HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: aki@cruzio.santa-cruz.ca.us
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Re: Background printing (IRQ7?)
Keywords: IRQ7 background print
Date: Tue, 08 Dec 92 10:24:59 PST
Reply-To: aki@cruzio.santa-cruz.ca.us

In article <1992Dec8.035415.26358@grebyn.com>, malak@grebyn.com (Michael Malak) writes:
> What is the best way to achieve background printing in a DOS program, to
> the level that Word Perfect achieves it?  Is it using IRQ7?  I've tried
> guessing at how to use IRQ7 with no luck.  As far as I know I'm enabling
> the 8259 _and_ the interrupt enable bit at the LPT1 port address, but I
> don't get an interrupt when I send a character to the printer via INT
> 17H.  Any suggestions?  Any example source?


I don't know how many times this needs to be explained... maybe
this should be thrown into the FAQ:  Never ever ever ever mix
code that directly touches add-on chips AND also calls related
BIOS functions.  BIOS makes too many assumptions.  Don't trust
BIOS to do what you would like it to do.  If you take the time
to talk directly to hardware, then don't cut a 5 minute corner
by calling BIOS and ending up with an erroneous program.  The
only cool BIOS tricks are to use it to switch to some operational
mode and back (say video mode 13H, or setting all basic serial
parameters). Other than that, use either _only_ BIOS or _only_
direct programming.

Now Michael, in your case the problem is simple. INT 17H on most BIOS's
simply rewrites the command-byte to send the line signals to the
printer, thus it also disables the IRQ of the port. The only way out
is to design your own character output routine and not use INT 17H.

Aki.
-- 
/  Phone: 408-662 9664   Fax: 662 9676  |  586 is a 586 no matter what  \ 
\  125 Searidge Ct #D, Aptos, CA 95003  |  Intel seez.  "Pent... WHAT?" /
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
From: price@linus.serum.kodak.com (Kevin Price (x37128))
Subject: WANTED: DOS interface tools (windows,menus), C++ preferred
Reply-To: price@serum.kodak.com
Organization: Clinical Diagnostics Division, Eastman Kodak Company
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 15:41:34 GMT


The reason I'm posting this is because I don't have ftp access.  However,
I can occasionally get specific archives via someone who does have access,
provided I know exactly what I want ahead of time.  So I need to get
recommendations for the "best" set of non-commercial tools out there.


REQUIRED FEATURES I'M LOOKING FOR
---------------------------------
1. Text-based windows & menus.  Not graphical or Windows-compatible stuff.
	Must either support 50 line VGA or else allow windows to be larger 
	than the screen and provide for scrolling around with a viewport.  
2. C++ source and/or GOOD documentation.  Must work with Borland C++ 3.0
3. Reasonably fast operation.
4. Freeware or shareware <= $30.

NICE IF I CAN GET IT
--------------------
1. Mouse support - fairly important
2. Not a memory hog 
3. Dynamic resizing/restacking of windows.
4. Additional common user-interface objects like dialog boxes, etc.
5. Simple objects (base classes) AND more complex derived objects.


Please email any recommendations (for or against) to the address at the 
bottom.  I'll be glad to summarize the responses within a week.



-- 
-Kevin Price		price@serum.kodak.com             
                                                          
 (please use the address above ^   The mailer may call me 
  nobody@kodak.com, but IMHO, I am not.)                  
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
From: urena@titan.ucc.umass.edu (Richard Urena)
Subject: Re: SIMPLE assembly question...
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 19:30:47 GMT

In article <1992Dec17.030640.28572@elvis.sovusa.com> imp@elvis.sovusa.com writes:
>>is there ANY difference between  MOV ES,AX
>>
>>and                              PUSH AX
>>                                 POP ES

MOV ES,AX takes up 2 clock cycles, vs. 18 for PUSH AX; POP ES
Flags are not affected either way.
-- 
  -=[                      Richard Urena                      ]=-
  -=[                urena@titan.ucc.umass.edu                ]=-
From: einari@rhi.hi.is (Einar Indridason)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Re: Normal MSDOS multitasking!
Date: 16 Dec 92 15:58:32 GMT

In <dmurdoch.365.724454682@mast.queensu.ca> dmurdoch@mast.queensu.ca (Duncan Murdoch) writes:

>In article <1992Dec15.202449.28162@rd.hydro.on.ca> twriter@rd.hydro.on.ca (Timothy Writer) writes:
>>	cc -E program.c | more
>>
>I don't deny that there are some cases where there's a difference.  But 
>how often do you really have problems with complex macros?  If it's as 
>often as once a week, I'd suggest that you're doing something wrong.

Ah...
But what if we substitute the string "cc -E program.c | more" with 
"general pipeline (as in Unix)"  ?

Wouldn't that make much more sense, if the pipeline wouldn't have to run
the first program to completion, before it starts the second?


>Under DOS, nobody is sharing the CPU with you.  Under DOS, the weird idea 
>that you should pass a manual page through a text formatter every time you 
>want to look at it never caught on; help systems keep their text in a format 
>that's convenient to display.

Under Dos, the idea that a program could have a 'man-page' is (until
recently) allmost unknown.
Besides, help systems store the help files in a variety of ways, often
incompatible.  Some of those help files needs to be formatted in some way,
anyway.

>>zcat huge.tar.Z | tar tvf - | grep 'foo*.c'
>>

>Under DOS, there are lots of programs available to search the text contained 
>in archives without uncompressing them, and every archive program that I've 
>ever seen will list the filenames without uncompressing the archive.  For 
>example, I'd probably run

>  pkunzip -v huge foo*.c

>to do what you did above.  The idea that you have to uncompress 
>anything at all just to see the filenames strikes me as a very bad design.

You can get 'zoo' and 'arc' under Unix.  You can also get unzipper for
Unix.

What would you do, if you got a compressed-tar file from a Unix archiver,
that would keep, say, the source code for your favourite editor?  (The
newest version?)
Would you wait until you could get it in .zip form?  (Then that version
might be outdated.)


You mention that 'having to uncompress anything at all just to see the
filenames....' strikes you as a bad design?
Well, it would be still worse under DOgS, where you would have to have the
temp files (if you are extracting with a "pipeline") from a huge.tar.Z
file.
Under Unix, the amount that flows in a pipe is often limited to 5K or 10K
in size.  That means that you can work with a compressed file, if you deal
with it partwise, extracting what you need, and skipping the rest.


I see it as a beauty of the Unix thinking:  You want something that the
standard tools don't provide?  You could pipe some programs together to get
the wanted result.  

(this is what I feel.  It is not meant as a flame, rather as an
observation; you are free to have your opinions :-)  (but of
course, mine are correct :-) :-) :)


--
einari@rhi.hi.is
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
From: dmurdoch@mast.queensu.ca (Duncan Murdoch)
Subject: Re: Calling convention: C vs PASCAL
Organization: Queen's University
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 02:04:07 GMT

In article <1992Dec11.225015.26304@eng.ufl.edu> zzang@stat.ufl.edu (zzang) writes:
>the C pushs the arg from right to left onto
>the stack when calling a function.
>the PASCAL pushs the args from left to right.
>I was told that the C calling convention results
>in larger as well as slower program.
>(due to some cleanup work of the stack after call??)

I don't think the parameter order makes any difference to calling efficiency.

The important difference between standard C and Pascal calling conventions 
is that in C, it's up to the caller to clean up the stack, while in Pascal 
it's up to the called routine.  It's this difference that gives the Pascal 
convention the edge:  every time you call a C-convention routine you need to 
fix up the stack afterward, while a Pascal-convention routine does 
it in just one place.  On a PC, there's even a special form of RET to 
support the Pascal convention.  

The advantage of the C convention is that it makes it easy to call routines 
variable numbers of parameters.

Duncan Murdoch
dmurdoch@mast.queensu.ca
Xref: sparky comp.os.msdos.programmer:11359 comp.sources.wanted:5352 comp.os.msdos.misc:6520
From: jsk@uniplex.co.uk (Jonathan King)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer,comp.sources.wanted,comp.os.msdos.misc
Subject: HELP !! Assembler Question 8086 ?
Keywords: 8086, Comms, baud rate
Date: 13 Dec 92 21:08:25 GMT
Organization: Uniplex Limited, Hemel Hempstead.

Hello,  

     I need a little help with a question some one gave me. I am doing
the question to see if I can. The question is as follows :-

Write a short program in 8086 assembler that can receive serial bytes
from COM1 and immediately re-transmit the same bytes through  COM2
The baud rate should be user configureable and the bytes passing
through should be displayed on screen as hex and or characters,
either both at once or user selectable. No extra functions are required
but extra functions and presentation quality will be an advantage.

I have programmed in C for IBM PCs but never 8086. Taking a simples view
I expect is will be a case of having an address for COM1 , setting
the reqisters for the required function, ie baud rate , TX , RX and
when a receive is given , taking the data and out putting it to com 2
which also has been set up.

When I programmed in C there was a number of interupts available
to do all sorts, I no longer have the MS-DOS Bible. There was one
in particular that allowed the cursor to be moved around the screen
by setting the reqisters and calling the interupt.

Can anyone give me any information regarding how to call the interupts
using assembler and what interupts will I need for the task ?

Is there a way of calling the system at run time to give details 
of the comms ports ?

Does anyone have any code that could be of use to me ?

How do I set up my own interupt service routine so that once the 
program polls the coms port for data it can jump to code that allows the 
system setup to be changed ie change baud rate ?????


Answers to Me via Email please on jsk@uniplex.co.uk and I will be
able to have a merry christmas without spending my time thinking 
about it. 

I expect I will have to read a few books on the subject but at the moment
I have no way of getting any. I also know that the information I need to
complete the task will  probably be at an FTP site, pity I can't FTP !



Many Thanks

Jon King

########################################################################
This has nothing to do with Uniplex so the standard disclaimers apply.
From: infidel+@pitt.edu (todd j. derr)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Re: Normal MSDOS multitasking!
Date: 19 Dec 92 16:22:01 GMT
Organization: university of pittsburgh cis

In article <NDuwVB6w165w@cybrspc.UUCP>, Roy M. Silvernail writes:

>Depends on your command processor.  4dos puts its tempfiles in a single,
>known directory on your hard drive.  Handy feature, that.

Ummmm... COMMAND.COM is more than happy to do the same thing.
Everything goes in TEMP.

todd.

-- 
todd j. derr (infidel+@pitt.edu) \  +1 (412) 363-9027 (h) \ 624-7140 (w)  
university of pittsburgh cis      \ moderator, comp.os.ms-windows.announce
From: root@cibbs.UUCP (Mark Buckaway)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Text Windows using BIOS calls
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 21:00:22 EST
Organization: DataSoft Consulting (Toronto, Ont. Canada)

I am looking for assistance with creating a text Window using BIOS calls.
Basically, I want to display a status line at the top of the screen, and have
whatever text is below this display as normal and never wipe out the top
status line.

As I understand it, I could trap INT 29 and make a routine to handle some of
the above. Does anyone have information or code (in C or assembly) regarding
this?

This is on a 286 system running DOS 5.0.
Any assistance would be appreciated.
Mark

----
Club InSaNiTy BBS   |   BBS:+1 416 691 0679 |   root@cibbs.UUCP
DataSoft Consulting | Voice:+1 416 691 5529 |   uunorth!cibbs!root
Mark Buckaway       | Toronto, Ont. CANADA  |   1@4653 (WWIVnet)
From: cbusch@ub.d.umn.edu (Chris)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Pascal & C Calling standard?
Date: 16 Dec 92 19:11:26 GMT
Organization: University of Minnesota, Duluth
NNTP-Posting-Host: ub.d.umn.edu


    The discussion on Pascal and C Calling convention was interesting
and informative.  I wonder though are those convections standard?  That
is are Pascal functions called that way on other platforms, or is it
just limited to msdos machines?

--
Chris Busch   CBUSCH@ub.d.umn.edu
"C++ is the language of choice."
"The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore,
    be reguarded as a criminal offense." - E. W. Dijkista 
"High-level languages should remove burden from the programmer, not
 put burden on the programmer!"
"Don't ask 'why would you do that?' instead ask 'why wouldn't you do that?'"
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
From: wille@june.cs.washington.edu (Robert Wille)
Subject: Reading the joystick
Followup-To: wille@june.cs.washington.edu
Organization: University of Washington Computer Science
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 19:48:38 GMT

Could someone tell me how to read a joystick connected to the gameport?
A code fragment would be fine.  Please respond via e-mail.  Thanks in
advance!

-- 
Robert

There is evidence that the brain is like a computer.  If that's true, 
then there really aren't any stupid people.  Just people running DOS.
Xref: sparky comp.os.msdos.programmer:11540 news.answers:4665
From: brown@NCoast.ORG (Stan Brown)
Subject: Re: DOS CONSOLE OUTPUT
Organization: Oak Road Systems, Cleveland Ohio USA
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 23:41:30 GMT

In article <1992Dec11.073326.10891@tc.cornell.edu> homer@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (Homer Smith) writes:
>    I am using fortran CALL FSYSTEM ('DOS COMMAND') 
>    For example if you copy a file, it always says '1 file copied.'
>    NOTHING must go to the terminal but what I send to it.

Most commands will suppress output if you add ">NUL" (note spelling: one
L, not two) at the end.  COPY, alas, is not one of these.

Some commands, like COPY, write their output to stderr not stdout.  For
such commands, you must redirect stderr.  The easiest way to do that is
to use the CTTY command, which works in all versions of DOS, at least
since 2.0.  However, I presume that each invocation of FSYSTEM creates a
temporary invocation of COMMAND.COM; thus you cannot call it three times
with "CTTY NUL", the desired command, and "CTTY CON".  Instead you must
write a batch file containing those three commands as three lines, and
call FSYSTEM to invoke the batch file.

-- 
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems                      brown@Ncoast.ORG
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
"Of course I'm an egomaniac.  I've got America's sweetheart climbing up
my drainpipe!"                              -- {Soapdish}
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
From: cma@eniac.inesc.pt (Carlos Antunes)
Subject: Where to find Tseng Labs and Sierra Semiconductors?
Organization: INESC - Inst. Eng. Sistemas e Computadores, LISBOA. PORTUGAL.
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 21:12:25 GMT

I need to programmer a Targa Win 32K that uses Tsend ET4000 and Sierra
SC11483.

Does anybody know how can I obtain manuals or datasheets on the above
chips? For example, the fax numbers would be great!

Thank you!

Regards,
Carlos Antunes.

-- 
Carlos Antunes @ INESC - Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores
E-mail to cma@eniac.inesc.pt
From: Mischa_Sandberg@mindlink.bc.ca (Mischa Sandberg)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: EXCEL file format
Date: 19 Dec 92 08:02:03 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada

I have a large body of data in a relational database table with
a two-part key. The data would be useful to analyze and view in
tabular form (one part of key defines rows, the other, columns).
About one third of the possible combinations of key parts are
occupied. Someone suggested loading this into a spreadsheet.
Any recommendations on how a 1200x700 element array of 2-5 digit
integers would do, in, say, an EXCEL spreadsheet? I am not
familiar with EXCEL, but I understand it provides ways of sorting
data by rows/columns. Would this be feasible for such a large
array? And would anyone know where I could find a current
spec for the file layout of an EXCEL spreadsheet? I hope that this
format is not in the habit of changing frequently.

Many thanks in advance. I'm not at all sure what I'm getting myself
into here, folks.
--
Mischa Sandberg ... Mischa_Sandberg@mindlink.bc.ca
                 or uunet!van-bc!rsoft!mindlink!Mischa_Sandberg
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Engineers think equations are an approximation of reality.
Physicists think reality is an approximation of the equations.
Mathematicians never make the connection.
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
From: ferdie@coyote.datalog.com (fred jarvis)
Subject: Article on RCS? RCS shell?
Organization: Datalog Consulting, Tucson, AZ
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 01:17:19 GMT

I am using RCS (the DOS port of GNU's revision control system) with
DOS and finding it very usable (and free).  Are there
any useful articles about it in any readily available
magazines?  

As a non-UNIX person, I don't particularly care for
multiple inscrutable option letters.  Are there any 
shells for RCS?

To reduce some mail, the README.DOS file of RCS says
    "RCS has been ported to MS-DOS and OS/2.  The source code is available 
    via FTP from ftp.cs.purdue.edu, in the directory pub/hammer.  Two 
    compress'ed files need to be fetched:
      rcs-5.6.4-beta.tar.Z     main RCS source
      mscs-1.8-beta.tar.Z      MS-DOS and OS/2 additions"

Thanks.

ferdie@coyote.datalog.com
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: LU6.2 summary (reply!)
From: malcolm@nbnz.co.nz (malcolm stairmand)
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 03:59:40 GMT
Organization: National Bank, Wellington, NZ

My request is pretty easy to summarise, just one reply so I might as well
include it here.  Seems not many people do this stuff!

>In comp.os.msdos.programmer you write:
>
>>Does anyone know of some tools for writing LU6.2 programs on a PC?
>
>>I need to connect to both a 3090 and an AS/400.  Please reply by
>>e-mail and I'll post a summary.
>
>>My address is 
>>	malcolm@dev.wholesale.nbnz.ac.nz
>
>>Thanks in advance
>>malcolm
>>-- 
>
>>malcolm@nbnz.co.nz			| Southpac House,
>>Malcolm Stairmand			| 1-9 Victoria St,
>>Wholesale Project			| PO Box 540,

>you should look into IBM's Networking Services/DOS Version 1.0
>product, which supports CPI-C interface for LU6.2/APPC programs.
>The product supports quite an impressive number of Hardware Platforms,
>including ASYNC (using SNA-Async).
>
>In addition, several others, NSA (Network Software Associates), EICON
>Technologies, DCA have all announced similar products.  My preference
>is IBM, because technically its a better product.
>
>I use the NS/DOS product and if you have any specific questions,
>let me know and I will try to respond with the details.
>
>Best of Luck.
>
>Cheers,
>divya
>(mdivya@world.std.com)
>
>Standard Disclaimer (I have no specific interest in any of these
>companies).



-- 

malcolm@nbnz.co.nz			| Southpac House,
Malcolm Stairmand			| 1-9 Victoria St,
Wholesale Project			| PO Box 540,
From: thx1138@angus.mi.org (Scott Abfalter)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Cry for Help: TCP/IP programming API wanted
Keywords: MSDOS, TCP/IP, Sockets
Date: 16 Dec 92 17:48:49 GMT
Reply-To: thx1138@angus.mi.org
Organization: North Star BBS

Help: 

I am going to be rewriting LAN software for my company and we need to
use TCP/IP and some sort of socket API. 
 
We're not happy using FTP software's PC/TCP for DOS because the 
programmers development kit forces you to replace the Microsoft system
include files with their own butchered version. 

We cannot use Beame & Whitesides TCP/IP and socket library either.  We
must operate in a nonblocking mode and their socket library blocks
on a soclose() call if there is a physical break in communications. 
 
I am currently looking into both Network Researches "Fusion for DOS"
and Novell's LAN WorkPlace Toolkit (for LAN WorkPlace for DOS) as 
a replacement solution.  
 

Has anyone out there reading this had experience with either of the
two mention packadges?  Can anyone reccommend any others?  I need
help as I've already bought two packadges only to find out their
limitations and am hesitant to buy any more until I know for sure that
they are any good. 

_ANY_ advice on this would be _GREATLY_ appreciated!!!  Thanks! 


Scott
Scott Allen Abfalter
Intellivoice Communications
(313) 488-0180 xt. 661 
thx1138@angus.mi.org
_or_ 
ici@msen.com
 

--
Scott Abfalter (thx1138@angus.mi.org)
North Star BBS, Royal Oak, MI --------------------------------------------+-
From: scott@mycro.UUCP (Scott C. Sadow)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Re: sub to calc free RAM
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 92 23:59:57 EST

In article <1992Dec8.154229.9434@infonode.ingr.com>, fordke@infonode.ingr.com (Keith Ford) writes:
>
>I'm trying to calculate the amount of free RAM that is available
>for a task to spawn into.  I pieced together the following subroutine
>based upon a "mem" program.  This is going into a Borland library
>using the small memory model.  I get a warning on the line "MOV AX,ES:[3]"
>saying "Pointer expression needs brackets."
>
> (stuff deleted)
>


   In IDEAL mode in TASM, you need to type "MOV AX,[ES:3]" instead"


   Scott C. Sadow
   scott@mycro.UUCP
   ...gatech!nanovx!mycro!scott
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
From: macg9505@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Michael Alan Corn)
Subject: Floating point error:Stack Overflow - Huh?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 04:34:46 GMT


Hello,
        I was hoping that someone could provide a good explanation of an
        error that BC3.1++ was reporting. After calling a certain function
        around 12 or so times, the program terminates with
        "Floating point error: Stack fault".  This is on a 386 with no co
        -processor installed, I rely upon the emulation code of the compiler.
        The function in question computes a number of parameters related to the
        moon (position, distance, etc..), It is VERY math intensive, requiring
        around 160 lines of code consisting of almost all trig functions.
        On top of that I declare all the variables to be long doubles, to
        maximize accuracy.  Thr routine worked fine until I added the following
        code that computes the illuminated fraction of the moons disk, its
        distance in earth radii and kilometers, and its geocentric diameter.
        The added code is below. The function returns (as I have left it below)
        a reference to a structure.  The values computed are dead nuts, so I'm
        baffled what is going wrong.  The manual says "This error does not
        normally occur ...." but really provides no good explanation or method
        to fix this.  Any help would be greatly appreciated, and indebt me
        and any future generations for eternity. Mike
macg9505@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
:

NB: the rad variable converts degrees to radians and vice-versa

long double d = acosl(cosl(moon.gamma*rad - sunlong*rad)*cosl(moon.beta*rad));
long double i = (180 - (d/rad) - (0.1468 * ((1-0.0549*sinl(Mprime))/(1- 0.0167*sinl(M))) * sinl(d)));

               	moon.illum_frac = (1 + cosl(i*rad))/2;
               	moon.dist_e_radii = 1/sinl(moon.TT*rad);
               	moon.dist_klm = 6378.14/sinl(moon.TT*rad);
               	moon.geocen_diam = 0.272476 * moon.TT*3600;//convert to seconds of arc
   Moonptr ip;
   Moonref ir;
   ip = &moon;
   ir = &ip;
		return ir;
}