETURN In this sample listing we would enter lines 10 and 20, save the file, and run it to make sure it contains no errors. Then we would enter lines 100 and 110, save, and check it again. Finally we would return to where we left off, by entering lines 30 and 40. We find that by entering the listing this way, we can check our work much more often -- and entering the listing doesn't seem nearly as tedious, because we're constantly watching the program grow. A nice side effect is that we get a better understanding of the general flow of the program. -=*=- MAKING THE CONNECTION Editor: The January 1994 letter from Mr. Peter Allivato described problems he was having with the disk drives in his Tandy computer. A few months ago I had the same problem with my equipment. I believe my solution would be of value not only to him but to other readers. Each disk drive has a separate ribbon cable connected from the motherboard to the back of the drive unit. The ribbon cable consists of a number of wires with a connector at each end. These multiple- contact connectors are only pressed onto the ribbon cable. The sharp pins in the center of the connector are supposed to make good contact with each wire in the ribbon cable, but many times they aren't in firm contact with all the wires. When this happens, data going to the disk drive is lost. To correct the problem with my equipment, I removed the cables one at a time and carefully reseated the connector on each one, pressing the connector more firmly and moving the cable back and forth a few times. After I reinstalled each cable in its proper place, the system showed to be working properly and I have had no trouble since. All disk commands work normally. I was advised by a friend that if reseating the connectors didn't clear the problem, another solution was to purchase new cables directly from Tandy and install them in place of the faulty cables. It is not really a major problem, but it is very frustrating when this happens. I am not sure my solution is a cure-all for others, but it sure cleared the same problem on my Tandy computer. L. La Baume Amarillo, Texas -=*=- RE-CONNECTING Editor: I have a Tandy TL/2 with a CGA monitor and a 3-1/2-inch, 720K drive. When I insert a disk into the drive and type DIR, I see a listing of the directory on the disk. But when I insert another disk and type DIR, I see the directory listing of the previous disk. I keep typing DIR but continue to get the same response. The only way I can get the computer to recognize the disk is to reboot. This problem started when I switched the drive cable. I switched the cable back to its original position, but the problem continues. Is it a virus? Do I need a new floppy drive? Eddie Chiang Queens, New York Based on your description of the problem and the steps leading to it, it sounds as though the connector is not making good contact with the drive. Remove the case, pull the connector from the drive, and examine the pins on the drive very carefully to make sure none are bent. If you find any bent pins on the drive, use a pair of needle-nosed pliers to carefully straighten each one. Now reinsert the connector on the drive, power on the computer, and make sure the drive works as expected. When reinserting the connector, make sure Pin 1 (the one with the blue or red stripe on the ribbon cable) faces toward the right and is properly aligned with the connector on the drive. If you continue to have the same problem, insert DRIVPARM=/D:0 /F:2 on a line by itself in your C:\CONFIG.SYS file and reboot the computer. This line tells DOS that you have a 3-1/2-inch, 720K drive that does not support the Change Line signal (the signal used to indicate when a disk is removed or inserted in the drive). -=*=- PLEASING SOME OF THE PEOPLE . . . Editor: I'm writing to let you know I've recommended that PCM be read on a local radio station's reading service for the blind. I feel your magazine can help the blind and visually impaired get a better understanding of computers, software and Tandy-specific articles. PCM is easy to understand and doesn't go into such depth that a computer- illiterate person is lost. Russell Starner Dallastown, Pennsylvania -=*=- . . . SOME OF THE TIME Editor: For too long now, it seems that each new issue of PCM is directed more and more toward Windows and the interests of the "power user." The majority of advertising in both the March 1989 and the January 1994 issues of PCM is directed towards users of Tandy 1000-series computers. This indicates to me that the majority of your advertisers know that your readers, for the most part, are users of Tandy 1000s. The main emphasis of the editorial content in the March 1989 issue is of interest to those users. In sharp contrast the main editorial emphasis of January 1994 issue, as well too many other recent issues, is directed largely to the power user. Do you think you can compete with the big magazines whose issues run to over 300 pages? I am a retired electrical-engineering professor and not a technological ignoramus. I live on a pension and can't afford to throw what money I have at every newer, faster and more powerful computer that comes on the market -- nor do I need to. I still make a lot of use of my 10-year-old TRS-80 Model 4P computer. In fact I am using it with Scripsit Pro to write this letter. I also own and use a five-year-old 1000 TL and make much use of Text in DeskMate 3.0. I admit that these computers are not on the cutting edge of computer technology and software, but how many of us need or can afford to be? What I have fills my needs very well. I would welcome, find useful and enjoy the kind of support that PCM used to give me and a multitude of other run-of-the-mill Tandy 1000 users. There is a good niche for PCM among users like us, and you can fill it. Harold Hendriks Milbank, South Dakota For the most part our primary goals are to assist new and intermediate computer users in learning how to use computers and software, as well as to provide usable program listings that can be entered and run as is or used as a learning tool for those desiring to enter the world of programming. While a sizable percentage of our subscribers do still use Tandy 1000s, we've seen a shift in recent years to more powerful computers and Windows. While we do not intend to discount our subscribers using Tandy 1000s, we must also provide information useful to the majority. Another problem we face is that the majority of all new software is being written for more powerful computers. -=*=- STILL BUGGY! Editor: Last fall I requested some information on Bill Bernico's article, "Driving 'Em Buggy!" (Page 38 of the July 1993 issue of PCM), and you were gracious in your reply. I now have another question on the same article. Each time I play the game and get the right "eye" for the bug on the left side of the screen, the eye appears but is about one inch to the left of the head of the bug -- hanging in space! Is there a line or a number in the listing that I can change in order to remedy this flaw? Sister Mary Terese Donze St. Louis If you are having a problem with the eyes, double-check lines 27 and 28, in which H is assigned the horizontal position of the eyes, and lines 122 and 123, which draw the eyes. -=------------=- T-H-E E-N-D F-O-R N-O-W -=------------=-