Msg: 5500 *Conference*

10-22-94 18:27:03

From: RICHARD HANSON

To : BILL EVANS

Subj: REPLY TO MSG #5498 (LIBRARY USE)

Hi Bill.  I caught your message to Robert Benson, our x-co-sysop.  Robert's
doing other things right now.  Frankly, I have not seen him online for several
months and don't really expect him back for a long time ... if ever.  So, let
me focus on your concerns.

---

 > First, I'm currently working from a shareware listing that I made from the
LAPDOS II distribution disk.  Since the files there are more or less randomly
ordered, I find it a little dificult to determine which directory (category) to
search to find a specific filename.  There must be some easier way than
cut-and-try when the cataloger's intentions are obscure.  For example, I have
yet to locate MVCDOC.DO, the documentation for the MVCWM3.BA spreadsheet
program.

Since you are coming online with your PC, I highly recommend that you go into
the (4)Library menu, select (C)ategory listings, and download the file called
CLUB100.EXE.  Run this file from a subdirectory on your hard disk, or from a
720K or better floppy.  It is a self-deARCing file containing all 12 listings
as they are here online.  And they are searchable.  You will find a program
called GO.EXE and LIST.COM in with the ARChive when it's deARCed.  Enter GO and
hit <enter>.  You will be placed into what appears to be the same construct as
the library here, online.  When you make a category selection, that list will
be pipped into LIST.COM, automatically.  At that point, you can search for
character strings, i.e., F for find, MVC <enter>

I must respond to you comment about "obscure intentions" with some history.
Back during the initial phases of developing our library, programs came in to
us from all over the place.  We actually attempted to categorize at the point
but ran into resistance.  A few geeks on CompuServe accused us of making money
from the distribution of author-specific programs.  Yeah right, like spending
60 minutes (an hour) making a tape copy or programs and selling it for $8.95
was proporus.  But of course, no one complained about MS-DOS, Apple, or other
disk-based libraries offered by other clubs.  Anyway, we quickly decided to
simply add programs randomly to a collections (an issue) until it was full
(100K = a tpdd formatted disk) then start a new one.  At least the
Compu-get-a-life-geek-servites could not raise the author-specific issue.

By the late 80's no one cared and the geek-u-dorks were gone.  We took the
disk-based, issue-based library, categorized it (over 1000 programs) and formed
the online library new available.  Then, over the next year, Robert Benson
refined the online version of the programs to what you have today.  Then, over
the following time, added or refined a program here, and a program there.  It
was a ton of work but this was Robert's hobby.  He enjoyed doing it and did a
great job.

We still offer the issue-based library and sell issues every month to folks all
over the world.  But why don't they just log onto the Club 100 BBS, get library
access and download the updated stuff?  Two reasons: 1) Only a very small
fraction of our gang is online, and 2) It's cheaper and easier for
long-distance folks (New York, Canada, Texas, Ohio, Europe, Japan, etc.) to get
the programming by mail order.

---

 > Second, the practice of downloading all BASIC files in ASCII even though
they are labeled with a .BA extension is giving me some trouble.  My Model 100
expects .BA files to be tokenized and objects if they're not.  The M-100 won't
let me rename files with a different extension.  When I rename the files to .DO
(while they're still in my IBM PC) then transfer them to the M-100 using
LAPDOS, the first few lines somehow get fouled up and need editing before BASIC
will accept them.  Is there a cleaner way of handling this problem?

You are a Lapdos II user.  This is great!  All you need is the "trick" to
renaming the .BA files.  Here's an example:

Let's say you just downloaded LIFE.BA and LIFE.DO to your DOS computer.  Now,
you and I know that both the .BA and .DO files are ASCII.  And, you know that
the Model 100 will choak and die when you LAPDOS a .BA-named ASCII file into
your Model 100 and try to run it.  Even from the beginning, when you transfer
the file from the DOS computer to your Model 100 with LAPDOS, the trouble
starts cause .DO and .BA files are stored differently.

You also know that you can't rename LIFE.BA as LIFE.DO on your DOS computer,
cause you already have a LIFE.DO--unless you rename LIFE.DO as LIFE.DOC or
something like that.  Anyway... here's the solution... and it's so simple.

1) Keep both LIFE.BA and LIFE.DO on your DOS computer as is, even though the
.BA should really be .DO.

2) Use Lapdos to copy the LIFE.BA to your Model 100 but ... STOP!!!  When you
place your bar-cursor over LIFE.BA to copy it to your Model 100, the screen
says...  Copy 'C:LIFE.BA' to P:LIFE.BA_   (the _ indicates the cursor).  Simply
backspace out the BA, key in DO and hit <enter>.  Your Model 100 now shows
LIFE.DO as it should.

3) Leave your DOS computer in the LAPDOS screen and <shift><break> your Model
100 to leave the LAPDOS.BA emulator program.

4) Go into BASIC, enter LOAD"LIFE and hit <enter>.  When the WAIT light stops
blinking, enter SAVE"LIFE and hit <enter>.  Now exit BASIC <f8> to see both
LIFE.DO and LIFE.BA in your menu.  Both are the program code: the .DO is the
ASCII version and the .BA is the tokenized version.

5) On your Model 100, run the LAPDOS.BA program to once again return to the
emulation mode.

6) On your DOS compuer ... still in LAPDOS ... move your bar cursor to the
right hand side of the screen (the Mdoel 100 side), hit L for <L>og and
<enter>.  You will now see both the LIFE.DO and LIFE.BA files.

7) <E>rase the LIFE.DO and <C>opy the LIFE.BA to the DOS computer, overwriting
the existing LIFE.BA file, thus replacing the ASCII code version with the
tokenized code version.

---

This was an example ... the "trick" for DOS computer users.  Please download
this message, study it and refine its use.

Bill ... I appreciate your library access participation.  The money you spent
keeps this computer online, physically.  Your interest in Model T computing and
your good will by spreading the word, encouraging others to participate in Club
100 keeps me online, physically.

At your service... -Rick-