TM COMPUTING FOR BUSINESS AND HOME Micro is Here $2.50/canada/mexico $ 3.00 1982 FEBRUARY GRAPHICS for Business ■ w m * m m ■ w Computer Artist TRS’80 on the Move ■iai 1 11 a 1 1 1 b 1 1 1 ill 11 in 80 5HL STIVd VIIHCHVI J.3V1 0 0fe£ A«\/a 8 n 113330*1 A I NO IS Nil3iS3M(J IlN 03H3 eilw £S9oSlO X FRIENDLINESS. Informative HP manuals, helpful error messages, and automatic syntax checking make BASIC language programming easy. FULL-SCREEN EDITING. Edit the easy way - without retyping entire statements. Insert, change, or delete characters at the touch of a key. EXPANDABILITY. Just plug in the HP interface bus (HP-IB) and add up to 14 peripher- als without disassembly. 12 DIGIT ACCURACY. (Not just 9!) Thanks to BCD math capability. HP SOFTWARE. Powerful, time-saving solutions to your everyday problems. INTEGRATED GRAPHICS. Analyze a better way - with graphics. Document your results with hard-copy plots. PORTABILITY. Keyboard, CRT, printer and storage - all in a 20-Ib. package. So you’ll have computing power wherever you need it... office, lab, field, or home. . Hewlett-Packard put it all together. The HP- 85 personal computing system. Leave it to Hewlett-Packard to put a lot of power in a little package. Plus flexibility, portability, and all the other features youd expect to find in a personal, professional, integrated computing system. Turn it on and the HP-85 is ready to go. You’re off and running using HP software or creating your own programming solutions. There’s no boot- strapping. And since the operating system and powerful BASIC language exist in ROM, they use almost none of the available RAM. If you’ve been looking for a friendly, integrated computer with power and dependability, look at the HP-85. We put it all together for you! For further information, phone toll-free, 800-547-3400, Dept. 284B, except Alaska/Hawaii. In Oregon, call 758-1010. Or, write Hewlett-Packard, Corvallis, OR 97330, Dept. 284B. 611/22 When performance must be measured by results. HEWLETT PACKARD A new small computer that won’t limit you tomorrow Here's a low-priced computer that won't run out of memory capacity or expandability halfway through your project. Typically, computer usage tends to grow, requiring more capability, more memory, more storage. Without a lot of capability and expandability, your com- puter can be obsolete from the start. The new System One is a real building- block machine. It has capability and expandability by the carload. Look at these features: ■ Z80-A processor ■ 64 K of RAM ■ 780K of disk storage ■ CRT and printer interfaces ■ Eight S-100 card slots, allowing expansion with — color graphics — additional memory — additional interfaces for telecommunications, data acquisition, etc. ■ Small size GENEROUS DISK STORAGE The 780K of disk storage in the System One Model CS-1 is much greater than what is typically available in small com- puters. But here, too, you have a choice since a second version, Model CS-1H, has a 5" Winchester drive that gives you 5 megabytes of disk storage. MULTI-USER, MULTI-TASKING CAPABILITY Believe it or not, this new computer even offers multi-user capability when used with our advanced cromix* operating system option. Not only does this outstanding O/S support multiple users on this computer but does so with powerful features like multiple direc- tories, file protection and record level lock, cromix lets you run multiple jobs as well. In addition to our highly-acclaimed cromix, there is our cdos\ This is an enhanced cp/m + type system designed for single-user applications, cp/m and a wealth of CP/M-compatible software are also available for the new System One through third-party vendors. COLOR GRAPHICS/WORD PROCESSING This small computer even gives you the option of outstanding high-resolution color graphics with our Model SDI inter- face and two-port RAM cards. Then there's our tremendously wide range of Cromemco software including packages for word processing, business, and much more, all usable with the new System One. ANTI-OBSOLESCENCE/LOW- PRICED As you can see, the new One offers you a lot of performance. It's obviously designed with anti-obsolescence in mind. What's more, it's priced at only $3,995. That's considerably less than many machines with much less capabi- lity. And it's not that much more than many machines that have little or nothing in the way of expandability. Physically, the One is small — 7" high. And it's all-metal in construction. It's only 14V8" wide, ideal for desk top use. A rack mount option is also available. CONTACT YOUR REP NOW Get all the details on this important building-block computer. Get in touch with your Cromemco rep now. He'll show you how the new System One can grow with your task. *CROMIX and CDOS are trademarks of Cromemco Inc. +CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research Cromemco m incorporated 280 BERNARDO AVE., MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94040 Tomorrow’s computers today (415) 964-7400 FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 20 INTERFACE AGE 1 VOL. 7, ISSUE 2 SINCE DECEMBER 1975 Graphics in Small Business 66 IBM Personal Computer 70 Portrait of a Computer Artist 74 FEBRUARY 1982 COMPUTING FOR BUSINESS AND HOME APPLICATIONS FEATURES Assignment: Benchmark/Data General CS/10 by HHiei Segal Entry-level model in a minicomputer family 58 Hardware Evaluation: Speech Technology’s VR/S100 .by Roger h. Edeison Speech generator device has many vocal adherents. 60 Graphics Capabilities for the Small Business by Terry Benson Versatile products hallmark the graphics line 66 System of the Month: IBM Personal Computer by Tom Fox Giant makes its entry into the small computer scene. 70 Howard Ganz: Portrait of a Computer Artist by Dona z. Meiiach The computer can be an aesthetic as well as practical device. 74 Drafting your Office Floor Plan by David d. Busch Graphics program to aid in laying out your office. 78 DECSTR — The Superbroker by Rocky Smoiin How a DEC system functions in a stockbroking environment 82 Rotating Diskettes by Frank e. Rowlett Jr. Method for alternating backup diskettes 86 An Introduction to MRP — Part II by Rocky Smoiin Conclusion of the discussion on Materials Requirements Planning. 88 Understanding Hexadecimal Numbers by Jim Taiiman T utoriai on methods of computer mathematical functions 92 Where Does the TRS-80 Go from Here? by Terry Benson Several companies offer enhancement devices for models I and III. 96 Software Review: Documate/Plus for WordStar by Alan r. Miner Programs for table of contents and index generation. 1 02 Create Chain Files Automatically by David D. Busch and Red Hallaman Basic program for versatility in chain-filing techniques. 1 06 Easy Keying of Stock Market Data by Peter j. poiini Program in Cobol allows manipulation of stock data 110 COLUMNS Game Corner: c.a.i Games 22 Inventor’s Sketchpad: Robot civilization on the moon 27 Micro Mathematician: Optimization 34 Learning with Micros: Using documentation 40 Business Software Review: Versatile accounting packages 42 Apple-ications: Sound generation on the Apple 44 Commodore Logbook: Graphics products summary 48 Power in your Pocket: Experimenting with Sharp's PC 54 DEPARTMENTS Editor’s Notebook 6 New Products 124 Letters to the Editor 11 Calendar 132 Update 16 Book Reviews 134 Free Literature 136 Cover: Computer photo courtesy of IBM , Boca Raton , FL MEMBER OF THE WESTERN PUBLICATIONS ASSOCIATION wpB ^BPA MEMBER Contact authors of monthly columns by writing to them at INTERFACE AGE, P.O. Box 1234, Cerritos, CA 90701, in care of their respective columns. INTERFACE AGE Magazine, published monthly by McPheters, Wolfe & Jones, 16704 Marquardt Ave., Cerritos, CA 90701 . Subscription rates: U S. $18.00, Canada $24.00, all other countries $35.00. Make checks payable in U S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. Opinions expressed in by-lined articles do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this magazine or the publisher. Mention of products by trade name in editorial material or advertisements contained herein in no way constitutes endorsement of the product or products by this magazine or the publisher. Circulation Department. (213) 926-9540. INTERFACE AGE Magazine COPYRIGHT 1982 by INTERFACE AGE Magazine Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Materials in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Permission to photocopy for internal or personal use or the internal or personal use of specific clients is granted by McPheters, Wolfe & Jones for libraries and others registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), provided that the flat fee of $1 .50 per copy of each article is paid directly to CCC, 21 Congress Street, Salem, MA 01970. Special requests should be designated to Eva Lewis. ISSN 0147-2992/82 $1.50 0.00. INTERFACE AGE Magazine is catalogued in the Library of Congress, Classification No. QA75.5.155. USPS No. 580-310. ISSN Publication No. 0147-2992. POSTMASTER: Please send change of address form 3579 and undelivered copies to INTERFACE AGE Magazine, 1 6704 Marquardt Ave., Cerritos, CA 90701 . Second class postage paid at Lincoln, Nebraska and Artesia, California. 2 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 T/Maker IX: it does a number on VisiCaR ! T/Maker II does more. And does it on your computer. VisiCalc is a fine aid for the computation of numerical problems. But it does have two major limitations: it is avail- able only for a small number of systems, and its use is lim- ited strictly to numbers, not words. To overcome these substantial limitations, l ifeboat Associates introduces T/Maker II. Unlike VisiCalc, T/Maker II is designed to run on most business computers with SB-80™ or other CP/M-80® com- patible operating systems. Available now for UNIX' M . And soon there will be T/Maker II versions for RT-1 1 ™ and other systems as well. Works with words as well as numbers. Like VisiCalc, T/Maker II reduces the manual tasks involved in comput- ing and calculating financial documents. But since most business problems and reports involve words as well as numbers, T/Maker II also functions as a full-screen text editor for word processing. T/Maker II is the most advanced aid for the analysis and presentation of numerical data and text material. In a matter of minutes, an entire document — including all edited text, all figures and all calculations — is created, reviewed on your screen and reported in printed form. T/Maker II turns your small business computer into a powerful, sophisticated and convenient tool. A tool that will save you money, time and energy, and eliminate the need for costly time-sharing. With T-Maker II you can easily perform an unlimited number of analytical and reporting tasks which integrate numerical and text processing. You'll find T/Maker II perfect for such things as: • Financial Statements • Statistics • Profitability Reports • Revenue and Expense Analyses • Portfolio Evaluations rows and columns, define the relationships and T/Maker II will do the rest: it will perform the computations and for- matting necessary to prepare your document. When you're finished you can analyze your report on your screen or store it on a diskette. Or, you can have the report printed with presentation quality. And when any changes have to be made, simply enter the new figure or relationship and tell T/Maker II to adjust and recalculate all the new results. Editing capabilities. As a full-screen editor for word pro- cessing, T/Maker II handles text up to 255 characters wide. It includes features like text formatting and justification, centered titles, a text buffer for block moves and repeated inserts, global search and replace commands for printing your letters, reports and documents. Wide documents are supported by horizontal scrolling. Low cost. The cost of T/Maker II is miniscule when you consider all the time, energy and money it saves. T/Maker II is brought to you exclusively and supported completely by Lifeboat Associates, world's largest computer software publisher. For more information send us the coupon below. 1 Mail coupon to: Lifeboat Associates, | 1651 Third Ave., NY, NY 10028. Or call (212) 860-0300. - □ Please send me more information • on T/Maker II. | □ Please send me a free Lifeboat Catalog featuring over 200 programs. • Price Lists • Rate Structures • Expense Accounts • Cash Flow Projections • Checking Account Reconciliations . . . and much, much more. Easy to learn and use. You don't have to be a program- mer to operate T/Maker II. Just follow T/Maker U's easily understood and ordered instructions, set up your data in Dealer, Distributor and OEM inquiries invited. Name I Title | Company . Street I City | State _ Zip. Full Support 2216 I T/Maker II is a TM of P. Roizen. VisiCalc is a TM of Personal Software, Inc. SB-80 is a TM of Lifeboat Associates. UNIX is a TM of Bell Laboratories. CP/M 80 is a reg. TM of Digital Research. Inc. RT- 11 is a TM of Digital Equipment Corp. _ *m wmm ■ ■ ■ ■ h ■ mm mm mm mm mm m As an example of what T/Maker II can do, see the chart below. The operator entered only the data shown in boldface. T/Maker II calculated and reported all the other values. — Actual — Growth Total —Projected— 1978 1979 1980 Rate Average (000's) 1981 1982 * 1985 Item A 42,323 51,891 65,123 24.04 53,112 159.34 80,782 100,206 191,262 Item B 45,671 46,128 49,088 3.67 46,962 140.89 50,891 52,761 58,791 Total 87,994 98,019 114,211 13.93 100,075 300.22 131,673 152,966 250,053 % Item 48.10 52. S4 57.02 8.88 52.69 158.1 61.35 65.51 76.49 % Item 51.90 47.06 42.98 -9.00 47.31 141.9 38.65 34.49 23.51 Total 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 300.0 100.00 100.00 100.00 *Two intervening years not shown. LIFEBOAT WORLDWIDE offers you the world's largest library of software. Contact your nearest dealer or Lifeboat Lifeboat Associates 1651 Third Ave. New York. N Y. 10028 Tel: (212) 860-0300 Telex: 640693 (LBS0FT NYK) TWX 710-581-2524 (LOSOfT NYK) Lifeboat Inc. OK Bldg.. 5F 1-2-8. Shiba-Daimon Mmato-ku. Tokyo 105. Japan Tel: 03 437-3901 Telex: 2423296 (LBJJYU) Lifeboat Associates. Ltd. P0 Box 125 London WC2H9LU. England Tel: 01-836-9028 Telex: 893709 (LBS0FTG) Lifeboat Associates. GmbH Hmterberestrasse Postfach 251 6330 Cham. Switzerland Tel: 042/36 8686 Telex: 865265 iMICO CH) Intersoft GmbH Schlossgartenweg 5 0-8045 Ismaning. W Germany Tel: 089-966-444 Telex 5213G43 (IS0TD) Lifeboat Associates. SARL 10. Grande Rue Charles de Gaulle 92600 Asnieres, France Tel: 1-733-08-04 Telex: 250303 (PUBLIC X PARIS) Copyright ©T 981, by Lifeboat Associates lifeboat Associates World's foremost software source FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 45 INTERFACE AGE 3 We Meet or Beat Any Advertised Price! NORTHSTM HORIZON II 32k Double Density $3695 *2695 HORIZON II 64k Quad Density •2 5/8” Obi Side Dbl. Density Drives •Full Fsctory Warranty •List $4495 HORIZON II 84k Double Density S?« *3050 PCB PRICE ONLY *3275 HORIZON II 32k Quad Density & ’2895 TOSHIBA lonsity, 5 Ve ” d a$ic80 and CBa *3495 64k Quad density, 5Va" drives. 64k QD. 8 drives. 2mb storage. CP/M. MBasic80 and CBasic II CP/M. MBasicBO and CBasic II 4495 TOSHIBA WORD PROCESSING 64k Main Memory. 2-5V4” floppydrives, 45 cps daisy wheel printer. LIST 7995 *6695 PRINTERS COMET 8300 c.itoh *450 COMET II C.itoh parallel *795 EPSON MX80 parallel ‘479 EPSON MX80 RS232 *549 EPSON GRAFTRAX UPGRADE *90 ■ STARWRITER 25cps parallel ‘1495 STARWRITER 25cps RS232 *1650 STARWRITER II 45cps parallel ‘1795 STARWRITER III 40cps RS232 ‘1750 NEC 7710 RS232 *2395 NEC 3510 RS232 *1895 MPI 88G List $749 *550 5%” DISK DRIVES TandonCDC Soliy *225 TandonCDC Sol* *350 Tandon 100-4 bo *.<* . *600 Seagate 5mb Hard Disc ST-506 *1350 DISKETTES Verbatim 525-01 bm of 10 ’29 Dysan sv*. ss, do Soft boxoiio’34 7 ' SUPE3BRAIN 64k Quad Density *2950 64k Double Density *2650 CMC 5mb tor TRS-80, Superbrain, Heath H-89, S-100 LIST $ $3495 *2795 HARD DISKS CORVUS 10mb LIST $5350 *4295 20mb LIST $6450 ’5300 Mirror Backup ’650 Multiplexer ’775 TELEVIDEO 91 OC *595 91 2C *665 920C *720 950 *950 SUPERBRAIN S-100 Bus Adapter LIST $595 *475 LIST $90 SUPERBRAIN Parallel Port ID LIST $205 SBE Prom *155 LANGUAGES C Basic II ’98 M Basic 80 *275 MT Pascal ’430 Fortran 80 ’460 Cobol 80 *660 M Basic Compiler . *329 GRAPHICS Graphics board '896 Symbol Generator *200 Graphics Plotter '200 3-D Graphics *41 Surface Plotter *460 Graphics Terminal Emulator *460 To Order Call (206) 453-8159 Mail and telephone orders only. Mastercharge, VISA add 3%. No COD. All prices FOB origin. Send for catalog. Mail all correspondence to P.0. Box 3952, Bellevue, Wa. 98009 PACIFIC COMPUTED BROKERS 11056 Palatine North, Seattle, WA 98133 ilWffiHCEd6E Robert S. Jones Publisher, Editor-in-Chief Nancy A. Jones Executive Publisher Mike Antich Publication Director Editorial Managing Editor Les Spindle Associate Editor Rail Korbner Technical Editors Terry Benson Tom Fox Contributing Editors David D. Busch Bernard Conrad Cole Roger Edelson Louis E. Frenzel, Jr. Roger C. Garrett Carl Heintz Bob McElwain Alan R. Miller John C. Nash Leah 0*Connor Patrick O’Connor Hlllel Segal Rocky Smolln Production Production Manager Terri Ledesma Art Director Fino Ortiz Artists Arlene DeVera Patricia Perez Typographer Suzi Pippin Administration Accounting Supervisor Kay Lee Accounting Assistants Julie Dennison, Shirley Mazenko Assistant-to-the-Publisher Eva Lewis Circulation Manager Colin Cato Circulation Assistants Sheila Drury, Vicky Goodman Publication Assistants Cheryl Johnston, Lilly Lisa Advertising Boston Dick Green 7 Lincoln St., Wakefield, MA 01880 (617) 245-9105 New York John Sensenstein 20 Community PI., Ste. 140, Morristown, NJ 07960 (201) 267-3032 Charlotte Harry Dill 3938 Sussex Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28210 (704) 552-1004 Chicago Al Gravenhorst, Steve Skinner 5901 N. Cicero Ave., Chicago, IL 60646 (312) 545-8621 Dallas Mitch Mohanna 2312 Canyon Valley Trail, Plano (Dallas), TX 75023 (214) 596-1139 Santa Clara Deborah Kenney 1333 Lawrence Expy., Ste. 150C, Santa Clara, CA 95051 (408) 296-2121 Los Angeles Mike Antich P.O. Box 1234, Cerritos, CA 90701 (213) 926-9544 Japan Tomoyuki Inatsuki Trade Media Japan Inc., R. 212 Azabu Hts., 1-5-10, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106 Telephone: (03) 585-0581 Telex: J28208 Interface Age Europe Advertising Manager Sylvia Stler Kirchenstr. 9, D-8013 Haar bei Munchen West Germany Telephone: 089/465046 International Newsstand Distribution Director Lew Ullian Orberstrasse 38, D-6000 Frankfurt/M. 61 West Germany Telephone: (0611) 44 77 90/41 84 80 International/Domestic Retail Circulation (213) 926-9544 Julie Dennison UK Distributor Seymour Press Limited 334 Brixton Rd. London SW9 7 AG Telephone: 01-733 4444 16704 Marquardt, Cerritos, CA 90701 (213) 926-9544 TWX (910) 583-1412 4 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 60 FEBRUARY 1982 ANNOUNCING A INVOLUTION IN TH€ COST OF PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE VISflCCOUNT is o fully integrated business and accounting system designed for use in small businesses. VISRCCOUNT is extremely comprehensive and professional, yet it is very easy to use. The system is controlled from a series of interconnected menus permitting user-friendly operation. Everything you need to set-up and operate the system is provided ujith the VISRCCOUNT package. Experts have estimated the development costs for a fully integrated software system ranges between $7,200 and $22, 000. T lilhen you buy software the developer has to recapture this expense. Computer Services Corporation of Rmerica is selling its software with a view that volume sales can almost negate this development cost. OUR GUARANTEE — Buy both our software and that of our competitors (who will no doubt charge several times our price because they need to recapture their development cost). Compare the two systems and we know you’ll return theirs (make sure they'll let you return their software). If you decide not to keep our system, then return it within 45 days for a full refund. Once you’ve used our system we’re confident you’ll be delighted. tMcrocomputers for Business. Applications. 1979 What Vou Aeceive • Nine 5 Vi" double density disks (or six 8" single density disks) • Easy-to-use operator's manual (over 200 pages) • Self-study guide on bookkeeping ond accounting (over 180 pages) • Cassette based instruction program on set-up and operation Available for Apple*, TRS-80, and most others ♦The Apple version requires the Microsoft Z80 softcard. CSCR has CBRSIC2, CP/M and Microsfot Z80 softcard in stock. Comprehensive Status Reports Inventory Alert Reports Raui ond Finished Goods ond more Complete Order Cntry RutomotK Posting ■ File Aging (30/60/90 doys) Prints Invoices Audit Trails Master File Receipts and Disbursements Balance sheet Income Statement Comprehensive Budget Analysis Trial (Balance and more PAYROLL Comprehensive Payroll Register Prints Payroll Checks Automatic Posting Form SOI. (JU2. 941 Cash Requirements Report Generates Purchose Orders • Automatic Posting Prints Checks FIXCD RSS€TS ACCOUNTING ■ • Complete Capital Goods Record Option of 5 Depreciation Methods | IRS Depreciation Report CXTRA: MAILING LIST PROGRAM Features Menu Driven: The entire system runs from a single master menu which accesses numerous subsidi- ary menus, when needed, to per- form the full spectrum of business and accounting functions. Self-Documenting: All the infor- mation needed to use the sytem is provided in an easy to self- study format. Requirements: 48K CBRSIC2 2 DISK DRIVES CP/M ©1981 Computer Services Corporation of America W/ Send $159 for the VISflCCOUNT system COMPUTER S6RVIC6S CORPORATION of AMERICA 332 East 30th Street New Vork, New Vork 10016 Order Toll Free 1-800-221-2486 In New York & Technical Number 1-212-685-0090 Name _ Address City/State/Zip □ Master Charge □ Visa □ American express No. expires Vour System Disk Size □ 51/4" double density □ 8" single density FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 19 INTERFACE AGE 5 ECiTunS fiiuTEEiuuiri ATARI ATARI 400 W/16K J 339 00 800 w/16K J 739 00 810 Disk Drive 5 449 00 830 Modem J 159 00 850 Interface s 159 00 16K module s 85 00 EPSON MX-70 CALL MX-80 CALL MX-80F/T CALL MX-100 CALL Graphics kit s 85 00 Interface cards and cables available for your machine! We’ll attempt to meet or beat any advertised price Who 1 HEWLETT mL'KM PACKARD HP-85A W/16K *2595°° HP-125 s 2995 00 TELEVIDEO 920C J 729 00 950 J 939°° ZENITH Z-19 J 725 00 Z-89 *2150 00 Call for more great prices on NEC, BMC, Northstar, Altos, Soroc, Am- dek . . . and others. prices subject to change without notice LO-BALL COMPUTERS P.0, Box 1818 Beaverton, OR 97075 APO/FPO welcomed CALL (503) 641-0211 Ordering Information: For fastest ser- vice, send money order, cashier’s check or bank wire. Visa and MC orders, add 3%. Personal checks accepted (allow minimum 10 days to clear). Hours 9-5, M-F. Call For Our Free Price List Where computer merchandisers meet Comdex ’81: like the industry it served, it was almost too big, too complex for a single mind to understand. Dealers who didn’t attend this annual gathering of computer manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers missed an exciting preview of new products. It was a show chock-full of micro- computers and microcomputer people. Since all attendees— buyers and sellers alike— were computer professionals, the level of repartee was high indeed. Nobody had to be told what a byte was; all could tell a ROM from a RAM in the briefest glance. In a time leaning towards economic uncertainty, it was heartening to see thousands of people who have staked their careers on the success of the ‘‘little computer.” By all appear- ances, they were convinced they had made the right choice. Shows like this are a good window into the immediate future. In our eyes, two things stood out: the first commer- cial influences of IBM’s new Personal Computer and the emergence of a super 1 6-bit microprocessor. The first tricklings of the monsoon predicted by this issue’s System of the Month (page 70) were spotting the carpets of the exhibit hall. A number of manufacturers have taken an early lead with products intended for use with the IBM Personal Computer. TecMar, Cleveland, OH, an estab- lished manufacturer of plug-in accessory boards for a variety of microcomputers, introduced a full bag of IBM-bound cards —more than 20 different designs in all. The list includes RAM, ROM and EPROM memory additions up to 256K bytes, multiple I/O ports (both serial and parallel at speeds up to 256K bits per second), and special interfaces to analog labora- tory equipment— either directly or via the IEEE 488 bus. Also included is a board allowing up to four IBM units to share a single printer, as well as a video digitizer, motor controller, clock/calendar module and interface for its 5M-byte Winchester disk. On the exotic side, we find a speech generator and something called a Protozoa. All of this won’t fit in IBM’s standard box, so TecMar also builds an expansion chassis complete with its own IBM-compatible bus and power supply. We weren’t surprised to see a Win- chester hard disk drive by Corvus, San Jose, CA, that is attachable to the Personal Computer. Available in mega- byte sizes like its cousin Apple expander product, the Corvus disk comes com- plete with a plug-in controller card. Multi-computer networking for the IBM computer is promised later this year. Datamac, Sunnyvale, CA, has a half- dozen varieties of memory expansion hardware for the IBM unit, all said to be 20% cheaper than IBM’s list prices. A 16K byte upgrade lists for $72; 256K bytes with parity error detection goes for $1 ,549. (Compare this with the cost of the computer itself!) First Systems Corp., Manhattan Beach, CA, offered a software tool set for serious program developers. Evolved from similar products now running on IBM 370 and DEC VAX/VMS giants, the package will organize and speed the development of complex applications programs. Arbitus Totalsoft, Bellingham, WA, offers a package of ‘‘old-fashioned accounting programs” adapted from similar products currently running under Oasis. The programs include general ledger, inventory control, accounts receivable, accounts payable and mailing list. Several others are listed, including a Canadian payroll system. Context Management Systems, Tor- rance, CA, has designed a set of pro- grams called MBA— Masters of Business Administration. The package includes a VisiClone spreadsheet generator, simple word processor and a primitive data base manager. They’re all tied together and enhanced with communications and graphics modules. This integrated sys- tem costs around $700, and requires two floppy diskette drives and 192K bytes of memory. Those with 8086- or 8088-based microcomputers who would like to try IBM’s DOS, the Personal Computer’s preferred operating system, are now able to buy it directly from Microsoft, Bellevue, WA, DOS’s developer. It’s called MS-DOS, and currently is the host for a Basic interpreter and Pascal compiler. A Basic compiler is in the works, too. Not just hardware and software, but other elements of a supporting industry are forming around the IBM computer as well. Strategic Inc., San Jose, CA, offers to help out with its Personal Computer Information Service for those who wish to join the explosion as manu- facturers. Newsletters, workshops and marketing research projects are all aimed at maximizing an individual’s share of this infant market. Finally, a yet-to-be-seen magazine is promised for users of the system. Simply called PC, San Francisco, CA, this monthly is aimed at the personal or business user of IBM’s tiniest brainchild. Also on the IBM front, we were astounded to see, at this early stage, a 6 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 47 FEBRUARY 1982 Hie Manager Series from Microsoft" turns a personal computer into an executive toolbox. 3etter management tools. The v/lanager Series from Microsoft urns an inexpensive personal computer into an executive's oolbox. Not a computer program- ner's toolbox. An executive toolbox. Computerized management tools for ion-computer people. Time, people, projects. The Series 3 a system of software tools that vork together to help you plan, organize, chedule and record your business and >ersonal affairs. Time Manager,* Project Manager md Personnel Manager* are the first packages in he Series. Vrite it once. All programs in the Manager Series allow ou to transfer information between programs. That neans you can enter information in one program and ~ansfer it for management by another, ime Manager. The key. Time Manager helps you lanage your personal time, appointments and priorities. : can also help you manage expenses, costs and job chedules. Or, keep a running tally of costs and hours by ay, week, month or year. And Time Manager can act as n "executive" to manage other programs in the Series, ‘roject Manager. Describe the components of a roject to Project Manager. It will create timing, task and Bsource charts to help you focus on critical tasks. Change ne piece of information and Project Manager will recalculate the entire project. Project Manager even flags overcommitted personnel resources. Personnel Manager. Manage information about people, companies, customers or prospects. From names and addresses to skills, position, and characteristics. Personnel Manager lets you enter any kind of people-related information. Then, organize and retrieve it almost any way you want. Management software. Even if you've never used a computer before, you should be able to productively use the Manager Series in a very short time. And, when you've learned to use one in the Series, you've virtually learned them all. Seeing is believing. Ask your local computer store for a demonstration of the Manager Series. It's a series of management tools that could be your best reason to own a personal computer. ‘Trademarks of The Image Producers, Inc. /MICROSOFT V CONSUMER^ PRODUCTS r A Division of Microsoft. Inc. 10700 Northup Way • Bellevue, WA 98004 FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 52 INTERFACE AGE 7 EuiTunB fiiuTEBuun whole computer that looks to be an improved-upon copy of the new system. To be marketed by Victor Business Products, Chicago, IL, the Victor 9000 sports an 8088 microprocessor, twin minifloppy diskettes, advanced keyboard and impressive graphics capabilities— just like IBM’s unit. It even runs MS-DOS and CP/M-86, the potent pair picked by the three-letter giant. The 9000 lacks IBM’s color capability, but compensates by including a voice digitizer and 1.2M bytes of online disk memory in its $4,995 price. Keeping in mind the extra- ordinary wall of security surrounding the IBM project, and knowing the lead times involved in developing a computer system, we are sure that the 9000 is not a copy of the Personal Computer— but the resemblance is uncanny. Among other interesting observations, the displacement of 8-bit micropro- cessors by their more powerful 16-bit brothers is accelerating. Computers centered around the 8086 were all over the place, and we saw for the first time a showing in force of 68000-based micro- computers. The Motorola-developed 68000 can run at a clock rate up to 12.5 MHz, and has certain internal features— such as 1 7 internal registers —that are actually 32 bits wide. The chip is housed in a mammoth 64-pin package. Several new computers are based on the 68000: Alpha Micro’s (Irvine, CA) AM-100/L (“lightning-quick") board. S-100 com- patible, it’s more than three times faster than Alpha’s current computer (also a 16-bit unit). Forward Technology’s (Santa Clara, CA) FT-68M Multibus-compatible pro- cessor board, which includes up to 256K bytes of random-access memory on the same card. CompuThink’s (Sunnyvale, CA) Hawk- 32 is a computer system complete with Winchester disk and support for up to 1 6 users. A new company called Fortune Systems, San Carlos, CA, had the hit of the show: a 68000-based computer with UNIX operating system for $4,995. Not expected until the second quarter of this year, the Fortune 32:16 raised some eyebrows from observers who simply can’t believe the low price. Instrumentation Laboratory, Andover, MA, showed the Pixel 100/AP, a slick- looking computer system that is cur- rently available only with the UCSD Pascal operating system/language. Microdasys’ (Santa Monica, CA) 68K MiniFrame improves upon the 68000’s already-generous memory addressing range of 16M bytes with a virtual memory scheme that can access up to four billion bytes. It’s available with Microsoft’s XENIX, a derivative of UNIX. — TF Victor’s IBM look alike i § rzi lAPn - L.L.VJ UAI% L J /55vFLLGUARD s (Sp ELLGUARD cpfi i r.i iAPn ic chi SPELLGUARD is Shrinking (JB) \ Thousands of copies of the original CP/M(tm) spelling checker are used every day. Now, introducing SPELLGUARD ; VERSION 2.0. . . 1 .5 Times Faster Proofreading Tested at 50 pages (12,500 words) per minute on 8" floppy disks. 3.0 Times More Powerful Dictionary 20.000 word dictionary fits in one third the original space (54K). All user-built dictionaries are similary compressed. Words Removed From Dictionary in a Single Step Words can be added or deleted from any SPELLGUARD dictionary at a single keystroke without the use of utility programs and extra diskette space. Legal Dictionary Available 19,000 word dictionary of legal terms is available. And it's still the easiest spelling checker to use with its menu driven design and extensive on-line help feature. Spellguard 2.0 offer. s the full dictionary and program on Applemi format (required CP/M<tm> and 80 column card.) © •OELLGUARD - THE SPELLING CHECKER FOR PROFESSIONALS Contact your local Microcomputer Dealer or write to ISA for information. Suggested retail price of SPELLCUARD $295, the legal dictionary $125, and the upgrade from SPELLGUARD 1.0 to 2.0 $35. il Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Co. CPIM it a registered trademark of Digital Research. INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS 260 Sheridan Avenue., Suite 300 Palo Alto, CA 94306 P.O. Box 2797 Menlo Pork, CA 94025 (415) 326-0805 8 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 39 FEBRUARY 1982 “This year, I’m taking 2,000 people sailing. I wouldn’t trust the travel arrangements to anything less than Scotch" Brand Diskettes.” Eben Whitcomb, Owner- Operator, Dirigo Cruise Company, Clinton, CT Eben Whitcomb runs the largest windjammer cruise business using American flag ships. He uses Scotch diskettes to keep track of thousands of names, bookings, sailing times, manifests and general ledger. While his computer saves time and repetition, Scotch diskettes assure him that vital information will be there when he needs it. Dependable Scotch media can work just as hard for you. Each Scotch diskette is tested before it leaves our factory, and guaranteed error-free. So you can expect it to perform exactly right. Scotch 8” and 5V4" diskettes are compatible with computer/diskette systems likeTRS-80, Apple, PET, Wang and many others. Get them from your local 3M distributor. For the one nearest you, call toll-free: 800/328-1300. (In Minnesota, call collect: 612/736-9625.) Ask for the Data Recording Products Division. In Canada, contact 3M Canada, Inc., Ontario. If it’s worth remembering, it’s worth Scotch Data Recording Products. 3M Hears You... FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 48 INTERFACE AGE 9 Systems Group System 2800 computers. They’re making people stand up and take notice. But then Systems Group products have always appealed to those who appreciate sensible value, high performance, un- matched reliability and prompt, courteous service. Through the years, Systems Group product acceptance in Z80 CPU, disk controller, I/O and memory boards have been the result of some very pur- poseful and carefully thought out engineering. Not to mention strict industrial quality produc- tion standards. That same effort has made System Group’s new family of expandable System 2800 com- puters what they are today. Fast, reliable and powerful. System 2800 computer sys- tems are designed for a single user with 64K of memory or for up to as many as six separate users with additional add-in memory. They can easily ex- pand as your organization’s needs grow. You can handle up to 8000 customers and 24,000 inventory items in our lowest cost dual floppy model and much, much more in our 40M byte hard disk models. And you can connect up to 12 terminals or printers and other add-on Systems Group floppy, tape and hard disk single or dual drive subsystems. Select CP/M', MP/M'or OASIS tt operating systems to run all your word processing and accounting programs. No mat- ter what size organization you control, control- ling will be easier from now on. See the System 2800 from Systems Group, they’re what computers should have been in the first place. f registered trademark of Digital Research ft registered trademark of Phase One Systems Dealer Inquiries Invited Systems Group a Division oi MEASUREMENT systems & controls incorporated 1601 Orangewood Avenue Orange. California 92668. (714) 633-4460 TWX/TELEX 910 593 1350 SYSTEMGRP ORGE Be Permanently Impressed. The Expandable Computer Family from Systems Group. 1981 Today’s Requirements Dual floppy single or multi-user system 1983 Tomorrow’s Requirements 10M byte hard disk and floppy drive, single or multi-user system 1985 Your Future Requirements 40M byte hard disk and 20M byte tape back-up, single or multi-user system 10 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 69 FEBRUARY 1982 LETTERS CAI update Thank you very much for printing the article by Susan Luttner regarding the Computer Assisted Instruction Project in the San Juan Unified School District (“Apple-ications” IA Sep 81). Following is information that should have been included in the article. Over 1,100 school districts have contracted with the San Juan Unified School District to use the Blocks Author System during the 1 981-82 school year. In the state of Illinois, a special project has contracted to disseminate the Author System and provide service within the state. Contact me for further information. Ted Perry Computer Assisted Instruction 6141 Sutter Ave. Carmichael, CA 95608 Still more about sorts I would like to commend Gene Cotton for his clear and informative articles “About Sorts” (IA Aug and Sep 81) as well as to provide corrections to several programs that he used. First, the HEAP sort routine did not contain the counters for the number of compares and swaps (C & S). To include these counters, the following changes are needed. 275 S = S + 1 555 C = C + 1 580 C = C + 1 582 IF A(R0) ^ A(R1 ) THEN 640 585 S = S + 1 The following seem to be typograph- ical errors. INSERT— part 1, p. 69, col. 2 140 IF A(I-1)<T THEN 210 SHELL— part 1, p. 146, col. 2 290 GOTO 140 HEAP— part 2, p. 86, col. 1 270 FOR M = N - 1 TO 1 STEP - 1 QUICKSORT2— part 2, p. 90, col. 2 280 C = C + 1 I hope that these corrections will make it easier for others to implement the sort routines. Dale E. Watts Littleton, CO CBT corrections Dave Hannum’s article “A Guide to Computer-Based Training Systems” (IA Oct 81) is in error on several points. Control Data PLATO does not offer a means to project pictures from slides or video tape/disk, although this could be done via the RS-232 port on the terminal On the positive side, the 512 by 512 resolution Control Data 1 1 0 terminal that can be dialed up to a PLATO computer can also be used in a stand- alone mode called Micro PLATO, which employs dual density, double-sided 8 in. disk drives. The leading edge of CBT technology lies in the direction of combining the off-line independence and dedicated processing power of a sophisticated stand-alone terminal with the advantages of a network capable of providing centralized data collection and software distribution facilities. The article should have touched on these trends. Gary R. Michael Savoy, IL I’d like to call your attention to an authoring system that was overlooked in the CBT article. Z.E.S. for the Apple was created in Australia by a group called Zenith Coaching. It is a completely menu-driven system that allows the teacher to create any type of lesson desired. It includes full-color hi-res graphics, animation, cartesian graphs, hints, messages from and to the student, branching to up to nine revision ques- tions for each normal question, and very elaborate student record-keeping (including general lesson status, per- formance summary, detailed report of each question, actual answers given, and a full class report). Mary Carol Smith Avant-Garde Creations Eugene, OR Catching up with busses Tom Fox’s editorial on busses (IA Nov 81 ) contains a few technical errors that ought to be corrected. A minor error is the statement that Altair was the grandfather of microcomputer manufac- turers. Altair was not a manufacturer, but the name of a computer made by MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telem- etry Systems). A major flaw is the statement that “The S-1 00 bus is somewhat married to the 8080 (and similar 8085 and Z80) microprocessor integrated circuit chips. With the notable exception of Alpha Microsystems’ 16-bit unit, the S-1 00 bus is quite incompatible with other designs of microprocessor chips.” This statement is very misleading. In the January/February issue of Micro- systems , Mokurai Cherlin wrote an article titled “The Other Processors for S-1 00 Systems.” The article lists the following processor boards available for the S-1 00 bus: 6502 (two boards avail- able), 6800 (two boards available), 6802 (one board available), 6809 (two boards available), 2650 (five boards available), WINANEW IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER! +187 FREE PRIZES! ENTER NOW!* 2ND ANNUAL INMAC PLUS sweepstakes: Here's your chance to win an IBM Computer or another great prize in this year's Inmac Plus Sweep- stakes. It's easy to enter. And no purchase is neces- sary. Send the coupon below and we'll rush your Inmac Catalog with Inmac Plus Sweepstakes Entry Blank. The Inmac mail-order catalog is the world's largest single source of computer supplies and accessories. Enter now -and give yourself a chance to win! And just for en- tering you will get a 10% discount on the great new Inmac Plus diskettes with exclusive Lifetime Guarantee. ONE TRIPLE GRAND PRIZE. ★ An IBM Personal Computer, complete with display unit and two diskette drives. ★ All- Expense San Francisco/Monterey Vacation for two. ★ $1000 Shopping Spree in computer supplies and accessories at an Inmac Distribution Center. SIX 2ND PRIZES. ★ All-Expense 3-Day Weekend at a fine resort hotel near you. ★ $500 Shopping Spree at an Inmac Distribution Center. TEN 3RD PRIZES. ★ $200 Inmac Gift Certificates. 3 TWENTY 4TH PRIZES. _ ★ $100 Inmac Gift Certificates. ~ FIFTY 5TH PRIZES. F ★ $50 Inmac Gift Certificates. ■1 ONE HUNDRED 6TH PRIZES. WBm ★ $25 Inmac Gift Certificates. Send today for your Inmac Plus Sweepstakes Entry Blank. Inmac Plus Sweepstakes. 2465 Augustine Dr., Santa Clara, CA 95051 Please RUSH my Inmac Catalog with Inmac Plus Sweep- stakes Entry Blank and Contest Rules. I understand that only one entry per envelope can be accepted, and that no entry can be accepted after April 9, 1982. (To help assure entry by deadline, please use coupon instead of Reader Service Card. ) | Name 1 1 Company Phone | Address 1 City State Zip mmac World's leading source of computer supplies and accessories. FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY no. 38 INTERFACE AGE 1 1 F8 (one board available), 9900 (one board available), 8086/8088 (six boards available), Z8000 (two boards available), 68000 (three boards available), Bit Slice (one board available), Pascal Micro- engine (one board available). The list is not exhaustive. Though these boards may not be in wide use, this situation does not repre- sent what I would term “quite incompat- ible.” I do not quarrel with the intent of the editorial but I feel that you are obliged to get your facts straight before engaging your typewriter or word processor. Steven H. Leibson Boulder, CO Color him skeptical I trust that Ryan Gale (Letters, IA Oct 81 ) is being metaphorical when he says that using home computers for word processing is “analogous to discovering how much you can increase your produc- tivity by changing from... crayon to manual typewriter... those of use using Selectric lls can only wonder what the fuss is all about.” If the Selectric he’s talking about is a word processor like the Wang, he may be right. But having switched from a Selectric II to a Radio Shack model III with Scripsit, I can tell you that even this low-cost system can run rings around the Selectric— even the correcting model. And while Mr. Gale seems to feel that microcomputer word-processing is mainly just an extra hobby for those who have computers anyway, I know of at least four other professional writers who have purchased micros just for word processing. (In case you’re curious, that tally includes two Radio Shack model lls, a North Star and a Heathkit H-89.) Ivan Berger New York, NY Taking umbrage Every so often I find discrepancies and inaccuracies in articles printed in your magazine but the November issue had several. I am forced to take umbrage. In the article on word processing, Dennis Christopher compares daisy wheel printers. He reports the Radio Shack model has a rated speed of 25cps. Not so. And even a cursory check of the catalog would show it is rated at 43cps, comparable to the Xerox it was compared to. In the printer hardware article, the chart shows the Texas Instruments 81 0 as serial only. Not so. It offers dual outputs at the stated price. I sensed a bias against the TRS-80, at least from some of your authors. For instance, Christopher said service on the $4,500 Radio Shack system is “slower” than the $10,000 Xerox. Service contracts are available in most of the same areas where Xerox offers its costly agreements. And it didn’t occur to him that an owner could easily afford two TRS-80 systems and still have a trip to Hawaii left over. Finally (and this is a very personal bias) Carl Heintz has again addressed CP/M as “the industry standard.” Other journals have called it the “de facto standard.” Good Lord! In an industry that is now honoring those who have participated for five years as “old timers” what is the honor in calling such an “antique” a “standard”? In a field where the technology changes each week, where nothing from 1976 is still “state-of-the-art,” where the very chip it was designed for is of historical interest, what does CP/M have to offer? Where is the power of the system? The sophis- tication? The efficiency (especially in disk storage)? The user-friendliness? Its main virtues seem to be its ubiquity and the proliferation of countless compatible software items. And boy, there sure are a lot of them— like locusts or Pintos. Logic that encourages the continuation of such a system just by virtue of its weight, ought to give a “syntax error.” If you like the numbers argument, I’ve got a great deal on abacuses... John Revelle Rohnert Park, CA Drive problem solution Re: Peter Chan’s letter (IA Oct 81) regarding difficulties with power con- versions to the Shugart drives in his TRS-80 model lls, Shugart manufactures four different versions of the SA800 drive for the four permutations of 1 10 or 220 volts and 50 or 60 Hertz. Conver- sions from one frequency to the other are accomplished by changing the drive pulley and belt. Conversions between 1 1 0 and 220 volts require a replacement of the drive motor. Conversion from 1 1 0/60 to 220/50 need both changes. The drive will apparently work if only the belt and pulley are changed, but operating the 110 volt motor at 220 volts will cause overheating and speed variations, — ATC ANNOUNCES — GRAPHICS 810 PLUG-IN CONVERSION BOARDS FOR THE HIGHLY RELIABLE Tl*-81 0 RO PRINTER □ MODEL 190-L True Letter Quality — 8 Fonts □ MODEL 190-T Low-Cost Tektronix™ Push-Button Hardcopy □ MODEL 190-L 3 Raster Graphic Modes, 1 1 ,700 Dots- Per-Second □ MODEL 180 2 Raster Graphic Modes Boards also offer 95-character software fonts, barcode and block graphic characters, pro- grammable expansion, 9,500- character print buffer. , •TEXAS INSTRUMENTS •X. ANALOG TECHNOLOGY CORP. ra 15859 EAST EDNA PLACE y IRWINDALE, CA 91706 (213) 960-4004 72 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 9 FEBRUARY 1982 which will create an out-of-spec diskette. Mr. Chan should see his local Shugart distributor, which is Caduceus Indus- tries, Ltd. in Quarry Bay, Hong Kong to determine whether his drives have been properly converted. Donald B. Lowe, Jr. Shugart Associates Sunnyvale, CA Missing document mystery Re: “Micro-Mathematician” by Dr. John C. Nash (IA Jun 81), I was partic- ularly interested in your reference to the IEEE Draft Floating-Point Arithmetic Standard. The AmD9512 chip’s docu- mentation also makes mention of this standard, but in spite of several attempts over the last few months, I have been unable to find out whether such a docu- ment exists, let alone its contents. (The Standard’s bodies here have never heard of it.) I am particularly anxious to establish whether the format recom- mended for a 32-bit floating-point binary number is the same as that adopted for the AmD9512 (not the 9511), namely: 1-bit sign 8-bit binary exponent, biassed by 127 23-bit mantissa with an implied “1” as the m.s. bit This is the format used in the (software) floating-point library routines in Pro Pascal, a Z80 native-code Pascal com- piler that we have developed and are about to market. I should be most grateful for any light you could shed on this matter. Mike Oakes Prospero Software London, England Re: the Proposed Standard for Binary Floating-Point Arithmetic (IEEE Task P754), Draft 8.0 was published in IEEE Computer, March 1981 , pages 51-62, with additional expository articles follow- ing in the same issue. Draft 5.11 was published in a special issue of SIGNUM Newsletter (a publica- tion of the Association for Computing Machinery) of October 1979. Recently , a draft standard in French has been produced by sub-committee 47 B of the International Electrotechnical Commission (Binary Floating-Point Arith- metic for Microprocessor Systems, 47 B secretariat 6). This appears to be a direct translations of IEEE Draft 8.0, but I can find no statement of parentage and, unfortunately , the document is marked “ not for reproduction, July 1981 .” A proposed standard should have wide- spread distribution. The AMD 9512 uses a 32-bit floating- r \ U 1 1 21 SOFTWARE ULTIMATE SOFTWARE PLAN We ll match any advertised price on any item that we carry. And if you find a lower price on what you bought within 30 days of buying it, just show us the ad and we ll / MANUAL ONLY Combine our price protection with the availability of full professional support and our automatic update service and you have the Ultimate Software Plan. It’s a convenient, uncomplicated, logical way to get your software. i/ 0 (New items or new prices) CP/M users: specify disk systems and formats. Most formats available. PASCAL Pascal/MT + $429/$30 refund the difference. It’s that simple. CP/M « ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Medical(PAS-3) $849/$40 Dental (PAS-3) $849/$40 ASYST DESIGN Prof Time Accounting. S549/$40 General Subroutine S269/S40 Application Utilities . $439/$40 COMPLETE BUS. SYSTEMS Creator $269/$25 Reporter $169/$20 Both $399/$45 COMPUTER CONTROL Fabs (B-tree) $159/$20 UltraSort II $159/$25 COMPUTER PATHWAYS Pearl (level 1). $ 99/S25 Pearl (level 2) $299/$40 Pearl (level 3) $549/$ 50 DIGITAL RESEARCH CP/M 2.2 NorthStar $149/$25 TRS-80 Model II (P+T)$159/$35 Micropolis $169/$25 Cromemco $ 1 89/$25 PL/l-80 $459/$35 BT-80 $ 1 79/$30 Mac $ 85/$ 15 Sid $ 65/$ 15 Z-Sid $ 90/$ 15 Tex S 90/$ 15 DeSpool $ 50/$ 10 CB-80 $459/$35 C Basic-2 :..$ 98/$20 D.M.A. Ascom $149/$ 15 Formula $539/$45 GRAHAM-DORIAN General Ledger $729/$40 Acct Receivable, $729/$40 Acct Payable $729/$40 Job Costing $729/$40 Payroll II $729/$40 Inventory II $729/$40 Payroll $493/$40 Inventory $493/$40 Cash Register $493/$40 Apartment Mgt $493/$40 MICRO-AP S-Basic $269/$25 ✓ Selector IV $269/$35 ✓ Selector V $469/$50 MICRO DATA BASE SYSTEMS HDBS $269/$35 MDBS $795/$40 DRS or QRSor RTL $269/$ 10 MDBS PKG $1295/$60 MICROPRO ® WordStar $319/$60 ✓ Customization Notes $429/$na Mail-Merge $109/$25 WordStar/Mail-Merge $419/$85 DataStar $249/$60 WordMaster $119/$40 SuperSort I $199/$40 Spell Star $l75/$40 ✓ CalcStar $259/$na MICROSOFT / Basic-80 $298 Basic Compiler $329 Fortran-80 $349 ✓ Cobol-80 $629 M-Sort $124 Macro-80 $144 MICROTAX ✓ Individual $250/na ✓ Professional $1000/na ✓ Partnership $750/na ✓ Package $1500/na ORGANIC SOFTWARE TextWriter III $ 1 1 1/$25 DateBook II $269/$25 Milestone $269/530 OSBORNE General Ledger $ 59/$20 Acct Rec/Acct Pay $ 59/$ 20 Payroll w/Cost $ 59/$20 All 3 $ 1 29/$60 All 3 + CBASIC-2 S 1 99/$75 Enhanced Osborne. $269/$60 With ••C" Basic $349/$75 PEACHTREE' General Ledger $399/$40 Acct Receivable $399/$40 Acct Payable $399/$40 Payroll $399/$40 Inventory $399/$40 Surveyor. $399/$40 Property Mgt $799/$40 CPA Client Write-up $799/540 P5 Version Add $129 SOFTWARE WORKS Adapt (CDOS to CP/M) $ 69/$na Ratfor $ 86/Sna SOHO GROUP MatchMaker $ 97/$20 Worksheet $l77/$20 STRUCTURED SYSTEMS ✓ GL or AR or AP or Pay Call ✓ Inventory Control Call ✓ Analyst Call ✓ Letteright Call ✓ QSort Call ✓ NAD Call ✓ Order Entry Call SUPERSOFT Diagnostic I S 49/$20 Diagnostic II $ 84/$20 Disk Doctor S 84/$ 20 Forth (8080 or Z80) . . . $ 1 49/$30 Fortran $219/$30 Fortran w/Ratfor $289/$35 C Compiler $174/$20 Star Edit $189/$30 Other less 10% TCS GL or AR or AP or Pay $ 79/$25 All 4 $269/S99 Compiled each $ 99/$25 ✓ Inventory $ 99/$ 25 UNICORN Mince $ 149/$25 Scribble $149/$25 Both $249/$50 WHITESMITHS "C" Compiler $600/$30 Pascal (incl "C”) $850/$45 DATA BASE FMS-80 $649/$45 dBASE II $595/$50 Condor II $899/$ 50 Access 80 Level 1 $249 Access 80 Level 2 $429 Access 80 Level 3 $679 Optimum $749/$ 50 Pascal/Z $349/$30 Pascal/UCSD 4 0 $429/$50 Pascal/M . $189/$ 20 WORD PROCESSING WordSearch $179/$50 SpellGuard $229/$25 VTS/80 $259/$65 Magic Wand $289/$45 Spell Binder $349/$45 ✓ Select $495/$ na OTHER GOODIES Forecaster $ 1 99/$ na Micro Plan. $419/$na Plan 80 $269/$30 SuperCalc $269/$na Target $189/$ 30 BSTAM $149/$ 15 BSTMS $149/$ 15 Tiny “C" $ 89/$ 50 Tiny "C" Compiler $229/$50 Nevada Cobol $i29/$25 MicroStat $224/$ 25 Vedit $105/$ 15 MiniModel $449/550 StatPak $449/$40 Micro B + $229/$20 Raid $224/$35 String 80 $ 84/ $20 String/80 (source) $ 279/$ na ✓ ISIS CP/M Utility $199/$50 ✓ Lynx 5199/520 APPLE II® INFO UNLIMITED EasyWriter $199 Datadex $249 ✓ EasyMailer $128 Other less 15% MICROSOFT ✓ Softcard (Z-80 CP/M) $298 Fortran $ 1 79 Cobol $499 Tasc $139 MICROPRO Wordstar $269 MailMerge $ 99 Wordstar/MailMerge . $349 SuperSort I $159 Spellstar $129 PERSONAL SOFTWARE Visicalc 3.3 $159 Desktop/Plan II $159 Visiterm $129 Visidex $159 Visiplot $149 Visitrend/Visiplot $229 Visifile $199 PEACHTREE® General Ledger . $224/$40 Acct Receivable $224/$40 Acct Payable $224/$40 Payroll $224/540 Inventory. $224/$40 OTHER GOODIES" dBASE II $ 595/550 VU #3R (usew/Visicalc) $ 79 Context Connector (usew/Visicalc) $129 Micro Courier $219 TCS Apple (complete business) . $269/599 Super-Text II $127 Data Factory $134 DB Master $184 Charles Mann less 1 5% STC less 15% Edit-80 $84 MuSimp/MuMath $224 MuLisp-80 $174 ORDERS ONLY-CALL TOLL FREE VISA • MASTERCHARGE 1-800-854-2003 ext. 823 • Calif. 1-800-522-1500 ext. 823 Outside of Continental U S— add $10 plus additional postage • Add $3.50 postage and handling per each item • California residents add 6% sales tax • Allow 2 weeks on checks. C.O.D. ok • Prices subject to chano® without notice. All itomo oubject to availability • ® — Mtgs. Trademark. THE DISCOUNT SOFTWARE GROUP 6520 Selma Ave. Suite 309 • Los Angeles, Ca. 90028 • (213) 837-5141 Int i TELEX 499-0032 BVHL Attn: DiscSoft • USA TELEX 194-634 BVHL Attn: DiscSoft • TWX 910-321-3597 BVHL Attn: DiscSoft FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 24 INTERFACE AGE 13 i mrnr lc i i era SITTING PRETTY You can use just about any desk for a computer terminal stand. But with CF&A, you’re sitting pretty. Our full range of desks, workstations, and ter- minal stands are designed to accom- modate a variety of computer equip- ment. Choose from our Classic Series desks, DR Series desks and enclo- sures, specialty items like our Apple II desk, or a universal printer stand. You’ll be sitting pretty with attractive color selections, durable construc- tion, versatile configurations, useful options, competitive prices, quick delivery, and personal service. It’s our way of doing business. CPA Computer Furniture and Accessories, Inc. 1441 West 132nd Street Gardena, CA 90249 (213) 327-7710 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 18 point binary format that appears to be compatible with the proposed standard , at least for normalized numbers. The proposed standard has some interesting and useful ways of treating non-normal - ized numbers, which I hope to explain in a column at some point (when the dust settles from the current political debates in various standards committees). The 9512 also appears to use a double- precision format compatible with the proposed standard. Of course, it will not produce results that necessarily match the rules imposed by some of the clauses in the standard. — JCN Spare parts, anyone? My business uses a Cromemco Z2 computer and I have had three years of good service with it. However, this summer a piece broke in the PerSci disk drive and I have been unable to get it fixed. I have written PerSci, Cromemco, an advertiser in the Cromemco user’s group newsletter, as well as having a local dealer try to get the part for me. Cromemco did answer my letter after about six weeks, but offered no help. PerSci has yet to be heard from. The advertiser answered promptly, but did not sell parts. The local dealer drew a blank with PerSci, also. So I limp along with a single drive, not knowing where to turn. Cromemco is doing well (probably best of the S-100 companies), and I see that PerSci has a new prestigious ad out. But can these companies compete with IBM, offering no spares support? Malcolm Gilli President Mega Corp. Toney, AL Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mr. Gilli’s letter. No one here has ever heard of Mr. Gilli or Mega Corp. and we cannot find any letter from him. The thing that puzzles me is why he didn’t follow up with another letter or a telephone call when things weren’t going right. It is an unfortunate situation for the end user when his dealer does not support his product. We find this to be particularly frustrating when we have a very large stock of spare parts for all of our products. These parts are all readily available to the end user, the dealer, and Cromemco. All they have to do is order them. If the end user wants to get the drive repaired, there are several agencies that are anxious to provide the service. We provide those that are interested with technical information, parts and training. Dennis Ammons PerSci, Inc. Los Angeles, CA Reader interface I have acquired an Ithica Audio IA1 1 30 disk controller board. I assembled it and got it working quite well, but I do not have any software to use it as a disk controller. I would appreciate any assist- ance in this regard. If anyone knows of a source of these boards, I would like to purchase another three bare boards or complete kits to finish the project. R.C. Elliott 37 Ingamells St. Garran, A.C.T. 2605 Australia I am working on a new program entitled “How Not to Pay Income Tax At All,” which will include sub routines such as: How to have more cash in your pocket each month. How you can benefit from inflation. How to buy income property with $10 down. How to double your money each year. How to invest your money to make more money than you will ever be able to spend. How to do this without leaving your home. Because of my limited skills in pro- gramming, any help your readers can offer to get this program going would be appreciated. I have an Apple II, a TRS-80 model I, an Underwood manual typewriter and an Atari pong game, all in good condition. Paul Raymer Box 42831 Las Vegas, NV 89116 Please inform your readers of a new publication that we have received entitled “Computer Based National Information Systems, Technology and Public Policy Issues.” The price is $6.50 per copy, Stock No. 052-003-00852-1 . Remittance should accompany each order in the form of check or money order payable to the Superintendent of Documents. You may also use your Superintendent of Documents deposit account number, or Visa, or MasterCard account number furnishing the expira- tion date. C.A. LaBarre Assistant Public Printer Superintendent of Documents U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 14 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 Our Commander Computer Now Wbrks Three Times As Hard #**#**#*» f«« $ # & # & # fft # # # # f*t $? # * ■ & & # & # fa itfc Not only does Columbia Data Products’ Commander Computer give you the largest I/O complement in the industry, we now give you multi-tasking capability to play with. And by multi-tasking , we mean simultaneous ex- ecution of several software processes — like perfor- ming data entry operations while supporting on-line data communications. . .or developing software while batch printing. . .or running a business package while jpdating your data base. . .or per- forming concurrent peripheral operations in an in- dustrial environment. In fact, we could go even farther. By utilizing the Commander 964+ dual processor architecture, graphic terminal emulation software or even custom user modules, like “Space Commanders” depicted above, can be downloaded to the terminal system processor, while the host Z-80A — 128K pro- cessor system under the MP/M II operating system can support independent multi-user, multi- tasking operations. Other standard features of the Commander 964+ include 512 x 256 graphics display, dual Z-80A pro- cessors, 128K RAM host system, 32K RAM terminal, four RS-232 ports, four parallel ports, RS-170 com- posite video, four channels of programmable counter/timer, 800K bytes disk storage, and CP/M® and MP/M® II operating systems. Optional features include APU, DMA, IEEE bus controller and expandable disk capacity. Think about it . . . resource sharing at its best, from Columbia Data Products. Contact us for more information. West Coast: Europe: 3901 MacArthur Blvd. P.O. Box 1118 Suite 211 4050 Moenchengladbach 1 Newport Beach, CA 92660 West Germany Telephone 714-752-5245 Telephone 021-61-33159 Telex 692 310 Telex 852 452 ■ Trademark of Digital Research Home Office: 8990 Route 108 Columbia, MD 21045 Telephone 301-992-3400 TWX 710-862-1891 FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 17 INTERFACE AGE 15 Save ’2500°° Are you faced with having to spend $3000 and up for a letter-quality printer? Mediamix offers an alternative. For only $500 the Mediamix ETI 2 lets you connect the IBM Electronic Typewriter Models 50,60, or 75 to any computer. Why invest in two separate machines? Your office typewriter can do both jobs, yielding better type quality, a consistent corporate image and renowned^ IBM service. The ETF is no simple black box, either. It is a sophi sticated micro- computer with 0*ctfonte lypavwtor Interface ■ 2000 ? ° charac- ters of memory, over 39 special commands and the option of doing typesetting on the IBM Model 50. Write or Call MCDMMIX F.O. Box 67B57 Los Angeles, California 90067 (213)475-9949 UttJtt I C Revolutionary electronic payment card developed in France French scientists have designed a unique electronic payment card for making private purchases. Scientists at the Laboratoires d’Electronique et de Physique appliquee (L.E.P.) at Limeil- Brevannes, France cooperated with RTC La Radiotechnique-Compelec and Philips Data Systems, France, in devising the card. The card contains two chips: a micro- processor and a memory. It also has magnetic strips for identification and registration, so that it can be used in the ordinary way for drawing cash automat- ically from a bank. The card can also carry information about the user and a passport photograph if required. The dimensions and mechanical properties of the card conform to the international ISO standard for credit cards. The card, which serves in some ways as a checkbook, has been designed for an experimental project in which French banks and postal/telecommunications authorities are cooperating. The user can periodically arrange with his bank to enter a particular amount into the card’s electronic memory; this money is then available for making payments. Shops that accept electronic payments have two terminals: one for the customer and one for the shop. A customer wishing to pay by card inserts the card in the appropriate terminal. By keying in a particular code, the customer can see how much money is left on the card. The shop assistant keys in the amount to be paid on the shop terminal, and this is then passed on to the chips in the payment card in the customer terminal. If the balance stored in the payment-card memory is sufficient, the shop assistant receives a signal indicating that the payment can be accepted. The customer then keys in his personal code and bank code, and the amount of the payment is transferred to the memory in the shop terminal, together with the data that the shop requires for collecting the money through its bank. At the same time, the credit balance in the customer’s card memory is reduced by the amount of the purchase. Microcomputers to lead growth of graphics market Microcomputer-based systems will open up new graphics markets in the 80s even more spectacularly than minicom- puters did in the late 1960s, according to a report from Strategic, Inc., San Jose, CA. The market made up of computers (including microcomputers), microcom- puter-based terminals and software, will reach $5.9 billion in 1985. At that time, it will be divided nearly in half between large systems and microprocessor-based equipment, according to Strategic. The report predicts that terminals incorporating 1 6- and 32-bit processors for CAD and other demanding applica- tions will show the highest rate of growth, projected at more than 150% per year. Business graphics, including Hewlett-Packard systems with VisiCalc Plus and Apple computers with Visi- CalcA/isiPlot, are projected to grow at 49% per year, becoming the largest single segment. Taking large and small systems together, CAD/CAM is the second fastest growing segment at 36% per year. Here the combination of interactive design on microprocessor-based workstations with number-crunching on mainframes and minis for electrical or mechanical analysis and generation of CAM data will lead to greatly improved productivity at lower cost in many industries. Graphics on home computers, espe- cially for games and in education, will have growth rates of 32% and 28% respectively over the five-year period from 1980 to 1985. The study also notes the growing size of the captive coin-operated game market, which is not included in the computer-based systems total. There are now 2.7 million such games installed, and 1981 sales will reach $1.1 billion. Survey measures satisfaction among hardware and software users Management Information Corp., Cherry Hill, NJ, recently published the results of its sixth annual survey on small busi- 76 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 HI-REI ,• IECRETI INCLUDING BLOCK SHAPES FOR APPLESOFT* OR ASSEMBLY <— • • • HPLOT SHAPES TZL t-4- * •<-n ♦ DON FUDGE “IF YOU CAN’T BUDGE IT, FUDGE IT” THE SECRET IS OUT .... ..For your Apple*. $1 25, 4 disks, over 200 pages of documentation. Requires Applesoft* in ROM, 48K, DOS 3.2 or 3.3, Disk $10.00 HI-RES SECRETS Demo Disk. ASK YOUR DEALER OR ORDER DIRECT FROM: AVANT-GARDE CREATIONS, P.O. Box, 30160, Eugene, OR 97403 (503) 345-3043 •Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc. Visa/Mastercard accepted. irk of / INTERFACE AGE 17 FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 12 BLOCK SHAPES New from HIPL0T™ multi-pen plotting for as little as $1480*. The new HIPL0T DMP Series 6-pen option makes high perfor- mance multi-pen plotting affor- dable. It's available on the DMP 2, 3, and 4 models in the HIPL0T family so you can enjoy the advantages of multi-colored plots on 8V2" X 11" (DIN A4) surfaces. Of course, you also get the standard HIPL0T range of capabilities such as intelligence, controls, interfaces and resolutions. There's a model for vir- tually every plotting application. Big Performance in a Small Plotter Since it's introduction, the HIPL0T DMP Series has been rec- ognized as the innovative plotter TM Trademark of Houston Instrument. U.S. Suggested retail prices. Centronics® registered trademark of Centronics Data Computer Corp. line which made low-cost, high performance digital plotting a reality. Now, with our new 6-pen option, there's an exciting new dimension in the DMP Series' ver- satility. Imagine two standard models with RS-232-C and parallel interfaces, four intelligent models with RS-232-C or Centronics®com- patible interfaces, a choice of con- trols, resolutions, and pen speeds. Add to this the ability to plot with 6-pens on paper, vellum or mylar (ideal for overhead projectors) and you have the ultimate plotter price/performance combina- tion — the perfect choice for the user or OEM. 8-Pen Models Also Available. If you need a little more capability, take a look at our new 8-pen option. It's available on the DMP 5, 6, and 7 so you can have 8-pen multi-colored plots on 11"X17" (D1N-A3) surfaces. Why wait? Let us send you complete information on this breakthrough in affordable, multi- pen plotting. Contact Houston In- strument, P.O. Box 15720, Austin, Texas 78761. (512) 835-0900 . For rush literature requests, outside Texas, call toll free 1-800-531-5205. For technical information ask for operator #5. In Europe contact Houston Instrument, Rochester- laan 6, 8240 Gistel, Belgium. Phone 059/27-74-45. INSTRUMENTS & SYSTEMS DMSK* Together...we1l create tomorrow BAUSCH & LOMB @ CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 35 FOR LITERATURE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 36 TO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE CALL FEBRUARY 1982 i in n /i«r* urua i c ness computers, peripherals and soft- ware. The results represent the re- sponses of over 474 companies using almost 600 small business computer systems and 959 peripherals. Also rated are 245 software packages. Users rated their computer equipment on a scale of 1 (poor) to 4 (excellent) in each of five categories: performance, reliability, ease of use, service and manu- facturer support. Products with ratings of greater than 3.0 in each category, and for which at least five responses were received, were awarded the MIC Certificate of User Commendation. Winners of the certificate in the com- puter category included: Alpha Micro; Apple II Plus; Data General Nova; Vector Graphic systems VIP and B; and IBM units 32, 24, and 5110/5120. In the peripherals category, terminals included: ADDS versions 25, 40 and 100 and DEC VT 100. Printers listed were: Apple Silentype; Centronics versions 306, 700 and 701; Epson MXB; IBM 1 403; T exas Instruments models 8 1 0 and 820; Diablo 1630, and 1640 versions; DEC LA-36 and 34; Printronix LP 300; Radio Shack TRS-80 III and IV models; and Anadex 9500. Disks included: Apple II, CDC Hawk; Heath H-17; Microdata Reflex; and Micropolis. Software winners included: MicroPro WordStar; Personal Software VisiCalc; SMI MCS; Radio Shack Scripsit; SMI; and SMI BCP. Other findings of the survey pointed to an increasing number of business micro users; slightly higher ratings of service and support than last year’s survey; and dominance of various accounting packages among software used on the systems investigated. Papers solicited for California educational conference A call for papers has been issued for the Sixth Western Educational Computing Conference, to be held in San Diego, CA, on November 1 8 & 1 9, 1 982, under the sponsorship of the California Educa- tional Computing Consortium. The papers should deal with com- puters and computer applications in any area that might be of interest to instruc- tors and administrative personnel dealing with computers at the college or university level. Original papers with two copies should be sent no later than March 1, 1982 to Professor Francis Grant at Center for Information and Communica- tions Study, California State University, Chico, CA 95929. CRT graphics terminal market to exceed $1.4 billion by 1986 The CRT graphics terminal industry is growing by leaps and bounds, according to a recent report by Venture Develop- ment Corp., Wellesley, MA. The fastest growing product segment in the graphics terminal industry is the color raster scan market with unit ship- ments growing at a compound annual rate of 64.8% . Color raster scan industry leaders include Ramtek and Intelligent Systems. IBM, another contender, is coming up from the rear with its new 3279 color unit. Industry observers report that there are tens of thousands of orders for the 3279, but VDC research found that less than 50% of those in the field are being used for graphics. Most 3279 users plan to upgrade these terminals to handle graphics applications in the future, but currently most are only used for alphanumerics. Other alphanumeric terminals will compete with graphics terminals in the future, as users install graphics circuit boards such as those being marketed by Digital Engineering. These circuit boards add graphics capability to DEC VT 100s and Lear Siegler ADM-3AS. VDC believes that these circuit board terminal enhancements will affect the growth rate of CRT graphics terminals. According to Wendy Abramowitz, VDC analyst, “Digital Engineering has a good concept, which is already cutting into sales of graphics terminals for business applications. Small companies that pre- viously could not afford a graphics terminal can now put graphics capabilities on a dumb terminal for only $1 ,000.” One thing that the circuit board terminal enhancements are lacking is color, which is becoming increasingly important, especially for process control and image processing applications. Many CAD/CAM vendors are also switching from direct view storage tube terminals to high resolution color raster scan terminals. In fact, by 1986 color units will account for 84.8% of CRT graphics terminal shipments. London taxis to employ computerized dispatch system Cab service in London will soon be computerized, so that in addition to courtesy, riders will get service more promptly. London-Wide Radio Taxis recently ordered a Honeywell DPS 6/74 small computer system valued at about $300,000 to automate dispatching and billing operations in the company’s West London control center. In a typically British understatement, the company 1981 MICRO-TAX Microcomputer Taxsystems, Inc. Are you looking for the best tax package in the USA? Call MICRO-TAX For the 1981 Tax System INDIVIDUAL PACKAGES Level 1:23 Schedules and Forms : Multiple Clients $250 : Prints IRS Approved Forms Level 2: 30 Schedules and Forms : Multiple Clients : Prints IRS Approved Forms $1,000 : Prints on IRS Forms or Overlays : Depreciation System : State Tax Interface : Integrated Data Base : Batch Compute and Print PARTNERSHIP PACKAGE Level 3: 20 Partnership Schedules and Forms $750 : Multiple Clients : Prints IRS Approved Forms : Prints on IRS Forms or Overlays : Depreciation System : Integrated Data Base : Batch Compute and Print Levels 2 and 3 are discounted to a total of $1,500 if purchased at the same time. Updates: Annual Updates are available. Demonstration Package: Demonstration Packages are available for $50. State Systems: Information on Individual State Tax Systems is available upon request. Transparent Overlays: Transparent Over- lay sets are available. All levels operate under most CP/M* formats including Apple*. Compiled Microsoft Basic. Consider the advantages this State-of-the-Art package can bring you: • Complete System • Versatility • Complete In-Office Security • Time Saving • Pre Year-end Tax Planning MICRO-TAX Mi< ro< omputcr TdxsysW»nis. Inc. 2271 3 Ventura Blvd., Suite F Woodland Hills, CA 91364 (213) 704-7800 Available at most Professional Computer Retailers *CP/M is a TM of Digital Research •Apple is a TM of Apple Computer. Inc. FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY no. 53 INTERFACE AGE 19 I in n /ywmr urua i t describes its new Computer Cab system as the world’s most advanced. Incoming telephone calls will be auto- matically answered by a microcomputer- based system and will be channeled, in sequence, to a team of telephone operators equipped with visual display terminals. Job details will be keyed directly into the computer as they are given over the telephone. All jobs will be immediately “stacked” by the DPS 6 and shown on dispatchers’ video display terminals; advanced bookings will be stored by the computer. The dispatchers will radio signal to drivers, using a network of transmitters around the captial. Cabs will be fitted with sophisticated radio communication systems and, to accept a job, a driver will simply press a button on the control panel. This will immediately register his call sign with the computer. A tone signal will tell the driver if his bid for the job is accepted, and he will then press another switch to obtain job details. Finally, details of finished jobs will be stored in the computer for automatic accounting. Monthly statements will be prepared for drivers, showing details of their earnings, while invoices will be automatically produced for credit account customers. Currently the company controls a fleet of 750 taxis in central London and plans to increase it to 2,000. “Faster turn-around in processing calls and information will mean that each cab will be able to do more trips each day— so we will be supplying a lot more rides in London,” said Geoff Kaley, managing director. Eventually, the company plans to extend the computerized operation to its separate suburban fleet. “Thinking” computers advancing ahead of schedule Computers that really “think” are here, according to Dun and Bradstreet’s Business Month. A recent issue of the publication reported that computer systems are on tap that read, write and hold conversations. Researchers at companies such as IBM and Gentech and Schlumberger are experimenting with computer systems that can analyze geological formations, design new bio- logical genes and even read, digest and answer business correspondence. Until recently, it had been assumed that such ultra-sophisticated software, commonly known as artificial intelligence, would not be commercially practical before the late 1 980s because too vast a reservoir of computer memory was required. However, advances in micro- electronics have drastically reduced memory costs, and industrial artificial Intelligence research has mushroomed. Artificial intelligence differs from traditional software in two fundamental ways. For one thing, in place of normal computer language such as Fortran, it uses an esoteric tongue called LISP, which can manipulate symbols, words, phrases, complex formulas and numbers. And instead of using mathematical calculations to solve problems, these programs can take logical shortcuts. Some of the most promising applica- tions for artificial intelligence have been in “expert” systems, according to Dun and Bradstreet. A computer is pro- grammed to duplicate as closely as possible the decision-making process of leading experts with these systems. Besides keying into the computer all known information on a particular subject, programmers interview the expert at length to determine how he processes information to make judgements. The powerful package Super-Text II™ Allows you to learn the basics of text editing quickly. Advanced features will meet your expanding word processing requirements far into the future. $150.00 plus Form Letter™ Provides automatic repetitive printing of letters. Allows insertion anywhere in a letter, also direct entry, optional prompting, special commands. $100.00 plus Address Book™ Stores names, addresses, and telephone numbers and prints mailing labels. Has user-definable category system. $49.95 From the leader in word processing for the Apple II or II Plus MUSE Apple II is a trademark of Apple Computer Corp. SOFTWARE" 347 N. CHARLES STREET BALTIMORE, MD 21201 , (301) 659-7212 Call or write for information and the name of your nearest MUSE dealer CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 54 20 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 This is a picture of all the printers in the world that outsell the MX-80. The one thing you can't beat in the marketplace is value. And there simply isn't a better combination of reliabil- ity, print quality, features and price in an 80-column printer than the Epson MX-80. Anywhere on earth. But while we're pleased to make the best-selling 80- column printer in the world, we're hardly surprised. Because we decided a long time ago that the way to suc- ceed in this business is to build a good product, sell it at a fair price, and stand behind it. So we built our MX-80 with features like a choice of 24 different type faces, graphics that rival plotters, logi- cal seeking, bidirectional printing and the world's first disposable print head. We priced it at under $650. And if it breaks, we'll be here to fix it. That seems like a straightforward enough policy. But when we first introduced the MX-80, the competition laughed. Now they're cutting prices, introducing "new" models, and running splashy color ads, all in an effort to catch up. And they're not laughing. But you don't have to take our word for it. You've got a choice: you can buy the printer that's been embraced by several hundred thousand computer fanatics all over the world. Or you can buy something else. And take your chances. EPSON EPSON AMERICA, INC. 3415 Kashiwa Street, Torrance, CA 90505 • (213) 539-9140 FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 30 INTERFACE AGE 21 GAME CORNER C.A.I. Games Children are very good at inventing their own games. Today my daughter and I sat down at the computer to play her favorite game. She calls it “Find my letters,” but it really isn’t a computer game at all. It could be played on a typewriter just as easily, but it’s still a good game for a pre-schooler. The rules are very simple. One player types something on the keyboard while the second player keeps his eyes closed. Then the second player looks at the screen and tries to type the same thing. Sometimes it’s just a single letter, sometimes it’s a word, and sometimes it’s just a lot of nonsense. It doesn’t matter what is typed; the object is to look at the video and find the same keys on the keyboard. The game doesn’t even require a program, but it can still keep the interest of a five-year-old for quite some time. It’s CP/M QUALITY BUSINESS APPLICATIONS LARGEST SELECTION IN U.S.A. i k * + SPECIALS ★ ★ ★ SOFTWARE * ★ HARDWARE ★ SELECT -SIS™ $395 WORDSTAR - MICROPRO™ S299 MAILMERGE- MICROPRO™ $99 SPELLSTAR — MICROPRO™ $169 SUPERCALC — SORCIM™ $239 T/MAKER II — LIFEBOAT™ $229 dBASE II - ASHTON TATE™ $595 FMS-80 — SYSTEMS PLUS™ $649 QUICKSCREEN - FOX & GELLER™ $149 BASIC 80 — MICROSOFT™ $284 BASIC COMPILER -MICROSOFT™ $325 MICROTAX — MICROTAX ASSOC.™ (CALL) LEGAL BILLING - MICRO CRAFT™ $395 XEROX 820 5 Vi” $2595 TELEVIOEO 910 $575 TELEVIOEO 950 $955 C.ITOH STARWRITER25CPS (parallel) . . .51429 IDS 560 G $1364 IDS 460 G $1050 C.ITOH PROWRITER $559 ANADEX DP 9500 & 9501 $1329 DIABLO 630 $2295 ARCHIVES 20% OFF LIST CCS 20% OFF LIST CORVUS 20% OFF LIST ZENITH 20% OFF LIST HOW TO ORDER CALL: (617) 963-7220 PROMPT DELIVERY! Payment: UPS C.O.D. Certified Check or Cash. 5% discount for prepaid orders. Mass residents add 5%. Shipping & handling $5 (Supplies, Prepay only). Items subject to avail. Price subject to change. Software sale conveys a license for use on one system. 0 STANDARD SOFTWARE CORPORATION OF AMERICA ^10 MAZZEO DRIVE, RANDOLPH, MA 0236^ ( 617 ) 963-7220 fun for my daughter, because it’s something she can do with Mommie. It is definitely not a babysitter-type game. You cannot turn it on, sit a child down in front of it, then walk away. This is a game you play together. It could even be called an educa- tional game, because It helps the child learn to recognize letters and find them on the keyboard. It also teaches kids that there is nothing scary about a computer, but I’m sure that children with a microcomputer in their home would never be afraid of it unless they weren’t allowed to touch it. I suppose it would be possible to come up with a program to generate random strings, print them on the video, then test to see if the child typed in the same string. You could even print out some kind of visual reward if the child got the letters right, but the original game is preferable. It probably won’t hold a child’s attention for long, either. After all, it’s much more fun to play with Mommie. “Find my letters” wasn’t the first game we played on the computer. The first one was called “Find your letter,” and the object was to find the first letter of your name on the keyboard. After the players found “their” letter on the keyboard, the game continued by finding the letters for the child’s other favorite people. Sometimes we would try to think of all the different names the person might go by. For example, Pat’s letter is “P,” but it could also be “D” for Daddy, or “P” for professor, or “U” for uncle. “Find your letter” was a game we played when my daughter was three. Young children are fascinated by the computer’s keyboard and video, and you would be surprised at how many different games they can come up with if one is willing to let them play. — L.O. Versions for the adults I’ve been thinking about a computer billiard game for a future column, and several philosophical points came to mind as I was developing the program. It would be possible to program a billiard game that would play the computer against a human player, but, unlike computer chess, computer pool is a game where the computer can play a “perfect” game against any human opponent. Instead, I was thinking of a quasi-game that would hone the human’s table-skills for the real human-vs.- human— more a billiard tutor program than a billiard game. Playing a game against a perfect opponent is no fun; in the case of straight pool, the human player would never get a shot again once the computer got a turn. Random “muffed” shots could be programmed into the game, but the human player would know that the computer was being made to play down to human level, and that would ruin it for most players I know. In line with what was previously mentioned about games being “more fun to play with another person,” it’s interesting to see how arcade games using digital computers have developed. The current generation of arcarde games (Space Invaders, Pac-Man, etc.) don’t merely pit the human player against the computer; they give the human a comparative ranking against other human players who’ve challenged the same game. It’s really humans playing against humans, even though only one human at a time is playing with the machine. The human-vs. -computer contest, especially in games of the Space Invaders/Pac-Man category, includes games of skill, in which the expertise of the computer can be made impossibly better than any human player. The human players know this. They know that the rules or the speed of the program can be changed until absolutely nobody can score a point on the machine. That’s not the objective. The objective is to put the challenge of machine competition just within reach of a good human player, then allow the high scorer of the day to rack up points for comparison with other human players. A number of my students are home-computer hackers. They may have a diskette with a Pac-Man clone of some type for their home machine, and never play the game at home, yet still go out to arcades and play Pac-Man in the company of friends. Partly, I think, the arcade-game thing is a social event. If there were a crowd of others (at a party, for instance) the 22 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 64 FEBRUARY 1982 Radio Shack Has Every thing You Need for Your TRS-80 0 File Boxes for Your Diskettes. Two open and shut cases for protecting 5 Va or 8" floppies. Holds 50-60, with index dividers. Durable acrylic. For 5V4" Diskettes. #26-1453, $29.95 For 8" Diskettes. #26-4953, $39.95 0 Disk Drive Head Cleaning Kit. Helps prevent read/write errors. Easy and safe — just apply solution to a cleaning diskette (two included) and run it in drive for 30 seconds. For 5V4" Drives. #26-407, $29.95 For 8" Drives. #26-4909, $29.95 0 Genuine TRS-80 Diskettes. Best you can buy. Certified error-free. Extra-long life, double density, soft sector. 5 1 /*" Single Diskette. #26-305, $4.95 5 V 4 " Three-Pack. #26-405, $13.95 5 V*" Ten-Pack. #26-406, $39.95 8" Single Diskette. #26-4905, $7.50 8" Ten-Pack. #26-4906, $59.95 0 Diskette Library Cases. Protection against dust and curling. An easel insert pops-up for easy selection. Holds ten floppies. Polystyrene. For 5V4" Diskettes. Gray. #26-1452, $3.95 For 8" Diskettes. Brown. #26-4952, $4.95 0 Anti-Glare Mask. Solves reflection problems. No loss of resolution. For TRS-80 Models I, II and III. Not for color monitors. #26-511, $16.95 0 Anti-Static Spray. Prevents static electricity build- up that can attract dust and damage equipment. Apply to accessories, video display and carpet. 16 ounces. #26-515, $5.95 0 Printviewer. Magnifies and highlights a single line of your printout. Reduces errors. Clear plastic with yellow “line window.” Includes 10 and 12 cpi scales. #26-1313, $2.95 0 Logic Flowchart Template. This durable, clear- plastic “stencil” with ANSI flowchart symbols and V\o lay- out grid makes it easy to draw pro-quality charts. # 26 - 1312 , $3.95 CD Stacking Data Trays. For standard l4 7 /s"-wide printouts. Eliminates damage to paper caused by using an undersized tray. #26-1309, each $6.95 Radio /hack The biggest name in little computers® A DIVISION OF TANDY CORPORATION Prices may vary at individual stores and dealers. Some items may require special order. | And there’s more! Send for your free TRS-80 catalog. Radio Shack, Dept. 82-A-136 1300 One Tandy Center Fort Worth, Texas 76102 1 NAME I ADDRESS | OTY STATE ziF | NAME | ADDRESS 1 CITY STATE . .. ZIP _____ CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 62 J S-100 Computer Owners. . . Looking for more capacity, speed and reliability? Tarbell33 megabyte winchester subsystem CAPACITY Are you finding you need more disk memory for business applications? Tarbell’s hard disk sub- systems allow expansion from 10 to over 200 megabytes. And our ATTACH program provides a way to get up-and-running quickly. Start with a small system, if you like, then add up to four drives of any capacity. SPEED In most business applications, speed of the disk subsystem is the limiting factor for overall system speed. Major factors which affect disk speed are access time and data transfer rate. All Tarbell hard disk subsystems 33 megabytes and above use a voice-coil actuator which provides an average access time of 50 milliseconds. Data comes off the disk into your deblocking buffer at the maximum possible speed of 1 megabyte per second, meaning that a 24 kilobyte file can be loaded into memory in about one second! RELIABILITY Winchester drives have higher inherent reliability because the media and heads are in an air-sealed environment. Other types of drives are open to contamination from smoke, chemicals, and other particles in the air. ADDITIONAL FEATURES • Uses only one S-100 board slot • On-board CRC performed on data • Automatic alternate sector assignment • 512-byte on-board deblock buffer Subsystem includes S-100 interface, drive, cabinet, power supply, cables, software, and all docu- mentation. MANUFACTURER OF COMPUTERS, COMPONENTS AND SOFTWARE 950 Dovlen Place Suite B Carson, CA 90746 (213) 538-4251 24 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 70 FEBRUARY 1982 home computer programmed with Scarfman or Puckman would be just as popular as the arcade machine. But the same people wouldn’t sit alone at the machine for hours, playing the game just for the sake of playing against it. One reason is the ego-trip factor: there’s nobody to impress if you do run up a really high score. The computer won’t be impressed, and, if it is, who cares? Nobody values a computer’s opinion very highly. On the other hand, home-computer hackers might sit at home playing Puckman in secret with the home-computer, provided it’s enough like the real thing at the arcade, to sharpen their skills. The ultimate objective, of course, is to then go to the arcade, start a game of Pac-Man, and impress the other humans by racking up a score that really blows everybody else out of the water. In the end, it’s only the human-vs. -human comparison that counts. Programmers of games ought to think of writing game programs that are really computer-aided-education for games that are played between human players. A good program to sharpen up skills at baseball or tennis might be even more popular than a program that plays the game itself. It would, however, have to sharpen up those human skills used in the real, physical game. This isn’t as easy as specializing the game down to micro proportions by simplifying the rules. It could engage quite a bit of programming talent, as well as a wide interdisciplinary knowledge of fields from physiology to kinematics. Is there anybody who would like to take this ball and run with it? In the words of Howard Cosell, “It remains to be seen.’’ Fog index revisited In a previous column (IA May 81), Al Baker discussed the Fog Index. We recently received a letter from Leo Jankowski, a reader in New Zealand, with an improved version of the program. The Fog Index is a measure of readability. What it actually measures is not the clarity of individual words— -rather the complexity of their structure. It was developed by Robert Gunning, who was called in by The Wall Street Journal to find out why subscriptions were dropping. Readers could read the same material more quickly in news magazines, they told Gunning. To find out if this was true, Gunning compared the WSJ with other business news magazines using the Fog Index. It turned out that the WSJ had a Fog Index of about 10, and the average business reading level at that time was about 8. After looking over the Fog Index program and Mr. Jankowski’s improvements, I noticed something unusual. You compute a Fog Index by analyzing a sample of written material, in terms of the number of words, sentences and big words in the sample. (Big words were defined by Gunning as having three or more syllables.) Sure enough, both Al’s and Leo’s listings included a REM statement that stated “big words (three syllables or more).’’ The line of code REM’s by that statement, however, did not count syllables. It counted if the word had eight or more letters. This doesn’t bother me— it probably makes as good a definition of big as anything— but it bothered me that the REM statement implied syllables were being counted. I began to wonder, though, if a syllable-counting routine couldn’t be devised. I thought up an algorithm for doing syllable-counting, then asked an acquaintance who’s a grammarian about it. My algorithm counted vowel/consonant transitions. I counted each crossing from a vowel to a con- sonant as another syllable. My grammarian agreed this was a pretty good way to go about it; ‘as good as anything else’ since syllables in English are pretty subjective. Vowel/ consonant transitions work in German, too. (I find German syllables are also subjective, but maybe that’s just because I’m not very good at German.) I came up with the accompanying program listing for a syllable-counting Fog Index analyzer, which runs considerably slower than the 8-count program, but does work. It works more like Gunning’s original definition, but I don’t know if it makes much difference in the long run. □ — p.o. Program on page 148 Computer graphics Landsat photo mm DIGITAL GRAPHC SYSTEMS. INC. 935 Industrial Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94303 (415) 856-2500 The CBX Series: affordable, intelligent color imaging systems The CBX subsystem interfaces with your PDP-11,* LSI-11* or other computer to provide high resolution imaging capabili- ties. With the optional frame grabber and television camera, you digitize full-color images from any source, using a computer-controlled color filter system. Then analyze, reprocess, mix, save, retrieve ... the power of the CAT is at your command. Each CBX system includes: • Your choice of CAT-100, 400 or 800 • 12 slot S-100 mainframe • Z-80A processor with specialized firmware in PROM • Parallel interface connector A range of options and accessories are available, including: • TV cameras • Lightpens • TV monitors • Interface card and connecting cables. 'PDP-11 and LSI-11 are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. Digitized X-ray Digitized Real Color FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 22 INTERFACE AGE 25 Price Performance Reliability CMC IS MEETING TODAY’S HIGH STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE WITH TOSHIBA, CMC’S OWN SUPERFIVE AND SUPERTEN, 5- AND 10-MBYTE MICROCOMPUTERS, AND OTHER FINE PRODUCTS TOSHIBA DESKTOP COMPUTERS CMC International offers dealers the new Toshiba computer line, CP/M® -based micros with lots of flexibility... your choice of one or two drives, either 5V * or 8 inch. Toshiba computers come with C/PM, Microsoft BasicSO and CBasic® . We’re proud to offer a system with day-in, day-out dependability, backed by one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers. And, we offer a com- prehensive dealer program including parts and module inventory, and prepaid freight for warranty repairs (if you ever need it). ALSO DISTRIBUTING: •Corvus •NEC •Dysan •Epson •Verbatim •Tandon •Seagate •MPI •Superbrain •Compustar •C.ltoh •MicroPro •Accounting Plus •Peachtree •dBase II t onn 64k RAM > 80x24 12 ” 9 reen T-200 phosphor screen, complete with CP/M, MBasic80 and CBasic.. Model 1 Model 2 One 5 V4 ’ ’280k Two 5'A" 280k Disk Drive Disk Drives List *3995 List $ 4495 64k RAM - 80x24 12 ” screen - T-250 complete with CP/M, MBasic80 and CBasic. YOUR STOCKING DISTRIBUTOR (V^ A Division of Computer Marketing Corporation Modol 3 One 8” 1 mbyte Disk Drive List *4795 Model 4 Two 8” 1 mbyte Disk Drives List *5695 CMC 11058 Main, Suite 125 Bellevue. WA 98004 PHONE (206) 453-9777 EXCELLENT DEALER DISCOUNTS To Order Call Toll Free 1-800-426-2963 TELEX: 152 556 SEATAC 26 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 13 FEBRUARY 1982 lifts mm by Roger C. Garrett Robot Civilization on the Moon In a paper titled Self-Replicating Systems— A Systems Engineering Approach — NASA Technical Memorandum 7 8304, Georg von Tiesenhausen and Wesley Darboro of the Marshall Space Flight Center, present a fascinating plan for exploiting the resources of the Moon. They propose to place on the Moon a single self-sufficient factory composed of four main components, each equipped with sophisticated robots (figure 1). No humans would be required for the operation, except possibly for the initial setup. The components would be (a) a processing unit to mine lunar minerals and process them into material for (b) the production unit, which would manufacture basic components to be supplied to (c) the assembly unit, which would assemble them into major pieces of hardware. These would then be combined by (d) the universal constructor into complete new factories, each of which would be comprised of parts a, b, c and d. Material 1. The first factory is delivered to the Moon by rocket. The factory begins collecting raw lunar material and processes it into.. Raw Lunar Minerals Processing Unit b. Production Unit 2.. .a second identical factory, which begins producing a third factory while the first factory starts work on a | fourth factory... \ d - \ Universal \ Constructor c. If Assembly /I Unit / \J ~igy rl a - b. / \ c ' d. K \ \ 3. And so on, until the necessary number of factories is built. They then begin producing whatever products the Earth-based human controllers direct them to produce, such as satellites, solar energy devices, super-computers, etc. Figure 1 . A self-replicating factor could be built on the Moon, according to the authors of the NASA report, which would multiply itself at an exponential rate using the free mineral and solar energy resources available there. At some point in the replication process, it would stop and change its goal to producing, for example, satellites or human habitation compounds. FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 27 a. In this display, the initial robot is represented by the circle. The randomly distributed letters indicate the various components required to assemble a duplicate robot. The goal of each robot is to acquire one of each component (A, B and C) and to assemble them into a new robot. b. The robot has begun searching its environment and has found a component A, which it picks up. c. It then moves on and picks up a component B. d. Further searching brings it to another component B, which it Figure 2. The concepts of doesn’t need, but the robot remembers where it is in case it is needed later. e. The robot moves on and finds the final component C. f. The robot assembles the three components and produces a new robot, represented in our display by a duplicate circle. The first robot copies its program (specifying its goal of creating new robots and the procedures for accomplishing the goal), as well as information regarding the location of unused components. The robot copies into the new robot and turns it on. g. The two robots go off looking for components with which to build subsequent robots. h. The process continues... i. ...and continues... j. Eventually, assuming there are sufficient spare parts, each robot acquires enough components to construct new robots, although not necessarily at the same time, as shown here. k. Each robot constucts a new robot. l. And now four robots go off seeking their endless replication. self-replication can be investigated using computer simulation. 28 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 ® ail u (Annum 040 EDITION ★★★★ FORECAST: HOT RETURNS ARE IN: CPAbs VOTED MVP Title of "Most Valuable Program" Bestowed on Master Tax Package Barely four years after its introduction into the micro- computer market, CPAids Master Tax software is being praised by hundreds of accountants as their Most Valuable Program. Accountants nationwide have prepared thousands of returns using CPAids Federal 1040 soft- ware and today CPAids announced their enhanced programs for 1981. The most notable addition to all CPAids software, the Fixed- Asset Accounting Program col- lects data year round and carries information over to the appro- priate schedules and forms at tax time. Continuing an era of efficiency and cooperation, General Ledger II interfaces with the Master Tax Program to generate Schedule C. The Master Tax Program also generates a proforma tax organizer, providing necessary information from the previous years’ returns. The Time Is Right For CPAids In an informal interview, CPAids dedicated its products to eliminating the frenzied feeling plaguing accountants during tax season and vowed to serve pro- fessionals well, not just at tax time, but all year. Authorized dealers have pledged their continued support and offer a free 1981 update to those who subscribe now. MASTER TAX —Federal 1040 pages 1 and 2 —Schedules A, B, C, D, E, F, G, R, RP,SE,TC,ES -Forms 1116,2106,2119,2210, 3468,3903,4136,4255,4625, 4726, 4797, 4874, 4972, 5695, 5884,6251,6252 —Client instruction letter —Exclusive CPAids print options: • preprinted forms • overlays • generated computer forms • printing on government forms —Loan amortization program —Input sheets Also available this year, our new 1120 corporate program. GENERAL LEDGER II —General ledger, payroll fixed- asset accounting —Loan amortization —Stores all transactions —Payroll interactive with the general ledger section —Statement of changes in financial position —Compilation letter -Fixed-asset program stores up to 10,000 assets CPAids 101+0 tax software basks in early victory amidst cheering throng of enthusi- astic users! For only $55 CPAids will send you a demonstration disk and manual. Call or write for free brochure and the name of the dealer nearest you. CP/liDS. 1640 Franklin Avenue, Kent, OH 44240 (216) 678-9015 Programs require a minimum memory of 56 Kb. Two disk drive, CP/M version 2.2 Runs in Microsoft Basic version 5.2 Master Tax program is available in compiled version only. Computf Improvf as Tax ' Studies s! the intensit complete a dimension that IRS v No two it comes t three yes what Arr is on the clients r the nati Desp 1 ' industr This new factory would then begin mining, manufacturing, assembling and constructing, to produce its own new factory. At the same time the factory produced another offspring, the proliferation of new factories would proceed at an exponential rate. The authors of the memo estimate that it would take about one year for the first factory to produce its clone, within ten years there would be 1,000, and after a mere 30 years, the Moon would be overrun with one billion factories. Obviously, they would have to be instructed to stop multiplying at some point or they would turn the entire Moon into a mass of scurrying robots. The authors present this scenario as a means of utilizing the Moon’s resources with the least amount of effort and capital investment (human effort, that is: those robots would get exhausted). Only the initial factory need be lifted by rocket from Earth to the Moon. After that, it is a self-replicating system. Of course, to be of any practical value, the factories would have to be capable of more than mere replication. At some stage in their “life,” they would stop duplicating and begin building lunar bases for human habitation, Moon-to-Earth transportation systems, medical processing systems, satellites and so forth. As the authors describe it, the functions of the several factory units would overlap quite a bit. It seems that the distinction between producing, assembling, and contructing are fairly arbitrary. I would prefer a simple two-stage approach consisting of mining/processing and assembling. While this is pretty intriguing, it is merely a proposal, and much groundwork needs to be done before the U.S. can seriously consider such an undertaking. In fact, groundwork is just the right term. We should first try building a self- replicating factory here on the Earth before attempting anything as grandiose as a lunar mission. And we personal computer enthusiasts can play an instrumental part in the research by doing experiments on our own. I suggest two possible approaches: first, we can write computer simulations of self-replicating systems to test out our theories (figure 2). Second, we can simplify the processes and use available hardware. It is not really necessary to incorporate the entire process of converting raw minerals into finished products. Let’s start at a higher level and work our way down. Suppose, for example, that we have a room filled with high-level components (figure 3), such as mobility units, power units, intelligence units (computers), sensor units (vision, hearing, etc.), effector units (arm/hand devices) and communication units. In the room, we place one complete robot with instructions to build a second robot from the available components, and to transfer its own programming to that new robot when it is done, so that the new robot can begin constructing its own duplicate. Intelligence must be developed The hardware is mostly available today. The challenge (and it is an exciting one) is to develop the intelligence necessary for the robot to complete its tasks of searching for the various components and assembling them, of communicating with the newly-created robot, of providing them with a “blueprint” of themselves so that they can build and repair themselves. 30 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 SUPERVYZ-THE NEXT INDUSTRY STANDARD SUPERVYZ is a revolutionary software concept designed to overcome the frustrations of using CP/M?This allows you to crack any non-technical market without the hassles of teaching the operating system. Instead, users are greeted with a series of self-prompting, self- explaining menus linking the user directly to the application. We’ll supply the menus or you create your own, to meet the exact needs of your customers. SUPERVYZ presents unlimited software flexibility by providing a system to coordinate multiple application programs. The menus tie it all together, allowing program interaction. Even the most complicated commands between programs can be a simple menu choice. Dealer inquiries invited, foreign or domestic. SOFTWARE Epic Computer Corporation 7542 Trade Street San Diego, CA 92121 Tel: 714-695-3560 INTRODUCTORY RETAIL PRICE $95 MANUFACTURERS Ship SUPERVYZ with every computer you sell. SUPERVYZ means software support interactive help files . . . dealer confidence . . . instant foreign market access . . . vertical market packaging . . . more computer sales! DEALERS Buy SUPERVYZ as a separate program . . . bundle software from different suppliers . . . demonstrate capabilities, not confusion . . . sell computers more efficiently - SUPERVYZ does the teaching . . . end after- the-sale handholding . . . SOFTWARE SPECIALISTS Package SUPERVYZ into every system you deliver . . . SUPERVYZ is compatible with over 2000 programs, 300 computers. Target your market with SUPERVYZ. USERS Insist on SUPERVYZ . . . don’t buy a computer without it. SUPERVUZ YOUR NEW MARKETING TOOL FOR INCREASED SALES OF CP/M COMPUTERS AND APPLICATION SOFTWARE 1 SEP 1981 SUPERVYZ Function Selection Menu 12:34 56 PM 1) Set Current Date and Time 6) Accounting (A/R A/P G/L P/R 0/E) 2) Select Defaull Disk and User 7) Data Base Inquiry and Reporting 3 ) Add or Change SUPERVYZ Menus 8) Wofd Processing 4) Extended Volume Table ol Content 9) Data Entry and Verification | 5) Rle and Disk Support Functions 10) Forecasting and Planning Please enter the number of the desired function (0 if none, 7 for help) [ ] This is the operator/machine conversational text area. The above menus are easily adaptable to your specific requirements. Detault Drive = A Volume Table ol Contents (VT0C) Default User = 1 ! ! A ACCOUNTS MNU : i A DATABASE MNU A DAT ANT RY MNU ' [ I ; ; A SUPERVYZ MNU j j A FORECAST MNU A W0RDPR0C MNU Push | arrow lor more *Supervyz is a trademark of Epic Computer Corporation. CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 28 Product Highlight: Dynabyte 5505 S 100 bus architecture CP/M-MP M OASIS microcoi _ up to 16MB Winchester from $6,995" For easy upgradability, the 5505’s modular architecture lets you add performance as you need it. Its en- hanced MP/M multiuser operating system gives you the speed of a mini with the ease and price of a micro. Attached to the standard RS-232 ports, the system allows you to ex- pand and support up to 8 terminals and 16 printers. All these features are attractively packaged in a single, compact, table-top box designed for quiet operation. You’ve got to see it to believe it. All 5505s are backed by Dynabyte’s engineering expertise and reputa- tion for high quality. And they’re available now in volume production. We’d like to tell you more. Call or write Dynabyte, 521 Cottonwood Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035 (408)263-1221 now! Table -top design Designed for performance. When it comes to Winchester per- formance, you just can’t buy a better microcomputer than the Dynabyte 5505. Our 5505 is loaded with in- dustry standards that are integrated and enhanced — and make systems development easy and cost efficient. Take our 5 Va Winchester disk drive. We give you the option of three stor- age capacities, 6, 10, and 16 MB. And the fast access is ideal for mul- tiuser environments. Up to 8 users Up to 16 printers 64K 400K memory * , 5V’ Winchester *5505'A1-64K, 6MB Winchester, .5MB floppy— $6,995 (list) 5505-B1-64K, 10MB Winchester, 1MB floppy — $7,695 (list) 5505-C1-64K, 16MB Winchester, 1MB floppy— $8,495 (list) CP/M and MP/M are registered trademarks of Digital Research, Inc. OASIS is a registered trademark of Phase One, Inc. 32 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 98 FEBRUARY 1982 Once there is more than one robot in the environment, they can assist each other in locating parts and performing the more difficult assembly tasks. And as we master these programming techniques, we can move on to the more challenging problems of assembling the higher-level modules from the lower-level components like chips, wires and circuit boards, wheels and axles, gears and motors. Going further, we then develop processing techniques so that the robots can construct the chips, boards and sheet metal themselves from available minerals. The key is to start with available technology at a high level of component sophis- tication. As we gain an understanding of the necessary robot intelligence, we can move back down the ladder to the more elementary components. Then we will be able to send our factory to the Moon, sit back and watch as a new “life” begins growing there, reproducing itself, and providing us with free energy and minerals, and a virtually limitless supply of robot workers. As an aside to this look into the future, let’s offer a possible solution to the problem of getting minerals from the Moon to the Earth. It uses the “mass driver” concept, in which a linear induction motor is placed on the moon, which propels objects to escape velocity. Figure 4 shows the details. □ FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 33 \ / THE MICRO- MATHEMATICIAN by Dr. John C. Nash Optimization: Finding the Best Optimization means finding the “best”— the best setting for a thermostat and a humidistat to minimize fuel costs while maintaining comfort; the best mix of animal feed to get top prices for product at least cost; the least rocket fuel to place a satellite in a given orbit. Clearly, optimization involves the minimization of costs or the maximization of benefits. To make possible a quantitative approach to optimization, we need to define an objective function, which varies with parameters b-j, b 2 , b 3 , ..., b„ over which we suppose that we have control. Let us call the objective function S(b 1f b 2 , b 3 b„) This is a function in n parameters. In the example of the thermostat and the humidistat, b 1 might be the thermostat setting and b 2 the humidistat setting and n = 2. The other examples might have many more possible parameters. Obviously, the fewer parameters there are to be determined, the easier the optimization problem is to solve. The simplest general statement of an optimization problem is as follows: Minimize S(b 1t b 2 , b 3 b„) with respect to the parameters b 1t b 2 , b 3 , ..., b„. That is, vary all the parameters until the function takes on its lowest value. To simplify the writing of expressions involving the param- eters, we will collect them as a vector b = (b l5 b 2 , b 3 , b„r where T denotes matrix (or vector) transposition, so that b is a column vector. We write the objective function as S(b). Therefore our problem can be stated: Minimize S(b) with respect to b. A shorthand notation is Find b* = min S(b) b where b* is now the minimal (optimal) point in the n dimensional space of the parameters. If n is bigger than 3, it is hard to visualize this space. Even when n = 2, the function must be drawn as a contour map, i.e. rising out of the paper. This is one of the difficulties presented by optimization for beginners. So far, we have stated the optimization problem as a minimization. What if we want to maximize an objective function? We can avoid the need for two programs, one to maximize and one to minimize, by noting that maximizing S(b) is the same as minimizing -S(b). This is illustrated, along with some other situations that arise in optimization, in figure 1 . A function in one parameter is used to preserve simplicity. In figure 1, the optimal point is labeled b M . (We can drop the vector notation because we have only one parameter.) The figure also illustrates the possibility of a local minimum at b L . In this example, b M is the global minimum of S(b) and the global maximum of - S(b). The point b s is a stationary point of the function where the slope of the curve is zero. b M b s b< b Figure 1. Optima and stationary points b M is the global minimum of S(b) and the global maximum of -S(b). b L is a local minimum of S(b) and a local maximum of -S(b). b 5 is a stationary point of both functions. Obviously, the slope of the curve is potentially useful to us. Intuitively, we can follow the slope “downhill” to a local minimum. From differential calculus, we can compute the slope or gradient of the first derivative of the function with respect to the parameter b, SMb) = dS(b)/db A necessary condition for a local minimum is that the gradient S^b) be zero. However, SMb*) is zero, yet b s is definitely not a minimum point. A further condition that must be imposed is that the second derivative of S with respect to b is non-negative at the point of interest S 1 - 1 ^) = dSMb)/db = d 2 * * S * * S(b)/db 2 > 0 There are a number of interesting cases where the minimum is not unique— for example, where the function has a “flat bottom”, or where several orders of derivatives vanish simultaneously (e.g. S(b) = b 8 ). For practical purposes, however, the theorems of differential calculus serve more as a guide to the development of numerical methods and do not yield useful programs themselves. The same ideas carry over to the problem of minimizing a function of several variables, except that we now need partial derivatives. I will use the following notation S (,) (b) = first partial derivative of the function S(b) with respect to b„ evaluated at the point b = (b 1? b 2 , ..., b„) r Sit - J) (b) = second partial derivative of S(b) with respect to b, by, evaluated at the point b. To make life even easier for ourselves, we can collect the first derivatives together in a vector g (b) = (S (1) (b), S (2) (b) S<">(b)) r which is called the gradient at b. Frequently, we will omit the explicit mention of the functional dependence of the gradient on the parameters b and write the gradient simply as g. Likewise, the second derivatives (partials, of course) can be collected together in a matrix, H(b), called the Hessian. That is, 34 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 Solve the Great Software You spent a lot of time searching and researching to find just the right computer. But when it comes compatible software^ you're stymied. Where do you turn? What is the key that unlocks the software mystery? The answer is ele- mentary. It takes a com- pany with the expertise and research facilities to dis- cover and develop a wide variety of quality software programs — a company with a staff of experts who understand both software and hardware — a company that is not only reliable but of- fers unique 24-hour services and — a company dedi- cated to being your software company. With all these pluses there's no mystery as to why Westico is so popular with knowledgeable software buyers. But look! There's more. The Westico 24-Hour Computer Hotline (203) 853-0816 (300 baud) for detailed pro- gram information and quick access ordering. • A full range of professional software. • Support for a wide variety of CP/M® and other computer systems, including: TRS-80 Model II, Apple, Vector Graphic, Cromemco, North Star, Micropolis, Ohio Scien- tific, Altos, Dynabyte, IBM, SuperBrain, Xerox, Zenith and more. Two new : solutions /from Westico /LEGAL BILLING & //TIMEKEEPING The LBS is designed for law offices with up to 25 attorneys and 35 timekeepers, including paralegals and secre- taries. The system distrib- utes all Time and Expenses to client accounts or des- ignated Overhead Ac- counts, and produces monthly Client Review sheets. After any adjust- ments it also provides: ready-to-mail itemized bills, monthly Office Management Summary, Aged Receivables Report. An Accounts List is also built into the system. Complex transactions re- cording is re- duced to a mini- mum because the LBS system is based on daily timesheets pre- pared by each timekeeper with a complete system for cod- ing client matters and ex- penses. The attorney auditing the pre-billing review form can choose various predeter- mined rates, or bill on re- tainer, contingency fee or an adjusted basis. The Office Management Summary provides a finan- cial analysis of each attor- ney's billings, aging of his ac- counts receivable and an analysis of the work effort of each timekeeper and total for the firm. The Accounts List summarizes current activity and status of each client. The LBS is designed so that even first-time computer operators can install the sys : tern without expert help System / documentation-$895 Demonstration System-$ 75 Documentation alone-$ 40 MICRO-TAX Micro-Tax provides in-house computerized tax capability for the tax practitioner or se- rious investor. The system is designed to accept informa- tion, summarize data, com- pute tax and print the returns required by the Internal Reve- nue Service. The system's im- mediate response capability gives both tax specialist and clients immediate results of the computation. The system reduces time required to complete a return while also minimizing the tax obligation of the taxpayer within the limit of the law. Three levels of tax prepara- tion systems are available: Level 1 — Uses 23 sched- ules and forms, handles multiple clients, and prints IRS approved forms. Level 2 — All of Level 1 plus six more sched- ules and forms, depreciation system, state tax interface, in- tegrated data base for year to year data storage, and batch compute and print functions. Level 3 — All of Level 1 plus partnership schedules and forms. State tax computation for the following states is availa- ble at additional cost: Arizona, Cal- ifornia, Illinois, Ohio, Oregon, Maryland, New York, Utah, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Other states and municipali- ties are being added. Prices: Level 1 — $250 Level 2 — $1,000 Level 3 — $750 Level 2 plus Level 3 — $1 ,500 State Tax — Call for prices Demonstration system — $75 4 WAYS TO ORDER • Write Westico, Inc., 25 Van Zant Street, Norwalk, CT 06855. • Call (203) 853-6880. • Telex 643-788. • Dial-upour24-hourcom- puter (300 baud) (203) 853-0816. COD, MasterCard and VISA ac- cepted. Prices do not include shipping and are subject to change. In CT add 7V2% sales tax. All sales final. Manual price may be credited to- ward purchase of software. Dealer inquiries invited. Copyright © 1981 Westico, Inc. WES-40 Send for FREE catalog WESTICO The Software Express Service 25 Van Zant Street • Norwalk, Connecticut 06855 (203) 853 6880 • Telex 643 788 FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 35 H, 7 (b) = S<‘»(b) The Hessian is again a function of the parameters. The necessary conditions for b* to be a local minimum of S(b) are g (b*) = 0 (i.e. b* is a stationary point) H(b) is positive semi-definitive, that is x r H(b*) x ^ 0 for any non-null vector x. The meaning of these conditions is as follows. It implies the function has a surface with a “flat” point at b*. If a marble were placed on a plaster model of the surface at b*, it would stay there unless disturbed. This flat point could be the top of a “hill,” however, so even a little perturbation would send the marble rolling away from b*. It indicates that directions away from b* are all “uphill.” Thus our marble will return to b*, even if disturbed slightly. These results from differential calculus are useful in helping us to think about optimization problems. Occasionally, they permit us to solve for an analytic expression or formula for b*. But, they are mostly useful as concepts rather than in practice. In particular, many functions of interest may be discon- tinuous or have discontinuous derivatives. The real-life origins of such discontinuities are that certain parameters only cause changes in discrete jumps. For example, if a parameter represents storage capacity in a grain transportation system, the function may have discrete steps corresponding to the fact that grain elevators are built in units of whole elevators, not parts thereof. Another cause of discontinuities is constraints, which are discussed below. The reader may have noticed a subtle omission of the question of local versus global minimum in the last few paragraphs. Unfortunately, techniques for finding global optima are difficult to develop, and practitioners usually search for local optima, which are then tested for acceptability. Frequently, the goal is not “best” but “better,” so that a local minimum will suffice. Only by knowing a great deal about the function to be minimized is it possible to be certain that the global minimum has been found. Practically no real-world problem can be stated correctly as a true unconstrained minimization of a function. (Henceforth we will not bother to mention the maximization alternative, but assume that the conversion of a maximization problem to a minimization problem by changing the sign has already been performed.) Real problems have constraints on the variables. For example, the quantities of feed making up an animal ration must be non-negative. The sizes of production runs are bounded; the sums of money available for investment are limited in some way. Let us consider some specific constraint types and some examples. Inequality constraint: Many constraints only act as limits or bounds on the parameters. They are not active all the time. Such an inequality constraint may be a simple bound: b 1 <4, b 2 >0, or a linear inequality: 2 b, + 3 b 2 + 4 b 3 < 5. More generally, if c(b) is a nonlinear function of the parameters, we can write c(b) < 0. Note that the right-hand side of the inequation is always 0, and the relationship is always “less than or equal to,” since we can adjust the funtion c(b) to have this form in all cases. This is accomplished by balanced operations on both sides of a stated inequality constraint expression. As an example of a nonlinear inequality constraint, consider the problem of launching a satellite into Earth orbit. Clearly, one constraint is that the satellite position must always be above ground. Normally, we would use polar coordinates, so that the radial distance of the satellite from the Earth’s center is represented by r. However, let us use rectangular coordi- nates x, y in the plane of the satellite orbit. Clearly, since the mean Earth radius is 3,960 miles, we want r 2 = x 2 + y 2 > 3960 2 . 36 INTERFACE AGE The “greater than” relationship is awkward in solution methods, but we can easily decide that 4,000 miles from the Earth’s center is the lowest altitude allowed for the satellite. Thus x 2 + y 2 > 4000*4000 = 1.6E + 7 or 1.6E + 7 - x 2 - y 2 < 0. Letting x = b 1 and y = b 2 we have in the form needed above c(b) = 1.6E + 7 - (bj 2 - (b 2 ) 2 < 0. When there is more than one inequality constaint, we simply number the functions c^b), c 2 (b), .... There may also be equality constaints. For example, the flows of grain in the grain transport system must balance (Kirchoff’s laws in electric circuits); the rocket launching the satellite must obey Newtonian mechanics. Such constraints can in general be written q(b) = 0 where q(b) is some function, possibly nonlinear, in the parameters b. Each equality constraint allows us to reduce the dimensionality of the optimization problem if we can solve the equation defining the equality constraint for one of the parameters in terms of the rest. This is usually easier said than done. For example, if our satellite were constrained to occupy an orbit 9,000 miles from the Earth’s center, the constraint would be q(b) = b^ + b 2 2 - 8.1E + 7 = x 2 + y 2 - 8.1E + 7 = 0 This can be solved for either of b, = x or b 2 = y in terms of the other parameter. Suppose we choose to eliminate b 2 . Then b 2 = +SQRT(8.1E + 7 - b^Jor^ = -SQRT(8.1E + 7 - b, 2 ) where SQRT is used to denote the square root function. Note that now we must work with both possible substitutions for b 2 , depending on the position of the satellite, which makes some of the expressions for the objective function rather messy. Alternatively, an equality constraint may be represented as a pair of inequality ones, q(b) < 0 - q(b) < 0 that is q(b) > 0. This allows a simple expression of the general optimiza- tion problem. Now that we have an objective function and some con- straints, it is possible to state our problem as follows: Minimize the function S(b) with respect to the parameters b subject to K constraints c,(b) < 0, j = 1 , 2, ..., K. In this formulation, we have subsummed the equality constraints into the inequality constraints by the method of creating pairs of inequalities for each equality. A shorthand notation for the general minimization problem is Find b* = Min S(b) subject to c(b) < 0 b where we now have collected the constraints into a vector. Since most numerical methods are based on unconstrained minimizations, we now need a way to convert the constrained problem into an unconstrained one. The technicalities of most such transformations are beyond the scope of a column such as this, but it is worth noting a couple of simple techniques that have been found effective. One way to impose inequality constraints is to make the objective function take on a very large value whenever a constraint is violated. This barrier function approach redefines the optimization as follows: Minimize Z(b) with respect to b where Z(b) = S(b) wherever c(b) < 0 (i.e. constraints not violated or inactive) and Z(b) = L, a very large number, wherever one or more of the constraints is violated (active). Clearly, a solution of the unconstrained minimization of the FEBRUARY 1982 FEBRUARY ■ specials! WE CARRY THE COMPLETE LINE OF | ATARI SOFTWARE, PERIPHERALS AND ACCESSORIES. | INTERFACES & CABLES EPSON MX-80 APPLE INTERFACE & CABLE $90. 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Mass. 01760 Technical & Non-800: 1-61 7-655-1 532 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 27 Main/Frames ^$200 Main/Frames $200 • 14 Basic Models Available • Assembled 8n Tested • Power Supply: 8v@15A, ± 16v@3A • 15 Slot Motherboard ^ (connectors optional) V • Card cage & guides ^ • Fan, line cord, fuse, power & reset switches, EMI filter • 8v@30A, ± 16v@10A option on some models Rack mounted Main/Frame 8" Floppy Main/Frame (includes power for drives and main/frames) Write or call for our brochure which includes our application note: ‘Building Cheap Computers’ INTEGRAND 8474 Ave. 296 • Visalia, CA 93277 • (209) 733-9288 We accept BankAmericard/Visa and MasterCharge CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 40 Figure 2. Constraints c, (b) = U - b < 0 and c 2 (b) = b - V < 0 are Imposed on the function S(b) (thin line) by using a barrier L whenever the constraints are violated. (a) constraints are inactive at the minimum. (b) constraint c, is active at the minimum. The thick line represents the function Z(b) of which the unconstrained minimum is the constrained minimum of the function S(b). 38 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 function Z(b) is equivalent to a constrained minimum of S(b). This is illustrated in figure 2. A similar concept is that of a penalty function. Suppose there are r equality constraints q,(b) = 0, j = 1 , 2, 3 r and K inequality constraints c,(b) < 0, i = 1 , 2 K It is obvious that if q, 2 (b) (the square of the constraint function for the j"* constraint) is added to the objective function S(b), the constraint is not going to alter the objective when it is satisfied. When the constraint is violated, the function q,(b) gives a measure of “how much” it is violated, and the penalty for violation of the constraint is the square of this value. In some ways, violating a constraint is like a murderer only killing someone a little bit, but the penalty function approach has been used successfully by a number of practitioners of optimization. For inequality constraints, if we approach the constraint boundary from a point where the constraint is satisfied (a feasible point), then adding a penalty v./c.fb) where v, is some weighting constant, will make the derived objective function very large as the boundary defined by c,(b) = 0 is approached. An easier alternative is to add the square of the constraint function whenever it is positive (i.e. violated), just as in the equality constraint case. Using this latter approach, and applying weights w„ j = 1 , 2, .... r to each of the equality constraint penalty functions, and weights v„ i = 1 , 2, ..., K to each of the inequality constraint penalty functions, we have the general penalized objective function r K Z(b) = S(b) + I w, q, 2 (b) + I v,(c,(b)) 2 h(c,(b» j=1 i=1 where h(x) is the Heaviside step function defined as h(x) = 1 for x positive = 0 otherwise. The Heaviside function “switches on” the penalty for the inequality constraints. As the weights w„ v, are made large, it is obvious that the solution of the unconstrained minimum of Z will approach the constrained minimum of S. The utility of barrier functions is diminished in that they create discontinuities in the derived objective function, which disrupt the operation of gradient methods of function minimiza- tion programs that do not assume a smooth functional surface. Penalty functions require us to provide weightings for the constraints. In general, we must solve several unconstrained problems to approach the constrained minimum as the weightings are made larger and larger. Note that we always get only an approximation to the desired solution. Also, the large numbers introduced by weightings required to force specific constraints to hold and force a good approximation to the desired minimum may result in badly scaled objective functions for the unconstrained minimizations. Most function minimization methods solve poorly scaled problems less efficiently than well scaled ones. The short overview of optimization presented here is only a sample of the whole field. In future columns, I hope to explore various aspects of the subject. Next month, I will present a short but reasonably effective search technique and include a program that implements it. In a later column, I will discuss the relationship between optimization in the sense described here, and the related problems of nonlinear least squares fitting, sets of simultaneous nonlinear equations, and the inaptly named topic of mathematical programming. □ EPISODE is a CP/IVrcomput- er with 1.6 M byte of disk storage on dual 5V4 flop- pies. Its compact design provides a wide range of standalone or network appli- cations including data base sharing. EPISODE gives you total flexibility. You can add your own CRT and Printer, what- ever brand and price range you choose. All the logic in- cluding the 64 K RAM mem- ory is contained on a single 6" x 8" circuit board ensur- ing maximum reliability. •Supervyz is a trademark of Epic Computer Corporation. CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 29 EPISODE includes a unique software system called SUPERVYZ™ - a menu based software control sys- tem that allows the user to integrate application pro- grams. Dealer inquiries invited, foreign and domestic. SY ST EIVIS Epic Computer Corporation 7542 Trade Street San Diego, CA 92121 Tel: 714-695-3560 SELLUJVT Smart Printers The N-35/N-77 models are intelli- gent RS-232 and Cen- tronics paral- lel versions of the NEC 3500/770 models. With our added-value features, you now have the ability to use it with most any microcomputer, plus an astonishing range of capabilities. Ask for a demonstration at your local dealer or systems house. 465 Fairchild Dr., #214 Mountain View, CA 94043 (415) 964-5460 Features SELLUM N-35 SELLUM N 77 Speed 33 cps 55 cps Shannon Test 28 cps 48 cps Print Wheel 128 char 128 char Noise Level 60 db 60 db Suggested Retail $2495 $3295 FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 42 INTERFACE AGE 39 Learning with Micros by Louis E. Frenzel Using Documentation There are three basic parts to every microcomputer system: hardware, software and documentation. While documentation has gotten better over the years, it still leaves much to be desired. Hardware and software manufacturers are overdue in giving greater attention to this important part of the system. Microcomputer documentation includes the user guides and instruction manuals supplied with the equipment. Micro- computer documentation is usually made up of printed materials that tell the user how to operate the system. Documentation may be in the form of step-by-step instructions, or it may be simply a reference manual containing charts, tables and lists. There are usually several different levels of documentation available. The first is what you might call simple, start-up instructions that give the user a shortcut to using the hardware or software. The second level encompasses the detailed operating and user instructions. Here the operation is more thoroughly explained and often specific examples are given. The last level is the reference material. This might be the CPU instruction set, programming language command and statement details, hardware operation theory with logic diagrams and schematics, or tables like hex-to-decimal conversion or the ASCII code. In a lot of cases, the documentation seems to be an after- thought. When the computer has been designed and is ready to manufacture, or when the final software has been tested and verified, someone discovers that a manual is needed. It is usually at that point that a rush job is done to put together some kind of suitable documentation for the user. I don’t think there is any question about the generally poor quality of the documentation for today’s microcomputers. Why are so many books and users guides published about the most popular computers and software packages? There are literally dozens of such books that do a far better job of telling users how to get the most from their hardware and software. What should good documentation be? The first rule for hardware and software documentation is that more is not better. Many manufacturers feel that the more information given, the better it is for the user. But, just the opposite is true. Most users hate to read and simply will not wade through hundreds of pages of even the finest documentation. Manufacturers must find ways to shorten the documentation and concentrate it into a form that is more palatable to the user. There is a much better chance that the user will read several pages than hundreds of pages. Every effort should be made to condense the key information into the smallest possible space. Also, hardware and software should be as self-documenting as possible. Self-documenting refers to the fact that the hardware and software themselves contain the instructions. For example, in the hardware, directions can be stored in the operating system or language ROMs. These can guide the user step-by-step in the beginning stages, so that it is simply not necessary to refer to the documentation. The same is true of software. There is no reason why step-by-step instructions cannot be built into the software to guide the user at all points. There is a trend toward more menu-driven software and user-friendly hardware. Memory is cheap these days, so there is no reason why most of the key documentation cannot be built-in. In addition, other forms of media should be considered. While most documentation is in printed form, perhaps other formats and media would work better. For example, why not put the documentation on audio tape? Inexpensive audio cassettes could contain a lot of the instructions for using hardware and software. The user would simply play a tape that would explain the use of the hardware or software. Many users will listen to a tape when they wouldn’t read a book. One of the biggest issues in microcomputer documentation is the question of whether it should be training or reference material. There are those who support the theory that the manufacturer’s responsibility is only to provide enough information about the system so that a knowledgeable user can benefit. Such documentation is primarily reference material. The manufacturer assumes that the user has some experience in operating and using microcomputers. Therefore, all that is needed is specific information about the particular computer or software package. Another group feels that microcomputer documentation should be educational. A lot of first-time users have the feeling that it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to teach them how the microcomputer or software operates. In this case, reference material is simply not enough. The documentation must supply adequate training to give the user a full understanding of the system, as well as step-by-step operational instructions. In a sense, both arguments are valid. The experienced user will probably neither take the time nor make the effort to go through documentation that is a training program. He wants to make immediate use of the system, and therefore prefers concise reference material that gets him going fast. Anything else would be frustrating. On the other hand, first-time users don’t know where to begin and generally appreciate documentation that is basically a self-study course on the specific hardware or software. One compromise approach would be for the manufacturer to provide reference documentation with the hardware or software. This is the basic information required by both beginning and advanced users. The educational documentation would be sold as a separate product. The manufacturer could make additional money by selling this material. After all, it is more difficult to develop good instructional documentation. Most beginning users are willing to pay for it. Perhaps one key to getting first-time users to read documen- tation is to put it into a self-instruction format. By using audio tapes, programmed instruction, and brief self-instructional sequences with practice problems and self-checking exams, users will be more inclined to use it. One final point: today some software packages and hard- ware devices are so complex that even the best of reference documentation is insufficient to bring the user to a competent level. Big software packages such as languages, operating systems, and some applications programs have such depth, breadth and sophistication that only an experienced person can use them. For other users, some formal training is needed. I have often felt that it is difficult or sometimes even impossible to develop adequate documentation for such complex hardware or software. It may be more realistic and desirable for the manufacturer to offer formal training programs. In-store classes or seminars may be the best way to train the user on such hardware or software. It could be that a lot of the criticism of documentation is unwarranted simply because the documentation may never be adequate to take the place of what is really needed— a formal class or seminar. □ 40 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 ...when I saw all of the stock and commodity studies, charts and detailed history a small Apple tm computer could do using TAG programs. The computer dialed a data bank, collected prices on 50 items, then— un- attended— turned out 30 pages of charts and graphic studies. It did all this while its owner and I had a cup of coffee. 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I . . . . H -435 Period : 9 351410 >vr 7W~ OPEN INTEREST 202910 203380 UOL ‘L- v VOLUME 0 ... 0 JUH JLY AUG STK CHART HALL IBURTN 09/81 06/17/81 5-DAY PRICE T-BILL/90 12/81 10/09/81 i i i i iii A fl J J A S 0 i i * ’ , • • , • JLY AUG AIJG SEP OCT Be amazed! See a live demonstration of the software that takes the hard work out of your technical analysis. Call the Technical Analysis Group today; our friendly group will arrange for you to view a free demonstration at a computer store near your home or office. Call (800) 535-7990 or (504) 895-1474. THE TECHNICAL ANALYSIS GROUP P. 0. Box 15952, New Orleans, LA 70175, USA CANADA: (519) 433-7000 EUROPE: (0049) 211-325252 ENGLAND: 01 588-4911 AUSTRALIA: 02 233-6822 FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 41 Versatile Accounting Package This month’s column focuses on a series of accounting programs produced by Designer Software, Houston, TX. The packages are marketed under the Palantir trademark. The accounts payable and general ledger packages are designed for Z80-based machines, and are distributed on 8-in. single- density disks. The most unusual features of the systems are the manuals. Without a doubt, they are the most unusual computer manuals to be found. The differences are apparent when one considers the contents: Welcome to Smallville Getting Started Checklist Organizing the Workflow The 12 Commandments Introduction— the 19th Hole A Note to the Impatient User Sidney Learns About Debits An Introduction to Double Entry Bookkeeping The manuals actually contain two sections each: a folksy discussion of the program, and an imaginary installation. They are fun to read since they are anything but dry. Entertaining, yes; great fiction, no. The manuals are fairly well organized and targeted for an audience not necessarily familiar with the computer. The manual assumes that the user knows how to turn on the machine and that’s all. They contain extensive documentation on what the programs do and why. Additionally, the manuals use several different type fonts and other printing conventions, such as boxes and bold print, to emphasize points. One of the best features of the series is the step-by-step checklists furnished for all of the functions. There’s a checklist for getting started; one for daily, monthly, and closing procedures; and one for year-end procedures. As a reviewer, I’ve become very jaded about general ledger packages. They all seem to be designed by non-accountants who have very little, if any, knowledge of what it is that users (and especially CPAs) need from general ledger systems. The Palantir software is different. To begin with, the general ledger account can be up to ten digits long— either numbers or letters. You don’t have to use ten, but if you are a hospital, for example, it is sometimes mandatory to have account numbers that long. Ten digits is more than sufficient to meet the needs of any regulatory agency or in-house requirement. The choice of numbering system is entirely up to the user, which is another great freedom. The general ledger contains transaction activity for a full 12 months, another real advantage. Additionally, the system is one of the few general ledger systems with a true sub-account scheme that works. It’s just like having a manual set of books from the standpoint of flexibility in setting up and arranging accounts. The Palantir system has an excellent journal entry process. The information input to the files includes: Date of Journal Entry; Journal Entry Batch or Reference Number; Date Entered (i.e. when operator put it in); Made By; Description; and Amount. The journal entry program also has some built-in checks and tests to prevent “junk” from being entered. Among these tests are a check to determine that each journal entry account number exists, that for each account number entered, there is at least one debit or a credit, but not both. Note that the system does not have any checks to determine whether or not the entry is in balance— one-sided entries are possible. While from an accountant’s standpoint, this is not a good feature, the authors of the Palantir system make a good argument that if something happens to the computer or the books are out of balance, a one-sided entry might be necessary. Most accountants would prefer a limitation on one-sided entries— it’s just too easy to get an entry out of balance. Additionally, when the system checks for out-of- balance journals, there is a tendency to catch transposition and keypunch errors easier. Journals are entered in batches. After each entry batch is input, a hard-copy printout is made. This is an excellent control, since it assures the user that everything that went into the computer is on a piece of paper somewhere. The system will put an error message next to any journal entry that is out of balance. The operator can review the entries by looking at them on the screen or scanning the hard-copy printout. When and if errors are found, they can be corrected — directly — by using an editor program that allows you to change the entry, line item by line item. Once the entries are in a form wherein they can be posted, you can do so by selecting the update function. Journal entries can be posted to prior months with this system, which has the major advantage of allowing financial statements for the month to be free from prior months’ adjusting entries (always a source of annoyance to accountants who have a hard time explaining to clients why the computer messed up the current month’s figures). Once updated, the journals become part of the general ledger system and can be viewed on the CRT (as part of an inquiry system). The next step is the presentation of a trial balance, a step that is fundamentally important in determining that the figures in the general ledger make sense. The Palantir system has an excellent format for the generation of a trial balance that is readable and workable. Coupled with the ability to investigate the balances in each of the general ledger accounts on the computer, the system is outstanding. Flexible financial statements Most general ledger systems include a pre-formatted financial reporting system that leaves the user with only elementary choices in the construction of a financial state- ment. In some cases, the statements produced by these systems are inferior to those that could be easily generated manually, and the whole point of computer implementation is somewhat of a loss. With the Palantir system, the user has complete flexibility in the design and construction of the financial statements. That is because the system does not include any pre-formatted financial statements— the user has to roll his own, using a sophisticated report writer included in the package. Included are the abilities to: subtotal and total at will; underline and double underline; use titles and headers on pages; number pages; print descriptions as dictated by the user; generate ratios; prepare up to four column reports; combine accounts; and compute ratios. The report-writing program gives the user the opportunity to create informative reports that are over and above the normal balance sheet and profit/loss accounts. This flexibility allows the user to generate some management reports that would have been impossible with other systems. The system is not easy to use, and will take a few hours to master. From a user standpoint, the software authors recog- 42 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 nized this and attempted to make the introduction to it simple —it still takes a few tries and a lot of practice to get it right. The benefit is that the resulting financial statements are really custom-looking— with a word processing printer (such as an NEC), the statements look like they were hand-typed. One of the nice features of the general ledger system is that it allows the user to keep year-to-date information. Most other popular systems don’t allow this. Instead, they force the user to employ a carry-forward system, purging the last month’s detail before the current month’s detail can be added. The Palantir system leaves this option up to the user, and, accordingly, satisfies one of the major pitfalls of many computerized systems. With a small company, it is reasonable to assume that up to one year’s worth of detail may find itself General ledger packages... seem to be designed by non-accountants... The Palantir software is different... stored on the system. But with any volume of activity at all, it is more likely that after a few months, the information will have to be purged, and the balances carried forward in the ledger as balance forwards. Still, having only two or three detail records for the year is a lot easier than having 12. The general ledger program is a good one. It runs fairly fast, and has many features that make it applicable for the small company or accountant in private practice (CPA). The accounts payable system is a simple yet complete method for processing accounts payable and the related cash disbursements. The system offers password protection and integral data security. The reports offered are comprehensive and useful in the administration of an organized purchasing function. As the general ledger manual pointed out, the programs have a very unusual manual — a combination of folksy dialogue and down-to-earth implementation guidance. The average accounts payable program is essentially a system for the entry and manipulation of invoice information. As invoices come due for payment, the system should produce checks. Additional functions should include some form of vendor file maintenance, an aging of what is due, and some' form of preparing summaries from the system to make entries in the general ledger. Of course, one of the most important products of the accounts payable system is the check register, indicating the check numbers, their amounts and payees. The Palantir system is designed to accomplish all of these features, and has other features that increase its usefulness. These include: aging of open invoices by invoice date; automatic updating of the general ledger; maintenance of year-to-date purchases and payments by vendor; preparation of separate check registers for hand-written and computer- generated checks; and automatic generation of an audit trail, including all transactions and modifications made. Unfortunately, the system does not handle cash discounts very well. In some programs, the computer will calculate the discount automatically. With this system, the dollar amount of the discount must be entered. This could lead to errors, or the omission of discounts being taken. Also, the system always pays net of the discount, regardless of the time wherein the discount is applicable. These are minor problems, and one might consider them personal preferences. The system has an efficient method of distributing payment, allowing up to 14 different accounts to receive amounts. In fact, with a little ingenuity, an almost unlimited distribution could be done. The programs produce a nice aging of the open invoices by invoice date. Missing are agings by vendor or by account distribution. The system generates a cash requirements report that summarizes the cash-flow requirements for the upcoming weeks: it is well-laid-out and easy to work with. The system can cope with partial payments on invoices, and has the expected capacity to deal with credit memos. Additionally, the system can respond to the need to issue manual checks, and even prepares a separate check register for them. When writing checks, the system generates its own check numbers. These are assigned to the checks (NEBS forms used), and a record of the checks is prepared in a check register. With this general ledger system, the user can have the accounts payable system update the general ledger automatically. One of the nice features of the system is the extensive use of checklists and forms to utilize in the system implementation. Missing from the inventory system are job-costing capa- bilities. When manufacturers use the system, they may well have a need to isolate costs by more than just general ledger account number. Very often, a job number is required as part of a job cost system. While there may be some way to produce this by using a combination of account numbers, it would be inflexible at best. No system can have everything. The Palantir system appears to be a reasonably good accounts payable system that could be implemented success- fully in many micro applications sites. □ TURN PROJECTS INTO PROFITS MAXIMUM PROJECT CONTROL ON A MICRO BUDGET. . . pm/-ll Features*. ★ True Critical Path Scheduling- • Early & late start and finish • % complete or actual start /finish ★ Designed for Floppy or Hard Disk • 1 000 Activities per project • Multi-drive access ★ Easy to Use: • User friendly/ menu driven • Extensive input editing and error detection ★ Comprehensive Management Reporting- • Flexible report writer • Gantt Chart • Activity-on-arc diagram • Funding schedules • Net change for "What If" comparisons • Budget vs. actual material, labor and burden dollars • Conforms to C.E. ER 1-1-11 and ASPR 7-604.7 amended REQUIRES • 64K • CP/M™ with CBASIC2™ • Addressable Cursor • 2 or more 8” Diskettes • 132 Char Printer SEND FOR FREE LITERATURE NORTH AMERICA MICA INC. 11772 Sorrento Valley Rd. San Diego, CA 92121 714-481-6998 CP/M REGISTER TRADEMARK OF DIGITAL RESEARCH • CBASIC2 REGISTER TRADEMARK OF COMPILER SYSTEMS y FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 57 INTERFACE AGE 43 by Cary Clark Sound Generation on the Apple Both the Apple II and the Apple III have built-in speakers that are capable of a wide variety of sounds. The Apple III allows the sound to be routed to an external sound system. But what kinds of sounds can be produced? And how can one produce them? The Apple II. speaker, although originally not intended to produce anything more than the familiar “beep” that accom- panies DOS and Basic errors, has been used to create a wide Figure 1. Square wave formation i n n i~i in i — i i i i i i i i i i i i Figure 2. High-pitched sound wave variety of sounds for both educational and entertaining applications. In order to keep the circuitry as simple as possible, the “beep” ability was designed around software instead of hardware. In order to produce a 1 kHz tone for .1 second, a routine in the monitor toggles a particular location in memory, $C030, which is decoded and hooked up through a Darlington amplifier circuit to drive an 8-ohm speaker. Since this interface was designed to mimic tone-generating hardware, the speaker can only be toggled. In other words, when the speaker location is referenced, the speaker’s cone position is moved out if it was in, or moved in if it was out. This in-and-out, out-and-in movement makes a sound wave that looks like that depicted in figure 1 . This waveform is called a square wave because the ends are squared up; in practice, the limited ability of the speaker to produce the wave causes the corners to be rounded. Sounds generally have three components: pitch or fre- quency, volume or amplitude, and tone or quality. Under software control on the Apple II, one can control two of these parameters. On the Apple III, all of these parameters can be dynamically varied. On both machines, the pitch of a given sound can be changed by accessing the speaker more or less frequently. A high pitched sound should look like figure 2, while a lower pitched sound would look like figure 3. The lower pitched sound was generated by accessing the speaker half as often as the higher frequency. For the musically minded, this lower pitched sound is exactly one octave lower than the previous sound. Pitch is determined by the frequency of speaker access. All sounds that one hears can be thought of as a culmination of simple sounds, just as an orchestra is a culmination of fairly simple sounding instruments. Traditionally, the building block of all sounds is the sine wave, which is what AC current looks like. Its frequency or pitch is measured in cycles, which is how many times the wave goes up and down in a second. Sine waves are hard for computers to make, so square waves are used as the basic building blocks instead. Square waves look and sound much like sine waves, so they are basically a good choice. To hear built sounds in action, listen to your own voice. Your vocal cords produce a complex sound with many components that your mouth can modify by subtracting out parts of the overall sound. This is called subtractive synthesis. Although Figure 3. Low-pitched sound wave 20% duty cycle 50% duty cycle (square wave) 80% duty cycle Figure 4. Various pulse widths you may think of your voice as a simple pitched sound, if you listen to it carefully, you can hear the various pitches at different volumes, which make up the various vowel sounds. A somewhat more unusual experiment is to remove the phone handset off the hook and cover the earpiece with your mouth. As you open and close your mouth, you can hear the various components of the dial tone quite clearly, although to the casual observer, the dial tone appears to be a simple pitched sound. Neither the Apple II nor III is able to directly do subtractive synthesis, yet the Apple III is able to do a different kind of synthesis. So how can the Apple produce different tones? 44 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 The square wave is just one member of a family of wave- forms called pulse waves. Pulses can have different widths; these widths are also called duty cycles. Figure 4 illustrates three different pulses. The thin pulses sound reedy, like you sound if you hold your nose and talk. The square wave sounds more full, like an oboe or a musical horn. All three have the same frequency, since they take the same amount of time to repeat the waveform; but since they have different shapes, they are made up of different proportions of sounds. So they sound different. However, the thin 20% duty cycle pulse sounds the same as the 80% duty cycle pulse. If that doesn’t sound right, try standing on your head and seeing if the world sounds upside-down. The Apples can vary the harmonic content or the building blocks of their sounds by generating different widths of pulse waveforms. In fact, all Apple II sounds can be described as a secession of various pulses at various frequencies. Apple III sounds can be a good deal more varied than the Apple II. The Apple III speaker circuitry has two options: it can be set up to act like the hardware tone generator that the Apple sound circuitry imitates, and generate tones independent of what the microprocessor is doing; or it can control the third attribute of sounds, amplitude or volume. The Apple II has two possibilities for sound volume: all or none. The Apple III can output 64 different volumes. Amplitude Figure 5. Two waveforms to be produced Figure 6. Sum of two waveforms control is good for more than just varying volume; it can be used to produce tones and chords as well. Let’s suppose that you want to produce the two waveforms in figure 5 simul- taneously. To do so, you need to produce the sum of both waveforms, illustrated in figure 6. This resultant waveform requires three levels of amplitude to produce. Thus, the Apple III is able to produce many simultaneous tones. A more variable amplitude also allows more flexibility in constructing waveforms with varying harmonic contents. This method of creating different tonal qualities is called additive synthesis. One simple experiment to find out what a variety of sounds the computers can produce requires an Apple and a pair of game paddles or a joystick. On the Apple II, enter the monitor from either Integer or Applesoft Basic by typing CALL - 167<cr> Then type the following 300:A2 00 20 1 E FB 8D 30 CO E8 20 1 E FB 8D 30 CO 4C 00 03 <cr> Typing 300L <cr> will display the disassembly in listing 1 if you typed it in correctly. This is a demonstration that was written by Bruce Tognazzini, identified with the names Multi- Tone Genie and Mini Assembler Tutorial. It appears in the Apple Education Series volume 3, Apple How To. Now, type 300G <cr> and turn the knobs. This is a good example of how versatile pulses can sound. The same experiment needs to be modified somewhat for the Apple III in Emulation mode. First, connect your joystick or paddles to port B. Next, boot the Apple II Emulation diskette. Select Integer Basic, boot the drive, depress reset, then type in CALL - 1 67 <cr> 300: A2 00 20 1 3 03 8D 30 CO E8 E8 20 1 3 03 8D 30 CO 4C 00 03 20 1 E FB A8 EA 88 DO FD 60 <cr> Then type 300L <cr> and you should see the disassembly in listing 2. A different program is required on the Apple III because its paddle circuitry is much faster than that of the Apple II; too fast, in fact, for this program where delays are important. Both programs are using the paddles or joystick to vary the delay between speaker toggles. Since the speaker is accessed twice per loop, each paddle measures the length of either the high or low portion of the wave. On the Apple II, reading the paddles too quickly results in every other reading being in error for each paddle, so additional strange sounds are produced as one or both of the paddles are turned to high readings (extreme clockwise). An excellent programming example of dBASE II— $595 00 30 DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE — FREE BOX OF DISKETTES WITH EVERY ORDER — With dBASE 11 you can extend the power of your microcomputer to jobs that were previously reserved for the larger mainframes. Here’s a par- tial list of applications that dBASE II has been used for: • General Ledger • Check Management • Document Cross Referencing • Journal of Accounts and Writing • Legal Office Accounting • Accounts Receivable • Time Billing • Scheduling • Accounts Payable • Inventory Control • Mailing Labels • Sales Tax Records • Job Costing • Calendar Events • Payroll • Tax Computation If your application calls for managing data, dBASE II may be the answer. You can create a database and start entering data into it in less than a minute. Type CREATE, then respond to the dBASE II prompts to name the file and define the fields in your records. Once the record is defined, you can start entering data immediately, or add information later by typing APPEND. In both cases, dBASE presents you with an entire record structure for which you simply fill in some or all of the blanks. Now, for a limited time only, you can purchase the most powerful DBMS system for your micro for the incredibly low price of $595 delivered. We’ll send you a copy of dBASE II, that you can run on your system, for 30 days. If you’re not completely satisfied, then just send everything back and we’ll return your money, no questions asked! Even if you go for another system, you’ll be an informed buyer!! 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Mstch, Visa, Amex prices slightly higher on sale Items.Store prices differ how various pulse widths can be used for various tones is contained in the music generating portion of the Programmer’s Aid, which is a supplement to Integer Basic. Further sound experimentation may require some knowledge of the Apple’s machine language instruction set; yet sound experimentation is a good way to learn assembly language programming through a tool like the Mini-Assembler in Integer Basic, or one of Apple’s assemblers on the DOS Tool Kit or Pascal. Keep in mind that (with the disk drive door open) there is no damage that can be done to your computer by experimental programming. □ Listing 1 0300- A2 00 LPX J»$00 0302- 20 IE FB JSR $FB1E 0305- 80 30 CO STA $C030 0308- E8 INX 0309- 20 IE FR JSR $FB1E 030C- 00 LO o CO STA $C030 030F- 40 00 03 JMP $0300 Listing 2 0300- A3 00 LDX #$00 0302- 20 13 03 JSR $0313 0305- 80 30 CO STA $C030 0308- ER INX 0309- E3 INX 030A- 20 13 03 JSR $0313 0300- 80 30 CO STA $C03O 0310- 4C 00 03 JMP $0300 0313- 20 IE FB JSR $FB1E 0316- A8 TAY 0317- EA NOP 0318- 88 DEY 0319- OO FO BNE $0317 031 R- 60 RTS 46 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 55 FEBRUARY 1982 Boy is this COSTING YOU. It's really quite basic: time is money. And BASIC takes a lot more time and costs a lot more money than it should every time you write a new business software package. Especially when you could speed things up with dBASE II. dBASE II is a complete applications development package. records and entire databases with a few keystrokes, with accuracy to 10 places. Change your data or your entire database structure without re-entering all your data. And after you're finished, you can protect all that elegant code with our run- time compiler. Expand your clientbase with dBASE II. Users tell us they've cut the amount of code they write by up to 80% with dBASE II. Because dBASE II is the high performance relational database management system for micros. Database and file handling operations are done automatically, so you don't get involved with sets, lists, pointers, or even opening and closing of files. Instead, you write your code in concepts. And solve your customers' problems faster and for a lot less than with BASIC (or FORTRAN, COBOL or PL/I). With dBASE II, you'll write programs a lot faster and a lot more efficiently. You'll be able to write more programs for more clients. Even take on the smaller jobs that were out of the economic question before. Those nice little foot-in-the- data- base assignments that grow into bigger and better bottom lines. Your competitors know of this offer. dBASE II uses English-like commands. dBASE II uses a structured language to put you in full control of your data handling operations. It has screen handling facilities for setting up input and output forms. It has a built-in query facility, including multi- key and sub-field searches, so you can DISPLAY some or all of the data for any conditions you want to apply. You can UPDATE, MODIFY and REPLACE entire databases or individual characters. CREATE new databases in minutes, or JOIN data- bases that already exist. APPEND new data almost instantly, whether the file has 10 records or tens of thousands. SORT the data on as many keys as you want. Or INDEX it instead, then FIND whatever you're looking for in seconds, even using floppies. Organize months worth of data in minutes with the built-in REPORT. Or control every row and column on your CRT and your printer, to format input and output exactly the way you want it. You can do automatic calculations on fields. The price of dBASE II is $700 but you can try it free for 30 days. Call for our Dealer Plan and OEM run-time package prices, then take us up on our money-back guarantee. Send us your check and we'll send you a copy of dBASE II that you can exercise on your CP/M system any way you want for 30 days. Then send dBASE II back and we'll return all of your money, no questions asked. During that 30 days, you can find out exactly how much dBASE II can save you, and how much more it lets you do. But it's only fair to warn you: business programmers don't go back to BASIC's. AshtonTate, 9929 Jefferson, Los Angeles, CA 90230. (213) 204-5570. Ashton-Tate ©AshtonTate 1981 FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 10 INTERFACE AGE 47 by Mike Heck Graphic Products Summary While many people associate Commodore computers with their data processing capabilities in business, educational or personal applications, few realize the power inherent in the built-in graphic character set and functions. Following is an overview of graphic capabilities of Commodore computers, along with the concepts behind the system, and how one might take advantage of graphics in a myriad of applications. We will also touch on some add-on interfaces that allow high resolution graphics and plotting. All Commodore systems, from the Vic 20 to the top-of-the- line SuperPet, contain the same Pet graphic character set. It is contained in ROM (read only memory), and is available immediately whenever the computer is turned on. The standard character set contains 64 special graphic symbols. These characters include various horizontal and vertical Ijnes in different positions and corners, numerous shadings ofVarious sizes, and special symbols— check marks, hearts, etc. All characters can be typed directly from the keyboard, accessed from a program through print statements, or POKED into screen locations, either directly or from within a program. On each Commodore computer, a graphics mode chooses between upper/lower case characters or upper case/graphic characters. In the graphics mode, the characters are typed in the SHIFT position on the keyboard, since it is, in effect, an alternate character set. The graphic mode is designed to allow much higher resolution than would be possible with straight text characters. Graphic characters occupy one-quarter of the cell, or pixel, that a full text character does. Thus, if you were using a CBM 8000 computer with 80 characters per line by 25 lines, there would be 8,000 possible graphic locations, rather than the 2,000 locations available for text characters. All of the 8,000 locations can’t be used at the same time, but one can still plot denser graphics as compared to the normal text mode. Even though all Commodore systems contain the same graphic set, each computer is designed for different applications and has its own operating procedure. The Vic 20 may be the lowest-priced Commodore model, but it contains the most graphic features. It contains an extra control key located next to the shift key, which toggles between the graphic and text mode when pressed with the shift key. By issuing a POKE 36869,242, one can switch the graphic mode to text mode from within a program, instead of using the graphic control key. Each graphic character is etched on the front of the corres- ponding key, so one can easily create simple graphics for games or other applications from Basic print statements, without having to look up character codes in the documentation. The Vic also allows each character, whether text or graphic, to be displayed in any of eight colors. The colors are selected by using the Vic’s standard control key. The Vic also has the unique capability of allowing the character set to be redefined in any form desired. By redefining the characters, a high- resolution graphic screen of 176 by 184 pixels (32,384) maximum can be created. In this way, games or other applica- tions that need high-resolution graphics can be created without any add-on interfacing. Since the text mode is only 22 characters by 23 lines, this ability to substantially increase the graphic resolution and create special characters is an important feature. For those interested in advanced graphics on the Vic, Commodore has a number of programs to make the job easier. The Super Expander cartridge adds 3K RAM expansion, high-resolution graphics plotting, color, paint and sound commands in one unit. The cartridge may be set in graphic, text, multicolor or music modes. Super high-resolution 1 ,024 by 1 ,024 dot screen plotting is also possible. All commands may be typed as straight Basic commands or accessed by hitting one of the Vic’s special function keys. While not as sophisticated as the expansion cartridge, a Programmable Character Set/Gamegraphics Editor is also available. This program enables one to create up to 64 programmable characters and incorporate them in Basic programs. The editor takes only VfeK byte of program space and is compatible with tape or disk. The resulting custom characters can also be printed on the Vic 1515 printer. The Commodore Pet series computers operate like the Vic in many areas. Pet keyboards show the graphic symbols on the front of the keycaps. Pets are also normally in the graphic mode, displaying upper case/graphics. On the Pet, a command of “POKE 59468, 12“ selects the graphic mode. Using the Pet graphic set allows increased resolution, because portions of the character cell are accessible. Even though it lacks the ability to turn on or off individual dots, sophisticated graphics are still possible. The CBM 8000 series computers can also access the full Pet graphics. The only difference between CBM systems and 48 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 don't buy ANOTHER 64 K RAM BOARD... ...without considering expandability for the future Tired of buying a new 64K RAM board every time you need another 64K of memory? No choice? Read on... TELETEK’s new 16K-256K RAM is available NOW. Get the memory capacity you need now with expandability features you want for multi-user applications later. The basic board is a 64K RAM bank-select unit which comes with 411 6’s in place. It can, however, use any of three RAM devices-4116’s, 4516’s, or 64K chips. The board is field-expandable by your technicians to as much as 256K of memory. FEATURES * Fully IEEE S-100 compatible •Deselection in 4K increments * 4MHz operation with no wait states (6MHz with one wait state) •Operates with Z80 , 8080 , 8085, or Alpha Micro processors * Cromemco/Alpha Micro and Northstar bank select methods are supported TELETEK 9 7 6 7 F BUSINESS PARK DRIVE SACR A MEN TO, CA 9 582 7 FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 71 (916) 361-1777 INTERFACE AGE 49 MOD II CP/M® IQ QUIZ Does your TRS-80 Mod II: Yes No □ □ give you access to hundreds of applications programs? □ □ give you a choice of a dozen or more languages? □ □ transfer files from TRSDOS to CPM? □ □ store 596 K bytes on a floppy disk? □ □ talk to a Cameo cartridge disk system? □ □ talk to a Corvus Winchester disk system? □ □ support XON/XOFF, ETX/ACK and clear-to-send serial printer protocols? □ □ talk to double sided floppy drives? □ □ run the best documented, best supported CP/M available? If you answered no to any of these questions, raise your Mod M’s IQ with P&T CP/M® 2 Contact us, and we’ll send you details on how to expand your Mod IPs horizons. Price $185 for standard P&T CP/M® 2; S250 for P&T CP/M® 2 for Corvus or Cameo hard disk drives. (FOB Goleta) PICKLES & TROUT P O. BOX 1206. GOLETA. CA93116. (805) 685-4641 CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research. TRS-80 is a trademark of Tandy Corp. V / CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 61 m — — — — — ■ *0 “ " _ i 1| A. - -A, - - - ^'-14-. - - „j hL ~ IJ T T'T' 'L' " f _ .i jrjrn TV jnuL Vt — • ; u • THOUSANDS OF SHARES *> iL.i l i . i . >1. .ii ii . iL. . . hi. iLjli . ..ih HiiiLi.il hmHLjUinlH JkLdiuJ n.i i. Li the COMPUTER STOCK MARKET book THE PROFESSIONALS BUY Purchased by over 160 Financial Institutions, 75 Market Advis- ory Services, 50 Colleses and Universities, and 1 50 Computer and Software Firms. Has been sold in every state and over 30 other nations. It is a study of market timing based on cycles and seasonal factors, as they affect stock and commodity prices. It gives solid tools for measuring and profiting from them. Author has more than 20 years experience as a stock broker, and conducted 8 years of computer research developing the 34 programs in the book which contains ideas and programs never before published. Programs are written in TRS-80 BASIC. Do you have the great stock and commodity trading advantages given by the home computer to the few who properly use it? To order “New Uses For The Home Computer In The Stock Market” send your name and address with your check for $19.95 (overseas; U.S.A. Dollar International Money Order or a Draft payable on a U.S.A. Bank)tO: Thomas V. Lenz, Dept I 596 W. Karval Ct. - Spring Creek Elko, Nevada 89801 the Pet or Vic is the keyboard. Since CBM computers are normally used in business applications, the graphic symbols are not placed on the keycaps. However, one can still type almost all the graphics from the keyboard, and all are accessible through POKES to screen locations. Graphics find their way into almost all applications: Games would be dull without fast-moving animation; educators use graphics to make learning more interesting and reinforce course material; and business applications take advantage of the expanded information that graphics provide. A business application could display information in graph form, so interpretation and analysis of data are much easier. The accompanying photo is a graphic representation of stock data and was plotted on a standard Pet. The programmer might use print statements consisting of the graphic line segments and corners to construct the chart or graph on both the screen and printer. Then, to place the information in the 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 7680 7702 7724 7746 7768 7790 7812 7834 7856 7878 7900 7922 7944 7966 7988 8010 8032 8054 8076 8098 8120 8142 8164 _J L Screen character codes proper place on the screen, POKE commands would insert the information directly in the proper screen location. A special area of memory in each Commodore computer is set aside for the display screen. This is referred to as memory-mapped video. It means that each location on the screen is represented by a location in memory. By placing (POKING) the numerical representation of a character in the proper memory location, that character will be displayed in the specific location on the screen. Think of the computer screen as a gridwork that reflects the number of characters in width and depth on the screen. By using the grid as a guide during programming, one can make sure that the right character will be printed in the proper location on the display. The advantage of programming graphics in this manner is that one gets direct access to individual locations, without disturbing neighboring characters. If simple Basic print statements were used, each line would be overwritten and unchanged data would have to be reprinted each time. Because each Commodore system’s screen memory is different due to the various screen formats, the Vic will be used as a short example of how screen memory maps and character codes might be used. The Vic’s 22-character by 23-line display can be represented by a box divided into 506 locations. For the Vic, the upper left corner represents memory location 7680, while the lower right corner is location 8185 (see figure). 50 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 44 FEBRUARY 1982 k i-t' Letterhead? Multicopy cut forms? Plain bond paper? Ditto masters? Try the Easy Feed single sheet paper load option with m r MPI's 88G and 99G printers. Just Sr feed the paper in the front and watch M it come out the top. No round plat- ens to bend around or complicated | jr paper paths to worry about. All this in addition to the standard adjustable width JF/ tractor drive, dot graphics, 1,000 character buffer, dual parallel/serial interface, dual fonts ' and much more. Another good reason to select an MPI printer. Ampi Micro Peripherals, Inc. 4426 South Century Drive, Salt Lake City. Utah 84107 Telephone (801) 263-3081 The Printer People INTERFACE AGE 51 Arizona PLS Associates (602) 246-6477 • California VITEK (714) 744-8305 • Computer Potentials 1408) 738-1740 • Colorado PLS Associates (303) 773-1218 • Florida Computer Village (305) 2 66-5965 • Georgia Micro Graphics (404) 790-5771 • Illinois CW Electronic Enterprises (312) 298-4830 • Massachusetts Butler Associates (617) 965-1080 • Consumer Computer Marketing (617) 443-5128 • Minnesota Bohlig & Associates (612) 922-701 1 • New Jersey Hansen & Hughes (201) 652-7055 • Ohio EQS (216) 729-2 222 • Oregon Microware (503) 620-8150 • Pennsylvania OED Electronics (215) 674-9600 • Texas Computer Wares (214) 373-4443 • Thorson Distributors (214)233-5744 • Utah PLS Associates (801) 466-8729 • Washington Microware (206) 451-8586 • International! Bur ope Russet Instruments, Ltd (0734) 868147 Telex 849721 • Australia Datatel Pty. Ltd 690-4000 Telex AA30906 • Canada Norango (416) 498-5332 Telex 06966710 • Mexico, Central and South America Siscom-trol (905) 689-02-09 FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 49 The ZVX4 MEGABYTER is for the APPLE II user who wants to DOUBLE file size, expand the capability of existing business software, and make other SERIOUS applications more viable. Now you can have compatibility with IBM, INTEL, CP/M*, Z80 Softcard*, UCSD Pascal, and others. Look what the MEGABYTER dual density 8" floppy disk controller, with its LSI circuitry and reliable industry standard IBM 3740 format, means to you: INCREASED STORAGE • Increase online storage to 4 Mega bytes • Double your maximum accounts and file size • Add high capacity efficient hard disk backup • Control up to 4 Shugart SA800/SA850 drives IMPROVED COMPATIBILITY • Operate APPLE DOS 3.2 and 3.3 mini disks • Preserve existing software investment • Interchange data with other computers SIMPLIFIED OPERATION • Reduce disk handling and I/O slot usage • Gain automatic single/double density operation • Change to double sided drives with one switch Available at your Apple dealer. Call or write today!! 2va> SORRENTO VALLEY ASSOCIATES 11722 SORRENTO VALLEY ROAD SAN DIEGO, CA 92121 (714) 452-0101 * CP/M trademark of Digital Research, Inc. Z80 Softcard trademark of Microsoft, Inc. be placed, the following formula will give the exact location: Point = 7680 + ROW + 22 * Column To place a character in the middle of the screen (column 10, row 10), the position would be 7910 (7680 + 10 + 220). Then type POKE 7910, code. For example, to place a closed circle in the above location, type: POKE 7910,81. These same concepts would apply to programming graphics on any Commodore system. The only difference would be in the number of characters available on the screen and the actual memory locations. These figures and character codes for the POKES are listed in the documentation supplied with each computer. To do graphing, incorporate the above formula into program statements that would draw the line. To get a bar that represents 50% of the display, type: 100 for x = 7900 to 7910 110 poke x,102: rem code for shaded square 1 20 next x This would draw a shaded bar horizontally one-half the width of the screen on a Vic. It would be easy to extend this example, with additional formula, to format and graph data in the proper area on the screen, based on the range of data. For certain applications, one may need more capabilities or higher resolution than the standard graphic set provides. In this case, a hardware add-on board will probably be necessary. One such unit is the MTU graphic package from Micro Technology Unlimited, Raleigh, NC. Part of the package is the Integrated Visible Memory board, which offers high-resolution graphics for Pet/CBM computers. The board allows full control over a 320 by 200 dot matrix on the display. Additionally, it can be used as an 8K RAM board when the graphics are not in use. Some features include: four types of video image control, five bank-switchable ROM sockets and an extended bus for further expansion. One expansion from the bus could be a disk controller. The board mounts inside the computer cabinet for maximum protection and portability. Power is supplied directly from the computer’s power supply without disturbing the main CPU board. Supplied Keyboard Graphic software adds almost 50 commands to Pet Basic. These commands permit selection of video and display modes, screen windows, text plotting, cursor control and shape table commands. As shown earlier, to draw a line under normal Basic took a number of statements. With Keyword Graphics, a single DRAW command will draw a line from the current cursor position to a designated point. The LINE command will draw a line between designated points. The remaining commands work in the same manner. It is even possible to create and save standard characters and/or symbols and recall them with one command. In addition, an abbreviated command function allows 1 1 of the most-used commands to be executed with only a few keystrokes, for more rapid program execution. The MTU boards are designed to work with any Pet/CBM from the Pet 2001 to the CBM 8032. Merely specify which unit one has and which Basic ROMs. One of the added benefits of the MTU board is the five ROM sockets that can be selected through software control. Since many software packages use ROMs either to hold extra coding or to offer software protection, this extra space is most welcome. Now one needn’t have to continually unplug ROMs when using software packages on a regular basis. Using graphics can be as simple or complex as desired. In some cases, it requires as much concentration as learning a high-level language such as Pascal or Fortran. But in many situations, one can use sophisticated graphics without much effort. It is wise to evaluate all packages being considered for the use of graphics. If possible, graphics should be an integral part of the program. □ 52 INTERFACE AGE circle inquiry no. 63 FEBRUARY 1982 THE EXPENSIVE SOFTWARE TAX PREPARER by HowardSoft: A package for year-long record-keeping and year-end tax filing; prepares returns for several forms & all schedules using on-screen facsimiles; prints in IRS format for filing; buy now and purchase low-cost updates at year end. CREATIVE FINANCING by HowardSoft: A flexible package for evaluating real-life loans & investments; provides cash flow & R-O-l projections as well as payment tables and objective decisions; can be used to determine yield to maturity of discounted bonds, present value of annuities stream, buy vs. lease decisions, APR of loans including wraparounds and analyses of all new loan types. REAL ESTATE ANALYZER by HowardSoft: A tool for objectively comparing alternative investments and projecting future results; profes- sional in both analyses of cash flow & R-O-l and client-oriented report printouts; allows what-if studies for changes in property values, loans, rents, taxes, operating expenses and the value of money; perfect for cash and profit projections on new or old rental property. ALL 3 ARE UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LATEST TAX LAWS, INCLUDING ACRS DEPRECIATION AS CREATED BY THE 1981 ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT. Howard Software Services for the SERIOUS Personal Computer User 8008 Girard Ave., Suite 310 | La Jolla CA 92037 1 (714) 454-5079 INTERFACE AGE 53 FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 37 POWER IN YOUR POCKET by Bob McElwain Experimenting with Sharp’s PC This month, I’d like to share some observations I’ve made while working with the Sharp/Radio Shack pocket computer. All variable names are not equally accessible to this com- puter. Use W through Z for frequent or repetitive calculations. These variables are the easiest for the computer to get to. Next are A through V. Of subscripted variables, A(23) through A(1 00) are the best, but slower than A through V. A(1 ) through A(22) are the hardest to locate. Although my testing was not extensive, W through Z seem to be about 20% faster than A through V, and about 75% faster than A(1) through A(22). In selecting options, the following form can be useful. 100: INPUT “RATE? “;Z$: GO TO 200 110: INPUT “TIME? ”;Z$: GO TO 300 120: INPUT “DISTANCE? “;Z$: GO TO 400 130: GO TO 100 At line 100, if any character is entered, “GO TO 100“ will execute. If only ENTER is pressed, the balance of the line is ignored; execution will continue to line 110. Line 130 causes a return if no item was entered. Sometimes it’s convenient to use the following form. Two values are expected and the program will branch to the section for whichever item is zero. 100: R = 0: INPUT “RATE? “;R 110: T = 0: INPUT “TIME? “;T 120: D = 0: INPUT “DISTANCE? “;D 1 30: IF (R>0) + (T>0) + (D>0) = 2 THEN 1 50 140: PRINT “TRY AGAIN”: GO TO 100 150: IF R = 0 THEN 200 160: IF T = 0 THEN 300 In lines 1 00-1 20, a number can be entered or, if only ENTER is pressed, zero will remain assigned. Line 1 30 checks to see that two positive values were entered. Note that (R>0) will have the value one, if true. If entry is valid, the item left as zero will cause a branch to occur to the appropriate section. If R and T are both non-zero, D is zero. Computation related to D can begin immediately following line 160. On branching, “GO TO A$(J)“ can be executed, where A$(J) is a label. (For example, if line 100 begins with “K“ and A$(J) = “K“, GO TO A$(J) will cause a branch to line 100.) However, branching to a line number seems to be 30% to 40% faster. Use GO TO N, where N is assigned by the program. The same is true of GO SUBs; line numbers are reached faster than labels. Loops are time consuming, but FOR-NEXT loops execute almost twice as fast as a counter and test. It’s bad coding to exit a FOR-NEXT loop prior to completion of the count, but I’ve been know to violate this rule. The computer doesn’t seem to mind. I also try to locate my most heavily used loops at the top of the program. It seems to speed up execution. Since line numbers take two bytes, multiple statements per line save space. Instructions are saved as 2-byte codes. Therefore, it’s possible to place what appears to be more than 80 characters on a line. PRINT 1 : PRINT 2: PRINT 3 etc., appears to be eight bytes per statement. Actually each stores as four bytes, including the colon. Spaces are ignored. Therefore you can load 20 statements on one line— a line that appears to be much longer than the 80-byte buffer. However, use this notion sparingly. It’s easy to get things so muddled up you can’t read later what’s written today. The following 10: INPUT “R? “;R 20: INPUT “S? ”;S 30: INPUT “T? ";T can be written effectively as 10: INPUT “R? “;R,“S? ”;S,“T? ”;T When run, each input statement will display on a separate line. 3*A*B can be coded as 3AB. 3*(A + B) requires the multi- plication sign. However, (A + B)*C can be coded as (A + B)C. Closing quotes and parentheses can be omitted if they’re the last character of the line. Some forms of tests save time and space. Try IF K for IF K>0 and IF - K for IF K<0. Also try K = K + (L<1 ) for IF L<1 LET K = K + 1 . This works because when L<1 is true, the value of (L<1) is one. If you’re using the computer as a calculator, and have typed in an extended formula and pressed ENTER, the formula disappears and the result is displayed to the right. Press the back-arrow to restore the formula. This is particularly useful when the result is clearly incorrect or only a minor change is needed. After pressing the back-arrow, you can edit and press ENTER again. The purpose of the PRINT USING statement on this com- puter is puzzling. It truncates rather than rounding off. There are no fancy features, such as a floating dollar sign. Yet there are all the usual risks of a run-time error. Therefore, I don’t use it. I use a roundoff routine and output results unformatted. 800: Z = INT(Z*X + .5)/X: RETURN If only hundredths are needed throughout a program, change X in the above to 100. This will save assigning X before executing a GO SUB. In working with interest formulas, I’m getting more error than I’d like. 1.001 1000 is 1.105165393. Straight multiplication with the same computer gives 1.105165374. Exponentiation, in this case, has held accuracy to only eight places. On any computer, there is some loss of accuracy when exponentiation occurs. However, the above error seems large. Computation of interest due on a $50,000 loan, accumulated over time, could easily be more than a dollar in error. In summing the terms of Vfe + Va + % + .... the computer rounds off after computing and adding the 31st term, giving an incorrect sum of 1 . There must be an easy solution. M 3 or any power, won’t go if M<0. There ought to be a trick way to handle this. I don’t see anything better than holding the sign of M, computing with a positive M, then reattaching - 1 - or - , depending whether N is even or odd. Here’s one that took me more time than I’d care to admit. Z = INT(27 (1/3) ) gives 2, which is nonsense. But Z = (1/3) : Z = INT(Z) gives 3. 1 haven’t a clue why there’s a difference in these two forms. Program for tax season It’s time to gather notes on those deductions. One big item can be the interest paid on your home mortgage. With a pocket computer, you no longer need a printed amortization 54 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 table and you don’t have to wait for the loan company to tell you how much you paid. In the first segment of the accompanying program, the interest for a period is computed by finding the balance due at the beginning of the year and subtracting the balance due at the end of the year. This difference is the amount of principal paid in the year. When this amount is subtracted from the total payments made, the result is the interest paid. In the second segment, interest is computed by accumulating the interest for each payment. Because of the error mentioned above in exponentiation, there can be a difference in the results from the two methods. Both segments of the program use the same routine for finding the period numbers to be considered. For example, a loan taken out in 1973 can be entered as year 1 . Then, if the current year is 1981, enter 9. 1 981 - 1 973 = 9-1 =8. It’s the difference in the years that’s used in computation. If you know what these periods are for your loan, a much simpler routine can be used. Provide for entry of the first period and the number of periods needed. The second method asks for the initial balance. If the first method is discarded, the code used to find the initial balance can be held (lines 30-90). However, if the initial balance will always be known, the second method can stand alone with direct entry of the initial balance. Note that Y, the number of periods per year, is set to 12 (months). You can change this as needed in line 1 0. Also note that there’s no need for both segments. They’re included here so you can choose what you like. If you’ve one of the new variable rate loans, use the second segment and run the program separately for each period for which the interest rate is constant. With the following changes, the program will run on the Casio FX-702P. Change To PRINT PRT INPUT INP ; , (in INP) A t Also use SET 2, instead of GO SUB 900 and the subroutine at line 900. Omit the initial colon in each line.D Program listing 5: PRINT "INTEREST PAID" - Set number of periods per year. Change to suit. 10: Y= 1 2 @ (a) @@@ METHOD #1 @@@ @ @ - Get original balance, amount borrowed. 15: INPUT "OR I AMT? $";A 20: INPUT "PYMT? $";P - Convert annual rate to rate for a period as a decimal. 25: INPUT "RATE AS V ";R: R=R/Y/100 - Find term of loan, total number of periods. ★ ★ IN STOCK ★ ★ READY FOR DELIVERY ★ ★ NOW s 2595 The Xerox 820 is more than just a word processor. And it’s more than just a desktop computer. Because this multi function machine is both! As an inexpensive word processor, the 820 allows you to upgrade exist- ing office typewriters and non- display text editors. Now you can have WP capabilities without paying for equipment with more features than you really need. As a desktop computer, the 820 gives you a cost-effective way to automate your daily work routine through a wide range of software options. Xerox will offer applica- tions software to cover many uses... and the CP/MR operating system available on the 820 opens the door for use of thousands of software packages available from STAND- ARD SOFTWARE CORPORATION. NOT INCLUDING SOFTWARE THE XEROX 820: EASY TO USE This Amazing machine is perfect for Secretaries who type documents less than 10 pages; General Ledger purposes: Job Costing and Scheduling; Financial planning; Business scenarios; In- ventory; Engineering tabulation & bookkeeping; Real Estate applica- tions; Managers for forecasting & business analysis; Wholesalers tracking sales; Medical billing; the list goes on!!! ★ ★ SPECIALS * ★ • SUPERCALC $239 • T-MAKER $229 • WORDSTAR $299 LARGEST SELECTION OF CP/M * SOFTWARE IN U.S.A. CP/M r is a registered trademark of Digital Research. Inc. * SOFTWARE * HARDWARE * SUPPLIES * DISCOUNT PRICES STANDARD SOFTWARI CORPORATION OP AMERICA 10 MAZZEO DRIVE. RANDOLPH, MA 02368 ( 617 ) 963-7220 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 66 rreCALii Announcing JRT PASCAL II. As the name implies, it’s PASCAL refined — the second generation. Here’s why: ■ CP/M* compatible - 14 digit floating point— no round off error ■ No limit on program size— separately compiled external procedures are auto-loaded - Assembler for external procedures included - Random files, dynamic STRINGS, dynamic trace ■ True dynamic storage with auto-compression If you’re considering any PASCAL, seriously consider JRT PASCAL II before you buy. Another advanced programming product from JRT Systems, It’s ready for you now. $225 Order from: LIFEBOAT ASSOCIATES 1651 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10028 Or phone 212/860-0300 *CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 46 INTERFACE AGE 55 MICROSTAT™ Release 2.0 dFLEAS E! Just some of the new features of Microstat Rel. 2.0 in- elude: new programs for moments about the mean, skewness, kurtosis and stepwise multiple regression, longer file names, faster sort routine, the ability to declare each data file's numeric precision and drive location plus an expanded user's manual with new appendi- ces for the equations and file structures used in Microstat. Also included is a Data Management Subsystem for file maintenance (edit, list, destroy, augment, sort, rank-order, move and merge) plus trans- formations (add, subtract, multiply, divide, reciprocal, log, natural log and antilog, exponentiation and linear) that allow you to create new variables from existing variables. After file creation with DMS, programs for analysis include: Descrip- tive statistics, Hypothesis testing (mean and proportion), ANOVA (one-way, two-way, and random blocks), Scatterplots, Frequency distributions, Correlation analysis, Simple, Multiple and Stepwise Multiple Regression (including files larger than available memory). Time series, 11 Nonparametric tests, 8 Probability distributions, Crosstabs and Chi-square, Combinations, Permutations and Factor- ials (up to one million factorial). All program output is neatly formatted for easy use. The price for Microstat Rel. 2.0 is $295.00 and the user's manual is available for $25.00 (credited towards purchase) and includes sample printouts with file tables that reference standard statistical texts and journals so you can compare the results from Microstat to those produced on much larger systems. Compare Microstat to any other package on the market and we think you'll agree that Microstat is the best at any price. ECOSOFT, INC. P.O. BOX 68602 INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46268-0602 (317) 283-8883 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 25 r rpT" |_|_l I Building Blocks for Microcomputer Systems, Dedicated Controllers and Test Equipment RM-10 S-100 RACK MOUNT CARD CAGE ECT’s RM-10 is a rack mount 10 slot Card Cage with Power Supply, consisting of an ECT-100 rack mount Card Cage (19"W x 12.25"H x 8"D), the MB-10 Mother Board (with ground plane and termination) all 10 connectors and guides and the PS-15A Power Supply (15A @ 8V, 1.5A @ ± 16V). $295.00 Specializing in Quality Microcomputer Hardware I (II™ Industrial • Educational • Small Business • Personal ^1 I Card Cages, Power Supplies, Mainframes, CPU's, | Memory, 110, OEM Variations ELECTRONIC CONTROL TECHNOLOGY 763 Ramsey Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205 (201) 686-8080 30: N=-L0G(1-R*A/P)/L0G(1+R) \ - Convert to years and display. 35: Z=N/Y : GO SUB 900 40: PRINT Z; M YEARS" - Get period of interest. Begin with month and year loan taken. Years can be relative. (e.g. For 1973 and 1981, use 1 and 9.) 50: INPUT "MON # OF 1ST PYMT? ";X 55: INPUT "YR OF 1ST PYMT? ";Z - Compute base period number. 60: C=Z*Y+X - Get first period needed. 65: INPUT "1ST MON NEEDED? ";X 70: INPUT "YEAR NEEDED? ";Z - Convert to first period number. 75: D=Z*Y+X-C - Get number of periods needed. 80: INPUT "# OF PERIODS? ";E - Find balance due, first period. 85: Z=D: GO SUB 800: GO SUB 900 - Hold first balance and display. 90: W=Z: PRINT "INIT BAL=$";W - Find ending balance. 95: Z=D+E: GO SUB 800: GO SUB 900 100: PRINT "FINAL BAL=$";Z - Compute total of payments. Find principal paid, difference between two balances. 105: X=P*E: Z=X-(W+Z): GO SUB 900 110: PRINT "INT PAID=$";Z @ @ @@@ METHOD #2 @@@ @ @ - Get loan balance, beginning of period. 200: INPUT "INIT AMT? $";A - Get payment. Use ENTER only if entered above. 205: INPUT "PYMT? $";A - Get rate and convert for a period as a decimal. Use ENTER only, if entered above. 210: INPUT "RATE AS %? ";R: R=R/Y/100 - Get number of periods needed. 56 INTERFACE AGE circle inquiry no. 26 FEBRUARY 1982 Use ENTER only, if entered above . 215: INPUT "# OF PERIODS? ";E - Compute and accumulate interest paid each period. 220: Z=0 225: FOR V=1 TO E - Compute interest for period. 230: W=A*R - Accumulate for period. 235: Z=Z+W - Reduce balance due by principal paid. 2**0: A=A-P+W 245: NEXT V - Roundoff and output result. 250: GO SUB 900: PRINT " I NT PAID=$";Z 255: Z=A: GO SUB 900 260: PRINT "BAL=$";Z 265: GO TO 999 - Subroutine: Find balance due. 800: Z= (P/R*( 1 - (l+R)A (Z-N) ) : RETURN - Subroutine: Round to hundredths 900: Z= I NT ( 1 00*Z+. 5) / 1 00 : RETURN 999: END Sample run INTEREST PAID (Method #1) OR I AMT? $50000 PYMT? $385 RATE AS %1 8.5 29-81 YEARS MON # OF 1ST PYMT? 6 YR OF 1ST PYMT? 1973 (or l) 1ST MON NEEDED? 1 YEAR NEEDED? 1981 (or 9) # OF PERIODS? 12 INIT BAL=$46078. 57 FINAL BAL=$45347- 19 INT PAI D=$3888. 62 (Method #2) INIT AMT? $46078.57 PYMT? $385 RATE AS 8.5 # OF PERIODS? 12 INT PA I D=$3888 . 62 BAL=$45347. 19 Dealers: We can supply you with the industry’s largest selection of quality business systems in our . . . $ 295 Dealer Demo System. You’ve got the hardware . . . we’ve got the software AND the total sales pack- age to sell this rapid-growth market. Demonstration diskettes and docu- mentation to quickly close the sale. (Kit includes: 14 diskettes, 20 users manuals and supporting Promotional Material.) Check our complete list of systems. The source code is dealer-adaptable to run on any computer with disc capabilities in CBASIC II (CP/M). GL. A/P. A/R Payroll Cash Receipts/Disb. Job Costing Fund Accounting Student Scheduling Mailing List Mgmt. Medical/Dental Office Scheduler Patient Billing & A/R Insurance Forms Wholesale Distribution System Purchasing & Receiving Inventory Control Invoicing & Receivables Salesman Comm. Reporting Backorder Management Manufacturing Inventory Control Finished Goods Inventory Mgmt. Parts Inventory Mgmt. Parts Purchasing & Receiving Bill of Material Production Scheduling M Is f 7 m. THE STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS SYSTEMS SOFTWARE INTERNATIONAL IICRO OYSTEMS For details on our demo special, contact us at: 6445 Metcalf, Shawnee Mission, KS 66202 Phone: (913) 677-1137 FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 41 INTERFACE AGE 57 Assignment: Benchmarks — — Data General CS/10 Entry-level Model in a Minicomputer Family C-3 Accounts Receivable Current Price Time Data General CS/1 0 2:40.3 $13,400*** Alpha Micro AM-101 1 3:25.3 $15,605 Ohio Scientific C3-A 15:49.3 $10,940 Digital Microsystems DSC-2 3:28.8 $ 9,015 Apple II Plus 6:17.4 $ 4,330 Radio Shack TRS-80 Model II 3:36.8** $ 7,609 Pertec PC 2000 6:04.3 $12,470 DECstation 78 5:04.8* $10,495 Vector Graphic System B 5:56.5 $ 8,995 Texas Instruments Model 771 3:38.1 $12,100 North Star Horizon 1:57.7 $ 6,911 Cromemco System Two 2:48.0 $ 9,275 Wang 2200SVP Altos ACS 8000-15 ACS 8000-6 NEC Astra 205 SD Systems SD200 IBM 5120 to be covered in future issues * Includes both compile and run time ** Program optimized by Radio Shack ran in 2:59.3 ***Tested under hard disk, raising price to $15,300 by Hillel Segal The CS/1 0 computer from Data General (Westboro, MA) is especially notable because it is the smallest model in a rather large family, the commercial systems (CS) line. Other models stretch up to the size of large minicomputers. Software transportability between members of this family allows users to have a uniform set of programs running on computers of various sizes. One principal benefit of the approach is that as a company outgrows its computer, the step upward is easier to make. Like other CS systems, the CS/1 0 is programmed in interactive Cobol, a standard language available on all business computers made by Data General. The com- patibility of the language throughout the family of systems makes possible the transportability feature. While the CS/10 did well when running the business- oriented application for which it was designed, the 58 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 semi-compiled Cobol isn’t the greatest for scientific number-crunching. Benchmark testing conducted for the Association of Computer Users (ACU) revealed a system strong in file-handling and storage tasks, but weaker in the type of math functions that scientific applications generally require. Of course, Cobol isn’t used much in science anyway. The tests were conducted for ACU by the Business Research Division of the University of Colorado, with standard programs being used to compare the time it takes to perform similar tasks on different computers. In this case, the programs had to be translated into Cobol for the CS/10. (Business Basic is now available for the system, but was not at the time the tests were run.) Data General personnel performed the translation, and their work was checked for accuracy by our con- sultants before the tests were run. The CS/10 can be purchased with floppy or hard disks, but the company did not want the floppies used for the benchmark testing. As a result, on those tests that use disk access (including the accounts receivable test), the hard disk was used instead. For this reason, comparisons of the benchmark times between this system and others in Series 1 of our tests should be done with caution: the other systems were tested with floppies. In some cases, hard disks were available for those systems (or are now) and their times would certainly improve if those were used. Looking at the performance on the accounts receiv- able test, we note that the time of 2 minutes, 40.3 seconds is better than nearly al the times of the other systems (not unexpected, since they’re using floppies) but is still beaten by one — the North Star Horizon. The CS/10 is available in two models: the Cl, with 64.000 characters of memory, and the C3, with 128.000 characters. We tested a version of the Cl that was equipped with a 1.2 million character floppy disk drive and a 12.5 million character hard disk. The basic unit, including display console, MicroNova pro- cessor and disks costs $12,850. The Dasher TP1 printer, a 60 cps dot matrix printer, adds $2,450. Storage options for the Model Cl include 12.5 and 25 million character hard disk drives, up to a maximum total capacity of 50 million characters. Using interactive Cobol, the system can be configured with up to four terminals, including the master control. With Business Basic, up to five terminals may be used. The keyboard has programmable special function keys, and these can be designated for operator commands during use of the programs. Software supplied by OEMs Software for the CS computers is supplied chiefly by OEMs who market the equipment to end-users. Data General itself does not supply any applications packages. To facilitate the development of programs by the soft- ware houses, the unit comes with a number of sophisti- cated utilities. Some of these assist with file manage- ment, system management and program debugging. A special screen utility is provided for the automatic generation of screen faces for user reference. These screens can then be recalled from within the Cobol program with a single reference. Other utilities can create a data base system or a report writing facility. These aids help the commercial systems suppliers create applications with a minimum of effort. Three program editors are offered: a line-oriented interactive Cobol editor, a general-purpose screen editor and a string-oriented editor. While these applications development products could be used by customers to write their own programs, the marketing approach taken by Data General doesn’t really encourage this. Instead, the emphasis is placed on creating and maintaining a strong group of OEMs to identify customer applica- tions, create the software and documentation, and ultimately sell and install the equipment. The Data General documentation is oriented to meeting the OEMs’ requirements more than putting the Customers found widespread satisfaction with hardware reliabiiity and service. tools in end users’ hands. Those who decide to program themselves will still need to depend on the OEM for information and assistance. When our consultants surveyed Data General cus- tomers, they found widespread satisfaction with hard- ware reliability and service, but less strong support of the OEM efforts to furnish programming and train users of the systems. Since the CS/10 was a new product, the interviews were conducted with customers who had functionally similar CS/30 systems. The firms contacted included manufacturers and wholesalers, hospitals and clinics, CPAs and several other businesses. Most of the appli- cations mentioned by users were in the accounting area: payables, receivables, payroll, general ledger and such. Some invoicing and data base management were also noted. Reactions to OEM support varied, with one user commenting “Our OEM has been very helpful and cooperative.” But another said “Some modifications were necessary. It didn’t go smoothly with the dealer, who doesn’t understand our business needs.” In general, the users we talked to said their system was easy to operate, reliable, and had been relatively painless to implement. □ Hillel Segal is president of the Association of Computer Users, a non-profit association with members all over the U. S. , Canada and several other foreign countries. One of the association ’s key activities is the publica- tion of its Benchmark Reports. Each month a new report is produced covering another computer system. A complete package of information about member- ship is available from ACU, P.O. Box 9003, Boulder, CO 80301. FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 59 AOO — AD7 VR/S100 partial I/O interface Hardware Evaluation Speech Technology’s VR/S1 00 Speech Generator Device with vocal adherents by Roger H. Edelson Probably the most active areas in the computer peripheral field today are graphics (both video display and hard copy) and interactive synthetic-speech tech- nology. In the synthetic-speech field, the computer either listens or talks. Listening and understanding are the difficult problems, with no clear-cut solutions as yet. The talking (or vocal feedback) problem has been solved reasonably effectively, with three different technologies vying for marketplace dominance— Linear Predictive Coding (LPC), Waveform Analysis, and Phoneme Coding. The LPC technique, probably most familiar as the voice behind Texas Instruments’ Speak-N-Spell, uses a vocal track model to convert digital data to speech sounds. One advantage of this technology is that the same stored speech information can take on different vocal characteristics by varying the vocal- tract model parameters. National Semiconductor’s recently-announced Digi- talker is one of the most well-known examples of this 60 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 speech-synthesis technique. In this technology, a mathematical formula (usually company proprietary) digitizes a recorded word. The formula is used to simplify the normally complex speech waveform, thereby significantly reducing the amount of storage required to hold each word. This technique results in some of the most natural-sounding speech, but usually requires the most memory. Phoneme coding requires the least memory space, but this technology does not usually produce human-like speech, particularly at present. These descriptions are generalizations, of course, and each technology has its dedicated coterie of highly vocal adherents. The VR/S100 board from Speech Technology Corp. (Santa Monica, CA) generates speech by using the LPC technique, which combines a 1 2-pole vocal-tract model with on-board vocabulary storage of up to 250 words. The designer of the board has been in the speech- synthesis field almost since its inception, and developed one of the first speech-synthesis boards for the S-100 bus over five years ago. Unfortunately, the state-of- the-art at that time predicated an analog solution to the vocal-tract filter model, along with significantly lower density chips used for vocabulary storage, and the device was simply not viable in the marketplace. This new offering, however, uses a single integrated circuit manufactured by General Instruments (but designed and developed by Speech Technology) to model the vocal-tract; speech storage is accomplished using either 16K or 32K PROMS (or EPROMS). With this technique, 12 to 20 words may be stored in a 2716 type device; the 2732 chips can hold twice as much vocabulary. The actual card may be obtained as either a single speech chip model (VR/S100A), or configured with two speech chips (the — B) operated by the on-board 8085 processor. The single speech chip model is priced at $275 and the dual model runs an additional $50; both prices are for models without vocabulary memory. Pre-programmed speech memory is also available from the company at $30 for the 2716, or $60 for the 2732 devices, which works out to about $4 per word. A 32K-first-chip vocabulary of 24 words is available for FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 61 u or less ana inciuaes: ine aigns UNt inrougn i\iiiNt, ZERO, PLUS, MINUS, TIMES, POINT, IS, ENTER, REPEAT, ERROR, WHAT?, OH, THANK YOU, GOOD- BYE, HELLO, OKAY, plus 4 pauses of 50, 100, 200 and 400 /us each. In addition to the standard vocabulary, many of the words (the numbers 0 thru 19, 20 thru 90, 100, 1000 and others) are available in both terminating and non- terminating inflections. For general applications, the company recommends that the terminating inflection be used. If possible, however, both sets of intonation should be stored to provide more natural, easily- understood speech when the board is used for numerical responses, i.e. clocks, calculators and scientific/test instrumentation. Plural forms of commonly-used words are also available; for space-limited applications, an isolated “s” can also be provided, but in some cases this may produce unnatural-sounding speech. If you need words that aren’t available in the standard library (which now contains more than 300 words), you can get them at a cost of $200 per second, with a minimum set-up charge of 5 seconds; this is designed to keep the ribbon-clerks out of the game. (There is really a high single time recording charge or speaker to record these non-standard words.) The board is nicely built with a gold-plated edge connector for reliability, but the one I received for testing did lack solder masking and could have used additional integrated circuit labeling. I suspect that my unit was a pre-production version (which would explain the lack of solder masking), as a couple of filter capacitors were missing; the production versions will probably correct these minor quibbles. The board comes wi m sucKeis iui an me majui mteyiaieu uih-uk chips (memory, 8085 CPU/Controller and speech chip), an on-board 6.14 MHz crystal for the 8085, and audio- output circuitry for driving a 500/600-ohm line. Audio output may be obtained by connection to the 8-pin flat- cable plug located on the upper-left portion of the board, or may be conveniently jumpered to 4 pins (20, 21 , 27, or 28) of the S-100 bus. The VR/S100 was designed before the release of the IEEE- 696 Standard for the SI 00 Bus, and while there are no timing problems (the worst interface The board is nicely built with a gold-plated edge connector for reliability incompatabilities to resolve), the allowable values for static loading are exceeded on nine of the bus signals, the eight Data Out lines and the SOUT control line. The problem occurs because the IEEE-696 Standard allows SI 00 bus receivers to sink no more than 0.5 mA, which is just about the input specification of a single LS logic device. As the board is designed, two circuits are connected in parallel, which results in twice the static loading. Since the real concern, however, is with the total bus loading, this higher static loading will not normally be an operating problem, since no more than NEW PRODUCTS! 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See Televideo System Ad. “I found out why V.IP.’s call A.E.I.” I learned that I could get specific advantages when purchasing from A.E.I. A. E.l. has valuable knowledge gained from selling millions of dollars of computer equipment, and will take the time to discuss which equipment is right for me. Based on its vast experience, A.E.I. sells only reliable equipment. A.E.I. can test and configure equipment to match my system. A.E.I. will initalize my software to match my system, saving me valuable time. A.E.I. stocks repair parts and can answer my technical questions, and expedite repairs to my equipment when necessary. A.E.I. is price competitive even when compared to No- Service sales companies. V.I.P.’s call A.E.I. NORTHSTAR ADVANTAGE COMPUTER The Northstar Adva ntage Computer is an integrated package including full graphics capability Line charts, bar graphs, pie charts and 3 dimensional displays are all possible as part of Northstar's optional graphics/DOS operating system or CP/M - graphics package All Northstar applications soft- ware is available for the Advantage Computer. Slots for 6 additional expansion cards are included Specifications: Z80A CPU, 64K Ram. Green screen 12" monitor, 240 x 640 pixel graphics resolution, sculptured typewriter-like keyboard, two 5" 360K drives. Because A.E.I. tests before shipping, has expertise on all items offered, and is price competitive. AUTOMATED EQUIPMENT, INC. 18430 WARD STREET, FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA 92708 See these products and a full line of peripheral equipment in our showroom. (714) 963-1414 (800) 854-7635 62 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 6 FEBRUARY 1982 one of these boards would be used in the system. In the case of a single speech-chip board, the LS 373 data storage circuit for the second chip is not present on the board. Therefore, in this case, the data line loading does not exceed the IEEE specifications. It was indicated by company representatives that the board will soon undergo a mild production revision, and buffers will probably be included in this later version. Only in those rare cases where the bus is fully loaded would it be worthwhile to wait until the new design is released. The board is port-controlled, with a six-bikDIP switch used to set up the six most significant bits of the port address (A2 thru A7). Information is entered into the board (or its 1 28 byte buffer) by outputting a byte at the selected base port address plus 1 (i.e. if a port address of 20H is selected, data is outputted to port address 21 H). The board status (BUSY/NOT BUSY) is obtained by checking BIT 0 of the byte located at base port address (PAb) or PAb + 1 , + 2 or + 3. In the case of the two speech-chip board ( — B), the status of the second buffer is obtained by checking BIT 1 of the same location. The other bits of this particular byte aren’t even available on the data input lines. A circuit diagram of a portion of the board I/O is presented in the accompanying figure. That’s about all there is to using the board. One additional feature has been provided to allow on-board storage of a string of words before beginning to output speech. In this case, the first byte sent to the board should be a null byte (OH). The following bytes (which request the words to be outputted) will then be stored in the on-board RAM, up to a maximum of 128 bytes. If more storage is attempted than is available in the on- board RAM, the buffer full bit will be asserted, and the board will refuse to accept any more data. Speech output is initiated anytime a second null byte (OH) is sent to the board. You need not wait until the buffer is full, of course; the speech string may be any desired length, from one byte up to the RAM maximum. Small sound problem corrected The sound output from the board is intelligible and natural-sounding. The model I heard first had a some- what objectionable ringing sound when outputting certain words, notably SIX and THREE. At the time the company president John Stork noted that he couldn’t detect the ringing, but he later verified its existence with an oscilloscope. To correct this problem, a small change was made in the parameters of the vocal-tract model to reduce the Q of one of the filter poles, thereby eliminating the transient oscillations on a few words. One nice feature of the LPC synthesis technique is that it is possible to modify the vocal tract model by changing the chip parameters under software control. This allows the user to change the pitch and tempo of the speech output. The only control missing is one that varies the speech volume, which would a valuable feature when highlighting a particular word. The company representatives indicated that this feature may possibly be implemented on the new revision. Speech synthesis, both input and output, will probably be the wave of the future in computer-human communi- cation. With this board, it is possible to add a large vocabulary of very intelligible speech output to a computer for a modest cost.D CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 1 Computer Forms Catalog with 32 pages of continuous business forms for small computer systems Send today for our NEW full color 32 page catalog with programming guides, prices and order forms for continuous checks, invoices, statements, envelopes, stock paper and labels. • Quality products at low prices • Available in small quantities • Fast Service • Money Back Guarantee • Convenient TOLL-FREE ordering Fast Service by mail or. . .PHONE TOLL FREE 7 + 800-225-9550 Mass, residents 1+800-922-8560 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time Monday — Friday FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY no. 56 INTERFACE AGE 63 California Computer Systems € • 2810 CPU Only — $250.00 • 2422 Dsk Cont Only - $300.00 • 2065C64K Only - $425.00 • 2032C32K Only — $620.00 • 2718 2x2 Only -$305.00 • 2200A Mainframe Only — $349.00 • 2501 Mother Board Only — $106.00 • 2116C 16K Static Ram 200ns Only - $309.00 • 2520K Extender Board Only — $52.00 • 2200 System Tested and Assembled Only -$1,600.00 • Software AP/PR/AR/GL Only — $450.00 • Mail List Only — $69.95 • Calendar Only — $44.50 TERMINALS • Televideo 910 — $575.00 • Televideo 91 2C — $665.00 • Televideo 920C — $740.00 • Televideo 950 — $950.00 • Ampex Dialog 80 —$895.00 • Zenith Z19 — $745.00 DISK DRIVES • Shugart 801 ’s — $395.00 • Shugart 851’s — $585.00 • Qume DT-8’s — $540.00 • Shugart 400’s — $255.00 • Tandom 5Va — $255.00 LEXICON LX-1 1, acoustic — $145.00 S-100 CARD EXTENDER (Gold Contacts) $12.50 18 ff ^ MICRO IVI.J1I. SALES 11 EDISON DRIVE ★ NEW LENOX * ILLINOIS 60451 CALL TOLL FREE: 1-800-435-9357 ★ MONDAY thru SATURDAY (ILLINOIS RESIDENTS CALL: 815-485-4002) ★ 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. TERMS: Prepayment — C.O.D. up to $100.00 — M/C Visa $5.00 Processing and Handling added to each order PLUS Shipping Charges. Please allow personal check to clear before shipment. ★ SPECIAL ★ SPECIAL ★ SPECIAL ★ DUAL DRIVE SUBSYSTEM $1,045.00 $995.00-3 or More $245.00 w/no Drives Tested and Assembled $1,295.00 2-QUMEDT8 Power Supply and Cabinet Tested and Assembled 2 SHUGART 801 R POWER SUPPLY IN STOCK!!! PRINTERS C-ITOH Comet I 9x7 Dot Matrix . . . $450.00 C-ITOH Comet II... $810.00 132 Column Printer 9 x7 Dot Matrix M PI-886 $725.00 EPSON MX 80 $470.00 EPSON MX 100 CALL Anadex 9501 $1,235.00 Graphic Printer • CPU Serial Cable — $30.00 • Z80 CPU — $250.00 • DP Dsk Cont - $275.00 • DP 64K — $400.00 • 32K (Kit) — $250.00 Zenith data systems Quality Affordable Microcomputers CALL FOR PRICES SPECIAL ********* 340 POWER SUPPLY FOR 1 MINI DRIVE $21.00 ********* DMA/A CHIPS $15.00 SI — MO D (KI T) $ 199.00 Complete S-100 12 Slot Main Frame. Ample system power with regulated power for drives. Excellent for Subsystem or Hobby use. Four hours to build. (6 conn., incl., less fans) POWER RATING - 30AOF±8V 6AOF ± 16V TWIN VERTICAL DRIVE$ 5” $550.00 - 8” $980.00 w 2716 — $6.75 2708— $3.95 4116— $2.50 2114 — $2.75 Z-80A — $6.95 Z-80A SUPPORT CTC — $6.55 SIO - $25.50 PIO — $6.50 XEROX MICRO COMPUTERS (Options) • 2 5V4” Disc Drives • 2 8” Disc Drives • Letter Quality Printer (Call for Prices) ★ CABLES* — R3232 made to order — 50 Pin Ribbon cable w/connectors —34 Pin Ribbon cable w/connectors Call for Prices ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ * THE MICRO BILLBOARD * ^ U.S. Micro Sales now open 7 days a week — 24 hours a day . ^ ^ Now you can simply dial up your computer and get into our ^ specially priced merchandise. CALL TOLL-FREE 800—435 9357 BILLBOARD OPEN FROM 6:30 P.M. TIL 8:00 A.M. * Novation CAT D-CAT AUTOCAT . . , APPLECAT . . SUPERMIKE . .$150.00 .$165.00 .$235.00 .$350.00 . .$11.50 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 97 Articles Wanted... INTERFACE AGE is seekfng articles on computer communications and networking for the July issue. Data communications and public data bases are topics of interest. Compar- ative evaluations of data communica- tions hardware and software will also be considered. Articles intended for this issue should be received no later than March 1 for consideration. Other topics needed during 1 982 include: business hardware and soft- ware, computer art and graphics, computer languages, medical and educational applications, word pro- cessing, peripherals and interfacing products, home applications, tutor- ials and utility programs. Special emphasis is placed on business systems and applications. Program listings should be no more than 60 characters wide, with no wrap-around lines. Unlined paper and a new ribbon should be used. Sample runs should also be included. In the article, variables should be described. The system utilized in composing the program should be detailed — operating systems, lan- guage type and version, and any necessary peripherals. The payment rate ranges from $35-80 per published page. Sub- missions should include an abstract and outline. Manuscripts should be typed or printed out double-spaced with one- inch margins. Minimum length is four pages, unless programs are included. Photos should be numbered and have a brief description attached to each. Tables, listings, etc. should be on separate pages and each should have a caption. Authors are requested to submit a statement of their back- ground and expertise. The publisher assumes no respon- sibility for artwork, photos or manu- scripts. No acknowledgement is made unless the submission is accompanied by a stamped return envelope large enough to return the article, in case it doesn’t suit our present needs. A minimum of six weeks should be allowed for response; it is requested that authors do not phone for infor- mation about submissions. The submissions should be addressed to: Editorial Dept., Inter- face Age, 16704 Marquardt Ave., Cerritos, CA 90701. peripherals and software for home and business. Build it yourself and save up to 50%. Build it yourself and learn - know your system from the inside out, grow as your skills grow, change as your needs change. Build it yourself the easy Heathkit way - with step-by-step assembly manuals, friendly over-the-phone assistance and 65 convenient Heathkit Electronic Centers* - selling and servicing our computers in the U.S. and Canada. See your telephone white pages for locations. • Complete, integrated computer systems • Peripherals - including video terminals, letter-quality printers, color graphics • Disk storage systems, up to 12 megabytes • Three operating systems, including CP/M • Innovative software - including word processing, SuperCalc electronic spread- sheet and Peachtree business programs • Self-instructing programming courses from Heathkit/Zenith Educational Systems • Accessories and supplies ’Heathkit Electronic Centers in the U.S. are units of Veritechnology Electronics Corporation. If coupon is missing, write Heath Co., Dept. 343-862, Benton Harbor, Ml 49022 In Canada, write Heath Co., 1480 Dundas St. East, Mississauga, Ontario L4X 2R7 Name- Address^ Please send my free Heathkit Catalog. I am not currently receiving one. to: Heath Co., Dept. 343-862, Benton Harbor, Ml 49022 _State_ FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 33 INTERFACE AGE 65 Photos provided by Versa Computing Photos provided by Image Resource MARKET ANALYSIS SHIPMENT ANALYSIS With New Facility Results - 5303,000 SAVINGS Graphics Capabilities for the Small Business by Terry Benson Graphics capability in a small business computer can enhance the communication of data and can be used to facilitate operator responses. The use of such information can increase productivity and provide more effective problem solving. Conceptual representation of facts and visual aids required for evaluating all types of abstract and physical data are enhanced through graphic presentation. The representation of numeric data in graphs and bar charts is frequently the most familiar (if not the only) application example. But there are several other useful applications that demonstrate the economic alternatives available. The old adage says “A picture is worth a thou- sand words.” In actuality, a graph might be worth something like 10,000 or 100,000 words, and certainly there are many graphic examples that can’t be described effectively in words (e.g. a 3-D image). Business graphics and related artwork can effectively reduce the number of words required to describe a situation, and even make the information more interesting to review. In a study prepared by IBM, graphics have been grouped into the following six major categories representing applications that might be imple- mented in a small business. Basic data presentation includes graphs and charts that can be used to represent statistical information or other numeric data. For example, a sales graph displaying the past and projected performance of the sales effort can be displayed or easily modified to include new forecasts as they become available. Full color graphs and charts can be produced on a color CRT (or TV screen), then photographed for sales presenta- tions and seminars. Topological definitions include program flow charts, chemical or physical processes, organiza- tion charts, electronic schematics and other similar line drawings. Many of the software packages available for business computers support this category of computer graphics since these are Plant A Plant B Plant C Plant D MARKET POTENTIAL m High Medium CUD Undefined Sales Reg. ^ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRESS FUCTICH KEY 7 TO INITIATE A 4632 VIIC0 HARD COPY USING T>€ IS PIN CAELE SCALE IS IN MILLIONS OF OOLLfifiS perhaps some of the more useful graphic appli- cations for the small business. Geometric data entry and exit allow the user to draw structural, mechanical and architectural designs. These applications frequently require the use of higher resolution displays and, conse- quently, more sophisticated graphics systems. There are, however, some applications in this category that can be adapted to the standard CRT or TV (color, if required). An example might be in the generation of maps. Three-dimensional geometry and geometic design probably represent the most challenging , segment of computer graphics. Not only does an object have to be represented in 3-D, but it usually will have to be rotated to allow observation of different views of an object. This is required in applications that display structures, such as a bridge; curved surfaces; or even small mechanical parts. Usually applications in this category will require a complete graphics system to support the high-speed display requirements. Monitoring and control graphics can improve the display of data recording and the subsequent analysis. This could be useful in medical applica- tions where a patient monitoring system provides its output to a graphic display. Other applications in this category include those that are providing real time information about the performance of a manufacturing operation, chemical process, or a distribution system such as in power control systems for energy management. Mixed graphics is the type frequently used to represent textual material in addition to pictures. News broadcasts using the teletext magazine format are good examples of this. The graphics enhance the readability of the material and high- light certain information. This same technique can be used to prepare technical documentation, especially for the generation of material to be used in group discussions. Graphic art and even color animation can be created on many of the small business computers. The use of animation often demonstrates pro- cessing operations, product assembly steps and information routing. Another frequent use of color graphics and animation involves the playing of computer games. The use of computers in the support of design and manufacturing, frequently referred to as CAD/CAM, has been proliferating in the past few years to produce more capability at lower cost than ever before. The problem in supporting such applications with the standard terminal is the lack of resolution. High performance graphics systems are used in these applications because they offer superior resolution, thereby providing sharper images. A particularly noticeable problem area is in the drawing of diagonal or curved lines. The use of graphic displays in aircraft simu- lators has improved pilot performance and reduced the cost required for| learning to fly private, commercial and military aircraft. The same techniques can be applied to the training of operators on less sophisticated equipment in the office or manufacturing environment. In order to UNITS Photos provided by Apple Computer Photos provided by Image Resource 138 r LONG AND SHORT TERM TREND LINES 25 1 -Tf I- — use the graphics capability in these interactive applications, the type of operator input becomes very important. The most common human input to the computer is the keyboard. While many of the graphics applications require no more than the conventional keyboard input, interactive graphics will generally require something more convenient for moving lines or dots around on the screen. This is particularly true when the normal human response to a situation would involve more than just typing the character. The movement of a joystick gives more feel to the system. Similarly, the use of light pens, touch panels and tablet digitizers can simplify the interaction with the computer. In order to accommodate all types of require- ments, graphics terminals and software routines come in various styles and packages. The true graphics terminal will typically have a much higher resolution than that found with the most popular CRT monitors used with small computer systems. In particular, the standard TV used with some systems can provide no better resolution than the one in 525 scan lines used by the TV broadcast industry in the U.S.A. The major problem, however, is the limited bandwidth of conventional TVs — not just the number of raster lines. And worse, those computer systems with a built-in CRT typically allow a resolution of 1 in 240 to 275 unless high resolution graphics are made available. Some of the less powerful systems even limit the graphics capability to block characters, such as you might implement with reverse or inverse video. The use of eye-catching color in graphic displays provides an additional attraction and extends the human awareness. Although black and white can effectively be used, color can enhance particular conditions or features of an application. For instance, a computer may be monitoring a particular production flow and some out-of- tolerance condition is detected, such as volume too low due to a damaged machine. The condition can be identified with various colors to highlight the condition to the operator. The same holds true in the simple graphic representations of static events, such as a sales chart or territorial map. As better resolution is required, it may be necessary to invest in a more sophisticated terminal that can produce more detailed pictures. In particular, if drawings are going to be generated by means of the computer, the type of drawing will dictate the quality of the terminal. For computer aided design (CAD), the requirement to generate lines and line drawings will require a higher resolution terminal and perhaps even a complete graphics system. Entire graphics systems are sold to support these high performance CAD applications, but costs range from $25,000 to over $100,000. The more capability you need, the more you can expect to pay. One encouraging note is that prices will be reduced in the next few years, as faster and more powerful microprocessors become available. Graphics peripherals The following discussion introduces some available graphics terminals and related products. wm Photo provided by Aydin Controls, a division of Aydin Corp. The intention is to offer low cost solutions to graphics purchase options. While a number of full capability graphics systems are available, we are primarily concerned with terminals, and have attempted to address the less than $10,000 segment of this industry. Ayden Controls, Fort Washington, PA, produces a variety of color display terminals and display generators that can be attached to virtually any computer system. An RS-232 interface provides convenient communication protocols to any host computer and even offers a local display mode with text and picture editing capabilities. The model 5217 display generator ($2,500 to $5,000) offers a raster scan display with a resolution of 560 by 336, with up to 16 color choices or eight foreground and eight background colors. The display generator supports the use of any RGB monitor, and offers a character format of 48 lines by 80 characters. Operator input can be provided through a keyboard with special function keys or through an optional light pen. The 5217CT is available in a system configuration as a color display terminal ($5,600 to $15,000). It can be used as a stand alone desktop graphics computer, a stand alone terminal, a graphics add-on, or a complete modular graphics system. The software supported includes CP/M with program languages of Basic, Fortran and Pascal. Optional floppy disks of both SVi and 8-in. can be added to the system. A 13 or 19-in. color monitor can be provided with the terminal, which also supports the RS-170 video format. Barco, available from Electro, Santa Clara, CA, is a family of color display monitors from Belguim, ranging from 14 in. to 26 in. One model, CD33(HR)-A (at $1 ,990), provides a high resolution screen with 520 lines interlaced or non-interlaced. Another model, the CM33B (at $2,475), is a 14-in. monitor provided in a compact light-weight case. These displays would provide the perfect companion to any system requiring high resolution color monitors, especially where portable applications are anticipated. Chromatics, Tucker, GA, offers a broad range of high resolution color graphic computer systems. The CG series desktop version ($5,995 and up) includes interfaces for both RS-232 and parallel applications. Local processing capabilities are provided with a built- in Z-80 microprocessor and a CRT operating system, supporting both Basic and Pascal, may be added. All systems feature a high quality non-interlaced refresh technique that produces brilliant flicker-free screen images. Screen sizes are available in 13, 15 and 19-in. with a 51 2 by 51 2 dot resolution. Optional lower priced standard resolution displays are available. The type- writer-style keyboard features 1 28 keys, including eight programmable function keys in order to program the most often used key-stroke sequences. Besides the input functions provided through the keyboard, an optional digitizer pad or light pen is available for operator input. An optional RS-170 video input is also available to provide interface to video instruments and cameras. A hard copy interface can also be included to provide direct output to a number of color graphic printers and plotters. Chromatics also offers a more complete color graphic computer system, the CGC-7900. This 6800-based computer ($1 4,995 and up) is a complete color graphics work station. The 19-in. CRT provides 1,024 by 768 viewable dot resolution, and up to 256 locations of 24 bits each provide over 16 million possible combinations of color. Colorgraphic Communications, Atlanta, GA, offers the MVI-7 color graphics CRT terminal, using a Z-80 for local processing capability. RS-232, RS-422, current loop and an auxiliary port are provided for communication with any computer. The basic MVI-7 ($3,500) features a 720 by 288 graphic resolution, two pages of screen memory, and both vertical and horizontal scroll on a high resolution 13-in. display. Split screen capability and four independently addressable screens are standard. Up to 1 ,280 programmable symbols can be defined under software control. Input can be provided through the 87-key keyboard, including 24 programmable function keys, or an optional light pen. Color resolution provides seven foreground and seven background colors. The unit can be programmed to emulate six different terminals (VT 1 00, VT 52, IBM 31 01 , Hazeltine 1 500, Lear Siegler ADM-3 and ADDS) so that immediate hookup in existing configurations can be easily accomplished. The system is available in a desktop configuration or for rack mount installation. Columbia Data Products, Columbia, MD, produces the model 964/2 Commander computer ($4,995), providing a unique stand alone graphic display micro- computer system. Based on dual Z-80s with 96K of user RAM, this stand-alone terminal can be configured to operate in a complete modular graphics system using one of the four RS-232 ports. Two 5%-in. floppy drives provide a CP/M operating system with Basic, Pascal and Plot-10 software languages. Dot resolution is 51 2 by 256 on a 9-in. integral monitor. A built-in RS-1 70 composite video output channel is also provided. The 400K bytes of storage can be expanded with external drives. Operator input is provided through the integral keyboard (which includes several function keys), through an optional data tablet, or camera digitizer. Datamedia, Pennsauken, NJ, has been providing a broad line of general purpose CRT terminals for more than ten years, and more recently has been producing a family of black and white graphics terminals. Earlier this year, the company entered the color graphics market with the introduction of the ColorScan 10 ($3,195). The unit is a complete color graphics terminal with a dot resolution of 240 by 720, or color resolution of eight foreground and eight background colors on a 1 2-in. display. For character output, the unit supports both 80 and 132-column formats, and is compatible with the VT 100 and VT 52 series of terminals. The unit also provides split screen and regional scrolling and double high or double wide characters. Bi-directional smooth scroll and line scroll are also provided. A standard graphics character set, available in the terminal, provides an effective way for graphic repre- sentation of bar charts, histograms and other frequently used business charts. ColorScan 10 provides an RS-232 interface and a detachable typewriter-style keyboard with separate numeric keypad. While this unit is compatible with the VT 1 00, thereby reducing any programming costs for applications where this DEC product is used, a Color- Scan 10 can be used in a number of other applications where business graphics are required. Digital Graphics Systems, Palo Alto, CA, produces a family of multiboard S-100 frame buffers allowing an S-100-based system to be expanded to support both graphic generation and video imaging functions. The CAT 100 ($1,975) supports a Z-80 or 8080-based system. The CP/M operating system and any of a number of high level languages can be used to communicate with the CAT units. The CAT 100 has an image memory size of 32K bytes and a high resolution format of 484 by 51 2 pixels. Both low and medium resolution functions are available to provide up to 1 6 colors per pixel. The color option for the CAT 1 00 ($1 50) supports up to 1 6 colors in the low resolution 242 by 256 pixel mode. While no monitors are included, the units support either high definition monochrome or RGB color monitors. The video display conforms to the NTSC standard RS-170A. Options include composite color video output and a photographic trigger input, allowing synchronization of a display frame with the shutter of a photographic camera. Input can be provided through a video input port from either live or recorded video signals. A light pen input is available for connection to the CAT. Other inputs that can be provided through the host processor for control of the video images could include joystick, cursor control, digitizing tablet or touch sensitive devices. For higher resolution applications, the CAT family can be provided with up to 256 bytes, thereby providing a very sophisticated graphic imaging system. Form and Substance, Westlake Village, CA, offers the IM-1 graphics terminal ($3,000), featuring a 15-in. green phosphor screen. Although the system can be Continued on page 138 FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 69 System of the Month: IBM Personal Computer by Tom Fox The bombshell was dropped in New York City at 10:30 A.M., August 12, 1980. International Business Machines (IBM, Boca Raton, FL) announced its entry into the personal computing market. Many people were delighted by the news; a lot more were dismayed. The fledgling microcomputer industry, pretty much left to its own devices for nearly five years, was too successful for its own good. IBM, the giant of giants, had finally taken notice, organized its behemothian resources, and declared its entry into the fray. Is the announcement bad news for the competition? You bet, if the new IBM computer is a good one. Is it good news for the prospective computer purchaser? Again, the answer is yes — if the new Personal Computer proves itself worthy on its own merits. Even mighty IBM has made marketing mistakes in the past. Product entries that didn’t measure up were quietly retired after only a short exposure to the waiting world of savvy, no-nonsense purchasers. It could happen again. So it comes down to this: Aside from the trumpet blasts of the introduction itself, apart from the media attention and competitors’ tremblings; is the IBM Personal Computer itself a good product? During our recent excursion to the Delrey Beach, FL office to evaluate the system, we found it to be an intelligently conceived, soundly executed and thoroughly supported small computer. Its flaws are not insignificant, but they’re correctable, given time and the continued devotion of an enthusiastic manufacturer. If you’re shopping for a computer in this general performance range, it’s worth the effort to go out of your way to inspect it. It’s definitely a good enough machine to give the micro industry a run for its money. The team was formed in August, 1979. A tight cadre of self-admitted personal computer nuts, the staff was housed in a forgotten building near Boca Raton, FL. Security was tight even by IBM standards, and the isolated assemblage of engineers, programmers and marketing specialists was left alone to father the Personal Computer. Synergy was the watchword during that event-filled year. The team hammered at ideas, conceived and rejected design approaches, argued over grand schemes and miniscule details. They went outside, too. Teams roamed the land to interview computer users, computer store proprietors and, we suspect, other computer manufacturers. Parts vendors were consulted, and plans laid to use the best of what the coming years’ technologies promise. By all the evidence, the development budget was enormous. The amount may never be published, but it was clearly in the mega-range for such a micro-computer. By the standards of anyone else in this business, the money available was almost unlimited. Some of the ideas that came out of this melting pot of talent are very un IBM-like in the extreme. The one that excites us is Boca Raton’s “open system” concept, wherein the computer’s internal design is exposed to the world— friends and competition alike. Every pertinent detail of hardware construction and software design is not only available, but published in a clear, free and Be Your Own Systems House Pick and choose from the following list to build the optimum IBM Personal Computer system: Start with these... System Unit, 1 6K & Keyboard $1 ,265 System Unit, Single Disk, 48K & Keyboard . . 2,235 ...and fill with... Game Control Adapter $ 55 1 6K Add-on Memory 90 Parallel Printer Adapter 150 Asynchronous Communications Adapter ... 150 Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter 300 32K Memory Expansion Option 325 IBM Monochrone Display and Parallel Printer Adapter 335 64K Memory Expansion Option 540 2nd Diskette Drive 570 ...and add these... Printer Stand $ 55 Printer Cable 55 IBM Monochrome Display 345 IBM 80 CPS Matrix Printer 755 Don’t forget... Adventure $ 30 DOS with Advanced Basic 40 Asynchronous Communications Support ... 40 EasyWriter 175 VisiCalc 200 Pascal Compiler 300 Accounts Payable 595 Accounts Receivable 595 General Ledger 595 Two Ultimate Options The cheapest system. . . System Unit, 1 6K & Keyboard $1 ,265 Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter 300 Adventure (why not?) 30 Total $1,595 (plus TV, RF modulator & cassette) A full-house business system... System Unit, Single Disk, 48K & Keyboard . . $2,235 IBM 80 CPS Matrix Printer 755 2nd Diskette Drive 570 64K Memory Expansion Option 540 IBM Monochrome Display 345 IBM Monochrome Display and Parallel Printer Adapter 335 Asynchronous Communications Adapter ... 150 16K Add-on Memory 90 Printer Cable 55 Printer Stand 55 Total hardware $5,130 Accounts Payable 595 Accounts Receivable 595 General Ledger 595 Pascal Compiler 300 VisiCalc 200 EasyWriter 175 DOS with Advanced Basic 40 Asynchronous Communications Support ... 40 Total software $2,540 System total $7,670 72 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 People will get rich on this one , but the ultimate benefactor will be the computer user unambiguous style. The idea is to encourage other manufacturers to make things like displays and disk drives, general ledgers and games, and anything else that would be a useful adjunct to the system. It can only result in increased sales for IBM, we were told in sincere tones. Have you seen these thoughts before? If you’ve followed the Editor’s Notebook page of this magazine, you most certainly have. It’s a point of view we’ve been encouraging for a long time. And now it’s endorsed by none other than the premier computer manufacturer of the world. Take the Technical Reference Manual, for example. Fat with design data of all sorts about the system, it includes an interfacing guide to the IBM bus (see figure 1), complete parts breakdowns, clear schematic diagrams of all circuits, and an 80-page listing of the source code for the first 8K bytes of the operating system software. A wealth of information is here; a fitting design manual to make your own computer. It’s available for $36 at any ComputerLand store. An important industry is already building in response to this invitation to prospective accessory manufacturers and software houses. People will get rich on this one, but the ultimate benefactor will be the computer user. But all of this is nothing but an academic exercise if the machine is a poor processor, or even a mediocre one. Let’s look at the bits and bolts, and see how the system measures up. Spurning a current trend towards enclosing whole microcomputers in single, monolithic enclosures, the system adheres to a more scattered philosophy of architecture. Although not quite as extreme in this respect as the Apple II (at least the diskette drives are integrated), a fully-equipped Personal Computer can easily become the center of a tangled mess of wires on your workspace. A minimum system equipped for business use requires four pieces: the main computer, its keyboard, a display terminal and a printer. To this, one could add a cassette tape drive, second display, RF modulator, light pen, game paddles and communi- cations modem. Although IBM’s approach is perhaps not as elegant as some, it does have the advantage of allowing a great deal of flexibility in configuring the system, and of expanding it in the future with new hardware offerings. The main computing block is called the system unit. It’s a flat, rectangular structure measuring 20 in. wide by 16 in. deep. It stands only 5Vz in. tall, and forms a FEBRUARY 1982 perfect base for a video screen or small TV set. The weight is 21 pounds for the bare-bones version— seven more with a pair of diskette drives installed. Internals of the system unit are tightly packaged. Most of the metal base is blanketed by the main system board. This card is a combination single-board computer and mother board to accept additional plug-in cards— again, a lot like the Apple II concept. The system board contains the central processing unit (CPU), 40K bytes of read-only memory (ROM) and from 16 to 64K bytes of random-access memory (RAM). It also contains the necessary electronics to drive a tiny speaker and an external audio cassette tape drive. The microprocessor device is the 8088, designed by Intel. The 8088 is derived from the 16-bit 8086, which is at least a generation more advanced than the 8-bit chips to be found in most of today’s microcomputers. The 8088 is an interesting hybrid. While it retains all of the 8086’s internal 16-bit computing capabilities, it communicates with external devices (most notably the ROM and RAM memory) via an 8-bit communications bus. It’s more than an 8-bit microprocessor; less than a 16-bit one. Perhaps our rigid definitions of CPU sizing are in need of updating. The speed given for the 8088 is 4 MHz for memory accesses; 2.44 MHz for complete CPU cycles. It’s the former (higher) number that is usually quoted when comparing CPU speeds. This computer’s main circuit card also contains 16K bytes of soldered-in RAM, and plug-in connectors for an additional 64K bytes. The memory is expanded by inserting individual plug-in integrated circuit chips, a task many users will leave to their dealers. We anticipate that most owners will fill these spots up to the maximum in short order. RAM is cheap these days and getting cheaper; there’s little sense in putting up with the inconvenience caused by a RAM-poor computer. At least 32K bytes of RAM must be fit if the unit has a floppy diskette drive. The memory on this system, incidentally, includes a parity error detection capability. In its normal configur- ation, the processor will stop immediately (with appro- priate diagnostic message) if a memory read error is detected. The idea is that it’s better to halt a procedure than to continue with suspect data. Sharing the space with the system board in the system unit are the optional minifloppy diskette drives, Continued on page 142 INTERFACE AGE 73 Howard Ganz: PoriraH ol a Computer ArHsi Imagine a huge wheel spinning incredible images onto floppy disks. At the turn of a switch, ideas, shapes and forms are released in a stream of magnificently programmed images. Each stream that pours forth is different— yet similar. Each expresses how the artist feels; each is a creative entity. No two are exactly alike. In fact, duplicates are unlikely. Sound like a visionary thought? Futuristic? Like dipping a symbolic paintbrush into a computer chip, and finding a new kind of art? A new approach to computer graphics? Howard Ganz has made that vision a reality. Today. In the present. With far reaching potential for the future. Ganz is one of a handful of people with a background deeply rooted in art who has totally committed himself philosophically and practically to applications of the computer as an expressive art form. Ganz creates organic, natural forms as opposed to geometric shapes that we are accustomed to seeing. In so doing, he is charting —programming is a better word— a medium as new to the 80s as oil paints were in the early Renaissance. Perhaps Ganz’s accomplishment could be more readily envisioned if you conjure an image of him as a modern Renaissance man. In addressing himself to the computer with the background of an artist, rather than a scientist or engineer, he has emulated 1 5th and 1 6th century Italian Renaissance artists. Those artists were the theorists whose visions led scientists to explore and evolve epochal discoveries. Lest you consider this literary hyperbole, imagine all the areas that Ganz has had to deal with: art, science, philosophy, psychology, theory and practicality— combined with patience and frustration. His unique theories are already raising new questions and logging new directions for both the scientific and art communities to deal with. The first showing of Ganz’s recent work at California’s Southwestern College Art Gallery in September 1981 set a precedent for this new medium to be exhibited as a fine art. Most often, images produced by a computer have been termed “graphics.” What is the difference? For the purpose of this discussion, let’s consider that graphics refers to a process where an original is created and many exact Text and photos by Dona Z. Mellach reproductions are made, as in any printing procedure. An artist or designer will create a single design, then duplicate it. Art denotes an original result with each image; no two are exactly alike, nor is the same image duplicated. Ganz is a painter, sculptor, printmaker, art historian and art teacher at MiraCosta College, Oceanside, CA. With so many art disciplines at his fingertips, he brings a highly individualized set of experiences to the computer. Trained as an artist in pre-computer days, he had absolutely no background in computer technology, programming or math. Once aware of what computers offered, he said, “I knew what I wanted to do from the beginning. I wanted to find a way to deal with organic form in nature and use the computer to control the process rather than the final result.” He reasoned that if he could control the process, he could produce variations rather than duplicates. With the proper orientation, the computer could be a potent vehicle for controlling the process. But how? How could the computer, a scientifically controlled mechanical marvel, be utilized to create something organic— changing so that it emulated nature’s altering forms? In nature, a particular flower or tree is always recognizable, yet each one differs; no two are exactly alike. Could the computer capture that same quality? Could the computer be used as a tool to follow processes like those of nature — not to imitate it, but to emulate its methods to result in organic imagery? Ganz began to investigate the possibilities three and a half years ago, working rather clumsily through what was then available. The problem with the programs on the market was that they saved only the finished product and put that back on the screen in a quick scanning motion. They dealt almost solely with geometric images and their translation. Says Ganz, “First of all, I wanted to make shapes that were irregular and organic-looking rather than geometric. I needed programs that would produce irregular curves and random textures. I wanted to be able to have the computer deal with randomness similar to what one finds in nature, with natural variations resulting. After much experimentation, investigation, hundreds of false starts, and thousands of screen-peering hours, Ganz developed a program called Artist-Designer utilizing an Apple II computer interfaced with a color television. It saves the user’s performance and runs all stages back on the program. It is like watching a step- by-step drawing process: it automatically saves all the procedures. Ganz’s initial programs were written in Basic. He also learned 6502 assembly language, but today he works mainly with Pascal. All were self-taught. The current forms use resources developed in his initial program, but the new programs are expert systems with their own intelligence. He says, “I used a mathematical splining routine so that I could set points anywhere on the screen and join them with curved lines to make shapes. I set points around a hub at various distances from the center and various degrees of a circle (polar coordinates). After that, the program joins them with a line, at the same time filling in all the spaces and creating a shape.” There is also a shading program that is similar to (but more sophisticated than) an Etch-A-Sketch. You can define a target pattern as large as the whole screen or as small as one pixel if you like. Using paddles, you can select and output a series of dots with the colors available in your system. There are actually five different drawing routines using the paddles almost as you would use a paintbrush: shading with dots, shaping, curved line drawing, a line stitching and a blocking in. In Ganz’s latest programs, the ability to produce variations is based on writing procedures that allow for random selections by the computer. He explains: “Instead of writing a procedure that tells the computer to output 50 dots every time, I have it output, let’s say, somewhere between 40 and 60 dots. In all cases, I aim for a random factor. I can always define sets of form to be as broad or constrained as I wish. A random choice from such a set has defined bounds and probabilities. It’s the computer that makes the final decision in each application. Each application is different, although the total form has the same look.” As an artist, how does Ganz feel about not having total control? “Actually, that's part of the excitement,” he says. “You don t have to control everything; nature doesn’t. So you control the important factors and then you allow the random base to pick up that difference. Everything is slightly different.” How does this affect the special qualities? For his purpose, it's perfect. His main interest is in two- dimensional space. He is not concerned with linear perspective that suggests three dimensions. He is not aiming for an architectural perspective or a three- dimensional image. While the forms are conceived and defined in two-dimensional space, it is exhilarating to observe that the more complex results have a great feeling of space and a dynamic motion. Organic vs inorganic forms It is easier to understand why with the artist’s articulate explanation. "Organic form is anything produced in a natural realm, such as bones, plants, sea forms. Such objects have randomness as their base. Compare this with inorganic form, which is manmade and mechanical and has as its base a coordinate or counting system of regular numbers. When inorganic form moves to its base, it is a grid or checkerboard rather than the random cluster of an organic base. “The problem of building organic form involves structuring art at levels of random description. In science, randomness is a lack of order. In art, random patterns seem recognizable, so it is possible to deal with them as a type of order. I might begin with a series of dots and group them closely together for a nucleus or a cluster. I can place the individual dots randomly, while the group of dots can be selected within a pre- dicted location and defined density. The result is an ordered nucleus, yet a randomly placed concentration of individual dots.” All forms in Ganz’s latest programs are also defined using a set of descriptors; these enable him to tell the computer the type of forms he wants in the design. As his system evolved, he realized that he wanted to be able to have the computer produce, on command, a variety of types of characters. Each character type could evoke particular feelings. Now he can write programs that, to some extent, will produce predictable emotional responses. An entire shape system is produced, based on shape clusters that change and alter from positive, solid shapes with warm colors to negative, open shapes with cooler colors. Some are very static and regular with hardly any ripples; others are defined as dynamic and irregular. They also range from simple to complex. Each descriptor can be defined on a scale of 1 1 steps. By combining the descriptors, the artist can achieve some of the 1 ,331 possible variations. Through these choices, the computer will produce images that “...The highest degree of creativity in computer art... is in the programming and software. 99 are a creative, expressive art form based on selectivity and randomness. No two pieces are identical. All are similar of their type— but with variations. For printing his images, Ganz has interfaced his Apple II with a Trilog Color Plot 1 00 printer, one of the few color impact printers on the market. It works from a three-colored ribbon consisting of red, yellow and blue. There are 100 dots per in. horizontally and vertically. It is completely programmable, so he can mix the dots to make any color he wants. The system is not without its problems, emphasizes Ganz. But once you work them through, it is feasible. The Apple II does not work with the same colors as the printer. Ultimately, you have to do a color separation and mix the color from the printer’s primaries. To produce the large prints that measure 38-in. by 28-in., it was necessary to overcome other technical problems. The Apple resolution was not adequate for his current work. So Ganz evolved a system using nine screens and combining them in a 3 by 3 matrix. The printer then outputs three strips. Says Ganz, “Actually, I created files on disk storage for each screen so there are nine screens stored on a disk, though only one appears on the screen at a time. Then I wrote a system that scrolls between the screens. Another program checks to see if the drawing being produced is going to draw off the screen, so that when the drawing begins to exceed the boundaries, the drawing stops. Then the screen scrolls and gets the next increment of drawings. It draws until it goes off the screen again, then calls out another increment of drawings and continues.” Time-consuming process The drawing process itself is lengthy and tedious; some of the larger works require up to 12 hours to design and store. Then it takes one hour and 20 minutes to print these nine screen drawings. Of course, this work is controlled by the computer without user supervision. Another problem is the intensity of color; it tends to lessen as the ink is discharged from the ribbon, and fades. Ribbons are costly, so printing with a re-inking system would be ideal. He is also looking forward to the development of more permanent inks. He has investigated printers that operate with ink jets instead of a ribbon. So far, there is still trouble with those he has seen, because the paper does not accept the ink uniformly and the color dots have a tendency to bleed into the paper. Working through his processors — defining, experi- menting, redefining— has enabled Ganz to capture several exciting theories about the use of the computer and our environment. For example, he says: “I’m concerned with our production systems. Why must we have standardized objects all the time? Take chairs, for instance. We’ve become so adept at duplication since the industrial revolution, we’ve become accustomed to it. Have we created a delusion that things have to be identical? Before the industrial revolution, chairs had variations for size, material. Everything in nature has variation. How much more interesting and natural our lives could be if the objects of our environment were produced with variations.” Ganz’s theory about production systems evolved as he worked through his own processes. He says, “At one time, I thought a design had to be absolutely perfect, exactly what I had planned. I was afraid I would make a mistake. I was uptight. Then I decided that sometimes happy accidents were better than those I planned. So I relaxed and said, ‘Well, let’s see how it’s going to work.' When I compared my attitude to nature, I looked around at plants that adapted when all the ‘perfect’ factors were not present... such as poor soil, inadequate light. Yet the plant grew. Adapted. Was identifiable. That is the idea I worked with.” Effects on artistic expression Does the computer limit creativity? Or expand it? “At present,” believes Ganz, “the highest degree of creativity in computer art, as I see it, is in the programming and software. The artist should become involved with writing programs that will express his feelings and ideas. The few artists who are involved now usually write programs that create forms and shapes similar to those they explore in their own paintings. My computer-produced forms are not that different from my paintings because I addressed my problems to creating that kind of form. Certainly my designs, in their infinite variations, should not cover the world. There should be as many designs and variations as there are people making them with their own unique variants.” What does Howard Ganz hope to produce next? “I’d like to see computers interfaced to automated factories to produce chairs, tables, wallpapers, textiles, prints and things like that with individualized variations. We would have to go through a period of consumer re- education because we’ve become so accustomed to wanting what we see in a catalog, on a showroom floor, or in our neighbor’s house. But that’s far in the future.” Until then? “In the meantime,” replies Ganz without a moment’s hesitation, “I want to make my programs more intelligent and achieve more interaction between program and screen. I would like to make screen searches and let the program see what’s on the screen before it makes the next step. It’s a complicated procedure, for which I need more sophisticated equip- ment. But I’ll get there.” There’s no doubt about that. Most likely, Howard Ganz will have an entire retinue following him. □ 76 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 PL/I-80™: Not for beginners* Company: Address: Why S Microcomputer Consultants Co Chose / PL/I- 80 ™* ar For JA Business Applications f A Case History / By m Paul Fransou Franson/Brough Associates DJGiTfk RESEARCH' For internal savings, product capabilities, code speed and upward compatibility — How PL/I-80 meets these criteria is making software news. MC is a successful company selling business applications to first time users. MC switched from a popular but less efficient language. MC benefits from these PL/I-80 (ANSI Subset G) features. • Fast design with picture specifications for output. • Easy data retrieval with BT-80™ file manager. • Improved performance with LINK-80™ loading of disk resident overlays. • Small fast programs with optimized object code and no interpreter. Specific examples of PL/I-80’s speed, memory conservation, error checking, and control in the business environment are cited. In a candid interview, Mr. Charles Russell, MC s president, discusses his professional programming needs. 5fc Mr. Russell distinguishes , “ PL/I-80 isn't a panacea. It's a programmer's language, ideal for the experienced programmer. Just as PASCAL and BASIC are good for beginners." Worldwide market exposure of your products and company through your listing in our CP/M® Compatible Software Catalog; news affecting your business in a free subscription to ISV FORUM; plus comprehensive seminars comprise our ISV Support Plan for those who write applications under CP/M. Yours free. See why MC switched. Then compare your language. Limited quantity. Respond now and receive a bonus book, PL/I-80 Command Summary, a quick reference to 343 PL/I-80 commands and error messages. I’d like to analyze PL/I-80 features. Send your Brochure & Bonus Book to: Name: PL/I-80 COMMAND SUMMARY m raia REScrtKH Title:. DiGJTFIJ- RESEARCH? P.O. Box 579A, Pacific Grove, CA 93950 CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research. Inc. PL/I-80. BT-80 and LINK-80 are trademarks of Digital Research. Inc. c 1981. Digital Research. Inc. 10 FEBRUARY 19Q2 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 23 INTERFACE AGE 77 DRAFTING YOUR OFFICE FLOOR PLAN by David D. Busch Computer-aided drafting will someday replace manual drawing for all but the simplest design chores. Innovative companies, such as Boeing Aerospace in Seattle, WA, already have the capability of going from an engineer’s idea to templates and tooling without committing a single line to paper. Such sophisticated tools are becoming available to the small business person equipped with a microcomputer. Although some business-oriented systems do not have the high resolution graphics capability and the number-crunching power of the dedicated graphics terminals, they still offer some valuable capabilities. As an example, here is Floorplan, a tool that can be used to lay out some simple office floor plans, using a TRS-80 model I and a printer with graphics capability. It allows drawing and subdividing an office area about 30 feet square, and putting in items of furniture such as desks, tables, file cabinets and chairs at the press of a button. The program serves not only as a demonstration of what more powerful graphics terminals can do, but also what can be accomplished using a relatively low resolution system. Unlike the Apple II and other hi-res microcomputers, the TRS-80 can deal with graphics blocks, or picture elements (pixels) in a matrix only 127 by 47. Less than 6,000 pixels are available for TRS-80 graphics in normal mode. By clever use of alphanumeric characters, or the special graphics characters provided to users of model III Basic, designs that appear to be more detailed can be constructed. However, Floorplan provides some useful features using only the standard 127 by 47 matrix. How is computer design of this sort faster or more efficient than traditional methods? Floor plans can be juggled by using a gridded sheet and cutouts repre 1 ' senting furniture. However, it is time-consuming to transfer the finished plan to paper for permanent storage. When the design is drawn by computer, the user simply directs the output to a printer capable of producing graphics characters, and has a hard copy available for permanent reference. Floor plans can also be drawn on paper for long-term storage. However, it is less easy to shuffle items around and rearrange the layout. Tedious erasures must be done to make even the simplest change. Macro command utilized This program borrows from its more powerful counterparts by the implementation of the so-called macro command. CAD/CAM manufacturers call these by different names: quick actions, menu commands, and so forth. They allow the user to draw an often- repeated element simply by hitting one or two keys. In this program, a complete desk may be drawn by entering a character that represents that item of furniture. The appropriate graphics symbol is drawn in proper scale automatically. To use the program, the designer first draws the outlines of the room. The arrow keys of the model I are used to direct the placement of lines. Any shape room may be drawn, and walls are put in the appropriate places if you are subdividing a larger space. As the cursor moves across the screen, drawing a wall, a readout constantly indicates how many feet have been paced off so far. Because of the limitations inherent in using fixed-sized pixels (which draw a digital rather than analog wall), a given increment may not correspond exactly to the dimensions of the room you are drawing. An approximation will have to be settled on. For example, a room that measures 20 ft., 2 in. along one wall may have to be drawn as 20.00 feet, because the horizontal lines are incremented in half-foot steps. Vertical lines are slightly more complex, because the TRS-80 pixels are taller than they are wide. A drawing approximating a square room will require more pixels horizontally than vertically. To maintain approximately the proper scale, an odd increment had to be used within the program. Again, the user should stop drawing a line when the wall is close to that desired. Scale is simplified To keep the program simple, a single scale was chosen, allowing drawing a room that is about 30 feet square. If you wish to work on a larger area, or subdivide an entire floor, it would be advisable to work by sections, or room by room. The true scale, visually, will vary with the size of your monitor, and in hard copy according to the number of columns per inch from your printer. It is doubtful whether the accuracy of this program is sufficient to make determining true scale worthwhile, in any case. Using the footage readout as a guideline, the user draws the desired room, and then hits ENTER to indicate that he or she is finished. Graphics symbols representing various pieces of furniture then appear at the bottom of the screen, and a cross-hair cursor is positioned within the drawing. The designer can then move the cursor around, using the arrow keys, until the approximate position desired for a piece of furniture is located. The item is drawn simply by hitting the appropriate key— D for desk, C for chair, T for table. As single letter commands, these are all drawn horizontally, in relation to the screen. By hitting a control key (the @ sign) prior to striking a furniture key, the desk or table will be drawn vertically. File cabinets and chairs are approximately square and appear the same horizontally or vertically. To erase a graphics character, position the cursor at the right or left of the item and hit R (for rubout). If part of an object is erased by mistake, finish the job and redraw it. In this manner, objects may be drawn, erased, and redrawn in new locations until the design is finished. Newdos 80 users, and others with a screen printing utility, can have a hard copy of their finished designs just by hitting JKL or whichever command is appropriate for their DOS— assuming they have a printer with graphics capabilities. Floorplan is a limited-capability program that does demonstrate the capabilities of even a low resolution system like that available for the TRS-80. Users can FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 79 ECLECu ki JL V J kfll IJL W J kl Authorized Commodore service center Repair of the complete line of Commodore products In a huny? Check our modular exchange program Computer Printer commodore HARDWARE: CBM 8032 Computer, 80 Column $ 1 095 SOFTWARE: ozz $299 CBM 8050 Disk Drive 1340 Wordcraft 80 299 CBM 4032 Computer, 40 Column 995 Tax Preparation System 380 CBM 4040 Disk Drive 995 IRMA 380 CBM 4022 Printer 649 Dow Jones Portfolio CBM VIC 20 Computer 263 Management System 115 CBM VS 1 00 Cassette 68 Personal Tax 55 PET to IEEE Cable 33 Rascal 229 IEEE to IEEE Cable 39 Assembler Development Package 77 BASF Diskette, Box of 1 0 30 Wordpro 4+ 329 Order TOLL FREE 1+800-527-3135 10 AM to 4 PM CDT Monday through Friday Texas residents call 1 +2 1 4-66 1-1370 VISA, MASTER CHARGE, MONEY ORDERS, AND C.O.D. “Certified Check" accepted. Units in stock shipped within 24 hours, F.O.B. Dallas, Texas. All equipment shipped with manufacturer's warranty. Residents of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma must add applicable taxes. Eclectic shortly will be announcing products that are designed to work with CBM systems. 1 . ROMIO: two RS232 ports— three parallel ports— 26K EPROM memory-managed alternate character set, software controlled— EDOS (extended DOS). 2. Terminal program (options with ROMIO) 4. Front-end processor 3. EPROM programmer 5. Additional firmware to be announced Be sure to write the address below for more information; dealer inquiries welcome. P.O. Box 1166* 16260 Midway Road • Addison, Texas 75001 . (214) 661-1370 80 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 77 FEBRUARY 1982 modify it to suit their needs— adding other items of furniture, changing scale and so forth. As an aid to modification, let’s review how the program works. The first step is to draw the room. An INKEY$ strobing loop of the keyboard (line 250) looks for input until a key is hit. If ENTER is input (CHR$(13),), indicating that the design is finished, control goes to the furniture placement routine, which begins at line 600. Otherwise, the program drops down to check for one of the arrow keys (CHR$(8), CHR$(9), CHR$(10) and CHR$(91) in the model I). If an arrow has been entered, the program checks variable FLAG to see if the user is asking to reverse direction (not allowed in this program). If so, the input is rejected, and control goes back to the INKEYS loop. If FLAG is an allowable value, the variables repre- senting movement along the X or Y axis (as appropriate) are incremented to produce the desired change. That is, the computer will SET(X,Y), with the value of X or Y changing, depending on the arrow key depressed. If the right arrow key has been hit, X will be incremented by one. If the left arrow is struck, X will be decremented by one. Upward movement causes Y to be decreased by 64 (the number of pixels in one complete line), while down causes Y to be increased by 64. Error checks refuse input that would cause the cursor to travel beyond the boundaries of the screen. Next, variable T, which measures how many scale feet have been drawn by a given line, is changed. If the current input character equals the last one input (FLAG), then the program knows that the cursor is proceeding in the same direction, and T is incremented by one. If the current character does not equal FLAG (the direction has changed), T is returned to zero to begin counting in the new direction. FLAG is then changed to indicate the new direction, and a factor (F) altered. For each pixel horizontally, the cursor is judged to have moved one-half foot, so F is given a value of 2. For vertical movement, F is assigned a value of .85 to account for the larger steps. At line 600, the furniture placement routine begins. Another INKEY$ loop looks for input, allowing arrow keys to position the cursor, alpha characters that indicate an item to be drawn, or the control character @. The new position of the cursor is POKEd directly into video memory — but only if the location already contains a space— 32. If an arrow key is depressed that would send the cursor into an area already occupied by a wall or furniture item, the input is refused (as in line 690). When the @ is entered (at line 640), the vertical flag (VFLAG) is set to one until the next character is input. When keys are depressed indicating that a piece of furniture is to be drawn, the appropriate graphics subroutine is triggered (as in lines 900-920). VFLAG is always returned to zero, to await the next inputting of the @. Adding new graphics blocks is as simple as defining them to approximate scale, inserting an appropriate key to represent input for that item, and devising a routine modeled on the others to write it to the screen. Changing the scale of the drawing can be accom- plished by altering the value of F as changed by hori- zontal and vertical movement of the cursor. □ Program on page 150 SOFTWARE mmm SUPPLIES - DISCOUNT PRICES SuperCalc $ TM ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Accountants, planners, engineers, and business owners have found SuperCalc Invaluable for day-to- day “what if' questions, as well as “now what?” for those times when the unexpected occurs. All it takes Is a second to enter the new figure in the appropriate col- umn, and SuperCalc automatical- ly calculates the rest of the spreadsheet. Another feature that makes SuperCalc special is the error message display. Down in the lower right corner of your screen you'll see a message that lets you know where the error occurred. So you can immediately correct It and proceed with your analysis. You can produce a report from your spreadsheet simply by ac- tivating the output command se- quence. SuperCalc's editing capabilities are more powerful than other packages. Pencils, paper, and a calculator have been replaced. SuperCalc and your CP/M computer are now the tools of the successful deci- sion maker SuperCalc is the trademark of Sorcim Corporation. • T-MAKER •MICROPLAN •WORDSTAR •TARGET TO ORDER, CALL NOW *229 *399 *299 *149 Prompt Delivery. LARGEST SELECTION OF l CP/M’ SOFTWARE\ IN U.S.A. CP/M r is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. SOFTWARE - HARDWARE - SUPPLIES - DISCOUNT PRICES CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 67 CORPORATION OF AMERICA 10 MAZZEO DRIVE, RANDOLPH, MA 02368 ( 617 ) 963-7220 • Complete desktop computer • $3,999. — in stock • 240 x 640 bit-mapped graphics • Business graphics software • Z80A based • 64 K ram • 2 quad drives • CP/M® compatible • runs all Northstar Horizon® software • Selectric® style keyboard by Keytronics • P31 green phosphor screen • Northstar business application software available • Hard disk and floating point math board available Aurora Data Corporation • Box 401 1 • Arlington, VA 22204-001 1 (703) 522-6692 The North Star Logo, ADVANTAGE, HORIZON AND NORTHWORD are trademarks or registered trademarks of North Star Computers, Inc. ACCPAC is a trademark of Basic Software Group. CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research. Selectric is a registered trademark of IBM. FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 5 INTERFACE AGE 81 SOFTWARE by Rocky Smolin S. Tracy Rodgers is a closet programmer. By day, he is an investment executive for the La Jolla, CA branch of Shearson/American Express. Behind his desk in a private office of this staid but fashionably-appointed brokerage firm, gray-haired Tracy Rodgers is pure Brooks Brothers. He manages accounts for a variety of clients, whose portfolios range from fast-paced com- modities futures to blue chips, bonds and money market funds. But there is something unexpected behind this pin-stripe exterior. After the market closes, you can follow him past the chattering news-service machines to the back of the office, where a clerk sits keying the day’s price changes into a DEC 310. And here is where Tracy Rodgers, system designer and programmer, comes out of the closet. Tracy is the creator of the DECSTR Superbroker system (DEC for Digital Equipment Corp., Maynard, MD; STR— his initials). DECSTR (pronounced dexter) can keep track of the daily price movements of over 1 ,200 commodities, options, bonds and stocks. The system can also track the portfolios of over 580 different customers, updating a maximum of about 3,800 different positions on a daily basis. It gives Tracy comprehensive reports on his customers’ positions, profits, losses, portfolio performance and cash balances. He can get audit trails of journal entries and recording issues along with receipts of cash, dividends, interest and the like. DECSTR will even show him everyone in the data base who has a position in a given security. Pride of authorship is apparent as Tracy explains the history of DECSTR. “The first version was completed in 1961. We ran it on an IBM 1410 initially, at the General Atomic plant in Torrey Pines. It was written in Fortran and everything was done on punched cards. The company was real happy to have someone to sell some of its excess time to, and my customers were tickled to death to have this kind of service provided by their broker. “By 1975, however, G.A. had gotten busier and dis- continued service to outsiders. I tried for a year to get along without computerized portfolio management, but it was very frustrating. Once you become accustomed to the convenience, accuracy, and timeliness of auto- mated information, it becomes very difficult to live without it. Besides, I felt it gave me a definite edge over the other brokers.” So in 1976, Tracy bought the DEC 310, with two 8-in. disk drives and printer, and tried to recruit help to assist in the conversion. After two programmers had started, then abandoned the project, Tracy set out to teach himself DIBOL (he already knew Fortran from the G.A. experience) and commenced what turned out to be a two-year program development effort. “I had to practically rewrite everything that had been done to that point,” he related. “I wanted the system to be easy enough for a clerk to operate, and the outputs to be comprehensible to any securities person, regardless of his computer background.” Standing before the machine, Tracy warms to his subject. “Every broker or investment manager who deals in commodities, options, stocks or bonds, will understand and appreciate having his bookkeeping done in this manner. Easy entries through the keyboard cover customer purchases, sales, cash receipts, cash 82 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 payouts, dividends, etc. The system provides statements of customer accounts. Equities, margin requirements, details of positions held, profits or losses overall and by position, year-end reports for income tax preparation, listings by customer or position — all updated to the current market, are readily available. There are already a few DECSTRs in use. The first one was delivered to Hunter and Associates of Newport Beach, CA, who bill themselves as “Futures Commission Merchants.” The second one was delivered to Schwartz and Hofflich of Norwalk, CT. Yet another machine can be found at Pasquinelli and Co., investment counselors of Monterey, CA. I pressed Tracy for some better idea of who would use such a system. “Originally, I thought that brokers like myself would be wild for it. But most of them are in sales, if you know what I mean. They spend the bulk of their time watching individual issues, reading the house research reports, and talking to their customers. They leave the accounting to someone else. Where I actually get more interest is from portfolio managers, bank trust departments, and the like. They really appreciate the clarity of the reports, as well as the auditability of all the transactions that pass through the system.” “However, with the increase in the storage capacities and multi-user capabilities of the small DEC computers, particularly with the advent of hard disks for micros, DECSTR becomes a real useful tool for brokerage offices with five to ten brokers. Add on a word processing package and a financial planning tool like VisiCalc, and you’ve got a real competitive edge.” A look at the reports produced by DECSTR demon- strate the system’s capabilities. Figures 1 and 2 show listings of commodity and stock masters respectively. The system can also support multiple offices as well as multiple brokers within each office. The detail of a client’s current position can be extracted any time. These reports can be displayed on the screen as well as printed. “Sometimes, a broker will become very involved in one issue, recommending it to his clients, and buying it for discretionary accounts (those that the broker manages for a client),” adds Rodgers. “Knowing how deeply he is committed to this issue, on whose behalf, and what the current status of these positions is, can be a headache and a source of worry to a broker.” Thus, he created open position reports. This format also satisfies the requirements of government reporting for commodity accounts. The audit trail produced from the journal entries program is an important source of information to the customer as well as an invaluable backup for the broker. The closed position reports are favorites of his clients. Not only do they show the profit or loss on each trade, but the trades are divided between long and short-term, making it an ideal document to submit to an accountant at tax time. This by no means exhausts the copious reporting capabilities of DECSTR. And there may be more on the way. “I’m in the process of upgrading the system to double density, floppy capacity, and I have some great ideas for additional reports. The new hardware is called the DECMATE work processor (model WS278). With two drives and a 1 80-cps printer, it costs about $6,800. Add my software, which is $4,000, plus a few accessories, and the whole investment comes in under $12,000. FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 83 ..... MASTER LISTING STOCKS/OPTIONS EX TICKER PREY PR NEW PR CHANGE PR DIV NEW DIV CHANGE AA AA 20*125 ♦ 000 AMERADA NEBS AHC 00*000 1*000 AMERICAN AIRLINES AMR 45*000 2*000 AMERICAN BROADCAST ABC 45*000 NO POS 1*000 AMERICAN MACHINE AMM 50*000 1*000 AMERICAN TELEPHONE T 64*000 5.000 ARIZONA POWER AZP 20*000 8*000 ATLANTIC ARX 65*000 NO POS 5 . 000 " CALL MAY 50 CO ARCEJ 95*000 ATLANTIC RICHFIELD ARC 100*000 5.000 " CALL JAN 110 CO ARCAB 1*500 NO POS n CALL JAN 100 CO ARCAT 5*000 - CALL APR 110 CO ARCDB 2*500 NO POS " CALL APR 100 CO ARCDT 2*000 BANAMEX A BANMEX 168*000 .10*000 BANKING CHARGES BANK IN *000 ♦ 000 BANOMEX RST 145*000 NO POS 13.240 BB BB 9*500 ♦ 000 BEL..C0 PETROLEUM BPC 70.000 ♦ 000 BOEING BA 40*000 1.000 - CALL JAN 45 CO BAA I 5*000 " CALL JAN 40 CO BAAH 5.000 - CALL JAN 35 CO BAAG 5*000 BOOKKEEPING SERVIC BKP *000 ♦ 000 BUTTES GAS % OIL BGO 25*000 ♦ 000 CCC CCC 15*875 ♦ 000 CHRYSLER CORP C 4.000 ♦ 000 COLUMBIA GAS COL 80.000 5*000 D J CANTRAL ASSOC DJC 50.000 1 ♦ 000 DD DD 61*500 ♦ 000 DIGITAL EQUIPMENT DEC 55.000 NO POS ♦ 000 EASTMAN KODAK EK 81*000 2*125 - CALL APR 60 CH EKDL 6*000 " PUT JAN 65 CH EKMM 7*000 EE EE 73*000 ♦ 000 FABREGE FBG 7*500 ♦ 700 GARDENING SERVICE GARDEN *000 ♦ 000 GENERAL MOTORS GM 50*000 NO POS 5*000 GENERAL SIGNAL GSX 50*000 2*000 HASH SAME AS CMB GO 50*000 1.000 HASH SAME AS GO CMB 50*000 1 ♦ 000 HASH SAME AS MOB SWX 45*000 1 ♦ 000 HASH SAME AS SWX MOB 85*000 1*000 INT BUS MACHINE IBM 66*625 3*500 NATIONAL SEMI COND NSM 45*000 .000 PENOLES A PENOLS 1600*000 15*000 POGO PRODUCING COM PPP 182*000 2 ♦ 000 RALSTON PURINA PAL 50*000 3 * 000 STD OIL CALIF SD 110.000 5.000 Figure 2. Stock master listing What’s in the future for Tracy Rodgers? “I’d like to write an interface program to access the closing stock prices via modem,” he asserts. “Then I could eliminate the manual input of the daily closing prices of all the issues in the master file. I’m also thinking of converting it to Fortran or Cobol to make it available to a wider variety of computers.” How does he like being a software designer and programmer? “I’m a broker,” he claims. “I have been for over 20 years and it’s really my living, my career, and the fulfillment of my life’s work.” Somehow, as I closed the door of the Shearson office behind me and looked back to see Tracy happily keying away at DECSTR’s well-worn keyboard, I didn’t believe it. □ 84 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 TS-GRAPH: ERSOFT’S STATISTICAL •LAY PACKAGE -graph performs statistical analyses ;er data and displays ttte results in ic form. lie formats include: e Graph ar Graph matter Graph stical Analyses include: ean DATA-VIEW: THE EXECUTIVE ORGANIZER Data-view is an easy-to-use, free formatted system for organizing informa- tion. It can be used as $n electronic filing cabinet, an automated date book, or a computerized listing device. Inser- tion and retrieval of information is both simple and quick. Data may be retrieved by file, string, or key word, and any type of information can be stored. Scratchpad: $200.0* Stats-graph: $200.0* Data-view: $200.0* Total Package: $500.0' Manuals only: $ 15.0 1 Software available for virtually all CP/M systems. Specify your system. SuperSoft Stats-graph is an easy-to-run, user- interactive program that presents valuable and often complex information in a concise and easily understood form. Stats-graph performs statistical analyses on user data and displays the results in graphic form. inancial ATCHPAD: SUPERSOFT’S ^TRONIC WORKSHEET 'atchPad is a user-interactive data Hing program suitable for financial ling or any general purpose model- Vhether you are an executive, a ireher, or planning the family et; you will find Scratchpad an jable tool in giving you the numeric lations you need for sound decision ig- ratchPad provides for labels and sponding numeric data entries >-referenced by row ancj column, entries are then defined as depen- variables in a user-created algebraic ula. You can now quickly see how ges in one or more variables affects hers. Planning... from Scratchpad includes the following • Multiple screen splitting which allows two or more sections of the worksheet to be viewed simultaneously. • Both immediate and deferred calcula- tion modes allowing calculations to be either made as data is entered or de- ferred until later. • Flexibility in entry and editing func- tions so that data can be entered or changed easily. • Column widths are variable. • Portions of the worksheet not curren 1 ly being viewed can be quickly brought to the screen for either single or split screen viewing. • Any portion of the worksheet can be printed as hardcopy at the user’s discretion. edian inimum and Maximum values tandard Deviation egression Analysis U K and Europe DIGITAL DEVICES 134 LONDON ROAD SOUTHBOROUGH KENT TUNBRIDGE WELLS TN4 OPL ENGLAND Telex 9558? Tel Tunbridge Wells (0892) 37977)9 Japan ASR CORPORATION INTERNATIONAL 1-2-8 SHIBA DAIMON TOKYO 105 JAPAN Tel (03)-437-3901 Telex 242-3296 Available from fine dealers everywhere, or directly from: SUPERSOFT, INC. P.O. BOX 1628 CHAMPAIGN, IL 61820 217-359-2112 Telex: 270365 Technical Hot Line: 217-359-2691 First in Software Technology When using diskettes to store valuable data that is frequently updated, it is a good practice to periodically make a copy of the data on another diskette. This will provide protection against loss of the data if the original diskette is damaged or becomes unreadable. After copying the data from the original version, a diskette that contains a copy of the data should then be used for updating information. This will rotate the use of the diskettes so that none receives substantially more wear than the others. If this is not done, the original diskette — the one subject to the most use— will probably fail long before the others. When this happens, the diskette will have to be replaced and the data restored; but it will be uncertain if the other diskettes will need replacement— and how much longer they can safely be used. There are two choices: 1) continue using the other diskettes until they fail (requiring that the data on them be restored); or 2) discard the other diskettes, though they may have a lot of useful life left. In the early days of computing, use of magnetic tapes for storing computer data was common. A magnetic tape, like a diskette, is subject to failure after long use. A system was devised to ascertain how much longer a magnetic tape could be used and to provide protection for the data stored on the tape. This system, which requires three magnetic tapes, is based on copying the data periodically from one tape to another and using the last tape copied as the main input/output tape for updating the data. By doing this, the wear is spread evenly among all three tapes. When the tapes near the end of their rated life or exhibit failures from excessive use, the data is then copied to new tapes and the old tapes are discarded. This system is called the grand- father system. Because of the similarity between diskettes and computer magnetic tapes, the grandfather system can be used for spreading the wear over three diskettes while protecting data on them. The system is based on using three tapes or, in this case, diskettes. When the data is put on the first diskette, this diskette is used as the input/output diskette for updating the data. When it is determined that a copy of this initial diskette is desired, it is copied to the second diskette. This diskette will contain exactly the same data as the initial diskette (i.e., it is as current as the initial diskette). This estab- lishes a two generation father-son relationship between the two diskettes. The original is the father diskette and the new one becomes the son diskette. The son is now used as the input/output diskette for updating the data, and the father is safely stored somewhere in case something happens to the son. This son will now receive approximately as much wear as the father has received. Now, if something were to happen to the son (for example: coffee spilled on it, touching the surface with a finger, or read and write errors developing), the data can be restored from the father. This data is the same as the data on the son when it was created. While it will require some work to update the contents of the father so that it is identical to the unusable son, it will be far less work than reconstructing all the data on the son. When it is determined that a copy of the son is to be made, the son is copied to the third diskette. This 86 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 ROTATING DISKETTES by Frank B. Rowlett, Jr. establishes a three generation grandfather-father-son relationship among the three diskettes. The third diskette is the new son, the old son now becomes the father, and the old father now becomes the grandfather (hence the name grandfather system). Now both the father and grandfather are stored in the event that something happens to the son. The grandfather is a backup to the father. If something happens to both the son and father, the grandfather can be used to reconstruct the data. Again, while it will require more work to update the data on the grandfather so that it is identical to the data on the unusable son, it is less work than reconstructing all the data on the son. Thereafter, when a copy of the son is made, it is copied to the grandfather. Thus a cycle is established where the old grandfather becomes the son, the old son becomes the father, and the old father becomes the grandfather. The diskettes should now receive approximately the same amount of wear since each spends approximately the same amount of time as the input/output diskette for updating the data. When it is determined that the diskettes are near the end of their rated life or when one exhibits failures from excessive use, all three can be copied to new diskettes and the old ones discarded. One thing must be done carefully — and without fail — with this system: the diskettes must be accurately labeled. It is not necessary to label the diskettes as son, father and grandfather; it is only necessary to label them with the date (and time, if copies are made more than once a day). Thus the diskette with the oldest date is always the grandfather, the next oldest date is the father and the diskette with the youngest date is the son. If it is felt necessary to make two copies of the son diskette, do not make them on the father and grand- father. Use two sons, two fathers, and two grandfathers, and alternate the use of each generation to evenly distribute the wear on all diskettes. Keeping three generations of diskettes protects against having errors in the data introduced by some form of system failure, which might not be detected immediately, and spread immediately to all three diskettes. The result could be, depending on how the computer programs delete and add information to the data file, loss of one or more pieces of information in the file with no easy way to recover it. Four or more diskettes can be used in this type of system (although more than three diskettes would not be, strictly speaking, a grandfather system). The procedure is the same— the newest diskette is always copied to the oldest one. Using two diskettes does not provide sufficient protection in the event that both become unusable at the same time. It is desirable to keep both the father and grandfather in a location other than where the son is stored. The reason for this is that something might happen that damages all three diskettes simultaneously (for example: fire or water damage, or improper handling). If the father and grandfather are stored elsewhere, they will still be available to reconstruct the data.D FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 87 AN INTRODUCTION TO MRP (Materials Requirements Planning) Part II by Rocky Smolin Last month’s article introduced the MRP (Materials Requirements Planning) concept, explained its purpose and presented the initial steps in implementing an MRP program. This month ’s concluding installment demon- strates the method for processing a work order and offers a discussion on the pros and cons of the MRP method. Given the build schedule in figure 1 , MRP can deter- mine what components or purchased parts are required when the work order is to be sent to the floor. The assemblage of parts required for a work order is known as a kit. Figure 2 shows the gross requirements for components, given the build schedule in figure 1 . From these demands for components, we must subtract the supply factors of the on-hand quantities and the future deliveries that can be found in the open purchase order file. Figure 3 shows a hypothetical delivery schedule for the open P.O.s. Take the gross requirements from figure 2 and subtract the on-hand quantities (figure 4) and the on-order quantities. What remains is the number of each part that falls short of meeting the build schedule within each time period (figure 5). Here again, the negative numbers indicate excess inventory; positive numbers indicate a need to order more. Item A starts out with an on-hand quantity of 50. An additional 20 will be delivered in period 1 , but 20 will be kitted for a work order of 20 doo-dads, leaving 50 in raw materials inventory. In period 2, 20 will be delivered, but 40 will be needed in kits, leaving a balance of 30. MRP has revealed poor materials planning. Item H has a continuous balance of 55 (a waste of working capital). Items B and D are not only short, but given 88 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 Widgets Tine period 12 3 4 5 6 0 20 20 20 Doo-dads 20 40 Figure 1. Build schedule for widgets and doo-dads Tine period 1 2 3 4 5 6 A 20 40 El 20 0 40 0 C 40 80 D ( f or doo-dads ) 180 360 D (for widgets) 0 60 60 60 D ( total ) 180 420 60 60 H 20 20 20 I 40 40 40 Figure 2. Gross component requirements their lead times of one period, this shortage cannot be overcome in time to complete the kits for period 1 . If MRP goes on to set back the raw materials requirements by their lead times, we will have to buy requirements for the widgets and doo-dads. Items that are overdue for ordering will be shown in negative time periods (figure 6). Items B and D will not be present in sufficient quantities to fill the kits in period 1 . The need to order an additional 80 and 100 units respectively was overlooked in the last period, resulting in shortages that will cause idle labor time and perhaps lay-offs (if material shortages are severe enough). Production bottlenecks, when the parts finally do arrive, may mean overtime premiums, temporary help, manufacturing inefficiencies and low worker morale. Too many small and medium sized manufacturing concerns operate in a crisis/rush/expedite mode that they consider normal. The complexities of forecasting, forward materials procurement, shop floor loading and capacity planning in a manual mode overwhelm the expertise and resources of management. Seat-of- pants becomes the rule— and its concomitant: high personnel turnover. Although implementing MRP is a long and arduous task, the system is its own reward. The success stories in the manufacturing world are beginning to outnumber the failures. Despite its obvious advantages, too often MRP fails to live up to expectation. The primary reasons are bad data in one or more of the support systems; lack of top management commitment; or lack of user training, education and understanding. Let’s assume the bills of material are incorrect. If items are missing, the initial parts explosion will not see the need for these parts in the required assemblies, and no buy orders will be generated for them— resulting in permanent shortages and manufacturing bottlenecks. The same thing happens if the parts are present, but the quantities per assembly are incorrect. If the routings don’t reflect the way a part is actually built, the time needed to complete a work order will be over- or understated. If the open purchase order file contains old purchase orders for parts that will never be delivered but, due to everyday pressures, have not been deleted, this will reduce the quantities MRP tells you to buy. The programs don’t know that these are bad P.O.s. It just looks at them as another supply factor and reduces the quantity to buy. One of the toughest systems to keep honest is the work-in-process. Yet, if the WIP files show parts that are not really there, MRP will tell you to build less than you really need. Conversely, if you have jobs on the floor that have not been recorded in the WIP files, MRP will tell you to open more work orders, resulting in excess inventory. Politics can enter into the process as well. Marketing tends to adjust forecasts to please top management. Where they are not responsible for the level of goods in finished inventory, they will tend to order more than required to provide a higher level of customer service. FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 89 Underestimating sales means disrupting the orderly manufacturing process when greater than anticipated orders are booked. What this all means is that each area or department in the manufacturing process responsible for one or more of the data files in the support systems that MRP uses for its calculations has an opportunity to make or break the system. An unusually high degree of cooperation is therefore required on the part of all participants. Further, it implies the presence of good manual systems that establish the disciplines required to maintain the integrity of the data base. Lack of top management commitment is a factor that is sometimes difficult to pinpoint; it shows up mostly in matters of priority. To implement MRP may require, for example, an extensive reworking of the product struc- tures and bills of material, and rechecking them for accuracy. Even though management has asked for MRP to be implemented, requests for additional personnel required to do this kind of groundwork may be turned down. People assigned to these tasks will be interrupted for other work. At the end of the quarter, orderly, disciplined systems will be abandoned to meet shipment goals. Movement of goods into and out of inventory (mid-night requisitions) will not be recorded, and the paperwork trail left behind will be keyed in late, if at all. At that point, the data base no longer reflects reality and the outputs of MRP are meaningless. It takes a very high level of awareness and commitment on management’s part to defer shipments in favor of maintaining data integrity, but this is exactly what must be done. Too often, the cost of implementing MRP is presented to top management in terms of the additional hardware and software to be purchased, and perhaps the MIS department’s additional personnel requirement. The A Delivery schedule frcm open p * o . f i 1 e Tine period 1 2 3 4 5 6 A 20 20 20 20 20 20 B 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 100 C 5 0 50 50 50 5 0 50 D 50 0 0 0 0 0 S 10 20 20 20 20 20 i 20 20 20 20 0 0 Figure 3. Delivery schedule from open P.O. file A I t CM Q u a n t, i t y o n ™ h a n d A 50 B 20 C 1 0 0 D 30 H 45 I 30 Figure 4. On-hand quantities Ti Me period .1. 2 3 4 5 6 A -50 -30 B 80 30 0 c: ~ 1 1. 0 -8 0 D 1 0 0 420 60 60 H ” 5 5 -55 -55 -55 I -50. -20 0 20 4 A Figure 5. Number of each part short 90 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 I ten Tine period 4 ~2 -1 1 2 3 4 B 80 30 0 D 100 420 60 60 I 20 Figure 6. Negative time periods investment is much greater than this. It requires additional effort in every area of the company, meaning dollars, time and people. Seldom are these ramifications spelled out. Those in favor of MRP naturally tend to minimize its cost and impact. Those responsible for support systems hate to admit that their data needs extensive correction. The more surprises sprung on management as the MRP drama unfolds, the less enthusiastic the managers are about doing it. It begins to look like a bottomless hole, which is exactly the opposite of the desired effect. The MRP process is complicated at best. To the users who provide the support for a successful imple- mentation, MRP usually appears as something that is done “to them” rather than “for them” or “by them.” Yet this does not need to be the case. At one site, seemingly endless resistance faded away as a series of seminars took place, outlining the fundamentals of MRP and how each person’s contribution helped main- tain the whole system. People began asking to be sent to these classes. The frustration in the MIS department at trying to force people into cooperating was replaced by demands from the users for more service and reports and a feeling on their part of “we’ll take it from here.” The following sample list of vendors have MRP packages for minicomputers, with at least 50 packages installed: Arista Manufacturing Systems, Winston- Salem, NC; ASK Computer Systems, Los Altos, CA; Computer Methods, Cupertino, CA; Interactive, Inc., San Diego, CA; Mandate Corp., Cleveland, OH; Manu- facturing Resources Management, Milwaukee, Wl; NCA Corp., Sunnyvale, CA; Software International, Andover, MA; Software Management Systems, Denver, CO; and Systems Management, Des Plaines, IL.D IMI/COKWL MAKES IT ACROSS! . . .PLUS ALL THE OLD, FAMILIAR FAVORITES that we continue to offer, such as. General Business— Client Accounting (CPA Write-up) FMS* (Financial Modeling System) NAD 7 (Name and Address System) The l!AV CO ItOI, language runs on more different Oper- ating Systems and more different-sized computers than any other similar language. For starters, it runs on NCR and TT minicomputers and, in the micro field, on the CP/M 2 , MP/M 2 , TRSDOS 3 . OASIS 4 , MOASIS 4 . and UNIX 5 (ONYX version) Operating Systems. ..to mention only a few. Until now, serious business software of the scope and flexibility seen in the minicomputer world has not been available on micros. II A\ COItlH, now allows transfer of such software with a minimum of fuss. We have participated in such a minl-to-micro transfer of a major set of general business software. . .using IMI < 01(01 as the transfer mechanism, of course. Running on literally thousands of minicomputers, these refined, enhanced, and proven software packages cover A/R, A/P, G/L, P/R, Order Entry (with Invoicing and Inventory Control ) as well as Sales Analysis. The packages define a new level of achievement for features and flexibility in micro applications software and offer top quality at a reasonable prioe. For immediate information, call 714-848-1922 for your complete product descriptions. Real Estate— REAP ( Real Estate Acquisition Programs ) PMS ( Property Management System ) MLS* (Multiple listing System) Health Care— APH® (Automated Patient History) Word Processing and System Software— Magic Wand 9 QSORT 7 f SO YOU'RE SERIOUS ABOUT [RUNNING A SKELETON CREW, p ' CBASIC2 1C y HE'S NEW TO THE SYSTEM. BUT HE CAN BONE UP ON T V and Cybernetics' unique TRS-80 3 , Model II CP/M offering high performance, hard disk support, and CP/M com- patibility. Trademarks of: 1 - Ryan McFarland Corp.; 2— Digital Research, Inc ; 3— Tandy Corp.; 4— Phase One Systems. Inc ; 5— Bell Telephone Laborator- ies. Inc., 6— American Business Systems. Inc.; 7— Structured Systems Group. Inc., 8— Cybernetics. Inc.; 9— Peachtree Software. Inc.: 10— Compiler Systems. Inc. 1C [V [B (IE (R |N E T I C S ;c. <7M)R4ftiQ9b 8041 NEWMAN AVE, SUITE 208 HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA 92647 FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 91 NUMBERS by Jim Tallman When using computers, we often encounter hexa- decimal numbers. Modern computers operate on binary numbers because they are implemented using electrical components that can be in only one of two possible states. This is called binary logic. These two states are sometimes represented as high and low, as ON or OFF, or as 1 and 0. Any two unambiguous terms would do. All of the computer’s internal decision-making and computation use this binary logic. If all decisions and numbers were limited to one of these two choices, understanding the computer’s internal representations would be easier. But it is not. These two binary states are expanded and used to represent a unique location in the address space of 65384 or one of a group of positive integers from 0 to 255. In fact, all internal floating point calculations are done using binary. To understand how this one simple choice between only two selections can be extended so usefully, let’s begin by analyzing the more familiar number system that we use every decimal. Under- standing the details of how decimal works will help in the explanation of hex. We will limit our discussion to positive integers to simplify the explanation. Decimal numbers are a series of digits utilizing the characters 0, 1, 2, ... 8 , 9. Each of the characters (numbers) has a unique value. But their position also reveals some information. We will examine in detail what this positional information is. In grammar school, we learned the concept of place value. We know that 4682 represents 4 thousands, 6 hundreds, 8 tens and 2 units. This can be shown more mathematically as: 4682 = 4 x 1000 + 6 x 100 + 8 x 10 + 2 x 1 92 INTERFACE AGE This raises the interesting question of why all the multipliers are growing by adding a 0 to each one. To help clarify this change, the mathematical representa- tion is shown: 4682 = 4 x 10*10*10 + 6 x 10*10 + 8 x 10 + 2 x 1 4682 = 4 x 10 3 + 6 x 10 2 + 8 x 10 1 + 2 x 10° It can be shown that 10° = 1 . In fact, anything raised to the 0 power is 1 . From the above representation of 4682, we can see that each multiplier is a power of 1 0, and as digits are added to the left, the multiplier is multiplied by 10 again. Said another way, the base (10) is raised to one more power. We call the number that is being raised the base. Therefore, the decimal number system is also called the base 10 system. Ten digits are needed in the base 10 system. To represent a quantity between zero (0) and nine (9) takes one position, the unity position, using 0...9. To represent a quantity less than the base, a single digit will do. But to represent the next higher quantity, we generate a carry (put a 1 in the next left position) and a 0 in the right position. In decimal, we call it ten. We likewise do this with all positions when we go beyond the representation capability of the digits in use. We call the period (.) to the right of the integer (sometimes implied and omitted) a decimal point. In general, it is called a radix point and in base 2, it would be properly called a binary point. When using different number systems, it is necessary to add an indication of what base is utilized. This is usually done with either a subscript or an added symbol. In the academic world and in textbooks, the FEBRUARY 1982 subscript is dominant, but assemblers do not provide for subscripts, so prefixes or suffixes dominate. An example would be 4682 @10, 4682D, or %4682. Enclosed Conversion Chart Digit 3 Digit 2 Digit 1 Digit 0 Hex Decimal Hex Decimal Hex Decimal Hex Decin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4,096 1 256 1 16 1 1 2 8,192 2 512 2 32 2 2 3 12,288 3 768 3 48 3 3 4 16,384 4 1,024 4 64 4 4 5 20,480 5 1,280 5 80 5 5 6 24,576 6 1,536 6 96 6 6 7 28,672 7 1,792 7 112 7 7 8 32,768 8 2,048 8 128 8 8 9 36,864 9 2,304 9 144 9 9 A 40,960 A 2,560 A 160 A 10 B 45,056 B 2,816 B 176 B 11 C 49,152 C 3,072 C 192 C 12 D 53,248 D 3,328 D 208 D 13 E 57,344 E 3,584 E 224 E 14 F 61,440 F 3,840 F 240 F 15 EOI ENCOUNTERED. Usually the number is assumed to be decimal if no prefix nor suffix is attached to indicate another base. Now apply this notation and these ideas to the computer’s number system, binary. The base is 2, so the number of digits needed is also two, 0 and 1 . Now examine the base 10 value of the number 1011 @2 (this is base 2). Utilizing the idea of bases and exponents raising the base to powers yields the mathe- matical representation: 1011 @2 = 1 x 2 3 + 0 x 2 2 + 1 x 2 1 + 1 x 2° = 1x8 + 0x4 +1x2 +1x1 = 8 + 0 + 2 + 1 = 1 1 10 We would be very confused without the subscripts because the equation would read 1101 = 11. To be clear, we must put 1 101 2 = 1 1 10 . This example shows that in binary, each position to the left doubles in multi- plier value analogously to the way that in decimal, each position to the left multiplies by 1 0 in multiplier value. In both cases, the base is raised to another power in each position to the left. As indicated earlier, computers deal exclusively in base 2. But this isn’t so easy for people to deal with. A third base, 16, somewhat bridges the gap for us humans. If we consider a group of four binary digits as a single hexadecimal digit, a carryout is needed when we exceeded 15 10 , 1 1 1 1 2 . Examine a four digit base 2 number, 1 1 1 2 . This is: = 1 x 2 3 + o x 2 2 + 1 x 2 1 + 1 x 2° = 8 +4 +2 +1 = 15 10 These four binary digits could be represented in a single digit if we invented a number system with 16 symbols per digit. This can be done with hexadecimal or base 1 6. This requires 1 6 characters for the values 0 to 15 that all occupy the units position. When it’s FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 93 required to represent the next higher value, 16 10 , a carry from the units digit is required so the two symbols 10 are used. But specifying the base gives 10 16 . Would you believe that 16 10 = 10 16 ? How about 1 0 2 = 2, 0 ? What those two equations say is that when you need to represent a number greater than can be done in the units digit, a carry to the next digit is needed. The 1 0 16 means a carry from the units digit or 1 greater than the units digit can represent. 1 0 always means 1 greater than the units digit can represent for all bases. The multiplier values for hexadecimal are: Digit 3 Digit 2 Digit 1 Digit 0 16 3 1 6 2 1 6 1 16° 4096 256 16 1 Comparing all three number systems the digits will be: Base 2 Base 1 6 Base 1 0 0000 0 0 0001 1 1 0010 2 2 0011 3 3 0100 4 4 0101 5 5 0110 6 6 0111 7 7 1000 8 8 1001 9 9 1010 A 10 1011 B 11 1100 C 12 1101 D 13 1110 E 14 1111 F 15 To represent 0000 to 1001 in base 16, the same symbols as decimal are used. But some new ones are needed for the binary patterns 1010 to 1111. To fill this need, the first five letters of the alphabet are borrowed. Any five symbols would do, but it would be nice to have some found in character generators, typewriters, printers and that people know how to draw. Using the above idea, evaluate what 4A23 ie means in base 10. 4 x 16 3 + A x 16 2 + 2 x 16' + 3 x 16° 4 x 4096 + 10 x 256 + 2 x 16 + 3 x1 16384 + 2560 + 32 + 3 18979 10 Conversion from one base to another can be done now that the place values are understood. Convert 753, 6 to base 10. 753, e = 7 x 16 2 + 5 x 16' + 3 x 16° = 7 x 256 + 5 x 16 + 3 x1 = 1792 + 80 +3 = 1875, 0 This is much easier than using the chart. Under- standing the reason for hexadecimal and the place value implied meaning will help in the conversions. Converting from base 16 to base 2 requires only converting the base 16 value for each digit to its binary equivalent. Converting base 2 to base 1 6 is also quite easy. Because 2 can be raised to 8 with an integer power, 3, it is sometimes used because the letters A-F are not needed, and only the digits 0-7 are used. Base 8 is called octal. Base 4 could also be used, but that is somewhat cumbersome for humans and nearly no improvement over base 2. Base 2 is what computers use best; base 1 0 is what humans are best with; base 1 6 allows a more compact representation of base 2 that is easier for people to work with. The root of our decimal system is the Arabic system, which was preceded by the Roman Numerals. These sufficed for counting, addition, and subtraction. When it came to multiplication, though, this system was inadequate. It was replaced by the Arabic system that is in use now. It has been suggested that base 10 is obsolete in this computer age, and just as we discarded Roman Numerals for the Arabic system, we should discard decimal for base 16. Just as we are making the gradual conversion to metric, someone has suggested aban- doning decimal. We could talk to computers easier, but who is the master and who is the slave? Couldn’t you just imagine learning multiplication tables all over again in base 16? Here is a test: What is A X F?D Fine Products Since 1977 eYCTEIrlC 5232 Manzanita Ave. Carmichael Ca 95608 (916) 338-5454 Price subject to change "Trademark of Digital Research 1/4 Megabyte RAM & 7.1 Megabit/Sec Disk Bank Select RAM 64k To 256k 4MHz or 6MHz with no wait states • Invisible refresh Size 4MHz 6MHz Uses or implements IEEE 696 S-100 extended address bus 64k $ 770 $ 795 Software selectable on any combination of 4k blocks 128k $1015 $1065 Multiple software selectable system masters 192k $1260 $1335 Includes MP/M* XIOS & solid state disk routines 256k $1495 $1595 14" Winchester Fixed Disk Controller Controls Shugart 4000 & 4100 series drives Up to 174 megabytes per controller card I/O mapped buffer - no wait states Includes MP/M * XIOS & CBIOS Assembled & tested $895 94 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 59 FEBRUARY 1982 AVAILABLE NOW ... SYSTEM 2800 FROM SYSTEMS GROUP FEATURES Model 2812/14/24 IEEE S-100 Bus Compatible Systems, Z80A Based Two 8-Inch Drives: Single or Double Sided, Double Density Floppy Disk Drives or 10MB Winchester Hard Disk Drive 20MB Winchester and Tape Backup 8-Slot Shielded and Terminated Motherboard System Software Selection includes CP/M*, MP/M* or OASIS* Single-User or Multi-User Systems, Expandable to 6 Users • Table Top or Rack Mountable • Two Switched AC Outlets on Rear Panel • One Year Warranty on Entire System 2812 CP/M, 2 Single Sided Floppies $3775.00 2814 CP/M, 2 Double Sided Floppies 4425.00 2819 CP/M, I 10 MB Winchester & 1 Double Sided Floppy 6675.00 2824 MP/M, 2 Double Sided Floppies.... 5235.00 2829 MP/M, 1 10 MB Winchester & 1 Doubled Sided Floppy.... 7500.00 Model 2819/29 S-100 PRODUCTS 6502 PRODUCTS 6502 DM QUALITY RAM FROM SYSTEMS GROUP • Z-80 4MHZ operation with no wait states • IEEE compatible timing - 200 NS 4116’s • Factory assembled, tested & burned in DMB6400 64 K (Bank Select, shown) $740.00 DM6400 64K 540.00 DM4800 48K 510.00 DM3200 32K 475.00 PAPER TIGER PRINTERS IDS 460G 9x9 Dot Matrix Printer $890.00 IDS 560G Wide Carriage Printer 1099.00 TERMINALS ADDS Viewpoint $569.00 TeleVideo9IO 579.00 Tele Video 91 2C 679.00 TelcVideo 920C 729.00 TcleVideo 950 929.00 8” DISK DRIVES Shugart 801 R $399.00 NEC FD1160 (double sided) 525.00 CONFIGURE A COMPLETE S-100 SYSTEM WITH 2nd GENERATION* PRODUCTS FROM SYSTEMS GROUP. • CPC 2810 (shown) Z-80A processor board (4MHZ) with 4 serial & 2 parallel ports $369.00 • CPC2813 - same as CPC2810 but 2 serial ports only $345.00 DYNAMIC RAMS 4116 (200ns) set of 8 $24.00 4164 ( 64 K x 1 ) $18.00 wabash 8” or 5 V 4 ” flexible diskettes certified 100% error free with manufacturer’s 5-year limited warranty on all 8” media. Soft-sectored in boxes of 10. 5 14” available in 10-sector. (Add $3.00 for plastic library cases) 8" single sided, single density $27.50 8” single sided, double density 35.50 8” double sided, double density 45.50 5‘/4" single sided, single density 27.50 5 , /<” single sided, double density 29.50 BETA 32K BYTE EXPANDABLE RAM FOR 6502 AND 6800 SYSTEMS AIM 65 KIM SYM PET S44-BUS • Plug compatible w'ith the AIM-65/SYM expan- sion connector by using a right angle connec- tor (supplied). • Memorv board edge connector plugs into the 6800 S44 bus. • Connects to PET using an adaptor cable. • Uses +5V only, supplied from the host com- puter. • Full documentation. Assembled and tested boards are guaranteed for one full year. Purchase price is fully refundable if board is returned undamaged within 14 days. Assembled w ith 32K RAM $349.00 & Tested with 16K RAM 329.00 Bare board, manual & 6 hard-to-get parts. 99.00 PET interface kit. Connects the 32K RAM board to a 4K or8K PET $ 69.00 AIM Professional Enclosure... $175. 00 • FDC2801/8 - 8” floppy disk controller board, up to 4 single/double sided drives, single or double density $349. 00 • I NO- 2804 - 4 channel serial I/O 329.00 • CRA-100 - Cromix* adaptor board.. 55.00 CALL US FOR OUR MOST CURRENT PRICES! •2nd Generation is a trademark of Measurement Systems and Controls, Inc. Cromix is a trademark of Cromemco, Inc. CP/M and MP/M are trademarks of Digital Research. OASIS is a trademark of Phase One Systems. TERMS: Minimum order $15.00. Minimum ship- ping and handling $3.00. Calif, residents add 6% sales tax. Cash, checks, Mastercard, Visa and pur- chase orders from qualified firms are accepted. (Please allow two weeks for personal checks to clear before shipment.) Product availability and pricing subject to change without notice. INTERNATIONAL ORDERS: Add 15% to pur- chase price for all orders. Minimum shipping charge is- $20.00. Orders with insufficient funds will he delayed. Excess funds will be returned with your order. All prices are U.S. only. COmPUTER DEVICES 1930 UKOUinS flVE. ORAflGE, CR 99666 (714)633-7980 FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 95 Following the success of its TRS-80 model I, Radio Shack, Fort Worth, TX, introduced the model III, ensuring the company’s position as the major contender for top sales in the desk top computer industry. With this success and the fact that the model I is now essentially obsolete, other companies are looking for ways to create a position for themselves in this high-volume market. Let’s review what Radio Shack offers, as well as enhancements by third-party manufacturers to support model I and model III owners. With well over a quarter-million systems in the field, there is significant interest from both manufacturers and software houses in providing the owners of these units with a little more than just the basic system. Naturally, Radio Shack is offering much of the add-on equipment and software that make the systems so useful; but there are a host of other companies doing the same. Let’s start with some of the more recent peripheral offerings from Radio Shack, confining the discussion to the models I and III. In order to support the expanding use of remote computing services like Arcnet and Videotex, Radio Shack has introduced a modem ($1 99) that is not only RS-232 compatible, but also is cleverly supported through the model I cassette port (but it requires some special cassette communication soft- ware). For graphic enthusiasts, there’s a new digitizer ($449) that interfaces to any RS-232 port and can assist with graphic document generation. Another graphic tool (also RS-232 compatible) is the company’s multipen plotter ($1 ,995) with supporting software package. For the energy-conscious, the Plug ’N Power controller ($40) enables the computer to control remote AC power modules (sold separately). Radio Shack is making an all-out effort to support the small business with a variety of economically-priced peripheral products. For some time, the company has offered an expansion interface for the model I, with or without memory. Add-on diskette drives have been avail- able for both the model I and model III; a wide selection of printers rounds out the peripheral product line. The popularity of this hardware has only been possible due to an assortment of supporting software packages. The users of these personal computers are provided with educational and tutorial programs, languages and utility packages, business and personal finance pro- grams, and games. New programs are being introduced continually and older programs are being upgraded with new features to better support business applications. Probably two of the most useful programs for the small business applications of the TRS-80 are VisiCalc (manufactured by Personal Software) and Scripsit, both directly available from Radio Shack. VisiCalc is considered by many to be the foremost management planning program, with most other similar products comparing their features to those of VisiCalc. Scripsit and its expanded edition, Super Scripsit, offer sophisti- cated word processing capabilities with convenient oper- ator commands that make them easy to learn and use. Dictionary has extra features The recently-announced Scripsit Dictionary provides the user with automatic proofreading for all document generation. With the data base management packages, Profile and Profile III Plus, the creation of various types of records and data files is made possible virtually without training. Profile even makes it easy to generate mailing lists that can be merged with a letter generated in Scripsit for a personalized look. There is an approach to the model I software support that increases its repertoire substantially. The only way that could happen is if it supported CP/M— which is exactly what’s been done. The challenge is to allow CP/M to operate in the TRS-80 hardware environment, even though the two are not compatible. There are several approaches to the problem, but the technique is essentially the same for all model I conversions: provide a piggyback adapter that plugs into an existing socket with the necessary hardware added to the piggyback board. But there are software changes as well. One subtle bottleneck is the 64-column display that is memory-mapped and not easily converted to 80 columns — so the easy way out is to change the CP/M drivers. 96 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 Two companies are offering the CP/M upgrade packages for the model I. Omikron Systems, Berkeley, CA, has been producing its Mapper I ($239) for almost two years (IA Nov 80). Over 2,000 units are installed, providing CP/M 2.2 operation on 514-in. disks. The company even produces an 8-in. disk upgrade called the Mapper II. In the works is a similar conversion for the model III called Mapper III. All versions add the ability to use CP/M software with extra enhancements by using the diskette provided with each adapter. The second CP/M enhancement comes from F.E.C. Ltd., Woburn, MA. The Freedom Option ($199) uses the piggyback approach and allows the use of CP/M software, as with the Omikron modification. F.E.C. also offers a more complete add-in that provides the CP/M capability along with 1 6K bytes of RAM (for a total of 64K) and a battery-backed clock ($490). The company claims everything is still fully TRS-80-functional, but can now operate with all of the CP/M software, too. There are also significant advances in the area of hardware support. Usually, memory capacity in a system is one of the parameters evaluated when looking at system capability and relative cost. The model I was originally available with 4K bytes of user memory, but most people opted for the 1 6K version, if not the full- capacity 48K. Bank-switching techniques can even expand its size to a full 64K. The additional memory can be very convenient when operating on large data files, since it will minimize time-consuming access to the external storage devices. Disk capacity is another very important consideration in choosing and operating a computer system. The minimum model III doesn’t even include a disk drive, but it does include the not-very-practical cassette interface. Small business applications require at least one, if not two, disk drives. So Radio Shack and several other manufacturers offer add-in disk drives for the model III and even add-on disk drives for both models. The model III can be purchased as a desktop business computer with two 5 14 -in. disk drives, allowing up to 350K (306K usable) bytes of disk capacity. With two additional external double-density, 40-track drives, a total of about 700K bytes is available to the system software. This approach requires a total of four disk drives (two are external), but new controllers are now available from other suppliers, which allow 80 tracks on each side of the diskette, giving a total capacity of 700K bytes on one diskette. Another peripheral that seems to be getting a lot of attention is the Winchester hard disk. As an add-on, the hard disk gives extended capacity of almost 5M bytes per drive but, due to the fact that it is not removable, it requires that data be backed up on floppy disks. The hard disk offers the model III owner a simple way of adding an enormous amount of storage, especially when compared to the 25 or so diskettes it replaces. The enhancements and add-ons have been made available to the TRS-80 user from a number of different manufacturers like VR Data, Folcroft, PA, and Micro- computer Technology, Inc. (MTI), Santa Ana, CA. VR Data installs Tandon disk drives using metal straps, which allow the company to comply with FCC regula- tions regarding EMI radiation. In addition to the built-in drives. Disk III add-on drives are offered for either the model I or model III. The custom disk controller will support up to four drives of either 40 or 80 tracks, single or double sided. With a full complement of drives and either LDOS or a modified TRSDOS, nearly 2.8M bytes of on-line storage are available. Like VR Data, MTI also provides an assortment of disk drives for either single or double density additions to the model III. In addition, MTI offers a 5M-byte Winchester ($2,799) as an external peripheral, with a similar product scheduled from VR Data. These disk add-ons make it cost-effective for the present TRS-80 owner to upgrade or expand his system to greater capacities than originally designed and also provide the higher performance dictated by his business growth. Besides the TRS-80 model III and its peripheral support, there have been other noteworthy approaches to the problem of providing a desktop computer for a small business. Probably one of the most efficient packaging methods in terms of storage capacity is offered by MTI. The FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 97 company has upgraded the model III with the Mod III Plus family, which not only condenses more computing power into the same chassis, but also makes available some of the extras that usually go unnoticed until it’s too late. While TRSDOS and other familiar operating systems will work with this family, MTI offers DOS Plus 3.3, which supports full-system disk capacity. Disk storage capacity is one area that MTI has specifically addressed. In addition to making one 80-track, two-sided diskette with 700K bytes of storage in the bottom disk slot, the company has utilized the physical space of the top disk drive for a 5M-byte Winchester disk in one unit. The Mod Ill/Winchester ($5,399) provides an extremely compact, full-capability desktop computer system. One of the most annoying problems with the TRS-80 model III involves the confinement of the 16-line by 64-character display field. The usual display for small business computers is 24 lines of 80 columns. The wider lines are more compatible with everyday typing tasks and simplify the generation of letters and other typewritten text. While a 64-column display can be effective in these applications, it is somewhat limiting. Regarding the 16-line display, it reduces the effective- ness of the operator if extra scrolling is required to review the previously-entered data. (However, one advantage of the limited format is in the larger charac- ters displayed, especially for those who have trouble reading small characters on the screen.) MTI has solved this problem by providing an upgrade board that allows the user selection of either the 16 by 64 or 24 by 80 formats. One of the challenges encountered in the design of this board was the memory-mapping of the display area— all the software was written for 64 columns. The 80-column upgrade ($849) for the model III is offered with a CP/M 2.2 diskette, but for those who can live with the 64-column display, a separate CP/M package ($599) is available for the model III. Another enhancement that can substantially improve the performance of the model III is an increase in computer speed. The speed of the clock utilized is TRS-80 Compatible Systems Company Radio Shack VR Data Corp. MTI LNW Research Personal Micro Computers Address One Tandy Ctr. Fort Worth TX 76102 777 Henderson Blvd. Folcroft PA 1 9032 3304 W. MacArthur Santa Ana CA 92704 2620 “A” Walnut Ave. Tustin CA 92680 475 Ellis St. Mountain View CA 94043 Model TRS-80 model III Model III Mod 111/280 Team PMC-81 Price $2,495 $1,882 $2,799 $2,995 $1,235 User RAM 48K 48K 48K 96K 48K Disk Drives 2 2 2 2 opt Disk Storage 306K 306K 1.4M 306K n/a Max. Floppy Capacity 656K 2.8M 2.8M 3.5M 656K Fan no no opt std no Clock Speeds 1.77 MHz std std 2.0 MHz std std std 4.0 MHz opt std 12” Video Monitor std std std std opt Screen Formats 16 x 64 std std std std std 16 x 32 std 24 x 80 opt std 24 x 40 std Color no no no yes no Hi Res Graphics no no no yes no Keyboard Keys 65 65 65 75 72 Interfaces RS-232 std opt opt std opt Cassette std std std std no Printer std std std std opt Operating Systems TRSDOS std std std DOS Plus std opt LDOS opt CP/M opt opt T8/OS opt n/a — not applicable std — standard with the listed price opt — available as an option from the same vendor 98 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 Single User System SBC-200, 64 K ExpandoRAM II, Versaf loppy II, CP /M 2.2 $995.00 4 MHz Z-80A CPU, 64K RAM, serial I/O port, parallel I/O port, double-density disk controller, CP/M 2.2 disk and manuals, system monitor, control and diagnostic software. -All boards are assembled and tested- CPU-30200A A & T with monitor . $299.95 ExpandoRAM II 16K to 64K expandable RAM board • S-l 00 bus compatible • Up to 4MHz operation • Expandable from 16K to 64K • Uses 16 x 1 4116 memory chips • Page mode operation allows up to 8 memory boards on the bus • Phantom output disable • Invisible on-board refresh The ExpandoRAM II is compatible with most S- 100 CPUs. When other SD System' series II boards are combined with the ExpandoRAM II, they create a microcomputer system with exceptional capabilities and features. . • Four buffered serial I/O ports • On-board Z- 80A processor • Four CTC channels • Independently programmable baud rates • Vectored interrupt capability • Up to 4K of on- board PROM • Up to 2K of on-board RAM • On- board firmware This is not just another four-port serial I/O board! The on-board processor and firmware provide sufficient intelligence to allow the MPC-4 to handle time consuming I/O tasks, rather than loading down your CPU. To increase overall efficiency, each serial channel has an 80 character input buffer and a 128 character output buffer. The on-board firmware can be modified to make the board SDLC or BISYNC compatible. In combination with SD's COSMOS operating system (which is included with the MPC-4), this board makes a perfect building block for a multi- user system. IOI-1504A A & T with COSMOS .. $495.00 MEM-16630A MEM-32631A MEM-48632A MEM-64633A 16K A&T $325.00* 32K A & T $345.00 ■ 48K A & T $365.00 1 64 K A & T $385. 00 1 COSMOS Multi-user operating system • Multi-user disk operating system • Allows up to h 8 users to run independent jobs concurrently • | Each user has a seperate file directory COMOS supports all the file structures of CP/M I 2.2, and is compatible at the applications program H level with CP/M 2.2, so that most programs ® written to run under CP/M 2.2 or SDOS will also I run under COSMOS. SFC-55009039F COSMOS on 8” disk $395.00 Bi Place Orders Toll Free Continental U.S. Inside California 800 - 421-5500 800 - 262-1710 For Technical Inquires or Customer Service call: 213-973-7707 Computer Products CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 78 4901 W. Rosecrans, Hawthorne. Ca 90250 TERMS of SALE: Cash, checks, credit cards, or Purchase Orders from qualified firms and institutions. Minimum Order $15.00. California residents add tax. Minimum shipping & handling charge $5.00. Pricing & availihility subject to change ExpandoRAM III RAM board Versafloppy II Double density controller with CP/M 2.2 • S-100 bus compatible • IBM 3740 compatible soft sectored format • Controls single and double- sided drives, single or double density, 5'/i" and 8" drives in any combination of four simultaneously • Drive select and side select circuitry • Analog phase-locked loop data seperator • Vectored interrupt operation optional • CP/M 2.2 disk and manual set included • Control/diagnostic software PROM included The Versafloppy II is faster, more stable and more tolerant of bit shift and "jitter" than most controllers. CP/M 2.2 and all necessary control and diagnostic software are included. IOD-1160A A & T with CP/M 2.2 . . $370.00 Multi-User System SBC-200, 256K ExpandoRAM III, Versafloppy II, MPC-4 COSMOS Multi-User Operating System, C BASIC II $1995.00 Two Z-80A CPUs (4 MHz), 256K RAM, 5 serial I/O ports with independently programmable baud rates and vectored interrupts, parallel input port, parallel output port, 8 counter/timer channels, real time clock, single and double sided/single or double density disk controller for 5‘/t" and 8" drives, up to 36K of on-board ROM, CP/M 2.2 compatible COSMOS interrupt driven multi-user disk operating system, allows up to 8 users to run independent jobs concurrently, C BASIC II, control and diagnostic software in PROM included. - All boards are assembled and tested- MPC-4 Intelligent communications interface SD Systems has duplicated the famous reliability of their ExpandoRAM I and II boards in the new ExpandoRAM III, a board capable of containing 256K of high speed RAM. Utilizing the new 64K x 1 dymanic RAM chips, you can configure a memory of 64K, 128K, 192K, or 256K, all on one S-100 board. Memory address decoding is done by a programmed bipolar ROM so that the memory map may be dip-switch configured to work with either COSMOS/MPM-type systems or with OASIS-type systems. Extensive application notes concerning how to operate the ExpandoRAM III with Cromemco, Intersystems, and other popular 4 MHz Z-80 systems are contained in the manual. MEM-65064A 64K A&T $495.00 MEM-65128A 128K A&T $639.95 MEM-65192A 192K A & T $769.95 MEM-65256A 256K A&T $879.95 SBC-200 2 or 4 MHz single board computer • S-100 bus compatible • Powerful 4MHz Z-80A CPU • Synchronous/asynchronous serial I/O port with RS-232 interface and software programmable baud rates up to 9600 baud • Parallel input and parallel output port • Four channel counter/timer • Four maskable, vectored interrupt inputs and a non-maskable interrupt • IK of on-board RAM • Up to 32K of on-board ROM • System monitor PROM included The SBC-200 is an excellent CPU board to base a microcomputer system around. With on-board RAM, ROM, and I/O, the SBC-200 allows you to build a powerful three-board system that has the same features found in most five-board microcomputers. The SBC-200 is compatible with both single-user and multi-user systems. ANALOG** DIGITAL DIGITAL** ANALOG CONVERSION MODULES SOFTWARE CAIN CONTROL high ouukxy pu >< jrommoOia yom instrufTU3nrolior)j omplifier - custom board test S-100 — 2 to 15 ktv conversion rime mixable high and Iouj inputs — gain from 1 to 1024 — 12-bit — sample and hold amplifier 8 -channel differential — 16-channcl — analog to' digital high accuracy — programmoble gain instrumentation amplifier - custom board test — S-100 — 2 to 15 khz conversion time — mixable high and Iouj inputs — gam from I to 1024 — 12-bit — sample and hold amplifier 8-channel differential — 16-chonnel — analog to digital high accuracy — programmable gam instrumentation amplifier — custom board test — S-100 2 to 15 kfv ■iiiiiimiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMii For additional details about the AD-100-4 and other fine California Data corporation 100% individually tested, high reliability products, circle the reader service card number below or for faster response write or call us. CALIFORNIA DATA CORPORATION 3475 Old Conejo Road, Suite C-10 Newbury Park, CA 91320 (805) 498-3651 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 16 CONTRACT WITH US CONSTRUCTION ACCOUNTING SYSTEM... CHECK THESE FEATURES General ledger system rfjob cost & project management system l?f Payroll with complete reports Bid document processor Subcontractor management system fff Trial balance report fff Income statement cf Balance sheet Ctf Workman's compensation reports Easy 1099 preparation □ If you want to see the rest of the features contact your local Apple Dealer. CHARLES MANN & ASSOCIATES 55722 Santa Fe Trail Yucca Valley, CA 92284 MICRO COMPUTER DIVISION ( 714 l 365-9718 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 14 2.0 MHz but with appropriate hardware changes, the Z80 microprocessor at the heart of the system will actually run at least twice that speed. Upgrading the system to operate at 4.0 MHz will double the operating speed and increase the overall software throughput. Merely changing the clock frequency will not accomplish the desired results — there are other considerations. MTI has modified the operating system to allow the clock to be switched between frequencies to accom- modate both the TRS-80 operating system and the company’s version of CP/M. MTI has also reduced EMI radiation by adding internal shielding with metal brackets for the disk drives, further increasing the system reliability and software integrity. Another reliability problem with most computer systems is the operating temperature— especially the tempera- ture inside the system. One problem demonstrated with the present model III is its susceptibility to high temperatures. MTI offers an optional cooling system for inclusion in the Mod III Plus family and also as a mod kit for existing model Ills. The fan can be particularly useful in extended operating conditions where disk reliability may have been a problem in the past. A different approach to the issue of model I compat- ibility is offered by Personal Micro Computers (Mountain View, CA). Its new PMC-81 is more suitable for business applications than the original MPC-80. The more recent edition sports an essential diskette controller and built-in power supply. The unit provides a few more keyboard features with four user-programmable function keys and a 15-key keypad. The PMC-81 is available in a modular configuration like the TRS-80 model I, except it lacks a built-in cassette interface. The expansion unit allows the use of S-100 boards, and the printer interface adapter (PIF-40) provides hardware compatibility with the 40-pin model I bus. Since the unit is fully model l-compatible, the options and peripherals can be utilized to expand the system’s capabilities. Strong system software Model I level II software compatibility is provided, but a change may be required in any TRSDOS software that operates the RS-232 port. There are several operating systems that are supported, but the company is promoting DOS Plus. And with the addition of one of the CP/M enhancement packages, the system software capabilities are almost unlimited. LNW Research Corp., Tustin, CA, has taken an entirely different approach to supporting the multitude of available software. The hardware has not been modified, and the unit does not look like the TRS-80. The Team computer, however, is as compatible as possible with the TRS-80. The company claims 100% compatibility with the TRS-80 model I hardware and software. In addition, the added features make it more than just another model I. First of all, the system’s Z80A clock has been con- verted to 4 MHz, with manual or automatic selection. The original speed of the model I was 1.77 MHz, but even at 4 MHz, no RAM wait states are required. As with the TRS-80, a 1 2K Microsoft Basic interpreter in ROM is included, which is bank-selectable to permit overlaying into part of the RAM address space (which has been expanded to 96K). In addition to the expanded 100 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 RAM, there is a 1 K block of video RAM, plus a separate 1 6K block of high-resolution graphics RAM that supports various black and white or color graphic applications. The display options have also been expanded to provide the more common 24 by 80 format, but allow the operator to select 24 by 40, along with the TRS-80 standards of 1 6 by 64 and 1 6 by 32 — all in upper and lower case. The reduced line sizes are available, so that a standard TV interface can be accommodated. The 75-key keyboard has been expanded to include a numeric keypad plus shift-lock; caps-lock keys and cursor control keys are all grouped together. Compact configuration The all-metal chassis houses all of the electronics, a keyboard and a fan, but the remainder of the system can be modularized as the user desires. The built-in floppy disk controller offers the ability to support 5% -in. or 8-in. drives, single or double density, and single double sided — in any combination — to a maximum of four single-sided or three double-sided drives. If all are 8-in. drives, up to 3.5M bytes of storage can be accessed at one time. In addition to the TRS-80 software compatibility, the Team offers CP/M compatibility built-in as a standard feature. So, all the software we’ve mentioned, at least for the model I, can operate on this system. But LNW Research has rewritten all of the drivers and is custom- izing the available operating systems for the Team. While the system will support CP/M, the operating system is an option, since the company makes Cromemco’s T8-OS available as well. If you’re still in a dilemma about the TRS-80, there’s no wonder. There are so many choices and options. What’s the best system for your particular situation? It’s hard to give a recommendation. The accompanying comparison table summarizes some of the available systems— but it can’t show everything. Other considerations include follow-on support- expansion hardware, useful software or field service. Radio Shack has 1 80 computer centers to help choose the proper system and peripherals for business appli- cations. Each store boasts a staff of trained technicians to repair any system problems. Training sessions are also available for the novice computer user. If the user does choose a TRS-80 model III from Radio Shack, expect it to be well-supported and, as we’ve shown, modularly expanded to meet your needs. VR Data and MTI offer the TRS-80 model III, but with more integral storage capacity, thereby giving the better of two worlds— Radio Shack hardware, but in a more compact configuration. For those who care less about the hardware itself than computing power, the options from LNW and Personal Micro Computers should be considered. If you wish to be able to use CP/M software (which isn’t a bad idea), any of the choices will do, but the user needs to decide whether he wants to add someone else’s mod kit to the chosen system. The model III is destined to be around in one config- uration or another for some time. Continuing support both on the hardware side and. especially, on the software side, will help to prolong its life. One of these economical systems or additions should ensure a productive desktop computer that can keep up with the growth of your business. □ CP/M® SOFTWARE For The Small Business System HIGH - QUALITY COMMERCIAL GRADE SOFTWARE DESIGNED FOR VERY HEAVY DAILY OFFICE USE AUTOMATIC DATA POSTING TO GENERAL LEDGER RUNS ON FLOPPY-DISK OR HARD DISK SYSTEMS REQUIRES CP/M WITH 2 DISK DRIVES AND 48K INSURANCE AGENCY - FOR INDEPENDENT AGENCIES HANDLING COVERAGES FROM ONE OR MORE CARRIERS. HAS AUTOMATIC POLICY CREATIONS PLUS RENEWALS, INVOICING & POSTING OF COMMISSIONS BY PRODUCER, CARRIER, AND CLIENT. HAS DIRECT AND AGENCY BILLED STATEMENTS ROUTINES, DETAILED ACCOUNTS CURRENT, PLUS MANY OTHER CLIENT AND AGENCY PRODUCTION REPORTS AS WELL AS A POLICY LOSS HISTORY FILE. MEDICAL MANAGEMENT - FOR SMALL TO MEDIUM CLINICS. PATIENT FILES, CASE HISTORY FILE, AND FULL APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING FILES. HANDLES ICDA-9 DIAGNOSIS CODES AND CPT-4 PROCEDURE CODES WITH STANDARD OFFICE CHARGES. HAS AUTO- MATIC MONTHLY STATEMENTS, SUPER-BILLS, AND PRINTING OF AMA INSURANCE CLAIM FORMS AS WELL AS PRODUCTION ANALYSIS, RECALL, INQUIRY, AND OVER TWENTY OTHER REPORTS. DENTAL MANAGEMENT - SIMILAR TO MEDICAL EXCEPT DESIGNED FOR ADA PROCEDURE CODES AND CHARGES AND ALSO PRINTS TOOTH AND SURFACE ON STANDARD ADA INSURANCE FORM. BOTH SYSTEMS HAVE A FORMS MENU FOR PRINTING ADDITIONAL STATE AND LOCAL INSURANCE FORMS AS WELL AS SPECIAL STATEMENTS. LEGAL TIME ACCOUNTING - FOR LAW^OFFICES. HANDLES CLIENT FILES AND ATTORNEY APPOINTMENT REGISTER. ACTIVE CASE FILES ARE CATEGORIZED BY CASE TYPE, CLIENT, ATTORNEY, CASE NUMBER, AND DATE. HAS AUTOMATIC DEFAULT FOR STANDARD FLAT RATE OR HOURLY CHARGES BY CLASS OF SERVICE WITH MONTHLY ANALYSIS OF TIME SPENT BY EACH ATTORNEY IN EACH CATEGORY. LINKS FOR PRINTING STANDARD LEGAL FORMS & REAL ESTATE FORMS ALSO PROVIDED. PROPERTY MANAGEMENT - THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST | COMPLETE SYSTEMS ON THE MARKET TODAY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT COMPANY! ALLOWS I COMPLETE HANDLING OF ONE OR MORE GROUPS OF 1 RENTAL PROPERTY OR COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS IN A SINGLE CONSOLIDATED LEDGER WHILE MAINTAINING SEPARATE COST-ACCOUNTING ON EACH BUILDING. HANDLES ESCROW DEPOSITS, MONTHLY STATEMENTS TO RENTERS, AND MUCH MORE. PLUS ON-LINE ORDER-ENTRY, REAL ESTATE MULTI- LIST, GENERAL LEDGER, ACCOUNTS PAYABLE, | ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, FINANCIAL ANALYSIS, FULLY INTEGRATED WORD PROCESSING AND SPELLING, DATA | BASE MANAGEMENT, AND CP/M FOR TANDY MODEL II ! * 4 CP/M IS A PRODUCT OF DIGITAL RESEARCH * OPERATOR'S MANUALS AVAILABLE SEPARATELY * UNIVAIR INTERNATIONAL 10327 LAMBERT INT'L. AIRPORT ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI U.S.A. 63145 (314) 426-1099 FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 73 INTERFACE AGE 101 Documate/Plus for WordStar Table of Contents and Index Generation There was a time when computers were used primarily for computing. Now it seems that computers are fre- quently used for the creation and alteration of documents such as letters, reports and book manuscripts. This is especially so for microcomputers. Documents are created and altered with a computer program called an editor or a text processor. Some of these programs are rather primitive, while others, such as WordStar (IA Mar 81), Magic Wand (IA Jan 81) and Benchmark are much more sophisticated. There are typically two steps in the preparation of a document. The first step is to create a text file with an editor. The second step is to format the resulting text file. Magic Wand contains both an editor and a separate formatter. On the other hand, a separate editor is required for document creation when text formatters such as Tex (IA May 79) and Textwriter (IA June 80) are used. WordStar represents a third approach. A document is automatically formatted right on the video screen as it is being typed. Thus the user always sees the document in its final form. WordStar by MicroPro (San Rafael, CA) is my choice for the creation of both documents and computer source programs. There are, however, a few short- comings to this word processor. Other software organ- izations have addressed these problems by offering auxiliary programs. For example, Spellguard (IA June 81 ) can be used to locate and mark misspelled words in a text file. The new version 2 has been improved in two major respects. The 20,000-word dictionary has been compressed from about 150,000 bytes to about 50,000 bytes. Thus it can now be stored on a single-density 8-in. diskette or a 5-in. double-density diskette. A second feature of the new Spellguard is that misspelled dictionary words, inadvertently added by the user, can be easily removed. It is frequently desirable to include a table of contents and an index when reports, proposals and book manu- scripts are prepared. While several commercially avail- able text formatters have provisions for generating these two items, WordStar does not. Orthocode Corp., Albany, CA has solved this problem with a program called Documate/Plus. This program can generate a table of contents and an index from a document pre- pared with WordStar. Like Spellguard, Documate/Plus is an entirely separate program from WordStar. Thus it might be possible to use it in conjunction with other word processors. The key to such compatibility is the format of the Documate commands. Each command begins with three periods. Since WordStar ignores lines beginning with two periods, the Documate commands are invisible to WordStar. Entries for the table of contents are designated by a T command placed on the line preceding the actual entry. For example, the two lines: ...T INTRODUCTION will generate a table-of-contents entry containing the line INTRODUCTION. The page number will be given too. Notice that the heading “INTRODUCTION” is only typed once. Secondary levels of the table of contents, which are indented from the main levels, are indicated with the “T2” command. For example: ...T2 Pascal SIN and COS functions ...T2 Other Built-in Functions and will produce indented entries under the previous main heading. Additional sub-levels are designated by the commands T3, T4, etc. 102 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 The format of the table of contents can be controlled by the user. For example, the width of the table can be selected and the page numbers for each entry can be made to appear on either the left or right side of the table. Three of the possible formats are shown in figures 1 , 2 and 3. The first example uses the default settings; the page numbers appear on the left side of the table. The second example uses a width that is narrower than several of the entries. In this case, the page numbers are on the right side of the table, but they are not aligned. The table width for the third example is greater than any of the entries. Consequently, the page numbers are properly lined up. The creation of an index is a more sophisticated phase of Documate. Indexing by any method is a tedious task. It is not usually sufficient to simply select words 1 EVALUATION OF A PASCAL COMPILER 1 Introduction 1 Precision and Range of Floating-Point Operations 2 Pascal Program: A Test of the Floating-Point Operations 4 Pascal Sin and Cos Functions 4 Pascal Program: Testing the Sin Function 6 Other Pascal Functions 9 External Files 11 A Power-of-Ten Function 13 Pascal Program: Calculating Powers of 10 16 Summary Figure 1. Table of Contents using default conditions EVALUATION OF A PASCAL COMPILER ... 1 Introduction .‘ 1 Precision and Range of Floating-Point Operations 1 Pascal Program: A Test of the Floating-Point Operations 2 Pascal Sin and Cos Functions ... 4 Pascal Program: Testing the Sin Function 4 Other Pascal Functions 6 External Files 9 A Power-of-Ten Function 11 Pascal Program: Calculating Powers of 10 13 Summary 16 Figure 2. Table of Contents width set too small EVALUATION OF A PASCAL COMPILER 1 Introduction 1 Precision and Range of Floating-Point Operations ... 1 Pascal Program: A Test of the Floating-Point Operations 2 Pascal Sin and Cos Functions 4 Pascal Program: Testing the Sin Function 4 Other Pascal Functions 6 External Files 9 A Power-of-Ten Function 11 Pascal Program: Calculating Powers of 10 13 Summary 16 Figure 3. Table of Contents width correctly set FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 103 cjMsss T) "THE TEACHER'S FRIEND IN THE CLASSROOM " TEACHERS! INSTRUCTORS! ADAPT YOUR LESSONS TO THE COMPUTER No Knowledge of computers or programming needed An easy, quick, time saving method for APPLE II Plus48K users System is SELF SCORING AND SELF DESIGNING per your student response and needs Msss D’s CREATE A LESSON virtually makes the computer program itself. Prompts on screen allow you to develop a pool of questions which the computer will use to test the student per his own responses. $150.00 Msss D’S INTERFACE II combines the Apple II Plus 48K computer with slide/sound or filmstrip/sound projectors. Increases computer visual/ sound capability; gives projectors computerized dimensions. $200.00 Msss D’s ENERGY AND OUR ENVIRONMENT - Msss D’s INVESTIGATING ELECTRICITY: software geared to stand- alone with SELF-CONTAINED GRAPHICS or to interact with greater VISUAL displays and SOUND using Coronet filmstrips. Design includes questions, instructional statements, and scoring of student responses. $75.00 each Call or write for more details: 214/522-8051 Msss D,Inc. 3412 Binkley Dallas, Texas 75205 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 50 5 or 10 Mbyte Storage for Heath/Zenith, TRS-80, SuperBrain, S-100 microcomputers. Now, 5 l A" hard disk add-on storage for your computer, at a price you can afford. Available for a surprisingly low $3495 for the 5 Mbyte hard disk, $4350 for the 10 Mbyte disk. Disk drives and controller cards also available. Substantial OEM & Dealer discounts. From the leaders . CMC International A Division of Computer Marketing Corporation 11058 Main, Suite 125, Bellevue, WA 98004 Telephone (206) 453-9777 Telex 152556 SEA C and phrases from the text. General concepts, which may not appear literally, may also be needed. On the other hand, if a particular word is chosen for the index, it may not be desirable to reference each occurrence of this word. The Documate index commands are designed with these considerations in mind. There are three different Documate index commands. Ordinary index entries are designated with the letter X. The command is placed close to the corresponding passage and contains the literal index entry. For example the command: ...X Least-squares curvefitting will generate an index entry such as: Least-squares curvefitting, 57 Notice that the entry is followed by a comma and the corresponding page number. If there are additional index references to the same string, the additional page numbers, separated by commas, will appear on the same line with a single entry. However, if duplicate entries are placed on the same page, the page number only appears once. If a comma appears in the entry, the entry is printed on two lines. The first, or primary part appears on the first line. The secondary part, with its page reference, appears on the second line. If several entries have identical primary parts, the secondary parts will appear together. For example: ...X Quicksort, recursive ...X Quicksort, nonrecursive might generate the entries: Quicksort, nonrecursive, 32, 57 recursive, 25, 46 If you want to include a comma in the middle of a primary reference, yet have the entry appear as on a single line, the entire entry is embedded in quotation marks. For example the entry: ...X “Underflow, floating-point” will produce: Underflow, floating-point, 76 If the entry itself is to be imbedded in quotation marks, double quotation marks are used. Two other index commands are used for making reference entries; these are the R and the A commands. The R command generates the expression “see,” while the A command produces a “see also” entry. For example if the line: ...A Quicksort, Sorting were used with the above entries on sorting, the result might be: Quicksort, see also Sorting nonrecursive, 32, 57 recursive, 25, 46 Documate/Plus provides a useful auxiliary function when preparing reports, proposals and manuscripts with WordStar. □ CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 2 104 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. IS FEBRUARY 1982 WE WILL NOT BE UNDERSOLD DISK DRIVES FOR TRS-80* Model I CCI-100 5 Vi ", 40 Track (102K) $299 ADD ON DRIVES FOR ZENITH Z-89 CCI-189 5 Vi", 40 Track (102K) $389 Z-87 Dual 5 Vi " system $995 External card edge and power supply included. 90 day warranty/one year on power supply. CORVUS 5 mg $3089 10 mg $4489 Mirror $699 RAW DRIVES 8" SHUGART 801 R $399 5 Vi" TAN DON $ CALL POWER SUPPLIES $CALL DISKETTES — Box of 10 5 Vi" Maxell $40 8" Maxell $45 PLASTIC FILE BOX-Holds 50 S 1 /*" diskettes PLASTIC LIBRARY CASE 5 1 /." $3.00 HEAD CLEANING DISKETTE FLOPPY SAVER $10.95 16K RAM KITS 200ns for TRS-80, ‘Apple II, (specify): COMPUTERS/SYSTEMS BASF/Verbatim BASF/ Verbatim 8 " RINGS ALTOS ZENITH ATARI 800 APPLE PERIPHERALS ACS8000 Series 48K, all-in-one computer 400 TERMINALS ADDS Viewpoint ZENITH Z-19 TELEVIDEO 910 920C 950 PRINTERS $26.95 $36-00 $19.00 $ 4.00 $25.00 $ 6.95 2 for $37 $19 Jumpers $2.50 $CALL $2149 $ 359 $ 789 $CALL NEC SPINWRITER 7710 R.O. Par 7710 R.O. Par w/tractor 7720 KSR w/tractor 7730 R.O. Ser 7730 R.O. Ser w/tractor NEW 3500 Series EPSON MX-70 MX-80 MX-80FT PAPER TIGER IDS 445 Graphics & 2K buffer IDS 460 Graphics & 2K buffer IDS 560 Graphics ACCESSORIES ANADEX DP-8000 $849 OKIDATA Microline 80 Friction & pin feed Microiine 82A Friction & pin feed Microline 83A 120 cps, uses up to 15" paper Call for new Microline series! CENTRONICS 739, new model with graphics C. ITOH 25 cps, parallel interface 25 cps, serial interface 45 cps, parallel interface 45 cps, serial interface GP-80M 180 cps DY 211 DaisyWheel MX100 DP-9500/01 Starwriter I Starwriter I Starwriter II Starwriter II AXIOM DATA SOUTH OLIVETTI MONITORS BELL & HOWELL LEEDEX SANYO ZENITH $2395 $2595 $2795 $2395 $2595 $CALL $CALL SCALL $CALL $CALL $CALL $1389 $CALL $CALL $CALL $ 739 $1525 $1620 $1950 $2075 $ 319 $CALL SCALL 9 12" B&W 13" Color 9" B&W 12" B&W 13" Color B&W BHD911 $129 $329 $149 $219 $349 12" Green Screen $125 $155 12" Green Screen $238 13" Color $399 12" Green Screen $129 $CALL $719 $559 $729 $929 S-100 CALIFORNIA COMPUTER SYSTEMS MAINFRAME $349 Z80 CPU $ 239 64K RAM $569 FLOPPY DISC CNTRL $ 339 INTEGRATED SYSTEM W/INTERNAL CABLES, TESTED $1975 2P + 2SI/0 4 PORT SERIAL I/O 4 PORT PARALLEL I/O CABLES CASIO CALCULATORS POCKET COMPUTER FX702 $199.00 POCKET COMPUTER FX702 DESK PRINTER /CALCULATOR FR100 $ 79.95 SCIENTIFIC CALCULATOR FX8100 $ 49.95 GAME WATCH CA90 Plastic $ 49.95 GAME WATCH CA901 Steel $ 69.95 SPORT WATCH AX210 Calendar $59.95 BUSINESS SOFTWARE WORDSTAR for Apple II $ 329 WORDSTAR for Zenith Z89 $ 329 TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRENTICE STAR MODEM 1 -year guarantee $125 UNIVERSAL DATA SYSTEMS UDS103LP $149 UDS103JP $215 NOVATION CAT $139 D-CAT $149 AUTO-CAT $199 APPLE CAT II $339 D.C. HAYES SMART/STACK MODEM $249 MICRO-MODEM II $295 CCI Telnet Communications Package $135 APPLE ACCESSORIES AND SOFTWARE Mfr. by Microsoft - Mountain Computers - Videx - CCS - Personal Software VISICALC $159.00 VISIDEX $159.00 VISITERM $119.00 VISIPLOT $139.00 Z-80SOFTCARD $259.00 VIDEX BOARD $249.00 KEYBOARD ENHANCER $110.00 16K CARD $159.00 APPLE JOYSTICK $ 49.00 SUP-R FAN $ 39.00 SUP-R MOD $ 25.00 CCS CARDS $ CALL APPLE CARDS $ CALL ASCII EXPRESS $ 59.00 SUPERCALC $199.00 ALF9 VOICE BOARD $149.00 CPS MULTIFUNCTION CARD $199.00 METACARD 8088 MICROPROCESSOR FOR APPLE ENTERTAINMENT SCALL Mfr. byOn Line - Broderbund Sirius - California Pacific FLIGHT SIMULATOR $29.00 SARGON II $29.00 WIZARD & PRINCESS $28.00 ABM $21.95 MYSTERY HOUSE $24.00 GORGON $34.95 HI RES FOOTBALL $35.00 MICROPAINTER $29.00 RASTER BLASTER $25.95 APPLE PANIC $27.95 SPACE EGGS $17.95 POOL 1.5 $25.95 For fast delivery, send certified checks, money orders or call to arrange direct bank wire transfers. Personal or company checks require two to three weeks to clear. All prices are mail order only and are subject to change without notice. Call for shipping charges. dealer (national/international) inquiries invited Send for FREE Catalogue TO ORDER CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-343-6522 TWX: 710-348-1796 Massachusetts Residents call 617/242-3361 The CPU SHOP 420-438 Rutherford Ave., Dept. IA-02M Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129 Hours 10AM-6PM (EST) Mon.-Fri. (Sat. till 5) Technical Information call 617/242-3361 Massachusetts Residents add 5% Sales Tax Tandy Corporation Trademark/®Digital Research V/SA’ FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 75 INTERFACE AGE 105 Chain files represent one of the most powerful operating tools available to microcomputer owners. Unfortunately, chaining is not used as widely as it could be, partly because the authors of disk operating systems sometimes have made the construction of chain files difficult for the average user to understand. Chain Writer is a Basic program that automatically builds chain files for TRS-80 model I operators who have Newdos 80, either versions 1.0 or 2.0. The program can also be used by model III owners who now have a very sophisti- cated operating system available to them in Newdos 80 2.0. It performs much the same task as CHAINBLD/ BAS, supplied with Newdos 80 2.0, but the beginner should find it much easier to use and understand. Those with the original version of Newdos 80 who do not plan to upgrade it can construct chain files quickly and simply. T o get the most use out of the program, it’s necessary to first define chain files and how they operate. Chaining is a flexible tool that allows a computer operator to pre- program a lengthy series of input records (or tasks) that can be strung together and called at any later time. Chain files can be used to load or run an entire series of programs, supply input to software or carry out several sequential jobs. Though a chaining capability is implemented on a variety of microcomputers, TRS-80 model I users who have either Newdos 80, VTOS 4.0 or LDOS are probably the most numerous. The easiest way to begin to under- stand chaining is to look at what it can do. Consider this typical chain of commands: LOWERCASE ADR BASIC 64000 RUN “INVENTRY/BAS” When this chain file is called, the operating system will first load a lowercase drive, next a utility program called ADR/CMD, then go to Basic. Top of memory will have been set to 64000, and program INVENTRY/BAS will be run. These tasks will be accomplished without the operator needing to hit ENTER, or respond to a single prompt. In the usual mode, a computer system looks to the keyboard for user input— a command to run a program, load a file, or some other information needed before the computer can go on with its work. When chaining is 106 INTERFACE AGE initiated, the system ignores the keyboard; instead it attempts to retrieve the data from the chain file called by the user. If the file has been set up properly, it will contain records that satisfy the input requirements. The chain of input can continue until the file ends and some operator input is required, or the computer detects an error that aborts the process. A chain can consist of several different commands or a series of inputs designed to carry out a single task. For example, assume that a Newdos 80 1 .0 operator intends to change the name and/or date of a number of diskettes. (This job can be done using PROT with Newdos 80 2.0). Granted, he already has the hexa- decimal equivalents of the ASCII codes that will be substituted for the originals on the disk sectors. The most common place for the diskette name/date in TRSDOS-derived disk operating systems is track 17 decimal, sector one, relative byte DO (hex). A chain could be built as follows to streamline this task: SUPERZAP DD 1,17,1 The operator could insert the target disk in Drive 1 , call this chain file, then type in only MOD DO and the new series of hex values. Other, more complex jobs can be cut down in size by similar means. A chain file may use only a few bytes of storage, but because the minimum allocation on a disk is one gran, a single chained set of commands could waste a full 1,280 bytes. To avoid this situation, programmers commonly string many chain sequences together. Each set of commands is called a section and treated as a separate chain of records by the system. It may be convenient to number sections, so that a given chain of records is called 1 , the second in the chain file 2, and so forth. Most will find it easier to provide mnemonic names, such as FORMAT or INVENTORY. These section names are called section IDs. To call a specific section under Newdos 80, simply type CHAIN, the chainfile’s filename and the section ID. For example, if a user has a number of different chains in a file called INIT/JCL, but wishes to use the third one (named “3”), the command would be: CHAIN INIT,3 If alpha character names are used instead of numbers, calling the desired chain would use the following syntax: FEBRUARY 1982 CHAIN INIT, INVENTORY (Note: in Newdos 80 2.0, the command DO may be used instead of CHAIN. It has the advantage of being shorter to type in, and similar to the DO command of other microcomputer systems. In order to maintain compatibility with the earlier Newdos 80, I’ll use only CHAIN in this article, but the two words are inter- changeable in the latest versions.) Chain files can call other chains, so after a variety of tasks are performed, the next record can be CHAIN INIT, 5 or, from Basic: CMD“CHAIN INIT, INVENTORY”. Imaginative use of chain files can allow you to build a whole new set of DOS commands. For example, you may have several FORMAT or COPY commands that are used repeatedly, such as: COPY 0 1 „NFMT,CBF,CWFO,USR or FORMAT :1 =35„Y The first is a Newdos 2.0 command to copy only user files (no System or Invisible files) from drive 0 to drive 1 . No formatting of the target diskette will be done, copying will be by file, and the system will check with the operator for a yes/no decision before copying each file. The second example is a command to FORMAT a disk in drive 1 to 35 tracks (the drive has probably been specified to some other track count using PDRIVE). Each of these can be incorporated into a chain file, using a simple mnemonic section ID, such as COPY USER, and FORMAT 35. We have built a personal chain file, named A/JCL, (the short name is intentional), which contains a variety of combinations of COPY and FORMAT commands, and appropriate ID names. In addition, the same file includes other section IDs, which are abbreviated versions of the same commands, so that we may type: CHAIN A,F 1 or CHAIN A,C 0 1 These initiate custom-designed FORMAT and COPY commands. It is not necessary to enter the chain commands both times. When section ID F 1 is called, the first record in that section is CHAIN A, FORMAT 1 . This is an illustration of one chain file calling another. Chain files can build other new DOS commands. NEWDOS 80 2.0 allows the user to change the specifi- cations of any disk drive in the system from single and double density and back again, vary track counts and disk directory starting lumps, and so forth. The PDRIVE command performs the magic, and we won’t go into details here. However, we have added onto my A/JCL chain file a series of section IDs and records that automatically change my drive specifications. Though we currently operate almost exclusively under double density, we find a single density diskette to access from time to time. To switch drive 1 to single density operation, we type: CHAIN A.1 SINGLE To change it back: CHAIN A, 1 DOUBLE Here we’ve made liberal use of abbreviations, so that CHAIN A, 1 S or CHAIN A,1 D accomplishes the same thing. Newdos 80 2.0 users can have our new DOS commands as short as: DO A,1 S. The drive specifications can get extremely complex, but changing from one to the other involves only a correctly constructed chain file. Under Newdos 80 1.0 or 2.0, chain files are stored on disk as ASCII files, and thus can be constructed from Basic using ordinary disk I/O routines. In fact, the 2.0 version allows the user to make chain files from Scripsit, or some other word processing program. However, I’ve found that it is just as easy to use Chain Writer or a similar program. With either version of Newdos 80, the system looks for various special characters in order to know just what is being asked of it. A CHR$(128) identifies the beginning of a section. In most cases, the very next record will be the section ID. Once the operating system has recognized CHR$(128), it assumes that all of the following records in the sequential chain file belong to the same section, until it comes across another CHR$(128) (marking the beginning of the next section), or an EOF marker. Let’s look at a simple chain sequence: CHR$(1 28) + “1 ” BASIC 64000 In chaining mode, the system will look at this string, find the CHR$(128), then accept the rest of the record, BASIC 64000, as a command. Other commands appended to the sequence will also be carried out, either until the next CHR$(128) is found, the file ends or one of the other three control characters is located. These allow messages to be imbedded in the chain, either for the operator or programmer’s benefit. CHR$(129) causes the rest of the record to be displayed; then the system pauses and waits for the operator to hit ENTER before continuing. A typical chaining sequence using this feature might be: CHR$(1 28) + “1 ” BASIC 64000 CHR$(1 29) + “HIT ENTER WHEN READY TO PLAY” RUN “GRNDPRIX/BAS” A message can be displayed and the chain continued without operator intervention by using CHR$(131). An example follows: CHR$(18) + “1 ” BASIC 64000 CHR$(131 ) + “GET READY TO PLAY!” RUN “GRNDPRIX/BAS” A final character string that can be imbedded in a chain file is CHR$(130). This marks what can be likened to Basic’s REM. The message that follows in the record is neither displayed nor accepted as input. However, it remains as an element in the chain file to remind the programmer, or to explain an item in the file. How do you read such files to spot these remarks? Simply LIST the chain file from DOS command mode. Those using Newdos 80 2.0 have one additional tool, CHNON. The syntax for this command is CHNON.N ,CHNON,Y and CHNON, D. These allow the operator to break in and add input in the middle of the chain file. Perhaps a series of commands will be carried out, then FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 107 the chain file would like to ask the operator which of several programs are to be run next. This feature is not implemented in Chain Writer, and is offered as a possible enhancement for advanced programmers. (Hint: CHNON can be imbedded in a chain file by adding a CHR$(1 33), plus either Y, N or D as desired.) Study the Newdos 80 2.0 documentation carefully for examples and an explanation of this capability. Chain Writer can be used to automatically assemble these sequences with a minimum of fuss. It takes the operator through a number of input steps, and builds the file as directed, saving it to disk. Because Newdos 80’s OPEN E feature is used to tack any later additions to the sequential file onto the end, one chain file can be expanded almost indefinitely to serve a variety of tasks. The first step in using the program is to enter the file name of the chain file that is being created. Standard file-naming conventions should be used. The default file extension /JCL can be applied to help identify chain files in your disk directory. The name selected is stored in string variable A$ in line 180. Next, input of the desired commands begins. A menu that displays the choices is printed to the screen. The user can enter ! to begin a new section, # to insert messages calling for a pause before chaining continues, a $ for messages without a pause, and % for REM-type notes. Many different chain sections can be entered in a given input section. The chain file will not be written to disk until the operator enters an E. An S may also be used to erase a series of entries and start over. A typical session would look something like this sample run: ! INVENTORY LCDVR BASIC 64000 $ PLEASE HAVE DISK#2 READY LOAD “INVENTORY/BAS” # HIT ENTER WHEN DISK #2 INSERTED IN DRIVE 1 ! COPY 0 TO 1 COPY :0 TO :1 00/00/00 E This input would be accepted in a subroutine at lines 220-320. A FOR-NEXT loop from 1 to an arbitrary 30 asks for input of each record in a given chain. If you frequently write chain sequences longer than 30 steps, this number may be incremented, with corresponding changes made in the DIM statments on line 110. The records in the file are stored in a string array, B$(n), and input continues until either 30 entries have been made, or an E or S input. When a chain has been completed, control branches to the disk write portion of the program, beginning at line 340. The filename stored in A$ is either created (if none currently exists by that name) or reopened without disturbing the EOF marker, using OPEN E. Then a FOR-NEXT loop is begun. At various points in the loop, program lines look for one of the special characters, !, #, $, and %. If one is found in that element of B$(n), the proper CHR$(n) is inserted, and the record printed to the disk. If none are found, the string is stored on the disk as is, and the loop counter incremented for the next pass-through. To use the chain file that has been created, it is necessary only to follow the normal chaining syntax of Newdos 80. At any later time, Chain Writer can be run again, and the same file name specified. By using different section IDs for the new entries, the user can automatically tack them onto the end (through OPEN E) without having to rewrite the chain file or waste disk space with a second one. Once you begin applying chain files, you will constantly find new uses for them. As a final example, look at all the steps some double- density users need to go through in order to back up their system disks. It is necessary to format the disk in a separate operation (only with NEWDOS 80 1 .0 and the patch DOUBLEZAP II) and carry out the COPY, then repair the BOOT sectors. This series can either be done one at a time, or completed with a few key- strokes through a chainfile: DBLFMT 1, DISKNAME, 06/07/82,, Y COPY :0 TO :1. 06/07/82, USD, UBB.NFMT FIXBOOT 1 DIR :1 (S,I,A) All of the above are not essential. But that chain file will format the disk, make a copy and repairs, then display the finished directory (System and invisible files both, along with granular allocation). Instead of performing these tasks manually, the user can take a break for five minutes and return refreshed. Chaining is one of the most sophisticated ways of breaking the ties that bind the computer user to the keyboard. □ Program on page 152 IEEE 488 TO S-100 INTERFACE ■Handles all IEEE-488 1975/78 functions ■IEEE 696 (S-100) compatible ■MBASIC subroutines supplied; no BIOS mods required ■3 parallel ports (8255A-5) ■Industrial quality; burned in and tested IDealer inquiries invited) OSAA/ DIGITAL 1524 REDWOOD DRIVE LOS ALTOS, CA 94022 14151 966-1460 108 INTERFACE AGE CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 21 FEBRUARY 1982 CENTRONIC • NEC • HAZELTINF • AMPEX • VERBATIM • HITACHI • HAYDEN • CANON • NOVATION • D C. HAYS MICROCOMPUTERS • PAPER TIGER • PERSONAL SOFTWARE • GTE APPLE • ALTOS • ATARI • MAXELL • DYSAN • EPSON • CCS • SHARP • CASIO • HP • VERBATIM • MEMOREX • SO ROC * CORVUS * ADDS MICRO BUSINESS WORLD INC. Information Line (213) 996-2252 TOLL FREE MAIL ORDER LINES (800) 423-5886 Outside Calif. 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Date Signature MAXELL • DYSAN • EPSON • CCS • SHARP • CASIO • HP • VERBATIM • MEMOREX • SOROC • CORVUS • PERSONAL SOFTWARE • CCS FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 80 INTERFACE AGE 109 . HAYS MICROCOMPUTERS • PAPER TIGER • GTE • DIABLO • BMC • CENTRONIC • NEC • HAZELTINE ♦ MEMOREX « AMPEX • PERSONAL SOFTWARE « ADDS ♦ XEROX ♦ DIABLO by Peter J. Polini This program is geared to the stock market enthusiast who has no quick way of entering market-related data into the computer via telephone hook-up or other sources. The purpose of the STKADD program is to allow one to enter HIGH, LOW, CLOSE, DATE, VOLUME and SYMBOL on a regular basis with such ease that a monotonous task seems automatic. Any stock, even those outside the 1 20 table elements, may be tracked for input to this program. All one needs is a stock listing. Following about 31 stocks (as in the STKADD table) requires at most twenty minutes daily. The program is written in Cobol-80 version 3-22 (equivalent to Microsoft’s Cobol-80) to run on a Cromemco Z-2H micro-computer. This program demon- strates the ease with which Cobol can be read, and points out that it is available for use on micros from many manufacturers and software houses. With a few minor changes and a simple I/O driver for your terminal, this program could run on any CP/M compatible system. The ACCEPT and DISPLAY statement formats of this release make it exceptionally easy to program routine data-entry programs for full cursor control of one’s terminal. The program is strictly one of data-entry and data-editing to set up the vast information you may choose to output at a later date. The user can select many options, such as the ability to restart anywhere within a selection of user-defined stock symbols, and the automatic generation of repetitive data when in the tabled mode. Other options include automatic editing of numeric data; tree-form number, fraction or decimal entry for automatic numeral-decimal conversion of all stock-price data. A special subroutine converts all stock-price conversions to their equivalent numeral- decimal notation. The subroutine ‘EDTPRICE’ is not included, but is available upon request. All of the informational data required for this program is readily available from various newspapers, journals or publications. For those requiring only weekly data, a weekly stock listing will do. Every Cobol program is split into four divisions, each of which must be placed in its proper sequence and must begin with a division header. These four divisions are: IDENTIFICATION, ENVIRONMENT, DATA and PROCEDURE DIVISIONS. The division headers can be found in the program listing lines 1, 5, 16, and 128 in the order required. The IDENTIFICATION DIVISION names the program and, optionally, the date the program was written and compiled, the author, and other documentary informa- tion. The ENVIRONMENT DIVISION describes the computer to be used, specifies the special machine features and describes the relationship of data with the actual input/output device(s). The DATA DIVISION defines the data and its characteristics used by the program (eg. numeric, alphabetic, signed, etc.) for both the input/output processing or internal program use. The PROCEDURE DIVISION consists of executable statements to process the data in the order written (unless another order has been specified). With the structure of Cobol in mind, let’s analyze the program STKADD. The SELECT statement (lines 13-15) is worthy of note. This statement defines the input/ output file(s) (abbreviated as I/O), which in this case is assigned to a disk drive (IN-DRIVE ‘C:’ of line 124). A printer may also be assigned, but for output only. The file is sequential, and each line (record) is terminated by a carriage return (cr) making it a variable rather than 1 10 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 a fixed format. The maximum record length is 79 (line 22) characters. The SELECT is tied in with the FD (abbreviation for File Definition) statement (lines 19-22), which specifies the name of the file by the ‘VALUE OF FILE-ID’ clause. The data-name ‘STOCK- INPUT-NAME’ referenced on line 20 points to the actual file-name as found on lines 123-126. This file-name is the default: that is, it may be any other file-name of your choosing. The WORKING-STORAGE section defines the different fields and attributes used in the program, while the FILE SECTION defines the attributes charac- teristic of the input and output file(s). Note the COPY statements (line 31 and 47), which allow previously defined program code to be included into this program through the use of an external file. The file-name C:STOCKINP. CBK (line 31 ) contains the code lines 32 thru 45, which define the record format. A similar statement is on line 47, C:STKTABLE. CBK is the name of the file containing lines 48 thru 101 . These lines are actually a table containing a pre-defined set of stock- symbols and descriptions for stocks I wish to follow on a regular basis. The DOW 30 stock plus BALLY MFG are already tabled in the program. The table is similar to Basic’s matrixes and in this case is a 120 dimensional table (occurs 1 20 / line 99). The table is limited to 1 20 tabled entries since no group of data (STOCK-TABLE / line 48) can be greater than 4,095 bytes. Each table element is 34 bytes (8 bytes for the STOCK-SYMBOL and 26 characters for the STOCK-DESCRIPTION). Reading through the remainder of the WORKING- STORAGE section, one can discover the use of various switches and other data-names used by the program. The context of most are easily understood by the use of meaningful data-names. The MASTER-FILE-IN- STATUS (lines 119-122) is tied to the SELECT state- ment by the FILE-STATUS clause on line 15. Its purpose is to set various values to line 119 while in the process of opening, reading and writing the referenced file (all I/O operations). The ‘88’ levels below line 109 are called conditional- names. These conditional-names have a specific value assigned to them that can be used for logical operations in a comparison test. Instead of saying “PERFORM MAIN-DRIVER UNTIL STOCK-TABLE-SWITCH EQUAL ‘E’,” for example, you can use the conditional-name assigned to the value ‘E’, such as “PERFORM MAIN- DRIVER UNTIL USER-DONE”. This line sample is on line 139 in the program listed. Conditional-names cannot be altered; they are used for referencing only. Since you cannot change the values of conditional- names, one alters the contests of the data/conditional- name by changing the value of the data-name above the ‘88’ levels. This can be done by a MOVE statement to the data-name. A perfect example of this is line 295 or line 297. Line 295 moves a ‘3’ TO STOCK-TABLE- SWITCH (that’s the data-name) if a stock-symbol requested is not found in the table. Line 31 1 uses the conditional-name equivalent (STOCK-TABLE-NOT- FOUND) for looping (perform. .until. .or). The same applies to line 31 3 to display a “NOT FOUND” message to the terminal screen. Reading data into the data-name can also change the contents of the data/conditional-name. The PROCEDURE DIVISION contains specific instruc- tions for the computer. All instructions are executed in the order as written, from top to bottom, unless the programmer has specified a different sequence by the use of a PERFORM, GO TO or CALL statement. This release of Cobol allows user interaction with the terminal for all required data by special DISPLAY and ACCEPT verbs. DISPLAYS actually print the data (or literal) on the terminal screen, while the numbers enclosed in parentheses, immediately following the word DISPLAY (or ACCEPT), indicate the line and columns (in that order) where the data will be printed on the terminal. The DISPLAY (1 1) ERASE (line 130, 138, 168) clears the screen from the first line to the end of the screen (line 24, column 80); subsequent displays vary the cursor position before the data-name is printed. A sample of a literal (in quotes) is in line 1 31 , while a sample of a data-name (without quotes) display is on line 182 where the data-name is SECURITY- SYMBOL. ACCEPT statements function as the DISPLAY with regard to cursor positioning; however, the program waits for your data or reply to be entered through the keyboard before continuing with the next instruction. Data-name length determines character maximum The limitation on how many characters you can enter depends on the length of the data-name defined, which becomes the maximum allowable characters entered, (although fewer characters may also be entered), but what is entered depends solely on what has been programmed in the instruction. In brief, if you look at line 40 for data-name SECURITY-SYMBOL, you will see a PIC X(8), which means eight alphanumber (X) characters. The ACCEPT on line 197 for this data- name would allow up to, but not more than, eight characters to be entered. A similar PIC 9(6) TRADE- DATE (line 35) specifies numeric values only (the 9) for six positions. The ‘V’ imbedded in the PIC clause (line 41-43) points to the decimal-point location, but not the physical decimal itself. This allows numeric data to be properly aligned on the decimal-point. Other data characteristics worthy of note, although not used in this program, are the PIC A(9), which specifies a nine-character alpha value (A thru Z) only. A PIC S9(3) specifies a signed numeric value of three maximum bytes. A PIC Z.ZZZ.99- is an editing feature that allows a numeric value to be printed with decimal alignment while allowing the leading zeros to be suppressed (not printed). The decimal-point along with the positional comma (,) and the decimal portion of the number will print, even if zero. If the number happens to be negative, the dash (negative symbol ‘ - ’) will also print after the decimal number. Some samples are, PIC 9,999.99 (this will print even the leading zeros such as 0,001 .99) whereas PIC Z.ZZZ.99 - will print 1.99- only. If the number is positive, the sign will not print. The sign may be either negative ( — /db) or positive ( + /cr). Note that the CR/DB may be used instead of the plus/minus sign. The PERFORM statement (equivalent to the GOSUB in Basic) is used to branch to a paragraph-name that follows the word ‘PERFORM...’, which then returns to the next statement after the branch (paragraph named) is done. Loops can be manipulated with a PERFORM through the use of counters, indexes or conjunctions such as UNTIL... or VARYING.. .FROM 1 BY 1 UNTIL. These are similar to Basic’s FOR I TO. ..NEXT, etc. A ‘GO TO’ statement in Cobol works the same as in Basic; that is, you do an unconditional branch to another FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 1 1 1 paragraph but do not return to the next statement after the GO TO. Basically, the ‘GO TO’ and ‘PERFORM...’ statements control the program flow. Many variations of these statements allow looping, branching, and may be either conditional (IF. ..PERFORM/GO TO) or uncon- ditional (PERFORM/GO TO). The IF statement is used for logical tests to determine if a special routine/function or condition exists and requires special instructions. IF statements may even be nested as on lines 147 thru 160. (Nesting means multiple IF statements within an IF statement and before the ELSE.) Usually IF statements are used in conjunc- tion with PERFORM or ‘GO TO’ statements. The MOVE statement in the PROCEDURE DIVISION of a Cobol program allows movement of data, records, fields or literals (the “from” field) to any other data area within the DATA DEVIATION (the “to” field). The length of the MOVE(d) field is determined by the length of the receiving (to) field. All moves are from left to right, with space-fill or truncation to the right unless the data-name is numeric, in which case, the move is from right to left and aligns on the decimal if specified. To store or retrieve information in a table (or matrix) requires the use of an INDEX-NAME (or subscript) to point to a particular element in a table. The SET state- ment is used to update the contents of an INDEX-NAME with either an up or down movement or a specific numeric value. To manipulate table entries, a MOVE or SEARCH statement is commonly used in conjunction with the index-name and data-name (e.g. line 181 / with a MOVE, line 294 shows a sample with the SEARCH... WHEN statement). PERFORMS are also commonly used to update the pointer (INDEX-NAME). INDEX-NAMES are normally defined at the same time as the table. A sample INDEX-NAME is STK-TBL-INDEX line 99, and is part of the INDEXED BY clause for the STOCK-TABLE (line 48 thru 101). An index may not be less than one (1 ), nor should it be greater than the “occurs” number (120 in this case) unless one wishes his program’s WORKING STORAGE areas to be clobbered. At lines 134-135, there is an ACCEPT statement for the data-name STOCK-INPUT-NAME. I will break this statement down to its optional components and explain what this ACCEPT allows you to do. The data-name STOCK-INPUT-NAME currently con- tains C:STKINPUT.DAT (lines 123-126) and the UPDATE option allows the contents of STOCK-INPUT- NAME (CiSTKINPUT.DAT) to be displayed (as default) and changed if required. The AUTO-SKIP option allows automatic termination of this command once all char- acters of the specified data-name are filled in (length of STOCK-INPUT-NAME is 14 bytes). The PROMPT option allows prompting (user interaction), while the BEEP allows the terminal, if equipped, to make an audible sound. Another point of interest in this program is the CALL statement (line 284). This functions as in Basic, to “call” in another program or subroutine from the program currently residing in memory. To call a sub- routine, issue a ‘CALL’ via a call statement, followed by the subroutine (‘EDTPRICE’ in this sample) then the word USING (if parameters are required) followed by the required parameters in the sequence necessary for the subroutine. To function, this subroutine ‘EDTPRICE’ requires three parameter values to be passed to it, the input (EDIT-IN), the output from the subroutine (EDIT- OUT) and a status code field (ERROR-CODE). The length of each field must be the same in both the calling (STKADD) and the called (EDTPRICE) program; the data-names, however, need not be the same. The subroutine’s main function is to take any mixture of whole numbers and decimals or fractions and spaces 1 12 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 6 6 ] 1 1 * " 1— 1- _j_ , , , | 1 . - 1 -J TYPE IN j i — — B | — p I ~ ir — ( . J . r i 1 * .1 . _ _ - j Y j TO RESTART FROM ANY TABLED ITEMS _i ■ _ 1 _ . _ 1 _i .HIT ANY OTHER KEY TO .CONTINUE 1 j ENTER jiEPLY? ~ -1- J 1 L- i Screen 3. Applicable only if in the table-mode selection. This allows restarting from a pre-defined stock selection table (reply Y); any other key starts selection from first entry in the table. TYPE IN -- 1— STOCK SYMBOL TO RESTART FROM FOLLOWED BY RETURN KEY 1 1 1 1 CR ENTER REPLY? 4BCDEFGH — j... .i ABCDEFGH IS NOT FOUND *** TRY AGAIN? 6 7 a 9 10 1 1 12 13 Screen 4. Applicable only if in the table-mode and a restart (screen 3) was requested. Allows entering a stock-symbol from table selection for restarting. \ 6 6 7 7 8 0 9 - T _i i _ _ i -- -« — « — i 9 1 0 TRADE DATE MMDDYY 10 L 1 f 1 1 12 12 Screen 5. Applicable when in the table-mode. Allows date to be used for subsequent tabled entry. in order to arrive at a converted whole-number (integer) decimal combination. The resulting decimal is computed to five-point accuracy, which is plenty for any market- related price information. A closing stock price of lOVfe, 1 0.5, 1 0 5, or 1 0-4 into the subroutine ‘EDTPRICE’ will return with a value of 00001050000, with the decimal point assumed prior to the 5 (see EDIT-OUT line 26). This may seem easy or trivial, but while keying the information, don’t convert fractions to a fixed format prior to keying the information since it would delay the procedure. The micro can do these simply. What’s the decimal equivalent of 1/32? Let the machine worry about it. The built-in limitation to this subroutine is that the whole number must not exceed 999999 (the 9[6]). Other restrictions are in the special meaning of the dash (-), slash (/), asterisk (*), the capital letter T\ and the space following the whole number. The dash means the following number is in eighths, the number following the asterisk is in sixteenths, and the ‘T’ signals that the number following is in thirty seconds. A fraction may also be entered, (such as 1/8), but it must follow the whole number by one blank character. A decimal number may be used in the same way as a dollar and cent figure; the decimal-point itself may be omitted. All these techniques were programmed to eliminate the keystrokes that were repetitive in nature, such as the denominator portion of the fraction. Most microcomputer configurations include the Central Processing Unit (CPU), a terminal screen with a keyboard, a printer, and one or more floppies and/or hard disk drives. The keyboard is commonly used to interact with microcomputers to perform a task, respond to a message, receive a status of activity or print a file directory. The terminal screen is normally 24 lines down and 80 columns across. The 25th line is a status display line and is not commonly available for input data. Note the sample screens pictured here. On Screen 6, notice the horizontal lines marked at the FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 113 bottom from left to right (1 to 80). These are the columns, while the vertical lines shown on both the left and right margins are numbered 1 to 24. Line 1 , column 1 is the very first position on the screen. Line 24, column 80 is the last position on the screen. Let’s observe some of the user interaction with the terminal when using the program. As you type in STKADD in response to your CDOS/CP/M prompt, the first screen you will encounter is the STKADD banner and the program version number on lines 2 and 3 of your screen. (See Screen 1 .) This code can be found in the GET-INPUT-FILE-NAME paragraph of the PRO- CEDURE DIVISION, lines 129-135. On line 4 of Screen 1 layout, the program will ask ‘YOUR FILE NAME IS...’, followed by the default file-name C:STKINPUT. The cursor positions under the “C”, as shown by the underline. If your input/output file-name matches that of the default, hit the RETURN-KEY (CR). To change the default, re-type the correct drive, the file-name and the extension, as appropriate. The drive may be assigned to any existing floppy or hard-disk. I use drive “C” (hard-disk), since the speed is much faster than writing to a floppy disk unit. Once you type the four- teenth character or the RETURN-KEY (cr), the program will continue by opening your file in the EXTEND mode (line 137 of the program listing). What EXTEND means is that your file must exist and will append all new records (from this session) to the end of an existing file. The file itself need not have any data. SCREEN. COM may be used to create a file-name for input by this program. Screen 2 coding can be found in the DISPLAY- TABLE-BYPASS paragraph (lines 238-248). This screen allows you to end the STKADD program or the table- mode option (if appropriate) by replying with an 0 or E. To add more data or stay in the table-mode, hit any other key. Screen 3 will only be displayed when in the table- mode. That is, the table (DOW 30) in the program is used to determine which stocks the user wishes to follow. The screen allows you to re-start on any stock within the table. So it is not necessary to do the first, second,... last, in that order. You may start with what- ever stock symbol is in the table, even the last one. This screen is code paragraph DISPLAY-RESTART, lines 250-259. Screen 4 will only display when a restart is requested (Screen 3), and its purpose is to request the stock- symbol to restart from. The GET-RESTART-SYMBOL (lines 299-31 5) is the code for Screen 4. Line 1 2 in the l — ...i— . — 2 TYPE IN REQUESTED INFORMATION ..... RECORDS ADDED s 00009 3 4 5 1 . L 1 ' 1 ' ' L. 6 i i i j 7 1 _J j i i i 8 9 1 0 122480 TRADE DATE 1 1 MMDDYY _i i i - - » 1 1 . T AMERICAN TELEPHONE & TELEGRAPH i _i _ i_ i i 1 2 __1457__ VOLUME IN, 1003 LIMIT 9999999 13 49-1 HIGH -FORMAT WHOLE NUMBER SPACE . 1 1 , periodT 777T>aSh (-) 1 4 FOLLOWED BY DECIMAL OR FRACTION. MAX VALUE 999999.99999 15 HJT HETURN-I^EY CR WHEN : DONE 16 . 48 5 LOW i — , • . -FORMAT SAME AS ABOVE 17 48 75 CLOSE -FORMAT SAME AS ABOVE l l i - - 1 8 1 - 1 - i l 19 20 TYPE IN 21 0 OR E TO RETYPE LAST TRANSACTION __1_ 1 . . 1 l I 1 22 IJIT ANY OTHER KEY TO CONTINUE- . _ _l.li i - 1 23 ENTER REPLY? 1 "T i 24 12345 678 9 1 1 234567892 1 2345 67893 12345678 94 l 23456789 5 1 234567896 1 234 56789 71 234 56789 8 Q_ 0 0 0 0 0 0 Q_ : 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 1 12 13 14 15 l 6 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Screen 6. Main-menu display to enter DATE, STOCK-SYMBOL, VOLUME, HIGH, LOW and CLOSE. Also allows correction in case an error has been made. RECORDS ADDED is a count of valid en- tries added to input file. 1 14 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 16 _l L~ 1 *- 1 1 6 1 7 TYPE IN x 1 7 1 8 0 OR E TO TERMINATE ADD FUNCTION 1 8 19 ANY OTHER KEY TO CONTINUE I 19 20 ENTER REPLY? 1 1 - - 1 20 21 . „ 1 _ . 1 . 1 1 1 21 22 22 Screen 7. Allows termination of STKADD and to return to the operating system (COOS). . -J 1 — U _ — JL-. i __ 19 TYPE _IN_ . 1 20 0" OR E TO END TABLE SELECTION 1 1 j 21 HIT ANY OTHER KEY TO CONTINUE. . 22 ENTER REPLY? “7 ,i i 23 X ‘ • 24 Screen 8. Allows exit from the table-mode. layout will only be displayed if the stock symbol requested (line 10 of layout) is not in the table. It will wait for a correct reply before continuing. Screen 5 will be displayed only if in the table-mode. The reply must be numeric, but no other editing will be done on this field for proper month, day or year. This screen code is in paragraph STOCK-TABLE-MAIN-LINE (lines 162-167). The date typed to the above message will be used for all tabled items from the starting (or restart) stock symbol until the last stock symbol of the table is done (once only). Screen 6 is the DISPLAY-MENU paragraph lines 1 74-21 1 . This is the menu you will encounter the most. In the table-mode, the TRADE-DATE (entered thru Screen 5 reply), the security-symbol and the description (from the selection table) are automatically displayed and will not ask for a prompt. When not in the table- mode, the program will prompt the user for the date and stock-symbol. All the information to the right of the screen will be displayed first. Then the cursor will position to the left of the displays to terminal line numbers 10, 11, 13, 16 and 17 (as appropriate) from top to bottom until the last field, the closing price information line 17, is filled in. Once the cursor has moved to a new line, it is impossible to correct the prior line. Corrections can be made. The only numeric fields on Screen 6 are the TRADE-DATE and VOLUME (in 100s); the remainder are alphanumeric. The price information uses a mixture of numerics, decimals, blanks and characters that have a special meaning. These were discussed previously. If an error is made in the price fields, corrections may be made as long as the cursor is on the same line to be corrected. Again, a prior line cannot be changed once the cursor is below it, except as outlined below. Screen 6 (terminal lines 20-23) does not display until the last field (the closing price / line 17 on the terminal) is terminated. This reply allows one to re-do the current Screen 6 information if an error is made. Note terminal line 2 shows the number of “RECORDS ADDED” to the file since the STKADD session started. When re-entering data (reply E / terminal line 23 of this menu), neither the record count nor the file is updated. Screen 7 is part of the DISPLAY-END-OR-CONTINUE paragraph code lines 261-273. It allows termination or continuation of the STKADD session. Screen 8 (lines 227-233) will only be displayed if it is in the table-mode. It allows the table selection to terminate, but allows other stocks not in the table to be keyed. I have used very meaningful names in this program in order to be self-documenting, especially for those who understand the language of the stock market. New updates to this program now allow an additional external file as input for selection of those stocks to be keyed in addition to, or in lieu of, the tabled Dow 30. 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LIST $4495 ONLY$3395 CP/M' IS INCLUDED! AMERICAN SQUARE COMPUTERS is organizing a World-Wide FRANCHISE of Computer Stores. Be a WINNER! Join our SUCCESSFUL TEAM selling powerful Computers. Write or Phone us. SAVE ON MEMORY AND PROGRAMS SYSTEMS MEMORY 64K A&T $549 SYSTEMS MEMORY 64K BANK 684 MICROANGELO 985 ITHACA MEMORY 8/16 BIT 64K 845 CORVUS HARD DISK SAVE SSM VIDEO BRD VB3 4Mhz 412 SPECTRUM COLOR ASM * 326 EZ-CODER English to BASIC 99 ECOSOFT FULL ACCOUNTING 355 CAT NOVATION MODEM 169 MEMORY MERCHANT 16K 159 WICAT 68000 16-BIT CALL Which Computers are BEST? FREE INSURED SHIPPING AT LOW RATES CALL FOR LATEST PRICES, DETAILS WE BEAT ADVERTISED PRICES FACTORY GUARANTEES SC|Ucll*6 EXPERT ADVICE American [^] Computers 919-889-4577 KIVETT DR. JAMESTOWN N.C. 27282 919-883-1105 CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 74 Interfacing to S-1 00/IEEE 696 Microcomputers Sol Libes and Mak Garetz This book assists S-1 00 users in expanding the power and utility of their systems. It describes the S-1 00 bus with precision and detail. Various chapters describe its mechanical and functional design, logical and electrical relationships, bus inter- connections and bussing techniques. Both parallel and serial interfacing are described, as well as interfacing the RAM. ROM and the real world. Additional chapters discuss D/A and A/D conversion, interrupts, timers and direct memory access. Order No. 0-931988-37-3 $1 5.00 Video/Computers Charles J. Sippl and Fred Dahl Readers will be off to a head start on the most exciting new idea in home entertainment with this information handbook that shows how to select mix and operate personal computers and home video systems. Order No. 0-1 3-941 849 $7.95 Robot Intelligence David L. Heiserman This book contains a complete review of the history of machine intelligence and basics of robotics, and goes in-depth with thorough explanations of three progressively higher classes of programming response, in a project-oriented format. Alpha-1 BASIC, Alpha-ll, Beta-1 BASIC, Beta-ll, Gamma-1, and Gamma-IIG are well detailed with step- by-step programming tips, flowcharts and illustrations. Screen formats, main programs and all subroutines are provided. Order No. 0-8306-1 1 91 -6 $9.95 Physician’s Primer on Computers Jan F. Brandejs and Graham Pace This guide explains, in nontechnical terms, how doctors practicing in an ambulatory setting can benefit from the use of a modern computer communications network. Step-by-step, the book shows how to handle, via computer, such jobs as scheduling, history-taking, and billing— even how to hook into pharmacies and hospitals. Order No. 0-669-00431-6 $18.50 Home Computers: 2 10 Questions and Answers Volume 2: Software Richard Didday The main purpose of this book is to get you to the point where you can make your own informed decisions about what software products you want and what projects to attempt. Order No. 0-91 8398-01 -0 $9.95 118 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 Computer Games for Business, Schools and Homes J. Victor Nahigian and William S. Hodges Based on the premise that programming a non-trivial computer game represents a formidable design problem, the authors offer 27 computer games with complete printouts listed for use in any introductory course in BASIC. Contains a wide range of games both popular and new with helpful programming notes for each one. Written in 8K of memory BASIC, the games are designed for use on any computer and are easily customized to individual skill levels and systems. Order No. 087626*166-7 $10.95 6502 Games Book Rodnay Zaks This book is designed as an educational text on advanced programming techniques. It presents a comprehensive set of algorithms and programming techniques for common computer games. All the programs are developed for the 6502 at the assembly language level. Order No. 0*89588*022*9 $1 2.95 A -Z Book of Computer Games Thomas C. Me In tire Here are lots of fun-filled, useful programs for anyone who has access to a computer. Filled with colorful game programs ready to be run on any machine that uses BASIC. They’re challenging for kids and adults as well. Order No. 0-8306-1 062*6 $7.95 Take AIM: Volume I James H. Clark This lab and learning manual for the AIM-65 and other 6502 microcomputers is a valuable instruction tool for students and practitioners alike. Intended for hands-on use, it includes computer precautions, programming basics, a glossary, a crossindex of AIM-65 documentation and operating instructions for the 6522VIA keyboard and display. In addition, the manual contains more than 30 fully documented utility and game programs that teach math, data handling, input/output, simulation, programming, etc. Order No. 0-91 6460-29-X $1 6.95 The Computer Tutor: Learning Activities for Homes and Schools Gary W. Orwig and William S. Hodges Now everyone can learn how to use his personal computer with help from this exciting and entertaining collection of educational computer programs. Designed for parents to introduce their children to computing, the entire family will be able to join in the fun of computer play. Using easy-to-learn techniques, parents can experiment with suggestions for modifying and personalizing their own family programs, while kids will sharpen their math and spelling skills, learn the metric system and even get a taste of portfolio management by playing the stock market. Order No. 0-87626-1 47-0 $1 0.95 Using Microcomputers in Business Stanely S. Veit Written by the owner/manager of one of the country’s largest computer stores selling systems to small businesses, this book is an essential background briefing for any purchaser of microcomputer systems or software. In a fast-moving style, without the usual buzz words and technical jargon, Veit answers the most often asked questions. Order No. 0-81 04-51 52-2 $9.95 Microprocessors for Measurement and Control David M. Auslander and Paul Sagues This book is written in the interest of controlling mechanical equipment with a microcomputer. It explores techniques for designing mechanical and process equipment without the prior knowledge of machine or assembly language. The reader is led through case studies, beginning with simple devices and graduates with the complete plans to build prototype systems. Order No. 0-931 988-57-8 $1 5.99 Mostly BASIC: Applications for your Apple II Howard Berendon Here is a book written for owners of an Apple II microcomputer. Each of the 28 chapters contains tested programs ready to enter. This book is divided into six sections. The first deals with real time applications; second— education programs; third— business investments; fourth— home applications; fifth— utilities; and sixth— the unusual. This book contains programs for everyone. Whatever your interest, there are programs to increase your enjoyment and the usefulness of your microcomputer. Order No. 0-672-21789-9 $1 2.95 Computer Games for the TRS-80 J. Victor Nahigian and William S. Hodges Here’s an exciting and challenging collection of computer games with something for everyone. The authors have provided complete programs for a wide variety of highly entertaining games, from the traditional to the new and unusual. Each game is written in 8K TRS-80 BASIC. Complete programming notes, probability tables and amusing illustrations add to the fun and instructional value of this book. Order No. 0-87626-1 42-X $1 0.95 Digital Counter Handbook Louis E. Frenzel , Jr. This book explains how counters work, so the user can understand them and use them more effectively. It explains the general principles in sufficient depth to meet user needs without going into confusing, unnecessary detail. No mathematics beyond the simplest algebra is needed to understand the descriptions. Concepts such as precision of counter specifications, counter accessories and interfaces, high and low-frequency counters, sources of error, and the power ways to make test hookups. Order No. 0-672-21758-9 $1 0.95 Microprocessor Software: Programming Concepts and Techniques Gene A. Streitmatter This book is written for the beginner. It makes no assumptions about previous knowledge of programming. At the beginning of each chapter, there is a partical glossary of terms introduced in that chapter. At the end of each chapter, there are questions and problems that help the reader to understand the material and that cover the main points of the chapter. The book is written in a progressive level approach, with the early chapters being less technical than later chapters. The tools of thinking are presented as they are required by the material. The author has written the text in a linear manner, so that it can be read continuously from front to back. It is desirable that you have a micro- processor available that is programmable at the assembly language level. Order No. 0-8359-4375-5 $1 7.95 32 BASIC Programs for the Apple Computer Tom Rugg and Phil Feldman Chockfull of programs with practical applications, educational uses, games and graphics, this book is designed for the Apple computer. Written by experienced programmers, each of the 32 chapters fully documents a different bug-free program. The programs can also be adapted by making the changes the authors suggest. If you have a good working knowledge of BASIC, you can devise and implement your own program changes. Order No. 0-918398-34-7 $17.95 FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 119 DATA DYNAMICS TECHNOLOGY r ^M CoIIection PET Interfacing James M. Downey and Steven M. Rogers This book gives you a better idea of how specialized interfaces can be built and used with the PET computer. The three types of interfacing that are covered are the user port, the memory expansion port and the IEEE 488 port. Each has a specific use, and each is covered in detail. This is really a how-to-do-it book with many experiments for you to perform to learn more about interfacing the PET computer and about control signals. Order No. 0-672-21795-3 $16.95 Microcomputer Interfacing G. Jack Lipovski This book describes both hardware and software principles of designing micro- computer interfaces. Focusing on the use of large-scale integrated circuits intended for microcomputer interfaces, the author discusses the Motorola M6809 to illustrate these techniques. Order No. 0-669-0361 9-6 $24.95 The Armchair Engineer Hall C. Roland If you are curious about how things work, but don't want to spend hours burrowing through material that is too technical in nature, this book can supply you with simple and understandable explanations on the hows and whys of scientific and technological devices. Originally written as a series of weekly articles for a newspaper, the chapters cover a wide assortment of interesting topics. You’ll enjoy reading about such diverse subjects as fire detectors, camera lens corrections, the 200-mile-per-gallon carburetor and much more. Order No. 0-918398-51-7 $4.95 A Young Person’s Guide to Computers Paul M. Danzer A book on computing for kids? That’s right. This book is for youngsters, eager to get their first glimpse at the world of computing, regardless of age. Order No. 0-939280-00-0 $7.95 6502 Applications Book Rodnay Zaks This book presents real-life application techniques for any 6502-based micro- computer board. It teaches you how to connect the board to the outside world and implement practical applications. Programs range from a complete home alarm system to industrial applications. Order No. 0-89588-01 5-6 $12.95 120 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 Android Design Martin Bradley Weinstein Here’s a comprehensive look at the tools, materials and techniques necessary for designing an android. It examines what an android is, what you can expect it to do and how this will translate into the design requirements. Also included is a look at both usual and unusual hardware and software, and mechanics and mechanisms. The book offers intriguingly sophisticated designs and the opportunity to see them realized. Order No. 0-81 04-51 92-1 $11.95 34 More Tested, Ready-To-Run Game Programs in BASIC Delton T. Horn Discover the fun side of a computer’s personality! Here is a handbook that shows how much entertainment and enjoyment that computer can give you and your family. It’s a complete collection of games, gags, brain teasers and “non-games”. ..even programs that make learning fun. Presented in an easy-to-read-and-understand format with lots of illustrations, flowcharts and listings for every program in both standard BASIC and abbreviated BASIC. Order No. 0-8306-1 228-9 $7.95 Microcomputers for Business Applications William Barden Jr. The author, a microcomputer expert, discusses the many possible benefits that small business owners can enjoy by using microcomputer systems. He explains the various types of microcomputers available, points out pitfalls to avoid, and defines computer-related terms. Order No. 0-672-21 583-7 $9.95 Taming your Computer Jerome Kanter If you’re a business manager who uses computer output or who provides computer input in your day-to-day business, but you’ve never before been directly involved with computers and how they function— this book is for you. This practical handbook gives you the information, in familiar, easy- to-understand business terms that you can use right now to get the most from your computer system, even if you’ve never used a computer before. The book covers every phase of business computer applications. Order No. 01 3-884403-8 $8.95 6502 Software Gourmet Guide and Cookbook Nat Wadsworth You’ll be able to put together programs without having to start from scratch. You’ll have the most useful routines at your command— already programmed and ready- to-use: search and sort routines; general- purpose utility routines; code and numeric conversion routines. The book contains flowcharts and source listings. Special listings include a presentation of machine codes and a reference guide to complete instruction set. All recipes are time tested. Order No. 25010 $12.95 480 microcomputer handbook 16 Bit Microprocessors Christopher A. Titus , Jonathan A. Titus , Alan Baldwin , W.N. Hubin and Leo Scanlon The book begins with a review of basic microprocessor concepts, as it is assumed that you have had some experience in microcomputers. The Intel 8086, Zilog Z8001 and 8002, DEC LSI-1 1, Texas Instruments 9900 and family. Motorola 6800 and National Semiconductor 16000 family are discussed. Benchmarks have been included for each processor, and the appendix contains benchmark specifications. Order No. 0-672-21805-4 $14.95 6809 Microcomputer Programming and Interfacing Andrew C. Staugaard, Jr. This book was written to provide you with a sound understanding of how to program and interface the 6809 microprocessor. The first half of the book discusses the chip structure and basic concepts of the 6809. Addressing modes and registers and data movement instructions are also covered. The next chapter deals with branching and other instructions. Input and output are detailed; interfacing and applications of the 6809 are discussed. Order No. 0-672-21798-8 $14.95 Z-80 Microcomputer Handbook William Barden Jr. This handbook will provide the current Z-80 user and the prospective user with essential information on technology of the 7-80. Organized into three sections, the first section concentrates on hardware; second on software and the third on microcomputers built around the Z-80. Order No. 0-672-21500-4 $11.95 Practical Oscilloscope Handbook, 2nd Edition Howard Bierman , Paul Bierman and Rufus Turner This book is written for the engineer, technician or serious hobbyist as a practical guide to the set-up. display and interpreta- tion of waveforms. It takes you from the basics of oscilloscope operation to the most advanced troubleshooting methods using the latest scopes designs, such as the dual-beam, storage screen and digital types. Written in clear, concise language, the book enables you to master oscilloscope operation and use without becoming bogged down with unnecessary theoretical considerations. The many illustrations define control functions on the front panel, probe hookups, sample circuit connects and typical waveforms. Order No. 0-8104-0851-1 $8.95 r DATA DYNAMICS TECHNOLOGY P.O. Box 1217, Cerritos, CA 90701 Name (Print) Address City State Zip. P lease send me Order # Qty Price Total Order # Qty Price Total Shipping A Handling Charges $2 00 ea U.S., $5 00 ea. Foreign L A TOTAL ORDER $_ •TAX $_ SHIPPING A HANDLING $_ TOTAL ENCLOSED S_ # □ Check or M O (U S. Funds drawn on U S bank) Exp Date. Signature •California residents add 6% sales tax Availability and prices quoted subject to change without notice Please allow 6*8 weeks for delivery. You may photocopy this page if you wish to keep your INTERFACE AGE intact. Orders cannot be shipped unless accompanied by payment, Including shipping A handling and tax where applicable. DATA DYNAMICS TECHNOLOGY. A Division of INTERFACE AGE Magazine (213) 926-9548 J OVER A MILLION DOLLARS AT THE TIP OF YOUR FINGERS In Today’s World, Knowledge and Understanding Pay Off in Big Bucks. The Key is Knowing Where and How to Find the Answers that Solve Problems. Data Dynamics Technology has compiled the world’s first Comprehensive Reference and Guide to over 850 computer books published in the United States. Thorough cross-referencing, in 23 categories, on four readership levels means that you can go to almost any topic in the computer field and find specific books that will provide the tools for your success. How many times have we all said we’d give a million dollars for the solution to a problem if we had only known where to begin? Data Dynamics Technology provides this beginning for only $4.95. An addition to this impressive guide is an optional subscription service that will keep you updated monthly on new computer books published in the United States, as well as a quarterly cross-reference index for quick referencing. Best of all, Data Dynamics Technology carries all books listed in the Reference and Guide, providing a convenient one-stop shopping center for your professional reference needs. Don’t delay — act today and fill out the order form below. □ Please send me a copy of the 1981 Comprehensive Computer Reference and Guide for $4.95. □ Please send me a one year subscription of monthly updates plus quarterly cross-reference indexes for $45.00. CARD NO. SIGNATURE NAME ADDRESS _ CITY □ Check (Must be in (J.S. funds drawn on (J.S. bank) _ EXPIRATION DATE. STATE ZIP. Make check or money order payable to: DATA DYNAMICS TECHNOLOGY, P.O. Box 1217, Dept. 281 .Cerritos, CA, 90701-1217 Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. This offer is valid in the (J.S. only. Add 25% to total for foreign orders. 122 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 TRS-80 INFORMATION SERIES • VOLUME IV BASIC is not nearly as slow as most programmers think it is. BASIC Faster and Better shows you how to super- charge your BASIC, with 300 pages of fast, functions and subroutines. You won't find any trivial ‘check- book-balancing' programs in this book - it's packed with useful programs. Tutorial for the beginner, instruc- tive for the advanced, and invaluable lA'it'is ltosvnfrl<h>r BASH FAST I A! AND BETTER & OTHER MYSTERIES for the professional, this book doesn’t just talk ... it shows how! All of the routines are also available on disk, so that you can save hours of keyboarding and debugging. BASIC Faster & Better and Other Mysteries is $29.95, and the two program disks are $19.95 each. The # 1 disk BFBDEM contains all the demonstration programs, and #2 BFBLIB has all the library functions. DATA DYNAMICS TECHNOLOGY P.O. Box 1217, Cerritos, CA 90701-1217 □ Please send me a copy of BASIC Faster & Better & Other Mysteries for $29.95 plus $2.00 shipping. □ Please send me a program disk #1 BFBDEM at $19.95 plus $1.00 shipping. □ Please send me a program disk #2 BFBLIB at $19.95 plus $1.00 shipping. Name Address City, . State -Zip. Charge My: □ Card number □ Check enclosed Signature VISA txp. Date RED/ FruDLi“75 Desktop computer, System One, was designed for both multi-user and single- user applications, providing substantial room for expansion, so that the machine can be configured to meet individual requirements. It is provided with Cromemco’s powerful Z-80A-based CPU, 64K of RAM memory, a printer interface, and dual quad-capacity 5-in. floppy disk drives. These drives provide 780K of storage capacity. The 8-slot card cage included provides substantial room for expansion. Consequently, it can be easily configured for specific requirements by adding additional memory and I/O cards. The computer includes system diagnostics that enable a quick test of the system to see that the memory, controller, and disk drives are properly functional. It is designed for use with 110/220 volt 50/60 Hz power. Voltage selection is user-selectable by means of convenient push-button switches on the rear panel of the machine. Currently available system software includes Structured Basic, Fortran, Cobol, C, RATFOR and LISP. Price: $3,995. Cromemco, 280 Bernardo Ave., Mountain View, CA 94043, (415) 964-7400. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 220 Wangwriter enhancements include the Wang CP/M release 2.2 operating system; telecommunications capabilities, such as 2780/3780 emulation and TTY (which permits access to on-line data bases); a two-disk version of the current 96K model Wangwriter with a storage capacity of 640,000 characters; a single- and two-disk version of a new 1 28K model Wangwriter; and advanced editing functions, including math, sort, merge, and pagination. In addition, the Wangwriter’s document- handling capability has been extended from 15 to 75 pages of text (available in the U.S. in December of 1981). Currently installed single-diskette Wangwriters can be upgraded to accommodate these new optional features. Price: $200. Wang Laboratories, One Industrial Ave., Lowell, MA 01851, (617) 459-5000. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 221 Business computer, System 10, does everything most small business need from a computer — including word processing, financial modeling, accounting, stock control, data base management and payroll, all with readily available CP/M software. Larger business users can use it for mainframe processing and data entry. The amount of computational power required can be supplied with a high-speed 8-bit microprocessor, the Z80. Data transfer operations within the system are speeded by use of a DMA controller chip, interrupt controller, and interval timer. Its memory consists of 65K of Read/Write RAM and 2K of PROM. It provides from 700K to 5M bytes of disk storage by using double sided, double density, 5!4-in. disk drives and 5 Vi -in. Winchester hard disks. A separate microprocessor handles control of the keyboard and CRT display, allowing great flexibility in managing on-screen data. Features include clear to end of line, addressable cursor and a 38K baud transfer rate. Other features include power-down disk protect, allowing the system to be turned off with the disks in place with no risk of damage; switching power supply for cool, reliable operation. Data Technology Industries, 700 Whitney St., San Leandro, CA 94577, (415) 638-1206. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 222 Laboratory Computer, ISAAC, converts the Apple into a real-time industrial computer system for data acquisition, instrument control, automated testing, and process control functions. Fields of application include chemistry, engineering and life sciences in industry, research and education. The system includes encased input/output hardware, Labsoft extended Basic software, and step-by-step user instruction in self-teaching, tutorial style. The system is complete and requires no prior computer experience. Capabilities, including sampling rates, are competitive with many larger computers costing two to three times more. Detachability of the case from both the Apple and the instrument connection panels allows application flexibility and portability. The Apple can easily be disconnected and moved for separate word processing, accounting and personal uses. The system can also be used for front-end processing to central computer systems. Price is $7,250 complete with Apple II Computer, disk drives and color monitor; or $3,950 if purchased as an add-on to an existing Apple system. Cyborg Corp., 342 Western Ave., Boston, MA 02135, (61 7) 782-9820. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 223 Multi-user computer, System 12B, contains 328K of memory and supports four simultaneous users. The system employs a 1 0 Mbyte fixed/removable hard disk drive with the capability of supporting a total of several hundred Mbytes of online disk storage. The system employs the Multi-user SDOS operating system and runs the complete library of MSI business software modules, which include: inventory control, bills of material, sales order entry, accounts receivable, purchase order entry, accounts payable, payroll and a completely integrated general ledger package. These systems start with a 64K computer priced at $2495. Midwest Scientific Instruments, 220 W. Cedar, Olathe, KS 66061, (913) 764-3273. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 224 16-blt system, Wicat 150, includes an MC68000, 16-bit processor, memory, CRT, storage and storage back-up all In a single desk-top unit that weighs 50 lbs. It measures just 16 in. high, 19 in. wide and 16Vfe in. deep. Executing approximately one million instructions per second, the processor runs at 8MHz. Although this processor has a 16-bit external data path, internally it has 32 bit registers and supports 32 bit operations. Main memory ranges from 256K bytes to 1 .'5M bytes and standard mass storage includes a lOM-byte Winchester disk drive and a 960K-byte 5 Vi -in. floppy disk drive for back-up purposes. The versatile model can be configured with storage options using two 160K-byte or 960K-byte 5 Vi -in. floppies, or as an intelligent terminal without mass storage. In addition to graphics capabilities, hardware options include videodisk interface and battery back-up. The system supports two RS-232C serial interfaces and a 1 6-bit parallel interface. The nine programming languages 124 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 supported are Pascal, C, APL, ADA, Cobol, Fortran, LISP, WBasic and Assembler. Prices start at $4,000. Wicat Systems, 1875 S. State St., Orem, UT 84057, (801) 224-6400. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 225 Desktop computer, the MTU-130, incorporates a 256K byte address space, 480 by 256 hi-resolution graphics, up to four Mbytes storage on floppy disk, and special anti-piracy hardware to allow vendors to protect software. The computer enclosure features a keyboard with 96 keys, including full numeric keypad, cursor keys, and 10 programmable function keys plus a fiber-optic light pen. Inside the cocoa-brown case is an expansion card cage with slots for four large expansion boards in addition to the single-board computer, a power supply, fan, and a one- watt audio amplifier and 5-in. by 3-in. speaker. Rear connectors are provided for the RS-232 and two parallel 1-0 ports as well as switched AC outlets. Separate packages house the hi-resolution green- phosphor CRT and 8-in. disk drives. Extensive software is included with the system, including CODOS, an advanced disk operating system with UNIX-style files and device-independent input-output. Microsoft Basic has been enhanced to allow programs to specify libraries of additional commands appropriate to the application. Standard libraries supplied include graphics commands and operating system interface commands. The system’s 80 character, 25 line display is used to maximum effectiveness by the standard full screen editor, which can rapidly edit files of any size up to a full disk. Also included is a four-voice music package, which uses the system’s standard 8-bit digital to analog converter and filter to produce high- quality music. Many other programs are included, ranging from a fast disk-backup utility to a terminal emulator for RS-232 communications with other computers. Micro Technology Unlimited, Box 12106, 2806 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC 27605, (919) 833-1458. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 226 Desk-top microcomputer, Model XP/4, has a 20M-byte Honeywell Bull hard disk drive, featuring a lOM-byte removable cartridge and a lOM-byte fixed platter. This system, which has hard disk storage only (no floppies)— is intended for applications that require high capacity, fast access storage with easy backup capabilities. Standard XP/4 features include: Z-80 microprocessor, 64K of RAM (standard), a 24 line by 80 character CRT with anti-glare amber screen, serial communications channel and a Centronics-compatible parallel printer interface, all packaged in a white hammertone finish cabinet. The hard disk drive is packaged in a separate matching cabinet. System options include a selection of dot matrix or daisy wheel printers. The system is supported by the CP/M Operating System, with Microsoft Basic (Interpreter and Compiler), Fortran and Cobol available, as well as the Wordstar word processing system. Prices start at $15,250. Commercial Computer, Box 39355, Solon, OH 44139, (216) 248-8131. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 227 Fully Integrated computer system, model 48 IEEE-488 bus controller, has at its heart a 4-layer, single-board GPIB controller that features two independent GPIB ports, each with a bus transfer rate in excess of 1 4K bytes/sec. The controller also includes an RS-232 serial port and two parallel data ports. The model features a built-in 12-in. CRT with a full 80-by-24 V.I.P.’s Call A.E.I. V.I.P's call A.E.I. because A.E.I. tests before shipping, has expertise on all items offered, and is price competitive. TELEVIDEO COMPUTER List Sell TS-800 User Station 1795 1450 TS-801 Computer 3295 2650 TS-802 Comput/Terminal 3495 2796 TS-802H Comput/Termin. 6995 5596 TS806 Multi User Proc. 7195 5749 TELEVIDEO TERMINALS List Sell 910 Terminal 699 575 912 Terminal 925 659 920 Terminal 995 725 925 Terminal 995 750 950 Terminal 1195 900 NEC PRINTERS NORTHSTAR HORIZON PRODUCTS List Sell HRZ2Q-64K 4495 3149 HRZ-2Q-64K-HD5 6695 4999 HRZ-2Q-64K-HD18 9270 6749 NorthStar Is discontinuing many of their horizon products. Call for availability and price of any product not listed. □a NORTHSTAR SOFTWARE List Sell Northword D/Q 399 295 Mailmanager D/Q 299 235 Infomanager D IQ 499 365 General Ledger D/Q 599 475 A/R D/Q 599 475 A/P D/Q 599 475 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS PRINTERS NORTHSTAR ADVANTAGE COMPUTER List Sell ADV-2Q-64K 3995 CALL S10 Board 175 CALL P10 Board 200 CALL FPB Board 399 CALL Graphics Option 299 CALL MODEMS List Sell Cat Modem 189 140 D-Cat 199 150 Auto-Cat 249 190 Apple-Cat 389 310 DC Hayes Micro-100 379 330 DC Hayes Smart Modem 279 240 EPSON PRINTERS MORROW DECISION COMPUTER List Sell Decision 1 BASIC 1725 1350 Decision 2 CALL CALL 65 K Static Ram 1000 780 Switchboard I/O 259 210 Select drives from Mottow disc systems for desired configuration. MORROW DISC SYSTEMS List Sell Discus 2D 1 Drive 1095 849 Discus 2D 2 Drive 1875 1389 Discus 2 -i- 2 1 Drive 1395 1075 Discus 2 + 2 2 Drive 2495 1859 M26 Hard Disc 4495 3395 CP/M & Microsoft Basic Included LINE PRINTERS SYSTEMS GROUP List 2800 Computer 5035 DM-6400 Memory 760 DMB-6400 Memory 995 CPC-2813 CPU + 1/0 460 FDC-2801 Controller 465 Sell 3595 735 365 370 5HIV MICROPRO SOFTWARE Wordstar Apple Wordstar Spellstar Mailmerge Datastar Supersort List Sell 495 330 375 275 250 190 150 100 350 250 250 190 DISC-CABLES List Sell 3510-1 30CPS Serial 2450 2050 7710-1 55CPS Serial CALL CALL 7720-1 KSR Serial CALL CALL 5510-1 55CPS Serial 3055 2495 5520-1 KSR Serial 3415 2895 TI-810 BASIC TI-810 Full ASCII TI-810 Package TI-820 R/O BASIC TI-820 KSR Package List Sell 1645 1398 1745 1479 1945 1649 1995 1625 2395 1950 List Sell MX-80 645 CALL MX-80 FT 745 CALL MX-100 995 CALL Call for pricing on interfaces and cables Okidata 82A Okidata 83A Anadex 9500 Anadex 9501 List Sell 719 550 1195 899 1650 1285 1650 1285 List Sell Memorex 5" ID 47 27 Memorex 5" 2D 55 36 Memorex 8" ID 65 40 Memorex 8" 2D 70 50 RS-235 5 Cable 30 20 RS-232 10' Cable 40 25 —SEE THESE PRODUCTS AND MORE IN OUR SHOWROOM- PRICES CHANGE DAILY— CALL OR VISIT FOR CURRENT PRICING AUTOMATED EQUIPMENT, INC. 18430 WARD STREET, FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA 92708 (714) 963-1414 (800) 854-7635 FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 7 INTERFACE AGE 125 THE ONLY NAME YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR KEYED FILE ACCESSING IS MICRO B+™ Since 1979, MICRO B + has delivered: • PERFORMANCE: search an in- dex of over 10,000 key values in less than one second on a floppy. • CONVENIENCE: no need to re- organize index files. • SUPPORT: our bug-free code is backed by the best programmer support in the industry; just call us to see. • innovation: theistand most complete implementation of B- Tree index structures for micros. • DOCUMENTATION that you can read. AND NOW FairCom has added • MULTI-USER support under MP/M for MICRO B+. IF YOU PROGRAM IN: MICROSOFT’S BASIC, COBOL, or FORTRAN DIGITAL’S PL/l-80 CBASIC-2 PASCAL/MT+ WE’VE COT WHAT YOU NEED for $260. Manual alone $20. Ship- ping $4 North America, $8 else- where. LANGUAGE C VERSION OF OUR B-TREE ALGORITHM IS AVAILABLE FOR $2600. FairCom © 1980 FairCom 2606 Johnson Drive Columbia, MO 65201 (314) 445-3304 WE ACCEPT VISA & MASTERCHARGE MP/M & PL/l-80 are trademarks of Digital Research. cbasiC is a trademark of compiler Systems, Inc. PASCAL /MT+ is a trademark of MT Micro Systems. J character display. The monitor, which has scrolling capability, features a 25th line for displaying system status as well as the time and date. A standard Qwerty keyboard is used for manual entry of data. Up to 132 columns of hard copy are provided by an optional impact dot-matrix printer. The system contains 64K bytes of internal memory. An additional 350K bytes of mass storage capacity is supplied by a 5 14 -in. floppy disk drive. An optional second drive can increase storage capacity to 700K bytes. The model 48, which contains Z80 and 8085 microprocessors, is supplied with the industry-standard CP/M operating system. In addition, text editor, assembler and debug software are provided. Although 1 6-digit math precision is standard with the unit, an extended math option is available. The math in GPIBASIC includes the four fundamental arithmetic operations plus logarithms, exponentiation and other sophisticated functions. The extended math option greatly increases the speed of operation. Price: $5,500. Systel Computers, 538 Oakmead Parkway, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, (408) 746-2901. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 228 488 or RS232C. Alphacom, Inc., 2323 S. Bascom Ave., Campbell, CA 95008. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 229 Printer with drafting capability has been added to the MX series. Standard features of the Epson MX-82 F/T include wide variation of printing widths and character sizes, top of form, skip-over Daisy printer, Alphacom DP 2000, features include: proprietary, long life 100-character print wheel, which offers a greater variety of special symbols not available on standard 96-character versions and allows for use with several languages without time consuming print wheel changes; four major print modes, including normal, automatic underlining, boldface, boldface underlined and many others. The DP 2000 with standard parallel interface is priced at $1 ,695 and $1 ,795, with IEEE perforation, programmable line and form feed length, vertical and horizontal tabs and three-way paper handling. Additional features include plotter printing, text and graphics printing, “throw away” print head, bidirectional print with logic-seeking, error buzzer, out-of-paper detector, self-test and eight international character sets. Epson Shinshu Seiki, 80 Hirooka, Shiojiri-shi, Nagano, 399-07, Japan. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 230 Printer modification, TXP 136, turns the standard Texas Instruments 743 or 745 Into a 136-column data terminal. The unit allows the normal 80-column Silent 700 terminals to print 136 columns by a simple replacement of the socketed micro- processor with a small printed circuit board, and changing the motor pulley and cable. The modification has been approved by Texas Instruments for installation in Tl 743 or 745 data terminals without affecting the warranty of the Silent 700 terminal. TXP 136 is available from Texprint in tested kit form at $375 or installed In your Tl 743 or 745 at $495 or from Tl terminal distributors nationwide. Texprint, 8 Blanchard Rd., Burlington, MA 01803, (617) 273-3384. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 231 Personal computer printer for the Vic 20 can print any of the alphabetic, numeric and graphic symbols common to the Vic 20 and Is a dot matrix printer with a speed of 30 characters-per-second. The Vic 1515 allows the computer user to create copy on paper for forms, program listings, mailing labels, charts, graphs and more. Special enhancements also allow the printer to print extra-wide and reversed (negative) characters. Price: $395. Commodore Business Machines, 681 Moore Rd., King of Prussia, PA 19406, (215) 337-7100. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 232 PROM/ROM expansion board, BLC-464, is compatible with systems using up to 24 address lines, and can accomodate both 8-bit and 1 6-bit data paths, and a total of 126 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 16 PROM/ROM devices including the (IK by 8) 2758, (2K by 8) 2716/2316, (4K by 8) 2732/2332, and the (8K by 8) 2764/ 37000. The board is a plug replacement for SBC-464, but provides twice as much memory storage. It can also plug directly into any Multibus-compatible card cage, such as the BLC-604/614 system unit, via a standard 86-contact connector. Four address lines on a P2 connector are used for the auxiliary address lines necessary in larger systems. The BLC-464 user can select memory size, memory organization, base addresses, and board access time (minimum access time ranges from 35nS to 1435nS) with on-board DIP switches, option blocks, and Berg jumpers. The board address is assignable anywhere within 16M-byte memory. Price: $570. National Semiconductor, 2900 Semiconductor Dr., Santa Clara, CA 95051, (408) 737-5000. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 233 Dynamic RAM boards, provide up to eight times more memory than previous boards. The memory expansion boards range in size from 16K bytes to 51 2K bytes and are compatible with 8-bit and/or 16-bit single-board computers. All the boards offer on-board parity with the exception of the 16K-byte board. In addition, all are upward compatible with existing Multibus RAM boards. Based on 64K and 16K RAM chips, the memory expansion boards offer a combination of larger memory size and lower prices. The series includes first high-density 128K-, 256K- and 512K-byte boards for Multibus systems, giving designers the opportunity to use two, four, or eight times more memory on a single board than was previously possible with RAM expansion boards. The new 32K-through-512K-byte boards generate byte-oriented parity during all write operations and perform parity checking during all read operations. When a parity error is detected, these boards can generate an interrupt on the Multibus interface. Information on the row and bank of the RAM array containing the error is stored in a parity flag register, which is accessible as a Multibus I/O port. An on-board LED also provides a visual indication that a parity error has occurred. Prices: iSBC 01 6A board (16K): $705; iSBC 032A board (32K with parity): $955; iSBC 064 board (64K): $1,150; iSBC 064A board (64K with parity): $1,310; iSBC 028A board (128K with parity): $1,810; iSBC 056A board (256K with parity): $3,195; iSBC 01 2B board (51 2K with parity): $3,995. Intel Corp., 5200 N.E. Elam Young Parkway, Hillsboro, OR 97123, (503) 640-7147. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 234 Single-board microcomputer, MLZ-92A, features: Z-80A CPU; DMA controller; Memory mapping RAM; I/O mapping RAM; double-density floppy disk drive controller; 64K write protectable on-card RAM - with parity; sockets for up to 16K bytes EPROM; 20 bit bi-directional Multibus interface (Multimaster or slave mode); APU on-card; Four counter/timers; Winchester interface; Streamer tape interface; two serial ports with RS232 or RS422 interface; two serial ports with RS232 for a total of 4 serial ports; option DIP switches and LEDs; SOFTWARE ‘'new prices >NEW SOFTWARE 7 For The Small Computer System ACCOUNTING? GENERAL LEDGER /IMS $540 $40 1,7 ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE (B F) , IMS 540 40 1,7 ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE (01) /IMS 540 40 1,7 ACCOUNTS PAYABLE /IMS 540 40 1,7 PAYROLL /IMS 540 40 1.7 JOB ACCOUNTING /IMS 540 40 1,7 FUND ACCOUNTING /IMS 540 40 1,7 CASH RECEIPT DISBURSEMENT IMS 200 40 1,7 DEPRECIATION SCHEDULE IMS 100 40 1,7 GENERAL BUSINESS SYSTEMS MFG. INVENTORY CONTROL IMS $600 $75 1,7 WHOLESALE/RETAIL DISTRIBUTION IMS 600 75 1,7 MEDICALDENTAI. SYSTEM IMS 600 75 1,7 STUDENT RECORDS/SCHEDULING IMS 540 50 1.7 PROPERTY MANAGEMENT ASC 1095 75 1.7,12 PROPERTY MANAGEMENT A-T 640 50 1.7 PROPERTY ANALYSIS SYSTEM A-T 245 50 1,7 INSURANCE AGENCY SYSTEM Univar 940 75 1.7,9 MONEY MAESTRO-HOME BANKING InnoSys 190 25 1 WIREMASTER . Afterthought Eng. 140 25 2,17 MODELING, PLANNING & ANALYSIS MINI MODEL’- Financial Plan Assoc $490 $60 1.7 STATPAK Northwest Analytical 490 50 1.8 SHORTAX Syntax 490 40 2,5,8 MICROSTAT Ecosoft 290 25 15 SUPERCALC’- Sordm 285 — 1.6 CALCSTAR Micro-Pro 250 60 5 muSIMP muMATH Microsoft 245 30 2.5 WORKSHEET SoHo Group 200 30 1,9,7 or 8 TARGET’ 1 * PLANNER AMS 195 50 4.5 FORECASTER Software Establishment 145 45 2, 5.7.9 TIME, BILLING & SCHEDULING LEGAL TIME ACCOUNTING Univar $945 $60 1,7,9 LEGAL BILLING & TIMEKEEPING Microcraft 650 60 1,7,9 PROFESSIONAL TIME ACCOUNTING Asyst 590 40 1.7,9 CLIENT BILLING Serendipity 590 40 1,4, 7.9 DATE BOOK II*- . Organic Software 290 40 1,9 MILESTONE’- . Organic Software 290 40 1 LANGUAGES »iAPL Softronics $345 $50 2.5 BASIC COMPILER Microsoft 350 - 2.5 BASIC -80 Microsoft 325 - 2.5 S- BASIC’- Topaz 290 35 2 CBASIC-2^ . . Digital Research 120 20 5 CB80’“ . . Digital Research 490 35 5 CBASIC 86“ . . Digital Research 325 35 TINY C -II . Tiny C Assoc. 245 50 2,5,13 TINY C .... Tiny C Assoc. 100 50 2,5,13 C-COMPILER Supersoft 195 25 2,5 COBOL -80 Microsoft 690 - 2.5 NEVADA COBOL Ellis 140 25 2,5 FORTH Supersoft 195 30 2,5.12 FORTH (Z80) Lab. Microsystems 45 25 2,6 FORTRAN -80 Microsoft 430 - 2,5 FORTRAN IV Suoersoft 245 30 2,5,17 RATF0R Supersoft 95 - 13 muUSP muSTAR-80 Microsoft 200 - 2,5 TINY PASCAL Supersoft 80 15 2,5 PASCAL Z Ithaca 390 40 3,17 PASCAL MT + ** . MT Microsystems 485 30 3,6 PASCAL M’- Sorcim 220 30 3,12 PL/1 • 80’’- . . Digital Research 490 50 2.6 MAILING LIST POSTMASTER Teratek $145 $25 2,5.7 MAIL - MERGE’- FOR WORDSTAR Micropro 130 30 5.7 NAD Structured Systems Group 110 25 2,5,9,19 SUPER - M - LIST Supersoft 100 25 2 TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASCOM DMA $170 $25 9 TERM Supersoft 145 25 2,13 COMPAC “ Far North Systems 100 20 5 COMMX Hawkeye 70 25 9,18 ENTERTAINMENT NEMESIS Supersoft $40 $15 2,5,10 ANALIZA II Supersoft 50 - 2.6,7 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ORDER INFORMATION • CALL TOLL FREE 800 538-3160 • CALIF (406) 996*8560 • OVERSEAS AND C.O.D.-ADD $10 - SHIPPING'HANDLING • SHIPPING/HANDUNG— ADD $2.50 PER ITEM • CALIF. RESIDENTS— ADD 6-1/2% SALES TAX • PAYMENT— PREPAY, CHECK. MONEY ORDER. UPS C.O.D. • ALL ITEMS SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY • ALL PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE • ALL ORDERS SHIPPED UPS, FO B. SAN JOSE • MOST DISK FORMATS AVAILABLE • MANUAL ORDERS WILL BE APPLIED TO SOFTWARE PURCHASES WITHIN 90 DAYS • THE SALE OF EACH SOFTWARE CONVEYS A LICENSE FOR USE ON ONE SYSTEM ONLY * * * DISCOUNTS * * * •K- • IMS CHECKED (/) ITEMS— BUY TWO ¥r CHOOSE A THIRD ONE FREE w • CHOOSE 1 BOOK LISTED FOR EACH ITEM ORDERED OVER $200 WORD/TEXT PROCESSING SPELLBINDER’- Lexisoft $490 BENCHMARK*- Metasoft 480 WORDSTAR’- MicroPro SPELLGUARD’- ISA SPELLSTAR Micropro MINCE Unicom SCRIBBLE Unicom WORDMASTER Micro-Pro TEXTWRITER IP* Organic Software TEX Digital Research DATA/FILE MANAGEMENT FMS-80 System Plus $975 CONDOR - II Condor Computer ACCESS/80 . . Friends Software dBASEII AshtonTate PEARL 3 Computer Pathways SELECTOR V Micro-Ap T.I.M Innovative Software DATASTAR “ Micropro SELECTOR IV’* Micro-Ap MICRO B+ Fair Com ANALYST Structured Systems Group BT-80’- Digital Research FABS Computer Control WHATSIT?’- Computer Headware SOFTWARE DEV TOOLS/UTILITIES ZSID Digital Research $100 MAC Digital Research 90 SID Digital Research 75 DESPOOL Digital Research XLT86’- Digital Research MACRO - 80 Microsoft EDIT -80 Microsoft IBM2CPM Precision Comp. System VEDIT CompuView Products DISK DOCTOR Supersoft DIAGNOSTIC II Supersoft FILE INDEX Fisher SORTING SUPERSORT I s * Micropro ULTRASORT II ^ Computer Control QSORT Structured Systems Group CP/M 50 150 195 110 100 125 95 95 25 $220 150 95 $50 2,5,9.14 - 2,6 60 5,9,10 25 2,5.14 30 5,14 30 2,5,10 30 3,5,10 40 5,10 40 2,5,14 20 5 $60 1.9 50 1 50 3,5 50 1.9 50 2,7,19 50 1,3,10 30 1,15 60 5,10 50 1,3,7,10 30 3,16 25 1,7,9 30 6 25 30 2,5,7 $25 5 25 5 25 5 - 5 15 - 2,5 - 2,5 - 2,5 25 2,5 20 2 25 2 $60 5 25 7 25 2,5 CP/M 2— TRS 80 MODEL IH P&T $185 $40 CP/M -TRS 80 MODEL III Far North Systems 250 40 2,11 CP/M Z80 APPLE SOFTCARD . Microsoft 335 - 2 BOOKS CP W HANDBOOK Sybex $14.95 CP/M USERS GUIDE Osborne 12.99 CP/M PRIMER Sams 11.95 HOW TO GET STARTED WITH CP/M Dilithium 9.95 USING CP/M -SELF TEACHING Wiley 9.95 CP/M SUMMARY GUIDE Rainbow 6.95 MICROSOFT BASIC Dilithium 12.95 FIFTY BASIC EXERCISES Sybex 12.95 BASIC PRIMER Sams 10.95 BASIC BUSINESS SOFTWARE Sams 9.95 MICROSOFT FORTRAN Dilithium 15.95 PASCAL PRIMER Sams 16.95 PASCAL HANDBOOK Sybex 14.95 PASCAL USERS MANUAL AND REPORT JensonWifth 14.95 INTRO TO PASCAL Sybex 14.95 PROGRAMMING THE Z80 Sybex 14.95 YOUR FIRST COMPUTER Sybex 795 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS— All software requires a CP/M operating system as well as indicated requirements listed below: 1 RECOMMENDED SYSTEM- CP/M 14 OR HIGHER, 48K MEMORY, 200K DUAL DISKS. 24 x 80 CURSOR ADDRESSABLE TERMINAL, 132 COLUMN PRINTER 2. 48K MEMORY OR HIGHER 3. 56K MEMORY OR HIGHER 4. 64K MEMORY OR HIGHER 5. CP/M 14 OR HIGHER 6. CP/M 2.0 OR HIGHER 7. C BASIC-2 8. BASIC-80 (MBASIC) 4.51 9 SIGNED LICENSE RE- QUIRED BEFORE SHIP- MENT 10. CURSOR ADDRESSABLE TERMNAL 1 1 REQUIRES NO HARDWARE MODS 12. SPECIFY Z80, 8080, OR CDOS 13. SUPPLIED IN SOURCE CODE 14 COMPATIBLE WORD TEXT PROCESSOR 15 BASIC-80 (MBASIC) 5.0 OR HIGHER 16 MUST SPECIFY HOST APPLICA- TION LANGUAGE 17 REQUIRES Z80 CPU 18 PRICE INCLUDES TWO CON- FIGURATIONS 19 MAY REQUIRE ULTRASORT OR QSORT CP/M IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF DIGITAL RESEARCH Z80 IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ZILOG INC TRS 80 MODEL II IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF TANDY CORP » DESIGNATES NAME IS TRADEMARKED BY MFG CORNERSTONE SOFTWARE PO BOX 51 51 • SAN JOSE, CA 951 50 TOLL FREE 800 538-3160 CALIF (408) 996-8560 DEALER INQUIRES INVITED COPYRIGHT © 1981 CORNERSTONE SOFTWARE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED FEBRUARY 1982 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 76 INTERFACE AGE 127 Both I/O devices and memory accessible from off-card; and Centronics compatible parallel port. Heurikon Corp., 3001 Latham Dr., Madison, Wl 53713, (800) 356-9602. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 235 Programming/design subsystem, the IDC-8, is compatible with other computers driven by the 8088, including IBM’s personal computer. The IDC-8 is fully assembled and tested, and includes a 5MHz 8088 microprocessor, monitor software in an 8755 I/O ROM, IK of Static RAM, 256 bytes of I/O RAM, and an 8251 -based CRT interface. The I/O ROM and I/O RAM have total of 38 parallel I/O lines. The unit requires 5 volts at 1 amp, and communicates to the user via an RS232 terminal. The IDC-8 also contains over 1 8 square inches of wire-wrap area for special design applications, card expansions, the addition of peripheral support circuitry, and the addition of CPU memory. Price: $399. Intelligent Devices Corp., One Cameron PI., Wellesley, MA 02181, (617) 237-7327. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 236 Dynamic memory module, 2066, supplies 65,536 bytes of 2114-type dynamic RAM to a wide range of Z80 and 8080 CPU- based systems, as well as Cromemco Cromix, Cromix DMA, and Alpha Micro systems. The module supports both DMA and non-DMA applications with fast, 200 nS access time. Noise immunity and minimal bus load hysteresis circuitry insure performance and system integrity. Features include phantom overlay capability in both hard and soft modes, and on-board refresh using non-interfering refresh control logic. The complete memory bank is refreshed every two mS to maintain data integrity. Price: $995. California Computer Systems, 250 Caribbean Dr., Sunnyvale, CA 94086, (408) 734-581 1 . CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 237 16-bit parallel multipliers, the Am29516 and Am29517, utilize an unclocked combinatorial array to produce a 32-bit product in no more than 80 nS over the full military temperature range. Am29516, a plug-in replacement for TRW’s MPY16HJ, is 2.5 times as fast. Am29517, a proprietary device, is optimized for microprogrammed system applications and differs from the Am2951 6 in that the ’517 has one system clock and three register clocks, while the ’516 has separate clocks for each of its two inputs and two output registers. A single-clock approach eliminates the problem of clock delay and skew, which result from external clock gating. Both devices feature internal ECL circuitry for high speed. In addition, the parts have TTL-compatible I/O ports for maximum interface flexibility. Only a single 5V power source is required for operation. A unique feature of the multipliers is the multiplexing of the least significant half of the product through the product output port. This allows the user to obtain a full 32-bit product (comprised of both the least and most significant halves) at a single output port. This feature is particularly advan- tageous for use in expansion schemes where a large multiplier array is being designed to handle long word-width multiplications. Price: $157 each in 100 piece quantities. Advanced Micro Devices, 901 Thompson PI., Sunnyvale, CA 94086, 732-2400. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 238 General purpose accounting system provides integrated, on-line processing for sales orders, purchase orders, inventory control, general ledger, accounts receivable and accounts payable. Its multiuser features include support of multiple printers, user password security, multiuser access to common data bases, menu-driven utilities for system backup and restore and support of mixed brand video terminals. Multiuser Business Manager also includes a built-in training system, menu help options and a facility for converting existing single-user business manager systems to the new multiuser version. It Is developed for the MP/M environment. Dynabyte, 115 Independence Dr., Menlo Park, CA 94025, (415) 329-8021. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 239 Financial accounting package, The Boss, combines general ledger, accounts payable and accounts receivable on a single program. The software provides the simplest procedures to date for entering data, posting transactions and generating reports with a microcomputer. Designed for easy use by accounting professionals and business managers, it also produces a multitude of financial reports, such as loan payment calculations ana rmanciai ratio analysis. The program runs under the CP/M operating system. Price: $2,495, including the program disk and instruction manual. Lifeboat Assoc., 1651 Third Ave., New York, NY 10028, (212) 860-0300. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 240 Word processing package, CT*OS version 4, is available to run under a variety of operating systems, including its own operating system for single terminal use, RSTS/E, RSX-1 1 M and VAX/VMS; thus allowing it to operate in the full range of DEC LSI-1 1 , PDP-1 1 and VAX systems. Written entirely in Macro-1 1 machine language for efficiency of memory usage and processing speed, the package presents a minimal overhead load for simultaneous WP/DP operations, both in single and multiple station (up to 90) configurations. For example, a single station system requires 56K bytes of memory. Both DEC VT-52 and VT-100 intelligent terminals as well as a wide range of letter and draft quality printers: Diablo, NEC, Qume, Sanders and DEC are supported. German, French and Dutch language versions are available. Prices: standalone, $2,200 (single CPU license), with RSTS/E and RSX-1 1 M versions at $3,600, and VAX available for $4,200. Compu-Tome, 234 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101, (213) 960-2895. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 241 Statistical package consists of five programs that perform descriptive statistics, and single and multiple variable regression. Features include analysis of variance with unequal sample sizes, unprecedented flexibility in formatting post hoc and planned comparison analysis, and computation of percentile ranks of F ratio statistics. The Multiple Linear Regression program allows for testing of significance of Beta weights, gives regression statistics for any subcorrelation matrix, finds the significance of adding variables to the regression, and 128 INTERFACE AGE FEBRUARY 1982 calculates a predicted Y value for input X values, complete with confidence limits and percentile ranks for the F ratio. All the programs allow for easy input, output, and editing of data and are written for TRS-80 models I and III. Price: $39.95. Bruce P. Douglass, 20 Willow, Vermillion, SD 57069. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 242 Filing program, VisiFile, increases the usefulness of a personal computer for keeping business records. The program’s flexibility allows many different applications —inventory, client lists and records, sales information, medical records and other word or numerical data— to be stored, sorted and printed in a variety of formats. The FlexFormat feature makes it easy to change, rearange and add unforeseen information to records, or combine business records into new files. This means that record keeping can adapt quickly as business information needs change. For example, the change from a five-digit to nine-digit zip code could be handled without rekeying al the data. Users may also create a “partial file definition” for fast data entry of specific portions of records. VisiFile is controlled by a “moving cursor menu” with prompting. Information entry is simple and allows the user to custom design a “form-like” format on screen for input. Machine language sorting routines and multiple keyed-field indexes assure information retrieval within three seconds. VisiFile runs on the Apple II (with language card or Applesoft Basic card) and Apple II Plus personal computers with 48K minimum memory and one disk drive; two disk drives and a printer are recommended. Price: $250. Personal Software, 1330 Bordeaux Dr., Sunnyvale, CA 94086, (408) 745-7841 . CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 243 Restaurant payroll system is available for the TRS-80 models II and III, and for all CP/M microcomputers with addressable cursors, 80 by 24 screens, and 64K RAM Features include: completely menu driven with extensive prompting for input; extensive input editing and validation checking to eliminate software crashes; accommodation for up to 250 active and 250 inactive employees; sick pay; bonus pay; input and worksheet reconciliation eliminates errors before paychecks are printed; and all employee data Is easily modified at any time. Computant, Inc., 34 Lamplighter Dr., Manchester, CT 06040, (203) 646-0408. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 244 Financial modeling software has virtual matrix capability. An expanded work area of 32,000 cells is available to accommodate the largest modeling tasks. That is equivalent to a 10-column model with 3200 rows or any other multiple of rows and columns that equals 32,000. Micro-DSS/ Finance has all the power of large time- sharing systems. It runs on the Apple II with 64K and Pascal. Price: $1,500. Ferox Microsystems, 1701 N. Ft. Myer Dr., Suite 611, Arlington, VA 22209. (703) 841-0800 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 245 Tax aid program, Tax/Saver features: optional text. It offers help for novices and speed for professionals, special screen formatting for easy data input, printout to video screen plus two types of printout to lineprinter, and full disk storage (with optional password protection) of data files. It compares all possible filing statuses in one run; compares itemized deductions to national averages; automatically computes certain limitations— for example, on medical deductions and contributions; checks for excess FICA; helps determine dependents. The program was developed for TRS-80 models I and III with 32K and two disk drives. Micromatic Programming Co., Box 158, Georgetown, CT 06829, (203) 544-8777. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 246 Medical management system, Medicado, consists of a Cado 20/20 office information system programmed specifically for medical practices. It includes an appointment booking system, a patient information inquiry system, an automated procedures system, an automated patient recall system, and a financial reporting system. Each patient’s file is maintained on the system, including up-to-date information on medication, treatment history, account status and next appointment date. Office personnel have immediate access to that information. Cado Systems Corp., 2771 Toledo St., Torrance, CA 90503, (213) 320-9660. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 247 Word processing program, Writemaster, incorporates a completely novel command structure that approximates the flow of natural language. It provides commands and single key stroke functions that ease document creation. The program is capable of mail merging, index generation and many powerful text formatting functions. Additional features include: a complete menu system available in context by a single keystroke, a single keystroke user HELP command; automatic command input spelling correction; numerous single keystroke commands; complete file maintenance from within the program, and an emphasis on simplicity of operation at all levels. The package is available on 5 in. diskette (model #WRMR-S) or 8 in. diskette (model #WRMR-L). Price: $595. Cromemco, 280 Bernardo Ave., Mountain View, CA 94043, (415) 964-7400. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 248 Real estate office management package is designed to provide accounting and management information for brokerage firms. It includes a general ledger that provides profit and loss statements, balance sheets, trial balances and transaction registers. The software allows users to generate profit and loss statements for multiple profit centers, divisions and offices. The package is designed to operate on any CP/M, MP/M or CP/Net system. Price: $350, including one year maintenance. REI, 221 North Lois, La Habra, CA 90631, (213) 947-2762. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 249 Text proofreader, Disc-tjonary, for CP/M systems can check a 30-page document for errors in less than two minutes. Each unrecognized word can be added, rejected, ignored, with a single key-stroke. After proofreading, the program leaves files containing the original unmarked text (BAK file), the marked text, and an alphabetized list of misspellings. Many options including automatic suffix removal are available. All functions are performed by a single menu- driven program for ease of use. CP/M, 8-in. drive(s) and 32K RAM are required. Price: $79. Stellarsoft Corp., 841 Blanchette Dr., East Lansing, Ml 48823, (517) 332-2459. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 250 Multi-user operating system delivers to the 8080/Z80 system user a full multi-user capability without the need for user patching or configuration. Multl/OS is designed to service up to sixteen simultaneous users, any of whom may run with a physical terminal or as a background job. It will support both floppy and hard disks with a shared data base of up to 975,000,000 bytes of on-line data. Each logical unit may be as large as 65M bytes, and the system will support multiple disk controllers without custom programming. Because of the huge amount of on-line data that can be accessed at one time, the system has an expanded directory capability that allows a virtually unlimited number of files. InfoSoft Systems, 25 Sylvan Rd. S., Westport, CT 06880, (203) 226-8937. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 251 Basic language compiler for the TRS-80 models I and III is a business-oriented Basic language intended to be used as a development package for new software. It lets the user write a program in the popular and familiar Basic computer language, and provides the extra accuracy and speed many business applications require. The RSBasic development system includes full documentation and all software necessary to prepare and edit Basic programs, to compile programs and to execute these compiled programs. Price: $149. Tandy Corp., 1800 One Tandy Center, Fort Worth, TX 76102. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 252 Full capability interpreter with floating point, scientific functions, strings, and arrays of up to eight dimensions includes interactive syntax checking, command completion, file manipulations, user error processing, and 52 unique error messages. All versions are Basic source compatible, but differ in the number of significant digits maintained during calculations with 7 digit to 64 digit accuracies available. Basic is supplied on diskette and intended to run on the Wintek Sprint 68 microcomputer/ development system. Price: $95. Wintek Corp., 1801 South St., Lafayette, IN 47904, (317) 742-8428. CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 255 FEBRUARY 1982 INTERFACE AGE 129 2/4 MHZ Z80 CPU 24 Bit Addressing GBT160A A&T $1 99.00 GBT 160C CSC 3-6 MHZ . . . .- $375.00 DUAL PROCESSOR 8085-8088 • GODBOUT 6 or 8 MHz Provides true 1 6 Bit Power with a standard 8 bit S-100 bus. GBT 1612A A&T... 6 MHZ $399.00 GBT 1612C CSC... 8 MHZ $498.00 SOLID STATE DISK DRIVE, 3500% FASTER! Not Really, But the Next Best Thing For Godbout 8085/88 Users. Call For Details on M- Drive. See Page 340 of November BYTE GBT MD 128K $1550.00 GBT MB 256K $3,000.00 2810 Z80 CPU-CA. COMP. SYST. 2/4 MHz Z80A CPU with RS232C Serial I/O Port complete with Monitor PROM tor 2422 Disk Controller CCS 2810A A&T $280.00 *4 MHZ 0,1AM RUN/STOP and single step switches SSMCB2K Kit $260 00 SSMCB2A A&T $310.00 SSMZ80M SSMZ80 Monitor . . . $89.00 CBIA 8080 CPU - S.S.M. 8080 CPU, IK RAM, Holds 1 2708, 1 8 Bit parallel input port. SSMCB1A Kit $183.00 SSMCB1A AST $225.00 SSIYI8080M SM 8080 Monitor $59.00 S-100 I/O BOARDS SYSTEM SUPPORT 1 - GODBOUT Serial port (software prog baud), 4K EPROM OR RAM provision, 15 levels of interrupt, real time clock, optional math processor PART NO. DESCRIPTION LIST PRICE OUR PRICE GBT162A Assembled & Tested $39.00 $360.00 GBT162C CSC $495.00 $460.00 6BT8231 Math Chip $195.00 GBT8232 Math Chip $195.00 GBT162AM1 A&T with 8231 Math Chip $555.00 GBT162CM1 CSC with 8231 Math Chip $655.00 6BT162AM2 A&T with 8232 Math Chip $555.00 6BT162CM2 CSC with 8232 Math Chip $655.00 MPX CHANNEL BOARD - GODBOUT I/O Multiplexer, using 8085a-2 cpu on board GBT166A Assembled & Tested $495.00 $450.00 GBT166C CSC $595.00 $550.00 INTERFACER I - GODBOUT Two Serial I/O GBT133A A&T. $249.00 $219.00 GBT133C CSC $324.00 $298.00 INTERFACER II • GODBOUT Three parallel, one serial I/O board GBT150A A&T. $249.00 $219.00 GBT150C CSC $324.00 $289.00 INTERFACER III • GODBOUT Eight channel multi-use serial I/O board GBT1748A Assembled & Tested.. $699.00 $629.00 GBT1748C CSC 200 hr. Burn In Test $849.00 $629.00 INTERFACER 3 WITH 5 SERIAL PORTS GBT1745A Assembled & Tested $599.00 $5a3.00 GBT1745C CSC 200 hr. Burn In $699.00 Test $629.00 MULTI I/O - MORROW DESIGNS Three Serial, Two parallel MDSMB3200 A&T. $329.00 $309.00 SWITCHBOARD-MORROW DESIGNS Two serial I/O, four parallel I/O, one status port, one strobe port MDSSB241 1 $259.00 $239.00 1/04 - SSM Two serial I/O, two parallel I/O SSMI04K Kit $210.00 SSMI04A AST $290.00 $260.00 2710 4 PORT SERIAL - CCS 4 Full handshaking RS232 ports and optional 2 K ROM CCS271001 A&T $340.00 $310.00 2718 2 SERIAL & 2 PARALLEL - CCS 2 RS232 C ports, 2 8 bit parallel ports, & optional 2K ROM CCS271801 A&T $360.00 $325.00 2720 4 PORT PARALLEL - CCS 4 8 bit parallel ports and optional 2K ROM CCS272001 A & T $250.00 $225.00 S- 100 10 MHZ STATIC RAM NEW LOW PRICES! 32K STATIC RAM - GODBOUT RAM 20 10 MHZ, 4 Kbyte block disable, bank or 24 bit addressings available 8, 16, 24 or32K PART NO. DESCRIPTION LIST PRICE OUR PRICE GBT164AA8 8KA&T $210.00 S190.00 GBT164AC8 8K CSC S280.00 $260.00 GBT164AA16 16KA&T $285.00 $260.00 GBT164AC16 16K CSC $355.00 $325.00 GBT164AA24 24KA&T $355.00 $325.00 GBT164AC24 24 K CSC $425.00 $385.00 GBT164AA32 32 K A&T $425.00 $385.00 GBT164AC32 32K CSC $495.00 $450.00 64K STATIC RAM - GODBOUT RAM 17, 10 MHZ, 2 Watt, DMA Compatable 24 Bit Addressing GBT175A48 48 K A&T $650.00 $619.00 GBT175C48 48KCSC200hr. $750.00 $710.00 GBT175A64 64 K A&T $795.00 $755.00 GBT175C64 64K CSC 200hr. $895.00 $850.00 NEW! 32K x 16 BIT STATIC RAM - GODBOUT RAM 16 10 MHZ, 32K x 16 or 64K x 8 IEEE/696 16 BIT 2 Watt, 24 Bit Addressing GBT180A 64KA&T $895.00 $850.00 GBT180C 64K CSC $995.00 $945.00 NEW! 128K STATIC RAM - GODBOUT RAM 21 10MHZ 128K x 8 or 64K x 16 IEEE/696 8 or 16 Bit 1.2 Amps 24 Bit Addressing GBT167A 128KA&T $1695.00 $1610.00 GBT167C 128KCSC $1895.00 $1795.00 S-100 ROM PBI PROM PROGRAMMER • SSM Programs 2708 or 2716’s, operates as a 4K/8K EPROM BOARD AS WELL. SSMPB1K Kit $179.00 SSMPB1 A Assembled & Tested $265.00 $220.00 ECONOROM 2708 - GODBOUT 16K x 8eprom Board using 2708, Power on jump to any 256 byte S-100 DYNAMIC RAM THE EXPANDABLE 1 PRIORITY 1 ELECTRONICS THE EXPANDABLE 1 ' 64 K Dynamic Ram board provides your S-100 system with 64 Ko* reliable, high- speed dynamic RAM. Compatable with most of the major S-100 systems on the market, including those with front panels, it supports DMA operations and requires no Wait states with current microprocessors. • User expandale Irom 16to64K • SupportsDMA • Designed to IEEE proposed S-100 bus standards • 2 or 4 MHz operation • Operates with either an 8080 or Z-80 based S-100 system, providing processor-transparent refreshes with both • Supports IMSAI-type front panels • Jumper-selectable Phantom input • Uses Popular 4116 RAMS • All ICs in sockets • Any 1 6K block can be made bank-independent • Fully buffered address and data lines • Fail-safe refresh circuitry for extended Wait states • Board configuration with reliable, easy-to-con - figure Berg jumpers PRIEXP1 16 16K Assembled & Tested 5299.00 PRIEXP1 32 32K Assembled & Tested $339.00 PRIEXP1 48 48K Assembled & Tested $379.00 PRIEXP1 64 64 K Assembled & Tested $409.00 S-100 DISK CONTROLLERS DISK 1 - GODBOUT FAST DMA. Soft Sector. Controls 8 " or 5'/*". single or double density OUR BEST! LIST PRICE OUR PRICE GBT171A Assembled& Tested$495.00 $450.00 GBT171C CSC $595.00 $555.00 GBTCPM80* CP/M 2.2 for Z80/8085 with manuals & BIOS 8" S/D disk $175.00 GBT0AS8S Oasis 8 bit single user 8" S' D disk $500.00 GBT0AS8M Oasis 8 bit multi-user. 8" S/D disk $850.00 2422A - CA COMP. SYST. I/O Mapped, controls 8" or 5tf»" single or double density A&T with CPM 2.2 8" S.D. CCS2422A $475.00 $375.00 DISK JOCKEY 2D - MORROW I/O Mapped, controls 8", single or double density, serial I/O MDSDJ2208 \&T with CP/M 2.2 S399.00 $375.00 S-100 DISK SUBSYSTEMS DISCUS SINGLE SIDED MORROW GBT125A Assembled & Tested $135.00 $120.00 GBT125C CSC $195.00 $175.00 S-100 VIDEO BOARDS SPECTRUM - GODBOUT Color Graphics board with Parallel I/O GBT144A Assembled &Tested $399.00 $349.00 GBT144C CSC $449.00 $399.00 GBT2D Sublogic Universal Graphics Interpreter Software $35.00 VB - 3 S.S.M. 80 x 25 or 50 character video display Memory Mapped, Parallel Keyboard port SSMVB3K24 80x24 Kit $425.00 SSMVB3A24 80x24 A&T $499.00 $440.00 SSMVB3UP 80x50 Line Upgrade $ 39.00 VB2-S.S.M. I/O Mapped Video Board, with Parallel Keyboard port 64 x 16 SSMVB2K Kit $199 00 SSMVB2A Assembled & Tested $269 00 $ 229.00 VBIC - S.S.M. Memory Mapped Video Board 64x16 character display or 64x16 graphics display SSMVB1K Kit $199.00 SSMVB1A Assembled & Tested $269.00 $229.00 8 " DBL Density drives with cabinet, power supply controller, with CP/M 2.2 and Microsoft Bas>c MDSF121 8 Single Drive System.1 095.00 $950.00 M0SF1228 Dual Drive System $1875.00 $1598.00 DISCUS DOUBLE SIDED - MORROW 8 " DBL Density/sided drives with cabinet Power supply controller, with CP/M 2:2 and Microsoft Basic MDSF221 8 Single Drive System 1395.00 $1250.00 MDSF2228 Dual Drive System $2495.00 $2050.00 S-100 HARD DISK - MORROW ft" 10 & 20 MB .14" - 26MB formatted hard disk complete with cainet. P.S.. Controller. CPM 2.2 and Microsoft Basic LIST PRICE SALE PRICE MDSM10S 10 MR $3695.00 $2950.00 IYIDSM20S 20 MB $4795.00 $3825.00 MDSM26S 26 MR $4495.00 $3495.00 CIRCLE INQUIRY NO. 86 S-100 SYSTEMS “ LITTLE 8" Z80 SYSTEM STARTER SET GODBOUT CPU T.A 4MHz Z80 A-based 8-bit workhorse CPU board that includes all the standard features plus many of the conven- ience options. Meets all IEEE 696/S-100 specifications, in- cluding timing. DISK 1 DMA High Performance Disk Controller, disk controllers don’t have to be your system's bottleneck! The DISK 1 is lightning fast thanks to properly implemented DMA (with arbitration) and transfer that is independent of CPU speed. RAM 20 32K High Speed Static RAM. This board has it all Operates at speeds up to 10MHz, ultra-low power consumption, IEEE 696/S- 100 extended addressing protocol, bank select and flawless DMA CP/M 2.2: The de facto standard of 8-bit operating systems ready to load and go! ANOTHER PRIORITY 1 EXCLUSIVE! We went to GODBOUT and made a special buy on the nucleous of the best S-100 Z80A systems ever LOOK AT WHAT YOU GET: 1 GBT160A 2/4 MHz Z80 CPU $295.00 I GBT164A32 32 K 10MHz Static Ram $425.00 1 GBT171A DMA Disk Controllers $495.00 1 GBTCPM80 CP/M 2.2 $175.00 IT ALL ADDS UP TO . . $1039.00 TOTAL PACKAGE PRICE ONLY $ 1 095.00 ORDER NO. PDBGBTSG SUPERSIXTEEN - GODBOUT LOOK WHAT $3495.00 WILL BUY! WHY WAIT ANY LONGER? HERE IS WHAT EACH PACKAGE INCLUDES: GBT1612A 6 MHz 8085/8088 Dual Processor Board 6BT171A High Speed DMA Disk Controller GBT162A System Support 1 Multi Function Board GBT133A Interfacer 1 Dual Serial I/O 128K 10MHz Low Power Static Ram CP/M 86 16 Bit Operating System Ready to Load & Go Cables and Documentation Three interfacer cables one disk I/O cable, complete documentator for all hardware, and manuals for both CP/M operating systems. Compu Pro’s famous 1 Year limited warranty. Now to the best part of all. If purchased separately, these quality components would list for $4,344.00. BUT SuperSixteen's low package price is an amazing $3,495.00. Yo save $849.00!/For boards qualified under the Certified System Component high-reliabil- ity program - with extended 2 year warranty, 200 hour burn-in and 8MHz processors - add $600 to the package price. Sh. Wt. 15 lbs. PDBGBTSJ SuperSixteen A&T $3495.00 PDBGBTSK SuperSixteen CSC $4095.00 S-100 SOFTWARE PRIORITY 1 is pleased to offer the finest in industry standard software. All software is supplied on 8" Single Density IBM 3740 CP/M compatible disketts. All software is sojd “AS IS” and is non-returnable. If you have questions about the soft- ware for your application, order the manual first. CCS803 CP/M Version 2.2 Hicrocompouter $150.00 Control Program CCS2301 MAC-CP/M Macro Assembler. ... $90.00 CCS2401 SID-CP/M Symbolic Instruction $75.00 Debugger CCS2501 TEX-CP/M Text Formatter $75.00 CCS2601 DESPOOL-CP/M Background $50.00 Print Utility CP/M, MAC, SID, TEX, and DESPOOL are registered trademarks of Digital Research PART NO. DESCRIPTION LIST PRICE OUR PRICE CCS401 C-BASIC-2 Interp $150.00 $139.00 CCS401M Manual $ 32.00 CCS1 101 FMS-80 by Systems Plus S995.00 $895.00 CCS1101 M Manual $ 70.00 GRAHAM-DORIAN ACCOUNTING CCS1301 General Ledger $820.00 $ CCS1 301 M 1 Manual CCS1501 Accounts Receivable $820.00 CCS15HVI Manual CCS1401 Accounts Payable $820.00 CCS1401 M Manual CCS1701 Inventory II $820.00 CCS1701 M Manual CCS1601 Payroll II $555.00 CCS1601M Manual CCS2000I Job Costing $820.00 CCS2001 M Manual CCSZ70I Order Entry/Invoice S 820.00 CCS2701 M Manual MEDICAL PRACTIC PATIENT BILLING CCS1801 15 Programs $820.00 CCS1801 M Manual DENTAL PRACTICE PATIENT BILLING CCS1901 14 Programs $820.00 CCS1901 M Manual $750.00 $ 50.00 $750.00 $50.00 $750.00 S 50.00 $750.00 $ 50.00 ! 495.00 50.00 750.00 $ 50 00 $750.00 $ 50.00 >750.00 > 50.00 $750.00 $ 50.00 S-lOO MAINFRAMES S-100 MICROFRAME - TEI 1 10V60HZ CVT Mainframes, the best money can buy! 12 Slot ±8V 17A ±16V (5) 2 A 22 Slot ±8v @ 30 A ±1 6 V (?) 4 A TEI has announced a 5 - 8% Price Increase Feb 1 - Hurry! OUR PRICE LIST PRICE 1-9 10-24 TEIIYICS 112 1 2 Slot Desk $68500 $615.00 $570.00 TEIMCS 122 22 Slot Desk $825.00 $760.00 $705.00 TEIRM 12 12Slot Rackmnt $725.00 $720.00 $619.00 TEIRWI 22 22 Slot Rackmnt $875.00 $850.00 $750.00 Shipping Weight: On 12 Slot Mainframes 45 lbs. On 22 Slot Mainframes 55 lbs. S-100 FRAMES 2 - 5” DISK CUTOUTS - TEI ±8V a 17±16V a 2 A +12V @ 1 2A. internal Cables 1-9 10-24 TEITF12 12 Slot desk S 675.00 $625.00 $580.00 TEIRD12 12 Slot Rackmnt $795 00 $715.00 $665.00 Shipping Weight: On 12 SlotDesk 40 lbs. On 12 Slot Rackmount 45 lbs. DUAL 8” DISK DRIVE CHASSIS - TEI For Shugart 800/801 R or 850/851 R withmternal power cables provided +24V <cD 1 5A +5V @ 1 0A - 5V §1 25A 1-9 10 24 TEI0FD0 Desk Top $535 $485 $455 TEIRFD0 Rack Mount $720 $670 $630 PDBDFD0S1 DFDO with 1 Shugart 801 R $970.00 PDBF00S1 RFDO with 2 Shugart 801 Rs $1375.00 P0BRFD0S1 RFDO with 1 Shugart 801 R $1095.00 PDBRFD0S2 RFDO with 2 Shugart 80 1 Rs $1495.00 PRI50PGCE2 Internal Data Cable . 50 pin plug $34.95 connector to 2 Card Edge. Due to UPS shipping regulations, disk drives will be shipped separately from the cabinet Don't forget to include shipping for eacn drive (Shipping Wt 16 lbs., each) CALL FOR NEW TEI PRICES FEBRUARY 1st S-100 MAINFRAME - GODBOUT 110V 60HZ CVT Mainframe uses famous 20 slot GODBOUT Motherboard. 55 lbs. GBTENC20RM 20 Slot Rack Mount $895.00 $825.00 GBTENC200K 20 Slot Desk Top $825.00 $760.00 GODBOUT Mainframe, Less Motherboard & Power Supply - Kit. 23 lbs GBTB0X 0ESK Desk Top Main Frame $289.00 GBTB0X RACK Rack Mount Main Frame $329.00 S-100 MAINFRAME - CCS 12-slot motherboard with removable termination card CCS2200-01 Office Cream 35 lbs $575 00 $535.00 CCS2200-02 Blue 35 lbs $575 00 $535.00 S-100 MOTHERBOARDS GBT153A GBT153C GBT154A GBT154C 6BT155A GBT155C MOTHERBOARD - GODBOUT Active termination, 6-12-20 slot A&T 6 slot. 2 lbs CSC 6 slot. 2 lbs. A&T 12 slot. 2 lbs. CSC 12 slot, 2 lbs. A&T 20 slot. 4 lbs. CSC 20 slot. 4 lbs. FLOPPY DISC DRIVES PRIORITY { 9161 I DEER1NG AVE Tandon TM-800 Thinline is exactly half the size of conventional 8" floppy disk drives ft Exactly one-half the height o' any other model. Propietary, high-resolution, read-write heads patented by Tandon D.C. only operation - no AC. required Industry standard interface. Three millisecond track-to-track access lime 9 lbs. TN DTM8481 . Single SidedSAM OO 2 or more . $470.00 TNDTM8482 . Double Sided $625.00 2 or more. $600.00 TNDTM8M Manual not included with drive . $10.00 80 IR - SHUGART Single sioed doubledensity most popular 8 SHU60IR $425.00 ea. or 2 or more (16 lbs.) SHUSA80IRM Manual for 80IR drives DT-8 - GLUME Data track 8 double sided, double density QMEDT8 $575.00 ea or 2 or more (16 lbs.) . QME0T8M Manual for DT-8 5V4” DRIVES - TANDON TNDTM1001 .Single Sided. 250KB (5 lbs) . TNDTM1002 . Double Sided. 500KB TNDTM1003 . Single Sided. 500KB TN0TM1004 Double Sided, 1000KB TN0TM5M . Manual, not included with drive DISK CABINETS V-lOO ■ VISTA • Desk or rack mountable • Internal power and data cables • Drives pull out for easy service and maintenance VISV100 Disk Drive Cabinet (35 lbs) $495.00 $449.00 SINGLE 8” - aT. Single 8" cabinet with power supply QTCDDC8 (2 lbs) $195.00 DUAL 8” - aT. Dual 8" cabinet with power supply QTCDDC88 <25 lbs ) $349.00 5” CABINETS - VISTA Single 5" with P S $75.00 Dual 5" with PS $95.00 PRINTERS VIS-9801 VIS-9802 MICROLINE - OKIDATA WITH FRICTION AND TRACTOR FEED • BI-DIRECTIONAL 120 CPS • Parallel and Serial I/O • 9x9 Matrix (Alphanumeric) • 100 Through 1200 Baud • 6x9 or 1 2 Matrix for Graphics • Self Test • 5,8.3, 10.16 Charactrs p/lnch • Out of Paper Switch • 6 or 8 Lines per Inch • Friction or Tractor Feed • 80CPL ia) 10 CPI for 82 A • 37o 14“ Top of Form • 132CPL 10 CPI for 83 A (Switch Selectable) • 10 Different Character Sets List Price Sale Price §539.00 $750.00 Part No 0KIDAT82AT 0KI0AT83AT Description 80CPL i d> 10 CPI $ 799.00 132 CPL ip> 10 CPI $1195.00 MBSSEI1 ELECTRONICS • CHATSWORTH. CA 9 1 3 1 1 I Uii ORDER TOLL FREE (800) 423-5922 CA, AK, HI CALL (213) 709-5464 Terms U S. VISA. MC. BAC. Chock Money Order. U S Flinds Only. CA residents add 6% Sales Tax MINIMUM PREPAID ORDER $ 1 5 00. Include MINIMUM SHIPPING & HANDLING of $2.50 for the first 3 lbs plus 25c (or each additional pound. Orders over 50 lbs. sent freight collect Just in case, please include your phone no. Prices subject to change without notice We wil do our best to maintain prices through January. 1 982. Credit Card orders will be charged appropriate freight See November BYTE lor 60 page Catalog or send S 1.00 tor your copy today Sale prices are tor prepaid orders only ON drive $395.00 $10.00 8 " $540.00 $ 10.00 $310.00 $370.00 $375.00 S495.00 $ 10.00 MX80 - EPSON NEED WE SAY MORE? EPNMX80 Tractor Feed $645 00 $450.00 PRINTER INTERFACES • MICROBYTE RS232 Serial Conversion for MX80 A&T $55.00 Apple Centronics 8 bit parallel interface for Centronics. Epson & OKIDATA printers A&T. $55.00 Cable for above. $14.95 ■ /ii ra in /in LflLCI uu^n Feb 8-1 1 ACM Computer Science Conference, Conven- tion Center, Indianapolis, IN, aiding in matching computer scientists and data processing specialists with employment opportunities. ACM Computer Science Register, Dept, of Computer Science, U. of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Mar 1-2 Michigan Assoc, for Computer Users in Learning Convention, Western Michigan University, Kala- mazoo, Ml, presentations on various facets of educational uses of computers in addition to vendor presentations and displays. Oakland Schools, 2100 Pontiac Lake Rd., Pontiac, Ml 48054, (313) 858-1898. Mar 16-18 Software/Expo-West, Convention Center, Anaheim, CA, dealing with a wide range of applications from accounts payable to utilities. Terry Brooks, 222 W. Adams St., Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60606, (312) 263-3131. Mar 29-31 I