87.08 apple bug

The Newsletter of APPLE @: the Brisbane Users’ Group Post Office Box 721 - South Brisbane Qld. 4101) fAuGusT 19s39t7 | { In this issue | Editor’s Notes <> Secrctary’s Notes Software Copying <> Software Library Page Right <> Letters to the Rditor Reply <> Tips & Techniques Advertisements <> Trading Table & { Menbership Renewal Form } NEXT MEETING: - 16th Ausust 1987 <<< CREDITS >>> v Tony Truscott Graham Black The Members - ZARDAX IT EPSON LQ-1500 The Wooper Centre The APPLE Computer - He typed it all in He Lyped, samc toa For théir contributions Word Processing Typesetting Printing & Distribution The reason for it al} vvevvvey Registered by Australia Post Publication No. ORG 3485. APPLE-BUG “2 August 1987 { Executive Committee J] Terry Sweetser President Ph. (07) 203 4210 Bernie Benson ~ Vice-President Ph. (07) 345-1545 Vince Crosdale - Secretary Ph. (07) 35] 3090 Eric Conolly - Treasurer Ph. (07) 261-1860 Graham Black ~ Registrar Ph. (07) 883 1525 Tony Truscott ~ Editor Ph.(07) 266 -4795 Peter Lane-Col lett Assistant Editor Ph.(07) 398 92h Richard Egglesfield - Hardcopy Librarian Ph.(07) 349 8888 Bob Godbehere - Software Librarian Ph. (07) 808 3892 C Bulletin Board System (BBS) ] Apple-Q BBS : online 24 hrs Telephone : (07) 284-6145 (DATA) : (07) 883-1525 (VOICE) Baud Rates : 300, 1200/75, 1200 and 2400 (CCITT and RELL) Data Specs : 7 or 8 Data bits 1 Stop bit - No Parity (Full Duplex) Sysops : Graham Black ~ ph.883 1525 & Vince Crosdale - ph.51 3090 BBS equipment : Apple //e 128k : 1 x 800k 3.5" drive : 2x 1 meg. Ram Cards Calls to the system : 5387 Registered Users : 284 (as of midnight 2nd August) SYSOP stands for: SYStem OPerator BBS stands for: Bulletin Board System C What’s When |] at the Hooper Education Centre - Kuran Street -- Wavell Heights Sunday 16th August 1987 Monday 17th August 1987 Open Day Committee Meeting Hours: 9.00.am. till 4.30.pm. Starts: 6.30. pm. Sunday 20 September 1987 Monday 21st Septembcr 1987 Open Day Committee Meeting Hours: 9.00.am. till 4.30.pm. Starts: 6.30.pm. l Membership Fees | Joining Fee: $10 Adults/Family: $20 Students/Pensioners: $12 Corporate Membership: $50 Associate Membership: $10 Pro-rata till MAY 88 (BBS users only) (Students under 21 years © Pensioners on production of Pensioner Card) { at the discretion of the Executive Committee ) APPLE-BUG <3> August 1987 {C Editor’s Notes ] by Tony Truscott Please keep those contributions coming in as the committee have run out of things to say, as you will notice if you keep reading. Actually we have had a good response from our members in this regard which makes my life a_ lot easier. We have an interesting article on copying software this month and we have finally dreamt up a price list for the trading table. [C Secretary’s Notes ] by Vince Crosdale Cancelled due to lack of correspondence. So until next month, Good Computing. C SOFTWARE COPYING j] Permission was given by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) to reproduce this article. STOP COPYING. Either Way It’s Wrong People who would never walk into a store and shoplift a software product think nothing of making several copies of the same software. The results are the same. The act is just as wrong. When it comes to unauthorized duplication of software, many people do not realize the costly impact on the software developer and the customer community. The relationship between customer and developer in a software transaction is one of mutual trust. The customer trusts that the developer has produced a product that will deliver the desired result, performs according to specifications, and is properly documented and supported. The developer trusts that the customer will make use of only those copies for which he has purchased a licence, even though making additional, unauthorized copies is relatively easy. Unauthorized duplication and use of software violates Australia’s copyright law, and unfairly deprives software developers of revenue they are entitled to receive for their work. Software developers find that hundreds of illegal copies have been made by customers who either innocently believe they are doing nothing wrong, or simply choose to ignore the law. This cannot continue if the customer is to expect better documentation, customer support, upgraded software and new products. The Problem is Growing Australia is increasingly dependent on software. Major organizations are discovering that the right software can mean increased productivity and higher profits. Many dollars are invested annually in software produced by independent companies, and these software developers, in turn, reinvest in new product development and user support. Unauthorized users place a substantial burden on the customer support system to the detriment of legitimate users. ‘ As more software is reproduced unlawfully, software developers are compelled APPLE-BUG <4» August 1987 to take action to protect their rights. Most of these unauthorized uscrs who have been caught have settled out of court to avoid embarrassment and unfavorable publicity. Unfortunately, the developer cannot hope to recapture lost revenues. The Law is Clear Copying computer software without authorization is a breach of Australia’s copyright law. The money paid for a software product represents a licence fee for the use of one copy. It does not represent an authorization to copy. You could face severe penalties if you make illegal copies of software: * $500 for each illegal copy as a first offence; * 6 months in prison for subsequent offences; * total penalties as high as $50,000 for individuals; * total penalties of up to $250,000 for bodies corporate. Myths and Facts of Software Let’s start by dispelling some myths with a few facts. First, software developers do not condone unauthorized copying in order to gain market penetration. Second, the price of software does not make unauthorized copying justifiable. The cost of a software product to a consumer represents only a small fraction of the publisher’s development and marketing costs. Third, although the cost of illegal copying is borne initially by the software developer, it is paid for ultimately by legitimate users. Fourth, rationalization for the software copying does not make it right or legal. Some people say,"the product is too expensive". The price set by the developer and retailer does not give someone a licence for the theft. Also, software pricing is value based. Most software customers find that they pay only cents per hour for the use of a valuable information processing tool. STOP COPYING Research and development. for a single software product. costs thousands of man-hours and millions of dollars. The price you pay for software includes only a fraction of the development, marketing and supper! costs, plus a reasonable return on the investment. When illegal copies are produced, cheating the devcloper of revenues, the software company is faced with having to charge legitimate users higher prices. This is simply not acceptable to honest customers or the industry. What it Means to You It’s obvious that legitimate softwarc users are paying for theft along with software developers. It’s obvious, too, that no one is going to put up with il for long. New and better software is important to the growth, productivity and profitability of your organization. The wide variety of software applications available allows you to explore more options, have more complete and timely information for decision-making, and help to ensure an improvement in the quality of the industry’s products and services. New software won’t be financed unless its investors feel secure in receiving a reasonable return on investment. As a software user, you have the responsibility to live up to your agreement with the developer. What We’re Doing About It Coordinated by a Software Taskforce, the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has established a public information program on the issue APPLE -BUG <5> August 1987 of software copying. The industry simply cannot allow anyone to take its assets with impunity. The software industry believes that most software users will recognize the problem when faced with the facts, and act responsibly and ethically. Those individuals and organizations that choose to ignore the law and their obligations by reproducing and using unauthorized software copies will be prosecuted. This brochure is part of an extensive awareness campaign designed to bring the issue to the public’s attention. AIIA is working with the Government to strengthen copyright protection of software, and encourage serious law enforcement. Is Someone Exposing Your Organization? We are aware that most people do not encourage software copying. We also believe that most people confronted with the consequences of this crime would stop. AIIA is encouraging all organizations that have an investment in software to conduct an internal organization audit to ensure that softlifting and piracy are not occurring. No one wants costly or embarrassing legal action. We recommend and ask for your support in informing people in your organization that receiving or being a party in copying software, in violation of the licence agreement, is illegal. In addition, we are asking organizations to establish a written policy statement on software use, and provide it to all employees with access to computer software. Each employee should be asked to sign the policy statement to indicate he or she is aware of the policy. Where to Get More Information AIIA represents over 100 suppliers of computer hardware, software and telecommunications equipment and services. For further information or questions on software protection, contact AIIA, PO Box £434, Queen Victoria Terrace,ACT 2600. Or Phone (062) 82 4700. { Seftware Library | by Bob Godbehere During the Open-Day, members took advantage of the software library, and over 200 Public Domain disks were copied for members. Unfortunately I gave the original disk #91 (Business 1 & 2) to one of the members, instead of the copy. My own boot disk was also taken by mistake and a blank one left in its place. During the last three Open-days, disk #57 (Utilities for easier programing 3 & 4) has gone missing. I would very much like to get them back, so please check your disks. As most members are aware, we also obtained recently, 20 public domain disks. These are modern disks, 85,86,87 vintage and are worth looking at. Copies can be obtained at the next open day. Total programs now exceeds 9896 which includes a few duplicates. Freeware, Home is where the Apple is, Apple //e business applications, and Appleworks Demo (2 disks), are five recently obtained public domain disks. 1.A.C. Volumes: The files are divided into sections, and the files in cach section are required for the particular applications. The Prefix before each file name represents the file type. i.e. B=Binary T-Text A:Applesoft. 1: Integer. Each section is seperated by a string of ’s and each volume 16 string of ’s. Volume # 001 Disk 1 : FREK SECTORS 182 (45.5K) I HELLO 1 JAC 4.2 DISK B NIFFUM 3.3 TO 3.2 I DISC SPEED [NFO I DISC SPEED TEST B DSPEFD. OBJ 1 APPLETEST TL CONVENTIONS I TARGET SHOOT A HGR DEMO! A GRANDAPPLE 1 FLAG A LITTLE SPIDER A SHUFFLE T AIR FORCE ROMBER 1 NEW FLY KILLER I DEATH STAR A AM SCH FOR PRINTER A APPLESOFT LINE WRITER T TEXT & HOME COMMANDS. T DOS COMMAND STRINGS. T WINDOW T'ARAMETER LOCATION: T CLEAR SCREEN CALL LOCATIONS. T READ & SET KBD. LOCATIONS. T CURSOR POSITION LOCATIONS. T SCREEN SELECT LOCATIONS. T SPEAKER & PADDLE LOCATIONS. T ERROR HANDLE RCN ALL TO, T ERROR HANDLE RTN. /CALL945. T APPLESOFT POINTER FUNCTIONS T APPLE: BUG .6 DELETE REM August [QR7 Volumne # 002 - Disk 1 : FREK SECTORS 191 (47.75K) A IAC 3.3 DISK B OINTBASIC B FPBASIC T APPLESOFT B LHS RECST VTOC B OLNS DISK MAP B LHS CATALOG B LHS COPY B FRE(X) A DISK SORT VER 3.3 B FIX SECTORS A GEN LEDGER T G/L DATA A GEN LEDGER ACCOUNT# A PRINT G/L A LIBRARY LIST I LIBRARY UPDATE IF Volume # 009 Disk 1 FREE SRCTORS 94 (23.5K) A TAC I HELLO! A CALCULATOR A REACTANCE CALCULAT TONS A TRANSISTOR PARAMETERS A SIN PLOT A METRICS AREA A METRICS LENGTH A METRIC VOLUME A METRICS KITCHEN A METRICS TEMPERATURE WEIGHT A PERMUTATIONS COMBINATIONS A BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION A PRIME FACTORS OF INTEGERS A PLOT A FAST FOURIER TRANSFORM A TOTAL A LOOF ANTENNA A XLINE IMPEDANCE TL NUMBER BASE CONVERTER I HEX-DEC CONVERTER T CALC FI TO 1000 DIGITS T LONG DIVISION J DIVISION I MULTIPLY I MATH PRACTICE A EXTERIOR BALLISTICS A HARMONIC ANALYSES; A QUADRATIC SURFACE A HEX © A NOTCH FILTER A GREAT CTRCLE seperated by a APPLE BUG «7 August 17 Volueme # 010 = Disk | : FREE SECTORS 279 (69.75K) A IAC A DA BIN ICH... BN.BIN A VASARELY A RANDOM A ORNATO 2 A GABY A KRISTALLE A NEON A STAR A SHAKALIN A QUARRY A ALIEN HEART A PULSATOR A COLLISTONS A ONE LINE A QQQQQ A LACE B BILD] T SOFTWARE NOTE Volume # 011 Disk 1 : FREE SECTORS - 91 (22.75K) A APPLE TUTORIAL A MENUMENU A STRTSTRT A HELPHEL! A PT.1PT.1 A PT.2PT.2 A QREFQREF Volumne # 012 - Disk 1 : FREE SECTORS = 190 (47.5K) A HELLO A APPLESOFT LISTER INSTRUCTIONS B APPLESOFT LISTPRINTER I AUTHORSHIP A CALENDAR I CONCENTRATION I CONNECTION I CRIBBAGE A HEXCON I HOOVER DAM B PAGE DUMP B SOFSYMREF B SOFSYMREF.S A STOCK TRADER B TEDISSEMBLER.S I Volumne # 013 - Disk 1 : HELLO DM IT REMINDER GENERATOR DISK ZAP SCREEN DUMP.NO NUM.CENTER SCREEN DUMP. PLAIN PERPETUAL CALENDAR TXFILER TXFILER INFO 1 > O > > PH >> D> Volumne # 014 - Disk 1 : A HAYES MENU A STORE & FORWARD A AUTO DIAL A TRANSFER A ALARM A ANSWER ON NTH RING MODIFIED A DJ CONVERTER VIDEO TEST FREE SECTORS = 319 (79.75K) B BIN. HELLO B DOUBLE DOS A JOHANNES A ROWTSER A SCREEN DUMP. NUMBERED FREE SECTORS = 416 (104K) SELFTEST IT PICKUP DUMBO BASIC EXTRACTOR DIAL A HUMAN SOURCEON MICROMODEM FLAGS > rr >>> This month we will have a look at a number of ways of setting up a text screen layout from within your programs. Most if not all non-games programs require some input from the user, and if we are to have a friendly program we want to display as much information as possible about the input required so as the user is not continually referring to a manual or guessing what should be entered. The screen can be set up with a number of program INPUT and or PRINT commands which are included in your program and whilst this may seem the easiest solution it is a slow, tedious, prone to error and full of frustration. If you don’t believe me try setting up a card file layout like Appleworks. An alternative method is to prepare the screen layout you want using a word processor, Appleworks is my choice. If you are using Appleworks instead of saving the file after it is complete, pretend you want to print the file, and when you are asked where you want to print it, select “A text (ASCII) file on disk." After saving your screen layout as a standard text file you are able to use it when ever and to make changes it is just a matter of loading it back into the word processor and making the necessary alterations before again saving the layout. The text file is now able to be read by your program into string variables and with the use of a For-Next loop printed to the screen whenever required. This approach reduces the number of Program tines and it is much easier and quicker to make alterations at any time However we now have to come up with a method of reading the text file from the disk into the string variables so as the program is able to display your screen. We can use a Get-loop to read one character at a time from our text file with an error trap to catch the end of the file so as we don’t have to keep a record of exactly how many characters are in the file. This works quite well but it isa little on the stow side. A machine language routine can be used to read the file considerably faster. The one I use is a PO program that was published in Open-Apple. A listing of this routine is included below. To read a text file with Input Anything use &SC$ (or whatever$) instead of INPUT SC$. The final method we will look at is te take advantage of a ProDQS commands already available te us ie. Store and Restore. To use this method first Clear the memory and then run ‘Input Almost Anything’ to load your screen or screens into a variable (Screen$(1)) and then - PRINT CHR$(4); "STORE SCREEN.LAYOUT* You now have a variable file on disk (File type VAR) that you load at the start of your program - PRINT CHR$(4); "RESTORE SCREEN. LAYOUT" and all your screens are now loaded into string variables and are available to print. Listing: Input Anything 0200- 76 84 85 33 20 E3 DF A2 0308- 00 20 OC FD AB 29 7F C9 0310- 0D 08 48 FO 07 C9 20 BO 0318- 03 69 40 AB 98 20 ED FD 0320- 68 28 FO 0D 9D 00 02 EB 0328- EO FF DO DD AY 0D 20 ED 0330- FD 86 FD 8A AO 00 DI 83 0338- FO 02 BO IF 91 82 C8 BI 0340- 83 85 71 48 C8 BI 83 85 0348- 72 C5 70 68 90 OD C5 oF 0350- 90 09 BA AZ 00 AD 02 20 0358- E2 E5 60 8A 20 52 £4 Az 0360- 00 AD 02 20 E2 ES AD 00 0368- AS FD 91 83 CB AS 6F 91 0370- 83 C8 AS 70 91 83 60 If you couldn’t make head nor tail out of the printer routine last month that is because you haven’t got an Apple D.M.P. and Apple parallel card. APPLE-BUG <9> August 1987 {C Letters to the Editor 1 To the editor, Apple-Bug. Dear Sir, With RESPECT, and no malice or insinuations intended. As you have asked for comments, I assume that you require feedback from the members who read the Apple Bug newsletter. I have to put pen to paper (so to speak) instead of putting it on disk for you. My reason being that I know longer own an Apple computer. I regret to inform you that I do not like the new LOGO for the Apple Bug newsletter. This in itself is not important as I didn’t like the old LOGO either, so here is something in common. May I make it known that I have not received a newsletter in the mail since the new committee took over, until I received this one on the 24/7/87. The July meeting was on the 19/7/87. The NEW LOOK newsletter is a vast improvement over the old style newsletter that we used to get. (last one I received in the mail before christmas). The improvements and added reports that never used to be there are a welcome sight, and a credit to the new committee. I like the "THE TREASURER’S NOTES." and the newly created "PAGE 8" by Power Spike. I tend to think these the best articles in Lhe newsletter. I would however like some explanations if possible. Please Note: No Disrespect meant when I ask. 1. Has the sysop been given absolute "catre blanche" as to what is or isn’t "poor taste"? It seems to me that what may be "poor taste" to one person, may not be "poor taste" to another, and I therefore respectfully suggest that "poor taste” should be a committee decision, not just one persons responsibility. 2. On page 5 first paragraph. This seems to me to be some sort of double standard. "PAGE 8" is allowed to use a pseudonym and users of the BBS are not, as a lot of the material for the newsletter comes from the BBS one would be inclined to think that pseudonyms should be allowed on the BBS, or stopped in/on both. Question. Has a suggestion of a competition or vote been put forward on a LOGO for the newsletter? If not may I put it forward now? If a competition is held members could send in their efforts, the committee could then ask the members to vote on which of a choice that they would like. Due to my thoughts on what. T consider to be a double standard, and also being unable to get onto the BBS, and pseudonyms being allowed in the newsletter, I will sign this off with a pseudonym and a promise that if this letter is printed along with satisfactory answers I will reveal who | am. Tt could start a chain of letters to the editor with any luck. p.c. pussy cat APPLE BUG “10+ August [97 Dear Pussy Cat, Thankyou for your feedback. Like wise, no disrespect: intended. I am sorry to hear that you have not been receiving om newsletter on a regular basis. This could be for several reasons: 1. your membership may have expired. 2. you may have changed address without informing us of Lhe change. The reason the July newsletter did not get out in time, was that the Hooper Centre was closed over the holidays. The Hooper Centre does our printing, and also mails out the newsletters for us. We need to get the final copy of the newsletter to them, at least two weeks before the meeting, if it is to be printed, collated, stapled, folded, inserted, sorted and taken to the Post Office, in time to get it delivered to your address before the weekend of the meeting. Last month they only had time to do the printing and stapling, as they resumed business only one week before the meeting. This is a situation we have no control over, and it will no doubt occur again. The newsletter was available to the members at the meeting, and those that were left) afterwards, were posted out the following week. You should not need the newsletter to remind you that the meeting is on, as the meetings are ALWAYS held on the third Sunday of the month, except in December. If the is to be a meeting in December, it will be announced in the November net tter, along with the address where it will be held, as we do not have access to the Hooper Centre over the christmas break. With regards to pseudonyms not. being allowed on the RBS. As the yroup. is seeking incorporation, there is a _ legal requirement for the use of Real Names. A BBS user must register with the club to gain access to the system, and this access is Legally regarded as a form of Associate Membership to the group. This is dictated by Corporate Affairs and the Justice Department. 1. The Sysops control the running of the BBS, and they have the final interpretation of the rules for what will be allowed to be placed in messages on the various Bulletin Boards. This ‘Right’ is reserved by all Sysops, all over the world, and we can see no reason to change it here. The Executive Committee governs the actions of the BRS Sub-committee, which governs the actions of the Sysops. Our RBS has two Sysops, whereas most BRS’s have only one. If you wish to contest the rules, then please contact the RBS Sub Committee. 2. On pages 4 & 5 of the last newsletter, we published the ‘System Rules’. These rules apply to the RBS, and not the newsletter. We get very little, if any, articles from the BBS to place in the newsletter. ‘PAGE 8’ was started by a member who wishes to remain anonymous for his writtings. He professes to have SOME knowledge of his subject, but says he is not an authority, and simply wants to start the ball rolling, with a colum that gives every member the oportunity to espouse some knowledge, no matter how trivial, without having to put his/her name to it. Some may wish to take credit for their work, and we will be only too happy to publish their name if they so request it. We have published many articles where the author’s name accompanies the article. We Like to give credit where credit is due, as this helps the members to become involved with the running of their club. APPLE-BUG <11> August 1987 To your question: It has been requested many times over the years, that members contribute articles and logos for inclussion in the newsletter. Unfortunately, not many have been received. As usual, everything is left upto the same old few, to do just about everything. Tony Truscott, our new edilor, submitted the last LOGO, and prepared and published it in the July newsletter. T think it was Mark Ritchie who supplied the current Title Page for the BBS, which has been on-line for the past 8-9 months. There have becn several submissions, we tried them all, and selected the best. If a better one comes along we will use it. Would you like to submit. something? Regards Graham Black (Registrar/Sysop/Kditing Assistant) C TIPS AND TECHNIQUES ] RAPID FIRE FOR YOUR JOYSTICK by David Connors. Have you ever wanted to enjoy a rapid fire joystick but did not wish to outlay for a new one? Well here’s a handy little circuit that you can build for under ten dollars that will, with a minimum of fuss, fit inside your joystick and produce a rapid fire effect. The circuit is based around the LM3909 flasher IC. It draws its power from the joystick’s input. on button 0 (I recommend that you modify only button 0 as it is the button commonly used for firing, etc.). VRI, R4, R5 and R6 all work together to control the timing and storage of Cl. The firing rate may be varied between 1Hz and 18Hz. R3 keeps the current down for the indicator LED, LD1 and IC, IC]. I think that you will find a 2mm LED is more appropriate for the application than a 5mm LED as the 2mm LED has a lower current drain. On my joystick (a USA MACH III) I have two button 0’s (one mounted on the stick and the other on the base) and one button 1, on the base. I ran the circuit through the button 0 on the stick with an on/off switch so that it will serve as a single shot or rapid fire button. I also had a 5k potentiometer (VR1) hooked up with the indicator LED on the top of the chassis to show the speed at which it is currently set. The only major problem that I encountered was that some picces of software couldn’t keep up with the joystick when running at high speed. The problem is that most programs cannot loop fast enough to register a shot therefore producing a rather ‘messy’ line of fire. However this may be overcome by setting the joystick just under its maximum speed. The entire project cost me $6.30 and I recommend that you mount it on varo board so that you get it small enough to fit inside the joystick. One thing that I am sure of is that it will add an extra dimension to most of your games. It is pretty helpful in a game like Minit Man where a robot must be hit three times before it is dead, all you do is press the button, which expels a continuous stream of bullets killing the robot almost instantly. It doesn’t work with games that automatically use rapid fire, like Rescue Raiders. I hope that you will find this circuit useful and the plans for it are as APPLE -BUG .12 August L987 follow. Any enquires about this should be sent) to David Connors, c- The Editor, Apple Bug, 7.0. Box 721, South Brisbane 4101, PARTS LIST: Semiconduct« 5 : ICl - LM3909 LD1 - 2mm LED (colour of your own choice) Capacitors : Cl - 470 micro f RB Vertical Electrolytic Resistors : RI] 68 ohm 5% tolerance R2 - 220 ohm 5% tolerance R3 - 220 ohm 5% tolerance R4 ~ 220 ohm 5% tolerance VR] - 5k linear potent iometer Miscellaneous : About 20cm of hook up wire 1 single pole, single throw switch l knob to fit the end of the potent iometer INININ._. AN eee BS TDN ee to button 0 vRI eee sg ok ae Ea ee eaiga Wresu RAPID FIRE CIRCUIT DIAGRAM How to hook it up: “computer via joystick lead Button 0 ml gE + To the circuit APPLE-BUG ¢13 August 1L9R7 If you are unsure as to the polarity of your joystick, a quick test with a multimeter or placing an IED on the circuit should tell you. lt isn’t critical that you have the circuit hooked up to the joystick with correct polarity, but it will help if you decide to further modify the circuit in the future. You won’t find this a very hard circuit to build and you require only a minimal knowledge of electronics to assemble this. STRING MANIPULATION by Graham Black String manipulation is a very useful too] to have at your finger -tips. If you can master string manipulation, then you have gone a long way towards mastering the BASIC language. Using the scale below, you can count the number of characters in the string, and their relative positions within the string: ~ 0000000001111111111222 000000111 1234567890 123456789012 4567890 12 sepeeenreerrereetenere ereneeene A$ = "COMPUTER.OF.THE.FUTURE" : 2$ = MID$(A$,4,9) = "PUTER.OF."” The ‘C’ is in position 1, ‘M’ is in position 3, ‘F’ is in position 11 and position 17, ‘H’ is in position 14, etc. To get the first 5 characters of A$ and assign them to L$, your formula will be:- L$ = LEFT$(A$,5) To pull out the word ‘.OF.’ and assign it to the string Mt, you count from the left side of the string to the first letter required, which in this case is the period at the 9th position. Next you must. count the number of characters you require. In this case four characters are required. Your formula will be : M$ = MID$(A$,9,4) You must seperate the components of the formula with a comma, or you will be presented with SYNTAX ERROR when you try to run the program. Enter the following program and try it for yourself. 10 REM - STRING MANIPULATION 20 REM 30 REM ~ WITH THE USE OF 40 REM = LEFT$( 50 REM ~ MID$( 60 REM — RIGHT$( 100 HOME 110 A$ = "“COMPUTER.OF. THE. FUTURE" 120 REM ~ TAKE THE FIRST EIGHT 130 REM ~ LETTERS FROM THE LEFT 140 REM - HAND SIDE OF A$ AND 150 REM -- ASSIGN THEM TO L$ 170 L$ = LEFT$(A$,8) 190 REM ~ TAKE THE MIDDLE EIGHT 200 REM - LETTERS STARTING FROM APPLE BUG 11 Augus! TORT 210 REM - THE STH POSTTION AND 220 REM ~- ASSIGN THEM TO M$ 240 M$ = MID$(A$,9,&) 260 REM - TAKE THE FIRST SIX 270 REM - LETTERS FROM THE 280 REM - RIGHT HAND SIDE OF A$ 290 REM AND ASSIGN THEM TO R$ 300 R$ = RIGHT$(A$,6) 330 REM - PRINT THE STRING A$ 340 REM - FOLLOWED BY THE NEW 350 REM - STRINGS L$ M$ R$ 370 PRINT A$ 380 PRINT L$ 390 PRINT M$ 400 PRINT R$ 420 REM NOW PRINT A BLANK LINE 430 PRINT 450 REM - NOW TAKE THE STRINGS 460 REM - AND PRINT THEM IN THE 470 REM - REVERSE ORDER 490 PRINT R$ 500 PRINT M$ 510 PRINT L$ 520 PRINT A$ 540 REM - NOW RE- ASSEMBLE THE 550 REM - STRING IN THE REVERSE 560 REM - ORDER SO THAT WE HAVE 570 REM A NEW STRING CALLED BS 590 BS = R$ + M$ + L$ 610 REM NOW PRINT THE NEW STRING 620 REM - PRECEEDED BY A BLANK LINE 640 PRINT 650 PRINT BS [ Advertisements |] —> Contact: Graham Black at the Trading Table or ph. (07) 883° 1525 Speed Demon (speeds up the apple 3.6 times faster than normal) $ 500 Roland DXY-800 Plotter (8 colour) includes many pens and paper $1050 Alf Synthesizer 1 amplificr + approx. 30 disk of music ....... $ 400 DIGITEK Serial Interface DK 24-4 oo... cece eee eee eee $ 75 //e Mouse % 225 //e numeric keypad ae $ 75 PASCAL Reference mannals re a we $ of fer Microfazer 64k printer buffer. serial in/parallel out $ 195 MCP printer/plotter (plus pens) $ 90 APPLE /// Softcard ITI by MICROSOFT (2 only? $ 300 Assorted APPLE /// software (inel. Visicale [I1) $ offers Price tag gun (2 only) $ offers Telex rolls .........005 sence & 1 ZARDAX (DOS BR) eee ree te eee teen eee £165 ZARDAX TI (ProDOS) . i tusvensiryeye 240 qauiimens sie exe camumene me me eens 9 $ 165 RS~232 Inline Switch Box. (male to $ 20 APPLE-BUG <15> August 1987 FOR SALE -> Contact: Vince Crosdale at the Trading Table or ph. (07) 35} 3090 Enhanced Apple //e 128k, two disk drives, monitor, parallel card, RGR card, manuals many disks included. $2200 ph.(07) 351-2090 {C TRADING TABLE ] PRICE LIST ~ as at: 2nd AUGUST 1987 Ref__ Code Description Details _. . .Price_ 0 : STOCK ; CONTROL DATA (single) : 2.50 1 ! TTGCB : 5.25 DS/DD DISKS (PKT.10) : 15.00 : 2 : 1CBT : CDATA SS/DD DISK (lib.cs) | 22.00 3 | HMCB : 5.25 SS/DD DISKS (PKT.10) : 12.00 : 6 : CBTTG : 3.5inch SS/DD DISKS (per) | 4.00 : 9 ' 105C : BASIC PROGRAMMING (bk) : 15.00 : 1 10 ; 106C ‘: WORKSHOPS VOL.1 (bk) | 168.50 | 1 11 + 107C_ : WORKSHOPS VOL.2 (bk): 16.50 : 1 12 : 108C ‘: COMPUTER CONNECTION (bk) | 10.00 : 2 13°: 109C | WP WITH ZARDAX (bk): 15.00 : 1 15: A-QCR : EPSON LX/GX--80 RIBBON Hy 9.25 7 17 + 418C : EPSON MX80 RIB.CARTRIDGE 11.00 : 10 19 : AQ : MF-50 MEDIA DRAWER 3.5 in 28.00 ! 1 22 : 222C |: FD30 MINI DISK TRAY (30) 9.90 : 4 30 : 352C : DISK LABEILS.F/FOLD (1000) 25.00 | 1 = 31 =: CBITS : 6-RING BINDER.HARD COPY : 7.50 : 2 32 : AQBUG | MAILING LABELS (96): 2.00: 48 95 : AQ.CB : ZERO-FORCE SOCKETS I/0 H 27.00 : 2 97 | KKK | MISC.SOFT/HARDWARE ‘ -50 : 22 98 | kK | ASSORTED BOOKS 24 The above prices are correct at the time of print ing and are subject change without notice. It is good to see that members are taking advantage of the low prices that we are able to offer each month. It is not always possible to have every single item in the price list available at each meeting, so if there is anything in particular that you would like to see, then phone me on (07) 883-1525 after mid-day, at least two working days before the meeting and I will attempt to get it for you. Also you can place an order for any of the above items along with your deposit of at least 25%, at the meeting. #4844 This Month’s Special -) EPSON LX-800 PRINTER $510.00 #4484 We are now able to purchase the new Epson 1LX-800 dot matrix printers at a reduced price, and we will have one on display at the August meeting. (Recommended Retail $696.00) We can purchase any of the Epson range of printers. We hope to have CREDIT CARD facilities available in the very near future. Bankcard - Mastercard - Visa. APPLE- BUG 1G) August 1987 REC? 6 oe vw vce ERPS ves sncmare we Membership Number oo. Apple-Q: the Brisbane Users’ Group MEMBERSHTP RENEWAL Membership to Apple Q is on an annual basis from the month that you join. All members on our books are require:l to note any changes to their personal details and forward to the Registrar upon renewal of their membership. MEMBERSHIP FEES I J $20.00 Adult and Family memberships {} $12.00 bona fide students under the age of 21 { ] $12.00 pensioners upon production of pension card (at the discretion of the Executive Committee! AEGIS ISG SHO III Membership Renewal Form Surmame: ..- 20-62 ee ee eee eee eee etter tees Business telephone: (...).....2.-. ccc ee ese e ete eect eee e enna I hereby declare that the above details are truce and correct, and agree to abide by the Rules and Regulations of the group. Please complete these details to allow our records to be checked. DO NOT use this form for an initial mesbership application. Forms for that purpose pay be obtained from the Registrar or the Secretary. TRIS FORM SHOULD BE COMPLETED AND RETURNED WITH FEE EITHER: at the next Open Day -or- post to: The Registrar Apple Q ( PLEASE DO NOT ) P.0.Box 698 ( MUTILATE THIS ) Redcliffe. QLD 4020 ( FORM ........ )