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-
- D I S K O V E R Y : The Start of Something Big
-
- by Fender Tucker
-
-
- In terms of number of programs, this is one of the smallest LOADSTAR
- 128s ever -- only four programs on the whole issue. But that's not the
- whole story. Two of the programs promise to grow into something that will
- continue into the rest of 1995, and maybe even beyond.
-
- DAVE'S TERM 128
- ---------------
-
- Let's start with the biggest program ever attempted on LS 128: DAVE'S
- TERM 128. It takes up all of Side Two, and I mean "all". There's no
- Presenter, no Copy It, not even a little "hello connect" that prompts you to
- insert Side One for the LOADSTAR menu. Side Two is totally devoted to a
- terminal program that will kick you right in the middle of the multi-laned
- Info Highway.
-
- DAVE'S TERM 128 is modular, and comes on this issue with several modules
- that will help you use the terminal mode. Everything you need to get
- started online is on the disk, but you're only getting about one third of
- the total DT 128 package. The rest of the modules will be published on the
- next few issues of LS 128. You can look forward to a package that will have
- a disk editor, graphics converters, copiers (about five of 'em), disk
- comparer, fast formatter, calculator, and a bunch of archival utilities.
-
- IMPORTANT: DT128 comes with two fastloading modules, both of which are
- turned OFF on the disk as it's shipped. This makes Side Two boot on any
- drive. If you have a naked 1541 system (no fastload cartridge) you can
- install the 1541 fastloader by renaming the file called "f1541" to
- "fast1541". If you have a naked 1581 system, rename the file "f1581" to
- "fast1581" and DT128 will boot up before you know it. Amazingly enough,
- DT128 works with WarpSpeed!
-
- Read and print out the numerous "docs" files on Side Two to find out
- almost everything you need to know to get the most out of your modem.
-
-
- MULTILIST
- ---------
-
- ed bell, who is no stranger to anyone who has a LS 128 subscription,
- presents MULTILIST, a utility for printing files of any type without having
- to nurse each one. Once you get MULTILIST set up, it will load the files
- you want, figure out what format they're in, and print them out for quick
- browsing. It's pretty straightforward but ed has written a comprehensive
- text file that explains the program in detail. You can learn a lot about
- file formats from this text. It's so large, however, that it had to be
- packed. To unpack it and print it, just go to the 64 mode and run the file
- "multilist docs".
-
-
- '95 CONVERTIBLE and THE ASTRONOMER
- ----------------------------------
-
- These are two programs that I wrote with the help of David Crum and Nina
- Kreigh. They aren't nearly as "major" as DAVE'S TERM 128 and MULTILIST, but
- they do their job quite nicely, I think. They can both be expanded. '95
- CONVERTIBLE is a measure converter and you can easily add measurements of
- your own if you have a word processor that can save PETASCII program files.
- THE ASTRONOMER is a "shell" for future astronomical databases. This time
- it's about Messier Objects, but next time it could be about any of the many
- fascinating aspects of the universe.
-
-
- THANKS AND DIATRIBE
- -------------------
-
- Thanks for staying with the C-128. It's a great machine and I hope to
- be able to provide the best 128 programs available for years to come.
- There's not many of us left (our subscription numbers are down to about 800)
- but we have no plans to quit. If you're afraid we'll pull a RUN on you and
- quit, owing you money (we won't), call 1-800-594-3370 and ask about our new
- "charge-your-credit-card-by-the-issue" policy. You can't lose. If you're
- one of the estimated 5000 people who get LS 128 without paying for it, shame
- on you. Your crummy-labelled copies will be worthless in the years to come
- when LOADSTAR is recognized as the Methuselah (or at least Onan) of home
- computing. Our loyal subscribers and their descendants will be sitting on
- gold mines of collectible nostalgia with their true LOADSTARs.
-
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