Commodore Free 20/Commodore_Free_Issue_20_2008_Commodore_Computer_Club.d64/t.b guide 5.1

Text File | 2023-02-26 | 13KB | 376 lines

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In the Beginning Part 5
By Lord Ronin from Q-Link

Chapter 5, Section 1

There is the need to present ones
thoughts in some form of preservation.
Paintings on cave walls, weird marks
in clay tablets, carved complicated
hieroglyphs in tombs, different
languages on papyrus, sheep skin and
paper. Now we have entered the age of
the Personal Computer. Where we can
put our thoughts to not only a paper
form. But an electronic form. And Save
them to disks for the future.

I Said that this was a personal trip
at the beginning. So here goes; with a
part of the real personal section.
Computers are an information and
retrieval system. That is what I was
told in 1974ce in college by the
instructor. No argument on the storage
part. But the retrieval part? Well
lets look at that for a moment. Hmm,
we have had PCs from around1977. PET,
Apple, Vic, C=64, and others. Even the
IBM PC jr. There are other PC
platforms that I am leaving out, like
Osbourne, Mattel, Atari as they are
not something I know about and their
exact entry dates are lost to me.
Others are left out because I dont
know them. OK the Spectrum is left out
because of the war between C= and
Spectrum users. TRS-80 series and the
other Radio Shack lines as I didn't
mess with them much. All of that
simply means that there were and
therefore it should be understood that
there are still a lot of PCs out there
in the world.

 30+ years of them! Here we are stuck
with two problems. Cross platform, as
the Apple pcs don't run the C=
applications etc. The second and most
horrible is backwards compatibility on
many PC platforms. I mean that what
you spent money and time upon now,
Well it doesn't work with the new
upgrade/model. Nor do you get a single
thing in compensation for your time
and money. Just the shaft from the
company. One of the stupidest things I
ever heard from a user of a non C= PC.
Regarding the ability to use older
software was, "Why would I want to
look at that old stuff?". He wasn't
being sarcastic. He just couldn't see
a reason to keep or use the older
stuff when the new things came out.
Well the old stuff must be important.
I mean it exists in the first place.
You spent money on it, and spent hours
of your life with it. Call me a
nutter, but that makes it important
for me to keep.

 OK I am not just talking about games.
I'm talking about things that you have
written. Got a story here, one that is
a real bummer. So obviously it has
nothing to do with the C= <G>. Anyway
had a guy come into my shop. He had
heard that Ideal with
older computers. His mom had passed
on. After some time they found that
she had a safety deposit box. When it
was opened, there were several things
in it that I forget. As I remember the
one thing that brought him to me. A
disk, handwritten label that said it
was for the family. Done to the best
of my understanding on a 286 and the
Word Processor she liked at the time.
On his much newer system, well he
couldn't see a flaming thing. Could be
the lost family treasure, black sheep
history of the genealogy or her
favourite fruitcake recipe. He can't
find out. Nor could I as I don't
support that PC platform. Operating
systems change; as does the media. So
why the smeg try to save anything
today on a computer, when tomorrow you
can't see it?

 Ah, that isn't the case with the
Commodore. In fact there are emulation
disks from Commodore themselves, that
allow the 64 to act like a Vic or a
PET. Never used them I must add and I
stupidly sold my factory copies.
Getting my rant out of the way and
using that as a basis for the writing
part. Lets get to it.

 We use standard PET ascii. Other PC
platforms use ascii.  I have already
mentioned a bit on the difference.
Along with the different characters
from the keyboard. Sounds as if we
can't look at any text from the other
platforms. Not true, there are C=based
tools and utilities that will allow us
to translate their language to ours
and the reverse. OK to be truthful it
isn't 100% perfect. Some characters
just don't translate. An example is
needed at this point. On my BBS, I
write all the text in standard PET
ASCII. But that isn't to say that my
callers are all using a C=machine. So
how is it that they can see the text
that I write, in what seems normal or
native to them? I have a translator in
the BBS programme. The caller selects
what style he is using when he sets up
his account. This can be changed at
any time. This lets him read the text
at the menus, messages, file
information, majority of the games,
and of course his e-mail. The problems
are in the non text characters.  turns
into a reverse backslash in ascii.
Some of the keyboard characters do not
come across or come across as
different than originally created.
Colours in ansi are pretty much the
same. Save that every ansi terminal
programme I have seen. Just doesn't
have the colours set for the C=, and
numbers, as we have. Most of the time
they are just not presented in ansi.

 All the text files on the BBS are in
standard PET. These are the files that
the user can download and read. Right
how does this effect the non C=user?
Well they are also recreated in a
style that allows them to be read
online. Since he is using the
ascii/ansi login. He reads the
translated text on screen in a style
that makes sense to him. But if he
needs to have a print out of that
information. He can simply buffer
capture the screens. Then he can read
it on his computer off line or print
it out. This information isnt 100%
correct though. If I use the keyboard
graphics. They may not show to him on
his screen. But they can print out on
the page. Usually as some letter with
a dot over the top. We have a Carriage
Return <CR>. I understand that there
is a setting for this on other
computers imprinting. If the computer
is set up that way. He will see the CR
characters on his page. Same for when
I change colour or do reverse video in
the text. These can actually print out
the invisible screen, commands. Takes
a bit of work in understanding the
term program and the printer being
used to make it more understandable.
However it is still readable for the
information. OK and if I limit the
keyboard characters and colour stuff
as well <BG>.

 Yeah I am leading up to something.
Writing Programmes <WP> and Desk Top
Publishing <DTP>. In regards to the
backwards compatibility and to cross
platform compatibility. OK the
simplest form for the non C= machines
of today to see our work is to have
them run the actual programme. To this
end there is a series called VICE. A
programme for the windows, Mac and the
Linux platforms of today. In fact I
have an older version on my some times
used Linux system. I mention that for
those who are afraid the work that
they do in or on the C= will be lost
on the unwashed masses of lemmings.
Biased isnt I. In this way your work
can be seen on the other machines. Ill
add here that there is a thing called
a .D64, also a .D71 and a.D81. These
are image files that are used for the
emulator. Allowing the programme to be
seen and used on the non C= system.
I'll talk more on that later.

 Proving the point that your work can
be seen on the other platforms. Now
lets go to our system and the writing
tools. There are many that came out. A
series called Word Writer 1-6 comes to
my mind. I have Used 3,4,5,6 in that
series. I have a bias to the company.
Sent them money, didn't get the
product or the money back. This one
did graphics and fonts and styles and
none of it showed on the screen. Many
of my work where I raised the point
size and centred the title. Well it
ended with a horrible wrap around that
made me redo the page. After I had
printed it, since the print out was
the only way to see what it looked
like. TWS, or The Write Stuff from
Busy Bee. This one is in the top two.
Depends on who you ask what is the #1
WP and DTP for the C= system. Messed
with it a it. There is a sub programme
that can be loaded that will speak out
on the speaker the key you have
pressed. A past president of the
Meeting Through The Mail group, her
husband was losing his sight and used
that sub programme for his letters.
Has a dictionary and in some form the
ability to add graphics from the Fun
Graphics Machine programme. Honestly I
haven't worked with it in any form to
give a good reply. Only what I have
heard from users.

 I'm a GEOS fan. Graphical
Environmental Operating system. Came
out around 1983ce. Long history that
you don't need to read here. Powerful
system and it does what I want from it
for my needs. That is really what one
wants after all. OK GEOS is a love it
or hate it system. Early versions are
not as great as the new stuff. But
they are backwards compatible. OK this
is what I like about it and what I
hate. First the hate. I hate mice, and
this one uses a mouse, as well as the
joystick, tablets and light pens. I
prefer the light pen. What other
people hate is the need for at least
two drives. This is on the standard
non upgraded system. In fact the best
for that is two drives and a Ram
Expansion Unit<REU>. Can be a memory
hog at times.

 Well I like the fact that what I type
on the screen is what I see, the
WYSIWYG thing. In a text document I
can use up to 7 fonts. These can be of
different point sizes. Also I can
adjust them to be pretty much any
combination of outline, boldface,
italics, underline, subscript or super
script. All at the touch of a few
short cut keys. I see it on the screen
as I type it, great or editing and
spacing. Got the single and double
space thing. Margins, indentations,
tabs, left, right and centre
justification. Which can be adjusted
paragraph by paragraph if you desire.
OK I haven't found a WP on the linux
system that is as easy to use as Geos
and what is called GeoWrite. Now this
comes with a dictionary, and the
ability, like others to create your
own dictionary of words. Well when you
do a spell check. Yeah I know that I
should do that more often. All of the
other WP that I used, well they just
gave a list of the unknown words on
the left side of the screen. In Geos,
you have the unknown word. Listed in a
little box. Under that you have a part
of the paragraph in which it is
located. Where the word is in reverse
video. Dictionary words are on the
right hand side of the screen. A click
on the icon and you search for a
spelling close to what you have done.
Don't find it try the first three
letters from the set at the top.
Scroll down the list and see if it is
there. If its not then you can try
your own personal dictionary. Anyway
you find the correct spelling and you
click upon it. Now you can change that
one word, or all of them that are
spelled in the same way. So then what
if you are spelling in English and not
American. Say you spell the word
"tyre" and not "tire". What can you
do? Just simply click on the ADD and
you go to your dictionary. where you
can add the word and if you like the
different endings for the word. Such
as the 'ing, or 'ed or many others.
What I love the most about this spell
checker is that you can see the word,
in the context of your usage. I write
stories for my local group. Where I
write in accents and slurred speech.
Need to see if what I write is an
accent for the character, or just a
smeg up on my part. Oh yeah I faintly
remember that your personal dictionary
can hold about 80,000 words. Or my
mind is going again.

 GeoPaint comes in the Geos box as
well .This is a drawing programme and
yeah it has colour. I'm a cruddy
artist in any format or media. Making
my comments invalid on the art part.
Suffice to state that you have
circles, boxes, filled and empty. Line
drawing, free hand drawing, different
brushes, more and the ability to
install GeoWrite text. You can use
another tool in the Geos set called a
photo album. Well that is what you
create with the tool. Anyway you can
take a copy of your art work and save
to the photo album. Late  you can
ruse the art in another GeoPaint
document or use it in your GeoWrite
documents. "some restrictions apply,
but people made ways around that part.
Earlier I spoke about backwards
compatibility. I Said that Geos had
versions and was backwards compatible.
Lets go into this for a moment.
Earlier GeoWrite documents are not the
same as the later version. Such as the
Geos v1.2 isnt the same as Geos v2.1.
In regards to the GeoWrite part. Well
v2.1 of Geowrite will convert the
older text to the current format for
you. OK before I wanted to say it in
the additives part. There is a tool
called wrong is write 8.1 that will
convert to older formats. That photo
to album could hold more in the older
versions. Meaning that in the newer
one you can't use the older photo
albums. Well there is a tool about,
that will convert by breaking up the
older photo album into several newer
ones. Meaning that you don't lose your
work.

        CONTINUED IN SECTION 2