Loadstar 128 #28/q28.d81/................

Text File | 1991-01-01 | 5.4 KB | 124 lines

                       D A V E ' S   T E R M   Part 3

                          Program by David Jansen

                           Text by Fender Tucker


    DAVE'S TERM is truly an incredible "system" for your C-128.  Once you
get into it, you'll find that you probably never need to leave it.  Read
what Don Graham, a relative newcomer to the C-128, has to say about it in
the text file on this issue called ANOTHER WORLD -- he's more caught up in
the DT than anyone.

    Since Don provides an overview of the complete DT program, of which
this is the third installment, I will just reiterate a few things about how
to get the previous installments and how to read the docs for this part.

 DAVE'S TERM: Parts 1 and 2
 --------------------------

    The terminal part of the program was small enough for us to present on
LS 128 #26.  It had the "mods" and "docs" for the terminal program, the
phone directory, the buffer utilities, uploading, the ML monitor, RS-232
capability and ZIP.  "Mods" are the actual ML modules that do all of the
work when loaded by the main program.  "Docs" is simply a short name for
"documentation", or instruction files.

    On LS 128 #27 we gave you mods and docs for all of the many copiers,
the calculator, scripts (macros), directory editor, sector editor and
printing.  If you get the 1581 version of LOADSTAR 128, both Part 1 and
Part 2 were presented on LS 128 #27.

 DAVE'S TERM: Part 3
 -------------------

    On this issue we give you just about all of the rest of DAVE'S TERM.
Not found on this issue are the spell checker and some online games.  We're
saving those for a later, special deal for LOADSTAR 128 subscribers.  But
on this disk are a bunch of mods that might be considered "advanced" tools
for telecommunicators: archivers and graphics utilities.

    DAVE'S TERM supports ARK, ZIP and LZH compaction.  You probably know as
much about these things as I do.  LOADSTAR uses text compression on the 64
magazine, but now that I've seen LZH in action, I'm amazed.  It's possible
to pack a file down into another file about one third the original's size.
Online this can save you a lot of money.  Time is money online, which is
one of the reasons why I'm not an online person.

    The mods on this issue are not compressed.  They should be copied with
a file copier over to your DAVE'S TERM disk.  If you only have a 1541
drive, you'll have to have some mods on your main DT128 disk and have some
more mods on another disk.  Then you'll have to swap disks to load and use
a mod, unless the mod happens to be on the disk you have in the drive.
DAVE'S TERM is one of those programs that are much better on a 1581 disk.


 DOCS FOR PART 3
 ---------------

NOTE: The docs are only packed on the 5.25 inch version of LS 128 #28.  If
you get the 3.5 inch version, you can ignore the following.

    I've tried to keep the docs in a consistent, logical format so you can
print them out with our LS 128 menu system.  Chapters 1 through 4 (called
"dt128 docs x") were on LS 128 #26 and chapters 5 through 10 were on LS 128
#27.  Chapters 11 through 17 are on this disk, but if you look at the
directory you won't find them.  These seven "t." files added up to 339
blocks worth of instructive prose.  How was I going to cram 339 blocks of
text onto a side that already had 400 blocks of mods?

    DAVE'S TERM to the rescue!  I tried LZH packing and it came through
like a champ.  All 339 blocks (seven files) pack down into one 128-block
file called "dt128 docs.lzh".  Fantastic!  Here's how you can "un-LZH" the
file and end up with the seven "t." files, numbered 11 through 17 for
adding to your DT128 docs disk.

 (1) Copy the file "dt128 docs.lzh" over to a disk with plenty of blocks
free -- at least 500.

 (2) Boot DAVE'S TERM from LS 128 #26 (or LS 128 #27 if you have the 3.5
inch version).

 (3) Select ARCHIVE MODULES from the main menu.  If you get a "module not
found" message, insert Side Two of LS 128 #28 which has the LZH mod on it.

 (4) Select LZH from the Dissolve Modules menu.  If you have a 1541, select
1541 LZH.

 (5) Set the source and destination drives appropriately but leave the
other options as they are: Force lower case = no; File type = p; Dissolve =
yes.

 (6) Select Dissolve LZH.

 (7) At the LZH Name prompt, enter "dt128 docs" without the quotes.

 (8) At the pattern prompt, enter an asterisk (*).

 (9) Sit back and watch the magic.

    You'll end up with seven files that are identical to the "t." files
found on LOADSTAR 128.  They are PetASCII files in a PRG format.  To print
them, run LOADSTAR 128 #28 and stick in the disk with the "t." files before
you select one of the docs file from the LS 128 menu.

NOTE: Before you un-LZH the 128-block file that's on LS 128 you will get a
"file not found" message if you try to read or print them from the LS 128
menu.  I purposely made the docs files part of the LS 128 menu so that
after you un-LZH them you can use our presenter to print them out.  Of
course you can always use a word processor, too.

    That's about it for this issue.  Read Don Graham's article if you
haven't tried DAVE'S TERM yet.  Print out all of the docs.  The seventeen
chapters will take up many, many sheets of paper, but you'll never find
that much useful information about the C-128 and its capabilities in one
place.  Since the docs for DT128 are so gargantuan, I've made up a text
file which you can print out from LS 128 that can be used as a "Table of
Contents".

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