Load WS in a Hurry Ever exit Portable WordStar and then go right back to it and get a little impatient as it reloads. Try the following trick to make it reload faster. When at the CPM prompt enter "save 0 g.com". Enter WS and then exit it. Now type "g". The last program run (which in this case happens to be WS) will still be in memory and will be executed without having to be loaded. ROM Burning As you have seen in the last couple of issues, we are now offering to burn personalized ROMs for the PX. We now have the capability to create a two ROM system, which I think requires a little explanation, or probably better, an example. Say you wanted to put Peachcalc in the PX. With the two ROM system this is possible. Working PeachCalc consists of three files PC.COM (24K), PC.HLP (10K) and PC.OVL (13K), for a total of 47K -- too much for a 32K ROM. Use the installation program to install it for a SOROC 120 terminal. If the install program allows, any program being set up for a two ROM system should be configured to look for and write data to the A or D drive. Our two ROM system permits up to 63K of files, so we still have some room left for some utilities. It would certainly be nice to have FILINK and CONFIG available so we could easily setup and transfer PC files to the QX. These fit and there is still room for the ever useful BATTERY and a directory program. With the chips burned and installed in the B and C drives of the PX, if we try to log into drive C we will get a BDOS ERROR -- the computer now does not 'see' drive C, it only recognizes drive B. Doing a directory of the B drive we see that all of the files mentioned above are present. As you see this dual chip capability opens a whole new world to PX owners. Using DATAPAC Canadians using DATAPAC to access CompuServe normally can not upload or download programs using XMODEM protocol. Douglas Kitson has overcome this problem using the Geneva Connection script listed below. He indicates that all the lines in the script, especially the WAIT, and DISP lines, seem to be necessary. The script also includes an INPUT FILE which prompts the user for a filspec and then automatically go to terminal mode so that everything that happens online will be captured to disk. To transfer files to or from CompuServe, after specifying XMODEM hit ESC, then at the "*" it is necessary to change the protocol and filename by entering "PROT C" and then at the next "*" typing "INPUT filename". After transfer is complete change back to PROT X, and then INPUT a different filename, followed by two carriage returns. PORT INT BAUD 300 BITS 7 PARITY E STOP 1 PROT X ECHO R REPLACE 5C 10 SUPPLY LF N DIAL T ,,NNNNNNN 25 3 ;Replace "N"s with local Datapac number SKIP 2 DISP UNSUCCESSFUL-- NO CARRIER SKIP 33 DISP PLEASE WAIT FOR CIS LOG-ON #TEXT 2E 0D WAIT 5 DISP #TEXT 73 65 74 20 32 3A 31 0D WAIT 5 DISP #TEXT 70 20 32 39 34 30 30 31 33 38 0D WAIT 10 DISP #TEXT 63 69 73 0D WAIT 10 DISP #TEXT 10 TEXT PROF 1 #TEXT OD DISP WAIT 5 DISP TEXT SET 126:004,003:000,004:004,001:000 #TEXT 0D DISP DISP #TEXT 0D WAIT 5 DISP #TEXT 42 59 45 #TEXT 0D WAIT 5 DISP TEXT NNNNN ;The first 5 numbers of your CIS ID #TEXT 2C TEXT NNNN ;The last 4 numbers of your CIS ID #TEXT 0D DISP Enter filename at the following prompt: DISP (if record not needed hit ) INPUT END If you are not using a 60 or 120K RAM disk replace INPUT on the next to the last line with TERM, so you won't be making a permanent record of your session. When the program is run you will wait about 45 seconds and then see the prompt for FILENAME followed by the CIS prompt for your PASSWORD. New Releases By the time you read this there should be a substantial increase in the amount of ROM based commercial software available for the PX-8. Packages designated for eminent release include dBase II, Traveling dBase, Rags to Riches, TeleDex, and TelMerge. Let's take a brief look at some of these packages. The Geneva version of dBase II will consist of a two ROM chips which go in the B and C drives of the computer. There will be a number of differences between it and standard dBase II. First is the addition of a menu to simplify the selection and and running of programs. This will make first exposures to dBase more friendlier than on any other computer. The experienced dBase user will also notice the absence of several commands -- BROWSE, JOIN, RESET, SORT, and HELP. Except for RESET, other features may be substituted for the lost one: for JOIN you may use the APPEND FROM command; for SORT use INDEX; the HELP file is gone, but in its place are a handy set of index cards with all the program commands. Another difference with dBase on the PX is that it is not necessary to enter the date as with other computers -- the PX's internal clock makes this unnecessary. What about compatibility of command files (.CMD) and database files (.DBF) on other systems with those on the PX? Naturally, with the deleted commands (BROWSE, SORT, JOIN, and RESET) gone, any command file with these will have to be modified. Other considerations are obvious -- the screen differences (only 8 lines) and drive configuration. Any command file referring to a screen line greater than 8 will have no meaning to Portable dBase. Also since most other computer systems run dBase from drive A with the data on B, it will be necessary to modify command files so that the proper drives are accessed. Portable dBase will have a suggested retail price similar to that of standard dBase, about $450.00 to $500.00. There will also be a scaled down version of dBase -- dBTraveler. It will likewise be a two ROM set with a suggested retail price between $250.00 and $300.00. It will have all the features of Portable dBase except the command file capability. A detailed review of both packages will appear in a future issue. Chang Labs' Rags to Riches is an integrated accounting package that offers a General Ledger and Sales Journal on one ROM, and an Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable on another ROM. All the packages are written in a semi-tree structure which allows the user to go up and down the logical progression of the activity's sub-sections with occasional side access to a different branch. The accounts are coded as single -letter characters such as "a". Membership in a logical class of account can be specified within each account. The General Ledger requires double-entry of transactions and allows single entry deletions, with or without money in the account. The Receivables and Payables programs are very similar in structure. Both allow the creation of accounts as the General Ledger does and both require double-entry transactions with or without a working G/L. Editing and reversing of entries is allowed as well as all the reports these systems usually entail. The Sales Journal program keeps track of client accounts and creates an invoicing capability while generating sales and income records for the G/L. See the Portable Communications comparison chart in the August issue of the EC for highlights of these two programs. 5 Chips at Once Doerhoefer Electronics, P.O. Box 34233, Louisville KY 40232, offers a modification for the PX-8 that will allow you to have either tree or four ROM program chips installed all the time. This modification is done by semi-permanent wiring of the affected ROM chips and adding a switch to the front of the machine in the recessed area where the handle stores, directly under the space bar. You may then switch ROM chips by merely pulling out the carrying handle and using your thumbnail to activate the switch. You do not need to turn the power off to do this. So with a Multi Function Unit, ,it would be possible to have five chips in the PX at once. Cost of the modification is $89.00. Library Files In this month's tape you will see a program called NULU. This is a library utility which can create, extract, print and otherwise manipulate .LBR files. But what are library files you ask? Simply put, any file takes a minimum of 2K space on the PX -- even if its only say 500 bytes in length. So if you have a collection of little utility programs, you can see that there is the possibility of wasting considerable space. A library file is a collection of files 'krunched' together so that wasted disk space is minimized. This is why you see many library files on RBBSs; it takes much less time to download the library file than the individual members. But once downloaded, you need a program such as NULU to access the contents of the library. Library files also represent a good way of storing or categorizing files. With the LRUN program, if you put your programs in a library file called COMMAND.LBR, you can type "LRUN -command pip" (if PIP is one of the members of the library) and run PIP just as you normally would.