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“Inside Commodore's
COMMODORE Volume 2, Number 4
$4.95 U.S.
THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR COMMODORE 64 & 128 USERS
Spreadsheets. \
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10 Game Grab Baa $9.95 Plundered Hearts $12.97 1750 Super Clone $99.95 Geos 128 v2 $44.97 Defender of the Crown $9.97 Pool of Radiance 14,97 Basic Compiler 64 $12.97 Graphic Label Wizard $14.97 Destroyer $9.97 Portal $14.97 Big Blue Reader $29.97 Graphics Basic $9.97 Double Dragon 2 $9.97 Questron 2 $9.97 B/W Prog Tools $14.97 Home Designer 128 $24.97 Heavy Metal $12.97 Rampage $7.97 Bob's Term Pro 64 $12.97 Mach 128 Cart $24.97 Heros of the Lance $14.97 Realms of Darkness $12.97 B/W Power C $9.97 Manager, The $12.97 Impossible Mission 2 $9.97 Roadwars $7.97 B/W Turbo Cartridge $14.97 Maverick v5 $24.95 Keys to Maramon $9.97 Sidearms $7.97 C128 Graphics Bundle $29.97 Model Diet $9.97 Mean Streets $9.97 Steel Thunder $9.97 Christmas Model Kit $9.97 Movie Maker $9.97 Monopoly $9.97 Strip Poker $14.97 Creative Writer $12.97 Newsroom $14.97 Ms Pacman $9.97 Trump Castle Casino $12.97 CSM Protection Man 1 $14.97 On Line Help $9.97 Ogre $9.97 Wheel Fortune 1-2-3 $9.97 CSM Protection Man 2 $19.97 Outrageous Pages $14.97 Pacman $9.97 Zork 1-2-3 $9.97 Data Manager 2 $14.97 Paperclip 364/128 $19.97 Designer's Pencil $9.97 PFS File & Report $19.97 SHORTS & Desk Manager $9.97 Postcards $14.97 SPORTS a FLIG GrlT Drive Align 1541/71 $12.97 Printmaster Plus $19.97 Easy Working Tri Pak $9.97 Superbase 64 $19.97 4th & Inches $7.97 Sporting News Baseball $9.97 Fast Load Cart $19.97 Superscript 64/128 $14.97 America’s Cup Sailing $7.97 Star Rank Boxing $7.97 Fleet System 3 (128) $14.97 Swiftcalc w/Sideways $14.97 Champshp Baseball $7.97 Tenth Frame $9.97 Geos 64 v2 $39.97 Term Paper Writer 128 $12.97 Dave Winfield Batter Up $9.97 Tony LaRussa Baseball $7.97 Fast Break $7.97 Tournament Tennis $7.97 Football/Sublogic $9.97 WWF Wrestling $7.97 EDUCATIONAL Int Hockey $7.97 Acrojet $9.97 Jack Nicklaus Golf $9.97 Apache Strike $7.97 Early Learning Friends $9.97 Snoopy Writer $9.97 Jordan vs Bird $7.97 F-14 Tomcat $9.97 European Nations & Loc $9.97 Spell It $12.97 Leaderboard Golf $9.97 F-15 Strike Eagle $12.97 Keys to Typing $9.97 Spellicopter $9.97 Pro Football Facts $9.97 F-19 Stealth Fighter $12.97 Kindercomp (cart) $9.97 Stickybear ABCs $9.97 Pro Soccer $7.97 Jet $14.97 Lovejoy'’s SAT $12.97 Stickybear Math $9.97 Pure Stat Baseball $9.97 Jet Combat Sim $7.97 Memory Manor Cart $9.97 Stickybear Numbers $9.97 Rick Davis Soccer $7.97 Top Gunner $9.97 Magic Spells $9.97 Typing Tutor 4 $9.97 Reader Rabbit $9.97 Word Attack $9.97 Snoopy Sky Scramble $9.97 Word Spinner $9.97
CCESSORIES
C-128RGB Cable $17.95 Floppy Disk Notcher $6.95 C-64 Color Mon Cable $8.95 Dust Covers - specify $7.95 Computer Hand 2 $6.95 Capt Grant Joystick $9.95 Convert A Com $24.95 Ergostick Joystick $16.95 Disk Bank 10/3.5" $2.95 CBM 1200 Baud $9.95 Disk Bank 10/5.25° $2.95 Aprotek 2400 Baud $49.95 Disk Bank 100/3.5" $12.95 13851 Smart Mouse $44.95 Disk Bank 100/5.25" $12.95 MW 350 Interface $44.95
Disk Bank 70/5.25" $7.95 64 Power Supplies $34.95
Software Support Int. Disk Mailers $0.39 128 Power Supplies $49.95 SONWARE 9700 N.E. ri 7 ‘esen Rd Orive Cleaners $6.95 Printer Ribbons CALL meer’ aan
Serial Cable 6ft $8.95 Userport Expander $24.95 Suite A-10
Serial Cable 10 ft pa Video Ram Upgrade $49.95 Vancouver, Wa 98661 Drive Power Cable $7.95 3.5" 10 cnt.Floppy $7.95 apna (360) 695-1393 User Port Cable $15.95 5.25" 10 cnt.Floppy $3.95
Items Listed Above Do Not Include Shipping. U.S 48 States - Add $5.50 per order, Alaska, Hawaii & Canada - add $5.50 for the first piece and $1.00 per each additional piece per shipment. Second Day Air shipping is available. Call for shipping charges. Call Or Write For Your Free c- 64/128 Catalog Listing HUNDREDS Of Commodore Products And Special Offers For Your Computer. Our Order Takers Are On Duty 6:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. M+ F and 7:00 a.m, - 3:00 p.m, Sat. - Pacific Time
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C QO N
ISSUE 9 °
COMMODORE
WORLD
THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR COMMODORE 64 & 128 USERS
GENERAL MANAGER Charles R. Christianson 5 Epiror Doug Cotton 5 Assistant Epitor Jenifer Esile ¢ ADVERTISING SALES Charles A. Christianson (413) 525-0023 5 PHOTOGRAPHY Wayne Wrubel > Grapnic Arts Doug Cotton Jenifer Esile +4 Etectronic Pre-Press & PrintiNG Mansir/Holden, Inc, ca Cover Design by Doug Cotton
Commodore" and the respective Commodore product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Escom GmbH. Commodore World is in no way affiliated with Escom GmbH,, owner of the Commodore logo and technology. Commodore World is published 8 times annually by Creative Micro Designs, Inc,, 15 Benton Drive, East Longmeadow MA 01028-0646. Second-Class Postage Paid at East Longmeadow MA, Annual subscription rate is US$29.95 for U.S. addresses, US$35.95 for Canada or Mexico, USS45.95 for all EC Countries, and US$57.95 to all other addresses worldwide. All subscription payments must be provided in U.S. Dollars, Mail subscriptions to CW Subscriptions, c/o Creative Micro Designs, Inc., P.O. Box 646, East Longmeadow MA 01028-0646,
Entire contents copyright © 1995 by Creative Micro Designs, Inc., unless otherwise noted. No part of this Publication may be printed or otherwise reproduced by any means without prior written consent from the publisher, All programs published in this publication are for the personal use of the reader, and may not be copied or in any way distributed Allrights reserved, Programming examples and routines in this issue which are presented for educational purposes may be used in the creation of programs by the purchaser of this of this magazine, provided credit for the routines is clearly presented in either the program documentation, or the program itself Creative Micro Designs, Inc., assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in editorial, program listings or advertising content. Creative Micro Designs, Inc. assumes no liability for advertisers claims or reliability
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to; CW Address Changes, c/o Creative Micro Designs, Inc., P.O, Box 646, East Longmeadow MA 01028-0646
VOLUME 2
NUMBER 4 .
FEATURES
6 18 22 36
Speciat Report: AMIGA TECHNOLOGIES FORECAST by Jason Compton What's in store for Commodore and Amiga now that Escom is control? UNDERSTANDING SPREADSHEETS by David Pankhurst
Learn what spreadsheets can do for you!
SPREADSHEETS BY THE NUMBERS by Sherry Freedline
An in-depth look at four current spreadsheet programs and their features.
Harpware: COLLECTIBLES by Jim Brain A collector's comments on the Commodore 264 Series.
REVIEWS
28
Sortware: CKit 94 by Gaelyne R. Moranec
Mad Man's Backup and Compression Kit.
KARMA by Jim Butterfield
Review of the newest macro assembler for the Commodore 128. Ganes: MINIVIEWS by Sherry Freedline
Blood Money, Championship Baseball and Monday Night Football.
New Games by Sherry Freedline and Steve Vander Ark Three new titles: Lions of the Universe, Super Pogo Stick, & Riddles and Stones.
COLUMNS
14 16
Just For Starters by Steve Vander Ark
Know your ports and try some simple BASIC programming. ForeiGn EXCHANGE by Joseph Gaudl
The latest goings-on in the European Commodore market. GRAPHIC INTERPRETATION by Steve Vander Ark
A few helpful hints on working with geoPublish, GEOPROGRAMMIST by Maurice Randall
Getting around in memory under GEOS takes knowing the system. Basic INSTINCTS by Gene Barker
Part 2 of a series on writing BASIC input subroutines. PERIPHERAL VISION by Jim Butterfield
Part 2 of a series on Relative file programming.
Carrier DETECT by Gaelyne R, Moranec
Secrets to modeming with the right long distance carrier for you. Over THE EoGe by Harold Stevens, Jr.
Hooked on modems? You're not alone!
DEPARTMENTS 2 From tHe Eviror 10 User Group Connection 4 Backtatk 12 Top Tips 7 Commooore Trivia 56 Cuassiriecd Avs & ON THe Horizon 56 Apvertiser’s INDEX
See Our
CHK-LIST
Utility On Page 45
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1995
COMMODORE WORLD
s the warm rays of summer sun shine down on the world outside, and as many of you enjoy your vacations, the staff here at CW have been busy cooking up another hot issue. This time, however, we've had some extra help. We're pleased to welcome Jenifer Esile to ourstaff, and we're certain that with this new addition, we'll be able to the improve the quality of Commodore World while meeting the rigorous schedule that keeps your issues showing up at regular pace.
As most of you are aware, we've been placing all new subscribers and re subscribers into our Subscription Sweepstakes. Sadly, all goodthings must come to an end, and the drawing is now closed. The good news, however, is that thirty-two of our lucky subscribers will find their subscription number tucked away in the pages of this issue. Since our database guru has randomly generated only the subscriber numbers directly from our database, even we didn’t know the names of the winners until looking them up after they were drawn.
So, how can you find out if you're one of the lucky winners? Take a peek at the winner's circle found within the pages of this issue and... HEY! HOLD ON! The least you could do is finish reading the rest of my editorial before you go ripping through the pages looking for those numbers!
DEAD COMPUTERS In a recent phone conversation with Jeff Jones of Loadstar, | was saddened to hear that many of the users who opted not to renew their Loadstar subscription cited that they did not do so because their computer no longer worked, and they didn’t know where to get it repaired. It’s understandable that we lose numbers to other platforms for various reasons, but there are several reputable mail-order repair facilities left, and no doubt even more local ones we don’t know about. You will probably hear more about this from JeffJones himself, but I think we should all help him in collecting and disseminating information on any and all repair facilities left. To that end, if you know ofany companies that repair Commodore Computers, jot down the name, address, and phone number, and send_ the information to Jeff at Loadstar. If you don't have Loadstar’s address, send the info to my attention here at Commodore World, and I'll
be happy to pass it along to Jeff.
Doug Cotton Editor
Issue 9
Folcroft East Business Park
/ Info 610-586-5701 Tech 610-586-5704 FAX 610-586-5706
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e SPECIAL OFFER ¢ Receive either Master Type Typing cartridge or Jack Attack cartridge for only $2.00 additional with any order - Originally valued at $49.00
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Commodore
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ericure: ‘Mon- Fri 9 to 6 Sat 10 to 4 - Eastern
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1541 -2 Drives
These are completely NEW & boxed by Commodore from their latest production run. Includes all Cabling, Manuals, and Disks. Hurry as supplies are limited.
$89.95
i DA ES at anti al
| CBM Test Kit
128 Diagnostic Cart. w/Manual $24.95 64 Dead Test Cart. w/Manual 29.95
| Last Chance
Parts
We have just acquired the last batch of Commodore factory repair parts and assemblies. All parts have a 60 Day Warranty through Software Hut. Hurry as supplies are limited.
CBM Part? Description Price 1540002-01 1541 Internal P.S, $12.95 1540048-01 1541 PCBAssmALPS 19.95 1540048-03 1541 PCBAssmNEWT 19.95 250448-01 PCB Assm 1541B 19.95 250471-01 PCB Assm 1581 22.95 250735-02 Keyboard 128D 22.95 250772-01 Power Supply 1571 18.95 251053-10 Power Supply 64/64C 22.95 310379-02 PCB Assm 128 80.00 310420-01 PCB Assm 1571 22.95 318264-01 Commodore Joystick 5.95
326166-04 Keyboard 64 14,95
390205-01 Heavy Duty 64/64C P.S. 32.95 516402-02 64 Computer, ReCon. 109.95 601210-66 MPS 1200 Printhead 24.95 128 Motherboard - Complete $64.95 128D Motherboard - Complete 64.95 64C Motherboard - Complete $4.95 C128 Power Supply - External 39.95 C128D Power Supply - Internal 24.95 1541-2 or 1581 Power Supply 19.95
Commodore Manuals User Manual 128 Computer $9.9:
User Manual 1700/1750 RAM Hr User Manual 1351 Mouse 5.95 User Manual 1764 RAM 6.95 Service Manual 1581 Drive 19.95 Service Manual MPS 1000 Printer 19.95 User Manual 1802 Monitor 5.95 User Manual MPS 1250 Printer 7.95 Intro Manual 1280 4.95 User Manual 2002 Monitor 7.95 User Manual 64C 6.95 User Manual 801 Printer 7,95 User Manual 802 Printer 7.95 User Manual 1702 Monitor 7.95
Volume 2, Number 4
Games & Closeouts.
Airborne Ranger
Bad Blood “ 4 Below the Root 10.00 Big Boggle 14.00 Blackjack Academy 12.95 Chomp 12.95 Deja Vu 9.00 Demolition Mission - Space Racer 6.00 Dolphin's Rune 5.00 Felony! 9.00 Gateway to the Savage Frontier 14.00 Impossible Mission 2 8.95 Jack Attack cartridge 5.00 Jeopardy 1, 2, Jr, Sports (Specity) 10.00 Learning Bridge Made Easy 9.00 Moonmist 12.00 Navy Seals 12.95 PathWords 9.00 Plundered Hearts 12.00 President is Missing 9.95 Rambo 2 6.00 Risk 17.00 Secrets of the Silver Blades 14.00 Shoot’em Up Construction Kit 12.00 Stationfall 12.00 Swiss Family Robinson 10.00 Tass Times in Tone Town 9.00 Test Pilot Bundle (ATF, Crazy Cars, Tomahawk, Harrier, Infiltrator 2) 15,00 Three Stooges 12.95 Tony LaRussa Baseball 12.00 Tony LaRussa Teams (Specity) 7.00 View to a Kill 9.00 Weird Oreams 11,00 Wheel of Fortune 1,2,Gold,Jr (Specity) 10.00 Where (Specify) Is Carmen S. 0.7 27.00 Who Framed Roger Rabbit 22.00 World Games 12.00 Wrath of the Demon 22.00
/ Peripherals Ri Accessories
1670 Modem - 1200 Baud, New, Boxed. Super Special Price, while supplies last - $19.95
1660 Modem - 300 Baud - $9.95 1351 Mouse - New, unboxed -$32.95
Micro R&D Printer Interface - For non- CBM parallel printers, supports graphics $49.95
Suncom Icontroller - Limited supply of this joystick/mouse classic - $29.95
5 or 8 pin Composite Cable $14.95 C128 to Magnavox/1084 (Specity) 14.95 Computer/Disk Drive Cable-6f, 12.95 Surge Protector w/EMI (6 Outlet) 14.00 1084S Monitor Call 1802 Monitor by Commodore 149.95
We stock Printer Ribbons for: MPS 801, 802, 803.1525, 1526, 1000, 1200, 1250 - $7.00 each Specity your printer when ordering
C64 Trade-In Program Is your C64 or 64C broken?
Can't find any place to repair it? We have, refurbished by Commodore, C64 and 64C computers available. They include a Full New 90 Day Warranty. Simply send us your computer (no power supply or cabling needed) with a Check, Money Order, or your Credit Card number for $69.00, plus $10.00 shipping, and we will send you a newly returbished computer upon receival of your broken unit.
1571 Drives are totally NEW units, with all Cabling, a comprehensive manual, and a full 90 Day Warranty. Bulk packed in plain boxes. Pertect for your 128 or 128D computer. Limited supply!
$129.95
Se eae
Commodore 1802 Monitor
We have just received a small batch of this Color-Composite monitor for C64 users. Complete with cable. Limited supply!
$139.95 Productivity .
Bank Street Writer
Big Blue Reader 4 35.00 Data Manager 2 (64) 22.95 Dome Home Accounting 64.95 GEOS 64 v2.0 42.95 GEOS 128 v2.0 45.00
Geo File 64 or Geo Calc 64 (Specify) 45.00 Geo File 128 or Geo Calc 128 (Specity)52.95
Geo Programmer Call Geo Publish 64 45.00 Jane 128 44.95 Master Type 8.00 Merlin 128 45.00
News Maker 128 10.00 Personal Choice Coll. (Write File Plan) 29.95
PrintShop 36.95 SwittCalc (64) 22.95 Super 81 Utilities 64-128 (Specify) 14.00 Superbase 64 v3.01 26.95 WordWriter 6 34,95
Software Hut 1581Drive EXCLUSIVE
A BRAND NEW production run of 1581s, by Commodore, has been made available to Software Hut EXCLUSIVELY! These drives come with Commodore's full 90 Day Warranty. The drives are complete with all Cabling & Software, & bulk-packed in plain boxes. Call for special quantity pricing for Dealers and Users Groups. We offer these Grives al a SUPER Low Price of:
$89.95
These are the last batch left from CBM. Refurbished & with a 90 day Warranty. With Keyboard & Power Cable. Manuals not Included. Perfect as a second unit.
$179.95
| Our Policies
No waiting for your orders to ship. Orders in by 2PM go out the same day. Second Day & Overnight shipping is available. International orders are Shipped by Air Parcel Post, UPS or DHL. Domestic orders are shipped UPS. +All orders are subject to credit card verification + +All prices subject to change «
‘SA [tsresoss—| Hi ee 0
Supplies are limited and on a first-come first-serve basis. We accept Visa, Master Card, and Discover. We also ship COD, accepting Cash, Certified Check, or Money Order. Software and accessories shipping ts $6.00. Hardware shipping is $6.00 for small items. Call for larger items (ie. Computers). COD add $5.00. Minimum COD order Is $50.00. Canadian, APO, & International orders are welcome. We will Dill only for actual shipping charges & insurance at time of order. 15% re-stocking fee on all returns not exchanged. Shipping is NOT refundable.
© Copyright 1995, tonyAntonuccio gfx. Al Rights Reserved
COMMODORE WORLD
G@ACKTALK
LET TERS AND QUESTIONS FROM OUR READERS
Sequential File Copies
Tuse a C128 and my main use of disk drives are two 1581's with two 1571 drives that I can switch in and out as required. Most of the programs | use, other than word processors, | write myselfin BASIC, and ifneeded for speed I compile them.
Recently, my friend and I created 293 RECIPE sequential files and saved them to a 1581 disk. The first program on the disk isa BASIC program file that will list the names of the Recipe file names to the screen for selection to view and print to a printer. The second program on the disk is another basic program that will access all of the seq files on the disk, get their title and print on my printer a cross reference list of the file names as related to the title of the recipe. It will also scratch and save the list back to disk as a sequential file for access, which is the third file on the disk.
Irecently wanted to copy a few of these files to another disk, selected at random. So, | dug out my collection of file copiers and began. First, | tried DOS SHELL but learned that does not work on 1581 drives, Next, I tried FAST HACK’EM and found it will list for selection the first 70 files only! Even then, the program had trouble making file copies.
So, I grabbed my SUPER 81 UTILITIES disk by Free Spirit Software, Inc. I booted the disk and selected FILE COPY from th» 1aain menu and proceeded to copy the files. The program loaded the file names from the source disk, but I found it would load only 160 seq filenames, no more! The manual for SUPER 81 UTILITIES said that 50 files at a time could be selected for copy. No way! I could only select 14 files for copying and when I tried to copy those, my computer immediately locked up and | had to re-boot the program.
Finally, after many tries, I was able to copy as manyas8seqfilesin one pass. Then I wasreturned tothe main menuandhadtore-insert the program
COMMODORE WORLD
disk to again select the FILE COPY utility. Bummer! There are many other problems that | have discovered while using SUPER 81 UTILITIES, but that’s a different story.
Now I was getting desperate. | should have copied the whole disk and then deleted the programs that I did not want. But hey, that’s not the way it should work. I then tried UNI-COPY which came on the DEMO/UTILITIES disk supplied with my purchase of my two 1581 disk drives. [ran the BASIC program and found that is will only load 232 field names for copy selection. I tried changing the DIM statements in the program but to no avail. UNI-COPY program hadan ML portion attached to the end of it which is not visible when you list it. It will also not run ifyouattempt changingit, since it is RAM memory sensitive.
Then | tried FILECOPY from the same Commodore disk, and found that! hadtoincrease the values in the DIM statement DIM N$(200),T$(200),CE(200) to (297) before all field could beaccessedon my Recipe disk. The program is a bit slow in loading the field names, but it can bemodifiedtouseand MLfilenameloaderroutine for increased speed. This I have done, and the program runs just great! The reason I was able to modify FILECOPY, is because it is written in BASIC and BLOAD’s an ML program from the disk into the RS-232 input buffer (C128). This means that it is not sensitive to RAM memory as UNI-COPY is.
You see, | don't know ML and I don’t know Assembly Language programming, but I now have a decent 1581 SEQ FILE copy program; one that will copy 296 files in one pass! The point being, many BASIC programs that are Freeware or Shareware are much better than that of “store- bought” ML mint. Fred Bowan, you have written some pretty good programs! Thanks.
- Larry Pankey
Asyou ve indicated, there seem to bea lot of pitfalls to the array of copiers out there. CMD found this out as well when we first created our HD Series hard drives
for the C64 and 128, Initially, we shipped UNI-
COPY with these drives, but we knew that this could only work as a stop-gap until something better could be done.
Eventually, we created FCOPY (and later, FCOPY +), ourown file-copier for the C64/128, While FCOPY lacks some of the speed attributes of other commercial copiers, it does well enough on JiffyDOS equipped drives, The benefit is that using stock methods of drive access made the copier compatible with a much wider range of devices than most commercial copiers. Furthermore, FCOPY can handle all file types, including REL files.
And because FCOPY was initially designed for users of our hard drives, we used a ‘dynamic’ table to store filenames tobe copied. The initial versionallowed up to 1500 files to be selected for copying. This has been reduced slightly in newer versions due to the addition of other options, but is still well into the hundreds, FCOPY+ is available as part of CMD UTILITIES from CMD.
Another solution to copying a lot of files is built right into Jiffy DOS (for users who have it). Since that copier uses the “BASIC” director listing for marking
files, you can copy as many files as a loaded directory
will allow you to have. Again, it isn't as fast as some commercial copiers, but it’s a lot better than some of the “shareware” types.
%)
Commodore World reserves the right to edit letters published in this column for length, spelling, and clarity. If you have questions
or comments, write to: CW Backtalk, c/o Creative Micro Designs, Inc., P.O. Box 646, East Longmeadow MA 01028.
Issue 9
The return of the HD-20 was so successful that we’ve sold out...
A lot of Commodore users saw the value in our HD-20 offer, and they jumped on it. We're willing to bet that right about now, they're happy: they did. But if you're one of the users who missed that great deal, we’ve put
together another
outstanding HD
bargain that
you won't
want to miss. You still get the speed, the convenience, the compatibility, and the power. And you get the same reliability and support that all those new HD-20 owners got. But you get even more than that—20 Megabytes more as a matter of fact. Because now you can buy aCMD | HD-40 for only $30 more. That's right. Twice the capacity for only 10 percent more. But you'd better hurry—this deal can’t last forever!
The Power of a CMD HD-40.
$329
To Order Yours, Call 1-800-638-3263.
Chad See full CMD advertisement elsewhere in this issue for shipping prices. Creative Micro Designs, Inc.
FOR THE BEST SELECTION OF NEW AND REFURBISHED COMMODORE EQUIPMENT CALL 1-800-638-3263
COMPUTERS
pre-installed on every computer & disk drive!
C64 or C64¢c (refurbished) C128 (refurbished) C128-D (refurbished)
589.00 *149.00 5239.00
MONITORS
1802 (refurbished) 80-column monitors DISK DRIVES 1541 (NEWS
1541 (refurbished) 1541-II (refurbished) 1571 (refurbished)
eo: «+ ime if) 20 pay , WARRANTY
on new items, 30 days on used,
$129.00 CALL
5119.00
$75.00 °109.00 $139.00
COMPLETE SYSTEMS
C64/1541 (refurbished) C64/1541/1802 (refurbished)
5149.00 5269.00
Prices do not include shipping charges, and are subject to change without notice. All items subject to availability, call before ordering.
Creative Micro Designs, Inc.
Volume 2, Number 4
COMMODORE WORLD
The Amiga Technologies Weather Forecast Tracking the Storm of the Commodore 64 and Amiga
by, Jason Compton, Editor of Amiga Report
The weather forecast from Bensheim, Germany, home of the newly formed AmigaTechnologies, goes something like this these days: Mostly cloudy with occasional news showers.
The Commodore assets were acquired in late- April by Escom AG. At first, Escom and their spin-off Amiga Technologies flooded the wires with press releases and promises for the renewed production of the Commodore 64 and Amiga lines of computers. But the 64 remains a sleeping beast and newly manufactured Amigas have not made it to the starting gate yet.
The weather looks something like this: On May 30th, Amiga Technologies and Escom helda press conference in Frankfurt, Germany. With roughly adozen speakers on the docket, it was a chance to lay a foundation for the new company and share its initiatives. Virtually all of the speakers exclusively addressed the Amiga, commenting on their involvement with its past and looking ahead to its future. They laid out bold marketing strategies and unveiledimmediate improvements fortheline, includinga potential processor upgrade for the low-cost A1200, Escom brass announced plans for strategic alliances with multimedia industry leaders, with a top Scala executive on hand to back them up as living proof.
Then the wires went dead. When pressed for more information, new developments, more licensing news, solid policy decisions, Amiga Technologies only asked for patience and understanding as they tried to get their company up and running. It was Dan Stets of the Philadelphia Inquirer, not Amiga Technologies, that had the next news to offer. It seemed that the initial plans to have manufacture of the Amiga and 64 done in China had fallen through, and Amigas would now be produced in Scotland and Philadelphia. The explanation for the change was the inability of Tianjin Family-Issued Multimedia Corp, the contracted Chinese manufacturer, to retool its facilities in an acceptable length of time for the projected fall 95 reintroduction.
Soon after, the rain started falling again. Creative Equipment International, the Amiga distributor whose bid for the Commodore assets fell short of the goal, announced that it had struck a deal with Amiga Technologies through their North American representative, Ed Goff. Goff, a former Commodore vice-president and legal counsel, provided CEI with an initial product line
COMMODORE WORLD
and street prices: $3,500 for an Amiga 4000T with 6 megs of RAM, 540 megs of hard drive space, and a Motorola 68040 processor — at 25 megahertz. While the 4000T was only sold in limited quantities by Commodore before its demise, it clearly represented a price increase for an unchanged machine. Combined with the unavailability of the lower-priced Amiga 1200 in North America for the rest of the year and an equally jolting increase in price for the CD32, the Amiga CD-ROM console, the situation was collapsing fast.
An uproar ensued, Amiga users called, faxed, wrote, and bellowed. Goff explained the price as a necessary consequence of high production costs. Still, the flames grew. Finally, in response, Gilles Bourdin, press officer for Amiga Technologies, issued a release flatly denying that the price was an official company decision. In fact, the release went on to deny that no “firm” North American distribution channels had been established. Petro Tyschtschenko, general manager ofthe company, flew out to Philadelphia for an impromptu North American distribution meeting. As this issue goes to press, the full results are hazy, but a price significantly lower than the proposed $3,500, though still higher than the industry average for a home computer, seems to have come out of the wash.
While the 64 was not on the minds of the participants of that meeting, it has not been forgotten. When | contacted Ed Goff, who doubles as legal advisor to Amiga Technologies, we discussed the future of the machine. The line at the moment is that neither Escom nor Amiga Technologies will directly pursue the manufacture of the machine. However, they have already been approached for licensing terms by CD-ROM manufacturersinterestedin compiling emulation collections. Apparently, no company has expressed interest in a total-package license of either the 64 or the entire line of Commodore 8- bits with the intent to manufacture, but Goff did not rule such a deal out, and CMD was quite receptive when | offered Goffs number and suggested a chat.
The advantages of such a license for Amiga Technologies are clear. Virtually money for nothing, the only cost to the company would be that of locating the necessary documentation, dyes, and molds and boxing them for shipment.
6
The advantages to the market are just as evident, returning fresh product to the market and allowing for future development and perfection. The C-65 may be the Holy Grail of collectors and tinkerers now, but as a completed machine, it would be formidable.
Along with the shower of news that brought the Great $3,500 Price Fallout came news of an Amiga Technologies “miniature developer conference” and the first public appearance of the company at a trade show. On July 7, Amiga Tech invited the leading German developers of Amiga hardware and software to a meeting and “brainstorming session” held by Manfred Schmitt, president, chairman, and majority owner of Escom AG, and Tyschtschenko. The primary goals, beside allowing Escom’s top man to pick the brains of some of the Amiga’s leading developers, were to discuss continuing development for the existing Amiga lines as well as to exchange ideas on the future enhancement and growth of the technology. A similar meeting is forthcoming in London, England.
From August 26th until September 3, Escom AG and its subsidiaries Virtual Products and Amiga Technologies will beat the “Internationale Funkausstellung” computer fair in Berlin, Germany. Amiga Tech plans to display the Amiga 1200 and 4000T lines of computers while Escom will unveil its Commodore Golf PC line of computers, Pentium-class machines intended to capture more of the German market with the name recognition of the once-mighty computer company.
The Amiga and the 64, the sleeping beauty sisters of computing. The door is open to suitors for the older daughter, may she marry well. As for theyounger, hersecond stepfather says he’s ready to make a worldly woman of her. (Remember, Commodore bought the Amiga from Amiga Corp.) Can Amiga Technologies end the story happily ever after for these two? Watch this space.
6)
Amiga Technologies
Berliner Ring 89
D-64625 Bensheim
Germany
Telephone: ++49 6252 709 195 Fax: ++49 6252 709 417
Issue 9
dy Jim Brain
Welcome to another edition of Commodore Trivia. As many of you may know, these trivia questions and answers have been donated by me to the Commodore community at large. Unlike other articles in Commodore World, these trivia questions have been placed in the public domain. I ask only that the trivia questions remain intact and unchanged, and that my
name and address appear somewhere so users can contact me. The trivia is also used fora contest I run on the Internet; contact me at the included address for more information. Because curiosity has the best of me, I always welcome a note or postcard detailing where the trivia goes. I always welcome new questions—provided they come with answers. Enjoy.
Jim Brain Brain Innovations, Inc.
602 North Lemen Fenton, MI 48430
$070
$060
COMMODORE TRIVIA #8 QUESTIONS
On a PET series computer, what visual power-on indication will tell the user whether the computer has Revision 2 or Revision 3 ROMs?
The IEEE-488 interface is sometimes called the GPIB interface, What does GPIB stand for?
Commodore manufactured at least two hard drives with IEEE-488 interfaces. Can you name them?
Why didn’t buyers like the original PET-64?
On a PET Revision 2 ROM, what was the largest single array size that BASIC could handle?
On the stock 1541, data is transmitted one bit at a time. How many bits are transferred at a time on the Commodore 1551 disk drive?
On all Commodore floppy disk drives, how fast does the disk spin?
Upon first reading the Commodore 1541 Error channel after turning on the disk drive, what error number and text is returned?
$078
$079
SOTA
$07B
$07C
$07D
$07E $O7F
What error number and text is returned on a 1551?
Commodore printers are normally assigned to device #4, but they can be also used as device #?
What microprocessor is used in the Commodore 1551 disk drive? When the VIC-20 was designed, the serial port throughput was roughly equivalent to the throughput of the IEEE-488 bus? Why isn't it very fast in production VICs?
On Commodore computers, how much RAM is set aside as a tape buffer?
On Commodore computers, most every peripheral has a device number. What is the device number of the screen?
What is the device number of the keyboard? Commodore computers use som lemnent notation to represent
integers. What is the 2's-complement hex representation of the signle byte -1?
COMMODORE TRIVIA #7 ANSWERS
According to the initial power-up indication on the monitor, a stock Commodore 16 has 12277 bytes i for BASIC program use. A number of people have calculated 12287 bytes, so the power-on message may be in error. I guess it is time to dig out the C-16 and power it up.
According to its initial power-up message, the Plus/4 has 60671 bytes free. “The Friendly Computer”
Though not well-known outside of the US, Henry Morgan introduced the new Commodore 64 computer system in the US. In other countries, the answers differ, as countries like Finland had the Statue of Liberty announce the C64 birth.
TEDMon. TED, as you know, stood for Text Editing Device. 21.
The interpreter peogrann is called the Interface Processor (IP). It handles the dispatching ofall commands sent to the drive, as well as corrdinating the flow of traffic between the disk and the computer.
First, we need to define hard-reset. A reset differs from a power-cycle, since the latter does not retain the RAM contents. In this case, the answer is analogous to the RUN/STOP-RESTORE combination found on the 64 and VIC-20, Hold down RUN/STOP and CTRL and press the recessed reset button on the side of the computer, | believe this works for the C-16 as well.
Rumor has it that Jack Tramiel always wante to use a naughtical term, but most had been already used. However, one day he watched a moving company van pass by on thestreet with the name hedecided touseassoon as he saw it: Commodore.
Volume 2, Number 4
$069
SO6A
SO6B
$06D
$O6E
$O6F
He went to Apple Computer. He stayed with them briefly, but it seems that Apple and Chuck got along even worse than Commodore and Chuck.
First, he went off to start a company called Sirius, which died almost beforeit started due toa lawsuit over the name. Then, he and some former Commodore designers came up with the “Victor” computer, which did modestly, but never took off.
The KERNAL routine at $FFD2 on all Commodore 8 bit machines outputs the PETSCII character code contained in the .A register to the current output device. The carry flag indicates the presence of an error on return.
The 1581 hasa couple such hidden messages. In the idle loop of the IP, the text says “am i lazy???...no just wanted to save a few ms...”. Also, in the same loop, the following can be found: “this is lazy!!!”. Lastly, the credits in the 1581 roms are: “Software david siracusa. hardware greg berliNZDedicatedto my wife lisA”. (Note: the N in berliN and the AinlisA is typical of how strings are stored in the 1581, last byte has bit 7 set. The Z after berliN appears to have been a typo, but I can't say for sure. have a program that displays these. (Email me for info.)
The 1571 has the ROM authors’ names hidden at the beginning of the ROM, but I don’t have a 1571 to scan for them.
The PET 2001. Some said the 128 has a hidden message, but it wasn't the first.
By typing: wait 6502,x (where x was a number between 1 and 255) the computer printed Microsoft! x times on the screen.
Truthfully, NTSC can stand for different things. In regards to the television standard for the US, the expansion is National Television St andard Code. However, the body that formed the standard is also called NTSC: National Television System Committee. ,
COMMODORE WORLD
COMMODORE AND CompuTER INDUSTRY NEws
GEOS Users Get Faxed
After several months of delays, Click Here Software has finally put the finishing touches on their initial release version of geoFAX. While the program was initially slated for release early this year, CHS programmer Maurice Randall explained that anumber of unexpected problems arose while developing the software, including having to overcome a flaw in the fax protocol routines built into most current fax modems. This latter “bug” created serious problems in coding the program, since overcoming its undesired effects required optimizing the program for more speed.
With the problems overcome, however, CHS has become the first company to provide software capable of sending and receiving fax documents using a Commodore 64 or 128 equipped with a fax modem. The program is also the first GEOS application to make use of Creative Micro Designs’ SwiftLink RS-232 interface, which is required for operation of the new software which works with high-speed fax modems.
Not all fax modems are created equal, however, warns CHS. This initial version of geoFax is only compatible with fax modems that provide built-in Group III, Class 2 fax protocols. Some fax modems lack Class 2 compatibility, having only Class 1, Class 2.0, or some combination of these. CHS further states that you can easily test your modem for compatibility by using a terminal program to send the following command to your modem:
AT+FCLASS=?
A modem that supports both Class 1 & 2 would generate the response:
1,2
If the response contains a 2 (not to be confused with 2.0), then your modem is compatible. (Some modems may support both Class 2 and 2.0, so you might see both.)
In addition toa SwiftLink and high-speed fax modem, other requirements for the first release of geoFAX include: a
COMMODORE WORLD
Commodore 64 or 128 witha color ormonochrome 40 column monitor, GEOS 64 or 128 V2.0, and any GEOS-compatible disk drive combination. Since fax documents are rather large, and speed is ofimportance, CHS recommends RAM expansion and/or large capacity drives. The system will work, however, on a system equipped with only a single 1541.
CHS further recommends a high-resolution 8-,9-, or 24-pin printer, HP LaserJet, DeskJet, or PostScript laser printer is needed for printing out your faxes. Older 60 dpi printers (mostly Commodore or Commodore-compatible models fall into this category) are not directly supported by geoFAX, although they can be used to print out faxes that have been converted to geoPaint format.
An interesting side benefit of geoFAX’s ability to convert incoming faxes to geoPaint documents is that it could become, in effect, a full-page scanning utility. Just send yourself a fax of any document you want to import into your computer, and convert it. This could be done from a remote fax, or right at home by using two phone lines and a regular fax machine. Furthermore, some of the newer fax machines can connect directly to the modem (they don’t require the use of a phone company line), relieving you of the need for a second phone line. Some models also support halftone scanning, which makes them an even better scanning accessory.
GeoF AX is available directly from the author ($39.95 plus $4.00 s/h): Maurice Randall, P.O. Box 606, Charlotte, MI 48813, (517) 543-5202. It can also be purchased from dealers, such as CMD ($39.95 + $6.00 s/h). CMD [(800) 638-3263] has also announced special pricing on various combinations of geoFAX with SwiftLink interfaces and Boca fax modems.
Threshold Releases New Games Two new game titles for the Commodore 64 reached our offices recently. Both come from Threshold Productions, which announced several months ago that they would begin work on several new games for the C64.
The first two releases include Slaterman ($14.95), a Mario-type arcade game, and Lazer Dual ($14.95), which is Tank-like arcade game with some interesting twists. Both titles
Issue 9
can be purchased directly from Threshold via check or money order. No specific mention was made of shipping charges in the information we received, so you may want to contact Threshold for further details. Other dealers may also have these titles in stock soon. Full reviews of these titles will appear in upcoming issues of CW.
In addition to the two current releases, TP indicated that they have signed agreements with a number of other game developers throughout the world in an effort to bring more game titles to the U.S. market. The list of developers includes Cherry Software (Sweden); Timsoft, Vermes, Marex and LK Avalon (Poland); Substance (Germany); and Thunders (Hungary).
The list of upcoming releases was even more impressive: Crimson Twilight I: Seeking the Spirit Staff, Zytron Mega Blast, MegaThrusterBall, Triss, World Conquest, Blaster Twins, Arcade Pilot, Mean Cars, The Farm, Coldarius, Speed or Die, Zone of Darkness, Lazarus, Eternal, Drip, Lingos, Memomania, Colormania, Another World, Kacper, Keplomania, Gangster, Ghost Town, Time Traveller, King, Army Days, Droid, Bound, Zamezysko, Cosmic Hero, Madrax, Nocturno, Tamer, Robbo, The Curse, Spitter, Rulers ofthe Darkness, Castle, Arctic Hunt, Hans Kloss, Agent UOP, Acid Runner, Flummi’s World, and The Evil Prince.
In addition to this long list of games, TP also included a sample copy of Driven (Issue #8) with their shipment to us. Driven is a disk-based magazine that covers the Commdore Demoscene. Subscriptions are $2.00 per issue (maximum of 3 issues ordered in advance). Driven is published approximately every other month, and subscriptions include the magazine, plus the newest NTSC demos, NTSC fixed PAL demos, utilities, and previews of upcoming games from around the world.
Threshold Productions, 17730 15th Ave NE, Suite 229, Seattle, WA 98155.
And More New Games From EBES Two more games from Electric Boys Entertainment Software have made their way to the U.S. market.
Sword of Honour is a martial arts game somewhat reminiscent of The Last Ninjaseries. It features lethal weapons,
hand to hand combat, music and over 2.5 Megabytes of
compressed graphics which provide for over 90 colors onscreen. Walkers is an arcade game similar in some respects to Lemmings—a little less complex, though the graphics quality is decidedly better than the C64 version of the aforementioned Psygnosis classic. Both titles will be distributed in the U.S. by CMD, but no actual release dates or prices have been announced yet. Watch
Volume 2, Number 4
upcoming issues for further information and reviews.
All Future Modems to be Boca-Compatible?
Boca Research is proceeding in its plan to acquire Hayes Microcomputer, paying off all of the troubled company’s creditors as well as all bankruptcy court claims. The Hayes name has always been associated with the highest quality modems, and most every modem manufacturer over the past few years has sought acceptance for their own modems by labeling them as “Hayes-compatible”,
Boca has announced that they will adopt the Hayes name for their company upon completion of the buyout, but that the corporation will be headquartered in Boca’s current facilities in Boca Raton, Florida.
Removable Media Drive Market Heating Up Hot on the heels of lomega’s inexpensive Zip drive (100 MB), Syquest recently announced their own low-cost removable, a 105 MB drive priced at the same $200.00 price point. Not to be outdone, lomega has gone after the high-capacity removable market with another low-cost solution: a 1 GB (yes, that’s a Gigabyte) drive which lomega calls the Jaz drive. Slated to sell for around $600, and with cartridge pricing at around $100 eachin quantity, the new drive is bound to find wide acceptance among users with high-capacity backup and storage demands. In contrast, Syquest’s 270 MB drives cost around $500, with cartridges going for approximately $60. The Jaz drive will also be capable of using less expensive 540 MB cartridges ($69).
Unlike the Zip drive, which uses a flexible magnetic meium encsed in a floppy-sized enclosure, and also unlike lomega’s other removable drives which use their proprietary Bernoulli technology, the Jaz uses standard 3.5-inch Winchester hard-disk technology enclosed in a cartridge, similar to products from their main competitor, Syquest.
=“RrF oOo FF CORRECTIONS
Issue 9 contained an error regarding our book review of RAM DOS 128 Case Study.
Brett Tabke of PHD Software, and author of the book, has informed us that Parsec is no longer the distributor of the book. It is now named RAMDOS Internals. Users wishing to purchase the book should write to:
PHD Software Systems
P.O. Box 23 Moville, 1A 51039-0023
COMMODORE WORLD
To keep you in suspense a little longer, the only way you can find out if you're a winner is to match your subscription number (located on the mailinglabelon the cover) with the numbers below. Note: Grand Prize and Second Prize winners must call 1-800-638-3263 to claim your prize. Third place winners, do not call, you will automatically receive your prize in the mail. Congratulations to all of the winners!
Grand Prize Second Place Third Place Winners Winners $10 Discount Certificate from CMD
Winner! Jiffy DOS 64 or 128 System 03346 03691 04198 04823 Choice of HD-20 or FD-400 03463 03353 03713 04264 spi 04316 03397 03860 04279 04962 04602 03456 03919 04367 05102 ¢ AQ 3 6 04705 03478 03978 04661 04801 03537 04088 04668
04896 03625 04191 04727
User Group CONNECTION SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL USER GROUP
Looking fora Commodore user group in your area? User groups can help you solye problems, keep you informed of new products and events that might be of interest, and give you a chance to share your computing experiences with others who enjoy Commodore computing.
Attention User Groups!
Send us your group’s name, contact person's name and phone number, when and where you meet, number of members, and an address where users
can write to you. Please send your
group info to:
AUSTRALIA C-64 Developments C-64/128 Club of NSW P.O. Box 150 P.O. Box 244 Unanderra, NSW CW UG Connection Warilla, NSW Australia 3128 c/o Creative Micro Designs, Inc. Australia 2528
CANADA Be Box 646 4 : ACT8CC Toronto PET Users Group East Longmeadow, MA 01028-0646
1 Kitson Place Florey, ACT
5334 Yonge St., Box 116 Willowdale, Ontario
Australia 2615 Canada M2N 6M2
sar Ne soos FLORIDA Commodore Users of Wichita Albury, NSW Lakeland C.C.C. 6606 Cottonwood
Aiea 111 Eau Claire Wichita, KS. 67207
Australia 2640
Auburndale, FL 33823
Ete OA Group Polk Area C.C.C. hate EGON we Gan ue OF vl C 4845 Fleetwood St. As aie a eave ae senatngn aS Lake Wales, FL 33853 SAuperena
Australia 3781 Portland, OR 97202-3512
Woombug 8-Bit ILLINOIS SOUTH CAROLINA P.O. Box 213 Illinois Commodore Users Commodore Computer Club of Columbia Woombye, QLD 1108 W. Violet Dr. 710 Vintage Lane
Australia 4559 McHenry, IL 60050-8061 Columbia, SC 29210
Melbourne CUG KANSAS VIRGINIA
P.O, Box 177 Topeka Commodore C.U.G. Russell Fork Commodore Club.
Box Hill, Vic. PO Box 8439 HC1, Box 790
Australia 3128
COMMODORE WORLD
Topeka, KS 66608
10
Birchleaf, VA 24220
Issue 9
% Click Here eva s
¢ SEND & RECEIVE FAXES to/from any fax machine or computer running a fax modem
¢ User-friendly and easy to operate ¢ Auto-answer mode for unattended operation ¢ Manual send/receive mode lets you share phone
line
¢ Built-in functions covert faxes to geoPaint files ¢ geoPaint files may be faxed without conversion
¢ Built-in printing functions for printing fax documents and geoPaint files
¢ Printer drivers may be selected directly from
within the program
¢ Full-page scanning into geoPaint is possible using a standard fax machine as a scanner
* Built-in simple terminal program lets you browse telecommunications services
Bichpsiand|Pariems
or CONT FETE hae rR Upgrade Chips 6526 PLA (906114), 6567, all 901's, 8701, 8502, 6581 6569 (PAL), 6522 8562, 8500, 8563, 8564, 8721, 8722, 325302-01 ..... $12.95 251715, 251913, 390059... $14.95 251968-02 (1541ROM)...... $10.00
Power Supplies C-64 non-repairable $12.95 C-64 repairable ; C-64 Heavy Duty 5.2 amps $39.95 C-128 Heavy Duty External $39.95 1750 5.2 amps 154111 external 110 volts ..
1581 external 110 volts $14. 95
RAM Expanders 1700, 128K (*)Board Only .. $19.95 1700, C-128, 128K (*)
1750, C-64, 512K (°)
Computer Systems
C-64 computer w/ PS. ....... $64.50 C-128 computer w/ PS. ..... $89.95
Miscellaneous
1351 Commodore Mouse .. $24.95 Computer Saver
(C-64 protection system) ... Printer Port Adapter
(Any CBM Printer to PC) ... C-64 Keyboard
C-128D Keyboard F 1084S Monitor to C64 Cable $6.95 Flyback Transformers:
* 1084S Phillips
* 1084-D1 Phillips/Daewoo $42.50 * 1084-D2 Daewoo
Monitors
Floppy Disk Drives 1541 (*) 154111 (New in box)
$14.95
$29.95
Diagnostics Commodore Diagnostician is a complete guide to diagnosing and fixing all C64/128 computers and 1541 GHVOS: is srsssencesvsvocsnauven $6.95
(*) indicates refurbished unit « All Price Subject to Change without notice 28 Grove Street, Spring Valley, NY 10977
B “ I AXELOM 914-578-6522: ORDERS 800-815-3241 * FAX 914-624-3239 CORPORATION Hours:9-5 pm EST + Add $5.00 UPS Charges «
Volume 2, Number 4
MC/Visa
11
* Commodore C-64, C-64C, C-128, 128-D computer ¢ GEOS 64 or GEOS 128 version 2.0
¢ SwiftLink RS-232 cartridge
¢ Group III, Class 2 fax modem
¢ GEOS compatible disk drive (large capacity drive or RAM disk recommended but not required)
Prices & ‘Special Bundles
GeoFAX.....00. $39.95 geoFAX &
SwiftLink ........ $752 SwiftLink .....666 $39.95 scents
geoFAX, SwiftLink BOCA 14.4
& BOCA 14.4 Fax
Fax Modem .. $129.95 Modem......... $195%
1-800-638-3263
See our main ad in this issue for complete ordering information.
EF X P A N OD YOUR SYSTEM
3 SLOT CARTRIDGE PORT ©&XPANDERS
The EX2+1 and EX3 Cartridge Port Expanders bring new expandability to you Commodore 64 or 128. Combine the use of compatible cartridges. Disable cartridges notin use. Change the address your computer finds a cartridge at. Avoid the constant changing of cartridges that puts extra wear on your cartridge port. The EX3 offers 3 vertical expansion slots, while the EX2+1 provides 2 vertical slots and 1 horizontal slot. Both units offer 7 switchable signals per slot, address mapping on slot 2, and a reset button.
CALL 1-300-G38-3263 =<e1 2.
Creative Micro Designs, Inc., P.O. Box 646, East Longmeadow MA 01028
COMMODORE WORLD
AUTOMATE
In response to a letter to the editor, and in honor ofthe celebration of JiffyDOS’s 10th Anniversary, this installment of Top Tips provides users with a “BASIC SHELL” which helps to automate the JiffyDOS file-copier.
While the program itself is pretty straight-forward, there are a couple of features
1 PRINT" {CLEAR/HOME}JCOPY 95 CMD"
2 TE=5@0: TE) = 2TSTE
DIMNS (TE) ) wu
,TS (TE) ie :NEXT DVS=""s: INPUT" {HOME} EVICE{3 SPACES}";DVS$: 5 DV=VAL (DVS) 6 SPS="";INPUT" SOURCE PS=""ORSPS="@" THENY 7 SP=VAL(SP$) :IFSP<1ORSP> 8 OPENL5,DV,15:PRINT#15, : PSsa""3 :IFPSS= io OPEN15, es 1] 12 TDSse! "IT NP" SPA \CES}";TD$:IFTD$ 13 TD=VAL(TD$) 14 TPS="";INPUT" TARGET TPS=""ORTPS="@6" THEN17 15 TP=VAL (TPS): 16 OPEN15,TD 5 17 PTS= TS: IFPTS 18 OPEN] 5 I 20 Bias: S="": INPUT" {CRSR S}";PAS;: IFPAS= 21 PRINT Boi se 23 OPENS, 24 GET#8, 25 Sore ee ase TOSS 26 GETH8,AS 27 GET#8,BS: 28 GET#8,LS $+CHRS (@)): 29 SZ=L+H*256:CT=0
="" THEN 2
85A4 DV,15:PRINT#15, 25@1
FBAA
53BA 23CO
@D93 62E8 EBDS wu ""THEN2© 9c2c STD, 1S PRIN 6662 D9BA
AA83 8D92 FICO 6B5B C8BE 6B5B F475 1AE®@
oy 0,
"+ PA
REM TO ,HS:L=A
ea SS
A2FA 670B NGOTO52
31 IFA<>3 32 GET#8,A$:A=ASC (AS+CHRS NNS (NF'+1) TLD NAME 33 GOTO33:REM SKIP SPACES
34 TS(NF+1)=TS (NF+1)+CHRS (2 T<3THENGET#8,A$:A=ASC (A
2402 A59@
8QOFF
25FC
COMMODORE WORLD
:FORI=1TOTE:
{2 CRSR DN} IFDVS=""THEN] : IFDV<80RDV>3@THENI PARTITION" ; 254 "CP"+SP$ INPUT"SOURCE PATH{5 "CD"+PS$:CLOSE1 lM {CRSR DN}TARGET DEVICE{3 =""THEN1
: LFTD<8ORTD>3Q0ORTD=DVTHEN1L PARTITION" ;
[IFTP<1ORTP>254THEN1 ,15:PRINT#H15, "CP"+TP$:CLOSE1
:INPUT"TARGET PATH{5 P#15, "CD"4+PTS DN} PA nn THENPAS= i $:FL=@:TB=0:NF=0 LINK LINK2 SC (L$+CHR$ : tFFL=0" THENFL=1:GOT045 3@ GET#8,A$:A=ASC (AS+CHR$§ (@) ) 4THENGOTO3@:REM WAIT FOR (O)): =NS (NF+1)+CHRS (A):
GET#8,A$:A=ASC (AS+CHRS (@) ):
more (@))
THE JIFFYDOS FILE-COPIER
that might confuse users who do not own any of CMD's high-capacity storage devices. Such users cansimply press the RETURN key whenasked for partition and path information. Likewise, CMD device owners can either make use of these features, or accept the device's current partition and path settings by pressing RETURN.
The program prompts you with each file it finds. Press ‘Y’ to add the file to the copy list, ‘N’ to skip that file, ‘B’ to begin copying, or ‘Q’ to abort the copy. IMPORTANT NOTE: Lines 32 and 34 are too long to enter on a 64 (or 128 in 64 mode); use shortcuts or skip the REM’s at the end of these lines.
a9)
JCOPY (cont.)
COPYRIGHT 19 35 3 36 T O41 37
NS ( SOURCE D
SP$ 39 4 41 42 43 IFK REBE ® 44;
4THEN] :CLOSEL5 SPACES} ";PS
OT047:REM 46 GOTO45 47 OTO49: REM 48 GOTO27
TPS:IF
49 GET#8,AS:
OTO52:REM 5@ GOTO25 Sl ¢
52 IFNF= ECTED!," 53
SPACES} ";P :CLOSE1
54
TTERN{9 SPACE
FLEFTS (TS (NF+1),
PRINT"COPY " +1)+"{2@ SPACES}", 38 GETKS:IFKS<>"Y"ANDKS<>"N"ANDKS$<>"B"AN DK$<>"Q"THEN38
PRINTKS
LFKS="Y"THENNF=NF'+1:TB=TB+SZ IFKS="N"THENNS (NF+1)="": IFK$="B"THENCLOSE8 :GOTO52 $="Q"THENCLOSE8: PRINT" {CRSR DN}ABO : END
45 GET#8,AS:A=ASC (AS
GET#8,AS$:A=ASC (AS+CHR§ () )
@THENPRINT"{CRSR DN}NO FILES : END
PRINT" {CRSR DN}COPYING"NF"FILES USING s ioe BLOCKS"
@#pv :REM SET @XTD: REM
+;REM FILETYPE
L) ="D"THENKS="N":GOT ;LEFTS (NS 20); oft
(NF+1)4+","+TS (NF Y/N/B/Q? ";
TS (NF+1)=""
+CHRS (@) ) : IFA=@THENG @ AT END OF EACH ENTRY
: IFAS@THENG 2ND @ AT END OF BLOCK
A=ASC (AS+CHRS(@)): 3RD ® AT END OF DIR
IFA=@THENG
SEL
:CLOSES8B
SOURCE
SET TARGET
FORI=1TONF
PRINT" i DS a IFTS
NEXT
(I (I (I
(@)) :H=ASC (H
: IFST=64THE END
septa 34THE
DRE M BU
IFA< GOTO32:
RETURN | RETURN IFA=32THEN
>CT=CT+1:IFC :GOTO34
He.
FS=N$(1)
COPYING: ";FS
-"PRG" THENGOSUB69 ="SEQ" THENGOSUB7 1 - ="USR “THENGOSUB73 ="REL"THENGOSUB75
* (FS) PRG FS) SEQ
*(FS)USR RETURN * (FS) REL RETURN
Issue 9
LOADSTAR SOFTWARE VALUES!
The Compleat* Series The Compleat PRINT SHOP I: over 1300 artistic and never
before published PRINT SHOP images. The smart, fast software package included allows you to quickly scan through the many PRINT SHOP wa be sequentially, by name, or by group number. Press a key an save the graphic you want in 2 block, 3-block and eve PRINTMASTER graphic files All that plus a printed guide to your new sea of graphic files And if you like the first volume, # a "Il probabil haba to get your & nands on The Compleat# PRINT SHOP Il, which als contains over 1300 PRINT SHOP images, pened published on LOADSTA issues over the past ten years Included is the same smart fast software package included in The Compleat PRINT SHOP I. Each volume is $20.00. Volume 1: C-64/128 3.5-inch disk item #0001d3. 5.25-inch disks item #0009d5. Volume 2: C-64/128 3.5-inch disk item #0002d3. 5.25-inch disks item #0010d5
prsetrvsorsenn
ane vane ee ri H rene:
Ba
icrsr up/down
scan Images Next file R=block Jnblock
- Peintnaster
fave- Quit to Menus
sas sion
The Compleat Programmer: Become the Commodore programmer you've always wanted to be! Megabytes of knowledge crammed and stuffed onto eight 5.25-inch disks or two 1581 disks! Plus we include all the tools, extensions, languages, assemblers, tutorials and utilities you'll need to create the same type of software you see on LOADSTAR! This massive collection is way over two megabytes of instructional text and valuable tools. 5.25 set #0005D5. 3.5-inch disk #0005D3. For $5 more, get C= Hacking MAG #0006D3 (on_3.5-inch disks only and NOT available separately) to complete your programming set, $20.00 postage paid,
The Compleat Maurice: A compilation of 26 solitaire card games written by Maurice Jones, the acknowledged master of card game simulations for the C-64/128, There's even a brand new, never before published game called Boomerang. Two 5.25 inch disks #0007D5 or one 3.5 inch disk #0007D3. $20.00 postage paid!
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—
mG ROWTH
What ls LOADSTAR?
LOADSTAR is a monthly "magazine on disk" for the Commodore 64/128. Subscribers receive two 1541 disks (or one 1581 disk) in their mailbox every month filled with news, articles and programs. These non-PD, high- quality programs are written by the best home-based programmers in the field and edited by the crack LOADSTAR team of Fender Tucker and Jeff Jones. Subscription prices are at an all-time low of $69.95 for a 12-month
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Volume 2, Number 4
13
COMMODORE WORLD
Just For Starters
by Steve Vander Arh
COMMODORE BASICS FOR THE BEGINNER: PORT REVIEW & MORE SIMPLE BASIC
Over the last few issues of this magazine, I've spent quite a bit of time discussing programming in BASIC. There are a couple of reasons why I've done this (apart from the obvious fact that the editor asked me to). First of all, BASIC is the language you have to use to control your Commodore computer. All those commands you type in to do things like format disks or load and runa game are part of the Commodore's built-in BASIC. In order to become more proficient with those commands, then, it pays to learn more about how the language works. Second, programming is an important part of using a computer to a lot of users. This is particularly true, I think, of Commodore users. Let’s face it, most people don’t buy a high-powered Pentium ora Power PC Macintosh so they can program it. But the Commodore, well, that’s different.
I think a third reason for writing so much about BASIC is that programming is very good for your soul. Oh, boy, [hear you say, Vander Ark has really gone mystic on us this time. But think about it. When you know how to program your computer, even something as simple as a few lines to control text on the screen, you gain a sense of power over the machine. I think that all new computer users face a feeling of helplessness at first. I see this when I work with people as a computer consultant, helping them to use those machines on their desks productively. New users are intimidated by computers. I know I was, and I'm one of those people who reads computer manuals for fun. But when you start to program, you start to realize that you are calling the shots. You can make the computer do exactly what you want it to do, Not only that, but you also start to realize that there is in fact a very specific, understandable logic to the whole thing. Maybe you don’t know all the ins and outs of how your computer works, but you do know enough to
COMMODORE WORLD
convince you that you do have control. You have power over the machine.
Think about the program you use. Maybe you're a games aficionado. Maybe you do word processing or work with a spreadsheet. Consider that those games and productivity programs you use were written by people just like you who have just learned more of the same stuffyou're starting to learn. Atsome point, they haltingly entered a few lines and made a computer somewhere print a simple “HELLO” on its screen. And those same people learned the same kinds of things you're learning now, step by step, until they were able to write programs that amaze others. For a lot of those people, their first programs were written in BASIC on a good old Commodore computer.
On The Edge
This issue we'll continue with our discussion of BASIC. Before I get into that, though, let’s take a brief tour of the outside edges of your computer. Way back in the second issue we talked about hooking up various equipment to your computer and from that you should at least have a passing familiarity with some of what we'll be talking about here, but stick with me. I'll get a little more
14
systematic about it in this column. Don't get scared off here, I'm not going to get all technical on you. | don't know much about the inner workings of this stuff myself. But there are a few details I can give you which just might come in handy. We'll be talking about switches and ports, which is the name for an opening where you can insert a plug ora device ofsome kind. Just to keep things simple for this time around, I'll stick with thearrangement ona 64, A 128 hasall these same portsandswitchesin more or less the same places, with a few extras thrown in for good measure.
Let's start at a logical place: the on/off switch. By now, Lam fairly certain you'll know where that is, but just to make sure we're all together, I'll officially tell you that it is on the right side of your Commodore toward the back. Next, notice that port right near the on/off switch. That’s where you plug in the power cable. | know...you knew that already. There are two other ports on that side of the computer, both the same. Those are the joystick ports, and yes, you plug your joystick into them. They are numbered, by the way: the one nearer the front of the computer is number 1 and the other one is number 2. Most games use port 2 for some technical reason that I've never been too clear on. You also plug your mouse into a joystick port, as well as things like a Koala Pad graphics tablet or a lightpen.
The front and the left edges of your computer don’thave any ports or switches, but the back has awhole bunch of them. Since we've been traveling around the outside of the machine in a clockwise direction, we'll encounter that wide port toward the left side first. That's a very useful port usually referred to as the “user port.” You can use it to plug a modem into (probably the most common use for this port.) The VideoByte II and other digitizers also use this port. Ifyou need an RS-232 interface, say for a printer or anon-Commodore
Issue 9
modem, the user port is where you'll plug in the cable. Unfortunately, you need a specific Commodore RS-232 interface cable for this and they can be hard to come by these days.
Thereare other ports on the backas well. Right next to the user port is the place where you can plugina Datasette. | know, no oneusesa Datasette anymore (that’s the name for Commodore's own cassette program recorder). But the port is still there, and every so often someone will come up with a use for it. | have a Xetec printer interface which has a little cable that plugs into the Datasette port, for instance. Next to that are two round ports. I always get them mixed up, so I double-checked before writing this. The first one is the “serial” port and it is here that you plug in your disk drive cable. You can attach other serial devices to your computer by connecting them to each other in a long line, starting with this port. Multiple disk drives are hooked up this way, as aresome Commodore printers. The second round port is for your video cable if you are connecting your Commodore to a monitor. The next little round port is for a standard RCA jack, the kind you use for hooking up a stereo. If you're using your Commodore with a television set, you're plugging that cable into this port. When you plug your 64 into a television set, you need to specify which channel it will use (either 3 or 4; go for the one that isn’t already used by a non-cable station in your area). You adjust this with that next little switch you see on the back of your machine,
Finally, we find the cartridge port. This is a very useful portindeed. It was originally designed to accommodate programs on cartridge, which was the way a lot of games came back when the Commodore 64 was first produced, Now you are more likely to be plugging a RAM device into it like the RAMLink. As you use your Commodore more and more, you may find that you have more than one device you'd like to keep plugged into this port. Creative Micro Designs sells expanders for both the cartridge port and the user port which will let you do this with ease.
Go with the flow The more programming you do with BASIC, the more you need to think about something called “program flow.” The program flow is the sequence in which things will happen in your program, which command will happen first, which will follow next, and so on. BASIC uses line numbers, soat first the flow ofa program may seem obvious, Inall the programs you've written so far, the flow has proceeded numerically from the smaller line number to the greater.
Ofcourse, you don’t need to write a program in exactly the same order that it will actually execute
Volume 2, Number 4
or happen when you type RUN. You can add a line to the sequence wherever you like simply by typing a line number that fits somewhere in between two other line numbers and typing in a BASIC command. When you finish typing and press RETURN, your new line will insert itselfin the numerical sequence as nice as you please. When you run your program, however, each command will execute in exactly the order they come numerically by line numbers.
Until something tells BASIC to skip to another spot, thatis. There are times when it’s handy to be able to skip a few lines. Let’s imagine a program which asks a question of the user. When they answer, the program might respond one way for a “yes” and another for a “no” response. That kind of thing would be impossible ifthe program was forced to plod along to the next command, no matter what, But fortunately, there are a number of commands that make it possible for
the program flow to change in a number of
interesting ways. For now, let's takeralook at one of the most basic, GOTO.
GOTO meansexactly whatit looks likeit means: “goto.” When youuse GOTO, you need to specify where exactly you'd like the program to go. This is done by placing a line number after the GOTO command, Try this:
10 PRINT 20 PRINT 30 PRINT 40 PRINT
“I (LIKE: TO” “PROGRAM”
“IN BASIC ON” “MY COMMODORE. ”
When you run this program, you'll see this sentence appear on your screen.
I LIKE TO
PROGR
IN BASIC MY COMMODORE. Now let’s add a line between lines 20 and 30. On a clear line type
and press RETURN, Ifyou list your program you will now see that line 25 with its GOTO statement has been inserted. Now run the program. The sentence has changed, hasn't it?
I LIKE TO PROGRAM
MY COMMODORE.
You'll notice that line 30 was never executed. The GOTO forced the program flow to skip ahead to
15
line 40. This is a simple example of how the program flow can be interrupted by a command.
In order to create a program that reacts to a user's response to a question, though, we need to do more than just jump around. We need some way of telling the computer to look at what the user entered and then jump to one line or another depending on what it was.
This is actually quite easy todo. The command we'll use is IF, followed by the command THEN, What we'll be telling the computer to do is IF a certain thing happens THEN do something. That something at the end there can be any number of commands, We'll use a GOTO,
Here's how the whole thing will be set up. Read the notes to see what's going on in each line.
10 INPUT
(Y/N) ";AS
“DO YOU LIKE DOGS
This line will ask a question of the user and then take theanswerandcallit A$. That A$isa variable; the dollar sign tells the computer that the information entered will be text, in this case a Y oranN,
20 IF AS="Y" THEN GOTO 50 Here's our IF and THEN line. Notice that we told the computer to compare the answer entered by the user to the letter Y. If there is a match, the THEN partofthe line willexecuteand the program flow willjump to line 50. If there is no match, the program flow moves on to line 30 with the THEN part never happening.
F AS="N" THEN END
Another IF... THEN statement, this time stopping the program with an END if the user doesn’t like dogs. We can actually place any command we want there after the THEN.
This is what will happen ifthe user enters a Y for yes.
We could still havea problem, though. What if the user enters something other than Y or N? How can we make our program more user friendly? The whole question of handling user inputisa very important one, There area number of excellent ways to streamline and safeguard the process. Next issue we'll talk about some of those things.
»)
COMMODORE WORLD
Foren Exchange
Recently, this front page title of an Austrian newspaper caught my attention: “GERMANS INVADE AUSTRIA!” We experience this “invasion” every summer. Hundreds of thousands of Germans—all going on vacation at the same time—head south into the Austrian Alps or use Austria as a stop over on their way to the Mediterranean beaches. Most main south bound autobahns resemble immense parking lots on the weekends. Almost all Europeans receive a three to five week PAID vacation and tend to splurge or “blow the wad” once they reach their destination.
You may be telling yourself that this has absolutely nothing to do with the Commodore 64/128 and thatis exactly the point ofthismonth’s Foreign Exchange. As far as computing and programming are concerned, the market and programming activities are dead! From June to August there is very little movement in the computer scene. Sales drop off, as people are saving their cash for Apfelstrudel and Italian ice cream and programmers are more interested in bikes and bikinis than peeks 1) pokes! This is, then, a good time to talk abo 1 some interesting developmentsand items that occurred just before the summer invasion.
Most of you knov. already that Commodore was finally purchased by the German computer giant ESCOM, What you may not know, is that this is very good news for C64 users. ESCOM is a top notch company with branch offices and partners all over Austria and Germany. The fact that they will “definitely and irrevocably produce the C64” (quote) was once again confirmed at a press conference in Frankfurtin early June. Many
COMMODORE WORLD
By Joseph Gaul >
EUROPEAN VACATION?
experts are predicting a C-64 renaissance here, should ESCOM re-import the computerand parts back into Germany at rock bottom prices. Now, try to picture the impact a US computer company of, let’s say, the size and influence of CompUSA would have on the C64 if they had purchased Commodoreand made this announcement. I dare say that a lot of software companies would get back into the 8 bit market in a hurry! | certainly do not want to wish the summer away, but I can't wait until ES;COM’s summer vacation is over and their fall press releases start hitting the news wires.
With the birth of the CMD SCSI HD-Series, many ofus have toyed with the idea ofhooking up a CD-ROM drive to our computer. Although the hook up isn’t very complicated, we have never had a real reason to do so. Until now, that is. Achim Tage from W6lfrath, Germany has given usa reason. His CD-Commander for the C64 and C128 went on sale here in May and is quite the program! Afterhooking upaSCSI CD-ROM drive to. a CMD HD, his commander allows you to install the drive, determine drive numbers, send BASIC 2.0 commands and copy one or more files from the CD to your HD or another device. BASTA!—as the Italians love to say. (“That's all there is toit!” isa good translation.) Once copied,
16
you can use Big Blue Reader to transfer the files into a usable Commodore format. The Commander works without a hitch here on the European Commodore 128's, and testing of the program has begun in the USA on the NSTC systems. Achim is also working on a CD-Audio program for the C64/128 and the beta version is currently being tested here.
64NET is a special management hard and software kit which hit the German market in April. The kit allows a Commodore user access to a PC, XT or AT hard drive where he can create 1541, 1571 and 1581 partitions. He can then use them as he would a normal floppy drive with all functions and memory characteristics. This is a unique way to get to play ball with the big boys, andbecause of the parallel connection disk access, speed is claimed to be comparable to that of CMD’s HD-Series. We'll have more information on this kit in future issues of CW.
The last item on this month's agenda is a program that has been available in Europe for about a year now, but is just now coming into its own. Arndt Dettke and Wolfgang Kling have put years of programming into their GoDot, a masterful piece of graphical programming wizardry that is without a doubt in a class all by itself. Whether youare creating yourown graphics or importing them from other computer formats (Amiga IFF, PCX, ete.), GoDot does itall. Inorder to do justice to the program and its authors, next issue's Foreign Exchange will be completely devoted to the introduction of this piece of software. In the meantime, I’m heading north for my vacation!
»)
Issue 9
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Volume 2, Number 4 17
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COMMODORE WORLD
Understanding “preacsneets
by, Dauid Paslhurst
Have you ever wondered just what an Electronic Spreadsheet program is? Or more importantly, what one could do for you? Wonder no longer...
Although they are now well into their second decade of use, computer spreadsheets are still relatively unknown to Commodore users. Most everyone has a word processor, and some use databases, but spreadsheets aren't as common as you see in the IBM world. Maybe the original game image of the C64 inhibited developers, or spreadsheets seemed too math-oriented for the typical user. In any case, spreadsheets here have never seen the development and use other computer systems have, which is a shame. By making working with numbers as easy as a word processor works with words, a spreadsheet eases the effort we have to put into such chores as budgets, taxes, and accounting. Learning about them and their uses is important, both because they are useful tools for working with numbers and the opportunities they spell in the business world,
Offices everywhere use the Big Three: Word Processors, Databases, and Spreadsheets. So learning each is good business. And what you pick up now on a Commodore is helpful since spreadsheets are fundamentally the same on all computers, and learning one will make the others
COMMODORE WORLD
18
easierto understand. With these thoughts in mind, let's consider what spreadsheets are, and what makes them tick.
Electronic Spreadsheets
One way to visualize a spreadsheet is as a large sheet of graph paper stretching in all directions. Each square of that paper is big enough to write a number, or a piece of lettering like a title or label. Results, such as totals and averages, are also placed in squares. This is the format that spreadsheets have had for years in business, long before the computer, Originally, large amounts of paper, or blackboards, held all the figures and results. Changes meant using a big eraser, and a lot of time correcting. Then the computer came, and someone thought ofmakingan electronic spreadsheet called VisiCalc. The rest, as they say, is history.
‘This ease of changing is what makes electronic versions of spreadsheets so popular, Like the comparison between a typewriter and a word processor; the results are the same, but corrections are vastly easier to perform with the word processor. In each case, the advantage is the ability to adjust
Issue 9
things easily. One example would be a column of figures that might be multiplied by fifteen percent and then totalled. Change that to sixteen percent, and you have quite a chore on paper. But on the computer, often only the number in one place need be changed, from fifteen to sixteen. And to make it even easier, the program will redo all calculations and display the corrected results automatically. This saves not only editing effort, but calculation effort, as well as the possibility of mistakes.
Some Uses
Keping figures accurately updated and reducing the effort of changes are two of the electronic spreadsheet'’s greatest assets. Not that they don’t have other advantages. Because they keep things nice and structured in columns and rows (just like graph paper), they are handy for lists and tables, such as telephone directories or address books, And unusual uses exist; one fellow even managed to write a book with it. In fact, any time information is best organized into columns and rows, aspreadsheet is advantageous. Forinstance, tables needed by word processors are more easily set up on a spreadsheet, and then imported into the word processor.
This column and row organization is very natural when working with numbers, asanymath student can attest. But organizing numbers isn’t all they do; they also manipulate them. Changing fifteen to sixteen percent involves calculations applied toacolumn ofnumbers, anda total made of the amounts. All these calculations are contained in formulas that form a part of the spreadsheet, much like formulas in BASIC programs. Depending on the program, spreadsheets can include ways to manipulate numbers that rival BASIC, and even surpass it, using functions and operations suited to working with data in the spreadsheet format.
Spreadsheet Cells
Formulas are familiar to BASIC users, but comparing them to spreadsheets causes a difficulty; where are the variables? Simply put, each location on the spreadsheet can bea variable. Looking at the graph paper analogy again, let's focus on each square, which we'll now refer to as a cell. Each cell can be blank, or be filled with an item ofimportance—text (suchas labels or titles), numbers, or formulas.
These cells are organized into rows and columns, and are referred to by their position. Often, the columns are numbered, and the rows have letters rather than a number: A-Z for the first 26 rows, the 27th to 52nd from AA to AZ, the 53rd BA, and so on. Of course, this isn’t standard
Volume 2, Number 4
on the Commodore machines, and rows may be numbered, while columns are lettered. In any case, at the junction of any given rowand column isa specific cell, andit’s identified by the row and column names. For example, the only cell in both Row G and column 23 is called G23; 1A200 is in the 200th column, and row 1A; and so on, And when referring to these cells, the letter part always comes before the number, so 200IA is a mistake, nota cell.
Formulas rely heavily on these cell names in their calculations, because the cells are the variables in spreadsheet math. Typically, a BASIC calculation might look like this
X=A+SOR (B)
Which would take the value in A, the square root of B, add them, and place the result in X. Ina spreadsheet, variables are replaced by cell names, resulting in the equivalent spreadsheet formula (with slight variations between programs):
Now instead of A, the value comes from cell A12; and for B, cell B15 provides the value. But what about X, the result? This formula, like A12 and B15, is a cell; and the cell is where the result is placed. If you were to look at the display, the result, not the formula, would be visible in this cell. Cells with formulas in them have this schizophrenic personality for a reason; formulas are needed for calculations, but it’s results that matter, and spreadsheets are designed for this. The formula is easily accessible to edit or delete, but we see the answer on the display screen.
Displaying and Displays
The display of the spreadsheet takes up most of
the computer screen viewing area. Typically, several lines at top or bottom are used for other purposes, and the rest devoted to viewing the spreadsheet. Along the top and left side of this display screen are the row and column identifications, always letting you know what section of the spreadsheet you're looking at. This is important, since you can actually see only a small portion of the whole spreadsheet at any time. On the C64 screen, 100 individual cells might be visible, yet a spreadsheet containing thousands of cells is possible. To see the rest, the screen scrolls around via the cursor keys. As you move to the bottom of the screen, a new row scrolls into view. Likewise to moving up, to the left, or the right. Like a magnifying glass on a large sheet of paper, you have to move around to see the whole picture.
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Besides this display window, there is also the input or command line, the communication link tothe spreadsheet. You can’t directly contact any cell on the screen. Instead, a cursor is moved around the display, selecting individual cells. The contents of that cell is placed on the input line to be edited or deleted. Pressing RETURN then copies this data into the cell, where it’s calculated (ifa formula) and displayed.
The display of a cell’s contents is formatted according to the type of data present. Text is chopped offat the right if it’s too long to fit. And numbers are displayed according to a format which you can change. For instance, you might choose all numbers to display with three decimal places of precision. In this case, 1 would be shown as 1.000, and 2.4567 as 2.456—the display formats numbers to fit, even ifthey appear to lose value. Besides number formatting, cells are often adjustable as to whether the information is centred in the cell, placed against the right edge, or against the left edge. Colours are also optional on some spreadsheets displays. These display attributes all hold one thing in common; they do not affect the internal value of the number in the cell, only the displaying of it. 2.4567 is still 2.4567 inside the computer, as performing a calculation will show.
These display formats operate on selective parts of the spreadsheet. The whole spreadsheet can have a default, or global format. Additionally, specific columns or groups of cells may have their own format. One column for instance may be formatted for dollars (displaying two decimal places) while another column may be integers (displayingnone). This variety allows you to make the spreadsheet ‘look’ more suitable for the type of information you're working with.
Functions in Spreadsheets
Atthis point youcan probably imagine some jobs that would work well on a spreadsheet. Working with columns of figures would be as simple as enteringthem, one toacell, and placinga formula at the bottom-most cell to total them. The result is immediately displayed in that cell. Errors and omissions are added or edited, and the results are reflected by all formulas.
Obviously, totalling columns isn’t the only thing you'd like to do. Spreadsheets use a variety of functions to give their formulas usefulness. Many are similar to BASIC, such as finding the square root. Butsomeare unique to spreadsheets. Column adding isn’t easily possible in BASIC, but in a spreadsheet, a function like@SUMO (or something similar) would do the trick.
Using @SUM()as an example, you can see the effort itsaves. Adding cellsin.a column from F6 to
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K6, without a function, would look like F6+G6+H6+16+J6+K6 and with it, it would be
@SUM(F6..K6) Although the difference in typing is small here, imaginea larger column ofone hundred entries— now the difference is clear.
The @SUMO function works on groups of cells, rather than one. This group can bea column (in this case), a group of columns and rows, or combinations of the two. Called blocks, these groups can be uniquely described by listing two cells, one from the top left corner, and one from the bottom right corner. This would mean that B5..D7 would outline a block containing the cells inrows B,C, and D, but only from columns five to seven. The function would use every number in this block (including results from formulas therein) inits calculation, and wouldbe equivalent to:
B5+B6+B74+C5+C6+C7+D5+D6+D7
Spreadsheet Choices
All spreadsheets include a wide variety of functions. Some mimic BASIC, such as the @SQR() function. Others are unique to the business world, such as@PV( (for Present Value, a mortgage financial function). Still others have no real counterpart. Functions like @SUMO, @AVG(), and @MAX() find the sum, average and maximum, respectively, of a group of cells. Yet another useful function imitates a BASIC command, nota function—the IF statement. Like the BASIC command, this allows the selection of choices. Usually, the choice is between one formula or another, but it could be a cell or other calculation.
Anexample of the use of @IF( could bea price discount. Ifa customer spends over $1000 he gets a ten percent discount, otherwise a five percent one. A formula for this might look like the following:
The conditional test is the price range (A1<=1000). Commas separate the true and false choices. If Al (the purchases) total more that 1000, the first choice is calculated (A1-0.010*A1), giving the ten percent deduction. If this test is untrue, the second choice is calculated (A1-0.05*A1), resulting in the five percent decrease. This function would return one of these
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two values, which could then be manipulated like the result from any other function.
Without the above @IFQ), you would have to examine each customer, deciding which percentage he gets. Instead, you can create a formulaand leave the checking tothe spreadsheet, resulting in less editing and effort.
The formula could be further adjusted. If the limit for discounts changed monthly, the function could be changed to:
and place 1000 in cell A9. When this value changes, simply edit cell A9, instead of editing the more complicated formula.
Techniques like this to streamline formulas are important because of the way spreadsheets are set up and maintained. There can be many formulas, and adjusting them is an effort in a larger spreadsheet. So by removing the changing elements (the discount level) we remove the part likely to be edited. If the five and ten percent discounts were also likely to change, we could move them out of the function into their own cell. This serves to make all formulas for customersidentical, except for the cell references each makes.
Streamlining Spreadsheets Because of the repetitiveness present, spreadsheetsallow for easy copying of cells. When acell’s formula is duplicated to another cell, the new formula’s cell references are adjusted to reflect the new location. Keeping this in mind, often a spreadsheet can consist of one formula simply repeated throughout the spreadsheet, and adjusted for each location. This automatic adjustment saves the effort involved in creating large numbers of formulas fora large spreadsheet. Automatically adjusting these cell names is fine in most cases, but not all. In the earlier example, the customer level at A9 would be
adjusted when that formulais moved. Duplicating the formula down one row would alter the copy from
to
This would be fine ifeach customer hasa personal limit, but what if A9 is to be the limit for all customers? In this case, we need to ‘fix’ theaddress of A9, so duplicating the formula does not automatically adjust these addresses. In spreadsheets such as 1-2-3, the way is to include the $ sign in each address to be fixed in place. With this in mind, duplicating
with the cell reference to A9 unchanged. Now, if the limit changes, adjusting it for 100, 1000, or one million customersis simply a matter ofediting one cell, A9.
A Small Example
To make this copying and formula writing more familiar, we'll work through a small example. A useful mortgage formula is@PVO, which means present value. Simply put, the present value is what a bank will lend you when you promise to pay a certain amount, at a certain interest rate, over a certain period of time. @PVQ is a handy function for figuring loans and mortgages, and might be included as a function on your spreadsheet. We'll assume, however, that your spreadsheet doesn’t have it, and build one from scratch.
Example 1
] Payment $500.00
4 Present
$56,975.41
tra1
yalue
Example 2
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Payments 360 180
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In BASIC, an equivalent formula would be: PV=PM* ( (1-(1+IN)*(-N))) /IN
The main components are the interest (IN), the number of payments (N), and theamount ofeach payment (PM). Note that the interest is per payment, not yearly. (For example, a loan paid monthly with a 12% annual interest rate would have a monthly rate of 1%). Changing this to a spreadsheet simply involves using cells for variables. Let cell B1 be the payment, cell B2 the interest, and B3 the number of payments. The formula, which we'll place in B4 (and where the result is displayed), would become B1*( (1-(1+B2)*(-B3))) /B2
Adding headings and appropriate formatting, the spreadsheet display would appear as shown in Example 1. (Notice the column and row labels, which would appear on screen).
As you change the values in cells B1-B3, the value in B4 would be recalculated and displayed, letting you rapidly try different options by varying the interest, payments, and length.
But what ifyou wanted to compare a variety of options simultaneously? Then you need two or more formulas, each with their own values. So you could copy the formula down one row, resulting in the formula:
With the data placed in cells C1 to C3, the display should look something like Example 2.
What If?
Trying out options on aspreadsheet is nicknamed ‘what-if calculating, a term that only came into vogue when spreadsheets on computers made seeing ‘what if I changed this’ quick and easy. More than anything discussed here, this highlights what makes spreadsheets so versatile and useful. They help organize something we all usually need help on; numbers.
Your Number is Up
Whether they're used to manipulate, crunch, or just display numeric data, spreadsheets areaboon to people who detest math, as well as to those who don’t. With a little time invested in learning to use spreadsheets, you'll soon find your own uses forthem. And the first time you use one to handle a chore like accounting and taxes, you'll wonder how you ever did without it.
$)
Volume 2, Number 4
Commands in Spreadsheets: What Different Versions Can Do
The Commodore realm is a varied place for the spreadsheet user. Much of the problem stems from the early days of computing. When spreadsheets were first written, a single standard for calling up commands didn’t exist. In the IBM world, Lotus 1-2-3 eventually made everyone toe the line, and spreadsheets there all work similarly. Alas, the C64 and C128 never met their 1-2-3 saviour, SO everyone pretty much does what they want. The only thing you can be sure of is that your manual is your prime authority on what your particular spreadsheet does, and how it does it.
Commands are usually called up with a special keystroke or two, with keys like SHIFT, the function keys, and the Commodore key selecting variations. Depending on the program, you may have amenuofcommands displayed, or nothing. This can make the difference between using a program intuitively via the menus, or pouring over your manual constantly.
Although the way to invoke commands differs widely, the actual operations performed do not. Most everything on the spreadsheet involves the display. Commands let you control the display look and feel, for instance, making columns of varying widths to fit more information on the screen. Numbers can be formatted for varying precision of decimal places displayed, such as two places for money amounts, or six for interest rates. Justification is another feature, letting each cell place its information centered, to the left, or to the right. Color is even used ona few programs, to highlight various cell values.
On some spreadsheets, rows and columns of cells can be fixed into place as titles. The viewing screen on the display is always just a small portion of the whole spreadsheet, so using the cursor keys scrolls different portions of the spreadsheet into view. On larger jobs, headings and titles are lost when scrolling unless you lock these titles into place. Similarly, windows can be opened up in which part of the sheet can be viewed at all times, no matter what part of the spreadsheet the rest of the display is showing.
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Commands for editing data are among the most often used you'll encounter. Creating a spreadsheet of dozens of cells is much easier with cut, paste and copy operations. Also, since columns and rows are so significant, most include commands to add or delete rows and columns, handy if you've almost finished a spreadsheet only to realize you need another row in the middle.
Full |/O commands are included in most spreadsheets for the Commodores. Saving and loading files is the absolute minimum, but many spreadsheets also include commands for communicating with the disk drive, checking the error channel, listing directories, and sending commands. Printing to disk allows you to create files you can then import into your other programs or print at a later date.
Printing operations are provided by all spreadsheets, buthere the available options vary enormously. Some can simply print out a section of the spreadsheet in a plain format. Others allow you to format your printed page, avoiding such problems as printing across the page perforation, or printing off the right edge of the paper. In some systems, codes can be sent to the printer, enabling such options as condensed printing, underlining, and other fonts. And one program even prints sideways (called landscape mode), letting you print out 11 by 8-1/2inch spreadsheets, instead of 8-1/2 by 11.
Apicture is worth a thousand words, orin the case of spreadsheets, a thousand numbers. Graphs make relationships stand out among data, and a few (but not many) programs include graphs. Although a common feature among the IBMers, it's a late innovation that may not have reached your program. With it, a block of data is formatted into a graph, which can then be separately displayed, printed, or saved.
It's a rare spreadsheet that has all these features. If you're looking for one, consider the features you need most when shopping. And if you already have one, review your manual, since there's often a way to perform a task with several commands in a row, if you can’t perform it with asingle command.
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Spreadsheets
By the Numbers
by, Sherry Freedline
How do Swiftcalc, Calc Il, Pocket Planner and geoCalc stack up against each other? Which program has the features you need to do what you want? Find out in this in-depth study of these four
Recently, a message on a Commodore Bulletin Board (along witha gentle nudge from my editor) prompted me to investigate some of the spreadsheet programs still available for Commodore users. This search led to the discovery of four powerful programs: SwiftCale, geoCalc, Cale II, and Pocket Planner 2. It also led me to the conclusion that selecting a spreadsheet program best suited your needs can be a very tough decision.
Let’s tackle this great dilemma by first considering a few questions. To start with, survey your equipment and your computing likes and dislikes such as: operating environment, input devices (joystick, mouse, or keyboard), and your preference in regards to accessing features via key-combinations or menus. Some of these programs also have individual versions available for the Commodore 128, Due to the 128’s extra memory and hardware, the 128 versions often contain added features like REU support, 80-column display, and pull-down menus. Next, contemplate the projects you'd like to produce with the program. Willyouneed tocreate graphs, andifso, what kinds? Which types of calculations will you need to perform—mathematical, statistical, financial, scientific, and/or trigonometric? Also, do you want to combine data from a word processor or database program into your spreadsheet? (This latter feature allows data from another program to be incorporated into a spreadsheet without retyping it, saving time.) And finally, how does the program handle hard copies of your spreadsheet? Can it print large spreadsheets sideways? Doesit allow youto print grids, titles or alter margin settings? With
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hard-working eprograms....
these questions (hopefully) answered, let’s review the programs and put an end to this great dilemma.
SwiftCalc
The first program on my list is SwiftCale from Timeworks. Separate versions of SwiftCale were produced for the Commodore 64 and 128, but the 128 version has now become difficult to find— even in the used market. The 64 version ships with a 90 page User's Manual and a keyboard template. The 128 version includes a 168 page spiral bound User's Guide and has no need for a keyboard template due to its easy to use pull- down menu system. All that’s required to use SwiftCalc is a Commodore 64 or 128, a Commodore compatible 5 1/4" disk drive, and a Commodore compatible printer. The 128 version featuresan 80-column display, and thusit requires an 80-column monitor.
While the screen displays of the two versions differ, both contain a filename box, message box, input box, cell contents area, cell contents type indicator (forindicating whether the cellis blank, contains a label, numeric value, or formula), cursor location indicator, Auto-Cale status indicator, and of course the worksheet area. As mentioned previously, the 128 version also featuresa very easy touse pull-down menusystem. In addition, the screen display colors in both versions can be easily changed to your liking.
Worksheets created in the 64 version can contain up to 104 columns and 250 rows of data (26,000 cells), while the 128 mode allows for 250 columns by 250 rows (62,500 cells) of data. SwiftCalc also providesa handy Auto-Calc option
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which you switch between automatic or manual calculation. (The automatic calculation feature automatically recalculates your spreadsheet data after every new entry). Auto-Calc can slow down the worksheet creation process considerably, so it’s wise to turn it off until you've completed entering all the initial data into your worksheet. Once you've accomplished that, you can turn it back on to perform all the needed calculations.
Simple bar graphs based on your data can also be created in both versions, Numeric cells can be converted to bars of asterisks representing each cell’s numeric value. SwiftCalc is such a powerful program that I was disappointed when I discovered that it didn’t have more advanced graphing features (such as pie charts and line graphs).
Cell formatting options are vital to the appearance of your finished product. All spreadsheet programs allow the width ofa cell to be adjusted to compensate for the cell’s contents, and those contents can be justified to the left, right, or center. Numeric values can also include
the following format options: commas, dollar signs, scientific notation, and up to nine decimal places. SwiftCale lacks a data sorting option, but it does include a time-saving find and replace feature.
Aspreadsheet would belittle more than a word processing program without formula functions. SwiftCale contains functions to solve most common mathematical, statistical, and financial problems. With the IF.. THEN function, values may be includedin your worksheet depending on the outcome of a specific condition. However, if you havea need for trigonometric, scientific, and
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in-depth financial formulas, SwiftCalcis definitely not the program for you.
Of course, no spreadsheet program would be complete without print options. With SwiftCale, your spreadsheets may be printed directly from the program or through Sideways (a separate program solely devoted to the printing process). Printing options in SwiftCale include centering, compressed type, single-sheet paper feed, page numbering, margin settings, number of copies, formula printing, normal ASCII output (for non-Commodore printers), and range or entire worksheet output.
Ifyour spreadsheet usesalotofcolumns, you'll definitely want to use the Sideways program. Sideways provides the ability to print your spreadsheets sideways. It also provides complete control over margins, and the spacing of lines and characters. Additional features let you to select a font and toggle double-strike mode. To do so, you must first create a Sideways file from within SwiftCalc. Be sure to save your spreadsheet to disk before creating this file, though, because once your file is in the Sideways format it can no longer be loaded into SwiftCale. Of all the spreadsheet programs I've looked at, SwiftCale provides the highest degree of control over printed output of your worksheet.
SwiftCalc is also an excellent program for the average spreadsheet user. The inclusion of the Sideways program creates an almost unbeatable combination. Unfortunately, due to SwiftCale’s limited graphing and formula functions, many users will be forced to look for a more powerful spreadsheet program. But keep in mind that SwiftCalc’s Sideways program can be used with any spreadsheet program that can save its
worksheets in ASCII format—a handy feature if
you're not satisfied with the output from your current program.
Pocket Planner 2
Pocket Planner 2 is one of a trio of productivity programs developed by Digital Solutions, Inc. The other programs in this series are Pocket Filer and Pocket Writer (database and word processing programs, respectively). Pocket Planner is unique in that both the 64 and 128 versions are provided in one package—one on each side of the disk. The program can be used with a 1541, 1571 or compatible disk drives and a Commodore compatible printer. The 128 version of Pocket Planner 2 also supports using a joystick, mouse, and/or a Commodore (or compatible) RAM Expansion Unit (REU). Unlike most of the other programs coveredin this article—whose manuals were written in tutorial style—Pocket Planner 2's manual is written more like a reference guide,
Volume 2, Number 4
The construction of the screen display enables novice spreadsheet users to get up and running quickly, At the top of the screen is a six line display of options and how to access them. Most choices are selected by first pressing the Commodore Key and then pressing the first letter of the desired options such as L for Load. Once you've familiarized yourself with accessing Pocket Planner’s commands, this help display can be turned off by pressing CONTROL H, allowing more room for the worksheet display.
The worksheet area is located directly below the help area. As in most spreadsheet programs, the screen colors can be easily adjusted. In both modes, 250 rows and 250 columns or 62,500 cells are waiting to be used in your spreadsheets. The only differences between the 64 and 128 displays are 80 columns in 128 mode, along with a tad more color, Otherwise, both versions look the same. Finally, Pocket Planner offers a window feature that allows different portions of a spreadsheet to be viewed on the screen at the same time. You can open as many windows as will fit on your screen, and that will depend on the size of each individual window.
One of Pocket Planner’s shining features is its ability to use spreadsheets created with other programs. These include spreadsheets created in Microsoft's Multiplan, SwiftCalc, andin the ‘Data Interchange Format’ (DIF) available in VisiCalc, Multiplan, and possibly some others. As far as | know, neither VisiCale nor Multiplan are still available, soit’s nice to know that ifyour program disks from either of these programs were to get lost or damaged, your data could be recovered using Pocket Planner.
In my book, the ability to integrate with other productivity programs is a must, especially data from a database program. Pocket Planner 2 can load database files intoaspreadsheet from Pocket Filer; it can also read data from most any other database program which stores or exports its data in sequential “text” files. Spreadsheets and graphs created with Pocket Planner can also be used in Pocket Writer documents.
AsaPCguru fora local bank, I'd belost without the ability to create graphs in various styles, With Pocket Planner 2 you aren't restricted to simple bar graphs. You can also produce line graphs and piecharts. And with the 128 version, you have the added option of creating X-Y and logarithmic graphs. And every one of these graphs can also be printed.
Asfaras cell formatting options are concerned, Pocket Planner lacks the ability to format cells with scientific notation. Other than that, it contains all the same formatting options as SwiftCale including: center, right, and left
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justification, decimal places from -15 (for zeroes to the left of the decimal) to 37, commas, dollar signs, percentages, parentheses (for negative values), and the ability to filla cell with acharacter.
Pocket Planner also contains a handy sort routine for sorting data contained ina rectangular block of cells (range). This range can be sorted alphanumerically by column or row, in either forward or reverse order. Of course, learning how touse this feature can save you quite a bit of time.
Another time saver is the Find and Replace command, which lets you easily locate specific data contained in your worksheets, and if necessary, replace each occurrence with something new. This can often reduce theamount of typing required for repetitive tasks.
IfyouownaCommodore 128, you'lllove Pocket Plannerall themore. Pocket Planner wisely makes use of the 128’s additional memory by allowing multiple spreadsheet files to be storedin memory. This gives you the power to compare and even move data between the various worksheets. A press of the SHIFT and ALT keys toggles between the different spreadsheets stored in memory. The number of files you can have residing in memory at any one time depends on the size of the spreadsheets involved.
REU owners will appreciate Pocket Planner 2’s ability to be used with Commodore’s 1700 or 1750 RAM Expansion Unit (the 1750 Clone from SSI can also be used). The REU is used as a temporary “disk drive”, where you can store and retrieve files almost instantaneously.
The 128 version also uses the 128’s 80-column display, showing you more ofyour spreadsheet at one time. Also unique to the 128 version is the ability to navigate the pull-down menus, move the worksheet cursor, and define ranges with a mouse or joystick.
Now we come to the all important formula functions. If trigonometric functions are vital to your spreadsheets, Pocket Planner 2 is definitely the best program for you, It provides a whopping 24 trigonometric formula functions—the widest selection of the four programs reviewed here. Mathematical, statistical, and scientific formula functions are also available for your use. And the program also contains a powerful IF...THEN conditional function allowing values to be included based on a particular condition. On the minus side, you'll notice the lack of any financial formula functions.
Two print options are provided. The first, Simple Print, prints a single copy of the spreadsheet exactly asitis displayed on the screen. The second option lets you customize your printout. Here you have the choice of printing titles, boldfacing titles, printing sideways,
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selecting the pitch, lines per inch, and even the number of copies to be printed. Additionally, you may print the file to disk, permitting formatted spreadsheets to be saved for sending over a modem. But as you can see, there are no options for setting margins, compressing type, or selecting different fonts.
Tosum itall up, [loved Pocket Planner 2. The program’s display is very appealing and easy to use. But most of all, Pocket Planner 2 outshines the rest with its graphing capabilities. Pocket Planner 2 would definitely be the perfect spreadsheet program if financial formula functions were added, But then, ifyou haven't the need for these types of formulas in your spreadsheets, then Pocket Planner 2isindeed the perfect spreadsheet program for you!
Calc Il
Cale I] is the third spreadsheet program in my investigation. This program is nolongeravailable commercially, but can be purchased directly from its author, David Pankhurst. Calc Il operates ona Commodore 64 (or 128 in 64 mode) equipped with a5 1/4" Commodore compatible disk drive and Commodore compatible printer. A 95 page User's Reference Guide accompanies the Cale II program disk. Of the four programs, Cale Il is the only program not available in a Commodore 128 specific version.
The first line of Calc II's screen display holds theedit mode flag, celladdress, availablememory, worksheet screen ID, and cell type flag, The second row is used for data entry. The rest of the screen is occupied by the worksheet area. Your screen display colors are easily configured with the function keys. Cale I] can hold up to 240 columns by 240 rows or 57,600 cells worth of data, just a bit less than the previous programs.
Atfirst, Calc Il’sscreen may intimidate new users duetothelackofamenu. Allspreadsheet commands are accessed by pressing Shift/Control key combinations, so you'll want to keep your manual close at hand, The following item may or may not bother you depending on your past history with other spreadsheet programs; most spreadsheet programs use letters to identify columns and numbers to identify the rows. However, Cale I] reverses things by using numbers for the columns and letters for the rows. This is really no big deal especially ifyou've neverusedany other spreadsheet program. But for me, it seemed a little awkward. Calc II also makes use of a window or split screen display to enable distant portions ofa worksheet to be viewed simultaneously. Up to four windows (A- D) may be used at one time. And, like SwiftCale, Cale II offers an Auto-Calc feature to accelerate spreadsheet production.
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Calc II's spreadsheet files are saved as program files. Therefore, Calc II does not have the ability to use spreadsheet files created with other programs which save their spreadsheet files as sequential files.
Most of the programs I tested contained only a fewsample worksheet files on their program disks. Cale I] contains over 40 “Overlay files”. These overlays are great because they can be loaded and easily adjusted to suit your needs. Among these overlays are:a checkbook balancer, loan, mileage, mortgage, recipe, and sales slip worksheets. | bet you can put these to work right away!
Graphs are not one of Calc II's strong points. Cale II will suit you just fine as long as your needs donot extend beyond bar graphs. Numeric values can easily be formatted asa bar graph by pressing CONTROL B, selecting the range, and pressing RETURN, The cell values will then be represented by a bar the same width as the cell's numeric value.
Alimited supply of cell formatting options are available in Cale Il. The basic left, right, and center alignment optionsare present. But itwon't be long before you'll miss the ability to format cells with dollar signs, percentages, and commas along with a find and replace command, Cale II does provide the ability to format cells with 0 to 14 decimal places and duplicate a chosen character across the width ofa cell. Additionally, Calc II does offer the time saving data sort feature.
Calc I contains enough formula functions to meet the needs of most home users, You'll find a variety of formula functions to perform almost all routine mathematical, statistical, scientific, and trigonometric calculations. The powerful IF..VHEN function is also included. Unfortunately, Cale also lacks financial formula functions.
One of the most important features of any spreadsheet program is its ability to provide a print out of your spreadsheet masterpiece. Cale II provides two options: Simplified Print and a Flexible Print, The Simplified Print is used to print spreadsheets in their entirety or any range of cells beginning at cell Al, The Flexible Print option is used to print ranges starting at cells other than Al. Both print options allow you to select margins, print type (condensed or elite), and the number of characters per line. If you are printing a spreadsheet wider than 80 columns, any data over this width will be moved to another page.
Allinall, Cale Iisa great program for fulfilling your routine household needs. And thanks to all the fantastic overlay files includedon the program disk, you can quickly put all your affairs in order. Cale II's User's Reference Guide is very detailed
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and even contains two chapters which walk you through the creation of a spreadsheet. The only downside is that it may take you a while to memorize all of the various key combinations for Cale II's spreadsheet commands. But, this problem can also be easily solved... remember Leroy’s Cheatsheets? A blank cheatsheet would be the perfect addition to Calc II. This keyboard overlay could easily be modified to contain references for all of Calc II's key combination commands.
GeoCalc
You may be wondering why I saved geoCale for last. Well, of the four programs, geoCale is the only program which doesn’t run straight from the disk. Of course, any GEOS user knows that geoCalc can only be run from the GEOS desktop. Both Commodore 128 and Commodore 64 versions of geoCale are still obtainable. GeoCale requires a Commodore 64 or 128, GEOS V1.2 or lateror GEOS 128, anda 1541 or 1571 compatible disk drive. Optionally,a GEOS supported printer, RAM expansion unit, and a second disk drive, anda Commodore compatible mouse will greatly enhance your geoCalc performance. When used in combination with an REU, the geoCalc application is stored in the REU and frees the disk drive for your worksheet.
This greatly enhances geoCalc’s operating speed. A mouse is also a nice addition to geoCale. It is much easier to define ranges and perform otherspreadsheet operations with the mouse than to remember the key combinations for the individual spreadsheet commands. A gray 9"x7" three ring binder lends a nice touch to the geoCalc’s tutorial-styled manual which contains a section devoted to walking you through the development ofa geoCale spreadsheet.
The geoCale display colors can be customized through your GEOS desktop’s preference manager. These preferences are then carried through to your geoCale display. The display is similar to that of most GEOS applications. A menu bar is located at the top left of the screen and the title bar (displays title of the active spreadsheet) is located at the top right.
A Turbo Scroll Icon (only in the 128 version) is located between the menu and title bars. The Turbo Scroll Iconis used to quickly scroll through a large area of your worksheet. Below the menu bar is the data entry area. To the right of the data entry section is the current cell indicator, and the Restore and Enter Icons. The Restore Icon resembles an X andisused to restore information last contained in the active cell before you began to edit the cell. The Enter Icon resembles a check mark and is used to enter changes to the active
Issue 9
cell. A split screen option is also possible with
geoCalc. This option splits the screen in half
horizontally, allowing two separate portions ofa worksheet to be viewed at the same time. However, only data in the active worksheet may be edited. By clicking on any portion ofthe second worksheet it can easily be made the activate worksheet.
GeoCale is compatible with other Geos applications such as geoWrite and geoFile. Text scraps from any of these applications can be pasted intoa geoCale spreadsheet. Similarly, text scraps from geoCalccan be pasted intoa geoWrite document or a geoFile database. As you can see, this feature can greatly enhance your word processing and database capabilities and save you valuable time in the process.
GeoCale worksheets limitations are considerably smaller than those of our other spreadsheet programs. GeoCalc data may be entered into 112 columns by 256 rows which adds up to 28,672 cells. And while we're on the subject of limitations, geoCalc does not have any provisions for creating graphs or toggling automaticcalculation. Nor does the program have the ability to sort or findand replace specific data within a worksheet.
Cell formatting options are one of geoCalc’s outstanding features. Not only can cells be formatted for commas, decimals, dollars, parentheses for negative values and scientific notation, but you can also choose the style of the characters within the cell. Cell contents may be plain, italic, bold, or italic-bold text. This feature alone can really spruce up the appearance of your worksheet especially for titles and row/column headings. And of course, cell contents can be right, left, and center aligned.
GeoCale 128 isn’t all that much different from geoCale 64. As previously mentioned the 128 version features a Turbo Scroll Icon. This is certainly a handy feature, but not one | die without. Other than that, 128 users are treated to an 80 column display as well as the use of the numeric keypad.
When it comes to formula functions, geoCale has an excellent selection. Formula functions are provided for mathematical, statistical, scientific,
trigonometric, and yes finally, a nice selection of
financial calculations! The only feature lacking is the If.. Then function which won't be missed all that much by most basic users. Of all four programs, geoCale provides the largest selection of financial functions for solving such problems
as loan payments, present and future values of
investments, along with interest rates, and investment terms. This feature alone may be enough reason to become a GEOS user.
Volume 2, Number 4
Another reason to become a GEOS user is geoCale’s print options. Once you've clicked on print, adialogue box appears in the center of your screen. From here, you have quitea few options at your fingertips, including: high, draft, or near letter quality print modes, the ability to print a range from cell x to cell y, single sheet or tractor feed, and printing grids and headings. Spreadsheets over 80 columns in size are printed on separate pages versus printing them sideways. I was impressed with the quality of my geoCalc spreadsheet print outs.
I must confess, Lam not much of a Geos user and didn’t expect to be pleased with geoCale. However, for the purpose of this review, I thought I'd struggle through it. But, guess what? I really liked geoCale. It discovered it is very easy to use,
and in combination with an easy to understand manual complete with a glossary of spreadsheet terms, [highly recommend it for new spreadsheet users. I was also surprised to discover that of all the programs tested, geoCale had the largest variety of formula functions. Ifonly geoCale could create graphs as well.
Conclusion
Well, we've reached the end of our available spreadsheet list. Hopefully, with all the above information, you've solved your dilemma ofwhich program best suits your requirements. To make things a bit easier, I've included a handy comparison chart. So for now, consider this case closed!
%)
Spreadsheets at a Glance
Program Calc II
Pocket Planner 2
geoCalc SwiftCalc
General Features
128 Version
Mouse support
REU support
Adjustable Colors
Menu System
Window Option
Compatible With
Other Spreadsheets
Interface Ability N Worksheet Size Limit 57,600 (max. number of cells)
Graphs Bar
Sort Option Find & Replace
Ne N N \/ 128 Vers.
Y 62,500 62,500 (128) 26,000 (64)
Bar graphs Line graphs Pie charts X-Y graphs Logaritmic
Bar graphs
Functions
Mathematical Statistical Financial Trignometric Scientific
lf. Then
Printing Options
Sideways Margins
Fonts
Type Attributes Print Grid Option
25
N
N N Y Y
COMMODORE WORLD
HD- 40, 42 MB (Limited Supply) .. HD-85, 85 MB (Limited Supply) .. HD-170, 170 MB (Special Edition) HOD-340, 340 MB (Special Edition) HD-500, 500+ MB (Special Edition) HD-1000, us GB ss Ecition)
FO-2000 (800K and 1.6 MB) FD-4000 (800K, 1.6 MB and 3.2 MB) .. FD Real-Time-Clock OptionKit Box of 10, High Density Disks (1.6MB) Box of 10, dead Density Disks (3.2 MB) .
(Specity computer serial number and drive mndatj $49.95 $59.95
JittyYOOS C64/SX-64 System JittyDOS C-128/128-0 System Additional Drive ROM's .....
A er at
bears sise tr 80-column Monitors (Returb) Aprotek 3-Way User Port Expander Aprotek User Port Extension Cable . C-64/64-C Computers (Returb, w/JD) .. C-64, C-64C Power Supply (Repairable) ... C-128 Power Supply (Repairable) ... Cannon BJ-200ex Bubble Jet Printer teas Cannon BJC-4000 Color Bubble Jot Printer ...... Commodore 1541 Disk Drives (NEW, w/JD) ..... Commodore 1541 Disk Drives (Refurb, w/JD) ..... $75.00 Commodore 1541-II Disk Drive (Refurb, w/JD) . $109.00 Commodore 1802 40-column Monitor (Refurb) , $139.00 CMD EX2+1 3-Port Cartridge Port Expander ...... $39.95 CMD EX3 3-Port Cartridge Port Expander .......... $29.95 CMD Gamepad/Joystick Controller
. $24.95 CMD GeoCable I! Print Cable 61t./15ft, .... $29,00/$34,00 CMD SmartMouse (1351 Compatible Mouse) ..... $49.95 CMD SmartTrack eae Compatible Uisranaaule $69.95 Monitor Cables . CALL Mouse Pad....... $2.95 MW-350 Printer Interface (OK/8K Bulfer) $49 00/$60. 00 Samsung SP-0912 9-pin Epson-comp. Printer ..... $139,00 Samsung SP-2412 24-pin Epson-comp. Printer ... $179.00 Samsung SP-2417 iat el Color Printer .. 249. [3
Big Bluo Reader V4.10 (SOGWAPY CMD Utilities ..
JilfyMON-64 (ML Monitor)... The Compression I Kit ‘94 (Mad Man) ..
Collette Utilities (Handy Geos Utilities) Oesk Pack Plus ..
Oweezils Greatest Hits (NewToois2, Sump, Labelt28) $30.00 FONTPACK Plus « $25.00
gateWay 64 or 128 (Speci iy Version ; $29.95 QeoBASIC .......... . $20.00 gooCale 64/128... . $40,00/$45.00 geoChart . .. $29,00 geoFax .. . $39.95 geoFile 64/128 - a $40.00/$45.00 geoMakeBoot (Makes ‘Bootable copies) $12.95
geoProgrammer .
geoPublish
GEOS 64 v2.0.
GEOS 128 v2 0.
geoSHELL V2.2 (CLI tor GEOS) International FONTPACK Perfect Print LQ for GEOS (Laser-like output) RUN GEOS Companion RUN GEOS Power Pak | or Il (Specify) ..
Anatomy of the 1541... Basic Compiler Design for the fon 64. C-64 Science & Engineering
C128 Computer Aided Design €128 BASIC Training Guide
Cassette Book for C-64 and Vic 20 $12.00 Commodore 64 Tricks and Tips ...... $12.00 GEOS Programmers Reference Guide .. $35.00 Graphics Book for the C-64 ..... $12.00 Hitchhikers Guide to GEOS .., $35.00 Idoas for Use on Your C64 i. cccsseseseseeseneeeee $12.00 Printer Book for the C64 $12.00
Mapping the C64 Simple Internet Superbaso - THe SOK
Handyscanner Pagefox ..........
ChaD
COMMODORE WORLD
P.O. Box 646
| Fortran 64 (Abacus) ..
~ Superbase 128 Version 3.01 (Precision) .. . SwiftCalc 64 (Timeworks)
Creative Micro Designs, Inc.
East Longmeadow, MA 01028
Werwacwod RAM) Disc
RAMLink Base Model (OMB, No RAMCard) ..... $149.00 RAMLink w/t MB RAMCard (Limited Time) ~., $199.00
HtfyDOS
RAMLInk w/4 MB RAMCard (Limited Time) ... $339.00 % whil
RAMCard RTC Optiorn/Kit $10,00/$19.00 Increase Speed Up to Mien sh h sd
RAMLink Battery Back-up (Optional) $24.95 retaining 100% compatibility Parallel Cable AM Seon to HD) $14.95
° Speeds up Loading, Saving, Verifying, Formatting and Reading/ Writing of Program, Sequential, User and Relative files unlike cartridges which only speed up Loading and Saving of PRG files
alee Ri)
Digimaster ... « $34.95
SID Symphony Stereo Cartridge | i «$44.95 Sonus 64 Sequencer, MIDI Interface, Cables .....$99.00 * Built-in DOS Wedge plus 17 additional features including file
Sonus 128 Sequencer, MIDI interlace, Cables ... $99.00 copier, text dump, printer toggle, and redefinable function keys
make using your computer easier and more convenient
BASIC 64 Compiler (Abacus) 00 « ROMupgrade installs easily into most computers and disk drives. Bel Ge Comber (eivice) » $26.00 Supports C-64, 64C, SX-64, C-128, 128-D, 1541, 1541C, Blitz! 128 Compiler (Skylos) 1541-11,1571, 1581 and more.
Buddy 64/128 Assembler Cobol 64 (Abacus) ....
FDSeries
= 3.2 and 1.6 MB 3.5" Floppy Drives The FD-2000 and FD-4000 disk drives utilize
Pascal 64 (Abacus) Power C 64 (Spinnaker) ..
Cadpak 64 (Abacus)
Capa Kr rps bene today’s latest 3.5 inch disk drive technology. artpal cus) ‘0° FD-2000's support 800K (1581 style) and Cha k 128 (Ab; $25.00 , 3 9
plore oe pacus) 00) (tne Prost $39.00 1-6 MB (High Density) formats, while the
FD-4000 also offers support for the 3.2 MB (Enhanced Density) disk format. Fast and reliable, they support 1541, 1571 and 1581 style partitions, Native Mode partitioning and can actually read and write 1581 disks. FD's feature built-in JiffyDOS, SWAP button and optional Real Time Clock. High capacity, speed and compatibility make the FD right for every application, including GEOS.
Power-Backed Expandable REU
The fastest possible form of storage, RAMLIink provides instant access to files and retains data while your computer is turned off, Easy to use and expandable up to 16 MB, RAMLink utilizes the same powerful operating system found in CMD Hard Drives. Unlike Commodore REU's which are compatible with less than 1% of commercial software, RAMLink supports more than 80% of the commercial titles. RAMLink also offers built-in JiffyDOS Kernal, SWAP feature, reset button, enable/ disable switch, pass-thru port and RAM port for REU/GEORAM use. RAMLink offers maximum speed, expandability and compatibility with all types of software and hardware including GEOS.
HDSeries. SCSI Hard Drive for the C-64/128 SwiftLink RS-232 Cartridge (Up to 38 aK baud) ..
HD Series Hard Drives are available in SwittLink Modem Cable (OB9-DB25) ........ssecereeree ae capacities up to 1 GB, are fully partitionable, and can emulate 1541, 1571, & 1581 disks while Native partitions utilize MS-DOS-style subdirectories. HD’s connect easily to the serial bus or parallel via RAMLink. Includes built-in JiffyYDOS, SWAP feature and RTC. HD's offer superior compatibility with most commercial software including BBS, Productivity and GEOS, And with new pricing, HD Series drives
| Port v1.54 (128, 80-col., 64K VOC) (Living Proof) .. Outrageous Pages (Batteries Included) PaperClip 3 64/128 (Batteries Included) Personal Portfolio Manager (Abacus) Pocket Writer 2 (64) (Digital Sol.) ... Pocket Writer 3 (64 or 128) (Digital Sol.) es Pocket Planner 2 or Pocket Filer 2 iain Sol. ie PowerPlan 64 (Abacus) .. ~$ RUN Productivity Pak |, Ml, Spocity : RUN Super Starter Pak 1541 or 1581 ... RUN Works .......... ‘ SEC Check Register 128... SuperScript 64 (Precision) . SuperScript 128 (Precision) .. " Suberbase 64 Version 3.01 (Precision) .
SY
Tax Perfect 64 (Free ‘94 Upgrade) Tax Perfect 128 (Free ‘94 Upgrade) .. TWS 64 w/Speller (Busy Bee) ............. TWS 128 w/Spelier (Busy Bee) ........ TWS Modules (HD/RUIlustrator) ...... = apes Aprotek MiniModem C-24 (C= ready, 2400 baud) $69.00 Aprotek MiniModem C (C= ready, 1200 baud) .... $50.00 Aprotek Modem adapter (C= to Ext. PC Modem) $20.00 BOCA 2400 Baud Modem BOCA 2400 w/SwiltLink and Cable BOCA 14.4K bps FaxModem BOCA 14.4K w/SwiftLink & Cable ..., BOCA V.34 28.8K bps FaxModem . BOCA V.34 w/SwiftLink & Cable Dialogue 128............ SpeedTerm (Abacus) ..
“each $5.00
Atomino .. Ballistix... Blood Money . Chomp! Day in the Life of Prehistoric Man .. Escape Route ..
Heavenbound .. $19.95 s Island of the Dragon .. $19.00 Offer the lowest cost per megabyte of any C64/128 storage device. Laser Squad :
Lions of the Universe | Mainframe .....
Shipping and Handling Charges
Menace ..... ; Use the chart below to match your order subtotal with your shipping zone and method. Navy Seal ..... i
Rings of Modusa is $16.00 So United States
rN Cie rp: e199 pees bel 1S [alee
RUN C64 Gamepak $15.00 then
Skato OF Die so. $13.00 Ci yee See ee ee
The Amazing Spider-Me $15.00
The President Is Missing! $10,00
The Three Stooges $10.00
Tie Break Tennis ......
Total Eclipse ..... Ultima Vo... Wings of Circe .. Wizardry 5: Heart of the Maelstrom ...
UPS C.0.D, add $5.00 (U.S/PR only)
Payment and Delivery: CMD accepts MC, Visa, Money Orders, COD and Personal Checks, Personal Checks are held for up to 3 weeks, Most items are stock, contact CMD for current delivery schedules. Returns for merchandise credit only within 30 days with prior authorizations. All prices and specifications are subject to change without notice
Info: (413) 525-0023 Fax: (413) 525-0147
26 Issue 9
fy DO$§ <= {(\h Anniversary Sale-t-bration
* An easy to install ROM chip upgrade for your computer and disk drive
* Increases speed of all disk operations up to 1500%
Provides a built-in, easy-to-use DOS wedge with 17
additional JiffyDOS commands
Versions available for all Commodore 64 and 128
computers and serial disk drives
* Built-in two drive file copier works with all drives and file types
* Compatibility guaranteed or your money back
What Is JiffyDOS?
JiffyDOS is a Disk Operating System (DOS) enhancement which gives your C64 or C128 the disk access speed it has always needed. A chip-for-chip replacement for the Kernal ROM in your computer and the DOS ROM in your disk drive(s), JiffyDOS achieves levels of performance and compatibility unmatched by other disk speed- enhancement products. Outstanding speed, solid compatibility with virtually all hardware and software, and a new set of desperately- needed commands and features give your system the power to compete with today’s newer, more-expensive machines.
JiffyYDOS should not be confused with Cartridges, Turbo ROMs, Burst ROMs or “Parallel” systems. Ultra-high-speed multi-line serial technology enables JiffyDOS to outperform these products without any of their inherent disadvantages. JiffyDOS leaves all ports on your computer open, works with virtually all software, speeds up PRG, SEQ, REL and USR files, and does not require any extra cabling. In short, JiffyDOS is working whenever your computer accesses your disk drive.
For ordering and shipping information, please refer to our main ad on the adjoining page. You must request this special offer at the time you place your order. This offer may not be combined with any other offer.
Need Input? It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This...
* Three buttons means convenience! If you’re a GEOS user, the left button is configured as single click, the right as a handy double click and the center button is the TURBO button. When depressed,
For years, Commodore set the standard with the 1351 Mouse. Sure, it was vastly superior to using the old digital input devices like the 1350 mouse, joysticks or imitation trackballs. But everything can be improved. Guaranteed 100% 1351-compatible, SmartMouse and SmartTrack do everything the C-1351 does and more! These highly intelligent, three-button input devices include a built-in battery-backed Real-Time Clock, along with double-click and Turbo features for GEOS. Plus, they come with a complete set of utilities for using the clock in GEOS and BASIC applications. Modern ergonomic designs make these devices smooth operators that are a pleasure to use. So, if you're tired of the slow, erratic movement of your current input device, make the intelligent choice and pick up a SmartMouse or SmartTrack today!
SmartMouse and SmartTrack... the Best C-64/128 Input Devices Ever!
* SmartMouse/SmartTrack utilize the same advanced technology used in today’s powerful 486 and Pentium PC’s, providing you with unparalleled accuracy and smoothness.
it doubles the speed at which the pointer moves across the screen. . gyilt-in battery-backed Real-Time Clock automatically sets the GEOS
Additionally, programmers can assign their own functions to all three of the buttons.
* Unlike other third party mice or trackballs, the CMD SmartMouse
clock, displays time and can be used
in your own programs.
* Includes utilities disk and detailed manual explaining the utilities
and programming information.
and SmartTrack trackball use the same custom gate array chip as. attention Lefties! SmartMouse can be altered for left handed use.
the Commodore C-1351 mouse. This guarantees 100% compatibility.
* Switches easily into joystick emulation mode on power-up by holding down the right button.
Volume 2, Number 4
greater accuracy.
27
* Don't be fooled by the old style digital "trackballs". These only perform as well as a joystick. SmartTrack uses analog inputs for
COMMODORE WORLD
CKit 94; $39.95; by Mad Man Software 1400 E, College Dr. Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001. Also available from CMD.
“Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?” The line from /ndiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark runs through my mind everytime I see the the manual cover for The Compression Kit, witha Boa Constrictorsqueezing a disk drive. CKit 94’s snake is a gentle, friendly snake. It doesn't squeeze too hard, but considering its other virtues one can almost overlook that the compression of files isn’t as tight as less-friendly utilities. Given the care that has gone into creating a system to backup important data, you could almost say the snake hugs your data instead.
The Compression Kit includes:
Filemaster - used to copy, delete or move files,
Procopy - disk copier. Archiver-combinesand compresses multiple files into single or multiple files.
Boa utilities - compresses entire 1541, 1571 or 1581 style disks into single or multiple files.
CMD Native Boa-compresses entire CMD native partitions into single or multiple files.
Each ofthe compression utilities will
COMMODORE WORLD
CHit 94
Mad Man’s Backup & Compression Utility
decompress its own type of
compressed file. A utility to convert archive files into self-dissolving “MAD” files is also included. A separate program, “Decomper”, comes with the system and can be uploaded to bulletin boards or given to other users. It allows those who don’t own the CKit to dissolve files created with it.
CKit 94 is a power users utility package. It works with any CMD storage device (like HD hard drives, RAMLink or FD drives), PPI's RAMDrive, all Commodore disk drives or 17xx REU’s (even expanded ones) and the CLD Super 1750 Clone. It's not for users with a single
1541 disk drive without any form of
RAMexpansion, Themore RAM you have, the faster and easier CKit operates. When installed on a CMD device or RAMDriveit returns to the partition it was loaded from to load in different utility modules. Installing CKit on a CMD device is as easy as copying it to a partition,
CKit operates only in C64 mode, but 128 users have an advantage since it will use the 128’s VDC RAM (16k or 64K), It can also be set to kick into 2 Mllz mode on 128 computers during compression operations to get the job done quicker; but due to the way Commodore serial routines work, it must revert back to 1 MHz foractual disk operations.
For copying and compression use CKit will use any RAM enabled in the setup menu, allowing expanded REUs to use all available RAM for operation and uses RAMLink or RAMDrive DACC partitions in the same manner, up to the limit of 16 megabytes. The REU is not used asa disk device, but instead is utilized for memory during copy and compression functions.
Each time youstart CKit, itchecks the system for the Security Key (a dongle which fits into joystick port #1), determines which type of computer it’s being used on (64 or 128), then checks for available RAM devices. The opening menu includes a “Settings” option to select screen blanking (2 MHz mode), and to set preferences for the type of RAM it willuse. From the Settings menu the available RAM (REU, DACC, VDC or 64/128) can be tested to ensure integrity. Warnings are given before the test begins, as this will wipe out any data currently residing in the RAM.
Backup Utilities
CKit appears quite able to handle any style of backup needs a user might have. Each of the utilities contain an option to toggle verification checks for the process of copying, compression — or decompression of files. Verification slows down the backup process, but
28
gives peace of mind by double checking the data. For day to day use it may never be needed; but for important data, it’s worth the extra time spent to ensure reliablity.
CKit provides two different file naming methods when compressing data. The first isCBM style, allowing up to 12 characters for each file name. CKit adds an extention to whatever name you provide to designate the type of archive. Filenames are padded out with spaces tothe Commodore maximum of 16 characters. The second file naming method limits you to eight characters forthe filename and three for the extention (which CKit adds automatically depending on the archive type) to provide names which are acceptable to MS-DOS Bulletin Board Systems.
Filemaster
Making a copy of one or more files so you can have duplicates available for immediate use can be easily accomplished using CKit’s Filemaster utility. Files are first copiedinto RAM, then copied to the destination disk or partition. Filemaster’s copy and move features will let you automatically skip or replace files if a file with the same name already exists on the destination disk; you can also ask the user what to do with each duplicateit finds. Files “Moved” with
Issue 9
CKit are first copied to the selected destination, verfified against the original (ifverify is toggled on), then finally deleted from the source.
Procopy
This utility is used to backup (copy) whole disks. During copy process, Procopy reads as many disk tracks as will fit into available RAM, then copies them to the destination device. If the entire disk you're copying will fit into memory, Procopy asks if another copy of the same disk is desired; if you answer yes, then all subsequent copies are made directly from RAM.
Archiver
Used to backup files or disks that don't need to be immediately available—or to create a backup of large storage devices like RAMLink, RamDrive ora CMD hard drive. The Archiver combines and compresses mulitple files, plus allows a block limitation to be placed on the size of the backupfiles. This allows multiple disks to be used when backing up large amounts of data. The limits range from 100 to 1,000 disk blocks or “None” (such as when the size of the archive isn’t important). The Archiver only compressesindividual filesandis recommended over using thedisk Boasbecauseits compressed files are usually smaller and the process takes less time. When files are decompressed the user has the option to skip, replace or be asked about like-named files that already exist on the destination.
The Boa Utilities
These utilities compress entire disks, CMD disk emulation partitions, or CMD Native partitions by track and is useful for making backups of specialized disks or partitions. This can be a disadvantage if the source hasalotofemptyblocksorscratched files, since each disk track is read, compressed and added to the archive, regardless of whether it’s in current use. The Boa utilities also allow a size limit so that multiple disks can be used when backing up larger capacity disks or partitions to
Volume 2, Number 4
lower capacity devices. For the CMD Native Boa the destination size ranges from 100 to 20,000 disk blocks in increments of 100. When decompressing Boas, warning is given that anything currently on the destination disk or partition will be deleted. The process can be aborted at this stage.
Sharing Files or Disks with Others
Since the Decomper program can be freely distributed, Mad Man Software encourages Ckit owners to provide it when distributing compressed files telecommunications services or within user group libraries. The self- dissolving MAD files created with CKit also encouraged for sharing files with others. Decomper and CKit are menu driven and easy to use, so it’s likely to be used for these purposes. I've used it to
on
are
a V.
send files to others and felt comfortable knowing that they would havea true copy of what I was sending. Modem users often call long distance for files and prefer files which are compressed tighter than CKit currently allows, but CKit's reliablity and ease of use should be considereda plus. Ifthe file becomes corrupted during the download, the user is told before the files are decompressed. The CKit is equally suited for mailing disks with Boas or
y KUL:
CON
Qrw © \ aad
Archives due to its verification of files. In fact, the original intent of the software was for Mad Man’sown programmers to have a way to send each other programming files which were guaranteed to be exact duplicates of the originals.
In Practical Use I've used the Archiver to combine text files that seem to collect on my disks the same way some people have coat hangers multiply in their closets; I've used it for the purpose of backingupmy CMD devices. Ifound using the Archiver to be the fastest method for both backing up and restoring data. When I backed up my hard drive, I had one very large Native mode partition with many subdirectories onitas wellas several disk emulation
CUS
partitions. Instead of using the Boa utility for the Native directory | used the Archiver to create compressed files ofthe Rootand each subdirectory. |alsoused the Archiver for my disk emulation partitions, selectingall the filesin each partition. When I named the archives, | used names which would let me know where the files within belong, such as ‘Lutils’ tells me the files within belongin partition#1, in theutilities subdirectory. I used the same technique recently with my
29
RAMLink, and then completely erased the contents of it so I could rearrange the partition sizes. It took less time to restore my files than it hasusing any othermethod I've used in the past.
I've found the archiver useful for moving a lot of small files, such as Print Shop graphics, from a slower device (likea 1541) tomy hard drive. Since I had several 1541 disks with these graphics, | compressed the contents of each disk in one session to archives on my hard drive. As | dissolved the files, | opted to skip any duplicated file names. | didn’t have the patience to test my theory, but I'm positive this took much less time than it would have to copy the files individually while skipping like named files.
The “Move” files feature is something I find I use often, and miss in other copy programs since it saves me the step of deleting the files after copying them, if this was my intention.
CKitalso gives access to 1581 style subpartitions, which I found useful for getting my data out of these subpartitions and onto my hard drive instead. I found that if I loaded CKit while [ had a partitioned 1581 disk in the drive (with a partition active instead of the root directory) that CKit would crash as soon as I tried to select the disk drives to use. The solution was to load CKit without a disk in the drive and then inserting it prior to selecting drives.
Grumbles
Powerhasa price. Mad Man appears to know the value of a good thing and has protected CKit in a manner that makes it easy to copy the system onto other drives—but without the Security Key, the program will not operate correctly. Considering the amount of work that has gone into this utility, it may be the only way for the Mad Man to receive fair compensation for their efforts; but some users will likely refuse to buy the software because a security dongle is required.
COMMODORE WORLD
The previous version of the Compression Kit had complaints aboutits speed of operation; but with CKit 94’s use RAM and the 128’s 2 MHz mode for compression routines, this complaintis no longer valid. CKit 94 is much faster than previous version. Unfortunately, files compressed with the earlier version cannot be decompressed with the newer one. This wasn't mentioned in the updated documentation, and should have been.
The Decomper program is a means of showing what the CkKit system is like to those who don't have it. Unfortunately, it doesn't use some of CKit’s finest features such as using REU or DACC partitions for faster operation, It operates in 64 mode without the added benefits that CKit gives 128 owners. I'm grateful that Decomper
Karma V1, by Brett J. Tabke: PHD Software Systems, Box 23, Moville IA, 51039-0023. Suggested list $59.95 (plus $15 shipping).
Karma is a fast and full-featured macro assembler for — the Commodore 128 only. It shares many operational features with an earlier assembler, Buddy, in that it allows source code to be stored in either program or sequential files. Karma is especially rich in the types of labels (symbols) that are allowed. Karma hasa few syntax oddities that may take some time to get used to, but most programmers will find its environment familiar.
It's good to see a new assembler forthe Commodore 8 bit computers. The older ones, such as PAL, BUDDY, and Commodore's original Developer's package (HCD) were
COMMODORE WORLD
exists, but I feel it doesn’t do the commercial program justice.
Since the utility to create self dissolving .MAD files works only on archived files which are 192 blocks or less, | find it frustrating that there isn’t an option in the Archive utilities to limit the size of the archives to match this size. Users can elect either 100 or 200 disk blocks as the limits and hope for the best if they choose to use the 200 block limit.
As previously mentioned, the compression of files still leaves something to be desired; but in backing up graphic files CKit surprised me by compressing the already tightly compressed Fun Graphics Machine “Clip Art” files. Accuracy over compression has been the theme of both versions of CKit that I've used, and to this end, it does as it claims.
My last grumble is my biggest. I like the CKit and I have several things I'd still like to see implemented that | think would benefit many users, especially where the Filemaster utility is concerned.
I was disappointed when I read in Commodore World’s Issue #5, “Mad Man Update” that this is expected to be the last release of the CKit. As it stands, the system is excellent for power users who want to back up their hard drives and RAMLinks. I'd like to see it push the envelope a little further, though, and combine features which are available in CMD's FCOPY+ program, such as the ability to rename files, create and remove subdirectories, make use of selective directories, and or use the real time clocks (RTC’s) in CMD devices when listing files for processing.
A New Assembler for the Commodore 128
getting hard to find. And the arrival ofa new product isa reassuring sign that these machines are still viable.
Traditional assembler systems comein two chunks: an editor, where you prepare your source program; and an assembler, which translates it into working code. The Commodore HCD works this way, and though it is slow, it is capable of assembling huge programs.
PAL takes a different approach: let the built-in Basic system be your editor so that the assembler can pick up the code directly (in “tokenized” Basic) and do the job quickly. The BUDDY system allows you to use either or both methods; so does KARMA. Itmight have been nice for the KARMA package to include a sequential editor, but that’s no problem for most users: good editors such as ZED128 can readily be used.
The Package KARMA comesasasingle 5-1/4 inch
disk, plus a spiral-bound manual of
approximately 70 pages. The disk is non-protected, and the wise user will start by making an archival backup. The disk contains not only KARMA, but also a disassembler called
UNKARMA, UNKARMA will be of
limited use to most users. The disk contents are carefully sized so that its contents can be read ona 1541, in case the purchaser does not have a 1571. Themanualisthoughtfully written. It compares KARMA characteristics with that ofotherassemblers, without boasting of KARMA’s superiority. It comes with an appendix and index to help the reader find a specific subject. And many programmers will like the spiral binding, which allows the document to lie flat on a desk.
30
Also very high on my list is the ability to extract single files from an archive. CKit allows the user to view the files in archives and this would be a logical place to add the ability to highlight a filename and have it be extracted. | hope that perhaps Mad Man Software can yet be persuaded to continue their efforts with this utility.
Wrap Up While it may not compress files as other utilities might, CKit’s user friendliness makes it much easier touse than any other compression or backup utility available. It’s meticulous in creating acurate archives and copies. When it comes to backing up important data or storage devices like a hard drive, accuracy is a must, and this is what Ckit delivers.
- Gaelyne R, Moranec
I wish the manual started with a walk-through for the beginner. It's reassuring to be invited to install the assembler, write a few lines of code, assemble them, and then see the results. It's alsoa good way toensure that your program has arrived in good order.
The documentation is quite readable; headings are underlined and bold-face type is used where appropriate, A minor annoyance occurs near the beginning: a couple of example lines start with ‘ex:’, apparently meaning ‘example’; the user should not type this in, just the rest of the line.
Installation and Setup
KARMA will install itselfinto a high area of Bank 1, and will stay there until the 128 is reset or powered down. When you want KARMA to
Issue 9
go to work, a SYS command will fire itup. Meanwhile, you can run other Basic programs as usual; KARMA will have no effect on them.
To do an assembly, you must load some Basic code. This must include a SYS call to crank up KARMA. The code loaded into memory might also include your source program, but your source code can remain on disk if you wish. Such a code may be called in by using directive ‘file’ (for Basic- style files), or *.seq’ (for sequential text files). You can call in multiple files this way, so that your program can be written as a series of files. There are provisions here for using the 128’s burst mode loading, which will greatly speed up disk file reading.
There’s a rich set of other directives. Conditional assembly uses an if.. else .. endif structure, and the “.if options cover not only true or false, but also whether a symbol has been declared or not. ‘If structures do not nest, but that’s not hard to get around. Macros don’t nest either, but they are set up flexibly with multiple parameter passing. Oddly, the Karma group. state in the documentation that they don’t like macros and never use them! Many other directives are available; for example, the offset directive ‘off allows you to generate code that will be moved to a location other than its original load address.
Gaps and Oddities.
The assembler does not support logical operators such as AND and OR (the Op Codes AND and OR are there, of course). These operators are rarely used, but can be needed on occasion. For example, if you wanted to move the assembly point to the start of the next memory page—perhaps to set upa table that fitsentirely on one page—you might want to performacalculation similar to this:
ProgramCounter= (ProgramCounter +255) AND SFFOO
Ican’tseea way todothisin KARMA.
Volume 2, Number 4
An interesting innovation in KARMA isthe way it treats operands that start with any of the symbols: “<‘ (low byte), ‘>’ (high byte), ""” (Pet Ascii), or ‘@’ (Screen Ascii). These all trigger immediate-mode addressing. Such expressions would normally need to start with the ‘#’ character to signal this, and KARMA allows you to code it this Way, too.
Many programs have crashed because a programmer forgets to include that immediate character; the KARMA syntax will save a lot of this. My personal preference would be to get a warning message when the ‘#’ was left out; KARMA just goes ahead and assumes immediate mode.
One oddity of this scheme is that LDA "a"+1_ will generate code different from that of LDA l+"a" ..ifthe special symbol doesn’t start the operand field, immediate mode will not be triggered. Adding the ‘#’ character will fix everything, of course.
There are minor format anomalies. For example, ROL (Rotate Left) ofthe A register must be coded as ROL alone. ‘ROL A’ doesn’t work. Messages can be sent tothe screen during the assembly process, but the ‘.msg’ commands don’t automatically terminate with a RETURN; you have to code this in manually.
Symbols and Labels
KARMA is generous in its allowance of symbol/label formats and types. Symbols such as ‘the.secret.number. of.karma’ are problem, although programmers tend to stay clear of very long symbols for fear of writer's cramp. KARMA also has a good set of temporary symbols, popular for coding short branches and tiny loops.
no
These come in two styles: the plus and minus symbols (branch ahead to the next plus symbol; branch back to the last previous minus symbol), and the ‘lira’ symbols.
You might think of the ‘Lira’ symbol as that used for British “pounds” currency. Whatever you call it, it helps to define temporary labels that can be used in a local area of the code. You may across other assemblers which use similar schemes with the dollars symbol, for example, local labels called 3$ and 5$.
As the manual correctly points
have run
out, you can’t start a line with a numeric character when you're working in the Basic editor, and a numericstarting witha dollarsymbol would be taken as a hexadecimal value. So, the Lira was substituted, anditseemsto work well when there are no coding errors. When such errors occur, the assembly output confusing; perhaps the symbol table gets muddled.
and reports are
The Disassembler The UNKARMA assembler seems to me to be of
reverse
RMJAN88 January 1988 RMFEB88 February 1988 RMMAR88 March 1988 RMAPR88 April 1988 RMMAY88 May 1988 RMJUN88 June 1988 RMJUL88 July 1988 RMFEB89 February 1989 RMMAY89 May 1989 RMJUN89 June 1989 RMJUL89 July 1989 RMAUG89 August 1989 RMSEP89 September 1989
CW1 Issue 1, Volume 1, Number 1 CW2 Issue 2, Volume 1, Number 2 CW3 Issue 1, Volume 1, Number 3 CW4 Issue 1, Volume 1, Number 4
issues.; Foreign $5.00 per issue.
31
CW & RUN BACK ISSUES
For years, RUN Magazine provided Commodore Users with a great source of information, and now CMD has given you Commodore World. Don't let this valuable information slip away—fill in the voids in your library now!
RUN Magazine Back Issues Any 3 issues for $12.00, any 6 for $18.00, or any 12 for only $24.00
Shipping: 3 or 6 issues - U.S. $3.00, Canada $5.00, Foreign $15.00; 12 issues U.S. $5.00; Canada $7.00; Foreign $20.00.
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use only on the smallest, simplest programs. Without intelligent interaction between computer and human, it’s impossible to guess and correctly decode complexities like tables of jump addresses, or high/low byte setup for indirect pointers. The few good reverse assemblers | have run across allow the user to construct a table, sometimes elaborate, that says how to interpret the various bytes of the program.
The complete source listing for UNKARMA is. useful, however. It lets the user see the kind of coding style that can be put to workin KARMA projects,
Conclusion. This isa good, fast, and powerful assembler. It’s specifically tailored to the Commodore 128 and makes good use of features such as burst-mode disk activity. - Jim Butterfield »
RMOCT89 October 1989 RMSP89 Special Issue 1989 RMJANSO January 1990 RMMAY90 May 1990 RMJUN90 June/July 1990 RMDEC90 December 1990 RMJAN91 Jan/Feb 1991 RMJAN92 Jan/Feb 1992 RMMAR92 March/April 1992 RMMAY92 May/June 1992 RMJUL92 July/August 1992 RMSEP92 Sep/October 1992
RMNOV92 Nov/December 1992
CW5 Issue 1, Volume 1, Number 5 CWE Issue 6, Volume 2, Number 1 CW7 Issue 7, Volume 2, Number 2 CW8 Issue 8, Volume 2, Number 3
COMMODORE WORLD
6 6
a POTENT OSTEO IATA RR ieee
Woooeodk Szo0tiqi2 = Blood Money Psygonosis Ltd, Available from CMD
I have this really annoying habit of
waking up extremely early, even on weekends. This Saturday, like most, my eyeballs unwillingly popped open before 8 a.m, While listening to my daughter “sawing logs” in the other room, | decided to enjoy my “quiet time” (the blissful time that | havealltomyselfbefore my daughter wakes up) by going on a “kamikaze quest for gold and glory”. At 8 a.m., with the use of my C64 and Blood Money, I ventured into a land containing four Outer Planets, alien life-forms, challenges beyond belief, colorful graphics, great music and sound effects,
Blood Money's initial screen gave meachoice of playing either a one or two player game. Since I thought it would be rude to wake my cohort, | settled for a one player game. The two player option allows a comrade toassist me in destroying the aliens. Here, | could also switch between music and sound — effects. Additionally, during game play, | could also use the F3 key to toggle between sound effects and music. By the way, both effects in this game are great, especially the music. For the time, I settled for the sound
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effects to help restrain my natural tendency of cranking up the volume while listening to a great tune. The third option allows me to decide the level of game play—patient or impatient. | must admit, once I'd tried out both of these options, | couldn't distinguish between either of them.
The manual quotes Blood Money as an “Alien Safari across the untamed horizons of four hostile planets.” What a unique way to start my weekend! The journey begins with an allotment of 200 credits. The first 100 ofthese credits will be spent on admission to the first planet known as Gibba. Admission
increases by 100 credits for each of
the three successive planets— Grone, Shreek, and Snuff. When the game began, [found that my vehicle, controlled by ajoystick, looked more like a helicopter than a space ship. It didn’t take long before | met up with a whole host of aliens in addition to randomly placed bomb- shooting weapons. I discovered that the obliteration of some life-forms resulted in floating credits. The only way to grab these credits was to quickly but skillfully guide my ship into them, Not an easy task when you've got a slew of aliens on your tail.
During my trip, Ineeded toaccrue enough credits for admission to the next planet. Also, I found stores at various locations, At these stores | could use my credits to purchase missiles, bombs, thrusters, health and efficiency boosters, and extra bodies.
How addicting is this game? Well, at 10:30 a.m., my daughter finally
managed to drag me away from the screen, It was either thatorshewould have died a certain death due to
starvation. It amazes me that I haven't heard of this game before. Perhaps because it’s yet another space game. After playing so many space games, | will undoubtedly be prepared for theinevitable day when Iwill be at the helm of my own lazer- equipped spaceship! Beware of ships bearing the QT symbol, because heaven knows, my cohortsand | have had plenty of advanced training!!!
- Sherry Freedline
CHAMPIONSHIP
BASEBALL’
PYRIGHT Oe ME THuIsION HNC
Championship Baseball Activision Available from SSI
As a youngster, | rarely enjoyed a game of baseball. Just like a magnet, I had an uncanny ability to attract that hard baseball to my body. However, I do enjoy going to see baseball games, as well as watching them on TV, Now, with Activision’s Championship Baseball, 1 can actively participate without the fear of injuring myself.
Championship Baseball's opening screen displays three different game options: League Play, Exhibition Play, and Batting Practice. As a new player, you may want to practice your swing with the
32
Batting Practice option, Here the pitcher throws the same variety of pitches as in the actual Championship Baseball games. You may opt to “bunt” or “swing away”. To select your desired swing, you must time the press of your joystick button; press it before the ball is pitched for a bunt, and press it after the ball is pitched to swing away. A few practice swings and you'll be ready for the big time. When you've had enough, you can press the FS and F7 keys together to move on toa real game.
You'll need to choose between League Play or Exhibition Play before you can play an actual game. Ifit’s a one-player game and you don’t care to draft your own team, select Exhibition Play. Ifyou'd like to play a two-player game against a live opponent, you'll also want to select Exhibition Play. But, if you want to play a one-player game with a team of your own creation against the computer, then choose the League Play option.
Attimes you'll want to draft your own team, such as in two-player Exhibition Play and one-player League Play. You'll need to supply your own data disk in order to save your team configuration. Once you've elected to draft a New Team, you're asked to name your team. Then you'll cycle through the infield and outfield positions, catcher, 3 pitchers, one reliever, and 2 reserves witha choice of two different players for each position (player A or B). Each of these players will have varying skill ratings, Players A and B willeither bea Liner ora Slugger and will be rated for Batting, Catching,
Issue 9
GAMES - MINIVIEWS [a NSS
IMULNUW/ULS
f\ U
GAMES. MINIVIEWS - GAR
=
Ca pS Haas fae
ao ) hae
Pe | VATLINI WV \V7[ le ere
GAME
Sl La Lh EZ
GAMES - MINIVIEWS - GAMES - MINIVIEWS - GAMES
IAULNUW UES
Running, and Throwing. Once you've selected either A or B, enter the name and you'll move on to the next position. Pitchers are rated according to their Speed, Control, and Stamina,
After your team is drafted, organize your line-up, choose your division, and it’s time for the first pitch of the game. I found the game play to be alittle difficult. First ofall, while up at bat, it takes a while to learn exactly when to press the joystick button in order to hit the ball. Though once you've practiced this a bit, it does get easier. When you're playing the field, you control ALL the players. You really need quick reflexes to be able to catch the ball and get it to the desired base to tag the runner out. But, practice makes perfect, and at leastit’s fun to practice.
Win the division by ending your five game season with the bestrecord and you'll advance to the one-game playoff against the champion from your paired division. Win the playoff game to move up to the Championship — series. The Championship is won by the winner of 2 out of 3 games.
The game looks good and sounds equally as good with cheers from the crowd. The game comes complete with a manual which provides easy to decipher instructions on how to get up to bat with Championship Baseball. Joysticks are required as well as a blank disk or disks depending on the number of live players. You'll also need to clear a block oftime to play througha whole
Volume 2, Number 4
game, afterall, thereare nineinnings toa game. Oh, one last thing: you'll need to supply own peanuts and popcorn!!
- Sherry Freedline
, th a A! ah. ee peek Phe Ae
ABC Monday Night Football
Data East
Available from CMD
The end of the football season no longer has to mean the end of Monday Night Football. Thanks to the folks at Data East, this popular weekly pass-time can be enjoyed every single day!
By now, almost everyone knows what a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan Iam. Last year we were treated to a thrilling season, even though it ended two weeks sooner than
expected, With all the playoff
excitementin the air, itwas definitely the perfect time to review ABC Monday Night Football. Complete documentation is provided with an instruction guide and fold out Commodore 64/128 instruction card. Since I’m not familiar with all the intricate details of football, | thought it wise to thoroughly read the manuals, which, by the way, are very well
GAME Sar
done. They even contain a glossary of football terms. Still, after reading both sets, | had no idea what surprises awaited me on that innocent looking floppy disk.
| popped the disk into the drive, issued the load “boot”, 8 command, and...wow!...my jaw about hit the floor! | was honestly surprised! | expected the great graphics, but certainly not the digitized speech. Right then, I knew this was one of the coolest games I've reviewed to date.
Once you enjoy the opening screens and a guest appearance by Frank Gifford, the Game Options Menu appears, Choose your preferences for Field Goal/Extra Point, Cheerleaders, and Half-time/ Game Over settings.
Then it’s off to the main game menu where seven different game options await. I was glad to see a one-player practice option, This is a fantastic option for first-time players. The next three optionsallow selections of competitors for exhibition games. These are followed
by alternatives for playing a playoff
series with up to ten players! Finally,
a demo mode allows sneak peeks of
the game.
Yet a third menu can be accessed by hitting the Run/Stop key. It is very important because it is where the strengths and weaknesses of team playersmay be modified. A Playmaker Utility isalsoavailable from this menu enabling you to create your very own plays from scratch.
Finally, it’s game time! Before every play the Play Selection screen appears. At this time, both the
33
IMULNUW/ UE WATS
offense and defense can select their next plays. Then, it’s off to the line of scrimmage. And the fun begins! Digitized speech announces the “huts” and “hikes”,
Of course, after the “hike” is hollered, the center snaps the ball to the quarterback, which, lo and behold happens to be you! At the bottom of the screen are a row of helmets representing each of the possible receivers. Cycle through each ofthe helmets by holding down the joystick button. When the desired helmet is highlighted release the button and you become the intended recipient of the football. The computer now controls the quarterback and tries to complete the play. It will take a bit of time to get accustomed to selecting your receivers because these decisions must be made quickly before the defense sacks you. Thankfully, you can't forget which player you are controlling due to a triangle icon reminder. Of course, after playing offense, you'll also get a chance to play defense.
This gameisjust packed from byte to byte with every imaginable feature. Half-time Cheerleaders, music, and even an ABC Monday Night Football TriviaGameare some ofthe cooler features. Unfortunately, there are way too many features to explain all in this “mini-review”. So there's only oneway tofindout...play ABC Monday Night Football, you definitely won't be sorry, although your spouse may be!
- Sherry Freedline »
COMMODORE WORLD
Lions of the Universe
$19.95; Electric Boys Entertainment Software; Creative Micro Designs, Inc., P.O. Box 646, East Longmeadow, MA 01028-0646; (800) 638-3263.
Lions of the Universe is the second all new game brought to us in recent months from the folks whocall themselves Electric Boys, Unfortunately, the days of drooling over an abundance of Commodore games has long been gone. So of course, it’s great to see new gamesstill arrivingon the scene. Now we really need to be grateful for those programmers still creating new programs for our beloved machine.
Lions of the Universe is not just another space game. Itisone ofthe most unique and challenging space games I've played to date. The Lions are starfighters for the Omacron sector of the galaxy. And, as most space games go, their sectoris being attacked by alien forces. As the top Lion, you must save your sector from these menacing creature ships.
So, you're probably wondering, what is so unique about the game to justify its purchase? First of all, the alien attackers consist of space ships which usually swarm in groups of at least four or more, Right from the very start, you'll notice they don’t just fly right at you. They travel inrandom dance-like patterns. Sometimes they'll even come at you from behind. From level to level, you'll never know what to expect next. This makes shooting them quite a challenge, but it can
COMMODORE WORLD
be done, you'll just need to be quick on the trigger. And fortunately, you'll find help scattered along your travels in the form of “glowing weapon icons”. The icons change as you shoot them. When you see a desired weapon, simply fly into the icon to arm your ship. The weapons will provide you with the capability of shooting in various directions at one time. Try to collect as many as you can, otherwise you won't be able to get very far into the game.
At the end of each wave of alien spaceships, you'll be greeted by an angry “Mega Guardian”. Their demise (yes, sometimes there are more than one of these big guys) requires patience and a well-armed space ship. Conquering these awesome monsters is rewarded by advancing to yet another even more challenging wave of aliens.
Secondly, a truly awesome soundtrack adds to the game’s overall unique gaming experience. The combined music and sound effects, along with bright colorful graphics keep you coming back for more and more.
Now for the downside...CMD distributes the NTSC version of Lions of the Universe. Overall, the game translated very well but depending on
your system, you may experience brief periods of
screen flicker, There isn’t much that can be done to overcome this problem. Lions of the Universe was programmed on a PAL system which uses different timing systems than our own NTSC Commodores.
Due to these and other differences, many PAL programs can’t be used at all on NTSC systems. Luckily, Lions of the Universe is one of those programs that converted well for NTSC systems. Otherwise, NTSC Commodore system owners would have to do without such a great game. In the future, | hope we see more great games from Electric Boys. They are definitely a talented group!
- Sherry Freedline
34
Super Pogo Stick $11.95; Yanney Software, P.O. Box 224, Lebanon, PA 17042-0224.
lamalways happy to see brand new games introduced into the Commodore market. In recent months, Super Pogo Stick is one of four new games that I've noticed. This is fantastic news for all diehard Commodore users!
Super Pogo Stickis contained onasingle 5 1/4" disk. In addition to the game file, the disk contains 30 different mazes contained in 6 maze files. However, only five default mazes can be used during one game. To change the default maze file, you'll need to rename one of the maze files. Also supplied on the disk is a BASIC program to create your own challenging maze files.
The very second I began playing Super Pogo Stick, my mind instantly recalled the infamous Lode Runner game by Broderbund. However, there are quite a few differences between the two games,
Issue 9
and playing Super Pogo Stick is indeed a unique experience.
Each game screen features a maze containing a series of brick ledges. Some of the ledges contain dislodged bricks. Your goal is to safely make your way through the maze and pop them back into place by moving your pogo stick over top of them. Elevators, steps, and up to nine different obstacles can make reaching the bricks quite a challenge.
The only way to progress to the next level is to repair all the dislocated bricks. Points are earned by completing levels and repairing bricks, as well as guiding your pogo stick over randomly placed dollar signs, question marks, mystery eggs, hour glasses, and mini pogo sticks. The hour glass also increases your time and the mini pogo sticks will reward you with an extra life.
I love the game play along with the bright, colorful graphics. However, the sound effects truly annoyed me, I could turndownthevolume, butagamewithout sound is just as bad as a game with disturbing sound effects. I'dlove to see an updated version of this game released featuring new sound effects and/or a catchy musical tune. The best attribute of this game is it never grows old because once you've conquered each of the included mazes, you can create all new mazes to conquer!
-Sherry Freedline
Volume 2, Number 4
Riddles And Stones
You'll find a story tucked away in the documentation
for Riddles And Stones, a dramatic piece of writing which provides you with some kind of
a back story for the game; an excuse for its existence, so to speak. It has to do with a spooky mansion and thunder and lightning and all that sort of thing. Read it; it's pretty cool. Don't let that story fool you, however. This game doesn’t require any excuses at all.
Riddles and Stones is a dream. It is clearly evident in every detail that this game was a labor of love. If you aren't convinced of that just by watching the beautiful graphics or by listening to the music, you will be once you read the history of the game’s creation.
The manual includes that story as well. Years of work went into it, not only in creating top- notch graphics and music but also in developing the basic concept into an elegantly smooth game loaded with user-friendly features.
As with so many excellent strategy games, Tetris being a prime example, the game is simple to learn and easy to conquer at the lower levels. Essentially, you need to pick up stones and place them in a path from one edge of the square playing field to the other. The symbols on the stones you place must match the symbols on the playing field where youset them down. Oh, and stones move until they hitsomething. That's about it.
Of course, as the levels slip by oh so smoothly, little challenges present themselves. There are suddenly two possible paths to take or a simple wrong turn that makes itimpossible to stop a stone from bouncing back and forth. Fancier spaces find their place on the playing field, giving you the chance to skip back and forthor jump walls. It take more and more
35
DM 25 (German Marks); Rene Lerch, I. Wendung 9, D-23970, Wismar, Germany; 03841/615859
concentration and careful planning to complete afield. And before you know, you've spent hours at it.
Riddles And Stones is a game written by a devoted Commodore gamer and it showsin some of the exceptional features incorporated into the game play. For example, each field in each level has a password, which saves you the trouble of playing the same levels over and over as you work. Ifa field stumps you, you can try it over again without having to reboot by pressing a function key.
The manual, while heavily spiced with personal anecdotes, finds plenty of room for the important stuff, the game rules and setup. If that isn’t enough, you can send for a list of all the passwords and all the solutions so you can move around and see the pretty pictures or just jump ahead and play a particularly hard level for the fun of it.
Unfortunately, Riddles And Stones is not compatible with extra peripherals. 1 had to disconnect my RAMLink and my second disk drive in order for the game to progress past level one.
This isn’t critical, T suppose, but if | have to disconnect things to play a game | am less likely to play it. The manual does — clearly state that you need to remove any extra drives, so at least the author is up front about it. And hey, Riddles And Stones is one game that would be worth a little extra effort to play. It's simply one of the best games I've seen for the Commodore.
- Steve Vander Ark c)
>)
COMMODORE WORLD
HY Alin] of
Collectibles
The Commodore 264 Series
The Commodore 264
ave you ever gone toa garage sale or flea
market and noticed a machine that
looked similar to a old brown bread box
64, except that it was black in color? In the late 1980s, did you ever see an ad from a liquidation company called C.O.M.B. that was advertising a Commodore machine called a Plus/4? Ifso, you haveseenamember ofthe Commodore 264 series. To understand why these machines are noteworthy, we must go overa bit of Commodore history. Now, stay with me, this won't take long. As many of you know, CBM stands for Commodore Business Machines, and Commodore sold just that: Business Machines. When Commodore introduced computers to supplant their calculator and business furniture sales, they targeted the business sector. The result was the successful PET/CBM line of business computers. However, in the early 1980s, Commodore decided to target the emerginghome computer market with the VIC-20, partly because that marketlooked promising and partly because Commodore needed to recoup losses on a specialized graphics/sound chip that Commodore developed and unsuccessfully marketed to video game companies. This chip, the VIC-I, formed the heart of the VIC-20, giving
COMMODORE WORLD
the chip a second chance. Well, the VIC-20 surpassed Commodore's sales expectations, and the C64 became one of the best selling home computers of the 1980s. Notice, though, that all this time Commodore was focusing on the home market. So, in late 1984, Commodore remembered its business roots and unveiled anew line ofbusiness computers: the 264 series,
Originally, two computers made up the 264 series: the Commodore 264 and the V364 (or CV364 or 364V, depending on which references are used). At the low end of the line, the 264 machine sported the following features:
¢ The 7501 CPU, which could be clocked up to
1.76 MHz and was 6502/6510 compatible.
A new keyboard layout with 4 cursor keys in
a diamond configuration,
¢ Acharcoal gray case with white keys, gray function keys, and gray cursor keys.
* Asloping case that lost the bread box look of the VIC and 64,
¢ Anenhanced BASIC, version 3.5.
° 64KB of RAM, of which 60671 bytes were available for BASIC.
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* Support for multiple programming languages.
¢ Built-in 6551 hardware UART for telecommunications.
¢ 40 column by 25 line display via the Text
Editing Device [C (TED),
Ability to display 16 colors with 8 luminance
levels each for a total of 121 different colors
(all shades of black are black).
Built-in machine language monitor
(TEDMon).
Support for parallel interface disk drive
operation.
Magazinesand other periodicals devoted much press to the Text Editing Device (TED) IC, which, like the VIC-I in the VIC-20, combined the graphics and soundinto one chip, The TED could display 40x25 text and 320x200 graphics, yet had no support for hardware sprites. The TED also contained a 3 voice sound (2 sound generators and 1 noise generator). Some people referred to the 264 as the TED machine.
Atthetop endofthe line, Commodore planned to introduce the V364, which shared the same case styling as the 264, but was wider to
Inside view of the 264
Issue 9
accommodate a numeric keypad. Internally, all 264 features were present, with the addition ofa built-in speech synthesizer.
Before the machines were formally introduced, however, Commodore changed its plans. The V364 machine was dropped from the lineup, and the 264 was renamed the Plus/4 (or PLUS/4, as some references show the name as) and marketed as the top-tier machine. The newly renamed Plus/4 machine would be sold with four built-in productivity applications in ROM, called the 341 integrated software suite. With the Plus/4 moving up, two new machines were created to fill the resulting gap: the C16 and the C116. Borrowing from the successful VIC/C64 line, the Commodore 16 sported the same case and keyboard style of those earlier machines, although the key mapping had changed to reflect the need for 4 cursor keys. The C116, although functionally identical to the C16, was housed ina smaller version of the Plus/4 case and had a ‘chicklet’ keyboard. Although laid out like a QWERTY keyboard, the keys were reminiscent of calculator keys and the entire keyboard was much smaller than standard size. To reduce costs of these machine, the following features were either cut or changed from the original 264 (now Plus/4) specification:
* All keys were gray, except cursor keys on the C116, which were light gray.
¢ The machines contained only 16KB of RAM, of which only 12277 bytes were available for BASIC,
¢ Neither machine contained a user port.
* Neither machine contained a 6551 hardware
UART or any support for telecommunications.
The 3+1 software suite was not included, nor
was the ability to use different programming
languages.
Both The Plus/4 and C16 machines were previewed in the November 1984 issue of RUN Magazine.
The version of Commodore BASIC present on the 264 series was rather advanced, in spite of the badly chosen version number. Commodore numbered this version 3.5, even though the command set included all the commands found
Volume 2, Number 4
in Commodore BASIC 4.0 (found on later models of the PET/CBM business line) except the commands DOPEN, DCLOSE, and RECORD. In addition, this version of BASIC includeda rich set of graphics and sound commands, previously found only in extensions to BASIC 2.0 and 4.0. Commands like RENUMBER, RESUME, TRAP,
The Commodore Plus/4
TRON, and TROFF helped make debugging BASIC programs a less tedious task. Some of these commands made their first appearance in the home computer market on the 264 series. One main selling point of the new series was the integration of the productivity software into the computer system. The 3+1 software, a play on the name of Lotus 1-2-3, a popular software package at the time, was one of the first examples of integrated software on a computer system. Four applications were included, which included
Inside view of the Plus/4
a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a graphics program, and data management software. Although rudimentary by todays standards, these programs were usable for light work. Available only on the Plus/4, this software suite was entered from the main screen by hitting
37
the function key F1 and pressing the return key. Commodore played up the convenience of the built-in software and called the Plus/4 the Productivity Machine.
Not only did Commodore introduce built-in integrated software with the 264 series, but they also brought out a whole line of peripherals to support the machines. Among the introductions were: 2 disk drive models, a set of joysticks, a Datasette, and two printers. Each peripheral was charcoal gray to match the computers. Some peripherals, like thejoysticks and Datasettes, were introduced simply because Commodore had changed these connectors on the 264 series, and older models would not work. Other peripherals, like the Commodore 1542 drive, were simply older units that were repainted to match the new color scheme. However, some peripherals, like the 1551 disk drive, were indeed designed with the 264 series in mind.
In the input device department, Commodore marketed a set of joysticks for the computers. These joysticks were simple pistol-grip models with the new connector.
Ifyou have ever wondered why some models of the MPS 803 printer were charcoal gray in color, now you know. Functionally equivalent to the MPS 801 and 1525, this printer was the dot-matrix printer offered for use with the 264 series. For the business setting, Commodore produced the ill-fated DPS-1101 daisy-wheel letter quality printer. I say ill-fated because Commodore computer users have typically embraced graphics printers over text printers, and the DPS-1101 was merely the wrong kind.
The biggest news came in the storage device offerings. As earlier noted, the Datasette, model 1531, was simply a 1530 (or C2N) Datasette with a new connector. The first disk drive model, the 1542, was a similar mutation. Commodore simply dyed and renumbered a 1541 driveto create the 1542. However, Commodore did acknowledge the slowness of disk access on the 264 series by introducing the 1551 disk drive. The 1551, although containing the same mechanism as the 1541/42 (and able to read and write those models disks), featured a new and faster transfer method. The 1551, alternately called the SFS-481 drive, did not use the serial
COMMODORE WORLD
bus, like older drives. Instead, each drive came with a cable and interface that plugged into the expansion port. Two such 1551 drives could — be connected in this way, and a cartridge could be plugged into the back of the interface. Instead of transferring bytes one bit at a time on the serial bus, the 1551 transferred 3 bits at a time on this 3 bit parallel bus (called the TED CBM or TCBM bus), which sped up the transfer rate to 1600 Bps (bytes per second) versus 300-400 Bps for the Commodore serial bus.
Commodore marketed the Modem/300as the modem to use with the Plus/4 (the C16 had no user port). Most people know this modem as the 1660, which could be used on both the VIC-20 and C64 as well.
Along with the name change, the addition of
the 3+1 software, the demise of the V364, and the introduction of the C16 and C116, Commodore changed the marketing plan. Commodore decided to market the series to both the business and educational markets, as well as individuals owning a VIC-20 or C64 that wanted more of a work computer. Alas, a number of technical and marketing problems plagued the 264 series. At the time of introduction, — the Commodore VIC-20 had sold millions of machines, and the Commodore 64 was selling at a similar rate. Users were accustomed to the feeble BASIC 2.0 and the ability to port programs between the two machineswith little effort. With theradical changes in the memory map of the 264 series and the new version of BASIC, programmers found it harder to modify programs to work on the new machine.
There were more software woes. Commodore was slow in ramping up the development of in-house software for the new series, This fact, coupled with the lack of third party software because of code migration problems, presented the new Plus/4, C16, and C116 owner with few choices for software. Meanwhile, thousands of programs were already in production for the C64 and VIC-20.
Atthe time ofintroduction of the computers, a number of Commodore users were still using the Datasette as their primary storage device. For users wishing to use the Datasette on the new
COMMODORE WORLD
evrererrerevereer Meoceeeeeeeeneeme SeeeeRreeeneeen
The Commodore C16
The niga tis C116
machines, the nonstandard connector on the new computers meant either buying anew Datasette or purchasinga special adapter for the existing unit. However, this was a small annoyance compared to the following problem. The tape formats on the new machines were incompatible with all other Commodore machines. Since the introduction of PET 2001, Commodore had maintained a single tape recording format on all its computers. Unintentionally or not, the 264 series routines transferred data to the Datasette halfas fast. This make the Datasette unsuitable for transferring files and data between a Plus/4 or C16 and any other CBM machine, and the slower format made programsand dataloadathalf the normal speed. This made an already slow storage medium more exasperating. On the marketing front, Commodore became a victim of their own
success. With the C64 taking its place as one of
the most economical computers and an established game machine, many saw Commodore as the producer of game oriented machines. Commodore's credibility as a business = computer manufacturer was lost in the shuffle. As a result, few businesses gave the Plus/4 any serious consideration. Also, because of the success of the C64, most Commodore dealers and retail outlets were unwilling to devote much time and space to the new unproved machines. A large number of dealers refused to carry the alternate language ROMs, stating that swapping ROMs was too time and effort consuming.
Buyers, expecting to purchase the newest “game” computer from Commodore, were disappointed when the new machine failed to provide the graphics and sound effects already present on the Commodore 64, Users were greatly disappointed by the lack of hardware sprites, a feature used by many C64 games that helped speed up game play. These things,
38
Internal view of the C16
Internal view of the C116
coupled with the hardware incompatibilities and the lack of software, caused many to either not purchase or return the units.
Those buyers who did look at the machine ina business setting were equally disappointed. Although IBM compatibility was not the hot topic it is toady, the IBM PC and XT had started to appear in business settings. The IBM machine, as well as other business machines of the early to mid 1980s, had effectively standardized on a 80 column by 24 or 25 line display. The 264 series 40 column display just wasn’t wide enough.
So, with all these problems working against the Commodore 264 series, production was short lived. During the late 1980s, the remaining stock
was sold off to liquidators. Since there are actual =. 264
machines (labeled 264) on the market, it is believed Commodore erroneously liquidated the original prototype units as well.
Before you write off the Commodore 264 series as just a minor note in Commodore history, let me assure you that these computers and peripherals helped shape the direction of future Commodore systems. BASIC 3.5, with some changes, became Commodore BASIC 7.0, found in the C128 line. The 1551, though not a huge success in its own right, lent its DOS code to form the base for the 1571 and 1581 DOS versions. In these new products, the legacy of the 264 series proved more successful.
Ifyou are the proud owner of any or all of the components in the 264 series, treasure your purchase. Even though this series never saw the financial success other Commodore systems enjoyed, they are by no means unsupported. Some magazines still cater to the Plus/4-C16 owners. They are, after all, Commodore machines, so most software can be modified to run on these machines. Some of the peripherals, like the printers, modems, and the monitors, canbeusedwith other Commodore computer systems. So, the next time — you encounter black Commodore computerorperipheral, welcome it, as it isno less important than the other orphan Commodore computers,
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Issue 9
eo
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— from the Collector's Notebook —
Commodore 264 Series
“Tis Veely TWa®l a number of NbATA American ceaders have sean a Pris/Y, a ClO, 9 a 1542 Bsk de Ppwever, cmnsiderubly fewer people have seen a $31 disk dye or a Commndore | |G. AiThoush T snl veri<ied, These amponenis are believed To huve been available only