Volume 3, Number 28 21 July 1986 +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | _ | | / \ | | - FidoNews - /|oo \ | | (_| /_) | | Fido and FidoNet _`@/_ \ _ | | Users Group | | \ \\ | | Newsletter | (*) | \ )) | | ______ |__U__| / \// | | / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / | | (C) Copyright 1986 by IFNA (________) (_/(_|(____/ | | (jm) | +---------------------------------------------------------------+ Editor in Chief: Thom Henderson Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings FidoNews is the official newsletter of the International FidoNet Association, and is published weekly by SEAdog Leader, node 1/1. You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission standards are contained in the file FNEWSART.DOC, available from node 1/1. The contents of the articles contained here are not our responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them. Everything here is subject to debate. Table of Contents 1. ARTICLES 2. COLUMNS Speeding Up Batch Files Computer Industry Spotlight Job Market Research Part III 3. WANTED Wanted: IBM PC programs for publication! Any large Fidos out there? 4. FOR SALE Entertainment Software for your PC! Public Domain Software Library Sale!! 5. NOTICES The Interrupt Stack CARTOON: Generic George, by Bruce White FidoMail Diplomacy - Game F2 SPLTNEWS - A New Fido Sysop Utility Fidonews Page 2 21 Jul 1986 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= Don Daniels NODEFIX.EXE SYSOP, FIDO 107/211 Ver 1.00 When using ECHOMAIL, it is necessary to run TOSSMAIL against the incoming mail in your mail area in order to move ECHOMAIL messages to their appropriate areas. TOSSMAIL 1.30 searches for mail which contains your Net/Node number as indicated in MAIL.SYS. This presents no problem if you are a standard node. But, if you are a Hub and/or a Host, it is possible that senders have used one or more different (alias) Net/Node addresses than that given as the primary in MAIL.SYS. Such messages will NOT be relocated by TOSSMAIL 1.30. NODEFIX addresses this situation by changing the Net/Node numbers of appropriate messages to a common value as specified by the user. NODEFIX.ARC, which includes NODEFIX.EXE and accompanying documentation, is available for downloading from: D2-FIDO (107/210) 516-682-8525 evenings or weekends at 2400 bps, or DANIELS-FIDO (107/211) 516-367-9626 most any time or day at 1200-300 It is distributed as shareware. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fidonews Page 3 21 Jul 1986 ================================================================= COLUMNS ================================================================= SPEEDING UP BATCH FILES Bob Unferth Wilmette, IL Batch files make life a lot easier, but they are very slow. Even when using batch files in RAM disks, execution time is quite noticeable. It reminds me of the time when a batch file meant a batch of cards. The techniques described here reduce the time required to execute batch file by as much as an order of magnitude. Execution time is closely related to the number of lines rather than the number of characters. To save time put as many commands on one line as possible. Some ways to do this: 1. Instead of using a lot of lines for remarks, put what you have to say in a file and issue the batch command TYPE FILE. TYPing a file takes less than 30% as long as echoing the same information from a batch file. 2. Instead of using a lot of lines to issue commands, put all the commands in a FOR subcommand. For instance, your autoexec.bat file might start out: fastdisk parint scrnsave spool 7 sk c: Instead, just say: for %%f in (fastdisk parint scrnsave spool:7 sk c:) do %%f This reduces six lines to one. In DOS 2.1, but not in 3.0, you can eliminate spaces and slightly decrease execution time like this: for %%fin(fastdisk parint scrnsave spool:7 sk c:)do%%f Note the colon between spool and 7. You can't have any spaces within the parentheses except to denote the beginning of a new command. 3. When copying files use the FOR subcommand and wild cards like this: for %%fin(print v sp)docopy a:%%f???.* The FOR subcommand does not support wild cards within the Fidonews Page 4 21 Jul 1986 parentheses. How much time the FOR subcommand will save, if any, depends on how the disk buffers are used while the subcommand is being executed. DOS remembers the entire subcommand. It doesn't have to go back to disk to read more of the subcommand as it goes along. But DOS doesn't remember the contents of the batch file unless it is held in disk buffers. Whether or not the disk buffers keep the contents of the batch file depends on what you're doing between batch commands. 4. The IF subcommand supports conditional commands and the FOR subcommand. For instance, you might want to see if a file exists and, if it does, to run several programs and then to return to the menu; or, if it doesn't to display a message and return to the menu. A batch file for this task might look like this: If exist myufile goto programs echo File does not exist. Try again. d:menu :programs myprog.ram second.prg third d:menu But it will run faster like this: If exist myfile for %%fin(myprog.ram second.prg d:menu)do%%f for %%fin(echo d:menu)do%%f File does not exist. Try again, 5. When a command processor or another batch file is invoked, batch processing for the first batch is terminated. You don't need to exit the batch file. For example, in the batch file fragment below, the command GOTO GETOUT (and probably the label :GETOUT) is unnecessary and will increase execution time in some cases: .. command c: goto to getout .. .. :getout. 6. A fast way to get out of the middle of a batch file is to issue a command for another batch file, say a file called exit. EXIT can contain only the command REM or just a dot or better yet nothing. A file that contains nothing doesn't take up any disk space. You can create such a file with another batch file, say autoexec.bat, by inserting this command: for %%fin(echo rem)do%%f >d:exit.bat The rem part of the command can be any command that doesn't Fidonews Page 5 21 Jul 1986 look for parameters on the command line, e.g. cls or pause or sk. 7. Of course, running batch files from a RAM disk is a big help. It's sometimes worth transferring control to a batch file that has been copied onto your RAM disk. The time required for handling the batch operations in a RAM disk is less than a third of that required for a floppy. 8. Putting an end-of-file marker (ASCII 26 or Control Z) on the same line and immediately after the last command, will prevent annoying multiple prompts at the end of batch processing. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fidonews Page 6 21 Jul 1986 William/Eunhee Hunter Fido 109/626 Computer Industry Spotlight on: TELEX COMPUTER PRODUCTS, INC. -- Telex Computer Products, Inc. is a leading electronics and communications concern, which designs, manufactures, markets, and services computer peripheral equipment. Operations are managed from offices in more than 175 locations throughout the U.S., Canada, and major worldwide cities. Job opportunities are regularly available for field service technicians with training and previous hands-on experience maintaining magnetic tape drives, disk drives, printers, and a variety of terminal equipment. There is excellent opportunity for advancement into management. Field service offers management training courses to those employees who express a desire to move into managerial positions and have an aptitude for management. Courses include formal seminars, structural on-the-job situations, and computer associated instruction. Contact: Nina Newberry, Personnel Representative/Recruiter, Telex Computer Products, Inc., 6422 E. 41st St., Tulsa, OK 74135. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fidonews Page 7 21 Jul 1986 William/Eunhee Hunter Fido 109/626 THE NEXT STEP -- RESEARCH SELECTED COMPANIES When this initial phase of your research effort is finished, you'll find yourself already well ahead of the game. Unlike most of your competitors in the job market, you will have achieved a clear idea where you're going and what you're trying to accomplish. You have established for yourself a well-defined area -- a specific industry (or industries) -- on which to concentrate your search. (You may of course, wish to narrow the focus even more, to a specific geographic area.) And in the process, you've learned a good deal about the industry and are in a position to begin researching specific employers and to start making all-important personal contacts with people in the industry. Furthermore, you're now able to talk knowledgeably to industry officials about a subject that interests them greatly: their industry. And your knowledge will progressively increase and become more detailed as you continue your search. The second and final phase of your research focuses on SPECIFIC COMPANIES within your selected industry. Your immediate task here is to compile a list of employers -- as lengthy a list as possible -- which appear to have suitable opportunities in your field. After you have compiled this list you will then do some additional work to determine which department within each listed company hires people in your field and who the department's hiring official is. Most major industries have industry directories -- often published by the industry trade or professional association -- which provide company listings and officer names and titles. Trade journals and company stockholder's reports may also help. Or you may wish to simply call the personnel or public relations office of a company to obtain the needed information. TRADE JOURNALS AND INDUSTRY PERIODICALS. These publications often contain news about current recruitment needs and plans of major companies; in addition, nearly all of them include a "Positions Available" classified section. CORPORATE DIRECTORIES. Although it is not recommended that such directories be used for indiscriminate "scatter-gun" mailings, corporate directories can be very useful in helping you to identify firms which may have current opportunities in your field. But before you mail your cover letter and resume to a listed company, make an effort to determine its current hiring needs (through additional library research or by contacting the firm directly). Then slant your cover letter in such a way that any relevant interests or accomplishments are highlighted. The best corporate directories are: THE COLLEGE PLACEMENT COUNCIL ANNUAL, the S & P REGISTER, and DUN'S MILLION DOLLAR DIRECTORY. SMALL BUSINESS AND ASSOCIATION REFERENCE MATERIALS. Two important areas often overlooked by job seekers are small Fidonews Page 8 21 Jul 1986 businesses and trade/professional associations. A "small business," incidentally, need not be particularly small. Companies with sales under $25 million are considered to fit the usual definition. A good starting point in researching these firms is the INC. 500 DIRECTORY (published by INC. Magazine), which lists and profiles the 500 fastest-growing small companies nationwide. Another very good source is so obvious you might overlook it -- the yellow-pages telephone directories (many libraries maintain yellow-pages directories for all major U.S. cities). As for associations, your best source of company information is the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ASSOCIATIONS, also available at most libraries. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION SOURCES. In the course of your research, you'll uncover many additional information sources on your own. Here are a few additional ones that have wide applicability. O'DWYERS DIRECTORY OF PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS; THOMAS' REGISTER OF AMERICAN CORPORATIONS; EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS, THE IRREVERENT GUIDE TO CORPORATE AMERICA. (The last source mentioned, EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS, contains major company histories and profiles that are especially useful in preparing for job interviews.) The next and last article will present THE ALL IMPORTANT HUMAN FACTOR. Distributed via FidoNet BBS by NOVA_WEG Fido 109/626, W.E.G. Systems, P.O. Box 5072, Springfield, VA 22150. Permission is hereby given to reprint this article providing the contents remain unchanged. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fidonews Page 9 21 Jul 1986 ================================================================= WANTED ================================================================= Daniel Tobias, Soft Fido, 19/216: (318) 636-4402 WANTED: IBM PC PROGRAMS FOR PUBLICATION! SOFTDISK, INC., the already-successful publisher of magazines on diskette for Apple II and Commodore 64 computers, will produce a monthly disk-based publication for the IBM PC. The first issue of this publication, to be named BIG*BLUE DISK, and which will be contained entirely on a floppy disk, will be shipped to thousands of retail outlets in September, including B. Dalton Booksellers and Waldenbooks. - - OFF-BROADWAY - - If you have written a program for the IBM PC, please consider publishing it on BIG*BLUE DISK; it's your chance to make some money, and get your name in print. Programs of all categories are being accepted: utilities, educational, recreational, home, business, graphics, music, etc. - - YOUR REWARD - - We will select the best programs submitted, and publish them on issues of BIG*BLUE DISK. If we choose to publish your program, we will pay you a minimum of $50, and possibly more-- as much as $500, depending on the nature and quality of the program. This money is for the privilege of publishing your program. You retain full rights to it. - - HOW TO SUBMIT IT - - Submissions can be sent by FIDONET to node 19/216, or uploaded directly to our BBS at (318) 636-4402. Alternatively, you can send them on a floppy disk to: BIG*BLUE DISK, PO BOX 30008, SHREVEPORT, LA 71130-0008. You will receive a new blank disk in return mail, to replace the disk you sent. BIG*BLUE DISK is a widely-distributed, carefully-prepared publication, so make sure your programs are well-tested and debugged, and include adequate instructions within the program. Include a note (on paper, in a text file, or in a message to the sysop of our BBS) describing what your program does, what files are necessary to run it, and what system configuration (hardware and software) is required. - - NOTE TO SYSOPS - - There is a finder's fee of 10% for you if you submit a program on behalf of one of your users and it is published. Thus, you may wish to publicize BIG*BLUE DISK and our search for programs on your board. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fidonews Page 10 21 Jul 1986 Justin Norman, System Operator Northwest Super Fido (#105/2) Are there any large Fidos out there? I recently started to look into a larger and more powerful MS or PC-DOS based machine to run my Fido on, and also run some other applications. I have noticed that the IBM PC/AT or clones are the most leader. So what I want you to do is if you own a computer system or systems that meat or exceed the following specs to please send me more information. System must have at least: A 6Mhz processor 512Kb of Random Access Memory CRT controller of some type 40 MegaBytes total of hard disk storage One floppy drive of some type Send me this information if your system qualifies: Your name Computer Name Name of all the parts How you have everything hooked up (configuration) Any extra devices hooked up (printers, graphics cards, etc.) Total cost for everything Where you purchased or ordered the items Do you like the machine (keyboard, monitor, etc.) Have you had any problems with the machine? If so, what are/were they? Thanks alot, your help is appriciated!! If your system does qualify, please send the information requested to me via one of the following resources: Voice: Justin Norman, 503/692-5976 or 503/692-3511 Date: Northwest Super Fido, 300/1200/2400 baud, 24 hrs, 365 days a year, 503/692-6243 FidoNet: Fido node 2 in net 105 (#105/2) US Mail: P.O. Box 1085 Tualatin, Oregon 97062 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fidonews Page 11 21 Jul 1986 ================================================================= FOR SALE ================================================================= ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE FOR YOUR PC! SUPERDOTS! KALAH! Professional quality games include PASCAL source! From the author of KALAH Version 1.6, SuperDots, a variation of the popular pencil/paper DOTS game, has MAGIC and HIDDEN DOT options. KALAH 1.7 is an African strategy game requiring skill to manipulate pegs around a playing board. Both games use the ANSI Escape sequences provided with the ANSI.SYS device driver for the IBM-PC, or built into the firmware on the DEC Rainbow. Only $19.95 each or $39.95 for both exciting games! Please specify version and disk format. These games have been written in standard TURBO-PASCAL and run on the IBM-PC, DEC Rainbow 100 (MSDOS and CPM), CPM/80, CPM/86, and PDP-11. Other disk formats are available, but minor customization may be required. BSS Software P.O. Box 3827 Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 For every order placed, a donation will be made to the Fido coordinators! Also, if you have a previous version of KALAH and send me a donation, a portion of that donation will also be sent to the coordinators. When you place an order, BE CERTAIN TO MENTION WHERE YOU SAW THE AD since it also appears in PC Magazine and Digital Review. Questions and comments can be sent to: Brian Sietz at Fido 107/17 (609) 429-6630 300/1200/2400 baud ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fidonews Page 12 21 Jul 1986 Now available from Micro Consulting Associates!! Public Domain collection - 550+ "ARC" archives - 20+ megs of software and other goodies, and that's "archived" size! When unpacked, you get approximately 28 megabytes worth of all kinds of software, from text editors to games to unprotection schemes to communications programs, compilers, interpreters, etc... Over 55 DS/DD diskettes!! This collection is the result of more than 15 months of intensive downloads from just about 150 or more BBS's and other sources, all of which have been examined, indexed and archived for your convenience. Starting a Bulletin Board System? Want to add on to your software base without spending thousands of dollars? This is the answer!!! To order the library, send $100 (personal or company check, postal money order or company purchase order) to: Micro Consulting Associates, Fido 103/511 Post Office Box 4296 200-1/2 E. Balboa Boulevard Balboa, Ca. 92661-4296 Please allow 3 weeks for delivery of your order. Note: No profit is made from the sale of the Public Domain software in this collection. The price is applied entirely to the cost of downloading the software over the phone lines, running a BBS to receive file submissions, and inspecting, cataloguing, archiving and maintaining the files. Obtaining this software yourself through the use of a computer with a modem using commercial phone access would cost you much more than what we charge for the service... Please specify what type of format you would like the disks to be prepared on. The following choices are available: - IBM PC-DOS Backup utility - Zenith MS-DOS 2.11 Backup Utility - DSBackup - Fastback - ACS INTRCPT 720k format - Plain ol' files (add $50) Add $30 if you want the library on 1.2 meg AT disks (more expensive disks). There are no shipping or handling charges. California residents add 6% tax. For each sale, $10 will go to the FidoNet Administrators. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fidonews Page 13 21 Jul 1986 ================================================================= NOTICES ================================================================= The Interrupt Stack 14 Aug 1986 Start of the International FidoNet Conference, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Contact George Wing at node 1/10 for details. Get your reservations in NOW! We'll see you there! 24 Aug 1989 Voyager 2 passes Neptune. If you have something which you would like to see on this calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1/1. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Generic George by Bruce White, 109/612 +-------------------------------------------------+ | LOOK AT THIS PHONE BILL!!! We're being | | / charged for more than 3,000 message units!! | | / This is impossible, right? Right, George?? | |/ | | Oh. Well ... ah ... um .... | | You see, anything's possible____\__ | | with autodialing. \ |_| \ | | \ _____ |\ | | | _ | | | | ______ | |_| | | | | __(______)_|_____|___ | | | ||-----------------|| | | | ______ || || | | | \ {} / || || | | |(c) 1986 bw \__/ ||-----------------||__|__| +-------------------------------------------------+ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Eskridge Fido 124/109 Diplomacy Game F1 has been running for almost six bloody weeks on The Diplomat, which puts the game at the end of 1902. It's been quite a fracas. Russia, Germany and Turkey have almost eliminated Austria with a brutal combination of blitzing armies, propaganda, espionage, and deceit. It has been a good time! For those that missed out on joining Game F1, we are now taking applications for players in the next game, F2. Turns will be due weekly and diplomatic messages are your responsibility. For more information contact Bryny at 124/109. Fidonews Page 14 21 Jul 1986 - THE DIPLOMAT - Fido 124/109 (214) 242-9399 2400 baud ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hallo allemaal, er zijn nogal wat problemen met de mogelijkheden van de commodore computers in Fido. 1e. Uploaden. Dit gaat niet met de Teletron 1200 en de Multimodem 64. 2e. Downloaden. Dit gaat ook niet met deze modems. Een aantal leden heeft me al meerdere malen gevraagt wat we (ze) daaraan kunnen doen. Heeft een van jullie een oplossing, of is er misschien dan toch een modem die deze problemen niet heeft. Ik zelf zit met 2 nieuwe programma's die ik graag in mijn node zou willen hebben. Bijde van commodore gebruikers.De programma's waren gemaakt voor het Micro-Master toernooi en ik mag ze als Publik-Domain gebruiken. Dus als iemand er iets op weet, laat het mij dan weten. Vriendelijke groeten Loek Jansen Sysop Rozenburg 1. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Fullton 158/104 SPLTNEWS - A New Fido Sysop Utility SPLTNEWS is a program designed to allow Fido BBS users easier access to the information contained in the weekly FidoNews "publication". When used in conjunction with SEND- MAIL (written by Jeff Rush at the Rising Star Fido 124/15), it allows each page of the the FidoNews document to be entered as a message into a specific message area. The users may then "browse" through the news by entering that message area and reading the messages. A particular article in the table of contents may be accessed by entering its page number as a message number. Casual readers may read each page by just pressing return at the message prompt. Sample command line syntax: SPLTNEWS FIDO325.NWS This example will create PAGE.001, PAGE.002, PAGE.003... in the current directory - one for each page in the original document. Fidonews Page 15 21 Jul 1986 The format of a PAGE.nnn file is thus: MSG: 0 DATE: 30 JUNE 1986 -- date from 1st line FROM: FidoNews Splitter TO: Everyone SUB: FidoNews Page n -- the actual page number * * -- the actual text * -- from page n * END This is the format required by SENDMAIL. Although this program was written for use with FidoNews, it may also be used to split other types of files. The program and C source code are available on Fido 158/104. The author will respond to comments and suggestions by FidoMail. Please address any correspondence to Jim Fullton. -----------------------------------------------------------------