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- L O A D S T A R 1 2 8 F O R U M
-
- Compiled by Fender Tucker
-
-
- Dear LOADSTAR 128,
-
- PAINT 128 II on issue #11 was my first try with any drawing program.
- Although it seemed cumbersome I intend to use it some more. I really want
- to learn to sketch and draw with my computer. Any other suggestions for
- 80-column art?
-
- Bob Denton
- Miami Springs FL
-
- LS 128: I've tried several 80-column art programs for the C-128 and I've
- found them all more cumbersome than "comparable" ones for the C-64. But
- then there are twice as many pixels to work with. I like PAINT 128 more
- than I do SPECTRUM 128 or the paint program that comes with BASIC 8, but
- from what I've heard, I PAINT is the tops for 80-column art because of the
- way it handles different cell sizes. I've just received some more support
- programs from Rick Ferreira that will make PAINT 128 even more powerful, so
- don't give up on it. For some great tips on computer art, check out Walt
- Harned's Workshops on LOADSTAR 64.
-
-
- Dear LOADSTAR 128,
-
- I don't use Q-Link. It's too expensive, too hard to get on line, and
- too hard to use. I tried it for a couple of months then quit. If I need
- anything I can usually find it at our club.
-
- Skip Royeton
- Henderson NV
-
- LS 128: Don't quote me on this, but I agree with you on just about every
- point. For help with equipment and software I think a good users' group is
- your best bet, even if it's a postal group like Jean Nance's MEETING
- C64/C128 USERS IN THE MAIL (155 Sienna, Morro Bay CA 93442). Q-Link is
- great for discussing political and social issues with people, but a users'
- group is more personal and less hectic. Cheaper, too.
-
-
- Dear LOADSTAR 128,
-
- I have a PANASONIC KS P1080i printer and I found that setting the print
- mode to "Condensed" and printing out the Table of Contents provides a neat 4
- 1/2" wide printout that, when folded, fits neatly into the disk envelope.
-
- Jack Penn
- El Toro CA
-
- LS 128: I tried it on my Star NX-1000C and it worked just the same. I found
- that Pica Condensed printed wider and more legibly than Elite Condensed, yet
- still fit inside the disk envelope. Good idea, Jack!
-
-
- Dear LOADSTAR 128,
-
- PAINT COMPANION II on LS 128 #11 fills a hole left by PAINT COMPANION
- I, but there is still a missing conversion from Rio Computer's PAGEFOX and
- HANDY SCANNER. Will PAINT COMPANION III take care of this?
-
- Erick Rodriguez
- Miami FL
-
- LS 128: I'll talk to Rick Ferreira about it. I don't know what to do about
- PAGE FOX but here's what I do with my HAND SCANNER. I have SUPER SNAPSHOT
- V5 installed when I boot up HANDYSCAN. Then, instead of saving the picture
- with the HANDYSCAN icon, I press the SS button, go to SCREEN SAVE and save
- the screen as a Doodle file. The menu bar is still showing but I erase it
- with Doodle or with PAINT 128. You can even return to HANDYSCAN with the
- RESUME feature without rebooting. Of course you can only save a screen's
- worth at a time, but it worked great for LOADSTAR DOODLES on LS 64 #87.
-
-
- Dear LOADSTAR 128,
-
- BUDGET TRACKER on LS 128 #11 doesn't print the dashed line correctly on
- a wide-carriage printer. It prints past the right perforation after
- printing the totals. Also, why don't you disable the R/S key?
-
- Bill Roberson
- Ladson SC
-
- LS 128: I'm afraid we didn't check the program on a wide-carriage printer.
- If you were to remove the semicolon from the end of line 4220 that should
- solve your problem. For those of us who only have regular sized printers,
- the semicolon apparently makes no difference. My philosophy has been to
- never disable the R/S key on BASIC programs, except on programs where data
- could be lost -- say, if the data is stored at a spot on the screen. I
- leave POKEing 808 to the end user. I've been burned too many times by 808.
- It messes up the clock and can cause a perfectly good save routine to save
- incorrectly. If someone can show me a way to disable the R/S key with NO
- side effects, I'll rethink my philosophy.
-
- P.S. Several readers mentioned that BUDGET TRACKER was a great program but
- didn't go far enough in size of budget allowed or in features. I'm passing
- these suggestions on to Barbara Schulak. Maybe there's a MASTER BUDGET
- TRACKER in the future?
-
- P.P.S. Egart Andersson of Rodovre, Denmark asked why a dollar sign was
- automatically printed in BUDGET TRACKER, and he's got a very good point.
- I'm going to ask LOADSTAR's authors to think internationally when they write
- financial programs. For BUDGET TRACKER it's a simple matter to delete the
- dollar signs from the PRINT USING statements in lines 4160, 4200, 6110,
- 6130, 8220, 8315, 9580, and 9620.
-
- P.P.P.S. Several readers have written about problems they've had with
- 80-column programs scrolling uncontrollably. They said they had to reboot
- the program to get it to stop. Since 99% of our readers seem not to have
- this problem, my guess is that the vertical hold control on the back of the
- monitor needs adjusting. The control is probably right on the edge of not
- working and the program (for whatever reason) sends it over the edge. If
- you've had this problem with a LOADSTAR program, please try the vertical
- adjustment and let me know if it works or not. These kinds of bugs drive
- editors crazy, and that's an edge I'm constantly on.
-
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