۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲
۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲
۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲
۲          ۲
۲          ۲
۲    ۱      ۲
۲    ۲۰      ۲
۲    ۲۲۰      ۲
۲    ۲   ۻ ۻ  ۻ   ۻ   ۰۰      ۲
۲    ۲   ͼ ۻ ۻ  ۺ   ۰۰      ۲
۲    ۲      ۺ    ɼ ۻ ۺ   ۰۰      ۲
۲    ۲      ۺ    ۻ ۺۻۺ   ۰۰      ۲
۲    ۲      ۺ    ɼ ۺ ۺ   ۰۰      ۲
۲    ۲      ͼ    ͼ  ͼ  ͼ   ۰۰      ۲
۲    ۲۰۰      ۲
۲    ۲۰      ۲
۲    ۰      ۲
۲          ۲
۲          ۲
۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲
۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲
۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲
۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲
۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲
۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲       ۲

Ŀ
 Special BBS Edition      TAKE A BYTE NEWSLETTER                      
͵
  July 1, 1993    Issue 37      Volume 3      Bi-Monthly       FREE   


*************
News Bits 
*************
- Windows NT a new 32-Bit Operating System comes out into software stores                                                                        
  boasting new features for an all Windows Enviroment. Microsoft; under $500.

- A new egronomic mouse designed by Microsoft with smoother and shinier
  plastic. Microsoft; $109.00

- PC Anywhere for Windows.   Easy look and feel for BBSing and or hosting
  PC's. Norton; $199.00

- StrataVision 3D PC is a tool for high end broadcast quality special effects,
  animation, morphing. StrataVision 3D PC; $995.00  


***********************************
Special Editorial -- Windows NT
***********************************
Windows NT.  Windows NT looks and acts just like Windows 3.1 except the fact
that NT does not need DOS to run.  Windows NT is a operating system all on 
its own.  It is founded on 386 architecture for 32 bit instructions compared
to DOS's 16 bit code.  Windows NT is the Ferrari of GUI's.
     Windows NT has included state of the art file allocation, you have the
choice to use a FAT (File Allocation Table) like DOS uses or NTFS (New
Technology File System) which handles the 32 bit opperations and excellent
file recovery operations.
     Windows NT can address up to 4GB*, has Multiprocessor support (not 
currently available on all machines), built in security.  Sounds great right?
Well, lets talk about the bad for a second.  Well first of all not one PC
today can have 4GB's of memory installed in it.  Multiprocessor PC's wont be 
here for another year or two at best. Windows NT provides a Unix like 
security system which isnt fool proof.  Also if you run Windows NT in its
32 bit mode, you can kiss your DOS applications and Windows 3.x applications
goodbye. 
     Windows NT has its bennefits too, like Boot Loader for those of you who
want that dual boot system.  Also, CTRL-ALT-DEL wont reboot your machine now,
no quick escapes these days.  Instead CTRL-ALT-DEL will summon the NT 
Security box, allowing you to terminate a application or log off.  NT also
checks to see if the file system is ok at boot time and will repair any lost
clusters and so fourth.
     More problems you say?  Well your right.  Your Windows NT system will
choke on all your drivers that you had for your Sound card, CD ROM, mouse
fax cards, scanners, photo equipment, voice recognition cards, remote control 
cards, and yes, SCSI.  Most of these devices will crash and burn on your 
Windows NT system.  Don't cry yet, software vendors and Microsoft will be 
working for those 32 bit drivers to alliaviate these device driver problems.
     In short, here is a small wrap up of Windows NT.
                   Windows NT Version 3.1                    
                   Price:  Under $500
                   Processor: 80386/80486
                   RAM: 16MB (recommended)
                   Security Level: C2
                   Memory level: < 4GB
                   Disk Space Needed: 70MB (recomended)
                   Installed: 56.7MB

*4GB 4 Gigabytes (Gigabyte = 1,024 Megabytes.)


*****************  
My DOS Prompt
*****************  
We are seeing new elements fold into the computer indusrty day by day, and it
seems that PC's are becoming more GUI (Graphical User Interface) oriented. 
Yet we are still seeing DOS come out in new shapes and forms such as the new
DOS 6.  Microsoft doesn't plan to drop there billion dollar DOS baby just yet
however as Microsoft plans to bring DOS 7 to us before 1997.  However, that
is then, an this is now.
        Many people are taking a good look at DOS 6.  Many people are happy
and content at DOS 5.  "Why upgrade?" many users and guru's are saying.  Well
the answer isn't so simple.  I always tell the story about a man who worked
for a company who was happy with DOS 3.3 and refused any version after that,
but at the time version 4 had just come out and version 4 was crud.  Well he
was up for a promotion and didnt get it because he hadn't worked with DOS 4.
Who did get the promotion?  His pupil who had upgraded to DOS 4 against his
word, she is now president of the company.
        The upgrade shouldn't be for everyone though, many people have 
software that will only run on DOS 5 no matter what Microsoft says,  But
that software is rare and not many people have it.  Many of us have our
favorite programs and utilities, scanners and what not. However, some users 
who are not as experienced as the rest do not have these programs that DOS 6
comes bundled with.  It wouldn't make sense for them to go out and buy about
$300 in utilities when they can get a flavor that comes with DOS 6.
        I myself have noticed a growing trend against DOS 6 for the simple
reason that people just want to be stubborn.  Some users see everyone jumping
on the band waggon and don't want anything to do with DOS 6.  Others see it
as a chance to better themselves by telling people its trash in order to show
off their superior intellect.   Most just plain hate it and will make an 
excuse to hide their ignorance, like blame everything on the disk compressor
or the memory manager.  It was this sort of thinking and mentality that put
the computer industry in a cement block in the late 70's early 80's.
        DOS 6 won't hurt the everyday user and he/she may benefit from its
fruits.  We will soon see the DOS enviroment go 32 bit and break the 640k
barrier.  Users will see DOS and Windows grow together and not farther
apart.  Fear and ignorance will hurt DOS far worse than the almighty dollar
or disk compression.

*DOS Tips*  
I cannot stress enough how important a DOS guide can be.  Even though you
may be a serious expert and have spent years with DOS, it still couldn't hurt
to look up the interupts and error message meanings once in a while.  Plus
it makes a good coaster.
         

********************
Breaking Windows  
********************                      
There I am walking down the isle of magazines in the grocery store.  I walk
over to the computer magazines (of course) and browse their selection.  I
happen onto a Windows magazine and see it wrapped in plastic.  I inspected
the magazine closer and i discovered a disk inside the plastic wrap! 
        "Oooooo free communication software", i said to myself.  So i looked
closer to see what i had been blessed with upon finding.  It said "America 
Online" on it with some fancy artwork.  The next thing i saw was the cashier 
handing me my change.
        So i rush home and pop that disk out, discarded the magazine as if it
were just an advertisement.  Then i put the disk into the PC, scanned it, and 
installed the software.  The installation program said i needed at least 
Microsoft Windows 3.x, ok i did.  Then the error message from hell came, 
"Cannot load COMMAND.COM, system halted".  Ok, i figured that this 
installation program was conflicting with some device driver, so i rebooted 
and did a selective boot with DOS 6 (F8 at boot).
        Bzzzzzzt! Score! The installation program started Windows 3.1, and
was racing to get me into BBS land again.  Then I noticed my mouse was frozen
to my screen.  Well, I decided that i would let the installation finish its
duties.  A few minutes later it made its own program group and was waiting
for me to start it.  Well i wanted my mouse back, so i restarted Windows
and rebooted about 6 times untill my mouse decided to work again.
        Well after the grueling process of installation, my mouse glided with
extreme glee over to the America Online Icon.  "Click, Click".  Then my hard
disk whirred to life and a window opened up and mass icons appeared on the 
top of the screen.  Then horror struck, i got the message of Pay now, play
later, "Have your Mastercard ready or your Checking account information
ready".  Sounded like Compu$erve.
        "Wait a minute!", i said to myself.  I then looked at the card that 
the disk was attached to that was laying on the floor with the magazine.
                               Try                    
                          America Online         
                      FREE --- For 10 Hours! 
                    Is Your Software Missing?
                           No Problem!  
                              Call
                         1-800-XXX-XXXX
                     For A Free Replacement.

At that point i knew they hired a used car salesman and the programmers from
Atari to make this program.
        Well i figured what the hell, and went and got my checkbook and
statements (i don't trust credit cards when it comes to Online BBS deals).
So, a window popped up with three huge buttons, one looked like a telephone
pad, the other like to serial cables, the third and final a key.  Ok, i 
clicked on the phone pad. Nothing. I clicked on the serial thing. It dialed.
Then i heard the carrier tone. So i clicked on the key button.
        Then i sat and stared at my blank screen for three minutes.  Nothing.
So i clicked on a icon at the top that wasn't shaded in.
                    Application Error  
          General Protection Fault at 0007:9234 
        
        That was the last time that program would ever live on my PC.  Here I
thought i was getting a regular communication program like Procomm (yuck) and
i ended up with Prodigy meets Compu$erve.  What's the moral of this adventure
through the Shareware From Hell For Windows?  I don't know.  Maybe someone 
should think a little more before putting an application into a plastic 
wrapped magazine or maybe i should think before buying such garbage again.

*Windows Tips* 
You can make your own wallpaper!  Just open PC PaintBrush and draw something
or import a PCX picture.  Then Save your work as a .BMP file.  Next open the
Control Panel and select Desktop, Wallpaper the select the file you just 
created.  Also you can convert GIF's to PCX or BMP and use a picture for
your wallpaper!


*****************
BBSing Around  
*****************
I wanted to see what the best communication software was out there, be it
shareware or not.  So i took the most popular software that users use
for communication software.  I rallied them up and put them through
grueling tests to see what their breaking point would be.  I then gathered
all the data and fit it into the newsletter for you to look over.  I think
you should decide what is best for you.
     I decided to test Quick Link II Fax/Modem ver 2.0.2, Telix, Telemate 4.0
and Procomm Plus ver 1.03.  Each of these softwares were tested on a internal 
GVC 2400 baud modem in a 386/16Mhz on COM 2 (IRQ3) at 8-N-1.  

  Table

 = Available (1 point)
 = Not Available (0 point)
# = How Many (>0 1 point)


Function                Quick    Telix   Telemate  PCPlus

Fax Capability                                           
Capture                                           
Printer Capture                                   
Line Buffer                                       
Text Editor                                       
Mouse Support                                     
Macros                                            
On line Timer                                     
Time                                              
Number of Protocols      8      13       13      13   
External Protocols       0       4        8       3   
Number of Speeds         9       9        9       6   
Dialing Directory                                 
Usage Statistics                                  
Auto Setup                                        
Windowed Editor                                   
Windowed Buffer                                   
Cut & Paste                                       
Answer Mode                                       
Chat Mode                                         
Warning before hangup                             
Sound                                             
Music Alarms                                      
External Alarms                                   
Screen Snapshot                                   
Screen Saver                                      
Scripts                                           
Script Converter                                  
View File                                         
DOS Shell                                         
View .GIF while  D/L*                             

* Without Ad-On.

Total:                   17      20      29      18   
Winner: Telemate

In the endurance tests I put each software through 25 hours of tests with 
online time of 5 hours per session for 5 sessions.  A total of 100 calls
was logged by each software.  Each had recieved a batery of 10 uploads with 
Xmodem and 10 downloads with Xmodem.  Each answer will be a number. Either 
number times something occured or number of times something didn't occur.               

Endurance Test          Quick    Telix   Telemate  PCPlus

Lock Up During ANSI     32       7       5       57          
Program Error Messages  23       13      2       29   
Longest Time W/O Error   3hrs    4hrs    5hrs    45min
Download Aborts (1)     -0-     -0-     -0-       4   
Upload Aborts (1)        1      -0-     -0-       2   
Carrier Drops *         12       14      6       32   
Dial String Errors      87       9       2       45   
Hangup Warning (2)      68      -0-     -0-      54   
No Carrier Lock (3)     16       6       2       23   

* Except Call Waiting.
(1) Not aborted by user.
(2) Line already hung up.
(3) After Carrier tone and Audiable beep.

*BBS Tips*
Try not to become involved in BBS politics. If the BBS is known to have a
lot of users with personal conflicts, it would be better to look for another
BBS. 


****************
Compile This
****************
This month we want to demonstrate a simple program to show how a object can 
be moved along the screen simpily in VGA mode of 640 x 480 in Qbasic version 
1.2.   This program will create a circle that will bounce off the edges of
a VGA screen set at 640 x 480 resolution.  To run the program, copy the below
text into an ASCII text file and type QBASIC /RUN BOUNCE.BAS from the DOS
prompt. To end the program simply press CTRL + Break.

Example: C:\>QBASIC /RUN BOUNCE.BAS
Listing for BOUNCE.BAS
Ŀ
  SCREEN 12                                            
  RANDOMIZE TIMER                                      
  x = 350 : z = 40 : y = 160                           
  0                                                    
    meta = INT(RND * 9) + 1                            
    beta = INT(RND * 15) - 1                           
    zeta = INT(RND * 15) - 1                           
    IF y < 49 THEN beta = -25                          
    IF x > 584 THEN zeta = -25                         
    DO                                                 
      COLOR 7                                          
      y = y - beta                                     
      x = x + zeta                                     
      COLOR meta                                       
      CIRCLE (x, y), z                                 
      COLOR 0                                          
      CIRCLE (x - zeta, y + beta), z                   
    LOOP UNTIL x < 51 OR x > 586 OR y > 418 OR y < 50  
  GOTO 0                                               


*Programming Tips*                      
Don't be afraid to make your programs work in different video modes.  Most
of your programs will only run on your own machine, but it is good to get a 
variety of videos modes in for compatability.


**********************
The Expansion Slot 
**********************
Installing a hard drive can be either a tricky or easy task, depending on
how your computer is built.  Here we will give you some guidelines and steps
for you to review if your thinking of installing a new or used standard IDE 
hard disk drive.
        The first thing you want to do is look where your computer has a 
housing for the hard drive.  Most tower and desktop computers have the 
housing under the first few floppy drives.  Now, the housing will look about
the same as a normal floppy drve housing, except it may have a magnetic
shield or some extra mounts.
        Hard disk drives come in two common sizes, the old 5 size which 
is about the same dimensions as a 5 floppy drive.  The other resembles the
smaller 3 drives, which can be mounted in a 3 bay or you can get a 5 
mounting kit.
        Now you can go and mount your hard drive into the bay.  First use the
screws that come with the drive (if any) to secure it safely in place.  Next
take the power coupling and attach it to the drive's power hookup.  The next
operation you want to do is hookup the other two cables.  Both cables are
(female) and should fit comfortably on your drive's (male) plugs.  You should
not have to make any major adjustments on the IDE Controller Card, unless
stated with the drive instructions.
        Now you want to go ahead and fire up your PC.  If your drive came 
with a startup disk go ahead and stick that in to boot with.  That disk will
alter your CMOS setup and prepare the drive, some install programs will 
format the drive for you, others will not.  If your drive didn't come with a 
disk choose the CMOS setup optionat boot time.  Most CMOS setups will 
automaticly select the proper settings.  All that is basicly required is that
the CMOS know what type of drive and how bog the drive is.
        Run DOS's FORMAT & FDISK commands to get your disk set for all your
programs.  Your DOS manual will provide the correct usage and syntax to use
both commands to your best benefit. 

*Hardware Tips*
Anytime you are going to work on your PC you should: always remove the
power cords, ground yourself, and remove the static charge from your hands.
A static charge can wipe out a chip set if you arent careful.  To release the
charge before you work, touch the metal portion of your power supply box 
inside your computer.


*****************
Gonzo's Games
*****************             
     This week I tried out The Catacomb Abyss from Gamer's Edge, the same 
people who brought you Wolfenstein 3-D. This is an arcade-type game where you (as a master Wizard) wander around different
levels of a dungeon zapping monsters. The deeper you descend, the nastier 
the monsters get.
     The Good: If you like blowing things away, this is the game for you. You
 face a nearly endless stream of nasties with three different way of killing 
them. Some of it gets so hairy that it feels like a Rambo movie with you 
machine-gunning everything in sight. The best part is that the monsters 
don't just disappear -- they collapse into bloody heaps and you get to admire 
the dead bodies you've strewn around the dungeon. The movement isn't a jerky,
 block-to-block mode either -- it's almost a virtual reality dungeon.
     The Bad: Like most arcade games, there isn't much plot to Catacomb Abyss. 
In order to move to the next level, all you have to do is find a few keys and
the doors they go to. You have to go through the same routine about 15 times
before you get to the finale. It's not much of a challenge -- I finished it 
in about five hours. Furthermore, although the graphics are pretty good, 
they're still only CGA, and those of you spoiled by the latest SVGA games
may find this one a bit disappointing.
     The Ugly: All the product plugs. This is another one of those shareware 
games that only gives you the first of a set. To start the game, and to reach
the escape tunnel at the very end, you have to wade through an assortment of 
plugs for the second and third games, which are along the same lines as this 
one.
GONZO'S RATING: 6.5

*Gonzo's Tips*
There really isn't any secret to playing Catacomb Abyss -- just blast 
everything in sight. Although the instructions tell you to be careful about 
shooting the goodies you'll find, and though the game will beep angrily at 
you if you do, don't worry too much about it -- there are plenty of them down
there, probably far more than you'll need. Just let 'em have it.


***************
ROM Teasers
***************
**Scrambled Words**
Unscramble the word, if you can.
(Last issues word: FORTRAN) 
This issues scrambled word: MITEPUN RICOOMESOCRRSP HET
Clue - It has 3.1 million transistors.

**Answer & Question**
We give you the answer, you think of the question. 
(Last issues question: What is a MOUSE)
This issues answer: Is a chip that helps your processor do floating point 
                    calculations.
Clue - Todays chips already have them built in.


********************
Buy, Spend, Sell
********************
Top 5 Selling Software                Top 5 Shareware
1) DOS 6.0 Upgrade Kit                1) Pkware 2.04G
2) Microsoft Windows 3.1              2) McAfee Scan        
3) PC Tools for Windows               3) PC Magazines Utilities
4) Lotus Improv for Windows           4) Crown Quest I 
5) QEMM 6.0                           5) MIDI Power ver 4.2


*******************
Shameless Plugs
*******************
 **  Place your BBS ad here or anything else computer related that you think
      you would like to advertise!


Ad's will be free for the first 4 issues then will cost fifty cents a line
($0.50) for each issue after. Just drop us a note.


*******************
The Slave Drive
*******************

     **EDITORIAL**                           **MARKETING**

Editor: The DLF Group                        Coordinator: Tim (Dark Shadow) 
Publisher: The DLF Group                     Circulation: Report Dist. Inc.
Game Consultant: Tom (CENSORED)              BBS Coordinator: Chris L. DOS
Consultant: Chris L. (CyberChrist)           Advertising Exec: Chris L.
Hardware Consultant: Position Open
Windows Consultant: Chris L. (CyberChrist)
Editor in Chief: Chris L. (CyberChrist)

** Position open - Wanted: hardware consultant, you must know how a
computer works and know about all hardware areas.  Must like to for free. 
Equal Opportunity Employer.

All trademarks & right reserved to the respective companies.
Copyright (C) 1993 Byte Productions
ID#TNB37
