How Goes It?
There are now three predominent Disk systems for the TS-2068. Their order of usage is: LKDOS, Oliger SAFE DOS, TOS, and Aerco FD-68. TOS DISK users hang in there with determination but receive little support. User activities during 1989 has been away from the Aerco FD-68, mostly toward LKDOS. Quite a number of FD-68 users have acquired the LKDOS system and have abandoned the un-completed Aerco system. The FD-68 was my first Disk System and I did a lot of programming with it. The first Disk version of my “Smart Text” sofware was produced for the FD-68. I became dis-enchanted with the FD-68 when its high power usage fried two of my computers. Dan Elliott has the solution to that problem, but the solution came after a lot of users had fried their computers and gone to a different computer. It appears that few FD-68 users remain except the “CP/M Hacks”.
There still remains a nucleus of FD-68 users who are dedicated to CP/M usage, which is really the strongest asset of the FD-68. These CP/M users are very self sufficient and specialized. As to the DOS itself, Aerco never did finish the source code to enable the most useful extensions, such as the Numeric and Character Array SAVE/LOAD and other features that LKDOS and Oliger DOS have. In its incomplete state the FD-68 DOS is far inferior to both LKDOS and Oliger DOS, and it is no wonder that the users have become disenchanted, especially when AERCO is so slow and un-cooperative with user support.
There has been little participation in or call for ISSUE DISK support in the FD-68 area, so little that UPDATE will discontinue the issue disks for the FD-68. If a sufficient number of complaints about this action are received, which indicate a demand, this decision will be reversed. I have two of the FD-68 systems and will be glad to resume work with the FD-68 if there is a demand revealed. So, all are invited to COMPLAIN LOUDLY.
A good many Oliger DOS users have also moved into LKDOS, keeping their SAFE system and using BOTH systems together. Update began “heavy on SAFE”, then during 1989 became “heavy on LKDOS”. Of the two, SAFE DOS is faster. Both systems have good EXTRA BASIC functions but LKDOS has more functions, notably the screen window group and Sequential Files. Update will try to keep up the Issue Disk Program Library for both LKDOS and Oliger SAFE DOS. But user participation is needed to maintain Disk Software Support.
DOS SYSTEM SUPPORT
Quite a lot of NEW Software and Utilities for Disk Systems have been introduced during 1989. Most of the new programs have been generated by Update Magazine for the two systems, The Toronto TSUG for LKDOS, and Larry Kenny himself for LKDOS. Larry has an outstanding “Sequential Files Manager” on disk, and is about to release a Desk Top Publisher and a Spelling Dictionary. Jack Dohany has kinda made a career out of updating MSCRIPT. Now he is working on improving a British Word Processor. TASWORD and MSCRIPT seem to continue as the “Most Used” word processors, with Smart Text being third. Update Magazine (Yours Truly) came in during 1989 with “Daisy.B6“, a new concept in TS-2068 software. This Daisy program is a big expansion of the earlier Smart Text. The Daisy Software is about 80K in program length and uses MERGE extesively to boot in program utilities as needed. It can do so many things that it defies discription. Principally Daisy is a massive Data Base program, supported by its own Word Processor. Daisy has undergone the acid test. I use it for half or more of the publishing of Update Magazine because I can do such good formatting with it. Why would I do that when I have a Sinclair QL and its good Data Base and Word Processor? Well, that speaks for the Daisy software, doesn’t it? And, I can create the data files to disk, many pages, and then order up the printing in one consecutive print run.
The Smart Text software does most of the above, but Daisy can handle much larger text bases in memory before a SAVE is required- about 20K or 5-8 pages. Both Daisy and Smart Text can use Mail Files to print letters to several hundred persons on a consecutive print run- all addressed and perfectly formatted- even to the signature line! And both have a Mail Merge annex to create their own mailing lists.
1988-89 also brought in other disk software, such as Bob Mitchell‘s View Calc for LKDOS. Bob’s VC made me buy View Calc on cassette from RMG ($9.95). Imagine that! An up-scaled DOS user buying a cassette software! I did it to be legal using the View Calc Code. Once I loaded the code from cassette the trash can got the cassette. Actually I was already a bonafide owner of VC, but the program was purchased back in 1864 during the Civil War. The tape was so old that it broke when I tried to load it. That brought on a project of rumaging through about 250 old cassette programs, and you know what? I found that that mountain of Cassette programs was just so much junk! About the only programs that I kept was the “Hot Z” series. The trash can got the rest.
And there are some TS-2068 DOS users who are still trying to make do with their old cassette library! Anyone who spends 200 smackaroos for a Disk Interface, then 200 more skins for disk drives, and is willing to use cassette based software, is kinda wierd. Anyway–
1988-1989 brought on other good DISK SOFTWARE. “Mail Merge”, a RECORD data base software, was introduced by Update Magazine.
The Mail Merge software creates a group of records like Mailing Lists or inventory records, then prints them out to paper or to labels. Mail Merge also creates “Outlines” for that type of need. The Outline data base is flexible and can be set up for any number of topics and any number of sub-topics of each. Such records can be endless, as the software manages the files in and out of disk drive. Mail Merge also has a very flexible print out with either a full size printer or the TS-2040. Letter head stationary is also a print product, as well as Labels or listings to paper.
Another outstanding set of DISK MANAGEMENT UTILITIES for the Oliger DOS was introduced by Update Magazine. Bob Hartung is the author. This “DOSDEX” utility disk manages Oliger DOS Disks to a perfection. A similiar set of utilites for LKDOS is available from the Toronto, Canada TSUG.
More good software and utilities will come this year. I’m working on “Dbase1”, a huge update to the Mail Merge program. It appears that this program will be able to Sort by any line of the records- by first group or last group within the line. Also it will sort any number of files IN DISK. Then we’ll have the capability to create and sort any size of a continuous file- say 10,000 Mailing List records, by last name or by Zip Code- or a similiar large inventory file sorted by stock number or part name or re-order level!
TS-2068 DOS users have it pretty lucky with so much NEW software and utilities available. It would be neat if more users would take advantage and buy some of the good stuff. That would encourage the programmers to keep on working. By the way, try doing a similiar print out as these two pages are formatted with your word processor. This is done with the Daisy.B6 software.