LogiCall Review

Author(s): Abed Kahale
Publication: Update Magazine
Pub Details: Update October 1994
Date: October 1994
Pages: 3

Auxiliary Operating System AOS-LKDOS

Developer: Bob Swoger

LogiCall contains all the commands required to run LK-DOS (TS-2068 & Spectrum). It prompts for a command and executes these commands with a minimum of typing.

Moves from drive to drive with 2 keystrokes; moves into and out of a word processor, database, spreadsheet, terminal program and other programs using a few keystrokes. Displays word processor files and pictures on the screen without running any program. FORMAT, MOVE, ERASE, CAT, POINT, and VERIFY keys all work without the use of the “RAND USR 100: or PRINT#4: ” that have to be typed using LKDOS alone. It really proves itself with multi-drive system and will be of great benefit even with a single drive. And, it is not memory hungry, it only occupies one disk track. It does complete the LarKen Disk Operating System.

LogiCall comes in two versions, 5.0 for all including ROMSWITCH and 5.2 for Spectrum ROM in the doc port. OUT 244, 3 is not required.

A complete file management system, more accurately a HUMAN INTERFACE (you and the machine) shows the years of refinements.

Holding down the ENTER key (or the ENTER and the ‘J’ keys for the RAMDISK) at power up, displays the CATalog and the `Drive?` prompt. ENTER the disk drive number or ‘T’ for tape or just ENTER to display the `Program?` prompt.

ENTERing ‘H’ or ‘?’ at either prompt, displays two screens HELP menu.

ENTERing one of the following at “`Program?`”

‘9’ displays CATalog.
‘V’erbose displays the complete CATalog.
‘B’rief displays a CATalog that only shows programs that can be LOADed and RUN.
‘N’ at the `scroll?` displays the `Program?` on CATalogs that scroll off the screen.
‘W’ LOADs word processor (TASWORD II)
‘T’erminal LOADs terminal (Mterm II) program.
‘5’ or ‘8’ RENAME “old“, “new“. ENTER the old name “NMI-S2.CM” to be renamed, then the new “name.B1“.
‘7’ or ‘E’RASE — ERASE “…..”. ENTER the filename and extension.
‘A’dds AUTOSTART to a disk.
‘S’ave SAVEs “L.B1”.
‘Z’ COPYs to the TS-2040 printer.
‘C’OPYs to a large printer.
‘N’EW activates AUTOSTART again.
‘0’ or ‘F’ormat LOADs FORMAT.B_
‘6’ or ‘M’ove LOADs MOVE.BL
‘R’ VERIFYs for Cyclic Redundancy Check errors.
‘K’ SAVEs SCREEN$ to disk.
‘Q’uits or ‘E’xists to BASIC where the program can be customized.
‘0, 1, 2, 3 or 4’ moves between drives.

At the `Program?` prompt, hitting ENTER without typing a filename activates the SCAN LOAD mode. The space bar or any key in the lower key rows advances a BRIGHT BAR down the screen, the top row of keys will send the BRIGHT BAR back toward the top. ENTER LOADs the BRIGHTened program. The arrow keys do work as normal or without shift.

ENTERing a name with an extension of ‘.C$’ at the `Program?`, LogiCall displays it as a SCREEN$. While ENTERing a name with an extension of ‘.Cm’ or ‘.CT’, it displays MSCRIPT, TASWORD II or SPECTRATERM word processor files directly from disk.

LogiCall disk ensemble includes VUFILE, VUCALC, TASWORD II, disk/tape Records Base and MTERM II among others.

It is like an upgrade from a gear-shift to an automatic transmission with overdrive.

LogiCall is available from RMG Enterprises and from Mechanical Affinity.