Loadstar 16/016.d81/q&a-1

Text File | 1985-01-01 | 5.6 KB | 296 lines

    Questions and Answers - Part 1


From Hayden 21613

  I just spent 15 minutes writing you

a letter. Then I got some ERROR

message about line 250 and BLAM! my

letter was gone to RAM land.  What in

the world happened??


>We've received a lot of complaints
 just like yours.  To remedy the
 problem, we have totally changed the
 STARLINE program.  Now you can type
 till your heart is content (or about
 700 lines of text).  This should
 clear up the problems that you and
 many others were experiencing.


--------------------------------------

From Murphy 55317

  When I receive each issue, the first

thing that I do is go right to the

PIXEL PAGE. However, I have often

wished that I could transfer them to

the graphics program which helped

produce them (so I could print them

out or even manipulate them). I have

tried many ways to accomplish this

task with little or no luck (even

trying to rename the files and

resaving them onto another disk does

not seem to work; often ending up much

like hi-res screen garbage).

  Can this be done? If so, how? There

must be some way of loading the files

into the proper graphics packages. If

they could be converted to work with

LOADSTAR, surely they should be able

to be changed back into their

original state. Thanks for any info.


>Most of the graphics that appear in
 the Pixel Page are constructed with
 the Koala pad.  Every now and then,
 when we are short of space, we will
 pack the pictures.  Packing involves
 finding repeated patterns and storing
 them more efficiently. When we need
 to display the picture for the Pixel
 Page, we are able to unpack the
 picture.  The problem is that we
 unpack it in memory and do not save
 the unpacked version to disk.  The
 unpacked pictures that have appeared
 in the Pixel Page already include the
 special reverse spade that signifies
 a Koala picture in its name.
 Therefore, you should have no problem
 LOADing them back into your Koala
 software.  If you do not have the
 Koala software, you may consider
 purchasing Chameleon.  Chameleon will
 allow you to convert the Koala
 pictures into formats that are
 readable with other graphics
 packages.


--------------------------------------


From Chu 20001


  In the 14th issue of Loadstar in

the Microcomputers Programs section, I

think you left out a program that is

in the magazine called 'Chameleon'.

The magazine and 'Available from

Loadstar' says the program is on disk

as part of the 'Rich and Famous'

series. If the program is in the

Commodore Microcomputer Magazine,

then why wasn't it included on the

LOADSTAR disk?


>Chameleon was treated differently at
 the expressed request of Commodore
 Microcomputers.


--------------------------------------


From Jack Barnes


  I have a disk cataloger that

references all programs by disk ID.

and saves them on disk to either

search or print. My problem is all

of your disks have an ID. of \$.

  I am afraid to change your disk ID.

because I might ruin your disk.


>You're right--the LOADSTAR operating
 system depends on having the correct
 ID.  If the ID is changed, then the
 LOADSTAR operating system will think
 that the disk in the drive is NOT a
 LOADSTAR disk.


--------------------------------------


From Hackman 17663

  I was pleased to find PEABODY, the

menu-driven filing system.  As one of

the clergy subscribers to LOADSTAR,

I was quick to set up a file for my

sermons, something which I had been

longing to do.

  I set up seven fields: title, filing

reference number, scripture reference,

sermon type, and three subject

headings.  I now have access to

almost 200 sermons in any one of the

above areas.

  My problem however, is two-fold.

First, after entering all of the

sermons, I asked for a hardcopy of

the simple DUMP routine, only to

discover that it would take an

'eternity' for them to be printed in

the seven category fashion.  Is there

some way I can alter the program so

that it is faster and more efficient?

Understand I wasn't even using the

sort and print option, only the dump

and print.

  Secondly, is there some way to

allow the program to sort more than

one field at a time, something like

the print label option that allows

for the printing of more than one

field per line?

>We have looked into both of these
 problems and have come up empty
 handed.  If you would like to pursue
 this issue further, you can write to
 the author of PEABODY, John
 Stilwell, in care of Commodore
 PowerPlay Magazine.  The address is:

          John Stilwell
          c/o Commodore PowerPlay
          Computer Systems Division
          1200 Wilson Drive
          West Chester, PA  19380


--------------------------------------

From Shepard 91331


  I have a VICMODEM, but the telephone

that is closest to my computer is not

modular.  Where can I get a coupler

for it or how can I make my TDD

(telecommunications device for deaf)

work?


>To get a coupler for your phone,
 check at your nearest Radio
 Shack or other electronics store.
 Nobody around here has any
 information on a TDD.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

  My sister in Iceland has the

COMMODORE SX64 executive model, which

does not have the extra port for

hooking up the smaller wire from her

printer interface. How can she make

it work?


>All the little wire is for is to
 pull 5 volts of power to the
 printer.  If you are up to hardware
 wiring, you can construct a joystick
 port adapter that will draw the 5
 volts from the joystick port and send
 it into the extra wire on the
 interface.  You may want to look at
 some of the electronic layouts in
 the Commodore Programmer's Reference
 Guide.

------< continued in next part >------