Link Up Software by Sector Software Ltd.
Now available at your QL Dealer
Want to use your QL to SAVE Z88 files? To print Pipedream files? To move files between Pipedream, Quill and Archive (either way)? To dump a whole batch of files from Z88 Memory to QL Disk Drive, and back again? To read Z88 files on the QL monitor screen?
Update has received the QL-Z88 Link software, and it is incredibly easy to use. Z88-QL Link consists of a single MDV cartridge for the QL. Also needed and available from the QL dealer is a serial cable to connect between the serial port of each computer.
There is no device needed at all for the Z88, just the serial cable. One can make up a serial cable, but there is a slight difference in the thickness of the pins in the connectors for the two computers which prevents a QL serial connector from being used at the Z88 end.
All of the documentation for using the Link software is contained in two “Read-me” Quill doc files in the mdv. The two files loads to Quill for reading or for print out. The instructions are seven pages in length and seem to be quite adequate.
Now for some jesting. Wouldn’t you think that literary material coming from England would be couched in imaculate English prose? Dig the dangling infinitudes and split geraldoes in the following exact quote, including puncuuation, and which adds a bit of technical detail to this report: (QUOTE) “When the file is being transfered as each carraige return is sent a display at the bottom of the screen will show the number of lines sent, this is for your information only and is not used or remembered by the program. A ‘‘ star may be used in the filename as a wild card, this means that if you give the name ‘flp_inv‘ then the QL will send all files on flp1_ that begin with inv to the Z88, eg. invoice, inv_bas, and inventory are all files that would be transmitted, if your are using a wildcard name which may send a few files aross to the z88 then the z88 will have to be in batch receive mode, after sending all of the files files press ‘E’ from the main menu on the QL to send a ‘Endbatch’ signal to the z88 to terminate the batch receive mode on the z88.” (end quote)
I had to resort to the ole high school sentence block diagram to decipher that piece of the King’s English, but never the less if you read kinda fast the meaning grabs you fairly well. -And from England yet!! And here I thought that I was the Champeen particycle dangler of the 21st century! Iff’n Cornwallis had had that guy to confuse the enemy, we’d still have Brit agents collecting tea tax in Boston.
And did you know that the Canadians have 999 different meanings of the two letter word “eh”, eh? The differences are translated by inflection and only two can be expressed in writing (with a question mark or exclamation).
This software is ‘version 2’ which transfers both Quill and Archive files to the Z88 Pipedream. The writer explains that another version will be coming out soon, and a free exchange of mdv carts will be made upon receipt of the old one. I dont know how that will work from across the Atlantic. This looks like a “must have” for owners of both the QL and Z88. —–BJ