InCider198305

May 1983 Parlez-Vous Pascal? USA $2.95 (UKR2.00) ™ Greens Apple* Magazine Indy 500 Reviews: «Business Track the Action eGames With Your Apple eSimulations ‘HM *Apple® is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc. SPECIALLY TARGETED. Works in harmony with your z-eard/cpm equipped Apple II. No more floppy shuffle. Fast one pass compiler that doesn’t generate unnecessary intermediate files which require further assembly. PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED. Crafted by a project team with over 15 years of Pascal programming experience. A powerful Pascal that includes all the features necessary for professional program development including random files and dynamic strings. INCREDIBLE SPEED. Resultant stand alone programs execute 10-20 times faster than the equivalent Basic or up to 4-1/2 times faster than U.C.S.D. programs. TRADEMARK cPM Digital Research Apple Apple Computers ucsD University Calif. San Diego Alcor Pascal Alcor Systems (0 DEVELOPMENT POWERFUL TEXT EDITOR. Has Macro capability, reconfigurable and understands smart terminals. EXCEPTIONAL DOCUMENTATION. Includes 250 page documentation pkg. that guides you step by step. OPTIONAL ADVANCED DEVELOPMENT PKG. Includes Optimizer and Native Code Generator for even faster executing programs. ADP: $125 + shipping. ALCOR PASCAL: A new standard of excellence from the professionals at Aleor Systems. CALL OR WRITE for a free 20 page technical brochure h all the facts. 214-226-4476. Pascal System: $199 + shipping. La] | Alcor Systems // (ti 800 W. Garland Ave. SYSTEMS ULCOR Garland, Texas 75040 Dealer Inquiries Invited Circle 1 on Reader Service card. onveyor belt in an flort to make pies. ¥ aS q “Best graphics eve See if you can sneak past the security quards in this be iis. _ & *THUNDERBOMBS fl : Runa Bite of deadly fm Pensuin software The criminal clement hasfeon amok. harpshooters. Can you round them up? . ok . ’ . . We believe games should be fun and that the price of games stouldn't dampen that fun.-The growth of the market over the past coupl® of Years leads us to believe that $19.95 may work nowjas,a reasonable game price, so we're trying it for the next six months, and if we're right, longer. This policyfdoes not just apply fo new games, but to ALL our games, including our past and current best-sellers!Our bet i is that , we'll sell more and that the increased sales will offset the decreased income per product)! If so, more | people get to play our games, and we still make enough to keep developing newer and bettersoftware. ” As*our customers know, at Penguin Software we take a great deal of care and pride in our,products. This change in our pricing in no way affects our standards of quality. We pioneered the remoyal of copy” protection from applications software last year iman effort to give you a better product. This year we are trying gain to lead the way in putting the customer first. a ‘ . Cee 23 on Reader aj card, penguin software........... (312) 232-1984 830 4th Avenue, ‘Geneva, IL 60134 Dealer, Hotline: (806) 323-0116, retailers only, please. Available at your local computer ‘storeSDegler ih ‘and distributor inquiries welcome. Visa/MasterCard accepted. | DEPARTMENTS Hot Cider 6 by Wayne Green Inside Out 10 Highlights of the issue Fermentations 12 Editorial Letters 16 Applewatch 21 Congress balks on Apple bill: Custer axed: Apple's image polished: Auto-parts industry computerizes: Apples moribund?! The Applesoft Adviser 28 Modules for random access files The Assembly Advantage 42 Integer arithmetic with SPEED/ASM. Bent on Business 150 Put your Apple on salary Fudge It! 158 Noisy graphics Book Reviews » 166 II’s Company 170 ‘An introduction to Apple surgery Hints ‘n’ Techniques 176 Remark reminder: Renumber fix; Move it!; The wily hex SoftwareReviews 184 The Cosmic Balance; Spitfire Simulator: Know Your Apple: Sargon Hl: Wargle; Academie Skill Builder; Casino; Jawbreaker Calendar 197 New Software 198 Cider Vinegar 203 New Products 204 Cover art by Bob Dukette, a) A 2 May 1983 ° Vol. 1 No. 5 Gider —_<« te Downloaded from www AppleaOnline.com ARTICLES Blaising Bibliographies A Pascalian Puzzle 120 Part II Pascal puts it all together by James Florini Indy 74 uxury Lapping by Earl Johnson 64 Solving Problems With Logo Part II Streamlining the hiring process by Greg Stone 83 Classical Perplexity by Swain Pratt Bank Street Writer Review (word processing) by Hartley Lesser 126 Input Insult First, GET its attention by M. Max McKee The Franklin Ace 100138 How does it stack up? by Timothy Daniel 34 The Better One-Day Poking Perfection Programmer 90 PartII Making memories Towards better screen formatting by Joe Magee by A. E. Doughty Practically Pascal Part II 100 CP/M: The Lingua Franca Of Operating Systems 146 Two nifty file routines by John Stephenson PARROOLA ‘A Pascalian Puzzle. p. 120, inGider (ISSN pending) is published 12 times a year by 1001001 Ine... 80 Pine St. Peterhurough, NHLO3458, Phone: 603-924-9471, Second claws postage pending at Peterbor- ough. NH. and additional mailing offices. Subseription rates in U.S. are 825 for nue year and 853 for theee years, In Canada and Mexico. $27.87—one year only. US. funds drown ona U.S, bank, Canadian distribitor: Micra Disiri- huting, 409 Queen St, West. Toronto, Ontario, Canada MSV 245. BC Canadian distributor: Graymar Data Ser- vices, Ltd. #4 258 E. Ist Ave., Vancouver. BC VST LAG. Your computer's resident workhorse by John Davidson Sargon II review. p. 188. Foreign subscriptions tsurfuce mail}. $4.97 —one year on- ly. CS. fonds drawn on a U.S. bank, Foreign subscriptions (air mall), please inquire, In South Africa contact inCider, P.O, Box 782815, Sandton, Sonth Afriea 2148, AILU.S, and (Canadian subsesiption correspondence should be addressed to inGider. Subscription Department. P.O. Box 911. Fart ingdale, NY 11737. Please inelude your address label with tany eurrespundence. Postmaster: Send address changes to inGider, Subscription Services, P.O, Box 911, Farmingdale, NY 11737, Entire contents copyright 1983 by LODIOIL Ine. 4 Gider May 1983 Hot Cider It’s a tough world out there in the marketplace, but at least for the mo- ment, Apple seems to have the lead in microcomputer sales. Much of Apple’s future relies on the reception of their new models and the market- ing support given them by the firm. With the bulk of the 1982 sales be- ing the Apple II, a computer that in most respects was almost five years old, the need for a newer model was bordering on desperate. Sinclair showed one way to get costs down: reduce the chip count in the com- puter with specially designed large scale integration chips. The Apple III never really got go- ing in sales, mostly due to its early problems, so an update on that was tue. With the introduction of a barrage of low end computers at CES, there is much market interest in under-$200 computers and much speculation about whether Apple is going to ad- dress this market or leave it to others. Now, before you fall into the usual “toy” trap...our microcomputers have been called “toys” by minicom- puter firms for the last seven years. . . let me digress (as usual) and put things in perspective. Let’s say that I'm running a shoe store with four or five clerks. I want to have a desktop computer to keep track of the inventory. Now, am I go- ing to buy a $2000 or so computer for each of the clerks to access the inven- tory data? Or am I more likely to buy a $200 miniature computer for each of them, with perhaps one host com- puter to manage database? We have close to 30 people in the Remarks from the Publisher... Wayne Green | ad sales department at Wayne Green Inc. Now, are we likely to spend $2000 or so each for a microcomputer ($60, 000 total) for a communications network of ad sales information? Or are we likely to set up a host com- puter with 30 terminals (miniature computers) at $100 each to access the database and provide communica- tions. . .total cost perhaps $5000. Once you start looking at the situa- tion, you can see that for every use of a $2000 computer you have a bunch of applications for a low cost com- “,.. Apple's future relies on the reception of their new models and the marketing support given them...” puter with terminals. No, you’re not likely to use them for data input or to run a 30-megabyte disk, but you'd be foolish to buy more power than you actually need for the terminals. Will Apple abdicate this enormous market to Texas Instruments, Timex and Sanyo? Radio Shack has so far skated up to the edge of this low end.market with their Color Computer, now selling for $250. A reduction in chip count f should allow them to get down under $200 and stay competitive. Radio Shack has let Timex, T.I. and Com- modore get ahead of them in outlets, with the result that the other firms have some advantages in economies of scale. Thus, unless Radio Shack makes some basic changes in market- ing, we may see them continuing to lose market share. The new Lisa looks as if it will be healthy competition for the Altos, Northstar, Vector Graphic and Cro- memco end of the desktop computer market, but I-suspect that the great- est growth will inevitably be in the low end. Oo T got a call from a chap who only recently got involved with comput- ers. He worked a while for a software house, then decided to go into busi- ness for himself, He ran a third page ad in the first issue of inCider and pulled in over $35,000 in sales. I didn’t want to get him all excited, but if he keeps that up, which is more than likely, he'll gross over $500,000 for this year. First-ad sales almost in- variably pull in less than continuing advertising. And if we apply the nor- mal rule of thumb, this would make his firm already worth over $1 mil- lion if he wants to sell it, Not bad. 6 Cider May 1983 STAMP OUT HIGH PRICES On Apple® Software & Accessories... .. without sacrificing on prompt delivery or quality service. Micro Mountain sells everything at prices substantially less than the manufacturer's list. Since we maintain such a large inventory (1000's of items in stock) most orders can be filled and shipped within 24 hours after you order. And, because Micro Mountain is one of the largest retail distributors of Apple® Software in the world, we will be here should you need service at anytime after you receive your order. So, if you're interested in— Low Prices, Prompt Delivery AND Quality Service, SHOP AT... oa mountain Noten’ FRANKLIN COMPUTERS fatrncs:" fe) Locksmith are List Handler pee oon $6450 TAXAN — 12” AMBER STRATEGIC SIMULATIONS Monitor ........... $14750 Bomb Alley ........ Wild Card -.......91095° Micro Modem it. $27750 Tax Manager Pane $14750 Market Analyzer _$27559 Visicale 3.3. -...918750 Alegebra lV ........ $2650 VISTA VISTA ‘Solo’ Disk Drive .. 16K Ram Card Rhymes & Riddles .2350 Word Handler... $1395° KENSINGTON MICROWARE SystemSaver 550 MultiPlan ........ $21950 -ASK woe FREE CATALOG- BE BURE TO ADD £250 SHIPPING AND HANDLIWG FOR ALL SOFTWARE ORDERS, ADD ADDITIONAL $3.00 FOR BLUE LABEL (Ain. SHIPPING ON HARDWARE ITEMS—EXTRA. Washington Order Blank at Right. ORDER PHONE HOURS: programs entitles you to your choice of Original Adventure Game or Applesoft® Tutorial on disk FREE! SIGNATURE Mon.-Fri. 9 to 6 (PST) Sat. & Sun. 10 to 2 (PST) 14517 N.E. 169th ST., WOODINVILLE, WA 98072 ORDER PHONE — Outside Wash. — (800) 854-5649 Wash. Residents & Cust. Service (206) 483-2000 i ne ee PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE ! i YOHONEIN | | mentum tesco ns EATING —TOLL FREE— ! ““* 1 NUS (800) 854-5649 | omer ' Any order | Washington State residents ‘ city. STATE & ZIP. 1 of 3 or more See. phone numbers in! ginny, EXP, DATE | 4 t ' ' 1 ‘ Circle 55 on Reader Service card May 1983 @ider 7 Hot Cider PUBLISHER/EDITOR Wayne Green EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Sherry Smythe-Green GENERAL MANAGER Debra Wetherbee ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT Matt Smith ASSISTANT PUBLISHER Jeff DeTray CORPORATE CONTROLLER Roger Murphy ASSISTANT TO CONTROLLER Dominique Smith CIRCULATION MANAGER 603-924-0471 Patricia Ferrante BULK & NEWSSTAND SALES MANAGER Ginnie Boudricau ADVERTISING, 603-924-7138 David Schissler, Manager; Denis Duffy, Craig Everett: Sales; Patty Lesser: Advertising Coordinator. New England Advertising Representatives: John A, Garland, Frank Surace, Garland Associates Inc., Box 314 SHS, Duxbury, MA 02332 617-034-6464 PRODUCTION Nancy Salmon, Manager; Michael Murphy, Assistant; Frances Benton, Michael Ford, Phil Geraci, Donna Hartwell, Kimberly Nadeau, Lynn Parsons, Deborah Stone, Theresa Verville, Robert Villeneuve, Karen Wozmak; Ad Coordinators: Paula Ramsey, David Wozmak, Mary Seaver; Advertising Production: Bruce Hedin, Fiona Davies, Scott Philbrick, Jane Preston PHOTOGRAPHY ‘Thomas Villeneuve, Supervisor; Katherine Coker, Sandra Dukette, Laurie Jennison, Irene Vail TYPESETTING Sara Bedell, Supervisor; Marie Barker, Melody Bedell, Michele DesRochers, Jennifer Fay, Prem Gongaju, Lynn Haines, Linda Locke, Nancy Wilson-Newman, Debbie Nutting, Lindy Palmisano, Susan Weller DESIGN Jonathan Graves, Creative Director; Christine Destrempes, Design Director; Joyce Pillarella, Supervisor; Denzel Dyer, Howard Happ, Susan Donohoe, Laurie MacMillan, Dion Owens, Diane Ritson, Susan Stevens, Donna Wohlfarth Our 80 Micro has generated hun- dreds of millionaires so far, with more coming along every month. Now I think we'll see inCider doing the same for Apple aficionados. The opportunities are there, if you have the background and the guts to take advantage of ’em. Now, while the microcomputer in- dustry, which has been growing reg- ularly at a 200 to 300 percent rate per year for seven years, is particularly forgiving, there is still a need for some background before you make the plunge. You do have to remem- ber that 8 percent of small businesses manage to fail, usually due to a lack of expertise on the part of the en- trepreneur. College? Right? Maybe, if you can find the right one. . . though I honest- ly don’t know of any that are geared for the needs of the 1980's. Sadly, our colleges are, for the most part, atrap. They aim their graduates at either nothing in particular (liberal arts) or at three major categories of jobs that guarantee relative poverty for life: government, big business and teach- ing. This is the reason that I’m work- ing towards starting up a college that will be geared to today’s needs, fur- nishing a technical and a strong busi- ness education. I can just see hundreds of comput- erists out there, kicking the dirt, look- ing shifty-eyed, and mumbling about how much work is involved in start- ing a new firm. . . and what products are needed, anyway? Yep, starting your own firm is a lot of work, no question about that. But the rewards are all out of proportion to the effort involved. Remember that even the president of Tandy doesn’t make $1 million a year...yet by generating another $35,000 a month in sales you can outdo this chap. ..and without all those stockholders ready to can you if something screws up. Before you start mortgaging your house to start a business, let me offer some avuncular advice. Know the ter- ritory before you gamble. Work for someone else until you really know the ropes. Only an idiot tries to learn on his own money, and that accounts for the majority of the 80 percent fail- ure rate of small businesses. Why throw your own money away getting an education when there are almost an infinite number of small firms that will pay you while you learn. Learn on their money, not yours. Now, about those needed products that you couldn't think of. Golly, I don’t know what is so difficult about that. Just give the matter some thought! Take these new $100 com- puters, for example. Golden oppor- tunity for you. All you have to do is come up with a networking hard- ware/software system so a bunch of “Sadly, our colleges are, for the most part, a trap.” these can be used with an Apple host computer. Why should small offices use $3000 computer systems for every desk when a $100 computer terminal will do most of the work adequately when connected to a larger system that stores the data and programs? If you're into hardware, think about the possibilities of uninterrupt- able supplies for the low end com- puters. What about a light pen inter- face that will allow magazines to print the table of contents in bar code and have it read into a computer for a reference? Or a bar code reader and printer system for coding books in a library. . .home, business or lending? Or even better, a bar code system for records for the home or broadcast station? Once you get thinking about need- ed hardware and software products, there is just no end to it. So, are you going to be reading about all the peo- ple who got rich during these frantic years of the microcomputer. . . or are you going to be one of the people sail- ing around the world on their yachts about ten years from now? You will never find a better time to get rich. . . or an easier industry in which to do it. 8 Gider May 1983 ... for demanding graphics or text display. For high resolution (560H X 240V) color graphics, you can't beat the Amdek Color-ll Monitor. And if you're looking for economy, the Color-Ill Monitor with 260H X 300V resolution is a superb buy. Both monitors feature RGB video input for computer control- led color ... and Amdek's easy-to-install Digital Video Multi- plexor (DVM) board permits interface with the most popular 80 column boards. Just call, or write for full details. 2201 Lively Blvd. © Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 Color-Il Monitor has RGB input and 560(H) X 240(V) line resolution. Color-Ill Monitor has RGB input and 260(H) X 300(V) line Resolution. Digital Video Multiplexor (DVM) assures color graphics interface with most popular 80 column boards, such as: Videx “Videoterm", Advanced Logic ‘“‘Smart-term"”, M&R “SUP ‘R’ TERMINAL”, Bit-3 Computer Corporation “FULL VIEW-80”, and the ‘“‘Doublevision” boards (312) 364-1180 TLX: 25-4786 a a as Circle 95 on Reader Service card. Gider inCider editorial offices Pine Streot Peterborough, NE 03458 603-924-9471 MANAGING EDITOR Linda Stephenson SENIOR EDITOR Paul C. Quinn TECHNICAL AND REVIEW EDITOR Hartley Lesser CHIEF COPY EDITOR Peg LePage NEW PRODUCTS EDITOR Tom Woods NEWS EDITOR John P. Mello, Jr. ASSISTANT EDITOR Joan Witham PRODUCTION EDITOR Susan Gross LAYOUT EDITORS Joan Ahern, Bob Dukette, Sue Hays, Laura Landy, Judy Oliver, Anne Vadeboncoeur Problems with Subscriptions: Send a descrip- tion of the problem and your current and/or most recent address to: inCider, Subscription Department, PO Box 911, Farmingdale, NY 11737. Change of Address: Send an old label or a copy of your old address and new address to: in- Cider, PO Box 911, Farmingdale, NY 11737. Please give eight weeks’ advance notice. Microfilm: This publication is available in mi- croform from University Microfilms Interna- tional. United States address: 300 North Zeeb Road, Dept. P.R., Ann Arbor, MI 48106. For- eign address: 18 Bedford Row, Dept. P.R., London, WC1R4EJ, England. Dealers: Contact Ginnie Boudrieau, Bulk Sales Manager, inCider, Pine Street, Peterbor- ough, NH 03458. 800-343-0728. Manuscripts are welcome at inCider, We will consider pub- licatiori of any Apple material. Guldelines for budding authors are available. Please send a self-addressed envelope and ask for “How to Write for inCider.” inCider is pub- lished monthly by Wayne Green Inc. Entire contents copy’ right 1983 Wayne Green Ine. No part of this publication may be reprinted, or reproduced by any means, without prior written:permission from the publisher. All programs are published for personal use only. All rights reserved. 10 Eider May 1983 inCide Out What’s New This Month? Welcome to the May issue of inCider. In our cover article this month auto racing enthusiast Earl Johnson shares a program designed to chart the Indianapolis 500, the major event in American auto racing. And Johnson’s Indy Program can be adapted easily for other types of races—like a local marathon race— as well. This magazine endeavors to pro- mote a perfect marriage of hardware and software for the Apple com- puter. But, for better or worse, jealous competitors have invaded Ap- ple’s ground. A growing number of machines incorporating the 6502 mi- croprocessor will, with varying suc- cess, run programs written for the Apple II. Tim Daniel recently put the Franklin Ace 100 through its paces, and offers his view of this alternative. Hartley Lesser, after chatting with an Apple attorney, gives his opinion in the Fermentations column. So what does this mean to you? Lower prices and high quality, or third-rate Apple copies that accept commands only if they’re in the Applesoft dialect of Chinese? We'll be bringing you the latest in this struggle as it happens. Greg Glau, author of the Bent on Business column, didn’t want to spend $400 on payroll software. And so he wrote his own payroll program. Unfortunately, it could not separate data by quarters. Then he discovered the subject of this month’s column— double-dimension arrays. In Part I of Blaising Bibliogra- phies, James R. Florini continues his discussion on using Pascal programs to create bibliographies. And John Stephenson shows how two handy Pascal file routines can help you write an address book. Bill O’Brien, author of the III's Company column, decided to tinker, inside his Apple III. And he found some problems beneath the cables and the connectors. For those of you who are thinking of doing repair work on the Apple III, Bill provides step-by-step instructions on how— and how not—to dismantle your machine. Starting this month John David- son begins a tutorial series on the popular operating system, CP/M. Learning to use CP/M offers porta- bility and compatibility that will cer- tainly expand the versatility of your Apple. And Don Fudge, our graphics expert, discusses:how to unite graph- ics and sound to create an original game program, Blaise Pascal, a master of structure and form in mathematics and name- sake of the programming language, discovered and proved a theorem that is one of the cornerstones of projective geometry. Swain Pratt deciphers this Pascalian puzzle for the mathematics buffs among our readers. In Solving Problems With Logo, Greg Stone uses this powerful Lisp- like language to eliminate much of the labor involved in reviewing and evaluating job applicants. For game enthusiasts, six new games are re- viewed in the back of the magazine. Watch for our June issue which covers every aspect of telecom- munications. Il MAROONED! And you're the quarry for the Questers! You're marooned in a derelict space station trapped between the stars. Waiting for rescue. But, you may never make it. The deadly space Questers have located you and are ready to attack. Your first line of defense is to close the space ports on A Deck before you're overrun, then use the Teleportation chamber to head them off on the other decks. As you navigate the lonely corri- dors . . . turning here, hiding there, attacking or retreating, the swarms of Questers get faster and smarter! There’s no other game like Spec- tre. Deck after deck, you'll find the most challenging and original 3-D maze action ever! Get SPECTRE now, only $29.95 for the Apple II* at your computer store, or 8943 Fullbright Ave., Chatsworth, CA 91311 (213) 709-1202 VISA/MASTERCARD accepted. $2.00 shipping/handling charge. (California residents add 6"% sales tax) “Apple I! is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Circle 36 on Reader Service card. Fermentations by Hartley G. Lesser l here hasn’t been much press lately concerning Apple’s at- tempts to legally blockade copy-cat computer systems. A maneuver by Apple to enjoin Franklin Computer Corp.'s distribution of their Ace com- puter, based on alleged copyright violation, has failed in Philadelphia Federal Court. The absence of a con- tinued visible assault by Apple on the work-alikes prompted me to pursue the matter with Daniel G. Wendin, Associate Counsel for Apple Com- puter. He assured me that Apple is not taking lightly the domestic production of Apple work-alikes or the importation of foreign copies into the U.S. Look-alikes, trading on the Apple name and sold to unsuspecting mail- order comsumers as Apple comput- ers, are a threat to Apple’s reputa- tion. According to Wendin these in- ferior copies are being smuggled into the U.S. from Taiwan in large num- bers. Court action is sought to rein- force Apple's efforts to stop them at the border. Work-alikes, such as the Ace, in- habit hazier territory. The law is unclear on this question of copyright. Where ROM comparisons and other technical considerations further com- plicate the case, a binding decision is particularly hard to get. Judge New- comer, when he denied Apple’s pre- liminary request for an injunction against Franklin, stated he was un- able to determine the law and desired a full trial to decide the issue. Apple has appealed the decision to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and is confident of a reversal. On the Warpath But the focus of Mr. Wendin’s at- tention is squarely upon the island of Taiwan. He stated that 85 to 90 per- cent of all Apple II copies are shipped. from Taiwan, with many being sent to Singapore and Hong Kong in an attempt to further cloud the supply route. Apple is claiming success in both Hong Kong and Singapore, thanks to stiffer local laws dealing with copyright and patent infringe- ment. Agents for Apple purchase the copies and gain supplier information; armed with this information, Apple’s attorneys have been able to obtain court orders against the suppliers. These tactics have brought the prob- lem there under control, Wendin stated. Taiwan is a different story, how- ever. Some real problems remain there, the Apple counsel admitted, and Apple has been able to ac- complish little on the island. For- tunately, Apple and U.S. Customs have a close working relationship, ac- cording to Wendin. Apple has trained personnel on call to assist U.S. Cus- toms in checking suspicious ma- chines, Copies brought in by in- dividuals are frequently seized by Customs officials, and stiff fines are assessed; these measures serve as an effective deterrent against the flood of imports by individuals. But the problem of undetected bulk ship- ments remains. Apple is currently investigating mail-order firms who advertise Apple copies, Truth-in-advertising laws are also being researched as another means of bringing pressure upon copy promoters. A hearing scheduled before the In- ternational Trade Commission will determine Apple’s right to exclude copies on patent grounds; more than 20 respondents have been named. Mr. Wendin hopes for a positive judgement within four months to a year. This would reinforce Customs’ right to deny importation. Taiwan also exports a good per- centage of their Apple copies to Europe. Germany and Italy have their own manufacturers, perhaps with Taiwanese components, but the operations are mostly covert. Until recently the Apple II irnita- tions presented a widespread and irrefutable challenge to the original. But where litigation failed, product development may succeed. Wendin pointed to a brand new Apple [le on a table to his right. “This changes things,” he said, as a broad grin creased his face. “Their Apple II copies won't sell so well anymore.” Which may be quite true. After all, why bother with a cheap Apple IT Plus copy when you can buy the up- graded Ile with 64K RAM and upper/ lowercase? Granted, the copies’ low- er price will continue to tempt con- sumers. But a buyer concerned about warranties, product reliability, pe- ripheral compatibility, and the future of American industry will find the Cu- pertino machine more attractive. Apple hasn’t licked the problem. But just because there aren’t any headlines announcing injunctions, fines and arrests, don’t believe for a second that Apple isn’t going after the troublemakers. Apple is on the warpath! 12 @ider May 1983 One Apple and °1,575 can make a lotof pies. Introducing the New Personal Computer Plotter from Hewlett-Packard Now you can use your Apple® com- puter to generate your own presentation charts, graphs, and pie charts. How? Simply add on the new high quality, low cost HP 7470A <* Personal Computer | . Plotter. ‘ The 7470A helps you save time, save money, and, lets you communicate quickly, accu- rately and effectively, The eye is faster. Data, when visualized graphically, becomes informa- tion fast. Charts and bar graphs can make any presenta- tion clearer and more readily understood. But asking your staff to produce the graphics for your next presentation doesn’t ensure accuracy or artistic talent. And going to outside suppliers can be costly. Combined with your Apple® computer, the new HP 7470A plotter does the communicating for you. Quickly. Logically. And with off-the-shelf software. Fast and pretty. The 7470A gives you high plotting speed with excellent line quality...faster than any competitive small plotter. On top of all that, it comes in an attractive design package that looks nice on your desk. And it does it for only $1,575. (U.S.A. domestic suggested retail price.) And charts. And graphs. Count on it. The 7470A is built the Hewlett- Packard way. To last. Designed and engineered with only a few parts, none of which require adjustment. And with \ customized integrated circuits aon that ensure reliability. Pen Pals. The HP 7470A has es two single-pen stables that output multi-color plots in your choice of ten coordinated colors. Pens are automatically capped and stored. ~ An option you'll want, too. For only $95, you can also get a 17057 Overhead Transparency Kit that turns your plots into transpar- encies for overhead projectors. For “I need it tomorrow © at 9:00 A.M!” meetings, it’s a necessity. Start plotting your next presentation today. Clip and mail the coupon below, Now. Mail the coupon below and we'll send you—absolutely free—a ‘sample plot, a more detailed brochure, and a sample overhead transparency. Then...stop in at your nearest Hewlett-Packard Dealer. See the HP 7470A in action. Once you see it demonstrated you'll find a hundred ways to make your own Apple® pies. And charts. And graphs. When performance must be measured by results | GY HEWLETT PACKARD Pee eI Name Seeing is believing. Send me a sample plot, an overhead transparency, and more detailed information. Title : Company Address City, State & Zip Phone Number( _) Apple is the registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. ne Ge) Send to: Hewlett-Packard, 16399 W. Bernardo Drive, San Diego, CA 92127 — Attn: Nancy Carter 11202 INS May 1983 @ider 13 COMPLETELY REDESIGNED. NOW, THE GRAPPLER + . The original Grappler was the first graphics interface to give you hi-res screen dumps from your keyboard. The new Grappler+ with Dual Hi-Res Graphics adds flexibility with a side-by-side graphics printout of page 1 and page 2. The Grappler + can now be used with the Apple® Dot Matrix, the Okidata 84, and is Apple Ill compatible? In addition, the IDS Grappler + is currently available with color capability, including color graphics screen dumps. UP TO 64K BUFFER OPTION An optional Bufferboard can now be added to all existing Grappler and Grappler + interfaces. See your Apple Dealer for details. “Requires additional software driver. **Requires graphics upgrade. © Orange Micro, Inc. 1982 ACTUAL APPLE II PRINTOUT USING G WithThe CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Circle 5 on Reader Service card IMAGINE IT... THE GRAPPLER + FEATURES: © Dual Hi-Res Graphics ¢ Printer Selector Dip Switch ¢ Apple Ill Compatible* * Graphics Screen Dump ° Inverse Graphics * Emphasized Graphics ¢ Double Size Picture * 90° Rotation » Center Graphics ¢ Chart Recorder Mode © Block Graphics ¢ Bell Control © Skip-over-perf * Left and Right Margins ¢ Variable Line Length Text Screen Dumps ° also works with Pascal and CP/M* THE GRAPPLER + INTERFACES WITH THE FOLLOWING PRINTERS: * Anadex ¢ Apple Dot Matrix Centronics 122 « C. Itoh ProWriter * DMP-85 ° Epson Series** ¢ IDS 460, 560, Prism 80 and 132, Microprism * NEC 8023 ¢ Okidata Series** ° Star Micronics Series © and many other printers fo Ly | . @Orange Micro 1400 N. Lakeview Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807 U.S.A. (714) 779-2772 Telex: 183511 CSMA Foreign Dealer Inquiries Welcome If your printer us ¥ are than hn, es your Apple you do, you need The Bufferboard. If your Apple is locked into the “PRINT” mode so much that you've taken up soli- taire to kill the boredom, you need a buffer. And if your computer is the Apple Tor lll, the only buffer for you is The Bufferboard. Expandable to 64K of stor- age, The Bufferboard stores an instantane- ous bucketful of print data from your computer. Then it feeds the data to your printer at its own printing rate. Your Apple is set free from driving your printer and is ready for more data from you. Take your existing interface— and buffer it! Only The Bufferboard has a simple Interface-Docking System. No bulky boxes Circle 9 on Reader Service card. or expensive power supplies are needed because The Bufferboard fits right into your Apple—and docks onto your existing printer interface. The result is convenient and economical buffering of most popu- lar printer interfaces, including the Grappler + ™ interface, Epson interface, and Apple printer interface. Thirty sec- onds and a single hook-up are all you need to end the printer waiting game forever. Up to 20 letter-size pages stored at a time. The Bufferboard comes standard with 16K, and is expandable to 32K or 64K of buffering capacity with the addition of memory chips. This “bucket” will hold up to 20 pages of a print job, allowing you freedom to use your Apple The Bufferboard—designed exclusively for the Apple Computer. Specifications: © Versions for Grappler + interface, Epson interface, Apple interface, and other popu- lar printer interfaces ® 16K buffer standard © Upgradeable to 32K or 64K * Automatic memory configuration * Automatic self test ® Includes interface docking cable. The Bufferboard is made by Orange Micro, Inc.; the same people who brought you the popular Grappler + printer inter- face. Both the Grappler + and The Bufferboard are now available at your local Apple dealer. Apple is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. Epson is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc. 1400 N. Lakeview, Anaheim, CA 92807 US.A. (714) 779-2772 TELEX: TX 183511 CSMA. For Apples and Printers ©Orange Micro, Inc. 1982 Letters Congratulations! I'm not in the habit of writing fan letters to publishers. In fact, to the best of my knowledge this is my very first, but I simply couldn't let another day go by without commenting on your newest venture. . .inCider. It is fantastic! R. A. Greene, DVM Temple, NH Congratulations to all the staff. Your magazine has made it in just two issues. I must admit that it was off to a slow start with its first issue but, boy!, did you hit full stride by your second. Keep up the great work. Bob Baker Yarmouth, MA Editing Made Even Easier An improvement to Dan Bishop’s article, “Apple Editing Made Easier,” (Feb. 83) was made by the following readers. To eliminate un- wanted spaces in the middle of strings that span multiple lines, simply enter ‘POKE 33,33 before editing. This will limit the size of the output text to only 33 bytes. A POKE 33,40 will then restore the text window to normal after using the right arrow to retype and edit a program line. Dan Muccianti Lake Zurich, IL John D. Brand Sylmar, CA A. R. Rogers Riverton, WY William Russell N. Kingston, RI Mark Saks Philadelphia, PA Tape Versus Disk As the owner of an Apple II for four years, using cassette tape storage only, I take exception to the remark “if you're silly enough to use shapes on tapes. ..,” by author Don Fudge in “Vector Graphics Made Easy” (Feb. 83). If the main use for the computer is business, a DOS is almost a must. For the computer hobbyist, waiting a minute or two for a tape to load is not of earth-shaking importance. After refining the technique of loading and saving, I find cassette storage 99.9 percent reliable. (It never fails unless I am demonstrating.) W. S. Skeen Rt. 1, Ager Road Hornbrook, CA 96044 Electric Typewriter? We are presently considering add- ing a printer and have looked at sev- eral. Because we also need a type- writer, we have wondered about using an electric typewriter rather than a printer. However, we cannot find anyone who has had any experi- ence with such a setup and therefore hesitate to experiment. The type- writer that we are considering is the Brother EM-1, Can anyone offer any advice? Nancy Locker 2013 Schweitzer Road Poplar Bluff, MO 63901 Royal Request While the Apple II Plus and Apple Writer Il are capable of justified margins they will not handle the proportional spacing on the Royal Adler SE5010 typewriter. My local Apple dealer can offer me no help in programming for proportional spac- ing. I surely would appreciate any help in this matter. Bruce R. Burke, Director Open Bible Ministries, Inc. PO Box 148 Honesdale, PA 18431 Disk Available For those readers who would like to use the assembly language plot- ting routines from my article “Get- ting Higher on Graphics” (Feb. 1983) but would rather not type in all the hex code, I will supply a DOS 3.3 disk with the object code for a charge of $10. i Paul Schubert 1940 Flandrau St. St. Paul, MN 55109 No Response T read in the February 1983 “Let- ters” column of your magazine that William Volk hadn’t gotten a re- sponse from Apple to a question re- garding disk security. Add my name to that list, too. I’m disappointed with the company and its apparent lack of concern toward its greatest asset—the people out there in com- puterland who spend millions on Ap- ple products. Joe Arbona Rancho Cordova, CA Future Articles Translation articles top my list. Another program Id like to suggest is a machine code text file writer. Gary Mugford Bramalea, Ontario A section that includes program listings which use the language card would be of great interest. Ronald J. Marlowe Gainesville, FL Have you given any thought to looking at energy problems or the solar field? An article or two on com- patibility problems would be of great assistance. Have you given any thought to checking the past track records of companies that have just jumped into the market . . .and have a product no one knows about? Lawrence T. Pim Alliance, OH What I would like to see is a de- tailed analysis of writing programs, games or otherwise, using the much faster assembly language. Emphasis on graphics would be very helpful! James T. Feezell Newport, RI Screen Movements I have an Apple II] computer and have invented a game on the VisiCalc III program diskette backup. There are objects which you are not sup- posed to be able to go through, how- 16 Gider May 1983 THE GRAPHIC SOLUTION Solv e your toughest communicat on problems with the ‘aphics package ating sales presentations and product demon- strations that will both intrigue and Develop educatic ateri and training aids that MIX TEXT AND GRAPHICS on the screen, breathing new life into abstract, hard- grams. Construct ct AN DTYPI SI relative rates of change for your most important information. Like cash flow projections. Or revenue estimates. Plot flo time and motion studies, indus’ COL! OR-CODED ELEMENTS! high- i critical path Animate the film and videotape storyboards us: the unique FRAME-! FRAME graphic sequencer that lets you create and animate a video before shootin; © Solutio on requires a 48K Apple II with ROM Applesoft and DOS 3.3. See your I send $10.( al dealer or for a demonstration diskette to: ACCENT SOFTWARE, INC. 3750 Wright Place, Palo Alto, C Circle 251 on Reader Sen 94306 Telephone 415- Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc Letters ever, and I also want to stand in the middle, and have the screen move up, What program can you do this on? I have looked through the index of the Gwner'’s manual, but I couldn’t find anything. Help! Fiona Vajk 57 Oakdene Court Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Disk Copy Wanted Here’s a suggestion that will make the magazine more valuable to peo- ple like myself who have little or no possibility of typing in one of the list- ings without hours of frustration. Make the programs available on disks for a reasonable cost. Tim Bitler Pittsburgh, PA My only suggestion for improve- ment would be the option to buy your programs on disk. Bill Plato Broomfield, CO Apple II Programs Wanted T have recently subscribed to your magazine and I’m puzzled. All your articles and advertisements concern the Apple II. I own an Apple III, which I thought to be a more up- dated version of Apple II. I realize I can use Apple II programs on my ma- chine with the Emulator, but aren’t there any written especially for Apple III? I’ve only been at this computer business for six months and it’s still all a little confusing. Deborah J. Newton PO Box 26605 Tucson, AZ 85726 Circle 319 on Reader Service card HBJ’s, Computer SAT™ A complete program for Scoring High on the Scholastic Aptitude Test high on the SAT stuaying for the SAT easy and Combines Computer Software. Review Textbook and Users Manuat Into the Most Comprehensive. SAT Study Program Available Educator's Edition Available Conduct group sessions win this unique package of software and textbooks with Sia sucks sue User's Manual ‘Simple clear nstructions take you step: ‘byestepthrough the entre Computer SAT program i ids test-taking skills quickly sa tie progam . easy fo use even for thase oe of ‘with no computer experience, Computer Software ‘isk per Set) ote Special Features © Scores ana wnes your performance D00KS. and 20 users # Calculates Golege Boare equvaent : <1BS Heino tung = OW ENE men Diagnoses your strengths and weake es 13 hy aes ty Presenbes specie dnl and revew 09 compuer ara ne texbanktomerove Your soare «Stenger and uid your vocabulary and mat comoreneston ; ‘Available for: 48K Apple® Il, Apple® I Plus and Apple® Ile Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, inc. Oept. Computer SAT: 1250 6th Avenue FOR CREDIT CARD ORDERS CALL TOLL-FREE Diego. CA92101 800-543-1918 In Caiforris cal cokect (619) 699-6935) lash Cards ‘¢ 540 Specially Designed Computerized Dril tems Complete Textbook How to Prepare torthe SAT’ 2 FourFull Lengthéxams—ov wns 4 Stateyes for atsuersg every kindof question Exp YES, pease sen ie Computer SAT* 69%, (for 8 Ape I and Apple* II Plus and Apple~ Ile} Please at $? 00 for hailing (UPS delivery quaranteed) Please add aopicabie state and lacal sales tax. (insitutons. must send urchase order te ed 1 Otevestrete to tal USAand iy. State___— Zp. Please send more ntormaton: Check = Money Order ‘The TRS-80 COMPUTER SAT* |, TheIBMCOMPUTER SAT” “MasterCard” Amencan Express The Educatar's Edition Package « $395 00 ea 1s L- ec yc ee ee se 18 Cider May 1983 not Parent Crarae My ise Forecasting Suggestions I was surprised and pleased to see Richard Green’s “Graphing Growth” in the February issue. The techniques involved in pressure curve forecasting are simple but have proven to be very reliable for a great many companies in a broad range of industries. I would make two suggestions con- cerning his implementation of the forecasting technique. First, while the three month mov- ing total is appropriate for forecast- ing many highly aggregated series such as industry-wide shipments, it is unusual for the sales of a single com- pany to be smooth enough to make this work. The twelve month total (or average) is usually more appropriate because the result is smoother and _ easier to inter pret. Second, it is preferable to look at as long a time period as possible in fore- casting, and certainly at a period long enough to: contain an entire business cycle. While the average business cycle lasts about five years, many run a good deal longer. I have found that high resolution plots span- ning eight to ten years are most use- ful. Of course, for the young enter- prise with a short sales history five years may be sufficient. Mr. Green’s article is a good intro- duction to a simple and widely used, but little acclaimed economic fore- casting technique which often yields forecasts as good as the most expen- sive econometric forecasting service. Keep up the good work. David B. Lundeen 1430 Massachusetts Ave. Suite 306-29 Cambridge, MA 02138 inCider feels that one of its most im- portant roles is to provide a forum for readers. We welcome letters for pub- lication with comments on articles, embellishments to programs, appeals for information—whatever you feel moved to write. And please send re- sponses to letters. Address your corre- spondence to Letters to the Editor, inCider, Pine St., Peterborough, NH 03458. —theeduare “YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET HIT OVER THE HEAD TO REALIZE HOW QUICKLY APPLE TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING.” “Tt used to be that those one-size-fits- all computer magazines were fine for learning more about computing. In fact, they were about all one could find. And it was a treasured issue in- deed that contained more than one ar- ticle about your particular system. The gravity of this situation was beginning to dawn when suddenly it struck me...and I made the greatest discovery of my career, inCider. inCider is a monthly magazine devoted exclusively to the Apple* com- puter. It’s published by the same seasoned editorial staff that produces 80 Micro. Each issue of inCider con- tains more Apple-specific information than any other magazine, including: programs earticles applications new product announcements ereviews etutorials eutilities inCider promises to revolutionize the world of Apple computers for only-- $24.97. You'll receive 12 monthly issues of inCider loaded with money-saving ads and advice, each issue saving you want a subscription to inCider for one year at $24.97. several times your initial investment. Enclose payment or use your credit card and receive a 13th issue FREE! It doesn’t take a genius to know a great deal when he sees one.” Send in the attached order form, the coupon below, or call toll free 1-800-258-5473 inCider Subscription Department PO Box 911, Farmingdale, NY 11737 *Apple is a trademark of Apple Computer Inc. I Tunderstand that with payment enclosed or | credit card order I will receive a 13th issue FREE. | check enclosed OMC OVISA CAE Bill me Card# I | Exp. date Interbank__ I signature Name Addres | City State. i AD. Canada and Mexico $27.97, 1 year only, US funds. Foreign surface $44.97, 1 year only, US funds drawn on US bank. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery 335R5 May 1983 @ider 19 16 on Reader Service card m Saver” ral fo For Line Surge Suppression The SYSTEM SAVER provides es- sential protection to hardware and data from dangerous power surges and spikes system saves _/ By connecting the Apple II power input through the SYSTEM SAVER, power is controlled in two ways: 1) Dangerous voltage spikes are clipped off at a safe 130 Volts © RMS/175 Volts dc level. 2) High fre- quency noise is smoothed out be- fore reaching the Apple II. A Pl type filter attenuates common mode noise signals by a minimum of 30 dB from 600 khz to 20 mhz, with a maximum attenuation of 50 dB Easy Installation Just clips on. No mounting or hardware required. Color matched to Apple I. For Cooling As soon as you move to 64K RAM or 80 columns on your Apple II you need SYSTEM SAVER. Today's advanced peripheral cards generate more heat. In addi- tion, the cards block any natural air flow through the Apple II creating high temperature conditions that substantially reduce the life of the cards and the computer itself. SYSTEM SAVER provides cor- rect cooling. An efficient, quiet fan draws fresh air across the mother board, over the power supply and out the side ventilation slots Compatible with Apple Stand For Operating Efficiency SYSTEM SAVER contains two switched power outlets. As shown in the diagram, the SYSTEM SAVER efficiently organizes your system so that one convenient, front mounted power switch controls SYSTEM SAVER, Apple I monitor and printer. PrINTEA The heavy duty switch has a pilot light to alert when system 1s on You'll never use the Apple power switch again! Suggeste Kensington Microware Ltd. 300 East 54 Street, Suite 3L New York, NY 10022 (212) 486-2802 Ke ™ KENSINGTON WY MICROWARE Applewatch edited by John P. Mello, Jr. EDUCATION [ee Sata ama The Apple Bill Last year, Congress chose to hike taxes rather than the number of micros in the schools. Will it turn its back on the schools again? by Alan Abbey Contributing Reporter alf of the U.S. Congress liked the taste of the Apple it bit in- to last year. The House of Represen- tatives voted 323-62 in favor of legis- lation that would have given Apple Computer Inc., and any other micro- computer maker that wanted to par- ticipate, a massive one-year tax break for giving microcomputers to public schools across the country. The measure, which was dreamed up by Apple chairman Steve Jobs and promoted by California congressman Fortney “Pete” Stark, a Democrat, appears to have an even rosier future in the House this year. The new con- gressmen elected. last November, most of whom are liberal Democrats, have said that they favor spending federal money 4o improve the techni- cal, math, and science skills of the na- tion’s schoolchildren. They have been nicknamed “Atari Denote be- cause of their belief that high-tech education is a key ingredient to lead- ing the economy out of its lengthy slump. The primary reason voiced for the Apple bill is that it would en- courage gifts of microcomputers to schools, and that would, in turn, in- crease the number of people interest- ed in and proficient in computer use, Stark’s staff reports an enthusiastic list of co-sponsors for the new version of legislation that passed the House last fall. In 1982, the bill had 80 co- sponsors, The 1983 measure had 112 of 435 congressmen signed on at last count. add their names to a bill they did not write, but want to go on record as supporting. The problem this year, as was the case in 1982; will be in the Senate. Both the chairman and the ranking minority member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which will review the bill before it goes to the full Senate, have questioned the bill, Without their support, it might neyer see the light of day. The bill—now known as the Com- puter Contribution Act of 1983—has been around for more than a year. It reportedly came to life in early 1982 when Steve Jobs met Pete Stark on a cross-country airplane trip. As they talked, Jobs laid out the scenario: Ap- ple would give each of the nation’s 83,000 public elementary and public schools one of its Apple II personal computers. Using the full retail price for the machine, related equipment, training manuals, and shipping, that would cost about $2500 per machine. Multiplied by 83,000, that brings the nationwide total to about $200 million. Jobs, of course, had something on his mind besides being a Good Sa- maritan of historic proportions. The giveaway would provide Apple with an unprecedented amount of visibili- ty and marketing opportunities. Schools probably would want more machines in a year or two, Apple of- ficials admit, and the company hopes they would stick with Apple. In addi- tion, when the time came for a mid- dle-income family to buy a personal computer,, kids who had used Apple at school probably could be counted on to tell mom or dad Apple should be the one. Some cynics were heard to whisper Jobs needed to clear out the Apple warehouses to make room for the new Lisa computer debuted last January. In return for his generosity, Jobs asked for something from Congress: a change in the tax laws so Apple could write off as a deduction the full retail cost of the equipment, and the ability to get that deduction for donations to grade schools. The increased deduc- tion would about double the amount Apple is able to write off under pres- ent law. : Stark, whose district includes part of the Silicon Valley, introduced the bill. It made its way through the House, despite analyses that showed the tax break would cost the U.S. Treasury $15 million in 1983 and $21 million in 1984. The legislation would boost the ability of the United States to “compete in the ever more sophisticated world of computers and high technology,” Stark said. About the only gripe came from Rep. Bill Frenzel, a regular foe of special-interest tax legislation. The bill would give manufacturers an in- centive to build more than the mar- ket needs, the Minnesota Republican said, “because they can always sell [the surplus] to the government.” On the other side, education lob- bying groups, always hungry for more equipment and funding for public schools, pushed for the com- puters. Their only gripe was the bill had moved along without much in- volvement on their part. After passage by the House in late September, the bill went to the Senate, where the same arguments were made in its favor. There, how- ever, it ran into the high-powered opposition of Louisiana Sen. Russell Long, top ranking Democrat on the Finance Committee. “Why should the government provide every school an Apple computer at the expense of the taxpayer?” Long asked. The bill made it through the Fi- nance Committee, but with consider- able modification. The Senate ver- sion stretched the tax break to three years, in a move designed to allow other computer makers to get in on May 1983 @ider 21 Applewatch: the action. The Senate bill also in- cluded donations made to libraries and museums that promised to use the computers for educational pur- poses as deductible at the special rate. The biggest change cut the addi- tional tax break—Apple’s initial in- centive—in half. Because it would have.added two years, however, the Senate version would have been more costly. Estimates of losses to the Treasury were $14 million this year, $23 million in 1984, $17 million in 1985, and $8 million in 1986. Stark said the revenue losses, regardless of the huge federal deficit, are small compared to the value of improving the computer literacy of the next generation. The committee pushed the bill out in three days, but the Senate ad- journed for the November election campaign without acting on it. When they returned for the lame- duck session, senators were preoc- cupied with raising the gasoline tax and their salaries. The bill died. Stark was quick to reintroduce the bill in January. It went back into the legislative hopper on January 6, three days after the new Congress was sworn in. But it did not move quick- ly. The committees receiving it were busy raising Social Security taxes. The rest of Congress was involved with shredding and rewriting Presi- dent Reagan’s proposed 1984 budget. School groups continued to back the bill, but with a difference. This year they saw the opportunity to make a coordinated push for several pieces of legislation: designed to im- prove the math and science skills of the nation’s youth. A lobbyist for the National School Boards Association said the Apple bill has some small value by itself. “It would fulfill the narrow need for a bit of hardware,” said August Steinhilber, the associa- tion’s government relations director. “But it doesn’t help with training or retraining teachers.” He would rather see it passed as part of a larger package of measures. They include billion-dollar bills to provide funding for training teach- ers, for buying software, and for up- grading curriculums. The bill also continued to face the opposition of Sens. Long and Robert Dole of Kansas. Dole, a Republican, is chairman of the Finance Commit- tee. Therefore, hie has carte blanche to hold on to a bill for as long as he wants or take it out of circulation. The bill cannot be declared of- ficially dead until the 98th Congress adjourns just before the 1984 elec- tions. But its time may have passed. The nation’s teachers may have to settle for an edible apple on their desks until they can convince the peo- ple who run their schools to buy an electronic one. GAMES Ea ann ee Taps for Custer’s Revenge uster’s Revenge has gone the way of its namesake. Its manufacturer, American Mul- tiple Industries of Northridge, CA, has stopped producing the adult-ori- ented video game. Stuart Kesten, president of Ameri- can Multiple, said in a telephone interview his firm terminated the game primarily because “it was cre- ating a negative situation around the country.” The game was condemned by American Indian and women’s groups, and government bodies in Oklahoma City and Los Angeles (see inCider, March 1983, p. 12). Detractors of the game claimed it depicted the rape of an Indian woman by General George Arm- strong Custer. Kesten denies those claims. “The game was miscon- Blue game shelved after public protest. strued,” he said. “There was no rape scene in the game.” Two other adult games produced by the firm—“Bachelor Party” and “Beat'em and Eat’em”—were also terminated by American Multiple, Kesten. noted. He added American Multiple sold 100,000 copies of each game before halting their production January 1. American Multiple made the three games for Atari game systems, a fact that prompted the Warner Commu- nications Company to sue Kesten’s firm. However, in light of American Multiple sacking the games, that lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, will probably be dropped. Kesten denied statements appear- ing in the January 24 edition of ISO World that American Multiple had been : aoaulied by another firm. id his enterprise would con- tine prdducing video games but on- ly ones aimed at family entertain- ment. American Multiple’s new games, he noted, would be shipped before the June Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago. But Custer’s death hasn't deterred other smutware purveyors. Rory O'Connor, in-his Speaking Softly col- umn in ISO World, made this observa- tion about off-color video games: “The bad news is that for for every one that dies, ten take its place. At the CES [Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas], the area devoted strictly to ‘adult’ movies and video tapes also displayed several games with goals similar to Custer’s Re- venge. Next year they may have to double the size of that area just to ac- commodate this garbage.” 22 Cider May 1983 Applewatch- Time Study Ar dominates the minds and homes of computing Ameri- cans, according to a survey conduct- ed by Time magazine. The survey, conducted by Beta Re- search of Syosset, NY, indicated more people own Apples than any other home computer, and when asked to name a brand of computer, respond- ents most frequently name Apple. According to the mail-question- naire survey garnering a response from some 3600 homes, 17 percent of the computer-owning respondents owned Apples. Tandy placed second in the tally with 14 percent of the owners. Apple dominated ownership fig- ures even though it does not compete in the market for systems below $1000. Tandy ranked first in that market segment with nearly 25 per- cent of those owners. But even in the minds of the sub-$1000 set, Apple played a promi- nent role. “Apple and IBM rank highly with those owning equipment costing less than $1000,” the survey Study by news mag shows Apple on top. found, “although neither company sells to this market.” “Apple and Radio Shack dominate brand consciousness for the personal computer market,” the study said. “IBM, a relative newcomer to the personal computer field, has broad appeal. Atari and Commodore ap- parently have not reached as large a segment of the non-owner public.” The survey showed 60.2 percent of the respondents aware of Apple computers and 48.5 percent aware of Tandy. Apple’s advertising also seems to be effective in capturing the minds of Americans. Nearly 74 percent of the respondents recalled Apple ads, the survey showed, with nearly 50 per- cent remembering IBM ads and 46.4 percent Radio Shack’s. Of the ads recalled, 92.4 percent of those surveyed recalled the ads in magazines. In peripherals, the Time survey showed more respondents (32 per- cent) owned Apple disk drives than any other brand. Placing second in that category was Tandy with 8.8 percent. But when it came to print- ers, Apple placed fourth (3.4 percent) behind Epson (22.9 percent), Radio Shack (11.0 percent) and IBM (5.9 percent), Other findings from the survey included: @Key factors in home computer ownership are income and school-age children in a household. Of the peo- ple with a computer or with inten- tions of buying one within 12 months, 86 percent had incomes above $25,000 a year. Of all households with annual incomes above $25,000 and with school-age children, 24 percent had home com- puters; @ When asked what they use their computers for, owners most often mentioned games and hobbies and personal finance. When asked what they wanted to do next with their micro, owners most often responded: hook into some kind of information system; © Of prospective computer buyers, the highest number (73.6 percent) said they would be using their micro for personal finances and taxes; and © Respondents most often picked as the primary factor in selecting a com- puter a company’s reputation for quality; next was expandability; then ease of use, service reputation; and adequate software. Ml May 1983 @ider 23, Applewatch BUSINESS Apple Giveaway Rhode Island firm offers auto jobbers Apple as purchase incentive, ore and more auto-parts busi- nesses may be joining the Ap- ple generation, under an incentive program sponsored by Fram-Autolite Corporation of Providence, RI Under the program ending next month, Fram—a manufacturer of PCV valves, windshield wipers, spark plugs, and filters for auto, truck, and heavy equipment engines—of- fers two computer packages to busi- nesses: one with an Apple II Plus, disk drive, RF modulator, game, and introduction to keyboard software programs; the other includes every- thing in the first plus another disk drive, printer, and inventory control program. How much a business pays for the system depends on several factors, in- cluding the amount of Fram products purchased, when the purchases were made, and how much the customer contributed to Fram’s co-op advertis- ing program. . Peter Monsarrat, Fram’s sales pro- motion manager, claimed in a state- ment: “The savings will be substan- tial. In this offer, a $3800 comput- er system can be obtained for $1000 or less.” He said he expects to move 1500 computers through the premium pro- gram; however, the offer has the po- tential of moving 10,000 systems. Computer use in the auto after- market is increasing, according to a study released this fall by the Motor The auto after-market RDukette More and more auto-parts businesses are turning to Apples. Equipment Manufacturers Associa- tion. Today, more than 32 percent of all jobbers use computers in some aspect of their business. That's nearly twice the amount (17 percent) re- ported in 1980. Montsarrat attributes the growth to the lower price of computer hard- ware and software, smaller size of equipment and improved programs tailored to the automotive after- market. “Computers,” he said, “will be- come a way of life in our industry and others in the next decade. Business has to make decisons fast to maintain profit levels, and computers are the way to do it.” “Inventory control,” he continued, “is the most common use of comput- ers in the aftermarket. Computers perform this function more quickly and accurately than the manual method. “For example, the Apple system can pinpoint obsolete or slow moving parts, so a jobber.can replace them immediately with more popular items. This speeds up the ordering process and enables businesses to trim their inventory levels without losing sales because they are out of mer- chandise.” Montserrat added jobbers can also use their Apples for other business tasks, including monitoring receiv- ables, purchasing, sales analysis, business planning and forecasting, word processing, electronic filing, and customer billing. SOFTIa2 SBaguaaarampanaieetamoniviameiarni oe Apples Headed to Junkyard? eople are going to start scrap- ping their Apple computers and. the like because they're too old, too slow, and just don’t do mu declared David Callan, president of Callan Data Systems, Westlake Village, CA. . According to a statement from Callan, Apple and similar systems based on CP/M (sometimes referred to as the de facto operating system of the micro industry) risk becoming obsolete. “If you take an operating system like the Apple,” Callan said, “based on an older microprocessor, the 8086 or 8088, you can’t upgrade the CP/M operating system. It’s impossible. You're stuck with a lot of limited and, eventually, antiquated equipment. That’s why we've dedicated all our resources to the development of the Unix operating system,” 24 Gider May 1983 Introducing the Most Powerful Business Software Ever! The VERSABuSINESS’ Series Each VERSABUSINESS module can be purchased and used independently, or can be linked in any combination to form a complete, coordinated business system. VERSARECEIVABLES™ $99.95 \VERSARECEIVABLES™ is a complete menu-driven accounts receivable, invoicing, and monthly statement-generating system. It keeps track of all information related to who ‘owes you or your company money, and can provide automatic billing for past due ac- counts. VERSARECEIVABLES" prints all necessary statements, invoices, and summary reports and can be linked with VERSALEDGER II™ and VERSAINVENTORY™. VERSAPAYABLES™ $99.95 \VERSAPAYABLES™ is designed to keep track of current and aged payables, keeping you jin touch with all information regarding how much money your company owes, and to whom. VERSAPAYABLES™ maintains a complete record on each vendor, prints checks, check registers, vouchers, transaction reports, aged payables reports, vendor reports, and more. With VERSAPAYABLES™, you can even let your computer automatically select which vouchers are to be paid. VERSAPAYROLL™ $99.95 \VERSAPAYROLL™ is a powerful and sophisticated, but easy to use payroll system that keeps track of all government-required payroll information. Complete employee records are maintained, and all necessary payroll calculations are performed automatically, with totals displayed on screen for operator approval. A payroll can be run totally, automat: cally, or the operator can intervene to prevent a check from being printed, or to alter information on it. If desired, totals may be posted to the VERSALEDGER II™ system. VERSAINVENTORY™ $99.95 \VERSAINVENTORY™ is a complete inventory control system that gives you instant access to data on any item. VERSAINVENTORY™ keeps track of all information related to what items are in stock, out of stock, on backorder, etc., stores sales and pricing data, alerts you when an item falls below a preset reorder point, and allows you to enter and print invoices directly or tolink with the VERSARECEIVABLES™ system. VERSAINVENTORY™ prints all needed inventory listings, reports of items below reorder point, inventory value re- ports, period and year-to-date sales reports, price lists, inventory checklists, etc. (COMMPUTRONICS: 50 N. PASCACK ROAD, SPRING VALLEY, N.Y. 10977 * TRS80 is a trademark of the Radio Shack Division of Tandy Ce Circle 68 on Reader Service card. VERSALEDGER II™ $149.95 VERSALEDGER II™ is a complete accounting system that grows as your business grows. VERSALEDGER II™ can be used as a simple personal checkbook register, expanded to a small business bookkeeping system or developed into a large corporate general ledger system without any additional software. © VersALEDGER II™ gives you almost unlimited storage capacity (300 to 10,000 entries per month, depending on the system), ® stores all check and general ledger information forever, prints tractor-feed checks, handles multiple checkbooks and general ledgers, © prints 17 customized accounting reports including check registers, balance sheets, income statements, transaction reports, account listings, etc. \VeRSALEDGER II™ comes with a professionally-written 160 page manual de- signed for first-time users. The VERSALEDGER II™ manual will help you become quickly familiar with VeRsALEDGER II™, using complete sample data files supplied on diskette and more than 50 pages of sample printouts. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! Every VERSABUSINESS™ module is guaranteed to outperlorm allother competitive systems, and ata fraction oftheir cost. you are no! satsfed with any VERSA BUSINESS" module, vou ‘may return it within 30 days fora refund. Manuals or any VERSABUSINESS™ module may be urchased for $25 each, ctedited toward a later purchase of that module. To Order: Write or call Toll-free (800) 431-2818 (N.Y.S. residents call 914-425-1535) add $3 for shipping in UPS areas * add $5 10 CANADA or MEXICO * add $4 for C.0.D. or non UPS areas ‘edd proper postage elsewhere = —- DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME All prices and specifications subject to change / Delivery subject to availabilty ‘erp. - “APPLE is a trademark of Apple Corp, - “IBM is a trademark of IBM Corp. - “OSBORNE is a trademark of Osborne Corp *CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research - *XEROX is a trademark of Xerox Corp. The Cat system lets you slip something into your Apple II no other modem offers— acomplete range of speeds from 110, 300 and 202 half-duplex—to full duplex 212 . Either way, you have state-of-the-art LSI technology. And it means you can start right off with the most advanced system available. Or you can trim your investment, yet always have the option to move up at any step with absolutely no compromises in quality. Com-Ware™ software is part of the package. Five minutes after you’ve booted up the Novation Com-Ware you'll have a good ple-Cat Il notion of what it’s like to work with the best, most accurate, most convenient personal com- munication system designed for your Apple. It makes all of the moves you need to work with another computer, swap programs, access data, whatever. And it’s simple to operate. Just follow the menu. No programming, no fussing. It’s all there. New—telephone directory. Our engineers have done it again. They've expanded our Com-Ware. Now included: a time-saving directory of 26 telephone num- bers with terminal configurations all selected and stored for auto dialing. Handy. And some nice extras. Print-out during communication, a non-destructive memory mode, a changeable “welcome” message for automatic answer. There’s more. If you have an Apple-Cat I] and our earlier Com-Ware (4.4 or earlier), you should really have the new one (5.0). As always, it’s free. It’s the modem/communication system you grow into, not out o Just send us your old diskette and we’ll send you the new one.. It can make all the moves you want. Start with 110, 300, 202 half-duplex. Or—add 212 full duplex and move data four times faster with accurate, block by block verification. / Automatically send and receive anytime— including the middle of the night when line charges are lowest. / Use 80 or 40 column format. / Set for local or remote echo, And more. Two mote reasons to ‘ Easy installation. move right now. Ines Than 10 mites, Packed with every ~ the world. Apple-Cat II isa list of options. You 4 get your choice ofany =~ one—and save up to $40. Also, if you’ve ever wanted totake a look at The Source$™ this is your chance. With your . Apple-Cat II you get a sampler subscription. offer. It’s limited, but it gives you a taste. They’re at your dealer. He has all of the details. See him now. More features than any other modem, + Full range of communication baud rates—up to 1200 (Bell System 100, 202 or 212 series compatible) « Full or half duplex operation - Complete Com-Ware system on a single diskette. Also, wide assortment of excellent software avail- able from other sources * All automatic functions —auto dial (pulse or Touch Tone), redial, auto answer and disconnect + It’s a telephone with speaker monitor—switch between data and voice. For regular use, it’s a handy intelligent phone with auto-dial * Touch Tone receiver * Built-in BSR X-10 Con- troller + Remote control for external cassette tape recorder + Works with other Apple parallel or serial printer interface cards + Constant status display on screen * Binary or.text modes * Single card installation for Apple Cat II and an additional card for the 212 upgrade + FCC certified built-in phone line interface (PLI) Module + New full Duplex 212 option. Novation, Inc. 18664 Oxnard Street Tarzana, CA 91356 (800) 423-5419 + In California: (213) 996-5060 ‘Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. BSRis a trademark of BSR Corp CAT is a trademark of Novation, nc,, which does not manufacture Apple computers. Circle 272 on Reader Service card. The Applesoft Adviser by Dan Bishop ast month I suggested that you should make every attempt to use structured programming tech- niques in the Basic programs you write. I briefly outlined how to use the subroutine in Basic to achieve the modularity that is so important to a well structured program. This month Fl introduce several such modules that can be used in any program that requires random access disk files. Two of these mod- ules may appear without any change in all programs you write that use random access files. The remain- ing modules are designed to sim- plify the process of packing data into random access records and of retrieving that information from the disk in us- able form. Why Random Access? Most truly useful programs require the computer to process a fairly large amount of data. The exact nature of the processing depends on the specific application being undertaken, Pro- cessing inventory data is quite dif- ferent from processing payroll, for example. But all such programs have one common element. Each must store the data to be processed and the results of the processing onto some permanent storage device so that the data may be retrieved at a later date. Although cassettes can be used for data storage, for most practical pur- poses they are too ineffi- cient and unreli- {4 p Ae Recipe for Random Access Salad able. The floppy disk overcomes both of these problems. T am sure that many of you began your computer experience using cassette storage for your data, and finally upgraded your system to in- clude a floppy disk drive. You were undoubtedly amazed at the greater with which records could be pulled from the disks. No matter that you may still be using sequential ac- cess files on your new disks. Sequen- tial access worked well enough on cassette (which allowed no option), and it works even better now on disk. Why bother with random access file procedures anyway? Well, if you were pleased with the increased efficiency you observed when you switched from cassette to disk storage, you will be even happier once you convert your data files to random access. The reason is simple. To sequentially access a record, the computer must read every record from the start of the file until it arrives at the desired record. This is be- cause each record in a sequential file may consist of any number of characters so there is no way for the computer to predict exactly where on the disk the desired rec- ord will be found. Inserting new records into the file requires that the entire file be re- written. Deleting old rec- ords leaves a gap in the file that can only be filled if a new record happens to have the same length as the one that was deleted. Records in a random ac- cess file, on the other hand, al- ways have the same record length, and this length is given to the com- puter to determine exactly where to find record number 385 in the file if it knows how ‘The Applesoft Adviser long each record is. The computer can find that record almost im- mediately. Furthermore, any holes in the file formed by deleting records can be filled with new records, since all records in the file have a standard length. A new record may be inserted easily into the old file simply by mov- ing all higher records up one record position to make room for the new record. ~ The real advantage to using a disk drive for data storage lies not so much in its greater speed but rather in the ease with which specific data can be located on the disk. Using sequential files nullifies this particular advan- tage. I hope to show in the remainder of this article that using random ac- cess files is not as complicated as you might have believed. The Ingredient List Listing 1 (lines 10 and 9400 to 9470) provides the program instruc- tions for the first “recipe” style module to go into a random access program. No aspect of this sub- routine will be changed. Every pro- gram will contain this instruction set exactly as it is shown here. This subroutine gives the com- puter some essential information about your random access files. The first thing the computer must know, is the number of random access files you plan to use in this program. That number is given as a Data element in line 9600. For example, if you will be using three random access disk files in the program, then your program will have the following program lines: 9599 REM RANDOM ACCESS FILE SPECS 9600 DATA 3 Line 9400 in the subroutine from Listing 1 reads this data element as F. (By the way, all other data in your program must come after line 9700 to keep it from interfering with the data elements used by this subroutine.) Line 9410 uses this value to dimen- sion four arrays. F$(I) will contain the names of each of your random ac- cess files, FR§(1) will be used by the ‘Address correspondence to Dan Bishop, Custom Comp, PO Box 429, Buena Vista, CO 81211. program to contain all of the data in the current record from file I. FR(1) will be the current record number from file I, and FL(I) will be the length: of each record contained in file I. Lines 9420 to 9440 form a loop that is executed once for each file you plan to use (as indicated by the Data statement in line 9600). Each file you plan to use must be identified with two Data elements. The first will be the file’s name (as it will appear on the Catalog listing), and the second will be the record length for each record in that file. You may wish to devote a separate Data line for each file. Thus you might have the follow- ing three Data lines in your program: 9610 DATA NAMES, 32 9620 DATA ADDRESSES, 32 9640 DATA COMMENTS, 64 With these Data elements, you are telling the computer that the first data file will be named “Names” and that each record in this file will re- quire 32 bytes. File number two will be named “Addresses” and will have records occupying 32 bytes, and file number three will be named “Com- ments” and will have records that contain 64 bytes. Lines 9450 and 9460 define three string constants that will be used by the subroutine shown in Listing 2. The variables used for these constants are D$ and DB(1). Be sure that you do not use these elsewhere in your program! Before going further, let’s consider just how you can determine the record lengths for your files. You need to know these values for the Data statements shown above. Each 1@ GOSUB 3400 gs9e 9418 DIM FSCF), FROCFD, FLOFDs 9428 FOR I=1 TO F READ F8(ID, FLOD 1 FROFD 9448 NEXT 9458 D6 = CHREC4) 9455 BRe= "2 REM 10 BLANKS 9470 RETURN this module are described in the article. Ren . oe 9399 REM SUBROUTINE TO INITIALIZE PROGRAM FROM DATA AD F 946@ DBS(B) = “READ “: DBS(1)="WRITE ~ 9466 BRS=BRE+BRE+BRO+BRI+BR: BROABRS+BRE+BREOBRO+BRES” Listing 1. This listing is a generalized module that is to be used in any program that uses the random access procedures described in this article. The Data statements that are read by cette “1 REM 255 BLANKS gase REM 9499 REM SUBROUTINE FOR 9518 PRINT DAS To 3588 9538 PRINT DAS 9540 IF FA=® THEN INPUT FRO<F) 955@ IF FA=i THEN PRINT FRS(F) GosuB 9595 GOTO eenen record was found), ACCESSING RANDOM ACCESS $588 DAS = De + “OPEN * + FSCF) + “sL* + STRECFLCFD? 9528 DAS = DS + DBS(FA) + FOCF) + *)R™ + STRECFROF) Listing 2. This module takes care of the actual transfer of data between the computer's RAM memory and the disk. Only line 9595 needs to be changed for this module to work properly in any program that uses my approach to random access disk files. The line number to be inserted in line 9595 should be the line that contains the FA = 0 GOSUB 9500 instructions which caused the error to occur in the first place (the error being that no such DISK FILES May 1983 @ider 29 ‘The Applesoft Adviser: record can be thought of as a 3 by 5 card in a small recipe card box. The box itself is the file. Now various items of information may be con- tained on each card (or in each record). Each item occupies a “field.” It is important to remember that in your case every card in this box con- tains the same number of fields and that the lengths and identities of these fields are the same from card to card. Imagine that the cards for a cer- tain box have been especially printed with blanks to be filled in. At the top of the cards is a row of 15 blanks. Be- low that is a row of 22 blanks, then a row of 15 blanks and finally a row that contains two blanks, a space and five blanks. All of the cards are printed identically. In this example, if you use these cards for mailing list information, you might consider the top line to correspond to the name, the second to a street address, the third to a city, and the fourth to the state and zip code. Each record con- tains five fields and requires a total of 15 + 22 + 15 + 2 +5 = 59 blanks (or bytes). The first step in determining record length, then, is to determine precisely what information you plan to place within a single record. Each item of information will correspond to a separate field.. Then decide on how many characters (maximum) 10 GosuB Saea 20 HOME 32 BLe=* 5@ INPUT*WHICH FILE... 6@ IF F)2 OR FC1 THEN 7@ INPUT"WHICH RECORD. « BD FRECF) 108 IF AS=*S" THEN GOTO 168 118 [FASO "L* THEN GOTO 128 FA = 8 138 GOSUB gsee 148 PRINT FROCFD 158 GOTO Si 160 FA = 1 198 GoSUB sse0 2@0 PRINT“DATA 18 STORED. * 218 GOTO 3¢ a4e@ READ F 9418 DIM FACED, FRECF), FLOFD+ 9428 FOR I=1 TO F 9438 READ Fact), 9448 NEXT I 9458 De = CHREC4) FLED) 947@ RETURN 9518 PRINT DAs 9515 ONERR GOTO 9580 9538. PRINT DAS 9560 PRINT Der“CLOSE™ 9565 POKE 216.0 9578 RETURN 9582 FA=1! POKE 216: 9998 GoSUB S580 9535 GOTO 128 9688 DATA 2 961@ DATA TEST ONE, 32 9628 DATA TEST TWO, 64 1 REM SAMPLE PROGRAM USING THO DISK DATA FILES 2 REM EACH FILE CONTAINS ONLY ONE FIELD. “: REM 18 BLANKS 4Q BLS=BL$+BLs+Bt s+BL$+BL $+BL Se" F “TERCFD 9Q INPUT "SAVE TO DISK OR LOAD FROM DISK (S/L).."1A® 98 119 REM PREPARE TO LOAD DATA FROM DISK 2 159 REM PREPARE TO SAVE DATA TO DISK 178 INPUT“ENTER DATA YOU WISH TO SAVE.. 180 FRECF) © LEFTS(FRECF) + BLS, 9398 REM tHemnenemEReEREmeR ER ERIKR MRE 9399 REH SUBROUTINE TD INITIALIZE PROGRAM DATA FREFD 9468 DBSC®) = “READ “1! DBSC1) = “WRITE " 3498 REM seeetenmenenmnnenhhebnntmdnehbinbiht 9495 REM SUBROUTINE FOR ACCESSING RANDOM ACCESS DISK FILES 8588 DAS = D6 + “OPEN * + FCF) + "FL" + STRECFLCFD) 3528 DAS = DB + DBS(FA) + FEC) + *)RY + STRECFROFD? 9548 IF FAs8 THEN INPUT FRECF) 9558 IF FAe1 THEN PRINT FROCF) 3879 REN ERROR HANDLING ROUTINE TO ESTABLISH NEW BLANK RECORD 9580 PRINT De+CLOSE"?PRINT*NO SUCH RECORD - 9585 ROCF) = LEFTS(BLS,FLOF>) Listing 3. A simple random acoess record keeping program using two files, records with single fields, and the generalized disk access procedures described in this article. “2 REM 64 BLANKS *SFROCFD FLEFD) you plan to assign to each field. Total the number of characters for each field and you have arrived at your record length. Although the DOS Manual from Apple claims that a record length may be any size from 1 byte to 32767 bytes, I have occasionally run into problems. In all such cases, I have overcome the problem by selecting a record length that is an even factor of 256, This may be reasonable in light of the fact that the Apple DOS trans- fers 256 bytes at a time from disk into a memory buffer in the computer. So I would advise sticking to record lengths that are powers of 2, such as 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 and 128. This provides considerable flexibility (you don’t have to fill in all the bytes), and if you must decrease a field by one or two bytes to fit one of these numbers, it usually can be done with no great loss. Storing the Ingredients Listing 2 (lines 9500 to 9595) pro- vides the subroutine instruction set that takes care of all of your random accesses to the disk. These lines, like those in Listing 1, will appear in your program with virtually no changes, with the exception of line 9595, for which a line number must be sup- plied. The instruction set is designed to handle both storing data to the disk and retrieving data from the disk. The difference is denoted by the value of the operation flag, FA. This subroutine uses several vari- ables that must be defined within the program before it can be used. The variable F must be assigned a num- ber that corresponds to the number of the file currently being accessed. For example, if you had named your files as shown in the example above (lines 9610 to 9630), then if you were cur- rently accessing the Comments file, you would want F to have a value of 3 (corresponding to file 3). FR(F) must also be defined by the program. It must be given the value that cor- responds to the specific record number in the file that you are deal- ing with. Finally, FA must be as- signed a value of 0 if you are retriev- ing data from the disk (“Read” and 30 Cider May 1983 TOLL FREE ORDER LINE Low Discount Prices No Hidden Charges. Fast, Friendly Service No Charge for Credit Cards. No Shipping Delay for Personal Checks. RISING SUN SOFTWARE with ‘Avenue, Oakland, CA 94602, Mention inCider and ‘free dishett CALL TOLL FREE 24 HOURS (ORDERS ONLY) pea heal ly terrain (800) 772-3545, ext. 1: ie (mside Caltoria). P.O. BOX 11020 OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94611 (415) 482-3391 Niort or COD. Sard coavel your own Sak od $500 er UPS Sipping $4.0DIor Bice ibe! hy, Caltorné residents ad applicable sales tx. ALL orders shipped same day received. we arecut of tock (on a particular item we will nclude a special bonus: order when 1s at 4660 Circle 309 on Reader Service card. May 1983 @ider 31 ‘The Applesoft Adviser “Input”) and a value of I if you are storing the data onto the disk (“Write” and “Print”). So with three assignment state- ments to give appropriate values to F, FR(F) and FA, you can execute a GOSUB 9500 and retrieve record FR(F) from file F on your disk. The record will come back as FR$(F), with all of the data for each of the fields packed together in one long string. But more about that problem later. If you are saving data to disk, the data must be packed into FR$(F) first, and then, after you have assigned appropriate values to F, FR(F) and FA, you can execute a GOSUB 9500 and Bingo! The record will be stored to disk. The subroutine at 9500 also con- tains an error trap in the event that you attempt to retrieve a record from the disk (FA=0) using a record number that does not exist for that file. Should this occur, the error trap will write a blank record into that position in your file and, using the GOTO command in line 9595, return the program to the instruction that requested that record in the first place. On the second attempt, of course, there will be a record (con- taining blanks) in that position, and the program proceeds normally. The POKE 216, instructions are necessary to counter the ‘use of the ONERR instruction. Their presence allows errors in other parts of the pro- gram to be handled in the usual way by the computer. Program Listing 3 is a short dem- onstration program that illustrates the simplest form of random access, in which each record contains only a single field. Two files are set up, and the computer prompts you to input a file number and a record number. You are then asked if you wish to save data (onto disk) or to load data (from disk). If you indicate that you are saving data, you will be prompted to type in the string to be saved and, when you press Return, the record will be saved. If you indicate that you are loading data from disk, the specified record (if it exists) will be tetrieved from the disk and displayed on the monitor. Tossing the Salad Most applications: will require more than a single field for each rec- ord. The subroutine at 9500 works properly only if a single record string, identified as FR$(F), is to be written to or retrieved from the disk. In order to use that subroutine with more complex situations, it will be neces- sary to devise a module, or sub- routine, that packs the data from each field into a single record string before you store the data to disk (us- ing a GOSUB 9500). Similarly, a subroutine must be written that will accept FR$(F) as a single record string retrieved from the disk and break that string down into the de- sired individual Data elements. To prepare the data from each field so that it can be packed into the record string prior to that string’s be- ing saved onto disk, each data ele- ment must be padded with the ap- propriate number of blank spaces so that it occupies exactly the maximum number of bytes that you decided on when you were setting up the file’s 9200 BL$ =“ 9230 RETURN 0315 RETURN 9199 REM SUBROUTINE TO SAVE DATA TO DISK 25 blanks 9210 ON F GOSUB 9300, 9320, 9340 9220 FA = I: GOSUB 9500 9299 REM RECORD STRING PACKING FOR FILE 1 9300 NM$ = LEFT$(NM$ + BLS, 20) 9305 CN$ = LEFT$(STR$(CN) + BLS, 5) 9310 FR&(F) = NM8 + CNS Sample listing 1. original specifications. This can be accomplished quite easily for strings. For example, sup- pose you had decided that NM$, a client’s name, would consist of up to 20 characters. The following pro- gram line will pad whatever name NM$ represents with enough blanks to provide a total string length of 20 characters. 9199 REM SUBROUTINE TO SAVE DATA TO DISK 9200 BL$ = ’ i 9300 NM$ = LEFT$(NM$ + BL$, 20) BLS is defined as a string containing 20 or more blank spaces. This string is concatenated with NM$§, and the left 20 characters, which includes all of NM$ along with the required num- ber of additional blanks, is taken and reassigned to NM$, Lines similar to 9300 must be used for each element of string data that is fielded within your record. Numeric data is handled similarly, with the only requirement being that the number be changed to a string first. For example, along with the name of the client, you might also have in- cluded the client’s identification number. If these numbers range from 1 to 9999, then you will need a max- imum of five bytes (allowing for the sign), and the smaller numbers will need to be padded with blanks. Line 9305 may be used for this situation. 9305 CN$ = LEFTS(STR8(CN) + BLS, 5) In this line, the client’s number, as CN, is converted to a string using the STR$ function. Since this string may have from 2 to 5 bytes, it needs to be padded with blanks using the same approach that was used in line 9310. Tf you are really pinched for space, and the sign of a number is not im- portant, you can eliminate it from the string using a Right$ function as follows: 9305 CN$ = RIGHTS{LEFTS(STR&(CN) +BL$,5),4) Once the data elements have been properly padded, FR$(F) can be ed by concatenating them together, as in line 9310. 9310 FRS(F) = NM$ + CN$ Of course, F must have been assigned 32 @ider May 1083 WHODUNIT? DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS Suppose you witness a crime —you're sure you can remem- ber whodunit—but can you? Sir-tech brings you “Police Artist,” three challenging identification games in one. 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Ine Wh ol Etzaboth Levir Apple ss arege Circle 218 on Reader Service card. Pohce Aust —The Applesoft Adviser “The advantage to using the generalized routine its appropriate value indicating which file this information is to be associated with. If the string packing lines listed above are included in a subroutine that is called by a generalized subroutine designed to handle all operations that involve saving data to disk, then a block of your program between lines 9200 and 9399 might look like Sample listing 1. Two other subroutines must be in- cluded (lines 9320-9339 and lines 9340-9359) to take care of the pad- ding and packing of FR$(F) when file number 2 (F=2) or file number 3 (F =3) is being used. These subrou- tines will be handled in the same way as the subroutine between lines 9300 and 9315 in Sample listing 1, using the data elements that belong to each respective file. The advantage to us- ing the generalized routine becomes obvious when you are ready to save your data onto disk. You have just in- put the name (as NM$) and client number (as CN) for a new client (or edited the information for an old client). You are now ready to save the data to disk as record number 57. The following line in the main pro- gram takes care of it all. 220 F = 1: FR(F) = 57: GOSUB 9200 F selects the specific file you want to store the record in. FR(F) selects the record number to be stored. The GOsuB 9200 sends the program to the “Save Data to Disk” subroutine. Since F = 1, the subroutine between 9300 and 9315 is used to pack FR$(F) with the padded versions of NM$ and CN. FA is then set to 1 so that the subroutine at 9500 knows to store FR$(F) onto the disk. becomes obvious when you are ready to save your data to disk.” Serving Suggestions Of course, storing the data onto disk is only half the picture. We must also be able to retrieve the data and display it or print it as individual data elements. The subroutine at 9500 will return data from the disk as a single record string, FR$(F). A subroutine module analogous to the string pack- ing subroutine (lines 9200-9399) just described must be written to unpack the data elements from the record string. To unpack the record string, the MID$ function is used. This function extracts a specified number of bytes from a given string starting at a posi- tion in that string that you can select. The general form of the MID$ func- tion is: X$ =MIDS(A8, A, B) where A$ is the string to be operated on, A is a number that tells where the operation is to take place (that is, how many bytes over from the start of A$ to count before starting to remove characters) and B is a number that specifies how many bytes to remove. For any given data element, B will be the same number that you used above in the string padding sub- routine. If the data item being unpacked is numeric, the VAL function can be used along with the MID$ function to convert that item into its numeric equivalent. 9000 FA =0: GOSUB 9500 9020 RETURN 9100 RETURN 8999 REM SUBROUTINE TO RETRIEVE DATA FROM DISK 9010 ON F GOSUB 9100, 9120, 9140 9099 REM ROUTINE TO UNPACK DATA FOR FILE 1 9100 NM$ = MID#(FRS(F), 1, 20) 9105 CN = VAL(MIDS(FRS(F), 21, 5)) Sample listing 2. In order to retrieve data from the disk, set up a general data retrieval subroutine at line 9000. Then write a short unpacking subroutine for each file, using lines 9100 and 9198. This approach is analogous to the one given above for saving data to disk, The lines given in Sample listing 2 could be used with the example that has been presented thoughout this ar- ticle. As before, two additional subrou- tines (lines 9120-9139 and lines 9140-9159) are needed to handle the unpacking process for records re- trieved from file 2 and file 3 respec- tively. The appearance of these sub- routines will be analogous to the un- packing subroutine shown in Sample listing 2 (lines 9100-9119). Now when you want to retrieve the client’s name and number from record 86, you will use the following line in your program: 250 F = 1: FR(F) = 86: GOSUB 9000 On returning from the subroutine, NM$ and CN will be properly de- fined for use by the program. Of course, a practical program will have FR(F) determined by an in- put statement from the keyboard rather than an assignment statement as shown above, or by the value of a loop counter if the file is being searched for a specific record. The important point is simply that the on- ly two items that need to be specified by the main program before ex- ecuting a GOSUB 9000 to retrieve a record are the file number and the record number. The program does the rest. The Appointment Calendar If you are a regular reader of this magazine, you may recall a “Date- book” program listing that I pre- sented in my March article. In that program I used Data statements that had to be written into the program each time a new appointment was to be entered. The program could only handle one week’s appointments. Listing 4 makes up for these defi- ciencies by providing a ‘user friendly” program for setting up an appointment calendar that will en- 34 Cider May 1983 Lee McFadden makes leaming to use your computer and its programs an easy, experience. Mastering a new system or even a new im is not easy. It takes a lot of study, a lot of trial and error, a lot of back-and-forth between dense manuals and your computer. Wouldn't it all be so much easier if you had a knowledgeable friend sitting by your side? Lee McFadden is that friend. He’s been producing widely acclaimed teaching tapes for over ten years. 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