6/30/96 Nick Rossi RTC 1996 by Genie ========================================================================== This file is brought to you by The Commodore 64/128 RoundTable on Genie This file may be published or excerpted in User Group newsletters providing credit is given in this manner: "Copyright 1996 by Genie From the Commodore 64/128 RoundTable File#:18209" This file maybe be distributed, if distributed whole and unaltered, on non-profit BBS' or non-profit networks. For more information on Genie call by modem: 1-800-638-8369 (8-N-1 300/1200/2400) Enter: HHH Then reply: xtx99018,commrt Then enter: Commodore And enjoy! ========================================================================== I declare the "Nick Rossi Talks About Novaterm 9.6" Conference now open! :-) The format for this conference is informal, but please try to stay to the topic at hand. How many folks here are using version 9.6 now? I am!! ME Hi there, Nick So is that two or three of us Novaterm 9.6'ers here? I figured there would be a number of people using the new version now, so I thought this would be a good time to get feedback from people. I'm a 9.5 user... And those still using the old version will see what they are missing. :) :-) I did have comment I thought about recently.... Will there be official notice sent to registered users of Novaterm about the upgrade? But it's a User type fix, not something for the programmer to fix. I intended to do that, but I have been so wrapped up in things that I haven't had a chance. As they ask, I have been telling registered users that they can get the upgrade for $5.00. And to what address does it go to? That's an amazing offer, Nick. Very good price. Nick Rossi, 10002 Aurora Ave. N. #3353, Seattle, WA 98133 That was a MACRO --- Wasn't it? Writing the check, right now... No, I just typed that Can we use Multiple macro files with Novaterm? Yes So, what issues have come up with version 9.6? On the Fidonet echos, the capture buffer and how the text is stored has been an issue. ** is here. Folks, I have to sign off. :/ See ya! Good luck with V9.6!!! G'night Lous. G'night Lou Bye Lou Welcome B.LEOUTSACO Hello all!!! Hello B.LEOUTSACO There is going to be a bug-fix release shortly. Some of the problems reported in the last month or so have been fixed. One of those problems was the way text was stored in the buffer in ANSI mode... Howdy Brian. Correct, Nick. Ouch, I never thought about that. Uppercase characters were stored as 97-122 instead of 193-219, which didn't look right when viewed in some editors. So now, it stores them correctly. Also, the same fix means that you no longer need ".opt ansi" at the start of script files. That will be nice, Nick. There were some other minor problems... if you didn't encounter any of them, you may not need to get the update. For those arriving late, this RTC is a conference with Nick Rossi about Novaterm 9.6 -- It's informal, but please keep to the topic. Will you be mailing the update, Nick, or is it a patch program. Actually I am going to ask users to make a copy of their disk, then send the original back for the update. Nick, have you made it so that we can change Ramlink partitions like we can device numbers? I have tried using disk commands with 9.3, 9.4 and 9.5 with no success. The RAMLink partition number is the same as the drive number. Device 16,2 saves to partition #2 of my RAMlink. Ah, so that how you do it. Thanks. Now I can download GEOS files directly to my GEOS work partition. Is this what you tried to do? This also holds true for disk commands too, I think: #16,2 to change to drive #16 and partition #2. That's right. Nope. I tried to use the Jiffydos partition commands. Hint of the Night: Also useful when dissolving SFX files. To use 1581 subdirectories as save areas, you can attach a disk command to execute when changing to a particular device. Harold, do you have Novaterm 9.6? Not yet. I'm waiting for the bugs to shake out. I shook it as hard as I could pre-release, Harold. ;-) The same with the Super CPU. :) One of the nice things about 9.6 is that you can set your disk drives/partitions for: I have to say that this time there are far fewer bugs than with any version in the past, mainly due to the long beta-testing. ** is here. Downloads, Uploads, the Buffer drive and for where Novaterm itself resides. I have my buffer going to a DACC on my RAMLink named novaterm, but when I reset the computer, I lose everything. And extra money to buy it. :) Hi Howie. Welcome to the Novaterm 9.6 conference hiya Gaelyne!! You shouldn't be using DACC for RamLink. Use native. Gaelyne, have you had this problem with your RAMLink buffer? No, Harold. ... The DACC he is using is for a buffer. No, I haven't, Nick. You're kidding. Harold, I told you you were missing out :) Not at all, Harold. :-) Then my Ramlink manual is too old. It states that DACC is supposed to be used for gateway and GEOS. Lurch - I assume you mean that even though the power to the RAMLink is not cut, you still lose the contents of the Novaterm buffer in that partition? It's OLD, Harold. Programmers like Nick Rossi and Craig Bruce have made good use of the DACC partitions. What I thought. I have only done it once...afraid to try it again...been copying it before now. Yes that is right, Nick. What partition number is your DACC? 3 Was it the first or second one created? (Nick, does that matter?) Novaterm is in 1. 1581 emu Try doing it again, just by loading in some test files, reset the computer, and see if they are there when you load Novaterm again. They should be. The partition can be any number and any size and created in any order.. Novaterm just scans the partition table to find it. OK Nick. Yes, thats the way I understand it. But it has to be named "novaterm", correct? Or understood it :) BTW, Harold, you can have more than one DACC partition with a Ramlink. I have one for Novaterm and one for GEOS. Oh yes, that is right. The name must be "novaterm", in lowercase (depending on whether you hit shift-C=!) Lurch + are you using it for both GEOS and Novaterm? GEOS will wipe out anything you put in with Novaterm. Right now, I'm using just one for GEOS. Waiting until I can buy some of the $29 4 meg. SIMMS before I can expand further. I thought the DACC in GEOS lost its files like I did. NO, no GEOS, Nick. Let me know how the test goes, and maybe we can track down the problem then. I've been using the REU as my buffer lately, but I'll go back to using the DACC for awhile and see if anything has changed, Nick. OK, let me go do a real quick check and brb. ** has left. I've been using the DACC without trouble. Of course, I'm using the bug-fix update. :) I named my GEOS DACC so that ACE would also use it -- "rl-ram" I think was the requirement for ACE. But I don't think that problem was there in the first release. It's amazing what programmers can do with the Ramlink and DACC facilities. And Commodore Business Machines had to up and die on us. :) But our Commodores live on and live WELL! That's probably for the best anyhow. ** is here. Hiya Bud Hi Bud! Welcome to the Novaterm 9.6 Conference! hey wuz up, how ya doing? Nova 9.6?? Well, boys and girls, Uncle Harold has to get his beauty rest. See y'all later. Nova is one of the best terms i have ever used for the c64 Inefficient and incomptent companies should die. Sure thing, Bud with Nick Rossi to give us the scoop on the latest and greatest Hi Bud nite Harold Night Harold G'night Harold. did Nova ever release the fax version of Nova? There's no fax module for Novaterm. rats... hmmmmm.... what kind of features for the new Nova? What are some of Novaterm 9.6's features, Nick? did harold have a rat? Where should I start? Zmodem!! Full Zmodem Nova has so much... upload, download, crash recovery Use of RAM expansion devices for the buffer REU, BBG/GEORam, RAMLink partition Use of the C128's 80-column mode if you run on a 128 in 64 mode What speed modems can be usded? What else did I do?? uuencoding and uudecoding ** is here. ASCII printing (with or without linefeeds) Swiftlink, CommPort, HART cartridge support.. An easy setup program.. Lurch, what did you find out? CMD device features ... RTC clock support i give Nova 4 stars for being the best and easiest term to use... I'm back and it worked ok this time, didn't lose a thing. I tried hard and soft resets just to make sure. That is just turning off and on the Computer, also Hmmm, I wonder what it was last time... glad that it worked... It does have my curiosity aroused also, if it happens again, I will try to be more awre of the circumstances. Ymodem-g, X-modem-g That always helps track down a problem. It also works great with the SuperCPU, too. :-) Bud, you are using 9.5 now? I thought I had a problem with the online clock but I think its a hardware (read that my) problem since it does the same thing inQWKRR. Oh, what kind of problem are you having? What is that? ** has left. My 80 col. clock is set from my rtc but it doesn't advance any.. for instance, I signed back on here at 9:46 and it still says 9:46 up in my upperright:/ The Novaterm clock advances every minute (or Mine does). QWKRR's advances by the second though... HMMM... Isn't there a fuse that controls the cia clock once it is set? It does the same in QWKRR, thatis don't work, so I think its a hardware problem Do you have any problems with screenblanking programs working? (Ie, QWKRR, Browser, etc? As you said it may be (and likely is) hardware related. I would check for a blown fuse Lurch - try this as a test: go to the Configuration menu, hit the right arrow to get the second menu, go down to "Set time from", and select "CMD-RTC" from the menu. I know it's already set for that, just select it again. ok Now I got 9:5 and sticking to it. Huh lost an there. It's not changing by the minute? Wait a minute and see if it changes. If it is a fuse the clock will not run in geos also Where is the fuse on the board? That I do not know, But ther should be 2 fusesw. One controls the time clock Good point, Howie, but often if that fuse is blown other things don't work either, like the User Port, for instance (or some things that use the User Port). Now I got 9:5Same question I was going to ask, thanks, Nick. Do you have a flat or D model C128, Lurch? d One other person reported a clock that was advancing much faster than normal. I've never been able to duplicate that. I've changed the fuse Howies talking about, and it's not hard to do. The fuse is available at Radio Shack. It auto-detects PAL and NTSC models, doesn't it, Nick? Yes, it is a standard fuse Yep, but the CIA clock should function the same either way. not so Nick. Folks who use geos have the same clock prob when a fuse is blown Oh, yeah I have changed some fuses in mine also, but at that time it kept blowing, and sent it to CMD. System was entirely down then though :/ Been there, done that, Lurch. Yea, some prob could be causeing the fuse to blow, or it could just be a fluke ** is here. Do you have future plans for Novaterm, Nick? Hi rudy! I still got some extras though. I will definitely check it out tomorrow. Thanks Howie:) Hi Rudy Hi Gaeylne, Hi Howie I am churning on some ideas, but nothing I want to mention right now, else I'll get asked about it constantly :) Ok, Nick. :-) hi rudy Hi Nick, Nick:. Thanks for sending me new 9.6 you're welcome We were just talking about issues that have come up with that version. I noticed that Nova.Text editor has the same memory in or out of Novaterm. It really is So far so good Lurch - that's right, that was another change. Another of Novaterm's features Nick forgot to mention was the ability to translate to UNIX style files. I think you should have a flashing message "switch to 0 column screen" for those people, I wont mention any names , that don't read manuals :/ Basically ASCII with only linefeeds at the end of each line. Missed an again, drat. I've been going through the docs to set up scripts. Any suggestionsThanks I wondered if anyone would ever suggest that. ;-) You mean in 80-column mode? There is one. ** is here. he means in 40 column mode Hiya Greg! Hi Greg! Welcome to the Novaterm 9.6 Conference! Oh, that isn't possible.. when you switch to the VDC 80-column screen, you lose the VIC chip completelu hi gaelyne,nick,qt's buffer,snog,rudy,howie lurch hi greg No when your in 40, thats right Gaelyne, kinda tongue in cheek on my part. Hi grH :-) Lurch. Hi Rudy. ** disconnected. Seems that a lot more people are trying scripts these days now that the manual explains it a little better. I remember when I first fired it up, boy was I upset. I think he refers to - just before switching - to say Switch to 80 columns now!" Maybe a pause or key press to continue so dummies like me see it. OIC Was it Rudy that asked about Scripts? He is gone Bummer. Could you toss out some script ideas/uses? I had given up on scripts. Might try it again now. Logging in is a good one... I have login scripts for every number I call. They can get more complicated, like downloading e-mail or new posts. I would like to see a library of script files someday... (for all term programs) I have always found it helpful to FIRST buffer my logon, then print the buffer, then write the script from the printed stuff Yeah, you have to get it exactly right. Something where the scripts are commented and made generic but for specific uses/and/or BBS's, services or ISP's. Huh, I almost thought of that Howie ;) :) That's a good idea, Gaelyne Something where authors accept the scripts and then make them available somehow. It'll be easy to do with GEnie, Delphi, etc. but ISP's are all very different That way Nick wouldn't have to do all the work for it, but people could share. scripts aare the greatest thing when someone else makes them and they work I agree, Greg!! Aint it the truth. Yea! I agree Greg. Makes me feel like a programmer :) Who would want to feel like that? LOL! ::ggiggle:: What does it feel like, Nick? It feels like I have less hair than I did a few years ago. :-) I got that without being a programmer,it ain't fair you too? Hair! Who's got hair? I do. ;-) and you don't even dye it eh? Oh no.. Gaelyne, you're the only one Nick, how does using Ymodem-g and the other -g protocols work?? My mother even suggested I try Rogaine, even though it's only receded a little bit. well have a good night I only hassle the programmers, Howie. ;-) night Greg G'night, Greg. my wife is saying thaat and she wants me away from the computer,can't understand why :) nite Greg ** has left. Yes, thats a good question on the ymodem protocols. You have to download to the buffer. That's all? I thought there was more to it than that. They just send the whole file all at once. If there's an error at any time, the transfer ends. I hardly us them. I have been seeing something about a Zedzap lately. They are very fast. Neat! BTW, what happens if the buffer fills when you're downloading files? Does it stop and save the buffer, or abort the transfer? It aborts. The sender tolerates no interruptions :) I'm the same way. ;-) lol! So the "save buffer when full" option is only for buffer capturing? Yep Ta. You saved a look up in the manual for me. This was a recent Fidonet echo question, BTW. You know, last time I checked, I couldn't find a BBS in Seattle that carried the CBM echo.^ You can always ask the sysop to carry it, Nick. (The worst that can happen is they'll say "no", but most like to help their users). I've asked a few, but have been ignored. :-/ bummer.. Greg Noggle is uploading Fidonet transcripts to Genie for me these days - from what I am putting on my Web site. They're on your site? That way more people can see the messages at least. A question on streaming, I seem to get it sometimes and then I don't. It has always been at 2400 baud or 9600 when I would get it. http://hal9000.net.au/~moranec/cbmfido.html With Zmodem.. it only happens when you download to the buffer. Is there anyway to tell when streaming is taking place, Nick? Thats what I have it setup for but some times I get 1024 blocks, sometimes 512, sometimes streaming. In streaming mode, you'll still see the byte count update and a slight pause while the data is checksummed and saved, it may look like block mode. Line noise a factor? Seems I would have some errors reported when I did. As for 512 or 1024 byte blocks, the sending side sometimes changes the block size. I have a feeling that if I have seen it, I haven't recognised it as such. I would have the short pauses which Iwas assuming was streaming and then I would get longer pauses in the same download. The sending side may also pause, depending on how much load is on the system. Gotta go, see ya later. Thanks, Nick. ** has left. night Lurch Nite Lurch That was quick! too quyick for me Me too! Both of you beat me. Are you a 9.6 user, Howie? no, but I am considering it, as I fnd Dialogue getting loder without support Does it no longer have support? I must say, the support Nick puts into Novaterm is very commendable. Dialogue has not been upgraded in years. Only one upgrade to fix a few of the bugs No, Nick, Gary Farmaner (sp) has left for greener pastures. and that upgrade was eons ago There are a few user fixes for the Ansi emulation and Henry Sopko has done a few extensions for it (screen blankers and a couple games to play while waiting.. Maybe that contributes to the increase in attention Novaterm is getting.. to get online, but that's about it. 9.6 has more feautures than Dialogue I don't normally take sides, but what Howie said... Honestly, the response to Novaterm has steadily increased for the last couple of years, ever since a low point in '94 yes Nick. 9.6 looks good to both 64 and 128 users I have attributed it to the popularity of the Internet. Of course you have now wrecked the Desterm vs Dialogue "Wars", Nick. ;-) :) Someone had to. :) It's the response that has motivated me to keep going. I seriously did not expect it two years ago. Back then I thought the show was about over. They are ALL good programs, though. Novaterm is unique in that either a 64 or a 128 user can use it. And to think I have even been considering a 128 version. I think we are seeing both a renewed interest from old users, as well as new users starting to use thier 64/128's There are several people interested in that, Nick. Mainly those who worry about their monitor switches. (Agree, Howie). I think a lot of people see it as a way to get on the Internet without spending $1000 for a new system. absolutely. :-) Agreed. And in some ways, if information is what you're looking for, it can be one of the best ways too. heck, we should even be seeing these dedicated Wewb machines coming out soon, prolly by Xmas Even with the hardware upgrades available it still manages to stay cost effective compared with PC's. When I use it for research, I am able to get what I need with less distraction and more content. yup! this waiting around for graphics is way oversold Agreed. Even a Ramlink/SuperCPU combo is far more cost effective than buying a used PC. And all the same programs work with it. Those web machines are going to be hellish compared to a computer. Ever tried to look at a 640x480 VGA display converted to a TV signal? not only that. they do not have storage devices... A lot of sites simply won't look very good. but it may be a hook to get poeple interested and then to buy a computer I have seen a system that is similar to lynx, but lets you d/l and view the pictures. They aren't in-line, but as noted, that's not always needed. I have to admit, I enjoy the multimedia stuff, I'm even getting some video clips up on my site... I noticed that. And sounds too. Which Nate Dannenburg has handled for the Commodore. But it isn't always a necessity, and is used unnecessarily. I have only seen it on phone lines, and swhenever I see it htere are long delays. Doing it with 14.4 is maddening, 28.8 is a must. Very long delays. IF it ranfast then it would be great... but alas... I have an ISDN line that is used for work, at 64k the Internet starts to get a lot easier to use. :) oh, it is not the modem. it is the slow INet server or flow Try it from Australia sometime. :-/ Even at 28.8k, the link speeds are slow. That is what is needed!! An ISDN in every home The Internet will be going through growing pains for some time. If they lifted the chains off the phone companies, it would happen a lot faster than it has been. Just as other formats for communications, Nick. gads yes! new browsers seem to get issued every other day :) The demand for the service is outstripping the ability to install the infrastructure to handle it, at the moment... I lkie this idea to combine tele lines with cable tv flow tgele out and cable tv in I understand that Internet Phone now allows you to call any telephone number And the Commodore is holding up very well under the circumstances too. Three years ago the idea of some of the things we find as common place today were out of this world then. I intend to use that to talk to my kids from Australia, Nick. There's just enough people to keep the Commodore up to snuff. oh bgoodness yes. I havebeen using the INet since 86-87 and my first Unix would only accept calls at 1200 And as Howie noted, our numbers are actually GROWING. I've met people that were using Novaterm to connect to the Internet years ago. Were you one of these, Howie? Of course. We have a smaller percentage of the computer user "pie", but the pie is growing so rapidly that the overall amount goes up. I started out with a 128, so tgended to stay in that mode til the last few years. Now run both equally It was when I got to college and on the Internet that I started to put in the features that were needed to make it work :-) I find the use of 64 mode has increased starting with Novaterm but continuing with the SuperCPU. About seven years ago That was about the time frame some of these folks are from too. Then you haven't been programming all that long I mean relatively speaking... I started Novaterm around 1986 10 years.... oh! I hadn't realized that. But I have heard about Nova for years OH. I wanted to ask - what's the name of the cross assembler you're using? I've been programming since 1981, just not on Commodores until 1985. :) I don't think it has a name... I found the source code for it a long time ago - written in C, and since then I have added features to it as I need them. Ah. This was a question I get now and again, so was a good time to ask. seems programmers like their own compilers Ed Bell wrote his own too Howie, Nick started Novaterm when he was 13years old. (MANY eons ago). What has happened over time is the cross-assembler and the source code for Novaterm are so intertwined that one won't function well without the other oh! Then you are very young :) Rod uses one called TASM. Uh huh I can believe that, Nick. :-) that didn't come out right It's always a relative term (That the source code and cross assembler are inter-twined). Yea, programming makes you old before your time. ;-) Yet too young in others.. We Commodore users don't hold it against you. :-) Nick, you are reaqlly to be commended for your support for us 64/128 users! BRB -- need to get a caffiene refill. Thanks I think it's due to my obssessive nature can I ask a personal question, like what type work you do? Believe it or not, I'm programming now, even though that is not where I plan to stay. oh, I thought alll us users were obsessive. I know I am It's just so lucrative now with the way the computer industry is exploding. well, that makes perfect sense. But why would you consider a change? There will be a need for good programmers as ar ahead as I can see My first love is in film production. But in order to do that on your own terms, you need money. I am using programming toward that end... Were you aware that you aren't the only C= user involved in film production, Nick? Ismael Cordeiro has worked on award winning films - he deals with sound. Interesting! A member of my club writes film scripts. (I know he writes them, not sure if he actaully gets them made into movies) Yeah, I'm not content with just writing them, although that's half the fun. I didn't know Ismael was in the biz... Doug Cotton mentioned that CMD rec'd a script and had been asked for permission to include the SuperCPU in the script. :-) He sure is. A man of multiple talents/interests. (Something I find common to all Commodore users). The Underground Scot is also intersted in film Really? A SuperCPU makes it into a script? A "must se" film We'll see if it's ever used. It was apparently a FOX production. They (CMD) of course said "sure!!" :-) NYU here in NYC uis supposed to have a good film school I think one of Ismael's films was "The Kiss of the Spider Woman". I am currently working on a portion of my home page to show some stuff from a public access show I had a couple of years ago. That's what the video clips are for.. He is a sound mixer? I remember the Novaterm Opening screens. oh! that should be interesting! What is the address?\ ** is here. http://www.eskimo.com/~voyager/ Hi Steve Hi all :) I don't think he's the mixer. You can look him up on the Internet movie data base and see his credits and such. Hi Steve! It'll be underneath that. I am going to be doing some video captures tonight, as a matter of fact... hi steve Thankks! I'll stop by! Thanks, He sent a nice email :) :-) What type of video captures, Nick? (single frame, or full motion) Just digitizing a few of the videos we made back then, to put them on the net as AVI files. It'll take a few tries to balance file size with picture and sound quality. Now that would be a feat - a Commodore AVI viewer. You do not want much Gaelyne I hope some of the demo writers pick up a SuperCPU and attempt something like that. yup! that would be the way Rod's buying capture equipment and I'm busy working on thinking up ways to enhance my use of the C= with it (or it's results) somehow. His toy, but I wanna play, too. ;-) hey! I gotta take a shower Can we watch, Howie?? ;-) Really found tonite helpful and informative!! Thanks sure Gaelyne! :) Glad you found it good, Howie. :-) Nite all! Should we call it a night? G'night Howie. ** has left. night howie Steve, are you a Novaterm 9.6 user, by chance? Sorry, Dialogue 128 :( No worries, we won't kick you out for it. ;-) Does Novaterm now have Zmodem ? Yes, Zmodem upload and download, and crash recovery. (And rename/replace too) I noticed that the Genie internet workspace only supports Zmodem.. is there any way around this ? Oh?? I thought it had Xmodem also. Maby I missed it. I haven't checked it for awhile, and not for that specifically. I'll have to take a look. Can I get the new version of Nova on disk ? Sure can.... Yep, it's $29.95 + $1.50 shipping from 10002 Aurora Ave. N. #3353, Seattle, WA 98133 Thanks, I'll grab this screen. Oh yeah, addressed to Nick Rossi. You can even get it on a 1581 disk, which is neat, too. I think the conference is winding down.... I was glad to see that people using the new version were able to come. Thanks for coming and chatting tonight, Nick. I think a lot of people will gain some new insight into both Novaterm, and it's programmer. Well I gotta check out ..gettin late. No problem. Thanks for coming, Steve. night steve Sorry I was late. Night all :) Night Steve ** has left. I guess that's about it... the bug-fix update will be along soon. How will you let users know about the update? I'll post it... I think we ran out of steam! :-) Well, I guess this is good night! Thanks for coming, Nick! :-) G'night! Thanks again for coming. Well, my check will be off in the mail tommorrow. Thanks! :-) ** has left.