__ GEnie's / ) _ _ _ _ / / (_) ( \ _ / )(_) / / __ _\_\_/ \ / /_ ___ ___ / / /( \_/ ) __ ) \/ // )/ __)__ ) / (__/ /\ / ___/_ // // // ___/ (_____(_/ \_(____)/ \_/(_/(_/(____) _____ _ _ / _ ) / )(_) / / ) /_____ / /_ _____ ____ / / / // _ )/ // )/ _ )/ __ ) / (_/ // / ) // // // / ) // ___/ (_____/(_/ (_/(_/(_/(_/ (_/(____) January/February LiveWire Online ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Happy new year, and welcome to the January/February LiveWire Online. If you're having trouble understanding how to download file or view GIFs, the answer has arrived. Since LiveWire Online is part of GEnie*Basic, there's no charge while you view the articles. In addition to the usual LiveWire hardcopy articles, you'll also find an appendum to Downloading Made Easy -- a very comprehensive guide on learning how to download at the different computer RoundTables. IBM, Macintosh, Amiga, Atari ST and the Apple II RoundTable are all featured with detailed explanations on what types of compression exist and the extraction utilities to counter them. There's also the latest RSCards tournament news appended to the GEnie Gamer. And last, there's a list of recommended files for downloading added to the Apple II RoundTable. __________________________ | | | The + sign denotes the | | new or appended articles | | in the January/February | | LiveWire Online | |__________________________| 1.[*]Capture Entire Jan/Feb '93 Issue 2.[*]Welcome to LiveWire Online 3.[*]From the Editor 4.[*]Glorious GIFs: Graphic Moves 5.[*]Glorious GIFs: JPEG Gallery 6.[*]ART Appreciating Keeps Growing 7.[*]Net Yourself a Job 8.[*]Dow Jones News Retrieval 9.[*]German RoundTable News 10.[*]Free Japanese PC-VAN Access 11.[*]CALC Winter Term Schedule 12.[*]Special Events Calendar +13.[*]Downloading Made Easy +14.[*]GEnie Gamer 15.[*]IBM PC RoundTable 16.[*]Macintosh RoundTable 17.[*]Amiga RoundTable 18.[*]Commodore 64 RoundTable 19.[*]Atari ST RoundTable +20.[*]Apple II RoundTable 21.[*]Entire Nov/Dec '92 Back Issue 22.[*]Entire Sep/Oct '92 Back Issue 23.[*]Entire Jul/Aug '92 Back Issue 24.[*]Entire May/Jun '92 Back Issue 25.[*]Entire Mar/Apr '92 Back Issue 26.[*]FEEDBACK to LiveWire 27.[*]GEnie Users RoundTable 28. LIVEWIRE MAIL COMMAND MODE 29. MEMBER DIRECTORY Where's My LiveWire? Every so often customers don't receive their hardcopy LiveWires. The following is a guideline on what steps to take if you haven't been receiving your LiveWire(s). First, move to the *BILL menu on page 920 (or simply type BILL from any main GEnie prompt) and verify whether your address is correct or not (option 4). Following that, send Email to FEEDBACK (type FEEDBACK at any main GEnie prompt) explaining that you haven't received your LiveWire(s), and this should solve the problem. Finally, all criticisms and suggestions are welcomed to LiveWire Online's Feedback (menu item 31). Editor Peggy Herrington Associate Editor Donn King Weary Editor Kevin J. McCann Publisher Neil Harris _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ From the Editor From Graphics to Games -- all on GEnie ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _ / \ / - \ / ___ \ (_/ \_)s you can clearly see from the gorgeous graphics throughout these pages, we've come a long way from the early ASCII "art" programmers used to type into mainframes. Learn how you can download GIF and JPEG files in this issue and grab some of these digital beauties to use in your own personal computing projects. For some real excitement, try a multi-player game. GEnie is the undisputed King of the Mountain when it comes to interactive fun. Whether you prefer graphics and sound enhancements or imaginative text-based adventure, you're in for a real treat -- and some surprises about how real it can seem -- if you've never experienced the joy of gaming with real people as companions an opponents. If you're new to GEnie, don't miss the GEnieUS RoundTable Bulletin Board for GEnie*Basic tips on maximizing the time you spend online. As we go to press, Internet access on GEnie is undergoing some changes for the better. Type INTERNET online for current details. And remember that back issues of LiveWire with completely new articles are available free from LiveWire Online, our electronic edition. Reach it by typing *LIVEWIRE from any numbered GEnie page prompt. See ya online! Peggy _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Glorious Graphics Graphic Moves ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ____ / ___) ( (__ by Donn King \__ \ ___) ) (____/ure, the computer on your desk works great with words, and can't be beaten for figures. But this is the video age. Can it do something with visual images -- in other words, with pictures? Have no fear, GEnie provides pictures of various types to treat your eyeballs. Getting Started Almost every RoundTable Library on GEnie contains some kind of graphics files. Enter any one of them and search on the term GIF to start. GIF (which stands for Graphics Interchange Format) is a standardized method of handling computer graphics, making it possible to store images created with dozens of different paint programs on almost any computer platform. GIF images are compressed, requiring less disk space and time to transfer electronically. GIF viewers (available for most systems) automatically decompress images as you view them. GIFts of Friends You'll find all kinds of things in GIF files, including photos of some of your GEnie friends. You'll also find photos dealing with the particular focus of the RoundTable. For instance, if you frequent the Motorcycling RoundTable you can download file #419 JWING1.GIF and see sysop Joanna Strohn with her 1993 Honda GoldWing. If you're mostly interested in pretty pictures, GEnie has some great picture mines to excavate. For instance, the Deutschland RoundTable Library has wonderful European pics like those shown with this article. And the Florida RoundTable Library specializes in things related to Disney World. Music for the Eyes Look too in the computer RoundTable devoted to your platform. If, for example, you have a Macintosh, you'll find hundreds of pictures in graphic formats especially for your computer such as #22911 in the Macintosh RoundTable Software Library, a dazzling artist's image of a binary star. Next turn to the RoundTable that specializes in photographic images, the Photobase RoundTable Library. Their splendid GIF collection continues to expand, including images from both amateur and professional photographers such as the spectatular file #3975 CROWN.GIF shown here. Photobase accommodates a burgeoning collection of GIFs from the Smithsonian Institute Photographic Collection. These include photos of news events such as #3387 STORM1.GIF, a photo of Desert Storm, and of national landmarks, such as #3714 UNKWN1.GIF, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at dawn. The National Zoo also provides pictures in such resplendent colors; you'll think the tiger in #3514 ZOO02.GIF is looking at YOU rather than vice versa. Smithsonian Institute files include samples containing 15 tiny images on one screen for previewing (as illustrated in File #3821 SIG023.GIF) from which you may choose those you wish to download in their full size and glory. As a service to GEnie members, the Photobase RoundTable also scans photographs you send them by regular mail and places them in their Library as GIFs for downloading. Find out more in the Photobase RoundTable, keyword PHOTO. Picture the Uses If you want to do more with GIFs than just look at them, you can use them in your applications. Many paint and/or desktop publishing programs import them directly. If you need to resize them first (to make them small enough for a small desktop publishing program to handle), or convert them to black and white, check your particular computer RoundTable for a conversion program. For instance, Graphics Workshop 6.1p from the IBM PC Library (#29084 GRFWK61P.ZIP) will handle most popular graphic formats. It converts between any two formats (with a few restrictions), prints to any LaserJet Plus compatible or PostScript laser and many dot matrix printers, dither color images to black and white, scale, sharpen, soften and otherwise wreak special effects on them. In addition, using the halftoning and dithering facilities of Graphic Workshop, you can convert full color digitized photographs for use as superb black and white clip art, suitable for inclusion in printed documents. Moving Images Finally, if you'd like a little movement on your screen, or if unimaginative screen blankers seem inappropriate for your high-tech brain, check out the various programs designed to dance in front of your eyes. Dazzle in the IBM PC Library (#29375 DAZZLE50.ZIP) is a performing art realization on a computer platform, according to its documentation. In its slower-cycling VGA modes (where it REALLY shines) Dazzle is often soothing and meditative. It fills your monitor with continually evolving displays that protect the screen from image burn. In reception areas, at trade shows, in display windows, and other spots where you want to attract attention, use a faster cycling mode. Dazzle also constructs geometric images that can complement desktop publishing materials, 35mm-slide and overhead design, or form background animations for video production. Computer graphics can enhance your applications and raise your CEQ (computer enjoyment quotient). Turn to the Computing RoundTable section in this issue for information on getting started. Illustration: Beethoven as a young man in #634 BEETHOVE.GIF; Loads of architectural detail in Deutschland Library #934 GARGOYLE.GIF. Illustration: Sumatran Tiger from the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, file #3514 ZOO02.GIF in PHOTO Library. Illustration: Napoleon gave this crown of 950 diamonds and 79 emeralds to Empress Marie Louise. Photobase file #3975 CROWN.GIF. Illustration: Typical Smithsonian preview of 15 GIFs you can download from the Photobase Library, #3821 SIG023.GIF depicts a series of butterflies. Illustration: This ceramic Mayan whistle made in Mexico between 550-900 A.D. depicts an earth god emerging from a cornstalk. From Smithsonian Seeds of Change Exhibit, Photobase Library file #3789 MAYAN.GIF. Illustration: Fascinating SFRT files #4238 VORLON.GIF and #4239 B5.GIF from Babylon 5 television program set to air the last week in February. Created, written, co-exec produced by GEnie member J. Michael Straczynski. RoundTable Keyword Page ============================================= IBM PC RoundTable IBMPC 615 Florida RoundTable FLORIDA 195 Macintosh RoundTable MAC 605 Motorcycling RoundTable MOTO 1155 Photo & Video RoundTable PHOTO 660 Science Fiction & Fantasy SFRT 470 Germany RoundTable GERMANY 725 _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Glorious Graphics JPEG Gallery ~~~~~~~~~~~~ _____ / ____) / /___ by Peggy Herrington / /( ) / (__) / (______/IF accomodates 8-bit images of 256 colors, but JPEG files -- like those shown here -- can contain dazzlingly realistic 24-bit images in 16 million possible hues. Even if your system doesn't do 24-bit graphics, a JPEG viewer may well be available in your computing RoundTable. They display JPEGs in your system's best resolution. Search Libraries on JPEG or JPG to find one. The advantages of GIF and JPEG are cross-platform compabitility accompanied by a massive reduction in file size. For example, NASA's LAUNCH32.JPG shown here is only about 77K bytes in size; it was converted from a Macintosh image 326K bytes big! Smaller files mean quick downloads, of course, and they optimize disk space as well. The striking images on this page are only a sample of the glorious graphics you can download from GEnie. Illustration: Surealistic DANDELION.JPG (#16755) by Bill Graham, *StarShip* Amiga Library. Rendered with Imagine. Illustration: Chris Papademetrious' VistaPro creation TWO_MOUNTAINS.JPG (#15871) from the *StarShip* Amiga Library. Illustration: Don't touch! Photobase Library file #3277 CACTUS3.JPG by Richard N. Konrad. Illustration: A lush rain forest actually in NYC's Bronx Zoo. Richard N. Konrad's file #3414 RAINFST2.JPG from the Photobase Library. Illustration: Fabulous NASA Shuttle Launch photograph from file #4008 LAUNCH32.JPG in the Photobase Library. Illustration: One of several of Claude Monet's oil paintings in JPEG from the Photobase Library. File #4211 MONETLUN.JPG, entitled "The Luncheon." _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Business Front ART Appreciation: It Just Keeps Growing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ______ (__ __) by Donn King / / / / (_/he ART system -- Advanced Research Technologies -- continues to expand to the benefit of GEnie members. GEnie recently released the latest wave of information products. In many cases, you can download the full text of relevant information. You can always choose to get a summary or a reference to the information instead. Most of the new ART databases provide a Training Area where you can try your hand at searching for titles without being charged the full cost of regular searches and retrievals. Training Areas are smaller versions of real services, so don't be discouraged if you don't find the find what you're looking for. D&B Business Locator If you know the name of the company or professional you're searching for, the D&B Business Locator will do the rest. By entering a company's name, you can get the addresses of all its locations, with telephone numbers, Standard Industrial Classification codes, descriptions, and number of employees. The system lists more than 8.7 million companies. Closely related in form and function are D&B Canadian Company Profiles (300,000 company listings), D&B Company Profiles (covers all of the world except the United States and Canada and contains almost 3 million profiles), and D&B European Company Profiles (more than 1.9 million company listings). Commerce Business Daily (CBD) Use CBD to quickly find the latest announcements for product and service procurements from the U.S. Government. Announcements are posted to this service in advance of the printed publication, ensuring you the first chance at them. You can search for requests for specific products and services or browse key sections. Searches can be focused to specific agencies and locations. Computer & Electronics Center Computer & Electronics Center contains full text and summary information from the leading computer/electronics databases including Computer ASAP, Computer Database, Compendex, Inspec, Microcomputer Software Guide, Byte Magazine, NTIS, and more. Medicine Centers With Consumer Medicine you can quickly locate information in the world's largest collection of medical research. More than 3 million articles have been summarized here on all aspects of human medicine. Enter your topic, whether it is a specific ailment, drug, or medical procedure, to see the latest medical research information. The first step searches through more than 3 million records to find each record which matches your criteria. In the Medical Professional's Center you will find information on medical research, cancer research, AIDS research, nursing & allied health, hospital administration, and more. Educator's Center provides information on education research, child abuse & neglect, psychology, exceptional child education, a-v materials online, and more. ART Database Page =================================== Commerce Business Daily 1284 Computer & Electronics Center 1282 Consumer Medicine 1258 D&B U.S. Business Locator 1274 D&B Canadian 1276 D&B European 1280 D&B International 1278 Educator's Center 1286 Medical Professional's Center 1270 _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Business Front Net Yourself a Job! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ______ (__ __) by Donn King / / / / (_/he boss nags you just once too often. "I'll show her," you say. "This isn't the only game in town." But a quick breeze through the local want ads indicates that, yes, it WAS the only game in town. What's your answer? Perhaps you should "get out of town" with the help of a nationwide database of employment listings newly available to GEnie members. Working at Job-Hunting Adnet Online is an employment advertising network which allows organizations to reach PC-literate professional, technical and managerial candidates nationwide. This database of job listings and opportunities is updated weekly. Even if you don't seek a job change right now, Adnet helps you keep abreast of the job market. Though it provides a valuable source of information (many of the employment listings that appear on Adnet Online are unavailable in other media), you only pay regular GEnie Value rates to view it. How to Find Your Job Finder Type ADNET or M304 at any numbered GEnie page prompt. Select "SEARCH the Job Listings." A series of menus will guide your search through the database. To view the listings under any menu item enter the number of that item. _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Business Front The Flat Fee Plan: An Incredible Value from Dow Jones News/Retrieval ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ____ / _ ) / ___/ / / (_/rivate investors... stop watching the clock! Now you can use Dow Jones News/Retrieval without paying connect-time or Information-Unit charges. Just pay one monthly flat fee as low as $25. Then log onto Dow Jones News/Retrieval as often as you want from 8:01 PM to 6:00 AM (Eastern time plus weekends and major holidays) and you have unlimited access to the databases offered in the Tier(s) you choose. You may subscribe to Tier 1 - News & Quotes, Tier 2 - Forecasts & Analyses, or both Tiers 1 and 2. The monthly subscription fees for the tiers are: $25.00 ($32 Canadian) for Tiers 1 or 2, or $45.00 ($60.00 Canadian) for both tiers. Tier 1 - News & Quotes - of the After Hours/Flat-Fee Plan gives you access to the following databases: //DJNEWS (Dow Jones News) //CQ (Current Quotes) //CQE (Enhanced Current Quotes) //HQ (Current & Historical Quotes) //DJA (Dow Jones Averages) //FUTURES (Commodities and index quotes) //SYMBOL (Symbols directory) Tier 2 - Forecasts & Analyses - of the After Hours/Flat-Fee Plan gives you access to the following databases: //INNOVEST (Innovest Technical Analyses Reports) //FUNDS (Mutual Funds Performance Report) //WSW (Wall Street Week Online) //WATCH (Corporate Ownership Watch) //MG (Medial General Financial Services) //EPS (Zacks Corporate Earnings Estimator) //SP (Standard & Poor's Online) //RELEASE (Press Release Wires (Business Wire & PR Newswire) //BUSINESS (Business & Finance Report) //SYMBOL (News/Retrieval Symbols Directory) If you are currently a Dow Jones user, you only need to complete one step to subscribe to the After Hours/Flat-Fee Plan: 1. SELECT OPTION #3 ON PAGE 264 - Subscribe/cancel Flat-Fee Plan If you are not a Dow Jones user you must complete two steps in order to subscribe to the Dow Jones News/Retrieval After Hours/Flat-Fee Plan: 1. SELECT OPTION #3 ON PAGE 260 - Initialize News/Retrieval Access 2. SELECT OPTION #3 ON PAGE 264 - Subscribe/cancel Flat-Fee Plan The After Hours/Flat-Fee Plan becomes active on the first day of the month following your selection of Option 3 - Subscribe/Cancel Flat-Fee Plan - on Page 264. Your request must be received by the 25th of the current month in order to be enrolled in the After Hours/Flat-Fee Plan for the following month. NOTE: You are charged standard rates (prime time or non-prime time) when using Dow Jones News/Retrieval at times not specified by the plan and when using any database not included in the plan. For a complete overview of News/Retrieval rates and terms and conditions, see //GUIDE, Dow Jones' FREE online user's guide. _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Deutschland Real-Time Conference ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _ _ ( \ / ) \ \/ / by Patti Kelley, Asst Sysop \ / / / (_/ou might find this hard to believe, but a lot of beautiful things happen every day in the German RoundTable. The people who gather there to talk and play are incredibly bright, interesting and sensitive. And in a world that remembers the second world war with pain and anger and humiliation and shame, a small but beautiful healing is taking place through the sharing by those who lived it. Some time ago, with urging and encouragement from other members of the RoundTable, Leska Wright began talking about what it was like to be a 16 year old girl living in the middle of a war she didn't understand. The conversations that ensued from those posts were so deeply meaningful and moving to all of us. We cried, we laughed, and we saw the world from a different standpoint. And it opened the door for some really important conversations from all sides. People began talking about the pain of it -- without anger or blame. We've placed clippings from those posts in our Library so that you can share some of the feeling we had discussing it the first time. And we're going to follow that up with a live chat with Leska on Sunday, February 21, 1993, starting at 10PM Eastern time. Please join us. Bring your curiosity and your willingness to risk asking a personal question or two, and be prepared for an evening full of wonder and pain and love. It will be an evening you won't soon forget. _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Special Offer Free Japanese PC-VAN Access ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ____ (_ _) / / by Peggy Herrington / / _/ / (____)f you are interested in the orient and speak some Japanese, you'll be excited to learn that PC-VAN, Japan's number one online service, is available through GEnie free of GEnie&Professional fees from now through May 31, 1993. The $39.95 sign-up fee for PC-VAN as well as GEnie$Professional fees for most services (normally ranging from $30 to $36 an hour) are waived during this time to give you a taste of the variety of things PC-VAN provides. Regular GEnie access fees and any surcharges for calling from an outlying area or through Sprint Net still apply. From Soup to Cookies PC-VAN's services include electronic mail, bulletin boards, live chatting, and over 140 special interest groups devoted to a multitude of topics from animation to science. News from Asahi and Mainichi newspapers, sports coverage, and financial news from Nomura and Yamaichi Securities Ltd. are available along with weather forecasts and information on business, travel, sight seeing and, of course, personal computers. You can shop online for such delicacies as Japanese tea, sake and fresh fish. PC-VAN also publishes a magazine. Most, but not all of PC-VAN's services are encompassed by this special offer. Among those not available are C&C-VAN Database, Nichigai ASSIST and DIALINE-PC Version. Kanji Software Also not included in this free offer are English translation services, so you'll want to access PC-VAN using special Kanji software. Kanji, a Japanese writing system, is available built into communications and text editing programs from the Japan RoundTable Library on GEnie page 225 (keyword JAPAN). The sysops there will be happy to provide any technical assistance you may need to utilize them. Half a World Away Whether you'd like to plan a vacation, investigate business opportunities, or keep in touch with family and friends, PC-VAN offers instant access to all things Japanese. It's your gateway to the orient through GEnie. This exciting special offer is made to both new and current PC-VAN subscribers in the United States, Canada, Germany, Austria and Switzerland through May 31, 1993. For details, type PC-VAN or M315 at any numbered GEnie page prompt. _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Learning Online CALC Winter Term 92-93 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by Margaret Morabito, Director of CALC ______ (__ __) / / / / (_/his Winter, CALC's online campus on GEnie is the premiere continuing education center for the entire family. Instructors are professional educators from all levels of schooling, and the courses are the same as you'll find in your local community college. We're all watching our budgets, and many of you have told us that CALC's Self-Study courses are a great buy. Attendance is optional, and weekly lessons are provided by the teacher for you to download and study offline. Learn at your own pace. This flexibility is one of the most appealing features of CALC, and students come back for more every semester. Why don't you join us? Registration for the Winter Term is open through January 15. If you miss that session, Spring Term Registration is open from March 1 until April 23 with those courses starting on April 24. Annual membership in CALC for your family is just $35. Course fees run from $25 to $50. Here are CALC's non-credit courses offered this winter. You'll need the Course Title and Section Number to register on GEnie Page 179. For descriptions, teachers, time slots and costs, see the complete course catalog online on page 174. Winter Term Course Title Section Number Stock Market Technical Analysis BU350 Intro. to Financial Planning BU303 Economics BU304 Small Business Management II BU314 Principles of Real Estate BU302 Business Communication BU212 Business Law BU210 Business Ethics BU203 Accounting I BU320 Intermediate Accounting BU321 Managerial Accounting BU322 Income Tax Preparation BU200 BASIC Programming I CSE310 Advanced BASIC CSE311 C Programming I CSE401 C Programming II CSE402 Software Design & Development CSE410 COBOL Programming CSE300 dBASE IV Workshop CSE102 LOTUS 1-2-3 Workshop CSE105 PC Communications I CSE103 PC Communications II CSE104 GED (High School Equivalency) Prep GED100 Interactive Bible Study GST300 Intro. to Astronomy SH301 Intro. to Earth Science SH302 Chemistry I SH210 Chemistry II SH211 Survey of Pre-Calculus MTH250 Beginning Calculus MTH313 Algebra I MTH310 Sci.Fi. & Fantasy Workshop EN105 Express Yourself EN106 Fundamental Tools of Fiction EN314 Reading American Drama EN260 Reading The Short Story EN250 New Testament As Literature EN240 Business & Technical Writing EN312 Electronic Media CMM200 _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ GEnie Special Events _ / ) __ / / ( (_/ / \___/anuary through ____ / ___) / (_ / ___) / / (_/ebruary ~~~~~~~~~~ Eastern Time Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday -------------------------------------------------------------------- 8:00PM SFRT MACHelp MACHelp MACHelp MACHelp MACHelp BORLAND Chat Ch3 Chat Ch3 Chat Ch3 Chat Ch3 Chat Ch3 SCORPIA 8-10PM 8-10PM 8-10PM 8-10PM 8-10PM Sierra PK:Poker AMIGA:News Hints Night 6PM-3AM 8:30PM GEOWORKS ENABLE 9:00PM RADIO SHOWBIZ AMIGA MILITARY PCALADDIN AMIGA ASTROLOGY Listening Live Chat Help General Automate Help GENIEUS PF:Current GENEALOGY FAMILY FAMILY INVEST SFRT GEnieJAM\! Events Beginners Mothers Teens Q&As Queen's AMIGA SPACE ROMANCE AMIGA WRITERS Own Help MAC:Fights AMIGA:Help Help ROMANCE SFRT AMIGA:Help GERMANY AMIGA Star Wars FAMILY Help MACHelp 9-11PM 9:30PM IBMPC A2 IBMPC IBMPC SCORPIA A2 AMIGA:- General New Users Comms OpSystems Open House Telecom News A2 AUTO A2:Guest A2:Hypermedia A2:TBC Forum AMIGA 3PM-3AM II Speak CarTC SFRT AMIALADDIN GemStone III News A2 SFRT Writers SCORPIA WP:WordPerfect Small Biz Pern ERT:Parents Ask Sysops STALADDIN MPGRT RADIO WRITERS &HomeSchool ERT:Education MPGRT Battletech All Types UNIX MPGRT Air Warrior AMIGA:News Coffee&Code Ask Sysops 3PM-3AM DTP WRITERS LAPTOPS Non-Fiction 10:00PM AMIGA MAC AMIGA MAC AMIGA ASTROLOGY AMIGA Graphics MacTalk Music Games Video Beginners Party FORTH AMIGA MAC AMIGA GERMANY SFRT SFRT SFRT:SCA DTP Hypercard AmiGames AVIATION General Cyber- FOOD ST: Atari CBM ST: Atari MPGRT GENEALOGY space CooksChat DTP HOME Open House Gemstone HOME FOOD MOTOr- SFRT Open House SFRT CANADA Q-Hut Beer cycles Star Trek WRITERS On Screen SFRT CBM Tasting ST: dpt MPGRT Poetry PRO/AM(iga) Quantum Leap HOME HOSB DragGate MOTOrcycles GEOWORKS FOOD Parlor- HOME CBM GERMANY Cooking&Computers Games CBM HOME FAMILY:Singles MOTOr- MAC:Help Moose Manor MAC:Telecom cycles 10-12 CBM CBM CBM 10:30PM SFRT Horror 11:00PM CBM MAC:Help SCORPIA CBM PHOTO MUSIC CBM 11PM-1AM Star Fleet MACHelp General Night-Owls MAC:Help 11PM-1AM MAC:Help MAC:Help 11PM-1AM 11PM-1AM 11PM-1AM Midnight ASTROLOGY LEFTCOAST Mystic TGIF! Enter the keyword (shown in capital letters, for example, ROMANCE) at any numbered GEnie page prompt to reach the RoundTable hosting these Special Events. Topics are subject to change without notice. Chat Lines hosts a delightful variety of multi-player Games and fascinating Theme Chats on weekends, weekday evenings and during the wee hours, plus Breakfast Chats at 6AM Eastern time. Complete schedule on GEnie Page 400. Deutschland Members Celebrate WWII Healing on Sunday, February 21 conference in the online edition of *LIVEWIRE. _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Hints & Tips Downloading Made Easy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _ / \ by Alice H. Amore / - \ / ___ \ (_/ \_)re you taking advantage of everything GEnie has to offer? Maybe you've visited several Bulletin Boards, perhaps played some games and attended a Conference, but have you explored GEnie's Software Libraries? They contain thousands of files you can run on your computer, everything from productivity software and demonstration versions of commercial programs, to system utilities and children's games, from informative newsletters to great graphics like those shown in this issue -- even animations and sound. Blocks and Protocols Downloading is simply a matter of moving data from a host computer (in this case, GEnie) to a floppy or hard disk on your system. When the download is complete, the file appears in your directory along with all the other files on that disk. One thing to remember is that although you can download ANY file, you can't RUN any file, so make sure that what you download is intended to be used on your brand of computer. As you download, data is transferred in spurts called blocks. Throughout this process, the host computer checks with the receiving computer to make sure that all data, or blocks, on both ends match perfectly. There are many methods for checking, and the most important thing to remember is that both the host and the receiving computer must use the same method. If your communications program is using Zmodem, then you must tell GEnie to use Zmodem, too. Otherwise, confusion results. These checking methods are called file transfer protocols. You need to know what protocols are supported by your communications software. If you don't like the program you're using now, you should consider downloading better one. GEnie has lots of terminal programs to choose from, including Aladdin for IBM-compatibles, Amiga and Atari ST, which are automated, along with lots of others in the computing RoundTable Libraries. As you check your terminal program, look for terms like ASCII, Xmodem, Ymodem, and Zmodem. Read the manual and locate the keys or menus which control downloading and file protocols. Also find out how you tell it where to store the program on your system. Just before the actual download takes place, you must tell GEnie which file to send and what protocol to use. That done, GEnie will tell you to prepare your computer for the incoming data. And the download begins! Finding Files Before you can download, of course, you need to find a file you want. Files on GEnie are stored in Libraries by name and number. You must specify either a file's name or number, or you won't be able to download it. Most RoundTables have Software Libraries, and they all operate in exactly the same way. If you've downloaded successfully from one Library, you won't have any problem downloading from the others. And here's a bonus: You can practice downloading FREE OF CONNECT TIME CHARGES in the GEnie Info Library! (Type *Library or M1075 to get there.) You can experiment with downloading, uploading, searching, browsing, everything involved with file transfers at no charge whatsoever since it's on GEnie*Basic. While you're there, you can download information about what's going on all over GEnie, including extensive lists of files available in the computing RoundTable Libraries. The Real Thing Let's say you would like to find something in the IBM PC RoundTable Library to download. After moving to the IBM PC RoundTable's Main Menu (type M615) you choose option 3 for the Library. You'll see a menu like the one shown on this page. 1. Description of this Library 2. Directory of Files 3. Search File Directory 4. Browse through Files 5. Upload a New File 6. Download a File 7. Delete a File You Own 8. Set Software Library 9. Save Current Software Library 10. Instructions for Software Exchange 11. Directory of New Files 12. Join/Ignore Library Category No doubt you'll understand many of the menu items without explanation. For now, you need only be concerned with items 4 and 6. Don't worry about the others. You can use them as you gain experience. Type 4 (Browse through Files) and press your key. Press again and you can browse through the descriptions of the most recent files made available in that Library, one at a time. At the bottom of each description, you are given choices. If you don't want that file, type to move to the next one. Once you find a file that you want, type D for Download. You will now be presented with a protocol menu. Available protocols on GEnie are XMODEM, XMODEM (w/1K blocks), YMODEM and ZMODEM. You must choose one that your communications program supports. If possible, use ZMODEM -- it's usually the fastest. Type the number of the protocol (in this case, type 4 to enable ZMODEM). As soon as you the message, "File is ready. Start your ZMODEM receive file," tell your terminal program to start the download. If you are using XMODEM, your software may ask you for the name of that file as you wish it to be called on your disk. With ZMODEM, the filename is transferred automatically along with it. When your download is finished, you'll see a menu that allows you to continue browsing, to repeat the listing of the current file, or to quit and go back to the Software Libraries Menu. By using ZMODEM protocol, you can download up to 20 files in succession without any intervention on your part. Write down the numbers (or names) of the files that you want, then select option #6 (Download a File). When asked to specify the download, enter either the names or numbers of those files, separated by commas. Quicker Ways to Find Files Browsing is only one way (probably the slowest) to locate files of interest. While Aladdin can automate finding and downloading files (among other things), by choosing item 2 on the Software Libraries Menu, you can get a 2-line description of each file in that Library, again starting with the most recent. Narrow this list of files to specific types of programs (utilities, games, music, graphics, etc.) by using option 8 (Set Software Library). Or get a list of files added to that Library since your last browse by using option 11. Use your BREAK key to interrupt this listing and return to the menu. What if you want a specific file or type of file but you don't know its name or number? Use option #3 (Search File Directory). When prompted, enter a keyword that describes the file you're looking for. If you don't know who uploaded it, press when asked, and hit again to search through the entire library. You will be shown a list of files that match your search criteria. To narrow your search, choose option #8 (Set Software Library) beforehand. This restricts your search to a category of files (such as utilities, games, programming, communication, etc.) rather than all files. File Compression The majority of files on GEnie are compressed, a process that takes place before they are uploaded. Compression offers two distinct advantages: First, it reduces the size of a file allowing it transfer more quickly, and secondly, it allows several files to be combined into one convenient package. You will learn to recognize compressed files by their naming extensions. IBM-compatible and Amiga platforms most often use .LZH, .ZIP or .ARC, while Macintosh uses .SIT. Others differ from computer to computer. The one drawback is that you can't do a thing with a compressed file until it is decompressed. Utility programs, available in the computing Library for your model, are used to do this, the file naming extension serving to identify which one you should use. For a breakdown of compression/decompression programs for your model of computer, check the January/February issue of LiveWire Online magazine. Reach it by typing *LIVEWIRE on GEnie. It's free! Great Value You don't have to be a computer whiz to master downloading, and access to thousands of files on GEnie is one of the primarily benefits of membership. With exception of Info Library files, downloads are billed at standard GEnie Value rates, much less than you'd pay for commercial software. Many of the programs online are just as good. The Comprehensive Download Guide ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Compiled from various GEnie sources by Alice H. Amore _ _ / \ / ) / \/ / / /\ / (_/ \_/ew to downloading and file extraction? If you're using an IBM or compatible, a Macintosh, an Amiga, an Atari ST/TT, or an Apple II, this article will tell you how to download files from GEnie's Software Libraries, and how to "decompress" them when your download is complete. Let's get to it. How to Download a File Once you're in the Software Libraries of your favorite computing RoundTable, do the following: 1. Find a file you want to download by listing the DIRECTORY (#2 on Menu). 2. Select Download from the Software Library menu (#6). 3. Read the description. If you want to download this file, enter D. To skip this file, just press RETURN. 4. WAIT for GEnie to say "File is ready. Start your receive file." 5. Set up your Terminal program to Receive to your disk. 6. Wait until the file is transferred to your disk. ZModem and YModem 1. Find a files you want to download by listing the DIRECTORY (#2 on Menu) 2. Select Download from the Software Library menu (#6). 3. Enter the file numbers, separated by commas and press RETURN when you have listed them all. You may download up to 20 files in one 'batch'. 4. WAIT for GEnie to say "File is ready. Start your receive file." If your ZModem does not support Auto-Receive, wait for the Zmodem initialization string: SZ **B00000.... etc. 5. Tell your program to receive the file. Or let it do it automagically with ZModem Auto Receive. 6. Wait until the file is transferred to your disk. Downloading and decompressing: IBM PC and Compatibles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Most of the files in the IBM RoundTable Software Library have been transformed by using one or another of the standard publicly available utilities that either SQueezes, LiBRaries, ARChives, ZIPs, PAKs, or ZOOs files. This transformation is performed to compress the files to minimize download time, and/or combine several related files into a single easily-managed file. You cannot use or run any of these files without first transforming them back to their original state. These processed files are specially named with a file type (the last 3 letters of a file name after the '.') that signifies the transformation. These are: .?Q? for squeezed files (middle letter is a Q). Squeezed Files NUSQ.COM is used to unsqueeze, or expand files that have a "Q" as the middle letter of the file type. Such files have been squeezed, or compressed with SQPC.COM or something similar. These programs use Huffman Encoding to reduce the size of the target file. Depending on the distribution of data in a file it can be reduced in size by 5% to 60% by squeezing it. If you download a file with a file type indicating that it is squeezed, you will need file #43 NUSQ110.COM to expand it before you can use it. Also, file #13099 LBR-SQ.ZOO contains both the standard unsqueezer, and a LBR utility. The syntax to unsqueeze a file would be -- "A>nusq110 file.tqt" -- where file.tqt was the file you wanted to unsqueeze. You must supply the full file name and type. ARC Files ARC programs are used to create and maintain file archives. An archive is a group of files collected together into one file in such a way that the individual files may be recovered intact. The archive program will automatically compress member files when adding them to the archive, and will expand them upon extraction. For files with the .ARC extension, use ARCE.COM (contained in the self- extracting archive ARCE40C.EXE, file #23568). To use ARCE40C.COM to extract files from an .ARC file use: "A>arce40C file" You do not need to supply the ARC file type when specifying "file." (Also, you can rename ARCE40C.COM to ARCE.COM if you want. It is simpler). LZH Files LZH files come from the LHARC program which comes to us from Japan. There are computer networks in Japan, just as there are here in the U.S. One big difference, however, is that the most interesting software there is being written by hobbyists. LHARC is written by a Japanese doctor, who gives it away absolutely free. It is amazingly small, and does the best job of compression of any of the current crop of archivers. It has some very nice features, too, such as progress reporting, and some nice self-extracting file features. The current version of LHARC is #24249, LHA213.EXE. Please note that this file is a self-extracting archive. Run LHA213.EXE after you download it in order to extract the actual program and documentation. The syntax to extract files from an LZH file is: "A>lha x file" If you are using version LH113C of LHARC and you receive a message about "unknown method" it is because version 2 and above have added a new, tighter, compression scheme. You should upgrade to version 2.0 or higher to work with the file. PAK Files PAK files are produced by NoGate Consulting's PAK program. This program is shareware, and provides many features. The current version is #20939 PAK251.EXE. The extraction syntax for PAK files is: "A>pak e file" ZOO Files ZOO.EXE is a archiving program that is similar to the ARC-programs in function, but is non-compatible with .ARC files. Zoo is popular with users that must access multiple machines because it is very portable and has been ported to a variety of platforms. ZOO can produce ARCHIVES with long pathnames in them (directory names as well as the file name) and it can store comments about each file. Besides that, it is one of the two only FREE professional-quality file archiver. If you want to take apart a ZOO archive, you will need a copy of ZOO.EXE. Since it is a program in development, it's hard to say what it's file number will be when you read this, but searching the library for the 'ZOO' keyword, with uploader of R.DHESI should turn up the correct file. (When this article was written the current version of ZOO was ZOO210.EXE, file #23872 in the library; ZOO210.EXE is a self-extracting zoo-archive containing both the program and the documentation). The zoo syntax for file extraction is similar to that of arc: "A>zoo e file" ZIP Files ZIP files are produced by Phil Katz's PKZIP program and can be taken apart by PKUNZIP as well as a number of public domain un-ZIPpers. ZIP is a new program and uses the newest technology. It is has a great many features and is very fast. It is shareware. The current version of the ZIP software can be found in #17862 PKZ110.EXE. The syntax for file extraction with ZIP is: "A>pkunzip file" If pkunzip gives you a message similar to "WARNING! I don't know how to handle FILE," then you are probably using version 0.92 on a ZIP file that was created with version 1.01. Downloading the newer version of ZIP will solve the problem. LBR Files LU and its relatives (LUP, LUU, LUE, LUT, LU86, LAR etc.), maintain libraries of files. Most LU-type programs do not perform any compression. Because of this, most people will squeeze files before adding them to a library if they want to save space. If you want to remove the component files from an .LBR file, you should have a copy of file #960 LUE220.COM. This will break up the library into its component parts, and optionally unsqueeze any .?Q? files at the same time. The syntax for LUE would be -- "A>lue220 file" -- where file was really FILE.LBR. LUU.COM can be used to create a .LBR file. More Information about Archives For more information on ARChives, see the documentation for ARC which is included in the ARC602.EXE file. For ZOO archives, see Rahul Dhesi's excellent documentation including ZOOPLAN1.ARC. The doc files included with the various LU utilities will explain .LBR's, and LUDEF5.DOC explains the layout of these files in detail. GIF Files Finally, there is a class of files with a .GIF file type. GIF stands for Graphic Interchange Format, and is commonly used to store graphical (picture) images. All of these files require that a special program be used to display them on your computer's screen, and there are many such programs (and pictures) in the "Imaging, Graphics, and Drawing" section of the IBM PC RoundTable Software Library. Because new viewing programs are frequently being uploaded by RoundTable members, any list of viewing programs is almost guaranteed to be out of date, but a representative sample at the time this is being written is: PICEM.ARC (file #15208) for Hercules/EGA/VGA FASTGIF.ARC (file #8793) for EGA/VGA only VGIF40.ARC (file #16330) for VGA only VPIC50.ZIP (file #29267) for EGA/VGA GIFDSK40.ZIP (file #22452) for VGA only VUIMG330.ZIP (file #27269) for HERC/CGA/EGA/VGA/SVGA CSHOWA.ZIP (file #30203) for HERC/CGA/EGA/VGA (doc, file #27597) The current collection of viewers can be found by searching the Software Library on keywords such as GIF or VIEW. Downloading and decompressing: Macintosh ~~~~~~~~~ Important -- please be sure that MacBinary is turned ON for all file transfers EXCEPT when downloading .GIF files. Turn MacBinary OFF to download Explanation of Macintosh Software Library File Suffixes .SIT Stands for StuffIt Lite or StuffIt Deluxe, by Aladdin Systems, Inc., the program used to create the compressed file. May be extracted with either file 24073 or file 23490. .CPT A file compressed with Compactor Pro, a shareware utility by Bill Goodman (B.GOODMAN5). Latest version is Compactor Pro 1.33. May be decompressed with file 23691 or file 23490. .SEA Stands for Self-Extracting Archive. May be created by most archiving software. Decompresses automatically when the user double-clicks the mouse on the icon. .GIF Stands for Graphics Interchange Format. Files saved as .GIF can be read by any number of computers with the right viewer software including Amigas, IBM and clones, Macintoshes, the Apple IIGS, and Atari STs and TTs. For the Macintosh, use file 21758, GifConverter 2.2.10. .PIT Files created with the no-longer-existent PackIt utility. May be decompressed using StuffIt Lite (file 24073) or Deluxe (the commercial version). Current 'Vital' Files in the Macintosh Libraries 23490 STUFFIT EXPANDER 1.0.1 ESSENTIAL Archive Expansion Tool, latest update from Aladdin Systems, Inc. Will extract .sit files and .cpt files. 24073 STUFFIT LITE INSTALLER Shareware: Full StuffIt Lite Installer v3.0.1. Will extract virtually all .sit and .cpt files, and can create .sit and .sea archives. 23691 COMPACT PRO 1.33 Shareware: File Compression Utility. Creates and decompresses .cpt files. 21758 GIFCONVERTER 2.2.10 Shareware: The program and document files. This allows you to view .GIF files you've downloaded, as well as a dozen other formats. Latest Macintosh System Version Files 21453 7.0.1 DISK TOOLS.CPT 21444 7.0.1 PRINTING.CPT 21443 7.0.1 FONTS.CPT 21442 7.0.1 TIDBITS.CPT 21441 7.0.1 INSTALL 2.CPT 21440 7.0.1 INSTALL 1.CPT Other System 7 Essential Files 24460 EXTENSIOMANAGER1.8.SEA Extensions Manager allows you to turn "off" or "on" the code that executes at startup in certain "extension documents" such as Control Panels, Chooser devices and INITs (known before as startup documents). 22912 SYS7TUNEUP R1.1.1.SEA Tunes up System 7.0 and 7.0.1 to run faster and perform some jobs more efficiently. APPLE RECOMMENDS THIS FILE FOR ALL SYSTEMS AND USERS. 22391 QUICKTIME EXT.1.1.SIT Apple's new ver. of the extension file. Allows the viewing and creation of animated movies on the Macintosh. 23460 DISKCOPY 4.2/IMAGE.SIT DiskCopy 4.2 and MountImage 1.1. Needed to reformat the System 7.0.1 and System 7 Tune Up images downloads, so they can be installed on a hard disk. 20534 COMPATIBILITYCHECKER.SEA Compatibility Checker 1.1. Run under System 6.0.x, will give the user a good idea of what programs will work under System 7.x. Formats From Other Machines 20822 MACUNZIP.SIT Unpacks IBM .ZIP files (source code included) 18895 UNZIP 1.10.CPT (PK)ZIP extractor for the Macintosh 23653 ZIP 1.0.CPT Creates and modifies .ZIP files 22027 ARCMAC.SEA Unpacks .ARC files from DOS Archives 23238 SUNTAR1.2.1 Allows reading of UNIX .tar files 23661 MACZOO-2.1.CPT Creates and decompresses .zoo files 22568 MACBOOZ 2.1.CPT Decompresses .zoo files 21876 MACLHA 2.00.CPT Decompresses .LHZ and .LHarc files Downloading and decompressing: AMIGA Latest Recommended Archivers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3304 FIRST_UNARC_KIT.PAK New Amiga? Need ARC? STOP HERE! 3418 PKAX.ARC New FAST! UNARC from Phil Katz 1726 ARC23.ARC Latest AmigArc revision 16894 LHA_138.RUN Version 1.38 of LhA Archiver 12501 LZ192ARPLIB.PAK LZ V1.92 WITH arp.library file V39.1 9591 LHARC_1.30.LZH Version 1.30 of the Lharc prog. 13507 AMYZIP93.LHA CLI ZIP program for the Amiga v.93 13493 UNZIP41.LZH Un-zips .ZIP files / Version 4.1 9325 ZIPPY125.LZH Limited Zip Extract/View CLIcommand 7870 PKAZIP_1.01 EXECUTABLE version of ZIP 11919 ZOO21.PAK Self-extracting ZOO v2.1 archive Notes Files with names ending in ".PAK" or ".RUN" or say "EXECUTABLE" in the description are self-extracting archives. Download and run, and the contents will be written to the current disk/directory. We don't seem to have a stand-alone, self-extracting ARC utility. One can be found, however, in the FILE_UNPAKKERS_KIT, which contains most of the unarchivers, though it may be a few versions behind on some of them. Want to use ZIP? Well, you pays yer money and you takes yer chances. PKAZIP handles [a] directories and [b] most all ZIP compression methods. It also has a horrid user interface and tends to trash hard drives when run on A3000s. The other ZIP utilities may have problems with [a], [b], or both, but they're relatively safe. Now you know why we don't recommend ZIP files. ZOO deserves to be more popular than it is. It's available on most all systems, from VAXen to UN*X boxes to Amigas to PeeCees. Version 2.1 can generate some impressive compression ratios, and it's not too slow, either. The command line options and switches feel a little strange to most Amigans, though. At least, that's the best reason for its non-use that I can come up with. LHARC/LZ/LHA-type archives are the most popular these days. Note that there are two flavors of these files: .LHA and .LZH. The original LHARC can only handle .LZH, while LZ and LHA can deal with both. (.LHA files can contain files compressed with an additional method.) LHA is the preferred LZH/LHA utility these days. Downloading and decompressing: ATARI ST ~~~~~~~~ For the Atari ST, the two most common methods of compression are LZH and ARC. The easiest method to obtain the current versions of both of these programs for the ST would be to download this self-extracting file. It also contains the latest version of Arcshell, an excellent shareware shell for both of these programs. File number: 25162 Filename: ARC_LZH2.TOS Description: Self-Extracting archive bundle. Instructions: Run this program to create a complete ARC, LZH, and ArcShell bundle. Includes ARC.TTP (v6.02), LHARC.TTP (v2.01L), ArcShell (v3.1), and documentation text files. This program will run on ALL versions of TOS (including 2.0x and 3.0x). ArcShell is pre-configured to run from floppy drive A: (see included instructions for modifying the paths). NOTE: Floppy drive users, run this file from a 720K format disk with no other files on it. Latest versions of the LZH and ARC Programs 24702 LZH201L.LZH LATEST QUESTER UPDATE 201L 13310 ARC602ST.ARC Latest ARC. 175% faster than 5.21C 25522 STZIP200.LZH ZIP 2.00 Compresses Better Than LZH! 25388 ZOO214.LZH Version 2.1.4 of ZOO File Compressor Downloading and decompressing: Apple II ~~~~~~~~ There is ONE standard archive/dearchive utility for the Apple II. It comes in three flavors, for three different levels of Apple IIs. The latest version of Shrinkit for the GS has just been released. It requires System Software v5.0.4 or later, and it is a self-extracting archive. 19517 GSHK.BSE V1.1 The latest version of GS ShrinkIt Shrinkit for the Apple IIe and IIc (the ProDOS 8 version) is available in both a "normal" and an executable version. The executable version is a Basic file that can be executed, and which, when executed, will produce a working copy of Shrinkit. 18060 SHRINKIT34.BXY ShrinkIt for IIe/IIc, version 3.4 18061 SHRINKIT34.EXE Self-Extracting ShrinkIt 3.4 Shrinkit for the Apple II+ is available in both a "normal" and an executable version. The executable version is a Basic file that can be executed, and which, when executed, will produce a working copy of Shrinkit. The II+ version is written specifically for the II+ and is the ONLY version that will work on that machine. 18064 IIPLUS21.BXY Apple ][+ UnShrinkIt v2.1 18065 IIPLUS21.EXE Self-Extracting II+ UnShrinkIt v2.1 Finally, you might want to download the file listed below. It contains a description of the archiving standards for uploads to the A2 Library. 8929 BXY.INFO.TXT IMPORTANT message for all users! _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ The GEnie Gamer The Missing Link ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ____ / ___) / (_ by Kevin J. McCann / ___) / (_ (____)very year, personal computer games get substantially better. Whether role-playing, simulations, strategy, or arcade games, the graphics and resolution improve, digitized sounds approach new levels of realism, and animation becomes motre fluid. Imagine being a powerful magick user or warrior, battling awesome creatures, planning your strategy, increasing your levels of experience... Not hard to do; just about any fantasy role-playing game on the market will let you. Which brings us to the one common shortcoming of these often great games: Real interaction -- the feelings that make a game come alive, become real. Imagine again being a powerful magick user, only this time you're hunting with a group, a group that is truly alive, with each player being able to follow his or her own instincts and code of ethics. Because each member of your group is actually another person. That's what GEnie's multi-player games are all about -- interaction. Not only do you get the thrill of fighting epic battles or dogfighting your way to glory, you share those experiences with other people. Through GEnie's multi-player games, powerful friendships are formed by people who have never met, who never will meet, because they live thousands of miles apart. They have a common interest in adventure, and they form bonds as strong as any in the real world. Romantic Fantasy Enter the worlds of GemStone III and Dragon's Gate, two of GEnie's premier role-playing adventure games. While both offer a fantasy environment, their settings are vastly different. GemStone III takes place in Kulthea, a Shadow World infested with dangers and rewards. Here you'll find a variety of humanoid races to create your persona, and join the ranks of the many adventurers (both new and experienced) who have to come to discover the wonders of multi-player gaming. GemStone III is the most socially-oriented environment on GEnie, possibly rivaling Chat Lines. Although no special software is required to play, there is an optional (but highly recommended) front end program for IBM-compatibles. It enhances gameplay by adding eye-catching graphics, animation, and sound. The ability to create macros and refer to scrollback provides major convenience. The minimum system for this program is an IBM-compatible 286 with VGA graphics, hard drive, and optional sound card. Dragon's Gate also offers a world of excitement, but allows you to play different creatures (if you don't enjoy being human, here's your chance to make a statement), all sporting various skills and attributes in a most creative way. Want to be a dragon? No problem, step right up and join the wings of other those and the other varied races of Dragon's Gate. Hi Tech Fantasy If you enjoy flying, you'll love Air Warrior(R). You can fly a number of different World War II planes and bombers in a war-torn three country environment, with a prescribed heavy dosage of dogfighting. You've got friends, too, who fight and fly right alongside you. Form your own squadron, or join one. Remember, though, just like your allies, the pilots you're fighting aren't controlled by artificial intelligence, but by other people with vastly different flying patterns. Air Warrior has a number of front end programs (which are necessary in order to play), from the mind-boggling SVGA version, to standard IBM, Macintosh, Amiga, and Atari ST versions. If science fiction grabs you, then put yourself at the helm of gigantic armored warring machines in MultiPlayer BattleTech(TM). There's a lot of territory for the taking, and you have the equipment to do so. Here you and your buddies have an arsenal of weaponry at your disposal, preferably for the disposal of your enemies. Communicate with your allies whenever you want, although I'd refrain from talking much when you're involved in a heavy fight. BattleTech also requires a front end program, the minimum setup being a 12 mHz 286 IBM-compatible with EGA or better graphics, hard drive, and optional sound card. Both BattleTech and Air Warrior front ends are free downloads (excluding the SVGA version of Air Warrior). Ever want to create a world? In Federation II, a space trading simulation set in the distant future, you can. Start off as a transporter of goods, then work your way through becoming a trader and beyond. Once you reach explorer level and have enough imperial groats, you can start building your planets. You are the planetkeeper, except you have no safety or liability issues -- if you want to make a nasty planet that'll have other traders wary, then by all means, do so. There are no lawsuits in the deep reaches of space. These are but a few of GEnie's popular multi-player games. The key to each of them lies within their interaction, being with and talking to other people, forming bonds. If you're hesitant, realize many veterans are willing to help you out at the start. So give one a shot. It's a brave new world, one that you don't have to brave alone. RSCARDS Backgammon Tournament ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ____ / _ ) / __ / / _ ) (____/lake Sorem defeated past champion Glenn Daily by a score of 10-7 to win the RSCARDS Fall 1992 Backgammon Tournament. Third place was shared by Paul Enriquez and past champion Jim Wilson; fourth place belonged to Douglas Johnson, Mark Hudgik, Robert Paris, and past champion Rich Galeba. A purse of $456 in cash and connect time prizes was shared by the top four finishers. Our congratulations to all! The single-elimination, 100%-return RSCARDS Backgammon Tournament is held quarterly, with registration beginning on the first day of each new quarter (January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1). For official rules and information, type "BG", "BACKGAMMON", or "M877" from any GEnie menu prompt, and select the "BG Tournament Information" menu item. RSCARDS graphic front ends are now available for IBM-compatibles, the Apple Macintosh and 2gs, the Commodore Amiga and C-128, and the Atari ST computers. To join the fun of RSCARDS multi-player games (Blackjack, Backgammon, Checkers, Poker, Reversi, and Chess), type RSCARDS from any GEnie menu prompt. Multi-Player Game Keyword Page ==================================== Air Warrior AIR 870 BattleTech BATTLETECH 1135 Dragon's Gate DGATE 915 Federation II FED 220 GemStone III GS3 930 Hundred Years War HYW 945 Multiplayer Games RT MPGRT 1045 RSCARDS RSCARDS 875 _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Focus On... IBM PC RoundTable ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ______ (__ __) by Adolfo Santiago / / / / (_/his is a crash course on graphic files: You need a viewer and as many picture files as you can get your hands on. Short enough? Of course, the place to get both viewers and picture files is the IBMPC RoundTable Library. With over a thousand graphic files and related programs (1,044 at last count), the IBMPC RoundTable Library is one of the best-stocked libraries around. Get Started With A Viewer Take viewers, for example. A quick search of the library yielded viewers for all three of the most popular PC environments: DOS, OS/2, and Windows. One I found particularly useful was file #27269 VUIMG330.ZIP. You can configure many of this DOS-based program's features, including pre-loading pictures into extended memory to speed up display. For OS/2, get file #29042 VIEWGIF1.ZOO. In addition to displaying files, this little gem lets you capture screens and save them in GIF. For Windows, there's file #28153 PSP10.ZIP, a shareware program with image-processing features usually found only in expensive products. The same goes for format conversion programs. You'll find command-line and menu driven translators in the IBMPC RoundTable Library. Examples of command-line translators are files #29139 GIF2BMP2.ZIP for OS/2, and #19552 GIF2BMP.ZIP for Windows. Both of these programs change GIF files to BMP format, the only format acceptable to both OS/2 and Windows for wallpaper use. There's a bullfighter on my screen! But what about picture files? The great majority of the files in the IBMPC Library are pictures. Pictures of space, earth scenes, animals, humans, even subjects like Dali's "Toreador" (Bullfighter) painting. My personal favorite is #20136 DESERT1.GIF, which combines a full moon, a city skyline, and a desert -- including the mandatory cow skull. Unfortunately, there's a lot more to graphic files than this short crash course. Video cards, drivers, compression, and other technical issues affect how you display a file. Luckily, the IBMPC RoundTable Bulletin Board has several busy topics on this subject. Join the discussions and you are sure to get your questions answered. And when you are ready to venture into the world of pictures, check the IBMPC RoundTable Library for the best of them. _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Focus On... Macintosh RoundTable ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _ / ) / / by Stephen Kahn / / / (_ (____)ooking for a great Macintosh GIF converter? Then set your sights on Kevin Mitchell's shareware program GIFCONVERTER, which has long been one of the most popular Macintosh programs for viewing GIFs and other graphic files. As GEnie member R.MITCHELL commented in the Mac Bulletin Board, "An exemplary Macintosh program with exemplary shareware support." As we go to press, Kevin has a new version (2.3B12) of this fine program available in open beta test (file #24051) which adds JPEG to its already versatile display of GIF, TIFF, RIFF, RLE, PICT, Startupscreen, Paint, and Thunderscan formats. To find the latest version, search the Library using the keyword GIFCONVERTER. Kevin provides support and news about it in Category 5 (Freeware/Shareware) of the Bulletin Board. Additional information about Macintosh graphics is in Category 8. Graphics Galore Another popular viewer, GIFWATCHER (#24721), is a desk accessory that allows you to view GIF images while downloading, letting you save online time by canceling images you don't want. The CYBERGIF viewer (#24111) provides slide show capabilities for displaying a sequence of pictures. For other graphics tasks, you may want to download one or more of the IMAGE series of public domain applications for capturing, animating, analyzing, editing, and printing greyscale and color images in PICT, TIFF, and MacPaint formats. These include the greyscale program (#24221), the color version (#24222), the non-FPU version (#24116), and the documentation (#24117). Some of the most attractive GIFs in the Macintosh library -- including the beautiful SNOW SCENE (#21083) on this page -- come from Joe Bergeron. Joe has also created a number of dramatic astronomical illustrations, such as BLACKHOLE (#21735), GAS GIANT (#22011), BACKLITSATURN (#24353), and BOREALIS (21738). And GMUG Sysop Kent Fillmore is a prolific uploader of interesting pictures. Check out LIBERTY (#24709), AUTUMN (#24531), STORMFLIGHT (#24440) and ORCHID (#24439). If you're looking for clip art collections, Kent's provided an abundant set of pictures to choose from: CATS (#24417), DOGS (#24448), BIRDS (#24421), TRAINS (#24411), CARS (#24410), BOATS (#24409), SPORTS (#24408), and AIRCRAFT (#24407). And there's no reason for After Dark users to limit themselves to the same old boring collection of screen saver modules. Download modules such as THE ORBS RETURN (#24387), ELECTRIC FIRE (#24364), FROST AND FIRE (#22111), and BAT SIGNAL (#23918). In case you tire of all this Macintosh graphic excitement, remember that you can switch your Mac over to a DOS command-line mode with DOS COMMAND MAC (#24239). Illustration: SNOW SCENE GIF (#21083) by Joe Bergeron. _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Focus On... *StarShip* Amiga RoundTable ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _____ / _ ) by Jim Meyer / / ) / / (_/ / (_____/nce upon a time, computer art consisted of ASCII characters pounded out on a teletype terminal. Thankfully, we've come a long way since then. ASCII art gave way to black and white images, and then color. And it didn't stop there. Hardly a month goes by without a new Amiga paint program or graphics board appearing. So how do you keep up? Why not rub elbows with the people in the know? Sylvia Lutnes hosts our Graphics Conference every Sunday at 10 PM Eastern time. Guests include representatives from various graphics software vendors, noted artists and professionals, and folks who just want to learn more about computer graphics. One of Syl's regular guests is Bill Graham. Bill's 3-D renderings have been thrilling the Amiga crowd for some time now, and he's always happy to share his expertise. Bill has considerable experience with 3-D modeling, and the illustration on this page, Tadpoles, demonstrates both his expertise and unique artistic abilities. You'll find many fine examples of Bill's work, from Tonguemonster to Wiggle, in the *StarShip* Library. Search on the uploader address W.GRAHAM6. Morphing is a hot graphics topic. This technique, popularized in the movie Terminator II, is available in a number of different commercial programs. You'll find support for two of them, ASDG's Morph Plus and GVP's CineMorph, in the *StarShip* Bulletin Board. Jeff Almasol (ASDG.TECH) provides technical support for MorphPlus in Category 27, while Kermit Woodall (K.WOODALL1) -- one of the authors of CineMorph and ImageFX -- holds court in Category 8, Topic 15. 16 Million Colors Amiga *StarShip* members had front-row seats for the roll-out of the new Amiga 4000, and the talk of Advanced Graphics Architecture, 24-bit graphics, and 68040 speed hasn't died out yet. So what's it like to be the first kid on the block with a new toy? BOOMER.T summed it up nicely when he said "Man, with the 040, it's scan, render, POOF. Almost instantaneous great pictures; I'm impressed!" Details in Category 15. The advent of 24-bit graphics doesn't come without a price. File sizes are way up, so you're sure to see JPEG become even more popular as a compression technique. If you don't have a commercial program capable of handling JPEG files, fear not! Several JPEG convertors in the *StarShip* Library (#13107 OCT_JPEG.LHA JPEG compression/decompression utilities, and #12789 JPEG2DCTV2.LZH JPEG to DCTV conversion program) along with a popular JPEG viewer that works on any Amiga, #14372 VJPEG.LZH. Illustration: Bill Graham's fantasy tadpoles cavort in their 3-D rendered world: #16803 TADPOLES.JPG _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Focus On... Commodore FlagShip RoundTable ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ____ / ___) ( (__ by John Borwn \__ \ ___) ) (____/tardate:64128 The Commodore Flagship warped out of standard orbit recently to deliver excellent news to Commodore users around the galaxy. While bearing free gifts of commercial games to the inhabitants during the month, the Flagship introduced a new telecommunication device. This device is available from the databanks found on page 625;3 of the planet Earth on the GEnie online service. The most recent filename and access number is listed in the Captain's Log on page 625;5. This new device for Commodore-128 computers is called RTC Master 128 (RTCM). To make data exchange fun with other far flung Commodorites during Real-Time Conferences, the crew of the Flagship, headed by Chief Engineer CBM-ED and Counselor YLR.ROSE, developed the new interface program. Tested by a variety of species, RTCM was voted "Best New Program" by the Galactic Counsel. They found it impossible to list all the features on the subspace carrier because of limited bandwidth, though these were voted best: Automatically send messages to anyone entering the conference with strings defined by the user. Can be sent private or public. Send text when entering a room for the first time. Shy species that like to hide in corners can turn these features off. The klaxon can be set to go off whenever someone enters or leaves. The clock can be set automatically whenever you enter an area and adjusted to your own time zone and planetary system. An alarm is present so you do not exhaust all your crystals. For Textologists that collect a variety of ASCII, a buffer is provided to capture the smallest to the largest of these elusive animals. This ranges from 60K to 2 MBs. A built-in transporter can transfer the ASCII and cage it to any sequential or program state needed. And other members of the galaxy can admire your collection without any additional tools! The capture buffer is built for the predators, too. You can hunt for twenty one occurances of an ASCII and glide silently back and forth in the buffer from each target found. Future expandablity using overlay modules with programming information provided for other Chief Engineers. 100% Machine Language for true warp speed. The Counsel is still trying to locate the source of mysterious sounds which vibrate forth from the speakers whenever Chief Engineer CBM-ED enters the conference area. Go where other smart Commodorites have gone before and visit the Commodore Flagship today. _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Focus On... Atari ST RoundTable ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ______ (__ __) by D.A. Brumleve / / / / (_/he Atari family of computers supports a variety of screen resolutions and color capabilities, so it's not surprising that six separate Libraries in the ST RoundTable are devoted to graphics. They offer a plethora of beautiful pictures to please your eye, tickle your fancy, adorn your screen, and illustrate your published page. In addition, other Libraries may contain graphics associated with a specific design program. Conversion While many of these pictures are in ST/TT platform-specific formats, it is also possible to view pictures created on other computers through the use of format conversion utilities. Library 28 contains a number of programs for viewing GIF and JPEG files and converting them to and from several other formats. Terry May has shared VIEWGIF2.LZH (#18327), a GIF file viewer/converter which works in all three ST resolutions. GVIEW11M.LZH (#24603) is a conversion utility from Germany which allows ST owners to enjoy GIF, JPEG, and others. Robert Glover has provided DMJ_GIF3.LZH (#21573), a fast, TT-compatible conversion utility for GIF files, and SPC_3375.LZH (#24890) which allows GIF files to be viewed in Spectrum color modes. While GIF pictures support color, ST owners with monochrome monitors can view them with the help of MGIF37B.LZH (#21515). Try looking at some of the original art in Lexior's Library, such as ERIKVIK1.LZH (#26122), a GIF file worked in Phoenix 512 in TT Low by Joey Sherman. Outline Art Design Contest ISD/DMC recently sponsored a contest for users of Outline Art. The impressive winning entries have been published in Atari Explorer and are available for downloading from Library 30. Don Marusich took first prize with a variety of witty graphic logos in MARUSICH.LZH (#24461), Rolf Berger's 2nd-place entry in BERGER.LZH (#24456) illustrates the varied interests of the Canadian Ministry of Natural Resources, Joey Sherman took 3rd place for his depiction of Grog in REALM.LZH (#24476), Jamie Todd won 4th prize for his cassette cover design in TODD.LZH (#24469), and 5th-place winner was Steve Kaleita for the abstract robot image found in KALEITA.LZH (#24460). These files can be viewed from within Calamus (demo version CAL_DEMO.ARC, #10521) or Calamus SL (demo version CAL_S_SL.ARC, #20711). Darlah's Treat! Sysop Darlah Potechin recently instituted a free download each month called "Darlah's Treat." Among the first offerings was a demo version of Invision Elite, a monochrome paint program. An updated version of this program is found in INV_DEMO.LZH (#26131). Be sure to look for future treats, compliments of Darlah! Illustration: Splendid, 3-D rendered wooden viking in GIF from #26122 ERIKVIK1.LZH. _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~ Focus on... Apple II RoundTables ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _ / ) by Dean Esmay __ / / ( (_/ / \___/ust learning how to download? Well, come by the Apple II RoundTable as soon as you can and check out our special help files -- the GEnie Manual for Apple II Users. Unlike the standard GEnie manual, the Apple II Manual is short, simple, and written specifically with the Apple II in mind. You'll find exactly what you need to know, without trying to figure out what applies to you and what doesn't! The GEnie Manual for Apple II Users is available as Menu Option #6 on the A2 RoundTable at page 645. If you're interested in learning more, stop by one of our LIVE Real-Time Conferences! The A2 RoundTable holds conferences every night at 9:30 PM Eastern Time. A sysop is always available answer questions, and you'll get to meet other Apple II users like yourself. Part of the Apple II experience on GEnie that too few people are aware of is A2Pro, the Apple II Programmers and Developers' RoundTable. This is a separate RoundTable devoted to the Apple II -- specifically for those with an interest in programming. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, whether your interest is in BASIC or advanced environments like assembly language or Pascal, A2Pro has information for you. To reach it, choose Menu Option #8 on the Main Menu from the A2 RoundTable, or jump there directly by moving to page 530. The A2 University One of the most exciting aspects of A2Pro is our A2 University. If you want to learn programming, A2Pro's A2 University is for you. Are you a novice who wants to learn about beginning programming, an intermediate user who wants to create macros for Appleworks? Maybe you're an advanced programmer who'd like to learn a new language or explore subjects like data compression. In any case, A2U is for you! Classes are held in Category 22 of the A2Pro Bulletin Board, with Real-Time Conferences with A2U Professors each week and new lessons uploaded regularly to the Library! If you've ever wanted to learn more about programming, A2U is the perfect opportunity! The Apple II RoundTables are totally dedicated to helping Apple II users make the most of their computer investment. For a list of recent Hot Downloads from A2, read our article in this issue of LiveWire Online on page *LIVEWIRE on GEnie. Stop by today! Illustration: Screen from the popular Power 3D animation program, 19327 POWER.3D.BXY Recommended Downloads File #: 19194 Name: IR.2.0.1.BXY Description: Install Desk Accessories & Inits on the fly under System 6.0! File #: 19177 Name: BJTUTOR.3.0.BXY Description: BlackJack Tutor, a blackjack game plus - learn winning strategies for Vegas style blackjack! File #: 19164 Name: APLWRTR.2.1.BXY Description: AppleWriter, a top-notch, professional Description: Word Processor for the IIe, IIc, and IIgs. NOW FREEWARE! File #: 19437 Name: WPLEXP2.1.BXY Description: WPL Expansion Kit for Apple Writer 2.1. Another Lost Classic is found! File #: 19338 Name: FILE.A.TRIX.BXY Description: Catalog, Copy, formate, delete, rename - a complete disk utility in a IIgs System 6.0 Classic Desk Accessory! File #: 19327 Name: POWER.3D.BXY Description: Two amazing IIgs 3D animation demonstrations by GS animation wiz Chris McKinsey! File #: 19318 Name: LETTERSLIDE.BXY Description: Addicting Word/Strategy Puzzle Game for the IIgs File #: 19289 Name: BARROWS5.BXY Description: National Appleworks User group Barrows Appleworks Utilities disk - a must-have for the Appleworks user! File #: 19265 Name: KICK.START.BXY Description: An amazing and unique RAM disk copy program for IIe, IIc, and IIgs. File #: 19264 Name: PNPDEMO.BXY Description: Pick'n'Pile, a fast-paced IIgs arcade game File #: 19257 Name: HIRES.SIGNS.BXY Description: Amusing signs in High Resolution 8-bit Clip Art - perfect for DeskTop Publishing needs! File #: 19444 Name: MINEFIELD.BXY Description: Addicting Mine Sweeper game for the IIgs. File #: 19443 Name: SCHOOL.4.BXY Description: Double High resolution Clip Art for schools - Publish-It addicts take note! File #: 19378 Name: SOUNDSMITH.BXY Description: One of the best and most popular IIgs music programs ever written - and it's shareware! File #: 19358 Name: BIFFS.TALE.BXY Description: A cute graphics adventure for the IIgs. File #: 19230 Name: TIMEMSTRGS.BXY Description: Access program for Atomic Clock service - set your IIgs clock to incredible accuracy! File #: 19221 Name: ADB.PEEKS.BXY Description: AppleWorks database of AppleSoft PEEK locations. File #: 19218 Name: SOFTDAC20B2.BXY Description: Latest version of sound playing utility - now play IIgs and Macintosh sounds on your Apple II and IIc systems! File #: 19205 Name: BOGGLED.GS.BXY Description: Boggle-like word game for the IIgs. Addicting! _____________ // \ || GEnie's | || LIVEWIRE | || ONLINE | || Jan/Feb 1993 | \\____________/ || | ~~~~~~~~~