AUGUST 1986 VOL.11, NO. 8 



i 




$3.50 IN UNITED STATES 

$4.25 IN CANADA / £1.75 IN U.K. 

A McGRAV^HILL PUBLICATION 

0360-5280 






THE SMALL SYSTEMS JOURNAL® 






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News from Borland International! Vol. 1 No. 1 




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■e frequently 
surprise people 
with inventive, 
imaginative software, 
and people frequently 
surprise us with the way 
fcheyuse it. 

For example, you'll 
read on this page how 
Michael J. Watkins of the 
Petroleum Technology 
Center in Houston, Texas, 
used Turbo Pascal® (and Turbo Graphix Toolbox™ 
and Turbo Tutor®) to cut down the tedium and 
time in creating Circular Performance Profile 
Charts (CPPCs). 

We didn't know they existed, but you learn 
something new every day! 

Applications like CPPCs might not fit your 
exact needs, but at the same time they might 
stimulate fresh ideas in your mind about how you 
can put Turbo Pascal and the Turbo Pascal family 
to work for you. 

And thank you for your interest in and 
support for Borland International. 



pi& 



Philippe Kahn, 

President, Borland International 

INSIDE STORIES! 

■ Turbo Pascal 3.0, already described by PC Magazine as "Language 
deal of the century," is now an even better deal than that, because we've 
included the most popular options (BCD reals and 8087 support). 
What used to cost $124.95 is now only $99.95! 

■ Completely new Turbo Tutor 2.0 now available. New software. New 
manual. New split screens. New quizzes. Only $39.95. Upgrades 
available under Borland's "Almosi-Free" upgrade plan. Details inside. 



LATE NEWS! 

■ June/July Special Artificial Intelligence Issue of The Micro Technical 
Journal says, "Turbo Prolog looks like it's going to be a winner, for both 
the beginner and professional programmer." 




Turbo Pascal 
deliberately 
programmed to go 
around in circles 



Circular charts (or 
CPPCs) are used by Michael 
J. Watkins of the Petroleum 
Technology Center in 
Houston, Texas, to plot a 
single performance property 
for a large number of 
elastomers, which have 
elastic, rubber-like properties. 

Mr. Watkins wrote us 
saying, "Because CPPCs 
condense a lot of data in one 
graphic, they can be very 
tedious and time-consuming 
to draw' 1 

What he did to solve 
those problems was to write a 
Turbo Pascal program for 
IBM® personal computers to 
"generate these charts 
quickly and easily' 1 

He used Turbo Pascal 
"because it has a companion 
set of very powerful graphics 
programs (Turbo Graphix 
Toolbox) which greatly 
simplifies the required 
programming. 



?&& 



l^bo Pascal is not a 
difficult language to use and 
can be easily learned by 
persons who can program in 
FORTRAN or BASIC An 
excellent tutorial (l\jrbo 
Tutor) is available for the 
novice or experienced 
programmer The Turbo 
Pascal products are also very 
moderately priced! 1 







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TMHBOBaSCAI 



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Turbo Pascal® 3.0 

"For the IBM PC, the benchmark 
Pascal compiler is undoubtedly 
Borland International's Turbo 
Pascal" says Gaiy Ray of PC 
Week. We and more than 500,000 
other people around the world 
think Mr. Ray got that right. 
Since launch, Turbo Pascal has become the de facto 
worldwide standard in high-speed Pascal compilers. 
Described by Jeff Duntemann of PC Magazine as the 
"Language deal of the century" Turbo Pascal is now 
an even better deal than that— because we've included 
the most popular options (BCD reals and 8087 support). 
What used to cost $124.95 is now only $99,951 You now 
get a lot more for a lot less: the compiler, a complete- 
ly integrated programming environment, and BCD 
reals and 8087 support— all for a suggested retail of 
only $99.95. 



10* 



Borland's Business Productivity Programs: 

Reflex: The Analyst' Analytical database manager. Provides complete new look at 
data normally hidden by programs like 1-2-3* and dBASE* Best report generator 
for 1-2-3. 
[\ Reflex Workshop* Important new addition to Reflex: The Analyst. Gives you 22 
diflerent templates to run your business right. 
SideKick' Complete RAM-resident desktop management includes notepad, dialer, 
calculator and more. 

Traveling SideKick* Electronic version of business/personal diaries, daytime 
organizers; works with your SideKick files; important professional tool. 
SuperKey* Keyboard enhancer. Simple macros turn 1000 keystrokes into 1. Also 
encrypts your files to keep confidential files confidential. 

Borland's Electronic Reference Programs: 

Turbo Lightning' Works with all your programs and checks your spelling while 
you typel Includes 80,000-word Random House' Concise Dictionary and 50,000- 
word Random House Thesaurus. Forerunner of Turbo Lightning Library. 
Lightning Word Wizard* Includes ingenious crossword solver and six other word 
challenges. If you're into programming, Lightning Word Wizard is also a development 
toolbox and the technical reference manual for Turbo Lightning. 



^ Turbo Tutor® 2.0 

Just released (July '86), the new 
Turbo Tutor can take you from 
"What's a computer?" on 
through to complex data 
structures, assembly languages, 
trees, tips on writing long 
programs in Turbo Pascal, and a 
high level of expertise. Source code for everything is 
included. New split screens allow you to put source text 
in the bottom half of the screen and run the examples 
in the top half. There are quizzes that ask you, show 
you, tell you, teach you. You get a 450-page manual— 
which is not as daunting as it sounds, because unlike 
many software manuals, it was not written by oran- 
gutans. (With our all "almost-free" upgrade, you can 
upgrade to Turbo Tutor 2.0 by sending us your master 
diskettes, proof of purchase, and $10.00, which covers 
shipping and handling.) Suggested retail: $39,95, 

Turbo Editor Toolbox" 

Recently released, we called our 
new Turbo Editor Toolbox a 
"construction set to write your 
own word processor." Peter 
Feldmann of PC Magazine 
covered it pretty well with, "A 
'write your own word processor' 
program for intermediate level programmers, with lots 
of help in the form of prewritten procedures covering 
everything from word wrap to pull-down windows" 
Source code is included, 
and we also include 
MicroStar, a full- 
blown text editor with 
pull-down menus 
and windowing. It 
interfaces directly 
with Turbo Lightning 
to let you spell-check 

your MicroStar flies. Jeriy Pournelle of BYTE 
magazine said, "The new Turbo Editor Toolbox is the 
Turbo Pascal source code to just about anything 
you ever wanted a PCoompatible text editor to do" 
Suggested retail: $69.95. 



All Borland products are registered trademarks or trademarks ol Borland International, Inc. or 
Borland/Analylica, Inc. 1-2-3 is a registered trademark ol Lotus Development Corp. dBASE is a registered 
trademark ol Ashton-Tale. Random House is a registered trademark ol Random House, Inc. Hercules is a 
trademark ol Hercules Computer Tech. IBM, AT, XT, and PCjr are registered trademarks ol International 
Business Machines Corp. Copyright 1986 Borland International BI-1067 







Turbo GameWorks" 

Also recently released, Turbo 
GameWorks is what you think it is: 
"Games" and "Works." Games you 
can play right away (like Chess, 
Bridge and Go-Moku), plus the mg 
Works— which is how computer ™ 
games work. All the secrets and 
strategies of game theory are there for you to learn. You 
can play the games "as is" or modify them any which way 
you want. Source code is included to let you do that, and 
whether you want to write your own games or simply play 
the off-the-shelf games, Turbo GameWorks will give hours 
of diversion, education, and intrigue. George Koltanowski, 
Dean of American Chess, 
and former President, 
United States Chess 
Federation, reacted to 
Turbo GameWorks like 
this, "With Turbo 
GameWorks, you're on 
your way to becoming a 
master chess player" and 
Kit Woolsey, writer, author, and twice Champion of the 
Blue Ribbon Pairs, wrote, "Now play the world's most 
popular card game— Bridge . . . even program your own 
bidding or scoring conventions. 1 ' Suggested retail: $69.95. 

Turbo Gmplux Toolbox™ 

It includes a library of graphics routines for Turbo 
Pascal programs. Lets even beginning programmers 
create high-resolution graphics with an IBM, 
Hercules ," or compatible graphics adapter. Our 
Turbo Graphlx Toolbox includes all the tools you'll 
ever need for complex business graphics, ea^y 
windowing, and storing screen images to memory. It comes complete 
with source code, ready to compile. Suggested retail: $69.95. 







Recognition (or Borland International has come from business, trade, and media, and includes both product 
awards and awards lor technical excellence and marketing. Borland was named "Company ol the Year" by 
PC Magazine; Sidekick, the ft 1 best seller for the IBM PC, was named "Product ol the Year" by InfoWorld; 
Turbo Pascal was selected one ol PC Week's Top 10 Products for 1984; SuperKey won one of PC 
Magazine's "Best ol 1985" awards; Reflex, The Analyst was recognized in the "Software Products of the 
Year" awards by InfoWorld; and Reflex and SideKick were both nominated lor British Micro Awards in 1986. 





Turbo Database Toolbox™ 

A perfect complement to Turbo Pascal, because it 
contains a complete library of Pascal procedures 
that allows you to search and sort data and build 
powerful database applications. Having Turbo 
Database Toolbox means you don't have to reinvent 
the wheel each time you write a Turbo Pascal program. It comes with 
source code for a free sample database-right on disk. The database can 
be searched by keywords or numbers. Update, add, or delete records as 
needed. Just compile it and it's ready to go to work for you. Suggested 
retail: $69.95. 



Technical Specifications: 

TURBO PASCAL 3.0 Minimum memory:128K; includes 8087 and BCD features for 16-bit MS-DOS and 

CP/M-86 systems. CP/M-80 version minimum memory: 48K; 8087 and BCD features not available 

TURBO DATABASE TOOLBOX Minimum memory: 128K. CP/M-80 minimum memory: 48K. Requires 

Turbo Pascal 2.0 or later. 

TURBO GRAPHIX TOOLBOX* Minimum memory: 192K. Requires PC/MS-DOS 2.0 or later. Turbo 

Pascal 3.0, and IBM CGA, Hercules Monochrome Card or equivalent. 

TURBO TUTOR 2.0 Minimum memory: 192K. CP/M-80 version minimum memory 48K. Requires 

PC/MS-DOS 2.0 or later and Turbo Pascal 3.0. 

TURBO EDITOR TOOLBOX* Minimum memory: 192K. Requires PC/MS-DOS 2.0 or later and Turbo 

Pascal 3.0. 

TURBO GAMEWORKS* Minimum memory: 192K. Requires PC/MS-DOS 2.0 or later and Turbo 

Pascal 3.0. 

TURBO PROLOG* Minimum memory: 384K. 

REFLEX: THE ANALYST* Minimum memory: 384K. Requires IBM CGA, Hercules Monochrome Card 

or equivalent. Works with Intel's AboveBoard-PC and -AT; AST's RAMpage! and RAMpage! AT; 

Quadram's Liberty-PC and -AT; Tecmar's 640 Plus; IBM's EGA and 3270/PC; AT&T's 6300 and 

many others. 

REFLEX WORKSHOP* Minimum memory: 384K. Requires Reflex: The Analyst. Two disk drives or hard 

disk recommended. 

TURBO LIGHTHING* Minimum memory: 256K. Two disk drives required. Hard disk recommended. 

LIGHTHIHG WORD WIZARD* Minimum memory: 256K. Requires Turbo Lightning. Turbo Pascal 3.0 

required to edit source code. 

SIDEKICK* Minimum memory: 128K. 

TRAVELING SIDEKICK* Minimum memory 256K. 

SUPERKEY* Minimum memory: 128K. 

*For IBM PC, AT, XT, PCjr and true compatibles only, running PC/MS-DOS 2.0 or later. 



TumofascAL 



A BORLAND 





Step-by-step tutorial, demo programs with source code included! 

Borland's new Turbo Prolog is the 

powerful, completely natural 

introduction to Artificial Intelligence 

Xrolog is probably one of the « 
most powerful computer program-1 
ming languages ever conceived, 
which is why weVe made it our 
second language— and "turbo- 
charged" it to create Turbo Prolog. 

Our new Turbo Prolog, the natural 
language of Artificial Intelligence, 
brings supercomputer power to your 
IBM® PC and introduces you step-ty- 
step to the fascinating new world of 
Artificial Intelligence. And does all 
this for an astounding $99.95. 





Turbo Prolog is to 
Prolog what Turbo 
Pascal 9 is to Pascal! 

Our Turbo Pascal astonished 
eveiyone who thought of Pascal 
as "just another language." We 
changed all that— and now Turbo 
Pascal Is the de facto worldwide 
standard, with hundreds of 
, thousands of enthusiasts 
i and users In 



universities, 
research 
centers, 
schools, 
and with pro- 




mers, students, 
and hobbyists. 
You can expect at least the 
6ame Impact from Turbo Prolog, 
because while Turbo Prolog Is the 
most revolutionary and natural 
programming language, It Is also 
a complete development environ- 
ment—Just like Turbo Pascal 
Minimum memoiy: 384K 

M Turbo Prolog offers 
generally the fastest and 
most approachable imple- 
mentation of Prolog. 

Danyl Ruhin, 



AI Expert 



55 



r^i ^ ven if you've never 
r^W programmed before, 
^^ our free tutorial will 
get you started right away 

You'll get started right away 
because we have included a 
complete 8tep-bystep tutorial as 
part of the 200-page Turbo Prolog 
Reference Manual Our tutorial 
will take you by the hand and 
teach you everything you're likely 
to need to know about Turbo 
Prolog and artificial intelligence. 

For example: once you've 
completed the tutorial, youTi be 
able to design your own expert 
systems utilizing Turbo Prolog's 
powerful problem-solving 
capabilities. 

Think of Turbo Prolog as a 
high-speed electronic detective. 
First you feed it Information and 
teach It rules. Then Turbo Prolog 
"thinks" the problem th ugh 
and comes up with all the 
reasonable answers— almost 
instantly. 

If you think that this is 
amazing, you Just need to 
remember that Turbo Prolog Is a 
5th generation language— and 
the kind of language that 21st 
century computers will use 
routinely. In fact, you can 
compare Turbo Prolog to 



Turbo Pascal the way you 
could compare Turbo Pascal to 
machine language. 

^r>. You get the complete 
yjS Turbo Prolog 
[^^ programming system 
^ for only $99.98 

You get a complete Turbo 
Prolog development system 
including: 

■ The lightning-fast Turbo Prolog 
Incremental compiler and the 
Interactive Turbo Prolog editor. 

■ The 200-page reference 
manual which Includes the step- 
by-step Turbo Prolog tutorial 

■ The tee GeoBase™ natural 
queiy language database 
Including commented source 
code on disk— ready to compile. 
GeoBase Is a complete database 
designed and developed a und 
U.S. geography. It Includes cities, 
mountains, rivers, and highways, 
and comes complete with natural 
query language. Use GeoBase 
immediately "as Is," or modify it 
to fit your own interests. 

So don't delay— don't waste a 
second— get Turbo Prolog now 
$99.95 Is an amazingly small 
price to pay to become an 
Immediate authority— an instant 
expert on artlficla intelligence! 
The 21st centuiy Is only one 
phone call away. 



BORLAND 

INTERNA 1 I N A L 



4585 SCOUS VALLEY DRIVE 
SCOJTS VALLEY. CA 95066 
(408)438-8400 TELEX: 172373 



— Turin Prolog 
Reflex: The Analyst 

— Reflex Workshop 
_ Reflex, Reflex Workshop 
Turbo Pascal 3.0 

w/8087 & BCD 

— Turbo Pascal tot CP/M-80 

Turbo Database Toolbox 

Turbo Graphix Toolbox 

_ Turbo Tutor 2.0 

Tubo Editor Toolbox 

Tubo GameWorks 

Turbo Lightning 

— Ughtning Wort Wizard 
Turbo Lightning, 

Lightning Word Wizard 

— SideKick 

Traveling SideKick 

^ SideKick. 

Traveling SideKick 
StperKey 

Outside USA add $10 per copy 

CA and MA res. add sales tax S 

Amount enclosed $ 

Prices include shipping to all US cities. 
Carefully describe your computer system 
Mine is: —8-bH _ 16-bH 

fuse: —PC-OOS —CP/M-80 — MS-OOS _ CP/M-86 
My computer's name and model is: 



99.95 
69.95 
69.95 
69.95 
39.95 
69.95 
69.95 
99.95 
69.95 

149.95 
84.95 
69.95' 



125.00' J_ 
69.95 J_ 



The disk size 1 use is: D 3 W D 5W □ 8' 
Payment: VISA MC Money order 
Credit card expiration dale / 

Cart* 1 1 i 1 1 1 1 


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HOT COPY PROTECTED GF15 
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CODs and purchase orders WILL NOT be accepted by Borland. 

Outside USA make payment by bank draft, payable in US dollars 

draw on a US bank. 

'Limited Time Offer until September 1, 1986. 

"YES, if within 60 days of purchase you find that this product 

does not perform in accordance with our claims, call our 

customer service department and we will gladly arrange 

a refund. 

Prkes subject to change without notice. 

Turbo Prolog 1.0 Technical Specifications 
Compiler: Incremental compiler generating native in-line code 
and linkable object modules. The linking format includes a linker 
and is compatible with the PC-DOS linker. Large memory model 
support. Compiles over 2500 lines per minute on a standard 
IBM PC. 

Interactive Editor: The system includes a powerful interactive 
lexl editor. II the compiler detects an error, the editor 
automatically positions the cursor appropriately in the source 
code. At run-time. Turbo Prolog programs can call the editor. 
and view the running program's source code. 
Type System: A flexible object-oriented type system is 
suppoiled. 

Windowing Support: The system supports both graphic and 
text windows. 

Input/Output: Full I/O facilities, including formatted HO. 
streams, and random access Hies. 
Numeric Range*: Integers. -32767 to 32767: Reals: 
1E-307 to 16+308. 

Debugging: Complete built-in trace debugging capabilities 
allowing single stepping ol programs. 



16* 



UHt™ 



Inquiry 42 for End-Users. Inquiry 43 for DEALERS ONLY 




CONTENTS 




82 




FEATURES 



Introduction 82 

Similarity Mapping by Rob Spencer 85 

This Microsoft BASIC program for the Macintosh can create "maps" from tables of 
distance data. 

Ciarcias Circuit Cellar: Parallel Interfacing: 

A Tutorial Discussion, Part 2: Applications by Steve Garcia 97 

Steve briefly looks at some specific interface adapters. 

The Definicon 68020 Coprocessor, Part 2: Software Support 

by Trevor Marshall. Christopher }ones, and Sigi Kluger 108 

The conclusion of this article focuses on the software available for the DSI-020 
coprocessor board for IBM PC XTs. Als. and work-alikes. 

Mathematics of Programming by C.A.R. Hoare 115 

Programs written using mathematical laws promise significant benefits. 

Programming Insight: Polar Normal Distribution by Alain latour 131 

This complex method of generating normal deviates offers distinct advantages. 



THEME: OBJECT-ORIENTED LANGUAGES 



Introduction . . . : 136 

Elements of Object-oriented Programming by Geoffrey A. Pascoe 139 

An analysis of just what makes a language object-oriented. 

A Small Taste of Smalltalk by Ted Kaehler and Dave Patterson 145 

An introduction to programming in the oldest of the object-oriented languages. 

Objects, Icons, and Software-ICs by Brad Cox and Bill Hunt 161 

Reusable software components help designers achieve pleasant user interfaces. 

Object-oriented Languages for the Macintosh by Kurt J. Schmucker 177 

A look at seven languages and their features. 

MacApp: An Application Framework by Kurt J. Schmucker 189 

A tool for Macintosh applications developers is soon to be released. 

Programming Experiences by Larry Tesler 195 

Interviews with satisfied users of object-oriented languages. 

Designing an Efficient Language by Charles B. Duff 211 

The architect of Neon— and more recently. Actor— discusses his design philosophy. 

Object-oriented FORTH by Dick Pountain 227 

Incorporate a new object-oriented mechanism into FORTH programs. 



REVIEWS 



Introduction 236 

Reviewer's Notebook by ]on Edwards 239 

The NCR PC6 by Arthur Little 241 

A robust IBM PC compatible with two clock rates. 

The Sperry PC/IT by Frederick D. Davis 247 

A fast IBM PC AT-compatib!e machine designed for multiuser applications. 



BYTE (ISSN 0360-5280) is published monthly with one extra issue per year by McGraw-Hill Inc. Founder: lames H. McGraw (1860-1948). Executive editorial, 
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2 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



COVER PAINTING BY ROBERT TINNEY 



VOLUME 11, NUMBER 8, 1986 



DeSmet C Development Package for the Macintosh by Jonathan Robie 253 

An inexpensive but fast C compiler. 

TOPSI 2.0 by Leonard Moskowitz 261 

An MS-DOS version of theOPS5 production system language. 

Let*s C and csd by William G. Wong 267 

A software package and a symbolic debugger for learning and developing programs in C. 

NewWord 3 by )ohn Wellborn and Nanci Reel 273 

This latest NewWord is faster than its previous versions. 

Reflex by Rusel DeMaria 277 

An analytical database loaded with unique features. 

Guru by Ernest R. Tello 281 

Powerful, integrated software with an expert-system shell. 

The Datran Modem Accelerator by Barry Nance 289 

An add-on board and software combination that compresses text files. 

Review Feedback 295 

Readers respond to previous reviews. 

KERNEL 



Introduction 296 

Computing at Chaos Manor: Off We Go by )erry Pournelle 299 

jerry visits the Air Force Academy and the West Coast Computer Faire. 

Applications Only: More Words by Ezra Shapiro 319 

The flood of word processors for MS-DOS machines continues. 

According to Webster: Going to the Faire by Bruce Webster 323 

Bruce also makes trips to Commodore and Atari. 

BYTE Japan: Fujitsu Processor Upgrade by William M. Raike 329 

This upgrade could make UNIX-based systems more common in lapan. 

Mathematical Recreations: Number Games by Robert T. Kurosaka 333 

Old tricks can be explored much easier with a computer. 

BEST OF BIX 



Amiga 344 

Atari ST 347 

IBM PC and Compatibles 351 

Editorial: 
Progress on Source Code Listings . . 6 

Microbytes 9 

Letters 14 

Whats New 29 

Clubs and Newsletters 48 

Fixes and Updates 49 

Ask BYTE 50 



Macintosh 354 

Object-oriented Programming 
Languages 357 

Circuit Cellar Feedback 54 

Book Reviews 63 

Event Queue 78 

Chaos Manor Mail 341 

Disks and Downloads 405 

BYTE's Ongoing Monitor Box. 
BOMB Results 406 

Reader Service 407 



Address editorial correspondence to: Editor. BYTE. One Phoenix Mill Lane. Peterborough. NH 03458. Unacceptable manuscripts will be returned if 
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lxmdon WClR 4 El. England. 
Subscription questions or problems should be addressed to: BYTE Subscriber Service. P.O. Box 328. Hancock, NH 03449 




236 




296 



SECTION ART BY PHILIPPE WEISBECKER 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 3 



BYTE 



SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER 

Harry L. Brown 

EDITOR IN CHIEF 

Philip Lemmons 



EIX 



MANAGING EDITOR. BYTE 

Frederic S. Langa 



EXECUTIVE EDITOR. BIX 

George Bond 



ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR 

Glenn Hartwig 

CONSULTING EDITORS 

Steve Ciarcia 

lERRY POURNELLE 

Ezra Shapiro 
Bruce Webster 

SENIOR TECHNICAL EDITORS 

Ion R. Edwards. Reviews 
G. Michael Vose, Themes 
Gregg Williams, Features 

TECHNICAL EDITORS 

Dennis Allen 
Richard Grehan 
Ken Sheldon 
George Stewart 
Jane Morrill Tazelaar 
Tom Thompson 
Charles D. Weston 
Eva White 
Stanley Wszola 

ASSOCIATE TECHNICAL EDITORS 

Curtis Franklin, Jr.. Best of BIX 
Margaret Cook Gurney. Book Reviews 
Brenda McLaughlin, Applications Software Reviews. 
San Francisco 

COPY EDITORS 

Bud Sadler. Chief 
Faith Hanson 
Nancy Hayes 
Cathy Kingery 
Paula Noonan 
Warren Williamson 
Judy Winkler 

ASSISTANTS 

Peggy Dunham, Office Manager 
Martha Hicks 
June N. Sheldon 



NEWS AND TECHNOLOGY 

Gene Smarte. Bureau Chief, Costa Mesa 
Rich Malloy. Senior Technical Editor. New York 
Phillip Robinson, Senior Technical Editor. San Mateo 
Cindy Kiddoo, Editorial Assistant. San Francisco 

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITORS 

Dennis Barker, Microbytes 
Cathryn Baskin, What's New 
Anne Fischer Lent. What's Hew 

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS 

Jonathan Amsterdam, programming projects 

Mark Dahmke, video, operating systems 

Mark Haas, at large 

Rik Jadrnicek. CAD, graphics, spreadsheets 

Robert T. Kurosaka, mathematical recreations 

Phil lopiccolo. computers in medicine 

Alastair J. W. Mayer, software 

Alan R. Miller, languages and engineering 

Dick Pountain, U.K. 

Roger Powell, computers and music 

William M. Raike, \apan 

ART 

Nancy Rice, Art Director 
Jan Muller, Art Assistant 
Alan Easton, Drafting 

PRODUCTION 

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Denise Chartrand 
Michael J. Lonsky 
Virginia Reardon 

typography 

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Len Lorette 
Donna Sweeney 



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ASSOCIATE EDITORS 

'fONY LOCKWOOD 

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BUSINESS AND MARKETING 

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Patricia Bausum. Secretary 
Brian Warnock, Customer Service 
Denise A. Greene, Customer Service 
Tammy Burgess, Customer Credit and Billing 

TECHNOLOGY 

Clayton Lisle, Director. Business Systems Technology. MHIS 

Bill Garrison, Business Systems Analyst 

Jack Reilly, Business Systems Analyst 

Linda Wolff, Senior Business Systems Analyst 



ADVERTISING sales 

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ADVERTISING/PRODUCTION (603-924-6448) 

Lisa Wozmak, Supervisor 

Robert D. Hannings, Senior Account Coordinator 

Marion Carlson 

Karen Cilley 

Lyda Clark 

Michele Jackson 

Wai Chiu Li, Quality Control Manager 

Julie Murphree Advertising! Production Coordinator 

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS 

Horace T. Howland, Director (603-924-3424) 
Vicki Reynolds. Promotion Manager 
Lisa Jo Steiner, Marketing Assistant 
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Sharon Price. Associate Art Director 
Wilbur S. Watson, Operations Manager, Exhibits 

RESEARCH 

Patricia Akerley, Research Manager 

Iulie Perron, Market Research Analyst 

Cynthia Damato Sands, Reader Service Coordinator 



PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT/PUBLIC RELATIONS 
(603-924-7255) 

Michele P. Verville, Manager 
Faith Kluntz, Copyrights Coordinator 

FINANCIAL SERVICES 

Philip L. Penny, Director of Finance and Services 

Kenneth A. King, Business Manager 

Christine Lee, Assistant 

Vicki Weston. Accounting Manager 

Linda Short, D/P Manager 

Edson Ware, Credit 

Marilyn Haigh 

Diane Henry 

Vern Rockwell 

JoAnn Walter 

PUBLISHER S ASSISTANT 

Beverly Jackson 






I Officers of McGraw-Hill Information Systems Company: President: Richard B. Miller. Executive Vice Presidents: Frederick 
P lannott, Construction Information Group: Russell C White. Computers and Communications Information Group; 
I. Thomas Ryan. Marketing and International. Senior Vice Presidents: Francis A. Shinal. Controller: Robert C Violette. 
Manufacturing and Technology. Senior Vice Presidents and Publishers: Uurence Altman. Electronics Week: Harry L. Brown. BYTE: 
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dent: Fred O. lensen. Planning and Development. 

Officers of McGraw-Hill. Inc.: Harold W. McGraw. |r.. Chairman: Joseph L. Dionne, President and Chief Executive Officer; Robert 
N. Landes. Executive Vice President and Secretary: Walter D. Serwatka. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer: 
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Treasurer. 
BYTE. BVTI. and The Small Systems Journal are registered trademarks of McGraw-Hill Inc. 



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Andrew Jackson, Subscriptions Manager 

Laurie Seamans, Assistant Manager 

Susan Boyd 

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Agnes E. Perry 

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Cathy A. Rutherford, Assistant Manager 

Claudette Carswell 

Karen Desroches 

PERSONNEL 

Cheryl Hurd, Office Manager 
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BUILDING SERVICES/TRAFFIC 

Anthony Bennett, Building Services Manager 
Brian Higgins 
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RECEPTIONIST 

DONNA HEALY 

EDITORIAL AND BUSINESS OFFICE: One Phoenix Mill Lane. 
Peterborough. New Hampshire 03458. (603) 924-9281. 

West Coast Offices: 42 5 Battery St.. San Francisco, C A 94111. 
(415) 954-9718: 951 Mariner's Island Blvd.. San Mateo. CA 
94404. (415) 954-9702: 3001 Red Hill Ave.. Building #1. Suite 
222. Costa Mesa. CA 92626. (714) 557-6292. New York 
Editorial Office: 1221 Avenue of the Americas. New York. NY 
10020. (212) 512-2000. 



B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Circuit-Board-Artwork Software 
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in a Hurry ■P^fl 





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D IBM Color/Graphics Adapter 
with RGB color or black-and- 
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"smARTWORK'.' "Wintek" and the Wintek logo are 
registered trademarks of Wintek Corporation. 



EDITORIAL 



Progress on 
Source Code Listings 

We believe we are finally at the point of 
providing program listings for BYTE arti- 
cles in ways that all BYTE readers will find 
satisfactory. You will have your choice of 
listings on disk, in print, by download from 
BYTEnet Listings, or by download from the 
BYTE Information Exchange (BIX). 

Before explaining more about these four 
ways of receiving listings, let me explain 
what we have found out about your pref- 
erences. For years, some readers have 
complained that publishing complete list- 
ings in the magazine is silly. These readers 
generally want discussion of algorithms 
rather than complete programs, and they 
consider it out of the question to type in 
a program listing. These readers say noth- 
ing is duller than 10 consecutive pages of 
source code when the program doesn't in- 
terest you. If they want to run or study the 
program in detail, these readers say. they 
will download the listing. 

Another set of readers has expressed 
the opposite preference: listings in print— 
and nothing less than listings in print. 
These readers say they seldom want to 
run programs; rather, they want to study 
source code alongside the article about 
the program. They want all articles laid out 
so that descriptive text is always beside 
the relevant passage of source code- 
something that is seldom possible under 
the best of circumstances. These readers' 
primary interest is to learn programming 
techniques and apply them in their own 
programs. Readers of this type have been 
understandably upset by our recent em- 
phasis on the electronic publication of 
listings. Whenever these readers have 
written, we have sent them photocopies 
of specific listings on request. This has 
been a strain on our editorial assistants 
and has been inconvenient for the readers 
affected. 

Our impression is that most readers 
want the program listings in machine- 
readable form. Readers who don't have 
modems want the source code listings on 
disk. In trying to satisfy this need, we have 
tied up several staff members in convert- 
ing data from one disk format to another 
and in making copies in each format. 

North American readers who do own 



modems have expressed no dissatisfac- 
tion with the availability of listings, either 
through our three free bulletin boards or 
through our commercial service. BIX. 
Those who use the free bulletin boards 
must pay their own long-distance charges. 
Those who use BIX must pay a sign-up fee 
and connect-time charges, but they can 
call a local Tymnet node and avoid 
telephone tolls. Readers outside North 
America have faced high telephone tolls 
or data-communications charges in trying 
to get BYTE listings by modem. 

Solutions 

Starting in September, we will provide in 
BYTE postage-paid order cards for pro- 
gram listings in a choice of 12 disk formats. 
To make it possible to fulfill orders with 
acceptable efficiency, we had to limit the 
number of formats supported. But we 
have chosen the formats based on re- 
quests received over the past several 
months. We have also made an arrange- 
ment with a commercial disk-fulfillment 
service that will provide rapid turnaround 
on orders. The order card will permit you 
to subscribe to a year's listings on disk, 
if you wish. Readers will be able to sub- 
scribe to the listings on disk just as they 
subscribe to BYTE itself. 

Also starting in September, we will offer 
quarterly printed volumes of source code 
to accompany BYTE articles. To help all 
readers catch up. we will first offer a single 
volume of printed listings to accompany 
the January-June 1986 issues. Thereafter, 
we will offer a volume of source code in 
the middle of the second month of each 
quarter. Readers will be able to subscribe 
to the listings in print if they prefer this 
medium to disk. The advantage of having 
the source code in volumes separate from 
the articles is that the reader will always 
be able to open both the listing and the 
article to the desired page. This solves the 
layout problem in the best possible way. 

We are pricing the quarterly listings now. 
We want to hold the price as low as possi- 
ble but must pay for paper, printing, ship- 
ping, postage, and handling. Our manage- 
ment thinks it unlikely that advertisers will 
want to buy space in a volume that con- 
sists entirely of program listings. Adver- 
tisements in BYTE's regular issues make 



the magazine much less expensive to 
readers than it would otherwise be. The 
quarterly listings volume will probably 
have to derive all its support from the 
cover price. But the quarterly will contain 
many pages of source code in high-level 
languages— code for which there could 
never be room enough in BYTE itself. 

For those who prefer to download list- 
ings, BYTEnet Listings will remain free (ex- 
cept for your own telephone tolls); BIX will 
continue to have a one-time $2 5 sign-up 
fee and evening connect-time charges of 
$9 per hour plus $2 per hour Tymnet sur- 
charge. 

We hope every reader will find listings 
available in a satisfactory form. 

Progress on BIX 

BIX now (mid-June) has more than 6000 
users and continues to grow rapidly. 
Growth was slowing system performance 
until we put four 68020s into the Arete 
1200 in place of the three 68000s that 
were serving as processors. We also in- 
creased RAM from 4 megabytes to 8. To- 
gether with the twelve 68000s that han- 
dle I/O, the four 68020s have made the 
Arete run with blazing speed again. We 
are considering the use of multiplexers, to 
increase the capacity of each port, and 
Sun's Network File System, to go beyond 
the capacity of one Arete 1200. 

David Betz, BIX senior editor and author 
of XLISP, has made a number of enhance- 
ments to the BIX code since joining us. 
His new cyclic redundancy check routines 
have made downloads through packet 
nets (Tymnet) quite reliable and accurate. 
Other enhancements will make BIX easier 
to use. Programmers in New York are at 
work on direct-debit billing and corporate 
billing options to make BIX accessible to 
those who prefer not to use MasterCard 
or Visa. 

McGraw-Hill has decided to send out re- 
quests for quote to provide the hardware 
for the next generation of BIX. The Arete 
machines are very much in the running, 
as are a number of other supermicros and 
some superminis. One large timesharing 
service wants to host BIX on Cyber main- 
frames. 

—Phil Lemmons 
Editor in Chief 



BYTE- AUGUST 1986 






When computers get down to business, they move up to Maxell. 



imaxell 

VSNl-RQPPYDtSK 




maxell 

THE GOLD STANDARD 



^ffT5tlVt!T?7rJT» 



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Before you invest in a DEC*VT240 terminal, 
consider the software alternative. 



Stop and think about what you really 
need: A text terminal. Tektronix* 
graphics. ReGIS* graphics. File transfer 
capabilities. Communications. 

Purchasing a state-of-the-art terminal 
may be one option, but Persoft has a 
smarter solution— SmarTerm® 240, 

the ultimate in terminal emulation 
software. 

SmarTerm can do everything the state- 
of-the-art terminal can do— and more. 
That's why we call It state-of-the-smart. 

With SmarTerm 240, the emulation is 
so exact you'll forget you're using a 
PC. It features superior text emulation, 
ReGIS graphics, Tektronix graphics, 
outstanding communications and file 
transfer capabilities. 



You also get on-line help screens, 
remappable keyboard layouts and 
programmable softkeys which can 
simplify your most frequently performed 
tasks. You can even customize your 
own menus! 

And because SmarTerm runs on your 
PC, you've always got a wealth of 
computing power right at your fingertips. 

All SmarTerm products are backed 
by Persoft's strong technical support 
network. It's a service you expect from 
the industry leader in terminal emulation 
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No matter which terminal you're 
currently using— Data General Dasher* 
D400, Tektronix 4010/4014, DEC VT100, 
VT125, VT220 or even the new VT240, 




SmarTerm has a state-of-the-smart 
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To find out more about the SmarTerm 

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(608) 273-6000 - Telex 759491 




STATE 
OF THE 
SMART 



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"SmarTerm is a registered trademark of Persoft, Inc. "DEC, VT and ReGIS, are trademarks ol Digital Equipment Corp. 
■DASHER is a registered trademark ol Data Genera! Corp. 'Tektronix js a registered trademark o! Teklronix, Inc.- 
© Persoft, Inc.. 1986. All rights reserved. 




Inquiry 228 



MICROBYTES 



Staff-written highlights of developments in technology and the microcomputer industry. 



CMU Researchers at Work on Storage Device, 
NAND Gate Based on Biological Materials 

Researchers at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh are at work on two digital elec- 
tronics devices based on biological materials: a storage device that can pack data at a den- 
sity of 1 gigabyte per square centimeter and a NAND gate that is 1000 times smaller than 
current NAND gate circuits. 

According to Robert Birge, head of the chemistry department at CMU, the storage device 
is based on a protein called bacteriorhodopsin, which can exist in two states, each of which 
absorbs light at a different frequency. The state of each molecule can be read and flipped 
with a laser tuned to one of these frequencies. 

In a prototype built by the CMU group, three molecules can hold 1 bit of data. This triad 
of molecules is relatively small, encompassing an area of approximately 100 square 
angstroms. Although the storage density in the prototype is 1 gigabyte per square cen- 
timeter, the small size of the triad implies that the theoretical molecular limit for data 
storage is 100,000 gigabytes per square centimeter. 

The speed of these molecules is estimated at 10 picoseconds per transaction, much faster 
than the time required by any optical modulator to access the molecules with the laser 
light. The data-access rate for this device is thus a function of the speed of the optical 
modulator. 

Bacteriorhodopsin, produced by a genetically modified strain of bacteria found originally 
in the salt marshes of San Francisco Bay, is said to be very stable and can stand up to high 
temperatures and high amounts of optical radiation. Birge and his colleagues are working 
on genetically modifying the bacterium to yield a protein that will perform satisfactorily at 
room temperatures. 

The CMU group is talking with Seagate Technology regarding possible implementations of 
research results. 

The NAND gate that's based on biological molecules will be composed of two 
cyanine/quinone complexes joined to a porphyrin molecule. If both cyanine groups are ex- 
cited, for example, by two lasers, the porphyrin molecule will become excited. The excited 
porphyrin can in turn excite a chromaphore molecule, which can be read by a third laser or 
can serve as input for another NAND gate. 

Although an individual NAND gate has not yet been completed, Birge expects the gate to 
change states in a mere 3 picoseconds. As for size, at 10 nanometers per gate, the gates 
would be 100 times smaller than sizes predicted for future conventional NAND gates. 

Funding for the NAND gate research is being supplied by IBM. 

Cover Designed to Thwart Electronic Eavesdropping 

In response to a report detailing the ease with which unauthorized persons can eavesdrop 
on computer terminals (see Microbytes in the March BYTE), a start-up company in Canada 
is planning to bring to market a flexible covering for terminals that will help eliminate this 
possibility. The new product tentatively called the Erintec Security Canopy, is designed to 
absorb electromagnetic radiation emanating from a terminal's cathode-ray tube. Last year, a 
Dutch engineer named Wim van Eck demonstrated how easy it is to receive .and decode 
that radiation. Using only an ordinary television, an antenna, and electronics parts worth 
about $15, van Eck was able to eavesdrop on confidential information on a terminal screen 
located hundreds of yards away. 

The canopy is made of metalized fabric and glass and completely encloses a terminal. 
The product was designed by an Irish research firm called Securi-Tek Ltd.; it will be 
marketed by the newly formed Erintec, of Toronto, in the fall. According to a company 
spokesperson, the price of the canopy has not been set, but it will probably be in the 
neighborhood of $500. [continued] 

AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 9 



Ex-Apple Engineers Plan Card That Brings 
XT Compatibility to He 

A start-up engineering firm headed by ex-employees of Apple Computer expects to give the 
venerable Apple II yet another life by adding IBM PC XT compatibility to the machine. The 
Engineering Department Inc. (Campbell CA) hopes to have its Little Blue card for the Apple 
He in production and available by January 1987, according to marketing manager Dave Lar- 
son. The Engineering Department is headed by Wendell Sander, a former Apple engineer 
who designed the Apple HI and the Integrated Woz Machine, a custom integrated disk con- 
troller used in the Apple lie and Macintosh. 

Based on a 7.2-MHz 8086 processor, the Little Blue design includes 640K bytes of user 
RAM, IBM CGA-compatible video, hard disk support (including the ability to store MS-DOS 
files on Apple hard disks such as the ProFile), and a socket for an 8087 math coprocessor. 

Little Blue won't be the first attempt to bring IBM PC compatibility to the Apple II. One 
now-defunct product the Rana Box, housed an 8088 in an external system with its own PC- 
style 5 l/Hnch disk drive. Little Blue is designed as an internal product that will be able to 
use newer Apple 3/2-inch drives to read and write both Apple II and IBM PC XT software. 

"Rana was external and it wasn't the right solution," Peter Quinn, executive vice-president of 
The Engineering Department, told BYTE/BIX. Quinn worked as hardware and product design 
manager of the Apple He and lie and was an integrated circuit designer at Zilog. "The soft- 
ware alone will represent four man-years of development |when Little Blue is finishedl," said 
Quinn. 'There's a lot of skepticism [that it can be done|, but we're not afraid." 

Stanford Designs New RISC Chip 

Engineers at Stanford University's Center for Integrated Systems have designed a micro- 
processor they say is capable of speeds of 20 million instructions per second and of run- 
ning in parallel with others like it. The MIPS-X is a CMOS chip that uses the RISC (reduced 
instruction set computer) design. Although the actual chip has not been fabricated, one will 
be made this summer, according to Mark Horowitz, an assistant professor of electrical 
engineering and team leader of the project. 

The 8- by 8.5-millimeter MIPS-X will contain 150,000 transistors. The MIPS-X project is the 
lineal descendant of one of the first RISC machines, the MIPS processor designed at Stan- 
ford by John Hennesey. 

"In fairness, the 20 million instructions is really the peak, the best it could ever do," 
Horowitz said. "We hope to have an effective throughput of 10 million |to| 12 million in- 
structions per second." 

A computer built with 10 MIPS-X chips operating in parallel could perform as many as 
100 million instructions per second, making it one of the fastest computers in the world. 
However, Horowitz said he has no intention of trying to build a computer system based on 
the MIPS-X chip, 'if people who are doing work in operating systems and other kinds of 
software development are interested in using it, that's fine," he said. 

NANOBYTES 



VLSI Technology Inc. (Phoenix, AZ) and Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, CA) have teamed up to 
design and market the CMOS VL82C389 Message Passing Coprocessor (MPC) chip. Accord- 
ing to the two companies, the MPC increases the reliability and decreases the power con- 
sumption of Multibus II boards by replacing as many as 50 chips. It handles interboard 
communications tasks and relieves the CPU of monitoring or directing those tasks. Use of 
the MPC could allow architects to fashion Multibus II systems with multiple 80386 boards, 
each dedicated to a particular part of a computing task. Intel used VLSI's software to 
design the 70,000-transistor chip, which is being manufactured by VLSI in CMOS 
technology. . . . Corvus Systems Inc. (San Jose, CA) says it is beta-testing a central pro- 
cessor for networks that is based on Intel's 32-bit 80386 microprocessor. Corvus calls the 
system a "departmental" processor and says that it would serve as the focal point of a LAN 
connecting several microcomputers. . . . California State University, Northridge, will host a 
three-hour presentation on the use of computers with learning-disabled students as part of 
the Computer Technology/Special Education/Rehabilitation conference, slated for October 
16-18. For more information, contact Harry ). Murphy at CSU, Northridge, 181 II Nordhoff 
St., Northridge, CA 91330. (818) 885-2578. . . . Although the secrecy-shrouded National 
Security Agency will not comment on it directly, several sources in the security field say 
the NSA is withdrawing its support of the Data Encryption Standard (DES) and championing 
a new encryption scheme based on a classified algorithm that's being implemented only in 
hardware. The agency is apparently so adamant about keeping the algorithm secret that it 
is said to be investigating the use of special chips that will self-destruct if tampered with. 



10 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



The last thing 

you want from 

your modem 



is excitement. 



Ven-Tel modems let you use your phone to exchange 
{ information with PCs anywhere in the world. We 
think that's pretty exciting. 

Getting line hits, dropped connections and 
incompleted calls from your modem can be 
thrilling in its own way, too. But that's not the 
flfc kind of excitement you need in business. And 
we go to great lengths to make sure you 
don't get it. 

At Ven-Tel we've been mak- 
ing more reliable modems 
since 1974. 

Ven-Tel modems put less 
stress on your PC because 
they have fewer components— 
70 vs. the 300 or so in other 
modems. And while other manufac- 
turers may settle for random testing, 
every Ven-Tel modem must pass a 72 
hour "burn-in" period— plus exten- 
sive testing on real phone lines. 
As good as Ven-Tel modems 
are, we still back every one 
with a free five-year warranty. 
No other major manufacturer 
even comes close. 
So if you want a modem that won't add the 
wrong kind of excitement to your workday, you want Ven-Tel. 




VenTel 



Modems 



Our free 24-page booklet, "How To Select The Correct Modem" contains specific information 
about our full line of modems.To request your copy, call 800-538-5121. In California, call 
408-727-5721. 

Inquiry 304 




i 






■ 





See-worthy 

PC graphics from 

AT&T and Sony. 



Computer graphics like 
you've never seen. 

AT&T and Sony unlock the doors that 
have restrained creative use of the 
PC. With real-time frame capture and 
vivid color display that make PC 
graphics a breeze. AT&TTruevision™ 
hardware and software bring a new 
dimension to computer graphics — 
freedom. And that dimension is best 
displayed on Sony Trinitron™ com- 
puter monitors. Together, these prod- 
ucts are changing the role of the 
PC forever. 

Discover uncharted realism 
with Truevision. 

The Truevision single-slot boards for 
AT&T- and IBM-compatible PCs let 
you capture TV-quality images from 
real life and display them in as many 
as 16.8 million colors. And with True- 
vision Image Processing Software 
you can manipulate those images or 
create your own from scratch, in ways 
and colors never before possible. 
Then arrange your images into an 
electronic slide show with PC 
Carousel Presentation Software. And 
send them to other locations over 
ordinary phone lines with Truevision 
Still-Frame Teleconferencing Software. 



Sony sets you free. 

See your images come to life on a 
SonyTrinitron computer monitor. Only 
Sony gives you the performance of 
Emmy award-winning Trinitron tech- 
nology and the flexibility of both ana- 
log RGB and digital input. To produce 
the brightest colors, the sharpest 
text. In fact, Sony monitors have the 
finest dot pitch and the highest 
horizontal resolution of any monitors 
in their price class. And only Sony 
offersyou such a wide selection, with 
screen sizes from 9 to 25 inches, and 
up to 200 inches in front projection. 

Explore the depths of your 
imagination. 

Set sail with AT&T and Sony. Truevision 
products are available to suit any 
application, from the Image Cap- 
ture Board (32,768 colors) for only 
$1,295 to the TARGA 24 (16.8 million 
colors) for $3,995. SonyTrinitron com- 
puter monitors will display your im- 
ages beautifully, starting at $495. 

AT&T and Sony have made PC 
graphics smooth sailing. For more 
information, or for the name of your 
nearest representative, call 
1-800-858-TRUE 



AT&T 



©1986 AT&T, Sony 
Display shows unretouched TARGA 16 image on Sony CPD-1201 Monitor. 

Truevision is a trademark of AT&T. Sony, Trinitron are registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. IBM is a registered 

trademark of International Business Machines Corp. Truevision design and development by: 

KLACAACCCJWHCBHRAKSGKBBRJSSJKSJAWANW., 



Inquiry 29 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 13 



LETTERS 



Volleying Atari and Amiga 

Editor's note: The following two letters are repre- 
sentative of several we received on the subject, all 
of which were similar in opinion, if not in style. 

In the May issue of BYTE, a letter ap- 
peared by Mike Farnsworth (page 16) giv- 
ing a comparison of the Atari 520ST and 
the Amiga. Unfortunately, the letter con- 
tains some misinformation about the 
Amiga. 

Concerning the Amiga. Mr. Farnsworth 
states. "In the low-resolution mode, those 
great graphics chips steal almost 75 per- 
cent. . .of the possible CPU time that 
could be used for other real-computer 
things." A more accurate description of the 
Amiga's bus timings can be found in the 
August 1985 BYTE. In brief, the Amiga's 
memory operates at exactly twice the 
speed of the CPU. Running at full speed, 
the CPU uses only half the memory cycle 
time available, leaving the other half to the 
custom chips. To fully utilize the 50 per- 
cent allotted to the custom chips, the 
Amiga could simultaneously read the disk, 
play four channels of audio, and show 
16-color low-resolution bit-plane graphics 
and eight sprites with virtually no slow- 
down of the 68000. {Editor's note: See page 
87 of the August 1985 issue for more details] 
While higher screen resolution and high 
activity of the blitter (a custom graphics 
chip) will cause cycle stealing from the 
CPU. one must remember that these chips 
are doing work that would otherwise be 
done by the CPU. and they perform that 
work two to thirty times faster. As far as 
non-graphics timings, page 3 54 of the May 
BYTE contains a few benchmarks of the 
two machines. It should be noted that 
while the ST is somewhat faster in some 
benchmarks involving numeric computa- 
tion, the expansion bus of the Amiga 
facilitates the addition of a math copro- 
cessor (unlike the ST), which can speed 
calculations by an approximate factor of 
ten. 

Looking at the same table on page 354. 
note that the difference in disk I/O ranges 
from a 315 percent advantage for the 
Amiga on disk writes, to a 2 5 percent ad- 
vantage for the ST on random access. This 
brings up a point about the slowness of 
AmigaDOS in some activities. It is untrue, 
as stated, that the Amiga has anything in 



common with the C-64 disk formats. 
Remember that the original operating 
system and hardware design was not done 
by Commodore but by Amiga. An ex- 
cellent description of the AmigaDOS for- 
mats and operation can be found on page 
321 of the February BYTE. In short, files 
and directory blocks are scattered on an 
Amiga disk. While this improves on error 
recovery compared to other disk formats, 
it is inherently slow in operations such as 
directory listings. Its slowness is in finding 
the file, but it's quick once the file is found. 

Mr. Farnsworth also states that Amiga- 
DOS is clumsy, though he gives no ex- 
amples to substantiate this claim. Con- 
sidering that one must reboot an ST to 
change from monochrome to color or 
from a windowing to a command-line in- 
terface. I can't see how AmigaDOS could 
be considered clumsy in comparison. 

Finally, support for the ST has been 
praised. Note that about 300 to 500 pages 
of technical documentation on the ST can 
be obtained from Atari, while a full set of 
manuals for the Amiga contains slightly 
over 2000 pages. I personally doubt that 
Atari intends to support its customers via 
a support line. So from whom would you 
rather get support, an Amiga dealer or 
your local department store? 

Bernie J. Lofaso Jr. 
Austin, TX 

The 68000 CPU used in the Amiga has 
about a 50 percent duty cycle. By that I 
mean it spends about half its time on the 
memory bus and the other half doing in- 
ternal processing. The quoted clock figures 
for the Amiga are stated with respect to 
the CPU. In fact, the Amiga uses an inter- 
nal clock with twice that speed (yielding 
about 14.4 MHz). The custom chips do 
16-bit transfers in one of those cycles. 

That means the custom chips can do 
one heck of a lot of transfers in the "off" 
cycles where the 68000 is twiddling its 
thumbs internally. The bus arbitration is 
handled, again, with the custom chips. 
Each of the 2 5 DMA channels has its own 
slots in the timing, which let it get its work 
done without interfering with the 68000. 

What this means is that you can have a 
320 by 400 by 4 display with four audio 
channels, the disk, the sprites, and the 



68000 all going at the same time. The 
68000 will see no contention! It doesn't 
even think those DMA channels are on the 
bus! 

The blitter is a cycle-stealing device. It 
will use whatever cycles are not taken up 
by the other DMA channels and it will use 
the cycles normally reserved for the CPU. 
In normal blitter operation, it is set up to 
yield whenever the CPU tries to access 
memory on that bus. This means the CPU 
can get in to process interrupts, for in- 
stance, even if the blitter is in the midst 
of a large transfer. 

The upshot is that blitter operations hap- 
pen as fast as the memory can go. with 
16-bit transfers continuously going at 
twice the memory bandwidth of the 
68000. not even including any 68000 pro- 
cessing time that would be involved if you 
used it instead of the blitter. This is why 
the machine really screams for blitter- 
supported operations such as area move, 
area fill, and line draw. 

The display coprocessor is also a cycle- 
stealing device. It allows raster-beam syn- 
chronized control of all the machine's 
custom chip functions without requiring 
the 68000 to take the time to perform an 
interrupt context switch. This is why we've 
got enough horsepower to slide screens 
around in real time while animation and 
graphics rendering is going on in the 
screens. 

You can set up the display so the 68000 
sees contention. The worst case is a four- 
plane high-res image, where the video 
bandwidth blocks the 68000 except 
during horizontal and vertical blanking 
intervals. 

Note, however, that the 68000 can only 

[continued] 



LETTERS POLICY: To be considered for publica- 
tion, a letter must be typed double-spaced on one 
side of the paper and must include your name and 
address. Comments and ideas should be expressed as 
clearly and concisely as possible. Listings and tables 
may be printed along with a letter if they are short 
and legible. 

Because BYTE receives hundreds of letters each 
month, not all of them can be published, letters will 
not be returned to authors. Generally, it takes four 
months from the time BYTE receives a letter until 
it is published. 



14 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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Inquiry 309 






AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 



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see contention on the internal RAM, never 
on the Writable Control Store RAM or on 
any external RAM (this is why the exter- 
nal RAM is referred to as "fast" RAM). 

You can avoid contention by going to 
fewer bit planes (for instance. Workbench 
and the CLI use two planes of high res. 
yielding no contention) or by reducing the 
vertical size of your image (such as by 
using the Intuition screens to make most 
of your display be at some other resolu- 
tion). 

Note that interlace is not an issue here. 
Yes, there is twice as much data to display, 
but remember that the machine takes two 
frames to display it. 

The next revision of the hardware 
manual will include detailed information 
on the DMA priority and the time-slot 
allocations, for all you guys who want to 
run right at the edge. 

The only (charitable) explanation I can 
come up with for someone to say that the 
Amiga custom chips slow down the 68000 
by 70 percent in normal operation is that 
someone misread the chart showing the 
allocation of DMA channels to the off 
cycles and assumed that the 68000 was 
in fact capable of using those cycles. An 
8-MHz 68000 can't. Does anybody have 
a 16-MHz 68000 they'd like to loan me? 
Robert S. Pariseau 
Santa Clara, CA 

Europeans Left Out 

of the Telecommunications 

Revolution 

Although 1 agree with the tenor of your 
May editorial ("Let Our Modems Go"), 
there are some misunderstandings: 

First, you are mixing international tele- 
phone fees with Datex-P fees. Only one 
of those applies to a given connection. 

Second, although modem leasing is ex- 
pensive, a Datex-P20 (PAD connection via 
your own line) is not much more expen- 
sive than a modem alone. The U.S. Air 
Force in Geilenkirchen uses this. A Datex-P 
line costs 130 deutsche marks (about $57) 
per month and DM 200 for first-time in- 
stallation. This is cheaper than compar- 
able U.S. prices. 

By the way. modems are part of the 
monopoly situation of the Bundespost. 
This will probably change quickly because 
of a lawsuit against the government. 

So modems of some kind will become 
available on the free market after being ap- 
proved (and having received a license 
number) by the ZZF (part of the 
Bundespost). 

Technical problems: When I say 
"modems" 1 do not mean those units avail- 
able in the U.S. The modems to which I 

(continued) 



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refer use the CCITT conventions. So there 
will not be a direct market for Hayes- 
compatible modems here, 1 think. 

A further complication is the different 
tone systems used in European nations. 

Third, you can get into the network in 
several ways: 

By telephone: A call to the PAD (one of 
17 locations) is DM 0.23 for 0.5 to 12 
minutes, depending on distance, plus DM 
0.06 per minute telephone access costs. 

By Datex-P line: If you own a Datex-P 
line, using the Post PAD facilities costs DM 
0.05 per minute, plus: 

By Datex-PIO line: If you have an X.2 5 
equipment/line, it costs DM 0.20 per 
minute to the U.S. and DM 0.016 per seg- 
ment, plus: 

Any connection costs are DM 0.05 extra. 
Also, a segment is not a kilocharacter but 
64 bytes or a packet, whichever comes 
first. This means an empty carriage return 
costs 1.6 pfennigs! 

That last one is a difficulty Europeans 
(not just Germans) have with U.S. hosts, 
which sometimes echo single characters. 
This is extremely expensive for us. The 
next problem: Reversing charges does not 
work on international lines, but most of 
the U.S. hosts depend on this and charge 
users with connection fees, which they 
have already paid to their local authorities. 
So we have to pay twice for CIS, BIX, The 
Source, etc. And no one understands our 
problems, because all those companies 
think the whole world is just like the U.S. 
It is not! 

If there is any way I can help you in 
learning the German (Austrian, Swiss) tele- 
communications networks, please don't 
hesitate to ask. 

Matthias R. Mohr 

RMI Aachen 

Aachen, West Germany 

1 thoroughly approve of, and appreciate, 
your editorial titled "Let Our Modems Go." 
I talked with some people in Belgium and 
France and quickly realized that the local 
PTT monopolies prevented them from 
joining the telecommunications revolu- 
tion. Now I am moving from the Universi- 
ty of Maryland into a permanent academic 
job in Geneva, Switzerland, and 1 am 
almost certain that I won't be able to con- 
nect from home to the mainframe any 
longer or pick up public domain software 
from a local bulletin board. 

Furthermore, as teleconferences will 
surely become the new way of American 
academic communication in the near 
future (see the June 1984 BYTE), how long 
will 1 be left out of this development 

(continued) 



18 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 206 



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SixPakPremium and SuperPak trademarks of AST Research, Inc. IBM registered 
trademark of International Business Machines Corp. Lotus and 1-2-3 registered 
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Oflice Systems. WordStar registered trademark of MicroPro International Corp. 
dBASE II and dBASE 111 registered trademarks and Framework trademark of Ashton- 
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All rights teserved. 




R€S€RRCH INC. 



LETTERS 



because of my move to Europe? If you 
know of any people or institutions in 
Geneva who are pushing to reform the 
system, please kindly send me their 
address so I can add my voice to theirs. 
Franklin Mendels 
Columbia, MD 

1 have been a longtime reader (and off- 
and-on subscriber) for many years now. 
Never has an issue arisen that has affected 
me to the point where I thought I had to 



write. Until now. I've lived in France for two 
years and am scheduled to remain for an- 
other seven. I would like to share with you 
the horror story of access to BIX from 
France. This could explain why you might 
hear from me on BIX next summer, but 
not before. 

You may use any 300- or 1200-baud 
modem that you can buy, as long as it has 
a French PTT agreement number. 

You may use any telephone line as long 
as it corresponds to your name and ad- 



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dress on the application form (i.e., no 
using your friend's computer). 
Now let's talk bucks: 

• 70 francs (about $10) one-time registra- 
tion fee. 

• 70 francs per month subscription. 

• 0.77 franc per 20 minutes (local calls to 
server). 

• 1.50 francs per minute (correct time to 
server), or about $12.86 per hour. 

• 43 francs (about $6) per 64K bytes trans- 
mitted. 

Help! 

Anyhow, I took the liberty of sending 
photocopies of your editorial to the direc- 
tor of Network Services for the PTT. 
Jacques Chirac (new prime minister and 
minister of telecommunications). Not that 
any of this does any good. The only peo- 
ple who use large networks are rich com- 
panies. Right? Hah! 

Keep up the good work at BYTE. (Some 
day I'll share with you the horror story of 
how long it takes the local bookstore to 
get BYTE, but as long as my subscription 
comes early. . .) 

Name Withheld 
Paris, France 

CRT Radiation 

In the May letters column ("CRTs Are Safe," 
page 24), William G. Nabor stated, "In my 
1 2 years as a health physicist ... I have yet 
to measure any ionizing radiation from any 
CRT, old or new, color or monochrome." 
Mr. Nabor further claimed that ". . .CRls 
do not emit hazardous radiation. Period. 
Any claim to the contrary is misleading to 
the point of fraud." Perhaps Mr. Nabor 
should have stated that CRTs do not emit 
hazardous levels of radiation. He has not 
identified the radiation-monitoring instru- 
ments he has used to check CRTs. I have 
detected radiation from color CRTs by 
means of simple Geiger counters that 1 de- 
signed and built. I have also used a com- 
mercial Geiger counter for this purpose. 
Though the radiation level from CRTs is 
very low, it does exceed the background 
count. For example, the background count 
inside my office is typically 17 events per 
minute. The counts at the glass surfaces 
of two different color CRTs I checked are 
28 and 35 events per minute. These 
counts are so very low that there is no 
cause for alarm. Indeed, a brick tile 1 
checked generated 40 events per minute 
and a thorium mantle from a camping 
lantern registered a much more potent 0.3 
milliroentgens per hour. 

Incidentally, it is a simple matter to con- 
nect a Geiger counter to a computer to 
generate random numbers. One such pro- 

[cont'inued] 



20 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 119 



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LETTERS 



cedure is described in detail in Forrest 
Mims's Computer Projects (Osborne/McGraw- 
Hill, 1985). I will explain at length how to 
use a computer-enhanced Geiger counter 
to make long-term measurements of very 
low-level radiation, including that emitted 
from CRTS, in a future installment of my 
column in Modem Electronics. 

Forrest M. Mims, III 
Seguin, TX 

Shortcomings of Modula-2 

"Modula-2 As a Systems Programming 
Language" by Ryn C. Corbeil and Anne H. 
Anderson (May) is an interesting overview 
of some of the features of the language. 
Modula does indeed provide some fea- 
tures that are useful in a "bit-banging" en- 
vironment and allows access to the bare 
iron when necessary. Whether or not it will 
displace Pascal is problematic, given that 
the better Pascal implementations provide 
many of the Modula mechanisms as ex- 
tensions to elementary Pascal. 

Corbeil and Anderson did not address 
the suitability of Modula for other than 
system programming, nor did they discuss 
Modula's shortcomings as a programming 
language, regardless of the application 



area. Modula does have a fix for Pascal's 
conformant array problem, for instance. 
Unfortunately, the fix only extends to 
single-dimensional arrays. One is still hard 
pressed to produce general-purpose pro- 
cedures that accept an array of strings as 
an argument, for example, unless one of 
the dimensions is passed as another argu- 
ment, a la FORTRAN. 

The lack of any intrinsic I/O capability 
may also be considered a Modula short- 
coming. The weakness of Pascal's I/O has 
been roundly criticized, but at least a 
rudimentary mechanism exists that often 
suffices, and the mechanism can be (and 
regularly is) extended to something useful. 
Modula gives you nothing to criticize, nor 
does it give you anything with which to 
work. Library modules are supposed to 
provide the I/O interface, but again, what 
assurance is there of these being ade- 
quate, complete, and having any degree 
of commonality among implementations? 
If one must deal with the bare iron, then 
Modula isn't burdened with excess bag- 
gage, but you are at the mercy of the 
underlying operating system (if any) and 
you had better have a good set of refer- 
ence materials for the hardware and 



operating system. Modula is not for the 
faint of heart. 

I found the letter of Chuck Musciano 
(May, page 14) to be ironically coinciden- 
tal. There are some of us who become 
livid when faced with legislated morality, 
in this case the enforced case-sensitivity 
of identifiers and keywords. Modula's forc- 
ing the use of uppercase characters 
should please Mark Pickerill (February Let- 
ters, page 3 56), but some of us wouldn't 
care if we never saw another uppercase 
character in a source program. Having 
worked in the industry since the days of 
punched cards and uppercase-only 
printers, I've seen enough all-uppercase 
printouts to last the rest of my life. On the 
other hand, C's insistence on lowercase 
alphabetic characters is just as bad. The 
point is that computer programs shouldn't 
be establishing arbitrary requirements. 

In addition to displeasing half or more 
of the users, case-sensitivity lends itself 
to the bad practice of using the same iden- 
tifier capitalized differently to represent 
different variables. The user's manual for 
one implementor's Modula-2 contains 
several examples of this abuse in the ex- 

[continued] 






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Inquiry 34 



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AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 23 



LETTERS 



ample programs, including the use of an 
otherwise reserved word as a procedure 
name. To be "thrashed with a stack of 
listings." as suggested by Mr. Musciano. 
is too kind for the supposed professional 
who perpetrates such a crime. 

E. M Greene 
Ridgecrest CA 

Arguments in C 

I write to correct two inaccuracies in John 
D. Lingers book review of Variations in C 



in the May issue. I will also present an 
argument against a third point of his. 

In what is otherwise a favorable review 
of the book. Mr. Unger raises the criticism 
that examples follow the proposed ANSI 
C standard rather than the Kernighan and 
Ritchie standard. The evidence cited for 
this is the use of enumeration data types 
and the void type for functions that return 
nothing. The interesting fact is that there 
is a page of the UNIX reference manual 
dated November 15. 1978 (actually the 



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V 



same year as that of K&R) defining two ex- . 
tensions to the C language, implemented 
by the portable C compiler, and therefore 
existing on all current UNIX systems. The 
first of these is the ability of a function to 
return a structure, and the second is 
enumeration types. The C compilers on 
UNIX also admit the void declarator, but 
I do not know what year this came out. 

I would also like to take issue with Mr. 
Unger's complaints about the dependence 
on #define and typedef. He claimed that 
heavy use of these reduced readability. I 
am on shaky ground here, not having read 
the subject book, but I would like to make 
some comments on the use of these and 
on good C style for large programs. 

Nobody can argue with the simple ap- 
plication of #define to replace integer 
values with meaningful symbolic equiva- 
lents, for example: 

#define TRUE 1 
#define FALSE 
#define MAXINT 32767 

It is when #define is used to define a pa- 
rameterized macro, as in 

#define putchar(x) putc(x, stdout) 

that debate might arise. It is usually done 
as an efficiency measure to save the over- 
head of a function call. Although the ex- 
ample above, taken from the source of 
4. 2 BSD UNIX, is pretty clear, such macros 
are often relatively unreadable, and the 
calls thereof are not traceable by symbolic 
debuggers. Consider the following horror, 
taken from the same source: 

#define getc(p) ( - - (p) - > cnt> = 0? 

*(p) - >_ptr + + &0377: filbuf(p)) 

In the language C+ + , which is essential- 
ly C extended to have classes, a provision 
was made to specify that member func- 
tions of classes produce in-line code 
where desired, and it was pointed out that 
this provision should reduce the extent to 
which #define is used for the same 
purpose. 

Now a word about typedef. The impor- 
tant, legitimate use of this construct is in 
conjunction with structure, or union, de- 
clarations. In the construction 

struct silly { 

int a; 

char b[6]; 

struct silly *next; 
} s1, s2 

I have declared a structure consisting of an 
integer, an array of six characters, and a 
pointer to an instance of the same struc- 
ture, and declared s1 and s2 to be variables 
that are instances of the structure. The 
[continued on page 339) 



24 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 307 



LANGUAGES THAT ARE CAUSING THE BIGGEST 

PROGRAMMING BACKLOG IN HISTORY ARE ALSO 

EATING NICE BIG HOLES IN OUR POCKETS. 



Whether it's BASIC, COBOL, 
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In the real world, there's pres- 
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less time, and for more clients. 

We've been given some incredibly 
pwerful hardware in recent times, 
but the languages aren't a whole lot 
better than they were 20 years ago. 

So, whatever language you have 
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get you — because it is. 

Sure, no language is perfect, but 
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all I deserve?" 

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New York afternoon. 

Even if you're in Savannah. 

It gives you the power and 
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clarity you would never attempt 
them with any other language. 

Because you would have to 
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SCREENER utility and then 
CLARION writes the source code 
AND compiles it for you in seconds. 

Likewise, you can use 
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Remember, only CLARION can 
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And with no time wasted. 

All the power and facilities you 
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Programs that are easy to use. 

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Inquiry 35 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 25 



Object Lesson 



It's clear that building all new 
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Inquiry 236 






Advanced Digital's PC-Slave is the solution to your 
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Inquiry 5 for End-Users. Inquiry 6 for DEALERS ONLY. 



WHAT'S NEW 



Graphics Package 
Works in Medium 
and High Resolution 

VCN Concorde, an inte- 
grated graphics pro- 
gram, provides tools for 
freehand painting, anima- 
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mixing text and images in 
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It can plot graphs from 
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Inquiry 550. 

The Data General/One 
Model 2 

Data General announced 
a second version of its 
Data General/One portable 
computer. The new model, 
which weighs less than 12 





Images produced using VCN Concorde. 



pounds, is equipped with an 
electroluminescent display 
or a liquid-crystal display 
that, the company claims, 
provides twice the contrast 
of the previous model's LCD. 
Like the first version of the 
portable, the Data General/ 
One Model 2 is compatible 
with the IBM PC. It runs on 
an 80C88 processor and 
comes with 2 56K bytes of 
NMOS RAM (expandable to 
640K) and a 3 l /2-inch floppy 
disk drive. Prices start at 
$2795 for a base configura- 
tion with an electrolumines- 
cent display or $1795 for 
the same configuration with 
an LCD screen. 



The electroluminescent 
screen displays 80 columns 
by 25 lines and 640 by 200 
pixels. The LCD screen also 
displays 80 columns by 25 
lines and features a resolu- 
tion of 640 by 256 pixels. 
According to the company, 
the LCD displays characters 
with a 2:1 height/width ratio, 
which enables it to display 
IBM PC-compatible graphics 
without distortion. The 
Model 2 EL has an optional 
external battery pack that 
reportedly will power the 



system for up to 3 hours; 
with the LCD version, inter- 
nal nickel-cadmium batteries 
provide up to 7 hours of 
power. 

Other standard features of 
the Model 2 include a serial 
and a parallel interface, a 
79-key keyboard, and two 
slots at the rear of the 
machine for expansion 
cards. Among the available 
options are a 10-megabyte 
internal hard disk drive, a 
second 3 /2-inch floppy drive, 
an 8087 math coprocessor, 
an internal 300/1200-bps 
modem, an interface card 
for an external monitor, an 
external 5!4-inch floppy disk 
drive, and an expansion 
chassis that will hold PC- 
compatible expansion cards. 

An LCD unit with two flop- 
py drives sells for $1995; 
with one floppy drive and a 
10-megabyte hard disk drive, 
it costs $2995. An electro- 
luminescent model with two 
floppy drives costs $2995; 
with a floppy and a hard 
disk drive, it sells for $3995. 
The company has also re- 
duced the price of the Data 
General One/Model I from 
$2195 to $1495. Contact 
Data General Corp., 4400 
Computer Dr., Westboro, MA 
01580, (617) 366-8911. 
Inquiry 551. 

Graphics Chips 
from Intel and TI 

Intel has developed a 
graphics coprocessor chip, . 
the 82786. that can manipu- 
late windows and other 
graphics elements as much 
as 100 times faster, the com- 
pany says, than is possible 
through software. Designed 
[continued) 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 29 



WHAT'S NEW 



to work alongside an 8-. 16- 
or 3 2 -bit general-purpose 
processor such as the 8088. 
80286. or 80386. the 16-bit 
82786 is made by the same 
CMOS process as the 80386 
processor. It handles up to 
32 DRAMs in a dedicated 
graphics memory and has 
its own complete DRAM 
controller. 

The chip includes two pro- 
cessors: a graphics pro- 
cessor (GP) and a display 
processor (DP). The system 
processor sends a command 
to the 82786's GP. which 
executes the command and 
updates graphics and text in 
graphics or system memory. 
This execution can run con- 
currently with further pro- 
cessing by the main pro- 
cessor. The DP operates in- 
dependently from the GP: It 
collects bits from memory 
and sends them to display 
devices such as CRls. LCDs, 
and laser printers. 

The GP works with several 
bit maps to perform line 
drawing, color filling, or 
polygon creation. To change 
the size, shape, or informa- 
tion content of a window, 
the processor changes only 
the pointers to the proper 
bit maps. Bit maps in the 
chip's linear. 4-megabyte 
memory can be as much as 
32.000 pixels on a side and 
8 bits deep (for color or 
gray scale). 

According to Intel, the 
82786 working on a 6-MHz 
IBM PC AT with a 640 by 
480 by 8 screen resolution 
shows a speed increase over 
software-driven graphics of 
100 times in line drawing. 
25 times in bit-blitting. and 
15 times in displaying bit- 
map characters. Windowing, 
panning, and scrolling are 
virtually instantaneous. The 
technical specs are: 2.5 
million pixels/second on 
lines and polygons, 2 million 
pixels/second on circles and 
arcs, 24 million bits/second 
for bit-bit, and 30 million 
bits/second for fills. 




TI's TMS34010 is a 32-bit processor for graphics operations. 



The 82786 supports the 
ANSI CGI (Computer Graph- 
ics Interface) standard and 
IBM's CGA (Color Graphics 
Adapter) standard. Ashton- 
Tate. Digital Research. 
Graphic Software Systems 
(GSS), Lotus Development, 
and Microsoft are support- 
ing the chip. 

82786 samples are in the 
hands of hardware design- 
ers, and Intel expects pro- 
duction runs in the fourth 
quarter of 1986. At that 
time, the chip should cost 
approximately $100 in quan- 
tities of 1000 and $80 in 
quantities of 10,000. The 
company foresees the large- 
quantity price eventually 
dropping to approximately 
$50 per chip. Contact Intel 
Corp.. 1900 Prairie City Rd.. 
Folsom, CA 95630. (916) 
351-5000. 
Inquiry 552. 



Texas Instruments has 
released the Software 
Development Board, which 
incorporates the company's 
recently developed 
TMS34010 Graphics System 
Processor (GSP). In addition 
to the GSP processor, the 
Software Development 
Board contains 2 56K bytes 
of multiport display 
memory. 512K bytes of pro- 
gram memory, and the 
TMS34070 Color Palette 
chip with three high-speed 
D/A converters for driving 
analog RGB outputs. The 
board is priced at $3995. 

TI describes the GSP as a 
high-performance (6 MIPS or 
a draw rate of 48 million 
pixels per second) CMOS 
32-bit microprocessor op- 
timized for graphics display 
systems. 

The processor has a 1- 
gigabit address space, ad- 
dressable on bit boundaries 
using variable-width data 
fields. The GSP also features 
31 general-purpose 32-bit 



registers, a 2 56-byte on-chip 
instruction cache, an instruc- 
tion set containing 79 
general-purpose instructions. 
27 specialized variable field 
MOVE instructions, and 23 
graphics instructions, in- 
cluding the specialized 
PIXBLT instructions. 

The PIXBLT instructions 
manipulate pixel data, ac- 
cessed via memory ad- 
dresses or x.y coordinates. 
These instructions provide 
the capability for array and 
raster operations as well as 
individual pixel processing, 
windowing, plane masking, 
and transparency. 

The company is sampling 
the GSP now and plans to 
have large-volume shipments 
of the final version early 
next year. In quantities of 
50.000. the company antici- 
pates a price of about $40: 
in single-unit quantities, the 
chip will cost about $155. 

TI provides hardware and 
software support tools for 
GSP developers. The hard- 
ware consists of a Color 
Graphics Controller Board 
with Debugger interface 
software (an IBM PGA 
emulator) for the TI Profes- 
sional Computer and IBM 
PC and compatibles, as well 
as the Software Develop- 
ment Board, which works 
with the same computers. 

Software tools include a C 
compiler, an assembly sup- 
port package, graphics func- 
tion libraries, and a CGI 
standards package. The C 
compiler is a full-featured 
Kernighan and Ritchie C 
with in-line assembly exten- 
sions. 64-bit IEEE floating 
point, and memory-manage- 
ment run-time support. The 
assembly support package 
includes an assembler, 
linker. ROM utility, software 
simulator, and librarian/ 
archiver. 

Contact Texas Instruments 
Inc., P.O. Box 809066, Dallas. 
TX 75380-9990, (800) 
232-3200. 
Inquiry 553. 

[continued] 



30 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



If you carit put a Hayes modem 

on every PC in your IBM network, 
here's the next best thing. 



f ■: 





ff 



\\ e 






J 



lllllllllllilllll ■ 



! lllllllllllilllll I 



V.V.'.V.'.V.V 





p 



/ * 








(0 1986 Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. 

It's new com munications software 
from Hayes called Smartcom II® for 
the PC Network. 

It lets you share modems. So even 
PC s without their own modems can 
communicate outside the network. 

Before now, if you needed to com- 
municate outside the network, you 
had to physically go to wherever the 
modem was. That, in turn, meant 
bumping the operator off his 
modem-equipped PC, so that you 
could handle your communications. 

Hayes Smartcom II for the PC 
Network puts an end to all the delay 
and inconvenience. Now, when a 
PC needs the modem, the user is 
automatically connected from his 
own desk. So communications 



capabilities are immediately avail- 
able to everyone on your network, 
whether their PC has a modem or not. 

You only buy one software pack- 
age per modem. The workstation 
part of the software can then be 
duplicated for each PC on the net- 
work, at no extra cost. It's better than 
having a site license! 

Each PC can have its own pass- 
word, define its own log-on proce- 
dures, set its own macros, and use 




Say yes to the future 

Inquiry 128 



*Manuf acturer's estimated retail price. 

all the other outstanding operating 
features of our standard Smartcom II 
while connecting with any of the 
shared modems on the network. 

You get all this for only $599"! 
And it's backed by Hayes, the PC 
communications leader. 

So if you currently utilize, or are 
contemplating adding, IBM PC 
networks, you should also add 
Smartcom II for the PC Network. 
For efficient communications. 
Without delay. 

See your authorized Hayes dealer 
for details. Or contact Hayes at 
404/441-1617. 

Hayes Microcomputer Products, 
Inc., P.O. Box 105203, Atlanta, 
Georgia 30348. 



WHAT'S NEW 



Smalltalk for $99 

Smalltalk/V. an implemen- 
tation of the Smalltalk 
environment for IBM PCs 
and compatibles, comes 
with a Prolog compiler that 
allows integration of object- 
based and rule-based pro- 
gramming techniques. The 
package's graphics capabil- 
ities provide bit and form 
editors for making icons and 
fonts. Each graphical object 
has its own behavior and 
can be linked to other ob- 
jects through the language's 
message-passing paradigm; 
as a result, you can build 
simulations using algorithms 
or rules. 

This version of Smalltalk 
lets you object-swap to a 
hard or RAM disk, which 
means you can write large 
programs (up to 32.000 ob- 
jects and 4 megabytes of 
memory). The package 
comes with a source-level 
debugger; you can check 
and change local variables 
and then resume the pro- 
gram or execution of a par- 
ticular method. 

Smalltalk/V costs $99. Con- 
tact Digitalk Inc.. 5200 West 
Century Blvd.. Los Angeles. 
CA 90045. (213) 645-1082. 
Inquiry 554. 

Object-oriented 
Graphical Modeling 
Program 

Sherrill-Lubinski's Object- 
Oriented Graphical Mod- 
eling System consists of 
software for drawing, ani- 
mating, coloring, or rotating 
pictures and objects. The 
company describes it as a 
tool for programmers who 
are modeling data or view- 
ing it graphically, 'typical ap- 
plications include develop- 
ing real-time process control 
displays, building worksta- 
tions for graphics design, 
and creating graphically 
oriented interfaces. 

OOGMS comes with a 
drawing/editing program 
called SL-Draw; a collection 



of C function calls termed 
the Graphical Modeling 
Function Library; and a 
graphics interpreter, called 
the Graphical Modeling Lan- 
guage Interpreter, for han- 
dling and animating models. 
SL-Draw is $2400 in binary 
form, $6000 in source; the 
function library and the in- 
terpreter are sold as a 
package for $3 500 in binary 
form. $3 5,000 in source. 
Contact Sherrill-Lubinski, 
Suite 110 Hunt Plaza. 240 
lamal Vista Blvd.. Corte 
Madera, CA 94925, (415) 
927-1-724. 
Inquiry 555. 

Amiga Math 
Coprocessor 

Designed for the Com- 
modore Amiga and 
other 68000-based systems, 
the math coprocessor board 
from Netch Computer Prod- 
ucts features a Motorola 
68881 chip and 68010 
microprocessor. The com- 
pany says the board can 
boost the processing speed 
of math-intensive software 
by 300 to 500 percent. 

The board is sold as an in- 
ternal piggyback replace- 
ment for the Amiga's 68000. 
The 68010 runs on the 
68000's system clock, while 
the 68881 operates asyn- 
chronously with a maximum 
clock rate currently at 16.5 
MHz. Because the 68010 is 
not directly compatible with 
the 68881. the company 
provides a software emula- 
tion of the 68020's copro- 
cessor interface, which is in- 
stalled in AmigaDOS. Soft- 
ware libraries for Aztec C 
and Lattice C compilers and 
assembler tools are also in- 
cluded with the board. 

A bare-board kit is priced 
at $149. Assembled and 
tested without the 68881, 
the board costs $269; 
assembled and with the 



68881, the board costs 
$529. The company says the 
board should work in any 
68000-based system with 
adequate board clearance 
and software-accessible trap 
vectors. Contact Netch Com- 
puter Products, P.O. Box 
645, Monrovia, CA 91016, 
(818) 334-1002. 
Inquiry 556. 

DEC'S Engineering 
Workstation 

Digital Equipment Corp. 
introduced the VAXsta- 
tion II/RC. an entry-level 
member of the firm's VAX- 
station series of computers. 
According to the company, 
the workstation is designed 
for applications in elec- 
tronics, mechanical com- 
puter-aided design, software 
development, computer- 
aided software engineering, 
technical publishing, and 
others that require compu- 
tation-intensive performance 
and networking. 

The workstation is based 
on DEC'S MicroVAX II 32-bit 
processor and is available in 
configurations with 3 mega- 
bytes and 5 megabytes of 
RAM, priced at $14,995 and 
$16,995, respectively. Both 
versions of the workstation 
are equipped with a 19-inch 
monochrome monitor with 
1024 by 864 resolution, a 
71-megabyte hard disk and 
disk controller, an Ethernet 
interface, a 95-megabyte 
streaming tape drive, a 
video controller, a keyboard, 
and a three-button mouse. 
The workstation supports 
the MicroVMS and ULTRIX- 
32m (DEC'S implementation 
of UNIX) operating systems; 
a license for one of these 
operating systems is in- 
cluded in the system price. 

Fully compatible with the 
company's line of VAX com- 
puters, the workstation can 
be linked with the systems 
via Digital's network. Contact 
Digital Equipment Corp., 
Maynard, MA 01754-2 571. 
Inquiry 557. 



Smalltalk-80 
for IBM PC AT 

Softsmarts has combined 
its ST80 "virtual ma- 
chine" with Xerox's "virtual 
image" to put Smalltalk on 
the IBM PC AT. The com- 
bination converts the AT in- 
to a fully functional 
Smalltalk-80 version 2 
workstation with as much as 
2 megabytes of memory 
space and a 640 by 350 bit- 
mapped graphics interface. 

The company says that be- 
cause it designed the under- 
lying virtual machine specifi- 
cally for the AT. users get 
complete PC-DOS compati- 
bility and the full power of 
the 80286. 

Softsmarts ST80 runs on 
an AT with 640K bytes of 
base memory, at least 512K 
expansion memory (1 mega- 
byte preferred), an IBM 
Enhanced Graphics Adapter, 
a Mouse Systems three- 
button mouse, and a mono- 
chrome or IBM enhanced 
color monitor. An 80287 
math coprocessor enhances 
performance. The system 
can run on an AT with a 
single 1.2-megabyte floppy 
drive, but a hard disk is 
needed for full source 
browsing. ST80 for the AT 
costs $995. Contact Soft- 
smarts Inc.. 4 Skyline Dr., 
Woodside. CA 94062. (415) 
327-8100. 
Inquiry 5 58. 

Drives Work with 
Apples and Macs 

The ProAPP 10 and Pro- 
APP 20. 10-megabyte 
and 20-megabyte hard disk 
drives, can be used with 
Apple II and Macintosh 
computers without the need 
for changing or adding disk 
controllers. Moving a drive 
from one Apple machine to 
another requires disconnect- 
ing the subsystem from the 
first, reconnecting it to the 
second with the appropriate 
[continued) 



32 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Book your trip 
from start to finish. 




All on your own PC. 



Now you can get quick information and immediate 
reservations for flights, hotels and rental cars with EAASY 
SABRE, the American Airlines personal reservations system. 

EAASY SABRE lets you look directly at schedules and 
fares, 24 hours a day On any type of PC that has a modem 
or on any kind of communicating terminal. And, all the 
help you need is available on line. 

This special service will showyou flights for over 650 
airlines worldwide. And the quickest routes to almost 
any place you want to go. 

It will also showyou more than 13,000,000 fares. Our 
exclusive Bargain Finder SM feature assures that you'll get 
die lowest possible fares available for die seats you book. 

In addition, you can reserve a room at more than 
12,000 hotels — by name, by price or by location. You 
can also confirm a car from over 20 rental car compa- 
nies. Look at your personal Advantage® account. And 
even check die weather in the city you'll be visiting. 

Once your reservations are booked, EAAST SABRE 
lets you decide where to pick up die ticket — from your 
SABRE Automated Travel Agency or Corporate Travel 



Office, at the airport, at an American Airlines City Ticket 
Office, by mail or from any other American Airlines 
authorized distribution channel. 

Access the worlds most sophisticated travel automa- 
tion system. It's that simple. And economical. Because 
diere's currently no surcharge for using EAASY SABRE. You 
just need to subscribe to one of die data networks listed. 
For more information on subscribing to a network, call: 
Dialcom, Inc. 
1-800-258-3311 
General Electric Information Services Company 

1-800-433-3683 

QuantumLink (for Commodore computers only) 

1-800-392-8200 



( EAASY ) 

SABRE 



AAdvantage® is a reg&cred service mark of American Airlines, Inc. 

AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 



33 



WHAT'S NEW 



cabling, and then reconfigur- 
ing an 8-pin DIP switch on 
the bottom of the drive. 

The drives attach to the 
floppy disk ports on the 
Apple lle/llc and 128K and 
512K Macintoshes or the 
SCSI port on the Macintosh 
Plus. You can use the drives 
to transfer text files between 
lis and Macs, the company 
says. The drives also include 
a printer/spooler interface 
that's compatible with the 
Apple Imagewriter. 

The ProAPP I sells for 
$795; the ProAPP-20 costs 
$995. For more information, 
contact ProAPP Inc.. 1475 
South Bascom Ave.. Suite 
101. Campbell. CA 95008. 
(408) 559-35 52. 
Inquiry 559. 

CAD in Three 
Dimensions 

T&W Systems has devel- 
oped a module that 
works with the company's 
VersaCAD Advanced for 
three-dimensional computer- 
aided design. VersaCAD 3D 
is a true three-dimensional 
surface modeling system 
that accomplishes geometric 
design in x, y, and z coor- 
dinate space, absolute or 
relative; isometric and 
perspective views include 
real 3D lengths rather than 
lengths created by 2D con- 
version. T&W says. 

Cones, cylinders, spheres, 
and boxes are among the 
primitives in the package. 
They can be rotated about 
the x. y, and z axes, and 
most can be shown as par- 
tial objects. The program 
has four display modes: 
sketch, for a quick preview 
showing only front vectors; 
wireframe, which shows all 
vectors; hidden line removal, 
which cleans up the design; 
and hidden line conversion, 
which displays hidden lines 
as dotted ones. 

VersaCAD 3D runs on IBM 
PCs and compatibles. It 




VersaCAD 3D adds 3D modeling to VersaCAD Advanced. 



costs $495. Contact T&W 
Systems Inc.. 7372 Prince 
Dr.. Suite 106. Huntington 
Beach. CA 92647. (714) 
847-9960. 
Inquiry 560. 

Sony's Still-Video 
Recording System 

Sony's ProMavica system, 
a still-frame video re- 
corder, is designed for 
recording, storing, and 
manipulating video images 
on 2-inch still-video floppy 
disks. According to the com- 
pany, the system can con- 
nect with IBM PC-compat- 
ible computers, allowing you 
to store computer-generated 
text and color graphics and 
mix them with video images 
on the floppy disks. The 
system enables you to dis- 
play the images on a moni- 
tor, project them on a wall, 
or transfer them to hard 
copy. The system also lets 
you generate computer- 
controlled video presenta- 
tions that can be reordered, 
edited, duplicated, and com- 
bined with other audio/ 
visual media. 

On each video 2-inch disk, 
the ProMavica unit can re- 
cord 50 frames of still-video 
pictures or 2 5 frames with 
double the vertical resolu- 
tion and with up to 360 
lines of horizontal resolu- 



tion. The recorder can ac- 
cess images, which are 
keyed with a 6-digit code, in 
2 seconds or less. 

The system is compatible 
with all composite video 
and analog/digital RGB 
signals from computers, 
cameras, videodisks. and TV 
tuners. The RGB input con- 
nector on the back of the 
unit works with IBM PC- 
compatible computers. The 
recorder has an RS-232C 
port as well as two 6-pin 
remote control ports for the 
company's Program Editing 
Controller, which enables 
you to make dubs between 
two recorders. 

The ProMavica Still Video 
Recorder is priced at $3400; 
10 video floppy disks sell 
for $100. Contact Sony Corp. 
of America. 9 West 57th St.. 
New York. NY 10019. (212) 
418-9470 or (201) 930-6432. 
Inquiry 561. 

Networking Atari STfc 
and IBM PCs 

BMB Compuscience 
Canada released a ver- 
sion of its Imaginet network 
that connects IBM PCs and 
Atari Sis. The network runs 
at speeds of up to 2 
megabits per second and 
can transmit data over 
distances of up to 1 500 feet 



on either side of the server. 
Longer distances can be 
achieved by adding re- 
peaters to the cable. 

Up to 63 workstations can 
be supported by a dedi- 
cated disk and print server, 
which must be a PC- 
compatible computer with a 
hard disk. The server itself 
can be a workstation on a 
higher-level Imaginet net- 
work. Workstations in the 
network have access to 
several simulated disk drives 
and a simulated printer, 
which are resident on the 
server. 

The network costs $900 
for the first IBM PC. $800 
for each additional IBM PC. 
and $500 for each Atari ST. 
Contact BMB Compuscience 
Canada Ltd.. 500 Steeles 
Ave.. Milton. Ontario. 
Canada L9T 3P7. (416) 
876-4741. 
Inquiry 562. 

Public Domain, 
User-Supported 
Programs on CD-ROM 

PC-SIG. a clearinghouse 
for public domain and 
user-supported software, is 
selling a CD-ROM optical 
disk holding 490 "volumes" 
(equivalent to 490 floppy 
disks) of applications and 
utilities for PC- and MS-DOS 
machines. The collection 
covers word-processing, 
communications, accounting, 
and programming software. 
Educational programs, 
games, printer utilities, 
languages, and BASIC devel- 
opment tools round out the 
disk. 

The CD-ROM collection 
costs $195; you're asked to 
send a donation to authors 
of programs that perform 
"satisfactorily." PC-SIG also 
sells a Hitachi CD-ROM 
player. PC controller, ca- 
bling, and software drivers 
for $995. Contact PC-SIG 
Inc.. 1030D East Duane Ave.. 
Sunnyvale. CA 94086. (408) 
730-9291. 
Inquiry 563. 

(continued) 



34 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 




Enhancer™... EGA card, $399 



The EVEREX Enhancer is the 
IBM compatible EGA card 
that delivers value with price, 
performance, and features! 
No Options Needed. 
With other EGA cards you have to 
pay extra for options like 256K 
screen memory and a parallel 
printer port. With the Enhancer 
these features are standard and 
there are no extras to buy. 



11 Display Modes 

There's 16 colors from a palette 
of 64 in 640x350 resolution. Text 
is displayed in readable 8x14 
character format in text mode. 
And the Enhancer's monochrome 
mode can support monochrome 
graphics on a monochrome 
monitor. In addition to 6 EGA 
modes and a monochrome mode, 
there's 4 color modes. 



1-800-821-0806 1-800-821-0807 

In California 
48431 Milmont Dr. 
Fremont, CA 94538 
(415) 498-1111 



MERE 



EVER for Excellence 



Enhancer is a trademark of EVEREX SYSTEMS. INC. IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines Corp. 



Inquiry 108 for End-Users. Inquiry 109 for DEALERS ONLY. 



Software Switched 

The Enhancer comes with 
EGMODE menu-driven software 
that lets you change display 
modes, even monitors, without 
opening your chassis, with the 
push of a button. Useful help 
windows take all the mystery out 
of each possible display mode. 
The Perfect Adapter 
For enhanced color graphics, 
monochrome text, and standard 
color text and graphics, the 
EVEREX Enhancer is the perfect 
adapter to pair up with your 
software library. Call your local 
dealer for a demo, or call EVEREX 
to get all the facts on our new 
line of video adapters. 

AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 35 



WHAT'S NEW 



SYSTEMS 



Two-Board 
Multiuser System 

Am pro has released a 
two-board computer 
that offers multitasking, 
multiuser capabilities. The 
two-board set occupies 
nearly the same space as a 
half-height 5!4-inch disk 
drive, according to the 
company. 

The set consists of the Lit- 
tle Board/186 single-board 
computer and an Expansion/ 
186 daughterboard. The 
boards include an 8-MHz 
80186 microprocessor, I 
megabyte of RAM. I28K 
bytes of EPROM. four serial 
ports, a floppy disk con- 
troller, an SCSI port and a 
printer port, an 8087 math 
coprocessor, a battery- 
backed clock, and an I/O ex- 
pansion bus. The boards 
support RS-232C or RS-422 
asynchronous or synchro- 
nous serial protocols. 

The two-board set sells for 
$895 without a math copro- 
cessor, which costs an addi- 
tional $119. A two-user 
($2 50) or four-user ($300) 
version of Concurrent DOS 
4.1 for the Ampro hardware 
is also available. For more 
information, contact Ampro 
Computers Inc.. 67 East 
Evelyn Ave. Mountain View, 
CA 94041. (415) 962-0230. 
Inquiry 564. 

System for Scientists 
and Engineers 

Compatible with the IBM 
PC AT, the System 488 
computer is designed 
specifically for use by scien- 
tists and engineers. The 
system runs on an 8-MHz 
80286 microprocessor and 
comes with 5I2K bytes of 
RAM. a serial and a parallel 
port, an IEEE-488 interface 
card, a hard disk and floppy 
disk controller, and a 1.2- 
megabyte floppy disk drive. 
An enhanced graphics dis- 




The System 488 comes with an IEEE-488 interface and specialized 
software. 



play adapter for color or 
monochrome monitors and 
a monochrome monitor are 
also standard features with 
the base model. 

In addition to MS-DOS 3.1 
and BASIC, software bun- 
dled with the computer in- 
cludes SuperKey, PC-Write. 
HP-85 graphics emulation, 
and application programs 
for use with digital oscillo- 
scopes, IEEE-488 printers 
and plotters, and other com- 
mon instruments such as 
digitizers and digital volt- 
meters. According to the 
company, about 90 files are 
provided on disk, including 
source code. 

Expansion options include 
an additional 5I2K bytes of 
RAM. I28K bytes of ROM. a 
second floppy drive, an 
enhanced color monitor, 
and three serial ports. 
System configurations with 
20-. 30-. or 40-megabyte 
hard disks and a profes- 
sional color monitor are 
also available. 

Priced at $3980. the sys- 
tem runs IBM PC-compat- 
ible software and the UNIX 
operating system. Contact 
Capital Equipment Corp., 99 



South Bedford St. #107. 
Burlington. MA 01803. (617) 
273-1818. 
Inquiry 565. 

Networking AT 
Compatible 

The A* Star, an IBM PC 
AT-compatible com- 
puter from Wells American, 
is "network-ready," according 
to the company. The com- 
puter incorporates multiuser 
circuitry that enables it to 
connect to up to 255 units 
when used with the firm's 
Network Adapter card. 

The A*Star is based on a 
6- and 8-MHz 80286 micro- 
processor. The machine is 
equipped with 512 K bytes of 
memory (expandable to I 
megabyte on the mother- 
board), a 1.2 -megabyte flop- 
py disk drive, and a hard 
and floppy disk controller. 
Other features include a 
keyboard, eight available ex- 
pansion slots, and a 
220-watt power supply. The 
computer has space for two 



additional half-height drives. 

The base unit sells for 
$1495; additional configura- 
tions are available. A Net- 
work Adapter card costs 
$295 for A* Star computers 
and $495 for IBM PCs. X'Is. 
ATs. and compatibles. Con- 
tact Wells American. 3243 
Sunset Blvd.. West Columbia. 
SC 29169. (803) 796-7800. 
Inquiry 566. 



Datavue's Single- 
Board Computer 

Datavue 'technical Sys- 
tems announced the 
Datavue 8612. a single- 
board computer that can be 
used to replace an existing 
IBM PC XT motherboard. 
The 8612 comes on a full- 
size expansion card and in- 
cludes an NEC V30 or Intel 
8086-1 microprocessor oper- 
ating at 10 MHz. as well as 
a 16-bit data bus. 

The 8612 is available with 
5I2K bytes of RAM and a 
Master Interconnect Board, 
which can be installed in a 
passive backplane as the 
bus control device for IBM 
PC expansion cards. The 
computer's proprietary ROM 
BIOS, the company says, is 
fully compatible with IBM 
PC hardware and software. 
The 8612 sells for $695. 

The company also an- 
nounced the Datavue Series 
30 computer, which is pow- 
ered by the 86 1 2 single- 
board computer. The base 
model is equipped with an 
IBM PC AT-type keyboard, a 
360K-byte floppy disk drive, 
a Master Interconnect 
Board, a monochrome video 
controller, and a power 
supply. Prices for a mono- 
chrome system start at 
$1695; prices for a system 
with an RGB monitor start at 
$1895. Contact Datavue 
Technical Systems. 43 55 In- 
ternational Blvd.. P.O. Box 
2687. Norcross. GA 30093. 
(404) 564-5783. 
Inquiry 567. 

[continued) 



36 BYTE* AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 204 for End-Users. 

Inquiry 205 for DEALERS ONLY. — * 









Clipper is the fastest dBase III and 
dBase III Plus™ compiler available* 
Nothing else comes close. When 
performance counts, experts rely 
on Clipper for more speed, more 
power,, and more creative '-.freedom. 
You can, too. Call for details. 

• Clipper compiled 
run 2 to 20 times faster. 

• N& rcrvaltk 

• Source code securi 

• User defined functions 

• Arrays. 

• Simple menu commands. 

• Context st: 7i* hive help can be 
included with programs. 

• More fields; more memory 
variables. 

• Call C and Assembly programs. 

• Complete debugging facilities '. 

• Multiple file relationships. 

•IBM PC, XT, A% n?0 
compatible™. 

• Multiuser capability. 



Clipper 



-,* s 



■p 













MNP 



CLIPPER. THE dBASE COMPILER. 

A WINNING PERFORMANCE EVERY TIME. 



Nantucket 



Nantucket Corporation 

5995 South Sepulveda Boulevard 

Culver City, California 90230 

(213) 390-7923 

Outside California call toll-free: 

1-800-251-8438 

dBase, dBase IU, and dBase HI Plus are trademarks 

of Ashton-Tatc, Inc. 

IBM PC. XT. AT. and 3270 are trademarks 

of International Business Machines Corporation. 

Clipper and Nantucket are trademarks 

of Nantucket Corporation. 



WHAT'S NEW 



PERIPHERALS 



Removable 
Hard Disks 

SyQuest announced the 
SQ1500, an external re- 
movable hard disk sub- 
system that provides up to 
90 megabytes of fixed and 
removable storage for IBM 
PCs. X r Is. AIs. and com- 
patibles. The SQ1 500 is 
available with single or dual 
5 14-inch 1 5-megabyte re- 
movable drives; with a 
4 5-megabyte fixed drive and 
a 1 5-megabyte removable 
drive; or with two 4 5-mega- 
byte fixed drives. 

The company reports that 
the subsystem transfers data 
at 7.5 megabits per second. 
A controller, utility software, 
two removable hard disks, 
cables, and mounting brack- 
ets come with the unit. 

The company also sells 
the SQ319, an internal ver- 
sion of the SQ1500. It fea- 
tures a 5 14-inch 1 5-megabyte 
removable hard disk drive 
and includes a controller, 
utility software, and installa- 
tion hardware. 

Prices for the SQ1 500 start 
at $2499; the SQ319 kit is 
$1395. Contact SyQuest, 
47923 Warm Springs Blvd.. 
Fremont, CA 94539, (415) 
490-7511. 
Inquiry 568. 

Universal 
Development Lab 

Orion Instruments' 
UniLab II. a develop- 
ment system for computer- 
aided engineering, connects 
to IBM PCs and compatibles 
and provides support for 
more than 120 microproces- 
sor types. The system com- 
bines an advanced 48 chan- 
nel bus-state analyzer, a 
real-time in-circuit emulator 
that uses a target micropro- 
cessor for code execution, a 
stimulus generator for 
special test cases, and a 
built-in EPROM programmer. 





^ A 


mm 


«^^j| mr 



The UniLab II. a development system for CAE. 



Like the firm's original 
Universal Development 
Laboratory, the UniLab 11 
can be used for program- 
ming 2708 through 27256 
EPROMs. 

According to the company, 
the device can be used on 
virtually any 8- or 16-bit 
microprocessor. Personality 
Paks are also available for 
specific microprocessor 
types and include cables 
and software. 

The standard UniLab 11-32 
with 32 K bytes of emulation 
memory is priced at $4980 
and works with processors 
running at speeds of up to 
10 MHz. A model with 128K 
of memory works with pro- 
cessors operating at up to 
13 MHz and costs $6080. A 
Personality Pak for an 8-bit 
processor typically costs 
$575; for a 16-bit processor. 
$675. The UniLab II runs 
under PC-DOS 3.1 or later 
on IBM PCs or compatibles 
with a minimum of 256K 
bytes of RAM and two flop- 
py disk drives. Contact 
Orion Instruments Inc.. 702 
Marshall St.. Redwood City 
CA 94063. (800) 245-8500; 
in California, (415) 361-8883. 
Inquiry 569. 



Professional 
Graphics 'tablet 

he Professional Series 
graphics tablet from 
Summagraphics works with 
the IBM PC and compatibles 
and the Macintosh. The 18- 
by 12 -inch tablet has a 
resolution of 1000 lines per 
inch, and the tablet's active 
area can accommodate a B- 
size drawing or two A-size 
sheets of paper, 

The Professional Series 
comes with an interface 
cable, stylus, four-button cur- 
sor, and power supply. 

The tablet costs $995. 
Contact Summagraphics 
Corp.. 777 State St. Exten- 
sion, Fairfield, CT 06430. 
(203) 384-1344. 
Inquiry 570. 

Ink-jet Printer 
from HP 

Hewlett-Packard's Quietjet 
Plus ink-jet printer of- 
fers draft and near-letter- 
quality printing. It works 
with the IBM PC. XT. AT, 



and compatibles, as well as 
the Apple II series and Mac- 
intosh computers. 

According to the company, 
the wide-carriage printer 
operates at 40 characters 
per second for near letter 
quality, and 160 cps 
(10-pitch) and 192 cps 
(12-pitch) for draft quality. It 
offers three graphics resolu- 
tions: 96 by 96 dots per 
inch. 192 by 96 dpi, and 
192 by 192 dpi. 

The Quietjet handles 
tractor-feed and cut-sheet 
paper in widths from 5 to 
1 5 inches. It features 
RS-232C and Cent onics in- 
terfaces and comes with 
Hewlett-Packard's Printer 
Command Language. 

The Quietjet costs $799. 
For more information, con- 
tact Hewlett-Packard. 1820 
Embarcadero Rd.. Palo Alto. 
CA 94303, (800) 367-4772. 
Inquiry 571. 



Low-Cost Network 

Designed to work with 
IBM PCs and compat- 
ibles, Macintoshes, and 
other computers, the Micro- 
link network can connect up 
to 255 computers and pe- 
ripherals capable of com- 
municating asynchronously 
through a V.24/RS-232C or 
current loop interface. The 
network consists of twisted- 
pair cables and connector 
units, one of which is re- 
quired for each peripheral 
or port. Each connector 
costs approximately $520. 

According to the manufac- 
turer, the network can 
operate over distances up to 
1200 meters. It uses a trans- 
mission rate of 125K bits 
per second, which permits 
more than 10 simultaneous 
connections at 9600K bits 
per second. 

For more information, con- 
tact Tech TTade ab. Box 197, 
191 23 Sollentuna. Sweden. 
08-92 01 35. 
Inquiry 572. 

[continued) 



38 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



QINIX vs 




What do QNX and UNIX have to do with 
architectural design? 

The design determines the environment in which you 
and your applications must survive. If the shear weight 
of the UNIX operating system brings the PC to its knees, 
all applications running under it will suffer. Unix was 
conceived more than a decade and a half ago and the 
product today \s the result of modifications, additions 
and patches by hundreds of programmers. The result \s a 
large and convoluted piece of software which needs the 
resources of an AT or more. 

QNX's superb performance and compact size \s the result of 
one dedicated design team with a common purpose, and 
complete understanding of both the software and the 
environment in which it must run. It runs quickly and 
efficiently on PC's and soars on an AT. Unlike Unix, QNX is 
capable of real time performance and is the undisputed 
choice for real time process control, and office systems. You 
can buy an OS that offers you a 1 to 3 user dead end on 
an AT, OR, you can consider QNX which allows you 
anywhere from I to 10 users on both PC's and AT's. And 
we don't stop there. Unlike other Unix-type systems for 
PC's, QNX is also a networked operating system. Not a 
patch-on network, but a fully integrated networking system 
for up to 255 micros. QNX allows you to start with a 
single machine and grow if and as required. There are no 
dedicated file servers and you can attach terminals (users) 
to any machine. To choose a solution which ignores 
networking, is closing the door on your future. 

Everyone is talking about Unix like systems, but no one 
wants to abandon the tremendous amount of DOS 
software available. QNX does not force you to make that 
decision. You can run either PC DOS 2.1 or 3.1™ as one of 
QNX's many tasks. (DOS File compatibility and DOS 
development tools are also available). Don't misunderstand 
us. We at Quantum have a great deal of respect for Unix. It 
was a major force in moving operating systems out of the 
!960's and into the 70's. QNX however, was designed in 



the 80's and will be a driving force of the ?990's. Over 
20,000 systems have been sold since 1982. 

Quantum strongly believes that there are good reasons for 
buying QNX, DOS and Unix. If you want more than DOS 
and a working alternative to PC Unix, give us a call and we 
will discuss your needs. 

End-Users, VAR's, OEM's and software developers are 
invited to take the QNX challenge. 

• MULTI-USER: -1 serial terminals per PC, AT. 

• MULTI-TASKING: -40 tasks per PC AT. 

• NETWORKING: -255 machines. 

-up to 1 0,000 tasks and 2000 

users/network. 
-2.5 Megabit token ring. 

-2800 task switches/sec (AT). 

-Intertask communication between 
any of 1000s of tasks on any 



• REAL TIME: 

• MESSAGE PASSING: 

• MEMORY: 

• PC DOS: 

• C Compiler: 

• Flexibility: 



Support: 



• COST: 



• HARDWARE SUPPORT: 




machine. 

-88K to 11 OK for QNX. 

-Executes as a task under QNX. 

-Standard Kernlghan and Ritchie. 

-Single machine or networked. 
One to thousands of users. Full 
resource sharing of disks and 
devices on all machines. 

-Online update system allows 
downloading of new releases 
over the phone. 

-Technical support hot line. 

-From US S450 

-Call for runtime prices. 

-IBM PC, XT, AT™ (both real 
& protected) and compatibles. 

i J t VJ..L X. « 

M w _ « k ■■ ma ar m * m 

m 1 1 se as! i wksh 1 3 fern; 




Moodie Drive HiTech Park 215 Stafford Rd. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. K2H 9CJ Phone (613) 726-1893 

IBM PC. AT. XT AND PG-DOS ARE REG. TM OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. UNIX IS A REG. TM OF AT&T BELL LABS 

Inquiry 247 



WHAT'S NEW 



PERIPHERALS 



AST's Hard Disk 
with Tkpe Backup 

AST Research announced 
an external 314-inch 
hard disk and tape backup 
subsystem for the Macintosh 
Plus and Apple He. The 
AST-2000. which uses an 



SCSI port, incorporates a 
20-megabyte hard disk drive 
and a 20-megabyte cartridge 
tape drive. The Macintosh 
Plus version of the unit can 
be expanded to 60 mega- 
bytes. 

The company reports that 
the disk's transfer rate is 5 



megabytes per second; the 
tape's is 500K bytes, and it 
backs up 20 megabytes in 8 
minutes. The tape drive 
allows file-by-file backup and 
restore operations. 

The AST-2000 connects to 
the Mac Plus via cable and 
to the Apple He with a 



cable and a controller card 
that plugs into an I/O slot. 
The system costs $2795; if 
purchased separately, the 
tape drive is $1695. Contact 
AST Research Inc.. 2121 
Alton Ave, Irvine, CA 92714, 
(714) 863-1333. 
Inquiry 573. 



A D D - I N S 



AutoSwitch EGA 

The Autoswitch EGA 
Card from Paradise Sys- 
tems supports IBM's En- 
hanced Graphics Adapter 
and other display modes 
and automatically switches 
to the appropriate mode 
depending on the software 
being used. The half-slot 
card includes 2 56K bytes of 
memory and supports Color 
Graphics Adapter. Mono- 
chrome Display Adapter, 
Hercules graphics, and Plan- 
tronics ColorPlus display 
modes. 

Suggested retail price is 
$599. For more information, 
contact Paradise Systems 
Inc.. 217 East Grand Ave., 
South San Francisco, CA 
94080, (415) 588-6000. 
Inquiry 574. 



Dual-Tasking 
lUrbo Board 

The Bi-Tlirbo board, an 
accelerator board from 
Alloy Computer Products, 
offers dual-tasking capabil- 
ities for IBM PCs. XTfc. ATs, 
and compatibles. The board 
has an 8-MHz NEC V20 
microprocessor. 640K bytes 
of RAM for applications pro- 
grams, 256K bytes of RAM 
for disk caching, and a 
COM2 port for use by the 
second task. It comes with 
Alloy's proprietary BTNX 
software that can control 
two tasks from the com- 
puter's keyboard and 
monitor. 
According to the company, 



the board is based on the 
multiuser technology incor- 
porated in the firm's 
Slave/16 boards. The Bi- 
Tlirbo sells for $995. For 
more information, contact 
Alloy Computer Products 
Inc., 100 Pennsylvania Ave., 
Framingham, MA 01701, 
(617) 875-6100. 
Inquiry 575. 

Data Acquisition 
Processor 

The Data Acquisition Pro- 
cessor installs in a 
single slot in an IBM PC or 
compatible and offers real- 
time processing of analog 
data, according to Microstar 
Laboratories, the product's 
manufacturer. 

The board has an 8-MHz 
80186 microprocessor. 128K 
RAM. and one serial port. It 
features a 16-channel analog 
section with a program- 
mable gain amplifier, dual 
sample and hold circuits, a 
1 6-bit A/D converter, and an 
8-bit analog output port. 
The board's 64- by 16-bit 
FIFO and direct memory ac- 
cess allow it to run real-time 
computations while the host 
computer operates other ap- 
plications simultaneously. 
The board also has a multi- 
processing operating system 
that handles control and 
communication functions. 

The Data Acquisition Pro- 
cessor sells for $2500. Con- 
tact Microstar Laboratories 
Inc., 2863 152nd Ave. NE. 



Redmond. WA 98052, (206) 

881-4286. 

Inquiry 576. 

Graphics Card for 
IBM RT PC 

Microfield Graphics' T4 
Color Graphics Con- 
troller card plugs into a 
single slot on the IBM RT 
PC's peripheral bus and pro- 
vides high-speed 1024 by 
800. 4-plane color graphics. 
The T4's proprietary archi- 
tecture uses the 2901 bit- 
slice processor chip. 

The board supports the 
ANSI CGI interface and 
works with applications on 
the RT's RISC processor or 
the optional DOS coproces- 
sor. Applications can access 
the line drawing, polygon 
and text manipulation, bit- 
bit (bit block transfer), and 
window-management micro- 
code of the T4 directly from 
subroutines written in C. 
Microfield's terminal emula- 
tor for the T4 lets the board 
act as a console device for 
the RT's AIX (Advanced In- 
teractive Executive) operat- 
ing system. 

The T4 costs $2850 and 
works with the IBM RT PC 
or the PC AT and com- 
patibles. The price includes 
a first-level graphics package 
but not the CGI software 
($300/board). The RT sup- 
port package costs $150. 
Contact Microfield Graphics 
Inc.. 8285 Southwest Nimbus 
Ave., Suite 161, Beaverton, 
OR 97005. (503) 626-9393. 
Inquiry 577. 



PC Compatibility for 
Sun Workstations 

The Sun Integrated Per- 
sonal Computer (Sun- 
IPC) from Sun Microsystems 
is a 10-MHz 80286 copro- 
cessor board with I mega- 
byte of memory that pro- 
vides Sun workstations with 
IBM PC AT compatibility 
and the ability to run MS- 
DOS applications in a 
window under UNIX. 

The SunlPC. a VMEbus 
board, executes MS-DOS 
color or monochrome ap- 
plications requiring the IBM 
PC AT color graphics 
adapter or the Hercules 
monochrome adapter. The 
board includes one parallel 
port, which allows the use 
of two workstation ports as 
standard serial ports. Op- 
tions include an 8-MHz 
80287 coprocessor and ex- 
ternal 360K-byte and 1.2- 
megabyte floppy drives. The 
accompanying software in- 
cludes MS-DOS 3.1, GW- 
BASIC, file-sharing software 
for the Sun Network File 
System, and utilities. 

The SunlPC board costs 
$1995 in single quantities 
plus $395 for a single-user 
version of the software. A 
multiple-access version is 
available for $995. Site 
licenses are also available. 
Contact Sun Microsystems 
Inc., 2 550 Garcia Ave, 
Mountain View, CA 94043, 
(415) 960-1300. 
Inquiry 578. 

[continued) 



40 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



Multiuser & LAN Solutions 

For IBM PC/XT/AT 




MULTIUSER 

KT-7/PC 2 PC Work-a-like Terminal 
Compatibility: Multilink Advanced 3 , 

PC-Slave/ 16 4 
Display: 80 x 25, IBM PC character 

set, PC look-a-like attributes, 14" 

green or amber 
Keyboard: AT style std. IBM 

scan/ASCII codes. 5161/ATand 

RT style opt. 
Pages of memory: 1 std. 2 or 4 opt. 
Communications: 2 bi-directional 

RS-232C serial (data & printer) 

ports 
Operating systems: works with 

PC-DOS 1 , MS-DOS 5 , QNX 6 , 

UNIX 7 , XENIX 5 , THEOS 8 , PICK 9 , 

and Concurrent DOS 10 . 
Retail price: $695.00 

QUARTET 2 4-port I/O card, 
RS-232C 

Retail price: $299.00 



LAN 

K-Net 2 Local Area Network 

Compatibility: NETBIOS, Token- 
Ring 1 software, (Advanced 
Netware 11 8/86) 

Data Rate: 1 million bps 

Cable: Twisted-pair/phone wire 

Distance: Up to 4000 ft. 

Addressable users: Up to 255 

Physical: Half-sized card 

Operating systems: 

PC-DOSVMS-DOS 5 2.0 or later 

Dedicated file server: Not needed 

Message communication: 
Interactive 

Multiuser solutions supported: 
Multilink Advanced 3 
PC-Slave/16 4 

Other features: electronic mail, net- 
work data management, and 
print spooling 

Retail price: $395.00 



WORKSTATIONS 

KW-l 8088, 4.77 MHz, 512 Kbytes 
Retail price: $995.00 

KW-2 8088-2, 8 MHz, 512 Kbytes 
Retail price $1,195.00 

KW-3 80286, 6 or 8 MHz, 

640 Kbytes 
Retail price $1,995.00 

All the above include: monochrome 
monitor with video board, AT style 
keyboard, 8 slots, built-in K-Net 2 
with remote boot, upgradeable to 
"complete" PC. 

(800) 828-8899 
(408) 436-6550 (In CA) 
1705 Junction Ct, Bldg. #160 
San Jose, California 95112 






K imtron 



Trademarks: 'IBM 2 Kimtron Software Link 4 Alloy 5 Microsoft 6 Quantum 7 Bell Labs 8 THEOS Software 9 PICK Technologies '"Digital Research "Novell © Copyright 1986 
by Kimtron Corp. 



Inquiry 155 for End-Users. Inquiry 156 for DEALERS ONLY. 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 41 



WHAT'S NEW 



SOFTWARE 



PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES AND AIDS 



MS-DOS Version 

of C + + 

Oasys is selling a version 
of AT&T's programming 
language, C + + , for MS-DOS 
computers. Called Designer 
C++, it works with the Lat- 
tice 3.0 or Microsoft 3.0 C 
compilers. It functions as a 
translator/preprocessor that 
generates compilable C 
source code from C++ 
source files. The generated 
C code adds no run-time 
overhead. Oasys says. 

Developed by Glockenspiel 
Ltd. (Dublin. Ireland), De- 
signer C++ features strong 
type checking, function and 
operator overloading, data 
abstraction and hiding using 
classes, virtual functions, 
stream-oriented I/O, and 
other facilities for object- 
oriented programming. 

Priced at $500, Designer 
C++ comes with a tutorial 
and release notes. It runs on 
a 512K-byte IBM PC or work- 
alike. Contact Oasys. 60 
Aberdeen Ave.. Cambridge. 
MA 02138, (617) 491-4180. 
Inquiry 579. 



Two Prologs 

Chalcedony Software an- 
nounced two Prologs, 
one for the IBM PC and the 
other for the Macintosh. 

Prolog/i. the IBM PC ver- 
sion, features floating-point 
arithmetic, transcendental 
and trigonometric math 
functions, a built-in inte- 
grated editor, and interactive 
debugging facilities. This ver- 
sion requires PC- or MS- 
DOS version 2.0 or later, 
true IBM compatibility, 
ANSI-standard support, one 
disk drive, and at least 2 56K 
RAM (320K is recommended). 

Prolog/m. for the Macin- 
tosh, has the following fea- 
tures in addition to those of 
Prolog/i: 8087 support, calls 
to subroutine function li- 
brary, calls to DOS, and 
screen and graphics man- 



agement. System require- 
ments are the same as 
those for the MS-DOS ver- 
sion except that 512K RAM 
is needed and an external 
disk drive is preferred. 

Prolog/i costs $69.95; Pro- 
log/m, $99.95. Contact Chal- 
cedony Software Inc., 5580 
La Jolla Blvd., Suite 126, La 
Jolla, CA 92037. (619) 483- 
8513. 
Inquiry 580. 

A Toolkit for 
Framework's FRED 

The FRED Development 
Toolkit is a collection of 
user-defined functions, util- 
ities, abbreviations, macros, 
and templates for use with 
FRED, the object-oriented 
language built into Ashton- 
Tate's Framework 11. FDT 
turns many of FRED'S func- 
tions into tools for system 
development and macro 
programming. 

According to vendor PCE 
Inc.. all of Framework Il's 
pull-down menu options and 
function and navigational 
keys are accessible through 
the FDT. A "toolkit com- 
piler" converts FDT functions 
into FRED code. 

The package includes 
source code and costs 
$49.95. You also get a 
subscription to. and on-line 
support from, PCE's Expert 
WorkBench NETwork, a pri- 
vate network on The Source. 
Contact PCE Inc.. 6033 West 
Century Blvd., Los Angeles, 
CA 90045, (213) 757-7537. 
Inquiry 581. 

OS for Software 
Development 

PAX (Personal Applica- 
tions Executive), an op- 
erating system for software 
development, runs with PC- 
DOS on IBM PCs or compat- 
ibles. 



Included are high-speed 
device drivers and a demon- 
stration system. The drivers 
include assembly language 
procedures for video dis- 
play, interrupt-driven serial 
I/O over multiple channels, 
printer output, and interrupt 
management. 

Baker & Rabinowitz reports 
that the PAX System 8632 
can execute 32 tasks concur- 
rently and that individual 
tasks can be written and de- 
bugged under DOS. then 
ported to PAX. 

The system requires 128K 
RAM. DOS 2.x or 3.x. and a 
macro assembler. 

PAX System 8632 sells for 
$149.95. Contact Baker & 
Rabinowitz Inc.. 3869 Kil- 
bourne Ave.. Cincinnati. OH 
45209-1814, (513) 871-0886. 
Inquiry 582. 

Three 68020 
Operating Systems 

Technical Systems Con- 
sultants announced the 
UniFLEX/DA. the UniFLEX/RT, 
and the UniFLEX/MX op- 
erating systems, all of which 
are written in assembly lan- 
guage. 

UniFLEX/DA is a ROM- 
based operating system in- 
tended for process control 
and dedicated applications. 
You can configure it with or 
without a file system. 

UniFLEX/RT is a real-time 
OS with communications fa- 
cilities. Each real-time task 
has control of its own priori- 
ty. RT also has a com- 
munications driver intended 
for transferring data, and a 
named enqueue/dequeue 
mechanism, which the com- 
pany says allows you to run 
semaphore and resource- 
control operations. 

UniFLEX/MX. an enhanced 
version of the original 
UniFLEX/VM, is a virtual- 
memory OS designed for 
use in a multiuser, multitask- 
ing environment. MX has all 
the features of DA and RT 
plus the ability for the user 



to create and control multi- 
ple RAM disks. 

These three systems can 
be configured for most 
hardware built around the 
68010 or 68020 micropro- 
cessors, according to the 
company. 

Prices range from $400 to 
$1000. Contact Technical 
Systems Consultants Inc., 1 1 1 
Providence Rd., Chapel Hill, 
NC 27514, (919) 493-1451. 
Inquiry 583. 

Display Management 
for IBM and Tl 
Machines 

Sydetech's C-Display Util- 
ities include C-Display 
Compiler, a screen-manage- 
ment utility that has editing 
capabilities and supports 
color and character- 
generated graphics. Re- 
quirements include 128K 
RAM. one disk drive, a color 
monitor (with a CGA for the 
IBM PC model), MS-DOS 
2.11 or higher, and a Micro- 
soft C 3.0 or Lattice C 
2.15/3.0 compiler. 

C-Display Librarian is a 
collection of C functions 
that allow you to execute 
BIOS video services, per- 
form virtual display manage- 
ment, create bit-mapped 
graphics, and conduct inter- 
active screen I/O via high- 
level function calls. System 
requirements are the same 
as for the C-Display 
Compiler. 

C-Display Utilities are 
available for the IBM PC XT, 
AT, and PCjr and for the 
lexas Instruments Profes- 
sional or Business Profes- 
sional. C-Display Compiler 
sells for $125, Librarian for 
$145; the two combined in a 
package called the C-Display 
Manager costs $245. Con- 
tact Sydetech System Devel- 
{continued) 



42 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 




See What You Can Do 



Fontasy printed all of these. 



pic- 



Prcscntations! Newsletters! Flyers! 
Signs! Overhead Foils! Invita- 
tions! Menus! Logos! An- 
nouncements! Banners! Layouts! 

When you need a goodlooking visual 
quickly you need FONTASY — superb 
typefaces and simple drawing in one 
easy-to-use package. 

FONTASY gives you a "what -you-scc 
what-you-gct" picture, as you type and dr 
on the graphics screen of your IBM- PC. \ 
can create a page at a time, see a mini 
ture of that page, print it, and save it on d 
Page size is limited only by memory, not 
screen size. 

Features 

Proportional space, justify, kern, bold 
face, rearrange, magnify, black/white rever- 
sal, rotate, mirror image, lines, rectangles, 
ovals, draw, fill-in, undo (and un-undo), on- 
line help, 200 page book, and easy control 
from keyboard or mouse. Corporate 
licenses available. 

Fonts, fonts, and more fonts! We have 
over 275 typefaces in our growing library, 
and will be happy to send you free print 
samples on request. 

When you deal directly with the manufac- 
turer (that's us), you pay rock-bottom dis- 
tributor prices. If you order FONTASY now, 
we will give you 28 fonts (a ISO value) at no 
extra charge. With so many features at such a 
low price, FONTASY belongs in your soft- 
ware library even if you already have a 
"font" program 
Inquiry 239 



With 




Includes 28 Fonts 
and free CUpArt. 



Equipment Needed 

IBM-PC, XT, AT, or true compatible (Compaq, 
with IBM or Hercules graphics adapter and 
lies monitor. 256K memory needed for partial 
pages, 448-640K recommended for mil' pages. 
Dot- matrix printer. Mouse optional. MS-DOS 
2.00 or above. 

FONTASY supports: IBM graphics printer, 
Proprinter; Epson FX, JX, LX ; MX, RX, and 
l.Q-1500; C. ltoh 8510, 1550, 1570, Pro- 
writer-Jr; HP LaserJet Thinkjet: Microline 92, 
93; Gemini 10X, 15X; Radio Shack DMP 105- 
430, 2100; Toshiba 351, 1340-1351; Star; and 
most Epson-compatibles. 

Money-Back 
Guarantee 

Fontasy is not copy-protected and has a 
30-day money-back guarantee. So, take 
advantage of our breakthrough price and 
order now TOLL-FREE: 



1-800-824-7888, operator 669 (orders only) 



| For further information and same day shipping, call; (818) 765-4444 

I 
I 



7248 Bellaire Ave., Box 560 
No. Hollywood, CA 91603-0560 

Name 

Address 



FONTASY $69.95 

Tax 

Shipping 

Total 



Company _ 
Telephone . 



City, State, ZIP . 
Visa/MC 



Computer Memory Printer 

Term* M/C. Visa, checks. Please add S3 .00 shipping and handling in U.S. or 
Canada, S 20.00 overseas. 5 2.00 for C.O.D.. and sales tax in Calif. 



Exp. Date . 



AUGUST 1986 



1 

BYTE 43 



WHAT'S NEW 



SOFTWARE • PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES AND AIDS 



opment Technologies. 43-23 
Colden St., Suite 17C Flush- 
ing. NY 11355. (718) 886- 
0221. 
Inquiry 584. 

Programming Tools 
for True BASIC 

True BASIC Inc. has ex- 
panded its Irue BASIC 
Programming Libraries with 
tool and utility companion 
products: the Developer's 
Toolkit. Communications 
Support. Forms Manage- 
ment Library. Btrieve Inter- 
face. Sorting and Searching, 
and Advanced String Library. 
The company reports that 



Communications Support 
allows simultaneous use of 
two COM ports at up to 
19.200 bits per second. The 
Btrieve file management 
package is from SoftCraft 
Inc. and allows for database 
management of up to 4 
million bytes per record and 
24 key fields per file, ac- 
cording to True BASIC. Sort- 
ing and Searching provides 
14 subroutines for string 
and numeric sorting. And a 
38.000-word dictionary is in- 
cluded in the Advanced 
String Library, which also pro- 
vides pattern matching, pars- 
ing, and text manipulation. 
All libraries are available 
for the IBM PC or compat- 



ibles running DOS 2.0 or 
higher. Communications 
Support and Sorting and 
Searching also run on the 
Macintosh and Amiga. Each 
package costs $49.95. Con- 
tact Irue BASIC Inc.. 39 
South Main St.. Hanover. NH 
03755. (603) 643-3882. 
Inquiry 585. 

C Cross Compiler 
for AT&T 6300 Plus 

UniPress announced a 
Lattice C Cross Com- 
piler for AT&T's 6300 Plus 
operating under UNIX. You 
can use UNIX software tools 
with the Lattice C Compiler 



to develop MS-DOS code 
for 8086 and 80186 micro- 
processors. Relocatable 
machine code is produced 
by the compiler; then, using 
the linker, you can produce 
MS-DOS executable code. 

The compiler supports the 
Kernighan and Ritchie C 
standard and library. It 
comes with a linker, li- 
brarian, disassembler, and 
floating-point support, and it 
requires a hard disk drive 
with 1 megabyte of RAM. 

The cost of the compiler is 
$795. Contact UniPress Soft- 
ware; 202 5 Lincoln Highway, 
Edison. NJ 08817. (201) 985- 
8000. 
Inquiry 586. 



SOFTWARE 



SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING 



Mac Package for 
Structural Engineering 

Erez Anzel's Frame-Mac 
helps in the analysis and 
design of any two-dimen- 
sional frame or truss, with 
any number of nodes, ele- 
ments, and supports (limited 
by RAM only). The package 
utilizes scrollable windows, 
the mouse, and pull-down 
menus. You never need to 
type in commands. Any 
number and type of loads 
can be applied or changed 
at any time, as can the 
structure, units, and deci- 
mal formats. I/O is shown 
in numeric and graphic 
form. 

Frame-Mac does linear 
analysis by using the modi- 
fied Cholesky method to 
solve a structure's stiffness 
matrix; this matrix is made 
and calculated as a band 
matrix. At your request, the 
program provides values 
such as displacements, inter- 
nal forces, and bending 
stresses. 

The package runs on a 
512K Mac with a 400K-byte 
internal drive (or bigger con- 
figuration). Price is $495. 
Contact Erez Anzel. 5800 



Arlington Ave. #5T, River- 
dale. NY 10471. (212) 884- 
5798. 
Inquiry 587. 

Statistical Analysis 
Package for 
Macintosh 

CLR ANOVA. for the 5I2K 
Macintosh and Macin- 
tosh Plus, can compute up 
to a 10-factor analysis of 
variance with unequal sam- 
ple sizes and repeated 
measures. It lets you plot in- 
teractions by clicking the 
mouse and making a menu 
selection. Marginal means, 
pairwise comparisons (Neu- 
man-Keuls. Duncan. Tikey 
hsd. and t-tests). simple ef- 
fects, and specific contrasts 
(planned or unplanned) 
among means can also be 
computed. A desk-accessory 
editor lets you enter or 
change data even after an 
analysis has been started. 
Data from MacWrite. MS-File. 
MS-Word. Multiplan. Excel, 
and MacTerminal can also 
be analyzed. 
The package sells for $50 



until September I; there- 
after, it's $75. Add $3 ship- 
ping. Contact Clear Lake Re- 
search. 5615 Morningside 
#127. Houston. TX 77005. 
(713) 523-7842. 
Inquiry 588. 



Protein Programs 

DNASTAR is selling two 
packages for research- 
ers dealing with protein 
data. The first product, an 
analysis program, plots 
secondary structural predic- 
tions and hydrophilicity. It 
includes programs for deter- 
mining optimal DNA probes 
for specific proteins or pep- 
tides, titration curves, 
isoelectric points, molecular 
weights, and other analytic 
functions. 

The other package, Gene- 
man, helps search protein 
and genetic databases and 
retrieve information based 
on keywords, sequence ma- 
trices, and a combination of 
terms. It lets you create 
screen, printer, or subindex 
files from a search. GenBank 
and the Protein Identifica- 
tion Resource databases are 
supplied with the package. 



Other databases, such as 
PGtrans and EMBL, can also 
be used. 

Both programs run on IBM 
PCs and compatibles. Each 
is packaged with other pro- 
grams and sold for $3000. 
For more specific informa- 
tion, contact DNASTAR Inc.. 
1 80 1 University Ave.. 
Madison. WI 53705. (608) 
233-5525. 
Inquiry 589. 

Stat Package 
for Apple lis 

Histogram Plot, a statis- 
tics program for the 
Apple 11. He. and compat- 
ibles, lets you input, edit, 
print, and save data. It can 
display and print raw and 
computed data and can 
compute means, medians, 
standard deviations, ex- 
pected cell frequencies, and 
actual cell limits and fre- 
quencies. Graph sizes are 
variable. The price is $29. 
Contact Andent Inc.. 1000 
North Ave.. Waukegan. IL 
60085. (312) 223-5077. 
Inquiry 590. 

{continued) 



44 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



Explore AI on your PC 

Smalltalk/ V transforms your PC into a versatile AI workstation 



Only Smalltalk/V lets 
you experience the thrill 
of a responsive AI work- 
station while learning 
artiScial intelligence 
techniques and using 
them to create 
practical applications. 

"Smalltalk/V 
gives me the feel of an 
AI workstation on 
my PC." 

— Dartyl Rubin, 
Technical Editor, 

AI Expert 

Magazine 

Watching someone use an AI 
workstation is a vision of what the 
computer was meant to be. Fingers dance 
across the keys as windows dilate, shift, overlap, 
and disappear on the bit-mapped display. Ideas 
spring to life as program fragments execute, are 
modified, expanded, combined and tried again in 
a creative arabesque of text and graphics. The 
interface vanishes, man and machine are one. 
Smalltalk/V brings that experience to 
your IBM-PC. 

"We use Smalltalk 

as our primary language 

for teaching artificial intelligence." 

— Dr. John Pugh 

Director, School of Computer Science 

Carleton University 

Of the three main AI languages, Smalltalk, LISP, 
and Prolog, only Smalltalk was intended for 
individual use on a personal computer. Only 
Smalltalk was designed to provide a match 
between human and computer models of 
reality. Only Smalltalk is easy to learn, easy to 
read, and easy to use. 




"We found Smalltalk/V excellent 
for developing advanced decision- 
support tools based on decision 
analysis and AI techniques." 

—Dr. Samuel Holtzman, 
Professor, Stanford University 

Smalltalk/V is pure object-oriented programming 
— a powerful tool for designing frame/script- 
based knowlege representations, inference 
engines, expert systems, simulation environments, 
intelligent interfaces, network control software, 
communications interfaces, and much more. 



Methods, our character-based Smalltalk, is now 
available for $79. It has all of the features of 
Smalltalk/V except graphics, rules, source-level 
debugger, and object-swapping. However, it 
supports color, includes the communication 
package, and does not require a mouse. 



BYTE and BIX are trademarks of McGraw-Hill, Inc. IBM, IBM-PC, and 
IBM PC-AT are trademarks of International Business Machines 
Corporation. Unix is a trademark of Bell laboratories. 
Inquiry 91 



"Smalltalk/V is the 

highest performance 

object-oriented 

programming system 

available for PCs." 

— Dr. Piero Scaruffi 

Chief Scientist 

Olivetti Artificial Intelligence Center 

Smalltalk/V Features 

• High-performance 
object-oriented programming 
Integrates object-based and rule-based 
programming with object-oriented Prolog 
A user-extensible, open-ended environment 
A responsive graphical user interface 
Supports exploratory programming and 
prototyping 

Class hierarchy with inheritance creates highly 
re-useable code 

Smalltalk source code included, with browser 
windows for easy access and modification 
A huge toolkit of classes and objects for 
building a variety of applications 
Object-swapping creates virtual memory on 
hard or RAM disk 

Bit-mapped graphics with bit and form editors 
A sophisticated source-level debugger 
Automatic change log for easy recovery 
from errors 

Powerful directory/file browser system for 
organizing DOS files 
Optional communications interface to 
Unix™ and other systems 
Access to other languages and DOS functions 
DOS command shell 

Detailed owner's manual designed for both 
beginners and advanced programmers 



YES! I want to turn my PC into an AI workstation. Send me . 



| | Smalltalk/V $99 

| | Communications for Smalltalk/V . . M9 

| | Methods (including 

Communications) $79 

Shipping and Handling $ 



I enclose □ Check □ Money Order 
□ Credit card information □ mc 



□ VISA 



Number:. 



. Expiration 



CA residents add applicable 

sales laLX $_ 

TOTAL S_ 



Signature . 
Name: 



Shipping and Handling 

U.S., Canada, and Mexico S 5.00 

Elsewhere $15.00 



Street Address:. 

City/Suue/Zip: _ 
Phone: 



NOT COPY PROTECTED. 60-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE 
ON-LINE USER-SUPPORT CONFERENCE ON BYTES BIX™ 



Smalltalk/V requires DOS and 5I2K RAM on IBM PCs (including AT) or 
"compatibles,'' a Microsoft or compatible mouse, and a CCA, EGA, Hercules, 
or AT&T Hi-Res graphic controller. 



digitalk. inc. 



5200 West Century Boulevard 

Los Angeles, CA 90045 (213) 645-1082 



WHAT'S NEW 



SOFTWARE • BUSINESS AND OTHER 



Mac Comics 

ComicWorks is a Macin- 
tosh program that lets 
you play Stan Lee and draw 
comic strips. The package 
incorporates drawing and 
painting tools, text editing, 
and the ability to mix text 
and graphics anywhere on a 
page. You can pull in images 
from other ComicWorks 
documents or from Mac- 
Paint (using Art Grabber). 
The program also includes 
graphics objects you can 
move independently, comic- 
book fonts, panels, and 
voice balloons. 

ComicWorks. developed by 
MacroMind Inc. (Chicago), is 
being sold by Mindscape for 
$79.95. It runs on the 512K 
Mac. Contact Mindscape 
Inc.. 3444 Dundee RcL 
Northbrook. 1L 60062. (312) 
480-7667. 
Inquiry 591. 



Access to 
Random Data 

A RAM-resident program 
for IBM PC-type ma- 
chines. Tornado Notes is de- 
signed to let you store and 
access random information. 
You enter text into logical 
modules. When you need to 
find a note, the program 
uses a search tool based on 
an "and-or-not" system. You 
can hunt for related notes 
based on any word, phrase, 
or combination. 

The publisher says that, 
unlike spreadsheets and 
databases, which handle 
structured data, this package 
uses a form of parallel text 
processing that treats win- 
dows of data according to 
content. The software in- 
cludes an editor with cut 
and paste, a "pile-of-paper 
simulator." and a note- 
joining function. 

Tornado Notes runs under 
MS- or PC-DOS 2.0 or later, 
does not use bit graphics. 




Comic-book art created with Comi&Norks and a Macintosh. 




Random data arranged by Tornado Notes. 



and supports most 80-char- 
acter monochrome and 
color displays. The publisher 
says the program works with 
most software and uses 50K 
bytes of RAM. plus space 
for notes. It's not copy- 



protected, and it costs 
$49.95. Contact Micro Logic 
Corp.. P.O. Box 174, 100 Sec- 
ond St.. Hackensack. NI 
07602, (201) 342-6518; by 
modem, (201) 342-8101. 
Inquiry 592. 



WHERE DO NEW PRODUCT ITEMS COME FROM? 
The new products listed in this section of BYTE are chosen from the thousands 
of press releases, letters, and telephone calls we receive each month from 
manufacturers, distributors, designers, and readers. The basic criteria for selection 
for publication are: (a) does a product match our readers' interests! and (b) 
is it new or is it simply a ^introduction of an old item? Because of the volume 
of submissions we must sort through every month, the items we publish are 
based on vendors statements and are not individually verified. \f you want 
your product to be considered for publication (at no charge), send full infor- 
mation about it. including its price and an address and telephone number 
where a reader can get further information, to New Products Editor. BYTE. 
One Phoenix Mill lane. Peterborough. NH 03458. 



Personal What'sBest 

General Optimization has 
released the Personal 
Version of its "spreadsheet 
optimization" package. 
What'sBest. This edition (not 
copy-protected) functions 
like the original but runs in 
2 56K RAM and can opti- 
mize spreadsheets with as 
many as 800 numeric cells. 
Up to 2 50 of these can be 
variable (manipulated by the 
program during the optimi- 
zation process). 

What'sBest is designed to 
generate solutions to busi- 
ness problems modeled in 
Lotus 1-2-3 or Symphony. It 
uses a linear programming 
approach and a spreadsheet 
interface to answer "what if" 
questions. 

It runs on IBM PC-type 
computers and costs $149. 
Contact General Optimiza- 
tion Inc.. 22 51 North Geneva 
lerrace. Chicago. IL 60614, 
(312) 248-7300. 
Inquiry 593. 

Idea Processing 
on the Amiga 

New Horizons Software 
has developed a pack- 
age for helping you process 
your ideas on an Amiga. 
The company says the pro- 
gram's primary use is in 
organizing and rearranging 
information in preparation 
for writing, or for planning 
and decision making. You 
enter your ideas in an 
outline fashion and use the 
mouse or keyboard to ma- 
nipulate them. The program 
provides pull-down menus 
for command entry. Because 
Flow opens its own window 
on the Workbench, you can 
use the computer's multi- 
tasking capabilities. New 
Horizons says. 

Suggested retail is $99.95. 
Contact New Horizons Soft- 
ware. P.O. Box 4 3167, Austin. 
TX 78745. (512) 280-0319. 
Inquiry 594. 



46 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



TEK 



2236 100 MHZ 
OSCILLOSCOPE 



THE ANSWER 
BY ANY MEASURE 



100 MHz scope, counter, timer, 
multimeter: All one integrated system, 



100 MHz dual 
time base scope. 

3.5 ns risetime; 
sweeps from 0.5 s 
to 5 ns/div; alter- 
nate sweep; ±2% 
vertical/ horizontal 
accuracy; vert- 
ical sensitivity to 
2 mV/div @ 
90 MHz. 



9-digit fluores- 
cent display. 

Digitally accurate 
readouts accom- 
pany the CRT 
waveform. Error 
messages and 
prompts also 
appear on the 
display. 



Dc volts and ac 
coupled true 
RMS volts. Mea- 
sured through the 
Ch 1 scope input. 



Gated measure- 
ments. Use the 

scope's intensified 
marker to measure 
frequency, period, 
width and to count 
events within 
specified portions 
of the signal. 



Auto-ranged, 

auto-averaged 

counter/timer. 

Frequency, period, 
width, delay time, 
A-time, plus total- 
ize to more than 
8 million events 
— with 7 digits 
plus exponent 
displayed. 



Auto-ranged 
DMM. Use floating 
DMM side inputs 
with up to 5000- 
count resolution. 
Get precise read- 
outs of average dc 
and true RMS volt- 
age. Measure 
resistance from 
milliohms to 
gigohms. 




Now make measurements 
faster, easier, with greater 
accuracy and user confidence. 

The Tek 2236 makes gated coun- 
ter measurements, temperature, 
time, frequency, resistance and 
voltage measurements push- 
button easy. You see results con- 
currently on the 9-digit numeric 
readout and CRT display 

Its complete trigger system 
includes pushbutton trigger view, 
plus peak-to-peak auto, TV 
line, TV field, single sweep and 
normal modes. 



At just $2650? the 2236 
includes the industry's first 3-year 
warranty on all parts and labor, 
including the CRT. 

Integrated measurement 
system. 3-year warranty. 1 5- 
day return policy. And expert 
advice. One free call gets 
it all! You can order, or obtain lit- 
erature, through the Tek National 
Marketing Center. Technical per- 
sonnel, expert in scope applica- 
tions, can answer your questions 
and expedite delivery. Direct 
orders include probes, operating 



manual, 15-day return policy, full 
warranty and worldwide service 
back-up. 

Order toll-free: 
1-800-426-2200 
Extension 57 

In Oregon call collect: 
(503) 627-9000 Ext. 57 
Or write Tektronix, Inc. 
P.O. Box 1700 
Beaverton, OR 97075 



Tektronix 

COMMITTED T O EXCELLENCE 



Copyright ©1984, Tektronix, Inc. All rights reserved. TTA-324-1. 'U.S. Domestic price F.O.B. Beaverton. Oregon. Price subject to change. 
Inquiry 295 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 47 



Inquiry 186 



— MetaComCo 

Languages 

Atari ST™» Amiga™* QL 



lattice® c 

The well known LATTICE® C compiler, full featured 
portable implementation. 

MCC ™ PASCAL 

An ISO/ ANSI standard Pascal. A fast single pass com- 
piler, ideal for commercial, educational and personal 
use. 

MCC ™ ASSEMBLER 

A professional standard macro assembler with many 
powerful features. 

CAMBRIDGE LISP 

LISP interpreter/compiler providing a complete LISP 
development environment. 

BCPL 

A powerful compiler offering the convenience of a high 
level language with the flexibility of an assembler. 

APL 

Keyword and symbolic versions of this important 
language from MicroAPL. 

MCC ™ BASIC 

68000 BASIC interpreters and compilers from 
MetaComCo. 

MENU + ™ 

An easy to use program environment with pull-down 
menus. Menu + comes free with Atari software. 
Upgrades ready for registered users. 

TOOLKIT 

Provides useful tools and utilities. From the people who 
wrote AmigaDOS. 





Atari™ 


Commodore™ 


Sinclair™ 


Product 


ST 


Amiga 


QL 


Lattice C 


$149.95 


$149.95 


$129.95 


Pascal 


$99.95 


$99.95 


$99.95 


Assembler 


$79.95 


* 


$49.95 


Lisp 


TBA 


$199.95 


$79.95 


BCPL 


TBA 


TBA 


$79.95 


APL 


$199.95 


TBA 


$129.95 


Basic 


t 


* 


— 


MENU+ 


$29.95 


TBA 


— 


TOOLKIT 


TBA 


$49.95 


— 



* = available from Commodore 

t = available from Atari 

Cambridge LISP is available for CP/M-68K tm 

QL Lisp includes interpreter only 




The Quality Source for 68000 Software 

5353 #E Scotts Valley Dr., Scotts Valley, CA 95066 
Contact your local dealer or call: 
Tel: US 800-AKA-META 

Cal 800-GET-META, Eur (UK) 44-272-428781 
Telex (UK) 444874 METACO G — - jpqj 
Add 6.5% tax if CA resident. ^-^ 

Lattice is a registered trademark of Lattice Inc. 
Amiga and AmigaDOS is a trademark of Commodore-Amiga Inc. 
Atari ST is a registered trademark of Atari Inc. 
CP/M-68K is a trademark of Digital Research Inc. 



CLUBS AND 
NEWSLETTERS 



Disability News Online, Robert Mauro, 
2 57 Center Lane, Levittown, NY H756. 
Electronic newsletter by and for the dis- 
abled. 

PC Tech Report, William ]. Claff, 7 Roberts 
Rd., Wellesley, MA02181, (617) 235-9505. 
Technical code and techniques for profes- 
sional software developers; $18 subscrip- 
tion rate includes back issues. 

Madison Macintosh Users Group, P.O. 

Box 1522. Madison, WI 53701. $15 sub- 
scription to the Mad Mac News: frequent 
meetings. 

Forefront, C-128 National Users 
Group, P.O. Box 21836, St. Louis, MO 
63109. Send SASE for information. 

PC Users Group of New York, P.O. Box 
560, Wall St., New York. NY 10005. Free 
publication with 98-cent-stamped, 8/2- by 
11 -inch self-addressed envelope. $2 5 
membership includes newsletter and dis- 
counts; send SASE for details. 

Compaq Corner, 714 Ocean Ave., Sea 
Bright, NJ 07760. 300- or 1200-baud BBS, 
on-line 24 hours a day at (201) 530-5639. 

Small Computers in the Arts News 
(SCAN), P.O. Box 1954, Philadelphia, PA 
19105. Iriannual newsletter, annual sym- 
posium; $15 subscription. 

PC-HUG (Huntington PC Users Group), 
P.O. Box 1958, Huntington, WV 2 5720, 
(304) 526-5189. Monthly meetings, no ad- 
mission fee; dues only for use of public 
domain library. 

TVie Institute of Intelligence tech- 
nology, 571 Ontario St., Toronto, Ontario, 
Canada M4X 1M9, (416) 924-3819. Cor- 
respondence courses, bimonthly newslet- 
ter, IQ evaluator. One-time fee of $2 5 U.S., 
$3 5 Canadian. 

Mindset BBS -East Coast Chapter of 
the First Mindset Users Group (FMUG), 

James Pallack, 23 Hayward St. #8, Bur- 
lington, VT 05401-47S9, (802) 658-1255. 
Operating 7 days a week at 300 and 1200 
baud at (802) 658-2494. 



Ihe McSpiritt Newsletter, 185 A Smith 
Ave., Garden City, GA 31408, (912) 
966-2323. 1SPF techniques and programs. 
Subscription: $51 annually. 

Philadelphia Area Computer Society's 
Macintosh Special Interest Group 
(Mac SIG), Melanie Hoag and Simon 
Edkins, Drexel University, Biosciences and 
Biotechnology, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 
(215) 895-2628. Public domain library, 
regular meetings, monthly newsletter; $10 
annual subscription. 

International Computing Association 
(ICA), c/o Markus Mage, Robbek 6. 2000 
Hamburg 52, West Germany. BBS, global 
BBS information, quarterly newsletter. $20 
annually. 

clAck! Amiga User Group, Stefan Ram, 
Claszeile 2 7, 1000 Berlin 37, West Ger- 
many. English and all European languages 
welcome for information exchange about 
the Commodore Amiga. 

Telecommunications Users Group 
(TUG), P.O. Box 4 5254. Seattle, WA 98145- 
02 54. Monthly journal, regular meetings. 
$12 annual dues. 

Micro Bulletin Board Systems, MBBS 
Headquarters PDSE. 803 3 Sunset Blvd. 
#975, Los Angeles, CA 90046, (213) 
653-6398. Clearinghouse for sysops and 
users. Membership: $10 per year. 

Ankara Apple Users Club (AAUC), 

Caglan M. Aras. 4. cadde 165/31, 06490 
Bahcelievler, Ankara, Turkey, (90) 41 23 43 
69. Regular meetings, monthly newsletter. 
Annual fee: 2000 Turkish liras, or about $4. 

Santa Barbara Atari Computer En- 
thusiasts (SBACE), P.O. Box 3678. Santa 
Barbara, CA 93130. Regular meetings, 
newsletter, BBS at (805) 965-5709. ■ 



CLUBS AND NEWSLETTERS is an 
acknowledgment of new clubs and newsletters 
received at BYTE. Allow at least four months 
for your club's mention to appear. Send infor- 
mation to BYTE, Clubs and Newsletters, One 
Phoenix Mill lane, Peterborough. NH 03458. 



48 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



ITS TIME 
YOU SAW 





SO HERE 



Only $995. 



Fast. Top speed 

250 cps in draft m o de. 



ALPS 



Cm OoComPuMn? 



jrf-r. TsMimm 



Alps )>? )0O printers is no* OiMft9protr!.»ca 



exlrcnifi/rriliifil* * 



top surf dor 400 



I PimrtfSH'f 



f I5i( in (tit next tlmtyourf in 




K 



Manufactured by Alps 
Electric, a $1. 5 billion 
Japanese maker of computer 
and electronic products, 
and member of the 
International Fortune 500. 



Fully compatible 
with all the most 
popular business PCs 
and software. 



Built like a tank. 



Welcome to the Alps. 

The Alps P2000™ and new P2100™ 
Dot Matrix Printers. They just may 
be the perfect printers for a department 
full of PCs. 

They're fast. The P2100 prints 



drafts at an amazing 400 characters per 
second (cps), the P2000 at an almost 
amazing 250 cps. 

They're reliable. With normal care, 
they'll last for over five years without 
a breakdown. 



Sold, serviced and 
supported in the 
U.S.A. by Alps 
America. 



Very last. Top speed 
400 cps in draft mode. 



i 



SjnJKe.O %IM 



ALPS 



A.V1 tricy'te ma* to print 



on. Ooltinwdelsavt enlremely renal* '> 



It's bten a Qrtal plaasure doing Dusirwss with you, arid vtt hop* w coniims 
Ostnasolnthe future please be sure lo vlsllus the rwxt lime You're In 
California 




Likewise. 



Only $1595. 



And they're versatile. They'll 
print most anything, and run with all 
the most popular PCs and software. 

Now, if you'd like to explore these 
Alps further, our free tour begins on 
the next page. 



It's your chance to see something 
you probably don't see every day. 

Printers that work as hard as you do. 



MEET 
MSTINGUK 



Dia gn ostic self -test 
signals errors with 
Hashes and beeps. 



A choice of paper 
feedin g con trols. 



Go off-line to change 
type styles and modes 
with out lengthy soft- 
ware commands. 




12 pushbuttons 


Lets you feed paper 


con trol prin tin g 


line-by-line, by 


functions. 


1/216-inch increm en ts, 




or con tin uously. 



The first thing that sets Alps 
printers apart from similarly- priced 
models is their sheer wealth of printing 
functions. And the ease with which 
you can perform them. 

For example, you can change type 
styles or print modes without getting 



involved in lengthy software com- 
mands. Just push a button on the front 
panel instead. 

Which is about all you'll ever have 
to do to handle any Alps printing job. 
Whether you're feeding paper in 
1/216 -inch increments or reprinting 



OUR 




PANEL 



Clears prin tbu ffer 
of data without 
printing it. 



17 LEDs in dica te 
functions in 
operation. 




A u toma tically reprin ts 
data stored in prin t 
buffer. 



Select type styles, 
prin tin gmo des, prin t 
pitches and spacing 
quickly and easily. 



Boy, is it fast. 400 cps 
in draft mode. 



data stored in the print buffer. 

The built-in print buffer (4K 
expandable to 256K) also frees up 
your PC for other jobs while the Alps 
is still printing. 

And in the unlikely event of an 
operating error, our panel will imme- 



diately diagnose the problem and 
inform you. 

With distinguished beeps and 
flashes. 




TTR 



Can print 6-part forms. 



nine 
ALPS 

IV! IXJ 



PLEASE REMIT PAYMENT TO. 



AMERICA 

M.PS 



utftsr newtn 

t> O. OOX 775S HIMCON 
SAN FRANCISCO. CAIMirU 



CAN-BO COrtPtJT ll 

■xs canal stfteei 



3 standard paper 
feeding m eth ods, 
including top, bottom 
and rear feed. 




ALPS P2ioo \ 



m 






Most business printers are very 
picky. 

They simply refuse to deal with 
some of the jobs you have to deal 
with. Like printing on heavy stock. Or 
on oversized sheets. 



But Alps printers are different. 

They're made to print almost 
anything your business will ever need. 
From letters and graphs to six-part 
forms and 16-inch-wide spreadsheets. 

And they not only handle most 



NYTHING. 



Paper-thickness 
adjustment enables 
printing on heavy stock. 




Paper-saving 
push/pull tractor feed. 





t You won't believe 
how last it is. 400 cps. 



everything, they handle it more 
efficiently. 

Both come with a built-in two-way 
tractor feed (push and pull) that saves 
paper other printers would normally 
waste. Plus a choice of three different 



paper feeding methods, all standard. 
All in all, you'd be hard pressed 
to find printers with a greater appetite 
for work. 



TURN 




P 2000 prints at 
speeds of 250, 125 
and 50 cps, fast 
enough for high 
volume work. 




Easily accommodates 
1 6 -column sprea dsh eets. 



Multiple font cartridges 

let you change type 

styles quickly 




ALPS P2ioo 



P2100prin tsat speeds ' 
of 400, 200 and 80 
cps, fastest in its 
price range. (We're 
not kidding, its fast.) 



Kept adequately fed, Alps 
printers will handle more work than any 
printers in their class. 

Each offers a choice of three 
speeds. All fast. 



The P2100 prints drafts at 400 cps, 
memos at 200 cps and letter-quality 
documents at 80 cps, while the P2000 
prints at 250, 125 and 50 cps in its 
three modes. 




VOLUME 



3 print modes: 
draft, memo and 
letter quality. 



Precision-engineered 
prin t head is designed 
lor high-speed, 
heavy-volume 
printing. 




4K print buffer 
(expandable to 256K) 
can store up to 
128 pages. 



■ ■ 



■ 



So either printer can easily take 
on all the work an office full of PCs can 
dish out. 

And they'll take care of it faster, 
thanks to time-saving features like a 



built-in tractor feed, expandable print 
buffer and multiple type font cartridges. 

In fact, for heavy volume work, 
Alps printers stack up favorably against 
much more expensive machines. 



LISTEN TO 



Superb prin t quality 
in all three printing - 
/nodes. 



July 4, 1986 



Alps America 
— 55S3 North First Street 
San Jose, C A 95134 

Can-Do Computing 

22 Canal Street 

Kansas City, Kansas 66222 

Dear Mr. Candieman 

This is to inform you that your order for 2000 Alps P2000 printers and 
2100 Alps P2100 printers is now being processed. 

your shipment will be sent in about a week's time; so you can expect 
delivery well before the end of this month. 

Alps printers are made to print almost anything a business will ever need 
From letters and graphics to 6 part forms and 16-inch-wide spreadsheets. 

And they're made to print It all faster. The P2I00 has a top speed of 400 
characters per second, while the P2000 prints at 250 cps. 

in addition, both models are extremely reliable. With normal care, they'll 
print over five years without a breakdown 

Its been a great Pleasure doing business with you. and we hope to continue 
doing so m the future. Please be sure to visit us the next time you're In 
California 



Rugged prin t head 
has life span o lover 
200,000,000 
characters. 



One- year warranty 




With normal care, 
will last over live years 
with out a breakdo wn . 



Even when the volume's up all the 
way, you won't hear much. Because 
Alps printers are built to print up a 
storm without sounding like one. 

Every open space is covered with 
sound-absorbent layers, keeping 
noise in and dust out. 



But Alps printers aren't just built 
to run quietly. They're built to run a 
long, long time. 

Our precision-engineered print 
head will deliver over 200 million 
characters of superb output. No matter 
how hard you work it. 



THIS RAGE. 




Bui It like a tank, but 
doesn 't sound like one. 



Sound -absorbent 
layers ensure quiet 
operation at noise 
level under 55 dBA. 




. Have we mentioned 
how fast it is? 



What's more, if you give our 
printers normal care, they'll give you 
over five years of trouble-free printing. 

Which is not surprising when 
you consider that they're built by Alps 
Electric, a $1.5 billion Japanese 
company that's been successfully 



manufacturing computer printers for 
over a decade. 

And though our printers are quiet, 
we're sure you'll be hearing a lot 
about them from now on. 



SEE 




THE 
AND SEE 

inii 





The one thing better than an Alps 
demonstration on paper is an Alps 
demonstration in person. 

Especially when it could get you 
a free trip for two to the Japanese 
or Swiss Alps. For 10 days. With all 
expenses paid, including airfare, hotel 
and meals. 

Just fill out and send in the attached 
coupon. Or, if it's been removed, 



you can call or write us at the address 
shown below. 

We'll then contact you to arrange 
a free demonstration of the Alps P2000 
or P2100 at your convenience. And 
we'll enter your name in our drawing 
for a free Alps vacation. 

After all, anyone working without 
an Alps printer could certainly use 
a vacation. 



ALPS 

AMERICA 



3553 North First Street 
San Jose, CA 95134 
(800) 828-ALPS 
In California, (800) 257-7872 



P2000 and P2100are trademarks of Alps Electric Co., Ltd. 
©1986 Alps America. 



SEE THE ALPS FREE. 



□ Yes, I'd like to see the Alps P2000 and P2100 Dot Matrix Printers in action. Please 
contact me to arrange a free demonstration. And enter my name in your drawing for 
a free 10-day vacation to the Japanese or Swiss Alps. 

□ No, I'm not interested in a free demonstration right now. But please enter my name 
in your drawing anyway. 

NAME: 

COMPANY: TITLE: 

ADDRESS : 

CITY: STATE: ZIP: PHONE: 

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR CLAIM A PRIZE. 

1 To enter sweepstakes, fill out the information on this card and return it to Alps America, 3553 North First St., San Jose, CA 95134. Only one entry per person. 
Mechanically reproduced entries not eligible. All entries must be received no later than Sept. 30. 1986. Not responsible for late, lost, or misdirected mail 

2 Winner will be selected in a random drawing on or about October 15, 1986, from all entries received under the supervision of Marden-Kane, an independent 
judging organization By participating in the sweepstakes, entrants agree to be bound by the rules and the decision of the judges, which shall be final. Winner will 
be notified by mail and must be required to sign an Affadavit of Eligibility and Release which must be returned within 14 days, or an alternative winner will be 
selected . The awarding of the prize to an individual shall be made at the discretion of your employer and/or in accordance with your employer's written policies 
governing promotion awards, where applicable Winner grants permission to the use of their name, photograph/likeness for advertising and promotion for this and 
similar promotions without additional compensation Odds of winning depend upon the number of entries received All taxes are the responsibility of the winner 

3. Prize structure (1) Grand Prize: a 10-day trip for two to the Japanese or Swiss Alps. Trip consists of round trip air transportation (coach) from a major airport 

nearest to the winner's residence. 9 nights and 10 days hotel accommodations, 2 meals daily and $500 spending money. No prize substitution permitted, nor is prize 

transferable Trip must be completed by June 30, 1987. and is subject to availability 

4 Sweepstakes open to individuals who purchase, specify, evaluate, recommend or use printers for personal computers, and are residents of the United States. 

except foremployees and their immediate families of Alps Electric (USA), Inc., theirsubsidianes, affiliates, advertising or public relations agencies, and Marden-Kane. 

Void where prohibited by law. 

5, For the name of the winner, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to "See the Alps" Winner, Alps America, 3553 North First St., San Jose, CA 95134 

B886 



NO POSTAGE 

NECESSARY 

IF MAILED 

IN THE 

UNITED STATES 



BUSINESS REPLY MAIL 

FIRST CLASS MAIL PERMIT NO. 7931 SAN JOSE, CA 




POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE 



ALPS 



AMERICA 

3553 North First Street 
San Jose, CA 95134 




FIXES AND UPDATES 



FIX 



Man Baffled by Maryland Move 



Boy, was Mike Barlow surprised when he 
found out he had moved from Pierrefonds, 
Quebec, to Wheaton, Maryland. We told 
him about his relocation in the Clubs and 
Newsletters section of our February issue. 
Mike edits the newsletter of the American 



Cryptogram Association, and he still does 
that job at his place in the Great White 
North. It's the ACA's treasurer who lives in 
Maryland. 

You can get information about the news- 
letter for cryptologists by writing to Mr. 



Barlow at 5052 Chestnut Ave., Pierrefonds, 
Quebec, Canada H8Z 2A8. 

If you want to join the association, write 
to the ACA treasurer, who is still staking 
out the 12317 Dalewood Dr., Wheaton, 
MD 20902 address. 



■ 



Software Exchange for TUrbo Pascal Users 



BYTE'S BITS 



Steve 'Wood, author of Using lltrbo Pascal 
(Osbome/McGraw-Hill, 1986). tells us he's 
organized TUrbo SIX, the llirbo Pascal 
Software Information Exchange. Mr. Wood 



says the objective is "to collect, analyze, 
and disseminate information and soft- 
ware" to users of Borland International's 
TUrbo Pascal. The software is from the 



public domain and from members. For 
more information, contact Turbo SIX at 
2012 Lake Air, Waco, TX 76710. (817) 
753-2182. 



Publications We'd Like to Tell You About and Can't Find an Appropriate Place for Anywhere Else 



Ken Knecht is offering his booklet Macin- 
tosh Hints and Kinks on a shareware basis. 
It describes undocumented command- 
and option-key combinations, the Mac- 
Paint/Write/Draw trio, and other programs. 
"I will encourage the recipient to, "in turn, 
send me $3 or whatever seems fair," Mr. 
Knecht writes. 

Send a 6- by 9-inch SASE (with 3.9 cents 
postage) to Ken Knecht, 1 340 West 3rd St. 
#130, Yuma, AZ 85364, (602) 783-9259. 

Howard Boyet writes to tell us about a 
book he cowrote with Ron Katz called The 
16-Bit 8096— Programming, Interfacing, Applica- 
tions: 122 Hands-On Experiments with Intel's 
iSBE-96 Emulator. Mr. Boyet says, "The aim 



of this book is the complete understand- 
ing and mastery of this formidable chip 
and all its functionality." 

With Intel's emulator, the programs for 
the 122 experiments can be entered in 
ASM-96 and downloaded with an IBM PC 
AT, PC XT, or compatible. 

The book sells for $39.95 (plus $2 ship- 
ping). Contact MTI Publications, 14 East 8th 
St.. New York, NY 10003, (212) 473-4947. 

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers 
has bound 22 technical papers represent- 
ing highlights of the CIMTECH Conference 
sponsored recently by SME and its Com- 
puter and Automated Systems Associa- 
tion. The papers present models for im- 



plementing computer-integrated manufac- 
turing theories and applications. 

Contact SME, Publication Sales, One 
SME Dr., P.O. Box 930, Dearborn, MI 
48121, (313) 271-1500. ext. 418. 

John Wiley & Sons has begun publishing 
a new journal "devoted to the systematic 
development of the theory, necessary for 
the construction of intelligent systems." 
Wiley says its International ]ournalof Intelligent 
Systems includes "scholarly peer-reviewed" 
articles on expert systems, knowledge rep- 
resentation, interactions between man and 
computer, and machine learning. 

Contact Wiley at 605 Third Ave., New 
York, NY 10158, (212) 850-6000. 



UPDATE 



New and Improved MicrdT£X 



Addison-Wesley has informed us of an up- 
date to its MicroT£X typesetting package, 
reviewed by Hal Varian in our April issue. 
A new version, 1 .5 AI, has since been pub- 
lished and features the following changes: 
MicroT£X now has drivers for all Post- 
Script printers and phototypesetters, 
Hewlett-Packard LaserJet Plus and com- 
patible printers, Imagen Impress laser 
printers, QMS Quic laser printers, Epson 
FX, MX, and RX printers, and IBM's Graph- 
ics Printer and Proprinter. 



The package now lets you create and 
read FMT files. 

Preview software lets you check your 
output on the screen and see what you're 
going to get. 

It's smaller. A fully loaded version of 
"Plain TeX" fits on one 360K floppy disk; 
A-W says you can run Micrdr^X on a two- 
floppy system. 

It can run Bibl^X and other big macro 
packages. 

Most recent versions of LaTgX and AMS 



TeX are available to let users format work 
in predefined document styles. 

MicroT^X with either a PostScript printer 
driver or a LaserJet Plus driver is $495; 
with an Epson or IBM driver, $369.95. 
Owners of older versions can upgrade 
to I.5A1 for $50; owners of Personal 
TeX Inc.'s PCTeX can upgrade to the 
new MicroT£X for $100. For further in- 
formation, contact Addison-Wesley Pub- 
lishing Co., Reading, MA 01867, (617) 
944-3700. ■ 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 49 



ASK BYTE 



Conducted by Steve Garcia 



Apple He 

Dear Steve, 

I am an Apple He user looking for infor- 
mation in a few areas. First, 1 would like 
to find DOS 3.3 source listing and docu- 
mentation. 

1 am interested in controlling a cutting 
tool from my computer. 1 am thinking of 
a machine with x. y coordinates and up- 
down control. This would be for light work, 
such as cutting thin cardboard. 

I need information on an arithmetic pro- 
cessor for three-dimensional graphics 
operations. Where can 1 obtain informa- 
tion about the 9511 or 9512 APU? 

Finally, 1 would like some information 
on three-dimensional digitizing equip- 
ment. 

Thanks for your help. 

Jose Luis Darias Garcia 
Caracas, Venezuela 

DOS 3.3 source code can be obtained 
from these two sources: 

Apple Assembly Line 
P.O. Box 280300 
Dallas, TX 75288 
(214) 324-2050 

Nibble 

MicroSparc Inc. 
42 Winthrop St, 
Concord, MA 01742 
(617) 371-1660 

Nibble magazine published the source 
code as part of the ''Disassembly Lines" 
column by Sandy Mossberg. Beneath 
Apple DOS from Quality Software (6660 
Reseda Blvd., Suite 105, Reseda, CA 
91335) also contains source code infor- 
mation. 

I know of no products available that are 
the same as your cutting tool description. 
However, the mechanism you describe is 
functionally similar to some of the two- 
axis plotteis available for the Apple from 
several manufacturers. If a knife with a 
freely swiveling blade were substituted 
for the felt-tip pen, you might have a 
workable system if cutting forces are ex- 
tremely low. Suitable knives can be ob- 
tained from art and drafting supplies 
distributor. Some manufacturers of plot- 
ters are 



Houston Instrument 
8500 Cameron Rd. 
Austin. TX 78753 
(800) 531-5205 

Mannesmann Tally 
8301 South 180th St 
Kent, WA 98032 
(206) 251-5524, ext 5645 

Roland DG 
7200 Dominion Circle 
Los Angeles. CA 90040 
(213) 685-5141 

Information on the 9511 and 9512 
arithmetic processors can be obtained 
from 

Advanced Micro Devices 
P.O. Box 3453 
Sunnyvale, CA 94088 
(408) 732-2400 

At least one company is manufactur- 
ing a high-speed plug-in arithmetic card 
for the Apple ll-series computers. The 
MicroSPEED II uses an Intel 8231 math 
processor at 2 or 4 megahertz, depend- 
ing upon the version (two are available). 
The manufacturer is 

Applied Informatics Inc. 
15104 St Thomas Church Rd. 
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772 
(301) 627-6650 

A source of image-digitization hard- 
ware and software for the Apple II series 
is 

HAL 

P.O. Box 293 

Scotch Plains, NJ 07076 

—Steve 

Franklin 

Dear Steve, 

I have a Franklin Ace 1200 with Franklin's 
version of VisiCalc known as AceCalc. 
While 1 was using AceCalc, 1 cleared the 
worksheet and saved a file instead of load- 
ing it. This literally wiped out the file. How- 
ever, the catalog still shows the file as 28K 
bytes in size. Can 1 do anything to rescue 
or restore it? 

Robert A. Kelly 
Florham Park, NJ 



If your copy of AceCalc uses the stan- 
dard Apple DOS 3.3 file format and you 
did not use DIF as a data format, rescu- 
ing the file should be fairly easy (as long 
as you did not save additional data to 
that disk since your "accident"). If the 
DOS is radically different from DOS 3.3, 
you used DIF, or overwrote the original 
file with a subsequent file save, things will 
be much more difficult or impossible. The 
following suggestions assume a standard 
DOS and a non-DIF type of file format 
The fact that the disk catalog still shows 
a 28K-byte file size (1 assume it shows sec- 
tors and that you have translated to 
bytes) strongly suggests a fairly standard 
DOS 3.3. The erroneous file-size indica- 
tion is the result of a bug in DOS 3.3 that 
results in an incorrect file-size indication 
if a file is shortened and then saved 
under the same name without first 
deleting it 

At least two versions of AceCalc were 
produced; most, apparently, had a 
customized version of Apple DOS 3.3. If 
you have one of the DOS 3.3 versions, 
the method below will rescue the file 
under the conditions stated. 

Several utility programs are available 
that can be used to "undelete" files and 
otherwise manipulate the contents of 
disks. You will have to restore the catalog 
and the track-sector list for the file. I sug- 
gest that you obtain a book called 
Beneath Apple DOS (Quality Software, 
6660 Reseda Blvd., Suite 105, Reseda, CA 

{continued) 



IN ASK BYTE, Steve Garcia answers questions on 
any area of microcomputing. The most representative 
questions received each month will be answered and 
published. Do you have a nagging problem? Send 
your inquiry to 

Ask BYTE 

do Steve Garcia 

P.O. Box 582 

Glastonbury. CT 06033 
Due to the high volume of inquiries, personal replies 
cannot be given. All letters and photographs become 
the property of Steve Garcia and cannot be returned. 
Be sure to include "Ask BYTE" in the address. 

The Ask BYTE staff includes manager Harv 
Weiner and researchers Eric Albert, Bill Curlew, Ken 
Davidson. )eannette Dojan. ]on Elson. Roger )ames. 
Frank Kuechmann. Dave Lundberg. Edward Nisley. 
Dick Sawyer. Andy Siska. and Robert Stek. 



50 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



COPYRIGHT © 1986 STEVEN A. CIARCIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



MICROSOFT LANGUAGES NEWSLETTER Vol. 1, No. 8 



News about the Microsoft Language Family 



Improved Microsoft® C Compiler Version 4.00 Is Now Available 

ANSI compatibility: Microsoft C Compiler Version 4.0 provides increased support for the 
developing ANSI standard. Library support: Over 30 new library functions have been added, 
including UNIX™ System V functions vprintf, vscanf, and setvbur.More memory models: Compact 
and huge memory models have been added for increased versatility, bringing the number of 
supported memory models to five. Optimizations: Elimination of common sub-expressions joins our 
list of optimizations to make your generated code tighter than ever before. Source code: Full 
start-up and exit source code is provided. In addition to these new features, Microsoft C Compiler 
Version 4.0 allows you to compile and optimize larger programs, get mixed source and disassembly 
listings, control floating-point math better, and use improved overlay capabilities. And MAKE, 
the program maintenance utility, helps ensure up-to-date program components by automatically 
recompiling and relinking to keep up with your source code changes. 

The New CodeView™ Source Debug Utility Is Bundled with Microsoft G All the power of 
SYMDEB plus full windowing orientation make CodeView the debugger you will want to grow 
into. See source code and disassembly interspersed. Use drop-down menus, multiple windows, 
independent graphics screen swapping, and a read-only source code editor to navigate through your 
code and locate logic errors more quickly than ever before. Exercise your code with the dynamic C 
expression evaluator instead of recompiling multiple test cases. Set conditional breakpoints. See regis- 
ters and variables (even locals) change as you watch an animated trace program execution. Special 
offer for CodeView demo: Words can't say it all here, but our freely copyabie demo disk is available 
for only $5. Take a test drive! 

New Microsoft QuickBASIC Version 2*00 Makes Programming in BASIC Easier and Faster 

Microsoft QuickBASIC has undergone a major transformation in its new Version 2.0 release. We 
think that it will change the way you program in BASIC. The Microsoft QuickBASIC programming 
environment features an integrated editor, compiler, and runtime . 

The editor uses a Microsoft Windows-like interface for full screen editing with pull-down menus. 
The editor supports the Microsoft Mouse and the IBM® 43-line Enhanced Graphics Adapter. The 
faster compiler can be invoked directly from the editor, compiling Microsoft QuickBASIC programs 
directly into memory and bypassing the link step. If no errors are detected the program can start 
executing immediately. Both compilation errors and runtime errors will restart the editor and place 
the cursor on the troublesome line. 

Debugging compiled programs is easier with Microsoft QuickBASIC 2.0. The TRON statement 
enables the new source display animated trace and step modes. The tracing features can be toggled 
on and off using the function keys. 

Large BASIC program development is supported by an additional new method of separate com- 
pilation. User libraries of BASIC and assembly language routines can be loaded into the in-memory 
compilation and execution environment. Microsoft QuickBASIC 2.0 also supports stand-alone 
application development. 

New Microsoft QuickBASIC language features include block IF/THEN/ELSE, Enhanced Graphics 
Adapter support including the new 640 by 350 graphics modes, and dynamic arrays that can now 
use all of available user memory. 

For more information on the products and features 
discussed in the newsletter, 
write to: Microsoft Languages Newsletter 
16011 NE 36th Way, Box 97017, Redmond, WA 98073-9717 
Or phone: 

(800) 426-9400. In Washington State and Alaska, 
call (206) 882-8088. In Canada, call (416) 673-7638. 

Microsoft is a registered trademark and CodeView is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. UNIX is a trademark of AT&T 
Bell Laboratories. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. 

Look for the Microsoft Languages Newsletter every month in this publication. 



Latest DOS Versions: 




Microsoft C Compiler 


4.00 


Microsoft COBOL 


2.10 


Microsoft FORTRAN 


3.31 


Microsoft Macro Assembler 


4.00 


Microsoft Pascal 


3.31 


Microsoft QuickBASIC 


2.00 



■ 



ASK BYTE 



91335) and a suitable utility program like 
Bag of Tricks, Copy II Plus, or Locksmith. 
The book explains how the disks are for- 
matted and how information is stored on 
them. The utility programs permit 
modification of individual data bytes on 
the disk. These items are available 
through local computer dealers and 
those that advertise in publications like 
BYTE and Computer Shopper. You 
should be able to fully recover your data 
as long as you have not saved any files 
to that disk since your inadvertent save 
of a blank file. 

The first thing you should do is copy 
the disk using a copy program that copies 
tracks rather than files. COPYA on the 
DOS 3.3 system master is such a pro- 
gram; FID on the same disk is not. Then 
work only with the copy in attempting to 
recover your data. I suggest first trying 
the FIXC AT program on the Bag of Tricks 
disk, instructing it to scan the disk for lost 
files. It will locate all sectors on the disk 
that contain valid data but aren't listed 
in the catalog. Once they are located, 
these sector can be marked as "used" 
in the VTOC You may have to do a bit 
of looking and patching with a sector 



editor to fully reassemble the missing file. 
If DIF was used, you may have to use a 
sector editor to change the file to a stan- 
dard text file— Steve 

AT Compatibles 

Dear Steve, 

I am currently using an IBM PC AT with 
640K bytes of memory, a 1.2 -megabyte 
floppy disk drive, a 20-megabyte hard 
disk, a Princeton HX-12 color monitor, and 
an Epson FX-185 printer/plotter. This 
machine is on loan to me, and I am using 
it for scientific computations. 

In the near future, I would like to buy 
an AT-compatible machine. I was thinking 
of the Columbia microcomputer, but Co- 
lumbia is out of business now. What ma- 
chines do you recommend? Should I wait 
for the new 32-bit computers or the new 
reduced instruction set computers? 

Also, would it be possible for me to at- 
tach an array processor to an AT (or AT 
compatible) without spending a large 
amount of money? If so. what program- 
ming languages should be used to get the 
most out of such a configuration? 

Geza Szonyi 
Lexington, MA 



If you haven't seen the November 12, 
1985, and February 25, 1986, issues of 
PC Magazine, you should get copies. Be- 
tween these two issues, more than a 
dozen alternatives to the AT are reviewed 
and compared. 1 haven't had the oppor- 
tunity to try any of these machines, but 
one of them should come close to your 
criteria. If you are using the machine to 
do a lot of number crunching, you should 
probably invest in the 8028 7 coprocessor 
(assuming your software can make use of 
it}. 1 have seen three-dimensional rotation 
of complex molecules run on such a ma- 
chine, and it is quite impressive. 

There will always be a trade-off be- 
tween programming efficiency and run- 
time performance. Nothing beats good 
assembly language programming for 
speed, but it is intensely time-consuming. 
A good optimizing compiler is never as 
fast, but the time to develop applications 
is greatly reduced. FORTRAN is still used 
for many scientific applications; a good 
version for MS-DOS is available from 



Lahey Computer Systems Inc. 
31244 Pahs Verdes Dr. W, #243 



(continued) 



Get with the program! 

Object-oriented programming 
for better productivity 




the total 

of my order plus my local state sales tax (Addison- 
Wesley will pay postage and handling). 

Please charge: D VISA □ MasterCard 

(Interbank # 

Acct. # Exp. date 

Signature 



□ Object-Oriented Programming: 
An Evolutionary Approach, by 
Brad J. Cox. You won't find a 
better way to learn object- 
oriented programming (OOP) 
than from Brad Cox. His is the 
first book written on OOP, and 
he brings to it all the experience 
he's gained in devoting a great 
part of his career to making 
OOP a practical, everday tool for 
production programming. Cox 
introduces "software ICs," which 
enable you to encapsulate tested 
code for use in future projects. 
This eliminates having to re-code 
each line from scratch and allows 
you to increase your software 
design productivity significantly. 
0-201-10393-1/ hardcover/274 pp.1 
1986 $24.95* 

Also 

□ Smalltalk-80: The Language and 
Its Implementation, by Adele 
Goldberg and David Robson. 
0-201-11371-6/ hardcover/ 736 pp.1 
1983 $41.95* 

□ Smalltalk-80: The Interactive 
Programming Environment, by 

Name/Title 

Address 

City 



D The C + + Programming 

Language, by Bjarne Stroustrup. 
The definitive reference to the 
C + + language that Stroustrup 
developed after years of on-the- 
job experimentation and research 
at AT&T Bell Laboratories. C++, 
an extension of C, can produce 
programs that are shorter, easier 
to understand, and easier to 
maintain than traditional C pro- 
grams. Plus the book allows you 
to conduct actual programming 
projects while still learning the 
new capabilities of C++. 
0-201-12078-X/softcover/ 328 pp.1 
1986 $22.95* 



Available: 

Adele Goldberg. 0-202-22372-4/ 
hardcover/1984 $34.95* 

□ Smalltalk-80: Bits of History, 
Words of Advice, Glenn Krasner, 
Editor. 0-201-11669-3/ softcover/ 
1984 $25.95* 

*Prices good in US. only. 



. State . 



. Zip . 



Please ship □ UPS □ U.S. Mail 

Send order with payment to Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Attn: Denise Descoteaux, Reading, MA 01867 
▼VAddison-Wesley Publishing Company • Reading, MA 01867 • (617)944-3700. • We publish the leaders. 



52 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 3 



A DECADE OF SERVICE 



TURBO XT 

Dual Spd CPU, 
2-FD, 640K 
Grn Monitor, 
complete 

$895 




Complete systems 
shipped overnight. 



SOFTWARE 

ANDREW TOBIAS MANAGING 

YOUR MONEY $129 

ASHTONTATE FRAMEWORK II call 
ASHTON TATE dBASEIII plus call 
BORLAND SIDEKICK $39 

BORLAND TURBO PASCAL $45 
BORLAND TURBO LIGHTNING $59 
BORLAND SUPERKEY $59 

BORLAND REFLEX $99 

CLIPPER dBASE COMPILER call 
COMPUTER ASSOCIATES 

IUS Acctg Series from $299 
DECISION RESOURCES 

CHARTMASTER $239 

DECISION RESOURCES 

SIGNMASTER $189 

DECISION RESOURCES 

DIAGRAMMASTER $259 

DIGITAL RESEARCH GEM 

DRAW/COLLECTION call 

DIGITAL RESEARCH 

GEM COLLECTION call 

FUNK SOFTWARE SIDEWAYS $48 
HARVARD TOTAL PROJECT 

MANAGER call 

HAYES SMARTCOM II $89 

IBM DISPLAYWRITERIII $369 
LATTICE C-COMPILER $298 

LIFETREE VOLKSWRITER 

DELUXE $249 

MICROSOFT WINDOWS $79 

MICROSOFT WORD $319 

MICROSTUFFXTALKXVI $99 

MULTIMATE latest call 

MULTIMATE ADVANTAGE call 

NORTON UTILITIES $69 

OPEN SYSTEMS ACCOUNTING 

SERIES call 

ROSESOFT PROKEY $99 

SATELLITE SOFTWARE 

WORDPERFECT 4.1 call 

SOFTWARE PUBLISHING CO. 

PFS SERIES from $79 

SORC1M SUPERCALC III $197 



AT&rt6300 

2-FD, 256K, 

Keyboard, AT&T 

Hi-Res Mono /'f ■ 

Monitor r.' ^-j 



IBM* PC 

2-FD, Graphics 
mono monitor, 
256K, list 2810 



Turbo* AT-Enhanced 

20-Megabyte Hard 
Disk, 1.2-MB FD, 
512K, Keyboard, 
Amber Monitor 



$1 9 795^sh^ $1j579/f^^^*\ $2,495 




MASS STORAGE 

floppy drives 

MITSUBISHI V 2 ht 360k 

(bl/gry) $98 

MITSUBISHI Vfeht 

1.2 mb (gry) $147 

TANDON TM100-2 $125 

TOSHIBA Vz ht. call 

internal hard drives 

All hard drives complete with 
controllers, mounting hardware & 
instructions. All are formatted, 
tested & have 1 year warranty. 

SEAGATE 10MB $399 

SEAGATE 20 MB $475 

SEAGATE 30 MB call 

SEAGATE 20 MB for AT $689 

SEAGATE 30 MB for AT $796 

PRIAM 40MB/60MB $1395/1595 
PRIAM 40MB/60MB 

for AT $1425/1625 

disk cards 

HARDCARD 

10MB/20MB $695/895 

CMS 10MB/20MB $499/699 

MOUNTAIN 10MB/20MB call 

disk subsystems 

BERNOULLI BOX 20MB/40 MB 

$2095/2695 
SYSGEN FLATPACK call 

TALLGRASS all models call 

tape drives 

IRWIN 10MB/20MB inter. call 

IRWIN 10MB/20MB exter. call 

TALLGRASS 4060 call 

BOARDS 

multifunction 

QUADRAM QUADPORT AT $119 

QUADRAM LIBERTY call 

QUADRAM EMS + call 

AST SIXPAK 384k $219 

AST RAMPAGE XT/AT call 
QUADRAM QUADBOARD 

384k call; new low, low price 

THESYS FASTCARD V Ok NEW! 

RAM BOARD 384k half card $169 



video/graphics 

AST PREVIEW $289 

HERCULES COLOR $188 

HERCULES GRAPHICS $319 

IBM COLOR $198 

IBM MONOCHROME $198 

QUADRAM EGA + $399 
QUADRAM QUADCOLOR I 

COLOR CARD w/par. call 
MONOCHROME GRAPHICS 

Here comp. $198 

network 

ORCHID PCNET call 

QUADRAM QUADNET IX call 

emulation 

AST 5251 mod 11/12 call 

DCA IRMA call 

MONITORS 

monochrome 
AMDEK 310a $168 

IBM MONOCHROME $224 

PRINCETON MAX 12 $178 

QUADRAM AMBERCHROME $166 

color 

AMDEK 600/772 call/$528 

IBM ENHANCED COLOR $594 
PRINCETON 

HX12/H12E $436/$526 

QUADRAM QUADCHROME II call 
QUADRAM ENHANCED Color NEW! 

MODEMS 

HAYES 1200/1200B $398/329 
HAYES 2400/2400B $596/526 
US ROBOTICS PASSPORT 

1200/2400 call 

1200BAUD EXTERNAL MODEM $196 
VENTEL1200W/XTALK call 

SUPPLY HOUSE 

PC MART DISKETTES box $18 

case $159 

VERBATIM DISKETTES box $28 

case $258 



Specialists in complete computer 
systems for business applications. 

PRINTERS 

dot matrix 

BROTHER HR1509 $398 

EPSON LX-80 call 

EPSON FX-85/FX-286 call 

EPSON LQ-800/LQ-1000 call 

IBM PROPRINTER $425 

OKI DATA 182 $268 

OKIDATA 192/193 $399/545 

OKIDATA 2410 call 

TOSHIBA 321 call 

TOSHIBA 341/351 $859/1159 

laser/letter quality 

BROTHER HR15 $249 

BROTHER HR25/HR35 $568/798 
CORONA LP300 $2395 

EPSON DX20/DX35 call 

IBM QUIETWRITER II $1259 

QUADRAM QUADLASER in stock! 



plotters 

HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS 
all models available 
for quick delivery 



call 



MISCELLANEOUS 

MOUSESYSTEMS PC 

MOUSE w/PAINT $149 
MICROSOFT MOUSE 

serial/bus $129 
KEYTRONICS 

5151/5153 call 

AT Keyboard $149 

QUADRAM MICROFAZER 8k $129 

QUADRAM MICROFAZER II New! 

TRIPPLITE ISOBAR from $45 

TRIPPLITE UPS 400w/800w call 

CURTIS PROTECTORS from $29 

CHIPS 

64k/128k/256k 



8087/80287 



call for 
market price 

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INFORMATION 



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Visit our showrooms in Atlanta, Charlotte, Durham and Raleigh 



SALES • SERVICE • FINANCING • DELIVERY • SUPPORT 



Inquiry 219 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 53 



ASK BYTE 



Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90274 
(213) 541-1200 

I don't know of an array processor for the 
AT right now, though someone is bound 
to come up with one sooner or later. 

IBM's RISC machine is now available. 
But remember that it does not run MS- 
DOS, so any packages that you now use 
on the AT will not run on this new ma- 
chine. I understand that IBM will offer an 
80286 board for the RISC machine, but 



this will not run any faster than a stan- 
dard AT. The 32-bit machines are on the 
drawing board, but it is anyone's guess 
as to when they will appear in the mar- 
ketplace. I understand that the 80386s 
will run three to five times faster than the 
80286s. Since they will run the same MS- 
DOS software, this will provide an easier 
upgrade path than waiting for specific 
software for the RISC machine or devel- 
oping your own. 
I've always adopted the philosophy 




USRobotics' COURIER 2400™ 
. . .The most dependable 
at 2400- or 1200-bps 

You get 2400/1200/300-bps 
data communications and 
every first-class feature you'd 
expect in an auto-dial, auto- 
answer modem... at a surprisingly 
affordable price. 

But a modem at any price is only 
as good as its performance. . . And 
that's where Courier 2400 really shines. 
Don't take our word for it. Ask any of 
the nearly 2,000 electronic bulletin 
board system operators who have 
chosen the Courier 2400 for one of 
the most demanding modem applica- 
tions imaginable. 

Listen to the unanimous chorus of 
praise for the Courier 2400 from tough 
reviewers at more than a dozen highly 
respected computer magazines. 

Consider Courier 2400's perform- 
ance record— less than one percent 
of all Courier 2400s sold have been 
returned for service, a record we chal- 
lenge the industry to match. And we 
back up ourconfidence in Courier 2400 



with a full two-year parts and service 
warranty. 

Quality, performance, value— your 
modem should be this good. It is, if 
it's the Courier 2400 from USRobotics. 

ilfiobotics 

The Intelligent Choice in Data Communications 

8100 McCormick Blvd., Skokie, Illinois 60076 
Phone toll free 1 (800) DIAL USR 
In Illinois (312) 982-5001 



To learn more, send for our 
FREE booklet: "24 Questions 
and Answers on 2400-BPS 
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NAME 



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PERSONAL USE U BUSINESS USE 



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that it is better to jump on the computer 
bandwagon now than it is to wait. If you 
wait until next year, yet another develop- 
ment will be just over the horizon, and 
another one beyond that. If you get your 
feet wet now. you will be that much more 
knowledgeable and further ahead when 
the next generation of machines comes 
out— Steve 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 
FEEDBACK 



Liquid-Crystal Displays 

Dear Steve, 

In some of your articles, you have made 
reference to LCDs. I am having great dif- 
ficulty finding them at any price. I'm look- 
ing for a multiline dot-matrix LCD. I would 
also like to find a small keyboard with a 
QWERTY configuration similar to those on 
HP 70 hand-held computers. If you could 
steer me to a source of these items, I 
would be most grateful. 

Ric Brandt 
Hamilton, OH 

LCDs with fixed alphanumeric charac- 
ters can be found in the hobbyist market 
from a number of sources. You will have 
difficulty finding the multiline dot-matrix 
variety in this market due to their price— 
they are expensive items. 

Keyboards similar to that found in the 
HP 70 series are custom items, usually 
consisting of solid key caps that push 
down onto a membrane switch panel. 
Since these items are custom, most com- 
panies keep a supply on hand for repair. 
1 suggest contacting such a company to 
purchase a keyboard assembly. If you 
can't find a company willing to sell you 
one, you can always pick up a relatively 
inexpensive compact keyboard from 
many mail-order electronics parts 
companies. 

Two mail-order electronics firms that 
carry alphanumeric LCDs and keyboards 
are the following: 

Digi-Key Corporation 
P.O. Box 677 

Thief River Falls, MN 56701 
(800) 344-4539 

Jameco Electronics 
13 55 Shoreway Rd. 
Belmont, CA 94002 
(415) 592-8097 

For information on dot-matrix LCDs, 
contact 

{continued) 



54 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



"Information Is The Next Frontier 



yy 



Michael B. Shane 
Chairman, Leading Edge World Trade, Inc. 
and Leading Edge Products, Inc. 



ACCESS INFOR MA T I O N 



Model "D" 




$1345.00 




ijormaiion injorn. 
RMATION inforr 
nformation Info 
INFORMATION 

R MAT ION infom 

-»*nrrr»atinn Inff 



The Leading Edge Model "D" 
comes complete with more stan- 
dard features than most others list 
as options. It's IBM®-compatible, 
it comes with a 15-month warranty 
and when configured with a single 
drive is priced at $1345.00. A dual 
disk-drive version and a 30MB 
Fixed-drive version of the Model 
"D" are also available. 



The Leading Edge Model "L" 
Series 1200B Modem fits in full 
or half-size slots of the Leading 
Edge Model "0"™, "M" 1 ", and 
"MH"\" the IBMPC,AT,and IBM 
compatibles. It's Hayes®-compat- 
ible, yet at $149.95 is priced at 
about a third the price of Hayes' 
equivalent. 



Electronic data bases like the 
Source SM , CompuServe™, and 
2,500 others, give you instant 
access to information on just 
about every topic under the sun. 
(Access charges vary.) 



If you were to buy a Leading Edge® Model "D"™ Personal Computer and plug into it a 
Leading Edge® Model "L" Series™ Modem, you'd have created one of the most powerful 
information gathering and processing tools ever to sit on a desktop — for $1495. 

How Powerful? 

Think about instant access to current and historical financial quotes, up-to-the-minute 
news on all topics, detailed statistics on companies, industries, or even the entire economy. 

Think about instant access to information on topics like medicine, law, finance, real estate, 
politics, farming, and automotive repair — to name only a few. 

Think about having immediate access to documented information on every subject from 
astrology to zoology. 

Just think about what you could do with all that information ; think of how profoundly it 
could improve your life. 

Now, stop thinking about it and call 1-800-USA-LEAD for more information and a Leading 
Edge Dealer near you. For our Fortune Fleet Division, call 1-800-457-7286. 

* To obtain a copy of the Leading Edge Corporate Philosophy on Information, please write to this address. 



Leading Edge Hardware Products, Inc. 

225 Turnpike Street 

Canton, MA 02021 

In MA, (617) 828-8150. Fortune Fleet Division (617) 769-8050 



A 



LEADING EDGE 11 



Inquiry 160 



Leading Edge and Logo are registered trademarks of Leading Edge Products, Inc. Model "D", "M", M-H, Model "L" Series, and Information System are trademarks of 
Leading Edge Products, Inc. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Hayes is a registered trademark of Hayes Microcomputer 
Products, Inc. The Source is a service mark of Source Telemarketing Corporation, a subsidiary of the Readers Digest, Inc. CompuServe is a service mark of CompuServe 
Information Services, Inc. 



Inquiry 306 




Copying diskettes will never be easier 
than pushing one button. 



While your computer is 
busy doing other things, 
your Victory Duplicator can 
be making as many as eight 
copies of a diskette at once 
— producing up to 401 copies 
in an hour. DualMaster ™ 
models can even make 
multiple copies of two different 
diskettes simultaneously. 
Just insert the diskettes 
and press one button. 

Copy different formats, 
flawlessly. 

An automatic format analysis 
program makes it possible 
for the Victory Duplicator to 

© 198(> Victory Enterprises Technology, Inc. 



copy virtually any b x A, V/2 
or 8rinch diskette. The system 
tests for quality and accuracy 
at every stage of the process. 

It practically services 
itself. 

Each drive has a separate 
controller to maximize up- 
time. Simple diagnostics to 
verify drive alignment and 
industry standard drives 
allow you to maintain your 
system without waiting for 
outside service. 

All at an attractive price. 

Victory Duplicators offer 
fast copying, serialization, 



copy protection, a commu- 
nications port, a four-month 
warranty and much more — 
all for one low price. 

Call 1-800-421-0103. 

Call today for more 
information. (In Texas, 
call 512-450-0801.) 






VICTORY 
ENTERPRISES 

Technology, Inc. 

8910 Research Blvd., Suite B2 
Austin, Texas 78758 



1 



Power protection for the most powerful micro- 
computer systems with peripherals is here, now, wit 
the 400 Watt DataSaver. Protect your investme 
application software and hardware with relp hl£ 
continuous power. 90 and 200 Watt capaci 
international models are also available 



v 



DataSaver400 



Standby UPS 



Cuesta Systems Corpo 

3440 Roberto Court 
San Luis Obispo, C A ' 
TLX: 4949381 CUESTA 



£«?; ' 



ClARCIA FEEDBACK 



Sanyo Semiconductor Corporation 
7 Pearl Court 
Allendale, NJ 07401 
(201) 825-8080 

Seiko Instruments U.S.A. Inc. 
2990 West Lomita Blvd. 
Torrance, CA 90505 
(213) 530-8777 

—Steve 

Ultrasonic Ranging 

Dear Steve, 

1 recently became interested in building 
your ultrasonic ranging system described 
in the October 1984 BYTE, so 1 bought the 
kit from Micromint. I have scoured back 
issues of BYTE, Radio Shack stores, parts 
stores, the Canal Street area of New York 
City, and every other source that 1 can 
think of. But so far 1 have been unable to 
locate the UXD LCD that was described 
in figure 10 as being available from Liquid- 
Crystal Displays Inc. Would you please let 
me know this company's address? 

1 thought that I would try the LCD ver- 
sion of your project so that 1 could isolate 
mistakes that 1 may make in wiring from 
errors in communication between the 
sonar unit and my Osborne computer. I 
want to use the device to measure and 
price 1000 Christmas trees that we want 
to sell to raise money for my daughter's 
school. 

Jeffrey T. Elliot 
New York. NY 

I don't have a current source for the 
LCD unit mentioned in the article, but 
you should be able to use the Amperex 
LC513040-301.15/IS sold by Digi-Key as 
part no. LCD003. The address is 

DighKey Corporation 
P.O. Box 677 

Thief River Falls, MN 56701 
(800) 344-4539 

-Steve 

Speech Synthesis 

Dear Steve, 

I have been following your articles on 
speech synthesis and recognition in BYTE 
for several years, hoping to come across 
something practical that can help me in 
my job as a speech pathologist. 1 teach 
speech to deaf children. 

Since 1 have an Apple lie in my clinic 
room, 1 ordered your Lis'ner 1000 board 
(November 1984) and have had fun using 
it with my deaf kids. You wouldn't believe 
how they light up when they see the 
Lis'ner 1000 recognize their speech and 
the words flash on the screen! Although 

[continued] 



56 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 83 




Those who insist on C compiler performance 
are very big on Mark Williams- 

And the compiler is just part of our total C Programming System. 

Mark Williams' C compiler has earned a place 
in some very big companies for some very good reasons: 
it proves the benchmarks right with the speed, code 
density consistent performance and expert support 
required in professional development environments. 

But a total development tool shouldn't stop with 
compiling. Or go on and on with extras that add up and up. 

Only Mark Williams' C Programming Systems 
includes the csd C Source Debugger with true source 
level debugging to speed your programming job. 

And only Mark Williams' new 3.0 version includes 
utilities like "make" to make quick work of even the 
largest projects. 

From source code to final product, only one takes 
you all the way: Mark Williams' C Programming System. 
All for only $495. Ask about our 60-day money back 
guarantee when you call 
1-800-692-1700 to order today.* fSY7|| Mark 
You'll be big on the total C III Williams 

Programming system from %A# Company 

Mark Williams, too. 



^'jy/ These and other powerful 
^^?/ utilities now included in the C 
& X Programming System: 

make: compiles only what's necessary 
from multiple modules, a powerful pro- 
gramming discipline 

• diff: identifies differences between two files 

• m4: macroprocessor expression editing 
and substitution 

• egrep: extended pattern search 

• MicroEMACS: full screen editor with source 

COMPILER FEATURES 

• Runs under MS-DOS 

• full Kernighan & Ritchie C with recent 
extensions including void and enum 

• Register variables for fast, compact code 

• Full UNIX™ compatibility and complete 
libraries 

• Large and small memory models 

• MS-DOS linker compatibility 

• 8087 Support 

• One-step compiling 

• English error messages 

• ROMable code 

• Linker, assembler, archiver 

• Extensive third party library support 

csd C SOURCE DEBUGGER 

• Debugs at C source level without assembly 
language 

• Separate evaluation, source, program and 
history windows 

• Can execute any C expression 

• Capabilities of a C interpreter, but runs in 
real time 

• Set trace points on any statement or variable 



© 1985 Mark Williams Company 

UNIX is a registered trademark of Bell Labs. 

Inquiry 179 



*ln Illinois call 312-472-6659. 



1430 West Wrightwood 
Chicago, Illinois 60614 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 57 



Inquiry 251 

Try It. 

Then Buy It. 

PC-Write. 

A fast, full-featured word 
processing package for the 
unbelievable price of $10. 
Complete. You get a manual 
on disk, mail merge, split 
screen, keyboard macros, 
on-screen formatting, full 
printer support, and more. 

Try PC-Write for $10. 
Then register for $75 to get: 

• latest diskette 

• printed manual 

• two updates 

• phone support 

• newsletter 
Registration supports our 
"shareware" concept that 
keeps our prices low, and 
allows our development of 
PC-Write enhancements. 

Shareware means you can 
get PC-Write from a friend 
or user group to try, and 
give away copies yourself. 
Then register if you like it. 
No risk! 




Byte 
August 1986 

Soon 
Version 2.7 

has a built-in spelling checker 
plus new 2.6 features like our 
new manual, bracket matching, 
extended directory, and menus. 
New 2.7 registration price $89. 



Order PC-Write Today. 

Satisfaction Guaranteed. 




(206) 282-0452 
219 First N. #224y 
Seattle, WA 98109 



CIARCIA FEEDBACK 



the Lis'ner doesn't really give them any ar- 
ticulatory feedback, except for right or 
wrong. I am using it to get them used to 
computers in speech therapy while I wait 
to find a visible speech display system that 
can give them useful feedback on their 
production of consonants and vowels. Of 
course, several systems are commercially 
available now, but I am not particularly im- 
pressed with their performance, and the 
price is prohibitive. 

To date, I think the system you described 
in your March 1982 article ("Use Voice- 
prints to Analyze Speech") appears to do 
the best job of visually displaying critical 
consonant-vowel information that deaf 
children could use as articulation models. 

Could the system described in March 
1982 be easily modified to display spec- 
trograms on an Apple lie monitor in place 
of an oscilloscope? 

Would it be possible to use the Lis'ner 
1000 to visually display speech wave- 
forms? 

Charles Frame 
Oneida. Wl 

The voice analysis system described in 
March 1982 was an experimental system 
designed solely to test and experiment. 
It was never intended to be, nor is it, a 
commercial product. The system de- 
scribed uses an oscilloscope, which is not 
suitable for display of the test data on an 
Apple system. The only information avail- 
able is contained in the article. 

It would be reasonable to use the data 
from the Lis'ner 1000 to display speech 
waveforms using the high-resolution- 
graphics capability of the computer, al- 
though not in real time. The chief require- 
ments for using the system in this way 
would be a knowledge of 6502 assem- 
bly/machine language, microcomputer in- 
terfacing, and the Apple hardware. Given 
the extremely specialized nature of your 
application, doing it yourself may be the 
most practical approach. 
If you are unable to handle the hard- 
ware/software required, I suggest contact- 
ing local users groups. These groups fre- 
quently contain highly skilled assembly 
language programmeis and hardware in- 
terfaces who would be willing to assist 
you. 

A system to display voice waveforms 
can be made from a microphone, a suit- 
able adjustable preamplifier/amplifier, 
and an oscilloscope. A bit of research in 
a local library should provide specific cir- 
cuits and methods. 

Some additional sources of information 
and inspiration you might find useful: 

An article in the April 1984 issue of BYTE 



by Richard C Hallgren ('Putting the 
Apple II Work, Part I: The Hardware"} 
describes a high-speed data acquisition 
and analysis system for the Apple. This 
is a more general form of what you are 
trying to do. minus the display. This issue 
has several articles on real-time data ac- 
quisition that contain valuable informa- 
tion. 

De Jong, Marvin L. Apple II Assembly 
Language (Howard W. Sams, 1982) 

Lancaster, Donald E. Don Lancaster's 
Micro Cookbook, Vol. 2 (Howard W. 
Sams, 1983) 

Lancaster. Donald E. Assembly Cook- 
book for the Apple 11/lle (Howard W. 
Sams, 1984) 

Sather, James. Understanding the Apple 
He (Quality Software, 1985) 

Titus. Jonathan S., David Larsen, and 
Christopher A. Titus. Apple II Interfacing 
(Howard W. Sams, 1981) 

Titus, Jonathan S., Christopher A. Titus, 
and David Larsen. Microcomputer- 
Analog Converter Software and Hard- 
ware Interfacing (Howard W. Sams, 1978) 

Goldsbrough, Paul, et al. Analog Elec- 
tronics for Microcomputer Systems 
(Howard W. Sams, 1983) 

—Steve 

Between Circuit Cellar Feedback, personal ques- 
tions, and Ask BYTE. I receive hundreds of letters 
each month. As you might have noticed, in Ask 
BYTE I have listed my own paid staff. We answer 
many more letters than you see published, and it 
often takes a lot of research. 

\f you would like to share the knowledge you have 
on microcomputer hardware with other BYTE 
readers, joining the Circuit Cellar/Ask BYTE staff 
would give you the opportunity. We're looking for 
additional researchers to answer letters and gather 
Circuit Cellar project material. 

If you're interested, let us hear from you. Send 
a short letter describing your areas of interest and 
qualifications to Steve Garcia. P.O. Box 582, 
Glastonbury. CT 06033. ■ 



Over the years I have presented many dif- 
ferent projects in BYTE. I know many of you 
have built them and are making use of them 
in many ways. 

I am interested in hearing from any of you 
telling me what you've done with these projects 
or how you may have been influenced by the 
basic ideas. Write me at Circuit Cellar Feed- 
back. P.O. Box 582. Glastonbury. CY 06033. 
and fill me in on your applications. All letters 
and photographs become the property of Steve 
Garcia and cannot be returned. 



58 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 




Now the Wggest name 

in C compilers comes in a size 

everybody can afford. 

Let's C. 

$75 



Introducing Mark Williams' $75 C compiler. Want to explore C programming for the first time? Or just 
on your own time? Now you can do it in a big way without spending that way. With Let's C. 

This is no little beginner's model. Let's C is a powerful programming tool, packed with all the 
essentials of the famous Mark Williams C Programming System. The one chosen by Intel, DEC, Wang 

and thousands of professional programmers. The one that wins the 

benchmarks and the reviewers' praise: 

"Let's C is a thoroughly professional C environment loaded with tools and 
programming utilities It is also another fine Mark Williams Co. product" 
-Christopher Skelly, Computer Language Magazine, Feb. 1986 

And now for more big news. Get our revolutionary csd C Source 

Debugger for just $75, too. 

Use this coupon or charge by calling toll-free: ^ u can breeze through 

1-800-MWC-1700. In 111. call 312-472-6659. , u «.+u ,~ 

debugging at the C source 

level ignoring clunky 

assembler code. 

Affordable, powerful, 

debuggable. Mark Williams 

Let's C is the big name C 

compiler at a price you can 

handle. Get your hands on 

it now 



Mark Williams Let's C 

• For the IBM-PC and 
MS-DOS 

• Fast compact code plus 
register variables 

• Full Kernighan & Ritchie C 
and extensions 

• Full UNIX" compatibility 
and complete libraries 

• Small memory model 

• Many powerful utilities 
including linker, 
assembler, archiver, cc 
one-step compiling, egrep, 
pr, tail, wc 

• MicroEMACS full screen 
editor with source 

• Supported by dozens of 
third party libraries 

• Upgradeable to C 
Programming System for 
large scale applications 
development 

Let's C Benchmark Done on 
an IBM-PC/XT, no 8087. 
Program: Floating Point 
from BYTE, August, 1983. 

Exec Time in Seconds 
Le> C 134.20 

MS j.O 347.45 



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Inquiry 1 80 



D 1985 Mark Williams UNIX is a trademark of Bell Labs. 



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f 



Conroy*LaPointe Inc. 



Inquiry 77 for Apple. Inquiry 78 for IBM Peripherals. Inquiry 79 for all others. 



$2000? 

That's Too Darned High! 



Why should a CAD package cost more than a Word 
Processor? It shouldn't! Lots of people ask how we can 
offer a CAD system as good as ProDesign II at a price as 
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PRODESIGN II — ONLY $299! 




62 BYTE • AUGUST I986 



Inquiry 21 



BOOK REVIEWS 



THE C + + 
PROGRAMMING 
LANGUAGE 
Bjarne Stroustrup 
Addison-Wesley 
Reading, MA: 1986 
327 pages. $22.95 

ADVANCED 

PROGRAMMER'S GUIDE 
TO UNIX SYSTEM V 
Rebecca Thomas, 
Lawrence R. Rogers, 
and Jean L. Yates 
Osborne/McGraw-Hill 
Berkeley, CA: 1986 
57 5 pages. $21.95 

MIND OVER MACHINE 
Hubert L. Dreyfus 
and Stuart E. Dreyfus 
Free Press 
New York: 1986 
231 pages, $16.95 



THE C++ PROGRAMMING 
LANGUAGE 

Reviewed by 
G. Michael Vose 



o 



ne of the tenets of evo- 
lutionary theory states 




that changes in the environment cause subtle mutations 
in an organism that transform it into a new organism. The 
changing nature of the hardware environment of computers 
causes an analogous evolution of programming languages. 
Bjarne Stroustrup's The C++ Programming language describes 
one recent language mutation. 

Following the example of its parent, Brian W. Kernighan 
and Dennis M. Ritchie's The C Programming language (also 
known as K&R or the "white" book), this book defines the 
superset of C called C + + . Both books provide multiple- 
chapter tutorials for their respective languages as well as 
the languages' official reference manuals. Both contain ex- 
amples and exercises for readers to solve. 

Stroustrup's book assumes a familiarity with C (referring 
the beginning reader to K&R) but is nearly 100 pages longer 



than the white book. C++ 
adds considerably to the 
complexity of an already 
obtuse lexicon. Further- 
more, C++ provides the 
tools to allow an object- 
oriented approach to pro- 
gramming in C. 

Evaluating a book like 
Stroustrup's is difficult 
because microcomputer im- 
plementations of C++ are 
just becoming available (see 
the What's New section). I 
have no concrete experi- 
ence with the language and 
no facility for using the 
tutorial sections of the 
book. Therefore, the judg- 
ments I can make are 
limited to two areas: Does 
the book adequately de- 
scribe the concepts of C++, 
and do the C++ extensions 
seem useful? The historical 
significance of both the 
book and the language will 
have to wait for the judg- 
ment of some future 
reviewer. 

People familiar with C in- 
stantly recognize the 
significance of the name 
C++. C's increment operator is symbolized using two plus 
signs (++). The suggestion is that C++ increments the 
power of the language, and this is certainly true. But for 
many C programmers, adding new constructs takes a back 
seat to fixing some of the awkward aspects of the original 
language. The authors provide some of these fixes. 

Programmers enjoy using C because of the freedom of 
expression it provides due to a rich set of operators and 
great flexibility in declaring and manipulating data types. 
C++ increases this freedom substantially by offering ad- 
ditional data types and constructs that permit programmers 
to more easily build complex data structures (a process 
known as data abstraction). The emphasis in C++ is on 
types and structure. 

{continued) 



ILLUSTRATED BY MARGERY MINTZ 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 63 



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BOOK REVIEWS 



For example, you create objects by using the class 
declaration. Objects have common characteristics, and the 
definition of objects in a class specifies how they behave, 
how they get created and destroyed, and how they can be 
used and manipulated. Therefore, a class is a type, but a 
type defined by the programmer. While an int or a char 
have definitions imposed by the compiler, a class and the 
objects that are instantiations of that class are under your 
control. 

Classes have many unique characteristics; the internals 
of a class can be made invisible to the rest of the program 
or made public, known to the program (a public class is 
just a structure); class internals can be hidden from the rest 
of a program but still known to data types declared as 
friends; and derived classes permit adding to a class with- 
out revising the source code or recompiling. 

The emphasis of the extensions of C++ is on the easy 
creation of new data types. Secondarily C++ classes pro- 
vide a way to "hide" data to make it invisible, and there- 
fore uncorruptible, by other parts of a program. 

How might these powerful new types be used? Stroustrup 
provides examples of simple classes that manipulate sets, 
manage symbol tables, and manipulate a stack. You might 
well wonder if there is a price to pay for this ability to create 
new types and if it will lead to programs voluminous in 
source text. Apparently not, according to Stroustrup, who 
claims that more freedom of expression in creating types 
leads to economy of expression and slightly shorter 
programs. 

The C++ compiler is actually a translator that uses a C++ 
source file to generate a C source file that can in turn be 
compiled into an executable file. The C++ translator 
features strict type checking at the translation stage, offer- 
ing the kind of checks that previously required a separate 
utility like lint. 

One of the principal advantages of C + + 's data abstrac- 
tion richness is modularity. Since you can build objects, soft- 
ware "black boxes" that take an easily defined input and 
generate a predictable output, teams of programmers can 
more easily generate large programs. AT&T's new Ada com- 
piler was written by a team of programmers using C+ + . 

C++ also provides operator and function overloading. 
Function overloading allows the multiple definition of a 
function. You can define the function foo( ) so that it acts 
differently when passed an integer argument than when 
passed a character argument. Overloaded operators per- 
mit the definition of how an operator affects a data stream. 
For example, addition of integer and real numbers is de- 
fined in C++, but addition of complex numbers is not. You 
* can overload the addition operator by declaring its effect 
on the combining of a real number and a complex number 
with syntax similar to that of a data declaration. 

■, 
Fixing C 

For many programmers, the intrinsic object orientation of 
C++ is less important than its streamlining of C. As the 
theme articles of this issue relate, object-oriented program- 
ming as a paradigm for conceptualizing problems is still 

(continued) 



64 BYTE 



AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 115 for End-Users. 
Inquiry 116 for DEALERS ONLY. 



THE PROFESSIONAL'S CHOICE 



Lotus 
1-2-3 

$319 



Software 



Word Processing Editors 

FANCY FONT $119 

FINAL WORD II $219 

MICROSOFT WORD $239 

MULTIMATE $219 
MULTIMATE 

ADVANTAGE $269 
OFFICE WRITER/ 

SPELLER $239 

PFS: WRITE $ 89 

SAMNA WORD III $259 

THINK TANK $109 

TURBO LIGHTNING $ 59 

VOLKSWRITER 3 $159 
VOLKSWRITER 

SCIENTIFIC $259 

WORD PERFECT 4.1 $209 

WORDSTAR 2000 $249 

WORDSTAR 2000+ $289 

WORDSTAR PRO $259 

XYWRITE III $239 



Lotus 
Symphony 

$449 



dBase III PrameWork 
Plus n 



$369 



$369 



MultiMate 

*819 



Word 
Perfect 4.1 

*209 



Database Systems 
ALPHADATABASE 

MANAGER II 
CLIPPER 
CONDOR 111 
CORNERSTONE 
DBASE III PLUS 
KMAN2 
PARADOX 
PFS: FILE/PFS: 

REPORT 
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Q&A 

QUICKCODE III 
QUICKREPORT 
R BASE 5000 
REFLEX 
REVELATION 

Spreadsheets/ 
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ENABLE 

FRAMEWORK II 

JAVELIN 

LOTUS 1-2-3 

MULTIPLAN 

OPEN ACCESS 

SMART SYSTEM 

SPREADSHEET 
AUDITOR 

SUPERCALC 3 

SYMPHONY 



$179 
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$349 
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$549 
$319 
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$ 99 

$209 
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Graphics 




CHARTMASTER 


$219 


DIAGRAM MASTER 


$199 


EXECUVISION 


$249 


ENERGRAPHICS 


$179 


FREELANCE 


$209 


GEM DRAW 


$149 


GRAPHWRITER 




COMBO 


$299 


IN-A-VISION 


$259 


MS CHART NEW 


$189 


OVERHEAD 




EXPRESS 


$139 


PC DRAW 


$209 


PC PAINTBRUSH 


$ 89 


PFS: GRAPH 


$ 89 


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$149 


Project Management 




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$279 


MICROSOFT 




PROJECT 


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PROJECT SCHEDULER 




NETWORK 


$339 


SUPERPROJECT + 


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TIMELINE 2.0 


$259 


Communications/ 




Productivity Tools 




CROSSTALK 


$ 99 


PROKEY 


$ 85 


KEYWORKS 


$ 59 


RELAY GOLD 


$149 


REMOTE 


$109 


SMARTERM 


$Call 


SMARTCOM II 


$ 99 


SUPERKEY 


$ 49 


Statistics 




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$575 


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$299 


STATPAC GOLD- 




WALONICK 


$399 


SYSTAT 


$419 


Desktop Environments 




DESK ORGANIZER 


$ 69 


GEM DESKTOP 


$ 39 


SIDEKICK 


$ 39 



Languages/Utilities 

CONCURRENT DOS $179 

C86C COMPILER $299 

FASTBACK $ 99 

LATTICE C COMPILER $269 

MARK WILLIAMS C $319 
MICROSOFT C 

COMPILER $249 

MS BASIC COMPILER $249 

MS FORTRAN $229 

NORTON UTILITIES $ 59 

QUICKBASIC $75 

TURBO PASCAL $ 49 

XENIX $Call 

Accounting 

BPI $299 

GREAT PLAINS $479 

IUS EASYBUSINESS $309 

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BOOK REVIEWS 



in its infancy. Smalltalk showed the way for an object- 
oriented approach to programming, but implementations 
of it and other object-oriented languages have been too 
slow to be useful or are restricted in some other way. 

Does C++ fix enough of Cs problems to warrant its 
adoption independent of its object-oriented extensions? 
Probably not. C++ does provide for single-precision floats, 
adds enumerated and constant types, and comes with a 
stream-oriented I/O library that simplifies I/O for UNIX pro- 
grammers (unfortunately, the stream. h library itself is writ- 
ten in C++ and cannot, at present, be used in regular C 
programs). But in order to be a superset of C, C++ had 
to retain the original syntax and organization of its pre- 
decessor; C + + could not differ markedly from C and still 
translate existing programs. 

There are significant lexical improvements in C+ + . Unlike 
macros, the constant data type follows normal C scoping 
rules. 'Itoo new keywords, new and delete, eliminate the 
need to use malloc( ) and free( ), simplifying the manage- 
ment of memory. Using classes eliminates the need for 
typedefs. C++ even lets you specify default values for 
arguments to a function so that the function can be called 
without argument values. 

Purpose Served 

As a study of sophisticated data structures, The C++ Pro- 
gramming Language makes interesting reading. For example. 
C++ permits the use of virtual functions, those that use 
the same name with the proper function chosen by the 
program according to an input parameter. A class Shape 
using a function Draw( ) might have virtual functions for 
the derived classes of Shape called Circle and Square. 
Each of these classes has its own function Draw( ). and the 
program employs the one necessary to do Circle or 
Square, depending on which is called. 

A couple of things confused me as 1 delved into this 
book. First. Stroustrup calls attention to a new stream I/O 
library that comes with C + + and uses its conventions in 
his example programs right from the beginning of the book. 
Without a more detailed explanation of the stream I/O func- 
tions (which doesn't occur until the final chapter), I had 
trouble following the examples. While the stream I/O syn- 
tax of C++ is much cleaner than that of C, I missed not 
seeing familiar functions like printf( ) in the early examples. 
Second. I found Stroustrup's use of the jargon of C++ 
(classes, friends, references, derived classes) distracting 
because he tends to use these terms before defining and 
explaining them. 

Another legitimate question to ask about this book is. 
Will AT&T try to push C + + as the next incarnation of C? 
If so. will the rest of the world follow? It seems more likely 
that the world will follow the ANSI/ISO standard that is 
nearing completion and that may be in place by mid-1987. 
The standard does provide some of the extensions of C++, 
but it falls far short of implementing its major facilities, like 
classes and stream I/O. C + + may turn out to be only an 
interesting curiosity, not the next evolutionary stage of C. 

However. C programmers embarked on an object- 

(contimed) 




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Inquiry 281 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 67 



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BOOK REVIEWS 



oriented programming odyssey and others interested in 
object-oriented languages should investigate this book. 
Because the style of Stroustrup's exposition approximates 
that of his colleagues Kernighan and Ritchie, I expect that 
there will be an outpouring of books on C++ if it catches 
on, just as there has been on C. A rich and complex lan- 
guage needs much explanation. 

G. Michael Vose is a senior technical editor at BYTE (One Phoenix 
Mill lane, Peterborough, NH 03458). 



ADVANCED PROGRAMMER'S GUIDE 
TO UNIX SYSTEM V 
Reviewed by Gary D. Kendall 

Advanced Programmer's Guide to UNIX System V by Rebecca 
Thomas, Lawrence R. Rogers, and Jean L. Yates sum- 
marizes material also found in the UNIX System Adminis- 
trator's Manual, Text Processing Guide, Program Development Tools 
Manual, and the System Utilities Manual. If you have access 
to these manuals, you may not be interested in this book, 
although the examples may prove helpful to you. But if 
you are in the unfortunate position of having to work on 
a UNIX system without benefit of the accompanying 
manuals, this book will give you the information you need 
to develop useful programs on a UNIX system. Although 
the authors deal with some aspects of UNIX that could 
be considered advanced, such as signals, named pipes, 
semaphores, and shared memory, the abundance of pro- 
gram examples makes the book a good tutorial intro- 
duction to programming on UNIX System V. 

From reading the preface, I have the impression that 
most, if not all, of the book, including the sample code, 
was written by Lawrence Rogers with Jean Yates as tech- 
nical consultant, and that Rogers is somewhat new to 
UNIX. I could find no mention of Rebecca Thomas any- 
where (except on the cover). It also seems that Rogers's 
programming experience is based in FORTRAN. This is 
evidenced by his use of nested if. . .else statements in- 
stead of a switch, by his heavy use of subscripts as array 
indexes rather than pointers, and by his use of the word 
"subroutine" when making reference to a function. I found 
his style of coding very difficult to read at best. 

Topics Covered 

The book explains the operation of the UNIX kernel and 
the structure of the file system. Yet the diagram on page 
19 of the book, which illustrates the mounting of a file 
system on a directory, is in error. The mount directory (/usr) 
is shown to belong to the file system being mounted, when 
actually it is a part of the root file system. Later, in the 
section describing the sequence of events from boot to 
log-in, there is no mention of the execution of the /etc/rc, 
/etc/profile, and /etc/login scripts. This is an unfortunate 
omission, since the user can modify these scripts to in- 
clude such things as the mounting of file systems, the ini- 
tialization of demons, and the maintenance of spooling 

(continued) 



68 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 229 



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(305) 823-8088 - 

0EW ,V.R, Dealers, inquiries loomed 



Requires V-20 or V-30 microprocessor 



RUN/CPM is a registered trademark of Micro Interfaces Corporation: Sidekick is a registered trademark of Borland international; Kaypro is a registered trademark of the Kaypro Corporation; Intel is a registered trademark of the Intel 
Corporalion; CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research; Z80 is a registered trademark of the Zilog Corporation; ISIS-II & iSlS-lll are registered trademarks of the Intel Corporation. 



RUN INTEL SOFTWARE ON IBM PC's 

Transform an IBM PC, XT, AT, or compatible into a totally integrated Intel Micro Development System, capable of running 8 bit ISIS-II, and 16 bit ISIS-II (UDI) software while 
remaining 100% MS-DOS compatible. MICRUN 80 and MICRUN 86 are Universal Development Interfaces which will allow you to increase your development capabilities with 
faster, more reliable and affordable PC based work stations. The MICRUN80 (UDI) utilizes the N.E.C. V-20/30 microprocessor to execute 8 bit Intel software on a PC, or XT, 2 
to 3 times faster then an Intel MDS! For ultra fast execution speed, our Z80 co-processor version of MICRUN 80 runs in excess of 9 Mhz and is PC "AT" compatible. The 
MICRUN86 (UDI) is the perfect solution for running 16 bit ISIS-III software on PC's or XT's, and AT's and does not require any additional hardware. Both MICRUN80, and 
MICRUN86 come complete with a full featured communication program for transferring Intel software to your PC or choose our 8" compatibility option, which will allow you to 
connect an 8" disk drive to your PC and directly access single density 8" Intel format disks. Micro Interfaces Corporation has brought the power of Intel development to the 
PC, and in doing so provided you with an affordable alternative to the high cost of Intel development. To order, or obtain more information call the toll free number listed above 
or refer to the order coupon. 



Inquiry 333 for RUN/CPM. Inquiry 334 for Intel on PCs. 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 69 



BOOK REVIEWS 



BASIC TURBO SYSTEM 

COMPARE OUR BASIC SYSTEM TO OTHERS & SAVE! 



OURS 



THEIRS 




-8mhz "super" Mother 

Board 
-256K of memory 

installed 
-Mother Board 

expandable to 1024K 
-150-watt power supply 

-Deluxe keyboard with 
large return key 

-Full warranty on all 

products 
-Built-in clock & game 

I/O port 
-MS-DOS and GW-Basic, 

fully licensed 



-Slower 4.77mhz 
Mother Board 
-No memory included 

-Only 256K capacity 
Mother Board 
-Less powerful 135- 
watt power supply 
-Standard keyboard 
with inconvenient 
small return key 



-Not included 



-Not included 



INCLUDES: 

- Super-fast 8mhz Mother Board, Expandable to 
1024K with 256K Installed 

- Built-in Clock and Game I/O Port 

- 150-Watt Power Supply 

- IBM® At-Lookalike Case with Key Lock 

- MS-DOS and GW Basic 

- IBM® -Style Keyboard with Large Return Key 

- FCC Approval 

- Manual and System Packing Box $ ^ Q Q 
No.SPCL.28 *»WW 



SmarTeam Modem 




UsesRS232-C 
Connector 
No. 91990 



103/212A— Operates 

at 300 Baud & 1200 

Baud 

•Hayes Compatible 

'•Auto Answer, Dial 

& Redial 

$165.00 



Avatex 1200 Modem 

•Auto Answer, Dial & Redial 
•FCC Approved 

•PC TALK III Software included 
•Automatic Self Test on Power-Up 

COMPARE AT $199.00 

No. 97070 5j>0 / .00 



MAGNAVOX Color 
Monitor 

•RGB High Resolution 
• 14" diagonal 
•640 Dots/H-240 lines/ 
80 column 

$298.00 




No. 97890. 



r« 



Keyboards 



K-134 IBM Type Keyboard Caps and Num 
Lock FCC approved <r*7C i\f\ 

No. 51515 $/ D.UU 

K150M XT Keyboard— looks like AT, 
has big return key & LED 
indicators FCC approved e>cr\ nr\ 
No. 99020 Jpby -UU 



ADD-ON BOARDS FOR IBM® 
COMPATIBLE SYSTEMS 



FCC approved 



Monochrome Graphic 
Printer Board 

•Built in Parallel Printer Port -Text: 
25 line x 80 column 'Graphics: 720x348 
resolution •TTL High Resolution Output 

No. 99010 $f f iUU 



Multifunction Board 

•Expandable to384K RAM 'Serial Port, 
Game Port • Parallel Printer Port 'Clock 
Calendar w/Battery Backup -Software, 
Manuals and Cables A*^g% />/> 
No. 92290 $78-00 



Color Graphics Board 

•RGB and Composite Port -Light Pen 
Interface 'Graphics: 320x200 (color); 
640x200(BW) 'Text: 25x80 

No. 92280 $69 - 00 



Multi I/O Card 

• Built-in Floppy Controller that can 
drive 2 floppy drives »Two RS 232 Serial 
Adapters -Timer Port -Parallel Printer 
Port 'Joystick Adapter 

No. 96770 $88-00 



RS 232 Serial Board 

•1 Serial Port '2nd Port optional 

$27.00 



No. 92310.. 



Parallel Printer Card 

•Also may be used as I/O Port 

No. 92700 $21 .00 



Floppy Disk Controller 

•Drives 2 internal drives -Includes cable 
•IBM PC compatible gKg*f\ />/> 
No. 92260 $29.00 



PLUS A HUGE SELECTION OF CABLES & ACCESSORIES! 



IBM, PC. XT are registered trademarks of international Business Machines, Inc. 



THE WHOLESALE OUTLET 



J^.^ ; .' I W DEPT BY, 1 INTERSTATE AVENUE, ALBANY, NY 12205. To order 

MMKHV call 1-800-344.4387(Non-NYSRes.)or518-459-7883(NYSRes.) 

^M^f^M^J Customer pays freight & handling FOB Albany, NY. Non-credit 

"■■» cardorders shipped UPS, C.O.D. Minimum order$25. Dealerand 

large quantity orders call 518-459-7883. Ask for Computer Dept 

Some items not as pictured. Prices subject to change. ::: ^ 



directories and log files. 

There are chapters on the interactive use and program- 
ming of the shells, /bin/sh and /bin/csh. The sample scripts 
should be read carefully where the command substitu- 
tion operator (') is involved. At first glance, these charac- 
ters appear to be single quote marks ('), but a close ex- 
amination shows the difference. A different choice of font 
for the sample code could have removed this ambiguity, 
because the font used in the text portions clearly shows 
the difference. Moreover, on page 527, figure 9.L.3 is pur- 
ported to be a csh script but is actually written in the lan- 
guage of sh (the Bourne shell). 

The rest of the book deals with the use of the vi and 
ex text editors, the C compiler, and the make and ar 
utilities for creating software tools. Thomas, Rogers, and 
Yates expound some design philosophies in UNIX pro- 
gramming, which should help you in the creation of error- 
free programs, but they do not always follow them. The 
authors, however, always follow the "one exit" philosophy 
(often associated with structured programming); unfor- 
tunately, it's at the expense of readability of the code. 
Moreover, the authors state that software tools should 
handle multiple file specifications to encourage the use of 
the shell's filename expansion metacharacters, but the pro- 
gram for line numbering accepts only one file argument 
and cannot be made to read the standard input, so it can- 
not be used as a "filter" in a pipeline. There are chapters 
covering the use of the standard library functions and 
system calls, with emphasis on the new System V inter- 
process communication features. The examples of how to 
use these will be a boon to System V neophytes and may 
prove helpful to experienced UNIX programmers also. 

While this book contains some very worthwhile infor- 
mation. I don't recommend it as a substitute for the full 
set of System V documentation. In conjunction with the 
UNIX documentation, however, it would be very appro- 
priate as a tutorial guide to UNIX programming. 

Gary D. Kendall (Creative Computing, 96 Forest St., Danvers, MA 
01923) is a consulting systems analyst/programmer who specializes 
in operating systems. 



MIND OVER MACHINE 
Reviewed by Stan Czarnik 



In Mind Over Machine, Hubert and Stuart Dreyfus contend 
that traditional digital computers can never be pro- 
grammed to produce genuine artificial intelligence 
because they cannot replicate intuition. Educators and 
business people who believe otherwise, they claim, are 
in for disappointment, if not catastrophe. The argument 
thus feeds on a mix of pessimistic prognosis and it-ain't- 
gonna-work-anyway philosophy. 

Common Sense and Expertise 

Standard von Neumann computing systems process 
discrete, finite, isolated units of binary data in sequential 

[continued] 



70 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 314 






fir 



The C for Microcomputers 

PC-DOS, MS-DOS, CP/M-86, Macintosh, Amiga, Apple II, CP/M-80, Radio Shack, 
Commodore, XENIX, ROM, and Cross Development systems 



MS-DOS, PC-DOS, CP/M-86, XENIX, 
8086/80x86 ROM 

Manx Aztec C86 

4 A compiler that has many strengths . . . quite valuable 
for serious work" 

Computer Language review, February 1985 

Great Code: Manx Aztec C86 generates fast executing 
compact code. The benchmark results below are from a 
study conducted by Manx. The Dhrystone benchmark 
(CACM 10/84 27:10 pl018) measures performance for a 
systems software instruction mix. The results are with- 
out register variables. With register variables, Manx, 
Microsoft, and Mark Williams run proportionately faster, 
Lattice and Computer Innovations show no improve- 
ment. 



Execution 


Code 


Compile/ 


Time 


Size 


Link Time 


Dhrystone Benchmark 






Manx Aztec C86 3.3 34 sees 


5,760 


93 sees 


Microsoft C 3.0 34 sees 


7,146 


119 sees 


Optimized C86 2.20J 53 sees 


11,009 


172 sees 


Mark Williams 2.0 56 sees 


12,980 


113 sees 


Lattice 2.14 89 sees 


20,404 


117 sees 



Great Features: Manx Aztec C86 is bundled with a powerful 

array of well documented productivity tools, librai-y routines 

and features. 

Optimized C compiler Symbolic Debugger 

AS86 Macro Assembler LN86 Overlay Linker 

80186/80286 Support Librarian 

8087/80287 Sensing Lib Profiler 

Extensive UNIX Library DOS, Screen, & Graphics Lib 

Large Memory Model Intel Object Option 

Z (vi) Source Editor -c CP/M-86 Library -c 

ROM Support Package -c INTEL HEX Utility -c 

Library Source Code -c Mixed memory models -c 

MAKE, DIFF, and GREP -c Source Debugger -c 

One year of updates -c CP/M-86 Library -c 

Manx offers two commercial development systems, 
Aztec C86-c and Aztec C86-d. Items marked -c are 
special features of the Aztec C86-c system. 

Aztec C86-c Commercial System $499 

Aztec C86-d Developer's System $299 

Aztec C86-p Personal System $199 

Aztec C86-a Apprentice System $49 

All systems are upgradable by paying the difference 
in price plus $10. 

Third Party Software: There are a number of high qual- 
ity support packages for Manx Aztec C86 for screen 
management, graphics, database management, and soft- 
ware development. 

C-tree $395 Greenleaf $185 

PHACT $250 PC-lint $98 

HALO $250 Amber Windows $59 

PRE-C $395 Windows for C $195 
WindScreen $149 FirsTime $295 

SunScreen $99 C Util Lib $185 

PANEL $295 Plink-86 $395 



MACINTOSH, AMIGA, XENIX, 
CP/M-68K, 68k ROM 

Manx Aztec C68k 

"Library handling is very flexible . . . documentation is 
excellent ...the shell a pleasure to work in . . . blows 
away the competition for pure compile speed . . . an ex- 
cellent effort." 

Computer Language review, April 1985 
Aztec C68k is the most widely used commercial C com- 
piler for the Macintosh. Its quality, performance, and 
completeness place Manx Aztec C68k in a position be- 
yond comparison. It is available in several upgradable 



Optimized C 
Macro Assembler 
Overlay Linker 
Resource Compiler 
Debuggers 
Librarian 
Source Editor 
MacRam Disk -c 
Library Source -c 



Creates Clickable Applications 
Mouse Enhanced SHELL 
Easy Access to Mac Toolbox 
UNIX Library Functions 
Terminal Emulator (Source) 
Clear Detailed Documentation 
C-Stuff Library 
UniTools (vi,make,diff,grep) -c 
One Year of Updates -c 



Items marked -c are available only in the Manx Aztec 
C86-c system. Other features are in both the Aztec C86-d 
and Aztec C86-c systems. 

Aztec C68k-c Commercial System $499 

Aztec C68d-d Developer's System $299 

Aztec C68k-p Personal System $199 

C-tree database (source) $399 

AMIGA, CP/M-68k, 68k UNIX call 

Apple D, Commodore, 
65xx, 65C02 ROM 

Manx Aztec C65 

"The AZTEC C system is one of the finest software 
packages I have seen" 

NIBBLE review, July 1984 

A vast amount of business, consumer, and educational 
software is implemented in Manx Aztec C65. The quality 
and comprehensiveness of this system is competitive 
with 16 bit C systems. The system includes a full optim- 
ized C compiler, 6502 assembler, linkage editor, UNIX 
library, screen and graphics libraries, shell, and much 
more. The Apple II version runs under DOS 3.3, and 
ProDOS, Cross versions are available. 

The Aztec C65-c/128 Commodore system runs under 
the C128 CP/M environment and generates programs for 
the C64, C128, and CP/M environments. Call for prices 
and availability of Apprentice, Personal and Developer 
versions for the Commodore 64 and 128 machines. 

Aztec C65-c ProDOS & DOS 3.3 $399 
Aztec C65-d Apple DOS 3.3 $199 

Aztec C65-p Apple Personal system $99 
Aztec C65-a for learning C $49 

Aztec C65-c/128C64,C128, CP/M $399 

Distribution of Manx Aztec C 

In the USA, Manx Software Systems is the sole and ex- 
clusive distributor of Aztec C. Any telephone or mail 
order sales other than through Manx are unauthorized. 



Manx Cross Development Systems 

Cross developed programs are edited, compiled, assem- 
bled, and linked on one machine (the HOST) and trans- 
ferred to another machine (the TARGET) for execution. 
This method is useful where the target machine is slower 
or more limited than the HOST, Manx cross compilers 
are used heavily to develop software for business, 
consumer, scientific, industrial, research, and education- 
al applications. 

HOSTS: VAX UNIX ($3000), PDP-11 UNIX ($2000), MS- 
DOS ($750), CP/M ($750), MACINTOSH ($750), 
CP/M-68k($750), XENIX ($750). 

TARGETS: MS-DOS, CP/M-86, Macintosh, CP/M-68k, 
CP/M-80, TRS-80 3 & 4, Apple II, Commodore C64, 
8086/80x86 ROM, 68xxx ROM, 8080/8085/Z80 ROM, 
65xx ROM. 

The first TARGET is included in the price of the HOST 
system. Additional TARGETS are $300 to $500 (non 
VAX) or $1000 (VAX). 

Call Manx for information on cross development to the 
68000, 65816, Amiga, C128, CP/M-68K, VRTX, and 
others. 

CP/M, Radio Shack, 
8080/8085/Z80 ROM 
Manx Aztec CII 

"I've had a lot of experience with different C compilers, 
but the Aztec C80 Compiler and Professional Develop- 
ment System is the best I've seen." 

80-Micro, December, 1984, John B. Harrell III 

Aztec C H-c (CP/M & ROM) $349 

Aztec C H-d (CP/M) $199 

C-tree database (source) $399 

Aztec C80-c (TRS-80 3 & 4) $299 

Aztec C80-d (TRS-80 3 & 4) $199 

How lb Become an Aztec C User 

lb become an Aztec C user call 1-800-221-0440 or call 
1-800-832-9273 (800-TEC WARE). In NJ or outside the 
USA call 201-530-7997. Orders can also be telexed to 
4995812. 

Payment can be by check, COD, American Express, 
VISA, Master Card, or Net 30 to qualified customers. 

Orders can also be mailed to Manx Software Systems, 
Box 55, Shrewsbury, NJ 07701. 

How lb Get More Information 

lib get more information on Manx Aztec C and related 
products, call 1-800-221-0440, or 201-530-7997, or write 
to Manx Software Systems. 

30 Day Guarantee 

Any Manx Aztec C development system can be return- 
ed within 30 days for a refund if it fails to meet your 
needs. The only restrictions are that the original pur- 
chase must be directly from Manx, shipped within the 
USA, and the package must be in resalable condition. 
Returned items must be received by Manx within 30 
days. A small restocking fee may be required. 

Discounts 

There are special discounts available to professors, 
students, and consultants. A discount is also available on 
a "trade in" basis for users of competing systems. Call for 
information. 

Inquiry 175 



To order or for information call: 

800-221-0440 



l, C-terp, PC-Wit TM G1MPLE Software, Windscreen. SunScreen TM SunTec 



HERE'S 118 REASONS AND 

IS AMERICAS 



1LOW PRICES. Micro Mart specializes 
in giving you the best value on all your 
PC product needs. 

2 QUALITY PRODUCTS. We've got a 
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6 



ProLine XT- A complete system 
for only $995! 



Here's a system value that 
can't be beat. Features 
full PC compatibility. 
640K RAM memory. One 
360K half height floppy 
drive. Six expansion slots. 
Monochrome graphics 
card and monitor. Printer 
and communications 
ports. Clock/calendar. 
Game port. MS DOS 
with GW BASIC. 
Enhanced IBM-styl' 
keyboard. UL and 
FCC approved. 
FulM year parts exc 
sive warranty. 

All systems built and 
configurations! 




tested! Call for custom 



FREE! 



With the purchase of our 
ProLine XT 

This complete accessory pack: 10 pk. 
DS/DD Maxell Diskettes. SRW Media Storage 
Case. Six-outlet Curtis power strip with surge 
protection. Texwipe PC careware kit with anti- 
static solution and CRT cleaning fluid and 
wipes. Perfect Data 5 V*" drive head clean- 
ing kit. ProLine XT dust cover. Total 
Retail Value-$89.95! 



ProLine AT- Powerful AT 
performance for only $2,289! 

All the speed and 
power you need. 
Features full PC 
compatibility. 512K 
RAM memory. 
One 360K floppy 
drive. Eight 
expansion slots 
Monochrome 
graphics card 
and monitor. 
Printer port: 
Clock/calen- 
dar. MS DOS. 




UL and FCC approved. 90 day exclusive warranty. 



All systems built and 
configurations! 



tested! Call for custom 



FREE! 

With the purchase of our 
American AT 

This complete accessory pack: 

10 pk. tpi quad density Maxell Diskettes. 

SRW Media Storage Case. Six-outlet Curtis 

power strip with surge protection. Texwipe PC 

careware kit with antistatic solution and 

CRT cleaning fluid and wipes. Perfect 

Data 5 Va" drive head cleaning kit. 

American XT dust cover. T( 

Retail Value-$99.95! 



72 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



MORE WHY MICRO MART 

PC SPECIALIST! 



MULTIFUNCTION BOARDS 

We have a complete line of Multifunction Boards compatible 
with the PC, XT & AT and all compatibles. 

8. SIX PAK 64-384K, multifunction, fully 

loaded w/384K $239 

9. AST I/O MINI I/O shortboard for 

Portable & AT ..-.' New Low Price! 

10. ADVANTAGE 128K-3Mb, expansion for AT 

1 1 . RAMP AG E 64K-2Mb with Deskview NEW! 

12. QUADRAM QUADBOARD 

loaded, 384K CALL! 

13. QUADRAM GOLDBOARD, 384K $459 

14. TECMAR MEGA FUNCTION, 1 Meg of 

nonvolatile memory $369 

15.TALLTREEJ-RAM1II CALL! 

16. INTELABOVE BOARD, PC & AT From $280 

17. THESYS FASTCARD up to 1 MB From $235 

GRAPHICS CARDS __ 

18. HERCULES Mono & Color 

Graphics cards New Low Price! 

19. TECMAR Graphics Master, HiRes Color & 

Mono supports Lotus $449 

20. QUADRAM Quadcolor I & II color cards 

21. QUADRAM EGA, Includes 256K memory $389 

22. STB EGA + Mono & Graphics cards 

also available , CALL! 

23. Generic monographic cards From $99 

24. SIGMA Color 400 for 

PGSSR-12 New Low Price! 

FLOPPY DISK DRIVES 

25. 1/2 HEIGHT Disk Drives from Panasonic, 
Mitsubishi, & Teac; 360K & 

26. 1.2 MEG Floppy drives for the PC, XT, AT 

and Compatibles From $99 



HARD DISCS 



27. IRWIN Tape Back-up systems Call! 

28. SYSGEN Complete line Call for our 

special Sysgen pricing! 

29. BERNOULLI TECHNOLOGY Hard disc 

Subsystems (20 & 40MB) From $2B75 

30. SEAGATE Fast 10, 20, 30 Meg. for PC & AT Call! 

31. PRIAM Superfast40&60Meg. for AT CALL! 

32. TALLGRASS 25, Through 80 Meg. Hard drive systems, 
including 60 Meg. tape back-up 

33. WESTERN DIGITAL 10 & 20MB File cards CALL! 

34. Best availability of voice coi I and stepper motor hard drives 
with highest quality controllers From $495 



SOFTWARE 



ACCOUNTING 

35. SORCIM/IUS Complete line 

including windows From $295/each 

SPREADSHEETS & 
INTEGRATED PACKAGES 

36. SORCIM SuperCALC 3, 

Vers. 2.0 New Low Price! 

ENHANCEMENTS & UTILITIES 

37. NORTON Utiliries3.0 $69 

38. ROSESOFTProKey3.0 $89 

39. CENTRAL POINT SOFTWARE 

CopyMPC $35 

40. SOFTSTYLE Set FX+ and Printworks, 

printer control 

41. SIDEWAYS Inverts printout $51 

42. BORLAND SideKick and SuperKey From $40 

43. BORLAND Lightning and 

Reflex NEW! CALL! 

COMPILERS & LANGUAGE TOOLS 

44. LATTICE C-Compilers $279 

45. MICROSOFT Complete line 

46. MICROSOFT Quick Basic New Low Price! 

47. BORLAND Turbo Pascale, Turbo Toolbox, 

&more From $35/each 

GRAPHICS 

48. Z-SOFT PC Paintbrush, mouse graphics $95 

49. DECISION RESOURCES Diagram 

Master From $199 

50. MICROSOFT Chart CALL! 

51. MICROSOFT Windows CALL! 



COMMUNICATIONS 

52.MICROSTUFCrosstalkXVI, Latest version $105 

53. HAYES Smartcom II $85 

54. MICROSOFT Access CALL! 

WORD PROCESSING 

55. MULTIMATE Advantage $294 

56. MICROSOFT Word, 

new version New Low Price! 

57. LIFETREE Volkswriter Deluxe, ver 3.0 $169 

58. SSI WordPerfect, 

version 4.1 New Low Price, CALL! 

59. MICROPRO Wordstar 

Professional series New Low Price! 

60. LEADING EDGE Nutshell $59 

61. LEADING EDGE Word Processor $59 

OFFICE & PLANNING 

62. HARVARDTotal Project Manager $339 

63. SORCIM/IUS Super Project $209 

64. MICROSOFT Project, vers. 2.0 $269 

DATA BASE MANAGERS 

65. Call For Unadvertised Data 

Base Managers 

66. MICRORIM 5000, Report Writer 

& Clout New Low Price! 

67. MICROSTUF Infoscope $99 



MONITORS & CRTS 



85. PCS Max 12{E), HX12, HX12{E), 

& SR-12 New Low Prices! 

86. AMDEK Color 600 CALL! 

87. AMDEK 722, New alternative to IBM 

enhanced monitor $569 

88. AMDEK310 A CALL! 

B9. MAGNA VOX Monochrome monitors ....$129 

90. SONY, monitors in stock CALL! 



MISCELLANEOUS 



91. MOUSE SYSTEMS PC Mouse, optical 

w/software $139 

92. MICROSOFT Mouse, bus or serial 

mechanical . New model in stock! 

93. KEYTRONICS5151 Keyboards CALL! 

94. KEYTRONICS 5153 Keyboard 

w/mouse NEW! 

95. GRAVIS Joysticks $45 

96. QUADRAM Microfazer print 

buffer8-128K From $129 



DISKETTES 



Following items available only in sets of 100 each brand. 



6B. D BASE III plus CALL! ^V 97. Precision Diskettes by Xidex, 



NETWORKING PROTOCOL 
CONVERSION 

69. SNA & BISYNC 3780, 5251, Mod 11 & 
12, 3274, 3278 

70. PC TURBO 186/187 board, 128K, 
8087 Serial Board attached $875 

71. IRMA Complete line From $849 

PRINTERS 



SS/DD $ .65/ea. 

^L.98. Precision Diskettes by Xidex, 

DS/DD $ .69/ea. 

99. Maxell SS/DDMD1 $ .99/ea. 

100.Maxell DS/DD MD2 .$1.25/ea. 

101. Maxell High Density MD2 $2.60/ea. 

102. Maxell 3V2 inch SS/DD MF1 $1 .60/ea. 

103. Maxell Vh inch DS/DD MF2 $2.35/ea. 

104. Fuji SS/DD MD1 $ .89/ea. 

105. Fuji DS/DD MD2 $1.15/ea. 



DOT MATRIX 

72. EPSON FX85/286 .NEW! 

73. EPSON LQ800/LQ1000 NEW PRICES! ^ 106 . Flip N FileOriginal, stores fifty 5V,"disketteswithfreetwin 



MEDIA STORAGE 



>! Wl 

74. OKIDATA 1 92, 1 93, 292, 293, Pacemark 2410 ^ 

75. TOSHIBA P-341, P-351,& NEW 321 NewLow Prices! 

76. NECNewP-5,P-6,&P-7 Low Price! 



LETTER QUALITY 

77. NEC Spinwriters 2050, 

3550, 8850 NewLowPrices! 

7B. EPSON DX20 & DX35 NEW LETTER 

QUALITY PRINTERS 

We carry a full range of form handling options. 

CHIPS J 

All our chips are tested and priced for quick sale. Call us! 

79. INTEL 8087, 80287, 

math coprocessors Call for Market Price. 

80. 64K-256KRAMCHIPS Call for Market Price. 



81. 128K Piggy-back chips 
for your AT Call for Market Price. 

MODEMS 

82. HAYES Smartmodem 300, 1200, 1200B & 2400. We have 
thebeststockin the U.S.A CALL! 

83. VEN-TEL 1200 Baud Half Card 

w/Crosstalk $399 

84. PEACHTREE TECHNOLOGIES P-1200 

(Hayes compatible external) $249 



1 



pack of Fuji diskettes ($25 retail value) 

Now '/z price $12.50 

107. Flip N File, stores 25 5V*" 

diskettes with lock $12.99 

108. Flip N File, stores 50 5V*" 

diskettes with lock $19.99 

109. Innovative Concepts Data Case $ 9.99 

110. Microdex by S.R.W., stores 

25 3'/2" diskettes $ 9.99 

111. Microdex by S.R.W., stores 

60 SVa" diskettes $11.99 

SURGE PROTECTORS 

(112. Curtis 6 outlet power strip with 

surge protection $19.99 

113. Curtis Diamond $31.99 

114. Curtis Emerald $37.99 

115. Curtis Sapphire $49.99 

116. Curtis Ruby $56.99 

117. Networx Wire Tree, 4 outlet surge and spike 
protector $44.99 

118. Networx Wire Tree Plus, 6 outlet surge, 

spike, and modem protector $64.99 



(404) 449-8089 



%V 1-800-241-8149 




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© Copyright 1986, Micro Mart, Inc. Technology Corporate Campus 3159 Campus Drive, Norcross, GA 30071 

Prices are subject to change without notice and are similar, but may vary at Micro Mart Retail Stores. 



Inquiry 189 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 73 




BOOK REVIEWS 



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fashion. On/off, yes/no, true/false— any kind of digital sym- 
bolic representation can be processed in a conventional 
computer with swift and sure logical precision. Mind Over 
Machine is an elaboration of the idea that while human 
understanding avails itself of the power of logical reason- 
ing, logical reasoning fails to account completely and con- 
sistently for how people actually think. 

For example, consider everday visual identification. Rec- 
ognizing the face of a friend in a crowd instantaneously 
seems to require no conscious analysis of the presence 
or absence of individual physical facts or traits. Spotting 
someone you know is, apparently just that. Recognition 
does not follow neatly logical chains of reasoning, at least 
none that we know of. According to the authors, this in- 
volves no little packages of binary information, no com- 
puterlike processing at all. What occurs, in fact, is an in- 
tuitive leap from one holistic state of being out in the real 
world to an equally holistic counterpart stored as an im- 
age in the mind and formed from past experience. Tradi- 
tional computational techniques cannot easily simulate 
this kind of mental picture matching. If the limits of logic 
are the limits of AI, then conventional AI is in for a long 
hard climb. The formal representation of knowledge that 
resists formalization is a complicated and difficult task. 

Professional expertise is another example. The authors 
explain why the mechanization of human expertise with 
conventional AI technology is neither possible nor 
desirable. Imagine a seasoned driving instructor with a 
new student. The rules of the road are systematically 
described and explained: Don't speed, don't pass on the 
right, don't go through red lights, and so on. Now imagine 
the same instructor rushing an injured child to the hospital: 
He passes on the right, goes through all the red lights, 
speeds like crazy, and gets the car to the emergency room 
without a scratch. 

So how does he do it? The Dreyfuses would say that 
our anxious expert driver who knows all the rules is not 
following any rules. He's just driving, with most of his 
behavior guided not by reference to a calculated collec- 
tion of factual material on automobiles and traffic laws, 
but by intuition. And so it is with all human experts, from 
chess masters to virtuoso jazz pianists. There is. the 
authors claim, a qualitative difference between the rule- 
following behavior of any novice, like someone learning 
to use a typewriter, and how any true expert implements 
his or her expertise. Consider an experienced touch-typist 
zipping along at 60 words per minute while thinking about 
something entirely different. 

Microprocessing the Mind 

The final chapters of the book focus on the social and 
pyschological ramifications of computerized expertise. The 
automation of education receives first priority: The authors 
sense a serious danger here. If this trend is permitted to 
continue in our schools, we can look forward to a twenty- 
first-century population of maladjusted logic choppers. To 
whatever extent digital computers are allowed to replace 
human teachers, the chances of students going beyond 

(continued) 



74 B.YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 285 



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AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 75 



Inquiry 315 



Inquiry 313 



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the mechanical rule-following phase of instruction and on 
to genuine mastery and expertise may deteriorate. Logic 
in, logic out and nothing more: "Thinking like a computer 
will retard passage to the higher levels of proficiency and 
expertise." The problem of Why Johnny Can't Read may 
become Why Johnny Has No Expert Intuition. But how 
many concrete cases of computer retardation are the 
Dreyfuses able to cite? Not one. 

They argue that veteran business professionals do not 
typically reason their way through predicaments in any 
purely detached, objective, structured manner. The 
decision-making process is driven not by logic but by a 
close "intuitive understanding" of the problem at hand. 
Since computerized expertise can be neither involved nor 
intuitive, it follows that automated decision support 
systems may not improve but may actually "degrade per- 
formance" and encourage "regressive thinking." Yet here 
again, how many real degraded performances and regres- 
sive meditations can the authors find? None. 

Into the Future 

Intuitive forms of judgment and comprehension do exist. 
But the question remains, What is intuition and how does 
it work? With the exception of a few pages, the authors 
tend to avoid the issue. The closest they come amounts 
to saying that since human thinking seems often to involve 
holistic visual imagery, then perhaps the mind is like a 
holographic pattern recognizer. Without rules, features, 
or descriptions, we sense similarity by matching mental 
pictures. This accounts for the instantaneousness of so 
much intuitive thought. Mind Over Machine makes it plain 
that experimentation is only beginning to shed light on 
how a holographic mind might operate. 

The Dreyfuses are careful to leave the back door open 
for massive parallel networks and the "connectionist" ap- 
proach to computer architecture. The basic point: Com- 
putational models that permit many things to happen at 
once in a dynamic weblike configuration in which relations 
among elements are changing seem much closer to how 
the brain functions than traditional von Neumann designs. 

It is of the utmost importance to note that Mind Over 
Machine is not about "what computers can't do" Not quite. 
It's mostly about what conventional computers can't do and 
a well-worded reflection on the problems AI researchers 
have been talking about for a long time. Hubert and Stuart 
Dreyfus successfully patch together a "sad history of arti- 
ficial intelligence." However, the authors cannot extend 
their skepticism into the future. To articulate the limita- 
tions of traditional AI may serve to accelerate develop- 
ment in heretofore exotic technical areas. 

The authors believe that current AI has been brought 
to a standstill, but their book itself contains evidence that 
the interlude may be coming to an end. Mind Over Machine 
is a crucially important book, and no one interested in 
the destiny of artificial intelligence, or our technological 
way of life in general, can afford to miss it. 

Stan Czarnik is a teacher, musician, and technical writer. He can 
be reached at 2716 West Evergreen Ave.. Chicago, IL 60622. ■ 



76 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 184 





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GENERAL LEDGER 

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Open item or balance forward - 
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Inquiry 5 2 for End-Users. Inquiry 5 3 for DEALERS ONLY. 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 77 



EVENT QUEUE 



August 1986 



Buying and Selling Rights 
to Hardware, Software, 
and Services, various sites 
throughout the U.S. Data- 
Tech Institute, Lakeview 
Plaza. P.O. Box 2429, Clifton, 
NI 07015, (201) 478-5400. 
August 

Understanding Data Com- 
munications-a practical 
Guide, various sites 
throughout the U.S. Data- 
Tech Institute, Lakeview 
Plaza. P.O. Box 2429, Clifton, 
NI 07015. (201) 478-5400. 
August 

Applying Machine Vision 
to Your Manufacturing 
Process: A Hands-On 
Workshop, Cambridge, MA, 
and Minneapolis, MN. 
Joanne Rogers, Society of 
Manufacturing Engineers, 
One SME Dr.. P.O. Box 930, 
Dearborn, MI 48121. (313) 
271-0039. 
August-September 

Data Communications; Net- 
working. Protocols, and 
compatibility; Local Net- 
works; Telecommunica- 
tions; and related courses, 
various sites throughout the 
U.S. Datapro Research Corp., 
Educational Services, 1805 
Underwood Blvd., Delran, NI 
08075, (800) 328-2776. 
August-October 

Writing Procedures, 
Policies, and Documenta- 
tion, Boston, MA. Mary 
Ann Cluggish, Information 
Mapping Inc., 275 Wyman 
St.. Waltham. MA 02154. 
(617) 890-7003. August 4-8 

1986 National Profes- 
sional Electronics Con- 
vention, Tropicana Hotel, 
Las Vegas, NV. NPEC '86, 
2708 West Berry St., Fort 



Worth. TX 76109. (817) 
921-9061. August 4-9 

International Conference 
on Courseware Design 
and Evaluation (ICCDE), 
Tel Aviv, Israel. Benjamin 
Feinstein, ICCDE Organizing 
Committee, Israel Associa- 
tion for Computers in 
Education, P.O. Box 13009, 
Hakirya Romema, Jerusalem 
91130, Israel, telephone: 
521930; telex: 361931 
HUAGR IL, ATTN FEIN- 
STEIN. August 8-13 

24th Annual Conference 
of the Urban and 
Regional Information Sys- 
tems Association: What's 
the Difference? Marriott 
Hotel. Denver, CO. URISA, 
319 C St. SE, Washington. 
DC 20003, (202) 543-7141. 
August 9-14 

Advanced Records Man- 
agement, Washington, DC. 
Darold Aldridge, Continuing 
Engineering Education, The 
George Washington Univer- 
sity. Washington, DC 20052, 
(800) 424-9773; in DC, (202) 
676-6106; in Canada, (800) 
53 5-4567. August 11-12 

Design and Management 
for Efficient Software 
Development, Milwaukee, 
WI. John T. Snedeker, Center 
for Continuing Engineering 
Education, University of 
Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 929 
North Sixth St., Milwaukee. 
WI 53203, (414) 224-4193. 
August 11-15 

National Conference of 
the American Association 



for Artificial Intelli- 
gence, University of Penn- 
sylvania, Philadelphia, PA. 
AAAI-86, AAAI, 44 5 Burgess 
Dr.. Menlo Park. CA 9402 5- 
3496. (415) 321-1118 or 
321-3123. August II — 15 

Third International 
Robotic Systems Education 
and training conference, 
and Machine Vision for 
Educators: A Hands-On 
Clinic Plymouth. MI. Mary 
Dombrowski, SME Special 
Programs Division, Society 
of Manufacturing Engineers, 
One SME Dr., P.O. Box 930, 
Dearborn, Ml 48121, (313) 
271-1500, ext. 392. 
August 11-15 

Macworld Expo, Bayside 
Exposition Center, Boston, 
MA. Mitch Hall Associates, 
P.O. Box 15 5, Westwood, MA' 
02090, (617) 329-7466. 
August 14-16 

Fourth Annual Ham & 
Chip Flea Market, La Salle 
University parking lot, 
Philadelphia, PA. Phila- 
delphia Area Computer 
Society, 20th and Olney 
Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19141, 
(215) 951-1225. 
August 16 

Sixth Annual Notre Dame 
Short Course Series: Com- 
puters in Biology, Notre 
Dame, IN. Ronald A. Hellen- 
thal, Biocomputing Short 
Courses Coordinator, 
Department of Biological 
Sciences, University of Notre 
Dame, Notre Dame, IN 
46556. (219) 239-7255. 
August 17-22 



IF YOU WANT your organization's public activities listed in BYTE's Event 
Queue, we need to know about them at least four months in advance. Send 
information about computer conferences, seminars, workshops, and courses 
to BYTE, Event Queue. One Phoenix Mill lane. Peterborough. NH 03458. 



Effective Analysis and 
Design of Information 
Systems, Worcester, MA. 
Kathy Shaw, Office of Con- 
tinuing Education, Worcester 
Polytechnic Institute, Higgins 
House, Worcester, MA 
01609, (617) 793-5517. 
August 18-20 

ACM SIGGRAPH 86: 13th 
Annual Conference on 
Computer Graphics and 
Interactive techniques, 

Dallas Convention Center, 
Dallas, TX. Conference 
Management, Smith, Bucklin 
and Associates Inc., 1 1 1 East 
Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 
60601, (312) 644-6610. 
August 18-22 

Introduction to Telecom- 
munications, Cambridge, 
MA. Charlotte Scannell, 
Lesley College Graduate 
School, Division of Educa- 
tion and Special Education, 
29 Everett St., Cambridge, 
MA 02238-9990. (617) 
868-9600. August 18-22 

Computerfest '86, Dayton, 
OH. Computerfest '86, 
Dayton Microcomputer 
Association, 143 Schloss 
Lane, Dayton, OH 
45418-2931, (513) 268-7225. 
August 23-24 

TIdewater Virginia IIth 
Annual Computer Fair- 
Radio Amateur Hamfest, 
Pavilion, Virginia Beach, VA. 
Manny Steiner, 3 512 Olym- 
pia Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 
23452, (804) 340-6105. 
August 23-24 

Red Rose Fourth Annual 
Computerfest, Guernsey 
Sales Pavilion, Lancaster, PA. 
Computerfest Committee. 
P.O. Box 502 9, Lancaster, PA 
17601. August 31 ■ 



78 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Pickacard 

andget$50P° 




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See your local Hercules 
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Trademarks/Owners: Hercules/Hercules Computer Technology; IBM/IBM. Offer valid in the United States, U.S. Territories and Canada from May 1 through August 31, 
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Inquiry 130 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 79 



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*JU1 prices in this ad are wholesale— PC Network 
Members pay wholesale + 8% and shipping. 

CALL TOLL FREE B3N8 

(800) 621-SAVE 

In Illinois (312) 280-0002 



Thompson, Harriman and Edwards 
Computer Products Company Ltd. 

THE MOST INCREDIBLE 

LIMITED TIME OFFER IN 

COMPUTER HISTORY, FROM 
THE ™ and PC NETWORK... 



THE 



TM 






I I t f I t ! I ! 

I ( I ' i I I ' 1 If 



256K RAM, 

IBM™ PC 
compatible, 

360K5.25" 

Disk Drive, 

Turbo Speed, 

"AT" Style 

Keyboard 



Special Wholesale Price 



$444.00* 



$469.00* for 640K System 



PiTkrln^fc r'rktnrkOFi^ T trl Dealer Inquiries Call THE™ at (312) 642-9626 
r I UUUtl5> ^Ullipail^ .L/IU. 319 West Ontario Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610 




NETWORK 



BUY HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE AT WHOLESALE +8%, 
AND GET 14-30 DAY SOFTWARE RENTALS*. . . 



Listed below are just a few of the over 30,000 products available at our EVERYDAY LOW PRICES! 
The Network carries products for Apple, IBM, CP/M and most other popular computer families. 



GAMES & EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE FOR YOUR APPLE // & MACINTOSH 

(Please addS1 shipping and handling for each title ordered from below.) 

Wholesale 

Miles Computing Mac Attack-Mac Only $22.00* 

Palatlr Mac Type-Mac Only 23.50* 

Penguin Graphics Magician 28.97* 

Penguin Pensate/Xyphu&7ransylvania-Mac Only 20.00* 

Professional Software Trivia Fever 19.00* 

Pryorlty Software Forbidden Quest 21.00* 

Scarborough Master Type 19.75* 

Scarborough Run tor the Money 26.00* 

Simon & Schuster Typing Tutor III 28.25* 

Sir-Tech Wizardry 17.25* 

Sir-Tech Knight ot Diamonds or Rescue Raiders 18.97* 

Subloglc Night Mission Pinball 19.25* 

Subloglc Flight Simulator II 27.25* 

'(►Spinnaker Alphabet Zoo. Face Maker. 15.25* 

Kinder Comp. Hey Diddle Diddle. 

Rhymes & Riddles. Story Machine 

'(►Spinnaker Most Amazing Thing Delta Drawing 20,77" 

►Spinnaker Delta Drawing 20.75* 

T/Maker Click Art-Mac Only 25.00* 

Warner Desk Organizer 65.00* 

Vldex Fun Pack-Mac Only 19.25* 

Vldex Mac Checkers & Reversal 25.17" 

Virtual Comblnatlcs Micro Cookbook 17.50* 

BUSINESS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR APPLE // & MACINTOSH 

(Please add S2.50 shipping and handling for each title ordered from below.) 





Wholesale 


Arrays Home Accountant-Mac Only 


S65.00* 


Axion Ai1 Portfolio & Card Shoppe 


31.00* 


Bluechlp BaronWiltonaire/Tycoon 


19.75* 


Broderbund Lode Runner 


17.25* 


Broderbund Choplilter 


17.00* 


Broderbund Print Shop 


24.75* 


Broderbund Dazzle Draw 


31.97* 


CBS Mastering the GRE 


53.50* 


CBS Murder by the Dozen 


20.97* 


CBS Goren Bridge Made Easy 


45.00* 


Counterpoint The News Room 


26.97* 


Davidson Speed Reader II 


31.00* 


Davidson Math Blaster or Word Attack! 


21.50* 


1st Byte Smooth Talker-Mac Only 


44.00* 


Hayden DaVinci-House/lnteriors/iandscapes 


23.00* 


Hayden Sargon III 


24.75* 


Inf ocom Deadline or Suspended 


24.00* 


Infocom Enchanter. Planetfall. 


19.75* 


Cutthroats. Witness or Zork 1 




Infocom Hitchhiker's Guide or Seastalker 


19.75* 


Infocom Suspect. Sorcerer, Intidel, Zork II or 


/// 21.75* 


Layered Front Desk-Mac Only 


65.00* 


Mirage Concepts Trivia 


21.00* 



► Apple Apple Works S160.00" 
Assimilation ProcessMac Memory Disk 17.75* 
Borland International Turbo Pascal or SideKick 37.50* 
BPI GL. AP. AR. PR or INV 1 90.00* 
Broderbund BankStreet Writer 35.25' 
Central Point Copy II Plus or Copy II Mac 16,25* 
Funk Software Sideways 26.50* 
Funsofl Macasm 60.00" 
Haba Habadex 40.00* 
Harvard Mac Manager 29.95" 
Human Edge Mind Prober 21.00* 
Human Edge Sales Edge 21.00' 
Human Edge Communication Edge 98.00* 

► Living Vldeotext ThmkTank-Mac Too! 65.00" 
Main Street Filer-Mac Only 67.00* 



MECA Managing Your Money $87.50' 

►Microsoft Word 'File 'Multipkm for Macintosh 97.50' 
Microsoft Excel tor Macintosh 197,500* 

Microsoft Basic tor Macintosh 75.00' 

Microsoft Chart for Macintosh 62.50* 

Monogram Dollars & Sense tor Apple II 55.00* 

Monogram Dollars & Sense tor Macintosh 63.00* 

Odesta Helix tor Macintosh Regs 512K 200.00* 

Provue Oveivue-Mac Only 130.00* 

Sensible Software Sensible Speller IV 67.50* 

Softcraft Fancy Fonts 109.00* 

Softech Microsystems UCSD Pascal 37.00' 
Software Publishing PFS: File. Write, or Graph 61.00' 

Stoneware DB Master-Mac Too! 90.00" 

Telos Fitevision for Mac 85.00" 



HARDWARE FOR YOUR APPLE // & MACINTOSH 

(Please add shipping and handling charges found In Italics next to price.) 



DISK DRIVES Wholesale 

Apple MAC 800KB External Drive S349.95* (7.50) 

► Haba 800KB Double Sided Mac Drive 215.00* (4 64) 
lOmega Macnoulli 5MB Removable 999.00* (21.58) 

Drive tor Macintosh 

lOmega Dual 10MB Bernoulli for Mac 1,805.00* (38 99) 

with SCSI Port 

Micro Sci A2 143KB Drive 150.00* (5 00) 

Just like Apple's Own 

Micro Scl Floppy Controller 55.00* (2.50) 

► Paradise Mac 10MB Hard Drive 525.00* (11.34) 

Hard Drive Subsystem 

► Paradise Mac 20MB Hard Drive 745.00* (16 09) 

Hard Drive Subsystem 

► PC Network 140K External Drive 95.00* (2 50) 

for Apple lie 

►PC Network 140K Drive for Applelle 95.00" (2 05) 

Tecmar 5MBRemovable Drive torM AC 999.00" (21.58) 

Tecmar 10MB MAC Drive 999.00* (21.58) 

BOARDS AND BUFFERS 

AST" Multil/O- 2 Serial/Clock S1 55.00* (2.50) 

Microsoft Premium Softcard lie 243.67* (2.50) 

Microtek Dumpling/GX 55.00* (2.50) 

Orange Micro Grappler + 66.00* (2.50) 

Orange Micro Serial Grappler 66.00* (2.50) 

PC Network Z80 Card 35.00* (2 50) 

Quadram APIC/G Graphics Interface 62.00* (2.50) 

Quadram E RAM-80 88.00* (250) 

Quadram Mullicore- 1 Parallel 140.00* (2.50) 

1 SeriahClock Expandable to 256K 

Thunderware Thunderclock 104.00* (2.50) 

Titan Technologies Accelerator He 207.35* (4.48) 



MODEMS 



Wholesale 

Hayes Micromodem lie w/Smartcom $125.00* (2 50) 

Novation Apple Cat II 174.45' (3.50) 

Prometheus 1200 A 225.00" (6.00) 

Low Cost 1200 Baud Internal Modem tor Apple II 

Pron\elheusPromodem1200/MacPack 299.00* (6.00) 

Prentice Popcorn MacPack 219,00' (2.50) 

1200 Baud Modem, Cable. Straightalk 

ACCESSORIES 

Apple Macintosh Carrying Case $69.00* (1.49) 

Apple Macintosh Secunty Kit 29.00* (1.50) 

Curtis Ruby Surge Protector 39.00* (1.50) 

Hayes Mach IHJoystick 26.50* (1.50) 

w/Fire Button tor lie 

Kensington Dust Cover tor MAC 7.50" (1.50) 

or ImageWriter 

Kensington Starter Pack 49.00* (3.00) 

Kensington Surge Protector 29.50" (2 50) 

Kensington System Saver Fan 56.97* (1.50) 

Koala MacVision 150.00* (3.00) 

Koala Koalapad Touch Tablet 78.00* (1.50) 

M&R Sup-R-Mod RF Modulation 44.00" (1 50) 

PC Network Cooling Fanw it h Surge 25.00* (2.50) 

Protector & Dual Outlets 

PC Network SSDDDiskettes(BoxotlO) 7.95* (1.00) 

PC Network Macintosh Diskettes 12.50* (150) 

Includes Free Flip S File Case 

These Diskettes are Guaranteed tor Lite! No Generics f 

Sony Mac Diskettes (Box ot 10) 19.00* (1.50) 

Thunderware Thunderscan 155.00* (335) 



MEMORY CHIPS 

(All Memory Chips Guaranteed for Life!) 

Wholesale 

►64K Memory Upgrade Kits (9 Chips) S9.00' (1.00) 

Quantity Discounts Available' 

►64K Dynamic Ram Chips (Each) 1.00" f* 00) 

►256K Dynamic Ram Chips (Each) 2.90* (i 00) 

► 128K IBM AT Mother Board Chips (Each) 3.50" (100) 

EXTERNAL MODEMS 

Anchor Signalman Express 
Anchor Lightning 2400 
Hayes Smartmodem 300 
Hayes Smartmodem 1200 
►Hayes SmaHmodem 2.W0 
Prometheus Promodem 1200 



S205.00* (5 00) 

309.00* (2 50) 

1 25.00* (5 00) 

340.00* (5 00) 

525.00* (5 00) 

276.00* (6 00) 

U.S. Robotics Courier 2400BPS Modem 345.00* (5 00) 

U.S. Robotics Password 172.00* (400) 
ALL IMF. ''MODEMS ARE 100°o HAYES COMPATIBLE 

THE"* 1200 Com External 129.00* (2 58) 

THK* 2400 Com External 277.00" (5 54) 



MONITORS 

Wholesale 

Amdek Video 300G Composite Green S1 10.00* (3.00) 

Amdek Video 300A Composite Amber 120.00* (300) 

Amdek Video 310 A IBM Type Amber 130.00" (3.00) 

Amdek Color 600 NEW! High Res RGB 365.00" (7.88) 

Amdek Color 7 22 Enhanced Graphics 424.00* (9.16) 

Magna vox 121TL IBM Type Amber 79.00" (5 00) 

A great looking/performing monochrome 

NEC SC- 1401 Multisync RGB 480.00" (10.37) 

Princeton HX- 12 RGB Monitor 399.00* (8.60) 

Princeton HX-12E CGAorEGA Monitor 445.00* (9 61) 

Princeton MAX-12e 132.00* (5.00) 

Works with Color or Mono Card 

Quadram Amberchrome 12" TTL 125.00* (2.70) 

Non Glare/ Slow Phosphor 

Taxan 630 High Res RGB Monitor 383.00* (8.27) 

Taxan 640 Highest Res (740x400) 439.00* (10.69) 

Currently Available— Works with Persysl 

BOB Card & the AT&T Computer 

Zenith ZVM 1230A/HighReS/NonGlare 81.00* (2.50) 



TERMS & CONDITIONS 

"PC NETWORK-Members pay just 8%abo ve the wholesale price, plus shipping. All pricesrellect a 3%cash discount 
Minimum shipping S2 50 perorder International orderscall lor shipping & handling charges Money Orders, personal 
and company checks please allow 10 working days to clear. All prices subject to change without notice ' 

TRENT BEFORE YOU BUY-Members areeiigible lo iom the NETWOHK'sBusinessand Game software Rental Libraries 
andevaluate products lor a fuli 14 (Regular) or 30 (VI P| days to see il it meets your needs And The NETWORK'S rental 
chargesare tar lesslhan other software rental services-Just 20% OfTHE MFMBER WHOLESALE PRICE Renlal titles 
available in IBM/Apple/MAC and CP/M Formats. Hardware prices highlited oy ► retlect recent major price reductions 



GAMES & EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE FOR YOUR IBM 

(Please add $1 shipping end handling for each title ordered from below.) 
Wholesale 



ATI Intro to PC DOS Vol. I & II or BASIC S23.00" 

Bluebush Chess (Your Toughest Opponent) 34.00* 

Bluechlp Millionaire/Oil Baron or T coon 1 9.75* 

Broderbund Lode Runner 17.25' 

CBS Goren Bridge Made Easy 40.00' 

CBS Mastering the SAT 50.00' 

CDEX Training tor Wordstar 37.25' 
Comprehensive Intro to Personal Computing 26,50" 

Davidson Math Blaster, Word Attack! 21.50' 

Davidson Speed Reader II 31.00* 

Hayden Sargon III 24.00' 

Individual Professor DOS 29.75' 

Individual The Instructor 24.50* 

►Infocom Zork I or Witness 19.75' 



Wholesale 
$24.00' 
27.00' 
59.95' 



►Infocom Deadline or Suspended 
Microsoft Flight Simulator 
Mouse Systems PC Paint- Turn your PC 

Into A Color Macintosh! 
Scarborough Master Type 19.75' 

Sierra On-Line Crossfire 18.00' 

Sierra On-Llne King's Quest tl 24.75' 

Spectrum Holobyte GATO 18.00' 

►Spinnaker Alphabet Zoo, Kinder Comp, 15,25" 

Story Machine. Face Maker. Hey Diddle. Diddle. 
Rhymes S Riddles 
►Spinnaker Delta Drawing or Most Amazing Thing 20.75" 
Subloglc Night Mission Pinball 19.25" 

Virtual Comblnatlcs Micro Cookbook 21.00' 



BUSINESS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR IBM 

(Please add S2.50 shipping and handling for each title ordered from below.) 



►Ashton-Tate DBase III or Framework II $365.00" 

Borland Turbo Pascal 35.00* 

Borland SideKick (Protected) 24.50* 

Borland SuperKey 34.50* 

BPI G/l..A/RorA'P 262.00* 

BPI Personal Accounting 43.75* 

Breakthrough Timeline 203.00" 

►Central Point Copy II PC 20.00" 

Conceptual Instruments Desk Organizer 47.00* 

Digital Research DR Logo 75.00* 

Digital Research Gem Desktop 25.00* 

Digital Research Gem Draw 117.00* 

Enertronlcs Energraphics 143.00* 

Funk Software Sideways 32.00* 

► Harvard Harvard Protect Manager 175.00" 
Harvard Total Project Manager 225.00" 

► Hayes Smartcom It- New VT100 Emulator 68.00" 

► Human Edge Management Edge or M'nd Prober 24.00" 
Infocom Cornerstone 65.00' 
Llfetree Volkswriter III 126.50' 

► Lotus Development Lotus 1-2-3 270.00" 
MDBS Knowledgeman/2 229.00" 
MicroPro Wordstar 2000 209.00" 



MicroPro Wordstar 2000 + 

MIcroRim RBase5000 

Microsoft C Compiler 

Microsoft Word—Latest Version 3.0 

Microsoft Muitiplan 

Microsoft Mouse 

Monogram Dollars & Sense 
►Multimate Multimate (Latest Version) 

Norton Notion Utilities 3 1 

Open Systems P/O Sales 
AIR INV G/l. A/P Team Mgr. 

Power Base Power Base 

Real World G/L A/P A/R or OE/INV 

Rosesoft ProKey Version 3 

Ryan McFarland RM COBOL (Dev. System) 
►Samna Samna III Word Processor 
►Samna Word -f 
►Satellite Software Word Perfect 

Softcraft Fancy Fonts 

Software Group Enable 

Software Publishing PFS.File, Whte.Graph 

Software Publishing PFS.Report 

Sorclm Supercalc III 

Xanaro Abilitv 



S262.50* 
285.00' 
205.00' 
197.50' 
101.00* 
107.00* 

85.00* 
180.00" 

43.00* 
ea.270.00* 

200.00* 
ea.350.00* 
65.00* 
520.00* 
207.75* 
340.00* 
180.00* 
125.00* 
293.00* 
68.00* 
59.50* 
169.00* 
247.50* 



HARDWARE FOR YOUR IBM 

(Please add shipping and handling charges found In Italics next to price.) 

DISK DRIVES MODEMS 



►lOmega Bernoulli Box S 1.849.00" (39 94) 

Dual 10MB Drives 

► PC Network 10MB INTERNAL V 2 340.00" (7 34) 

Height Autoboot Drive: New tower price 
PC Network 10MB Tape Backup 395.00* (8 94) 

Same unit used in Compaq's DeskPro! 
PC Network/4 7 42MB Internal HD 1,050.00* (24.95) 

35MS Access Time-Comes Complete 
PC Network 20MB Tape Backup 495.00* (10.69) 

Halt Height Internal w/conlroller 

► PC Network Halt Height DS,DD Drives Ba.OO" (1.27) 
►Tandon TM-100 120.00" (2 20) 

2 Full Height DS./DD Drives 

► THE'* 20MB Internal 12 Height 367.00" (793) 

Autoboot Drive 1 By Seagate or Microscience 

MULTIFUNCTION CARDS 

Apparat AT Ram Expansion Card S139.00' (2.50) 

AST SixPakPremium"2MBMulti/0K 315.00* (2.50) 

► AST SixPakPlus -with 64K 139.00* (2 50) 
AST " I/O Plus II" 120.00* (2.50) 
AST" Advantage tor AT" 325.00* (2.50) 
Everex Magic Card 64K 160,00* (2.50) 
Ouadram Gold Card 340.00* (2.50) 

384K Multifunction/Color Card w/OK 
Tecmar Captain Multi Card w/OK 146.00* (2.50) 

►THK''576K Plus Memoiy Board wM 37.00" (2 50) 
►THE "Multi 384 A functional clone 72.00* (2 50) 

of AST's 'SixPakPlus. " 

Includes up to 384K of expansion memoi . 

1 serial. 1 parallel. 1 game port. 

a clock calendar and 3 software standard 
►THK 'Multi I/O Plus II Clone 60.00" 12 50) 



(2.50) 
(2.50) 
(2.50) 
(2.50) 
(2.50) 

(2 50) 



Hayes Smartmodem 1200B $305.00* (2.50) 

with New Smaitcom tt VT100 Emulator 
Hayes Smartmodem 1200B Alone 265.00* (2.50) 

PTOmelheusPromodem1200Blntemal 225.00* (2 50) 
►THK 'Internal 1200 1200BPS Modem 119.00* (2.50) 

Lowest Cost Hayes Compatible w/FREE PC Talk II 

VIDEO CARDS 

Hercules Color Card w/Parallel Port S126.00* 

► Hercules Monochrome Graphics Card 259.00" 
Paradise Modular Graphics Card 219.00* 
Persyst BOBCardUltraHighResColor 299.00* 
Quadram Quad EGA + Enhanced 323.00* 

Graphics Adapter 
►THE "EGA Plus EGA Clone 227.00* 

w 256K Standard 

► THK "H720 Mono Mono Graphics 73.00* (2 50) 

with parallel port. 100"o Hercules Compatible! 
►THK "Color Card 60.00* (250) 

100 c e IBM Compatible' 

ACCESSORIES 

►Brand Name DS/DD Diskettes S7.95* (100) 

Guaranteed for Lite' Nol Generic' 
►DS/DD Bulk Rate Special each .54* 

Packaged m 50 with sleeves and labels 

Guaranteed lor Life' 

► PC Network Replacement 130 Walt 79.00" (5 00) 

IBM-PC Power Supply -Gives your PC the same 
Capacity as an XT Good tor add in Tape Drives 
(without need tor a piggyback unit) and large 
capacity disk drives 
SMbPCDocumate: Kevboard 9.99'ea. (1.00) 



COMPLETE SYSTEMS 



Apple Macintosh Base System 
►Central Point L<iser 128 

Apple lie and Itc Compatible 
AT&T 7300 Unix PC 

10MB Hard Disk/1 Floppy/5 12K 
COMPAQ DeskPro W/256K 

1 Floppy/10MB Hard Disk 



►Citizen MSP-10 NEW' 

W0CP$80COLFric + Trac 

►Citizen MSP-15NEW' 

WOCPS 132COUFnc + Trac 

► Citizen MSP -20 NEW! 

200CPS'80COUFric + Trac 

► Citizen MSP-25 NEW' 

200CPS'132COLFr,c + Trac 

► Citizen Premiere 35 NEW 1 

35CPS Daisywheel/132COUFnC ■ 
Citizen 120-D 125CPS lO'/lrac 

►Epson LX 80 100CPSB0COLLO 

►Epson FX85 

►Epson FX 286 NEW' 

►Epson LO WOO NEW' 
WOCPS 60CPS NLO 
Epson SO 2000 Inkjet Printer 
Epson DX 35 35CPSLO Model 

►NEC 2030 20CPS LO Parallel 

► NEC 2050 20CPS Letter Quality 



Wholesale 
CALL 



Wholesale 
S1, 835.00* (43.18) 



►COMPAQ Hard Disk Portable 
S355.00" (7 67) 20MB Hard Disk/ 1 Floppy, 256K 

► IBM PCBaseSyslem2SDD FD0256K 1,1 59.00" 
3,699.00' (79.90) ►IBM PC Professional Hani Disk 1.499.00* 

IBM PC/AT Base System- 1. 2MB 2,875.00* 
1,805.00* (38.99) Floppy.'256K 

IBM AT Professional System CALL 

1.2MB Floppy. '20MB Hard Distil Ser/1 Par/512K 

PRINTERS 

S225.00* i4 86) ►NEC 3530 33CPSLO Parallel 
►NEC 3550 33CPSLO 
315.00" (6 80) ►NEC 8850 55CPS 

Okidata ML 182 New 120CP&LO 
299.00* (6 46) Model Fric/IBM Graphics & More 

Okldata ML 192 New Sleek Design 
435.00* (9 40) 160CPS/LO/Frt/IBM Graphics 

Okidata Color 20 80CPS/100+ 
Colors/LO/IBM Graphics & More 
(Requires Interface) 
Okidata ML 193P 60CPS 425.00' 

Okidata IBM Inteiface 69.00* 

tor Okidata Color 20 
Okidata ML 84P 200CPS/132COL 599.00* 

Okidata 2410 P Pacemark 350CPS CALL 
Qume Sprint 11/40 40CPS LO 1,155.00* 

Star Mlcronics Power Type 300.00* 

18CPS Letter Quality 
Toshiba P341 2 10CPS/132COL 699.00* (15.09) 

Toshiba P351 288CPS/132COL 426.00* (920) 



(25 03) 
(3Z3B) 
(62. 10) 



S888.00* (19 18) 

920.00* (17 87) 

1,330.00* (28 73) 

188.00* (4.06) 



109.00* 



360.00* 


(7 78) 


Trac 




169.00* 


(3.63) 


199.00" 


(4 30) 


335.00" 


(724, 


485.00* 


(10 48) 


CALL 




1,359.00* 


(29.35) 


569.00* 


(12.29) 


605.00" 


(13 05) 


570.00" 


(13 00) 



(9 18) 
(1.50) 



(24.00) 
(6.48) 



Copyright <£> 1985, PC NETWORK, INC. 



Prices subject to change without notice. 




COMPLETE SYSTEMS 

[Optional local warranty service available in most major metro areas) 




NETWORK 



IBM PC BASE 

SYSTEM 

IBM PC W/256K 

Floppy Drive Controller 

2 Double Sided Double 

Density Disk Drives 

Mix and Match with 

your Favorite Monitor 

and Printer! 

$1,159.00* 




CUSTOM 

CONFIGURATIONS 

WELCOME 




IBM PC 

HARD DISK SYSTEM 

IBM PC W/256K 
Floppy Drive Controller 
1 Double Sided Double 

Density Disk Drive 
Half Height Hard Disk 



$1,499.00* 



mm 



CALL FOR 

LATEST IBM 

ANNOUNCEMENTS 



PORTABLE 
HARD DISK SYSTEM 

256K/1 Floppy/Hard Disk 




COMPAQ. 



$1 ,91 0.00*w/20MB 



call for 10MB 



APPLE lie 




DESKPRO SYSTEM 

256K CPU/1 Floppy /Hard Disk 





$1,805.00* W/10MB 
$1 ,91 0.00* W/20MB 



apple lie 




MACINTOSH 
SYSTEMS 

■KS 




64K IBM PC MEMORY EXPANSION KITS 
Quantity Discounts Available. 
Guaranteed fori 



#* 



)uniSAvanaDie. 

% # S * * 



i* 



Set of 
9 Chips 



$9 .00' 



DISKETTES 

Guaranteed for Life! 

Brand name diskettes 
available in boxes of 10 
or m bulk packs of 50 




3V2"SS/DD 

Bx.10 

$12.95* 

Free Flip 
& File Case 



1/2 HEIGHT DS/DD 
DISK DRIVES 




The Network buys direct 

and makes fantastic deals 

with manufacturers like MPI/ 

Tandon/CDC/Shugart/Qume/ 

TEAC and others to bring you 

fantastic prices on Name 

Brand drives for your PC/AT/ 

XT/jr/or Compatible. 

$85.00* 

Quantity Discounts Available 



% 



-OtUS 

270.00* 



INTERNAL PC HARD DISK 

LowPower/Automatic Boot. Works on standard PC's 

and Compatibles. Includes drive/controller/cables/ 

mounting hardware and instructions. 

Full one year warranty! 




10MB 



$367.00 

20MB 

$367.00 

Quantity Discount Available 



WordPerfect 

$180.00* 

MultiMate" 



ea. 



'Members pay 8% above this wholesale price plus shipping. 
CALL TOLL FREE 1 -800-621 -S-A-V-E (,^£X) 

In Illinois call (312) 280-0002 Validation code: B386 

Customer Service and Order Status (312) 280-1567 

TM & R-Registered trademarks of IBM/COMPAQ/APPLE/AST Research/LOTUS/Multimate lnt.,/IOMEGA. 

Inquiry 2 20 



SEE WHY OVER 150,000 HAVE JOINED 
MAKING US THE NATION'S #1 SOURCE 
FOR EVERYTHING IN COMPUTING 

• Our 600 Page Wholesale Catalog 

Over 30,000 products priced at Wholesale + 8%. Anything 
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14 to 30 day rentals on over 1000 different titles. 
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The Network /Tas over 150 employees, 45,00 square 
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Y( 

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CALL TOLL FREE 
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(Orders-Membership and Advice!) 
In Illinois call (312) 280-0002 
Your Membership Validation Number B386 
You can validate your membership number and, if you wish, 
place your first money-saving order over the phone by using 
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knowledgeable sales consultants are on duty Mon.-Fri. 8:00 
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" Chicago, Illinois 60610 
Call now. . Join the PC NETWORK and start saving today! 
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BYTE 



Features 



Similarity Mapping SUPPOSE YOU WERE ABOUT TO START on a long car trip, but the road atlas 

by Rob Spencer 85 in the trunk was soggy and all you could salvage was a large table of distances 

Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar: between cities. Rob Spencer tackles this interesting problem in "Similarity Map- 

Parallel Interfacing: ping" by using a Microsoft BASIC program for the Macintosh that creates 

A Tutorial Discussion, "maps" from distance or difference data, 

f A * r 2: Applications Two f eatures t hj s mQ nth are conclusions of two-part articles. Steve Ciarcia 

y eve mrcia concludes his discussion of parallel interfacing in the Circuit Cellar by look- 

l^2^^i^SuMSn 0CESSOR ing at a number of interface adapters and suggesting applications for them. 

by^evor uZZT^hZophTr ]ones. Steve doesn,t have the s P ace to § ive a complete functional description of each 

and Sigi Kluger 108 adapter. Instead, he points out their significant differences. Steve hopes this 

Mathematics two-part article will answer many of the interfacing questions he receives. In 

of Programming P art 2 of "The Definicon 68020 Coprocessor." Itevor Marshall, Christopher 

by C. A. R. Uoare 115 Jones, and Sigi Kluger focus on the software available for the DSI-020 

Polar Normal Distribution coprocessor board for IBM XTs, ATs, and work-alikes. 

by Alain latour 131 In honor of BYTE's 10th anniversary, a reception was held at the Boston 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Computer Museum. The guest speaker was Dr. C. A. R. Hoare, who chose the 

topic "Mathematics of Programming." It is Dr. Hoare's thesis that program- 
mers should follow mathematical laws in the construction of programs. This 
type of construction would promise benefits in systems software, safety-critical 
programs, silicon design, and standards. 

Finally, in this month's Programming Insight, "Polar Normal Distribution," 
Alain Latour explains the "polar method" of generating normal deviates and 
evaluating the cumulative probability of a normally distributed random 
variable. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 83 



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by Rob Spencer 



Similarity 
Mapping 




A Macintosh program 
that creates "maps" from 
tables of distance data 



Imagine that you're about to 
start a long car trip, but you 
can't find the maps. After a 
frustrating search, you find a 
road atlas in the trunk of the car— but 
it's soggy and torn, and only the last 
page is legible. All you have on that 

r~ T \-~- 




r . 




• * 



L.„;i; 



SX_".:_i: 



page is a big table of distances be- 
tween cities. Can you recreate a good 
map from that distance table? 

In another scenario, let's say you're 
a market researcher about to make a 
presentation. You have lots of data 
from supermarket taste tests in which 
people tried to tell the difference be- 
tween your brand of soft drink and 
the other major brands. Is there a suc- 
cinct and accurate way to present all 
these results without showing a huge 
table of numbers? 

Finally, suppose you design printed 
circuit boards. You know what chips 
you need to do the job and how 
they're connected. Is there a method 
that will suggest the layout of the 
board so as to minimize signal path 
distances and the need for jumpers? 

These problems have a common 
theme: They start with a large set of 
known distances (or, conversely, similar- 
ities), and they seek a graphic solution 
in the form of a map. In this article I'll 
present an algorithm and a program 
to solve such problems. The tech- 
nique is called multidimensional scaling, 
but I prefer the term similarity mapping. 

I wrote the program Mapper in 
Microsoft BASIC 2.0 (binary version) 
for the Macintosh, and it demon- 
strates the language's avoidance of 
line numbers, reference by name, 
potential for Pascal-like structure, and 
use of the Mac's mouse-driven menus, 
dialog boxes, and buttons. 

Overview of the Method 

Similarity mapping has four major 
parts: input of the data, generation of 

[continued) 
Rob Spencer (42 30 Fieldgate Dr. #5, 
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L4W 2M5) 
is a biochemist at Syntex Inc. 



ILLUSTRATED BY FRANK BOZZO 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 85 



SIMILARITY MAPPING 



Ikble 1 : The distances between 


nine major U.S. cities. 








Boston 


NY. 


D.C. 


Miami 


Chicago 


Seattle S.F. L.A. Denver 


Boston 
















New York 


206 














Washington, D.C. 


429 


233 










- 


Miami 


1504 


1308 


1075 










Chicago 


963 


802 


671 


1329 








Seattle 


2976 


2815 


2684 


3273 


2013 






San Francisco 


3095 


2934 


2799 


3053 


2142 


808 




Los Angeles 


2979 


2886 


2631 


2687 


2054 


1131 


379 


Denver 


1949 


1771 


1616 


2037 


996 


1307 


1235 1059 



"Intercity distances" 

9 

Boston, NY, DC, Miami, Chicago, Seattle, SF, LA, Denver 

206 

429,233 

1504,1308,1075 

963,802,671,1329 

2976,2815,2684,3273,201 3 

3095,2934,2799,3053,21 42,808 

2979,2786,2631,2687,2054,1131,379 

1949,1771,1616,2037,996,1307,1235,1059 



Figure I : The data file Cities, based on the information contained in table I and used 
by the program Mapper. 



an initial map, iterative refinement of 
that map, and generation of the dis- 
play. These can be seen directly in the 
first main section of the program, 
which consists of eight sequential 
subroutine calls followed by a WHILE 
. . .WEND loop. Some of these sub- 
routines, like Initialize and InputData, 
are part of any program. Some deal 
with more Macintosh-specific things: 
SetMenus, WaitForMenu, and 
HandleMenus. Two are for screen 
display: ShowTable and ShowMap. 
The heart of the algorithm and all of 
the mathematics are in the remaining 
subroutines, InitializeMap and Refine- 
Map. 

I'll go through the program in order, 
using the soggy road atlas problem 
as an example. The input data (table 
\) consists of the distances, in miles, 
between nine U.S. cities. Since you 
know what the final map should look 
like, it's easy to tell if the program is 
working. 

Initialize 

The first subroutine in Mapper, Ini- 
tialize, sets up the screen (WINDOW, 
CALL TEXTFONT, etc.), defines 



several variables (R and Criterion are 
the most interesting: I will discuss 
them later), and defines the plotting 
functions (DEF FNPx, DEF FNPy) in 
a way that makes it easy to manipu- 
late the map after it is drawn on the 
screen. 

SetMenus 

The SetMenus subroutine creates a 
single pull-down menu titled Control. 
It has three options: Change Map, 
Show T&ble. and Quit. You control the 
program by selecting these options 
with the mouse. 

InputData 

Using the InputData subroutine, Map- 
per reads its data from simple text 
files. You can write such files with any 
word processor as long as you save 
them as "text only." The program 
begins by asking you to choose a data 
file from the "minifinder" box created 
by the FILES$ function. Figure l is a 
data file called Cities, which is based 
on table l. Note that between n cities 
there are n x (n-\)l2 distinct dis- 
tances, as assigned to the variable 
NumPairs. (Thus, the nine cities in 



table I have 36 distances.) The names 
of the cities are assigned to Label$( ), 
and the distance between the /th and 
/th cities to both d(i,j) and d(j,i). 

InitializeMap 

As in many iterative techniques, the 
speed and stability of convergence to 
a final answer depend on having a 
good initial guess. The method I've 
used is an exercise in geometry as il- 
lustrated in figure 2. First, the program 
InitializeMap searches the distance 
table for the two most distant points; 
in the example these are Miami and 
Seattle, which are 3273 miles apart. 
These points now define the horizon- 
tal axis, and they're labeled j1 and j2 
(figure 2a). 

The program searches the distance 
table again for the next most distant 
point, in this case Boston, which is 
labeled j3. Boston is given the map 
coordinates (x(j3), y(j3)) such that the 
triangle formed by these three cities 
has sides of the correct lengths (figure 
2 b). Note that the program places 
Boston below the Miami-Seattle line: 
this is because the Macintosh, like 
most microcomputers, defines (x,y)= 
(0,0) to be in the upper left corner of 
the screen. You can change the orien- 
tation and scaling of the map later: 
remember that the input data is just 
distances and there's no information 
about north, south, east, or west. 

Now the program assigns all the 
other points. It assigns the /th city just 
as it did Boston, except that the city's 
placement above or below the 
Miami-Seattle line is no longer ar- 
bitrary. The decision is based on 
whether the distance between Boston 
and the point p is greater or less than 
the distance between Boston and 
(i)(below) (see figure 2c). In other 
words, the program uses Boston to 
break the symmetry of the map. 

Finally, the program shifts the coor- 
dinates of all points so that (0,0) is at 
the center of the screen. This helps 
with later scaling and rotation. 

ShowMap 

A frequently called subroutine, Show- 
Map, simply draws the map on the 
screen. Note that the map coor- 
dinates x(i),y(i) of the points retain 
their units— in this case, miles. This is 



86 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



SIMILARITY MAPPING 



so that calculated distances and 
errors will have familiar units. The pro- 
gram does the conversion to screen 
units (i.e., pixels) with the functions 
FNPx and FNPy. The initial map from 
our example is shown in figure 3. 

RefineMap 

The iterative refinement of the map 
is done by the subroutine RefineMap. 
RefineMap consists mostly of a 
WHILE . . .WEND loop that calls the 
subroutine IterateMap to do the 
math; checks to see if you have 
selected a menu item, and, if so, goes 
to deal with it; draws the new map; 
and checks for convergence and exits 
appropriately. The map has con- 
verged if two successive iterations 
produce average errors differing by 
less than the variable Criterion, which 
I set at 0.2 percent. 

IterateMap 

In forming the initial map, I gave the 
three most mutually distant points 
(Miami, Seattle, and Boston) special 
status; they were fixed, and all the 
other points were assigned relative to 
them. Now, in iteration, all of the 
points are allowed to move to mini- 
mize the error between the input 
distances d(i,j) and the calculated 
distances based on the current map 
coordinates. An analog computer 
equivalent of this would involve put- 
ting pegs in a pegboard at the initial 
guess coordinates, connecting each 
pair of pegs with a spring cut to the 
length d(i,j), cutting the pegs free from 
the board, and letting go! When the 
oscillations died down, you'd have a 
minimum-error map. 

In IterateMap, moving the points is 
done in two nested FOR. . .NEXT 
loops by using the variables Dx(i) and 
Dy(i) to add up, as vectors, all the 
errors between each pair of points. 
These resultant vectors are then multi- 
plied by R and added to the coor- 
dinates. Figure 4 shows the changes 
this makes in the first iteration; the 
cities move in various directions for 
various distances, all movements serv- 
ing to improve the map. The constant 
R is analogous to the "stiffness" of the 
springs in the analog model. If R is 
too big (in my experience, more than 
about 0.2), the springs are too stiff, 



and the map will oscillate and may 
not converge. If R is too small, con- 
vergence will be very slow. 

Manipulating the Map 

Even though the map has converged, 
you may want to change it for presen- 
tation purposes or see the results in 
tabular rather than graphic form. The 
subroutines called in the final WHILE 
. . .WEND loop of the main program 
allow for this. 



When ycu look at a road map, you 
usually put north at the top and west 
at the left— but, as mentioned above, 
there's nothing in the distance table 
data to suggest an absolute orienta- 
tion. When you select Change Map 
from the menu, a panel appears (via 
subroutine ShowPanel) that allows 
you to reorient the map. Figure 5 
shows this panel and the final map, 
after rotation (by 205 degrees) and ex- 

{continued) 



Miami 



3273 ( = dmax) 



Seattle 



(jo 



(J2) 



(b) 



Miami 



3273 



Seattle 




Boston 



(j3) 



(c) 



„* (i) (above) 



Miami 



(jo 




(i) (below) 



Figure 2: The geometry used to construct the initial Cities map. (a) Mapper uses the 
pair of points that are the farthest apart to define the x axis, (b) It then places the next 
most distant point so that the triangle formed has sides corresponding to the correct 
distances, (c) Finally, the program places all other points relative to the first three. 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 87 



SIMILARITY MAPPING 



pansion to fill the screen. 

The menu option Show Tkble gives 
the original distance table as well as 
the distances calculated from the map 
coordinates; it also shows the root 
mean square error, which for the 
Cities example is 33 miles. 

I have not put any printer output 
statements in the program, but Com- 
mand-Shift- 3 will send a screen snap- 
shot to disk. Command-Shift-4 will 
send it to the printer, and you could 
easily make a printed table by chang- 
ing the subroutine ShowTable to have 



LPRINT instead of PRINT, or with 
PRINT#2 where file #2 is opened to 
the screen or the printer. 

Missing Data and Error 
Location 

Remember the soggy road atlas? Im- 
agine further that even the distance 
table is torn up and that some of the 
distance values are missing. One 
bonus of similarity mapping is that it 
can give reasonable estimates even for 
missing data. Mapper makes provision 
for this: If any input distances are 



6 Control 








1 n terc i ty d i s tances 
Iteration 












• LA 


• SF 






• Denver 




• M i am i 


• Chicago 

• DC 

• NY 

• Boston 




• Seattle 



Figure 3: The initial map drawn by Mapper using the Cities data file. 









S Lfl 


o initial positions 






• after one iteration 






w Denver 




O Miami 


<y Seattle 




Ch i cago 

O DC 

MY (5 

Boston 





Figure 4: The Cities map during iteration, showing the movements of the cities 
between the initial map (open circles) and the first iteration (filled circles). 



negative, the program treats them as 
unknowns in the iteration process. For 
example, if the data file lists the 
Washington. D.C.. to San Francisco 
and the Chicago to Los Angeles 
distances (2799 and 2054 miles, re- 
spectively) as -1, and you run the 
program, the map converges normal- 
ly. The calculated distances are 2804 
and 1974 miles, errors of + 5 and -80 
miles, or +0.2 and -3.9 percent. If 
too many values are missing or the 
map isn't as intrinsically flat as in the 
Cities example, the initial map deter- 
mination or convergence may fail. 

Another advantage of similarity 
mapping is that it can find the likely 
sources of error in appropriate data 
sets. What if one input distance is very 
wrong— how could you find out which 
one? The program can easily be 
changed to show all the differences 
between input and calculated dis- 
tances. A single difference that is 
much larger than the average might 
be due to experimental error. This 
sort of error finding might be useful 
in surveying, where the expected 
errors are small. 

Other Examples: Defining 
Distance 

At the beginning of this article. I sug- 
gested three applications. The Cities 
example is quite intuitive, since we ex- 
pect that the distances in the table 
should produce a good, flat map. and 
we're comfortable with distances mea- 
sured in miles. How about the other 
examples? How do you define "dis- 
tance" in the soft-drink marketing case 
or the circuit board design problem? 
Why should either of these produce 
a flat map? 

How you define distance depends 
on the type of data available. In the 
marketing case, suppose that you ask 
the customers, "Which soft drink is 
Brand A?" and let them taste two 
unlabeled cups of Brand A and Brand 
B. The "distance" between Brands A 
and B could be defined as d(A,B) = 
200 x (nlN -0.5), where n is the num- 
ber of times that Brand A was correct- 
ly identified in N trials. If the two 
brands taste very different, n will ap- 
proach N and d(A3) will approach 
100. If the brands are indistinguish- 

(continued) 



88 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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SIMILARITY MAPPING 



Two-dimensional 
maps are the easiest 
to display and 
to reproduce. 



able, n will be Nil (i.e., random) and 
d(A,B) will be zero. Such "distances" 
can be used directly in similarity map- 
ping. The final map will not have any 
meaning in the north-south-east^west 
sense, but it will quickly and easily 
show which brands are closest to 
each other in taste. 

In the circuit board design problem, 
you might define distance as follows: 
If two chips are directly connected, let 
their distance be \ln, where n is the 
number of connections between 
them. If they aren't directly con- 
nected, let their distance be the 
minimum sum "hopscotch" distance 
required to bridge them through 
other chips that are directly con- 
nected. On the final map, after appro- 
priate scaling, you can interpret the 
distances as centimeters or inches of 
circuit board. 

As for the question of map "flat- 
ness": There is no reason why either 
of these latter examples should result 



in a low-error two-dimensional map; 
we are just forcing them to do so. 
Two-dimensional maps are simply the 
easiest to display and reproduce. In 
trying many examples with this pro- 
gram, I've found that final errors are 
often in the 1 5 to 20 percent range. 
If the final error were much larger, I'd 
be concerned that too much informa- 
tion was being lost by forcing the 
distances to lie in the plane. 

Other Applications and 
References 

The book by Schiffman, Reynolds, and 
Young (reference I) is an excellent 
general reference. It has many diverse 
examples and discussions of algo- 
rithms and error analysis. Tobler and 
Wineburg (reference 2) and Kendall 
(reference 3) present some fascinating 
applications in archaeology and 
sociology in which distances defined 
by historical records of marriage or 
trade are used to recreate maps of an- 
cient Assyria and Oxfordshire. Fitch 
and Margoliash (reference 4) tabulate 
the "minimum mutation distances" 
between different species for the pro- 
tein Cytochrome C. I've given the final 
map resulting from their data in figure 
6. Distances on this map are a 
measure of similarity of DNA se- 
quences, that is. genetic similarity. 

[continued] 



[rotate] [205J [eHpand]fshrink ][ riip ][ up ][ dotun ]fle7T^[ right^ fmT) 



• Boston 
• NY 
• DC 



Ch I cago 



• Denver 



• Lfl 



Figure 5: The final Cities map, after convergence, rotation, and expansion. Note the 
panel at the top of the screen, with buttons that let you adjust the map size and 
orientation. 



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AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 91 



SIMILARITY MAPPING 



It's easy to see at a glance how the 
b\rds are closely related to each other 
and distant from the others, how close 
the primates are, and how the mam- 
mals form a broad group from horses 
to humans. Streich, Dove, and Franke 
(reference 5) discuss the use of a 
similar mapping technique in 
medicinal chemistry. 



Finally, similarity mapping can be 
compared to cluster analysis, a tech- 
nique I discussed in an earlier BYTE 
article ("Cluster Analysis," September 
1984, page 129). Both techniques 
have the same general goal: simple 
graphic presentation of large amounts 
of data. In cluster analysis the input 
data is often tabulated characteristics 



Cytochrome C sequence distances" 
Iteration 9 
16.2 % error 



• monkey 
human 



6 Control 



p i geon 
• duck 



ch i cken 



• kangaroo 



dog 



• pig 



• donkey 
• horse 



Figure 6: A Mapper application drawn from biology. The "distance" between any two 
species relates to the similarity between the genetic sequences of the protein Cytochrome 
C found in the species. Note how the birds and mammals are widely separated. 



6 Control 


Cluster Example (final) 
Iteration 9 








15.5 % error 


• IBM PC 




• Comm 64 

• Uic 20 


• Compaq 




• Apple I le 

• TRS 80-4 

• flee 

• Osborne I 

• Kaypro I I 


• Atari 800 

»• Tl 99/4A 
TRS Color 



Figure 7: A similarity map of microcomputers in which the "distance" represents 
similarity in terms of price, amount of memory, and so on. \n a previous BYTE article 
("Cluster Analysis'.' September 1984), this data was expressed as a dendrogram (tree 
diagram) created by cluster analysis. 



and the output is a dendrogram (tree 
diagram). In similarity mapping the in- 
put data is distances and the output 
is a map. 

The two techniques are not mutual- 
ly exclusive, however, and either may 
be applied to a given set of data. For 
example, the data used to create the 
map in figure 6 was used by Fitch and 
Margoliash to build a dendrogram. 
Similarly internode distances taken 
from my cluster analysis article pro- 
duce the map of figure 7 when run 
through similarity mapping. Jn this 
figure, nearby points represent micro- 
computers that are similar to each 
other in features such as price and 
amount of memory. 

The same conclusions that can be 
drawn from the "Cluster Analysis" 
dendrogram (figure I of that article) 
are apparent in this map. In addition, 
you might conclude from the map 
that the Apple lie and the TRS-80 
Model 4 are in the "middle" of the 
space defined by the other com- 
puters. On the other, hand, cluster 
analysis does not "squeeze out" infor- 
mation by forcing points to lie on a 
map. Experiment with both tech- 
niques and choose the one that suits 
your data or the presentation that you 
prefer. 

REFERENCES 

1. Schiffman, S S.. M. L. Reynolds, and F. L. 
Young. Introduction to Multidimensional Scaling. 
New York: Academic Press, 1981. 

2. Tobler, W. ( and S Wineburg. 'A Cap- 
padocian Speculation." Nature 231, 1971, 
pages 39-41. 

3. Kendall, D. G. "Construction of Maps 
from 'Odd Bits of Information'." Nature 
231, 1971. pages 158-159. 

4. Fitch, W. M., and E. Margoliash. "Con- 
struction of Phylogenetic Trees." Science 
155. 1967. pages 279-284. 

5. Streich, W. J., S. Dove, and R. Franke. 
"On the Rational Selection of Test Series 
1. Principal Component Method Com- 
bined with Multidimensional Mapping." 
journal of Medicinal Chemistry 23. 1980, pages 
1452-1456. 

Editor's note: Mapper is written in 
Microsoft BASIC 2.0 (binary version) for the 
Macintosh. The source code, MAPPER.BAS, 
is available in a variety of formats: see page 
405. Also available are CITIES.DAT, 
CYTOCDAT. and MICROS.DAT. data files 
for the examples given in this article. ■ 



92 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 




...ABOUT ANALYZING » 

VfM Tl? PI ATT A ' n 9 ^ our s P reaci sheet a little too 
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Wage and salary studies. Survey analysis. And quality 
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SPSS/PC+ Graphics are trademarks of SPSS Inc. for its proprietary computer sof tware. Chart and Microsoft are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. © 1986, SPSS Inc. 

Inquiry 279 AUGUST 1 986 • BYTE 93 



Power has never 





L tf Q 



looked this good. 




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Inquiry 320 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 95 



12MHz SPEED... 

. . . plus A MEGABYTE FOR DOS! 




THEY ALL NEED NUMBER SMASHER/ECM 



TM 



Turn your PC or XT into the machine it should have 
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ing a true megabyte for DOS! 

To break the 640K DOS barrier MicroWay designed a 
Memory Management Unit (MMU) that is tailored to DOS 
plus a 2000 byte resident driver- MegaDOS™. MicroWay 
calls this breakthrough Extended Conventional Memory. 
When you type CH KDSK with the board installed, your sys- 
tem will report 1 ,036,288 bytes total memory and 1 ,010,016 
bytes free! Any conventional DOS program can utilize a full 
megabyte for data or code without changing a byte. 

Downloading a mainframe application? ECM memory 
runs with any program that uses DOS for screen services 
including RM and MS FORTRAN and MS and LATTICE C! 
This means you have an additional 384 K available for over- 
sized applications. Programs which write directly to the 
screen require a simple patch to adhere to the new standard. 
MicroWay has already developed patches for the Lotus, 
WORDSTAR and AUTOCAD screen drivers. Release 1 A of 
1-2-3 jumps from 535,516 to 916,444 bytes available and 
runs faster than Release 2 for most worksheets. 



Micro 



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Number Smasher/ECM is 100% compatible with all 
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Applications which have not been upgraded to ECM can still 
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memory above DOS for I/O enhancers. 

Number Smasher/ECM runs floating point bound pro- 
gramsfasterthan an ATor any other 80286 based machine. 
In fact, Number Smasher's 12 MHz 8087 runs a factor of 
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Number Smasher/ECM is the most cost effective pro- 
ductivity tool you can buy. The base board which runs at 
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96 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



P.O. Box 79, Kingston, Mass. 02364 USA (61 7) 746-7341 
Tempo House, London, U.K. call 01-223-7662 
Number Smasher, ECM and MegaDOS are trademarks of MicroWay, Inc. MicroWay is a registered trademark of MicroWay, Inc. 

Inquiry 1 99 



CIARCIAS CIRCUIT CELLAR 



PARALLEL INTERFACING: 
A TUTORIAL DISCUSSION 

PART 2: APPLICATIONS 



by Steve Garcia 



Steve discusses various adapters 
and possible uses for them 




Last month, I described 
circuits that use LSTTL 
(low-power Schottky tran- 
sistor-transistor logic) and 
ALSTTL (advanced LSTTL). 
While these are workable, 
it is frequently easier and 
more advantageous to use a single LSI in- 
terface adapter instead of many smaller 
packages. 

Interface adapters come in many forms: 
disk controllers, CRT controllers, ACIAs 
(asynchronous communications interface 
adapters) and USARTs, and various parallel 
I/O adapters. These devices are all program- 
mable. You can alter their functions and the 
way they perform those functions, within 
reasonable limits, under software control. 
As I indicated last month, this discussion 
is about parallel interfacing. I will thus con- 
fine myself to parallel I/O interface adapters. 
I will not, however, attempt a complete func- 
tional description of the parts that I men- 
tion. This would take up too much space. 
Instead, I'll point out some of the more sig- 
nificant differences between them. (The 
manufacturers' data sheets should be con- 
sulted if you need more detailed informa- 
tion.) 

Alphabet Soup 

When discussing parallel peripheral inter- 
face adapters, we encounter more alphabet 



soup. The 6820, 6821, and 6520 are PIAs 
(peripheral interface adapters). The 6522 is 
a VIA (versatile interface adapter), the 6822 
is an II A (industrial interface adapter), the 
8255 is a PPI (programmable peripheral in- 
terface), and the Z80 family's Z8420 is a PIO 
(parallel input/output controller). [Editor's 
note: Figures included in this article show pin-outs 
and functional block diagrams for five popular 
parallel interface LSI chips] 

While these various devices have many 
similarities, each has unique qualities and 
capabilities that suit it to certain situations 
better than the others. They could all be 
programmed for single-package solutions to 
the keyboard-input/printer-output functions 
described last month. 

We use interface adapters for several 
good reasons. They act as buffers for the 
system bus during output. While drive capa- 
bility may be somewhat enhanced, a more 
important function is protection: The 
adapter helps isolate the system from out- 
side problems. Although the external prob- 
lems, if serious enough, may permanently 
damage the adapter, the computer system 

[continued] 

Steve Garcia (pronounced "see~ARE~see~ah") is an 
electronics engineer and computer consultant with ex- 
perience in process control, digital design, nuclear in- 
strumentation, and product development. The author 
of several books on electronics, you can write to him 
at P.O. Box 582, Glastonbury, CT 06033. 



COPYRIGHT © 1986 STEVEN A. C1ARC1A. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 97 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



would continue to function. 

If outside devices were tied direct- 
ly to the bus, this protection would be 
missing. If a peripheral device were 
tied directly to the microprocessor 
system bus. a failure in that device 
could seriously damage many of the 
components found in the 
microcomputer. 

Interface adapters can also be used 
to compensate for timing differences 
between the computer system and 
slower peripheral devices, like print- 
ers, or relatively slow special-purpose 
integrated circuits. They are also ver- 
satile and inputs and outputs can 
often be redefined at will without any 
hardware changes. Inputs can become 
outputs, and vice versa. The way the 
system functions can be altered readily 
to meet changing needs. 

While most distinct functions of LSI 
programmable interface adapters can 
be implemented using LSTTL inte- 
grated circuits, the ability to accom- 
modate changing circuit requirements 
without hardware modifications gives 
interface adapters an advantage in ap- 
plications where such capability is 
either desirable or a requirement. 
Also, using a single package rather 
than many SSI and MSI chips can 
greatly simplify printed circuit layouts 
and shorten design time. 

Z8420 PIO 

A member of the Z80 family of micro- 
processors and support circuits, the 
Z8420 PIO differs from the rest of the 
parallel interface adapters discussed 
in this article in that its design dictates 
that all transfers of data through it are 
interrupt-driven. Its two I/O ports, 
which are designated A and B, each 
consist of eight data lines and two 
handshaking lines. Four distinct oper- 
ating modes determine how the ports 
are configured. 

In mode 0, all eight data pins of a 
port are configured as outputs; one 
handshaking pin is an output, and the 
other is an input. 

In mode I, all eight data pins of a 
port are inputs, and the handshaking 
lines are used as in mode 0. 

Mode 2 employs the A port data 
lines, plus the handshaking pins for 
both ports, for bidirectional data 
transfers. 



Pin-out and functional block diagram of the R6520 PI A. 




ra 



CONTROL 
REGISTER A 
ICRA) 



OUTPUT BUS 



DATA INPUT 

REGISTER 

(DIR) 



u 



CHIP 
SELECT 
S R/W 
CONTROL 



PERIPHERAL 
OUTPUT 
REGISTER A 
IORA) 



DATA DIRECTION 
REGISTER A 
tODRA) 



P 



PERIPHERAL 
OUTPUT 
REGISTER B 
(0R8) 



L 



PERIPHERAL 
INTERFACE 
SUFFER A 
[PIBA) 



PERIPHERAL 
INTERFACE 
BUFFER B 
(PIBB) 



L3 



CONTROL 
REGISTER B 
(CRB 



H 



DATA DIRECTION 
REGISTER B 
IDDRB) 



Pin-out and functional block diagram of the 6821 PI A. 




DATA BUS 
BUFFERS 

IDBB) 



fa 



CONTROL 
REGISTER A 
(CRA) 



V cc . PIN 20 
V ss i PIN ] 



BUS INPUT 
REGISTER 
(BIR) 



P 



ENABLE 
RESET 








*■ 


CHIP 

SELECT 
AND 
R/W 
CONTROL 







OUTPUT 
REGISTER A 
(0RA> 



DATA DIRECTION 
REGISTER A 
I DORA) 



P 



OUTPUT 
REGISTER B 
IORB) 



L 



n 



CONTROL 
REGISTER B 
(CRB) 



H 



PB3 
PB4 
PB5 
PB6 



DATA DIRECTION 
REGISTER B 
IDDRB) 



J=: 






98 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



Pin-out and functional block diagram of the R6522 VIA. 



2[ PAO 

3[ 

«[ 



8[ PA6 
9[ PA7 



10[ 
»'[ 
12.E 
13[ 
M[ 
15[ 
16 [ 
"I 
»*[ 

19 [ 

20 [ 



R6522 



PA2 

PA 3 
PA 4 
PA5 



CA2 
RSO 

RSI 
RS2 
RS3 
RES 



CS1 ]24 



CB1 

CB2 



CS2 
R/W 



]40 
339 
]3S 
]37 
3 36 
]35 
]34 
]33 
332 
332 
]3 
]29 
]28 
]27 
]26 
]Z5 



DATA 
BUS 
BUFFERS 



n 



CS2- 
RSO- 
RS1 — 
RS2- 
RS3- 



CHIP 

ACCESS 

CONTROL 



s 



_>-' 

—* t 



TIMER 1 
TIMER 2 



COUNTER COUNTER 
IT2C-H) , {T2C-L) 



CO 



O 



PORT A REGISTERS 



> 



P 



PORT B REGISTERS 



L3 



INPUT LATCH 
( 1 R £L _ 
OUTPUT 



( \ BUFFERS / \ 

\ / (PS) S, / 



Pin-out and functional block diagram of the Z8420 PIO. 




INTERNAL 
CONTROL 
LOGIC 



INTERNAL BUS 



HANDSHAKE 



Z> B " — 

— / I/O 



HANDSHAKE 



INTERRUPT CONTROL LINES 



Pin-out and functional block diagram of the 825 5A PPI. 



1[ PA3 

2 [ PA2 
3[ PA1 
4[ PAO 
5[ RO 
6[ CS 
7[ GND 
8[ Al 
9[ AO 
10 [ PC7 

m 

12[ 
13 [ 
»'[ 

15[ 

H 

1B[ 
19 [ 
20f 



PA 4 
PAS 
PA 6 
PA 7 



PC6 
PC5 



3*o 

339 
]38 
]37 
]36 
335 
]34 
333 
332 
331 



, ]29 
D6 ]28 
]27 
]26 
]25 
]24 
]23 
PB4 ]22 
PB3 ]21 



'CO 



DATA 
BUS 
BUFFER 



GROUP 

A 

CONTROL 



CO - C=>^- PA „ 



READ 
WRITE 
CONTROL 
LOGIC 



GROUP 

B 

CONTROL 



ZCO POHTC (ZZ)^-PC 



)I 



1 



SC=) 



T~ 



D L \ 1 /PC3-PCI 



GROUP 
C^)| P° RT r^~)pB°7-PB0 



In mode 3. each individual data I/O 
pin is defined as either an input or an 
output. A mask register determines 
when input conditions generate an 
interrupt. 

Because of the versatility of its in- 
terrupt capabilities, including exten- 
sive prioritizing, this integrated circuit 
is an excellent choice for a Z80 system 
when many sources of interrupts are 
incorporated and they must be care- 
fully ordered and controlled. 

8255 PPI 

One of the earliest interface adapters 
on the market was Intel's 82 5 5 PPI. 
This is also available from National 
Semiconductor and NEC. It was de- 
signed originally by Intel for use in 
8008 and 8080A systems (which gives 
away its age). 

The 24 I/O pins are grouped as 
three ports, designated A. B. and C. 
Three modes govern how these ports 
function. In general, the A and B ports 
are data ports, while the C port can 
be either a data port or a control port, 
depending upon the operating mode 
selected. The A and B ports can each 
be programmed as all inputs or all 
outputs (they are not programmable 
on a line-by-line basis, as are the ports 
of some other adapters). 

In mode 0. each port is divided into 
two groups of four pins; each group 
of four pins is definable as all inputs 
or all outputs. 

In mode I, the A and B ports can 
be defined individually as an input 
port or an output port. In this mode, 
the upper half of port C handshakes 
for port A; the lower half handshakes 
for port B. 

Mode 2 uses the eight port A lines 
as a bidirectional port, with five lines 
from port C used for handshaking and 
control. 

The I/O pins of this IC are functional- 
ly similar to the B port of 6500- and 
6800-series PIAs. N-channel tran- 
sistors connect to both ground and 
the positive supply when a pin is con- 
figured as an output. Thus, when high, 
the outputs get to TTL levels (2.4 volts 
minimum) without pull-ups; to get to 
CMOS thresholds, the pull-ups (which 
are typically 10 kilohms) are then re- 
quired. 

[continued] 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 99 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



This IC can be especially useful 
where the largest possible number of 
I/O lines is required: It has 24 lines, 
whereas the other adapters discussed 
in this article have only 20. 

6821 PI A and Friends 

These interface adapters (6820. 682 1, 
6822, and 6520) differ primarily in the 
characteristics of their A and B ports. 
Except for the types of external 
devices that they are designed to in- 
terface to. these adapters are nearly 
identical. 

They all contain six registers oc- 
cupying four addresses: Each port has 
one control register, one data- 
direction register, and one data reg- 
ister. The data-direction register for 
each port shares an address with the 
port's data register. The active register 
is selected by the status of a bit in the 
port's control register. 

If the bit is clear, the data-direction 
register is selected; if the bit is set, the 
data register is accessed. The data- 



direction register for the A port is 
usually referred to as DDRA: the cor- 
responding register for port B is called 
DDRB. The state (0 or I) of each in- 
dividual bit in the data-direction reg- 
ister determines whether the corre- 
sponding pin in the data register is an 
input or an output. If the bit in the 
data-direction register is a 0, the cor- 
responding data-register pin is an in- 
put. If the bit in the data-direction reg- 
ister is set the corresponding data- 
register pin is an output. This line-by- 
line programmability gives PIAs great 
versatility. 

Each port has two handshaking 
pins. The pins for the A port are des- 
ignated CA1 and CA2; for the B port 
CBI and CB2. CA1 and CBI can be 
used only as inputs: An active transi- 
tion on either pin sets a flag in the cor- 
responding control register and will 
cause interrupt output IRQ-A or IRQ- 
B to go low if that interrupt is enabled. 
CA2 and CB2 can each be configured 
as either input or output, and both are 











22 


CS1 


PA0 


2 


DECODED CHIP SELECTS: ?A 






3 


TWO ACTIVE-HIGH, ONE — 


CS2 


PA1 


ACTIVE-LOW 23 







4 





CS3 


PA2 








PA 3 


5 


ACTIVE-LOW SYSTEM 34 






6 PORT A DATA: INPUT FROM KEYBOARD 


RESET 


RESET 


PA 4 




ACTIVE-HIGH SYSTEM 25 
CLOCK 


ENABLE 


PA 5 


7 


REGISTER SELECTS: — 


RS0 


PA6 


8 - 


USUALLY TIED TO 35 
AO AND Al 






9 


RSI 


PA7 


~~ r DATA STROBE FROM KEYBOARD (CAN 


— 21 






/ 


DECODED R/W LINE -^ 


R/W 




/ BE ACTIVE HIGH OR LOW; CAN CAUSE 
/ TO GO LOW AND SET STATUS 






CA1 


i£_ J REGISTER FLAG) 






CA2 


39 

1 




IC1 




\ 




6821 




\ _ 


33 


P1A 




, ^-CAN PROVIDE ACK STROBE TO 
— KEYBOARD IF REQUIRED 


DO 


PB0 


32 


Dl 


PB1 


11 


31 






12 




D2 


PB2 




SYSTEM DATA BUS - 3 - - 


D3 


PB3 


13 


(MAY REQUIRE 29 






14 PORT B DATA: OUTPUT TO PRINTER 


BUFFERING) 


D4 


PB4 




28 






15 




D5 


PB5 




27 






16 




D6 


PB6 




26 






17 




D7 


PB7 




SYSTEM INTERRUPT Ji 


IRQA 


CBI 


— ACK FROM PRINTER 


LINES (MAY REQUIRE 37 






19 


BUFFERING) 


IRQB 


CB2 


-=— DATA STROBE TO PRINTER 











Figure I: Using a PI A for keyboard-input and printer-output interfaces. 



able to generate interrupts when used 
as inputs. The configuration of the 
control pins is determined by the set- 
tings of individual bits in the control 
registers. 

The two ports of a PIA. while in 
many ways similar, differ significantly 
in the way they are implemented. 
Each line of the A port has an n- 
channel transistor between the pin 
and ground and a passive pull-up 
resistor between the pin and the 
positive supply. While this enables the 
port, when used as outputs, to drive 
CMOS without external pull-ups. it 
prevents the port, when in the output 
state, from sourcing more than a tiny 
trickle of current. The A port is thus 
not suited to driving NPN transistors 
or other components requiring source 
current. 

The B port has an active transistor 
between the pin and ground and an- 
other between the pin and the posi- 
tive supply. Thus, while the B port pins 
can source current to drive, for exam- 
ple, NPN transistors, they get only to 
TTL levels when used as outputs. If 
higher levels are required, such as 
when driving CMOS, external pull-ups 
must be used. 

The 6820 and 6821 PIA designa- 
tions are frequently used interchange- 
ably, but significant differences are 
found, and the 6821 is the only one 
of the two in the current Motorola 
6800-series microprocessor data 
catalog. Each pin of the A port of a 
6821 is specified as capable of driv- 
ing two TTL loads when used as an 
output and imposes a maximum of 
one and one-half TTL loads when 
driven as an input. The corresponding 
figures for the 6820 are much lower. 
Thus, the 6820 is preferred when a 
component with limited drive capa- 
bility is driving the A port. When 
higher-output drive capability is re- 
quired, the 6821 is the one that 
should be used. 

The 6822 is similar to the 682 1. ex- 
cept that all outputs are open-drain 
and capable of withstanding voltages 
as high as 18 V (although Motorola 
specifies a maximum normal working 
voltage of 1 5 V). The IIA can thus be 
used to interface with devices oper- 
ating at levels substantially higher 
than standard 5-V logic. 



100 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



Many specialized laboratory instru- 
ments and industrial machine tools 
output BCD data with levels ranging 
from near ground to as high as 12 to 
14 V. These devices are easy to inter- 
face using this part. As the designa- 
tion "industrial interface adapter" im- 
plies, the high-voltage capability and 
large noise margins of this device can 
be quite useful dealing with the typi- 
cally high noise and interference 
levels in an industrial setting. 

The 6520 differs only slightly from 
the 6821. The 6520 outputs are speci- 
fied to drive one TTL load, whereas 
the 682 1 is specified at two TTL loads. 
The 6520's A port inputs impose one 
TTL load on a driving circuit rather 
than the one and one-half load max- 
imum for the 682 l's A port. Other- 
wise, the two parts are essentially 
identical. 

6522 VIA 

The 6522 is in many ways merely an 
enhanced 6520. The drive levels and 
loading of the A and B ports are es- 
sentially identical, as are the pin des- 
ignations for the ports. The 6522 has 
16 internal registers occupying 16 ad- 
dresses and uses four register-select 
lines instead of two. Only one active- 
high chip select is provided, and there 
is only one interrupt output instead 
of two. 

The additional registers control a 
number of other functions: the T-l 
one-shot 16-bit timer/counter that 
decrements with the phase 2 system 
clock, plus a second counter, T-2, that 
can decrement with each time-out of 
the T-l timer or with each negative 
transition on pin PB6. 

The T-2 counter is capable of count- 
ing pulses from an external source. 
The chip can generate a square wave 
on pin PB7, whose frequency is deter- 
mined by the T-l counter. A bidirec- 
tional 8-bit shift register makes sim- 
ple serial I/O possible. In addition, the 
programmed handshaking capabili- 
ties of the ports are enhanced, and 
the 6522 has the ability to latch input 
data under the control of an external 
device. 

Applications 

In general, it is easiest to match the 
microprocessor to the interface 



adapter by chip series. With a Z80, 
use a Z8420 PIO. With a 6809, use a 
6821, and so on. The 6500- and 6800- 
series microprocessors and interface 
adapters can usually be freely mixed 
without timing or other problems. But 
you can use an 825 5 adapter in a 
6502-based system if you decode 



separate active-low READ and WRITE 
strobes and provide an active-high 
RESET signal. 

A 6522 VIA is found in the 8088- 
based Victor 9000 PC and in the 
68000-based Macintosh, which also 
uses a Z80-series dual serial-interface 

{continued) 



apple H 

MICROPROCESSOR 
BUS 



RES fIT>- 



34 



EO [Io>- 



CLOCK 

aoQ>- 



36 



AlQ> 
R/W |HP>- 

DEV. SEL [ir>- 



35 



DO [4?>- 

Dl f7fP>- 



18 



EZ> 



D2 

D3 f46^>- 

D4 fTr>- 

D5 FTP 



16 



15 



D6 [ir>- 

D7 [4T>- 



IC2 
74LS245 



21 



23 



33 



32 



29 



27 



26 



NONMASKABLE 

INTERRUPT AN0 IRQ 
0ISABLE SWITCH 



>10K >10K 




•>a 



37 



IC3 
74LS09 



CS1 
CS2 



RESET 

ENABLE 

RS0 

RSI 

R/W 

CS3 

IC1 

6821 

PIA 



PA0 
PA1 
PA 2 

PA3 
PA4 
PA 5 

PA 6 
PA 7 



DO 
Dl 
D2 
D3 
D4 
D5 
D6 
D7 



IRQA 
IRQB 



PB0 
PB1 
PB2 
PB3 
PB4 
PBS 
PB6 
PB7 

CA1 
CA2 
CB1 
CB2 



PORT A DATA 



14 PORT B DATA 

15 

16 

17 

40 

i 9 - HANDSHAKING 

18 AND 

~ CONTROL 
19 



Figure 2: The essential PIA interface. (This example is from an Apple II computer.) 




Photo 1: A dual PIA card for the Apple II computer. 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 101 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



chip. A great deal of intermixing can 
be done if circuit characteristics and 
component capabilities are compati- 
ble. It's often best to use a familiar 
part if it will do the job satisfactorily, 
rather than switching to an unfamiliar 



component with an insignificant per- 
formance increase. 

In the 6500/6800 family, the 6522 
should be used only if its enhance- 
ments over the 6821/6520 are useful. 
The built-in timer/counters and ex- 



IC 


+ 5V 


GND 


IC1 


20 


10 


IC2 


14 


7 


IC3 


20 


1 


IC4 


20 


1 



PIA INTERFACING 




APPLE n 
MICROPROCESSOR 



40-PIN 

\ tailpiece 
/edge 
connector 



SEE FIGURE 3c FOR INTERRUPT 
CONNECTION DETAIL 



Figure 3a: A dual PIA interface for the Apple II computer. 



tended handshaking abilities of the 
6522 can be useful, but the part is 
more complex and expensive than 
the 682 1 , and its timing requirements 
are more critical. 

Interfacing with the 6821 

Any of these interface adapters can 
be used to replace the LSTTL circuits 
outlined last month in part 1 (figures 
2-5), with functionally similar results. 
They can generate the handshaking 
signals necessary for printer interfac- 
ing automatically, in hardware. Any of 
them can be used for keyboard input 
and printer output by programming 
the appropriate handshaking. 

The hardware example described 
this month uses the 6821 since its 
configuration for this purpose is 
relatively straightforward and easy to 
describe. The Z8420 and 82 5 5 could 
also be used, of course, but the con- 
figuration procedure would be more 
complex. 

Figure I shows the A port of a 682 1 
used to interface a keyboard. The key- 
board's data outputs drive PA0-PA7 
on the PIA. configured as inputs. The 
keyboard data strobe is connected to 
CA1 , and CA2 can be connected with 
a keyboard input, if that is required. 
A transition on CA1 will set a control- 
register flag and can be used to cause 
a processor interrupt via output IRQ- 
A. If the interrupt output IRQ-A is left 
unconnected, keyboard I/O can be 
handled through polling. The details 
of the chip-select decoding were out- 
lined last month in figure 2a on page 
88. 

Figure 1 also shows port B of a PIA 
being used to drive a parallel printer. 
PB0-PB7 drive the printer data lines. 
CB2 generates the DATA strobe 
(active-low) one clock cycle after the 
data is written to the B port. The 
ACKnowledge from the printer trig- 
gers CBI. This will set a flag in the B 
port control register, and. if IRQ-B is 
connected to the processor-interrupt 
line, the ACKnowledge from the 
printer will cause a processor inter- 
rupt. Output to the printer can be con- 
trolled either through an interrupt 
subroutine or by polling. 

An 82 5 5 could also have been used 
to perform these functions. With the 
8255. the A port functions as the key- 



102 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



board input, with the four high-order 
pins of the C port used for handshak- 
ing. The B port outputs data to the 
printer, with the four low-order pins 
of the C port for handshaking. The 
825 5 would be configured for mode 
I operation. 

Dual PIA Interface 
for Apple II 

Figure 2 shows the essential elements 
of a PIA interface connected to the 
Apple II microcomputer bus. (See 
photo 1.) The chip-select decoding 
can be done various ways. 

Each Apple II peripheral slot has 16 
exclusive I/O addresses assigned to it. 
Pin 41 on any given slot is low when 
any of the slot's 16 addresses is ref- 
erenced. In the interface depicted in 
figure 3a. one PIA occupies the lowest 
four addresses in the 1 6-byte range, 
and the other PIA is addressed at the 
next higher four addresses. 

The pin 41 DEVICE SELECT micro- 
processor bus signal partially enables 
both PIAs when it goes low. driving 
the single active-low chip-select input 
on each PIA. Microprocessor bus ad- 
dress line A2 drives an active-high 
enable of IC3 through 74HCT00 
NAND gate IC2a. wired as an inverter. 
A2 is tied directly to an active-high 
enable of the second PIA. IC4. 

When pin 41 is low, the active inter- 
face adapter will be selected by A 2. 
A 2 will be low when the lowest four 
I/O addresses for the slot are refer- 
enced high for the next four higher 
addresses, then low again for four, 
and finally high for the highest four. 
Each PIA occupies eight addresses 
out of the sixteen total. However, the 
chip still has only six internal registers 
accessed through four addresses. 

The two PIAs occupy the eight lower 
of the slot's sixteen I/O addresses 
and. without further decoding, the up- 
per eight addresses, also. If you had 
a large enough prototyping card, you 
could have four PIAs on a card, using 
half of a 74LSI39 decoder to divide 
the 16-byte address range into four 
4-byte ranges, with a PIA assigned to 
each block. 

Figure 3b shows this approach. The 
74LS245 transceiver (ICI in figure 3a) 
that buffers the data lines is enabled 
directly by pin 41 on the micropro- 



ACTIVE-HIGH SYSTEM CLOCKr— ;%. 
(PHASE OR PHASE 2 ) EkV" 

A0[T> 

Al|~3> 
ADDRESS LINES ' ^ 

A0-A3 A2 r7 



A3| 5 

DECODED ACTIVE-LOW 
ENABLE 



DEVICE SELECT 




EN (PHASE 2 CLOCK) 
ALL FOUR PIAs 



REGISTER 
SELECTS OF 
ALL FOUR 
PIAs 



ACTIVE-LOW 
ENABLE OF EACH 
PIA (CS3) 



Figure 3b: Using a 74LSI39 decoder to put four PIAs in a single Apple II slot. 



H5V 



^Rl £R2 

>iok 



FROM 



IRQA- 
IRQB- 



CRI 
1N914 



Sib 



APPLE n 

MICROPROCESSOR 

BUS 



s b 



IC2 
74HC00 



+ 5V 



FROM 

IC4 



IRQA 

IRQB 







R5 ^-4 

4.7K [\<\ 



Ql 
, 2N3904 



^ 



C2 
74HC00 



CR2 
1N914 



Figure 3c: An interrupt circuit for the Apple II. The DIP switches (S\a 
through Sid) allow any of the four PlA-generated interrupts (IRQ-A and IRQ-B 
from IC3 and 1C4) to be disabled. 



cessor bus and is always active when- 
ever any of the slot's addresses is ref- 
erenced. 

For interrupt generation, two of the 
gates in the 74HC00 NAND gate 
package (IC2b and IC2c in figure 3c) 
are used to source base current to a 
2N3904 transistor through IN914 or 
similar switching diodes (CRI and 
CR2). The 2N3904 transistor, in turn, 
drives the IRQ pin on the bus. pulling 
it low when active. Each interface 
adapter has two interrupt outputs. 
IRQ-A and IRQ-B. both open-drain, 
active-low. Each is held high with a 
10-kilohm pull-up resistor (Rl through 



R4) and drives an input of a NAND 
gate (IC2b and IC2c). 

DIP switches Sla through Sid 
enable the user to disconnect the in- 
terrupt outputs on the PIAs from the 
NAND gates. Any of the four inter- 
rupts can be enabled/disabled 
through these switches. The choice of 
the NPN transistor is not critical. Any 
general-purpose NPN transistor will 
do. The 2N3904 was selected because 
it is easy to find. The collector of the 
transistor is tied to the IRQ line on the 
microprocessor bus, and the emitter 
is connected to ground. 

{continued) 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 



103 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



Both interrupt outputs of a PIA are 
normally high. This causes the out- 
puts of the NAND gates IC2b and 
IC2c to be low and keeps transistor 
Ql turned off. If a PIA interrupt out- 
put goes low, the output of the NAND 
gate driven by it will go high, sourc- 
ing base current to transistor Ql, 



which turns on, pulling the IRQ line 
nearly to ground. This interrupts the 
6502 microprocessor (assuming the 
interrupt has not been masked). DIP 
switches Sla through Sid are pro- 
vided so that each interrupt output 
can be disconnected, allowing the 
corresponding port to be used for 



CMOS 555 ASTABLE 
OSCILLATOR OUTPUTS 
CONVERTER CLOCK AT 
NOMINAL 500kHz FOR 
RC VALUES SHOWN 



UNCONNECTED PIA 
PORT PINS ARE 
CONFIGURED AS 
OUTPUTS 



CONVERTER 
CLOCK 



22 

24 
34 
25 

36 
35 
21 
23 



33 
32 
31 
30 
29 
28 
27 
26 

38 
37 



CS1 
CS2 



PAO 
PA1 



RESET 


PA2 


ENABLE 


PA3 


RSO 


PA4 


RSI 


PA5 


R/W 


PA6 


CS3 


PA7 


IC2 




6821 
PIA 


PB0 




PB1 


DO 


PB2 


Dl 


PB3 


D2 


PB4 


D3 


PB5 


04 


PB6 


05 


PB7 



IRQA 
IRQB 



CA1 
CA2 
CB1 
CB2 



25 



23 



10 



13 



15 



16 



ADD A 

CLI 
ADD B 

ADD C 
IC1 

ADC0809 
A/D CONVERTER 

START CONVERSION 

ADDRESS LATCH 
ENABLE 
OUTPUT ENABLE 



DATA 
OUT 



IN0 
INI 
IN2 
IN3 
IN4 
INS 
IN6 
IN7 



Vcc 

REF+ 

RER- 
6ND 



10 



Rl< 
24K< 



IC3 
ICM7555 



-N/C 



-N/C 



+ 5.12V 

ID 



ci- 

56pF' 



0-5.12V 
INPUTS 

THE USE OF A 5.12-VOLT 
POWER SUPPLY ALLOWS 
RATIOMETRIC CONVER- 
SIONS WITH 256 STEPS 
OF 0.02 VOLT. 



11 a 



"i 



Figure 4: An ADC0809 A/D converter with dual PIA interface. 



£ 



Rl 

-2.2K 
— w — 



+ 5V 



CRl 



LED IT 

+ 12V T" 

t_ I 



INTERNAL PULL-UP 
PIA PORT A INPUT 



Ql 
PHOTOTRANSISTOR 



Figure 5: Using an optoisolator to interface to the A port of a PIA. 



polled I/O with a control-register bit 
for a flag. 

Interfaces for the PIA Card 

Figure 4 shows an ADC0809 8-chan- 
nel, 8-bit A/D converter (ICI) inter- 
faced to the PIA card. Connection be- 
tween the boards is through 40-con- 
ductor ribbon cable with an appropri- 
ate connector at each end. 'typically, 
a 40-pin edge-card or header-socket 
connector would be used. 

The PIA card and the external card 
are connected so that the control pins 
of the converter, ALE (address latch 
enable), START CONVERSION, and 
the address inputs (ADD A. ADD B. 
and ADD C) are driven by the A port 
of one of the PlAs. The guaranteed in- 
put threshold for a high for the 
ADC0809 is I Vi V below the positive 
supply With the converter operating 
at 5 V or somewhat higher (e.g., 
5.12 V, for ratiometric conversions), 
the B port pins aren't guaranteed to 
reach that minimum. 3.5-3.62 V with- 
out pull-ups. 

The eight data outputs of the con- 
verter are therefore connected with 
the 682 1 port B. The PIA's A port, with 
its built-in pull-ups, easily meets the 
threshold minimums of the converter. 
Figure 5 shows how the A port of a 
PIA. with its built-in pull-ups (RA 
shown in figure), can be used with op- 
tical couplers as an isolated input port 
with up to ten 1-bit inputs (PA0-PA7, 
CA1. andCA2). 

The diagram shows an unbiased 
phototransistor (Ql) and an LED 
(CRI). They can be separate com- 
ponents, as pictured, : or combined 
into one of the commercially available 
isolator packages like the 4N26 or 
4N28. This arrangement can be used 
to sense switch openings or closings 
and to monitor low-speed events in 
circuits with incompatible voltage 
levels. 

The "switch" could be window foil 
in a security system, or it could be 
another phototransistor, illuminated 
by its own LED, that is part of an in- 
trusion alarm system. 

You'll find a number of additional 
uses for this type of interface. The 
current-sourcing capability of the B 
port could be used to drive NPN tran- 
sistors, which in turn could drive 



104 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 99 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



relays or solenoids. Specialized relay 
drivers, like the NE5090, could be 
driven by either port, although the 
built-in pull-ups of the A port could 
guarantee that no relays would be ac- 
tive on start-up. 

Conclusions 

Knowing the difference between a PI A 
and an IIA might not be earthshaking 
news, but there will be that trivia 
question someday that only you can 
answer. Discussing basic electronics 
might seem redundant to many of 
you, considering the usual Circuit 
Cellar fare, but I do get a lot of inter- 
facing questions. Perhaps this article 
will help answer some of them. 

I haven't spent the summer need- 
lessly proving E=IR, however, and it 
will be back to the snowy blizzards of 
the past this fall. 

Circuit Cellar Feedback 

This month's feedback begins on 
page 54. 

Next Month 

Build the Circuit Cellar data encryp- 
tor. ■ 

Special thanks to Frank Kuechmann for his 
contributions to this article. JDR Microdevices 
provides the chips mentioned in this and many 
previous Circuit Cellar projects. 

There is an on-line Circuit Cellar bulletin 
board system that supports past and pres- 
ent projects. You are invited to call and ex- 
change ideas and comments with other Cir- 
cuit Cellar supporters. The 300/1200/2400- 
bps BBS is on-line 24 hours a day at (203) 
871-1988. 

Editor's note: Steve often refers to previous 
Circuit Cellar articles. Most of these past ar- 
ticles are available in book form from BYTE 
Books, McGraw-Hill Book Co.. P.O. Box 400. 
Hightstown. NJ 08250. 

Garcias Circuit Cellar. Volume I, covers articles 
in BYTE from September 1977 through 
November 1978. Volume 11 covers December 
1978 through June 1980. Volume III covers ]uly 
1980 through December 1981. Volume IV 
covers January 1982 through June 1983. 
Volume V covers July 1983 through December 
1984. 



To be included on the Circuit Cellar mail- 
ing list and receive periodic project up- 
dates and support materials, please cir- 
cle 100 on the Reader Service inquiry 
card at the back of the magazine 



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P 

EPSON is a trademark of 
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KEYS CAN TALK TOO! 




Function-Kease make your 
keyboard talk at a glance. 

Function-fCease™ for; 
1-2-3 Wordstar 

MS-DOS Symphony 

Framework dBase III 

Crosstalk Pfs: Write 

Microsoft Word 
IBM Filing/Reporting Asst. 




Inquiry 287 for End-Users. 
Inquiry 288 for DEALERS ONLY. 



IBM-PC, XT, AT 
Compaq 
Epson 
Apple lie 
Sharp PC-7000 

Functton-Kease™ are solid 
plastic keycovers molded to fit 
your computer. 

$19.95 

When Ordering specify software 

and computer model. Check, 

Visa, Mastercard and approved 

POs are accepted. 

Custom and dealer inquiries 

welcome. 

Pictured is example of Function-Kease'" for 1-2-3. 



SymTronics 



4901 Morena Boulevard, Suite 302 
San Diego, California 92117 
619 692-0695 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 105 



NOBODY ELSE HAS 
MADE THE CONNECTION. 



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Inquiry 139 



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AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 107 



Part 2: Software Support 



The Definicon 68020 
Coprocessor 



Software to give you 
3 2-bit capabilities 
in a \6~bit machine 



Editor's note: This is part 2 of a two-part ar- 
ticle describing Definicon Systems Inc'.s 
DS1-020 coprocessor board for IBM XT$, 
ATS, and work-alikes. Part 1 (]uly BYTE) 
described the hardware and operating system 
kernel Part 2 will focus on the software 
available for the board. For full information 
on the Motorola 68020 CPU chip, see "The 
MC68020 32-bit Microprocessor" by Paul 
F. Groepler and ]ames Kennedy (November 
1984 BYTE). 



Last month we presented the 
schematics and hardware 
theory of operation for the 
DS1-020 coprocessor. Hard- 
ware, however, doesn't function too 
well without software tools; so this 
month, after looking at the remaining 
hardware topics, we'll discuss the 
available software support. 

effectiveness of the 68020's 
Instruction Cache 

A jumper has been provided so that 
the internal instruction cache memory 
of the 68020 can be manually dis- 
abled. Running a program with and 
without this jumper quickly demon- 
strates how effective an instruction 
cache can be. 



Listing 


: Memory 


test program. 




ORG 


$00004000 


;set to 


4030 if 


test on longword boundary 


TST0RG 


EQU 


$00004032 


START: 


MOVE . L 


#RWADDR,A0 




MOVE . L 


#$5555AAAA,D0 


BEGIN: 


CLR.L 


D1 


LOOP: 


MOVE . L 


D0,(A0) ;data memory access 




CMP.L 


(A0),D0 ;data memory access 




BNE.L 


ERROR 




SUBQ 


#1.D1 




BNE.L 


LOOP 




BRA.L 


BEGIN 


ERROR: 


STOP 


#0 




ORG 


TSTORG 


RWADDR : 


DC.L 
END 






On short programs, such as the 
memory test in listing 1, the speed ad- 
vantage with the cache is about 40 
percent. The reason for this enhance- 
ment becomes evident if the scope 
photograph of the bus activity with 
the cache on (photo 1) is compared 
to that with the cache off (photo 2). 
Both photos were taken of the 68020 
AS address strobe with a time base 
of 1 microsecond per centimeter. A 
high level on the AS signal indicates 
no bus activity. If the AS signal is low 
for 75 percent of the total time, the 
bus is fully utilized. Note that bus ac- 
cess occurs only during instructions 
that actually reference data memory 
when the cache is on, while the bus 
has to also supply all the program 
code fetches when the cache is off. 

By comparison, on floating-point- 
intensive programs, such as the Whet- 
stone benchmark, the difference is 
only a few percent. When the number 
of CPU wait states is increased (for 
slow memory) the speed enhance- 
ment due to the cache becomes even 
greater. If you wish to investigate this 
phenomenon further, pullthe2WAITS 
input of the DSACK20 PAL low to 
simulate the effect of having slower 
memory on the system. The program 
execution in photo 1 was optimized 
in that the data fetches are aligned on 
a long-word boundary, while in photo 
3 data fetches are not aligned on a 
long-word boundary, and thus two 
16-bit fetches are required for each 
32-bit access. In photo 2 (cache off) 
you can clearly see the execution of 
each instruction. Note that the two 



108 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



by Trevor Marshall, Christopher Jones, and Sigi Kluger 




ft t r 



Wf 



— f ... „ 4 . . 



CMRL (A0),D0 
MOVE.L D0,(A0) 



I I 

BNE.L LOOP 
(target not L aligned) 

SUBQ #1,D1 



BNE.L ERROR 
(target not L aligned) 



CMRL (A0),D0 
MOVE.L D0,(A0) 



Photo 1: The two fetches referencing data locations are 
displayed. All op-code fetching is from the cache. 



Photo 2: With the cache disabled, all data fetches are seen 

on the scope. Note that two fetches occur for each 

of the conditional branches to non-long-word-aligned addresses. 



conditional branches reference non- 
long-word-aligned targets and require 
two cycles. 

The EEPROM Containing the 
DSM)20 Serial Number 

To get some of the larger software 
houses to port their products to the 
DSI-020, we had to provide a means 
to ensure that the software was in- 
deed running on the board for which 
it was sold. The on-board 9306 COPS 
EEPROM can be interrogated by the 
kernel using function 3 3. It will return 
the serial number as a 32-bit integer. 
The most significant byte of the serial 

[continued) 
Trevor Marshall. Christopher ]ones. and Sigi 
Kluger are engineers with Definicon Systems 
Inc. They can be contacted at 31324 Via Col- 
inas#\08l9. Westlake Village. CA 91362. 




Photo 3: This photo shows two memory fetches for each 
of the data locations due to the data not being aligned 
on a long-word boundary. Instead of fetching 32 bits of data, 
two 16-bit transfers are executed. 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 



109 



DEFINICON SOFTWARE 



The kernel software, 
a simple assembler, a 
linker, and a debugger 
are bundled with 
the DSI-020 hardware. 



number carries information about the 
hardware revision level. 

Some bytes of this EEPROM are 
available for storing software 
parameters (such as passwords). 

Operating System 

The basic operating system for pro- 
gramming or operating the DSI-020 is 
MS-DOS. and all communication be- 
tween the user program and the MS- 
DOS host occurs via the 68020 TRAP 
#14 instruction. Parameters are 
transferred in registers. Data registers 
are used for values, address registers 
for pointers. All functions save only 
the registers they use. but data regis- 
ters used to pass values may return 
with their contents altered. Abnormal 
conditions, such as trying to execute 
an invalid instruction, division by zero, 
attempts to use privileged instruc- 
tions, or undefined function calls, will 
cause an error message on the host's 
console and immediate termination 
to MS-DOS or the debugger. 

On entry to a program the kernel 
sets up the stack at the top of RAM 
and preloads the following registers: 

AO.L program entry point (4000 

hexadecimal) 
ALL start of heap 
A2.L top of heap/bottom of stack 



4(A7) 
8(A7) 



ARGV pointer 
ARGC 



ARGC is the count of command-line 
arguments that were used when the 
program was invoked. ARGV points to 
a list of ARGC pointers that address 
the command-line arguments, saved 
as ASCIIZ strings (zero-terminated 
ASCII strings). 

For HEX or IMAGE programs the 
entry point must be 4000 (hexadeci- 
mal). The remainder of your program 
can be located anywhere in the user 
program space. Files in DSI-LINK for- 
mat (.E20) may be located at any ad- 
dress above 3FFF. 

You can stop the program either by 
executing a TERMINATE service re- 
quest (function 1 5) or by returning to 
the kernel using the RTS instruction. 
The TERMINATE service request 
always returns 00. while RTS supplies 
a value in D0.B to MS-DOS as return 
code. Since the return code may be 
tested in a conditional MS-DOS batch 
stream, the RTS method is preferred, 
provided you can maintain the stack 
integrity. 

Your program may set up its own 
stack pointer, which can be located 
anywhere within the user program 
space. Alternately, you can use the 
system-provided default stack space 
allocated to start at the end of RAM 
and grow downward. 

The interface kernel uses only 16K 
bytes of the 68020's address space, 
allowing your application to use 
almost the full megabyte of available 
RAM. l^ble 1 shows the memory map 
utilization. Note that the 68020 uses 
the first 400 hexadecimal bytes for its 
trap vector locations, and the rest of 
the address space to 4000 hexadeci- 
mal is used for disk buffers and the 
kernel code itself. After a pro- 



Table I: Memory map of the DSI-020. The DSI-020 decodes 16 megabytes of 
68020 address space. 

00000000-000003FF reserved for 68020 reset and trap vectors 
00000400-00003FFF used by the kernel 
00004000-000FFFFF user program RAM space 

user default stack grows down from top of RAM 
00F7FE03 • 2681 DUART base address 

00F00000 addresses the VEC20 PAL 

reads EEPROM and RS-232C channel B signals 



grammed or power-on reset, the 
68020 picks up its initial stack pointer 
from address and its initial program 
counter value from address 4. This 
value points to the 201O kernel code, 
which loads your program from the 
disk, relocates it to 4000. places the 
stack at the top of RAM. points 
HEAPLOW at the top of the program 
code, and begins execution. 

The kernel software, a simplified 
assembler, a linker, and an assembly- 
level debugger are bundled with the 
DSI-020 coprocessor hardware. The 
simple assembler supports all the 
68000 op codes, plus the 68881 float- 
ing-point instructions. However, many 
of the newer 68020 addressing 
modes are not supported. In addition, 
the syntax of those newer addressing 
modes that are supported follow the 
68000. rather than the 68020. con- 
ventions. The debugger provides facil- 
ities similar to those of DOS's Debug 
or CP/M's DDr within the 68020 
environment. 

The kernel can load and execute 
disk files that have been created using 
Motorola S record format, absolute 
image format, or the DSI-020 linker. 
Programs created in S record or im- 
age format must load and begin ex- 
ecution at 04000 hexadecimal. 

Programming the 68020 
Kernel in Assembly Language 

Listing 2 contains a short program (in 
simplified 68020 assembly language) 
that takes an MS-DOS ASCII file of any 
length and types it on the console. 
Note that the program uses the (pre- 
ferred) UNIX-like I/O functions 5. 8. 
and 9 to access the DOS file system. 
On entry from the kernel the stack is 
already initialized and pointers to the 
command-line parameters have been 
placed on it. The filename you give is 
opened for reading using function 5. 
The kernel returns a "handle" used to 
identify this file on subsequent ac- 
cesses. A multibyte read command 
(80000 hexadecimal bytes) is ex- 
ecuted. The return code, which is zero 
(if nothing has been read) or the ac- 
tual number of bytes read, is ex- 
amined. If it is zero, the program ter- 
minates. Otherwise, the number of 
bytes actually read are written to the 

{continued) 



110 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



DEFINICON SOFTWARE 



Listing 2: Program to type an MS-DOS file on the console. Note the calls to the DSI-020 kernel for file I/O and the 
alternate console I/O method for the error message. 

;THIS PROGRAM TYPES A FILE ON THE CONSOLE USING THE DSI-020 CARD 
;USE: LOAD TYPE FILENAME 



ORG 

ENTRY: MOVE.L 
MOVE . L 
MOVE . L 
CMPI.W 
BEQ.B 
MOVEQ 
MOVEQ 
MOVE . L 
TRAP 
CLR.B 
RTS 

OKAY: MOVEQ 
MOVEQ 
TRAP 
CMPI.W 
BEQ.W 
MOVE.W 

LOOP: MOVE.L 
MOVE.W 
MOVEQ 
MOVE . L 
TRAP 
CMPI.L 
BNE.B 
RTS 

RDOK : MOVE . L 
MOVE . L 
MOVEQ 
MOVE . L 
MOVEQ 
TRAP 
BRA.B 

NOTOPN: MOVEQ 
MOVEQ 
MOVE . L 
TRAP 
RTS 

MESS1: DC.W 
DC.W 
DC.W 
DC.W 

MESS2: DC.W 
DC.W 

HANDLE: DC.W 
BYTES: DC.L 

BUFFER: DC.B 
END 



$00004000 

8(A7),D0 

4(A7),A1 

4(A1),A0 

#2,D0 

OKAY 

#1,D0 

#9.D1 

#MESS1,A0 

#14 

D0 



#0,D1 

#5,D0 

#14 

#$FFFF,D0 

NOTOPN 

D0, (HANDLE) 

#BUFFER,A0 

(HANDLE), D1 

#8,D0 

#$80000, D2 

#14 

#0,D0 

RDOK 



D0, (BYTES) 

#BUFFER,A0 

#1,D1 

(BYTES), D2 

#9,D0 

#14 

LOOP 

#1.D0 
#9,D1 
#MESS2,A0 
#14 



GET ARGC PASSED BY KERNEL INIT 

GET *ARGV 

GET POINTER TO ARGV[1] 

DO WE HAVE AN ARG? 

YES, GO ON 

ELSE SET BDOS REQUEST 

FUNCTION 9 

ERROR MESSAGE TO PRINT 

DO IT 

CLEAR ERROR RETURN CODE 

RETURN TO MSDOS 

IN D1 MEANS OPEN FOR READ 

FUNCTION 5 = OPEN FILE 

GET MSDOS TO DO IT 

ERROR RETURN CODE? 

YES, GO FUSS ABOUT IT 

ELSE SAVE THE FILE'S HANDLE 

STORE BUFFER POINTER 

GET FILE HANDLE AGAIN 

READ FILE REQUEST 

READ UP TO 524288 bytes 

DO IT 

END OF FILE ENCOUNTERED? 

IF NOT GO DISPLAY WHAT WE HAVE 

ELSE JUST RETURN TO MSDOS 

STORE # OF BYTES READ 

SET UP BUFFER PTR 

WILL WRITE TO STDOUT 

# OF BYTES 

WRITE FILE REQUEST 

SEND BYTES AND IGNORE RET CODE 

SINCE STDOUT SHOULD EXIST 

TELL THE OPERATOR HE 

BLEW IT 

AND HAD BETTER LEARN TO SPELL 

; THEN LET DOS MAKE HIM TRY AGAIN 



$0D0A ; CARRIAGE RETURN AND LINE FEED 

'USE: LOAD TYPE FILENAME' 

$0D0A 

'$' ; TERMINATES THE DOS OUTPUT STRING 

$0D0A 

'CANNOT OPEN FILE ' ,$0D0A, '$' 

; USED TO HOLD THE FILE HANDLE RETURNED BY DOS 

; THE NUMBER OF BYTES WE ACTUALLY READ 

; BUFFER START, ENDS AT THE TOP OF RAM 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 111 



DEFINICON SOFTWARE 



It is possible to 
code specialized 
multitasking software 
using the 2681 
DUART timer. 



console by addressing it as stdout 
and the read operation is repeated. 
The second read attempt after read- 
ing the whole file will, of course, cause 
the program to terminate. Thus, you 
can display a file of any size up to the 
disk or operating system limits. 

The error message handler, how- 
ever, uses the alternate console I/O 
method. Function I (BDOS call) is 
used to send an MS-DOS interrupt 
21H to the host with AH = 9. Refer- 
ence to a DOS manual will show that 
this causes MS-DOS to output the in- 
dicated string until a $ character is 
reached. Although this technique is 
often simpler for an experienced pro- 
grammer, you should not attempt it 
if you are unfamiliar with MS-DOS 
assembly language programming. 
One of the pitfalls of this method is 
that some DOS functions require a 
buffer to be placed in 8086 memory 



to receive the data (this is the func- 
tion of system calls 23 and 24]. 

Multitasking 

The structure of the DSI-020 kernel 
makes it possible, but difficult, to write 
specialized multitasking software 
using the interrupt-driven timer in the 
2681 DUART Most programming ap- 
plications typically require tasks such 
as target program execution, editing, 
and printing to be concurrent. This 
allows you to set up an execution task, 
the source code, and a link map in 
windows on the display. Because the 
host MS-DOS kernel is not reentrant 
and the editor and typing functions 
are usually performed in the host en- 
vironment, a multitasking host DOS 
will be necessary. We have found that 
Concurrent DOS (Digital Research, 
Pacific Grove, CA), which offers four 
concurrent tasks windowed onto the 
display comes closest to the ideal en- 
vironment. Unfortunately, it is not MS- 
DOS and so is not 100 percent com- 
patible. It also requires significant user 
familiarization before all its features 
become usable. 

Other multitasking systems that 
work fine with the DSI-020 include 
DoubleDOS (SoftLogic Solutions, 
Manchester, NH), Microsoft Windows, 
and TopView (IBM). Note that early 
versions of Windows did not allow a 
background task to remain active. 



DoubleDOS is by far the least expen- 
sive solution, and although it offers 
only two tasks plus a print spooler, 
this is often as many activities as you 
can concentrate on anyway! 

With such a multitasking environ- 
ment you can operate the DSI-020 as 
an array processor. An application 
can be set up in the DSI-020 to, for 
example, invert some large matrices. 
You can switch the DSI-020 to a back- 
ground task and pass parameters to 
it from a foreground program running 
on the host computer. It is our ex- 
perience, however, that this approach 
is seldom worthwhile. This multipro- 
cessor approach rarely gives equiva- 
lent performance to having the entire 
software package running on the 
32-bit processor itself. If it is 
necessary for you to examine the re- 
sults using a package such as dBASE, 
the results can be easily passed to the 
8086 in a disk file. 

Software Development 
Tools 

Two sets of commercial compilers are 
available for the DSI-020. In addition, 
Definicon has ported Gordon 
Brandley's 68000 version of the public 
domain Palo Alto Tiny BASIC inter- 
preter and a minimal 8080 emulator 
that can run CP/M-80 software. Tiny 
BASIC provides the minimal environ- 
ment to experiment with the 68020, 




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A UNIVERSAL DEVICE PROGRAMMER 



112 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



DEFINICON SOFTWARE 



and its performance in no way com- 
pares with that of the other DSI-020 
software. 

All of the specialized compilers are 
fully optimizing compilers that pro- 
duce compact and efficient code. As- 
sembly language modules, written 
using the bundled simple assembler, 
can be interlinked with the code from 
any of these compilers. 

It should be noted that all of these 
compilers produce object code direct- 
ly In order to see the efficiency of the 
code being generated you must use 
a disassembler or Definicon's assem- 
bly-level debugger. 

Silicon Valley Software (Cupertino. 
CA) has ported its FORTRAN, Pascal 
C, and BASIC to the DSI-020. SVS 
compilers are currently sold (at much 
higher prices) by most major worksta- 
tion manufacturers. The linker and as- 
sembler were written by SVS. In ad- 
dition, Lattice Logic Ltd. (Edinburgh, 
Scotland) has provided ports of its op- 
timizing Pascal and C compilers for 
the DSI-020. 

The SVS FORTRAN is a 68020 ver- 
sion of the company's fully validated 
ANSI-77 FORTRAN. It also includes a 
number of the more common exten- 
sions. 

The SVS Pascal is an ANSI Level 
Pascal enhanced with a number of ex- 
tensions predominantly derived from 
the UCSD system, including string 



Table 2: Comparison of the LINPAK results with two versions of the DSI-020, 
an IBM RT PC Model 20, and a VAX-1 1/780. All machines have floating- 
point hardware or math coprocessors. VAX- 1 1/780 LINPAK values courtesy 
Argonne National laboratories. 

Double-Precision LINPAK 

Performance is quoted in terms of total time taken, in seconds. 

IBM RT PC 



DSI-020 (12.0 MHz) 
10.0 



DSI-020 (16.7 MHz) 
7.38 



19.1 



VAX-11/780 
4.96 



handling and the ability to compile 
code modules separately. Thirty-two- 
bit integers and both single- and 
double-precision floating-point data 
types are supported. 

LLL Pascal is a 68020 version of Lat- 
tice's fully BSI (British Standards In- 
stitute) certified compilers, which 
comply with the standard for ANSI 
Level I Pascal with conformant arrays. 
The BSI uses the identical standards 
required by the FSTC (Federal Soft- 
ware Test Center). ANSI Pascal does 
not support the string data type 
directly Strings may, however, be pro- 
grammed using conformant arrays. 

The SVS BASIC interpreter follows 
the DEC BASIC Plus language defini- 
tion. SVS will support this interpreter 
only by paying prompt attention to 
any bugs that may be reported. It will 
not be enhanced from its current 
capabilities. 

Both SVS C and LLL C are full Ker- 



nighan and Ritchie definitions as ex- 
tended by the UNIX environment. The 
compatibility of the SVS compiler is 
sufficient to allow the entire UNIX 
System V source kernel to be com- 
piled without error. 

Definicon has ported the BASIC-to- 
C converter from Living Software 
(Milton Keynes, Great Britain) to the 
DSI-020. This converter takes Micro- 
soft (IBM) BASIC and converts it to a 
form that can be compiled using 
either C compiler. The BASIC run-time 
functions are implemented for the 
68020. This converter provides pro- 
grammers with the fastest possible 
environment to execute BASIC code. 
It is not. however, an interpreter. 
Microsoft BASIC (on the host PC) 
should be used to debug the program 
before attempting to convert and run 
it using the 68020. 

Assembly language software devel- 

{continued) 



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i 



AUGUST I986 -BYTE 113 



DEFINICON SOFTWARE 



opment has been supported by 
Quelo Inc. (Seattle. WA). Quelo has 
written a complete software develop- 
ment package that enables you to 
directly bootstrap a 68020 product. 
The DSI-020 itself is testimony to the 
effectiveness of Quelo software. 
Quelo is offering a specially priced 
subset of its complete package to 
BYTE readers, consisting of an assem- 
bler, macro preprocessor, and symbol 



report generator. In addition it is pro- 
viding LTXCON, a converter to allow 
modules compiled using Quelo tools 
to link and run on the DSI-020. 

Quelo's assembler package is iden- 
tical in capability to Motorola's Macro 
Assembler. It implements complete- 
ly all the 68020 instructions and ad- 
dressing modes. The assembler 
creates standard S record output files 
in addition to the relocatable output 




format. This package allows program- 
mers to develop and test other (dedi- 
cated) 68020 systems using the 
DSI-020. Although the program's 
starting point must be 4000 hexa- 
decimal, all of the memory can be 
used by a stand-alone program. If the 
kernel is overwritten, however, no MS- 
DOS support functions will be avail- 
able to the user's program. 

Editor's note: For prices of the software men- 
tioned in the section above, see part I of this 
article (]uly BYTE) or contact Definicon 
Systems. 

Conclusion 

Since the publication of the first part 
of this article, we have obtained the 
LINPAK benchmark results for the 
DSI-020 board. The LINPAK test suite, 
from the Argonne National Laborator- 
ies, tests the ability of a computer sys- 
tem to perform linear arithmetic, that 
is, matrix algebra, addition, subtrac- 
tion, multiplication, and division. 
Specifically, it uses Gauss-Jordan 
elimination to solve a series of large 
matrices. It is written in FORTRAN, 
l&ble 2 gives the double-precision 
results obtained with the DSI-020 at 
12.0 MHz, the DSI-020 at 16.7 MHz, 
the IBM RT PC. and a VAX-1 1/780. 
Note: the CPU frequency for the pro- 
duction model DSI-020 is 12.5 MHz. 
while the benchmark times are for a 
prototype board (12.0 MHz) and a 
peak performance version (16.7 MHz). 

The DSI-020 is the second 32-bit co- 
processor to come from a Definicon 
design team. As technology marches 
on, it is often hard to stop and look 
at where we are and where we are go- 
ing. The DSI-020, we believe, repre- 
sents the achievement of a goal we 
set two years ago: to put VAX- 1 1/780 
power on every scientist's desktop. 

Reaching that goal however, is like 
shooting at a moving target. Already 
Motorola is talking about 2 5-MHz 
68020s, bringing further memory and 
peripheral interface problems. It often 
seems that engineers are good at 
creating more work for themselves. 
Let's hope that while we press on with 
faster and faster technologies, the 
tools we leave behind get into the 
hands of the applications program- 
mers who can put them to good 
use. ■ 



B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 159 



BY C. A. R. HOARE 



Mathematics 

of 

Programming 



Mathematical laws help 
programmers control 
the complexity of tasks 



Editor's note: This article contains the text of 
the speech given by Tony Woare at the Boston 
Computer Museum on the occasion of BYTE's 
I Oth Anniversary celebration. For practical 
reasons, some of the author's original nota- 
tion has been modified slightly. 




I hold the opinion that the con- 
struction of computer pro- 
grams is a mathematical activi- 
ty like the solution of differen- 
tial equations, that programs can be 
derived from their specifications 
through mathematical insight, calcula- 
tion, and proof, using algebraic laws 
as simple and elegant as those of 
elementary arithmetic. Such methods 
of program construction promise 
benefits in specifications, systems 
software, safety-critical programs, 
silicon design, and standards. 



Principles 

To substantiate this opinion, 
with four basic principles: 



begin 



1. Computers are mathematical ma- 
chines. Every aspect of their behavior 
can be defined with mathematical 
precision, and every detail can be 
deduced from this definition with 
mathematical certainty by the laws of 
pure logic. 

2. Computer programs are mathemat- 
ical expressions. They describe, with 
unprecedented precision and in the 
most minute detail, the behavior, in- 
tended or unintended, of the com- 
puter on which they are executed. 

3. A programming language is a math- 
ematical theory that includes con- 
cepts, notations, definitions, axioms, 
and theorems. These help a program- 

[continued) 

Professor C. A. R. Woare (Oxford University 
Computing laboratory, 8-1 1 Keble Rd., Ox- 
ford 0X1 3QD, U.K.) has experience in soft- 
ware development in industry and in research 
and teaching in universities. He was educated 
at Oxford in the classics, philosophy, and 
statistics. 



ILLUSTRATED BY DAVE RIDLEY 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 115 



MATHEMATICS 



mer develop a program that meets its 
specification and prove that it does. 
4. Programming is a mathematical ac- 
tivity. Like other branches of applied 
mathematics and engineering, its suc- 
cessful practice requires the deter- 
mined and meticulous application of 
traditional methods of mathematical 
understanding, calculation, and proof. 

However . . . 

These are general philosophical and 
moral principles, but all the actual 
evidence is against them. Nothing is 
as I have described it, neither com- 
puters nor programs nor program- 
ming languages nor even program- 
mers. 

1 find digital computers of the pres- 
ent day to be very complicated and 
rather poorly defined. As a result, it 
is usually impractical to reason logi- 
cally about their behavior. Some- 
times, the only way of finding out 
what they will do is by experiment. 
Such experiments are certainly not 
mathematics. Unfortunately they are 
not even science, because it is impos- 
sible to generalize from their results 
or to publish them for the benefit of 
other scientists. 

Many computer programs of the 
present day are of inordinate size- 
many thousands of pages of closely 
printed text. Mathematics has no 
tradition of dealing with expressions 
on this scale. Normal methods of cal- 
culation and proof seem wholly im- 
practical to conduct by hand, and 1 5 
years of experience suggest that com- 
puter assistance can only make mat- 
ters worse. 

Programming languages of the pres- 
ent day are even more complicated 
than the programs you write with 
them and the computers on which 
they are intended to run. Valiant 
research has attempted to formulate 



x x {y x z) = (x x y) x z 

x x 1 = 1 x x = x 

xxO=Oxx-0 

(x + y)x z = (x x z) + (y x z) 



mathematical definitions of these 
standard languages. But the size and 
complexity of those definitions make 
them impractical in deriving useful 
theorems or proving relevant prop- 
erties of programs. 

Finally, many programmers of the 
present day have been educated in ig- 
norance and fear of mathematics. Of 
course, many programmers are math- 
ematical graduates who have ac- 
quired a good grasp of topology, cal- 
culus, and group theory. But it never 
seems to occur to them to take advan- 
tage of their mathematical skills to 
define a programming problem and 
search for its solution. 

Our present failure to recognize and 
use mathematics as the basis for a 
programming discipline has a number 
of notorious consequences. They are 
the same as you would get from a 
similar neglect of mathematics in 
drawing maps, marine navigation, 
bridge building, air-traffic control, and 
exploring space. In the older branches 
of science and engineering, the rele- 
vant physical and mathematical 
knowledge is embodied in a number 
of equations, formulas, and laws, 
many of which are simple enough to 
be taught to schoolchildren. The prac- 
ticing scientist or engineer will be in- 
timately familiar with these laws and 
will use them explicitly, or even in- 
stinctively, to find solutions to other- 
wise intractable problems. 

What then are the laws of program- 
ming that would help programmers 
control the complexity of their tasks? 
Many programmers would be hard- 
pressed to name a single one. 

Arithmetic 

But the laws of programming are as 
simple, as obvious, and as useful as 
the laws in any other branch of math- 
ematics, for example, elementary 



X < X 






x < y & y<x — 
x < y & y < z - 


x = y 

- * < 


z 


Note: < can be interpreted as "is a 

subset of"; -» denotes "implies": 
& denotes "and." 



arithmetic. Consider the multiplication 
of numbers. Figure I shows some of 
the relevant algebraic laws: Multiplica- 
tion is associative; its identity (or unit) 
is the number I; it has the number 
as its zero (or fixed point); and, final- 
ly, it distributes through addition. 
Figure 2 gives the defining properties 
of an ordering relation (<) like com- 
parison of the magnitude of numbers. 
Such an order is reflexive, antisym- 
metric, and transitive. These laws hold 
also for a partial ordering like the in- 
clusion relation between sets. 

Figure 3 describes the properties of 
the least upper bound, or LUB. of an 
ordering, denoted by the cup notation 
(U). These laws are equally valid, 
whether the LUB is the union of two 
sets or the greater of two numbers. 
The first law states the fundamental 
property that the LUB is an upper 
bound on both its operands, and it is 
the least of all such bounds. The re- 
maining laws are derived from the fun- 
damental law by the properties of 
ordering. They state that the LUB 
operator is idempotent (i.e., x U x = 
x). symmetric, and associative. Final- 
ly, the partial ordering can itself be 
defined in terms of LUB. 

Figure 4 shows some additional laws 
that hold for natural numbers or non- 
negative integers. Here, the LUB of 
two numbers is simply the greater of 
them. If you multiply the greater of x 
or y by z, you get the same result as 
multiplying both x and y by z and 
choosing the greater of the products. 
This fact is clearly and conveniently 
stated in the laws of distribution of 
multiplication through the LUB. An 
immediate consequence of these laws 
is that multiplication is a monotonic 
operator, in the sense that it preserves 
the ordering of its operands. If you 
decrease either factor, the product 
can only decrease, too, as stated in 



(xUy)<z~x<z&y<z 




x U x = x 




x U y = y U x 




x U (y U z) - (x U y) U z 




x<y~xUy = y 




Note: *- denotes "is equivalent 


to." 



Figure I: Some algebraic laws relevant 
to the multiplication of numbers. 



Figure 2: Defining properties of an 
ordering relation or a partial ordering. 



Figure 3: Properties of the least upper 
bound of an ordering. 



116 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



MATHEMATICS 



the last law of figure 4. 

In the arithmetic of natural num- 
bers, multiplication does not in 
general have an exact in verse. Instead, 
we commonly use a quotient opera- 
tor—which approximates the true 
result from below. It is obtained from 
normal integer division by just ignor- 
ing the remainder. Thus, the result of 
dividing y by nonzero z is the largest 
number such that when you multiply 
it back by z, the result still does not 
exceed y. This fact is clearly stated in 
the first law of figure 5. The same fact 
is stated more simply in the second 
law, which I will call the fundamental 
law of division. 

Other properties of division can be 
easily proved from the fundamental 
law. For example, the third law of 
figure 5 is proved by substituting y 
divided by z for x in the first law. The 
last law states that division by a prod- 
uct is the same as successive division 
by its two factors. A proof is given in 
figure 6. The proof shows that any w 
that is bounded by the left-hand side 
of the equation is bounded also by 
the right-hand side, and vice versa; it 
follows by the properties of partial 
ordering that the two sides are equal. 
The only laws used in the main part 
of the proof are the associativity of 
multiplication and the fundamental 
law of division, which is used three 
times to move a divisor from one side 
of the inequality to the other. 

Programs 

I have selected these laws to ensure 
that computer programs satisfy the 
same laws as elementary arithmetic. 
I will write programs in a mathemati- 
cal notation first introduced by Edsger 
W. Dijkstra. Some of the commands 
are summarized as follows: 

• The SKIP command terminates but 



x U y = the greater of x and y 
(x U y) x z = (x x z) U [y x z) 
z x (x U y) = (z x x) U (z x y) 
w<y&x<z^wxx<yxz 



does nothing else. In particular, it 
leaves the values of all variables un- 
changed. 

• The ABORT command is at the 
other extreme. It may do anything 
whatsoever, or it may fail to do any- 
thing whatsoever. In particular, it may 
fail to terminate. A computer that has 
"gone wrong" or a program that has 
run wild, perhaps by corrupting its 
own code, can behave this way. You 
would not want to write an ABORT 
command; in fact, you should take 
pains to prove that you have not 
created such a situation by accident. 
In such proofs, and in the general 
mathematics of programming, ABORT 
plays a valuable role. However much 
we dislike it, there is ample empirical 
evidence for its existence. 

• The sequential composition of two 
commands x and y is written (x®y). 
This starts behaving like x. If and when 
x terminates, y starts in an initial state 
equal to the final state left by x. The 
composition (x®y) terminates when 
y terminates but fails to terminate if 
either x or y fails to do so. 

The basic algebraic laws for sequen- 
tial composition are given in figure 7. 
The first law of associativity states that 
if three commands are combined se- 
quentially, it does not matter in which 
way they are bracketed. The second 
law gives SKIP as the unit of composi- 
tion. It states that a command x re- 
mains unchanged when it is either 
followed or preceded by SKIP. The 
third law gives ABORT as a zero for 
composition. You cannot recover from 
abortion by preceding it or following 
it by any other command. These three 
algebraic laws for composition are the 
same as those for multiplication of 
numbers. 

The next important feature of pro- 
gramming is the conditional. Let b be 



1/- 


i ± 










y 


+ z = max 


{* 


| X X 


z < 


y} 


X 


< to+z)-(x 


X 


z)<y 






[y- 


•rz)xz < y 










X 


* iy x z) = 


(x 


+ z) * 


y 





a logical expression that in all circum- 
stances evaluates to a logical value, 
true or false. If x and y are commands, 
the notation 

x < b > y [x if b else y) 

denotes the conditional command. If 
the logical expression b is true, the 
command x is obeyed and y is 
omitted. If the result is false, y is 
obeyed and x is omitted. This infor- 
mal description you will find sum- 
marized in the first law of figure 8. 

Interpreting the if symbol < and the 
else symbol > to be brackets sur- 
rounding the logical expression b, the 
notation <b> appears as an infix 
operator between two commands x 
and y. The reason for this novel nota- 
tion is that it simplifies the expression 
and use of the relevant algebraic laws. 
For example, the conditional <b> is 
idempotent (i.e., x <b> x = x) and 
associative, and it distributes through 
< c > for any logical expression c. 
Finally sequential composition dis- 
tributes leftward (but not rightward) 
through a conditional. 

Figure 9 shows a picture of the con- 
ditional as a structured flowchart. 
Such pictures are useful in first pre- 
senting a new idea and in committing 
it to memory. But pictures are quite 
unsuitable for expressing algebraic 
laws or for mathematical reasoning. 
Unfortunately, some problems are so 
widespread and so severe that flow- 
charts must be recommended and ac- 
tually welcomed as their solutions. 

Listing I shows the expression of 
the structure of a conditional in 
BASIC. Programming in BASIC is like 
doing arithmetic with roman numer- 
als. For simple tasks like addition and 
subtraction, roman numerals are 
easier than arabic because you do not 
first have to learn 100 facts about the 

[continued) 



Given y & and z 


* 





w < x -s- (yxz) 






~w x (y x z)< x 






~{w x y) x z < x 






—w x y < x + z 






~w < (x-s-z) + y 







Figure 4: Some additional laws for 
natural numbers or nonnegative integers. 



Figure 5; Properties of division of 
natural numbers. 



Figure 6; A proof of the last law of 
division given in figure 5. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 117 



MATHEMATICS 



addition and subtraction of the 10 
digits, and you avoid most of the com- 
plications of carry and borrow. 

The disadvantages of roman nu- 
merals become apparent only in 
more complex tasks like multiplica- 
tion, or worse, division for which the 
only known technique is trial and 
error. You have to guess the solution, 
test it by multiplying it by the divisor 
and comparing the dividend, and 
make a new guess if you are wrong. 
This is the way we teach beginners in 
BASIC, but division of roman nu- 
merals is much easier because the 
fundamental law of division tells you 
whether the new guess should be 
smaller or greater than the last. 

Thankfully, arabic numerals have 
displaced roman ones in our schools, 
and the effective algorithm for long 
division has replaced the roman 
method of trial and error with an 
orderly process of calculation; when 
carefully executed, it leads invariably 
to the correct solution. In cases of 
doubt, the answer can still be checked 
by multiplication; but if this discovers 
an error, you do not try to debug the 
digits of your answer by trial and 
error. You go back over the steps of 
the calculation and correct them— or 
else you start again. 

Abstraction 

An abstract command is one that 
specifies the general properties of a 



x © [y.z] = {x © y) © z 

SKlP©x - x - x©SK1P 

ABORT ©x = ABORT = x© ABORT 

Note: © denotes "composition." 



Figure 7: The basic algebraic laws for 
sequential composition of commands. 



[x<\.rue>y) = x = 


= [y< false >x) 




{x<b> x) = x 






x<b>[y<b>z) = 


[x<b>y) <b>z 




= 


x<b>z 




x<b>{y<c>z) = 


[x<b>y] <c> [x<b>z] 


[x<b>y)®z - (x©z) <b> (yez) 




Note: < denotes 


"if": > denotes 


"eise." 



computer's desired behavior without 
prescribing exactly how that behavior 
is to be achieved. A simple example 
of an abstract command is the union, 
or LUB (x U y), of two commands x 
and y, which may themselves be 
either abstract or concrete. The union 
command can be obeyed by obeying 
either of its operands. The choice be- 
tween them is left open and can be 
made later by the programmer, the 
compiler, or even by some device in 
the computer during program execu- 
tion. For this reason, abstract pro- 
grams are sometimes called non- 
deterministic. 

The properties of the union opera- 
tor (figure 10) are exactly what you 
would expect. A command to do x or 
x leaves you no choice but to do x. To 
do x or y gives you the same choice 
as y or x. And in a choice between 



Listing I : The expression of the 

structure of a conditional in BASIC. 

410 IF b THEN GO TO 554 
411 



550 GO TO 593 
554 



593 REM 




three alternatives, it does not matter 
in what order you choose between 
them. Finally. ABORT (as defined 
above) is the abstract program that 
allows any behavior whatsoever. 

Introducing abstraction permits you 
to define a useful ordering relation 
between concrete and abstract com- 
mands. If y is an abstract command 
specifying some desired effect, and x 
is a concrete command that achieves 
this effect, you can say that x satisfies 
y and use the notation used here for 
a partial order: x < y. 

The command x can also be 
abstract. If it is. the ordering relation 
means that x is the same as y or that 
x is more specific, concrete, or deter- 
ministic than y. In either case, x meets 
the specification y because every 
possible execution of x is described 
and therefore allowed by y. As stated 
in figure II. the satisfaction relation 
is a partial order, and the abstraction 
operator is its LUB. 

Abstract commands can be com- 
bined by all the same operators as 
concrete commands. Figure 12 shows 
that sequential composition distrib- 
utes through abstract choice in both 
directions. It follows that composition 
is monotonic in both its arguments. In 
fact, all the operators of a program- 
ming language are monotonic in this 
sense. There are good theoretical 
reasons for this, and there are also 

[continued) 



x U 


y behaves like x or y 


x U 


X = X 




x U 


y = yU 


X 


x U 


(y U z) = 


[x U y) U z 


x U 


ABORT = 


- ABORT 



Figure 10: Properties of the union, or 
abstraction, operator. 



x<y~x\Jy = y 

— x satisfies specification y 

X < X 

x<y&y<x~x=y 
x<y&y<z~x<z 
(x U y)< z ~ x < z & y 


< z 



Figure 8: The conditional operator. 



Figure 9: A picture of the conditional as 
a structured flowchart. 



Figure II: The satisfaction relation ( < ) 
a partial order, with the abstraction 
operator ( U ) as its LUB. 



118 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



"Turbo Pascal... 
is a very good system. 

But don't mate 
the mistake of trying to 
use it for laige programs? 

Niklaus Wirth 
as reported in Micro Cornucopia 

August-September 1985 



mm 




nnn 



. LOGITECH 

MODULA-2/86 



MATHEMATICS 



very beneficial consequences for the 
practical solution of programming 
problems. 

Refinement 

The task of a programmer can be de- 
scribed as a problem in mathematics. 
You start with an abstract description 
of what you want the computer to do, 
carefully checking that it is an ac- 
curate description of the right prob- 
lem. This is often the most difficult 
part of the task and requires the most 
powerful tools. So in the specification 
y, you should take advantage of the 
full range of concepts and notations 
of mathematics, including concepts 
that cannot be represented on a com- 
puter and operations that could not 
be implemented in a programming 
language. 

You must then find some program 
x that solves the inequality x < y, 
where y is the specification of the pro- 
gram. Mathematics provides many 
formulas and methods for solving 
equations (and inequalities), from 
linear and quadratic to differential 
and integral. In all cases, the deriva- 
tion of a solution can use the full 
power of mathematics, but the solu- 
tion itself must be expressed as a for- 
mula in some more restricted nota- 
tion. The same is true in program- 
ming, where the eventual solution 
must be expressed in the restricted 
notations of an implemented concrete 
programming language. 

The most powerful general method 
of solving a complicated problem is 
to split it into simpler subproblems. 
which can then be solved indepen- 
dently. The same method can be ap- 
plied again to the subproblems until 



(x U y)ez = (x©z) U [yez) 
z © {x U y) = (z © x) U (z © y) 
w < y & x < z — w®x< yez 



they are simple enough to solve 
directly by some other more direct 
method. In the case of computer pro- 
gramming, this is often called top-down 
development or stepwise refinement (see 
figure 1 3). You start with the problem 
of finding some command x (ex- 
pressed in a concrete programming 
language) that meets the specification 
y (expressed in the abstract language 
of mathematics). The first step re- 
quires the insight to split this task in- 
to two subproblems and the skill to 
specify them as abstract programs v 
and w. Before proceeding further, you 
prove the correctness of your design 
so far by showing that the sequential 
composition of v and w meets the 
original specification y, or more for- 
mally, v® w<y. 

Now these two subproblems v and 
w can be solved sequentially or con- 
currently by a single programmer or 
by two teams of programmers, ac- 
cording to the size of the task. When 
both subproblems are solved, you will 
have two commands, t and u, ex- 
pressed in the restricted notations of 
your chosen programming language, 
each meeting their respective speci- 
fications: t < v and u < w. All that 
remains is to deliver their sequential 
composition (t e u) as a solution to the 
original problem y. Correctness of the 
solution has been established not by 
the traditional laborious and ultimate- 
ly unsound method of integration 
testing and debugging after the com- 
ponents have been constructed, but 
rather by a mathematical proof, which 
was completed on the very first step, 
even before the construction of com- 
ponents began. 

The validity of the general method 



Problem: find x such that 


x < y 


Step I : find vw such that 


v®w < y 


Step 2a: find t such that 


f < V 


Step 2b: find u such that 


u < w 


Step 3: deliver t © u 




Proof: t®u < vbw 


© is monotonic 


.'■ t®u < y 


< is transitive 



of top-down development depends 
on monotonicity of the composition 
operator and transitivity of the ab- 
straction ordering. The method can 
therefore be applied to any other 
operator of a concrete programming 
language. It has been treated at length 
in many learned articles and books. 
A characteristic of the simplifying 
power of mathematics is that the 
whole method can be described, to- 
gether with a proof of its validity, 
within the seven lines of figure 13. 

I have drawn an analogy between 
the multiplication of natural numbers 
and the sequential composition of 
commands in programming. This 
analogy extends even to division. As 
with division of natural numbers, the 
quotient of two commands is not an 
exact inverse. However, it is uniquely 
defined by the same fundamental law, 
as shown in figure 14. The quotient of 
y divided by z is the most abstract 
specification of a program x, which, 
when followed by z, is sure to meet 
the specification y. As a consequence, 
the quotient itself, when followed by 
z. meets the original specification. 
And, finally, when the divisor is the 
composition of two commands, you 
can calculate the quotient by succes- 
sively dividing by these two com- 
mands in the reverse order. Since the 
composition of commands is not sym- 
metric, the reversal of order is impor- 
tant here. 

In factoring large numbers, division 
saves a lot of effort: You only have to 
guess one of the factors and obtain 
the other one by calculation. The divi- 
sion of commands offers the same ad- 
vantages in the factorization of pro- 

(contmued) 




Figure 12: Sequential composition of 
commands distributes through abstract 
choice in both directions. 



Figure 13: Top-down development or 
stepwise refinement. 



Figure 14: The fundamental law of the 
quotient of commands. Like the division of 
natural numbers, the quotient of two 
commands is not an exact inverse of their 
multiplication. 



120 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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J 



Inquiry 170 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 121 



MATHEMATICS 



gramming problems. In refinement it 
replaces the guesswork required in 
discovering two simpler subtasks by 
• the discovery of only the second of 
them, as shown in figure I 5. Further- 
more, the proof obligation in step I 
of figure 15 has been eliminated. It is 
replaced by a formal calculation of 
the weakest specification that must be 
met by the first operand of the com- 
position. Reducing guesswork and 
proof to calculation is how mathema- 
ticians simplify their own tasks, as well 
as those of users of mathematics— 
the scientist, the engineer, and now 
the programmer. 

The quotient operator for com- 
mands was discovered in a slightly re- 
stricted form by Dijkstra. who called 
it the weakest precondition (see ref- 
erence 1). It is one of the most effec- 
tive known methods for the design 
and development of correct algo- 
rithms, as shown in numerous ex- 
amples by David Gries in reference 2. 

Program Maintenance 

In my description of the task of a pro- 
grammer. I have concentrated on the 
more glamorous part of that task: 
specifying, designing, and writing new 
programs. But a significant portion of 
a programmer's professional life is 
spent making changes to old pro- 
grams. Some of these changes are 
necessitated by the discovery of 
errors, some by changes in the speci- 
fication of the program's desired 
behavior. The program and the speci- 
fication may be so large that it is not 
practical to write a new program from 
scratch; when only a small part of the 
specification is changed, you hope 
that only a small part of the program 
will need changing to meet it. 
Of course, such a hope is not always 



Problem: find x such that 


x < y 


Step I; choose suitable z 




Step 2a: find t such that t 


< y ■*■ z 


Step 2b: find u such that 


u < z 


Step 3: deliver t © u 




Proof: teu < [y t z)©z 


© is monotonic 


[y + z) © z < y 


property of + 


.*. ten < y 


< is transitive 



justified. Consider again the analogy 
of the division of numbers. A small 
change in the least significant digits 
of the dividend results in a small 
change in the least significant digits 
of the quotient and can be achieved 
by a small amount of recalculation. 
But a small change in the most signif- 
icant digit of either operand requires 
that you start the calculation again, 
leading to a completely different 
result. In the case of programs, it is 
often difficult to know which small 
changes in a large specification will re- 
quire major changes to the program. 

It is. therefore, most important for 
the original programmer to decide 
which parts of a specification are 
most likely to be changed and to 
structure the program design so that 
a change to one part of the specifica- 
tion requires a change to only one 
part of the program. The programmer 
should then document the program 
with instructions on how to carry out 
the change. This too can be done in 
a rigorous mathematical fashion (see 
figure 16). Let y be that part of a com- 
plete specification g(y) that is liable to 
change. Let x be that command in a 
big program f(x) that is designed to 
change when y changes. The problem 
now is to change x to x l so that f(x f ) 
meets the changed specification g(y'). 

The problem of program mainte- 
nance is most easily solved when the 
structure of the program / is the same 
as the structure of the specification g; 
in this case, it will be sufficient to en- 
sure that the modified component 
meets the modified specification. 

However, it is not always possible to 
preserve the structure of a specifica- 
tion in the design of a program. A 
specification is often most clearly 
structured with the aid of logical oper- 



Given: f[x) < g[y) 




Problem 


find x' such that /(*') 


< g(y') 


Case 1: 


f = g 

solve x! < y' 




Case 2: 


f has approximate inverse f 1 




solve x' < f~ l [g(y')) 





Figure 15: A simplification of figure 13, 
using division of commands. 



Figure 1 6: Mathematical treatment of 
program maintenance. 



ators like negation and conjunction, 
which are not generally available in an 
implemented programming language. 
Nevertheless, mathematics can often 
help. Sometimes, the program / has 
an approximate inverse (/~ l ), defined 
in the same way as for the quotient; 
it is then possible to calculate the 
proof obligation of the modified pro- 
gram asx< f-'W)). 

In Reality 

I must inject a note of realism into my 
mathematical speculations. Many 
operators of a programming language 
do not have suitable approximate in- 
verses, and even if they do. their cal- 
culation is impossibly cumbersome. 
Would you like to calculate the inverse 
of /, when / is a million lines of FOR- 
TRAN code? The problem of the size 
of mathematical formulas is exactly 
the same problem that limits the use 
of mathematics in other branches of 
science and engineering. Many scien- 
tists believe as fervently as I do in the 
principle that the whole of nature is 
governed by mathematical laws of 
great simplicity and elegance, and 
brilliant scientists have discovered 
many laws that accurately predict the 
results of experiments conducted in 
a rigorously controlled laboratory en- 
vironment. But when the engineer 
tries to apply the same laws in prac- 
tice, the number of uncontrollable 
variables is so much greater than in 
the laboratory that a full calculation 
of the consequences of each design 
decision is hopelessly impractical. As 
a result, the engineer uses experience 
and understanding to formulate and 
apply various rules of thumb, and 
uses flair and judgment to supple- 
ment (though never to replace) the 
relevant mathematical calculations. 

Experienced programmers have de- 
veloped a similar intuitive understand- 
ing of the behavior of computer pro- 
grams, many of which are now re- 
markably sophisticated and reliable. 
Nevertheless, I would suggest that the 
skills of our best programmers will be 
even more productive and effective 
when exercised within the framework 
of understanding and applying the 
relevant mathematics. The mathe- 
matics has been demonstrated on 

[continued] 



122 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



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Inquiry 171 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 123 



,TIM 



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MATHEMATICS 





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small examples, as it were, in the lab- 
oratory. The time has come to start 
the process of scaling up to an in- 
dustrial environment. At Oxford Uni- 
versity, we have a number of col- 
laborative projects with industry to 
attempt this technology transfer. 
Preliminary indications are quite 
promising, both for advances in 
theory and for benefits in practice. 

But it will be no easier to change the 
working habits of programmers than 
those of any other profession. I quote 
from Lord Hailsham. the British 
minister in charge of our judicial sys- 
tem (see reference 3). He is conduct- 
ing a review on the improvement of 
judicial practices in the legal profes- 
sion. He first lists the faults of our cur- 
rent system, including delay, complex- 
ity, and obscurity. He continues: "A 
change in working methods is of 
course immensely difficult. Habit, in- 
terest, training all militate in favour of 
the status quo. People must be per- 
suaded, taught, if necessary possibly 
even leaned on— or at least assisted." 

Pilot schemes may be necessary to 
test new methods. They may be un- 
popular, "but if the alternative is to let 
all cases to continue subject to the 
anomalies of a malfunctioning system, 
we may have to contemplate unprec- 
edented arrangements to allow new 
methods to be tested." 

Changes in professional practice will 
be just as difficult for programmers as 
they are for lawyers and judges. They 
will occur first in the areas of greatest 
necessity, where the lack of mathe- 
matical precision leads to the heaviest 
costs. In particular. I suggest five such 
areas: specifications, systems soft- 
ware, standards, silicon structures, and 
safety. 

Specifications 

In the initial specification and design 
of a large-scale software product, the 
use of mathematics has been found 
to clarify design concepts and enable 
you to explore a wide variety of op- 
tions at a time when less successful 
alternatives can be cheaply discarded. 
As a result, the final agreed-upon 
specification may enjoy that simplici- 
ty and conceptual integrity that char- 
acterizes the highest quality in design. 

{continued) 



124 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 4 



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MATHEMATICS 



Furthermore, user's manuals, tutorials, 
and guides that are based on mathe- 
matical specifications can be better 
structured, more complete, and more 
comprehensible, even to users who 
have no knowledge of the underlying 
mathematics. This promises to 
mitigate the greatest single cause of 
error, inconvenience, and customer 
frustration in the use of sophisti- 
cated software products, that is, 
failure to read and understand the 
user's manual. 

Systems Software 

A computer's basic systems software 
includes items like an operating sys- 
tem, language compilers, utilities, 
transaction-processing packages, and 
database management systems. These 
programs are written by large teams 
of programmers and are delivered to 
thousands or millions of customers, 
who use them daily, hourly, or even 
continuously. In the years after 
delivery of such software, many thou- 



sands of errors are discovered by the 
customers themselves; each error 
must be laboriously analyzed, cor- 
rected, and retested; and the correc- 
tions must be delivered to and in- 
stalled by the customer in the next 
release of the software. A reduction 
in the number of corrections needed 
would be cost-effective for the sup- 
plier and convenient for the customer. 
A reduction in the number of errors 
discovered before delivery of the soft- 
ware could also save a lot of money. 
No method by itself can guarantee ab- 
solute reliability. However, in com- 
bination with management control, a 
mathematical approach looks prom- 
ising. Even when mistakes are made, 
they can be traced to their source, 
and steps can be taken to ensure they 
do not happen again. 

Standards 

The standardization of languages and 
interfaces in hardware and software is 
a vital precondition for free competi- 



tion and for the propagation of tech- 
nical advances. The construction of a 
mathematical specification for these 
standards offers the same promise of 
improved quality in design that I have 
just described; it also offers a hope 
of reducing the ambiguities and mis- 
understandings which lead to errors 
and incompatibility in various imple- 
mentations of the standard, and 
which have prevented us from obtain- 
ing full benefit from the existing 
standards. 

Silicon Structures 

The advance of technology in very- 
large-scale integration now makes it 
possible to build hardware as com- 
plex as software. As a result, we are 
beginning to detect as many design 
errors during the manufacture and 
testing of complex devices as we have 
been finding with software. But now 
each error costs many thousands of 
dollars to remove; what is worse, by 
delaying the introduction of a new 



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MATHEMATICS 



device onto the market these errors 
can prevent an innovative company 
from assuming market leadership or 
even prejudice its survival. As a result, 
many products are delivered with 
known design errors, for which the 
customer will never obtain a correc- 
tion or restitution. Fortunately math- 
ematical methods similar to those for 
sequential programs can be adapted 
to check logic designs. These meth- 
ods are especially valuable when the 
design involves concurrency or paral- 
lelism. 

Safety 

Computer programs are increasingly 
used in systems that are critical to the 
safety of the general public— control 
of railway signaling, airplane engines, 
and chemical and nuclear processes. 
The engineering techniques used in 
these systems are subject to the most 
rigorous analysis and control often 
enforced by law. Mathematical meth- 
ods offer the best hope of extending 



such control to computer software, 
and when this happens, a program 
could gain a reputation as the most 
reliable component of any system in 
which it resides. 

Conclusion 

These are the five areas in which I 
believe the introduction of mathemat- 
ical methods gives the greatest prom- 
ise of rapid economic return. But their 
implementation will require a signifi- 
cant change in working habits and 
working attitudes, not only of in- 
dividual programmers but of whole 
teams and departments. It requires 
the enthusiastic participation of 
coders, systems analysts, project 
leaders, and managers at all levels. It 
involves reforming the curricula in 
training departments, colleges, and 
universities. It even requires educating 
the general public to demand and ex- 
pect as much— or more— quality and 
design integrity from computer pro- 
grams as they do from other products 



critical to their economic and physical 
well-being. 

That is why I am pleased and grate- 
ful for this opportunity to address you 
on the 10th anniversary of the foun- 
dation of BYTE magazine. This is a 
magazine that has a deservedly wide 
readership in our profession, ranging 
from theoretical computer scientists 
through lecturers, teachers, managers, 
engineers, and students to home 
computer enthusiasts. But it is also a 
magazine that takes seriously its re- 
sponsibility to propagate improved 
methods and higher standards in the 
programming profession. I salute its 
ideals and achievement and wish it 
continued prosperity and progress.B 

REFERENCES 

1. Dijkstra, Edsger W. A Discipline of Program- 
ming. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 
1976. 

2. Gries, David. The Science of Programming. 
New York: Springer, 1981. 

3. The Guardian, July 10, 1985. London. 
England, 



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Inquiry 202 



PROGRAMMING INSIGHT 



POLAR NORMAL 
DISTRIBUTION 



by Alain Latour 



Generate normal deviates and evaluate the cumulative probability 
of a normally distributed random variable 



IN THE OCTOBER 1985 BYTE, Arthur 
G. Hansen suggested a way to gen- 
erate normal deviates (Programming 
Insight: "Simulating the Normal 
Distribution"). Basically, a normal 
deviate is obtained by considering the 
value 

X = [Ui + u 2 + ... + 
U n -nl2)N(nl\2) 

where U t , U 2 U„ are indepen- 
dent uniform numbers between and 
I. The value of X can be considered 
as a normal deviate with mean /*=0 
and standard deviation a = I, if n is 
sufficiently large. As reported by 
Abramowitz and Stegun (reference 1). 
"When n=\7, the maximum errors 
made in the normal deviate are 9 x 
I0" 3 for|X| < 2,9x 10- x for2 < |x| 
< 3." But if n is too small, we have 
only an "approximate normal distribu- 
tion." 

The Polar Method 

I would like to suggest a relatively sim- 
ple approach, known as the "polar 
method." proposed by G. E. P. Box, 
M. E. Muller. and G. Marsaglia. which 
is proven in reference 2. Here is the 
pseudocode of the algorithm: 



Repeat 

1) Get 2 independent random vari- 
ables, Vt and V 2 , uniformly distributed 
between - 1 and I . 

2) Evaluates := (V,) 2 + (V 2 ) 2 
until S < 1. 

Evaluate S : = V-2 ln(S)IS 
SetXx : = V,S and X 2 : = V 2 S. 

The two random numbers X Y and X 2 
are independent normal variables. If 
the uniform generator used returns a 
number U between and I. you just 
have to set V = 2/7-1 to obtain a 
number between -1 and I. The 
square root and the logarithm func- 
tions must be evaluated for each pair 
of normal deviates. 

Although the algorithm is complex, 
its advantage is that you obtain 
numbers really distributed as normal 
deviates, and fewer uniform deviates 
are needed. The last point may be an 
important one. For example, the 
random-number generators available 
on some personal computers cannot 
produce a sequence of numbers 
longer than 65.536 without cycling. 

Classifying the Observations 

Suppose you know that almost all the 
observations will fall between the 



limits YbAm and YMax. That would 
mean that the data range is approx- 
imately /Range = YMax-YM'm. To 
classify the values in Nb classes where 
Y is an observed value, you can use 

Trunc((Y-YMm)lYRange x Nb) 

For example, if Y = YbAm, the above 
statement will produce 0. And you 
could use the extreme classes to col- 
lect extreme values. 

I have written a short Pascal pro- 
gram called NORMAL.PAS that gen- 
erates 10,000 normal deviates and 
sorts them into 30 classes as they are 
generated. The results could be used 
to plot the observed distribution of 
the numbers generated. | Editor's note: 
NORMAL.PAS is available in a variety of 
formats: see page 405 for details.] 

The Cumulative Probability 
Function 

If you're interested in comparing the 
simulated distribution with the 
theoretical distribution, you must 

(continued) 
Alain latour (Departement de Mathematiques 
et d'lnformatique, C. P. 8888. Sua. "A." 
Universite du Quebec a Montreal, Mon- 
treal Quebec, Canada H3C 3P8) teaches 
statistics and computer science. 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 131 



POLAR DISTRIBUTION 



evaluate the probability of each class. 
One way to do it is by tedious calcula- 
tions using a table of probability. An- 
other, more interesting way is to write 
a function that, given a number x. will 
give you the probability that a normal 
deviate will be less than or equal to 
x. We will denote this probability by 



P\z < 4 There is a polynomial ap- 
proximation of degree 5 to this prob- 
ability that is quite good (see refer- 
ence I). It requires the evaluation of 
the density function of a normal vari- 
able that is: 



fix) = c e' 



■*2/ 2 



500 
400 
300 
200 
100 




/ 



H mil 



1 






10,000 Samples 






\ 



In,,. 



The polar method. 



Figure I : The empirical distribution obtained by simulating 1 0,000 deviates bu the 
polar method. The adjustment seems to be quite good. 



10,000 Samples 




-lu_ 



The sum of three uniform variates. 



To compare the 



simulated distribution 
with the theoretical 
distribution, you must 
evaluate the probability 
of each class. 



Figure 2: The empirical distribution obtained by using the sum of three uniforms. 



where c is a constant equal to 1/V (2tt) 
= 0.3989422804. So, for x > 0. we 
have 

P\z < x\ = \-f(x) t (bo + bit + b 2 t 2 + 
b 3 t 3 + b 4 t 4 ) + error 

where t = 1/(1 +px) with p = 0.2316419 
and where b = +0.319381530, b x = 
-0.356563782, b 2 = +1.781477937, 
b 3 = -1.821255978. and b 4 = 
+ 1.330274429. The error is less than 
7.5 x 10" 8 . If x < 0. you can use the 
well-known property of the normal 
curve, P\z < x\ = \-P\i < -x|. (Editor's 
note: Both functions are contained in DEN- 
SITY. PAS, which is available in several for- 
mats; see page 405.] 

Figure 1 shows the empirical dis- 
tribution obtained by the polar 
method. As you can see. the adjust- 
ment seems to be quite good. 

Figure 2 shows the empirical dis- 
tribution obtained by using the sum 
of three uniforms. Both cases 
simulated 10.000 deviates. Obvious- 
ly, the adjustment is not as good as 
that in figure 1 . You can also compare 
the two methods by evaluating the 
chi-square measure of adjustment. 
With 47 degrees of freedom, in the 
first case we have a chi-square equal 
to 36; in the second case, the chi- 
square is equal to 147. In other words, 
the method using the sum of three 
uniforms doesn't pass the chi-square 
test. ■ 

REFERENCES 

1, Abramowitz, M., and I. A. Stegun, eds. 
Handbook of Mathematical Functions. New York: 
Dover Books, 1964. 

2. Knuth, D. The Art of Computer Programming. 
Volume 2. Reading. MA: Addison-Wesley. 
1969. 



132 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 







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BVTI 



Object-oriented 
Programming 



Elements of Object-oriented OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING, with its claims of improved program- 

Programming mer productivity and easy program maintenance, is emerging as a vital force 

by Geoffrey A. Pascoe 139 jn the pr0 g ramm j n g community. This is despite the fact that object-oriented 

A Small Taste of Smalltalk languages were not generally available until fairly recently. 

by Ted Kaefder and Dave Patterson 145 The prototypica i object-oriented language is Smalltalk, and in August 1981. 

Objects. Icons and Software-ICs BY te devoted an entire issue to it, even though at the time the language was 

by Brad Cox and Bill Hunt 161 not commerc j a |i y available. Tbday, Smalltalk is available for microcomputers, 

Object-oriented Languages anc | object-oriented concepts have been extended to many conventional 

for the Macintosh I an o Ua o e s 

by Kurt I Schmucker 177 ,d "6^geb. 

In this issue, we present a group of articles examining the current state of 

MfortT sL A m X L ' CAT,0N FRAMEW0RK 189 object-oriented languages, lb start things off. Geoffrey A. Pascoe outlines the 

basics of the subject in "Elements of Object-oriented Programming." Geoff 
Programming Experiences does a good job of defining exactly what object-oriented programming is and, 

* ^ Tesler 195 more important, what it is not. 

Designing an Efficient Language For t h ose ^ho may have missed our Smalltalk issue, 'fed Kaehler and Dave 

by Charles B. Duff 211 p atterson g ive t h e f] avor f w h at j t ' s rea || y \^ e t0 pr0 gram in that language 

Object-oriented FORTH in » A Sma || ^ ste f Smalltalk." excerpted from their recent book, A Taste of 

byDickPountain 227 SmalMk 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The microcomputer that is most closely related to the original Smalltalk 

philosophy and object-oriented programming in general is the Apple Macin- 
tosh. And, not surprisingly, a number of object-oriented languages have 
evolved for that machine. Kurt ). Schmucker explores a number of them in 
his comprehensive article, "Object-oriented Languages for the Macintosh," 
comparing seven languages that are now or soon to be available for the Mac. 
We also convinced Kurt to write a few pages on MacApp, a powerful object- 
oriented application framework that Apple Computer will be releasing shortly. 

Brad Cox, one of the developers of Objective-C, has helped promote the 
understanding of object-oriented programming by proposing the concept of 
the software-IC, a software module that can be easily added to a program. 
Brad, together with Bill Hunt, shows how object-oriented programming tech- 
niques make building iconic user interfaces easier in their article, "Objects, 
Icons, and Software-ICs." 

Another early object-oriented language for micros is Neon for the Macin- 
tosh. The developer of that language. Charles B. Duff, discusses the ineffi- 
ciencies of object-oriented languages and ways to improve them in "Design- 
ing an Efficient Language." 

Finally, we bring back one of the authors from our 1981 Smalltalk issue. Larry 
Tesler, a former Xerox PARC researcher, presents interviews with people who 
are actually using object-oriented languages in their various fields of work 
in "Programming Experiences." 

The article by our U.K. correspondent, Dick Pountain, is particularly fitting 
this month. Dick, a formidable FORTH programmer in his own right, has writ- 
ten his own object-oriented extension to FORTH. In "Object-oriented FORTH" 
he describes his program and how it works. 

— Eva White and Rich Malloy, Technical Editors 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 137 



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138 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 122 



OBJECT-ORIENTED LANGUAGES 



ELEMENTS OF 

OBJECT-ORIENTED 

PROGRAMMING 



by Geoffrey A. Pascoe 



What features must a language have 
to be considered an object-oriented language! 



THERE ARE AS many different views 
of what object-oriented programming 
is as there are computer scientists and 
programmers. Because the term was 
first used to describe the Smalltalk 
programming environment developed 
at Xerox PARC (see references 1-5). 
this article will present object-oriented 
programming concepts, terminology, 
and characteristics from that perspec- 
tive. I will stress the differences be- 
tween an object-oriented program- 
ming style and the more conventional 
procedure-oriented style. I hope to 
show that a language must have four 
elements to support object-oriented 
programming: information hiding, 
data abstraction, dynamic binding, 
and inheritance. (Some languages that 
have one or two of these elements 
have been improperly called object- 
oriented.) I will follow this with a 
discussion of the advantages and dis- 
advantages of object-oriented pro- 
gramming languages. 

Data Procedures vs. 
Object Messages 

Most programming languages sup- 
port the "data-procedure" paradigm. 



Active procedures act on the passive 
data that is passed to them. A typical 
example might be a square root func- 
tion, sqrt(x). that takes a number and 
returns its square root. 

In a strongly typed language such 
as Pascal, it would be typical to have 
a different version of sqrt(x) for each 
data type of x, usually returning a 
floating-point result. A late-binding 
language such as LISP detects x's data 
type at run time and performs the ap- 
propriate operations for that data 
type. Such generic operations are 
generally primitives restricted to a 
small class of data types such as 
numbers, or they are functions de- 
fined in terms of such' primitives. 

Object-oriented languages employ 
a data or object-centered approach to 
programming. Instead of passing data 
to procedures, you ask objects (data) 
to perform operations on themselves. 
To emphasize this difference I will use 
an object-oriented expression syntax 
of my own invention. The object name 
is followed by :operation, followed by 
any further arguments, and ter^ 
minated by a period (in some ways 
the syntax is similar to that of Small- 



talk-80, though simpler). For example, 
an expression to take the square root 
of x will look like this: 

x :sqrt. 

The implication is that x is asked to 
perform the :sqrt operation on itself. 
You say that x is the receiver of the 
message :sqrt. 

A more complicated example would 
be the dot-product operation. The 
dot-product of two one-dimensional 
vectors, x and y, is computed, produc- 
ing a scalar result: 

x :dot y. 

Here, x is told to perform a dot- 
product operation with itself and the 
argument y. You could take the 
square root of the dot product of x 
and y and assign the result to the 
variable z in the following manner 

z <- (x :dot y) :sqrt. 

{continued) 
Geoffrey A. Pascoe (1027 Scituate Harbor, 
Pasadena, MD 2 1 1 22) is a researcher in the 
Department of Defense's Computing Systems 
Research Division and comoderator of the 
Smalltalk conference on BIX. 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 



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PROGRAMMING ELEMENTS 



using parentheses to indicate the 
order of evaluation, although the 
parentheses are really not needed 
here, assuming left-to-right evaluation. 

Some Terminology 

The basic terminology of object- 
oriented programming is illustrated in 
the text box "Data Structures" on 
page 142. The object that I have been 
referring to (i.e., x, in the sqrt exam- 
ple) is an instance of a class. The class 
provides all the information necessary 
to construct and use objects of a par- 
ticular kind, its instances. (For this 
reason, a class is sometimes called a 
factory.) Each instance has one class; 
a class may have multiple instances. 

The class also provides storage for 
methods. Methods are simply pro- 
cedures that are invoked by sending 
selectors to a class's instances (also 
called sending messages). The 
methods reside in the class to save 
storage, since all instances of a class 
have an identical set of methods. 
Methods may allocate temporary vari- 
ables for use during the execution of 
the method. These temporary vari- 
ables are much like local variables in 
Pascal procedures in that their value 
is lost when you leave the method. 

Each instance has storage allocated 
for maintaining its individual state. 
The state is referenced by instance vari- 
ables. Instance variables may be primi- 
tive data types such as integers, other 
objects, or both, depending on the 
language. Each object has its own set 
of instance variables. Both temporary 
and instance variables may be freely 
referenced within the scope of an ob- 
ject's method, but unlike temporary 
variables the value of instance vari- 
ables is not lost when you leave the 
object's method. 

Computation is performed by send- 
ing messages to objects, which in- 
vokes a method in the object's class. 
Typically, a method sends messages 
to other objects, which invokes other 
methods, etc., until you reach the 
point where a primitive method is in- 
voked. Here ends the chain of mes- 
sage-sends. Each message-send even- 
tually returns a result to the sender 
(e.g., x :sqrt returning the square root 
of x). The end result of all these mes- 
sage-sends is usually the changing of 



the state of one or more objects. 
Sometimes, however, a message is 
sent simply to invoke some primitive 
having a side effect external to the 
world of objects, for example, access- 
ing an external file system or control- 
ling hardware. 

To fully support object-oriented pro- 
gramming a language must exhibit 
four characteristics: information 
hiding, data abstraction, dynamic 
binding, and inheritance. I will exam- 
ine two languages, Ada and Modula-2, 
that have been mistakenly called 
object-oriented in order to illustrate 
why all four characteristics are neces- 
sary and why conventional procedure- 
oriented languages cannot adequately 
support object-oriented programming. 

Information Hiding 

Information hiding is important for en- 
suring reliability and modifiability of 
software systems by reducing interde- 
pendences between software com- 
ponents. The state of a software 
module is contained in private vari- 
ables, visible only from within the 
scope of the module. Only a localized 
set of procedures directly manip- 
ulates the data. In addition, since the 
internal state variables of a module 
are not directly accessed from with- 
out, a carefully designed module in- 
terface may permit the internal data 
structures and procedures to be 
changed without affecting the imple- 
mentation of other software modules. 
Most modern languages, even FOR- 
TRAN, to some degree, support infor- 
mation hiding. ISO (standard) Pascal 
is one notable exception, since it pro- 
vides no way to declare static vari- 
ables within the scope of a procedure. 

Data Abstraction 

Data abstraction could be considered 
a way of using information hiding. A 
programmer defines an abstract data 
type consisting of an internal repre- 
sentation plus a set of procedures 
used to access and manipulate the 
data. Modula-2 provides excellent 
data abstraction mechanisms. Listing 
1 is a fragment of Modula-2 module 
that implements a stack as an abstract 
data type (called an opaque type in 
Modula-2 terminology. See reference 
6). Variables of type Stack may be 



PROGRAMMING ELEMENTS 



declared and manipulated in other 
program units. 

Modula-2 's data abstraction mech- 
anism provides a certain degree of 
protection since no direct access to 
the internal state of a stack is pro- 
vided. The stack is manipulated 
through the module's processing and 
query procedures. But there are a 
couple of problems with the Modula-2 
solution. One is that the procedures 
used by a module must have either 
unique or qualified names. For exam- 
ple, if a module uses (imports) two dif- 
ferent abstract data types, Stack and 
Queue, and variables of these types 
must be initialized, then the initializa- 
tion procedures defined for these 
types must have different names, such 
as InitializeStackand InitializeQueue, 
or their usage must be qualified, as 
in Stack.lnitialize and Queualnitialize. 
This makes the resulting program less 
versatile. But more important than the 
need for unique identifiers is the 
drawback that Modula-2 abstract data 
types can operate on only one type 
of data. Stack, therefore, can store 
only integers. 

Ada partially solves both these 
problems through two language fea- 
tures: operator overloading and 
generic program units (see reference 
7). Operator overloading permits a 
program to use multiple operators 
with the same name. The distinction 
between operators can be deter- 
mined at compile time by examining 
the types and number of parameters, 
just as + can be used to add either 
integer or real numbers in most 
modern languages. Generic program 
units permit the definition of a 
module to be used with different data 
types. The generic program unit is a 
procedural template that can be 
parameterized with actual types dur- 
ing compilation of programs using its 
capabilities. 

A problem still exists if you wish to 
use the stack to store heterogeneous 
elements. Neither compile-time solu- 
tion, operator overloading or generic 
program units, is sufficient. The solu- 
tion is dynamic binding. 

Dynamic Binding 

Dynamic binding is needed to make 
full use of this code for stacking other 



types of data. Consider the addition 
of a procedure, Print, to the Stack- 
Handler module that prints the con- 
tents of a stack. If you use the stack 
for storing integers, floating-point 
numbers, character strings, etc., a 
traditional procedure-oriented ap- 
proach dictates that you include a 



case statement to check at run time 
that the correct printing procedure for 
an element's type is used. Trying to 
print an integer with a procedure 
designed to print character strings is 
potentially disastrous. The resulting 
problem is that every time you add 

[continued) 



Listing 1 : Definition and implementation modules for the abstract data type 
Stack. 

DEFINITION MODULE StackHand I er ; 

TYPE 

Stack; (* Opaque type *) 

StackType = INTEGER; 

PROCEDURE Initial ize(VAR s: Stack): BOOLEAN; 

PROCEDURE Push(s: Stack; 

value: StackType): BOOLEAN; 

PROCEDURE Pop(s: Stack; 

VAR value: StackType): BOOLEAN; 

PROCEDURE IsEmpty(s: Stack): BOOLEAN; 

PROCEDURE IsEmpty(s: Stack): BOOLEAN; 

PROCEDURE IsFull(s: Stack ): BOOLEAN; 

END StackHandler. 

IMPLEMENTATION MODULE StackHandler; 

FROM SYSTEM IMPORT TSIZE; 

FROM storage IMPORT Allocate, Available; 

CONST 

BufferSize = 1000; 
TYPE 

IndexRange = [0.' .BufferSize]; 

StackRecord = 
RECORD 

index: IndexRange; 

buffer: ARRAY [1 . .Buf f erSize] of StackType 
END; 

Stack = POINTER TO StackRecord; 

(* code for implementation part of Initialize, 
Push, Pop, IsEmpty, and IsFull goes here *) 



BEGIN (* StackHandler *) 

(* No Initialization Required *) 
END StackHandler. 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 



141 



PROGRAMMING ELEMENTS 



a new type of data to the software sys- 
tem, you must modify all such case 
statements and recompile— a time- 
consuming and error-prone pro- 
cedure. Ideally additions should re- 
quire only additions, not modifica- 
tions. 

The object-oriented approach 
pushes the responsibility for printing 
elements onto the objects them- 
selves. Each object is sent the exact 
same message selector. Print, so that 
it will print itself in the proper way. 
This is known as polymorphism, since 
the same message can elicit a dif- 
ferent response depending on the 
receiver. Operator overloading in Ada 
does not exhibit this form of dynamic 
polymorphism since the address of 
the procedure invoked is fixed at com- 
pile time. 

This model of object-oriented pro- 
gramming can be improved. As pre- 
sented thus far. the addition of a new 
type of object requires writing entirely 
new procedures for common opera- 
tions such as Print. What's worse is 
that there will be a great deal of 
similarity between different Print 
methods, requiring continual rewrites 
of methods that differ slightly or not 
at all. This burden is likely to be so 
great that programmers would avoid 
the creation of new object types, sig- 
nificantly reducing the practical 
usefulness of object-oriented pro- 
gramming systems. Inheritance is a 
mechanism that largely relieves pro- 
grammers of this burden. 

Inheritance 

Inheritance enables programmers to 
create classes and. therefore, objects 
that are specializations of other ob- 
jects. For example, you might create 
an object. Trumpet, that is a spe- 
cialization of a Brasslnstrument, 
which is a specialization of a Wind- 
instrument, which is a specialization 
of Musicallnstrument. etc. A Trumpet 
inherits behavior that is appropriate 
for Brasslnstruments. Windlnstru- 
ments. and Musicallnstruments. 

Creating a specialization of an exist- 
ing class is called subclassing. The new 
class is a subclass of the existing class, 
and the existing class is the superclass 
of the new class. The subclass inherits 
instance variables, class variables, and 



methods from its superclass. The sub- 
class may add instance variables, class 
variables, and methods that are ap- 
propriate to more specialized objects. 
In addition, a subclass may override 
or provide additional behavior to 
methods of a superclass. Methods are 
overridden when you provide a new 
method for an old method's selector. 
The mechanism to add new be- 
havior to an existing method tends to 
be language-dependent. In those lan- 
guages most closely modeled after 
Smalltalk, this is accomplished by 
embedding a message-send to the 
pseudovariable super in the new defini- 
tion of a method (see the text box 
"Pseudovariables" on page 144). For 
example, suppose you have an initiali- 
zation method, initialize, defined in a 
superclass. If a subclass adds some in- 
stance variables, x and y, that must 
also be initialized to zero, then both 
initialization behaviors will be ex- 
hibited by the following method: 

initialize 

super initialize. 

x <- y <- 0. 

The initialization in the superclass 
is performed, followed by the added 
initialization behavior. Depending on 
the placement of the message-send 
to super, the new behavior may 
precede, follow, or surround the exist- 
ing behavior. 

Inheritance enables programmers 
to create new classes of objects by 
specifying the differences between a 
new class and an existing class in- 
stead of starting from scratch each 
time. A large amount of code can be 
reused this way. 

Advantages 

Object-oriented languages have many 
advantages over more traditional 
procedure-oriented languages. Infor- 
mation hiding and data abstraction in- 
crease reliability and help decouple 
procedural and representational spec- 
ification from implementation. 
Dynamic binding increases flexibility 
by permitting the addition of new 
classes of objects (data types) without 
having to modify existing code. In- 
heritance coupled with dynamic bind- 
ing permits code to be reused. This 

[continued) 



Data 
Structures 

The class data structure in figure A 
contains information needed to 
construct and use object instances. The 
first and second fields indicate the 
number of instance variables and their 
names, respectively. The names are 
needed so that when methods are 
compiled, the instance variable names 
can be identified as referring to in- 
stance variables. 

The third field of the class data struc- 
ture is a flag that indicates whether an 
instance contains a variable number of 
indexable instance variables. Arrays are 
examples of objects that may have a 
variable number of instance variables. 
The instance variables of an array are 
accessed by indexing instead of by 
names. Since arrays of different sizes 
will respond to the same protocol (the 
set of messages to which an object 
responds), it does not make sense to 
have different classes for each array 
size. 

The class variable field contains 
storage for variables shared by all in- 
stances. Class variable names are also 
stored here. Class variables can be con- 
venient for storing information that 
should be common to all instances of 
the class. Not only does this save stor- 
age, but it greatly simplifies changing 
shared information. Otherwise, all in- 
stances of a class would have to be 
located to change an instance variable. 

The method dictionary contains pairs 
of selectors and methods. When a mes- 
sage is sent to an object, the class's 
method dictionary is searched for a 
method to execute. 

The superclass field points to the 
superclass of this class. The superclass 
is another class data structure that has 
all the same fields as this class. Other 
instance variables, class variables, and 
methods may be defined in the super- 
class. 

If during a message-send a method 
is not found in the instance's immediate 
class, the superclass method dictionary 
is searched. If it is not found there, the 
superclass's superclass method dic- 
tionary is searched, and so on, until the 
class at the root of the hierarchy (most 
often called Object) is searched and 
found not to have a matching selector. 
In this case an error is returned. 

Note that each instance contains a 



142 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



PROGRAMMING ELEMENTS 











To Superclass Method Dictionary 
















Object Code 

for 
Method #1 






i 


i 


Sele 


>ctor 


Mel 


.hod 
I 






I 


-*" 4 
















Sele 
4 


jctor 


Me 


thod 
'2 
















2 


4 




— ►- 


Object Code 

for 
Method #2 






Sele 


>ctor 


Me 


:hod 
'3 




'3 


"* 4 




























Class Data Structure 






Object Code 

for 
Method #3 








Number of Instance 
Variables (2) 
















Instance Variable Names 






Non-Indexable 








Class Variables and 
Names 




i 




Method Dictionary 












Superclass 














i 


\ i 


i i 


\ 




































1 
Class 




Class 




Class 






Length (2) 


Length (2) 


Length (2) 




Instance 
Variable #1 


Instance 
Variable #1 


Instance 
Variable #1 




Instance 
Variable #2 


Instance 
Variable #2 


Instance 
Variable #2 






From 


Instance A 




Instance B 




Instance C 


' 




Subcla 


ss 






Figure A: Data structures illustrating concepts related to object-oriented programming. Arrows indicate pointers. 




pointer to its class and a field in- the class, and therefore an object's length information in the instance aids 
dicating the length of the instance. The methods, may be easily located when the storage manager and is usefu 
pointer to the class is needed so that the instance is sent a message. Storing when dealing with indexable instances 





AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 143 



PROGRAMMING ELEMENTS 



has the attendant advantage of reduc- 
ing overall code bulk and increasing 
programmer productivity, since you 
have to write less original code. In- 
heritance enhances code "factoring" 
(see references I and 2). Code factor- 
ing means that code to perform a par- 
ticular task is found in only one place, 
and this eases the task of software 
maintenance. 

Disadvantages 

Object-oriented languages have a few 
characteristics that are considered 
disadvantages by some. The one most 
often debated is the run-time cost of 
the dynamic binding mechanism. A 
message-send takes more time than 
a straight function call. Some studies 
have shown that with a well- 
implemented messager this overhead 
is approximately 1.7 5 times a stan- 
dard function call (see references 8 
and 9). Actual differences in execution 
speed between traditional languages 
and their object-oriented counter- 
parts, however, do not prove to be 
very significant. This is most likely due 
to the fact that the overhead applies 
only to message-sends and that 
message-sends accomplish more than 
a function call. Often, some of the 
work done automatically by a 
message-send must be done by the 
programmer anyway using code sur- 
rounding function calls or even multi- 
ple function calls. In fact, a case can 
be made that in large applications the 
ability to standardize and fine-tune 



the functionality supplied with the 
message-sends can make the applica- 
tion run faster than a traditional 
counterpart. The primary reason is 
that messaging obviates much of the 
variability in function setup code that 
results from different programming 
styles and skill levels. Messaging also 
eliminates the complex code often 
needed when traditional programs 
have to simulate dynamic binding. 

Another disadvantage often cited is 
that implementation of object- 
oriented languages is more complex 
than comparable procedure-oriented 
languages, since the semantic gap be- 
tween these languages and typical 
hardware machines is greater. There- 
fore more software simulation is re- 
quired. Fortunately, you pay the cost 
of implementation only once for a 
given machine. 

Another potential problem is that a 
programmer must learn an often ex- 
tensive class library before becoming 
proficient in an object-oriented lan- 
guage. As a result, object-oriented lan- 
guages are more dependent on good 
documentation and development 
tools such as Smalltalk-80 browsers 
(see references 2 and 4). 

Conclusion 

There are other important concepts 
in object-oriented programming that 
I haven't covered because they either 
do not fit well into the Smalltalk 
model or are not central to object- 
oriented programming. Two that re- 



PSEUDOVARIABLES 



Syntactically, pseudovariables are 
treated the same as normal vari- 
ables. Their semantics, however, are 
different since they cannot be assigned 
a new value during any particular in- 
vocation of a method. 

Two important pseudovariables in 
Smalltalk are self and super. Both self 
and super refer to the object that 
received the message currently being 
processed. For example, if there hap- 
pen to be 22 different rectangle ob- 
jects currently existing and one of 
them is sent the center message, then 
the system will set both the pseudo- 
variables self and super to refer to 
that rectangle. The difference between 



these two pseudovariables lies in the 
way that the message lookup is per- 
formed. 

When self is sent a message, the 
message lookup algorithm is identical 
to the way a lookup is performed when 
the message is sent externally, starting 
in the object's direct class. 

When super is sent a message, the 
lookup is performed starting in the 
superclass of the class in which the 
method that is currently executing is 
found. Note that this is not necessari- 
ly the superclass of the object's class. 
This pseudovariable mechanism gives 
objects a controlled way of accessing 
superclass methods. 



quire at least abbreviated mention are 
multiple inheritance and automatic 
storage management. 

Multiple inheritance allows a class to 
have more than one superclass. The 
potential for code sharing is greater, 
but the possibility of conflicts be- 
tween multiple superclasses increases 
the complexity of such systems. Cer- 
tain flavors of LISP get a great deal of 
power by using multiple inheritance. 

Automatic storage management, though 
not necessary, is so useful that it 
almost qualifies as a fifth major ele- 
ment. Automatic storage manage- 
ment techniques such as reference 
counting and garbage collection per- 
mit programmers to ignore details 
concerning the release of an object's 
storage. Application code becomes 
cleaner, and the overall system be- 
comes more reliable. 

Object-oriented programming pro- 
vides major advantages in the pro- 
duction and maintenance of software: 
shorter development times, a high 
degree of code sharing (good factor- 
ing), and malleability. These advan- 
tages make object-oriented program- 
ming an important technology for 
building complex software systems 
now and in the future. ■ 

REFERENCES 

1. lngalls, Daniel H. The Smalltalk-76 Pro- 
gramming System Design and Implementation. 
Conference Record of the Fifth Annual 
Symposium on Principles of Programming 
Languages. 
1 BYTE, Smalltalk Issue. August 1981. 

3. Goldberg, Adele, and Dave Robson. 
Smalltalk-80: The Language and Us \mpementa- 
tion. Reading, MA: AddisonWesley, 1983. 

4. Goldberg. Adele. Smalltalk-80: The Interac- 
tive Programming Environment. Reading, MA: 
Addison-Wesley, 1984. 

5. Krasner. Glenn. Smalltalk-80: Bits of 
History, Words of Advice. Reading, MA: 
Addison-Wesley. 1983. 

6. Wirth, Niklaus. Programming in Modula-2, 
3rd corrected edition. New York: Springer- 
Verlag, 1985. 

7. Reference Manual for the Ada Programming 
Language. United States Department of 
Defense, 1980. 

8. Cox, Brad ]. "Object-oriented Program- 
ming in C" Unix Review, October/November, 
1983. 

9. Cox, Brad ]. "Message/Object Program- 
ming: An Evolutionary Change in Pro- 
gramming Technology." IEEE Software, vol. 
I, no. I, January 1984. 



144 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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OBJECT-ORIENTED LANGUAGES 



A SMALL TASTE 
OF SMALLTALK 

by Ted Kaehler and Dave Patterson 



Two classic programming problems illustrate Smalltalk 
syntax and design philosophy 



This article is adapted by kind permission of the publisher from A 
l^ste of Smalltalk by Ted Kaehler and Dave Patterson (New York: 
W. W. Norton & Co.. 1986). All rights reserved. ,x The Animal Game" 
section is new material provided by the authors for use in this article. 

NEWCOMERS TO OBJECT-ORIENTED languages often 
have difficulty phrasing their programming problem in 
terms of objects. They struggle with how to divide a new 
programming problem into objects. A good starting place 
is to imagine that every fragment of program and every 
piece of data are floating together in space. Now imagine 
pieces of string between code and the data it uses, and 
between segments of code that are used together or that 
perform a similar function. Then imagine moving every- 
thing around until the total length of string is the shortest. 
Clustered around each data structure would be the rou- 
tines that use it, and natural divisions in the code become 
apparent. Dividing a problem into objects is just a pro- 
cess of putting things where they belong. 

Dividing a problem into objects and defining actions that 
are "natural" for those objects actually simplifies pro- 
grams. When the actions of an object are divided into the 
right kinds of "chunks." we can think and write code at 
a higher level. We know that the procedures we call from 
the high-level code are correct because they match the 
way we think about the problem. When that assurance 
exists, we make fewer mistakes. We have less anxiety about 
whether the subordinate procedures are doing the right 
thing. 

The overhead of calling a Smalltalk procedure is small 
for both the system and the programmer. The system has 
optimized Smalltalk procedure calls because they happen 



so frequently, typically 10 to 50 times per procedure. The 
overhead for a programmer to create a new Smalltalk pro- 
cedure is small as well. Declarations and preambles are 
very short in the Smalltalk-80 system, and you can edit, 
run, and debug without changing environments. In Small- 
talk, compiling a method and linking it into the system 
takes only a few seconds, as opposed to several minutes 
in a "batch-processed" system, where many modules may 
have to be recompiled. Writing a new procedure and call- 
ing it in the original program is easier in Smalltalk than 
in Pascal. Thus. Smalltalk encourages programmers to 
modularize code. 

We will now stop philosophizing and start explaining 
with the aid of some sample programs just how object- 
oriented programming makes the programmer's job 
easier. In the next section we will write a program in Small- 
talk that looks just like a program in a traditional language. 
(We will also include a Pascal version of the program so 
you can see how close it is.) The program is not written 
in an object-oriented style, but it does serve as a Rosetta 
stone for learning Smalltalk. Later in the article we will 
write a program to solve the Animal Game in a truly 
object-oriented style. Along the way we will provide a step- 

[continued] 
Ted Kaehler, a senior engineer at Apple Computer, worked on Smalltalk 
for many years in the learning Research Group at Xerox PARC. He 
can be contacted at Apple Computer Inc.. 20525 Mariani Ave.. MS: 
22Y, Cupertino. CA 95014. 

Dave Patterson is a professor at the University of California at 
Berkeley who does research on reduced instruction set computers (RISC) 
and teaches computer literacy. He can be contacted at 571 Evans 
Hall. University of California. Berkeley. CA 94720. 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 145 



TASTE OF SMALLTALK 



by-step description of how to use the Smalltalk user 
interface. 

A TOWERING TUTORIAL 

The Tower of Hanoi program represents one of the few 
examples of agreement in computer science. Practically 
every programming text introduces recursion using this 



Listing 1 : Tower of Hanoi in Pascal. This program is 
derived from a program found in Programming in 
Pascal by Peter Grogono (reference 4). 

program hanoi(input, output); 
var total : integer; 
procedure movetower (Height, Frompin, 
Topin, Usingpin : integer); 

procedure movedisk ( Frompin, 

Topin : integer); 
begin 

writeln( Frompin, '->', Topin) 
end; \ movedisk { 

begin \ movetower } 
if Height > then 
begin 

movetower(Height-1 , Frompin, 

Usingpin, Topin); 
movedisk( Frompin, Topin); 
movetower (He ight-1 , Usingpin, 
Topin, Frompin) 
end 
end; \ movetower \ 

begin \ hanoi } 

read(tota I ) ; 

movetower (total ,1,3,2) 
end. | hanoi { 



Listing 2a: A recursive Smalltalk program to solve the 
Tower of Hanoi problem. Note that this method refers to 
the method moveDisk:to: in listing lb. 

moveTower: height from: fromPin to: toPin 

using: usingPin 
"Recursive procedure to move the disk at a 
height from one pin to another using a 
third pin" 

(height > 0) i fTrue: [ 

self moveTower: (height - 1) from: 

fromPin to: usingPin using: toPin. 
self moveDisk: fromPin to: toPin. 
self moveTower: (height - 1 ) from: 
usingPin to: toPin using: fromPin] 

"This comment gives an example of how to 
run this program. Select the following 
text and choose 'do it* from the 
middle-button menu. 

(Object new) moveTower: 3 from: 1 to: 

3 using: 2 ' 



program, and our book is no exception (reference 1). The 
Tower of Hanoi is based on a game (popular in the 1960s) 
that has its own mythology (also popular in the 1960s): 

An ancient myth has it that in some temple in the Far East, 
time is marked off by monks engaged in the transfer of 64 disks 
from one of three pins to another. The universe as we know it 
will end when they are done. The reason we do not have to con- 
cern ourselves about the cosmological implications of this is that 
their progress is kept in check by some clever rules: the monks 
can only move one disk at a time; the disks all have different 
diameters: and no disk can ever be placed on top of a smaller 
one (reference 2). 

The rules seem easy enough, but with 64 disks you might 
get confused and never be sure if you were making for- 
ward progress. Luckily, there is a way to simplify things 
and find an algorithm. 

To move n disks from peg A to peg C: 

1. Move n - I disks from A to B. 

2. Move I disk from A to C. (This is easy.) 

3. Move n - I disks from B to C. 

Since we know how to handle the case when n equals 
one (move the single disk from A to C). we can easily do 
n equals two. From there we can do the cases of three 
or more disks. The only problem is keeping track of which 
step of which solution for which number of disks we are 
currently working on. This solution is more suited to a 
computer than to a person, and listing I shows a Pascal 
program to solve the Tower of Hanoi problem. 

Messages and Objects Everywhere 

Smalltalk strives to use a small number of powerful con- 
cepts unconstrained by conventions or terms from other 
programming languages. For example, a Smalltalk pro- 
cedure or subroutine is called a method. We will try to justify 
the Smalltalk names as soon as you learn enough to 
understand the excuse, but for now we will keep the un- 
conventional names to a minimum in this tutorial. Variable 
names in Smalltalk are often highly descriptive and thus 
quite long. Following the Smalltalk tradition, we use 
capitals as visual separators (moveTower) instead of 
hyphens. The designers of the Smalltalk language chose 
a format for procedure names that encourages the pro- 
grammer to describe each of the arguments. The idea is 
to provide more than just the order of the arguments to 
help the programmer remember which one is which. Each 
part of a procedure name ends with a colon and is fol- 
lowed by the argument it describes. | Editor's note: \n an ef- 
fort to distinguish Smalltalk code from menu items of the Smalltalk 
pop-up menu, we have used the Triumvirate Light typeface for code 
words and Triumvirate Oblique type for menu items] 

The four words ending in colons in the first line of listing 
2a are the four parts of the name of the method that is 
being defined. When you want to talk about the method, 
squeeze all the parts of its name together: in this exam- 
ple, the actual name of the methods we have been work- 
ing with is moveTower:from:to:using:, a method with four 
arguments. This method calls three methods (itself twice 

(continued) 



146 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 





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Inquiry 209 



TASTE OF SMALLTALK 



Am object is a package of data and 
procedures that belong together 
Specifically, all constants and the 
contents of all variables are objects. 



and moveDisk:to: once). You may find it helpful to men- 
tally translate calls on Smalltalk methods to the familiar 
format of procedure name followed by arguments, for ex- 
ample. moveTower:from:to:using: (height, fromPin, toPin, 
usingPin). 

The moveTower:from:to: using: method in listing 2a has 
local names for its arguments: height, fromPin, toPin, 
usingPin. On the second line, the text between double 
quotes is a comment. Next is an expression, (height > 
0). that evaluates to true or false. The Smalltalk if state- 
ment is like Pascal except that the Boolean expression 
precedes, instead of follows, the if. Next is a block, similar 
to Pascal blocks, except that Smalltalk surrounds blocks 
with square brackets instead of begin and end. There are 
three statements in the block, and they are executed se- 
quentially. In Smalltalk, periods are used to separate 
.statements. Pascal programmers will find this syntax 
familiar provided they remember to use a period instead 
of a semicolon. There is a comment at the end of the 
procedure. 

You've probably heard that Smalltalk is an object- 
oriented system and may be curious to know what an ob- 
ject is. An object is a package of data and procedures that 
belong together. Specifically, all constants and the con- 
tents of all variables are objects. An object in Smalltalk 
is like a record in Pascal but much richer and more ver- 
satile. The only things that don't denote objects are the 
message selectors (operators or procedure names), the 
comments, and a few punctuation characters. 

Most systems get work done in a variety of ways: by call- 
ing procedures, applying operators to operands, condi- 
tionally executing blocks, and so forth. Following the goal 
of using a small number of consistent abstractions. Small- 
talk has exactly one way of getting work done: by "send- 
ing messages" to objects. A message is a message selector 
with its operands. The object that receives a message, the 
receiver, appears just to the left of the message. In listing 



Listing 2b: The moveDisk:to: method referred to in 
listing la. 

moveDisk: fromPin to: toPin 



"Move disk from a 
Print results in 
Transcript cr. 
Transcript show 
printString, '■ 



p i n 

the 



to another pin. 
transcript window" 



(fromPin 
■>' , toPin printString). 



2a, everything that is not an object, a comment, a bracket, 
or a period is a message selector. 

Smalltalk always returns a value as the result of each 
method, and, as you might expect from an object-oriented 
language, that result is also an object. For example, in 
listing 2a, height- 1 returns an integer object and height 
> returns a Boolean object. 

You now know enough that we can explain more Small- 
talk lingo. The terms "method" and "message selector" 
were invented while asking the question, "How do we 
select the method an object will use to respond to this 
message?" The answer is. "Use the selector to find the 
right method to execute." 

If you talk to yourself while you read code (don't be 
bashful, everyone does), then you need to know how to 
"talk" Smalltalk. The phrase height > does exactly what 
you think it does, and you can pronounce it just the way 
you would in other languages ("height is greater than 
zero"), but it is really shorthand for "the object height 
receives the message greater-than with the argument 
zero." 

When an object receives a message, it looks up the mes- 
sage name to see if it understands the message. If the mes- 
sage is found, it starts executing the method that tells how 
to respond to the message. 

Just as a Pascal procedure may call other procedures, 
a method may need to call other methods. The way to 
start another method is to send a message to an object. 
Sometimes you want to send a message to the same ob- 
ject that received the current message. How is that object 
named locally? In other words, when a Smalltalk object 
talks to itself, what does it call itself? Why, self, naturally. 
Not surprisingly, messages to self are common. You can 
see them sprinkled throughout the program in listing 2a. 
When a piece of code happens to send a message to the 
same selector as the current method, the program is using 
recursion. 

The method moveDisk:to: in listing 2b includes a cou- 
ple of new things. The System Transcript is a window on 
the screen. It behaves like a traditional character-oriented 
terminal. The object that represents the transcript is held 
in the global variable, Transcript. The message cr tells the 
transcript to append a carriage return. The message show: 
takes a string as an argument and appends it to the tran- 
script. It also redisplays the text in the transcript window, 
so you can see it. 

Each comma in the expression (fromPin printString, 
' - > \ toPin printString) is a selector meaning "con- 
catenate two strings." In this case. fromPin printString 
returns a string, and the comma concatenates the literal 
string ' - > ' onto the end of it. The result of toPin print- 
String is then concatenated to the end of that. An array 
also understands the message comma. It returns a new 
array consisting of itself concatenated with the argument. 

Specifying an object, sending it a message, and getting 
back another object as the result are the only things that 
ever happen in Smalltalk code. Things that require new 
kinds of constructs in other languages, such as control 

[continued) 



148 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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Inquiry 308 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 149 



TASTE OF SMALLTALK 



structures and arithmetic operators, are simply messages 
sent to objects in Smalltalk. The result of one message 
can be used as the object that receives another message 
or as an argument in another message. For example, the 
object that is the result of the message - 1 being sent 
to height is used as an argument in the method move- 
Tower:from:to:using:. Except for the assignment operator, 
all Smalltalk code is a grand concoction of messages sent 
to objects. 

Entering the Program 

The Smalltalk programming environment tries to provide 
every tool you want for finding, viewing, writing, and run- 
ning Smalltalk methods. The system can tell that a par- 
ticular piece of text is a method by the window in which 
it is typed. Thus, there is no need for special punctuation 
marking the beginning or end of a Smalltalk method. Every 
time you deal with a whole method, it is inside a window 
that expects a method. 

With traditional programming systems you create a new 
program that is loosely linked to other programs via the 
operating system. In Smalltalk, on the other hand, every 
program is just a piece of the whole system, and the pieces 
are linked together. This Zen-like approach to program- 
ming means we must find a place for the Tower of Hanoi 
before we can write the program. Let's create a games 
section in one of the more generic parts of the system. 
[Editor's note: The Smalltalk-SO system developed at Xerox PARC 
used a color-coded three-button mouse with red, yellow, and blue but- 
tons. These buttons are often referred to as left, middle, and right but- 



tons, and we will use this terminology. \f you are using Smalltalk-SO 
on a Macintosh, you should refer to the documentation included with 
that system] 

To place the games category in the Smalltalk hierarchy, 
we will perform a number of steps using a tool called the 
system browser (figure I). We have labeled the parts of 
the browser with letters to ease references to them. 

1 . Move the cursor into area A of the system browser and 
select Kernel-Objects. (See figure 2.) 

2. Move to area B and select Object. 

3. In area F, make sure the word instance is selected. 

4. Now let's add a category in which to put new pro- 
cedures. Select add protocol from the middle-button menu 
in area C. When you select this item, a little window will 
appear, asking you to type a name. There will be an old 
name there in reverse video, so just type the word games 
word games and press the Return key. 

If your menu does not have the item add protocol on 
it, you have a License I system from Apple and must do 
a little more work. Do not choose any items from the menu 
(move outofthemenuand release the button). Move into 
area B and choose protocols from the middle-button 
menu. After a moment, a long list will appear in area E. 
Move the cursor there, and without clicking anywhere, type 
('games') and press Return. Be sure the parentheses and 
single quotes are there. Keep the cursor in area E and 
choose accept from the middle-button menu. 

5. The name of your new section, games, will appear and 

(continued) 





I 



Class 
Categories 



a 



Class Names 



irtStthr 



a 

B 



Message 
Categories 



a 






Message 
Selectors 




Text of the Smalltalk code for the 
method selected in area D 







f 



Figure 1 : The Smalltalk system browser. The four lists across the top are four levels of detail in the path to a method (a piece of 
code). The user moves from left to right, choosing an item in each list. 



150 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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Inquiry 47 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 151 



TASTE OF SMALLTALK 



be selected for you in area C. Move the cursor into area 
E at the bottom of the browser. The browser should ap- 
pear as in figure 2. 

6. Replace the text in area E with listing 2a. 

7. Read over what you have typed. If you have typed it 
in correctly select accept from the middle-button pop- 
up menu of area E. This attempts to compile, link, and 
load what we have just typed. You don't need to select 
any text because accept reads everything in area E. 

8. The system will tell you that it doesn't understand move- 
Disk:to: and ask you if you made a typo or are just men- 
tioning a new procedure. Reassure the system by clicking 
proceed as is (or. on a Macintosh, click the name of the 
method). When the system successfully accepts the new 
procedure, it will list the name of the procedure in area 
D and show the name in boldface in area E. 

9. Now we will type in moveDisk:to:. Go to area D and 
click once on moveTower:from:to:using: to deselect it. Go 
to area E and replace all the text in area E with listing 
2b and choose accept from the middle-button menu. The 
message selector moveDisk:to: should appear in area D 
of the browser. 

Running the Program 

Let's try the Tower of Hanoi using three disks. Move the 
cursor to the window labeled System Transcript (probably 



in the upper left corner of the display) and click the left 
button. When the window wakes up. point to the end of 
the text, click once, and type: 

(Object new) moveTower: 3 from: 1 to: 3 using: 2 

Select the text and choose doit from the middle-button 
pop-up menu (see figure 3). doit, as you might expect, 
tells Smalltalk to execute what you have selected. The 
System TYanscript shows program output, just as a tradi- 
tional character-oriented terminal does in other program- 
ming systems. This sequence of moves should scroll by: 



- > 

- > 

- > 

- > 

- > 

- > 
-> 



Notice that we never declared the type of the arguments 
to our procedure. moveTower:from:to: using:. In this in- 
stance, Smalltalk is much more like LISP than Pascal 
because Smalltalk variables can be any type. As long as 
they understand the messages they are sent, variables can 
hold values of a different type than we originally intended. 
Without making changes to the procedures, we can ac- 




Figure 2: The state of the browser just before adding the methods in listings la and lb. 



152 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



TASTE OF SMALLTALK 




Figure 3: The System Transcript with the text to run the Tower of Hanoi program highlighted. The doit command that will execute 
the highlighted text is about to be chosen. 



tually run the program with strings as the names of the 
poles instead of integers! Furthermore, the height can be 
a floating-point number. Try the example again with new 
pole names: 

(Object new) moveTower: 3.0 

from: 'North' to: 'South' using: Telephone' 

When you select this and choose doit, the System Tran- 
script will show 

'North' - > 'South' 
'North' - > Telephone' 
'South' - > Telephone' 
'North' - > 'South' 
Telephone' - > 'North' 
Telephone' - > 'South' 
'North' -> 'South' 

The recursive solution of the Tower of Hanoi problem 
presented here is not object-oriented. The program in 
Smalltalk looks very much like the equivalent program in 
the other languages. It contains objects, but they are not 
exhibiting the full power of object-oriented programming. 
\Author's note: A Tkste of Smalltalk contains versions of this pro- 
gram that are object-oriented and that take advantage of Smalltalk 
graphics to show an animation of disks moving between the poles] 

The Animal Game 

Let's now consider a new game and write a program that 
uses objects as they are meant to be used. The Animal 
Game is used commonly as an example of binary trees 
(we found it in Ohl Pascal! by Doug Cooper and Michael 
Clancy |reference 3|). The user thinks of an animal, and 
the program tries to guess what it is. 

Does it swim? 



< click yes> 
Does it have gills? 

< click no> 

Are you thinking of a Dolphin? 

< click no> 
Gee, I don't know this one. 

What animal were you thinking of? 
(type it and press return) 

Penguin 
Please type a question that distinguishes between 
a Penguin and a Dolphin 

Does it have feathers? 
Remind me about a Penguin. Does it have feathers? 

< click yes> 

Would you like to think of another animal? 

< click yes> 
Does it swim? 



The program begins by asking the user a series of yes- 
or-no questions and finally suggests a specific animal. If 
the program is wrong, it asks the user what animal he or 
she was actually thinking of and what question would 
distinguish it from the other animal. By installing this in- 
formation at the right place in a binary tree, the program 
builds up a collection of questions and animals to ask 
about in the next round. 

The tree is composed of "question objects" and "animal 
objects" (see figure 4). Each object has variables it owns, 
much like the variables in a Pascal record. A question ob- 
ject needs to store the following information: 

fatherNode object above this one in the tree (a question, 
an animal, or nil) 

{continued) 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 



153 



TASTE OF SMALLTALK 



Does it swim? 










YES | 

1 






NO 




1 

Does it have gills? 
■ 




Is it < 


1 

3 bird? 




YES 1 NO 
1 1 


YES 




1 


NO 


Fish Does it have feathers? 


1 

Robin 






1 
Lion 


YES 1 NO 
1 1 










Penguin Dolphin 






■ 





Figure 4: An example of a binary tree that the Animal program might build. 



myQuestion text of a question to ask (a string) 
yesBranch object to go to if the user says yes (an 

object in the tree) 
noBranch object to go to if the user says no (an 

object in the tree) 

And an animal object needs to store: 



fatherNode node above this one in the tree (another 
object or nil) 



name 



animal's name (a string) 



Before creating an object, we need to describe it. After 
we have described a single object, the description can 
serve as the definition of a whole class of objects. We call 
such an object description a class. A class is like a user- 
defined data type combined with a module that has a set 
of procedures as an external interface. Any object created 
from the description is called an instance of the class. We 

{continued) 



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154 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



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■^'H.iii 



TASTE OF SMALLTALK 



have already decided what information an individual ques- 
tion should hold (fatherNode, myQuestion, yesBranch, 
noBranch); these variables are called instance variables. Each 
instance has its own private values for its instance vari- 
ables. 

Since both class Question and class Animal have the 
variable fatherNode, let's separate it out into another 
description called TreeNode (see listing 3). We make the 
classes Question and Animal subclasses of TreeNode so 
they can inherit the common instance variable and the 
methods fatherNode: and playGame that are common 
to Animal and Question. (See class descriptions in listings 
4 and 5.) 

Let's consider how the program asks the user a ques- 
tion. We send the message ask to the top object in the 
tree. This object might be a question or it might be an 
animal, and we want different things to happen in each 
case. Since questions and animals are different kinds of 
objects, they can respond differently to the message ask. 

In listing 4 under the message ask, we see how a ques- 
tion responds to ask. The third line declares a local vari- 
able, answer. (In Smalltalk you do not need to declare the 
types of variables.) Names enclosed in vertical bars at the 
beginning of a method are local to that method. The next 
statement puts the question on the screen in a confirma- 
tion window and stores the user's response in the variable 
answer. The confirm: message returns true for "yes" and 
false for "no." A left arrow is the assignment operator: you 
can pronounce it as "gets." In the last two lines of the 
method, we send the message ask to the yesBranch ob- 
ject if the answer was true, and we send ask to the 
noBranch object if the answer was false. The up arrow 
at the beginning of the last statement means return an 
object to the method that sent the message that caused 
this method to be run. The object is the result of the 
chosen branch of the conditional. Every Smalltalk method 
returns a single object as its result. If you don't specify 
what object to return (by using an up arrow), the object 
that received this message (which we know as self) is 
returned. 

Sending the message ask to an animal object causes 
an entirely different piece of code to run (see the ask mes- 
sage in listing 5). We declare answer and newQuestion 
as local variables. The next line presents a confirmer win- 
dow to the user, asking if the user was thinking of this 
animal and storing the response in the variable answer. 

If this was not the correct animal guess, we need to build 
a new object and put it in the tree. We create a new ques- 
tion object (Question new), send it the message askFor- 
NewAnimalAndQuestion: with the current object (self) as 
an argument, and store the result in newQuestion. The 
expression (fatherNode == nil) tests if this animal is the 
top node in the tree (it could be if there is only one ob- 
ject in the tree). If not, fatherNode is an object above, and 
we tell that object to substitute the new question on one 
of its branches. The top of the tree is stored in a global 
variable called AnimalTree, so the program will remember 
its knowledge between games. If self is the top of the tree, 
store newQuestion into AnimalTree. (Normally, you can 



Listing 3: The variable fatherNode and the methods 
fatherNode: and playGame have been factored out of 
the classes Animal and Question and put into their 
own class description, TreeNode. 

Class Description for TreeNode: 



Object subclass: #TreeNode 

instanceVar i ab I eNames : ' fatherNode 
c I assVar iab I eNames : ' ' 
poolDict ionar i es : ' ' 
category: 'Kernel-Objects' 

Methods for class TreeNode: 



fatherNode: aNode 

"remember the parent decision node" 
fatherNode <- aNode 



pi ayGame 

"To start new game, select the text 
within the double quotes in the line 
below and choose 'do it' from 
middle-button menu:" 

"(Animal new name: 'Robin') playGame." 
"To restart an o I d game:" 
"AnimalTree playGame." 

| exclamation | 

Smalltalk at: #AnimalTree put: self. 

[exclamation «- 

(Smalltalk at: #AnimalTree) ask. 
nil confirm: exclamation, 
'Wou Id you like to 
think of another animal?'] whileTrue. 



Listing 4: 


The class description and methods for 


Question. 


This class is a subclass of TreeNode. 


Class Description for Question: 


TreeNode 


subclass: #Question 


instanceVar iab 1 eNames : 'myQuest ion 




yesBranch noBranch ' 


c 1 assVc 


ir i ab 1 eNames : ' ' 


poo IDic 


:t i onar ies: ' ' 


categor 


y: 'Kernel-Objects' 


Methods 


for C lass Quest ion : 


ask 




"Ask the 


user a question" 


| answer 


I 


answer <■ 


■ nil confirm: myQuestion. 


"Ask a more detailed question" 


t answer 


ifTrue: [yesBranch ask] 
ifFalse: [noBranch ask]. 





156 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



TASTE OF SMALLTALK 



askForNewAn i ma 1 AndQuest i on : o 1 dAn i ma 1 


"Ask the 


user the name of the new animal 


and get 


a distinguishing question." 


| newName newAnimal polarity | 


newName «- F i It InTheBI ank request: 


'Gee 


I don " t know this one. 


What animal were you thinking of? 


(type it 


and <return>) ' . 


newAn i ma 


«- Animal new name: newName. 


myQuestion «- Fi 1 1 InTheBI ank request: 


'Please 1 


type a question that distinguishes 


between 


', oldAnimal name, ' and *, 


newAnimal name. 


po lar i ty 


«- n i I conf i rm: 


• Remind 


me about ', newAnimal name, '. 


* ,myQues1 


: ion . 


po lar i ty 


ifTrue: [yesBranch 4- newAnimal. 




noBranch 4- oldAnimal] 




ifFalse: [yesBranch «- oldAnimal. 




noBranch «- newAnimal]. 


newAnimal fatherNode: self. 


subst i tu1 


:e: newQuestion for: oldAnimal 


"replace 


an animal branch with a 


decision 


branch" 


(yesBranch == oldAnimal) ifTrue: 




[yesBranch 4- newQuestion], 


(noBranch == oldAnimal) ifTrue: 




[noBranch 4- newQuestion]. 


newQues 


tion fatherNode: self. 



Listing 5: The class description and methods for 
Animal. Tfc class is a subclass of TreeNode. 

Class Description for Animal: 



TreeNode subclass: #Animal 
instanceVariab I eNames : 'name 
classVar iab leNames: '' 
poolDict ionar ies: ' ' 
category: 'Kernel-Objects' 



Methods for Class Animal: 



ask 

"ask the user if this animal is the one" 

| answer newQuestion | 

answer 4- nil confirm: 
'Are you thinking of ', name, '?'. 

answer 

ifTrue: [t 'Oh, boy! I got it! 

ifFalse: ["ask what were you thinking of" 
newQuestion 4- Question new 

askForNewAn i ma I AndQuest ion: sel f . 
fatherNode == n i I 
ifFalse: [ fatherNode substitute: 

newQuestion for: self] 
ifTrue: [Smalltalk at: #AnimalTree 

{continued) 



just say AnimalTree <- newQuestion, but here we explicitly 
look it up in Smalltalk, the global dictionary, so you won't 
have to declare AnimalTree before you type this program.) 
Finally we set our own fatherNode to be the new ques- 
tion object, because we are now below it in the tree. 

In the code for ask in class Animal we create the new 
instance of class Question and send it a message that 
gathers the data for a new question. Looking at the 
method askForNewAnimalAndQuestion: in class Ques- 
tion, the message request: to FilllnTheBlank puts up a win- 
dow that asks the user for input, using the string we supply 
as a herald. We store what the user typed in newName. 
We construct the string by using commas to concatenate 
several strings. The message name sent to oldAnimal asks 
the animal object for the string in its name field. 

The line 

newAnimal <- Animal new name: newName. 

creates a new instance of class Animal and tells it that its 
name will be the name we just got from the user (new- 
Name). 

The next line collects a question from the user to 
distinguish this animal from the wrong guess and stores 
it directly into the instance variable question. We need to 
know if a positive answer to our new question indicates 
the new animal or the old one. We ask the user and store 
the answer in polarity. We then test polarity and assign 
the animal objects to the yes and no branches according- 
ly. Finally we inform the new animal that its father node 
is ourself. 

We used the messages name and name: to retrieve and 
set the name string of an animal. Pairs of messages that 
have the same name except for a colon are common in 
Smalltalk. By informal convention, one sets a value and 
the other retrieves it. In class Animal (see listing 5) the 
name method simply returns the contents of the instance 
variable, name. The name: method not only sets the value 
of the instance variable, name, but also adds a little class 
to this program (as if there weren't enough classes already) 
by automatically putting "a" or "an" in front of the name. 
"Lion" becomes "a Lion," and "Elephant" becomes "an 
Elephant." To get the first letter of a string, we treat it as 
an array and index into it using the message at:. Thus. 
(newName at: 1) returns the first character of the string. 
We want to know if the vowels in the string 'aeiouAEIOlT 
contain this character. The message indexOf: returns the 
index of the first occurrence of its first argument (a char- 
acter) in the string. If the index is zero, our character is 
not a vowel. 

When you are exploring the Smalltalk system, you will 
often be doing what we just did: reading unfamiliar code. 
Reading code is easy if you can do two things: identify 
the objects and understand the order in which messages 
are sent. All words that begin with a letter and don't end 
with a colon are objects, except those that immediately 
follow another object. In the expression (oldAnimal name). 
oldAnimal is an object and name is a message. In a series 
of words without colons such as (oldAnimal name 

(continued) 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 157 



TASTE OF SMALLTALK 



pu 


t: newQuestion ]. 


fatherNode <- newQu 


est ion. 


t ■ >]. 




name 




"reply wi th my name" 




t name 




name: newName 




"Save the name of this new animal. 


Add 'a' or 'an' before 


the name." 


('aeiouAEIOU' indexOf : 




(newName at 


: 1)) = 


i fTrue: [name <- 'a ' , 


newName] 


ifFalse: [name +- 'an 


' , newName] 



asUppercase), the first word is an object and the rest are 
message names. In (height printString) size, the token size 
is still a message name, since the expression in paren- 
theses evaluates to an object. 

The order in which messages are sent in Smalltalk is a 
little more complicated than identifying which things are 
objects. As you might expect, parentheses are used to 
show what to do first. We were amazed to find that paren- 
theses are not required in any of the methods we wrote 
until name:. In the expression 

('aeiouAEIOU' indexOf: (newName at: 1)) = 

(newName at: 1) is evaluated first. The message indexOf: 
uses the result as its argument, and the message = is sent 
last of all. When you write code you can include as many 
parentheses as you want, but you may have to read code 
that has a minimum of parentheses, so it helps to know 
the order of evaluation. 

Smalltalk has just two rules that tell which messages are 
sent before others. Messages without arguments (name. 
printString. etc.) are executed first. They take precedence 
over adjacent messages that are operators ( + ,-,*,=, 
>, comma, etc.). Thus, aString size > is the same as 
(aString size) > and means send the message size to 
aString first. Operator messages are executed before ad- 
jacent messages whose names contain colons. Thus, 

(yesBranch == oldAnimal) ifTrue: 
[yesB ranch *- newQuestion ]. 

does not need parentheses to cause yesBranch and 
oldAnimal to be compared before the message ifTrue: is 
sent. r IWo messages without arguments are evaluated left 
to right, as are two operators in a row (3 + 4*5 evaluates 
to 3 5). The Smalltalk books (references l and 4) have the 
complete story. As you may have guessed, all spaces, tabs, 
and carriage returns in Smalltalk code are meaningless 
to the system. Packed methods compile just as well as 
beautiful, poetically indented ones. (You do need a space 
in oldAnimal name to show that it is not the single long 
name. oldAnimalname.) 
Returning to our program, in the method ask we sent 



a message to fatherNode, the object above the current 
node, so it will use the new Question object next time. 
In class Question, look at the method substitute:for: (see 
listing 4). If the animal we are replacing is exactly the same 
object as the yesBranch (tested by the message = = ), 
replace it with the new question. If the noBranch was the 
old animal, then it is the one to replace. In any case, set 
the fatherNode of the new question object to be the cur- 
rent object (self). 

The methods substitute:for: and askForNewAnimalAnd- 
Question: in class Question each tell an object to set its 
fatherNode. Both Animals and Questions get their father- 
Nodes set in the same way, so we can put the code in 
class TreeNode where it will be shared by both kinds of 
nodes (see listing 3). 

We are all done except for launching the game. The top 
node of the tree is stored in the global variable Animal- 
Tree, and it can be a node of either kind. The comments 
that compose the first four lines of the method playGame 
(see listing 3) tell how to start the game, both normally 
and from scratch. 

After exclamation is declared local and the current ob- 
ject is installed as the root of the tree (the same object 
is already there when this method is called from the ex- 
pression AnimalTree playGame), the rest of the method 
is a single statement. The block of code enclosed in 
brackets is a while loop, and it is executed repeatedly until 
the last expression in the block returns false. All the work 
is done by the first statement in the block, which sends 
the message ask to AnimalTree, which is an animal or a 
question object. 

Entering the Program 

Let's consider how to enter our program into a Small- 
talk-80 system. In area B of figure I. deselect any class 
that is currently selected. A class-definition template will 
appear in area E. Modify it to be the definition of class 
TreeNode and accept it. Our new class, TreeNode, will 
appear in area B. Deselect it and enter the class descrip- 
tions of Animal and Question in the same way. (You can 
create a second browser on the screen by holding down 
the left mouse button in the gray area outside all windows.) 
Now we will enter the methods for these classes. 

If you are using an early version of the Level Smalltalk 
system for the Macintosh 512K. you will have to add the 
method request: to the system. Do this by entering area 
A of the browser and selecting the category Interface- 
Menus (it is above Kernel-Objects). Select FilllnTheBlank 
in area B and class in area F. Look in area D to see if the 
method request: is there. If not. enter the method request: 
shown in listing 6 and accept it. When you have finished, 
be 'sure you change the selection back to instance in 
area F. 

In each of the three classes, create a category for mes- 
sages, as we did in the Tower of Hanoi example, and enter 
and accept the methods. Be sure to put the right method 
in the right class. Note that you make a left arrow by typ- 
ing an underscore and an up arrow by typing a caret. To 
run the program, select the appropriate part of the com- 



158 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



TASTE OF SMALLTALK 



Listing 6: Missing method in the class portion of 
FilllnTheBlank. (Only early versions of Apple's level 
system are missing this method.) 

request: messageStr i ng 

"Create an instance of FilllnTheBlank 
whose question is messageStr i ng. Display 
it centered around the cursor. Return the 
string that the user types and accepts." 

self 

request: messageStr i ng 

displayAt: Sensor cursorPoint 

centered: true 

action: [:response | response] 

initio I Answer : •'. "<- two single quotes" 
t response 



ment in playGame and choose doit from the middle- 
button menu. The system should ask you questions in the 
form of small windows that appear on the screen. You have 
now explored a truly object-oriented program. 

Why Use Object-oriented Languages Anyway? 

The most important part of object-oriented programming 
is not any technical advantage it gives but the fact that 
it crosses a threshold of perception. When we put all the 
information associated with a question node into an in- 
stance of class Question, we didn't just clean up the 
Animal program. We allowed ourselves to think of that 
body of information and action as a single unit, namely 
a question node. We perceive the world around us as 
made up of objects, and our brains arrange information 
into chunks. By using objects in a programming language, 
we can tap into an existing pattern of thought. 

Thinking of an algorithm in terms of objects makes it 
easier to understand. This ease of understanding often 
comes not from the details of how a procedure is con- 
structed but from not having to think about the rest of 
the program. When you are working inside one Smalltalk 
class, you are largely safe from the side effects and com- 
plexities of parts of your program outside that class. 

Good design and clean code are not the sole province 
of Smalltalk. It is possible to write extremely beautiful 
code in other languages, as well as terrible code in Small- 
talk. However, the designers of Smalltalk believe that you 
already know what makes a good design and clean code. 
Smalltalk encourages you to follow your best instincts. 

REFERENCES 

!. Kaehler, Ted, and Dave Patterson. A Taste of Smalltalk. New York: 

WW. Norton & Co., 1986. 

2. Winston. P. H.. and B. K. P. Horn. LISP. Reading, MA: Addison- 
Wesley. 1981. page 88. 

3. Cooper, Doug, and Michael Clancy. Oft! Pascall. 2nd ed. New 
York: W W Norton, 1985. page 505. 

4. Grogono. Peter. Programming in Pascal. Reading, MA: Addison- 
Wesley, 1978. pages 102-103. 

5. Goldberg, Adele, and David Robson. Smalltalk-SO: The language 
and Its Implementation. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1983. ■ 




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OBJECT-ORIENTED LANGUAGES 



OBJECTS, ICONS, 

AND 
SOFTWARE-ICS 

by Brad Cox and Bill Hunt 

Object-oriented programming can make it easier 
to create iconic user interfaces 



MAKING COMPUTERS EASIER TO USE has been an en- 
during dream since the dawn of computing. This is one 
of the reasons for the current interest in iconic or object- 
oriented user interfaces— interfaces that present information 
as pictures instead of text and numbers. However, iconic 
programs can be excruciatingly difficult to build. They 
must not only do all that conventional programs do. but 
they must also present their workings as pictures instead 
of the usual words and numbers, and they must determine 
the user's needs from a graphical input device like a mouse 
rather than the usual commands from a keyboard. Unless 
tools can reduce this complexity, iconic user interfaces 
will remain costly and comparatively rare. 

This article will demonstrate why object-oriented pro- 
gramming is becoming so popular, not only for building 
iconic programs but for programs of any kind. This popu- 
larity is the result of two language features beyond those 
provided by non-object-oriented languages: encapsulation 
and inheritance. Encapsulation means that code suppliers 
can build, test, and document solutions to difficult user 
interface problems and store them in libraries as reusable 
software components that depend only loosely on the ap- 
plications that use them. Encapsulation lets consumers 
assemble generic components directly into their applica- 
tions, and inheritance lets them define new application- 
specific components by inheriting most of the work from 
generic components in the library. 

Building programs by reusing generic components will 
seem strange if you think of programming as the act of 
assembling the raw statements and expressions of a pro- 



gramming language. The integrated circuit seemed just as 
strange to designers who built circuits from discrete elec- 
tronic components. What is truly revolutionary about 
object-oriented programming is that it helps programmers 
reuse existing code, just as the silicon chip helps circuit 
builders reuse the work of chip designers. To emphasize 
this parallel we call reusable classes Software-ICs. 

Even though the examples in this article are written in 
Objective-C. not Smalltalk-80. you will find the graphics 
primitives chapter in Adele Goldberg and David Robson's 
book Smalltalk-80: The Language and Us Implementation 
(Addison-Wesley 1983) helpful in understanding the por- 
table graphics substrate on which this work is based. More 
information on Objective-C and the Software-IC approach 
to system building is contained in Lamar Ledbetter and 
Brad Cox's article "Software-ICs" (June 1985 BYTE) and 
in Cox's book Object-oriented Programming: An Evolutionary Ap- 
proach (Addison-Wesley, 1986). 

Workbench 

To determine how much a Software-IC library can help in 
building iconic applications, we developed the program 
whose interface is shown in the top window in figure I . 

[continued] 
Brad Cox. a founder and chief technical officer of Productivity Prod- 
ucts International (27 Glen Rd.. Sandy Hook. CT 06482). is the 
originator of Objective-C and its user interface library. 

Bill Hunt currently works on user interfaces and high-speed graphics 
for Hewlett-Packard (P.O. Box 301, Yoveland. CO 80539). He was 
also part of the team that developed the HP 110. 

AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 161 



ICONS AND SOFTWARE-ICS 



This program is called Workbench because it lets a pro- 
grammer describe the files on his workbench and how 
they should be transformed into other files by tools like 
compilers and linkers. Workbench shows each file as an 
icon, dependencies between files as lines, and the pro- 
grams that transform files as small circles. For example, 
the file named testOutput depends on two other files, 
testlnput and theProgram. The file named theProgram 
depends on the three binary files shown as Software-IC 
icons, and each of these depends on its own source file. 
By relying on the operating system to maintain time 
stamps showing when each file was last changed, Work- 
bench could be made to automatically rebuild the target 
files to bring them up to date when the source files they 
depend on change. 

Since Workbench is currently only a prototype that we 
built to test the Software-IC library, we have not yet im- 
plemented the logic for rebuilding target files when source 
files change. Except for this unimplemented (but crucial) 



feature, Workbench and the UNIX utility make provide 
radically different user interfaces for the same problem. 
Figure 2 shows the file a user would have to build to 
describe the same information described in figure I by 
Workbench. 

Building the Components 

An iconic user interface is like an animated movie or car- 
toon. Once a cartoon has been designed through script- 
writing and storyboarding, an artist builds the components 
of the animation by painting gels on transparent acetate 
sheets, turning generic materials from an art supply store 
into the specialized components needed for the movie 
on hand. The user interface library is the programmer's 
art supply store. It provides generic components from 
which specialized ones are defined by using encapsula- 
tion and inheritance the way an artist uses paint, scissors, 
and glue. This section will show how a programmer builds 

[continued) 




Include "Workbench. h" 
include "liage.h" 
0bjY1ew:Y1ew CATEGORIESO 

1d lodel; 

STR filename; 

1d iiage; 

PT HageOffset; 

FACTORY Fori, Font, FonY 
♦ createYiewQf :aHodel { 1d te: 
self = [self new]; iodel=; 
1sAct1on = Ciodel isKlndO 
f1lenaie=[aHodel str]; its; 
1f CisActlon) textYiew = i 
else { 

t=[Fori str:f1lenate 
f1 11 :fons. White 

[t draw:blackPixelFon 

textYiew = [FonYiew < 
} 

[self extent:ptPlusInt(ptt 
liageOffset = ptH1nus([se 
taHodel 1n:ptPlus(liage0f 

out:ptPlus(1iage0ffse 

fr^ffM/aa i to ■ •."■■■*m 

w1th:ptPlus(1iage0ffset, ptPlus(or1gin, [Hage textCenterPoInt]))]; 
[aHodel add0ependent:self1; 
return self; 

I// The view loves by telling Its lodel to love, which tells the 
[// view that the aodel aoved. 

■Qt1onBy:(PT)aPo1nt 
|"0bJY1ew.i" 143 lines, 5939 characters 



CONSOLE /bin/csh ^/bin/csh |7btn7csh 



Figure I: Workbench as it might be seen by a programmer. The topmost window shows the iconic user interface, the window to the 
left shows a text editor, and the window to the right shows a bit-map editor. 



162 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 163 



ICONS AND SOFTWARE-ICS 



a stockpile of specialized components from generic com- 
ponents in the library. Later we will show how the com- 
ponents are assembled into an application and brought 
to life in the way that an artist assembles gels into layers 
and moves them with respect to each other to simulate 
motion. 

The programmer's sheet of acetate is a generic class in 
the library named View. [Editor's note: \t is a naming conven- 
tion to capitalize the first letter of class names and lowercase the first 
letter of the instances of these classes.] Workbench's user inter- 
face in figure 1 was produced by many different instances 
of many specialized kinds of views, assembled like overlap- 
ping layers of acetate. No instances of the generic View 
class appear because instances of this class are 
transparent. But instances of specialized view classes can 
be seen because the programmer who defined them 
added "paint" to make them visible. For example, 
BorderedViews provide two colors of paint, one for a 
border of adjustable thickness and another for the region 
inside the border. One of these drew the white square in 
the upper left corner, two others drew similar squares in 
two other corners, and a fourth drew the tall vertical rec- 
tangle along the left edge. Several other BorderedView 
instances cannot be seen because they are obscured by 
other views lying on top of them. For example, the views 
in this figure are arranged on top of a large Bordered- 
View that serves as an opaque backing to which all the 
others are attached. 

Having seen how views work visually, let's turn to how 
they are implemented. The most generic abstraction, the 
View class, was defined by compiling a file that contains 
the following class definition statement, along with a large 
number of methods. In this section, no methods will be 
shown because they would introduce far too much detail 
for now. 

= View : Rectangle { 

id clipList; // list of visible regions 

id superView; // or nil 

id subViews; // OrderedCol'n of subViews 

BITS flags; // flag bits 



testOutput : 


testinput theP 


-og 


ram 


theProgram testinput 


>t 


estOutput 


theProgram: 


main.o firstSub.o 


secondSub.o 


ob jc 


main.o firstSub 


.0 


secondSub.o 






-o 


theProgram 


main.o: ma' 


n.m 






objc 


-c mai n.m 






f irstSub.o 


f irstSub.m 






objc 


-c firstSub. m 






secondSub.o: secondSub.m 






objc 


-c secondSub.m 







Figure 2 : The file a user would have to build to convey the 
information in figure 1 to the UNIX utility make. 



This statement defines a new class, View, as a subclass 
of another generic class from the library, Rectangle. This 
declaration is all that is needed to ensure that every view 
will automatically inherit the ability to behave as a rec- 
tangular region. For example, each view instance will in- 
herit two instance variables from Rectangle, namely a 
point (an x,y pair) named extent that describes the size 
of the view and a point named origin that specifies its posi- 
tion on the screen. Finally, the declaration adds four new 
variables that will be used to describe how each view is 
attached to other views. The superView variable identifies 
another view that provides the background against which 
this view will be displayed. A view's superview also estab- 
lishes its coordinate system, and it clips any graphics 
drawn by the subview that extend beyond the superview's 
margins so that they don't appear on the screen. The vari- 
able subViews identifies those views for which the cur- 
rent view is background. These variables will be inherited 
by all other views. Thus every view will be linked into an 
important data structure, the view hierarchy that describes 
how the views are stacked into layers. 

BorderedViews are a specialized kind of view that is not 
transparent, and their declaration states as much explicitly: 

= BorderedView:View { 

short borderWidth; // thickness of border 

id borderPattern; // color of border 

id insidePattern; // color of inside 

id outsideRectangle; // computed rectangle 

} 

In other words, a BorderedView instance is exactly like 
a view but has four additional variables to describe how 
thick its border should be and a pattern (a "color") to 
display for its border and central region. 

This may seem like a lot of trouble just to draw a black 
line around a white box, but effort spent on generic 
classes is seldom wasted. BorderedView actually turns up 
repeatedly in this and other iconic applications, both as 
a component that is reused directly through encapsula- 
tion and as a generic class to be specialized through 
inheritance. We have shown several places where 
unmodified BorderedViews appear, but they are also 
inherited by specialized subclasses that can modify 
their appearance in surprising ways. For example, con- 
sider MacScrollBar, the class whose instances drew the 
horizontal and vertical scroll bars in the topmost window 
of figure I : 

= MacScrollBar : BorderedView { 
BOOL isVertical; // NO if horizontal 
id scrollMore; // ArrowFixture 
id scrollLess; // ArrowFixture 
id elevator; // ElevatorFixture 

} 

Even though the MacScrollBar instances look very dif- 
ferent from ordinary BorderedViews, they were imple- 

(continued) 



164 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 




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PG601BT8 



ICONS AND SOFTWARE-ICS 



Specializing from reusable generic 
code is what makes object-oriented 
programming so productive. 



mented as a specialized BorderedView whose inside- 
Pattern variable is set to a uniform gray tone. Three in- 
stance variables are also added to refer to two instances 
of class ArrowFixture and one instance of class Elevator- 
Fixture. These too are specialized BorderedViews that 
have overridden the method that draws their central region 
with one that displays a specific iconic image rather than 
a plain shade of gray. They also have additional methods 
that make them interpret cursor events as commands to 
control scrolling. 

This ability to define specialized new facilities from 
generic facilities in the library is one of the key things that 
makes object-oriented programming so productive. When 
the new classes get so specialized that they are specific 
to the application on hand, they are no longer stored in 
the generic library. Nonetheless, they are still part of the 
inheritance hierarchy, and they are built exactly like the 
generic classes shown so far. For example, the large white 
region in the center of the Workbench user interface was 
drawn by an instance of class WbView that describes the 
files on the Workbench, a UNIX directory area. 

= WbView : BorderedView { 

id model; // the Wb being viewed 

} 

This class defines an instance variable, model, that 
identifies the instance of class Wb to be interfaced to the 
user. Most applications involve several kinds of 
application-specific views, and these are produced in ex- 
actly the same way. by defining specialized subclasses of 
View. 

Models and Views 

Until now we've described only how the components of 
this application were defined. Now let's turn to how they 
work together when the Workbench program first runs in 
a particular UNIX directory. Like most other programs, 
Workbench must support two very different kinds of in- 
terfaces: one between itself and the file system, and the 
other between itself and the user. When Workbench starts 
executing, it must read information from the file system 
and represent it in some internal form. Then it must create 
whatever objects it needs for its user interface, draw these 
objects on the screen, and accept commands from the 
user that then modify the internal form. Finally, Workbench 
must save the modified information so that it will be avail- 
able the next time the program is run in that directory. 
This pattern is so typical that special terms are used to 
distinguish the two interface levels. The word model refers 
to the internal form, that is. whatever structure is used to 
represent the objects to be saved between sessions. The 



term view refers to the objects that implement the user 
interface. Views have been described in the previous sec- 
tion, and we turn now to the models. 

The Workbench application uses only four kinds of 
model objects: Entity, Action, Obj, and Wb. Each file in 
the directory is represented by an instance of class Entity 
that holds the name of a file, its modification time, and 
two collections that describe those entities that depend 
on it and those that it depends on. When an entity's modi- 
fication date is older than the date of a file that it depends 
on. it must be rebuilt by executing a program specified 
by the user. Another class, Action, holds the command 
string that describes how this program should be run. The 
Entity and Action classes have some features in common 
(such as where they are on the screen), and this is repre- 
sented in a common superclass, Obj. A final class, Wb, 
represents the contents of the Workbench as a whole as 
a collection of entity and action instances. 

When Workbench runs for the first time in a directory, 
it builds an instance of class Entity for each file and in- 
stalls it in an empty instance of class Wb named work- 
benchModel. Next, the program creates a user interface 
so that the user can manipulate the models in the follow- 
ing ways: by moving them around on the screen, by de- 
scribing which entities depend on which others, and by 
defining actions. (In the Workbench user interface, entities 
are presented to the user as file icons, actions are the 
circles, dependencies are the lines connecting the actions 
and entities.) The effect of this is to interconnect the 
models, forming a complicated web of linked objects that 
must somehow be saved at the end of the session so that 
it can be restored the next time the program runs in that 
directory. The code needed to do this is highly nontrivial 
to write, but object-oriented programming makes it seem 
simple. Since every class is a subclass of the most generic 
class in the system. Object, every object automatically in- 
herits a method that can be used to save it in a file: 

[workbench Model storeOn:"workbench.io"]; 

When the application is executed again, it recreates 
workbench Model by reading the file like this: 

workbenchModel = [Wb readFrom:"workbench.io"]; 
if (workbenchModel == nil) 

workbenchModel = [Wb new]; 
[workbenchModel synchronizeWithDirectory]; 

The first statement requests the factory object for the 
Wb class to recreate workbenchModel from the file 
named workbench. io. The attempt will fail if the program 
has never been run in this directory, in which case the Wb 
factory object is requested to construct a new (empty) in- 
stance. In either event, the synchronizeWithDirectory mes- 
sage requests workbenchModel to examine the directory, 
adding or removing entities as needed to reflect files that 
have been created or removed since workbench. io was 
last written. Instance variables in the models are now up- 
dated to reflect the time at which each file was last 
changed. 

{continued} 



166 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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Inquiry 266 



ICONS AND SOFTWARE-ICS 



Object-oriented programming 
allows most of the work 
to be developed in advance, 
stored in the library, 
and reused off-the-shelf 
as generic Software-lCs. 



Although workbenchModel is a complicated web of in- 
terconnected entity and action linked by dependency in- 
stances, the storeOn: method walks this web automatically 
converting each object to a symbolic representation from 
which readFrom: can reconstruct the web during the next 
session. The developer of this application didn't have to 
design, code, test, document, or maintain this logic. Apart 
from the pair of triggering statements, this complicated 
data structure was saved and restored without writing any 
new code. The supplier of the most generic class in the 
system. Object, undertook this task once and for all, and 
every other class will inherit this work automatically. 

The complete parts inventory for Workbench is shown 
in figure 3. Most of the classes are generic components 
taken directly from the user interface library. Only those 
in the bottom section are application-specific, and the total 
amount of application-specific code is 531 lines— 269 lines 
specific to the internal representation of Workbench 
(model) and 262 lines used for the user interface (view). 
This was possible only because object-oriented program- 
ming allowed most of the work to be developed in ad- 
vance, stored in the library, and reused off-the-shelf as 
generic Software-ICs. just as hardware designers use 
silicon chips to build specialized circuits. 

ASSEMBLING THE USER INTERFACE COMPONENTS 

We now have model objects to be interfaced to the user 
and a library full of components for building user inter- 
faces. The next step is to assemble the components to 
to build a user interface for the model objects. First, we 
must build an opaque sheet of plain white acetate, on 
which all the others will be arranged, and attach to it an- 
other sheet painted with a standard frame of scroll bars: 

[baseView = [BaseView new] 
addSubView:stdView = [StdSysView new]]; 

The baseView = [BaseView new] expression commands 
baseView, the factory object for class BaseView, to create 
a new instance named baseView, and baseView is im- 
mediately requested to add stdView, a newly created in- 
stance of class StdSysView, as its first subview. BaseView 
is a simple subclass of BorderedView that provides plain 
white backing on which any kind of animation can be as- 
sembled, and the StdSysView class defines a consistent 



overall appearance and behavior for all applications by 
arranging nine subviews in three rows and three columns 
to cover the available space completely: 

= StdSysView:View { 
PT topLeftExtent; 
PT botRightExtent; 

} 

+ new { 

self = [super new]; 
topLeftExtent = pt(16,16); 
botRightExtent = pt(16,16); 

// = topLeft 1 =topCenter 2 = topRight 
[self addSubView:[BorderedView new]]; 
[self addSubView:[BorderedView new]]; 
[self addSubView:[BorderedView new]]; 

II 3 = midLeft 4 = midCenter 5 = midRight 
[self addSubView:[BorderedView new]]; 
[self addSubView:[BorderedView new]]; 
[self addSubView:[MacScrollBar vert]]; 

II 6 = botLeft 7 = botCenter 8 = botRight 
[self addSubView:[BorderedView new]]; 
[self addSubView:[MacScrollBar horz]]; 
[self addSubView: [Stretch Fixture new]]; 
return self; 

} 

This is the first example that shows how methods are 
defined in Objective-C. The plus sign in the fifth line 
assigns this method to the factory object for class Std- 
SysView, while a minus sign in the same position signifies 
an instance method. Factory objects already inherit a 
method named new from the Object class, but it is being 
overridden here to create and initialize instances in a class- 
specific way. For example, the two instance variables (of 
type PT, short for Point) are given an initial value, and nine 
subviews are automatically installed, such as MacScroll- 
Bar instances in the center position of the bottom row 
and right column. 

Newly created StdSysView instances contain only 
generic subviews initially, but they can be customized to 
the specific application by requesting them to replace one 
or more of them with application-specific views like this: 

[stdView midCenterView:wbView = 
[WbView createViewOf:workbenchModel]]; 

WbView is an application-specific subclass of Bordered- 
View that implements a user interface for an instance of 
class Wb. 

= WbView . . . 

+ createViewOf:a\A/orkbenchModel { 

id sequence, member; 

self = [super new]; 

model = aWorkbench Model; 

sequence = [[model entities] eachElement]; 

while (member = [sequence next]) 
[self addSubView:[ObjView 

(continued) 



168 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



ICONS AND SOFTWARE-ICS 



Foundation Library 



Object 



Array 
I 



IdArray 



_L 



Collection 



X 



X 



Sequence 



Ordered Collection 



Display Objects Library 




Sensor 






Rectangle 



DisplayObject 



I I 

DisplayMedium 
I 



DisplayText 



Form 



BufferForm 



T 



InfiniteForm 



Cursor 



1 



DispIayScreen 






! RectList | 



1 



OpaqueForm 



User Interface Library 



BorderedView 1 



C 



_T 



T 

HorzMenuBar 

1= 



U 



i ' i 

MacScrollBar 

— i 



AbstractMenu 



BaseView 



X 



FunctionMenu MessageMenu 



L 



X 



StdSysView 



ElevatorFixture 



Fixture 
^-1 I ^ =3 



ArrowFixture Stretch Fixture 



WindTrans 



Image 



View 



X 



Selection 



Workbench Application 






D C 



Obj 



Wb 



Action 



Entity 



| WbView | 



ObjView 



DependencyView 



1 



Figure 3: The inheritance hierarchy for the Workbench classes. The source bulk in each class is represented as the height of each box. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 169 



ICONS AND SOFTWAREHCS 



createViewOf:member]]; 
^sequence free]; 

sequence = [[model actions] eachElement]; 
while (member = [sequence next]) 
[self addSubView:[ObjView 

createViewOf:member]]; 
[sequence free]; 
return self; 

} 

Application-specific views are exactly like the generic 
views discussed earlier, but they nearly always define an 
instance variable that points to the model that they are 
responsible for managing, plus factory methods for ini- 
tializing this variable and installing any additional views 
that they need to implement the user interface. For ex- 
ample, this createViewOf: method loops over each of the 
entities and actions in the model and creates an instance 
of class ObjView for each one. 

Positioning, Sizing, and Displaying 

The application has created many different kinds of views 
and specified which ones lie on top of which others. But 
no attention has been given to how big each view should 
be and to where each view should be positioned on the 
screen. And of course, nothing has been displayed on the 
terminal. Since the sizing and positioning of each view 
may change each time the window size is changed, these 
functions are done separately in the course of respond- 
ing to a windowChangedEvent. The event handler will 
automatically generate this event as soon as the applica- 
tion passes control to it: 

[baseView controlStart]; 

One of BaseView's main functions is reading events from 
the event handler, determining which views lie under the 
location of the event, and sending those views messages 
that describe which event has occurred. Since the window- 
ChangedEvent affects all views, the BaseView handles it 
specially: 

= BaseView . . . 

- (BOOL)windowChangedEvent { 

[self rect:currentDisplay]; 

[self display]; 

return YES; 

} 

The global variable currentDisplay identifies an instance 
of class Display that manages the window in which the 
application is running; the rect: message sets the Base- 
View's position and size to that of currentDisplay. This 
message is eventually implemented (in class Rectangle) 
via two separate messages, origin: and extent:, both of 
which are overridden (in class View) to give views the 
behavior of a sheet of acetate. For example, View defines 
a default implementation for the origin: method that auto- 
matically repositions a view's subviews when it is reposi- 
tioned, and a default extent: method that changes only 
the receiver (stretching a background acetate does not 



stretch acetates that are attached to it). These defaults are 
sometimes inappropriate, so views like StdSysV/ew over- 
ride them to meet special needs, for instance, ensuring 
that subviews completely cover the available space. This 
triggers a wave of origin: and extent: messages that prop- 
agates through the view hierarchy, assigning a place and 
a size to every view. 

Nothing appears on the screen until the window- 
ChangedEvent method in BaseView executes [self dis- 
play], which triggers the following generic display methods 
into operation: 

= View . . . 

- display { 

[currentDisplay lock:self]; 
[[self topView] displayExcept:nil]; 
[currentDisplay unlock]; 
.return self; 

} 

- displayExcept:aCollection { 

if (aCollection && [aCollection contains:self]) 

return self; 
if (!TBIT(flags, ISLOCKED)) 

[self computeClipList]; 
if (lockedRegion == nil 

|| [self intersects:lockedRegion]) { 

[self displayView]; 

SBIT(flags, ISVISIBLE); 

if (TBIT(flags, ISSELECTED)) 

[self emphasizeView]; 
if (subViews) [subViews 
eachElementPerform : 

@selector(displayExcept:) 
with:aCollection]; 

} 

return self; 

} 

- displayView 

{ return self; } 

The lock: message in the display method commands 
currentDisplay to set its clipping region to the margins 
of the receiver (the lock: and unlock messages) and com- 
mands the topmost view in the hierarchy to display itself 
and all of its subviews. The displayExcept: method is a 
multipurpose method used not only for redrawing the en- 
tire view hierarchy, as here, but also for erasing views and 
for highlighting views when they are selected, and these 
extra functions obscure the fact that this method basical- 
ly sends a displayView message to each view in the hierar- 
chy. As an efficiency optimization, it avoids considering 
views whose graphics would be clipped by the global clip- 
ping region. lockedRegion. The argument. aCollection, is 
a way of using the display methods to erase views, by re- 
displaying everything but the views that are to be erased. 

All graphics are generated by displayView messages. A 
default implementation is defined in the View class that 
displays nothing, another way of saying that the View class 
implements transparent acetate. The views that do draw 

[continued) 



170 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 







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ICONS AND SOFTWARE-ICS 



Conceptually, events occur at the 
tip of the cursor and penetrate 
through the views at this location. 



on the screen simply override this method, like this: 

- Fixture : BorderedView { 

id form; 

} 

- displayView { 

[super displayView]; 
[form displayOn:display atorigin 
clipBy:clipList rule:rules.Over]; 
return self; 

} 

The Fixture class is the one that draws the small iconic 
fixtures in the scroll bars. Its instance variable, form, iden- 
tifies the fixture's image, an instance of class Form that 
was hand-painted with a pixel editor. 

Event Handling 

Once the windowChangedEvent has caused each view 
to draw itself on the screen, control returns to the event 
handler to await interrupts from the graphics substrate 
signaling that something has happened; perhaps a key has 
been struck on the keyboard, one of the mouse buttons 
was pressed or released, or a time-out has expired. Con- 
ceptually, events occur at the tip of the cursor and 
penetrate through the views at this location like a needle 
through a stack of acetates. Each possible event is as- 
signed a message, for example, leftButtonDown, keyboard- 
Event, timeoutEvent, and the View class defines a method 
for each one so that, by default, all views are transparent 
to all events. 

= View . . . 

- (BOOL)rightButtonDown { return NO; } 

- (BOOL)leftButtonDown { return NO; } 

- (BOOL)middleButtonDown { return NO; } 

- (BOOL)keyboardEvent { return NO; } 

- (BOOL)windowChangedEvent { return NO; } 

When a view wants to receive an event, it just overrides 
the inherited method with one that works as desired and 
then returns YES to signify that the event has been con- 
sumed. For example. StdSysView instances attach a stan- 
dard system menu to the right mouse button like this: 

= StdSysView . . . 

- (BOOL)rightButtonDown { 

static id menu = nil; 

if (menu == nil) { id tmp; 

menu = [MessageMenu str:"System Menu']; 

[menu add:[MessageMenu 
selector: @ selector(exit)]] ; 

[menu add:[MessageMenu 



selector: @selector(refresh)]]; 
[menu add:[MessageMenu 

selector:@selector(print)]]; 
[menu add:tmp = [MessageMenu stn'debug" 
selector: @selector(dbgToggle)]]; 
[tmp add:[MessageMenu str."on" 
selector:@selector(dbgOn)]]; 
[tmp add:[MessageMenu str: "off" 
selector: @selector(dbgOff)]]; 

} 

[menu applyTo:self atevent.origin]; 
return YES; 

} 

Notice that the single abstraction, views as layers of 
acetate, suffices to organize both directions of informa- 
tion transfer between the program and the user. This is 
a departure from the Model-View-Controller paradigm of 
Smalltalk-80 in which events are handled by a separate 
hierarchy of Controller classes. 

Interaction 

So far, we have shown how a programmer defines the 
components of an iconic application by defining special- 
ized subclasses of the generic View class. When the ap- 
plication begins executing, instances of these classes are 
created and linked into a hierarchy that represents how 
they are arranged with respect to each other. Finally, con- 
trol is passed to the event handler, at which time a posi- 
tion and a size are assigned to each view and they are 
displayed for the first time to the user. The initial frame 
of the animated movie has been projected onto the 
screen, and a data structure, the view hierarchy, has 
recorded where the parts of the image appear on the 
screen. 

Very little new code is needed to get an application to 
this point because most has been provided by generic 
classes from the library. For example, the user interface 
for the Workbench application involved only three new 
classes (WbView, ObjView, and DependencyView) of two 
methods each, one to create a view of a specified model 
(createViewOf:) and another to draw a picture of the model 
on the screen (displayView). Now the harder part by far 
remains, giving life to the picture by making it respond 
to commands from the user. This is a huge topic that can- 
not be treated thoroughly here, other than to demonstrate 
some of the complexities and show how inheritance and 
encapsulation can control them by abstracting interaction 
scenarios into generic classes that can be reused in diverse 
applications. For example, in the Workbench application, 
the following scenario is used for selecting one or more 
objects for subsequent operations: 

If the left button is pressed over one or more objects 
and released immediately, only the topmost object is 
selected. If it is held while the mouse is dragged, a box 
should outline a rectangular region. When the button is 
released, each of the objects inside the box should be 
selected. Selections are undone by selecting nothing, that 
is. by clicking the button over the empty background. 

{continued) 



172 BYTE 



AUGUST 1986 



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ICONS AND SOFTWARE-ICS 



Items are automatically highlighted once they are selected, 
and the highlighting is removed when the selection is 
undone. 

This scenario is implemented by a generic class from 
the library, Selection. When the left mouse button is 
pressed over the Workbench, WbView creates an instance 
of class Selection and passes control to it: 

= WbView . . . 

- (BOOL)leftButtonDown { 

[Selection fromUserln:self]; 
return YES; 

} 

The Selection class implements the fromUserln: method 
like this: 

= Selection : View { 

id selectedArea; // Rectangle 

id selectedViews; // OrderedCollection(Views) 

} 

+ fromUserln:aView { 

self = [self recti aView]; 
selectedArea = [Rectangle fromUser]; 
selectedViews = [OrderedCollection new]; 
[aView addSubViewsln:selectedArea 

to:selectedViews]; 
if ([selectedViews isEmpty]) { 

id singleView = [aView 

subViewAt:[selectedArea center]]; 

[selectedViews add:singleView]; 

} 

if ([selectedViews isEmpty) 

return [self free]; 
[self adjustSelectedArea]; 
[selectedViews eachElementPerform: 

@selector(emphasize)]; 
[aView addSubView:self]; 
return self; 

} 

Once a selection has been created, it must override the 
usual meanings of all mouse events, so it simply behaves 
like a large transparent sheet of acetate that covers all of 
its sibling views. Since it covers them, it will receive all 
events before they do, and it can override the usual event 
meanings with new ones. For example, whereas the left- 
ButtonDown event previously created the new selection, 
the selection immediately assigns it a new meaning: 

= Selection . . . 

- (BOOL)leftButtonDown { 

if ([self eventOverASelectedView]) { 
PT old = event.origin; 
[superView erase:selectedViews 

in:selectedArea]; 
[selectedViews each ElementPerform: 

@selector(motionStart)]; 
while([currentSensor leftButtonDown]) { 
PT delta = ptMinus(event.origin, old); 

{continued) 



174 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



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ICONS AND SOFTWARE-1CS 



User Interface Performance Issues 

by John Uebbing and Charles Young 



The human visual system has several characteristic limits 
that should be accounted for in building responsive 
iconic interfaces. For example, changes occurring in less than 
20 milliseconds are perceived as instantaneous. If successive 
frames of a moving image are redrawn in less than 50 milli- 
seconds, the object is perceived as moving smoothly. If feed- 
back to user-initiated events is produced in less than 300 milli- 
seconds, it is perceived as occurring instantaneously. These 
speeds represent significant qualitative thresholds past which 
objects move smoothly without flicker and do not interrupt 
the user's train of thought. 

For example, Hewlett-Packard 9000-310 workstations are 
based on a 10-MHz Motorola 68010 chip that executes an 
Objective-C message in about 0.04 milliseconds. If a draw- 
ing of an animated mechanical robot consists of 100 lines, 
and if each line is implemented as an object and manipulated 
by messages. 4 of the available 20 milliseconds could be 
wasted just in message-passing overhead. 

It would pay to avoid this overhead by implementing only 
the robot as an object, storing the lines as C data structures 
to be accessed by a high-performance polyline procedure. 



On the other hand, dispatching a mouse event to one of 2 5 
objects would spend only 1.0 of the available 300 millisec- 
onds in messaging. Even a complex series of messages, 
redrawing 20 objects with 10 messages per object, would con- 
sume only 8.0 milliseconds in messaging. The lesson is to 
use messaging extensively for flexibility in things like menus 
and mouse event dispatching where messaging time is small 
relative to response times of the human visual system, and 
to avoid messaging in critical loops like displaying individual 
lines and characters. By judiciously combining messaging and 
high-performance C and assembly code, it is possible to build 
very flexible and powerful human interfaces with fully ade- 
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)ohn Uebbing and Charles Young, who have both worked extensively in 
electronic displays, are now involved with advanced user interface concepts. 
They can be contacted at Hewlett-Packard Research laboratory, 1651 
Page Mill Rd.. Palo Alto. CA 94304. 



} 



if (delta ! = 0) { 

[selectedViews eachElementPerform: 
@selector(motionBy:) 
with: delta]; 
[selectedArea moveBy:delta]; 
old = event.origin; 

} 
} 

[selectedViews eachElementPerform: 

@selector(motionEnd)]; 
return YES; // consume the event 

} 

[self free]; 

return NO; // not over selected view 



The opening if statement tests whether the event oc- 
curred over one of the selected views, and if not. the selec- 
tion is undone. Otherwise, the event signifies that the 
selected items should begin tracking the cursor so that 
the user can drag them to new screen positions. 

Dragging is hardly as simple as it may seem, but the 
complications are handled in generic code that all views 
inherit from the View class. The objects to be moved must 
first be erased to produce a clean image of the stationary 
objects, and this is done by creating a clipping region 
around the views to be erased and redrawing the rest of 
the hierarchy inside this region (this is where the generality 
of the displayExcept: method pays off). Finally, movement 
is simulated by repeatedly drawing each view with 
exclusive-or raster operations to toggle the pixels beneath 
them on and off without losing information. This lets them 



glide across the screen without damaging their 
background. 

Summary 

The design and construction of pleasant user interfaces 
is a remarkably deep and complicated topic, and this ar- 
ticle has only skimmed the surface. The user interface 
library contains many kinds of components that have not 
been mentioned like menus, choice boxes, verifiers, text 
editors, etc.. but describing these could easily take as 
much space as the simpler components that have been 
presented. We have not discussed several technical chal- 
lenges in the Workbench application, such as how 
dependency lines between views are redrawn while views 
are being moved such that the lines behave like rubber 
bands. And we have focused only on how to build iconic 
interfaces and said very little about how to make them 
genuinely pleasant to use. This is especially important 
given the proliferation of poorly designed but flashy sys- 
tems that are seen so often today. For a discussion of per- 
formance issues, see the text box "User Interface Perfor- 
mance Issues" above. 

Although direct code size comparisons between Work- 
bench and the UNIX utility make should wait until Work- 
bench is as mature and widely used as make is today, we 
find it highly encouraging that its iconic user interface 
could be built in only 262 lines of new code. This sug- 
gests that object-oriented programming, and its ability to 
capture large quantities of reusable code in generic Soft- 
ware-IC libraries, may actually reduce development costs 
to the point that iconic interfaces may become as 
prevalent as text-oriented interfaces are today. ■ 



176 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



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See inside for the lowest prices 
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'Due to weight restrictions, Printers and Monitors are shipped UPS— free. All prices and policies subject to change without notice. 



CANT FIND IT? ASK FOR OUR SPECIAL ORDER DEFT. 

There's a good chance we do carry the product (we're adding new ones every day). Or; we can get it 
for you from one of our suppliers — still at our low direct-to-you prices. 



INTRODUCING LOGICWARE. 
FULLY COMPATIBLE COMPUTER PRODUCTS. 

5-Year Unconditional Warranty • Made in U.S.A. 
Immediate Replacement or Repair Policy • Low Power Consumption 



Now Logicsoft gives you a logical choice. 

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The boards pictured here are part of a vast array of 
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We save you money — not by using inexpensive labor 
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product has a 5-year unconditional warranty plus our 
immediate replace or repair policy 

LogicWare. It's the logical way to get high quality 
without paying high prices. 




AST Compatible AT 
Multifunction Board 
W/128K-S2I9 

• Expandable to 2 Megabytes on Board • 
Install Either 64K or 256K Chips to 
Customize the Memory to your Existing 
Memory Configuration • Software RAM Disk « 
Printer Spooler/Buffer • One Parallel Port • 
Two Serial Ports * Game Port 



Hercules Compatible 
Monochrome Graphics 
Board-$ll9 

•720x348 Pixel Graphics • Parallel Printer 
Port • Lotus 1-2-3 Compatible • TTL Mono- 
chrome Output • ATD Software Supplied For 
Direct Emulation of Hercules Graphics Card • 
Low Power Consumption 



AST Compatible Six Function 
Cardw/384K-$I59 

• One Parallel Port • One Serial Port* 
Clock Calendar • 384K RAM Memory • Low 
Power Consumption • Soft- ware 

• Printer/Spooler Buffer 




AST Compatible 576K RAN 
Board Half Card with 0K-$69 

• Expandable to 576K • Supports 64K or 
256K Memory Chips • Fits in Short Slot • Low 
Power Consumption • Clock Calendar Option 
loaded w/384K $135 
loaded w/576K $149 




Hercules Compatible Color 
Graphics Board-$99 

• 320 x 200 Color Pixels ■ 640 x 200 Mono- 
graph Pixels • Parallel Printer Port • Low 
Power Consumption • Fits in Short Slot • Will 
Drive a Medium Resolution Color & 
Composite Monochrome Monitor 



Hayes 1200 B Compatible Half 
Card Modem w/Software-$!49 

• 300/1200 Baud • Bell 103/212A Compati- 
ble • Auto Dial/Auto Answer • Pulse or Touch 
Tone Dialing • Full or Half Duplex Operation • 
Fits in Short Slot • Low Power Consumption 

Hayes 2400B Compatible Half 
Card Modem w/Software-$299 




110 Bi-County Blvd., Dept. 543 
Farmingdale, NY 11735 
CANADA: 416-283-2354 
Domestic/lnt'l Telex 
286905 SoftUR 



To order or receive technical assistance, call our National Hotline: 

1-800-645-3491 

NY STATE: 1-800-235-6442 (516) 249-8440 

Customer Service: 1-800-431-9037 NYS: 516-249-8440 

FAX #516-249-5289 



EUROPE: 020-83 48 64 

Telex: 10759 Logic NL 

Mail orders to: 

LOGICSOFT EUROPE BV 

pb 9460, 1006 AL Amsterdam, Holland 



No surcharge for MasterCard, VISA, American Express. C.O.D., money order, check or PO's (please call for price verification) » No sales tax on orders shipped outside N Y State • Please add 2% for 
insurance and handling (S3.00 minimum) (int'l orders add'l) • We do not bill until we ship. All products covered by mfgs warranty. Defective merchandise may be returned for repair or exchange 01 
We do not guarantee compatibility. Any goods returned for credit are subject to a 15% restocking charge. All prices and policies subject to change without notice. 



Circle #400 on reader service card. 



•V 



OBJECT-ORIENTED LANGUAGES 



OBJECT-ORIENTED 
LANGUAGES FOR 
THE MACINTOSH 



by Kurt J. Schmucker 



An overview of the languages and their capabilities 



CURRENTLY A LARGE NUMBER of object-oriented 
languages are available, and more are being designed and 
implemented every year. Some of these languages now 
on the market or in development are for the Apple Macin- 
tosh, an ideal computer for object-oriented languages be- 
cause of its processing power and the nature of its user 
interface. In this article I will survey some of the Macin- 
tosh object-oriented languages. I will also present a table 
detailing each language's object-oriented characteristics, 
such as whether it can access the MacApp class library 
(see my article "MacApp: An Application Framework" on 
page 189) or whether it provides for class methods. After 
describing the languages. I will discuss the mechanics of 
programming with them on the Mac. 

Smalltalk 

The Smalltalk language is the ancestor of all object- 
oriented languages. It was implemented on the Macintosh 
by Apple as part of an experiment to demonstrate Small- 
talk's portability and debug the Smalltalk specification. 
Apple currently distributes Smalltalk for the Mac as an 
unsupported, low-cost product, but a fully supported and 
greatly enhanced version is expected soon. A fact sheet 
on Smalltalk and the other languages I describe in this 
article is presented in table 1. 

Smalltalk has a message-sending syntax that often 
seems unusual to the novice object-oriented programmer, 
but it quickly becomes the natural way of doing things. 
Smalltalk syntax and the syntaxes of all the languages I 
discuss herein are shown in table 2. 



New classes and methods are defined by editing stan- 
dard templates in an interactive source-code browser. The 
class library for the Macintosh version of Smalltalk con- 
tains over 300 classes with special classes for accessing 
the Macintosh file system, the Macintosh Toolbox (in- 
cluding the QuickDraw routines), and the Appldl&lk net- 
work added by Apple. Since Smalltalk has been described 
in previous BYTE articles and elsewhere. I will not elabo- 
rate on its language features. 

Object Pascal 

Object Pascal is Apple's second object-oriented extension 
of Pascal. (The first. Clascal, was only for the Lisa Office 
System and thus is no longer supported by Apple.) The 
syntax for Object Pascal was jointly designed by Apple's 
Clascal team and Niklaus Wirth. the designer of Pascal, 
who was invited to Apple's Cupertino headquarters speci- 
fically for this project. In addition to implementing Ob- 
ject Pascal on the Mac, Apple has put the Object Pascal 
specification in the public domain and encouraged others 
to implement compilers and interpreters for it. Several 
such developments are under way. 
Object Pascal implements classes as an extension of 

(continued) 
Kurt J. Schmucker. director of educational services for Productivity 
Products International (Severna Park Mall H & R Block Office, 575 
Richie Highway. Severna Park. MD 2 1 146), teaches seminars on 
object-oriented programming. Kurt has written three books on com- 
puter science, including the forthcoming Object-oriented Program- 
ming for the Macintosh (Hayden. 1986). 

AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 177 



MAC LANGUAGES 



Pascal's RECORD structure. In Pascal, records have only 
data as their component fields, but in Object Pascal, ob- 
ject types (as classes are called in Object Pascal) have data 
fields (instance variables) and method fields. Messages are 
sent using the same syntactic construct used in ordinary 



Pascal for field qualification— the period. 

Thus, in Object Pascal, accessing an instance variable 
and accessing a method (that is, sending a message) are 
accomplished with the same syntax. 

New classes are defined using one new compiler key- 



T&ble 1 : Summary of object-oriented languages. 


/ / / / $ / / <# / 

/ £ / / / ///'v///£ 

/ / / ■$ / # / <$ / i / $ / ■$ 


2 

o 


Developer 


Apple 
Computer 


Apple 
Computer 


Kriya 
Systems 


Exper- 
Telligence 


Productivity 
Products 


Apple 
Computer 


Coral 
Software 


Base language 


None 


Pascal 


FORTH 


LISP 


C 


68000 
assembler 


Logo & 
CommonLisp 


Current version 


0.2 


1.0 


1.5 


2.0 


3.1 


1.0 


1.0 


Toolbox access 


Yes, but 
difficult 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Supports 128K ROM 


No 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


c 
.2 
o3 

E 

■o 

£ 
c 

0) 

o 

o 
0) 

S* 
O 


Instance variables and 
instance methods 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Class variables 


Yes 


No 


No 


Yes 


Yes, but 
cannot be 
inherited 


No 


Yes 


Class methods 


Yes 


No 


No 


Yes 


Yes 


No 


Yes 


Multiple inheritance 


No 


No 


No 


No 


No 


No 


Yes 


Unique instance methods 


No 


No 


No 


No 


No 


No 


Yes 


Number of classes in 
class library 


Approx. 
300 


Approx. 
30 


Approx. 
40 


Approx. 

45 in 

ExperCaste 


Approx. 
25 


Approx. 
30 


Approx. 
30 


MacApp access 


Yes 


Yes 


Planned 


Planned 


Planned 


Yes 


Planned 


CO 

E 
E 

CO 


Greatest strength 


compatible 
with other 
Smalltalks 


simplicity 
of design 


speed 


object- 
oriented 

features; 

library size 


portability 
to other 
machines 


speed 


uniform 

treatment of 

objects 


Greatest weakness 


speed 


limited 
object- 
oriented 
concepts 
(no class 
methods) 


"unusual" 
syntax of 
FORTH 


LISP still 

an 
"unusual" 
language 


not a 

native 

compiler 


limited 
object- 
oriented 
concepts 
(no class 
methods) 


longer 
learning 
time for 

experienced 
object- 
oriented 

programmers 


Other 


requires 
1000K of 
RAM for 
serious 
work 


supported 
by Apple 
Computer 


numerous 

user groups, 

bimonthly 

newsletter 


(note: not 

shipping 

at press 

time) 




(note: not 

shipping 

at press 

time) 


(note: not 
shipping 
at press 

time) 



178 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



MAC LANGUAGES 



word OBJECT. The basic schema is 

TYPE 

ClassName = OBJECT (SuperclassName) 

< instance variable declarations > 

< method header definitions > 
END; 

where < > denote optional portions of this schema. 
Methods are defined as ordinary Pascal procedures or 
functions that have been qualified with the name of the 
class: 

PROCEDURE ClassName.ProcedureName(argumentList); 
BEGIN 



END; 

Object Pascal is a "bare bones" object-oriented lan- 
guage. It makes no provision for class methods, class vari- 
ables, multiple inheritance, or metaclasses. These concepts 
were specifically excluded in an attempt to streamline the 
learning curve encountered by most novice object- 
oriented programmers. 

The Object Pascal class library is MacApp. 

Neon 

The language Neon is, depending on your programming- 
language point of view, either an object-oriented exten- 
sion to the FORTH language or an incisive and efficient 
implementation of Smalltalk as a threaded interpreted lan- 
guage. Regardless of which view you take, Neon is a re- 
markably concise language that nicely bridges the gap be- 
tween the object-oriented languages (a la Smalltalk) and 
the threaded languages (a la FORTH). Neon was developed 
by Kriya Systems expressly for the Mac and was first 
shipped in 1984. 

The basic Neon syntax shows its strong FORTH heritage: 
From the point of view of most of the other languages 
discussed in this article, Neon's syntax is backward. (To 
be fair, many programmers consider the Smalltalk syntax, 
which has the object precede the message, to be back- 
ward compared to the procedure call used in most lan- 
guages, so perhaps Neon, with the message preceding 
the object, is one of the few object-oriented languages 
to get it right!) 

New classes and methods are defined using special 
Neon compiler words that delimit class definitions 
(:CLASS and ;CLASS) and method definitions (:M and ;M). 
The basic schemas are 

:CLASS ClassName < Super SuperClassName < n Indexed > 

< instance variable names > 

< method definitions > 
;CLASS 

and 

:M Selector: < { named arguments \ local variables — results } > 

< method body > 
;M 

where < > denote optional portions of these schemas. 
One of the most useful features of Neon is the provi- 



sion for both named arguments and local variables in 
methods. Named arguments let you associate a name with 
the arguments placed on the stack prior to the invoca- 
tion of the method and then simply refer to these argu- 
ments by name when you need them in the body of the 
method. Local variables let you declare and use temporary 
variables in the method body. Both features simplify the 
use of Neon compared to the complex stack manipula- 
tions often required in FORTH. 

Neon allows you to choose between the efficiency of 
static binding and the flexibility of dynamic binding (called 
early binding and late binding in the Neon manual) on a 
message-by-message basis. Early binding will resolve at 
compile time a message sent to a given object into an 
invocation of a particular method in a particular class; late 
binding will leave this resolution until run time. The 
compile-time determination is made based on the de- 
clared classes for the reference variables. (Thus, Neon is 
like Object Pascal, which allows a reference variable to be 
declared of a certain class, and unlike Smalltalk, in which 
all object references are equal.) The Neon line Get: mylnt 
will send the Get: message to the object referred to by 
mylnt, with the resolution of that message determined at 
compile time by the declared class of mylnt. The line Get: 
[ mylnt ] will send the Get: message to the object referred 
to by mylnt, with the resolution of that message deter- 
mined at run time by the run-time class of mylnt. Late bind- 
ing can be used with any construct that generates an ob- 
ject reference, such as Get: [ i at: my Array ] to send the 
message Get: to the object referred to by the /th element 
of the array object myArray, with the resolution of that 
message determined at run time by the run-time class of 
the object stored at that element in the array. 

The basic approach of the current Neon class library — 
unlike that of MacApp, which provides a completely func- 
tional application framework— is to "lift" the Toolbox data 
types to the level of classes. Accordingly Neon has classes 
like Point Window, Dialog, and Event, which provide a 
more functional set of building blocks than do the basic 
Toolbox data types and procedures for the Pascal or C 

(continued) 



Table 2: A comparison 
The message, msg, with 
object referenced by obj. 


of the syntax of each language, 
argument, arg, is sent to the 


Syntax 




Language 


obj msg: arg. 




Smalltalk 


obj.msg(arg); 




Object Pascal 


arg msg: obj 




Neon 


(obj 'msg <arg>) 




ExperCommonLISP 


[obj msg: arg]; 




Objective-C 


MOVE.W arg(A6) r (SP) 
MOVE.L obj(A6) r (SP) 
MethCall msg 




Object Assembler 


tell :obj [msg "arg] 




Object Logo 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 179 



MAC LANGUAGES 




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programmer, but not quite the type of building blocks that 
the MacApp classes provide for the Object Pasca/ 
programmer. 

ExperCommonLISP 

The language ExperCommonLISP is one of the most com- 
prehensive object-oriented languages for the Macintosh 
in that it implements all of the features of object-oriented 
languages (except unique instance methods), provides a 
set of classes that mirror the Toolbox data types, and. with 
the next release, will provide MacApp access. Exper- 
CommonLISP was developed by Expeflfelligence expressly 
for the Mac. It was derived from the ExperLISP product 
available for the Mac since early 1985. 

ExperCommonLISP syntax shows its strong LISP 
heritage: Message sending, setting object reference vari- 
ables, accessing instance variables, and other object- 
oriented programming language features are accom- 
plished with list functions. 

(setq Triangle (send Object 'subclass)) defines a new 
subclass of Object, named Triangle, by sending the 
message subclass to the Object class, (setq tril (send 
Triangle 'New)) instantiates a new instance of the Triangle 
class and stores a reference to this new instance in the 
variable tril . (send tril 'height) sends the message height 
to the object referenced by tril . 

Actually the definition of a new class in ExperCom- 
monLISP can be much more detailed than this simple ex- 
ample shows. The full class-definition schema includes pro- 
visions for instance and class variables and instance and 
class methods. 

Note: LISP users will observe that this schema uses 
terms like arg lists rather than the traditional lambda- 
list style common to LISP. The lists are written here in a 
nonrigorous, informal notation. This is to make this ex- 
planation of ExperCommonLISP more understandable to 
those who do not have a reading knowledge of LISP. 

(setq NewClass(CLASS (superclassi superclass 2 ... superclass,,) 
(IVS (ivt)(iv 2 )...(ivj) 

(Methods (methodjtarg list)(body)) 

(method 2 (arg list)(body)) 



(method„(arg list)(body))) 

(CVS(IVi)(iv a )...fivJ) 

(Metamethods(methodi(arg list)(body)) 

(method 2 (arg list)(body)) 



(method n (arg list)(body)))) 



where 



• IVS is a keyword for the instance-variable-definition 
clause. Each portion of that clause names an instance vari- 
able and provides its initial value and attributes. 

• Methods is a keyword for the method-definition clause. 
Each portion of that clause defines a message, its argu- 
ment list, and the method that will be invoked when that 

(continued) 



180 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 181 



MAC LANGUAGES 



Perhaps the greatest 



strength of Objective-C is 
that it is available on a 
large number of machines. 



message is received by an instance of this class. 

• CVS is a keyword for the class-variable-definition clause. 
Like the instance-variable-definition clause, each portion 
of the CVS clause names an class variable and provides 
its initial value and attributes. 

• Metamethods is a keyword for the class-method- 
definition clause. Each portion of that clause defines a 
class message, its argument list, and the class method that 
will be invoked when that message is received by the class 
object. 

Even this detailed schema does not present a full pic- 
ture of the facilities in ExperCommonLISP. As one exam- 
ple of a capability in ExperCommonLISP that is not ex- 
hibited by this schema and is not present in any of the 
other object-oriented languages discussed in this article, 
consider the more detailed format of the following 
instance-variable-definition clause: (IVS (instance-variable! 
-definition) (instance-variable 2 -definition) ... (instance- 
variable n -definition)) where an instance-variable definition 
has the form (< instance-variable-name > < default- 
value-form >< set >< get >). 

The keywords get and set specify whether the instance 
variable can be accessed from outside the object. If the 
keyword get is used, the variable can be read from out- 
side; if the keyword set is used, the variable can be writ- 
ten. Thus, the degree of encapsulation can be set on a 
class-by-class basis, and within a class on an instance- 
variable-by-instance-variable basis. This is a much more 
flexible middle ground between the unrestricted access 
provided by Object Pascal and the total lack of access pro- 
vided by Smalltalk. 

The ExperCommonLISP class library includes a set of 
classes that "lift up" the Toolbox data types to the level 
of objects as well as the MacApp classes. As with Small- 
talk, Neon, and Object Logo, this MacApp access is 
achieved by a reimplementation of the MacApp class func- 
tionality by ExperTelligence. 

Objective-C 

Objective-C brings the basic notions of object-oriented 
programming to the C language in a manner that is 
machine-independent. This is accomplished by a compiler 
that accepts Objective-C source code and outputs an 
equivalent C source code. The resulting C source code 
can then be compiled for execution on the target machine. 
This has resulted in a language that can (and does) exist 
on both the IBM PC and the VAX-1 1/780 and on many 
machines in between. Objective-C was developed by 



Productivity Products International (PPI) and first shipped 
in 1983. 

The Objective-C language is a strict superset of the C 
language. The object-oriented extensions are achieved by 
adding a new expression type to the C language, the mes- 
sage expression. Syntactically, this message expression 
is delimited by brackets (see table 2). The message ex- 
pression brackets can be distinguished from the standard- 
array subscripting brackets used in ordinary C by context. 
The internal message syntax is similar to that of Smalltalk; 
it even follows Smalltalk's syntax for keyword messages. 
This new expression type exists on an equal level with all 
C expressions. The result is that an Objective-C statement 
message expression can be used anywhere that an ex- 
pression can be used in C A sample statement that shows 
the resulting flexibility is: [Point x: foo( ) + 7 y: [box top]]. 
In this statement, the keyword message x:y: is being sent 
to the Point class. The first argument (of the x: portion) 
is the result of a function call and an addition ( foo( ) + 7 ). 
The second argument (of the y: portion) is the result of 
sending the message top to the object referred to by box. 

New classes are defined in a special class-description 
file of the following form: 

= ClassName: SuperClassName (PhylaList) { Instance Variable Declarations } 
+ ClassMethodName {Method Implementation} 
- InstanceMethodName {Method Implementation} 

Only one class may be defined in any such file, although 
the number of class-method definitions and instance- 
method definitions may vary. 

One object-oriented programming concept that is 
unique to Objective-C is phyla. Phyla in Objective-C are 
groups of classes, just as phyla in biology are higher-order 
organizations than the biological notion of a class. When 
you indicate that a new class belongs to a particular 
phylum, you are stating that this class will often be used 
together with the other classes in that phylum. When the 
Objective-C source code is compiled, this information is 
used to generate a more efficient method table structure. 

The Objective-C class library consists of some 2 5 classes 
that implement collection classes, basic geometric notions, 
and standard data structures—all in a machine-independent 
way. The fact that the Objective-C language is available 
on a large number of machines and that its class library 
is machine-independent is perhaps its greatest strength. 
Productivity Products International coined the term 
"software-IC" to describe such a machine-independent 
class, although the term is now used to describe any well- 
designed class. (The concept of a software-IC has been 
described in "Software-ICs" by Lamar Ledbetter and Brad 
Cox, June 1985 BYTE.) 

Object Assembler 

Object Assembler is a set of macros for the Motorola 
68000 assembly language that provides easy access to 
the MacApp class library and to class-definition facilities. 
It is built on top of the macro assembly language provided 

[continued] 



182 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 








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MAC LANGUAGES 



by the Macintosh Programmer's Workshop assembler. Ob- 
ject Assembler was developed by Apple expressly for the 
Macintosh and it will be officially shipped late in 1986. 
The Object Assembler macros let you define new 
classes, define method bodies, instantiate objects, easily 
reference instance variables by name, and invoke methods, 
including inherited ones. A few examples will demonstrate 
the use of these Object Assembler macros. The basic 
schema for defining a new class in Object Assembler, for 
example, is 

MACRO 

ObjectDef &TypeName 1 &Heritage,&FieldList,&MethodList 

and an example of the use of this macro is: 

ObjectDef Shape.Object, \ 

((boundRect,8), \ 

(borderThickness,2), \ 

(color.2)), \ 

((Draw), \ 

(MoveBy), \ 

(Stretch)) 

ObjectDef Arc.Shape, \ 

((startAngle.2), \ 

(arcAngle.2)), \ 

((Draw.OVERRIDE), \ 

(GetArea), \ 

(SetArcAngle)) 

(The backslash is required by the assembler when con- 
tinuing a statement from one line to the next.) 

let me demonstrate defining a method and referenc- 
ing an instance variable by name with some examples. 

Defining a method: 

Schema 

MACRO 

&ProcName ProcMethOf &TypeName 

MACRO 
EndMethod 

Example 

Draw ProcMethOf Arc 

<code> 

EndMethod 

Accessing an instance variable: 
Schema 

MACRO 

ObjectWith &TypeName 

MACRO 
EndObjectWith 



Example: 



ObjectWith Arc 
MOVE.LstartAngle(AI),- 
PEA boundRect(AI) 
EndObjectWith 



(SP) 



In this example of accessing an instance variable, A1 
must already be loaded with an arc object reference. The 
ObjectWith macro simply qualifies startAngle and bound- 
Rect for you. Note that the ProcMethOf (and the corre- 
sponding FuncMethOf) macros automatically invoke the 



ObjectWith macro with the given class, making references 
to the instance variables of that class easy. 

In terms of its object-oriented semantics, Object Assem- 
bler is just like Object Pascal. MacApp access is provided, 
as is access to any class implemented in Object Pascal. 
It also is possible to subclass Object Assembler classes 
in Object Pascal. No easy access is possible to classes im- 
plemented in other languages. 

Object Logo 

Object Logo is the most unusual object-oriented language 
for the Macintosh because it is implemented as a class- 
less language— an object-oriented language in which there 
is no firm distinction between an instance object and a 
factory object (a class) that makes those instances. Ob- 
ject Logo was developed by Coral Software Corporation 
expressly for the Mac, and it is scheduled to be shipped 
in the summer of 1986. 

In designing a language that has no distinction between 
classes and instances, Coral Software's programmers left 
out a concept that is commonly used in the implementa- 
tion of object-oriented languages. Classes, after all, are 
really an implementation convenience— a way of econo- 
mizing on the amounts of memory required to write 
object-oriented programs. From Coral's point of view, the 
conceptual issues in using an object-oriented language are 
more important than implementation efficiency concerns. 
By removing the class "artifact," Coral has designed a lan- 
guage in which all objects are treated uniformly, which it 
believes is easier to learn than traditional object-oriented 
languages. 

There are a number of technical consequences of this 
philosophical decision to remove distinctions between 
classes and objects. In Object Logo, objects can be given 
instance variables and methods "on the fly" during an in- 
teractive session. You could, for example, create an ob- 
ject give it two instance variables, then define a couple 
of methods, use those methods, clone the object (i.e., copy 
all relevant object information), add some instance variables, 
remove some methods, and then clone the object. In terms of 
the vocabulary I have developed up to this point, you have 
created an instance (from no template), redefined the 
structure of an instance while it existed, added new 
methods while it existed, and then used it as a factory 
to produce a new instance just like itself— all notions that 
don't make sense with the traditional object-oriented 
vocabulary. The problem isn't with the vocabulary. The 
problem is that many of the notions of object-oriented 
programming that we have spent so long acquiring just 
don't apply to Object Logo as well as they do to other 
languages. Consequently, Object Logo is somewhat harder 
to learn than the other object-oriented languages de- 
scribed in this article, i/you are already familiar with other 
object-oriented languages. Object Logo requires that you 
unlearn some concepts about object-oriented program- 
ming and learn some new ones that don't fit in with your 
conceptual model of how objects, classes, messages, and 
methods interrelate. For example. Object Logo is the only 
language described in this article that provides for unique 



184 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



MAC LANGUAGES 



instance methods— methods not associated with a data 
structure shared among objects with a similar format, but 
rather methods directly "attached" to objects. In Object 
Logo, such a concept is natural; in the other languages 
discussed here, it is most unusual. 

Because conceptual simplicity was one of the major 
goals in the design of Object Logo, Object Logo adds only 
a few new primitives to the Logo language. 

KINDOF anObject creates a new object which inherits 
from anObject. TALKTO anObject makes anObject the 
"current object." (At any time during the execution of an 
Object Ijogo interactive session, there is exactly one cur- 
rent object. All references to variables and procedures are 
resolved in the context of this current object.) HAVE word 
thing adds the instance variable word to the current ob- 
ject. The initial value of word, in the context of the cur- 
rent object, is thing. HOWTO procedureName adds the 
method procedureName to the current object. USUAL 
invokes the inherited method. (This is essentially equiva- 
lent to the Object Pascal INHERITED and to sending mes- 
sages to super in Smalltalk.) And TELL anObject Instruc- 
tionList executes a list of instructions in the context of 
anObject without making anObject. 

Object Logo is one of the few languages in this article 
that implements multiple inheritance. In Object Logo, a 
subclass can invoke all methods for a message common 
to its immediate ancestors. This style differs considerably 
from that of Smalltalk. (For legal reasons, the version of 
Smalltalk for the Mac does not have multiple inheritance. 
This is the only major technical difference with other 
Smalltalk implementations.) 

At the time of this writing, no comprehensive listing of 
the Object Logo class library was available. However, the 
plans for Object Logo class library include a complete re- 
implementation of the MacApp classes using their Logo 
primitives for accessing the Toolbox. Like Neon and Exper- 
CommonLISR this reimplementation will produce a 
semantically similar set of classes so that the MacApp pro- 
grammer could move from Object Pascal or Neon to Ob- 
ject Logo with very little additional training about the 
MacApp class library. 

Programming with a Mac Object-oriented 
Language 

Object-oriented languages for the Macintosh can be 
divided into two sets— those that have interactive inter- 
preters and those that don't. The languages with inter- 
active interpreters— Smalltalk, Neon, ExperCommonLISP, 
and Object Ijogo— have self-contained development en- 
vironments consisting of a text editor, an interpreter, a 
compiler (sometimes), and other application building 
tools. These development environments are generally in 
accordance with the Macintosh User Interface Standard. 
New classes are developed interactively with reasonably 
functional debugging facilities. When debugged, the new 
classes are loaded into a working image that then can be 
saved in a snapshot. Many such snapshots can be saved 
on disk, each representing a different development effort, 
a different project, and so on. Classes are used as incre- 



mental building blocks: As soon as a new class is defined, 
it is available for use. The results of developments in dif- 
ferent images can be combined in a single image, usually 
by recompiling the source code versions of the new 
classes and methods. None of these languages can use 
procedures written in standard languages like Pascal or 
C, or classes written in other object-oriented languages, 
with the exception of ExperCommonLISP, which can ac- 
cess Pascal and C procedures. 

In the languages that do not currently have interactive 
interpreters on the Macintosh— Object Pascal, Object 
Assembler, and Objective-C— classes are developed first 
(using a standard text editor) and compiled with the ap- 
propriate compilers. Then a main program using these 
classes is written, compiled, and linked with the classes. 
All of these languages can access procedures and func- 
tions written in either Pascal, C, or assembly language. 

Most of these languages, whether compiled or inter- 
preted, contain all the facilities to construct a stand-alone 
Macintosh application. For example, they have special 
routines to construct menus and to link the choice of a 
particular menu item with the execution of a certain 
method. Each of these object-oriented languages has its 
particular strengths and weaknesses as an implementa- 
tion language depending on your application and back- 
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AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 185 



OFFICE AUTOMATION 



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AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 187 



Microprocessor Development 
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Inquiry 213 



OBJECT-ORIENTED LANGUAGES 



MACAPP: 

AN APPLICATION 

FRAMEWORK 



by Kurt J. Schmucker 



This application can significantly reduce 
Macintosh program development time 



ONE FASCINATING and potentially 
far-reaching use of object-oriented 
programming is in the design of an 
application framework for a personal 
computer or workstation. Several ex- 
amples of such frameworks exist, such 
as the Lisa Toolkit, discussed in "Soft- 
ware Frameworks" by Gregg Williams 
(December 1984 BYTE), and more are 
being designed all the time. This arti- 
cle examines one specific application 
framework for the Macintosh. Mac- 
App— The Expandable Macintosh Ap- 
plication from Apple. 

The average end user does not gen- 
erally use or even know about appli- 
cation frameworks. They are tools for 
developers who design the software 
for end users. In theory, an applica- 
tion framework can be developed for 
any personal computer. However, 
they are especially useful on those 
with a well-defined user-interface 
specification. 

What Is MacApp? 

The MacApp framework is basically a 
complete, self-contained application 
that implements most of the Macin- 
tosh user-interface standard. It has 



menus that pull down and windows 
that scroll and can be moved about 
the screen, it works correctly with 
desk accessories and with Switcher, 
and it prints on the Imagewriter and 
the LaserWriter. The only things miss- 
ing from a complete application are 
the contents of the windows and the 
items on the menus. An application 
framework is only the shell of a real 
application— a shell that you can eas- 
ily customize into a true application. 
This customization process differen- 
tiates an application framework from 
a set of merely useful subroutines. 
For example, let's examine the way 
in which an application framework 
supports undoing commands. Mac- 
App knows that after you choose a 
menu command, the Undo command 
should reverse the effect of the com- 
mand. But a general application 
framework can't know how to undo, 
or do. all the commands. These oper- 
ations are accomplished with the 
dynamic binding present in an object- 
oriented language. The application 
framework "knows" about command 
objects and it knows that when a com- 
mand is to be performed or undone, 



it should send the message Dolt or 
Undolt to the current command ob- 
ject. The application framework 
defines the basic skeleton of the ap- 
plication, but it leaves the specifics— 
for example, the actual details of un- 
doing the Double Space command- 
to the command object. To build a 
specific application from this frame- 
work, you need to design only the ob- 
jects that perform these specific ac- 
tions and then install them into the 
framework. 

The framework knows in general 
what a Macintosh application is sup- 
posed to do. It knows how to make 
the menus work, how to give up con- 
trol when a desk accessory is ac- 
tivated, how to scroll windows, and so 
on— all the things that are common to 

[continued] 
Kurt ). Schmucker, director of educational ser- 
vices for Productivity Products International 
(Severna Park Mall, H & R Block Office, 
575 Richie Highway, Severna Park, MD 
21146), teaches seminars on object-oriented 
programming. Kurt has written three books 
on computer science, including the forthcoming 
Object-oriented Programming for the 
Macintosh (Hayden, 1986). 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 189 



MACAPP 



Macintosh applications. The frame- 
work knows that the most recent com- 
mand should be undone when you 
choose the Undo menu item and that 
the current selection should be high- 
lighted when you activate a window. 
However, it doesn't know how to re- 
verse the actions of particular com- 
mands or how to highlight the current 
selection. The objects you install in your 
customization of the application 
framework determine these actions. 
For example, to undo the last com- 
mand, the application framework 
sends the message Undolt to the cur- 
rent command object. The dynamic 
binding of this Undolt message to a 
method at run time invokes the rou- 
tine you have designed to handle un- 
doing this particular command. The 
application framework proceeds with- 
out knowing what that command, or 
that selection, really is. 



The application framework is more 
than just a skeleton with a fixed 
number of pluggable slots for com- 
mands and selection. Using the tech- 
niques of object-oriented program- 
ming, you can override every major 
decision (and many minor ones). Any 
application on this framework can 
take control at any decision point 
in the program by overriding the 
preprogrammed method to perform 
a user-written application-specific 
method. 

To give it this flexibility, the applica- 
tion framework is set up as a group 
of classes, or class library, that you 
can use and specialize while develop- 
ing a new application. If you want 
your application to behave in some 
unique, specific way, you can add 
some new objects into the framework 
to provide this behavior. If you don't 
want anything unusual, the applica- 



tion framework will handle the appli- 
cation correctly as is. 

The Basic Structure of 
MacApp 

The class library that is MacApp con- 
tains more than 30 different classes 
and over 4 50 methods. (Figure 1 
shows the inheritance structure of 
these classes.) However, if you under- 
stand the operation of just three of 
these classes— TApplication, TDocu- 
ment, and TView— and seven of their 
methods, you will be able to build 
your own application on top of the 
MacApp framework. The class TAppli- 
cation takes care of things that are the 
responsibility of the application as a 
whole. This includes launching the ap- 
plication, setting up the menu bar, 
deciding which documents to display 
in the "Open Which Document?" 

[continued] 

































TObject 








1 








i. 






1 








TCommand 






TBuffer 


i TTalkCall 
























TStdBuffer 


TATPCal] 






















TEvtHandler 




TGetRequestCalf 








1 












ii 






TApplication 


TTalkHandler 


TDocument 


TFrame 


TWindow 


TView 


TPrintHandler 






















i i i 








TDeskScrapView 


TTEView 


TCatView 


TDialogltem 




























1 






TATPHandler 




TDialog 


TRadioCluster 


1 TKeyHandler 


, 




















r~ 












TListener 


TResponder 


TRequester 




TNumberText 






1 


I 










1 






i 


1 






TReceiver 




TSender 


TDemander 





























Figure I : The inheritance tree of the MacApp classes. 



190 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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Inquiry 32 



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AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 191 



MACAPP 



dialog box, and so on. You design 
your own special subclass of TAppli- 
cation, overriding whatever methods 
you choose in order to specialize any 
of these behaviors. One behavior you 
must always override is the type of 
document that holds your applica- 
tion's data (the method DoMake- 
Document). 

The class TDocument processes 
commands like Save and Close, 
which are specific to each of the 
documents that are open at any one 



instant. (MacApp applications can 
usually deal with multiple documents 
being open at once.) TWo behaviors 
that you must override in your sub- 
classes of TDocument are the types 
of windows that display the data 
stored in the document (the method 
DoMakeWindows) and the contents 
of the windows (the method DoMake- 
Views). (The DoMake-something 
MacApp methods are the ones you 
must override.) 
The class TView takes care of every- 




m 






o 



T^a 



Figure 2: Small Application— the smallest MacApp application. 



6 File Edit 



„ _ __ , ' . 



— ~^-~-i 



Macflpp 




© 



r± 



Oi Macflpp Mouse 




o 



© 



o 



a 



Macflpp Mouse 





1:33:23 PM 



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Calculator 



UKUQQ 
QCDQQ 
IE3EJ3E 



EZO! 



□ 



Figure 3: MacApp applications typically work with multiple documents and 
always work correctly with desk accessories, even multiple ones. 



thing inside your windows— drawing 
the images, highlighting the selection, 
handling mouse interaction with 
those images, and other things. TView 
knows when a portion of the window 
needs to be redrawn and when the 
selection should be highlighted. It 
doesn't know exactly how to do these 
things. It relies on you to override the 
methods that supply these behaviors 
in your subclasses of TView. These 
methods are Draw, Highlight- 
Selection, and DoMouseCommand. 

Developing an Application 

To develop a MacApp application, 
you must design your own subclasses 
of TApplication, TDocument, and 
TView. It is traditional in MacApp pro- 
gramming to name these new sub- 
classes so that you can easily deter- 
mine their respective superclasses. 
Therefore, I have used the names 
TSmallApplication (a subclass of TAp- 
plication), TSmallDocument (a sub- 
class of TDocument), and TSmallView 
(a subclass of TView). The application 
is called SmallApplication, and its en- 
tire source code requires only 87 lines 
of Object Pascal. (For a discussion of 
Object Pascal and other object- 
oriented languages, see my article 
"Object-oriented Languages for the 
Macintosh" on page 177.) Two print- 
outs of screen shots from SmallAppli- 
cation are shown in figures 2 and 3. 
| Editor's note: The entire source listing for 
SmallApplication is available in a variety of 
formats. See page 405 for details] Let's look 
at two representative methods from 
this application— the DoMakeViews 
method of the class TSmallDocument 
and the Draw method of TSmallView. 
DoMakeViews is one of the 
methods MacApp needs to access 
one of the classes designed specifical- 
ly for SmallApplication. I call this kind 
of method a MacApp hook method. 
Listing 1 contains the full text of 
Small Application's DoMakeViews 
method. This method generates, ini- 
tializes, and installs one instance of 
TSmallView. MacApp sends the 
message DoMakeViews precisely so 
it can obtain one of these and use it 
to draw inside the window. If this 
method seems rather short, that is a 
common characteristic of object- 
oriented programs, especially those 



192 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



MACAPP 



Listing I: The full text of DoMakeViews. 




PROCEDURE TSmal 1 Document .DoMakeViews(forPr int i ng: BOOLEAN); OVERRIDE; 




VAR small View: TSmal 1 View; 




BEGIN 




NEW(sma 1 1 View) ; \ Create a new instance of TSmal IView \ 




sma 1 1 View. ISmal 1 View(SELF) ; { Send new view object its init message 


| 


SELF . fSma 1 IView := sma 1 IView; { Install this view object in document 


\ 


END; 





Listing 2: A procedure that overrides TSmallView's Draw method to draw a picture of a mouse. 


PROCEDURE TSmal IView. Draw(area: Rect); OVERRIDE; 




FUNCTION MakeRect(top, left, bottom, right: INTEGER): Rect; 


VAR r: Rect; 




BEGIN 




SetRect(r, left, top, right, bottom); 




MakeRect := r; 




END; 




BEGIN 




PenNormal ; 




Paint0val(MakeRect(74, 72, 139, 127)); 


Outline of the mouse head \ 


Erase0val(MakeRect(84, 74, 138, 125)); 


Outline of the mouse face \ 


FrameOval(MakeRect(109, 84, 129, 115)); 


Mouse mouth (part 1 of 2) \ 


EraseRect(MakeRect(109, 84, 123, 115)); 


Mouse mouth (part 2 of 2) \ 


FrameOval (MakeRect (98, 87, 107, 96)); 


Left eye } 


Frame0val(MakeRect(98, 104, 107, 113)); 


Right eye } 


PaintOval(MakeRect(101, 90, 104, 93)); 


Left pupi I } 


PaintOval(MakeRect(101, 107, 104, 110)); 


Right pupi I } 


Pa IntOva I (MakeRect (111, 97, 117, 103)); 


Nose } 


Paint0val(MakeRect(53, 52, 91, 90)); 


: Left ear } 


Paint0val(MakeRect(53, 110, 91, 148)); 


Right ear } 


FrameRect(MakeRect(20, 20, 170, 180)); 


[ A bounding rectangle \ 


END; 





designed to be overridden for many 
different purposes. Instead of hard 
coding many decisions, the designer 
of a class will make each such deci- 
sion a method. You can change such 
a decision by creating subclasses and 
overriding the appropriate method. 

The Draw method of the 
TSmallView class is a method for 
which MacApp cannot possibly pro- 
vide a generic version. You can't draw 
anything in a window that would be 
useful to all Macintosh applications, 
[n such cases. MacApp provides a 
stub method that does nothing, a null 
method. You don't have to override a 
null method like you do a hook 
method, but if you don't override this 
one. part of your application may ap- 
pear to do nothing. The code in listing 
2 overrides TSmallView's Draw 
method to draw a picture of a mouse. 

If you continue this process for five 



other methods, you will have devel- 
oped SmallApplication, an applica- 
tion that draws a picture of a mouse. 
SmallApplication is a stand-alone Mac 
application that works correctly on 
128K-byte and 512K-byte Macs, the 
new Mac Plus, and the Mac XL. It 
works with Switcher and with any num- 
ber of desk accessories, prints on the 
Imagewriter and the LaserWriter, sup- 
ports multiple documents, and allows 
you to resize and move windows and 
use menus. As trivial as the application 
itself may seem, it does illustrate the 
flexibility of the MacApp framework. 

The Benefits and Costs of 
Using MacApp 

Early studies indicate that MacApp 
can reduce application development 
time by a factor of four or five. 
MacApp also decreases the amount 
of source code you need, again by a 



factor of four or five. It maintains con- 
sistency with respect to the Macintosh 
user-interface standard and provides 
error handling and an interactive 
debugging facility, which are useful 
during development. It provides a 
conceptual framework that lets you 
concentrate on your application 
rather than on Macintosh internals. 
Some feel that these gains are at the 
expense of performance in the 
finished application and of a large 
amount of additional memory. In fact, 
many MacApp programs actually run 
faster than their non-MacApp ver- 
sions, despite the run-time overhead 
of messaging. MacApp applications 
are usually somewhat larger than their 
non-Mac App versions— about I OK to 
1 5K bytes. But for most end-user ap- 
plications, this is not a large penalty 
when weighed against the decrease in 
development time. ■ 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 193 



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Inquiry 18 for End-Users. Inquiry 19 for DEALERS ONLY. 



OBJECT-ORIENTED LANGUAGES 



PROGRAMMING 
EXPERIENCES 



by Larry T^sler 



Programmers using object-oriented languages 
say the benefits make the learning worthwhile 



WHAT IS IT LIKE to write a program 
in an object-oriented language? I 
posed that question to several peo- 
ple who program in Objective-C 
C + + . Object Pascal and Smalltalk, 
hoping to gain insight into how dif- 
ferent programmers think about 
object-oriented design. Their ex- 
periences had more in common than 
you might expect. 

I asked each person to describe his 
project and discuss how object- 
oriented programming affected its 
progress. Their recollections tended 
to support oft-heard claims that 
object-oriented languages can be a 
boon to large programming projects. 
The software development benefits 
stem from three properties of object- 
oriented programs: object-based 
modular structure, data abstraction, 
and the ability to share code through 
inheritance. 

The term modularity refers to the fac- 
toring of a large program into units 
that can be modified independently. 
In an object-oriented system, every 
module is an object, that is. a data 
structure that contains the procedures 
that operate upon it. Object-oriented 
design is the process of identifying 
objects that constitute a useful model 



of the problem at hand. In the early 
stages of designing a program, the 
need to partition the problem into ob- 
jects stimulates the designers to iden- 
tify its principal constituents and to 
specify their behavior and interaction. 

Data abstraction is the process of 
hiding a data structure behind a set 
of procedures through which access 
to the data is forced. In this way. the 
"concrete" representation chosen by 
the programmer is replaced by an 
"abstract" catalog of available opera- 
tions. The advantage of data abstrac- 
tion is that at any time the program- 
mer can change representations 
without having to change other pro- 
grams that relate to the operations. 
Data abstraction is a natural concomi- 
tant of object-oriented programming 
because each object contains not 
only its data structure but also the 
procedures that operate upon it. 
These procedures, often called 
methods, are usually the only aspects 
of the object accessible to other 
objects. 

All object-oriented languages can 
share code through inheritance: that is. 
object-oriented languages provide the 
ability to define one type of object as 
a variation of an existing type. The 



new object type is called a subclass of 
the old. and the old type a superclass 
of the new type. Objects in the sub- 
class inherit all the properties of the 
superclass, including the implementa- 
tions of methods. The subclass can 
define additional methods and rede- 
fine old methods by providing so- 
called overrides. By using inheritance 
during the development of an object- 
oriented program, code can be 
shared among similar objects. Later, 
certain kinds of enhancements can be 
made simply by creating new object 
types as variations of existing ones. 

A Windowing System 

The first person 1 interviewed was 
Gary Walker. Manager of Primary In- 
teraction Development in the Dis- 
tributed Systems Group at Burroughs 
Corporation in Boulder. Colorado. He 
and his group of nine programmers 
were assigned the task of implement- 

[continued] 
Larry Tesler, currently Manager of Advanced 
Development at Apple Computer, previously 
managed the development of Lisa applications, 
the Lisa Toolkit, and MacApp. He can be 
contacted at Apple Computer. 20525 
Mariani Ave., Dept. 5770. Cupertino. CA 
95014. 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 195 



Teach your 
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PROGRAMMING 
EXPERIENCES 



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ing a general windowing environment, 
featuring menus, check boxes, but- 
tons, and the other trappings of a see- 
and-point user interface. After con- 
ducting a comparative study of the 
available object-oriented languages, 
his group chose C + + , an object- 
oriented extension of C inspired by 
Simula-67 and developed by Bjarne 
Stroustrup at Bell Laboratories in Mur- 
ray Hill. New Jersey. Only object- 
oriented languages were considered 
for the project. "In a windowing 
system," Walker explained, "you want 
to instantiate objects for windows, 
each with its own private data. By 
defining separate types of windows as 
different classes, they can inherit com- 
mon characteristics and still possess 
their own special properties." 

Walker found data abstraction to be 
the most significant advantage of 
using C + + . Smalltalk and some other 
object-oriented languages force data 
abstraction upon the programmer by 
hiding the internal structure of one 
object from other objects. For exam- 
ple, to move a chess piece, a Smalltalk 
program must invoke a method such 

as move to, passing the destination 

square as a parameter. It cannot use 
an assignment statement to modify 
the data structure describing the 
chess piece's position. The advantage 
of the restriction is that both the rep- 
resentation of chess pieces and the 

implementation of move to can be 

changed without having to alter the 
code in other objects that access 
them. 

Unlike Smalltalk. Object Pascal and 
C++ allow objects to access part or 
all of the internal data of other ob- 
jects. However, many textbooks warn 
against direct data access except 
when performance considerations are 
paramount. Walker's group found 
through experience with C++ that 
interobject direct data access is 
usually a detriment to modularity. "If 
you want to get at somebody else's 
variables." he said, "you should go 
through access functions |methods|." 

Another property of object-oriented 
programs that benefited the window- 
ing system project is modular struc- 
ture. It gave the designers the ability 
to create what Walker calls "isolated 



(continued) 



196 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 263 



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and dBASE II are registered trademarks of Ashton-Tate, Inc. Copyright 1985, SBT Corporation. 

AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 197 



Back, 

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PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCES 




worlds of data and functions." 

Walker also suggested a more 
pragmatic advantage of modularity 
based on objects: cutting down on 
the number of global variables in the 
program. The advantage of avoiding 
global variables in an interactive sys- 
tem is that multiple instances of each 
object can easily be created. It would 
be quite difficult to support multiple 
windows if the data describing a win- 
dow resided in global variables. Ac- 
cording to Walker, if you follow the ad- 
vice of many software engineering 
books and avoid global variables, you 
usually end up passing too many pa- 
rameters to functions. With C + + , 
Walker explained, data can be 
'private" to an object and all func- 
tions of that object can access its data 
without passing parameters. 

Having heard Walker mention in- 
heritance as a key factor in his choice 
of the object-oriented paradigm. I 
asked him for an example of its use 
in the windowing system. He cited the 
class Menu, a data abstraction with 
several subclasses, including Vertical- 
Menu, RadioButtons. and Check- 
Boxes. The system displays each type 
of menu a different way, and the user 
interacts with each a bit differently. 
But all serve the same basic purpose: 
They give the user choices, and they 
report the user's choice to the object 
in the application program. 

Some methods of Menu are in- 
herited by the subclasses without 
modification, while others are over- 
ridden by special implementations in 
each subclass. An example of an in- 
herited method is selectionTitle. which 
returns the string containing the user's 
menu choice. The implementation of 
selectionTitle is shared by Menu and 
all its subclasses. An example of an 
overridden method is prompt, a func- 
tion whose arguments are the text 
strings that represent the choices 
available in the menu. For example, 

my menu. prompt("sherbert" , "cheese 

cake'V'torte") specifies the choices in 
a dessert menu. Each subclass of 
Menu implements its own version of 
prompt. The version in the class Ver- 
ticalMenu displays a list of the strings 
in a style similar to Macintosh pull- 
down menus, while the version in the 
class CheckBoxes displays the strings 



side by side with a check box beside 
each one. similar to Macintosh 
dialogs. 

The variable my menu is declared 

to be of the type Menu, but at dif- 
ferent times during execution its value 
may refer to objects of different sub- 
classes of Menu. Whenever the 

my menu. prompt is executed, it will 

invoke the version of prompt as- 
sociated with the class of the object 
that is currently referred to by 

my menu. This is one of several 

cases where Walker's group found a 
use for the so-called polymorphic 
property of objects. Polymorphism 
refers to the ability of one procedure 
call to invoke different procedures at 
run time depending on the type of 
one of its parameters. In object- 
oriented languages, polymorphism is 
achieved by letting different classes 
implement methods that have the 
same name and formal parameters 
but different implementations. 

The ability of subclasses to inherit 
from superclasses can also simplify 
the maintenance of large object- 
oriented programs. The Burroughs 
team found that by making a change 
to the superclass, in effect they 
changed all the subclasses at once, 
and if they made changes to one of 
the subclasses to get distinctions they 
wanted, the code in the superclass 
and the other subclasses remained 
safe. 

Walker's group was not alone in that 
finding. I heard similar claims from 
Seth Snyder and Dale Peterson of 
Recording Studio Equipment Com- 
pany based in Miami. Florida, who 
used an object-oriented language to 
implement an integrated application 
that controls a spectrum analyzer 
while managing time billing for a re- 
cording studio. According to Snyder 
and Peterson, when new features had 
to be added to their program, they 
were able to add them reliably with- 
out any risk of affecting the perfor- 
mance of features they had imple- 
mented earlier. 

A Shipboard Navigation 
System 

Carl Nelson, a computer consultant in 
Seattle, Washington, was approached 

[continued] 



198 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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Inquiry 176 




Inquiry 177 



3.5" DISK 
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FOR YOUR PC 
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PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCES 



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by a group of investors for his 
assistance in building a computer- 
assisted navigation system. The envi- 
sioned system, to be installed on 
boats in coastal waters, would consist 
of a Macintosh connected to a loran. 
A loran collects data on a ship's posi- 
tion from a radio receiver tuned to 
three or more land-based transmit- 
ters. Using a combination of triangula- 
tion and dead reckoning, it displays 
the ship's position and bearing on a 
simple (one- to three-line) display. The 
captain can key in the latitude and 
longitude of points along the desired 
course, and thereafter the loran will 
display the current heading and the 
distance to the next point in the 
course. If connected to an autopilot, 
the loran can command it to steer the 
vessel along the planned route. 

The clients told Nelson that even 
though the loran and autopilot are 
mainstays of navigation for many boat 
owners, the equipment can be 
tedious and time-consuming to use. 
The digital information on the display 
does not relate to a position on a 
navigational chart at first glance. A 
"what you see is where you are" sys- 
tem—one that displays the chart on 
the screen with the present course 
lines superimposed on the image- 
was needed. Such a system would 
allow a navigator to plan a course on 
the chart with a mouse and then 
would transmit the coordinates elec- 
tronically to the loran. The system 
would save time, increase accuracy, 
and avoid problems that arise when 
incorrect coordinates are entered. 

The entrepreneurs used a Thunder- 
scan digitizer to transfer images of 
nautical charts into MacPaint files, and 
they wrote a utility program to con- 
vert those files to a format usable by 
the application. One of the investors 
already had a Macintosh connected 
to the loran on his boat and recorded 
the telemetry of one day's voyage on 
a floppy disk. That disk enabled 
Nelson to test his program in the com- 
fort of his office. For testing, Nelson 
used two computers. The main com- 
puter displayed the chart and allowed 
the course to be specified with a 
mouse. The other Macintosh served 
as a loran simulator, playing back the 
recorded telemetry through one of its 



serial ports to the main computer. 

All that was left was to program the 
application and the simulator. Because 
he had only four months from project 
start to public demonstration, Nelson 
needed a software development en- 
vironment that enabled rapid pro- 
totype development and implemen- 
tation. He chose MacApp, an object- 
oriented software framework for the 
Macintosh (see "MacApp: An Appli- 
cation Framework" on page 189), and 
Object Pascal the only language avail- 
able then (mid-1985) that could be 
used with MacApp. 

To understand MacApp, you must 
be familiar with certain standard con- 
cepts underlying Macintosh applica- 
tions, including the concepts of docu- 
ment, view, window, and command. A 
document in the Macintosh corre- 
sponds roughly to a file in a tradi- 
tional computer. The programmer 
must design a file format for storing 
it on disk and a data structure for stor- 
ing it in memory. The programmer 
must also provide one or more ways 
to represent the document visually on 
the display and on the printed page. 

Each different visual representation 
is called a view. For example, an ar- 
ray of floating-point numbers can be 
viewed as a tabular column of text 
containing digits and decimal points, 
or as a pie chart with shaded wedges 
of varying size. The size of a view 
often exceeds the size of the screen, 
but you can see portions of it through 
a window that you can scroll and 
resize. Using the mouse and the key- 
board, you can issue commands that 
change the document. The changes 
are reflected in all views of that docu- 
ment that are presently displayed. 

MacApp defines the abstract 
classes Document, View, Window, 
and Command, corresponding to the 
above concepts. A class includes a set 
of methods that define what the class 
can do. For example, a document can 
open and save, a view can draw and 
print, a window can resize and move, 
and a command can do and undo. To 
use MacApp, you must structure the 
application in a modular fashion in 
terms of these objects. Once that is 
done, the application can inherit an 
extensive library of user-interface and 

[continued] 



200 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 




THE 

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THE WARMTH OF YOUR OFFICE 

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mation when needed, and explaining its 
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Guru's expert system works hand-in-hand 
with all the familiar business computing tools 
like spreadsheets, statistical analysis, business 
graphics and a programming language, always 
available for both expert consultation and your 
everyday business computing needs. 

Best of all, you won't need to learn LISP or 
PROLOG or buy fancy computers . . . Guru runs 
on your PC and communicates in plain English! 
Guru is artificial intelligence that means business. 

For more information, call or write Micro Data 
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A |{ T I Ffl C I A L IN, T E 1. I I i, E IN C E T II A I MEANS 15 H S I IN i; S 5 

Inquiry 187 



PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCES 



error-handling facilities. 

According to Nelson, the framework 
provided by MacApp gave him a 
structure to plug things into. As he 
studied the navigation problem, he 
asked himself. "What do I have in this 
application that maps onto objects 
supplied by MacApp?" After identify- 
ing all the concepts that mapped easi- 
ly into MacApp objects, he found that 
the whole user interface was ac- 
counted for. The only code that re- 
mained to be designed was that 
which manipulated internal data struc- 
tures unrelated to the user interface. 

In the navigation application, the 
most important subclass of the class 
View was easy to identify: a digitized 
chart with latitude and longitude lines. 
The window in which that view was 
displayed was a little harder to design, 
because it had to provide nonstan- 
dard controls for scrolling around a 
spherical world. The command ob- 
jects were easily determined by 
enumerating the commands available 
in the user interface, such as place 
marker and show navigation info. The 
choice of document objects was not 
so clear-cut. 

A document in MacApp is an object 
that manages the principal data struc- 
tures of an application both in RAM 
and in file storage. In Nelson's applica- 
tion, several different files are 
employed, including the digitized 



nautical chart image with added an- 
notations, and a trip file, which con- 
sists mainly of the trail of coordinates 
recorded during a specific voyage. 
Nelson had to decide whether the 
document object of his application 
should be of the class NauticalChart 
or of the class Trip, or whether his ap- 
plication should support both kinds 
of documents. He based his decision 
on an analysis of the operations 
associated with each type of object. 
For example, he wanted the client to 
be able to save the history of a trip 
in a file and then reopen that file by 
clicking an icon in the Macintosh 
Finder. But he also wanted the client 
to be able to open a chart file to 
review the annotations that had been 
made on the chart. He concluded that 
both the trip and the chart are appro- 
priate document objects, and his ap- 
plication defines both as subclasses 
of Document. 

The chart file consisted of a digi- 
tized image plus markers indicating 
significant locations such as reefs and 
buoys. Once the program was run- 
ning, Nelson and his client realized 
that not all markers should be as- 
sociated with the chart file. It made 
sense for a marker labeled "light- 
house" to be stored with the chart, 
but a marker labeled "caught 30 lb 
salmon" really belonged with the trip. 
Nelson decided to divide all markers 



















Marker 

data: earth position 

time/date of placement 

routines: annotate marker 
































ChartMarker 
routines: draw chart marker 
store with chart 




TripMarker 
routines: draw trip marker 
store with trip 

















Figure I : An example of class hierarchy. 



into two subclasses of the object class 
Marker, namely, TripMarker and 
ChartMarker. He analyzed what the 
two kinds of markers had in com- 
mon—for example, the display algo- 
rithm and the routines to edit an 
annotation— and implemented that 
common behavior in the superclass 
Marker, from which the subclasses 
could inherit it. He also determined 
what differentiated them— for exam- 
ple, the shape of the displayed icon 
and the file used for storage— and im- 
plemented that special behavior as 
overrides in the subclasses. Nelson 
called the differentiation process 
"pushing down the details" from 
superclass to subclass (see figure 1). 

A CAD System 

At Artecon Inc. in Carlsbad, Califor- 
nia, a group of 20 programmers led 
by Dana Kammersgard used an 
object-oriented language on Sun-2 
and Sun-3 workstations in the devel- 
opment of ArteMate, an integrated 
CAD and office automation system, lb 
make the system as portable as possi- 
ble, Kammersgard's graphics group 
coded their routines according to an 
industry standard called GKS (Graph- 
ical Kernel System). GKS provides a 
way to construct images by transform- 
ing and combining primitive forms 
such as lines, polygons, curves, and 
ellipsoids. The standard specifies a 
device-independent set of procedure 
calls, leaving to each implementation 
the task of interpreting those calls in 
a manner appropriate to the available 
output devices. 

According to Kammersgard, his 
team wanted the CAD portion of Arte- 
Mate to display two-dimensional and 
three-dimensional graphics on a wide 
variety of plotters and screens. To ob- 
tain that flexibility, an object-oriented 
approach seemed best. The language 
they chose for their implementation 
was Objective-C, developed by Prod- 
uctivity Products International of 
Sandy Hook, Connecticut, and avail- 
able on a variety of computers and 
operating systems. 

The first question Kammersgard's 
group addressed was how to organize 
the code for a number of graphics 
devices, including the CalComp 1043 

(continued) 



202 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



If you think 

you cant afford a UNIX system. 

wevegota $160 surprise. 



Turn your PC into a 
multi-user system. 



Convert your IBM PC-AT 
(or compatible) into a multi- 
user/tasking UNIX work 
station— at absolutely the best 
price anywhere, any time. 
Based on the AT&T-certified 
UNIX System V/286, the 
MICROPORT SYSTEM V/AT 
is designed for use in vir- 
tually any computer environ- 
ment, from office automation 
to software development. 



Dynamic disk buffer allocation provides 
RAM disk performance for systems with 
large memory configuration. 

Runs on virtually all PC-AT clones. 

• Binary compatible 
with the AT&T 6300 
Plus UNIX System. 



So, how do we do it? 




Over 200 utilities 
come standard. 



Grep, awk, sort, split, cut, paste, vi and 
ed (and many more) now let you search 
and modify files, make use of electronic 
mail, emulate terminals, calculate elec- 
tronically, convert data and publish. 

SYSTEM V/AT is more than a look-alike. 
It was derived from AT&T's own UNIX 
System V release 2 iAPX286. It thereby 
contains standard System V features the 
competitors don't support, such as the 
powerful symbolic debugger, sdb, the 
shell-layering job-control facility and the 
F77 Fortran compiler, as well as program- 
ming tools such as ctrace, cflow, and bs. 
Also standard is File System Hardening 
which greatly reduces data loss in a power 
failure. 



Want some more features? 

Console driver providing ANSI terminal 
interface for monochrome, CGA, 
Hercules and EGA cards. 

Multiple Virtual consoles allow up to 
four virtual windows of operation. 

Record and File Locking 

Supports the 286's 16 megabyte virtual 
address space and fully utilizes its other 
advance features. 

Supports all standard IBM drive types 
and most non-standard hard-disk 
drives. 

Requires only one hard-disk partition, 
and allows DOS to reside on the same 
hard disk. 

Provides utilities to transfer files to-and- 
from DOS file systems. 



UNIX and DWB are trademarks of AT&T 

IBM and IBM PC-AT are trademarks of IBM CORPORATION. 

SYSTEM V/AT is a trademark of MICROPORT SYSTEMS. INC. 

Inquiry 332 




Super software- 
development 
environment 



We've provided everything: Make, 
yacc, lex, sees, cflow, ctrace plus every 
standard System V software-development 
tool. The F77 Fortran compiler. And the 
AT&T Portable C compiler for the 286. Both 
C and Fortran compilers generate 287 in- 
structions directly— for systems not con- 
taining 287 math coprocessors, a kernel- 
resident IEEE-compatible 287 emulator is 
provided. The large-model code produced 
by the compiler is among the densest and 
fastest currently available. 



MICROPORT offers SYSTEM V/AT at a 
fraction of the price of the competitors 
simply because we build on the generic 
System V/286 product from AT&T This en- 
tire utility package from the certified 
release has been copied directly to 
SYSTEM V/AT— without so much as a 
recompile. Not only does this mean that 
MICROPORT can offer SYSTEM V/AT at a 
remarkable low price, it also guarantees a 
level of quality present in few (if any) other 
UNIX-system implementations. (And, since 
our staff was part of the group that im- 
plemented the standard System V/286 
port for Intel, MICROPORT can offer com- 
prehensive support for the system, as 
well.) 



And a dollar change 

The price is even better than you 
thought. Order right away and we'll return 
one silver dollar just as rapidly, with your 
product shipment. (If you'd like a little more 
time well apply that dollar to the cost of a 
brochure— which we'll send right away 
too.) 

90 DA Y MONEY BACK GUARANTEE 




To order: Complete the information below. Your 
attractively-packaged and fully-documented order will be 
shipped within two weeks. 

MICROPORT SYSTEMS, INC. 

4200 Scotts Valley Drive 
Scotts Valley, CA 95066 
408/438-UNIX or 800/PC2-UNIX (outside CA) 



SYSTEM V/AT 



NAME_ 



□ RUNTIME SYSTEM Includes the SYSTEM V/AT operation 
system and over 200 utilities, for two users. 

QUANT: $160.00 

D SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM The complete 
Software Generation System for 286 development. 

QUANT: $169.00 

D TEXT PREPARATION SYSTEM Includes nroff, troff. spell 
and other programs. 

QUANT: $169.00 

□ THE COMPLETE SYSTEM Contains all three packages 
indicated above. 

QUANT: $439.00 

D OPTIONAL three lo eighl-user upgrade. 

QUANT: $99.00 

Subtotal: 

(CA residents add 6.5% tax per copy): 

Shipping and handling charges (In the USA, 
$14.00; in Canada. $18.00; and in Europe, $110 

TOTAL DUE: 



TELEPHONE. 

ADDRESS 

CITY_ 



STATE. 



_ZIP_ 



COUNTRY 

DVISA D MASTERCARD □ BANK DRAFT □ CHECK 
CARD NUMBER EXP DATE 



D Send a brochure only and keep me on your mailing list, 
please. 




PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCES 



CopyWrite 

BACKS UP 
IBM PC 
SOFTWARE 



Hundreds of the most 
popular copy-protected 
programs are copied readily. 
CopyWrite needs no 
complicated parameters. 
It needs an IBM Personal 
Computer, or an XT or an AT, 
128k bytes of memory, and 
one diskette drive. 
CopyWrite will run faster 
with more memory or 
another drive. 

CopyWrite is revised 
monthly to keep up with the 
latest in copy-protection. 
You may get a new edition at 
any time for a $15 trade 
in fee. 

CopyWrite makes back up 
copies to protect you 
against accidental loss of 
your software. It is not for 
producing copies for sale or 
trade, or for any other use 
that deprives the author of 
payment for his work. 

To order CopyWrite, send a 
check for $50 U.S., or call us 
with your credit card. We will 
ship the software within 
a day. 




Quaid Software Limited 

45 Charles Street East 

Third Floor 

Toronto, Ontario M4Y 1S2 

(416)961-8243 



Ask about ZeroDisk to run copy-protected 
software from a hard disk without floppies. 



and 1044 and the HP 7 58X models, 
in such a way that it could perform 
both input and output to a number of 
black-and-white and color display 
systems, including the Sun Color 
Graphics Processor and the IBM 
5080. The programmers decided that 
each type of device should be repre- 
sented by a different type of object. 
Accordingly they defined Objective- 
C classes such as SunGP and Cal- 
Comp1044. 

At different times during program 
execution, a program variable can 
contain pointers to different device 
classes. For example, if dev refers to 
an instance of the class SunGP, the 

statement dev poly line: coordList 

invokes a device-specific method in 
class SunGP to display a polygon on 
the Sun screen. If dev is later assigned 
a reference to a CalComp 1044, the 

statement dev poly line: coordList 

invokes a device-specific drawing 
method in the class CalComp1044 to 
drive the pen plotter along a polygo- 
nal path. To support a new device, the 
the programming team can simply 
define a new class without modifying 
existing code. 

Kammersgard says that where they 
could take advantage of special hard- 
ware features, they implemented a 
device-specific method in the class. 

For example, the method poly line 

normally has to apply transformations 
to the coordinates supplied in its 
parameter list to account for the 
visual perspective of the viewer. To 
calculate these transformations in- 
volves matrix multiplications, which 
are time-consuming operations in a 
conventional computer. Because the 
Sun Graphics Processor implements 
a three-dimensional transformation 
pipeline in hardware, the class SunGP 
overrides the standard implementa- 
tion of poly line, substituting a ver- 
sion that is shorter and faster than 
transformations performed wholly in 
software. 

Like biologists who classify life 
forms into species, group similar 
species into a genus, group related 
genera into a class, and so on, object- 
oriented programmers design hierar- 
chies of classes according to the 
similarities and differences they 
perceive between objects. In the 



Artecon system, specific output 
devices are the species of the graph- 
ics kingdom, and company product 
lines are the genera. Since different 
devices from the same manufacturer 
often have similar interface specifica- 
tions, Kammersgard's team defined 
the class CalCompPlotter as a super- 
class of both CalComp1043 and 
CalComp1044. They moved methods 
common to both models up to the 
superclass and left model-specific 
methods in the subclasses. In a similar 
fashion they added generic classes 
like HPPIotter, SunDisplay, and 
IBM50SeriesDisplay to the class 
hierarchy. By sharing as much code as 
possible between device classes, they 
were able to reduce program size and 
development time considerably. 

The hierarchy of device classes con- 
tinues for two more levels. At the level 
above product lines, all kinds of plot- 
ters are grouped into one class, and 
all kinds of interactive displays into 
another; display classes implement 
methods for user input, while plotter 
classes do not. At the highest level is 
the class GKSWorkstation, which is 
the ancestor of all other device 
classes. At that level, device- 
independent operations are imple- 
mented—for example, the GKS primi- 
tives that change display attributes in 
data structures in memory without 
communicating to the devices. 

In any graphics application, another 
obvious application of objects is to 
represent the graphical components 
of the drawing. For example, all ellip- 
soids ought to be instances of the 
class Ellipsoid, and all cylinders ought 
to be instances of the class Cylinder. 
In the Artecon system, all geometric 
modeling classes are grouped to- 
gether under a superclass called Geo- 
metricObject. Geometric objects re- 
spond to messages such as draw, 
rotate, and store. 

But a CAD system must do more 
than a simple drawing program. It 
must allow the user to indicate rela- 
tionships among design components. 
Kammersgard's group found them- 
selves adding "links" to geometric ob- 
jects and to other objects within the 
system, such as instances of the class 
ViewPort. After a while, they realized 

[continued] 



204 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 




IT'S WHAT TDK MAKES FOR COMPUTERS 
THAT MAKES THEIR DISKS THE BEST 



The initial step from computer technology to 
computer disks was a natural for TDK, because 
they're more than manufacturers, they're creative 
innovators. TDK has used its expertise as one of 
the world's major producers of electronic compo- 
nent parts (including the most sophisticated 
heads for disk drives) to design floppy disks that 
deliver error free performance. 

Absolute quality has always been a major 
source of pride for TDK. Their position as the 
world's largest manufacturer of magnetic media 
has been earned by an unparalleled level of tech- 
nical superiority that spans over 50 years. 



&TDK 



Millions of people around the world rely on 
TDK for the ultimate in audio and video record- 
ing performance. Now they can rely on TDK for 
the same consistently high performance in 
floppy disks. After all, PCs have feelings too. 
They deserve the TDK advantage other sophis- 
ticated electronic equipment has always 
enjoyed. 

Let your PC know you care, choose from 
TDK's family of 5.25-inch standard, 5.25-inch 
High Density and 3.5-inch No-Risk™Disks. 
Because it just doesn't pay to cut corners when it 
comes to floppy disks. 



THE NO-RISK DISK. 




Northeastern Region: 516-625-0100; Southern Region: 404-948-1346; Midwestern Region: 312-676-5356; Western Region: 71 4-863-1 844 



*> 1986 TDK Eleclronics Corp. 



Inquiry 289 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 205 



Inquiry 329 



MathCAD 

The Engineers Scratch Pad 



PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCES 



FOURIER RECONSTRUCTION: SQUARE HAVE 



40 

= 1 



j := 
2-5CJ 



,.N 
20) 



Reconstruct 
function, using 
first two terws 
of Fourier series 



40 points 

step 
function 



i := 1,3 ..3 



4^1 
R := - > -sin 
j n ^ — 'i 
i 



i ■ 2 ■ IT- 



Lb 






R ,S 

J J 


/' '""\ 


\^j 


-i e; 







A powerful computation and 
documentation tool for your 
IBM-PC. 

With MathCAD you simply and inter- 
actively create, edit and display for- 
mulas on the screen the way you are 
used to writing them. Equations are 
instantly computed and the results dis- 
played on the screen as a single num- 
ber or a plot. Text may be added to the 
screen and everything may be printed 
out as an integrated document. 
MathCAD has built-in hyperbolic and 
circular functions, performs all calcu- 
lations with real and complex num- 
bers, performs iterative calculations, 
handles all units, performs error 
checking and dimensional analysis 
and much more. . . 

The price of MathCAD-$189. 

In Massachusetts add 5% sales tax. 

To order send check, p.o., call us 
with your MasterCard number or 
call us for the nearest dealer. 

1.800.MathCAD or 617.577.1017 

Math Soft 

One Kendall Square 
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 



that the various implementations of 
links could be combined by embody- 
ing Geometric Object and ViewPort 

in a new superclass called Associa- 
tivityObject. An associativity object 
contains a set of links and supports 

operations such as add link, 

remove link, and modify link. A 

member of any subclass, say, 
Cylinder, inherits the ability to contain 
links as well as the routines for 
manipulating them. Adding the class 
AssociativityObject required a modest 
restructuring of existing code. Accord- 
ing to Kammersgard, it is common to 
restructure the class hierarchy to take 
advantage of newly discovered 
opportunities for sharing code 
through inheritance. 

A Knowledge-based 
Application 

Bill Hutchison, a behavioral psychol- 
ogist living in Silver Spring, Maryland, 
is implementing a knowledge-based 
system on the IBM PC. The system 
organizes information in a way that 
allows a seemingly rational response 
to stimuli. After considering a number 
of development systems, Hutchison 
decided upon Methods, a Smalltalk 
dialect developed by Digitalk Inc. of 
Los Angeles, California. I spoke to 
Hutchison after he had been using 
Methods for four months. "I like the 
way I can think about the problem," 
he said. "I map out the general prob- 
lem in my head and can almost ex- 
tract the objects from how I write it 
down in English. 1 make an object for 
each physical thing, process, or activ- 
ity that I am dealing with." 

I asked him if Smalltalk was difficult 
to learn. Hutchison, who has pro- 
grammed extensively in assembly 
language, COBOL, BASIC. PILOT, and 
PLANIT, said he found Smalltalk "the 
most natural way" to program. He ad- 
mits, however, that most of his learn- 
ing time went to mastering Smalltalk's 
extensive class library. Large libraries 
are typical in object-oriented systems 
because they are extremely easy to 
build and maintain using subclassing 
and inheritance. The library .that 
comes with Methods includes classes 
that are similar in purpose to those 
of MacApp. That allowed him to im- 
plement the user interface of his ap- 



plication easily and give it fancier 
features than he had first thought 
possible. 

Hutchison said he structured the ap- 
plication's objects in a modular way. 
Knowledge is stored in association 
networks that relate situations, conclu- 
sions, and responses. He first devel- 
oped a basic Network class able to 
represent simple domains, and he 
said that doing so was not as difficult 
as he had expected. Later, when he 
decided to tackle more difficult prob- 
lems, complex networks became sub- 
classes of the basic version. The first 
subclass he defined was Interaction- 
Network, which adds the ability for 
parts of networks to interact with each 
other. That class was itself subclassed 
to define MultiResponselnteraction- 
Network, which permits the system to 
respond along multiple dimensions. 

At each stage he had to restructure 
existing definitions a little to allow the 
new class to inherit as much as possi- 
ble from the old classes. The modular 
structure of the application made it 
easier to change one part without af- 
fecting others. "Sometimes," Hutchi- 
son said, "a radical change that I was 
dreading took me only an hour or less 
to accomplish." But Hutchison added 
that to make the program that 
modular, he had to develop the dis- 
cipline to confine knowledge of an ob- 
ject's internal structure to its own 
class— only after having done that 
could he make changes to an object's 
structure without affecting others. 

Object-oriented Future 

Certainly, object-oriented program- 
ming offers a great deal to software 
developers who want to manage large 
software projects or create prototypes 
quickly. Now that several suitable 
languages are widely available, many 
programmers will likely invest the time 
necessary to acquire the skill of using 
them. The interviews 1 conducted en- 
couraged me to believe that these lan- 
guages can be applied effectively in 
diverse situations by people of varied 
technical backgrounds. Even though 
the learning curve is high, most pro- 
grammers can easily exploit the full 
potential of object modularity, data 
abstraction, and inheritance offered 
by object-oriented languages. ■ 



206 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



— 




m 




DON'T LOOK 



FOR PRODUCTIVITY IN A PRODUCT. 





The purchase of a 
data base system 
should be the beginning 
of a relationship. 

That relationship should 
include planned product 
upgrades, experienced 
technical support, vertical 
application templates, infor- 
mational seminars, training 
programs, user groups, 
newsletters, special market- 
ing programs... and much, 
much more. 

Demand a Relationship 

At Software Solutions, the 
relationship begins as soon 
as you contact us. We'll 
help you find answers 
to your questions about 
DataEase™— or about 
any information manage- 
ment issue. 

The product evaluator at 





Manufacturer's Hanover 
Trust summed up the expe- 
rience of tens of thousands 
of users by calling DataEase 
"the most impressive pro- 
ductivity tool I have seen." 

When you talk to us, ask for 
our sample diskette. See for 
yourself why Data Based 
Advisor points to DataEase 
as "the easiest to understand 
and use full-featured data 
base program," calling it "a 
program which could easily 
set the industry standard." 

Discover us. Find out how 
important the company 
behind the product can be. 



Send information and a free DATAEASE BYT-8/86 
sample diskette for my PC (check one): 

□ IBM □ WANG □ DEC □ Tl 
Include materials relating to: 

□ Corporate Client □ Retailer 

□ MIS/DP/IC Professional D VAD 

□ Other 



Name:. 
Title: 



. Phone: . 



Company:. 
Street: 



City:. 



.State:. 



.Zip:. 



Mail to: 

Software Solutions, Inc 
12 Cambridge Drive 
Trumbull, CT 06611 



Telex: 703972 
800-243-5123 







Software Solutions. Get into a relationship that works for you. 

Canada 

Computerlinks, Toronto. Ontario; (416) 231-1270 

United Kingdom West Germany. Austria Scandinavia 

Sapphire Systems. Essex: 01-554-0582 M&T Software Verlag. Munich. 089-4613-0 WestSoftAVS, Alesund, Norway; (47) 71-46166 



Switzerland, France 

Softsource, S.A. 1209 Geneve. Switzerland; 985152&985-153 



Inquiry 273 



AUGUST I986 'BYTE 207 



AT performance at an XT price 

Introducing theTeleCAT-28a 

$2995. Complete. 





WithTeleVideo, 
you always settle for more. 

Up till now, with a mid-range 
budget, you had to settle for 
mid-range performance. And 
a mid-range set of features. 

But not anymore. Because 
now, there's the new TeleC AT- 
2867 from TeleVideo. An IBM 
AT-compatible machine that 
lets you settle for an entirely new 
concept in medium-priced 
PCs: more. 

More Performance. 

The TeleCAT-286 retails for 
$2995, roughly the same as a 
comparably-equipped IBM XT. 
But the similarity ends there. 
Instead of starting you off with 
a stripped-down box, we've 
loaded up the TeleCAT-286 with 
512K RAM. A 20MB hard disk. 
A 1.2MB floppy. And everything 
else you need. Like an Intel 
80286 CPU that runs at either 



28% Smaller 
Footprint: 

What you do with the 
extra desk space is up to 
you, but as you can see 
here, the TeleCAT-286 
gives you a lot more of 
it than the IBM AT 



6 or 8 MHz clock speed. There's 
even a high-resolution monitor 
for text and graphics. 

To make even better use of 
internal space, we socketed the 
TeleCAT-286 for one MB of RAM, 
and also included serial and 
parallel ports on the mother- 
board. As a result, we can still 





give you three extra expan- 
sion slots. 

More Productivity. 

Using our experience in build- 
ing terminals and systems for 
7 50,000 users worldwide, we've 
designed a machine that's the 
last word in ergonomics. With 



LED s On Locking Keys: 

For maximum visibility, we 
put our LEDs right on top 
of the three critical lock- 
ing keys, so they won't get 
covered up by overlays. 



sculptured keycaps on a high- 
quality keyboard. LEDs on the 
three critical locking keys. And 
a footprint that's 28% smaller 
than the IBM AT's. So you get 
more of your desk back, too. 

Find Out Even More: 
1(800)TELECAT. 

There's a whole lot more we could 
tell you about the TeleCAT- 
286. But it's an even better idea 
to get your hands 
on it. So call us at 
1(800]TELECAT, 
- Dept.209,and 
j we'll tell you the 
nearest place 
you can try one. 
The TeleCAT-286. Our 
20MB version is $2995; 30MB, 
$3495. For high performance 
at a low price, don't settle 
for less. 

ft Tfele\ldeo e 

Settle for more. 



TeleVideo Systems, Inc. 1170 Morse Avenue 
Sunnyvale, California 94088-3568 • (408) 745-7760 

©I 986 TeleVideo Systems, Inc. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines, Inc. 
Screen graphics by Chartmaster ©Decision Resources, Inc. 



Inquiry 296 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 209 



Your System/Controller should fit you 
like a good suit. 





J^Sgk 


P 






V 
1 


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I i C - !£^— -^ i 






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LET MICROMINT 
CUSTOM FIT YOU 

Whether it's suits or system controllers, 
you can't buy off the rack when you 
need a custom fit. 

That's why Micromint individualizes 
its system controllers to meet your par- 
ticular needs and budget. What's most 
important to you? Software compati- 
bility? Speed? Everything on one 
board? Economical computing power? 

ff\\"l want software 
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210 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



language with a full screen editor, 
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OBJECT-ORIENTED LANGUAGES 



DESIGNING AN 

EFFICIENT 

LANGUAGE 



by Charles B. Duff 



A language designer discusses the inefficiencies 
of Smalltalk and suggests ways to improve upon them 



ALTHOUGH SMALLTALK is the 
mother of modern object-oriented 
languages, and is certainly the best- 
known, its use in the microcomputer 
world has been limited, primarily 
because of its size, relative inefficien- 
cy, and fairly long learning curve for 
new programmers. These problems 
are partially the result of a philosophy 
that emphasizes theoretical consisten- 
cy and universal application of a few 
principles. By modifying this design 
philosophy somewhat, it is possible 
to develop a new language that com- 
bines the benefits of an object- 
oriented language and the efficiency 
of a popular production language 
such as C or Pascal. 

Over the past two years, my com- 
pany, The Whitewater Group, has 
been at work on a new language 
called Actor, which is targeted for ar- 
tificial intelligence work on microcom- 
puters. Our goal was to make use of 
the consistent object-oriented philos- 
ophy of Smalltalk but to incorporate 
some architectural changes that might 
enhance efficiency, ease of use, and 
accessibility for the average program- 
mer. In this article I will discuss some 



of the design details of Smalltalk and 
point out how we attempted to im- 
prove upon them. 

The issues under discussion include 
garbage collection, late versus early 
binding, and models for the inter- 
preter. I'll also look at the relative ad- 
vantages of a token-threaded inter- 
preter over Smalltalk's byte-code in- 
terpreter in creating a language that 
supports early binding and other 
optimizations. 

Garbage Collection 

Smalltalk, like other sophisticated lan- 
guages such as LISP and Prolog, in- 
cludes a garbage-collection facility that 
automatically reclaims data structures 
that have been created by the pro- 
grammer but are no longer needed. 
This is a tremendous advantage in a 
large, complex application because 
you never have to worry about mem- 
ory management (unless, of course, 
memory becomes exhausted in spite 
of garbage collection). 

The Smalltalk-80 specification in- 
cludes a reference-counting garbage 
collector but does not mandate this 
approach. A reference-counting sys- 



tem keeps track of the number of 
pointers to each object in the system. 
When the pointer count drops to 0, 
the object is deleted. 

Unoptimized reference-counting col- 
lectors can consume up to 70 percent 
of total execution time because of the 
constant maintenance of reference 
counts. The University of California at 
Berkeley has published a number of 
clever optimizations that minimize the 
reference-counting overhead in Small- 
talk. Nevertheless, reference counting 
has a serious chronic effect on the 
efficiency of the language. Anyone 
who attempts to create a more effi- 
cient object-oriented language would 
do well to consider alternate architec- 
tures for garbage collection. 

The Baker Collector 

Henry Baker at MIT developed a 
method of garbage collection for LISP 

{continued) 
Charles B. Duff (The Whitewater Group, 906 
University Place. Evanston. IL 60201) is a 
systems programmer whose last product was 
the language Neon for the Macintosh. His 
new language, Actor, should be available for 
the IBM PC in October. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 211 



EFFICIENT LANGUAGE 



that involves splitting memory into 
two spaces. As an application ex- 
ecutes, objects that are known to be 
"alive" (i.e., accessible to the program) 
are copied' from one space to a new 
one. Eventually all active objects are 
copied to the new space. The copy- 
ing process is then reversed, copying 
back into the original space and 
writing over the "dead" objects. 

The principal advantage of this ap- 
proach is that the collection process 
can be performed incrementally as 
the program executes, allowing even 
real-time applications to make use of 
garbage collection. Also, compaction 
occurs naturally as a result of the 
copying. The efficiency of Baker's 
method, however, is dependent on 
how many objects remain alive as op- 
posed to how many die. Highly 
volatile objects such as contexts (see 
below) may well come and go before 
they are copied, thereby requiring no 
maintenance overhead. The difficulty 
comes in when a large number of ob- 
jects with long lifetimes are created, 



resulting in much copying activity. 
Each application has a unique profile 
with respect to object lifetimes. 

The best solution for this problem 
seems to be a variation of Baker's ap- 
proach suggested by Henry Lieber- 
man and Carl Hewitt of MIT and first 
applied to Smalltalk by a team at DEC. 
In this approach, objects that have 
been around for a long time are 
migrated to an area that is rarely 
checked for dead objects, thus mini- 
mizing useless copying of permanent 
objects and directing the energies of 
the collector where it can be most ef- 
fective. In our design of Actor's gar- 
bage collector, we employed an ap- 
proach similar to this. 

Contexts 

Any stack-based language must have 
a run-time facility to create activation 
records for each procedure that is ex- 
ecuted (see figure 1). This is an area 
at the top of the stack that contains 
current values of variables and param- 
eters to be used by the procedure. As 





Local variables 


-* 




Return address 






Link to previous BP 








parml 




parmO 




Previous activation 
record 









■Stack pointer 



■Base pointer 



Sam := myFunc(parmO ) parml) 



Figure 1: A typical activation record in a compiled language. When a function 
(myFunc) is executed, the parameters passed to it by the calling routine are placed on 
the stack, along with the return address. The function then allocates space for its local 
variables. The base pointer serves as a fixed location from which to index both the 
passed parameters and the local variables. Below is the activation record for the function 
that called myFunc. 



long as a simple stack allocation 
discipline is used, these structures do 
not require any sophisticated memory 
management; they come and go with 
procedure calls and returns. 

In Smalltalk, the activation record is 
called a context and is actually an ob- 
ject (see figure 2). Every time a 
method begins execution, a new con- 
text object must be created. The con- 
text actually combines a traditional 
activation record with a local work 
stack for use during the method's ex- 
ecution. Space for the stack is 
allocated from the context's indexed 
instance variables. Thus, each invoca- 
tion of a method has its own private 
stack. 

Even after a method finishes ex- 
ecuting, its context can persist and be 
sent messages as a full-fledged ob- 
ject. A debugger can exploit this fact 
to reconstruct the state of a method 
that had a problem. On the downside, 
however, objects are much more ex- 
pensive to allocate than stack space. 
Since a context is created with each 
method activation, it is no surprise 
that the Smalltalk garbage collector 
spends much of its time managing 
context objects alone. One study in- 
dicated that method contexts are re- 
sponsible for 97 out of every 100 
words of object space allocated. 

Since the performance conse- 
quences of straying from a stack- 
based allocation discipline seemed 
too severe in relation to the benefits, 
we decided not to implement method 
contexts as objects in Actor. We did, 
however, implement block contexts as 
objects, because these contexts are 
used less frequently and do not con- 
form to stack-based allocation 
strategies. These contexts are created 
only when a block is passed to an- 
other method, or function, for repeti- 
tive execution. (In this article, we will 
use the terms method and function 
interchangeably.) 

As a consequence of our decision, 
however, the process of constructing 
a debugger is less elegant, requiring 
us to make use of assembly language 
primitives to access the stack. Alter- 
natively, we could use Actor to con- 
struct an emulator that would treat 
contexts as objects for the sake of 

[continued) 



212 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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EFFICIENT LANGUAGE 



debugging. We have yet to find that 
step necessary, however. 

Early and Late Binding 

When you call a function in a typical 
high-level language such as C the 
compiler and linker actually generate 
a subroutine call to a physical ad- 
dress. This is very efficient, but you 
must be careful to associate functions 
with the appropriate data structures. 
For example, if you were to pass an 
array to a function that was designed 
to work on strings, trouble would 
surely result. The problem would 
most likely be caught at compile time 
by the type-checking facility of the 
compiler. Of course, in an untyped 
language such as FORTH, the prob- 
lem wouldn't be caught at all until the 
program started behaving strangely. 
Smalltalk relieves the programmer 
of this burden by automatically call- 
ing the appropriate method for a 
given data structure. The programmer 
uses generic names for operations, 
and Smalltalk uses the class of the 



receiving object to look up the 
method having the correct name. 
Since the lookup occurs at run time, 
however, it carries a rather severe ef- 
ficiency penalty with respect to the 
previous technique. 

We decided to implement a facility 
that combines the merits of each ap- 
proach. We designed our compiler to 
automatically associate, or bind, a 
generic operation name with a 
physical function in the manner of 
Smalltalk. But, unlike Smalltalk, the 
programmer can choose on a case-by- 
case basis whether this occurs at run 
time (late binding) or at compile time 
(early binding). 

Advantages of Late Binding 

Late binding has some notable advan- 
tages. Since all references are sym- 
bolic, a method can be recompiled 
without having to recompile all of its 
callers. More important, the same 
symbolic name can be used for a 
similar operation in several different 
types of objects. This is possible in 







Context object 




Compiled method object 






sender 






IP 




Header 










stack ptr 






— Literal frame — 


method 


receiver 






args 


— Byte codes — 


locals 


stack 





















Figure 2: An activation record in Smalltalk. Instead of allocating activation records on 
a single continuous stack, in Smalltalk each method activation causes the creation of a 
method context, which is actually an object. Each method activation has its own private 
stack, which includes space for the instance variables designated by the Context class of 
objects. This arrangement, with its consequent garbage collection, is much less efficient 
than simple stack allocation. 



Smalltalk because each object's class 
has, as one of its private variables, a 
dictionary associating names with 
methods. When a message is sent, the 
interpreter determines the class of the 
receiver and finds this dictionary, 
which it then uses to look up the 
method for the symbol sent. 

The fact that a single message can 
invoke any of several methods is 
known as polymorphic behavior and 
is probably the most powerful feature 
of object-oriented programming. It 
allows code to be written that is in- 
sensitive to the type of object receiv- 
ing the message. Of course, if the ob- 
ject doesn't happen to have a method 
for the name sent, an error will occur 
at run time. This can be disturbing to 
a programmer who is accustomed to 
such problems being resolved at com- 
pile time. But for certain types of 
problems, late binding greatly 
simplifies the code. A lot of control 
structure, such as if and case state- 
ments, simply vanishes, because the 
logic is incorporated into the distinc- 
tion between classes. 

Unfortunately late binding is not 
very efficient. Even the best algo- 
rithms for searching the dictionary are 
several times slower than simply ex- 
ecuting the method without a search. 
Much research, however, has been 
done in Smalltalk with respect to 
method caching, which greatly 
speeds message-sends. Caching uses 
a hash table to store the most recently 
used methods, avoiding the more 
time-consuming dictionary lookup. 
Caching and other optimizations have 
greatly improved late-binding perfor- 
mance, but the performance penalty 
remains severe. 

Early Binding 

A sensible compromise can be made 
with respect to late binding. It is possi- 
ble to forego the consistency of 
uniform polymorphic behavior in 
return for a good deal more efficien- 
cy. In a previous language I wrote for 
the Macintosh called Neon, which had 
object-oriented facilities and a 
FORTH-like syntax. I allowed the pro- 
grammer to select early or late bind- 
ing in each message. This has proven 
to be a workable and efficient solu- 

(cont'mued) 



214 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



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AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 215 



EFFICIENT LANGUAGE 



tion. Neon makes no attempt how- 
ever, to ensure that the class of the 
receiver is appropriate at run time for 
the method being called. In general 
the philosophy in Neon was to pro- 
vide minimal protection at run time, 
which allows maximum efficiency. 
Most FORTH systems have taken this 
approach, but it is an unsuitable en- 
vironment for complex AI work. 

Even in Smalltalk, polymorphism is 
really used in only about 1 5 percent 



of the code. The rest of the system 
makes implicit assumptions about an 
object's class and could just as well 
be early-bound. Other researchers 
have speculated on various ways in 
which this fact couid be exploited for 
more efficiency. 

Our goal was to provide selective 
early binding with protection against 
class mismatches at run time. For in- 
stance, if at compile time we bound 
a call to a method in class Rectangle, 



Listing 1 : Examples of function definitions as they might be written in Actor, 
illustrating how early binding may be specified. \n the function append, the 
variables self and arg, along with the result of the function, have been y, typed" 
as instances of class ListCell. 

/* this version of append assigns types (classes) to its 
arguments. carVal and cdrVal are the two private 
variables in class ListCell. Typing permits the compiler 
to generate much more efficient code for messages 
involving typed parameters. */ 

Def append(sel f :ListCel I , arg :ListCe I I ) :ListCel I 
{ ^cons(carVa I , append(cdrVa I , arg)) 

\ 

/* cons is an example of ACTOR's optimization of private 
variable references. The form cell.cdrVal is a very 
efficient way of referring to the cdrVal private variable 
in the local variable, cell. If the programmer were to 
assign a type to cell, an even more efficient machine 
language primitive would be compiled. */ 

Def cons(self, arg | cell) 
j eel I := new(ListCel I ); 

eel I .cdrVa I := arg; 

eel I .carVal := sel f ; 

"eel I 
I 

/* The do function performs a post-order traversal of a 
list by executing a passed-in block at each leaf (non- 
list) node. */ 

Def do(self, aBlock) 
j if isAtomf carVal ) 

then eval (aBlock, carVal); 

else do(carVal, aBlock); 

endi f ; 

if cdrVal 

then do(cdrVal, aBlock); 

endi f 



Listing 2 : Another definition for append. \n this case neither the parameters 
nor the return value of the function are typed, and as a result, all messages will 
be late-bound. 

Def append(self, arg) 

{ "cons(carVa I , append(cdrVa I , arg)) 



and, at run time, an Array was actual- 
ly the receiver, serious consequences 
could result. Either every method has 
to check that its arguments are of the 
proper class at run time, or the com- 
piler has to ensure integrity at com- 
pile time. Run-time checking is a 
burden that would eat up much of the 
efficiency gained in early binding. 
And since compilation can usually be 
done in relatively small chunks in an 
object-oriented system, compilation 
efficiency isn't of much concern. 

We decided to develop a scheme 
whereby the programmer can, at 
compile time, selectively bind "types" 
(classes) to variables and to the values 
returned by functions. This scheme is 
similar to type declaration in Pascal 
and allows the compiler to ensure the 
integrity of an early-bound method 
call at run time. We also decided to 
equip .the compiler with a sort of 
miniature expert system that allows it 
to selectively, early-bind method calls. 
In cases where the early binding cri- 
teria fail, it defaults to late binding. 

For example, in listing I we have a 
number of list-handling method 
definitions, as they might be written 
in Actor for a class called ListCell. 
(Note, however, that the actual func- 
tion names are different in Actor; 1 
have used the equivalent LISP func- 
tion names here to make the code 
more familiar to LISP programmers.) 

We specified all Actor function 
(method) definitions to consist of the 
word Def followed by the name of the 
new function, followed by a list of for- 
mal parameters enclosed in paren- 
theses. The first parameter is always 
self, because that is where the 
receiver appears in the method call. 

The body of the function is 
delimited by curly braces (which are 
optional in the case of a single state- 
ment). A caret causes the function to 
return the value of the next statement. 

You will notice that in the list of 
arguments for the append function, 
the formal parameters, self and arg, 
are followed by .ListCell. As in Pascal, 
this assigns a type to the formal pa- 
rameters. In Actor, types are actually 
classes, so the definition says that at 
run time the formal parameter must 
be of class ListCell. 

{continued) 



216 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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EFFICIENT LANGUAGE 



We designed the compiler to en- 
force this by requiring that any early- 
bound call to append (i.e., a message 
to a typed variable) must pass a 
ListCell as its argument. If append 
is invoked as the result of a late- 
bound message, a type-checking rou- 
tine will ensure the class integrity of 
its parameters. This check is per- 
formed only if a function with typed 
parameters is invoked in a late-bound 
message-send. 

We can control the early binding of 
messages to self by typing the self for- 
mal parameter. It is usually desirable 
to leave self untyped, however, to 
allow redefinition of a function in a 
subclass. If typed, the message to self 
will be bound at compile time. 

Listing 2 shows an alternative ver- 
sion of append whose parameters are 
untyped and that does not use early 
binding. 

Using Early Binding 

We designed the typing facility to be 
most effective when used during pro- 
gram optimization. During initial de- 
velopment, the programmer can leave 
all variables and functions unbound. 
This makes the code easier to change 



and debug and minimizes dependen- 
cies between the various parts of the 
application. After the code is de- 
bugged and has become fairly stable, 
the programmer can then isolate 
areas that are heavily executed and 
begin optimizing them. Variables and 
functions can be bound in the time- 
critical methods, allowing the com- 
piler to generate more efficient early- 
bound references. To attempt even 
better performance, high-level func- 
tions might be converted to primitive 
functions, until performance is accept- 
able. The latter step is not possible in 
standard Smalltalk-80, which allows 
the user to write only high-level 
methods. 

Interpreter Models 

Smalltalk works by compiling the 
source code for methods into an in- 
termediate language. This language 
consists of a set of basic operations, 
such as fetching and storing variables, 
fetching literal objects, sending mes- 
sages, and manipulating the stack. 
Theoretically, users could write in this 
language, but then they would be 
working directly with the stack in the 
manner of FORTH and would be with- 





| myFile . . . | 

myFile : = File new name: "users.txt" 


Literal frame 
Byte codes 






1 

2 


Header 


Assoc #File^ File 


#name: 


"users.txt" 




fetch literal 2 = "users.txt" 


fetch variable at lit = File ' 


send special selector #new 


send literal selector 1 = #name: 


store TOS in temporary var 







Figure 3 : A sample of compiled code in Smalltalk. The compiled method consists of 
two data areas: the literal frame (for literal data) and a series of byte codes (\-byte 
instructions). 



out the protection and sophisticated 
features provided by the compiler. 
The job of the interpreter is to scan 
the intermediate code and execute 
machine code to make the language 
perform. This situation is entirely 
analogous to a microprocessor scan- 
ning machine instructions and ex- 
ecuting microcode. In fact, the inter- 
preter has a register, called the inter- 
pretive pointer (IP), that is the equiv- 
alent of the instruction pointer regis- 
ter in a microprocessor. 

The Byte Code Interpreter 

Smalltalk's intermediate language 
consists of byte codes— that is, a 
series of bytes, each of which encodes 
an elementary operation in the Small- 
talk "virtual machine." A compiled 
method consists of two data areas. 
First there is the "literal frame," an 
area in which the method stores any 
objects that are referred to as literals 
in the method. (Literals are objects 
created without a name, such as "A 
string", 12000, or #aSymbol.) This is 
followed by the byte code area, in 
which the compiler places the com- 
piled code for the method. Several 
byte codes are dedicated to access- 
ing the objects in the literal frame. 

Let's examine what a small piece of 
compiled Smalltalk code would look 
like. Suppose that, in the middle of a 
method, the compiler sees the phrase 

myFile : = File new name: "users.txt" 

In this phrase, myFile is the name of 
the zeroth local variable allocated by 
this method in its private stack. What 
gets compiled is a series of 5 byte 
codes and 3 words of literal data, for 
a total of 1 1 bytes, excluding the 
header (figure 3). 

The first byte code fetches the con- 
tents of literal location 2 (the string 
"users.txt") and places it on the stack. 
This will later serve as the parameter 
for the name: method. The next 
method fetches the contents of an As- 
sociation object that identifies the 
class File in the main dictionary, 
Smalltalk. This is the receiver for the 
new method, sent by the next byte 
code (several byte codes are 
dedicated to sending common 
messages like new or at:). 

[continued) 



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EFFICIENT LANGUAGE 



The next byte code sends the 
#name: selector that is stored in the 
literal frame at location I. This is how 
any send not involving the "special" 
(frequently used) selectors is com- 
piled. Finally the result of the name: 
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dress of the start of the byte code 
area whenever a method is executed. 

Threaded Interpreters 

In our design of Actor, a principal goal 
was an efficient implementation of 
early binding. This led us away from 
the byte code interpreter to a 
threaded model. Early-bound func- 
tion calls and literal references can be 
more efficiently implemented with a 
threaded interpreter. 

There are several varieties of 
threaded interpreter. All models share 
the "threaded" aspect, which con- 
notes building a procedure by string- 
ing together a list of virtual or physical 
addresses of other procedures. At ex- 
ecution time, the interpreter scans 
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In a threaded environment, every 
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Generally, the result of executing a 
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address, which can be used as a pa- 
rameter in a message. 

In Smalltalk, the set of byte codes 
is closed and cannot be extended. In 
a threaded system, however, every 
code routine, whether primitive or 

[continued) 



220 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



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EFFICIENT LANGUAGE 



high-level, is assigned a thread value. 
Any high-level routine or primitive can 
be called (early-bound) by compiling 
its thread value in-line. There is a cer- 
tain elegance in referring to system 
primitives and user routines through 
the same mechanism. 

Another benefit that threading pro- 
vides is the ability to add primitives 
to the system easily. In Smalltalk, a 
special mechanism is used for dis- 



patching primitives, and there is no 
provision for users to add their own. 
But in FORTH users can recode cer- 
tain time-critical words in machine 
code. Because this can be done so 
easily, it is an effective and powerful 
technique for improving performance. 

Token Threading 

Using physical addresses as thread 
values is difficult, however, in a 



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garbage-collected system. We need to 
be able to move objects around very 
easily without having to update a lot 
of references to the obsolete ad- 
dresses. This is the rationale for the 
object table in Smalltalk. An object is 
referred to via its object pointer (OP), 
which is an index into the object table. 
That location contains the physical ad- 
dress of the object and is the only 
place that requires updating if the ob- 
ject is moved. 

This architecture is very reminiscent 
of what is called a token-threaded sys- 
tem in the world of threaded lan- 
guages. A token table fills the same 
role as the object table in Smalltalk. 
However, in Smalltalk the object table 
is discrete from the byte code inter- 
preter. For instance, you could not 
compile an object pointer in-line in a 
Smalltalk method and expect the 
code to execute properly. Object 
pointers are passive, serving only as 
a means of finding an object's data 
address. Tokens, on the other hand, 
are associated with executable 
machine code, regardless of whether 
they point to data or a routine. 
. In our design of Actor, we integrated 
the concepts of object table and 
token table, along with the byte code 
and primitive dispatch tables from 
Smalltalk (see figure 4). Every type of 
object, primitive, or high-level routine 
has. an entry in the object table and 
is active in the sense that its object 
pointer can be executed. Each object 
also belongs to a family that de- 
scribes its behavior when interpreted. 
The family code is embedded within 
the object table entry and is used to 
dispatch a machine language routine 
in the interpreter. 

This architecture makes it very easy 
to accomplish early binding. To bind 
a function call at compile time, its ob- 
ject pointer is simply compiled in-line. 
A function is then an object whose 
family behavior is to execute itself. 
When the interpreter hits the function 
OR it executes code that causes the 
old IP to be stacked and the IP is set 
to the beginning of the function's data 
area, which may contain a series of 
threads to other functions and ob- 
jects. By contrast, a late-bound send 
is compiled as the OP of a machine 

(continued) 




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EFFICIENT LANGUAGE 





Function 


OP 


Object table 




Family jump table 




Family code 














Machine 
language 
primitive 










Family 






Address 


\ 


Object 
















\ 


Class 








\ 


Size 


-^ 


Data 

















Figure 4: An example of token threading as implemented by Actor. Here a function consists of a list of object pointers (OPs). 
which are offsets into the object table. The interpreter scans through the OPs and executes the code relating to the "family" for each 
OP 1/ the OP is in the Primitive family, its respective data consists of machine code, which is executed directly. \f the OP is in the 
function family, the current instruction pointer is placed on a stack and the interpreter begins executing the OPs within that function. 
For most objects, the family code simply places the OP on the stack so it can be passed as a parameter or used as a receiver of a 
message. 



language primitive followed by the OP 
of a symbol. 

Because of this difference in design, 
a piece of compiled code in Actor 
would look much different from an 
equivalent piece of Smalltalk code. 
The Actor code would lack the literal 
frame. This means that all functions 
have their code starting at the same 
offset. It also simplifies the construc- 
tion of the interpreter and the 
compiler. 

If early binding is used, the com- 
piled Actor code fragment should ac- 
tually be shorter than the equivalent 
Smalltalk code, even though each 
"operation" code is 2 bytes long in- 
stead of I ! The threaded model also 
allows more extensive optimization 
on the part of the compiler and allows 
for easy extension should the current 
set of primitives prove incomplete. 

Syntax 

Another aspect of efficiency relates 
not to the performance of a particular 
application, but to the time required 
to train a programmer how to write 



that application. Smalltalk's syntax 
can be initially confusing to the casual 
reader. It is sometimes difficult to sort 
out the relationships between identi- 
fiers in a moderately complex phrase, 
since the infix notation fails to make 
the precedence explicit. 

In our design of Actor, we decided 
to use a conventional, Pascal-like syn- 
tax as a means of reducing the learn- 
ing load on new programmers. There 
is enough to absorb in learning the 
object-oriented paradigm itself, along 
with the hundreds of classes and their 
methods, without having to learn a 
completely new syntax. 

Conclusion 

There are several areas in which the 
basically successful model of object- 
oriented programming developed in 
Smalltalk could be made more suit- 
able for personal computing environ- 
ments. In our design of a new lan- 
guage called Actor, we have imple- 
mented some of these. 

Our goal was to design a threaded 
interpreter with an intelligent com- 



piler that could support user 
primitives and optimize message 
passing by using early binding. We 
also designed an incremental garbage 
collector with sensitivity to object life- 
times that eliminates the long pauses 
and general inefficiency of other 
garbage-collection techniques. Final- 
ly, a syntactical model that is closer 
to Pascal reduces the learning load for 
new programmers. 

There seems to be a critical mass 
of interest developing in object- 
oriented programming. It is my belief 
that more efficient and accessible im- 
plementations of object-oriented 
languages will promote their much 
wider use in solving sophisticated 
personal computing problems. 

Editor's note: Actor is scheduled to be 
available from the Whitewater Group (906 
University Place. Evanston, IL 60201) for 
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predicate logic for AI applications. ■ 



224 -BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



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Inquiry 224 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 225 



MICRO CAP and MICRO LOGIC 

nut vmir pnfiinpprc An line 



put your engineers 
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(408)738-4387 Inquiry 278 



OBJECT-ORIENTED LANGUAGES 



OBJECT-ORIENTED 

FORTH 



by Dick Pountain 



A new mechanism for designing 
and writing FORTH programs 



THE FORTH EXTENSIONS I describe in this article in- 
troduce object-oriented features that greatly simplify the 
design and coding of many data-intensive programs. When 
compiled into a FORTH-83 standard system, these exten- 
sions add a new mechanism for defining abstract data 
types, which are well suited to the description of real-world 
objects. 

For programmers already familiar with FORTH, the new 
mechanism enables you to write object-oriented programs 
similar in some ways to Smalltalk-80 programs, although 
it does not include the full power of Smalltalk. In fact the 
mechanism is closer to the "package" mechanism used 
in Ada, but since it's written in FORTH, it's fully interactive. 

Abstract Data Types 

An abstract data type describes a class of program ob- 
jects in two ways. First, it describes the representation of 
such objects, that is, the shape and size of memory that 
they're made of. Pascal records and C structures are ex- 
amples of such descriptions from other languages. Sec- 
ond, an abstract data type describes the operations that 
can be used to access objects. These operations are hid- 
den from the rest of the program— an object can be ac- 
cessed only by these operations and by no others. This 
provides great security; it is not possible to corrupt com- 
plicated data structures by using the wrong methods to 
access them. 

But before anyone starts to panic that I'm about to 
launch into a computer science lecture, let's look at an 
example of an abstract data type definition. 

A good example to start with is the complex number, 
and for the sake of simplicity. I'll restrict it to an integer 



complex number. A complex number is represented by 
two components, its real part and its imaginary part. Thus, 
its representation will consist of two integer variables 
called REAL and I MAG. 

I could define any number of operations on complex 
numbers, but for now I'll define just the equivalent of 
FORTH's @ (fetch) and ! (store) operations and call them 
COM® and COM!. The definition looks like this: 

TYPE> COMPLEX 

2 VAR REAL 

2 VAR I MAG 

OPS> 

: COM® REAL @ IMAG @ 

:COM! IMAG ! REAL ! 

ENDTYPE> COMPLEX 



( — - n n ) 
( nn — ) 



The definition of COMPLEX is in two parts, separated 
by the word OPS>. Between TYPE > and OPS> is the 
description of the representation, namely two variables, 
each 2 bytes in size (2 VAR), called REAL and IMAG. Be- 
tween OPS> and ENDTYPE> are the operations per- 
mitted on the type, in the form of two normal FORTH 
colon definitions that use the variables REAL and IMAG. 
Such operations can freely use any words from the nor- 
mal FORTH vocabularies but cannot "see" the operations 
inside another type. 

TYPE > , VAR, OPS > , and EN DTYPE > are some of the 
new words defined in the source code that accompanies 

{continued) 
Dick Pountain is a technical author and software consultant living 
in London, England. He can be contacted do BYTE, One Phoenix 
Mill lane, Peterborough. NH 03458. 

AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 227 



OBJECT-ORIENTED FORTH 



this article, which needs to be compiled before you can 
define any types. | Editor's note: The source code for the program 
examples, TYPES.DOC (an ASCII file), is available in a variety of 
formats. See page 405 for details. The source code compiles to less 
than 1 500 bytes, so it can be used on quite small FORTH systems] 

When a type definition such as COMPLEX is compiled 
in a FORTH system, inspection of the dictionary will reveal 
only the single word COMPLEX. All the internal detail— 
REAL. IMAG. COM®, and COM!-is hidden from view 
and from use. If you try to enter the word REAL, for ex- 
ample. FORTH will tell you that it's undefined. 

Your system will warn you that COMPLEX has been re- 
defined when you compile this definition. This makes the 
syntax prettier, and it also places a copy of the type name 
inside the operations vocabulary, which can be used by 
various debugging tools. 

To use this type definition you have to create an instance 
of the type, which you do by using the word COMPLEX. 
If you say 

COMPLEX FRED 

a new complex variable called FRED will be created in 
the dictionary. This variable responds to the messages 
COM® and COM!. Note that the message-passing syn- 
tax is reverse Polish, so if you say 

23 45 FRED COM! 

the numbers 2 3 and 4 5 will be stored in FRED as its real 
and imaginary parts. Saying 

FRED COM® 

results in 23 and 45 being placed on the stack. In other 
words, FRED behaves like a FORTH variable, but one with 
an internal structure. What's more, you can access this in- 
ternal structure only by the operations COM® and COM!. 
If you say FRED @ or FRED + or follow FRED by any- 
thing other than COM! or COM®, then an "undefined 
operation" error message will be issued. 

You can create any number of named complex variables, 
just as you can create any number of ordinary FORTH vari- 
ables. The complex variables all have the same internal 
structure (i.e., two 16-bit integers), and all respond only 
to COM! and COM®. 

It is often convenient when using structured variables 
like this to initialize them to default values. Otherwise, you 
might waste a lot of code initializing them— don't forget 
that they could be much bigger and more complicated 
than COMPLEX. (Note that the ordinary FORTH word 
VARIABLE allows initialization in FIG-FORTH but not in 
FORTH-79 or -83.) For this reason I've included the special 
operation I NIT. If this operation is added to a type defini- 
tion, it will be executed automatically when a new instance 
is created. So if you say 

TYPE> COMPLEX 

2 VAR REAL 

2 VAR IMAG 

OPS> 

: COM® REAL @ IMAG @ ; n n ) 



: COM! IMAG ! REAL ! 
: INIT IMAG ! REAL ! 
ENDTYPE> COMPLEX 



( an — ) 



then FRED or any other instance will be created with zero 
values for its two parts, rather than random values. You 
can place INIT anywhere between OPS> and END- 
TYPE>. 

Another useful and powerful facility would be the abili- 
ty to create arrays of structured data objects of type 
COMPLEX, and the word ARRAY-OF allows just this. The 
statement 

20 ARRAY-OF COMPLEX JIM 

creates an array of 20 objects of type COMPLEX. You can 
access the individual objects by prefixing the name JIM 
with an index (starting with 0). Thus JIM is the first ob- 
ject in the array, while 19 JIM is the last object. The ob- 
jects otherwise behave just like simple objects of type 
COMPLEX, so 

23 45 5 JIM COM! 

stores 23 and 45 in the sixth element of the array. Of 
course, we could also say 

FRED COM® 5 JIM COM! 

When compiling references to an array, you can indicate 
that the index is a constant known at compile time as 
follows: 

: TEST VAL[ 3 ] JIM COM® ; 

This permits compilation of the actual address of the ele- 
ment and gives better performance than 

: TEST 3 JIM COM® ; 

although both lead to the same result. 

A word of warning: The system as given here has no 
array-bounds checking, so you could say 30 JIM and blow 
the system away. This was done deliberately for efficien- 
cy and to keep the code simple. In true FORTH style, you 
have a choice. Either you can do array-bounds checking 
at the application level, or you can add a bounds check 
to the word INDEX + in screen 10 of the source code. 

Compounding Types 

The mechanism already looks useful, since it provides a 
secure way to handle complicated data structures in 
FORTH. But we've only begun to see its potential. It's also 
possible to use a previously defined abstract data type 
as an instance variable in a new type. Instance variable is just 
another name for a variable, like REAL and IMAG, that 
is used to describe the representation of an object. Every 
instance of the type gets its own private set of instance 
variables, which are copies of those in the type definition. 
The instance variables, however, are anonymous, the 
names being kept in the type definition. 

Suppose, for example, you're writing an application that 
calls for pairs of associated complex numbers to be used 

[continued) 



228 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 




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VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS 



Inquiry 275 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 229 



OBJECT-ORIENTED FORTH 



Queue Simulation: A Sample 
Object-oriented Program 



This sample program is a simple discrete simulation of 
customers queuing in a bank. Customers arrive singly at 
random intervals and go to a random cashier's window, where 
they queue if necessary until served. Each customer takes 
a finite but variable time to be served, which is random but 
constrained within limits. By playing with the average time 
between arrivals and the average time to be served, you can 
investigate the queueing patterns. (1 assume a pseudorandom 
number generator called RANDOM is available, which takes 
a number from the stack and returns a random number 
between |and includingl zero and that number.) 

The program uses two type declarations: type CUSTOMER, 
which records the attributes and the behavior of customers, 
and type CASHQ, which is a queue of customers. The bank 
is represented by an array of CASHQs, with an element for 
each cashier. 

The attributes recorded for customers are the duration of 
their intended transaction with the cashier, their time of arrival 
in the bank, and a status flag that determines whether or not 
they have been served. The behavior of customers is to enter 
the bank and join a queue, carry out a transaction with the 
cashier when they reach the head of the queue, and reply 
to the query 'Are you finished?" Here's the declaration for 
type CUSTOMER: 

10 CONSTANT TDELAY — upper limit for transaction time 

TYPE> CUSTOMER 

2 l/AR TRANSACTTIME — 

2 VAR ENTRYTIME — 

2 VAR DONE 



duration of desired transaction 
time bank entered 
flag for completion of 
transaction 



OPS> 



— introduce a new customer 
: JOIN CLOCK @ ENTRYTIME ! — record entry time 
TDELAY RANDOM 5 + -- a number between 

5 and TDELAY + 5 
TRANSACTTIME I — initialize duration 

FALSE DONE ! ; — not served yet 

-- carry out one time slice of a transaction 
.•TRANSACT -1 TRANSACTTIME + ! — decrement by 

one time unit 



TRANSACTTIME @ 
IF FALSE DONE ! 
ELSE TRUE DONE ! 
ENDIF ; 



-- still being served 
— finished 



— test for completion of transaction 
: DONE? DONE @ ; 

ENDTYPE> CUSTOMER 

The type CASHQ describes a circular queue created 
according to standard textbook principles. A queue data 
structure is a collection of items to which new items can be 
added (called enqueuing) and from which old items can be 
removed (called dequeuing). Unlike the case with a stack, 
however, the first item into a queue is also the first to be 
removed. Like a stack, a queue requires a pointer to the head 
of the queue (the place from where an item can be removed), 
but unlike a stack, a queue also requires a pointer to its tail, 
where new items are added. In fact, the program records the 
length of the queue rather than a tail pointer: the tail can 
then be found by adding the length to the head pointer. 
Circularity is achieved simply by performing all such arithmetic 
on the pointers, modulo (size of the array). 

CASHQ has an enqueue operation that merely performs 
JOIN on the first free customer in the queue. In other words, 
we do not actually create any new instances of CUSTOMER 
but simply reuse the queue elements as if they were new 
objects. Similarly, the dequeue operation merely moves the 
head pointer and does not return any object (our customers 
vanish into thin air after they've been served!). Here's the 
declaration of CASHQ: 

TYPE> CASHQ 

2 VAR HEAD 

2 VAR LEN 

20 CONSTANT MAXQ 

MAXQ ARRAY-OF CUSTOMER QBODY 



OPS> 

: FULL? LEN 

: EMPTY? LEN 



DQ 



MAXQ = ; — is queue full? 

0= ; -- is queue empty? 

EMPTY? NOT IF HEAD @ 1 + 



a lot. You can define a type COMPAIR as follows: 

TYPE> COMPAIR 

COMPLEX A 

COMPLEX B 

OPS> 

: COMP@ A COM® 

etc. . . . 



B COM® ; ( nnnn) 



I've defined only one possible operation. COMP®, which 
puts both the complex parts of a COMPAIR on the stack. 



This demonstrates that the instance variables A and B are 
used in the operations exactly like objects of type COM- 
PLEX (i.e., FRED) and "understand" only the operations 
COM® and COM! defined for COMPLEX. 

You can also use ARRAY-OF inside a type definition, with 
the one proviso that the size of the array be fixed at the 
time the definition is compiled; that is, it must be a con- 
stant value. For example: 

TYPE> COMSTACK 



230 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



OBJECT-ORIENTED FORTH 



-- bump head 
-- deer, length 



MAXQ MOD HEAD ! 
-1 LEN +! 
ENDIF ; 

: NQ FULL? NOT IF HEAD @ LEN @ 

+ MAXQ MOD — get tail 

QBODY JOIN — add customer 

1 LEN +! -- bump length 

ENDIF ; 

: SERVE HEAD @ DUP QBODY TRANSACT 

- - serve head of 
queue 
QBODY DONE? IF SELF DQ 



ENDIF ; 

: SHOWQ EMPTY? NOT 

IF LEN @ DO . 
ENDIF ; 

: INIT HEAD ! LEN ! 
ENDTYPE> CASHQ 



-- vanish if done! 

-- display queue 
#" LOOP 



-- initialize the 
queue pointers 



Note that the INIT clause is actually superfluous because 
ARRAY-OF automatically initializes its elements to zeros. How- 
ever, INIT can be used to write a word for wiping the array 
clean during a program run. 

With these two types we can now produce the main pro- 
gram loop. The "bank" is an array of CASHQs. Concurrency 
is simulated by incrementing the variable CLOCK at the 
beginning of the loop, so that each pass through the loop 
represents one time slice. A NEXTCUSTOMER variable is 
initialized with a random number, representing the delay 
before a new customer enters the bank. A test is made each 
time slice to see if a new customer is required. Next, an in- 
ner loop services the customers at the heads of all the queues, 
using up one time slice of their transaction time, and prints 
a character-graphic display of the bank. 

— working variables. 

VARIABLE CLOCK VARIABLE NEXTCUSTOMER 
VARIABLE LASTCUSTOMER 

— maximum delay before new customer enters 



5 CONSTANT CDELAY 

-- is a new customer due? ( flag ) 

: TIME.FOR.NEXT? CLOCK @ LASTCUSTOMER @ 
- NEXTCUSTOMER @ > ; 

- - set up the "bank" 

10 CONSTANT BSIZE 

BSIZE ARRAY-OF CASHQ CASHIER 

— main loop 

: QSIM CLOCK ! -- initializations 

LASTCUSTOMER ! 
CDELAY RANDOM NEXTCUSTOMER ! 
BEGIN 
1 CLOCK +! -- advance one tick 

TIME.FOR.NEXT? 
IF BSIZE RANDOM CASHIER NQ 

- - new customer at random 
CLOCK @ LASTCUSTOMER ! 

-- record time of entry 
CDELAY RANDOM NEXTCUSTOMER ! 
-- time till next 
ENDIF 
BSIZE DO I CASHIER SERVE 

- - serve head customers 
I . I CASHIER SHOWQ 

-- display queues 
LOOP 
?TERMINAL UNTIL ; 

For portability, the display part of the program is left very 
crude. It merely produces a scrolling list of the queues, 
displayed by character graphics. If you have a cursor- 
addressable terminal and a FORTH that supports it, you can 
modifiy the final DO. . . LOOP to get an animated display of 
the queues. Simply reset the cursor to the top of the screen 
and blank the previous display. 

Obviously, this simulation could be made much more 
sophisticated. It's easy to write a word FIND.SHORTEST to 
make a new customer go to the shortest queue. The time of 
entry could be used to "interview" customers as they are 
served and find out how long they had to wait. It's only when 
you come to make such modifications that the power of 
object orientation will be revealed to you. 



2 VAR STACKPTR 

100 ARRAY-OF COMPLEX STACKBODY 

OPS> 

: INIT STACKPTR ! ; 

: PUSH STACKPTR @ STACKBODY 

1 STACKPTR + ! ; 
: POP - 1 STACKPTR + ! 

STACKPTR @ STACKBODY 
: EMPTY? STACKPTR @ = ; 



: FULL? STACKPTR @ 99 = 
ENDTYPE> COMSTACK 



( — flag) 



Here I've defined a type of stack that operates with com- 
COM! plex numbers. You can create new complex stacks at will 

( n n ) as in COMSTACK CSTACK1. 

For a more substantial example of the capabilities of 

( n n ) the system, see the sample program in the text box 

COM® ; "Queue Simulation: A Sample Objected-oriented Pro- 

( flag) (continued) 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 231 



Computers For 
The Blind 

Talking computers give blind and visually 
impaired people access to electronic infor- 
mation. The question is how and how 
much? 

The answers can be found in "The Second 
Beginner's Guide to Personal Computers for 
the Blind and Visually Impaired" published 
by the National Braille Press. This compre- 
hensive book contains a Buyer's Guide to 
talking microcomputers and large print dis- 
play processors. More importantly it in- 
cludes reviews, written by blind users, of 
software that works with speech. 

Send orders to: 

National Braille Press Inc., 

88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115 

(617) 266-6160 

NBP is a nonprofit braille printing and publishing house. 



OBJECT-ORIENTED FORTH 



BYTE 



back issues for sale 





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gram" on page 230. The program is a discrete simulation 
of queuing in a bank and will give you a clear sense of 
the programming style that results from using objects. 

Using the Source Code 

The file TYPES.DOC contains screens I through 13 of the 
source code in ASCII form. To compile them into many 
FORTH systems, the carriage return/linefeeds will have to 
be stripped out. The code is written in Laboratory Micro- 
systems' PC/FORTH and is 83-standard except for the word 
LIT" in screen 8, (INITIALIZE), which creates a string literal. 
Most good FORTHs have such a word, although it may 
be called ". If you do not have such a word, omit 
INITIALIZE. 

The procedure for converting the code to 79-standard 
is straightforward. Replace all occurrences of the header 
field words (NAME>. >BODY, etc.) with their 
79-standard equivalents (NFA. PFA. etc.), and replace 
* >BODY by [COMPILE] '. There's a problem, however, 
with the word FIND, which behaves differently in 
FORTH-79. INITIALIZE cannot be made automatic in 
79-standard since FIND cannot take a string argument 
from the stack, and the message INIT will have to be 
issued explicitly to newly created objects. 

Limitations 

1 developed this system by simplifying a previous system, 
which was a direct emulation of the class mechanism of 
Smalltalk-80 in FORTH. While working on that system I 
discovered that by using existing FORTH infrastructures 
(in particular, the vocabulary mechanism), I could make 
a smaller and faster implementation with a more recog- 
nizably FORTH-like syntax. 

As always, there is a price to pay, and with this system 
one price is that its inheritance mechanism is much less 
general and powerful than that in Smalltalk. In particular, 
inheritance is restricted to operations and does not apply 
to representation. 

You can use the extra word INCLUDE > to make a type 
inherit all the operations of a previously defined type. 
However, if you also want the type to inherit all the in- 
stance variables of the previous type, you'll have to declare 
them all again inside the new type, in the same positions 
and order and with the same names. For example, you 
could define a type EXTRACOMPLEX 

TYPE> EXTRACOMPLEX 

2 VAR REAL 
2 VAR IMAG 

2 VAR WEIRD 

OPS> INCLUDE> COMPLEX 

: W! WEIRD ! ; 

: W@ WEIRD @ ; 

ENDTYPE> EXTRACOMPLEX 

and have it inherit all the operations of COMPLEX, while 
adding two new ones of its own. 

Another limitation is the absence of an equivalent to 
Smalltalk's indexed variables. In Smalltalk such variables 
can be assigned a size at instance creation time, which 



232 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



OBJECT-ORIENTED FORTH 





















[ 














. 




T 
REST OF DICTIONARY 


COMPLEX 


REAL 


I MAG 


1NIT 


- — COM@ 


— COM! COMPLEX -*— 
















\ 

Key address 












• 


HEADER 


KEY 


REAL 


IMAG 



















Figure 1: The key to a type's sealed vocabulary is stored in the first two bytes in each of the type's instances (top). An instance 
such as FRED has an internal structure like that shown at bottom. 



allows different-size objects to be created from the same 
definition. An obvious application is type STRING, whose 
instances could be of different sizes. In my system, how- 
ever, all types are of fixed size. 

Another drawback, which sorrows me, is that you can- 
not pass types as parameters to other types, a capability 
that would be equivalent to Ada's concept of a generic 
package. For example, you could define a type GENSTACK 
that included the archetypical behavior of all stacks and 
then use it to create specific types of stacks, such as a 
stack of COMPLEX, by passing the item type at instance 
creation time. 

Both these latter facilities can be added, but the extra 
complexity they introduced was too great a price to pay 
for my purposes here. 

How Does It Work? 

Briefly, TYPE> and ENDTYPE> manipulate the dic- 
tionary structure (by redirecting link field pointers) to con- 
ceal all the code between them from normal dictionary 
searches. The operations of a type then occupy in effect, 
a sealed vocabulary that cannot be accessed by ordinary 
FORTH words. The key to this sealed vocabulary is the 
link field address of its last member, and this key is stored 
in all a type's instances, in their first two bytes (see figure 1). 
When a message is sent to an object, the object uses 
its key to unlock the operations vocabulary and look up 
the compilation address of the required operation. If the 
object/message pair is found inside a colon definition, as in 

: TEST FRED COM® ; 

then this lookup occurs at compile time, and the actual 
address of the operation is compiled, which makes for 
much greater efficiency than if it were left until run time. 
This is known as early binding. 

The performance cost of using types is hard to quan- 
tify, since they alter program ming style to the point where 
it's difficult to write an equivalent plain FORTH program 
for comparison. Comparing trivial examples overestimates 
the overhead of types, which tends to be fixed and thus 
diminishes in importance as types and operations become 
more complex. 

In storage terms, the overhead is 2 bytes per object, 
which is used to store the key. In a simple type like COM- 
PLEX this amounts to a 50 percent overhead, but for 



COMSTACK it is negligible. Compound types store a 
single key, not a key for each typed field. Similarly, an 
ARRAY-OF has only one key, not one for each element 
(since they are all of the same type). 

In execution terms, the overhead is due largely to the 
pushing and popping of a third stack called OSTACK, 
which holds the address of the current object. Each use 
of an instance variable also incurs an overhead, since an 
addition has to be performed at run time to calculate the 
variable's absolute address from its relative offset. Both 
of these problems can be improved by machine coding. 

There is also a modest increase in code size due to the 
OSTACK pushing and popping code that's compiled for 
every object/message pair. This overhead increases as ob- 
jects become more compound. 

What Is It Good For? 

As with most programming methodologies, there's a temp- 
tation to push object orientation as a universal panacea. 
In the case of these FORTH extensions I will not go so far. 

The use of abstract data types in FORTH certainly 
simplifies many kinds of programming, and I find the 
design process comes very naturally. For example, you 
look at an object in the real world that you wish to model. 
Which of its attributes (e.g., size, weight) are'you interested 
in? They become the instance variables. Which of its 
behaviors (e.g., departure, arrival) are you interested in? 
They become the operations. 

Fields that could clearly benefit, apart from discrete 
simulation, are graphics (using types for graphics objects), 
AI systems (using types for frames), and even commer- 
cial applications where types provide a more powerful 
abstraction than do records, 'types are also invaluable for 
certain kinds of system work, for the extra protection they 
bestow is very welcome when you're handling potential- 
ly explosive data structures such as lists and heaps. 

Given that types do impose a performance cost, it isn't 
worthwhile to use them for very simple objects. I would 
not, for example, define a type INTEGER, for which 
FORTH already has a good representation. But it takes a 
little practice to learn how to combine plain with object- 
oriented FORTH into an efficient hybrid programming style. 

Editor's note: For a fuller version of this code and a detailed descrip- 
tion of how it works, see Dick Pountain's book Object-Oriented 
FORTH, soon to published by Academic Press. ■ 



AUGUST 1986.- BYTE 233 




This Is QneTime 




, xi3 &ss&k 



•tf08>*& 



When it comes to a portable 
computer, smaller is better. 

Thaf s one reason the new dual 
disk drive ToshibaTllOO PLUS has it all 
over the IBM PC Convertible! 

But our new portable PC is not 
only smaller than the IBM. It's also 
lighter. And more powerful. 

How much smaller? A mil 20%. 
And theirs weighs 12.2 pounds. Ours 
is under 10 pounds. 

And with the IBM portable 
computer, if you want serial and paral- 
lel ports or a CRT port, you have to 
add add-ons. Which makes it even big- 
ger and heavier. And more expensive. 

With the T1100 PLUS, the serial, 
the parallel and the CRT ports are 
standard built-in features. Simple math- 
ematics tells you which portable is more 
portable. And more affordable. 

WE TAKE THE PORTABLE PC 10 
A HIGHER POWER. 

Before we go any further, we 
have to tell you there is one thing about 
the 11100 PLUS thats bigger than the 
IBM portable. Its maximum memory 
capacity. Ours is 640K of RAM. Theirs 
isonly512KofRAM. 

Now we can tell you that the 
T1100 PLUS is faster than the IBM. 
Our 80C86 microprocessor lets you zip 
through work at up to twice the speed. 

ANOTHER CLEAR ADVANTAGE. 

The Toshiba T1100 PLUS uses 
a high-contrast, high-resolution LCD 
display screen. It shows 25 lines by 80 
characters of text with 640x200 reso- 
lution, tilts to any convenient viewing 
angle and folds flat when you use a 
CRT monitor. 

The IBM portable also uses an 
LCD display screen. But it doesn't have 

1. IBM and IBM PC Convertible are registered trademarks of International Business Machines 
Corporation. 2. Lotus 1-2-3 is a registered trademark of Lotus Development Corporation. 
3. WordStar is a registered trademark of Micropro. 4. dBASE IH is a registered trademark of 
AshtonTate. 5. Hayes is a registered trademark of Hayes Corporation. 



as much contrast It doesn't tilt to as 
many convenient angles. And you have 
to pull it off to hook up another monitor. 

ONE MORE THING THAT MAKES 
US EXCEPTIONAL. 

Of course, the Toshiba T1100 
PLUS is fully IBM-compatible. So you 
can run popular software like Lotus 
1-2-3 WordStar 3 and dBASE III! 

And, as we mentioned, it has 
two built-in 720K 3.5"disk drives. It 
also has an optional 1200-baud Hayes 5 - 
compatible internal modem and runs 
on built-in rechargeable batteries. Just 
like the IBM portable. 

But should either stop running, 
only Toshiba guarantees you overnight 
delivery of a replacement while your 
T1100 PLUS is being fixed. If s all part 
of our "Exceptional Care" program. 

To find out more about the 
T1100 PLUS, call 1-800-457-7777 for 
the name of the Toshiba dealer near 
you. And see why being small is 
going to make us one of the biggest 
names in PCs. 

In Touch with Tomorrow 

TOSHIBA 

^Toshiba America, Inc., Information Systems Division 

Inquiry 302 




BYTE 



Reviews 



Reviewer's Notebook 

by Ion Edwards 239 

THENCRPC6 

by Arthur Little 241 

The Sperry PC/IT 

by Frederick D. Davis 247 

DeSmet C Development 
Package for the Macintosh 

by ]onathan Robie 253 

TOPSI 2.0 

by Yeonard Moskowitz 261 

Lets C and csd 

by William G. Wong 267 

NewWord 3 

by ]ohn Wellborn and Nanci Reel 273 

Reflex 

by Rusel DeMaria 277 

Guru 

by Ernest R. Tello 281 

The Datran 
Modem Accelerator 

by Barry Nance 289 

Review Feedback 295 



The NCR PC6 is an IBM PC compatible with two clock speeds. 4.77 MHz 
and 8 MHz. a preconfigured hard disk and tape backup system, and a pro- 
grammable user interface. The machine offers a good price and. especially 
at the higher clock speed, competitive performance. Arthur Little notes that 
the machine's most serious drawback is its mediocre documentation. 

According to Frederick Davis, the Sperry PC/IT boasts a reasonable price 
and a significant increase in performance over the IBM PC AT. The computer 
has three clock speeds: 6 MHz with one wait state, 8 MHz with one wait state, 
and 7.16 MHz with no wait states. The benchmark results suggest that at the 
7.16-MHz clock speed, the Sperry operates approximately 50 percent faster 
than the IBM PC AT. The computer has a true hardware reset button and nine 
expansion slots, seven with AI-style 16-bit data lines. 

The DeSmet C Development Package for the Macintosh produces faster and 
more compact code than most Macintosh C compilers. Jonathan Robie reports 
that it also compiles faster, has a good programming environment, and gives 
good support for the ROM Toolbox. The author has noted important bugs 
and shortcomings, and he has compared the benchmark results to five other 
C compilers for the Macintosh. 

TOPSI 2.0 is an implementation of the OPS5 production system language 
for MS-DOS. It includes all the core functions, and Leonard Moskowitz ex- 
plains that you will be able to work around incompatibilities with standard 
OPS5. You can use it as a serious programming tool and as a learning aid 
for expert systems and artificial intelligence techniques. 

Let's C is a $75 package that includes a screen editor, a full C compiler, 
an 8086/88 assembler, and a linker. For $75 more there is csd, a powerful 
C symbolic debugger. William G. Wong found the package to be of high quality 
with a good environment for learning C, yet with all the tools you will need 
to create applications. The main drawbacks include the lack of 8087 and IEEE 
floating-point support. 

We take a look at three software packages this month. 

NewWord 3 is affordable, versatile, and much faster and more full-featured 
than previous versions. John Heilborn and Nanci Reel note that the word pro- 
cessor now includes an in-text math calculator, enhanced menus, a spelling 
checker, a macro facility, and provision for computer-aided indexes and tables 
of contents. 

Borland's Reflex permits effective control over five different "views" of your 
data. Rusel DeMaria found that this analytical database offers several unique 
features for interpreting your data. 

And there is Guru, a very powerful integrated software package that offers 
an exceptional number of features. 

Finally we examine the Datran Modem Accelerator. With this add-on board 
plus software, you can shorten the time required to transmit text. The prod- 
uct can also conserve disk space by storing files in compressed form. 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 237 




INTRODUCING 
OPEN ACCESS 8 II 



THE FULLY INTEGRATED BUSINESS SYSTEM 
WITH THE WORLD AT YOUR FINGERTIPS 



Open Access II is a 
new, super-program which 
can perform virtually every 
managerial and business 
task you'll ever need with 
performance and ease-of- 
use unheard of in the 
industry. 



Open Access II 

Comparison Chart 



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CD 
00 
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o 



Open Access II 


• 


S 


s/ 


s/ 


S 


S 


• 


• 


s 


</ 


s 


\/ 


595 00 


Lotus 1-2-3 


s 










S 




• 










495 00 


Symphony 


s 


s/ 


S 






\/ 




\/ 




s 


\/ 




695 00 


Framework 


s 




S 


S 




S 




s/ 




s 


s 




695 00 


Enable 


s/ 




s/ 






\/ 


^ 


s/ 




</ 


s 




695 00 


Smart 


S 




S 






\S 


• 


s 




s 


s 


iS 


895 00 






Open Access II 
combines an extremely 
powerful relational data- 
base and superior 
spreadsheet with data 
communications, word 
processing, 3-dimensional 
graphics, and time 
management. Information is 
conveniently changed from 
module to module. 

Open Access M's 
Database features an 
effective and flexible report 
generator and user 
definable screens. 
"Programmer," our new 
Database language, 
features simple interacting 
English-like commands 
to produce your customized 
applications. 

Open Access H's 
Spreadsheet offers a unique 
combination of business 
problem solving capabilities; 
including goal-seeking, and 
an advanced table look-up 
command. Professional 
business presentations 
are easily produced by 
the enhanced graphic 
capabilities. 

Open Access H's 
improved Word Processor 
can merge data from 
Spreadsheet or Database 

easily to produce reports, 

mail merge and graphic 

presentations. 



Open Access H's data 
communications provides 
you with the capabilities to 
handle any of your micro 
computer communications 
needs. All of Open Access 
H's modules work together 
and data is easily 
communicated to the rest of 
the world. 

BEST OF ALL, 
THE PRICE 

$595. 

Open Access H's super 
program is also available in 
the network version. Ask for 
details. Call (619)450-1526 
in California, or (800) 
521-3511 if outside Cali- 
fornia for your nearest 
authorized dealer or 
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Inquiry 271 for End-Users. 
Inquiry 272 for DEALERS ONLY. 



OpenAccess isa registered irademark ol Software Products International. Inc 
Lotus 1-2-3 and Symphonyareregisteredtiademarksof LotusOeYelopmemCorp 
Framework is a registered Irademark of AshtonTate 
Enable is a trademark olTheSollware Group. 
Smart isa trademark ol Innovate Software. Inc 



REVIEWER'S NOTEBOOK 



This month we begin with a correc- 
tion. In the July review "BYSO 
LISP and Waltz LISP" by William 
Wong, we incorrectly listed the price 
of BYSO LISP as $69.95. The correct 
price is $1 50. Our apologies to the Le- 
vien Instrument Company. Now let's 
take a look at some interesting and 
relatively inexpensive utilities and ap- 
plications software we've received. 

The Norton Commander ($75 from 
Peter Norton Computing, 2210 Wil- 
shireBlvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403, 
(213) 453-2361) provides a very quick 
alternative to entering DOS com- 
mands on the IBM PC and compati- 
bles. Using a simple intuitive ap- 
proach, you can quickly view, copy, 
move, and delete files. Among its 
many uses, the product is a boon for 
cleaning up directories. You can 
delete selected files, directly edit a 
directory structure, or move files 
among subdirectories. The program is 
fully compatible with all memory- 
resident software because it is an ap- 
plication that you can load whenever 
you need it. 

Point Five, priced at $ 1 9 5 by Pacific 
Crest Software (887 Northwest Grant 
Ave., Corvallis. OR 97330, (503) 754- 
1067), is an analysis and modeling 
system for the IBM PC and compati- 
bles. At the heart of the application 
is a programmable calculator with 1 50 
built-in mathematical, financial, and 
statistical functions. Using these func- 
tions, you can build complex models 
and programs. You can, for example, 
define and manipulate tables of data 
very quickly and then display data 
with a variety of bar graph functions. 

Bridge Software (P.O. Box 1 18, New 
Town Branch. Boston, MA 022 58, 
(617) 527-1585) offers Datasurf, a $125 
surface sketching utility that generates 
three-dimensional graphic images. For 
the IBM PC and compatibles, Datasurf 
can read files created by word proces- 



sors, spreadsheets, and languages. 
You can adjust the viewpoint and 
scale, rotate images, hide or restore 
lines, Crosshatch surfaces, add and 
label axes, and print high-resolution 
(960- by 1056-pixel) images on most 
dot-matrix printers. 

Mace + Utilities ($69.95 from Paul 
Mace Software, 206 Alicia Ave., Ash- 
land. OR 97520, (800) 523-0258) pre- 
vents data loss on hard disks by mov- 
ing data to safe areas before the sec- 
tors go bad. With this utility you can 
clean up directories, "undelete" files, 
compress and sort directories, and 
recover from an accidental formatting 
of your hard disk. 

Tornado Notes (Micro Logic Cor- 
poration, P.O. Box 174, Hackensack, 
NJ 07602, (201) 342-6518) is a $49.95 
RAM-resident productivity tool for 
the IBM PC and compatibles that lets 
you enter, edit, combine, and access 
notes. With this tool you can browse 
through text documents or search for 
notes by specifying key words or 
phrases. An import command allows 
you to import ASCII files into Tornado 
Notes; you can therefore use the util- 
ity to search for data within text files 
that may be structured in widely dif- 
ferent ways. 

Also for the IBM PC, for only $19.95, 
is PopDrop (InfoStructures Inc., P.O. 
Box 32617, TUcson. AZ 85751, (602) 
299-5962), which lets you load and 
remove RAM-resident software and 
work with up to 1.5 megabytes of 
RAM. With this utility, you can avoid 
incompatibilities among your other 
utilities and create a series of useful 
environments without having to re- 
boot your IBM PC. 

We have also received some appli- 
cations and utilities for the Atari 
1040ST. Tom Hudson's work is always 
impressive, and his $49.95 CAD-3D 
(Antic Software, 524 Second St., San 
Francisco, CA 94107, (415) 957-0886) 



is no exception. With this program, 
you can design three-dimensional 
solid or wire-frame objects and 
specify multiple views and light 
sources. The package includes an 
animator. You can save your creations 
in either DEGAS or NEOchrome 
formats. 

A whole range of other I040ST util- 
ities deserve mention here also. Solid 
Applications Inc. (1333 Moon Dr., 
Yardley, PA 19067, (215) 736-2449) 
has STKey, a memory-resident facili- 
ty that provides user-programmable 
function keys, and Diskmenu, a file ar- 
chive and backup utility. DOS Shell 
from Micttlton (576 South Telegraph 
RcL Pontiac, MI 48053, (313) 334- 
5700) provides a command-line inter- 
face that emulates MS-DOS. The 
MicHfton Utilities allow you to change 
file contents, attributes, or names to 
restore deleted files and to recover 
data from damaged disks. 

Finally, Hippopotamus Software 
(985 University Ave., Suite 12, Los 
Gatos, CA 95030, (408) 395-3190) 
supplies Hippo Disk Utilities, a collec- 
tion of routines that you can use to 
recover lost data; to copy, move, or 
selectively delete files; and to edit 
RAM and disk storage directly. 

Macintosh owners should note that 
there are three new BASIC compilers 
for the Macintosh. ZBasic and Ihie 
BASIC now have Macintosh versions 
(see the reviews in the May 1985 and 
May 1986 issues of BYTE). In addition, 
PCMacBasic from Pterodactyl Soft- 
ware (P.O. Box 538, 200 Bolinas Rd. 
#27. Fairfax. CA 94930, (415) 
485-0714) includes mouse-sensing 
commands, dynamic and pageable 
program arrays, and use of resource 
files to create icons, dialog boxes, and 
much more. We are planning a com- 
parative review for an upcoming issue. 
— ion Edwards 
Senior Technical Editor, Reviews 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 239 



Powerful MS-DOS Software. 

For the IBM® -PC, XT, AT & others with generic MS-DOS/PC-DOS 2.0 or higher. 



NO* 

pto J 



COPV 



Only 




Each! 



UTAH 



• :<• 



TM 



Whether student, teacher or professional programmer, 
this is the one you've heard so much about. 
It's easy to use. Compiles 5000 statements on a 128K 
machine. 

170 clear error messages, i.e. DATA-NAME IS 
MISSING OR MISSPELLED. 
Distribute your object code programs royalty free. 
Small object code programs conserve disk space. 
Fast compile times to increase programmer pro- 
ductivity. Over 25 times faster than one compiler 
costing $995! 

You get a diskette and 213-page manual with lots of 
examples and 16 complete COBOL source code 
programs. $39.95. 

Also available: COBOL Application Packages, Book 1 $9.95. 



□ 



UTAH 



TM 



□ 



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□ 
D 

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PASCAL 

14-digit precision, BCD math, no round-off errors 

with decimal arithmetic for business and floating point + 63 

-64 for scientific. 

Avery niceTRACE style debugging. 

Arrays up to 8 dimensions and 64K strings. 

External procedures and functions with dynamic 

auto-loading. 

One-step compile, no assembly or link required. 

You get a 132-page manual and diskette. $39.95 



UTAH 



PILOT 



TM 



□ 



D 



D 



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Perfect for industrial training, office training, drill 

and testing, virtually all programmed instruction, word 

puzzle games, and data entry facilitated by prompts. 

John Starkweather, Ph.D., the inventor of the PILOT 

language, has added a built-in full-screen text editor, 

and much more. 

Meets all PILOT-73 standards for full compatibility with 

older versions. 

You get a diskette, 125-page manual and ten useful 

sample programs. $39.95. 

Also still available for 8-bit machines with CP/M® is our world famous 
Nevada Software Series used by 50,000 customers in 40 countries. 
These include Nevada COBOL, Nevada FORTRAN, Nevada PASCAL, 
Nevada PILOT, Nevada BASIC and Nevada EDIT. $39-95 each. 
Satisfaction guaranteed. If for any reason you're not completely 
satisfied, just return the package within 15 days in good condition, and 
we'll refund your money. 

IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp. 
CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research. MS is a trademark 
of Microsoft Corp. © 1 985 Ellis Computing, Inc. 



UTAH 

FORTRAN 

□ FORTRAN IV based upon ANSI-66 standards. 

□ Very fast compile times and easy to use. 
D IF . . THEN . . ELSE constructs. 

□ Chaining with blank and named common. 

□ Copy statement. 

□ ENCODE and DECODE. 

□ Free-format input and output. 

□ A very nice TRACE style debugging. 

□ 150 English language error messages. 

□ You get a diskette, and 223-page manual. $39.95 



TM 



UTAH 



EDIT 



TM 



D 



□ 



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A character-oriented full-screen video display text 

editor designed specifically to create COBOL, 

FORTRAN and PASCAL programs. 

Only requires 15K disk space so it can fit on the 

same disk as your compilers. 

Completely customizable tab stops, default file 

type, keyboard control key layout andCRTbymenu 

selection. 

Diskette comes with easy to read 58-page manual. $39.95. 



UTAH 



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BASIC 



□ This interpreter has a built-in full-screen editor. 

□ Single- and Multi-line user definable functions. 

□ BCD Math- no round-off errors. 
D Full Matrix operations. 

□ You get 220-page manual and diskette. $39.95. 

Handling/Shipping: No shipping charge within US. Overseas 
add $10 for first package, $5 each additional. Checks must be 
in US Dollars, drawn on a US bank. 

Utah Software requires 128K RAM and PC-DOS or MS-DOS 2.0 or higher. 

HOW TO ORDER. Send check or money order to Ellis Computing, Inc. 
with VISA or MASTERCARD order by phone. Sorry no COD's. 



^m ^^ Ellis Con 

A Wk 5655 Rigi 

IEJ ■ Reno, Ne 

W Phone (7 

^^^^ SINCE 1977 

ELLIS COMPUTING 



Ellis Computing, Inc. 
5655 Riggins Court, Suite 10 
Reno, Nevada 89502 
Phone (702) 827-3030 



240 B YTE • AUGUST 1 986 



Inquiry 104 



SYSTEM REVIEW 




The NCR PC6 



by Arthur Little 



The NCR PC6 is an IBM PC 
compatible that, like the IBM 
PC is an 8088-based system. 
Unlike the IBM PC the PC6 
has two clock rates, standard 
and high speed. The PC6 
comes in three versions— one 
with two floppy disk drives 
(Model 1012), one with a 
floppy disk drive and a 
20-megabyte hard disk drive 
(Model 1014), and a similar 
one that includes a 10-mega- 
byte tape backup unit (Model 
1015). Prices range from 
$2390 to $3690. I reviewed 
a Model 1015. 

Hardware 

The PC6 Model 1015 is no 
lightweight: The system unit 
tips the scales at a hefty 37 
pounds, the monochrome 
monitor weighs 32 pounds, 
and the keyboard weighs 4/2 
pounds. Much of that weight 
is from the metal used in its 
construction. It is a solid unit. 

Generally, the PC6 shows extraor- 
dinary attention to detail, from the XP 
(Extra Performance) switch and the 
speaker volume control on the front 
panel to the knurled plastic tips on 
the monitor cable screws. You'll never 
need a screwdriver to attach or detach 
the monitor cables. 

Unfortunately, not all of the engi- 
neering is of the same caliber. The 
cabinet is attached to the chassis with 
three spring-loaded, quarter-turn 
screws. After I disengaged these 
screws, the cabinet would not slide 
forward for removal. I finally detached 
the cabinet by prying the case open 
with a screwdriver. 



Display 

The PC6 has four optional displays: a 
standard monochrome display with 



A dual-speed IBM PC 

compatible of robust design 

with two clock rates 




2 5 columns of 80 characters for $195: 
a high-resolution (640 by 400 pixels) 
monochrome graphics display with an 
adapter for $849: a color graphics dis- 
play for $659: and a high-resolution. 
1 6-color graphics display plus adapter 
for $1260. 

I reviewed a PC6 equipped with the 
high-resolution monochrome graph- 
ics display The brightness and con- 
trast controls are located at the top 
of the unit. Once you have them set 
to the desired level, you can push 
them in so that they are flush with the 
monitor's housing. The display's char- 
acters are sharp and readable but 
seemed a little too thin. 

Keyboard 

NCR chose to emulate most of the 
features of the IBM PC keyboard, with 



a few welcome additions. 
Between the QWERTY layout 
and the numeric keypad, 
there is a two-part cursor- 
key cluster. The top part is 
made up of separate keys for 
Del, End, PgUp, PgDn, and 
another Ctrl key. The bottom 
part has four cursor keys and 
a Home key. There are two 
other refinements over the 
IBM layout: The numeric key- 
pad has its own Enter key 
and both the Num Lock and 
Caps Lock keys have LED 
indicators. 

Internals 

The NCR PC6 uses an 8088-2 
microprocessor that runs at 
two clock rates: 4.77 MHz. 
for complete IBM PC com- 
patibility, or 8 MHz, NCR's 
XP (Extra Performance) 
mode. The motherboard has 
a socket for an 8087 math 
coprocessor. If you choose 
to add an 8087, be certain 
that it is rated at the 8-MHz clock rate. 
One feature that the PC6 lacks is a 
hardware reset switch. 

The Model 1015 system comes stan- 
dard with 5 1 2K bytes of RAM. as does 
the Model 1014 (although for some 
reason, my review machine had only 
2 56K bytes of RAM. like the Model 
1012). The PC6 can accommodate a 
maximum of 640K bytes of RAM. It 
also has 16K bytes of EPROM. which 
contains the BIOS and an empty 
socket for an additional 16K bytes of 
ROM. 
The power supply for the NCR PC6 

[continued) 
Arthur Little (4 Seaway Rd., Squantum, 
MA 02171) is a former technical editor for 
BYTE and a freelance writer. He has been 
manager of documentation for two software 
publishers. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 241 



REVIEW: THE NCR PC6 



NCR PC6 

Company 

NCR Corporation 
Personal Computer Products 
1150 Anderson Dr. 
Liberty, SC 29657 
(803) 843-1751 

Size 

19.5 by 15 by 5.5 inches; Model 1015 
system unit: 37 pounds, monitor: 32 
pounds, keyboard: 4 1 /2 pounds 

Components 

Processor: 8088-2 (4.77/8 MHz) 
Memory: 256K RAM (Model 1012); 512K 
RAM (Models 1014 and 1015); 16K ROM 
(all models) 

Mass storage: Two 360K-byte, 5 1 /4-inch, 
half-height floppy disk drives (Model 
1012); one floppy disk drive and one 
20-megabyte half-height hard disk drive 
(Model 1014); or one floppy disk drive, 
20-megabyte hard disk drive, and a 
10-megapyte half-height cartridge tape 
backup (Model 1015) 

Display: Monochrome with 25 rows of 80 
characters, high-resolution monochrome 
(640 by 400 pixels), color, or high- 
resolution color; all optional 
Keyboard: 95 keys, including 10 function 
keys; numeric and cursor keypads 
Power source: 120 volts AC, 200 watts 
Expansion: Eight PC-compatible slots 
Interfaces: One RS-232C serial port; one 
Centronics-compatible parallel printer port 

Software 

NCR-DOS version 2.11.30, NCR User 
Interface, GW-BASIC, NCR Tutor, NCR Pal, 
Help program, User Diagnostics, tape 
backup and restore software 

Documentation 

PC6 Owner's Manual, 144 pages 
NCR-DOS manual, 376 pages 
GW-BASIC Manual, 424 pages 

Price 

Model 1012: $2390 
Model 1014: $2990 
Model 1015: $3690 



SYSTEM FEATURES 

MEMORY SIZE (K BYTES) DISK STORAGE (K BYTES) 



200 400 600 800 1000 



400 800 1200 1600 2000 



r 256/640 
: 256/640 



OSG^MO 280 



I 360/720 
I 360/720 



DISK ACCESS IN BASIC (IN SECONDS) 



WRITE 

50 



READ 













'//// 31 


■ 57 








/////. 37 















:30 

'///j 30 

'_:■.- . ... 

'////. 36 


46 









BASIC PERFORMANCE (IN SECONDS) 

SIEVE CALCULATIONS 

50 100 150 200 250 50 100 



'////// '////// //113 



/, '//////, '//////, 



SYSTEM UTILITIES (IN SECONDS) 

40K FORMAT/DISK COPY 40K FILE COPY 

10 20 30 40 50 10 20 













N/A 
/////// 


9.6 


m 22 







■ 5.3 
'S//, 6.0 



LOAD 



SPREADSHEET (IN SECONDS) 

RECALCULATE 

15 20 25 5 10 





























).4 
/////// 


////. 13 








10 






//////, 


//// 8.1 


Y////// 


/. 6.0 


'////// 


'////// 



















NCR PC6 //a NCR PC6 (XP MODE) 



IBM PC n APPLE HE 



The Memory Size graph shows the standard and optional memory 
available for the computers under comparison. The Disk Storage 
graph shows the highest capacity for a single floppy disk drive and 
the maximum standard capacity for each system. The graphs for 
Disk Access in BASIC show how long it takes to write and then read 
a 64K-byte sequential text file to a blank floppy disk. (For the pro- 
gram listings, see BYTE's Inside the IBM PCs, Fall 1985, page 195.) 
The Sieve graph shows how long it takes to run one iteration of the 
Sieve of Eratosthenes prime-number benchmark. The Calculations 
graph shows how long it takes to do 10,000 multiplication and 10,000 



division operations using single-precision numbers. The System 
Utilities graphs show how long it takes to copy a 40K-byte file using 
the system utilities. The Spreadsheet graphs show how long it takes 
to load and recalculate a 25- by 25-cell spreadsheet in which each 
cell equals 1.001 times the cell to its left. The spreadsheet used was 
Microsoft's Multiplan. 

Note that the NCR PC6 Model 1015 tested had one floppy disk 
drive and one hard disk drive, so the standard Format/Disk copy 
benchmark was not applicable. Also note that the PC6 was tested 
in standard (4.77 MHz) mode. 



242 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



REVIEW: THE NCR PC6 



is rated at 200 watts. The mother- 
board has eight IBM PC-compatible 
expansion slots. In my review unit, two 
of these slots were in use, one for the 
display card and one for the hard disk 
controller. Note that the floppy disk 
controller is located on the mother- 
board and does not require an expan- 
sion slot. 

The PC6 comes with two interfaces: 
an RS-232C serial port and a Cen- 
tronics-type parallel printer port that 
uses the IBM-standard DB-2 5 con- 
nector. 

Mass Storage 

The PC6 Model 1015 comes with 
three mass storage devices: one 
360K-byte floppy disk drive, an inter- 
nal 20-megabyte hard disk drive, and 
a tape backup system for the hard 
disk drive. 

The PC6 is very much an OEM unit; 
NCR purchased all three mass storage 
devices from outside vendors. The 
floppy disk drive is a 360K-byte half- 
height unit manufactured by Tfeac. The 
hard disk is a 20-megabyte half-height 
unit from NEC. Both drives worked 
flawlessly during the course of their 
operation. 

The 10-megabyte cartridge tape 
backup system is from Irwin Magnetic 
Systems. This built-in unit does not 
need an expansion slot for its con- 
troller, as it uses one of the floppy 
disk controller ports. The system uses 
the Irwin TC200 high-density data car- 
tridge. These eight-track cartridges 
must be formatted prior to use, a pro- 
cess that takes over 16 minutes. ' 

The tape system's software lets you 
back up files either as a disk image 
or as a group of files (by date and 
time or by directory). This backup is 
called a "saveset." and the entire 
saveset must be written to disk dur- 
ing a restore. Actual backup of I 
megabyte of data, in the form of a 
180-file subdirectory, took 10 minutes 
and 31 seconds. 

Software 

NCR-DOS is NCR's version of MS- 
DOS. The version used for this review 
was NCR-DOS version 2.11.30. which 
has the commands and features of 
MS-DOS version 2.11. 
In addition to the standard MS-DOS 



command-driven interface, the NCR 
system comes with the NCR User In- 
terface, which is a menu-driven shell 
to the MS-DOS operating system. This 
shell presents the user with the main 
menu, which leads to several sub- 
menus. These submenus let you do a 
number of things, such as define and 
use menus for applications programs; 
choose DOS commands; set the level 
of assistance you desire (novice, 
medium, or experienced); define up 
to 37 different key combinations using 
the Function, Shift. Alt, and Ctrl keys 
with macros of up to 127 characters; 
set the current time and date; turn the 
time and date display on or off; and 
change your default drive. 

If you have problems with conflicts 
between the NCR User Interface and 
your applications programs, function 
key Fl displays a single page of "hints 
and kinks." A DOS command Help 
facility is also readily available, which 
covers 59 DOS commands. 

The package also includes GW- 
BASIC. Microsoft's interpreted BASIC, 
which is directly comparable to IBM's 
Advanced BASIC. NCR supplies GW- 
BASIC version 2.02.30. 

Finally, the system comes with soft- 
ware for the tape backup subsystem, 
which lets you format cartridge tapes, 
do file-oriented backup, do disk 
image backup and restore, and test 
the drive. 

Although NCR is not bundling any 
specific business software with the 
PC6, they have included a fair amount 
of "get acquainted" programs de- 
signed for the end user. NCR Pal, for 
example, is a mini-tutorial and intro- 
duction to the operation of the PC6 
computer. This program covers the 
keyboard functions and briefly de- 
scribes NCR TUtor. the Help package, 
and the NCR User Interface. It also 
describes types of applications pro- 
grams (spreadsheets, word process- 
ing, and BASIC) in detail. The last sec- 
tion of the Pal main menu is an over- 
view of the computer hardware. 

NCR 'Ritor comes on an auto-boot 
disk and provides an on-line explana- 
tion of much of the information con- 
tained in the NCR-DOS manual but 
with more examples. The concepts it 
covers include introduction to DOS, 
disks/directories/files, disk/file-related 



The PC6's floppy 
disk controller 
does not require 
an expansion slot 



commands, system environment- 
related commands, special keys. 
EDLIN. batch commands, and re- 
direction/filters/pipes. The TUtor has 
many hands-on examples that require 
your input to continue the tutorial. 
The material builds on previously 
learned information until it reaches 
some fairly sophisticated levels. It is 
well done. 

A User Diagnostics software pack- 
age includes the Microsoft system 
diagnostics familiar to IBM PC users. 
However, all of the tests are presented 
via a Diagnostic Shell menu, which is 
more informative and simpler to use 
than its IBM counterpart. The package 
includes tests for both the XP mode 
and the tape backup subsystem. 

Documentation 

Overall, the NCR documentation is a 
sincere but flawed effort consisting of 
three manuals: The Owner's Manual 
the GW-BASIC manual, and the NCR- 
DOS manual. The two reference 
manuals from Microsoft (GW-BASIC 
and NCR-DOS) present the material in 
much the same way as the equivalent 
IBM manuals— if you liked those, you'll 
like these. 

The Owner's Manual is the weakest of 
the three. The first chapter, "Historical 
Data." is bogged down with leaden 
prose such as ". . . Data are processed 
in the CPU. It contains all the arith- 
metic and logical circuitry in the com- 
puter, and often has a component 
called the Arithmetic and Logic Unit 
(ALU)." 

Chapters 2. 3. and 4 are a little bet- 
ter, but the manual presumes too 
much technical expertise on the part 
of the user. Perhaps the documenta- 
tion writers should have modeled 
their approach after that used in the 
Pal and TUtor software. The two high 
points of this manual are an 18-page 

[continued] 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 243 



Inquiry 54 



OUR PLUG-IN CARD 
GIVES YOU PLUG-IN 
CONTROL. 




REVIEW: THE NCR PC6 



PC00488 allows your IBM 
PC/XT/AT or compatible 
to control IEEE-488 
instruments. 

With PCCO 488, yotlcan 

□ Plug-in to BASIC, C, 
FORTRAN, or Turbo 
Pascal! M 

□ Emulate hp controllers, 

□ Use TekStandard Codes 
and Formats, 

□ Run IBM's IEEE-488 software, and much more. 

Just $395 for the complete hardware and software interface. 



oec 



Capital Equipment Corporation 
10 Evergreen Avenue 
Burlington, MA 01803 
Calltoday (617) 273-1818 



Turbo Pascal is a trademark of Borland International 





glossary and an index. 

The supplemental installation and 
operation instructions for the graphic 
controller and the monitor manage to 
be terse and cryptic in English. Ger- 
man, French. Italian, and Spanish. 

Benchmarks 

According to the BYTE benchmarks, 
the PC6 in its standard (4.77 MHz) 
mode is slightly, but consistently, 
faster than the IBM PC. When I ran the 
benchmarks in the XP mode (8 MHz. 
about 68 percent faster than the PC6's 
standard clock speed), the system per- 
formance increased noticeably. 

IVpically. the XP mode represented 
about a 40 percent improvement in 
performance (i.e.. the XP times were 
only 60 percent of the standard mode 
times) on the in-memory benchmarks 
(BASIC Performance and Spreadsheet 
Recalculate). The differences between 
the standard and XP modes in the 
disk-related benchmarks ranged from 
the sublime (46 percent performance 
increase for the Disk Write test) to the 
ridiculous (12 percent performance 
decrease for the File Copy test). See the 
benchmark graphs for precise times 
and comparisons. 

Conclusion 

The NCR PC6 is a high-end machine 
designed for business applications 
that require performance, reliability, 
and IBM PC compatibility. Its 20- 
megabyte hard disk and 10-megabyte 
tape backup make it a system that is 
ideally suited for business and profes- 
sional users. 

The PC6's major assets are its dual- 
speed. IBM PC-compatible system of 
robust design; its preconfigured fixed 
disk and tape backup system; and its 
programmable User Interface, which 
simplifies interaction with DOS 
commands. 

The PC6's greatest liability is its 
mediocre documentation. A previous 
problem, high cost, has already been 
solved: NCR recently announced sig- 
nificantly lower prices for all three 
models, which are reflected in this 
review. Although not the most inex- 
pensive IBM PC compatible around, 
the PC6 is at least competitive now, 
especially among the major vendors 
of compatibles. ■ 



244 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 256 



PR/NIB? SHARING 

AND PRIHT BUFFERING 

ALL IN ONE VERSATILE UNIT 



Print Master from BayTech 
is an intelligent printer 
controller that connects 
between your computers and 
printers. It allows you to share 
one printer automatically, 
contend for multiple printers 
automatically, or switch 
between several printers by 
sending a simple code. Plus, 
Print Master's built-in buffer 
spools data until your printer 
can receive it. 

A VERY FLEXIBLE 
PRINTER SHARER 

You configure Print Master's 
ports for any combination of 
printers and computers by 
answering questions from the 
easy-to-follow menus. For 
example, with the ten-port 
Print Master, nine computers 
can share one printer, eight 
computers can share two 
printers, seven computers 
can share three printers, and 
so on, to one computer which 
can share nine printers. You 
can also menu-select these 
features: the baud rate, word 
size, stop bits, parity, and 
XON/OFF handshaking; the 
disconnect time-out; and form 
feeds. Ports may be 
configured individually to 
translate for printers and 
computers using different 
configurations. All 
changes you make are 
saved in non- 
volatile memory. 




PRINT MASTER'S BUFFER 
KEEPS YOU WORKING 

Since Print Master can 
accept data faster than your 
printer, you can dump a print 
job into Print Master's 51 2K 
buffer and then go on to 
another project. All connected 
users can send data to this 
common poo! buffer, and 
they can be doing it at the 
same time, even if no printer 
is available. Data is stored in 
the buffer until it can be sent 
on a first-in-first- 
out basis to 



the selected printer. If you 
need more memory, Print 
Master is optionally available 
with one megabyte buffer. 

CONTROL PRINT OUTPUT 
FROM YOUR COMPUTER 

If several users are sharing 
one printer, printer sharing is 
completely automatic. There 
are no codes to send. You 
simply perform your normal 
print operation. If you are 
sharing several identical 

printers, connection 
is also 




automatic. Again, you perform 
your normal print operation 
and are connected to the 
next available printer on a 
first-come-first-serve basis. 
Print Master will send data to 
all printers simultaneously to 
keep your printers running at 
full capacity. 

If you are sharing several 
different printers, such as a 
letter printer, a laser-jet and a 
plotter, you do your normal 
print routine but insert a short 
printer select code (which 
you can define yourself) as 
the first characters of your 
data. The data is then routed 
to the selected printer. It's 
that easy. 

CHOOSE SERIAL 

OR PARALLEL MODELS 

706A (6 parallel ports), $795. 
706C (6 serial ports), $795. 
706D (4 parallel/2 serial), $795. 
708D (6 parallel/2 serial), $895. 
708C (8 serial ports), $895. 
71 OC (1 serial ports), $995. 
Additional 500K buffer, $249. 
Want more details? Call or 
write BayTech at P.O. Box 
387, Bay Saint Louis, MS 
39520. Telex 910-333-1618. 
Phone 601-467-8231 or 

800-523-2702 



Bay Teqinical Associates, inc. 



DATA COMMUNICATIONS PRODUCTS 



Inquiry 38 



AUGUST 1 986 • BYTE 245 



INTRODUCING FUJITSU'S DX FAMILY OF PRINTERS 

TAKING PC PRODUCTIVITY 
TO NEW HBGHTS 



Choose the 80-column DX2100, or the 136- 
column DX2200. For sheer print volume, these Fujitsu 
printers can't be topped. At 110 lines per minute, their 
throughput is almost double that of most major 
competitors. 

The built-in bi-directional tractor speeds paper 
handling too. Just flick a switch to go from continuous 
forms to single-sheet feeding, without removing 
cumbersome optional tractors or tractor paper. 

The well-designed operator panel gives you fast, 
convenient control of all printer functions, and enables 
you to identify error conditions quickly. 

DX printers won't distract you from your work 
either— thanks to their quiet operation at less than 55 dBA. 



And in addition to fast spread sheets, Fujitsu's 
DX printers produce near-letter-quality print and excellent 
graphics. They'll grow with your needs, too. Upgrading 
to color/or changing your system interface, is as easy as 
plugging in a new module. 

You can put these fine printers to work for a lot 
less than you might expect. And it costs next to nothing 
to keep them working. They come with a superb reliability 
rating of 6000 hours MTBF, and a full one-year warranty. 

For more information about the new Fujitsu DX 
family of printers, call Fujitsu America, Peripheral Products 
Division, at (800) 626-4686. Get the personal printers 
that really produce. 
WE'RE DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY FOR YOU. 




FUJITSU AMERICA 

iriquiry 121 



\ 



J 




u hmeT)0 




SYSTEM REVIEW 




The Sperry PC/IT 



by Frederick D. Davis 



The Sperry PC/IT is a reason- 
ably priced IBM PC AT com- 
patible designed for multi- 
user environments. Like 
Sperry's previous desktop 
computer, this new machine 
is manufactured by Mit- 
subishi in Japan and offers a 
significant increase in perfor- 
mance over the machine it 
emulates. The system also 
supports more serial ports 
and has a larger hard disk. 

Externally the IT has one 
major feature that distin- 
guishes it from the IBM PC 
AT— a genuine recessed hard- 
ware reset button. This reset 
button works even when the 
Ctrl-Alt-Del reset interrupt is 
wiped out. 

Inside, there are other dif- 
ferences. The IT'S 80286 
microprocessor can process 
data at three different rates. 
By setting two DIP switches 
on the main board, you can 
set the clock speed to either 
6 MHz with one wait state, 8 MHz with 
one wait state, or 7.16 MHz with no 
wait states (see table 1). 

The 7.16-MHz rate is the fastest of 
the three. Sperry claims that the IT 
runs 45 percent faster than the IBM 
PC AT. In the spreadsheet test, how- 
ever, the Sperry was actually more 
than twice as fast. The IT also features 
a socket for an 80287 floating-point 
processor. 

The system has a built-in clock with 
a rechargeable battery system that 
keeps the clock powered for about 30 
days, even if the system is unplugged 
from the power outlet. The battery 
also maintains some CMOS memory 
that contains system configuration 
data such as quantity and type of disk 
drives and memory. {Editor's note: Unlike 
the PC AT, a small array of DIP switches sets 



A fast, reasonably priced 

IBM PC AT compatible designed 

for multiuser applications 




some of the configuration information] 

Sperry has provided a total of nine 
expansion slots, seven of which have 
AT-style 16-bit data lines, while two 
have IBM PC-style 8-bit connectors. 
All board slots are full-length. A 
double-width slot is taken up by an in- 
terface board with two serial ports 
and one parallel port. The serial ports 
have male DB-9 connectors, and the 
parallel port has a female DB-2 5. After 
a monitor controller and a hard disk 
controller are added, six slots are 
available. [Editor's note: Sperry reports that 
some early purchasers had complained that 
they could not install an internal modem 
because they could not disable one of the serial 
ports. The company now says that this prob- 
lem has been fixed.} 

The IT has one full-height and three 
half-height slots for mass storage 



devices. Each drive is de- 
signed to slide into its slot on 
plastic rails mounted on the 
sides. Installation is quick 
and easy. There is a 19 5-watt 
power supply that should be 
ample for most needs. 

An exhaust fan in the cabi- 
net pulls air into the front of 
the chassis and through the 
power supply before exiting. 
The only problem with this 
arrangement is that there is 
no easy way for the air sup- 
ply to be filtered. All of the 
dust and other particles in 
the air get sucked into your 
computer and deposited on 
its innards. This is not a 
desirable situation. The only 
way to filter the air supply for 
this machine is to completely 
enclose at least the front of 
the chassis with some sort of 
filtration device. 



Disk Drives 

The hard disk is a fast 
(30-millisecond average seek time) 
44.6-megabyte formatted MiniScribe. 
You can select 1 5 different hard disk 
types from the configuration pro- 
gram. The documentation does not 
describe these, but it does suggest 
that other hard disks may be added 
to the machine in the future. 

The IT comes in two standard disk 
configurations: the basic configura- 
tion, which features a single high- 
density 1200K-byte floppy disk drive, 
and the enhanced system, which has 
the single high-density drive together 
with a 44.6-megabyte hard disk. You 
can have up to two floppy disks in the 
IT. They may be any mixture of 360K- 

[cont'mued) 
Frederick D. Davis (P.O. Box 42 7, Riverton, 
UT 84065) is an independent software 
consultant. 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 247 



REVIEW: THE SPERRY PC/IT 



and 1200K-byte floppy disks. The flop- 
py drive controller is built into the 
main board. 

In addition to the disk drives, Sperry 
offers a 60-megabyte half-height 
!4-inch tape drive. The tape drive con- 
troller occupies one board slot. 

You can also have two hard disks of 
mixed types in the IT Each hard disk 
can occupy either the full-height 
device slot or two half-height device 
slots. The tape drive and the floppy 
drives each occupy one half-height 
device slot. If the designers had 
thought things through a little more, 
they could have included another half- 
height device slot so that you could 
have one tape, one floppy disk, and 
two hard disk drives. 

After I finished reviewing the ma- 
chine. I was told by a Sperry dis- 
tributor that the new ITs were being 
shipped with new ROM chips. These 



chips reportedly speed up disk access 
by about 5 percent, although I was 
not able to confirm this. 

Memory 

The main board has room for I mega- 
byte of memory. All versions of the 
IT are shipped with 512K bytes of 
memory and sockets for another 
5 1 2 K. You can set the second bank of 
512K bytes to be used as an addi- 
tional bank of 128K bytes for a total 
of 640K bytes available to DOS. or as 
512K bytes of extended memory for 
use as a RAM disk or other 80286 ap- 
plications. You can install two more 
boards of 2 megabytes each for a 
total of 5 megabytes of main memory. 

Keyboards 

Three Key Iconic-style keyboards are 
available from Sperry for the IT: a 
standard IBM PC-style keyboard, an 



T&ble 1: The effect of clock speed and 


wait states on processor performance for 


the Sperry PC/IT Shown are the times, 


in seconds, required to finish two BASIC 


benchmarks— the Sieve of Eratosthenes and Floating-Point Calculations. Note that 


the 7.16-MHz clock speed without wait states is significantly faster than the 


speeds that involve wait states. 




Clock 


Sieve Floating- 


speed Walt 


of point 


(MHz) states 


Eratosthenes calculations 


6 1 


67.4 22.0 


7.16 


44.4 14.4 


8 1 


49.6 16.0 



-rrrirr- 




"- ~ - lumm^Bmmwmmm iwwmmimwm*. ■ 



rTTT 



TTTT 




Photo 1: The PC/IT keyboard for the Sperry PC/IT Ttoo other keyboards are 
also available for this system. 



IBM PC AT-style keyboard (called the 
PC/IT), and the "Professional" key- 
board (also called the "PC En- 
hanced"). 1 worked only with the PC/IT 
keyboard (see photo 1). The main 
distinction of the Professional key- 
board was that it had separate cursor 
and numeric keypads, and the func- 
tion keys were across the top instead 
of clustered on the left. 

The PC/IT keyboard has the same 
key placement as the original IBM PC 
AT keyboard, including the strange 
placement of the left single quote (') 
key at the left end of the number row, 
and the Escape key over the numeric 
keypad. The Return key is very large, 
as are both Shift keys. I found the 
keyboard to be quite comfortable to 
use, except for the awkward place- 
ment of the Escape key. 

Monitors 

Sperry offers three monitors— mono- 
chrome, medium-resolution RGB. and 
high-resolution RGB. Corresponding 
monitor adapter boards are also avail- 
able. These monitors correspond to 
the IBM PC monochrome, color 
graphics, and enhanced graphics 
monitors. 

1 worked only with the monochrome 
monitor. It is functionally identical to 
the IBM monochrome monitor, except 
that it has a very effective antiglare 
coating. Also, the phosphors are 
yellow-green with a moderate con- 
sistency. When scrolling, the smearing 
is not nearly as bad as a lot of the IBM 
PC-style monitors that I have seen. 

Like most IBM PC clones, the dis- 
play, although readable, is not really 
crisp. The characters in reverse-video 
mode are so hard to read that this 
mode isn't really usable. To me it 
looks like excessive diffusion causes 
the bright areas to bleed into the dark 
areas. When, however, I replaced the 
Sperry monochrome controller card 
with an Everex Edge card, the diffu- 
sion problem disappeared. 

One other available card designed 
specifically for the Sperry IT is a serial 
port card with four asynchronous 
ports for terminals or modems. Two 
of these cards may be installed for 
use with the XENIX System V 
operating system, allowing up to eight 

(continued) 



248 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



REVIEW: THE SPERRY PC/IT 



Sperry PC/IT 

Company 

Sperry Corporation 
P.O. Box 500 
Blue Bell, PA 19424 
(800) 547-8362 

Size 

System unit: 22% by 17 by 6% inches 
Monitor: 12 by 11% by 11 inches 
PC/IT keyboard: 173/4 by 7V 2 by 1 1 / 2 
inches 

Components 

Processor: 80286, 16-/16-bit processor; 
variable clock speed (6, 7.16, or 8 MHz); 
optional 80287 

Memory: 512K bytes or 1 megabyte on 
main board; 5 megabytes maximum 
Mass storage: 1200K-byte 5 1 /4-inch floppy 
disk drive; 44.6-megabyte hard disk 
(30-millisecond average seek time) 
Display: Choice of IBM PC-style 
monochrome, medium-resolution RGB, or 
high-resolution RGB 

Keyboard: Choice of IBM PC style, PC/IT 
(IBM PC AT style), or Professional 
Expansion: Additional 1200K-byte ($650) 
or 360K-byte ($425) floppy disk drive; 
additional 44.6-megabyte hard disk drive 
($1725); 60-megabyte tape drive ($1995); 
up to eight more serial ports (for XENIX 
V) 

Interfaces: Two serial ports and one 
parallel port standard 

Software 

MS-DOS 3.1, Sperry BASIC 3.0 

Documentation 

BASIC user's guide (469 pages), MS-DOS 
user's guide (475 pages), system 
installation guide (186 pages) 

Price 

Basic system with one 360K-byte floppy 
disk drive, one 1200K-byte floppy disk 
drive, one 44-megabyte hard disk drive, 
monochrome monitor and adapter; color 
adapter, two serial ports, one parallel port, 
and system software: $6044 



SYSTEM FEATURES 

MEMORY SIZE (K BYTES) DISK STORAGE (K BYTES) 



200 400 



800 1000 400 800 1200 1600 2000 



////, 64/128 



&■ 1/5 Mb 
% 0.5/3 Mb 



'////'/ 140/280 



F 44/88 Mb 
f 20/60 Mb 



DISK ACCESS IN BASIC (IN SECONDS) 



WRITE 



READ 



150 200 



100 150 200 250 

























I g 










51 8.8 










^M 26 












■■24 












56 










anoam 46 








1 










'////* 36 









BASIC PERFORMANCE (IN SECONDS) 

SIEVE CALCULATIONS 

50 100 150 200 250 50 100 150 200 250 



■ 14 










mamm 27 


mm 69 








//////, 


'////// 34 







SYSTEM UTILITIES (IN SECONDS) 

40K FORMAT/DISK COPY 40K FILE COPY 



10 20 30 

























N/A 










0.7 










N/A 












■■3 9 










nttBH 9.6 










SMH 5.8 










/y////A////// t 


'/ 22 








'//////, 


'//////, 


'////////////////A 45 



LOAD 



SPREADSHEET (IN SECONDS) 

RECALCULATE 

5 10 15 20 25 



10 15 20 25 



'/■/ /////////////// 18 













an 2.0 

wmmmmmA 


1 




/////// 


/W22 


'////// 


/////// 


s////// 



SPERRY PC/IT bh IBM PC AT ■ IBM PC rm APPLE HE 



The Memory Size graph shows the standard and optional memory 
available for the computers under comparison. The Disk Storage 
graph for the IBM PC AT and the Sperry PC/IT shows the standard 
hard-disk capacity and the highest disk capacity offered by the 
manufacturer. For the IBM PC and the Apple lie, the Disk Storage 
graph shows floppy disk capacities. The graphs for Disk Access in 
BASIC show long it takes to write and then read a 64K-byte sequential 
file to a disk. In the Disk Access tests, a hard disk was used for the 
Sperry PC/IT and the IBM PC AT; a floppy disk drive was used for 
the IBM PC and the Apple lie. (For the program listings, see BYTE's 
Inside the IBM PCs, Fall 1985, page 195.) The Sieve graph shows 
how long it takes to run one iteration of the Sieve of Eratosthenes 
prime-number benchmark. The Calculations graph shows how long 



it takes to do 10,000 multiplication and 10,000 division operations 
using single-precision numbers. The File Copy portion of the System 
Utilities graphs shows how long it takes to copy a 40K-byte file from 
one part of the hard disk to another, or from one floppy disk to another 
(for the IBM PC and the Apple lie). No Disk Copy tests are done 
on hard disk systems. The Spreadsheet graphs show how long it 
takes to load and recalculate a 25- by 25-cell spreadsheet where 
each cell equals 1.001 times the cell to its left. The spreadsheet 
used was Microsoft's Multiplan. Tests for the Sperry were done with 
Sperry DOS 3.1 at 7.16 MHz, and tests for the PC AT were done 
with PC-DOS 3.0 at 6 MHz. The IBM PC used BASICA running under 
PC-DOS 2.0. The Apple He used ProDOS for all tests except the 
Spreadsheet tests, which were done with Apple DOS 3.3. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 249 



REVIEW: THE SPERRY PC/IT 



additional terminals to be attached to 
the system. 

Operating Systems 

MS-DOS version 3.1 comes with the 
IT. Included is the XDISK program for 
formatting a second logical DOS par- 
tition, allowing full use of the 44- 
megabyte drive. It has no surprises. 
Also included is Sperry BASIC 3.0. It 
appears to be a fairly standard version 
of Microsoft BASIC 3.0. All of the 
BYTE benchmarks ran without modi- 
fication. 

Sperry has also chosen to release 
XENIX System V for this computer. I 
have not yet used XENIX on this sys- 
tem but look forward to doing so. 

Concurrent PC-DOS 4.1 from Digital 
Research runs quite nicely on the IT. 
and the machine is fast enough to 
support several processes running at 
the same time. Concurrent's major 
limitations on the IT at this time are 
its 640K-byte memory limit, the fact 
that you can put only two additional 
terminals on the IT, a 40-megabyte 
hard disk capacity limit, and an inabili- 
ty to access the tape drive. In addi- 
tion, the IT will not boot Concurrent 
PC-DOS from the hard disk, while the 
IBM PC AT will. 

Sperry Service 

The Sperry hardware comes with a 
one-year warranty for carry-in or ship- 
in service. You can get on-site service 
for a small additional fee. After one 
year, service contracts are available 
for on- or off -site service. Sperry pro- 
vides a toll-free technical support 
number. The people with whom I 
spoke seemed knowledgeable and 
willing to dispense information. 

One slight problem with Sperry 's 
service policy concerns non-Sperry 
parts. According to a warning in the 
manual, all non-Sperry parts in com- 
puters sent in for service "will be 
deemed by Sperry to have been dis- 
carded by the customer." This implied 
confiscation policy for non-Sperry 
parts is not realistic in a market where 
hundreds of makers and marketers of 
the same or similar hardware exist. 
Perhaps it needs only to be reworded 
to come across with a more benign 
intent. | Editor's note: A spokesperson for 
Sperry stated that despite the warning in the 



manual non-Sperry parts will not be con- 
fiscated from machines being serviced.] 

Documentation 

Three manuals are included with the 
system-BASIC MS-DOS, and the sys- 
tem installation guide. All manuals are 
bound in an IBM PC-style slipcased 
three-ring binder. 

The system installation guide was a 
pleasant surprise. It features step-by- 
step instructions for setting up the 
system and installing options. The ma- 
jor omission in this manual was the 
pin-out diagram of the 9-pin serial 
ports. A toll-free call to Sperry tech- 
nical support quickly supplied this 
information. 

Compatibility 

All of the IBM PC software that I tried 
with the system seemed to work, but 
I did notice a curious incompatibility 
with non-Sperry floppy disk drives. 

When I installed a non-Sperry Mit- 
subishi 501 floppy disk drive, the sys- 
tem worked perfectly under Concur- 
rent PC-DOS. Under MS-DOS, how- 
ever, both the Sperry and the non- 
Sperry drives became inaccessible 
and remained so until I rebooted and 
reconfigured the system. The Sperry 
version of MS-DOS seems to check if 
a non-Sperry disk drive is present, 
and if so, it apparently erases the flop- 
py disk drive configuration informa- 
tion stored in CMOS memory. 

From Sperry distributors, I learned 
that you have to block the disk 
change signal (lead 34) on the card 
edge connector of all non-Sperry 
drives. I did so with a small piece of 
tape, and my Mitsubishi drive worked 
perfectly. Unfortunately, the disk 
change signal is used occasionally by 
the Concurrent PC-DOS operating sys- 
tem. I find it most curious that 
Sperry's version of MS-DOS seems to 
go to such lengths to discourage the 
use of non-Sperry disk drives. 

I experienced a couple of minor 
problems with the high-density flop- 
py disk drive. Most of the time it was 
able to read a 360K-byte formatted 
disk. However, several 360K-byte disks 
formatted on an Eagle and written by 
a CompuPro could not be read on the 
high-density drive under either oper- 
ating system, although they were 



readable with the 360K-byte drive on 
the Sperry IT. 1 also experienced 
several disk read/write errors on 
brand new high-density floppy disks 
that had formatted without error on 
two different ITs. 

Comments 

Even at the system's fastest speed 
(7.16 MHz with no wait states), I found 
the keyboard auto-repeat to be too 
slow. (Fortunately, as with the IBM PC 
AT, there are short public domain pro- 
grams to speed this up.) 

As a whole, the benchmarks were 
fast. From BYTE's benchmarks and 
some benchmarks of my own, I found 
that both system- and disk-intensive 
tasks run significantly (460 percent) 
faster compared to a standard IBM PC 
XT-type machine. 

Some factors of perceived speed 
don't show up in BYTE's benchmarks, 
however. For example, when I use 
WordStar on most systems, I find the 
wait for the overlays to be annoying. 
On the IT'S hard disk, there was no 
perceptible delay. Another factor is 
how fast the screens come up. The IT 
has the fastest screens I have ever 
seen, even with screens completely 
full of text. 

One minor annoyance concerns the 
system enclosure. It sometimes tends 
to resonate noisily with the hard disk 
drive. I had to use a small amount of 
padding to tighten up the fit. 

Conclusions 

I enjoyed working with the Sperry IT. 
Its drawbacks are primarily those 
shared by most IBM PC compatibles. 
Its benefits, however, far outweigh its 
weaknesses. It is a very fast computer 
for one person to use, and if half a 
dozen average processes were run- 
ning on it concurrently, each task 
would have at least the performance 
level present on the IBM PC. 

In the past, users had to buy the 
more expensive high-performance 
micros to adequately run multiuser 
programs for the MP/M-86 and Con- 
current DOS environments. In many 
cases, the Sperry IT with Concurrent 
PC-DOS can now fill the bill. It's nice 
to find a machine designed with the 
multiuser environment in mind at a 
reasonable price. ■ 



250 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



EVERYTHING SYMPHONY 
WAS SUPPOSED 
TO BE. 



AVAILABLE PiOW 
On LY $84.95 
WITH A 60- DAY 
MONEY BACK 
GUARANTEE 



ie Totally Integrated Package: 
i Word Processing With Spell Checker 
• Communications 

• Spreadsheet 

» Database 

• Graphs 



• Extremely easy to leam and use 

• Data is interchangeable with all modules and other products 

• Windows allow quick movement between tasks 

• Tour background, one foreground mode. Can print on two 
printers or plotters and two communication devices (modem 
and main-frame direct connection) all at the same time. 

• Artificial Intelligence features reduce the number of 
keystrokes required to perform tasks 

• Upgradable software and data to UNIX and XENIX 



Multiple windows 
allow quick 
movement 
between tasks. 

Colorful graphic 
representations 



What the experts say: 

"I can safely say that I have yet to come across a package 
which demonstrates such functional! tycombined with such 
an innovative approach to the man-machine interface. ABLE 
are to be congratulated on producing a product which 
achieves a very high standard of excellence." 

-Michael D.Bowe, DATA GENERAL 

"The best multi-purpose product I have evaluated. Multi- 
tasking works great, able to print, make an on-line 
connection and edit a document at the same time." 
-Robert Lawrence, ITT INFORMATION SYSTEMS 



• Package contains: one plastic box, one illustrated reference 
manual one program disk, one sample diskette, keycaps and 
user support plan 

• System Requirements: IBM PC or com- 
patibles, 512K, two 360K diskette 
drives, color or mono display 

• Twenty-four hour 
Hotline Support ^,^ 
(optional) 





ABLE Intl is a longtime, innovative supplier 
of software for micro and minicomputers. 

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Telephone 303-544-9600, Telex 650-2154286 



t 

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Inquiry 326 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 251 



We Dared TbG 
Beyond RAM. 



FEOTJHES 

THE MCIIE BOARD 

Intelligent host adapter in- 
terface for hard disk drive. 

COMPATIBILITY 

Apple 1I+, He and He 
enhanced systems. Most 
SCSI hard disk drives. 

KEY FEATURES 

Cache Memory-replaces 

mechanical disk access 
with electronic data 
transfer. 

Z-80 processor-Maintains 
256K of "most frequently 
accessed data" in real 
cache memory. Automatic 
save function minimizes 
data loss. 

DMA-Transfers data faster 
than RAM. Cuts booting 
time in half. 

SUPERCHARGE 
TOUR SIDER 

Specific testing with Sider 
hard drive resulted in not 
only substantially faster 
data accessing but also 
improved performance of 
the drive itself. 



■'^A 



-^s> 






-Sfe 








>7~ 



^o G „ 



^ 



Q? 



ATTENTION APPLE II USERS: 

The Kache Board is an intelligent host 
adapter interface for hard disk drives. 

KACHE BOARD DEVELOPMENT 

It took over two years of research and 
development and long hours of testing to 
make this product a reality. Ohio Kache 
Systems dared to go beyond RAM to bring 
hard disk users a new standard in 
performance — The Kache Board. 

SUPERIOR TO RAN 

It's superior to RAM disk, thanks to the use 
of Cache Memory, Direct Memory Access 
(DMA), and an on-board microprocessor. 
When you combine these features with the 
performance of hard disk drives, you're 
looking at an overall 25%-50% decrease in 
access time and the virtual memory environ- 
ment of a minicomputer such as the VAX. 



OKS, Kache Board and the OKS logo are trademartu of Ohio 

Kache Systems, Inc 

Apple Is a registered trademark of Apple Computers, Inc. 

IBM Is a registered trademark of Internationa Business 

Machines, Inc. 

Sider is a trademark of First Class Peripheral s. In 

VAX is a trademark of Digits Equipment Corp. 



KACHE BOARD PERFORMANCE 




■ Kache Board Performance 
RAM Performance 

■ Apple Performance with Hard 
Disk Drive 

I Apple ^Performance 

CONTINUOUSLY 
INCREASING PERFORMANCE 

As more data files reside in Cache, 1 
the performance of the Kache Board i 
continues to improve beyond that of 
RAM disk. An increasing number of disk 
access requests are replaced by electronic 
data transfer from "real" cache memory (see 
graph above). 

Inquiry 210 



AVAILABLE SOON 

Available soon: Kache Boards for IBM and 
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DIRECT FROM DEVELOPER 

The Kache Board is available exclusively 
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^ Ohio Kache Systems is a developer of 
computer enhancement products. 



SOFTWARE REVIEW 



V 



DeSmet C Development 
Package for the Macintosh 



by Jonathan Robie 



A fast low-cost C 



and a few significant flaws 



The DeSmet C Development 
Package for the Macintosh, a 
compiler that costs only , f . " ~ c 

$i5o. produces faster and compiler with several strengths 

more compact code than 
most C compilers for the 
Macintosh. It also compiles 
faster, has a good program- 
ming environment, and gives good 
support for the ROM Toolbox. Al- 
though this compiler by C Ware Cor- 
poration has many strengths, it also 
has a few significant flaws, which I will 
examine. 



at least 5 1 2 K bytes of RAM. Since the 
disk drives and the Finder are both 
very slow, you will find that the com- 
bination of the DeSmet shell and the 
RAM disk speeds up work on the 
Macintosh immensely. 



Using DeSmet C 

DeSmet C operates with a UNIX-like 
shell that makes program develop- 
ment on the Macintosh similar to 
working in UNIX or on an IBM PC. 
There are no windows, no desk acces- 
sories, and no icons. The mouse is not 
even active. The shell is not flashy or 
fancy, but it is fast and responsive and 
eliminates the long waits that you 
would normally expect from the 
Macintosh. The text editor is similar 
to UNIX's vi and nearly identical to 
DeSmet's editor for the IBM PC. 

The DeSmet C compiler also comes 
with a RAM disk. This RAM disk works 
only on a Macintosh with at least 
51 2 Kbytes of RAM. It is installed by 
typing the command ramdisk in the 
shell or by clicking the RAM disk icon 
from the Finder. This opens a window 
that allows you to specify the disk 
drive number, unit number, and 
capacity. A set of files can automati- 
cally be loaded into the RAM disk at 
boot-up. and the RAM disk can be 
selected as the boot disk. This elimi- 
nates most of the disk swapping that 
is so common on the Macintosh and 
makes it feasible to use the compiler 
with only one disk drive if you have 



Benchmarks 

I used the same benchmarks that 
were used by Tim Field in "Five C 
Compilers for the Macintosh" (Nov- 
ember 1985 BYTE). These bench- 
marks are described and justified in 
that article, l^ble I gives the bench- 
mark results and code sizes found by 
Tim Field, along with those for the 
DeSmet C compiler. | Editor's note: New 
benchmark sizes and times are also provided 
for Consulair's Mac C, version 4.0.| 

When no register variables are 
used, DeSmet C is the fastest (or one 
of the fastest) in the benchmarks that 
measure loop overhead (FRAME), ef- 
ficiency of pointers (POINTER), func- 
tion calls with passed parameters 
(QSORT), and integer arithmetic (INT- 
MATH). DeSmet C was also the fastest 
for the SIEVE benchmark, which pri- 
marily tests array and integer math 
operations. Aztec C was slightly faster 
for the FIB and INTERFACE bench- 
marks, which measure function calls 
and the speed of calls to Macintosh 
ROM. For the benchmark that tests 
floating-point arithmetic (FLOAT), the 
Aztec C and Mac C compilers were 
significantly faster than DeSmet C, 
which came in third place. DeSmet C 



produced the smallest pro- 
grams in every case except 
the QSORT benchmark. In 
this case, the program is sig- 
nificantly larger than that 
produced by Megamax C. 
but it is still smaller than the 
programs produced by the 
other compilers. 

I used two additional benchmarks 
to test the speed of file I/O and to fur- 
ther explore performance on floating- 
point operations. Since I did not have 
the other compilers, I ran these 
benchmarks only on DeSmet C and 
Aztec C. The FILEIO benchmark tests 
the speed of file I/O by creating a 
65,000-byte file and performing 
various reading and writing opera- 
tions at random locations in the file. 
There was not much difference be- 
tween the two compilers for this 
benchmark. The Savage benchmark 
(Dr. Dobb's ]ournal, September 1983, 
page 120) tests both speed and ac- 
curacy of transcendental floating- 
point functions. DeSmet C was signif- 
icantly faster than Aztec C for this test, 
but it performed with slightly less ac- 
curacy. The correct output should be 
2 50.00. and neither compiler was off 
by more than one part in 10 million. 
\Editor's note: Mac C was quicker and more 
accurate than either of the other compilers. See 
table l.| 

Overall, the DeSmet C compiler is 
clearly one of the fastest, and it 
generally has the most compact code. 
DeSmet C does not have register vari- 
ables, however, and the Megamax C 

(continued) 
Jonathan Robie (P.O. Box 26121. Lansing. 
Ml 48909) is finishing his master's degree 
in computer science and beginning doctoral 
work in cognitive psychology at Michigan 
State University. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 253 



REVIEW: DESMET C 



and Aztec C compilers generally out- 
perform DeSmet C when register vari- 
ables are used (the register keyword 
is accepted, but a technician at C 
Ware informed me that it has no ef- 
fect on register allocation). I wonder 
how fast these programs would run if 
DeSmet C supported register 
variables. 

Compiling and linking are painfully 
slow with most Macintosh C com- 



pilers, but Tim Field found that these 
operations were much faster with 
Aztec C. I compared DeSmet C to 
Aztec C by compiling the SIEVE pro- 
gram with each. I used the RAM disk 
that comes with each compiler to 
hold the compiler, assembler, linker, 
and libraries, and all temporary files 
were processed on the RAM disk. The 
object file was written to the internal 
drive. Compile time was 11.79 sec- 



Tkble 1 : The results of the benchmark tests and the sizes of the execution files 


produced. 


















Execution Times 












( 


in seconds) 










DeSmet C 


Aztec C* 


Megamax C* 


Mac C 


Softworks C* Hippo-C* 


FRAME 














Normal 


0.10 


0.10 


0.10 


0.13 


0.13 


0.25 


Register 


n.a. 


0.05 


0.05 


n.a. 


0.08 


n.a. 


POINTER 














Normal 


20.40 


25.50 


30.02 


31.71 


24.33 


33.23 


Register 


n.a. 


13.15 


18.93 


n.a. 


11.15 


n.a. 


INTMATH 














Normal 


4.66 


5.03 


5.05 


15.06 


30.05 


15.93 


Register 


n.a. 


2.70 


2.78 


n.a. 


26.73 


n.a. 


SIEVE 














Normal 


6.08 


6.20 


6.20 


7.80 


8.83 


12.65 


Register 


n.a. 


3.88 


4.17 


n.a. 


4.73 


n.a. 


QSORT 














Normal 


11.46 


68.43 


93.38 


13.28 


157.08 


test failed 


Register 


n.a. 


50.87 


70.80 


n.a. 


93.72 


n.a. 


FLOAT 














Normal 


330.55 


268.22 


334.32 


268.90 


332.77 


n.a. 


FIB 














Normal 


24.78 


24.72 


25.97 


32.68 


28.60 


47.22 


INTERFACE 














Normal 


58.50 


56.22 


72.00 
File Sizes 


71.41 


59.18 


78.47 




(in bytes for "normal" [non-register] runs) 




FRAME 


5792 


8537 


6544 


12,800 


32,000 


20,992 


POINTER 


5860 


8571 


6586 


12,800 


32,000 


21,044 


INTMATH 


6312 


9109 


7128 


13,312 


32,512 


21,948 


SIEVE 


5866 


16,897 


6768 


12,800 


40,448 


21,318 


QSORT 


10,356 


13,113 


7226 


13,312 


36,608 


test failed 


FLOAT 


6208 


9205 


7256 


13,312 


32,256 


n.a. 


FIB 


6016 


8751 


6810 


12,800 


32,256 


21,304 


INTERFACE 


5976 


8697 


6700 


12,800 


32,256 


21,230 






Additional Benchmarks 








(execution times in minutes:seconds) 






DeSmet C 


Aztec C 




Mac C 


FILEIO 


7:46 




7:53 






9:29 


SAVAGE 














Speed 


4:04 




5:53 






3:41 


Result 


249.999949691499 


249.999999968363 


250.000000000000 


These times are from Tim Field's November 1985 BYTE article. 





onds for the DeSmet C compiler and 
1 2. 5 6 seconds for Aztec C. Link time 
was 15.18 seconds for DeSmet C and 
17.47 seconds for Aztec C. The total 
time required to compile and link was 
30.03 seconds for Aztec C and 26.97 
for DeSmet C. which means that 
DeSmet C is roughly 10 percent faster 
for this program. 

Features 

The ROM Toolbox interface is well de- 
signed and makes calls to the Toolbox 
quite simple. Since C and Pascal have 
slightly different data structures and 
pass their parameters differently you 
normally have to use different argu- 
ments when calling Toolbox routines 
from C. Since the documentation for 
the Toolbox is written with Pascal ex- 
amples, this can be rather inconve- 
nient. In DeSmet C all conversions are 
done automatically before the ROM 
routine is accessed. Because the Tool- 
box calls are the same as in Pascal, 
you can use the formats found in \n- 
side Macintosh without changing them. 
These routines are stored in a file 
called maclib.s, which you must link 
with your object code to produce a 
stand-alone application. 

The compiler accepts variable 
names composed of up to 31 letters, 
making it easy to write readable code. 
It also allows in-line assembly code. 
This lets you rewrite time-critical sec- 
tions of code in assembly language, 
perhaps retaining the original C 
source as comments. 

DeSmet C uses a small memory 
model that limits you to 32K bytes of 
static data. Up to 32 K bytes of addi- 
tional data may be allocated by each 
called procedure. If you need larger 
blocks of data, you must allocate 
them on the heap. Each code seg- 
ment is also limited to 32K bytes, but 
you can have up to 32 code segments 
in your program by using a flag at link 
time. Segments can be unloaded at 
run time with a function called un- 
loadseg( ). This can be very helpful 
for writing code to run on the 128K 
Macintosh. 

Bugs and Shortcomings 

The main problem with the DeSmet 
C compiler is its failure to support 

[continued] 



254 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 





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REVIEW: DESMET C 



DeSmet C Development Package 
for the Macintosh 

Company 

C Ware Corporation 
P.O. Box C 
Sunnyvale, CA 94087 
(408) 720-9696 

Necessary Hardware 

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logical devices or I/O redirection. 
Logical devices are reserved file- 
names that actually refer to devices. 
This allows you, for example, to ac- 
cess the printer as though it were an 
output file. Because this compiler 
does not support logical devices, 
there is no straightforward way to 
send output directly to the printer. 
There is a program called PR included 
with the package, which prints a text 
file so you can spool output to a file 
on disk and then chain to PR to print 
the file. You could also write your own 
printer output routines from the PR 
source code, which is included. A sec- 
ond, minor shortcoming of DeSmet C 
is that macro substitution does not 
occur within quoted strings. 

I found three bugs in the libraries- 
two in the Macintosh library and one 
in a math routine. I was surprised to 
find that OpenPicture returned an in- 
teger rather than a pointer, an error 
flagged by the compiler. I found that 
this function was correctly declared in 



Quickdraw.h. but this declaration and 
16 others were removed using #if 0/# 
endif statements. A call to C Ware tech 
support revealed that a prerelease 
version of the compiler did not have 
an intelligent linker and these defini- 
tions were removed to keep program 
size down. You can correct this prob- 
lem by deleting the #if 0/#endif lines 
from Quickdraw.h. The second bug is 
more obscure: When I ran the INTER- 
FACE benchmark under the shell, the 
system crashed. The same program 
ran flawlessly under the Finder. I was 
unable to find the source of this bug. 
The third bug is in the pow( ) routine. 
There is a global variable called errno, 
which is used to flag errors in math 
routines. When an overflow occurs in 
pow(). this variable is not flagged. 
Dividing by zero also fails to set this 
flag. 

The Shell 

The shell is a command interpreter 
that is similar to both the UNIX shell 




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256 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



REVIEW: DESMET C 



and the shell provided with the Aztec 
C compiler. Using the shell is much 
like using the operating systems on 
most computers— if you type the 
name of a program, then the program 
runs; if you type a command, then the 
command is carried out. If you are 
familiar with UNIX or MS-DOS. you 
will probably learn the shell's com- 
mands without much effort. However, 
you will most likely be annoyed by the 
fact that the shell, like the compiler, 
does not support logical device 
names or HO redirection. PR is used 
to print files. Files are typed to the 
screen using the command more, 
which operates like the more com- 
mand in UNIX; the first screen of the 
file is displayed, and the file scrolls up 
one line every time you hit the Return 
key. 1 find this less convenient than the 
more command in MS-DOS. The shell 
does not support subdirectories. 

The DeSmet shell completely re- 
places the Finder and speeds up file 
access considerably. The Finder was 



not designed to make programming 
efficient, but to make the Macintosh 
easier to use. Since the shell is fast, 
flexible, and designed for program- 
ming, it is a much more suitable 
development environment than the 
Finder. 

A series of shell commands can be 
put in a file (called a "script") and ex- 
ecuted by typing the name of the file 
(like a .BAT file in MS-DOS). If a script 
is named .profile, then it will be ex- 
ecuted whenever the shell is first 
booted. Scripts can take up to nine 
parameters, and the script can be 
aborted if errors occur on any com- 
mand. The mod operator determines 
when a file was last modified and 
allows the programmer to write a 
make script, which will compile only 
those source files that have been 
modified since the last compilation. 

The DeSmet shell also allows com- 
mand logging, a feature found in 
many UNIX shells, but not in the 
Aztec shell. When you are logging 



commands, they are saved in a log 
file. To execute one of these com- 
mands again, you merely type 
enough characters to distinguish it 
from all the other commands. This is 
extremely convenient. When a C pro- 
gram is compiled or linked, several 
files may be specified, and several 
flags may be set. Since the develop- 
ment cycle typically involves compil- 
ing the same files repeatedly with the 
same files and flags, command log- 
ging greatly reduces the amount of 
typing needed. For instance, if you 
link a file using the command b68 
foo.o 1:local.o 2:maclib.s. then you 
can repeat that command by simply 
typing the command !b6. 

The Macintosh desk accessories are 
not available from the shell, and I wish 
some of them were there. When I pro- 
gram. I like to keep notes and error 
logs, and I find the Notepad and 
Scrapbook useful. I also miss the 
Alarm Clock. These capabilities have 

(continued) 




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REVIEW: DESMET C 



Inquiry 216 



made programs like SideKick very 
popular, and they could easily have 
been included. Version 1.06F of the 
Aztec C compiler lets you add desk 
accessories to the shell by using a 
resource mover, but it is almost im- 
possible to put all of the necessary 
files on the default drive and still have 
room on the disk for the Notepad and 
Scrapbook. I don't miss the Macin- 
tosh Calculator much; simple com- 
putations can be done from the shell 
using the eval statement. This state- 
ment, when followed by an arithmetic 
expression, gives the result in deci- 
mal, hexadecimal, and character for- 
mats. This is much more useful than 
the Calculator for programming. The 
eval statement does not support 
floating-point operations, however. 

The Editor 

DeSmet C's editor, See. is a modal 
editor that is similar to the vi editor 
found on UNIX systems. The com- 
mands of See are much easier to 
remember than those of vi, however, 
because of well-chosen names. To 
make it even easier, a list of the com- 
mands is always displayed on the top 
line of the screen while you are in the 
text editor. 

The Macintosh implementation of 
See is extremely similar to the IBM PC 
version (both of which were written by 
Michael Ouye). It uses the mouse for 
cursor positioning but also recognizes 
WordStar-like key combinations for 
moving the cursor (command-E 
moves the cursor up, command-X 
moves it down, etc.). I found See to 
be simple, graceful, fast, and powerful. 

DOCUMENTATION 

The manual for the DeSmet C com- 
piler is brief, clear, and extremely 
helpful. It comes in one IBM-style 
notebook binder. There is no index, 
but the table of contents is very de- 
tailed and the documentation is well 
organized, so 1 was usually able to 
find specific sections of the manual 
quickly. An index would have made 
the documentation easier to use. 

The manual describes important 
technical details that are often left 
unexplained in other manuals. For in- 
stance, the rules for extern declara- 
tions are described clearly and 



thoroughly, and the memory-model 
and calling conventions are carefully 
explained. All error messages are 
listed in an appendix at the end of the 
manual, with separate sections of 
messages for shell, editor, compiler, 
assembler, binder (linker), library, and 
CLIST I like this arrangement; with all 
the error messages listed near the 
end of the manual, it is always easy 
to find them. 

The "Macintosh interface" section 
of the manual is particularly valuable. 
Each part describes one portion of 
the Macintosh interface (e.g., Quick- 
Draw, the Event Manager, and the 
Resource Manager) and contains a 
"getting started" section that tells the 
basics of how to use it and gives the 
code for a simple example. If you are 
new to programming the Macintosh, 
you will find these "getting started" 
sections a good way to learn. No- 
where in Inside Macintosh do you find 
such clear explanations. As I flipped 
through this section of the manual. 1 
had vivid memories of the large 
amounts of time 1 had to spend learn- 
ing how to program my Macintosh. 
This documentation probably would 
have saved me a great deal of time. 
C Ware claims that over 4 50 functions 
are supported by DeSmet C. but only 
a portion of these are documented in 
the manual. The manual suggests that 
you refer to Inside Macintosh for docu- 
mentation on the remaining functions. 

Conclusions 

The DeSmet C Development Package 
for the Macintosh is a useful product 
with some major flaws and omissions. 
[f future versions correct these prob- 
lems, this could become the best C 
compiler available for the Macintosh. 
The UNIX-like shell is very responsive, 
the editor is powerful and easy to use. 
and the compiler produces code that 
is fast and compact. The Toolbox 
library makes access to the Macintosh 
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printer. ■ 



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Inquiry 284 



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260 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



SOFTWARE REVIEW 




TOPSI 2.0 



by Leonard Moskowitz 



TOPSI 2.0. from Dynamic 
Master Systems (DMS). is an 
MS-DOS version of the OPS 5 
production system language. 
OPS5 is often used to write 
rule-based expert systems. 
Until recently, OPS5 was 
available only on large, ex- 
pensive computers. However. TOPSI 
is written in Tlirbo Pascal for the IBM 
PC and compatibles and is a faithful 
implementation of OPS5. but with 
some critical differences. 



USING TOPSI 

When booting TOPSI. your system- 
configuration file. CONFIG.SYS, must 
contain the line device = ANSI. SYS 
to make your IBM PC act like an ANSI 
terminal. DMS doesn't tell you this in 
the documentation, however. After 1 
added this line to my configuration 
file and booted. TOPSI came up clean. 
DMS does supply a terminal installa- 
tion program that lets you define a 
new terminal if yours is not standard 
ANSI. 

When you enter the command 
TOPSI. you get a right-arrow prompt 
meaning that you are at the top. or 
command, level. You can enter pro- 
ductions directly at the top level, 
which lets you edit your production 
systems from within the interpreter— a 
very useful capability. The alternative 
is to exit to an editor, modify the 
system, and then reenter OPS 5. 

At the top-level prompt. TOPSI ex- 
pects a command in the form of a list, 
that is. enclosed in parentheses. TOP- 
SI accepts a free-form entry format, 
so if you type an open parenthesis 
and press Return, it knows that the 
command hasn't been properly ter- 
minated. However, if you type an un- 
recognizable command. TOPSI ac- 
cepts it. ignores it. and gives no error 
indication. TOPSI will give short, infor- 
mative error messages, however, if 



Am implementation of 

OPS 5 written in Turbo Pascal 

for MS-DOS computers 



you enter a known command with in- 
correct syntax. 

You can load a production system 
directly from the MS-DOS command 
line. If you enter TOPSI filename 
(where filename is the name of a 
TOPSI production system file). TOPSI 
loads and runs the desired file, by- 
passing the top level. Since the pro- 
ductions are evaluated as they are 
read in. any comments in the source 
file are ignored. 

TOPSI can also save a production 
system to a file. You can save just the 
productions, the productions and the 
contents of the working memory, or 
a memory image of both (which 
speeds up the loading process). 

'typing (help) at the top level ac- 
cesses TOPSI's Help file. The entire file 
is displayed screen by screen, and you 
can stop the display when you find 
the information you need. Although 
you can't ask for help on a particular 
topic, it's still a helpful feature. 

TOPSI doesn't expand horizontal 
tabs when entering productions from 
the top level. This makes formatting 
the productions a little tedious. Nor- 
mally, however, you would write the 
productions using a text editor and 
then load them into TOPSI via the 
(load) command, bypassing this dif- 
ficulty. TOPSI formats your produc- 
tions when you view them via the 
(pm) command. 



Benchmarks 

OPS5 is not a normal procedural lan- 
guage; therefore, the standard bench- 
marks don't apply because it's un- 



likely that you would ever use 
OPS5 for numerical compu- 
tation and because OPS5 
programs are not expected 
to run in any particular order. 
A better procedure might be 
to measure TOPSI's perfor- 
mance under conditions 
known to stress it. I regularly use 
OPS5 on a Symbolics 3670 LISP 
workstation, and OPS 5 for VAX ver- 
sion 1.0 on a VAX- 1 1/785. Since these 
are strong OPS 5 implementations. I 
have used them as comparisons for 
TOPSI. A good measure of OPS5's 
execution speed is the average num- 
ber of productions it fires, or allows 
to act. per second. 

One of OPS5's best features is its ef- 
ficient pattern matcher, called the 
Rete algorithm. Because of it. OPS5's 
execution speed is relatively insensi- 
tive to the number of productions in 
a system. However. TOPSI doesn't use 
the Rete algorithm. DMS thought that 
the IBM PC didn't support enough 
memory to implement a full Rete net- 
work and so traded speed (which the 
Rete network would have provided) 
and memory to get a workable ver- 
sion of OPS5 on the IBM PC. 

The first benchmark I ran (see figure 
1 ) tested execution speed for a one- 
production system that matches one 
working-memory element and modi- 
fies it. Since both working memory 
and production memory remain small 
(one element each), there is only one 
instantiation— a production matched 
with a working-memory element that 

[continued] 
Leonard Moskowitz (0-75 Morlot Ave., Fair 
Lawn, NJ 07410) heads a research and de- 
velopment group that applies artificial intel- 
ligence technology to the problems of mainte- 
nance and diagnostics at Allied Corporation's 
Bendix Test Systems Division. He is current- 
ly working toward a Ph.D. in computer science 
at Rutgers. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 261 



REVIEW: TOPSI 2.0 



TOPSI 2.0 

Type 

Programming language 

Company 

Dynamic Master Systems Inc. 
P.O. Box 566456 
Atlanta, GA 30356 
(404) 565-0771 

Format 

51/4-inch MS-DOS floppy disk 

Computer 

MS-DOS or compatible (128K bytes of 
RAM minimum); CP/M-80; UNIX/C 

Necessary Software 

MS-DOS; source code and Turbo Pascal 
required to implement external 
procedures 

Languages 

Executable code; source code available 
in Turbo Pascal 

Documentation 

72-page user's manual; 48-page Technical 
Reference Manual included with purchase 
of source code 

Price 

$175; source code version is $400 
complete 

Audience 

Those with an interest in artificial 
intelligence application programming 

Comments 

Three sample programs, a short tutorial, 
and a debug example are included; a 
Lattice C version for MS-DOS is also 
available 



satisfies it— in the conflict set. Since 
there are only constants in the pro- 
duction and working memory, this 
could be considered a "best-case" 
test. 

The second benchmark (see figure 
2) was also a one-production system. 
It. too. matched a single working- 
memory element, but instead of mod- 
ifying the element, it made a new one. 
As long as the number of productions 
stays low (benchmark 2 has only one), 
and you use only constants in the pro- 
ductions and working memory, this 
should also be a best-case test. It 
checks how fast the conflict set is built 
and resolved. 

These two benchmarks provide a 
measure of efficiency for two of 
OPS5's fundamental operations- 
manipulating the working memory 
and building or resolving the conflict 
set. For versions that implement the 
Rete algorithm, both benchmarks 
should execute at speeds much 
higher than a typical expert system. 
All the versions had the trace mecha- 
nisms shut down (watch was set to 
zero and no breakpoints were active). 
The number of rule firings was con- 
trolled by the (run x) command, 
where x was the desired number of 
iterations. 

I ran the TOPSI benchmark tests on 
two IBM PCs running PC-DOS 2.1. 
One had a full complement of mem- 
ory (640K bytes). The other had only 
192K bytes of memory. The results 
were identical. TOPSI uses the addi- 
tional memory only to accommodate 
more productions. DMS estimates 
that a 2 56K-byte IBM PC can support 



Enter this production into production memory: 

(p one-wme 

(yes) 
-- > 

(modify 1 yes)) 



; match a "yes" in working memory 
;modify it to "yes" 



From the top level, enter these commands: 

(make yes) 
(run x) 

where "x" is the number of firings you desire. 






Figure I : Benchmark I : production and topAevel commands. This benchmark 
tests execution speed for a one-production system that matches and modifies one 
working-memory element. 



close to 1000 productions. The VAX 
tests were run using OPS 5 for VAX 
version 1 .0 with a single user on an 
11/785 in a 2000-block working set. 
The Symbolics tests were run on a 
Symbolics 3670 with 4 megabytes of 
memory. I used the OPS5 supplied 
with Verac Inc.'s OPS5e package run- 
ning under version 5.2 of the Sym- 
bolics LISP system. OPS5 was run 
directly from a LISP Listener, avoiding 
the OPS5e user-interface enhance- 
ments. The garbage collector was 
disabled. 

The results of the benchmarks are 
shown in table I . Since the first bench- 
mark is essentially a best-case test, 
the execution speeds are very high- 
much higher than you would normal- 
ly see. TOPSI ran approximately 40 to 
50 firings per second. The VAX ran 
between 300 and 400 firings per sec- 
ond, and the Symbolics ran approxi- 
mately 400 to 500 firings per second. 

In the second benchmark, the 
speed ratio maintained its roughly 
two- or three-to-one comparison be- 
tween the Symbolics and the VAX, 
butlOPSI's performance dropped off 
dramatically TOPSI started well, run- 
ning about 5 firings per second for the 
first 50 working elements. After I 
added 100 elements to working mem- 
ory, however. TOPSI was down to 
about 3 firings per second. By 200 
elements, it was down to little more 
than I firing per second, and by 400. 
TOPSI took roughly 3 seconds for 
every 2 firings. Each time I doubled 
the number of working-memory ele- 
ments, the execution time went up by 
a factor of four. 

Since TOPSI does not use the Rete 
algorithm, the second benchmark is 
close to a "worst-case" example. 
TOPSI builds the conflict set dynami- 
cally, and in this benchmark every 
working-memory element is in the 
conflict set. This means that TOPSI 
would do only about I firing every 2 
seconds when under a heavy load. 
I've tried some medium-size produc- 
tion systems of about 100 produc- 
tions each, and this seems to be 
correct. 

Extensions 

By far. TOPSI's most useful extension 
to OPS5 is that the compute action, 



262 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



REVIEW: TOPSI 2.0 



normally available only on the right- 
hand side, can be used within a left- 
hand-side condition element. This ex- 
tends the range of elements that you 
can match against. 

Another new feature is the (find vari- 
able term) clause. It returns a variable 
bound to the position within a work- 
ing-memory element where a particu- 
lar term is found. You can then test 
this variable with the logical operators. 

The top-level (print argument) lets 
you copy program output that goes 
to the console screen to a printer or 
other logical device. This is useful dur- 
ing program debugging and for docu- 
mentation purposes. 

DMS provides some debugging 
commands that let you examine loca- 
tions in memory and display certain 
key addresses within the TOPSI sys- 
tem. 

Nonstandard Features 

TOPSI has one major difference from 
OPS5 that you must take into con- 
sideration if you plan to port pro- 
grams between dissimilar machines. 
In OPS5. the two conflict-resolution 
strategies keep a history of each rule 
that has been fired and the working- 
memory elements that satisfied it (an 
instantiation). The history ensures that 
no instantiation fires more than once. 
OPS5 keeps a history that goes back 
to the first firing. TOPSI. on the other 
hand, keeps a history that is only one 
firing deep. Therefore, you must ex- 
plicitly account for the removal of in- 
stantiations from the conflict set if you 
don't want them to fire unexpected- 
ly. This incompatibility means that you 
can move TOPSI production systems 
to OPS5 and they will run as is; how- 
ever, you can't port OPS 5 to TOPSI as 
easily. 

Second. TOPSI doesn't like nil as a 
class name or as an atomic working- 
memory element. If you use nil this 
way. you will confuse the conflict 
resolver, and the production that 
matches the nil will stay in the con- 
flict set forever. In general, you 
shouldn't use keywords as produc- 
tion or variable names. The rest of 
TOPSI's differences from standard 
OPS5 syntax are minor. For com- 
parison, on the VAX, medium-size 
production systems run between 5 



and 1 2 firings per second. 

TOPSI lets you delete single ele- 
ments from working memory via the 
(remove argument) command, where 
argument is the time tag of the ele- 
ment. There is no way to delete multi- 
ple working-memory elements from 
the top level, although you may delete 
multiple elements from the right-hand 
side of productions. TOPSI does not 
have the equivalent of the OPS 5 
(remove *) command, which removes 
all elements from working memory. 

TOPSI also lacks two functions that 
standard OPS5 requires: (rjust). which 
right-justifies output, and (literal), 
which lets you assign a particular in- 
dex to an attribute. TOPSI does have 
a command called (literal), but that's 
TOPSI's version of the (literalize) com- 



You can move TOPSI 
production systems 
to OPS 3 and they 
will run as is, but 
you can't port OPS5 
to TOPSI as easily. 



mand. (TOPSI lets you rename key- 
words, so this is not really an incom- 
patibility.) 
TOPSI's interface to external func- 

[continued) 



Table I: The benchmark results. 


Both benchmarks are 


best- 


case tests for imple- 


mentations using the Rete algorithm. Benchmark 2 turns out to be nearly a 


worst-case test 


for TOPSI. (The - 


- symbol means "too small to measure'.') 


Benchmark 1 


(in seconds) 








Number of 


TOPSI 


OPS5 for VAX version 


1.0 


OPS5 


firings 


(IBM PC) 


(VAX-1 1/785) 




(Symbolics 3670) 


1000 


21 


3 




2 to 3 


10000 


208 


29 




20 


Benchmark 2 (in seconds) 








50 


9 


_ 




_ 


100 


36 


- 




- 


200 


146 


- 




- 


400 


581 


1 




<1 


1000 


not measured 


4 




1 to 2 


2000 


not measured 


11 




3 


4000 


not measured 


38 




6 



Enter this production into production memory: 

(p many-wme 

(yes) 
-- > 

(make yes)) 



;match a "yes" in working memory 
;make a new wme 



From the top level, enter these commands: 

(make yes) 
(run x) 

where "x" is the number of firings you desire 



Figure 2: Benchmark 2: production and top-level commands. This benchmark 
tests execution speed for a one-production system that matches one working- 
memory element and then makes a new one. 



AUGUST I986 -BYTE 263 



REVIEW: TOPSI 2.0 



If you plan to use 
external procedures, 
familiarity with 
Turbo Pascal would 
be a definite plus. 



tions and procedures is generally 
nonstandard. The (call) function 
passes arguments directly, while stan- 
dard OPS 5 does not. The $ functions, 
which OPS5 provides to interface with 
external functions and procedures, 
are included when you buy TOPSI 
source code. 

The file-access functions are also 
nonstandard. The TOPSI (openfile) ac- 
tion opens files for both input and 
output. The OPS5 version of these 
commands requires that you specify 
the allowable file operations. 

In TOPSI, you must use the (default) 
action to map a file to an input or out- 
put action. OPS5 allows its file input 
and output functions— (accept), 
(acceptline). and (write)— either to 
access the default file (set via the 
(default) command) or to directly 
specify a file. TOPSI uses the default 
file for input and output. This means 
that you must reassign input and out- 
put via a (default) command if you 
want to switch files. 

Documentation and Support 

The TOPSI package includes the ex- 
ecutable code on a floppy disk and 
in the user's manual. The manual in- 
cludes a review of OPS5 fundamen- 
tals, a short step-by-step tutorial to get 
you started, a concise description of 
all the commands, and an example of 
the development and debugging of a 
short TOPSI program. All the basic 
functions of the tutorial worked well; 
it is a good learning aid. The manual 
is complete and well written in a 
pleasant conversational style, but it's 
no substitute for a textbook. If you 
haven't used OPS5 before. I recom- 
mend Programming Expert Systems in 
OPS5 by Lee Brownston et a I. (Addi- 
son-Wesley, 1985). 



Since TOPSI is written in 'IUrbo 
Pascal, you'll need to buy the TOPSI 
source code if you want to reference 
external functions or procedures from 
within your TOPSI programs. 'IUrbo 
Pascal doesn't compile to linkable 
modules but instead compiles directly 
to executable code. Therefore, you 
must have all source code available 
at compilation time. 

The TOPSI source code package in- 
cludes a copy of DMS's Technical Ref- 
erence Manual and a second disk con- 
taining the source code and some in- 
terface procedures. The Technical Ref- 
erence Manual explains in detail how to 
modify TOPSI's source code to add 
user-defined subroutines and func- 
tions. It also describes the major pro- 
gram modules and data structures 
and has listings of the interface and 
floating-point math functions that 
DMS provides. Like the user's guide, 
it is well written, but a bit more 
technical. If you plan to use external 
procedures, some familiarity with 
'IUrbo Pascal would be a definite plus. 

DMS is a two-person operation, 
consisting of David M. Smith and his 
wife, Julie. Their responses to my 
questions and problems were quick 
and courteous. If you should find a 
problem with TOPSI, DMS will provide 
the first update free of charge if you 
are a registered user. Subsequent up- 
dates will be provided at a nominal 
fee. For $10, DMS also offers a TOPSI 
user library. 

Conclusions 

TOPSI is a real implementation of 
OPS5 for microcomputers. All the 
core functions are there. Its incom- 
patibilities with standard OPS5. once 
known, can be dealt with. While it is 
slow compared to the versions of 
OPS5 that run on more powerful com- 
puters, it should be adequate for 
many applications. Interfacing TOPSI 
to external procedures requires that 
you buy source code. The interfacing 
is not simple and requires familiarity 
with 'IUrbo Pascal. 

TOPSI is very reasonably priced. It 
can be used both as a serious pro- 
gramming tool and as a learning aid 
to introduce programmers to expert 
systems and artificial intelligence tech- 
niques. ■ 



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Moc Home Accountant $50 



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PalontirG/L 574 

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ACCESSORIES 

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The Easel $12 

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SONY Disks (10 Pack) S.S 

SONY Disks (10 Pack) D.S 



SIS 
$27 



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Pin Paint $35 

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DATA BASE MANAGEMENT 

PRS:File $68 

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Appleworks Call 



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word PROCESSORS 

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Inquiry 261 for MS DOS Products. Inquiry 262 for all others. 






SOFTWARE REVIEW 



/ 



Let's C and csd 



by William G. Wong 



Let's C is a $75 package of 
development programs from 
the Mark Williams Company 
that includes a screen editor, 
a full-blown C compiler, an 
8086/88 assembler, and a 
linker. A powerful C symbolic 
debugger, csd, is available 
for an additional $75. This is quite a 
collection for such a low price. 

DOCUMENTATION 

Let's C comes with two manuals: one 
covering the compiler and all the as- 
sociated utilities, and the other 
dedicated to the text editor, Micro- 
EMACS. Both are well organized with 
a good table of contents and index. 
Examples are quite sparse, however, 
especially in the description of the 
support library functions. The com- 
piler manual is written with typical 
UNIX-style terseness. 

The MicroEMACS manual layout is 
totally different. It is designed as a 
tutorial rather than a reference 
manual. Examples are plentiful, and 
sections are grouped by function. Un- 
fortunately, there is no associated ref- 
erence section except for an alphabet- 
ical listing of functions at the end; a 
simple functional list would have suf- 
ficed. Overall, the documentation is 
good, and most information is easily 
accessible. Sometimes, however, it 
takes a bit of digging through the 
manuals to answer a question or to 
see if an option exists. 

MicroEMACS 

You could use another line- or screen- 
oriented text editor in place of 
MicroEMACS, but since MicroEMACS 
is such a nice program you will prob- 
ably decide that you want to use it. 
Because MicroEMACS is a memory- 
based editor, there is a limit to the 
file size it can handle. Fortunately, 
Cs modularity keeps this from be- 



An inexpensive C 

development package and 

a symbolic debugger 



coming much of a problem. 

MicroEMACS is written in C and the 
source code for it is provided in the 
Let's C package, which makes it possi- 
ble to modify and enhance the editor. 
The source code contains useful com- 
ments. 

MicroEMACS supports windowed 
screen operation and multiple files. 
Windows provide views of different 
portions of the same file or views of 
different files altogether. Text can be 
moved between files. Command 
repetition and limited macro capabil- 
ities are supported. The limited 
number of functions makes it relative- 
ly easy to memorize most of the com- 
mands. (MicroEMACS's ancestor, 
EMACS, cannot make the same claim; 
it has significantly more options and 
operating modes.) 

You enter commands with Control 
or Escape sequences. Multikey se- 
quences are preceded by the Escape 
key or a Control-X (in the EMACS 
tradition). Commands tend to be 
mnemonic: Control-F moves forward 
one character, and Control-B moves 
backward one character. 

MicroEMACS does have some 
quirks, but fortunately they can be 
fixed by using the ANSLSYS driver file. 
This file is supplied with many MS- 
DOS systems and is usually included 
with PC-DOS. The source code for 
MicroEMACS comes in very handy, 
since you may have to make minor 
modifications if it does not work prop- 
erly with your system. 

I found that reading MicroEMACS 
source code uncovers some features 



of the editor that are not 
described in the manual. For 
example, I discovered that I 
could use the Escape se- 
quence in place of Control-® 
(which made my keyboard 
generate something else) to 
set the "mark," which is a 
point to start a block operation like 
copy or delete. 

While recompiling the editor, I was 
disconcerted to find that certain func- 
tions used in the editor do not follow 
strict C procedures. Although the 
compiler flagged the offending func- 
tions, the resulting code still worked. 
(The reason for this is that the com- 
piler generates only 16-bit pointers 
due to the small memory model.) 
Don't try to use another compiler or 
memory model without checking all 
flagged errors, or the program may 
not run at all. 

Rebuilding the editor on a hard disk 
takes less than half an hour if you start 
from scratch. It is possible to rebuild 
it on a floppy disk system, but it is 
much more time-consuming. 

Lets C Compiler 

The Let's C compiler is very complete; 
it includes standard C function librar- 
ies as well as a math library with 
floating-point support for trigonomet- 
ric functions. It is a four-pass com- 
piler (including the preprocessor) and 
you 1 can automatically invoke the 
linker. 

The most striking feature is the large 
number of options supported by the 
compiler and various utilities. The 
compiler itself has over 30 command- 
line options, including various ways to 
customize the compiler and redirect- 

[cont'mued) 
William G. Wong [bogie Fusion Inc.. 1333 
Moon Dr.. Yardley, PA 19067) is president 
of logic Fusion Inc. and a developer of systems 
and applications software. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 267 



REVIEW: LET'S C AND CSD 



Let's C and csd 

Type 

C development package and symbolic 
debugger 

Company 

Mark Williams Company 
1430 West Wrightwood Ave. 
Chicago, IL 60614 
(800) 692-1700 

Necessary Hardware 

MS-DOS- or PC-DOS-based system 
One floppy disk 
256K bytes of RAM 

Copy-protected 

No 

Price 

$75 each 



able I/O, which is also available to ap- 
plication programs created with Let's 
C. For example, you can use DOS 
commands to put control text into the 
DOS environment. You can also set 
which drive will be used for work files 
or #include files so that this informa- 
tion does not have to be repeated on 
the command line. 

The command-line options are very 
powerful and are designed to make 
creation of multiple modules easy. For 
example, cc -o all *.c compiles all the 
C source code in the current directory 
(all files with a .C extension) and links 
them into the file ALL.EXE, including 
the standard C library. You can use 
multiple source files and wild cards to 
generate complex systems. 

In addition to supporting the lan- 
guage as defined by Kernighan and 
Ritchie, the Let's C compiler also sup- 
ports a number of extensions, includ- 
ing enumerated data types. Floating- 
point numbers may be single or dou- 
ble precision, but since floating-point 
numbers are stored in the DEC/VAX 
format, Let's C provides no 8087 sup- 
port. (The more expensive version of 
the Let's C compiler allows you to 
select the IEEE format for storing 
floating-point numbers.) 

Let's C also supports structure as- 



signment, parameters, and return 
values. This feature can be turned off 
using the appropriate compiler 
option. 

Dedicated registers are available for 
one or two variables by using the C 
"register" specification. These register 
variables can hold 8- or 1 6-bit integers 
and pointers. Let's C uses the SI and 
DI registers to manipulate register 
variables. It may be appropriate to 
use the register specification often, as 
the compiler always saves and re- 
stores the SI and DI registers even if 
no register variables are specified. 
The overhead is four instructions and 
four bytes of code per function. A 
more sophisticated compiler would 
save and restore these registers only 
if they were used. 

The library of C functions is very 
complete with support of stream files 
(files using the fopen( ) function) and 
system-level files (files using the 
open( ) function). Standard DOS func- 
tions such as file rename and execu- 
tion of another DOS program are sup- 
ported, but these are nonstandard 
and usually nonportable functions. 
There are a few missing items from 
the Let's C libraries, the major one be- 
ing the lack of access to the DOS 
routines for setting and reading the 
current time and date. Functions for 
accessing these routines are de- 
scribed in the manual but are not in 
the library, and the appropriate 
#include files are missing. 

Let's C supports direct access to I/O 
ports, 8086 interrupts, and memory 
via peek and poke functions. Options 
in the peek and poke functions allow 
you to access the full 8086 address 
space. This provides a way to address 
memory beyond the 64K-byte limit set 
on small memory model programs 
(without having to purchase the more 
expensive version of the compiler), 
but it is not as efficient as access via 
the large memory model. This also 
makes Let's C appropriate for 
generating memory-resident pro- 
grams. 

The linker supports only the Mark 
Williams Company's object code and 
library formats. This restricts your 
ability to use object modules gen- 
erated by another assembler or C 
compiler, but since Let's C comes with 



its own assembler, this may not be a 
problem for many users. 

Utilities 

The utilities that come with Let's C can 
be divided into two sets: compiler 
support utilities and general utilities 
for text-file manipulation. Each is 
described individually in the docu- 
mentation. The compiler support util- 
ities include 

as the assembler 

cpp the C preprocessor 

lb a library utility program 

Id the linker 

nm prints an object module's 

symbol table 
size prints sizes of program 

segments 
strip removes the symbol table 

from an object module 

The general support utilities include 

cmp compares two files, charac- 
ter by character, for equality 

egrep searches a file for a specific 
pattern (string) 

pr paginates and prints files 

tail prints a selected number of 
bytes at the end of a file 

wc counts the occurrences of 
specific words in a file 

The Let's C assembler supports the 
8086 instruction set, while the more 
advanced version adds 8087 support. 
Macros are not supported by the as- 
sembler, but since the C prepro- 
cessor, cpp, can be used in- 
dependently of the compiler, you can 
simulate a macro assembler by using 
C-style macros in your source code 
and executing cpp to expand the 
macros prior to assembly. Batch files 
make this a snap. Simulating a macro 
assembler also allows you to use a 
single macro syntax with both the 
compiler and the assembler. 

The library utility can create and up- 
date library files that are compatible 
with the linker. Although the Let's C 
compiler can generate only small 
memory model programs, the linker 
and the assembler can also handle 
larger programs. Consequently, you 
can create assembler support 
modules that allow Let's C programs 

(continued) 



268 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



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270 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 87 



REVIEW: LET'S C AND CSD 



to access memory areas beyond the 
64K-byte small memory model limit. 

The linker generates executable 
.EXE files using object modules from 
the compiler or the assembler. The 
linker supports a large number of op- 
tions for segment placement, size, 
and program construction. Overlays 
are not supported. The linker does 
allow for command files, which makes 
the process of invoking the linker 
much easier, but there are no 
command-file parameters like those 
provided by the DOS batch facility. 
Hence, a link command file is required 
for each program being linked. 

The list of symbols contained in an 
object module is obtained using the 
nm utility. You can generate modules 
without symbols, or you can remove 
an object module's symbol table using 
the strip utility. 

CSD 

The csd symbolic debugging tool is 
customized for the IBM PC. It pro- 
vides multiple windows for viewing 
source code, debugging history, inter- 
active evaluation, and program out- 
put. You can set breakpoints and per- 
form single-stepping at the C state- 
ment level instead of at the machine 
instruction level. You can also ex- 
amine or modify variables during the 
debugging process, referencing them 
by name rather than by address. Even 
strings and floating-point values are 
accessible in their "human-readable" 
form instead of as clumps of hexadec- 
imal digits. 

To set a breakpoint (referred to as 
a "tracepoint" in the manual), you 
simply move the cursor using the ar- 
row keys and select the line of C code 
using the F3 function key. 

You can also move up and down the 
stack, discovering which function 
called which other function. When 
you are at a particular "level" (or stack 
frame), csd displays the source code 
for that particular function and you 
can examine and change variables 
and breakpoints unique to the func- 
tion. 

Interaction is very quick, with most 
operations requiring only one or two 
keystrokes. The evaluation window 
allows you to enter and execute most 
C expressions, including calling user- 



and library-defined functions. It does 
not allow evaluation of expressions 
with C keywords (except sizeof). 
braces (compound statements), 
labels, or semicolons (multiple state- 
ments). Nor will it evaluate expres- 
sions containing such control con- 
structs as case, for. if. and break. 

The evaluation window also per- 
forms another useful function. Each 
statement left in the evaluation win- 



dow is executed when a traced C 
statement is evaluated. This allows 
complex debugging information to be 
presented. However, leaving improper 
statements in the window can be a 
problem. For example, leaving an as- 
signment statement to a loop's con- 
trol variable in the window while trac- 
ing the loop can cause the loop to 
repeat indefinitely. Accidental setup 

[continued) 




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AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 271 



REVIEW: LET'S C AND CSD 



The symbolic debugger 
is a definite aid to 
learning C and an 
indispensable tool for 
program development 



of such a situation can require some 
debugging of the debugger state, but 
it might be useful if the best way to 
test the loop is to keep it going until 
a problem is solved. 

With a few exceptions, csd is close 
to the ideal debugging environment. 
Dealing with a program at the source 
level is a definite plus, and being able 
to display and alter the status of the 
program alleviates the need to put ex- 
plicit debugging code into the pro- 
gram. However, csd does have some 
drawbacks, especially for more so- 
phisticated users. For example, csd 
only works with programs compiled 
by the Mark Williams C compiler, or 
with programs that use the small 
memory model (the only kind avail- 
able in the Let's C package). In addi- 
tion, csd works only with PC-DOS or 
MS-DOS on strict IBM PC compati- 
bles, and keyboard compatibility is 
especially important. 

Although working at the source 
level is very useful, it is occasionally 
desirable to see things at the ma- 
chine-code level. This is especially 



true when the program interacts with 
the operating system or hardware. You 
can access memory locations and 
hardware ports using csd, but the pro- 
cess is often tedious. (You can. how- 
ever, write C functions to make this 
easier.) Dumping areas such as the 
stack or data structures is often useful 
when debugging. 

Note that csd keeps most informa- 
tion resident in memory, which 
speeds up overall operation. An ex- 
ception is the Help text for the pro- 
gram. This may be a limitation for 
large programs on small systems, but 
I did not encounter any such prob- 
lems while using the system. 

System Performance 

As expected, the benchmarks show 
Let's C to be faster than interpretive 
BASIC in all categories, with integer- 
and character-based operations show- 
ing the largest speed differential and 
disk operations showing the smallest 
(see table 1). 

Compile and link times compare 
favorably with other C compilers, and 
the size of the executable files is 
typically smaller. Of course, one big 
reason for their small size is the fact 
that only small memory model pro- 
grams can be generated with Let's C. 

The Sieve benchmark was done 
using various data types and specifi- 
cations for the flag array used by the 
algorithm. This results in a significant 
difference in the execution time, but 
it is negligible in terms of program 
size. | Editor's note: The source code for the 
benchmark programs used is available for 



Table I: Benchmark results. The benchmark programs 
floppy IBM PC XT with 640K bytes of RAM. Times 


were run on a 
are in seconds. 


dual- 


Program 


Compile and Link 
(hard disk/floppy disk) 


I 


Execution 


Size 
(bytes) 


, SIEVE.C 

LOCAL int 
LOCAL char 
GLOBAL int 
GLOBAL char 


50/95 




7.3 
6.2 
6.7 

5.1 


7336 


CALC.C 


51/110 




20 


10860 


Write Test 


45/94 




31 


7336 


Read Test 


45/94 




30 


7288 



downloading from BYTEnet Listings at (6 1 7) 
861-9764. All the programs have been com- 
bined into a single file, LETS.SRC.| 

Note that the default stack size. 2K 
bytes, was altered for the Sieve test 
when the flag array was local to the 
function, since automatic structures 
are allocated from the stack. Place- 
ment of the flag array at the end of 
the variable definitions makes a dif- 
ference, since the size of the offsets 
changes for the other variables if they 
occur after the array. 

Summary 

Let's C is an inexpensive, high-quality 
programming package. It comes with 
all the tools you will need to create 
applications; there is no need to pur- 
chase an editor or other development 
software. Let's C also provides a good 
environment for learning the C pro- 
gramming language. 

The drawbacks include the lack of 
8087 and IEEE floating-point support, 
which would have provided a better 
interface to data files generated by 
other programs. The lack of overlay 
support can also restrict applications, 
but the ability to execute other DOS 
programs from a C program alleviates 
some problems. Probably the biggest 
flaw of Let's C is the lack of time and 
date support. 

The symbolic debugger, csd. is a 
definite aid to learning C and an in- 
dispensable tool for program devel- 
opment. It would be nice to be able 
to run csd on non-IBM PC compati- 
bles, however. Also, low-level access 
similar to other debugging programs 
would help. The use of function keys 
and windows greatly enhances the 
development process. 

The growth path to the more ad- 
vanced Mark Williams C compiler is 
a real plus, because it allows genera- 
tion of large applications. This upward 
compatibility means that programs 
developed with Let's C can grow. It 
also adds an extra degree of trans- 
portability, as Mark Williams C com- 
pilers are available for processors 
such as the 68000 and the Z8000. 

In general, Let's C and csd are ap- 
propriate for developing small mem- 
ory model programs or for learning 
C. For the price, they are hard to 
beat. ■ 



272 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



SOFTWARE REVIEW 



^ 



NewWord 3 



by John Heilborn and Nanci Reel 



When we reviewed NewWord 
1.43 (February 1985 BYTE), 
we found it to be an afford- 
able and versatile word-pro- 
cessing program. Compatible 
with WordStar, the earlier 
version of NewWord oper- 
ated very much like WordStar 
while eliminating many of its draw- 
backs and adding a number of useful 
features, including an "unerase" buf- 
fer and several column-mode func- 
tions. 

A quick look at NewStar Software's 
latest version of NewWord. called 
NewWord 3. shows that it retains all 
of its predecessor's strengths. In ad- 
dition, it has an in-text math calcu- 
lator, enhanced customization menus, 
both an integrated and a stand-alone 
spelling checker, programmable key 
macros, and computer-aided index 
and table of contents generation. It is 
accompanied by a hefty but well- 
organized and clearly written manual. 



An impressive word processor 

that is notably faster than any 

of its previous versions 



macros: display/change a macro 
definition, display shorthand help 
menu, display result of last math cal- 
culation, display result of last math 
calculation formatted in dollars and 
cents, display last mathematical equa- 
tion, and display today's date (from 
system clock). 

In addition to the preprogrammed 
macros. NewWord can store 36 cus- 
tom macros. These are initially limited 
to a total of 512K bytes (43 5K bytes 
without the preprogrammed macros). 
If you need more space, you can 
modify the size of the macro buffer 
with NWCHANGE. 



Installation 

NewWord 3 comes with two installa- 
tion programs, NWINSTAL and NW- 
CHANGE. NWINSTAL is a simple pro- 
gram that allows you to select a 
minimum of features, such as your 
printer type, video-display type, and 
whether you want to have on-screen 
underlining or not. For more in-depth 
customization, you'll need to use NW- 
CHANGE. which gives you access to 
some of the more advanced cus- 
tomizing features of NewWord 3 
under a menu called Patches. 

Keyboard Macros 

The shorthand (keyboard macros) 
function allows you to create and save 
custom character strings. These are 
then invoked with a two-character 
string, consisting of the Escape key 
and one other key. NewWord 3 comes 
with six preprogrammed shorthand 



On-screen Calculator 

NewWord features an on-screen cal- 
culator, which is called the Math 
Menu. The Math Menu allows you to 
perform arithmetic, logarithmic, and 
trigonometric calculations. For users 
who already have a memory-resident 
calculator, this may not seem like a 
very important feature. However. 
NewWord 3 lets you "drop" the equa- 
tion and its result into your text with 
only a couple of keystrokes. Addi- 
tionally. NewWord can total rows, col- 
umns, or arrays of numbers that have 
been entered into documents, in 
much the same way that you would 
mark and move a block of text. 

Spelling Checkers 

NewWord 3 has two ways to check 
spelling: a built-in spelling checker 
and an external spell-checking utility 
called The Word Plus. Both spelling 
checkers use the same dictionaries 



and can therefore be ex- 
pected to find the same 
types of errors, but for longer 
documents The Word Plus is 
faster. 

NewWord 3's built-in spell- 
ing checker goes through 
your document and presents 
you with any misspelled or unfamiliar 
words, along with enough of the sur- 
rounding text to place the words in 
context. It also makes suggestions 
about possible replacement words. A 
real timesaving feature included in the 
spelling checker is its auto-alignment 
feature. Instead of requiring you to go 
back through the document after 
checking for spelling errors to ensure 
that paragraphs remain formatted 
properly, text is automatically re- 
aligned after each replacement. If you 
don't like this feature, you can easily 
turn it off. The built-in spelling checker 
can also be used to check the spell- 
ing of a single word. 

The on-line spelling checker can 
look up a word that is not in a docu- 
ment. In this case, you can manually 
type either all or part of a word. If you 
enter only part of a word, you may 
use wild-card characters within the 
word. Once a match has been found 
in one of the dictionaries, you can 
enter the match into the document at 
the cursor. 

NewWord 3 uses three diction- 
aries—the Quick Dictionary, the Main 
Dictionary, and the Update Dictionary 
The Quick Dictionary contains a list of 
the most commonly used words. This 
dictionary is loaded into memory 
when the program starts, and New- 
Word looks here first to find a word. 

[continued] 
John Heilborn (P.O. Box 20102, Castro 
Valley. CA 94 546) is president of Think- 
Words Inc.. and Nanci Reel (P.O. Box 06281 . 
Portland. OR 97206) is the author of a book 
about Multiplan for the Macintosh. 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 273 



REVIEW: NEWWORD 3 



NewWord 3 

Type 

Word processor 

Company 

NewStar Software Inc. 
3351 Vincent Rd. 
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 
(415) 932-2278 

Format 

5 1 /4-inch floppy disk 

Computer 

IBM PC and compatibles; 128K bytes of 
RAM; DOS 2.0 or higher 

Documentation 

User's guide, 780 pages 

Price 

$359 



If it finds a match, it does not check 
the longer Main Dictionary, which 
contains about 4 5,000 words. If your 
computer has enough memory and 
you use the spelling checker on a 
regular basis, you can load the Main 
Dictionary into RAM. The program 
will start up a bit more slowly, but 
checking spelling during the rest of 
your work session will be consider- 
ably faster, since accessing RAM is 
less time-consuming than accessing a 
disk. 

NewWord's Update Dictionary 
stores words that you add to the dic- 
tionary yourself. They aren't added 



directly to the Main Dictionary, since 
this dictionary is compressed to get 
as many words as possible into the 
smallest amount of disk space. 

Indexing 

NewWord 3's Index routine has three 
ways of constructing an index: it can 
index all words in a document, all 
words in a document except those 
words on an exclusion list, or just the 
words and phrases that you specify. 
The exclusion-list method uses a 
standard list that is included with 
NewWord. which eliminates common 
words such as articles, pronouns, 
prepositions, conjunctions, and so on. 
You can also build your own custom 
exclusion list if you want to exclude 
additional words. 

Table of Contents 

With its computer-aided table of con- 
tents generation. NewWord can build 
a table of contents for a document. 
To use this feature, you go through the 
document and insert special dot com- 
mands in the appropriate places with- 
in the text. For example, the com- 
mand .tc Introduction # will 

replace the # with the correct page 
number in the table of contents after 
the page number is found in the 
document. You can also create sub- 
entries to be indented under a major 
heading, such as the title of a chapter: 

.tc Introduction # 

.tc About This Book . . . . # 

The .tc dot commands can also in- 



Tkble I: The results of performing various functions using a 4000-word text 
file. Document Load shows the time required to load the file from disk to 
memory. Document Save shows how long it takes to save the file to disk. Search 
shows the time it takes to find the last word in the file, starting at the beginning. 
Scroll shows how long it takes to scroll through the file manually. Note that 
Document Save takes 14 seconds with the cursor at the top of the document, but 
only 3 seconds with the cursor at the bottom of the document. 

Comparison of benchmark results on the IBM PC (in seconds) 



Test 

Document Load 

Document Save 
cursor at top of document 
cursor at bottom of document 

Search 

Scroll 



NewWord 3 NewWord 1.43 WordStar 3.3 
3.4 19.8 9.9 



14.0 
3.4 
9.3 

48.0 



23.2 
n.a. 
10.8 
81.5 



24.9 
n.a. 
10.5 
41.2 



elude print control commands. It is 
also possible to build several tables 
of contents for one document. If, for 
example, your document consists of 
several chapters of a book, you can 
create a table of contents for the en- 
tire book and separate figure and il- 
lustration tables all at once. 

New Editing Commands 

In addition to the global commands 
covered thus far. NewWord 3 has a 
number of new editing commands 
that aid in the process of entering 
text. Some are WordStar commands 
that NewWord 1.43 lacked, such as 
setting and finding block markers and 
continuous downward and upward 
scrolling. Other commands add fea- 
tures that WordStar doesn't offer, such 
as running DOS commands while 
editing a document, converting all 
characters in a block to uppercase or 
lowercase, calculating the number of 
characters that precede the cursor in 
a document, and previewing the 
document as it will print. 

Merge Printing 

The merge-printing functions included 
in NewWord 3 may be its most power- 
ful new features. These functions 
allow you to manipulate text automat- 
ically using conditional commands, 
variables, and numeric controls. To 
give you an idea of what could be 
done, let's examine a situation in 
which you have created a number of 
individual statements for each sale 
made to several different customers. 
By using the appropriate merge- 
printing commands, you could com- 
bine all of the individual statements 
and produce a single billing statement 
for each customer. NewWord would 
create the forms, fill in the names and 
addresses, and total all of the figures, 
including taxes and service charges, 
automatically. 

Summary 

NewWord 3 is noticeably faster than 
any of its previous versions, which 
were all quite fast (see table 1). With 
its speed, its ability to be customized, 
and its variety of new editing features, 
NewWord 3 is a very impressive word 
processor that is definitely worth con- 
sideration. ■ 



274 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



WITH HOMEBASE IN HAND 
YOU'VE GOT A LOT M 
ON THE BALL! 



♦ ♦♦ 



HOMEBASE 
VERSION 2.0 .. . 
AT ONLY 80K, IT'S 
A WHOLE NEW 
BALLGAME! 

This is HomeBase ... the one with back- 
ground electronic mail. The one described 
by PC Magazine as " . . . one of those rare 
software offerings you have to see to 
believe . . . One way to look at it is to say 
that Borland's product (SideKick) is a 
first generation organizer, while Home- 
Base is a second or third generation. " 
We built HomeBase for a wide variety of 
users. HomeBase's template maker and 
database system allow VAR's, for ex- 
ample, to custom tailor versions of Home- 
Base, literally, in minutes. Include tables, 
specialized databases, or whatever else 
you need, almost instantly. 
Single users have an extraordinary variety 
of RAM RESIDENT tools at their dis- 
posal. The multi-person appointment 
calendar system makes it perfect for office- 
wide scheduling. And DOS Services is a 
lifeline to the novice and a real work- 
saver for the power user. 
HomeBase even auto-answers your modem 
and receives files in the background 
while you're working in another program. 

Yet, with all these features, HomeBase is 
incredibly easy to use. Unless you want 
to customize your copy, you'll probably 
have little need for the manual. Installa- 
tion is virtually automatic, and operation 
remarkably intuitive. 

Mobile HomeBase? 

By the way, we don't force you to buy 
another piece of software just to print out 
your calendar for your appointment book. 
HomeBase's Report Generator will sort, 
compose and print information from your 
HomeBase databases and calendars to 
clip into your daytimer for those times 
when you're on the road. In addition, it 
can print out mailing labels, continuous 
form Rolodex™ cards ... it can even do 
mail merge. 

PC Magazine chose HomeBase as Top 
Software Product of the Year. We think 
you will, too! 

Safe!!! 

HomeBase Version 2.0 is compatible with 
most popular software, including Lotus, 
DBase III+, Wordstar 2000 and peripherals 
such as the Hercules monographic card 

and EGA. Inquiry 46 



PC MAGAZINE - 

Top Softwar 
Product 
of the Year! 



$ 



69 



Not Copy Protected 

Order Your Copy 
of HomeBase Today! 

Satisfaction Guaranteed . . . 
or mail it back for a full refund. 

Available at better dealers . . . worldwide. 




A LOT MORE THAN WITH SIDEKICK, THAT'S FOR SURE! 

THE GREAT 
REBATE . . . 

$20 REBATE FOR 

SIDEKICK 

USERS. 



HOMEBASE 

Notepad 

Autodialer (voice & data) 

Appointment Calendars 

Calculator 

ASCII Table 

Phone Directory 

Multiple Cut & Paste 

Appointment Alarms 

Template Maker 

Screen Saver 

DOS Services 

Type-ahead keyboard buffer 

Free-form Databases 

Structured Databases 

Onscreen clock 

Programmable Hotkeys 

Phone Message Pad 

Time and Expense Diary 

To-do List 

Background Electronic Mail 

Resident Terminal 

Mailing Label Printer 

Report Generator 

Area Code Directory 



$69.95 



SIDEKICK 

Notepad 

Autodialer (voice only) 

Calendar 

Calculator 

ASCII Table 

Phone Directory 

Cut and Paste 

$84.95 



(Just mention the great 
rebate when you phone, 
or check the appropri- 
ate box on the coupon) 



ORDER YOUR COPY OF HOMEBASE TODAY! 

Toll Free Numbers Also Offer Technical Support 7 Days a Week. 



Call Toll Free 
800-523-0764 



Please enclose cheque or money order or . . . 

D Visa a MasterCard d American Express 

Card# 

Exp. date 



in California 

800-323-5335 



Send to: 

Brown Bag Software 

2105 South Bascom Avenue 

Campbell, CA 95008 



a Homebase $69.95* per copy (Not copy-protected) 
D The Great Rebate - $69.95 + shipping with your order. 

($20 rebate mailed to you when you send in your license agreement) 
Please add $5 shipping and handling □ CA residents add 672% sales tax. 30 day money-back guarantee. 

Amount enclosed $ For the IBM PC, XT, AT and compatibles. 

Name 

Address 

City 



Phone: (Home) . 



State. 

Phone: (Office) _ 



.Zip. 



Ext:. 



Dealer, distributor and corporate quantity discounts phone: 408-559-4886 
"Orders outside the U.S., please add $20 shipping and handling. (U.S. funds, please) 

SideKick is a trademark of Borland International. Wordstar 2000 is a trademark of MicroPro. Lotus 1-2-3 is a trademark of Lotus Corporation. dBase lll+ is a trademark of Ashton-Tate. 







Ml 














1 


: 


j 










11 






111 



Western Computer 286 Turbo™ 

Standard Features 

• IBM PC/AT Compatible with 512K RAM 

Up to 1 Megabyte of system memory on the 
main board 

• Switch selectable 8 or 10 MHz operation with 
one wait state on memory access (80286-10) 

• One parallel port/one serial port and 
Clock/Calendar on main board 

• Optional Serial Port on board 

• Mass storage options from 20 to 140 
Megabyte Hard Disk Drives and 20 to 60 
Megabyte tape backup systems 

• EGA video options available for CAD/CAM, 
word processing, etc 

• One year factory warranty 

Western Computer has high quality com- 
puters at very competitive quantity pricing. 



'r '■• ' J'. 








Western Computer XT Turbo™ 

Standard Features 

• IBM PC/XT compatib le with 640K RAM on main 

board 



• 4.77 or 8 MHz oper- 
ation (CPU board 
made in U.S.A.) 

• Two 360K Floppy : 
Disk Drives 

• Hercules compat- 
ible monochrome 
graphics controller 
(720 x 350) or IBM 
compatible color 
graphics adapter (320 
x 200 - four colors or 640 x 200 - two colors) and 
parallel printer port 

• Monochrome monitor (Composite or TTL input) 

• IBM PC/AT style keyboard 

• Various hard disk drive and tape backup options 
available 

• One Year Factory Warranty 



Western Computer 

17781 MITCHELL STREET 

IRVINE, CA 92714 U.S.A. 

PHONE (714) 553-1611 

Customer Service Only 

(714) 553-1705 

TELEX 756 731 - Answer Back 

WESTERN COMP 

FAX (714) 553-1705 



Jester n computer 

'Tor High Technology and Performance" 



European Head Office 

BELECTRONIC SA, 

RUE CENTRALE 43 

CH-1880-BEX, SWITZERLAND 

PHONE (025) 631250 

TELEX 456 168 

Answer Back BELE CH. 



IBM" . IBM PC* , IBM AT* are trademarks 



SOFTWARE REVIEW 



V 



Reflex 



BY RUSEL DEMARIA 



Reflex, from Borland Interna- 
tional, is a database that 
gives you five different 
"views" of your informa- 
tion—Form View, List View, 
Graph View, Crosstab View, 
and Report View. To let you 
control these views, Reflex 
employs elements of both the Lotus 
1-2-3 and the Apple Macintosh user 
interfaces. It lets you use the slash (/) 
key to open the top line of a menu, 
and then it opens Mac-like windows 
from the top line choices. Reflex can 
be controlled by either the keyboard 
or a mouse, and the commands are 
consistent throughout the program. 



Form View 

The Form View, the most standard 
aspect of Reflex, is where you begin. 
To define a field, you simply type its 
name on the Form design screen. 
After you exit the design phase, the 
first data entered into that field auto- 
matically defines the data type, or 
"field"— Text. Numeric, or Date. You 
can move fields within a form at any 
time, and you can add or delete fields, 
or even change the field type. 

Reflex has a total of six different 
fields: the three noted above (Text. 
Numeric, and Date) and the Repeat- 
ing Text. Integer, and Calculated fields. 
The Repeating Text field is much like 
a normal Text field, except that it con- 
serves memory by saving each re- 
peating value only once. By redefin- 
ing one field in a test database to 
Repeating Text. I was able to save 31 K 
bytes of memory in a file. 

The Integer field is a memory-saving 
device. You can define any whole 
number that falls between -32.766 
and 32,767 as an Integer field instead 
of a Numeric field. By doing this. I was 
able to save 6K bytes of memory in 
my test database. 

The Calculated field lets you enter 

Inquiry 311 for End-Users. 
"— Inquiry 312 for DEALERS ONLY. 



Am analytical database 

that has many unique features 

for interpreting data 



formulas that manipulate data in 
other fields. When Reflex comes 
across a Calculated field, it goes to 
the fields designated by the formula, 
retrieves the data necessary to per- 
form the calculation, and enters the 
result in the Calulated field. 

Reflex offers several data input 
shortcuts. By far the most useful is the 
context-sensitive Choices key (the F10 
key). You can use it whenever you 
need to select a field name (even 
while defining a formula), a filename 
from the disk, or one of the summary 
and analytical formula options. After 
pressing F10, you select your choice 
by highlighting it with the cursor keys 
or with the mouse, or by typing the 
first letter of its name. 

Reflex also lets you perform sophis- 
ticated "what if" analysis. The Vary 
tool lets you create a set of records 
by varying the values in a field. For in- 
stance, if you wanted to test a prod- 
uct's pricing, you could create a series 
of records that varied the price from 
$50 to $100 in $5 increments. You can 
also use Vary for break-even analysis. 
If you vary a text field using a list of 
choices, the program will create a 
record for each choice. You can vary 
a single record or all the records in 
the current filter. You can even use 
Vary when you first set up a database, 
for instance, to create a record for 
each month of the year or for each 
division of a company 



field and a row for each 
record. In the List View, you 
can set column widths, move 
or delete entire rows or col- 
umns, and add or modify 
records. 

Like the other Reflex views, 
the List View lets you sort 
your records to any level and change 
the sort precedence at any time. You 
can also filter a database using AND, 
OR, NOT. or any standard mathemat- 
ical operator, such as < , >. or > =. 



List View 

The List View is a tabular listing of 
your records, with a column for each 



Graph View 

Reflex offers the standard graph types 
(bar. pie, line, and scatter graphs) and 
makes them incredibly easy to create. 
The graphs can have both titles and 
legends, and the program generates 
legends automatically. The Summary 
and For Each options add exceptional 
power to the Graph View. Summary 
options include Sum, Count, Mini- 
mum, Maximum, Average, Standard 
Deviation, and Variance. You can 
change your graph to show one of 
these calculations with the touch of 
a key. 

Because Reflex can split the screen 
into two or three windows, the Graph 
View can share a screen with the 
Form View or the List View. The live 
connection between the windows is 
remarkable. For instance, if you 
change data in one window, it im- 
mediately changes in the other win- 
dows, including the Graph View. In ad- 
dition, if you move along the points 
of a graph, the records associated 
with those points appear in the Form 
View and are highlighted in the List 
View. Thus, if you see an especially 
low or high spot on a graph, it is easy 
to move the cursor to that spot and 

{continued) 
Rusel DeUarla (443 Ullkol Rd., Haiku, HI 
96708) is a freelance writer and a computer 
consultant. 

AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 277 



REVIEW: REFLEX 



Reflex 

Type 

Analytical database 

Company 

Borland International Inc. 
4585 Scotts Valley Dr. 
Scotts Valley, CA 95066 
(408) 438-8400 

Format 

Three 5 1 /4-inch disks; not copy-protected 

Computer 

IBM PC with at least 384K bytes of 
memory; high-resolution graphics, EGA, 
or Hercules-type screen; two floppy disk 
drives or one floppy disk drive and one 
hard disk drive 

Documentation 

One manual plus on-disk README file for 
updates 

Price 

$99 

Comments 

Can hold up to 32,500 records in 
memory. New version supports up to 250 
fields per record (254 characters per 
field). 

simultaneously view the record that 
caused it. 

The For Each option brings informa- 
tion into sharp focus. Suppose you 
have invoices for five salespeople, and 
there are ten products in your product 
line. You could easily graph each 
salesperson's total sales using the 
Sum option. Using For Each, you 
could show separate information for 
each product or for each month. If a 
graph is much larger than the screen 
or the current window, it will scroll. 

Crosstab View 

The Crosstab View is, in some ways, 
the heart of the Reflex system. It lets 
you create an overall view of your 
data the same way that a graph does, 
but in a numeric rather than a graph- 
ical summary. Reflex will calculate 
totals, averages, counts, variances, 
standard deviations, minimums, or 
maximums on whatever portion of 
the data you choose. It then displays 
the results in a chart that you can use 
to find any hidden relationships and 
significant figures. 



In the earlier example, we looked at 
a graphical representation of each 
salesperson's total sales for each 
product. The Crosstab View can show 
us the same data in figures. To set up 
this example, you would summarize 
total sales for each salesperson and 
for each product. The result would be 
a grid with the salespeople's names 
on one axis and the product names 
on the other. At a glance, you would 
see total and individual sales statistics 
by salesperson and by product. 

Report View 

The Report View is a separate pro- 
gram that performs several functions. 
You can convert Lotus 1-2-3. Sym- 
phony, dBASE II or 111. DIE PFS. or 
ASCII text files to Reflex's format. You 
can convert entire files or parts of 
files, or take a random sampling from 
any of these files. You can merge two 
separate Reflex databases into one. 
provided that both files contain the 
same field definitions. You can print 
graphs previously saved on the main 
Reflex program. You can also design 
sophisticated reports of all kinds, from 
mailing labels to complex data 
analyses containing up to five break 
conditions. 

One drawback to the Report View 
is that you can't run it from within 
Reflex; you must exit to DOS and run 
the Report View separately. Never- 
theless, it is a useful utility that is 
worth the extra effort. 

Designing reports is easy and 
powerful. It uses the same commands 
and menus used in other parts of 
Reflex. The design form is very flexi- 
ble and versatile. You can sort your 
file within the Report View and use up 
to five sorted fields as special break 
fields. You can move entire fields, 
define variable widths, and set sum- 
maries and percentages. You can also 
define new calculated fields and use 
logical operators such as IF. . .THEN, 
CASE, and CHOOSE. In addition, you 
can format and align data easily by 
copying, inserting, and deleting sepa- 
rate entries or entire lines. 

Other Features 

The Preview feature lets you view your 
report on screen at any time. Because 
some reports might contain extensive 



and complex break conditions and 
summarizations, the Preview feature 
is a valuable one. A very helpful 
feature of the Report View lets you 
display actual data from the file in 
place of the filenames. You can actual- 
ly scroll through your data this way, 
looking at what will appear in the 
report. 

You can also design reports and 
print them out to a file. Reflex offers 
several different delimiters that allow 
you to export files back to other pro- 
grams, such as Lotus 1-2-3 or Sym- 
phony. Unfortunately, Reflex lacks the 
ability to export directly to these files, 
so you will have to retranslate the files 
from within the target application. 

The most recent version of Reflex 
requires a high-resolution graphics, 
EGA, or Hercules-type monochrome 
screen. With the EGA screen, you get 
roughly twice as many usable lines 
per screen. For example, with the List 
View I got 26 lines of data, as op- 
posed to 13 lines with a standard 
color card. Reflex does not support 
color. [Editor's note: You can add color to 
the program by using a public domain pro- 
gram called GCOlJDR.COM, which is avail- 
able in a variety of formats. See page 405 
for details] 

Reflex keeps its working file in mem- 
ory. By merging files, you can create 
a larger file than the available memory 
can hold. You can work on parts of 
files by using the Partial Retrieve 
feature and by specifying a range, 
conditional formula, or random sam- 
ple. Reflex also supports expanded- 
memory cards that use the Lotus/ 
Intel/Microsoft standard. When you 
check the status of the program, in 
addition to total versus available con- 
ventional memory and number of 
records in the database and in the 
current filter, you will get a total ver- 
sus available memory reading for any 
acceptable expanded memory. 

Summary 

Reflex has a few weaknesses— its in- 
ability to export directly back to other 
programs, its lack of a direct link to 
the Report View, and its lack of 
macros. However, Relfex is loaded 
with unique features that you can use 
to cut, slice, and dissect data to bring 
out the hidden meanings within it. ■ 



278 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



small. 



.snu 




Toshiba's 3-in-0ne™ printer technology gives 
you speed, letter-quality type and high-resolution 
graphics. All in one highly reliable machine. Which may 
be why more people choose Toshiba 24-pin printers 
than any other 

And now you can get this proven technology in a 
new compact-size printer, the P321. At a com pact price. 

TheP321 usesthe same Toshiba-developed 24- 
pin print head that has set the standard for the industry. 
It produces letter- quality documents at 72 CPS, draft 
quality at 216 CPS and accurate, dot-addressable 
graphics. And our print head lasts four times longer in 
the process. 

Qume Sprint 11 emulation and a wide selection 



of plug-in type fonts are standard features on the P321 . 
And you can get IBM Graphics Printer emulation and 
downloadable type fonts on diskette as options. 

All these features and options in such a compact 
size and price and IBM -compatibility make the P321 
a perfect choice to use with your PC. 

If you need to do full-size spreadsheets, the 
Toshiba P341 is the way to go. It has the same capabili- 
ties and features as the P321 but adds a wide carriage 
which easily accommodates spreadsheets. You can 
also add a bidirectional tractor feed or electronic inte- 
grated sheet feeder; 

For the name of the authorized Toshiba dealer 
near you, call 1-800-457-7777 



In Touch with Tomorrow 

TOSHIBA 

TOSHIBA AMERICA, INC., Information Systems Division 



Inquiry 301 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 279 



PORTABLE 



w\ 





PERFORMANCE TO G 



Introducing the VISO — a powerful and 
very convenient personal computer you 
can take handily from one city to the next 
on business, or from the study to the 
patio on a beautiful sunny day. 

The VISO was designed as a powerful 512K 
(expandable to 640K) RAM IBM-PC compatible 
computer that fits smoothly into the way you live 
your life. 

To begin with, it weighs eleven pounds, and 
has a footprint a little bigger than the "in" box 
on your desk. The VISO is a computer you 
don't have to buy a new desk for. 

It also takes a standard full-sized 5-1/4" disk, 
which gives you access to virtually any software 
on the market. If the computer at work is an 
IBM PC or compatible, you'll find this feature 
frees you to take your work disks home with you 
rather than work late at the office. 

Plus the VISO offers an optional 80 x 25 
LCD display, and carries a full range of I/O ports 
to accomodate a monochrome or 
color monitor, printer, modem, 
or any other peripheral you may 
wish to include in your system. 

If you need a complete 
and powerful PC 
that doesn't chain 
you to one desk, 
your Mitac dealer 
can offer you 
freedom: the 
VISO personal 
computer. 



Features Model 

• FULLY IBM-PC 
COMPATIBLE 

• TAKES A 5-1/4" DISK 

• 512/640KB RAM 

• COMPLETE ARRAY OF 
I/O PORTS 

• EXPANDABLE 

• WEIGHS 11 POUNDS 



MPC160V 

• COLOR GRAPHICS AND 
LCD DISPLAY INTERFACE 

• EXTERNAL 5-1/4" OR 3-1/2" 
FLOPPY DISK INTERFACE 

• FCC CLASS "B" 
CERTIFIED 

• PHOENIX BIOS 

• MS-DOS 3.2 



OPTIONS: 

• MTR-9A/9G 

• LCD-640V 

• AD-455 

• AD-310 



9"AMBEK/GREI.-N MONITOR 
DETACHABLE LCD DISPLAY 
ADD-ON FLOPPY DRIVE 
EXPANSION BOX 



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Inquiry 201 



SOFTWARE REVIEW 



V^ 



Guru 



by Ernest R. TfcLLO 



Guru, from Micro Data Base 
Systems (MDBS), is an inte- 
grated software package that 
includes a spreadsheet, a 
database, and other business 
applications, as well as an ex- 
pert system and a natural- 
language interface. The ex- 
pert system offers both a forward and 
a backward chainer, reasoning with 
uncertainty, full interaction with the 
spreadsheet and database, and the 
ability to execute any command or 
program. There is also an SQL-like 
query language (like the one included 
with KnowledgeMan, another product 
from MDBS), as well as graphics, com- 
munications, and a text processor. 
Written partly in C and partly in as- 
sembly language, Guru runs excep- 
tionally fast for a system that does so 
much. 

Programming Language 

In many respects, the procedural pro- 
gramming language in the Guru en- 
vironment surpasses those available 
in dBASE III, Symphony, and Frame- 
work. The Guru language has a full 
range of control and conditional key- 
words for programming conditional 
branches and iterative loops, and it 
supports arrays in two dimensions. 
There is a macro command that 
allows you to extend the language in- 
teractively to add new commands to 
the svstem, as with LISP and FORTH. 
Guru also has a release command 
that allows you to free memory by 
selectively "undefining" macros. 

The macro command is greatly 
limited in comparison to those of 
FORTH and LISP, since it is unable to 
write macros that take arguments. It 
can only be used to write subroutines 
that operate on named variables, and 
values have to be assigned to the vari- 
ables before calling the macro com- 
mand. In spite of this limitation, how- 



A complete, integrated 



forget to initialize a variable 

that you call, Guru may crash 

^ Z "7 ~7~* i~ j or become unusable and 

SOjtWare package that inClUdeS need rebooting Because the 

macros, which are dedicated 
to certain variable names, 
cannot take arguments, user- 
defined macro functions are 
typically special-purpose - routines. 
However, there are ways of overcom- 
ing this limitation. For example, a 
dedicated array can be set up as a 
vector that holds values of named 
variables, much as a stack would. 
Various functions could then be de- 
vised for loading and unloading the 
array with the desired values. 



an expert-system shell 

ever, the macros are very useful and 
powerful. 

The root command in Guru is a sur- 
prisingly powerful equation solver. It 
assigns the root of a given equation 
in one variable as a value to whatever 
variable name you specify, with a 
tolerance range for possible root 
values. Tolerance ranges are essential 
for equations that have more than 
one root. If several roots exist within 
the specified range, root only supplies 
one of them. The tighter the range 
specified, the less work root has to do. 
and the less time it takes. A particular- 
ly good use of this function is solving 
problems where there is a formula for 
finding the coefficients of a more 
complex set of equations, such as in 
the quadratic formula, or in the char- 
acteristic equation for third-order dif- 
ferential equations. Generally, root is 
capable of handling N-degree poly- 
nomials in a single variable, as well as 
equations involving trigonometric 
functions. 

The perform . . . return combina- 
tion lets you execute any Guru pro- 
gram in the current directory as a sub- 
routine and then return to the pro- 
gram or macro that called it to con- 
tinue processing instructions. Pro- 
grammers will find Guru's ability to 
declare local variables, macros, forms, 
and arrays an attractive feature. The 
run command lets you run external 
programs in the current directory. 

However, the programming environ- 
ment in this (first) release of Guru is 
not completely robust and forgiving. 
If you make a programming error or 



RULESETS 

There are two ways to prepare a 
knowledge base in Guru. You can use 
the powerful full-screen text pro- 
cessor, or, until you become familiar 
with the rulebase syntax, you can 
use the window-oriented Ruleset 
Manager. 

A ruleset in the expert-system facili- 
ty consists of various sections or 
clauses. All rulesets must have an ini- 
tialization section, a name section, a 
goal section, a rule section with at 
least one rule clause, a variables sec- 
tion, and a completion section. In the 
initialization section, the knowledge 
base may set the values of any vari- 
ables it chooses and specify other 
variables to be input by requesting 
them from the user. Typically, the en- 
vironment variables are set, and the 
variables to be used by the expert sys- 
tem are set to "unknown." Also, any 
statements in the Guru programming 
language may be made in this section 

(continued) 

Ernest R. Tello (1518 West Cliff Dr., Santa 
Cruz. CA 95060) is director of research and 
development at Integral Systems. He has writ- 
ten a forthcoming book entitled Artifical In- 
telligence for the IBM PC/AT. 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 281 



REVIEW: GURU 



Guru 

Type 

Integrated software package 

Company 

Micro Data Base Systems Inc. 
RQ Box 248 
Lafeyette, IN 47902 
(317) 463-2581 

Format 

5 1 /4-inch floppy disks 

Computer 

IBM PC, XT, or AT with a hard disk and 
51 2K bytes of RAM (640K bytes 
maximum); also available for VAX-11/780 

Price 

$2995; run-time package: $300 for master 
and each additional package 



to be executed by the expert system 
on start-up. 

The goal section contains the dec- 
laration of the name of the goal vari- 
able, which marks the conclusion of 
reasoning when it is assigned a value. 
The completion section contains the 
directives that are carried out when 
the evaluation of the goal is com- 
pleted. Usually this completion sec- 
tion will contain conditionals and 
cases, which produce different results 
depending on the state of the vari- 
ables when the system's goal has 
been reached. In this way, many types 
of results are possible for the out- 
come of an expert system besides 
bare textual advice. 

Rules 

Both the premises and conclusions of 
rules can interact with the spread- 
sheet using various built-in functions. 
For example, the premises can look 
up values in a spreadsheet model and 
perform various operations on them 



for the test, including math, logical, 
and fuzzy operators. Even text-string 
functions and wild-card and character 
class matches can be used in rule 
premises. 

One of the most powerful aspects 
of the Guru expert system is the avail- 
ability of the Guru programming lan- 
guage for use in the conclusions of 
rules. Almost any operation that the 
integrated environment can do may 
occur as the result of the firing of a 
rule. This includes inserting new 
records in a database, assigning new 
definitions to spreadsheet cells, and 
the recalculation of a spreadsheet. It 
also includes generating graphics dis- 
plays, communicating with remote 
computers, executing entire Guru pro- 
grams, and calling up and searching 
other rulebases. 

The Guru inference engine can be 
controlled, and various defaults can 
be modified. The rule language lets 
you assign cost and priority values to 

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Inquiry 133 



REVIEW: GURU 



rules. Rule priorities may be set with 
integers from I to 100. The priority of 
a rule is used to modify the order in 
which rules are chosen for testing, ac- 
cording to the assignment of the 
e.sord environment variable, which is 
described below. The range of values 
for the cost of a rule are similar, but 
opposite in effect to that of the priori- 
ty value. 

The ready option lets you specify a 
Guru command to be executed as 
soon as a particular rule has been 
selected for evaluation, but before 
any of its conditions have been tested. 
This is useful for customizing the en- 
vironment to test specific rules. One 
interesting application for this would 
be the recording of statistical informa- 
tion each time certain rules come up 
for evaluation. 

The needs clause applies when a 
rule's premise contains a macro or a 
reference to the element of an array. 
It is a streamlining feature, making all 
the information necessary for such 
rule evaluation immediately available 
to the inference engine. If this clause 
is omitted, Guru will still be able to 
process the rules, but often far more 
slowly 

The changes clause is similar, but 
it applies to the conclusions, or ac- 
tions, of rules. It provides a list of all 
the variables that will be changed 
either directly or indirectly when the 
rule fires. This is particularly useful for 
backward-chaining consultations, 
where the system will chain backward 
from a goal to those rules that can 
establish the conditions needed for 
that goal. As with the needs clause, 
Guru can function without a changes 
declaration, but it considerably 
speeds up the search. 

Environmental Variables 

One way of controlling the operation 
of the inference engine is to set the 
value of various environment vari- 
ables. These are the most important 
variables in the Guru environment. 
The e.sord variable has six possible 
values to which it can be set. Assign- 
ment is done, as with any other vari- 
able, with the let command. If the 
command let e.sord = "C" is used in 
a program or a knowledge base, then 
Guru will pursue a least-cost strategy, 



meaning that all the rules with the 
lowest cost value will be processed 
first. If the "F" option is chosen, the 
rules will be processed in the order 
in which they appear in the knowl- 
edge base. With the "H" option, the 
highest possible action certainty for 
the present goal must be achieved. 
The "P" option specifies that the 
highest-priority rules will be con- 
sidered first. If the "U" option is 
chosen, the rules that have the fewest 
unknown variables are tested first. 

The e.tryp variable also has a 
number of options. Setting its value 
to "S M imposes a strict strategy for 
evaluating any premise whose value 
is unknown. This means that its 
evaluation will be abandoned if any 
variable's value cannot be deter- 
mined. If the "P" option is chosen, 
Guru will try to determine the values 
for all unknown variables and attempt 
to evaluate the expression. The "E" 
option causes Guru to continue to 
evaluate conditions after each vari- 
able becomes known, and it will stop 
only when the entire premise be- 
comes known. 

The Consult Command 

Another important way of controlling 
the operating of the inference engine 
is by the various options of the con- 
sult command. The consult ... to test 
. . . option activates forward chaining, 
a reasoning strategy driven by the facts 
that are already known to test as many 
rules as possible to prove additional 
facts. The consult ... to execute . . . 
option lets you supply Guru with the 
name of a rulebase and a particular 
agenda of rules to test. This command 
could be used as part of a loop to 
periodically test the conditions of rules 
to see if they are ready to fire. 

Uncertainty 

As with many expert-system shells, 
Guru can associate numbers with 
each expression that records the 
degree to which such an expression 
is known by the system. These in- 
dexes are called certainty factors. 
When conclusions are drawn from 
premises that have certainty factors 
associated with them, a formula must 
be used to compute the certainty fac- 
tors of conclusions. Guru offers an en- 



tire catalog of possible options for 
computing these certainty factors. 

Guru also has an interesting imple- 
mentation of fuzzy sets, which it calls 
set variables. Set variables may have 
several values, each with its own cer- 
tainty factor. This is helpful for prob- 
lems with no definitive answer, but it 
is useful to choose the best from 
some strong candidates. Set variables 
help to solve the problem of rules that 
contradict one another, or rules 
whose values need to change. For ex- 
ample, if two or more rules that fire 
indicate conflicting values for a given 
variable, a set variable can record 
both results, though possibly with dif- 
ferent certainty factors. 

Set variables may have up to 2 55 
values. The notation for representing 
the set of values for a given variable 
is a bracketed list with the elements 
separated by commas. The set may 
also mix values of different data 
types. 

Explanations 

You can generate explanations of how 
the Guru expert system arrived at its 
results or why it is asking a question 
in various ways. If a consultation has 
already concluded, you use the how 
and why commands. If the consulta- 
tion is still under way and you want 
to know why a particular question is 
being asked, the Control-Y key com- 
bination will generate the result. The 
explanation facility allows inference 
tracing so that entire sequences of 
rule chains may be reviewed. This is 
a valuable and useful feature. 

Database Management and 
Statistics 

One feature that distinguishes Guru's 
integrated business software from 
programs like Symphony and Frame- 
work is its powerful relational random 
access data-file system. Index files can 
be created for these databases to 
allow fast random access and retrieval 
of records. The select command can 
automatically generate an output 
table based on query conditions sup- 
plied either by the user or by rules in 
an expert system, and it can do so for 
several data-file tables simultaneous- 
ly. The stat command can be used to 
compute various statistics from the 



284 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



REVIEW: GURU 



values in records, such as sum, mini- 
mum, maximum, average, and stan- 
dard deviation. As with the select 
command, statistical functions can be 
done with several files simultaneously. 
By using the redefine, browse, 
change, mark, and compress com- 
mands, you can design knowledge 
bases to alter the contents of data- 
bases, depending on which rules fire. 
Some interesting and complex sys- 
tems can be built using this capa- 
bility. 

Spreadsheets 

Guru's full-featured spreadsheet has 
all the features of a current genera- 
tion spreadsheet, and more. TWo of its 
special features are the ability to look 
up cell values from other parts of the 
Guru environment and the ability to 
enter them in spreadsheet cells. 

In a few ways, the Guru spreadsheet 
has advanced the state of the art 
beyond Lotus 1-2-3 and Symphony. 
For example, when copying complex 
cell formulas over a range of cells, a 
prompt will appear, asking if you want 
the formula adjusted for each of the 
terms of the formula. Thus, you can 
devise a complex formula composed 
of both absolute references and 
relative references. 

The real power of the Guru spread- 
sheet is that the whole command lan- 
guage with macros is at your disposal 
for defining the value of cells. This 
means that you can save an enor- 
mous amount of typing by using 
macros and editing existing programs 
for the cell formula you need. 

Another useful feature of the Guru 
spreadsheet is its ability to determine 
the value of a spreadsheet cell by 
consulting a ruleset. In other words, 
when the worksheet is recalculated, 
knowledge bases can be executed. 
On the basis of such consultations, 
the value of the spreadsheet cells will 
be determined and the values placed 
in the cells. 

Custom Reporting 

Custom reports are generated in Guru 
with predesigned templates, which can 
be created interactively and stored on 
disk. When designing a template, you 
simply position the cursor where you 
want text to appear and type. Any 



"special effects" desired, such as 
highlighting, blinking, or color attri- 
butes, may then be specified. 

In addition, header and footer pat- 
terns may be designed as part of the 
template. There are three basic 
header and footer configurations: 
report, page, and group setups. The 
report configuration is a formatted 
template that shows how information 
is to be presented. The page con- 
figuration, which is for printed reports, 
specifies how each page will be laid 
out and what headers and footers will 
be used. The group configuration 
presents the information in separate 
groupings, such as by department or 
by company. 

Communications 

The communications facility in Guru 
allows the exchange of information 
between computers through a direct 
serial connection or via modem. A 
variety of communication modes are 
possible, including terminal emulation 
mode, automatic dialing, log-in, and 
log-out. Raw communications pro- 
cessing can be done on a character, 
line, or block basis. 

Guru lets you embed commands 
that trigger data retrieval at transmis- 
sion time. With information that will 
change over time, the communication 
routines can be written so that the 
most up-to-date information will be 
retrieved automatically and included 
in the message at sending time. 

Business Graphics 

Guru can graph data using bar graphs, 
exploded pie charts, area graphs, line 
plots, and scatter graphs. It also has 
free-form graphics, so maps and other 
illustrations can be presented on 
graphics screens or combined with 
text. Using the free-form graphics 
facility, a single command will send 
Guru to retrieve data stored in array 
blocks and then produce a drawing to 
represent the data. 

Mirror images can be plotted sim- 
ply by resetting the range command 
from high to low, or vice versa. Since 
these arrays can be created and 
modified by the firing of rules in a 
knowledge base, the form of a free- 
form picture may be determined by 
an expert-system consultation. This 



Custom reports 



are generated with 
predesigned templates. 



could produce both a report and an 
illustration. 

A graph can be based not only on 
the data stored in database files and 
spreadsheets but also on query speci- 
fications, statistics, and information 
stored by the Guru command lan- 
guage in variables and arrays. It is 
possible to display more than one 
such graph simultaneously, with the 
display characteristics of each con- 
trolled separately. Different regions of 
a graphics screen may also be cleared 
separately and new graphs can be 
drawn on them. This makes possible 
the comparison of charts for different 
sets of data values. 

Conclusions 

Even if it did not have a built-in 
expert-system shell, Guru would still 
be an extremely powerful integrated 
software system. Yet, in spite of all its 
power, Guru does have limitations. 
One is memory— with only half a 
megabyte, or even 64 OK bytes, there 
are real limits on what you can do. 
Another drawback is Guru's know- 
ledge representation. Because the ef- 
fect of rule firing in Guru is to set the 
value or values of a variable, more 
complex representation schemes, such 
as the familiar Object-Attribute-Value 
scheme, are not directly supported. 
Since the expert-system facility in 
Guru is capable of calling on any func- 
tion or command in the system or ac- 
tivating separate procedural pro- 
grams, there is really nothing in the 
entire integrated software system that 
cannot be accessed from an expert- 
system application. This total integra- 
tion of programming language, rule- 
based reasoning, and integrated busi- 
ness software facilities lets the user 
develop hybrid systems in which 
either the expert system or pro- 
cedural programming has the upper 
hand. Guru's concept of total integra- 
tion is not only very useful, it is very 
powerful. ■ 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 285 



BYTE InvitesYou to }oin BIX 

BYTE is the world's leading high-tech microcomputer magazine. Its readers 
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related topics than any other group in the world. BIX is BYTE's brand-new 
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286 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



and I stop bit, or 7-bit words, even parity, and I 
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Step 2: To reach BIX via Tymnet* 

• BIX is accessible from anywhere in the country through 
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• Call your local lymnet number and log on. 

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ACCESSING BIX FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES 

To reach BIX from other countries, you need an 
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Inquiry 450 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 287 




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Inquiry 141 for End-Users. Inquiry 14 2 for DEALERS ON 



HARDWA 




REVIEW 



The Datran 
Modem Accelerator 



by Barry Nance 



The Datran Modem Acceler- 
ator is an add-on board plus 
software that shortens the 
time required to transmit 
prestored textual material 
over telephone lines. The 
Modem Accelerator's printed 
circuit board fits into a full- 
length slot of an IBM PC, XT. 
AX or compatible. You need 
two Modem Accelerator 
boards for normal use— one 
at either end of the telecom- 
munications link. The accom- 
panying software includes a 
spelling checker. In addition 
to lessening telecommuni- 
cations time, the Modem Ac- 
celerator conserves disk 
space by storing files in com- 
pressed form. 



How It Works 

Version 1.1 of the Modem 
Accelerator board, which is 
reviewed here, contains a 
28,000-word dictionary in 
ROM and produces com- 
pressed files by substituting a "token" 
for each word or phrase in the source 
file that it finds in the dictionary. 
(Datran calls this concept the "Sym- 
bolic Tokenizer.") The board transfers 
words that it doesn't find in the dic- 
tionary into the compressed file un- 
touched. Datran claims that files com- 
pressed with this product are about 
one-third the size of the original file 
and that the time and cost of on-line 
telecommunications are reduced ac- 
cordingly. 

Datran has designed the board with 
customization in mind; it plans to 
release legal and medical dictionaries 
on ROM chips in 1986 and is con- 
sidering foreign-language dictionaries. 



A special-purpose 

time, space, and money saver 

for transmitting text files 




It also makes special ROM dictionar- 
ies for corporations that use spe- 
cialized nomenclature or that have 
special security requirements. The 
board that was delivered to BYTE for 
review had five ROM chips installed 
and five empty sockets for future 
additions. 

Installation of the Board 

I easily installed the Modem Accelera- 
tor hardware as the fourth board in 
my IBM PC. Since I have the standard 
63.5-watt power supply (which feeds 
a graphics adapter, a 384K-byte multi- 
function board, a combination hard/ 
floppy disk controller, a 20-megabyte 
hard disk drive, and a floppy disk 



drive), I wondered if adding 
the fourth board would 
cause power problems. How- 
ever, the PC powered up 
cleanly after installation and 
has shown no sign of hard- 
ware trouble since. 

When you're not com- 
pressing, decompressing, or 
checking the spelling of files, 
the Modem Accelerator is 
completely transparent to 
the operation of your PC. I 
ran the IBM Advanced Diag- 
nostics program after in- 
stalling the board (a good 
practice after installing any 
hardware in your PC) and 
found no diagnostic errors. 
The list of installed devices 
shown by the Diagnostics 
program did not include the 
Datran board. 

The Modem Accelerator 
has switches that you can set 
to address the board at dif- 
ferent I/O addresses and to 
accommodate faster micro- 
processors, such as the AT's 80286. 
My installation did not require 
changes in the switch settings. Datran 
says it doesn't know of any other 
board whose presence would require 
the I/O port addresses to be, different, 
but it provides the switches just in 
case. Datran also says that if error 
messages appear or if the board 
seems to malfunction, you should 
reset the switches (and run an installa- 
tion program to notify the software of 
the change) to determine if the prob- 

(continued) 
Barry Nance (17 Pease St., Wdbraham, MA 
01095) is president and chief programmer for 
Business Software Services. He moderates 
several conferences on BIX. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 289 



REVIEW: DATRAN MODEM ACCELERATOR 



Datran Modem Accelerator, 
version 1.1 

Type 

Text-file compression/decompression for 
telecommunications purposes 

Company 

Datran Inc. 
10519 Lauriston Ave. 
Los Angeles, CA 90064 
(213) 474-3684 

Hardware Needed 

IBM PC, XT, AT, or compatible with at 
least 128K bytes of RAM, serial port, 
and modem 

Software Needed 

Text editor or word processor that 
places the Contro!-Z EOF marker at the 
end of its files 

Dimensions 

Full-length board for IBM PC, XT, or AT 
(4.2 inches high and 13.2 inches long) 

Software 

File-compression programs, 
decompression program, line editor for 
spelling dictionary, spelling checker (one 
5 1 /4-inch double-sided 360K-byte disk) 

Documentation 

17 photocopied, stapled pages with 
table of contents and appendix showing 
error-message definitions; 3-page short 
manual for "impatient experienced 
users" 

Price 

$495 each; normally purchased in pairs 



lem is caused by duplicate I/O port 
usage. 

Software Installation 

Instead of putting both the dictionary 
and the compression software in 
ROM, Datran chose to distribute the 
software on disk. Thus, the "data" (a 
table of words and their tokens) is in 
ROM chips, while the software is in 
the form of an easily upgradable disk. 
The first program disk I received from 
Datran contained a "hard error," and 
I could not execute or copy the com- 
press programs. I was able to copy 
the replacement disk's files to my 
hard disk drive with no problem— the 
disk is not copy-protected. 

The Modem Accelerator's disk con- 
tains separate programs for com- 
pressing, decompressing, and check- 
ing the spelling of text files. In fact, 
there are three compression pro- 
grams: COMPRESSN.COM, for ASCII 
or WordStar nondocument files; 
COMPRESSD.COM, for WordStar 
document files; and C0MPRESJ.COM, 
for WordStar document files that are 
to be printed using microspace justi- 
fication. 

The DEC0MP.COM program can 
decompress files written by any of the 
three compression programs. As 
noted above, though, you need a 
Modem Accelerator board and soft- 
ware at both ends of a telecommuni- 
cations link. 

The other files supplied on the disk 
consist of the spelling checker, the 
special installation program (for any 
boards whose I/O port addresses con- 
flict with the Modem Accelerator 
board), some data files, and a pro- 
gram that you can use to create your 
own dictionary of words (up to 500). 
This personal dictionary works with 
the spelling checker but does not take 
part in the compression/decompres- 
sion process. 

Testing the Compress/ 
Decompress Feature 

The main feature of the Modem Ac- 
celerator is its ability to shrink a text 
file to a very small size and expand 
the shrunken file back to its original 
state. You can send a shrunken disk 
file across a telecommunications link 



in much less time than the full-size 
version of that same file, saving time 
and phone charges. Balanced against 
the phone bill is the cost of the time 
it takes to perform the compression 
and decompression. 

Shrunken disk files take up less 
space on the disk, and you can use 
the Modem Accelerator board and 
software to produce shrunken disk 
files merely to conserve disk space. 
However, if you're using a hard disk 
drive to hold shrunken files, you 
should note that the smallest unit of 
allocation on a hard disk, the cluster, 
is usually 4K or 8K bytes. Thus, files 
that are fairly small to begin with are 
not good candidates for shrinkage, 
since they will always take up a mini- 
mum of 4 K to 8K bytes of disk space. 

The three programs for compress- 
ing files work in conjunction with the 
ROM dictionary on the Modem Ac- 
celerator board. The decompress pro- 
gram can operate on a compressed 
file from any of the three compress 
programs. The Datran board only pro- 
cesses text files; program files and 
data files are not supported (logical, 
since they would contain no corre- 
spondence with the ROM dictionary). 

Compressing a file prior to sending 
it across a telecommunications link is 
simple: You give, for example, the 
command COMPRESN <file- 
name.ext>. The software does not 
support path names. The result of the 
compression is a new file named 
<filename.CMP>. which you can 
send across the phone lines as a 
binary-type file. 

Once the file is received at the other 
end of the link, the command 
DECOMP <filename> will produce 
a file named < filename. RSN> that 
is an expanded image of the original 
file. As you can see, it's important to 
distinguish filenames by using the first 
eight characters of the name, since 
the software uses the last three char- 
acters to indicate the compression 
status (and spell-checked status) of a 
file. 

For both the compress and decom- 
press operations, you can use a /D op- 
tion that deletes the original file after 
compression or decompression— an 

[continued) 



290 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



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©1986 Lifeboat Associates 

Inquiry 162 



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REVIEW: DATRAN MODEM ACCELERATOR 



option that you should use with care. 

To test the shrink and expand pro- 
grams. I used BIX (BYTE Information 
Exchange) as a "holding tank" for the 
compressed material. In other words, 
since I had only one Modem Accel : 
erator board, I compressed each file, 
sent it to BIX. downloaded it back to 
my PC. and decompressed the down- 
loaded file. 1 recorded the time re- 
quired to transmit and receive each 
file and compared the result with the 
original file to ensure that no damage 
had been done to the text. (This arti- 
cle was one of the files that I sent and 
received. Other files included a 2- 
page report and a 45-page manual.) 

Tkble I shows the results of the 
tests. Note that when I didn't use an 
error-checking protocol (such as 
XMODEM), the transfers took less 
time, but line noise caused the file to 
be unusable on every other transmis- 
sion. With longer files, the probabili- 
ty of damage from line noise in- 
creases even more. I highly recom- 
mend that you use an error-checking 
protocol for telecommunications in- 
volving compressed files. 

Also note that the material traveled 



through a packet-switched network 
(Tymnet) in all cases. This somewhat 
increased the transmission time over 
that required for direct PC-to-PC con- 
nections, but the effect was the same 
for all files and it did not affect the 
relationship between original file and 
compressed file timings. 

For benchmark comparisons. I used 
two software-only (no hardware in- 
volved) compression programs that 
have been in use for some time— 
ARC.EXE and SQ.COM. ARC.EXE is a 
shareware program from System 
Enhancement Associates. I used ver- 
sion 4.31 for the benchmark. SQ.COM, 
another shareware program, was writ- 
ten by Richard Greenlaw and Vernon 
Buerg. I used version 1.28. 

'I&ble 2 compares the Modem Ac- 
celerator's compression of files with 
compressions performed by these 
other methods. Note that the Modem 
Accelerator produced the smallest 
files. In contrast, SQ.COM took a lit- 
tle less time to perform its compres- 
sion but produced files that were 
significantly larger than those of the 
Modem Accelerator. The ARC.EXE 
program compressed files better than 



SQ.COM but took much longer to do 
it. The Modem Accelerator was both 
quick and effective. 

The time required to perform text 
compression is almost as important 
as the size of the resulting file. In an 
environment of compressing, send- 
ing, receiving, and decompressing 20 
to 50 files per day, the operator time 
adds up and must be considered in 
the overall cost savings. 

In an environment of sending and 
receiving many files per day, the 
Modem Accelerator's speed should 
keep operating costs down and its 
degree of compression should reduce 
long-distance charges accordingly. 

Spelling Checker 

The Modem Accelerator's spelling 
checker can check the spelling of 
words in a file automatically, going 
through an entire file without stop- 
ping, or on a word-by-word basis. If 
you choose the Automatic Sequenc- 
ing option, the spelling checker inserts 
a special character (j) before each 
word that it cannot find in the ROM 
dictionary. If you don't choose Auto- 

[continued] 



Table 1: A comparison of three text files of various sizes, the time the Modem Accelerator took to compress them, their size 
after compression, and the length of time required to transmit the files, using straight ASCII and XMODEM transfers. Note that although 
the ASCII transfer (without error-checking protocol) was faster, it failed to transfer the file accurately in two out of three tests. 
Transmit times are based on 1200 bps (bits per second) transfer through 'tymnet. File sizes are in bytes: times are in seconds. 

ASCII ASCII XMODEM XMODEM 
Original Compressed Compression Transmit Transmit Transmit Transmit 
Size Size Time (original) (compressed) (original) (compressed) 


5553 
19825 
51154 


2176 6 48 

7680 16 169 

21952 35 439 


23 

74 

203 


105 40 
372 144 
960 411 



Table 2: A comparison of the three test files as compressed and transmitted by the Datran Modem Accelerator and by two 
software-based data compression programs, ARC.EXE and SQ.COM. Transmit times are based on 1200-bps transfer through 
tymnet using the XMODEM protocol. File sizes are in bytes: times are in seconds. 


Original 
Size 




Compress Time 




Compressed Size 




Transr 


nit Time 


Datran ARC 


SQ 




Datran 


ARC SQ 




Datran 


ARC SQ 


5553 




6 16 


4 




2176 


3181 3305 




40 


58 61 


51154 




35 117 


30 




21952 


25480 30477 




411 


477 571 


19825 




16 51 


14 




7680 


10301 12288 




144 


1 93 230 



292 B YTE • AUGUST I986 



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AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 293 



Inquiry 264 



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REVIEW: DATRAN MODEM ACCELERATOR 



The spelling checker is 
not the reason to buy 
a Modem Accelerator. 



matic Sequencing, the program stops 
at each unrecognized word and lets 
you mark the word with the ] charac- 
ter, ignore the word, save the word in 
the separate (disk-based) dictionary, 
or stop the program. 

Since the ROM dictionary contains 
only 28,000 words (and only 500 ad- 
ditional words in the separate disk 
dictionary), the spelling checker will 
mark as errors a lot of words that are 
correctly spelled. The exact number, 
of course, depends on how closely 
your writing vocabulary matches that 
of the dictionary. In tests. I found that 
the program flagged roughly five per- 
cent of the words that were correctly 
spelled. This is a small portion of a 
file, but remember that the Automatic 
Sequencing mode inserts a ] charac- 
ter in front of each "error." and you 
have to remove the ] after confirming 
that the word is indeed spelled 
correctly. 

Also, the spelling checker does not 
let you correct spelling errors on the 
spot. You must first exit from the spell- 
ing checker, use your word processor 
or editor to search* for the ] charac- 
ters, and then correct the spelling of 
the flagged words. For this reason, if 
I were going to use the spelling 
checker on a regular basis. I would not 
choose the Automatic Sequencing 
mode but instead review the words as 
they pop up as "errors" on the screen. 

Some word-processing programs 
for the IBM PC put an end-of-file 
(EOF) marker character (Control-Z) at 
the end of each text file; some don't. 
The Modem Accelerator software ab- 
solutely requires that the marker be 
present. I tried to check the spelling 
of a file I created with PC-Write, 
which doesn't add Control-Z to the 
end of a file. The spelling checker 
went into a loop and reprocessed the 
file over and over— I had to reboot to 
recover from the error the first time. 
I tried it again and had to use an NMI 
push button to reset the computer. 



Ctrl-Alt-Del had no effect; the key- 
board was locked up. 

Datran mentions in its documenta- 
tion that it is presently adding the 
capability to handle files from addi- 
tional word-processing programs. If 
the documentation that came with 
your editor/word processor doesn't 
specify whether it uses the Control-Z 
convention, you should check with 
Datran to determine its compatibility 
with the Modem Accelerator. 

Conclusion 

The Modem Accelerator is a special- 
purpose tool, suited to certain en- 
vironments. It works on prestored 
files— you can't use it in the midst of 
an interactive telecommunications 
link to compress keyboard input as it 
flows across the link. The Modem Ac- 
celerator does not work on program 
or data files, only text files. The text 
files it compresses must have the 
Control-Z EOF marker. Compressing 
a file takes time, as does decompress- 
ing the file at the receiving end. Since 
the resulting compressed file is an en- 
coded version of the original, it may 
contain "characters" that could be in- 
terpreted as telecommunications con- 
trol characters in some links. Finally, 
you'll have to establish procedures 
and conventions for using the boards 
at either end of the link to conserve 
connect time and to avoid human 
errors in the handling of the files. 

The Modem Accelerator could be 
effectively used by corporations that 
are now sending medium to large 
files of text across long-distance 
phone lines. In this environment, the 
shrink/expand capability could be a 
time and money saver. 

The spelling checker is not the 
reason for buying a Modem Acceler- 
ator board. There are software prod- 
ucts that perform this function much 
better and that contain many more 
words (the one I regularly use. IBM's 
Word Proof, version 1.0, has a dic- 
tionary of 12 5,000 words). Keeping in 
mind that the spelling checker is a by- 
product of the ROM dictionary, you 
can use this feature instead of other 
software on an occasional basis— 
perhaps as a quick check of a text file 
that you're about to send over the 
phone lines. ■ 



294 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



REVIEW FEEDBACK 



GE's 3-8100 Printer 

The otherwise informative and useful 
review of General Electric's 3-8100 printer 
by Robert D. Swearengin (May) neglects 
to mention a factor of importance to 
potential consumers: cost and availability 
of essential supplies. Although 100,000 
characters must seem like an inexhausti- 
ble amount of printing, calculations reveal 
otherwise. If a page contains 52 lines of 
65 characters each, the 100,000 characters 
turns out to be approximately 30 pages. 
If double-spaced documents and pro- 
grams are figured at half this number of 
pages, it means your ribbon costs, at six 
dollars each, will run 10 to 20 cents a 
page! This factor must be taken into ac- 
count for anyone in the market for low-cost 
printing. 

John DeHaven 
Ratchaburi, Thailand 

zbasic 

Several difficulties in using ZBasicare not 
emphasized in the review by TJ Byers 
(May). My ZBasic experience is with the 
version for the IBM PC and compatibles 
on a Panasonic Sr. Partner. 

I prefer my high-precision answers to be 
correct, not crunched, so ZBasic's 6 to 54 
internal binary-coded decimal double- 
precision accuracy appeals to me. There 
are some calculations that failed at 
double-precision 54 but worked very well 
at double-precision 52. Unfortunately, this 
achievement is marred by the absence of 
run-time arithmetic error messages. 

Subtle and hard-to-find bugs can be in- 
troduced into ZBasic programs by their 
precision rules for complex arithmetic ex- 
pressions, with mixed precision of the 
variables. The GW-BASIC and BASICA 
rules are simple and unambiguous: The 
expression has the precision of its highest- 
precision variable. 

ZBasic references RESTORE for DATA 
statements by item number starting at 
rather than by line number. The input for- 
mats for time and date hexadecimals use 
comma delimiters, and TIMER is not 
supported. 

The requirement that all keywords be in 
uppercase and that no variable name con- 
tain an uppercase keyword is a burden 
when converting programs to ZBasic. 



Variable names are case-sensitive, so 
lemp, temp, and TEMP are three different 
variables. Because of this, I found I had 
to alternate between GW-BASIC and 
ZBasic. I also had to remember that ZBasic 
changed the meaning of the / and \ 
divides. The backslash must be used to 
force floating-point divide. 

It took some effort for me to find the 
equivalence between the usual GW-BASIC 
screens 0, I. and 2 and the 16 ZBasic 
modes. Some modes give surreal displays, 
and only modes 5 and 7 give correct 
graphics. Mode 5 is somewhat like screen 
I, and mode 7 is somewhat like screen 2. 

In brief, ZBasic has many pitfalls for the 
unwary. Programs must be well debugged 
before conversion to ZBasic. There are no 
run-time arithmetic messages, nor is 
breakpoint debugging possible. 

George Wm Thomson 
Detroit Ml 

Panasonic Exec. Partner 

I would like to provide additional informa- 
tion on the Panasonic Exec Partner 
(reviewed by Rich Malloy in the April 
issue). 

Panasonic has an excellent technical 
manual for the Exec. Partner. It costs $5 
(plus $2.2 5 tax and shipping), and is avail- 
able from MSC Service Literature. P.O. Box 
848. Arlington Heights. IL 60005. 

The warning sticker about the disk drive 
should not have been a disappointment 
for Mr. Malloy. If you burrow through the 
manuals for most computers, they have a 
similar warning. Panasonic seems to have 
been a little more forthright about the real 
problem of random flux changes in the 
heads during initial start-up of the floppy 
disk drives. It is true that data disks should 
not be left in place with the heads 
clamped down: you get media and head 
degradation as a result. I haveleac drives 
in my IBM PC, and they raise and lower 
the heads between uses, which is the way 
disk drives should work. 

The expansion chassis that is available 
from Panasonic is very easy to attach. By 
using this box, you can add another 
monitor and a graphics card. The MODE 
command allows you to change how the 
screen (gas-plasma or external) behaves. 
I think that the proper use of MODE 



would probably answer many of your con- 
cerns about the gas-plasma screen. I have 
had both the gas-plasma screen and an 
external monitor working at once. 

Francis P. Bowles 
Woods Hole, MA 

VME/10 

I read the review of the Motorola VME/10 
by Robert E. Robinson 111 (February). I have 
been using this machine for two years with 
the VERS Ados operating system. I would 
like to express my views on the VME/10. 
VERSAdos, and Motorola. 

First of all. there is considerable doubt 
in my mind that the 384K bytes of mem- 
ory is ported on the VMEbus. 

Second, the capability for graphics ex- 
ists, but there is no support software. 

Third, between two VME/IOs (one of 
which I've used for two years and the 
other for over a year). I have had problems 
with the reset switch, power switch, power 
supply disk controller, and keyboard. 

Fourth. Dr. Robinson has been luckier 
in dealing with Motorola than I have. Last 
October I asked if there was any simpler 
way of doing backups rather than doing 
transfers to floppy disks. Can backup be 
done onto half-inch tape using the 9-track 
tape controller (MVME43 5A)? There are 
no facilities under VERSAdos. There aren't 
any controllers for quarter-inch streaming 
tape. A month later, Motorola announced 
such a controller (MVME350). Subsequent 
calls to Motorola have produced many 
promises of data sheets for this device. I 
finally received a data sheet after three 
months but no information on what VER- 
SAdos support it has. 

Finally, although I disagree with Dr. 
Robinson's conclusions on the design, 
construction, and reliability of the VME/10. 
I am not entirely negative. My next proj- 
ect may be done with Motorola equip- 
ment using VERSAdos. 

I. L. Paul 
Dorval. Quebec. Canada m 



REVIEW FEEDBACK is a column of readers' let- 
ters. We welcome responses that support or challenge 
BYTE reviews. Send letters to Review Feedback. 
BYTE, One Phoenix Mill \jxne. Peterborough. 
NH 034 58. Name and address must be on all 
letters. 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 295 



GVTE 



Kernel 



Computing at Chaos Manor: 
Off We Go 

by \erry Pournelle 299 

Applications Only: More Words 

by Ezra Shapiro 319 

According to Webster: 

Going to the Faire 

by Bruce Webster 323 

BYTE Japan: 

Fujitsu Processor Upgrade 

by William M. Raike 329 

Mathematical Recreations: 
Number Games 

by Robert T. Kurosaka 333 



JERRY HAS BEEN DOING a great deal of traveling lately. This month he visited 
the United States Air Force Academy and the West Coast Computer Faire. 
He then had upcoming trips to Austin, Berkeley, and Atlanta. Although the 
travel began to grind him down, much of it was fun, and he learned a lot. 
Jerry is impressed with the use of computers at the Air Force Academy, 
especially in the area of computer-aided design. He is also pleased to report 
that the Faire is still his favorite computer show. 

Ezra Shapiro thought he had seen the last of word processors for MS-DOS 
machines. No such luck. He does believe that he is near the bottom of the 
pile, though. The ones this month are called Mindreader (Ezra is impressed 
by its oddness), PC-Write 2.6, and Word 3.0. 

Bruce Webster also visited the West Coast Computer Faire. While he believes 
that it has become more an exercise in nostalgia than a vital happening, he 
still sees value in such shows. They provide small, innovative companies direct 
exposure to users and to the press. Bruce did see some interesting products 
and plans to keep coming back to the Faire. While he was in the Bay Area, 
Bruce also visited Atari and Commodore. 

UNIX-based systems have been scarce at the personal computer level in 
Japan. Recently, however, Fujitsu announced an upgrade that could make these 
systems more common. Bill Raike looks at the upgraded FM-16/3. Changing 
his course, Bill then considers the lack of hardware and software to do 
Japanese-language word processing on an IBM PC. 

This month's Mathematical Recreations column finds Bob Kurosaka look- 
ing at some number-sequence games: sum of cubes, factorial sums, palin- 
dromic sums, and delete and add. Computers make the job of exploring these 
games much easier than doing it manually. Thus, Bob provides BASIC pro- 
grams to check them out. 

Sharp-eyed Kernel readers will notice there is no BYTE U.K. this month. Dick 
Pountain was kept busy doing an article for the Theme section. BYTE U.K. 
will return in September with an Occam technique that boosts performance 
in parallel-computing systems. 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 297 











LAY WRITER to IBM 5520 to IBM OS/6 to IBM 
>/36 to IBM 8100 1 ROFS to WANG OIS to WANG 

r$ to CPT to LANK MICOM to DEC WPS to 

EROX to LINOLEI PUGRAPHIC to QUADEX 

o NCR to to DATA GENERAL to 

BURROU 3 to HONEYWELL to IBM PC/36 



JN 






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298 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



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COMPUTING AT CHAOS MANOR 



Off We Go 



by Jerry Pournelle 



I think they're trying to kill 
me. When this month is over, 
I will have spent more time 
on the road than I did at 
home. All this travel is neces- 
sary, and some of it was fun. 
but it can sure grind you 
down. Fortunately I learned 
a lot, so there's much to report. 



Computers for Cadets 

One place I went was the United 
States Air Force Academy in Colorado 
Springs, where 1 was the guest of the 
department of civil engineering. I 
hadn't thought of it. but of course the 
U.S. Air Force is the largest owner of 
pavement in the world and operates 
one of the world's largest construction 
enterprises. Besides flying airplanes, 
the Air Force has to design, build, and 
operate bases for them, which often 
means they must set up small, self- 
contained cities and provide every 
service from grocery stores to 
mortuaries. 

This fall USAFA is trying an experi- 
ment: every cadet will be required to 
buy a Zenith 248 IBM PC AT compat- 
ible. Cadets will be given an allowance 
for this, and the machines will be 
theirs when they graduate. Mean- 
while, the Academy is stringing coax 
cable through the dormitories: the in- 
tent is to link up all those machines 
into a central conferencing network. 
As I write this, they have chosen 
neither the conferencing software nor 
the large machines to handle the net- 
working. I've been encouraging them 
to license CoSy from the University of 
Guelph. CoSy is the system used by 
BIX. USAFA and BIX have much the 
same requirements: electronic mail, 
conferencing, ability to handle 500 to 
1000 simultaneous users (BIX isn't 
that big yet, but I expect it to be in 
a year or so). I have no hesitation in 
recommending CoSy for any reason- 



]erry hits the road 
in many directions and learns 



course, all those computers 
will need software. . . 



a great deal 



able-size conferencing activity, and. 
after all. it was developed for 
academic use. 

The Academy is an academic in- 
stitution, but it's still owned by the U.S. 
government, meaning that nothing is 
very simple, and that particularly ap- 
plies to computers. Example: if 
Academy professors see a piece of 
commercial software they think would 
be useful, they can't just go buy it by 
name, since that would be a sole- 
source procurement, and the govern- 
ment really frowns on noncompetitive 
purchases. You wouldn't believe the 
paperwork they have to go through 
just to get a compiler, or a math pro- 
gram, or a graphics package. General- 
ly, one of the professors will just buy 
it out of his own pocket; but clearly 
there's a limit to how much can be ac- 
quired that way. 

They do have one thing going for 
them. Like all the service academies, 
the Air Force Academy operates on 
an honor system, and a number of big 
software publishers have given site 
licenses to the institution: the cadets 
can use the software as long as 
they're at the Academy but can't take 
copies with them on graduation, and 
of course they don't let any copies 
leave the Academy grounds. It all 
makes sense to me. The practice 
doesn't cost publishers much, and it 
can't hurt future sales to have the U.S. 
Air Force officer corps familiar with a 
product— especially since in many 
cases the Zenith 248 the officer owns 
on graduation will be the most power- 
ful computer at his new post. Of 



AutoCAD 

One outfit that has donated 
its software to USAFA is 
Autodesk, who has not only 
given the Academy permis- 
sion to use its CAD software packages 
but even sent some experts out to get 
it all properly installed on the 
Academy's dozen AT&T 6300s last fall. 
No one at the Academy had ever 
used a CAD system, but they decided 
to use it in their design course: mean- 
ing that students and professors had 
to learn together. 

It was a raging success. The course 
not only covered more ground than 
ever before, but the cadets were able 
to produce really professional-quali- 
ty work— and to show not only the 
professors, but also the AutoCAD de- 
signers, some new uses for the pro- 
gram. I'm clearly no expert in either 
civil engineering or CAD programs, 
but I heard nothing but glowing praise 
for AutoCAD. 

AutoCAD has a number of nifty fea- 
tures. For example, you can create a 
shape— say a bathtub— and store it. If 
you change the scale of drawing, the 
size of that shape will change when 
you call it up. To install a bathtub of 
that style, you retrieve it from mem- 
ory, drag it about the plan with the 
mouse, rotate it until it's oriented the 
way you like, and there it is. 

You can also make arrays of shapes, 
which gave one of the cadets an idea. 
He drew a parked fighter plane, 
moved another next to it. set that up 
as an array, and presto! he had a tem- 
plate for drawing in off-runway park- 

(cont'mued) 
jerry Pournelle holds a doctorate in psychology 
and is a science fiction writer who also earns 
a comfortable living writing about computers 
present and future. 



AUGUST 1986 'BYTE 299 



CHAOS MANOR 



The West Coast 
Computer Faire is 
still my favorite 
computer show. 



ing areas for F-15 fighters. Others 
added to the file so that most aircraft 
shapes are now in the civil engineer- 
ing department's library. 

This year AutoCAD could be used 
on only a dozen machines. Next year 
the cadets will be able to work on 
problems on their own machines. 
Printing their work will still be a bottle- 
neck—the Academy has only three 
plotters that they can use— but even 
so they expect to be able to enrich 
their design course even more. In- 
cidentally if anyone out there has a 
couple of spare plotters they'd like to 
rent out for a dollar a year, you might 
write Colonel Swint at the Depart- 
ment of Civil Engineering, USAFA, 
Colorado Springs. CO 80840. 

There's another fallout to this: the 
Academy is slowly accumulating com- 
puterized plans in AutoCAD format 
for a number of major U.S. Air Force 
bases, which means the cadets can 
have experience designing base 
changes, repairs after combat, and 
the like, working on real installations. 
This will cut down their postacademic 
training period when they leave the 
Academy and go out to do useful 
work. It probably won't hurt Auto- 
CAD's sales, either. . . 

Colleges and Computers 

The service academies are leading the 
way, but I suspect that by 1995— prob- 
ably well before that— just about every 
college and university will require all 
students to own a personal computer. 
The advantages are just too great. Ex- 
aminations can be turned in on disk 
rather than paper: not a big advan- 
tage in some academic disciplines, 
but in engineering design and other 
graphics-intensive course areas the 
savings in instructor time will be 
startling. 

On the other hand, there may be 
some glitches. I'm writing this in April. 



USAFA expects to have its network- 
ing system in place by August. I don't 
think that will be easy— yet many of 
the academic departments are plan- 
ning courses in ways that depend not 
only on the cadets having computers 
but on their being networked. I wish 
them well at it. but I'd sure hate to 
decide on a computer, buy it. decide 
on software, buy that, and get it all 
working to link 4000 PCompatibles in 
four months' time. 

I'm sure USAFA will survive any 
early setbacks. Meanwhile, the engi- 
neering professors have developed 
some really spiffy instructional soft- 
ware for PCompatibles. One demon- 
strates pendular motion with springs 
of various resiliency stressed under 
different conditions. Another does 
Hardy cross-analyses. They have 
drainage models, soil-stress models, 
and a raft of other stuff to use in 
engineering classes. It's all in the 
public domain, too. They don't have 
a budget for publishing or providing 
copies to everyone who asks, but they 
are very interested in suggested im- 
provements. I'm sure that anyone who 
wants to make a significant software 
swap will get sympathetic attention. 

The Eleventh Faire 

Another place I went was the West 
Coast Computer Faire, and I'm 
pleased to report that the Faire is still 
my favorite computer show. 

It didn't have to be. Early this year 
the Faire was bought by The Interface 
Group, the outfit that brings you 
COMDEX and many other computer 
shows; and while they do those shows 
very well indeed, the Interface people 
are after all involved in a commercial 
enterprise; while the Faire is some- 
thing very special. 

I needn't have worried. Sheldon 
Adelson. who is president of Inter- 
face, said not once but several times 
that he considers the Faire "the 
spawning grounds of the computer in- 
dustry," and "you have to give some- 
thing back." He even said it again 
when he came down to introduce me 
at the talk I gave. Incidentally, he in- 
troduced me as "the consummate 
hacker." which is flattering but alas not 
really true, and as "the voice of the 
computer users," which comes pretty 



close to what I attempt to be. 

I don't suppose for a moment that 
start-up companies won't still have 
Faire troubles, but most will be due 
to a problem Shelly can't solve. It's ex- 
pensive to put on shows in San Fran- 
cisco, and made more so by the strict 
union contracts the city has signed. 
Lest someone think I'm automatical- 
ly antiunion, my wife's father was a 
coal miner, and company cops once 
dynamited his house for trying to 
organize a union: but I do not think 
he would have approved of a situation 
in which a small entrepreneur is not 
allowed to move his own goods and 
is charged $450 to have someone do 
it in five minutes with a forklift. I 
sometimes wonder if San Francisco 
really wants conventions and shows. 

The Interface Group says they want 
suggestions from everyone who loves 
the Faire. Clearly they can't do every- 
thing we'd like, and they certainly 
don't intend to lose money; but they 
have promised to be cooperative. 
They certainly paid enough attention 
to me. 

I do believe that Shelly Adelson will 
try to keep the Faire what it has always 
been: a place for users, developers, 
hackers, writers, and enthusiasts to get 
together. The heart of the Faire has 
always been the tiny. little booths 
along the walls. Adelson deserves a 
lot of credit for recognizing that and 
keeping their costs as low as he can. 

I went to this year's Faire with the 
nagging thought that it might be my 
last. It won't be. 

Bacchanalia... 

There's one major change in the Faire. 
For the past several years, there have 
been wild parties: one year InfoWorld 
held a press reception in the Coit 
Tower, and another year they rented 
the rotunda of San Francisco's City 
Hall. Microsoft used to throw humon- 
gous parties. 

During the salad days everyone 
threw parties; I can recall one 
Osborne affair at which Lee Felsen- 
stein solemnly informed me that 
Osborne would set new standards of 
adequacy in party giving. I wasn't 
quite sure how to take that. For a few 
years, though, every night during the 

(continued) 



300 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 




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CHAOS MANOR 



Much of the 



excitement at this 
year's Faire was 
centered around the 
Atari ST machines. 



Faire there was at least one big blast. 
This year there were almost none. 
The Interface Group held a traditional 
reception for press and exhibitors; 
nothing wrong with it, but it was a 
pretty tame affair. Of course, anything 
would seem a tame affair after 
Philippe Kahn's First (and, alas, ap- 
parently Last) Annual Bacchanalia last 
year. Indeed. I'm told, the reason no 
one. including Borland, threw any kind 
of big party this year was that no one 
could think of a way to top last year's 
toga party. After you've seen Philippe 
Kahn playing a saxophone while 
dressed as the Emperor Nero, what's 
left? 

Atari Again 

Much of the excitement at this year's 
Faire was centered around the Atari 
ST machines. Neither Atari nor Com- 
modore actually had a booth at the 
Faire. but both were well represented 
by users groups. In addition, Atari 
president Sam Tramiel showed up 
with his software VP brother Leonard 
to hold a combination users group 
meeting and press conference. 

According to the Tramiels, Atari is 
in excellent shape. Sales of 8-bit 
machines haven't grown, but they're 
holding steady, and that provides 
plenty of cash flow for development 
while the new Atari ST machine sales 
build up. They also insist that the ST 
machines are selling well. I believe 
that, although I think some of the 
early sales reports were exaggerated. 
Incidentally, they report that in 
Europe about half the STs sold are 
monochrome; in the U.S. only 20 per- 
cent are monochrome alone; there 
are also "substantial" sales of both, 
but no numbers were mentioned. 

A number of users were concerned 



about math chips for the Atari ST. 
"We'll put in math chips when 
Motorola has a math chip," Leonard 
Tramiel said. "We won't do a kludge." 
They may have to reconsider that 
decision if they want serious penetra- 
tion of the business market 

Throughout the press conference 
the TVamiel brothers seemed thor- 
oughly confident. They admit that 
Atari had far worse financial problems 
than they knew before they took over 
the company from Warner. "It took 
some pretty ruthless actions," Sam 
Tramiel said. That's an understate- 
ment: at Spring COMDEX 1985. Atari 
had so few employees that even top 
executives were answering their own 
telephones. It's still a no-frills 
company. 

As I write this, there still isn't enough 
software for the Atari, but there's a lot; 
and perhaps more important, the 
tools to generate software are show- 
ing up. New compilers, debuggers, 
documents and tip sheets, and espe- 
cially new users groups make the 
Atari ST series the machines to watch. 

Hacking Your ST 

A lot of Atari 520 ST owners are im- 
proving the machines on their own. 
The original 520 didn't have the oper- 
ating system in ROM; this added ap- 
preciably to boot-up time. While Atari 
dealers would install the ROMs for a 
reasonable price. I didn't have a local 
dealer since my 520 came directly 
from Atari. Friends sent me a ROM 
set. and following instructions given 
on BIX I sat down one night to do it 
myself. 

It took about 10 minutes, and every- 
thing worked fine. A very few pro- 
grams want the old operating system 
that boots off disk; thoughtfully. Atari 
has set things up so you can do that. 

I also have instructions for increas- 
ing the 520's memory to a full mega- 
byte; the same directions are available 
on BIX. This is a modification that 
Atari won't support, and since it in- 
volves soldering chips there is signifi- 
cant risk of doing permanent damage 
to your machine; but provided that 
you're careful it's not difficult, the 
parts are cheap, it adds nothing to the 
complexity of using the machine, and 

{continued) 



302 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 




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CHAOS MANOR 



having a 700K-byte RAM disk sure 
cuts down on compile times. Anyone 
interested in hacking an ST should get 
into the Atari ST (atari.st) conference 
on BIX. However, fair warning, if you 
muck up your machine, don't blame 
me. 

MacCartridge 

Probably the most interesting thing 
demonstrated at the Faire was Mac- 



Cartridge from David Small and Joel 
Rosenblum of Data Pacific (P.O. Box 
10805. Marina Del Rey, CA 90295). 
This is a device that turns an Atari ST 
into a fast Macintosh. 

Actually none of that's exactly true; 
that is. they had the MacCartridge. but 
they didn't exactly demonstrate it 
because they didn't have a booth, and 
even if they had they were afraid of 
Apple's lawyers; and an Atari ST with 



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MacCartridge won't run all the soft- 
ware you can run on a Mac. 

It runs an awful lot of it, including 
Microsoft's Excel. (As a bonus. Excel 
runs 20 percent faster, too.) One 
secret of MacCartridge's success is 
that it has sockets on board for 
Apple's (older 64K-byte) Macintosh 
ROMs. Small and Rosenblum bought 
their ROM set from Apple; but they 
can't sell MacCartridge unless Apple 
will either sell them the ROMs at a 
reasonable cost or license them to 
reproduce them. As I write this. Apple 
hasn't made up its mind what to do 
about this. 

If that weren't enough for Apple to 
worry about, the MacCartridge will 
work just fine with RAM chips in those 
slots, provided that you upload the 
Apple operating system from disk. 
While I was at the Faire. at least three 
people offered me not only disk 
copies of the ROMs but commented 
source code to the Macintosh OS. so 
it's pretty safe to assume that it's 
widespread among the hacker com- 
munity. It's also safe to assume that 
while MacCartridge is a neat hack. 
Rosenblum and Small aren't the only 
ones who can think up a way to make 
the Atari run Macintosh programs 
right out of the box. Macintosh soft- 
ware developers aren't likely to be 
unhappy selling to this new market, 
either. 

I don't know what's going to hap- 
pen, but I think I'm in no danger pre- 
dicting that by the time you read this 
there will be a number of ways of 
making an Atari pretend to be a 
Macintosh. The Atari may never run 
some Macintosh software without 
modification— stuff like Wizardry with 
really serious copy protection, for 
example— but much of that will even- 
tually be ported over to the Atari 
anyway; and meanwhile here's yet 
another way to expand the Atari ST's 
software base. 

MacNosy 

MacNosy is a serious Macintosh dis- 
assembler from Steve Jasik. I first saw 
it last year at the MacFaire. It has since 
been improved, and I've yet to meet 
anyone who didn't think it was worth 
the money. 
One letter from a satisfied MacNosy 



CHAOS MANOR 



user says that it lets you find out what 
the Macintosh ROM routines really 
do. as opposed to the hints given in 
Inside Macintosh. That appears to be 
true; I guess you aren't supposed to 
wonder why Apple charges a lot of 
money for a book of hints. After all, 
fnfocom sells hints for its adventure 
games. 

Do understand, a disassembler is a 
hacker's tool. If 68000 assembly lan- 
guage means nothing to you, Mac- 
Nosy won't be worth anything at all; 
but if you're out to hack your Mac, 
you need MacNosy bad. 

At Lightspeed 

I have a problem with language 
reviews. Readers tell me they appre- 
ciate being told about new develop- 
ments in languages, so I try to say 
something about them; but it's very 
difficult (read "impossible") for me 
really to work with every new com- 
piler long enough to determine its 
strengths and weaknesses. Of course, 
in a show report that doesn't matter 
a lot anyway, since show reports are 
impressions, not full reviews. 

With that said. I can talk about 
Lightspeed C. This thing compiles 
code at a demonic rate. It comes with 
a whole bunch of routines to interface 
it with the Macintosh, as well as a 
68000 assembly language debugger. 
You can use Lightspeed on a single- 
drive 512K-byte Mac, but you're much 
better off with two drives. 

The Lightspeed documents are very 
clear and well written, provided, of 
course, that you are familiar with the 
C programming language; Lightspeed 
doesn't pretend to give you a lan- 
guage introduction manual. There's 
ample instruction on interfacing with 
Macintosh ROM routines, including 
QuickDraw, and an excellent index. 

I am extremely unlikely to do any 
C programming for the Macintosh, 
but if I decided to try. I'm pretty sure 
I'd start with the Lightspeed C com- 
piler. C hackers I respect tell me there 
are some bugs in the present version 
of Lightspeed C. but Think Technol- 
ogies has a good list of them and is 
working hard to correct them; by the 
time this is in print, most should be 
fixed. 

[continued] 




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Inquiry 249 
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AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 305 



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CHAOS MANOR 



I tried to persuade Think Technolo- 
gies to port the system over to the 
Atari ST. I think l heard them say they 
were working on it. It should be worth 
watching for. 

A New Magazine 

The last couple of years haven't been 
particularly good ones for computer 
magazines. Several major ones folded 
up, and others began to look pretty 
sick. However, hope springs eternal, 
and new ones do appear. 

Tony Bove and Cheryl Rhodes have 
been in the micro revolution for a long 
time. Their strong point has been 
clear writing, generally but not invar- 
iably for beginners; they have the 
ability to make complex notions 
understandable. Their Users Guide 
magazine was about the best CP/M 
publication around, and one of their 
books was in the "Pournelle Users 
Guide" series by Baen Books. In 1985 
they founded a new magazine, Desktop 
Publishing. It was, of course, rather spe- 
cialized, so much so that I didn't even 
hear about it until they were doing the 
third issue. Just about then they were 
acquired by CW Communications, the 
outfit that publishes the PC World 
series. The name will be changed to 
Publishl 

Tony and Cheryl were excited about 
all this when I saw them at the Faire. 
.1 hope it works out well for them. I 
found their three issues of Desktop 
Publishing quite well done, and I'd have 
been happy to subscribe. I'm not like- 
ly to go into the publishing business 
for myself, but I make my living as a 
writer; it's important to keep track of 
all new developments in publishing, 
and the trend to more and more 
author control, right up to finished 
typesetting, is getting stronger all the 
time. I suppose now I'll still subscribe, 
but I can't say I find the name change 
as thrilling as Cheryl and Tony seem 
to think it is. 

Publishl is likely to remain pretty spe- 
cialized, but the niche it fits in may be 
expanding more rapidly than most 
people think. As the niche expands, 
they'll get competition. As it is, 
though, they're moving into an area 
that has largely been left to the 
Seybold family, and the Seybold 

[continued] 



mow* 



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MacModem 
1200LC $199 

• Mac™ compatible standalone 

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• Auto dial, Auto answer 

• Built-in speaker 

• Mac modem cable 

included ^ 



IMITED 



LIMN*" co , 
QUANTITIES! 




1200 TPC $109 

• Hayes™ command compatible 

• 1200/300/110 bps 

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1200 LC $169 

• Hayes™ command compatible 

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• Auto dial, Auto answer 

• Built-in speaker 

• RS-232 to any computer 




Sunnyvale 

Communications 

Company 

1398 Borregas Avenue 
Sunnyvale, CA 94088-3565 
408/752-5095 



fO* 




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W* 










AUGUST 1 986 • BYTE 307 



Inquiry 195 



CHAOS MANOR 




IDETIX" 

DIGITAL CAMERA 

MOS Imaging System 



SYSTEM INCLUDES: 

MOS sensor based, IBM PC compatible camera with C-Mount lens. High speed 
controller board. Demonstration software and subroutine library. 

Adjustable frame size and resolution to 1024 x 512 pixels using the MOS digital image 
sensors, IS32A and IS256 OpticRAM™. 

Rugged and reliable camera head for industrial environments. The high speed 
differential driver/receiver camera head measures 4.3" L x 1.5"H x 3"W. 



MACHINE VISION APPLICATIONS INCLUDE: 

FACTORY INSPECTION 

ROBOTICS 

REPROGRAPHICS 



PROCESS CONTROL 
MANUFACTURING AUTOMATION 
SIGNATURE VERIFICATION 



UNDER $500 IN OEM QUANTITIES. 

Micron Technology, Inc., a world leader in semiconductor development and 
manufacturing, presents the IDETIX™ Imaging System, a low cost alternative for 
machine vision applications. 



For more 
information contact: 




Systems Group 
2805 E. Columbia Road 
Boise, Idaho 83706 
(208) 386-3800 



"BRIEF is simple to learn and 
use and extremely sophisticated" 

PC Magazine, July 1 986 



Tailor Program Editing to Your Style 



1 



A high-level, readable Macro 
Programming Language - allows 
customization for programming 
languages . . . Complete, unlimited 
variables, etc. 

Edit multiple files of unlimited size 
(2 Meg is OK) 

Multiple Windows on screen with 
different or same file, fragments, etc. 

A bona-fide UNDO stack (up to 300) 
of aJJ operations; deletions, reading 
files, search, translate, more. 

Reconfigurable keyboard 



Only $195 
Call 800-821-2492 



Full "regular expression search" - 
wild cards, complex patterns 

Adjustable line length - up to 512. 

Keystroke macros - for common 
typing sequences 

Suspend BRIEF to execute, exit to 
DOS - run another program (like a 
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session 

Compiler-specific support like auto 
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in BRIEF 




-Solution 
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Recent Survey Data 

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editors. 
50% were more productive with BRIEF 

than their previous editor in 5 hours 

or less. 
72% were performing all operations in 2 

hours. 



For PC, AT, compatibles or Tandy 2000. 



reports aren't competition for Publish* 
because Seybold publications are ex- 
pensive and don't take advertising. 
Incidentally, the Seybold reports are 
almost indispensable for those seri- 
ous about keeping up with the ab- 
solutely latest developments in the 
fields of publishing and serious use 
of microcomputers. 

Desktops 

"Desktop" publishing isn't an unfore- 
seen phenomenon. A number of 
writers, including me, predicted that 
small computers would have an im- 
pact on the publishing industry; that 
impact is just beginning. The effect 
isn't as great as some predicted 
because printing is really the smallest 
part of publishing. The real job pub- 
lishers do is marketing and distribu- 
tion. After all, if you had enough 
money, you always could get a rather 
handsome book printed by one of the 
vanity presses— the official name is 
"author-subsidized publishing"— but 
because the bookstores know all 
about those, the typical self-published 
book is lucky to sell a hundred copies, 
including to the author's relatives. 
There are exceptions, but in general, 
getting your book competently 
printed isn't the real barrier to effec- 
tive publication and it never has 
been. 

On the other hand, every author has 
horror stories. Ogden Nash did a won- 
derful poem about an author "who 
took a gun and shot that printer who 
printed not' instead of now'." and in 
the poem the judge lets him off on the 
grounds of justifiable homicide. Dur- 
ing the height of the Napoleonic wars, 
an authors' convention in England 
toasted Napoleon who was "if you 
will, the enemy of all mankind, but 
who once shot a publisher" The en- 
mity between authors and publishers 
has quite a lot to do with murdering 
one's text: editors who substitute their 
phrasing for yours (that doesn't hap- 
pen to me often); lousy proofreading; 
and suchlike. 

Small computers, and programs like 
the excellent Print Shop series and ac- 
cessories by Br0derbund for the IBM 
PC, are making it possible for authors 
to have real control over what their 
text looks like when it gets into print. 



308 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 2 74 



CHAOS MANOR 



Of course, that means that if it's really 
fouled up there's no publisher to 
blame. . . 

MIDI 

MIDI (musical instrument digital inter- 
face) is a standard; it's a bit like ASCII, 
only it's a way to represent music 
rather than text in a computer. It's also 
a hardware standard that specifies a 
5-pin DIN connector— sort of as if the 
ASCII standard also mandated using 
RS-232C ports. 

MIDI is going to change the world. 
I saw only a little of this at the Faire. 
and I don't expect to see much at 
COMDEX Atlanta next week: but 
MID! and small computers are bring- 
ing about a revolution in music. 

For instance: whole movie scores, 
with what sounds like a full orchestra, 
are being written and performed by 
a single composer equipped with a 
keyboard and a computer. People 
who have never practiced, can't play 
an instrument, and don't know how to 



read or write music are now recording 
and performing. Most are hobbyists, 
but some are doing well commercial- 
ly. New ideas abound. New products 
are announced weekly. There's a fer- 
ment in the music scene that reminds 
me of the early enthusiasm among 
computer hobbyists. 

Interestingly enough, most of this is 
happening unbeknownst to computer 
people. There is some overlap. The 
man who brought all this to my atten- 
tion is Bill Burns, a computer hobbyist 
I met at the Hacker Convention in the 
fall of 1984 and again at the Faire this 
year. Bill was an early member of the 
Homebrew Computer Club. 

He tells me that if you've got an IBM 
PC or a Macintosh, you can get into 
the computer music revolution with a 
pretty small investment. His recom- 
mendation is for a PCompatible; the 
Roland DG MPU-401 MIDI adapter, 
which is a PC card and a small box; 
one of the MIDI-compatible Casio 
music synthesizers; and a program 



called Personal Composer. With those 
items, you can write symphonies even 
if you've never played a note in your 
life. 

It works this way. You get an idea for 
a tune and get it into the machine, if 
necessary by playing it in one finger 
at a time on the keyboard. You can 
then edit the result: change notes; 
change their duration; change the "at- 
tack" or compression; add notes; put 
in new simultaneous sounds; blend in 
new instrument voices like horns; and 
keep fooling around with that until 
you have what you think sounds right. 
After that you can do another melody 
or an expansion of the old one. and 
blend it into the original. The result 
will likely be bloody awful, but it might 
not be, and anyway you can edit that, 
too. 

When it's all done. Personal Com- 
poser will print out what you've writ- 
ten, in standard musical notation, on 
an Epson MX-80 printer. It's slow. 

(continued) 



FORTRAN PROGRAMMERS 

Looking for the right PC FORTRAN language system? If you're serious 

about your FORTRAN programming then you should be using F77L - 

U\HEY FORTRAN. 

"Lahey's F77L FORTRAN is the compiler of choice, it's definitely a 

'Programmers FORTRAN, ' with features to aid both the casual and the 

professional programmer. . . F77L compiled the five files in a total of 12 

minutes, which was 4 times as fast as MS FORTRAN and an astounding 6 

times as fast as Pro FORTRAN/' - PC Magazine 

Compare the features and performance of other PC FORTRANs with F77L 
and you will find that F77L is clearly the superior product. 



Full Fortran 77 Standard (F77L is not a subset) • 

Popular Extensions for easy porting of mini • 

and mainframe applications 

COMPLEX* 16, LOGICAL* I and INTEGER* 2 • 

Recursion - allocates local variables on • 

the stack • 

IEEE - Standard Floating Point 

Long variable names - 3) characters • 

IMPUCIT NONE 



Fast Compile - Increases productivity 
Source On Line Debugger (Advanced 
features without recompiling) 
Arrays and Commons greater than 64 K 
Clear and Precise English Diagnostics 
Compatibility with Popular 3rd Party 
Software (i.e. Lattice C) 
Easy to use manual 
Technical Support from LCS 



F77L - THE PROGRAMMER'S FORTRAN 

$477.00 U.S. 

System Requirements: MS-DOS or PC-DOS, 256K, math coprocessor (8087/80287) 
FOR MORE INFORMATION: (702) 83 1 - 2500 





Lane y Computer Systems, Inc. 

P.O.Box 6091 

Incline Village, NV 89450 

U.S.A. 



International Dealers: 

England: Grey Matter Ltd.. Tel: (0364) 53499 
Denmark: Ravenholm Computing. Tel: (02) 887249 
Australia: Computer Transitions, Tel: (03) 537-2786 
Japan: Microsoftware, Inc.. Tel: |03| 813-8222 



SERVING THE FORTRAN COMMUNITY SINCE 1967 

MS-OOS & MS FORTRAN are trademarks of Microsoft Corporatlon.Pro FORTRAN refers to Professional FORTRAN a trademark of 

International Business Machines. 



Editor's Choice 

- PC Magazine 



Inquiry 158 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 309 



CHAOS MANOR 



since it does it a dot at a time, but it 
does the job. 

So far the musical revolution has 
been dominated by musicians who 
have discovered computers and are 
teaching themselves how to use them. 
A good part of the ferment centers 
about Keyboard magazine, which used 
to be a publication for performers but 
has become something like the BYTE 
of the computer music hobbyist. Key- 



board is filled with advertisements for 
electronics, computer stuff, and pro- 
grams: you can buy a thousand musi- 
cal voices for a few dollars. Join users 
groups. Things like that. 

When the old master computer 
hackers discover this new scene— and 
some are beginning to— the cross- 
fertilization ought to be something 
wonderful to see. Oops. To hear. I can 
hardly wait to try it. I've some notions 



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It is our belief that when one has 
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for variations on a theme by 
Mozart. . . 

Generic CADD 

Computers change everything. Archi- 
tects are among the last resisters to 
CAD, which is a pity; but that won't 
last. One reason it won't is because 
so many of their customers will have 
a CAD system. 

AutoCAD holds a commanding lock 
on the top end of professional CAD 
systems for microcomputers; but it's 
pretty expensive for those who just 
want to learn what CAD is all about 
and maybe want to design a new 
room, or a toolshed. or just see how 
they might rearrange their furniture. 
For people like that, comes now 
Generic CADD by Generic Software. 
This is a PCompatible program that 
does quite a lot and sells for less than 
a hundred bucks. 

It doesn't pretend to do everything. 
In particular. Generic CADD doesn't 
handle overlays as well as AutoCAD; 
but it does do layers and overlays. 

I saw the program demonstrated at 
the Faire. and I've had a copy to play 
with for a couple of weeks. It runs just 
fine on Big Kat the Kaypro 286i PC 
AT work-alike with Logitech's Logi- 
mouse, and while you had better be 
determined to learn it— there are 
some puzzling concepts to get used 
to— I haven't had much problem. I'm 
putting the new office additions into 
it. It's as easy a way to learn to use 
a CAD system as any. 

I wish I'd done that before we did 
the office. Not that I'm not pleased 
with my office and library; but here 
and there, changes of a few inches 
would have made some odd-size 
cabinets and desks fit better, and I'd 
have discovered that if I'd done a CAD 
model before construction began. 

Next time I'll have all that. Mean- 
while: if you're serious about design 
work, you probably need AutoCAD; 
but if you're just interested in CAD 
and want to know more, you might 
find Generic CADD more than good 
enough. 

MacInTax 

In the cold light of the next morning 
this may not be the all-time best ever 

(continued) 



310 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 310 



I 












r _..„ "j 




ill 


SE1 




EGA PAINT 



GEM 



FLIGHT SIMULATOR 





PAINT BRUSH 



AutoCAD 



NO 

MORE 



Low-End Graphics Adapters. 




Why Settle for Less? 



IBM sets the 
standards for 
Monochrome, 
I Color/Graphics 
and the Enhanced 
Graphics Adapter. 
Hercules sets the 
Monochrome 
Graphics standard. ] And the 
MegraGraph-Plus simply redefines the 
standard for what the Graphics Adapter 
is supposed to be: Monochrome text, 
Hercules graphics, color graphics, 
enhanced graphics. And most 
importantly ... No software driver 
patches required. 

Fully Compatible 

You can run almost all software from 
your early investment. Including Flight 
Simulator, Pin Ball, Jet and Lotus 1-2-3 
Version 1A. 

And it will still run all the business 
software packages written for IBM 
Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA). 
Examples include Auto CAD, IBM 
Drawing Assistant, Gem Draw, 
Microsoft Window, Word & Chart, Lotus 
1-2-3 and Symphony, Dr. Halo, PC Paint 
Brush, EGA-Paint and many, many 
more. 

ATronics is dedicated to the technical 
excellence of computing devices. To find 
out more about ATronics and our super- 
high performance ATI-1000 & ATI 2000 
AT system compatible boards call or 
write: 



Features 




Half size, fits in any slot of PC/XT/ AT 


• 


y 






EGA compatible 


• 


y 


• 


y 


CGA compatible 


• 


(i) 


(2) 


(2) 


MDA compatible 


/ 


• 


/ 


• 


Chip count 


24 


29 


86 


40 


Hercules compatible 720 x 348 graphics 


• 


• 






No Software Patches required 


y 




y 


• 


Boot from: 

— Flight Simulator 

— Pin Ball 

— Jet 


y 








y 








y 








Runs Lotus 1-2-3 version 1 A: 

— Hercules mode 

— Color mode 


y 


(1) 






y 


(1) 






Two Video Jacks 


y 


/ 


y 




Display Memory 


256K 


256K 


64K 


256K 


Light Pen connector 


y 


• 


/ 


/ 



(1) Needs software driver patches. 

(2) Compatible only to the BIOS level, but not the hardware level. Will not be compatible with most games software. 



f mwunj/^ 



1ATI 



m 



Qiaph 

/plus 



ATronics International Inc. 

491 Valley Way 

Milpitas, CA 95035 Inquiry 31 

(408) 943-6629 TLX: 510-600-6093 

IBM, Hercules, Flight Simulator, Pin Ball, Jet, Lotus 1-2-3 Version 1 A, Auto CAD, Gem Draw, Window, Word & Chart, Symphony, Dr. Halo, P C Paint Brush, EGA Paint. 
Quadram and STB EGA+ are all registered trademarks of their respective companies. 



Subscription 
Problems? 




We want to help! 

If you have a 
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BYTE subscription, 
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But we must have 
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subscription (new 

and old address, if 

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problem involves a 

payment, be sure to 

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Include a "business 

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We'll respond 

j\.$5.j\.±. 

BYTE 

Subscriber Service 

P.O. Box 328 
Hancock, NH 03449 



CHAOS MANOR 



most wonderful program I've used, 
but it's a candidate; and about 10 p.m. 
on April 1 5 I was absolutely certain 
of it. People, Softview's Maclrffex is 
wonderful. This is a program worth 
buying a Macintosh for. 

As you probably suspect Maclrffex 
does your income taxes on a Macin- 
tosh computer. It does them painless- 
ly. With a certain grace and style, 
even. Nothing is going to make doing 
taxes fun, but by gum if anything ever 
would, this program will do it. 

Now, of course, this isn't an account- 
ing program. You have to have all the 
information demanded ready at hand. 
For me that's no problem. My life is 
pretty complicated, and most of it is 
deductible— provided, of course, that 
I can prove it. Naturally one of the first 
things I did when I got a microcom- 
puter was to write an accounting sys- 
tem that would handle all my sources 
of income and the myriad deductible 
ways I spend it. Later I added a check- 
writing system, so that each month I 
enter my bills and credit-card pur- 
chases, poke a couple of buttons, and 
watch the checks roll out. All those 
entries are then stored until tax time. 
Even so, my family has always said 
they'd rather visit the Inferno than be 
around me during tax time. 

Not any more. 

Maclrfl&x is like— well, it's like hav- 
ing a personal tax preparer who listens. 
With Maclrffex you never enter infor- 
mation more than once. You never do 
any calculations at all. Once Maclrffox 
knows enough, it fills in everything it 
can, and if you change something, it 
recalculates. 

Technically, Maclrffex is a series of 
linked, formatted spreadsheets; but 
that's a bit like saying that one of 
Monsieur Andre Lion's medallions of 
beef with wild forest mushrooms is 
partly oxidized muscle tissue covered 
with fungus. What happens with Mac- 
Irfl&x is that you start with the basic 
1040 form on screen. You go through, 
adding information where possible. 
When you can't go any further, pull 
down new schedules. Schedule B for 
interest. Schedule E for rents and 
royalty income. The husband and wife 
form. Each time you enter something 
on one of those forms, everything af- 
fected changes. 



Want to experiment with income 
averaging? Save your previous work 
and try it; see what it does for you. 
Ever get everything all done and sud- 
denly remember another deduction? 
Sure you have. With Maclrffex it's sim- 
ple. Just go in and add it. 

When you're all finished, Maclrffex 
checks things. Does the law require 
that you explicitly enter -0- some- 
where? Maclrifex will tell you. Have 
you made a mistake somewhere else? 
In general Maclrffex won't let you do 
that, but if you did, it may find that, 
too. Eventually, when all is ready, send 
it to the printer. Laser printer or 
Imagewriter: Maclrifex will generate 
completely filled-in forms, ready for 
signing. 

As a bonus, it will do your state tax 
if you live in California, and Softview 
will be adding other states for next 
year. 

If you do your own taxes or if you're 
thinking of doing your own taxes, get 
this program, even if you have to bor- 
row a Macintosh to run it on. It's that 
good. 

Boy, is it ever recommended. 

Tekmar Graphics Library 

This is a preliminary report: prelimi- 
nary because just at the moment the 
Tekmar Graphics Library is tied to the 
Tecmar Graphics Master Board for the 
IBM PC. The Advanced Systems Con- 
sultants people are rewriting their 
science/engineering curve-fitting and 
plotting programs to work on a stan- 
dard EGA, and they tell me they'll 
have all that done about the time you 
read this. 

What they have now is pretty slick. 
For less than $200 you get eight disks, 
a thick and well-written manual, 
source code to much of what's sup- 
plied, subroutines to let you build 
your own stuff or modify theirs, and 
as good a scientific plotting/curve- 
generation program as I've ever seen. 
The output of the program is totally 
under user control, and it can be as 
flashy as you like: multiple colors, 
labels, windows with detail inserted in 
dead parts of the graphs; you name 
it, and you can do it. 

The documents are complete. They 
tend to be hacker-oriented, but gen- 

(continued) 



312 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



The BIGGEST reason to buy the 

FASTCOMM" 2496 is that it 

adds Top Speed for Bottom Dollar. 



r^ 



Here are 8 more. 



The FASTCOMM 2496 is designed for PC to PC, 
mini and mainframe users who need all popular baud 
rates-9600-aswellas2400, 1200 and 300. You can do 
more than ever before with your modem and you 
can do it now! 



#5 



#1 



, , .more modem for your money. 

The FASTCOMM 2496 includes 300-2400 
baud for interactive work and play. When it comes to 
high-speed downloading— switch to 9600 baud with a 
simple AT command. You can transfer full diskettes 
of data in less than 10 minutes! Say goodbye 
to excessive long distance charges! 



, , , or choose only the speed you 
need, now. 

Start with either our FASTCOMM 9600 or 2400, at 
even lower prices. Later, snap in additional speeds by 
purchasing our FASTSNAP boards, available for both 
the external or half card modem. 



#6 



#2 



. , , with error-free reliability. 




What's more, at high data rates, 
the modem's built-in error detection-correction ^ VA ^™% 2496B 



, , , customize your modem to suit 
your needs. 

With FASTCOMM's non-volatile memory, make 
changes that stay. Set defaults today, even on 
your remote modem using the ATY Com- 
mand? and you'll have them tomorrow! 
And whenever you autodial. FASTCOMM 
automatically sets the speed of the receiving 
modem to match your baud rate! 



protocol ensures error-free transmission when phone 
lines get too "noisy." Constantly monitoring the line, 
FASTCOMM 2496 quickly bounces you back to top 
speed when the lines clear. Your data remains intact 
and error-free! You get optimum performance without 
the worry! 

J4 2 * * ' y ou can choose the flexibility 
it? of an internal modem. 

The FASTCOMM 2496B may be the version for 
you! Ideal for PC applications, this half card inserts 
into any full or short expansion slot in your IBM PC, 
XT, AT or compatible, leaving you more room for 
other expansion uses. 

UA > " or choose the 
ft T* portability of an 
external modem. 

Our external version-the com- 
pact FASTCOMM 2496— is a superb 
choice for PC terminal to main- 
frame applications. Its LED status 
indicators and speaker control 
make for easy monitoring during 
operation. 



#7 



, , , supported by popular 
communications software. 



COMPARE THE ADVANTAGES FOR YOURSELF 


Manufacturer 


300, 1200. 2400 


9600 | 


2496 


FASTCOMM 


$619 


$899 


$999 


HAYES 


$795 


NA 


NA 


NOVATION 


$795 


NA 


NA 


RACALVADIC 


$695 


NA 


NA 


VENTEL 


$695 


NA 


NA 



The FASTCOMM 2496 runs with virtually any asyn- 
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Call our toll-free number and your modem will 
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Call 800- 5 21-2496, ext. 12 
(in Virginia {70}) 620-2900) 
today! 



Fast co mm Data Corp. is an Electronic Vaults. Inc. company. 

All product names are trademarks of their manufacturers. 



# 



TFASTCOMM 




© © © 




A MEGABYTE FOR DOS! 



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mending the correct software and 
hardware to meet their specific needs 
They also thank us for our same-day 
shipping! In addition to our own prod- 
ucts which support the 8087 and 
80287, we stock the largest supply of 
specialized software available. For 
more information call us at 

617-746-7341 



NUMBER SMASHER/ECM™ 

THE FASTEST ACCELERATOR 

CARD AVAILABLE 

gives you 1 2 MHz speed in two modes: 
704K or one megabyte of "Extended 
Conventional Memory." MEGASWITCH 
MMU and MegaDOS software make it 
possible to run DOS applications with 
up to 1 01 5K using PC compile^ Auto- 
CAD and Lotus 1-2-3. Does not re- 
quire EMS software. Totally compat- 
ible. Priced from $599 with 51 2 K to 
$1 1 99 for complete package. Option- 
al 8087-1 2 . . . $295 




SPEED UP YOUR AT 
OR AT COMPATIBLE 
WITH 287TURB0~ 10 MHz 



A2 D-1 60 MlcroWay's Data Acquisition Board 
performs 1 60,000 1 2 bit Analog to Digital conver- 
sions per second! Includes software drivers The 
fastest 1 2 bit A to D board available For the IBM 
PC XT and compatibles $1 295 

87SFL™ MicroWay's Scientific Function Li- 
brary contains 1 70 scientific and engineering func- 
tions Callable from most 8087 compatible com- 
pilers . . . First Language $250; Additional $1 00. 

MATRIXPAK™ manages a MEGABYTE! 

Written in assembly language, our runtime pack- 
age accurately manipulateslarge matrices at very 
fast speeds Includes matrix inversion and the 
solution of simultaneous linear equations Call- 
able from RM or MS Fortran, MS Assembler, or 
87BASIC/INLINE each $99 

87FFT™ Written in assembly language, per- 
forms Forward and Inverse FFTs on real and com- 
plex arrays which occupy up to 51 2 Kbytes of 
RAM. Also does convolutions, auto correlations, 
hamming, complex vector multiplication, and com- 
plex to radial conversions. Callable from most 
8087 compatible compilers $200 

87FFT-2™ performs two-dimensional FFTs 
Ideal for image processing Requires 87FFT $1 00 

FASTBREAK™ employs the 8087 to in- 
crease the speed of Lotus 1 -2-3™ Version 1A or 
1 A* by up to36:1 $79 

87 Verify™ Foruserswho have tobe absolutely 
sure of their results! This background task period- 
ically performs an 8087 accuracy and stress 
test $49 

Microsoft Fortran V 3.31 $209 

IBM Professional Fortran $565 

Ryan-McFarland Fortran V 2.0 $399 

NAG Fortran Library $300 

Grafmatic for Fortran or Pascal $1 25 

MultiHalo Graphics (1 language) $1 89 

LABTECH NOTEBOOK $745 

UnkelScope $549 

INTEL ABOVE BOARD CALL 

J RAM, AST, MAYNARD CALL 



Micro 
Way 



P.O. Box 79 
Kingston. Mass 
02364 USA 
(617) 746-7341 



Micro 
Way 



8087S 




For the IBM PC, PC XT, PC AT and Compatibles. 



MegaPage™ The only Intel-Lotus EMS board 
which comes with two megabytes of cool-running, 
low power drain CMOS RAM installed Includes 
RAM disk, print spooler, disk cache, and EMS driv- 
ers For the IBM PC, XT& compatibles. . . . $549 

MegaPage AT/ECC™ ems card forthePC 

AT and compatibles includes Error Correction Cir- 
cuitry. With ECC, 1 1 RAM chips cover 256K so the 
user never encounters RAM errors. With 1 megabyte 
CMOS $799; with 3 megabytes CMOS $1295. 
Optional serial/parallel daughterboard $95. 

DFixer™ Our disk utility which thoroughly 
checks PC or AT hard disks for bad sectors and 
updates the MS DOS file allocation table accord- 
ingly. Solves the AT hard disk problem! ... $1 49 

DOptimizer™ Optimizes the way your hard 
disk or floppy stores its files Speeds up accesses 
by recombining fragmented files $49 

DCache™ Our disk caching software speeds 
up your I/O by storing repetitively used tracks in 
memory. The amount of memory used can be 
selected in 64 Kbyte banks $49 

87MACRO/DEBUG™ Contains all the 
pieces needed forwriting 8087/80287 assembly 
code & MicroWay's 87DEBUG debugger. $199 

OBJ — * ASM™ A multipass object module trans- 
lator and disassembler. Produces assembly lan- 
guage listings which include public symbols, ex- 
ternal symbols and labels commented with cross 
references Ideal for patching object modules for 
which source is not available $200 

87BASIC™ includes patchestothe IBM BASIC 
or MS Quick BASIC Compiler for USER TRANS- 
PARENT 8087 support Provides super fast per- 
formance for all numeric operations including trig- 
onometries, transcendentals, addition, subtrac- 
tion, multiplication, and division each $1 50 

87BASIC/INLINE™ converts the output of 
the IBM BASIC Compiler into optimized 8087 
inline code which executes up to seven times fast- 
er than 87BASIC. Supports separately compiled 
inline subroutines which are located in their own 
segments and can contain up to 64 Kbytes of 
code. This allows programs greater than 1 28KI 
Requires the IBM BASIC Compiler Version 1 and 
a Macro Assembler. lncludes87BASIC . . . $200 

MICROWAY UDI runs RTOS or RMX com- 
pilers under DOS $300 



8087 UPGRADES 

All MicroWay 8087s include a one year warranty, 
complete MicroWay Test Program and accurate 
installation instructions 

8087 5 MHz $109 

For the IBM PC, XT and compatibles 

8087-2 8 MHz $149 

For Wang, AT&T, DeskPro, NEC, Leading Edge. 

80287-3 5 MHz $179 

For the IBM PC AT and 286 compatibles 

80287-6 6 MHz $229 

For 8 MHz AT compatibles 

80287-8 8 MHz $295 

Forthe8 MHz80286 accelerator cards 

NECV20, V30 $16, $30 

64K RAM Set 150ns. $10 

256K RAM Set 150ns $29 

256KRAMSet120ns $39 

128KRAMSetPCAT. $49 

287Turbo™ 10 MHz If you own an AT, 

Deskpro 286 or AT compatible, this is the card you 
need to get reasonable numeric performance. It 
plugs into your 80287 socket and includes a spe- 
cially driven 10 MHz 80287. The card comes in 
three configurations The IBM ATversion includes 
a hardware RESET button $450 

287Turbo 8 MHz $369 

Sy/SSTlirbO™ is a stubby card which includes 
a clock calendar and a speed controller which 
changes the speed of your motherboard from 4.77 
to 7.4 MHz. Its use requires your PC to have a 
socketed 8284. Typical speed increase is 1.6 to 
2.0. The card overcomes slow hardware by slow- 
ing up only when such devices are accessed and 

running at full speed otherwise $149 

Optional 8087-2 $149 

286TurboCache™ This new MicroWay ac- 
celerator uses 8K of cache memory and 80286/ 
80287 processors to provide an average speed 
increase of 3:1 for most programs Call for 
specifications and benchmarks $595 

Call for our complete catalog of 
software which supports the 8087. 

In London, please phone 223-7762 



314 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 200 



CHAOS MANOR 



AutoCAD 


. $2500 

. . $295 
$74.95 
. . $245 


Items Discussed 

MacInTax $75 

Softview 

315 Arneill Rd.. Suite 215 
Camarillo. CA 93010 
(805) 388-2626 

MacNosy $85 

Jasik Designs 
343 Trenton Way 
Menlo Park, CA 9402 5 
(415) 322-1386 

PC-Write 

disk only $10 

complete registration $75 

Quicksoft 

219 First North. #224 

Seattle. WA 98109 

(206) 282-0452 

Personal Composer $495 

Personal Composer 
P.O. Box 648 
Honaunau, HI 96726 
(808) 328-9518 


> 

Print Shop 

Apple II family $49.95 


Autodesk Inc. 
150 Shoreline Highway, #B 
Mill Valley. CA 94941 
(415) 331-0356 

First Time 

Microsoft or Lattice C . . . . 
Turbo Pascal 


Commodore 64 and Atari 
400/800 $44.95 

IBM PC and compatibles . . $59.95 
Br0derbund Software 
17 Paul Dr. 

San Rafael. CA 94903-2101 
(415) 479-1170 

Roland MPU-401 $200 

Roland DG 

7200 Dominion Circle 
Los Angeles. CA 90040 
(213) 685-5141 

Star Raiders II 

ST. version. . .Price not announced 
Atari Corporation 
P.O. Box 61657 
Sunnyvale. CA 94089 
(408) 745-2000 

Tekmar Graphics Library. . . .$195 
Advanced Systems Consultants 
21115 Devonshire St.. Suite 329 
Chatsworth, CA 91311 
(818) 407-1059 


Microsoft Pascal 


dBASE 111 


. . $125 


Spruce Technology 
189 East Bergen Place 
Red Bank, NJ 07701 
(201) 741-8188 

Generic CADD 


$99.95 
. . $175 


Generic Software 
132 50 Northeast 40th St. 
Bellevue. WA 98005 
(206) 885-5307 

LlGHTSPEED C 


Think Technologies 
420 Bedford St.. Suite 3 50 
Lexington. MA 02173 
(617) 863-5595 





erally any engineer or scientist who 
understands his own data would be 
able to use this program, given a bit 
of patience and determination. If 
you've got curves to fit and plots to 
make and access to a machine with 
a Tecmar Graphics Master Board, this 
is probably the program for you. If 
you've got everything but the hard- 
ware, it might be worth finding out 
how far they've got in the rewrite. 
There are easier programs to use, but 
I haven't seen any that beat this for 
value. 

Winding Down 

As usual, there's a huge pot full of 
stuff I can't get at. As part of this mad 
month, I was up to Bellingham, Wash- 
ington, a town that Larry and I pretty 
well flattened in our novel Footfall. Bob 
Wallace, who invented shareware with 
his PC-Write, came up; he's entirely 
redone the manual, as well as added 
new features. PC-Write is one heck of 
a value for the money. 

Spruce Technology has renamed 
their intelligent programming editor 



that understands quite a lot about the 
C language. They call it First Time, and 
anyone who hacks Microsoft or Lat- 
tice C on PCompatibles would be well 
advised to look it over. A number of 
programmers I respect swear it saves 
them quite a lot of time and frustra- 
tion. First Time has syntax checking, 
"place holder" markers, ways to edit 
include files, and a whole bunch of 
other conveniences, as well as more 
standard program editor features like 
search and replace. It isn't copy- 
protected. Good value. There are 
Pascal versions as well. 

The book of the month is Price 
Theory: An Intermediate Text by David 
Friedman (South-Western Publishing 
Company of Cincinnati, OH. 1986). 1 
wouldn't normally read an economics 
textbook for fun, but this isn't a nor- 
mal economics text. I've known David 
for some years, and I wouldn't expect 
anything he wrote to be normal. This 
book tries to explain darned near 
everything people do in economic 
terms, and whether or not it succeeds, 
it sure ain't dull. 1 wish they'd used it 



as a text when I studied the subject. 

The game of the month is Star 
Raiders II for the Atari SX which is like 
the old 8-bit Star Raiders had died 
and gone to heaven. The action is fast, 
the graphics are gorgeous, and I've 
spent entirely too much time with it. 

Tomorrow morning I'm off to Austin, 
Texas, for a meeting with the chancel- 
lor; from there to Berkeley, California, 
for the science fiction Nebula Awards 
banquet; and from there direct to 
Atlanta for COMDEX. My new office 
is finally finished and it's wonderful. 
Now I have to figure out a way to be 
in it for a while. Every now and then 
someone asks me why I do all this. 
Sometimes I wonder too, but not for 
long. The truth is, I love it. 

\erry Pournelle welcomes readers comments 
and opinions. Send a self-addressed, stamped 
envelope to \erry Pournelle. do BYTE Publica- 
tions. One Phoenix Mill lane. Peterborough. 
NH 03458. Please put your address on the 
letter as well as on the envelope. Due to the 
high volume of letters. )erry cannot guarantee 
a personal reply. ■ 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 315 




THE CMO ADVANTAGE 



TO ORDER 
CALL TOLL FREE 

1-800-233-8950 

DEPARTMENT A108 

TELEX 5106017898 

OR MAIL YOUR ORDER TO: 

COMPUTER MAIL ORDER 

Department A108 

477 E. Third Street 

Williamsport, PA 17701 

^^ _.s\ oi Htniei.ua I 



HOME COMPUTERS 



MODEMS 



POLICY Inquiry 68 

Add 3% (Minimum $7.00) shipping and handl- 
ing. Larger shipments may require additional 
charges. Personal and company checks require 
3 weeks to clear. For faster delivery use your 
credit card or send cashier's check or bank 
money order. Pennsylvania residents add 6% 
sales tax. All prices are subject to change and 
all items are subject to availability. Defective soft- 
ware will be replaced with the same item only. 
Hardware will be repaired or replaced at our 
discretion within the the terms and limits of the 
manufacturer's warranty. We cannot guarantee 
compatibility. All sales are final and returned 
shipments are subject to a restocking fee. 

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 

CALL TOLL FREE 
1-800-221-4283 

CUSTOMER SERVICE 

& TECHNICAL SUPPORT 

1-717-327-1450 

CANADIAN ORDERS 
1-800-268-3974 

Ontario/Quebec 

1-416-828-0866 

In Toronto 

1-800-268-4559 

Other Provinces 

TELEX: 06-218960 

2505 Dunwin Drive, 

Mississauga, Ontario 

Canada L5L1T1 

All prices shown are for U.S.A. orders. Call the 
Canadian Office for Canadian prices. 



THE CMO ADVANTAGE 

,«' Next day shipping on all in-stock items. 

v Free easy access order inquiry. 

^ Orders from outside Pennsylvania save 

state sales tax. 
w Free technical support from our factory 

trained technicians. 
x .' There is no limit and no deposit on C.O.D. 

orders. 
* There is no extra charge for using your 

Visa or MasterCard and your card is not 

charged until we ship 
,<* No waiting period for cashier's checks. 
*' We accept purchase orders from qualified 

corporations. Subject to approval. 
>* Educational discounts available to 

qualified institutions. (See the toll free 

educational phone number above.) 
^ FREE CATALOG MEMBERSHIP 



ATARI 

65XE (64K) $89.99 

1 30XE (128K) $139.00 

520ST (51 2K) $369.00 

520ST Monochrome System 

• 520ST with modulator 

• disk drive 

• mouse LOW, LOW 

• logo SYSTEM PRICE 

• Basic $64900 

• 1st Word 

• monochrome monitor 
520ST Color System 

• 520ST with modulator 

• disk drive 

• mouse LO w, LOW 

• logo SYSTEM PRICE 

• Basic $76900 

• 1st Word 

• color monitor 

800XL 64K $69.99 

1010 Recorder $49.99 

1050 Disk Drive $149.00 

1020 Printer $29.99 

1027 Letter Quality Printer $129.00 

1030 Direct Connect Modem $59.99 

Comrex 220 Atari $89.99 



APPLE 

APPLE lie CALL 

APPLE lie CALL 

lie LCD Display $329.00 

COMMODORE 

Amiga Package 

• 512K 

• 2 - 3V2" DS Disk Drives 

• Amiga RGB Monitor... $1679.00 
C64 Package 

• C64 • C1541 

• Taxan 220 $499.00 

C128 Package 

• C128 • C1571 

• NAP8562 Monitor $779.00 

C 1 28 Computer $269.00 

C1571 (Disk Drive 

for C 1 28) $249.00 

C1902 (RGB 13" Monitor 

for C128 CALL 

C1670 (Modem for C1 28)3179.00 

C1530 Datasette $39.99 

C1660 Auto Modem $59.99 

Comrex 220 (C64 Interface) $89.99 

Xetec SuperGraphix 8K $69.99 

Micro R&D 128/64 Interface $59.99 

C128 Universal Monitor Cable. ..$19. 99 



PORTABLE COMPUTERS 



NEC 

PC-8401 LS $699.00 

PC-8201 Portable Computer ...$339.00 

PC-8231 Disk Drive $599.00 

PC-8221A Thermal Printers $149.00 

PC-8281A Data Recorder $99.99 

PC-8201-06 8K RAM $59.99 

SHARP 

PC-1350 $149.00 

PC-1261 $149.00 

PC-1500A $169.00 

PC-1250A $89.99 

CE-125 Printer/Cassette $129.00 

CE-150 Color Printer Cassette.$149.00 

CE-161 16K RAM $129.00 

PC-7000 PC Compatible CALL 



ACCESSORIES 



AMARAY 

80 Column Printer Stand $14.99 

CURTIS 

Side Mount SS-1 $19.99 

Side Mount AT SS-2 $34.99 

Universal Stand SS-3 $19.99 

Diamond SP-1 $29.99 

Emerald SP-2 $39.99 

Sapphire SPF-1 $49.99 

Ruby SPF-2 $59.99 

Universal Printer Stand $14.99 

Static Mat $29.99 

DATA SHIELD 

300 Watt Backup $379.00 

500 Watt Backup $589.00 

Turbo 350 Watt Backup $449.00 

P125 Power Director $99.99 

P150 Power Director w/Modem$1 19.00 
KENSINGTON 

Master Piece $99.99 

Master Piece + $119.00 

KEYTRONICS 

KB5150/KB5151/KB515Ur CALL 

KB5152B/KB5153/KB5149Jr CALL 

MEMORY CHIPS 

4164 RAM Chips (ea.) $1.99 

128 RAM Chips (ea.) $12.99 

256 RAM Chips (ea.) $10.99 

■Polaroid 

Palette.... $1399.00 

Power Processor $229.00 

Illuminated Slide Mounter $39.99 

Polacolor 2 Pack film $18.99 



HEWLETT 
PACKARD 

41CV $139.00 

41CX $199.00 

HP 11C $49.99 

HP 12C .' $75.99 

HP 15C $75.99 

HP 16C $89.99 

HPIL Module $98.99 

HPIL Cassette or Printer $359.99 

Card Reader $143.99 

Extended Function Module $63.99 

Time Module $63.99 

We stock the full line of 
HP calculator products 



DISKETTES 



GENERIC 

DS/DD w/Flip'n'File 10 $11.99 

SVi" DS/DD floppy disks 

(Box of 10) $26.99 

maxBll 

3V 2 " SS/DD (10) $18.99 

3Vz" 5 pack SS/DD/Case $9.99 

3V 2 " DS/DD (10) $29.99 

5%" MD-1 SS/SD(10) $11.99 

5V4 M MD-2 DS/DD (10) $16.99 

51A" MD-2-HD for AT (10) $29.99 

SONY 

MD1-5V4" SS/SD (10) $9.99 

MD2-5V4" DS/DD (10) $13.99 

MD2HD-5V4" High Density (10).$28.99 

MFD1-3V2" SS/DD (10) $18.99 

MFD2-3V2" DS/DD (10).... $29.99 

rl Verbatim. 

5V4" SS/DD $12.99 

5'/4" DS/DD $24.99 

Disk Analyzer $24.99 

DISK HOLDERS 

AMARAY 

50 Disk Tub 5V4" $9.99 

30 Disk Tub 3 1 / 2 " $9.99 

100 Disk Tub 5V4" w/lock $19.99 

INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS 

Flip'n File 10 $2.49 

Flip'n File 50 $14.99 

Flip'n File 50 w/lock $19.99 

Flip'n File Data Case $9.99 



Anchor 

Volksmodem $59.99 

Volksmodem 300/1200 $139.00 

Signalman Express $209.00 

Lightning 2400 Baud $329.00 

Expressi (PC Halfcard) $149.00 

6480 (64/128) 300/1200 Baud. .$139.00 

520 1200 BPS (Atari ST) $149.00 

Lightening Half Card (PC) $349.00 

Omega 80 (Amiga) $139.00 

Reach 1200 Baud Half Card:. ..$399.00 

DIGITAL DEVICES 

AT300 - 300 Baud (Atari) $99.99 



EVEREX 

1200 Baud Internal (IBM/PC). ..$179.00 

5) Hayes 

Smartmodem 300 $139.00 

Smartmodem 1200 $389.00 

Smartmodem 1200B $359.00 

Smartmodem 2400 $599.00 

Micromodem He $149.00 

Smart Com II $89.99 

Chronograph $199.00 

Transet 1000 $309.00 

[Novation IB1 

Smart Cat Plus $299.00 

J-Cat.. ..$99.99 

Novation 2400 $499.00 

Apple Cat II $219.00 

212 Apple Cat II $379.00 

Apple Cat 212 Upgrade $229.00 

Quad modem II 

300/1200 $339.00 

300/1200/2400 $499.00 

Kj| SUPRA 

MPP-1064 AD/AA (C-64). $69.99 

IOMEGA 

A110H Single 10 CALL 

A210H 10 + 10 CALL 

A120H Single 20 CALL 

A220H 20 + 20 CALL 

Save on 10 & 20 Carts CALL 

TALLGRASS 
25, 35, 50, 80 meg (PC) 

from $1299.00 

IRWIN 

Tape Backup CALL 

EVEREX 
60 Meg Internal Backup System$799.00 

20 Meg Streamer $699.00 

CORE 

AT20-AT72MB CALL 

MOUNTAIN 

Hard Drives CALL 

Hard Card 20 or 30 CALL 

Tape Back-Up. CALL 

PRIAM 

40, 60 MB Inner Space CALL 

Shared Data CALL 

Shared Space CALL 

RACORE 

1500 Expansion Chassis $379.00 

1500 Chassis w/DMA $429.00 

2101 256K Memory $179.00 

2103 512K Memory $199.00 

CMS 

10 Meg with controller $399.00 

20 Meg with controller $499.00 

Rambo-AT $229.00 

ALLIED TECHNOLOGY 

Apple II. II + , lie V2 height $109.00 

INDUS 

Atari GT $199.00 

C-64 /128 GT $199.00 

MSD 

SD1 C-64 Single $219.00 

SD2 C-64 Dual $469.00 

TANDON 

320K 5 1 /4" (PC) $119.00 

TEAC 

320K 51/4" $119.00 



DEPT. A 108 




SOFTWARE FOR IBM 



ANSA SOFTWARE 

Paradox $499.00 

ASHTON-TATE 

Framework II CALL 

dBase III Plus CALL 

BATTERIES INCLUDED 

Isgur Portfolio $159.00 

BORLAND 

Lightening $59.99 

Sidekick (unprotected) $57.99 

Reflex $59.99 

Travelling Sidekick $44.99 

Turbo Prolog $64.99 

CENTRAL POINT 

Copy II PC-Backup $29.99 

PC Option Board $84.99 

DECISION RESOURCES 

Chartmaster $229.00 

Signmaster $159.00 

Diagram Master $209.00 

Map Master ....$259.00 

FIFTH GENERATION 

Fast Back $99.99 

FUNK SOFTWARE 

Sideways $44.99 

HARVARD SOFTWARE INC. 

Total Project Manager $269.00 

Presentation Graphics $239.00 

LIFETREE 

Volkswriter III $149.00 

LIVING VIDEOTEXT 

Think Tank $109.00 

Ready $64.99 

LOTUS 

Symphony CALL 

1-2-3 Version 2 CALL 

MECA SOFTWARE 

Managing Your Money 2.0 $99.99 

Manage Your Market $89.99 

MICROPRO 

Easy $94.99 

WordStar 2000 $239.00 

WordStar 2000+ $289.00 

WordStar Pro. w/GL Demo $189.00 

MICRORIM SOFTWARE 

R:Base 4000 $249.00 

R:Base 5000 $359.00 

C/out 2.0 $129.00 

MICROSOFT 

Flight Simulator $34.99 

MultiPlan $129.00 

Word 3.0 $279.00 

Mouse $139.00 

MICROSTUF 

Crosstalk XVI $89.99 

Crosstalk Mark IV $149.00 

Remote $89.99 

MULTIMATE 

Multi Mate Word Proc $219.00 

Advantage $269.00 

On File $89.99 

Just Write $89.99 

NOUNEMON 

Intuit $69.99 

NORTON 

Norton Utilities 3.1 $57.99 

ONE STEP 

Golf's Best $34.99 

PFS: IBM 

Proof $59.99 

File/Graph (ea.) $84.99 

Report $74.99 

Write/Proof Combo $84.99 

PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE 

Wrile-N-Spell $89.99 

THE SOFTWARE GROUP 

Enable $349.00 

SATELLITE SYSTEMS 

Word Perfect 4.1 $219.00 

SORCIM/IUS 
Accounting 

AP/AR/GL/INV/OE (ea.) $299.00 

SuperCalc III $199.00 

EasyWriter II System $239.00 

Super Project $199.00 

SUBLOGIC 
Jet $37.99 



PRINTERS 



Canon 

A40.A50.A55 CALL 

LBP-8A1 Laser CALL 

#CITIZEN 

MSP-10 (80 col.) $279.00 

MSP-15 (132 col.) $389.00 

MSP-20 (80 col.) $349.00 

MSP-25 (132 col.) $509.00 

crroH 

Prowriter 1550P $299.00 

Starwriter 10-30 $299.00 

3500 Tri Printer $1499.00 

corona 

Lazer LP-300 $2799.00 

DIABLO 

D25 Daisy wheel $549.00 

635 Daisywheel $1099.00 

D80IF Daisywheel CALL 

ctevwriter 

2000 $699.00 

EPSON 

Homewriter 10, LX-80 CALL 

FX-85, FX-286, RX-100 CALL 

DX-10, DX-20, DX-35 CALL 

SQ-2000, Hi-80, HS-80, AP-80 CALL 

LQ-800, LQ-1000 CALL 

JUKI 

6000 Letter Quality CALL 

6100 Letter Quality CALL 

6200 Letter Quality CALL 

6300 Letter Quality CALL 

6500 Letter Quality CALL 

5510 Dot Matrix Color CALL 

LEGEND 

808 Dot Matrix 100 cps $179.00 

1080 Dot Matrix 100 cps $259.00 

1380 Dot Matrix 130 cps $289.00 

1385 Dot Matrix 165 cps $339.00 

NEC 

3000 Series $779.00 

8000 Series $1099.00 

ELF 360 $399.00 

P560, P660, P760 CALL 

OKIDATA 

182, 183, 192, 193, 2410, 84 CALL 

Okimate 10 (Specify C64/Atari)$1 89.00 

Okimate 20(IBM), 282, 283 CALL 

Okidata 93 $299.00 

Panasonic 

KX1080 NEW 

KX1091 $259.00 

KX1092 $389.00 

KX1592 $469.00 

KX1595 $659.00 

Quadjet $399.00 

Quad Laser CALL 

£) SJLYER-REEO 

500 Letter Quality $189.00 

550 Letter Quality $299.00 

800 Letter Quality $699.00 

SG-10C (C64 Interface) CALL 

SB/SD/NX/SR Series CALL 

Powertype Letter Quality CALL 

Texas Instruments 

TI850 $529.00 

TI855 $639.00 

T1865 $799.00 

TOSHIBA 

P321 (80 column) $499.00 

P341 (132 column) $799.00 

P351 (132 column) $1049.00 



MULTIFUNCTION CARDS 



AST 

Ram Vantage.... rTTT $349.00 

Rampage-PC $379.00 

Rampage-AT CALL 

Six Pack Plus $229.00 

I/O Plus II $139.00 

Advantage-AT $369.00 

Preview Mono $299.00 

PC Net Cards $379.00 

5251/11 On-line $669.00 

5251/12 Remote $579.00 

5251/11 Plus $719.00 

IRMA 3270.....^^^ $879.00 

IRMA Print $999.00 

IRMA Smart Alec $779.00 

^^VEREX- 

Edge Card $259.00 

Graphics Edge $219.00 

Magic Card II $159.00 

Magic Card I $99.99 

EGA Video..: $299.00 

HERCULES 

Graphics $299.00 

Color $159.00 

IBIas seriates 

IDEA 5251 $549.00 

INTEL 

PCNC8087 5MHz 

PCNC8087-2 8 MHz 

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DEPT. A 108 



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Produced by KCSM, San Mateo, CA and WITF, Harrisburg, PA with funding from AFIPS and McGraw-Hill's fclVTl magazine. 



M 




318 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



APPLICATIONS ONLY 




More Words 



by Ezra Shapiro 



Enough already. I'm getting 
sick of word processors for 
MS-DOS machines. You'd 
think the flood of these prod- 
ucts would die down, but no. 
here are three more of the 
beasts. At least I've just 
about made it to the bottom 
of the pile, and I'll be able to avoid 
them for a month. Maybe two 
months. Maybe ... no, I'll just have to 
see what wanders in. But next month, 
I promise. I'll have something dif- 
ferent. Maybe graphics. Anything but 
another word processor. 



Strange Brew 

Mindreader (Businessoft, $189) has 
got to be the oddest product I've 
used in a long, long time. Before I go 
any further. I ought to state flatly that 
Mindreader is a failure as a full- 
featured word processor, which is 
what it's supposed to be. If you're 
only going to be writing small docu- 
ments— memos and short form letters 
and the like— you probably could live 
with the program, but if you have a 
big writing project. Mindreader just 
won't cut it. The basic word-process- 
ing engine it employs is under- 
powered, clumsy, and poorly orga- 
nized. 

However, parts of the program are 
absolutely brilliant, and I'd pay far 
more money than Mindreader's price 
for a word processor that had them. 
Mindreader is a peculiar mixture of 
the astonishing and the irritating. So 
I wind up straddling the fence on this 
one; 1 simultaneously hate it and love 
it. My long-term hope is that Mind- 
reader will be improved in future ver- 
sions, or that other software pub- 
lishers adopt its innovations in their 
products. And there are lots of in- 
novations at which to marvel. 

The program is certainly fun to use. 
It loads with graphics and sound ef- 



Word processors: 

Mindreader, PC-Write 2.6 

and Word 3.0 



fects reminiscent of an action-oriented 
video game. Although you can shut 
off the beeps and trills and scales the 
program makes, they add an air of 
humor to what everyone else takes as 
deadly serious business. The con- 
figuration routines are also designed 
to be entertaining; rather than select- 
ing from a standard palette, you get 
to choose from a list of color com- 
binations with names like "Sahara" 
(white letters on a black screen) and 
"Hawaii" (yellow on blue). Mindreader 
even contains an anagram game that 
you can play when you want to take 
a break. I like all this stuff; why should 
business software always be tedious? 

But Mindreader's greatest strengths 
lie in the area of what could best be 
called auxiliary text-handling features, 
by which I mean features peripheral 
to the actual entering and editing of 
copy. Tops on my list is Mindreader's 
glossary, in which you can store as 
many as 260 boilerplate text items. 
Each item can be inserted anywhere 
in your document with three key- 
strokes, or you can enter keyword 
labels and locate the right boilerplate 
by performing a keyword search. An 
entry can contain up to 700 charac- 
ters, including carriage returns and 
prompts for user input, so you can 
create phrases, paragraphs, signature 
blocks, even data-entry forms. 

Next is what Mindreader calls Word- 
Complete, and it's what gives the pro- 
gram its name. Here's how it works: 
'type a couple of characters. If the 
characters match anything in Mind- 
reader's extensive dictionary, the pro- 



gram pops up a window that 
offers you the five most like- 
ly choices for completing the 
, word. You can type a semi- 

colon for the most common 
choice, or a number from 2 
to 5 for the others. This 
sounds like it would be more 
trouble than it's worth, but in practice 
it's a major boon for slow typists, 
resulting in massive reduction in key- 
strokes and a commensurate increase 
in effective typing speed. If you set 
the program to its "AI Learn" mode, 
it will monitor your choices, 
remember what you're most likely to 
type, and upgrade that item to the 
number one spot. You can also force 
the program to offer specific options; 
I configured the program to make the 
phrase "Ezra Shapiro" the primary 
completion every time I typed an E. 
Faster typists can either turn this 
feature off or set it to standby mode 
for use when needed. 

Mindreader also gives you keyboard 
macros, as-you-type spelling checking 
(although it doesn't suggest alterna- 
tives), a built-in calendar and appoint- 
ment book, a pop-up calculator, both 
vertical and horizontal computation in 
text, and a name/address database 
that makes for easy merging into form 
letters. A status command displays file 
space used; counts of words, lines, 
characters, and keystrokes; a keystroke 
reduction factor; and typing speed. 
And there's lUrboCursor— after pass- 
ing seven characters at normal speed, 
the cursor accelerates to double time. 
So what's wrong? Plenty. Mind- 
reader can only handle files up to 44K 
bytes. Block moves and copies can 
only be of single lines or groups of 

(continued) 
Ezra Shapiro is a consulting editor for BYTE. 
He can be reached by writing to Applications 
Only, P.O. Box 1 70040. San Francisco, CA 
94117-0040. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 319 



APPLICATIONS ONLY 



I can sum up what 
makes me like 
Quicksoft's PC-Write in 
one word: attitude. 



lines— no phrases or sentences that 
start or end in the middle of a line. 
Block deletes aren't allowed. There is 
no true insert mode; pressing the Ins 
key splits the line, you enter your ad- 
ditional copy, then press Ins again to 
close things up. There's no command 
to move the cursor to either edge of 
the screen. You have no way to re- 
assign function keys or eliminate the 
function-key map that fills both the 
top and bottom margins of the dis- 
play. Page numbers can't be used in 
headers; they appear centered at the 
bottom of the page or not at all. No 
footers. You have only two printer 
choices, laser or standard. Both the 
game and the name/address index 
can be accessed only from the main 
menu, but exiting from either drops 
you out to the DOS prompt. 

Also. Mindreader is so insistent on 
being helpful that it adds the appro- 
priate spacing after every punctuation 
mark. I couldn't figure out a way to 
defeat this; as a result. I wound up 
with two spaces after every comma 
(one from the program and one that 
I typed instinctively), three or four 
spaces at the end of every sentence, 
and so on. For a real laugh, try typ- 
ing DOS filenames with their em- 
bedded periods and watch what 
happens. 

My conclusion is that anyone out 
there who's trying to write the Great 
American Word Processor should buy 
a copy of Mindreader and study it 
very carefully. Hunt-and-peck typists 
with light word-processing needs will 
enjoy the nifty features without notic- 
ing the problems. But anybody who 
wants heavy-duty capabilities should 
look elsewhere. 

A final note from the Harsh-Reali- 
ties-of-Life Department: Version 1.0 of 
Mindreader came to me in a dark 
blue box with a funky drawing of a 
wizard and the slogan "writes like a 



charm." The manual was written with 
a light touch and stressed the friend- 
lier aspects of the program; the soft- 
ware wasn't copy-protected. I based 
this column's evaluation on version 
2.09. which arrived in a gray box with 
the slogan "Artificial Intelligence for 
Business Writing." The documentation 
had a much more sober tone, and— 
you guessed it— the product was copy- 
protected. Make of this what you will. 

Shareware Classic 

I can sum up what makes me like PC- 
Write (Quicksoft. $7 5) in one word: at- 
titude. The program is one of the 
earliest shareware products for the 
PC-and-compatibles world, and share- 
ware it is. perhaps more truly than 
other programs lumped into the 
category. 

You can obtain a free copy of the 
program— a complete, legal, working 
copy— from a users group, a friend, or 
an electronic bulletin board. If you'd 
like a copy of the disk, Quicksoft will 
mail you one for a mere $10. You're 
encouraged to use it and to give 
copies to anyone else. When you 
decide you like the program (or when 
you can't live with the guilt), send 
Quicksoft $75. In return, you get a 
disk with an individual registration 
number, a bound manual, a tutorial, 
a summary pamphlet, a quick-refer- 
ence card, a one-year subscription to 
Quicksoft's quarterly newsletter, two 
postcards to mail in when you want 
either a new version of the software 
or complete source code (Microsoft 
Pascal and assembler), and a year's 
worth of telephone support. If that 
isn't enough, any time someone else 
registers a copy of PC-Write and sub- 
mits your number. Quicksoft will send 
you $2 5. (If you give three people 
copies of your PC-Write disk, and they 
all decide to register, you've made 
back your entire investment.) Whew! 
This is the best deal in software. 

The attitude goes further, too. The 
newsletter publishes known bugs and 
fixes when possible. (Remember 
when Ashton^te did that with dBASE 

II and built its customer base into a 
loyal family?) And the PC-Write 
manual notes that even though the 
program comes with definition files 
for something like 200 printers, if 



you've got an obscure printer not 
covered, just send the company a 
copy of the printer manual and Quick- 
soft will write a custom configuration 
file for you. You know any other com- 
pany that does that? 

I believe in Quicksoft and what the 
company is doing. The product has 
been improving steadily, and the re- 
cent jump from version 2.55 to 2.6 is 
another significant step to make a 
good program better. However, as big 
a fan as I am. I do have some warn- 
ings to issue. 

PC-Write is not for the fainthearted 
or the easily confused. It's powerful 
but idiosyncratic; it has grown slicker 
over the years, but the program is still 
the child of its author. Bob Wallace, 
and his mind doesn't work the way 
mine does. I've faulted other products 
for many of PC-Write's qualities, but 
somehow this program hangs to- 
gether better than the rest. 

It's a throwback in that it's a two- 
part word processor: editor and text 
formatter. The editor is fast and ver- 
satile and ranks with the best. The for- 
matter is controlled by dot com- 
mands entered in text (a style ( 
detest), but they do offer pinpoint 
precision. 

What I dislike most about the editor 
is the way it uses nearly every avail- 
able key combination, to the point 
where I get thoroughly lost. The Ins 
key. for example, inserts a space; to 
toggle insert mode you have to press 
the Scroll Lock key. The numeric key- 
pad plus-sign key repeats a search, so 
you can't use it to enter the character. 
As a safety net. PC-Write accepts many 
of WordStar's commands, but they 
use up still more keyboard possibili- 
ties. 

On the other hand, what I like about 
the program is its marvelous ^con- 
figurability. You can reassign keys to 
functions or functions to keys (effec- 
tively the same thing) and set up for- 
mat defaults best suited to your 
tastes. You can even use the reassign- 
ment system to hold macros and 
boilerplates, if you can find a trigger 
key that isn't already assigned. Figur- 
ing out how to do all this requires a 
bunch of head-scratching and manual- 
riffling, but it's worth the torture. Only 
drawback is that your reconfigured 



320 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 330 



APPLICATIONS ONLY 



Items Discussed 

MlNDREADER $189 

(MS-DOS) 
Businessoft Inc. 
703 Giddings Ave., M-4 
Annapolis. MD 21401 
(301) 263-1962 

PC-Write $75 

(MS-DOS) 
Quicksort 
219 First N, #224 
Seattle, WA 98109 
(206) 282-0452 

Word 3.0 $450 

(MS-DOS) 
Microsoft Corp. 
16011 NE 36th Way 
Redmond. WA 98073 
(206) 882-8080 



command set will be out of whack 
with PC-Write's prompts. If you're that 
concerned, you could always get the 
source and recompile it, right? 

New features with this version in- 
clude automatic reformatting, em- 
bedded ruler lines, up to eight 
header/footer lines, orphan control, 
directory editing, footnotes broken 
over page breaks, automatic number- 
ing of footnotes and headings, 
enhanced dot commands, support for 
more printers, and proportional 
spacing. 

The new documentation, bound in 
a hard cover that makes it look like a 
high school literature textbook, is 
light-years ahead of what it once was. 
but it's still oddly structured and 
repetitive. Everything you want to 
know is there, but it's tough to find. 
However, the program itself is now ac- 
tually informative. The four cramped 
help screens of earlier versions have 
given way to 40 well-designed 
screens, and the enigmatic command 
prompts have actually turned into de- 
cent menus. 

On the whole, I like the program, 
and I'm continually amazed to 
discover the neat features that 
Wallace has tucked away in the cracks. 
It's a good package even if it repre- 
sents a journey of exploration. 

Oh yes, be sure to phone Quicksoft 

[continued) 



# 



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If its a marketing research problem, 
we probably pioneered the solution. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 321 



Inquiry 231 for End-Users. Inquiry 232 for DEALERS ONLY. 




Hewlett-Packard's LaserJet created desktop 
publishing. Ram-Resident PrintMerge 
brings it to life. It does true proportional 
spacing and justification. With any font 

combination. You 
can merge text 
with screen or 
output graphics 
from other programs. Draw lines or boxes. 
Align proportional tab columns. Only 
PrintMerge offers these unique capabilities. 
You print directly from virtually any program 
including: dBase, DisplayWrite3, Lotus 1-2-3, 



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Multimate, WordStar. You've 
already spent 90% of what's 
needed for a powerful personal publishing 
system with your current software and 
LaserJet. Just a bit more for Ram-Resident 
PrintMerge will bring it to life. 

Call 800/338-5943 cm CA800/231-3531) 

Toil-Free for Ram-Resident PrintMerge Ordering 
Information for IBM PC/ATs and 100% compatibles. 
30-day no-risk moneyback guarantee. 

POLARIS 

SOFTWARE 

310ViaVeraCruz,Ste.205 

San Marcos, CA 92069 619/471-0922 



a message to our 
subscribers 

From time to time we make the BYTE subscriber list available to other 
companies who wish to send our subscribers material about their prod- 
ucts. We take great care to screen these companies, choosing only those 
who are reputable, and whose products, services, or information we 
feel would be of interest to you. Direct mail Is an efficient medium for 
presenting the latest personal computer goods and services to our 
subscribers. 

Many BYTE subscribers appreciate this controlled use of our mailing list, 
and look forward to finding information of interest to them in the mail. 
Used are our subscribers' names and addresses only (no other informa- 
tion we may have Is ever given). 

While we believe the distribution of this information Is of benefit to our 
subscribers, we firmly respect the wishes of any subscriber who does 
not want to receive such promotional literature. Should you wish to 
restrict the use of your name, simply send your request to the following 
address. 



BYTE Magazine 

Attn: Circulation Department 

One Phoenix Mill Lane 

Peterborough NH 03458 



M 



APPLICATIONS ONLY 



before ordering anything. The com- 
pany was talking about price changes 
on July 1, but when I wrote this it 
hadn't yet made any final decisions. 

Word, Briefly 

More good news and bad news. The 
good news is that Word 3.0 (Micro- 
soft. $4 50) is faster and sports a 
number of spiffy new features. The 
bad news is that it's still Microsoft 
Word. 

Microsoft seems determined to 
make a run on the desktop publishing 
market, and to that end Word sup- 
ports nearly every printer ever manu- 
factured, particularly ones that in- 
clude the word "laser" in their names. 
My hunch is that this release is a first 
step in that direction, and that Micro- 
soft will continue to enhance the 
product to make it a winner in this 
arena. So I think it's a good band- 
wagon to ride on. 

The hot feature is moderately 
powerful outlining capability. New 
commands allow you to expand and 
collapse blocks of text in outline form. 
The program is primarily a word pro- 
cessor, not an outliner. and I'm still 
not comfortable working with it. I'm 
accustomed to using Ready! to main- 
tain small outlines that 1 pop into my 
documents. Word gives you the abili- 
ty to really develop a text document 
as easily movable chunks. Barring the 
sudden appearance of a cheap moni- 
tor that can display several pages of 
text in sharp resolution, this may be 
the only method of zooming between 
structure and detail that we'll have for 
a while. 1 have to admit I'm tempted 
to spend a lot of time with this one. 

So I'm giving the product an early 
plus rating, even though I loathe the 
Microsoft interface (the one with the 
useless box around the screen and 
the menu along the bottom). But it 
works great with a mouse, and overall 
it's a solid package. The documenta- 
tion is thick and thorough, and not 
badly written. The disk tutorials are 
excellent. 

Is this a recommendation? I'm not 
sure. I think I'll have to run the prod- 
uct head-to-head against PC-Outline, 
Ma^rhink, and whatever Living Video- 
text is cooking up and get back to this 
later. ■ 



322 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



ACCORD-IN 



^ 



WEBSTER 



Going to the Faire 



by Bruce Webster 



It's late April as I write this, 
and a few weeks have passed 
since my trip to the I Ith An- 
nual West Coast Computer 
Faire. The Faire used to be an 
important trade show where 
new products made their 
debut and rival companies 

covertly (or overtly) scouted each other out. I attended 
my first Faire some years back as a representative of a 
software firm introducing a major revision of an existing 
product. I can still remember the worry about what our 
competitors might be bringing out and our delight in dis- 
covering that we had jumped ahead of all of them. Since 
all the major companies in that market segment were 
there, it was good news indeed. 

Now the Faire has become more an exercise in nostalgia 
than a vital happening. As a computer industry event, it 
no longer matters. Press announcements, market research, 
and COMDEX have supplanted the Faire and reduced it 
to a local end-user computer show. In fact, plans are under- 
way to hold Faires in different parts of the country. 

At this point, you can insert standard sermon B-5 about 
How The Industry Has Matured. Sadly all the cliches in 
the sermon are true: Things have changed irrevocably and 
it ain't ever going to be as fun (or easy or cheap) as it once 
was to get in there and slug it out with everyone else. I 
don't see much evidence, though, that this maturity has 
improved the industry. A lot of turkeys still hit the shelves, 
only now many are kept alive longer than they deserve 
to be, thanks to fancy dressings and constant infusions 
of advertising money. Meanwhile, a lot of valuable, in- 
novative products never get onto the shelves because the 
firms pushing them don't have the bucks to compete with 
the big boys. 

Lest I sound too gloomy, let me hasten to add that I 
sense a shift of direction in the pendulum's swing. Many 
consumers have learned that slick packaging and gorgeous 
ads don't necessarily indicate a product's true worth, nor 
does a photocopied manual in a plastic bag mean a pro- 
gram is buggy or inadequate. Thanks to Tlirbo Pascal and 
similar products, buyers have learned that price and value 
are not necessarily related; an inexpensive product may 
be quite good and an expensive product quite bad. In- 
deed, a growing number of users are starting to suspect 
an inverse relationship between price and value. 

A brief aside. The legend of llirbo Pascal has by now 
reached mythic proportions in the industry, as evidenced 
by the number of firms that, in marketing meetings, make 



Bruce also debates 

product values with Commodore 

and Atari execs 



plans to become "the next 
Borland." As with any legend, 
a few ironies stand out. First. 
Borland didn't achieve its 
success by imitating another 
firm; instead, the company 
found an empty niche and 
gambled that it could suc- 
ceed by filling that slot. Second. Borland itself is in danger 
of being overwhelmed by its own success and becoming 
(if it hasn't already) just another one of the big boys, in- 
stead of the renegade innovator that it portrays itself to 
be. The company seems to be falling prey to some of the 
common sins of the industry: not offering enough tech- 
nical support, introducing too many products (some of 
dubious value), preannouncing new software (a practice 
Borland used to shun), and even advertising vaporware 
(will llirbo Pascal for the Amiga ever be released?). On 
the other hand, given Borland's track record and market 
position, the company can probably do what it wants to— 
for now, at least. 

Getting back to the original topic, there is still a lot of 
value in shows like the West Coast Faire, the Mac Exposi- 
tion, and so on, because they provide small, innovative 
companies direct exposure to users and to the press. Of 
course, they also provide exposure for small, dull com- 
panies, for large, dull companies, and other distractions, 
so that users and the press have to try and sort one from 
another. But that's part of the fun. (The question asked 
most often at the Faire was, "What did you see that was 
interesting?") 

In summary I wish the Faire a long life. I, for one. plan 
to keep coming back. 

Faire Highlights 

What did / see that was interesting? Well, the most signifi- 
cant product was Lightspeed C from Think Technologies, 
the same folks who developed MacPascal and Instant 
Pascal for Apple. 

Lightspeed C is an integrated C development environ- 
ment for the Mac that looks as though it could really speed 
up program development. Not only does the compiler 
scream along, but the linker is also amazingly quick and 
intelligent, allowing quick turnaround time for program 
changes. It appears to be a full-featured C, with complete 
Macintosh Toolbox and operating system support. And 

(continued) 

Bruce Webster, a consulting editor for BYTE, can be reached do BYTE, 
P.O. Box 1910, Orern, UT 8405 7. or on BIX as bwebster. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 323 



Inquiry 62 



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it's cheap: $ 1 7 5. compared to $2 50 to $ 500 for most other 
Macintosh C compilers. 

Lightspeed C was developed primarily by Michael Kahl. 
with help from Jon Hueras. Andrew Singer, president of 
Think Technologies, was involved in the product's concep- 
tion and design. I just received a review copy; look for 
a more detailed report in the next month or two 

The most interesting product, and one which you've un- 
doubtedly heard about, was MacCartridge from Data 
Pacific. This is a ROM cartridge for the Atari ST that 
contains— surprise!— the old 64K-byte Apple Macintosh 
ROMs. When used with a host program, it converts your 
ST into a quasi-Macintosh. There remain the small prob- 
lem of disk formats (though Data Pacific offers Mac soft- 
ware transferred to ST disks) and the large problem of 
Apple legal action, which may well have killed the prod- 
uct by now. 

David Small, who was exhibiting MacCartridge in one 
of the Atari users-group booths, said he was visited by 
a contingent from Apple, led by Guy Kawasaki (noted soft- 
ware evangelist) and "a lot of guys in T-shirts who talked 
like attorneys." Small evidently persuaded them that he 
had done nothing actionable and even tried to convince 
them that such a product would ultimately help Apple, 
though I suspect it would help Macintosh software devel- 
opers far more than it would Apple. And since said prod- 
uct would also help Atari an awful lot, I see little chance 
of Apple giving its blessing to MacCartridge and a good 
chance of the company actively opposing it. Small says 
he has no funds to fight a legal battle and so would have 
to fold at the sign of any threat from Apple. It was a great 
hack, though . . . 

One product that I walked by two or three times before 
noticing was Morgan Computing Company's Advanced 
TraceSb, an upgrade of the firm's If ace86 debugging util- 
ity for IBM PCs and clones. Iface86 is already a good alter- 
native to the MS-DOS Debug program, but the advanced 
version provides several enhancements and improve- 
ments. According to the flier, it has an assembly language 
interpreter that does incremental assembly of instructions 
as you type them in. It also allows you to create assembly 
language programs and save them as .COM files. The pro- 
gram runs on IBM PCs with at least 128K bytes of RAM. 
Since 8086 assembly language programming is not one 
of my strong points, I'm very interested in using this to 
help me make the plunge. Look for a follow-up here once 
I get a review copy. 

There weren't too many finished (shippable) Amiga pro- 
grams showing at the Faire, but I did see a beta-test ver- 
sion of Mimetics Corporation's Sound Scape, a program 
that turns your Amiga into a synthesizer and MIDI (musical 
instrument digital interface) sequencer. Adding a MIDI 
adapter to the serial port allows you to receive MIDI com- 
mands from other devices, or you can use the Amiga's 
keyboard as, er, a keyboard. Watching the demo, I got the 
feeling that I could really compose some interesting (and 
maybe even enjoyable) music with it, prompting BYTE's 
Ezra Shapiro to comment on the "triumph of technology 
over talent." A finished version of Sound Scape should 



324 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 75 



ACCORDING TO WEBSTER 



Inquiry 2 2 



show up here in a month or two; again, look for a more 
detailed report then. 

One Amiga product that is being shipped is a version 
of Aztec C from Manx Software. You may recall from my 
May column that I ended up switching from Lattice C to 
a beta-test copy of Aztec C for most of my Amiga bench- 
marks, with a significant improvement in times. Not only 
that, but Aztec C has its own linker that works a lot faster 
than the standard Alink program that Lattice C uses. I'll 
be curious to see if this "finished" (is any compiler ever 
finished?) version is any better. Jim Goodnow, who worked 
heavily on the Amiga version, gave me some additional 
good news: Manx is porting Aztec C to the ST. 

Meanwhile, Down at the Ranch 

My trip to San Francisco included visits to Atari and Com- 
modore. At Atari, Neil Harris and Leonard Tfamiel spent 
a fair amount of time with me, doing their best to answer 
some of my criticisms of the ST and to explain strong 
points I might have overlooked. In some respects, they 
were preaching to the converted— I think the 1040ST is 
a great machine and that Atari will probably sell as many 
as they can produce— but I appreciated their comments 
nevertheless. 

Tramiel argued that GEM Desktop, the user interface on 
the ST. is just as powerful and easy to use as the Macin- 
tosh Finder. He made the valid point that "different" 
doesn't necessarily mean "better" or "worse" and that 
many users are so accustomed to the Macintosh Finder 
that they perceive GEM Desktop's differences as defi- 
ciencies. He also pointed out some of GEM Desktop's ad- 
vantages, such as the ability to open a disk's window mul- 
tiple times so that you can view different portions of a 
directory simultaneously. 

Still. I think GEM Desktop is rigid and demanding com- 
pared to Finder. All windows have to be organized the 
same (names versus icons, as well as method of sorting). 
You can't rearrange icons within a window. Viewing by 
icons forces you either to open the window the full width 
of the screen or to do a lot of horizontal scrolling, since 
the icons are not adjusted to fit within the current win- 
dow size. And those infernal drop-down menus are always 
getting in the way. requiring a lot of extra button pushing 
compared to Apple's patented pull-down menus. The irony 
is that GEM's developers at Digital Research designed the 
drop-down menu to avoid patent infringement and wound 
up having legal problems with Apple anyway. 

IVamiel is right about one thing: I have been spoiled by 
the Macintosh, and I tend to resent GEM making deci- 
sions for me that I would rather make myself. 

Tramiel and I agreed on another point, namely, the ease 
of low-level access within the ST. He showed me an 
animated three-dimensional Bessel wave function running 
through a 20-step cycle at an amazing rate of several cycles 
per second. The method was simple: All 20 steps were 
individual screen images that had been predrawn (at about 
3 minutes each) and saved on disk. The demo program 
then loaded the 20 pictures into RAM. eating up 640K 

{continued) 



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AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 325 



Inquiry 234 



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ACCORDING TO WEBSTER 



bytes (this was on a I040ST). The program created an 
animation effect simply by changing the screen pointer 
successively to each of the 20 images. This simple tech- 
nique would be impossible on the Macintosh and would 
be limited by the 51 2K bytes of "chip RAM" on the Amiga 
1000. 

The ST makes it easy to get down and mess with the 
"guts" of the machine; with the Macintosh and the Amiga, 
both the hardware and the system software tend to get 
in the way. I think that's very much the reason why ST soft- 
ware has come onto the market so quickly while Amiga 
software has lagged behind. 

The mood at Atari was upbeat and aggressive. The 
1040ST and the new 520ST started shipping in March, 
relieving a lot of dealers who went through a lean period 
with few machines to sell. Atari even released an explana- 
tion for the delay in shipping: A plane loaded with 1040s 
was on its way to the U.S., stopped in the Philippines for 
refueling, then was unable to take off again for a few weeks 
due to the political upheavals caused by the then-pending 
presidential election. There are signs that the initial I040S r fe 
were shipped in a hurry. For example, the initial models 
that dealers received did not have the promised RF 
modulator, though there was space for the circuitry on 
the motherboard and even a cutout on the internal shield- 
ing for the RF wiring to pass through. The customers don't 
really seem to care, though; reports are that the 1040ST 
is selling just fine. 

Good Signs from Commodore 

At Commodore, as well as at the local ComputerLand- 
Amiga show in San Jose, indications are that the company 
is finally getting its act together with regard to the Amiga 
machine. 

First, Commodore planned a large exhibit at COMDEX/ 
Spring. Commodore's absence at COMDEX/Fall and the 
Winter CES hurt them with developers and dealers. 

Second, Commodore has a "limited time" offer of an 
Amiga 1000 plus an RGB monitor for just $1295; in ef- 
fect, the monitor is free. That significantly shrinks the price 
gap between the Amiga 1000 and the ST models, a gap 
that had grown with the introduction of the 1040 and the 
unbundling of the 520. 

Management changes are also encouraging. These in- 
clude shifts in location (back to the West Coast) and 
changes in the people who handle third-party developers. 
Ever since Commodore moved third-party relations last 
year to West Chester. Pennsylvania, developers have been 
complaining about lack of cooperation from the company. 
Prior to that move, Caryn Mical (nee Havis) had been do- 
ing an outstanding job in the West Coast office. 

Finally, Commodore's new magazine ad campaign (tout- 
ing the special bundled deal) appears to be better con- 
ceived and executed than previous efforts. It relies on 
understatement and simplicity rather than hoopla or 
bizarre imagery and makes the Amiga look like a business 
machine— something Commodore very much wants. 

Even with all that, I still get a sense of carefully guarded 
frustration from some of the current employees at Com- 



326 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 154 



ACCORDING TO WEBSTER 



modore (and not-so-guarded frustration from those who 
have left). The frustration is not so much over current 
policies and directions; there is universal agreement that 
Commodore has finally committed itself to the Amiga and 
is heading in the right direction. The frustration is more 
in terms of lost time and opportunity. 

Macintosh Shuffle 

Hmm. Let me check my calendar here. Yes, it's time to pull 
out my gun and take some shots at Apple, rehashing old 
criticisms and relishing my being able to say "I told you so." 
In April, Apple announced and released yet another 
Macintosh, the Mac 512K Enhanced. This represents the 
fourth (or. if you really want to get picky, the fifth) version 
of the Mac to appear in a little more than two years since 
the Mac was first announced. There was the original 128K 
Mac; purists may contend there were two versions here, 
the "original" original and the one with the same mother- 
board as the 512K Mac. Then came the 512K Mac. 
followed by the Mac Plus. Now we have the 512K Mac 
Enhanced, a machine with the new 128K-byte ROMs, an 
800K-byte disk drive, and the same list price ($1999) as 
the old. 512K Mac. which has been dropped (the second 

(continued) 



Items Discussed 



Advanced T&ace86 

Morgan Computing Company 
P.O. Box 112730 
Carrollton, TX 75001 
(214) 245-4763 

Aztec C (Amiga version) 

developer's system 

commercial system 

Manx Software Systems 
One Industrial Way 
Eatontown, NJ 07724 
(800) 221-0440 

LlGHTSPEED C 

Think Technologies Inc. 
420 Bedford St.. Suite 350 
Lexington, MA 02173 
(617) 863-5 59 5 

MacCartridge 

Data Pacific Inc. 

P.O. Box 10805 

Marina Del Rey. CA 90295 

(213) 821-2623 

Sound Scape Pro MIDI Studio . 

Mimetics Corporation 
P.O. Box 60238 
Palo Alto. CA 94306 
(408) 741-0117 



$175 



$299 
$499 






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Price not set 



.$149 




Inquiry 94 

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Items reflect 4% cash or check discount. For your protection we check for stolen credit cards 

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Price and avaUafcWty subject to change without notice. 

AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 327 



Inquiry 161 



A Sensible Approach 
to Digital Typesetting 

Why buy an entirely new system, when you 
can use your PC, any word processor, 
BYSO™ LaserPRINT, and an HP Laser Jet+? 
This delivers the highest quality typogra- 
phy with complete capabilities (including 
spreadsheets and forms). 

BYSO LaserPRINT's strong feature is a 
library of 110 typefaces, each of which 
can be set in a variety of sizes. It works 
automatically or you can use 80 profes- 
sional formatting commands to take 
control. 

We also offer BYSO PRINT for most 
dot matrix printers. 

BYSO LaserPRINTT or BYSO PRINT, each 
license $500, including 8 typefaces. Add 
$5 shipping. For sale in the U.S. and Canada 
only. 

Order from 

Levlen Instrument Co. 

Sitlington Hill 
Box 31 

McDowell, VA 24458 
Tel (703) 396-3345 
This ad set with 
BYSO PRINT and a 
TOSHIBA P351 



to, $$ 



ACCORDING TO WEBSTER 




Apple is apparently 



listening to what users want 
and doing its best to undo 
some of the unfortunate decisions 
made a few years back. 



the old 512K Mac. which has been dropped (the second 
version of the Macintosh to die within the past two years). 

Please don't get me wrong. I am not criticizing Apple 
for replacing the old 512K-byte Mac with the new one. On 
the contrary, I think it's a necessary move to make the new 
ROMs and disk drives the standard. And Apple is wisely 
providing upgrade paths from the old 512K-byte Mac to 
the new one and from the old and new 512K-byte Macs 
to the Mac Plus. 

What makes me want to laugh (and sometimes cry) is 
the memory of the statements that came out of Apple 
a few years back, defending the machine's closed, limited 
architecture. The major claim was that programmers would 
not have to worry (as they supposedly do with, say, the 
IBM PC) about how much memory or what peripherals 
or ports the machine had. Instead, developers would 
always be assured of a fixed configuration. 

Now, developers not only have to worry about four dif- 
ferent models, they also have to deal with in-between ver- 
sions caused by partial upgrades: two different keyboards, 
two different ROM sets (64K and 128K bytes), two different 
disk capacities (400K and 800K bytes), an optional SCSI 
port, whether or not HFS (hierarchical file system) is be- 
ing used, if the + 5-volt pin is available on the serial ports 
(it isn't on any Mac that's been upgraded to the new round 
serial connectors), and, of course, the amount of RAM 
available. This gives the Macintosh many of the disadvan- 
tages of an open architecture (with which Apple II and 
IBM PC developers seem to have somehow coped) and 
none of the advantages. 

Again. I'm not really taking shots at the current Apple 
management, which now seems committed to open-archi- 
tecture machines. The company is apparently listening to 
what the users want and doing its best to undo some of 
the unfortunate decisions made a few years back. I just 
hope Apple and other firms learn from those mistakes. 

In the Queue 

Lots of stuff is lined up for next month. Look for reports 
on TLirbo Prolog from Borland. Lightspeed C, Multi-Forth 
for the Amiga, and the Supra 20-megabyte hard disk for 
the Atari ST. Until then, see you on the bit stream. 

Thanks to lames. Mike, and Mike at Lloyd's Computers for hard- 
ware repairs above and beyond the call of duty: to Neil Harris at 
Atari for his time and patience: and to Lynne )udd for tackling the 
stables of Augeas {or at least the modern equivalent). ■ 



328 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry I 



BYTE^-PAN 



*Ub 



Fujitsu Processor Upgrade 



by William M. Raike 



The majority of personal 
computers sold in Japan are 
not designed to be IBM PC- 
compatible. That holds true 
for all of the computers in 
NEC's PC9800 series, as well 
as for the Fujitsu FM-16/3. 
Fortunately, however, a con- 
siderable amount of U.S.-made soft- 
ware will run on these machines 
because they run under either MS- 
DOS or CP/M-86. Both operating sys- 
tems are enhanced to support the ex- 
tensive Japanese-language features 
built into these powerful computers. 
UNIX-based systems, though, have 
been scarce at the personal computer 
level; one exception has been the 
NEC PC98XA. for which a kanji (Japa- 
nese-language) version of Microsoft's 
XENIX operating system has been 
available for nearly a year. But recent- 
ly Fujitsu announced an upgrade of 
its personal computer series that 
could make UNIX-based systems less 
scarce here in japan. 

Fujitsu's 80286 Board 

A major factor in my decision to buy 
the Fujitsu FM-16/3 last year was 
Fujitsu's announcement that an 80286 
processor board would be available 
for the computer shortly. I had wel- 
comed it as an opportunity to use the 
XENIX operating system. A prototype 
of the board was in operation at the 
same computer show where NEC in- 
troduced its top-of-the-line 80286- 
based PC98XA last spring; both ran 
Microsoft/ASCII's version of XENIX 
that supports the Japanese language. 
At long last, Fujitsu has released the 
new processor board, although its 
$500 list price doesn't exactly spur me 
to rush out and buy one. And the 
price of Fujitsu's version of XENIX, to 
be sold separately, hasn't been an- 
nounced yet but may well be more 
than $1000. Having just switched from 



UNIX now runs 

on the Fujitsu with an 80286 

chip on board 



CP/M-86 to MS-DOS (see the May 
BYTE Japan). I'll wait before trying an- 
other operating system. 

An Upgrade of the FIVH6/3 

Fujitsu's introduction of its 80286 pro- 
cessor board is actually a side effect 
of the company's most recent steps 
to upgrade the FM-16/3. This com- 
puter, based on the 80186 processor, 
is a powerful machine. I'm very 
satisfied with the one I bought last 
year. It can hold up to a full megabyte 
of RAM and uses an MBL68B09E co- 
processor to relieve the main pro- 
cessor of the need to manage the 
screen and keyboard. 

The upgraded Fujitsu FM-16/3 
comes in four models: the FD I and 
HD I. and the FD II and HD II. The FD 
I and HD I are essentially the same 
as the original FM-16/3 models; the FD 
designation indicates two built-in flop- 
py disk drives, while the HD models 
incorporate a built-in 10-megabyte 
hard disk drive. The main difference 
between the FD I and HD I models 
and the previous ones (FD and HD) 
is that the new versions come with a 
full megabyte of memory as standard, 
in addition to the standard 1 92 K bytes 
of graphics video RAM; the older 
models came equipped with only 
512K bytes. 

The Japanese-language features of 
all the models are identical and exten- 
sive: They incorporate both the JIS 
(Japanese Industrial Standard) No. I 
and No. 2 kanji character sets in ROM. 
with a total of over 6000 characters, 
in addition to the normal alphanu- 



meric character sets and the 
Japanese katakana phonetic 
alphabet. (The combination 
of alphanumeric characters 
and katakana is often ab- 
breviated in Japanese 
brochures as the "ANK 
character set.") They can run 
either the CP/M-86 or MS-DOS (ver- 
sion 2.1 1 or 3.1) operating systems. 
The core of the upgrade revolves 
around the central processor. The 
new FD II and HD II models incor- 
porate an 80286 processor in place 
of the 80186 in the FD I and HD I. The 
80286, the same processor used in 
IBM's top-of-the-line PC AT. runs at 8 
MHz, the same clock speed as the 
80186 in the FD I and HD I models, 
but it is a substantially more power- 
ful chip. Among other things, its 24-bit 
addressing capability allows the pro- 
cessor to directly address 16 mega- 
bytes of memory. Contrast that with 
the 8088/8086/80186 chips used in 
most personal computers these days 
that can address a maximum of only 
I megabyte. The UNIX operating 
system and its variants generally per- 
form best in an environment in which 
substantial amounts of fast disk 
storage (i.e.. hard disk capacity) are 
available. UNIX can take especially ef- 
fective advantage of large amounts of 
semiconductor memory (i.e.. RAM 
disk), which is rapidly becoming inex- 
pensive due to recent advances in 
large-scale integrated circuit memory 
technology. 

Although the new Fujitsu models 
are not compatible with IBM's PC AT 

(continued) 
William M. Raike, who has a Ph.D. in ap- 
plied mathematics from Northwestern Univer- 
sity, went to }apan in 1 980 looking for 64K- 
bit RAMs. We has been there ever since as 
a technical translator and a software developer. 
We can be contacted do BYTE. One Phoenix 
Mill Lane. Peterborough, NH 03458. 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 329 



BYTE JAPAN 



computer or its various clones, they 
can run under MS-DOS and XENIX. 
The amount of Japanese-language 
software you can buy is considerable, 
although it isn't much compared to 
the volume of software Americans 
can access if they own a PC AT or 
clone. Of course, Fujitsu FM-16/3 com- 
puters have no problems running U.S.- 
made generic MS-DOS software. And 
the price of this amount of computing 



power is low: At current yen/dollar ex- 
change rates, the FM-16|3 HD II model 
with an 80286 processor, 1 megabyte 
of RAM, one 1.2-megabyte floppy 
disk drive, and one 10-megabyte hard 
disk drive sells for only about $3765. 
The dual floppy disk version costs 
only $2 180. And for the FD I and HD 
I models the price reductions mean 
that the second ^-megabyte of 
memory is essentially free compared 



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to the price of the older models. The 
dual floppy disk version sells for 
about $1895. while the hard disk 
model goes for about $347 5. These 
prices are list prices— you can usually 
find discounts of around 20 percent 
in Tokyo's electronics district in 
Akihabara. 

A Frequent Question 

The most frequent question I get from 
BYTE readers is, What software and/or 
hardware is available that will allow 
Japanese-language word processing 
on an IBM PC or PC clone? Unfor- 
tunately my answer is always brief: To 
my knowledge, there is no such soft- 
ware and/or board available. The IBM 
"standard" is no standard at all in 
Japan, since Japanese personal com- 
puter hardware has generally been 
considerably more powerful and cost- 
effective than the IBM PC PC XT, PC 
AT, or their many work-alikes. Japa- 
nese computers incorporate exten- 
sive Japanese-language features such 
as kanji-character ROM and operating 
system support for the Japanese lan- 
guage, together with some quite 
powerful graphics features. 

Many letter writers asking that ques- 
tion are students and faculty mem- 
bers from American universities. Tak- 
ing all things into consideration, it 
seems there would be a significant 
potential market for equipment (like 
a kanji ROM board in conjunction with 
something like the Hercules graphics 
board on the IBM PC and compati- 
bles) that could work with at least one 
existing Japanese-language word- 
processing program for IBM PC 
owners. As far as I know, no one has 
approached this market, despite the 
thousands of boards you can buy for 
the IBM PC that perform various other 
specialized functions. 

Another important potential market 
for a combined hardware/software 
solution to the problem of giving the 
IBM PC a Japanese-language capabili- 
ty is the growing number of foreign 
companies that market their products 
in Japan. For example, one American 
manufacturer of laboratory instru- 
mentation equipment with a Japanese 
subsidiary produces a system based 
on an IBM PC clone. The company in- 
stalls its proprietary circuit boards, 



330 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 97 



BYTE JAPAN 



which it then supplies along with its 
own special-purpose software. Com- 
pany representatives asked my opin- 
ion about their plans to introduce 
the equipment to the Japanese 
market, with the idea that the com- 
puter could be performing useful 
tasks (such as word processing or 
other chores) when it isn't being 
used for taking laboratory measure- 
ments. 

Since a computer that has no Japa- 
nese-language capabilities (such as 
the IBM PC) would have minimal use- 
fulness outside the immediate (labo- 
ratory instrumentation) application, I 
felt the company's choices were lim- 
ited. One might redesign the product 
around a Japanese personal com- 
puter like the NEC PC9801. but the 
potential market (perhaps one or two 
hundred systems per year) couldn't 
possibly justify it. Even for products 
with larger sales volumes, I can guess 
that with two separate versions of a 
product for home and export (i.e., 
Japanese) markets, the engineering 
improvements for the export model 
would take a back seat. 

A Challenge 

I challenge BYTE readers with entre- 
preneurial inclinations to approach 
this problem. It'll take a knowledge of 
both hardware and software: Design- 
ing a kanji ROM board will require 
familiarity with the IBM PC (or PC XT 
or PC AT) and demand an awareness 
of the problems and issues involved 
in dealing with the Japanese language 
in computers, especially the state of 
the art of Japanese word processing. 
The goal should be to run at least one 
Japanese word-processing program 
currently in widespread use on, for 
example, the NEC PC-9801VM2 com- 
puter, substantially as is. on an IBM 
PCorPC clone that is equipped with 
a suitable kanji ROM board (and prob- 
ably a Hercules or equivalent graph- 
ics board). 

We all hear about the U.S./Japan 
trade imbalance. Consider that Japa- 
nese auto manufacturers can produce 
right-hand-drive models for their 
domestic market and left-hand-drive 
models for export. It would seem that 
American manufacturing companies 
make all too few efforts to tailor their 



products to the long-term Japanese 
market. Why not adapt personal com- 
puter products to the Japanese 
market? 

The only analogous development I 
know of for a U.S.-made computer is 
the DynaMac version of Apple's 
Macintosh that I wrote about earlier 
(January BYTE Japan). That machine 
doesn't really do much to address 
either of the markets I've mentioned, 



since it's not sold in the U.S. and since 
there are far more third-party hard- 
ware/software products available for 
IBM personal computers than for the 
Macintosh. 

Next Month 

Bill discusses a new trend in Japanese 
culture that leads him into sharing 
some interesting highlights of the 
Microcomputer Show. ■ 



Scan'n Cut'n Paste PC 




New P. A.G.E. Scanner gives your 
blind PC the eyes it needs. 

Introducing the missing link. The big 
leap that gives your PC the eyes it needs to 
capture and enhance existing artwork. 

The new RA.G.E. Scanner takes any 
photo, flat art, magazine or book and 
converts them into digitized images. Now 
you can turn, invert, enlarge, reduce, 
mirror and even reverse any image, with 
resolution to 300, 240, 180 or 100 dots per 
inch, matching laser printer quality. 

The possibilities for image manipulation 
are incredible. There's a zoom feature for 
fat bit (single pixel) editing, even at a 
maximum resolution of 90,000 dp sq in. 

Hardware Features 

■ Scans to four resolutions, 100, 180, 240 or 
300 dpi. 

■ Line or halftone. 

■ Flat bed — easy manipulation of originals. 

■ Scans books and other dimensional 
objects. 

■ ] /2-card interface for IBM PC™, XT™, AT™ 
and compatibles. 

■ Compatible with most graphics cards. 

■ Compatible with most pointing devices. 

■ Compact and lightweight — 
15"Wxl9"Dx5"H. 



■ Compatible with most popular dot matrix 
and laser printers. 

■ Data file compression saves valuable disk 
space. 

■ Runs in virtual page to maximize memory. 

■ Requires 256K minimum; 640K for high 
resolution. 

Software Features 

■ Icon driven. 

■ 20 fonts with text manipulation. 

■ Grids, filled and unfilled circles, elipses 
and boxes, pencil and airbrush, scissors, 
draw, paint, cut and paste and 
rubberstamp. 

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Terms: Major credit cards, checks or 

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Order yours now and give your blind PC the eyes it needs. 

Call (201) 647-3678 ext. 40. 

Or send your order to: i 



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150 Mt. Bethel Road, Dept. B2 
Warren, NJ 07060 
IBM, PC, XT and AT are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Dealer and OEM inquiries invited. 



Inquiry 235 



AUGUST 1986 



IYTE 331 



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332 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 93 



M A THE MA TIC ALsRE GREAT IONS 




Number Games 



by Robert T. Kurosaka 



Here's an old number trick: 
Start with any four-digit 
number, say, 3917. Form a 
new number by arranging its 
digits in decreasing order. 
9731, and another with the 
digits in increasing order. 
1379. Find the difference of 
these numbers: 83 52. Repeat the pro- 
cedure with 8352: 8532 - 2358 = 
6174. Another repetition produces 
7641 - 1467 = 6174. We see that fur- 
ther repetitions will yield an endless 
sequence of 6174s. 

Questions arise immediately: Will all 
four-digit numbers eventually arrive at 
this or some other self-replicating 
value? Which numbers require the 
most steps before they are repeated? 
It turns out that all four-digit numbers 
(except multiples of III I) will reach 
6174 in at most seven steps. 

Many similar procedures exist for 
generating repeating sequences, and 
some of them produce startling 
results. Computers make the job of 
exploring them far easier than the 
manual method. 

What's the purpose of this intellec- 
tual thumb-twiddling, you ask. Hard- 
ly ever a practical one. I admit, but 
after all, the name of this column is 
"Mathematical Recreations." 

This month I'll look at several num- 
ber-sequence games, providing BASIC 
programs that check them out. (Read- 
ers are also encouraged to seek ways 
of improving on my solutions.) 

In all cases, the term number will 
mean positive integer. 

Sum of Cubes 

Start with any number, say, 3 52. Find 
the sum of the cubes of its digits: 3 3 + 
5 3 + 2 3 = 160. Repeat the procedure 
with 160: l 3 + 6 3 f 3 - 217, which 
in turn gives 2 3 + l 3 + 7 3 = 3 52. We 
already find ourselves in a loop: (160, 
217, 352). 



Bob teaches 



some familiar old tricks to a 



new machine 



Listing I is a program that performs 
the sum-of-cubes routine on any set 
of consecutive numbers. For a par- 
ticular n, it prints the consecutive 
sums of cubes until a loop is found. 
Readers may wish to modify the pro- 
gram later, perhaps suppressing the 
actual terms and printing out only the 
number of steps taken and the type 
of loop. 

It has been proved that all numbers 
will eventually reach one of several 
loops. I have seen the proof in a Math- 
ematical Association of America jour- 
nal, but I cannot find that article, nor 
do I remember the proof. 

The following are a few of the 
known loops: three-step: (55, 2 50. 
133); two-step: (136, 244) and (919, 
1459); one-step: (153), (370), (371), 
and. of course, (1). 

After exploring the sum-of-cubes 
procedure, readers may wish to in- 
vestigate other powers or even other 
number bases. 

Factorial Sums 

Start with any number, say. 169. Find 
the sum of the factorials of its digits: I ! 
+ 6! + 9! = 363601. Repeat the pro- 
cess: 3! + 6! + 3! + 6! + 0! + I! = 
1454. Then. I! + 4! + 5! + 4! = 169, 
and we have already found a loop: 
(169, 363601, 1454). 

I have examined all numbers less 
than 1000 and found that nearly all 
of them enter this particular loop. You 
will also find some one-step loops, 
since 1 = 1!, 2 = 2!, and 145 = I! + 
4! + 5!. Some two-step loops are (871, 
45361) and (872, 45362). 



Listing 2 calculates the sum 

of factorials for any range of 

numbers. When numbers are 

set for 10-digit precision, the 

program can handle starting 

values up to 9999999999. 

But even this giant yields 10 

x 9! - 3628800. As long as 

we limit the argument to 10 digits at 

most, no result will exceed 7 digits. Of 

course, if double precision is available. 

the program can be adapted to work 

with even larger numbers. 



Palindromic Sums 

It has been said that the first man in- 
troduced himself to the first woman 
with a palindrome: "Madam, I'm 
Adam!" Not to be outdone, she 
replied in kind: "Eve." 

Now we'll go searching for se- 
quences that produce numeric palin- 
dromes, that is, numbers that read the 
same forward and backward. 

Start with any number, say. 48. 
Reverse its digits and add the result 
to the original number: 48 + 84 = 
132. Repeat the procedure: 132 + 231 
= 363. a palindrome. 

All numbers may eventually pro- 
duce palindromes using this reverse- 
and-add routine— but that remains to 
be proved. Some numbers are known 
to require many steps; for example, 89 
requires 24 steps. 

Charles W. Trigg, presently book 
review editor for the ]ournal of Recrea- 
tional Mathematics and a prolific con- 
tributor to numerous mathematics 
publications, found only 249 numbers 
less than 10.000 that require more 
than 100 steps to reach a palindrome. 
Among them is the dreaded 196, 
which has been taken to hundreds of 

[continued] 
Robert T Kurosaka teaches mathematics in 
the Massachusetts State College system. Y\e 
can be reached do BYTE, One Phoenix Mill 
lane, Peterborough. NH 03458. 



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NUMBER GAMES 



thousands of steps with no palindrome 
in sight. The same is true for its 
"cousins," 295 and 394. 

Listing 3 investigates palindromic 
sums for any range of numbers. The 
lower limit for the sequence is II, and 
there is no explicit upper limit. It does 
not have safeguards against dubious 
numbers like 196 that produce very 



long sequences. Improvements are 
left to the reader's ingenuity. 

Delete and Add 

One of my favorites is the delightful 
little marvel shown in the sample run 
of listing 4. Begin by listing the whole 
numbers I through n. You then delete 

(continued) 



Listing la: The BASIC program to produce cube sums until a cycle is found. 


10 REM Sum of Cubes 


20 REM by Bob Kurosaka 


7ft RFU 


JC) rxCM 

40 DIM A(10),B(100) :REM A() holds digits, B() holds sums. 


50 CLS 


60 PRINT "Program generates sequences of cube sums." 


70 PRINT 


80 PRINT "Lower limit, upper limit "; 


90 INPUT LL, UL 


100 LL=ABS(INT(LL)) 


110 UL=ABS(INT(UL)) 


ion pru 


1 £\q r\£.M 


130 FOR N=LL TO UL 


REM Sequences for each no. LL to NN 


H0 SP=0 


REM SP counts the steps before a cycle 


150 B(SP)=N 


REM Make the first term=N 


160 PRINT B(SP); 


REM Print the current term 


170 M=B(SP) 


REM Make a copy of latest term 


1 RA RTU 


I OW r\LM 


190 REM Break up the term into its component digits 


200 D=1 


REM D = no. of digits 


210 T=INT(M/10) 


REM T = no. of "Tens" in M 


220 A(D)=M-10*T 


REM Store rightmost digit in array A 


230 IF T<>0 THEN D=D+1 : M=T: GOTO 210 


9AA RFIul 


Ztu r\Cm 


250 REM Calculate the sum of the cubes of the digits in A() 


260 SUM=0 


270 FOR 1=1 TO D 


280 SUM=SUM+A(I)*A(I)*A(I) 


290 NEXT I 


300 REM See if sum has occurred already. 


310 1=0 


320 WHILE B(I)<>SUM AND I<=SP 


330 1=1+1 


340 WEND 


350 IF B(I)=SUM AND I<=SP THEN 400 


360 SP=SP+1 :REM one more step 


370 B(SP)=SUM :REM Store SUM in array B 


380 GOTO 160 


7Qf> pru 


OsU r\LM 


400 PRINT SUM; "* loops to step " ; I 


410 NEXT N 


420 END 


Listing lb: A sample run. 


Program generates sequences of cube sums. 


Lower limit, upper limit ? 21, 25 


21 9 729 1080 513 153 153 * loops to step 5 


22 16 217 352 160 217 * loops to step 2 


23 35 152 134 92 737 713 371 371 * loops to step 7 


24 72 351 153 153 * loops to step 3 


25 133 55 250 133 * loops to step 1 


0k 



NUMBER GAMES 



Listing 2a: The BASIC program to produce factorial sums until a cycle is found. 

10 REM Sum of Factorials 

20 REM by Bob Kurosaka 

30 REM 

40 DIM A(10),B(100),F(10) 

50 DATA 1,1,2,6,24,120,720,5040,40320,362880 

60 FOR J=1 TO 10 

70 READ F(J) 

80 NEXT J 

90 CLS 

100 PRINT "Program generates factorial sum sequences." 

110 PRINT 

120 PRINT "Lower limit, upper limit "; 

130 INPUT LL, UL 

140 LL=ABS(INT(LL)) 

150 UL=ABS(INT(UL)) 

160 REM 



REM Sequences for each no. LL to NN 
REM SP counts the steps before a cycle 
REM Make the first term=N 
REM Print the current term 
REM Make a copy of latest term 



170 FOR N=LL TO UL 

180 SP=0 

190 B(SP)=N 

200 PRINT B(SP); 

210 M=B(SP) 

220 REM 

230 REM Break up the term into its component digits 

240 D=1 :REM D = no. of digits 

250 T=INT(M/10) :REM T = no. of "Tens" in M 

260 A(D)=M-10*T :REM Store rightmost digit in array A 

270 IF T<>0 THEN D=D+1 : M=T: GOTO 250 

280 REM 

290 REM Calculate the sum of the factorials of digits in A() 

300 SUM=0 

310 FOR 1=1 TO D 

320 SUM=SUM+F(A(I)+1) 

330 NEXT I 

340 REM See if sum has occurred already. 

350 1=0 

360 WHILE B(I)<>SUM AND I<=SP 

370 1=1+1 

380 WEND 

390 IF B(I)=SUM AND I<=SP THEN 440 

400 SP=SP+1 :REM one more step 

410 B(SP)=SUM :REM Store SUM in array B 

420 GOTO 200 

430 REM 

440 PRINT SUM; "* loops to step "; I 
450 PRINT 
460 NEXT N 
470 END 



Listing 2b: A sample run. 

Program generates factorial sum sequences. 

Lower limit, upper limit ? 24, 27 

24 26 722 5044 169 363601 1454 169 * loops to step 4 

25 122 5 120 4 24 26 722 5044 169 363601 1454 
169 * loops to step 9 

26 722 5044 169 363601 1454 169 * loops to step 3 

27 5042 147 5065 961 363601 1454 169 363601 * loops 
to step 5 

Ok 



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NUMBER GAMES 



Listing 3a: The BASIC program to find palindromes by adding a number to its 
reverse image and repeating the process with the resulting sum. 



10 REM Palindromic Sums 
20 REM by Bob Kurosaka 
30 REM 



:REM One space inside quotes 
:REM A() holds the digits. 



40 SP$=" " 

50 D$="0123456789" 

60 YES=(1=1) 

70 DIM A(100) 

80 CLS 

90 PRINT"Program generates sequences ending in palindromes." 

100 PRINT 

110 PRINT "Lower limit (>10) and upper limit "; 

120 INPUT LL, UL 

130 LL=ABS(INT(LL)) 

140 UL=ABS(INT(UL)) 

150 IF LL<10 THEN 110 

160 FOR N=LL TO UL 

170 SP=0 :REM SP counts the steps before a cycle 

180 REM 

190 REM Break up the term into its component digits 



200 M=N 

210 D=1 

220 T=INT(M/10) 

230 A(D)=M-10*T 



:REM Make a copy of latest term 

:REM D = no. of digits 

:REM T = no. of "Tens" in M 

:REM Store rightmost digit in array A 

240 IF T<>0 THEN D=D+1 : M=T: GOTO 220 

250 0DD=ABS((INT(D/2)<>D/2)) :REM Even or odd no. of digits? 

260 REM 

270 REM Print the latest term 

280 FOR I=D TO 1 STEP -1 

290 PRINT MID$(D$,A(I)+1,1); 

300 NEXT I 

310 PRINT SP$; 

320 REM 

330 REM Check for palindrome 

340 FOR 1=1 TO D/2 

350 PL=(A(I)=A(D-I+1)) 

360 IF NOT PL THEN I=D/2 :REM Exit if not a palindrome 

370 NEXT I 

380 IF PL THEN 580 

390 REM 

400 REM Add each digit to its reverse image counterpart 

410 FOR 1=1 TO D/2+0DD 

420 A(I)=A(I)+A(D-I+1) 

430 A(D-I+1)=A(I) 

440 NEXT I 

450 REM Check for carry 

460 FOR 1=1 TO D 

470 IF A(I)<10 THEN 500 

480 A(I)=A(I)-10 

490 A(I+1)=A(I+1)+1 

500 NEXT I 

510 IF A(D+1)=0 THEN 540 

520 D=D+1 

530 0DD=ABS((INT(D/2)<>D/2)) 

540 SP=SP+1 

550 GOTO 280 

560 REM 

570 REM Indicate that a cycle has been found 

580 PRINT "* at step " ; SP 

590 FOR 1=1 TO D 

600 A(I)=0 

610 NEXT I 

620 NEXT N 

630 END 



[continued) 




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NUMBER GAMES 



Listing 3b: A sample run. 

Program generates sequences ending in palindromes. 

Lower limit (>10) and upper limit ? 75, 80 

75 132 363 * at step 2 

76 143 484 * at step 2 

77 * at step 

78 165 726 1353 4884 * at step 4 

79 176 847 1595 7546 14003 44044 * at step 6 

80 88 * at step 1 

Ok 



Listing 4a: The BASIC program to perform the delete-and-add routine for any 
integral power. 

10 REM Delete and Add 

20 REM by Bob Kurosaka 

30 REM 

40 N=50 :REM N=number of integers in starting sequence. 
50 DIM SF$(3), A(N) :REM SF$() = suffixes, A() = sequence. 
60 DATA nd, rd, th 
70 FOR J=1 TO 3: READ SF$(J): NEXT J 

90 CLS 

100 PRINT "Program uses a delete-and-add process" 

110 PRINT "to generate i"p for i=1 to ";N; "/ p." 

120 PRINT: INPUT "Enter a value for p (power)"; P 

130 P=ABS(INT(P)) 

140 IF P<2 THEN 100 

150 REM 

160 PRINT: PRINT "Starting sequence:" 

170 FOR 1=1 TO N 

180 A(I)=I 

190 PRINT I; 

200 NEXT I 

210 PRINT 

220 REM 

230 FOR R=P TO 2 STEP-1 

240 DC=0 :REM Counts the terms deleted. 

250 FOR J=R TO N STEP R :REM Delete every Jth term 

260 A(J)=0 

270 DC=DC+1 

280 NEXT J 

290 REM 

300 REM Print deleted array 

310 WSF=SGN(R-3)+2 :REM Select suffix 

320 PRINT: PRINT "Delete every "; R; SF$(WSF); " term:" 

330 FOR 1=1 TO N 

340 IF A(I)<>0 THEN PRINT A(I); ELSE PRINT "*"; 

350 NEXT I 

360 REM 

370 REM Compute Partial Sums 

380 K=1 

390 FOR J=2 TO N-DC :REM There will be N-DC valid numbers. 

400 K=K+1 :REM K points to next term to be added. 

410 IF A(K)=0 THEN K=K+1 : REM Skip zero (deleted) terms. 

420 A(J)=A(J-1)+A(K) :REM Calculate partial sum. 

430 NEXT J 

440 N=N-DC :REM Revise the number of valid terms in A(). 

450 REM 

460 REM Print Partial Sums 

470 PRINT: PRINT: PRINT "Partial sums:" 

{continued) 



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Inquiry 246 



NUMBER GAMES 



480 FOR 1=1 TO N 
490 PRINT A(I); 
500 NEXT I 
510 PRINT 
520 NEXT R 
530 END 




Listing 4b: A sample run. 




Program uses a de I ete-and-add process 
to generate i ~p for i=1 to 50 / p. 




Enter a value for p (power)? 4 




Starting sequence: 
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 
48 49 50 


13 14 15 16 17 
28 29 30 31 32 
43 44 45 46 47 


Delete every 4 th term: 
1 2 3 * 5 6 7 * 9 10 11 * 13 14 
21 22 23 * 25 26 27 * 29 30 31 * 
39 * 41 42 43 * 45 46 47 * 49 50 


15 * 17 18 19 * 
33 34 35 * 37 38 


Partial sums: 
1 3 6 11 17 24 33 43 54 67 81 96 113 131 150 
171 193 216 241 267 294 323 353 384 417 451 486 
523 561 600 641 683 726 771 817 864 913 963 


Delete every 3 rd term: 
1 3 * 11 17 * 33 43 * 67 81 * 113 
267 * 323 353 * 417 451 * 523 561 * 
* 913 963 


131 * 171 193 * 241 
641 683 * 771 817 


Partial sums: 
1 4 15 32 65 108 175 256 369 500 671 864 1105 
1372 1695 2048 2465 2916 3439 4000 4641 5324 6095 
6912 7825 8788 


Delete every 2 nd term: 
1 * 15 * 65 * 175 * 369 * 671 * 1105 * 
4641 * 6095 * 7825 * 


1695 * 2465 * 3439 * 


Partial sums: 
1 16 81 256 625 1296 2401 4096 
20736 28561 


6561 10000 14641 


Ok 


■ 



The delete-and-add 
process produces 
a power sequence. 



every fourth term and list the partial 
sums of the remaining terms (see 
figure I for an explanation). Now 
delete every third term and again list 
the partial sums. Then delete every 
second term and list the partial sums 
one last time. 

We stop at this point (we wouldn't 
delete every term, would we?) and note 
the remarkable results: The sequence 
consists of the fourth powers of the 
whole numbers. 

This procedure generalizes to wth 
powers (begin by deleting every wth 
term, and so on). It was discovered by 
Alfred Moessner in 1951 and proved 
by Oskar Perron in the same year. A 
thorough treatment can be found in 
"On the Moessner Theorem on In- 
tegral Powers" by C. T. Long in the 
American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 73 
(1966). pages 846-851. 

Listing 4 performs the above delete- 
and-add routine for any integral 
power. For larger powers, the initial list 
of whole numbers should be ex- 
tended in line 40. (Hint: For the nth 
power, only I /wth of the list will remain 
to the conclusion.) For very large 
powers, the use of extended or dou- 
ble precision may be in order. 

I hope you find these procedures 
and their results as enjoyable as 1 do. 
I would welcome any references and 
sources on these or other number 
sequences. ■ 





































Series with every fourth 


































term deleted 






2 




3 






5 




6 






7 




9 






-1- 






+ s^ 




+ 






+ >f 




+ 








+ 






• • • 


New series composed 


' ^<r 


i 


' 


^r 1 


' 
















i 


i 




\ 


' 




of partial sums 

• 


' 




V 




6-" 






IK 




W 






24' 




33 





Figure I: \n the delete-and-add program, partial sums are taken to produce a new sequence of terms. The first term is unchanged. 
The second term is added to the first term to produce a new second term. That new term is added to the third term to produce a new 
third term, and so forth. 



338 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



LETTERS 



[continued from page 24) 

word silly is not an identifier; it is a tag and 
is conceptually in a disjoint symbol table 
from identifiers. Were the self-referential 
item next not included in the structure, the 
tag could even be omitted. However, if I 
want to refer to the structure in other files 
(e.g., in extern declarations), 1 am forced to 
write stuff like 

extern struct silly s3, s4; 

that is, the tag itself is not a type. It has 
to be preceded by the word struct or 
union. The use of typedef offers a neater 
notation, to wit: 

typedef struct thing { 

int a; 

char b[6]; 

struct thing *nest; 

} Silly; 
silly s1, s2; 

That is, Silly becomes an actual type 
name. It should be mentioned that the 
C++ language removes much of the need 
for typedef by making the tag itself an ac- 
tual type. 

Now, why is all of this important? In a 
large program, composed of many inde- 



pendently compiled files, the only way to 
prevent accidental type incompatibilities 
is to put the global information in header 
files that get brought into desired source 
files by use of the #include directive. This 
information consists of constants and 
macros defined by #define, all type 
declarations, and all external variable 
declarations. In particular, global struc- 
tures and unions will need such declara- 
tions, and the cleanest and easiest organi- 
zation is to have separate header files for 
those declarations that do not reference 
allocated memory, like #define and 
typedef, and for those that do, like extern 
declarations for variables and functions. 
It is in the context of such organization 
that typedef makes for easier reading. It 
goes without saying that the first thing one 
must do before reading an unfamiliar pro- 
gram is to print out the header files and 
tack them to the nearest wall. 

Herbert Kanner 
Palo Alto, CA 

I was interested to learn some of the 
history of UNIX and C from Mr. Kanner' s 
letter. I have never used Con a minicom- 
puter system running the UNIX operating 



system and was not aware that enumera- 
tion data types were part of that environ- 
ment. 

Variations in C was written for micro- 
computer programmers, and all of my C 
programming experience is on CP/M and 
MS-DOS micros. The compilers and in- 
terpreters I have used on these systems 
have kept close to the K&R standards of 
the C language, which do not use the 
enumeration data type or void declara- 
tor. Presumably, this situation will change 
once the proposed ANSI C standard is 
finalized. 

I agree with Mr. Kanner that judicious 
use of the #define preprocessor com- 
mand is a useful programming technique. 
The one thing that bothered me in Varia- 
tions in C was the use of #define and 
typedef to create synonyms for Cs re- 
served storage-class keywords. I want to 
emphasize that this is personal predilec- 
tion I have. The technique that Mr. Kan- 
ner suggests, tacking up the header files 
on the nearest wall when you begin 
working with an unfamiliar program, is a 
good suggestion that helps to get around 
the problem of struggling with someone 

(continued) 



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AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 339 



LETTERS 



else's "intuitive" redefinitions of Cs re- 
served keywords. 

-John D. Unger 

More on Pan-Reif Algorithm 

"The Inversion of Large Matrices" by 
Thomas E. Phipps Jr. (April) was interest- 
ing. Pan and Reif's important contribution 
is that of providing an initial approxima- 
tion to the inverse that permits the 
Newton iteration algorithm to always con- 
verge. This can be important for parallel 



processing. It is not appropriate, however, 
to use this algorithm for serial processing. 
As a general rule, direct methods are 
more efficient than iterative methods. For 
matrix inversion there exist a number of 
good algorithms (Gauss, Gauss-Jordan, 
Cholesky) that involve far fewer arithmetic 
operations (for serial processing) than the 
Pan-Reif algorithm. To be specific, matrix 
inversion with Gaussian elimination re- 
quires about n 3 multiplications and an 
equal number of additions. Given that 



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multiplications are slower than additions, 
they control the speed of the algorithm. 
Each iteration of the Pan-Reif algorithm 
needs two n 3 multiplications. If we iterate 
ten times (which seems conservative) we 
do twenty times more work than with 
Gaussian elimination. And if a microcom- 
puter "poops out" with Gaussian elimina- 
tion, it will also poop out with other 
algorithms. The accuracy of the computed 
inverse depends on the condition number 
of the matrix. If this number is high, the 
matrix is ill-conditioned and no method 
will calculate an accurate inverse. As an 
example, consider a 20 by 20 Hilbert 
matrix. These matrices are notoriously ill- 
conditioned, and both Gaussian elimina- 
tion and the Pan-Reif algorithm compute 
garbage when trying to invert them. A 
good use of the Newton iteration is to im- 
prove the accuracy of an inverse matrix 
calculated by some other algorithm, such 
as Gaussian elimination. Suppose we are 
working in single precision, which on our 
particular computer gives seven decimal 
digits of precision, and that the condition 
number of the matrix to be inverted is 
10" 3 . The elements of the computer in- 
verse will be accurate to about four digits. 
A few iterations of the Newton method 
(about three) will produce an inverse to 
full single-precision accuracy if we express 
the Newton method in the form: 

B h + I = B h + B h (I - AB h ). 

As Forsythe and Moler (Computer Solution 
of Linear Algebraic Systems, Prentice-Hall, 
1967, pages 78 and 79) point out, it is 
crucial to calculate the matrix inner prod- 
ucts in AB h with double precision and to 
calculate the correction B h (I - AB h ) 
separately and then add it to B h . 

Rather than regard the Pan-Reif algo- 
rithm as a practical one for matrix inver- 
sions on microcomputers, I think its most 
important use is pedagogical. As author 
Phipps mentions, it is fun to see the 
Newton iterates converge. It can also be 
instructive. Start first with a well-con- 
ditioned matrix: A unit matrix with ran- 
dom noise distributed between -0.1 and 
0.1 added to the elements will do nicely. 
The Newton iterates will converge with a 
very small error term. Then try the algo- 
rithm with a 10 by 10 Hilbert matrix. Single 
precision fizzles completely, whereas dou- 
ble precision converges with an error term 
of about 10~ 4 (on a VAX-1 1/780). Now try 
a 20 by 20 Hilbert matrix. Not even dou- 
ble precision works now. I can think of no 
more illuminating demonstration of the ef- 
fect of the condition number of a matrix 
on the inversion process. 

Richard Branham 
Mendoza, Argentina ■ 



340 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 24 



CHAOS MANOR MAIL 



Conducted by ]erry Pournelle 



FORTRAN for Micros 

Dear Jerry, 

In the January "Chaos Manor Mail," page 
366, you answered someone's request for 
information about FORTRAN as follows: 
"I just don't think there's an easy-to-use im- 
plementation of it for micros. Certainly 
there wasn't back when MacLean and 1 
were first learning about these little 
machines." Jerry! How quickly you forget! 
Cromemco, that obscure little company 
that was one of the founders of the micro- 
computer industry, has had Z80 FORTRAN 
and RATFOR for almost eight years and 
68000 versions since 1982 or so. All are 
solid as a neutron star and easy to use (in 
conjunction with the Screen text editor). 
The Z80 version runs on Cromemco's per- 
sonal computer, the C-10. so one doesn't 
need one of the big S-100 hard disk multi- 
user metal boxes to use it. 

Jeff Johnson 
Mountain View, CA 

Cromemco is an odd company. My 
original Ezekial was a Cromemco Z-2, and 
I was very happy with him. When it came 
time to replace him, though, Cromemco 
never answered any letters, and shortly 
after came out with their own DOS, ef- 
fectively trying to isolate their users from 
the rest of the micro mainstream. My 
friend Gordon Dickson bought a Cro- 
memco about then and had real trouble 
with software and suchlike. 

Given Cromemco's early-on technical 
excellence, it's too bad they didn't grow 
into one of the giants. Some of Zeke's 
boards are still happily running!— Jerry 

Descriptive Filenames 

Dear Jerry, 

I have an Epson OX- 10 for a specific 
dedicated task. Valdocs 1.19 was not asked 
for, but it was included in the package. I 
don't like Valdocs: 90 percent molasses 
and 10 percent bugs. 

\feldocs does have one feature 1 am lost 
without: the Index Reference, which is 
generated by the wordsmith and can con- 
tain up to 16 keywords. The word pro- 
cessor automatically generates a filename 
of eight characters using the date and the 
sequence number of the document for 
that day. The wordsmith sees only the 



descriptive Index Reference string. 

1 also have an IBM PC XT on which 1 do 
word processing. 1 selected a word pro- 
cessor that is fast, hard to learn, and stores 
documents under filenames without 
reference to a descriptive string. 1 have to 
keep a Jog of what those cryptic filenames 
represent. 1 want a word processor for my 
XT that generates an array index 
(filename) to which is assigned the string 
(Index Reference) that 1 generate using 
keywords. 1 want to look at only the string, 
not the cryptic filename. 

Do you know of any IBM-compatible 

word processors that have this feature? 

P. C. Kamrath 

Columbus, NE 

Yeah. Valdocs had some wonderful 
ideas. Pity it didn't come off, and now the 
whole OX line has been abandoned. 

There are some directory shell pro- 
grams that do sort of what Valdocs did, 
but they aren't automatic. The worst of 
it is that I've probably got what you 
describe somewhere in the labyrinth 
below Chaos Manor and don't know it 
Sigh.— Jerry 

WRITE On 

Dear Jerry, 

On the strength of Chaos Manor recom- 
mendations, 1 got WRITE several weeks 
back and am now a believer. WRITE word- 
processing software makes computing 
fun— without an extra investment in 
tutorials or how-to books. 

1 haven't always been this happy with my 
Kaypro 2-X. For a year it sat in a corner, 
displacing dust. The software that came 
with it had devoured every last ounce of 
patience. 

In effect WRITE mobilized this $1800 in- 
vestment. No exaggeration. For those 
owning CP/M hardware and not equipped 
with a hacker's dedication let alone exper- 
tise, WRITE is an absolute godsend. 

Keep up them superb recommendations! 

Winston McLean 

Bad Vilbel, West Germany 

Thanks. Glad I could be of help. Now 
if I can just get Tony Pietsch to jigger up 
a V20/V30 version of WRITE to run on 
a PCompatible! The trouble is that 



WRITE is in 8080 assembly language; to 
get it running on an AT would take some 
major work. If I had WRITE for an AT (say 
the AT&T 6300 Plus), I'd convert like a 
shot— Jerry 

Chaining CBASIC 

/ received a lot of letters about chaining 
and overlays in CBASIC. Apparently, 
things depend in part on versions. Sue 
Rosenberg's letter will explain what you 
can do now. 

It's important because CBASIC is still 
one of the best and most easily learned 
computer languages. Many of my most 
important programs were written in 
CBASIC, and even years after writing 
them I have been able to go back and 
make crucial modifications, add features, 
etc. I would be happier if my programs 
were in Modula-2; but the fact is that 
CBASIC is more than good enough, and 
I've never had the time or strong enough 
inclination to convert 

Sue Rosenberg, for those unfortunate 
enough not to know her, is a BIX 
moderator and one of the most careful 
people I know; when she explores a sub- 
ject, she really wrings it out She's also 
one of five economists who are slowly 
convincing me that there may be some- 
thing of a science to that discipline. 

Dear Jerry, 

The first letter in your May Chaos Manor 
Mail complains that Compiled CBASIC 
won't let the user put data in common 
blocks, chain to a program, and then go 
back to the original. This is untrue. 

You can set up a root module, say 
ROOT.CMD, with a common block that can 
contain all kinds of data types, including 
dimensioned variables, strings, and all 
sorts of overlays, called, for example, 

OVERLAYl.OVL, OVERLAY2.0VL 

OVERLAYN.OVL. To execute the program, 
you would type ROOT, which can chain 
to any of the overlays or to itself. 

For example, if ROOT and OVERLAY 1 
were on the logged-in drive, ROOT could 
chain to OVERLAY 1 with CHAIN OVER- 
LAYS and OVERLAY1 could chain to 
ROOT with CHAIN ROOT.CMD. Any 
module can chain to any module, in- 

(continued) 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 341 



CHAOS MANOR MAIL 



eluding itself. The important thing to 
remember is that if a file extension is not 
specified in the chain statement, the com- 
piler assumes an extension of OVL This 
has tripped me up a few (well, more than 
a few) times, when I wanted to chain back 
to the root and forgot to include the 
extension. 

Another important thing to remember 
is that the common blocks have to be 
identical in all the chained programs. The 
easiest way to ensure this is to have the 



common statements in a separate .BAS file 
that you include as the first statement in 
each module. 

It's true that you enter each module at 
the beginning of the module and not at 
the point where you left to chain. What 
you can do to goto a point other than the 
start is to set up a jump table (ON . . . 
GOTO) as the first statement (after any 
necessary initialization) and use a variable 
in common to dispatch you to the proper 
location. 



ATRON BUGBUSTERS 
GREASE BORLAND LIGHTNING 

"If 1 were starting a software company again, from scratch, Atron's AT PROBE™ would be among my very first 
investments. Without Atron's hardware-assisted, software debugging technology, the flash of Turbo Lightning™ 
would be a light-year away'.' Philippe Kahn, President, Borland 



HOW BORLAND \- 

DOES SO MUCH, 
SO WELL, SO FAST 

We asked Borland 
International president 
Philippe Kahn to share 
his secrets for rapidly 
taking a good idea and 
turning it into rock-solid 
reality. How does the 
Borland team do so 
much, so well, so fast? 

He begins, " I 
remember when Atron 
used the June 24, 1985 
Wall Street Journal chart 
of top-selling software in 
an ad!' [Note: At that 
time, seven of the top ten 
software packages were 
created by Atron cus- 
tomers; it's now now 
nine out of ten.] "Side- 
Kick was number four, 
and I let Atron quote me 
in saying that there 
wouldn't have been a 
SideKick without 
Atron's hardware- 
assisted debuggers. 

"You might say light- 
ning has literally struck 
again. Turbo Lightning 
made number four on 
SoftSel's Hotlist within weeks of its introduction! And 
again, I say we couldn't have done it without Atron 
debugging technology. 

"Cleverly written code is, by definition tight, recur- 
sive, and terribly complex" he continues. "Without the 
ability to externally track the execution of this code, 
competent debugging becomes very nearly impossible!' 

Concludes Philippe, "And after Turbo Lightning was 
solid and reliable, Atron tuning software turned our 
Probes into performance analyzers. How do you think we 
greased our lightning?" 

Philippe, along with a couple million or so of your 
satisfied customers, we say congratulations on yet 
another best-selling product. We can't wait to see what 
awesomely useful technology will come shooting out of 
Borland International next. 



HOW BUGBUSTERS KEEP YOU FROM GETTING SLIMED 

The AT PROBE is a circuit board that 

plugs into your PC/AT. It has an 

J umbilical which plugs into 

iV- the 80287 socket and 

monitors all 80286 activity. 

Since AT PROBE can 

trace program execution in 

real time, and display the 

last 2048 memory cycles in 

symbolic or source-code 

form, youcaneasily answer 

the questions: "How did I 

get here?" and "What are 

those silly interrupts 

doing?" 

It can solve spooky 
debugging problems. 
Like finding where 
your program over- 
writes memory or I/O - 
impossible with soft- 
ware debuggers. 

You can even do 
source-level debugging 
in your favorite lan- 
guage, like C, Pascal or 
assembler. And after 
your application is 
debugged, the AT 
PROBE's performance 
measurement software 
can isolate perfor- 
mance bottlenecks. 
Finally, the AT PROBE has its own 1-MByte of mem- 
ory. Hidden and write-protected. How else could you 
develop that really large program, where the symbol 
table would otherwise take up most of memory. 
LOOK AT IT THIS WAY. 

History shows that non-Atron customers don't stand a 
very good chance of making the Top Ten list. Lightning 
really does have a way of striking twice! 

The PC PROBE™ is $1595 and the AT PROBE is 
$2495. So call Atron today. You can be busting some 
really scarey bugs tomorrow. And maybe, just like 
Borland, you can also bust some records. 




Copyright © 1985 by Almn Corp. PC PROBE" and AT PROBE'" 



am; 

THE DEBUGGER COMPANY 

20665 Fourth Street • Saratoga, CA 95070 • 408/741-5900 



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There is yet another solution for the 
CBASIC user running MS-DOS. Microsoft 
has a Compiled CBASIC clone, Business 
BASIC that is similar, but not identical, to 
CB80/CB86. In Business BASIC, no module 
can be more than 64K bytes, but you can 
compile subroutines separately and link 
them together, so the overall code size can 
be greater than 64K bytes. Most com- 
mands are similar to Compiled CBASIC 
commands, although the syntax is some- 
times different, and error handling, gar- 
bage collection, and chaining are philo- 
sophically different. In chaining, Business 
BASIC keeps files open; CBASIC closes 
them. CBASIC code is more compact; 
Business BASIC is generally faster. 

It is not a completely painless process 
to bring CBASIC programs over to Busi- 
ness BASIC. A fair amount of conversion 
can be handled by a conversion program 
supplied with Business BASIC. 

But I think that Microsoft, like Digital 
Research, is not putting much effort into 
maintaining, let alone upgrading, Business 
BASIC. Alas. 

Sue Rosenberg 
McLean, VA 

I should have known all that, but. in 
fact, when 1 last did CBASIC program- 
ming 1 couldn't make it chain back prop- 
erly to the root program; and Digital 
Research wasn't answering questions. 
Since that time I moved on to other 
languages. 

If you chain back to the root, you will 
reset all the data in common, thus wip- 
ing it out. The solution is to have ROOT 
contain nothing but initializations and 
COMMON; chain from that to a trunk, 
which is the true beginning module for 
the program; and thereafter chain to 
overlays and back to TRUNK as you will. 
ROOT must have a common statement 
that defines the entire common block; 
this is different from the CP/M version 
and probably one reason why I had trou- 
ble with chaining. I am grateful to John 
Thompson of Madison, Wisconsin, and 
Dr. Fred Lev it of Chicago for pointing this 
out. In my defense, both of them note 
that the points are obscurely made in the 
CBASIC documents. 

It is unfortunate that both Digital Re- 
search and Microsoft have so thoroughly 
neglected their commercial BASIC lan- 
guages. I suspect it's because Microsoft's 
Business BASIC didn't compete well 
against Compiled CBASIC; while Digital 
Research's neglect of CBASIC is more in- 
dicative of what's happening in that once- 
splendid company. 

Those interested in CBASIC really must 
get in touch with Minnow Bear Com- 



342 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 30 



CHAOS MANOR MAIL 



puters (P.O. Box 2233, Station A, Cham- 
paign, 1L 61820-8233); the Minnow Bear 
CBC Tools for both CP/M-86 and MS-DOS 
CBASIC are really well done. CBAS1C with 
Minnow Bear Tools is structured, easy to 
use, and portable. They also have an im- 
proved Run Time package that speeds up 
CBASIC considerably No code rewrite is 
required; simply relink using the package. 
There is also the CBASIC User Group 
(P.O. Box 40690, Cincinnati, OH 45240- 
0690). Between Minnow Bear and the 
User Group, programmers can get 
most— alas, not all— of the support Digital 
Research ought to be giving the language. 
-Jerry 

Microsoft Word, Mouse 

Dear Jerry, 

Until about 16 months ago, I knew 
nothing about computers and had no 
desire to know any more. Since buying a 
Zenith Z-150, however, I've gotten quite 
fascinated with the technology. I've found 
your columns very interesting and infor- 
mative and have followed many of your 
suggestions, with good results. (The Z-l 50 
itself was partly a result of your columns.) 

I've been delighted with Microsoft Word. 



Your extolling of XyWrite— along with a 
certain slowness in cursor movement in 
Word— had been prompting me to try the 
program. I'm currently writing a book 
based on my public radio series New 
England Almanac, and the writing involves 
editing about a thousand pages of tran- 
scribed interviews. But I'm going to be 
slow to try XyWrite now that I have dis- 
covered the way a mouse interacts with 
Word. I can't imagine editing being any 
easier than it is with a mouse— it's just like 
using a red pencil on paper. 

I'm very pleased with Word overall, by 
the way. In particular, I'm convinced its 
mnemonic approach to invoking com- 
mands makes it one of the easiest pro- 
grams for novices to learn; I've taught it 
already to three of them. Word has layers 
of shortcuts and speedups that you can 
learn as you get more and more comfort- 
able with the program. Through it all runs 
a streak of logic that you can easily follow. 
I guess some people might feel that hav- 
ing three different ways to invoke a com- 
mand is confusing ... I find it to be one 
of the beauties of Word. 

The elegance of Word reaches its high- 
est point, I think, in its use of style sheets. 



I've been shocked to find out that the 
Macintosh Word hasn't got them yet. 
That's like having pancakes without the 
maple syrup. 

Finally, the new Microsoft mouse (5.0) 
with its higher resolution runs rings 
around earlier mouses I've tried (e.g., 
Mouse Systems). 

Tom Looker 
Montague Center: MA 

Thanks. I have the newest version of 
Microsoft Word; I'll have to try that. My 
problem with mice is that my work area 
isn't really set up properly to use them; 
1 have about decided that I'll have to con- 
struct some special-purpose furniture, 
since mice are becoming more impor- 
tant. They certainly can't be beat for 
some jobs— provided, of course, that you 
can find the mouse and a spot bare of 
papers to use it on. 

I'm in the process of changing over 
systems; it's time to give up my ancient 
CompuPro Z80 and VDM memory-map 
video board for something more mod- 
ern. Problem is what 1 should get used 
to, so I'm fooling about with everything. 
Thanks for the suggestions.— jerry ■ 



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Inquiry 51 



AUGUST ! 986 • BYTE 343 



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THE BEST OF BIX is a selection from some of the most interesting 
messages from BIX, the BYTE Information Exchange. Conferences 
covered this month are Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, IBM PC (and 
compatibles), Macintosh, and object-oriented programming 
languages. These pages represent a small window into the world of 
BIX. 
For information on joining BIX, see page 286. 



AMIGA 



The Amiga conference remains very active as users and developers ex- 
plore and share their discoveries. This month's window on the Amiga 
conference kicks off with a discussion of chain and overlay program- 
ming methods. A question of directories follows, with various techniques 
suggested for letting AmigaDOS know where you are. The major hard- 
ware thread concerns interfacing 5 1 /nnch disk drives to your Amiga, 
ending with how to get complete expansion bus specs from Com- 
modore. The window closes with two major discussions on how to han- 
dle your mouse through Intuition. 



"Chaining" in C 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1637, from drl [Dave Lundberg] 

Could someone steer me in the right direction? I would like to "chain" 
from one C program to another. 



amiga/softw.devlpmt #1638, from cheath [Charlie Heath] 
a comment to message 1637 

Aztec has a routine that will allow chaining in their library. You can do 
an AmigaDOS "Execute( )" call to run another program, but the calling 
program remains resident. As an alternative (I assume you have Lat- 
tice), you could figure out the correct set of LoadSeg for the new pro- 
gram and UnLoadSeg for the old one, which would allow you to termi- 
nate the original program before starting the new. 

You might also be able to achieve this with overlays or an Amiga 
library, both of which would allow you to load new stuff from disk 
without using more RAM. 



amiga/softw.devlpmt #1639, from jdow [Joanne Dow] 
a comment to message 1638 

Rather than the clumsier approach of chaining, which seems to be a 
BASIC trick, why not carefully think out an approach using overlays 
with a modest-size main program which is the top-level menu? That 
would be an almost perfect use of the overlay structure. It also allows 
much better control over program flow. 



amiga/softw.devlpmt #1663, from drl 

Thanks for the input. I have shied away from overlays simply because I 
have not used them before and don't understand how they work. I may 
give LoadSeg/Un LoadSeg a try, since this chain is a once-only thing, 
that is, the first program is a title page which will chain to the main pro- 
gram, never to be returned to. 

Is it possible to UnLoadSeg the program running, then LoadSeg the 
new program? This would be ideal since I would like to keep memory 
as unfragged as possible. Any ideas? 



amiga/softw.devlpmt #1665, from jdow 
a comment to message 1663 

Oh boy— that one is tailor-made for overlays! The main point to watch 
for is that there is no direct communication between the two halves of 
the overlay program. It all must take place through the main program. 
The main loads overlay one and calls it. When it returns, the main 
unloads the first and loads the second overlay, then calls the second in 
normal fashion. This has many of the benefits of chaining, with the 
added benefit of tighter control over what runs when. (After all, some 
yo-yo might try to run the second program without entering the first at 
all. With CLI it'd probably be quite a likely event once the user figured 
out the structure.) 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1666, from cheath 
a comment to message 1665 

Overlays really arent that hard; you don't change much at the program 
source level except perhaps for separating things into separate source 
files. I havent tried the Amiga overlays, but in general, all you have to 
do is specify a "tree" structure for the input files. You also need to link 
in an overlay object file. Has anyone else used the AmigaDOS overlays 
yet who can shed more light on this? 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1669, from drl 
a comment to message 1665 

You talked me into it. We'll see what those overlays can really do. 
Thanks for the help. If I get stuck, I'll let you know. 



Problem With Execute File 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1652, from greggw [Gregg Williams, Senior 
Technical Editor, BYTE] 

I'm writing an execute script that has a compiled file on the RAM disk. 
I want to copy it to wherever I am (this assumes that the current direc- 
tory is somewhere on one of the disks). I can't find a way to do this in 
AmigaDOS. If we were in UNIX, I could say 

cp ram:<filename> . 

where "." means "where I am right now." But I can't find any such 
thing in AmigaDOS. 
Am I overlooking something real obvious? In any case, any ideas? 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1654, from jdow 
a comment to message 1652 

Alas, there is no symbol for "where I am now" in AmigaDOS utilities. 
Some new utilities could be generated, but they'll for sure be much 
bigger than the old ones. 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1657, from cmcmanis [Chuck McManis] 
a comment to message 1654 

Certainly there is! Use " " for the current directory. Not intuitive but it 
does work. Another neat trick is a "visit" command. It works something 
like this 

visit : 

assign foo: " " 
cd newdir 
leave : 
cd foo: 

This lets you pop into another directory for a moment, type leave, and 
be back where you were. Note that "newdir" above should be the first 



344 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



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parameter passed; I don't have my book handy and can't remember 
the syntax. 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1658, from jim kent [Jim Kent] 

a comment to message 1657 

Chuck, I heard about the 

copy file " " 

trick at the BADGE meeting. Whenever I try it, it just copies it to the 
parent device of the directory I'm at. If I'm in df1: it works, but if I'm in 
df1: letters it ends up in df1:. Am I unique? 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1659, from jdow 
a comment to message 1658 

No, you are not unique. " " is a long form for :, it seems. 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1660, from Inoland [Les Noland] 
a comment to message 1652 

Can do! 
Sorry Chuck, but Jim is right; 

copy file " " 

just places the file in the root directory, not in the current directory. 
There is a way that is simple and will work, however. If you model your 
execute file after the following, you should be in good shape: 

.k file 
.bra{ 
ket } 

cd >ram:curdir 

copy <ram:curdir >nil: from {file} ? 

delete ram:curdir 

Of course, you can change "ram:curdir" to anything you like. And if the 
name of the file isn't variable, you can dispense with the first three lines 
and save that ridiculous disk access to :T (unless, of course, you have 
other parameters to pass). 



5Va -inch Disk Drives 

amiga/tech.talk #499, from agima [Neil Halistar] 

I am connecting a 5 1 /4-inch IBM drive up to the Amiga. I don't have the 
external 3 1 /2-inch drive. Is it OK to use the Amiga's power for the 
5 1 /4-inch? 

amiga/tech.talk #501, from duck [Dale Luck, Commodore-Amiga] 
a comment to message 499 

If the power consumption of the 5 1 A-inch is same or less than the 
3 1 /2-inch, it should be OK. However, we cannot make any promises that 
it won't affect other items that you may hook up that also get their 
power from the Amiga if the disk drive sucks up too much power. Each 
of the power pins on the external connectors has been spec'd for a 
maximum current. We have added all those up and spec'd the power 
supply to be able to supply just enough current. 

amiga/tech.talk #502, from jdow 
a comment to message 499 

No, it is definitely not OK to use the Amiga's power. Also, those 
5 1 /4-inch drives will only be accessible from the PC emulator. I seem to 
remember that was what you wanted, so go for it— with an external 
power supply. 



amiga/tech.talk #503, from neil [Neil Katin, Commodore-Amiga] 
a comment to message 499 

It is not OK to connect a 5 1 /4-inch drive to the Amiga without providing 
it with extra power; the motor-on surge is more than the Amiga can 
provide (under worst-case conditions). 

amiga/tech.talk #504, from cheath 
a comment to message 503 

Neil, do you know of anybody manufacturing the 96-track 5 1 /4-inch 
drives that will hold 880K (that is 96 tracks, right?) of data and thus 
can be accessed as if they were 3 1 /2-inch drives? That would seem to 
make a lot of sense to me for anybody who needed a 5 1 /4-inch drive 
for IBM emulation, but who also wanted to make use of the drive under 
AmigaDOS. 

amiga/tech.talk #505, from jdow 
a comment to message 504 

How much are people willing to spend? The hack can be done. 
Modern 96-tpi (tracks per inch), 5 1 /4-inch drives do it even better than 
my hack of an older version Mitsubishi. Newer drives have "door open" 
switches built in. The only real problem is getting the 23-pin connec- 
tors. A dual box shouldn't be very expensive compared to an HD (ex- 
cept on a bux/bit basis). I could probably build a few and get them out 
my door for under $450. 

amiga/tech.talk #518, from neil 
a comment to message 504 

There are several disk manufacturers that have 96-tpi, double-sided 
5 1 /4-inch drives. Flipping out my handy book of disk drive specs, I find 
a Tandon TM 65-4, World Storage Tech. (no model #), Tokyo Electric 
Co. FB-504, Control Data Corp. CDC-445, Mitsubishi M4551. There are 
many others— check Mini-Micro Systems' annual peripherals report. 

There is one catch, however. Our system assumes that the 
DISKCHANGE signal (pin 2) will go active when a disk is removed. You 
will probably want to wire up a switch and a flip-flop to emulate this 
feature. 

Happy Hacking. 

amiga/tech.talk #519, from jdow 
a comment to message 518 

The latest revision of the Mitsubishi M4853 drive supports that. Alas, 
the ones I bought were an earlier revision, so I had to do mucho 
kludging. There would still be some strapping and such needed, but 
the green wire count would reduce materially. (What I don't know is 
whether that drive now uses some LSI part instead of LSI/MSI parts, 
which allow strapping in the motor latch as easily as the revision I 
have.) 

Care to generate some kind of discussion over in hardware about the 
expansion bus and how to handle the hardware aspects of it? I have 
some preliminary documents dated early this year. Is this still pro- 
prietary info or can I feed it into the system here as people ask? If it's 
still proprietary, I'll keep it under my hat, as much as that hurts. That's 
the basis on which I got it and I don't wish to violate the confidence. 

amiga/tech.talk #520, from neil 
a comment to message 519 

Re: Expansion architecture availability 

The expansion architecure is no longer proprietary. However, we would 
prefer if people got the document directly from Commodore-Amiga; this 

[continued) 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 345 



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GIX 



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allows us to know who has it, and who we should mail updates to. 

Our current policy is to mail a copy to anyone who asks for it. Well 
keep this up until the load gets too high; by then it should be stable 
enough to publish (hope, hope . . . ). To get your copy, call Cheryl Gib- 
bons, (408) 395-6616, and ask for an expansion architecture packet. 

The expansion stuff is an amazing step forward for personal com- 
puters: There are no switches on any of the boards. This is one of the 
most intimidating things for a novice to do— set all those bit switches. In 
addition, the software can figure out, at run time, what boards are in 
the system and will attach the correct driver to each board. To install a 
new driver into the system is as easy as dragging an icon into the "ex- 
pansion" directory; nothing else is required. 

All this is currently being shipped to version 1.2 alpha-test sites. Beta 
is coming up, and we hope to send it to a wider audience. 

If you have specific hardware questions, mail to me (neil) and I will 
make sure the right people see the questions. 



directly (i.e., not through a device driver) without interfering with Intui- 
tion, but Intuition would still get the mouse inputs, too, using processing 
time as well as possibly doing something with the events. 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1617, from drl 
a comment to message 1615 

That seems to be a bit of a problem. Even if I were to give in and say 
OK, I would make the user switch his mouse to the other port and not 
use sprite 0; the arrow sprite would still be visible. Although thinking 
about it, I suppose the arrow could be redefined as "transparent." 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1618, from cheath 
a comment to message 1617 

You can do a "SetPointer" to a couple words of NULL data to get rid of 
the pointer. 



Intuition and the Mouse 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1608, from drl 

Has anyone actually used the SetMPort( ) routine to change the port 
that Intuition uses to read the mouse? I would like complete control of 
the mouse, but I don't want the user to have to physically move the 
mouse to the second game-port connector. I would rather 'trick" Intui- 
tion into using the second game-port connector, so that I can then ac- 
cess the first connector by opening the game-port device. I know that it 
is possible to steal the mouse events by inserting an input event 
handler ahead of Intuition, but I would rather use the game-port device, 
since it handles a lot of the dirty details for you. 

A second problem, also dealing with Intuition, concerns stealing 
sprite (Intuition's cursor). I would like to use all 8 hardware sprites 
(greedy me) using the simple sprite routines. A point to note is that I 
am using Intuition in my program, so "killing" Intuition (if that is even 
possible) is not an answer. I am using it to "cook" the keyboard input 
and to give me tick events. 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1615, from cheath 
a comment to message 1608 

Good luck on both accounts. As far as I know, while Intuition is active it 
wants mouse port and sprite 0. You can probably read the mouse 



amiga/softw.devlpmt #1623, from duck 
a comment to message 1608 

What's the matter, 6 or 7 sprites not enough? Some of the other pro- 
grams on the market cheat by just calling FreeSprite(O). Not too friendly 
for Intuition 'cause it will think it still has a handle on it. 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1636, from drl 
a comment to message 1623 

Oh, I guess 6 or 7 sprites is enough. Yes, I did try FreeSprite(O) and In- 
tuition still thinks it has control of it. It keeps changing the position and 
image back to the arrow. I guess my main concern is getting Intuition 
to lay off mouse port 1, so I can access it using the game-port device 
(which processes the mouse input very efficiently). Any ideas on that 
subject? 

IDCMP (Intuition Direct Communication Message 
Port) Events 

amiga/softw.devlpmt #1599, from skrenek [Steve Krenek] 

My program is getting a little bogged down with MOUSEMOVE and 
MOUSEBUTTON messages and losing a lot of memory (5 to 10 
messages at a time at 56 bytes a pop). I wouldn't care so much that 




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the memory doesn't get returned if it used the same 200 to 600 bytes 
each time. But it seems to lose an additional 200 to 600 bytes each 
time my program gets behind. My loop is similar to one on pages 8 to 
14 of the Intuition manual; I just have a lot to do. Will this memory be 
returned in a later version, or will I have to periodically close, then 
reopen my windows to reclaim this memory and keep my program 
from suffering memory crashes? 



amiga/softw.devlpmt #1601, from cheath 
a comment to message 1599 

Are you replying to all messages that you receive? You shouldn't lose 
memory if all the messages have been replied to. Perhaps Intuition has 
to allocate more space for messages and doesn't free up it's local pool. 
You might consider flushing the input when you get behind. Whenever 
you get a MOUSEMOVE event, set a flag and continue to read 
messages until you get something other than MOUSEMOVE (including 
"no more messages"). (Also, make sure to reply to each message after 
reading.) Then, test for the "mouse moved" flag before processing 
each event. 



amiga/softw.devlpmt #1602, from skrenek 
a comment to message 1601 

Right. According to the documentation, Intuition does allocate more 
memory for the messages and doesn't return that memory. RKM 
(volume 1, pages 3 to 108) seems to imply (and it seems to be true) 
that the newly allocated memory is not reused if you get caught up, 
then behind again. Instead, it seems even more is allocated. So each 
time you get behind, that amount of memory is permanently lost. Well, 
not permanently. It's returned if you close the window, but that doesn't 
help if you run out of memory and crash. 

As I said, my program is similar to the one in the Intuition manual. 
The only difference is that instead of setting a flag inside the loop, my 
program completely ignores MOUSEMOVE messages inside the loop, 
but responds if the last message as it leaves the loop was a 
MOUSEMOVE. 

Wait( , . . ); 

while(message = GetMsg( . . . ); 

{ 

copy the info 

class = message - > Class; 

Reply(message); 

if(class ! = MOUSEMOVE) ProcessMessage( . . . ); 

} 
if(class == MOUSEMOVE) ProcessMove( . . . ); 
goto Wait; 



amiga/softw.devlpmt #1610, from jbitt [John Bittner] 
a comment to message 1599 

If your application permits, you could do an SmodifylDCMP() and turn 
off REPORTMOUSE whilst you do your processing, then do it again 
when you're ready for more Mouse Info. 



amiga/softw.devlpmt #1614, from cheath 
a comment to message 1602 

Hmm. You shouldn't have any problem with that, I don't think. Are you 
getting behind because of menu activity? You'll keep getting 
MOUSEMOVE events while the menu is active, unless you set 
window- >flags &= REPORTMOUSE; while the menu is on-screen. 



ATARI ST 



The Atari ST conference remains a great source for technical informa- 
tion on this machine. This month's peek at the conference begins with 
hopeful questions on Atari ST/IBM Convertible disk compatibility. The 
next section is a rather long look (with code samples included) at 
screen handling problems related to menu selector boxes. The peek 
ends with a quick discovery of (and factory response to) an un- 
documented control vector and a surprisingly civil discussion of pro- 
gramming editors for the ST 



IBM Convertible/Atari ST Disk Compatibility 

atari.st/main #143, from rhonesty [Robert Honesty] 

The company I work for got in one of the new IBM PCs with a 
3 1 /2-inch disk drive. So, I took a 720K disk from the ST in to try it out. 
No luck. IBM (predictably) wouldn't read it. I tried alternate plan two. 
Formatted on the IBM and tried reading on the ST. Success! Now I can 
skip the plan to get a 5 1 /4-inch drive. I tried out VIP WKS files with 
1-2-3. Nirvana! If I get the time I'll try and figure out why IBM has such 
problems. 

atarlst/main #144, from al [Alastair J.W. Mayer, author of BIX's CoSy 

software] 

a comment to message 143 

Problems are probably due to some subtlety in the way formatting is 
done. Anyway, a couple of questions: Assuming the disks are formatted 
on IBM (so both IBM and ST can read them), can you write a file with 
the ST that the IBM can read? (I think your message implies this, but 
not sure.) What other machines using 3 1 /2-inch disks is the ST read- 
and/or write-compatible with? Anybody got firsthand experience? 

atari.st/main #145, from timoren [Tim Oren, KnowledgeSet Corp.] 
a comment to message 143 

The reason for this is that the PC and the ST use different disk con- 
troller chips— with the ST using an "older" type. The upshot is exactly 
the effect you describe: PC-formatted disks read on the ST but not vice 
versa. Not being a hardware person, I can't describe the reason in 
detail. 

atari.st/main #146, from jtuermer [Joerg Tuermer] 
a comment to message 143 

Did you try a disk formatted on the ST, but with the boot sector being 
an exact copy of the IBM boot sector (this can be made with a disk 
monitor)? Maybe the IBM is more finicky than the ST as to what it ex- 
pects to find (like an IBM logo). 

atari.st/main #147, from rhonesty 
a comment to message 144 

Yes, the IBM can read ST files. 



atari.st/main #165, from ptoland [Paul Toland] 

I've just logged on for the first time in a couple of weeks and have 
seen the stuff on reading IBM 3 1 /2-inch disks. I've tried reading disks 
from my Data General One on the ST and they read OK as well. Going 
the other way is a bust, and the info from the DG/One looks as though 
it's having trouble picking up the first directory block. 

[continued) 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 347 



BEST OF BIX • BEST OF BIX • BEST OF BIX 



EIX 



Best of BIX • Best of BIX • Best of BIX 



atari.st/main #171, from dsmall [David Small] 
a comment to message 165 

I believe you will find that disks formatted on the ST are unreadable 
with NEC and NEC-like (Intel 8272) floppy controllers, as in IBM 
anything. However, you can read and write IBM-formatted disks with 
the ST. This applies to 5 1 /4-inch disks, but I can't think of a reason it 
would not apply to 3 1 /2-inch disks as well. 



Selector Box Problems 

gem/atari #25, from jruley [John Ruley] 

TITL£: fseUnput 

/* this is a code fragment to display a file selector 

box */ 

/* works in Hippo.C— should work in Alcyon or others */ 

char d_path[256], f_spec[256]; 

short int ret; 

strcpy(d_path," \ \ *.*"); 

strcpy(f spec,' "); 

graf_mouse(0,0); 
graf_mouse(257,0); 

ret = fsel input(d path,f spec.&button); 

graf_mouse(256,0); 

/* ignore all the graf_mouse commands— that's 'cause 
I've got the mouse turned off when I start*/ 

Problem— when the selector box goes away, it leaves a big gray 
blotch in the middle of the screen. So I need something that will save 
the screen before, and restore it after, the fsel input call. 



gem/atari #32, from alexl. [Alex Leavens] 
a comment to message 25 

You could do a form dial on the area to save it. Code fragment is 

int return; 

int (all your system variables) 



return = form_dial(0,0,0,0,0,Box_x, Box_y, Size x, 

Size_y); 
if(return ==0) 
printf("Error in allocation memory for box ); 

Now do your fseUnput stuff . . . 

return = 
form_dial(3,0,0,0,0,Box_x,Box_y,Size_x,Size_y); 

Ta-da! You're done. Box_x and Box_y are the x and y coordinates 

of the upper left corner of the box. Size x and Size y are the size of 

the space you want to save (should be greater than or equal to the 
menu that you want to draw). 

If you want to get fancy, you can use functions 1 and 2 of the 
form dial command to draw a growing and shrinking box, re- 
spectively. 



gem/atari #35, from alexl. 

A form dial(0, . . .) saves whatever's under the area that you've de- 
fined, and a form dial(3, . . . ) restores it (by telling the system to do a 

re-draw). I admit it ain't real clear in the Abacus books. It ain't real clear 
in the DRI documentation either . . . 



gem/atari #36, from jruley 
a comment to message 35 

Sorry Alex— I just tried it, and it does not work. 

I'm not sure what the form dial(0 . . . ) did, but the form dial(3 . . . ) 

attempted to restore a GEM desktop— I got the clear top line, and gray 
in the rest of the screen. Maybe this is happening because I'm not 
using a window? 

This is all sort of beating around the bush anyway— does anybody 
out there savvy the raster ops for blitting? I think that's more what I 
need 

gem/atari #37, from alexl. 
a comment to message 36 

Absolutely. I savvy the blitter ops (having used them plenty myself). 
What do you want to know? By the way, you say you're not opening a 
window . . . what exactly do you mean? Are you not using the "open 
virtual workstation" command (v__opnwk)? Or something else? Please 
explain further; maybe I can figure out the problem. 

gem/atari #38, from jruley 
a comment to message 37 

Ummm . . . might be better if I set up a short demo program and put it 
in listings. I am using the open virtual workstation but am sending text 
and graphics directly to the screen, without opening a window with the 
w_whatever( ) commands. 
Let me put up some code in listings and we can talk then. 

gem/atari #39, from jruley 
a comment to message 38 

Okay, I've generated a demo which shows the problem— it's in listings 
as "idiotc— compiles under Hippo (with my own XBIOS— if you need it, 
I will post that too), should compile under Alcyon. It's a GEM applica- 
tion. Operation should be obvious if you read the comments. Run it 
with all three screen-save routines— none, mine (non-GEM, using 

physbase( ) and a 32K character array), and Alex's (using form dial, 

as we've discussed). If you can fix it so that form dial works, or sug- 
gest an alternate routine (blitting?), I'll be VERY grateful! 

gem/listings.st #7, from jruley 

TITLE: idiotc 

/* idiot.c 
an example to show my problems with 
screen save & restore— J. Ruley */ 
/* static globals: */ 
/* set up for GEM operation */ 
static short int xr.yr; 

static unsigned char *gbuf,scrn[32000],*physbase( ); 
/* set up for GEM operation */ 
/* set up for GEM operation */ 
main(){ 

short int work_in[12] l work_out[57],handle; 
char d_path[256],f_spec[256]; 
short int ret,x,y,i; 

handle = graf_handle(&x,&x,&x,&x); 
for(i = 0;i<10;i + + )work__in[i] = 1; 
work_in[10] = 2; 
v_opnvwk(worle_in,&handle,worle_out); 

/* now set up a test screen */ 

v_clrwk(handle); 

ret = vst_effects(handle,12); 

vst_height(handle,16,&x,&x,&x,&x); 



348 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



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EIX 



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ret = vst_point(handle,16,&x,&x,&x,&x); 
xr = work_out[0]; 
yr = worfe_out[1]; 
x = xr / 4; 
y = yr / 2; 
v_gtext(handle,x,y,"Testing ..."); 

/* post an alert box to select the type of screen save 
7 

ret = form_alert(2,"[1][Screen save 
type:][none|mine|alex's]"); 

/* save the screen */ 

sav_scrn(ret); 

/* get a filename */ 

strcpy(d_path," \ \ *.*'); 

strcpy(f spec," "); 

i = fsel input(d path.f spec.&x); 

/* restore the screen in the selected way */ 

rst scrn(ret); 

/* wait for a keypress 7 

conin( ); 

/* and quit 7 

v_clsvwk(handle); 
appl_exit(); 

} 

/* subroutines: 7 

sav_scrn(n) 
short int n; 

{ 

short int ret, i; 
if(n = = 2){ 

gbuf = physbase(); 

for(i = 0;i<32000;i + + )scrn[i] = *gbuf+ + ; 

} 
if(n == 3){ 

ret = form_dial(0,0,0,0,0,0,0,xr,yr); 



rst_scrn(n) 
short int n; 

{ 

short int ret, i; 
if(n == 2){ 

gbuf = physbase(); 

for(i = 0;i<32000;i + + )*gbuf + + = scrn[i]; 

} 

if(n == 3){ 

ret = form_dial(3 1 0,0 1 0,0 1 1 1 xr 1 yr); 



gem/atari #41, from alexl. 

TITLE: Saving/Restoring Screen 

I spoke with Leonard Tramiel yesterday, and he suggested the 
following: 

1) If you're using the fsel input call, pay attention to the GEM 

message buffer (which will tell you that you need to do a redraw), and 
then do it. 



2) If you don't want to do that, use (as you figured) the bit calls, to 
blit the screen memory to a safe location, and then blit it back again. 
See my listing of Crabs.C in the listings section for some code on how 
to use the bit. If you need more help, drop me a line. I'm going to see 
if I can't get Atari to let me post the source code to the demo ac- 
cessory and application that come with the developer's kit. 

gem/atari #42, from timoren 
a comment to message 32 

To be strictly technical, form dial doesn't actually save the desktop 

area. Instead it tells the system to redraw it. Subtle distinction but 
important. 

gem/listings.st #8, from alexl. 

TITLE: File Selector Listing 

This is a listing of a simple program which will open a (non- 
functional) window, and then a file selector box, which will let you do . 
all sorts of file selector types of thingies. 

SELECTC 
Test program to show how to pull up a file selector dialog, and save 

the underlying window. Note that although the form dial successfully 

redraws the window, that part of the internal structure of the window 
gets roached by the file selector. This is because the window itself is 
not being redrawn (which is up to the programmer, and which I've left 
out, being the lazy sot that I am). 

#include <osbind.h> 
#include < define. h> 

#define HIDE_MOUSE graf_mouse(256,&dummy) 
#define SHOW_MOUSE graf_mouse(257,&dummy) 

int contrl[12], intin[256], ptsin[256], intout[256], 

ptsout[256]; 

int handle; 

int res1[4] = 

{ 

0, 15, 320, 170 



int res2[4] = 

{ 

130, 15, 380, 170 

}; 

int res3[4] = 

{ 

130, 35, 380, 330 

}; 

main( ) 

{ 

int i, dummy, mx, my, num__colors; 

int charw, charh, boxw, boxh; 

int wind_handle; 

long boxadd; 

int mgbuf[8], pxy[4]; 

char decimal[4]; 

char d_path[256],f_spec[256]; 

int x,y,w,h,xdial,ydial,wdial,hdial; 

/* Set the system up to do GEM calls*/ 

appl_init( ); 

[continued) 



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/* Get the handle of the desktop */ 

handle = graf_handle(&charw,&charh,&boxw,&boxh); 

/* Open the workstation */ 

for (i = 1; klO; ++i)intin[i] = 1; 
intin[10] = 2; 

v_opnvwk(intin, &handle, intout); 

pxy[0] = 0; pxy[1]=0; pxy[2] = intout[0]; pxy[3] = intout[1]; 

/* Find out what res mode we're in */ 

num_colors = intout[13]; 

vs_clip(handle,1,pxy); /*turn on clipping*/ 

Now open a very simple window, strictly designed to show if we are, 
in fact, restoring the desktop after the call to fsel input . . . 

/* Open a window. Note that even though all 
elements of the window are present (slider, kill box, 
etc.) None of them work! *l 

wind_handle = wind_create(0x0FFF,50,50,200,150); 

i = wind_open(wind_handle,50,50,200,150); 

x = y = w = h = 0; /* size of smallest box, i.e., non- 
existent 7 

Now, get the size of the file selector input box, depending upon the 
resolution mode that we're in. Note that these are hand-calculated 
values. I looked real close at the screen and tried to figure out how 
many pixels the sucker was. 
7 

if(num_colors < 3) /* Monochrome 
resolution 7 

{ 

xdial = res3[0]; 
ydial = res3[1]; 
wdial = res3[2]; 
hdial = res3[3]; 

} 

else 

if(num_colors < 5) 
color (4 colors) 7 

{ 

xdial = res2[0]; 

ydial = res2[1]; 

wdial = res2[2]; 

hdial = res2[3]; 

} 

else /* Low res, color (16 

colors) 7 

{ 

xdial = res1[0]; 
ydial = res1[1]; 
wdial = res1[2]; 
hdial = res1[3]; 



/* Medium res, 



} 



hdial 



/* reserve room on the screen 7 
form dial ( 0, x, y, w, h, xdial, ydial, wdial, 

); 

/* draw a growing box 7 

form dial ( 1, x, y, w, h, xdial, ydial, wdial, 



hdial ; 

/* get a file name 7 

strcpy(d path," \ \ * 

strcpy(f spec," 



hdial 



fseUnput(d_path,f_spec,&x); 

/* draw shrinking box 7 

form dial ( 2, x, y, w, h, xdial, ydial, wdial, 



/* free up screen area 7 

form dial ( 3, x, y, w, h, xdial, ydial, wdial, 

hdial ); 

/* Wait for a mouse click to end the program . . . 

evnt button(1 ,1 ,1 ,&mx,&my,&dummy,&dummy); 

/* Close the window 7 

wind_close(wind_handle); 

/* Close the workstation 7 

v_clsvwk(handle); 

/* Release GEM calls 7 

appl exit( ); 



-7 



I* Plot(x,y)- — 

Plot(x,y) 

{ 

int pxy[4]; 

pxy[0] = x; pxy[1] = y; pxy[2] = x; pxy[3] = y; 
v_pline(handle,2, pxy); 
} 
/* End of Plot (x,y) 7 

r rand( ) 7 

/*This function will return an 8-bit random number7 
rand( ) 

{ 

return(Random( )&0x00FF); 

} 

/* End of 
rand 7 



System Vector Explorations 

atari .st/tech #172, from hisoft [Dave Howorth] 

For trivia freaks, there is a (to my knowledge, undocumented) system 
vector at $502 which points to the screen dump routine, called by the 
BIOS trap and Alt-Help. If you change it, you can do screen dumps on 
any printer of your choice. The Amiga conference has people from 
. Amiga on it who read messages like the one above and then say, 
"We'll define it so you can use it," or "Dont use it— it's gonna change." 
Is there anyone from Atari on this conference with similar knowledge? 

atari.st/tech #178, from jtittsler [Jim Tittsler, Atari Corp.] 
a comment to message 172 

The vector at $502 (scr_dump) is a safe vector for the ROM TOS only. 
We will maintain it in future versions of the operating system. There are 
also individual vectors for printer device output: 

prtblk character-output vectors 

Prtblk( ) uses four vectors to output characters to printer devices. The 
vectors are in protected OS memory. "prv_lsto" initially points to the 
PRN: device output status, and "prv_lst" initially points to the PRN: 
output driver; "prv_auxo" initially points to the AUX: (RS-232) device 
output status, and "prv_aux" initially points to the AUX: output driver. 
Prtblk() uses the PRN: or AUX: vectors based on bit 4 of the printer 



350 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



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configuration word (see the guide). Output of Prtblk( ) may be 
redirected by modifying the appropriate vectors. 



i 

| prv_lsto: 1 

I prv 1st: 1 

I prv_auxo: 1 

prv_aux: 1 



Prtblk( ) Output Vectors 



ds.l 
ds.l 
ds.l 

ds.l 



(506) - > _lstostat( ) 
(50a) - > _lstout( ) 
(50e) - > _auxostat( ) 
(512) - > _auxout( ) 



I- 

In general, the policy is, if the vector is listed in the "System 
Variables" section of the guide, their locations and meanings in future 
revisions of the ST BIOS will not change. 

A Question of Editors 

atari.st/tech #191, from davjon [David Jones] 

TITLE: Program Editors 

One thing that occupies my mind over here in the U.K. is, What is 
the best ST program text editor? I find that most of the editors that I 
have used on the ST (1st Word, GSTEDIT, Modula-2 Editor, 
MicroEMACS, Metacomco ED, Hippo-C, et al.) always have some an- 
noying feature, like not auto-indenting, for example. I would be really in- 
terested to know what other developers think about the available 
editors. 

atari.st/tech #192, from sprung [Ron Sprunger] 
a comment to message 191 

I've given up on 1st Word and TDI M2 editors, and use only 
MicroEMACS, which is adequate, though lacking somewhat. All I want 
is the Turbo Pascal editor, which I can run completely from the home 
position on the keyboard, and which I can make behave like the Alpha 
Micro editor VUE. EMACS is not bad, but it's always in insert mode, 
uses commands in drastic disagreement with those of VUE or Word- 
Star; pages backward awkwardly, has no built-in search and replace 
(macros are neat, but I don't want to use them for every search and 
replace, and especially not for globals). It also inserts real tabs, which I 
have to filter out before sending text to the M2 compiler. Still, it is far 
and away the best available for programming and does not require me 
to fiddle with a silly mouse, or grope for function keys. 

atari.st/tech #194, from sgrimm [Steve Grimm] 
a comment to message 192 

I always use Regent Word to program, for the simple reason that it is 
very, very fast. I hate having to wait for EMACS to update the screen 
when scrolling through a file. Also (and I know this isn't of world- 
shattering importance), you can select a file to load with one keystroke. 
The only complaint I have about Regent Word is that it can't load files 
from subdirectories. 

atari.st/tech #195, from mmallett [Mark Mallett] 
a comment to message 192 

User sprung says: "EMACS is not bad, but it's always in insert mode." 
Editors being like religions, this is probably one of the major fissures in 
the faiths of the followers of editors: moded vs. non-moded editors. 
Many would claim that one of the great points of EMACS is that it is 
always in the same "mode." (I am one who would claim this.) Having to 
remember, when using an editor, whether one is in insert or command 
mode is something that can drive a person like me insane (maybe that 
is what did it). Sprung also comments, "It also inserts real tabs," which 
have to be filtered out before being given to a compiler. I would claim 
that the problem is in the compiler. I would class as unusable an editor 
that refuses to store tabs as tabs (e.g., the MIX editor). 



atari.st/tech #199, from conover [Harry Conover] 
a comment to message 192 

MicroEMACS isn't bad, but it can't be compared to a real programming 
editor like vi, which I understand will be soon available for the ST. I still 
haven't learned how to go directly to line n to correct a diagnostic- 
detected error: Can you tell me how? 

atari .st/tech #202, from alexl. 
a comment to message 199 

Get to the beginning of a file. Type <ctrl> u, then enter the line 
number for the argument, Then press the down arrow key. Ta-da! 

atari.st/tech #203, from sprung 
a comment to message 195 

You misunderstand me on modes. I mean "insert" as opposed to 
"overwrite." 

I don't care if an editor splits the work between edit and command 
modes, and I use editors of both persuasions. As for tabs, certainly the 
M2 compiler is remiss in not ignoring them, but it is not alone in that 
respect. I personally prefer the tabs and don't mind running everything 
through detab before compiling. 



IBM PC AND 
COMPATIBLES 



The IBM PC conference excerpts concentrate on software this month, 
with three discusions centering on various aspects of DOS. First, there 
is a question (and, yes, answers) about format problems with specific 
hard disk/controller/DOS combinations. Next, BlXen get into a thorough 
look at exactly where in memory DOS begins and ends. Finally, some- 
one asks how to create a file of precise printer output for debugging 
purposes. Several software solutions are proposed. 

DOS 3.1 Format Problems 

ibm.pc/pc.hardware #779, from smack [Steve Mack] 

I have a WD (Western Digital) controller and a Rodime 30Mb HD that 
were formatted with DOS 2.1 until a couple of days ago. I got tired of 
8K clusters and wanted to do a low-level format anyway, due to a new 
bad sector, so I BACKUP'd, formatted, and tried to bring up DOS 3.1. 
The FDISK went OK, made entire disk my DOS partition, but then 
"FORMAT C:/s/v" would say "Format complete" but also said "Invalid 
media or Track bad— disk unusable, format failure." 

Several more attempts led me to get a new drive and controller 
under warranty (Statewide Microelectronics by the way— quick swap; no 
hassles), but the new set did the same thing. Finally, I tried DOS 2.1 
again and it runs fine, formatting with no errors. Next, I tried DOS 3.1 
with a partition size of 100 cylinders, instead of the 639 on the entire 
disk, and this worked. 

Next I tried "FORMAT C:" with no /s/v, but on the entire disk as DOS 
partition, and still got the error. Then I ignored the error and did "SYS 
c:" and copied COMMAND.COM over. Lo and behold, all is fine now! 
2K clusters and all! Restored 30 some-odd floppies and all is fine. 
Does anybody have any idea of what just bit me? Am I hallucinating? 
Better part of two days makes me want an answer even though it works 
now. 

(continued) 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 351 



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ibm.pc/pc.hardware #780, from sak [Sal Magnone] 
a comment to message 779 

I get all kinds of fun things with my WD controller. Sometimes it doesn't 
format in 3.1. Other times (when I had a Victor Speed Pac) it refused to 
catch. That means the computer does not manage to recognize the 
fixed disk. The faster you go, the more often it'll refuse to catch. Now I 
just got a V20 and the drive refuses to catch maybe 1 out of 10 times. 
I'm not the only one with these problems! 

ibm.pc/pc.hardware #783, from conniek [Conrad S. Kageyama] 
a comment to message 779 

Sigh. You've run into the tried-and-true DMA boundary problem with 
FORMAT.COM. . . . 

First, the cure to get you formatted and running. If you did not do it 
from a plain vanilla system (no TSRs loaded, no CONFIG.SYS), then try 
it that way and see what happens. If it still bombs from a plain vanilla 
system, then change your BUFFERS = to 99 and try it again. This 
should do it for you. There is most likely absolutely nothing wrong with 
either your drive or your controller. The problem lies in the fact that one 
of FORMAT'S buffers cannot lie across a 64K boundary. By cranking up 
the buffers (each one takes 512 bytes of RAM), you're simply moving 
that buffer to another location, hopefully not across a boundary. 

Now, once you're all fixed up and running, you can start playing with 
your normal system to modify it so you won't get that error message. 
As you add new TSRs to your AUTOEXEC, you will be moving this load 
limit, and the same buggy could crop up. In my experience, the easiest 
fix is to alter my BUFFERS = by one buffer at a time for. a 512 byte ad- 
justment, or my RAM disk by 1K for a 1K adjustment. 

Also, if you get this error message, a sure-fire way to confirm the 
DMA boundary problem is to load Debug and then look at the 
registers by doing an R at the — prompt. If the register is in the range 
of D thru F or thru 3, then you've confirmed the problem. 

If it's any consolation, this bug is also evident in DOS 2.1 but was 
supposed to be fixed in 3.x. It is now reputed to be fixed in 3.2, but I 
haven't had any reports yet. 

MS-DOS Load Addresses 

ms.dos/other #424, from stevebh [Steve Booth] 

OK, here is a real problem: I am a software developer, primarily using 
Lattice C's large model to develop a large application program. One of 
the real problems with Lattice C in the large model is that it can (by 
definition) modify any location in memory. Unfortunately, somehow we 
have managed to write our software so that it clobbers MS-DOS. We 
have an analyzer that can catch our program doing this, and thereby 
determine what is going wrong, but we can't seem to find out just 
where in memory MS-DOS is loaded exactly. 

I called Microsoft— they told me to call IBM. I called IBM, they told 
me to call ComputerLand. ComputerLand told me to get Norton's MS- 
DOS book. I did. It doesn't tell where MS-DOS is loaded, and further it 
does not tell how to find out. I am at a loss to know where to look next. 
HELP! I have managed to learn that when MS-DOS is booted, it loads 
IO.SYS, then MSDOS.SYS, then COMMAND.COM into memory, but how 
do you find out where? Where are the FATs stored? Where are the 
BUFFERS stored? Why is none of this in any of the documentation? 

ms.dos/other #425, from barryn [Barry Nance] 
a comment to message 424 

"User memory— where the very first program (DOS) can be loaded— 
begins at 00500 (hex) in IBM PCs. 00000-00400 are used for the inter- 
rupt vectors and 00400-00500 are used as a BIOS/DOS data area. 

The ending address depends on which version of DOS you're using, 
of course. Does that help? 



ms.dos/other #426, from stevebh 
a comment to message 425 

Not really. I already know where MS-DOS starts, and as you say, on an 
IBM, it's at 500 hex, but where does it end? Where does it put its FATs? 
Where do the file buffers start? Where does COMMAND.COM start? 
Where does it end? What is between my user program and the top of 
DOS (wherever that is)? 

ms.dos/other #427, from dmick [Dan Mick] 
a comment to message 426 

It is, as Barry says, dependent on the version you're using. The only 
thing between the top of DOS and you is your environment, which 
DOS builds at load time. FATs and buffers and COMMAND.COM are all 
lower than where you load by the environment length. Why in the world 
would you want to know this for a C program? Are you trying to collect 
stats about DOS? In my opinion, ya shouldn't be writing lower than 
your load address period, because that's just not the way to play the 
game. But I'm interested enough to ask, so . . . whattya doin? 
(Or maybe the fact that DOS is contiguous is what you wanted?) 

ms.dos/other #428, from barryn 
a comment to message 426 

I just took a look with DEBUG.COM, and I found out the following: 

(I have DOS 3.1, with BUFFERS = 20, FILES = 20, and ANSI.SYS.) 

1. The permanent portion of DOS ends at 0BED:05AA on my system. 

2. The FATs are apparently brought into memory when necessary, and 
are not permanently resident. 

3. The file buffers are apparently in low memory, just before DOS, in 
the area 0050:0A00 or thereabouts. 

4. COMMAND.COM is loaded into high memory ... on a 640K 
machine, it would be at the 617K mark (or so). 

5. I don't understand what you mean by "between my program and 
DOS- 
Does that help a little more? 

ms.dos/other #429, from dmick 
a comment to message 428 

Sorry, that's right, COMMAND.COM loads high. I have PC-DOS 2.10 on 
an XT, BUFFERS = 20, ANSI.SYS and got 8C2:0 as the first command 
load address (where the first resident program was). It appeared that 
there were fragments of directories (implying buffers) all through this 
general area of core, seeming to follow no certain pattern, although I'm 
sure it must. I know that DOS tries to keep FATs and DIR of the current 
subdirectory in memory to speed access times . . . don't know where, 
though. That's what the MediaChange function of the block device 
drivers is all about, though— to check if that stuff needs reloading. 

ms.dos/other #439, from rduncan [Ray Duncan] 
a comment to message 428 

The DOS buffer pool is much higher than that ... it lies between the 
DOS kernel (MSDOS.SYS or IBMDOS.COM) and COMMAND.COM. 
What you may be seeing was a dedicated disk buffer for one of the 
drivers. COMMAND.COM is divided into 3 parts. The "resident" part 
sits above DOS and below your program. This part is fairly small and 
contains the handlers for the critical error, Control-C, and termination in- 
terrupts, among other things. The 'transient" part sits at the top of 
memory and can be overlaid by other programs. It is reloaded from 
the disk when needed using the COMSPEC variable in the environ- 
ment. It contains the batch file interpreter, intrinsic commands (like 
COPY, DEL, etc.), and so forth. The "initialization" part sits just above 
the "resident" part when the system is booting. It is mainly responsible 



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tor interpreting the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, and is then discarded. Like 
dmick said, as long as you don't write into any memory below where 
your program loads, you aren't going to have problems. Poking into the 
innards of DOS seems to be the wrong approach . . . figure out what is 
wrong with the program that is causing the trouble instead. 

ms.dos/other #441, from stevebh 
a comment to message 427 

It's not that I want to know it, it's that this darned C program writes on 
top of MS-DOS, and I'm trying to find out where in the program it's do- 
ing it. I have a Logic Analyzer that will catch any write to any memory 
location, but in order for it to be useful, I have to know where MS-DOS 
is, in order to catch the write. 

ms.dos/other #443, from dmick 
a comment to message 441 

Well, what I'd do is load the C program with Periscope or some other 
debugger that is resident. What? You don't have PS or Atron? 
Well . . . they're great for this type problem 'cause you could breakpoint 
writes to any location lower than your load address. In lieu of that, 
however, why don't you load Debug or CORELOOK or sumpin' else 
that allows you to examine memory, then look for where that program 
starts, by looking for its environment/pspseg. Then exit that program 
and you know where the next one (the C program) will load. The logic 
analyzer can then be used to see when addresses below that load ad- 
dress are accessed, assuming you can single-step your C code. 
PS: With Debug, for example, the address you get after typing 
DEBUG < ret> is the "new load address" after Debug installs itself. 
Look below the CS:IP Debug gives you for environment (easily 
recognized by strings . . . PROMPT, COMSPEC, etc.). The paragraph 
above the end of the environment (marked by 00 00) is the Memory 
Control Block for Debug's psp-code segment and is marked by 4D as 
the byte in offset 0. The next paragraph is Debug's psp (goes on for 10 
paragraphs or 100 hex bytes), then Debug's code. Your load address 
will be where Debug is now, after you exit Debug and run your errant 
program. (Is all this as clear as mud?) Perhaps a diagram 

xxxx:0000 Environment for Debug 

(COMSPEC = c: \ comm * Hand.com.OOh.etc.) 

xxxx:0000 4D . . . mcb for Debug's code and psp 

to follow 

>xxxx+ V.0000 CD 20 . . . psp for Debug (starts with 

INT 20H) 

xxxx+ 1:0000 will be your C program's load address. 

(There, the horse is dead!) Hope this helps, too. 

Image File Spooler 

ms.dos/utilities #310, from rlamb [Richard Lamb] 

I have a question that I hope some of the assembly language hackers 
can help me with. I often find, especially when installing word pro- 
cessors, that I need to find out exactly what is being output to the 
printer. I need a disk file that duplicates the bytes sent to the printer. 
However; many word processors do not have a "print to disk" function, 
and even those that do frequently don't send the same thing to disk 
that they do to the printer. Therefore, what I would like to do is create 
an assembly language program that would stay resident, listen to all 
output sent to the STDPRN device, and send it to an open disk file. I 
have a public domain utility called FSPOOL which is supposed to do 
exactly that, but doesn't work on the Zenith Z-100 I tried it out on. At 
any rate, here is how I plan to tackle it: Use function 46h of INT 21 to 
force handle 4 (STDPRN) to duplicate onto an open disk file. Then use 
4Bh (EXEC) to load and execute a second copy of COMMAND.COM. 
Since the new command interpreter would inherit the old environment, 



its PRN would be redirected. Using the second copy of COM- 
MAND.COM, I can then load whatever application program I want. 
Finally, after quitting the application and exiting the second COM- 
MAND.COM, the utility would close the disk spool file and terminate. 

Before I start on this, I'd like to find out if there is a better way. 
Somehow, two copies of COMMAND.COM, one utility, and one applica- 
tion all loaded into memory at once seems a bit inelegant. I am trying 
to avoid using any IBM-specific interrupts or BIOS services. Seems like 
the DOS services should be sufficient. Anyone have any suggestions? 
The completed program will be placed into the public domain. 

ms.dos/utilities #311, from barryn 
a comment to message 310 

I wonder if the WP programs that don't support print-to-disk perhaps 
bypass DOS and issue INT 17 (Print a Character) BIOS calls directly? 
Such programs would be difficult to deal with. On the Zenith, is INT 17 
a printer BIOS routine? 

ms.dos/utilities #312, from dmick 
a comment to message 310 

My documentation on CDUP is awfully sketchy. It says that if the 
read/write pointer for the original file is moved, so will be the duplicated 
file handles pointer. It does not say anything about read or written data 
to either. DUP is more explicit about this, and says essentially that you 
will have a dual reference to the file, so one would assume CDUP is 
the same with the "forcing" applied. However. If the application you are 
using does not use file handles (read WordStar or other ill-behaved 
DOS 1.x programs, even some released after DOS 2.x but updated by 
lazy programmers), then you're out of luck here. The other option I 
would suggest is this: 

Enumerate all the standard DOS functions that send stuff to the 
printer, including 40h (write to handle), and AUX out, and PRN out, and 
the old (FCB-style) writes; then catch them all with an INT 21h filter, and 
process them accordingly (write to a file, hopefully without getting into 
reentrance problems). Of course, this filter would have to be smart 
enough to figure out that it was indeed PRN (or LPT1: or COM1: or 
whatever) that was receiving the output/file write for those cases where 
the function is not specific; and then 

Tear your hair out trying to debug all this. 

I'd cop out, myself, like FSPOOL does, and intercept the last element 
in the chain of getting things printed, the BIOS call. That is really the 
only appropriate place for a robust routine. On IBM clones, the call is 
INT 17H; on your Z-100, the call is BIOS_PRNFUNC, and its vector is 
an offset only into segment 40H and is located at 40:48h. See the PUP 
guide for reference as to what the call does, input/output, etc. 

A question: why the second copy of COMMAND.COM? Seems like, if 
you just wanted to catch the data in another handle, the call to DUP 
would do it. Or am I missing the boat completely here? 

ms.dos/utilities #317, from rduncan 
a comment to message 310 

Why not just EXEC the application directly after FDUPing the printer 
handle, rather than doing it via COMMAND.COM? Otherwise, your pro- 
posed method looks right to me, if you want to avoid IBM-specific inter- 
rupts and BIOS services, etc. 

ms.dos/utilities #318, from rlamb 
a comment to message 312 

Well, you have certainly brought up some valid concerns in your 
message. Indeed, after studying the manual, I realized that the very 

[continued] 



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programs I'm trying to work on are the ill-behaved ones. (WS is one of 
the problem children, Xy Write III another. I'm not sure what method Xy 
uses to print, however.) The reason for the second COMMAND.COM 
was that I wanted to avoid writing enough code to allow the routine to 
handle any application, a command-line parser, etc. Pure laziness. My 
current method for handling this problem is to use Zenith's CONFIGUR 
program (performs an identical function as IBM's MODE command) to 
change the output to the AUX: port, then capturing it with a Tandy 
Model 100. Although I'm limited to about 30K bytes, it's beginning to 
not seem so inconvenient. As to the use of the DUP function to force 
redirection of the PRN handle, I'm taking Peter Norton at his word on 
that. Before he made specific reference to that use of the DUP func- 
tion, I hadn't a clue as to what to use it for. Does anyone have the 
source to FSPOOL? Perhaps I can modify it to use the Zenith's BIOS 
call rather than IBM's INT 17H. 

ms.dos/utilities #319, from dmick 
a comment to message 318 

Well, I don't have the source, but I have unassembled the code with 
Debug and it's not too bad. If you have ASMGEN and a copy of the 
.COM file you should be in business. What? You've never heard of 
ASMGEN? It generates .ASM source from .COM or .EXE files and a file 
of instructions you create (5a is a data byte, 100 to 200 are 00 reserved 
for stack, etc, . . . that kind of thing). Great for reverse- (perverse-?) 
engineering this thing or that, especially if it's small and easily 
understood. I think it's already on listings; if not, I can post, but you 
may be able to just use FSPOOL and Debug. Or look at -the former 
and create your own code. It's pretty easy, as I recall. 

I have used FSPOOL to debug WS. It's hard to beat seeing just what 
that *$%&(*) is sending to my printer to make it enter compressed 
mode, do 50 form feeds, and beep at me! Good luck. Hope we've 
helped out here. 



MACINTOSH 



The Macintosh conference this month was busy with questions con- 
cerning the effects of new Macs, and Mac upgrades, on existing soft- 
ware and future purchase plans. Our excerpts from the conference 
begin with a spine-chilling tale of hard-disk adventure. Next, a problem 
with RamStart on the Mac Plus and various solutions are discussed. 
BlXen mdelugg asks questions about the virtues of upgrading and gets 
a number of replies from those who have gone before him. Finally, we 
wrap up with two threads of speculation on new products, the first on 
possible CD-ROM directions, and the second with directions all its own. 

Macintosh Hard Disk 

macintosh/hardware #106, from microprose [Russell Finn] 

TITLE: It Was a Dark but Non-Stormy Night. . . . 

Now that my hands have stopped shaking, I feel I should share my 
experience with other Macintosh users. I have had my "dream system" 
(Mac Plus, HD 20, ImageWriter II, Personal Modem) at home for less 
than a week; having acquired Red Ryder 8.0, I have begun to 
download software from various systems. In short, life is good. 

Tonight, however, while I was perusing one of my latest acquisitions 
(the MacinTalk documentation), the lights in my apartment blinked 
once— twice— three times, and I found myself facing a blinking question 
mark. Almost immediately, the HD 20 started whirring and blinking, so I 
waited for the desktop to reappear. And waited. And waited. 
And , . . the blinking question mark came back! 

I became a little nervous at this. Manually resetting the Mac using 



the programmer's switch produced the same results as before. Clearly 
something was amiss. I popped the System Tools disk into the slot, and 
in moments the familiar desktop had reappeared. I waited for the "Hard 
Disk 20" icon to emerge. And waited, And . . . 

"[Hard Disk icon] This disk is unreadable. (Eject) (Initialize)" 

I stared in horror at the dialog box. In just under a week I had ac- 
cumulated over five megabytes of data; had they all gone to the great 
bit-bucket in the sky? Was I being punished for not buying IBM? I 
started to look for some useful utility— FEdit, MacTools— but realized that 
none of the versions I had were HFS-compatible. There seemed no 
hope . . . unless . . . 

I reached behind the HD 20 and threw the power switch; the drive 
quickly coasted to a stop. Then, breathing a prayer to the Great Spirit 
Woz, I turned it back on. And waited. And . . . 

Window after window appeared on my screen— applications, fonts, 
VCO face files . . . they were back\ All five megabytes! Order had tri- 
umphed over chaos! 

Satisfied, I went to the kitchen for a Diet Coke. 

MORAL 1: Don't panic! 

MORAL II: When you can't afford an uninterruptible power supply, 
you have to learn to accept some anchovies in the great pizza of life. 

MORAL III: Does anyone have a good HFS-compatible backup 
utility? 

macintosh/hardware #107, from cgibson [Chris Gibson] 
a comment to message 106 

I have found that anytime an abnormal termination occurs while my HD 
20 is on-line, when I power up the HD 20 after the termination, the HD 
will sit there, furiously doing something, sometimes for quite awhile. 
While I don't know exactly what's going on, I would guess that the hard 
disk is left in a less than perfect state, and it takes the time to delete in- 
ternal temp files, or check the directories, or rebuild some index. I 
make no pretenses on my expertise in this area, but what I can say is 
this: if your HD freaks, power down, then switch on the HD only. As 
long as it is making noises, and the light is blinking, don't interrupt it. 
Wait until the light glows steady, then power up your Mac. (Whoops, I 
don't know if this works with the old ROM— I only use my HD 20 with 
my Mac Plus, not my 512K.) Anyway, microprose is right: DON'T 
PANIC!! 

macintosh/hardware #108, from lloeb [Larry Loeb] 
a comment to message 106 

(Getting up after falling on floor, laughing) Woz (gasp, chortle) rewards 
the faithful. 

macintosh/hardware #109, from lloeb 
a comment to message 107 

Well, since microprose doesn't have Strike Force Eagle out for the Mac 
yet, maybe this is the start of a new game: HD CRASH! Survive 
massive data loss! (Batteries Not Included.) 

macintosh/hardware #111, from paul.hoffman [Paul Hoffman] 
a comment to message 106 

MORAL I is especially true. Here's another that the folks at Apple don't 

admit to: Hitting the programmer's switch is not the internal equivalent 

of turning the Mac off and on. Somehow, resetting does not clear 

everything internally. If you get a bomb, reset, and one of your disks 

seems trashed: 

—Take two deep breaths. 

—Turn the Mac off for 5 seconds (the vision of black on the screen 

may be good for the soul). 

—Turn it back on. 

This has happened to me many times during software development. 



354 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



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RamStart/Mac Plus Problems 

macjntosh/mac.plus #58, from dpallen [David P. Allen] 

I have been trying to use RamStart with the new ROMs and everything 
works OK until RamStart tries to massage the system file into the RAM 
disk. At that point comes the big bomb with ID = - 03. Everything 
else seems to work OK with the RAM disk, and I can move the system 
file over manually after the RAM disk is created, and it seems to work 
OK when I change the default manually to the RAM disk Finder and 
system file. 

I tried a patch of RamStart, suggested by a chap over in Compu- 
Serve, but it didn't help. Any suggestions? 

macintosh/mac.plus #59, from deu [William Deu] 
a comment to message 58 

Yeah, I think I had the same problem. My guess is it has something to 
do with the system file's boot blocks. I worked around it this way: 
—First, I boot with the system disk, with RamStart in a folder by itself. 
—Second, I then open the folder and launch RamStart. 
—Third, I copy whatever I need to copy into my RAM disk. 
—Fourth, I then stick the system disk in and launch TMON or some 
other application. Then 1 quit it and when I'm back to the Finder I don't 
have anymore problems. 
—Fifth, I'm not sure why this works. 
(PS: I'm using RamStart v1.21 with the patch from CompuServe.) 

macintosh/mac.plus #60, from dpallen 
a comment to message 59 

Here is the solution to the RamStart problem as presented by a chap 
on CIS. I tried it and it works. It is necessary to do the hard disk patch 
to get rid of the occasional error message. 

Patching of RamStart Versions 1.21 and 1.22 to Operate with Mac 128K 
ROMs: 

The patching can be undertaken with MacTools, FEdit, MacZap, or 
similar utilities which are capable of searching for text strings and then 
writing changed ones to disk. 



In sector $06, offset $132, replace 41 FA 0384 
with 6000 000A 

The symptom for this last problem is a message "can't find our drive 



************************ 



To patch version 1.21: 

In sector $0C, offset $B4, replace 4EBA 0682 
with 4E71 4E71 

In sector $0D, offset $17A, 

replace 6700 0012 006E 8000 
with 6000 0012 006E 8000 

If you're using a hard disk, you may need to apply the following 
patch (Gary had to use it for both the Corvus and the Warp Nine): 

In sector $06, offset $190, 

replace 41FA 0388 
with 6000 000C 

The symptom for this last problem is a message "can't find our drive 



#." 



************* 



To patch version 1.22: 

In sector $0C, offset $36, replace 4EBA 0678 
with 4E71 4E71 

In sector $0D, offset $F8, 

replace 6700 0012 006E 8000 
with 6000 0012 006E 8000 

If you're using a hard disk, you may need to apply the following 
patch (Gary had to use it for both the Corvus and the Warp Nine): 



#." 



Considerations for Mac Upgrade 

macintosh/mac.plus #61, from mdelugg [Michael Delugg] 

Question: I've got a 512K with single-sided drives. While I often find 
myself spending time "re-organizing" my files so as to not run out of 
disk space, I don't find it too bothersome (yet). I mainly use the Mac to 
help me run a "small" business (billing, scheduling, etc.), and so far, 
my third-party memory upgrade (to 512K) seems to be holding its own. 
The point is: What improvements would I realize from the Mac Plus 
upgrade (probably the RAM, too) as opposed to any drawbacks? I've 
seen a lot of messages dealing with power supply problems and in- 
compatible software. Will Copy II Mac back up to the 800K drives? My 
three most-used applications are OverVUE 2.0, MS-Word, and Red 
Ryder. 

macintosh/mac.plus #62, from pkarnig [Peter Karnig] 
a comment to message 61 

I use Mac Plus, Word, File, Excel, Red Ryder 8.0. My small business 
has 512K Macs. I can only say that the Mac Plus is quite a bit faster 
and utilizes Switcher much, much better. Copy II does not work on 
800K disks, but you can use the hard disk copy tool to copy applica- 
tions to a RAM disk, then copy it to your 800K. This works. I use ver- 
sion 1.21 and have just heard of a new version: 1.22. Hope this helps. 

macintosh/mac.plus #64, from ccrawfor [Chris Crawford] 
a comment to message 61 

My two-penny opinion is this: You should definitely do the $300 ROM 
and disk drive upgrade. For that money, you get faster operations and 
a disk with more capacity. This can be very important in terms of allow- 
ing a system disk with all the fonts and desk accessories that you want. 

The next upgrade, the new board with the SCSI port and the 1 Mb 
of RAM, is considerably more expensive and definitely worthwhile if 
you expect to buy a hard disk soon, as SCSI drives are faster and 
cheaper than the drives that connect through the old serial ports. If you 
do not expect to purchase a hard disk, then the only value of the 
board is for an extra 512K of RAM; I do not think this is a good buy. 
There are better ways to get more RAM for your Mac. 

Finally, the new keyboard is of value to those who do a lot of 
numeric entry. It does interfere slightly with mouse operation, so I do 
not want it for my own use. 

macintosh/mac.plus #65, from lloeb 
a comment to message 64 

I tend to agree. If you want more from what you have now, the Plus is 
a good upgrade. But if you see those 68020 machines over the 
horizon . . . well, consider if you really need the logic board before [the 
new machines are introduced]. 

macintosh/mac.plus #66, from stike (Jim Stikeleather) 
a comment to message 64 

Chris, I appreciated your two-cent opinion. I have been wrestling with 
whether to upgrade or not for about a month now. I had pretty much 
come to the same conclusion as you. The Mac goes in next week. It's 
always nice to have my decision reinforced. 

[continued) 



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macintosh/mac.plus #71, from ccrawfor 

On the question of using an old keyboard on the Mac Plus: I took two 
Macs, one a standard Fat Mac, the other a standard Mac Plus, and 
swapped keyboards. Both seemed to work just fine. I did not put them 
through a torture test, just light use. 

macintosh/mac.plus #72, from tom_thompson [Tom Thompson, 
Technical Editor, BYTE] 
a comment to message 64 

111 raise ya two, Chris (clink). I agree with you on this, and I can offer 
yet another reason for not going to the new logic board. Unless your 
dealer has the new cables handy, you're going to have a Plus that you 
can't hook to your existing printer and modem, thanks to the DIN-8 
connector on the serial ports. 

If you have a ton of peripherals that use the DB-9 connector or the 
+ 5V out of the serial ports, consider things carefully before taking the 
plunge. 

Future Product Speculation 

macintosh/news #362, from frankb [Frank Boosman] 

TITLE; Another Slimy Rumor 

Have you ever wondered what Bill Atkinson has been working on 
since MacPaint? I have. Oh, sure, he did MacVision, but that probably 
took him a month or so. Then there was PaintMover, but that was 
probably a week job. Rolodex most likely took him all of an hour. 
So what has he been up to? What fantastic software has he been 
designing? 

Well, we know he's working on an updated version of QuickDraw- 
one that will allow device-independent graphics, with color, high resolu- 
tion, and all that. And it would seem to be a safe bet he's working on a 
color version of MacPaint— unless doing the first one burned him out 
on painting programs. 

So we're back to wondering what he's doing with all this extra time. 
In the book Inside MacPaint, the author asked him just that question. 
His answer? Well, his answer was that he was working on something 
neat, but he doesn't like to talk about things before they're finished. He 
likes to spring them on people. 

Last weekend, I watched "Hackers" on PBS. In it, they talked with Bill 
briefly. He used MacPaint to demonstrate a concept he said he had 
been thinking about of late (this was about a year ago, mind you). 
What he demonstrated— again, using MacPaint pictures— was sort of a 
Filevision-type CD-ROM interface. You know, click on an object and get 
information. His idea looked pretty nifty, especially considering it was a 
year ago, when no one really cared about CD-ROM. 

So, is that the mysterious program Bill is working on? We do know 
that Apple is committed to CD-ROM— in a recent CompuServe con- 
ference, Jean-Louis Gassee said they would be introducing products 
"soon." And they wouldn't want to introduce a CD-ROM product without 
software. 

Have I stumbled onto it? Or do you think I'm just barking up the 
wrong tree? 

macintosh/news #366, from frankb 

I've never seen PaintMover (could someone upload it?), but from the ar- 
ticle I read, it appears to be a utility for working with full-page MacPaint 
documents. You can enlarge areas to poster-size, smooth them, 
etc. . . . again, this is definitely secondhand. 

macintosh/news #368, from ccrawfor 
a comment to message 362 

I know the guy at Apple who is responsible for marketing projects in- 
volving laser disk and CD-ROM. He is in a research group, not a prod- 



uct development group, and I have never gathered the impression that 
he is close to anything like a product. Then again, it is considered bad 
form to pry. 

macintosh/news #370, from tom_thompson 
a comment to message 366 

I've got version 0.3. It does handle full-page Paint documents. Essential- 
ly you get two windows, one for input (your MacPaint file) and one for 
output. Then you select the region you want copied to the output win- 
dow by clicking and dragging over the desired area in the input win- 
dow. Next, you select "copy," plus any scaling function, and inverse or 
XOR bit operations, and see the result appear in the output window. 
Finally, you save the output to a MacPaint file. It is very good for han- 
dling stuff that won't fit within the MacPaint window. I had a portion of a 
chart to copy for a new document, and it covered a full 8- by 11-inch 
page. I simply selected the region I wanted in PaintMover, copied it 
over, saved, and made some minor edits to get a new chart. I would 
have had to perform several major operations to transfer it using Mac- 
Paint. It's one of those nifty utilities that you don't need for several 
months, but when you need it, you need it bad. 

macintosh/news #376, from ccrawfor 
a comment to message 368 

I called my friend at Apple today and he was appropriately evasive 
about the subject of CD-ROM products— this is in itself an indication 
that something is cooking after all. He did read me some comments 
that had already been cleared for a speech he gave at the Microsoft 
conference; fairly bland stuff, but the implication seems to be that Ap- 
ple is looking very seriously at CD-ROM. One point that he was explicit 
on was that Apple is trying hard to get a good standard set up. The 
immediate fruit of this standards stuff is a set of VTOCs on each CD- 
ROM for each of the major machines. With 550 Mb, you can afford 
multiple VTOCs. 

Finally, he cautioned against premature expectations for CD-ROM. A 
lot of people seem to think that this technology is just around the cor- 
ner, and his opinion (I think it was a personal opinion, not an Apple 
policy) is that it will take a few years to mature. 

Sorry this is all so vague, but he did not want to play Corporate 
Blabbermouth, and I didn't want to pry. 

macintosh/news #384, from kerskine [Keith Erskine] 
a comment to message 376 

Chris, could you explain VTOCs? I'm not familiar with that abbreviation. 

macintosh/news #386, from ccrawfor 
a comment to message 384 

Oops, sorry; I should have known better, for it is a tad obscure. It 
means "Volume Table of Contents" and is a table of all files on the disk 
and their locations (more precisely, the locations of the first part of the 
file). Floppies use VTOCs, hard disks use VTOCs, and so must CD- 
ROMs, unless you are setting up a really weird system. The idea Apple 
is promoting is to rig the CD-ROM with a number of VTOCs, each one 
designed to be accessible to the operating system of each of the major 
machines. Instead of coming up with One Universal Standard that 
everybody can be happy with, the idea is to compromise down to two 
or three semi-universal standards that everybody can live with. Sounds 
to me like one of the more pragmatic solutions to the old standards 
bugaboo. 

macintosh/news #387, from mwelch [Mark Welch] 
a comment to message 386 

Multiple VTOCs make a lot of sense if you have IBM users who want to 



356 B YTE • AUGUST I986 



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access a CD-ROM using DOS filenames, and Mac users of the same 
disk who want to access it using the desktop. And those who are quite 
interested are invited to join the cd.rom and storage conferences. 



OBJECT- 
ORIENTED 
PROGRAMMING 
LANGUAGES 

One of the important facets of BIX is the staging of "special events." 
This month, the special event on Object-oriented Languages seemed 
particularly appropriate tor inclusion here. The threads cover possible 
definitions of object-oriented programming languages (OOPLs) and a 
practical application using Smalltalk. 

Definitions of Object-oriented Languages 

smalltalk/expert.forum #17, from bstroustrup [Bjarne Stroustrup, AT&T 
Bell Labs] 

What is a really good definition of an object-oriented language? 

"Really good" may be too much to ask for, since there are several 
different schools of thought, but here is mine: 

A language supports object-oriented programming if it provides an 
inheritance mechanism. That is, in Simula67 and Smalltalk terminology: 
subclasses. The language is object-oriented if it enforces the rule that 
all communication between objects must be in the form of calls of 
methods (sometimes called member functions). 

smalltalk/expert.forum #25, from Itesler [Larry Tesler, Apple Computer 
Inc.] 

What is a really good definition of an object-oriented language? 

A language in which statements tell objects to perform actions and to 
transmit results, instead of telling procedures to operate upon data. 

In an object-oriented language, a statement is more like a stage 
directive in a play (Smith: exit stage left) than an imperative command 
(Kick out Smith!). 

smalltalk/expert.forum #39, from cox [Brad Cox, Productivity Products 
International Inc.] 

I agree with Bjarne that a "really good" definition is probably too much 
to ask for until today's wealth of personal definitions can be sifted for 
areas of consensus, Assembler, FORTRAN, C, Ada, C + + , Objective-C, 
and Smalltalk are points on a continuum of increasingly object-oriented 
languages, and it is hard to divide a continuum into crisply separated 
regions with any "really good" definition. 

I propose two definitions in my book, one broad enough to encom- 
pass even statically bound languages like Ada, and the other narrower, 
to include only languages with dynamic binding. By the broad defini- 
tion, an object-oriented language (1) allows code suppliers to define 
new types for export to code consumers and (2) allows code con- 
sumers to use them as genuinely new types rather than as an uncon- 
nected conglomeration of data declarations and functions. Ada's 
package facility qualifies under this definition since, for example, it is 
possible to define a new type (e.g., Point) as a collection of data 
declarations (e.g., a Point is a pair or integers) and operations on that 
data (e.g., point arithmetic operators), and to export the package 



describing the new point type to consumers who may use them as if 
they were predefined types of the language, without concern for their 
implementation. 

I prefer the narrower definition that results from adding the require- 
ment that (3) the decision as to which piece of code should be ex- 
ecuted, given a particular data-name/operator-name pair in the source, 
must be made as late as possible: at run time, not at compile time. The 
primary reason is that late binding allows highly reusable code to be 
produced that adjusts automatically to the environment that its user 
places it in. Early binding requires that the user invoke the compiler 
and have access to the supplier's source code to adjust the code to his 
needs, the first of which is not generally possible at run time and the 
second of which inhibits the development and use of highly reusable 
code by requiring code suppliers to trust consumers to respect their 
proprietary interest in source code. 

smalltalk/expert.forum #67, from j.jones [Jeremy Jones, Coral Soft- 
ware Corp.] 

Creating new types is a fundamental activity in most programming 
languages including non-OOPLs. This does not distinguish them. What 
distinguishes OOPLs is that behaviors are associated with types. This 
leads to a definition for OOPLs: An OOPL is a programming language 
that deals with entities that can have both state and behavior. These en- 
tities are often called "objects." 

I believe that this definition includes all languages that claim to be 
object-oriented. But perhaps this definition is not exclusive enough. By 
this definition, ALGOL68 is object-oriented since procedures can have 
"owned" variables, variables that are local to a procedure and whose 
state is maintained even when the procedure is not dynamically active. 
So perhaps the definition could be extended to: An OOPL is a pro- 
gramming language that provides tools for dealing with entities that can 
have both state and behavior. Some of these tools are "message pass- 
ing," "inheritance," "classes," "subclasses," "polymorphism," and 
"encapsulation." 

Here is the rationale for these tools: 

There needs to be a way to initiate behavior in objects; this is the 
reason for "message passing." 

If you have a language that deals with objects, it is useful to have the 
capability to create objects that are "just like" other objects, without ac- 
tually making copies of everything. This is "inheritance." 

It is also useful to have a capability that allows many objects to share 
the same behavior, but have different state. This is the reason for hav- 
ing "classes" and "instances." 

Once you have inheritance, it is useful to have the capability to create 
an object that is "just like" another object "except" for minor differences. 
This is the origin of "subclasses." 

It is useful to have different kinds of objects respond to a request in 
their own particular ways. This is "polymorphism." 

Since objects already have state and behavior, it seems natural that 
the state of an object can only be changed by its own behavior. This is 
"encapsulation." 

smalltalk/expert.forum #71, from j.jones 
a comment to 61 

This note describes the way Object LISP and Object Logo deal with 
the issues brought up in my last note. 

Object behavior is initiated by telling an object to evaluate an expres- 
sion. The functions and values associated with symbols depend on the 
current object. Herein lies the main difference between Object LISP 
and other OOPLs. Object LISP is a "pure" OOPL in the sense that 
every operation involves an object, but the object is implicitly self. 

Sharing knowledge is accomplished by supplying a list of objects to 
inherit from when an object is created. Conceptually, this list of objects 
is searched, in sequence, on every function call or variable reference 

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until a value is found. Since each parent object also inherits from a list 
of objects, there may be duplicates in the search path, These 
duplicates are actually eliminated when the object is created so that the 
search path is linear. The last of a series of duplicates is retained. The 
search stops when the global object is reached. 

Classes and instances are implemented by using the conventional 
procedure "exist" to create an instance's state. Any object that has an 
exist procedure can be considered a class. An instance is created by 
creating an object that inherits from a class, then calling exist to create 
the state. This is done in one operation by calling "oneof." 

Subclasses with overriding or shadowing of functions is accom- 
plished automatically, since the search for a binding stops when the 
first one is found, and any object can have a binding for a particular 
symbol. 

Polymorphism is also accomplished automatically since the same 
symbol can have as many different function bindings as there are 
objects. 

Encapsulation is not accomplished via the object system in Object 
LISP. A very good encapsulation technology already exists in many 
LISPs. This is called "packages." Packages allow you to have many dif- 
ferent "namespaces" in a system, and to specify which names are ac- 
cessible outside of a package. This encapsulation technology is used 
successfully in some very large systems such as Macsyma and the 
LISP Machine. Our view is that encapsulation is orthogonal to an object 
system. Objects are mainly an inheritance and dispatching technology. 
Accomplishing encapsulation with objects is overextending the 
technology, hence the confusion of whether or not to allow subclasses 
to access and change a superclass's state. 

There is one other OOPL tool that I forgot to mention in my last note; 
this is "method combination." It is the ability to create a behavior that is 
a combination of other objects' responses to the same request. This is 
accomplished in Object LISP by using the "usual" facility. This allows a 
procedure to call the "usual" procedure at any time during its execu- 
tion. The "usual" procedure is the one that would have been called if 
the current definition did not exist, Anytime a procedure is written that 
is a specialization of an inherited procedure, the "usual" procedure 
should be called somewhere within the procedure. 

Object LISP purposefully does not supply a "super" capability. This is 
because a procedure should not normally explicitly call any procedure 
in a parent object except the "usual" one. If an object overrides an in- 
herited definition, that definition should always be used. 

What do other people think of this method of categorizing 
characteristics of OOPLs? 

smalltalk/expert.forum #72, from j.anderson [Jim Anderson, Digitalk 

Inc.] 

a comment to 67 

That was an excellent summary of the "essence" of object-oriented 
languages, Jeremy. 

In order for an OOPL to be an effective tool for problem-solving on a 
personal computer there are some additional attributes of an object- 
oriented programming system which I believe are essential. 

Language Issues 

Jeremy described the fundamental features: "message passing," "in- 
heritance," "instances," "subclasses," "polymorphism," and "encapsula- 
tion." I add two more requirements: 
1. Safety 

Although a strict interpretation of encapsulation (separation of internals 
from externals) accomplishes safety, several of the OOPLs claim they 
feature encapsulation while they allow internals to be changed from the 
outside (from other objects or objectless code). This is unacceptable in 
a long-running environment with a valuable population of objects where 
a prototyping style of development results in making changes and er- 



rors at a rapid pace. The only object "deaths" that are acceptable are 
via suicide or garbicide (garbage collection). 
2. Garbage Collection 

This is a language feature because I code differently when automatic 
garbage collection is present. Garbage collection stated in terms of 
Pascal means I must say "new" but I never have to say "dispose." It is 
a convenience and eliminates a major type of programming error: 
disposing too soon. Garbage collection is essential in a long-running 
environment where diverse activities are performed. 

Environment/Implementation Issues 
Language issues alone are too abstract. I need support from an en- 
vironment in order to do practical object-oriented programming. 

1. Performance 

The environment must be highly responsive for effective program 
development and application use. It has to be fast enough so that I 
prefer to be working in it rather than outside of it. 

2. Organization of Object Population 

I need to be able to systematically locate the classes, methods, and 
other objects in the environment, I need to be able to quickly browse 
through them. 

3. Exploratory Programming 

I need to be able to change (and add new) classes, methods, and 
other objects quickly in order to do exploratory programming. I don't 
want lengthy edit/compile/link/test steps. I need a debugger which per- 
mits me to see the complete problem state and to resume execution 
after errors are corrected, 

4. Access to Other Languages 

I want to be able to call non-OOPLs in order to access existing applica- 
tions and to utilize the strengths of other languages. 

5. Access to Underlying OS 

I want to be able to utilize the features of the host operating system in 
order to access files, keyboard, mouse, display, printers, communica- 
tions ports, date, and time. 

The Methods BIX Browser 

smalltalk/expert.forum #11, from j.anderson 

Eva, you asked if there were any useful applications. I'm using one 
now. I'm accessing BIX using my 4.77-MHz Compaq with a "BIX 
Browser" window implemented in Smalltalk by George Bosworth. With 
the Bix Browser, I can review all BIX activity using a mouse, without 
touching the keyboard, 

The BIX Browser window has four panes (views). The three at the top 
contain lists of BIX groups, conferences, and topics. When I select a 
group, I get the list of conferences in that group. When I select a con- 
ference, I get the list of topics in that conference, When I select a topic, 
I am automatically "joined" to that topic, whether or not I was previous- 
ly registered. Then I can go to the large TTY-emulator pane below to 
browse the messages in the selected topic. There is a special group 
".joined" which shows all the conferences I have joined. 

The TTY-emulator pane is multipurpose. I can read messages via 
menus. If I type at the end, inputs are sent over the communication 
line and echoed back, If I type before the end I have the normal 
Methods text editor. I can evaluate Smalltalk expressions like "50 fac- 
torial" (very useful) and get 

3041409320171337804361260816606476884437764156896051200 
0000000000 

So, here is an application which replaces the somewhat complex text 
dialogue of BIX with the simpler "point and click" Smalltalk-style 
interface. 

[Editor's Note: The source code for the Methods Bix Browser can be 
downloaded from the long.messages topic of the Digitalk conference] m 



358 BYTE • AUGUST I986 



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A Directory of Products and Services 



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AUGUST 1 986 • BYTE 359 



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FIRE PROTECTION 



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360 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



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Information and Technology Services, Inc. 



RS-232 RS-422 

• Four Port RS-232 w/soflware $34900 

• RS-422/485 Serial «149 00 

• RS-232/422 with 24 Parallel I/O «199°° 

• RS-422 Synchronous $29900 

Call About Custom Designed Boards 

Sealevel Systems Inc. 

P,0. Box 1808 
Easley, South Carolina 29641 

(803) 855-1581 



CUSTOM PAYROLL 

All systems have multiple pay categories, calcula- 
tion of all taxes, user defined deductions, 401 (k) 
handling, many reports, paychecks, W-2 forms, and 
much more. Custom features are available. Prices 
start at $695 for system, manual, and PC Basic 
source code. 

Datasmith, Inc. 

Box 8036, Shawnee Mission, KS 66208 
(913)381-9118 



Inquiry 653. 



Inquiry 683. 



PROGRAM GENERATORS 



EPSON QX-16 — A complete computer system 
512K - 2 Drive - Monitor - Keyboard - PP - SP «500 of 
FREE software - Vadocs2 - CPM • MS - DOS 
List $2700 Your Cost S895 

OKIDATA-93 

160 cps - Wide Carriage with NLQ 
List «900 Your Cost s 379 

Electrified Discounters (203) 937-0106 

996 Orange Ave., P.O. Box 151, West Haven, CT 06516 



Inquiry 691. 



WINDOW.LIB $99. 

An easy to use complete windowing system for programmers 
and writing in . . . 

• BASIC IBM. MS, CB86 . . . • C LATTICE, M-S ... 

• COBOL MS. RMF ...» PASCAL M-S. TURBO . . . 

• FORTRAN M-S, RMF. 
Window editor included. Create callable pop-up menus, help 
screens. The line selector features auto reverse highlighting and 
cursor control. No royalties. Ask about our BIOS/DOS. 
LIB.VISA/MC. 

GLENCO ENGINEERING (312) 392-2492 
3920 Ridge Ave., Arlington Hts., IL 60004 



Inquiry 701. 



FINANCE MANAGER II - General Ledger 

A small business/personal finance package for IBM PC. 
Menu driven, easy setup, complete reports, budget, 
graphs, double entry, simple inputs, demo files. Tracks 
income, expenses, assets, liabilities, net worth. Evalua- 
tion copy with manual on disk for only $10. Registered 
copy with printed manual S65. Visa/MC/Amex. 

Hooper International 

Dept. B, P.O. Box 6009, Vancouver, WA 98668-6009 
(206) 256-6361 



Inquiry 703. 



AUGUST I986 -BYTE 361 



The Buyer's Mart- 



SOFTWARE/ACCOUNTING 



SOFTWARE/BUSINESS 



SOFTWARE/BUSINESS 



► FINANCIAL CALCULATOR + 

Memory resident calculator performs compound in- 
terest, NPV. IRR, bonds, depreciation. Prints finan- 
cial schedules. Allows importing/exporting of data. 
Includes all HP-12C functions plus more. Introduc- 
tory price $49.95 plus $3 s/h; after 9/1/86. $69.95. 

K SOFTWARE HOUSE, INC. 

Rt. 2, Box 83B1 Unionville, TN 37180 
(615) 294-5090 



"THE CLERK" RETAIL POINT OF SALE 

New software gives your small-medium business the 
same advantages the "Big Guys" have. Automatic 
sales slip, invoices, inventory control, discounts, 
taxes, reports, and much more! Indispensable 
management tool! Demo disk $435 (refundable). 
Regular $349.95 — Just $179.95. 
1-800-346-3026 ext.958 

WDR SALES CO. 

9604 BELMONT, KANSAS CITY, MO. 64134 
Dealer inquiries welcome. 



PC-Write™ Shareware 

Fast, powerful word processor/text editor for IBM 
PC. New Version 2.6 with auto reformat, optional 
menus, on-screen help, laser printer support, new 
expanded manual. Mailmerge, split screen, ASCII 
files, macros. All software, tutorial/guide on 
diskette, $10. OK to copy. Register for full manual, 
support $75. 90-day money-back guarantee. 

Quicksort (206) 262-0452 VIsa/MC 
219 First N. 0224J, Seattle, WA 98109 



Inquiry 712. 



Inquiry 739. 



ACCESS: Report Writer 

Powerful, Easy to Use, Fast. For RM/COBOL Ap- 
plications. Supports query, sort, reports, computed 
columns, control breaks, totals & sub-totals, 
headings, mailing labels & catalogs. Bridges data 
to 1-2-3, Multiplan & WP. 

MSDOS - $149; XENIX - $249 

DCM DATA PRODUCTS 

1710 Two Tandy Center, Fort Worth, TX 76102 
617/670-2202 



Info-Lion™ Relational DBMS 

Outstanding data entry & validation. Powerful 
query. Password security. Easy to use, online 
help. Much more! For MS/PC-DOS systems. Only 
$159.95 VISA/MC 

Remember, go with the lion . . 

because it's a jungle out there! 

Morgan Software Inc. 

414 Valley Ave., Wllmerding, PA 15148 
(412) 824-0458 



LP88-LINEAR PROGRAMMING 

A powerful menu-driven system for solving linear programs w/ 
up to 510 constraints & 2510 variables. Features include in- 
teractive & batch operation, spreadsheet-style input & edit ng. 
storage of problems & bases. Simplex Algorithm restart, report 
generator, sensiti ity analysis. Req. IBM PC, 192K.$99w/8087 
support, user's guide. VISA/MC. 
EASTERN SOFTWARE PRODUCTS INC. 
P.G. Box 15328, Alexandria, VA 22309 . 
(703) 549-5469 



Inquiry 742. 



Inquiry 725. 



SOFTWARE/BUSINESS 



SOFTWARE/CHURCH 



The Andsor Collection™ 

Unique concept: creates complete, self-contained, 
window-based data management environment, in 
one DOS file. Simplifies everything. Combine func- 
tions to create your own solutions in any application: 
calculations, database management, modeling, text 
processing, charts, data analysis, statistics, reports, 
labels, forms, presentations, mail-merge, etc. Sim- 
ple enough for a PCjr, sophisticated enough for a 
PC AT. 

SEE ALSO THE AD BELOW 



BILINGUAL WORD PROCESSOR 

DuangJan, a special word processor for English 
and; European. Greek, Lao, Portuguese, Russian, 
Spanish. Thai, Vietnamese, your own language, or 
more. For IBM PC/XT/ AT/Clones with graphics & 
IBM/Epson/Cltoh printer. $59 + $4 S&H in US&Can 
(+10 others). 

MEGACHOMP COMPANY 

3524Cottman Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19149. USA 

(215) 331-2748/8138 



ROMAR CHURCH SYSTEMS™ 

Membership-61 fields plus alternate address; labels, 
letters, repoits any field(s). Offering-256 funds; optional 
pledge; statements; post to 255 x/year. Finance-G/L with 
budget; up to 500 sub-totals & 99 depts: month & YTD 
reports anytime for any month. Size 2000 people/flop- 
py; 25000/10 meg. Ad too short! Write! 

Romar Church Systems, Attn: BMB 

P.O. Box 4211, Elkhart, IN 46514 
(219) 262-2188 



Inquiry 718. 



Inquiry 740. 



The Andsor Collection™ 

From simple calculations, files, inquiries, to complex models, 
data structures, reports. Superb 400 page hard-cover manual. 
with many examples. US $95 + $5 s&h. 60day money-back 
guarantee. Visa/MC/AmEx/Chk/MO/COD. Call or write now to 
order. IBM PC/XT/AT/PCjr. 1 28K + , one drive or hard disk, 
monochrome and/or color, DOS 2.0 + . Not copy-protected. 

ANDSOR RESEARCH INC. 

181 University Avenue., Suite 1202, 

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 3M7 

(416) 364-8423 



PC-File III™ Version 4 

Search, sort, browse, global changes, macros, mailing 
labels, format reports with selection & calculations, sub- 
totals, totals, averages, encryption. Exchange data with 
1-2-3, WORD. WordStar. Over 1 90.000 users. $59.95 + 
$5 S/h. For IBM PC. 

ButtonWare, Inc. 

P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 
1-800-J-BUTTON 



Church Package 

Parishioner Time, Talent and Treasure System pro- 
gram is written in modifiable dBASE source code. 
• Contributions • Disbursements • Ledger 
• Names with mailing labels 
• Personal information database. 
Requires dBASE II or III. PC-DOS/CPM-80 $200. 

Feller Associates 

550 CR PPA, Route 3, Ishpeming, Ml 49849 
(906) 486-6024 



Inquiry 656. 



Inquiry 663. 



SOFTWARE/GENERAL 



DATA ENTRY SYSTEM 

Heads-down data entry with two-pass verification for 
the PC/XT/AT & compatibles. Loaded with features 
like: Auto dup & skip, verify bypass, range checks, 
& table lookups. Fully menu driven only $395. 
Call for free 30 day trial period. 

COMPUTER KEYES 

21929 Makah Rd., Woodway, WA 98020 
(206) 776-6443 



PC-File/R™ 

All the power of PC-File III plus: Relational link to 
other databases, integrated letter writing & mail- 
merge, context sensitive pop-up help windows. New 
binary search retrieves data hundreds of times faster. 
$149.95 + $5 s/h. 

ButtonWare, Inc. 

P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 
1-800-J-BUTTON 



Al for the IBM PC 

TOPSI is a full version of OPS5 which runs under MS- 
DOS, Unix or CP/M. A fast, efficient expert system 
development tool. 

Prototyping: $125 

Production: $250 

Professional: $375 

C version, add $20 Shipping, add $5 

Dynamic Master Systems 

POB 566456. Atlanta, GA 30356 
(404) 565-0771 



Inquiry 67& 



GREAT SOFTWARE, CHEAP! 

Absolutely Smashing User Supported Software 
$4.95 per disk. PC-Outline, PC-Write, DOSamatic, 
Commercial Unprotect, File Express, Cheap 
Assembler, PC-Desk, utilities galore, many more. 
Money-back guarantee. IBM PC, PC Jr, or com- 
patibles. FREE CATALOG. 

PLUS SOFTWARE 

33495 Del Obispo, Suite 160 M, 
Dana Point, CA 92629 



Inquiry 76a 
362 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



OFFICE AUTOMATION SOFTWARE 

Order Entry, Inventory $49.95 each. Independent or in- 
teractive. Fast, accurate. Database sizes: 150 to 1000. 
Monitor up to 15 whse. Other configs avail. Order 
acknowledgment forms, inventory listings, & reorder level 
lis ings printed. Min. req: IBM PC orcompalible, 1 DSDD 
360K drive, 128K RAM memory, DOS 2.10 or later. 
MC/VISA, free shipping. 

FutureSoft (216) 753-1336 

P.O. Box 23005, Cuyahoga Falls. OH 44223-1100 



Inquiry 761. 



SIDEWINDER 

Print letters, spreadsheets, etc. sideways oT» Ep- 
son compatible or Printronix dot matrix printers. 
Font editor modifies default fonts, creates new 
ones. Configurable for various paper widths, 
printer codes. For IBM PC. Manual incl. $39.95. 

ELECTRONICS INC. 

Paine Field Bldg. 335, Everett, WA 98204 

(206) 355-1855 



The Buyer's Mart- 



SOFTWARE/GRAPHICS 



SOFTWARE/GRAPHICS 



SOFTWARE/LANGUAGES 



GRAPHICS PRINTER SUPPORT 

AT LAST! Use the PrtSc key to make quality scaled 
B'& W or color reqrpductions of your display on any 
dot matrix, inkjet, or laser printer. GRAF PLUS sup- 
ports all versions of PC or MS-DOS with IBM, Tec- 
mar, and Hercules graphics boards. $59.95, 

Jewell Technologies, Inc. 

4302 SW Alaska St., Suite 207, Seattle, W A 981 16 
(206) 937-1081 



FORTRAN PROGRAMMER? 

Now you can call 2-D and 3-D graphics routines 
within your FORTRAN program. 

GRAFMATIC: 75 callable routines for 
screen output. $135. 

PLOTMATIC: Pen plotter driver. $135. 
For the IBM PC, XT, AT and compatibles. We sup- 
port a variety of compilers, graphics boards and 

Pl0tWrS ' MICROCOMPATIBLES 

301 Prelude Drive, Dept. B 

Silver Spring, MD 20901 

(301) 593-0683 



► MATRIX 100 + 

Perform multiple regression, solve simultaneous equations, in- 
veM matrices, etc. in BASIC or Fortran. "... very sound 
numericaly . . . very powerful and very easy to use" — OR/MS 
Today 2/85. "Stanlord Business Software deserves congratula- 
tions" — PC Mag. 5/14/85. Price $80; 8087 support $125; 
compiler support $250; Fortran library $175. {$4 s&h). 

STANFORD BUSINESS SOFTWARE, INC. 

2672 Bayshore Parkway, Ste. 304 

Mountain View, CA 94043 

To Order Call (415) 424-9499 



Inquiry 711. 



Inquiry 722. 



Inquiry 746. 



SOFTWARE/LANGUAGES 



PLOTTER SOFTWARE 

Save time and money by creating yourown presen- 
tation quality text slides. THE DGI SIGN MAKER is 
an easy to use menu driven program for your IBM 
or APPLE computer and most plotters {Epson, HI, 
HP. HP-GL, IBM and others) for only $75. 

DECISION GRAPHICS, INC. 

P.O. Box 2776-B. Littleton, Colorado 80161 
Phone (303) 796-0341 



RUN FAST, LOOK BEAUTIFUL 

If this is what people expect from your BASIC programs, 
then you need YES MASTER!: a DOS-resident develop- 
ment aid that includes a screen painter, an ISAM file 
manager, a window manager, a printer generator and 
more. All in one package. $245. No royalty. 

SOFTWAY, INC. 

500 Sutter St.. Suite 222 BC 

San Francisco, CA 94102 

(415) 397-4666 



C PROGRAMMERS 

CCmem and CCfile are tools that can be used as front- 
ends to the standard memory and file primitives to per- 
form usage and profiling statistics. Add your own 
features in one hour. Easily turned on and off. Super 
for debugging! Source is $50 each. 

COMEAU COMPUTING 

91-34 120th Street, Richmond Hill, NY 11418 

(718) 849-2355 — 24 hr. HOTLINE 



Inquiry 684. 



Inquiry 744. 



Inquiry 671. 



Tl PRO + TURBO + GRAPHICS 

UNLEASH YOUR Tl PRO WITH: TURBO 2.0 or 3.0 + 
TIGrafix. GRAPHICS, TURTLEGRAPHICS, MUSIC, 
SCREEN & CURSOR CONTROLS & more routines 
than IBM TURBO. Use BASIC PICSw/o reprog. Con- 
vert IBM code to Tl PRO. Source & doc included. 
TIGrafix $99.95, + TURBO $149.95, + TURBO 8087 
$179.95. SWITCH TO TURBO NOW!!! 

ProWare, Inc. (503) 233-4465 

1023 SE 36th Ave., Portland, OR 97214 
VISA/MC/CHECK 7AM-7PM MON-FRI 



BE A SCREEN STAR! 

In BASIC, PASCAL, DBASE, C, COBOL, FORTRAN, 
ASSEMBLER, design data entry screens in minutes. All 
popular features + 99 windows, save, restore, merge, 
redefine keys, pull down menus, ASCII table. . . No royal- 
ty. HIGH SCREEN is $129. DEMO $15. S&H $5. CA 
add 6.5%. 

SOFTWAY, Inc., PC/SOFT Product Line 

500 Sutter St., Suite 222, San Francisco, CA 94102 
(415) 397-4666 



EXPERT SYSTEMS! 

You can develop expert systems with KNOWOL, 
the Knowledge Oriented Languagefrom IMCO. In- 
cludes a tutorial, unlimited development capabili- 
ty, and a smart rules editor. Not copy protected. 
An incredible introductory offer at $39.95 plus $2 
s&h ($4/COD). 

Intelligent Machine Company 

3813 N. 14th St., Arlington, VA 22201 
(703)528-9136 



Inquiry 737. 



Inquiry 758. 



Inquiry 707. 



SOFTWARE/SCIENTIFIC 



SCIENTIFIC PLOTTING 

Are conventional graphics packages not 
meeting your requirements for engineer- 
ing/scientific plotting with your HP plotter? GRA- 
FIT 3.4 is the answer— all the features you want, 
and more. Only $90 + $5 s&h. Send for details. 

JAYAR Systems 

P.O. Box 2885, Station "A" 

Sudbury, Ontario, Canada P3A 5J3 

(705) 522-2230 



Inquiry 710. 



Minnesota S N O BO L4 Lan 9 ua 9e 
Powerful string & data handling facilities. Interpreter com- 
patible with mainframe SNOB0L4. 32K strings, 32 bit in- 
tegers, 8087 for float & large memory model. Sample pgms 
include ELIZA. For >128K IBM PC & DOS or equivalent. 
Definitive "green" book by Griswold et al available. 

Guide +51/5" SSDD diskette $44.95 

Guide + diskette + "green" book $59.95 

"Green" book only $26.95 

Postpaid in USA. In NY add tax. VISA/MC (914) 271-5855 

BERSTIS INTERNATIONAL 
POB 441, Millwood, NY 10546 

Inquiry 660. 



MATRIX CALCULATOR v. 1.20 

80+ Matrix Opns, Sys of Eq'ns, Multi-Lin 
Regr, Statistics, LP:Simplex, Param, Sensitivi- 
ty, Dif Eqns and Numer. Integr. Super Matrix 
Make-Edit-Print. Pascal Code + 3 utilities at 
$120 (all 4 disks). 

SOFTTECH INC. 

18505 W. 8 Mile, Detroit, Ml 48219 
1-313-544-8544 



Inquiry 743. 



TRICLOPS INVASION 

Animated 3D space game with fractal Earth, jets, 
tanks, cities, walking robots, and geodesic 
satellites. Runs on IBM AT's, using standard col- 
or graphics card. Includes demos. 'PLUS* 1000 
lines B0B6 polyfill source. 

$15.00 postpaid 

Geodesic Publications 

P.O. Box 7, Willow Creek, CA 95573 
(916) 629-2514 



FORTRAN UTILITIES 

CROSS-REFERENCE UTILITY: Mainframe grade symbol x- 
ref listing for variables, subprogram calls and labels. Variable 
map shows type, length, alloc, scope, usage tag, etc. All 
FORTRAN 77 compilers. $49.95 + $2.50 S&H. 
UTILITY LIBRARY: Assembly language routines for screen, 
cursor, keyboard, time, sound, etc. MS/IBM and IBM Pro/RM 
FORTRAN compilers. $39.95 + $2.50 S&H. 
IBM PC with DOS 2.0+ . VISA/MC/MO/check (2 wks) 

PJN International 

P.O. Box 201363, Austin, TX 78720 
(512) 837-2888 



Affordable Engineering Software 

CALL OR WRITE FOR FREE CATALOG 
Circuit Analysis • Root Locus • Thermal 
Analysis • Plotter Drivers • Graphics • Signal 
Processing • Filter Design • Report Pro- 
ofreader • Transfer Function Analysis. 
BV Engineering 

2200 Business Way Suite 207, Riverside, CA 92501 
(714) 781-0252 VISA/MC 



Inquiry 699. 



Inquiry 736. 



Inquiry 666. 



PC-KEY-DRAW TRY IT $15 VER. 3.1 

Comprehensive, high-power graphics editor, CAD, 
paint, slide show program. Over 150 standard func- 
tions plus macros, 64 pages/layers, zoom printer, 
64 patterns, novice/expert modes. $15 includes 
manual, software, quick ref. card. Register $100 
for support, updates complete printed manuals. 
Shareware. IBM PC and compatibles. 
OEDWARE 

P.O. Box 595, Columbia, MD 21045-0595 
(301) 997-9333 



Inquiry 730. 



SCREEN PROGRAM GENERATOR 

SPG I creates BASIC program code quickly and easily. Design 
your screen directly and SPG I will generate the BASIC pro- 
gram code to handle the display and input ot data. Controls 
use of color, editing, graphics, cursor movement and function 
keys. Generated code easy to modify / merge. 
IBM PC & comaptibles 128K. 
$75 + $3.00 S&H (CA + tax) 

Treebeard Software 

5901 Warner Avenue, Suite 428 
Huntington Beach, CA 92649 

(714) 840-6939 



Inquiry 750. 



ORDINARY/PARTIAL 

DIFFERENTIAL EQN 

SOLVER 

FOR THE IBM PC & COMPATIBLES 

MICROCOMPATIBLES 

301 Prelude Dr., Silver Spring, MD 20901 
(301) 593-0683 



Inquiry 723. 



AUGUST 1 986 • BYTE 363 



The Buyer's Mart- 



SOFTWARE/SCIENTIFIC 



ENGINEERING SOFTWARE WRITTEN 
BY ENGINEERS FOR ENGINEERS 

Highest power per dollar. Highest power per K of 
memory. Satisfaction guaranteed. 

Electronic Circuit Analysis $450. 

EC-ACE $95. 

Tatum Labs 

33 Main St.. Newtown, CT 06470 

(203) 426-2184 



SOFTWARE/SCIENTIFIC 



SOFTWARE/TOOLS 



FORTRAN SOURCE CODE 

PROFESSIONAL SIGNAL PROCESSING & 

MATRIX ANALYSIS UTILITIES 
35 PROGRAMS W/TUTORIAL & EXAMPLES 
FFJ. AR Modeling, Digital Filters. Matrix: SVD, Gonj.Gra- 
dient, Pseudo-Inverse. Root Finder, Gubic Spline Interp, 
Graphics, Random Numbers. More. Disk/Hard-copy. 
Documented, 130 pages. Bibliography. Send for Info 
Pkg $99. CLAREN SOFTWARE 

P.O. Box 5333 • MESA, AZ 85201 
(602) 820-3877 



Programmers: 

We guarantee our products to be solid, bugfree. 
' CorrectForth - Very professional, 83 standard. 
* CorrecL-Datamizer - 50:1 data compression 

guaranteed. 

$80.75 per program MC/VISA/AMEX/MO/Check. 
(SD sales tax 4°/o) Specify computer. 

Correct Software, Inc. 

RR1 Box 140, Black Hawk, SD 57718 
(605) 787-5904 



Inquiry 670. 



Inquiry 760. 



SOFTWARE/SORT 



CROSS ASSEMBLERS for 
VAX VMS and PC/MS DOS 
New Low Prices 

Relocatable Macro Cross Assemblers, 

Linkers, Librarians 
Targeted to almost all Microprocessors 

ENERTEC, INC. 

BOX 1312, Lansdale, PA 19446 
215-362-0966 MC/VISA 



OPT-TECH SORT/MERGE 

Extremely fast Sort/Merge/Select utility. Run as an 
MS-DOS command or CALL as a subroutine. Sup- 
ports most languages and filetypes including Btrieve 
and dBASE. Unlimited filesizes, multiple keys and 
much more! $149. 

(702) 588-3737 

Opt-Tech Data Processing 

P.O. Box 678 - Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 



CROSS ASSEMBLERS 

Develop microprocessor programs on your IBM PC 
or MS DOS computer. 

* Macros * Conditional Assembly * Editor * 

Complete support for most 8 bit microprocessors 

Linker and EPROM Programmer Driver 

Microcomputer Tools Co. 

1255C Kenwal Rd., Concord, CA 94521 
(415) 825-4200 



Inquiry 694. 



Inquiry 732. 



Inquiry 724. 



DIGITAL SIGNAL ANALYSIS 

Fourier Perspective II w/graphics. FFT/IFT. convolu- 
tion, deconvolution. Hanning, Power Spectrum, 
Cross Correlation. 25 more. Graphics 2D and 3D. 
8087 recommended, not required. Easy to use 
menus, FP II $395 or FP I (FFT w/graphics only) 
$149. Runs on PC, PC-XT, PC-AT. 

Alligator Transforms Scientific Software 

P.O. Box 11386, Costa Mesa, CA 92627 
(714) 662-0660 



ON WORD 

• Accurate Optical Scanning (direct to word processors) 

• Precise Data Conversions (including format codes) 

• Great Tune-Around/Best Prices 

(48 or 24 hour, even same day) 

• Custom Conversions (yes, we support — you!) 

• Call Us Today, Call Us Now 

ON WORD DEVELOPMENT 

2434 Main St. Suite #201 , Santa Monica, CA 90405 
(213) 399-7733 



METRICS FOR MANAGEMENT 

ANALYZE reads yourcode & produces metrics on 
VOLUME, COMPLEXITY, PRODUCTIVITY & 
morel Management, QA/QC & Engineers gain 
valuable insight to scheduling, problem areas, 
testing, maintenance & compliance to standards. 
For IBM PC. Analyze FORTRAN & "C" $495.00 
+ S/H. Add Adaf or only $200.00 more! MC/VISA 

Autometric Inc. 

891 Elkridge Landing Rd., Suite 350, Linthicum, MD 21090 
(301) 859-4111 



Inquiry 655. 



Inquiry 731. 



Inquiry 658. 



SOFTWARE/SYSTEMS 



POP-UP HP-41 EMULATOR 

Graphically presents HP-41 keypad and unique view of 
stack and registers. Binary, Octaf, Decimal, Hexadecimal 
display and input. 12 digit precision; 500 accessible 
registers. For IBM PC/XT/AT and close compatibles. Stan- 
dard version $69.95: 8087 version $79,95 ($4 shipping 
and handling, plus sales tax in Calif.). 

ECLIPSE LOGIC INC. 

P.O. Box 2003, Huntington Park, CA 90255-1303 
(213) 569-6020 



CPM-80 LIVES on your PC 

CP/Mulator puts a 4mhz 8 b it CP/M emulator i n your IBM- 
PC for $99. ($3 s + h). 

- A great 8 bit development system 

- Saves expensive CPM-80 applications 

- Increases PC speed 10% for 8088 programs 

- Priced less than most software only products 

- Uses no valuable board slots 

Source Information 

P.O. Box 2974, Warminster, PA 18974 
VISA Phone (215) 441-8178 M/C 



FORTRAN Addenda 

Graphics, color text, keyboard control, and much more for 
PC/XT/AT FORTRAN Programs. Includes gets/puts, tiling, 
fills, pull-down windows, and USER i/O EDITINGI MDAthru 
EGA modes. 1 70 pg. manual & annotated samples. Sold as 
2 libraries: each $95; combined $165. 

IMPULSE Engineering 

P.O. Box 3540 

San Francisco, CA 94119-3540 

(415)-788-4611 



Inquiry 690. 



Inquiry 745 



Inquiry 764. 



SOFTWARE/TOOLS 



STATISTICS 



System Simulations 

Micro-CSMP simulates oControl & Servo Systems oRobotics 
oHigh Order Filters oChemical Processes oStress & Strain. 
Graphical results in minutes, typically requiring 10-20 lines of 
input. Full IBM S/360 CSMP compatibility. LSAP analyzes 
linear systems producing Bode, Nyquist, and Transient 
Response ptots, and Root-Locus diagrams. Micro-CSMP is 
$900, LSAP is $450 for PC-DOS or MS-DOS systems. 
Call (714) 581-7654 

California Scientific Software 

25642 Hazelnut, El Toro, CA 92630 



PC-Type™ 

Fast, compact, capable & easy! Help panels, hands- 
on tutorial, macros, multiple-line headings & footings. 
DOS path support, print spooling, block operations, 
etc. ASCII files. Install program allows customization. 
$59.95 + $5 s/h. For 128K IBM PC. 

ButtonWare, Inc. 

P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 

1-800-J-BUTTON 



SL-MICRO 

Tabulate survey results or analyze experimental data 
using SL-MICRO. It has Frequencies with statistics, 
Crosstabs. Anova, Multiple Regression & Correla- 
tion. Data Editor & Data Transformations. 
Only $250 for PC-DOS, MS-DOS or CP/M 

QSC 

Box 778. East Lansing, Ml 48823 
(517) 641-4428 



Inquiry 668. 



Inquiry 665. 



Inquiry 652. 



CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION 

CHARGENI 2.1 lets you modify the character set on 
the EGA. Useful for scientific/engineering symbols 
on your word processor, special symbols in your pro- 
grams, and more. Requires DOS 2.x or 3.x, Enhanc- 
ed Graphics Adapter. $35 + $2 s/h (MN add 6%). 

DK Micro Consultants 

P.O. Box 6714, Minneapolis, MN 55406 
(612)722-0931 



Inquiry 686. 

364 BYTE* AUGUST 1986 



THE PL/M CONNECTION 

• Develop PC software with your PUM compiler. 

• Complete Interface to PC-DOS and PC-BIOS. 

• Fast Graphics Routines example programs. 

• All source files are included. 

• 200 page Technical Reference Manual. 

• $295.00 No Royalties. 

CompuFirm Corporation 

7841 Balboa Ave. #108, San Diego, CA 921 1 1 
(619) 571-0228 



Inquiry 673. 



RATS! Version 2.0 

RATS, the best selling Econometric software package, 
now includes daily and weekly data, a new easier to use 
500 page manual, and many advanced features. Use 
RATS for time-series and cross-section regression, in- 
cluding OLS. ARIMA, VAR, logit. and probit. IBM PC or 
compatible. $200. MCA/ISA. Call for brochure. 

VAR Econometrics, Inc. 

P.O. Box 19334, Minneapolis, MN 55419-0334 
(612) 822-9690 



Inquiry 751. 



The Buyer's Mart- 



STATISTICS 



The Statistician 

includes: Multiple Regression (Stepwise, ridge, all 
subsets, backward elimination) 

• Time series analysis • descriptive statistics 

• transformations • survey research • nonparametrics 

• X-Y plots • ANOVA • random samples • data base 

• data editor • search & sort • hypothesis tests 

For IBM. MS-DOS, XENIX, CPM, TRS-DOS. 

QUANT SYSTEMS toll^ree 

BOX 628, Charleston, SC 29402 1-800-334-0854 
803-571-2825 (Ext. 814) 



Inquiry 738. 



STATISTICS CATALOG! 

If you need statistics for IBM PC or Apple II, call 

us and let our technical advisors help you find the 

statistics programs you need. 

Write or call new to get a FREE catalog of statistics 

and quality control software. 

HUMAN SYSTEMS DYNAMICS 

9010 Reseda Blvd., Ste. 222 

Northridge, CA 91324 

(800) 451-3030 (818) 993-8538 (CA) 



TYPESETTING 



DESKTOP PUBLISHING 

Laser Printer composition software to drive Cordata L300 
with 76 PS fnts $495. With add 14 PS Lndscp fonts $695. 
For Canon LBP-8 A2, NCR, or HP LaserJet* with 41 
PSPrtor Lndscp fnts $695. H & J, merge graphics, mix 
face & pt. size anywhere on any line, mult tab & col 
justification. Boxes & Rules. 

Micro Print-X, Inc. 

P.O. Box 581, Ballinger, TX 76821 
(915) 365-2343 



Inquiry 721. 



UTILITIES 



PADLOCK/PADLOCK II DISKS 

PADLOCK furnishes the user with a method for providing 
protection against unauthorized duplication from DOS 
commands $99. PADLOCK II disks come Preformatted 
with finger-print and serialization. PADLOCK II disks of- 
fer superior protection. Ask about our HARD DISK pro- 
tection with uninstall capability. MC/VISA. 

Glenco Engineering 

3920 Ridge Ave., Arlington Hts., IL 60004 
(312) 392-2492 



UTILITIES 



SOURCE CODE LIBRARIAN & 
REVISION CONTROL SYSTEM 

TUB™ keeps ALL versions of your program in ONE 
compact library file, even with hundreds of revisions. 

• 5 times faster than SCCS • LAN compatible 

• Free public domain MAKE(withsource)by L. Dyer 
MS/PC-DOS 2.x & 3.x. $99.95 + $3 S&H. VISA/MC 

BURTON SYSTEMS SOFTWARE 

POB4156, Cary, NC 27511 
(919) 469-3068 



Inquiry 662. 



MEDIA MASTER PLUS 

READ, WRITE, and FORMAT over 60 CP/M disks and 
run most CP/M-80 programs on your IBM PC! Two pro- 
gram package includes ZP/EM, a GP/M-80 emulator pro- 
gram that transforms your IBM PC into a 1-2- MHZ CP/M 
2.2 computer. $59.95 + $3.00 S/H (GA 6%) 

Intersecting Concepts, Inc. 

4573 Heatherglen Ct., Ste. 10 

Moorpark, CA 93021 

(805) 529-5073 



Inquiry 704. 



Inquiry 702. 



Inquiry 709. 



NUMBER CRUNCHER STAT SYS 

Menu-driven. Multiple & stepwise regression, 
ANOVA, time series, discriminant, cluster, and fac- 
tor analysis, principal components, scatter plots, 
histograms, t-tests, contingency tables, non- 
parametrics. Import export data. Spreadsheet, sort, 
join, merge. $79. IBM PC/Macintosh. Quantity 
discount. NCSS-B 

865 East 400 North, Kaysville, UT 84037 
801-546-0445 



TheEMCEE DOS IT ALL— EVEN WINDOWS 

Now your PCs can be powerful, efficient & friendly. With 
TheEMCEE, your application manager, create unlimited 
custom menus for single keystroke access. Protect your 
data from being viewed, changed or deleted. Monitor 
& report system usage with SYSTEM LOG. Now with DOS 
WINDOWS. Virtually non-resident. Powerful control & pro 
tection for managers, friendly interface for users. 
$49.95. VISA/MC. 

COMMAND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS, INC. 
1-800-423-9147 or 213-457-1789 



CONCURRENT DOS BACKUP 

Back'Pack"' runs like BACKUP/RESTORE and sup- 
ports DOS and GP/M media as well as users. Backs 
up and restores up to 1000 /min. on an AT and 
360K/min. on an XT. Supports release 4.1. Also 
available on CP/M-80 and CP/M plus. $150. 

Bright Light, Inc. 

520 Fellowship Rd. #C301 , Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 
(609) 778-0772 



Inquiry 727. 



Inquiry 672 



Inquiry 661. 



STATISTIX™ 

$75 - Satisfaction guaranteed 

A comprehensive, powerful, yet easy-to-use 
statistical analysis system for IBM PC/XT/AT's, Apple 
It's, and MS DOS machines. Clear 200p manual. 
Write for information. 

NH Analytical Software 

801 West Iowa Ave., St. Paul, MN 55117 
(612) 488-4436 



Inquiry 726 



ZERODISK 

ZeroDisk runs dozens of copyprotected business 
packages from your hard disk without floppies. Call for 
the latest list of software it handles. Needs IBM AT, XT, 
PC, or compatible, DOS 2.0 or higher. ZeroDisk is revis- 
ed monthly and is not copy protected. $75 US. Check 
or Credit Cards accepted. 

QUAID SOFTWARE LIMITED 
45 Charles St. E. 3rd Fl. 

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4Y 1S2 
(416) 961-8243 



PAL FOR SIDEKICK! 

Personal Appointment Locator automatically shows 
coming appointments, searches your file, maintains 
to-do list, examines multiple files. Resident alarm too! 
Only $45. Cheap at twice the price! 

PAL SOFTWARE 

Ste. 12B 1 10 Green St., New York, NY 10012 
212-925-1843 



Inquiry 757. 



TEXT SCANNING 



ELIMINATE KEYBOARDING 

CONVERT TYPESET AND 

TYPEWRITTEN COPY 

TO DISK OR TAPE 

CALL 

MEDIA CONVERSION 

CORPORATION 

312-346-0102 



GENSCREEN 

For Microsoft Cobol/IBM Cobol 

Generates Cobol Source Code For Your Screen 

Section and Data Divisions Fasti 1 1 

Genscreen is a powerful new programmers productivity tool which 
utilizes a screen image text file produced from your own editor. This 
in turn is run through our interactive utility to produce 100% syntax 
free Cobol source code. Genscreen will produce "generic" or custom 
data names for your code automatically. Genscreen is available for 
only $69.99 from. . . 

Personal Computer Development Corp. 

POB 8556. Warwick, Rl 02888-8556 
(401) 333-8704 



Inquiry 717. 



• DEC RAINBOW USERS II • 

B.E. V. SOFTWARE ANNOUNCES DR. DISK - The latest In 
DEC RAINBOW utilities! 

• View or modify any sector on the diskette 

- Restore deleted files 

• Alter file attrbutes (HIDDEN, SYSTEM, etc.) 

- Learn RAINBOW MS-DOS disk organization 

- Determine the extent of crashed disks 

This tool has long been used by software developers in the 
field and is finally being offered to the public at a fraction 
of its commercial cost. Send $29.95 to: 

Bill Norton - B.E.V. SOFTWARE 

RO. Box 139, Schenectady, NY 12301 



Inquiry 734. 



Inquiry 659. 



Advertise your computer products for as little as $375 in 

THE BUYER'S MART. 
For more information call Karen Burgess at BYTE 

603-924-3754. 



AUGUST 1 986 • BYTE 365 



^ Wth AHMVERSARY SALE ^ 




8MHz TURBO 

SUN-ST COMPUTER 

$530 

(ASSEMBLED & TESTED) 



Dealer & Computer Groups / 
Call for Special Price J&l 

D 4 LAYER MOTHER BOARD 

□ 8 MHz CPU (Keyboard Switchable to 4.77 MHz) 
D 256K RAM (Expandable to 640K) 

D 360 KB DISK DRIVE 
D AT STYLE KEYBOARD 

□ COMPUTER CABINET w/SPEAKER 
D 1 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY 

D FCC APPROVED 

Call for other configurations 



SUN-ST UPGRADE ITEMS 

RAM UPGRADE TO 640K . . 

2ND DISK DRIVE (360 KB) 

MONO G CARD w/PP (Hercules Compatible). . . . 

COLOR GRAPHIC CARD 

ENHANCED GRAPHIC CARD W/256K 

(IBM EGA Compatible) 

12" TTL GREEN MONITOR - $115 or AMBER 

COLOR MONITOR (640x240) 

MULTI-I/O PLUS CARD (Serial, Parallel, Game 

Port, Clock, Calendar, Ram Disk, Spool) 

8087-2 



SUN -286 iBMATc ° mpa 
COMPUTER SYSTEM 



$1,529 



■ 6 MHz & 8 MHz DUAL SPEED MOTHERBOARD 

■ 640K RAM ■ 8 EXPANSION SLOTS 

■ 1.2 MB FLOPPY DISK DRIVE & CONTROLLER 

■ 200W POWER SUPPLY ■ AT STYLE KEYBOARD 
OPTIONS: 

20 MB (40 ms). . . $590 ■ 30 MB HDD (40 ms). . ,$690 
MULT1 FUNCTION CARD (Serial, Parallel, 

RAM Expandable to 3 MB, OK) .$225 

I/O CARD (Serial, Parallel Port) .$69 



SUIMTRONICS CO., IIMC 



1-800-421-5775 

(orders only) 

213-644-1140 



STORE HOURS ™ 

MON • f Rl 9:00dm - 6:00pm P . o" j 

SATURDAY 10:00dm . 5:00pm mUHi 

Dealer & OEM Inquiries Invited ibm 



FULLY COMPATIBLE AND 
40% FASTER THAN IBM PC/XT 

By Using State Of The Art *NEC V-20 Processor 



$59500 




Fully IBM PC/XT Compatible 
640k On Board Memories 
8 IBM PC/XT 1/0 Slots 
Standard 4.77 Mhz Clock Speed 
Slide in FCC Type Case 
150 Watt Power Supply 
AT Style Full Function Keyboard 
2 Half Height Disk Drives 
Floppy Disk Controller 



OPTIONAL ADD ONS: 

A. For 5151 Keyboard Add J 40°° 

B. RGB Color Monitor + Color Graphic Card Add M10 00 

C. 22 MGB Internal Hard Disk With Controller Add J 460°° 

D. TTL Monochrome Monitor + Monochrome Graphic Card 
With Parallel Printer Port Add s 229°" 

E. 300/1200 Baud Auto Dial/Auto Answer Modem Card 
Add J 145°° 



*V20 by NEC is the superset of 8088 and pin to pin compatible with 8088, increases speed of PC from 40% to 80% (rated 1.8 according to Norton Utility 3.0's system information while 
IBM PC and PC/XT are rated 1.0 as standard) without changing the clock speed of the system, run all IBM PC compatible software with no problem. 

SHIPPING CHARGES: 5% for C.O.D., 2% for prepaid orders inside Continental U.S. No Personal Checks Accepted. 

OTHER SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE: PLEASE CALL FOR DETAILS » ibm is registered trade mark of ibm Corp. 



PINE COMPUTER INC. • (818) 575-1882 

9690 TELSTAR AVENUE • SUITE 204 • EL MONTE, CA 91731 • STORE HOURS :Mon- Sat. 9 AM -6 PM 

Inquiry 230 






FORTRON CORPORATION 

3225 SELDON CT., FREMONT, CA 94538 



IN CALIF. (415)490-8171 

TLX: 559291 FORTRON 

FAX: (415)490-9156 

ORDER TOLL FREE: (800) 821-9771 



U.L. Rated • High Reliability • Full Technical Support 




140W {Typ. 
PC/XT 



) 150W{M2 
$129.00 



• U.L. recognized, yellow card available File # E-ioni5(S) 

• Meet FCC class B, European safety spec. 

• 115/230V AC convertible 

• Low noise DC fan 

• OVP, OCP, short circuit protection 

• IBM® standard pin out or Faraday type pin 
out selectable 

• 100% 24 hrs. burn-in 100% pre-shipment test. 
One full year warranty 

Your PC represents a substantial investment. It does not make sense to risk costly 
down lime due to bargain power supply, when lor a lew dollars mote you can have 
the conlidanee of FORTRON QUALITY. 

IBM is a registered trademark ol International Business Machines, 




FC 5192 200W (max) 
PC/AT $189.00 



PROFITABLE DISCOUNT PRICES FOR SYSTEM INTEGRATORS & DEALERS - PLEASE CALL 



FC520 
Color Graphic/ 
Mono /Printer 




• TTL / composite level outputs 

• 320 x 200 (color) 640 x 200 (B&W) 

• Centronics Printer Port »__, __ 

$99.00 



FC 550 (CT-6040) 

Monochrome / Graphic / 

Printer 



• 80x25 text mode 

• 720 x 348 graphic mode 

• Run Lotus 1-2-3- auto cad. etc. 

• IBM" compatible 



$109.00 



FC 730 (CT-6050C) 

384K Multifunctions 



' Memory expansion to 384K 

• Clock /calendar 

► Serial, parallel ports f 

• Gameport 



lOK) $11 9.00 



FC740 

Multi-I/O $109.00 

w/ Floppy Controller 



• 1 EIARS232C port (2nd Optional) 

• 1 Conironic port, game port 

• Clock / calendar 

• Control 2 (loppy drives 

*{FC 770) w/o Floppy „- __ 

Controller $99.00 



FC 1730 

Multifunction Card 

for PC AT 



• 1 EIA-RS232 port (2nd optional) 
■ 128K to 1.5 MB memory 

• Expandable to 3 MB (optional) by 
piggy back board -„„«-- 

• Gameport $189.00 



FC 1930 ' 

RS232/ Printer Port 

for PC AT 




• 1 EIA RS232 poil (2nd optional) 

• Centronics parallel port 

$99.00 ] 

SPECIAL 

• FC 830 512K 

memory exp. card . .$69.00 

• FC 830S 
576K memory 

exp. card $69.00 

• FC 930 serial/parallel 
adaptor for XT $49.00 

• FC 530 
monochrome controller 
w/printer port $79.00 



FC940 
RS232/Real Time Clock 



Hard Disk 
Controller 



FC230 
Floppy Disk Controller 



XT CPU Board 




• RS232C port 

• To 9500 baud AM __ 

• Battory back-up $59.00 
(clock only) $49.00 



Hard Disk Controller tor XT 

• DTC5150BX $149.00 

• WD WX-2 (Western Digital). $145.00 

•Cable $ 9.50 

F.D. & H.D. Controller tor AT 

• DTC5290 $265.00 

• Western Digital WA-2 $260.00 

•Cable Set $ 19.00 





• Drives up to lour SV* * (loppy drives 

• IBM compatible 
. With cables 



$59.00 



FC 150 (4.77 MHZ) 1140,0 

FC160JB.OOMH2)... $189.0 

• Expandable to 640K on board 
memory 

• Optional 8087 co-processor 

• Optional IBM* comp. BIOS 



Modems $149.00 




INTERNAL 
Hayes Compatible 

1200 Baud $148.00 

2400 Baud $425.00 



w/o printer port 



Enhanced Graphic Adaptor 

IBM® Compatible $239.00 



w/ printer port 




EGA Monitor $459.00 



■ For PC/XT / AT and compatibles 

• 256K on board memory 

■ Full 16 colors in 640x350 on IBM' enhanced color display 

■ Support 640 x 350 IBM* compatible enhance color and monochrome monitors 

• Parallel port • Light pen interlace 



FORTRON 200 
U.P.S. for PC 



tr \ 



• 1 1 5V / 230V AC input convertible 

• Input current 2.5 amp 

• 200W continuous 

• 1/2cycle (typical) transler time 

• Hold-up time trorn 20 minutes (20OW) up to 

60 minutes (60W) «„.-»„* 

•5.12*x7.7"x13.46- $259.00 



FC447 

PC/AT Keyboard 



• ISM AT compatible keyboard 

• Enlarge return key 

• Light on num. lock key 



iV 



$109.00 



FC 427 (5150 Type) $79.00 I 




FC 437 (5151 Type) 



• For PC XT 

• Large return key 

• Light on num. lock keys 



$99.00 



CABINETS & EXPANSION CHASSIS 



FC 630 A-2 
XT CHASSIS 



• For PC XT compatible sido switch 

• To use FC 135-40 power supply 

• Complete mounting hardware 

$79.00 



FC620 
AT CHASSIS 




• For PC AT compatible 

• LED lamps, key, key lock, speaker 
and mounting hardware included 

$139.00 



FC610 
Drives Chassis 



i 18"x8*x6" 

» Capable of holding 2 half-height 

drives 
• Come w / power supply, (an ^ , M _ _ _ 
> LED power indicator $149.00 



FC 640/5 Slots 

PC Expansion Chassis 

$239.00 

• w7 5 slot mother board 

• 100W power supply, fan 

• Capable of holding 3 half-height 
drives 

• Dla 15'A'x12"x6V«" 
'Option of system interface 

adaptor $149.00 



FC 650/8 Slots 
PC Expansion Chassis 

$249.00 



• PC XT identical size 

• W / 8 slot mother board 

• 140W power supply 
■ 4 hall-height drives 
•System interface adaptor . 



FCC 660/12 Slots 

PC Expansion Chassis 

$289.00 



• Dia. 15*4" x 15V* "x5'£* 

• W / 12 slot molher board power 
supply, fan 

• Capable of holding 2 hall-height 
drives 

'System interface adaptor . 5149,00 



MONITORS $89.00 

• Monochrome 

Tatung MM 1222 A / G $109.00 

Samsung $89.00 

• Color Hi-Res (640 x 200) 

Tatung CM-1380 $359.00 

• Enhanced Graphic (640 x 350) 

Tatung CM-1380 • $459.00 

Princeton HX-12E S529.00 

Mitsubishi EGA $529.00 

Quimax PX-22 , $459.00 



DISK DRIVES 



• Floppy 

Teac 55BV $109.00 

1.2 MB 55GFV $149.00 

• Hard {w/ controller & cable) 

10 MB $379.00 

20 MB ST-225 $399.00 

• 20 MB ST4026 (40 MS) drive only . . $579.00 

• 30 MB ST-4038 (40 MS) drive only . . $899.00 

• 31 MB CMI-6640 (40 MS) drive only. .$499.00 



Tape Back-Up 

(w / controller, cable & tape) 



INTERNAL 

Sysgen 20 MB $575.00 

Sysgen 60 MB $745.00 

EXTERNAL 

Sysgen 20 MB . . . . ....$749.00 

Sysgen 60 MB $955.00 



Printers $89.00 




Adrnate DP-130 

• 130 C.P.S. 

• 80 columns 

• 9 x 9 dot matrix field 

• Parallel standard Interface 
TTX-80 

• 50 CP.S. 

• 80 columns 

• Parallel standard interface 

• Thermo printer 



RAM CHIPS 



• 64K RAM $11.00 / 9 pc. 

• 256K $33.00 / 9 pc. 

»128K $44.00/ 9 pc. 

(for PC AT) 



Terms: 

• Min. shipping & handling $6.00 

• CA res. add 6 5% tax 

• Restocking charge 15% 

• No rtn. goods w/o a RMA no 

■ Prices subject to change w/o notice 



for End-Users. Inquiry I IS for DEALERS ONLY. 



Inquiry 64 



0ompu$ave 

Call Toll Free: 1-800-624-8949 



A DIVISION OF ADLANKO CORPORATION 



MONITORS 




COMPUTERS 


Amdek310A ... 143 Amdek722. 


.499 


Cordata400XTPort/20M Drive . . . 1499 


NECMu/tisynch . 539 PGSHX12E. 


499 


Cordata PC400/2 Drives/Monitor . . 1125 


Samsung TTL .89 PGS MAX12 


158 


Sharp PC7000 Portable/2 Drives . . 1235 


Samsung 1251 ..72 Taxan630 . 


.429 


Sperry IT/1 M/40M Hard Drive 2899 


Tatung 1360 . . . 399 Taxan640 . 


.495 


TelevideoAT/1.2M/20M/Monitor . . 2349 


Tatung1370 . . . 449 Wyse620 . 


.385 


Toshiba T1100 Portable/1 Drive . . . 1385 


Thorn 36382SL. 375 Wyse 700.. 


1145 


Wyse PC1100/256K/1 Drive 945 


Zenith 1360 ... 515 Zenith 1230 
Roland/127RGB/640x2407.37 . . . 


. .92 
.289 1 


Altos/NEC/Olivetti/Zenith CALL 


CTC SYSTEMS XT $558 


Sakata/137Comp & RGB 640x200 . 


.359 1 


640K / 4.77 MHz / 1 Floppy Drive / 135 W 


Thomson/147Color Comp/Apple . 


. 139 1 


Power Supply / XT-Styte Keyboard / User 


Hitachi/Mitsubishi/Nanao 


CALL 1 


Documentation / 6 Months Warranty 


MODEMS 




CTC SYSTEMS AT $1783 


AnchorVolksmodem 12 


. 1781 


1 M / 8MHz / 1 .2M Floppy Drive / 200 Watt 


Anchor Lightning 2400/Software . 


.308 1 


Power Supply / Keyboard / Clock/Calendar 


Hayes Smartmodem 1200 


.3681 


1 Parallel & 2 Serial Ports / Documentation / 


Incomm 2400/Upgradeable 4800 + 
Novation 2400 Professional .... 


.359 1 
. 509 1 


FCC & UL Approved / 6 Month War. 


TERMINALS 


Practical 1200 Half-Card/Software 


. 145 1 


1 IBM 3161-11 ... 489 Altos III .... 575 


Prometheus Promodem 1200G . . 


. 195 1 


| Kimtron KT7 . . 435 Altos IV .... 359 


Prometheus 300/Ap HC/Software 


. . 79 1 


1 Qume QVT-101 G . 293 Ampex 210 . . 365 


Racal-Vadic 1200V 


219 1 


1 Televideo905 . . 289 Wyse 30 . . . 289 


Racal-Vadic 2400 PC/Software . . 


399 1 


1 Televideo 955 . . 445 Wyse 50 . . 415 


US Robotics Courier 2400 


. 378 1 


1 Televideo 9220 . .459 Wyse 60 ... 475 


Zoom HE Internal/Software/Apple 


.921 


1 Visual 65 399 Wyse 85 . . . 438 


AST/Codex/Rixon/UDSA/en-Tel . . 


callI 


| Adds/CIE/Liberty/Link/Zenith .... CALL 



PRINTERS/PLOTTERS 

Citizen 120D ... 179 Canon A40 .. 235 
Citizen MSP10 .279 Canon Lazer. 1935 
Cordata Lazer. . .2175 NEC P5 . . . . 965 
Epson FX286 .539 NEC P5XL . 1099 
Epson JX80/NLQ 349 NEC P6 . . . . 439 
Okidata 2410 . . .1799 Okidata 182 . . 209 
Panasonic 1091 . 228 Okidata 292. . 515 
Panasonic 1092 . 299 Ricoh 52LQ . . 795 
Panasonic 1592 . 419 Star NB15 . . 979 
Toshiba 351 Col .1199 Star NX10 .. 245 
Toshiba 321 ... 495 Tally MT86 . . 425 
Anadex/Data Prod/Diablo/Juki . . . CALL 
Fujitsu/Genicom/Televideo/TI .... CALL 

Buffers/Cables/Sheet Feeders CALL 

Stands/Switch Boxes/Tractors .... CALL 
Houston/loline/Roiand Plotters . . SAVE 
Houston/Kurta/Summa Digitizers SAVE 

DISK DRIVES 
Gamma Drives/Apple ll.ll+.NE ... 119 
IOMEGA Dual 10M Bernoulli Box . . 1945 
IOMEGA Dual 20M Bermoulli Box .2445 
Priam ID40/XT-ATHard Drive .... 1129 

Seagate 20M Hard Drive Kit 405 

Tallgrass25MDrive/60M Backup . . 2199 

OTHER FLOPPY AND HARD DRIVES 

I Alloy • Archive • CDC • Corvus • Haba • 
Irwin • Maxtor • Maynard • Mitsubishi • 
Panasonic • Sanyo • Shugart • Tandon • 
Teac«Tecmar«Tulin« Western Ditigal 



BOARDS 

AST Rampage/PC-XT 245 

AST Six Pack Plus/64K 155 

ATI Graphics Solution 199 

Color Card Clone 85 

HerculesColorCard(With Rebate) . . . 93 

Orange Grappler + (Apple) 69 

Orchid Tiny Turbo 286 445 

Orchid Conquest/OK 255 

PC 576K RAM Board (OK) 59 

PC Monochrome Graphics Card 89 

PC Serial/Clock Card 85 

STB Super Res 400 Card 285 

Sigma 400 High ResCard 439 

Tecmar EGA Card 439 

Tecmar Jr. Captain 189 

Intel/Paradise/Persyst/Quadram . . CALL 
Prac. Peripherals/Thesys/Vutek . . . CALL 



ALL TYPES OF BUSINESS, CAD 
AND RECREATIONAL SOFTWARE 
VERY LOW PRICES CALL 



WE ALSO CARRY 

Kensington Masterpiece Plus 122 

Mouse Systems PC-Mouse 115 

PTI-85 Surge Protector (#1 Rated) . . 52 

Cables/Chips/Disks/Graphics Tablets 

Joysticks/Keyboards/ Power Supplies 

Labels/Mice/Stands/Surge Protectors 

LOW PRICES CALL 



HOURS: MOM - FRI 7AM - 6PM/SAT 9AM - 2PM 
IN ARIZONA CALL (602) 437-4855 

CompuSave: 4207 S. 37th St., Phoenix, AZ 85040 /For Customer 

Service Call (602) 437-4856/ Prices Reflect Cash Discounts And Are 

Subject To Change Without Notice /Minimum Shipping Charge $4 

Purchase Orders & Major Credit Cards Welcome 




To Explore, 
Etyoy, and 
Protect 

You and I share a great love of this 
earth. 

The ocean's pounding surf, Spring 
covering the earth with that season's 
newness, a bird's song reaching 
out. . . and we are moved. 

We enjoy the earth's beauty, its 
grandeur. The endless sweep of colors, 
and sounds, and everywhere, the 
excitement of life. 

And we of the Sierra Club join 
together to protect the earth. 

We invite you to join with us. To 
explore, to enjoy. To protect this 
wondrous earth. For all of 
us. . .forever. 

For membership information, write 
Sierra Club, 530 Bush Street, San 
Francisco, CA 94108, (415) 981-8634. 



Bruce I3ambaum 




Sierra 
Club 



368 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



21 MEGABYTE HARD DISK QN 

A PLUG-IN 

CARD 




$ 479 00 

MEGACARD! 



MEGACARD! 21 megabyte hard disk drive on a plug-in board that instantly 
converts any PC or compatible to an XT. 

And MEGACARD! enables PC and XT users with a hard drive to run two 
drives on a single slot. You get an extra expansion slot! 

MEGACARD! combines the NEC "zero defect" program with state- 
of-the-art technology. This "drive-on-a-card" installs in seconds. 
Just plug in and power up! 



MEGACARD! delivers: 

• NEC technology 

• Fast, easy plug-in installation 



"Zero defect" reliability 

Two year parts and labor guarantee. 




NEC MONITORS 

JC1401P3A MULTISYNC 

515.00 
JC1216DFA RGB 

269.00 
JB1280DA TTL GREEN 

105.00 
JB1285DA TTL AMBER 

105.00 

From the legal beagles. 

Prices and availability subject to 

change without notice. 

Prior authorization required on all 

returns. 

All returns subject to restocking 

charge. 

All normal manufacturers' warranties 



apply. 
NEC,h 



; MultiSync, EGA Paint are 
registered trademarks of their 
respective companies. 



CALL NOW AND WE CAN SHIP TODAY! 



CHIPS 

64K DRAMS, 



SET0F9 

256K DRAMS, 

SET0F9 

128K PIGGYBACK, 
SET0F18 


. . . 9.00 
. . 27.00 
. . 72.00 


C8087 


. 125.00 


C8087-2 

C80287-3 

V208MH 

EGA 

ATI MEGA GRAPH 
PLUS 


. 179.00 
.225.00 
. . 10.95 

. 295.00 


MYLEX EGA BOARD. 
RIX EGA PAINT 
SOFTWARE 


.249.00 
. 52.00 




PORTABLE 
COMPUTERS 

NECPC8201A 360.00 

(See listing of 820 1A programs) 
NECPC8401ALS.... 599.00 

PC8201A ADD-ON PRODUCTS 

PC8206A 32K RAM CARTRIDGE 

360.00 
PC8221A THERMAL PRINTER 

125.00 
PC8231A FLOPPY DISK DRIVE 

560.00 
PC8241A CRT ADAPTER 

149.00 
PC8281 A PORTABLE 
CASSETTE RECORDER 

85.00 
PC8201A-068K RAM CHIP 

52.00 
PC8201A-90NI-CAD BATTERY 
16.00 
PC8271A-01 AC ADAPTER 

16.00 

CASSETTE 
PROGRAMS FOR 
8201A 

PERSONAL PLAN 36.00 

GENERAL STATISTICS. . 36.00 
BUSINESS GRAPHICS.. 36.00 
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS.. 36.00 

TAX PLANNING 36.00 

APPLICATION KIT 85.00 

REAL ESTATE 

ANALYSIS 36.00 

PERSONAL FILER 36.00 

TIME ACCOUNTING. . . . 36.00 

MODEMS 

INTERNAL 1200 BAUD 230.00 
EXTERNAL 1200 BAUD 230.00 
SECURITY 1200 BAUD 310.00 
INTERNAL 2400 BAUD 375.00 
EXTERNAL 2400 BAUD 395.00 



FOB EXPERT TECHNICAL SUPPORT 
CALL 714/650-6700 



800-22-LOGIC 
800-843-0426 (in Calif.) 

HOURS: Mon. -Fri. 7a. m. -5 p. m. PDT f # 

Inquiry 165 for End-Users. Inquiry 166 for DEALERS ONLY. 



©1986, LOGIC ARRAY 



NEC DISK DRIVE 
KITS 

All drives include controller 
and cables. 

5 1 / 4 " 20MB D5126.. 389.00 

5V40MB D5146.. 649.00 

(40MB includes Disk Manager) 

3ft 20MB 03126.. 389.00 




ITS EASY TO ORDER 

• We ship immediately when 
you pay by Visa, Master 
Card, Cashier's Check or 
Money Order. Allow 3 weeks 
for personal or company 
check. 

• No Surcharge on Visa or 
MasterCard. 

• Minimum $5 shipping and 
handling up to 3 lbs. in Con- 
tinental U. S. only. On other 
orders, call for information. 

•All orders insured. 

• No Sales tax on orders outside 
California (California residents 
add 6% sales tax.) 



When you want the best periph- 
erals money can buy with expert 
technical support you'll just 
hwe to settle for paying less. 
That's logic. From Logic Array. 

LOGIC ARRAY 

PO BOX 3799 

Costa Mesa, CA 92628-37099 




Inquiry 49 



BYTE CONNECTION INC'-pujttmw 

BCTTOM LINE PRICE EUSTEES! - "Whc you gonna call?" 



PERSONAL COMPUTERS 



UBM * IV, (IBM ATCompatible), withS MHZ, 640 K, 1.2 MB Floppy, 20 MB HD, Graphics 
Card. Monitors, Keyboard '. $2275 



IBM PC, with 256K. K.B., Two 360 Floppies $1 295 

IBM PC XT, with 256K, 360 Floppy, 20 MB HD, K.B., Graphics Card, Monitor $2350 

IBM PC XT, with 640K, IBM 360 Floppy, IBM 20 MB HD, New Keyboard, Graphics Card. 
Monitor . . . $2559 IBM PC AT #339, 51 2K, 1.2 Floppy, IBM 30MB HD . . . $4525 

IBM PC AT, with 512K, K.B., 20 MB HD $3550 

IBM PC Convertible 80 C 88 Processor, with 51 2K. Two 720KB Floppies $CALL 

IBM Proprinter $ 475 IBM Quietwriter . . $1 200 

IBM EGA, with 256K Memory.... $ 775 IBM EG Monitor $695 



COMPAQ PORTABLE II with 51 2K, 80286 Processor, Two 360 Floppies $2875 

COMPAQ DESK PRO, with 640K, Two 360 Floppies, Graphics Card & Monitor ... $1 895 
COMPAQ DESK PRO & PORTABLE 286, with 640K. 1.2 Floppy, 20 MB HD, 
Monitor $3895 For 86 MB, instead of 20 MB, add $ 995 

AT & T 6300 PC, with 256K. KB, Two 360 Floppies, AT & T Graphics Card & Monitor $1 795 

AT & T 6300 Plus, with 512 K, 1.2 Floppy, KB., Graphics Card & Monitor $3495 

SPERRY PC-IT, with 640K, 1 .2 MB Floppy, 40 MB HD, KB $3095 

PLOTTERS & DIGITIZERS ~ - - 

CALCOMP 1042 -While Supplies Last $8395 1043 $7359 

1044 ... $11,195 GOULD 6320 11 x 17 ... $1550 10 LINE 3700... $3895 

HIDMP56 $4596 DMP40 $920 DMP51/52 $4145 

HP7475 $1659 HP7580 $8415 

NICOLET ZETA 824 $8995 ZETA 836CS $1 3,295 

GTC0 3648L $3095 1 1 1 7A $1195 2436TL.. . .. . $5995 

KURTA12x12 $ 595 12x17 $ 695 

SUMMAGRAPHICS11 x11 $ 495 18x12 $ 750 

HITACHI 36x48... $4195 TIGER 11 x 1 1 ...$ 675 1 5 x 1 5 ... $1295 



GRAPHIC CONTROLLERS & MONITORS 



HITACHI HM 3719 & BNW15 

MICROVITEC 905CNQ GRAPH PORT D 

TAXAN 640 & COLOR 400L 

PERSYSTBOB 16 & NEC 1401 

GALAXY 800 & MITSUBISHI 6469 

VERTICOM CD-1 & VERTICOM M-1 6 

BNW ADAPTER $1 950 ARTIST-IT . . . 

Conographics 400 & Mitsubishi 3479 LP $2295 

Mitsubishi 1341 & Sigma 400 $1195 



SOFTWARE 

Accounting Package $ 495 AUTOCAD 

T & W VERSACAD $2395 CADVANCE 

ARMOR SYSTEM'S Excalibur & Plus Series 

COMPUTER ASSOCIATE (IUS) A/R, A/P, G/L 

UNIVAIRS Dental Management & Medical Management-9000 . 

CYMA Medical, Chiropractic, Orthodontic, Dental Package 

Physician Micro Systems Package 

Hotel Information Systems Package 

MICROCRAFT, BALCONE, UNIVAIR 

IBM Doctor Officer Managerl I 



$1250 INKJET. 



EPSON 286 

...$2195 HP Plus. 



$ 995 P760..... 

$1175 MAX 24 COLOR 

$ 959 DM2400..... $ 859 2200. 



(714) 778-6496 



CITOH LQ24 $ 875 F1 0-40 $ 875 

F10-55 $ 995 C-10 $ 475 

CITIZENMSP15 $ 415 MSP25 $ 525 

CITIZEN PREMIER 35 $ 515 

CORONA LAZER $2350 

DIABLO 635 $1 250 INKJET $ 895 

DIABLO 34LQ $1 095 

DIABLO LAZER/COPIER4045 $4259 

EPSON FX85. $ 379 EPSON 286 $ 550 

HEWLETT-PACKARD LASER JET $2195 HP Plus $2995 

HEWLETT-PACKARD 500 Plus $41 50 

NEC P560. $ 995 P760..... $ 650 

FUJITSU MAX 24 $1 1 75 MAX 24 COLOR $1 275 

FUJITSUDL2400 $959 DM 2400 .....$ 859 2200 CALL 

TOSHIBA P321 $ 550 

OKIDATA912 .... $ 369 193....$ 479 OKIDATA 293 $ 665 

TOSHIBA P351 $1095 P341 $ 750 

HARD DRIVES & BACK UP SYSTEMS " 



SEAGATE 20 MB $ 450 SEAGATE 1 038 $ 695 

SEAGATE 4051 $ 850 HARDCARD20MB $ 650 

MAXTOR/MICROPOLIS 85MB $1 550 

MAXTOR 1 05/140 MB $1 850/$2195 

TEAC 20 MB Tape B/U $ 595 

ARCHIVE 60 MB Tape B/U $ 85C 

CALL FOR WHAT IS NOT LISTED, WE GUARAN TEE THAT YOUR CALL 
WILL NOT BE A WASTE. 

. ,__ No chargesfortesting and configuring equipment. Prices 

fiaf^ /M.(-Mm\ and availability subject to change without notice. 



1C7 West Cerritos Ave., Anaheim, CX 928C5 



Howa software engineer 

got to captain the 
lunar landing module. 



The Computer Museum is everything 
you'd expect, and a lot of things you 
wouldn't. 

Of course, the museum contains a 
collection of the most significant accom- 
plishments in the history of information 
processing. But it's not just a great place 
to see things, it's also a great place to 
do things. 

There are over twenty interactive ex- 
hibits at The Computer Museum. You can 
design a car, create your own fractal land- 
scape, or even captain the lunar landing 




module on the Apollo flight simulator. 

So, the next time you're in Boston, stop 
by The Computer Museum. You'll discover 
it's more than a lot of machines, it's a Iso a 
lot of fun. 

For more information, or to become a 
Museum Member, write The Computer 
Museum, or call (617) 423-6758. 

The Computer Museum 



There's something in it for everyone. 



300 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210 



370 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



Computer 
Parts Mart 

San Jose. CA 95112 
634 North 8th St. ( 408 y 993-9011 



STEPPER ENSEMBLE 

1D0 Step High Precision Motor 
By Applied Motion. Stepper driver with j&r \ 
bipolar windings, 26 ohms/15mh. W x "^ 
2.1" ground shaft with helical fol- ^v* ^ 
lower groove (a 0.182" pitch. This is ~*~*~ i '~' 
an extremely high accuracy assembly 
good to better than 50 microns absolute. Ball bearings, 
5.5gm/cm inertia, 10 oz. in. holding torque (a 400 ma. 
New, never used. Driver I.C.s: 3717 for P.W.M. Micro- 
stepping allow efficient use of any supply voltage up to 40v 
D.C. Motorand Two I.C.s including data sheets 

$14.95 



STD-BUS 



64K RAM Card expandable t o 256K ..599 

256KCard 5249 

Votfax Card 5149 

i SASI Interlace Card 5100 

. 4-SI0 Card 5165 

|4-PI0Card 5129 

1 2-SI0 & 2-PI0 Card 5125 

Z80 CPU Card S 79 

6800 Proc. Card 5300 

Complete STD Systems available— Up to 10 slots, 10 MB Disk. etc. 




IF YOU USE A COMPUTER 
YOU CAN USE 



UNIT CONVERSIONS™ 

$49.95 



NOW 

ONLY 



IBM PC/XT/AT and Apple Ile/llc7ll + Compatible 
Virtually ALL the conversions you will everneed! 

UNIVERSAL UNCHANGING PRECISE 

Feet to metres, kilowatts to horsepower, 
light years to angstroms and 3,56/ MORE! 



TO ORDER: see your lodil software dealer or 

call toll free 24 hours a day 

1-800-356-5324 (ext 1328) 

Wl or outside USA: 608-257-6648 

VISA, MasterCard, or C.O.D. Welcome 

ALL ORDERS SHIPPED WITHIN 48 HRS. OF RECEIPT 

SHIPPING PAID BY ICI FOR USA ORDERS 

Outside USA: add $10.00 shipping and handling, 

pay in U.S. dollars (No C.O.D.) 

=|=f^^= ,v INTERNATIONAL COMPUTING, INC. 

1=:^===: 1 501 Monroe, Madison, Wl 5371 1 USA 

The Quiet Star in Software 



B= 



= i=D 



I not only a 
printer buffer ! 

DLo I 1 this IS THE MOST SOPHISTICATED 

PRINTER BUFFER - MULTIPLEXOR - SWITCH 

WITH TWO SEPARATE INPUTS (SERIAL AND PARALLEL) AND 
TWO SEPARATE OUTPUTS (SERIAL AND PARALLBL) CAN BE 
USED LIKE STANDARD BUFFER WITH ANY INPUT TO ANY 

OUTPUT .... BUT ALSO YOU CAN CONNECT 2 COMPUTERS TO I 
PRINTER. OR I COMPUTER TO 2 PRINTERS. OR 2 COMPUTERS 
AND 2 PRINTERS.. AND MORE = 1 COMPUTER TO 3 PRINTERS 
OR 3 COMPUTERS TO 1 PRINTER 

HIOH CAPACITY - 64 KB TO 266 KB AND - 266 KB TO 1 MB 
(MODELS A AND B) PAUSE. COPY AND RBSBT FUNCTIONS 

SERIAL PORTS WITH 7 OR 8 BITS WORD LENOTH, I OR 2 STOP 
BIT. PARITY. XON/XOFP. DTR. RTS 

DCB-A-6-4K J 266 (*] DCB-B-266K $ 296 (•) 

|'j Povoi lupplj and paitiitl ciblaa ire included 

ALSO. WE HAVE THE MOST COMPLETE DATA CONVERTER 
UNIT CONVERTS RS232 SERIAL TO CENTRONICS PARALLEL 
OR VICE VERSA. JUST BY MOVING JUMPERS BAUD RATB AND 
PROTOCOL FULLY PROCRAMABLE PROM 160 TO 19200 BAUDS 
INCLUDES DTR. RTS. XON/XOFP. PARITY, .tc 

DCU 



t 80]»1 
[ lupplr tnd cablai NOT include 



EH. 



DCU 



serialOparallel 
bi-directional converter 




INTECTRA Inc-DeDt232 

2629 TERMINAL BLVD 
MOUNTAIN VIEW-CA-94043 

H15I967-8818 TLX 345545 



Inquiry 69 



Inquiry 140 






PROFESSIONAL 
HANDICAPPING SYSTEMS 

PROFESSIONAL SERIES'" (Thoroughbred/GreyhoundrTroller) - The 
all new Professional Series'" represenls the mosl advanced handicapping 



Factor Value/Multiple Regression Module' - — Factor Value Weighting 
highlights this addilion module'" S14995 



Data Base Manager Module'" — Au 


lomatic storage ol last it races 


highlights this module (S9995 with Fact 


y Value Module) S14995 


GOLD EDITION'" (Thoroughbred/Greyho 


nd/Trotter)- The classic Gold Edi- 


lion'" from Prof Jonesoflers llexibilily. 


esulls. and ease of use 


Gold Edition'" 


ST59.9S 


Enhanced Gold Edition'* 


S19995 


Limited Gold Edition'" 


S29995 


Ultra Edition*" 


S39995 



Handicapper's Bulletin Board and VHS Training Tapes n 



Terms: Free shipping al 



jftware Add S600 COD / $600 UPS B 
s a d d 5% / 3 weeks personal checks / 
<EX Prices subject to change 



FREE CATALOG 



CHANGING SYSTEMS? 

What Happens to Your Data? 

Does JUST Media Conversion 

Solve Incompatibilities? 



WHAT IF . . . 

everything is changing, including your software, 
hardware, operating systems and media? What 
happens to your spreadsheet data and formulas, 
database structures and/or word processing 
documents and codes? 
What do you do, and what is the cost? 

We Make Incompatible Data Compatible! 

The source can be mainframes, minis, micros, 
dedicated word processors or typesetters. 
ADAPSD member. 

CompuData Translators, Inc. 213-462-6222 
6565 Sunset Bl., #301 Hollywood, CA 90028 




Sure 
itis insured? 

SAFEWARE® Insurance provides full 
replacement of hardware, media and 

purchased software. As little as $39/yr. covers: 
• Fire • Theft • Power Surges 

• Earthquake • Water Damage • Auto Accident 

For information or immediate coverage call: 

1-800-848-3469 

In Ohio call 1-614-262-0559 



D 



SAFEWARE, The Insurance Agency Inc. 



Inquiry 237 



Inquiry 63 



Inquiry 258 



Printer (Data) switch $45.00 

Distributors, Dealers welcome 




» Metal case, fully shielded • Dimension: 1" x ' 

• Push button switch • All pin switched 

• 2 layer PC board • Color: beige 

• 1 year warranty 



1 box DB 25/Centronic 

vilch<pushbulton| S45/S52 
oss(rotary) S65/S79 

witch (rolary, S65/S89 



RS-232 Miniature 

GenderChanger M/M. F/l 



hielded. UL cable S1 2 andup 



30 Day Money Back Guarantee 

Terms Shipping & handling S3.00. CO D add Si 90 



JACO ENTERPRISES 

1478 POPPY WAY, CUPERTINO, CA 95014 

(408) 996-0675 




High Performance Implemen 
■12.5'Mhz or 16.67 Mhz 

I/O Expansion Port 

68881 Co-Processor 

2 Meg RAM - 256K EPROM 

4 Sen'al Ports - 1 Parallel Port 

Battery Backed Up Clock 

720K Floppy Drive 

40 Meg Hard Disk - Unix-Like OS's 

68000 Version Also Available 
Frank Hogg Laboratory - 770 James Street 
Syracuse New York 13203 - TELEX 646740 

315/474-7856 



THE OPTION CAPACITY 

OF YOUR IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER 

PC-XTRA 

♦ DIRECT EXTENSION OF 
V ISM PC BUS 

: « NO SOFTWARE CHANGES 

« NO HARDWARE MODIFICATION 

• STYLING CONSISTENT WITH IB 
Add all those special options that you've been 

% wanting, without worrying about filling your- 
piug-ln and back panel space 




DEALER INQU 

S 549 °°* F.O.B. SANTA ANA 
•CAUFQANIA RESIDENTS ADD 6% SALES TAX 

PC HORIZONS, INC. 

1701 E. Edinger, Ste. A6, Santa Ana, CA 92705 
(714)953-5396 



Inquiry 143 



Inquiry 1 20 



Inquiry 2I5 



CLASSIC BYTE T-SHIRTS! 



#T1- 

COMPUTER 

ENGINEERING 



#T3 - 
INSIDE IBM 




Five classic Byte covers - and boy, do they look 
great on this % sleeve "baseball shirt"! The vivid 
royal blue sleeves and neckline really complement 
the full-color design. And don't mistake this for a 
rubbery patch that cracks and peels off after a few 
washings. This is true four-color process: the per- 
manent inks are silk-screened into the fabric, 
resulting in a beautiful, full-color image that lasts! 

You'll also appreciate the shirt itself: a real 



heavyweight made of 50% cotton, 50% polyester. 
You'll enjoy cotton comfort in a tough, sporty shirt 
that keeps its crisp, fresh look through many wash- 
ings- with almost no shrinking! The price for each 
Classic Byte T-Shirt is only $12.50 ($11 .50 each for 
3 or more). Be sure to include shirt size: C-(child 
10-12), S-(34-36), M-(38-40), L(42-44), XL-(46-48). 
Most orders shipped within a week. 



Please send me the following shirt(s) at $12.50 each, 
or $11.50 each for 3 or more. ) have included $2 for 
shipping and handling ($5 overseas). 



QTY. 


# 


TITLE 


SIZE 


AMOUNT 










$ 










$ 










$ 










$ 










$ 


Shipping & Handling (see above) 


$ 


□ Send free brochure. 


$ 



□ I have enclosed check or money order. 

□ VISA □ MasterCard □ Am. Express 
Card #: 



Exp. Date:. 



Mail this coupon to: 

Robert Tinney Graphics 

1864 North Pamela Dr. 

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 

70815 



Ship my shlrt(s) to: 

Name: 



(Business): 

Address: 

City: 

State: 



_Zip:_ 




372 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



Incredible 
SwyftWare! 



It is not possible in an ad to really explain this 
Apple II (e or c) product which outperforms 
all other software in speed and simplicity. It 
does no-frills word processing, information 

retrieval, telecommunications and many 

other tasks. Reviewers call it "foolproof and 

frustration free" and "blindingly fast." 

It appeals to beginners and 

experts. Jef Raskin, 

who invented the Macintosh and who later 

created SwyftWare, has written up the 

hows and whys of this product. Please 

write for a copy. No charge. Or 

order SwyftWare and see for 

yourseif. AtSH9.95and 

with a 30-day refund 

policy there's no risk. 

US 800/982-5600 CA 800/562-7400 



Information Appliance 

1014 Hamilton Ct., Menlo Park. CA 94025 




/ 

KEYBOARD PROTECTOR 
Remains in place during keyboard use. Prevents 
damage from liquid spills, dust, ashes, etc. Fits 
like a second skin, excellent feel. Available for: 
IBM-PC, AT, Apple (all), Compaq, Model 100, 
NEC 8201, C64. Zenith 150, DEC, Kaypro, 
KB5151, AT&T 6300, WYSE 50 and many 
others. Send $29.95, check, M.O., Visa & MC 
include exp. date. Specify computer type. Dealer 
inquiries invited. Free brochure avail. 

Merritt Computer Products, Inc. 

2925 LB J Fwy. #180 / Dallas, Texas 75234 

(214) 339-0753 



Inquiry 185 




PORTABLE ADDITIONS 

PORTABLE DISK DRIVE $229 

3V2", batt. oper., TS-DOS, WOK storage 

24K RAM CHIP for Tandy 200 $89 

8K RAM CHIP for Model- 100 $29 
and NEC 8201. . .3 for $79, 6 for $149 

SIDESTAR for NEC Starlet $399 
128K Ram Disk Cartridge 

SIDECAR for NEC PC-8201A $259 
4 banks of 32K in one cartridge 

CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-732-5012 

Calif: 805-987-4788 

Canada: 604-856-8858, Australia: 02-419-8899 

6*9 PURPLE VISA MIC & 

fA3 COMPUTING AM E R.EXP. 

420 Constitution Ave., Camarillo, CA 93010 



Inquiry 240 



Quelo' 



68QQ0 



Software 

Development 

Tools 



Quelo Assembler Packages are Motorola compatible. 
Each package Includes a macro assembler, linker/ 
locator, object librarian, utilities for producing 
ROMable code, extensive Indexed typeset manuals 
and produces S-recorda, Intel hex, extended TEK hex, 
UNIX COFF and symbol cross references. Portable 
source written In "C" Is available. It has been ported to 
a variety of mainframes and minis Including VAX. 

68020 Assembler Package 

ForCP/M-86, -68K and MS/PC-DOS $ 750 

68000/68010 Assembler Package 

For CP/M-80, -86, -68K and MS/PC-DOS $595 

68000 "C" Cross Compiler 

For MS/PC-DOS by Lattice, Inc. 

With Quelo 68000/68010 Assembler Package $1095 

With Quelo 68020 Assembler Package $1250 



Call Patrick Adams today: 



COD, Visa, MasterCard 



Quelo, Inc. 

2464 33rd W. Suite #173 

Seattle, WA USA 98199 

Phone 206/285-2528 

Telex 910-333-8171 



Inquiry 2 50 



The Bullet-286 XT 




Better than the AT 

FASTER-8 MHz. 80286 processor (10 MHz optional), no 

wait states, scores a 9.2 in Norton's Sys Info 3.0 (10 MHz 

scores an 11.4) 

MORE COMPATIBLE -100% BIOS and bus compatible with 

the IBM PC XT.completely network and multiuser compatible 

including Xenix, Thoroughbred.concurrent DOS and more 

HIGHER CAPACITY-20 to 70 MB hard disk drives. 

including new RRL format drives 

LESS MONEY -System prices start at under S1700 

without monitor 

Marchand International 
1240 N. Van Buren, Unit 108, Anaheim CA 92807 

r rr , (714)630-3382 

FCC-approved v ' 



Inquiry 178 



NEW- FOR TURBO PASCAL™ 
ZIPCALC 

INSTANT TEXT DISPLAY - the Pascal "write" 
procedure takes several seconds to fill the screen 
with text. ZIPCALC does it in less than 1/10 sec. 
Instant windowing capability is also included. 
ULTRA FAST NUMBER DISPLAY 
ZIPCALC removes the real nurrber time barrier 
with a 32-bit Long Integer data type that converts 
to a string 7 times faster. 

HIGH SPEED COMPUTATION - the Long 
Integer is ideal for many financial and other 
applications with its dramatic increase in 
computation speed. ZIPCALC provides a full set 
of procedures for Long Integer arithmetic, shifts, 
compares, conversions to other data types, and 
full string conversions. ZIPCALC has the power 
of a 32-bit processor in Pascal callable form. 
EASY TO LEARN - EASY TO USE - 
ZIPCALC consists of 35 highly optimized 
routines, most assecnbler coded, a tutorial User's 
Guide, programmed demos, and many exarrples. 
IBM PC & TRUE COMPATIBLES 
$45 includes N.Y. sales tax & shipping ^%T ttftl 



DYWMUV 

WICRO-DATA SYSTEMS. INC ™^ 



1045-B Gravel Road 
Webster, N.Y. 14580 
(716)671-5866 
Turbo Pascal is a trademark of Borland Int. Inc. 



Inquiry 327 



Inquiry 37 



ORDER TOLL FREE 

24 HOURS EVERY DAY 

800-662-2686 



- HARDWARE - 

- COMPUTERS - 



IBM COMPATIBLES 640K Ram Keyboard, 1 yr. war. 
w/1 Floppy ... 599 Plus 20MB Hard Disk . . . 1079 



PANASONIC BUSINESS PARTNER CALL 

EXECUTIVE PARTNER CALL 



ATARI ST COMPUTERS / ITT COMPUTERS .... CALL 

MODEMS, BOARDS, DRIVES 

Evercom 1200 Intemol, ... 175 SixPokPius 384K 219 

Hayes Modems CALL Intel Above Boord 269 

Rocol Vadic 1 200 239 AboveBoord PS 309 

Practical Modem 1200 ... 135 Above Boord AT 419 

Genoa Spectrum 279 J-Rom 2/3 1 35/179 

QuodEGA+ 399 J-Rom 3AT 239 

Sigma Color 350 369 J-Loser 1 199 

Sigma Color 400 469 Tecmor Captain 384K .... 199 

Mono Graphics Cord 99 6 Function Cord 384K. ... 169 

Video 7 Vega 399 20MB Hard Disk Kit 429 

ASTRampage 245 FileCard20MB 659 

Rampage AT 449 lomego 210H 1995 

AST Advontoge 359 Dotoshield XI"300 369 

PRINTERS, PLOTTERS & MONITORS 

EPS0N-AII Models CALL Amdek 310A 149 

Canon Loser Printer 2099 Amdek 600/722 .... 419/519 

Citizen 120D 199 NEC 1 280 HI. Mono 119 

Citizen Premiere 35 509 NEC 1401 Mulli-Sync .... 559 

Ponosonic 1091 249 Sony KV131 1 RGB/TV. ... 469 

1092/1592 319/449 Taxon 620 399 

Roland DXV-101 Plotter. . . 509 Taxon 630/640 .... 455/519 
Houston Inst DMP-29. . . . 1850 Thompson 36432 319 



-SOFTWARE - 



—ACCOUNTING — 



-DATABASE - 



BPl Accntng/Mod . . . from 319 dBose III Plus 419 

BPI Enterprise/Mod 429 Nutshell 79 

Peachtree/Module 269 Paradox 449 

Bock To Basics Acctng ... 209 Reflex 89 

Open Systems/Module ... 389 Revelation 549 

Paragon 569 PFS File & Report 149 

SBT All Modules CALL Q & A 205 

SPREADSHEETS & INTEGRATED SOFTWARE 

Lotus/Symphony CALL Abilily 

Framework II 369 Mulliplon 2.0 ... . 

Supercolc 3 209 Mosaic Twin 

WORD PROCESSING - 



..63 
.119 
..89 



Volkswriter 3 155 PFS Write & Proof 82 

Microsoft Word 3 289 Mullimate 219 

Word Peifect 4.1 219 Multirnate Advantage 309 



- GRAPHICS - 



Chorlmaster 219 Generic Cod 77 

Click Art Pers. Pub. 109 ln'A'Vision 259 

Energrophics 2.0 309 Microsoft Chaff 2 179 

Freelonce 209 ProDesign II 179 

Harvard Pres. Graphics ... 229 Dr. Halo II w/Mouse 119 



- UTILITIES & LANGUAGES - 



Turbo Lightning 57 Sideways 37 

Microsoft C Compiler 239 Traveling Sidekick 39 

Microsoft Fortran 205 Windows 59 

Macro Assembler 90 Pop- Up Deskset 55 

Quick Basic 63 Desqview 59 

Fontrix 92 Prokey 77 

Fostback 99 Xtree 31 



Call Toll Free 24 hrs Every Day 
800-662-2686 orders only 

f orCa. Orders, Tech Support, Price Quotes, Info 
415-668-9350 9-5 pacific time, m-f 

Call or Write for Free Catalog 

PAYMENT: (No Fee For Credit Cords) Visa. MasterCard, 

Cashier's Checks. Personal Checks with 2 week hold, 

Qualified P.O.'s. California residents add sales tax 

SHIPPING: UPSground-2% per order. S5 min, FREE for SW 

ordersoverSHJOO. UPS Blue-3% perorder, S7 min. FREE for 

SW orders over $1500. Printers, Monitors. Disk Drives. 

Computers — Coli for charges 

All Products New with full warranties. 

Price & availability subject to change without notice. 



THE BAY 




COMPANY 



564 CASTRO ST., SUITE 487 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114 
a division of MCSS, Inc Computer & Software specialists since 1981 

AUGUST 1 986 • BYTE 373 



WHEN YOU CAN 

BUY IBM COMPATIBLE 

SOFTWARE FOR 

ONLY $6 A DISK 

OVER 500 DISKS FULL 

OF PUBLIC DOMAIN AND 

USER SUPPORTED PROGRAMS 



LONE! SAR 

S O F T W A R l: 



Recently a Customer Wrote . . . 

"... I'm SICK! Friday afternoon I bought a 
$300.00 data base manager from my local 
computer dealer. When I got home I found 
out my neighbor bought the same kind of 
program from you last week for six dollars. 
What's worse, I like your program better! 
Please send me your disk directory and the 
following disks..." 

What can we say? Isn't it really about time 
you discovered thatspending big bucksfor 
all of those "glamorous-name" software pro- 
ducts doesn't necessarily guarantee you 
anything but a thin pocketbook and a fancy 
copy protection scheme? 

No . . . Computerland won't tell you about 
us or our great software. But why make a 
$300.00 mistake? Many of our $6.00 pack- 
ages will actually do everything better and 
faster than the great "Starword-dplus-4.5.6", 
and you can keep the difference. 

Here is just a sample of our library by 
category. 

WORD PROCESSORS 

PC-Write 2.6 (#78) A full featured word pro- 
cessor that is faster than Wordstar. 
DICTIONARY (#378) Dictionary type spell- 
ing checker. 

IV-ED (#415) Word processor -editor. 
LETTERWRITER (#415) controls letter pro- 
cessing. 

PC TYPE (#455) Jim Button's contribution 
to a full fledged word processor. 

SCREEN EDITORS 
FOIL EDIT (#347) Full screen editor. Top to 
bottom and left to right. 

TEXT PROCESSING TOOLS 

FOGFIND (#378) reverses writing complex- 
ity using the "Fog Index". 
WORDSTAR AIDS' (#379) collection of the 
most useful utilities for the Wordstar user. 
PC OUTLINE (#414) Create and collapse 
and outline. Great for plans, essays, etc. 

DATABASE PROGRAMS 

PC FILE III (#5) most popular database pro- 
gram from Jim Button. 
U-MIND (#133) Fast hashing makes this a 
dandy database. (Intelligent database) 
NEWBASE (#233) Menu driven database for 
the beginner. 

PC-DBMS (#383) A relational database 
management system that provides on-line 
help and screen editing functions. 
ELSIE EXPERT SYSTEM (#398) Artificial 
intelligence shell to build a custom 
knowledge-base. 



PDS'BASE (#396) Complete hierarchical 

data base system master/detail or mother/ 

daughter type. 

CREATOR (#339) create, report, and sort 

makes this a super database management 

system. 

DATABASES 

BOBCAT (#247) Small business database. 

Excellent! 

MFIND (#311) Databaseof over 2000 movies 

that can be searched in any category, or you 

can add your own. 

SPREADSHEETS 

PC-CALC (#199) Fabulous 123 work-a-like 
from the author of PC-File. 
PC-PAD (#406) Spreadsheet and address 
book program written in basic. 

SPREADSHEET TEMPLATES 

LOTUS 1-2-3 TEMPLATES AND MACROS 

(#140, 141, 165, 257, 289, 301-304, 406, 414) 

Why spend hours of writing your macros 

when these are ready made? Modify them 

yourself. 

SYMPHONY WORKSHEETS (#305,306) 

FINANCIAL PROGRAMS 

PC-CHECK MANAGER (#275) Keeps mul- 
tiple checkbooks in balance. 
TAX FILE DBS (#295) Tax record keeping 
system that saves you money on April 15. 
SAGE TRADER (#242) Analyzes commod- 
ity trades. Don't "short" this one! 
PORTSWORTH PACKAGE (#101) Evaluates 
your ever changing stock portfolios. 
FINANCE (#164, 227) Determine present 
and compound values, interest rates, etc. 
HOME FINANCE (#406) Lotus 1-2-3 Macros 
for real life applications. 
PC-GENERALLEDGER 1.2 (#237) An excep- 
tional accounting system. Used by some 
CPA's. 

TIME AND MONEY (#251) Financial record 
keeping and analist system. 
LOAN AMORTIZATION (#399) For output 
to screen or printer. Lots*of on-line help. 
BASIK CHECKBOOK (#271) Keep track of 
checkbook and personal finances. 
ACCU-T AX 1 985 (#479) You can't buy a bet- 
ter "commercial" program. 
MR. BILL (#469, 470) Prepareinvoices, client 
report, audit trail, etc. 
ANALYTIC CALC (#430-432) 3 disk set. 
Complete spreadsheet, database, graphics, 
word processor - fassst! 

COMMUNICATIONS 

QMODEM (#310) The best and fastest com- 



munications programs you can buy at any 
price, bar none! 

PC-TALK (#16) The classic "Freeware" 
communication program. 
PC-VT (#286) VT-100 Emulation. 
SYSCOMM (#338) Menu driven system allow- 
ing unattended file transfer. 
RBBS 12.2 (#212) Become a SYSOP and 
start a bulletin board. 

FIDO NET (#333) Bulletin Board System. 
Perhaps the easiest to run. 

MATH AND STATISTICS 

EPISTAT 3.1 (#88) Statistical analysis of 
small to medium-signed data samples. 

LANGUAGES 

CHASM 2.13 (#10) Cheap assembler with 
tutorial. 

XLISP 1.4 (#148) Lisp language interpreter. 
MVP-FORTH (#31, 32) Two disk setof Moun- 
tain Valley Press Forth. 
3 FORTHS (#352) To modify or expand your 
own forth language. MVPFORTH, FORTH- 
H and SEATTLE Computer's Forth. 
PROLOG & UNIFORTH (#417) Complete 
with editor and documentation. 
SNOCREST BASIC (#409, 410) two disk set. 
Real basic interpreter with manual. Can be 
used with a multi-user system. 
ESIE (#398) Build and generate an expert 
system in a flash. 

PASCAL COMPILER (#424) Written in 
Turbo Pascal. 

P-BASIC (#381) BASICA work-a-like for 
clones, etc. 

UTILITIES 

DISKCAT 4.0 (#106) Catalog all your disk 
files in a hurry. 

GINACO (#66) 54 polished routines written 
in basic for any beginnerorexperts. We love 
it! 

ULTRA-UTILITIES 4.0 (#133, 245) Recover 
lost files, modify sectors, etc. Like Nortons. 
SYSMENU (#250) Build a menu driven menu 
system. Excellent for hard disks. 
LOAD-US (#284) Allows Lotus and Sym- 
phony to be used on a hard disk. 
PC-DESKMATES (#405) Better than Side- 
kick and all of the rest of the memory resi- 
dent desktop utilities. 
ALIGN 1.6 (#217) Disk alignment tool. 
TOP UTILITIES (#273) All of the most re- 
quested utilities on one disk. 
NUMZAP (#284) Removes line numbers from 
BASIC programs. 

HARD DISK UTILITIES (#478) A collection 
of the best in the library. 
UNPROTECT (#414) Various routines to 
disconnect protection schemes. 



I 
I 

I 
I 
I 
I SHIP TO: 

I 



ORDER FORM 

LONE STAR SOFTWARE, INC. 

2100 Hwy. 360, Suite 1204 

Grand Prairie, Texas 75050 

214/647-1010 



l 

l 

t 

| TOTAL #_ 



x $6 = . 

I DISK DIRECTORY (Explanation of all files & programs) X $6 = . 

! OTHER 



SUBTOTAL 



TEXAS RESIDENTS ADD 6Vi%TAX 
SHIPPINGS HANDLING 

(1 @ $1.00 and. 50f or each additional disk) 



TOTAL 



* D MASTERCARD 
CARD NO. 



□ VISA 



EXPIRATION DATE 
SIGNATURE 



I 
L. 



PLEASE ENCLOSE CHECK WITH ORDER 



I 22 23 24 
I 42 43 -44 
I 62 63 64 
I 82 83 64 
1 102 103 104 
1 122 123 124 
1 142 143 144 
1 162 163 164 
1 182 183 184 
1 202 203 204 
1 222 223 224 
1 242 243 244 
1 282 283 264 
1 282 283 264 
1 302 303 304 
1 322 323 324 
1 342 343 344 
1 362 363 364 
1 382 383 384 
1 402 403 404 
1 422 423 424 
1 442 443 444 
1 462 463464 
1482483484 



CIRCLE DISK 

5 6 7 8 9 
25 26 27 28 29 
45 46 47 46 49 
65 66 67 68 69 
85 86 87 88 89 
105 106 107 108 109 
125 126 127 128 129 
145 146 147 14ai49 
165 166 167 168 169 
185 186 187 188 189 
205 206 207 208 209 
226 226 227 228 229 
245 246 247 248 249 
265 265 267 268 265 
265 265 287 288 265 
305 306 307 308 309 
325 326 327 328 328 
345 346 347 348 349 
365 366 367 368 369 
385 386 387 388 389 
405 406 407 408 409 
425 426 427 426 429 
445 446 447 446 449 
465 466 467 468 469 
485486487488489 



NUMBER DESIRED: 

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 
30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 
50 51 52 53 54 55 58 57 
70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 
110111 112 113 114 115 116 117 
130131 132 133 134 135 136 137 
150151 152 153 154 155 156 157 
170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 
190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 
210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 
230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 
250 251 252 253 254 256 256 257 
270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 
290 291 292 293' 294 295 265 297 
310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 
330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 
350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 
370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 
390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 
410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 
430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 
450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 
470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 
490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 



18 19 20 
38 39 40 
58 59 60 
78 79 80 
98 99 100 
118 119 120 
138 139 140 
158 159 160 
176 179 180 
198 199 200 
218 219 220 
238 239 240 
256 259 260 
276 279 260 
298 299 300 
318 319 320 
338 338 340 
358 359 360 
378 379 380 
398 399 400 
418 419 420 
436 439 440 
456 459 460 
478 479 480 
498 499 500 



< 1986. Lone Star So'lwa re. I 



PATCHES (#376) make back up copies of 
some of the most popular commercial pro- 
grams with this collection. 

PRINTER UTILITIES 

SP 3.4 (#186, 275) Printer buffer that parti- 
tions yourdata soyou can useyourcompu- 
ter and print at the same time. 
SIDEWAYS (#265, 411) Prints text sideways 
on an Epson printer. 

SETPRTB (#79) Sets up Epson printer from 
a menu. 

SLIDE (#244) produce medium resolution 
slides and overhead transparencies. 
PRINTER UTILITIES (#41 1 ) Sorgasboard of 
utilities and tools. 

EPSON PRINTER UTILITIES (#326) Spool, 
setup routinesall designed for Epson codes. 
BANNER (#386) make long banners with 
large letters. Includes MS-FORTRAN source 
codes. 

EDUCATION 

EQUATOR (#249) A teaching tool for math, 
science and finance. 

PC-TUTORIAL (#403) A firstcourse in com- 
puter usagecovering various aspects of MS- 
DOS. Good! 

PC-PROFESSOR (#105) Learn Basic the 
easy way. One of the best tutorials on 
BASIC. 

PC-DOS HELP (#254) type "help" for the 
DOS command you forgot. 
FLASH CARDS (#367-370) 4-disk set. 
Vocabulary builder, spelling teacher. 
TOUCH-TYPE (#320) Advanced type tutor. 

GAMES 

TOP GAMES (#274) The most requested 
arcade type games. 

ARCADE GAMES (#293) Another goodie 
bag of top Arcade games. 
TRIVIA GAMES (#327-329) Lots of files and 
documentation for hours of fun. Will not 
work on PCJR. 

PC JR GAMES (#354) Games that will work 
only on PC JR. Combat, dungeons and 
dragons, Global Thermonuclear War. 
MISC. GAMES (#390) Good selection of 
educational, adventure, and arcade games. 
BIG FOUR GAMES (#272) Texas most pop- 
ular, STARGATE, ZAXXON, AIRTRAX, and 
DND 

MUSIC 

PC-MUSICIAN (#127) Compose music on 
your PC, save and play again. 
PIANO MAN (#279) Play your PC keyboard 
like a piano. 

APPLICATIONS 

GENEALOGY ON DISPLAY 3.0 (#90) 
GENEALOGY - FT 1.25 (#240) from Pine 
Cone software. 

LABELMAKER (#146) Our favorite label file 
and maker. Menu driven. 
PC-FLY "Fliteplan" 2.1 (#261) Pilots prepare 
and file your flight plans. 
RECIPE 83 (#281) Recipe index for use with 
PC File III (#5) 

FAMILY HISTORY (#361) Family history, 
ancestor and decendant charts. Sample pro- 
grams. 

FORM LETTERS (#388) LOTS of samples of 
the most commonly used business letters. 
Modify! 

HAM RADIO (#436, 437) Electronic good- 
ies, design antennas, great circle, etc. 

GRAPHICS 

PC-KEY DRAW (#344-345) A small CAD 
system. Lots of demonstration files. 
PC-PICTURE GRAPHICS (#136) Drawing 
package allows you to zoom, color, and 
store pictures. 

PC-GRAPH (#418) Allows user to create 
graphics from PC-File report files. 
ORIGAMI (#408) Japaneseartof paperfold- 
ing. Graphics required. 
DRAFTSMAN (#400) Easy to use presenta- 
tion quality. Mouse or keys. 



374 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



TIME SAVING - MONEY SAVING 

PRINTER BUFFER 




SPOOL-ZQ PLUS is a parallel pnnler buffer which works with any parallel primer 
and frees up ynur computer for productive use while printing Vtry high capacity 
t!28K to 5I2K) and full time space and null character compression means that 
Spool-Z-Q Plus is ready to take on the really big jobs. A special Pause-on- 
furmieed feature allows printing single sheets from the buffer. Spool-Z-Q Plus 
iilso ha-, Cap/, Clear, and Self-Test functions buill in. Supplied complete with 
UUCSA luted power supply, the Spool-Z-Q Plus buffer is easy lo install <ind use 
All modekare user expandable to 512K .nany lime by jusl plugging in standard 
256K RAM chips. Spool-Z-Q Plus is the professional's choice, for size, features, 
and price. 
(Without Cable) 128K-S279 256K-S309 512K-S369 
(Including Cable) 128K-S309 256K-S339 512K-S399 
SPOOL-Z-Q BLUE PLUG IN PRINTER BUFFER FOR THE IBM PC and compali- 
blecompulers IS A GENUINE HARDWARE PRINTER BUFFER, NOT A SPOOLER, 
Parallel only and Serial/Parallel models available. V\torks with any software and 
does not use any of the computer's memory. Sizes from 256K to t,024K are 
available. Spool-Z-Q Slue replaces the parallel printer card in tin- PC (May be 
LPT1, 2, or 31. Many, many advanced features. Call or write for full details. Prices 
start at $319 (Parallel only) and $399 (Serial capable). 



Available from dealers or direct from us. We accept M/C, VISA, AMEXorCOD 
orders. No charge for shipping or COD. IS day trial period Inohassle refund 
policyl on all products. CA residents — 6% lax. , i 



DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED. JetectronJc* 

O.E.M.s - We can modify our 1601 FullOn Ave.,Suite 10A 

buffers to meel your special Sacramento, CA 95825 

requirements (916) 483-0709 



Inquiry 153 



FREE CATALOG 




Outstanding prices on computer 
accessories for your computer and 
workstation. Our catalog features a 
wide selection of quality products 
to meet all your accessory needs. 
Call or write today to receive your 
free catalog. 

LINTEK COMPUTER ACCESSORIES 

POB 8056, Grand Rapids, Ml 49518 
(616) 241-4040 



Inquiry 163 



Protect \bur 
Private Parts. 



Whether you Ye a software that— a smart piece of plastic 

developer or an end user, smaller than a best-selling 

whether you work alone on a cassette that plugs into the 
PC or you're part of a 24- parallel port of your IBM 

person project team, keeping PC/XT/AT or compatible, 
new software or sensitive There are two ways to go. 

data from prying eyes is The Software Sentinel™, that 

serious business. ^^--^S^A P revents anyone from 

Short of compli-^^^T^V^,} using your licensed 
cated, wizard-like \<?3p>£***""*^ software program 
protection schemes, \V— -^** unlessyougivethem 

or James Bond, you \ /'^^^^^ fc - a key. And the Data 
haven't had too many \ 'j^m - Wf] Sentinel™ Rainbow 
realistic alternatives. \ \f^ M>- Tccnnolo S ies ' 
Until now. \ ^^^3^ newest prying eye- 

Bccause Rainbow \,,^---"'* , stopper, that automatically 
Technologies has developed protects sensitive personal or 
simple, easy-to-use systems project data as you enter it. 
called Sentinels that say no The Sentinel Security Systems 
to prying eyes. No matter from Rainbow Technologies, 

how hard they look. The only hard part is 

The key to Sentinel is just the key. 



I RAINBOW 



IfCMNOlOGItS. INC 



17971 Skypark Circle. Suite E, Irvine, CA 92714 
Phone (714) 261-0228 Telex: 386078 



Inquiry 253 





.S~ PC/XT USERS' 


r COGTREE Utilities by 






Cogitate 


S129.95 


W 


LYNC by Norton-Lamber. . . 


.$199.95 


1 


DATAFLEX by Data Access. 


. . Varies 


* 


RM/COBOL by Ryan/ 






McFarland 


. . Varies 


T 


Universe by Omnitrend. . . 


S 98.50 


W 


Blue Mad by Cogitate. . . . 


.$599.00 


g 


CadPower+ by Trilex 


.$995.00 


W 


Softext Teaching Aids 


. $ 95.00 


M PrintSet by Cogitate 


. $ 79.95 


..§- 


CogiTAPE by Cogitate 


. .CALLII 


M 


Anti-Static Products 


. Varies 


.J~ 


Uninterruptible Power 






Backups 


. . Varies 


J~~ TeleVideo Software 


..CALLII 




Elite 






'A Higher Form of Software" 




24000 Telegraph Road 






Southfleld. Ml 48034 






(313) 352-2345/Telex 386581 




VISA/MASTERCARD ACCEPTED 




Dealer Inquiries Welcomed 





Inquiry 60 



ATTENTION 
BERNOULLI BOOSTERS 

Go Either Way! 



BOOT 

from the Bernoulli Box! 
from the AT Hard Disk! 

FORMAT WITH DOS 

PARTITION WITH FDISK 

NO SLOWING 

We've been shipping Bernoulli Boots 

that work for over a year — 

still waiting? 

Golden Bow Systems 

S95-$110 

Add S3 lor shipping 

fondling 
California re: 
6*i sales lax 




San Diego. CA 92103 

/>\ (619) 298-9349 



Inquiry I23 



• Multi-user Database! 

• Powerful! 

• Multiple Operating 
System Compatibility! 

• Attractive Dealer 
Pricing! 

• Full Dealer Support! 

Dataflex is a trademark of Data Access 

Dealer Inquiries Invited 



24000 Telegraph Road 

Southfield. Michigan 48034 USA 

\3\3\ 352-2345 



Inquiry 6 1 



Inquiry 221 

PC-SIG ' 
Library 

Keeps on growing* ♦♦ 

New disks recently added to our library 

of user-supported and public domain 

software for the PC: 

□ #471 PresentV5.1 Make your own slide shows 
for business or home using your color monitor. 

□ #477 Name Gram/Break Down/Fone Word 

Do anagrams, find what words your phone number 
makes. 

□ #480 PC-Outline Outline and organize 
information, much like Thinktank. 

□ #481 Still River Shell Makes DOS easy to use. 

□ #483 Mail Master Keeps track of multiple lists, 
sorts and prints by city, state, zip and name. 

□ #485 Icon Maker and FX-Matrix Makes 
graphics characters like the MAC for your screen 
and you can paint them on your EPSON printer. 

□ #487 Reflex Point An action game modeled after 
the ROBOTECH cartoon series. 

□ #492 Nutrient Tracks your diet and its calorie/ 
nutrient value. 

□ #494,495,496 The World Digitized Find over 
100,000 different locations in the world and display 
them on screen. 

□ #498 DOS-a-Matic Load different programs and 
manipulate them with single keystrokes. 

□ #499 PROCOMM Communications with 
XMODEM, KERMIT, ASCII protocols, supports IBM- 
3101, DECVT52/1000, ADM-3 and ANSI. 

□ #501 & 502 Saieseye Tracks prospects, leads 
and memos and prints letters with that information. 

□ #503 Reliance Mailing List Keeps track of 
multiple lists, sorts and prints by specific group- 
good for custom mailing. 

□ #506 Bibliography of Business Ethics and 
Moral Values The regularly updated master 
bibliography for those doing papers and research 
involving business ethics. 

□ #507 PC-Sprint Software and instruction on how 
to cheaply speed up your system 2-3 times. 

□ #508&509 Statistics Tools Factorexperiments, 
"FORGET-IT" plots, simultaneous confidence 
intervals, randomization tests, expected mean 
squares. 

□ #510 Visible PASCAL Compiler Learn to 
program PASCAL and watch the internal functions 
of PASCAL as it runs. 

□ #511 Turbo Sprites and Animation Create, 
maintain and animate your own images inTURBO 
PASCAL. 



RECENT DISK UPDATES 

□ # 5 PC-File Ver. 4 

□ # 78 PC-Write Ver. 2.6/1 

□ #124 Extended Batch Ver. 2.04a 

□ #199 PC-CalcVer.3 

□ #212,334 RBBS-PC (2 disks) Ver. 3.7 

□ #388 100 Letters Ver. 1.1 

□ #393 CheckbookVer. 2 

□ #395 Home Inventory Ver. 2 

□ #397 Checkbook Program Ver 331 

□ #402 IBM 370 Cross Assembler Ver 11 

□ #403 ComputerTutorVer 4 2 

□ #417 ADA Prolog Ver. 1.90 

□ #449 Gags Vers. 1.06 

□ #468 CPALedgerVer. 1.1 

□ 350-page directory (disks 1-300) $8.95 

□ Printed Supplement (disks 301-454) $3.95 

□ 1 yr. PC-SIG Membership ($35 foreign) .... $20 
Includes printed directory, supplement, bimonthly 
magazine 



SPECIAL 

Any 5 Disks plus 1 -Year Membership $39 



Disks are $6 each. Add $4 postage and handling ($10 
foreign)- CA residents add state sales tax. 

Total Enclosed $ by □ Check fJVISA rjMC 

Card No 

Exp. date 

Name 

Address 

City 



_ Phone_ 



_ State_ 



-Zip- 



POSKj 



To order, call: 800-245-6717 
In CA: 800-222-2996 

For technical questions or 
local orders: (408)730-9291 

1030-D East Duane Avenue 
Sunnyvale, CA 94086 213 



Inquiry 92 



l*WI 



..the leader in magnetic 
media development. 
Lifetime Warranty 



DS-DD 

Factory Sealed Box ol Ten 

QTY 5BX $H 



5.25"--48 TPI 



03 



SS-DD 

770 

$ 1 17 

$ 1 45 3.50' 135 TPI S 1 97 



5.25" 48TPIw/Flip n* File/15 



$-| 47 



"1 73 . . 3.50* 135TPIw/Flip'n' File 

DS-HD 96 TPI lor the "AT" 

DS-HD 96 TPI w Flip n File 15 

8.00" SS-SD W WP 

s 1 84 8.00"W/WP .... 

3M Head Cleaning Kit 

Call for our super low prices on 3M bulk diskettes & 
other 3M computer accessories. 



$225 
$220 
$250 
$-|50 
$205 
$g95 




'No gimmicks of Bulk 

diskettes in a plastic case 

We only sell BASF factory sealed 

"BOXED PRODUCT" 



Factory Sealed i n boxes of 10 s 
SS-DD w/everything included DS-DD 

/ U .... 5.25' 48 TPI UJ 

$ 1 43 3.50" 135 TPI s 1 89 

mm 
DS-HD/96 TPI for the "AT" I 



SUPER SALE ON NASHUA 



zn Nashua 



10 Nashua professional-quality, branded Diskettes to a box 
with protective sleeves, user ID labels, write-protect tabs 
and reinforced hub rings Factory sealed 

Price per box of 10 

$ 6 79 



5.25" 



3319 



DS-DD 

(10 boxes per case. Sold only in case lot) 
(offer good while supply lasts) 



No-Logo • Made by theleadinq USA 

Pjl J. •» maqnetic media manufacture 

dULIy Same name brand quality wo box 

ii«i,p.ipc PACK DISKETTES LIFETIME WARRANTY 



■ With Hub Rings ■ Envelopes ■ Wnte-Protect Tabs ; 
■ User 10 Labels ■ In Factory Sealed Packs 
■ 70°o or higher clipping level - I00 : o certified 
SS-DD DSD 


100 


500 1000 


100 


500 


1000 


.53 


.50 .48 5.25'748TPI . . 


.62 


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.56 


1.39 


1.35 1.33 3.50m/135 TPI . 


1.66 


163 


1.58 


5.25" 


DS-HD 96 TPI for the "AT" . . . 


1.60 


1.55 


1.45 



COLOR 
DISKETTES 



USA made Premium Quality 
at Affordable Prices! 
WHY PAY MORE? 



■ With Hub Rings ■ Tyvek sleeves ■ Write-Protect Tabs 

■ User ID Labels ■ In Factory Sealed Packs 

■ 70% or higher clipping level - 100% certified 

i Available in rainbow colors and many other assortable colors 



65$ 



SS-DD 



QTY 100 DS-DD 

5.25"/48 TPI 



79$ 



5.25"/DS-HD1-6mbforthe"Ar $ 1 79 

Pnvlit Ubtinq Mriab* DK» Ull lew ■flcrnilior £ oritirc 

RIBBONS STORAGE 

Epson MX 70/80 .... *2 65 Amaray Media Mate . . '8 90 
Epson MX 100 . . *3" Disk Minder II-75 . . . *6 4S 
Okidata 80/82/83/92/93M 35 Micro Disk Minders-36.*6 4S 
Apple Imaae Writer . . *3 M Plastic Library Case . . M 50 

TERMS: No surcharge on VISA or MasterCard American Express also ac- 
cepted. COD orders only add S3 00 Prepaid orders deduct 2% cash discount 
POs accepted from corporations rated 3A2 or better, government and schools 
on net 30 basis. FP0. AP0. AK. HI. PR & CN add 5% No sales tax outside 
Utah' Minimum order S30 00 
SNIPPING: Add $4 00 for 100 diskettes or first 6 pounds 

•WE BEAT ANY PRICE! lAPPliS TO APPLES) 



Toll-Ftee Order Line: 



Inquiries & Info Line: 



1-800-523-9681 1-801-942-2273 



n DISKCOTECH 

DISKCOTECHNOLOGIES, INC. 



376 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



"CPYAT2PC" 

IS LIKE HAVING A 

FREE 

360K FLOPPY DRIVE 



Allows copying of IBM AT file for use on 
IBM PC's & compatibles with no modifica- 
tion of existing hardware orsoftware. A 360K 
floppy drive is not required. CPYAT2PC may 
reside on your IBM PC/AT hard disk and 
copies 1 file or entire subdirectories in 1 step. 
Also runs on other ATcompatibles such as 
COMPAQ286,ZENITHZ-200,andKAYPRO 
2861. Dealer inquiries welcome. ONLY $79 
+ shipping. 

MICROBRIDGE COMPUTERS 

Sky Way Building, Suite 125 

655 Sky Way, San Carlos, CA 94070 

(415) 593-8777 • (415) 595-2150 

CHECK, COD WELCOME 

(Prepayment Required) 



Inquiry 192 



PC Compatible 

CASH DRAWERS 




M-S CASH DRAWER 

10711 Flower St., Stanton, CA 90680 

(800) 544-1749 

In California call: 

(714) 821-1133 



Inquiry 1 74 



72 Digital I/O 




PXB-721 

Parallel Expansion Board 

• For IBM-PC & Compatibles 

• 72 Digital I/O Lines 

• Simple Programming 

• Uses One Expansion Slot 

• Fast Delivery 

$195 

tj/QUA TECH, INC. 

478 E. Exchange St. Akron OH 44304 
(216) 434-3154 TLX: 5101012726 



Inquiry 24 1 



MODULAR 
DATA ACQUISITION 




• For IBM & Compatibles 

• Flexible and Inexpensive 

• Money Back Guarantee 

• Free Technical Support 

Fast Delivery 
QUA TECH, INC. 

478 E. Exchange St. Akron OH 44304 
(216) 434-3154 TLX: 5101012726 



® 



Inquiry 242 



IBM-PC/XT 

TO 

700% 




Uses 80286 Processor 
Installs in Minutes 
Fits Short Slot 
Optional 80287 Processor 



$399 



Computer-Age, Inc. 

55 Fishfry Street 

Hartford, CT 06120 

203-724-5100 



AM-EX 



Inquiry 67 




Vfeature 



D | P disks 
for Dlu files 

User-Transparent 
Security Features Included. 

Golden Bow Systems 



S80-S120 \yi* 619/298-E 

Add J3 lor shipping/ if V P 0. Box 3039 

handling I W \ San Diego. CA! 

Calilorolarasldents /•/ \ JL 

adde% sales lax. (f ' ^ 



619/298-9349 



Inquiry 124 



NEW LOW PRICES ! 



NEW LOW PRICES ! 



COMPUTER 
PRODUCTS, 
Inc. 
ORDER TOLL FREE 



538-8800 



(CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS) 



Mm 



848-8008 



[MasterCard 



.99 



STATIC 

2114L 200ns 

2016 200ns .99 

2016 150ns 1.35 

HM6116 P 150ns 1.35 

HM6116LP 150ns 1.45 

Z-6132 300ns 19.89 

HM6164 P 150ns 3.35 

HM6164LP 150ns 3.45 

HM6164LP 100ns 12.45 



DYNAMIC 



4116 


200ns 


.35 


4116 


150ns 


.45 


4164 


200ns 


1.05 


4164 


150ns 


1.20 


41128 


150ns 


4,95 


41256 


150ns 


2.89 


41256 


120ns 


3.89 


4416 


150ns 


3.95 


4464 


150ns 


6.95 



EPROMS 



2516 450ns 

2532 350ns 

2708 450ns 

2716-5 490ns 

2716 450ns 

2716-1 350ns 

2732 450ns 

2732 A-2 200ns 



2.95 
3.75 
2.95 
1.95 
2.45 
•2.95 
2.95 
3.95 



2732 A 250ns 2.95 

2764 450ns 2.95 

2764 250ns 3.45 

27128 250ns 3.95 

27256 250ns 6.99 

27512 250ns 29.99 

MC68764 450ns 15.99 

MC68766 350ns 16.99 



8088 / 8086 

UPGRADE 

\l-Z0 ... 5 MHz. . . 13.95 

M0... 8 MHz... 19.95 

— High Speed — 



DP-25 Solder Cup 






Male, Female, Hoods 99$ ea. 

UV ERASERS 

QUV-T8/1 $49.95 

ECONOMY Model 




• Erases 15 EPROMS In 20 minutes 

• Plastic Enclosure 



74LS00 



74LS100 .14 

74LS01 .14 

74LS02 .14 

74LS03 .14 

74LS04 .14 

74LS05 .16 

74LS0B .16 

74LS09 .16 

74LS10 .14 

74LS11 .18 

74LS12 .18 

74LS13 .36 

74LS14 .24 

74LS15 .24 

74LS20 .16 

74LS21 .20 

74LS22 .20 

74LS26 .20 

74LS27 .20 

74LS2B .24 

74LS30 .16 

74LS32 .16 

74LS33 .26 

74LS37 .24 

74LS3B .24 

74LS40 .16 

74LS42 .36 

74LS47 .56 

74LS48 .66 

74LS49 .66 

74LS51 .16 

74LS54 .18 

74LS55 .20 

74LS63 ,86 

74LS73 .28 

74LS74 .22 

74LS75 .26 

74LS76 .26 

74LS7B .36 

74LS83 .46 

74LS85 .46 

74LS86 .20 

74LS90 .36 

74LS91 .86 

74LS92 .46 

74LS93 .36 

74LS95 .46 

74LS96 .46 

74LS107 32 

74LS109 .34 

74LS112 .26 

74LS113 .32 

74LS114 .32 

74LS122 .44 

74LS123 .46 

74LS124 2.60 



74LS125 


36 


74LS126 


36 


74LS132 


36 


74LS133 


46 


74LS136 


36 


74LS137 


98 


74LS13B 


36 


74LS139 


36 


74LS145 


86 


74LS147 


86 


74LS148 


86 


74LS151 


36 


74LS153 


36 


74LS154 1.46 


74LS155 


46 


74LS156 


46 


74LS157 


34 


74LS158 


28 


74LS160 


28 


74LS161 


36 


74LS162 


46 


74LS163 


36 


74LS164 


46 


74LS165 


64 


74LS166 


B6 


74LS168 


94 


74LS169 


94 


74LS170 


B4 


74LS173 


46 


74LS174 


36 


74LS175 


36 


74LS181 1.46 


74LS189 3.86 


74LS190 


46 


74LS191 


46 


74LS192 


66 


74LS193 


66 


74LS194 


56 


74LS195 


56 


74LS196 


56 


74LS197 


56 


74LS221 


56 


74LS240 


56 


74LS241 


66 


74LS242 


66 


74LS243 


66 


74LS244 


58 


74LS245 


68 


74LS247 


68 


74LS248 


66 


74LS249 


36 


74LS251 


46 


74LS253 


46 


74LS257 


36 


74LS258 


46 


74LS259 1.18 



74LS260 

74LS266 

74LS273 

74LS275 

74LS279 

74LS280 

74LS283 

74LS290 

74LS293 

74LS295 

74LS298 

74LS299 

74LS323 

74LS324 

74LS352 

74LS353 

74LS363 

74LS364 

74LS365 

74LS366 

74LS367 

74LS368 

74LS373 

74LS374 

74LS377 

74LS37B 

74LS385 

74LS386 

74LS390 

74LS393 

74LS395 

74LS399 

74LS424 

74LS447 

74LS490 

74LS624 

74LS640 

74LS645 

74LS668 

74LS669 

74LS670 

74LS674 

74LS682 

74LS683 

74LS684 

74LS685 

74LS688 

74LS689 

74LS7B3 2 

81 LS95 

81LS96 

81LS97 

81LS98 

25LS2521 
25LS2569 



.46 

.36 

.76 

1.96 

.36 

1.18 

.56 

.86 

.76 

.66 

66 

1.46 

2.46 

1.68 

1.24 

1.18 

1.28 

1.88 

.36 

.36 

.36 

.36 

.76 

.76 

.76 

1.12 

1.84 

.42 

1.06 

.76 

1.06 

1.06 

2.86 

.92 

1.46 

1.92 

.96 

.96 

1.46 

1.26 



MEMORY 
EXPANSION KIT 



41256 150ns 
$2.89 each! 



8000 

8031 4.95 

8035 1.45 

8039 1.89 

8080A 2.89 

8085 2.35 

8085A-2 4.89 

8086 7.89 

8087-3 124.95 

8087-2 139.95 

8088 5.95 

8089 39.95 

8100 

8131 2.90 

8155 2.35 

8155-2 3.B9 

8156 2.89 

8185 26.89 

8185-2 26.89 

8200 

8202 B.98 

8203 29.89 

8205 2.98 

8212 1.35 

8214 3.59 

8216 1.35 

8224 2.09 

B226 1.59 

8228 3.29 

8237 4.79 

8237-5 5.29 

8238 3,99 

8243 2.39 

8250 5.95 

8251 1.49 

8251A 1.69 

8253 1.69 



8200 (continued) 

8253-5 1.79 

8255 1.59 

B255-5 1.79 

8257 1.99 

8257-5 2.29 

8259 1.89 

8259-5 1.99 

B271 48.95 

8272 .......... 4.79 

8274 4.79 

B275 24.99 

8279 2.29 

B279-5 2.79 

8282 3.79 

8283 3.79 

8284 2.79 

8286 3.79 

8287 3.79 

8288 4.79 

8289 19.89 

B292 12.90 

8300 

8303 1.79 

B304 1.79 

8307 1.79 

8308 1.79 

8310 2.29 

B311 2.29 

8700 

B741 8.89 

B74B 6.99 

8749 9.89 

8755 1B.89 

80000 

80186-6 48.89 



CRYSTALS 

ALL STANDARD VALUES .... 1 .00 




CRYSTAL CLOCK OSC. 

ALL STANDARD VALUES .... 4.89 

DIP Switches 790 




ORBITAL SYSTEMS: 

EXTENDED 80-Col. Card for Apple lie 

64K t o 1 2 8 K Upgrade; 2-Yr. Warranty $69.95 

Z-80 (CP/M) CARD, for Apple II+, lie 

Compatible with all Apple CP/M V 

Lifetime Warranty 69.95 

IBM ACCESSORIES 

8087-3 5 MHz 139.95 

8087-2 8 MHz 159.95 

80287 5 MHz 1 79.00 

80286 99.00 

Power Supply, 135W 89.00 

Monochrome Graphic Card . 1 19.00 

Memory Card 139.00 

Multifunction Card 1 29.00 

AT Crystal: 1 6, 1 8, 20 MHz 4.95 



MACINTOSH UPGRADE 

(PARTS ONLY) 

128K to 512K OU. 

Consists of: (16) 41256, 150ns; 
(1) 74F253; 

(17) 16- Pin Sockets 
Resistors and Capacitors ALSO INCLUDED 



APPLE ACCESSORIES 

Parallel Printer Card 49.95 

80-Col. card for Apple II+. . . 1 49.95 
80-Col. card for Apple lie. .. 69.95 

Cooling Fan 38.95 

Power Supply 69.95 

Joystick 29.95 

RF Modulator 13.95 

Disk Drive Full Height. ... 1 59.95 

Disk DriveVa Height 129.95 

Controller Card 49.95 

16K Card 39.95 

Z-80 Card 69.95 

. DISKETTES . 
BULK 

SS/DD 25/$17.25 

DS/DD 25/$19.75 

AT disks 25/$50.00 

3V 2 " disks... 25/$50.00 

ALL DISKETTES HAVE A 
FULL 1-YEAR WARRANTY 



6500 6500 A 

6502 1.99 6502A 2.49 

6504 6.79 6520A 2.49 

6505 8.79 6522A 4.99 

6507 9.79 6532A 9.89 



6520 
6522 
6532 
6545 
6551 



1.59 6545A 6.89 

3.99 6551A 6.89 

5.99 

4.89 6500 B 

5.89 6502B 5.89 

6800 



1 MHz 



6800 


.... 1.89 


6802 


.... 4.89 


6803 


.... 9.89 


6808 


.... 4.89 


6809E 


.... 5.89 


6809 


.... 5.89 


6810 


.... 1.89 


6820 


.... 2.89 


6821 ..... 


.... 1.89 


6828 


.... 13.89 


6840 


.... 5.99 


6843 


.... 18.89 


6844 


.... 10.89 


6845 


.... 4.89 


6847 


.... 10.89 


6850 


.... 1.89 


6852 


.... 4.59 


6860 


.... 7.89 


6862 


.... 10.89 


6875 


.... 6.89 


6880 


.... 1.49 


6883 


.... 21.89 



68BOO 
2 MHz 

68B00 4.89 

68B02 5.89 

68B09 6.89 

68B09E 6.99 

68B10.. 2.99 

68B21 3.89 

68B40 14.89 

68B45 6.89 

68B50 2.89 

68000 

68000-8 9.89 

68047 12.89 

68488 14.89 

68652 14.89 



Z-80 

Z80-CPU 

Z80-CTC 

Z80-DART 

Z80-DMA 

Z80-PIO 

Z80-SI0/0 .... 

Z80-SI0/1 

Z80-SI0/2 

Z80-SI0/9 



68764 15.89 

68766 16.89 

Z-80 

Z-80A (continued) 



.99 Z80A-DMA.. 
1.49 Z80A-PI0... 
3.89 Z80A-SI0/0 . 
3.89 Z80A-SI0/1 . 
1.59 Z80A-SI0/2 . 
Z80A-SI0/9 . 



3. 

3.89 
3.89 
3.89 



4.89 
1.79 
4.89 
4.89 
4.89 
4.89 



Z-80B 



Z-80 A 

Z80A-CPU 

Z80A-CTC 

Z80A-DART .... 



Z80B-CPU 3.59 

Z80B-CTC 3.59 

Z80B-PI0 . . . . . . 3.59 

1.49 Z80B-DART .... 10.89 

1.69 Z80BS10/0 ... 10.89 

4.89 Z80 S10/2 .... 10.89 



POWER SUPPLY 

(Switching) 

+ 12V 0.4 Amp 
-12V 0.3 Amp 
+ 5V 5.5 Amp 



19.95 




1986 

- THE IC MASTER - 

Your ticket to fast and easy 
IC selections 



$119. 



00 



MACINTOSH. APPLE II. APPLE lie'' and "APPLE II+" are 
Trademarks of APPLE COMPUTER, INC. 
■AT" is a Trademark of IBM CORPORATION. 



HOURS: Mon-Fri. 7:30 to 5:00 

VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE 

2100 De La Cruz Blvd. 

Santa Clara, CA 95050 

(408) 988-0687 

ALL MERCHANDISE IS 
100% GUARANTEED 



m 



NEW LOW PRICES 



NEW LOW PRICES 



Inquiry 98 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 377 



Inquiry 331 



NEW DEALER 




SPECIAL 




XT- COMPUTER 


QTY 
2 


640K MOTHER BOARD W/OK 


89 


256K RAM 


27 


135 WATT POWER SUPPLY 


53 


FLOPPY DISK CONTROLLER 


27 


FLIP TOP BOX 


38 


XT/AT KEYBOARD 


59 


MONO/GRAPHICS/PRN (HERC) 


54 


TTl MONITOR W/SWIVEL 


96 


(1) 360K FLOPPY 
PARTS 


92 


$535 


ASSEMBLY & TEST 


64 


$599 


20 MEG HARD DISK W/CDNTROLLER 


425 


AT COMPUTER 


QTY 
2 


80286 MOTHER BOARD 


595 


W512KRAM 




200 W POWER SUPPLY 


98 


AT BOX W/KEY LOCK 


79 


SERIAL & PARALLEL CARD 


65 


AD KEYBOARD 


59 


1.2 M FLOPPY 


129 


FDD& HOD CONTROLLER CARD 
PARTS 


225 


$1,250 


ASSEMBLY & TEST 


150 


$1,400 


30 MEG 40 MSEC HARD DRIVE 


615 


EGA CARD 


295 


EGA MONITOR 


449 


XT PORTABLE 


$995 


640K MOTHER BOARD 




640KRAM 




MULTI I/O CARD 




m j 


CLOCK, CALENDAR, 




w 


SERIAL, i^Sa^^L. 


w 


PARALLEL mf^Mm^S L 
TVI0 360K ! ff i 




FLOPPY DRIVES 




MOND/GRAPHICS/PRN [HERC] 




DETACHED KEYBOARD 




135 W POWER SUPPLY 




PORTABLE CASE 




9" MONITOR, GREEN or AMBER 




ADD ON BOARDS - PARTIAL LIST 


XT-640K TURBO 4.77/8 MHZ W/OK 


99 


LOCAL AREA NET CARD W/SOFTWARE 


249 


384K MULTI-FUNCTION (AST 6 COMP] OK 


69 


MODEM CARD 300/1200 (HAYES COMP) 


149 


DISK I/O 2FD CTRL, PRN, SER, CLOCK, 


70 


CAL, GAME 




AB SWITCH BOX W/64K BUFFER (1 :2 or 2:1] 


94 


AB SWITCH BOX (1:2 or 2:1) 


29 


COLOR/GRAPHICS/PRINTER CARD RGB 


58 


ACS IMPORTERS 




5311 DERRYAVE., UNIT A 




AGOURA HILLS, CA 91301 




HOURS 9 AM -6 PM PST 




(818)889-1092 




TELEX: 299353 POST UR 





378 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



LOW COST UNIVERSAL 
PROGRAMMER KITS 




M NO PERSONALITY MODULES REOUIRED 

M ON LINE HELP AND MENU SELECTION 

M ON BOARD 110/220V POWER SUPPLY 

M FAST PROGRAMMING MODE AT 6V VCC 

N BUILT IN MONITOR FOR I/O DEBUG 

M CAD PCB. SILKSCREEN & SCHEMATIC 

M SOFTWARE DRIVERS FOR MOST PCs 

M SUPPORTS ALL 5V EPROMS. EEPROMS 
AND INTEL MICROCOMPUTERS 

KITS FROM $125 ASSEMBLED $295 
DRIVERS $35 SHIPPING $4 
VISA & MASTER CARD ACCEPTED 

E3&C M I C ROS Y ST EMS 

6322 Mojave dr. San sJose CA 95120 
Phone (408)997-7685 Telex 4995363 



Truly Low Cost PC Imagi n g ! 




=IMAGEACE 11= 

Video Capture System 

• Digitize video from cameras. 
tuners, and VCRs directly to 
your IBM PC display 

• 320 x 200 x 4 levels 

• 1.3 sec. full screen capture 

• Complete with hardware card, 
software, cable, and manual 

l odGE P JECTROINJCS 

P.O. Box 338 • Streamwood. IL 60103 



= (312) 837-6553= 



Inquiry 1 64 



MYSTIC PASCAL 

Fastest Compiler on Earth 

NOW ONLY $16!!! 

• 640K code, data and stack 

• incremental compiler runs in back- 
ground while you are editing 

• produces linkable OBJ files 

• colorgraphics with pan & zoom 

• 8087 & software math 

• true multi-tasking for up to 100 
Pascal procedures 

• full screen editor 

• complete Help windows 

• We are open 8-5 Mtn. time, Mon-Sat 

disk with condensed manualto print out $16— 

printed manual $16— both $32— for IBM PC 320K 

Visa/MC/COD— add $2 shipping, COD $5, 

overseas $10 

Mystic Canyon Software 

ROB. 1010 

Pecos, NM B7SS2 505/757-6344 



UN IVERSAL 
EPROM PROGRAMMER 




* NO PERSONALITY MODULES REQUIRED 
» ON LINE HELP AND MENU SELECTION 

* ON BOARD 110/220V POWER SUPPLY 

* FAST PROGRAMMING MODE AT 6V VCC 

* BUILT IN EPROM ERASER W/TIMER 

* GANG PORT FOR FUTURE EXPANSION 

* SOFTWARE DRIVERS FOR MOST PCs 

* SUPPORTS ALL 5V EPROMS. EEPROMS 

AND INTEL MICROCOMPUTERS 

1W9C-33 $5^5 H09C-3^ $695 

DRIVERS $35 SHIPPING $6 

VISA & MASTER CARD ACCEPTED 

B&C M i cros v s t Erv/is 

6322 Mojave dr. San Jose CA 95120 
Phone (408)997-7685 Telex 4995363 





RAMS 




256K 


150 ns 


2.75 


256K 


120 ns 


3.25 


64K 


150 ns 


1.20 


64K 


120 ns 


1.35 


6264LP-15 


150 ns 

EPROMS 


3.15 


2732A 


250 ns 


4.05 


2764 


250 ns 


3.35 


2764 


200 ns 


3.75 


27C64 


200 ns 


5.05 


27128 


250 ns 


3.75 


27256 


250 ns 


5.25 


27256 


200 ns 


5.65 . 


PROCESSORS 




C8087-2 


8mHz 


150.00 


C8087 


5mHz 


125.00 


V-20 


8mHz 


14.00 


MicroTech 


(206) 364-2209, 8 - 6 Mon. 


-Sat. 


P.O.Box 27083, Seattle, WA 98125 


Prices shown for cash. Prices subject to change. 


Call for current 


prices & volume discounts. Shipping & Handling: UPS ground 


$2.00. air $5.00 (under 1 lb.). Master Card/Visa 


add 3% .Wash. 


residents add 7.9% 


sales tax. Satisfaction guaranteed. 



Inquiry 1 98 




RS-232 to RS-422A 

CONVERTER 

For 
Under! 

$50! ^1 

• Allows your RS-232 Equipment to 
communicate with devices using RS-422A 

• Two converters can extend RS-232 
signals up to 4,000 ft. 

• Bi-directional, uses 12 volts 

ORDER NOW! Model 422CON $49.95 
Optional power supply $14.95. Cash orders 
shipped postpaid. IL Res. add 6% sales tax. 
Visa and MasterCard accepted. Satisfaction 
Guaranteed. FREE fully illustrated newly re- 
vised catalog of interface & testing equip- 
ment. Phone: 815-434-0846 



&B electronics 

MM MANUFACTURING COMPANY 

1500B BOYCE, OTTAWA, iL 61350 



Inquiry 203 



Inquiry 33 



602-991-7870 Customer Support 



S-100 DIV./696 CORP. 
14455 NORTH 79TH ST. 
SCOTTSDALE AZ 85260 

TELEX 9103806778 SONE HUND 



Hard Disk and Tape Subsystems Monitors and Terminals 



Computer Systems 



SEAGATE 20MB HARD DRIVES 

with Western Digital controller 
$399 (qty6+) 
$419 (qty 1) 

Now you can't afford not to have the storage 

power of a 20 megabyte Seagate Hard Drive. 

Call 1-800-528-3138 Now! We will not be undersold! 

MORE HARD DRIVES, ETC. 

Quantum O-540 40MB 1 Year Warranty $1095 

Micropolis 1325 85MB 25ms Access $1439 

Wangtek PC-36 60MB Int Tape Complete $889 

Tecmar QIC-60 Ext Tape w/Host $1449 

Western Digital Controller $99 

Alloy PC-9TRACK W Tape Cartridge CALL 



PC-INSIDER/OUTSIDER, AT-INSIDER, Hard Disk Series 
for IBM. Bootsfrom Hard Disk, Formatted w/ Ctrl. & Cbls., 

Hardware & P/S or PC Style Cabinet CALL NOWI 

TECMAR QIC-60 External Tape $1359 

TECMAR 40410 - 11 Slots 33 + 5Mb Removeable . . 1995 

SMS OMTI 5510-7 Controller 109 

DRIVE SUBSYSTEMS FOR COMPUPRO 

with Disk 3, CABINET, FAN, P/S, CABLES, etc 

-20Mb Seagate I Teac 895 

-40Mb Quantum Q-540 1695 

-72Mb MC1325 $2095 / XT-1085 $2359 

10MB TAPE Int. (Requires CDOS 4.1) 429 

10MB TAPE Ext. (Requires Concurrent DOS) 519 

ALLOY IDXCS-100T 17.7Mb Ext. Tape (CPM-80/86)1559 

AT7FNTSON? >\i ~r V *'*.<. Nf- r iSi 

HARD DISK SUBSYSTEMS WITH 20Mb 
ENTRY LEVEL , . . STARTING AT $795 

S-100 Boards & Accessories 

If you bought before calling S-100 you paid too much! We 
stock COMPUPRO, DUAL, EARTH COMPUTERS, ICM, 
KONAN, MULLEN, PICKLES & TROUT, INDUSTRIAL 
COMPUTER DESIGNS, TARBELL, VECTOR... 

Just a few of THIS MONTH'S SPECIALS! 

RAM 16 64K Static $95 

COMPUPRO RAM 22 256K Static 446 

COMPUPRO CPU 286 $429 SPUZ 256 $249 

COMPUPRO Disk-1A $372 Disk-3 $447 

DUAL AIM-12 A/D Input 12 Bit/32 Channel 629 

INTERCONTINENTAL MICROSYSTEMS Master & Slave 

Boards 8 & 16 bit. IN STOCK CALL NOW 

MACROTECH MI-286 80286/Z80 Dual Proc 675 

MACROTECH MSR-II 1 MB DRAM /2Mb 825/1059 

MACROTECH ST-II 1Mb 2249 



Floppy Disk Drives 



MITSUBISHI 2894 8" $475 2896 1/2 ht 8" $435 

MITSUBISHI MF501 48TPI / MF504 95/149 

TEAC FD55GFV I IBM-AT 96TPI 125 

TEAC FD55FV 96TPI...$115 FD55BV 48 TPI 95 



Modems 



PROMETHEUS PROMODEM 1 200/2400-Hayes 
Compatible with Power Supply and Software. $275/$385 

PROMETHEUS 1200G without Options 189 

PROMETHEUS 300C - Apple lie Piggy Back 129 

MULTITECH MT224EH MNP Error Correction 529 

MULTITECH MT224ER Rack Mount with E. D.C 495 

CTS 224ADH Hayes 2400 Compatible $339 
CTS 212AHC Hayes Compatible 159 






Hobby Corner 



ACCESS MATRIX (ACTRIX)2 Ftpy. Amb, Modem, Prt, 

Portable w/ a Lot of Software $495 

ADAPTEC 2002A ST-50S PC Hard Disk Ctrl ... . 195 

FUJITSU 2302B 8" 23.4Mb H,D. (SA 4000) 789 

INTEGRAND 221 OF 4 Slots Dual 5'A" Drives ... 189 
PARA DYNAMICS 230Q-G3 V&SY* Fipy & H.O. . 189 

STB SUPER Rl ,P,G, Cik 199 

SYGEN$r-506 CTRL to 140Mb 149 

TECMAR WAVE 64K-256K '<? Card 169 

TECMAR BOSL ' , ... 95 

U.S.R. AUTO DIAL 212A Hayes Compat 229 

U.S.R. PC MODEM 256K. Paral.. Clk. Telpac ... 169 

U.S.R. PC v, CARD MODEM W/ Telpac 149 

XEBEC XE1210A ST-506 PC Hard Disc Ctrl. ... 195 



NEC MULTISYNC $555 

PRINCETON GRAPHICS ALL MODELS CALL 

TATUNG CM- 1 360 640x200 RGB, 13", G/A switch. $395 

TATUNG M/W-7222 HiRes 12" TTL (IBM) 109 

TATUNG CM-1380 EGA 640X350 RES 499 

LIBERTY Freedom Terminals CALL 

LINK 725 Emulates WY-50 and others, HiRes 14" Grn/Amb 

6 Scroll Rates, IBM Selectric K.B. 1 YR Warr 399 

LINK PC-TERM Emulates WY-50.TVI 925 & More. 132 Col, 
IBM-AT KB, Ideal for Multi-user PC-Slave BDS 449 

Printers and Buffers 

BROTHER M-1509 180/45cps, Parallel & Serial Ports, 13" 

w/ Tractor, EPSON FX286 Compatible CALL 

BROTHER HR-35 36cps Daisey, Wide Carriage. . . . $729 

BROTHER HR-15XL 17cps Daisey. S or P 359 

CALL 1-800-528-3138 Today for the BEST PRICE on 

EPSON - OKIDATA - CITIZEN 

HANZON Buffer 64K-256K S-S,S-P,P-S,P-P Ports .. 265 

XEROX D25 Diablo 497 

DIABLO 635 1049 

DIABLO D80-IF 2159 

DIABLO 34LQ 989 

4045 LASER With Copier 4995 



BROTHER 1509 

j&S(?)CALL 




180 CPS Draft - 45 CPS NLQ - Push Tractor 

Auto Feed - S & P Ports - Wide Carriage 

Epson Compatible - More! 



BROTHER TWINWRITER 

$^*£CALL 

Finally, Daisywheel Letter Quality 

and Dot Matrix Graphics in one Printer! 

Call 1-800-528-3138 Today and find out more 

about the amazina Brother TwinWriter. 



Video / Graphics / CAD 

TATUNG SUPER EGA PACKAGE] 
CM- 7 330 RGB (EGA) Monitor (640x350) w/ Dual Scan 
Rate & EGA/Hercules compat. card w/256KL. $795 

ACS GRAPH AX 20/20 32 Colors,2Kx2K RES . . CALL 

HOUSTON INSTRUMENT PLOTTERS 

CALL NOW - WE WILL NOT BE UNDERSOLD! 

PC Boards, etc. 

We carry the best selection of Multifunction & Memory 
Cards for IBM-PC, XT, AT, portables and compatibles! 

AST PRODUCTS CALL 

INTEL Above Board PCMB 1010 - 64K to 512K - Allows 

Lotus. Symphony, others to run 'above 640K $255 

INTEL Above Board-A T 128K to 4MB 399 

STB RIO GRANDE 128K to 5MB for PC/AT 269 

TECMAR CLOSE OUTH Save $$$! 1-800-528-3138 CALL 

TECMAR IEEE 488 $235 

ALLOY PC-SLAVE/16 1Mb 8MHz $679 

ALLOY PC-PLUS Package! PC-SLAVE/16, 1Mb, 8MHz, 

Link PC-TERM Terminal, 20' Cable 1099 

RTNX MSDOS 2. 1 I ATNX MSDOS 3.1 109/189 

INDUSTRIAL COMPUTER DESIGNS 

1018-PC 96TTL I/O Lines $446 

A/D 64-PC 64 lnput...$446 D/A 64-PC 64 Output.. $527 

Software 

We sel. all well known brands. ORDER CORRECTLY! 

SOFTWARE IS NOT RETURNABLE! 

NEW STAR NEWWORD 2 w/ MergePrint, WordPlus spell 

check, WordStar Compatible 8 bit... .$99 16 bit 129 

NEW STAR NEWWORD 3 for PC's. Spell checker, 
Indexing, Content Tables, Macro's, Shorthand keyboard, 

Run other programs while in NewWord 209 

BD SOFTWARE C Compiler 8" SSSD 8 bit 95 



-MULTIUSER SYSTEMS! 

IN TEG 'ORTED BY Si 00 

SCO-XENIX -ATS, ALTOS 
68000 UNIX r$WQ& VME 

■ NOVELL - Complete BW &-SW Line 
ALLOY PC-SLAVE Networks 
TurboDOS - .PC/DOS Networks 
MS-DOS; on S-100 
Concurrent DOS on S-100, PC's 

fompuPro ™ 

816/C2 w/80286, 512K RAM, SPUZ-256, 40MB HD, 10MB 
Tape, 5" 96TPI flpy, CDOS 816/286, NewWord & 

SuperCalc2 CALL 

IBM-PC COMPATIBLES 
We carry a wide range of Desktop, Laptop & Portables 
designed to run the software that fuels today's business. 

CORONA PC-400 512K, Monitor $1149 

SHARP PC-7000 8086 LAPTOP $1299 

COMPAQ CALL 

XEROX 6064 AT&T 6300 Compatible .... From $1688 

IBM-PC/XT/AT CALL 

ZENITH 748, 758, 777, 200A T CALL 

SPERRY IT, HT, USER NET CALL 

ACS ET-286 1 Mb, 3S & 2P, CLK, 8 Slots, 6/10/12.5MHz, 
20Mb & 1 .2Mb Disks, MSDOS 3.2 ... . Complete $2595 
ACS-1000 SYSTEM 8/4.77MHz, 2 FLPY DRVS, 1Mb 
RAM, 20Mb H.D. DRV., COLOR/MONO CTRL, MSDOS 
3.2, SASI, 2S/P PORTS, CLK/CAL $1650 



EPSC 1U1TYII 

The IBM-PC compat! hi . ' 30 gives you 8086 CPU 

power at speeds of 4.77 & 7:16MHz. It has 640K RAM. 
Hercules mono graphics, color, elk/cat, 5 slots, two 
360K drives, an AT type keybd., & 1 yr. warranty. You 
can see it makes sense to start building some EQUITY 
into your business. 

The Epson EQUITY II . . . CALL 



§= corclcifca 

lomu-dy f\ corona 

ATD/ATP 

• 80286 CPU @ 8MHz 

• 1.2 MB Floppy Drive 

• HiRes Graphics (640x400) 

• Serial/Parallel Ports 

• 130 Watt P/S • 640K RAM 
ROM BIOS Compatible to the IBM-AT. The 
CORDATA ATD/ATP runs virtually all software 
designed for today's business environment. 

Desktop Publishing 

LP-300 

DESKTOP 
PRINTSHOP 





iCreate professional 
looking newsletters, ad 
copy, documents, etc. 
with LASER accuracy. 

• 8 pages/min • 300x300 dots 

• Autofeed • 38 fonts 

• Cable & Toner Included 

THE COrdCltCl CAD SYSTEM 

• CORDATA ATD 
• FASTDRAFTPGA CARD 
• NEC MULTISYNC 640x480 

• HOUSTON INSTRUMENT DIGITIZER 

• HOUSTON INSTRUMENT PLOTTER 

• AUTOCAD SOFTWARE 



NOW $6899 



Ml merchandise new. Advertised prices arecashprepaidonly.PO sfromquahfiedfirms&AM. Express-add 
j°/o. MC & Visa - add 3%. Wires, COD's (S5 min. fee) with Cashiers Check/MO & APO's accepted. Shipping: 
minimum .94 first 5 lbs. Tax: AZ RES ONLY add 6yi% sales tax. All returns subject to 20% restocking fee or 
s future purchases. All prices & availability subject to change without notice. 



ESTABLISHED 1977 



Inquiry 338 for End-Users. Inquiry 339 for DEALERS •NLY. 



Inquiry 214 

P.C. Computer Brokers Inc.. 




The Place To Buy Your 
Epson Printers 

'i/ii/iiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimi' 



IC 



CZJD 




pEg EPSON FX-286 

P ^9» $ 495 00 

Epson Printers List SALE 

Homewriter Printer s 249°° ... • 199° 

AP-80 Printer *379°° .... CALL 

LX-90 Printer «329 95 ... ■ 229°' 

SQ-2000 Ink JetJYinter ,... '2295 00 "1579°' 



s 



459 



00 



Call Toll FREE 1-800-245-4122 
Seagate 20 Meg 

Hard Drive With Controller 

Epson Printers List SALE 

Spectrum LX-80 ....$ 299 00 ....S 219 00 

HS-8Q Ink Jet Printer.... $ 449 ao ....S 339 00 

Comrex High Speed 

CR42D Printer ....S2195°°....S1449 00 

HI-80 Four Pen 

Plotter ,,.,$ 599 00 .. . . CALL 



Call P.C. Computer Today For 

Low Prices on Many Other 

Computer Products— Call 

1-800-245-4122 




LQ-800 

$ 499 00 list 5799- 

Prices Subject to Change Without Notice 

Add 2.9% 
JM For Use of 
a Visa, M/C 
& Choice. 
These Prices Are Good For Mail Order Dept. Only 



VISA i^5Ji 



P.C. Computer Brokers Inc. 
3879 East 120th Ave. 
Thornton, CO 80233 
[303] 450-6727 



Call Toll FREE 



1-800-245-4122 



380 B YTE • AUGUST 1 986 



DATA ACQUISITION 
AND CONTROL 



DATATAKER: 
$1897 COMPLETE 




46 Analog/8 Digital Inputs 

Matches Common Transducers & Sensors 

Built-in Software/RS-232 Communications 

Portable 

Dedicated or Stand Alone 



What makes it a best buy? 
Call or write today: 

E^Jzi-TECH 

I^hbI INSTRUMENT corporation 

2151 Park Boulevard/P.O. Box 60490. Palo Alto, CA 94306 
Telephone: (415) 326-2151 



Inquiry 322 



TERMINAL 
EMULATION 



Softerm PC emulates over 30 
popular terminals including the: 
•DECVT102,VT220 

• Data General D200, D41 
•IBM 3101-20 (block mode) 

• Hewlett-Packard 2622 A 

• Honeywell VIP7801 , VIP7803 
Guaranteed Compatibility 

Call for free product brief! 

$195 MC-VISA-COD 
For the IBM PC/XT/AT, DG, NEC, 
Wang, Tl, Gridcase, Tandy, Zenith 

SEJFTftONICS 

7899 Lexington Dr., Ste 21 

Colorado Springs, CO 8091 8 

1-800-225-8590/(303) 593-9540 



Inquiry 268 



DYNAMIC RAMS 

41256 100ns $4.85 

41256 120ns _ $ 2.95 

/^41256 ,50ns 40B3 

4164 120ns $1.40 

|>4164 '50ns 4iE.] 

4464 sons ^3.95 



■PROCESSORS 

8087-2 OmHz S160.00 

8087-3 5mH2 S1 15.00 

80287-3 GmHz S1 79.00 

80287-8 8mH; S CALL 

V-20 8mHz S 12.75 

V-30 8mHz S 14.00 



I STATIC RAMS 

6264LP-15 150ns 



S2.95 



I E. PROMS 

27C256 250ns 
27256 250ns 

27128 250ns 

27C64 200ns 

2764 250ns 

2732A 250ns 

IBOOO'S 
{Parts in stock) 



$7.50 
S5.50 
S3. 95 

S-3.50 
$3.25 
$4.25 



I.C. EXPRESS 



15358 Valley Blvd.. City of Industry, CA 91746 

Phone: 818-369-2688 (Mon-Fri • 8-5) 

ORDER TOLL FREE 

(800)892-8889 • (800)882-8181 



Outside California 



Inside California 



| CALL FOR CURRENT PRICES & VOLUME DISCOUNTS.| 

Price Shown far Cash • MasterCard/VISA add 3% mote. 

Prices aie subject to change Minimum order S10.00. 

California (csiclpnts musi add 6.5 : 'o sales tax. 

Shipping &. Handling; UPS Ground 3500, UPS Air 57 00 (under i 

ALL MERCHANDISE IS 100% GUARANTEED, 



Inquiry 136 



RS-422 

Communications Board 




•For IBM -PC/ AT/XT and I 
compatibles 

•Dual RS-422/RS-485 interface 
•Differential drivers to 4000 ft. 



Fast Delivery 
QUA TECH, INC. 

478 E. Exchange SI. Akron OH 44304 
(216)434-3154 TLX: 5101012726 



® 



Inquiry 243 



BULK DISKETTES 



5 1 /4SS/DD64 < 



Other name brand /IC|< 
Diskettes as low as ^** 



Prices based on quantities of 500 

includes white Tyvek sleeves 
Visa, MasterCard or C.O.D. Accepted 

Call 800-222-0490 

(InN. J. 201-462-7628) 



Full service duplication facility 



MEEBgqt 

P.O. Box 710 ^ 
Freehold, N J. 07728 



Inquiry I83 





Communications Board 




• For IBM-PC/XT/AT & comp. 

• Dual RS-232C interface 

• Optional software supports 
COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4 

• Jumper selectable interrupts 
Fast Delivery 

QUA TECH, INC. 

478 E. Exchange St. Akron OH 44304 
(216)434-3154 TLX: 5101012726 



o 



Inquiry 244 



TIMELINE INC, 



CALL US FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS! 

We have 10 Million I.C.'s in stock! 

Minimum I.C. Order: $200.00 



Continental U.S.A 



Inside California 



L.A. & Technical Info 



(800)872-8878 (800)223-9977 (800)217-8912 



OEM 

INQUIRIES 

WELCOME 



Multitech mic-5oo/so4 
CP/M SYSTEM 

INCLUDES: 2 48 or 96 tpi drives c TS?ce 

Z80A Microprocessor 

Ports: Centronics parallel, Two serial 

Comes with all software & manuals: 

Magic Worksheet, Word Right, Analyst.QSORT, 

NAD (Name and Address System) 



JUST ADD A TERMINAL! 

S1SS.OO 




100 Systems available 



MOTOROLA 



7" DIAGONAL 



SCREEN 

HIGH RESOLUTION 

GREEN 



SCREEN 



MONITOR 




MODEL MD1700 



ASTEC 65 WATT SWITCHING 

POWER 



Dual input voltage 1 15/230 VAC - Overvottags protection ■ 
Short circuit protection - Dual isoleted +12V - Built-in EMI 
filter ■ Vary compact size -.UL/CSA/VDE approved • 100% 
thermal cycle & burn-in - High efficiency * Vaccum impreg- 
nated transformers • Convection cooling • Open PCS "L" 
bracket or boxed construction. Condition' No.2 

OUTPUTS: + BV °C®> 6.0A +5V DC@ 5,0A(wlth two + 12V outputi In parallel) 
ronHitmr. Nn 1 +12v Dc ® 1- SA +12v °C(with two + 12V output* In parallel) 

™°- +12VDC<3>2 ,1A t»3.5A (5.0A surge) — - 

-12V DC@0.25A -12V DC@0.25A 




i^8S^Sf^ 



MODEL 
AC9335 




MICROSCIENCE Model No. HH-612 

HARD DISK DRIVE 

With Controller Card & Cables 
10Mb 1/2 Height mn Q Q rirt 

Drive alone: $199.00 gCaajJU 




*2! 2BG SPEED PAK FOR IBM PC & XT 

CLASSIC TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION yp «|-q j J\fJ\£§ pQ SPEED 

■Increases speod of PC/XT to make it 33% titter than an AT 

■20-30% faster ihin boards that uh cache 

■Compatible with IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter and tha 

Lotui/lntel abova board 

-Can run programs designed lor tha AT'» and also PC/XT'i 

•No software patches needed 

'SSSffyl G?s a mod * 3 ^ ear Warranty 




S770.Q0 



22 MHZ 
TYPICAL 
BANDWIDTH 
4 for 
S99.00 

-Flat Faceplate 
-900 lines at Center 650 
lines at corners. 
-Operates from 12VDC 

at 1 Amp. 
-Vertical input is 47 to 

63 Hz. 
-Horizontal input: 15.7 Khz 

(18.7 Khz optional) 

-Video input signal: 
Positive white, 

input termination 470 ohms_+^ 
5%, 2.5V to 5.0V P-P c . .. „. . ,_ Tl , . , 

»ai • u*. eiu For s P |lt v ideo (TTL Inputs) operation. 

Weight: 6lbs. Not composite video. 




i 



MODEL NO. CT-AA1403 

13" COMPOSITE 



j RCA JACKS 

FOR: VIDEO IN/OUT 

and AUDIO IN/OUT 

Apple, Atari, and 

Commodore compatible. 



COLOR 



RESOLUTION: 260H by 300V 
GREEN/COLOR SELECTOR 



=bui= 



$129.95 



PROGRAMMABLE SYNTHETIC 
SPEECH GENERATION BOARD 
PLUG COMPATIBLE WITH APPLE II 
MICROCOMPUTERS. Can be easily con 
trolled by BASIC. Uses TMS5220 for: 
Low-data-rate LPC encoding. +5V i 
supplies only - TTL Compatible 
INCLUDES: Software and Speaker 



SSB-APPLE 




579.00 



, ^ * - 



mwm HIGH SPEED MONOCHROME GRAPHICS 



FUl.l.V COMPATIBLE WITH TH 
HEHCULE5 GRAPHICS AND TH 
IBM MONOCHROME ADAPTER, 



Si MEMORV EXPANSION 

ADAPTER FOR IBM AT 

$273.00 

PLUS** 3 TIMES FASTER SCREEN UPDATING 
16 BIT OPERATION 

UP TO 384K MEMORY EXPANSION TO BRING AN AT 
UP TO 640K MEMORY ( NO EXTRA SLOT NEEDED ) 



Lotus Compatible 
-Graphics mode: 720x348 
-Parallel Printer Interface 
-Comes with 128 or 384K 
-3 YEAR WARRANTY 



SSS MULTIFUNCTION ADAPTER 




-Clock Calendar - 384K RAM Included - Serial Port - 
Parallel Port - Game Port - High Speed Electronic 
Disk - Software Included - Printer Cable Included - 
- Made in the U.S.A. - 



3 YEAR 
WARRANTY 



S17S.OO 



FASTER PRINTER SPOOLER WITH MORE OPTIONS 
PLUS- -ALARM CLOCK 8. OTHER CLOCK FEATURES! 



SS MONOCHROME GRAPHICS ADAPTER 

$139.00 



aVataT fully compatible with t 

HERCULES GRAPHICS AND THE 
IBM MONOCHROME ADAPTER. 




-Lotus Compatible 

-Graphics Mode: 720x348 

-Parallel Printer Interface 3 YEAR 

-Made in the U.S.A WARRANTY 

TURN ON/OFF OF PARALLEL PORT 
-IDEAL FOR USE IN PC/XT! 



PLUS- 



Switchable Power Supply 




$49. 



•5V » 2.0A 
5V S> 3.SA 
^ _ *12 » 0.1A 

95 12V • °-2 A 

W +12V 9 2.0A 



Tandon 848-2 

IBM COMPATIBLE 

DOUBLE SIDED/DOUBLE DENSITY 
1/2 HEIGHT - 8" DRIVE 
1.6 mByta Unformatted 
1,2 Formatted "*" 
Wt: 7lbs. 



HIGH CAPACITY 
AMLYN 1860A s 



DRIVE 



**£Sff'aaaW Tak8 » 8" com 



rmincg 

$199.95 




$139.00 

Wt: 4lbs. 



Tandon TM55-4 Disk Drive 

Vi Ht. • SOtrack - OS/DD $69,00 



Standard Data - Local Area 

NETWORK BOARD 
With Software $150.00 



EPSON QX-10 
MOTHERBOARD 

WITH 
VIDEO CARD & 

VOUR CHOICE OP 
ASCII KEVBOARD 

(ENCLOSED) 
OR HASCII CBARE) 



$169.95 



ONLY 250 SYSTEMS AVAILABLE! 
Will work with a ny IBM compatible disk drive • CPU. 
,iPD780AC-1 (280A comPalible. 4 MHz) • Memory-RAM: 
256K on board; Video RAM 128K on CRT board; C-MOS 
RAM- 2K; EPROM:2/4/8K (lor IPLJ. Clock: C-MOS real-time 
clock. Interlace: Serial and Parallel DMA: 7 channels 
Interrupt levels: 15; Counter/timer 6 channels Card stots 
5 Compatible with any TTL monitor Weight: 10 lbs. with 
enclosed keyboard, 8 lbs with bare keyboard 




NASHUA DISKETTES 

5 1 /«" SOFT SECTOR 

OS/DO wlTh hub tlngi.ilaavat.wrltt 

protect Itbund llbalt. 

$8.00 BOX OF 10 

.70c 5 BOXES OF 10 
.62c 10 BOXES OF 10 

Nashua Diskettes were 
Judged to have the high- 
est polish & recorded 
amplitude of any disk- 
ettes tested . According 
to "Comparing Floppy 
Disks" Byte 9/84 



RICOH 
PRINTER 
RP 1200N 

- 25 CPS 

Cc-ntrOnict 

Interface 

•Daiiy Wheal 

$400.00 



4164-15 
.890 

100 pc. mln. qty\ 



SERIAL PRINTER 
/MODEM CABLE 

(Male to Female) 



KEPCD/TDK 

SWITCHING 
POWER SUPPLY 

933.95 

ONLY250 AVAILABLE' 
Model EFX 10DT-3 100W • +5V 
@ 8A • -5V @ 1.5A • +12V & 
20 A • -12V@ 2 0A« Input Volt- 
age: 100 to 130Va-c or 200 to 260Va-c 47-440 HZ. Single 
phase • Brownout Voltage 90Va-c/180Va-c • Fused Input/ 
Output protected against short circuit Dim 9^1 x4'V„"\iVx 
2VH. Weight. 3 lbs., Spec Included 



SIEMENS 8" 
DISK DRIVE 
S44.S5 

S6°sTs5 

FDD100-8. Shugart 801 R equivalent. 
Single Sided. Single/Double Density. 
Full Height Drive. 48 tpi Documenta- 
tion included. Specify 110 or 220 
Volt Model • These drives are new 
and sold AS IS. Weight: 14 lbs. 




DISK DRIVE CABINET 



^ 



$12.95 



• Full Height Disk Drive case for 
Apple • Fits 2 hall height drives. Can 
be modilied lor other uses. Dim 
9VL x 6'W x 3VH, Weight: 3 lbs 



"Spy in the Sky" Fairchild CCD122 

1,728 ELEMENT * 

f5cw53f Linear Image Sensor 
$29.95 

-The Designed tor page scanning applications 

Twilight including facsimile, (Optical Character 

Zona" recognition and other imaging applications 

* rtv which require high resolution and high 

**^ sensitivity. 



QUIVIE Sprint 9/35 KSR 



$7 



_ _ ...» .nnn«j coppi 

Q E Mi .24 AMQ win 

mZfsJ OFF! .M id.dD8j! 



FOR USE IN SERIAL 
APPLICATIONS 

SoehM S«rUIPrini*r< 

• rvd Modern t. 




TERMINAL/ 
PRINTER 

■35 CPS 

■ Serial Interface 



299.00 




Minimum Order: $25.00. Shipping & handling charges 
1490 W. ARTESIA BLVD., GARDENA, CA. 90247 via UPS Ground: $.50c/lb. UPS Air; $1.00/lb. Minimum 
continental us.a. inside California l.a. Are. & T^hnicai info Charge: $4.00. We accept cashiers checks, MC or VISA. 

(800) 872-8878 (800) 223-9977 (213) 217-8912 No personal check COD's. Items reflect 5% cash or check 

discount. California residents add 6Vz% sales tax. We are 

not responsible for typographical errors. All merchandise 
subject to prior sale. Phone orders welcome. 



Inquiry 298 



Foreign Orders require special handling 



Inquiry 95 



The greatest value ever 

Special Offer on 

BASF Qualimetric 

diskettes! 



Buy 10, get 12 

and a 

FREE storage case! 

This is an exclusive offerfrom DISK 
WORLD!. ..your chance to buy 5.25" BASF 
QuaHmetric diskettes at our low prices and 
...get J2 instead of 10 and 
...get a FREE plastic storage 
case (a good one, not a cheapie)! 

,79 ea. <-SSDD DSDD->J90ea 
Qty.50 Qty.50 

Quantities are limited, so act now! 

BASF special promotion diskettes are in 
plastic boxes of 1 2 with Tyvec sleeves. 



-tegular 

Qty. 
5.25 Diskettes: 20-40: 
SSDD(PN3406) .81 
DSDD(PN3407) .92 
SSDD96(P N3404) .92 
DSDD96(PN3405) 1.03 
DSDDHD(P N3403)2.07 
• Bulk is (P N3408) 



rice 

Qty. 

50+: 
79 
.90 
.90 

1 01 

2.04 



.ist: 

(BULK) 
150 + : 



72" 

.83" 
N A 
N A 

N A ■ 
'Bulk is (P N3409) 
Regular (non-bulk) product is packed 1 to a 
box with Tyvec sleeves. user-ID labels and 
write-protect tabs. BULK product is in 
cartons of 1 50 diskettes with Tyvec 
sleeves. 

Qty. Qty. (BULK) 
20-40: 50+: 200+: 
1.53 1.48 1.52 
2.06 2.01 2.05 



3.5Q Diskettes: 

SSDD(P N3402) 
DSDD(P N3412) 



BASF 3.5" diskettes, exept for bulk, are 
packed in boxesof 10 and include user-ID 
labels. BASFbulkproducttis in boxesof 
1 00 and includes user-ID labels. 



PRINTER RIBBONS! 



Brand new ribbons to factory specs' 
EPSON MX-70 B0(P N2500) S2.70ea. 

EPSON MX-100(PN2501) S4 08ea. 

Okidata Micro83(P N2505) S 1 .37ea. 

Okidata Micro84(P N2502) S 2.98ea. 

Add 25c per ribbon for shipping 1 



STORAGE CASES! 



DISKMINDER ll(P N2850) Holds 75 5.25" disk- 
ettes with dividers S 9.69ea + $ 2.00 Shpng, 
DISK MINDER 36(P N2950) Holds 36 3.50" disk 
ettes with dividers. S 6.49ea + $ 2.00 Shpng. 
DISK CADDIES(P N2200) Beige. Holds 10 
diskettes. S 1 .65 ea. + .20 Shpng. 



HOW TO ORDER: 



ORDERS ONLY: 
1-800-621-6827 

(In Illinois: 1-312-256-7140) 

INQUIRIES: 
1-312-256-7140 

FOR FASTEST SERVICE. USE NO -COST MCI 
MAIL. Our address is DISKORDER. It's a FREE 
.MCI MAIL letter. No charge to you. (Situation 
permitting, we'll ship these orders in 24 hours or 
less.) 

SHIPPING: 5.25" & 3.50" DISKETTES-Add S 
3.00' per each 100 or fewer diskettes. OTHER 
ITEMS: Add shipping charges as shown in 
addition to other shipping charges. PAYMENT: 
VISA. MASTERCARD and Prepaid orders 
accepted. COD ORDERS: Add S 5.00 special 
handling charge. APO, FPO, AK, HI & PR 
ORDERS: Include shipping charges as shown 
and additional 5% of total order amount to cover 
PAL and insurance. We ship only to United States 
addresses, except as shown above. TAXES: 
Illinois residentsadd 7% sales tax. 

MINIMUM ORDER: $ 35.00 

DISK WORLD!, Inc. 

629 Green Bay Rd.- Wilmette IL 60091 



DISK WORLD!, Inc. 



382 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



NO SHIPPING CHARGES 
ORDER TOLL-FREE 600-824-3432 

In C*IMixnl« Call (818) 341-8833 



DRIVES 

'/z Ht. IBM 1 - Compatible 
Tandon 100-2 
Tandon 100-4 (96 tpi) 

ADD ONS 

Multi-Function w/OK 

Monochrome Graphics w/Printer Port 

Color Graphics 

64K D-Rams 

640K Motherboard w/bios (OK) 

Printer Card by IBM 

SYSTEMS 

PC/XT Compatible 

• 640Kon Motherboard 

• 1-Vi HT. Floppy 

• Mono Card w/Printer Port 



89.99 
99.99 
129.99 



119.99 

99.99 

99.99 

9/10.99 

189.99 
49.99 



499.99 



• Flip Top Case 

• 135 Watt Power Supply 

• 51 50 Type Keyboard 



We carry a complete line of electronic components. 
Call or write for our free catalog! 



NICORN ELECTRONICS 




lOOlOCanogaAve Uml 8-8. ChalsworUi.CA 91311 



is add 6' >% sales u 



Inquiry 303 



8051 

PASCAL 

CROSS 

COMPILER 

For MS-DOS Computers 



SCIENTIFIC ENGINEERING LABORATORIES 

104 Charles Street. Suite 143 

Boston, MA 02114 Tel 617 262 3903 



Inquiry 260 




UNBRANDED 

Emma 

100% ERROR FREE, 
LIFETIME WARRANTY 

OWith Hub R i n g s . Write Protect Tabs, 
Tyvec Envelopes, User ID Labels - 
In Factory /Sealed Poly Packs 
(YOU GET EVERYTHING BUT THE BOX) 
PRICES ARE PER DISK 



BW 



3Va" 



SSDD 


DSDD 


DSHD96TPI 


.47 


.52 


1.69 



ss 


DS 


1.39 


1.65 




JUST $5.00 



SPECIAL OFFER! DAJ f % ASE 

57." Diskettes 
HOLDS 601 

(With Order ot 100 Diskettes) 
Minimum order: $25.00. Shipping and Handling: 
$4.00 per 100 diskettes. Continental U.S.A. APO/ 
FPO, add $8.00 per 100 diskettes. Foreign order, 
please call. Reduced shipping charge for larger 
quantities. COD. add $4.00. Cash orcertified check. 
Ml residents add 4% sales tax. Prices subject to 
change withou t not ice. HOURS: 8:30 AM-6:0 PM 
Eastern Time. E23 



CO.D. ^ 

Precision Data Products 

P.O. Box 8367, Grand Rapids, Ml 495I8 
(616) 452-3457* Michigan 1-800-632-2468 
Outside Michigan 1-800-258-0028 



H 



SEAMLESS 
File Transfer 



Softerm PC provides a transparent 

Micro-to Mainframe link using 

Virtual disk drive specifiers 

accessible from any DOS application 

program. Memory resident. 
Transfers files in background using 

customizable communications 
scripts. Includes 32 exact terminal 

emulations. 

For IBM PC/XT/AT, DG, NEC, HP, 

Wang, TI, Gridcase, Tandy, Zenith 

$195- Visa, MC, COD 
Call 800-225-8590 orders/info. 



a 

| 7899 Lexington Dr., Ste 21 
1 1 Colorado Springs, CO 8091 8 
! (303) 593-9540 Telex #450236 

Inquiry 335 




Q Heritage Systems Corp, J 




HSC-9100 
BO By 24 Or 25 Line 

Alphanumeric 
Video Terminal Card 

ANSI X3.64/0ther Terminal Emulations 
50 To 38.4K Baud Serial Port 
RS-232 Or TTL/CMOS Versions 
IBM PC Compatible Keyboard Input 
EEPROM Based On Screened 

Configuration 
Composite or Separate Video 
100 By 100mm Card 5V Only @ 200mA 
$139 TTL /CMOS $149 RS-232 

' PO Box 10588, 

Greensboro, NC 27404-0588 
(919)274-4818 



Inquiry I3I 






EPROM 
PROGRAMMER 




The EP-1 is a great value, here's why: 

• IBM PC Software included or RS;232 Co any computer 

• ASCII Command driven operation; All intelligence in unit 

• Reads, Programs. Copies over 150 types from 2716 to 
27512 

• Optional Intel microcontroller programming head 

• Menu-driven Chip Selection; No Personality Modules 

• Fast. Slow. Quick-Pulse Programming Algorithms 

• Intel [BOBO & B0B6], Motorola. Tekhex. Straight Hex Files 

• Splits Files By Base Address end Odd/Evsn [16 bit systems] 

• Gold Texfjol ZIF IC Socket • Generate & Set Checksums 

• Over-Current Protection • B Baud Rates 300 to 3B.400 

• Full One Year Warranty • 5. 12.5. 21. 25V 

• U.V. Erasers from $34.95 Programming 

BP Microsystems 

5325 Glenmont, Suite E, Houston, TX 77081 
[800] 225-2102 [713] 667-1636 



Inquiry 233 



Inquiry 44 



An ena to aisKene lies: 



Super Star™ Diskettes 

are of equal or higher quality 

than 3M, Maxell, TDK 

and many other "famous" brand names. 
They simply cost about half as much! 



• 



Super Star™ diskettes are 
manufactured to equal or exceed the same 
specifications as 3M, Maxell, TDK and many 
other "famous" brand name products. 

They are designed for 60% or 
higher clippinglevels, nolthe 40% used in 
IBM and ATslSTstandards. Each is 
guaranteedforten million read/write 
passes. Every Super Star' M diskette is 
1 00% verified and carries a LIFETIME 
WARRANTY! 

Yet Super Star™ diskettes 
cost only about half as much... 

How can we deliver Super Star 1 M 
diskettes of such high quality at such a low 
price? 

Simple... we don't make fools out 
of our customers. 

We bargain hard with the same 
people who turn out many of the "famous 
name" brands. Their manufacturing capacity 
far exceeds their capability to sell 
everything they make. So, as large scale 
purchasers, we are able to obtain 
significantly lower prices than others for 
high-quality diskettes. 

For example, we pay one of the 
big name manufacturers 98c for their 
"famous name" diskette in a pretty box. In 
an unequalled display of favoritism, that 
same manufacturer sells the same diskette 
in the same fancy box to a major corporation 
for 42c each. Finally, a software duplicator 
can buy the same diskette without the box 
for 37c" 

A 265% price difference: 
for what? 

In the example above, that's a 
difference of 265% in price for the very 
same diskette! 

So you see, paying for a "famous 
name" on a diskette doesn't guaranty you 
that you're getting any more for the 
money. 

You may be paying for some big 
corporation's fleet of aircraft and their 
executive retreats in Minnesota and 
Canada, but you are not paying for any more 
quality. 

You're simply getting rooked out 
of money you could have in your own 
pocket. 

There are four kinds 

of diskettes: 

And Super Star™ is right up 

there with the besi. 

As you leaf through the pages of 
this magazine, you will see diskettes 
advertised at prices as low as 33c. Every 
one, of course, claims to be the "best". 

It's simply not true. 

Here are the only kinds of 
diskettes you can buy: 
High-Clip Product: this is what you get 
when you buy Super Star 1 ", 3M IA \ Maxell™, 
TDK™ or any number of other famous and 
not so famous name diskettes. They have 
clipping rates of 60% or more, are certified 
for ten million read/write passes or more and 
are simply the best diskettes available. You 
can expect perhaps 1 out of 1 00,000 to 
fail.. .and that will usually be the result of 
dirty or misaligned drives. 
ANSI Spec Product: These are "okay" 
diskettes. They have a clipping level of 
40%. Usually they are the, fall-out from a 
manufacturer's Tiion-clip product line. You 
can expect about Tout 20 to fail in normal 



(Butthatfailureratehasmoretodowiththe 
disk "drive rather than the diskette.) The price 
difference between an ANSI-spec disk and a 
High-Clip product is only a fewcents. But the 
failure rate of ANSI product is 50,000 times 
higher! 

Duplicator Product: This is a catch-all 
category. Some of it may be High-Clip 
Product, some ANSI spec, some cosmetically 
blemished, somegarbage. Usually anyone 
who buys product in this class justifiably 
anticipates that 20 out of every 100 diskettes 
will not format properly. 
Floor Sweepings: This is just plain 
"garbage". For example, the 5.25" SSSD 
diskettes that you see advertised for 39e are 
exactly that: garbage. No decent 
manufacturer has sold any 5.25" SSSD 
diskettes in several years. SSSD is the 
absolute bottom of the line in terms of quality. 
Most of the discount diskettes you see 
advertised are "floor sweepings". ..bought up 
by brokers and passed on to the unsuspecting 
public by unscrupulous merchants who are 
simply out to make a fast buck. 

When every bit counts, 
you can count on Super Star™! 

Well, I wish we had more space, but 
we don't. 

So, here's the message in a 
nutshell; 

1 . Super Star 1 M diskettes are high- 
clip product, 1 00% certified, tested to 60% or 
higher clip levels and not less than ten million 
read/write passes. 

2. Super Star™ diskettes carry a 
LIFETIME WAFfRANTY. 

3. Super Star 1 M diskettes equal or 
exceed the published specifications of such 
"famous"brandnamesas3M, Maxell, TDK, 
etc. 

4. Super Star™ diskettes give you 
this quality at about half the price of the big 
names! 

Save your money: 
buy Super Star™ diskettes! 
That's the message: 

Super Star™ diskettes 
mean the highest quality 

at about half the price! 



SUPER STAR SPECIAL! 

Your choice of storage for $ 4.95! 




Buy 50 Super Star" 1 diskettes of 
either size and you can get a nice 
plastic storage case for only $ 4.95 
(shipping included!). 

These are durable plastic cases with 
dividers. 

The 5.25" unit holds 50 diskettes and 
the 3.50" unit holds 40 diskettes. 
5.25" Storage Unit (P/N31 00) $ 4.95ea. 
3.50" Storage Unit (P/N31 02) $4.95ea. 



Simer Star™ 5.25' 



SSDD (P/N3800) .556a. 

DSDD (PN380D 62ea. 

SSDD96 (PN3802) .78ea. 
DSDD96 (PN3803) .82ea. 
DSDDHD (P/N3804) $ 1 J51ea. 

ORDER IN MULTIPLES OF 50 ONLY! 

AIISuperStar5.25"Diskettesarepoly-baggedin« 
lots o f 2 5 with Ty vec sleeves, write-protect tabs 
and user ID labels 

QUANTITY DISCOUNTS: 350-500 diskettes, 
deduct 3%. 550-700 diskettes, deduct 6%. 750- 
1 .000 diskettes, deduct 9%. 1 ,050+ diskettes, 
deduct 1 2% 



Super Star™ 3.50' 



SSDD (P/N3805) $ 1 .52ea. 
DSDD (P/N3806) $ 1.67ea. 

ORDER IN MULTIPLES OF 50 ONLY! 

Super Star 3.50" diskettes are packaged in boxes 
of 50 with user ID labels. 
QUANTITY DISCOUNTS: 350-500 diskettes, 
deduct 1 .5%. 550-700 diskettes, deduct 3%. 750- 
1 ,000 diskettes, deduct 4.5%. 1 ,050+ diskettes, 
deduct 6%. 



TAKE A CLOSE LOOK 
AT OUR DISCOUNTS! 



Take a real close look at 
our discounts. They're some 
of the best around. 

HOURS: 

8AM-6PM Central Time 

Monday - Friday 



HOWTOORDER: 



ORDERS ONLY: 
1-800-621-6827 

(In Illinois: 1-312-256-7140) 

INQUIRIES: 
1-312-256-7140 

FOR FASTEST SERVICE, USE NO -COST MCI 
MAILOuraddressisDISKORDER.It'saFREE 
,MCI MAIL tetter. No charge to you. (Situation 
permitting, we'll ship theseorders in 24 hours or 
less ) 

SHIPPING: 5.25" & 3.50" DISKETTES-Add $ 
3.00 pereach 1 00 or fewer diskettes. OTHER 
ITEMS: Add shipping charges as shown in 
addition to other shipping charges. PAYMENT: 
VISA, MASTERCARD and Prepaid orders 
accepted. COD ORDERS: Add $ 5.00 special 
handling charge. APO, FPO, AK, HI & PR 
ORDERS: Include shippingchargesasshown 
and additional 5% of total order amount to cover 
PAL and insurance. We ship only to United States 
addresses, except as shown above. TAXES: 
Illinois residents add 7% sales tax. 

MINIMUM ORDER: $35.00 



DISK WORLD!, Inc. 



629 Green Bay Road 
Wilmette, Illinois 60091 



Inquiry 96 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 383 



MEMORIES— DRIVES— PRINTERS 



• 64K/128K/256K D-RAMs at LOW PRICES 

• H-P Vectra 1 2BK Upgrade S39.95 

• V20-5 S14.00 / V20-8 S16.00 

V30-8 ... $18.00 • 8087 8115.00 

8087-2 S155.00 / 80287-3 8180.00 

• Memory Boards and Modules 

JRAM-2 Parallel or Serial w/0K . . . 8129.50 

JRAM-3 /JRAM-AT Par. or Ser: w/0K . . . 8177.50 
JR AM AT-3 Par. or Ser. w/0K . . . 8229.50 

Ser/Par or Ser/Ser Clock module 8132.00 

Ser/Par or Ser/Ser module 895.00 

Clock/Calendar module 855.00 

JDISKETTE module 8135.00 

JLASER-1 8185.00 

Canon Printerswitch + cables 880.00 

Corona cable 855.00 

ABM Multi-Function Board w/3B4K 8115.00 

• TEAC FD55-BV DS/DD Disk Drive . . . .895.00 
w/ one year factory warranty 

BROTHER Printers S Accessories 

M-15Q9 Dot Matrix Printer 8395.00 

HR-15XL Daisy Wheel Printer 8375.00 

Twinwriter-5 Dot Matrix/Daisy 8865.00 

Printer Accessories 25% off LIST 



leed for 180 days, OEM and 
D repaid orders — No shipping 
iust add sales tax. 



Advanced Technology Products, Corp. 

P.O. Box 2205 / 11141 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20902 I 
Phone: 301-933-3523 



Inquiry 9 




merican 
Semiconductor 

Computers, Components, Hardware and Software 

THE BA RE 
XI TURBO | 
SYSTEM 

$ 399 

"Looks, tastes, andacts like an 
IBM, ANO it's 100% compatible. ) 

8087 $119.00 

80287 175.00 V-20 $14.00 

64K 99 FLOPPY 75.00 

XT & AT ADD ON CARDS 
For AT, XT, Compaq, & Corona: 

««**«- 30MBHi-SpeecU_ - 
20MB S 325 RLLKIT . . S 499 



TO ORDER TOLL FREE CALL 

1-800-2374758, EXT. 812 

liuid* Florida Technical Uno 

813-961-9444 1-S13-961-5584 

Mm Mk|«MI la <fe-»fl« . Arid J.2% far VI9A/MC pst^ha*!. 

16S20 N. Horida Av«., Lwta, Florida 33549 




Inquiry 20 



I.C. MEMORY HOT LINE 

LEADER IN WHOLESALE PRICING 

(MAJOR AMERICAN/JAPANESE) 
DRAM CHIPS 

v/4164 



v/4164 
4464 

v/ 41 256 
41256 



■ PROCESSORS 
8087-2 8mHz $160.00 
8087-3 5mHz S1 20.00 
80287-3 6mHz $1 80.00 
80287-8 8mHz CALL 
Many 8000 series in stock 



$1.15 
$1.25 
$5.15 
$2-40 

)NSEC $3.20 



150 NSEC 
120 NSEC 
150 NSEC 
150 NSEC 



EPROMS 

27C256 250ns $8.00 

27256 250ns $7.00 

27128 250ns $3.65 

2764 250ns $3.25 

2732A 250ns $4.00 



Also we carry74D0. 74S, 74LS, 74ALS. 74HC, 74HCT, ECL. 
in stock. Also diskettes, floppies, drives, monitors, add on 
tor P.C., XT, AT, peripherals. PC ST, AT. 



Seagate ST 

4051 Drives 
Seagate ST 

251 Drives 
Tandon755 

Drives 
Teac 55BV for 

PC Drives 
96TPI for PC 

AT Drives 



Low Price 



IBM PC AT 

Compatible $999.00 

IBM PC AT Compatible 

Motherboard $599.00 
Floppy Disk 

Controller 
Color Card 
Mono Card 
Modems 



$69.00 

$89.00 

$79.00 

Call 



PLEASE CALL FOR VOLUME DISCOUNT 

Technical and Volume Discount Call 818-376-1440 

ORDER TOLL FREE-COD, Cash or Cashier's Check Only 

1 -800-423-5624/Calif ornia resident 1 -800-352-5689 

(Min. order $350.00) 



PC EXPANSIONS 

AST SixpackPlus (384 K) $219 

Advantage (128 K ) $369 

Advantage (1.5 M) $529 

Advantage (3 M) $809 

Rampage (2 M) $499 

RampageAT (2 M) $659 

INTEL AboveAT (2 M) $call 

Quadboard (384 K) $249 

Gold Quadboard (384K) $429 

LibertyAT (2 M) $call 

QuadportAT $135 

Tecmar Maestro (2.5 M) $629 

HERCULES graphics board $299 

Color Card $159 

HAYES Smartmodem 1200B $349 

Smartmodem 1200 $389 

Maynard Disk Controller $100 

Sandstar Series $call 

MaynStream Tape backup from .$979 

WDFile Card (10 M) $769 

Tandon Diskard (20 M) $789 

Set of 9 chips (64 K) $10 

Set of 9 chips (256 K) $27 

8087-3 $119 

Qume 142A: $99 Teac $109 

Teac FD55BV (for AT) $109 

CDC 9409: $119 Tandon $109 

Verbatim (Box of 10) $19 

Maxell (Box of 10 for AT) $39 

VLM Computer Electronics 

10 Park Place • Morristown, NJ 07960 
(201) 267-3268 • Visa, MC, Check or COD 



Nashua. 

Diskettes 



loiml:: 

75 



5V«" DS/DD with hub ring and sleeve, 
factory warranteed. packaged in 50s. 
Shipping Extra Quantity 50. 85c each 

SUMMER SPECIAL!! 

Order 100 or more disks 

before Sept. 30, 1986 and 

WE'LL PAY THE SHIPPING. 

Just mention this ad when 

you place your order and # ^^/cacli 

receive FREE SHIPPING. yi\ li 

(Offer not valid in conjunction with any other offer) 

We sell 3 1 /2"& 5 V4" disks-all 
types, major brands. Call toll free: 

1-800-321-4668 

in Colorado. 303-234-0871 
\ IS\. MASTERCARD. OR COD ACCtPTHD 



ALF 



1315-F Nelson St. 
Denver, CO 80215 



Inquiry 1 3 



Advertise your 

computer products 

through 

BYTE BITS 

(2" x 3" ads) 

For more information 

call Dan Harper at 

603-924-6830 

BYTE 

70 Main St. 

Peterborough, NH 03458 



Inquiry 336 



Inquiry 33 7 





1 Exxon 


2 


General Motors 


3 


Mobil 


4 


Ford Motor 


5 


IBM 


6 


Texaco 


7 


E.I. du Pont 


8 


Standard Oil (Ind.) 


9 


Standard Oil of Cal. 


10 


General Electric 


11 


Gulf Oil 


12 


Atlantic Richfield 


13 


Shell Oil 


14 


Occidental Petroleum 


15 


U.S. Steel ! 


16 


Phillips Petroleum 





million 
Americans 
cant read. 
And guess 

who pays 

the price. 



Every year, functional 
illiteracy costs American 
business billions. 

But your company can 
fight back... by joining 
your local community's 
fight against illiteracy. 
Call the Coalition for 
Literacy at toll-free 
1-800-228-8813 and find 
out how. 

You may find it's the 
greatest cost-saving 
measure your company 
has ever taken. 

A literate 

America is a 

good investment. 



cSuicH 



o 

Coalition for Literacy 




MICRO 
SUPPLY 

ORGANIZATION INC. 



MSO, the leader in cost effective computer 
systems, is offering the Sanyo MBC 1200 
at a giveaway price! 

The MBC 1200 Accounting Software 

-G/L, A/R, A/P, Inventory and Payroll 
modules retail for $398 per module. Now 
from MSO you pay only $99 per 
module or all five for $299! Second 
disk drive with fan-option available. 
COMPAT disk utility available. 

SPECIFICATIONS: 

•Two Z-80A (main and subsidiary) CPUs with no- 
wait mode for fast execution, substantial 
memory capacity (RAM 64KB, ROM 4KB). 

•High-resolution full graphic function with 640 x 
400 dot matrix display. 

•Choice of 33 or 40 line text mode. 

• CP/M operating system complete with 
interpreter, editor and all utilities. 

•Easy-to-use Sanyo graphic BASIC. 

•One (MBC 1200) or two (MBC 1250) internal 
double-sided, double-density, double-track, 5Va" 
slim-type 640KB formatted mini floppy disk 
drives. 

•Special design featuring detachable ergonomic 
keyboard with coiled cable. 

•Interfaces for Centronics printer and one RS- 
232C port provided. 



20 meg internal hard drive sut> 
system for Sanyo MBC 1100, 
1160 & 1200 $ . QQ 

^w5#5#(with purchase) 



the 
giveaway. 



Printer specials with purchase 



805/393-2247 



All systems carry full 90 day warranty. 

CASH PRICE ONLY 

Check in advance. Add 3% for VISA/MC. Shipping 
& handling charges will be added to each order. 

For our catalog with complete details 
and prices, send $2 to: 

Micro Supply Organization, Inc. 

4909 Stockdale Hwy. #180 
Bakersfield. CA 93309 

15% Restocking on Returned Orders 



MBC 1200 




FREE SOFTWARE 

• Wordstar • Spellstar 

• Calcstar • Mailmerge 

• Infostar • Basic 




9B 



Inquiry I9I 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 385 




"When I was growing up, I was the quickest 
kid on the block. But the streets were catching 
up with me. I'm sure glad there was a Boys 
Club around to help keep me a step ahead. 

"You know, a Boys Club shows kids there 
are lots of ways to reach goals, besides scoring 
touchdowns. It gives them every chance to be 
leaders. And encourages something every bit 
as important as good leadership— 
good citizenship. 

"They sure pointed me in the right 
direction, and I've been running my 
life ever since— running through BOYS 




lines, running through airports. Now I'm even 
running my own business! 

"It's no wonder so many Boys Club kids 
grow into productive, civic-minded adults, like 
teachers, politicians, business executives and 
professional athletes. Which gives more than 
1,200,000 young people, at 1,100 Boys Club 
facilities across the country, something to look 
forward to . 

"Hey, I'm not saying a Boys Club 
can turn every kid into a star. But a 
Boys Club sure can teach 'em how to 
club reach for one." 



The Club that beats the streets. 



386 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 




■ ■■ah am»»m ^ O HJII_I^ ^..- _- -_ ^. . software selectable tor 

HIGH SPEED 12 MHZ OPERATION 6,8,10, a„di2 MHZ! 



FULL IBM PC-AT* COMPATIBILITY! 
• FOUR MEGA-BYTE RAM CAPACITY ON MOTHERBOARD! 



USING 1 MEGA-BIT DRAMS. 



QUANTITY DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR 
QUALIFIED DEALER, OEM, UNIVERSITY 
AND CORPORATE ACCOUNTS. 




Eight Compatible I/O 
Interface Connectors 

(Same as PC-AT) 



Keyboard Interface 

(Same as PC-AT) 



Extended ROM Capability 

(Operates on all compatible BIOS ROMS) 



HIGH SPEED INDUSTRIAL 
GRADE COMPUTER FOR: 

• Scientific 

• Engineering 

• Industrial 

• Medical 

• University/Education 

• Artificial Intelligence 
•Etc., Etc., Etc. 



r On Board Battery 



CMOS Clock Calendar 



Extended Memory Capacity! 
Full Four Mega-Byte 
Capacity on Motherboard! 

(Uses 256k or NEW 1 Mega-Bit Drams) 



r ^^ 



nowu 



□ ATTAK-286™ FULLY ASSEMBLED (LESS ICS) $499.95 

D AT CASE 100% COMPATIBLE $129.95 

□ AT POWER SUPPLY 192W $129.95 

□ ATTAK-286™ TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL . . . .$ 29.95 

□ TURBO-SCOPE"* A/D BOARD $ 99.95 




Standard Power Connector 

(Same as PC-AT) 



80287 Math Processor 

(Same as PC-AT) 



Runs Intel 80286 at 
6,8,10&12MHZ! 

(Software selectable) 



Peripheral Support Circuits 

(Same as PC-AT) 



100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. 
10 CAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE IF 
k NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED! 



Board Size: Standard IBM-AT* 
Dimensions: 12 inch x 13.8 inch 
with 6 mounting holes to fit all 
AT compatible cases. 




VISA 



EURO 
CARD 



ATTAK-286™ evaluation board kit 
highest quality multi-layer PC 
board with full assembly 
instructions and parts lists! 



AIT 

CORPORATION 



ADVANCED 

INTELLIGENCE 

TECHNOLOGY 



4100 Spring Valley Road 
Suite 400 

Dallas, Texas 75244 
(214) 490-0344 



*IBM and IBM PC-AT are trademarks of International Business Machines 



TERMS: We accept cash, checks, money orders and 
credit cards. Prices and availability subject to change 
without notice. Shipping and handling charges via UPS 
ground 50e/lb UPS air $1 .0071b, Minimum charge $3.00. 



© 1986 AIT CORP. 



Inquiry 7 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 387 



TOLL FREE 

800-854-8230 

CA Residents 71 4-558-881 3 




i i i i i I i i i i t 



Inquiry 8 



OUR POLICY 

•Surcharge for VISA or Mastercard. 

•Volume purchasing agreements available, 

•Orders subject to availably. -Supply limited on certain items. 

•Pricing subject to change without notice. 

•ACP Retail Store pricing may vary. Not responsible for typos. 



^ 



ADVANCED PCIXT 



Don't miss out on this unbeatable 
system manufactured by Toshiba for 
ACP. ACP has sold over 3,000 
ADVANCED XT's to satisfied 
customers including "true blue" users 
like Rockwell, Hughes, and Kodak. 
Not only is the price affordable but the 
features and compatibility are 
unbeatable. For more details call one 
of our expert consultants. Don't 
hesitate this will be a sellout! 



895 00 



COMPLETE $ 

SYSTEMS 

FROM 

Call for complete Monochrome or Color 
RGB system prices with 10 or 20 Mb hard 
disk drives or the NEW 20Mb Drivecard. 



AST 

Sixpak Plus w/0 $175.00 

Advantage 128K, AT 399.00 

ALPS 995.00 

AST 5251-11 575.00 

AST 3780 575.00 

RAMpage up to 2 Mb Call 

DCA 

Irma $785.00 

Irmaline 895.00 

DIABLO/XEROX 

620 Serial LQP was 1495 now $349.00 

620 API LQP 399.00 

620 D36 (36cps) 449.00 

Tractor was 395 now $99.00 

F-21 Sheet Feeder was 896 now 249.00 

Cable for 620 (to IBM) 29.00 

Diablo P-11 100cps 129.95 

Diablo S-11 100cps Serial 139.95 

Diablo P-31 Wide 249.95 

Diablo S-31 Wide.. 269.95 

Other Diablo Dot Matrix's available Call 

EPSON 

FX85 160cps NLQ $375.00 

FX286 599.00 

EVEREX 

Graphics Edge or Edge $259.00 

HAYES 

Samrtmodem 1200 $385.00 

Smartmodem1200B 349.00 

Smartmodem 2400 (Int) 575.00 

Smartcom II 2.1 Software 88.00 

Hayes Comp. 1200 (Int) w/SW 169.95 

Hayes Comp. 1200 (Ext) 199.95 

HERCULES 

Color Card $166.00 

Graphics Card w/Software 295.00 

INTEL 

Above Board PC or AT Lowest Price 

IRWIN 

310A 10 Mb Tape (Ext) $849.00 

110D 10 Mb (Int) 495.00 

KEYTRONICS 

5151 Deluxe Keyboard $169.95 

5153 w/Touchpad 285.00 

PC Jr. Numeric Keypad 39.95 

MICROSOFT 

Mouse $139.00 

Mouse (Serial) 155.00 

MOUNTAIN COMPUTER 

20Mb Driveccard $699.95 

MOUSE SYSTEMS 

PC Mouse w/Paintbrush $138.00 

ACP Mouse w/Keyboard 149.00 



• NEW * Advanced AT! 

INTRODUCTORY PRICE 




• 80286 CPU-8MHZ 

• 1.2 Mb Floppy Disk Drive 

• Hard Disk Controller w/Floppy 

• AT Style Keyboard 

• 192W Pwr Sup. • 8 Expan. Slots 

• MS-DOS 3.1, BIOS 

$1495.00 



ORCHID 

PC Turbo 186 W/256K. 



$585.00 



ADVANCED AT CARDS 

ADV-320 Hard Disk Controller with 

Floppy for AT $229.00 

ADV-6020AN Color/Graphics/Printer . . . 89.95 

ADV-8050 2Mb Multifunction with 

RS-232, Game & Cable. 169.95 

ADV-8080 3Mb Memory Expansion129.95 

AOV-8120 Printer/RS-232 and 

RS-232 (Opt.) 99.95 

ADVANCED PC/XT CARDS 

ADV-6040 Monochrome/Graphics/ 

Printer $99.95 

ADV-6040-3 As Above for 132 Col.. 139.95 

ADV-6050A Monochrome/Printer 

Adapter 85.95 

ADV-6050C 384K Multifunction Card 
RS-232, Printer, Game, 
Clock % Card 119.95 

ADV-7060 Floppy Controller, 

2 Floppys 39.95 

ADV-EGA EGA Short Card 329.95 

ADV-6120E Printer, RS-232 x 2. . ..79.95 

AOV-6250A Multifunction, RS-232, 

Printer, Game, V2 Card.. 95.95 

6260A Multifunction, Floppy Cont., 
RS-232, Printer, Game, 
V2 Card 149.95 

AOV-6280 640K Memory Card, OK. 55.95 

ADV-6090 Mono/Color/Graphics, 

Printer 80/132 Columns179.95 




iSffiSSSIl 



PARADISE 

Color/Monocard $185.00 

Modular Graphics Card 274.00 

PERSYST 

Mono Board w/Parallel $159.00 

Color Board 139.00 

Time Spectrum Sale Call 

PRINCETON GRAPHICS 

HX-12 RGB (640x240) $445.00 

MAX-12E Amber TTL 175.00 

SR-12 575.00 

HX-12E (690x350) 545.00 

PROMETHEUS 

ProModem 1200 w/Mite (Int) $339.00 

ProModem 1200B (Hayes Comp.). . . .289.00 
Alpha/Num or Options Proc 79.95 

QUADRAM 

Expanded Quadboard (OK) $185.00 

Gold Quadboard (OK) 385.00 

Silver Quadboard (OK) 215.00 

Quadlink 399.00 

SIGMA 

Color 400 Card $485.00 

SHARP 

12" Med-res RGB Monitor $269.95 

Color Plotter w/Software 199.00 

STAR MICRONICS 

Gemini 10X reduced $179.00 

Gemini 15X sale 289.00 

NX-10 NEW! 335.00 

TAXAN 

415 (640x260) RGB. was 699 now $279.95 
Mod. 640 (Ultra Hi-res) 595.00 

TEMPLATES 

Lotus, dBase III, etc Lowest Price 

TITAN 

Accelerator PC w/256K sale Call 

TOSHIBA 

P321 "3 in 1" LQ Printer sale $599.00 

P341 24 Pin 136 Col 869.00 

P351 24 Pin w/Serial & Parallel.. . .1099.00 
T-1100 MS-DOS Lap Top Call 

WESTERN DIGITAL 

Cobra Hard Disk Controller $179.95 

ZENITH 

ZVM-1 220/30 12" Grn/Amb TTL ..$109.00 
ZVM-1240& ZVM-135 RGB Call 



tatgfj mM w F» EEEJ gjjJE E DAVE 




20 Mb fiAAQ 20 Mb dJCQQ 

Upgrade y44ii Drivecard yUtJtJ 

Package (1 Yr War) Plug-in 1 Yr War) 

SEAGATE FOR AT 

(Linear Voice Coil Activator) 

20 Mb for AT $575.00 

30Mb for AT $695.00 

40Mb for AT $815.00 

(Inc. Cable & Mounting Rails) 



PC UPGRADE SPECIAL 

$4 4.95 

■ *t SET OF (9) 64K RAMS 

36 SET OF (9) 256K RAMS 
$7.95 4128 PIGGYBACK RAM 
$139.00 8087 Coprocessor 
$169.00 8087-2 Coprocessor 



1200 Baud Hayes™ Comp. Modem 

Short Card by U.S. Robotics with 
Telpac I Software. ^ 
List $499 ACP $ 1 49.95 
Buy (6) $139.95 



SYSGEN 20/20 

•20Mb Hard Disk 
•20Mb Tape 

Back-up 
•New/Factory Box 
•PC/XT/AT Comp. 
•External Complete 
| Reg. Retail $3300 




ACP Only 



$999 



Grid Compass MS-DOS Lap 
Computer Demo Sale Gall for 
Details. 100's in 
Stock as Low as 



$34900 



EGA SPEC 



AL 



New Advanced EGA Card for 
High-res IBM Graphics, 

SPECIAL $00088 

PRICE! Only 



*288 £ 



UNBELIEVABLE! 

Micropro INF0STAR SYSTEM! includes 

Datastar, Reportstar (PC DOS) $99.95 

IBM brand Pascal Compiler 99.95 

IBM Pascal Reference 49.95 

IBM DOS 2.0 24.95 

Visicalc IV IBM 39.95 

Compaq MS DOS/BASIC ver.2 49.95 






||g j ||||||| || 



I I I I I I I I I 



I I I I I I I I 



1 II I 



WE WILL MEET ANY PRICE FOR CURRENT PRODUCT 
ADVERTISED IN POPULAR MAGAZINES. POLICY 
APPLIES FOR BOTH SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE! 



GET OUR FLYER? 



IF NOT - CALL & 
GET ON OUR MAIL LIST. 



_ i_ 



_J l_ 



E 



UPS POWER SUPPLY 

Back Up Powar for your IBM, 
Appla or Compatible 

UPS-PC 200 Wans $277.00 

UPS-Xt 300 \NMIS 419.00 

UPS-AT 8 00 Wans 739.00 

AB PRINTER SWITCH 

An AB Swilch allows use of two printers with 
your computer system. We stock over 15 dif- 
ferent configurations. 

AB Switch (Centronics) $59.00 

AB Switch (DB25) 59.00 



NEW NEC V20 

P/N upD 70108 
Replace Your 8088 
to Increase Speed ^ . _. _ _ 

upio40gb $18.95 



DRIVE CABINETS 

IBM Slyte Hard Disk with power 

supply and (an $179.00 

Dual Hard Disk w/power sup & fan 295.00 

Dual 57. " Full Height vertical mount 65.00 

Dual 5Vi " Full Height horizontal mount 99.00 
Dual 5V. " Thinline w/power sup 8 fan 60.00 

Single 5V4" Full Height w/power sup & fan 56 00 
Single 5'//' Thinline w/power sup & fan 60.00 



TANDON FLOPPYS 
PULL OUTS 

TANDON TM100-2 69.95 

TM100-1 39.95 

TM848-1 99.95 

TM848-2 1 69.95 



DEC RAINBOW UPGRADE 

192K UPGRADE CARD . S49.9S Bare 
Pius Many DEC Software/Hardware Items! 



INTERSIL STD BUS BOARDS 

ALMOST SOLD OUT 

Send or Call for List 



Build Your Own 
XT Compatible 

8 Slot XT MB ..$156.00 

XT-BIOS 27.95 

130 Watt Power Supply .. 85.00 

Flip-Top Case .49.00 

XT Keyboard 75.00 

1/6 Ht 360K Floppy 99.00 

Floppy Controller 49.95 

Monochrome Adapter 49.95 

TTL Mono Monitor 97.77 

256K RAM 36.95 



TRANSISTORS/DIODES 



CAPACITORS 

.01uF DISC BYPASS CAPACITOR 
.1 uF DISC BYPASS CAPACITOR 
,01uF MONOLITHIC CAPACITOR 
.1 uF MONOLITHIC CAPACITOR 



10055 50 
100/6.50 
100711.25 
100/14.25 



CORCOM EMI FILTER 

STO CORCOM 3 Conductor Filter $4.50 

Line Cord for above — 6 loot 1.49 

Line Cord 2 Conductor — 6 fool .35 

Line Cord 3 Conductor — 6 fool .95 



MUFFIN FANS 

Over 10,000 In Slock 

Tonn 3" TA-300 Fan NEWI $9.95 

Torin 4.66" Muffin Fan NEWI 12.95 

12VOC Fan NEWI 14 95 

FingerGuards add 1.49 

Power Cordsadd 149 



IC SOCKETS 

SOLDERTAIL 1-99 

8 PinST/LP $ .13 S 

14 Pin ST/LP .15 

16 Pin ST/LP .17 

IB Pin ST/LP .20 

20 Pin ST/LP .26 

22 Pin ST/LP .29 

24 Pin ST/I.P .29 

28 Pin ST/LP .39 

36 Pin ST/LP .45 

40 Pin ST/LP 48 

64 Pin ST/LP 3.95 

WIREWRAP (GOLD) 1-89 

8 Pin WW/3L $ .49 J 

14 Pin WW/3L .62 

16 Pin WW/3L .65 

18 Pin WW/3L .88 

20 Pin WW/3L .99 

22PinWW/3L V19 

24 Pin WVW3L 1.25 

28PinWW/3L 1.49 

40Pin WW/3L 1,89 
TEXTOOL/ZJF ZERO INSERTION 

18 Pin $6.75 24 Pin $7.85 28Pin $1 

(We Stock All Types of Sockets) 



7/S1 00 2N3904 



PN2369A 


5/1.00 


2N3906 


PN918 


3/1.00 


TIP29A 


2N2216A 


45 


TIP30A 


2N2219A 


.45 


TIP31A 


2N2905 


.45 


TIP32A 


2N2907 


.25 


1N4146 


2N3055 


.69 


1N751 


2N3565 


4/1.00 


1N4002 


2N3638 


4/1 00 


1N4004 


2N3772 


1.69 


MP02232 


OPTO ISC 


)LATO 


MCT-2 


$ .59 


4N33 


MCT-6 


1.39 


4N35 


MCT-66 


.55 


4N37 


MCA-255 


t.69 


4N38 


4N26 


.65 


TIL117 


4N27 


.65 


SPX33 


4N26 


.69 


4N25 



11/$1 00 
11/1 00 
2/1 00 
2/1,00 
2/1.25 
2/1.25 
25/1.00 
5/1.00 
12/1.00 
10/1 00 
1.49 



$ .09 $ .06 



AC/DC 24V POWER 
SUPPLY SPECIAL 



Reg 34.95.ACP ONLY 



$11.95 



CALL ACP FOR ALL YOUR 
VOLUME IC REQUIREMENTS 



EDGE CONNECTORS 



$3.95 $3.25 



S-100WW 
*4PinST 
4 4 Pin WW 



D-SUBMINIATURE 

1-24 

DB25S {Female S3.10 

DB25P (Male) 2.40 

Hood S1.25 Mlg H/W $ .99 

DE37S (Female) $5.95 

DE37P (Male) 5.25 

Hood $1.75 MtgHfW$ .99 

DD50S (Female) $e 95 

DD50P(Male) 6,00 

Hood $3.25 Mtg H/W $ .99 

(OTHER STYLES IN CATALOG) 
CENTRONICS 
IDC 36 Pin Male 
IDC 36 Pin Female 
Sofder36 Pin Male 
Solder 38 Pin Female 

(CALL TOLL FREE FOR IDC's) 



IDC CONNECTORS 



Solder Header 



Rt Angle Solder Header 



Ribbon Header Socket 



Ribbon Header 



Ribbon Edgecard 



Wirewrap Header 



R( Angle W/W Header 



NUMBER OF CONTACTS 
20 26 34 40 5( 



79 1.20 1.65 2.10 2.40 3.00 



3.10 4.10 4.20 4.60 7.15 



NOTE: To order insert number of contacts in place of xx in ACP Part number. 
ORDER QUANTITY OF 50pcs (mixed) AND TAKE AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF. 



APPLE II SOFTWARE 
SPECIAL 

3 Packages for $59.95 
Magic Calc, Write & Database 



THERMAL PAPER 

BV2 x 11 - 500 SHEETS or 
ROLL - 5000 Pkgs Available 
While Supply aq aqi 

Lastsi «pu-"9fPkg. 



I 6810 $ 2 85 

6820 3.75 

6821 2.90 
6826 14.50 
6840 12.75 
6845 1195 



S4.50 I 6504 
690 6507 

9,50 I 6520 



6035 $ 5,75 
6039 575 

8080A 2 95 
8085A 4.90 
80C65A 9.95 
8086 2450 
8087-2 129.95 
BOBS 17.50 

88.95 



6155 
8156 
8185 
6202 
6203 
8205 
8212 



26.95 
23 95 
37.95 



6214 J 

8216 

6224 

8226 

8228 

6237 

6237-5 

8238 

8243 

8250 

8251 

8251A 

8253 

8255 

8255A 

8257 



2 20 


8275 


26.95 


1.95 


8279 


875 


3.40 


8282 


625 


3.75 


8263 


6.25 


5.95 


8284 


5,50 



8259 $ 6.75 



8292 
8741 
8748 
8749 
8755A 



12.95 
27.95 
24.50 
24.50 
34.95 



Z80-CPU 
Z80-CTC 
Z80.OAFIT 
Z80-OMA 

zeo-pio 

Z8O-SID/0 
Z80-SIO/1 
Z80-SIO/2 

280-SIO/9 



2.5MHz 
225 



17.95 
17.95 
9.50 
22 95 



DISK CONTROLLERS 



UPD765 


$9.95 


1797 


$2195 


6843 


1771 


1595 


2791 


32.95 


8272 


1791 


22.75 


2793 


32.95 


1691 


1793 


21.50 


2795 


32.95 


2143 


1795 


21.50 


2797 


27.95 


9216 



CRT CONTROLLERS 



6845 $11.95 

68B45 17.95 

6647 11.50 

46505 14.75 

68047 1950 



8275 $2850 I TMS9918 $39 50 

7220 34.95 6350 3995 

5027 17.95 6545 1495 

5037 21.95 I 8002 19.95 

NEC7220 Graphics 34.95 



UARTS/USARTS 



1602B 
1013A 
1015A 



1702(1mS) 
2708(450nS) 
2758 (5V) 
2716 (4S0nS) 
2716 (350nS) 
2516 (5V) 
TMS2716 
TMS2532 
2732 (450nS) 
2732 (250nS) 
2732 (200nS) 



I 2350 $ 8.95 

8250 10.50 

I IM6402 7.75 



IM6403 

TMS5501 

2651 



2732A-4 (450nS) $ 4.50 

2732A (250nS) 8 95 

2732A2 (200nS) 8 95 

2764 (450nS) 2.95 

2764 (250nS) 395 

2764 (200nS) 4.95 

TMS2564 (450nS) 9.95 
MCM68764(450nS) 19.95 

MCM68766 (350nS) 2195 

27128-3 (300nS) 9.50 

27128 (250nS) 15 95 



STATIC RAMS 



2101 (450nS) 
21L02 (450nS) 
2102-1 (450nS) 
21L02-2 (250nS) 
2111 (450nS) 
2112(450nS) 
2114 (450nS) 
2114L-4 (450n) 1 
2114L-3(300n) 1 
2114L-2 (200n) ' 
2147 (55nS) 
4044-4 (450nS) 
4044-3 (300nS) 
4044-2 (200nS) 
UPD410 (100nS) 
5101 (CMOS) 



1 45 8/9 50 
69 6/12.50 
79 8/13.30 
89 8/13.90 



MK4118 $4.95 

TMM2016-2 (200nS) 4,10 
TMM2016-15 (150n) 4.95 
TMM2016-1 (lOOnS) 6.10 
HM6116P-4 (2O0nS) 4.75 
HM6116P-3(150nS) 4 95 
HM6116P.2(120nS) 8 85 
HM6116LP-4 (LP) 5.90 
HM5116LP-3 (LP) 675 
HM5116LP-2 (LP) 9.95 
Z6132 (SOOnS) 32.95 

HM6264P-15O50) 32,95 
HM6264LP-15 (LP) 3695 
74S189 (35nS) 185 

93415 (50nS) 3.95 

93422/93425 (50nS) 3.95 



DYNAMIC RAMS 



4027(250nS) 
1103(300nS) 
4116N-2(150nS) 
4116N-3(200nS) 
4116N-4 (250nS) 
4164N.150(150n) 
4164N-200 (200n) 
4164N-120(120nS) 
TMS4164 (150nS) 



TMS4416(200nS) $6.95 

TMS4416 (150nS) 7.75 

41256-150(150n) 2 75 

41256-200(200n) 2.75 

TMS4050 (300nS) 1 85 

TMS4060 (300nS) 1 85 

MM5260 (300nS) 1.85 

UPD4U (300nS) 1.85 

MM5298(250nS) 185 



DISK SPECIAL (ibm pc osdd) 



59 



ea. 



OF 100 Major Mtgr. 



APPLE FLIPPY 
DISKETTE 

100 49$ ea. 



5V«" DISKETTES 
VERBATIM 52501 SS/DD 
VERBATIM 550-01 DS/DD (IBM) 
MAXELL MD-1 SS/DD (All) 
MAXELL MD-2 DS/DD (IBM) 
MAXELL DISKS for AT (96tpi) 
OYSAN 104/1D SS/DD (All) 
DYSAN 104/2D DS/DD (IBM) 
ACP SS/DD (All) 
ACP OS/DD (IBM) 
3Vi" DISKETTES 
VERBATIM 3'A" MF350 (MAC) 
MAXELL 3W MICROOlSK (MAC) 
8" DISKETTES 
VERBATIM 8" SS/DD 
VERBATIM 8" DS/DD 
DYSAN 6" SS/DD 
DYSAN 8" DS/DD 



1 Box 10 Box 

$22.95 $19.95 

27.95 24.95 

19.95 17.95 

24,95 22.95 

48.95 43.95 

27.95 25.95 

34.95 31.95 

14.95 1295 

17.95 15.95 



28.95 2695 

38.95 36.95 

32.95 30 95 

49.95 47.95 



5W" DISK 
TUB 

$8.95 



3W DISK 
TUB 

$14.95 



HEAD CLEANING 
KIT-5V* "or( 

S9.9S 



4000 $ .; 

4001 .; 

4002 .; 

4006 .; 

4007 .; 

4008 .< 

4009 .; 

4010 .: 

4011 .: 

4012 .; 

4013 .; 

4014 .: 

4015 .: 

4016 .; 



4018 


.79 


4019 


.39 


4020 


.69 


4021 


.69 


4022 


.69 


4023 


.25 


4024 


.59 


4025 


25 


4027 


.45 


74C00 


5.29 


74C02 


.29 


74C04 


29 


74C08 


35 


74C10 


.35 



4028 $ .65 


4059 $7.90 


4029 


75 


4060 


.65 


4030 


.39 


4068 


.39 


4031 


3.25 


4069 


26 


4032 


2.15 


4070 


.35 


4034 


1.91 


4071 


.28 


4035 


79 


4072 


.26 


4037 


1.95 


4073 


.26 


4040 


.75 


4075 


28 


4041 


.75 


4076 


75 


4042 


65 


4077 


35 


4043 


85 


4078 


.35 


4044 


.69 


4081 


29 


4046 


.80 


4062 


29 


4047 


89 


4085 


95 


4048 


.99 


4086 


.95 


4049 


.35 


4093 


.45 


4050 


.34 


4094 


295 


4051 


.75 


4098 


1.90 


4052 


.75 


4099 


1.85 


4053 


.75 


4501 


.69 


4055 


3.95 


4502 


95 


4056 


2.95 4503 


.49 






CALL FOR 



4505 
4506 
4507 
4508 
4510 



515 



4516 

4518 

4520 

4555 

4556 

4568 

80C95 

60C97 

MC14406 

MC14409 

MC14410 

MC14411 

MC14412 

MC14419 

74HC 



74C00 

74C74 $.65 I 74C161 $1.15 |74C373$2.35 
74C85 1.69 74C175 1.15 74C374 2.35 
74C90 1 15 74C240 1.89 74C901 .59 
74C93 1.15 I 74C244 1 69 I74C922 4.45 
MORE74CINSTOCK -ALSOIN CATALOG 



LM108AH 


$3.95 


LM300H 


.99 


LM301N 


35 


LM304H 


1 89 


LM305H 


95 


LM306H 


475 


LM307N 


40 


LM306CN 


.65 


LM310CN 


1.65 


LM311CN 


.82 


LM312H 


1.75 


LM318CN 


1.45 


LM316H 


1.55 


LM319N 


1.19 


LM320 (see 


VRs) 


LM324N 


.55 


LM339N 


95 


LM340 (see VRS) 


LM346N 


.95 


LM356CN 


.65 


LM359 


1.75 


LM360N 


2 95 


LM370N 


4.95 


LM373N 


395 


LM376N 


3.75 


LM377N 


1.90 


LM380CN 


.85 


LM380N 


105 


LM381N 


159 


LM362N 


1 35 


LM363N 


195 


LM384N 


1.75 


LM386N 


.69 


LM387N 


1.29 


LM389N 


1.15 


LM392N 


69 


LM723N 


48 


LM723H 


.55 


NE531 


2 85 


NE555 


.35 


NE556 


.65 


NE558 


1.49 


NE56! 


23.50 


NE564 


2.85 


LM565 


95 


LM566 


145 


LM567 


85 


NE570 


3.85 


NE571 


2.90 



NE590 5 

NE592 

LM709N 

LM709H 

LM710 

LM711 

LM715 

LM723N 

LM723H 

LM733 

LM739 

LM741CN 

LM741H 

LM741N 

LM747 

LM748 

LM1014 

LM1303 

LM1310 

MCl330 

MC1349 

MC1350 

MC1358 

MCI 372 

LM1414 

LM1558H 

LM1B00 

LM1812 

LM1830 

LM1871 

LM1872 

LM1877 

LM1869 

LM1896 

ULN2001 

ULN20Q3 

XR2206 

XR2207 

XR2208 

XR2211 

LM2877P 

LM2B78P 

LM2900 

LM2901 

LM2903 

LM2907 

LM2917 

LM3900 

LM3905 



LM3909 

LM3914 

LM3915 

LM3916 

MC4024 

MC4044 

RC4131 

RC4136 

RC4151 

CA3023 

CA3039 

CA3046 

CA3059 

CA3060 

CA3065 

CA308O 

CA3081 

CA3082 

CA3083 

CA3086 

CA3089 

CA3096 

CA3130 

CA3140 

CA3146 

CA3160 

LM 13080 

LM13600 

LM13700 

LF347 

LF351 

LF353 

LF35S 

LF356 

LF357 

TL071CP 

TL072CP 

TL074CN 

TL081CP 

TL084CN 

TL494 

TL496 

TL497 

MC3423 

MC3453 

MC3456 

MC3459 

MC3469 

MC3470 



VOLTAGE REGULATORS 

790SK 



7605TAIso en 

a, 12, 15. 24V .by 

78L05. 12. 15V,. 65 

78M06C 89 

78MG/79MG 1.49 

78H05KC... 8.75 

7805K Also 

12. 15. 24V 
7905T Also -,_. 

a. 12, is, 24V .. /y 



1.29 



,5:24V ...1.39 

79L05. 12. 15V.. 75 

LM309K 1.25 

LM317H/K 1.25/3.85 

LM323K 4.65 

LM337K 3.75 

LM338K 6.75 

LM350T 4.55 

LM350K 4.75 



SPECIAL PURPOSE CHIPS 



MC14411 

BR1941 

34702 

5016 

6116 

5307 

MC4024 

6038 



58174 $1125 
5632 375 

AY52376 11.50 
AY53600 11.50 
2513^X)1U 950 
2513^X)2L 9.50 
UPD7201 27.95 
3341 4.50 

11C90 13.25 

MC15906 2.95 
$9.95 TR1863 



95H90 
76477 
76466 
76469 
AY36910 
AY38912 
SSl-263 
Votrax 
Digilalxer 
LM13600N 
5VUART 



DATA ACQUISITION 



ADC0800 $14.95 


ADC0804 


3 45 


DAC0806 


1.90 


ADC0809 


4.45 


ADC0B16 


14.25 


AD7523.IN 


1.99 



ADC0817 


$9.75 


OAC0800 


4.75 


DAC0808 


2.85 


DAC1020 


7.95 


DAC1022 


585 


LF353N 


1.99 



1406L6 $1.95 
1406L8 2.85 
DAC100 7.95 
DAC08 7,95 
DAC01 8.95 

LF13201N 1.99 



AST SIXPAK 

While Supply Lasts $175 / OK 



CABLES/ACCESSORIES 

IBM PARALLEL (Shielded) 

IBM SERIAL (Shielded) 

KEYBOARD EXTENSION 

RS232 GENDER CHANGER Male-Male 

RS232 GENDER CHANGER Female-Female 

NULL MODEM ADAPTOR 



DISK DRIVE SPECIALS 

Toshiba ND04D DS/DD IBM $109.50 

Toshiba ND04E-G for "AT" 119.50 

Toshiba ND08DE-G 1.2Mb for "AT'1 49.50 
ALL WITH MOUNTING KIT 



JULY SPECIALS 

(SUPPLY LIMITED) 
SYS GEN 20 Mb ^ nnn ftft 

w/20Mb Backup $999.00 

B iW Rira SUPER NUMERIC 
USMMSSa KEYPAD 

Manufactured by Keytronics. We have sold 

Z°l*m? ACP S29 95 

or 6 tor 29.95 ea 

PC Jr. Color Adapter .519.95 

PC Jr. TV Adapter 29.95 

PC Jr. Operation Manual 19.95 

PC Jr. Compact Printer 69.95 

PC Jr. 64K Adapter 39.95 

Lotus 1-2-3 PC Jr 179.95 

• MONITOR SPECIALS * 

SAMSUNG TTL Green $89.88 

TTL Amber 98.88 

LUXOR RGB 720x800 298.88 

NEC Multi-sysnch 598.88 

MITSUBISHI RGB Color 298.88 

MAGNAV0X RGB w/Grn Switch. 328.88 



7400 



7400 
7401 
7402 
7403 
7404 
7405 
7406 
7407 
7406 
7409 
7410 
7411 
7412 
7413 
7-114 
7416 
7417 
7420 
7421 
7422 
7422 
7425 
7426 
7427 
7428 
7430 
7432 
7437 
7438 
7439 
7440 
7441 
7442 
7443 
7444 
7445 



7448 


$ 68 


74123 


$ .45 


7447 


65 


74125 


42 


7448 


.66 


74126 


.M 


7450 


.19 


74128 


.49 


7451 


.19 


74132 


.45 


7453 


.19 


74136 


,75 


7454 


.19 


74141 


.65 


7459 


25 


74142 


2 95 


7480 


.37 


74143 


3 70 


7470 


.29 


74144 


2.95 


7472 


.29 


74145 


59 


7473 


33 


74147 


1.49 


7474 


.34 


74148 


1.19 


7475 


.38 


74150 


1 09 


7478 


.34 


74151 


.55 


7478 


460 


74152 


.67 


7460 


69 


74153 


S3 


74B2 


95 


74154 


1.19 


7483 


.45 


74185 


69 


7485 


55 


74156 


59 


7468 


.35 


74157 


59 


7488 


1.95 


74158 


1.65 


7490 


.35 


74159 


1.58 


7491 


65 


74160 


79 


7492 


.45 


74161 


.69 


7493 


.35 


74182 


69 


7494 


.85 


74163 


69 


7495 


.50 


74164 


69 


7496 


.69 


74155 


.69 


7497 


2.70 


74156 


.65 


74100 


1.50 


74167 


2.75 


74107 


.24 


74170 


1.25 


74109 


.37 


74172 


4.75 


74116 


1.45 


74173 


69 


74121 


29 


74174 


.89 


74122 


44 


74175 


.89 



1.15 



74179 1 .34 

74160 .75 

74181 1.75 

74182 1.15 

74184 2.25 

74185 2.25 

74190 .67 

74191 .67 

74192 .67 

74193 .67 
74194 
74195 
74196 
74197 
74198 
74199 1.15 
74221 1.19 
74251 .75 
74273 -1.65 
74276 1.89 
74279 .75 

74283 140 

74284 2.90 
742B5 2.90 
74290 1.49 
7429B 1.49 

74365 .55 

74366 .55 

74367 55 

74368 .55 
74390 1 .45 
74393 1.33 
74490 2.25 



74LS00 $ 


15 


74LS01 


15 


74LS02 


15 


74LS03 


15 


74LS04 


24 


74LS05 


25 


74LS06 


27 


74LS09 


26 


74LS10 


25 


74LS11 


33 


74LS12 


33 


74LS13 


39 


74LS14 


59 


74LS15 


33 


74LS20 


26 


74LS21 


?9 


74LS22 


?9 


74LS28 


?9 


74LS27 


?9 


74LS28 


29 


74LS30 


25 


74LS32 


33 


74LS33 


53 


74LS37 


35 


74LS38 


39 


74LS40 


25 


74LS42 




74LS47 


74 


74LS48 


74 


74LS51 


25 


74LS54 


29 


74LS55 


29 


74LS73 


39 


74LS74 


34 


74LS75 


39 


74LS78 


39 


74LS78 


39 


74LS83 


59 


74LS85 


69 


74LS86 


39 


74LS90 


54 


74LS92 


54 


74LS93 


54 


74LS95 


75 


74LS98 


• ' 


74LS107 


39 


74LS109 


39 


74LS112 


39 



74LS113 
74LS114 
74LS122 
74LS123 
74LS124 
74LS125 
74LS126 
74LS132 
74LS136 
74LS138 
74LS139 
74LS145 
74LS148 
74LS151 
74LS153 
74LS154 
74LS155 
74LS158 
74LS157 
74LS158 
74LS160 
74LS161 
74LS162 
74LS163 
74LS164 
74LS165 
74LS166 
74LS168 
74LS169 
74LS170 
74LS173 
74LS174 
74LS175 
74LS161 
74LS190 
74LS191 
74LS192 
74LS193 
74LS194 
74LS195 
74LS196 
74LS197 
74LS221 
74LS240 
74LS242 
74LS243 
74LS244 
74LS245 



74LS247 

74LS248 

74LS249 

74LS251 

74LS253 

74LS257 

74LS258 

74LS259 

74LS260 

74LS261 

74LS266 

74LS273 

74LS275 

74LS279 

74LS283 

74LS290 

74LS293 

74LS295 

74LS298 

74LS324 

74LS347 

74LS348 

74LS352 

74LS353 

74LS363 

74LS365 

74LS366 

74LS367 

74LS368 

74LS373 

74LS374 

74LS375 

74LS377 

74LS385 

74LS366 

74LS390 

74LS393 

74LS395 

74LS399 

74LS424 

74LS668 

74LS870 

61LS95 

81LS96 

61LS97 

81LS96 

25LS2521 

25LS2569 



74S0O $.29 

74502 .25 

74503 .29 
74SW .45 
74S05 .45 
74S0B .39 

74509 .39 

74510 .35 

74511 .35 
74S15 .35 
74S20 .35 
74S22 .35 
74S30 .35 
74S32 .45 
74S38 89 
74S40 .39 
74SSI .35 
74S54 .39 
74S65 .39 



74S00/PROMS* 

74S74 $.55 
74S6S 1.89 
74S68 .55 

745112 .55 

745113 .55 

745114 .55 
74S124 2.69 

745132 139 

745133 .45 

745134 .50 

745135 .69 
74S138 1.39 

745136 .89 
74S138 .89 
74S140 .55 
74S1S1 .99 
74S153 .99 
74S157 .99 



74S15B 


$.99 


74S160 


2.49 


74S161 


1.69 


74S174 


1.19 


74S175 


1,19 


74S18B* 


149 


74S194 


149 


74S195 


149 


74S196 


149 


74S240 


199 


74S241 


1 99 


74S242 


199 


74S243 


1 99 


74S244 


1 99 


74S251 


1.19 


74S253 


1.19 


74S257 


1.19 


74S256 


1.19 



CALL FOR 74HC 



74S260 $ 

74S280 

74S2B7' 

74S288* 

74S373 

74S374 

74S387' 

74S47T 

745472' 

74S473- 

74S474* 

74S475' 

74S570- I 

74S571" ; 

74S572- • 

74S573-. 

74S940 

74S941 ; 



Inquiry 8 



ISlilffiii 



we. 



Mail 



Fleta 



QttBl'l 



Eat 



a^JD/Lne,J^Aii2^^ 



3 iql t i= 



Ednjjin 



Sairta 



Ajll* 



CA 



9l!70ii 



California i 

17700 Figueroa Street • Carson, California 90248 



IBM Compatible Computer \ 21 Megabyte Gold Card 

'49$ 




r-i:_-- 



DATAPRODUCTS ■ 



• 256K Expandable to 640K on Motherboard 

• Double Sided Double Density Disk Drive 

• IBM Type Keyboard (with LED indicators) 



• Floppy Controller Card 

• Eight Expansion Slots 

• 1 35 Watt Power Supply 



The Eclipse 1 6 is an outstanding value in IBMCompatibleComputers. Aftercare- 
ful research and evaluation we found it to be the most reliable unit. 
Our computer includes some of the newest features available, such as the 
4.7MHz, multi-layer motherboard with 256K of RAM upgradable on board to640K. 
A generous eight expansion slots and 135 Watt power supply give you ample 
room and power for add-on boards. The enclosure has an easy-access flip top lid 
making upgrades a breeze. And our floppy controller supports up to f ourdri ves, so 
as many as three additional drives can be used. Finally, each computer is 
configured and fully tested before sending it to you. 

Satisfaction Guaranteed! We're really excited about this new unit, and so sure 
you will be too... that you may return the Eclipse 1 6fora full credit towards an IBM 
PC if youare not completely satisfied. 

OPTIONS 

20MB Hard Drive w/Controller $495 

Additional Drive-Installed 99 

Irwin 10 Meg. Tape Back up 



Upgrade from 256K to 640K RAM 79 

8087 Math Co Processor 119 

Color Graphics Card 79 

Monochrome Graphics Card 99 



RGB Color Monitor 199 

TTL Monochrome Monitor 1 39 

Microsoft Mouse 139 

Upgrade from Floppy Controller to Disk I/O 
2 drive controller, clock/cal., software 

parallel, serial, and game ports 79 

1200 Baud Internal Modem w/Software 179 




The fastest, lowest powered, longest warraYitied, most durable, highest 

capacity, most reliable, lowest priced HARD-DISK-ON-A CARD 

available in the world today. 

• 65ms Access Time - Fastest Available • Automatic Head Unloading - Protects Heads and 
Media • 2K Sector Buffer - Increases System Throughput • High Reliability: 28,000 hr. MTBF ■ 
No one else even close • 15.5 Watt Power Consumption - Lowest Available • 2 Year Warranty ■ 
Longest Available 

WERE $695... GET 'EM WHILE THEY LAST FOR JUST $559 



nsnHi 



V 



■ i. ■ m 1 ■^:.::..,-./-Jl m. m J /,..»■ J14S& 



Tij 



■1 P\ P J 1 * V 



Omni-Reader... the first optical 
character reader designed and 
priced for the small computer 



COPY: 

•Manuscripts 'Contracts 'Articles 
•Forms 'Invoices 

APPLICATIONS: 
•Mailing Lists -Editing »Data Base 
Management -Transfering informa- 
tion between incompatible systems 



Uses a standard RS-232 serial port hookup 
to interface ealsity with your computer. 




1200 BAUD MODEMS 




AVATEX1200 



99 



This 300/1200 baud modem matches the design specs 
of the Bell 21 2A, feature by feature, bringing you reliabil- 
ity, impeccable transmission and easy operation. 
Hayes Compatible, except for "S" register. Communi- 
cation software included. 
The AVATEX 1200, at $99. is a steal! 



SMARTEAM 1200 



ECLIPSE 2400 



BAUD MODEM 



359 





The Team 212A offers all the features of the Hayes 
Smart Modem 1200 for a fraction of the price. Now is 
your opportunity to purchase a 1200 baud modem at 
the price of a 300 baud modem. 



HMHSr MARK VI 



300 BAUD 




The Anchor Automation Mark VI is a 300 baud direct 
connect modem that plugs into any slot of your IBM/PC. 
This modem supports auto answer and auto dial capa- 
bilities. Other features include telephone number stor- 
age, send / receive text files, single key-stroke dialing 
along with many other functions provided on disk. The 
Mark VI was originally priced at over S300. 



• Hayes & Bell 212A/103 Compatible 

• CCITTV.22,V.22bls 

The ECLIPSE 2400 modem is a microprocessor-based full or half- 
duplex modem incorporating the latest in high speed data 
communications capabilities. It also accomodates computers and ter- 
minals equipped with an RS-232 port allowing communication with 
other computers or timeshar-ing systems either locally or remotely. 
Compatibility, Versltlllty and Performance are yours in a 
configuration designed to provide years of reliable operation. 



MODEMS 

Eclipse 1200 100% Hayes, with status lamps. EDP-1200 179.00 

Eclipse 1 200B internal with software EDP-1 200B 1 79.00 

Eclipse 2400 External. Hayes Compatiple EDP-2400 359.00 

Avatex 1200 baud external, Hayes AVA-1200 99.00 

Haves Smartmodem2400baud modem HYS-2400 59900 

Team 1200 Hayes Compatible, 300/1200 baud. TEM-SM1200 189.00 

UltraLink 1200 data and voice on same line. UTL-1200A 99.00 

CTS 212 AH 1 200 baud, auto dial CTS-21 2AH 1 79.00 

Terminal software f or CTS 2 12AH CTS-212SFT 35.00 

Prometheus 1200 super features PRM-P1200 289.00 

Prometheus 1200B internal PC PRM-P1200B 279.00 

Signalman Mark VI, 300 baud internal PC SGL-MK6 49.00 

Hayes Smart Modem 1200 baud, auto dial HYS-212AD 369.00 

Hayes 1200B lor use with the IBM/PC. 1200 baud. HYS-1200B 299.00 

Hayes Smartmodem. 300 baud only, auto dial HYS-103AD 199.00 

Hayes Chronograph, time & date HYS-CHR232 1 99.00 



Seagate £4%t%Q 

20 MEGABYTE A. ▼▼ 
WINCHESTER •■ W ¥ 



HARD DISK DRIVE 



Quantity Two 




Five Inch Winchester Disk Drives 

each two+ 

SEAGATE 225 20 Meg. V? til 329 299 

SEAGATE 4026 26 M.35mS. 759 729 

SEAGATE 4051 51 M.35mS. 995 959 

FUJITSU 2242 55 M. 35mS. 1599 1529 

FUJITSU 2243 86 M. 35mS. 2095 2019 

R00IME RO-202E 27 Meg. 659 629 

RODIME RO-203E 40 Meg. 995 959 

R00IME RO-204E 53 Meg. 995 959 

CONTROL DATA 94155-86 M.1829 1779 

MAXTOR XT1140 140 Meg. 2995 2929 

HONEYWELL 85M. 27 mS. 1795 1695 

TOSHIBA MK5670M.30mS.1789 1729 

TAND0N 502 10 Meg. 419 379 



• Winchester Controllers for IBM/PC • 
XEBEC 1220 with floppy controller 229 
NATIONAL COMPUTER 5004 129 
DTC 5150BX 139 
0MTI 5510 half card 139 
ADAPTEC 2010A software install 189 
WESTERN DIGITAL WD/1002 139 

• SCSI/SASI Winchester Controllers • 
XEBEC 1410A 5%'* foot print 219 
0MTI 20L 119 

• Winchester Accessories • 

Installation Kit with manual 10 

Winchester enclosure and supply 139 

Dual 20/34 cable set 25 

Switching power supply 49 



TOLL FREE ORDER LINE 

(800) 421-5041 



TECHNICAL & CALIFORNIA 

(213)217-0500 



390 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



.ah forma Digital 

17700 Figueroa Street # Carson, California 90248 



Letter Quality Printer TMA^9^M 

F-10 DAISY WHEELTT* Y 



t 



• :■■-':■■ . L r J 



Quantity 
Two 

Single unit price is $499. But if 
you have already purchased 
an F-10 printer (rom California 
Digital, we will honor the $429 
price on the second printer. 



FREE 



Accessory Pak 

Includes 6 Daisy Wheels 
& 2 ribbon cartridges 
With F-1 Purchase 




The F-10 Daisy Wheel printer is the perfect reasonably priced 40 character per second 
word processing printer. This printer is "extremely" similar to C. Itoh's F-10-40 Starwriter prin- 
ter, however we have been advised by legal counsel for the C. Itoh Company that we should 
refrain from referring to the F-10 printer as a Starwriter. 

This printer auto installs with Wordstar and Perfect Writer, features extensive built-in word 
processing functions that allow easy adaptability and reduced software complexity. Industry 
standard Centronics interface provides instant compatibility with all computers equipped with a parallel printer port. The F-10 ac- 
cepts paper up to 15 inches in width. 

These printers were originally priced to sell at over $1400. Through a special arrangement California Digital has purchased 
these units from a major computer manu-facturer. We have a limited number of these popular printers left.... while they last we're 
offering a special Accessory Pak, including six Diablo daisy wheels and two ribbon cartridges, with every F-10 printer already 
priced at a fraction of their original cost. 

Options available: sheetfeeder, tractor feed, buffered memory and an assortment of printer cables for a variety of computers. 



m ASS/ STORAGE-ALTERNATIVE 



TAKE IT WITH YOU! 

Bernoulli Box 

was $3540 now only 

The Bernoulli Box, by Iomega, features 10 & 20 megabyte remov- 
able cartridges, and delivers reliability, expandability, transport- 
ability, security and speed in one versatile subsystem. It lets you 
transler megabytes ol information safely and swiftly for primary or backup 
storage.Or combine several software programs onio a single cartridge for 
easy switching from one to another. 

Reliable, the Box has incredible resistance to shock and vibration 
completely eliminating the possibility of head crash! 

Expandable... grow at you own pace by adding inexpensive car- 
tridges. 

When security is essential, don't lock up your system... just lock up 
the cartridges. 

The Bernoulli Box delivers pertormance that often exceeds the 
very best hard disk drives. Hard disk speeds and floppy conven- 
ience....lhe Bernoulli Box. At this price, donl be caught wishing you'd 
had one aftera loss of irreplacable data. 
Data Transler Rate: 1.13 Mbytes/second 
Start/Stop Time: 5/7 seconds 
Average Access Time (milliseconds): A2l0H-35ms 

A220H-38 ms 



CP/M2.2 Operating 
$4A 95 System 



Complete with manual 
by Digital Research 

Originally $185.00 
Now only $14.95 

(10+ = 9.95- -100+ Call) 








LIST 


OUR PRICE 


10+10 MEG. 


A2210H 


3450 


1595 


20+20 MEG. 


A220H 


4540 


2095 


Bootable Controller 


PC2B 


255 


159 


10 MEG. Cartridge 




79 


49 


20 MEG. Cartridge 




99 


65 




TEKTRONIX MOUSE 



*79 



200 dots-per-inch resolution 
Programmable baud rate 
Multiple protocols 
Programmable buttons 
Serial interfaces 
Runs on any surface 
Free of pads or grids 
Microsoft TM compatible driver 
Moving your cursor has never been so easy! This mouse 
combines the best features of optical and mechanical tech- 
nology into one high performance mouse.The Tektronix 
mouse was private labeled by LogiTech for Tektronix 
The 200 dots-per-inch resolution requires less desk space 
and gives you precision control. This mouse is fast and pre- 
cise in the most demanding environments. And it has a pro- 
grammable baud rate so you can use it with almost any of 
your favorite software. 



SONY 



53W Floppy Disk Drive 

3 1/2" New IBM portable compatible 



*139 




5'/4" DISK DRIVE 

SALE *89 



Your Choice 48 or 96 TPI drive. 
QUME MODEL 142 • 48 TPI 
MITSUBISHI 4853 • 96 TPI 



Quantity Two 




PLOTTER 




The Comrex Comscnber I is ine ideal solution 10 makeshorl work ol translating linancial and 

numeric data into a graphic presentation Many ready lo run programs such as Lotus 1-2-3. 

Visi-on and Apple business graphics already support this plotter 

The Comscnber I features programmable paper sizes up lo 8"; by 120 inches. 6 inch per 

second plot speed and 004 slep stte.Easy to implement Centronics interface allows the 

Comscnber I immediate use with the printer pon of most personal computers. 

The Comscnber I is manufactured for Comrex by the Enter Computer Corporation. The 

plotter is marketed by Heath KH and also sold under Enters own Sweel P Label This is 

your opportunity to purchasea plotter wftichwas originally priced al S795 loronly $219 

Also available is a support package which includes demonslralicn software, interlace cable, 

a multicolor pen assortment and a vanely of paper and transparency material 



Quick- 




The Quick-Link 300 gives you an instant link to any dial up data base. Such as 
Dow Jones, Western Union or the Source. The Quick-Link has four user 
programmable log-on keys, allowing the operator, with only one key stroke, to 
dial the data base, log-in and give the password. All this information is perma- 
nently stored in non-volatile RAM. 

Features include video output to television or monitor, auto dial, auto-log, full 
sized keyboard. 300 baud modem and 1 200 baud auxiliary printer port. All this 
is available for only $59. 



TEAC FD55BV half height 
TEAC FD55FV 96 TPI, half ht. 
TEAC FD55GF for IBM AT 
PANASONIC 455 Half Height 
PANASONIC 465 Vz Ht. 96TPI 
TANDON 100-2 full height 
MITSUBISHI new 501 half ht. 
MITSUBISHI 4853 96/TPP/2 Ht 
MITSUBISHI 4854 8" elec. 
QUME 142 half height 
Switching power supply 
Installation Kit with manual 
Dual enclosure for 5Va" drives 
34 pin edge connectors 
Scotch head cleaning kit 
Flip & File Storage tubs 



One Two 
109 99 
119 109 
169 159 
109 99 
119 109 
129 125 
129 119 
, 99 89 
295 285 
99 89 



Ten 

89 

105 

155 

89 

105 

119 

109 

89 

275 

89 

49 

10 

59 

5 

19 

15 




Eight Inch Single Sided Drives 
QUME 841 single side 129 119 call 

SHUGART801R 359 359 354 

SIEMENS FDD 100-8 119 115 109 

Eight Inch Double Sided Drives 
QUME 842 "QUME TRACK 8" 189 179 call 
SHUGARTSA851R 495 485 475 

OLIVETTI double sided 189 179 159 

REMEXRFD-4000 179 169 159 

MITSUBISHI M2896-63 1 / 2 Ht. 459 449 409 
Dual 8" enclosure with power and fan 259 
Switching power supply 89 

Installation kit with manual 10 




ffi E ft f OR 



41M.fSSHSSf 150ns 



Quantity „ 
100 B 



99 




DYNAMIC MEMORY 



1-100 100+ 1000+ 



4164 150ns. 128 refresh 
41256 150ns. 256K 



ICM-4164150 
iCM-41256150 



1.39 
4.59 



1.19 
3.9b 



.99 

3.29 



Shipping: First five pounds $3.00, each additional pound $.50. 
Foreign orders: 10% shipping, excess will be refunded. 
California residents add 6 1 /z% sales tax. • COD 's discouraged. 
Open accounts extended to state supported educational institu- 
tions and companies with a strong "Dun & Bradstreet" rating. 



MJGUST 1 986 • BYTE 391 



Mail Order Electronics -Worldwide 



unsg 



Mail-Order Electronics 



ELECTRONICS 




74QO 



Part No. 


Price 
19 


Part No, 


Price 


SN7400N 


SN7485N 


55 


SN7402N 


19 


SN7486N 


35 


SN7404N 


25 


SN7489N 


.... 1.95 


SN7405N 


29 


SN7490N 


39 


SN7406N 


..... .29 


SN7493N 


35 


SN7407N 


29 


SN74121N 


29 


SN7408N 


25 


SN74123N 


49 


SN7410N 


19 


SN74125N 


45 


SN7414N 


45 


SN74126N 


49 


SN7416N. . .. 


35 


SN74143N 


3.95 


SN7417N 


35 


SN74150N 


.... 1.29 


SN7420N 


19 

19 


SN74154N 


1 .25 


SN7430N 

SN7432N 


SN74158N 


1.39 


29 


SN74173N 


75 


SN7438N. .... 


29 


SN74174N 


59 


SN7442N 


45 


SN74175N 


59 


SN7445N 


69 


SN74176N 


89 


SN7446N 


79 


SN74181N. ... 


.... 1 .95 


SN7447N 


79 

79 


SN74189N 


1 .95 


SN7448N 


SN74193N 


69 


SN7472N 


39 


SN74198N. ... 


1.35 


SN7473N 


35 


SN74221N 


89 


SN7474N 


35 


SN74273N 


.... 1.95 


SN7475N 


39 


SN74365N 


59 


SN7476N 


35 


SN74367N. . . . 


59 



74LS 



74LS00. . . 


19 


74LS165 


.. .79 


74LS02. . . 


19 


74LS166 


... .89 


74LS04. . . 


25 


74LS173 


.. .49 


74LS05. . . 


25 


74LS174 


. .. .39 


74LS06. . . 


99 


74LS175. 


.. .39 


74LS07. . . 


99 


74LS189 


. . 3.95 


74LS08. . , 


19 


74LS191 


.. .49 


74LS10. . . 


19 


74LS193 


. .. .69 


74LS14. . . 


39 


74LS221 


. .. .59 


74LS27. . . 


25 


74LS240 


... .69 


74LS30. . . 


19 


74LS243 


... .69 


74LS32. . . 


25 


74LS244 


... .69 


74LS42. . . 


39 


74LS245 


. .. .79 


74LS47. . . 


89 


74LS259 


.. 1.19 


74LS73. . . 


35 


74LS273 .... 


. .. .79 


74LS74. . . 


25 


74LS279 


... .39 


74LS75. . . 


29 


74LS322 


. . 2.95 


74LS76. . . 


29 


74LS365 


... .39 


74LS85. . 


49 


74LS366 


... .39 


74LS86. . . 


.25 


74LS367. . 


... .39 


74LS90. . 


39 


74LS368 


. .. .39 


74LS93. . . 


39 


74LS373 


... .79 


74LS123. 


49 


74LS374 


... .79 


74LS125. 


39 


74LS393 


... .79 


74LS138. 


39 


74LS590 


. . 5.95 


74LS139. 


39 


74LS624 


. .. 1.95 


74LS154. . 


1 .49 


74LS629 


. . . 2.49 


74LS157. 


. .35 


74LS640 


... .99 


74LS158. 


35 


74LS645 .... 

74LS670 


... .99 


74LS163. 


49 


... .99 


74LS164. 


49 


74LS688 


...1.95 


74S/PI 


ROMS* 


74S00. . . 


29 


74S188* 


. . . 1 .75 


74S04. . . 


35 


74S189 


. .. 1.95 


74S08. . . 


35 


74S196 


. . . 1.49 


74S10. . . 


29 


74S240 


. .. 1.49 


74S32. . . 


35 

49 


74S244 


. . . 1.49 


74S74. . . 


74S253 


... .79 


74S85. . . 


1.49 


74S287* 


. .. 1.69 


74S86. . . 


35 


74S288* 


... 1.69 


74S124. . 


2.75 


74S373 


. .. 1.69 


74S174. . 


79 


74S374 


... 1.69 


74S175. . 


79 


74S472* 


...3.49 


7A1 


U.S 


74ALS00. 


35 

35 


74ALS138 


... .89 


74ALS02. 


74ALS174 


... .89 


74ALS04. 


39 


74ALS175 


... ,89 


74ALS08. 


.35 


74ALS240 


. . . 1.79 


74ALS10. 


35 


74ALS244 


...1.79 


74ALS27. 


39 


74ALS245 


. . . 2.49 


74ALS30. 


35 


74ALS373 


...1.95 


74ALS32. 


39 


74ALS374 


... 1.95 


74ALS74. 


55 


74ALS573 


... 1.95 



74F 



74F00 


59 


74F139 


...... 1.29 


74F04 


65 


74F157 


1.29 


74F08 


59 


74F193 


4.95 


74F10. ....... 


59 


74F240 


2.49 


74F32 


.. -65 


74F244 

74F253 


. . 2.49 


74F74. 


69 


1.79 


74F86 


89 


74F373 


2.95 


74F138 


1.19 


74F374 


2.95 



CD— CMOS 



CD4001 


19 


CD4081 


25 


CD4011 


19 


CD4082 


25 


CD4013 


35 


CD4093 

CD4094 


39 


CD4016 


29 


1 .49 


CD4017 


49 


CD401 03 


.... 2.95 


CD4018 


69 


CD4503 


49 


CD4020. 


59 


CD4510 


69 


CD4024 


49 


CD4511 


69 


CD4027 


39 


CD4515 


.... 1.39 


CD4030. ..... 


39 


CD4518 


79 


CD4040 


65 

29 


CD4520 


79 


CD4049 


CD4522 


79 


CD4050. 


29 


CD4538 


89 


CD4051 


..... .65 


CD4541 


89 


CD4052 


65 


CD4543 


99 


CD4053 


65 


CD4553 


4.95 


CD4059 


3.49 


CD4555 


89 


CD4060 


89 


CD4566 


.... 1.95 


CD4066. 


29 


CD4583 


.... 1.19 


CD4069. . 


25 

29 


CD4584 


59 


CD4070 


CD4585 


75 


CD4071 


..... .25 


MC14411 


.... 9.95 


CD4072 


25 


MC14490P. . . . 


4.49 


CD4076. 


89 


MC14572 


89 



COMMODORE CHIPS 



For VIC-20, C-64 and C-128 Personal Computers 



Part No. Price 


Part No. 


Price 


Part No. Price 


•6502MPUw/ciock 2.75 


'6526CIA. . . . 


.. 14.95 


*6572 19.95 


*6507 6.95 


♦6529SPI. . . . 


. . 7.95 


*6581SID 19.95 


*6508 w/RAM& I/0 14.95 


*6551ACIA. . . 


.. 3.95 


82S100PLA 19.95 


•6510CPU 9.95 


♦6560VIC-I. . . 


..14.95 


*8701ClockChip... 9.95 


*6525TPI 9.95 


'6567VIC-II. . 


..19.95 


8721 PLA 14.95 


•Specs. Available @ S 1 .50ea. 


*6569 


..19.95 


NOTE: 82S100 = U17 (C-64) 



NEC V20 & V3Q CHIPS 



Replace the 8086 or 8088 in Your IBM-PC and 
PartNo. Increase Its Speed by up to 40%! Price 

UPD70108D-5 (5MHz) V20 Chip $11.95 

UPD70108D-8(8MHz)V20Chip $16.95 

UPD701 16D-8 (8MHz) V30 Chip $15.95 

MICROPROCESSOR COMPONENTS 



MICROPROCESSOR CHIPS 

Part No. price 



D765AC 

CDP1802CE. ... 

2661-3 

Z80, Z80A, Z80B. 

Z80 


. . 4.95 
. . . 6.95 
. . . 6.95 

SERIES 

. . . 1.75 


Z80-CTC 

Z80-DART 

Z80-PI0 


. .. 1.79 
. . . 4.95 
. . . 1.79 


Z80A 


. . . 1.85 


Z80A-CTC. . . . 
Z80A-DART. . . . 

Z80A-PI0 

Z80A-SI0/0 

Z80B 


. . 1.89 
. . . 5.25 
. . . 1.95 
. . . 5.25 
. . . 3.95 


Z80B-CTC 

Z80B-PI0 


. . . 4.95 
. . 4 Q5 


6500/6800/68000 SER. 

6502 2.75 


65C02 

6520 


. . 1 0.95 
. . . 2.95 


6522 


. . . 4.95 


6532. . 


. . . 6.49 


6551 


3 95 


6800 


. . 1 .95 


6802 


. . . 4.95 


6810 


. . . 1.95 


6821 


. . . 1.95 


6840 


. . . 6.75 



6500/6800/68000 Cont. 
Part No. Price 



6843 


. . 9.95 


6845. 

6850 


. . . 4.95 
. . . 1.95 


6852 


. . , 4.75 


68000L8 

68661 


. . . 9.95 
. . . 8.95 


8000 SERIES 

8031 S.95 


80C31 BH 

8035 


. . 1 9.95 
. . . 1.95 


8073N 

8080A 


. . 29.95 
. . . 3.95 


8085A. 

8086 


. . . 2.75 
. . . 8.95 


8086-2 


. . 10.95 


8087 (5MHz)... 
8087-2 (6MHz). 
8088 


.129.95 
.159.95 
. . . 7.95 


8088-2. . . 


. . 9.95 


81 1 6 


. . . 8.95 


8155 


. , . 2.75 


8155-2... . 


. . . 3.95 


81 56 . ... 


. . . 2.75 


8202. . 


. . 9.95 


8203 


. . 24.95 


8212 


. . . 1.95 


8224 


. . . 2.25 


8228 


. . . 3.49 



8000 SERIES Cont. 

Part No. Price 



8237-5 


. . 6.95 


8243 


. . 2.49 


8250A 


. . 6.95 


8250B (For IBM) . 


. . . 7.25 


8251 A.. 


. . 2.25 


8253-5 


. . 2.25 


8254 . . 


. . 9.95 


8254-2 


.11.95 


8255A-5 


. . 2.25 


8257-5 


. . 2.49 


8259-5 


. . 2.49 


8272 


. . 4.95 


8279-5 


. . 2.95 


8741 


. . 8.95 


8748 


, . 7.95 


8749 


. . 9.95 


8751 


. 29.95 


8755 


. 14.Q5 


DATA ACQUISITION 


ADC0804 


. . 3.49 


ADC0808 


. . 8.95 


ADC0809 


. . 3.95 


ADC0816 


. 14.95 


ADC0817 


. . 8.95 


DAC0808 


.. 1-95 


DAC1008 


. . 7.95 


AY-3-1015D. ... 


. . 4.95 


AY-5-1013A.... 


. . 3.95 



Part No. 



Function 



- DYNAMIC RAMS - 



Price 



4116N-15 

4128 (Piggyback) 

4164N-150 

4164N-200 

TMS4416-12 

MM5280 

8118 

41256-150 

50464-15 



TMM2016-12 

2102 

2102-2L 

2114N 

2114N-L 

2114N-2 

2114N-2L 

21C14 

2149 

5101 

HM6116P-3 

HM61 16LP-3 

HM6264P-12 

HM6264LP-12 

HM6264P-15 

HM6264LP-15 

6514 



1702A 

TMS2516 

TMS2532 

TMS2564 

2708 

TMS2716 

2716 

2716-1 

27C16 

2732 

2732A-20 

2732A-25 

2732A-45 

27C32 

2758 

2764-20 

2764-25 

2764A-25 

2764-45 

27C64 

27128-25 

27128A-25 

27256-25 

27C256-25 

27512-25 

68764 

68766 

74S387 

74S471 

82S123 



16,384 x 1 (1 50ns) 89 

131,072x1 (200ns) 5.95 

65,536 x 1 (150ns) 1.25 

65,536 x 1 (200ns) 1.15 

16.384x4 (120ns) 4.95 

4096 x 1 (200ns) 21 07 1.95 

16,384x1 (120ns) 69 

262,144 x 1 (1 50ns) 2.95 

65,536 x 4 (1 50ns) (4464) (41 464) 5.49 

STATIC RAMS 

2048x8 (120ns) 1.69 

1024x 1 (350ns) 89 

1024 x 1 (250ns) LR (91L02) 1.49 

1024 x 4 (450ns) 99 

1024 x 4 (450ns) LP. 1.09 

1024 x 4 (200ns) 1.05 

1 024 x 4 (200ns) LP 1.49 

1 024 x 4 (200ns) (CMOS) 49 

1 024 x 4 (45ns) 4.95 

256 x 4 (450ns) CMOS 3.95 

2048 x 8 (150ns) CMOS 1.45 

2048 x 8 (150ns) LR CMOS 1.49 

8192 x 8 (120ns) CMOS 4.09 

8192 x 8 (120ns) LR CMOS 4.29 

8192 x 8 (1 50ns) CMOS 3.75 

8192 x 8 (1 50ns) LP. CMOS 3.89 

1 024 x 4 (350ns) CMOS (UPD444C) 4.49 

PROMS/EPROMS 

256 x 8 (1MS) 5.95 

2048 x 8 (450ns) 25V 4.95 

4096 x 8 (450ns) 25V 5.95 

8192 x 8 (450ns) 25V 8.95 

1 024 x 8 (450ns) 3.49 

2048 x 8 (450ns) 3 voltage 9.95 

2048 x 8 (450ns) 3.15 

2048 x 8 (350ns) 25V 4.95 

2048 x 8 CMOS 6.49 

4096 x 8 (450ns) 3.75 

4096 x 8 (200ns) 21 V 3.95 

4096 x 8 (250ns) 21V 3.49 

4096 x 8 (450ns) 21V 3.29 

4096 x 8 CMOS 6.49 

1024 x 8 (450ns) Single +5V 2.95 

8192 x 8 (200ns) 21V 3.95 

8192 x 8 (250ns) 21V 3.49 

8192 x 8 (250ns) 12.5V 3.25 

8192 x 8 (450ns) 21V 3.25 

8192 x 8 CMOS 21V 4.95 

16,384 x 8 (250ns) 128K21V 3.25 

16.384 x 8 (250ns) 12.5V 4.95 

32.768 x 8 (250ns) 256K ( 1 2.5V) 5.95 

32,768 x 8 (250ns) 256K (CMOS) (12.5V) 8.95 

65,536 x 8 (250ns) 512K (12.5V) 24.95 

8192 x 8 (450ns) 25V 15.95 

8192 x 8 (350ns) 25V 16.95 

256 x 4 PROM O.C 1.69 

256 x 8 PROM TS 4.95 

32 x 8 PROM TS ■ . 2.95 



Part No. 



LOW PROFILE (TIN) SOCKETS 



1-9 10-99 100-up 



8 pin LP 13 

14 pin LP 15 

16 pin LP 17 

24 pin LP 31 

28 pin LP 39 

40 pin LP 49 



.12 

.13 



.37 
.46 



.35 



WIRE WRAP SOCKETS (GOLD) LEVEL 83 



Part No. 



1-9 10-99 100-up 



.69 



8 pin WW. . 
14 pin WW. . 

16 pin WW. ..... .75 

24 pin WW 1.19 

28 pin WW 1.39 

40 pin WW 1.79 



.49 

.65 
.69 
1.09 

1.29 
1.69 



.45 

.59 
.65 
.99 
1.19 
1.59 



- SOLDERTAIL STANDARD (GOLD & TIN) AND HEADER PLUG SOCKETS ALSO AVAILABLE - 



SATELLITE TV 
DESCRA1YIBLER 

The MM5321 is a TV camera sync generator designed to 
supply the basic sync functions for either color or mono- 
chrome 525 line/60Hz interfaced and camera video recorder 
applications. COLOR BURST GATE & SYNC 

ALLOW STABLE COLOR OPERATION 

MM5321 $9.95 

PIGITALKER™ 

DT 1050 — Applications: Teaching aids, appliances, 
clocks, automotive, telecommunications, language transla- 
tions, etc. The DT1 050 is a standard DIGITALKER kit encoded 
with 137 separate and useful words, 2 tones, and 5 different 
silence durations. The words and tones have been assigned 
discrete addresses, making it possible to output single words 
or words concatenated into phrases or even sentences. The 
"voice" output of the DT1050 is a highly intelligible male voice. 
The DT1 050 consists of a Speech Processor Chip, MM54104 
(40-pin) and two (2) Speech ROMs MM52164SSR1 and 
MM521 64SSR2 (24-pin) along with a Master Word list and a 
recommended schematic diagram on theapplication sheet. 
Part No. Description Price 

DT1050 DJgltalker~ $24.95 

MM54104 Processor Chip ... $ 9,95 

DT1 057 -Expands the DT1050 vocabulary from 137 
words to over 250 words. Includes two (2) ROMs and specs. 



DT1057. 



$11.95 



INTERSIL 



Part No. 


Price 

12.95 

1 2.95 

8.95 


Part No. 


Price 


FE0202D 

FE0203D 


7207AEV/Kit 

721 1 1PL (TTLj 


. . 8.49 
. . 7.95 


7106CPL 


721 1MIPL (Micro) 
7217UI 


...8.49 


7106EV/Kit. . 


46.95 

8.95 


. 10.95 


7107CPL 


7217AIPI 

7224IPL 

7226AEV/Kit 


. . 8.95 


71 07EV/Kit. . . . 
7207AIPD 


. . . 46.95 
5.95 


. 10.95 
. 99.95 



74HC HI-SPEED CMOS 



74HC00 


35 


74HC175 


89 


74HC02 


39 


74HC221 


. ... 1.95 


74HC04 


39 


74HC240. 


.... 1.39 


74HC08 


39 


74HC244 


1 .49 


74HC10 


39 


74HC245 


.... 1.59 


74HC14 


59 


74HC253 


79 


74HC30 


39 


74HC259 


....1.19 


74HC32 


45 


74HC273 


.... 1.79 


74HC74 


45 


74HC373 


1.49 


74HC75 


69 


74HC374 


.... 1.49 


74HC76 


.69 


74HC393 


.... 1.19 


74HC85 


1.19 


74HC595 


.... 1.95 


74HC86 


59 


74HC688 


.... 1.95 


74HC123 


1.19 


74HC4040. . . . 
74HC4049 


1.19 


74HC125 


99 


79 


74HC132 


79 


74HC4050 


79 


74HC138 


79 


74HC4060 


.... 1.19 


74HC139 


79 


74HC4511 


.... 1.95 


74HC154 


1.95 


74HC4514. . . . 


.... 2.95 


74HC163 


89 


74HC4538 


.... 1.95 


74HC174 


89 


74HC4543 


.... 2.95 



74C-CMOS 



74C00 


29 

29 


74C174 


89 


74C02 


74C175 


89 


74C04 


25 


74C221 


1.19 


74C08 


35 


74C240 

74C244 


1.59 


74C10 


29 


1.59 


74C14 


.49 


74C373 


1.95 


74C32 


35 


74C374 


1.95 


74C74 


49 

1.19 


74C912 


7.95 


74C85 


74C915 


1.19 


74C86 


29 


74C920 


9.95 


74C89 


3.95 


74C921 


9.95 


74C90 


89 


74C922 


3.95 


74C154 


2.95 

89 


74C923 


3.95 


74C173 


74C925 


4.95 



LINEAR 



DS0026CN 


.... 1.69 
79 


LM399H ... 


.3.95 


TL074CN 


TL497ACN. 


. . 2.19 


TL084CN 


1.09 


NE540H (C540H) . 


..2.95 


LM307CN 


45 


NE555V 


.. .29 


LM309K. 


.... 1.25 


XR-L555 


.. .69 


LM311CN 


45 


LM556N 

NE558N 


.. .59 


LM317T 


99 


. 1.19 


LM318CN 


.... 1.19 

.... 1.19 


LM565N 


.. .99 


LM319N 


LM567V 


.. .89 


LM320K-5 


1.35 


NE592N 


.. .89 


LM320T-5. .... 


59 


LM741CN 


.. .29 


LM323K. 


4.49 


LM747N 


.. .59 


LM324N 


39 


LM1458CN 


.. .49 


LM338K. 


.... 3.95 


LM1488N 


.. .69 


LM339N 


49 

.... 1.35 


LM1489N 


.. .69 


LM340K-5 


LM1496N. . . . 


.. -99 


LM340K-12 


1.35 


LM1871N 


. . 1.95 


LM340K-15 


1.35 


LM1872N 


. . 2.49 


LM340T-5. .... 


49 


LM1896N 


. . 1.59 


LM340T-12. . . . 


49 


ULN2003A 


.. .99 


LM340T-15. . . . 


49 


XR2206 


.3.95 


LF347N 


99 


XR2207 


.2.49 


LM348N 


69 


XR2211 


.2.95 


LF351 N 


49 


LM2907N 

LM2917N(8pin). . 


. 1.95 


LF353N 


59 


. . 1.55 


LF355N 


89 


LM3900N 


.. .59 


LF356N. ...... 


89 


LM3905CN 


. . 1.19 


LM358N 


49 


LM3909N 


.. .89 


LM360N 


....2.19 


LM3914N 


. 1.95 


LM361N 


.... 1.59 


LM3916N 


. . 1.95 


LM380CN 


.... 1.09 


NE5532 


. . .99 


LM386N-3 


.89 


NE5534 


.. .89 


LM387N 


99 


75477 


. 1.19 


LM393N. ..... 


45 


76477 


.3.95 



PARTIAL LISTING • OVER 4000 COMPONENTS AND ACCESSORIES IN STOCK! • CALL FOR QUANTITY DISCOUNTS 



392 BYTE' AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry 145 



Worldwide • Since 1974 

• QUALITY COMPONENTS • COMPETITIVE PRICING 



Mail Order Electronics -Worldwide 



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rJil*h'il-Ji**]11kVl:k> 



ELECTRONICS 




COMMODORE COMPATIBLE 
AC C ESSORIES 

Now Compatible 

With C- 128! 

RS232 Adapter 

for VIC-20, C-64 

and C-128 

The JE232CM allows connection of standard serial RS232 
printers, modems, etc. to your VIC-20, C-64 (excluding the 
SX-64 Portable), and C-128. A 4-pole switch allows the in- 
version of the 4 control lines. Complete installation and 
operation instructions included. 

• Plugs into User Port • Provides Standard RS232 signal levels 

• Uses 6 signals (Transmit. Receive, Clear to Send, Request to 
Send, Data Terminal Ready, Data Set Ready). 

JE232CM $39.95 

Voice Synthesizer VIC-20 & C-64 

Plug-In - Talking in Minutes! 

JE520CM $99.95 

300 Baud Auto Modem 
Mitey-Mo (For c-64) $54.95 

Parallel Printer Interface 

2K Buffer, Expandable to 10K! 
MW350 (ForVlC-20,C-64&C-128) $54.95 

TRS-80® COMPATIBLE 
ACCESSORIES 

E-X-P-A-N-D TRS-80 MEMORY 

All kits come complete with documentation 

TRS-80 MODEL I, III 

TRS-16K3 200ns (Model Iff) S5.95 

TRS-16K4 250ns (Model I) $5.49 

TRS-80 COLOR AND COLOR II 

TRS-64K-2 $11.95 

New models only - 
TRS-CoCo-lncl. 2-50464's (41464's). . . . $13.49 

TRS-80 MODEL 4, 4P 

TRS-64K-2 $11.95 

ExpandsModel 4 from 1 6K-64K or Model 4Pfrom 64K-1 28K 

TRS-64K-2PAL $29.95 

ExpandsModel 4 from 64K to 128K 

TRS-80 Model 100 • NEC • Olivetti 

M1008K $24.95 ea. or 3 for $59.95 

TRS-80 Model 100 Expansion 

NEC8KR $24.95 ea. or 3 for $59.95 

NEC Model PC-8201A Expansion 

OM108K $24.95 ea. or 3 for $59.95 

Olivetti Model M10 Expansion 

TANDY 200 

M200R $74.95 ea. or 2 for $129.95 

Tandy Model 200 Expansion 

UV-EPROM ERASER 



H 



m 



Erases all EPROMs. Erases up to 8 chips within 21 minutes 
(1 chip in 15 minutes). Maintains constant exposure distance 
of 1 ". Special conductive foam liner eliminates static build-up. 
Built-in safety lock to prevent UV exposure. Compact- 9.00"L 
x 3.70'W x 2.60"H. Complete with holding tray for 8 chips. 

DE-4 UV-EPROM Eraser. . . . $74.95 

UVS-11EL Replacement Bulb. . . . $17.95 

DATA BOOKS 

30003 National Linear Data Book (82) $14.95 

30009 Intersil DataBook(85) $ 9.95 

30013 Zilog Data Book (85) § 14 - 95 

30032 National Linear Supplement (84) $ 6.95 

210830 Intel Memory Handbook (86) $17.95 

230843 Intel Microsystem Hndbk. Set (86) $24.95 

MUFFIN/SPRITE-STYLE FANS 



MUF60 (SPN3-15-2462) .... $9.95 

Howard Industries (4.68" sq.. 60 cfm) 

SU2C7 $9.95 

EG&G Rotron (3.125" square, 20 cfm) 




NEW! 




=IHll= 13" Color 
Composite Monitor 

for VIC-20 and C-64 
Also compatible with other 
computers with composite 
output (i.e. Apple II, II+, He*) 

Ideal for color graphics and games 

• Resolution: 260H x 300V • Recommended 
Display Character Number: 960 Characters 
(40Characters x24 Rows on 5x7 Dot Matrix) 

• CRT: 13" diagonal • Size: 14.6' W x 13.5"H 
x 15.5"D • Weight: 25.3 lbs. — - 

2 for 
CM0N.7FT. . . . $129.95 each or $219.95 

RCA-3-DIN (Universal Computer to Monitor Cables for Atari, Commodore &TI) $3.49 

NEW PRODUCTS! 

ZUCKI=RI30 y Al?D Expansion Memory 

Half Card and 

Clock/Calendar for 

the Tandy 1000 

The Zuckerboard Expansion Memory Board 

allows you to expand the memory of your 
Tandy 1000 (128K Model) as much as 640K! 
256K DRAM chips increase yourcomputer's 
memory by either 256K or 512K, bringing 
your total system memory up to either 384K 
or 640K. The memory board also includes a DMA controller chip. Optional 
clock/calendar plugs directly onto the memory board. Manual included. 

TAN-CIOCk Clock/Calendar Option (only) $ 39.95 

TAN-EM256K Includes 256K RAM $ 99.95 

TAN-EM512K Includes 512K RAM $139.95 




■!■ ■■■■■ 
BIG BOARD 



1 MBYTE RAM CARD 

for Apple II, IN- and //e* 




Introducing a third generation memory card that gives you both great expand- 
ability and great versatility at an extraordinary price. Versatility to users means 
that BIG BOARD is compatible with software written for the Synetix SSD 
(Flashcard) as well as for Jameco's JE868 128K RAM Card. Big Board makes 
available 426K of worksheet space, using the program THE Spreadsheet 
Version 2.0. It is compatible with PLUSWORKS XM for running Appleworks 
on the Apple II. Versatility also means that BIG BOARD comes complete with 
RAM DISK software for DOS 3.3. ProDOS. Pascal 1.2. and CP/M for Microsoft's 
Softcard. A separate driver is available for the AppliCard (StarCard). 

BIG BOARD-256K 256K RAM $199.95 

BIG BOARD-512K 512K RAM $249.95 

BIG BOARD-1M 1Meg RAM $299.95 

External Power Supply 
for the Commodore 64 

■ Input: 1 1 7VAC @ 60Hz • Output: 5VDC @ 
3 Amps. 1 0VAC @ 250mA ■ Short circuit pro- 
tected and current limited • Transient spike 
suppression on 2 auxiliary 11 0VAC sockets 
• Switch on front serves as power switch 
for the computer and other peripherals 

■ RFI/EMI filtered ■ Adjustable linear regu- 
lator • Has less than 50mV ripple rms at full 
load • 5 Amp primary fuse ■ Two conductor 
with ground line • Color: brown • Size: 7Vi"D 
x5VWx2'/2"H- Weight: 5 lbs. 

CPS-10 $39.95 



Yr. Warranty! 




IBM® COMPATIBLE 
ACCESSORIES 

83-KEY KEYBOARD 




• Identical layout as original IBM PC Keyboard • Highly 
desirable case with palm rest • Complete with cable and data 
JUST PLUG IN! 



KB83 SALE . 



, $29.95 



Build an IBM PC/XT" Compatible! 

IBM-64K(2) 64K ram Chips (18) $ 24.98 

KB-83 83-Key Keyboard $ 29.95 

IBM-FCC Floppy Controller Card $ 49.95 

IBM-Case case $ 49.95 

IBM-MCC Monochrome Card $ 89.95 

IBM-PS Power Supply $ 89.95 

FD55B Disk Drive $11 9.95 

IBM-MON Monochrome Monitor. . . . $109.95 

IBM-MB Motherboard $169.95 

Regular List $734.58 

-Special (lncl.9itemsabove) . . $649.95 



IBM 7 



Additional Add-Ons Available! 

IBM-KB 83-Key Keyboard $ 79.95 

IBM-ENH Enhanced Keyboard $ 99.95 

IBM-ICB Integrated ColorBoard ... $1 09.95 

IBM-EGA Enhd. Graphics256KRAM . . $349.95 

IBM-20MBK 20MB Hard Disk Drive $499.95 

IBM is a registered trademark of IBM Computers 

__ .... Universal -._ 
NEW! 64K/256K 1fi£W, 
Printer Buffer 



S 



JOHN ATI ION FREEMAN DESIGN: 



The UBUFFER Universal Printer Buffer is a hi-speed data 
buffer that accepts data at a high rate, and then outputs this 
data to your printer. You save valuable computer time. The 
UBUFFER can be connected to practically any computer or 
printer. There are four possible combinations: 1) Serial to 
Serial, 2) Serial to Parallel, 3) Parallel to Parallel, 4) Parallel 
to Serial. Manual included. Size: 9-1 /3"L x 4'VW x 1 V'H 



UBUFFER-64K . 
UBUFFER-256K 



.$199.95 
. $229.95 




M Compatible! 
dF DISK DRIVES 



FD55B Teac 5V 4 " DS Vj-Height $11 9.95 

S A455 Shugart 5V«" DS Va-Height $ 1 1 9.95 

TM1 00-2 Tandon 5V«" DS Full-Height $1 09.95 

JMR 5V4" DISK DRIVE ENCLOSURES 

Complete with power supply, switch, 
power cord, fuseholder and connectors. 

DDE-1FH $69.95 

Houses 1 Fufl-Height 5'4" Floppy Drive. 

DDE-2HH $79.95 

Houses 2 Hall-Height5"«" Floppy Drives - Vertical 

HDDE-1FH $199.95 

Houses 1 Hard Disk Drive 



$20 Minimum Order - U.S. Funds Only 
Shipping: Add 5% plus $1.50 Insurance 



California Residents: Add 6% or 6 1 /2% Sales Tax 



Send stamped, 

self-addressed envelope 

to receive a Quarterly 

Sales Flyer - FREE! 

8/86 



jgffB ® 




VISA" 



Spec. Sheets — 30$ each 
Prices Subject to Change 

Send $1.00 Postage for a 

FREE 

1986JAMECO 

CATALOG 

©1986 Jameco Electronics 



1355 SHOREWAY ROAD, BELMONT, CA 94002 • PHONE ORDERS WELCOME 415-592-8097 Telex: 176043 




Inquiry 1 45 



AUGUST 1986 •BYTE 393 






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394 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



2000 

We have a limited quantity 
of these specially priced lap 
computers and Kaypro 2000 
accessories at 30% off. All 
with a 10-day money-back 
guarantee— Call for details. 




KAYPRO 

IBM Compatible 
Lap Computer 

$ 1188 

• 768K of RAM 

• 720K disk drive 

• Includes FREE software 






-" 






usSL 

CO a. Jtf 


Complete with controller 
i, datacable, and mounting 
, totally PC/XT compatible. 


en 
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^0)00 

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Inquiry 144 



AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 395 



DRIVES 

20 MB Seagate drive $439 

30MBdriveforAT §629 

360 K Floppy for AT $110 

Teac55B $109 



IBM COMPATIBLE 

HARDWARE 

Multifunction card 384K, S, P, CLK §139 

AT Multifunction card OK-3MB §169 

MONOCROME graphics card §99 

Color Graphics card §89 

ComBo CARD ser, par, clock §69 

EXPANSION CHASIS 7 slots §569 



TAPE DRIVES 

IO MB Irwin §379 

20 MB Irwin §429 

Everex Stream 20 §569 

Everex Stream 60 §899 



COMPAQ 286, 20MB 

Portable, 512K, DOS 
$3999 

COMPAQ Deskpro 20MB 

Seagate, 640K, Monitor, DDS 
$2399 

SPERRY II 44MB CALL 

LEADING EDGE CALL 



SYSTEMS 

IBM AT COMPATIBLE 

8MHZ, 512K,20meg 
Monitor, graphics, ser, par 

$2399 

IBM XT COMPATIBLE 

256K, 20 meg, Monitor 

graphics, ser, par 

$1195 



IBMAT30MB $3900 

Seagate 51 2K, DOS, Monitor 

IBMXT20MB ..$2495 

Seagate, 256K; ©OS, Monitor 

EQUITY CALL 

ITTXTRA CALL 



IBM SOFTWARE 

LOTUS 123 CALL 

Symphony CALL 

ENABLE 359.00 

VP Planner 59.00 

ASHT0N TATE Framework CALL 

dBASE II 279.00 

dBASE III Plus CALL 

POWERBASE CALL 

CLIPPER dBASE III Compiler 355.00 

LATTICE C COMPILER 249.00 

MULTIMATE 225.00 

MULTIMATE ADVANTAGE 269.00 

SORCIMSUPERCALC III 199.00 

MICROSOFT Multiplan 119.00 

Word ...CALL 

Windows. 65.00 

Project 239.00 

FOX & GELLER Quickcode 149.00 

BORELAND TURBO PASCAL 39.00 

REFLEX 55.00 

LIGHTENING 59.00 

SUPERKEY 39.00 

SIDEKICK (unprotected) 49.00 

ASCII PRO Comm Software 69.00 

CROSSTALK XVI 99.00 

MIRROR Comm Software 49.00 

PEACHTREE Back to Basics 1 99.00 

BPI GENERAL ACCOUNTING 299.00 

OPEN SYSTEMS CALL 

REALWORLD CALL 

ONE-WRITE PLUS 149.00 

IN-HOUSE ACCOUNTANT 89.00 

ACCOUNTINGPARTNER 199.00 

MONOGRAM DOLLARS & SENSE 99.00 

TOBIAS MANAGING YOUR MONEY ..99.00 

SATELLITE WORD PERFECT 225.00 

MICROPRO WordStar PRO 249.00 



WordStar2000PLUS 285.00 

SAMNA WORD III 279.00 

RBASE5000 359.00 

PRINTMASTER 35.00 

BREAKTHROUGH TIMELINE 255.00 

DECISION RESOURCES CHRTMSTER219.00 
ENERGRAPHICS w/plotter opt 207.00 

FUNK SIDEWAYS 36.00 

LIFETREE V0LKSWRITER DELUXE 149.00 
HARVARD TTL PROJECT MNGR . .285.00 
THINKTANK 110.00 

IBM HARDWARE 

AST 6Pack Plus w/384k 229.00 

Advantage W/128k 399.00 

STB Rio Plus 384K 5 function 215.00 

RIO Grande 3 function for AT 289.00 

Companion PC 0-2 MB LIMS 189.00 

Chaufleurmonographics 229.00 

EGA- Plus Cotor Board 325.00 

JRAM3 175.00 

JRAMAT3 225.00 

HERCULES Mono Graphics CALL 

Color Card CALL 

ORCHID Tiny Turbo CALL 

QUAORAM Quadboard 0-K 198.00 

EGA ♦ 379.00 

QuadPort for AT ser & par 125.00 

PARADISE ModularGraphicsCard CALL 

130 WAT Power Supply 79.00 

TALLGRASSW/Tape CALL 

Graphics Edge Card 239.00 

1.2MB FLOPPY for AT 189.00 

MOUSESYSTEMS Mouse 119.00 

MICROSOFT Mouse w/sftwr 117.00 

KOALA KAT 137.00 



MODEMS 

ANCHOR Express 300/1200 199.00 

Volksmodem 1200 (5yrwrnty) 118.00 

EXPRESS I 300/1200 149.00 

Lightning 2400 Baud CALL 

HAYES 1200 369.00 

1200B 349.00 

2400 CALL 

PROMETHEUS 1200 ,«. 259.00 

Promodem 12 00B »»K fc C 219.00 

Promodem 1200A -AWJVfl^* 249.00 
Promoden300llc > y tP 115.00 

Promoden2400 S v . CALL 

MONITORS 

AMOEK 300A 139.00 

310A Hi-Res Amber H9.00 

Color 722 RGB 720X350 CALL 

PRINCETON GRAPHICS HX 12 399.00 

HX-12E RGB 720X350 ..., CALL 

SR-12 CALL 

MAX-12 149.00 

TAXAN; ALL MODELS CALL 

PANASONIC 

OT-H103 10" High Res 369.00 

IBM COMPATIBLE Monocrome 99.00 

Color RGB Monitor (640X200) , . 349.00 

PRINTERS 

PANASONIC (2 yr warranty) 

KX-P1080 199.00 

KX-P1091 229.99 

KX-P1092 215.00 

KX-P1592 419.00 

KX-P1595 240CPS CALL 

KX-P3131 17cps Daisey 249.00 

KX-P3151 22 cps Daisey 385.00 



Citizen MSP-10 299.00 

MSP-15 405.00 

MSP-25 CALL 

STARMICRONICS CALL 

EPSON LX-80 Call 

FX-286 for 

LQ-800 Best 

LQ-1000 Prices 

BROTHER-1509 379.00 

Twinwriter 5 829.00 

OKIDATA- All Models Call 

TOSHIBA All Models CALL 

CANNON Laser Printer CALL 

HEWLETT PACKARD PRINTERS ...CALL 
HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS Plotters CALL 
Digitizers . . CALL 

APPLE PRODUCTS 

APPLE Compatible Onve lie 99.00 

He compatible drive 99.00 

MAC Compatible 37? drive 229.00 

MICROSOFT Softcardll 259.00 

ASCII XPRESS (Communications) 69.00 

APPLEWORKS 215.00 

SPELLWORKS 49.00 

PRINT SHOP 35.00 

Mach III Joystick 39.00 

SYSTEM SAVER Fan 69.00 

VIDEO 7 lie Enhancer CALL 

VIDEX Ultraterm 165.00 
APRICORN (Lifetime Warranty) 

Super Serial Imager . 75.00 

Graphics Interface 65.00 

80Column/64K 75.00 

EXTEND IT 64K 55.00 

KOALA SpeedKey 99.00 



Call for catalog. Thousands of products available. Volume discounts. 



o 



m 



COMPUTERBANC 

16783 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach, Cfl 9E647 
TCLCX #550757 RNSUICR BACK— COMPUTCR UD 



Orders Only 

800/332-BANC 

OUTSID€ CALIFORNIA 



:W®b ©w®%®m®v @®frwB@@ 



T$&mj<®BM© 



$£. 714/841-6160 



Cash prices indicated. A I products are in factory sealed packages. LUe guorontee ofl Items for 30 days. W lch(n this period, defective merchandise returns must 

be accompanied by AMR number. A4 other returns wlB be subject to a 10% restocking fee. For prepaid orders, there uj* be o 3% snipping charge; 5% for UPS 

Blue lobel; S5.00 minimum; at orders outside U.S.A. at 15% shipping. Cotfornio residents add 6% sates tax. Prices subject to change without notice. 

©Copyright 1985 COMPUT€A8ANC, A* Rights Reserved. 



396 BYTE • AUGUST 1 986 



Inquiry 73 



icro Q 

i products ^i 

nternational 7i4/898-o84o -v 

i Telex: 887841 XORDATA HTBH Fax: 714/897-3363 
► 15392 Assembly Lane, Unit A •Huntington Beach, CA 92649 + 



^Hasa 



r 



llilllUlillllllHlI 





.,.,,, 



The XAT is out most versatile and powertul 
system Using Intel s 80286 processor, the 
system runs at 6 and 8 MHz with a true 
16-bil data bus Comes standard with a 3 
meg Add-On board. 2 parallel 4 one serial 
port monitor keyboard. DOS 3 1. two 
eight DS DD 1 2 meg floppies 



5 Complete Systems 




This standard system ts as compatible with 
IBM as it can be. Featuring a 4-layer mother- 
board. 8-slot expansion, up to 640K 
memory on the motherboard, and the 6.67 
MHz TURBO mode. Also included OOS 3 1 
keyboard. 135 watt power supply, TTL 720 ; 
348 resolution video card, green or amber 
monitor, serial & parallel ports. Real Time 
Clock and software 



Amsterdam ■ 020-45-26-50 



2 MB Expansion Board 



Our 1986 Catalog is 
HOT} off the press! 

'% ' x Dealers! Check our 
9 * Profitable Discount 

Pricing! 




The perfect choice for the system integrator 
who needs the IBM compatibility but not in 
the standard PC cabinet. This model features 
hinged and removable sides, up to 3 '» height 
peripherals oul front, front mount AC switch 
and rear mount I35 watt power supply Also 
makes an ideal Host or Frte Server unit 
in multi-user configurations' 




, 



in 



■m%. 



The XTjr. is only junior in size' With up to 
640K memory on the motherboard and four 
expansion slots, this stand-alone system is 
also great for workstations in a networking 
i.'Mvironment. It can be upgraded to the 
TURBO two speed motherboard and you 
can also add up to 2 serial & 2 parallel pons 
or any IBM compatible expansion card A 
perfect word processing data entry system 




This ts truly the affordable portable and we II 
build it to your specifications Need | 20 
meg hard disk and 20 meg tape with 64 OK 
memory in your portable 7 No problem' The 
XPC Compact comes standard with a 9" 
amber TTL monitor 135 watt P S. 256K 
memory, two 3 6 OK drives Real Time 
Clock Calendar w Battery Back-up sertal and I 
parallel ports, and our TURBO Motherboard 



24 Add-On Cards 




This board satisfies the new approach suggested by 
INTEL and Lotus 1-2-3. Also may be used on our 
XT-SBC TURBO boad for memory based at OK. 



Hard Disk Controller 




This Western Digital controller handles 1 or 2 drives 5 
to 140 megabytes with minimum software configura- 
tion Features DOS 2 1 & 3 1 compatibility, and ST-506 
Interface 



384K Multi-Function 




A Multifunction board featuring Parallel Port Serial Port 
Game Port Real Time Clock Calendar with Battery 
Back up Expand to 384K allCables PnntSpooter and 
RAM Disk Software, and Manuals 



Germany 



4 Meg Token Ring 




Connect your workstation to an existing 4 Megabyte 
IBM token ring system or build up your own IEEE 802 5 
standard system. The lowest possible cost for 
I00°oindustry standard compatibility 



AT H.D.& Floppy 



Mono & Color Graphics 



7 PAK Multi-Function 



PROM Laser 





This new Western Digital combo board with its t -speed 
VLSI technology will give you a data transfer rate 50 °o 
faster than the existing combo board in the AT Runs 
both 360K and 1 2 meg floppy disk drives 



Supports two levels of graphics and text in composite 
monochrome or RGB color Low resolution 320 x 200 
pixel high resolution 640 x 200 pixel 





Features Floppy Controller Parallel Port. ! 
(optional 2nd Serial}. Game Port. Real Time 
Clock Calendar with Battery Back-up. RAMdisk. Pnn 
Spooler, allcables & manuals 



Hi-speed algorithmes will burn 2716. 2732. 2732A. 
276-1 tin 52 sec). 27128. 27256 EPROMS undersoft- 
ware control right in your PC Zero Force Insertion 
Sockets Software, and Manual 



England 



Motherboards 

XAT TURBO XTSBC 



35 Components 



Bombay ■ 357172 




• RTC Calendar 

• 6 6 8 MHz clock 

• 8-s/ofexpanson 
•Intel 80286 

XPC TURBO 



4 77 8 8 MHz clock 
Serial 8 Parallel 
4 -layer PCB design 
RTC Calendar 

XPC-XT 




• 4 7786.B7MH2 

• 4layerPCB design 

• 8 slot expansion 

• Uf) to 640K Memory 

• 8088-2 processor 



' Standard 4 7 7 MHz 
1 up 10 640K memory 
' 8-sloi expansion 
' standard 8088 CPU 
•8087 socket avail 



Power Supplys 

XT 135 watt XT 150 watt 



hr*i 



|r*i 



• 135w switching • Whisper fan 

• Whisper Fan • Hi-output 150 watt 

• Side AC switch • 4 DC connectors 

• +5V-I5A -5V-5A • t5V-15A -5V-5A 

• + 12V-4 2A - 12V- 5A • + 12V-5 5A - 12V- 5A 

AT 200 watt XTC 135 



"""1$ 



% 



« 200 Watt power * Rear Mount 

• Exterior AC switch » Rear On Off switch 
» 4 DC power conn • extra AC outlets 

■ +5V-20A -5V-.5A • +5V-15A -5V 5A 
« + 12V-7 7A - 12V-.5A • + 12V-4A - 12V- 5A 



Cabinets 



The XTjr. cabinet is only 3" x 16 5" x 1 5 " yet il 

will hold astandard XT compatible motherboard 
Includes a switching power supply Front panel 
cut-out lor a half-height floppy or hard disk 



i!ll|!il!li! 

Our XPCXT cabinet has an 8-slot back panel 
with additional cutouts lor Iwo RS-232 I ports 
Features mounting for up lo tour half height 

peripherals 



The right choice for an external add-on cabmel 1 
Addon a floppy tape back-up. or up lo 33 meg ol 
hard disk (half-height) Switching power supply is 
included 



Keyboards 



AT 



This Keyboar'dTs standard equipment with lill 
of our XAT systems, but the layout is so well 
liked, we're offering it here. 



XT 



Our volume purchases of these IBM style 
units allows us to lower the price once again 



5051 



Now a fully selectnc unit at an affordable 
price Features a 10-key numeric pad & a 
separate cursor pad 



3 Sub-Systems 



Drives 

Archive 

Irwin 

Maxtor 

Memtek 

Miniscribe 

i Panasonic 

Seagate 

TEAC 

Tulin 



mmibcrme 

I Panasonic « 
Seagate 
TEAC 
Tulin 



This full height cabinet 
will hold a Tape Back-up 
with full or '^height Hard 
Disk mside (or two Hard 
Disks) 



A perfect cabinet lor 
Tape or Hard Disk, a 
nice addition to your 
PC 



Choose from Single ' jheight dual ' jheight. or ' jheight 
with full height base All Sub-systems include con- 
trollers, cables software and manuals 






IB' K 'HE 



■S&Hn mmBBHBBk JHBHHI 

One way to stay ahead of the competition is by using a Multi- 
User or Network system configuration from Micro Products 
International Choose Hi-speed RS-232 ■ XORNET 
SDLC or Token Ring Data transler rates up to 4 megabytes 

second can be obtained 



Cassette Training Int/Ext Modems 




What is the Cassette Training concept 9 Using Inleractive 
Audio Training lo combine Ihe advantage of classroom and 
self-leaching methods 

The Method One audio track delivers a lecture explaining 
the program, while the second track emulates the keyboard, 
actually running the student's computer At frequenl intervals 
the tape pauses automatically to allow the student keyboard 
input, which is monitored for accuracy by the MITS COED 




« FCC approved for direct • Runs the popular 

RJ-11 connection Hayes communications 

• Phone Cable & Power Supply software 
Finally a price breakthrough on a Hayes compatible external 
300 1200 baud modem Includes driver software 

lair 




Inquiry 190 



• Q-Modem software included • Runs the popular 
Also runs XCOM software Hayes communications 

• All cables included software 

We included every feature you would want in a modem card 
It 5 FCC registered for direcl connection to your modular 
phone iack with the cord included 



98fi 



Inquiry 66 



Disk 

The Ultimate 
Diskette Value ... 



Discover The 
Difference ... 

2 FOR 1 LIFETIME WARRANTY 

* Performance exceeds ANSI specifications by 62.5% 

* Each diskette 1 00% tested and certified error Jree 

* 65% clipping level * Over 10 million passes per track 

* Reinforced Hubs * Tyvek® (not paper) sleeves 
ee ™ * VV/P tabs and ID labels nc _ nn 



.54 



.59 



5V4 48TPI 

Simply top Brand-Name Quality, made in 
the U.SA. to our specifications by a leading 
manufacturer. Factory polybagged in lots 
of 25. Quantity discounts available. 



-- @ America's 

llCENTECh PremiumQuality 
Color Diskettes 



^ TIMELESS WARRANTY 

v* Performance exceeds A.N. SI. specifications by 88% 

ts Each disk 100% tested and certified 

is 14 COLORS for data organization 

f Pkgs. of 10. tyvek sleeves, w/p tabs , and ID labels 



QTY. 10 BOXES OR 
100 DISKETTES 
5V4" Color, BOXED, 48 TPI 

3.5 Color, BOXED 

5V«" Color, BULK, 48 TPI 



SS-DD 

.74 

1.39 

.64 

1 .30 3.5 Color, BULK 
High Density, Color, 1 .6mb, 
IBM ATCompatible 

Jncludes Tyvek sleeves, w/p tabs, ID labels 

| Callfor excellentpriceson otherCenTech products 



.98 
1.99 

.88 
1.92 

2.05 




America's No. 1 

Name-Brand 

Diskettes 



^ LIFETIME WARRANTY 

W High quality and consistently reliable 

i^ More rigidjackets than ever before 

SS-DD QTY. 5 BOXES DS-DD 

.74 5.25, 48 TPI 99 

1.35 3.5, 135 TPI 1.95 

DS-HD 96 TPI, IBM AT Compatible 2.09 

Call for best3 M priceso n head cleaning and data cartridges. 



Affordable Quality 
N3SI1U3 Incredible Value 

Best Prices Ever! 



f LIFETIME WARRANTY 

V Factory Fresh in BOXES of 1 with sleeves, w/p 

tab. ID labels 

SS-DD QTY. 10 BOXES DS-DD 

.63 5.25,48TPI,boxof10 .69 

1.59 3.5M35TPI 2.19 

High Density, IBM PC-AT Compatible 2.09 



BULK 



SPECIAL OF 
THE MONTH 

Made in U.SA. 



V LIFETIME WARRANTY 

is Exceeds ANSI specifications 

is Includes Tyvek sleeves and w/p tab 



5 1 /4 DS-DD 



MULTIPLES 
OF 100 

380 



ORDERING INFORMATION 



TERMS: Free use of VISA, Mastercard, and American Express. P.O. 

orders accepted from recognized corporations rated 3A2 or better, 

government and schools on 2%-net 30. PAYMENT: Add S3.00 per 

100 diskettes or fraction thereof, add $3.00 for head cleaning kit or 

dozen ribbons, add S3.00 for COD orders. 

PRICE PROMISE: We will better any lower delivered price on the 

same products and quantities advertised nationally. 

Toll Free Order Line: Information Line: 

1-800-233-2477 1-801-561-0092 



■ 199 Cottage Avenue 

IORIDUfer Salt Lake City. Utah 84070 

ffaiN inr Hours: 8amto 5pm 

ITclirS, inC. fmtn.timei 



398 BYTE • AUGUST I986 



Serial 4 ■■■""■■^ Parallel 




Convert What You Have 
To What You Want! 

• RS232 Serial * Centronics Parallel 

• 8 Baud Bates • Handshake Signals 

• Latched Outputs * Compact y/, x 4% x \% 

No longer will your peripheral choices be limited by the typo 
of port you have available! Our new High Performance 700 
Series Converters provide the missing link. Based on the 
latest in CMOS technology, these units feature full baud 
rale selection to 19.2K, with handshake signals to maximize 
transfer efficiency. Detailed documentation allows 
simplified installation. Order the Mode! 770 (Ser/Par) or 
Model 775 (Par/Ser) Today! 



LmErf ranks 



only 



89, 



95 



2734-C Johnson Of. 

Post Office Box 3717 

Veniura, California 93006 



ConneclorOptton JiOOO 
CA Residents 6'/. lai 

up s shipping $3 oa 



m 



CALL (805) 658-7466 or 658-7467 
For FAST Delivery I 



Inquiry 297 



NEC PRINTERS 



(1 Year Factory Warranty) 

Pinwriter P5 $ 930 

Pinwriter P5XL $1075 

Pinwriter P6 $ 450 

Pinwriter P7 $ 615 

Elf 350/360 $ 380 

3510/15/30/50 $ 715 

8810/15/30/50 $1040 

Optional Forms Handling 
Devices CALL 

QUALITY PRINTERS 
8415 Cement City Road 
Brooklyn, Michigan 49230 
Phone: 517-592-3749 



Inquiry 245 



TURBO PC/XT 

COMP. SYSTEM: 640K 

ONE DRIVE 
MONOGRAPHIC CARD 

W/PP, AT STYLE 

KEYBOARD, HI-RES. 

MONITOR W/SWIVEL 

BASE & 6 MONTHS 

WARRANTY 

$679 ONLY 

TO ORDER CALL 
800-227-2400 EXT. 998 

BAY AREA BUS 
SYSTEMS 

1740 MARKET ST. 

S.F. C A. 94102 

(415)431 -2808 

15 YEARS IN BUSINESS 



Inquiry 36 



TURBOLINK -f 



^ 






"TURBO Pascal hackers 
wil! like this program." 

Jerry Pournelle 

Byte Magazine 

• Add 512K of TURBO Pascal* to your code 

• Call up to 8 memory resident TURBO Pascal 
modules from programs written in: 
—BASIC, BASICA, Compiled BASIC 
—MS Pascal, C, MS FORTRAN 
—Standard, 8087 and BCD TURBO Pascal 
-TURBO Prolog 

• Add TURBO Pascal's 8087, BCD and graphic 
capabilities to other languages 

• Automatically generate TURBO Pascal com 
patible inline machine code. 

• Use all TURBO Pascal variants in a single 
program 

• Add Al capability to your Pascal programs 

• For IBM PC and compatible 

O*/ Foreign orders 

S&H included add S1 0.00 

VISA/MC: 1-800-835-2246 x123 
KANSAS CALL: 1-800-362-2421 x123 
Inquiries and Technical Information (303) 971-0729 
PATHFINDER SOFTWARE, INC. 
P.O. Box 43, Littleton. CO 80160 

•TURBO Pascal and TURBO Prolog are trademarks of Borland Inlernalioru 



Inquiry 2I7 



GAT-286 
COMPLETE SYSTEM— S2195 00 

Includes one megabyte memory on board, 6 or 8 
MHz, zero wait state, Phoenix BIOS; Disk drive con- 
troller with 2 floppy disk drives (1.2 MB. and 360 K) 
and one 20 M.B. hard disk; monochrome monitorwith 
adapter, serial/parallel ports; 200 W. power supply, 
keyboard, case. IBM PC/AT compatible. Certified to 
comply with FCC class B standards. 

PC/XT/AT COMPATIBLE PARTS 

Seagate 30 M.B., High Speed Hard Disk $645.00 
20 M.B. Hard Disk Kit (drive, controller, 

cables) $400.00 

135 W. Power Supply $ 65.00 

I/O Card for XT or AT S 75.00 

LOGIMOUSE S 85.00 

8087-3 Co-Processor $120.00 

80287-3 Co-Processor $215.00 

SEIKOSHA SP1000 (80 column) Printer 

w/Cable $195.00 

LUCKY COMPUTERS 

[214] 690-6110 

1701 Greenville, Suite 602, Richardson, TX 75081 

IBM PC/XT/AT are Registered Trademarks 
of International Business Machines Corp. 



Inquiry 1 72 



ic 



PROMPT DELIVERY!!!] 

G SAME DAY SHIPPING (USUALLY) 

* m QUANTITY ONE PRICES SHOWN for JUNE 30. 1986 



OUTSIDE OKLAHOMA: NO SALES TAX 



1M 

256K 
256K 
256K 
256K 
128K 
64K 



DYNAMIC RAM 

ioookxi 100 ns 



64Kx4 1 50 ns 

256Kx1 100 ns 
256Kx1 120 ns 
256Kxi 150 ns 
128Kx1 150 ns 
64Kxi 150 ns 
EPROM 
27512 64Kx8 250 ns 
27C256 32Kx8 250 ns 
27256 32Kx8 250 ns 
27128 16Kx8 250 ns 

27C64 8Kx8 200 ns 

2764 8Kx8 250 ns 

STATIC RAM 
43256L-12 32Kx8 120 ns 
6264LP-15 8Kx8 150 ns 



$70.00 
4.00 
5.50 | 
3.40 
2.85 
4.25 
1.35 

$23.00 
6.95 
5.20 
3 65 

4.75 
3.40 

$35.00 
2.99J 



INCLUDED ON 
FED-EX ORDERS 

RECEIVED BY: 
ThLSWAir S6 4 lbs 
FrFMlne S13 7 lbs 



Factory New, Prirne Parts jjporj 

MICROPROCESSOR UNLIMITED. INC. 
24.000 S. Peoria Ave.. BEGGS. OK. 74421 

(918) 267-4961, 62, 63, 64 

woe exlra 

1 'X bl 



Please call to current pnees because pnees mc sul^cl to change Shipping S insurance o»lra I 
Cash discount prices show- Orc.j-i .'.v...-;y.*! hv >■> If." C:.il i-in ir.t,i.v :■■ rWvefod lo -- *" 
trw next morning, wta Federal Express Standard Mr <n S6.00, or Priority One r.i — 



inquiry J96 






THE LATEST IN PC ENHANCEMENT PRODUCTS 



20 MB 
HARD DISK 



EHHMCED 6IUPHICS MMFIOII 

700% IBM COMPATIBLE-PASSES IBM EGA DIAGNOSTICS 

• COMPATIBLE WITH IBM EGA. COLOR GRAPHICS ADAPTOR AND 
MONOCHROME ADAPTOR 

• DISPLAYS 16 COLORS OUT OF 64 COLORS ynuf ny i w 

• COMES WITH 256K OF VIDEO RAM NUll UNLY 

• DUAL SCANNING FREQUENCIES 
WORKS WITH STANDARD OR 
EGATYPE RGB MONITORS 

• LIGHT PEN INTERFACE 

EGA MONITOR 

FULL ONE YEAR WARRANTY 

• EGA AND CGA COMPATIBLE 

• SCANNING FREQUENCIES: 
15.75 KHz/ 21.85 KHz 

• 14" BLACK MATRIX, 
NON-GLARE SCREEN 

• RESOLUTION: 
640x200/640x350 

• .31 DOT, 25MHz 

• 16 COLORS OUT OF 64 

• TEXT SWITCH-GREEN/AMBER 

$499.95 



$259.95 



&699V 



SYSTEM 

INCLUDES HARD DISK CONTROLLER, CABLES 
AND INSTRUCTIONS. ALL DRIVES ARE PRE- 
TESTED AND COME WITH A 1 YEAR WARRANTY. 

$389 95 



AT MULTIFUNCTION CARD $199.95 



ADDS UP TO 3 MEGABYTES OF USER EXPANDABLE MEMORY 

• SHIPPED WITH ZERO K RAM, USER EXPANDABLE TO 1.5 
MEGABYTES RAM ON BOARD, UP TO 3 MEGABYTES WITH 
OPTIONAL PIGGYBACK CARD 

• USES 64K OR 256K DYNAMIC RAMS 

• PARALLEL PORT & GAME PORT 

• SERIAL PORT 

• OPTIONAL SECOND SERIAL PORT 

PIGGYBACK MEMORY CARD (no memory installed) $49.95 




EXPANDED MEMORY CARD $1 99.95 



UP TO 2 MEGABYTES OF LOTUS/INTEL COMPATIBLE MEMORY 

• CONFORMS TO LOTUS/INTEL EXPANDED MEMORY 
SPECIFICATIONS (EMS) 

• SHIPPED WITH ZERO K RAM, USER EXPANDABLE TO 2 
MEGABYTES 

• USES 64K OR 256K DYNAMIC RAMS 

• USE AS EXPANDED (EMS) OR CONVENTIONAL MEMORY, 
RAMDISK OR SPOOLER 

• SOFTWARE INCLUDES EMS DEVICE DRIVERS, 
PRINT SPOOLER AND RAMDISK 




EPROM PROGRAMMER $129.95 



FOR IBM PC/ XT/ AT AND COMPATIBLES 

r PROGRAMS 27xxx SERIES EPROMS UP TO 27512 
r MENU DRIVEN SOFTWARE PROVIDED ON DISKETTE 
r AUTOMATICALLY SETS PROGRAMMING VOLTAGE 
• LOADS AND SAVES EPROM BUFFER TO DISK 
READ, WRITE, COPY, VERIFY OR CHECK BLANK 
DEBUG STYLE EDITOR FOR EASY MODIFICATION OF PROGRAM 
SPLITS OR COMBINES EPROMS OF DIFFERING SIZES 
INTERNAL CARD WITH EXTERNAL CABLE FOR A ZIF SOCKET 




#JDR Microdevices 



1224 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128 
Toll Free 800-538-5000 • (408) 995-5430 • FAX (408) 275-8415 • Telex 171-110 



© COPYRIGHT 1986 JDR MICRODEVICES 

THE JDR MICRODEVICES LOGO IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF JDR MICRODEVICES. JDR INSTRUMENTS AND JDR MICRODEVICES ARE TRADEMARKS OF JDR MICRODEVICES. 

IBM IS A TRADEMARK OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES. 



Inquiry I49 



AUGUST 1 986 • BYTE 399 



km 


• 
1 


lit: 


i '1 




STATIC RAMS 






2101 


256x4 


(450ns) 




1.95 


5101 


256x4 


(450ns)(CMOS) 




3.95 


2102L-4 


1024x1 


(450ns)(LP) 




.99 


2112 


256x4 


(450ns) 




2.99 


2114 


1024x4 


(450ns) 




.99 


2114L-4 


1024x4 


(450ns)(LP) 




1.09 


2114L-2 


1024x4 


(200ns)(LP) 




1.49 


2114L-15 


1024x4 


(150ns)(LP) 




1.95 


TMS4044-4 


4096x1 


(450ns) 




1.95 


TMM2016-150 


2048x8 


(150ns) 




1.49 


TMM2016-100 


2048x8 


(100ns) 




1.95 


HM6116-4 


2048x8 


(200ns)(CMOS) 




1.89 


HM6116-3 


2048x8 


(150ns)(CMOS) 




1.95 


HM6116LP-4 


2048x8 


(200ns)(CMOS)(LP) 


1.95 


HM6116LP-3 


2048x8 


(150ns)(CMOS)(LP) 


2.05 


HM6116LP-2 


2048x8 


(120ns)(CMOS)(LP) 


2.95 


HM6264P-15 


8192x8 


(150ns)(CMOS) 




3.89 


HM6264LP-15 


8192x8 


(150ns)(CMOS)(LP) 


3.95 


HM6264LP-12 


8192x8 


(120ns)(CMOS)(LP) 


4.49 


LP=Low power 










DYNAMIC RAMS 






4116-250 


16384x1 


(250ns) 




.49 


4116-200 


16384x1 


(200ns) 




.89 


4116-150 


16384x1 


(150ns) 




.99 


4116-120 


16384x1 


(120ns) 




1.49 


MK4332 


32768x1 


(200ns) 




6.95 


4164-200 


65536x1 


(200ns)(5v) 




1.19 


4164-150 


65536x1 


(150ns)(5v) 




1.29 


4164-120 


65536x1 


(120ns)(5v) 




1.95 


MCM6665 


65536x1 


(200ns)(5v) 




1.95 


TMS4164 


65536x1 


(150ns)(5v) 




1.95 


4164-REFRESH 


65536x1 


(150ns)(5V)(REFRESH) 2.95 


TMS4416 


16384x4 


(150ns)(5v) 




4.95 


41128-150 


131072x1 


(150ns)(5v) 




5.95 


TMS4464-15 


65536x4 


(150ns)(5v) 




6.95 


41256-200 


262144x1 


(200ns)(5v) 




2.95 


41256-150 


262144x1 


(150ns)(5v) 




2.95 



m& 



s 



****HIGH-TECH**** 
NECV20 UPD70108 $11" 

| REPLACES BOBB TO SPEED UP IBM PC 10-40% 

* HIGH-SPEED ADDRESS CALCULATION 
IN HARDWARE 

* PIN COMPATIBLE WITH 8088 

* SUPERSET OF 8088 INSTRUCTION SET 

* LOW POWER CMOS 

8MHZ V20 UPD7010B-B $13.95 
8MHZ V30 UPD70116-8 $19.95 
• •••SPOTLIGHT**** 



ORDER TOLL FREE 

800-538-5000 



5v=Single 5 Volt Supply 



REFRESH=Pin 1 Refresh 



Iffl TO! 



11 i r 


K ^^m\ i JL 


» I • I • U hi 






EPROMS 




2708 


1024x8 


(450ns) 


4.95 


2716 


2048x8 


(450ns)(5V) 


3.49 


2716-1 


2048x8 


(350ns)(5V) 


3.95 


TMS2532 


4096x8 


(450ns)(5V> 


5.95 


2732 


4096x8 


(450ns)(5V) 


3.95 


2732A 


4096x8 


(250ns)(5V)(21VPGM! 


3.95 


2732A-2 


4096x8 


(200ns)(5V)(21V PGM 


4.25 


27C64 


8192x8 


(250ns)(5V)(CMOS) 


5.95 


2764 


8192x8 


(450ns)<5V) 


3.49 


2764-250 


8192x8 


(250ns)(5V) 


3.95 


2764-200 


8192x8 


(200ns)(5V) 


4.25 


MCM68766 


8192x8 


(350ns)(5V)(24 PIN) 


17.95 


27128 


16384x8 


(250ns)(5V) 


4.25 


27C256 


32768x8 


(250ns)(5V)(CMOS) 


10.95 


27256 


32768x8 


(250ns)(5V> 


7.49 


5V=Single 


5 Volt Supply 


21V PGWUProgram at 21 Volts 



c 



DSSRHSS en™ erasers 



M=£ t 




Model Timer 


C.ip.icity 
Chip 


Intensity 
(uUV Cm ! ) 


Unit 
Price 


PE-14 


NO 


9 


8.000 


$83.00 


PE-14T 


YES 


9 


8.000 


S119.00 


PE-24T 


YES 


12 


9.600 


S175.00 



8000 



8035 


1.49 


8039 


1.95 


8080 


2.95 


8085 


2.49 


8087-2 


169.95 


8087 


129.00 


8088 


6.95 


8088-2 


9.95 


8155 


2.49 


8155-2 


3.95 


8748 


7.95 


8755 


14.95 


80286 


129.95 


80287 


199.95 



6500 

1.0MHZ 



CRT 
I CONTROLLERS I 



B200 



8203 
8205 
8212 
8216 
8224 
8237 
8237-5 
8250 
8251 
8251A 
8253 
8253-5 
8255 
8255-5 
8259 
8259-5 
8272 
8279 
8279-5 
8282 
8284 
8286 
[8288 



24.95 
3.29 
1.49 
1.49 
2.25 
4.95 
5.49 
6.95 
1.69 
1.89 
1.89 
1.95 
1.69 
1.89 
1.95 
2.29 
4.95 
2.49 
2.95 
3.95 
2.95 
3.95 
4.95 . 



ZOO 

80-CPU2 5MI^1,69 

4.0 MHZ 



Z80A-CPU 


1.79 


Z80A-CTC 


1.89 


Z80A-DART 


5.95 


Z80A-DMA 


5.95 


Z80A-PIO 


1.89 


Z80A-SIO/0 


5.95 


Z80A-SIO/1 


5.95 


Z80A-SIO/2 


5.95 


6.0 MHZ 


Z80B-CPU 


3.75 


Z80B-CTC 


4.25 


Z80B-PIO 


4.25 


Z80B-DART 


14.95 


Z80B-SIO/0 


12.95 


Z80B-SIO/2 


12.95 


Z8671 ZILOG 


19.95 



6502 


2.69 


65C02ICM0S) 12.95 


6507 


9.95 


6520 


1.95 


6522 


4.95 


6526 


26.95 


6532 


6.95 


6545 


6.95 


6551 


5.95 


6561 


19.95 


6581 


34.95 



2.0 MHZ 



6502A 
6520A 
6522A 
6532A 
6545A 
6551A 



2.95 
2.95 
5.95 
11.95 
7.95 
6.95 



3.0 MHZ 

6502B 

6800 

1.0MHZ 



6800 
6802 
6803 
6809 
6809E 
6810 
6820 
6821 
6840 
6843 
| 6844 
6845 
6847 
6850 
6883 



1.95 
4.95 
9.95 
5.95 
5.95 
195 
2.95 
1.95 
6.95 

19.95 

12.95 
4.95 

11.95 
1.95 

22.95 



2.0 MHZ 



68B00 
68B02 
68B09E 
68B09 
6SB21 
68B45 
68B50 
. 68B54 



4.95 
5.95 
6.95 
6.95 
3.95 
6.95 
2.95 
7.95 . 



CLOCK 
CIRCUITS 

MM5369 1.95 

MM5369-EST 1.95 
MM58167 12.95 
MM58174 11.95 
. MSM5832 2.95 , 



I 6845 
| 68B45 

6847 

HD46505SP 
i MC1372 
| 8275 

7220 

CRT5027 

CRT5037 
[ TMS9918A 



4.95 
8.95 
11.95 
6.95 | 
2.95 
26.95 
19.95 
12.95 
9.95 
19.95 J 



DISK 




CONTROLLERS 


1771 


4.95 


1791 


9.95 


1793 


9.95 


1795 


12.95 


1797 


12.95 


2791 


19.95 


2793 


19.95 


2797 


29.95 


6843 


19.95 


8272 


4.95 


UPD765 


4.95 


MB8876 


12.95 


MB8877 


12.95 


1691 


6.95 


2143 


6.95 




BIT RATE 


GENERATORS 


MC14411 


9.95 


BR1941 


4.95 


4702 


9.95 


COM8116 


8.95 


MM5307 


4.95 



UARTS 



AY5-1013 
AY3-1015 
TR1602 
2651 
IM6402 
1M6403 
, INS8250 



3.95 
4.95 
3.95 
4.95 
6.95 
9.95 
6.95 J 



SOUND CHIPS 



76477 

76489 
SSI-263 
AY 3- 89 10 

AY3-8912 
I SP1000 



5.95 
8.95 
39.95 
12.95 
12.95 
39.00 . 



CRYSTALS 


32.768 KHz 


.95 


1.0 MHz 


2.95 


1.8432 


2.95 


2.0 


1.95 


2.097152 


195 


2.4576 


1 95 


3.2768 


1.95 


3.579545 


1.95 


4.0 


195 


4.032 


195 


5.0 


1.95 


5.0688 


1.95 


6.0 


1.95 


6.144 


1.95 


6.5536 


1.95 


8.0 


1 95 


10.0 


1 95 


10.738635 


1.95 


12.0 


1.95 


14.31818 


1.95 


15.0 


1.95 


16.0 


1.95 


17.430 


1.95 


18.0 


1.95 


18.432 


1.95 


20.0 


1.95 


22.1184 


1.95 


24.0 


1.95 


32.0 


1.95 


CRYSTAL 


OSCILLATORS 


1.0MHz 


5.95 


1.8432 


5.95 


2.0 


5.95 


2.4576 


595 


2.5 


4.95 


4.0 


4.95 


5.0688 


495 


6.0 


4.95 


6.144 


4.95 


8.0 


4.95 


10.0 


4.95 


12.0 


4.95 


12.480 


4.95 


15.0 


4.95 


16.0 


4.95 


18.432 


4.95 


20.0 


4.95 


24.0 


4.95 


MISC 




TMS99531 


9.95 


TMS99532 


19.95 


ULN2003 


.79 


3242 


7.95 


3341 


4.95 


MC3470 


1.95 


MC3480 


8.95 


MC3487 


2.95 


11C90 


19.95 


2513-001 UP 


6.95 


AY5-2376 


11.95 


AY5-3600PRC 11.95 



74LS00 



74LS00 

74LS01 

74LS02 

74LS03 

74LS04 

74LS05 

74LS08 

74LS09 

74LS10 

74LS11 

74LS12 

74LS13 

74LS14 

74LS15 

74LS20 

74LS21 

74LS22 

74LS27 

74LS28 

74LS30 

74LS32 

74LS33 

74LS37 

74LS38 

74LS42 

74LS47 

74LS48 

74LS51 

74LS73 

74LS74 

74LS75 

74LS76 

74LS83 

74LS85 

74LS86 

74LS90 

74LS92 

74LS93 

74LS95 

74LS107 

74LS109 

74LS112 

74LS122 

74LS123 

74LS124 

74LS125 

74LS126 

74LS132 

74LS133 

74LS136 

74LS138 

74LS139 

74LS145 

74LS147 

74LS148 

74LS151 

74LS153 

74LS154 

74LS155 

74LS156 

74LS157 

74LS158 

74LS160 

74LS161 

74LS162 

74LS163 

74LS164 



.16 
.18 



.22 
.23 
26 
.17 
.18 
.28 
.26 
.26 



39 

49 
.34 
.36 
.29 
.45 

49 
2.75 
.39 
.39 
.39 
.49 
.39 
.39 
.39 
.99 
.99 
.99 
.39 
.39 
1.49 
.59 
.49 
.35 

29 
.29 
.39 
.49 
.39 
.49 



.95 
.95 
.49 
.39 
.39 
.49 
.69 
.69 
.69 
.69 
.59 
.59 
.59 
.69 
.69 
.69 
.69 
.69 
.79 



74LS165 
74LS166 
74LS169 
74LS173 
74LS174 
74LS175 
74LS191 
74LS192 
74LS193 
74LS194 
74LS195 
74LS196 
74LS197 
74LS221 
74LS240 
74LS241 
74LS242 
74LS243 
74LS244 
74LS245 
74LS251 49 
74LS253 .49 
74LS256 1.79 
74LS257 .39 
74LS258 .49 
74LS259 1.29 
74LS260 .49 
74LS266 .39 
74LS273 .79 
74LS279 .39 
74LS280 1.98 
74LS283 .59 
74LS290 .89 
74LS293 .89 
74LS299 1.49 
74LS322 3.95 
74LS323 2.49 
74LS364 1.95 
74LS365 .39 
74LS367 
74LS368 
74LS373 
74LS374 
74LS375 .95 
74LS377 .79 
74LS378 1.18 
74LS390 1.19 
74LS393 .79 
74LS541 1.49 
74LS624 1.95 
74LS640 .99 
74LS645 .99 
74LS669 1.29 
74LS670 .89 
74LS682 3.20 
74LS683 3.20 
74LS684 3.20 
74LS688 2.40 
74LS783 22.95 
81LS95 1.49 
81LS96 1.49 
81LS97 1.49 
81LS98 1.49 
25LS2521 2.80 
25LS2569 2.80 
26LS31 1.95 
26LS32 1.95 



.39 
.39 
79 



HIGH SPEED CMOS 

A new family of high speed CMOS logic featuring 
the speed of low power Schotrk-, ;3ns typical gate 
propagation delay), combined wrth the advantages of 
CMOS: very low power consumption, superior noise 
immunity, and improved output drive. 

74HC00 

74HC: Operate at CMOS logic levels and are ideal 
for new. all-CMOS designs 



74HC00 


.59 


74HC148 


1.19 


74HC02 


59 


74HC151 


.89 


74HC04 


.59 


74HC154 


2.49 


74HC08 


.59 


74HC157 


.89 


74HC10 


.59 


74HC158 


.95 


74HC14 


.79 


74HC163 


1.15 


74HC20 


.59 


74HC175 


.99 


74HC27 


.59 


74HC240 


1.89 


74HC30 


.59 


74HC244 


1.89 


74HC32 


.69 


74HC245 


1.89 


74HC51 


.59 


74HC257 


.85 


74HC74 


.75 


74HC259 


1.39 


74HC85 


1.35 


74HC273 


1.89 


74HC86 


.69 


74HC299 


4.99 


74HC93 


1.19 


74HC368 


.99 


74HC107 


.79 


74HC373 


2.29 


74HC109 


79 


74HC374 


2.29 


74HC112 


.79 


74HC390 


1.39 


74HC125 


1.19 


74HC393 


1.39 


74HC132 


1.19 


74HC4017 


1.99 


74HC133 


.69 


74HC4020 


1.39 


74HC138 


99 


74HC4049 


.89 


74HC139 


99 


74HC4050 


.89 



74HCT00 



74HCT: Direct, drop-in replacements for LS 1TL 
nd can be intermixed with 74LS in (he same circuit. 



74HCT00 


.69 


74HCT166 


3.05 


74HCT02 


.69 


74HCT174 


1.09 


74HCT04 


69 


74HCT193 


1.39 


74HCT08 


.69 


74HCT194 


1.19 


74HCT10 


.69 


74HCT240 


2.19 


74HCT11 


.69 


74HCT241 


2.19 


74HCT27 


.69 


74HCT244 


2.19 


74HCT30 


.69 


74HCT245 


2.19 


74HCT32 


.79 


74HCT257 


.99 


74HCT74 


.85 


74HCT259 


1.59 


74HCT75 


.95 


74HCT273 


2.09 


74HCT138 


1.15 


74HCT367 


1.09 


74HCT139 


1.15 


74HCT373 


2.49 


74HCT154 


2.99 


74HCT374 


2.49 


74HCT157 


99 


74HCT393 


1.59 


74HCT158 


.99 


74HCT4017 


2.19 


74HCT161 


1.29 


74HCT4040 


1.59 


74HCT164 


1.39 


74HCT4060 


1.49 



74F00 
74F02 
74F04 
74F08 
74F10 
74F32 
L 74F64 



.69 
.79 
.69 
.69 
.69 



74F00 

74F74 .79 
74F86 .99 
74F138 1.69 
74F139 1.69 
74F157 1.69 
74F240 3.29 
74F244 3.29 



74F251 1.69 
74F253 1.69 
74F257 1.69 | 
74F280 1.79 
74F283 3.95 
74F373 4.29 | 
74F374 4.29 J 



VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE LOCATED AT 1256 SOUTH BASCOM AVENUE IN SAN JOSE 



JDR Microdevices 



1224 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128 5Ki™TEih 

Toil Free 800-538-5000 • (408) 995-5430 S52?5ffiS 

FAX (408) 275-8415 • Telex 171-110 SSSSKfi 

© COPYRIGHT 1986 JDR MICRODEVICES 



HOURS: M-W-F, 9-S TU-TH, 9-9 SAT, 9-5 

PLEASE USE YOUR CUSTOMER NUMBER WHEN ORDERING 
TERMS: Minimum order $10.00. For shipping and handling include $250 tor UPS 
Ground and $3.50 for UPS Air. Orders over 1 lb. and foreign orders may require 
additional shipping charges - please contact our sales department tor the amount CA. 
residents must include applicable sales tax. All merchandise is wan-anted for 90 days 
unless otherwise stated. Prices are subject to change without notice. We are not 
responsible (or typographical errors. We reserve the right to limit quantities and to 
substitute manufacturer. All merchandise subject to prior sale. 



THE JDR MICRODEVICES LOGO IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF JDR MICRODEVICES. JDR INSTRUMENTS AND JDR MICRODEVICES ARE TRADEMARKS OF JDR MICRODEVICES 
IBM IS A TRADEMARK OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES. APPLE IS A TRADEMARK OF APPLE COMPUTER. WVWHSOThB* 



400 BYTE • AUGUST 1986 



Inquiry I50 



CMOS 



4001 


.19 


14419 


4011 


.19 


14433 


4012 


.25 


4503 


4013 


.35 


4511 


4015 


.29 


4516 


4016 


.29 


4518 


AOVJ 


.43 


4522 


4018 


.69 


4526 


4020 


.59 


4527 


4021 


.69 


4528 


4024 


.49 


4529 


4025 


.25 


4532 


4027 


.39 


4538 


4028 


.65 


4541 


4035 


.69 


4553 


4040 


.69 


4585 


4041 


.75 


4702 


4042 


.59 


74C00 


4043 


.85 


74C14 


4044 


.69 


74C74 


4045 


1.98 


74C83 


4046 


.69 


74C85 


4047 


.69 


74C95 


4049 


.29 


74C150 


4050 


.29 


74C151 


4051 


.69 


74C161 


4052 


.69 


74C163 


4053 


.69 


74C164 


4056 


2.19 


74C192 


4060 


.69 


74C193 


4066 


.29 


74C221 


4069 


.19 


74C240 


4076 


.59 


74C244 


4077 


.29 


74C374 


4081 


.22 


74C905 


4085 


.79 


74C911 


4086 


.89 


74C917 


4093 


.49 


74C922 


4094 


2.49 


74C923 


14411 


9.95 


74C926 


14412 


6.95 


80C97 



4.95 

14.95 

.49 

.69 

.79 

.85 

.79 

.79 

1.95 

.79 

2.95 

1.95 

.95 

1.29 

5.79 

.75 

12.95 

.29 

.59 

.59 

1.95 

1.49 

.99 

5.75 

2.25 

.99 

.99 

1.39 

1.49 

1.49 

2.49 

1.89 

1.89 

1.99 

10.95 

8.95 

12.95 

4.49 

4.95 

7.95 

.95 





7400/9000 




7400 


.19 


74147 


2.49 


7402 


.19 


74148 


1.20 


7404 


.19 


74150 


1.35 


7406 


.29 


74151 


.55 


7407 


.29 


74153 


.55 


7408 


.24 


74154 


1.49 


7410 


.19 


74155 


.75 


7411 


.25 


74157 


.55 


7414 


.49 


74159 


1.65 


7416 


.25 


74161 


.69 


7417 


.25 


74163 


69 


7420 


.19 


74164 


.85 


7423 


.29 


74165 


.85 


7430 


.19 


74166 


1.00 


7432 


.29 


74175 


.89 


7438 


.29 


74177 


.75 


7442 


.49 


74178 


1.15 


7445 


69 


74181 


2.25 


7447 


89 


74182 


.75 


7470 


.35 


74184 


2.00 


7473 


.34 


74191 


1.15 


7474 


33 


74192 


.79 


7475 


.45 


74194 


.85 


7476 


.35 


74196 


79 


7483 


.50 


74197 


.75 


7485 


.59 


74199 


1.35 


7486 


.35 


74221 


1.35 


7489 


2.15 


74246 


1.35 


7490 


.39 


74247 


1.25 


7492 


.50 


74248 


1.85 


7493 


.35 


74249 


1.95 


7495 


.55 


74251 


.75 


7497 


2.75 


74265 


1.35 


74100 


2.29 


74273 


1.95 


74121 


.29 


74278 


3.11 


74123 


.49 


74367 


.65 


74125 


.45 


74368 


.65 


74141 


.65 


9368 


3.95 


74143 


5.95 


9602 


1.50 


74144 


2.95 


9637 


2.95 


74145 


.60 


96S02 


1.95 



74S00 



'edgecard connectors] 


100 


PIN 


ST 


S-100 


.125 


3.95 


100 


PIN 


WW 


S-100 


.125 


4.95 


62 


PIN 


ST 


IBM PC 


.100 


1.95 


50 


PIN 


ST 


APPLE 


.100 


2.95 


44 


PIN 


ST 


STD 


.156 


1.95 


44 


PIN 


WW 


STD 


.156 


4.95 J 



74S00 


.29 


74S163 


74S02 


.29 


74S168 


74S03 


.29 


74S174 


74S04 


.29 


74S175 


74S05 


.29 


74S188 


74S08 


.35 


74S189 


74S10 


.29 


74S195 


74S15 


.49 


74S196 


74S30 


.29 


74S197 


74S32 


.35 


74S226 


74S37 


.69 


74S240 


74S38 


.69 


74S241 


74S74 


.49 


74S244 


74S85 


.95 


74S257 


74S86 


.35 


74S253 


74S112 


.50 


74S258 


74S124 


2.75 


74S280 


74S138 


.79 


74S287 


74S140 


.55 


74S288 


74S151 


.79 


74S299 


74S153 


.79 


74S373 


74S157 


.79 


74S374 


74S158 


.95 


74S471 


74S161 


1.29 


74S571 



1.29 

3.95 

.79 

.79 

1.95 

1.95 

1.49 

2.49 

2.95 

3.99 

1.49 

1.49 

1.49 

.79 

.79 

.95 



DATA ACQ INTERFACE 



ADC0800 15.55 
] ADC0804 3.49 
ADC0809 4.49 
ADC0816 14.95 
ADC0817 9.95 
ADC0831 8.95 
DAC0800 4.49 
DAC0806 1.95 
DAC0808 2.9S 
DAC1020 8.25 
DAC1022 5.95 
i MC1408L8 2.95 



8T26 

8T28 

8T95 

8T96 

8T97 

8T98 

DM8131 

DP8304 

DS8833 

DS8835 

DS8836 

DS8837 



1.29 

1.29 

.89 

.89 

.59 

.89 

2.95 

2.29 

2.25 

1.99 

.99 

1.65 



36 PIN CENTRONICS ■ INTERSIL 

MALE I ICL7106 

IDCEN36 RIBBON CABLE 6.95 ■ ICL7107 

CEN36 SOLDER CUP 4.95 ■ ICL7660 

FEMALE I ICL8038 

IDCEN36/F RIBBON CABLE 7.95 H ICM7207A 

. CEN36PC RT ANGLE PC MOUNT 4.95 j ^l ICM7208 




VOLTAGE 
REGULATORS 

TO-220 CASE 

I 7805T .49 7905T .59 

7808T .49 7908T .59 

7812T .49 7912T .59 

7815T .49 7915T .59 

TO-3 CASE 

7805K 1.59 7905K 1.69 
7812K 1.39 7912K 1.49 

TO-93CASE 

78L05 .49 79L05 .69 
78L12 .49 79L12 1.49 

OTHER VOLTAGE REGS 

LM323K 5V 3A T 0-3 4.79 
LM328K Adj. 5A TO-3 3.95 
78H05K 5V 5A TO-3 7.95 
78H12K 12V 5A TO-3 8.95 
l 78P05K 5V 10A TO-3 14.95 . 



IC SOCKETS 

8 PIN ST 

14 PIN ST 

16 PIN ST 

18 PIN ST 

20 PIN ST 

22 PIN ST 

| 24 PIN ST 

I 28 PIN ST 

40 PIN ST 

I 64 PIN ST 



.11 
.11 
.12 
.15 
.18 
.15 
.20 
.22 
.30 
1.95 



ST=SOLDERTAIL 



8 PIN WW 

14 PIN WW 

16 PIN WW 

18 PIN WW 

I 20 PIN WW 

22 PIN WW 

24 PIN WW 

I 28 PIN WW 

40 PIN WW 



.59 

.69 

.69 

.99 

1.09 

1.39 

1.49 

1.69 

1.99 



.10 
.09 
.10 
.13 
.15 
.12 
.15 
.16 
.22 
1.49 

.69 

.52 

.58 

.90 

.98 

1.28 

1.35 

1.49 

1.80 



WW=WIREWRAP 

16 PIN ZIF 4.95 CALL 

24 PIN ZIF 5.95 CALL 

28 PIN ZIF 6.95 CALL 

| 40 PIN ZIF 9.95 CALL 

Z1F=TEXT00L 

(ZERO INSERTION FORCE) 



LINEAR 



TL066 

TL071 

TL072 

TL074 

TL081 

TL082 

TL084 

LM301 

LM309K 

LM311 

LM311H 

LM317K 

LM317T 

LM318 

LM319 



.99 
.69 

1.09 

1.95 
.59 
.99 

1.49 
.34 

1.25 
.59 
.89 

3.49 
.95 

1.49 

1.25 



LM320 see7900 



LM322 

LM323K 

LM324 

LM331 

LM334 

LM335 

LM336 

LM337K 

LM338K 

LM339 

LM340 see7800 

LM350T 4.60 

LF353 



1.95 
4.79 

.49 
3.95 
1.19 
1.79 
1.75 
3.95 
6.95 

.59 



LF356 
LF357 
LM358 
LM380 
LJV1383 
LM386 
LM393 
LM394H 
TL494 
TL497 
NE555 
NE556 
NE558 
NE564 
LM565 
LM566 
LM567 
NE570 
NE590 
NE592 
LM710 .75 

LM723 .49 

H=TO-5 CAN, K 



.59 

.99 

.99 

.59 

.89 

1.95 

.89 

.45 

5.95 

4.20 

3.25 

.29 

.49 

1.29 

1.95 

.95 

1.49 

.79 

2.95 

2.50 



.98 

.29 

.69 

.59 

1.69 

1.19 

6.95 

1.59 

.49 

.49 

.49 

.85 

8.25 

1.95 

.79 

3.95 

2.95 

1.95 



LM733 

LM741 

LM747 

LM748 

MC1330 

MC1350 

MC1372 

LM1414 

LM1458 

LM1488 

LM1489 

LM1496 

LM1812 

LM1889 

ULN2003 

XR2206 

XR2211 

XR2240 

MPQ2907 1.95 

LM2917 1.95 

CA3046 

CA3081 

CA3082 

CA3086 

CA3089 

CA3130E 

CA3146 

CA3160 

MC3470 

MC3480 

MC3487 

LM3900 

LM3909 

LM3911 

LM3914 

MC4024 

MC4044 

RC4136 

RC4558 

LM13600 

75107 



75110 
75150 
75154 
75188 
75189 
75451 
75452 
75453 
75477 
75492 
TO-3. T=TO 220 



.89 

.99 

.99 

.80 

1.95 

.99 

1.29 

1.19 

1.95 

8.95 

2.95 

.49 

.98 

2.25 

2.39 

3.49 

3.99 

1.25 

.69 

1.49 

1.49 

1.95 

1.95 

1.95 

1.25 

1.25 

.39 





' DIP CO 


INNECTORS 














DESCRIPTION 


ORDER BY 


CONTACTS 


8 


14 


16 


18 


20 


22 


24 


28 


40 


HIGH RELIABILITY TOOLED 
ST IC SOCKETS 


AUGATxxST 


.62 


.79 


.89 


1.09 


1.29 


1.39 


1.49 


1.69 


2.49 


HIGH RELIABILITY TOOLED 
WW IC SOCKETS 


AUGATxxWW 


1.30 


1.80 


2.10 


2.40 


2.50 


290 


3.15 


3.70 


5.40 


COMPONENT CARRIES 
(DIP HEADERS) 


ICCxx 


.49 


.59 


69 


.99 


.99 


.99 


.99 


1.09 


1.49 


RIBBON CABLE 
DIP PLUGS (IDC) 


IDPxx 




.95 


95 








1.75 




2.95 




DIODES/OPTO/TRANSISTORS 



FOR ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS SEE D-SUBMINIATURE BELOW 



' \ M I I [ I I I I I I 
AUGAT24ST 



1N751 


.25 


4N26 


.69 


1N759 


.25 


4N27 


.69 


1N4148 


25/1.00 


4N28 


.69 


1N4004 


10/1.00 


4N33 


.89 


IN 5402 


.25 


4N37 


1.19 


KBP04 


.55 


MCT-2 


.59 


KBU8A 


.95 


MCT-6 


1.29 


MDA990-2 


.35 


TIL-111 


.99 


N2222 


.25 


2N3906 


.10 


PN2222 


.10 


2N4401 


.25 


2N2905 


.50 


2N4402 


.25 


2N2907 


.25 


2N4403 


.25 


2N3055 


79 


2N6045 


1.75 


2N3904 


.10 


TIP31 


.49 



D-SUBMINIATURE 



DESCRIPTION 


ORDER BY 


CONTACTS 


9 


15 


19 


25 


37 


50 


SOLDER CUP 


MALE 


DBxxP 


.82 


.90 


1.25 


1.25 


1.80 


3.48 


FEMALE 


DBxxS 


.95 


1.15 


1 50 


1.50 


235 


4.32 


RIGHT ANGLE 
PC SOLDER 


MALE 


DBxxPR 


1.20 


1.49 




1.95 


2.65 




FEMALE 


DBxxSR 


1.25 


1.55 




2.00 


2.79 




WIRE WRAP 


MALE 


DBxxPWW 


1.69 


2.56 




3.89 


5.60 




FEMALE 


DBxxSWW 


2.76 


4.27 




6.84 


9.95 




IDC 
RIBBON CABLE 


MALE 


IDBxxP 


2.70 


2.95 




3.98 


5.70 




FEMALE 


IDBxxS 


2.92 


3.20 




4.33 


6.76 




HOODS 


METAL 


MHOODxx 


1.25 


1.25 


1.30 


1.30 






GREY 


HOODxx 


.65 


.65 




.65 


75 


.95 



ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS: INSERT THE NUMBER OF CONTACTS IN THE POSITION 

MARKED ,: xx" OF THE "ORDER BY" PART NUMBER LISTED 

EXAMPLE: A 15 PIN RIGHT ANGLE MALE PC SOLDER WOULD BE DBI5PR 



MOUNTING HARDWARE $1.00 



IDC CONNECTORS 



DESCRIPTION 



SOLDER HEADER 



RIGHT ANGLE SOLDER HEADER 



WW HEADER 



RIGHT ANGLE WW HEADER 



RIBBON HEADER SOCKET 



RIBBON HEADER 



RIBBON EDGE CARD 



10 20 26 34 40 



1.75 2.25 2.65 2.75 



5.50 6.25 7.00 



FOR ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS SEE D-SUBMINIA TURE ABOVE 




HARD TO FIND 
"SNAPABLE" HEADERS 

CAN BESNAPPEDAPARTTO 

MAKE ANY SIZE HEADER. 

ALLWITH.1" CENTERS 

1x40 STRAIGHT LEAD .9< 

1x40 RIGHT ANGLE 1.4< 

2x40 STRAIGHT LEAD 

.2x40 RIGHT ANGLE 



SHORTING 
BLOCKS 




Dear Mr . Rose : 

I feel compelled to commend you and your people 
for the pleasant , polite, willingness to help and 
professional attitude you have displayed. In 
these times it is indeed refreshing to deal with a 
company whose staff consists of people of this 
caliber. My friends and associates will most 
certainly be doing business with you again . 

Sincerely, Nicholas Chabra 



LED DISPLAYS 



FND-357(359) 


COM CATHODE 


.362" 


1.25 


FND-500(503) 


COM CATHODE 


.5" 


1.49 


FND-507(510) 


COM ANODE 


.5" 


1.49 


MAN 72 


COM ANODE 


.3" 


.99 


MAN-74 


COM CATHODE 


.3" 


.99 


MAN-8940 


COM CATHODE 


.8" 


1.99 


TIL-313 


COM CATHODE 


.3" 


.45 


HP5082-7760 


COM CATHODE 


.43" 


1.29 


TIL 311 


4x7 HEX W/LOGIC 


.270' 


9.95 


HP5082-7340 


4x7 HEX W/LOGIC 


.290' 


7.95 


DIFFUSED LEDS i-ss 


100-UP 


JUMBO RED 


T1V* .10 




.09 


JUMBO GREEN T1 3 /* .14 




.12 


JUMBO YELLOW T1 3 /< .14 




.12 


MOUNTING HDW T1 3 /« .10 




.09 


MINI RED 


T1 .10 




.09 






SWITCHES 







SPDT MINI-TOGGLE ON-ON 

DPDT MINI-TOGGLE ON-ON 

DPDT MINI-TOGGLE ON-OFF-ON 

SPST MINI-PUSHBUTTON N.O. 

SPST MINI-PUSHBUTTON N.C. 

SPST TOGGLE ON-OFF 
BCD OUTPUT 10 POSITION 6 PIN DIP 



1.25 

1.50 

1.75 

.39 

.39 
.49 
1.95 



DIP SWITCHES 



4 POSITION 

5 POSITION 
.6 POSITION 



.85 7 POSITION .95 

.90 8 POSITION .95 

.90 10 POSITION 1.29 





RIBBON CAB 


LE 


CONTACTS 


SINGLE COLOR 


COLOR CODED 


V 


10' 


1' 


10' 


10 


.18 


1.60 


.30 


2.75 


16 


.28 


2.50 


.48 


4.40 


20 


.36 


3,20 


.60 


5.50 


25 


.45 


4.00 


.75 


6.85 


26 


.46 


4.10 


.78 


7.15 


34 


.61 


5.40 


1.07 


9.35 


40 


.72 


6.40 


1.20 


11.00 


50 


.89 


7.50 


1.50 


13.25 



CALL FOR VOLUME QUOTES © copyright 1986 jdr microdevices 



Inquiry 1 50 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 401 



BARGAIN HUNTERS CORNER 




$349 



* SHOCK MOUNTED FOR 80 Gs- 
IDEAL FOR PORTABLES! 

* MMI MODEL IVIM212 # Vz BEI6HT, 7Sms ACCESS 

* INCLUDES CONTROLLER, CABLES 
& INSTRUCTIONS FOR ISiy* 



WIRELESS KEYBOARD 



$129 



• MADE BYCftERRY FOR IBM PG & PCjr 

• OPERATES UPTO 40 FEET FRpM COMPUTER 

• INFRARED RECEIVER FOR PC/XT INCLUDED 

HURRY— QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED! 
SPECIALS END 8/31/86 



PAGE WIRE WRAP WIRE 

PRECUT ASSORTMENT 

| IN ASSORTED COLORS $27.50 

100ea: 5.5", 6.0", 6.5", 7.0" 

250ea: 2.5", 4.5", 5.0" 

500ea: 3.0", 3.5", 4.0" 



SPOOLS 



100 feet $4.30 
500 feet $13.25 



250 feet $7.25 
1000 feet $21 .95 



Please specify color: 
Blue, Black, Yellow or Red 



$4.95 




I EMI FILTER 

* MANUFACTURED 
BYCORCOM 

* LOW COST 

* FITS LC-HP BELOW 
*6 AMP 120/240 VOLT 

6 FOOT LINE CORDS 

LC-2 2 CONDUCTOR .39 

LC-3 3 CONDUCTOR .99 
LC-HP 3 CONDUCTOR W/STD 

FEMALE SOCKET 1.49 

MUFFIN FANS 

3.15" SO. ROTRON 14.95 

3.63" SO. ETRI 14.95 

k 3.18" SO. MASUSHITA 16.95 



WIRE WRAP PROTOTYPE CARDS 

FR-4 EPOXY GLASS LAMINATE 
WITH GOLD-PLATED EDGE-C&RO *\NGERS 




IBM-PR2 — -« 

IBM 

BOTH CARDS HAVE SILK SCREENED LEGENDS 

AND INCLUDES MOUNTING BRACKET 

IBM PR1 WITH +5V AND GROUND PLANE .... $27.95 

IBM-PR2 AS ABOVE WITH DECODING LAYOUT $29.95 

S-100 

P100-1 BARE - NO FOIL PADS $15.15 

P100-2 HORIZONTAL BUS $21.80 

P100-3 VERTICAL BUS $21.80 

P100-4 SINGLE FOIL PADS PER HOLE $22.75 

APPLE 

| P500-1 BARE - NO FOIL PADS $15.15 

P500-3 HORIZONTALBUS $22.75 

P500-4 SINGLE FOIL PADS PER HOLE $21.80 

L 7060-45 FOR APPLE He AUX SLOT $30.00 



SOCKET-WRAP I.D.™ 

* SLIPSOVERWIREWRAPPINS 

* IDENTIFIES PIN NUMBERSON WRAP 
SIDE OF BOARD 

*CANWRITEON PLASTIC; SUCH AS IC tf 



FRAME STYLE 
TRANSFORMERS 



PINS 


PARTtf 


PCK. OF 


8 


IDWRAP08 


10 


14 


IDWRAP 14 


10 


16 


IDWRAP 16 


10 


18 


IDWRAP 18 


5 


20 


IDWRAP 20 


5 


22 


IDWRAP 22 


5 


24 


IDWRAP 24 


5 


28 


IDWRAP 28 , 


5 


40 


IDWRAP 40 


5 



2 AMP 
4 AMP 
8AMP 
2 AMP 



5.95 
7.95 
10.95 
7.95 . 



LOprf 
6.8 
10 
22 

.22 



lOpf 

22 

27 

33 

47 

68 

TOO 

220 

560 



PLEASE ORDER BY NUMBER OF 
PACKAGES (PCK. OF) 



CAPACITORS 

TANTALUM 

15V .35 .47//f 35 V .45 

15V .70 1.0 35V .45 

15V .80 2.2 35V .65 

15V 1.35 4.7 35V .85 

35V .40 10 35V i 00 




50V .05 

50V .05 

50V .05 

50V .05 

50V .05 

50V .05 

50V .05 

50V .05 



DISC 



680 

.001//f 

.0022 

.005 

.01 

.02 

.05 

.1 



50V .05 
50V .05 



50V 
50V 
50V 
50V 
50V 



12V .10 
50V .12 



MONOLITHIC 

.Olprf 50V .14 A\A 50V .18 

.047//f 50 V .15 .47//f 50V .25 



ELECTROLYTIC 



i,/f 

2.2 

I 4.7 
10 

I 47 
100 
220 

I 470 
2200 

I 4700 



RADIAL 
25V 
35V 
50V 
50V 
35V 
16V 
35V 
25V 
16V 



10 

22 

47 

100 

220 

470 

1000 

2200 

4700 



AXIAL 
50V 
50V 
16V 
50V 
35V 
25V 
50V 
16V 
16V 



[ DATARASE EPROM ERASER $34.95 



* ERASES 2 IN 10 MINUTES 

* COMPACT-NO DRAWER 

* THIN METAL SHUTTER 
PREVENTS UV LIGHT 
FROM ESCAPING 



1/4 WATT RESISTORS 

5% CARBON FILM ALL STANDARD VALUES 
FROM 1 OHM TO 10 MEG. OHM 

10 PCS same value .05 100 PCS same value .02 

I 50 PCS same value .025 1000 PCS same value .015 , 



RESISTOR NETWORKS 



SIP 
SIP 
DIP 
DIP 
DIP 
DIP 



10 PIN 
8 PIN 
16 PIN 
16 PIN 
14 PIN 
14 PIN 



9 RESISTOR 

7 RESISTOR 

8 RESISTOR 
15 RESISTOR 

7 RESISTOR 
13 RESISTOR 



.69 
.59 
1.09 
1.09 
.99 
.99 



SPECIALS ON BYPASS CAPACITORS 



.01 fji CERAMIC DISC 
.01 fji MONOLITHIC 
.1 fji CERAMIC DISC 
.1 fji MONOLITHIC 



100/$5.00 
100/S10.00 

100/S6.50 
100/S12.50 , 



SWITCHING POWER SUPPLIES 
$69.95 



PS-IBM 

- FOR IBM PC-XT COMPATIBLE 

- 135 WATTS 
» +5V @ 15A, +12V @ 4.2A PS-IBM 

-5V@.5A,-12V@.5A 

- ONE YEAR WARRANTY 

PS-IBM-150 $79.95 

* FOR IBM PC-XTCOMPATIBLE 

* 150 WATTS 

* +12V @ 5.2A, +5V @ 16A 
-12V @ .5A, -5V @ .5A PS-130 

* ONE YEAR WARRANTY 



PS-130 



$99.95 



* 130 WATTS 

* SWITCH ON REAR 

* FOR USE IN OTHER IBM 
TYPE MACHINES 

* 90 DAY WARRANTY 



PSA 



$49.95 



* USE TO POWER APPLE TVPE 
SYSTEMS, 79.5 WATTS 

* +5V@7A, +12V@3A 
-5V @ .5A, -12V @ .5A 

* APPLE POWER CONNECTOR 

PS-SPL200 $49.95 

* +5V @ 25A, +12V @ 3.5A 
-5V@ 1A, -12V @ 1A 

* ULAPPROVED 

. * ALUMINUM ENCLOSURE 



BOOKS bvSTEVE CI ARGIA 

BIULDYOUROWN 

Z80 COMPUTER $19.95 

CIRCUIT CELLAR VOL 1 $17.95 

CIRCUIT CELLAR VOL 2 $18.95 

CIRCUIT CELLAR VOL 3 $18.95 

CIRCUIT CELLAR VOL 4 $18.95 

t CIRCUIT CELLAR VOL 5 $19.95 ' 




MICROCOMPUTER 

HARDWARE HANDBOOK | 

FROM ELCOMP $14.95 

I OVER 800 PAGES OF DATA SHEETS 

| ON THE MOST COMMONLY USED 

ICs. INCLUDES TTL, CMOS, 74LS00, 

MEMORY, CPUs, MPU SUPPORT. 

.AND MUCH MORE! 





WIS 


H SOLDERLESS D 


READBOJ 


IRDS 






HBB 


PART 
NUMBER 


DIMENSIONS 


DISTRIBUTION 
STRIP(S) 


TIE 
POINTS 


TERMINAL 
STRIP(S) 


TIE 
POINTS 


BINDING 
POSTS 


PRICE 


1 ■"! 


WBU-D 


.38 x 6.50" 


1 


100 








2.95 


WBU-T 


1.38 x 6.50" 






1 


630 




6.95 


WBU-204-3 


3.94 x 8.45" 


1 


100 


2 


1260 


2 


17.95 


WBU-204 


5.13x8.45" 


4 


400 


2 


1260 


3 


24.95 


WBU-206 


6.88x9.06" 


5 


500 


3 


1890 


4 


29.95 


1 WBU-208 


8.25x9.45" 


7 


700 


4 


2520 


4 


39.95 


WBU-208 





LITHIUM BATTERY 

AS USED IN CLOCKCIRCUITS 




3 VOLT BATTERY $3.95 

L BATTERY HOLDER S1.49 



NEW EDITION! 

1986 
IC MASTER 

THE INDUSTRY STANDARD 

$129.95 



VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE LOCATED AT 1256 SOUTH BASCOM AVENUE IN SAN JOSE 



JDR Microdevices 

1224 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128 

Toll Free 800-538-5000 • (408) 995-5430 

FAX (408) 275-8415 • Telex 171-110 



HOURS: M-W-F, 9-6 



TU-TH, 9-9 



PLEASE USE YOUR CUSTOMER NUMBER WHEN ORDERING 

TERMS: Minimum order S10.00. For shipping and handling include S2.50 lor UPS 
Ground and $3.50 tor UPS Air. Orders over 1 lb. and foreign orders may require 
additional shipping charges - please contact our sales department lor the amount. CA. 
residents must include applicable sales tax. Alt merchandise is warranted tor 90 days 
unless otherwise slated. Prices are subject lo change without notice. W 
responsible tor typographical errors. We reserve Ihe right to limit quantities and to 
substitute manufacturer. All merchandise subject to prior sale. 



© COPYRIGHT 1986 JDR MICRODEVICES 

THE JDR MICRODEVICES LOGO IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF JDR MICRODEVICES. JDR INSTRUMENTS AND JDR MICRODEVICES ARE TRADEMARKS OF JDR MICRODEVICES 
IBM IS A TRADEMARK OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES. APPLE IS A TRADEMARK OF APPLE COMPUTER. 



402 BYTE • AUGUST 1 986 



Inquiry I5J 




DISK DR 

FOR APPLE COMPUTERS 



AM 50 
$99.95 






> Vj HT, DIRECT DRIVE 

► 100% APPLE COMPATIBLE 
i SIX MONTH WARRANTY 



BAL-500 
$129.95 



* TEAC MECHANISM. DIRECT DRIVE 

* 100% APPLE COMPATIBLE 

* FULL ONE YEAR WARRANTY 



AM 35 

$129.95 



1 - \ 


' 






n ■ ) 


* 





* FULL HT SHUGART MECHANISM 

* DIRECT REPLACEMENT FOR APPLE 
DISK II 

* SIX MONTH WARRANTY 

MAC535 
$249.95 

* 3.5" ADD-ON DISK DRIVE 

* 100% MACINTOSH COMPATABLE 

* DOUBLE SIDED 800K BYTE STORAGE 

* HIGH RELIABILITY DRIVE 

HAS AUTO-EJECT MECHANISM 

* FULL ONE YEAR WARRANTY 




AD-3C 
$139.95 




* 100% APPLE lie COMPATIBLE. 
READY TO PLUG IN. W/SHIELDED 
CABLE & MOLDED 19 PIN 
CONNECTOR 

* FAST, RELIABLE SLIMLINE DIRECT 
DRIVE 

* SIX MONTH WARRANTY 

DISK DRIVE ACCESSORIES 

FDD CONTROLLER CARD $49.95 
lie ADAPTOR CABLE $19.95 

ADAPTS STANDARD APPLE DRIVES 
FOR USE WITH APPLE lie 



CASE WITH KEYBOARD 
FOR APPLE TYPE MOTHERBOARD 

- USER DEFINED FUNCTION KEYS 

* NUMERIC KEYPAD WITH 
CURSOR CONTROL 

* CAPS LOCK • AUTO-REPEAT 




[KEYBOARD-AP $49.95 

► REPLACEMENT FOR APPLE II 

KEYBOARD 
» CAPS LOCK KEY, AUTO-REPEAT 
<■ ONE KEY ENTRY OF BASIC 

OR CP/M COMMANDS 




EXTENDER CARDS 


IBM-PC 


$45.00 


IBM-AT 


$68.00 


APPLE II 


$45.00 


APPLE lie 


$45.00 


MULTIBUS 


$86.00 J 




APPLE COMPATIBLE 
INTERFACE CARDS 

I EPROM PROGRAMMER $59.95 I 



MODEL 
RP525 



» DUPLICATE OR BURN ANY 
STANDARD 27xx SERIES EPROM 

• EASY TO USE MENU-DRIVEN 
SOFTWARE IS INCLUDED 

• MENU SELECTION FOR 2716, 
2732, 2732A, 2764 AND 27128 

» HIGH SPEED WRITE ALGORITHM 

- LED INDICATORS FOR ACTIVITY 

- NO EXTERNAL POWER SUPPLY 
NEEDED 

• ONE YEAR WARRANTY 



16K RAMCARD $39.95 




- FULL TWO YEAR WARRANTY 

► EXPAND YOUR 48K APPLE TO 
64K 

- USE IN PLACE OF APPLE 
LANGUAGE CARD 

BARE PC CARD W/IHSTRUCTIOHS S9.95 



IC TEST CARD 



$99.95 




» QUICKLYTESTS MANY COMMON 

ICs 
► DISPLAYS PASS OR FAIL 
» ONE YEAR WARRANTY 
• TESTS; 4000 SERIES CMOS, 
74HC SERIES CMOS, 
7400, 74LS, 74L. 74H & 74S 



300B MODEM $49.95 

FOR APPLE OR IBM 

INCLUDES ASCII PRO-EZ SOFTWARE 



.** . 



» FCC APPROVED 

• BELL SYSTEMS 103 COMPATIBLE 

• INCLUDES AC ADAPTOR 
. AUTO-DIAL 

• DIRECT CONNECT 

t CABLE FOR APPLE lie $14.95 . 



[JOYSTICK CR401 $7.95 | 

FOR ATARI 400, 800, 2600. 
VIC 20/64 AND APPLE lie 



DISKFILE 

HOLDS 70 5V," DISKETTES 




J.5" DISKFILE holds 40 $9", 



POWER STRIP 

$12.95 
%%%%%%% 



. UL APPROVED 
* ISA CIRCUIT 
BREAKER 



MR 



t 3-WAY SWITCH BOXES 

* SERIAL OR PARALLEL 

* CONNECTS 3 PRINTERS TO ONE 
COMPUTER OR VICE VERSA 

* ALL LINES SWITCHES 

* HIGH QUALITY ROTARY SWITCH MOUNTED 
ON PCB 

* GOLD CONTACTS 

■ STURDY METAL ENCLOSURE 




SWITCH-3P CENTRONICS PARALLEL $99.95 
[ SWITCH-3S RS232 SERIAL $99.95 , 



L PRINTER BUFFERS 

* FREES COMPUTER FOR OTHERTASKS 
WHILE PRINTING LONG DOCUMENTS 

* STAND-ALONE DESIGN; WORKS WITH ANY 
COMPUTER OR PRINTER 

• ALL MODELS FEATURE PRINT PAUSE 
MEMORY CHECK, GRAPHICS CAPABILITY 

SP120P PARALLEL $139.95 

* 64K UPGRADABLE TO 256K 

- LED INDICATOR SHOWS VOLUME OF DATA 
IN BUFFER 

SP120S RS232 SERIAL $159.95 

* 64K UPGRADABLE TO 256K 

* 6 SELECTBALE BAUD RATES, FROM 
600B-19.200B 

SP110P PARALLEL $249.95 

• 64K UPGRADABLE TO 512K 

• SPOOLS OUTPUT OF UP TO 3 COMPUTERS 
. LED BARGRAPH DISPLAYS AMOUNT OF 

DATA IN BUFFER 

• RESET FUNCTION CLEARS 

DATAIN BUFFER M , ''- r ' 

• REPEAT FUNCTION CAN 
PRODUCE MULTIPLE 
COPIES OF A DOCUMENT 



H 

IB 



M 



NASHUA DISKETTES DEALS 

5W SOFT SECTOR 
DS/DD WITH HUB RINGS 

$990 690ea 590ea 

BOX OF 10 BULKQTY50 BULK QTY 250 

NASHUA DISKETTES WERE JUDGED 

TOHAVETHE HIGHEST POLISH 

AND RECORDED AMPLITUDE OF ANY 

DISKETTES TESTED ACCORDING TO 

"COMPARING FLOPPY DISKS", BYTE 9/84 





DISKETTES 






NASHUA 5V4" 




N-MD2D 
N-MD2F 
N-MD2H 


DS DD SOFT 
DS QUAD SOFT 
DS HD FOR AT 

NASHUA 8" 


S9.90 
$34.95 
$49.95 


N-FD1 
N-FD2D 


SS DD SOFT 
DS DDSOFT 

NASHUA 3.5" 


$27.95 
$34.95 


N-3.5SS 


3.5" SS DD FOR MAC 

VERBATIM 5V4" 


$32.95 



V-MD1D SSDDSOFT $23.95 

V-MD2D DS/DD SOFT S29.95 

I V-MD110D SSDD 10 SECTOR HARD S23.95 



—Sakc±a 

120 CPS DOT MATRIX PRINTER 




MODEL 
SP-1200 



$169.95 



> EPSON/IBM COMPATIBLE 

* 9-WIRE PRINTHEAD 

- 120 CPS-BIDIRECTIONAL. 80 COL. 
r FRICTION AND TRACTOR FEED 

> PROPORTIONAL SPACING 

* CENTRONICS PARALLEL INTERFACE 

> 8 CHARACTER SETS AND GRAPHICS 

I 6 FOOT IBM PRINTER CABLE $9.95 I 

[ REPLACEMENT RIBBON CARTRIDGE $1 1.95 I 



5i/4" FLOPPY DISK DRIVES 

I TEAC FD-55B^HT DS/DD (FOR IBM) $109.95 I 

TEAC FD-55F % HT DS/QUAD (FOR IBM) $124.95 
TEAC FD-55GFVW HT DS/HD (FOR IBM ATI $154.95 

TANDON TM100-2 DS/DO (FOR IBM) $119.00 

T ANDON TM50-2 V* HT DS/DD (FOR IBM) $79.95 

MPI-B52 DS/DD(FOR IBM) $79.95 

j QUME QT- 142 Vi HT DS/DD (FOR IBM) $79.95 

0" FLOPPY DISK DRIVES 



FD 100-8 SS/DD(SA/B01 EQUN) 
FD 200-8 DS/DO (SA/B51REQUIV) 



$119.00 
$159.00 



DISK DRIVE ACCESSORIES 

I TEAC SPECIFICATION MANUAL $5.00 I 

| TEAC MAINTENANCE MANUAL $25.00 

VzHT MOUNTING HARDWARE $2.95 

MOUNTING RAILS FOR IBM AT $4.95 

'" POWER CABLE FOR 5V*" FDDs $2.95 

5V«" FDD POWER CONNECTORS $1.19 




TANDON TM100-2 



DISK DRIVE ENCLOSURES 

CAB-APPLE $24.95 

APPLE 1YPE CABINET W/OUT POWER SUPPLY 

| GAB-1FH5 $69.95 

FULL HT 5W BEIGE CABINET W/POWER SUPPLY 

I CAB-2SV5 $49.95 

DUAL SLIMLINE 5'/i" CABINET W/POWER SUPPLY | 

I CAB-2SV8 vertical $209.95 

DUAL SLIMLINE 8" CABINET W POWER SUPPLY 

I CAB-2FH8 horizintal $219.95 

DUAL FULL HT 8" CABINET W POWER SUPPLY 




TEST EQUIPMENT FROM JDR INSTRUMENTS 



DIGITAL MULTIMETER PEN DPM-1000 

AUTO RANGING. POLARITY AND DECIMAL! 



$54.95 



* LARGE 3.5 DIGIT 
DISPLAY 

* DATA HOLD SWITCH 
FREEZES READING 

* FAST, AUDIBLE CON- 
TINUITY TEST 

* LOW BATTERY 
INDICATOR 

* OVERLOAD PROTEC 
TION 





20MHZ DUAL TRACE OSCILLOSCOPE MODEL 2000 $389.00 
35MHZ DUAL TRACE OSCILLOSCOPE MODEL 3500 $549.00 | 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE OSCILLOSCOPES, CALL US FOR FREE PRODUCT BRIEFS. 



CALL FOR VOLUME QUOTES © copyright 1986 jdr microdevices 



Inquiry !5I 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 403 



MWMililktll 



389.95 



'SEAGATE ST-225 20 MB HARD DISK SYSTEM] 

INCLUDES HARD DISK CONT- 
ROLLER, CABLES AND IN- 
STRUCTIONS. ALL DRIVES ARE 
PRE-TESTED AND COME WITH 
A ONE YEAR WARRANTY. 



XT COMPATIBLE 
MOTHERBOARD 

$129.95 

* 4.77 MHz 8088 CPU, OPTIONAL 
8087 CO-PROCESSOR 

* 8 EXPANSION SLOTS 

* OK RAM INSTALLED, EXPANDABLE 
TO 640K ONBOARD MEMORY 

* ALL ICs SOCKETED-HfGHEST 
QUALITY PC BOARD 

* ACCEPTS 2764 OR 27128 ROMS 

PRO-BIOS $19.95 



IBM COMPATIBLE INTERFACE CARDS 

ALL WITH A ONE YEAR WARRANTY 

MULTI I/O FLOPPY CARD $89.95 

PERFECT FOR THE 640 K MOTHERBOARD 

* 2 DRIVE FLOPPY DISK CONTROLLER 

* 1 RS232 SERIAL PORT; OPTIONAL2nd 
SERIAL PORT 

* PARALLEL PRINTER PORT 
.jflPwEpf * GAME PORT 
'W3iiisG<£SM * CLOCK/CALENDAR 

* SOFTWARE: CLOCK UTILITIES. 
RAMDISK, SPOOLER 

OPTIONAL SERIAL PORT $15.95 





MULTIFUNCTION CARD 



$84.95 



ALL THE FEATURES OF AST'S 6 PACK PLUS AT HALF THE PRICE 

* CLOCK/CALENDAR 

* 0-384K RAM 

* SERIAL PORT 
- PARALLEL PORT 

* GAME PORT 

* SOFTWARE INCLUDED 
PRINTER CABLE $9.95 
64K RAM UPGRADE 9/$11.61 




COLOR GRAPHICS ADAPTOR 



$69.95 



FULLY COMPATIBLE WITH IBM COLOR CARD 

* 4 VIDEO INTERFACES: RGB, 
COMPOSITECOLOR, HI-RES 
COMPOSITE MONOCHROME, 
CONNECTOR FOR RF MODULATOR 

* COLOR GRAPHICS MODE: 320 x 200 

* MONO GRAPHICS MODE: 640 x 200 

* LIGHT PEN INTERFACE 




MONOCHROME GRAPHICS CARD 



$89.95 



FULLY COMPATIBLE W/IBM MONOCHROME ADAPTOR & HERCULES GRAPHICS 

* LOTUS COMPATIBLE 

* TEXT MODE: 80 x 25 

* GRAPHICS MODE: 720 x 348 

* PARALLEL PRINTER INTERFACE 

* OPTIONAL SERIAL PORT $19.95 




MONOCHROME ADAPTOR 



$49.95 



ANOTHER FANTASTIC VALUE FROM JDR! 
* IBM COMPATIBLE TTL OUTPUT * 720 x 350 PIXEL DIPLAY 

PLEASE NOTE: THIS CARD WILL NOT RUN LOTUS GRAPHICS AND DOES NOT INCLUDE A | 
PARALLEL PORT 



FLOPPY DISK DRIVE ADAPTOR 



$34.95 




* INTERFACES UP TO 4 STANDARD 
FDDs TO IBM PC OR COMPATIBLES 

* INCLUDES CABLE FOR TWO 
INTERNAL DRIVES 

* STANDARD DB37 FOR EXTERNAL 
DRIVES 

* RUNS QUAD DENSITY DRIVES 
WHEN USED WITH JFORMAT 



1200 DAUD MODEMS 

HAYES COM PA TIBLE, AUTO-DIAL, AUTO-ANSWER, AUTO RE-DIAL ON BUSY, 
POWER-UP SELF TEST, FULL ONE YEAR WARRANTY 



MODEL 1200B* 

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MODEL 1200H* 

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* INCLUDES SPEAKER 

$149.95 



SMARTEAM 

* EXTERNAL DESIGN 

* WITH POWER SUPPLY 

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$169.95 



'FOR IBM, INCLUDES PC TALK III COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE 



#JDR Microdevices 



ONLY $389.95! 







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HI-RES RGB MONITOR 

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* 16 TRUE COLORS 

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* RESOLUTION > 640x262 
« .31mm DOT PITCH 

* CABLE FOR IBM PC INCLUDED 




SAKATA 

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MODEL SC-100 

* TOP RATED FOR APPLE 

* 13" COMPOSITE VIDEO 

* RESOLUTION: 280H x 300V 

* INTERNAL AUDIO AMP 

* ONE YEAR WARRANTY 



CENTER SYSTEMS 



MONOCHROME 

MODEL KLM-1211 
' IBM COMPATIBLE TTL INPUT 

> 12" NON-GLARE SCREEN 

> P39 GREEN PHOSPHORUS 

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25 MHz BANDWIDTH 
1100 LINES (CENTER) 

AMBER VER8I0N $109.85 



$299.95 $169.95 $99.95 



BUILD YOUR OWN 256K 
NT COMPATIBLE SYSTEM 

NT MOTHERBOARD $120.95 

PRO-DIOS $19.95 

25BNRAM $29.55 

130 WATT POWER SUPPLY $99.95 
FLIP-TOP CASE $39.95 

DRM-2000 NEYBOARD $59.95 
</2 HEIGHT QUME DRIVE $79.95 
FLOPPY DISN CONTROLLER $34.95 
MONOCHROME ADAPTOR $49.05 
MONOCHROME MONITOR $99.95 

TOTAL $911.10 



IBM STYLE 
COMPUTER CASE *s 



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WITH A HINGED LID FITS THE 

POPULAR PC/XT COMPATIBLE 

MOTHERBOARDS 

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» ALL HARDWARE INCLUDED 



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IDM PRINTER CADLE 




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CENTRONICS An qr 

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$39.95 




IBM COMPATIBLE KEYBOARDS 

DKM-2000 $59.95 IBM-5151 $79.95 




*."5150" STYLE KEYBOARD 

* FULLY IBM COMPATIBLE 

* LED STATUS INDICATORS FOR CAPS & 
NUMBER LOCK 

* 83 KEY - SAME LAYOUT AS 
IBM PC/XT KEYBOARD 



POWER SUPPLY 



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* FOR IBM PC-XT COMPATIBLE 

* 135 WATTS 

* +5V @ 15A, +12V @ 4.2A 
-5V @ .5A, -12V @ .5A 

150 WATT MODEL $70.95 J 



► REPLACEMENT FOR KEVTRONICS 

KB-515V" 
< SEPARATE CURSOR & NUMERIC 

KEYPAD 
» CAPS LOCK & NUMBER LOCK 

INDICATORS 
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DISK DRIVES 
TANDON TM50-2 

$79.95 

* Y2HTDS/DD 

* IBM COMPATIBLE 

* EXTREMELY QUIET! 

ITEACFD-55B DS/DD $109.85 

TEACFD-55F DS/QUAD $124,65 1 

TEACFD-55B DS/HD $154.95 

QUMEQT-142 DS/DD $79.95 

MOUNTING HARDWARE $2.95 

i AT/RAILS $4.85 J 



1224 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128 
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404 BYTE- AUGUST 1986 



© COPYRIGHT 1986 JDR MICRODEVICES 



Inquiry I 52 



DISKS AND DOWNLOADS 



Ordering Disks of BYTE Listings 

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All cost $6 per disk in North America, $7 in 
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□ Apple Macintosh 

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Size □ 8-inch □ 5/4-inch D 3/2-inch 
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AUGUST 1986 • BYTE 405 



BOMB 



BYTE's Ongoing Monitor Box 



ARTICLED 

I 

2 
3 
4 



9 

10 

II 

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13 



PAGE ARTICLE AUTHOR(S) 

9 Microbytes staff 

29 What's New staff 

50 Ask BYTE/Circuit Cellar Feedback .Garcia 

63 Book Reviews Vose. Kendall. 

Czarnik 

85 Similarity Mapping Spencer 

97 Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar: Parallel 

Interfacing: A Tutorial Discussion, 

Part 2: Applications . Ciarcia 

108 The Definicon 68020 Coprocessor. 

Part 2: Software Support Marshall. 

lones. Kluger 

1 1 5 Mathematics of Programming Hoare 

131 Programming Insight: 

Polar Normal Distribution Latour 

139 Elements of Object-oriented 

Programming Pascoe 

14 5 A Small Taste of Smalltalk Kaehler. 

Patterson 
161 Objects, Icons, and Software-ICs . . .Cox, Hunt 
177 Object-oriented Languages for 

the Macintosh Schmucker 

189 MacApp: An Application 

Framework Schmucker 



ARTICLED 


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17 


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ARTICLE AUTHOR(S) 

Programming Experiences Tesler 

Designing an Efficient Language . . .Duff 

Object-oriented FORTH Pountain 

TheNCRPC6 Little 

The Sperry PC/IT Davis 

DeSmet C Development Package 

for the Macintosh Robie 

TOPSI 2.0 Moskowitz 

Let's C and csd Wong 

NewWord 3 . . Heilborn. 

Reel 

Reflex DeMaria 

Guru Tello 

The Datran Modem Accelerator . . .Nance 
Computing at Chaos Manor: 

Off We Go Pournelle 

Applications Only: More Words . . . .Shapiro 
According to Webster: 

Going to the Faire Webster 

BYTE Japan: 

Fujitsu Processor Upgrade Raike 

Mathematical Recreations: 

Number Games Kurosaka 

Best of BIX BlXen 



BOMB Results 



MASSIVE APPEAL 

The winner of $100 for gaining the most votes in the May BYTE is Leonard 
Laub for his theme article covering 'The Evolution of Mass Storage." 
In second is "Easy C" featuring tips for good code by Pete Orlin and 
lohn Heath, who will be splitting $50. Best of BIX. by the BlXen (regular 



participants on BIX), wins first in the irvhouse lineup, followed by 
Computing at Chaos Manor and According to Webster. 

Leonard Laub also wins the $50 award for quality with "The Evolution 
of Mass Storage." Congratulations. 



BYTE ADVERTISING SALES STAFF: 

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UT. CO. WY. OK. TX. AR. MS. LA 
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Dallas. TX 75240 



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SOUTHERN CA, AZ. NM. LAS VEGAS 
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Mr. Fritz Krusebecker 
McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 
Liebigstrasse !9 
D-6000 Frankfurt/Main I 
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Iberia Mart I 
Madrid 4. Spain 
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Mr. Andrew Karnig 

Andrew Karnig & Associates 

Finnbodavagen 

S-I3I 31 Nacka. Sweden 

8-44 0005 

Mr. Alaiq Faure 

McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 

128 Faubourg Saint Honore 

75008 Paris 

France 

(I) 47-20-33-42 



Mr. Arthur Scheffer 
McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 
34 Dover St? 
London Wl X 3RA 
England 01 493 14 51 

Manuela Capuano 
McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 
Via Flavio Baracchini I 
20123 Milan, Italy 
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Seavex Ltd. 

400 Orchard Road. #10-01 

Singapore 0923 

Republic of Singapore 

Tel: 734-9790 

Telex: RS35539 SEAVEX 



Seavex Ltd. 

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Tel: 5-260149 

Telex: 60904 SEVEX HX 

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McGraw-Hill Publishing Co, 

Overseas Corp. 

Room 1528 

Kasumigaseki Bldg. 

3-2-5 Kasumigaseki. 

Chiyoda-Ku 

Tokyo 100. fapan 

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Mr. Ernest McCrary 

Empresa Internacional de 

Comunicacoes Ltda. 

Rua da Consolacao, 222 

Conjunto 103 

01302 Sao Paulo. S.P.. Brasil 

Tel: (II) 259-381 1 

Telex: (100) 32122 EMBN 



406 B YTE • AUGUST 1986 



READER SERVICE 



Inquiry No. 



Page No. 



326 AW. ABLE. 251 

2 ABSOFT 346 

331 ACS IMPORTERS 378 

3 ADDISON-WESLEY COMP.SCNCE . 52 

4 ADDISON-WESLEY ED.MEDIA . . . 124 

5 ADV. DIGITAL CORP. 28 

6 ADV. DIGITAL CORP. 28 

7 ADV. INTELLIGENCE TECHN. ... 387 

8 ADVANCED COMP. PROD . 388, 389 

9 ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY PROD.384 

10 AFTON COMPUTER 180 

11 AFTON COMPUTER 180 

13 ALF PRODUCTS. INC 384 

• ALPS AMERICA 48 A-L 

15 AMDEK CORP 126, 127 

* AMERICAN AIRLINES 33 

18 AMERICAN COMP.& PERIPH. ... 194 

19 AMERICAN COMP.& PERIPH. ... 194 
20 AMERICAN SEMICONDUCIOR . . 384 

' 21 AMERICAN SMALL BUSN. COMP. 62 

22 AMPRO COMPUTERS INC 325 

23 APROTEK 335 

24 ARITY CORPORATION 340 

• AST RESEARCH INC 19 

' AT&T COMMUNICATIONS 223 

28 AT&T INFORMATION SYS 269 

29 AT&T PHOTO & IMAGING CTR. 12. 13 

30 ATRON CORP 342 

31 ATRONICS INT'L. INC 311 

3 2 AVOCET SYSTEMS INC 191 

33 B&B ELECTRONICS 378 

• B&C MICROSYSTEMS 378 

* B&C MICROSYSTEMS 378 

3 5 BARRINGTON SYSTEMS 25 

36 BAY AREA BUSINESS SYSTEMS . 398 

37 BAY EXPRESS COMPANY. THE . . 373 

38 BAY TECHNICAL ASSOC 245 

39 BINARY TECHNOLOGY. INC 258 

40 BITTNER ELECTRONICS 335 

450 BIX 286. 287 

42 BORLAND INT'L C1I, 1 

43 BORLAND INT'L C1I, 1 

44 BP MICROSYSTEMS 382 

45 BROWN BAG SOFTWARE 133 

47 BUSINESS TOOLS INC 151 

• BUYER'S MART SECTION . . . 359-365 

* BYTE BACK ISSUES 232 

337 BYTE BITS MESSAGE 384 

' BYTE SUB. MESSAGE 322 

* BYTE SUB. SERVICE 312 

49 BYTE CONNECTION, THE 370 

51 BYTEK COMP. SYS. CORP. 343 

• C WARE/DESMET C 325 

♦ CALIFORNIA DIGITAL 390. 391 

54 CAPITAL EQUIPMENT CORP. ... 244 

55 CAUZIN SYSTEMS 293 

82 CEC 328 

56 CENTRAL POINT SOFTWARE ... 220 

57 CHALCEDONY SOFTWARE 159 

58 CHALCEDONY SOFTWARE 159 

59 COEFFICIENT SYS. CORP. 271 

60 COGITATE 375 

61 COGITATE 375 

' COMPAQ COMPUTER CORP. 84 

62 COMPETITIVE EDGE 324 

63 COMPUDATA TRANSLATORS INC. 371 
' COMPUPRO 260 

64 COMPUSAVE 368 

65 COMPUSERVE -183 

67 COMPUTER-AGE. INC. 376 



Inquiry No. 



Page No. Inquiry No. 



• COMPUTER CHRONICLES 318 

• COMPUTER CONTINUUM 337 

68 COMPUTER MAIL ORDER . . 316. 317 

• COMPUTER MUSEUM 370 

69 COMPUTER PARTS MART 371 

70 COMPUTER SURPLUS STORE ... 258 

7 1 COMPUTER WAREHOUSE 66 

72 COMPUTER WAREHOUSE 66 

73 COMPUTERBANC 396 

74 COMPUTERS INTERNATIONAL. . 140 

75 COMPUTRADE 324 

76 CONCORD TECHNOLOGY CO. . . 174 

77 CONROY-LAPOINTE 60. 61 

78 CONROY-LAPOINTE 60, 61 

79 CONROY-LAPOINTE 60. 61 

80 CORDATA 175 

83 CUESTA SYSTEMS 56 

85 DATA SPEC 174 

86 DATA SPEC 174 

87 DATA TRANSLATION INC 270 

88 DECISIONWARE INC 304 

89 DECISIONWARE INC 304 

90 DICONIX 134, 135 

34 DIGIFIT INC 22 

91 DIGITALK INC 45 

92 DISKCOTECH 376 

93 DISKETTE CONNECTION 332 

66 DISKMASTER 398 

94 DISKS PLUS 327 

95 DISKWORLD! INC 382 

96 DISKWORLD! INC 383 

97 DISPLAY TELECOMMNCTNS. ... 330 

98 DOKAY COMP. PROD. INC 377 

99 DRESSELHAUS COMP.PROD 105 

327 DYNAMUS MICRO-DATA SYS. ... 373 

126 EAST DIGITAL 282 

101 ECOSOFT 155 

325 ELECTRONIC UNIVERSITY NETWORK219 

103 ELEXOR INC 336 

104 ELLIS COMPUTING INC 240 

105 ENERTRONICS RESEARCH ....171 

107 EVEREST SOLUTIONS INC 222' 

108 EVEREX SYSTEMS 35 

109 EVEREX SYSTEMS 35 

' FASTCOMM DATA CORP. 313 

110 FELLOWES MANUFACTURING CO. 89 

111 FLAGSTAFF ENGINEERING 298 

112 FLAGSTAFF ENGINEERING ..... 298 

113 FORMAT SOFTWARE 90 

114 FORMAT SOFTWARE 90 

1 1 5 FORTRON CORPORATION 64 

116 FORTRON CORPORATION 64 

1 17 FORTRON CORPORATION 367 

118 FORTRON CORPORATION 367 

119 FOX SOFTWARE INC 20 

120 FRANK HOGG LABORATORY ... 371 

121 FUJITSU AMERICA 246 

328 GFK 334 

122 GOLD HILL COMPUTERS 138 

123 GOLDEN BOW SYSTEMS 375 

124 GOLDEN BOW SYSTEMS 376 



Page No. 



125 GRAFPOINT 336 

♦ HARMONY COMPUTERS 327 

128 HAYES MICROCOMP PROD 31 

130 HERCULES COMPUTER TECH. ... 79 

131 HERITAGE SYSTEMS CORP. 382 

132 HEWLETTPACKARD 165 

133 HEWLETTPACKARD 283 

46 HOMEBASE 275 

135 IBEX COMP. CORP. 335, 

♦ IBM/SMALL SYSTEMS DIV. 255 

136 IC. EXPRESS 380 

336 I.C. MEMORY 384 

♦ INFORMATION APPLIANCE .... 373 

137 INMAC 220 

♦ INTECTRA INC 371 

138 INTEGRAND RESEARCH CORP . 302 

139 INTEL CORPORATION 106. 107 

140 INTERNATIONAL COMPUTING . 371 

141 ITT INFORMATION SYSTEMS ... 288 

142 ITT INFORMATION SYSTEMS ... 288 

143 1ACO ENTERPRISES 371 

144 ]ADE COMP.PROD 394. 395 

145 JAMECO ELECTRONICS . . . 392. 393 

146 )C INFORMATION SYSTEMS .... 217 

147 )C INFORMATION SYSTEMS .... 217 

148 |DR INSTRUMENTS 125 

149 |DR MICRODEVICES 399 

150 1DR MICRODEVICES 400, 401 

151 IDR MICRODEVICES 402. 403 

152 )DR MICRODEVICES 404 

153 JVB ELECTRONICS 375 

154 KADAK PRODUCTS LTD 326 

52 KALGAN SOFTWARE INC 77 

53 KALGAN SOFTWARE INC 77 

323 KEA SYSTEMS 334 

155 KIMTRON CORP 41 

156 KIMTRON CORP. 41 

157 K) COMPUTERS 346 

158 LAHEY COMPUTER SYSTEMS . . 309 

159 LATTICE. INC 114 

160 LEADING EDGE PROD 55 

161 LEViEN INSTRUMENT CO 328 

162 LIFEBOAT ASSOC 291 

163 LINTEK COMP. ACCESSORIES. . .375 

164 LODGE ELECTRONICS 378 

165 LOGIC ARRAY 369 

166 LOGIC ARRAY 369 

167 LOGICAL DEVICES 112, 113 

168 LOGICAL DEVICES 112. 113 

400 LOGICSOFT 176 A-F 

• LOGITECH INC 119 

170 LOGITECH INC 121 

171 LOGITECH INC 123 

* LONE STAR SOFTWARE INC. ... 374 

172 LUCKY COMPUTERS 398 

173 LYCO COMPUTER 221 

174 M-S CORPORATION 376 

17 5 MANX SOFTWARE SYS 71 

176 MANX SOFTWARE SYS 199 

177 MANZANA MICROSYS. INC 200 

178 MARCHAND INTERNATIONAL . . 373 



Inquiry No. 



Page No. 



TO GET FURTHER information on the products advertised in BYTE, either 
pick up your touch-tone telephone and use TIPS (if you are a subscriber), 
or fill out the reader service card. Either way full instructions are pro- 
vided following this reader service index which is provided as an addi- 
tional service by the publisher, who assumes no liability for errors or 
omissions. Correspond directly with company. 



179 MARK WILLIAMS CO 57 

180 MARK WILLIAMS CO 59 

329 MATHSOFT 206 

• MAXELL DATA PRODUCTS ... 7 

• MCGRAW-HILL RESEARCH 321 

182 MCGRAW-HILL SOFTWARE 154 

183 MEGASOFT 380 

184 MEGATEL COMPUTER TECH 76 

185 MERRITT COMP. PRODUCTS .... 373 

186 METACOMCO 48 

187 MICRO DATA BASE SYS 201 

333 MICRO INTERFACES CORP 69 

334 MICRO INTERFACES CORP 69 

189 MICRO MART, INC 72, 73 

190 MICRO PRODUCTS INT'L 397 

191 MICRO SUPPLY ORGANIZATION. 385 

192 MICROBRIDGE COMPUTERS. . . . 376 

193 MICROGRAFX 17 

' MICROMINT INC 210 

195 MICRON TECHNOLOGY 308 

196 MICROPROCESSORS UNLTD 398 

332 MICROPORT SYSTEMS. INC 203 

• MICROSOFT CORP.. 51 

• MICROSOFT CORP 128. 129 

198 MICROTECH 378 

199 MICROWAY 96 

200 MICROWAY 314 

201 MITAC 280 

12 MIX SOFTWARE 21 

202 MULTITECH ELECTRONICS INC. . 130 

203 MYSTIC CANYON SOFTWARE. . .378 

204 NANTUCKET 37 

205 NANTUCKET 37 

206 NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS 18 

207 NEC HOME ELECTR.USA 215 

208 NEC INFORMATION SYS Clll 

209 NORTHEASTERN SOFTWARE CO. 147 

210 OHIO KACHE SYS.CORP 252 

211 ORCHID TECHNOLOGY 23 

212 ORCHID TECHNOLOGY 23 

213 ORION INSTRUMENTS 188 

214 PC. COMPUTER BROKERS INC. . .380 

215 PC. HORIZONS INC 371 

216 PACIFIC EXCHANGES 258 

217 PATHFINDER SOFTWARE INC.. . .398 

219 PC MART 53 

220 PC NETWORK 80, 80 A-B, 81 

221 PC SIG 375 

• PCS LIMITED 224 A-B 

224 PCS LIMITED 225 

225 PECAN SOFTWARE SYS. INC 16 

226 PERMA POWER ELECTRONICS. . 124 

227 PERMA POWER ELECTRONICS. . 124 

228 PERSOFT INC 8 

229 PERSONAL TEX. INC 68 

230 PINE COMPUTER INC 366 

231 POLARIS SOFTWARE 322 

232 POLARIS SOFTWARE 322 

233 PRECISION DATA PRODUCTS ... 382 

234 PRINTER ACCESSORIES DIRECT. 326 

235 PRINTING & GRAPHIC ENHMNT. 331 

236 PRODUCTIVITY PROD.INT.INC. 26. 27 

237 PROFESSOR IONES, INC 371 

238 PROGRAMMER'S SHOP 301 

330 PROGRAMMING LOGIC SYS. INC. 321 

239 PROSOFT 43 

240 PURPLE COMPUTING 373 

241 QUA TECH. INC 376 

242 QUA TECH. INC 376 

243 QUA TECH. INC 380 



AUGUST 1986 -BYTE 407 



READER SERVICE 



Inquiry No. 



Page No. 



244 QUA TECH, INC 380 

• QUAID SOFTWARE LTD 204 

245 QUALITY PRINTERS 398 

246 OUALSTAR CORP 337 

247 QUANTUM SOFTWARE 39 

248 OUBIE' 303 

249 OUBIE' 305 

250 OUEIO. INC 373 

251 OUICKSOFT 58 

252 RADIO SHACK CIV 

253 RAINBOW TECHNOLOGIES 375 

254 ROSE ELECTRONICS 336 

255 ROYAL AMERICAN TECHN 9.1 

256 SNW ELECT & APPL 244 

338 S-100 DIV. 696 CORP. 379 

339 S-100 DIV. 696 CORP 379 

258 SAFEWARE 371 

259 SBT CORPORATION 197 

260 SCIENTIFIC ENGR.LABS 382 

261 SILICON SPECIALTIES 266 

262 SILICON SPECIALTIES 266 

263 SIMON & SCHUSTER COMRSFT. 196 

264 SOFCAP INC 294 

266 SOFTKLONE DISTRIBUTING .... 167 



Inquiry No. 



Page No. 



* SOFTLINE CORP 65 

267 SOFTLOGIC SOLUTIONS INC. ... 181 

268 SOFTRONICS 380 

335 SOFTRONICS 382 

269 SOFTSMARTS INC 173 

270 SOFTWARE LINK, THE ... . 264, 265 

271 SOFTWARE PRODUCTS INTL.. . . 238 

272 SOFTWARE PRODUCTS INTL ... 238 

273 SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS INC 207 

274 SOLUTION SYSTEMS 308 

275 SONY CORP. OF AMERICA 229 

276 SOURCE ELECTRONICS 185 

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278 SPECTRUM SOFTWARE 226 

279 SPSS 93 

280 STAR GATE TECHNOLOGIES. . . .334 

281 STATSOFT 67 

283 STSCINC 256. 257 

284 STSC INC 259 

285 SUMMIT SOFrWARE TECHN. INC . . 74 
324 SUNNYVALE COMMUNICATIONS 307 

286 SUNTRONICS CO. INC 366 

287 SYNCTRONICS 105 

288 SYNCTRONICS 105 



Inquiry No. 



Page No. 



289 TDK ELECTRONICS 205 

291 TECH PC 186. 187 

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293 TECH PC 186, 187 

295 TEKTRONIX INC 47 

296 TELEVIDEO SYSTEMS 208. 209 

* TEXAS INSTRUMENTS 339 

297 TIGERTRONICS 398 

298 TIMELINE 381 

* TINNEY. ROBERT GRAPHICS .... 372 

299 TOPAZ, INC • • • 160 

300 TOPAZ. INC 160 

301 TOSHIBA AMERICA INC 279 

302 TOSHIBA AMERICA INC. . .234. 235 

• TOSHIBA AMERICA INC 144 A-F 

• TRANSEC SYSTEMS. INC 306 

* U.S. ROBOTICS 54 

303 UNICORN ELECTRONICS 382 

304 VEN-TELINC II 

305 VERBATIM CORP. 163 

306 VICTORY ENT. TECHNOLOGY .... 56 

• VLM COMPUTER ELECTR 384 

307 VOFRAX INTL. INC 24 

308 WAREHOUSE DATA PRODUCTS ... 149 



Inquiry No. 



Page No. 



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310 WESTLAKE DATA CORP. 310 

311 WESTERN COMPUTER 276 

312 WESTERN COMPUTER 276 

313 WHITEWATER SOFTWARE GROUP 76 

314 WHOLESALE OUTLET THE 70 

315 WILEY PROFESSIONAL SFTW. .... 75 

317 WINTEKCORP 5 

318 WINTEK CORP. 337 

320 WYSE TECHNOLOGY 94. 95 

321 XEROX CORP. 213 

322 ZITECH INSTRUMENT CORP. ... 380 

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TODAY IS THE 
BLACKEST DAY IN 






DOT MATRIX PRINTER 

HISTORY 






H 



I 



It would pay Y ou t0 mark it on your calendar. 
Because today is the day we introduce 
our new Pin writer™ P5XL dot matrix printer. 
The only dot matrix printer available capable 
of producing the rich, black printing you asso- 
ciate with a letter-quality printer. Because 
its the only one designed to use a multi- 
strike film ribbon— the same ribbon used 
in typewriters and letter-quality printers. 

Black letter-quality 
printing is only the be- 
ginning. The Pin writer 
P5XL printer can also 
use an optional ribbon to 
print in seven other colors. And it has 
the finest graphics resolution 
of any impact printer you 
can buy Plus it's very fast 
and exceptionally quiet. 
Its only natural that 

\ J Sf \ m Computers and Communications 
© 1986 NEC Corp. 



A LITTLE 
BLACK MAGIC, 



Actual line printed with the 
Pinwriter P5XL printer. 




the first dot matrix printer with true letter- 
quality printing should be an NEC. After 
all we make Spinwriter® letter-quality 
printers, the most popular line today as 
well as the Pinwriter P5 dot matrix printer, 
the most advanced 24-pin printer. 

The Pinwriter P5XL printer is part of 
the most extensive line of 24-pin printers 
available. You'll find a model designed to 
fit every need and budget. See them at 
your dealer or call 1-800-343-44 18 (in MA 
617-264-8635). Or write: NEC Information 
Systems, Dept. 1610, 1414 Massachusetts 
Ave.,Boxborough,MA01719. 

NEC PRINTERS.THEYONLY STOP 
WHEN YOU WANT THEM TO. 



NEC 

NEC Information Systems, Inc. 

Inquiry 208 



Radio Shack has the best 






a i 

Mb J 





... ».: . 





♦♦of everything 



Accessories can make the 
difference between just a com- 
puter system and an efficient 
computer system. That's why 
Radio Shack offers the finest in 
accessories and support. 

If your computer workspace 
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oak finish Computer Workcen- 
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From 3 J /2 to 8", single-or 
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we've got the diskettes (B) you 
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Radio /hacK 

The Technology Store 

A DIVISION OF TANDY CORPORATION 

Prices apply at Radio Shack Computer Centers and 

participating Radio Shack stores and dealers. 
Components pictured with accessories not included. 

Inquiry 252