These are the edited minutes of the October 9, l989 Conference with SSI-JOHN
of Software Support International which produces the Maverick back-up program,
the 1750 Clone, The 1581 Toolkit and numerous other products for the C64 and
C128.  SSI-JOHN graciously came to answer GEnie user questions about his firm's
products.
Attendees:
[[Ted] DO-RAE-MI]
[SSI-JOHN]
[C128-BILL]
[J.MABRY]
[C.SMEETS]


<C128-BILL>  How are your sales of Mavrick?
<SSI-JOHN> Maverick has sold over 10K copies!
<C128-BILL>  How does that compare to the sales of game programs?
<SSI-JOHN> Not as good, but that's because we are a utility.  But for a
utility, it's good.
<C128-BILL> Well, the file copier is one of the fastest I have ever seen, John.
 Nice graphics menu screen, too.
<SSI-JOHN> Bill, whats on for tonight??
<C128-BILL> Well, we have you here so that our members could meet you, but
there is light turnout tonight <sigh>.
<SSI-JOHN> Ok, with the people here tonight, does anyone have any questions I
might be able to answer??
<C128-BILL> Could we ask you a few questions, and post the answers in the
Library files?
<SSI-JOHN> You bet.
<C128-BILL> Oh- OK, you read my mind. <grin>.   Yes I have a few....First, are
there any new new Utility programs coming out from  Software Support
International?
<SSI-JOHN> Yes, but the new ones are in the Maverick.
<C128-BILL> Would that be a new Parameters disk?
<SSI-JOHN> Yes, Parameter Disk #7 and Maverick #4.
<C128-BILL> Maverick version 4?  Nice!  Are upgrades from 2 offered for
previous owners?
<SSI-JOHN> Yes, if they are registered.
<C128-BILL> OK, what does Version 4 have that say version 2 or 3 doesn't have?
<SSI-JOHN> Improved utilities and new utilities like a file viewer for text
files and the like. Bug fixes and better looking utilities.
<C128-BILL> Gee, your utilities look good in earlier versions, John.
     We had a user ask a question about the 1541 RAM board....
<SSI-JOHN> They will look better & there is going to be a new 1581 data copier.
     Ok, what is it??
<C128-BILL> The 1581 works very well with Maverick, that I have seen, John.
<[Ted] DO-RAE-MI> One that is happy with Jiffydos, I hope?
<SSI-JOHN> Now even better.
<C128-BILL> His question was with Maverick and the RamBoard, and if they were
ok to use together...  Jiffy and Maverick seem to be happy together, Ted.
<SSI-JOHN> Of course, the RamBoard can only be used with the Maverick Parm
modules..
<C128-BILL> Does the RamBoard give the 1541 extra memory, or a new ROM?
<SSI-JOHN> Just 8K more ram in the drive.
<C128-BILL> Does it store the last information accessed, like the 1581?
<SSI-JOHN> No, unless you want to access the ram directly with your own
routines.

<C128-BILL> So it acts like an I/O buffer?
<SSI-JOHN> More or less, but gives the drive the ability to read in and write
out a whole track at once.
<C128-BILL> So the speed increase is from this ability.  What about the
Maverick Speed Control box?  I don't hear much about it.
<SSI-JOHN> No, there is no access speed increase per se. It's just to give you
the ability to duplicate disks that can't be done with software only.
<C128-BILL> Could you tell us more about the newest 81 copier utility, and will
it be in the 1581 Toolkit?
<C.SMEETS> is here.
<SSI-JOHN> No, the 81 Toolkit has a 81 data copier but this one will be a
little different...
<C.SMEETS> Hi guys
<[Ted] DO-RAE-MI> & <C128-BILL> Hi Chris!
<C128-BILL> Chris, meet John from Software Support International.
<C.SMEETS> So, are we all giving thanks today that God gave us Commodore
Business Machines?
<SSI-JOHN> To some extent Chris.
<[Ted] DO-RAE-MI> :>
<C.SMEETS> Hello John
<SSI-JOHN> Hi Chris..
<C128-BILL> No, that you wrote CSDOS and ARC.  If you hadn't we all would be in
big trouble!! <grin>
<C.SMEETS> So, what is the nature of Software Support International?
<SSI-JOHN> Well we develop and sell software for the 64 and 128.
<C128-BILL> Some of their products, Chris are, The 1750 Clone, SuperSnapshot,
Maverick, and alot more.
<C.SMEETS> 1750 clone? I got a query.
<SSI-JOHN> go ahead..
<C.SMEETS> I was fiddling about the other day trying to get the 1750 to
interrupt on transfer completion, but couldn't get anywhere.  How does it work,
exactly
<SSI-JOHN> Chris you know more about the operation of the REU's than I do. I
would look into the timing signals of the REU...
<C.SMEETS> The 1750 manual just says "interrupt", it doesn't specify if its an
NMI or an IRQ. Do you know which?
<SSI-JOHN> hmm, try the IRQ.
<C.SMEETS> I tried playing around, first assuming it was NMI, then that it was
IRQ, but nothing seemed to work.
<SSI-JOHN> Are you trying to create an interupt at the end of data transfer or
before?
<C.SMEETS> Well, the problem is in trying to transfer to RAM that is at $D000 -
$DFFF.  Normally I'd just test the flag in $DF00, but you need to switch I/O
out to do the transfer
<SSI-JOHN> Ah the I/O register banks, you will probably have to do some bank
swithching then..
<C.SMEETS> What I thought would happen, is that an NMI or IRQ would occur when
the transfer was complete and that bit 6 of $DF00 would be set.
<SSI-JOHN> Hmm, well tell you what, send me a detailed letter at work and I
will pass it along to our programmer to look at.
<C.SMEETS> So what I'd do is go to an all RAM config so that the transfer goes
where its supposed to, and then just go into a loop and wait for my irq
routine to toggle some flag in RAM, but the flag never got toggled.
<SSI-JOHN> Don't know then.
<C128-BILL> Is this for your Term program, Chris?
<C.SMEETS> Oh well, it's not that important. I found a way to get around it.
No, I just wanted a general purpose subroutine to safely transfer blocks to
'anywhere' in the C128.
<C128-BILL> OK, thanks.  I still think your Term works great with the 9600 baud
xfers.
<C.SMEETS> I just wrote a routine today that XFERs from the 128 to the PC at
115200 baud over a null modem.  Thats about twice as fast as the 1581.
<C128-BILL> Good grief!  115K baud xfers?
<C.SMEETS> It only works over a null modem. You need a very clean connection.
<C128-BILL> It's not writing to disk, then.  Are you using the REU for a drive?
<C.SMEETS> No, I'm opening the file for 'burst load' then sending the bytes
directly to the PC as they come in.
<C128-BILL> BTW, John.  It seemed that CBM has made the 1750 a tad easier to
get.  Are you people seeing this on the west coast?
<SSI-JOHN> Just now.
<C128-BILL> But you will continue to supply the 1750 Clone (I hope).
<C.SMEETS> I get the impression that a large percentage of 128 owners have
1750's. Would you agree?
<SSI-JOHN> yes.
<C.SMEETS> Like more than half?
<SSI-JOHN> I would say like 50 - 60 percent.
<C128-BILL> The extra RAM is nice for speed and storage.  But there seems to be
little support for the REU.
<SSI-JOHN> Directly, yes. More people should start writing software for it
directly.
<C128-BILL> What is really nice is to see is when SSI not only uses the REU,
but also the 64K video ram for file copiers.
<C.SMEETS> Software writers tend to write their stuff for the largest possible
audience, so they don't want to make their stuff 1750 dependant
<C128-BILL> Well, it looks as if more & more people are buying the REU, and
asking for software to support it.  Are you still marketing CSDOS thru Ampere
Metal?
<C.SMEETS> Yes
<C128-BILL> John just mentioned that Maverick has sold over 10K copies.  Pretty
good for a utility!
<C.SMEETS> What does it do?
<C128-BILL> File copier, fast disk copier, backup copies, etc.
<C.SMEETS> I've got another query.  Are you familiar with the Quick Brown Box?
<C128-BILL> Ted and I have one.  John, do you have one?
<SSI-JOHN> Yes, at work.
<[Ted] DO-RAE-MI> & Quick Brown Boxes are at Genie-mail address QBB.B, as I
recall.
<C.SMEETS> Ah, I was wondering how they work.
<[Ted] DO-RAE-MI> In general very nicely.  But BTP won't go therein. :<
<C.SMEETS> Like, is the RAM accessible by the CPU. Could I write CS-DOS to
execute directly in the box?
<C128-BILL> I think they are addressed differently than the REU.  Yes, I think
you might be able to get it all in the newer QBB-B, which is 128K.  The QBB-B
is really a second 64K QBB.  I have UT3 autobooting on mine.
<C.SMEETS> How do you go about accessing the RAM. Do you just switch banks like
a cartridge ROM, or is there some special protocol like with the REU
<[Ted] DO-RAE-MI> & the nice thing I'm told is the REU 1750/clone & the box can
be active at once on a cartridge expansion board.
<C128-BILL> Don't know, Chris.  I have QBB's phone number here, somewhere, if
you would like it.
<C.SMEETS> What happens when you -- bank 4: peek(32768)   -- do you see what is
in the box?
<[Ted] DO-RAE-MI> I have it here.  617/275-0090 on the manual that came with the
 QBB.
<C.SMEETS> $$$$ How mucho?
<C128-BILL> It have a 64 and a 128 Manager program for a utility.  Right around
a hundred bucks, Chris.
<C.SMEETS> Is that for the 128K one or the 64K
<C128-BILL> For the 64K version.  But Barb Mintz can tell you the latest
prices.
<C.SMEETS> Hmm...sounds interesting. Do you know if there is any tech info in
the libraries
<C128-BILL> Not in our Libs, here.  They have a section on the B.B. under Cat
18 Talk To The Trade.  John, do you think the latest dribble of CBM 1750 will
affect the sales for the Clone?
<SSI-JOHN> Not much if any at all.
<C128-BILL> People do realize that CBM is a tad unreliable to pushing a steady
stream of REU's out the door.  I think the RAM prices are still dropping, no?
<C.SMEETS> I'm gonna take off guys. Nice chatting with you.
<[Ted] DO-RAE-MI> Good night, Chris!
<C128-BILL> G'night, Chris, take care.
<SSI-JOHN> Me too guys.
<C.SMEETS> Catch you later
<C128-BILL> OK, John.  Thanx for coming tonight.
<[Ted] DO-RAE-MI> Take care John.