Msg: 5171 *Conference*

07-06-94 16:46:59

From: TRACY ALLEN

To : COMET _

Subj: REPLY TO MSG #5159 (MEMORY EXPANSION)

I just received a card in the mail from King Computer, listing the "Secrets of
ROM" book, among other things.  The bad news is that the price is back up to
$40!  
  
  The RAMPAC does plug into the expansion bus.  On the 102, the bus is on the
back edge of the computer.  On the M100, it is under the hood, in the same
compartment with the option ROM socket.  To use the RAMPAC on the M100, you
would have to have a special adapter cable, which makes provision for
simultaneous use of the RAMPAC and the extRAM/XR4. The software drivers for the
RAMPAC and the extRAM/XR4 coexist without problems.
  
  The software for the extRAM/XR4 has come a long way from the time of the
article in 1990.  It now handles loading of individual files.  However, it is
true that it can only save material into the XR4 32k at a time.  Saving an
individual file involves swapping banks, loading the file, and swapping back.
The XR4MNU program automates that process, but it is awkward and
counterintuitive for non-techies.  Your proposal, to do the file saving by
precreating file pointers, would be an interesting project and I encourage you
to do it!
  
 -- Tracy