“Your readers may be interested in knowing about the availability of a relatively inexpensive full size [dot-matrix] printer. A recent catalog from: DAK INDUSTRIES, INC., 8200 Remmet Ave., Canoga Park, CA 91394, contained an ad for the GORILLA/BANANA printer for the relatively low cost of $89.90 plus $8.00 for P&H. Admittedly, this printer has certain limitations. It does not provide true descenders for letters with tails, but text is still very readable. In my opinion, to obtain a full 80 col. dot-matrix printer for less than twice the price of the 2040 thermal printer is well worth that error in the letter format…ads for TASPRINT claim it will provide true descenders with this printer. The ad [for the printer] did claim it was a close out, and quantities were limited so they may be all gone by now. Compatability with the Centronics I/F and TASWORD II is demonstrated by the fact that this letter was written using them and printed on my GORILLA/BANANA printer.”
Vance J Carpenter
Fairport, NY
EDITOR: RMG ENTERPRISES, 1419 1/2 7th St., Oregon City, OR 97045, has an EPROM that replaces the one in the GORILLA/BANANA, and gives you descenders. Price is $14.95.
“I’d really appreciate help from TIME DESIGNS or any of its many subscribers on the following T/S 1000 and T/S 2068 problems. 1000: How do you reconcile the ORGANIZER (16k) software program with a 64k RAM hardware add-on? Without upgrading the software to 64k, the 64k hardware is useless!!! 2068: How do you get the VU-FILE software program to print graphics output? VU-FILE is the software equivalent of ORGANIZER. Graphical output (white characters on black background) on the T/S 1000 by ORGANIZER is straightforward, requiring only use of the graphics key. The same is not true, however, for VU-FILE print-outs by the 2068!!! VU-FILE refuses to print-out white characters on black background.”
Ed Wheeler
[address omitted]
Hazlet, NJ 07730
EDITOR: Those VU-FILE programs (developed by PSION of the U.K.) do have their limitations. Many users prefer other data bases that are more flexible like PRO/File (which has many modification possibilities). However, there is a book available, VU CALC/VU FILE (and the ORGANIZER) by Robert Masters. 165 pages cover these programs in-depth, and may have info that you are looking for. One dealer that I know has it in stock is SUNSET ELECTRONICS, 2254 Taraval St. San Francisco, CA 94116. Price is $9.95 plus $3.00 for total order S&H. If any readers have a specific patch for these programs, please forward it to Ed.
“I am looking for a simple Bubble Sort program for the Timex. I have seen programs for other computers in various magazines. I own a T/S 1000 with a 16k RAM pack.”
Tony Bates
Jackson, WY
EDITOR: I “dug-up” a short BASIC Bubble Sort algorithm, that you might be able to use. Lines 130 and 140 are not necessary, but allow the user to view the random numbers before they are sorted. Also, my printer’s zeros don’t have the usual slash, and watch out for “I” and 1 (the numeral).
30 REM BUBBLE SORT ALGORITHM
40 RAND
50 DIM A(20)
60 FOR I = 1 TO 20
70 LET A(I) =INT (RND * 100+1)
80 PRINT A(I)
90 NEXT I
130 PAUSE 200
140 CLS
150 LET N = 19
160 LET SL = 0
170 FOR I = 1 TO N
180 IF A(I) <= A(I+1) THEN GOTO 240
190 LET AA=A(I)
200 LET A(I) = A(I+1)
210 LET A(I+1) = AA
220 LET SL = 1
230 LET N = 1
240 NEXT I
250 IF SL = 1 THEN GOTO 160
260 REM COMPLETED SORT
300 FOR I = 1 TO 20
310 PRINT A(I)
320 NEXT I“…I own a TS2068 (with ROMSWITCH) and am starting to get a collection of Adventure programs. This brings me to the point of this letter. Have you ever considered including an “adventurer’s column” in your mag? I have reached a dead end in some of the adventures that I have, and on some of them I have gotten a bunch of clues. For example, I have completely mapped out Part 1 of the BACKPACKER’S GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE, and have found the keys for all but one lock. But I can’t get past the first set of rooms in the MOUNTAINS OF KET. I hope that you will consider my proposal and try to find someone to write an article for you. I am sure that others would send in tips as they found them out, and also ask for help when they got stuck. Thanks for a great mag.”
Douglas Jeffery
Telkwa, B.C.
Canada
EDITOR: An article or column such as you have suggested has been on the “back-burner” for awhile. I think just about everyone has at least one computer game in their software collection no matter what their computing interests are. (I am still stuck in the early part of THE HOBBIT!) Look for game tips in a future issue, as I have someone in mind for the project.
“Since in my letter [see TDM Nov/Dec ’85 issue] I indicated that MC for SOUND was easy, I thought I had better include the following:
00030 SOUND POP HL
00035 LD A,(HL)
00040 CP 14
00045 JP C,SND
00050 JP (HL)
00055 SND PUSH HL
00060 LD C,245
00065 OUT (C),A
00070 INC HL
00075 INC C
00080 LD A,(HL)
00085 OUT (C),A
00090 POP HL
00095 INC HL
00100 INC HL
00105 PUSH HL
00110 JR SOUNDTo illustrate its use, the following is the MC equivalent of line 10 in the GUNSHOTS listing on page 195 of the USER MANUAL. The last byte, in this case 201, is really the first byte of the rest of the program. This byte is required by the SOUND sub-routine to be >=14.
00200 SHOT CALL SOUND
00205 DEFB 6,15,7,7,8,16,9,16
00210 DEFB 10,16,12,16,13,0,201Ron Ruegg
Baton Rouge, LA
“As I was skimming through the Sept/Oct ’85 edition of TIME DESIGNS, I was “shocked” to see a joystick application program which used the exact same algorithm as mine. My first thought was; How dare Mr. Fricke (the author), use his name on my software. Then I reflected. How could Mr. Fricke have gotten a hold of my ingenious software in the first place? I hadn’t even published it yet. Logic prevailed and I concluded that both Mr. Fricke and I had independently devised an identical algorithm for the same purpose; That of BASIC joystick control for the T/S 2068 computer.
…My next step was to verify if both algorithms were indeed identical. I dug deep into my vast library of 2068 programs, and low and behold, there it was; written almost two years prior with no witness to the event other than my own personal documentation. Only the variables were different. Where I used x and y as coordinates, Mr. Fricke used the more meaningful variables c and l, for column and line.
I had always intended on submitting my joystick program for publication but so far it had been easier to find an excuse not to. Although I realized this simple program could benefit the T/S 2068 community at large, I did nothing to encourage this fact. The bottom line being “I am a procrastinator” (“I’ll do it later”).
You can imagine my suprise then, when I saw “my” program credited to someone else’s name. My first reaction was one of disbelief and surprise, followed by anger (at myself), next of jealousy and finally redemption. The next instant, I found myself vowing…which brings me to the “here and now” and “what are you going to do about it (?)”.
First, I would like to commend Mr. Warren Fricke of Depew, NY, for his initiative in submitting an ingeniously efficient, yet simple algorithm for BASIC joystick control for the 2068. Commendations are also forthcoming to Mr. John McMichael of Bozeman, Montana for having inspired Mr. Fricke in the first place with his MC joystick program published in TDM (May/June ’85). Credit also goes to editor Mr. Tim Woods, being first to publish these algorithms in his leading journal TIME DESIGNS Magazine.
Second, to all you prospective programmers: send in your ideas and programs. There are at least a half dozen leading American T/S periodicals, waiting and wanting for your INPUT. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain and so do we. You may even get royalties for your work if its up to standards. Do as I say, not as I do.
Thirdly, having said all that and still feeling like a “shmuck”, I set out to redeem myself..elsewhere in this magazine you will find MY program on BASIC 2068 joystick control. It is an enhancement to a program with which you are already familiar (if you have read this far), and has been reproduced in full for clarity of description. I call it JOYSTICK WRAP AROUND. I trust good use will be made of it.”
Martin DeBoniface
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada
EDITOR: Thank you Mr. DeBoniface for your story with a moral, and a “happy ending”.
Note: Type-in program listings on this website use ZMAKEBAS notation for graphics characters.