DECEMBER 1980 Volume 5, Number 12 $2.50 in USA/$2.95 in Canada ;A : M^GRAW-HliL PUBLlCAtlOrl" the small systems journal W- 9? c a: CO CD C i TJ CD 4-> CO 'cj 1 CD c CD CO CO CD CD > D. CD c > i_ CO > ■M o 8 -a "co "0 03 X o *-> i CO C o CO CD CO _CD X i CO _l '•M ■— o t: 2 "sf CD CO CO "co CO o o X O —) a x: o i +-> X cn '33 "co 3 "D g CM C/J 3 c CD CD o TJ C CO a X LU 1 CO +- 1 TJ CD X I X o c c CD E o u a x i ■M c CD -a h- < CC o o_ CC o o O 1 CO CN T— LO E CD ■f-> CO O a O 00 CO c co E CO ~5 i- > CO c CD a CD CD > X! CO o >- CO CD CD i_ 3 o> 4- c o o o ■(-■ 3 o > o l- 00 CO rv o +-> CD X CO o CO CD X! o lo CO CD > 13 -*" o i E x +-* i_ CD CO 3 r- O _j o CD x O o i_ CD > o 1 CO CO a. co" CD X! CO > CO CL co" CD X CO > 'CD O E CD +-> CO CO +-" c CD E CD Cn CO c co -a c CD O '> CD T3 1 — O CO CO CD O o c\i ■D c CO "co c E 1_ CD >• '■M D Q O CC a. _i < o z I o LU O CO CO r- CM 00 rv CO CO X CD 1- CO ■a c CO Q. 3 CO TJ 3 E 00 < O C O) CO CD CC "D a. T3 k> o CO c CO 3 1— h- o I/) ■a 00 .__" O o CD CC C 'l_ CO CD O o a CT 00 O. CO X CC 6 c D5 X LU CO TJ CD X H- di c J* CO "53 o CO a cd" CD TJ CD CO 1_ O "co c O O LU I "E o +-> c co CD -a CD lo CD X X 1_ CD -M CO CO CO a. z' CD v. CD -J "co > o +-> c CD > c ^5 LU o o CD 00 CM LU H O CD < c co -o u CO o l_ CD 'o CO a CD CD x o c 3 1 < r- 1 +-> la o to CD c CD CD X CD 1- I 3 M— o o o CO CM 00 1 1 CO o LO P E cc o LU 1 CO a> CO en 1 1 CD en q p 1 u o E 1 CO 3 < CC E 3 C o CO CD +-* > X c o CO CD +-" X CD +-" CO >• CO _c 3 X CD Q 1 CO CD en CO CO CD U o 0_ CO C co CO CD O O i_ Q. CO '35 C o o E o o co co" <& c co 1 1 ■ XI 03 E 5 O CO 3 05 +3 k> CD +-> CO X co Q c O CO CD a O c CO _l '■P D CO Q O CO | CO CO CD 1 1 I | I LU LU > ■ > LU < H ll | 1 h- _J O DQ cc LU LU — 1 < o CC U_ H Q \- < u_ < 2 c/> LU CO < 00 (_ H cc Q_ CO u. co LU X < o O > LU :e 00 o Circle 361 on inquiry card. Gromemeo accepts your challenge, Data General Yes, Data General, we saw your ad. So we realize you hope to win over some of our computer business. And we can see you have reason to be pleased about your line of minicomputers. They are MINIs though. But Cromemco produces state- of-the-art MICROcomputers. Powerful ones. And our micros have some outstanding advantages. For example, Cromemco is the only microcomputer manufacturer to support a broad range of microcomputers with (a) 5-inch WE'RE BUSTING THE COMPFiTTION'S BOARDS AGAIN. oi Data o ipul s on can buy. You and parallel I/O lines, and soft- i ipport fron oursell double-sided, double-density floppy disk drives and with (b) 8-inch double-sided, double-density floppy disk drives AS WELL AS (c) 8-inch Winchester hard disk drives. That means, of course, that our customers have a wide choice of disk storage capability. UNEQUALLED SOFTWARE SUPPORT OK. That was one point. Here's another: our stunning selection of software support. Cromemco is the only micro manufacturer to produce both single-user and multi-user multi- tasking computers with software like this: SYSTEM SOFTWARE CDOS (a CP/M-like operating system) CROMIX (a UNIX-like operating system) RPG-II (IBM-compatible) COBOL BASIC FORTRAN IV RATFOR LISP C Macro Assembler APPLICATION SOFTWARE Word Processing System Data-Base Management General Ledger Accounts Receivable Accounts Payable Inventory All of this is available now with more coming all the time. So there you are, D.G. You can see why we know our microcomputers will stand the test. Cromemco eagerly accepts the challenge. Cromemco incorporated Tomorrow's Computers Today 280 BERNARDO AVE. MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94043 (415) 964-7400 • TWX 910-379-6988 I'M Circle 1 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 Management Information Display Ultrasonic heart sector scan High-resolution display with alphanumeric^ Get the professional color display that has BASIC/FORTRAN Simplicity LOW-PRICED, TOO Here's a color display that has everything: professional-level resolution, enormous color range, easy software, NTSC conformance, and low price. Basically, this new Cromemco Model SDI* is a two-board interface that plugs into any Cromemco computer. The SDI then maps computer display memory content onto a convenient color monitor to give high-quality, high- resolution displays (756 H x 482 V pixels). When we say the SDI results in a high- quality professional display, we mean you can't get higher resolution than this system offers in an NTSC-conforming display. The resolution surpasses that of a color TV picture. BASIC/FORTRAN programming Besides its high resolution and low price, the new SDI lets you control with optional Cromemco software packages that use simple BASIC- and FORTRAN- like commands. Pick any of 16 colors (from a 4096-color palette) with instructions like DEFCLR (c, R, G, B). Or obtain a circle of specified size, location, and color with XCIRC (x, y, r, c). "U.S. Pat. No. 4121283 Model SDI High-Resolution Color Graphics Interface HIGH RESOLUTION The SDI's high resolution gives a professional-quality display that strictly meets NTSC requirements. You get 756 pixels on every visible line of the NTSC standard display of 482 image lines. Ver- tical line spacing is 1 pixel. To achieve the high-quality display, a separate output signal is produced for each of the three component colors (red, green, blue). This yields a sharper image than is possible using an NTSC-composite video signal and color TV set. Full image quality is readily realized with our high- quality RGB Monitor or any conventional red/green/blue monitor common in TV work. Model SDI plugs into Z-2H 11-megabyte hard disk computer or any Cromemco computer DISPLAY MEMORY Along with the SDI we also offer an optional fast and novel two-port memory that gives independent high-speed access to the computer memory. The two-port memory stores one full display, permit- ting fast computer operation even during display. CONTACT YOUR REP NOW The Model SDI has been used in scien- tific work, engineering, business, TV, color graphics, and other areas. It's a good example of how Cromemco keeps computers in the field up to date, since it turns any Cromemco computer into an up-to-date color display computer. The SDI has still more features that you should be informed about. So contact your Cromemco representative now and see all that the SDI will do for you. Circle 1 on inquiry card. rj| Cromemco 280 BERNARDO AVE., MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94040 • (415)964-7400 Tomorrow's computers today page 44 page 90 ^wiiiit i!!!!|]|Ii!l!!J IBIBS '■:!-!"; t!!.!:; : IS- ■ -mmmsm page 142 page 244 In The Oueue RT1 December 1980 Volume 5, Number 12 Foreground 24 MULTIMACHINE GAMES by Ken Wasserman and Tim Stryker The most exciting computer games are those with two machines and two or more players. 44 COMPUTERIZED TESTING by Steve Ciarcia A computer is useful for automating any process — even hardware testing. 96 GRAPHIC COLOR SLIDES, PART 2 by Alan W Grogono This month we demonstrate the use of subroutines to generate equation plots, histograms, regression and monthly analysis graphs. 120 MICROGRAPH, PART 2: VIDEO-DISPLAY PROCESSOR by E Grady Booch Part 2 details more about this surprisingly simple high-resolution video display. 192 PIRATE'S ADVENTURE by Scott Adams The man who first brought Adventure games to microcomputers gives us an entire listing of one of his most enjoyable games. 244 A POCKET COMPUTER? SIZING UP THE HP-41C by Bruce Carbrey This device comes close to being the world's first pocket-sized personal computer. 268 LOST DUTCHMAN'S GOLD by Bob Liddil and Teri Li Applesoft BASIC is well suited to the writing of games, as this program shows. Background 142 A SIMPLIFIED THEORY OF VIDEO GRAPHICS, PART 2 by Allen Watson III Explanations of color-video techniques and some of the quirks of microprocessor systems are provided. 158 ON THE ROAD TO ADVENTURE by Bob Liddil Along with a survey of the major Adventure games, here's an explanation of how to play them. 172 ZORK AND THE FUTURE OF COMPUTERIZED FANTASY SIMULATIONS by P David Lebling One of the authors of Zork describes his game and how similar games may appear in the future. 186 CHARACTER VARIATION IN ROLE-PLAYING GAMES by Jon Freeman A variable set of character traits can be used to create a game of high adventure that is different every time you play it. Product Reviews: Games 74 DUNGEON CAMPAIGN; 78 A STELLAR TREK; 84 MORLOC'S TOWER; 90 ODYSSEY: THE COMPLEAT APVENTURE; 114 SARGON U; 264 MICROSOFT ADVENTURE; 282 COMPUTER BISMARCK Nucleus 6 Editorial: What's Wrong With 296, 325, 326 BYTE's Bits Technical Writing Today7 306 Clubs and Newsletters 14 Letters 314 Event Queue 94 Technical Forum: The Twelve 318 Ask BYTE Computerized Days of Christmas 322 Books Received 214 BYTELINES 324 Software Received 222 User's Column 342 What's New7 288 Programming Quickies: 398 Unclassified Ads Monster Combat 399 BOMB, BOMB Results 294 BYTE's Bugs 400 Reader Service December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Publishers Virginia Londoner, Gordon R Williamson Associate Publisher John E Hayes Assistant Cheryl A Hurd Founding Editor Carl T Helmers Jr Editor-in-Chief Christopher P Morgan Editors Richard S Shuford, Gregg Williams, Curtis P Feigel, Harold Nelson Stan Miastkowski Consulting Editor Mark Dahmke Book Editor Bruce A Roberts Chief Copy Editor David W Hayward Copy Editors Faith Hanson, Warren Williamson, Robin M Moss, Anthony J Lockwood Assistant to the Editors Faith Ferry Assistants Debe Wheeler, Karen A Cilley New Products Editor Clubs, Newsletters Charles Freiberg Drafting Jon Swanson Production Director Nancy Estle Assistant Production Director Christine Dixon Production/Advertising Coordinator Wai Chiu Li Production Art Holly Carmen LaBossiere, Deborah Porter Chief Typographer Sherry McCarthy Typographers Debi Fredericks, Donna Sweeney, Valerie Horn Advertising Director Thomas Harvey Assistants Ruth M Walsh, Ms. Marion Gagnon Barbara J Greene, Rob Hannings Special Projects Coordinator Jill ECallihan Marketing Coordinator Laura A Hanson Circulation Manager Gregory Spitzfaden Assistant Circulation Manager Andrew Jackson Assistants Agnes E Perry, Barbara Varnum, Louise Menegus, David Overbeck Dealer Sales Melanie Bertoni Controller Daniel Rodrigues Assistant Mary E Fluhr Accounts Receivable Specialist Karen Burgess Accounts Receivable Assistant Jeanne Cilley Receptionist Jacqueline Earnshaw Traffic Department Mark Sandagata, N Scott Gagnon Ife^l In This Issue Although the mysteries and menaces lurking in the shadows of this issue's cover may exist only in the minds of an imaginative Adventure player or the cover artist, Robert Tinney, that doesn't make them any less real to the person playing the game. This issue explores the many aspects of Adventure and Adventure-like games. It includes two complete Adventures in BASIC, an excellent in- troductory article ("On the Road to Adventure," by Bob Liddil), two articles on the state of the art in Adventure games, and a hand- ful of game reviews. This issue also contains "Computer Testing," an article by Steve Ciarcia, as well as the second parts of several articles continued from the November graphics issue: "Micrograph," "Graphic Color Slides," and "A Simplified Theory of Video Graphics." Officers of McGraw-Hill Publications Company: Paul F McPherson, President; Executive Vice Presidents: James E Boddorf, Gene W Simpson; Group Vice President: Daniel A McMillan; Senior Vice President-Editorial: Ralph R Schulz; Vice Presidents: Kemp Anderson, Business Systems Development; Stephen C Croft, Manufacturing; Robert B Doll, Circulation; James E Hackett, Controller; William H Hammond, Communications; Eric B Herr, Planning and Development; John W Patten, Sales; Edward E Schirmer, International. Officers ot the Corporation: Harold W McGraw Jr, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board; Robert F Landes, Senior Vice President and Secretary; Ralph J Webb, Treasurer. BYTE is published monthly by BYTE Publications Inc. 70 Main St, Peterborough NH 03458, a wholly-owned subsidiary ot McGraw- Hill. Inc. Address all mail except subscriptions to above address: phone (603) 924-9281. Address subscriptions, change ot address. 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Unacceptable manuscripts will be returned if accompanied by sufficient first class postage. Not responsible lor lost manuscripts or photos. Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of BYTE. Entire contents copyright © 1980 by BYTE Publications Inc. All rights reserved. Where necessary, permission is granted by the copyright owner for libraries and others registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) to photocopy any article herein for the base fee of $1 .00 per copy of the article or Item plus 25 cents per page. Payment should be sent directly to the CCC, 21 Congress St. Salem MA 01970. Copying done for other than personal or internal reference use without the permission of McGraw-Hill is prohibited. Requests for special permission or bulk orders should be addressed to the publisher. Hsmbei BYTE* is available in microform from University Microfilms International, 300 N Zeeb Rd. Dept PR, Ann Arbor Ml /r~~V. 48106 USA or 18 Bedford Row, Dept PR, London WC1R 4EJ England. ttABCw Subscription WATS Line: (800) 258-5485 SEEK. Office hours: Mon-Thur 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM, Friday 8:30 AM - Noon, Eastern Time NATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES: NORTHEAST (617) 444-3946 Hajar Associates 280 Hillside Ave Needham Heights MA 02194 MIDWEST (312) 864-3467 Hajar Associates 2405 Lawndale Evanston IL 60201 EAST & SOUTH (212) 682-5844 Hajar Associates 521 Fifth Ave New York NY 10017 SOUTHWEST (714) 540-3554 NORTHWEST (415) 964-0706 Hajar Associates 1000 Elwell Ct, Suite 227 Palo Alto CA 94303 December" 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc MICROANGELO HIGH RESOLUTION GRAPHICS SINGLE BOARD COMPUTER by SCION CORPORATION. RS-170 com- posite of direct drive output Local or external sync < generation 4 or 5 Mhz Z80 micro- processor 60 hertz real time clock 8 level interrupt tie-in IEEE S100 bus compatible Screenware™ Pak I A 4K byte operating system resident in PROM on MicroAngelo™ Pak I emulates an 85 char- acter by 40 line graphics terminal and provides over 40 graphics commands. Provisions exist for user-defined character sets and directly callable user extensions to Screenware Pak I. SCION Corporation 8455-D Tyco Road Vienna, Va. 22180 (703) 827-0888 Light pen interface Time multi- plexed refresh 4K resident Screenware™ Pak I operating system 32KRAM isolated from host address space High speed communica- tions over parallel bus ports Host Resident Terminal Software An interface software package that coordi- nates input/output from the MicroAngelo™ graphics board, the MicroAngelo™ keyboard, and your computer. The result is a flexible, yet sophisticated graphics terminal. European Distributor: Micro Diversions UK Ltd. 1 7/1 9 Mesnes Street Wigan, England WN1 1QP 09-423 4311 Circle 2 on inquiry card. Circle 3 on inquiry card. Portable Develop on a Z-80t, runonLSI-11%, T.I. 990, 6800 or vice versa Efficient Structured, readable Speeds development X5 Easy maintenance Powerful Full standard Pascal or ANSI '77 FORTRAN plus extensions. Concurrency, multiple users soon. Cost-Effective Complete system with compiler, editors, inter- preter, assembler and utilities from $350. NOW AVAILABLE Operating System Compilers Programmer Utilities Data Base Management Word Processing Business and Medical Software Games, Home & Hobby Popular Micros Supported DEC, Radio Shack, Apple, Microengine, CP/M§ based and others PCD SYSTEMS P. 0. Box 143 Penn Yan, NY 14527 315-536-3734 •TM Univ. of Calif. iTM of Ziiog TM of Digital Equipment TM Digital Research Editorial What's Wrong with Technical Writing Today? Chris Morgan Editor-in-Chief In going through the scores of articles that cross my desk each month, I've begun to notice that many of them are poorly written. I'm talking here not so much about incompetent writing (although the number of spelling and syntax errors is alarming), but rather about misguided writing, writing that is difficult to read, unclear, or wasteful of the reader's time. The problem is certainly not BYTE's alone. Editors of other magazines have told me much the same story. Thinking about possible solutions to the problem led me to write this editorial. The quality of technical writing affects all of our readers in one way or another. Whether you program for a living or just for fun, you need to write clear, concise documentation to accompany your programs. And you un- doubtedly have to write reports as part of your job or your studies. There are tricks to good technical writing. I'd like to describe some of them here, and list some sources of information that have proved helpful to us in our writing work. I've also included a list of recommended reading at the end of the editorial. Ask someone on the periphery of our field what the problem is with our prose, and he or she will probably say, "There's too much jargon." Things like: I/O, ASCII, byte, CPU, compiler, nonvolatile memory, BASIC, NAND gate, modem, macro, Pascal, floppy disk, Z80, 8080, 8086, 6809, 6502, 68000, Z8000, BCD, CP/M, Unix, Xenix, bootstrap, OS, DOS, DMA, CAI, CAD, CAM, vectored interrupt, monitor, RS-232C, S-100 bus, global variable, checksum, NOP, SWI, VOM, and so on, and so on. It's a lexical maze for the uninitiated. But is jargon really our downfall? I think not. We need jargon in the same way that doctors and psychologists do — as a convenient form of shorthand. Programmers have traditionally wres- tled with the problem of fitting the most program into the least amount of memory space, so it's only natural that their everyday speech has been con- densed down to a sort of technical "alphabet soup." Jargon isn't intrinsically bad — it's how you use it that counts. Knowing Your Audience: The Seesaw Effect Outside of grammar, syntax, and spelling (all of which I'll deal with later), there is the major consideration of your intended audience. Imagine your readers to be sitting at irregular intervals along a large seesaw. At one end are the most technically astute members of your audience; at the other, the interested novices. In the middle are people with varying degrees of knowledge in the subject you are writing about. Your job is to keep the seesaw as level as possible by attending to the various groups in proportion. If there are many novices involved, you must "hold up" their side by providing them with a lot of introductory material. But if you go too far in this direction, the experts will get bored, dismount, and leave you hanging with a partial au- dience. It's a quandary, one that has no simple answer. Some topics are so technical that even the most intelligent novice will be left in your wake. You can't understand the workings of a compiler, for instance, until you know a lot about computer languages in general. Some seesaws can't be balanced despite the best intentions of the writer. It is the job of the writer to know this. Nevertheless, within limits, a lot can be ••« •{ "For reliable data storage, you can't beat Shugart's fVl% l %^f"* M Raymond Schlitzer, Owner— Computerland, San Francisco • ft "I sell systems my customers can depend on. That's why most of the personal and small business computer systems sold here feature Minifloppy disk drives. I know from experience I can rely on the Minifloppy?' Since 1976 Shugart's Minifloppy has been used by more small computer system manufacturers than any other drive. In fact, more than half-a-million Minifloppys TM— Minifloppy is a trademark of Shugari Associates. have been installed. The Minifloppy looks small— but it stores a lot of data. 250 kilobytes on one side, or up to 500 kilo- bytes in the double-sided model. That's about 50 pages of printed information on a single-sided Minidiskette, and twice that on the double-sided version. You'll have plenty of storage capacity for your pro- grams, letters, forms, or ledger entries. And you find your data fast, too, because the Minifloppy is a random access device that eliminates the need to search for your data serially as you must with a tape cassette unit. No matter what problem you're solving with your computer system, you can rely on Shugart's Minifloppy for data storage. We're known as the Headstrong company for good reason. We're Headstrong about reliability, quality, and value. Ask your dealer. He knows us. Rely on the Headstrong Company. ^Shugart 475 Oakmead Parkway, Sunnyvale. California 94086 done to encourage those readers who are interested in your topic, but who may need some extra clarification. This leads me to the first of what I immodestly refer to as Morgan's Laws of Writing (not to be confused with DeMorgan's Law): Morgan's Law §1: No Writer Ever Got Shot Down for Writing Too Clearly. How do you write clearly? A good first step is to buy a copy of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. There is more wisdom contained in this slim volume than in many a three-pound guide to English Usage. Next, find some good technical writing and study it. I've included a bibliography of good technical books at the end of this editorial. We can learn a lesson from painters and musicians who take it for granted that good paintings and pieces of music by other artists should be carefully studied. Donald Knuth's three-part series of books, The Art of Computer Programming, contains some of the best writing you're likely to find in our field — and he's funny, to boot! Another excellent writing tip comes from Peter Jacobi, a professor of journalism at the Medill School of Jour- nalism: Read your writing out loud. How does it sound? Is it awkward, circumlocutory, pedantic? If so, rewrite it. There's something about reading a piece out loud that lays bare its weaknesses. You can be clear without turning off the majority of your audience. See the accompanying text boxes for some Do's and Don't's of clear writing. Morgan's Law #2: The Beginning Is Half the Thing. Actually, this is an old Roman saying I borrowed. The main point of it is that the first few paragraphs of an arti- cle are crucial to the rest of the text. The chances are you'll win or lose your readers at the beginning. Still, it's the one part of an article that fledgling writers gloss over in their eagerness to write the main body of the text. One very good writer I know told me he spends up to half of his article-writing time creating the first few paragraphs! Morgan's Law #3: Avoid the Penguin Syndrome. A famous story made the rounds a few years ago in- volving a publisher of children's books. A copy of one of the company's books about penguins appeared in the publisher's mailbox along with a letter from an eight- year-old girl that read, "Dear Sirs: I am returning your book, because it told me more about penguins than I wanted to know." The moral? Tell your readers what they need to know, and no more. If you're zealous about a given topic, tell the reader how to get more information by including a comprehensive list of references. Don't waste space. Morgan's Law § 4: Writing Is Nonlinear. Article ideas don't come in an orderly sequence. Be prepared to jot down your ideas as they come, as writer John McPhee does. McPhee is blessed with a short-term memory that permits near-total recall. Even so, he writes PASCAL/Z - Q.E.D. Ithaca Intersystems PASCAL/Z is the most powerful CP/M™ compatible Z-80™ Pascal compiler ever . . . and here's why: PASCAL/Z generates true Z-80 native code - ROMable and re-entrant — 5-10X faster than P-code interpreters; permits separate compilation; supports Direct File Access and variable length STRINGs; utilizes fast one-pass recursive descent organization; the macro-assembler generates relocatable object modules; and much, much more. Complete package includes compiler, macro-assembler, linker/loader and source for the full library on one disk; with free copy of Jensen/Wirth book and complete documenta- tion. Only $395.00. IT'S DEMONSTRABLE! Don't just take our word for it. Ask for a demonstration of these features and more today at Computerland " and other full-service computer stores. Ithaca Intersystems Inc., 1650 Hanshaw Road P.O. Box 91, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850. Phone (607) 257-0190 Computerland is a registered trademark of Computerland Corporation. CP/M and Z-B0 are trademarks of Digital Research Corp. and Zilog, inc. respectively PASCAL/Z and InterSystems are trademarks of Ithaca Intersystems Inc. December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 4 on inquiry card. IntersystE Micros for bigger ideas. "*~=^1 *#"»■ ,! ' ■ ■■ ■::.* ■ S3 N [/ «,». Outside of the garden you need a computer that can grow. For the average garden-variety home and hobby operation, a high quality personal computer is a real temptation. But let's face it: in the world of business, engineering and scientific applications you need a system that can keep up with bigger ideas. Bigger ideas today mean the power and flexibility to move the micro up to and beyond the level of yesterday's minis. More memory to hold bigger data bases. More flexibility to handle a variety of data entry devices. More programming and computing power for numbercrunching and applications development. And easy upgrade to 16 bit operation when you need it. Intersystems has that, and more. The power and flexibility of the versatile S-100 bus, with 20 slots of expandability for up to 16 individually-addressable DMA devices and up to 1 Megabyte of memory, fully accessible to all users via our unique memory management system. Plus reliable Intersystems design and manufacture, and the support of our PASCAL/Z ,M ...the most powerful Z-80*" compiler ever. For really serious computing, our front panel provides a powerful diagnostic tool for debugging or development. Combined with a scope, it allows you to look at any location in the circuitry, set breakpoints, trigger and view one-shot events, and many other activities usually possible only with expensive logic analyzers. No wonder it's fast becoming the tool of choice for repair technicians and custom hardware designers. Intersystems Series II is the most complete line of fully IEEE 696 compatible S-100 boards. ..easily upgradeable to our MPU 8000™ or other 16 bit S-100 CPU's as they become available. ..so you're never locked out of rapid expansion, or locked into obsolescence, by dependency on a proprietary product line. So if you've left those garden-variety applications behind, come to Intersystems and get a system that will grow as big as your next idea. Get it from the people who know small computers.. .your Computerland store.. .or other fine full service computer dealers. Ithaca Intersystems Inc., 1650 Hanshaw Road P.O. Box 91, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850. Phone (607) 257-0190 TWX: 510 255 4346. Z-80 ts a trademark ol Zilog, nc PASCAL'Z. MPU 8000 and InlerSystems are Iradcmarks of Itnac.a Intersystems Inc Circle 5 on inquiry card. DoDten Micros for bigger ideas. his ideas on index cards every day and pins them to a bulletin board where he can mix and match them. The ac- tual writing of a piece might not occur until some time later. E B White recommends that writers use scissors and glue to cut and paste their efforts during the first-draft stage. Some of the more advanced word-processing pro- grams can help to do this. Another great writing aid is to use a data-base-handling program that allows you to cross-index ideas and file them away. Morgan's Law #5: (otherwise known as the Three-Foot Rule): Don't Write Anything Unless You Have a Dic- tionary and a Thesaurus Within Three Feet of You. I know I'm being a little strict here, but it's important. Unless the dictionary is within easy reach, you probably won't bother to use it, and you may make a spelling er- ror. Going without a thesaurus is a further way of handi- capping yourself. Both these books are vital to every writer, and I needn't tell you that the average level of spelling accuracy these days is low. The American Heritage Dictionary is a good all-round choice because of its excellent usage notes. There's nothing much I can say about improving gram- mar and syntax other than to suggest the reference books at the end of the editorial. The Careful Writer and Mrs. Thistlebottom's Hobgoblins by Theodore Bernstein both help to dispel many of the bugaboos that have haunted our language ever since the well-meaning Victorians got their hands on it. Bernstein correctly points out that it's all right to occasionally split an infinitive, or to use a preposition to end a sentence with. William Sloane's The Craft of Writing, although primarily aimed at the fiction writer, contains a valuable chapter on nonfiction. It's a beautifully written book. Morgan's Law §6: Don't Be Afraid to Be Interesting. This may be the most important law of all. Involve your reader by being specific. Generalities make for dull reading. Use humor if you can carry if off. Otherwise, don't! Add some personal observations and opinions. The reader will take them in stride. All of this leads to the general conclusion that you should write about what you know well. William Sloane says, "There are no uninteresting subjects, only unin- teresting writers." In closing, I can think of no better quote than the following one from the same book (although Sloane is talking here about nonfiction books, the sentiment ap- plies equally well to technical articles): // a book has a beginning, it also has an end. Nonfic- tion develops by increment, builds on its own material, and ends when its material has been com- pletely exploited. If the book fulfills its contract with the reader, the end will complete the book by fulfilling the promises it made at the start. And if the people who read that book feel continuously that they are ad- ded to and believe, at the end, that there is more to them than there was before, the work of nonfiction has succeeded. The same can be said of fiction. In both cases, the contract between the writer and the reader has been kept. Clear Writing: Some Do's DO: (1) Tell your audience what you're going to talk about, (2) Talk about it, and (3) Tell them what you talked about. This old saw from your creative-writing class in high school is as valid as ever. Not observing it is a common failing of much technical writing today. DO: Include a theme sentence near the beginning of your writing that concisely sums up what you want to say in the piece. DO: Tell your story in miniature in the captions to figures, photos, tables, listings, and other illustrations. Your readers may not have time to read all of your ar- ticle: give them a quick summary and they'll thank you for it. Scientific American magazine does this sort of thing very well. DO: Spell out acronyms and abbreviations when they first appear in text. How many times have you been stopped cold by an unfamiliar abbreviation in the mid- dle of an interesting article? DO: Use verbs. Avoid adjectives and adverbs. A verb in an article title can add a lot of spice. (See Electronics magazine for good examples of verbs in titles.) Adjec- tives and adverbs, to paraphrase Robert Benchley, are the spinach of technical prose. Everybody says they're vital, but few of us would miss them if the majority of them suddenly disappeared tomorrow. John McPhee (perhaps the best nonfiction writer in the country) has written several books on technical subjects (such as The Curve of Binding Energy) that illustrate these principles better than a hundred paragraphs from me. DO: Break up your text into digestible chunks with subheadings. DO: Remember the questions you had when you were first learning a subject. Clear Writing: Some Don'ts DON'T: Use the passive voice as your primary voice. Many of us were taught to use the passive voice when writing technical reports and the like. But the passive voice lends an air of coldness and formality to writing — the sort of thing you'd expect in technical transac- tions, but not in an article that's designed to be read. For example, "I ran the program" is more personal than "The program was run. " Sometimes you need the passive voice for variety, but in general, own up: Say I, me, my, we, us or you. DON'T: Make your reader search for information in an article. If you have a list of items in text, perhaps they could be set off in a table. If you have a glossary in your article, tell the reader at the beginning. DON'T: Use big words when small words will do. A good example is utilize, a word that can almost always be replaced with use. Another popular word that should be avoided is implement. Don't implement when you can install, design, code, control, enable, connect, build, or operate; your readers will have a better idea of what you are doing. DON'T: Use a clever title for an article if it fails to convey the article's content. Imagine that your title is all that the reader has to go on in deciding whether or not to read your work. Text box continued on page 12 10 December 1980 £ BYTE Publicalions Inc Circle 6 on inquiry card. It you ssgSStfs* to a videos ^ssrt- a y T3 40 a raoaei" - - , opy . The se enalm^" handshaking , £ ^£^ d :xfonW^- ^dardbaudrate. areP roV .l e iWO riti ware P roVld f w on ? tneedtownteany software to^ -faCC Apple* to a v rts uaw _ us w with to ban die oL The troVil ng inc! par iudes ^el printers or.iiy^.f" 3r routine is avjlab^ 31161 ^ s an opt^J^&B ge^ 31 wa re »=> "" iication w " only one aPPjJ toterfaC e. purpose par -mmmB Two t°*°* S tthe ^^a^^^^r^rj^^ss ■into i compete 'informs""* 1 ta^.'SeorcMW* Maybe we can save you a call, Many people have called with the same questions about the AIO. We'll answer those and a few more here. Qs Does the AIO have hardware handshaking? A: Yes. The serial port accommodates 3 types— RTS, CTS, and PCD. The parallel port handles ACK, ACK, BSY, STB, and STB. Qi What equipment can be used with the AIO? A: A partial list of devices that have actually been tested with the AIO includes: IDS 440 Paper Tiger. Centronics 779, Qume Sprint 5, NEC Spinwriter, Comprint, Heathkit H 14, IDS 125, IDS 225, Hazeltine 1500, Lear Siegler ADM-3, DTC 300, AJ 841. Qi Does the AIO work with Pascal? A: Yes. The current AIO serial firmware works great with Pascal. If you want to run the parallel port, or both the serial and parallel ports with Pascal, order our "Pascal Patcher Disk" Qi What kind of firmware option is available for the parallel interface? A: Two PROM's that the user installs on the AIO card in place of the Serial Firmware PROM's provide: Variable margins, Variable page length. Variable indentations, and Auto-line-feed on carriage return. Qi How do I interface my new printer to my Apple using my AIO card? A: Interconnection diagrams for many popular printers and other devices are contained in the AIO Manual. If your printer is not mentioned, please contact SSM's Technical Support Dept. and they will help you with the proper connections. Q: I want to use my Apple as a dumb terminal with a modem on a timesharing service like The Source. Can I do that with the AIO? A: Yes. A "Dumb Terminal Routine" is listed in the AIO Manual. It provides for full and half duplex, and also checks for presence of a carrier. Qi What length cables are provided? A: For the serial port, a 12 inch ribbon cable with a DB-25 socket on the user end is supplied. For the parallel port, a 72 inch ribbon cable with an unterminated user end is provided. Other cables are available on special volume orders. store cables, and co. X;MOat , our See us for more ?»'SB8& 9BD1 Compute. The AIO is just one of several boards for the Apple that SSM will be introducing over the next year. We are also receptive to developing products to meet special OEM requirements. So please contact us if you have a need and there is nothing available to meet it. B=*il SSM Microcomputer Products 2190 Paragon Drive San Jose, California 95131 (408) 946-7400 DON'T: Use it or other pronouns if the meaning is obscured. Vague pronoun references in an article slow the reader down. What does the it mean? Writing for BYTE If you'd like to write for BYTE, we offer the follow- ing guidelines: Knowing the reader: Over three-quarters of BYTE's readers are involved professionally with computers as programmers, systems analysts, engineers, or techni- cians. Most of them are dyed-in-the-wool hobbyists at heart and spend a lot of time with their systems. The majority have college degrees or higher, although we also have many student readers. They are interested in virtually every aspect of personal computing, in- cluding high-level languages, original hardware designs, reviews of software and hardware (we are especially interested in these), graphics, artificial in- telligence, using computers to control the home, games, robots, etc, etc. Although many of our articles contain highly technical information, we also encourage the submis- sion of lower-level tutorial articles to enable readers to brush up on the basics. BYTE's readers like to have fun with their systems, too — a fact that should not be overlooked. DEALERS... OEM USERS. Call on Monday., your North Star computer will be (MMsmdl by Thursday WHOLESALE PRICES AVAILABLE. GBC maintains ready stock on the follow- ing products and software: • North Star • Centronics • Perkin-Elmer • Epson NEC Spinwriter 1 Turnkey North Star Business Software (609) 424-0465 ®m. 2020 Fairfax Avenue Cherry Hill, New Jersey 08003 Form of the Submitted Article • All submissions should be double-spaced and typewritten on 8V2 by 11 inch paper, with the narrow dimension vertical. Double-spacing is important, since proofreader's marks and other additions must be made to the manuscripts. • Take the time to write complete, descriptive cap- tions for all figures, tables, listings, and photos. • Schematic diagrams should be neatly drawn, using the schematics in BYTE as a guide. Note that we prefer a certain type of connector designation, and that power connections to integrated circuits are usually listed in a separate power-wiring table rather than be- ing included in the schematic. The direction of flow in a flowchart is assumed to be downward and to the right. No directional arrows should be -used unless the flow is contrary to the aforementioned directions. Again, see the magazine for examples. • We prefer not to typeset listings, but rather to photograph them for the magazine in order to eliminate the possibility of typographical errors. Because of this, we ask authors to submit listings printed on white paper with a dark ribbon (preferably new). • Photographs can be either color or black and white, but should be as sharp as possible. We prefer color slides to color prints. • All submissions should be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage affixed. We acknowledge all manuscripts upon arrival, and make a final determination within 8 to 12 weeks. Reference Books Rathbone, Robert R. Communicating Technical Infor- mation. Reading MA: Addison-Wesley, 1972. A good source of information about technical writing. Ralston, A, and Meek, C, eds. Encyclopedia of Com- puter Science. New York: Petr ocelli/ Charter, 1976. Although this book is oriented more toward large computers, it contains a wealth of information about high-level languages, assembly language, data process- ing, and hundreds of other topics, all presented in lucid fashion. Every serious computer science library should have a copy. Bernstein, Theodore M. The Careful Writer: A Modern Guide to English Usage. New York: Atheneum Press, 1977. Highly recommended, along with the author's other book, Mrs. Thistlebottom's Hobgoblins. Burton, Philip E. A Dictionary of Microcomputing. New York: Garland Publishing Company, 1976. Still the best dictionary in the microcomputing field. Turner, R P. Technical Writer's and Editor's Stylebook. New York: Howard W Sams and Com- pany, 1964. Todd, Alden. Finding Facts Fast. Berkeley CA: Ten Editorial continued on page 294 12 December 1980 © BYTE Publications lnc Circle 7 on inquiry card. Circle 8 on inquiry card. Edison had over 1,800 patents in his name, but you can be just as inventive with an Apple. Apple is the company with the brightest ideas in hardware and software and the best support — so you can be as creative with a personal computer system as Edison was with the incandescent bulb. How Apple grows with you. With Apple's reliable product family, the possibilities of creating your own system are endless. Have expansion capa- bilities of 4 or 8 accessory slots with your choice of system. Expand memory to 64K bytes or 128K bytes. Add an A to D conversion board. Plug into time sharing, news and electronic mail services. Use an IEEE 488 bus to monitor lab instruments. Add 4 or 6 disk drives — the 5 l A" 143K bytes, high-speed, low-cost drive that's the most popular on the market. Apple speaks many languages. Since more than 100 companies create software for Apple, you'll have the most extensive library in the personal computer world. Want to write your own programs? Apple is fluent in BASIC, Pascal, FORTRAN, PILOT and 6502 assembly language. There's even a series of utility programs called the DOS Tool Kit that not only lets you design high-resolution graphic displays, but lets you work wonders with creative animation. More illuminating experiences in store. You won't want to miss all the Apple products being introduced at your computer store all the time. Don't let history pass you by. Visit your nearest Apple dealer or call 800-538-9696. In California, 800-662-9238. Or write: Apple Computer, 10260 Bandley Drive, Cupertino, CA 95014. apple computer inc. • i Letters Heath Faces Horizon John Dye remarked in his letter (August 1980 BYTE, page 18) that he cannot run his Heathkit H-14 printer with a North Star Horizon at any data transfer rate over 110 bps (bits per se- cond). A simple reconfiguration of the Horizon headers, as designed by Don Baker , will allow it to recognize the BUSY from the H-14. I have assembled three H-14s and in- terfaced them with Horizon systems at 4800 bps with no problems. Heathkit supplies a modification-instruction pam- phlet which allows you to obtain a BUSY signal on the printer's connector pin 4. This pin translates to pin 15, After you play the Temple ofApshal, you can play Sticks and Stones for free. Within the 200 rooms and catacombs of the Temple of Apshai, untold treasures await you - the hero. All you have to do is elude, outsmart and outwit the beasts, monsters and demons lurking in the dark labyrinth. Spend minutes or hours on this role-playing fantasy - the boldest computer game in our Dunjonquest™ series. Now, when you order the "Temple of Apshai," you get the "Sticks & Stones" board game for no extra charge. In fact, if you're not satisfied with the "Temple of Apshai," you can return it within 10 days and still keep "Sticks & Stones!" But don't wait, this special offer is limited. (We'll also send you a catalog outlining our other exciting com- puter games). Automated Simulations, Department BY P.O. Box 4247, 1 988 Leghorn Street MountainView, California 94040 Please send me the "Temple of Apshai" for: Cassette ($24.95) Disk ($29.95) TRS-80 D16K, Level II D 32KTRSD0S APPLE Not available □ 48K Applesoft in ROM PET □ 32K Not available (Add SI. 00 shipping and handling charge; plus Nnme 6% or 6 1 /2% tax for California residents.) Arlrirflss City Stntp, 7ip □ Check enclosed. Amount $ Charge to: □ VISA □ MasterCard # Expiration date_ Or charge by phone: (800) 824-7888, operator 861. In California: (800) 852-7777, operator 861. If you prefer, call these numbers for a list of the computer stores near you. D DB:XMIT CLK (DCE), on the Horizon motherboard. To accomplish the hand- shaking, jumper the right configuration- header at location 4D as follows: Connect pin 2 to pin 16 Connect pin 4 to pin 14 Connect pin 5 to pin 11 Connect pin 7 to pin 8 Connect pin 9 to pin 10 and Connect pin 12 to pin 12 of the right special-clock header at loca- tion 2C. David M Koehler 306 Timber Trl Lafayette IN 47905 The APL Plot I was very pleased to see BYTE's August 1980 FORTH issue, since I am working part-time with FORTH doing a computer-aided design package to be used with the fine Mauro Engineering Proac plotter. Incidentally, the new product announcement for this plotter in the August 1980 BYTE (page 249) refer- red erroneously to the unit as a printer in the heading. The self-replicating programs in "Pro- gramming Quickies" (see "Self- Reproducing Programs," by Burger, Brill, and Machi, August 1980 BYTE, page 72) are a challenge that APLers cannot pass up. I have a 22-character line of APL that reproduces itself when executed, which was published a few years ago in APL News, a free publica- tion of APL Press (not to be confused with Personal APL News, my publica- tion, which is now part of the APL Market Newsletter from Southwater Corporation). Anyone who is interested should contact Eugene McDonnell of I P Sharp in Palo Alto, California. If we take the character string: ,1i-'l + 23pllp ' ' l+23pllp ' ! v I I r t and then print it and execute it, we get: A l + 23pllp ' ' »l + 23pllp ' ' ' tA l + 23pllp ' ■ ' l+23ollp ' ' ' The key to this line is the fact that the reshape function wraps around to the beginning of the right argument. I hope that the following makes it clear what is happening: ' ' ' l + 23pllp ' ' ' ' l + 23pllp ' lip " 'l + 23pllp ' ' ' ' l + 23pllp ' ' 14 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 9 on inquiry card. Circle 10 on inquiry card. TRS-80* Model I Computer Owners . . . Store Up to 350 Kbytes on a 5" Disk FORMATTED DISK STORAGE CAPACITY IN KBYTES 300 MO Ugtfttt tmuSMimiw F[ / / / / / / / 4 y y > ./ ^ The DOUBLER™. It packs almost twice the data on a disk track as your single-density system. Depending on the type of drive, you can store up to four times more data on one side of a minidiskette than you can store using a standard Model I mini-disk drive. • The DOUBLER™ reads, writes and formats either single- or dou- ble-density minidiskettes. • Proprietary design allows you to continue to run TRSDOS* NEW- DOS*, Percom OS-80™ or other single-density software without making any changes to software or hardware. Switch to double- density operation at any conve- nient time. • Includes DBLDOS™, a TRSDOS* compatible double- density disk operating system. Mini-Disk Systems track format. $399. More storage capacity, higher reliability — from Percom, the industry leader. One-, two- and three-drive configura- tions in either 40- or 77- Fully burned-in. From only • CONVERT utility, on DBLDOS™ minidiskette, converts files and programs from single- to double-density or double- to sin- gle-density. • The DOUBLER™ circuit card includes high performance data separator, write precom- pensation circuits for reliable disk read operations — even with 80-track drives. • Plug-in Installation — The DOUBLER simply plugs into the disk controller socket of your Ex- $20 $20 ! PERCOM DISCOUNT COUPON worth $20 toward The Purchase of a DOUBLER™ Coupon No. B10101 Expires December 30, 1980 „ Void where prohibited by law. ft , l$^U LIMIT ONE COUPON PER DOUBLER JP^UJ pansion Interface, requiring no strapping or trace cutting. Expan- sion Interface disk controller may be completely restored to original configuration by simply removing the DOUBLER™ and re-installing the original disk controller chip. • Works with standard 35-, 40-, 77- and 80-track mini-disk drives rated for double-density operation. • Introductory price, including DBLDOS™ and format conversion utility on minidiskette, only $219.95. Use the coupon for even greater savings. Call toll-free, 1-800-527-1592. for the address of your nearest authorized Per- com dealer, or to order directly from Per- com. PERCOM DATA COMPANY, INC. 211 N. KIRBY GARLAND, TEXAS 75042 (214) 272-3421 trademark of Percom Data Company. Inc. * trademark of Tandy Radio Shack Corporation which has no relationship to Percom Data Company. t trademark of Apparat Company. Inc. PRICES AND SPECIFICATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. . PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE SHIPPING AND HANDLING CHARGES. 23pllp ' ' 'l + 23pllp ' ' ' 'l + 23pllp ' ' ' l + 23pllp ' ' ' This is much shorter and also much simpler in conception than the other self- replicating programs given. It is not, however, a defined function, but an ex- pression. I don't think it would be dif- ficult to write an APL function that would produce its own visual represen- tation, even without using the visual representation function which makes the question trivial: tnt+MYSELF in n*-r\vR 'MxssLP* V This function returns its character form as a value, and only prints by default if that value is not assigned to a variable; the expression given earlier also yields a value and not just printing. Only LISP can improve on that, by returning a function as its value, rather than a character vector (character string to the rest of you). Other variants of this amusement have been worked out in APL before. Try creating two expressions, each of which gives the other as its value or its printed result, or a cycle of three or more. Mokurai Cherlin Director, Micro Systems Development APL Business Consultants Inc APL Computer Language Specialists POB 1131 Mt Shasta CA 96067 Thlef-Reproduthing Programth We are rather amazed and amused by the "Self-Reproducing Programs" (see the "Programming Quickie," by Burger, Brill, and Machi, August 1980 BYTE, page 72). We were amazed by the elegance of the "optimal" C program presented (especially given C's notable lack of expressive power), and amused by the proposed LISP solution (which, by the way, won't work. What was pro- posed will not evaluate to a function — it needs an enclosing DEFUN or DEFINE). Consider the problem of creating an expression which evaluates to itself. A microsecond's thought usually yields a constant, usually 1. Indeed, any friendly APL or LISP interpreter would be more than happy to return 1 when 1 is typed to it. However, many people would claim that 1 is data, and not a program. For the sake of this letter, we will pay homage to this unfounded prejudice, and go "up" a level in our analysis. The canonical "program" in the lambda calculus which reduces to itself PUT TIME AND BSR CONTROL IN YOUR APPLE II TM THUNDERCLOCK PLUS AN INTERFACE FOR THE BSR X-10 • Control AC outlets with your BSR Command Console and APPLE II • All 22 BSR commands at your pro- gram's fingertips • Up to 128 separate dim/bright levels • THUNDERWARE'S Scheduler soft- ware will control AC outlets in the background, while you run another program in the foreground BOTH FEATURES ON ONE CARD A REAL-TIME CLOCK/CALENDAR • Provides month, date, day-of-week, hour, minute, and second • Software selectable time formats: 24 hour or AM/PM ASCII string, or as numeric values • Provides interrupts which can be en- abled or disabled under software con- trol • On board battery allows accurate time- keeping for up to 2 years even with your APPLE turned off • On-board firmware makes the THUNDERCLOCK PLUS exceptionally easy to use • Read or set time, control interrupts, and send BSR commands with simple BASIC 'INPUT' and 'PRINT' statements • Completely APPLE II compatible: INT and FP BASIC or PASCAL with Unit support • Special introductory prices end Jan 15, 1981 THUNDERCLOCK PLUS™ $119.00 Clock, BSR interface, and User's manual THUNDERWARE SCHEDULER $24.95 Diskette with Scheduler, examples, demos, and Scheduler manual PASCAL SOFTWARE $19.95 Diskette with PASCAL Unit for clock and BSR interface TO ORDER TOLL FREE (VISA/MC) CALL: 800-227-6204 Ext. 307 (Outside California) 800-632-2131 Ext. 307 (California Only) APPLE II is a trademark of APPLE COMPUTER, INC California residents add 6% sales tax BSR X-10 is a trademark of BSR (USA) LTD SEE YOUR DEALER OR WRITE FOR INFORMATION: THUNDERWARE INCORPORATED P.O. Box 13322, Oakland, CA 94661 (Xx-xx)(Xx-xx)- The first (Xx-xx) is the "program" and the second (Xx-xx) is data to the pro- gram. When this "program" is "executed" the formal parameter x is bound to (Xx-xx) parameter of the pro- gram (x), then x is concatenated with itself once (this is what xx means), and then this value is returned. (You may find it instructive to compare this with the "optimal" C program.) We shall try to emulate this in LISP. The first attempt yields: ((lambda (x) (list x x))), (list x x)) (lambda (x) however, this fails because the data part will get evaluated. We can try: ((lambda (x) (list x x))) (list x x))'(lambda (x) 16 December 1980 ^ BYTE Publications Inc Circle 11 on inquiry card. but this only yields: ((lambda (x) (list x x))(lambda (x) (list x x))), which is missing the quote mark. An in- teresting hack is to change the way lambda evaluates by executing (macro lambda form (list 'quote form)). The first attempt above will now work because when (lambda (x) (list x x)) is evaluated it will return a copy of itself, which is what we want. However, there are those that would claim this is cheating because we have implicitly changed the behavior of the evaluator. We will admit this objection and con- tinue with our analysis. After much mushing around trying to get the quote mark back in we stumble upon: ((LAMBDA (LAMBDA)(LIST(LIST 'LAMBDA '(LAMBDA) LAMBDAXLIST 'QUOTE LAMBDA))) '(LIST (LIST 'LAMBDA '(LAMBDA) LAMBDAHLIST'QUOTE LAMBDA))) which does what we want. Note that this uses no PROG, SETQ's or REPLACx's. Also note that the lambda variable need not be named lambda, this is merely a hack. It is trivial to make a program out of this expression by throwing up the necessary DEFUN's: (DEFUN PRINTMEO ((LAMBDA (LAMBDAXLIST 'DEFUN 'PRINTME'()(L1ST(LIST'LAMBDA '(LAMBDA) LAMBDA) (LIST 'QUOTE LAMBDA)))) '(LIST 'DEFUN 'PRINTME'()(LIST(LIST 'LAMBDA Circle 12 on inquiry card. —^^ r. ' '/id SAN JOSE. CALIFORNIA September 5. 6. 7 LONDON. ENGLAND ,9B0 September 4. 5 K 1980 WINS BOTH WORLD AND NORTH AMERICAN MICROCOMPUTER CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS! The same engineers who helped win the "First World Microcomputer Chess Championship" under the auspices of the World Chess Federation on Sep- tember 4, 5, and 6,1980 in London, England -five straight wins with no loss or draw - and the "First Official North American Microcomputer Chess Cham- pionship" on September 5, 6, and 7, 1980 in San Jose, California -four straight wins without a loss or draw - are proud to announce Fidelity's newest chess product... Every M04 You Mi k senses every move rarftfu^ija-iy y ^atlcaHy;erfte^iWnti9'l^ , 'i»J>rn^ . ,';brain." Fifty-Wortf vocabulary' ' ' calls out moves', describes '' captures, announces .errors. Plays at ten levels of difficulty. Analyzes over 3,000,000 moves -it's faster and smarter . than ever. Speaks ' English, Spanish, French qr German language.' ■ Chess Clock tells time remaining, elapsed time, time used per move. • Duplicates 64 of the world's greatest games - you play against the Master. • Plays 64 book openings, average 1 5 moves into the game. • Many other features include: Problem Mode, Mate-in-Two solutions, change sides in mid-game, and much more. For the beginner or serious player. Available in fine stores everywhere. • Spanish, French or German optional. The world's largest manufacturer of self-contained, microprocessor based, board games. acle in U S A FIDELITY ELECTRONICS, LTD. 8800N.W. iWhSIRII f, MIAMI, FLORIDA H17H read cards... economically! The new HEI Model 121-4 card reader handles marked and punched cards interchangably, including many colors of pen or pencil. Absolutely no operator adjustment required. Includes a number of switch-selectable features for application tailoring without extra cost. • Reads strobe marks right or left, or self-clocking on both 80 column punch and mark-sense cards. • RS-232 ASCII output (with Hollerith to ASCII conversion if necessary), or parallel TTL output. • Six in-per-sec. card feedthru, or auto return to the front after read. A built-in self test feature checks all 1 3 channels with a diagnostic card. The Model 1 21 -4 operates on 50/60 CPS. Specify voltage as either 1 1 or 230 VAC. The Model 1 21 -4 is the most flexible and capable hand-fed card reader on the market at any price, and the price is right. You'll find it to be ideal for a variety of inventory control and data collection tasks. Call or write for more information on the latest optoelectronic solution from HEI. The Optoelectronic Specialists M HEI inc. Jonathan Industrial Canter • Chaaka, MN 55318 • 612/448-3510 '(LAMBDA) LAMBDA) (LIST 'QUOTE LAMBDA))))) However, neither of these two solu- tions would be written that way in a modern LISP (eg: MacLISP or Lisp- MachineLISP, instead using the back- quote facility they would be written: ((lambda (x) '(,x ',x)) '(lambda (x) '(,x',x))) and: (DEFUN PRINTMEQ ((LAMBDA (X) '(,@X',X))) '(DEFUN PRINTME ()((LAMBDA (X)'(,@X',X))))) The real way it would be written in MacLISP is (DEFUN PRINTME () (GRINDEF PRINTME)). This whole ex- ercise really isn't very interesting in LISP because this sort of thing is done routinely. Routines are constantly being consed up by other routines, and macros which write their own macros are be- coming a standard tool. LISP doesn't discriminate against something just because it is code. Daniel Weise NE43-838 MIT Laboratory for Computer Science 545 Technology Sq Cambridge MA 02139 Leedex / Sup' FT Terminal Incompatibility Any BYTE reader who owns an Apple II system and is considering expanding to 80 columns may be interested in my experience with the Leedex monitor and the Sup'R' Terminal RF (radio-frequen- cy) modulator board. While the Leedex monitor is an excellent value and per- forms well with the standard 40-column Apple II, I found it impossible to get a clear display while using it in conjunc- tion with the Sup'R' Terminal board. Repeated efforts at adjusting both the board and the monitor failed to produce a legible display. The only solution pro- ved to be using another monitor, namely a Hitachi. Sunil Subbakrishna Shakti Systems Wilmette IL 60091 Bar-Code Reader as Light Pen? Before reading Carl Helmers's editorial "Bar Codes, Revisited ..." (April 1980 BYTE, page 6) on the Hewlett-Packard HEDS-3000 bar-code data-entry wand, I considered the possibility of buying a light pen for my Apple II. Afterwards, I couldn't see buying two pieces of equip- ment when one might do both jobs. Circle 13 on Inquiry card. Circle 14 on inquiry card. Mountain Computer makes more peripherals for the Apple Computer than Anybody. OLX-10 and ... a place to put them ghts and hedules and plete applications software package. Home security with random scheduler. Power usage accounting package for home energy cost control. No wiring required. APPLE CLOCK Interrupts peration of two programs simultaneously. Battery back-up. Crystal-controlled for * .001% accuracy. Onboard ROM for easy access from BASICS. Supports PASCAL. Time from one millisecond to one vear. it SUPERTALKER SD200 room, or souna enec as well as output is u igrams. I/O capability ipted inputs. Use output for . announcements in a control- rams. Easy to use because input pecial software operating system. ROMWRITER Create your own firmware. vis. Disk software package A programming. EPROMs are verified ur programs from on-board socket or ROMPLUS+ .jm through firmware. Six sockets i or ROM equivalents. Six or any com- at once. Scratch-pad RAM and two TTL connectors. Special 2K ROMs available for powerful system enhancement: Keyboard Filter ROM— COPYROM -Others coming soon. ._ble only on lainframe com- tal instrumental music synthesizer system 16 voices in stereo. Instrument definitions simulate the sound of real instruments— and more. Fully programmable waveforms. Envelope Con- trol. Composition system— sheet music input using standard music notation. Chords and multi-part scoring up to 16 voices. A true instrument that anyone with an Apple can play. o digital input. 16 tal to analog output, .olution. Super-fast 9/i sec. conversion time. Monitor and output to the real world. All on one card. EXPANSION CHASSIS duty power supply. Easy to use. Address cards in Expansion Chassis the same way as in your Apple. Only one additional command to specify in Apple or in Expansion Chassis. Compatible with all Apple peripherals. CardR< igh-quality device for data entry from user-marked cards. Implement BASIC programming, examination scoring, inventory maintenance and other applications requiring off-line data preparation for batch entry later. Connects to any computer having RS-232 interface. Software and cards are available for jobs in business, science and education. MOUNTAIN COMPUTER has the most compre- hensive line of Apple peripherals available. Anywere. From anybody. We know the Apple inside and out and are committed to providing the most innovative and unique products to expand and enhance its capabilities and use. After all, we were the first company to make an Apple peripheral— except Apple Computer. Available at Apple Dealers worldwide. y West Blvd., Santa Cruz, CA 95060 8600 TWX 910 598-4504 ' Apple Computer Inc. That is, can the wand be altered so as to become a light pen7 John Gibbs // you don 't activate the infrared LED (light-emitting diode) in the HEDS-3000, you can certainly sense light coming into the wand from an external source, such as the video display's CRT (cathode-ray tube). There might he problems in matching the wave length of the light from the CRT to the spectral sensitivity of the infrared phototransistor in the wand . . . CH Telecommunication Options I enjoyed Carl Helmers's June editorial very much. (See "The Grass Roots Elec- tronic Post Office, or, How Electronic (and Private) Mail Is Already Here," June 1980 BYTE, pages 6 thru 10.) The prospect of using my terminal for rapid and inexpensive communication is very exciting. The costs you mention for sending computer messages using voice telephone lines can be greatly reduced by taking advantage of the digital communication provided by Telenet or Tymnet. This is easily done by means of The Source or MicroNet information services. Elec- tronic mail can be sent with The Source for $8.50 per hour of connection time counting both send and receive time dur- ing "nonprime" hours, but not counting the initial charge. Similarly, MicroNet charges $10 per hour (for both send and receive) and has a lower initial charge. In addition, both systems permit users to chat on-line with other users through their respective terminals. Robert W Hosken Avatar Exports 21515 Hawthorne Blvd #432 Torrence CA 90503 According to my table of telephone rates, the cost for a one-hour telephone call from New Hampshire to California during the 60% discount time period (which Carl Helmers used as an exam- ple) would be $9.65. The cost would be less, of course, for a call over a shorter distance. Using The Source or MicroNet has the benefit that the two correspondents do not have to send and receive simulta- neously and opens the possibility for multiple recipients of the same com- munication . . . RSS Info on Micropolis Software Wanted The Micropolis Users Group (MUG) is an association whose desire is maximiz- ing the use of the Micropolis-supplied 20 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc software. As part of this endeavor, we are compiling a directory of all software that runs on MDOS or Micropolis BASIC without requiring a second operating system (such as CP/M). I would appreciate suppliers of such soft- ware informing me of their products. Of course we are also always in- terested in new members. Membership is $12 per year for twelve monthly newsletters. Buzz Rudow Micropolis Users Group 604 Springwood Cr Huntsville AL 35803 6809 Time-Sharing Don Kinzer's article in the June 1980 BYTE ("A Time-Sharing /Multi-User Subsystem for Microprocessors," page 122) describes how a sixteen-user time- sharing system can be implemented. The system, based on a 6800 microprocessor, uses a minimum of hardware and soft- ware. However, using the new 6809 pro- cessor, even less hardware and software is required. The first savings of hardware occurs at power-up/reset. Most processors, in- cluding the 6800, accept a nonmaskable interrupt (NMI) at any time — even at reset. Obviously, if an NMI occurs before the stack is initialized correctly, the program will bomb. The problem is usually solved by adding a special circuit that disables all interrupts until the pro- cessor is properly initialized (as shown in figure 4 of Kinzer's article). On the 6809, the NMI is blocked until the first load of the system stack pointer (SP). Thus, no special reset circuitry is needed. After initialization is complete, the stack pointer is loaded to enable the NMI. Note that most interrupt timers must still be initialized; when using the 6809, simply use the RESET signal to clear the timer to a known state. The 6809 allows direct addressing anywhere in the memory map. By use of a direct page (DP) register, the 64 K-byte addressing range is divided in- to 256 pages. In a time-sharing environ- ment, the DP register could be loaded with a different value for each user, resulting in each user accessing a dif- ferent 256 bytes of temporary storage. An alternate method of implementing a time-sharing/multi-user system is with the 6829 memory-management unit (MMU). The MMU expands the address space of the 6809 from 64 K bytes to 2 megabytes. Each MMU can handle four concurrent tasks; the address space of each task can be fully protected from other tasks. In addition, a total of eight MMUs can be used in a system, Letters continued on page 298 Circle 15 on inquiry card. A growing line of tools to expand the Apple 7440A Programmable Interrupt Timer Module. Time events in four operating modes— continu- ous, single shot, frequency comparison, and pulse width comparison. Includes three 16-bit interval timers, plus flexible patch area for external interface. Programmable interrupts, on-board ROM, and much more. 7720A Parallel Interface, Two bi-directional 8-bit I/O ports will connect your Apple to a variety of parallel devices, including printers, paper tape equipment, current relays, external on/off devices. Full featured, programmable inter- rupts, supports DMA daisy chaining. 781 1 B Arithmetic Processor. Interfaces with Applesoft, so you just plug in and run. Based on the AM 9511 device, provides full 16/32-bit arithmetic, floating point, trigonometric, loga- rithmic, exponential functions. Programmed I/O data transfer, much, much more. 771 0A Asynchronous Serial Interface. Conform- ing to RS-232-C A thru E 1978 standard, this card will drive a variety of serial devices such as CRT terminals, printers, paper tape devices, or communicate with any standard RS-232 device, including other computers. Full hand-shaking, and fully compatible with Apple PASCAL! 7470A 3% BCD A/D Converter. Converts a IX voltage to a BCD number for computerized monitoring and analysis. Typical inputs include DC inputs from temperature or pressure transducers. Single channel A/D, 400 ms per conversion. 7490A 0PIB IEEE 488 Interface. A true imple- mentation of the IEEE 488 standard— the standard protocol for instrumentation and test devices. Control and monitor test instruments such as digital voltmeters, plotters, function generators, or any other device using the IEEE 488. 7114A PROM Module. Permits the addition to or replacement of Apple II firmware without removing the Apple II ROMs. Available with on-board enable/disable toggle switch. 7500 A Wire Wrap Board. For prototyping your own designs. 7S10A Solder Board. 75B0A Extender Board. 701 6A 18K Dynamic Memory Add-On. Watch this space for new CCS products for the Apple. We've got some real surprises in the works. To find out more about the CCS product line, visit your local computer retailer. The CCS product line is available at over 250 locations nationally, including most that carry the Apple. Or circle the reader service number on this ad. Apple II, Apple II Plus, and Applesoft are trademarks of the Apple Corporation. CCS makes the difference. We see the Apple a little differently. ^ ^ $g9 ** «w : v IP m i\S i *iM We see it as a good way to get things done. Apple has built a great computer. We at CCS have built a great line of peripherals and components to expand the Apple. To do almost anything you want to get done with a computer. If you wartt to do business with an Apple, we've got tools to connect the Apple to standard business printers and terminals. Or to modems, for communications over tele- phone lines, with other computers, even with other Apples. If you want to apply your Apple to engineering, scien- tific, or graphic projects, we've got tools for high-powered, high-speed math functions, and fast, high resolution graph- ics. And tools to connect the Apple to lab test equipment like function generators or plotters. And we have tools to connect the Apple to the outside world, including A/D converters and interval timers with external interface. We make components for the S-100 bus, the PET, and the TRS-80, too. We built our products to deliver hard- nosed value to the OEM, and to the inventor who knows the best, at prices that are unbeaten. To find out how much computer your Apple II can be, see things our way. Because for serious users with serious uses for the Apple, we've got the tools. California Computer Systems 250 Caribbean Sunnyvale, CA 94086 [408] 734-5811 Your vehicle for com The Challenger 8P DF. The general purpose microcomputer was first introduced as a computer for hobbyists and experimenters. However, as the industry has grown, microcomputers have become specialized for personal use or for small business use. There is virtually no computer for the serious experi- menter with one important exception, the Ohio Scientific Challenger 8R The C8P is unique in that it incor- porates the features of state-of-the- art personal computers, with the memory and disk storage capacity of business computers, along with the "mainframe" bus architecture and open ended expansion capability of industrial control computers. Personal Computer Features The C8PDF's specs beat all personal computers hands down. It executes instructions two to three times faster, and displays more alphabetic characters on its screen than other models. It has upper and lower case and graphics in 16 colors. The C8P's standard I/O capabilities are far more extensive than any other com- puter, with joystick and keypad inter- faces, sound output, an 8-bit D/A converter, 16 parallel I/O lines, modem and printer interfaces, AC remote control and security monitor interfaces and a universal acces- sory port that accepts a prom blaster, 12-bit analog I/O module, solderless prototyping board and more. Ohio Scientific offers a large library of personal applications programs, including exciting action games such as Invaders and Star Trek, sports simulations, games of logic and educational games, personal applications such as biorhythms, calorie counter, home programs such as checking and savings account balancers and a home budgeter just to name a few. A new Plot BASIC makes elaborate anima- tions easy, and music composition program allows you to play complex multi-part music through the com- puters DAC. At the systems level the machine comes standard with OS-65D, an ad- vanced disk operating system with Microsoft BASIC and an interactive Assembler Editor. Optional software includes UCSD PASCAL and FORTRAN and an Information Management System (OS-MDMS). Dozens of independent software suppliers now also offer personal programs for the C8P w '-•'V' puter explorations Business Computer Features The C8P DF utilizes dual 8" floppy disk drives which store up to eight times as much information as per- sonal computer mini-floppies, and an available double-sided option expands capacity to 1.2 megabytes of on-line storage. The C8P DF is compatible with Ohio Scientific's business computer software, in- cluding OS-65U an advanced oper- ating system, and an Information Management System (OS-DMS) with supplementary inventory, account- ing, A/R-A/P, payroll, purchasing, estimation, educational grading and financial modeling packages. The system also supports word process- ing (WP-3) and a fully integrated small business accounting system (OS-AMCAP V1.6). The C8P DF's standard modem and printer ports accept high-speed matrix printers and word-processing printers directly. Home Control and Industrial Control The C8P DF has the most advanced home monitoring and control capa- bilities ever offered in a computer system. It incorporates a real time clock and a unique FOREGROUND/ BACKGROUND operating system which allows the computer to function with normal BASIC pro- grams, at the same time it is monitoring external devices. The C8P DF comes standard with an AC remote control interface, which allows it to control a wide range of AC appliances and lights remotely, without wiring, and an interface for home security systems which moni- tors fire, intrusion, car theft, water levels and freezer temperature, all without messy wiring. In addition, the C8P DF can accept Ohio Scien- tific's Votrax voice I/O board and/or Ohio Scientific's new universal telephone interface (UTI). The tele- phone interface connects the com- puter to any telephone line. The computer system is able to answer calls, initiate calls and communicate via touch-tone signals, voice outpu t or 300 baud modem signals. It can accept and decode touch-tone signals, 300 baud modem signals and record incoming voice messages. These features collec- tively give the C8P DF capabilities to monitor and control home functions with almost human-like capabilities. For process control applications, a battery back up calendar clock with automatic computer restart capabili- ties is available. Ohio Scientific's unique accessory ports allow the connection of a nearly unlimited number of 48 line parallel I/O cards and 12-bit high speed instrumenta- tion quality analog I/O modules to the computer by inexpensive 16-pin ribbon cables. Exploring New Frontiers Ohio Scientific's vocalizer software processes normal BASIC print state- ments with conventional spellings and speaks them clearly in real-time on computers equipped with the UTI (CA-15B orCA-14A). This voice out- put capability, combined with the C8P's remote control, remote sens- ing, telephone interface capabilities and reasonable cost open up new frontiers for computer applications. Documentation The C8P DF is not a beginner's com- puter and doesn't come with begin- ner's documentation. However, Ohio Scientific does offer detailed documentation on the computer which is meaningful for experts, including a Howard Sams produced hardware service manual that in- cludes detailed block diagrams, schematics, parts placement dia- grams and parts lists. Ohio Scientific is now also offering fully documented Source Code in machine readable form for OS-65D, the Challenger 8P's operating system allowing experimenters and industrial users to customize the system to their specific applications. What's Next? Ohio Scientific is working on a speech recognizer to complement the UTI system, with a several hun- dred word vocabulary. The company is also developing an 8 megabyte low-cost, add-on hard disk for use in conjunction with natural language parsing to further advance the state- of-the-art in small computers. The modular bus architecture of the C8P assures system owners of being able to make use of these new developments as they become available just as the owner of a 1976 vintage Challenger can directly plug in voice output, the UTI and other current state-of-the-art OSI products. The C8P DF with dual 8" floppies, BASIC and two operating systems costs about $3000, only slightly more than you would pay for a dual mini-floppy equipped personal com- puter with only a fraction of the capabilities of the C8R For more information and the name of the dealer nearest you, call 1-800-321-6850 toll free. 1333 SOUTH CHILLICOTHE ROAD AURORA, OH 44202 • [21 6] 831 -5600 Circle 16 on inquiry card. Multimachine Games Ken Wasserman and Tim Stryker Mach 2 Software 96 Hammersmith Apts Danbury CT 06810 There you are, staring into a poor dumb tube, spend- ing hours trying to wheedle, cajole, flatter and coax your machine into coughing up a few more points, or maybe into reluctantly admitting every now and then: "YOU WINIII(bell)(bell)lll" How much satisfaction is there in that, really? How much challenge? So you beat the com- puter. So what? So the computer beat you. Who cares? Do you ever long for a scenario something like the following?. . . . Tonight will be the final, deciding match of the battle series — the winner will have won the regional computer- club title and will be eligible for the national playoffs next month in San Diego. As you and your worthy opponent, both dressed in black, enter the room, a hush falls over the gathered assembly. You approach your respective consoles, and, at a prearranged signal from the presiding judge, the game begins. The screen before you contains a wealth of information about the status and positioning of your various forces. You have two "windows" onto the field of play, one centered on your base, the other on your current tank. You see no sign of your opponent or his base in either window, for the field of play is very large: you know that he is out there somewhere, but, as the game begins, you have no idea where. As you begin to move your tank out of your base, you find that it stays centered in its own window, thereby making previously unseen portions of the field visible to you, while, from the point of view of your base (which is immobile) your tank appears to move away from win- dow center until shortly it disappears off the edge. Quick- ly reconnoitering your base perimeter, you begin to lay down mines to protect it from invasion. (These mines are visible to you but not to your opponent, to whom a Cassettes containing Flash Attack for the PET, at $15 each, and kits containing all the hardware needed to run Flash Attack and other games on the PET, in- cluding CB2 sound, at $15 each, are available from: Mach 2 Software, 96 Hammersmith, Danbury CT 06810. Quickly reconnoitering your base perimeter, you begin to lay down mines to protect it from invasion. square filled with one of your mines looks just like a stretch of virgin grassland.) As you do this, the steady clickety-click you hear from your opponent's keyboard tells you that he is not exactly idle either — he is probably mining the area around his base. Or perhaps his base is well protected by mountain ranges, and he is now already actively seeking yours ? Or maybe he has decided on the decoy ploy, and is building and mining an entirely false base to confuse you? You have no way of knowing! Running out of mines, you frantically return to your base to restock, then rush out again to complete the min- ing operation. Suddenly you hear the sound of a mine ex- ploding. Has your opponent run across your mine field already? Or did he, in his own haste, run afoul of one of his own mines? Thankful you had the foresight to make your mine fields orderly, you investigate: one of them is missing! Your opponent's tank is now badly damaged, but there are still four more where that one came from, and, more important, he now has some idea as to where your base is. Out of mines again, and unwilling to return to base to restock, you are unable to patch the breach — instead, you take off after the intruder, and suddenly — there he is! His tank appears within your tank window! You fire — and miss — he maneuvers, fires — and hits you! Your tank goes into condition yellow — you maneuver, fire— and miss — fire again — a hit! His tank, which was in condition red from having hit the mine, is completely destroyed, but you know that the second of his supply of five tanks has now been made available to him back at his base, wherever that is. Quickly slipping into a nearby forest to survey the area, you suddenly run across what can only be his second tank! You reason as follows: in order for his second tank to have gotten back to this area as fast as it did, his base 24 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 17 on inquiry card. ATARI: PERSONAL COMPUTER SYSTEMS THAT GROW WITH YOU Start with a better computer. Atari computers have built-in capa- bilities you can't even add onto many other personal computers. Three programming formats (ROM cartridge, disk and cassette). A 57 key upper/lower case ASCII keyboard with 29 keystroke graphics symbols. 128 colors and hues. Four separate sound channels and a built-in speaker. Four controller ports. A built-in RF ©1980, Atari, Inc. O A Warner Communications Company Atari reserves the right lo make changes to products or programs without notice. modulator and FCC approval for connection to any TV Plus, nationwide Atari Authorized Service Centers. And more. Add memory. The ATARI 800™ is supplied with 16K of memory, You can expand up to a full 48K of RAM with 8K or 16K Memory Modules™ you install yourself. In less than a minute, The ATARI 4 oo's™ 8K of RAM may be expanded to 16K at Authorized Ser- vice Centers. Both may be expanded to 26K of ROM with slip-in ROM cartridge programs. Add peripherals. The ATARI 410™ audio-digital program recorder, Sin- gle or dual density* disk drives, The ATARI 800 individually addresses up to four drives. Add the ATARI 850™ RS232 Interface Module. Add high speed 40 or 80-column printers. Add an acoustic modem for remote data access. Add a light pen* And there are more Atari peripherals on the way. « III B Add programs. Choose among doz- ens of programs in Atari's rapidly expanding software library. Programs categories include: • Personal Finance & Record Keeping • Personal Interest & Development • Professional Applications • Education • Information & Communication • Entertainment • Programming Languages • Small Business Accounting Add It up. With Atari, you start with more. And you can build to more. Because Atari offers you per- sonal computer systems that grow with you. Ask your Atari retailer to give you a full demonstration of Atari computers, peripherals and programs. Complete systems, Because when other people were thinking hardware and software, Atari was thinking systems. ATARI 'Available Fall, 1980 PERSONAL COMPUTERS 1265 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 04086 Call toll-free (800)5)8-8547 (Except Alaska and Hawaii) lln California: I800) 67J-1404) for the name of your nearest Atari retailer. /SSinSiIRD CXB53 -ie>K.-F?>?NJ-s/V ^sjit^jrhi cxbs3 sasssrz i€>k- f^^j\/y ES ATARI BASIC COMPUTING L AKir.l IAO" Kir ,1 1 1 P must be nearby. Accordingly, you ignore the fact that his tank begins firing at you, opting instead to try to catch a glimpse of his base in your tank window before your tank is destroyed. You maneuver — are hit! — your tank is now in condi- tion red, and you find it difficult to move prop- erly — nevertheless you forge ahead — there is his base! You move again, and hit a mine — your tank is destroyed! However, remembering the coordinates your tank was at when you saw his base, you make a lightning mental con- version from rectangular to polar coordinates, and, shouting insults across the room to distract your oppo- nent's attention, you swiftly key the polar data into your angle and range registers and fire off an intercontinental ballistic missile from your base. A high, falling whistle is heard, followed by a colossal explosion. A deathly quiet ensues: your condition display glows with the word "SUPREME, " while on your opponent's screen you know the condition to be "DEFUNCT. " You have triumphed in the first game of tonight's seven-game match — as you glance across to see the look of fierce determination on the face of your opponent, you realize that the remaining games may not be won so easily. The judge, looking at both players, slowly raises his hands, and the second game begins. . . . Creating a Game The creation of such a game may not be as far beyond your capabilities as you might think: the above game, in- cluding all features mentioned, and more, has already been implemented for use on a pair of lowly 8 K-byte FLOPPY DISK FACTORY DIRECT FLOPPY DISK FACTO cr o < Ll_ a > a. a. o cj ULl cr a cr a I— u < en a > a. Q_ a CJ UJ QC a > DC o HH • Buy factory direct from the manufacturer of floppy disks sold exclusively under other well-known brand names. • Save distribution costs on reversible 5.25" floppy disks, which are 1 00°/o certified for 40 track, dual side, double density and all other standard applications. • 50°/o savings on 5.25" floppy disks with new factory- direct 2.2 megabyte capacity "Diskit". • Factory-direct "Diskit", includes twelve floppy disks and accessories, plus a head cleaner disk and solution packaged in a bookcase binder for easy access, handling and Storage. "Diskit" complete for the introductory price of only $49.50 plus $2.50 freight and handling. Normal price $59.50. Order now and save 810.00 (CA residents add 6Va°/o sales tax). • Available in hard and soft sector configurations; when ordering indicate number of sectors — 1, 10 or 16. • Send check or money order to: Factory Direct P.O. Box 60759 Sunnyvale, CA 94088 For VISA or MasterCard call toll-free (800) 824-7888 In Calif. (BOO) 852-7777 In Alaska & Hawaii (800) 824-7919 Ask for Operator 88 U < d msio Addoid loddia Adoicvd >isia Addoid 10 n < a D m n o "O T) < D en a d a 55 m n a "D "D < a en 7\ Tl > n —i o D -< a TJ in Commodore PET computers, under the name of Flash Attack. (See photos la and lb.) A pair of 16 K-byte PETs, TRS-80s, or Apple lis should allow the development of even more outrageous games of this general type, perhaps involving quicksand pools, laser weaponry, or aerial reconnaissance, to name a few possibilities. The game could even conceivably be generalized to include more than two players, leading to situations in which teamwork and treachery could become determining factors in a game's outcome. Photo 1: A typical game of Flash Attack fully underway. The photos la and lb show the display screens seen by each of the two players. The two rectangular "windows" seen on each screen represent a limited view of each player's base and the view from his active tank. By presenting only incomplete infor- mation to each player, the skill necessary (along with the cor- responding sense of accomplishment) is increased. 26 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 18 on inquiry card. Circle 19 on inquiry card. Computer - System Qpp.ioo Reset ^F Head vvnte peadv Load protect QDP 100 is quiet QDP 1 00 is quietly beautiful QDP 100 quietly works and works and works beautifully $4695 • Z-80 4 Mhz CPU • Two 8" Double Sided Double Density Floppies • Four Ports - 2 Scriol - 2 Parallel • 64 K Memory • Dish Controller - Double Sided Double Density - up to 4 M.G. • Monitor in Prom • CP/M 2.2 DOS • S-100 (!-€€€) Motherboord • Basic Language Included • Real Time Clock Quasar Data Products 10330 Brecksville Rd.. Brccksville, Ohio Mil 1 216 - 526 - 0838 216 - 526 - 0839 life Willi The game hinges on the players' judicious use of incomplete informa- tion. The basic factors that go into making a game like this interesting are threefold: 1 . More than one human player is involved in the game. Rather than having the user compete against the machine, the machine is utilized to permit two or more people to compete with each other in ways that would be impossible without the aid of the machine. 2. Success in the game hinges on the players' judicious use of incomplete information. Although the game may, in fact, be entirely deterministic in the sense that each legal move a player proposes gets put into effect without the intervention of any randomizing influence, the fact that each player has only a limited notion as to what his opponents are up to lends a definite element of suspense and calculated risk- taking to the game. 3. The game is played in real time: one's options are constrained not so much by the rules of the game as by one's own fleetness of hand and mind (or lack thereof). Many conventional board games, and virtually all con- ventional card games, embody factors 1 and 2. Many video pinball parlor games, such as Atari's Pong and Tank, embody factors 1 and 3, while most of the rest of the available microcomputer game software embodies either none of these factors (computer chess, backgam- mon, etc), factor 2 alone (Star Trek, Adventure, etc), or, in exceptional cases, factors 2 and 3 together (real-time Star Trek, etc). It is interesting to note that, of all the major league sports, the one that embodies all three of these factors most fully is football— this may be the reason why the sport is so overwhelmingly popular. Bringing all three of these factors together in a single computer game virtually requires that more than a single console be used. Since, to most of us, a requirement for multiple consoles is equivalent to a requirement for multiple machines, the issue that will be addressed here is: what is needed in the way of hardware and software to support the implementation of multimachine games? Two-Machine Games In the case of two-machine games, the answer turns out to be surprisingly simple and inexpensive. Most microcomputers come already supplied with a general- purpose, 8-bit, parallel I/O (input/output) port poking out the back someplace. For those that do not, an add-on port of this type can generally be purchased at nominal expense. As in the PET, the port should ideally have the property that, even though configured for output, it will still return a correct reading of the states of the pins in- volved when a "read" operation is performed on it. Also, as with the PET, the port should represent the high state upon output by means of a passive pull-up resistor. Ports not satisfying these conditions may still be Building Blocks for Microcomputer Systems, Dedicated Controllers and Test Equipment. R 2 l/0 S-100 ROM, RAM & I/O BOARD ECT's R 2 l/0 is an S-100 Bus I/O Board with 3 Serial I/O Ports (UART's), 1 Parallel I/O Port, 4 Status Ports, 2K of ROM with the 8080 Apple Monitor Program and 2K of Static RAM. $295.00 RM-10 S-100 RACK MOUNT CARD CAGE ECT's RM-10 is a rack mount 10 slot Card Cage with Power Supply, consisting of an ECT-100 rack mount Card Cage (19"W x 12.25"H x 8"D) the MB-10 Mother Board (with ground plane and termination) all 10 connectors and guides and the PS-15A Power Supply (15A@8V,1.5A@±16V). $295QQ Specializing in Quality Microcomputer Hardware Industrial • Educational • Small Business • Personal Card Cages, Power Supplies, Mainframes, CPU's, Memory, I/O, OEM Variations ELECTRONIC CONTROL TECHNOLOGY 763 Ramsey Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205 (201)686-8080 28 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 20 on inquiry card. THE UNBEATABLE S-100 MEMORY kj**L ^m ' miuu \ * wuut i. ■■■•-■■ •- — m —i L5ES That's the MEASUREMENT systems & con- trols DMB Series of S-100 bus memory modules, fully compatible with ALPHA MICRO, CROMEMCO, DYNABYTE , NORTH STAR, MP/M, and most other S-100 systems. Definitely a winner, the DMB Series is avail- able with Bank Select (DMB6400) or without (DM6400) and utilizes industrial quality con- struction, provides outstanding reliability, and is backed by dedicated customer service and a one year guarantee. The DMB6400 uses I/O port addressing for the bank select feature. A switch provides the ability to select any one of the 256 I/O ports for addressing the memory banks. The mem- ory is configured as four totally independent 16K software selectable banks, with each bank addressable on any 16K boundary. Systems Group a Division of MEASUREMENT systems &. controls incorporated Outstanding features such as those listed below make the DMB series the UNBEATABLE S-100 Memory: • Four independent 16K software select- able banks. • Each bank is independently addressable on any 16K boundary. • Switch selectable bank sizes — from 16K to 64K in 16K increments. • Eight banks (51 2K) per I/O port for each of the 256 ports. • Z-80 4MHz operation with no wait states using transparent refresh. • On-board diagnostic LED's. • Low power — 8 watts maximum. • Reliable, tested and burned-in memory. • IEEE S-100 compatible timing. • One year guarantee. • Attractive Dealer & OEM Prices. See your nearest computer dealer, or contact us for the complete story on the UNBEAT- ABLE S-100 Memory. 867 North Main St. / Orange, Calif. 92668 / (714) 633-4460 TWX/TELEX: 678 401 TAB IRIN 'Herds the best news yet about Fluke Digital Multimeters. Now- you can carry one homer I Pie* I ■ Right now, in selected electronics supply stores across the country, Fluke is introducing a new line of low-cost DMM's: the Fluke Series D. With their distinctive dark cases and full range of accessories, these five DMM's are designed to meet the test and measurement needs of the uncompromising service technician, home hobbyist, student or working engineer. Fluke perfected the handheld DMM and set tough standards for accuracy and reliability that have made analog meters obsolete, and other digitals seem clumsy by comparison. You've probably heard about their superior electrical performance, mechanical ruggedness and environmental endurance. And now you can see for yourself at your favorite electronics dealer why Fluke DMM's have become the professional's choice the world over. Series D Handheld Models. D 800: Fluke's lowest-priced DMM, easy to operate, with six functions, 24 ranges and 0.5% dc voltage accuracy. Guaranteed a full year by Fluke. A sure-fire solution to basic measurement needs. $125.* D 802: Basic dc accuracy of 0.1% and conductance for high resistance measure- ments to 10,000 Mil make this multimeter a solid price/performance value. $179.* If your dealer doesn't carry Series D Multimeters yet, call this number. We'll be happy to tell you who does. 1 -800-426-9 182 D 804: A powerful, versatile handheld DMM with nine functions, 26 ranges, 0.1% basic dc accuracy and more. Direct temperature readings in °C with K-type thermocouples; peak hold on voltage and current functions; even an audible indicator for instant continuity and logic level detection. Available January 1981. $229.* Series D Bench/Portables. D 810: By means of a Fluke-built hybrid converter, this multi-purpose DMM delivers True RMS measurements of ac voltage and current with speed and precision. Also features conductance, 0.1% basic dc accuracy, an extra 10A range and diode test. $259.* D 811: Same performance features as the D 810 with the added convenience of battery power. Rechargeable "C" size Ni- Cad batteries deliver up to 40 hours continuous operation. $299. '' Series D Accessories. A wide range of accessories to extend the measurement capabilities of your Series D Multimeter is available, including temperature and current probes, carrying cases, deluxe test leads and thermocouples. With Series D Multimeters so easy to find and economical to own, Fluke has made selecting the right DMM much simpler. This is your opportunity to own a Fluke. Ym\"" w#w mm • « it ■] — j; t-r-UUBIffc-ki '■ mmf- ' 1 I from the world leader in DMM's. Now weVe designed one for you. 'suggested U.S. list price. For technical data circle no. Circle 21 on inquiry card. FLUKE Listing 1: Listing of the program used to test the cable described in figure 1. 188 ite 1£8 £88 £18 REM*** PROGRAM TO TEST INTER- REM*** MACHINE COMMUNICATIONS REM*** GOSUB 18888 IF PEEK< 59471 ) AND S$ 16 THEN £68 = CHR$<8) THEN 999 £38 IF S* = "" THEN £48 GOSUB 18£88 £58 IF S* = "• £68 GOSUB 18488 £78 PRINT R$; £88 IF Rt <> "3" THEN ££0 999 END 18888 REM*** 18818 REM*** ROUTINE TO INITIALIZE 18828 REM*** INPUTS: NONE 18838 REM*** OUTPUTS: NONE 18848 REM*** 18858 POKE 59471 ,£55 lBObt) rUKfc < OSTQ DrT! !Df.l X r -*--? t rj i\€- t lifCfl A K-> i— KJ KJ l\i_ii * ■IjR I 18££8 10£38 18£48 18£58 10268 18£88 1< :98 18£18 kjE 18318 103£8 1 (3 O O *3 18348 10488 18418 10428 18438 10458 10468 10470 18518 185£8 REM*** INPUT: S$ = BYTE TO BE REM*** SENT REM*** OUTPUTS: NONE REM*** HN = IHT :"• V C —. Q A "? 1 used as long as there is provision made within them for individually programming each bit position to be either input or output (examples of the use of such ports will not be given here). What is needed, then, is an arrangement that will allow a byte at a time to be transferred from either machine to the other. Figure 1 gives the wiring diagram for the cable needed; as you can see, each bit position on each machine is simply directly connected to the corresponding bit position on the opposite machine. This is true for all bits except for the 2 4 bit, labeled ASYM, which is grounded on one machine and left floating high on the other. The whole package, including connectors, should cost less than $5. Listing 1 contains a program designed to test the cable. It is designed for use on a pair of PETs, but, with minor modifications, it should be capable of supporting any pair of machines with ports satisfying the conditions discussed above. With the cable in place, and with both machines running this program, what should happen is that any keys hit on either machine should be displayed on the screen of the other. Type a shift-Q (not the STOP key) to exit the program and return to BASIC. The three utility routines of interest here start at lines 10000, 10200, and 10400, respectively. The routine at line 10000 simply initializes the port: location 59471 is the PET's User Port I/O data register, while 59459 is the register used to configure the data pins for input and out- put. The POKE in line 10060 configures all eight pins as output. The SEND routine at line 10200 may be called whenever it is desired to send a byte to the opposite machine. However, the opposite machine must call its own RECEIVE routine, at line 10400, in order for the transfer to take place. There is a potential pitfall here: if, when writing your own code to use these routines, you create a situation in which both machines are trying to send a byte to the other at the same time, or if both machines try to receive a byte from the other at the same time, both will "hang." The programs running on the two machines must be set up in such a way that whenever one of them decides to send a byte, the other realizes this and sets up to receive it. Given this fact, the purpose of the ASYM bit in figure 1 becomes evident: it guarantees that start-up problems will not arise when running identical copies of a single program in both machines. Consider yourself in the posi- tion of the program in listing 1 as you begin running; eventually you would reach the point where you would like to start up a dialogue with the other machine. Question: should you send a byte to the other machine first, or receive one7 You and the other machine had bet- ter come to complementary conclusions as to which to do first. Solution: you use the setting of the ASYM bit to decide. This is exactly what happens in line 210 in the listing. If, upon reading the port contents, you find that the 2 4 bit is high, you receive first; otherwise you send first. From that point on, in this example, you simply alternate sending and receiving, and everything is fine. Let's take a closer look at what is actually involved in transferring a byte using this scheme. The nine lines shown in figure 1 can be broken down into four groups.- • GND. This is a signal ground, which must be present in 32 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 22 on inquiry card. 1 ->■ ** ^nmsti. ■ < „ ■ ^ -"**£* X^Spt* ^« ' §*T^ "jb: it ^ A 1 m M 3&S W i •• -<> ^ % ,4 w -*^fe£ ^ .▼ ZORK is more than an adventure. Zork'" is a computer fantasy of ultimate challenge. Un- earthly creatures guard treasures beyond your imagina- / tion. Mazes confound your quest. So quicken your wits * and pick your path carefully through the Great Under- ground Empire. The least likely object may be the only thing that can save - your life. i0^f Yet, you can succeed. Discover the 20 ptAjRi treasures of Zork, return them to the Trophy M® Case and leave alive. But bring all the cunning and courage you can muster. Because in Zork, they take no prisoners . . . Zork, The Great Underground Em- pire, was created by lnfocom, Inc., and is available for 32K Apple 1 "' II and II Plus and 32K TRS-80™ Model I Level II disk systems. Also new from Personal Software is MONTY '" Plays Monopoly* which lets an Apple or TRS-80 plav Amer- ica's favorite board game with the family. Arcade Classics is a new TRS-80 action game featuring Cosmic Raiders, Pinball, Ricochet and x Blockade. A great way to \ have fun without feeding quarters into the machines. Zork, MONTY Plays Mon- ^ opoly and Arcade Classics- more fun and games with your computer, now join- ing our other Strategy Games: Microchess, Gammon Gambler, Checker King, Bridge Partner and Time Trek. See these great strat- egy games at your Per- sonal Software com- puter retailer. For the dealer nearest you, call Personal Software Inc. at 408/745-784T, or write 1330 Bordeaux Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. When you put your computer to work, use Personal Software 1 " Pro- ductivity Products: VisiCalc)" DESKTOP/ PLAN'" and CCA Data Management - «1 5° r /.cik is .i trademark oi lnfocom, Inc.; Apple Is a regis! trademark « 2 2 C> 2 1 O 2° JT DRCV LNR HNR DATA 3 DATA 2 DATA GROUND -0 2 7 -O2 6 ■0 2' 2 4 <^2 3 -0>2 2 ^>2> ^7 MACHINE B 8-BIT I/O PORT Figure 1: The cable arrangement needed for connecting two PETs in game-playing configuration. Each machine runs the same pro- gram, and exchanges relevant information, one byte at a time, with the opponent's computer. The bit labeled 2* determines the initial state of each machine and, thus, whether it first transmits or receives. DRCV V / LNR V J HNR \ / DATA 0-3 I I 7 Figure 2: Timing diagram for information transfer usin g the cable scheme of figure 1. The transmitting computer puts information on the DATA lines, low-order nybble first, and brings the LNR line low. The receiving comp uter brings the DRCV line low when the in- formation has been accepted. The process is repeated for the high-order nybble, but HNR is used to indicate the presence of new data. When DRCV is brought high, the transmitter and receiver functions reverse. order for the two machines to have a common reference voltage. • DATA thru 3. These lines, which are controlled by the sender, carry the actual data being transferred, a nyb- ble at a time (a nybble is half of a byte, or 4 bits). • ASYM. This h as alreadybeen discussed. • DRCV, INK , and HNR (data received, low-order nybble ready, and high-order n ybble ready). These are the so-called "handshake" lines. LNR , which is a signal from the sender to the receiver, is brought low by the sender to indicate to the receiver that the low-order nyb- ble of the byte being sent is now ready to be read off of the DATA lines. HNR , also a signal from the sender to the receiver, is brought low by the sender to indicate to the receiver that the high-order nybble of the byte being sent is now ready to be read off the DATA lines. DRCV, which is a signal from the receiver to the sender, is brought low by the receiver once he has read the low- order nybble off of the DATA lines, to indicate to the sender that he is ready for the high-order nybble; DRCV is then brought high again by the receiver once he has read the high-order nybble off of the DATA lines, to in- dicate to the sender that the high-order nybble has been received and that, as far as the receiver is concerned, the transaction is complete. Figure 2 shows a timing diagram of the whole opera- tion. Essentially, what happens is this: The sender puts the low- order nybble on the DATA lines, and (by bringing LNR low) says, "Here is the low- order nybble." The receiver reads in the low-order nyb- ble, and (by bringing DRCV low) says, "I've got it." The sender then puts the high-order nybble on the DATA lines, and (by bringing LNR high and HNR low) says, "Here is the high-order nybble." The receiver reads in the high-order nybble, combines it with the low-order one to make a complete byte, and (by bringing DRCV high again) says, "All set. Goodbye." The sender must then return all lines to the high state before returning to his caller. All lines are left in the high state except when actually in use so that if one machine tries to send or receive while the other is off doing something else, the first machine will simply wait until the other is ready before proceeding 34 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc 'What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You". Couldn't Be Further From The Truth When It Comes To Running Your Own Business. How far from the truth is the adage that says "What you don't know won't hurt you." Systems II is designed to give you the advantage. Its up- dated methods and program- ming procedures will take you out of the "pencil pushing" age and into "today's technology". The Reasons For Systems II The number one reason is dependability. At Applewest Inc. we have put the system through its paces. However no matter how much "in-house" testing is done the true test comes from the end user — like yourself. We listened to our customers and we learned. Here Is What We Found Out The small businessman wants big performance from his micro system, not micro performance. He wants com- plete documentation that is easy to use. He wants com- plete flexibility to grow into a more advanced system. He diskettes, standard eight inch wants the availability of addi- disk or a ten megabyte hard tional programs so he won't be disk. Programs are continuous- boxed in. Last, but not least, he ly being developed to expand wants support for any pro- the usability of our system, blems he may have. See your local dealer today. Here Is How We Responded If he doesn't have SYSTEM II To expand the performance have him give us a call. Of the already super Apple II, Systems II - Apple II - And You the KSAM (keyed Sequential ac- Moving Your Business Forward cess method) was developed Faster. for fast aCCeSS tO any record 2455 S.W.4th Ave. Suite 2 Ontario, Oregon 97914 on file, giving performance that (503)8898777 even larger systems find hard to beat. ^j" Our documentation is the "IP most complete of any on the^ market. Our Operations Manual explains in depth the use of each module in the system, but we didn't stop there. A Lesson Manual/User's Guide was developed taking the user through the system in a format- ted, learning process. systems ii is avail- Software Inc. able On five and One quarter Apple His a trademark of Apple Computers with the transfer. The only modifications necessary for this scheme (to handle ports lacking the previously discussed properties) would be: to have code at the beginning of the RECEIVE routine which configured the DRCV line for output and the remaining lines for input; to have code at the begin- ning of the SEND routine that configured the DRCV line for input and the remaining lines for output; and to have code at the ends of both routines for reconfiguring all lines as input. The port initialization routine would also have to be changed to initially configure all lines for input Listing 2: Functionally the same as listing 1, this program is tailored for the PET computer and has several utility routines implemented in machine code. _ -_ : : -. 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(3 O j: AT. _i i _» I f O I ■i -f i & l--" i 1 ■; i i lOl-.^Cj 1 -j C . 77 o so that the ASYM bit could be sensed properly. Although code resembling that shown in listing 1 works, it executes excruciatingly slowly under most cur- rent implementations of BASIC. Anyone considering writing a real-time game using these routines would be well advised to rewrite, at a minimum, the SEND and RECEIVE routines in machine language. Listing 2 shows a program, tailored for the PET, which is functionally identical to the one in listing 1: the difference is that in listing 2 all three utility routines have been implemented in machine code. The subroutine at 10000 now sets up the machine code in the PET's "tape-2 buffer"— the SYS to 909 in line 200 is what actually initializes the port. The USR function is in- voked with a negative argument (as in line 240) to cause the machine to execute the RECEIVE software . . . the value returned by USR is that of the byte received. When the argument to the USR function is non- negative (as in line 230), its value is turned over to the SEND software for transferrence to the other machine . . . under these conditions the value returned by USR is garbage. The ASYM bit must still be checked from BASIC to determine whether to send first or receive first. (See line 210.) Putting It All Together Just having the capability to transfer bytes back and forth between two machines does 'not guarantee success in writing multimachine games. We now need a general strategy for controlling the flow of information between the various machines in such a way that the moves made by each player are processed in a consistent manner by all machines involved. Among other things, the strategy used must ensure that all of the machines involved agree as to the order in which the various players' moves are to be processed. Only one such strategy, the key-oriented strategy, will be discussed here. Although many other ap- proaches to the problem do exist, this one is particularly "clean" and therefore easily debugged; it is also reasonably efficient in both space and time. The information transfers addressed by any general strategy of this kind fall into two groups: those that occur at initialization time and those that occur during the ac- tual play of the game. The key-oriented strategy calls for all information pertinent to the initial state of the game, including information that may be kept secret from one or more players, to be made known to all machines at ini- tialization time. Then, during play, a continuous conversation is set up among the machines in which the only information changing hands consists of individual keystrokes generated by the players at their keyboards. If a player generates no keystroke to be sent on a given pass, a zero byte is sent out to the other machine(s) to indicate this fact. Every machine maintains the full status of every player but only displays the information its own player is supposed to see. Listing 3 shows a program, Real-Time Two-Machine Hangman, designed to illustrate the use of the key- oriented strategy. To keep it short, such things as instruc- tions, gruesome representations of gallows, and so on have been left out. The object of the game is not, as it is in normal Hangman, to guess your opponent's word within a set number of letter-guesses while he sits around telling you where your correct guesses fit in. Instead, both you and your opponent choose words that the other tries to 36 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 23 on inquiry card. 26 MEGABYTES $4995. Suddenly, S-100 microcomputer systems can easily handle 100 million bytes. Because Morrow Designs™ now offers the first 26 megabyte hard disk memory for S-100 systems-the DISCUS M26™ Hard Disk System, It has 26 megabytes of useable memory (29 megabytes unformatted). And it's expandable to 104 megabytes. The DISCUS M26™ system is delivered complete- a 26 megabyte hard disk drive, controller, cables and operating system-for just $4995. Up to three additional drives can be added, $4495 apiece. The DISCUS M26™ system features the Shugart SA4008 Winchester-type sealed media hard disk drive, in a handsome metal cabinet with fan and power supply. The single-board S-100 controller incorporates intelli- gence to supervise all data transfers, communicating with the CPU via 1 : three I/O ports (command, status, and data). The controller has the ability to generate interrupts at the completion of each command to increase system throughput. There is a 512 byte sector buffer on-board. And each sector can be individually write-protected for data base security. The operating system furnished with DISCUS M26™ systems is the widely accepted CP/M* 2.0. See the biggest, most cost-efficient memory ever intro- duced for S-100 systems, now at your local computer shop. If unavailable , locally, write Morrow Designs,™ 5221 Central Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804. Or call (415) 524-2101, weekdays 10-5 Pacific Time. 'CP/M is a trademark o( Digital Research. Q /MORROW DESIGNS™ Thinker Toys guess — whoever guesses the other's word first wins. The program as shown is, of course, only capable of running on a pair of PETs. However, with suitable alter- ation of the SEND/RECEIVE software, it should be possi- ble to run it on any pair of common microcomputers possessing the cabling arrangement described above. Game Time To play the Hangman game, attach the cable, type the program in, and RUN it on both machines. You and your Listing 3: Real-time Two-Machine Hangman in which you at- tempt to guess your opponent's chosen word first. .-. i _ i = -.--:-- 1H^ bUbUB iS^Mg i = — rT r D lf " £7 fi ! I fcl TS C fl CQD ■ 3 38 :? 140 LS—U5RC — I) i -_"i= if i_ -■---. >i_C.Hv W&K X .- 1 .-■ S Hfc.Fi Cl© I -?i-: -:--iin c"--ti-ii-i _ o O = fflTfto OQfl X t tl *_2 U _? =_? *_? 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'^ 70 ----t-- .^ •; .HI WXKL LrtT Er ?! ^^fF^T^^^^B '* S3:; I3SE Available with stylus or optional cursor. The HIP AD™ digitizer Inexpensive input to your computer The HIPAD™ digitizer can be used for both converting graphic information into digital values and as a menu. Utilizing either the stylus or the optional cursor, the operator can input graphic data into the computer by locating individual points on the digtizers 11" x 11" (28cm x 28cm) active area. In the "stream mode" a contin- uance of placements of coordinate pairs may be input. Not a kit, the HIPAD™ comes complete with both RS-232C and parallel interfaces and has its own built-in power source. The origin is completely relocatable so coor- dinates may be positive or negative for a true reference value and oversized mater- ial may be input by simply resetting the origin. Accurate positional information, free form sketches, even keyboard simulation All can be entered using the multi-faceted HIPAD™ digitizer. Its capabilities and low price make the UL listed HIPAD™ a natural selection over keyboard entry, inac- curate joysticks, or expensive approximating light pens. It's perfect for inputting isometric drawings, schematics, X-rays, architectural drawings, business graphs, and many other forms of graphic information, as well as creating your own graphics. Use it with Apple II™ , TRS-80 Level II ™ , PET ™ or other popular computers The HIPAD's™ built-in RS-232C and parallel 8 bit interfaces make it all possible. (For Apple II order DT-11A, for TRS-80 or PET order DT-11). Furthermore, you get English or metric scaling, data format (Binary/BCD/ASCII), selectable baud rates, and resolution of either .005" or .01". For complete information contact Houston Instrument, One Houston Square, Austin, Texas 78753. (512)837-2820. For rush literature requests, outside Texas call toll free 1-800-531-5205. For technical information ask for operator #5. In Europe contact Houston Instrument, Rochesterlaan 6, 8240 Gistel, Belgium. Telephone 059/27-74-45. Available with optional display. 'U.S. Suggested retail price TM HIPAD is a trademark of Houston Instrument TRS-80 is a trademark of Tandy Corporation APPLE is a trademark of Apple Computer Inc PET is a trademark of Commodore Business Machines. Inc. Circle 24 for literature Circle 25 to have representative call houston instrument GRAPHICS DIVISION OF BAUSCH&LOMB Y opponent will each be asked to enter a word — if the words entered are of different lengths, the program prints an error message and reprompts both players for new words. Once the program has accepted the two words, any key you strike is taken to be a letter-guess directed at your opponent's word. Each time you hit a key, your machine displays the results of your guess — that is, your target word so far, with dashes in the positions corresponding to letters not yet guessed, and a tabulation of the letters you have tried so far. The program automatically detects when one player has guessed every letter in his opponent's word, and declares the winner accordingly. The initialization phase of listing 3 encompasses lines 10 thru 240 and all of the subroutines appearing from line 5000 on up. During this phase, the program POKEs the machine-language software into place, initializes the port to the other machine, and then (in line 110) prompts its own player for input and reads the reply into W$(l). Then, using the ASYM bit as usual to determine whether to send first or receive first, it essentially ex- changes word lengths with the other machine and checks to make sure that the two word lengths are equal. Once satisfied that they are, the program proceeds to exchange words with the other machine (using the subroutines at 5000 and 5100), placing the other player's word into W$(2). Both machines now know both players' words. Each machine has its own player's word in its own copy of W$(l) and the opposing player's word in its own copy of W$(2). MARK GORDON COMPUTERS DIVISION OF MARK GORDON ASSOCIATES, INC. P.O. BOX 77, CHARLESTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS 02129 (617)491-7505 SD SYSTEMS COMPUTER KITS • EXPANDORAM I (No RAMS) 169.00 • VERSAFLOPPY CONTROLLER I . . 189.00 • SBC-100 Single Board Kit 239.00 • Z80 Starter 269.00 OTHER SPECIALS • 16K Memory Kit 49.00 • CAT Modem 151.00 • Leedex Monitor 109.00 • 16K Model HI TRS-80 859.00* • Atari 800 779.00 • Hazeltine 1410 699.00 To Order Call Toll-Free 1-800-343-5206 *TRS-80 is a Trademark of Tandy Corp. ORDERING INFORMATION We accept Visa and Mastercharge. We will ship C.O.D. certified check or money order only. Massachusetts residents add 5 percent sales tax. The Company cannot be liable for pictorial or typographical Inaccuracies. The Play Phase At this point, the program is ready to enter the play phase, but first it must set the initial value of the player select variable P to either 1 or 2, depending on the setting of the ASYM bit. The reason for this is that the section of code from line 300 to line 500 is used to process proposed letters, or moves originating from both players — this is the essence of the key-oriented strategy. The variable P, which flips back and forth during play between 1 and 2 via the statement 'P = 3 — P" in line 500, is used on each pass to determine whether to attempt to get a keystroke from one's own keyboard (which is what the GET state- ment in line 280 does) or to receive from the other machine the result of its attempt to get a keystroke from its own keyboard (which is what the assignment in line 270 does). The value of P is also used in the main processing loop as the index into each of the two-element arrays VV$, F$, and T$, to ensure that the proper player's status is up- dated as a result of the processing of the keystroke. The net implication is that P must be initialized to 1 on one machine and to 2 on the other so that the play phase will begin correctly. During the play phase, then, the program simply cir- culates in the main processing loop shown, alternating the value of P back and forth between 1 and 2 on each pass. When P is 2, the machine's own keyboard is inter- rogated, the resulting keystroke (or a zero if the resulting keystroke was null) is sent off to the other machine, and the keystroke is processed by examining W$(2) for occur- rences of it. F$(2) and T$(2) are updated accordingly and, in lines 410 and 420, are printed out. When P is 1, the keystroke to be processed comes from the other machine (in order for this to happen the other machine's copy of P will at this point be equal to 2). The keystroke is processed by examining W$(l) for oc- currences of it, and F$(l) and T$(l) are updated but not printed out, since they are of interest only to the player on the other machine. Checking for the end-of-game is thus very simple: as soon as F$(P) becomes equal to W$(P), the game is over, and the value of P for which this was the case can be used (as it is in line 1020) to determine who won. This is how a typical real-time two-machine game in- volving incomplete information is implemented. Other good candidates for implementation in this manner would be Star Trek, Kriegspiel (a version of chess in which neither player is ever entirely sure just where his opponent's pieces are located), and Stratego. You can easily design entirely new Adventure games, a submarine battle for example, using the basic approaches given here. The possibilities are certainly more exciting and creative than playing Battleship with pencil and graph paper. ■ Need heto? Call us. Want to help? Call us. Red Cross is counting on you. 40 December 1980 © BYTE Publications lnc Circle 26 on inquiry card. Circle 27 on inquiry card. Give Your the Best The Microline 80 You can't find a better small printer. The Microline 80 will outperform and outlast every competitor. It will run all day at 80 cps with no duty cycle limitations, producing letter perfect printing on plain paper. And the head is warranted for 200,000,000 characters. You can't find a better value either. The Microline 80 includes upper and lower case :haracters, double width and condensed printing, friction and pin feed, six and eight line per inch spacing and block graphics for charts, graphs and diagrams. And it operates with TRS-80™, Apple and other popular small computers. The only extras are snap-on trac- tors and a buffered RS232 interface. Give your computer the best, the Microline 80. TRS-80 Is a registered trademark of Radio Shack, a division of Tandy Corp. OKIDATA Okidata Corporation 111 Gaither Drive Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054 609-235-2600 TOGETHER... A New B .-v,, -.-1 s Manufacturing and marketing micro products is our only business. QT is committed to building uncommon features and quality into each of its micro offering you the lowest prices on the QT System + and other fine pro- ducts. It's our new beginning. Open Accounts: Minimum order $25.00. We gladly ac- cept purchase orders from government agencies, educa- tional institutions and firms with a favorable D & B rating. All prices are FOB Lawndale, California. ■ Look At These QT System + Features: 2 Megabyte storage (standard) • Up to 16 Megabytes storage available • Mainframe with power Bimnki nn.J f nn _ T«l....:.4.. _ n n n n terminal • CPU-Z80-4MHZ • Two 8" disk drives • Floppy disk con- troller (double density) • Dynamic Memory (48K— expandable to 64K) • 2K Monitor program and Disk Bios on 2716 EPROM • RAM/ROM/PRQM, up to 8K in any combination on CPU • Hard Disk Compatible • 2 Serial/2 Parallel Ports • Real Time Clock • EPROM Programmer • CP/M "" 2.2 or 1.4 Operating System • MP/M " Compatible • Full line of business software available. SYSTEM + SS (1 Megabyte) Sgl Side/Dbl Den $4295.00, SYSTEM + OS (2 Megabytes) Dbl Side/Dbl Den $4995.00 ■ Silence + Mother Boards No need for termination • Very high crosstalk rejection ■ 6, 8, 12 and 18 slots available • Has operated to 14 MHZ quietly. Bare B-Slot 8-Slot 12-Slol 18-Slot Bd. S24.9S S2E.95 S29.95 S49.95 Kit S39.95 S54.95 S69.95 S99.95 A&T S49.95 S69.95 S89.95 S139.95 ■ SBC + 2/4 1K RAM On Board • 2 Program- mable Timers • Power On Jump to On-Board 1K or 2K EPROM (2708-2716) • 2 Separate Parallel Ports • Programmable Baud Rate Selection (110 to 9600) • Serial I/O Port (RS-232). Bare Board S60.00 Kit SI 90.00 IK Mem. Kit S12. 00 A&T S280.00 Expandable + Dynamic Memory (16K to 64K) Uses 3242 Refresh Chip with delay line • Quiet four layer PC Bd • Supports 16K, 32K, 48K or 64K of memory • 24 Address lines per IEEE specifications • Bank on/off signal selected by I/O port 40 (Hex) per industry standard. Bare Board S70.00 48K Kit S480.00 1BK Kit S280.00 48K A&TS550.00 16KA&T S325.00 B4K Kit S525.00 32K Kit S360.00 64K A&TS625.00 32KA&T S425.00 ■ 1/0 + Two Independent SYNC/ASYNC Serial Ports • One Strobed 8-Bit Parallel Input Port With Handshaking • Three 8-Bit Parallel Ports (Undedicated, User Configured) • Three Independent 16-Bit Timers • 8 Level Priority Interrupt Controller. Bare Board S69.00 A&T S375.00 Kit S275.00 COMPUTER SYSTEMS -. I IMC. 15620 South Inglewood Avenue Lawndale, CA 90260 (213) 970-0952 Call TOLL FREE: 800-421-5150 (Except Alaska, California and Hawaii) Circle 28 on inquiry card ■ RAM + 65 2 or 4MHZ • 16K Static RAM • Uses 2114L static RAMS 'Ad- dressable in 4K steps • Memory protection in 1K increments • Features bank selection. 2MHZ 4MHZ Bare Board $20.00 Kit S225.00 Kit S200.00 A&T S250.00 t&T S240.00 ■ Clock/Calendar + Day, Week, Month, Year • 24 Hour Time, or 12 Hour AM PM (selectable) • Interval Interrupt Timer: 1024 Hz (approximately 1 millisec). 1 Sec, 1 Min, 1 Hour • On Board Battery Backup • Available for Apple & TRS-80. Bare Board S4S.00 A&T SI 50.00 Kit S100.00 1 Mainframe + MF + Cabinet • 30A Pwr Supply • 12 or 18 Slot Motherboard • Fan- cooled • AC Line Filter to eliminate EMI • A&T • Power and Reset Switches on front panel. MF + 12 S450.00 MF + 18 SS00.00 MF+ W/OMotherbrd S400.00 ■ Mainframe + MF+ MD Accepts 2 Each 5 V Disk Drives • 18A Pwr Supply • 6-12 Slot Motherboard • Dual-mini- disk provision • Disk Drive Power Supply • AC line filter to eliminate EMI • Power and reset switches on front panel. Ml + MD12 $500.00 MF-f MD6 S450.00 MF + MD W/O Motherbrd S400.00 ■ DDC-8 + Available in Brown or TRS 80 Colors • Disk Cabinet for Single 8" Drive • Data Cable • Fan • Accepts Persci, Shugart, Siemens, Remex, QUME. DOC-8+ S250.00 Also Available: S-100 (Smart) Proto Board + . Ask for our catalog. WARRANTY: 1 year against defects in material and workman- ship from date of shipment on all 0T products. Apple is a trademark of Apple Computer. Inc. CP/M" and MP/M" are trademarks ol Digital Research. TRS-B0 is a trademark of Radio Shack. Gispcis's Circuit Gellsp Copyright © 1980 by Steven A Ciarcia. All rights reserved. Computerized Testing Steve Ciarcia POB 582 Glastonbury CT 06033 Suppose for a moment that you are a custom-electronics manufacturer. You have accepted a job to produce 1000 sequential-controller boards for a major photocopier manufacturer. (It is not unusual for large companies to farm out control subassemblies.) For all practical purposes, the con- troller board is a microcomputer that has various output combinations in response to designated inputs. As a subassembly manufacturer, you have the responsibility for testing the con- troller boards as well as building them. The controller board in question has ten inputs and ten outputs. When a particular input signal is received (perhaps from the copy button), the controller activates one or more out- puts, waits a preset time limit, and then changes the output. Depending upon the input-signal combination, the sequence may have one to five steps. The timing intervals can also vary within each sequence. Without going into too much detail, it is easy to see that what we are discussing could prove to be a nightmare to test. It could con- ceivably be done manually in perhaps 2 or 3 hours with a maze of switches, indicators, and wires. With 1000 of them to build, it would take the ser- vices of two workers, and only six units could be shipped a day. (If you are Jucky, you won't have to deliver 1000 controllers in 3 months.) If you have any business sense at all, you know that such a situation is worth avoiding. (Customers have a The general industry- practice of estimating software cost results in a cost of $20 to $40 per line of finished code. habit of changing schedules just when the only technician who knows the test procedure goes on vacation.) The obvious solution is automatic testing, or more explicitly, computerized testing. Automated Testing by Computer Automated testing is an activity where a machine simultaneously ac- tivates and monitors signals accord- ing to a prescribed test plan. While it is not a necessity, most automatic testers incorporate microcomputers because of the cost advantages and flexibility they impart to the tester. Microcomputers replace bulky relays and hardwired logic in older designs. The latest economically priced units are in fact nothing more than a basic computer with some specialized front-end interfacing. In many applications, it is cheaper to configure your own test system and program it for a specific applica- tion rather than buy a "board tester." In our photocopy-board example, the hardware for ten input and ten output bits is relatively inexpensive. The ap- plication program to do the testing re- quires some thought, however. There are two ways to write soft- ware for automatic test and controller applications. One is to use assembly language, and the other is to use a high-level language such as BASIC, tiny-c, or FORTH. Companies that manufacture elec- tronic devices in 1000-quantity are quite concerned about memory size and costs. High-level languages take considerably more memory space for a given application than straight assembly code. Every extra 1 K bytes costs $10. This results in $10,000 dif- ference for each 1 K increment on 1000 photocopier controllers. In high- volume applications where cost is the most important factor, assembly language is used to save space. As a custom-electronics manufac- turer, you have similar decisions to make concerning computer hard- ware. You must design an automated device to efficiently test the photocopier controller. Unfortunate- ly, you are building only one unit and will not have the large production volume over which to amortize the software-development costs. Your only choice is to risk becoming un- competitive by raising the price of assembling each controller board. Therefore, it is in your best interests to keep these testing costs low. High-Level Languages in Control Applications The cost for developing a program is much higher than you probably thought. (Many business profes- 44 December 1980 © BYTE Publications lnc :e your mn 6 gs- i 2 iwiifliii[irf«i<»]iii»j7I{5< Get the Graham-Dorian Business software. only as useful as the software you insert in it. So it pays to rely on Graham-Dorian, the software that gets your micro performing to its fullest — almost like a mini. Graham-Dorian, the industry leader, offers highly detailed and well-documented programs. All pretested on the job. Each so comprehensive that it takes little time to learn to run a program — even for someone who's never operated a computer before. Programs are compatible with most major computers using CP/M disk operating systems, and come in standard 8" or on various mini-floppy disks. Each package contains the software program in INT and BAS file form plus a user's manual and hard copy source listing. Graham-Dorian stands behind dealers with technical advice. Yes, there's a world of difference in business software. Graham-Dorian has more per-package capabilities and more packages. (With new ones added every few months.) The C includes Medical Apartment Management Dental Construction Job Costing Surveying Accounts Receivable Inventory Accounts Payable Payroll General Ledger Cash Register CBASIC-2 Ask your dealer for a demonstration soon. Graham-Dorian Software Systems, Inc. 211 North Broadway / Wichita, KS 67202 / (316) 265-8633 sionals discover this only after buying computers.) The general industry practice of estimating software is to charge at the rate of one line of code per hour regardless of the language used. This results in a cost of $20 to $40 per line. You may write ten lines of code in the first hour, but with all the documentation, debugging, and testing involved, one per hour is realistic by the time the application is thoroughly finished. For a high-level language such as BASIC, the average line-for-line coding-time comparison is about 10 to 1 over assembly language. As much can be accomplished with a single IF . . . THEN . . . ELSE state- ment as ten or fifteen assembly- language instructions. For limited production items, or one-of-a-kind applications, where one line of high- level code costs no more than one line of assembly code, it is more reasonable to consider the former. The major limitation of high-level languages such as BASIC is that they are interpretive and slow (2 to 5 ms per line). They require a fixed block of code (2 K bytes for a tiny BASIC to NEW OPEN FRAMES AN, our same old low prices! ## !:H More new open frames to choose from - plus new special-purpose models for specific applications such as Microprocessor and Floppy- Disk systems. Also, Power-One now offers a growing line of switching D.C. Power supplies with the same high quality and reliability as our open frame models. New 1980-81 Product Catalog. . plus our new Tour Guide. Phone or write for your copies today! *-.*7*~i> , PEOPLE OPauier-ane~~~* pmuer-m n.c. power supplies Power-One, Inc. • Power One Drive • Camarillo, California 93010 Phone: (805) 484-2806 • (805) 987-3891 • TWX: 910-336-1297 24 K bytes for a fully extended disk version) to interpret and execute any amount of program statements in ad- dition to the memory containing the user program. The size of the inter- preter depends upon the sophistica- tion of the instruction repertoire. "Slow" is a relative term. If you need to activate a signal only 10 times a second, then there is no conflict. Doing something 500 times a second is more involved. As the interpreter code is reduced in size and complexi- ty, the processing speed is increased. In its bare-bones state, a tiny BASIC has only integer arithmetic, no alphanumeric string-handling capability, limited array-handling capability, and limited math func- tions. But it is fast by comparison to fully extended high-level languages. If full processor speed is required in some portions of the application, one or more special assembly-language subroutines can be called and ex- ecuted from the high-level language program, which takes over again at the conclusion of the assembly- language subroutine. An Actual Automatic Tester Application In "I/O Expansion for the TRS-80," Parts 1 and 2 (Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar in the May and June 1980 BYTE, pages 22 and 42, respectively), I presented an article on the design of a serial /parallel I/O (input/output) in- terface for the TRS-80 called the COMM-80. (A block diagram of the interface is shown in figure 1.) I have received an influx of reader inquiries concerning component sources and terminal software. This leads me to believe many people are building the interface. This assumption, as well as a need to have a good diagnostic program for any computer peripheral in pro- duction, prompted me to design the hardware and software necessary to automatically test a COMM-80. In addition to providing anyone who has constructed the interface with a useful test program, the resulting ef- fort fully demonstrates use of a high- level language in a test/control ap- plication. Reviewing quickly, the COMM-80 is an interface designed specifically for the TRS-80 (it can be attached to any 8-bit computer with a bidirec- Text continued on page 50 Circle 30 on inquiry card. ^^^- When It Comes To Add-on Memory... LOBO Has It All. LOBO DRIVES manufactures a full line of S-100 computer compatible disk drives. All drives are software compatible with most S-100 disk operating systems and applications software programs. Only LOBO DRIVES offers you the variety and choice of floppy and fixed disk drives. Choose from 5Vi and 8-inch floppies, 5V* and 8-inch Winchester technology fixed disk drives, and several Floppy/Fixed disk combinations. Each LOBO DRIVES system is thoroughly tested and burned-in and has the famous LOBO DRIVES One Year, 100% Parts/Labor Warranty. MODEL 400 5V4-INCH FLOPPY DISK MEMORY SYSTEM A high-speed (298) Msec Access), high- reliability (8000 hrs MTBF), low-cost floppy disk memory system. It is available in both soft and hard sector formats, and a choice of single or double density configurations. • Up to 220 KBytes Capacity • Single/Double Density • Soft Sector Format • Complete Software Compatibility MODEL 800/850 DUAL FLOPPY DISK DRIVE MEMORY SYSTEM LOBO DRIVES offers you a choice of single-sided, single or double density (Model 800) or double-sided, single or double density (Model 850) dual 8-inch memory subsystems. Each system comes complete with chassis and power supply, cables, controller and interface. • Compatible with Most S-100 DOS Systems • Up to 3.2 MByte Capacity MODEL 1850 DUAL FLOPPY/FIXED DISK MEMORY SYSTEM No more worries about back-up. LOBO DRIVES has combined the latest state-of- the-art Winchester technology with the pro- ven reliability and dependability of its Model 850 8-inch floppy disk drive to bring you the ultimate in memory expansion for your S-100 computer. The Model 1850 is the ideal memory system for small business and word processing applications. • 5 or 10 MByte Fixed Disk Capacity • 1 .6 MByte Floppy Disk Capacity • Software Compatibility • Sealed Environment • Winchester Reliability • 70 Msec Average Access Time MODEL 950 DUAL FLOPPY/FIXED DISK MEMORY SYSTEM All the advantages of Winchester technology fixed disk memory: large capacity (6.38 MBytes), high speed (170 Msec avg. access time), and extended reliability, combined with the convenience of a built-in floppy disk back-up in one cabinet. Only LOBO can bring you the storage capacity of 16 mini-floppies at a fraction of the price. • The Storage Capacity of 1 6 Mini- Floppies • Built-in Back-up • 1 70 Msec Access (Avg) • Software Compatibility See your nearest dealer, call, or write for the complete LOBO DRIVES story., find out just how competitively priced a quality drive can be. *"9rii/es v IIMTERNATIDNAL 935 Camino Del Sur Goleta, California 93017 (805) 685-4546 Telex: 658 482 + 12V t POWER SUPPLY +5V t I 40 CONDUCTOR RIBBON CABLE SWITCHES ADDRESS DECODER LOGIC (TO ALL SECTIONS) ADDRESS BUS -12V 34 PIN EDGE CONNECTOR (PRINTER PORT) 8-BIT OUTPUT LATCH DATA 8 DATA 7 DATA 6 DATA 5 DATA 4 DATA 3 DATA 2 DATA 1 BUSY PAPER UNIT SEL FAULT B3 B2 Bl BO STROBE » 3-STATE INPUT BUFFER c RS-232C 25PIN SERIAL CONNECTOR AUXILIARY #1 EXPANSION CONNECTOR 40 PIN EDGE CONNECTOR Figure 1: Block diagram of the COMM-80 I/O interface showing the interrelationship of the signals. 48 December 1980 © BYTE Publications In Circle 31 on inquiry card. dolosoulh announces ;&m *■& ml T\ \\\ I [ • o • o ; With so many matrix printers on the market today, it may seem tough to find exactly the right one for your application. Some models may offer the speed you need, others the communications flexibility and still others trie forms handling capability. But no printer offers all the features you need... until now. The DS180 matrix printer provides the total package of perfor- mance features and reliability required for applications such as CRT slave copy, remote terminal networks and small to mid-range systems. Not a "hobby-grade" printer, the DS180 is a real work- horse designed to handle your most demanding printer require- ments. And pricing on the DS180 is hundreds of dollars below competitive units. High Speed Printing -Bidirectional, logic-seeking printing at 180 cps offers throughput of over 200 Ipm on average text. A 9-wire printhead life-tested at 650 million characters generates a 9x7 matrix with true lower case descenders and underlining. Non-volatile Format Retention -a unique programming keypad featuring a non-volatile memory allows the user to configure the DS180 for virtually any application. Top of form, horizontal and vertical tabs, perforation skipover, communications parameters and many other features may be programmed and stored from the keypad.When your system is powered down, the format is retained in memory. The DS180 even remembers the line where you stopped printing. There is no need to reset the top of form, margins, baud rate, etc.... it's all stored in the memory. If you need to recon- figure for another application, simply load a new format into the memory. Communications Versatility— The DS180 offers three interfaces including RS232, current loop and 8-bit parallel. Baud rates from 1 10-9600 may be selected. A 1K buffer and X-on, X-off hand- shaking ensure optimum throughput. Forms Handling Flexibility -Adjustable tractors accommodate forms from 3"-15". The adjustable head can print 6-part forms crisply and clearly making the DS180 ideal for printing multipart invoices and shipping documents. Forms can be fed from the front or the bottom. If you would like more information on how the DS180's low-cost total printer package can fill your application, give us a call at Datasouth. The DS180 is available for 30-day delivery from our sales/service distributors throughout the U.S. data©®* computer corporation 4740 Dwight Evans Road • Charlotte, North Carolina 28210 • 704/523-8500 Text continued from page 46: tional data bus). It contains a software-programmable serial port and an 8-bit parallel I/O printer port. It has variable-address selection and full RS-232C handshaking capability. The variety of options makes for a lengthy test when done manually. The Test Sequence As I previously mentioned, most automatic testers consist of a microcomputer and some front-end interfacing hardware. In this applica- Photo 1: TRS-80 system and test equipment for the COMM-80. The COMM-80 unit under test is on the left with the cover removed and cables attached. The programming techniques employed and described in the testing of this unit are applicable to many other computer-control applications. Photo 2: Test cables required to run diagnostics on a COMM-80 serial/ parallel I/O in- terface. The cable on the top (from figure 3) connects the test-unit printer port to the master-unit printer port. The 8-bit parallel output is also wired to a sixteen-pin dual- inline plug header to test the programming-plug input. The cable on the bottom (from figure 6) connects the test unit RS-232C signals to the master unit's RS-232C port. The prototyping board contains a beeper that is triggered when the computer outputs data through the test-unit printer port. tion, I chose to use the TRS-80 as the test computer for obvious reasons, but the software is written so that it can be executed on most similar BASICs. The front-end equipment, consisting of a serial and parallel port, is coincidentally another COMM-80 that is set at an address different (hexadecimal 37F8) from the test unit. When the test unit is exer- cised, the computer reads the results through the second (master) unit. The entire computer configuration is shown in photo 1. The second unit is required only to provide the auto- matic test computer with the proper serial /parallel I/O capability. There are four major tests in- volved, and special cables are re- quired to attach the test unit to the master unit (see photo 2). When at- tached, they appear as in photo 3. The sequence of tests includes in order: address decoding, TTL (transistor-transistor logic )-level parallel I/O, RS-232C handshaking, and serial I/O. A flowchart for the se- quence of test routines is shown in figure 2. Address Decoding The address-selection section of a peripheral device determines where within the computer's addressing range the computer will find this peripheral. For the COMM-80, there are sixteen locations between hexa- decimal locations 3708 and 37F8 to which it can be set. To be compatible with standard Radio Shack software, the setting should be 37E8. Generally speaking, the failure in address decoders is usually the switch and not the logic. It is not enough to set the unit for address 37E8 and presume that, if it works, the rest of the ad- dresses will. All sixteen addresses need not be checked, but each one of the 4 selectable address bits should be cycled. My preference is to check six combinations: all on, all off, and one on at a time. The only way to deter- mine if they work is to successfully accomplish I/O communication at each address. Figure 3b is a diagram of a circuit that facilitates this test. It is a simple one-quarter-second beeper that is ac- tivated by the 1 /is printer output- strobe pulse. Only the address- decoder circuitry and the 74121 (IC16) strobe-pulse generator on the COMM-80 board are involved. If a test unit is set for an address of 37E8, 50 December 1980 & BYTE Publications In A Few Extraordinary Products for Your 6800/6809 Computer From Percom . . . Low Cost Mini-Disk Storage in the Size You Want Percom mini-disk systems start as low as $599.95, ready to plug in and run. You can't get better quality or a broader selection of disk software from any other microcomputer disk system manufacturer — at any price ! Features: 1 -, 2- and 3-drive systems in 40- and 77-track versions store 102K- to 591K-bytes of random ac- cess data on-line • controllers in- clude explicit clock/data separation circuit, motor inactivity time-out cir- cuit, buffered control lines and other mature design concepts • ROM DOS included with SS-50 bus ver- sion — optional DOSs for EXOR- ciser* bus • extra PROM sockets on-board • EXORciser* bus version has 1 K-byte RAM • supported by ex- tended disk operating systems; as- semblers and other program de- velopment/debugging aids; BASIC, FORTRAN, Pascal and SPL/M lan- guages; and, business application programs. EXORciser* Bus LFD-400EX™ -800EX™ Systems Versatile Mother Board, Full-Feature Prototyping Boards The SBC/9™. A "10" By Any Measure. The Percom SBC/9™ is an SS-50 bus compatible, stand- alone Single-Board Computer. Configured for the 6809 microprocessor, the SBC/9™ also accommodates a 6802 without any modification. You can have state-of-the-art capability of the '09. Or put to work the enormous selection of 6800-coded programs that run on the '02. The SBC/9™ includes PSYMON™, an easily extended 1- Kbyte ROM OS. Other features include: • Total compatibility with the SS-50 bus. Requires no changes to the motherboard, memory or I/O. • Serial port includes bit-rate generator. RS-232-C compatible with optional subminiature 'D' connector installed. 10-pin Molex connec- tor provided. • Eight-bit, non-latched, bidirectional parallel port is multi-address extension of system bus. Spans a 30-address field; accommodates an exceptional variety of peripheral devices. Connector is optional. • Includes 1 -Kbyte of static RAM. • Costs only $199.95 with PSYMON™ and comprehensive users manual that includes source listing of PSYMON™. ™ trademark of Percom Data Company, Inc. * trademark of the Motorola Corporation. Prices and specifications subject to change without notice. Printed wiring is easily soldered tin-lead plating. Substrates are glass-epoxy. Pro- totyping cards provide for power regula- tors and distributed capacitor bypassing, accommodate 14-, 16-, 24- and 40-pin DIP sockets. Prototyping boards include bus connectors, other connectors and sockets are optional. MOTHERBOARD — accommodates five SS-50 bus cards, and may itself be plugged into an SS-50 bus. Features wide-trace conductors. Price: $21.95 SS-50 BUS CARD — accommodates 34- and 50-pin ribbon connectors on top edge, 10-pin Molex connector on side edge. Price: $24.95. SS-30 BUS CARD — 1 Winch higher than SWTP I/O card, accommodates 34- pin ribbon connector and 12-pin Molex connector on top edge. Price: $14.95. The Electric Window™: Instant, Real-Time Video Display Control Memory residency and outstanding software control of display format and characters make this SS-50 bus VDC card an exceptional value at only $249.95. Other features: «< • Generates 128 charac- ters including all ASCII dis- | f fc playable characters plus selected Greek letters and other special symbols. • Well-formed, easy-to- i read 7x12-dot characters. I True baseline descenders. |_ • Character-store (display)HEfc| ^u .*> KB memory included on card. ^ • Provision for optional^ character generator EPROM for user defined symbols. • Comprehensive users! manual includes source listing of Driver software.* Driver — called WINDEX™ — is also available on mini- diskette through the Per- com Users Group. PEttQOM PERCOM DATA COMPANY, INC. 211 N. KIRBY GARLAND, TEXAS 75D42 (214)272-3421 Products are available at Percom dealers nationwide. Call toll-free, 1-800-527-1592, for the address of your nearest dealer, or to order direct. „. , Circle 44 on inquiry card. Circle 43 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 51 the beeper will sound every time the computer writes data to that address. In addition to providing a method for testing the address decoder, the beeper serves as an audible indicator during other test sequences. An integrated-circuit test clip facili- tates access to +5 V (to power the beeper). It also conveniently picks up the strobe pulse and provides ground, even though they are available on the printer connector. The beeper circuit is completely independent of the other cables, but it is constructed on a board attached to the RS-232C con- nector, for convenience. Figure 4 charts the test sequence, and listing 1 contains the actual code. This software, as well as that of the other tests, is designed as an in- dependent subroutine to allow multi- ple passes. Initially, all switches are set to the open position (hexadecimal address 37F8), and the computer attempts to write to the printer at port 37F8. If the address decoder works, the beeper should sound continuously. If not, there is a problem. Once continuous beeping is achieved, reset the address switches (as shown in photo 4) to hex- adecimal address 3778 and press the @ key. This action tells the computer to try to write to printer port 3778. Once again the beeper should sound. The sequence is repeated five times with the last address, hexadecimal 37E8, being left as the switch setting for all future tests. The master unit is permanently set at address 37F8 for all remaining tests. The test takes f START J ADDRESS TEST PRINTER I/O AND PROGRAM PLUG TEST RS — 2 32 HANDSHAKING SIGNALS TEST SERIAL I/O TEST whatever time it takes to flip the switches and press a key. Printer Port and Programming Plug Figure 3a outlines the hardware necessary to test parallel I/O. On the COMM-80, there is one full 8-bit parallel I/O port for the printer and one 8-bit option-select programming- plug input port. The latter has no physical connection to the serial hardware, but is used to set serial- communication options under soft- ware control. With the interface set at hexadecimal 37E8 the programming Text continued on page 58 f END J Figure 2: Flowchart of the four-step se- quence employed to test the COMM-80. Listing 1: BASIC program testing the address decoding of the COMM-80. 100 PRINT"************ ADDRESS CHECK **************" 105 REM THIS SUBROUTINE CHECKS EACH ADDRESS BIT OF THE ADDRESS 107 REM SELECTION SWITCH 130 PRINT"SET ALL ADDRESS SWITCHES TO THE OPEN POSITION" 140 GOSUB 510 150 POKE 14328,0 160 GOSUB 500 170 IF A$="@" THEN 180 ELSE 150 180 PRINT:PRINT"CLOSE SW1 ONLY" :GOSUB 510 190 POKE 14200,0 200 GOSUB 500 210 IF A$="@" THEN 220 ELSE 190 220 PRINT:PRINT"CLOSE SW2 ONLY" :GOSUB 510 230 POKE 14264,0 240 GOSUB 500 250 IF A$="@" THEN 260 ELSE 230 260 PRINT:PRINT"CLOSE SW3 ONLY" :GOSUB 510 270 POKE 14296,0 280 GOSUB 500 300 IF A$="@" THEN 310 ELSE 270 310 PRINT:PRINT"CLOSE SW4 ONLY" :GOSUB 510 320 POKE 14312,0 330 GOSUB 500 340 IF A$="@" THEN 350 ELSE 320 3 50 PRINT :PRINT"ADDRESS TEST CONCLUDED LEAVE ADDRESS SWITCHES IN THIS SETTING"; 360 PRINT"FOR REMAINDER OF TESTS AND SHIPPING" 370 GOSUB 2500 3 80 RETURN 500 A$=INKEY$ :RETURN 510 PRINT" IF YOU HEAR A BEEP THEN PRESS AN 8 KEY" -.RETURN 2500 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT"PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE TEST" 2510 IF INKEY$<>"" THEN RETURN ELSE 2510 Listing 2: BASIC program testing the printer parallel port and programming plug of the COMM-80. 10 REM COMM-80 DIAGNOSTIC PROGRAM 20 REM 30 REM MASTER UNIT SET FOR ADDRESS F8-FB 40 REM 50 DATA 0,1,2,4,8,16,32,64,128,255 55 FOR X=l TO 10 :READ Z (X) :NEXT X 1000 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT"******* PRINTER PORT AND PROGRAMMING PLU G TEST *******" 1010 FOR X=0 TO 9 1020 POKE 14312, Z(X) :REM SET DATA ON TEST UNIT PRINTER OUTPUT 1030 S=PEEK (14312) :REM READ TEST UNIT PRINTER INPUT 1040 S1=INP(233) :REM READ TEST UNIT PROGRAMMING PLUG 1050 S2=PEEK(14328) :REM READ MASTER UNIT PRINTER INPUT 1060 IF S+S1+S2<>3*Z(X) THEN 1200 1070 NEXT X 1080 PRINT"PROGRAMMING PLUG AND PRINTER PORT CHECK OK" 1090 RETURN 1200 IF S2<>Z(X) THEN PRINT"BAD PRINTER OUTPUT PORT FAILED O N ";Z(X);" DATA VALUE" : GOSUB 2500 : RETURN 1210 IF SIOZ(X) THEN PRINT"BAD PROGRAMMING PLUG INPUT FAILE D ON ";Z(X);" DATA VALUE" :GOSUB 2500 :RETURN 1220 IF SOZ(X) THEN PRINT"BAD PRINTER INPUT PORT FAILED ON n ;Z (X) ;" DATA VALUE" 1230 GOSUB 2500 :RETURN 2500 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT"PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE TEST" 2510 IF INKEY$<>"" THEN RETURN ELSE 2510 52 December 1980 © BYTE Publications lnc WordPro Plus™ Word Processing Software Turn your Commodore CBM/PET™ computer into a highly sophisticated word processing system Everyone expected it would happen sooner or later. . . with WordPro Plus it already has! Now all the marvelous benefits of an advanced stand-alone wordprocessor are available with the WordPro Plus series of software and the systems they create. If you've already been shopping for software in the crowded wordprocessing marketplace, you've probably determined the features you really want. You'll find WordPro Plus has them, and more. And if you haven't begun to shop yet, we urge you to compare, because only by comparison will you fully appreciate how complete and sophisticated WordPro Plus software really is. WORDPRO PLUS GIVES YOU THREE LEVELS TO CHOOSE FROM WORDPRO 1 PLUS is ideal for hobbyists, students and organizations who can benefit from the advantages of a basic wordprocessor without the program refinements of a comercially oriented system. WordPro 1 Plus is recommended for use with the CBM/ PET 8/ 16K, C2N cassette and interfaced printer. WORDPRO PLUS SOFTWARE IS LOADED WITH THE LATEST INNOVATIONS Sophisticated systems programmed with leading edge wordprocessing features, WordPro Plus is a series of programs designed specifically for use with the Commodore CBM/PET computers, peripherals and compatible typewriter quality printers. WORDPRO 3 PLUS converts the CBM/2001 32K computer into a highly sophisticated 40-column screen wordprocessor. This program incorporates the advanced features considered important to effective wordprocessing, including nearly every entering, editing, memory and printing feature available today. WordPro 3 Plus is recommended for use with CBM/PET 32K (40-column) computer, CBM Dual Disk Drive, and a properly interfaced printer. Call for complete of a WORDPRO 4 PLUShas it all! With this program, you will have everything you could want from a wordprocessor. . .and then some. WordPro 4 Plus includes every feature found on WordPro 3 Plus, but with the added advantage of an 80-column display screen. The 80- column display simplifies text editing and makes entering text in columnar formats effortless. And with a few simple keystrokes, you'll be able to visualize on the screen exactly how your document will look prior to printing it out. WordPro 4 Plus is designed for use with the Commodore CBM 8032 computer, CBM Dual Disk Drives, and a properly interfaced printer. product literature or for the name and address WordPro Plus dealer near you. WHAT MAKES WORDPRO PLUS THE BEST? Our research has shown that while many wordprocessing packages have comparable features to WordPro Plus, none can surpass Wordpro Plus's EASE OF USE AND FLEXIBILITY. Wordpro Plus operators need not be familiar with computer commands or functions. WordPro is easy to learn for anyone wtih ordinary typing skills. Professional Software Inc. 166 Crescent Rd., Needham, MA 02194 (617) 444-5224, Telex: 95-1579 'International Distributors and Domestic Dealer inquiries invited. "CBM Is a registered trademark of Commodore Business Machines. 'WordPro Plus was developed by Steve Punter of Pro-Micro Software Ltd., and is marketed exclusively by Professional Software Inc. Circle 33 on inquiry card. byte December 1980 53 (3a) TEST UNIT DO - o- D5 i Bl my PARALLEL I/O TEST CABLE -> SEE FIGURE 3b MASTER UNIT BO PRINTER INPUT PORT ^H B6 '-O ,T0 PROGRAMMING PLUG SOCKET ON TEST UNIT 16 PIN DIP HEADER 13 ) NO CONNECTION 0— 14 0— IS , . +5V 1 T >3.9K ■^O.lfiF io M F }\* €W» VtSA/MasterCardAcc^T 615 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 Telephone: (415) 495-7440 UCSD p-System and UCSD Pasca I are trademarks ot the Regents ot the University ot California '"'Trademark of Intertec Data Systems 54 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 34 on inquiry card. WHY OUR WINCHESTER HARD DISK BASED SYSTEMS ARE PICKED BY GROWING CONCERNS Growing seasons. Those fruitful times when firms often find that their appli- cations have outgrown their systems. Yet the costs of stepping up to a minicomputer can cause growing pains for many growing concerns. Altos Computer Systems, a world leader in single board microcom- puter technology, has packages of fresh ideas designed specifically for growing OEM's, the busi- ness sector, and many other end users. In fact, they're responsible for Altos' own rapid growth in the last three years. Packages like Altos' ACS8000-6 microcomputer family that's loaded with features which provide mini- computer performance at affordable microcomputer prices. The advanced, proprietary double-sized single board contains fully socketed and reliable LSI circuitry that includes: the Z80A* CPU with high speed DMA; up to 208 KBytes of RAM; the sophisticated floppy disk and Winchester hard disk controller; six RS-232C serial and two 8-bit parallel ports; and an optional floating point processor. The Altos hard disk family will support up to four users simul- taneously with 48 KBytes of RAM each, as weU as up to 58 MBytes of on-line quality Shugart Winchester hard disk storage, with tape cartridge back-up. And all this at microcomputer prices. Altos also supports three industry standard operating systems: single/multi-user CP/M,** OASIS.1 and Altos' proprietary AMEX." Seven high level program- ming languages are offered which are CP/M or AMEX compatible. Weed through the micro- computer system alternatives. No matter what your application, you'll pick Altos. For specific details about pricing or performance, call or write-. Altos Computer Systems, 2360 Bering Drive, San Jose, CA, 95131, (408) 946-6700, Telex 171562 ALTOS SN J. 1-4 Users Floppy Disks: .5Mb-2Mb And Cartridge Tape Back-Up Winchester Disk: 14.5Mb-58Mb Packed with Fresh Ideas COMPUTER SYSTEMS 'Z80A is a registered trademark of Zllog. Inc. ' CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research. Inc. ; 0ASIS is a registered trademark of Phase One Systems. Inc. c, I980 Altos Computer Systems Circle 35 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 55 ■ m ' ■ I Oyer the past seven years we've earned a name for ourselves by making the best magnetic media in the business. Precision magnetic media — Diskettes, Mini Diskettes, Diagnostic Disk- ettes, Rigid Discs, Disc Packs, and Disc Cartridges i —all certified to be 100% error free both on-track and between the tracks. Now we're making it easier for you to buy the best. Just dial Dysan direct TOLL FREE at 800/538-8150 or 408/988-3472 {in Cali- fornia) or contact your local Dysan office listed below. Precision magnetic media from Dysan. Our media says it all. - — - 9 Dysan ^CORPORATION 5440 Patrick Henry Drive Santa Clara, CA 95050 , 408/988-3472 w, "flatf* ■ jr local Dysan office: ysan Corporation 5440 Patrick Henry Drive Santa Clara, CA 95050 408/988-3472 19600 Fairchild Suite 150 Irvine, CA 92713 714/851-9462 13201 Bell Red Road Suite 205 Bellevue, WA 98004 206/455-4725 Text continued from page 52: plug is read as input port hexadecimal E9. The concept behind this is to have the test unit send a data byte from its own output port to both input ports. The master unit reads the same 8 bits to determine that they are set correct- ly. While we could have gone from input to output (sixteen wires) be- tween master and test units, nothing better would be accomplished. Figure 5 and listing 2 outline this activity in detail. The test takes about 1 second. RS-232C Handshaking Test A similar technique is employed to check the RS-232C handshaking signals. The necessary interface cable is outlined in figure 6. Figure 7 and listing 3 detail the logic flow. There are two output (DTR, Data Photo 3: A production COMM-80 under test with cables attached. A second unit beneath it provides the computer with the necessary I/O capability to successfully inter- face to both a serial and parallel port. This capability is also available using a Radio Shack Expansion Interface with a RS-232C board installed. Photo 4: Address selection during test. When the beeper is heard, the proper address has been selected on the dual-inline plug switch. Terminal Ready, and RTS, Request To Send) and four handshaking signals (RI, Ring Indicator; CD, Car- rier Detect; DSR, Data Set Ready; and CTS, Clear to Send) on the RS- 232C interface. Some are almost never used, but all must be checked and functioning. The test is ac- complished by tying the input to the output on the test unit and monitor- ing the output lines again through the master unit. With two signal lines, there are four possible combinations, and all are checked. The test takes about 1 second. Serial I/O Test The serial section of the COMM-80 incorporates a COM5016 data-rate generator and a COM2017 UART (universal asynchronous receiv- er/transmitter). Both are program- mable devices. Through them, it is possible to automatically set data rates, parity, word size, and stop-bit options completely through software. This makes testing much easier and eliminates the necessity of manually flipping switches. Figure 8 and listing 4 outline this test. Upon initial examination, the soft- ware looks straightforward. Ten bytes of data (all on, all off, and each individual bit set) are sent from the master unit to the test unit at each of the sixteen data rates. The com- munication path is then reversed and 10 bytes are sent from the test unit to the master at each data rate to com- plete the test. It may be surprising to note that a close examination reveals no as- sembly-language routine to transmit or receive the serial data. Even at 19,200 bps (bits per second), the serial communication and UART program interaction are accomplished com- pletely in BASIC. (Remember that it takes less time to write a program in the higher-level language. So, if you don't need assembly-language routines, why bother?) A UART is a hardware device that appears to the computer as a parallel port. To send data, we merely ad- dress this port and load 8 bits of data into it. At the conclusion of the out- put instruction, the UART auto- matically converts this byte to serial format and transmits it at a rate that is dependent only on the transmit- clock input to the UART. If this clock Text continued on page 64 58 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc GOmPUTER WAREHOUSE CALL TOLL FREE 1-800~528-1054 ATARI 800 (24K) $748 400 $445 810 Disk Drive $550 825 Printer $750 850 Interface $160 Star Raiders $ 47 Software From $ 1 Visicalc Call Kurta Digitizer Call MODEMS Lexicon LEX-II Novation CAT D-CAT $115 $150 $160 MONITORS APF - 9" Monitor $123 Sanyo - 9" Monitor $147 VIDEO TERMINALS Hazeltine 1500 . . 1420 . . Soroc IQ 120 . IQ 140 . Televideo 912 B. . 912 C . 920 B. . 920 C . Zenith - Z 19 . . $848 . $795 . $693 $1099 . Call . Call . Call . Call $789 PRINTERS Centronics 730 Serial $650 730 Parallel $598 737 Serial $875 737 Parallel $790 Diablo 1640 Call 1650 Call Epson-MX-80 Call NEC 5510 Call 5520 Call Okidata - Microline 80 $545 Qume 5/45 Call 5/55 Call Teletype Model 40 Call Model 43 w/Pinfeed $1 005 Texas Instruments 810 Basic $1516 810 Loaded $1724 820 KSR Basic $1732 820 KSR Package $1916 Circle 37 on inquiry card. COMPUTERS Aitos Call Cromemco Call Northstar HRZ II-32K D (Assm) $2300 HRZ II-32K Q (Assm) $2665 Zenith Z-89 48K $2210 DISKETTS BASF 5%-0 Sector S/S D/D (Qty 10) $33 514-10 Sector S/S D/D (Qty 10) $33 5'/4-10 Sector D/S D/D (Qty 10) $37 Memorex 5V4-10 Sector S/S D/D (Qty 10) $27 Dysan 5'/4-10 Sector S/S D/D (Qty 10) $37 5'/4-10 Sector D/S D/D (Qty 10) $42 Scotch 5%-0, 10, 16 Sector (Qty 100) $275 8"-0, 32 Sector (Qty 100) $275 •USED Experienced Equipment Soroc IQ 120 . . $500 Tl 810 Basic . . $1200 TVI 912 $550 TVI 920 $600 Qume Call Diablo Call Centronics 779 $600 Centronics 730 $450 Teletype 40 Call Comprint $400 Z-89 Call Tl 99/4 Console $450 WAREHOUSE C9 2222 E. Indian School Rd. Phoenix, Arizona 85016 Store Hours: Tues. - Friday 10-6 MST Saturday 10-5 MST BYTE December 1980 59 Circle 36 on inquiry card. Have some great memories. 16K PROM boards. ■ PROM card has 2708-type memory ■ Quality board construction ■ 0-4 wait states ■ Address any 4K group to any 4K boundary ■ Control up to 8 banks of memory ■ Fully assembled and tested ■ PRICE— $300 (California residents add 6% sales tax} Expandable 5 MHz RAM boards. 8— 32K expandable RAM board uses TI 4044 memory runs at 5MHz ■ Fast 250 ns access time ■ Bank select ■ Address any 4K block to any 4K boundary ■ Quality board construction PRICE— 8K— $175; 16K— $315; 24K— $475; 32K— $620; 8K add-on kits— $135 (California residents add 6% sales tax) Call or write Artec for details dRTGC GL€CTRONOJNC 605 Old County Rd., San Carlos, CA 94070 Telephone (415) 592-2740 ( START J FOR THE FOLLOW- ING ADDRESSES: F8, 78, B8, D8. E8 MANUALLY SET ADDRESS SWITCHES ADDRESSING ERROR TYPE (3 KEY AND SET NEXT ADDRESS ON SWITCHES ( STOP J ( EX ' T ) Figure 4: Flowchart showing the sequence of the address-decoder test program. Listing 3: BASIC program testing the RS-232C handshaking signals of the COMM-80. 60 DATA 0,0,0,2,128,48,1,64,192,3,192,240 65 FOR X=0 TO 3 :READ A (X) ,B (X) ,C (X) :NEXT X 2000 REM THIS SUBROUTINE CHECKS THE RS-232 HANDSHAKE LINES 2002 REM THE DTR AND RTS SIGNALS ARE TIED TO RI,CD,DSR, AND CTS 2005 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT n ******* RS-232 HANDSHAKE SIGNAL TEST ** 2010 POKE 14312,0 2020 FOR X=0 TO 3 2040 OUT 234, A(X) :REM SOUND BEEPER :REM SET DTR AND RTS ON TEST UNIT 2070 2080 :D=D AND 192 THEN 2200 :E=E AND 240 THEN 23 00 :REM READ CTS AND DSR ON MASTER :REM READ TEST UNIT LINES RS-232 HANDSHAKE SIGNALS CHECK OK" 2050 D=INP(248) 2060 IF DOB(X) E=INP(232) IF EOC(X) 2090 NEXT X 2100 PRINT" 2110 RETURN 2200 PRINT" MALFUNCTION ON DTR OR RTS OUTPUT SIGNALS" :RETURN 2300 PRINT"MALFUNCTION ON RI, CD, DSR, OR CTS INPUT SIGNALS" :RETURN Listing 4: BASIC program testing the serial input and output of the COMM-80. 50 DATA 0,1,2,4,8,16,32,64,128,255 55 FOR X=l TO 10 :READ Z (X) :NEXT X 75 DIM N(16) 80 DATA 50,75,110,134.5,150,300,600,1200,1800,2000,2400 85 DATA 3600,4800,7200,9600,19200 90 FOR X=0 TO 15 :READ N(X) :NEXT X 2500 PRINT: PRINT: PRINT"PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE TEST" 2510 IF INKEY$<>"" THEN RETURN ELSE 2510 3000 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT"******* SERIAL INPUT TEST *******" 3010 POKE 14312,0 :REM SOUND BEEPER AT START OF TEST 3020 GOSUB 3500 3 030 FOR B=0 TO 15 Listing 4 continued on page 62 60 December 1980 © BYTE Publicalions Inc THEY INVENTED THE WHEEL . . . During 1 978 a set of four business systems was developed for sale in the CP/M environment under the name "Peachtree Software". Since then, this software has been used in over 3000 — - — installations, and sold through more than — 1 50 retail outlets. During this period, — however, there was a split among —■— the principals which resulted in a . parting of the ways. It was decided one group would — — • retain the "Peachtree Software" trademark and *, the second group would be restricted from competing with them for one year. We are now ready to market our business software to you under the name of "Insoft Accountant" WE GAVE IT A NEW TWIST Thanks to the Z-80 Softcard"^ by Microsoft, this software is available to Apple owners for the first time. It uses the standard Apple 40 character display and unlike the Peachtree version, does not reguire an extra 1 6K memory card to run. All you need is an Apple II or Apple II Plus with 48K RAM, 2 drives, T \' ^^? / the Microsoft Z-80 Softcard®, DOS 3.3 and ^ ■><• \ a 132 column printer. We supply all — M - ' sf'VX programs, manuals and sample company iJV data files to get you up and rolling fast. The deal of 1 981 ! EXACTLY WHAT IS IT? This fully Integrated Business Software Package for s 365 includes: • GENERAL LEDGER — Will automatically post end of month transactions from A/R, A/P, and Payroll. Prints detailed company and department reports, optional comparative financial statements with current, YTD, budget, and last year (month and YTD) giving values and percentages. 8 ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE — Instant customer account information (current and aged) with complete invoicing with open item and statement capabilities. 9 ACCOUNTS PAYABLE -- Tracks current and aged payables. Has extremely useful cash flow management reports. • PAYROLL — Calculates payroll for every type of employee while maintaining monthly, quarterly and yearly totals for reporting purposes in multiple states. User modifiable tax tables. W-2, 941 's, etc. • MANUALS — Comprehensive user manuals for each module with start up aids, 290 pages. ORDERING INFORMATION — Fill out and mail □ APPLE II 40 COLUMN SCREEN ^365 Signature □ APPLE II SO COLUMN SCREEN s 365 Name □ MICROSOFT Z-80 SOFTCARD™ s 320 Address □ SINOLE DENSITY 8" VERSION s 36 5 "•',—•• , . , „, Tnc I elephone For machines such as ALTOS Viga ^ r MC # Certified Check or Money Order. Visa and MC welcomed. Personal checks require 2 weeks to clear. At this price software is sold as-is without support. Warranty limited to "good copies" of disks. Sale is to end users only for use on one computer. Call for sample reports. 80 column APPLE version requires SUP-R-TERM board or equivalent. Apple II. CP'M Pea hee Software cinri Microsoft are registered trademarks ol Apple Computer Inc Digital Reseat eh Retail Scieni rs. inc . and Microsoft Consumer Products, inc. respectively rem @®mui 259 Barnett Rd„ Unit 2 ■ Medford, Oregon 97501 503 / 779-2465 Circle 38 on inquiry card. Circle 72 on inquiry card. SAVE MORE THAN 20%! NORTH STAR — [NTERTUBE — MICROTEK ZENITH — RCA-COSMAC — ITHACA THINKER TOYS — GODBOUT — SUPERBRA1N The smartest computers at the smartest price FACTORY ASSEMBLED & TESTED LIST ONLY HORIZON 132K DOUBLE OCN *269B »1994 HORIZON 2 32K DOUBLE DEN 3095 2274 HORIZON 2 32K QUAD DENSITY 3595 2674 HORIZON 2 64K QUAD +HARD DISK 9329 7149 HORIZON RAM ASSM SALEI 16KM349 32KM579 HORIZON RAM KIT SALE! 16K-*314 32KM4B9 315 SALEI 3939 190 249 HORIZON DISK DRIVE SALE DOUB DEN NORTH STAR HARD DISK 18 Mb 4999 HORIZON PORTS. PAHITYS. EDGE CONNECTORS. ETC. PASCAL FOR NORTH STAH ON DISK 199 PASCAL PLUS 14. 18. or 3B DIGIT PRECISION Powerful NORTH STAR BASIC.Tho Boil FREE NSSE1 22 &P01 TERRIFIC PROGRAMS ONLY 10 NORTHWORD 294 MAILMAN 234 INFOMAN 364 RCACOSMAC VP111 99 GODBOUT SPECTRUM MicroAnuolo HIRES GRAPHICS ITHACA FRONT PANEL COMPUTER 64K Z 8002 CPU CARD 16 bit ITHACA S 100 ITHACA MEMORY 8/16-bit 64K PASCAL!? < THE SPEED KING SEATTLE 8086 CPU 16 bit 556 RAM 16K 8116 SSM KITS 2 80 CPU 221 VIDEO BRD VB3 4» SYSTEMS GROUP RAM 64K A & T 4mHz SYSTEMS GROUP RAM 64K BANK SELECT ECONORAM XIV UNKIT 16K CENTRAL DATA 64K RAM DISCUSI2D A & T + CPIM THINKER TOYS HARD DISK 26 Mb DISCUS/2 +2 1.2 Mbytes A & T TARBELL DISK CONTROLLER DD SUPERBRAIN SUPERBRAIN QUAD DENSITY RUM 289 1095 985 3195 2695 1059 995 945 395 376 356 IMhi 412 599 789 279 249 665 599 1199 938 4995 3995 1545 1259 495 445 2995 2395 3995 2995 ZENITH HEATH Z 89 48K 2895 INTERTUBE III SMART TERMINAL 895 EMULATOR 4 IN 1 TERMINAL 895 ZENITH HEATH SMART TERMINAL 995 CAT NOVATION MODEM 179 MICROTEK PRINTER 795 DIP Bl PRINTER FRICTION FEED! 499 ANADEX PRINTER DP 9501 1 389 ANADEX DP 8000 NEC PRINTER Fait Typewriter Quality 2915 SECRETARY WORD PROCESSOR The Best! 85 TEXTWRITER III Book Writing Program 125 COFAST NORTH STAR BASIC Speeder Upper 79 ASSEMBLER PLUS DISASSEMBLER I A BASIC PROGRAM TRACER! ♦ FANCY RENUMBERING EZ CODER Translates English to BASIC 79 ECOSOFT FULL ACCOUNTING PKG 315 MICROSTAT BOX OF DISKETTES 29 EZ 80 ZBO TUTORIAL Which Computer! are BEST? BROCHURE North Star Documentation refundable wjHRZ 2299 725 725 739 169 675 425 865 2799 77 112 71 ! 39 99 71 225 25 FREE 20 ORDER 2 or more COMPUTERS. . . BIGGER DISCOUNTS YES WE WILL BEAT OUR COMPETITION'S PRICE! FACTORY ASSEMBLED & FACTORY WARRANTY AMERICAN SQUARE COMPUTERS KIVETT DR * JAMESTOWN NC 27282 (919J-889-4577 62 December 1980 f BYTE Publications Inc Listing 4 continued: 3040 3050 3060 3070 3075 3080 3090 3100 3110 3120 3130 3140 3145 3150 3155 3160 3170 3180 GOSUB 3600 PRINT"CHECKING ";N(B);" BITS PER SECOND" FOR X=l TO 10 OUT 251, Z(X) :REM LOAD MASTER UNIT WITH OUTPUT DATA IF B<5 THEN GOSUB 3950 S=INP(234) :REM READ TEST UNIT STATUS REGISTER S1=S AND 56 : REM MASK OR,PE, AND FE IF S1>0 THEN 3800 IF S AND 128=0 THEN 3850 D=INP(235) :IF DOZ(X) THEN 3900 NEXT X NEXT B RETURN PRINT:PRINT:PRINT"******** SERIAL OUTPUT TE_- POKE 14312,0 :REM SOUND BEEPER AT START OF TEST GOSUB 3500 FOR B=0 TO 15 GOSUB 3600 Listing 4 continued on page 64 *******" f START ) FOR Z(X) = 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 255 SET Z(X) VALUE ON TEST-UNIT PRINTER-OUTPUT PORT IS MASTER- 'UNIT PRINTER-INPUT\ NO NEXT Z(X) PORT=Z(X) y p y^ Tyes PRINT "TEST UNIT PRINTER OUTPUT PORT BAD-FAILED ON DATA BYTE" ZIX) yr 1 S \. PROGRA PLUG = Z(X MMING- \. N0 „" ) yT 3 / Tyes PRINT "TEST UNIT PROGRAMMING PLUG INPUT PORT BAD- FAILED ON DATA BYTE" ZIX) yr IS \^ ' TEST PRINTER PORT = UNIT \ -INPUT \ NO ■; Z(X) > a y^ | YES PRINT "TEST UNIT PRINTER INPUT PORT BAD-FAILED ON DATA BYTE" ZIX) y^ IS \^ ' THIS LAST VAL YES \ THE \ ZIX) \- UE / S yS ( EXIT ) Figure 5: Flowchart showing the sequence of operations of the parallel I/O test pro- gram. Circle 39 on inquiry card. »^^^ The trouble with video terminals today is that most of the low-cost models just don't have the performance to handle your tough applications. And the few that do are usually not compatible with your existing system. But now, Intertec has resolved this age old dilemma with the introduction of its new Emulator™ Video Terminal. The $895* Emulator™ performs exactly as you command. With the depression of just a few keys, Emulator users can select terminal control codes of any one of four popular video terminals. The Lear-Siegler ADM-3A. The Soroc 10-120. The DEC VT- 52. Or the Hazeltine 1500. Incredible! It's like having four terminals for the price of one. But, best of all, not only does the Emulator replace these terminals, it outper- forms them by offering enhanced user- oriented features. Features that those other terminals just don't have - at any price. Standard Emulator™ features include: a sharp, crisp 12" non-glare screen with a full 24 line by 80 column display. Twin RS232C serial ports - one for the host computer and one for your printer. Four separate cursor control keys. A separate 18 key numeric pad. Keyboard selectable baud rates and operating modes. And, a host of visual attributes. No matter which dumb or smart terminal you're using today, don't buy another until you check out our new Emulator™. You'll get the performance of four terminals for the price of one. And you'll probably save hundreds of dollars over the price you paid for your last terminal. Plus, you'll get unparalleled relia- bility, nationwide service and quick delivery. Call or write us today for all the details. Intertec terminals are distributed worldwide and may be available in your area now. 2300 Broad River Rd, Columbia, SC 29210 (803) 798-9100 TWX: 810-666-2115 *Quantity one - Dealer inquiries invited Circle 40 on inquiry card. CHOOSE... Choose an Apple Desk A compact bi-level desk ideal for an Apple computer system. This 42"x31}4" desk comes with a shelf to hold two Apple disk drives.The top shelf for your TV or monitor and manuals can also have an optional paper slot to accom- odate a printer. Choose a Micro Desk Get your micro computer off the desk top and into the micro shelf under our Designer Series desks. Suitable for the North Star, Dynabyte, Vector Graphics, and Altos computers. The desks come in a variety of sizes and colors. Choose a Mini Rack Mini racks and mini micro racks have standard venting, cable cut outs and adjustable RETMA rails. Choose a stand alone bay or a 48", 60", or 72" desk model in a variety of colors and wood tones. A custom rack is available for the Cromemco. Choose a Printer Stand The Universal printer stand fits the: Centronics 700's Diablo 1600's & 2300's Dec LA 34 T.I. 810 8.820 NEC Spinwriter Okidata Slimline Lear Siegler 300's Anadex 9500's Delivery in days on over 200 styles and colors in stock. Dealer inquiries invited. ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS FURNITURE COMR4N4I 17129 S. Kingsview Avenue Carson, California 90746 Telephone: (213)538-9601 Listing 4 continued: 3190 PRINT"CHECKING ";N(B); n BITS PER SECOND" 3200 FOR X=l TO 10 3210 OUT 235, Z(X) :REM LOAD TEST UNIT WITH OUTPUT DATA BYTE 3220 IF B<5 THEN GOSUB 3950 3230 S=INP(250) :REM READ MASTER UNIT STATUS REGISTER 3240 S1=S AND 56 :REM MASK OR,PE, AND FE 3250 IF S1>0 THEN 3800 3260 IF S AND 128=0 THEN 3850 3270 D=INP(251) :IF DOZ (X) THEN 3900 3280 NEXT X 3290 NEXT B 3300 PRINT:PRINT:PRINT"TEST COMPLETE" 3310 RETURN 3500 OUT 232,0 :OUT248,0 :REM RESET MASTER AND TEST UNITS 3510 OUT 234,228 :OUT 250,228 :REM SET BOTH UNITS FOR 8 BITS, 3520 REM EVEN PARITY AND 1 STOP BIT 3530 RETURN 3600 OUT 233,B+B*16 :OUT 249,B+B*16 :REM SET EQUAL BAUD RATES 3610 RETURN 3800 PRINT"STATUS BIT ERROR" :GOSUB 2500 :RETURN 3850 PRINT"NO DATA RECEIVED" :GOSUB 2500 :RETURN 3900 PRINT"WRONG DATA RECEIVED" :GOSUB 2500 :RETURN 3950 FOR A=0 TO 60 :NEXT A :RETURN Photo 5: Close-up of RS-232C connector on the unit under test. The circuit on the per- forated board is a 0.25-second monostable multivibrator (one-shot) activating a low- voltage beeper. Text continued from page 58: is 800 Hz, then the information will go out at 50 bps. If, on the other hand, the clock is 153,600 Hz, the in- formation will go out at 9600 bps. The only difference to the program- mer is that, at 9600 bps, he can transmit the next byte sooner. To read the incoming data, the pro- gram periodically reads the UART- status register as would be done with any input port and checks to see if the DAV (data available) flag is set. When that occurs, the program reads the data from the UART and resets the DAV line. Similar I/O-port manipulations accomplish error checking and option setting. This can be done in BASIC just as well as in assembly code — only, not quite as often. We may be able to send data at 19,200 bps, but it can be sent by BASIC only at about 10 characters per second. Similarly, we may be able to read data from the UART in BASIC at 19,200 bps, but it also better not come any faster than 10 characters per second. Since we can control the rate at which we send data, we can easily Text continued on page 70 64 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc YOU WILL FIND WHAT WE DID!! Specifications KG-12C Input Signal: 1.0+0.2VP-P composite Video sync. negative, fully compatible. Input Impedance: 75 ohms CRT: 12", 90° deflection CRT Color: Green P31 phosphor Video Amplifier Bandwidth: 18 MHz Display Format: 25 lines of 80 characters Scan Frequency: Horizontal— 15.75 KHz Vertical— 60 Hz Power Requirement: AC 117 volts 50/60 Hz Size: 1 VA" high x 1-254" wide x 12" deep Weight: 16 Lbs INTERNATIONAL CUS A), INC SUITE 600, UNION BANK BLDG., 1 1222 LA CIENEGA BLVD., INGLEWOOD, CA90304 TEL (213) 641-4588 TLX 182379 BMC USA ING INTERNATIONAL No. 27, 5-CHOME, TANIMACHI, HIGASHI-KU, OSAKA 540, JAPAN CABLE "BMCINT" OSAKA PHONE: OSAKA 768-7791 TELEX: 64930 NISEMIC Circle 41 on inquiry card. Circle 42 on inquiry card. S-1.0? |CO«W>\ Order these heavy duty industrial quality boards-best overall specs in the industry, finest components and workmanship, IEEE standard for S-100bus. Guaranteed to operate with Cromemco, North Star and most other S-1 00 systems. All manuals include applications programs in BASIC. DIP switch selectable port base address. A/D MODULE Dependable high-speed analog-to-digital conversion. 12-bit precision. 32 single- ended input channels, or 16 true differen- tial inputs. High-speed sample and hold amplitier. 25 usee conversion time. Preci- sion analog multiplexer. Vectored inter- rupt capability. Optional instrumentation amplifier with gain from 1 to 1,000. AIM-12, standard input module with instrumentation amplifier $725 AIM-12B, input module only $635 AIM-11B, 11 -bit precision module . $575 D/A MODULE Four independent channels for digital-to- analog conversion. 12-bit precision over full 0° to 70°C range. Jumper selectable outputs. Binary or 2's complement digital inputs. Flexible bit-mapping jumpers allow compatibility with any existing I/O mapped software (either 12- or 8-bit). Super simple programming. AOM-12, output module $495 REAL TIME CLOCK Features new OKI CMOS clock chip for day, date, hours, minutes, and seconds. 1 2 or 24 hour time format. On-board bat- tery backup. Full year operation without battery replacement. Read or write time directly from I/O port. Vectored interrupt capability. CLK-24 $250 ALSO AVAILABLE: Industrial control out- put current module, 4-20 mA - $395. Nonvolatile CMOS memory, 250 nsec, 4K bytes with battery backup - $395. 8K CMOS memory - $590. 1 6K CMOS memory - $990. Thermocouple compen- sation module - $350. California; add 6% tax. Money back guarantee. 10-day trial. OEM and dealer inquiries invited. system reliability/system integrity DUAL SYSTEMS CONTROL CORP. 1825 Eastshore Hwy., Dept. B Berkeley, CA 94710 (415) 549-3854 TEST UNIT DB-25 CONNECTOR RS-232 DIAGNOSTIC CABLE o Figure 6: Schematic diagram of the RS-232C interconnection cable between the master and test units. f START J SET TEST UNIT DTR AND RTS SIGNAL TO ONE OF 4 POSSIBLE COMBINATIONS: A(X) = 00, 10, 01, AND 11 A(X) =TEST UNIT OUTPUT SETTING B(X} = CORRECT MASTER UNIT INPUT READING C(X) = CORRECT TEST UNIT INPUT READING PRINT "MALFUNCTION ON DTR OR RTS OUTPUT SIGNALS" PRINT MALFUNCTION ON Rl, CD, DSR, OR CTS INPUT SIGNALS" ( END J ( EX ' T ) Figure 7: Flowchart showing the sequence of operations of the RS-232C handshaking test. 66 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc NEXT B NEXT X ( START J SERIAL INPUT TEST FOR NIB) DATA RATES = 50, 75, 110, 134.5, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 1800, 2000, 2400, 3600, 4800, 7200, 9600, AND 19200 BITS PER SECOND SET TEST UNIT AND MASTER UNIT TO THE SAME DATA RATE SET TEST UNIT AND MASTER UNIT TO: 8-BIT WORD, 1 STOP BIT, EVEN PARITY FOR Z(X) DATA BYTES = 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64. 128, 255 OUTPUT Z(X) DATA BYTE FROM MASTER UNIT TO TEST UNIT READ TEST-UNIT STATUS REGISTER READ DATA AVAILABLE NO NO PRINT "STATUS BIT ERROR" PRINT "WRONG DATA RECEIVED" ( EX,T ) Figure 8: Flowchart of the sequence of operations of the serial input and output tests. Figure 8 continued on page 68 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc 67 Figure 8 continued from page 67: SERIAL OUTPUT TEST NEXT B FOR NIB) DATA RATES ■ 50, 75, 110, 134.5, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 1800, 2000, 2400, 3600, 4800, 7200, 9600, AND 19200 BITS PER SECOND SET TEST UNIT AND MASTER UNIT TO SAME DATA RATE SET TEST UNIT AND MASTER UNIT TO: 8-BIT WORD, 1 STOP BIT, EVEN PARITY FOR ZIX) DATA BYTES* 0, 1, 2, 4, 8. 16, 32 64, 128, 255 OUTPUT DATA BYTE FROM TEST UNIT TO MASTER UNIT READ MASTER-UNIT STATUS REGISTER NEXT X NO NO PRINT "STATUS BIT ERROR" PRINT "WRONG DATA RECEIVED" C EX ' T ) ( EX ' T ) 68 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc '. 11 .. II j i miflii iii pw i pmi pp i i nimm piiii pni i pzii] pnii piiu mi «i ym/nii umiw i i mi If Mill Iml lull mill""' lini linflinl Iml Imi Uf lwf 1ml liiii Init hnlf In NEVER UNDERSOLD! That's right, if you can find a lower price In this magazine for any of the Itemi lifted In this ad, we will reduce our price below our competitor'i price. See each box below to determine how much EXTRA we will cut off of THEIR price If we're not lowest. Please consider the competitor's shipping charges, OUR SHIPPING IS FREE1* s II/1I1I/1K11I/I1AU1I11WII//I17WM ll/IHI//lllA\II^Hl\llAlIl/HIMf/ll[JWU FLOPPY DISKETTES & SUPPLIES IF YOU CAN FIND A LOWER PRICE IN THIS MAGAZINE ON ANY OF THESE ITEMS, DEDUCT S.30 FROM OUR COMPETITOR'S PRICE. THAT'S OUR PRICEI Call For Quantity Discounts Verbatim Dltkette. (box ol 10) 5V,"MD525-01 soft.lOor 16. $26.50 5'/," MD57701 quad soft. lOor 16 $33.00 8 FD3410O0solt $30.00 8 FD32- 1000 hard $30.00 8" FD34-8000 double density sod $44.00 8" FD32-8000 double density hard $44.00 Prlntwheeli (specify style} Qume or Diablo $6.50 La b«U 3", "X15/16" (5000 labels) ... $18.75 Other sizes and quantities CALL Ribbon* Diablo Hy Type I $4.95 Diablo Hy Type II $5.25 Qume Sprint $3.50 Centronics Zip Pack $3.95 MANY OTHERS CALL ffff PRINTERS IF YOU CAN FIND A LOWER PRICE IN THIS MAGAZINE ON ANY OF THESE PRINTERS, DEDUCT $10 FROM OUR COM- PETITOR'S PRICE. THAT'S OUR PRICEI Paper Tiger IDS-440G $939 Paper Tiger IDS460G $1193 Anadex DP-8000 $855 Anodex DP-9500 $1395 TI-810 Basic $1625 Centronics 737 $825 NEC 5500 Dw/Bidrctnl Board $2695 NEC 5530 $2595 VISTA Daisey Wheel Printer $1 834 Qume 5/45,5/55 CALL Escon IBM Interface $595 Call For Other Printers HARDWARE IF YOU CAN FIND A LOWER PRICE IN THIS MAGAZINE ON ANY OF THESE ITEMS, DEDUCT 5% FROM OUR COM- PETITOR'S PRICE, THAT'S OUR PRICEI Novation CAT Modem $145 Novation D-CAT Modem $185 16K Memory kit $46 Isolators $49 Shugart 35tr Drive $349 Pertec or MPI 40tr Drive $359 Lobo Drives CALL Matchless Drives CALL Percom Doubler $209 Percom Seperator $27 AIM-65 Computer 375 TI-99/4 Computer $925 California Computer Systems Bds CALL Symtec Computer Boards CALL Mountain Hardware Boards CALL Green Screen $11 Call for Other Hardware For phone orders CALL: (Z13) 883-8594 'FREE shipping on all orders over $20. Visa and Master Card accepted. AM never undersold offers good as supply lasts. Please add 2.00 for all COD orders. Please coll for items not listed. We glad- ly answer any questions on all of our hardware, software, and supply needs. Ouanitity discounts available. School purchase orders accepted. Please remember to figure competitors shipping and handling charges when arriving at never undersold price. Circle 32 on inquiry card. ENTREPRENEURS Iml PFIi !■ I MORE THAN EVER IN THE MICRO- I1LLI#LU COMPUTER INDUSTRY. The shortage of knowledgeable dealers/distributors Is the #1 problem of microcomputer manufacturers. Over 300 new systems houses will go into business this year, but the number falls short of the 1200 needed. It is estimated that the nationwide shortage of consultants will be over 3000 by 1981. The HOW TO manuals by Essex Publishing are your best guide to start participating in the continued microcomputer boom. $36. HOW TO START YOUR OWN SYSTEMS HOUSE 6th edition, March 1980 Written by the founder of a successful systems house, this fact- filled 220-page manual covers virtually all aspects of starting and operating a small systems company. It is abundant with useful, real-life samples: contracts, proposals, agreements and a complete business plan are included in full, and may be used immediately by the reader. Proven, field-tested solutions to the many problems facing the small systems house are presented. From the contents: • New Generation of Systems Houses • The SBC Marketplace • Marketing Strategies • Vertical Markets & lAPs • Competetive Position/Plansof Major Vendors • Market Segment Selection & Evaluation • Selection of Equipment & Manufacturer • Make or Buy Decision • Becoming a Distributor • Getting Your Advertising Dollar's Worth • Your Salesmen: Where to Find Them • Product Pricing • The Selling Cycle • Handling the 12 Most Frequent Objec- tions Raised by Prospects • Financing for the Customer • Leasing • Questions You Will Have to Answer Before the Prospect Buys • Producing the System • Installation, Accaptance. Collection • Documentation • Solutions to the Service Problem • Protecting Your Product • Should You Start Now? • How to Write a Good Business Plan • Raising Capital No. 10 HOW TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL COMPUTER CONSULTANT ESS EX PUBLISHING $28. HOW TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL COMPUTER CONSULTANT by Leslie Nelson, May 1980 Independent consultants are becoming a vitally important factor in the microcomputer field, filling the gap between the computer vendors and commercial/industrial users. The rewards of the consultant can be high: freedom, more satisfying work and doubled or tripled income. HOW TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL COM- PUTER CONSULTANT provides comprehensive background infor- mation and step-by-step directions for those interested to explore this lucrative field: • Established consulting markets • How to get started • Itemized start-up costs • Are you qualified? • Beginning on a part-time basis • The Marketing Kit • Should you advertise? • Five marketing tips • Getting free publicity How much to charge* When do you need a contract? • Sample proposals • Which jobs should be declined • Future markets • The way to real big money • Avoiding the legal How consultants' associations can help you • The National Register of Computer Con- • How others did it: real-life sample cases • and much more. No. 16 FREE-LANCE SOFTWARE MARKETING 3rd edition, June 1980 Writing and selling computer programs as an independent is a business where • you can get started quickly, with little capital investment • you can do it full time or part time • the potential profits are almost limitless. Since the demand for computer software of all kinds is growing at an explosive rate, the conditions for the small entrepreneur are outstanding. This manual will show you how to sell your own computer programs using these proven techniques: • direct to industries • through consulting firms • through manufacturers of computer hardware • in book form • mail order • through computer stores. It will show you how to profitably sell and license all types of software ranging from sophisticated analytical programs selling for thou- sands of dollars, down to simple accounting routines and games for personal computers. The book will guide you step by step through the process of marketing, advertising, negotiating a contract, installing software, training users and providing maintenance and support. It also contains sample software contracts that have been used in actual software transactions. Also included are tips on how to negotiate with a large corporation, ways of avoiding personal liability, techniques for obtaining free computer time and hints on how to run a free-lance software business while holding a full-time job. No. 32 ESSEX PUBLISHING CO. Dept. 2 H 285 Bloomfield Avenue • Caldwell, N.J. 07006 I! - I Order books by number. Send check, money order (U.S.$), VISA or Master Charge #. Publisher pays 4th class shipping. For Air Mail shipping add $2.50 per book in USA and Canada, $5.00 In Europe, $8.00 elsewhere. N.J. residents add 5% sales tax. □ No. 10 D No. 16 □ NO. 32 □ Check enclosed D Creditcard Name Address . City -State . Card # For faster shipment on credit card orders call (201) 783-6940 between 9 and 5 Eastern time. -Zip- -Exp. Text continued from page 64: send it at a rate that can be digested. The UART's function is primarily cer- tified by the conversion/ transmission and reception/reconversion process rather than the number of characters it can send through the wires. If it works for 1 character per minute, it will work for 100 characters per second. In truth, though, I decided to settle on 10 bytes which exercise each bit and to send each byte with parity enabled. The entire test, automatical- ly checking thirty-two data rates, takes 39 seconds. You might ask, as an afterthought, why I didn't just loop the input to the output on the test unit and check it that way, rather than utilizing a separate communications channel. The typical failure on a data-transfer- rate generator is that it sticks at one frequency for a group of data-rate settings. If this malfunctioning clock signal is simultaneously applied to both the transmit and receive sections of the UART under test, the data in and out will still be synchronized and no error will be detected. The only true test is to send data at a known rate from an external source and try to read it. Conclusion As you think about this presenta- tion and consider possible applica- tions, keep in mind that there are limitations as well as strengths in any high-level language. First, common sense should tell you that high-level languages suit only smaller applica- tions. BASIC gets bogged down in both programming confusion and ex- ecution time as programs get larger than 4 K bytes. On the other hand, appreciate it as a learning tool for understanding con- trol applications with limited stress on the programmer. BASIC is an ex- cellent language for becoming in- troduced to man-machine interfacing. A good programmer will not stop there and will soon become interested in more complete languages such as FORTH and tiny-c, which can be ex- panded to meet the specific problems. You have to start somehow, and this way is fairly painless. ■ Next Month: Are you blacking out the neighborhood with your computer? EMI (electromagnetic interference) will be discussed. 70 December 1980 @ BYTE Publicalions Inc Circle 45 on inquiry card. Circle 46 on inquiry card. JwJ Ill , \ \[i 1 — / H mm. You probably know about the Sof tCard — our ingenious circuit card that converts an Apple II® into a Z-80® machine running CP/M® You may even know that with the SoftCard, you get Microsoft's powerful BASIC — extended to support Apple graphics and many other features. Now, whenever you're ready to get beyond the BASICS, the SoftCard can take you into whole new realms. Starting with two advanced language packages from Microsoft. FORTRAN AND COBOLTOGO. Now you can run the world's most popular engineering/scientific lan- guage and the most popular ^^^" business language on your Apple. Think what that means: you can choose from liter- ally thousands of "off-the-shelf" applications programs, and have them working with little conversion. Or design your own programs, taking advantage of all the problem- solving power these specialized languages give you. FORTRAN-80 A complete ANSI-standard FORTRAN (except COMPLEX type), with important enhancements. The ex- tremely fast compiler performs extensive code -so optimization, and, since it doesn't require a "P- code" interpreter at run time, your programs will typically execute 2-3 times faster than with Apple FORTRAN. FORTRAN is easy to learn if you know BASIC, and the package in- cludes a huge library of M floating point, math, and I/O routines > you can use in all your programs. COBOL-80 Virtually the only choice for serious business data processing. It's ANS1 1974 standard COBOL, with many user-oriented features added: formatted screen support for CRT termi- nals, simple segmenting of very large programs, powerful file handling capability, trace debugging, and much more. A separate Sort package is coming soon. FORTRAN-80 and COBOL-80 are just two more rea- sons why the Apple with SoftCard is the world's most ver- satile personal computer. Get all the exciting details from your Microsoft dealer today. And start getting beyond the BASICS. MICROSOFT Consumer Products, 400 108th Ave. N.E., Suite 200, Bellevue, WA 98004. (206) 454-1315. SoftCard is a trademark of Microsoft. Apple II is a registered trademark of Apple Com- puter. Inc. Z-80 is a registered trademark of Zilog, Inc. CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. /flCfipSOfT Introducing 7 data- shield- ing improvements from Verbatim for greater disk durability, longer data life. Improvements to protect your data from head-to-disk abrasion. Improvements to shield your data against loss due to environmental condi- tions. Improvements that'll deliver a longer lifetime of trouble free data recording, Storage and retrieval than ever before possible. It's all made possible by Verbatim, with these improvements: 1. A longer-lasting lubri- cant. Our new lubricant is more resistant to diffusion, to protect against data-destroy- ing head-to-disk contact. 2. An improved liner. Our new liner cleans and removes debris better. It also enables more lubricant to reach the recording head, protecting against head wear. 3. A thicker, more dura- ble coating. Our disks have a more uniform oxide coating for more adhesive and co- hesive strength. We've also made it thicker; providing 10% more protective lubri- cant and an optimized signal resolution for the new record- ing heads. «s 4. Advanced polishing techniques. Our burnishing makes our disks uniformly' smooth, for better data trans- fer, less head wear. 5. Reinforcing hub rings. All Verbatim disks are avail- able with hub rings to aid in registration, eliminate slip- page, reduce errors, and give \fetbatinu. I DD32-4000-18U3 dirt no Oatalifc 4> f J ' ¥ £ «5 tX "V-^- ■fh"'' ' : " : : -•'' • ft • » c i™ , . • * or ^,- fl a - • - il'i .< All lines are buffered to one low power Sehottky TIX load. Our mcmorj' can coast at 2MHz or zip along at a fast 4- MHz clip. All functions arc DIP switch selectiblc without wire jumpers. We used high quality parts such as the Augat face -grip, low profile sockets to assure maximum component retention. If your system employs Bank Select operation, our Mcmoiy Manager Card (Model IMM-900) may be used to emulate virtually any bank select format currently in existence; ie.Cromemco, Alpha Micro, Horizon, etc. The memory management card simpie i/ u port, swii selectable to any 8 bit address. Data is written to 8 IEEE extended add (A16-A23) to set the desired active ■BBBESga ■QT^El^Hk^k^HH 8 290 IMM 816K-85 4MHzKIT 8 315 IMM 816A-45 2MHz Assembled & Tested 8 325 i IMM 816A-25 4MHz Assembled & Tested 8 350 IMM900K KIT 8 65 IMM900A Assembled & Tested Charge Cards are accepted 8 95 24125 Lamay Street Canoga Park, California 91 306 •(213) 887-5737 BW-2630 Battery Tool BW-2630 $19.85' BT-30 $ 3.95* BT-2628 $ 7.95* BW-S630 BATTERY TOOL The new BW-2630 is a revolutionary ■battery- powered wire-wrapping tool. The tool operates on 2 standard "C" size NiCad batteries (not included) and accepts either of two specially designed bits. Bit model BT-30 is for wrapping 30 AWG wire onto .025" square pins ; BT-2628 wraps 26-28 AWG wire. Both -produce the preferred "modified" wrap. Designed for the serious amateur, BW-2630 even includes both positive indexing and anti-overwrapping mechanisms — features usually found only in industrial tools costing five times as much. Pistol grip design and rugged ABS construction assure performance and durability. In stock at local electronic retailers or directly from OK Machine & Tool Corporation 3455 Conner St., Bronx.N.Y. 10475 U.S.A. ^ Tel. (212) 994-6600 Telex 125091 j V Minimum billings S35.00. add shipping charge SS.OO / \ New York State residents add applicable tax / Photo 1: The Klingon ship in sector 9 (row), 9 (column) fires on the Enterprise in sector 5,2. In addition to the Enterprise and three Klingon ships, there are six stars in this quadrant. To the right of the quadrant display is important status information. Below that is a grid giving information on the quadrants sur- rounding the one currently occupied by the Enterprise, with the displayed quadrant in the center. In the space below the display you are given some messages and enter your commands. 1 1 ' ' 3> •$- 4 8.2 «M* c m C.««.tit. m E>«-f| 2172 SiBiDtir «:• 7 mm TtrpW*" t . an PJMurt * *j HPSi 4 S 6 7 8 9 19 photon Hunear K^^l F Photo 2: A photon torpedo from the Enterprise is on its way to the Klingon ship in sector 3,1. Your next decision is to determine the length of your trek (in stardates, not real time). The longer the game, of course, the more opponents you will have to overcome. Finally, you will select the level of difficulty for your encounters. The choices range from Novice (quite easy), through Expert (extremely difficult), to Emeritus (perhaps not humanly possible). Having made your choices, you are ready to begin your mission. From this point on, the format for playing A Stellar Trek is basically that of the standard Star Trek games. You can move about the galaxy of sixty-four "quadrants" seeking Klingons or visiting starbases for energy and repairs. The Move commands (manual or automatic) require some thought and care in execution, but the documentation explaining their use is quite clear. When you encounter Klingons or Romulans, you can do battle using either phasers or photon torpedoes. Again, use of these commands requires some care but here, too, the documentation is very good (see box). 80 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 51 on inquiry card. Circle 52 on inquiry card. The Perfect Fit The Micromodem II data communications system and the Apple II* computer. What better combination to maximize the capabilities of your personal computer! This popular direct connect modem can transmit data between an Apple II and another Apple II, a terminal, another microcomputer, minicomputer or even a large time-sharing computer anywhere in North America. The Micromodem II has unique automatic dialing and answer capabilities which further increases the communications possibilities between the Apple II and another computer or terminal. You can send and/or receive messages or data when you are out of your office, home or out of town. Your branch business locations can communicate with each other regarding inventory and other matters over the phone. Or you can communicate with friends across the country. And you can access information utilities like the SOURCE for various business and personal applications. The Micromodem II consists of two parts. One part includes the printed circuit board which holds the Micromodem II, ROM firmware and the serial interface. The board plugs directly into the Apple II providing all the functions of a serial interface card plus programmable auto dialing and auto answer capabilities. The on-board ROM firmware enables the Micromodem II to operate in any of three modes to perform different tasks-terminal mode, remote console and program control mode. The other part of the Micromodem II datacomm system is a Microcoupler which connects the Micromodem board and Apple II to a telephone line. The Microcoupler gets a dial tone, dials numbers, answers the phone and hangs up when a transmission is over. There are none of the losses or distortions associated with acoustic couplers. The Microcoupler is compatible with any North American standard telephone lines and is FCC-approved for direct connection in the U.S. It works with standard dial phone service or Touch-tone service. The Micromodem II is completely compatible with Bell 103-type modems. Full and half-duplex operating modes are available as well as speed selectable transmission rates of 1 10 and 300 bps. Why not increase your Apple ll's capabilities by outfitting it with the sophisticated Micromodem II data communications system? The Micromodem II is available at retail computer stores nationwide. For the store nearest you, call or write: ©Hayes Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc. 5835 Peachtree Corners East, Norcross, Georgia 30092 (404) 449-8791 ,u Micromodem II is a trademark of Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. * Apple II is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc. The Micromodem II can also be used with the Bell & Howell computer. *no* For The $ 99 GENERAL The Micro Computer General 85 FOR USE IN: ° OEM Industry ° Laboratory University ° Home The General is a 4.5" x 6" single board micro computer, ideal for industrial control applications as well as for dedicated test monitoring systems, communication subsystems, small scale data processing and front end processing. Through its advanced design, it is adaptable for data logging, data acquisition, prototyping and experimenting. Program development is facilitated through the General's "Expeditor" system monitor. The Ex- peditor has specialized commands for automatic baud rate selection — uploading and download- ing which speed up development and cut down on "hidden" program costs. An optional assembler and disassembler on a 2716 will compliment the Expeditor and will further reduce programming time and cost. The General comes complete with the Deluxe Users Manual which offers complete instructions on hardware and software usage. THE GENERAL — ONE POWERFUL COMPUTER SYSTEM HARDWARE FEATURES • Board dimensions — 4.5" x 6" • 8085 A CPU • 4 Level programmable Interrupt • 3 Priority Interrupts • 2 Non-maskable Interrupts " 256 Bytes of programmable memory (expandable on board to 2 K bytes of either Static Ram or CMOS Ram with battery back-up] • 2 K Bytes of EPROM — expandable on board to 4 K bytes • 22 Programmable parallel I/O lines (ports) • 6 Bit memory mapped port ' Programmable 14 bit binary counter and timer controlled through the system software • Software compatible with the 8080 THE GENERAL MCG-85 $99.00 (Kit) The GENERAL MCG-85 $135.00 (Assembled & Tested) 2 K Expansion Rom $30.00 SOFTWARE FEATURES EXPEDITOR — 2 K SYSTEM MONITOR ° Automatic Baud Rate Selection (50-9600 Baud) ■ Downloading — from a computer that supports an assembler. This will enable the user to develop programs on a time sharing service, a larger computer, and download directly to the Ram of the General. ° Uploading — Develop programs on the General and upload them to a computer that supports a disk drive for program storage. Hex Keypad and Display $69.00 2 K Basic in Rom $59.00 2 K Expansion Ram Send certified check (regular checks require Card. Add $3.00 shipping. N.Y. residents 2 K Assembler & Disassembler $40.00 $30.00 Expeditor Monitor Listings $29.00 (Manual Form) 2 weeks to clear) or charge to Visa or Master add 8% sales tax. * In Kit form, single quantity, introductory offer. Dealer Inquiries Invited ATLANTIS COMPUTERS Division of Atlantis Computerized Services 34-13 30 Ave. Astoria, NY 11103 (212) 728-6700 A Stellar Trek also has several interesting commands not present in standard versions of Star Trek games. For example, you can scan a nearby planet for dilithium crystals. If they are present, you can beam down to the planet, mine the crystals, and return them to the Enter- prise. The dilithium crystals can then be used as an emergency source of energy, though they tend to be unstable. You can, if you are desperate enough, employ an experimental death ray. Even if the Enterprise is aban- doned or destroyed, all is not necessarily lost. An important feature, since games can take a very long time, is the Freeze command. This enables the player to save the game being played for later completion. A Stellar Trek makes very fine use of the Apple II high- resolution graphics. (See photos 1 and 2.) As indicated above, this game is not played in real time. The only annoying aspect of the game, in fact, is the amount of time it takes for displays to change, to enter new commands, and to be able to react to new situations. It also takes an awfully long time for a photon torpedo to find (or miss) its target. Apart from the fact that this is not a fast-paced game, it is, in all other respects, an excellent version of an old standard. It requires thought, planning, and some luck. It provides engaging enjoyment (or frustration for the un- wary). A Stellar Trek is a very fine game and makes good use of the capabilities of the computer. ■ Note: The documentation contained in the original package received did not explain all of the options available with the use of the phasers. However, a call to the people at Rainbow Computing Inc resulted in an updated version of the documentation. This new ver- sion nicely clarifies all possible uses of the phasers and a few other matters in addition. This immediate action based on our suggestions is very impressive. It seems that this company has a sincere interest in user satisfaction from its software. BYTE's Bits Call for Papers The Software Engineering Technical Committee of the IEEE Computer Society is soliciting papers for the Software Engineering Stan- dards Applications Work- shop on August 18 thru 20, 1981, in San Francisco, Cali- fornia. Suggested topics in- clude the selling of stan- dards, process standardiza- tion versus product stan- dardization, unrealizable standards, standards en- forcement, factors in stan- dards selection and tailoring, effectiveness of standards and the case against stan- dards. Five copies of presentation proposals are requested; they should consist of a 750-word summary. Final papers should be approx- imately 3000 words. Mail proposals by January 26, 1981. Acceptance notifica- tion and author kits will be sent by March 30, 1981. Send proposals to E Bersoff, CTEC Inc, 7777 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church VA 22043. For additional infor- mation, contact Robert M Poston, EAI, 185 Mon- mouth Pky, West Long Branch NJ 07764, (201) 229-1100. ■ 82 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 53 on inquiry card. ^A BASH %s&mS*&\ mm />■ c,o T fti /Hi,, "Hi Si *1 BASIC PIsoft'vvabe: IJfBI S.3P-K BASIC SOFTWARE UBRARY NOW • 10 * Volumes and Growing WHY Pay hundreds of dollars for Software that does Not work when WE offer the BEST available Software for only a few dollars a program. And what is better OURS WORKS! We have over 100,000 in circulation since 1975 and we are still around and That's more than Anyone else can say. We used to sell hundreds of programs individually, the programs in Volume X were sold for several years at over $10,000, in Volume III for over $6,000 but a few years ago we decided to promote software to the mass public and it was an instant success. For Homeowners, Businessmen, Engineers, Hobbyists, Doctors, Lawyers, Men and Women Vol. IS24. Business & Personal Bookkeeping Programs Bond Building Compound Cyclic Decision 1 Decision 2 Depreciation Efficient Flow Installment Interesl Investments Mortgage Optimize Order Pert Tree Rate Return 1 Return 2 Schedule 1 Games & Pictures 95 Animals Four Astronaut Bagel Bio Cycle Cannons Checkers Craps Dogfight Golf Judy Line Up Pony Roulette Sky Diver Tank Teach Me A. Newman JFK. Linus Ms. Santa Nixon Noel Noel Nude Peace Policeman Santa's Sleigh Snoopy Virgin Vol. II $24. Binomial Chi-Sq. Coeff. Confidence i Confidence 2 Correlations Curve Differences Dual Plot Exp-Distri Least Squares Paired Plot Plolpts Polynomial Fit Regression Stat 1 Stat 2 T-Distribution Unpaired Variance 1 Variance 2 XY. APPENDIXA 95 Beam Conv. Filter Fit Integration 1 Integration 2 Intensity Lola Macro Max. Mm. Navaid Optical Planet PSD Rand 1 Rand 2 Solve Sphere Than Stars Track Triangle Variable Vector Vol. Ill $39.95 Billing Inventory Payroll Risk Schedule 2 Shipping Stocks Switch Vol. VI $49.95 Mini-Ledger Payroll A/R Inventory Peprec. Ledger Vol. VII $39.95 Chess Medbil Wdproc Utility Vol. IV $9.95 Bingo Bonds Bull Enterprise Football Funds 1 Funds 2 Go-Moku Jack Life Loans Mazes Poker Popul Profits Qubic Rates Retire Savings SBA Tic-Tac-Toe Vol. V $9.95 Andy Cap Baseball Compare Confid 10 Descrip Differ Engine Fourier Horse Integers Logic Playboy Primes Probal Quadrac Red Baron Regression 2 Road Runner Roulette Santa Stat 10 Stat 11 Steel Top Vary Xmas APPENDIX B Vol. VIII • $19.95 1040- Tax Balance Checkbook Instol 78 Deprec 2 APPENDIX C Favorites Vol. IX $19.95 Auto Cypher Hurrtrac ID Lorana Map Navigate Omega Patterns Radar RDF Vol.X $69.95 Intro. A/R A/P Mgr Inv Check Assets Payroll BalSh P/L Year End Data Base Tax Up Basic St. SPECIAL BONUS* 15% discounts on single purchase of full set by December 3 1st, 1980 Jnconditional Money Back Guarantee. dd $1.50 per volume handling, all domestic shipments sent U.P.S. except APO and O. Box which go parcel post- Foreign orders add $6.00/ volume for air shipment and ake payable in U.S. dollars only. Almost every single program included in these volumes will run in every Computer system that operates in Basic. A few changes may be required for some Basics but most of these changes are covered in one of the Tables and Appendices included in Volumes 111, V, Vt, VIII, and' X. Volume VI — Disk programs are compatible with TRS-80 disk basic The disk programs in Volumes VI, VII and X are written In (CP/M) M Basic and Disk Extended Microsoft Basic. Other programs written in 8K Basic. VAILABLE AT MOST COMPUTER STORES faster Charge and Bank Americard accepted. >ur Software is copyrighted and may not be reproduced or sold. Jnlike others we have NOT raised our prices in five years OVER 116, KEMCO, LTD. P.O. Box 2096L Ashland, VA 23005 Sales HOT LINE 1-804-798-1147 IN GERMANY Ing. W. Hofacker, GmbH Holzkirchen, W. Germany IN HOLLAND Nanton Press B.V. Bilthoven, Holland %\%\% USE TODAY YOU'RE RIGHT! KEYED FILE ACCESSING is essential to develop effective application programs under CP/M® for your 8080/Z80 machine. Your on-line, interactive systems demand the performance that only a professional keyed file accessing package can offer: fast random and sequential access to data by key values, on-line additions and deletions to your data files, elimination of lengthy sorting procedures. BUT WHICH ONE? Feature MICRO B+ : " The Other One • Random Access by Key YES YES • Wild Card Search YES YES • Key- Sequential Access YES YES • Multiple Keys YES YES • Automatic Space Reclamation YES YES • Eliminate Overflow Files YES NO • Maximum Number of Entries 65,535' 10,000 • Eliminate Index File Reorganization YES NO • Guaranteed Optimal Index Rle Structure YES NO • Maximum Disk Accesses To Reach Any of 10.000 Entries 3 ? • Duplicate Key Values YES* NO •32,767 for the source code versions. ^Source code versions only. IT'S OBVIOUS, GET MICRO B+™! And search an index of over 1 0,000 key values in less than one second on a floppy disk system! Assembly Language Version ...$260.00 Specify MICROSOFT, CBASIC™, PL/l-80'". S-BASIC" Basic Source Code Version ...3195.00 Specify MICROSOFT Basic or CBASIC" Shipping $2 USA / $5 Foreign We accept VISA and MASTERCARD DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED RirCom Making Micro's work Ilka Maxl't © 1980 Fair Com 2606 Johnson Drive Columbia, MO 65201 (314) 445-3304 Product Feview Morloc's Tower Gregg Williams, Editor The Automated Simulations' Dunjonquest games are as close to a computer-automated Dungeons and Dragons-type dungeon as I have seen. Naturally such games do not have the inventiveness or the vindictiveness of a human dungeonmaster. They do have the advantage of allowing you solitary play. And, in contrast to con- ventional Adventures which are essentially puzzles that, once solved, hold no interest, the Dunjonquest games are randomly configured at startup to give you a worthwhile game even if you have won the game before. Morloc's Tower is a Dunjonquest of average complex- ity, simpler than The Temple of Apshai, yet more com- plicated than the beginner's Datestones of Ryn. Your character is Brian Hammerhand, and his self-imposed task is to kill Morloc the Mad before sunrise to prevent the destruction of Hagedorn, a village under Morloc's rule. The format of the game is simple: the screen shows an overhead outline of the room you (ie: Brian) currently are in (see photo 1). Your character, a small graphics figure in the center of the room, can be caused to move, fight, search, and perform other tasks by an appropriate 1- or 2-keystroke command. There are thirty rooms in the Tower, six levels of five rooms each, and they are drawn for you as you enter them through doors (secret and visible) and stairwells. CP/M and PL/1-80 are trademarks of Digital Research MICROSOFT is a trademark of MICROSOFT. Inc. CBASIC is a trademark of Compiler Systems, Inc. S-BASIC is a trademark of Topaz Programming At a Glance Name Language Morloc's Tower BASIC Type Computer Graphic role-playing Radio Shack TRS-80 Adventure game (plus versions for Apple II and Commodore PET) Manufacturer Automated Simulations Documentation Inc Sixteen -page booklet, 5Vi 1988 Leghorn St by 8V2 inches (14 by 21.5 Mountain View CA cm) 94043 (415) 964-8021 Audience Game enthusiasts (10 Price years or older) $14.95 Format Cassette (also available on floppy disk) 84 December 1980 © BYTE Publicalions Inc Circle 54 on inquiry card. EXCITING NEWS FOR INVESTORS WITH TRS-80 32K DISK-BASED SYSTEMS! Standard & Poor's proudly announces STOCKPAK, a unique software and data system to help you meet your investment goals like a Wall Street professional. STOCKPAK not only delivers a "stand-alone" Port- folio Management System but also gives you the soft- ware for Standard & Poor's monthly Common Stock Data Service (available to TRS-80 owners on a sub- scription basis). With STOCKPAK and the Data Ser- vice you command one of the most powerful and versatile investment tools available. Here's How STOCKPAK Will Help You: A 900 COMPANY DATA BASE SERVICE Monthly Data Service subscribers receive a diskette containing 30 vital financial items on 900 of the most widely traded stocks (S&P "500" and 400 NYSE, ASE and OTC issues). Accompanying this monthly diskette is an Investors Newsletter highlighting important fi- nancial news and investment strategies, with sugges- tions for maximizing the usefulness of the system. STOCKPAK SELECTION SYSTEM The heart of STOCKPAK is a powerful, analytical stock selection tool which enables investors to choose stocks which meet their investment criteria. For exam- ple, you may wish to select only those oil and gas stocks with price/earnings ratios of less than 7 and yields of 6% or more. Once a group of stocks has been selected, you can store it as a separate data file for continuing use. REPORT WRITER You can define the report formats you would like to see on those stocks meeting your investment objec- tives. Hundreds of calculations and ratios that you define can be sorted, averaged or totalled, and dis- played on video screen or optional printer. PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Now you can effectively evaluate and manage your own stock portfolio of up to 100 securities with as many as 30 transactions for each. You can record "buy" and "sell" transactions, price and dividend information and stock splits for instant retrieval, for record keeping and tax purposes. You can measure actual performance or create hypothetical situations to help you make "buy" or "sell" decisions. HOW TO ORDER STOCKPAK STOCKPAK is designed exclusively for TRS-80 users with 32K business systems with two mini-disk drives. You can obtain the basic software and sample Data Base, plus a comprehensive User's Manual from your local Radio Shack Store for only $49.95. The STOCKPAK Monthly Data Updating Service can be ordered directly from Standard & Poor's for $200 an- nually, or from the order form provided in the basic package you purchase from Radio Shack. Standard & Poor's Corporation 25 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004 (212) 248-3994/3374 Circle 55 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 85 The game is similar to conventional Adventures in that there are several treasures in the Tower, some of which are necessary to kill Morloc, others of which will hinder or harm you in the attempt. And, of course, there are monsters that will try to kill you. As an example of com- mands in Morloc's Tower, fighting commands are A (at- tack), T (thrust), P (parry), F (fire a normal arrow), and M (fire a magic arrow). Each command has different ef- fects on you and your attacker, usually trading off effec- tiveness of attack or defense with the degree of fatigue or wounds suffered by you. The game takes place in real time, which means you have to act quickly in fights. This makes the game a lot more interesting than most Adven- tures. This game, like other role-playing games, takes a lot of time to play, and Morloc's Tower must be played at one sitting; there are no commands to save the state of the game. The version that I used, a cassette version for the TRS-80 Model I, is contained on both sides of the cassette. Side one is the program itself, while side two contains three sets of data statements, one of which is read to create a game in one of three levels of complexity. (I found that you have to leave the remote jack in the TRS-80 cassette recorder during loading; the program doesn't have enough time to "digest" the data if the tape runs uninterrupted.) My only complaint against the game is one of speed; character movement is just a bit slow, and the delay of over a minute to redraw a fully explored level (when returning to it from another level) is quite annoying. Both these problems could be solved with a machine-language Photo 1: A game of Morloc's Tower in progress on the Radio Shack TRS-80. The three-block symbol near the bottom of the center room represents the player's character, and the two small rectangles are treasures. Information on the status of the game and the player is given on the right-hand side of the screen. version of the game. This is the route that all the major Adventure writers (Scott Adams and Greg Hassett, in particular) have taken to improve the quality of the\t games. ■ * CRYSTALWARE * Hires graphics - Crystalsonics ■ sophistication... Crystal is what is happening in fantasy and science fiction games! Tired of text games and wordy manuals? Have you been looking for games which are different each time you play? We offer you the results of three years of testing and research; what we believe to be the finest games available anywhere for the Apple Computer. m HOUSE OF USHE - Wander through a haunted house. Rooms and scenery in 15 color lo-res graphics. We offer a $100.00 prize to the first person to solve the mystery. Over 200 monsters, objects, and perils. $24.96 GALACTIC QUEST — Crystalsonics ■ hires graphics - the ultimate space adventure. Vegan warships attack and fire in real time simulation. Land on and trade with over 64 star systems in 3 galaxies. Allow 6-1 2 hours for play. $24.95 *S!pii| ^ ^rjSk SUMER — Travel back through time to ancient Sumeria In the middle east. You are given 10 years as king to restore this kingdom to prosperi- ty. Plant, war, consult the astrologers • very hard to beatl $19.95 LASAR WARS — Crystalsonics - hires graphics • protect the planet earth from a full scale alien invasion. Over three types of Invading craft and hundreds of approach simulations. The game speaks for itself. $29.95 WORLD WAR III — Crystalsonics - hires graphics - for you war game freaks, this Is itl Iran and Iraq • nuclear missiles • hires 3 sceeen bat- tlefield - demolition squads - tanks - strategy. Custom designed for two arm chair generals. Save the world from nuclear holocaust! $29.95 BENEATH THE PYRAMID — Crystalsonics - hires graphics - brand new! Explore the pyramids and miles of winding secret tunnels beneath them. Enter at the Sphinx and find the hidden treasure chamber. All In hires with very aggressive monsters and many many perils. To win you must find the golden cat and your way out!!! $29.95 m^. -JM for Apple 48K with disc Please send all correspondence But no matter what the size, they all give you increased sales, greater security, and lower costs. Choose from the VIP (315K bytes with optional add-ons up to 1.2M bytes), the Vector 2800 (2M bytes with 91 msec average access time), or the Vector 3030 (32 M bytes with 34 msec average access time). Each one gives you more disk speed and capacity than compet- itive models. So you can offer a less expensive system with more capacity than your competition, or one with much greater capacity for the same money. Our multiple configurations with transportable software do not lock you into one level of system. For reliability, Vector builds industry standards into each Economy Sized Computer. Standard software and components include CP/M2® operating system, Microsoft BASIC-80® S-100 bus, 4 MHz, Z80A processor, RS-232C serial ports. Our modular systems use common Vector 3 mainframes, boards, and printers. They save you time and money on inventory, service, staff, and training. Software transportability from one system to the next eliminates the cost of -,-. o» j ^ rewriti ng or conveti ng Economy Sized Computers software and data. Our advanced software develop- ment tools reduce de- velopment time dra- matically. And since we have such a wide range of models,wehelp you make more sales. All this goes to prove one thing. That is, no mat- ter what size system you're building, an Economy Sized Com- puter can be a big help. For more infor- mation, write Vector, 31364 Via Col inas, West- fake Village, CA 91362. Or call 213/991-2302. now come in small, medium and large. Economy Sized Computers Circle 57 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 87 l w iii M ' " * " >«■■■■ m «>i V « ■ HI ? I' M m ill . ,! ■■ii H «i »i \ i ■■ »•**— ... ^Hpp New power at your fingertips. Konan presents Hard Disk Control, Tape Control, and Serial 1/6 Boards tor S-100 computers. Konan, known throughout the industry, for its leading, innovative; guaranteed controllers for S-10O systems, does it again, - Now, it offers you more of the expanded capabilities you need" , ■ • ' , : »v< '•' , . First, there's Konan's complete line of hard disk mass . storage subsystems and controllers. These high reliability products include the SMC-IOO™ storage module (SMD or CPC 9760 interface) hard disk coritrolleribr theS-lOO Bus, DAT-lOO Winchester type hard disk tape backup con- , ,troller;ttie ^ARD TAPE™ system, and the new KNX-500™ !hard disk controller which is software compatible with ' \ Alpha. Micro AM-500*. Also, coming soon Shugart "' , technology mini hard disk controller, arid 9 track reel to reel tape controller. ,' '..'''; '. Now, Konan introduces. OCTOPLUS™ and OMNIPORT™- , " two new serial I/O boards. OCTOPLUS™, the'8-port board 'offers a realtime clock and fiill interrupt control. And'the 16 port OMNIPORT™. offers you . an efficient, economical board where more than 8 ports are needed. With these and other quality products, Konan shows '• again that when it comes to S-lOO systems, it is definitely in , , , control. "(And all at attractive O.EM. and dealer prices.) For complete information call Konan's direct; toll-free in- ' formation line. 800-528-4563. ,. Or write to: Konan Corporation, 1448 North 27th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009, TWX/TELEX 9109511552 "Alpha Micro AM-500 is a trademark oi Alpha Micro Systems. IN, CONTROL SMC-IOO, HARD TAPE, KNX-500. OCTOPLUS, and OMNIPORT are trademarks of Konan Corporation. ;*. ..-■ — *k i *•' ' Circle 58 on Inquiry card, . .,•, I* ■■ k .. ■ . r aJI rm i n^ iii M i i ■ . ' i » »B« Wi« t ^« IM li i lW l ui ll «^»>« t « l l< l to llM«» i » iii[i. » 'iiii^ ' l ii j i K- HiWI ^Wf ^w H till in H r-l i Mlr ^ rilU MIII i l i lfli lU ll i.,^.^_ ....:.. . Product Review Odyssey: The Compleat Ap venture Harold Nelson, Editor One Friday afternoon recently, I decided to try my hand at a new game that sounded most intriguing. The evening before I had read over the game documentation pamphlet (I would urge any Odyssey adventurer to do the same before undertaking a game). On this particular Friday, I played one game which ended in less than suc- cess. A friend then joined me and we played a game together — one person at the keyboard and the other going through the documentation pamphlet. We must have begun this game around 4:30 PM. After thoroughly touring the island on which the game begins (see photo 1) and amassing a large army, a good deal of wealth, and considerable equipment, we decided to embark on a ship we had just purchased (very reasonably priced) for another island. Thinking it was about 6:30 PM, we decid- ed to have something to eat before going to sea. We were astonished to discover that it was actually about 8:00 PM. We had been playing for nearly four hours, though it seemed like only half that time. SYNCHRO-SOUND SOROC Technology |Q120$699 00 IQ140 $ 999 00 Regent 25 ! $795 00 4 TELEVIDEO " Data Terminals Model 912 $ 825 00 Model 920 $895 00 We carry a full line of: ADDS, LEAR-SIEGLER, HAZELTINE, QUME, TELETYPE, DEC, FLORIDA DATA SYSTEMS, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS A SYNCHRO-SOUND enterprises, inc. h The Computer People ■ PH one ORDERS, CALL: V 193-25 Jamaica Avenue I New York— 212/468-7067 ■ ' Jamaica. NY. 11423 Los Angeles-213/628-1808 Chicago-312/641-3010 ■ Dallas-214/742-6090 Photo 1: The island on which the Odyssey game begins. The crosses indicate villages containing markets where you can pur- chase supplies and equipment for your journey. The human shape shows the location of you and your followers (mostly mercenaries). The figure to your south is an ancient temple which is locked and can be opened and entered only with the ap- propriate devices. The figure to the northwest of you is a hut which is the dwelling of any one of an assortment of characters. Directions, hints, and questions are generally given below the map. Commands are, for the most part, single keystrokes (eg: E to move east). The major exception is typing numbers (eg: amounts of quadroons to bargain for a purchase or a bribe). Photo by Charles Freiberg. At a Glance Name Odyssey: The Compleat Computer Apventure Apple II with 48 K bytes of memory and Integer Type BASIC High-resolution color graphics game Documentation Sixteen-page SYi by 8V4 Manufacturer inch (14 by 22 cm) staple- Synergistic Software bound pamphlet in- cluding a table of con- 5221 120th Ave SE Bellevue WA 98006 tents listing the various (206) 641-1917 aspects of the game. Some directions, hints Price and questions are in- $30 cluded in the program. Format Audience 5-inch floppy disk Almost anyone with suf- ficient time Language BASIC 90 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 59 on inquiry card. Orange micro CENTRONICS 737 (SE) Word Processing Print Quality • 18 x 9 dot matrix; suitable for word processing • Underlining • proportional spacing • right margin justification • serif typeface • 50/80 CPS • 9V4" Pin Feed/Friction feed • Reverse Platen • 80/132 columns CENTRONIC 737-1 (List $995) EPSON MX80 Low-Priced Professional Print Quality • 9 x 9 dot matrix • Lower case descenders • 80 CPS • Bidirectional, Logic seeking • 40,66,80, 132 columns per line • 64 special graphic characters: TFSS-80 Compatible • Forms handling • Multi-pass printing • Ad- justable tractors EPSON MX80 (List $645) SCall OKIDATA MICROLINE SERIES TRS-80 Graphics Compatibility • 9 x 7 dot matrix • 80 CPS • 80, 132 columns — 64 shapes for charts, graphs & diagrams • Double wide characters • 6/8 lines per inch • Up to 3 part copy • Friction & pin feed • 200 M character head warranty OKIDATA MICROLINE 80 (List $800) $599 BASE 2 The Hobbyist Printer With The Most Features • Graphics • Tractors/Friction Feed • 2K Input Buffer • RS-232 Serial, Centronics® Parallel, IEEE-488, 20 ma • TRS-80 Cable option • 100 CPS • Fast form feed • User programmable character set • 64, 72, 80, 96, 120, 132 Columns/line • Expanded characters • Automatic skip-over-perfora- tion • Horizontal & Vertical tabs • Pro- grammable vertical line spacing • Intel 8085 Microprocessor — over 40 software commands (List $699) $649 BASE 2 800B TOLL FREE (800) 854-8275 CA.AK, HI (714) 630-3322 At Orange Micro, we try to fit the right printer to your application. Call our printer specialists lor free consultation. "SPECIALIZING IN PRINTERS AND CRT'S" MALIBU The Small Business Printer; Letter Quality & Speed. • 10 x 9 dot matrix • Letter quality print; Lower case descenders • High speed; 165 CPS, Bidirectional, Logic seeking • Wide carriage, Adjustable tractors to 16" • Vertical forms control • Variable line spac- ing • User programmable character set • Dot Resolution Graphics (List $2495) $2195 ANACOM Low Cost, High Speed, Wide Carriage 9 dot matrix • Lower case descenders • Wide carriage • Adjustable tractors to 16" • 150 CPS, Bidirectional, Logic Seeking ANACOM 150 (List $1350) SCall EPSON TX80 •5x7 dot matrix • 125 CPS • Double wide characters • Dot resolution graphics & 64 special graphic characters • 6/8 line per inch • Vertical forms control • Adustable tractors • Heavy Duty — Highly reliable EPSON TX80 (List $799) SCall THE SMALL COMPUTER PRINTER by Brent Weston This illustrated booklet provides the information you need about today's small printers. There are many printers available, each with different features and capabilities. The Small Computer Printer will guide you in determining which printer best fits your applications. A complete feature comparison chart is ^ included representing over 40 small printers. A printer is a big investment — learn all about them before you buy one. $795 mwm TELEVIDEO CRT'S PRICES SLASHED! TVI912C1 Please Call Toll Free .. > Prices are too low to TV I 920C J advertise f PRINTERS CENTRONICS 730 Radio Shack Line Printer II (List $795) $ 639 OKIDATA MICROLINE 82 & 83 $ Call NEC 5530-5 letter quality, RO, parallel, tractors (List $2970) $ 2599 PAPER TIGER IDS 440 w/graphics and 2K buffer . . (List $1094)$ 939 PAPER TIGER IDS 460w/graphics,9x9dot matrix .. (List $1295)$ Call IQUME 5/45 typewriter quality (List $2905) $ 2559 INTERFACE EQUIPMENT APPLE II - BASE 2 parallel graphics interface board & cable $ 160 APPLE II - EPSON TX80 parallel graphics interface board & cable $ 110 SSMAIO BOARD Apple Serial/parallel interface (List $225)S 175 MICROTRONICS Atari parallel interface $ 69 ATARI 850 Interface module, serial/parallel $ 199 TRS-80 CABLES to keyboard or Exp. interface * Cal1 CALL FOR FREE CATALOG Phone orders WELCOME. Same day shipment for VISA, MASTER CHARGE, and AMERICAN EX- PRESS. Personal checks require 2 weeks to clear. Add 3% for ship- ping and handling. California resi- dents add 6%. Manufacturer's warranty included. Prices subject to revision. Orange fTIICrO, Ine/ 3148 E. La Palma, Suite E Anaheim, CA 92806 Obviously, we decided, this is a game worthy of high praise. There is only one warning for the prospective player. The warning is simple: make sure you have suffi- cient time. It is obviously an engrossing game. It might be advisable to keep a clock handy or even set an alarm to your desired quitting time. Since a game in progress can be saved on any initialized disk and completed later, it is probably better to break off a game than risk the loss of family or job. Upon returning to our game on that Friday evening, we set sail and were just getting the knack of handling our ship when we were lost in a fog bank and ran aground. We spent quite awhile trying, unsuccessfully, to get free. When we first went aground there was a brief message to the effect that local fishermen would help us for a price. This message appeared quite briefly and did not reap- pear. In a case such as this, if the correct command is not found, it may seem as though there is a bug in the pro- gram causing it to go into a infinite loop. A call to Synergistic Software convinced us that this is not the case and that there is one command that can result in freeing a ship caught in this situation. (Hint: Use quadroons.) Some friends have said that they would like to see a little more detail in the documentation about how the outcome of battles with bandits and various monsters is determined. But, on the other hand, the element of uncer- tainty and chance that the user experiences may add to the excitement and enjoyment of the game. Also, the documentation does include the relative worth of the dif- ferent offensive and defensive devices available. And, with some luck, one can increase his ability to avoid battle when its outcome appears doubtful. The finest feature of this game is its use of high- resolution color graphics. It is the best use of color graphics in a game for the Apple that I have seen. While this program does not operate in real time, cer- tain features of the game give the user the illusion that it is doing just that. This is especially true of traveling on horseback, flying on a magic rug (should you encounter a wizard inclined to give you one), and sailing. Another strong feature of the game is the great number of possible encounters both on land and at sea and the variety of outcomes that can result from these en- counters. These are too numerous to list or begin to describe in a brief review, and learning to deal with them is a major part of the enjoyment of this game. It is also interesting that, as opposed to some Adven- ture games, it is virtually impossible to reproduce an Odyssey game. Each game starts at a randomly chosen point and the locations of castles, tombs, and other ob- jects and creatures are also changed with each game. Hence, each game is unique. Conclusions • This is a very fine game for the Apple II computer. It makes excellent use of color graphics. Fans of Adventure and Dungeon games should find this to be an interesting and challenging addition, with some new twists, to their collections. For those just developing an interest in this type of game, Odyssey is such a good one that starting with it may greatly diminish the interest you have in other Adventure games. • The documentation seems, at the very least, adequate. Some users may desire more detail on how various aspects of the program work. At any rate, there is enough information, presented in a clear and interesting manner, to allow virtually anyone to start playing the game. • My only criticism of the program is that some of the messages offering hints on what to do next (such as that mentioned above about the local fishermen) appear so briefly that if their meaning is not clear at first or if you are momentarily distracted, they might as well not have been there at all. • It is important to keep in mind that a well-played game of Odyssey is going to take a lot of time, but games can be saved and played in installments. The only short game is an unsuccessful game with an obvious outcome. ■ f" S-100 USERS: GIVE YOUR COMPUTER THE GIFT OF SIGHT! "1 The DS-80 Digisector® is a random access video digitizer. It works in conjunction with a TV camera (either interlaced or non-interlaced video) and any S-100 computer conforming to the IEEE standards. Use it for: • Precision Security Systems • Moving Target Indicators • Computer Portraiture • Fast To Slow Scan Conversion • Robotics • Reading UPC Codes, schematics, paper tape, musical scores TH mo©o^§> • IMAGE PROCESSED BY DS-80 CHECK THESE FEATURES: □ High resolution — a 256 x 256 pic- ture element scan □ Precision — 64 levels of grey scale □ Speed — Conversion time of 14 microseconds per pixel □ Versatility — scanning sequences user programmable □ Economy — a professional tool priced for the hobbyist; comes fully assembled, tested and burned in, with fully commented portrait print- ing software. Price: $349.95 MasterCharge and Visa P.O. BOX 1110, DEL MAR, CA 9201 4 71 4-942-2400J 92 December.1980 @ BYTE Publicat: :ions Inc Circle 60 on inquiry card. Circle 61 on inquiry card. "When you sell to small business, learn to speak their language. COBOL- 80. w Ron May berry Mayberry Systems, Inc., Belleville, Illinois "It's amazing what a few key phrases will do for your sales record to small businesses. Words like "faster," "cheaper," and Microsoft's "COBOL-80" I should know. I'm in the business of selling complete computer sys- tems to one of the most demanding enterprises around: pharmacies. That means my pro- grams have to solve the complex problems facing pharmacies today —the deluge of paper- work, regulations, and the need for immediate access to patient information. I've sold a lot of mini- computer systems with programs written in DIBOL. Then I discover- ed microcomputers, and Microsoft's COBOL-80. Together, they're faster and less expensive than my old system, yet do all the same things. And more. Like what? Like more flexibility and ver- satility. I use practically the whole range of COBOL-80 features, to speed inventory, billing, labeling, pricing, accounts receivable, patient profiles and doctor lists. And I'll be using a lot of the same features to write a pro- gram for travel agents too. Believe me, we checked them all, and only COBOL-80 had all the necessary LEVEL II features, plus the new CHAIN feature, pro- gram segmentation and formatted screen ACCEPT/DISPLAY. The CHAIN feature impressed even a veteran programmer like me. With my menu- driven systems, I have total control over which program will execute next. And it was great to find that COBOL-80's ACCEPT/DISPLAY statements give for- matted screens that look the same as my old DIBOL screens. Yet with fewer lines of code. With 300 different program modules, you can be sure I appre- ciate segmentation too. In one case, I collapsed seven DIBOL programs into one segmented COBOL-80 program. Now I can organize my system according to program function rather than memory size. My compile times? Incredible. Over 1,500 lines compile and link in just five minutes. I know what you're thinking. 'Sounds great, but I wouldn't want to be in Mayberry's shoes when he translated all those DIBOL programs to COBOL-80.' Well, surprise. Since most Dl BOL features trans- late into COBOL one- for-one, we converted the source code six times faster than originally scheduled. So simply put, that's how Mayberry Systems Inc. learned for itself that COBOL-80 is one language that makes a lot of sense to small businesses. In my opinion, COBOL-80 is first- class. And I thought you should know about it too." COBOL-80 now sup- ports Level II ANSI SORT/MERGE state- ments to interface with Microsoft's new sort facility, M/SORT. COBOL-80 with documentation, $750. Documentation purchased separately, $20. M/SORT, $125. 10800 NE Eighth, Suite 819 Bellevue, WA 98004 206-455-8080 Telex 328945 We set the standard. Technical Form) The Twelve Computerized Days of Christmas Teri Li and Elizabeth Cooper, POB 481, Peterborough NH 03458 On the first day of Christmas, my computer gave to me A glitch on the video screen. On the second day of Christmas, my computer gave to me Two keyboard bounces, And a glitch on the video screen. On the third day of Christmas, my computer gave to me Three loose plugs, Two keyboard bounces, And a glitch on the video screen. On the fourth day of Christmas, my computer gave to me Four garbled SAVEs, Three loose plugs, Two keyboard bounces, And a glitch on the video screen. On the fifth day of Christmas, my computer gave to me Five blank cassettes, Four garbled SAVEs, Three loose plugs, Two keyboard bounces, And a glitch on the video screen. On the sixth day of Christmas, my computer gave to me Six I/O spasms, Five blank cassettes, Four garbled SAVEs, Three loose plugs, Two keyboard bounces, And a glitch on the video screen. On the seventh day of Christmas, my computer gave to me Seven system resets, Six I/O spasms, Five blank cassettes, Four garbled SAVEs, Three loose plugs, Two keyboard bounces, And a glitch on the video screen. On the eighth day of Christmas, my computer gave to me Eight worthless printouts, Seven system resets, Six I/O spasms, Five blank cassettes, Four garbled SAVEs, Three loose plugs, Two keyboard bounces, And a glitch on the video screen. On the ninth day of Christmas, my computer gave to me Nine burnt-out fuses, Eight worthless printouts, Seven system resets, Six I/O spasms, Five blank cassettes, Four garbled SAVEs, Three loose plugs, Two keyboard bounces, And a glitch on the video screen. On the tenth day of Christmas, my computer gave to me Ten disk-drive lockouts, Nine burnt-out fuses, Eight worthless printouts, Seven system resets, Six I/O spasms, Five blank cassettes, Four garbled SAVEs, Three loose plugs, Two keyboard bounces, And a glitch on the video screen. On the eleventh day of Christmas, my computer gave to me Eleven damaged diskettes, Ten disk-drive lockouts, Nine burnt-out fuses, Eight worthless printouts, Seven system resets, Six I/O spasms, Five blank cassettes, Four garbled SAVEs, Three loose plugs, Two keyboard bounces, And a glitch on the video screen. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my computer gave to me Twelve blown-out circuits, Eleven damaged diskettes, Ten disk-drive lockouts, Nine burnt-out fuses, Eight worthless printouts, Seven system resets, Six I/O spasms, Five blank cassettes, Four garbled SAVEs, Three loose plugs, Two keyboard bounces, And a glitch on the video screen. ■ 94 December 1960 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 62 on inquiry card. ICROSHOPPEI^ the new Computers! The most comprehensive consumers' guide to microcomputing ever published is hot off the press! The latest edition of the best-selling MicroShopper has been expanded to 192 pages, and is now in a convenient book form . . . includes nearly 200 photographs, illustra- tions and charts; dozens of hardware and software product reviews, and feature articles on topics from the history of computers to robotics. The new MicroShopper explains the often difficult-to-understand jar- gon of the computer industry, provides tips on selecting a system for business, professional, educational or personal use, and lets you take a look at the latest microcomputers and peripherals from industry- leading manufacturers! To order the new edition of the MicroShopper, call toll-free 1-800-528- 1418, or fill out and clip the coupon below today! Make checks or money orders payable to PGI Publishing. Master Card and Visa orders welcomed. TOLL FREE 1-800-528-1418 Please send me MicroShopper(s) at $9.95 each plus $1.75 for postage and handling. Arizona residents add 5% sales tax. Name- Address . City .State. -Zip. I I Check or money order enclosed |_J VISA | I Master Card Acct. No. nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn Expiration date DDDD Publishing 1425 W. 12th Place * Tempe, Arizona 85281 i Graphic Color Slides Part 2 In "Graphic Color Slides, Part 1" (November 1980 BYTE, page 126), I demonstrated a series of subroutines for the Compucolor II that together can be used to plot a set of points, an equation, or horizontal or vertical bar graphs. The listings in this article, when added to the subroutines given in listing 1 of the cited article, will enable us to plot several new types of graphs. These listings also demonstrate the use of these subroutines in building special- purpose programs that generate a de- sired kind of graph. The programs listed here are designed to run on a Compucolor II with extended disk BASIC and at least 16 K bytes of pro- grammable memory. The first three graph programs have been written as part of a single program (see listing 1); the equation plotting, histogram, and regression routines all use the subroutines unaltered. Both the histogram and re- gression routines use a statistics sub- routine at line 11400 that calculates the arithmetic average (program variable MEAN) and the standard de- viation (variable DEVIAT). The monthly analysis chart routine, given in listing 2, illustrates how the graph- ics subroutines can be modified for a new application; the subroutine lines in listing 2 are the only lines being changed, not the entire subroutine. As before, the variable names used in these listings have been chosen to de- scribe their function. Alan W Grogono MD Associate Professor State University of New York Upstate Medical Center 750 E Adams St Syracuse NY 13210 Equation Plotting The equation plotting routine is contained in lines 1000 thru 1086 of listing 1. This routine is similar to the one in last month's article in that it allows the user to change screen colors and to save a finished graph; but this routine allows you to graph a new equation, select a different type Photo 1: Examples of equation plotting. Photos number la thru Id show the same equation, Y=X 4 — 4X , plotted in dif- ferent X- and Y-ranges and colors. Photo lb shows a conventional plot of the equa- tion; photos la, lc, and Id show the equa- tion as the upper edge of a series of ver- tical bars. (la) of plot (line or vertical bars), and choose different X- and Y-ranges. Photos la thru Id illustrate the same equation, Y = X 4 — 4X 2 , plotted in several different ways. Histogram The histogram plotting routine, lines 2000 thru 2390 in listing 1, allows the distribution of a given set of data to be displayed as a histo- gram. In addition, the theoretical Gaussian (bell-shaped) curve with the same mean and standard deviation is superimposed on the histogram; also, the areas under the curve and the histogram are the same. Within the listing, the one-dimen- sional data to be plotted as part of the histogram is stored in ARRAY (N,0)— that is, in ARRAY (1,0), ARRAY (2,0), ARRAY (3,0), etc. The data is analyzed to determine the largest and smallest numbers to be graphed on the horizontal axis and the step size (variables HIGH (0), LOW (0), and JUMP (0), repectively). The user selects the number of bars in the histogram, and the value is stored in the variable COLUMNS. The data is classified as belonging to one of COLUMNS groups, and the tally of the number of data items belonging to group N (where N is between 1 and COLUMNS, inclusive) is stored in ARRAY N,l). The height of the equivalent Gaussian curve is calculated in the statistical subroutine at line 11400, leading to the display of ad) 1 1 II II I 96 December 2980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 63 on inquiry card. COMPARE SMARTS. smart (HI si less ID; Reverse video — Blinking/blank fields Upper/Inner case char. Protected fields I'nderlininfi Xonglare screen 12 x 1 char, res. Winking cursrjr •9 Baud rates (75-9fiOO Baud) • Self test • Auxiliary port FunctionJedit keys Typewriter/TTY keyboards Numeric pad Model 9Z0C shown. Kwr smarts. Video, they're standard We j jut a lot of engineering Bavvy into our CRTs. Their modular design means high r huikl in high JllllV. It ills Find out how you can make your next CRT buy a smart one. Contact TeleVideo today tor information. Nationwide Field Service is available from General Electric Co., Instrumen- tation and Communication Equipment Service shops. Tfel^lded TeleVideo, Inc., 2149 Paragon Dr. San Jose, California 95131 Phone (408) 946-8500 "Optional, with models 9 12C and 920C only. • Witt CALIFORNIA Costa Mesa (714) 557-6095 • San Jose (408) 946-8500 • ILLINOIS Oak Grove Village (312) 981-1706 MASSACHUSETTS Boston (617) 668-6891 • NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY Paramus (201) 265-1321 • TEXAS Dallas (214) 980-9978 (2a) (2b) (2c) MM e a ! ffl s " * lfte a Photo 2: Examples of histograms. Here, a Gaussian (bell-shaped) curve having the same mean and area is superimposed on each of the histograms. Both the number of bars in the histogram as well as the colors used can be chosen by the user. the histogram and Gaussian curve with labeled X- and Y-axes. The same data, once entered, can be displayed with different colors and a different number of histogram bars. Photos 2a thru 2c show the same set of data displayed in different ways. Regression The regression routine, lines 4000 thru 4760 of listing 1, allows two sets of data to be plotted with a regression line for comparison. The two sets of data are graphed as X,Y pairs (with the X data being the independent variable and the Y data the depen- dent variable). Then the computer finds the best line that describes a cer- tain presumed relationship (linear, logarithmic, exponential, or recipro- cal, as chosen by the user) for those points. If the chosen relationship is linear (if the user is performing a linear regression), the actual Y value is plotted with its given X value. If the relationship is logarithmic, exponen- tial, or reciprocal, the dependent (Y) variable is replaced by the ap- propriate transformed value — that is, the X data point is plotted opposite In Y, e r , or 1/Y, respectively. After the data pairs and the regres- Write in for this write-off. Want to save taxes, travel expense and time? Rockwell's Jetproposition — now with three Commander® Jetprops and new and expanded plans that make them even easier to own and operate — can show you how. J5 Member of GAMA Name . Tllfe Company— Street City Zip Present aircraft owned Rockwell International ..where science gets down to business For full information on the many advantages of owning your own Commander Jetprop, call 800/654-4483.' Or write: Depl. 25, Commander fetprop Information Center, Rockwell International, 5001 N. Rockwell Avenue, Bethany, Oklahoma 73008. TWX 910-830-6870. AEROCOM. ' In Oklahoma, call collect: 405/789-5000, Ext. 228. BY 12 sion type have been entered, the original Y data (stored in ARRAY [N,2] ) is transformed according to the regression type, with the trans- formed Y values stored in ARRAY (N, 1). At this point, the program makes the necessary calculations and displays the resulting graph, plotting the data points and the regression line that best fits them. (Actually, the regression line given by any regres- sion except linear regression is not a straight line but rather a logarithmic, exponential, or reciprocal curve that best fits the data. These curves appear as straight lines because we are graph- ing X not against Y, but against a transform function of Y — In Y, e y , or 1/Y, respectively.) Once the data has been entered, it can be displayed in different colors with different kinds of regression. Photos 3a thru 3d show the same data graphed varying the colors and re- gression type. The data was taken from the following example: we have four test tubes (2, 3, 4, and 6) from a larger series of test tubes, and each one has a chemical solution in it; the independent (X) variable is the tube number, and the dependent (Y) vari- able is the measured strength of the solution in that tube. A linear regres- sion on these data points (photo 3a) provides a poor fit, as does exponen- tial regression (photo 3b). Logarith- mic regression provides a better fit (photo 3c), but reciprocal regression provides the best fit of all (photo 3d). Monthly Analysis Graph The monthly analysis graph, shown in photos 4a and 4b, is a spe- cific case of a graph that will plot the values of one or more variables over a given range of the independent vari- able. Here, income for 4 years is plot- ted for each month of the year. The Text continued on page 110 98 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 64 on inquiry card. Circle 65 on inquiry card. 80 Software Packages Computerized Accounting & Tax Service Taxman* US1040 tax return preparation Can handle 29 schedules $3000 CMC Legal Billing* Allows attorney to monitor charges based on hourly rates, costs, or flat fees. All AR (unctions S2500 Computer Management Systems General ledger & Payroll* Single diskette based, easy to use program. Writes checks, W-2's and 914's Ideal for small retailer $500 Tek-Aids Industries, Inc. BUS-I Original version, with GL. AR, AP 6 diskettes with new docs $99 BUS/DMS* Most current version of BUS series. Special $150 discount for PO.'s submitted with original copies of Digital Technology BUS-II $850 MEMTEST/2 New edition of popular memory test tor OSI hardware 8" and 5" disk. $50 fig-FORTH Stand-alone version of the FORTH Interest Group Model $175 DCS Software Products WP/INT* Interface between WP-2 and any DMS file for form letters. $80 Tra-Sta Amway Distributors Package Order entry/inventory Package for direct Amway buyer. Maintains commission structure. $995 BBS Data Director* Powerful data base manager. Command oriented, very interactive $995 Tri-Comp System Exerciser Self-prompting test routines for end user troubleshooting. $60 Farragher and Assoc. Med-Bill* Single doctor client billing $995 Frisch Computer Systems Manulacluring Control System* Hard disk based. Standalone inventory with job costing and bi II— at-matenals Extensively field tested $3500 DQFLS WP-6502 0S65U version of popular word processor $125 (JCSD System Users Society USUS Software Exchange Library 6 diskette set of UCSD Pascal programs, includes USUS membership $80 Abacus Data Systems Mailer* Text processor plus key file/sort capability Good mass mailer. $190 Payroll* Thorough package for floppy or hard disk End User Maintenance Service recommended $495 General Ledger* Multi-division/department sup- port, journal based, floppy or hard disk. $495 Digital Technology BUS-II Manufacturer's original version sold at trade-in price. $150 *DMS Compatible Affiliated Dealers Abacus Data Systems Greensburg. PA 15601 Taxman Sail Lake City, UT 841 15 Case Computer Bradley, I L 609 1 5 Business Computer ol Joliet Cresthill, IL 60435 Business Data Systems, Inc. Bolder, CO 80301 Community Computers Arlington, VA 22201 Computer Management Systems Mitchell, SD 57301 CSB Houston, TX 77057 Cybertronics Houston. TX 77084 Data Buss Grayslake. IL 60038 Data Services Computer Corp. Denver CO 80239 Delta Data Distributors Memphis, TN 381 18 Farragher & Assoc. Milwaukee, Wl 53213 Frisch Computer SI. Paul, MN 55113 International Automation New Kensington. PA 15608 KMH Galesburg, IL 61401 MAP Systems Peoria Hts., IL 61614 Practical Computer Springfield. IL 62703 Specialized Computer Systems Jackson, Ml 49204 Tek-Aids Industries, Inc. Arlington His . IL 60004 Tra-Sta Computer Shoppe Pueblo, CO 81005 TriComp Inc. Denver, CO 80221 Total Data Systems Ft Collins, CO 80525 Whitlock International, Inc. Detroit, Ml 48219 WINS The Ohio Scientific Software Game Selecting software for your Ohio Scientific computer is a chancy task at best. There are few trustworthy ven- dors with a national reputation. There are no consistent quality standards and the documentation is often cryptic and inaccurate. If you are lucky enough to find a good package, there's no guarantee of ongoing sup- port. A wrong choice results in months of wasted time, effort, and money. With the Software Federation, you no longer take that risk. The Software Federation was formed by three of the largest Ohio Scientific hard- ware distributors to select and market quality software through reputable dealers nationwide. DEALERS The Software Federation soloes the dealer's problems by pro- viding low cost access to high quality software with the sort of demonstra- tion packages, documentation, and support that the dealer needs to successfully sell machines. AUTHORS The Software Federation solves the independent vendor's problems by providing a proprietary method of software protection, aggressive enforcement of software licenses, a strong dealer base, primary support, and national advertising. END USERS The Software Federation solves the user's problems by providing quality software, exceptional documenta- tion, after-the-sale support, and optional software maintenance services. Why risk making the wrong choice? With the Software Federation, everyone wins! See the dealer in your area for a complete turnkey demonstration. Software Federation Inc. 44 University Drive Arlington Hts,, IL 60004 Phone: 312/259-1355 .'SOUND EFFECTS ! GUNSHOTS! PHASERS! MUSIC! "OUTER SPACE NOISES" AND MUCH MORE... with THE noi^m ace* © S-100 BUS and noftEmA:REM PLOT EQUATION 1010 TITLE$= "" 1020 GOSUB 10108 .REM EQUATION SUB 1030 PRINT : PRINT ,, : INPUT "X-BflRS OR LINE: "t I* 1035 K= 1- THEN 2020 2017 BIG<0)= BIGC0H JUMPC0.V 2 .GOSUB 10310 2020 PLOT 6,6, 12, 3,8,5: PR I NT "THE HISTOGRAM WILL EXTEND FROM "; 2030 PR I NT LOW ( > :■ " TO " ; H I GH C ) : PR I NT : PR I NT 2040 PRINT , "SELECT NUMBER OF COLUMNS IN HISTOGRAM: ": PRINT 2050 DATA " 4", " 6", " 8", "12", "16", "24" 2060 RESTORE 2050: PRINT :F0R 1= 1T0 6: READ COLUMNS* 2070 PRINT ,,"";CHR* (64+ I); " ".; COLUMNS*;" COLUMNS" 2880 PRINT :NEXT I 2110 PRINT ,, : INPUT "SELECT A - F: ";.J*:J= ASC (J*)- 64: REM 2120 IF J< 10R J> 6THEN PLOT 28, 11 .GOTO 2110 2130 RESTORE 2050: FOR 1= 1T0 J .READ COLUMNS* : NEXT I 2140 COLUMNS' VAL (COLUMNS*) Listing 1 continued on page 102 Circle 171 on inquiry card. Please send your free software catalog. (Check which software is of particular interest) H C COMPILER. Optimized native code for VAX 11/780, PDP-11, LSI-11, Z80, B085, 8080. Full C language as defined in Kemighan and Ritchie, with com- prehensive portable library. Cross compilers available. Runs under VMS, IAS, RSX-11D, RSX-11M, RSTS/E, RT-11, UNIX, Idris, CDOS, CP/M. From $600 3 IDRIS OPERATING SYSTEM. System calls and file system identical to UNIX V6, including pipelines. Utilities include shell, editor, assembler, loader, archiver, compare, copy, grep, etc., plus system utilities for file system maintenance. Runs on LSI-11, PDP-11. From $1000. D PASCAL COMPILER. Optimized native code for VAX 11/780, PDP-11, LSI-11, Z80, 8085, 8080. Full Pascal language as defined in Jensen and i/Virth, with standard library. Includes C compiler and portable library, permitting intermixed C and Pascal. Cross compilers available. Runs under VMS, IAS, RSX-11D, RSX-11M, RSTS/E, RT-11, UNIX, Idris, CDOS, CP/M. From $750. Name_ Company^ Street City _State_ _Zip_ IrJrts is a trademark of Whitesmiths Ltd. UNIX is a trademark of Bell Laboratories CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research Co. VMS. RSX-11. RT-11. RSTS/E. VAX. PDP-11. LSI-11 are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. Whitesmiths, Ltd Software for grownups. (212)799-1200 RO.B. 1132 Ansonia Station, New York, N.Y. 10023 By Natronlcs ASCII/BAUDOT, STAND ALONE Computer ~ 95 Terminal ±*rU Terminal The Netronics ASCII/BAUDOT Computer Terminal Kit is a microprocessor-controlled, stand alone keyboard/terminal requring no computer memory or software. It allows the use of either a 64 or 32 character by 16 line professional display for- mat with selectable baud rate, RS232-C or 20 ma. output, full cursor control and 75 ohm composite video output. The keyboard follows the standard typewriter configuration and generates the entire 128 character ASCII upper/lower case set with 96 printable characters. Features include onboard regulators, selectable parity, shift lock key, alpha lock jumper, a drive capability of one TTY load, and the ability to mate directly with almost any computer, including the new Ex- plorer/85 and ELF products by Netronics. The Computer Terminal requires no I/O mapping and includes Ik of memory, character generator, 2 key rollover, processor controlled cursor control, parallel ASCII/BAUDOT to serial conversion and serial to video processing — fully crystal controlled for superb accuracy. PC boards are the highest quality glass epoxy for the ultimate in reliability and long life. VIDEO DISPLAY SPECIFICATIONS The heart of the Netronics Computer Terminal is the micro- processor-controlled Netronics Video Display Board (VID) which allows the terminal to utilize either a parallel ASCII or BAUDOT signal source. The VID converts the parallel data to serial data which is then formatted to either RS232-C or 20 ma. current loop output, which can be connected to the serial I/O on your computer or other interface, i.e., Modem. When connected to a computer, the computer must echo the character received. This data is received by the VID which processes the information, converting to data to video suitable to be displayed on a TV set tusing an RF modulator) or on a video monitor. The VID generates the cursor, horizontal and vertical sync pulses and performs the housekeeping relative to which character and where it is to be displayed on the screen. Video Output: 1.5 P/P into 75 ohm (EIA RS-170) • Baud Rale: 110 and 300 ASCII • Outputs: RS232-C or 20 ma. current loop • ASCII Character Set: 128 printable characters— ■fft rtvxyvtWofio in"* 1 **/ !«♦* !'m4 / ()*+,-./0123456789: ;<=>? WBC0EFGHI3KLrl«r^RSTUUyXVZC\l A _ v abcdef9hijklAnoNrstuwxyz{t}*l RSTUVWXYZ-?:*3$tt().,90l4!57;2/68* Cursor Modes: Home, Backspace, Horizontal Tab, Line Feed, Vertical Tab, Carriage Return. Two special cursor sequences are provided for absolute and relative X- Y cursor addressing • Cursor Control: Erase, End of Line, Erase of Screen, Form Feed, Delete • Monitor Operation: 50 or 60Hz (jumper selectable. Continental U.S.A. Credit Card Buyers Outside Connecticut CALL TOLL FREE 800-243-7428 _ _ To Order From Connecticut Or For Technical Assistance, Etc. Call (203) 354-9375 — n I Netronics R&D Ltd., Dept. B12 333 Litchfield Road, New Milford, CT 06776 | Please send the items checked below — ID Netronics Stand Alone ASCII Keyboard /Computer Terminal Kit. $149.95 plus $3.00 postage & handling. ID Deluxe Steel Cabinet for Netronics Keyboard/Termi- nal In Blue/Black Finish, $19.95 plus $2.50 postage Iand handling. D Video Display Board Kit alone (less keyboard), $89.95 I plus $3 postage & handling. D 12" Video Monitor (10 MHz bandwidth) fully assem- Ibled and tested, $139.95 plus $5 postage and handling. D RF Modulator Kit (to use your TV set for a monitor), I $8. 95 postpaid. D 5 amp Power Supply Kit In Deluxe Steel Cabinet I(±8VDC @ 5 amps, plus 6-8 VAC), $39.95 plus $2 postage & handling. I Total Enclosed (Conn. res. add sales tax) $. By- IO Personal Check D Cashiers Check/Money Order D Visa D Master Charge (BankS ) I Acct. | _ _ Signature _ I Print | Name I _Exp. Date . City. Listing 2150 2166 2170 2180 2200 2210 2220 2225 2230 2240 2250 2260 2270 2280 2290 2300 2310 2320 2330 2340 2350 2355 2360 2370 2375 2380 2385 2390 3990 3991 3992 3993 4000 4010 4030 4035 4040 4050 4060 4070 4075 4085 4690 4400 4410 4420 4430 4440 4450 4479 4480 4490 4500 4510 4520 1 continued: FOR 1= 1T0 COLUMNS :RRRflV(Ll)= 0:NEXT I: REM ZERO SUMS JUMP= SCRLEC0V COLUMNS: FOR ITEM= 1T0 NUMBER GROUP* 1+ INT (- LOW(0)>/ JUMP) ARRAV= ARRAYX GROUP, 1>+ 1:NEXT ITEM PLOT 6,C0L0UR(1),12:AXIS= 0:GOSUB 11400 G0SUB 11900 :RXIS= 1:G0SUB 10210: REM BIG<1) DEF FN E(I)= EXP (- <(MEAN<0>- I)" 2/ <2* DEVIATE)" 2))) DEF FN F(I)= DEVIRTC0)* COLUMNS* 2.50663 DEF FN G(D= NUMBER* SCRLE(0>* FN Ed)/ FN FCD:REM GAUSS IF FN GO1ERNC0)» BIGCDTHEN BIG<1)= FN G(MEflN(0)) G0SUB 9020: REM FRRME PLOT 6,C0L0UR(4):REM GAUSSIAN CURVE FOR 1= LOW(0)TO HIGH(0)STEP - LOW<0)>/ 24 AXIS= 0:PLACE= I:G0SUB 10700 AXIS= 1:PLACE= FN G(I):G0SUB 10700 ON 1- (1= L0W(8))G0SUB 11020, 11010 : NEXT I FOR RXIS= 6T0 1:PLRCE= LOW(RXIS) :G0SUB 10700: NEXT AXIS PLOT 6,C0L0URG):G0SUB 11818: FOR 1= 1T0 C0L0UMNS : REM HIST0 AXIS= 1:PLRCE= RRRRY:G0SUB 10700 :G0SUB 11828 AXIS= 0:PLRCE= L0W "D"THEN 5 IF I*= "S"THEN G0SUB 11509: GOTO 2355 ON - (I$= "H")G0T0 2010: GOTO 2355 REM REM REM SUBROUTINE TO ANALYSE DATA AND PLOT REGRESSION REM G0SUB 16000: REM DATA FOR LINEAR REGRESSION G0SUB 4400: REM BORDERS AND LINE G0SUB 11800 :G0SUB 11980: REM POINT PLOT AND PAUSE G0SUB 11808: IF K*= "C'THEN G0SUB 4730: GOTO 4*38: REM COLORS PLOT 3, 0, 31, 6, 4, 11, 3, 15, 31 INPUT "NEW DfiTR, REGRESSION, SAVE OR MENU: ".; I* "D"THEN 5 "R"THEN 4018 "S"THEN G0SUB 11508: GOTO 4040 IF I*= "M"THEN RETURN GOTO 4040 7: REM SELECT REGRESSION IF I*= IF I*= IF I*= REG V = AX 1C-TY = R E S S I N":PRINT :PRINT + B", "" AX + B" , "10'" L0G18CV) = AX + B", "LOGaO)" 1/V = AX + B", "1/" _Zip PLOT 6, 47, 14, 12, 3, 1 PRINT "S E L E C T DATA "LINEAR: DATA "EXPONENTIAL: DATA "LOGARITHMIC: DATA "RECIPROCAL: TITLES= 4 RESTORE 4428: FOR 1= 1T0 TITLES: READ TITLE*, PREFIX* PLOT 18, 9, 9 : PRINT I, TITLE* : NEXT I PRINT : PRINT ,,,: INPUT "SELECT REGRESSION: ";J IF ,K 10R ,T> TITLESTHEN PLOT 28, 11, 28 : GOTO 4588 RESTORE 4428: FOR 1= 1T0 J: READ TITLE*, PREFIX*: NEXT I ON JG0T0 4538, 4548, 4558, 4568 Listing 1 continued on 106 mm mat mmm D Send Me More Information ibm §■■■ J 102 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc For years many small business system buyers thought that in order to get "real" performance and enough storage to be a "real" business system they would have to sacrifice the family jewels. But with the introduction of the Smoke Signal Chieftain series office computers a lot of people's minds have been changed. Because we designed the highly reliable Chieftain small business system with the most innovative combination of performance and effi- ciency around. At your fingertips there are 64,000 characters of random access memory and you can address anywhere from 740,000 characters to 2 million characters with Smoke Signals's new double den- sity controller. For larger concerns, there's a 20M byte hard disk available. At a time when other small computer manu- facturers tell you "you're on your own", Smoke Signal offers an abundance of easy-to-use software programs such as order entry, inventory control. accounts receivable, invoice entry, payroll, word processing and much, much more. There's BASIC, COBOL and FORTRAN — even a multi-user BOS (Business Operating System) that allows for numerous users simultaneously. Chieftain systems starting at under $200.00 per month display per- formance on par with sys- tems costing twice to three times as much. So call (213) 889-9340 for your nearest autho- rized Smoke Signal dealer demonstrate the Chieftain's high reliability and ease of operation. For dealers only, circle 68 he'll be glad to All other inquiries, circle 67 SMOKE SIGNAL BROADCASTING 31336 Via Colinaa. Westlake Village. California 91361. (213) 889-9340 4FEW OF THE FEATURES THOTGVETEMK THEEDGER1 PRICE PERFORrTUIKE While some of the features of Terak's new 8600 can be found in other computer graphic systems, no other system in the $5K-$20K price class (and even those costing thousands more) provides a com- parable combination of features and benefits. Features such as Low Entry Cost The basic 8600 color system is priced at about $15,000. It can be upgraded to higher resolution and a greater number of colors, but even fully expanded it still comes in at less than $19,000. Or, you can start with a black and white system for less than $8,500 and upgrade to color at any time by the addition of a color processor and monitor. m Simultaneous Graphic/Text Display The 8600 offers outstanding control and formatting of both graphics and text. Completely under user control, the multiple memory planes permit simul- taneous display and indepen- dent manipulation of text and graphics to achieve special effects such as overlays, scroll- ing and zoning. This capa- bility, in conjunction with Terak's unique flexible charac- ter generation, enables the 8600 to present visual displays that are unequalled by any other system of its class. Broad Spectrum of Color Selection The number of color maps and the colors in each map is completely under software control. With a 6-plane mem- ory (640 x 480 x 6), up to 64 colors can be displayed on the screen simultaneously. With a 3-plane memory (320 x 240 x 3), up to 8 simultaneous colors can be displayed from any one of eight color maps. The output of the color map pro- duces eight levels each for red, blue and green. The result is the selection of 512 possible levels ol intensity, saturation and hue. Switching from map to map is under software control. , u\.l. \t> « ■ Zoning The 8600 m divided into a maximum of variable In ,i typical on, the up] thi- iph ics while the lower zoni plays text. The tex scrolled or slow scrolled while the graphics are ch nicide with the lexl Dual Processors For Speed and Flexibility The two 16-bit proces- sors (each with its own memory) are assigned those tasks which they can accomplish most efficiently and with the fastest throughput. The result is more available user space in memory faster processing and increased flexibility of operation. DEC Based Hardware and Software The DEC based hard- ware and software includes the LSI-H main processor, RT-H oper- ating system and Q bus compati- bility. As a result, the 8600 will support a variety of software and easily integrates peripheral devices. USCD Pascal, Too The 8600 also supports the easy to use USCD Pascal operating system for pro- gram development, text editing, word processing and interactive applications. Siggraph Core Standards, 2D1 Level Graphic support is pro- vided for USCD Pascal and RT-11 for Fortran, Basic and Pascal. The Other Reasons? Add such things as graphics display list processing, a high resolution quad- rant, four modes of display blank- ing, emulation, remote on-line diagnostics, etc. The list goes on and on. But to fully appreciate the system you should see one in action. We'll be happy to set up an appointment. Just contact us. CORPORATION 14151 North 76th Street Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 (602) 998-4800 Circle 69 on inquiry card. COLOR O.SFIHV .. .. . tir.iit •uiciuimmuHMiim u*AiWM>wii*—'n ;: ."-■■U>: ^ntnHUiiiqttimli ..- II .'. lift .;!V. !•,,...„. - IBIC1 IipilHl'MliTrtiiilliif! M1»l):il>»M1ilMn)1ll!/t Flexible Character Generation Jnlike the rigid cell sizes of lany graphic display systems, the SoOO character generation is under sol (ware control. laracters can be programmed any size or shape including die creation and display of ireign languages such as 1 lebrevv, Russian, etc., Fill Algorithms Terak's fill algorithms are fast and allows you to fill the inside of simple or complex geometric figures without calculating points. This not only helps define charts, graphs, etc., but greatly enhances the appearance of presentation material. DYNAMIC FEATURES The 8600 also offers several dynamic features that are impossible to illustrate and must be seen to fully appreciate. Smooth or Line Scrolling The speed of the vertical, bi-directional scrolling is under operator control. It can be slowed down for text editing or speeded up for search. And, unlike most terminals that jump a line at a time, the 8600 moves in increments of one scan line. The result is a smooth moving text that is easy to read. External Video Synch The 8600 can be synchronized to receive externally generated RGB signals or transmit 8600 signals to external video moni- tors. This lets you combine and/or overlay internally and externally generated characters and graphics onto a single screen if mixing hardware is incorporated in the system. ■ ■ The days of complicated, unreliable, dynamic RAM are gone: the ultrabyte memory board $199. QU I complete kit I w «« ^w'rA IBKmemoryf Metronics consistently offers innovative products at un- beatable prices. And here we go again — with JAWS, the ultrabyte 64K S100 memory board. ONE CHIP DOES IT ALL JAWS solves the problems of dynamic RAM with a state-of-the-art chip from Intel that does it all. Intel's single chip 64K dynamic RAM controller eliminates high-current logic parts . . . delay lines . . . massive heat sinks . . . unreliable trick circuits. REMARKABLE FEATURES OF JAWS Look what JAWS offers you: Hidden refresh . . . fast performance ... low power consumption . . . latched data outputs ... 200 NS 4116 RAMs . . . on-board crystal . . . 8K bank selectable . . . fully socketed . . . solder mask on both sides of board . . . designed for 8080, 8085, and Z80 bus signals . . . works in Explorer, Sol, Horizon, as well as all other well-designed S100 computers. I GIVE YOUR COMPUTER A BIG BYTE Of MEMORY | POWERWITHJAWS— SAVE UPTOS90 Oft INTRODUCTORY LIMITED-OFFER SPECIAL PRICES! | UNDECIDED? TRY A WIRED ISK JAWS IN YOUR COMPUTER ON OUR 10-DAY MONEY- BACK OFFER (SPECIFY YOUR COMPUTER!. CONTINENTAL U.S.A. CREDIT CAflO BUYERS OUTSIDE CI1NNECTICUTCAU From Connecticut Or Far AstiiUnc LRiNETRONICS; CALL TOLL FREE 800-243-7428 From CO HIHtltc ut Or far ftnitWttt, (203) 354-9375 Qep! "■RESEARCH & B12 IDEVELOPMENTLTD 333 Litchfield Road, New Milford.CT 06776 Please send the items checked below: □ JAWS 16K RAM kit, No. 6416, $199.96.* □ JAWS 16K RAM fully assembled, tested, burned in, No. 6416W, S229.95.* □ JAWS 32K RAM kit, No. 6432, (reg. price $329.95), SPECIAL PRICE $299.95* G JAWS 32K RAM fully assembled, tested, burned in, No. 6432W, (reg. price $369.95), SPECIAL PRICE $339.95.* □ JAWS48K RAM kit. No. 6443, (reg. price $459.95), SPECIAL PRICE $399.95.* □ JAWS 48K fully assembled, tested, burned in, No. 6448W, (reg. price $509.95), SPECIAL PRICE $449.95.* D JAWS B4K RAM kit, No. 6464, (reg. price $589.95), SPECIAL PRICE $499.95.* □ JAWS 64K RAM fully assembled, tested, burned in. No. 6464W, (reg. price $649.95), SPECIAL PRICE $559.95.* □ Expansion kit, JAWS 16K RAM module, to expand any of the above in 16K blocks up to 64K, No. 16EXP, $129.95.* *AII prices plus $2 postage and handling. Connecticut residents add sales tax. Total enclosed: $ □ Personal Check D Money order or Cashiers Check D VISA □ MASTER CHARGE (Bank No ) Acct. No. Exp. Date Signature Print Name Address City State Zip O Send me more information Listing 1 continued: 4539 DEF FN F(D= I: GOTO 4680: REM LINEAR 4548 DEF FN F(D= 10" I: GOTO 4680: REM EXPONENTIAL 4550 DEF FN F(D= LOG (IV 2. 30253: GOTO 4600: REM LOG BASE 10 4568 DEF FN F(I)= 1/ I: GOTO 4600: REM RECIPROCAL 4680 XYSUM= 0:REM PREPARE REGRESSION 4610 FOR ITEM= 1T0 NUMBER :RRRfiY( ITEM, 1)= FN FC ARRAY (ITEM, 2)) 4620 XYSUM= XY5UM+ ARRAY(ITEM,0)* ARRAY CITEM,!) :NEXT ITEM 4625 LABEL* <1)= PREFIX** LABEL* (2) : PLOT 6, COLOUR (1), 12 4630 FOR AXIS= 0TO 1:G0SUB 11400: NEXT AXIS 4640 1= NUMBER* XYSUM- SUH(0)* SUM<1) 4645 SLOPE* 1/ (NUMBER* SQUARESUMcO)- SUM(8)" 2) 4650 INCEPT= (SUM(i)- SLOPE* SUM(8))/ NUMBER 4660 COEFFICIENT= SLOPE* DEVI AT (8)/ DEVI AT CD 4662 PLOT 3, 20, 1? : PR I NT " SLOPE : " ; SLOPE 4664 PLOT 3, 20, 13 : PR I NT "I NTERCEPT : " ; I NCEPT 4666 PLOT 3, 20, 21: PR I NT "CORR. COEFF : ".; COEFFICIENT 4668 GOSUB 11300 4670 GOSUB 10200: REM BIG & LITTLE 4680 ARRAY (NUMBER+ 1,0)= LITTLEC8) 4630 ARRAY (NUMBER* 1,1)= INCEPT+ SLOPE* ARRAY (NUMBER* 1,0) 4700 ARRAY (NUMBER+ 2,0)= BIGC0) 4710 ARRAY (NUMBER+ 2,1)= INCEPT+ SLOPE* ARRAY (NUMBER+ 2,0) 4720 NUMBER= NUMBER+ 2: GOSUB 10200 : NUMBER= NUMBER- 2: REM LIMITS 4730 GOSUB 3820: PLOT 6, C0L0UR(4) :REM PREPARE GRAPH 4748 FOR ITEM= NUMBER+ 1T0 NUMBER+ 2:F0R AXIS= 0TO l.REtt LINE 4750 PLACE= ARRAY ( ITEM, AXIS): GOSUB 1870O:NEXT AXIS 4760 ON 2+ (ITEM= NUMBER+ DGOSUB 11010, 11028 : NEXT ITEM: RETURN 11332 REM 11333 REM 11334 REM 11335 REM 11336 REM CALCULATES MEAH(AXIS) 11337 REM AND PRINTS: DEVI AT (AXIS) 11338 REM ERR(AXIS) 11333 REM 11400 SUM(AXIS)= 0:SQUARESUM(AXri 11485 FOP ITEM= 1T0 NUMBER 11487 SUM(AXIS)= SUM(AXIS)+ ARRAY ( ITEM, AXIS) 11418 SQUARESUM(AXIS)= SQUARESUM(AXIS)+ ARRAY ( ITEM, AXIS)" 2 11415 NEXT ITEM 11420 MEANCAXIS)= SUMCAXIS)/ NUMBER 11438 1= SfiUARESUM(AXIS)- SUM(AXIS)'" 2/ NUMBER 11448 DEVIAT(AXIS)= SOR (1/ (NUMBER- D) 11458 ERR(AXIS)= DEVI AT (AXIS)/ SQR (NUMBER) 11468 1= 28+ 20* AXIS: PLOT 3,1+ 3, 5: PRINT LHBEL*(AXIS) 11465 PLOT 3, 0,3: PRINT "MEAN: ": PLOT 3, 1, 3: PRINT MEAN(AXIS) :, 8,11: PR I NT "STAN. DEV." :, I,11:PRINT DEVIAT(AXIS) U 8, 13: PR I NT "STAN. ERROR:" :, 1 , 13 : PR I NT ERR ( AX IS): RETURN SUBROUTINE TO ANALYZE ARRAY (NUMBER, AXIS) 0:REM STATISTICS 11478 PLOT 11475 PLOT 11488 PLOT 11485 PLOT 11435 REM 11436 REM 11437 REM 11438 REM 11433 REM 11588 PLOT 6, COLOUR (2), 3, 8,31, 11: REM SAVE ON DISK 11548 PLOT 27, 4: PR I NT "SAVE SCREEN. DIS 6800-6FFF" :PL0T 27,2 11550 RETURN ABBREVIATED SUBROUTINE TO SAVE IMAGES 106 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 70 on inquiry card. SupetScft First in Software Technology ENHANCED 'TINY' PASCAL We still call it 'Tiny' but it's bigger and better than ever! This is the Famous Chung/Yuen 'Tiny' Pascal with more features includ- ing recursive procedures/functions & disk I/O. 'Tiny' Pascal is fast. Programs execute up to ten times faster than similar BASIC programs. SOURCE TOO! We still distribute source, in 'Tiny' Pascal, on each discette sold. You can even recompile the compiler, add features or just gain insight into compiler construction. 'Tiny' Pascal is perfect for writing text processors, real time control systems, virtually any application which requires high speed. Requires: 36K CP/M. Supplied with complete user manual and source on discette: $85.00 Manual alone $10.00 StackWork's FORTH A full, extended FORTH interpreter/compiler produces COMPACT, ROMABLE code. As fast as compiled FORTRAN, as easy to use as interactive BASIC. SELF COMPILING: Includes every line of source code necessary to recompile itself. EXTENSIBLE: Adds functions at will. Z80 or 8080 ASSEMBLER included Single license, OEM licensing available Please specify CPU type: Z80 or 8080 Requires:32K CP/M. Supplied with extensive user manual and tutorial: $150.00 Documentation alone: $25.00 Protect your software investment by buying source! Prevent obsolescence, create custom versions, or use our systems as sources for 'library functions! The source code for all our programs, including the ones on this page, is available from us, either at additional cost, or if noted, included in the price. The programs on this page are distributed with machine readable source at no additional cost. SUPERSOFT Your Source for SOURCE TFS-Text Formatting System An extremely powerful formatter. More than 50 commands. Supports all major features including: • left & right margin justification • user defined macros • dynamic insertion from disk file • underlining and backspace TFS lets you make multiple copies of any text. For example: Personalized form letters complete with name & address & other insertions from a disk file. Text is not limited to the size of RAM making TFS perfect for reports or any big job. Text is entered using CP/M standard editor or most any CP/M compatible editor. TFS will link completely with Super-M-List making personalized form letters easy. Requires: 24K CP/M Source to TFS in 8080 assembler (can be assembled using standard CP/M assembler) plus user manual: $250.00. Object code only with user manual: $85.00 Manual alone: $20.00 TERM A complete intercommunications package for linking your computer to other computers. Link either to other CP/M computers or to large timesharing systems. TERM is comparable to other systems but costs less, delivers more and source is provided on discette! With TERM you can send and receive ASCII and Hex files (COM too, with included conversion program) with any other CP/M computer which has TERM or compatible package. Allows real time communication between users on separate systems as well as acting as timesharing terminal. • Engage/disengage printer • send files • error checking and auto retry • receive files • terminal mode for timesharing between systems • conversational mode Requires: 32K CP/M. ■Supplied with user manual and 8080 source code: $110.00 Manual alone: $15.00 CP/M Formats: 8" soft sectored, 5" Northstar, 5" Micropolis Mod II, Vector MZ *CP/M REGISTERED TRADEMARK DIGITAL RESEARCH SUPERSOFT ASSOCIATES • PO.BOX1628- CHAMPAIGN, IL 61820 (217)359-2112 OUR PRICES ARE TOO LOW TO ADVERTISE! CHECK THEM— CALL TOLL FREE! 800-243-7428 LOOK WHAT WE OFFER! • HAZELTINE Terminals • CENTRONICS Printers • LEAR SIEGLER Terminals/ Printers • DATAPRODUCTS Printers • ANADEX Printers BE SMART- DON'T BUY UNTIL YOU CHECK OUR PRICES! MASTERCHARGE VISA COD PERSONAL CHECK . MONEY ORDER I3MVETR0NICS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT, LTD. 333 Litchfield Rd., New Milford, CT 06776 Listing 2: Programs for monthly analysis graph. Because this program modifies some of the previously written subroutines, this program should be added to the subroutines given in listing 1 of Part 1 of this article. (If the subroutines are added to this listing, the program will not run correctly.) 5 REM KV 5 REM GRAPHS. CO R. W. GROGONO. AUG. 1979 6 REM MONTHLY ANALYSIS FOR UP TO 7 YEARS 40 RESTORE : CLEAR 280: DIM I* (12) 56 DATA 1, 2, 1, 2, 4, 6, 3, 5, 7 : FOR 1= 1T0 9: READ COLOURd > : NEXT I 96 PLOT 29. 27, 24, 15, 14, 2, 255, 6, 1, 12, 2, 16, 3 : REM CLEAR PAGE 98 REM 99 REM 252 PRINT "M NTHL V C M PARI S N": PRINT 254 PRINT : PR I NT , , "THIS PROGRAM ALLOWS YOU TO" , "ENTER PROFITS OR INCOME ETC" , "MONTHLY FOR UP TO 7 YEARS. " PLOT 10, 10, 10, 9, 9: PR I NT "VOL! CAN START AND FINISH" "iCT &z< PRINT : PR I NT 256 PRINT : PRINT £DI 258 PRINT : PRINT 259 PRINT : PRINT 26U PRINT : PRINT 261 PRINT 264 PRINT 266 PRINT 267 PRINT : PRINT : PR I NT : PR I NT : PR I NT , "PART WAY THROUGH THE FIRST" , "AND LAST YEARS RESPECTIVELY" , "BY ENTERING THE NUMBERS OF" , "OF THESE MONTHS. " PRINT ,,"1. CREATE GRAPH": REM , "2. ERASE/REVIEW OLD GRAPHS" ,"1 RETURN TO MAIN MENU" .PRINT : PRINT ,,, 268 INPUT "ENTER 1-3: ";I:IF 1= 2THEN GOSUB 7080: GOTO 5 270 IF 1= 3THEN LOAD "MENU": RUN 272 PLOT 12, 3, 16, 5: INPUT "ENTER # OF YEARS: ";N 274 FOR Y= 1T0 N.PLOT 6, Y, 10, 9, 9: PRINT "ENTER YEAR NUMBER".; V; 275 INPUT ": "; Y*CV> :NEXT V:PL0T 10, 9, 6, 1: PRINT "FOR YEAR ",• 276 PRINT Y$(l).i : INPUT ", ENTER # OF FIRST MONTH, 1-12: "^ FIRST 277 PLOT 18, 9,6, N: PR I NT "FOR YEAR ";Y*(N)i 278 INPUT ", ENTER # OF LAST MONTH, 1-12: ";LAST 279 GOSUB 10000: FOR Y= 1T0 N: GOSUB 10038: NEXT V 280 LITTLE(8>= 0:BIG<8>= 12 281 LITTLE(1>= ARRAY (FIRST, 2) :BIG(1>= ARRAV(FIRSL 2) 282 FOR Y= 1T0 N:F0R ITEM= 1TO 12 283 ARRAV( ITEM, 1)= ARRAYCITEM, Y+ 1):REM COPY NEXT YEAR 284 NEXT ITEN:AXIS= 1:G0SUB 18215:NEXT Y:REM FIND BIG, LITTLE 285 GOSUB 680: REM SELECT ZERO END FOR Y-AXIS 286 GOSUB 10588: REM FRAME 287 FOR Y= 1T0 N:F= 1:IF Y= 1THEN F= FIRST 288 L= 12: IF V= NTHEN L= LAST 300 FOR ITEM= FTO L:ARRAY:REM YEAR IN GRAPH-COLOR 324 NEXT Y: GOSUB 115O0: REM SAVE 325 GOSUB 11880: IF K$= "C'THEN GOTO 286: REM COLORS 338 PLOT 3, 15, 31: INPUT "ENTER A TO ALTER Y-AXIS ZERO: ".; I* 348 IF I$= "A"THEN 288: REM NEW ZERO 350 GOTO 5 680 PLOT 6 682 PRINT 610 PRINT 620 PRINT 638 PRINT 6, 14, 12, 3, 16, 5 : PRINT LABELED : PLOT 15, 6, 1, 18, 18 , "SELECT LENGTH OF SCALE": PRINT PRINT ,,"1. WITH ORIGIN STARTING AT ZERO" PRINT ,,"2. MAXIMUM ENLARGEMENT" PRINT ,,, : INPUT "SELECT 1 OR 2: "} I 648 IF 1= 1THEN LITTLE(1>= 8 658 GOSUB 18308: RETURN :REM SCALE VALUES Listing 2 continued on page 110 108 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Moke Vour Dreams Come True Imagine sitting down ot your computer system and developing thot specialized application you've always dreamed about — with absolutely no programming! Now you can with PRISM™ — the first Data Base Management System that provides the Total Solution to your information management needs. UJith PRISM™, you can have your application up and running in a matter of minutes - not months. PRISM requires CP/M and CBRSIC (CP/M is o registered trademark of Digital Research. C6( iSIC is a trademark of Compiler Systems.) PRISM's flexibility and ease of use ore combined with its full spectrum of features and capabilities to moke it the ideal DBMS for a wide range of business applications. Mailing Lists, Patient Records, Real 6state Listings, and Client Billings are just a few of the possibilities. And PRISM™ provides the guolity, performance, and affordability you hove come to expect from MAG software products. To find out how your dreoms con become realities, see your PRISM™ dealer today. Micro Applications Group, 7300 Caldus Avenue, Van Nuys, California 91406, (213) 881-8076. PRisrui TNI "The Total Solution" [fUlME ® MAG 1980 Circle 71 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 109 Now-Break Through The 64K Micro-Memory Limit! SIXTEEN Bank Selectable 16K Static RAM SAVE $50.QO LIMITED TIME OFFER Don'! buy any more antique RAMs (RAM without bank select) — now there's Netronic's new SWEET SIXTEEN board featuring a universal soft- ware bank select system. SWEET SIXTEEN is capable of addressing 2,048 different banks. With SWEET SIXTEEN boards you can add mem- ory beyond the 64K limit, or expand to a multi- terminal system. LOOK AT THESE FEATURES: • 300 NS. low power 21 14s. • Software Bank Selector — Universal decoder works with Cromenco, Alpha Micro. Netrooics. most other systems, or your design. Onboard dip switches: Bank Select Enable,- Reset Enable, Reset Disable; Port Address,- Port Data. • All Inputs And Outputs meet the proposed IEEE standards for the S-100 bus. • 4.0 MHz Operation. • Schmitt Trigger Buffer on all signals for maximum noise immunity. • Addressable On 16k Boundaries, 0-64k, dip switch selectable. • Phantom Option, dip switch selectable. • PWR/MWRITE Option, dip switch selectable. • LED Indicator to display status, • Glass Epoxy PC Board with gold-plated contacts and double-sided solder mask. • Fully Socketed. • Four Separate Regulators for maximum stability. 10-Day Money-Back Policy For Wired & Tested Unit: Try a tully wired board — then either keep it, return it for kit, or simply return it in working condi- 11011 Continental U.S.A. Credit Card Buyers ■ ■■■■■■■■■■ Outside Connecticut: ■■■■■■■■■■■! CALL TOLL FREE: 800-243-7428 From Connecticut Or Fnr Assistance: I2D3) 354-9375 Please send the items checked below: Q SWEET SIXTEEN kit; No. S-16 . (reg. price $249.95) now S199.95* D SWEET SIXTEEN, fully assembled, tested, burned in; No. S-16W . . . (reg. price S289.95) nowS239.95* *Plus S2 postage b insurance. Connecticut residents add sales tax. Total Enclosed: S □ Personal Check D Money Order/Cashier's Check n VISA □ Master Charge (Bank No. ) Accl. No. Exp. Date Signature Print Name Address City State -Zip ISNNETRONICS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT, LTD. 333 Litchfield Rd„ New Milford, CT 06776 RLTERRTIONS TO SUBROUTINES: 10000 10260 10560 11000 11800 DATA ENTRV FIND BIG FIND LITTLE DRAW BORDERS ETC. PLOT POINTS AND LINES COLOR SELECTION Listing 2 continued: 9998 REN 9991 REM 9992 REM 9993 REM 9994 REM 9995 REM 9996 REM 999? REM 999S REM 9999 REM 10600 PLOT 6,1, 12,14, 1.15,13: REM DATA ENTRV 10810 PRINT "DATA E N T R V" 10815 PLOT 10, 9, 9: INPUT "GRAPH TITLE: "j TITLE* 10620 NUMBER= 12 10021 DIM ARRAY < NUMBER, N+ D 16022 LA$(6>= "JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JLY AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC" 10825 IF CHOICE= 1THEN LABEL*(1)= "NUMBER": GOTO 18038 10026 PLOT 18, 9, 9: INPUT "Y-AXIS UNITS: ",;LABEL$(D 18028 RETURN 10030 F= 1:IF Y= 1THEN F= FIRST: REM ENTER DATA 10832 L= 12: IF V= NTHEN L= LAST 10835 FOR ITEM= FTO L:REM ENTER POINTS 18040 IF ITEM> FTHEN 10068 18845 PLOT 12, 3, 17, 8: PR I NT Y$(Y> 10858 PRINT :PRINT "POINT", , "MONTH" : REM 18855 IF CHOICE< > 1THEN PLOT 28.PRINT ,,,,"".; LABELED 18060 IF ITEM- 1= 6* INT ((ITEM- IV 6)THEN PLOT 10:REM SPACE 18865 I$= MID* (LABEL*(0), ITEM* 4- 3,3) 10670 PRINT :PRINT "MTEM,, ""; I$:ARRflV(ITEM,8)= ITEM- . 5: REM 10075 IF CHOICE= 1THEN NEXT ITEM .RETURN 10880 PLOT 28, 18, 9, 9, 9, 9: INPUT ""; ARRAY (ITEM, Y+ 1) 18085 NEXT ITEM: RETURN 10215 F= I: IF Y= 1THEN F= FIRST 18216 L= 12: IF Y= NTHEN L= LAST 10217 FOR ITEM= FTO L 10498 REM 18499 REM 10557 IF AXIS= 8THEN NEXT AXIS 10662 PLOT 3, MAXSCREEN(8.V 2- LEN (LABEL*(0>> 18664 PLOT 33- MINSCREEN(l)/ 4: PRINT LABEL$C8> 18998 REM 18999 REM 11158 PLOT 6, CQL0URC2+ Y):FOR I TEM= FTO L:FOR AXIS= 8T0 1 11178 ON 2+ (FLAG= 10R ITEM= F)GOSUB 11818,11828 11798 REM 11799 REM 11845 DATA "GRAPHS", "GRAPH4", "GRAPHS", "GRAPH6", "GRAPH?" 11858 FOR J= 1T0 N+ 2: READ I*: PLOT 3,16,9+ 2+ J: PR I NT "FOR ".; I*; Text continued from page 98: independent (X) variable is the month of the year, while the dependent (Y) variable is the income in dollars for 1 month; four variables (the income in each of 4 years) are plotted on this graph. When you run the monthly analy- sis graph program (by adding listing 2 to the subroutine lines of listing 1 in last month's article), you are asked for the numbers of the years to be graphed, followed by the beginning month for the first year and the end- ing month of the last year to be graphed. (This program is written to account for the possibility that you may not have all the data for the no December 1960 © BYTE Publications Inc At $7951 bow tough can these new Tigers be? Introducing the new Paper Tiger™ 445 with the most rugged printing mechanism ever put in a low-cost matrix printer. The 445 comes with a reliable ballis- tic-type print head and an advanced cartridge ribbon that lasts four times longer than many cassette or spool ribbons. Two separate heavy duty motors drive the print head and advance the paper. Plus you get true tractor paper feed. And the new 445 gives you the per- formance you expect from the Paper Tiger family of printers. You can soft- ware-select character sizes, print 80- and 132-column formats, adjust paper width and length, even gen- erate six-part business forms. All at unidirectional print speeds to 198 characters per second. Need more stripes? Specify DotPlot™ a sophisticated raster graphics option. If you've got an Apple**, TRS-80*** or other personal computer, get your paws on the tough new Paper Tiger™ 445 from IDS. The people who invented low-cost matrix printing just growled. Call TOLL FREE 800-258-1386 (in New Hampshire, Alaska and Hawaii, call 603-673-9100.) Or write: Integral Data Systems, Inc., Milford, New Hampshire 03055. Paper Tiger 445 i 1 ^ )lntegral Data Systems, Inc. Circle 73 on inquiry card. 'Suggested U.S. retail price. ** Apple is a trademark of Apple Computer Inc. ***TRS-80 is a trademark of Radio Shack, a division of Tandy Corp. beginning and ending years.) After the title, Y-axis label, and monthly data values have been entered, the program calculates and displays the data on the color video display screen. The Y-axis can start at zero (as in photo 4a), or it can start at some nonzero value to allow max- imum use of the Y-axis (as in photo 4b). As before, the colors used in the graph may also be changed. Summary The programs were written with readability as the main objective. You may wish to decrease the memory needed to store these subroutines by omitting REMark statements and put- ting multiple statements on a line. Care should be exercised, however, when compressing statement lines because some subroutines are written to be entered at more than one point. The Compucolor PLOT statement was more fully explained in last month's article. The four kinds of graphs described in this article demonstrate how the graphics subroutines can be com- bined (with or without modification) to form complex programs that pro- duce specialized graphs. These sub- routines can be used to substantially reduce the time required to create a given graph. In addition, the use of photographed color images (as op- posed to color slides of convention- ally produced graphs) can significant- ly decrease both the time and cost necessary to add color graphs to a slide presentation. ■ Photo 3: Examples of regression charts. The program in listing 1 allows the entered data to be graphed using different colors and different types of regression — linear (photo 3a), exponential (photo 3b), logarithmic (photo 3c), or reciprocal (photo 3d). Photo 4: Examples of monthly analysis graphs. These graphs superimpose a variable plotted over a 12-month span for up to seven 12-month graphs. The Y-axis can start either at zero (photo 4a) or at some predefined value (photo 4b). 'Trademark of Western Digital, y |3 Trademark of Digital Research. : £ * 'Trademark of University of California, Copyright ©I960, Digicomp Research All rights reserved. New PASCA1/100™ CPU mates today's popular UCSD Pascal lan- guage to your S-IOO system. With both a Z80 processor and the Pascal Microengine 1 aboard, PASCAL-100 gives you the power of software data structuring without sacrificing speed, memory space— or even your current Z80, 8080 and CP/M 2 software. Greater Speed, up to 5 to 10 times faster than usual S-100 implemen- tations of UCSD Pascal More Memory, up to 128K bytes of memory, plus an optional IM extended address feature. Better Performance. Complies with the new IEEE standard-PASCAL-100 has upward compatibility built in. Dealer/OEM inquiries welcomed For complete information— fast— mail this ad or call us. liame Title Company . Address _ Phone State Ztp- Digicomp Research TerraceHiil. Ithaca NY 14850 (607)275*590© 112 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 74 on inquiry card. New on the North Star Horizon: 18Mb Hard Disk Drive! 7 I o I I ^ u W V Horizon Computer with 64K RAM and dual quad capacity (720kb) floppy disks Up to four 18Mb Winchester- type hard disk drives Display terminal Letter-quality or dot matrix printer Horizon I/O flexibility allows expansion to meet your needs Unsurpassed Performance and Capacity! North Star now gives you hard disk capacity and process- ing performance never before possible at such a low price! Horizon is a proven, reliable, affordable computer system with unique hardware and software. Now the Horizon's capabilities are expanded to meet your growing system requirements. In addition to hard disk perform- ance, the Horizon has I/O versatility and an optional hard- ware floating point board for high-performance number crunching. The North Star large disk is a Century Data Marksman, a Winchester-type drive that holds 18 million bytes of formatted data. The North Star controller inter- faces the drive(s) to the Horizon and takes full advantage NorrhStaf^ North Star Computers, Inc. 1440 Fourth St. Berkeley, CA 94710 (415) 527-6950 TWX/Telex 910-366-7001 of the high-performance characteristics of the drive. Our hard disk operating system implements a powerful file system as well as backup and recovery on floppy diskette. Software Is The Key! The Horizon's success to date has been built on the qual- ity of its system software (BASIC, DOS, PASCAL) and the very broad range and availability of application soft- ware. This reputation continues with our new hard disk system. Existing software is upward compatible for use with the hard disk system. And, with the dramatic increase in on-line storage and speed, there will be a continually expanding library of readily available application software. For more information, see your North Star dealer! HORIZON-HD-18 Horizon computer with 64K RAM, 2 quad capacity mini drives and one HDS-18 hard disk drive $9329 HDS-18 Additional 18Mb hard disk drive for expansion of Horizon HD-18, or your present Horizon $4999 SYS-1N Complete Horizon HD-18 plus 80 x 24 display terminal and NEC Spinwriter printer $13,239 SYS-1A Complete Horizon HD-18 with 80 x 24 display terminal and Anadex printer $11,319 Circle 75 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 113 StackWork's A full, extended FORTH interpreter/compiler produces COMPACT, ROMABLE code. As fast as compiled FORTRAN, as easy to use as interactive BASIC. SELF COMPILING Includes every line of source necessary to recompile itself. EXTENSIBLE Add functions at will CP/M* COMPATIBLE Z80or 8080 ASSEMBLER included Single license Supplied with extensive user manual and tutorial: $150.00 Documentation alone: $25.00 OEMs, we have a deal for you! CP/M Formats: 8" soft sectored, 5" Northstar, 5" Micropolis Mod II, Vector MZ.TRS-80 Mod II Please specify CPU type. Z80or8080 All Orders and General Information: SUPERSOFT ASSOCIATES P.O. BOX 1628 CHAMPAIGN, IL 61820 (217)359-2112 Technical Hot Line: (217) 359-2691 (answered only when technician is available) SuperSoft First in Software Technology *CP/M registered trademark Digital Research Product Review Sargon II An Improved Chess-Playing Program for the Apple II John Martellaro 2929 Los Amigos, Apt B Las Cruces NM 88001 The advertising literature for Sargon II quotes a magazine article: "Buy this program when it becomes available. ..." My reaction: the program is available; buy it. Sargon II is everything Sargon I should have been. It is a mature effort. The program is clean, strong, and debugged. Nearly every deficiency of Sargon has been corrected: • Sargon II has book openings. • Sargon II recognizes stalemates. • The levels of play are geared to clock time instead of ply search. As the pieces disappear, the ply search goes deeper, keeping the time relatively constant. • Setting up a board position is easier. • The program shows the move it is thinking of making. • It will suggest a move for you. • The graphics are new and very handsome. • There is the much-asked-for asterisk prompt to indi- cate that the program is thinking. • Every check is logged on the screen. • Move entry is easier, but still not as easy as in Microchess 2.0. • The playing strength is vastly improved. Sargon II plays well. I play at an unofficial 1700 + United States Chess Federation (USCF) rating and have never lost a serious chess game to any microcomputer program (Boris 1978, Microchess 2.0, Sargon I), but I lost the first two trial games against Sargon II — mostly from being taken by surprise at its unwillingness to be bullied. Carelessness? Impatience? After this appalling result, I promptly invited two friends over. They have official USCF ratings of 1650 and 1714, and the former player is extremely familiar with the openings. We set Sargon II at level 3, the highest level that makes moves in tournament time. By our combined efforts, we cleaned Sargon II off the board — mostly by our 114 December 1980 © byte Publicaiions Inc Circle 76 on inquiry card. Our Printers MEAN BUSINESS! 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The 1650-rated player, whose lifetime high rating is 1850, has played every available computer chess game, including large mainframe computers. None has ever sur- vived his "fried-liver attack." [The fried-liver attack involves placing the White King's Bishop on c4 and a White Knight on g5, attacking the weak King's Bishop pawn; or the equivalent setup for Black. . . .RSS] Sargon II fared no better and succumbed in 13 moves. Convinced now that Sargon II could be beaten, I rolled up my sleeves, got very mean, and again set the program for level 3. After 90 minutes of trekking through a bloody, grim Ruy Lopez opening, fending off a Queen- side attack, and using my mobility on the Kingside, I broke through. On move 40, Sargon made a mistake (failure to look far enough ahead), and I blew its position wide open. But for that one mistake, the game would have been a draw. During the dozen or so games I have played against Sargon II, I have lost only one more game and have made the following observations. Sargon II has much needed and clearly visible improvements over Sargon I. It castles at the most propitious time and actually seeks an oppo- nent's weaknesses and tries to gain tactical advantages. The pawn play is much improved. Sargon II senses the worth of passed pawns and actively tries to promote them. Sargon I had little use for pawns. After our three-game "tournament" mentioned above, we set up an endgame position out of curiosity. We took White with King at cl and pawns at c2, b2, and h2. We gave Sargon II a King at g8 and pawns at g7, h7, a7, and b7. 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He has castled and mobilized his pieces by move 7. Sargon I never managed that. Bc8-g4 8. Bc1-e3 A critically weak move. The Black Knight is going to capture anyway. Why not Bc1-g5? 9. 10. g2xf3 Rf1-e1 Nd4xf3 Bg4-h3 An unfortunate move to have to make. If White could have seen what was in store, he might have abandoned the Rook and moved the King to hi. 10. Nf6-h5 This clears the way for the Queen. An important move in the attack. 11. Qd1-d2 A clever and amusing trap by White. If we had played 11 . . . . Qd8-h4 to pour it on, then 12.Be3-g5, and we lose our Queen. We very nearly fell for it. So far, Sargon II has played like an intelligent, but inexperienced, player. This is the first "trap" I have seen set by a microcomputer chess program. 11. Qd8-f6 But at the last second, we don't fall for the trap and attack the weak pawn at f3 instead. 12. Nc3-d5? A desperation move; White ignores the weak pawn at f3, but probably saw 12,Qd2-e2, Qf6-g6 check, and is ready to try anything. 12 Qf6xf3 It's all over now for White. 13. 14. Nd5-c7 check Ba4xc6 check Ke8-d7 Kb7xc6 The horizon effect, trying to avoid fate: any human would have done the same. 15. Nc7xa8 Qf3-g2 checkmate Table 1: Score of a game played between Sargon II (with the White pieces) and three humans (with the Black pieces), one of whom is an openings expert. While Sargon lost the game, it went down fighting. This contest shows the style and limitations of the program, which played at level 3. The notation is algebraic. 116 December 1980 © BYTE Publications lric Circle 78 on inquiry card. Circle 79 on inquiry card. MUOWCMD TOLL FREE 1-800-528-1418 ATARI 800 SYSTEM MicroWorid now offers complete systems based around the Atari 800 Personal Computer! Easier to opeate, easier to own. 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AicotoriD 1425 W. 12th Place, Tempe, AZ 85281 Master Card and Visa orders welcomed! SYNCHRO-SOUND THE COMPUTER PEOPLE Texas Instruments 810 Multicopy Impact Printer ONLY Intertec Super Brain Computer Terminal $4295. Lear Siegler ADM3A ADM 3A+ Some Technology IQ 120 140 DECwriter IV LA34 Okidata Microline 80 Northstar Horizon II Horizon II Quad CROMEMCO, FLORIDA DATA SYSTEMS, SCOTCH, MAXELL, VERBATIM, ALPHA-MICRO, ATARI, INTEGRAL DATA, LIVERMORE COUPLERS, HAZELTINE, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, DIGITAL MICRO SYSTEMS and others. Ik SYNCHRO-SOUND TERPRISES, INC. THE COMPUTER PEO 193-25 Jamaica Ave. Jamaica, New Vork 11423 TWX 710-582-5886 PHONE ORDERS CALL: New York 212/468-7067 Los Angoles 213/628-1808 Chicago 312/641-3010 play. At times, Sargon II pushed its look-ahead pro- cedure to level 8. (This cannot be set from the keyboard.) Sargon pushed its pawns carefully, but blundered by trying to fight on both fronts for too long. The program finally made a critical mistake and allowed us a draw. We wound up with just the two Kings on the board. Curious- ly at that point, instead of calling a draw Sargon's King started advancing toward our King, perhaps thinking that with a hidden dagger up its sleeve, it could finish us off. Such violence would be a patent violation of chess law. Sargon II is the first chess program I have seen which has doubled its Rooks on a file with malice obviously intended. It is also the first program I've played that has actually set a trap. Perhaps this is a glimmer of artificial intelligence! The program will suggest a move for you if you type control-K. You would be wise to ignore this advice if you are an experienced player. Why? These programs play well tactically but with poor strategy. Any suggested move will be de\ Did of the strategic thought which you, as a human, ougnt to be applying. Sargon II may be the strongest chess program you can buy, dedicated chess-playing devices included. I am impressed beyond all expectation. If I were to estimate its Elo rating, I would say it is possibly 1500 at level 3. However, as with any software product, there are some minor complaints. If you bought Sargon I for $20, you may flinch at buying Sargon II for $30 ($35 on floppy disk). Such a price seems hard to justify, and you would expect that for a $30 program, the packaging would be a little better. For example, the shell of the cassette I received was the glued-together type, instead of the higher-quality shell with screws. Also, the instruction book is not what you would expect of a $30 program. The book was not carefully pro- duced and assumes too much prior knowledge on the part of the user. There is an error on page 4 where it says to type a control-R followed by a Return. If you hit the Return, you'll find yourself helplessly transferred into the monitor, and since the program is locked and protected, you'll have to reload it. Another possibility for grief lies in the use of a printer to record the game. If Sargon II changes its decision about a move, it will overwrite the previous move. This works fine for a video display, but on a printer there would be a blob after two or more move changes. About the only other request you might make of Sargon II is to have the listing of the entire game in memory instead of letting lines scroll off the top of the screen. Often a user gets too busy playing to record the game by hand. Not everyone can afford a printer; but this is a minor affair. In summary, Sargon II is about all we computer chess players could wish for in 1980. No doubt, stronger pro- grams will be written (Sargon III is still in an experimen- tal stage), but this one will keep your attention unless you are a wizard in the openings. Dan and Kathe Spracklen are to be commended for a superb implementation on the 6502 microprocessor: in fact, I give them an A+ rating for the implementation. The Spracklens and the Hayden Book Company also get a A+ for correcting the prob- lems in Sargon I, but unfortunately, Hayden gets a C on the packaging. ■ [Next month the author reviews Sargon 2.5...ed] Circle 80 on inquiry card. ^^+- Pump Up Your TRS-80 with the ES/F Mass Storage System . THESE FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES! MEET THE WAFER ▲ Actual Size Actual Thickness T CASSETTE ES/F MINI-DISK SPEED 56 (Seconds to load "Blackjack") 6 (5' wafer) 6Yz CAPACITY (thousands of bytes) 38 (C-20) 64 (75' wafer) 59 (TRSDOS) RELIABILITY (Designed for digital data?) NO YES YES SYSTEM COST (First unit plus interface) $60 $250 $800 MEDIA COST (in quantities of ten) $3.10 cassette $3.00 wafer $3.20 disk Let's face it. Cassette players were not designed to store digital data and pro- grams. That's why we designed a digital storage system using a continuous tape loop: the Exatron Stringy/ Floppy (ES/F) and the Wafer. There's no ex- pensive interface to buy-the ES/F comes ready to pump up your TRS-80.* Once your TRS-80* is pumped up by our ES/F . . . you won't want to deflate it. We're so sure, that we offer an unconditional 30-day money-back guarantee and a one-year limited war- ranty. Over 2,000 TRS-80 * owners have met the wafer . . . why don't you ^^i>> I0C^ E 01<3- BUSAK BUSRQ IC3 74LS14 ^ > O lu. IS (3 13 w o K l< — 1 All 20 CK 0SC IN RF 0U1 IC7 MC1372 RF TANK COLOR B COLOR REF COLOR A LUM RF TANK CH 0UT CH, N 12 , + 5V A10 19 31 < im ♦ 2 75 i A9 AO 16 ^50pF J* 9-25pF A7 15 A6 14 A5 13 240 A4 26 i A3 25 m 10 COLOR B 5 A 2 24 Al 23 AO 22 07 r 40 . ? 40 'V — 1 14 D6 2 D5 B iO.OlfiH D4 7 U COLOR A 7 D3 6 02 5 28 LUMINANCE AND SYNC 9 Dl 4 _ * w " DO 3 8 1 10 COLOR TV M £ a & o> o 01 ir lO K N MODULATOR I ^O.l^FS750 Figure 2: Schematic diagram of Micro- 14 |fi <„F vr graph, which continues on page 126. See 5 4 »F ti i s 14 \9 2 rrcwsf be made to the system but are not shown in figure 2. QQQO ooqq IC11 cs AM8216 0B3 082 081 DBO DIEN 1 7? a 7 DB H M N H « o o o — o — o _ o Q a O Q Q Q o IC12 rT AM8216 3 082 DB1 0B0 DIEN i ^7 13 1C 6 3 15 3 10 6 a 15 23 A 10 - B IC13 9 -3 C 74LS154 8 D 7 J G2 6 - 1 2 Gl 3 4 5 i 22 21 20 19 2 3 Il8 4 5 li 07 m '' !■ 8 a CS < < IC19 57^ 2114 VrON * <<<<<<< < ~ — _ — 1 > IC21 JJ| 2114 1 ) CS 1C23 « 2114 ¥ * tO CM . < « *■ (0 o s 51 3 2 (0 s - N *° V " to m 3 - fO -J s £ - N If D6 . *" D5 *~~ D4 . ~* D3 D2 _J H H Dl ' ' ~* l| 00 1 A9 A8 A7 * A6 A5 H ^~ A4 A3 A2 Al AO 10 u *« A « o m id 2 - cm if « r- U) A :sr ■» S! i r- H N r~ 10 in s 51 2, 2 m a H 22 8 . 1— C i£ 6 ^ IM o y- ffi < < 8 _ •— CS r- id m *r m cm " O *r ,o r^, ~ < < < cd t- id m CD l>- i0iO T row„o°P°° < < < *x -i < <<«i CS IC31 WE 2114 1 < 4 < r» f- <0 in »«inhO°Ooo 4 44 4 -a - " ■ 3 a 22 06 ob *" , D4 l i 53 02 i ~~ i r D1 "* H on ' ' A9 1 1 1 ' 1 ) AH A i A6 A'J> :<•■ .-.; ai ao ^ , B : _ ■- - V s s :. .. .., IO v K to ,,- - a «j :-- S 2 fc „ N ro ^. ^ ID in s a s: 2 2 6 _ CM m T r- W m a a a :• 5 - s _ n. «1 v ^ <0 n S3§SSS§ IC26 2114 WE 8 can intelligent Systems Corp., 128 December 19S0 § BYTE Publications Inc EDUCATIONAL L5= gl ISC's new 3650 Series: No other desktop computers have such a colorful past. • Eight-Color 128x128 Graphics • Expandable from Standard 92K to 2.6M Byte Disk Storage • Color Business Graphics and Word Processing Software • Microsoft® BASIC in ROM • RS-232C Communications Port Now from ISC, the world leader in low-cost color since 1973, comes a line of computers that give you the powerful color-graphics capability you need, with the expanded interface capability you want. For further information and the name of your nearest authorized dealer, call ISC toll-free at 800-241-4310 and ask for Ron Hinkley. Color Communicates Better intelligent Systems Corp Intecolor Drive • 225 Technology Park .'Atlanta ■ Norcross, Georgia 30092 Telephone 404,449-5961 ■ TWX 810-766-1581 Unrelouched photo of screens. Price is US. domes! + 5V A I ICyF + 7V A 11 1N4001 13 MC1372 ■12K VIDEO OUTPUT Figure 4: Optional wiring for direct video output. The Motorola MC1372 can be used to provide direct (composite) video to a video monitor, if it is available. As shown in figure 2, the MC1372 may also be used to provide an RF (radio-frequency) output for use with television set tuned to channel 3 or channel 4. o IK 2K 3K 4K 5K 6K 7K 8K 9K 10 K iik 12K 13 K 14K 15K 16 K EPROM ( FIRMWARE) - MEMORY (PRIVATE) COLOR MEMORY (SYSTEM H ONLY) MEMORY (REFRESH) - ( M R E E M F° R R E Y SH, (SYSTEM n ONLY, LEAST SIGNIFICANT BIT Hz> [28>- STATUS SIGNALS FROM PIO PORT B [30> [33> {m>- -j ^> ERROR -| ^> ERROR -| ^> FRAME INTERRUPT -j ^> OUTPUT PENDING -\ t> INPUT PENDING -| ^> EXECUTE -j ^> FETCH -| ^> INITIALIZE , TO HOST / COMPUTER PARALLEL PORT MOST SIGNIFICANT BIT LEAST SIGNIFICANT BIT COMMAND SIGNALS FROM PIO PORT A [i£>- [To> CO- UNASSIGNED -fl2> INV -f3^> A/S -f35^> A/G -T39^> CSS -f30]> GMO -(T9~> GM1 TO ) VIDEO-DISPLAY GENERATOR -[£?> GM2 MOST SIGNIFICANT BIT Figure 5: Status-port and command-port pin assignments and control-byte formats. One PIO (peripheral input/ output) port is used to communicate status information to the host processor and also to control the video-display generator. These connections must be added to figure 2. Bus Control The address and control lines are routed to 74LS367 bus drivers, where they are then passed to the memory and I/O circuitry. The top four ad- dress lines are also routed to a 74LS154 four-to-sixteen-line decoder to provide memory chip-select decoding. Finally, the two 8216 bus drivers buffer the data lines. Their direction is controlled by the DBIN signal from the shared bus. I/O Circuitry Only two PIO (peripheral- input/output) circuits are needed. PIO provides a status indication to the host through one port. (See figure 5 for the format of the status byte). The other PIO port is routed to the video-display generator to select the proper display format. (Figure 5 also provides the format of this control byte.) The second PIO circuit is used to communicate with the host corn- Figure 6: Memory map for the Micro- graph board. puter. One of the ports is used to receive data and instructions from the host (the input port), and the other port is used to transmit data back to the host (the output port). In either case, the strobe lines for both of these ports are controlled by the host to indicate that Micrograph is being sent an instruc- tion or that the host has just received a data byte. The protocol for com- municating with the host computer will be further discussed in Part 3 of this article. Refer to tables 3 and 4 on page 132 for the port assignments in the microprocessor address space. Firmware and Frame Buffer Three 2708 EPROMs (erasable pro- grammable read-only memories) are used to hold the 2.6 K bytes of the ob- ject code required to control Micrograph. Four type-2114 1024 by 4-bit static-memory devices provide the 2 K bytes needed by the firmware for variables and data for the pro- grammable character generator. Refer to figure 6 for a memory map and to tables 3 and 4 for memory and port assignments. In the frame buffer, 6 K bytes of memory are required, and 2114s are used to keep the device count low. Figure 6 provides the map for the frame-buffer memory also. That is all the hardware needed to produce a color-graphics display. Thanks to the MC6847, Micrograph can be built with only thirty-four 130 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc 5,000,000 Reasons to replace your 5-inch Floppies with a low-cost, high-performance r n ■g n- P ■ [ ' "■■ 1 ■/:> c_> «5»> <:> O ■ ^ 5 megabytes instantly expand the program and data storage horizons on your H-89, TRS-80, or s-100 microcomputer system. cjust slip 5 megabytes of on-line data storage into place in your standard 5-inch floppy disk openings, and suddenly your capability horizons have dramatically shifted, upwards. Now your CP/M* S-100 microcomputer system, or H-89 Heathkit (HDOS or CPM 2.2) computer system can utilize the kind of high-reliability and rapid- access mass storage which today's sophisticated programming demands, da company named ACT has created a complete package at a price so good, you couldn't walk away from it. The 5-Inch package Includes the remarkable Shugart Technology ST 506 hard-disk drive with 6.3 megabytes of unformatted mass storage and a micro-sequencing controller card with complete floppy disk-like Interfacing. Hard- disks have never been more affordable, nif you are wondering Just how these ultra-fast, high throughput hard-disk drives will work with your multi-terminal or real-time, transaction oriented systems: now you can get L some straight answers. Clip and mall the coupon Is^ 5 ^^ w for quick response to all your questions. Orr better yet, give us a call today at (703) 471-6288 for some no-nonsense reasons why your system needs to ACT now. Quantity pricing is available to meet the needs of Original Equipment | Manufacturers; check the box on the coupon. American Computer and Telecommunications Corporation Circle 84 on inquiry card. Clip and mail coupon to: 11301 Sunset Hills Road Suite A-4, Reston, VA 22090 (703)471-6288 Tell me more about the act 5-inch hard-disk drive package: My present 5-inch hard-disk drive interests center around: □ S-100 Microcomputer Systems □ H-89 Heathkit Computer Systems D TRS-80 Radio Shack Computer Systems □ Send me quantity price schedule Name Title Company Address _ City, State, Zip Phone ( ) DIPs (dual-in-line packages) and a handful of discrete components. Micrograph can be constructed on a single board and requires only a + 5 V, +12 V, and —5 V power sup- ply. Construction Photos la and lb show my pro- totype Micrograph. I used a universal wirewrap board, and as the photo in- dicates, a spacious layout was possi- ble as a result of the low device count. In the leftmost section of photo la are the Z80 and the two PIO devices. In the next section are part of the bus drivers and the EPROMs. In the mid- dle section are the rest of the bus drivers and some of the 2114 memory circuits. In the next and final sections are the rest of the memory integrated circuits and the video-display cir- cuitry. Note the few discrete com- ponents required: most are decou- Type of memory Address (decimal) EPROM to 3071 private memory 4096 to 6143 color memory 7168 to 7183 color memory 1 7184 to 7199 color memory 2 7200 to 7216 refresh memory 8192 to 14335 (for System I) 8192 to 16383 (for System II) Table 3: Type an d location of memory used in the Micrograph board. Port Number Device Name Use Type of Port portO PIO0, port A display control output port 1 PIOO, port A port control output port 2 PIOO, port B status output port 3 PIOO, port B port control output port 4 PIO 1, port A input input port 5 PIO 1, port A port control output port 6 PIO 1, port B output output port 7 PIO 1, port B port control output Table 4 Port numbers and their usage by Micrograph. "The MDBS data base system is fantastic!" That's the essence of this letter from Leonard L. Overton, Jr., president of LS Business Systems, Inc. Here's what he says. . . "The MDBS data base system has made a fantastic improvement in the productivity of our custom programming operation. The implementation of this system in our business has allowed us to change to a completely different concept of producing custom microcomputer based software. The old system of a myriad of files, pointers, updates, and file structures has been changed to a simple graphical representation of the data network and its logical relationships (the schema). "Representing an application with a schema that can readily be transferred to the computer through the data definition language has increased our software productivity in the following ways: 1. The system designer gets a much clearer picture of how clean, efficient, and effective his design is. Improvements are made easily and rapidly. 2. The programmer can spend his time producing the calculational and interactive parts of the system rather than getting bogged down in the intricacies of the data structure. This not only reduces the amount of code generation but also reduces programmer fatigue due to tedious repetition. 3. Communication with the end-user is much more effective when he can see an easily understood, graphical depiction of how his data will be handled. A good understanding by the end-user in the early stages of the design can eliminate costly program changes or data restructuring later. 4. Debugging time is greatly reduced and so are calls from customers who find the hidden bugs that always show up in a complex data structure written on a file basis. "In short, the MDBS data base system is not only a very effective software development tool but has become the foundation on which we are building our future applications software. This change has enabled us to produce quicker, cleaner, and more flexible applications software at a lower cost to our end-users." To find out what a fantastic job the MDBS system can do for you, see the facing page and then contact us without delay! /Wlicrc Ihini Base Systems, inc. Box 248. Lafayette, Indiana 47902 132 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 85 on inquiry card. Micro-computer data base management at its best! Get the most out of your micro-computer. Use our advanced and productive data management system. HDBS is an extended hierarchical data base system offering • fixed length records • file-level read/write protection • one-to-many set relationships MDBS is a full network data base system offered as an upgrade from HDBS. . .or it may be ideal as your initial system. Unique and versatile, it adds these features: • full network CODASYL-oriented data structures • variable length records • multiple levels of read/write protection • one-to-one, many-to-one, and many-to-many sets • non-redundancy of data, easy updating • occurrences of a record type may own other occurrences of the same type • a single set may have multiple owner and member record types MDBS-DRS.As an add-on to MDBS, the DRS system offers extraordinary flexibility in data base restructuring to meet new needs. • Item, record, and set types can be added, deleted, or renamed in an existing data base as well as other data base characteristics. You can redesign the data base after it is already on-line! MDBS-RTL. As an add-on to MDBS, the RTL (Recovery Transaction Logging) logs all data base transactions, so that in the event of a system failure, the data base can be recovered with minimal loss of information. • The recovery processor permits selective reloading of the data base from the transaction file. Users can log messages, indicate complex transaction sequences, and effect selective control over the recovery process. MDBS-QRS. An interactive Report- Writer/Query-System for HDBS/MDBS data bases. Featu res . . . • may be customized for non-technical users • complex retrieval conditions may be specified • detailed reports can be quickly generated • wildcard and "match-one" string specifications included HDBS and MDBS Packages Include: • DDL data definition language analyzer/editor • 260-page users manual • DMS data management routines callable from host language • Sample application program and DDL files • Relocator to re-org all routines • System specific manual for bringing up our software Both HDBS and MDBS Systems. . . • Run under. . . 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Support data base spread over several disk drives (max. 8); disks may be mini- or full-sized floppies or hard disks. • Available versions: Z80 (requires approx. 18K), 6502 (approx. 30K), 8080 (approx. 22K) Total memory requirement must allow for buffer areas. For Apple users, a language card is recommended. • 8086 version available. (Call or write for details and prices.) Ordering information (applicable to Z80, 8080 and 6502 versions): HDBS (Version 1.04) MDBS (Version 1.04) DRS RTL ORS HDBS upgrade lo MDBS MDBS with DRS, RTL. and ORS HDBS/MDBS Manual DRS Manual RTL Manual ORS Manual System Specific Manuals (each) $ 300.00 900.00 300.00 30000 300.00 650.00 1500.00 35.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 When ordering, specify intended use with... 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B, Box 248, Lafayette, IN 47902 317-448-1616 Circle 86 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 pling capacitors. This physical layout follows the schematic layout almost exactly. In photo lb (page 136) is a view of the wirewrap side. It took me two weekends to wrap the board, using a Slit N' Wrap tool marketed by Vector and also an electric wirewrap tool. I used Slit N' Wrap techniques for the bus and, as best as I could, tried to color-code the whole device. Any construction technology can be used to build this board, but there are a few hints I might pass along. To begin, insure that the video-modula- tor circuitry is well isolated from the rest of the system: keep the wiring as short as possible in this section. Fur- thermore, because of the relatively high frequencies used, be sure to minimize stray capacitance: a shield- ed board will help reduce in- terference. Micrograph is best built in stages. I suggest you start with the video- display generator and modulator cir- cuit. Wire this area first, then tem- porarily wire some memory on the 6847's bus. You can go ahead and supply power to this circuit to verify that your display is working proper- ly. The various modes can then be tested. At this time, you can connect the modulator to your television (use coaxial cable, and don't forget a matching transformer). When you apply power, a random pattern that reflects the mode you have selected should appear. The variable capacitor in the timing circuit can then be adjusted to produce the most pleasing colors. Once the video display is working properly, you should install the rest of the refresh memory and bus drivers. Again, repeat the checkout of the display, this time using all the refresh memory. Note that the 256 by 192 or 128 by 192 resolution modes will utilize all the memory. You might even connect an oscilloscope to the address lines to check that the lines are cycling through the entire 6 K bytes of memory. Once this portion is working, the EPROMs, Z80, and PIOs can be wired in. From this point, there is lit- tle testing to do without the necessary software, which will be discussed in Part 3. Troubleshooting a system without good tools is almost impossible. I A CREATION OF COMPUTER HEADWARE T (Wow! HMd All That Stuff get In There?) A sophisticated, self-indexing filing system— flexible, infinitely useful and easy to use, that adapts to your needs. WHATSIT's unique capabilities: Multiple Entries allowed per field: For example, a bibliographic file can associate each work with any number of authors. WHATSIT allocates file space as needed for each. New Data Fields added "on the fly": You're not confined to a particular "record layout" that must be declared in advance. Your file evolves to fit your needs. Immediate Response: Even in the largest files, WHATSIT responds in seconds, thanks to pointer linkages and hash coding. Conversational Dialogue: Query and update requests may be intermixed in any order, without returning to a "menu selector. " NEW Apple II Plus WHATSIT at special introductory price: $95 (Regular price, $150 after December 31, 1980). WHATSIT comes ready to run on your Apple, Apple II Plus, AlpaMicro NorthStar, or CP/M computer. See your dealer for a full demonstration . . .or write or call: IJAIUHIAT <§>qftwanz P.O. Box 14815 • San Francisco, CA 94114 • Tel: (415) 621-2106 found that I needed no more than a good oscilloscope to check out the system, even though I had a Hewlett- Packard 1611 Microprocessor Analyzer available. The Micrograph system has an excellent test device built in: the color display. Since the video-display generator scans all of the refresh memory, you have a visual means of checking a large por- tion of your wiring. To track down a bad memory circuit, you might selec- tively remove integrated circuits and watch how the display is affected. One final word concerning the con- struction. The system draws +5 V at about 1.5 A, so don't make your power bus small. The other supplies, since they are mainly for the EPROMs, require only a few hundred milliamperes. When powering up the system, if your supplies are indepen- dent, be certain the —5 V supply powers up first and powers down last, if it can't be done simultaneously with the rest of the power. (I didn't do it that way and, consequently, destroyed six EPROMs; then I read an obscure warning in an Intel data book.) Enhancements: System II There are a number of enhancements to the system that will increase the system performance, although I have not implemented them. The first obvious improvement is to use a Z80A (capable of using a 4 MHz clock) and run the system on the color-burst clock. This will im- mediately double the speed of the display processor. Of course, be sure that your memory is fast enough to handle the extra speed. You might also try to use dynamic memory. I used static memory to reduce the development risk and make the design and testing of the board easier, but if the timing works out, the use of dynamic memory would significantly reduce the cost of the system. These are some basic im- provements that can be made, and I'll offer some more radical changes, which I call System II. When I first designed Micrograph, I created a system consisting of over 100 DIPs for the video section alone. This design supported two formats: 128 by 128 with sixteen colors and 256 by 256 with two colors. The system also supported a color-look-up table, to allow a set of 2 12 (or 4096) possible 134 December 1980 ® BYTE Publications Inc Circle 87 on inquiry card. Circle 88 on inquiry card. THE SOLUTION STORE . . . Makes The Difference! MicroAge Computer Stores sell solutions to your professional, business and household-management problems, not just hardware. That's what makes the MicroAge difference! From systems integration to easy-to- understand application software, research and development to warranty service and repair, systems consulting to training and installation. In all these, we offer the latest, most innovative approaches. That's why we are ♦he forerunners ... the pioneers in the microcomputer industry. But don't just take our word for it. Visit the MicroAge Computer Store nearest you and see the difference solutions make. We have differences you'll experience with every time and money-saving idea. The difference that will keep you satisfied now and for years to come! MiacAge. co/MPUTer STore "Where Vision Becomes Reality" 611 Rockville Pike Rockville, Maryland (301)840-9315 5742 E. Broadway Tucson, Arizona (602) 790-8959 1 707 Monroe Avenue Rochester, New York (716) 244-9000 1220 Melbourne Drive Hurst, Texas (817)2844413 2065B El Camino Real West 83 South 10th Street 24 W. Camelback 2591 Hamilton Road Mountainview, California Mineapolis, Minnesota Phoenix, Arizona Columbus, Ohio (415)964-7063 (612)338-1777 (602)265-0065 (614)868-1550 2525 N. Scottsdale Road 1490 W. Spring Valley Road 4550-50 E. Cactus Coming SOOn tO: Scottsdale, Arizona Richardson, Texas Phoenix, Arizona El Paso, Texas (602)941-8794 (214)234-5955 (602)996-2910 Denver, Colorado FOR FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION CALL (602) 967-1421 (la) Photo 1: Two views of the completed Micrograph prototype. The use of a universal wirewrap circuit board (photo la) allows a spacious layout that almost exactly follows the schematic diagram of figure 2. Photo lb shows the wiring that required approx- imately two weekends of the author's time. A daisy-chaining wirewrap tool was used for the majority of the bus wiring, while control signals were made in the standard wirewrap fashion; power is provided to the integrated circuits via buses printed and etched on the board. mainder of the hardware and soft- ware remains the same, as does the interface between the host and Micrograph. Thus, in a sense, there is hardware independence built into the system. For that matter, you can produce just about any display resolution up to 256 by 256 with 256 colors without major modifications to the circuitry other than the video-display generator. Of course, at these higher resolutions, you need much more memory. So, for the dedicated reader, I offer this as a possible system enhancement; it's something I'm going to try next. As you can see, the design of Micrograph using the MC6847 supplies an excellent color display at a very low price. I offer a final radical change, but I haven't implemented it. In this design, we assume that the video display has the bus whenever it needs it. This scheme produces a clear, tear- free display. However, if the microprocessor is given priority for memory accesses, quality of display is traded for speed. In fact, in my ap- proach, the Z80 is only allowed con- trol of the bus around 20% of the available time. Of course, this is not a problem with a dedicated micropro- cessor. If raw speed is necessary, however, let the microprocessor have dominant bus control, and give the bus to the video-display generator only when the software permits it (such as after the display has been updated). This approach has the advantage of hav- ing a much faster processing speed. However, it has the drawback of causing a streak across the screen whenever the microprocessor is up- dating the display. Furthermore, you will need to modify the software and hardware to accommodate this ap- proach. By the way, a similar ap- proach is used by Motorola's TVBUG, a 6802/6847-based board that allows the user's system to treat the refresh memory as an intelligent peripheral. colors. However, I came across the MC6847 and decided to use this lower-risk approach to complete the system, since my main concern was the software design and instruction set. I designed the software so only one section of code must be altered to support the new display resolutions. The code already exists to support the color-look-up tables, but the MC6847 obviously does not have the capabili- ty to support such a setup. Thus, you only need to modify the video- display electronics and one section of code to produce System II. The re- Conclusion This article concludes the presenta- tion of the hardware required to sup- port Micrograph. I have examined the circuit design, discussed construc- tion details, and looked at various system enhancements. Photos 2a and 2b provide some examples of displays possible with Micrograph. 136 December 1980 '?> BYTE Publications Inc Circle 89 on inquiry card. Multi-User UniFLEX is the first full capability multi-user operating system available for microprocessors. Designed for the 6809 and 68000, it offers its users a very friendly computing environment. After a user 'logs-in' with his user name and password, any of the system programs may be run at will. One user may run the text editor while another runs BASIC and still another runs the C compiler. Each user operates in his own system environment, unaware of other user activity. The total number of users is only restricted by the resources and efficiency of the hardware in use. Suppor The design of UniFLEX, with its hierarchical file system and device independent I/O, allows the creation of a variety of complex support programs. There is currently a wide variety of software available and under development. Included in this list is a Text Processing System for word processing functions, BASIC interpreter and precompiler for general programming and educational use, native C and Pascal compilers for more advanced programming, sort/merge for business applications, and a variety of debug packages. The standard system includes a text editor, assembler, and about forty utility programs. UniFLEX for 6809 is sold with a single CPU license and one years maintenance for $450.00. Additional yearly maintenance is available for $100.00. OEM licenses are also available. FLEX Multi-Tasking UniFLEX is a true multi-tasking operating system. Not only may several users run different programs, but one user may run several programs at a time. For example, a compilation of one file could be initiated while simultaneously making changes to another file using the text editor. New tasks are generated in the system by the 'fork' operation. Tasks may be run in the background or 'locked' in main memory to assist critical response times. Inter- task communication is also supported through the 'pipe' mechanism. UniFLEX is offered for the advanced microprocessor systems. FLEX, the industry standard for 6800 and 6809 systems, is offered for smaller, single user systems. A full line of FLEX support software and OEM licenses are also available. J con/ultantr, inc. Box 2570, West Lafayette, IN 47906 (317) 463-2502 Telex 276143 '"UniFLEX and FLEX are trademarks of Technical Systems Consultants, Inc. Circle 90 on inquiry card. n DECEMBER MEMORY SPECIALS 2101 450ns 2.49 2708 450ns 6.25 2102-1 450ns .99 2716 450ns 14.95 21L02-1 450ns 1.29 2732 450ns 49.95 2112 450ns 2.99 2650 12.95 2114 450ns 4.99 2-80 9.95 4116 200ns 5.99 4116 250ns 8080A 8/39.95 3.95 OTHER SPECIALS 2N3055 10/6.99 LM723 10/3.99 95H90 7.99 LM741 10/2.99 8038 3.99 7805 10/7.99 LM380 5/4.59 7812 10/7.99 LM555 10/3.49 RED LED 100/7.99 LM556 5/3.49 GREEN LED 50/6.99 LM565 5/3.99 MAN 72 CA .3" 10/7.99 LLM56? 4/4.99 MAN 74 CC .3" 10/7.99 i LS SERIES LOOK AT THIS LS PRICING! 74LS00 .32 74LS85 1.23 74LS175 1.09 74LS02 .38 74LS86 .45 74LS191 1.31 74LS04 .35 74LS93 .71 74LS195 1.39 74LS08 .38 74LS95 1.11 74LS221 1.28 74LS10 .32 74LS109 .49 74LS240 1.89 74LS20 .35 74LS138 .79 74LS241 1.89 74LS30 .35 74LS139 .79 74LS244 1.79 74LS32 .39 74LS151 .79 74LS283 1. 03 74LS38 .39 74LS153 .79 74LS298 1.24 74LS42 .79 74LS157 .79 74LS367 .99 74LS51 .35 74LS158 .82 74LS368 .99 74LS54 .35 74LS161 .99 74LS373 1.85 74LS73 .44 74LS163 .99 74LS374 1.81 ■ 74LS74 .48 74LS174 1.19 74LS377 1.48 TTL 7400 10/1.99 74153 3/1.99 7404 10/1.99 74157 3/1.99 7447 5/2.49 74161 5/3.99 7490 5/1.99 74163 5/3.99 7493 5/1.99 74164 5/3.99 I 74151 3/1.99 74192 5/3.79 ^B LINEAR IC'S LM301-8 .34 LM555-8 .39 LM310 .64 LM556 .69 LM311-8 .64 LM565 .99 LM318-8 1.49 LM567 1.29 LM319 1.29 LM741-8 .29 LM324 .59 LM747 .79 LM377 2.29 LM1458-8 .69 LM380 1.29 LM1889 2.49 REGULATORS 7805T .89 7905T .99 781 2T .89 7912T .99 . 781 5T .99 7905K 1.29 DIP IC SWITCHES SOCKETS 4 positio .99 14 pin 10/1.49 . 5 position 1.02 16 pin 10/1.69 6 position 1.06 24 pin 4/1.00 7 position 1.09 8 position 1.14 IMSAI S-100 edge connector solder tail ^ gold 2.49 MA1012A CLOCK MODULE I Complete alarm clock module w Ml special transformer and ^^L spec sheets included. Just add switches. 8.99 3/24 ^M TERMS: Include $2.00 lor shipping. $10.00 I minimum order Send SASE for com plete catalog JDR MICRODEVICES, INC. 1101 South Winchester Blvd. 1 San Jose, California 95128 408 247-4852 Photo 2: Examples of Micrograph displays. Listing 1 contains the second third of the Micrograph software (begun in Part 1 and to be completed in Part 3). In the final part of this article, I will discuss the software needed by Micrograph to implement the instruc- tion set presented in Part 1, cover the major algorithms implemented in the system (such as the scan-line- conversion algorithm), and examine how to operate Micrograph. ■ Listing 1 begins on page 327 138 December 1980 Cc) BYTE Publications Inc DYNACOMP Quality software for: ATARI PET APPLE II Plus TRS-80 (Level II) NORTH STAR CP/M 8" Disk GAMES BRIDGE 2.0 (Available for all computers) Price: $17.95 Cassette $21.95 Diskette An all-inclusive version of this most popular of card games. This program both BIDS and PLAYS cither contract or duplicate bridge. Depending on the contract, your computer opponents will either play the offense OR defense. If you bid too high, the computer will double your contract! BRIDGE 2.0 provides challenging entertainment for advanced players and is an excellent learning tool for the bridge novice. HEARTS 1.5 (Available for all computers) Price: $14.95 Cassette $18.95 Diskette An exciting and entertaining computer version of this popular card game. Means is a trick-oriented game in which the purpose is not to take any hearts or the queen of spades. Play against two computer opponents who are armed with hard-to-beat playing strategies. CR1BBAGE 2.0 (TRS-80 only) Price: $14.95 Cassette $18.95 Diskette This is a well-designed and nicely executed two-handed version of the classic card game, cribbage. It is an excellent program Tor the cribbage player in search of a worthy opponent as well as the beginner wishing to learn the game, in particular the scoring and jargon. The standard cribbage score board is continually shown at the top of the display (utilizing the TRS-80's graphics capabilities), with the cards shown underneath. The computer automatically scores and also announces the points using the tradi- tional phrases. CHESS MASTER (North Star and TRS-80 only) Price: $19.95 Cassette $23.95 Diskette This complete and very powerful program provides five levels of play. It includes castling, en passant captures and the promotion of pawns. Additionally, the board may be preset before the start of play, permitting the examination of "book" plays. To maximize execution speed, the program is written in assembly language (by SOFTWARE SPECIALISTS of California). Full graphics are employed in the TRS-80 version, and two widths of alphanumeric display arc provided to accommodate North Star users. STARTREK 3.2 (Available for all computers) Price: S 9.95 Cassette $13.95 Diskette This is the classic Startrek simulation, but with several new features. For example, the Klingons now shoot at the Enterprise without warning while also attacking starbases in other quadrants. The Klingons also attack with both light and heavy cruisers and move when shot at! The situation is hectic when the Enterprise is besieged by three heavy cruisers and a starbasc S.O.S. is received! The Klingons get even! SPACE TILT (Apple only) Price: $10.95 Cassette $14.95 Diskette Vac the game paddles to tilt the plane of the TV screen to "roll" a ball into a hole in the screen. Sound simple? Not when the hole gets smaller and smaller! A built-in timer allows you to measure your skill against others in this habit-forming action game. GAMES PACK I and GAMES PACK II Price: $ 9.95 each, Cassette $13.95 each. Diskette GAMES PACK 1 contains BLACKJACK, LUNAR LANDER, CRAPS. HORSERACE, SWITCH and more. GAMES PACK II includes CRAZY EIGHTS, JOTTO, ACEY-DUCEY, LIFE, WUMPUS and others. Available for all computers. Why pay S5.9S or more per program when you can buy a DYNACOMP collection for just $9.95? STUD POKER (ATARI only) Price: $11.95 Cassette $15.95 Diskette This is the classic gambler's card game. The computer deals the cards one at a time and you (and the computer) bet on what you see. The computer does not cheat and usually bets the odds. However, it sometimes bluffs! Also included is a five card draw poker betting practice program. This package will run on a IfiK ATARI. STATISTICS and ENGINEERING DATA SMOOTHER (Available for all computers) Price: $14.95 Cassette $18.95 Diskette This special data smoothing program may be used to rapidly derive useful information from noisy business and engineering data which arc equally spaced. The software features choice in degree and range of Tit, as well as smoothed first and second derivative calculation. Also included is automatic plotting of the input data and smoothed results. FOURIER ANALYZER (Available for all computers) Price: S14.95 Cassette $18.95 Diskette Use this program to examine the frequency spectra of limited duration signals. The program features automatic scaling and plotting or the input data and results. Practical applications include the analysis of complicated patterns in such fields as electronics, communications and business. TFA (Transfer Function Analyzer) Price: $19.95 Cassette $23.95 Diskette This is a special software package which may be used to evaluate the transfer functions of systems such as hi-fi amplifiers and filters by examining their response to pulsed inputs. TFA is a major modification of FOURIER ANALYZER and contains an engineering-oriented decibel versus log-frequency plot as well as data editing features. Whereas FOURIER ANALYZER is designed for educational and scien- tific use, TFA is an engineering tool. Available for all computers. FOURIER ANALYZER Hnd TFA may be purchased together for a combined price of $29.95 (Cassettes) and $37.95 (Diskettes). REGRESSION I (Available for all computers) Price: $19.95 Cassette $23.95 Diskette REGRESSION I is a unique and exceptionally versatile one-dimensional least squares "polynomial" curve fitting program. Features include very high accuracy; an automatic degree determination option; an extensive internal library of fitting functions; data editing; automatic data and curve plotting; a statistical analysis (e.g., standard deviation, correlation coefficient, etc.) and much more. In addition, new fits may be tried without reentering the data. REGRESSION I is certainly the cornerstone program in any data analysis software library. REGRESSION II (PARAFIT) (Available for all computers) Price: $19.95 Cassette $23.95 Diskette PARAFIT is designed to handle those cases in which the parameters are imbedded (possibly nonlinear- ly)in the fitting function. The user simply inserts the functional form, including the parameters (A(l), Ail), etc.) as one or more BASIC statement lines. Data and results may be manipulated and plotted as with REGRESSION 1. Use REGRESSION I for polynomial fitting, and PARAFIT for those com- plicated functions. REGRESSION I and II may be purchased together for S36.95 (cassettes) and $44. 95 (diskettes) Availability DYNACOMP software is supplied with complete documentation containing clear explanations and examples. All programs will run within I6K program memory space (ATARI requires 24K). Except where noted, programs are available on ATARI, PET, TRS-80 (Level II) and Apple (Applesoft) cassette and diskette as well as North Star single density (double density compatible) diskette. Additionally, most pro- grams can be obtained on standard 8" CP/M floppy disks for systems running under MBAS1C. BUSINESS and UTILITIES MAIL LIST II (North Star only) Price: $21.95 This many-featured program now includes full alphabetic and lip code sorting as well as file merging. Entries can be retrieved by user-defined code, client name or Zip Code. The printout format allows the use of standard size address labels. Each diskette can store more than 1 100 entries (single density; over 2200 with double density systems)! TEXT EDITOR I (Letter Writer) Price: $14.95 Cassette $18.95 Diskette An easy to use, line-oriented text editor which provides variable line widths and simple paragraph in- dexing. This text editor is ideally suited for composing letters and is quite capable of handling much larger jobs. Available for all computers. FINDIT (North Star only) Price: $19.95 This is a thrcc-in-onc program which maintains information accessible by keywords of three types: Per- sonal (e.g., last name). Commercial (eg: plumbers) and Reference (eg: magazine articles, record albums, etc). In addition to keyword searches, there are birthday, anniversary and appointment search- es for the personal records and appointment searches for the commercial records. Reference records are accessed by a single keyword or by cross-referencing two or three keywords. DFILE (North Star only) Price: $19.95 This handy program allows North Star users to maintain a specialized data base of all files and pro- grams in the stack of disks which invariably accumulates. DFILE is easy to set up and use. It will organize your disks to provide efficient locating of the desired file or program. COMPARE (North Star only) Price: $12.95 COMPARE is a single disk utility software package which compares two BASIC programs and dis- plays the file sizes of the programs in bytes, the lengths in terms of the number of statement lines, and the line numbers at which various listed differences occur. COMPARE permits the user to examine ver- sions of his software to verify which arc the more current, and to clearly identify the changes made dur- ing development. COMPRESS (North Star only) Price: $12.95 COMPRESS is a single-disk utility program which removes all unnecessary spaces and (optionally) REMark statements from North Star BASIC programs. The source file is processed one line at a time, thus permitting very large programs (o be compressed using only a small amount of computer memory. File compressions of 20-5096 are commonly achieved. GRAFIX (TRS-80 only ) Price: $12.95 Cassette $16.95 Diskette This unique program allows you to easily create graphics directly from the keyboard. You "draw" your figure using the program's extensive cursor controls. Once the figure is made, it is automatically appended to your BASIC program as a string variable. Draw a "happy face", call it H5 and then print it from your program using PRINT HS! This is a very easy way to create and save graphics. TIDY (TRS-80 only) Price: $10.95 Cassette $14.95 Diskette TIDY is an assembly language program which allows you to renumber the lines in your BASIC pro- grams. TIDY also removes unnecessary spaces and REMark statements. The result is a compacted BASIC program which uses much less memory space and executes significantly faster. Once loaded, TIDY remains in memory; you may load any number of BASIC programs without having to reload TIDY! SIMULATIONS and EDUCATION BLACK HOLE (Apple only) Price: $14.95 Cassette $18.95 Diskette This is an exciting graphical simulation of the problems involved in closely observing a black hole with a space probe. The object is to enter and maintain, for a prescribed time, an orbit close to a small black hole. This is to be achieved without coming so near the anomaly that the tidal stress destroys the probe. Control of the craft is realistically simulated using side jets for rotation and main thrusters for accelera- tion. This program employs Hi-Res graphics and is educational as well as challenging. VALDEZ (Available for all computers) Price: $14.95 Cassette $18.95 Diskette A simulation of supertanker navigation in the Prince William Sound and Valdez Narrows. The pro- gram uses an extensive 256X256 element radar map and employs physical models of ship response and tidal patterns, Chart your own course through ship and iceberg traffic. Any standard terminal may be used for display. FLIGHT SIMULATOR (Available for all computers) Price: $17.95 Cassette $21.95 Diskette A realistic and extensive mathematical simulation of take-off, flight and landing. The program utilizes aerodynamic equations and the characteristics of a real airfoil. You can practice instrument approaches and navigation using radials and compass headings. The more advanced flyer can also perform loops, half-rolls and similar acrobatic maneuvers. TEACHER'S PET I (Available for aU computers) Price: $ 9.95 Cassette $13.95 Diskette This is the first of DYNACOMP's educational packages. Primarily intended for pre-school to grade 3, TEACHER'S PET provides the young student with counting practice, letter-word recognition and three levels of math skill exercises. Ordering Information All orders arc processed and shipped postpaid wilhin 48 hours. Please enclose payment with order along with computer information. If paying by VISA or Master Card, include all numbers on card. For orders outside North America add !0 e < for shipping and handling. Add S2.50 to diskette price for 8" floppy disk (soft sectored. CP/M, Microsoft BASIC) Deduct 10% when ordering 3 or more programs. Ask for DYNACOMP programs at your local software dealer. Write for detailed descriptions of these and other programs from DYNACOMP. DYNACOMP, Inc. 6 Rippingale Road ^^=, Pittsford, New York 14534 (716) 586-7579 New York SUM resident, pltue .dd 7* NYS sile* In, Circle 117 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 139 Q ATARI©©© And one that costs you a buck. One: Buy a new TeleLink® I cartridge for your ATARI 400® or ATARI 800® computer and get one free hour of CompuServe Information Service time. Two: Visit a Radio Shack® computer center. Most are equipped to access the CompuServe Information Service now. Log in and see what you can get. The service is compatible with any TRS-80® including the new VIDEOTEX® unit. Three: Send $1.00 to us and we'll send you the current "menu" of services, including the sophisticated big mainframe power of Micro NET. Send $1.00, name and address to: CompuServe, Information Service Division, 5000 Arlington Centre Boulevard, Columbus, Ohio 43220. Radio Shack, TRS-80 and Videotex are trademarks of Tandy Corporation. ATARI 400 and ATARI ROO are trademarks of ATARI, Inc. Circle 91 on inquiry card. All this is yours to command. Access to news and entertainment data bases, computer games and art, regional newspapers, newsletters, programs, languages, storage (up to 128k free!) and lots more is yours for 8V3 cents per minute (between the hours of 6 pm and 5 am weekdays and all day weekends), billed to your charge card. It's a local phone hook-up in more than 260 U.S. cities. CompuServe is working with 11 major regional newspapers to bring you their electronic editions, as well as the Associated Press news and sports wires. Simple games and graphics for the beginner. And, when you're ready — try the really tough ones on MicroNET (see MicroNET service). You haven't lived until you discover a player from Los Angeles in your dungeon! CompuServe is continually adding new on-line information resources. So, order our current menu and watch for new features such as an electronic encyclo- pedia, travel infor- mation, food preparation and gardening tips, government pub- lication data — and much more! MicroQuote has his- torical and statistical data on almost every stock, bond or option you can buy. Corporate financial information, commodity prices and financial newsletters are also available. And, when you're ready for big-time computer action. . . You need a computer to use all the MicroNET services which put you in command of our big, fast mainframe computers. But even with the simplest terminal you can send electronic mail to any other user, use the CB simulator, and try to zap the enemy's spaceships in real — and very fast — time. Many networking multi-player games available. See for yourself what a state-of-the-art electronic information service can do. Get a demonstration at a Radio Shack* computer center or send $1.00 for a current menu today. Not 1985. NOW! CompuServe Information Service Division 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd. Columbus, Ohio 43220 (614) 457-8600 Circle 91 on inquiry card. A Simplified Theory of Video Graphics Part 2 Allen Watson III 1261 Robbia Ct Sunnyvale CA 94087 Color Television To produce color television dis- plays we need a picture tube with a phosphor screen that can be made to glow in different colors. This is done by a method similar to the half-tone method of color printing; a full-color picture is made by superimposing three single-color images made up of very small dots. At the normal view- ing distance the dots are too small for the human eye to resolve, so that the colors appear to merge into a single image. The inside of a color television screen is covered with an array of small dots of three different phos- phors that glow in red, green, a blue when struck by electrons. By careful- ly controlling the brightness of each colored dot we can produce any color we desire. (See text box, "The Primary Colors".) The major problem is independent color control. We need three separate electron beams (ie: one for each col- or) arranged so one beam strikes only the red phosphor dots, one beam strikes the green dots, and one beam strikes the blue dots. It is not practical Note that the numbers used for figures, photos, and tables in this article have been con- tinued from Part 1, which appeared in the November 1980 BYTE, page 180. to aim the beams this precisely; in- stead, a shadow mask is used. The shadow mask is a perforated metal plate placed just behind the phosphor screen in the picture tube. The three electron beams can strike the phos- phor dots only after passing through holes in the mask. The electron guns that produce the beams are posi- tioned so each beam strikes only dots of the correct color; thus each gun casts an electron "shadow" on phos- phors of the other colors. Brightness of each of the primary colors is con- trolled by the intensity of the cor- responding electron beam. Color by Direct Drive A straightforward approach to col- or computer displays uses three iden- tical video-refresh circuits, each with its own refresh memory, in order to generate separate signals for the three electron guns. This approach is rela- tively expensive; it takes three times as much refresh memory as an equiv- alent black-and-white display. If this method were used with the 200 by 300 dot display example discussed in Part 1 of this article, 3 X 7500 = 22,500 bytes of refresh memory would be required. We can have a more economical system using direct drive of the three colors, but using only one refresh memory. (Some switching circuitry is necessary to display two colors in- stead of black and white.) With a special-character graphics system, we can use a few of our extra character codes to select the colors. The color displayed in place of white is called the foreground color and the one dis- played instead of black is called the background. By inserting color-select characters wherever they are needed, it is possible to make different parts of the display show different colors. If each of the electron guns is either on or off, the colors available with this system will be the eight possible combinations of the three primary colors: 1. no color, or black 2. red 3. green 4. blue 5. red + green = yellow 6. green + blue = cyan 7. blue + red = magenta 8. all three = white The main drawback to the use of direct drive (often referred to as R-G- B) is the cost of the color monitor. Professional monitors with separate red, green, and blue video inputs are not mass-produced, so they are quite expensive. Compucolor, the only per- sonal computer manufacturer using direct-drive color, builds a low-cost 142 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc THE DAWN OF A NEW AGE The 2nd Generation is here! MEASUREMENT systems & controls proudly introduces its new and exciting "2nd Generation" family of S-100* compatible products. Each has been specifically designed for use with multi-user and network operating systems such as MP/M, CP/NET, and OASIS. Every product is fully tested and burned- in, comes with a 1 year guarantee, and offers you features not currently available from any other source. Z80 PROCESSOR BOARD — The most powerful CPU board available today. Outstanding features include 4MHz operation, high-speed serial and parallel I/O utilizing DMA or programmed control, eight vectored priority interrupts, and a real time clock. MULTI-USER SERIAL I/O BOARD — For use in expanded systems requiring up to eight additional serial I/O ports. Features include: 16 maskable *AII products meet the new IEEE standards. Systems a Division of MEASUREMENT systems 8. controls incorporated vectored priority interrupts, RS-232C interfaces with full handshake, asynchronous or synchronous operation with asynchronous baud rates to 19,200. Available in four or eight channel versions. DOUBLE DENSITY FLOPPY DISK CONTROLLER BOARD- controls up to four 5 1 /4- inch or 8-inch disk drives using IBM soft sectored formats. It features 1K of on-board buffering, DMA controlled data transfers and the per- formance character- istics of the superior NEC 765 chip. 64K BANK SELECTABLE MEMORY BOARD - Features include I/O port addressing for bank select with 256 switch selectable I/O ports for the memory bank addressing. The memory is configured as four totally independent 16K software-selectable banks, with each bank addressable on any 16K boundary. "Attractive Dealer & OEM Prices" ~ See your nearest computer dealer, or contact us for the complete story on The 2nd Generation. 867 North Main St. / Orange, Calif. 92668 (714) 633-4460 TWX / TELEX: 678 401 TAB IRIN The Primary Colors In grammar school, most of us were taught that there are three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) and that any other color can be produced by mixing these three. You may be wondering how color television manages to use red, green, and blue as its primary col- ors. First of all, the primary colors we learned in school are appro- priate only for pigments such as paints and crayons; light sources such as the glowing phosphor dots in a color picture tube don't work the same way. The creation of a color by mix- ing pigments relies on the subtrac- tion (or partial absorption) of colors from the light falling on the pigment. If you mix pigments without adding white, the image gets darker. However, creating a color by mixing light works by ad- dition, so if you combine several colors of light, the result is lighter. Complementary colors are es- sentially opposites: if you mix complementary-colored pigments the resulting color is black, but if you mix complementary-colored beams of light, the resulting color is white. This "symmetry" means that primary colors for light will be the complements of primary colors for pigments. This still sounds paradoxical: how can red, green, and blue be the complements of red, yellow, and blue? This apparent problem is caused by the vagueness of our col- or names. The colors in the two sets of primaries are actually all different, but one color in each set is reddish and one is bluish. You can see examples of the pigment primaries by examining a printed reproduction of a color photo- graph in which the printing plates are out of register. Here you can perceive the colors of the inks and that the "red" ink is actually red- violet, or magenta, and that the "blue" ink is blue-green, or cyan. To see the primary colors used in television, try viewing a color test pattern by tuning to a televi- sion station before it is broad- casting programs. If you adjust your television set's color controls so the primaries are as pure as possible, you will find the green slightly yellowish, the red a bit orangy, and the blue almost in- digo. If we arbitrarily use our vague color names for specific col- ors and call the television prima- ries red, green, and blue, we must call the pigment primaries magen- ta, yellow, and cyan to avoid con- fusion. The two sets of primary colors make up complementary pairs, like this: Lights red green blue Pigments cyan magenta yellow color monitor into the computer in order to keep the total system cost reasonably low. Color by Subcarrier Another method of avoiding a high-priced color monitor is to use an ordinary color television set to dis- play computer video. Even with the addition of extra circuitry needed to pick up broadcasts, home television sets cost less than professional monitors. However, there are draw- backs to the use of a television set. A color television set is designed to accept a VHF (very-high-frequency) radio signal or carrier that is modu- lated by a composite- video signal. This signal consists of horizontal and vertical synchronizing pulses, black- and-white picture information (called luminance), and a 3.58 MHz subcar- rier that contains the color informa- tion (called chrominance). The sub- carrier is modulated by the color in- formation in such a way that the amplitude of the 3.58 HMz signal determines the intensity of the color at each point in the picture; the phase of the signal determines the actual color displayed. (Refer to the text box, "Outline of NTSC Color Stan- dards.") Remember that the video signal developed from memory produces output pulses at the appropriate times during the raster-scanning process. This creates dots of light on the display screen. It is convenient to design computer video circuits so each dot corresponds to a half cycle of the 3.58 MHz color subcarrier. If several dots are adjacent, the output will be a continuous high-level signal; this will appear on the screen as a white line as wide as the number of dots. If we alternate dots and spaces, the signal will consist of alternating high and low levels, each a half cycle wide, creating a square wave at the 3.58 MHz subcarrier frequency. The television set decodes the amplitude of the 3.58 MHz component of the composite video as the intensity of the color to be displayed, so what was sent out as a string of dots and spaces will be displayed as a brightly colored solid line. The color that is displayed depends on the phase of the color subcarrier. The timing of the dots generated by the video-refresh circuits determines their phase. For example, with dots corresponding to half cycles, inter- changing dots and spaces is equiva- lent to a phase reversal, or a 180° phase shift, which will produce the complement of the first color. To pro- duce more colors, we must make smaller changes in the timing of the dots. The half-cycle dots are pro- duced by computer circuits running at twice the color subcarrier frequen- cy, or 7.16 MHz. If we make our cir- cuits run twice as fast (14.3 MHz), we can put dots on quarter-cycle inter- vals and have 90° phase differences. With the half-cycle dots this would give us four colors in addition to black and white. Bit mapping is not the only way to produce NTSC (National Television System Committee) color signals. Our computer can have circuits that work like character generators, to decode different values of refresh data into appropriate dot patterns, for even more colors. The circuits can produce dots a quarter-cycle long, separated by spaces three-quarters of a cycle long and vice versa, which are still at the frequency of 3.58 MHz. The quarter-cycle dots can be at any of four phases, as can the three- quarter cycle dots, giving us eight more colors for a total of twelve, plus black and white. The quarter-dot col- ors will have a low average voltage level and, hence, lower brightness when compared to the longer three- quarter cycle dots. In other words, four of the twelve colors produced by this technique will be dark, four will be medium bright, and the re- Text continued on page 150 144 December 1980 S BYTE Publications Inc Circle 92 on inquiry card. Software for People who areri :; ''«.'■ ■'i' |,,, jk'?. 1 1 ■ ,*''. I 't Easy to Please. 1 High quality pretested inter- active application software packages for personal and small business computers designed by experts — Datasoft. Proven standard accounting and inventory control functions — Datasoft. Special market packages for attorneys, physicians, wholesalers and retailers — Datasoft. Complete documentation — Datasoft. Sophisticated electronic games — Datasoft. Great dealer discounts — Datasoft. Total support — Datasoft. Best value — Datasoft. Guaranteed — Datasoft. Mail this coupon today or call now for faster delivery — (800) 896-5630 Hurry, send details on: □ Business software □ Personal soft- ware □ Dealer information □ Programmer □ Consumer □ Educational Datasoft Inc., 16606 Schoenborn St.Sepulveda, CA 91343, (213) 894-9154 Type of computer owned Company/Name Address. City_ State. Zip. Phone Dealer inquiries invited PaU < p(r3 Pops COMPUTER SOFTWARE Circle 93 on inquiry card. Price/Performance Breakthrough! Mouro MP-250 Prooc The $695 pen plotter that gives professional accuracy with superb line quality! Mauro's design innovations make it possible to produce a high quality, low cost plotter that out-performs every other plotter of comparable price on the market today. In fact, its line quality matches that of plotters costing $2,000 or more. Proac draws with .005"/step resolution and ± 0.5% @ 17" degree of accuracy at speeds of 2.5" per second or higher. A unique multi-point paper drive helps achieve this level of accuracy, making Proac suitable for a wide variety of applications for which Mauro is developing supportive software. Programs currently available include: [I] Complete 2D and perspective plotting, in- cluding ASCII and curve generation which are available as relative linking libraries (L80) for Microsoft compatible software products, Fortran-80, Cobol-80, Compiler Basic, and Macro-80 in CP/M compatible files on 8" IBM-3740 or $V*" Northstar formatted disks. [2] Apple II UCSD Pascal implemen- tation of Turtle Graphics including full 128 ASCII character set; Pascal subroutines are Fortran compatible. [3] Complete scientific and business data graphing package for Ap- ple II. Includes data editor, Hi Res screen preview, Axis tic marks, labeling and scaling, data overlays, names and comments, point, line, bar, and pie graphs, 128 ASCII charac- ter set, data file handling. [4] Schematic drawing system for TRS-80. Has two font system: .15" grid for B size, and .1" for A size drawings. Comes complete with predefined symbols for standard logic, linear devices, passive and active components, con- nectors, and 128 ASCII character set. System is menu driven with placement of symbols and interconnectors done under cursor con- trol on the screen before plotting. Other soft- ware is in development and will be available upon completion. Proac comes with full vector driving software for 8080, 6502, and 6800 based com- puters. Interfaces are available for Apple, TRS-80 and PET. With the addition of an "intelligent" serial interface, Proac becomes compatible with any computer. Contact Mauro Engineering about com- plete information and specifications for MP- 250 Proac and available software. MAURO ENGINEERING Rt. 1, Box 133, Mount Shasta, CA 96067 Telephone 916 926-4406 146 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Outline of the NTSC Color Standards In 1953 the NTSC (National Television System Committee) an- nounced a method of color tele- vision broadcasting that was adopted as the US standard. The NTSC system superimposes color picture information onto the older black-and-white signal in such a way that the resulting composite signal is compatible with the old standards. This means that color broadcasts may be viewed on black-and-white sets (and vice versa), and this made it possible to continue using black-and-white equipment. A color television camera is essentially a combination of three monochrome (ie: black-and-white) cameras, each viewing the same scene through a different colored filter. The most straightforward way to transmit color television in- to the home would be to send these three signals over the air, but that would require the equivalent of three television channels and would not be economically feasi- ble. Studies of human vision have shown that fine details in color are not resolved as well as they are in black-and-white. This is fortunate since it allows transmission of col- or picture information with a much narrower bandwidth than three separate channels would re- quire. In order to take advantage of this effect, the NTS.C technique converts the three signals from a color camera into one full-re- solution black-and-white signal called the luminance signal, and two color-difference signals called chrominance signals (which are filtered to limit their bandwidth, thereby decreasing their resolu- tion). The total bandwidth required for the luminance signal plus the two chrominance signals is about 40% greater than the bandwidth of a black-and-white signal, still too broad to keep within the 4.5 MHz bandwidth that was originally allocated for the video signal. The NTSC system puts the chromi- nance signals into the band that is already occupied by the luminance signal. This trick is accomplished by putting the chrominance signals onto a subcarrier, which is then added to the luminance signal. The subcarrier is so called because, while it modulates the radio-fre- quency carrier along with the nor- mal video signal, it is also a car- rier. The subcarrier frequency must be higher than that of the informa- tion it is to carry, although there is a maximum frequency that will still fit within the 4.5 MHz band- width. Another reason for putting the subcarrier at a relatively high frequency is that the luminance signal has less energy at higher frequencies, so there is less inter- ference between the luminance and the subcarrier. There are still more complex aspects of the NTSC tech- nique required to minimize this in- terference and to preserve certain other characteristics of the original black-and-white television signal, but their importance in computer applications is not great enough to warrant a full description here. The net result is that the horizontal line frequency is changed slightly in the NTSC system, to 15,734.26 Hz, and the color subcarrier is put at 3.579545 MHz. This is usually referred to as the 3.58 MHz color subcarrier. The two chrominance signals modulate the 3.58 MHz subcarrier together in such a way that the resulting signal has an intensity or amplitude proportional to the amount of color at each point in the picture and a phase that deter- mines the particular color. There must be a standard phase for the receiving set to refer to in decoding the color information, so a short burst of unmodulated 3.58 MHz subcarrier is transmitted during part of each horizontal retrace in- terval. This so-called color burst is used by the receiver to generate a reference subcarrier phase. It turns out that most television sets don't do a very good job of separating the chrominance and luminance signals that are com- bined so cleverly in the NTSC sys- tem. Compromises made in the in- terests of lower cost cause most sets to lose the fine detail in the pic- ture and pick it up as chrominance instead. This means that fine ver- tical black-and-white stripes will sometimes produce spurious colors on the screen. You can see this ef- fect by watching for colored streaks across those striped shirts worn by news announcers. If you just bought another printer, boy are you gonna be sorry. Epson. The Epson MX-80. It's not just another worked- over rehash of last year's model. It's our top-of- the-line 80-column printer. It's new. From the ground up. And it's the most revolutionary printer to hit the market since Epson invented small printers for the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Don't take our word for it, though. Compare. There simply isn't a better value in an 80-column printer. Period. But here's the fact that's going to stand the printer world on its ear. The MX-80 sports the world's first disposable print head. After it's printed about 50 million characters, you can throw it away. Because a new one costs less than $30, and the only tool you need to change it is at- tached to the end of your arm. Now that's revolutionary, but that's only the beginning. The MX-80 also prints bidirec- tionally at 80 CPS with a logi- cal seeking function to mini- mize print head travel time The world's first disposable print liead. It has a life expectancy/ of over 50 million characters, yet it's so simple, you can cliange it with one hand. And it costs less than -repeat less than -$30. and maximize throughput. It prints 96 ASCII, 64 graphic and eight international characters in a tack-sharp 9x9 matrix. And it provides a user- defined choice of 40, 80, 66 or 132 columns and multiple type fonts. We spent three long years developing the MX-80 as the first of a revolutionary series of Epson MX Printers. We employed the most ad- vanced automatic assembly and machining techniques in existence to produce a printer that is incredibly versatile, remarkably reliable and extraordinarily inexpensive. It's a printer that could only come from the world's largest man- ufacturer of print mechanisms: Epson. If it sounds like we're proud of the MX-80, we are. Not only does it do things some of the world's most ex- pensive printers can't do, it'll do them for you for less than $650. That's right. Under $650. And if that isn't revolution- ary, we don't know what is. EPSON EPSON AMERICA, INC. 23844 Hawthorne Boulevard, Torrance, California 90505, Telephone (213) 378-2220 Circle 94 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 147 THETYPRINTER221 The TYPRINTER 221 is the only intelligent printer'that is Totally Compatible with every computer and all word processing software. Features such as Automatic Underlining, Automatic Bold Print, Reverse Print, Columnization, Decimal Location are all included at no extra cost. This daisy wheel printer prints 20 characters per second with Pica, Elite or Mikron size type. Standard Centronics type interface, RS-232 or IEEE available. This incredible printer can be used off-line as a typewriter with a 17" paper width capacity. Unit has a non-volatile resident memory for: Automatic recall of often-used formats, Automatic recall of often-used phrases.This is the only printer in the world that can be programmed for use with any word processing software. $2850.00 THE MICROLINE-80 The Microline-80 offers business-quality and reliability at an attractive price. Small and lightweight, it easily fits in an attache case. It operates at 80 characters per second, and accomodates three-part forms up to 9.5" in width. It can switch from standard 80 column printing at ten characters per inch to 132 column condensed printing at 16.5 characters per inch. The condensed printing, combined with program controlled line spacing at six and eight lines per inch, provides for substantial savings in paper. Features: Upper and Lower Case, Centronic Interface, 9x7 Matrix, Block Graphics, 110V/220V 50/60 cps, Friction & Pin-Feed. $639.00 PRINTERS COMPUTERS LIST PRICE OUR PRICE Centronics 730 $795.00 $749.00 Centronics 730-3 $895.00 $795.00 Centronics 737 $995.00 $869.00 Centronics 779 w/lower case $1595.00 $1 195.00 Epson MX-80 $645.00 $599.00 LRC 7000 + (64 col.) $405.00 $299.00 NEC 5510 SplnWrlter $3195.00 $2695.00 NEC 5520 SplnWrlter $3395.00 $2995.00 NEC 5530 SplnWrlter $3195.00 $2595.00 NEC Tractor-Feed Option $249.00 $225.00 Okldata Microline-80 $800.00 $699.00 Okldata Microllne-82 $960.00 $799.00 Okldata Slimline SL300 $5380.00 $4395.00 TYPRINTER 221 $2850.00 Vista V300 $1895.00 $1795.00 LIST PRICE OUR PRICE Model I, Level II, 4K $649.00 $619.00 Model I, 16K no keypad $768.00 $669.00 Model I, 16K w/keypad $849.00 $729.00 Model II, 64K Ram $3899.00 $3799.00 Model III, 16K Ram $999.00 $929.00 Model III, 32K Dual Disk $2495.00 $2299.00 Pocket Computer w/lnterface $289.95 $269.00 TRS-80 Color Computer $399.00 $359.00 TRS-80 Color Computer Expanded $599.00 $519.00 Atari 400 Computer System, 8K $629.95 $499.00 ATARI 800 Computer System, 16K . . . . $1079.95 $849.00 16K APPLE II Computer $1195.00 $999.00 16K APPLE II + Computer $1195.00 $999.00 32K APPLE II + Computer $1295.00 $1059.00 48K APPLE II + Computer $1395.00 $1119.00 TERMS: Prices and specifications are subject to change. HARDSIDE accepts VISA & MASTERCARD, Certified checks & Money Orders; Personal checks accepted (allow 3 weeks to clear). HARDSIDE pays all shipping charges (within 48 states) on all PREPAID orders OVER $100.00. UPS Blue Label or Air Freight is available at extra cost. COD orders accepted (orders over $100 require 25% deposit). 148 BYTE December 1980 Circle 165 on inquiry card. The Software Exchange bScxithStn\H,lkKM,Miliord,NU(W5 r i CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-258-1790 (in NH call 673-5144) A We hove it oil under one roof! At TSE we stock our shelves with only the finest products available to make your micro-merchandise shopping a pleasure. So the next time you're considering a purchase for your micro, just pick up the telephone and dial our toll-free number (1-800-258-1790) to get in touch with all that counts in the micro industry. SOFTWARE HARDWARE • Microsoft • Radio Shack • Apparat • Commodore Pet • Racet • Atari • Hayden • Percom • Muse • Centronics • Creative Computing • NEC • Personal Software • Sun • Scott Adams • Okidata • Acorn Software • Source/Telecomputing • Synergistics • Computer Case Co. • Strategic Simulations • MicroMint • Lance Micklus • Eaton LRC • Softape • Cover Craft • Quality Software • BSR • Web Associates • BASF • Small System Software • Corvus • Image • Archbold Electronics • On-Line Systems • ESP • Ritam • Novation • Avalon Hill • Big Five • Micro Lab • Programmers Guild • Quality Software Distributors Send $1.00 for our catalog, and receive a $2.00 credit toward your next purchase. Circle 166 Dn inquiry card. BOOKS • Hayden • Wiley • Scelbi • Compusoft • Dilithium • Sams • Radio Shack • SoftSide • Addison Wesley • Computer Science Press • Rainbow Associates • Plus much more! COMPUTER CIRCUITS DISPLAY REFRESH MEMORY C ) ( DISPLAY VIDEO REFRESH CIRCUITS II Figure 2: The cause of video-display dropouts. Several popular microprocessor systems use a display scheme that switches the refresh memory out of the video-refresh circuitry whenever some refresh memory location is changed. This is interpreted by the display as a blank line on the screen for a short interval. Text continued from page 144: maining four will be pastels. (See photo 2 on page 152.) This method of color production has some drawbacks. For one thing, it produces spurious black or white margins wherever certain color areas touch. This is due to the behavior of the dot patterns. If the dot pattern for green is binary 0101 and the pattern for magenta is 1010, you can see that there will be either two dots together or two spaces together whenever a green area is next to a magenta one. Mountain Computer can now EXPAND Your Apple II Peripheral Capacity EXPANSION CHASSIS Quality You Expect Eight more slots for your Apple! Now you can bank-select eight more peripheral slots with immediate or deferred software commands — like having up to 15 peripheral cards "on line"— or use the Select/Deselect switch mounted on the front panel. Expansion Chassis' heavy-duty power supply is primarily for peripherals, without the heavy demand of motherboard support chips required in your Apple. This means much more power is available for peri- pherals than in your Apple itself! If you've run out of room in your Apple— Expansion Chassis is your answer. Drop by your Apple dealer for a demonstration, or contact Mountain Computer for the location of the dealer nearest you. Performance You Demand • Eight mirror image I/O slots of the Apple • Fully buffered, bi-directional data lines • Apple II compatible interface card • Dual selection capability; hardware or software • Immediate or deferred selection in software mode • From BASIC, a single POKE command turns the chassis ON or OFF • Compatible with all software • Dedicated power supply with approved power transformer jSjjjS Mountain Computer ^£ incorporated" 300 Harvey West Blvd., Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (408) 429-8600 TWX 910 598-4504 Apple is a trademark ol Apple Computer Inc. Two or more dots together produce white on the display. Another problem arises when try- ing to superimpose text and color. Since the characters are made of lines only one dot wide, some parts of the characters will match the dot patterns of the colors and they will disappear if displayed on a colored background. One way to avoid this is to make characters of elements at least two dots wide. This prevents their merg- ing into colored backgrounds, but at a price: you cannot fit as many of these wider characters into the display. Undocumented Features and Quirks Several of the personal computers listed in Part 1 of this article have subtle quirks that are not apparent at first glance and are never mentioned in the manufacturers' specifications or sales literature. While they could easily escape your notice during a demonstration at the computer store, they could become very irritating once you become aware of them. If you are planning to use one of these computers for graphics, you should be aware of these quirks before you decide which computer to buy. Although you may discover other problems, these are the major design flaws in the personal computers listed: • asymmetrical plotting • video-refresh dropouts • limited color resolution • adjacent color interactions Asymmetrical Plotting Asymmetrical plotting makes a plot with the same number of dots horizontally and vertically come out not as a square but as a rectangle. Some personal computers are quite bad in this respect while others pro- duce almost perfectly symmetrical plots. You can figure whether or not a display is symmetrical by finding the ratio of its horizontal resolution to its vertical resolution, and comparing the result with the aspect ratio of the display portion of the screen. The aspect ratio is the display width com- pared with the display height: a stan- dard television screen is a third wider than it is high, so its aspect ratio is 4:3. If a computer's display is sym- metric, the number of dots it takes to fill the screen in each direction will be proportional to the size of the screen in that direction. You will probably 150 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 96 on inquiry card. r hen you pick a Daisy. . ick Vista's V300 Printer. Vi/to Computer Company ■ --..- — -'■•-■■ $1895. There are Daisies!. . . And, There are Daisies!. . . But Vista has a Peach! The Vista V300 is exactly that, a "peach" of a daisy wheel printer both from the standpoint of price and performance. Think of it, a printer at nearly half the price (when compared to models even remotely competitive in quality) combined with the ultimate in reliability, print quality, and flexibility. Typical Comments: "Superb print quality!", "Highly reliable.", "Definitely letter quality. . . I can't believe the price tag.", "Best use I've seen yet of LSI Technology." But judge for yourself — look at the V300 features and keep in mind this is a letter quality printer at dot matrix prices. • Tractor option available • Print Speed — 25 CPS (Optional 45 CPS tor $2,195) • Print Wheel — Industry standard 96-character Daisy Wheel (including the extended-life dual plastic wheels) • Service — Prompt maintenance/service agreements avail- able nationwide • Interface — Industry standard parallel (RS232-C optional) • Printable Columns — 136 • Warranty — 90 days parts and labor, one year parts only • Proportional, bi-directional printing • Programmable VFU • Extensive self-test functions • Hardware and software compatible Vista does it again! Quality, Price and Perfor- mance with a peach of a daisy wheel printer. 222 AND, Vista Has a Complete V100 Word Pro- cessing System for Only $4995! The Vista V100 is a complete word process- ing system that inc udes: • Exidy Sorcerer • Vista V300 Printer Computer, 48K Full Character Daisy • V200E20 Disc Drive Wheel System, Double • Wordstar, CPM 1 .4 Density (Includes E Basic) • Sanyo Data Display • Can also be used for Monitor Data Processing IMMEDIATE DELIVERY For Further Information Call Toll Free (800) 854-8017 The Vista Computer Company 1401 Borchard Street* Santa Ana. California 92705* 714/953-0523 Circle 97 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 151 Photo 2: Bars of complementary colors. Twelve colors (plus white) can be produced by the color-subcarrier method, where each cycle of the 3.58 MHz color frequency is broken into quarters. By varying the phase and by putting out signals with a duty cycle of 75%, 50%, or 25%, a computer display can select the color. be able to program the computer to compensate for an asymmetric display, but the results may look so ragged that you prefer to live with the asymmetry. Video-Refresh Dropouts Video-refresh dropouts look something like the interference pro- duced by static from electric motors and automobile ignitions (ie: short, horizontal black lines that appear very briefly and in random locations on the screen.) They are not external interference in this case, but are self- inflicted. Whenever a Radio Shack TRS-80 or an Exidy Sorcerer accesses the video-refresh memory (either to read it or to change it), the computer interrupts the video refresh. (See figure 2.) The severity of the resulting display-data dropouts depends partly on the nature of the data being displayed. If only text is being displayed, with a black background, most of the dropouts will occur in areas of the screen that are already black and pass unnoticed. (The small- keyboard Commodore PET has dropouts too, but they are white and only appear when the display is PEEKed or POKEd.) Dropouts happen only while the data in the computer's video-refresh memory is being read or changed; if the display is being changed often, as during animation, the occurrence of dropouts will increase. So if you are planning to use your computer for animated graphics, look for models that do not have this problem. In order to avoid having video dropouts, some personal computers have refresh memory that runs twice as fast as necessary for refreshing the display. This makes it fast enough to respond to a memory-access request by the computer between two suc- cessive transfers to the display. The computer and the display share the refresh memory by taking alternate memory cycles. Neither interferes with the other in any way. The main reason that all personaj 152 December 1980 '<; BYTE Publicalions Inc Circle 98 on inquiry card. NEW DISK SYSTEM POLISHES APPLE w fX; I IP* I Micro-Sci's new disk drive family really makes your Apple shine. Both the A-40 and A-70 offer extra performance plus the ability to read existing diskettes written on Apple Disk II systems. And a jumper selectable boot prom for 13 and 16 sector interger Basic or 8 sector Pascal comes standard. The Model A-40 actually costs a lot less than Apple Disk II drives. Yet it provides 40 tracks instead of 35, along with up to 20K increase in capacity. Maybe an extra 20K isn't anything to write home about, but the speed sure is — 5 ms track to track vs. Apple's 15 ms. The Model A-70, on the other hand, features twice the tracks and capacity of the Apple Disk II, but it costs only a few dollars more. The secret of outstanding per- formance and reliability is a state- of-the-art design incorporating a band positioner, instead of a plastic fj-sa cam, plus an improved media centering system. SPECIAL DISCOUNT. One A-40 plus controller is priced at only $495 and the second drive is just $395. You can save up to $200 per system over Apple II drive prices. And you can save even more if you act now. Contact us today for a special $50 introductory discount on your Micro-Sci A-40 or A-70 system order. MICRO-SCI 1405 E. CHAPMAN AVENUE • SUITE E • ORANGE, CALIFORNIA 92666 MICRO-SCI IS A DIVISION OF STANDUN CONTROLS. INC. Apple and Apple II are registered trademarks of APPLE COMPUTERS INC. SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA 714/997-9260 computers do not use this method of preventing dropouts is cost. The com- ponents for this refresh memory must be capable of operating at twice the normal speed — this makes the memory more expensive. Or looking at it another way, without the need for fast refreshing, the higher-speed memory would enable us to use a faster microprocessor and obtain bet- ter performance. Another factor af- fecting the design of the refresh memory is the type of microprocessor being used; some types have internal clocking schemes that are not com- patible with this refreshing scheme. Limited Color Resolution If you choose a computer that generates NTSC video in order to use an ordinary color television set for your display, you may be disap- pointed by the poor horizontal resolution. Even though the computer produces a signal with up to 280 dots per horizontal line, the television set will only show black-and-white resolution of about 160 dots per line and color resolution that is even lower — 40 or 50 dots per line. We must define three different kinds of horizontal resolution when discussing graphics displays on a col- HOLIDAY GREETINGS FROM JOHN D. OWENS ASSOCIATES CALIFORNIA COMPUTER SYSTEMS HIGH IN QUALITY. LOW IN PRICE Z80 CPU, 4 Mhz, with one serial port; 12 slot S-100 mainframe, disk controller, 64K Dynamic Ram, CP/M 2.2® $1,645. Interfaced to 2 Shugart, 8 inch drives with power supply and cabinet for an additional $1,250. and you have a complete S-100 system for under $3,000. THE BEST BUY ON THE MARKET. IMS 5000 and 8000 Systems The new rising stars! Beautifully designed and constructed with the Industrial Micro System reputation for fine quality. These systems feature a Z80 CPU, S-100 bus; double density drives (either single or double sided) CP/M® . 5000 series uses mini floppies, 8000 uses maxi floppies. Hard disk and MP/M now available. Model 5-00125 with two double density drives, 32K Static RAM $2,765. Model 8-00125 as above but with 8" drives $4,185. AMPEX DFR-900 HARD DISK DRIVES Winchester media; 16MB removable; 32, 64, or 96 MB fixed. These drives are totally in- tegrated with the IMS hardware and CP/M® or they can be used with other systems. We can furnish a package consisting of an IMS system, your choice of CRT or printer, op- tional hard disk and applications software. 32MB System $8,500. DRIVES Per Sci299B Now Available!!! . $2,300. Cabinet and power supply $300. Per Sci 277. $1,210. Shugart .... $525. MPI B51 . . . $265. B52 $365. Innotronics and QUME also available. HAZELTINE 1500 $885. 1510 $980. 1520 $1,210. 1420 (two year warranty) $775. CENTRONICS 737 $780. 730 $680. TELEVIDEO SMART CRTs 912 B and C $780. 920B $1,105. 920C $850. IMS MEMORY 16 K static $285. 32 K static $585. 64 K Dynamic with parity $950. TEI MAINFRAMES, S-100 12 slot $500. 22 slot $670. TARBELL Double density controller $420. Cables $40. CALIF. COMPUTER SYSTEMS CONTROLLER Single or double densi- ty; SVi or 8" drives. ROM Addressable. Price includes CP/M® 2.2 $395. WE EXPORT: Overseas Callers: TWX 710 588 2844 Phone 212 448-6298 or Cable: OWENSASSOC CALL OR WRITE FOR CATALOGUE AND PRODUCT LITERATURE JOHN D. OWENS Associates, Inc. 12 Schubert Street Staten Island, New York 10305 212 448-6283 212 448-2913 212 448-6298 or television receiver. To start with, you can distinguish the 280 dot posi- tions even on a color set. (We might call this figure the accuracy of the display, since it determines the smallest difference that the computer can display.) The resolution problem arises due to the way most color television sets separate the color in- formation from the rest of the video: they send all of the high-frequency in- formation to the color circuits. This limits the picture bandwidth to only 2 to 3 MHz and the horizontal resolu- tion to 160 to 200 dots per line. This resolution, poor as it is, ap- plies only to brightness changes in the picture (ie: black-and-white informa- tion). If you display different colors next to each other, the colors will smear across the width of four or five dots. This is due to the narrow band- width of the color circuits. A band- width of about half a megahertz allows only about fifty color changes across the width of the screen. In spite of this, you can produce quite good displays on a color television set by using a lot of black and white along with colors. Most of the picture con- sists of brightness differences and has horizontal resolution of about 160 dots per line. Displaying black be- tween different colored areas keeps the color smears from being visible. Color Interactions Suppose you want to draw several lines on your color-graphics display. If you try to make the lines different colors, you will discover that the compromises made in the designs of some personal computers limit the number of colors that can be adja- cent. If you try to put more than two colors close together, the computer will sometimes change one of the col- ors plotted earlier, depending on which color is used last. This can be rather disconcerting the first time it happens to you and worse when you find that it is a characteristic of your computer. You may be able to minimize the effect it has on your displays by understanding the mechanism behind it in order to "pro- gram around it." This problem arises in the Com- pucolor II and in the Texas In- struments TI-99/4 because of their background-foreground schemes for specifying colors. Programs on these machines can use any one of the available colors for the dots being displayed (ie: the foreground) and any other color for the background. Each character cell can have its own 154 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc foreground and background colors, so the colors can be different in dif- ferent parts of the display. However, inside a region that is the size of a character, there can be only two col- ors. If you try to draw a colored line through a cell that already has two other colors in it, the foreground points in that cell will be displayed as the new color. The Apple II has a similar problem due to the tricky way it selects colors in high-resolution mode. High- resolution graphics on the early Ap- ple II have only two colors, plus black and white. It uses bit mapping of 7 bits out of each displayed byte. Later models have been modified to use the eighth bit in each byte to select two more colors by shifting the phase of the dots made by the other 7 bits. This means that the color-select bit in each byte determines which two colors are available for seven adja- cent points. If a line happens to fall in the same seven-dot-wide region as one already plotted, with the color- select bit the other way, the color- select bit will get changed to match the new line. (See table 2.) Which Method Is Best? By now it shouldn't be surprising that I don't single out one personal computer as the best. It should also be obvious that my criticism of par- ticular features of certain manufac- turers' computers does not automati- cally disqualify them or imply that their competitors' machines are superior. Careful examination of newer computers is likely to reveal other peculiar features. My explanations of these un- documented quirks are intended to show how published specifications fail to provide complete descriptions of these machines. The different ap- proaches to graphics displays may result in similar specifications, but the displays may perform quite different- ly in a particular application. You should try to understand these dif- ferences so you can evaluate them in terms of your own needs and make your own judgments. The most important graphics feature of a personal computer is simply having graphics. Of course, you can produce video displays that are adequate for some applications on a system that does not have any graphics features. For example, photo 3 shows a plot of a histogram pro- duced by means of standard characters. Most of the ubiquitous Star Trek games also use this ap- Model region height region width colors in region colors available Apple 1 7 4 6 Compucolor II 4 2 2 TI-99/4 2 16 Table 2: The color interaction characteristics of three popular microprocessor systems. The four colors in a seven-dot region on the Apple II are black, white, and one of the pairs: green and magenta or orange and blue. Any character-cell region in the Compucolor and Texas Instruments computers can have any two of the available colors, with black and white counted as colors. proach, which might be called pseudographics. Still, such displays are limited both in information con- tent and in visual appeal. The personal computers I have mentioned all have at least some kind of block-graphics display. Photo 3 and photo 4 show the same histogram HOLIDAY GREETINGS FROM JOHN D. OWENS ASSOCIATES TELETYPE Model 43 Inventory Sale/!!! Model 4320, Friction or Pinfeed $985.00 Model 4330 punch/reader. 10 or 30 CPS. 8 level, 1" tape $2,595. Limited supply of Model 45 available. IBM 3101 CRT Model 10 $1,195. Model 20 $1,395. Selectric-like, detached keyboard. 9x16 dot matrix. Main- tenance contract from IBM only $70 per year. ITHACA INTERSYSTEMS Full S-100 IEEE Compatibility! Full 24 address bits. DMA disk controller. SYSTEM 2A includes 20 slot mainframe with front panel, 64K Dynamic RAM. Z80 CPU, 4 MHZ, extended ad- dressing capability. 4 parallel, 2 serial I/O, floppy controller. Our discounted price $3,236. MARINCHIP SYSTEMS M9900 Elegant 16 bit CPU, S-100 compatible, multi user, multi pro- cessor operating system. BASIC, FORTH, META, PASCAL, Word processor, text editor CPU kit and software package $ 550. Assembled $ 700. Complete system, 64KB, two drives $5,700. MICRO ANGELO $2,280. High resolution graphics system. Microangelo features 15", 22MHZ, green phospher screen, 72 key keyboard; includes complete cabling and software. From SCION. S-100 Graphics card $960. GRAPHICS SOFTWARE On line, real time, for the M9900 to drive the Microangelo. For use in design of PC board masks, IC masks and other ap- plications usually requiring a $200,000 system. CORVUS HARD DRIVES We are the S-100 CORVUS dealer in the New York area. Demonstrations by appointment. MODEL 11, HARD DISK SYSTEM $4,820. Mirror Backup System $ 715. Host Multiplexer $ 675. MULTI-BUS Z-8000 CPU and supporting boards. From Central Data Corp. Complete systems starting at $6,500. INDUSTRIAL MICRO SYSTEMS TELETYPE HAZELTINE IBM TELEVIDEO TEI TARBELL CORVUS PER SCI NEC ITHACA INTERSYSTEMS MARINCHIP DATA SOUTH QUME CENTRONICS TEXAS INSTRUMENTS ATARI DEC CALIFORNIA COMPUTER SYSTEMS KONAN EDGE TECHNOLOGY INNOTRONICS XEROX DIABLO INTEGRAL DATA SYSTEMS CROMEMCO SOROC MICROPRO TELETEK NOVATION AMPEX CDC NORTH STAR COMMODORE SCION MPI POWER ONE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS AND CONTROL WE OFFER A FULL RANGE OF EXPERT CONSULTING SERVICES COVERING ALL AREAS OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEMS. JOHN D. OWENS Associates, Inc. SEE OUR AD ON FACING PAGE December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc 155 displayed using pseudographics and low-resolution block graphics. The next important feature of a graphics display is color. If you doubt the validity of that statement, ask yourself why, when television made the transition from black and white to color, all the commercials were done in color long before all the pro- grams were. Statistically speaking, you could say that a color display can convey three times as much informa- tion as a black-and-white display with comparable resolution. This tit #### ############### ################### . ####################### ################### . ################ ########### iff* # 16086 UALUES— NORMAL DISTRIBUTION Photo 3: Pseudographics are created by using characters that are meant for viewing as standard text. Photo 4: The same histogram shown in photo 3 is repeated here using subcell-block graphics on a 40 by 40 grid. generalization fails to describe the im- pact that color provides. If your ob- jective in having graphics on your computer is to enhance the effec- tiveness of your displays, then you are almost certain to find that color capability is worth the cost. Next we come to the question of resolution, and here things get a little complicated. An inexpensive way to get high resolution is by means of special characters, but this method is not well suited for producing graphs of curves or other mathematical func- tions. You can directly compare the specifications of the other types of graphics systems, subcell and map- ping, because these enable you to plot a curve as a series of points in or- dinary rectangular coordinates. The higher the resolution, the smoother and more accurate these plots will be. However, special-character graph- ics systems do not allow you to plot arbitrary curves in high resolution. Only predetermined shapes can be displayed, except on the Texas In- struments and Exidy machines with their programmable graphics charac- ters. While it should be possible to write a program to dissect a curve in- to 8 by 8 graphics cells on these com- puters, it would be extremely tedious. This means that the resolution of a special-character system is not direct- ly comparable with that of the other types. How important that is to you depends on your need to plot curves with your computer. It also demonstrates another way that specifications can be misleading if you look only at the numbers. I hope that the information I have provided has not given you the idea that the graphics displays on all the current personal computers are unusable. I think it is very exciting that we can get so much graphics capability on such inexpensive machines. My objective in presenting this description has been to help you see the reasons behind their dif- ferences. If you can understand them, you will be able to figure out which type is most appropriate for making the kind of graphics displays you are interested in.H References 1 . Lancaster, D. TV Typewriter Cookbook. In- dianapolis IN: Howard W Sams & Co, 1976. 2. Schure, A. Basic Television, Revised Second Edition, Volume 6. Rochelle Park NJ: Hayden Book Co, 1975. 3. Watson III, A. "More Colors for Your Ap- ple," BYTE, Volume 4, Number 6, June 1979, page 60. 156 December 1980 @ BYTE Publications In Suddenly, RCA makes talking to your computer a lot cheaper. New interactive data terminal with color graphics-onlyj RCA's new VP-3301 is a professional quality, ASCII encoded, interactive data terminal, suitable for a wide variety of industrial, educational, business and individual applications requiring interactive communication between computer and user. Connects directly to your computer or to a standard modem for over the phone access to time sharing networks and data bases. And it's compatible with networks such as those provided by CompuServe Information Services and Source Tele- computing Corp. Microprocessor intelligence and LSI video control integrated circuits bring performance, features and flexibility at a low price. Power supply included. Unique color locking circuitry creates sharp, jitter free, true color graphics and rainbow free characters. Displays the entire field of characters in any of 8 colors against any of 8 background colors (7 gray scales with monochrome monitors). Or to add special emphasis, you can display individual letters, words or lines in different colors or in reverse video. The VP-3301 offers you a choice of two software- selectable display formats: Either 40 characters by 24 lines. Or 20 characters by 12 lines. The terminal's resident character set consists of 52 upper and lower case alphabetics, 1 numerals, 32 punctuation /math symbols, and 31 control characters. You can also define a total of 1 28 of your own characters. Including: Greek letters and other foreign alphabets, graphic symbols, large graphics building blocks, playing card suits, unique character fonts, and "little green men." The keyboard section features flexible-membrane key switches with contact life rated at greater than five million operations. A finger positioning overlay and positive keypress action give good operator "feel". An on-board sound generator and speaker provides aural feedback for key presses and may also be activated with escape sequences to provide an audio output. The sealed keyboard surface is spill proof and dust proof. This combined with high noise immunity CMOS circuitry makes the VP-3301 ideal for hostile environments. Output is industry standard asynchronous RS232C or 20 mA current loop with six switch selectable baud rates and 8 selectable data formats. The terminal can be connected directly to a 525 line color or monochrome monitor. Or to a standard TV set using an Rf modulator. For more information, contact RCA Microcomputer Marketing, New Holland Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17604. Or call our toll-free number: 800-233-0094. 'Suggested user price. ItCJl Circle 99 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 157 On the Road to Adventure Bob Liddil The Programmer's Guild POB66 Peterborough NH 03458 Adventure! The very word brings forth visions of high intrigue and danger. The armchair adventures of the personal computer user can be every bit as exciting as the real thing, without the personal risk. Adventure players are just as dedicated to their activity as are any of the many different types of gaming enthusiasts. They expect a high stan- dard of excellence. This article by no means claims to cover all there is to know about Adventure. [The capitalized word Adventure will be used to refer to this class of games as a whole . . . ,GW] What I will do is introduce the reader to the styles and procedures that have popularized Adventure to almost cult status and present the currently pop- ular authors along with their works. Additionally, there will be tips on how to play Adventure without tear- ing your hair out and going totally crazy. What Is Adventure? Adventure is a semi-intelligent, word-recognizing computer program that employs a narrative style to pre- sent an unsolved puzzle. (For an ex- ample of an Adventure dialog, see listing 1.) The format of the game can be almost any organized grouping of locations that are bound together by a single theme. The clues to the puzzle are tied to the theme so that the game flows logically and smoothly. Solving the puzzle in whole or part leads to About the Author Bob Liddil is a freelance writer and is both game designer and president of The Program- mer's Guild. He is interested in photography and noncomputer fantasy war-gaming, and his equipment includes a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I computer with 48 K bytes of memory, two MP/ disk drives, and a Centronics 730 printer. the treasure or to valuable clues to the ultimate winning of the game. Some Adventures are goal oriented, while others rely on the accumulation of valuable objects. The commands in Adventure affect four factors: where you are, what you see, where you can go, and what you can do. Magic words are popular with some Adventure authors. Your puppet, the narrator inside the program who resides in the world of your Adventure, can freely use the data provided by the computer to deliver your options to you. When you respond, the puppet executes your command and lives (or dies) through the consequences. By paying careful attention to the information given you through the faculties of your puppet, you can move him freely through his environ- ment. One mistake can cost you the game (and the puppet his life). How to Play Adventure Your puppet will do whatever you command if it is within his power. He is totally dependent on you for his sequence of action. He understands quite a vocabulary of two-word English sentences, but you must be careful because he takes your com- mands literally. Thus, a command to a puppet standing at the edge of a cliff to JUMP will cause the puppet to hurl himself into space, resulting in (depending on the author) conse- quences ranging from death to soft landing. A command of SHOOT HORSE in a western Adventure could leave you afoot. GO, GET, LIFT, CARRY, PUSH, KICK, SHOOT, ATTACK, KILL, FEED, LEAD, and DRINK are only a few of the many (usually more than one hundred) direct-action com- mands available to the player of Ad- venture. One Adventure by Scott Adams has a fully functional bathroom with a presumably anatomically correct puppet re- sponding to the direct-action com- mand USE ! EXAMINE always gets results, even when the response is a seemingly nonhelpful, I SEE NOTHING SPE- CIAL. This is still a clue in that it eliminates the object just examined from further consideration. Some- times EXAMINE reveals something that you have overlooked. In a recent outer-space scenario, I carried a phaser pistol for almost an hour before remembering to examine it. When I did, I discovered that it had two settings, stun and destroy. I had been stumped, but now I destroyed a certain object and things fell logically into place. I was able to proceed with the game, following it to an entertain- ing and pleasant conclusion. Movement commands are usually simplistic. In some Adventures, pos- sible directions to take are displayed at the top of the screen with the title "OBVIOUS EXITS ARE:". These may not be your only options, how- ever. Lost in a desert, with a road in sight (and the message YOU SEE: A ROAD, CACTUS, SAND displayed), you may have the addi- tional movement-command options of GO ROAD, GO CACTUS, or GO SAND. These may produce such diverse results as YOU ARE ON A ROAD, YOU SEE: DESERT, MOUNTAINS, TOWN or OUCH ! I'M STUCK FULL OF PRICKLY PEAR NEEDLES or I'VE BEEN BIT- TEN BY A RATTLESNAKE, I'M DEAD. 158 December 1980 <<■' BYTE Publications Inc Circle 100 on inquiry card. The MODEL 800 AAST is certainly pleasing to look at, but its true beauty lies beneath the surface. 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New York/Cleveland Ohio. N.Y.: 516/482-3500 & 212/895-7177 800/645-8016 Ohio: 216/464-6688 isting 1: Sample dialog from an Adventure. These three screens are from Lost lutchman's Gold, an Adventure from The Programmer's Guild. The questions and long replies are by the Adventure program. The two-word replies at the end of each in- dented line are the player's command. Although the format will vary from Adventure to Adventure, each one will tell you something about your immediate surroundings. In this Adventure, the information above the heavy lines is rewritten after each command. In other words, the legend DEAD BURDENBEAST at the top of the last screen is displayed only after the command SHOOT BURDENBEAST (at the bottom of the screen) is given. YOU ARE IN A SMALL CAMP. YOU SEE : CARRYBACKS. UNTIED BURDENBEAST. LEATHER PIECE. CAMPFIRE. OBVIOUS EXITS ARE ! WEST NORTH SOUTH EAST WHAT DC YOU WANT TO DO NOW? GET BURDENBEAST ? YOU HAVE NOT THE STRENGTH TO DO THAT, SIR KNIGHT. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO NOW? EXAMINE CAMPFIRE THERE ' S SOMETHIN ' HERE ! ! WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO NOW? EXAMINE BURDENBEAST YOU SEE A FLOP-EARED ILL TEMPERED BUADRAPEDAL ANIMAL. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO NOW? DROP CARRYBACKS OK YOU ARE IN A SMALL CAMP. YOU SEE 5 UNTIED BURDENBEAST, LEATHER PIECE. CAMPFIRE. OBVIOUS EXITS ARE i WEST NORTH SOUTH EAST WHAT DO YOU WANT TC DO NOW? EXAMINE CARRYSACKS IT IS A WELL WORN DOUBLE CARRYBACK IT APPEARS TO HAVE SOMETHING IN ITr MAYBE YOU SHOULD GET IT. WHAT DO YOU WANT TC DO NOW? GET CARRYSACKS DK WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO NOW? OPEN CARRYBACK OK YOU ARE IN A SMALL CAMP. YOU SEE J DEAD BURDENBEAST. LEATHER PIECE. CAMPFIRE. OBVIOUS EXITS ARE S WEST NORTH SOUTH EAST MAYBE THE BURDENBEAST HASN'T BEEN FED RECENTLY WHAT DC YOU WANT TO DO NOW? FEED BURDENBEAST YOU'RE TOO SLOW, HE GOT AWAY. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO NOW? GET HANQWEAPON OK WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO NOW? SHOOT BURDENBEAST WITH WHAT"' HANDWEAPON Not that you shouldn't try all avail- able options — there could just as easily be a treasure or a clue behind that cactus or in that underbrush. Things can often be examined from a distance. If not, a curt YOU CAN'T DO THAT YET will appear on the screen, followed by a nasty electronic snicker from deep within your com- puter. Generally, when the word YET appears in a message, you know you are on the right track. Magic words or teleportation phrases are popular with some Ad- venture authors. SAY the magic word and the whole world spins around, taking you elsewhere or elsewhen. This is a convenient way to travel, but it can be a two-edged sword that might land your puppet in never- never land for an indefinite stay. There are at least two Adventures in which teleportation phrases are employed (with pitfalls in both). A third accepts an incantation from another Adventure; however, the response is instant death. CLIMB is a word you can use to get somewhere when saying a magic word does not teleport you. If you are carrying an object, you may have to drop it to proceed with climbing. Generally, what can be climbed into can be climbed out of. Don't be afraid 160 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 102 on inquiry card. SayAhh... Our New grafixPLUS™ 80-column printer opens wide for easy servicing. Introducing the newest. members of our grafixPLUS™ family— the DP-9000 Series 80/132 column printers — built on the same tradition of quality printout, solid design and low cost of ownership established by our 132/220 column DP-9500 Series. A Case for Serviceability Not that is comes up often, but want to get inside? Simple. Just remove a few screws and the clam- shell case swings open exposing all major compo- nents. This easy access plus built-in self-test and minimum component count yields an MTTR of one- half hour. 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An addi- tional 2K buffer is optional. When you're ready for a printer (or several thousand), look into the grafixPLUS DP-9000 Series from Anadex — you'll find an open and shut case for quality. Contact us today for details, discounts and demonstrations. ...the plus in printers ...close please. SALES OFFICES: San Jose, CA (408) 247-3933 Fullerton, CA (714) 871-0501 • Wakefield, MA (617) 245-9160 • Austin, TX (512) 327-5250 ANADEX, INC. • 9825 DeSoto Avenue • Chatsworth. California 91311. U.S.A. • Telephone: (213) 998-8010 • TWX 910-494-2761 ANADEX, LTD. • Dofna House. Guildford Road • West End, Woking. Surrey GU24 9PW, England • Tel: Chobham (09905) 6333 • Telex: 858762 ANADEX G to go into tight places; they can pro- vide clues to your game. Logic is your best friend in playing Adventure. Approach a situation with a careful eye for detail. Going into a room and drinking from a bot- tle without examining it (using the words GO, DRINK, and EXAMINE) can result in your puppet being poisoned. In real life you would never imbibe without looking at a label; why kill off your puppet needlessly? The same reasoning applies to any phase of your Adventure. Apply common sense and you will win every time. On the other hand, the author of your Adventure, while bound by the laws of order and fair play, is not above puns, a little chicanery, or out- and-out silliness. Watch for double meanings in the author's choice of words; he will fool you, if he can, with painfully obvious clues. The HELP, SCORE, and INVEN- TORY commands are always ex- plained in the openings of the pro- grams. They accomplish what their names imply. Adventures are tremendous fun, but you must stay alert and ask the right questions: What do I see? Where can I go? What is the easiest way to get there? What can I do where I am? These questions can help you solve the puzzle and win the game. There are six main vendors of microcomputer-based Adventures: Scott Adams, Greg Hassett, Radio Shack, The Programmer's Guild, Microsoft, and Mad Hatter Software. The following sections give a syn- opsis (revealing none of the secrets, however) of their product lines at the time of this writing. Scott Adams Adventures Twenty-eight-year-old Scott Adams is generally credited with being the father of microcomputer Adventures. The game began as a "head toy" for the PDP-10 and other large computers. Through Scott Adams and his company, Adventure International, it soon found its way into the 16 K-byte TRS-80 heartland of America. Here is a list of his Adventures: • Adventureland is a lighthearted little trip into the countryside. This first effort was written in BASIC, then changed to machine language. It LINE VOLTAGE TRANSIENT CLIPPING Features Parallel Operation 5000 Hits/Second PROTECTS: •Computers • Micro-Computer Systems •Word Processors •Cash Registers • Power Supplies PROTECTS AGAINST: • High Energy Voltage Transients •On-Off Switching • Lightning Induced Transients • Inrush of On/Off Power MFD. by Energy Electronic Systems, Inc. Exclusively for: TRANSIENT VOLTAGE SURGE SUPPRESSOR LISTED 7133 RUTHERFORD ROAD BALTIMORE, MARYLAND 21207 (301) 298-3130 is a good beginning point for the novice since it is not too complicated. There are a bog and a lake and numerous other natural features to keep things lively. This is an Adven- ture that uses a magic word. • Pirate's Cove is rated as a classic. Its smooth storytelling style quickly sets the standard for all Adventures to follow. There are four basic loca- tions: a flat in London, an island, a Treasure Island, and never-never- land. The wild and wacky characters that populate this game only enhance it. A pirate, a mongoose, a parrot, and assorted other beasties give this Adventure a delightfully humorous effect. • Mystery Fun House is an excur- sion into the madcap world of a car- nival funhouse. It includes passing a gatekeeper and exploring multiple corridors. You must find a variety of objects within the funhouse and get out within the time limit. This one is a real brain teaser. • Mission: Impossible pits you against unknown enemies in a race to stop a nuclear reactor from being destroyed. To complicate matters, there is a bomb planted in your head. This one is pretty tough to solve and is an absolute must for those whose Adventure skills have become well honed. • Strange Odyssey is one of the best of this series. You are alone on a strange planetoid with only a broken spaceship and your wits. There is a rock with alien runes on it. If you solve the mystery of gaining en- trance, a stargate to brave new worlds with treasures awaits you. Manipulation of objects with alien environments plays an important role in the solution of this puzzle. • The Count is an Adventure that will leave your blood cold as you at- tempt to rid the world of Count Dracula once and for all. You must race against time to beat the sunset, find the Count in his humanoid form, and overcome his powers to drive the stake home. As for your motivation, there is an angry crowd preventing you from shirking your duty. A sub- puzzle of this Adventure, deciphering the hallways, will keep you occupied for hours. • Voodoo Castle is a weird Adven- ture. It seems that Count Christo has been cursed, and you are the only one who can save him. Starting off in a chapel, you must explore the stony 162 December 1980 © BYTE Publications lnc Circle 103 on inquiry card. H CQMPLITRQNICS N ... 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PASCACK ROAD SPRING VALLEY. NEW YORK 10977 PLEASE SEND ME: D INCOME TAX PAC A ($19 95) D INCOME TAX PAC B (S49 95) O PROFESSIONAL INCOME TAX PAC C (S99 95) D MODEL II PROFESSIONAL INCOME TAX PAC C (S199 95) NEW TOLL-FREE ORDER LINE (OUTSIDE OF NY. STATE) (800) 431-2818 I A COMPLETE LINE OF NELCO TAX FORMS ARE AVAILABLE • INDIVIDUAL FEDERAL and STATE FORMS • 2 OR MORE PART FORMS • TRACTOR FEED FORMS • PLASTIC OVERLAYS •*• All orders processed within 24-Hours * 30-Day money back guarantee on all Software • Add $2.00 for shipping in UPS Areas -k Add $3.00 for COD. or NON-UPS Areas • Add $4.00 outside U.S.A., Canada & Mexico CREDIT CARD NUMBER SIGNATURE NAME .EXP DATE STREET. CITY .STATE. .ZIP. (914) 425-1535 Circle 104 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 163 No. 17% Software with full support Purchasing our software is just the beginning. We then back it up with professional support: ■ Subscription to "LIFELINES" for automatic notifications of revisions! ■ Update service for software and documentation! ■ Telephone Hotline! ■ Overseas software export service! lhMin / £ Its y CP/W FLOPPY DISK OPERATING SYS- TEM— Digital Research's operating system configured tor many popular micro-computers and disk systems: System Version Price Apple II" 2.x-.. 349/NA © SottCard* with 280 Microsoft BASIC version 5 with high resolution graphics North Star Single Density . . 2.x 170/25 North Star Double/Quad . 2.x 170/25 Durango F-85 2.x 170/25 .1.4. 145/25 .170/25 ■ .170/25" 170/25" 375/25 - - 145/25 145/25 9 .145/25 » .250/25 : 200/25 250/25 330/25 .145/25 8 170/25 250/25 fl 145/25 170/25 170/25 200/25 ® 200/25 ® .350/25 * 250/25 250/25 .225/25 375/25 iCOM Micro-Disk 2411 (COM 3712 for MITS 88-2SIO Console 1 .4 iCOM 3712 for 3PIS/MITS SIO Rev non-zero console 1 .4 iCOM3812 1.4 iCOM 451 1/Pertec D3000 . . 2.x Mits 3202/Altair 8800 1 .4 Heath H8 - H17 14 Heath H89 1.4 Heath H89 by Magnolia . ... 2.x Ohio Scientific C3 2.x Onyx C8001 Standard 2.x Onyx C8001 Enhanced 2.x TRS-80 Model I 1.4 TRS-80 Model II 2.x TRS-80 Model II - Corvus . 2.x Processor Technology Helios II 1.4 Intel MDS Single Densily . . 2.x Intel MDS Double Density . . 2.x Micropolis Mod I 2.x Micropolis Mod II 2.x Mostek MDX STD Bus System 2.x The following configurations are scheduled for release soon: Norlh Star Double/Ouad - Corvus 2.x Ohio Scientific C3-C 2.x ICOM3812 2.x iCOM 451 1/Pertec D3000 . 2.x Software consists of the operating system, text editor, assembler, debugger and other utilities for file management and system maintenance Complete set of Digital Research s documen- tation and additional implementation notes In- cluded. Systems marked ' and "" include firm- ware on 2708 and 2716 Systems marked + in- clude 5440 media charge. Systems marked ® require the special iu '< versions of soft- ware in this catalog. O includes hardware ad- dition to allow our standard versions of software to run under it. 280 DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE- Consists ® of: (1) disk file line editor, with global inter and SD Syslems 8 SD Systems 5' Sorcerer Spacebyte SuperBrain Tarbell TEI5'j TEIB Thmkerloys TRS-80 Model I TRS-80 Model I TRS-flO Model 1 TRS-80 Model I TRS-B0 Model I TRS-80 Model I TRS-80 Model II VDP-*0'42/44'80 Vector Graphic 02 Vector MZ . .02 Versatile See CDS Versatile Visla V80 5'.i Single Density P5 VistaV200 5'i Double Density P6 Zenith ZB9 - Lifeboat CP/M P4 Zenith Z89 Magnolia CP/M P? See Exidy Sorcerer See Inlertec See Morrow Discus 5' j R2 FEC Freedom RN - Micromotion A4* - Omikron 5'j RM - Omikron fl Al ■ Shulfleboard 8 At AT See IMSAI Lifeboat Associates 1651 Third Avenue, N.Y., N.Y 10028 (212) 860-0300 '< The Software Supermarket is a trademark of Lifeboat Associates NO FRILLS! NO GIMMICKS! JUST GREAT DISCOUNTS MAIL ORDER ONLY ATARI 800 Personal Computer System $79900 NORTHSTAR Horizon II 32K Horizon II Quad .... Horizon II 64K Horizon Quad 64K. . 234900 279900 299900 339900 TELEVIDEO 912 920 74900 79900 HAZELTINE 1420 1500 1510 1520 79500 84900 104900 122900 0KIDATA Microline 80 69900 SOROC Technology iq 120 69900 iq 140 99900 CR0MEMC0 System 3 . Z2H 569500 799500 INTERTEC Superbrain 32K .... Superbrain 64K ... 249500 279500 DECwriter IV LA34 97900 I TEXAS INSTRUMENT 1 810 Multi Copy Impact Printer 149900 We'll meet or beat any advertised prices! Most items in stock for immediate delivery Factory sealed cations Full manufacturer's guarantee 1 DATA DISCOUNT CENTER Box 100 135-53 Northern Blvd.. Flushing, N.Y. 11354 Visa* Master Charge* N Y S residents add Sales Fax I Shipping F.O.B. N.Y Phone Orders Call 212-465-6609 Speed is the essential dif- ference between machine- language and BASIC Adventures. hallways and darkened dungeons of Voodoo Castle. There is a juju man, a kachina doll (a likeness of the Count), a book for removing curses, and much more. For entertainment value, this one rates very high. • Pyramid of Doom takes you to an unexplored pyramid somewhere in Egypt. You have the key and can begin the search for a treasure under the watchful eyes of an ever-present nomad. This one is so good that after two weeks, I still haven't solved even a portion of it . . . yet. • Ghost Town is an Adventure with a Western theme that has all the mystique of a John Wayne epic. The puzzle is one of the most rewarding and entertaining of Scott's nine Ad- ventures. The maze is an authentic ghost town complete with saloon, hotel, jail, boot hill and an out- rageous piano-playing ghost. This one is great fun. Greg Hassett's Adventures Of note to Adventure shoppers are the differences between the machine- language versions of Adventure and B ASIC-language versions. The latter are appearing on the market in ever- increasing numbers. Speed is the essential difference. To most players of Adventures, the difference in ex- ecution time is of little importance. To the Adventure cultist, however, speed is everything. With this in mind, the authors who write Adven- tures in BASIC, ever in the shadow of Scott Adams and his beginnings in BASIC, are one by one graduating to machine language, blinking cursors, and (blinding) speed. One such author is Greg Hassett. Greg is a 13-year-old schoolboy from Chelmsford, Massachusetts. His eye for detail and wry writing style have placed his Adventures in direct comparison with those of Scott Adams. This is unfortunate for two reasons. Greg's work is often judged unseen and dismissed due to his age or the fact that most of his program- ming has been in BASIC. When cri- tiqued on their own merit, however, the Hassett Adventures stand up well in both entertainment and value per dollar. 166 December 1980 ® BYTE Publications Inc • Journey to the Center of the Earth is a perky little trip into the in- terior of our planet. The earthdigger in which you are riding gets a busted Gonkulator, and you have to find a new one (or something to replace it with) somewhere in the maze of tun- nels in which you find yourself. Giant bugs and treasure make this beginner's game interesting. • House of the Seven Gables pits you against a wicked witch in a haunted house. More complicated than its predecessor, this program will be deadly to those who take its puzzle lightly. Unique objects of value and scenes of personal combat give a player his money's worth with this one. • Atlantis: If undersea is where you want to be, this one is for you. Personal combat is taken one step further with the guardians of trea- sures being fierce sea creatures. The entire Adventure is done under water, and it's a lot of fun. Whirl- pools and octopi and denizens of the deep await you here. • Sorcerer's Castle allows you to challenge the evil sorcerer on his own turf. Well, if you can find your way out of the woods, you'll be just in time to fight and may even confront the evil sorcerer personally. Treasure abounds here, with ample puzzlement to please even the most demanding Adventure enthusiast. • In Enchanted Island, magic and mystery join hands to present an Ad- venture of worth. The highly dif- ferent flavor of this program would be spoiled by the presentation of any details in this review. It is the author's most challenging Adventure written in BASIC. • Enchanted Island Plus: Like Scott Adams, Greg Hassett also quests for the increased speed offered by a machine-language Adventure. This program has it all — speed, blink- ing cursor, and an increased number of locations. This Adventure is a must buy. • Mystery Mansion summons you in a dream to come solve the mystery of a haunted mansion. Good pace and colorful descriptions are the sell- ing points for this Adventure. It is a fast, well-written machine-language Adventure, and it should especially appeal to younger Adventure fans. • World's Edge gives you a future where the Earth's pollution count has finally reached a critical level. You can save the planet from extinction Circle 105 on inquiry card. ■■— ► National Microsoftware Producers ANNOUNCES ^EF Video Typing System for 8080, 8085 and Z80s PROFESSIONAL QUALITY WORD PROCESSING PACKAGE FOR CP/M* COMPATIBLE MICROCOMPUTERS f I ^m ^1 ^^^^^^^^^^J^^^^^^^^a 1 H ^1 ^V ' M ■•3|' 6 ■ \ 2. 3 ■ \ SOFTWARE HARDWARE PACKAGE * • CP/M COMPATIBLE • OPERATES ON 8080, 8085 • REPLACEMENT KEYTOPS AND Z80 MICRO- COLOR CODED BY • EASILY OPERATED BY COMPUTERS WITH 48K FUNCTION OFFICE PERSONNEL MEMORY • MANUAL WITH • CONTAINS ALL • CHOICE OF 5" OR 8" EXTENSIVE GRAPHICS PROFESSIONALWORD • FLOPPY DISKETTES DESIGNED FOR THE PROCESSING FEATURES • REPLACEMENT KEYTOPS FIRST-TIME USER • PROMPTS ON SCREEN PROVIDED FOR MOST < » SELF STANDING MANUAL GUIDE USER THROUGH CRT's IN EASEL BINDER FUNCTIONS • SUPPORTS SERIAL AND < » SPANISH, FRENCH, • COMPARABLE TO DEC, WORD QUALITY GERMAN, DUTCH NBI, Q YX, WANG . . . PRINTERS (DIABLO, NEC, QUME) VERSIONS AVAILABLE SOLD THROUGH AUTHORIZED DEALERS AND DISTRIBUTORS ONLY O.E.M. INQUIRY INVITED SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE S549.00 National Microsoftware Producers, inc. 3169 Fillmore Street San Francisco CA 94123 USA 415-346-7025 Telex 171790 Circle 106 on inquiry card. SUPERBRAIIM 32K or 64K (Double or Quad Density units available). Uses two Z-80 CPU's. Commercial- type terminal with 12" monitor. Dual double density minifloppies. Over 350 kilobytes of storage (twice that with quad density drives). Two serial RS232 ports, I/O ports standard. Expandable with optional S-100 S-100 inter- face. Comes with CP/M™ 2.2 operating sys- tem. MiniMicroMart includes BASIC inter- preter and can supply a wide range of CP/M Development and Application software. w/32K Double Density, List $2995 . $2685 w/64K Double Density, List $3345 $2883 w/64K Quad Density, List $3995 $3595 64K Special Quad Version $3395 INTERSYSTEMS formerly ITHACA AUDIO DPS-1, List $1795 Call for Price! The new Series II CPU Board features a 4 MHz Z-80A CPU and a full-feature front panel. 20- slot actively terminated motherboard, with 25 amp power supply (50/60 Hz operation, incl. 68cfmfan). COMPLETE SYSTEM with InterSystem 64K RAM, I/O Board w/priority interrupt and double density disk controller board. Full 1-year warranty, List $3595 HEWLETT-PACKARD HP-85A F.O.B. shipping point. All prices subject to change and all offers subject to withdrawal without notice. Advertised prices are for prepaid orders. Credit card and C.O.D. 2% higher. C.O.D. may require deposit. - WRITE FOR FREE CATALOG - MiniMicroMart 1618 James Street Syracuse, IMY 13203 (315) 422-4467 168 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc with 2.2 kg of APC-80 located on a small distant planetoid. However, the element is considered holy by the in- habitants of the planetoid, so a fight is imminent .... This is by far the most imaginative plot from Greg, who seems to love to add combat to his Adventures. It is also another of his machine-language Adventures. Radio Shack Adventures • Pyramid 2000, the first Adven- ture from Radio Shack, is a machine- language scenario set in Egypt. You explore the pyramid for gold and glory without the scrolling or blink- ing cursor that hallmarks other microcomputer Adventures. Still, the authors have managed to work a much-used theme to its maximum, drawing a fairly complex and enter- taining puzzle. • Haunted House, like its cousin Death Dreadnaught, deals not with gold or glory, but survival. Once in- side the house, you are pitted against unseen enemies with awesome teleki- netic powers. Levitating knives and eerie occurrences await the Adven- turer here. Produced for Tandy Cor- poration by Device Oriented Games of Dallas, this is an excellent offering. The Microsoft Adventure Microsoft Consumer Products, a sibling company to the Microsoft that has written so many versions of BASIC, has a very heavy version of Adventure available on disk only (most Adventures are supplied on cassette tape). It is reputed to be a copy of the original Adventure writ- ten by Crowther and Woods for the Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-10. The original Colossal Cave is there, and there is ample room on the floppy disk for the over 400 elo- quent descriptions. The Programmer's Guild Adventures One of the newest of the Adventure publishers is a little company called The Programmer's Guild. It dis- tributes three adventures written by independent authors. Lost Dutchman's Gold and Spider Moun- tain are by Teri Li, and Death Dread- nought was coauthored by Biff and Spudd Mutt [pseudonyms, I hope . . . ,GW] of Device Oriented Games. • Losf Dutchman's Gold is a Wes- tern Adventure. In the Superstition Mountains of Arizona, you accom- pany the ghost of Backpack Sam, a grizzled old former prospector, who knows the secret of the Lost Dutch- man's mine. There are Indians, a stubborn mule, a ghost town, and the Superstitions, dark and mysterious, to keep you spellbound throughout the simulation. • Spider Mountain Adventure is a classic Dungeons and Dragons type Adventure that employs Shelob, a giant spider, as guardian of the many treasures of Spider Mountain. Armed with only a crossbow, you face ores and spiders in the maze of tunnels under the mountain. • Death Dreadnought, rated R by its own publisher due to extreme de- scriptions of violence, pits man against an unseen horror that has devastated an entire alien battle- cruiser. As the last living human on board, the Adventurer is required merely to escape. This, however, is no small task with a killer on your trail and an unsolved maze before you. This one is not for the squeam- ish or faint of heart. Mad Hatter Adventures Mad Hatter Software, which began as a distributor for the Hassett Ad- ventures, recently launched two titles of its own. • Sleuth is a detective story, a whodunnit Adventure with graphics and sound. The graphics consist of video maps of where you are, and the sounds are the primitive tink-boop sounds that characterize early sound effects for the TRS-80. • Quest uses the same graphics and sound techniques as Sleuth but is more of a fantasy Adventure. Neither held my attention the way the other Adventures reviewed did. Plotlines are thin and seem to be built around gimmickry rather than solid plots and programming. How to Write an Adventure Adventures are, first and foremost, puzzles. You (the Adventure author) must be prepared to satisfy the Ad- venturer's lust for the unsolvable, while at the same time making it easy enough for the novice. Choose a recognizable theme. In Spider Mountain, for example, it is evident that the Mountain is the goal. Circle 107 on inquiry card. ^~ •+■ Whatever happened to eenie, meeitie, miney, mo': .a perfect gift for that urban cowgirl! X I could be another . Solomon . . 'This may put the Godfather jjut of business. Wordy my heart would stop\ gracing. It must use Bayesian, weighted factor .analysis, and. Brilliant! Like a window into the future. Maybe this'll help me choose a career. . . I could use it to select my Staff. Should I buy stock or commodities in this economy: ■f 11,1/,/,// ^M W rather have "^ H Winston's millions i3 B or Billy Joe's ^ ^L /nil'.'' jdj ^^f Hmmmm. -^^B H could be ^H - 1 4HE9 B my ticket ^M ^^^p^^i H fo /7?e Boardroom . 1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B ' / of these people V afford $29.95? J \> i i .'*,, ■ '■'.-. ■ IM W%ew DecisionMaster speaks everybody listens. Let's face it. We all have to make decisions. Decisions that can change our lives. Decisions that can make us happy or unhappy. Decisions that could win us fame or fortune. Now, DecisionMaster can help you make the best decisions of your life. . Use Bayesian theory to peer into the future... even if you've never heard of the Bayes' Rule, ^k Do a complete weighted factor analysis... without knowing what one is. Use discounted ^fk cash flow to compare investment alternatives without bothering with present value ^^[^> tables. These and other sophisticated theories that were once the exclusive domain of professors and top business executives are built into DecisionMaster's algorithms. . . so you can use them at the touch of a key! V DecisionMaster is easy to use. It features: .^B • A fully documented manual developed by an authority in the field. • A unique program-controlled cross reference system. • A powerful formatted-screen data entry system. You'll use DecisionMaster in hundreds of routine decisions, as well as more important ones such as* Buying a house • Changing jobs* Selecting investment- Evaluating insur- ance policies' Expanding product lines* Leasing vs. purchasing. If you buy only one computer program this year, make it DecisionMaster. And when it speaks, listen . <$ & W .1° rfb Circle 108 on inquiry card. ie* Z8QOO The System X8000 MICRO-MINI™ based on the 16-bit Zilog Z8000 processor is available for immediate delivery. FEATURES (partial list) • Zilog Z8000 CPU • Intel Multibus compatible • Unique memory management system allows up to 1 6 megabytes of memory • Optional 951 1 arithmetic processor • 8-level vectored + non-maskable interrupts • Two programable timers • On-board monitor ROM option • Full "Multimaster" capabilities allow multiple processors and/or DMA devices on the same bus • Flexible and/or hard disk controller • Powerful disk-based operating system • Memory boards: 16K, 32K, 48K, 64K, 96K, 128K • 15-slot backplane • Heavy-duty switching power supply • Industrial quality throughout Prices start from $998. System discounts. Call for prices on complete custom systems. SYSTEM X9020 (CPU Manual $19.95) $ 4195 The SUPER-MICRO'" READY TO RUN SYSTEM FEATURES (partial Hat) Paacal MICROENGINE" X9000 • 16bilP-codeCPU • 64K bytes RAM/Full DMA • Floppy disk controller (SS or DS) • Floating point hardware (IEEE standard) • System software with enhancements • 2 serial. 2 parallel ports • Pascal compiler, iexl editors, tile manager. CPU & memory diagnostics, symbolic Pascal debugger, linker, utilities and more Floppy Olak Drives (2) • 1M combined memory • Double density, single sided • Standard 8" diskettes • 6 ms track to track $900* With CPU MODEL X-920 DISPLAY/EDIT TERMINAL •LIMITED TIMF. cash price. 10% DOWN guarantees priority. Master Charge & VISA cards accepted. System discounts ADM3A+ plus RG graphics (51 2x256). ..$1995 NEC Spinwriter 5510 or 5530 w/trac 2895 Anadex DP-9500 printer (60dpi) 1595 X-912 CRT (less 18 function keys) 799 P-E 550 CRT ("Bantam") 740 Siemens standard 8" drive (ss/sd-dd) .... 399 ,— ^ 312 684-3183 ^^™ COMPUTEX ^^L \ Microcomputer Syitemi X ^\^ \ 5710 Drexel, Chicago, IL 60637 So, as the game begins, we leave the campsite, hiking as fast as we can for the mountains we see in the distance. An hour or so of looking for a way to find the treasure on the mountains soon convinces us that the goal must be irisirff? or possibly under the moun- tains. In fact, the author has sidetracked us away from the real en- trance to Spider Mountain, but this is OK as long as it is enjoyable and related to the rest of the Adventure. Clues and equipment may be scat- tered throughout the theme area. Their locations should not be obvious to avoid easiness, but they should also not be impossible to find. Avoid highly complicated situations; they interrupt the flow of your game. Several minor or subtheme areas will spice up the game. It is not necessary to provide a lot of memory- consuming action in the lesser areas; however, nobody likes an empty room (desert, etc), so at least put something there for your player's trouble. Scott Adams' use of subtheme areas in Strange Odyssey is one of the best examples of this concept. By breaking his Adventure up into dif- ferent worlds, each with its own com- plications and dangers, Scott effec- tively entertains his audience without frustrating them. Some of the dif- ferences among the stargate worlds of this Adventure are deadly, but not to the point of aggravation. Make sure that your overall theme does not duplicate an Adventure already in existence. Both Adams and Hassett have extensive lines of Adventure scenarios. Mad Hatter Software and The Programmer's Guild, which have only a few Adven- tures each, are both planning more. Research your settings. Make sure that your locations ring of authentici- ty and that your descriptions are ac- curate; otherwise, your reader will spend more time criticizing than play- ing. Be certain that your Adventure has a large enough vocabulary to func- tion well. If you add radical words to your vocabulary, be sure that provi- sions are made for giving clues about them to your player. Be innovative. Don't wait around for someone else to do it. Introduce new features into your game. Make your Adventure unique in the marketplace. Above all, be entertaining. Your audience will come back for more and more if you give them their money's worth each and every time they play. Adventure is the product of imag- ination appealing to imagination. It is not just the puzzle, or the theme, or the nonplayer characters and their personalities. It is a verbal tapestry of interwoven phrases that whisk you away to magical kingdoms of the mind. The computer becomes a tool of reaching that conveys you where it will. You go along eagerly, breath- lessly, awaiting what comes next. Such are the worlds created by Ad- ams, Hassett, Li, and all the Adven- ture writers who have not yet been published. What they have in store for us next is anyone's guess. But I bet it's well worth waiting for. ■ Scoff Adams Adventures are available on cassette tape for the 24 K-byte Apple II or Apple II Plus, the 48 K-byte Apple II with disk, the 16 K-byte Radio Shack TRS-80, and the 16 K-byte Exidy Sorcerer. Write: Adventure International POB 3435 Longwood FL 32750 (305) 862-6917 The Programmer's Guild Ad- ventures are available on cassette tape or floppy disk for the 16 K-byte TRS-80. For information, write: The Programmer's Guild POB 66 Peterborough NH 03458 (603) 924-6065 The Greg Hassett Adventures are available on cassette tape for the 16 K-byte TRS-80 from: Adventure World POB 914 North Chelmsford MA 01863 Microsoft Adventure is available on floppy disk for 32 K-byte TRS-80 and Apples from: Microsoft Consumer Products 400 108th Ave NE, Suite 200 Bellevue WA 98004 (206) 454-1315 Radio Shack Adventures are available from local Radio Shack stores and dealers. 170 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc DG: Realizing the H8's Potential For the Engineer; Businessman; and Serious Hobbyist. Now Use Standard CP/M® Software DG's system enhancements provide for RAM in Low Memory allowing the use of the widely accepted STANDARD CP/M. Now Operation in Powerful Z80 ® Code Our DG-80 Z80 R based CPU opens a new world of more powerful AND efficient languages and software. Powerful, Bank Selectable 64K RAM Our high capacity, low power DG-64D 64K RAM allows more efficient utilization of space, freeing your motherboard for peripheral interfacing. Now 4MHz Operation The DG-ADP4 allows for operation of the DG-80 CPU at 4MHz while maintaining compatibility with the H1 7 Disk System. Execution time of CPU intensive programs is reduced to half even before utilizing the enhanced Z80 instruction set. Increased Flexibility With New Monitor DG's FP8 monitor allows front panel debugging of 8080 AND Z80 machine language programs in either hexadecimal or octal format. Maintains all PAM-8" entry points and features. All register sets available. The DG system enhancements for the Heath H8 computer are definitely a step above in price, performance, and factory support. THE DG-80 ZILOG Z80 BASED CPU — $249.00 (Documentation Only $25.00) FEATURES: • Compatible with Heath" H8 hardware and software • Z80CPU — Enhanced instruction set • Provisions for up to 8K R0M/EPR0M and/or 4K RAM • Jump-On-Re- set to any 1K boundary • DIP switch selectable wait states for any or all 8K blocks of memory • All Z80 interrupt response modes available • Interrupt Acknow- ledge and Dynamic Memory Refresh signals available on bus • Frequently selected options by DIP switch or sol- derless jumper • Machined contact gold sockets for R0M/EPROM, RAM • Includes many advanced features for future expansion • Assembled, tested and guaran- teed • Extensive operations manual and Z80 PROGRAM- MING MANUAL 90 DAY WARRANTY DG-64D 64K- $529.00 48K- $480.00 32K-$431.00 16K- $382.00 ^K- $333.00 BEST RAM EVER AVAILABLE FOR THE H8. FEATURES: • Up to 64K bytes capacity Dynamic RAM • Hardware bank selectable in 8K incre- ments • Software bank selectable in 16K increments through I/O port • On- board bank select/CPU ROM disable port, ad- dressable to any of 256 I/O addresses • Up to 8 boards controllable through one I/O port (allows page mode operation) • On-board transparent refresh for 8080 or Z80 micro- processor backed up by asynchronous re- fresh upon loss of normal program execu- tion. • 4 MHz operation with no wait states required • Low power consumption — less than 8 watts • Assembled, tested, & burned-in 90 DAY WARRANTY Documentation Only $15.00 DG-FP8 — $69.95 Monitor/Utility package for DG-80 CPU provides functions of PAM-8 as well as the following: • Split Octal or Hexidecimal Entry and Dis- play • Z80 monitor features such as dis- play alternate register sets, display index registers, • "Shorthand" display of mem- ory contents pointed to by general purpose Documentation Only - $15.00 (Source Listing Not Included) registers • Supports STANDARD CP/M provided by D-G as well as HDOS • Pro- vides firmware support for DG-ADP4, 4 MHz hardware • Includes single step features DG-ADP4 — $19.95 Plug-in hardware modification to allow operation of the Heath" H17 disk system with the DG-80 at 4 MHz. Requires the use of the DG-FP8 firmware package. 16K CHIP SETS $49.00 (8-4116 Type Dynamic RAMS) for DG- 32D.DG-64D, Apple", TRS-80" H88/89", and Pef DG-CMD1 — $29.95 ROM disable port for use with the Heath" H8 computer. Addressable to any of 256 I/O ports. Allows the use of a full 64K of RAM when used in conjunc- tion with the DG-80 CPU and the DG-FP8 hardware/firmware package (NOT RE- QUIRED FOR SYSTEMS UTILIZING THE DG-64D MEMORY BOARD) DG-FP8/DG-ADP4 - TOGETHER - $79.95 Save on Combination Purchase — Reg. $89.90 DG-32D — 32K — $339.00 — 16K — $287.00 —/ft — $235.00 -DOCUMENTATION $12.00 STANDARD CP/M Ver 2.2 $130.00 CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research of Pacific Grove. California Heath. HDOS. H8, H88/89 & PAM8 are registered trademarks of the Heath Company. Z80 is a registered trademark of Zilog Corp PET is a registered trademark of Commodore. Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer TRS-80 is a registered trademark of TANDY Corp. O-E Ordering H bn ml ui Products listed available from DG Electronic Develop- ments Co., P.O. Box 1124. 1827 South Armstrong. Denison. Tx. 75020. Check, Money Order, VISA or Master Charge accepted. Phone orders (charge onM call (21 4) 465-7805. No CODs. Freight prepaid. Allow 3 weeks tor personal checks to dear. Texas residents add 5%. Foreign orders add 30% Circle 109 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 171 Zork and the Future of Computerized Fantasy Simulations P David Lebling 14 Pelham Ter Arlington MA 02174 CFS (computerized fantasy simulation) games are a new art form: the computerized storybook. Instead of reading the story, you play it. The author presents the story, but only as you squeeze it out of him by wit and brute force. It's Up to you to figure out what's going on, and the satisfaction of doing so depends on how well thought out the story is. To be fun to play, the story must be more or less consistent and complete. To a large ex- tent, this means that the program that embodies the story must simulate the universe well. 1 have been involved for several years with Zork, one of the larger and (I would like to think) better worked out CFS games. The authors (Marc Blank, Tim Anderson, Bruce Daniels, and I) have spent a lot of time trying to make the universe of Zork as consistent and complete as possible within the bounds of the space available. The first version of Zork was written for the Digital Equip- ment Corporation PDP-10; it eventually grew to strain even the megabyte address space of that machine. The game was completely rewritten for microcomputers and is now limited primarily by the size of a 5-inch floppy disk. Zork games swap data (programs and text) into memory from the disk as needed and therefore aren't limited by the size of the system's user memory. Standard 5-inch floppy disks store about 100 K bytes (some store more, some less). This works out to about 10,000 words of English prose and a similar amount (about 40 K bytes) of code. This is large for a microcomputer-based program, but as literature it's still only at the short story length. Zork is shrunk to fit into the micro-world by running on a Zork-language virtual machine. This means that the If you are interested in playing Zork: The Great Underground Empire, Part I, the game is distributed by Personal Software, 1330 Bordeaux Dr, Sunnyvale CA 94086 on foppy disk for Apple II and TRS-80 com- puters. Zork games are produced by Infocom Inc, POB 120, Kendall Sta, Cambridge MA 02142. Zork is a trademark of Infocom Inc. code that is running while you are playing Zork is much more compact than the same program would be if written in machine language (on a Radio Shack TRS-80, for ex- ample). This is because the instruction set of the virtual machine is tailored to CFS games. For example, the Zork- language instruction to move an object from one room to another takes just 3 bytes of storage. The other advan- tage is that the Zork code is machine independent; all it takes to move Zork to another machine is to write the Zo Wc-language interpreter for that machine. Such inter- preters currently exist for the Apple II, PDP-11, PDP-10 and the TRS-80. For more details about the Zork- language see "How to Fit a Large Program into a Small Machine," by Marc S Blank and S W Galley, July 1980, Creative Computing. Even using a disk to store parts of the game, the PDP-10 Zork was still too large for the micro-world. As a result, we split it into two smaller, independent games: The Great Underground Empire, Part I, and The Great Underground Empire, Part II, each of which is a self- contained program. There was room left over, so we add- ed some new problems to round things out. Still, a lot of universe can fit into a microcomputer and disk. Zork "understands" a useful subset of English (mostly imperative sentences), including sentences as complex as "Put all of the books but the green one under the rug." The Zork vocabulary is over 600 words and in- cludes 100 verbs. A parser this powerful is a good-news/ bad-news proposition. On the one hand, such a parser makes possible the implementation of subtle and realistic problems. When the most complicated sentence you can understand is "Drop uranium," you are limited to pro- ducing certain types of situations. If you can say "Tell the Robot 'Put the uranium in the lead box'," then the game can become more interesting. Zork has a fairly complicated parser for imperative sentences. It endeavors to reduce its input to a construc- tion of: < direct object > < indirect object > where the objects are optional. Prepositions are folded in- 172 December 1980 © BYTE Publications lnc G0 1 6-BIT NOW — WE HAVE MADE IT EASY 8086 8 Mhz. 2-card CPU Set $ WITH 86-DOS & 595 ASSEMBLED, TESTED, GUARANTEED With our 2-card 8086 CPU set you can upgrade your 280 8- bit S-100 system to run three times as fast by swapping the CPUs. If you use our 1 6-bit memory, it will run five times as fast. Up to 64K of your static 8-bit memory may be used in the 8086's 1 -megabyte addressing range. A switch allows either4 or 8 Mhz. operation. Memory access requirements at 4 Mhz. exceed 500 nsec. The EPROM monitor allows you to display, alter, and search memory, do inputs and outputs, and boot your disk. Debugging aids include register display and change, single stepping, and execute with breakpoints. The set includes a serial port with programmable baud rate, four independent programmable 16-bit timers (two may be combined for a time-of-day clock), a parallel in and parallel out port, and an interrupt controller with 1 5 inputs. External power may be applied to the timers to maintain the clock during system power-off time. Total power: 2 amps at + 8V, less than 1 00 ma. at + 1 6V and at -1 6V. 86-DOS®, our $195 8086 single user disk operating system, is provided without additional charge. It allows functions such as console I/O of characters and strings, and random or sequencial reading and writing to named disk files. While it has a different format from CP/M, it performs similar calls plus some extensions (CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research Corporation). Its construction allows relative- ly easy configuration of I/O to different hardware. Directly supported are the Tarbell and Cromemco disk controllers. The 86-DOS® package includes an 8086 resident as- sembler, a Z80 to 8086 source code translator, a utility to read files written in CP/M and convert them to the 86-DOS format, a line editor, and disk maintenance utilities. Of significance to Z80 users is the ability of the translator to accept Z80 source code written for CP/M, translate this to 8086 source code, assemble the source code, and then run the program on the 8086 processor under 86-DOS. This allows the conversion of any Z80 program, for which source code is available, to run on the much higher performance 8086. BASIC-86 by Microsoft is available for the 8086 at $350. Several firms are working on application programs. Call for current software status. All software licensed for use on a single computer only. Non-disclosure agreements required. Shipping from stock to one week. Bank cards, personal checks, CODs okay. There is a 1 0-day return privilege. All boards are guaranteed one year — both parts and labor. Shipped prepaid by air in US and Canada. Foreign purchases must be prepaid in US funds. Also add $10 per board for overseas air shipment. 8/16 16-BIT MEMORY This board was designed for the 1980s. It is configured as 16K by 8 bits when accessed by an 8-bit processor and configured 8K by 16 bits when used with a 16-bit processor. The configuration switching is automatic and is done by the card sampling the "sixteen request" signal sent out by all S- 1 00 IEEE 1 6-bit CPU boards. The card has all the high noise immunity features of our well known PLUS RAM cards as well as "extended addressing". Extended addressing is a replace- ment for bank select. It makes use of a total of 24 address lines to give a directly addressable range of over 16 megabytes. (For older systems, a switch will cause the card to ignore the top 8 address lines.) This card ensures that your memory board purchase will not soon be obsolete. It is guaranteed to run without wait states with our 8086 CPU set using an 8 Mhz. clock. Shipped from stock. Prices: 1-4, $280; 5-9, $260; 10-up, $240. Circle 111 on inquiry card. A l Seattle Computer Products, Inc. * -T-^ 1114 Industry Drive, Seattle, WA. 98188 (206) 575-1830 BYTE December 1980 173 One method of dealing with players who are "killed" in Zork is to resurrect them in a forest. to the verb, which allows Zork to differentiate >PUT BOMB UNDER TROPHY CASE from >PUT BOMB IN TROPHY CASE (Lines beginning with > are the player's input.) Similarly, adjectives are used to distinguish among several books, doors, or any collection of like objects. In conjunction with all and but, adjectives provide powerful constructs: > TAKE ALL THE TREASURES >BURN ALL THE BOOKS BUT THE BLACK ONE The parser also allows the player to be laconic, if he so desires. If only one object in the vicinity fits the verb he uses, it will be selected and the player will be informed: A menacing troll brandishing a bloody axe blocks all passages out of the room. >KILL TROLL (with sword) HEATH OWNERS UPGRADE your H9 for a fraction of the cost of a new terminal with these features. r* L I (_ K fc H FREE 569.95 kit 579.95 assembled if Columbus would have had to wait for his H9 operating at 600 baud, he might not have discovered America. At last your computer can communicate with your HS eight times faster 14800 buudl without that annoying refresh interrupt that causes the screen to Mash at rates greater than 600 baud. Faster listings. Faster program execution. Eight times faster. CURSOR CONTROL $29.95 kit $34.95 assembled Why limit your output to consecutive lines of your terminal? CURSOR CONTROL al- touch to your displays by utilizing masking techniques. Functions included are; left. right, up, down, left and right 20 spaces, home and erase page. GRAFIX 559.95 KIT 5 69.95 ASSEMBLED Open a whole new world to your output. The graphical display capabilities of GRAF IX allow you to create displays never before possible on the H9. LOWER CASE ENTRY t«u» assembled Now you can enter lower case characters from the keyboard. A Shift Lock key allows the keyboard to operate as the standard H9 keyboard or to generate upper and lower case depending upon the Shift key as per a normal typewriter. LOWER CASE DISPLAY Lower case capabilities greatly improve readability KEY CAPS These quality contour key caps h S34.77 ASSEMBLED ilnals modified lor 24 lines. S12.50SET 4 ARROWS 51.00 Ided-in alphanumerlcs. For that professional feel. Full Six Month Warranty — 24 Line Compatible Northwest Computer Services, Inc. 8503 N.E. 30th Ave. Vancouver, WA 98665 (206) 573-8381 ogisterod trade at Heath Co MASTER CARD and VISA welcort If the meaning is not obvious, the player is asked to clarify, and the new input is added to the old to produce a complete sentence. This can go on indefinitely: >OPEN Open what? >DOOR Which door do you mean? > THE TRAP DOOR For more details on the Zork parser and internal struc- ture, see "Zork: A Computerized Fantasy Simulation Game," by P David Lebling, Marc S Blank, and Timothy A Anderson, in IEEE Computer, April, 1979. On the negative side, having a clever parser means that the player may expect almost any concept to be understood. Unfortunately, only a small number of con- cepts can be implemented given the available space. Some concepts that Zork does implement are: • Properties: Objects can have properties or attributes, some of them changeable. Lamps can be on or off, treasures valuable or worthless, villains fighting-mad or peaceful. Some of these properties never change; a con- tainer is always a container, for example. But other pro- perties can change; for example, some containers may be opened and closed at will. • Containment: Objects may have contents. Bottles can contain water and be open or closed. Some objects are transparent. Some objects must be unlocked before they can be opened. The capacity of an object is limited. (For example, a paper bag won't hold as much as a bucket.) • Weight: Objects have weight. A solid gold coffin weighs a lot more than a newspaper. The amount a player can carry depends on the total number of objects carried and on the total weight of the objects and their contents. • Position: An object may be in, on, or under another object. • Vehicles: The player may be in a vehicle which is traveling through the locations in the game. In addition to the player, the vehicle may have other contents distinct from the player's belongings and the "contents" of the location. • Time: Game events may be scheduled to happen at ar- bitrary future times. Time-bombs may go off, matches burn out, lanterns grow dimmer, and so on. • Actors: Actors are other characters who have roles in the game. They may fight or choose not to. They may speak to the player or be spoken to. They may move around or stay in a particular place. • Fighting: The player may engage in combat with other inhabitants of the game. He may be wounded (affecting his ability to carry heavy loads), or he may kill his oppo- nent and retrieve the opponent's weapon. Every object in Zork has a pointer to its location (which may be "nowhere"), which is its parent; a pointer to the next object in the same location, which is its sib- ling; and a pointer to its first contents, which is its first child. Thus, a container points to its contents, and the contents point back to it. One result of this implementation is that an object can 174 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 112 On inquiry Card. Circle 113 on inquiry card. Thousands of SoftwareHows'"users agree — SoflwareHows products set a new standard of excellence for solution-oriented software. Instant installation for your system, powerful "word processing-like" editing facilities and consistent operating features make this SolutionWare'" the only serious choice for your needs. Why settle for a piece when you can have the whole pie?! At last! An integrated system of business software ideal for you! irchased software Cost Payroll Accounting r How often have you purchased software only to be disappointed by its features or frustrated by the inability of the different programs to work together? 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The result of this vast and easy to use data base is unique. You'll be amazed at how much better you'll understand the operation and cash flow of your business! And better understanding means better planning — and higher profits for you! The Data Base Integration System is built around the basic four accounting tools: General Ledger provides those all important balance sheets and income statements, Accounts Receivable and Payable take care of invoice control in a jiffy, while Payroll with Cost Accounting does your payroll and provides cost effective- ness data. All packages fully interact and are self-checking. The amazing Order-Right '" order entry system and MicroDaSys In- ventory, give you one of the most complete sales management and material requirements systems available. Output is processed with lightning speed and meticulous accuracy: invoices, shipping labels, charge slips and COD tags. Orders automatically interact with Inventory and Receivables. 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I I A Complete 200 page Overview of all SoftwareHows SolutionWare is yours for just $75, refundable with purchase. TM a division of MicroDaSys PO Box 36275 Los Angeles, CA 90036 (213)731-0876 TWX310-321-2378 Circle 114 on inquiry card. c J > c > EXTENDED DISTANCE EIA RS-232 DATA CABLES AT LOW PRICES! 12 conductor cable $15 plus 500 per foot 18 conductor cable §16.50 plus 75$ per foot. 25 conductor cable $16.50 plus 850 per foot. These low capacitance cables enable you to extend the distance between your modems and terminals up to 250 feet — with no line drivers. They're available in male to male, male to female or female to female connectors. We'll make them to specified lengths. Quick delivery. Phone or write in your orders. = INTERNATIONAL DATA SCIENCES, INC. Export: EMEC, 2350 S. 30th Ave., Hallandale, Florida 33009 Telex 51-43-32 7 Wellington Rd., Lincoln, R.I. 02865 Tel. (401)333-6200. TWXI7101384-1 91 1 TURTLES TEACH Fantastically fun, the Terrapin™ Turtle rolls, blinks, beeps, draws, and feels. Learn, teach and demonstrate geometry, assembly and high level programming, life sciences, Artificial Intelligence. Interface this small home robot to TRS-SO, APPLE, DEC:— any digital computer (not included). Send for brochure and prices. Terrapin, Inc. H 678 Massachusetts Ave. # 205 Cambridge, Mass. 02139 Terrapin, Inc. 617-692-8816 be in only one place at one time. Things like water, which can potentially be infinitely finely divided, are difficult to implement in Zork for this reason. Consequently Zork has two "water" objects; one for water in general (flow- ing in streams, filling reservoirs, leaking from pipes) and one for water in the player's possession (in a bottle, for example). In handling water, the general sort always eventually ends up as the specific sort, and exceptions aren't tolerated: >FILL BOTTLE WITH WATER The bottle is now full of water. >POUR WATER The water spills to the ground and evaporates. Another aspect of containment involves problems of weight and capacity. The weight of an object must always be the sum of its own weight and the weight of its contents. Naturally, each of the contained objects has its weight calculated the same way. On the other hand, the volume of an object is filled only by the size of the objects directly in it. LOOK You are in the magic boat. The magic boat contains: A shovel. A lamp. A solid-gold coffin. The solid-gold coffin contains: A brown sack. The brown sack contains: A lunch. A clove of garlic. Of course, containers have other properties. They can be open or closed, opaque or transparent, locked or unlocked. > INVENTORY You are carrying: A glass bottle. The glass bottle contains: A quantity of water. > DRINK WATER I can't reach the quantity of water. > OPEN BOTTLE Opened. > DRINK WATER Thank you very much. I was rather thirsty. The concept of a surface is implemented as a special kind of containment. Objects which have surfaces on which other objects may sit are actually containers with an additional property of "surfaceness." Vehicles are an even more specialized case of con- tainers. A vehicle has a property called the action proper- ty that is allowed a chance to give special handling to any input of the player. For example, a spaceship vehicle might want to restrict the player's movement during the acceleration phase of a flight or prevent him from taking objects that are outside the ship. Possibly the most useful concept in Zork is that of time. An arbitrary event may be scheduled to occur at an 176 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 110 on inquiry card. Circle 115 on inquiry card. WINS BOTH WORLD AND NORTH AMERICAN MICROCOMPUTER CHAMPIONSHIPS! V The same engineers who helped win the "First World Microcomputer Chess ^M Championships" in London, England and the "Fijst Official North American ffl Microcomputer Chess Championship in San Jose, California, proudly intro- fm duce Fidelity's newest Microcomputer bridge product... j| LONDON, ENGLAND IL_ September 4, 5, 6 Ifi^ 1980 SAN JOSE. CALIFORNIA September 5.6.7 1980 to mm Challeriger^'''matfe.'.v been to tnp RiWreitind '. '■' \ it works'!" "■•';5.C< ! A Voice Bridge.' 7 "'. ' r ■'." Challenger"' is skillfully engineered and i programmed to be a worthy partner or opponent. In fact, if you're alone, Challenger'"' will bid and play the other three hands. ..you'll have a computer as your partner and two computer opponents! Challenger ' will also play one, two, or even all four hands if you wish. Voice Bridge Challenger'* clearly and audibly announces all bids and plays, using accepted bridge terminology. Challenger's'*' bidding is based primarily on Standard American, also includes some aspects of such European systems as ACOL, and makes use of up to nine well-known conventions. During the play of the hand, it forms and executes a plan of action much like a human player. Many outstanding features include: an optic scanner that quickly reads custom coded playing cards; optional random dealing of hands without using the cards and scanner; indicators showing the Dealer and vulnerability; reviews of the bidding and of the last trick; automatic replay by the Computer of a deal you have just completed (making it easy for you to play duplicate bridge against the Computer), and instant response. And it even keeps score!' Voice Bridge Challenger" ...a great bridge-playing companion for the beginner or bridge enthusiast. Available at fine stores everywhere. The world's largest manufacturer of self-contained, microprocessor based, board games. Quality made in U S A * FIDELITY ELECTRONICS, LTD. arbitrary time in the future: for example, the discharging of the batteries in a lantern is controlled in this way. Introducing time also introduces some problems. If an event is scheduled, the circumstances under which it is valid must be coded into it. Otherwise, the behavior of the game can appear nonsensical. Suppose the player lights the fuse on some dynamite. If he sticks around, he will be blown to smithereens. He runs away, only to find that the dynamite has apparently followed him. He still gets blown up because, when the explosion happens, the program doesn't check to see if he is still there. One method of dealing with players who are "killed" in Zork is to resurrect them in a forest. In an early version of Zork, it was possible to be killed by the collapse of an unstable room. Due to carelessness with scheduling such a collapse, 50,000 pounds of rock might fall on your head during a stroll down a forest path. Meteors, no doubt. In an effort to introduce a little more randomness into what was at one time a deterministic game, we added fighting. The player was allowed to attack any of the monsters or other characters he encountered during his travels. The scheme we implemented is conceptually sim- ple. There is a range of possible outcomes for any attack, either by the player on a villain or vice versa. You can be killed outright, knocked unconscious, wounded, wound- ed seriously, staggered, or you can have your weapon knocked from your hand. The villain, each time it is his turn to riposte, has the option of parrying or turning and running (if he is not limited to one room, as the troll is). Some weapons are better against certain opponents than others. The relative DECLSM1 Components Dependable service at discount prices Domestic and Export mini Computer Suppliers, Inc. 25 Chatham Rd., Summit, N.J. 07901 Since 1973 (201) 277-6150 Telex 13-6476 ©Mini Computer Suppliers. Inc. 1979 strengths of player and opponent figure into the outcome as well (the player's strength is a function of health and progress in the game). The results are a selection of ap- propriate messages describing the fight as it progresses. >KILL THIEF WITH SWORD Clang! Crash! The thief parries. >AGAIN The thief receives a deep gash on his side. >KILL The thief slowly approaches, strikes like a snake, and leaves you wounded. > ATTACK The thief is disarmed by a subtle feint past his guard. The robber, somewhat surprised at this turn of events, nimbly retrieves his stiletto. >KILL THIEF A good stroke! Blood wells down the thief's leg. You evidently frightened the robber. He flees, but the contents of his bag fall to the floor. Well, he may live to fight another day, but you recovered some of his booty. Fighting in Zork is pretty primitive when compared to real life or even to a "melee" in the popular game Dungeons and Dragons. You could make combat more elaborate, and in fact there are CFS games that have gone in that direction, producing quite realistic "hack and slash" games. Possibly, the most enjoyable aspect of writing Zork was designing the other characters the player may en- counter. Zork contains various other actors, including a troll, a thief, a wizard, various monsters and friendly gnomes, and a beautiful princess. Some of these are pret- ty simple. The troll is basically an obstacle. He doesn't move but merely bars the way and must be defeated by force of arms. The thief, on the other hand, is embodied by a complex program. After a while, he begins to take on a personali- ty of his own: the slightly down-at-the-heels younger son of a noble family, perhaps. He is cultivated but has a rather nasty sense of humor. For example, his idea of fun is to foul up the standard Adventure maze-mapping technique of identifying rooms by dropping objects in them. When he finds a player doing that, he will wander around switching objects, no doubt chuckling all the while: You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. > DROP KNIFE Dropped. In the distance, you hear a voice saying, "My, I wonder what this fine rope is doing here?" Some actions of the thief are motivated by the charac- terization; he is unlikely to kill you during a fight if he knocks your weapon out of your hand — too well bred. On the other hand, maybe his thiefly reflexes will get the better of him .... Many of the thief's actions are motivated by simple probability. There is a certain chance he will stop in any room while roaming around, a certain probability that he will steal any particular object (high for treasures, of course), and a probability that he will decide to attack the player. His behavior, nonethe- less, can seem very realistic: Sometimes he seems to dog 178 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 116 On inquiry Card. Computer experts (the pros) usually have big computer experience. That's why when they shop system software for Z80 micros, they look for the big system features they're used to. And that's why they like Multi-User OASIS. You will too. DATA INTEGRITY: FILE & AUTOMATIC RECORD LOCKING The biggest challenge for any multi-user system is co-ordinating requests from several users to change the same record at the same time. Without proper co-ordination, the confusion and problems of inaccurate or even destroyed data can be staggering. Our File and Automatic Record Locking features solve these problems. For example: normally all users can view a particular record at the same time. But, if that record is being updated by one user, automatic record locking will deny all other users access to the record until the up-date is completed. So records are always accurate, up-to-date and integrity is assured. Pros demand file & automatic record locking. OASIS has it. SYSTEM SECURITY: LOGON, PASSWORD & USER ACCOUNTING Controlling who gets on your system and what they do once they're on it is the essence of system security. (THEN COMPARE.) Without this control, unauthorized users could access your programs and data and do what they like. A frightening prospect isn't it? And multi-users can multiply the problem. But with the Logon, Password and Privilege Level features of Multi-User OASIS, a system manager can specify for each user which programs and files may be accessed — and for what purpose. Security is further enhanced by User Accounting — a feature that lets you keep a history of which user has been logged on, when and for how long. Pros insist on these security features. OASIS has them. EFFICIENCY: RE-ENTRANT BASIC A multi-user system is often not even practical on computers limited to 64K memory. OASIS Re-entrant BASIC makes it practical. How? Because all users use a single run-time BASIC module, to execute their compiled programs, less memory is needed. Even if you have more than 64K, your pay-off is cost saving and more efficient use of all the memory you have available — because it services more users. Sound like a pro feature? It is. And OASIS has it. AND LOTS MORE... Multi-UserOASIS supports as many as 1 6 terminals and can run in as little as 56K memory. Or, with bank switching, as much as 784K. Multi-Tasking lets each user run more than one job at the same time. And there's our BASIC- a compiler, interpreter and debugger all in one. An OASIS exclusive. Still more: Editor; Hard & Floppy Disk Support; Keyed (ISAM), Direct & Sequential Files; Mail-Box; Scheduler; Spooler; all from OASIS. Our documentation is recognized as some of the best, most extensive, in the industry. And, of course, there's plenty of application software. Put it all together and it's easy to see why the real pros like OASIS. Join them. Send your order today. OASIS IS AVAILABLE FOR SYSTEMS: Altos; Compucorp;Cromemco; Delta Products: Digital Group; Digital Microsystems: Dynabyte: Godbout: IBC: Index: Intersystems; North Star: Onyx; SD Systems: TRS 80 Mod II: Vector Graphic; Vorimex CONTROLLERS: Bell Controls; Cameo Corvus; Konan: Micromaiion; Micropolis: Tarbell; Teletek: Thinkertoys: X Comp Write for complete. free Application Software Directory. PLEASE SEND ME: Price with Manual Product Manual Only OPERATING SYSTEM (Includes: EXEC Language, File Management; User Accounting; Device Drivers; Print Spooler; General Text Editor: etc.) SINGLE-USER S150 SI7.50 MULTI-USER 350 17.50 BASIC COMPILER/ INTERPRETER/DEBUGGER too 15 00 RE-ENTRANT BASIC COMPILER/INTERPRETER/ DEBUGGER 150 15.00 DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE (Macro Assembler; Linkage Editor; Debugger) 150 2500 TEXT EDITOR & SCRIPT PROCESSOR 150 15.00 DIAGNOSTIC & CONVERSION UTILITIES (Memory Test. Assembly Language, Converters: File Recovery, Disk Test: File Copy from other OS; etc.) 100 15,00 COMMUNICATIONS PACKAGE File Send & Receive) 100 15,00 PACKAGE PRICE (All of Above) SINGLE-USER 500 60.00 MULTI-USER 850 60 00 FILE SORT 100 15.00 COBOL-ANSI 74 750 35.00 Order OASIS from: Phase One Systems, Inc. 7700 Edgewater Drive, Suite 830 Oakland, CA 94621 Telephone (415) 562-8085 TWX 910-366-7139 NAME. STREET (NO BOX rr) CITY STATE AMOUNTS ZIP (Attach system description; add S3 for shipping; California residents add sales tax) □ Check enclosed □ VISA □ UPS C.O.D. □ Masfercharge Card Number Expiration Date Signature MAKES MICROS RUN LIKE MINIS Data Terminals Fast ...from MICROM AIL . 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Adjustable width tractor paper feed. $1399.00 ANADEX DP 8000 $899.00 ANADEX DP 9000 $1299.00 T.I. 810 • Includes upper/lower case option. • Bidirectional printing at 150 cps. • Tractor-feed forms, 3" to 15" wide. $1599.00 Options: r«ww.iw - Forms length control— $100.00 - Vertical Format Control with Compressed Print -$125.00 DECwriter LA 34 Options: $969.00 - Numeric keypad -$80.00 - Adjustable forms tractor- $130.00 ^ Model 'A A' $1,099.00\ TELETYPE 43 $999.00 SOROC IQ120 $689.00 SOROC IQ140 TELEVIDEO 912/920 $1099.00 Insert/delete line, insert/delete character, line/page erase. Reverse video, blinking, underline, V4 intensity, pro- tected field, blank security field. Uses 7x10 dot matrix for a high quality u/l case display with descenders. 912 C $795.00 Write or Call In for Our Free Catalogue! eKIJCRQKIflU.., MICROMAIL • BOX 3297 • SANTA ANA, CA 92703 (714) 731-4338 TO ORDER: Send check or money order to: MICROMAIL, P.O. Box 3297, Santa Ana, CA 92703. Personal or company checks require two weeks to clear. All equipment includes factory warranty. SHIPPING: We ship freight collect by UPS when possible. Larger terminals are shipped by motor freight. Air and express delivery is available on all products. HANDLING: All orders are subject to MICROMAIL's handling charges. Less than $750.00, add 3%. S750.00 to $2,000.00. add 2%. Over $2,000.00 add 1%. the player, who no sooner finds a treasure than the thief filches it. There is a rich range of possibilities in producing games in which characters in the story (other than the player) act more like real people and less like monsters or one- dimensional villains. But the simulation of human behavior is still an unsolved problem in the field of ar- tificial intelligence. The best approximations to date have been the classic simulations of a nondirective psychotherapist (Weizenbaum's Eliza) and of a psychotic paranoid (Colby's Parry). But even they would not make very interesting characters in a story. (These two curious beings actually met once, as recorded in "Parry En- counters the Doctor" by Vinton Cerf, in Datamation, Ju- ly 1973.) There are other, more mundane areas in which Zork could be extended. For example, take a simple concept like clothing. If the player can reference his clothing (or even a magic ring he might be wearing) some interesting questions arise. Is there a distinction between wearing something and carrying something? Probably, because when the player says "drop all," he probably doesn't mean to include his clothes. Also, the existence of clothes probably means the definition of many parts of the body. You could take this to extremes: > INVENTORY You are empty-handed. You are wearing a diamond ring on your right index finger. You are wearing bells on your toes. You are wearing a coonskin cap on your head. Of course, if you implement clothes, there might as well be pockets, and backpacks, and other "different" sorts of containers. It would have to be defined whether the player can reference things inside them (what if the flap of the backpack is closed, for example?). What happens if he falls into a lake? Do the clothes drag him down? What about wearing a suit of armor? Clothes probably need a weight or need to produce a fatigue effect on the player. The mention of falling into a lake brings up another possible extension to Zork. Currently players aren't allowed to swim. One reason was to avoid the problems associated with the player's belongings dragging him under. Another is the question of what happens to his belongings. Do they get wet? If so, do they ever dry out again? What about wet matches (to give one example)? Is wet paper still burnable? How long can the player swim? Can he hold his breath and swim underwater? There are any number of questions that have to be considered if such a feature is to be implemented. Even the addition of a run-of-the-mill object can pro- duce complications. In early versions of Zork, the troll's axe disappeared when he was killed. We finally decided to let the player recover it, as advances in Zork weapons technology removed the reason for destroying it. Un- fortunately, we didn't think it through. One of our best play testers, on hearing that "you can finally get the axe," immediately said, "Great, I'm going to go up to the forest and chop down some trees." Oops. We never thought of that, not to mention using the axe to chop through doors, split timbers, and any number of other commonplace uses for something we were thinking of strictly as a weapon. Circle 118 on inquiry card. When You Have To Face A Deadline Communication Arts. Huntington Beach. CA Arm Yourself With Pascal/MT+ From ViSA* master charge MT Micro SYSTEMS 1562 Kings Cross Drive Cardiff, California 92007 (714) 753-4856 We ship on 8" single density and 5-1/4" North Star single density. Other formats available. Ask us. CP'M is a registered tiaclemark of Digital Research MP/M is a trademark ol Digital Research Pascal/MT* is a registered trademark of MT Micro Systems Circle 119 on inquiry card. The authors of Zork have thought about several possi- ble extensions to the Zork parser. One that has come up many times is to add adverbs. A player should be able to do the following: >GO NORTH QUIETLY You sneak past a sleeping lion who sniffs but doesn't wake up. The problem is to think of reasons why you would not do everything "quietly," "carefully," or whatever. Perhaps there should be time and fatigue penalties for doing things in a nonstandard way: > SEARCH WALL CAREFULLY This would take a long time (and all the while the lamp is burning down), possibly tiring the player out. To be fair to the player, he should not need to search every wall carefully, or walk quietly everywhere. There should be reasonable clues or hints as to why and where he should do such things. This long discussion of the problems of extending Zork is not intended to scare anyone (including the authors of the game). The idea is to show that apparently simple ex- tensions to the game have their nonobvious ramifica-i tions. Of course, it would be simple to ignore them, but we think that the authors of a game should play fair with the players. Just as it's disappointing to see the wires holding up Flash Gordon's spaceship, it's disappointing to see: 779 upper CASE/lower case "Conversion Kit I" Expand the capabilities of your 779 line printer to include word processing!! Available to all Centronics 779 and TRS 80 Printer I owners is the option of lower case and changing slash Zero to standard 0. No etch cuts or soldering needed, installs in minutes with a screwdriver. No program modification or additional interface is required. Price $125.00 UPPER/ LOWER CASE NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE FOLLOWING CENTRONICS PRINTERS: 101AL, 102BL, 306, 500, 501, 503, 700, 701, 702, 703, 780, 781. Motor control "conversion kit ii" FOR ALL CENTRONICS 779 & TRS 80 PRINTER I LINE PRINTERS!! Our "Conversion Kit II" Motor Controller gives your 779 the ability to turn the motor on and off automatically. Removes the annoying noise of constant run, increasing the life span of your 779 and TRS 80 line printer motor! No soldering, software or hardware changes needed, installs easily. Price $95.00 SAVE! Buy Service Technologies "Conversion Kit I" and "Conversion Kit II" together for the single price of $199.00 To order, please send check or money order in the proper amount to: r rr- . , a C/ervice Jecnnoloqies, Jfnc. 32 Nightingale Rd. Nashua, N.H. 03062 (603) 883-5369 Visa and Master Charge accepted (please include signature, expiration date and phone number). >PUT RING ON FINGER I don't know the word 'finger'. We authors would hardly claim that Zorlc is perfect in this respect, but we have made an effort in that direction. When we add something new, we try to think of how the player might try to use it and what verbs he might try to apply to it. Within the space available, we've tried to put most of those things in. All the CFS games that I have encountered are similar in one major respect: they are about problem solving and the acquisition of treasure. This is probably because a structure containing problems and rewards is obvious and easy to implement. It is possible to imagine games in which the goals are different. Some programmers in southern California have designed a game in which the moral choices the player makes have a significant impact on the game. For exam- ple, does the player give an old man some water? Similar- ly, the problem-solving idea could be shifted into something closer to scientific research. The player could be introduced into an environment where he performs ex- periments, ponders the results, and ultimately gains understanding and control of that environment. Innovations in form as well as content are possible. There are already CFS games that try to give the player a graphic view of his surroundings. As microcomputer technology advances, this will become more common, and the renditions will achieve higher quality: it will be technically feasible to have a CFS game "illustrated" by Frank Frazetta or Jeff Jones. On the other hand, the player's imagination probably has a more detailed picture of the Great Underground Empire than could ever be drawn. I can even recall discussions among the game's implementors over who should play the thief in the movie version. Another area where experimentation is going on is that of multiplayer CFS games. Each player (possibly not even aware how many others are playing) would see only his own view of the territory. He would be notified when other players enter or leave the room, and could talk to them. There was briefly a multiplayer version of the PDP-10 Zork several years ago, and today there is a "Multiple User Dungeon" at Essex University in England. There are major problems, however. One is producing problems that are compatible with different numbers of players (from one to, say, a dozen). If it takes five players to solve a problem (one to hold the light bulb and four to turn the ladder?), what happens if only two people are playing? The other problem, as far as the microcomputer owner is concerned, is that few can afford an unlimited number of machines or even video monitors to accom- modate so many players. CFS games as an art form can continue to grow as long as their medium continues to grow. Zork is already con- stricted by the size of today's microprocessors (it was large even on the PDP-10), but the new generations of 16- and 32-bit machines offer the opportunity of enor- mous further growth. The possibilities of new concepts, new milieux, and new purposes are enormous. We would like to think that it will not be long before authors view such scenarios as just another medium of expression. I find the prospect exciting because I enjoy playing CFS games as much as writing them.H 182 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 120 on inquiry card. DEC® LSI® 11/23 COMPUTERS $6750 and we're delivering from stock! SOFTWARE PRODUCTS CI-103 DESK TOP COMPUTER. Available with LSI 11/23 or LSI 11/2. Complete computer system enclosed within a VT-103 video terminal, immediate delivery. Only $4500 with LSI 11/2 and 64K Memory. $6750 with LSI 11/23 and 96K Bytes Memory. PDP 1103SE — LSI 11/2 CPU, 64KB Memory, power supply, KEV 11 in 8 slot rack mountable chassis. $2695 CI 1103LK — LSI 11/2 CPU, 64KB Memory, power supply, KEV 11 in 16 slot rack mountable chassis. $2750 CI-11/23 AC — LSI 11/23 CPU, MMU, 256KB Memory, power supply, in 16 slot rack mountable chassis. $6895 LSI 11/2 CPU card with 64K Byte Memory. $1095 1 Megabyte RX02 Floppy Disk System. $3045 RT11 V4 Operating System. $1085 RSX11M Operating System. $3250 VT100AA Video Terminal. $1795 € Chrislin Industries, Inc. Computer Products Division 31352 Via Colinas • Westlake Village, CA 91362 • 213-991-2254 DEC. LSI. PDP. are Trademarks ol Digital Equipment Corp Circle 121 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 183 Today one dollar buys Y 3 of a business phone call Today one dollar buy £ readers who actually s 6% readers who act ualfy see your sales message. {'<$&, %\ : . As your selling dollar buys less and less, it pays more and more to advertise in McGraw-Hill magazines. As prices keep going up and up, McGraw-Hill magazines help 10.8 million decision-makers keep costs down. For example, Chemical Week told chemical processing managers and pro- fessionals how exports credits could lower their debt-servicing costs. And Engineering News-Record showed the construction industry how to cope with the destructive effects of the 1981 federal budget. By helping 10.8 million readers solve their inflation problems, we help you solve yours. Today, the price of reaching one potential customer in McGraw-Hill magazines is only 16 . 1 This compares to a cost of $6. 07 for sending a business let- ter, 2 over $3. 50 for a business phone call, 3 and an in-person sales call which, believe it or not, now costs $137. 02. 4 In times like these, when everything costs more, you may be tempted to spend less on your advertising budget. But our Laboratory of Advertising Per- formance (LAP) Report #5262 demon- strates that "Industrial companies that maintained or increased their advertising expenditure during the 1974-75 recession enjoyed higher sales growth than those that cut advertising." Write 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020 for LAP Report #5262 today And let us help you make your advertising more efficient, as the price of all other selling tools becomes more expensive. 'One reader-noted impression in the average McGraw-Hill publication. -The Dartnell Institute of Business Research. 3 "TeIephone Marketing" by Murray Roman. H 87, McGraw-Hill 1976. ^Laboratory of Advertising Performance Report #8013.5. McGraw-Hill Research. McGraw-Hill Magazines M With inflation, we're an even better buy. Character Variation in Role-Playing Games Jon Freeman Automated Simulations Inc 1988 Leghorn St Mountain View CA 94043 Editor's Note: This issue is concerned with Adventure and its variants. Some Adventure enthusiasts will claim that games like Automated Simulations' Morloc's Tower (see a review of this game on page 84) are not really Adventures. To see that this is rightly so, contrast this arti- cle by Jon Freeman, creative director for Automated Simulations, with the Adven- ture article, "On the Road to Adventure, " by Bob Liddil (page 158). But this is not to say that the Dunjon- quest games and an increasing number like them are not "as good as" the more conven- tional command-and-answer Adventure games. Rather, they emphasize a different set of values that capture the player's im- agination in another, equally engaging way. Players of Dungeons and Dragons and other role-playing games will find a lot of the Dungeons and Dragons philosophy used in Automated Simulations' Dunjon- quest games. Unlike Dungeons and Dragons, however, computer-aided games of this sort have the advantage of running in real time. A fight that could take 15 minutes to resolve in Dungeons and Dragons will only take 10 seconds to resolve with these games, so you'd better be fast on your keyboard! . . . .GW The peculiar attraction of Dungeons and Dragons, Tunnels and Trolls, Traveller, and other similar games stems, I believe, from two things: open-endedness and role- playing. Anything can happen: as a player in such a game, you may be at- tacked by 1,000 goblins or a jealous lover, contract a disease, acquire a new suit of armor, or inherit one hun- dred dollars — er, gold pieces. Any- thing can be done, from fighting a dragon to begging a wizard's forgive- ness, from besieging a castle to kiss- ing a frog. And it never stops, except temporarily: there is no final victory, There is no role-playing in games of the Adven- ture /Zork family. no point to playing except playing, and no ultimate aim except the con- tinuing development of your "char- acter" — the alter ego who stalks the imagined landscape in your stead. Even microcomputers in a fraction of a second can make complicated calculations that would take a Dungeons and Dragons referee minutes of page-turning and piles of charts. However, no computer games can handle all the aspects ajluded to above as well as the best-run noncom- puter games. Computer-based games can therefore be grouped according to which aspects they emphasize and which they ignore. There is no real role-playing, for instance, in the Adventure/Zor/c fam- ily: the protagonist is just you in a strange setting. Games of that sort concentrate on the perceived open- endedness of action: not only is there a multitude of command op- tions available (typically far more than Dunjonquest's eighteen or so), but also they are not made known to you except by trial and error. It can be quite challenging to find the right key, the right moment, and the right command necessary to insert it in the right lock; but once you do, the door will open — always. Thus, a game like Adventure is really a puzzle that, once solved, is without further in- terest. Character Variation in Dunjonquest The Dunjonquest series employs a different approach. For one thing, sit- uations are primarily defined graph- ically, not textually: you see the situ- ation rather than just being told about it. More to our present pur- pose, while some Dunjonquest games, like Morloc's Tower, have a specific object (finding and slaying the mad and elusive wizard Morloc), there is an open-endedness of result in all of them on the micro level (if you'll excuse a small pun). Generally speaking, there are no "right" answers; the outcome of events is probabilistic, not predetermined. Brian Hammerhand, the assigned alter ego /protagonist of Morloc's Tower and The Datestones of Ryn, can, for example, slay a dire wolf nine times out of ten, but on any par- ticular occasion he may survive the encounter unscratched, or limp away badly mauled and out of breath — and there is also that tenth time. Moreover, the exact outcome of any encounter depends both on the tactics you choose and on the specific traits of your surrogate character. The ex- perience is different every time you play and quite different with each new character you take on your adventure. You are role-playing: get- ting outside youself and into the skin of another (albeit imaginary) being. In The Temple of Apshai, Hellfire Warrior, The Cliffs of Tyyr, and others in the Dunjonquest series, six traits or attributes are used to distinguish Samson the Strong from Cugel the Clever, and Dorgon the 186 December 1980 © BYTE Publications lnc \^Bft Mtk ^H 4ft Licenced by Sinclair Research Ltd ^^ A Microcomputer for everyone at a Micro Price J5& The IMkrofkeJ The unique and valuable components of the MicroAce The MicroAce is not just another personal computer. Quite apart from its exceptionally low price, the MicroAce has two uniquely advanced components: the powerful BASIC interpreter, and the simple teach yourself BASIC manual. The unique versatile BASIC interpreter offers remarkable programming advantages: • Unique 'one-touch' key word entry: the MicroAce eliminates a great deal of tiresome typing. Key words (RUN, PRINT, LIST, etc.) have their own single-key entry. • Unique syntax check. Only lines with correct syntax are accepted into programs. A cursor identifies errors immediately. This prevents entry of long and complicated programs with faults only discovered when you try to run them. • Excellent string handling capability takes up to 26 string variables of any length. All strings can undergo all relational tests (e.g. comparison). The MicroAce also has string input to request a line of text when necessary. Strings do not need to be dimensioned. • Up to 26 single dimension arrays. • FOR/NEXT loops nested up 26. • Variable names of any length. • BASIC language also handles full Boolean arithmetic, conditional expressions, etc. • Exceptionally powerful edit facilities, allows modification of existing program lines. • Randomise function, useful for games and secret codes, as well as more serious applications • Timer under program control. PEEK and POKE enable entry of machine code instructions, USR causes jump to a user's machine language sub-routine. • High-resolution graphics with 22 standard graphic symbols. • All characters printable in reverse under program control. • Lines of unlimited length. 'Excellent value' indeed! For just $149.00 (excluding handling charge) you get everything you need to build a personal computer at home... PCB, with IC sockets for all ICs; case; leads for direct connection to a cassette recorder and television (black and white or color); everything! Yet the MicroAce really is a complete, powerful, full-facility computer, matching or surpassing other personal computers at several times the price. The MicroAce is programmed in BASIC, and you can use it to do quite literally anything, from playing chess to managing a business. The MicroAce is pleasantly straightforward to assemble, using a fine-tipped soldering iron. It immediately proves what a good job you've done: connect it to your TV ... link it to the mains adaptor ... and you're ready to go. Fewer chips, compact design, volume production-more power per Dollar! The MicroAce owes its remarkable low price to its remarkable design: the whole system is packed on to fewer, newer, more powerful and advanced LSI chips. A single SUPER ROM, for instance, contains the BASIC interpreter, the character set, operating system, and monitor. And the MicroAce 1K byte - a new generation of miniature computers A COMPLETE COMPUTER for $149.00 for 1K Kit Post and Packing FREE (Add 6% Tax for Shipments inside California) RAM (expandable to 2K on board) is roughly equivalent to 4K bytes in a conventional computer - typically storing 100 lines of BASIC. (Key words occupy only a single byte.) The display shows 32 characters by 24 lines. And Benchmark tests show that the MicroAce is faster than all other personal computers. No other personal computer offers this unique combination of high capability and low price. The MicroAce teach-yourseif BASIC manual. If the features of the BASIC interpreter mean little to you-don't worry. They're all explained in the specially-written book free with every kit! The book makes learning easy, exciting and enjoyable, and represents a complete course in BASIC programming-from first principles to complex programs. (Available separately-purchase price refunded if you buy a MicroAce later.) A hardware manual is also included with every kit. The MicroAce Kit: $149.00 with IK COMPLETE $169.00 with 2K Demand for the MicroAce is very high: use the coupon to order today for the earliest possible delivery. All orders will be despatched in strict rotation. If you are unsuccessful in constructing your kit, we will repair it for a fee of $20. (X), post and packing FREE. Of course, you may return your MicroAce as received within 14 days for a full refund. We want you to be satisfied beyond all doubt - and we have no doubt that you will be. Z80 A microprocessor chip, widely recognised as the best ever made. . ■«■■■■■■■■ M it M «i ii 1» st ii ip Your MicroAce kit contains... • Printed circuit board, with IC sockets for all ICs. • Complete components set, including all ICs-all manufactured by selected world-leading suppliers. • New rugged keyboard, touch-sensitive, wipe-clean. • Ready-moulded case. • Leads and plugs for connection to domestic TV and cassette recorder. (Programs can be SAVEd and LOADed on to a portable cassette recorder.) • Mains adaptor of 600 mA at 9VDC nominal unregulated. • FREE course in BASIC programming and user manual. JOIN THE REVOLUTION - DON'T GET LEFT BEHIND - ORDER YOUR MICROACE NOW!! Send Check, Money Order or quote your Credit Card No. to: MicroAce 1348 East Edinger, Santa Ana, California, Zip Code 92705. or phone (714) 547 2526 quoting your Credit Card Number. Quantity Description TOTAL I I Nar I Adc jlcttv MicroAce Kit 1K $149.00 MicroAce Kit 2K $169.00 Manual $10.00 1K Upgrade Kit $29.00 Shipjnen add 6% ts inside California TAX TOTAL Amex. Diners Check Money Order Master Charge Visa Card No.. Exp. Date- .Zip. Circle 122 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 187 Circle 123 on inquiry card. Still programming "by hand"? Leave your hands and mind free to create new programs. Let PEARL handle the production of program code. Define your new programming ideas by answering PEARL'S prompts. PEARL then writes your program code. Simply. Conveniently. Available in three user levels . . . Level 1 for the personal-hobbyist non-programmer ($130); Level 2 for business applications and those with programming skills ($350); Level 3 for software developers ($650). Join the hundreds who use PEARL to create error-free code automatical Interested? Need more information? Visit your nearest microcomputer dealer or call CPU today. /O, CPU International ! -y P.O. Box 128 no * Salem, Oreg (503)370-8653 Dolt from either. Three traits (ego, intelligence, and intuition) cover the mental aspects of a character, and three traits (dexterity, strength, and constitution) cover the physical at- tributes. Each of these is assigned a number (randomly, if the program is creating the character) from a low of 3 to a high of 18 — the equivalent of rolling three six-sided dice, which is how such characters are normally created in games like Dungeons and Dragons. (This commonality allows you to bring characters from "out- side" into the Dunjonquest world.) The numerical valuation permits the use of charts and tables, or com- puter calculations, to affect or resolve outcomes during the course of the adventure. It also permits 16 6 = 16,777,216 different characters, which is enough to allow all the variation you could ask for if the system is set up to handle it. Dexterity and Constitution In the Dunjonquest systems, character variation affects the game in many ways. For instance, in any round of combat between an adven- turer (you and your character) and a monster (dragon, troll, goblin, com- mon thug, etc), there is a chance the character will strike the monster with his sword, and a separate chance that the monster will strike the adventurer with his teeth/claws/club/bad breath. Dexterity, representing a combination of reflexes, coordina- tion, speed, etc, interacts with the adventurer's choice of weapons in a complex way to modify those combat probabilities. Simply put, with a dexterity of 4, Cleavon the Clumsy has trouble keeping his shield out of his own way; he spends much of his time futilely slicing the air and is an easy target for attacking monsters. In con- trast, Flash Farrad (dexterity 17) will hit his opponent far more often and will block more blows with his shield. Reasonably enough, since Farrad is better at hitting where he aims, his advantage over Cleavon extends to the amount of damage he is likely to do (but other factors — size of the weapon and strength of the sword arm — enter in; see the following). Constitution, a measure of health and endurance, is perhaps the single most important trait, since it represents specifically the number of points of damage a character can sus- tain before dying. A monster must do exactly three times as much damage to Steel Strongheart (constitution 18) to kill him as it would take to do in poor Ferdinand the Frail (constitution 6). (In fact, Ferdinand is too sickly to pass muster in the Dunjonquest character-generation sequence, which rejects hopelessly inferior characters.) Furthermore, Ferdinand will tire (from moving or fighting) three times as fast as Steel. Since fatigued characters must rest or risk falling easy prey to monsters through sheer exhaustion, even running away can be hazardous to unhealthy adven- turers. Strength and Ego Strength measures how strong the character is and affects damage done in combat both directly and indirect- ly. Heavier weapons do potentially more damage, but not all characters can wield even a broadsword, and only the strongest can manage a hand-and-a-half sword one-handed. More directly, the nominal damage (obtained by a random "die roll" itself affected by dexterity and other fac- tors) done by the adventurer to the monster he is fighting is multiplied by one-tenth the strength value to deter- mine the gross damage done. On a "roll" that yields a nominal damage of five points, Nerdley the Not-so- Strong (strength 8) actually does only 5 x .8 = 4 points of damage, while Manfred the Mighty (strength 16) would receive 5 x 1.6 = 8 points of damage out of the same swing of a sword. Strength is also part of the complex algorithm used to calculate fatigue, which is, in part, related to the ratio between the amount of weight an adventurer is carrying at any moment and the square of his strength. Stronger characters can manage heavier armor and more treasures without strain. Ego is a measure of mental toughness and willpower. In part, it expresses the differing reactions of people to stress: in a bad situation, Casper Milquetoast (ego 3) gives up, while Darvon the Determined (ego 16) redoubles his efforts. This translates into an increase (for Dar- von) or decrease (for Casper) in the probability that either will strike the monster he is fighting; the value of the increase /decrease is dependent on the extent of their injuries. In Dunjonquest games in which the 188 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc LIMITED EDITION □ Check enclosed for . Offered for the first time, Volumes II and III of BYTE back issues, packed with articles by your favorite authors, are a real collector's item. Volume II contains issues from January '77 thru December '77 and Volume III contains issues from January '78 thru December '78. Each volume is priced at $100. These gold embossed, hard-cover volumes are individually numbered with only 100 sets available. Orders will be handled on a first- come, first-served basis. Based on our quick sell-out of Volume I, we know that this limited offer will sell rapidly. So fill out the coupon below and rush your order to BYTE BOOKS today. □ Volume II Parts 1 and 2 (Jan 77 thru Dec 77) $100.00 D Volume III Parts 1 and 2 (Jan 78) $100.00 W"i ■ iwv EVlt I IIW □ Bill BankAmericard/Visa □ Bill Master Charge . Exp. Date . State . . Zip . m Call TOLL FREE: 800-258-5420 or Mail to: BYTE Books, Inc. 70 Main Street Peterborough N.H. 03458 protagonist is a magician, ego affects the power of a spell much the same way strength modifies a physical at- tack. In all games, ego is added to in- telligence to determine the success of a character's attempt to parley with a monster. Finally, it interacts with in- telligence in a more complex way to affect a character's ability to bargain in the Inn, Apothecary, and Magic Shoppe. Intelligence and Intuition Intelligence in Dunjonquest is limited to the "left-brain" powers of logical reasoning and verbal expres- sion. Since it most closely represents that quality brought to bear on the game by you, the player, the character's intelligence affects play less than any other attribute. It helps or harms the ordinary adventurer chiefly in his negotiations with monsters or the Innkeeper and com- pany, and it controls the complexity of spells used. The final attribute, intuition, is the complement of intelligence: it covers real and imagined "right-brain" func- tions like spacial perception, ESP, and luck. The probability of finding secret doors, traps, and monsters lurking in the next room is directly dependent on the attribute of intui- tion. Poul the Perceptive (intuition 15) finds secret doors with ease; Igor the Insensitive (intuition 5) finds traps only by falling into them. All six attributes can be subtly and, to the player, often invisibly affected by potions and magical devices, enhanced by experience, or decreased by "undead" monsters like spectres, shades, and such. In fact, by means of the subtle but significant effects of in- cremental alterations in each at- tribute, the speed and power of a computer allow for more meaningful variation in [and more objective evaluation of ... . GW/ individual characters than would any noncom- puter role-playing game yet pub- lished. Since monsters are even more complicated and individualized than adventurers, the variety of possible events and outcomes is truly mind- boggling. Once the hard-core fantasy enthusiasts realize this, even the referees may trade in their charts and tables for microcomputers. ■ SciTronics introduces the first small computer based power monitor ^ ENERGY WATTCHER TM Now have your computer continuously measure, calculate and record your power consumption and cost. Receive energy reports every minute, 15 minute, hour, day and month period. • Available for TRS-80-I, Apple II & S-100 computers. • Easy installation clip-on probes supplied. • Qualify for a 15% energy tax credit. Remote Controller & Real Time Clock Available Have full computer control of up to 256 lights, appliances and even wall switches without special wiring. The SciTronics REMOTE CONTROLLER permits direct control of the inex- pensive BSR remote line-carrier switches sold by Sears, Radio Shack and many others. • Controls all 256 BSR remote switches — not just 16 • Hardware driven — requires minimal software • No ultrasonic link — prevents erractic operation • No BSR command module necessary • Real time, crystal controlled clock available The controller comes complete with full documentation, sample software and is designed to work with most of the popular computers including any S-100 based system, TRS-80-1, Apple II, Heath H8 and others. Real time clocks are available for all of the above computer systems. When used with the controller, true time scheduling is realized. All clocks are crystal controlled and have battery backup for accurate and reliable operation. Interrupts allow Foreground/Background operation of two programs simultaneously Clock data includes year, month, date, day of week, hour, minute,- and second. Applications: • Make your entire home or apartment computer controlled • Save energy by controlling lights & appliances • Control security systems & alarms Compatible with Remote Controller & Real Time Clock for complete Energy Management System. Inexpensive — only $295. Remote switches not included ENERGY WATTCHER $295. S-100 CONTROLLER BOARD $159. S-100 REAL TIME CLOCK BOARD $159. ENCASED CONTROLLER (TRS-80, Apple II etc ) $184. ENCASED CONTROLLER & REAL TIME CLOCK (TRS-80, Apple II etc.) $269. APPLE II CLOCK BOARD $129. Send check or SciTl"OniCS IflC. money order to: 523 s. Clewell St., P.O. Box 5344 Bethlehem, PA 18015 (21 5) 868-7220 Please list system with which you plan to use peripheral. Master Charge and Visa accepted. PA residents add sales tax. COD's accepted. Dealer Inquiries Invited 190 December 1980 @ BYTE Publications Inc Circle 125 on inquiry card. SAVE APPLE®ond TRS-80^ "APEX" NEW DISK OPERATING SYSTEM FOR THE APPLE® Fully Professional DOS for the Apple II. The result of two years of extensive development, APEX provides a complete program development and file management system. A comprehensive command set allows the user to perform almost any imaginable disk operation. • Command structure similar to CPM® ond main frame systems. Contains 20 command words. • Easy program interface. Simple communications. • Capable of handling 5 inch, 8 inch, and hard disks. • Safety fearutes to protect against accidental data loss. Features include backup files, directory, read ofter-wrire & limit checks. • 4 times faster than CPM®. • Auto default structure eliminates redious typing by automatically setting up command strings, file names, etc, • Functional on both single and multi-drive sysrems. • Device handler structure for interfacing peripherals. The APEX package includes all of the tools for o complete assembly language development system, high speed two pass resident assembler ana a powerful macro editor. The complete APEX package with operating system, assembler, editor ond manuals, also includes utilities to maintain tiles. APEX RELATED SOFTWARE *yy FOCAL™ l 59 SAVE ON APPLE II 16K FREE MEMORY UPGRADE KIT TO 48K WITH PURCHASE OF APPLE II 16K (MTI ONLY) M195 m INTRODUCTORY OFFER SAVE $300 TRS-80 Graphics List $949 OKIDATA MICROLINESO ■■«w OUR PRICE *649 Z-80 SoftCard >399 The Source $100 Applesoffware.. $29.95 MTI APPLE 8" DISK SYSTEM "One 5A600R Floppy *1 Drive Chassis & Power Supply 'Controller, Coble and DOS H439 Drives for any Microcomputer Does not include power supply & cabinet. Perrec FD200 $282 Shugort SA400 $279 MPID51 $279 MPID91 $399 FD250 $359 SA800/801 $479 D52 $349 B°2 $525 Printers Cenrronic 779 $1 ,069 Dose 2 $649 «*.MSW Centronics 737 $939 Centronics 702-9 $1 ,995 Anadex 9501 $1 ,549 w Molibu $2,395 Spinwrirer $2,549 Daisy Wheel . $1,779 an /MICROCO/MPUTER TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED ricvvuuoou A new enhanced NEWDOS for the TRS-80. The most powerful Disk Operating System for the TRS-80. designed for the sophisticated user and professional program- mer who demands rhe ultimate. NEWDOS/80 is rhe planned upgrade from NEWDOS 2.1. Some of rhe features ore: • New DASIC commands for files with variable record lengths up to 4095. • Mix or march drives. Use 35. 40 or 80 track 5" disk drives or 8" disk drives, or combo. • Security boor-up for DASIC or machine code applica- tion programs. • New editing commands. • Enhanced RENUMber rhar allows relocation. • Command chaining. • Device handling for routing to display and printer simultaneously. • DFG function; striking of D. F and G keys allows user to enter a mini-DOS without disturbing program. • Comparible with NEWDOS & TR5DOS. • Machine language Superzap/80 2.1 %AJi Q utilities and enhanced debug and copy. I T* 2r Disk Drive Sale! Complete with power supply and chassis. TF-0 Shugarr SA400 $339 Perrec FD200, 40 track $379 • TF5MPI D51, 40 track $369 *F 7 Micropolis 77 track $579 TDH-1 Dual Sided drive 35 frock $499 TF-3M Drive Sys 2 Shugort . . . $699 Disk Expansion System •2 Shugarr SA400 TF-3 $678 • 1 Two-Drive Coble $ 26 • 1 Expansion Interface 32K $459 • 1 35-trackDOS+ $ 99 TOTAL LIST PRICE $1262 SPECIAL cZ H/I49 Same as obove but includes TRS-80® Level II M949 NEWDOS+ 40 track $110 NEWDOS+ 35 track $ 99 Microconducror, Dora Base Mgr. Modi $249 Mod II $399 AJA Business Pkg $359 The Source $100 Basic Compiler $195 Mail List $60 Electric pencil $1 50 NEW TF-8 80 TRACK DISK DRIVE Double Your Capacity TF-9 DUAL 80 TRACK DISK DRIVE Quadruple Your Capacity $ 609 >789 6" Floppy Disk Drive System for Model I • One SA801 Floppy • NEWDOS 80 • Coble (j Adopter H095 3304 West MacArthur ALL PRICES CASH DISCOUNTED Santa Ana CA 92704 6 J£& *££2& ^£22*"*' (714) 979-9923 TAD IRIN ASK FOR OUR FREE CATALOGUE 4401 South Tamarac Parkway Denver, CO 90237 (303)741-1778 Circle 126 for MTI Circle 127 for Apparat BYTE December 1980 191 Pirate's Adventure Scott Adams Adventure International POB 3435 Longwood FL 32750 A Short History Time flies. The copyright date on my game, Pirate's Adventure, reads 1978. It seems like yesterday, but it has been two and a half years since I started on my Adventures . . . At the time I was working as a systems programmer for Stromberg Carlson when I was first introduced to the classic Adventure game written by Crowther and Woods to run on a DEC (Digital Equipment Corpora- tion) PDP-10. After playing for only a few minutes I was hooked. It took almost ten days of early-morning and late-evening sessions before I achieved the coveted score of 350 and the title of Grand Master. I had done it — I was a bona fide adventurer! Yet it seemed unfair that such a fascinating game was restricted to such an expensive machine. Back then, I had just gotten my Radio Shack TRS-80 Level II com- puter, and (having recently finished my backgammon program) I was looking for another good game to write. The concept of character strings intrigued me, and I wanted a game that used them. (Up to that point, I had programmed primarily in FORTRAN and assembly language, neither of which can handle strings easily.) Adventure seemed to fit my needs exactly. But I didn't want to copy someone else's program, and I was afraid I wouldn't get much of an Adventure in a 16 K-byte BASIC computer — especially when the FOR- TRAN version I played took about 300 K bytes! I mentioned the idea of getting some sort of Adventure into my small machine to friends; fortunately, I was not daunted by their laughter. After all, I could remember when it was supposedly impossible to get a BASIC interpreter to run on an 8080 microprocessor! Interpreter? Did I say interpreter? Suddenly the idea fell into place! I had written many compilers and operating systems. Why not write an Adventure interpreter? This would allow me to write many Adventures and would also provide the compres- sion I needed to fit them into a small It seemed unfair that such a fascinating game was restricted to such an ex- pensive machine. machine. (Inside, I'm really a frustrated science-fiction writer; I have over 3000 science-fiction books in my collection but have never tried to write one myself.) So, weeks later, my initial scrib- blings had evolved into a working in- terpreter with a skeleton Adventure to play on it. It took some six months of play-testing before my first Adven- ture, Adventureland, was finally released through The Software Ex- change of Milford, New Hampshire, and Creative Computing Software. Thus the Scott Adams Adventure Series was born. And, at that same moment, it almost died. For six months I had been so engrossed in programming Adventure that my wife Alexis (who at the time was pregnant with Maegen, our daughter) started hiding my floppy disks around the house to get my attention. Once she hid them in the oven — boy, did she get some attention that time! I then decided that one Adventure was enough. Some time after that, Alexis unex- pectedly announced that she wanted to write an Adventure, and it was this effort that led to the Scott Adams Adventure given in listings 1 and 2, Pirate's Adventure. With her basic ideas, we created an Adventure that was different from any that had ever been written before. Instead of simply searching for treasures in this Adven- ture, you now had an added ingre- dient — a "mission." (In this case, you had to figure out how to build a pirate's ship!) This set the stage for many of my later mission-oriented Adventures that replace a cumulative score with a do-or-die situation. These include my Mission Impossi- ble, The Count, Voodoo Castle, and Mystery Fun House Adventures. All my current Adventures, for the Apple II, the Radio Shack TRS-80, and the Exidy Sorcerer, are written in machine language and run much faster and cleaner than the original BASIC versions (of which there were only two and a half). I probably would never have written these pro- grams in machine language if it had not been for the gentle nudges I received from a friend I've never met but greatly respect, Lance Micklus. Program Notes Pirate's Adventure was first sold commercially to run in Level II BASIC on a 16 K-byte TRS-80. Both the Adventure-interpreter program (in BASIC) and a data file created by the Adventure-editor program were on the cassette tape. After you loaded the interpreter program, you used it to read the data file, an operation that took 20 minutes but allowed me to compress a lot of Adventure into very little memory space. In planning this article, I had to devise a means of creating the tape data file without using the Adventure editor. The BASIC program in listing 1 provides the means. This program, which runs on a TRS-80 with 16 K Text continued on page 212 See pages 194 thru 210 for listings 192 December 1980 © BYTE Publican The Talk of the '80s >/7/J ii i i i j , . > ■ • I t i % v v SoftCare. A New Medical Billing System That is Easy, and Works! FILL IN THE BLANKS The only system that works like you do. Add, change, or delete material right on the form (displayed on the video screen). It's really easier than filling in the blank because you can go back and type over any mistake you make. NO BATCHING As the information is entered, the system automatic- ally detects clerical errors in patient information, pro- cedure codes, and procedural data. No waiting days or weeks for verification. INSTANT ACCESS Up to date patient information available anytime. Patient files are updated everytime a transaction is entered. All you need to check their files is to enter the patient's name — no ID number. PRIVATE AND THIRD PARTY BILLING System keeps track of third party billing and insur- ance claims. You can bill the patient on paper while they are in the office! Resubmission of a claim is as simple as pushing a button. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Written in Pascal, the system runs on most any 56K or 64K micro or mini computer. The system is currently operating on Dynabyte, Cromemco, Onyx, Vector Graphic, and Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) computers. Different systems provide 500 to 10,000+ patient capacity. Contact your Local computer store or Circle 128 on inquiry card. PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS SOFTWARE 119 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, (415) 546-1596 Listing 1: Data-tape generation program for Scott Adams' Pirate's Adventure, written for the Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I running Level II BASIC. 6010 ' **** BE SURE AND USE ft C-60 TOPE FOR YOUR DftTft TfiPE! ! ! ! £020 ' ADVENTURE DATA TAPE BUILDER. BUILDER/BAS S030 ' VERSION 1.3 CO SCOTT ADAMS '30. £040 ' ADVENTURE INTERNATIONAL BOX 3435 L0NGW0OD FL 32750 E050 ' PHONE (305) -862-6917 E0E0 ' BUILDS DATA TAPE FOR ORIGINAL BASIC VERSION OF PIRATE'S ADVENTURE £070 'PLEASE NOTE ON LINES THAT SUDDENLY GO TO THE NEXT LINE LIKE THIS USE Ten reasons _1 T*^ i eeet3 ^ More than four decades of experi- ence in magnetic media-BASF invented magnetic recording tape, the forerunner of today's wide range of magnetic media, back in 1934, and was the first independent manufacturer of IBM-compatible floppy disks. Tough Tyvek sleeve -no paper dust, no static electricity. Special self-cleaning jacket and liner help eliminate data errors and media wear and tear. BASF BASF FlexyDisk Center hole diameter punched to more accurate standards than industry specifications, for top performance. Bi-axially oriented polyester substrate— for uniform and reli- able performance year after year. Cross-linked oxide coating -for low head wear and long trouble- free media life. Total capability- one of two man- ufacturers in the world that ;makes both 8" and 5.25" models, has tape and disk experience, and manufactures floppy disk drives. Double lubrication - lubricants both in the formula and on the disk surface, to minimize media wear due to head friction. Packaging to suit your requirements - standard flip-top box, Kassette 10'" storage case, or bulk pack. 100% certification - every single disk is tested at thresholds 2-3 times higher than system require- ments, to be 100% error-free. For the name of your nearest supplier, write BASF Systems, Crosby Drive, Bedford, MA 01730, or call 617-271-4030. See us at the NCC, Booth 1121 BASF Floppy Disks Mag Cards Cassettes Computer Tapes Disk Packs Computer Peripherals VISA t. col oi credit card users '-please read (ring information. 7)RDER J BY PHONE • 7 DAYS 9 6 PST ORDERS FROM CALIFORNIA. ALASKA, HAWAII AND SALES INFORMATION, TECHNICAL OR BACKORDERS, CALL (714) 698-0260 CONTINE L FREE ORDER LINE: 800~854-6654 tipple computer Authorized Dealer [apple// ACCESSORY SPECIALS DISK II DRIVE (add-on) 425 D.C. HAYES MICROMODEM II 319 GRAPHICS TABLET 655 INTEGER BASIC OR APPLESOFT II firmware card 149 SILENTYPE PRINTER with Interface card. . 515 APPLE II ACCESSORIES CENTRONICS PRINTER Int. card 185 PARALLEL PRINTER Int. card145 COMMUNICATION CARD w/conn. cable 185 HI SPEED SERIAL Int. card . . 145 DAN PAYMAR lower case kit . 55 MICROWORKSDS 65 DIGISECTOR 339 LAZER lower case adapter. ... 50 SSM AIO SERIAL/ PARALLEL kit 155 SSM AIO assembled & tested190 SYMTEC LIGHT PEN SYSTEM215 SYMTEC SUPER SOUND GENERATOR 225 SVA 8 INCH DISK CONTROLLER CARD 335 VERSA WRITER DIGITIZER SYSTEM 215 VIDEX VIDEOTERM 80 COLUMN CARD 315 VIDEX VIDEOTERM w/graphics ROM 335 LOBO DISK DRIVE ONLY... 385 LOBO DRIVE w/cont. & DOS 3.3 "99 GPIB IEEE-488 (1978) Int 259 ARITHMETIC PROCESSOR CARD 335 SPEECHLINK 2000 (64 Word Vocab.) 215 M&R SUP R MOD TV MODULATOR 30 CORVUS 10 MEGABYTE HARD DISK DRIVE SYSTEM w/pwr supply 4395 CORVUS CONSTELLATION. . 595 16K MEMORY UPGRADE KIT (TRS-80, APPLE II, SORCERER 60 ABT NUMERIC INPUT KEYPAD (specify old or new kybrdl. 115 ALF MUSIC SYNTHISIZER. . . 235 BRIGHTPEN LIGHTPEN 32 M&R SUPER-TERMINAL 80 COLUMN CARD 335 SMARTERM 80 COL 335 Mountain Computer APPLE CLOCK/CALENDAR card 225 SUPERTALKER SD200 SPEECH SYNTHISIZER SYSTEM. ... 245 ROMPLUS w/kybrd filter. . . . 165 INTROL/X-10 BSR REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM 245 INTROL/X 10 controller card only 165 ROMWRITER SYSTEM 155 MUSIC SYSTEM (16 voices/stereo) 465 A/D-D/A 16 CHANNELS 319 EXPANSION CHASSIS (8 slotsl 555 m CHRISTMAS SUPER SALE O 1 3- 'V w APPLE II PLUS m OR APPLE II STANDARD f I6Ko F n°lV $ 9M FOR '1049 DISK I DRIVI $SM w/controller & DOS 3.3 9mw ♦425 microsoft SOFTCARD *299 APPLE II SOFTWARE VISICALC 120 CCA DATA MANAGEMENT. 85 THE CONTROLLER General Business System 519 THE CASHIER Retail Manage menf ft Inventory system 199 APPLEWRITERWord Processor 65 APPLEPOST MAILING List system 45 DOW JONES PORTFOLIO EVALUATOR 45 APPLE CONTRIBUTED Volumes 1-5 w/manuals . . 30 •DESKTOP/PLAN by DESKTOP COMPUTERS 85 APPLEBUG ASSEMBLER/ DISASSEMBLER 75 APPLE DOS TOOL KIT 65 PIMS Personal Information Management System .... 23 ADVENTURE by MICROSOFT 27 SUB LOGIC FS 1 Flight Simulator 34 SARGON II Chess byHAYDENICass.) 27 FORTRAN 165 DOS 3.3 49 APPLE PLOT .... 60 TAX PLANNER 65 SARGON II Chess on Diskette 32 TRILOGY OF GAMES 27 SPACE GAME ALBUM 38 SPACE INVADER (Cass.). . . 18 SPACE INVADER (Disk. I ... 23 SYBEXAPPLE-80 8080 Simulator 17 FORTH II by PROGRAMMA SOFTWARE 45 SINGLE DISK COPY ROUTINES 17 APPLEBUG DEBUGGER. . . 27 APPLESOFT UTILITY PRO GRAMS BY HAYDEN 27 The CORRESPONDENT 35 ASTEROIDS IN SPACE 19 HEAD-ON 25 3-D ANIMATION PACK 53 BATTLESHIP COMMANDER 23 FASTGAMMON 26 STAR CRUISER 24 TRANQUILITY BASE 24 More software available Please write us for a list. Circle 130 on inquiry card. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS: TELEX 69&400 ANSWER "BETA" ATTENTION "CRUS COMING SOON.... SALES AGENTS IN: LONDON PARIS BERLIN C HONOKONC T AS!// tlYADH JOHANNESBURG SYMIEY MEXICO CITY EXIDY ATARI Please Call For Best Price SORCERER II COMPUTER 16.32K & 48K VERSIONS AVAILABLE S100 EXPANSION UNIT 37S WORD PROCESSING PAC 179 DEVELOPMENT PAC 89 A ATARI" PMC-80 * TRORO0 <> IL0R01 <> CL0R02 <> NL0R03 <> RL0R04 <> MX0R05 <> R0RC06 <> TT)0R07 <> LNOR C OS < > LT ) 0R09 < > MLTHENG790 G730 FORX=0TOCL STEP2: INPUT#D, OC0, 0) , 0(0, 1 ) , 0(0, 2) , 0(0, 3) , 0(0, 4) , 0(0, 5), 0(0, G), (0, 7), 0(1,0 ), 0(1, 1), 0(1,2), 0(1, 3), 0(1, 4), 0(1, 5), 0(1, G), 0(1, 7) G740 FORY=0TO1:FORZ=0TO7:POKE1G553,255:REODO0:IFOCY, Z) <> O0THENG790ELSENEXTZ, Y, X G750 FORX=0TONLSTEP10:FQRY=0TO1 : INPUTttD, fl*(0) , 0*( 1), A* (2) , fl*(3) , 0*(4) , 0*(5) , fl*(G ),0*C7), A*C8),0*C9) :FORZ=0TO9:IFNV*CX + Z,.Y) <> 0$C Z) THENG790ELSENEXTZ, Y, X G7G0 FORX=0TORL:INPUT#D,OOC0),OOC1),OOC2),OOC3),OAC4),OOC5),O*:FORY=0TO5: IFOOCY) ORMCX, Y)ORO*ORS*CX)THENG790ELSENEXTY, X E770 FORX=0TOML ! INPUTttD, 0$ : IFO* < > MS* C X ) THENG790ELSENEXT G7S0 FORX=0TOIL:INPUT#D,O*, AAC0) : IFOOC0) <> IOCX)ORfl*<> IA* C X) THENG790ELSENEXTX : CLS :PRINT"DOTO TOPE VERIFIED" : END G790 PRINT"BOD T0PE"':END Listing 2: Main program of Scott Adams' Pirate's Adventure for the TRS-80. This program uses the data tape generated by listing 1. 10 'COPYRIGHT SCOTT ODOMS. 197S 20 CLEOR5400:DEFINTO-Z:D=-1 30 IFD=-1IFMEM<>452EPRINT"BAD LOAD": END 40 X=Y=Z:K=R=V:N=LL==F:TP*=K*:W=IP=P:Z*="I' VE TOO MUCH TOO CORRY. TRY -TOKE INVEM TORY-" :GOSUB 1240: GOTO 100 50 CLS: PRINT" *** WELCOME TO ADVENTURE LOND. (#4. B) ***" ! PRINT : PRINT" UMLE SS TOLD DIFFERENTLY YOU MUST FIND +TREASURES* flMD-RETURN-THEM-TO-THEIR-PROPER — PLOCE ! " E0 PRINT: PRINT" I'M YOUR PUPPET. GIVE ME ENGLISH COMMANDS THAT" 70 PRINT"CONSIST OF NOUN OND VERB. SOME EXAMPLES. ..": PRINT : PRINT"TQ FIND OUT W HOT YOU'RE CARRYING YOU MIGHT SAY: TAKE INVENTORY TO GO INTO HOLE YOU MIGHT SAY: GO HOLE TO SAVE CURRENT GAME: SAVE GAME" S0 PRINT:PRINT"YOU WILL AT TIMES NEED SPECIAL ITEMS TO DO THINGS, BUT I'M SURE YOU'LL BE A GOOD ADVENTURER AMD FIGURE THESE THINGS OUT." 90 PRINT: INPUT" HAPPY ADVENTURING... HIT ENTER TO START" ; K*: CLS : RETURN 100 R=AR:LX=LT:DF=0:SF=0: INPUT"USE OLD 'SAVED' GAME" ' K*: IFLEFT* (K*, 1) <> " Y" THEN13 110 IFDO -1THENCL0SE:0PEM"I", D, SV*ELSEINPUT" READY SAVED TOPE" 5 K* : PRINTINTC I L*5/G 0)+l " "MINUTES" 120 INPUT#D, SF, LX, DF, R i FORX=0TOIL : INPUT#D, IOCX) :NEXT : IFD <> -1 CLOSE 130 GOSUB50:GOSUB240:GOTO1G0 140 INPUT"TELL ME WHAT TO DO" ;TP* : PRINT :GOSUBl70: IFFPRINT" YOU USE WORDCS) I DON' T KNOW" : GOTO 140 150 GOSUB3G0:IFIAC9)=-lTHENLX=LX-l: IFLX <0THENPRINT"LIGHT HAS RUN OUT" : 10 C9) =0ELS EIFLX<25PRINT"LIGHT RUNS OUT IN" 3 LX 5 "TURNS ! " 1G0 NVC0)=0:GOSUB3E0s GOTO 140 1 70 K=0 : NT* C ) = " " : NT* C 1 ) = " " Listing 2 continued on page 204 202 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc IOMEGA WHOLESALE COMPUTER PRICESf I SALES DIRECT TO THE PCIBLIC I SCO. 1 2 Meeting St., Cumberland, R.I. 02864 'MM^^s^^SJ^gs^S-m^s^%^^&^s^s^s^&TS,^s: APPLE II DISK with Controller — $495 V <&$ & NEC Spinwriter 5530 or 5510 $2449 1 Box (5 Pes) | Diskettes | 1 I SOROCIQ120 $699 I OKIDATA MICROLINE 80 - $529 EPSON MX-80 80 Character, 9x9 Dot Matrix Roll & Pin Feed Printer for your Apple, TRS-80 or Commodore $599 <^V^ Interface to Your Computer mm W- OMEGA OFFERS THE BEST DELIVERY AND PRICE ON APPLE • ATARI • TRS-80 MODEL II • INTERTEC • T.I. 810 • HEWLETT-PACKARD-85 • SOROC • COMMODORE • NEC • QOME • CENTRONICS HMEGA sells only factory fresh, top quality merchandise to out customers. OMEGA will try to match any current advertised price with similar purchase conditions Before you buy anywhere else — be sure to call flMEGA Sales Co. 1-401-722-1027 flMEGA ships via (JPS, truck or air. COD's, VISA, Master-charge accepted. "A member in good standing of the Better Business Bureau." We cany a complete Hne of the above equipment For information and further pricing call: TOLL FREE 1-800-556-7586 TELEX: 952106 Circle 134 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 Listing 2 continued: 180 F0RX=1T0LE|\KTP$:> i K*=MID*CTP*, X, 1) :IFK*=" "THENK=1ELSENT* 0ANDNVC 1 ) <1 5 RETURN 240 IFDFIFIAC9) O-lflNDIACB) ORPRINT" I COM' T SEE, ITS TOO DPiRK. ": RETURN 250 K=-l:IFLEFT*CRS*<:R), 1 :> ="*"THENPRINTMID*C RS$CR> , 2) ;ELSEPRINT"I'M IN fl "?RS*CR ) " 2E0 FORZ=0TOIL:IFKIFIOCZ)=RPRINT". VISIBLE ITEMS HERE: " ! K=0 270 GQTO300 2S0 TP*=Ift*CZ) :IFRIGHT$<:TP*7 i ) =" / "FORW=LENCTP*) -1T01STEP-1 : IFMID*CTP*, W, 1)="/"TH ENTP$=LEFT* C TP$, W- 1 ) ELSEMEXTW 290 RETURN 300 IFIPKZ) <> RTHEN320ELSEGDSUB2S0: IFPOS C0) +LEN CTP*) +3> S3THENPRINT 310 PRINTTP*; ". "; 320 NEXT: PRINT 330 K=-l:FORZ=0TO5: IFKIFRMCR, Z) O0PRINT" OBVIOUS EXITS: "" :K=0 340 IFRMCR, Z) <> 0PRINTNV*C Z+l, 1) 5" "; 350 NEXT: PRINT: PR I NT: RETURN 3G0 F2--1 :F=-lsF3=0: IFNVC0) = lflNDNVC 1 ) <7THENE10ELSEFORX=0TOCL : V=CflCX, 0>/150: IFNVC 0)=0IFVO0RETURN 370 IFNVC 0) <> VTHEMNEXTX :GOTO990ELSEN=CPl(:X, 0>-V*i50 3S0 IFNV C 0) =0THENF=0 : I FRND C 100 ) <=NTHEN400ELSENEXTX : GOTO990 390 IFN <> NV C 1 ) ONDN < > 0THEMNEXTX : GOTO990 400 F2=-l :F=0:F3=-1 :F0RY=1T05: W=CflCX, Y> :LL=W/20: K=W-LL+20: Fl=-1 :ONK+1GOTO550, 430 Listing 2 continued on page 208 To Place An Order From Outside Texas 1-800-231-3680 MARYMAC INDUSTRIES, INC. ( Radio /hack ) Questions & Answers & Orders Texas 1-713-392-0747 Store #G-1 89 BRAND NEW IN CARTONS DELIVERED. Marymac Industries owns & operates Radio Shack® dealership in Katy, Texas. Warran- ties will be honored by all company owned Radio Shack® stores, & participating franchisees and dealer authorized sales centers. Save State Sales Tax. Texas Residents Add Only 5% Sales Tax. Open Mon.-Sat. 10-7. We pay freight and insurance. No extra charge for Master Charge & Visa. Call us for reference in or near your city. Ref: Farmers State Bank, Brookshire, Texas. Write or visit us at, 21969 Katy Fwy, Katy (Houston), Texas 77450. WE OFFER ON REQUEST Federal Express B Houston Intercontinental Airport B Delivery U.P.S. BLUE El References from people who have E bought computers from us probably in your city In stock TRS-80 Model I II and III No Tax on Out of Texas Shipments! ED McMANUS »: Model III 10% 15% OR MORE In Stock WE ALWAYS OFFER E NO extra charge for Master Charge or Visa E We always pay the freight and insurance E Toll free order number E Our capability to go to the giant Tandy Computer warehouse 5 hours away, in Ft. Worth, Texas, to keep you in stock. JOE McMANUS Radio /Tiaek 204 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 135 on inquiry card. A RRSCAL/M Demo Disk from Sordm. You've heard all about the power of PASCAL. You know it's a simple, high level, block structured language that is replacing BASIC as the universal programming tool. But how can you learn if it's really what you want without spending a lot of money? Sorcim's Incredible $10 Free Offer is the answer. For only $10 you receive a CP/M® compatible 8" floppy disk that demonstrates the entire PASCAL/M language. Through a sample pro- gram that displays the unique features of PASCAL/M and a limited compiler that allows you to create programs of your own, you'll discover the incredible world of PASCAL/M first-hand. You can run the disk on any standard CP/M-based system using an 8080, 8085 or Z80'" CPU device with 56K memory. So whcrc's the FREE come in? After the demo disk gets you hooked on PASCAL/M, just order the full PASCAL/M package, including the compiler, object library and pseudo code (P-Code) interpreter, and we'll give you full credit for the demo disk! That's $10 off of our regular low price of $175. And that makes it about as close to free as you can get. If you need full documentation, just turn your Incredible $10 Free Offer into an Incredible $20 Free Offer. Order the complete 90-page User's Reference Manual, which fully details our entire PASCAL/M package, for an additional $10. And you'll get full credit for the $20 offer, too. Sordm Is the solid software source. Sorcim is fully committed to the advance- ment of technology through software develop- ment. Our next PASCAL enhancement, the PASCAL/M symbolic debugger which dra- matically reduces program development time, is proof of this commitment. We also offer a comprehensive line of state-of-the-art software products for Z80, 8080, 8048, 6502, 680x, Z8000, M68000 and 8086/88 microprocessor- based systems. And Sorcim can develop operat- ing systems, compilers and assemblers for your specialized applications. Take advantage of our incredible offer by filling out the coupon and sending it to us today. You'll get hard evidence of solid software for microcomputer applications. THE INCREDIBLE $10 FREE OFFER!! OK, I can't pass up your Incredible $10 Free Offer. Please send me the items checked below: □ PASCAL/M Demo Disk $ 10.00 □ PASCAL/M User's Reference Manual $ 10.00 □ Demo Disk and Reference Manual $ 20.00 I understand that I'll receive full credit for my Incredible $10 (or $20) Free Offer if I order the full PASCAL/M package by July 31, 1981. □ I can't stand it; I've got to have the full PASCAL/M package, including Compiler, Object Library, P-Code Interpreter, Ref- erence Manual and Demo Disk. □ Z80* □ 8080/85* □ Z80/951 1* "Specif: □ CP/M or ^CDOS $175.00 □ 8088/86 (Requires CP/M 86) $250.00 □ Master Card □ VISA □ Ship UPS C.O.D. □ Check or money order enclosed Card Number Exp. Date Master Card Interbank Number Signature (for credit card purchase) Total amount enclosed PASCAL/M is a trademark of Sorcim CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research Z80 is a trademark of Zilog Corporation (California residents add 6.5% sales tax; for overseas shipment, add $10.00; for shipment to Canada or Mexico, add $5.00.) SHIP TO: ADDRESS: CITY:_ STATE: (NttP.O buses, please) _ZIP_ s SORCIM 1333 Lawrence Expressway Suite 418 Santa Clara, CA 95051 (408) 248-5543 Circle 136 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 205 CPU 8085/88: sp? KrT ~*&\ '•*£{'•. w*' K «*S%. ;:&k-t&i& THE BRIDGE BETWEEN TWO WORLDS When we shipped the first CPU 8085/88 back in June of 1 980, we created a bridge between the 8 bit world of the present and the 16 bit world of the future. The response has been overwhelming - but really, no other reaction would be appropriate for a CPU board that is downward compatible with 8 bit 8080/8085 software, upward compatible with 16 bit 8086/8088 software (as well as Intel's coming P-Series), designed for professional-level high speed applications, and engineered for full compliance with all IEEE 696/S-100 standards. See this bridge to the future of computing at finer computer stores world-wide. The CPU 8085/88 is all that we say it is . . . and more. CornpuPro M Bldg. 725, Oakland Airport, CA 94614 from ^ ELECTRONICS ^ Prices: $295 unkit (sockets and bypass caps pre-soldered in place, 5 MHz operation) ; $425 assembled (5 MHz operation) ; $525 qualified under the high-reliability Certified System Component program (with 5 MHz 8085, 6 MHz 8088). Owner's manual available separately for $5. Monitor/debugger available on 8" disc for $35. For 24 hour VISA ©/Mastercard® orders, call (415) 562-0636. 206 BYTE December 1980 Circle 137 on inquiry card. Nole: Unkitsarenot in! en dec! for novice builders Assembly is simple, but de- bugging *• J required due to problems such as IC infant mortality in case of problems, factory service is ; i--' iaO'6 J I for unkils (or a (la! service charge 1 Com pu Pro products are also available assembled, or qualified under our high- reliability Cert lied 1 I System Component (CSC) program (200 hour burn-in. extensive testing. 2 year extended warran ty ; | morel NEW! ANNOUNCING THE "SYSTEM SUPPORT 1 " S-lOO BOARD The perfect, multi-purpose helpmate for any S-100 system -at an astonishingly low price! Just look at all these features: - Month/day/time clock with on-board crystal timebase and provision for battery backup. All time data available in BCD. - Provision for adding the 9511 or 9512 math processor. - Full RS-232 serial port, similar to the serial ports in our acclaimed "Interfacer" boards. - Three interval timers - cascade, or use independently. - Two interrupt controllers - supports buss vectored interrupts, and interrupts generated by the interval timers and/or math processor. - Space for up to 4K of onboard EPROM and/or RAM ; two 2716-pinout sockets handle 4K ROM, 2K RAM/2K ROM, or 4K RAM. - Ideal for use with the CPU 8085/88 or CPU Z. This amazingly versatile board costs an equally amazing $295 unkit, S395 assm, or $495 CSC (add $195 to all prices for inclusion of the 9512 math chip). Shipment starts in December- so get ready to add some real computing power to your S-100 system. COMPUPRO S-lOO MOTHERBOARDS: DESIGNED FOR THE FUTURE, AVAILABLE NOW These advanced motherboards handle the coming generation of 5 to 10 MHz CPUs (as well as present day 2 and 4 MHz systems), and feature Faraday shielding between all bus signal lines to minimize crosstalk, active termination that splits the termination load between each end of every bus line, and mechanical compatibility with Godbout, Vector, Imsai, TEI, and similar enclosures. Unkits have edge connectors and termination resistors pre-soldered in place for easy assembly. SCK-026 6 slot motherboard with edge connectors - unklt $89, assm $129 #CK-025 12 slot motherboard with edge connectors - unkit $129, assm $169 SCK-024 20 slot motherboard with edge connectors -unkit $174, assm $214 COMPUPRO COMPUTER ENCLOSURE $289 desktop, $329 rack mount This handsome enclosure does justice to the finest computer systems. Includes dual AC outlets and fuseholderon rear, heavy-duty line filter, and black anodized front panel (with textured vinyl painted cover for desktop version). Pre-drilled base accepts our high-performance S-100 motherboards or types by Vector, California Digital, and others. Rack mount version includes slides for easy pull-out from rack for maintenance or board changing. 8088/8086 MONITOR DEBUGGER: $35 Supplied on single sided, single density, soft-sector 8" disc. CP/M* compatible. Great development tool ; mnemonics used in debug conform as closely as possible to current CP/M* mnemonics. OTHER S-100 BUS PRODUCTS Active Terminator Board $34.50 kit Memory Manager Board $59 unkit, $85 assm, $100 CSC Mullen Extender Board $59 kit Mullen Relay/Opto-lsolator Control Board. $129 kit, $179 assm Spectrum color graphics board $299 unkit, $399 assm, $449 CSC 2708 EPROM Board (2708s not included) ... $85 unkit, $135 assm, $195 CSC Interfacer 1 (dual RS-232 serial ports) $199 unkit, $249 assm, $324 CSC Interfacer 2 (3 parallel + 1 serial port) $199 unkit, $249 assm, $324 CSC WE'RE IN THE MEMORY LEAD AGAIN. Make way for the memory board of the year: RAM 21, the first 128K byte S-100 static RAM board. Includes all the features you'd expect from CompuPro RAM boards, with current consumption comparable to standard 32K boards. Full data and pricing on this remarkable memory board will be available during December. Our current memory lineup features fully static design to eliminate dynamic timing problems, full IEEE 696/S-100 spec compatibility, 4/5 MHz operation, low power, extensive bypassing, and careful thermal design. CSC memories will run with 10 MHz CPU clock speeds on the S-100 buss (while drawing half the current of non-CSC boards) to give high speed, ultra-low power operation. If you're looking for specs - if you're looking for performance- if you're looking for exceptional value, then look no further than the RAM series from CompuPro. RAM XX (with bank select and IEEE compatible extended addressing) unkit assm CSC 16K RAM XX-16 $319 $399 $479 24K RAM XX-24 $429 $539 $629 32K RAM XX-32 $559 $699 $799 OTHER S 100 MEMORY 8K RAM MA $159 $189 $239 16K RAM XIV $279 $349 $429 (Includes IEEE compatible extended addressing.) CLOSEOUT SPECIAL : 32K fully static memory for the SBC buss (RAM XI), now only $699 assembled. Limited quantities. CPU-Z: 8 BITS OF Z80A* POWER FOR THE S-lOO BUS Superior design in a true IEEE-compatible board (timing specs available on request). Includes all standard Z-80A* features along with power on jump/clear, on-board fully maskable interrupts for interrupt-driven systems, selectable automatic wait state insertion, provision for adding up to8K of on-board EPROM, IEEE compatible 16/24 bit extended addressing, and much more. CSC boards supplied with 6 MHz CPU; others supplied with 4 MHz CPU. $225 unkit, $295 assm, $395 CSC. NEW LOW PRICE! 16K DYNAMIC RAMS - 8/$ 39!! Lowest price ever on one of our most popular items. Expands memory in TRS-80* -I and -II, as well as machines made by Apple, Exidy, Heath H89, newer PETs, etc. Low power, high speed (4 MHz), Add $3 for 2 dip shunts plus TRS-80* conversion instructions. Limited quantity - first come, first served. PASCAL/M FROM SORCIM: $175 COMPUTE PASCAL- easy to learn, easy to apply -can give a microcomputer with CP/M' more power than many minis. We supply a totally standard Wirth PASCAL/M* 8" diskette and manual. Specify 280* or 8080/8085 version. 2102 MEMORY SPECIAL While they last. 99 cents each, 10/S9.90. Low power. COMING SOON : "MPX 1", a front end processor/system multiplexer for high speed multi-task/multi-user setups. ..and an STD buss motherboard and RAM card. Stay tuned! TERMS: Cal res add tax. Allow 5% shipping; excess refunded. Orders under $15 add $2 handling. VISA"} anc Mastercard- orders ($25 min) call (415) 562-0636, 24 hrs. Please include street address lor UPS delivery. Sale prices good through cover month of magazine, other prices subject to change wilhoul notice. FREE CATALOGUE: Find out more about our product stamps; foreign orders add $2 (refundable with order). . For 1st class delivery, add 41 cents in VISIT flNER COMPUTER STORES WORLD-WIDE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE OUTSTANDING PRODUCTS, OR WRITE US DIRECT IF THERE'S NO STORE IN YOUR AREA. CompuPro™ Bldg. 725, Oakland Airport, CA 94614 from *< ELECTRONICS *Si Circle 137 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 207 Listing 2 continued: , 450, 470, 490, 500, 510, 520, 530, 540, 410, 420, 440, 460, 480 410 Fl=-1 : FORZ=0TOIL : IFIA C Z) =-lTHEN550ELSENEXT : F1=0 : GOTO550 420 F1=0:FORZ=0TOIL: IFIA -1ANDIACLD <> R:GOTO550 )=RSGOTO550 ) <> 0:GDTO550 )=RQRIACLL)=-l:GOTO550 ) =0 : GOTO550 430 F1=IACLL: 440 F1=IACLL 450 Fl=IflCLL: 4S0 Fi=IfiCLL: 470 Fi=IACLL: 4S0 Fl=IflCLL: 430 F1=R=LL:GOTO550 500 F1 = IACLD <> RSGOTG550 510 Fi = IACLD O-1.SGOTO550 520 F1 = ROLL:GOTO550 530 Fl=SFANDCINTt2t-LL+. 5) :F1=F1 <>0:GOTO550 540 Fl=SFANDCINTC2-t-LL+.5> :F1=F1=0:GOTO550 550 F2=F2ANDF1:IFF2THENNEXTYELSENEXTX:GOTO990 560 I P=0 : FORY= 1 T04 : K= C Y- 1 ) /2+G : DMYGOTO570, 530, a , 570 AC=CACX, K)/150:GOTO530 5S0 AC=CA ! GOTOS60 : ELSEONAC -51GOTOGG0, 700, 740, 7G0, 770, 780, 730, 760, S10, 830, 840, 850, 880, 870, 890, 320, 330, 340, 3 50, 710, 750 800 PRINTMS*CAC-50:> :GOTO360 610 L=DF:IFLTHENL=DFfiNDIfi(3J <) R ANDIA C3) <> -1 : IFL PRINT"DANGEROUS TO MOVE IN THE DORK! " 820 IFNVC1) <1PRINT"GIVE ME ft DIRECTION TOO. " s GOTO 1040 630 K=RMCR, NVCD-l) : IFK <1 IFLTHENPRIMT" I FELL DOWN AND BROKE MY NECK. " i K=RL : DF=0: ELSEPRINT"I CAN'T GO IN THAT DIRECTION" :GOTO1040 640 IFMOTLCLS 850 R=K:GOSUB240: GOTO 1040 680 L=0:FORZ=1TOIL: IFIACZ)=-1LETL=L+1 670 NEXTZ 680 IFD=MXPRINTZ*:GOTO370 630 GOSUB 1 050 : 1 ft C P ) =- 1 : GOTO3B0 700 GOSUB1050:IACP>=R:GOTO360 710 PRINT"SAVING GOME" t IFD=-1THEMIMPUT" REftDY OUTPUT TAPE" 3 K$: PRINTINT C IL+5/B0) +1 ! " MI MUTES "ELSEG PEN "Q", D, SV$ 720 PRINT#D,SF, LX, DF, R: FORW=0TOIL: PRINT#D, IACW) =NEXT: IFDO-1CLOSE 730 GOTO9G0 740 GOSUB 1 050 :R=P:GOTO9G0 750 GOSUB 1 050 : L=P : GOSUB 1 050 : Z= I ft CP> : I ft C P) =Ift CD : LACD =Z :GOTO3G0 780 GOSUB 1 050 :IACP>=0:GOTO360 770 DF=-l:GOTO960 780 DF=0:GOTO9G0 730 GOSUB1050 300 SF=SF ORCINTC.5+2+P) :GOTO3G0 310 GOSUB 1050 820 SF=SF ANDNOTC I NT C . 5+2+ P ) : GOTO3G0 830 PRINT" I'M DEAD. . . " : R=RL:DF=0: GOTOS60 840 GOSUB 1 050 :L=P: GOSUB 1050: I ft CD =P: GOTO360 350 INPUT"THE GAME IS NOW OVER ANOTHER GAME" ;K$: IFLEFT*CK$, 1 ) ="N"THENEMDELSEFORX=0TOIL : IAC X) = I2 C X J : NEXT : GOTO! 00 880 GOSUB240:GOTO3G0 370 L=0:FORZ = 1TOIL:IFIACZ:)=TRIFLEFT*CIA*CZ:>, 1 > ="+"LETL=L+i S80 NEXTZ : PRINT" I 7 VE STORED" ;L; "TREASURES. ON A SCALE OF TO 100 THAT RATES A" ;CINT CL/TT+100) s IFL=TTTHENPRINT"WELL DONE.": GOTO850ELSE3G0 330 PRINT'T M CARRYING: " : K*="NOTHING" :FORZ=0TOIL: IFIACZ) <> -1THEN910ELSEGOSUB2S0: IFLENCTP$)+POSC0)>63PRINT 300 PRINTTP*;". ", ■:K*="" 310 NEXT:PRINTK$:GOTO3G0 320 P=0 5GOTO800 330 P=0:GOTO820 340 LX=LT:IAC3)=-l:GOTO9G0 Listing 2 continued on page 210 208 December 1980 (9 BYTE Publications Inc Now NRI takes you inside the world's most popular microcomputer to train you at home as the new breed of computer specialist! NRI teams up with Radio Shack to teach you how to use, program and service microcomputers . . . make you the complete technician. It's no longer enough to be just a programmer or a technician. With micro- computers moving into the fabric of our lives (over200,000 of the TRS-80™ alone have been sold), interdisciplinary skills are demanded. And NRI can prepare you with the first course of its kind, covering the complete world of the microcomputer. Learn At Home in Your Spare Time With NRI training, the program- mer gains practical knowledge of hard- ware, enabling him to design simpler, more effective programs. And, with advanced programming skills, the technician can test and debug systems quickly and easily Ihiining Includes TRS-80 computer, transistorized volt-ohm meter, digital frequency counter, and the NRI Discovery Lab with hundreds of tests and experiments. (TRS-80 is a trademark of the Radio Shack division of Tandy Corp.) Only NRI gives you both kinds of training with the convenience of home study No classroom pressures, no night school, no gasoline wasted. You learn at your convenience, at your own pace. Yet you're always backed by the NRI staff and your instructor, answering questions, giving you guidance, and helping you over the tough spots. Explore the TRS-80 Inside and Out NRI training is hands-on training, with practical experiments and demon- strations as the very foundation of your knowledge. You don't just program your computer, you introduce and correct faults . . .watch how circuits interact. . . interface with other systems. . . gain a real insight into its nature. You also build test instruments and the NRI Discovery Lab, performing over 60 separate experiments in the process. You learn how your trouble-shooting tools work, and gain greater understanding of the in- formation they give you. Both micro- computer and equipment come as part of your training for you to use and keep. Send for Free Catalog. . . No Salesman will Call Get all the details on this exciting course in NRI's free, 100-page catalog. It shows all equipment, lesson outlines, and facts on other electronics courses such as Complete Communications with CB, TV and Audio, Digital Electronics, and more. Send today, no salesman will ever bother you. Keep up with the latest technology as you learn on the world's most popular computer. If card has been used, write to: NRI Schools McGraw-Hill Continuing mtiu> Education Center ■ilvZ 3939 Wisconsin Avenue ■ ■ II I Washington, D.C. 20016. Listing 2 continued: 950 CLS:GOTO9G0 NEXTY IFNVC0) O0THEN930 NEXTX 360 970 9S0 990 1000 1010 1020 1030 104.0 1050 10E0 1070 10B0 1090 1100 1110 cia*c 1120 1130 1140 1150 11E0 1170 11 30 1130 1200 1210 1220 1230 1240 " 3 K* 1250 12&0 1270 COMMAND" : GOTO 1040 ' :GOTO1040 =L+i IX) "/"THEN1190ELSELL=LEMt:ift*eX)>- l:IFMID*CTP*, Y, 1) <> " / "THENMEXTY:GOT01 190 LM) IFNVC0)=0THEN1040 GOSUB10G0 IFFPRINT"! DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR IFN0TF2PRINT"I CAN'T DO THAT YET RETURN IP=IP+1:W=CACX, IP) :P=W/20:M=W-P+20: IFM <> 0THEM1050ELSERETURN IFNVC0) <> 10ANDNVC0) <> 1SORF3THEN1230 IFNVC1)=0PRINT"WHAT?": GOTO! 180 IFNVC0) <> 10THEN1110 L=0 : FORZ=0TO I L : I F I A C Z ) =- 1 THENL NEXT: IFL>=MXPRINTZ*:GOT01 180 K=0 : FQRX=0TO I L : IFRIGHT* ( I A* C X ) X) , 1, LL) :F0RY=LLT02STEP TP*=LEFT*CMID*CTP*, Y+l) IFTP*ONV*CNVCl), DTHEN1130 IFNVC0)=10THEN11E0 IFIACX) O-lTHENK=l:GOTO1130ELSEIACX)=R I F I A ( X ) <> RTHENK=2 : GOTO 1 1 30ELSE I A C X ) =- 1 PRINT"OK, "5 F=0: RETURN NEXTX IFK=1THENPRINT"I'M NOT CARRYING IFK=0IFNOTF3PRINT"ITS BEYOND MY IFKO0THENF=0 RETURN IFDO-1THEN1330ELSEINPUT" READY DATA TAPE. HIT ENTER INPUTttD, IL, CL, NL, RL, MX, AR, TT, LN, LT, ML, TR 1:TP*=MID* i GOTO 11 70 IT"ELSEIFK=2PRINT"I DON'T POWER TO DO THAT":F=0 SEE IT HERE' i "MINUTES TO LOAD I AC 0), W=CIL+CL/2+NL/10+RL+ML)/12:PRINTW+l dimnvci:>,caccl,7),nv*cnl, n, ia*cid I2CIL) 1280 FORX=0TOCL STEP2: Y=X+1 : INPUTttD, CAC X , 5), CACX, S), CACX, 7), CACY, 0), CACY, 1), CACY , 7) .'NEXT 1230 FORX=0TONLSTEP10:FORY=0TO1 : INPUT#D, NV*(X, Y), NV*CX+1 ), NV*CX+4, Y), IW*CX+5, Y), NVSKX+6, Y), NV*CX+7, Y) , NV*CX+8, Y) j ■ IL), RS*CRL), RMCRL,5),MS*CML), NT* c i : 7 CACX, 1), CACX, 2), CACX, 3), CACX, 4) , CA :x CACY, 3), CACY, 4), CACY, 5), CACY, G),CA :y Y) , NV*CX+2, Y) , NV*C X+-: NV*CX+9, Y) : NEXTY, X 1300 FORX=0TORL:INPUT#D, RMCX, 0), RMCX, 1), Rf EXT 1310 FORX=0TOML : INPUT#D, MS*CX) :NEXT 1320 FORX=0TOIL : INPUT#D, IA*CX), IACX) : I2CX) 1330 REM RMCX, 2), RMCX, 3), RMCX, 4), RMCX, 5), RS*CX) :N = IOCX) :NEXT: IFD=-1RETURN VM-13 COLOR MONITOR/RECEIVER Two Modes of Operation for The Price of One • Standard composite video/ 75 ohm term. • Transformer isolated for safety. • External audio input with control. • Power Requirements: 117 VAC 60 Hz. • VM-19, 19" diagonal screen, $575.00. • For professional, industrial, home video applications. V.A.M.P. Inc. P.O. BOX 29315 • LOS ANGELES, CA 90029 • (213) 466-5533 210 December ]°80 '© BYTE Publications In Circle 138 on inquiry card. INFORMATION LINE (714) 549-7373 YOUR COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS TOLL FREE ORDER LINES (800) 854-0523 (Outside California) (800) 432-7066 (Within California) HEWLETT PACKARD Headquarters HP-85 A STANDARD FOR PROFESSIONALS. HP-67 299.95 HP-92 399.95 HP-97 584.95 HP-33C NEW . . . 89.95 HP-34CNEW ...124.95 HP-38C NEW ...124.95 HP-31E 44.95 HP-32E 54.95 HP-33E 73.95 HP-37E 59.95 HP-38E 104.95 HP-41CNEW CALL HP-85 NEW CALL HP-41C Complete Enhancements, Peripherals and Accessories INNOVATIONS FROM TEXAS INSTRUMENTS NOW: the Tl 99/4 J^\ ^^^tp Home Computer ^P/ * an emulator mode allowing l Apple II software to be run pple II COMPUTIQUE IS AN AUTHORIZED APPLE DEALER A ATARI 800 (16KI 899.95 Free Software Offer Thru 12/31/80 CALL ATARI 810 Disc Drive 559.95 «y « rjl " ATAR I 820 40-Column Printer 479.95 AIMKI PLUS Complete Entertainment & Educational Software ESBSiSlEm X'lOHi cS^R COMMAND.'^ wrrrsL fLfrmurucs' inteinvision 249.95 CHES5 ..-I- ■"■■™ — ™ 7 99.95 CHALLENGER 6200 NEW EXECUTIVE 99.95 5813 NEW SCI PROGRAMMABLE 34.95 5100 NEW LCD ALPHANUMERIC 89.95 SHARP 5102 m E w FIN. PROG 79.95 7000 NEW MEMO WRITER 124.95 rACIA* ML -9° 49 - 95 IA 3IU FX-68 27.95 rnntiouoii: 175 ° NEW 26995 \*sJUt'Arrmjrm 1000 109.95 ALSO: CANON, TOSHIBA, NSC, SEIKO, MATTEL, PEARLCORDER, ITT, GTE AND MANY OTHERS. ALL AT GREAT PRICES!!! WE PROVIDE SOLUTIONS NEWPORT BEACH/COSTA MESA 3211 S. Harbor Blvd. Santa Ana, CA 92706 (714) 549-7373 TORRANCE/LAWNDALE 16611 Hawthorne Blvd. Lawndale (213) 370-5795 TAR2ANA 18665 Ventura Blvd. Tarzana (213) 705-7507 WILSHIRE CENTER 3285 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles (213) 385-7777 ANAHEIM/FULLERTON 2514 E. Chapman Ave. Fullerton (714) 738-7775 LOS ANGELES 11986 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles (213) 820-0423 PASADENA 260 S. Lake Ave. Pasadena (213) 795-3007 BREA 1080 E. Imperial Hwy. Brea (714) 990-6600 PROFESSIONAL DISCOUNTS Circle 139 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 211 Text continued from page 192: bytes of memory, has the sole pur- pose of generating the Adventure- data file that will be read by the Adventure-interpreter program. The program of listing 1 writes the data on a C-60 cassette and verifies that the tape has been correctly written. Allow about 45 minutes for this pro- gram to run. The Adventure-interpreter pro- gram appears in listing 2. It will read the tape data file in about 20 minutes and then start play of the game. If you plan to run Pirate's Adven- ture, on a 32 K-byte TRS-80 or larger machine, you can merge the two pro- grams as follows: delete lines 6510 thru 6790 of listing 1. Append the data statements of listing 1 to listing 2, replacing all occurrences of INPUT#D in listing 2 with the word READ. It is possible to run this program on machines other than the TRS-80. If your machine runs a version of Microsoft BASIC (eg: Apple II run- ning Applesoft, Commodore PET, Exidy Sorcerer, or any Ohio Scien- tific computer), you will have fewer changes to make. Here are some of the obscure changes that may have to Gender COMPUTER CORPORATION Our Newest Data Base Management System Introducing CONDOR SERIES 20/DBMS, the relational data base management system for users who want power- ful performance at reasonable prices. For the special introductory offer of $695, discover how easy it is to develop business or personal information systems with SERIES 20/DBMS. •Create a Data Base in Minutes •Full CRT Screen Management •Use English-like commands. Host language not required. • Computational, Statistical, and Sorting Capabilities CONDOR SERIES 20/DBMS is compatible with many Z-80 microcomputers with at least 48K RAM running under CP/M® operating systems. CP/M is a registered trademark ol Digital Research, Inc. CONDOR SERIES 20/DBMS .User's Manual ($35, plus tax) .Additional information. Please Send To: Name Company . City .SERIES 20 package ($695, plus tax) Position Address State ZIP. Phone ( .Computer. .CRT. CONDOR COMPUTER CORPORATION 3989 Research Park Drive, P. O. Box 8318 Ann Arbor, Michigan 48107 (313) 769-3988 Dealer inquiries welcome. C 20-2 be made (depending on your machine and version of BASIC): • A logical operation returns the value — 1 (or hexadecimal FF) when true, and otherwise. For example, executing: PRINT (1=2), (1 = 1) causes the numbers (denoting false) and —1 (denoting true) to be printed. • The flag SF is a 16-bit integer that is set and tested with boolean algebra commands. This can be replaced by the following: 1 . Dimension SF as SF(15) 2. Replace F1 = SF AND CINT(2tLL + .5) with F1 = SF(LL) 3. Replace SF = SF OR CINT(2tP + .5)withSF(P)= -1 4. Replace SF=SF AND NOT CINT(.5+2tP) with SF(P) = • IF . . . THEN . . . ELSE state- ments in TRS-80 Level II BASIC assert that, if the condition being tested is true, the statements between the words THEN and ELSE are per- formed. If the condition is false, the statements following the ELSE are performed. If your BASIC does not have the ELSE clause, you will have to split the statement into multiple lines. • LEFT(A$,B) returns the substring of A$ from the first character to the Bth character. Similarly, MID$(A$,B,C) returns the substring from the Bth character on, for a total of C characters, and RIGHT$(A$) returns the last (ie: rightmost) B characters in the string. • If you cannot create a two- dimensional array of strings (eg: DIM A$(20,3)) as a twenty-row by three- column array of strings), you will find conversion nearly impossible because this feature is used heavily in the program. Happy adventuring, and watch out for the tides on Pirate's Island — they can be tricky. ■ Please note that the Pirate's Adventure is copyrighted. Its publication in BYTE entitles the reader to personal use only. The program may not be distributed in any way without the written per- mission of the author. 212 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 140 on Inquiry card. It's a text pROcessoR Continuous, no-clutter, textual display, and short, easy-to-remember commands make Mince one of the finest editors available for small computers. Mince is based upon Emacs, a text manipulation system previously available only on a few large computers. The many features Mince now brings to the microcomputing world include, for example, the ability to switch back and forth between several documents, or even to display two different documents at once so that you can make changes in one based on the other. Scribble is a text formatter that, when combined with Mince or another editor, forms a comprehensive document preparation system. Scribble is based on Scribe, which was developed at Carnegie-Mellon University to provide a simple yet powerful formatting environment for the non-technical user. Scribble com- mands allow you to specify the logical structure of the document rather than worry about formatting details. Gemstones are pro- fessionally crafted programs that represent the state of the art in their respective domains. The documentation for each Gemstone includes not just a user's manual but also a design overview and related theoretical material. Each Gemstone also re- presents an ongoing commitment to user sup- port, in the form of a newsletter, program updates, and a telephone hotline. Mince '125 Scribble (available January 1981) '125 Both Mince and Scribble (ordered together) . .'175 Amethyst *350 Mince Manual '15 Scribble Manual (available January 1981) .... *15 Amethyst Manual '35 Manual price is refundable upon purchase of the cor- responding product All programs require a 48K CP/M' S system. Mince and Amethyst require a cursor-addressable display. Avail- able on 8" soft sector diskettes Other formats by special request Mark of the Unicorn PO Box 423 Arlington. Massachusetts 02174 617-489-1387 Amethyst, first of the Gemstones, combines Mince, Scribble, the BDS C compiler, and the source code for the Mince command set. This package makes possible s.imple reconfiguration of the editor to meet your needs. Not only can you customize the editor to your taste, you can even write your own programs and make use of'the C compiler. This way well make Amethyst the ultimate 8080/Z-80 program development system. But what makes this Gemstone sparkle in our eyes is support! For Amethyst owners, service is our most important product. Purchasing Amethyst entitles you to free future updates and additions, as well as a newsletter containing other users' comments on how to get the most from the system. We will provide any single command or simple document type that you find missing from Mince or Scribble for free, as well as providing more complex changes at additional cost. Further, our pro- gramming staff is available by phone or mail for consultation in bringing Amethyst up on your computer or helping you modify it to meet your needs. We see your customization requests as feedback on the quality of our product. If there's some- thing you think we've forgotten, we're just as anxious to have it in the software as you, are. Big or small, you're important enough 'to. have an editor that works a litt.le more the way you 'want and a little less the way anyone else thinks it ought to. No, it's a przogrzom deoelopraeiot system Actually, it's both. CP/M is a registered trade mark of Digital Research Circle 141 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 213 BYTELINES NEWS AND SPECULATION ABOUT PERSONAL COMPUTING Conducted by Sol Libes $299 Color Computer management and retrieval nate the under 20-mega- New York City. More stores From Commodore: Com- program), and probably byte market. are expected to be shut modore International Ltd VisiCalc. It could have a down. has announced several new dramatically low price. The Xerox, CDC (Control products, including the CBM 8096 in conjunction JVLodel 33 Data Corporation), and $299 VIC-20 color com- with a high-capacity disk Commodore all have puter, which has been the drive (like Commodore's Teletypewriter To Be followed DEC's lead by subject of much speculation new CBM 8062, with 3.2 Discontinued: The Tele- opening computer stores. over the past year. The VIC megabytes capacity), could type Corporation's Model Xerox expects to open fif- (Video Interface Computer) undersell the already low- 33 teletypewriter, affec- teen stores in 1981, while connects to any television priced Radio Shack Model tionately known as "TTY" CDC and Commodore set or monitor and features II. by long-time users, will be stated that they expect to color (22-character by Availability: Do not ex- phased out of production open "hundreds" of com- 23-line display); sound; pect to see the VIC-20 by the end of 1981 after puter stores. 5 K bytes of programmable before the second guarter over twenty-five years of memory (expandable to of 1981. The CBM 8096 will production. Teletype will ileader's Digest Buys 32 K bytes); user-program- not be out before the fourth also stop production on the mable function keys; full- guarter of 1981. models 28, 32, 35, DRPE, The Source: In a surprise size typewriter keyboard; BRPE, and 4210. The move, the Reader's Digest high-resolution graphics; W inchester 8-Inch Model 33 was the primary has purchased a 51% in- standard PET BASIC; a terminal for interactive terest in the Source graphics character set; pro- Drives Off To Slow Start: computer use in the 1960s Telecomputing Corpora- visions for joysticks, pad- Manufacturers of 8-inch and early 1970s. Although tion. According to the dles, and light pen; and ex- miniature Winchester hard- it was designed for message Washington Post, Reader's ternal slots for extra disk drives are reporting transmission via telephone Digest paid $3,000,000— a memory and ROM (read- that sales, so far, have been lines, early computer substantial amount of only memory) packs. disappointing. Apparently designers adopted it and its money for a company with Peripherals to be available there is a wait-and-see at- ASCII (American Standard no assets and only a include a tape-cassette titude on the part of Code for Information Inter- marketing concept. The unit, single floppy-disk customers. This appears to change) character code as Source is entirely a resale drive, and printer. Com- be due to standardization a standard. Parts and operation: communications modore's new low-priced and interface problems, as documentation support will from Telenet, computing CBM 2031 single disk-drive well as the emergence of be continued for five years. from a time-sharing service unit (also part of the new 5-inch miniature Win- called Dialcomm, and data products announcement) chester drives. Sales for Lb/eC Shuts Two bases from all over. The will be available in a serial- 1980 were predicted to be Washington Post article also bus version for use with the in excess of 60,000 units; Computer Stores: DEC disclosed a messy court VIC-20. The CBM 2031 will however, it appears that (Digital Eguipment Cor- battle between Bill Von be able to store up to 170 K fewer than 37,000 will be poration), the first com- Meister, who developed the bytes on a single 5-inch shipped, with IBM taking a puter company to open a idea for The Source (and floppy disk. It will retail for very sizable portion of this chain of computer stores, some years ago, developed under $600. number. has halted the planned ex- the idea for the Mailgram), Another significant an- Sales of 8-inch miniature pansion of its store net- and Jack Taub, who ousted nouncement from Com- Winchester drives are ex- work. Further, it has closed Von Meister in a financial modore was made with pected to increase at a two of its twenty-seven power struggle last year. much less fanfare: a new, healthy rate. Some industry stores. Reportedly, DEC A recent article in high-capacity business analysts are predicting spent between three and Business Week described computer called the CBM 500,000 units by 1985. It is five million dollars to open The Source's woes. When 8096 that will feature an further predicted that these the stores plus an equal Jack Taub took over the 80-column display, 96 K drives will take over the amount for operating ex- company last October, he bytes of programmable 20- to 200-megabyte market penses, yet only a few of immediately fired forty-five memory, FORTRAN, previously held by 14-inch the stores have become of the seventy employees, COBOL, Ozz Winchester drives. It is ex- profitable. The stores cut expenses, and procured (Commodore's new user- pected that the 5-inch Win- closed are in Detroit and additional financing. adaptable data- chester drives will domi- the Wall Street district of However, many suppliers 214 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc meknem tSffr ,936-' \tf® &$& 2 670 O yfi^ #6» nd< ijBBB' ,io*« i 0»« e s?s i s*9 w 6e' ;0S« NO" ^ c : 2'3S>>.< ed^ Tierf ooN o**' too* B** (epN KEN R8P V *!£*"?«*+ i»d C0P* 6S 9** id* 6 OpP' «*-£" s^* dW8«** 525 ticks' ft\J jfl^-BBW ,\oW* rsoos iti* „ m 6 W e W- gjoJjH ««"; 4 so s«°- gen e. ...de*- f,LC . „<«, de U *.„ U880 1° y „,. cioss MO""'"" ,««» , oteo **» *■£*•« co^.TdePsW^ WS-80 5535252^-* <* WWIO- SOtt'S 60 ' loted ' 5V." N °' flWSW < Fu\\ si creeo \«* a d'iW9 mott*9 cornw 1 ,onds .fl.-"***" i »«9> n 9 # line P ,op $350. ^fc ,NN^ c^ o*&%&^ ,8" W«9 P.--S5-* ^^g.SMP 8 '' 80/1 60 joto»' CPU's w d^°< 2 ° C' 9S S\n9» „ed^ 6 < 8, dd* w jjol* > i0 p\eS ,V.ed* o\oW eS ,rthS»( 20 31POIN ' + Poc^" fo , m o\ pa} 6 ' s? 50- Jptf 6 \\\*' 6" s 4ensW. op' peo rt US 65 \(0U' ,t* ne p!09' raws |0 U»8S P I09' 01 " ,fo< pe.s ' (B*W* e aus« ,PC5S , vevs iV lV i«ed ^ss^s' ,uVvn9 i\ort itt^o' 6 lSl eW ,W8P< SA30. S350 .9650 i CP'»* SSSS>- CPPT* id»< suPP' orts »»«>« cessW pin ,pW 5 PJB S« 61 oow SSOl o'jei ' »ts?S5^ ,ob\e do» » ««*z*«* o\s° WlP 1 \ett 6,s fvi« P' oP CO? s -jSW

N^ tR+ •t*-::i:*»- Red 1 uites 66* B»» 6\PQ> 6 pe"S' 0&_ \0P° «e*» w pa lN1 o«V toss s\n9» jUSS l6 os«N ,\»ed "rSJ-*— do» tos 6 CO' OSM»' h0 U!S + f ode' Red^ eS >oP 6 ' joW 8 s\(pe i~r:v*!Z*+ i\ed **"><>- f\CN SO* Vl«w ,\d»n9 s st\.t ( ^J5» ^e« c ords« 60» W ned lM se«-P 6rf0W ' M ^ 6 « oW coM m* 1 ,6CU ,',« mo 66 w '" w " \ *«* =ass5sss >«h 6 ' 6 - OS coW r»a fields' »**U«»» Red^ es6 s5 50. ^ foi(P°* 5 , n uo\ 3\P9 W 515- 4eos«V. ,ortPSW 20 ,*«»* WodV TBC au«s ,\e*< SoOS,^oPO« ,woos fcoifl" •(RS-80 enhoW ,ced P' ,1***9 ' .ncWdW ( *Bon . (SbW° oo»i :h oo 9 e.^ S^ CWPT . SV)6sCWP T 5«5 l»anuo\ a\o« 6 .525. is ino" — ^**~-^- Report Writer ^^^, is a trademark of Carolina Business Mod »■ ^^ — «—■ "" "" Computers, Inc. Paysoft & FILETRAN are trademarks t\lO- ^. ^^^^ of Ready Corp. Selector IV is a trademark of Micro-Ap, Inc. — ■"" Pearl is a trademark of CPU International Pcscal/M & ACT are trademarks of Sorcim CBASIC2 is a trademark of Compiler Systems, Inc. Magic Wand is a trademark of Small Business Applications, Inc. Textwriter & Datebook are trademarks of Organic Software Ultrasorf II is a trademark of Computer Control Systems, Inc. Copywriter is a trademark of Systronics TRS-80 is a trademark of Tandy Corp. CP/M & MP/M are trademarks of Digital Research Superbrain is a trademark of Intertec Data Systems S-Basic is a trademark of Topaz Programming Prices effective until January 1, 1981 For shipping add S4. in US; S10. outside US per package California residents add appropriate slate sales fax Terms: Prepaid check, M/C or VISA or in US COD (UPS) Dealer inquiries invited Circle 142 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 215 still report that they have not been paid and Taub had been asking them to wait until 1982. The Source promised in its advertisements that airline schedules, restaurant guides in major cities, and mailgram-like services would be available. The mailgram went into effect last April and the airline schedules in June. The restaurant guide still covers only two cities. Also, at present a maximum of 100 users can use the system simultaneously; higher demand on The Source has led to some long-delayed responses. Most users seem to ac- cept The Source's problems as those of a pioneer with development difficulties and that slowly, but surely, the services are improving. Most agree that even with its problems, The Source is very worthwhile. The Reader's Digest could be just what The Source needs to become successful. The purchase indicates that the Reader's Digest is clearly moving in- to the electronic jour- nalism/communications/in- formation field. X he Japanese Are Coming: Until now the US has dominated the micro-, mini-, and large-computer markets across the globe. However, things are .chang- ing and 1981 will no doubt see the Japanese as a major factor in the computer market. The Japanese are already pushing foreign computer suppliers out of the Japanese marketplace and are presently setting up marketing organizations in the US and Europe. They are moving slowly and very carefully, which is quite different from the American way of operating. Therefore, do not look for the Japanese computers to suddenly dominate the market. Rather, look for slow, but steady, growth as the Japanese 'learn how to adapt and market products in foreign marketplaces. There is no doubt that- the hardware is first-rate — a congressional task force recently concluded that Japan has caught up to the US in semiconductor tech- nology "and in certain areas, may be ahead of us." In fact, many American computer makers are already using Japanese components in their com- puters, and the trend is in- creasing. This picture is essentially the same as that of the in- troduction of Japanese cars into this country. Japanese cars were first introduced in the US about 20 years ago. Today they account for 40% of the market. Their cars cost more than US cars but are designed and made better. The same thing will probably happen in the computer market. Who knows, in another ten years we may see government-supported loans for Apple, Com- modore, or Radio Shack. J\El ENIX. UNIX-Like. UNIX-Equivalent - What Next? There are now at least three UNIX-like operating systems available for microcomputers, only one of which is licensed by Western Electric. By now, Microsoft should have its XENIX operating system, developed in the C language under Western Electric license. It will be available for Z8000-based ■ systems. Electrolabs . already has its "UNIX-Like" systems available for Z80-based systems, and Morrow Designs has an- nounced a "UNIX- Equivalent" system for use '. with its Z80 system. Microsoft claims that XENIX is to be a superset of UNIX and that it will con- form to Release 7 of UNIX. Further, Microsoft hopes "to establish a clearing- house for UNIX and XENIX software developed by users." XENIX will be sold primarily to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), and Microsoft will receive $500 for each single-user copy sold. Electrolabs claims that its OS-1 Operating System "appear[s] exactly like UNIX to the user" and that it "provides for up to 1024 users" plus "lots more" — all in 12 K bytes of code. A 4 K-byte CP/M adapter is also included (with source code) in the $249 price. The Morrow operating system will be advertised as a "UNIX-Equivalent." It will be designed to run specifically with the new Morrow Z80 processor card, which includes a hardware mathematics pro- cessor and a programmable system-supervisor circuit for memory management. X hree-Dlmensional System To Be Introduced: Genisco Computers, Costa Mesa, California, is ex- pected soon to announce the first three-dimensional computer-graphics display. It will use a vibrating parabolic mirror and stroke display to create the illu- sion of a three-dimensional object hovering in space before the operator. The system will probably sell for about $100,000, and it is expected to find applica- tions in air-traffic control, molecular research, and oil exploration. L/ata Errors To Increase With Sunspots: NOAA (the National Oceanic and At- mospheric Administration) is predicting that increases in sunspot activity will cause disruption of data communications worldwide. This increase occurs every eleven years, with 1981 thru 1983 being a. period, of intense activity. The last such period occurred be- tween 1969 and 1972. The effect is felt to be more severe at higher altitudes. Dc "ouble-Side Floppy Woes Persist: Makers of double-sided floppy-disk drives finally appear to be delivering reliable units. Users report that the 5-inch dual-sided drives exhibit excellent reliability. However, 8-inch drives still appear to have problems, and full production of high- reliability units is not ex- pected for several more months. Experts are pre- dicting that not until 1982 will we see a crossover point where more double- sided floppies are made than single-sided units. i ired Programmer Sued For Erasing Programs: A suit filed by Leeds & North- rup (L & N) against a former employee accuses him of erasing several valuable programs shortly after being fired from his project manager/program- mer position and before his password had been re- moved from the system. L & N is asking for $10,000 in damages and a court order restraining the former employee from future tampering with the computer. Fortunately, L & N was able to restore the obliterated programs from backup magnetic tapes. u, ' ps And Downs In Personal Computing: It's been all "ups" for Tandy Corporation, while it has been all "downs" for Texas Instruments (TI). It looks like Tandy will sell close to 300,000 Radio Shack Model I computer systems by the year's end. Tandy reported that its fourth quarter earnings rose 52% to over $30 • . million, with year-end net sales of over $112 million. That's an increase of over 35%, on. sales that rose 14%. Further, Tandy an- nounced that it plans to • open fifty more Radio Shack Computer Centers (there are sixty presently). Tandy also plans to have 250 full-line stores (ie: Radio Shack stores that . carry its full microcomputer line of products) by the end of 1981. Also, 100 new Radio Shack stores will be added, bringing the total number of Radio Shack' stores selling audio, elec- tronic, and computer 216 December 1980. © BYTE Publications Inc ARCHIVES BUSINESS COMPUTER CP/M-BASED ... 1.5 MB CAPACITY . . . S-100 BUS A full 1 .5 megabytes of storage on double- sided bVt" diskettes; single-sided drives also available: CP/M operating system and stan- dard S-100 bus allow for wide application possibilities and easy expansion. FULLY TESTED... BROAD MARKET APPEAL . . . HIGH MARGIN The Archives Business Computer represents the new generation of all-in-one compu- ters, ideally targeted at professional and business customers. The compact desk-top unit includes two 5W. drives that can be sold CP/M-based applications software; a 12" green phosphor monitor; detachable keyboard with numeric cluster, function keycluster and 23 relegendable function keys; 64K RAM, and Z-80 microprocessor . . . options include a direct-connect Bell 103 compatible modem and hardware float- ing point chip. The new Archives Business Computer is now available from PGI Wholesale, the nation's leading microcomputer distributor. Call us toll-free for the most competitive pricing and widest selection of name-brand pro- ducts in the industry! A complete Research and Development Evaluation Report on the Archives Business Computer is available to dealers free of charge. The Archives is immediately available at substantial deal- er discounts. Manufacturer's suggested retail prices from $6,500 for dual drive single-density to $7,500 for double-density 1.5 megabyte system. UJHDLE5RLE (formerly MicroAge Wholesale) 1425 W. 12th Place Tempe, Arizona 85281 Circle 143 on inquiry card. CALL TOLL-FREE 1-800-528-4415 1-800-528-6450 equipment to 8000 worldwide. Texas Instruments, on the other hand, has problems. Its 99/4 personal-computer system has met with poor sales, far less than TI pro- jected. The general feeling is that, although the unit has many unique features, it is overpriced and under- supported. TI reported in its most recent quarterly report that this was one of the company's "adverse areas." But TI is not taking this lying down. Learning from automobile makers, TI is experimenting with $200 rebates ($100 cash and $100 worth of software) and is backing this up with promotion, software development, and a seminar program. The 99/4 lists at $950, but many dealers are discounting it to as low as $699 plus rebate. t unny Bit: The Manhat- tan Yellow Pages telephone directory lists Lifeboat Associates, the country's largest distributor of microcomputer software, under "Marine Supplies & Emergency Equipment." A andy Introduces Three New Computers: Recently the Tandy Corporation an- nounced three new per- sonal computers. Their features have been covered in detail in several publica- tions (see the October 1980 BYTE, page 172); there is no need to review them here. However, some com- ments may be worthwhile. The three machines are the TRS-80 Color Com- puter, the TRS-80 Model III, and the TRS-80 Pocket Computer. The color com- puter sells for $400 in its basic configuration (4 K bytes of programmable memory) and is only expandable to 16 K. It uses the 6809processor and is therefore not compatible with the TRS-80 Model I and II. It does not look like it is intended to compete with the Apple computer. Rather, it appears aimed at competing with lower-level systems such as the Atari 400 and TI-99/4 personal computers. Although Tandy denies it, the Model III appears to be a replacement for the Model I. Considering that the Model III contains the monitor, keyboard and disk drives in a single en- closure, is software com- patible with the Model I, and offers additional enhancements, most in- dustry people feel that the Model I will be phased out when the Model III systems finally arrive at the stores. The Pocket Computer is really a marketing experi- ment. Neither Tandy nor any of the other pocket- computer makers really know if there is a mean- ingful market for this machine. Quasar and Panasonic talk about selling one million of their new hand-held computers next year (at $400 each). Tandy, however, is selling its at $250 and may garner the major portion of the market. But what is the market for these pocket machines? The makers are projecting that they will be bought by salesmen and executives who, via a modem, will contact their home com- puters to book orders, check order status, receive and send messages, etc. Will hobbyists be attracted to these machines? The successful systems today all have a strong hobbyist base. It will, therefore, be interesting to see if these pocket devices catch on as planned. X RS-80 Copy Due From Far East: EACA Limited of Hong Kong is manufactur- ing a functional copy of the Radio Shack TRS-80, which is no doubt the most popular microcomputer system made to date. Although it does not look like a TRS-80, it is hard- ware and software compati- ble with it. The computer will be marketed in the US by Personal Micro Com- puters Inc (PMC), Moun- tain View, California, and will be known as the PMC-80. It will list for $595 (without a monitor), which is $200 less than the TRS-80. It will have a 50-pin bus (TRS-80 has a 40-pin bus); PMC plans S-100 and TRS-80 inter- faces. E Landom Rumor Bits: Zilog is still having prob- lems delivering bug-free Z8000 chips.... AMD (Ad- vanced Micro Devices) is rumored to be working on the Z8003, a 32-bit version of the Z8000, scheduled for release in 1981.... NEC is rumored to be about ready to announce a new video-display-controller integrated circuit capable of handling a bit-map graphics display of 1024 by 1024 pixels, devoting 16 bits to each pixel. It will be capable of being con- figured for gray scale or color (3 bits each for red, green, and blue intensities) and still have 7 bits left over for things like blinking pixels, intensity protection, etc.... Intel, Western Digital, National Semicon- ductor, and Texas In- struments are all rumored to be working on con- trollers for Winchester floppy-disk systems. When these integrated circuits are available, it should reduce the cost of these controllers from the present $1000 to $1500 to a range of $200 to $500.... R. Landom News Bits: SofTech MicroSystems Inc, sole licensing agent for UCSD Pascal, expects to make available a 16-bit ver- sion of UCSD Pascal for 8086-based systems sometime in 1981. This will be followed later by a 68000 version Tandy Corporation (parent of Radio Shack) has acguired the Lika Corporation of Stockton, California, for $4.5 million. Lika is a manufacturer of double- sided and multilayer printed-circuit boards Apple is having difficulty shipping Apple Ills and does not expect the first shipments until after the first of the year, six months later than promised Bubble-memory prices are dropping as yields im- prove. Intel has dropped the price of its BPK bubble- memory prototyping kit from $1710 to $995 and its iSBC250 bubble-memory card from $4750 to $3500. Sales of bubble memories rose to $226 million in 1980 compared to $18.4 million in 1979.... National Semiconductor has in- troduced a microprocessor with BASIC in ROM (read- only memory). The INS8073 device has a 2.5 K-byte ROM with Tiny BASIC and a 64-byte area of program- mable memory, which is used as a scratch-pad memory ANSI (American National Stan- dards Institute) has established a committee to develop an APL language standard. Those wishing to participate should contact Clark Wiedman, University of Massachusetts Com- puting Center, Amherst MA 01003.... Shugart Associates will soon in- troduce a new series of 5-inch floppy drives capable of storing 500 K bytes on a single side and 1 megabyte on two sides. They will be compatible with older drives.... IBM is quietly setting up a distributor organization to sell its computer peripherals The Massachusetts Department of Revenue recently held hearings on a new tax for off-the-shelf software, time- sharing, and other data- processing services Apple Computer will soon begin production of the new Apple III in a new plant located in Ireland. MAIL: I receive a large number of letters each month as a result of this column. If you write to me and wish a response, please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Sol Libes POB 1192 Mountainside NJ 07081 218 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Z80, OASIS, MAROT. A superior operating system and top application software bring out the best in a microcomputer. That's why Marot offers the oasis* Operating System and compatible software for owners of Z80 based micros They make a terrific trio. 1 Z80 micros —great machines. Tandy's trs-80 mod n* with DMA, bank select possibilities and nationwide service. Altos. Cromemco. Horizon. And many others. Great machines — but it takes a great operating system to tap their full potential. 2 enter oasis — available from Marot. oasis is fast emerging as the operating system for Z80 commercial applications and serious programmers. Why?. ..rapid formating and back-up of diskettes; efficient disk utili- zation; excellent line editor and document processor for file management and textwriting; user accounting with logon, password, privi- lege level and use account- ing; machine independence of programs, data and text files; sequential, direct and keyed index (ISAM) files; interpreted and compiled BASIC; COBOL-ANSI 74; single and multi-user ver- sions; and more. No wonder pros say 'oasis makes micros run like minis!' Circle 144 on inquiry card. 3 APPLICATION SOFTWARE — available from Marot. oasis is your active, invisible partner supporting these excellent, ready-to-run products: Magic Wand ." The wordprocessor combining the ease of screen editing with micro power. HDBS ** For data management needs restricted to hierarchical tree structure and fixed length records. MDBS ** Handles full network CODASYL oriented data structures and variable length records. ABS*** Quality office management systems — accounts receivable and payable, general ledger, etc. — the total interacting, user-oriented business package. Written in COBOL; available with source code. A Law package. And ready soon: complete medical management, real estate, restaurant, pharmacy, management analysis packages, and others. Marot and its Dealers offer oasis and many professional software products to individuals, OEMs and dealers. Licensing arrangements are also available. Just call or write and start your own terrific trio. PLEASE SEND ME: (Circle what you would like and send order with payment to the address shown below ) D SEND COMPLETE INFORMATION Product MAGIC WAND Price $400 ABS ACCOUNTING (call or write) MDBS, full network HDBS Report Generator, Query System Primer (Other options available) $900 300 300 10 Magic Wand. MDBS and HDBS are available for several operating systems. 'oasis is Ihe Irademark ol Phase One Systems. Inc "hdbs and MDBS are produced by Micro Data Base Systems. Inc "'American Business Systems. Inc ras-80 is the registered Irademark o : Ihe Tandy Corporation Magic Wand is the registered tradenark ot Small Business Systems. Inc Product OASIS Pr with Manual ce Manual Only OPERATING SYSTEM (Includes: EXEC Language; File Management; User Accounting; Device Drivers; Print Spooler; General Text Editor; etc.) SINGLE-USER MULTI-USER $150 350 $17.50 17.50 BASIC COMPILER/ INTERPRETER/DEBUGGER 100 15.00 RE-ENTRANT BASIC COMPILER/INTERPRETER/ DEBUGGER 150 15.00 DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE (Macro Assembler; Linkage Editor; Debugger) 150 25.00 TEXT EDITOR & SCRIPT PROCESSOR 150 15.00 DIAGNOSTICS CONVERSION UTILITIES (Memory Test; Assembly Language; Converters; File Recovery; Disk Test; Fite Copy from other OS; etc.) 100 15.00 COMMUNICATIONS PACKAGE (Terminal Emulator; File Send & Receive) 100 15.00 PACKAGE PRICE (All of Above) SINGLE-USER MULTI-USER 500 850 60.00 60.00 FILE SORT 100 15.00 COBOL-ANSI 74 750 35.00 MAROT SOFTWARE SYSTEMS YOUR EASTERN SOURCE Send order to: Marot Software Systems, Inc. 310 Madison Ave. New York City, NY 10017 Telephone (212) 661-8550 NAME STREET (NO BOX #) CITY_ STATE _ .ZIP. AMOUNTS (Attach system description; add $3 for shipping; New York residents add sales tax.) □ Check enclosed D VISA □ UPS C.O.D. D Mastercharge Card Number Expiration Date Signature BYTE December 1980 219 CBM™ 8032 BUSINESS COMPUTER The new Commodore' 8032 Business computer offers a wide screen display to show you up to 80-character lines of informa- tion. Text editing and report formatting are faster and easier with the new wide-screen display. The 8032 Business Com- puter also provides a resident Operating System with ex- panded functional capabilities. You can use Basic on the 8032 Business Computers in both interactive and program modes, with expanded commands and functions for arithmetic, editing, and disk file management. The CBM 8032 Busi- ness Computer is ideally suited for the computing needs of the business marketplace. Call for additional information. £s commodore $1695 $1795 *32K RAM, 14K 4.0 BASIC *IEEE BUS *80 x 25 CRT "Ideal for WordProcessing or other business /technical computer uses. CBM™ 8050 DUAL DRIVE FLOPPY DISK The CBM 8050 Dual Drive Floppy Disk is a much enhanced version of the intelligent CBM 2040 Disk Drive. The CBM 8050 has all of the features of the CBM 2040, and provides more powerful software capabilities, as well as one megabyte of online storage capacity. The CBM 8050 supplies relative record files and automatic diskette initialization. It can copy all the files from one diskette to another without copying unused space. The CBM 8050 also offers improved error recov- ery and the ability to append to sequential files. MULTI-USER TIME SHARE OFFERED TO YOU BY THE NEECO MULTI-CLUSTER At a'low entry cost, up to eight CBM computers can transfer data bi-directionally to one CBM Dual Disk Drive. The MULTI-CLUSTER, designed with its own independent power supply, provides a connection from one CBM computer work selection to other CBM computer work stations, allowing data transfer and data access on a priority queuing basis. This system provides the cost effectiveness required in a multi-using environment by establishing the dual disk drive as a central mass storage unit. This provides a high degree of disk accessibility. The standard configuration of this system allows 3 CBM* microcomputers (maximum of 8) connected through the MULTI— CLUSTER to the IEEE port of the 2040 Disk Drive. More CBM's can be added to the system according to the user's need. MULTI-CLUSTER Standard Components $995 Additional Component Prices One Multi-Cluster , ' Each extra CM-100 $250 Controller MC800A Output Printer Module $200 Three Channel Modules . . . CM-100 (for Centronics Protocal) $200 Multi-Cluster is a product of BMB Compuscience. NEECO PROUDLY ANNOUNCES .DATASOURCE 1 "A full featured Database Manager for the Commodore 8032" Never before has a true Database been available for Commodore Computers. DATASOURCE 1 contains database capabilities you would not expect on a microcomputer system. Capabilities like selective search by any sub-field or field within a record, mathematic manipulation, up to 120 fields per screen display, and much much more! DATASOURCE l's major feature is total usability! DATASOURCE was designed for use by you! • ■ ©* m^^^' MAJOR FEATURES INCLUDE: • SCREEN ORIENTED • SELECTIVE OR SEQUENTIAL SEARCHES • UP TO 120 SORT ABLE DISPLAY FIELDS • UP TO 2 DISPLAY SCREENS OF DATA PER RECORD • HUNT FUNCTION (find characters in any record) • POWERFUL MATHEMATICAL MANIPULATION • SUPPORT PROGRAMS INCLUDE: FILE OR EDIT SCREEN RECORD, POWERFUL SORT/MERGE, DIRECTORY MANAGER, EXTENDED OUTPUT REPORT GENERATOR. FULL COMPATIBILITY WITH WORDPRO 4'" PLUS FILES, AND MUCH,' .yV MUCH MOREI EMINENTLY USABLE BY NOVICE USERS *2 ;H> AJOR USES INCLUDE: MAILING LIST MANAGEMENT • QUERY/CALL INFORMATION • A/R AGING MANAGEMENT • CASH FLOW FORECASTS • FILE MANAGEMENT • ANY PROJECT/PROBLEM THAT REQUIRES INVENTORY DATA OR FILE MANIPULATION! <$<* $495 Circle 145 on inquiry card 1 'Requires DOS 2.0 or DOS 2.5 AVAILABLE TO DEALERS FROM MICROAMERICA DEALER TOLL FREE: 1-800-343-4411 WordPro 4 Plus is a registered trademark of Professional Software Inc. NEECO 679 HIGHLAND AVE. NEEDHAM, MA 02194 NEW ENGLAND ELECTRONICS CO., INC. "NEW ENGLAND'S Largest Computer Showroom" (617) 449-1760 MASTEHCHARGE OR VISA ACCEPTED TELEX NUMBER 951021, NEECO MON-FRI, 9:00-5:30, E.S.T. NEECO PROUDLY INTRODUCES altoSCOMPUTERS BBS ALTOS ACS 8000-5 • Dual 8" floppy disks • Megabyte storage . 64K RAM • Totally expandable to Hard Disk (29MB) and Multi-User $5990 ALTOS OFFERS OUR USERS TOTAL SYSTEM CAPABILITIES AND FLEXIBILITY .. . • Z80 based • CP/M • Multi-User • Hard Disk • Seven languages • MP/M • NEECO system support • Full Word Processing 'ALTOS Computers offer you System Flexibility and Reliability" CONTACT NEECO FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON HOW ALTOS CAN BECOME YOUR COMPUTER SOLUTION Altos computers range in price from less than $3000 to over $1 4,000. Altos Computer Systems' capabilities range from single disk-single user to 29 Megabytes-Multi-User. ALTOS computers are distributed to Dealers/OEMs in the N.E. Region by MICROAMERICA ggragngiE Trial Tested Osborne Business Packages on the Superbrain • Accounts Receivable $ 250.00 Complete 4 Module Q/%PT\A/AQP • General Ledger «250.00 Package $ 795 WW" I WAnC • Accounts Payable ^250.00 MicrosoftBASIC (Business Packages written in MicrosoftBASIC) • Payroll Package s 250.00 $ 325 UPERBRAIN 32K RAM $2795 64K RAM $2995 FORTRAN $ 450 | "The Superbrain is ideal for use as an intelligent terminal or stand alone microcomputer system for OEM's, commercial customers, and other • sophisticated computer users." SPECIAL OFFER! Purchase a 64K Superbrain at $2995 and will include MBASIC5 for only $250! (regularly $350) SPECIAL OFFER! - Purchase a Centronics 704-9 (RS232, 180 CPS, retail $2380) printer and a 64K Superbrain together for only $4595 - cash price only. Two 5.25" Shugart Minifloppies with over 300 K (CP/M Version 2.2 or later) Disk Storage.| Integrated in a single compact housing. CP/M operating System with MBASIC5 and other interpreters/compilers available. 32K or 64K RAM models available. 2 I/O Ports - one fully enabled RS232 port for communications. Other port for RS232 serial printer output. Too many software packages are now available to list them here. OEM/DEALER INQUIRIES All pricing and specifications are subject to change.) 1 NEECO Mon-Fri 9:30-5:30 MasterCharge & 679 Highland Ave. Visa Accepted Needham, MA (617)449-1760 Telex: 951021 02194 ISUPE3BRAJN |The Honor Graduate MICEOAMERICA DISTRIBUTING! "Nationwide distributors of Computer Equipment" 21 Putnam Street Needham, MA „_ 02194 (617)449-43101 Circle 147 for NEECO Circle 148 for Mlcroamerlca BYTE December 1980 221 The User's Column BASIC, Computer Languages, and Computer Adventures Jerry Pournelle c/o BYTE Publications 70 Main St Peterborough NH 03458 It's a typical Sunday afternoon here at Chaos Manor. In one room a dozen kids are playing games on the Radio Shack TRS-80, while here in the office I've been playing about with the C programming language after adding a check-writer to my accounting programs. My wife, the only practical member of the family, gently reminds me of my deadlines: galley proofs of a new novel, King David's Spaceship (Simon and Schuster); two chapters of the latest Niven/Pournelle collaboration, Oath of Fealty (Simon and Schuster, Real Soon Now); plus three col- umns; a speech to a librarians' convention; and inputs for a NASA study on America's fifty-year space plan. Some business people worry about cash flow; for authors it's work flow — work comes in bunches, like bananas, and sometimes it seems everything has to be done at once. So, since it's what we've been doing here lately, I'll talk about computer games and programming languages; a disparate set of topics, but not quite as unconnected as they might seem at first glance. Languages One of the biggest unsolved problems in the microcom- puter field is languages: which ones are going to be stan- dard? Everyone learns BASIC, of course, because it comes with the machine, and it's a very easy language to learn. Pretty soon, though, you come to the limits of the BASIC supplied with the computer; and then what? A few years ago there wasn't a lot of choice. You could buy FORTRAN, and perhaps COBOL; you could learn assembler; but then you were stuck. Moreover, there didn't seem to be any obvious advantages to FORTRAN and COBOL, both of which were not only hard to learn, but also difficult to connect up with the computer. Most of the books on those languages were written with big mainframe machines in mind, and the documentation for the small-system versions was, to put it kindly, rather skimpy. Moreover, the user manuals were filled with mysterious references to "logical devices" and other such nonsense, while giving almost no clear examples of how to get programs running on a home computer. The result was a great expansion of BASICs. What was once a simple teaching language, designed largely to let new users become familiar with the way computers think, became studded with features. Every time you turned around there was a new BASIC interpreter, each one larger than the last, and almost none of them com- patible with each other. Whatever portability BASIC had enjoyed vanished in a myriad of disk operations, func- tions, WHILE statements, new input formats, etc, etc, and, at the same time, the "free" memory left over after loading BASIC got so small that you couldn't handle much data. The logical end of that process is Microsoft's newest BASIC-80. Understand, it's an excellent BASIC. It has features that, not long ago, the most advanced languages didn't have. It's well documented — at least the commands and functions, which are listed alphabetically, are clearly described. The general information section could be ex- panded with profit — at present it's written for users who are already more or less familiar with how BASIC oper- ates. There are elaborate procedures for error trapping, and they all work. The editor has been improved. There are procedures (not very well documented) for linking in assembly-language subroutines. You can use long vari- able names, such as "Personal. data. 1" and "Personal. data. 2", and be certain the program will know they are different variables. In other words, there's a lot going for it; but it takes up 24 K bytes of memory, and it's still BASIC. If you want to understand your program six weeks after you write it, you'll have to put in a lot of REMark statements, every one of which takes up memory space. As with all BASICs, you have to sweat blood to write well-struc- tured code (and if you don't bother, that will come back to haunt you when you want to modify the program). And, like all BASICs, it is slow. Fairly simple sorts, even with efficient algorithms, take minutes; disk operations are tedious. I suspect that Microsoft BASIC-80 is the end of the line; they have carried BASIC about as far as it can go. They've done it very well, but they've also reached the in- herent limits of the language; and those limits may not be acceptable. Of course most programmers have always known that 222 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Microcomputer Networking From Digital Research CP/NET™ brings CP/M® based networking to the microcomputer world. CP/M MP/M CP/M CP/M CP/M / \ DISKS PRINTER Now you can use CP/M, Digital Research's "industry standard" operating system, in a network environment. In conjunction with MP/M"*, our high-powered multi-user ■ system, a variety of CP/NET configurations allow you to share your valuable resources among a number of masters running MP/M, and slaves running CP/M or MP/M. ■ Share and transfer disk files ■ Share printers and consoles ■ Share programs and data bases As with all Digital Research products, CP/NET is compatible with a large variety of computer hardware, allowing a network to be constructed with any combination of shared memory, parallel I/O or serial links with any protocol. For the office or the classroom, as well as the application development environment, contact Digital Research or your hardware supplier to find out how CP/NET can enhance your system's flexibility and convenience. 10) DJGlTflL RESEARCH 8 U. S. A. DIGITAL RESEARCH P.O. Box 579 801 Lighthouse Avenue Pacific Grove; CA 93950 408-649-3896 TWX 910 360 5001 EUROPE VECTOR INTERNATIONAL Research Park B-3030 Leuven Belgium 32 (16) 20-24-96 Telex 26202 VECTOR FAR EAST MICROSOFTWARE ASSOCIATES 102 Plasada 3-16-14 Minami Aoyama Minato-ku Tokyo 107, Japan 03-403-2120 Telex 2426875 MSA Circle 149 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 223 even the best BASIC interpreter wasn't good enough; that if you add enough features to make the language useful, you'll end up with a very slow monster that takes up far too much memory, and that even if you could tolerate those limits, the language itself forces sloppy thinking and inelegant code. However, knowing the problem didn't make the solution obvious; indeed, it's not obvious yet. We can recognize the limits to BASIC and still not agree on what to do about it. There seem to be two fundamental paths. One is to start over: to relegate BASIC to its original function as a teaching language, and switch to some other language for serious programming. Many took this path, and came out with microcomputer versions of such languages as C, APL, ALGOL, LISP, FORTH, STOIC, and Pascal. The other way is to compile BASIC. One of the first compiled BASICs, BASIC E, is in the public domain; I obtained a fairly decent version with (barely) adequate documentation from the CP/M User's Group several years ago. Then Software Systems brought out an im- proved BASIC E called CBASIC. It is easy to use and features really excellent documentation, some of the best I've ever seen. It has decent file structures; you are not limited to either sequential or random-access disk files, but may use sequential operations on random-access files. There are irritants in CBASIC, particularly with regard to line-printer operations. CBASIC has only the PRINT and PRINT USING commands; there is no LPRINT. To get hard copy, you must execute a LINEPRINTER state- ment, then one or more PRINT statements, then do a CONSOLE statement to have the copy sent to the ter- minal. Every time you do the CONSOLE statement, the print buffer empties, and you can get unwanted stuff printed on your hard copy; worse, you can also get un- wanted line feeds, making it tough to format hard copy (although 'CBASIC does allow you to output characters through a port so that, if you are clever enough, you can control the line printer directly; you could even make a CBASIC program drive a Diablo for reverse printing if you wanted to spend the time writing that program). Another needless limitation is that CBASIC allows a maximum carriage width of 133 characters, although a 12-character-per-inch printer can print lines 158 characters long. Irritants or no, CBASIC is both well designed and well documented. It has WHILE; IF-THEN-ELSE (with chaining); long variable names; and logical operations (IF TAX >0 AND PRICE < MAXIMUM. ACCEPTABLE THEN GOSUB 234 ELSE PRINT "NO GOOD" is a perfectly valid CBASIC expression). It has the CASE (Switch or ON-GOTO) statement. And it saves memory by compiling. To use CBASIC, one creates a program with any editor that makes ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) files (Electric-Pencil-created programs have to be put through a converter), then turns the CBASIC compiler loose on it. What comes out isn't true compilation; the compiler strips out remarks and needless line numbers, and compacts the remainder into an INT (intermediate) file; when you want to run the program, you must load in a 10 K-byte run-time package. The INT file is still inter- preted; it is not a machine-language program. You can, though, include scads of remarks, put each statement on a separate line, leave lots of blank space, put in rows of asterisks, indent whole sections of the program, and thus vastly increase program readability without using up memory space. A CBASIC program can be written for legibility. But it's still BASIC. Because a program can be reasonably well structured and self-documenting doesn't mean that it will be; BASIC makes it easy to write incom- prehensible code and difficult not to. And CBASIC is very slow, no faster than Microsoft BASIC-80 and often slower. There's another limit. It's very hard to write long pro- grams in CBASIC. This problem is inherent in any com- piled language — whether true compilation to machine code, or pseudocompiling to an INT file. For example, assume that I want to add a small feature to my account- ing package (which I did in fact write in CBASIC two years ago). I load the source program into the text editor. I add the feature and hook it into the program; since I do sweat blood to write structured code, that's fairly easy. Now I must save the altered source and put it through the compiler. Since it's a long program, the compilation takes many minutes— and toward the end, I get a SYNTAX ERROR message. I've put a comma where it wants a semicolon. Now I have to load the editor, read in the source, make the change, save, and recompile. Presuming that this time it goes without error, I may have used up half an hour just to change"," to ";" — and I still have no test of the program's logic. If I now test for logic and it's not right, well, I have to start all over again, hoping that this time I don't manage a new syntax error. . . . Thus, you can use up a whole afternoon adding some- thing quite simple to a big program. There must be a bet- ter way. Why can't someone come up with a language that runs interpretively like normal BASIC, letting you correct both syntax and logic errors while in an interac- tive mode; and then allow you to compile the result? While we're at it, let's wish for the compiled program to be in true machine language, code that could be put into read-only memory, and, moreover, code that would be fast. That's the route that Microsoft took. Their BASCOM compiler works just that way with their BASIC-80. It will also compile Microsoft BASIC 4.5, and, with con- siderable modifications to syntax, programs written in both CBASIC and BASIC E. Moreover, it's a very power- ful compiler. It implements almost all the features of BASIC-80, including WHILE, IF-THEN-ELSE, CASE, logicals, and string operations, etc. It sounds like the answer to a prayer. Of course there are problems. Random-access disk operations are unbelievably messy, and worse, a random-access file cannot be accessed sequentially. There's considerable overhead burden. For example, this program: 10 PRINT "Hello" 20 END required 9 K bytes when compiled into a CP/M COM file; there's obviously a big run-time package built into BASCOM. Worse, present Microsoft user contracts re- quire that anyone marketing a program compiled by 224 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc SIRIUS80+ High Performance Low cost Floppy Add-ons! The SIRIUS SYSTEMS 80+ Series of Floppy Disk add-ons are designed to provide un- matched versatility and performance for your TRS-80 - . Consisting of four different add- ons, there is a 80+ Series Floppy Disk Drive to meet your needs. COMMON CHARACTERISTICS ■ 5ms track-to-track access time ■ Auto-Eject m 180 day WARRANTY ■ Exceptional speed stability - 1112% ■ Single! Double Density operation m Mix any or all 80+ Series on the SS Standard cable SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS The SIRIUS 80+1 -a single sided, 40 track Drive. Offering 5 more tracks than the Radio Shack model, it cost $120 less. Formatted data storage is 102K/204K Bytes Single/ Double Density. SIRIUS 80+1 $379.95 The SIRIUS 80+2 is a dual sided. 80 track (40 per side) Disk Drive. It appears to the TRS-80- as TWO 40 track drives yet COST LESS THAN HALF THE PRICEI Even greater savings result since data is recorded on both sides of the media instead of only a single side. This unit may require the SS Standard cable. Formatted data storage is 204K/408K Bytes Single/Double Density. SIRIUS 80+2 $449.95 The SIRIUS 80+3 - a single sided, 80 track Drive. Offering 2'A times the storage of a standard Radio Shack Disk Drive, the 80+3 greatly reduces the need for diskettes corre- spondingly. Additionally, because of the In- creased storage and faster track-to-track access time, the 80+3 allows tremendously increased throughput for disk based uro- grams! The 80+3 includes SIRIUS's TRAKS- PATCH on diskette (for use with 96 tpi drives) . Formatted data storage is 204K/408K Bytes Single/Double Density. SIRIUS 80+3 $499.95 The SIRIUS 80+4 -a dual sided, 160 track (80 per side) 5'/<" monster! The ultimate in state- of-the-art 5V4" Floppy Disk Technology, the 80+4 is seen by the TRS-80* as two single sided disk drives. Thus, in terms of capacity, one 80+4 is equivalent to 4% standard Radio Shack drives — at a savings of over 73% (not to mention diskettes!!!). (With a double den- sity converter the available memory is huge!) The 80+4 (a 96 tpi drive) includes TRAKS- PATCH on diskette and may require the SS Standard cable. Formatted storage is 408K/ 816K Bytes Single/Double Density^ SIRIUS 80+4 $649.95 All 80+ Series Floppy Disk add-ons operate at 5ms track-to-track but are Expansion Interface limited to 12ms for the TRS-80* 'TRS-80© ol Tandy Corp. ACCESSORIES SS Standard 2 Drive Cable $29.95 NEWDOS/80-Sophistlcated Operating System for the TRS-80- fromApparat $149.95 Save up to 10% with these SIRIUS Packages! NEWDOS/80, SIRIUS 80+3, and Two Drive Cable .... NEWDOS/80, SIRIUS 80+4, and Two Drive Cable .... NEWDOS/80, Two (2) SIRIUS 80+3's, Two Drive Cable NEWDOS/80, Two (2) SIRIUS 80+4's, Two Drive Cable $624.95 $749.95 $1080.95 $1349.95 PRIAM Hard Disks Now Available from SIRIUS SYSTEMS! PRIAM's high-performance, low-cost Winchester disc drives speed up throughput and expand data storage from 20 megabytes to 154 megabytes. And a single controller can be used to operate 14-inch-disc drives with capacities of 33, 66, or 154 megabytes or floppy-disc-size drrves holding 20 and 34 megabytes. So if s easy to move up in capacity, or reduce package size, without changing important system elements or performance. I Fast. Unear Voice Coil Positioning I 10 mstrack-to-track positioning I fully sen/oed head positioning I Dedicated servo tracks I DC Power required only! I Simple, parallel Interlace I Optional SMD Interlace I 50 ms Average Positioning time I 90 ms Maximum Positioning Time I 6.4 ms Average Latency THE PRIAM LINEUP Size x 17" x 20" x 17" x 20" x 17" x 20" ! 8.55" x 14.25" : 8.55" x 14.25" Modal/Disc Size Capacity DISK0S 3350(14") 33Mbytes DISKOS 6650(14") 66 Mbytes DISKOS 15450 14" 154 Mbytes DISKOS 2050 8") 20 Mbytes DISKOS 3450 ( 8") 34 Mbytes DISKOS 1070 10.6 Mbytes floppy-size All PRIAM DISKOS Drives have a Transfer Rate of 1 .03 Mbytes/Sec. Optional SMD interlace available lor SI 50. 7" 7" 7" 4.62" i 4.62" ; Weight 33 lbs. 33 lbs. 33 lbs. 20 lbs. 20 lbs. (Idw) Price $2995 $3749 $4695 S2995 $3745 $2195 SIRIUS SYTEMS offer cases and enclosures for all PRIAM Hard Disk Drives. All 14" Winchester Drives will mount in our 14" Standard Case. The 8" Winchesters have two alternatives: a single drive case and a dual drive case. All SIRIUS SYSTEMS Winchester drive cases include Power Supply, internal cabling, switches, fan, extra AC outlet (not switched, but fused) and possess very adequate ventilation. Drive addressing is done on the rear of the Case and not on the drive itesell to provide ease of use during operation. All WINCHESTER DRIVE Cases are Warranted for a full year and come in our standard blue-black color scheme. Consult us for current availability and pricing. introducing the versatile, Low-Cost OMEGA Series Controller As new technological advances bring down the cost of fast, reliable mass data storage, the need for an inexpensive, versatile controller have be- come greater and greater. To meet this need, SIRIUS SYSTEMS - OMEGA Series Controller was designed. The SIRIUS OMEGA Series Controller Module utilizes an on-board microprocessor to mediate data transfer to a wide variety of peripherals from an equally wide variety of host computer systems. Up to four Winchester Hard Disks (8" or 14"), four 5V»" Floppy Disks Drives and/or up to eight 8" Floppy Disk Drives may be in use at one time. Host systems interfacing is accomplished via a parallel or a serial inter- face. With the additon of a Personality module. the OMEGA Series Controller Module is directly compatible with many popular com- puter systems (among them the TRS-80- , Apple, Heath, and others). Provision is made for the addition of a streaming tape drive, also. SPECIFIC HARDWARE FEATURES INCLUDE: ■ Control ol up to twelve Floppy Disk Drives (eight 8" andlor lour 5V»") • 8 " andlor 5Vi " Disk Drive Utilization • Single (FM) or Double (MFM) density data storage • Hard or Soft sectored diskette usage • Utilization ol "Quad" density (96 tpi) 8" or 5V<" Disk Drives M Control ol up to lour WINCHESTER type PRIAM DISKOS Disk Drives • 8" or 14" may intermix on thesamecable • Accommodates 8" andlor 14" drives ol 5.3Mbytes to 1S4Mbytes • Ultra-Fast data transfers ■ Extremely llexible host-controller interlacing SPECIFIC SOFTWARE FEATURES INCLUDE: ■ Dynamic format modifications via command words ■ Extremely flexible format acceptance for un- usual data storage formats ■ Easily interfaces to standard operating sys- tems (TRS-DOS-.CP/M* .etc) ■ Operates in either get/put sector mode or data string mode ■ Performance parameters may be changed by EPR0M replacement or Dynaminic Repro- gramming CP/M& of Digital Research Dedicated systems cards are also available on a limited basis for the STD-BUS and the S 100. These cards feature shared memory also (again, software selectable) in addition to the regular OMEGA Series Controller Module features. Con- sult SIRIUS SYTEMS tor current price and availability for the entire line of OMEGA Series Memory Units and Controllers. Dealer Inquir- ies are Invited. What tforth Is - and what It has to offer you! TFORTH is a unique growth programming language for the TRS-80® that combines the best features of an interpreter and a compiler all in one functional easy-to-use package. TFORTH cannot be simply compared with Fortran, BASIC or PASCAL. This high speed, high level modular code offers the speed found in many FORTRAN compilers yet retains the on-line conviences found in BASIC INTERPRETERS by flagging Input errors as they occur llne-by-llne. Unlike PASCAL, TFORTH needs no "run-time" package for support. Serving as an operating system, compiler, assembler, Inter- preter, virtual memory manager, all In one: TFORTH makes easy, efficient- structured re-entrant programs a natural consequence. The key to TFORTH's flexibility and ease of use lies in Its use of a stack for parameters and a unique dictionary for WORDS. These WORDS are stated in terms of other WORDS already defined in the dictionary. It is this rich set of WORDS that provides DO LOOPS, IF-THEN-ELSE statements, BEGIN-END statements, virtual memory, any number base (to base 32) for Input or output, a macro assembler, re-entrant code, multithread dictionary, line editor, excellent math package (16 bit integers, double precision floating point, SIN, COS, TAN, EXP and LOG) and it runs under either TRSDOS* or NEWDOS. Assembler inherently nests with high level in an easy fashion. Complicated drivers for new devices take only a few lines of TFORTH which saves both memory and disk space! TFORTH is a procedural language speclflng a process rather than a desired result. The ability to have the language grow In the direction the user desires is excellent for novel applications. New data types and new processes can become part of the language. Due to the modular constructions, a very compact code is produced which executes at exceptionally high speeds between machine code and machine code plus 20% typical overhead speeds. Memory requirements can be "less" than assembler coding or other high level languages. TFORTH comes complete for the TRS-80" with as little as 16K of memory and a single Disk Drive using either TRS-DOS* or NEWDOS. It provided on diskettes and an optional Math and Utilities package is available. Through TFORTH an excellent way to develop new languages, provide simple control of device (including videomonitors, A/D and D/A converters and burglar alarms) and to implement tasks requiring monitoring and decision is offered. Many WORDS to handle peripherals are part of basic TFORTH and others may be added easily. Often, substantial hardware development can be eliminated by using TFORTH to do the major digital or reduction of data. For many applications a minimal task may be written in high level (or mixture of assembler and high level) code: loaded, assembled and prior to execution may be written to the disk as a ready to execute machine code/EXE module with the DOS. TFORTH (on diskette - specify for Standard or 96 tpi Disk Drives) $129.95 TFORTH with the addition of TRAKS-PATCH (a powerful combination!) $136.95 STATE-OF-THE-ART DISK DRIVES QUME DataTrakS 8" Disk Drive DOUBLE SIDEDI DOUBLE DENSITY! High performance Double Sided Disk 8" Disk Drive ■ Single or Double Density ■ Door Lock and Write Protect INCLUDED! ■ Negative DC Voltage not required ■ Low Power Operation ■ FAST! 3ms track-to-track access ■ Low friction and minimum wear ■ Superior Head Load Dynamics OUME DataTrakS $574.95 (2/S549 ea) QUME Technical Manual $6.95 Connector Set #3 (AC, DC, & Card Edge) $10.95 Connector Set #4 (AC and DC) $2.95 MPI 51/52 & 91/92 5%" Disk Drives SIRIUS SYSTEMS 7528 Oak Ridge Highway Knoxville, Tennessee 37921 TO ORDER CALL (615) 693-6583 Phone Orders Accepted 9AM-7PM (EST) Mon-Fri We accept MC, VISA, AE, COD (requires Certified Check, Cashier's Check or Cash) and Checks (personal checks require 14 days to clear). SHIPPING AND HANDLING: $7.00 per Floppy Disk Drive or 80+ Module ■ 5% for other items (any excess will be refunded) ■ Foreign Orders add 1 0% for Shipping & Handling. Payment in U.S. currency ■ Tennessee residents add 6% Sales Tax ■ VOLUME DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE ■ Fast! 5ms track-to-track access ■ Exclusive Pulley-Band Design ■ Unique Doorl Ejector Mechanism m Reliable 11 12% Speed Stability ■ Single/Double Density Operation m Industry/ANSI Standard Interface MPI 51 (Single Head/40 tracks) 125K/250K Bytes Single/Double Density* • $259.95 MPI52 (Dual Head/80 tracks (40/slde)) 250K/500K Bytes Single/Double Density $349.95 MPI 91 (Single Head/80 tracks) 250K/500K Bytes Single/Double Density $399.95 MPI 92 (Dual Head/160 tracks (80/side))' 500K/1000K Bytes Single/Double Density" $524.95 MPI Technical Manual $6.95 * "Unformatted data storage Circle 150 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 225 BASCOM pay a stiff 9% royalty to Microsoft on every copy soldi Since this is about equal to the profit margin of many software houses, it's understandable that there's been no great rush to sell programs employing BASCOM. But let's assume much of this is fixed. Microsoft has a good reputation for responding to customer suggestions. As an example, at the West Coast Computer Faire I spoke to the Microsoft representatives about the lack of a FILES statement (a means of finding out the file names present on disk) in BASCOM; BASIC-80 supported FILES,. but not the compiler. Two weeks later I received an updated version of BASCOM — and lo! — the FILES statement had been implemented, along with several features other users had suggested. At the National Computer Conference, Microsoft re- presentatives said they were "rethinking" their contract policy and would probably change it; that change may have been implemented by the time you read this. I have also mentioned to them the desirability of allowing se- quential access to random files, and they've promised to look into that. It's not unreasonable to assume they'll tighten up the overhead-code problem. Thus, as I said, let's assume that the major problems of BASCOM are fixed. What will we have? First, the combination of BASIC-80 and BASCOM is superb for quick and dirty jobs and for those little special-purpose programs that aren't going to be run very often (possibly only once). For example, I recently wanted to reformat some financial data files. The pro- gram had to go open the file, read the data, make a couple of changes, and write the information out in a new format. The only problem was that I also wanted to sort the data before putting it back out, and this had to be done for a lot of files. Doing it with interpretive BASIC would take hours and hours; while writing even that simple a program in Z80 assembler would, at best, use up an afternoon, and might take a lot longer. The solution was to write it in BASIC-80, test syntax and logic while in interpretive mode, and compile with BASCOM. That took an hour. In another hour, I had reformatted about one hundred files. BASCOM is fast, blindingly fast; sorts that take 3.5 minutes in CBASIC are done by BASCOM (using the same algorithm) in under 20 seconds. In other words, the combination of BASIC-80 and BASCOM has a lot going for it. If I'd written this review a year ago, I'd have concluded that BASIC-80/BASCOM was what the world has been waiting for, and spent the rest of the review suggesting incremental improvements to make it even better. Now I'm not so sure. The problem is that when all the improvements are done; when all the bugs (if any; I've found none in the latest versions of BASCOM) are eliminated; when all the new features are added; when the code is tightened; when the disk operations are simplified — when all that's done, it's still BASIC. And there are many who believe BASIC is a dead end; that the inherent limits to the language are just too severe for it ever to be acceptable; that incremental im- provements actually harm rather than help the field, because they encourage newcomers to stick with BASIC instead of learning something better. My mad friend is convinced of that. So are a number of my associates. "But," I protested to my mad friend, "I'm interested in using computers. I don't care about elegance. What I want is something that lets me get the jobs done quickly, and BASIC-80/BASCOM does that...." "But at a stiff price. How many times have you had to start over with a program because it just wasn't worth the effort to improve one of those BASIC routines? BASIC doesn't let you build software tools. It's like Pidgin English — you can manage to buy dinner and sell copra with Pidgin, but you'll never write Hamlet. Or the Declaration of Independence, or even good laws...." And the argument starts over and goes on until we get hungry, and, at the bottom line, it's all a matter of opin- ion; and since my space is limited, I'll drop it for the mo- ment. Just now the bottom line is that BASIC-80 and BASCOM work, and, if you're willing to accept the in- herent limits of BASIC, they're quite splendid; but those limits are severe. Looking Elsewhere What, then, are the microcomputer user's best alter- natives to BASIC? Once again, let me be honest: these are opinions. They're opinions based on considerable user experience, but they're opinions still; and I have found that every known language has passionate supporters, so I am bound to make someone unhappy. The earliest alternatives to BASIC were FORTRAN and COBOL. These, in my judgment, are languages whose time has long passed. They have little to recom- mend them, because they have nearly all the limits of compiled BASIC without the advantage of letting you program in the interpretive mode before compiling. I've had both for years, and after an initial flurry of en- thusiasm for FORTRAN (I never cared at all for COBOL, which may be all right for very large systems, but is plain crippled on microcomputers) they went on the shelf and haven't come off it. Neither FORTRAN nor COBOL lets you write structured code. True, FORTRAN with RAT- FOR (excellently described in Kernigan and Plauger's book Software Tools, Addison-Wesley, 1976) overcomes some of the limits; but to use RATFOR requires another compilation stage, so that it can take over an hour to find and correct a trivial error in a fairly simple program. The Software Tools approach to programming is excellent, and I strongly recommend the book; but in my judgment the deficiencies of FORTRAN with RATFOR are simply overwhelming, and I cannot recommend using them. Then there's Pascal, which very well may be the wave of the future. Pascal began unfortunately: the first wide- spread implementation of Pascal for microcomputers was from the University of California, San Diego, and it just didn't work for most users. The hooks into the disk operating system were clumsy, and it was very slow. Then came some other versions of Pascal, and they too had horrible problems; you had to be really sophisticated to use them. Bugs appeared, and, unless you knew an awful lot, you couldn't tell whether you'd made a pro- gram error or the compiler was at fault. Implementing early Pascals required a constant and fairly complex dialogue between user and publisher. As a result, a lot of us lost interest in Pascal. The language looked great in theory, but if you couldn't run it, that hardly mattered. There are now a lot of Pascals; Pascal for the Apple, Pascal for the TRS-80, Pascal for CP/M; Pascal that 226 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Start learning and computing for only $129. 95 w ^ n a Netronics 8085-based computer kit. Then expand it in low-cost steps to a business/development system with 64k or more RAM, 8" floppy disk drives, hard disks and multi- terminal I/O. THE NEW EXPLORER/85 SYSTEM Special! FuIJ 8" floppy, 64k system for less than the price of a mini! Only $1499.95! (Also available wired & tested. $1799.95) Imagine — for only $129.95 you can own the starting level of Explorer/85, a computer that's expandable into full business/development capabilities — a computer that can be your beginner system, an OEM controller, or an IBM-formatled 8" disk small business system. From the first day you own Explorer/85, you begin computing on a significant level, and applying princi- ples discussed in leading computer magazines. Ex- plorer/85 features the advanced Intel 8085 cpu, which is 100% compatible with the older 8080A. It offers on- board S-100 bus expansion, Microsoft BASIC in ROM, plus instant conversion lo mass storage disk memory with standard IBM-formatted 8" disks. All for only $129.95, plus the cost of power supply, keyboard/ terminal and RF modulator if you don*t have them (see our remarkable prices below for these and other, ac- cessories), With a Hex Keypad/display front panel, Level "A" can be programmed with no need for a ter- minal, ideal for a controller, OEM, or a real low-cost Full 8" disk system for less than the price of a mini (shown with Nctronics Exp/ornr/85 computer and new terminal). System features floppy drive from Control Data Corp.. world's largest maker of memory storage systems ( not a hobby brand!) Level "A" is a complete operating system, perfect for 'beginners, hobbyists, industrial controller use. $129.95 LEVEL "A" SPECIFICATIONS Explorer/85's Level "A" system features the advanced Intel 8085 cpu. an 8355 ROM with 2k deluxe monitor/ operating system, and an advanced 8155 RAM I/O . . . all on a single motherboard with room for RAM/ROM/ PROM/EPROM and S-100 expansion, plus generous prototyping space. 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LEVEL "B" SPECIFICATIONS Level "B" provides the S-100 signals plus buffers/ drivers lo support up to six S-100 bus boards, and in- cludes: address decoding for onboard 4k RAM expan- sion selectable in 4k blocks . . . address decoding for onboard 8k EPROM expansion selectable in 8k blocks . . . address and data bus drivers for onboard expansion . . . wait slate generator (jumper selectable), lo allow the use of slower memories . . . two separate 5 voll regula- tors. LEVEL "C" SPECIFICATIONS Level "C" expands Explorer/85's motherboard with a card cage, allowing you lo plug up lo six S-100 cards directly inlo the motherboard. Both cage and card are neatly contained inside Explorer's deluxe steel cabinet. Level "C" includes a sheet metal superstruc- ture, a 5-card. gold plated S-100 exlension PC board that plugs inlo the molherboard. Just add required number of S-100 conneclors. LEVEL "D" SPECIFICATIONS Level "D" provides 4k of RAM. power supply regula- tion, filtering decoupling components and sockets lo expand your Explorer/85 memory lo 4k (plus Ihe origi- nal 256 bytes located in the 8155A). The static RAM can be located anywhere from $$$ lo EFFF in 4k blocks. LEVEL "E" SPECIFICATIONS Level "E" adds sockets for 8k of EPROM to use the popular Intel 2716 or the TI 2516. It includes all sockets, power supply regulator, heat sink, filtering and decou- pling components. Sockets may also be used for 2k x 8 RAM IC's (allowing for up to 12k of onboard RAM). DISK DRIVE SPECIFICATIONS • 8" CONTROL DATA CORP. • Datacapaciry: 401.016 bytes professional drive. (SD). 802.032 bytes (DD), • LSI controller. unformatted. • Write prolect. • Access time: 25ms (one • Single or double density. track). DISK CONTROLLER/ I/O BOARD SPECIFICATIONS • Controls up to four 8" drives. • 2716PROMsocket included • 1771 A LSI (SD) floppy disk for use in custom controller. applications. • Onboard data separator • Onboard crystal controlled. (IBM compatible). • Onboard I/O baud rale • 2 Serial I/O ports generators to 9600 baud. • Autoboot to disk system • Double-sided PC board when system reset. (glass epoxy.) DISK DRIVE CABINET/POWER SUPPLY • Deluxe steel cabinet with individual power supply for max- imum reliability and stability. ORDER A COORDINATED EXPLORER/85 APPLICATIONS PAR! Beginner's Pak (Save $26.00!)— Buy Level " A" (Ter- minal Version) with Monitor Source Listing and AP-1 5-amp Power Supply: (regular price $199.95), now at SPECIAL PRICE: $169.95 plus post. & insur. Experimenter's Pak II (Save $53.40!) — Buy Level "A" (Hex Keypad/Display Version) with Hex Keypad/Display. 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This package includes everything but terminal and printers (see coupon for them). Regular price $1630.30. all yours in kit at SPECIAL PRICE: $1499.95 plus post. & insur. Wired and tested, only $1799.95. Special! Complete Business Software Pak (Save $625.00!) — Includes CP/M Z.0, Microsoft BASIC. General Ledger. Accounts Receivable. Accounts Payable, Payroll Package: (regular price $1325). yours now at SPECIAL PRICE: $699.95. Please send the items checked below: □ Explorer/B5 Level "A"kll(Terminal Version). . . SI2fl.95plus S3 post. & insur. □ Explorer/85 Level "A" ktl (Hex Keypad/Display Version) . . . $129.95 plus $3 post. & insur. □ 8k Microsoft BASIC on cassette tape. S64.95 postpaid. □ 8k Microsoft BASIC In ROM kit (requires Levels "B". "D" and "E")... $99.95 plus $2 post. & insur. D Level "B" (S-100) Ml . . . $49.95 plus $2 post. & insur. O Level "C" (S- 100 6-card expander) kit $39.95 plus $2 post & insur. □ Level "D" (4k RAM| Wl . . . $69.95 plus $2 post. & insur. □ Level "E" (EPROM/ROM) Idl . . . S5.95 plus 50c pSh □ Deluxe Steel Cabinet for Explorer/85 . . . S49.95 plus S3 posl. & insur. a Fan For Cabinet . . . $15.00 plus SI. 50 post. & insur. Q ASCII Keyboard/ Computer terminal kit: features a full 128 character set. u&l case: full cursor control; 75 ohm video output: convertible to baudol output: selectable hand rate. RS232-C or 20 ma. I/O. :J2 or 64 characler by 16 line formats, andean be used with either a CRT monitor or a TV sol (if you have an RF modulator) . . . $149.95 plus $3.00 post. & insur. D DeLuxe Steel Cabinet for ASCII keyboard/terminal . . . S 19.95 plus $2.50 post. & insur. □ New!Termlnal/Monltor:(S -« "y ■ M Anadex Apple Slder printer *V£J M Model 8000AP 795.00 '"■ y ji) Diablo model 630/1 RO FP terminal 2295.00 " .« % fi r Other Diablo terminals f Qume high quality daisy wheel printer Call us compatible with Apple ll/lll 2395.00 . Form tractor for Qume 199.95 Texas Instruments 99/4 computer console $529.95 RF modulator 69.95 Color monitor 389.95 TI-59 199.95 TI-58C 89.95 PC-10OC 159.95 TI-57 49.95 Speak and Spell 59.95 Tl programmer 48.95 Speak and Read 76.95 Speak and Math 74.95 We carry an enormous selection of Tl accessories. Call us for the best deals! Prices f.o.b. LA. Minimum freight and handling charge— $4.95. In CA, add 6% sales tax. Goods subject to avail- ability. Request our 130 page catalog in writing. Mail and phone orders only: (800) 421-8045 (outside CA) 216 S. Oxford Ave. (213) 381-3911 OR Los Angeles, CA 90004 (213) 381-1202 (in CA) Master Charge* Visa Telex 67-3477 Olympic SAies comPAn* inc. 216 South Oxford Avenue • PO Box 74545 Los Angeles. CA 90004 • (213) 381-3911 or (213) 381-1202 • Telex 67-3477 In Southern California, four other convenient locations Pasadena Ontario El Segundo Costa Mesa 1756 E.Colorado 1030 W." I" St. 600 N. Sepulveda 2300 Harbor Blvd. (213)577-1422 (714)986-2740 (213)615-0222 (714)540-1530 Circle 152 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 229 Although the Whitesmiths Compiler is an excellent professional tool, I cannot recommend it to anyone who doesn't intend to program in C in a big way — and even then I'd recommend buying the BDS C compiler as well. Whitesmiths C compiles, eventually, to true machine code; but it does so by going through an intermediate assembly language called A-Natural. It's slow, and since there's no first pass to find trivial errors, the Whitesmiths compiler can grind away for half an hour before report- ing a misplaced semicolon. It is certainly not what I'd choose to learn the language with — but I would get it if I were going to market programs written in C. Ubiquitous Microsoft doesn't market a C compiler, but it does have a LISP interpreter. The Microsoft muLISP-79 is well done, if you like the LISP language. You may not care for the language, but those who like it like it a lot. LISP stands for list processing, and it makes creating highly complex linked lists very easy. LISP is, however, a peculiar language. It was written in the 1950s by Dr John McCarthy, now Director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratories (SAIL), and it's extensively used at Stanford and MIT (where Mc- Carthy wrote it). LISP does bit-by-bit arithmetic, meaning that there is no theoretical limit to the precision you can obtain; if you want an exact numerical expansion of, say, 2 to the 55th power, or 87 factorial, you can get it from LISP, and with only about three lines of code for a program — and you'll get the answer faster than you think. LISP is one of the fastest languages I know of, often approaching assembly- language programs in speed of operation. LISP programs are very tight; it's almost impossible to write unstructured code in LISP. It's also very nearly im- possible to understand a LISP program, even if you wrote it; at least that's been my experience. You can strain like a gearbox and produce code that runs, and which you understand just at that moment; but hours later it's gib- berish. The only thing less comprehensible than a LISP program is one in APL — APL doesn't even use normal letters, but instead requires a special keyboard that can generate strangely bent arrows and other weird symbols. Both LISP and APL programmers delight in writing a whole page of instructions into one line (and you can do it, too, because both languages allow functions to call themselves). They also like to baffle fellow professionals by showing a line of code and challenging anyone to say what it does. It's very hard to comment a LISP program — but that's all right, because it isn't traditional for LISP program- mers to comment their programs anyway. In other words, I am not a wild enthusiast for LISP as a "standard" microcomputer language. It's true that one or another LISP variant is used by just about everyone in the artificial intelligence field; for certain purposes there's nothing better. But for general-purpose programming, LISP and APL are, in my judgment, simply too obscure. The Microsoft muLISP-79 was written by The Soft Warehouse in Hawaii; I got mine directly from the authors and haven't seen the Microsoft versions (for CP/M and the TRS-80), although they were supposed to be sent weeks ago. I am told that Microsoft has rewritten some of the documentation, which could only improve it. The problem with documenting LISP is that the language is fairly obscure; you need not only a user's manual, but an introduction to LISP itself, which is far more than the muLISP-79 manual claims to be. The best way to learn LISP is to attend Stanford or MIT and get tutorial instruction from someone already proficient. The next best way is to get access to the MIT Macsyma Consortium computer and run the TEACH- LISP programs. There are also a couple of MIT docu- ments which are pretty good introductions. I wish I knew of a good commercial textbook, but I don't. If you want to learn LISP, you've no choice but to play about with it; since muLISP-79 is interactive, that's not so hard to do, and there are some decent examples in the documents suppied. If you like playing with powerful languages, muLISP-79 is recommended — but don't blame me if you don't use it very often after the first wave of enthusiasm. Which concludes my overview of languages. I haven't mentioned STOIC and FORTH, because they're really a kind of assembler language using the programmer as a parser; they make programming a bit easier, but you've got to be into assembler work before you can use them, and this is, after all, the User's Column. Drawing Conclusions So what's the best language to learn? I don't know. I like C. I also like what I've seen of Pascal, assuming the current crop will really run on microcomputers. And de- spite my misgivings, I still find myself using BASIC- 80/BASCOM, particularly for quick and dirty jobs. It seems certain — to me at least — that Pascal is going to be around a long time, especially what with all that DOD support for the Ada variant. Now that there seem to be some decent Pascal compilers available for microcom- puters, we're going to see a lot of software written in Pascal, and those who want to modify their software will have to be familiar with the language. But there may not be a real conflict between Pascal and C. Both are vastly different from BASIC; different in con- ception, in terminology, but more important, in the "philosophy" or style of programming employing them. Learning either will help break the BASIC habit of slop- py program structure; and having done that, you'll have little trouble learning the other, or indeed any other well-structured language. And that can't hurt users or programmers. Adventure and Other Games Now, what about computer games? Well, when micro- computers first came out, games were the rage. It wasn't so much fun to play the games, which tended to be rather dull (you wouldn't play much tic-tac-toe with a human opponent); the fun was in writing the programs and see- ing just how smart you could make the machine. With the possible exception of Star Trek, nobody spent much time with the games once they were written and perfected. That's no longer true. Nowadays you can buy com- puter games that are fun to play. For example, at both the West Coast Computer Faire and the National Computer Conference, the most popular exhibit was Atari's. Not that so many were wild about the Atari computers, or the educational games, or that sort of thing, but boy did they stand in line to play Star Raiders, a real-time game in which you are a pilot of an X-wing fighter, or perhaps it's a Colonial Viper, and you go zipping about through space destroying villains and saving civilizations.... There are lots of real-time games showing up for 230 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc The VP-111 hobby computer: Start programming for only $ 99. $ 99. New! VP-111 Microcomputer Assembled* and tested. Features: • RCA 1 802 Microprocessor. • 1 KBytes static RAM. Expandable on- board to 4K. Expandable to 32K Bytes total. • 51 2 Byte ROM operating system. • CHIP-8 interpretive language or machine language programmable. • Hexidecimal keypad. • Audio tone generator. • Single 5-volt operation. • Video output to monitor or modulator. • Cassette interface— 1 00 Bytes/sec. • Instruction Manual with 5 video game listings, schematics, CHIP-8, much more! Ideal for low-cost control applications. Expandable to full VP-71 1 capability with VP-114 Kit. "User need only connect cables (included), a 5-volt power supply and speaker. 1199L New low price! VP-71 1, only.... Completely assembled and tested. All the features of the VP-111 plus: • A total of 2K Bytes static RAM. • Power supply. • 8 Bit input port. • 8 Bit output port. • I/O port connector. • System expansion connector. • Built-in speaker. • Plastic cover. Three comprehensive manuals: • Instruction Manual— 20 video game listings, schematics, much more. • User's Guide— operating instructions and CHIP-8 for the beginner. • RCA 1 802 User's Manual (MPM- 201 B)— complete 1 802 reference guide. ItG/l Add computer power a board at a time. With easy-to-buy options, the versatile RCA hobby computer means even more excitement. More challenges in graphics, games and control functions. For everyone, from youngster to serious hobbyist. Built around an RCA COSMAC micro- processor, our hobby computer is easy to program and operate. Powerful CHIP-8 interpretive language gets you into programming the first evening. Complete documentation provided. Send the coupon now... Complete the coupon below and mail to: RCA Microcomputer Customer Service, New Holland Ave., Lancaster, PA 1 7604. Or call toll free (800) 233-0094 to place your Master Charge or VISA credit card order. In Pennsylvania, call (71 7) 397-7661 , extension 31 79. Please send me the items indicated. □ VP-111 New low cost Microcomputer (See description above) $ 99 D VP-114 Expansion Kit for VP-111— Includes 3K RAM, I/O Port and connectors $76 □ VP-711 The original VIP Microcomputer (See description above) $199 □ VP-44 RAM On-Board Expansion Kit— Four 21 1 4 RAM ICs. Expands VP-71 1 memory to 4K Bytes $ 36 D VP-590 Color Board— Adds color. Four background and eight foreground colors $ 69 D VP-595 Simple Sound Board— Provides 256 programmable frequencies. For simple music or sound effects. Includes speaker $ 30 □ VP-550 Super Sound Board— Turns VP-1 1 1 /71 1 into a music synthesizer! Two independent sound channels. Outputs to audio $49 □ VP-551 4-Channel Super Sound— Includes VP-576 and demo cassette. Requires VP-550 and 4K RAM $ 74 □ VP-570 Memory Expansion Board— Plug-in 4K RAM memory $95 □ VP-580 Auxiliary Keypad— Adds two-player interactive capability. Connects to VP-590 or VP-585 $ 20 D VP-585 Keypad Interface Board— Interfaces two VP-580 Auxiliary Keypads toVP-111/711 $ 15 D VP-560 EPROM Board— Interfaces two 271 6 EPROMS to VP-1 11/711 .. $ 34 □ VP-565 EPROM Programmer Board- Programs 271 6 EPROMs. With software $ 99 D VP-575 Expansion Board— Provides 4 buffered and one unbuffered expansion sockets $ 59 □ VP-576 Two-Board Expander— Allows use of 2 Accessory Boards in either I/O or Expansion Socket $20 D VP-700 Tiny BASIC ROM Board— BASIC code stored in 4K of ROM $39 D VP-701 Floating point BASIC tor VP-71 1 on cassette. Requires 1 6K Bytes RAM (avail. 7 /80) $ 49 □ VP-710 Game Manual— Listing for 16 exciting games $ 10 □ VP-720 Game Manual-ll— More games . . $ 15 ASCII keyboards. □ VP-601 Keyboard— 128-character ASCII encoded alphanumeric 8-bit parallel output $ 69 □ VP-606 Keyboard— Same as VP-601 . Asynchronous serial output $ 99 □ VP-611 Keyboard— Same as VP-601 plus 16-key numeric keypad $ 89 □ VP-616 Keyboard— Same as VP-606 plus 16-key numeric keypad $119 n VP-620 Cable— Connects VP-601 /611 to VP-111/711 $ 20 D VP-623 Cable— Unterminated for VP-601 /611 $ 20 D VP-626 Connector— Male "D" mates to VP-606/616 $ 7 Enclosed is $ for items checked plus shipping & handling charge of $3.00. Add your state and local taxes $ Total enclosed $ I enclose □ check or □ money order. Or charge my □ VISA □ Master Charge. Credit card account No. Master Charge Interbank No. Signature (required for credit orders): Name (please type or print): Street address: State & Zip: Expiration date . . City: .Telephone^ ). Make checks payable to RCA Corp. Prices and specifications are subject to change without notice. Circle 153 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 231 WE DELIVER! Osborne Business Sofrwore ■* r' "Mi Before you buy the programs that your company is going to depend on for its accounting, ask the following questions: Do I get the source code? Is it well documented? Is It fully supported? (Don't settle for less. You cannot make the smallest change without it.) (The Osborne documen- tation is the best.) (If not, why not? What are they afraid of?) The Osborne system is the industry standard accounting package, with literally thousands of users. We offer an en- hanced version of that package that will run on most systems without recompiling. CRT INDEPENDENCE. The original programs were designed to run on a Hazeltine terminal. To use a different CRT, you had to modify and test two modules — and recom- pile every program! With the Vandata package, you simply pick your CRT from a menu and run. FILE/DRIVE MAP. The original package had all data files on the same drive as the programs. Ours allows you to dynamically specify the drive assigned to each file. In fact, you can change the drive assignments whenever you wish, to ac- commodate expanded file sizes or new hardware — all without recompiling! INTEGRATION. The original AR and AP systems had to be changed and recompiled to feed journal entries to GL. Our installation program eliminates this hassle. It simply asks you if you want the systems integrated, and what your special ac- count numbers are. SPEED. The original programs used a binary search to ac- cess the GL account file. We use an enhanced technique that greatly cuts down on disk accesses, thus speeding up account lookups significantly in the GL, AR and AP systems. BUGS. We have corrected a number of bugs in the original programs. If you find a bug in our programs, we'll fix it — and send you a $20 reward! Our users are sent bug fixes in source form. MORE! We have made many minor enhancements, and fixed many minor problems. We are committed to the ongoing support of our package. Vandata has been an independent software supplier for over seven years. Quality and support are our way of doing business. General Ledger with Cash Journal $95 Accounts Receivable $95 Accounts Payable $95 Payroll with Cost Accounting $95 • All Four Packages (GL, AR, AP, PR) $295 Magic Wand (Super Word Processor! !) $345 Pearl Level III (best prog, tool available) $645 CBASIC-2 . $110 TRS-80® MODIICPM 9 2.2 (Pickles & Trout) $185 H89/Z89 CP/M® 2.2 (Magnolia inc. h/w mod) $295 Formats: Sid. 8". 5" NorthStar DD. TRS-80 MOD II Im, H89/Z89 Manuals lor GL. AR/AP. and PR are not included in price — add $20 per manual desired (AR/AP are in one manual). CP/M*' and CBASIC-2 required 10 run accounting software Users must sign licensing agreement Dealer inquiries invited. To order call: or write: VISA/MC Welcome TRS-80*-' (206) 542-8370 VANDATA 17541 Stone Avenue North Seattle, WA 98133 — CP/M 1 is a registered trademark ol Digital is a registered trademark of Radio Snack. Inc Research microcomputers. Alien Invader, Space War, and a whole family of games formerly available only in arcades can be your very own. There's also an entirely different class of game avail- able. Adventure is here. The game of Adventure was first written in FORTRAN by Larry Crowther and Don Woods. It bore some slight resemblance to Hunt the Wumpus, in that the game con- sisted of wandering through unknown territories and en- countering various hazards. Unlike Wumpus, though, the Adventure map is fixed. The game always begins at a well house, and you may continue to explore until you are killed. Actually, it doesn't end even then: the com- puter will resurrect you if you like. You move about in Adventure by telling the computer where you want to go. The object of the game is to find treasures and bring them to the well house. On the way you encounter various obstacles and monsters, such as a large green snake, a dragon, and a ferocious bear chained to the wall. (The problem is that the bear's silver chain is a treasure.) You also find various objects: a rod, a bird- cage, and other such things, some of which may be useful in solving puzzles that lead to treasure. The game quickly became a cult object among pro- grammers. Computer-installation supervisors estimated that when Adventure arrived, two weeks' work would be lost due to the staff bootlegging time to run the game. Various fixes were tried, including restricting the times at which Adventure could be accessed, but nothing really worked except letting the disease run its course; when all the programmers had solved the game, then and only then did they get back to work. Until then, they were driven to it as if hypnotized. To make it worse, it was customary not to tell anyone how to solve the game, although strange and misleading hints were allowed. Adventure now exists for various microcomputers. The game itself is public domain (although programs to implement it are not), so there are many versions offered. I have one for 8-inch floppy-disk CP/M systems sold by Workman and Associates (POB 482, Pasadena CA 91102, $23.95 postpaid) and another for the Radio Shack TRS-80 Level II (Model I) by Microsoft, $24.95, and available from most dealers. Both run quite fast— faster, in fact, than the FORTRAN versions did on a DEC PDP-10. Both require 32 K bytes of memory and a single disk drive, and both are full implementations of the original Crowther and Woods Adventure, including the "Save" feature that allows you to store an incomplete game so that you don't have to start over every time. The Workman version recognizes a number of com- mands that were not in the original Adventure, but the puzzles and their solutions remain unchanged. In addition, both the Workman and the Microsoft ver- sions store most of the game information on disk, and every time you give a command they have to go to the disk to get the response. There's no help for that, of course; the Adventure data base requires over 50 K bytes of ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) characters. Thus the disk gets a good work- out. This presents no problem with the Workman and Associates CP/M version, because any good CP/M copy routine will allow you to make a backup; but the Micro- soft TRS-80 Adventure has been carefully rigged to make backup copies nearly impossible. I say nearly; within 232 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 154 on Inquiry card. Circle 155 on inquiry card. -w S- 1 00 A/D & TIMER Yj** Tecmar's new A/D and Timer Board is designed to meet sophisticated data acquisition needs. The board can accommodate various A/D modules providing options such as 12, 14, 16 bit accuracy; 100 KHz throughput; variable ranges and gains. It contains a powerful timer circuit (AMD 9513) which can start A/D conversion and can also be used independ- ently for time of day, event counting, frequency shift keying and many other applications. TM-AD200 FEATURES Complies with IEEE S-100 specifications Transfers data in 8 or 16 bit words 30 KHz throughput standard 1 2 bit accuracy standard Jumper-selectable for 16 single-ended or 8 true differential channels External trigger of A/D Provision for synchronizing A/Ds Data overrun detection Data is latched providing pipelining for higher throughput Input ranges: +10V, +5V, to +10V, to +5V Output formats: Two's complement, binary, offset binary Auto channel incrementing • I/O or memory mapped • Utilizes vectored interrupt or status test of A/D • Provision for expansion to 256 channels TIMER FEATURES • 5 independent 16 bit counters (cascadable) • 15 lines available for external use • Time of day • Event counter • Alarm comparators on 2 counters • One shot or continuous frequency outputs • Complex duty cycle and frequency shift keying outputs • Programmable gating and count source selection • Utilizes vectored interrupt TM-AD200 OPTIONS Programmable gain up to 500 14 bit accuracy 16 bit accuracy Screw terminal and signal conditioning panel with optional thermocouple cold junction compensation 1 00 KHz throughput with 1 2 bit accuracy Low level, wide range (lOmV to 10V FSR) permitting low level sensors such as thermocouples, pressure sensors and strain gauges to be directly connected to the module input (216) 382-7599 HR $695 INC. r 23414 Greenlawn • Cleveland, OH 441 22 „te are simple, the original Tecmar TM .AD100 FEAWRES lffcations : SKSS-S* 2 * ren " a ' • 12 bit accuracy • 25 KHz throughput . I/O or memory mappea + ^ Q to +5V . lnp ut ranges^OV.^, ^ • NVinimal software requ __ "i^OOBOARDS RAM 8Kxl6/16Kx8 8086 prow/o $35( Serial and Parallel I/O & Timer ' ' " ' ft : " •" ' T " ' " _ " '* D /A Board provides TM-DA100 FEATURE^ cations . Complies ^™£o analog converters • 4 independent digiwi LU • 12 bit accuracy • 3 usee settling time . f/O or memory ™W e % ±1 V, to +5V, • Output ranges: ±d.w, ■ 0to+l0V TRS-80 1 APPLE PET 2 A/D D/A 12 Bit Highspeed 8 Ch. Differential 16 Ch. Single-ended Each A/D Module *495 KIM 2 12 Bit High Speed 4 Channel Each D/A Module *395^ Ssflrasa S-100 Real Time Video Digitizer Digitizes and Displays in l/lO sec, flicker-free 16 Gray Levels Switch Selectable to sgassssas , fAinimal software $ ggQ requirements Data Acquisition |y^|^ d ateble Video Microcomputer System . . Circle 156 on inquiry card. CATCH THE S-100 INC. BUS! TARBELL DOUBLE DENSITY DISK CONTROLLER — A & S.D. SYSTEMS VERSAFLOPPY GODBOUT CPU-Z — A & T MULLEN EXTENDER CARD W/PROBE — KIT POTOMAC MICRO MAGIC MODEM — A & T 3M "SCOTCH" 8" 740-0 DISKETTES — 10 CROMEMCO 32K BYTESAVER ■ CCS 64K DYNAMIC RAM — A Subject to Available Quantities • Prices Quoted Include Cash Discounts. Shipping & Insurance Extra. We carry all major lines such as S.D. Systems, Cromemco, Ithaca Intersystems, North Star, Sanyo, ECT, TEI, Godbout, Thinker Toys, SSM. For a special cash price, telephone us. S-IQD,inc. 7 White Place, Clark, N.J. 07066 201-382-1318 Hours: Mori. - Fri. — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. LIST PRICE EACH OUR SPECIAL CASH PRICE T 495.00 399.00 — KIT 350.00 299.00 295.00 249.00 59.00 49.00 399.00 341.00 50.00 30.00 A&T 295.00 249.00 T 700.00 549.00 THIS YEAR CP/1iDS COMPLETE INTEGRATED ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE MASTER TAX— Professional tax preparation program. Prepares sched- ules A, B, C, D, E, F, G, R/RP, SE, TC, ES and forms 2106, 2119, 2210, 3468, 3903, 2441, 4625, 4726, 4797, 4972, 5695 and 6251. Printing can be on readily available, pre-printed continuous forms, on overlays, or on com- puter generated, IRS approved forms. Maintains client history files and is interactive with CPAids GENERAL LEDGER II (see below) . . . .S995/S30 Annual Update Fee S350 GENERAL LEDGER II- Designed for CPA's. Stores complete 12 month detailed history of transactions. Generates financial statements, depreciation, loan amortizations, journals, trial balances, statements of changes in finan- cial position, and compilation letters. Includes payroll system with automatic posting to gen- eral ledger. Prints payroll register, W2's and payroll checks S450/S30 Runs with widely accepted CP/M operating system Distributed by Lifeboat Associates 1651 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10028 □ (212)860-0300 □ Telex: 220501 either TRSDOS or Apparat's NEWDOS it is impossible, but since I have the Omikron CP/M Mapper installed on my TRS-80, I can make backups of anything, using a CP/M sector-by-sector copy routine. (As an aside: I've been informed that both Parasitic Engineering and Field Engineering Consultants Ltd also make memory mappers that will allow you to run CP/M on the TRS-80 Model I. I've had no chance to test either of them. My Omikron Mapper continues to work flaw- lessly, by the way.) I often wonder about companies that deliberately try to keep you from copying software — especially when it's supposed to run on something as inherently flaky as a TRS-80 5-inch disk. Experienced users never run their primary source disks; making a backup is just common sense, even if you have excellent hardware like Percom or Matchless disk drives. (I've tested both on my TRS-80, and I'm quite happy with them.) Moreover, making it hard to copy a disk is often like waving a red flag at a bull — there are plenty of sophisticated users who will con- sider it a challenge, and, having with great effort found a way to make copies, will feel ethically justified in distrib- uting them to all their friends. In any event, the Workman and Microsoft Adventure implementations have provided many hours of trouble- free enjoyment, and I recommend them highly. Just after the Adventure craze hit, there were rumors of another game, Zork, which is to Adventure as Adventure is to Wumpus. Zork was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by "the Four Implementors": Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, and David Leb- ling. The game was written in MDL (or "Muddle"), a LISP-like language, and featured an enormous underground dungeon, dozens of clever puzzles, and a highly intelligent command parser that understands much that Adventure finds incomprehensible. Although Zork never quite caught on the way Adventure did, it became widespread — and where it did appear, it cost more time than ever Adventure had, because it was both more difficult and more interesting. Implementors Lebling and Blank have devised a micro- computer implementation of Zork in two parts. Zork: The Great Underground Empire, Part I is being sold for the Apple II and the TRS-80 on 5-inch floppy disk by Per- sonal Software, 1330 Bordeaux Dr, Sunnyvale CA 94086, at a price of $39.95. [Editor's note: Part II is still under development, but Part I alone constitutes a complete game that can be played through to a satisfactory ending.... RSS] Like the Microsoft Adventure, Zork re- quires constant access to the disk but cannot be copied by normal means. I've been just a little afraid of running the primary disk, so I haven't checked out everything; besides, the kids are still mapping Adventure. I've played with this Zork enough to know that I like it (and I wasted incredible amounts of time playing the original Zork on a PDP-10). Adventure and Zork became popular during the D & D (Dungeons and Dragons) craze — a madness which shows little sign of peaking out even yet. It was inevitable that other D & D games would come forth, and sure enough, Automated Simulations Inc (ASI), POB 4232, Mountain View CA 94040, has come out with a whole series, from the introductory Datestones to the full four-level dungeon in Temple of Aphsai. These games are sold in 234 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc When it comes to 6800 Software Source Books; Hemenway delivers what the others leave out. ...including complete source listings, complete descriptions of all algorithms used, and complete manuals of the products. SP/68 OPERATING SYSTEM One of the most powerful operating systems available for the 6800 family of microproces- sors, this disc-based system features great flexibility. The user can add commands for special purposes. A single transient Periph- eral Interchange Program (PIP) transfers data between devices. The system is relocatable anywhere in memory and fits in less than 8K. Other features include device-independent I/O and dynamic file allocation. U.S. $34.95 International $52.45 STRUCTURED BASIC LANGUAGE STRUBAL+™ COMPILER The compiler features variable precision from 4 to 14 digits for business or scientific uses and Structured Programming forms. It produces Relocatable and linkable code. You can create data structures with mixed data types, COMMON and DUMMY sections. STRUBAL+™ includes a complete scientific package, allows for string-handling and is extensible. . _ „ .- __ U.S. $49.95 International $74.95 LINK68 LINKING LOADER This is a one-pass linking loader which allows separately translated relocatable object modules to be loaded and linked together to form a single executable load module, and to relocate modules in memory. It produces a load map and a load module in Motorola MIKBUG loader format. This book provides everything necessary for learning about this system and the nature of linking loader design in general. U.S. $7.95 International $11.95 XA6809 MACRO LINKING TRACER: A 6800 DEBUGGING RA6800ML RELOCATABLE MACRO CROSS-ASSEMBLER PROGRAM ASSEMBLER This new two-pass program generates relo- ideal f or tne programmer looking for good This two-pass assembler produces a program eatable and linkable code (requires LINK68). debugging software. TRACERfeatures single listing, a sorted symbol table listing, and relo- Resident on any 6800 system, XA6809 lets ste p execution using dynamic break points, eatable object code. Object code is loaded you produce code for a 6809 right now. This re gj s ter examination and modification, and and linked with other assembled modules assembler hasfull macro facilities and features memory examination and modification, using LINK68. This book fully describes the Includes detailed TRACER program notes and a reprint of "Jack and the Machine Debug" (from the December 1977 issue of BYTE magazine). U.S. $5.95 International $8.95 a COMMON section for the production of ROMable code, conditional assembly and fast execution. U.S. $24.95 International $37.95 If your machine would like to read these programs, object code versions are available in these disk formats: Per- com, ICOM, SSB, SWTPC, TANO and others. WRITE FOR PRICES Please rush the following books: copies of SP/68 OPERATING SYSTEM copies of XA6809 CROSS ASSEMBLER copies of UNK68 LINKING LOADER copies of RA6800ML MACRO ASSEMBLER copies of STRUBAL+™ COMPILER copiesofTRACERDEBUGGING PROGRAM 6800 assembly language and all major rou- tines used, and includes flow charts, details on interfacing the assembler. Cross referenced, showing all calling and called-by routines, pointers, flags and temporary variables. U.S. $24.95 International $37.95 For North America, add $.75 per book postage or $1.50 per book for First Class. All other destinations, add $2.00 per book postage and handling or $3.50 per book for Priority Mail. Name Company. City .Title _Street_ □ Check or M.O. enclosed Card No _ZIP_ _State □ VISA □ MasterCharge .Expires □ First Class/Priority □ Book rate H6M6N WAY ASSOCIATES, INC. 101 TremontSt. Boston, MA 02 1 08 (617)426-1931 o> Circle 157 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 235 both tape cassette and disk versions, and they range in price from $14.95 for Morloc's Tower on cassette to $26.95 for the disk version of Temple of Apshai. ASI guarantees these games to be interesting, and I don't think they refund much money. They've been very popular around here. There are versions for TRS-80, PET, and Apple com- puters; the Apple versions make extensive use of Apple's excellent graphics, so that monsters like Ant-man and the Wolf look pretty good. Unfortunately, the TRS-80 doesn't have such nice graphics, and the characters and monsters look like blobs. Unlike Zork and Adventure, these games are played in real time, and, instead of a room description, the computer draws a map, placing monsters and treasures in it where appropriate. They're very playable games, guaranteed to waste more time than you really expected to put into them. The real time wasters for me, though, have been Automated Simulation's space war games, Starfleet Orion (two players) and Invasion Orion (one player against the computer). These games allow a number of different scenarios; ten or so are supplied (along with a pleasantly written background and story data including characterizations), but the user can make up his own, so that in effect either of these games has an infinite number of variants. The rulebooks also give a number of stan- dard warship types, but once again the user can design his own, from torpedo boats to dreadnoughts to armored planets. There are Tractor and Pressor beams, something much like a phaser, torpedoes and missiles, and quite a lot o{ the flavor of a space battle. I'd like the single-player version somewhat better if it were faster; in my favorite scenario, Damocles, it can take several minutes for the computer to plan out its move, and worse, you can't just go away, because the battle results are presented dynamically and can't be recalled once shown. The Orion games are quite realistic. Classical prin- ciples of fleet warfare work, and strategy and tactics are more important than luck. Since players can modify the ships at will, it's possible to tailor the games to a balance of power so that an experienced player (or the computer in the single-player version) doesn't routinely stomp a newcomer, and the game can be changed again as the players gain experience. All of the Automated Simulations games are imple- mented in BASIC. They can be copied, listed, and even modified. In theory, one ought to be able to compile In- vasion Orion with Microsoft's TRS-80 version of BASCOM and thus speed it up. Obviously, you will have to modify the games a bit; in particular, you will have to lengthen the loops that govern how long displays stay visible. I'm anxious to try this, but so far the TRS-80 BASCOM hasn't arrived, so I can't say for certain that it will work. Needless to say, I enjoy all the Automated Simulations games, and recommend them highly. And, needless to say, I enjoy the C language and BASIC-80, etc, etc. So what does it all mean7 Well, it means that I have to get the kids away from the TRS-80 and have some computer fun of my own, here at Chaos Manor. See text box on page 238 Tiny-C Two — The Compiler tiny-c two® is ten times faster than tiny-c one® . It has many extra features, including long (32) bit integers, lots of new operators, and redirectable and direct access input/output. This version of tiny-c is viable for professional work, either systems programming or business applications. It comes with a UNIX® style command interpreter called the "tiny-shell"® . With the tiny-shell, every compiled tiny-c program becomes a new shell command. Tiny-shell commands can have arguments, and dash(-) options, just as real UNIX shell commands do. The < and > input/output redirection operators are supported. There are over fifty standard library functions, and this set is readily extended. The input/output functions are UNIX style, including fopen, fprintf, etc. Both ascii and raw (binary) input/output are supported. And the entire package is portable. Bringing it up on a new processor or new operating system should take a few days or a few weeks at the most. And as usual with tiny-c products, all the source code is included. tiny-c two $250 Manual Only . . $50 tiny-cone $100 Manual Only . $50 Visa/Mastercharge Welcome Formats: Std. 8", 5" NorthStar DD, TRS-80 MOD II® & H89/Z89. To order call: (206)542-8370 . JJ or write: VANDATA " WkA \ 17541 Stone Avenue North N\\U Seattle, WA 98133 $J <-? b TRS-80 is a registered trademark of Radio Shack. Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark or Bell Laboratories, Inc. tiny-c and tiny-shell are trademarks of tiny-c associates. vfr_Ctihail COLOR SOFTWARE COLORFUL PROGRAMS FOR THE APPLE II, ATARI 16K, Tl 99/4 3-D STARTREK: Discover new planets, fight Klingons in 3-dimensional galaxy. Hi-resolution display of galaxy. $15 on cassette ROADRACE: Race around 2.25 mile course. Hires display shows view from race cars. 1 or 2 players. $15 on cassette Apple II or Atari only DRY WELL: Strategy game of oil exploration. Discover pattern of deposits and maximize profits. $15 on cassette Apple requires ROM Applesoft NUCLEAR REACTOR: Simulation of a nuclear power plant. $15 on cassette MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: Manage Major League teams and make all lineup, batting, pitching and running decisions. $25 on disk Apple II only. Requires ROM Applesoft, 48 K RAM BLACKJACK: Popular card game for 1 to 3 players. $15 on cassette Atari or Tl 99/4 only Apple II programs available on disk for $2.50 per order more. COLOR SOFTWARE 5410 W. 20th St. • Indianapolis, IN 46224 236 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 158 on Inquiry card. Circle 159 on Inquiry card. Free Microprocessor Design Aid Now, optimize microprocessor performance, using Intel's new Memory Calculator. To get the high perfor- mance you're paying for from your microprocessor, you have to carefully match system com- ponents — especially EPROM memories. That means giving close consideration to parameters such as clock frequencies, buffer delays, number of wait states and memory access speeds. To do that accurately, you have to perform tedious calculations involving the inter- relationships among these parameters, and their impact on system design. And now you can — very simply, with Intel's new EPROM Memory Calculator. Similar to a circular slide rule, the Cal- culator helps you quickly analyze the trade-offs in cost, speed and wait states for your next microprocessor design. Making it easy for you to i 3 3 tOMHi 1 iAPX 86 10 I I0WAIT STATEl |»j • 8 MHz 1 iAPX 86*10 (0WAIT • STATES) X o 5 flMM. ( s 8000 WAIT TATE) iAF (1 WA • X 86/10 T STATE) • E i OB O J 8 MHz (1 WAIT STATE) BMHl 68000 (2 WAIT STATES) 3 Z o • Z8000 (0 WAIT STATE) a. ■ 3o< i 100 ZOO 300 400 500 600 MEMORY RESPONSE TIME lisac) minimize wait states vs. throughput in your designs, and thus increase system performance. How it works We're offering calculators for Intel, Zilog or Motorola microprocessors. So regardless of which one you're designing with, there's a Calculator that lets you try a variety of options, and find out immediately which one is the best for your design. Thus helping you get the full power and potential out of your next microcomputer system. Using the Calculator is easy. You just dial in the relevant design parameters for your application and performance level. Then read out the speed of the EPROM memory required to implement that design. It's that simple. Our free offer Best of all, the Calculator is free. If you're a designer interested in using one of the microprocessors listed below, just fill in and return the coupon. We'll send you your new Memory Calculator, along with information on our newest EPROM memor- ies. Get your free Memory Calculator today. To receive your free Memory Calculator* please check one of the boxes below. Then circle the microprocessor models you're using. □ Intel: 8085A 8085A-2 8086 8086-1 8086-2 8088 Other □ Zilog: Z8000 Z80A Z80B Other □ Motorola: MC68000 MC6809 MC6800 Other Title Company- Address City/State/Zip Phone ( ) Intel Corporation, Literature Dept. 3065 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95051 (408) 987-8080 B 12 ""Supplies are limited, so order now. int^ delivers solutions. Circle 160 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 237 Circle 161 on inquiry card. INNOVATION PLUS FROM PROVAR INC. Two new boards from PROVAR INC. ( Miscellaneous Input/output ). : RICE (ROM in circuit emulator) Plus a fast MULTI-USER CP/M*. The RICE board can emulate up to 4 EPROMS type 2708, 12716 or 12732. The RICE board uses your S-100 RAM for emulation which can be addressed on any IK, 2K or 4K boundary depending on the type of EPROM being emulated. Other features include: IEEE S-100 compatible including extended addressing Terminated address lines on external EPROMS Places external processor in a reset for normal S-100 operation Keeps the S-100 processor in a hold during emulation 'Ith four 36 inch 24 pin dip RICE comes completely assembled and tested cables for only $189.95 The MIO board has just what the name implies, miscellaneous input/output. First is a 32 character 8 bit FIFO buffer perfect for a keyboard input (Great for Wordstar). Plus a 16 channel 8 bit A/D converter with 80 us convertion time. There are also two 8 bit bi-directional I/O ports. And last is T.I.s new programable sound generation chip SN76489N. The MIO is also IEEE compatible. Supplied with all necessary cables and connectors and a SPACE INVADERS program written In Pascal. Fully assembled and tested the MIO Is $299.95, also available without the FIFO, Sound and A/D. MULTI-USER CP/M* can support up to 4 seperate users with very fast 180 us overhead between users. Dissimilar tasks may be performed on different terminals. The operating system can also support up to 4 different printers. However, if only one printer is attached to the system a printer lock out Is provided. System requirements are CP/M 1.4, bank select memory and an interrupt board to generate a RST 6 every 16-20 ms. MULTI-USER CP/M* is sold in 8080 machine code supplied in source on an 8 inch single density diskette for only $150.00. PROVAR INC. 6217 KENNEDY AVE. HAMMOND, IND. 46323 312-374-7335 CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research MICROSTAT NOW AVAILABLE FOR CP/M* MICROSTAT, the most powerful statistics package available for microcomputers, is completely file-oriented with a power- ful Data Management Subsystem (DMS) that allows you to edit, delete, augment, sort, rank-order, lag and transform (1 1 transformations, including linear, exponential and log) existing data into new data. After a file is created with DMS, Microstat provides statistical analysis in the following general areas: Descriptive Statistics (mean, sample, and population S.D., variance, etc.), Frequency Distributions (grouped or individ- ual). Hypothesis Testing (mean or proportion), Correlation and Regression Analysis (with support statistics), Non-parametric Tests (Kolmogorov-Smirnov. Wilcoxon, etc.). Probability Dis- tributions (8 of them), Crosstabs and Chi-square, ANOVA(one and two way). Factorials, Combinations and Permutations, plus other unique and useful features. MICROSTAT requires 48K, Microsoft Basic 80 with CP|M and is sent on a single-density 8" Disk. It is also available on 5" diskettes for North Star DOS and Basic (32K and two drives recommended), specify which when ordering. The price for Microstat is $250.00. The user's manual is $15.00 and includes sample data and printouts. We have other business and educational software, call or write: H ECOSOFT P.O. Box 68602 Indianapolis, IN 46268 ._. ._ _jl (317) 283-8883 [ master charge] ITERBANK CARO CP/M is a registered trade mark of Digital Research. Items Reviewed Microsoft 10800 NE 8th, Suite 819 Bellevue WA 98004 muLISP-79 CP/M 8-inch disk system $200 BASIC-80 CP/M $350 BASCOM BASIC Compiler CP/M, ISIS-II, TRSDOS $395 Adventure TRS-80 Model I Level II $24.95 32 K disk Lifeboat Associates 1651 Third Ave New York NY 10028 BDS C Compiler CP/M $125 Whitesmiths C Compiler CP/M $630 CBASIC2 CP/M $120 Workman Associates POB 482 Pasadena CA 91102 Adventure 8-inch disk CP/M 32 K $23.95 8080 or Z80 Automated Simulations Inc POB 4232 Mountain View CA 94040 (Following are available in disk or cassette versions) The Temple of TRS-80, PET, Apple $24.95 Apshai The Tower of TRS-80, PET, Apple $14.95 Morloc Starfleet Orion TRS-80, PET, Apple $19.95 Invasion Orion TRS-80, PET, Apple $19.95 Personal Software 1330 Bordeaux Dr Sunnyvale CA 94086 Zork: The Great Under- ground Empire, Part I TRS-80 or Apple disk $39. 95 Books Kernighan, Brian W and Dennis M Ritchie. The C Programming Language. Englewood Cliffs N]: Prentice-Hall Software Series, Prentice-Hall, 1978, $13.95 Kernighan, Brian W and P ] Plauger. Software Tools. Reading MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1976, $11.95 238 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 162 on inquiry card. r a Cromemco incorporated Tomorrow's Computers Today (jiF Discover Savings and Service with MAIL ORDER Radiomesters Heathkit Electronic Center Heathkit Electronic Center Lafayette Radio Computer Corner Typatranic Computer Store Lafayette Radio Electronics Lafayette Radio Electronics Action Audio Inc. Fort Orange Electronics Greylock Electronics Heethkit Electronic Center Redlo Equipment Corp. Action Audio Inc. Cofnbutef, Tree Inc. Action Audio Inc. Rad- Tronics Warren Radio 'hkit Electronic Center Action Audio Inc. Greylock Electronics ' Action Audio Inc. Action Audio Inc. ] Aristo Craft Digibyte Systems Corp. Taft Electronics 45 Corp. Radio Equipment Corp. rJAeffcJn Audio inc. Greylock Electronics North White Plains Heathkit Electronic Center Rochester 'Heathkit Electronic Center wn II : Heath, Troy , Vtlca Utice Wappingers Pails White Plaint ■ NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh NORTH DAKOTA Forgo OHIO Cincinnati Cincinnati V Cleveland Columbus Dover Fremont Raynoldsburg Toledo Toledo Wickllffe Youngstown OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City Oklahoma City Oklahoma City OREGON Albany Beaverton Corvallls Eugene Port land Trojan Electronics Am-Comj£lectronics Centrel Elhctronics Action Audio Inc. The Computer Corner Byte' Shop of Releigh SStS Electronics Heathkit Electronic Center Micro-Solution Heethkit Electronic Center Heathkit Electronic Center T. V. Specialties ''Terra Tech College Bookstore t^^XJnlversat Amateur Radio thathkit Electronic Center Warren Radio Amateur Electronic Supply Ross Radio Company Bits, Bytes & Micros Heathkit Electronic Center Trice Wholesale Electronics Oregon Ham Sales Norvec Electronics Zero-Gee Eugene Amateur Radio Supply Port/end Radio Supply OREGON (Continuad) Salem CommShack PENNSYLVANIA Braddock Left Electronics Chambursburg Sunrise Electronic Dist. Co. Drexei Hill Kass Electronics Distributors Drums Mr. D's Digital Electronics Erie Werren Radio Prtiter Heathkit Electronic Center Peoli Personal Computer Corporation Philadelphia Heathkit Electronic Center Philadelphia Resco Electronics Phoenixville Stevens Electronics Pittsburgh Heathkit Electronic Center Pittsburgh South Hills Electronics Wilkes Barre Hemline Electronics York G.Y.C. Company RHODE ISLAND Cranston Jabbour Electronics City Pawtucket Jabbour Electronics City Warwick Heathkit Electronic Center TENNESSEE Cookeville Wegnon's Stereo Canter Knoxvil/o Shields Electronics Supply inc. Memphis Bluff City Electronics Memphis Sere-Rose & Spencer Electronics Memphis Warren Radio Company Nashville Eddie Warner's Parts Company Nashville Electre Distributing Co. Oekridge Notional Electronics Tullehome H&H Electronics Co. Inc. TEXAS Beaumont Electro-Hut Brownsville George's Electronics Mart Dallas Heathkit Electronic Center Dallas Ram Micro Systems Fort Worth The Ingenuity Concept Gerlend Tinker Tronics Inc. Houston Heathkit Electronic Center Houston Interactive Computers Lubbock Trice Wholesale Electronics McAllen Carlos Franco Electronics Sen Antonio Appliance & Equipment Co. Inc. San Antonio C&K Electronics Inc. San Antonio Heethkit Electronic Center Weco L&M Wholesale Electronics UTAH Midvele Heathkit Electronic Center Provo Alpine Electronic Supply Co. Salt Leke City Best Distributing Salt Leke City Computer/end of Selt Leke VERMONT Essex Junction Lefeyette Radio VIRGINIA Alexandria Computers Plus Inc. Alexandria Heathkit Electronic Center Annadale Arcade Electronics Arlington Arlington Electronic Wholesalers Blacksburg Scotty's Radio & TV Inc. Charlottesville Graves Electronics Falls Church Crossroad Electronics Hampton Electronic Sales Inc. Hopewell B& G Electronics McLean Tyson's Computer Emporium Norfolk Avec Electronics Corp. Norfolk Priest Electronics Portsmouth Electronics Unlimited Richmond Avec Electronics Corp. Roanoke Avec Electronics Corp. Vienna Electronic Equipment Benk Virginia Beech Heathkit Electronic Center Werrenton Redio Sheck Woodbridge Virginia Micro Systems WASHINGTON Bei/evue ABC Communications Everett ABC Communications Kennewick C& J Electronics Inc. Longview Progress Electronics Moses Lake Ron's Electronics Pasco Riverview Electronics Richland C&J Electronics Seattle ABC Communications Seattle Amateur Radio Supply Seattle Empire Electronics Spokane Don's Stereo Center Spokane Personal Computers Tacoma C&G Electronics Tacome Northwest Redio Supply WEST VIRGINIA Fairmont TPS Electronics Inc. Morgantown The Computer Corner Morgantown Electro Distributing Co. Inc. Wheeling Lefeyette Radio Associate Store WYOMING Cheyenne Computer Concepts CANADA Alberta: Calgary Ontario; Toronto GUAM ENGLAND Berkshire GUATEMALA PANAMA SINGAPORE SINGAPORE SWEDEN Stockholm WEST INDIES Port of Spein, Trlnlded The Hobby Centra CompuShop Alberta L td. House of Computers Marianas Electronics NewBeer Computing Store Electronice Pen-Americana Tropelco, S.A. Applied Digital System Sys-Tech LSI Electronics HB For Distributor Information, write or phone JIM-PAK® 1355 Shoreway Road, Belmont, CA 94002 (415) 595-5936 240 BYTE December 1980 Circle 164 on inquiry card. electronic components One-Stop Component Center & This is a partial listing of over 500 items available from authorized Jim-pak Distributors: ff%f TTL Iff pl 7400 . 2/.85 7490 . . . . . . .85 740? 2/.85 7493 . . . . . . .85 7404 . 2/.8S 74100. . . . . . .2.25 7406 2/1.19 74109. . . . . .2/1.19 7407 2/1.19 74121. . . . . . .69 74123. . . . . . .99 7410 2/.85 74150. . . . . . .1.95 7414 99 74154. . . . . . .1.95 7417 2/1.10 74157. . . . . . .99 7420 . 2/.85 74161. . . . . . .1.19 74164. . . . . . .1.59 7474 . 69 74174. . . . . . .1.59 7475 . 79 74175. . . . . . .1.49 7476 . 69 74192. . . . . . .1.19 7485 1.19 74193. . . . . . .1.19 7486 2/1.19 74367. . . . . . .99 7489 2.99 74393. . . . . . .1.95 POTENTIOMETERS 2 Watt @ 70°C 7/8" Slotted Shaft Linear Taper IK 5K 10K 25K 50K 100K 1 Meg CMU . . $2.95 3/4 Watt @ 70°C 15 Turn Pot. Linear Taper 100T2 500n 1K 5K 10K 50K 100K 500K 1Meg 830P. .$1.79 W CMOS ^* 4000 4001 4002 4006 4009 4010 4011 4013 4016 4017 4018 4020 4023 4024 4027 .69 .69 .69 1.95 .89 .85 .69 .85 .85 1.49 1.49 2.19 .49 1.29 .89 4030 4040 4044 4046 4047 4049 4050 4051 4066 4069 4070 4071 4081 4093 4511 .79 1.95 1.39 2.49 2.75 .89 .89 1.95 1.19 .79 .79 .79 .69 1.19 1.95 CONNECTORS DB25P D-Submlnlature Plug DB25S D-Submlniature Socket DB51226 Cover for DB25P/S 22/44SE P.C. Edge UG88/U BNC Plug UG89/U BNC Jack UG175/U UHF Adapter S0239 UHF Panel Recp. PL258 UHF Adapter PL259 UHF Plug UG260/U BNC Plug UG1094/U BNC Bulkhead Recp. 3.95 4.95 2.25 2.95 2.19 3.95 .59 1.49 1.95 1.95 2.39 1.49 1^ LINEAR Wff LM301N. . LM305H. . LM307N. . LM308N. . LM309K. . LM310N. . LM311N. . LM317T. . LM318N. . LM319N. . LM320K-5. LM790ST . LM7912T . LM7915T . LM323K. . LM324N. . LM337T. . LM339N. . .59 1.39 .75 1.19 2.25 2.69 1.49 2.29 2.95 2.95 2.25 1.75 1.75 1.75 5.95 1.29 2.29 1.29 LM7805T LM7812T LM7815T LM380N. LM384N. LM555N. LM556N. LM565N. LM566N. LM567N. LM723N. LM741N. LM1310N LM1458N LM1488N LM1489N LM1800N 76477 N. . 1.76 1.75 1.75 1.49 2.49 .69 1.49 1.95 1.95 1.79 .79 .65 2.95 .99 1.59 1.59 4.49 3.95 GB100 GB101 GB102 GB103 GB108 GB110 GB113 GB11E GB117 GB120 Cer. Caps. (100) 2.95 Mylar Caps. (60) 4.95 Electrolytlcs (60) 4.95 Tantalums (40) 4.95 TTL IC'S (50) 4.95 Asst. LEDs (100) 5.95 Trimmers (30) 4.95 V35V ,47mfd@35V lmfd@35V 2.2mfd@25V 3.3mfd@25V 4.7mfd@25V 10mfd®25V 33mfd®25V 2/.89 2/.89 2/.89 2/1.09 2/1.19 2/1.39 1.19 3.95 100V MYLAR .001-.01mfd .022mfd .047mfd .lmfd .22mfd 4/.79 4/.89 4/.99 4/1.19 4/1.29 lmfd@50V 4.7mfd@50V 10mfd@50V 22mfd@50V 47mfd@50V 100mfd@50V 220mfd@50V 1000mfd@25V 2200mfd@16V 50V CERAMIC 10pf-.022mfd 4/.59 ,047mfd 4/.69 .lmfd 4/.79 3/.69 2/.59 2/.69 2/. 79 2/.89 .59 .69 1.19 1.39 MICROPROCESSORS Z80A CPU (4MHz) 14.95 MC6800 8 Bit MPU 14.95 8080A CPU 7.95 8212 8 Bit I/O Port 3.95 8216 Bl-Dlrectional Bus Driver 4.49 2513/2140 Character Generator 12.95 8T97 Trl-State Hex Buffer 2.25 AY-5-1013 30K Baud UART 6.95 AY-5-2376 88-Key Keyboard Encoder 13.95 2114-3 4K Static RAM (300ns) 9.49 MK4116 16K Dynamic RAM (250ns) 9.95 2708 8K EPROM 10.95 2716 16K EPROM (+5V) 19.95 Discount l inrvpak Coupon omf ^JfirTiiTniiViMiviiniin nnnn FOR ONE DOLLAR Discount Coupon OFFER EXPIRES DECEMBER 31, 1980 Redeemable at participating JIM-PAK Distributors for $1.00 discount on purchases of JIM-PAK components exceeding $1.00 GOOD FOR ONE DOLLAR DISCOUNT on purchase of any JIM-PAK PRODUCTS at participating Distributors ONE DOLLAR One Coupon Per Customer Mr. Distributor: Jim-Pak will accept this coupon for one dollar credit when returned to us with your regular orders. Circle 164 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 241 H CQMPUTRQNICS N • • • EVERYTHING FOR YOUR TRS-80 "• • • * TRS-80" is a trademark of the Radio Shack Division of Tandy Corporation MOD-II PROGRAMS * All orders processed within 24-Hours ■k 30-Day money back guarantee on all TRSDOS Software • Add $2.00 for shipping in UPS Areas • Add $3.00 for COD. or NON-UPS Areas * Add $4.00 outside U.S.A., Canada & Mexico ■A We will match any bonafide advertised price in any of the Major Computer Magazines A L L S F T W A R E LISTED HERE w o R K S W I T H T R S D O (1) ELECTRIC PENCIL (Michael Shrayer Software)... Complete word processor with extensive editing and printer formatting features $325 (STANDARD TRSDOS VERSION). ..$350 (DIABLO. NEC OR QUME TRSQOS VERSION). (2) GENERAL LEDGER, ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, ACCOUNTS PAYABLE, INVENTORY CONTROL, INVOICING ANO PAYROLL (Small Business Systems Group).. .an extensive business system for the serious user. ..can be used one module at a time or as a co- ordinated system.. .$225. ..per module. ..$1299 for the complete system. (3) GENERAL LEDGER, ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, ACCOUNTS PAYABLE, INVENTORY CONTROL AND PAYROLL (Compumax). ..a complete user ori- ented business system. ..can be used one module at a time or as a coordinated system. ..$140 per module... $995 for the complete system. (4) MOD-II UTILITY PACKAGE (Racet Computes)... adds important utilities to TRSDOS. ..copy files selectively.. .taster and more accurate file copying... repair bad directories. ..displays sorted directory of all files on 1 to 4 disk drives. ..SUPERZAP. ..change disk ID. ..and more. ..$150. (5) ADVENTURE #1-#9 {Scott Adams - Adventure International).. .a series of games formally only available on the large computers. ..yourgoal is to work your way through a maze of obstacles in order to recover a secret treasure or complete a mission. ..the package includes all 9 Adventures written by Scott Adams. ..$99. 95. (6) GSF (Racet Computers). ..Generalized Subroutine Facility.. .a series of super fast machine language utilities that can be called from a BASIC program (no machine language knowledge required). ..sorts 1000 items in under 5 seconds. allows PEEK and POKE statements. ..move data blocks. ..compress and un- compress data., works under TRSDOS.. .550. (7) DSM (Racet Computes). Disk Sort Merge. ..sorts and merges large multiple diskette files on a 1 to 4 drive system. ..NOT AN IN MEMORY SORT.. .can actually alphabetize (or any other type of sort) 4 disk drives worth of data. ..sorts one complete disk of information in 10 minutes. ..information is provided to use DSM with the RS MAILING PROGRAM, works under TRSDOS. ..$150. (8) RSM (Small Systems Software).. .a machine language monitor and disassembler.. .can be used to see and modify memory or disk sectors. ..contains all the commands found on the Model-I version plus some additional commands for the MOD-II. ..works under TRSDOS.. $39.95. (9) BLINK BASIC LINK FACILITY (Racet Computes).. Link from one BASIC program to another saving all variables. ..chain programs without losing variables ...$50. (10) BASIC CROSS REFERENCE UTILITY (Racet Computes). ..lists all variables and strings used in a program (with the line numbers in which [hey appear) ...lists all GOTO's and GOSUB's (with the line num- bers in which they appear). ..searches for any specific variables or strings (with the line number in which they appear). ..$50. (11) DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE (Racet Computes)... SUPERZAP (to see. print or change any byte on a diskette). ..Disassembler and MOD-II interface to the MICROSOFT EDITOR ASSEMBLER PLUS including uploading services and patches for Disk I/O. .assemble directly into memory. ..save all or portions of source to disk. ..dynamic debug facility (ZBUG). entended editor commands ..$125 (12) HARD/SOFT DISK SYSTEM (Racet Computes)... The software essential to interface any of the popular large hard disk drives. ..completely compatible with your existing software and files. ..allows up to 20 megabytes of storage (and larger). ..directory expand- able to handle thousands of files. ..$400. (13) CAMEO HARD DISK DRIVE CONTROLLER... coming soon {November 1?) (14) HARD DISK DRIVES, coming soon (Nov. 1?) (15) H & E COMPUTRONICS, INC. SHARE-A- PROGRAM DISKETTE S1 ..works under TRSDOS. a collection of programs written by MOD-II owners... programs include data base management. ..a word processor.. .mail system, ..mortgage calculations... checkbook register., and many others.. $8 (add $3 postage outside of the United States, Canada and Mexico). ..FREE it you send us a diskette containing a program that can be added to the SHARE-A-PRO- GRAM DISKETTE. (16) WABASH CERTIFIED DISKETTES ...$39.95 (per box of 10). (17) FLIP SORT DISKETTE STORAGE TRAY. .Stores 50 diskettes. ..comes complete with index-dividers, tilt plates and adjustable spacing. ..$44.95. (18) MASTER PAC 100. .100 essential programs... BUSINESS. ..PERSONAL FINANCE. STATISTICS. . . MATH., .GAMBLING. ..GAMES. ..includes 125 page manual and 2 diskettes, .,$99.95. (19) BUSINESS PAC 100 .100 essential business programs. ..INVENTORY CONTROL. ..PAYROLL... BOOKKEEPING SYSTEM ..STOCK CALCULA- TIONS. ..CHECKBOOK MAINTENANCE. ..AC- COUNTS RECEIVABLE.. ACCOUNTS PAYABLE... includes 125 page manual and two diskettes., .S 149.95. (20) EDITOR ASSEMBLER (Galactic Software Ltd.)... the first user oriented Editor Assembler for the MODEL II and was designed to utilize all the features of the MODEL II. It includes innovative features for ease of coding and debugging and complete docu- mentation (over 120 pages). ..works under TRSDOS ...$229.00. (21) BASIC COMPILER (Microsoft). ..changes your source programs into machine language.. .increases program execution by 3-10 times, ..$395. (22) MAIL/FILE SYSTEM from Galactic Software Ltd. stores 2.500 names per disk. No sorting time is required since the file is automatically sorted by first and last name plus Zip Code on input. Retrieve by any combination of 19 user codes. Supports an 11 digit alphanumerica Zip Supports a message line. Comes complete with user-oriented documentation (100- page manual). Allows for company name and individ- ual of a company and complete phone number (and extension). ..works under TRSDOS. .$199.00 (23) INCOME TAX PAC Professional income tax package. ..most forms and schedules. ..output to video or line printer. ..automatic memory storage of all information, ..data can be loaded from diskette, changed and edited ..built inerrorchecking...$199.95. (24) COMPUTER GAMES (SBSG). Mean Checker Machine, Star-Trek III. Concentration, Treasure Hunt, Banco, Dog Star Adventure. ..$74. 95. iCQMPUTRQNICSi 50 N. PASCACK ROAD SPRING VALLEY, NEW YORK 10977 HOUR ORDER LINE NEW TOLL-FREE ORDER LINE (OUTSIDE OF NY. STATE) (800) 431-2818 (1) CP/M (Lifeboat Associates) an alternative operating system for the MOD-II that allows MOD-II owners to use any of the hundreds of programs available under CP/M. ..$170. (2) CP/M HANDBOOK.. (Sybex).. a step-by-step guide to CP/M. takes the reader through each of the CP/M commands. ..numberous sample programs. . practical hints. ..reference tables. ..$13. 95. (3) GENERAL LEDGER, ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, ACCOUNTS PAYABLE, INVENTORY CONTROL, AND PAYROLL (Peachtree Software)., requires CP/M and MICROSOFT BASIC... professional business systems.. .turn key operation. ..can be used as single modules or as a coordinated system. $500 per module. $2500 for the complete system. (4) WORD-STAR. .The ultimate word processor a menu driven word processing system that can be used with any printer. All standard word processing commands are included... plus many unique com- mands only found on WORD STAR, ..requires CP,M ...$495. (5) MAIL LIST MERGE. ..An add on package that allows the user to send form letters (created on WORD-STAR) to any compiled mailing list (using any CP/M based MAIL program such as the PEACHTREE MAIL PROGRAM)... requires CP/M, WORD STAR and andy CP/M based mail program. ,,$150. (6) SELECTOR III (Micro-Ap). ..complete data management system. ..user defined fields and codes ... manages any list defined by the user,, .includes additional modules for simplified inventory control, accounts receivable and accounts payable. ..requires CBASIC-2...$295. (7) SELECTOR IV (Micro-Ap). the ultimate data management system, all features use the SELECTOR III plus. .data file format conversions. ..full page report formatter. ..computations. ..global search and replace ...hard disk compatible ..data/text merging. ..$550. (8) GLECTOR (Micro-Ap)...add on package to the SELECTOR ...general ledger that allows the user to define a customized chart of accounts. ..$350. (9) CBASIC-2 a non-intesactive BASIC used for many programs that run under CP/M. ..allows user to make more efficient use of disk files. ..eliminates the use of most line number references. ..require on such programs as the SELECTOR. ..$120. (10) MICROSOFT BASIC. ..an enhanced version of the MICROSOFT BASIC found on TRSDOS. .adds commands such as chaining {allows the user to LOAD and RUN a new program without losing the variables currently in memory). ..long variable length file records. WHILE/WEND and others. ..can be used with the BASIC COMPILER to speed up programs (3-10 times faster execution). ..$325. (11) MASTER TAX (CPAids)... professional tax preparation program, .prepares schedules, A. B. C. D, E. F. G. R/RP. SE. TC. ES and forms 2106, 2119, 2210. 3468. 3903. 2441, 4625. 4726. 4797. 4972. 5695 and 6521 . Printing can be on readily available pre-printed continuous forms, on overlays, or on computer generated IRS approved forms. Maintainsclint history files. ..interactive with CP/Aids General Ledger. ..$995. (12) GENERAL LEDGER II (CPAids). ..designed for CPA's... stores complete 12 month detailed history of transactions. ..generates financial statements. depreciation, loan amortizations, journals, trial balances, statements of changes in financial position, and compilation letters. ..includes payroll system with automating posting to general ledgers.. .prints payroll register, W2's and payroll checks.. .$450. (13) ELECTRIC PENCIL (Michael Shrayer Software) ...Complete word processor with extensive editing and printer formatting features. ..$275 (Standard printer version). ..$300 (DIABLO. NEC or QUME version) (14) BASIC COMPILER (Microsoft) .changes your source programs into machine language, .increases program execution by 3-10 times. ..$395. • (CP/M IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF DIGITAL RESEARCH) A L L P R O G R A M S R E Q U I R E C P / M* (914) 425-1535 NEW!!! MOD-II NEWSLETTER $ll/year (or 11 issues) 242 BYTE December 1980 Circle 95 on inquiry card. THE ORIGINAL MAGAZINE FOR OWNERS OF THE TRS-80™* MICROCOMPUTER SOFTWARE FOR TRS-80 " OWNERS H CQMPLJTRQMCS MONTHLY NEWSMAGAZINE FOR TRS-80 " OWNERS MONTHLY NEWSMAGAZINE Practical Support For Model I, II & III PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS BUSINESS GAMBLING • GAMES EDUCATION PERSONAL FINANCE BEGINNERS CORNER NEW PRODUCTS SOFTWARE EXCHANGE MARKET PLACE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS PROGRAM PRINTOUTS AND MORE FRtE* PROGRAMS AND ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN OUR FIRST 12 ISSUES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: A COMPLETE INCOME TAX PROGRAM (LONG AND SHORT FORM) INVENTORY CONTROL STOCK MARKET ANALYSIS WORD PROCESSING PROGRAM (FOR DISK OR CASSETTE) LOWER CASE MODIFICATION FOR YOUR VIDEO MONITOR OR PRINTER PAYROLL (FEDERAL TAX WITHHOLDING PROGRAM) EXTEND 16-DIGIT ACCURACY TO TRS-80'" FUNCTIONS (SUCH AS SQUARE ROOTS AND TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS) NEW DISK DRIVES FOR YOUR TRS-80"" PRINTER OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR YOUR TRS-80™ A HORSE SELECTION SYSTEM***ARITHMETIC TEACHER COMPLETE MAILING LIST PROGRAMS (BOTH FOR DISK OR CASSETTE SEQUENTIAL AND RANDOM ACCESS) RANDOM SAMPLING***BAR GRAPH CHECKBOOK MAINTENANCE PROGRAM LEVEL II UPDATES***LEVEL II INDEX CREDIT CARD INFORMATION STORAGE FILE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO MACHINE LANGUAGE AND ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE LINE RENUMBERING AND CASSETTE TIPS. PROGRAM HINTS. LATEST PRODUCTS COMING SOON (GENERAL LEDGER. ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND RECEIVABLE. FORTRAN 80, FINANCIAL APPLICATIONS PACKAGE. PROGRAMS FOR HOMEOWNERS. MERGE TWO PROGRAMS. STATISTICAL AND MATHEMATICAL PROGRAMS (BOTH ELEMENTARY AND ADVANCED) AND ■ I US MP IS A ) Iv-M II MAKK ( II I AM nil IKP WORD PROCESSING PROGRAM For writing letters, text, mailing lists, etc., with each new subscriptions or renewal LEVEL II RAM TEST Checks random access memory to ensure that all memory locations are working properly DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Complete file management for your TRS-80". CLEANUP Fast action Maze Game. ADVENTURE Adventure #0 by Scott Adams (From Adventureland International). * All programs are supplied on cassette (add $3 for Diskette Version - add $5 for modified Mod-ll Version). **££ SEND FOR OUR NEW 48 PAGE SOFTWARE CATALOG (INCLUDING LISTINGS OF HUNDREDS OF TRS-80"" PROGRAMS AVAILABLE ON CASSETTE AND DISKETTE). $2.00 OR FREE WITH EACH SUBSCRIPTIONS OR SAMPLE ISSUE. •CQMPLITRQNICS fvlATV^AATeiAL APCU1ATON6 SE«VCE*' 50 N. PASCACK ROAD SPRING VALLEY, NEW YORK 10977 ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION $24 TWO YEAR SUBSCRIPTION $48 SAMPLE OF LATEST ISSUE $ 4 HOUR ORDER LINE \€IB\24 (914) 425-1535 NEW TOLL-FREE ORDER LINE (OUTSIDE OF N.Y. STATE) (800) 431-2818 START MY SUBSCRIPTION WITH ISSUE (#1 - July 1978 • #7 - January 1979 NEW SUBSCRIPTION #12 ■ RENEWAL . . June 1979 • #18 - January 1980) CREDIT CARD NUMBER . EXP. DATE . SIGNATURE- NAME ADDRESS . .CITY. STATE- ^IP_ ADD $6 YEAR (CANADA. MEXICO) - ADD S12 YEAR AIR MAIL - OUTSIDE OF U.S.A.. CANADA & MEXICO ' Circle 95 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 243 A Pocket Computer? Sizing up the HP-41C Bruce D Carbrey 704 Currituck Dr Raleigh NC 27609 These days, the introduction of a new pocket calcula- tor is usually greeted with a yawn. This is because calcu- lators have become so commonplace. So what's all the excitement over the Hewlett-Packard HP-41C7 The answer is that the HP-41C has novel features that place it a cut above all other calculators and blur the distinction between calculators and personal computers. Hewlett- Packard, not usually given to wild claims, ventures to suggest in the HP-41C Owner's Handbook and Program- ming Guide that the calculator "can even be called a per- sonal computing system." What are the features that separate the HP-41C from the pack? • twelve-character, true alphanumeric display • expandable, nonvolatile memory • plug-in peripherals: magnetic card reader, printer, read-only memory application packs, and a bar-code reader These, plus a host of convenience features, make this calculator the most versatile machine ever. Display and Keyboard Perhaps at some time you have marveled at the in- genuity of the person who discovered that, if you hold your calculator upside down after entering 710.77345, it will read "SHELL OIL". Well, you don't need to resort to tricks like that on the HP-41C, because the usual red seven-segment light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are gone. They are replaced by a large, high-resolution black-on- white liquid-crystal display (LCD) capable of displaying all twenty-six uppercase alphabetic characters, ten numerals, and twenty-three other characters (see photo 1). In addition, the display contains eleven "status annun- The HP-41C has an array of features that blurs the distinction between calculators and personal computers. ciators," which inform you of various calculator modes currently active. For example, if_ you select radian measure instead of degrees for trigonometric functions, "RAD" appears at the bottom of the display. There is even a SHIFT annunciator that indicates when the shift key has been depressed. The keyboard is HP's usual very high-quality, thirty- five-key, tactile-feedback keyboard, augmented by four push-on-push-off mode-selection switches. With fifty- nine displayable characters and 130 built-in functions, it should be apparent that the thirty-nine keys have several duties. In fact, each key is etched with three labels: its standard (unshifted) function, its shifted function (above the key), and its alpha-mode function (on the bottom sloping side of the key). Alpha-mode characters are enabled as long as the alpha-mode switch is set. The more unusual alpha-mode characters (such as "£," "%," "=£," "$," etc) are selected by using the shift key in alpha mode. To keep the keyboard reasonably uncluttered, this set of special characters is not etched on the keys but appears in a pictorial layout on the back of the calculator. Even with each key potentially performing quadruple duty, there are simply not enough keys for all the func- tions. To employ one of the more esoteric functions, you depress the execute (XEQ) button and spell the name of the desired function. For example, to compute 12! (12 fac- 244 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 364 on inquiry card. torial), you would key in: 1 2 XEQ ALPHA F C ALPHA If you happen to be heavily involved in statistics, you may find this a nuisance because FACT (the factorial function) will be frequently needed. This is where the "programmable keyboard" feature of the HP-41C comes in handy. You can assign or reassign any function to any key you like by using the ASN function. For example: ASN ALPHA C T ALPHA TAN assigns the FACT function to the button normally used to activate the tangent function. A push-on-push-off USER mode switch determines whether user-defined or stan- dard meanings are currently associated with the keys. If you forget what function you have assigned to a key, you can find out by simply holding down the key. For our ex- ample, holding down the TAN button will show "FACT" on the display while in user mode and "TAN" while in normal mode. User-programmed functions can also be assigned to keys, allowing the calculator to be customized to your application. Two keyboard overlays with stick-on labels are provided for identification of user-defined keys. Photo 1: The Hewlett-Packard HP-41C calculator. Each key on the HP-41C has up to three labels associated with it: the label etched into the top face of the key, the label visible directly above the key, and a letter of the alphabet (enabled by toggling the ALPHA button) etched into the bottom face of the key. Additional functions are called by hitting the XEQ button and spelling out the function name. (Photo courtesy of Hewlett- Packard.) /n ^r\ DISK DRIVE BONANZA BY Ql 8" DISK DRIVES Shugart 801R Sgl/side Dbl/Den $395.00 Two for $775.00 Qume Dalalrak 8'dbl sided, dbl density. QME-8DS (851R compatible) S 599.00 Pkg of two S549.00 ea QT DISK PACKAGES I Dbl Den Controller, A & T, two 8" dbl den drives. CP/M ■ 2.2, cabinet, power supply & cables $1395.00 H Two 801 R disk drives with cabinet, power supply & fan $1100.00 ID Dual 8" Drives: Dbl den drives in cabinet only 2 sgl sided (801 R) $ 989.00 2 dbl sided (QUME) $1409.00 5V 4 " DRIVES MPI-B51 MPI B-51 S250.00 Sgl Sided Sgl Dbl Den Exact Replacement lor SA-400 MPI-B52 MPI B-52 S350.00 Dbl Sided. Dbl Den MPI-B91 MPI B-91 $375.00 Sgl Sided. Dbl Den. 77 Tracks PERTEC FD-200 PER-FD200 ... $225.00 Sgl Sided. Sgl'Dbl Den Shugart SA400 SHU-SA400 5250.00 Sgl Sided, Dbl/Den COMPUTER SYSTEMS WE ACCEPT M/C. VISA, AM EXP INC PLACE ORDERS TOLL FREE 1-800-421-5150 15620 South Inglewood Ave. (CONTINENTAL U.S. ONLY) Lawndale, California 90260 (EXCEPT CALIFORNIA) (213) 970-0952 CP/M is a trademark ol Digital Research the electric pencil II for the TRS-80 Model II* Computer aS m The Electric Pencil is a Character Oriented Word Processing System. This means that text is entered as a continuous string of choracters end is manipulated as such. This allows the user enormous freedom trid ease in the movement and handling of text. 5ince lines ore not delineated, any number of char- acters, words, lines or paragraphs mcy be inserted or deleted anywhere in the text. The entirety of the text shifts and opens up or closes as needed in full view of the user. Car- riage returns as well as word hyphenation ore nol required since each line of text is formatted automatically. As text is typed arid the end of a screen line is reached, a partially completed word is shifted to the beginning of the following line. Whenever text is inserted or deleted, existing text is pushed down or polled up in a wrap around fashion. Everything appears on the video display screen as it occurs thereby eliminating any guesswork. Text may be reviewed at will by variable speed or page-at-a-time scrolling both in the forward and reverse directions. By using the search or the search and replace function, any string of characters may be located and/or replaced with any other string of characters as desired. Specific sets of characters within encoded Strings may also be localed. When text is printed, The Electric Pencil automatically inserts carriage returns where they ore needed. Numerous combinations of Line Length, Page Length, Chorocter Spacing, Line Spacing and Page Spacing allow for any form to be handled. Right justification gives right-hond margins that are even. Pages may be numbered as well as titled. the electric pencil -n Proven Ward PrOWBlltfl System The TRSDOS versions of The Electric Pencil II are our best ever! You can now type as fast as you like without losing any characters. New TRSDOS features include word left, ward right, word delete, bottom of page numbering as well as extended cursor controls tor greater user flexibility. BASIC files may also be written and simply edited without additional software. Our CP/M versions ore the same as we have been distributing for several years and allow the CP/M user to edit CP/M files with the addition of our CONVERT utility for on additional S35.O0. CONVERT is not required if only quick and easy word processing is required. A keyboard buffer permits fast typing without character loss. CP/M TRSDOS Serial Diablo, NEC, Qume $ 300.00 S 350.00 All other printers $ 275.00 S 325.00 The Electric Pencil I is still available for TRS-80 Model I users. Although not os sophisticated as Electric Pencil II, it is still an extremely easy to use and powerful word processing system. The software has been designed to be used with both Level I (I6K system) and Level II models of the TRS-80. Two versions, one for use with cassette, and one for use with disk, are available on cassette. The TRS-80 disk version is easily transferred to disk and Is fully interactive with the READ, WRITE, DIR, and KILL routines of TRSDOS. trc Cassette S loo.oo TRD Disk $ 150.00 Features TRSDOS or CP/M Compatible ■ Supports Four Disk Drives * Dynamic Print Formatting • Diablo, NEC & Qume Print Packages ■ Multi-Column Printing • Print Value Chaining ■ Page-at-a-time Scrolling * Bidirectional Multispeed Scrolling * Subsystem #ith Print Volue Scoreboard * Automatic Word & Record Number Tally ■ Global Search & Replace • Full Margin Control ■ End of Poge Control * Non Printing Text Commenting • Line & Paragraph Indentation • Centering • Underlining • Boldface ss MICHAEL SHRAYER SOFTWARE. INC. 1198 Los Robles Dr. Palm Springs, CA. 92262 (7141 323-1400 Circle 167 on Inquiry card. December 1980 © BYTE Publicat ions Inc 245 To facilitate the entry of multiple-key sequences, the display provides prompting messages, and invalid keys are disabled. In addition to the normal clear-display key, there is a backspace key to facilitate corrections. If you forget the name of a function (programmed or standard), depressing the CAT (catalog) key will list all functions currently known to the calculator. Memory The HP-41C has continuous memory, which means that the contents of memory are preserved even when the calculator is turned off. You can even replace the bat- teries without destroying the contents of memory. The HP-4lC's size-N throw-away batteries typically last 1 or 2 months, instead of the 9 to 12 months claimed in the documentation. A BAT annunciator warns you when you have only about 2 weeks' worth of life left in the bat- teries. The HP-41C can also be run using an AC adapter. Not only are user programs saved in continuous memory, but so is virtually everything relating to the calculator: data, flags, user-key assignments, registers, and display formats. You can even set a flag so that, when you turn on the calculator, it immediately con- tinues executing a program from where it left off when shut down! The standard calculator contains sixty-three registers of memory. Each register is 7 bytes long and can be used to store one number, up to six characters, or several pro- gram steps. The total memory space can be partitioned into any combination of program and data storage, or it can be left at the default partition of seventeen data registers and forty-six program registers. The instruction set contains eighty-six 1-byte instructions, thirty-one 2-byte instructions, three 3-byte instructions, and one 4-byte instruction. Instructions with alphanumeric operands such as LABEL, GOTO, etc, use 1 extra byte per character. In a typical mix of instructions, the HP- 4lC can store about 200 lines of program code in the default forty-six registers of program space. An HP-41C containing four optional expansion-memory modules contains over 2.1 K bytes of continuous memory, capable of storing an average of over 1300 program steps. Programming Programming is easier on the HP-41C than on any other calculator. You need not be concerned with ad- dresses or instruction lengths; instead, programs are entered on automatically numbered lines, as is done on many microcomputer text editors. Lines may be freely in- serted or deleted anywhere, with automatic renumbering of subsequent lines. Alphabetic labels of up to seven characters can be used for tagging the destination of branches or for program, subroutine, and function names. Also, any number of programs may be resident in memory, each uniquely indentified by an alphabetic name. Programs can be selectively edited, deleted, or entered without affecting other programs. Best of all, the key codes displayed by other calculators are gone, and are replaced by mnemonic instruction dis- plays. For example, if you examine an instruction for storing a number into register 15 on the Texas In- struments TI-59, it is displayed on three separate lines as "42", "01", "05", where "42" is the TI-59's key code for the STO key. On the HP-41C, however, the same opera- tion is displayed on a single line as "STO 15". This im- provement is analogous to stepping up to assembly- language programming from machine-language, an ad- vantage that really speeds up program development and checkout. Two powerful loop-control instructions have been added to the function repertoire of the HP-41C: incre- ment and skip if greater (ISG), and decrement and skip if equal (DSE). These instructions allow a single register to serve as a loop counter, increment value, and final value simultaneously, by coding the number in the register in the form: iiiii.fffcc where iiiii is the current counter value, /// is the final value, and cc is the increment. For example, the BASIC loop: FOR I = 1 TO 50 STEP 2 NEXT I is programmed on the HP-41C as: 1.05002 iiiii = l,fff=050,cc = 2 CALL NOW • TOLL FREE 1-800-558-0870 MASTER CARD • VISA COMPUTERS SAMPLE PRICES: CIP Series 2 8K RAM with 24 x 24 or 48 x 12 character display; sound, music & voice; 300 baud modem & printer port; expansion to color, joysticks, AC remote & more . . . OSI RETAIL $479 OUR PRICE $422 CIP MF Series 2 Same as above plus 20K RAM; real-time clock, 90K mini floppy & more . . . $1279 $1126 6301/0 Expander Board (add to CIP or CIP MF) 16 color output; dual 8 axis joystick interface; home security interface; 16 line parallel I/O; programmable sound generator & more . . . $229 FARAGHER ASSOCIATES, INC. 7635 W. BLUEMOUND MILWAUKEE, Wl 53213 HOURS: C.S.T. M-F 8-6 SAT. 9-1 $202 246 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 168 on inquiry card. QWEST PmCES ON DERSONAL COMpUTERsfa^ Ve [cippkz computer Apple II personal computer. 16K List $1195 ONLY $989 J2K, List $1395 $1169 18K, List $1259 IISK II DRIVE $420 ibove w/ Controller $505 MICROSOFT Z80/CPM onversion For Apple II ■ ■ ■ ONLY $299 tPPLE III v/96K $2998 CENTRONICS PRINTER INTERFACE ascal Language SystemList $495 $420 Centronics rinter Card List $225 $191 ligh Speed rinter Interface $ 1 95 $1 65 COMPLETE LINE OF CALIFORNIA COMPUTERS Interface cards available. We also stock the DC Hayes Micromodem, Mountain Hardware, and the SSM combination serial/parallel interfaces. R ersonal omputcr ystems c s 609 Butternut St., Syracuse, NY 13208 (315) 475-6800 Prices do not include shipping by UPS. All prices and offers subject to change without notice. HEWLETT-PACKARD HP-85A ONLY $2795 HP-85 ACCESSORIES 5-1/4" Dual Master Disc Drive List $2500 $2125 5-V 4 " Single Master Disc Drive List $1500 $1275 HP 7225A Graphics Plotter List $2050 $1845 HP-85 16K Memory Module List $395 . $355 HP-85 Application Pacs Standard List $95 $85 Serial (RS-232C) Interface Module List $395 $355 GPIO Interface Module List $495 $445 IMAGINE A CALCULATOR YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE. ITS HERE— THE HP-41C. HP-41C ONLY $244.95 ^CALCULATORS: HP-32E Scientific w/Statistics _ HP-33C Scientific Programmable HP-34C Advanced Scientific Programmable HP-37E Business Calculator HP-67 Handheld Fully Advanced Programmable Scientific for Business & Engineering HP-97 Desktop w/Built-in Printer. 579.95 Circle 169 on inquiry card. 53.95 99.95 123.95 58.95 298.95 Texas Instruments INCORPORATED TI-99/3 home computer CALL FOR PRICE Commodore Pet CALL FOR PRICE PRINTERS FOR ALL COMPUTERS A ATARI 4 A Warner Com PERSONAL COMPUTER SYSTEMS Comoany© LlSt $ 1 080 ATARI® 800™ PERSONAL $849 COMPUTER SYSTEM. ■ Hifo'Hfmm/iiiimifiii nmimiiimunmumYP, \ iim i\\ * ATARI® 810 DISC DRIVE List $699.95 $589 ATARI® 820™ Printer, List $599.95 . • ■ • $499 Atari® 400 List $630 • • • -$499 TONE VALUE— •> 0123456789 Figure 1: Musical notes on the HP-41C. The TONE function on the HP-41C produces one of ten musical notes that roughly corres- pond to the notes presented in this figure. STO01 LBL "TOPLOOP" ISG01 GTO "TOPLOOP" Store the loop-control number in register 01 Top of loop label Increment register 01 by 2, skip next line if greater than 50 Otherwise, repeat this loop The integer part (iiiii) of register 01 is incremented by 2 in each pass until 51 is reached; the GTO is then skipped and the loop is exited at the bottom. A full complement of indirect operations (including in- direct subroutine calls) and register arithmetic are sup- ported. Subroutines may be nested up to 6 levels deep. Ten different compare operations are available, including a test for character string equality. Fifty-five flags are provided, some of which are predefined for controlling calculator functions such as display format, mode of operation, etc. There are eleven user-defined flags, five of which have built-in status annunciators on the display. I found the flags with annunciators useful for monitoring program execution during debugging. Since running programs have complete control over the display format, it is easy to display several labeled numeric values on the display at the same time. User-defined prompts for data entry are also easily programmed. In fact, an executing program can even turn the calculator off. Error Detection When a running program encounters an error condi- tion, the calculator displays an English error message. Dividing by 0, for instance, produces the diagnostic "OUT OF RANGE". If you depress the PROG key, the display will show the exact line number and instruction that caused the error. If desired, a flag can be set to ignore errors, or errors can be detected under program control for user-specified recovery. Besides flags for various error conditions, there are flags that detect whether the data entered is numeric or alphabetic in nature. Since these flags are set only if data is entered, they can be used in conjunction with the PAUSE function to poll the keyboard during program ex- ecution to see if a key has been depressed. The PAUSE in- struction activates the keyboard for about 1 second, after which normal execution resumes. The data entry flags can be tested to see if any keys were depressed during a pause; if so, the corresponding key indentifications, which are stored in the display register, are available to the program. This feature facilitates the programming of games with real-time user responses. Let the Music Play The calculator can produce ten different audible tones under keyboard or program control. I found the volume level of the tones a little too low for my taste; it is barely audible in a noisy office. After successfully programming "Mary Had a Little Lamb," I decided to tabulate which musical notes are actually provided; the results are presented in figure 1. Those with perfect pitch may find the error in the frequencies of the notes a little annoying, but the tones are close enough to produce recognizable music. Documentation One of life's little pleasures is reading Hewlett-Packard documentation, which is among the best in the industry. It took me three evenings to finish the entire 268-page HP-41C Owner's Handbook, working each example pro- gram as I read. For me, the manual struck just the right balance between simplicity and comprehensiveness. My only complaint is that the text does not always make clear which functions are available on the keyboard and which must be spelled out. For instance, I spent several minutes fruitlessly searching for the multiple-line-delete (DEL) function shown in the example on page 138 as a key, only to conclude that it must be accessed by depress- ing: XEQ ALPHA DEL ALPHA A second manual, HP-41C Standard Applications Handbook, gives ten sample programs ranging from hexadecimal conversions to a blackjack game. These pro- grams detail a wealth of programming techniques in- cluding random-number generation, character-string con- catenation and substring extraction, display formatting, table lookup, etc. In addition, a year's free membership to Keynotes, the HP calculator newsletter, is included with your purchase. Membership in a user's library group is available on a subscription basis for $20 per year. This subscription en- 248 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc anew is born! r ^ m EBBBM "(d)"" '■"^^^ — ^ a better computer system any way you look at it. The facts speak for themselves. The QUAY 500 SERIES offers more for the money than North Star Horizon" computers. MORE TECHNICAL FEATURES. A single board computer in- stead of a backplane with multiple boards, means fewer parts, fewer interconnections and fewer problems □ additional disk capacity for more program storage □ DMA controlled disk transfers for increased system performance □ on-board expan- sion capabilities for additional parallel and serial ports, and EPROM □ AC convenience outlets □ a more compact design. IMMEDIATE DELIVERY. The 500 SERIES is available off the shelf for virtually immediate delivery. No waiting for far off de- livery dates for this one. LOWER PRICE. The advanced technology engineered into Quay computers actually lowers our cost to manufacture. The price of the 500 SERIES is about 20% lower than the Horizon-2-32K-D — and our 520 SERIES also offers significant savings over the Horizon-2-32K-Q. The bottom line is simple. There is a new star in the computer field. The 500 SERIES by Quay. It out- shines all of the competi- tion. COMPARE FOR YOURSELF: Advanced single board modular design. SPECIFICATION QUAY 500 H0RIZ0N-2-32K-D Architecture Single Board S100 bus CPU Z80A, 4MHz. Same Dynamic RAM (std) 64Kb. 32Kb. Disk drive type Double density Same No. of drives (std/max) 2/4 Same Capacity per drive (on-line) 200 Kb. 180 Kb. Direct Memory Access (DMA) Yes No CP/M" disk operating system Standard Optional Unit Price $2,995. $3,095. SPECIFICATIONS QUAY 520 H0RIZ0N-2-32K-Q Disk drive type Quad density Same Capacity per drive (on-line) 400 Kb. 360 Kb. Unit Price $3,495. $3,595. The QUAY500 offers technical superiority— availability— a $2,500 price! CP M" is a registered trademark of Digital Research Horizon is a registered trademark of North Star Computers, Inc. QUASI CORPORATION P.O. Box 386, Freehold, New Jersey 07728 ■ (201) 681-8700 Factory: Route 34, Wall Township, New Jersey 07719 DISTRIBUTOR AND REPRESENTATIVE INQUIRIES WELCOME Circle 170 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 249 Photo 2: The HP-41C and accessories. Clockwise from top are: the 82143A peripheral printer, a key overlay (for use when redefining key functions), the HP-41C with the 82104A plug-in card reader, two magnetic cards, and three read-only-memory application packs. In the center is the 82153A bar-code wand, which is used to read software printed in the form of bar codes. (Photo courtesy of Hewlett-Packard.) 6809 i-100 "** SINGLE BOARD COMPUTER MEETS I.E.E.E. S-100 STANDARD & • 10 addressing modes TM # • 24 indexed sub modes auto increment/decrement • constant indexing from PC 4K/8K/16K ROM • 2K RAM ROM /RAM relocatable on 4K boundary ACIA; PIA; 8080 SIMULATED I/O 20 PARALLEL I/O LINES • 256 I/O PORTS ACIA provides RS-232 lines for asychronous com- munications with limited modem control at 8 select- able baud rates; I/O locatable at any 4K boundary P.C. Board & Manual $69.95 with Monitor $99.95 ASSEMBLED & TESTED WITH 2K RAM & MONITOR $349.50 adsMON: ADS MONITOR Examine and change registers and memory; punch and load in Motorola format; user definable inter- rupt service and more $39.95 in 2716 EPROM MasterCharge/VISA Accepted Illinois residents add sales tax Add 2.5% for shipping Ackerman Digital Systems, Inc. 110 N. YorkRd., Suite 208, Elmhurst, III. 60126 (312)530-8992 titles you to a catalog of contributed programs, updates to the catalog, and a coupon good for four free programs of your choice, distributed on magnetic cards. Additional programs are $6 each. You may submit programs to the library in return for four free programs from the library. Expansion One of the most exciting aspects of the HP-4.1C is the array of available peripheral devices, including: • a twenty-four-column thermal printer • an attachable magnetic card reader/writer • application packs in read-only memory • continuous-memory expansion modules • bar-code program reader Several of these accessories are shown in photo 2. The 82143A battery-powered thermal printer produces 127 characters, including all uppercase and lowercase letters, in either single width (twenty-four characters per line) or double width (twelve characters per line). (See photo 3 for an example of printer output.) In addition, user-defined characters may be defined within a 7 by 7 dot matrix. Simple printer-plots are supported. The printer can also be used to trace program execution dur- ing debugging. The 82104A magnetic card reader is similar to the built-in unit on the HP-67 and HP-97 and is compatible with cards produced on these machines. Up to sixteen registers can be stored on each side of a card; the calcula- tor prompts you to enter as many cards as needed. Pro- grams, data flags, and even key reassignments can also be saved on the cards. For the security-minded, programs can be designated as execute-only, in which case an at- tempt to display or alter the program will result in the display of the message, "PRIVATE." Plug-in application packs (useful routines stored in read-only memory modules) are available in disciplines such as aviation, medicine, surveying, finance, stress analysis, etc. Programs in these applications modules can be copied into continuous memory, if desired, for customizing by the user. For large programs, from one to four 82106A con- tinuous memory modules may be plugged in to extend the built-in memory from the standard 63 to a maximum of 319 registers, in 64-register increments. The extended memory can be partitioned between program and data storage and is continuous, just like the memory supplied with the standard HP-41C. An accessory just recently made available is a wand that is used to read bar-codes similar to the kind found on most grocery products. This will enable users to load pro- grams directly from HP-41C Solution Books to be pub- lished by Hewlett-Packard, which will use bar-code list- ings of programs to supplement the usual step-by-step keystroke listings. An HP-41C user with a bar-code wand will be able to enter these programs by running the wand across the bar-code listing, eliminating the tedium and er- ror associated with manually entering a program. The Great Calculator Race A strong contender for the programmable calculator market is the Texas Instruments Tl-59, which sells for less money than the Hewlett-Packard machine and includes a 250 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 171 on inquiry card. PMC-80 Level II 16K at $645 SOFTWARE COMPATIBLE Reads all Level II BASIC tapes Reads all SYSTEM tapes Full range of peripherals The PMC-80 is a "work-alike" computer to the popular TRS-80* Model I, Level II by Tandy, Radio Shack. The PMC-80 has 16K bytes of RAM and the complete Level II 12K BASIC ROM by Microsoft that makes it 100% software compatible with programs from Radio Shack and from the hundreds of other independent suppliers. The built-in cassette player reads standard Radio Shack programs for the TRS-80.* Sold through computer stores. Video output for monitor and TV Optional FASTLOAD at 8000 baud Optional Upper/Lower case The PMC-80 will operate with any of the many peripherals Radio Shack and other independent vendors have in- vented to plug into the TRS-80* Most importantly, the Interface Adapter per- mits Expansion Interfaces with memory expansion to 48K to be added. An Expansion Interface will also permit the addition of Radio Shack compatible 5W" disks and disk operating systems, RS 232, printers, etc. TRS-80 is a registered trademark of Tandy. Radio Shack. Personal Micro Computers, Inc. 475 Ellis Street, Mountain View, CA 94043 (415) 962-0220 Circle 172 on inquiry card. BYTE December 1980 251 standard magnetic card reader and larger standard memory (960 bytes, as opposed to 441 bytes on a stan- dard HP-41C). (Price information for the Hewlett- Packard machine is given at the end of this article.) Of course, it doesn't have an alphanumeric display or con- tinuous memory; still, it is an attractive alternative to the HP-41C. I decided to run a small benchmark test to compare speed and memory usage on both machines. Conducting proper benchmark tests is an involved and time- consuming process. Instead, I settled for one represen- tative test that should be adequate for at least rough com- parison. I programmed both the HP-41C and the TI-59 to compute the present value of a bond with "periodic coupons," as given by the formula: P=I^2(1 + Y)- J +M(1 + Y)- N 7=1 where: P ■ I ■ N ■ M - Y ■■ present value coupon value number of periods maturity value yield rate, in percent I picked this example because it requires a mix of arithmetic, looping, and register operations; I intuitively felt that this mixture is representative of the operations performed in many of the problems suitable for pocket GREAT FOR XMAS ATTACHE STYLE CASES FOR CARRYING AND PROTECTING A COM- PLETE COMPUTER SET-UP CONSTRUCTED OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY LUGGAGE MATERIAL WITH SADDLE STITCHING WILL ACCOMMODATE EQUIPMENT IN A FULLY OPERATIONAL CONFIGURATION ALONG WITH MANUALS. WORKING PAPERS AND DISKS NEVER A NEED TO REMOVE EQUIPMENT FROM CASE. SIMPLY REMOVE LID. CONNECT POWER AND OPERATE LID CAN BE REPLACED AND LOCKED FOR SECURITY AND PROTECTION WITHOUT DISCONNECTING CABLES FULLY TESTED • AP101S Apple and Single Disk Drive $109 AP102D Apple and Double Disk Drive 119 • AP103M Apple, 9 inch Monitor and Double Drive 129 • RS201 TRS-80, Expansion Unit and Double Drive 109 • RS202 TRS-80 Monitor and Accessories 84 • P401 Paper Tiger Printer 99 • P402 Line Printer ll-Centronics 730 89 • CC90 Matching Attache Case 75 CDflPJTEH CASE CDrlPfiMV i650 INDIANA MOUND CT COLUMBUS OHIO 4321.1 16U, 868-9.16.1 calculators. I programmed both calculators in the same manner, deliberately trying to avoid "trick" program- ming but taking advantage of each machine's strengths where possible (such as short-form addressing on the TI-59 and stack manipulation on the HP-41C). The programs for the HP-41C and the TI-59 are in listings 1 and 2, respectively. Although I expected the HP-41C to run slower since it uses ultra-low-power technology, both calculators took about the same amount of time to execute the benchmark. The HP-41C program uses less memory space, but of course it has only about half as much memory available in its standard configuration. Listing 1: HP-41C benchmark program to calculate the present value of a bond with "periodic coupons. " This problem, described in the text, was used as a benchmark program against the Texas Instruments TI-59 because it uses both arithmetic calculations and program looping. The TI-59 benchmark pro- gram is given in listing 2, and the results of the comparison are given in table 1. HP-41C program steps often consist of multiple keystrokes; each step is shown in this listing as it appears in the calculator's display after entry, with one exception: characters entered in alphabetic mode on the calculator are shown here enclosed in quotes. On the calculator's display the quotes do not appear, but the characters are preceded by a superscript "T". REGISTERS R, M, maturity value R ; N, number of periods and J, loop index R 3 I, coupon value R 4 1 + Y, where Y is yield rate as decimal fraction LINE PROGRAM STEP COMMENTS 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 IS 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 LBL "BOND" FIX 2 STO01 STOP STO 02 STOP STO 03 STOP 100 / 1 + STO 04 RCL02 CHS Y/X RCL 01 LBL 01 RCL 04 RCL 02 CHS Y/X + DSE 02 GTO01 RCL 03 + END Set dollars and cents format SAVE M in 01 Input N Save N in reg 02 Input I Save I in reg 03 Input Y Convert to decimal fraction Save (1 + Y) in reg 04 (1 + Yr v M*(l + YP Initialize sum to Top of summation loop (1 + Y) I - I (1 + YF New summation I = J - 1... ...Until J = Then recall I Times summation Plus second term = result, P 252 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 173 on inquiry card. TO ORDER CALL (212) 687-5000 h it] :♦'« SUPRBCAJN INTE^TEC DATA SYSTEMS 64K ONLY $2995 32K $2795 More than an intelligent terminal, the SuperBrain outperforms many other systems costing three to live times as much. Endowed with a hefty amount of available sottware (BASIC. FORTRAN. COBOL), the SuperBrain is ready to take on your toughest assignment. You name it! General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Payroll, Inventory or Word Processing. . .the SuperBrain handles all of them with ease FEATURES INCLUDE: • 2 dual-density minifloppies with 360K bytes of disk storage • A CPM Disk Operating System with a high-powered text editor, assembler and debugger Model QD 7Z0K Bytes disk storagi and 94K RAM $3895 SUPER BRAIN HARD DISKS 10 Megabyte $3995 16 Fixed-16 Removable $9995 APPLE II PLUS /or P r/ce A complete self-contained computer system with APPLESOFT floating point BASIC in ROM. full ASC 1 1 keyboard In a light weight molded carrying case. Features Include: • auto-start ROM • Hi-Res graphics and 15 color video output. • Expandable to 48K Supertalker $279 Mlcromodem $379 ~ Superterm (24x80) 395 Speechlab 229 Communication Card. .. . 225 Modem 200 Graphics Printer 595 Graphics Tablet 795 Disk 595 Add-on Disk 495 Pascal Card 495 Business Software 625 Monitor 159 Printer Card 180 [apple// IS FINALLY HERE 128KRAM!! CLOSE OUT SPECIALS! 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Credit Card Order $75 N Y residents arid 8°o sales tax • Same day shipment on prepaid and crodi! card orders TO ORDER CALL (212) 687-5000 JSim m ih The COMPUTER FACTORY ~ , "*~Z^~-'ZXLr' l '~ m Listing 2: Texas Instruments Tl-59 benchmark program to calculate the present value of a bond with "periodic coupons," The results of the comparison with the HP-41C are given in table 1. 056 43 RCL 057 06 6 Plus first term 058 95 = Result is P 059 91 R/S 060 00 REGISTERS R, M maturity value R, N, number of periods, and J, loop index R 3 I, coupon value R< 1 + Y, where Y is yield rate as decimal fraction R 5 scratch register for summation DISPLAY KEY LINE CODE ENTRY COMMENTS 000 76 LBL 001 11 A 002 58 FIX Set dollars and cents fo 003 02 2 004 42 STO 005 01 1 Save M in reg 01 006 91 R/S Input N 007 42 STO 008 02 2 Save N in reg 02 009 91 R/S Input I 010 42 STO Oil 03 3 Save I in reg 03 012 91 R/S Input Y 013 55 / 014 01 1 Convert to decimal frac 015 00 016 00 017 85 + 018 01 1 019 95 = 020 42 STO 021 04 4 Save (1 + Y) in reg 04 022 45 Y x (1 + Yr"... 023 43 RCL 024 02 2 025 94 + /- 026 65 X 027 43 RCL 028 01 1 029 95 = 030 42 STO 031 05 5 SaveM*(l + Y)' K 032 25 CLR 033 42 STO 034 06 6 035 76 LBL 036 44 SUM Top of summation loop 037 43 RCL 038 04 4 039 45 r 040 43 RCL 041 02 2 042 94 + /- -J 043 95 = (1 + Y) J 044 44 SUM New summation 045 06 6 046 97 DSZ J = J - 1... 047 02 2 048 44 SUM ...Until J = 049 43 RCL 050 03 3 Then recall I 051 49 PRD 052 06 6 Times summation 053 43 RCL 054 05 5 2nd term 055 85 + A subjective conclusion I drew after programming both calculators is that the HP-41C is much easier to pro- gram and debug because of its line-oriented, mnemonic display. The results of this comparison are given in table 1. Sample Program: Codebreaker Because I am a games enthusiast, I decided to write a game program as an example of an HP-41C program. I programmed a variation of the popular "codebreaker" type games, where the calculator generates a random code and the player attempts to guess the code. The flowchart for this program is given in figure 2. To begin, the player first decides on the number of digits for the code, from three to five digits. Assume that a three-digit game is chosen. The calculator will then secretly pick a three-digit number with no two digits the same. The user then enters a three-digit guess. After evaluating the guess, the calculator displays the number of digits that are exactly right and the number of digits that exist in the true code but are not in the proper position. For example, if the secret code is 108 and 802 is the guess, the display will show: 802 RT:1 MP:1 indicating one entirely right (RT) digit (the 0) and one misplaced (MP) digit (the 8). The user continues guessing until the correct answer is Text continued on page 258 Tl-59 HP-41C Number of data registers used 5 4 Program size (as displayed) 59 lines 31 lines Program size (internal representation) 59 steps 41 bytes Total memory used/total memory 99/960 69/441 (69/2233) Percentage of total memory used 10.3 15.6(3.0) Execution time, seconds 43 37 Benchmark equation programmed: P = I £ (1 + Y)- J + M(1 + Y)-" J=-\ Data used: M = 20,000, N = 50, / = 1400, Y = 8% Answer: P = 17,533.30 Table 1: Results of the HP-41C/TI-59 benchmark. The pro- grams of listings 1 and 2 are the basis of the data given above. The difference between the two program-size figures for the HP-41C is due to the fact that it combines several pro- gram steps into an assembly-language-like instruction when displaying it. The figures in parentheses refer to the HP-41C filled with its maximum amount of memory; the figures just before them refer to the HP-41C as purchased. 254 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc THE STARS OF THE TARBELL EMPIRE Circle 174 on inquiry card. r < ALABAMA Jack Randolph & Assoc Inc 1518 Chamblis Lane Birmingham 822-2339 Jett Consulting 1312 Brookmeade St Huntsville 852-4364 ARIZONA Konan Corp 1448 N 27Ih Avenue Phoenix 269-2649 Micro Age 1425 W 12th Place Suite 101 Tempe 967-1421 Ozymandias Systems 976 S 5th Yuma 783-4315 Thought Works 2340 N.W. Grand Suite 7 Phoenix 972-4065 N. CALIFORNIA Atlordable Computers 3400 El Camino Real Santa Clara 249-4221 Bell Controls 270 Prospect Drive San Rafael 454-4782 & 924-7068 Computerland Corp 14400 Catalina St San Leandro 895-9363 Computer Store of San Leandro 701 MacArthur Blvd. San Leandro 569-4174 Cybernitic Data Systems 1618 Inglis Lane San Jose 925-6354 Digital Deli 80 West El Camino Real Mountain View 961-2670 Electric Brain 3038 No Cedar Avenue Fresno 227-8479 Electrolabs 930 Emerson Avenue Palo Alto 321-5605 & 321-5601 Evergreen Business Services 3365 B S White Road San Jose 274-8717 lota Microsystems 5532 Pennsylvania Blvd Concord 649-6841 Microage Computer Store 2065 B El Camino Real West Mountain View PCE Electronics 4782 Dewey Drive Fair Oaks 966-2208 Precision Computer Systems 1737 N. 1st Suite 580 San Jose 279-8228 Support Systems 1157 Chess Drive Suite G Foster City 349-2340 S. CALIFORNIA Action Computer Enterprise 55 W Del Mar Blvd Pasadena 793-2440 Advanced Computer Products 1310 B East Edinger Santa Ana 558-8813 Applied Processor Laboratories 11808 So Prairie Ave Hawthorne 676-8940 Astar International Company 5676 Francis Ave Chmo 284-0561 Bits N Bytes 679 D So State College Blvd Fultarton 879-8386 Brown Dog Engineering P O Box 427 Lomita 326-8482 Byte Shop 123 E Yorba Linda Blvd Placentia 524-5380 Byte Shop 8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd San Diego 565-8008 Byte Shop 14300 Beach Blvd. Westminster 894-9131 Cal Blu Corporation 350 S. Figueroa St. Suite 298 Los Angeles 625-0673 Richard Chew 2020 Crown Circle La Verne 596-3480 The Computer Center 8205 Ronson Rd. 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Atlanta 455-0626 HAWAII Kahaluu Komputing 47-500 Kam Kaneohe 239-7332 Mahalo Microsystems Ltd 355 Royal Hawaiian Ave Honolulu 922-2152 Zintel 2449 Sonoma St Honolulu 521-1070 ILLINOIS Bies Systems Inc 7037 West North Ave. Oak Park 386-3323 Lillipute Computer Mart 4446 Oakton St Skokie 674-1383 Midwest Microcomputers Inc 708 S Main St Lombard 495-9889 Wilcox Enterprises 25 W 178 39th St Naperville 420-8601 INDIANA Computer Consulting Services 1028 N Illinois St Indianapolis 638-5330 Data Domain 221 West Dodds Bloomington 334-3607 Digital Supply 817 Agathon Dr Evansville 985-3677 Digital Technology 10 N 3rd Lafayette 423-2548 The Home Computer Center 2115 East 62nd St Indianapolis 251-6800 Smith Computer Systems 530 Pierce Ave Dyer 322-5461 LOUISIANA Great Southern Computer Systems 915 Talbot Thibodaux 446-8432 (MARYLAND Computers Etc 13A Allegheny Ave Towson 296-0520 MASSACHUSETTS The Computer Mart Jnc 1395 Main St Route 117 at 128 Waltham 899-4540 Computer Shop 288 Norfolk St Cambridge 661-2670 Scientific Consulting Services 4 Lovell Road Watertown 926-4046 MICHIGAN American Computer Center Inc 4132 N Woodward Royal Oak 549-2B70 Computer Mart Inc. 560 W. 14 Mile Road Clawson 288-0040 GAW Computertronics 37727 Amrhein Rd. 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Ltd 1188 Main Street Smithers B.C. Canada 20J 2NO 604 847-4838 Compex 2 Gerts Vej 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark 01-520494 Computer Centre 9 De-La-Beche Street Swansea South Wales SA1 3EX 0792 460023 Microboards 1-7-1-1003 Saiwai - Cho Chiba City Japan 260 0427 (47) 3081 f START J INPUT DESIRED NUMBER DIGITS, P INITIALIZE LOOP PICK FIRST RANDOM DIGIT, R SAVE NEW RANDOM DIGIT, R PICK NEW RANDOM DIGIT, R INCREMENT GUESS COUNTER INPUT NEW GUESS AND VALIDATE INITIALIZE LOOP COMPARE NEXT GUESS DIGIT TO CORRESPONDING ACTUAL DIGIT INITIALIZE LOOP GET NEXT GUESS DIGIT, D GET NEXT ACTUAL DIGIT, A CORRECT FOR DUPLICATIONS-, MP ■ MP-RT INCREMENT #RIGHT COUNT, RT DISPLAY GUESS, #OF GUESSES ( END J INCREMENT ♦ MISPLACED DIGITS, MP DISPLAY GUESS, RT, MP Figure 2: Flowchart for the HP-41C Codebreaker game. Listing 3 gives the HP-41C keystrokes for the equivalent program. 256 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc GViXOETO PERSONAL i COMPUTING GETT\NG ST/*TED What Vou Need AnAVhat It Will Cost EQU\Prv\ENT REVIEWS TRS-fcO, Apple, Sorc«%r and PET Hest-SelUng Author JERRY POURNELLl "Writing With A Microcomputer THE BttMAvRY WOR Also... A. PERSONAL COMPUTER DIRECTORS COMPUTER CLUBS: WHO NEEDS THEM? Explosion ton f Are you prepared for the explosive transformation? Right in your own home? Electronic mail. Personalized *i investment analysis. Foreign language tutorial. Home energy management. Robots. Computer music. Secretarial service. Diet and menu planning. And more, more, more. onComputing™ the new McGraw-Hill quarterly, prepares you for the enormous changes coming during the ! Computer YOU? LJ \WWmlh W 1 980's (Some are already here). onComputing™ explains in nontechnical language what personal computers are, how they work, and how you can use them at home, for fun and profit. Don't let the personal computer explosion catch you off guard. Know what's happening and help make it happen! Prepare now for the exciting future with a subscription to onComputing™! Call Toil-Free 800-258-5485 Start your subscription today* | onComptittag™ Subscription Dept. P.O. Box 307, Martinsville, NJ 08836 |l 1 DOMESTIC subscription rate: 2 1 1 | □ U.S. 1 vr. (4 issues) @ $8.50 □ Canada & Mexico, 1 yr. (4 issues) @ $10.00 | | 1 FOREIGN (to expedite sen/ice, please remit in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank.) o, 1 1 | □ Europe (and all other countries, except above), 1 yr. @ $ 1 2.00 — surface delivery, o" 1 1 □ Bill Visa □ Bill Master Charge D Bill me (North America only) g * 1 i 1 onComputing, Inc. 1980 " II ■ Card Number Expiration w ■ 1 i ml Signature Name (please print) 'o Z 1 1 oil n 1 Street/Apartment Number £ ' 1 trc '1 City State/Province/Country Code 7BC0 , Circle 146 on inquiry card. J^ systems, inc. • Quantity Discounts Available • 90-day Warranty • Ask about our unique "Guaranteed Custom Programming" ZENITH DATA SYSTEMS LIST $2,895 OUR PRICE $2,495 Z89 MICROCOMPUTER SYSTEM 48KB Memorv Z19 Video Terminal (24 x 80) 2 Serial EIA ports Single 5" Diskette Drive Z19 Smart Video Terminal . . . .SPECIAL . 24 lines x 80 col Reverse Video Numeric keypad HDOS Operating System (with BASIC) . . Microsoft Basic Word Processing for Z89 System Dual 5" Diskette Drive for Z89 System . . To Order: Send Check or Money Order to: PK Systems, Inc., 113 North Center, Bloomington, IL 61701. Allow two weeks for personal checks to clear. For COD Orders, add 5% for handling and service charge. Rush orders, add $50.00 Shipping: Freight collect, FOB Bloomington. We ship UPS, air freight, or motor freight. $ 950 $ 150 $ 150 $ 395 $1,195 $ 795 i 145 ' 145 i 375 i 1,095 PK Systems is an Authorized Service Center. Dealer and Zenith Introducing the 82143R THE HP-41C-S WHISPER QUIET PRINTER. KEY FEATURES 127 STANDARD CHARACTERS SINGLE WIDTH DOUBLE NIDTH UPPER CASE lower case SPECIAL CHARACTER CAPABILITIES Photo 3: Sample thermal printer output. The 82143A peripheral printer is capable of printing both uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as numbers, symbols, and user-defined special characters, all in two print densities. The printer can also be used for program tracing or equation plotting. (Print sample courtesy of Hewlett-Packard.) Text continued from page 254: obtained; the number of guesses made is then displayed and the game is over. Since the game displays results from only the most recent guess, pencil and paper are good accessories for keeping track of previous guesses and results. Examining the Program Several interesting capabilities of the HP-41C are ex- plored in this program (see listing 3). Line 02 places a text string into the alphanumeric display register, which holds from zero to twenty-four characters. Line 03 causes the register's prompting message to be displayed and halts for user input. Lines 04 thru 11 validate the user input and save the desired number of digits, P, in register 00. Lines 12 and 13 initialize the display format as integer only with no decimal point displayed. Lines 14 thru 16 tell the player how many random digits will be picked. Line 17 is a call to subroutine RDIG, which returns a ran- dom digit, to 9; I used the random-number generator described in the HP-41C Standard Applications Hand- book. Text continued on page 262 258 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 186 on inquiry card. Why is the 88G Printer the new industry leader? QUALITY The attractive, durable 88G casework is formed from impact-resistant, flame- retardant Styron. Microprocessor con- trolled stepper motors provide precision control over print head and paper positioning. Computer quality tractors position paper for readability and are fully adjustable to accommodate varying paper widths. MICROPROCESSOR CONTROLLED INTERFACE The microprocessor array provides the intelligence for a dual RS232 serial and a Centronics " type parallel interface. Both inputs are fully buffered to allow the 88G to receive data and print simultaneously. A IK character buffer is standard with a 2K buffer available as an option. The short line thruput of the 88G has been increased by incorporation of a Quick Cancel feature that fully utilizes the bidirectional/unidirectional printing capabilities. Built-in diagnostic and self-test capabilities allow the user to easily pinpoint system problems and a Power On confidence test verifies — operational status of the printer each time power is applied. VERSATILITY The 88G prints a full upper and lower case 96 character ASCII set with a crisp, clear 7x7 matrix in 80, 96, or 132 column formats. For text processing and correspondence applications, an 11x7, 80 column serif style matrix can be selected by switch or software command. The dual tractor/pressure-feed paper drive system allows the user to choose either pin-feed, roll, or single sheet papers up to 9.5 inches wide. Complete forms control allows the 8SG to be quickly configured for printing single or multiple-ply invoices, purchase orders, checks, or any type of preprinted form. Optional paper roll holders and single sheet feeders can be quickly attached. The wide use range of the 88G makes it the perfect companion for business systems, data processing, RO teleprinter and terminal printer applications. GRAPHICS A high-resolution, dot-addressable graphics option can be added for appli- cations requiring plotting, printing of screen graphics, drawings, illustrations, etc. Single dot print resolution greatly extends the usefulness of the graphics . capability. Selection of one of the / four horizontal dot densities available customizes the graphic printout, and alphanumerics can easily be included for titling of graphs and illustrations. LONG LIFE RIBBON CARTRIDGE Ribbon difficulties are minimized through use of a continuous loop cart- ridge with a five million character life. It is easily changed without opening the case, and without any complicated or messy threading operations. PRICE Every detail is directed toward providing a heavy-duty, commercial quality printer for only $749.00. No other printer on the market today can provide its quality, features and performance at a comparable price. The 88G is an obvious industry leader. ^Centronics is .i registered tr.idcm.irk of thi> Centi I3.it.i Computer Corp. Micro Peripherals, Inc. 2099 West 2200 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84119 Phone (801) 973-6053 Circle 175 on inquiry card. Listing 3: HP-41C Codebreaker game program. This program chooses a random 3- to 5-digit number with nonrepeating digits and gives the player clues about the code, based on the player's guesses. This listing uses the same conventions as listing 1. REGISTERS R Number of digits (positions) to play, P, 3 £ P £ 5 R, First digit of actual code number R 2 Second digit of actual code number R 3 Third digit of actual code number R„ Optional fourth digit of actual code number R 5 Optional fifth digit of actual code number R 6 Current user guess, normalized to O.ddddd format R 7 Scratch for loop control R B Scratch for indirect register access, loop control R 9 Number of exactly right (RT) digits in current user guess R 10 Number of misplaced (MP) digits in current user guess R,, Seed for random number generator R 12 Count of number of guesses made by user LINE PROGRAM STEP COMMENTS 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 LBL "MM" "NO. DIGITS?" PROMPT STO00 3 X>Y? 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The source texts of both the editor/assembler and a powerful new debugging monitor for the Ap- ple II and Apple II + included in appendices. The object code for this software is supplied FREE to book purchasers on Apple cassette or for $7.50 on disk when the licensing agreement from the book is returned to the publisher. The editor/assembler is also available on paper tape for users of other 6502 based systems. - FORTHEZ80- PRACTICAL MICROCOMPUTER PROGRAMMING: THE Z&0 by W.J. Weller $32.95 18 chapters, 4 appendices, 481 page Smythe sewn hardcover which details assembly language technique as applied to the Z80 processor. TheZ80 is treated as an 8080 superset in an 8080 extension language, which means that you don't have to discard your hard won 8080 knowledge to pro- gram the Z80. In addition to the fundamental chapters there are chapters on graphic output and full four function decimal arithmetic. The text ex- planation is re-enforced with 104 tested, verified programming examples. 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Also available (not shown above) are a workbook for use with this text ($9.95) and AN EDITOR/ ASSEMBLER SYSTEM FOR 8080/8085 BASED COMPUTERS ($15.95) which supports the language used in the text. These three books together make a complete teaching package for the 8080. ■ FOR THE 6800 - PRACTICAL MICROCOMPUTER PROGRAMMING: THE M6800 by W.J. Weller $23.95 76 chapters, 2 appendices, 299 page Smythe sewn hardcover text which details the application of fundamental assembly language technique to the 6800. 104 separate programming examples re-enforce the text explanation. Contains in addition special chapters on low precision trigonometry and random number generation and use. A resident debugging monitor for 6800 systems is included in an appendix. NO GAMES, NO NONSENSE, NO RE- PRODUCTIONS OR REHASHES OF MANUFACTURER'S DATA SHEETS, JUST TESTED, ACCURATE, RELE VANT PROGRAMMING INFORMA TION BACKED UP BY REAL EXAMP LES THAT RUN ON REAL COMPUT ERS— THE PRACTICAL MICROCOM PUTER PROGRAMMING BOOKS THERE IS NOTHING ELSE AS GOOD ANYWHERE, AT ANY PRICE. Mail to: Northern Technology Books, Box 62, Evanston, IL 60204 □ Practical Microcomputer Programming: The 6502 □ Practical Microcomputer Programming: The Z80 □ Practical Microcomputer Programming: The Intel 8080 D Practical Microcomputer Programming: The M6800 □ Workbook for Practical Microcomputer Programming: The Intel 8080 □ An Editor/Assembler System for 8080/8085 Based Computers D Check enclosed (U.S. funds only) Name G Money order enclosed Street. | City _ . State -Zip $32.95 $32.95 $23.95 $23.95 $ 9.95 $15.95 Illinois residents add 5% sales tax BYTE December 1980 263 Ppcducl Review Microsoft Adventure Bob LiddU, POB 66, Peterborough NH 03458 For there are treasures to be found As mysteries unfold In the depths of the great unknown In the search for yellow gold. But beware the shadows, For who knows what they hold In the great Colossal Cave? From "Adventure's Song" — Freerover the Bard Of all the computer simulations available for the microcomputer user, none stirs the imagination quite like Adventure. And of all the Adventure games Microsoft's is one of the most intriguing. The premise of this Adventure, exploration of the Col- ossal Cave, is not a new one. It is, in fact, the basis for the At a Glance Name Language Microsoft Adventure Machine language Type Computer Adventure game Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I with single disk Manufacturer drive and 32 K bytes of Microsoft Consumer memory (also available Products for Apple II with one 10800 NE Eighth, disk drive and 32 K bytes Suite 819 of memory; same price) Bellevue WA 98004 (206) 454-1315 Documentation Instructions in game, plus Price short booklet $29.95 Audience Format General audience 5-inch floppy disk ■ original Adventure that has been appearing around uni- versity campuses and mainframe computers for years. According to Microsoft, the Digital Equipment Corpora- tion PDP-10 version is reproduced faithfully for the TRS-80 with 32 K bytes of programmable memory and a single disk drive. [Editor's note: / had the good fortune to log onto a Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-11/70 that was run- ning the original Adventure. This version credited Willie Crowther with the original version of the program and Don Woods with "most of the features of the current ver- sion." Although the Softwin Company is credited with writing the Microsoft Adventure, the names of Willie Crowther and Don Woods should he added to the list. Short sessions with both the Microsoft and the PDP-11 versions of the Adventure showed them to he virtually identical in content, program logic, and wording. Mr Let- win has added some features (described below) and has made slight format changes that make the version more play able.... GW] The Microsoft Adventure sets itself against the de facto norm later established by Scott Adams. The split screen, the blinking cursor, all the slick niceties of the Adams and similar Adventures are missing. That does not detract from the game, though, because they are replaced by technical innovations that make game play easy and painless. The Adventure's acceptance of shorthand commands is a joy. Instead of tediously typing GO HOUSE or GET KNIFE, one needs only type HOUSE or KNIFE. The com- puter understands and complies. The directional short- hand commands, N, S, E, W, U, and D (for the four com- pass points and the directions UP and DOWN), are con- venient. Adventurers will be very comfortable with the ease with which this program functions. Adventurers in the Colossal Cave will come across situations they may recognize from other Adventures. This is acceptable. It gives a player a sense of comfort and familiarity in an otherwise hostile environment. Most of the descriptions used for locations and objects are stored on the floppy disk and called only when need- ed. This arrangement prevents the descriptions from be- ing terse as a result of limited program space. These plush and vivid descriptions add much to the enjoyment of the game. The puzzle of this Adventure, while difficult to 264 December 1980 © BYTE Publications Inc fj\ OSBORNE/McGraw-Hill WAKES UP YOUR COMPUTER AND PUTS IT TO WORK All too often, computer users who've cut their eye teeth on entertainment programs, have trouPle coming up with ideas for practical computing. Your computer plays space games well enough, but when you have a down-to- earth practical problem like a lease/buy decision, income averaging or statistical estimation, can it perform? It can now! In PRACTICAL BASIC PROGRAMS you will find 40 useful and easy-to-use programs that solve common problems in finance, management, statistics, math and science. The book includes complete write-ups and real-life situations to help you see a wealth of useful computer applications. SOME COMMON BASIC PROGRAMS contains no fewer than 76 brilliantly documented programs you can use even if you don't know BASIC. You'll get a lot of math power including personal finance, taxes, and statistics. Other programs include recipe cost and check writer. The cost? — 1 6