| 'Twas the Night Before Christmas |
A computer-themed parody of the classic Christmas poem, substituting computing terminology and imagery for the original’s Christmas night setting. |
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| Computer Definitions |
A short humor piece presenting satirical redefinitions of common computer terms including hard disk, bus, expansion board, chip, nanosecond, and picosecond. |
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| Disk Makers Ire Stirred by Tester |
Reprint from MIS Weekly (November 2, 1987) reporting on a survey of 18 floppy disk brands conducted by Memory Control Technology Corp. (Memcon) using ANSI extra-bit and missing-bit testing. BASF, JVC, and Memorex achieved 100% pass rates; Dysan and Xidex performed worst with 39 failures per 200 disks tested. |
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| Editor's Page |
Brief editorial note from editor Bill Heberlein asking members to mention SMUG Bytes when contacting advertisers, along with an apology for incorrect phone numbers printed in a prior issue. |
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| For Sale |
Classified notice advertising Lloyd Dreger’s second Machine Code book for the Timex/Sinclair at $16.95 ($15.00 for members) plus $1.50 shipping and handling. |
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| From the Pres. |
Brief presidential update noting SMUG members’ plans to attend the Winter Computerfest and announcing the upcoming Ham/Computer Fest on January 9 at the Waukesha County Expo Center. |
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| Letters |
Editor-curated letters section covering several reader questions: John Shepard on mixing Shugart-compatible disk drives; Robert Fischer asking about Extensions for Profile; a reader requesting information on Cherry keyboard add-ons; another requesting an IBM-compatible printer driver; Larry Anderson on using the Magnavex RGB monitor with the TS2068 and QL. |
Sinclair QL, Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| Multiple Disk Systems |
Report on an experiment by Dennis Nickel and Lloyd Dreger attempting to run both an AERCO and an Oliger disk interface simultaneously on the Timex/Sinclair 2068 for data transfer between the two systems. Both connection methods tested caused system crashes; the club is seeking a working solution. |
Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| So You Want to Write a Program! |
Part I of a multi-part programming tutorial on structured software development methodology. Covers eliminating distractions before coding, clearly writing down program goals, decomposing a problem into functional modules, and flowcharting each module. Uses a name/address list program with menu, sort, print, and save functions as a running example. |
Timex/Sinclair 2068 |
| SQ Notes |
Inaugural installment of the SQ Notes column (SDOS/Spectrum/QL/Software). Presents a BASIC menu program for the Timex/Sinclair 2068 in Timex mode that lists the contents of an SDOS disk, displaying file name, type, disk location, and length with cursor navigation and an audible rollover signal. Full BASIC listing with embedded machine code DATA statements is provided. |
Timex/Sinclair 2068, Type-in program |
| TIFFS |
Two short hardware tips. First: a standard 5-pin Commodore monitor cable works as a QL monitor cable, with the audio output usable as a video input in a pinch. Second: a caution about using write-protect tabs on disks when running certain software, as some programs behave unexpectedly when disk writes are blocked. |
Sinclair QL |
