What's Up With That?

     * Somewhat Enlightening Wanderings from the Mind of John Davis *

     Computer geeks (CG's) cannot speak in normal terms, not because they
     are by nature introverted, semi-social beings--they are, but that has
     nothing to do with the common language problem!  It is because the
     computer/data management field itself is such an unnatural means of
     communication that the CGs have adapted themselves to interact
     optimally with the machine, therefore making themselves unfit company
     for conversation with anyone but one of their own.

     Jargon abounds, with terms like kluge, vaporware, cache, aliasing, and
     de-fragment.  Then there are the real brain-busters--the acronyms,
     such as: GUI, DMA, CPU, I/O, DOS, API, DPI, and MOUSE.  The terms are
     confusing for the chipnophobic and, in some cases, for otherwise
     intelligent and competent computer users.  A case in point is the
     perennial confusion of the terms ASCII and ANSI.  They are often
     perceived to be interchangeable to the unenlightened, but if you
     should misuse one term for the other within hearing of a horn-rimmed
     spectacled pocket-protector life-support system, the nasal chortles
     will drive you to a mental system lock-up.  In the interest of your
     well-being, I will charitably enlighten you on the these two most
     secret and basic terms of computerdom's secret society--Byte Motivated
     Entellectuals (Byte-ME, for short).

     The confusion stems from the fact that ASCII and ANSI are related
     appellations for the code defining computer text, put forth by ANSI.
     ANSI is the American National Standards Institute, a fascist
     organization founded to boss the computer community around; though
     not at the same level as the international bullies, the CCITT.  ASCII
     stands for the American Standard Code for Information Exchange, it is
     formally known (though only to 3  computer science professors and a
     Washington billionaire-bachelor) as ANSI Standard X3.4-1977.  When
     people talk of ANSI text however (and what exciting people they are!),
     they are most often speaking of ANSI terminal codes invoked through
     the ANSI.SYS device driver in DOS.  Let me talk first of ASCII text,
     and the related code, then I'll touch on how ANSI.SYS exploits this
     code.

     ASCII was formulated as a 7 bit code for data terminals, which math
     tells us allows for 128 characters, not all of them printable.  This
     provided a quick method for data communications devices, such as CRTs
     (another acronym; Cathode Ray Tube) and teletypewriters to
     electronically communicate in a text-only fashion; the computer
     equivalent of Morse Code.  Because text messaging is still a dominant
     form of information sent over wire, and the fastest method, ASCII is
     still a very necessary code standard today.  It is also considered a
     universal interchange format for text based applications such as word
     processors, spreadsheets, and databases.  If you go to print in a
     character-based application, chances are that the application is
     simply sending the ASCII codes to the printer, which accounts for the
     speed advantage of printing text over graphics.  ASCII text requires
     that 8 bits be sent to the printer for each character printed, while
     text in graphics mode, such as that sent from Windows or by bit-mapped
     fonts, requires a bit for each dot making up the graphics character.
     The bit-mapped font gives you more control over the look at the
     expense of that common shorthand called ASCII.

     You'll note that I said "8 bits" per character for ASCII, when I'd
     previously stated it was defined by ANSI as a 7 bit code.  The reason
     has proven a "bit" of a problem for computer users.  IBM figured early
     on that if 128 characters is handy for text definition, then graphics
     and specialty characters could be defined by adding one bit to the
     ASCII character set, resulting in the IBM Extended ASCII Set, 256
     characters in all.  The reasoning was sound in the non-graphical era
     of the times, because the crude graphics characters gave users the
     ability to do line and block drawings on text-only screens! (state of
     the art special effects for the time).

     IBM was not the only wishful thinker in the ASCII improvement game.
     Printer pioneers Epson decided that by simply adding one bit to the
     Character set they could define extra text characters to provide
     printing enhancements like italics to the common man--result: The
     Epson Extended Character Set.  What a leap forward in screen and
     printer sophistication these companies provided...Unfortunately, the
     256 characters (more precisely the extra 128 characters) that IBM
     defined were NOT the same as those defined by Epson.  As a result,
     block characters sent from a screen to an Epson (or Epson emulating)
     printer print italic "garbage characters".  The solution is to choose
     IBM printer emulation when printing text in text mode with line
     drawings, and choose Epson emulation when printing in text mode with
     italic characters.

     There are other ways provided through ASCII codes to control printer
     output, which are known as "Escape Codes".  If you've ever wondered
     what the ESC key is doing on the computer keyboard in the first place,
     this is it. --It was not originally meant as an escape mechanism for
     programs that you delved too deeply into without manual support.  The
     ESC code allows devices that receive it (printers, CRTs) to interpret
     the ASCII characters not as printable characters, but as special
     control codes for the device.  Printers can be operated and customized
     for print size and paper handling through escape codes.  CRTs have
     developed such attributes as blinking text and inverse video through
     the clever use of escape codes.  The biggest windfall from escape
     codes is "absolute cursor positioning" which allows clever programming
     to place the cursor at any point on a screen, unavailable prior to
     escape codes’ inception.

     This is the perfect moment to incorporate ANSI.SYS into the discussion.
     It is a device driver to interpret ASCII escape codes for use by DOS.
     Great, but about as understandable as saying "endoplasmic reticulum
     uses the Kreb's Cycle to produce Adenine Tri-Phosphate for
     consumption."  You need a few definitions.

     A device driver in DOS allows you to customize the peripheral's
     interaction with the operating system--a translation program between
     the device and DOS.  When you type a letter DOS receives the keyboard
     "scan code", interprets it and sends the character to the screen.
     Likewise, when software or other device (such as a modem) sends a
     character, DOS writes it to the screen.  ANSI.SYS, when placed in the
     config.sys file, intercepts all screen directed characters,
     redirecting them into its "black box", interprets them, then sends
     them to the screen.  Sounds like an extraneous detour, but it allows
     for very useful customization.  I don't want bore you with a bunch of
     literal examples, but the following are possible in DOS only due to
     the ANSI.SYS device driver:  Absolute Cursor Positioning, screen
     colors and attributes, custom key definition (e.g. the "a" key doesn't
     have to type "a", it can type "hey" every time it is hit if programmed
     that way, with ANSI.SYS loaded).  It is the driver that allows you to
     get the "cool" effects on BBS's as well, making it well worth the
     memory overhead.  In short ANSI.SYS enhances your screen and keyboard
     control in DOS.

     ASCII text and ANSI.SYS seem like anachronisms in the GUI,GUI world of
     windows and SVGA graphics, but an understanding of them is still
     useful in getting the most out of your PC, and impressing the
     technobabes in the user group.

     Until next time...Escape code me outta here