VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY, ST. AUGUSTINE CENTER
MEETING STARTS - 09:30 - NOV 13 th
JOIN US FOR MORE ABOUT Y2K!
As you can see from the bottom of this page, when we convene on the 13th, there will be just 48 days left before THE DAY! So, we continue the theme started last meeting. But, first, we'll have our usual announcements and discussion. Then our Linux guru, Peter Whinnery, will have another Linux tip o' the month.
Then to Y2K. Elsewhere in this issue, we note what ground we covered in last month's meeting - primarily the hardware end of things (just computers, not toasters, etc.!). This time around it is software. Hopefully, each attendee will have some info, utilities and/or experiences to share, right?
MAIN LINE AMIGA USERS - Room 210
Our October meeting went much like the one the previous month. We continued with real time help for anyone willing to bring their Amiga. In addition we covered other topics including TurboPrint, IBrowse 2, Master ISO, creating a dosdriver for 2 Gig Jaz drive and adding an associated Jaz custom menu to DirOpus, and covered Amiga news sources.
Currently, November's agenda will be much the same. Additional odds and ends will be added before the meeting. I know we'll touch on the latest AWeb revision, and if Ted can find some docs for his system, we'll see about getting ShapeShifter working again for him without slowing his Amiga.
LINUX GETS MORE ATTENTION
At last month's PC session, we successfully began our tutorial sessions on the
Linux operating system. We expect to continue this for the next few meetings -
augmented by material in the newsletter (see below for the first installment).
Then depending on member interest, we can continue in more or less depth and
emphasis for the future.
***************************
[extracts, by Peter Whinnery,
mainly from Red Hat Linux information]
Getting the Right Documentation
And the first step you need to take is to get yourself some documentation! This
cannot be stressed enough; without documentation you will only become
frustrated at your inability to get your Linux system working the way you
want.
Here's what you should look for in terms of Linux documentation:
* A brief history of Linux Many aspects of Linux are the way they are because
of historical precedent. There is also a Linux culture that, again, is based to
a great deal on past history. A bit of knowledge about the history of Linux
will serve you well, particularly as you interact with more experienced Linux
users on the Internet.
* An explanation of how Linux works While it's not necessary to delve into
the most arcane aspects of the Linux kernel, it's a good idea to know something
about how Linux is put together. This is particularly important if you've been
working with other operating systems; some of the assumptions you hold about
how computers work may not transfer from that operating system to Linux. A few
paragraphs that discuss how Linux works (and particularly how it differs from
the operating system you're used to), can be invaluable in getting off to a
good start with your Linux system.
* An introductory command overview (with examples) This is probably the most
important thing to look for in Linux documentation. The design philosophy
behind Linux is that it's better to use many small commands connected together
in different ways than it is to have a few large (and complex) commands that do
the whole job themselves. Without some examples that illustrate the Linux
approach to doing things, you will find yourself intimidated by the sheer
number of commands available on your Linux system.
* An extensive list of available commands While you can find this sort of
information on-line in the man pages, you might also want it in book form.
While there are several such books on the market, Red Hat sells the Linux
Complete Command Reference. This book contains the man page entries for
hundreds of commands, system calls and file formats, all formatted for easy
reading. Best of all, there is a comprehensive index, and a searchable version
of the book on CD-ROM. A book like this is invaluable for:
If you selected one of the various how-to packages when you installed Linux,
you'll find the HOWTOs on your system in /usr/doc/HOWTO. If, on the other hand,
you'd like a printed version of these documents, Software sells Linux
Undercover, which is a compendium of the most popular LDP documents.
[Part 2 - next month]
########################################
NEW MEMBER!!! - yes, it has actually happened! Thru the good offices of our
treasurer, Stew Stewart, we have a new member - Bill Folger from Media PA.
Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a trend to reverse our downward slide
in membership. Welcome, Bill - we hope you'll get much out of the club. I'm
also sure that you'll have some experiences of value to provide to us - our
group is meant to be a 2-way street...
RENEWAL TIME! - so, speaking of members - our renewal time for the year 2000
has arrived. I am pleased to report that during October, we had a total of ten
(10) year 2000 members join/renew! Now, if we can do the same in November and
December, we will have a solid kernel of members to move into next year!
As mentioned last month, we are holding the dues at the $15 level - as we have
done for the last five or so years. With no postal increase in 2000 (they
wouldn't dare!) and a, hopefully, predictable copy cost for the newsletter, we
should be on a sound financial footing. Our treasury has (with the sales
efforts of Charlie Curran) achieved our interim goal of a rainy day cushion -
further validating our ability to hold the line on dues.
So, we hope that each and every one of you will renew. Please make our
treasurer, Dewitt Stewart, happy by renewing promptly. The deadline for
receipt of 2000 dues is December 31st. Send your $$$ (form is on page 10) and,
if you have computer using friends - Amiga, 64/128 or PC - tell them about us.
COMMODORE PRODUCTS LIST - Roger Long has published the version #7 of his C=
products & vendors listing. Available in print ($5) or disk ($3) from him at:
1815 97th St. S., Apt. V7, Tacoma WA 98444.
The disk version is available in both 1541 and 1581 formats. Each has plain
text and Geowrite versions of the whole listing. I can provide either form at
$3 per copy (plus mailing cost, if appropriate). Give me a call, leave a note
on the BBS, or email me (emilv@ccil.org) to get a copy.
Date setting in Windows & DOS
As was reported in last month's issue, quite accidentally, we learned that
Microsoft changed its strategy for handling 2-digit years in its DATE setting
routine.
Previously, if you used the DATE command at the DOS prompt to set the PC clock
to 2000 or beyond, you had to enter the new year with 4-digits. DOS would not
accept 00 as 2000 - but it WOULD accept 99 as 1999. If you tried to continue
using 2-digits, you would get an invalid entry error message.
We have now established that when Microsoft issued their YEAR 2000 updater for
Windows 95, it was that updater which changed operation of the DATE command; so
that DATE now accepts any 2-digit entry.
Specifically, MS is now using a "pivot year" for the 2-digit year entries for
DATE. If you are using Windows, go to the true DOS prompt (by selecting START,
then Shutdown, then Restart in MS-DOS mode). Use the DOS DATE command to enter
the two digit years 00, 79, 80 and 99, checking the results of each entry by
repeating the DATE command. If you have the new routine, you'll get dates of
2000, 2079, 1980 and 1999, respectively.
If you still have the older routine, then you know that you HAVE NOT updated
your operating system for Y2K. Come to the November meeting, we'll talk about
this Y2K item - and quite a few others!
Oh yes, remember that you can download the Windows 95 Y2K updater from the
MLCUG BBS. Log on and go to the IBM Utilities file Library. Download the file
titled: WIN95Y2K.exe - then run it and follow the prompts. It is quite
straightforward and works for all versions of Win95.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
FOR SALE: the club still has a very large inventory of Commodore stuff -
software, computers, disk drives, monitors, printers, etc. We have recently
been getting a number of sales via the info posted on the MLCUG web page. But,
those sales have just scratched the surface of our inventory!
So, if you are in need of replacements or augmentation, please contact Charles
Curran - he has most of the stuff and the prices are VERY reasonable!!!
***************************
The October PC/64/128 meeting had some 13 attendees (including our new member,
Bill Folger). As in September, we had a very good info interchange amongst the
attendees for about an hour. Then Peter Whinnery took over.
This, in contrast to last month's planned inaugural, was a successful starter.
Pete was able to lead us thru his planned how to get started with Linux - using
the re-install of Red Hat Linux 6.1 on the club's PC.
On page 2 of this issue is the first of several parts to a summary of the info
that Pete plans to cover in these introductory session. The info is based
primarily on the Red Hat install version of Linux, but applies generally to any
install of this public domain operating system.
Check page 2 for the next couple of issues, come to the meetings and get some
exposure. You should then be in a position to decide if you want to try the OS
- for amusement, education or real work!
Our thanks to Pete for persevering - and we welcome his next presentation to
start off the November meeting in room 110.
by Emil Volcheck
In our October meeting, we started a two part give-and-take on various aspects
of the Y2K situation - as it relates to personal computers. And, especially,
to those that are owned by MLCUG members.
After the usual announcements and Q & A and the first 'Linux moment', we
tackled item a in the listing below. For November, we'll continue on item b,
and hope to get thru the rest of the list. This will leave us some time at the
December meeting to deal with lingering questions or problems that folks may
have uncovered with their systems, BEFORE it is too late to respond!
Our October meeting went much like the one the previous month. We
continued with real time help for anyone willing to bring their
Amiga. In addition we covered other topics including TurboPrint,
IBrowse 2, Master ISO, creating a dosdriver for 2 Gig Jaz drive and
adding an associated Jaz custom menu to DirOpus, and covered Amiga
news sources.
Currently, November's agenda will be much the same. Additional odds
and ends will be added before the meeting. I know we'll touch on the
latest AWeb revision, and if Ted can find some docs for his system,
we'll see about getting ShapeShifter working again for him without
slowing his Amiga. Other topics may include how to make your Amiga
roll-over from DST to SDT, and some focus on OS3.5.
Remember, these meetings are what we make them. So bring your
interests and your problems.
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL TIME
Just a reminder, it is now time to renew your membership in the club.
So, give some careful thought to what you want from your membership
and what you have received this year from being a member. Hopefully
you've found camaraderie, knowledge, and fun by being a member.
THE FUTURE OF OUR AMIGA SIG
During the past few months Amiga SIG attendance has been very light.
As long as there are interested members we will continue to meet.
However, I've considered holding future meetings at my home in
Lafayette Hill. The plus side is that we get a phone line for BBS
and Internet use. I also don't have to lug my equipment very far.
I'd like to know how other members of the SIG feel and think about
this proposal.
MEETING QUICK TAKES...
TURBOPRINT HOTKEYS
Just a couple of notes here on TurboPrint. At September's meeting we
were experiencing problems configuring hotkeys in Directory Opus on
Ted's Amiga, but didn't know why. Between the September and October
meetings I renewed my acquaintance with TurboPrint and discovered it
has a half dozen or so configurable hot key functions. I also know
that Ted uses TurboPrint, and reasoned that to be his problem. If
one isn't careful and also uses Directory Opus or other system
configurable software, one can easily discover they have some
conflicting key presses. So this is just a little reminder to be
familiar with the software you use and configure it with care.
Otherwise you may be heading for frustration.
IBROWSE 2 - BETA SOFTWARE
The word on the Web and my experience says that the latest IBrowse 2
version smacks very much of being BETA software. Here are some of
the known problems:
Master ISO from Asimware is CDROM burning software. The latest
version 2.4 is available as an update download from the Asimware Web
site. At the meeting, we demonstrated a music CDROM that had been
copied using Master ISO.
We also discussed some of the more important system hardware
requirements as it relates to being able to burn your own CDROMS
successfully. Master ISO will test your hardware system before you
burn your first CDROM. It is important that your hardware be
relatively high performance to burn CDROMS.
2 GIG JAZ DRIVE
If you want to use the latest 250MB ZIP and 2GB JAZ drives from
IOmega, you'll have to setup your own DOSDRIVERS in conjunction with
JazTools.lha (available on Aminet) mentioned last month. Generally,
you should use a DOSDRIVER configuration file for removeable media
rather than using HDToolBox to create a RDB (Rigid Disk Block).
Using HDToolBox helps gather some of the pertinent information for
creating a DOSDRIVER file. Here's the PFS3 dosdriver configuration I
setup recently for my 2GB JAZ drive:
GETTING AMIGA NEWS
A small part of our meeting was devoted to a discussion of Amiga news
sources. The Internet is the winner in this case.
One of the best sources of timely filtered Amiga news is the CUCUG
(The Champaign-Urbana Computer Users Group) organization Web site at
http://www.cucug.org/amiga.html. This is one of the most reliable and active Amiga user groups around.
At http://www.ann.lu, you can join a mailing list. Almost everyday you'll receive several news briefs.
If raw gossip mixed with real news is more to your liking, Usenet is
a great source of Amiga fact and fiction. Here are some of the news
groups I frequently access:
AROS & PHOENIX PROJECT NEWS
AROS
Speaking of news, there are a couple of Amiga projects that are
worthy of mention and worth keeping an eye on. They are the AROS and
PHOENIX projects.
Amiga by John Chandler
AROS - The Amiga Research Operating System
Continuing the 'theme' unintentionally started with UAE last month, I
turn to a project mentioned in a previous article on open sourcing
AmigaOS. I speak of AROS, the Amiga Research Operating System.
AROS has its origins in the aftermath of Commodore's demise. At the
time, the situation looked bleak and no one was quite sure if the
Amiga would be able to carry on or not. Some enterprising individuals
took stock of the situation and evaluated what they could personally
do to ensure the continuation of the Amiga line. This evaluation
culminated in the decision to write an OS from scratch that would be
both fully AmigaOS 3.1 compatible and portable to any hardware.
Software compatibility comes in two flavours - binary compatibility
for actual Amigas, and source level compatibility for other
platforms. It has long been mentioned that UAE and other technologies
could eventually be incorporated to provide binary compatibility
between the whole range of AROS systems, but this is still a way off
from being realized.
Progress has been slow, but impressive. For Linux and FreeBSD on the
x86, AROS is mostly working and there are builds for Linux on 680X0
and native Amigas. The Amiga and 680X0 Linux flavours feature binary
compatibility (a list of software which has been tested and known to
work is published on the website), and all versions support
fully-functional Intuition windows.
In addition, a standalone x86 version is in the works (thanks to the
effort of Michael Schulz), which promises to be an ideal showcase of
what AROS has achieved. The version currently boots into the Amiga's
internal debugger, SAD, so doesn't support much in the way of
software, but once the appropriate hardware drivers are implemented
it will be a fully functioning AROS/Amiga platform running on
standard PC compatible hardware. The same can be done for pretty much
any other hardware out there - the only reason why other such ports
haven't materialized is lack of support. If any developer out there
fancies helping AROS port to such platforms as PowerPC (PowerUP
and/or CHRP), there has never been a better time to get involved -
AROS on G4 anyone?
Take a look at the screenshots on the AROS site to get the general
idea (URL listed at the base of the article) or download the source
and binaries for a real hands-on peek. (Unfortunately, the AROS FTP
site is currently unavailable but should be up again shortly)
It's at this point that quite a few out there will state that it's
about time AROS have begun to show some tangible work, after all
they've been working on it for years. That's true to an extent, but
remember writing a new OS isn't a trivial task, more so if you have
to maintain compatibility with an existing OS. If you want to get it
right first time, that means even more work and more time spent - it
all adds up. But the most important reason for the delay is something
a lot of people conveniently overlook: there aren't many people
supporting AROS, and those that are can't dedicate themselves to it
full-time - these people have their careers or education to think
about.
AROS really does need your support. Even if you can't write a line of
code to save your life, you can promote, test, document... every
little bit adds up. If you can program, so much the better - even a
single function contributed will take AROS one step closer to
completion. Remember that this project is of benefit to the whole
Amiga community because it helps broaden the scope of what is truly
an Amiga, and it opens up fresh directions we can all make use of.
There has been much frustration, even anger from some, about the
official direction Amiga is being taken, some of it based on
confusion and poor communication, but most of it with some basis of
truth. The immediate response from a few zealous users has been to
launch themselves into a frenzy of activity building new projects to
create their own next generation of Amiga. This work is admirable,
and a true testament to the Amiga community but most are starting
from scratch - with a blank slate and poor initial support. Worse,
they seem completely in ignorance of AROS which has already been
there, done it, and bought the t-shirt. Why reinvent the wheel and
waste more time, effort and even money? *
Yet here is an almost complete AmigaOS clone built from scratch to be
multi-platform just itching for support - every new AmigaOS
replacement project takes away that potential support, and in the end
you just fragment and dilute all the effort going on, probably to a
point where nothing is ultimately achieved except a series of
half-finished ideas. If AROS can get this far with little support, it
makes you wonder how much further down the road it could be with the
right backing - doesn't it?
Links:
(* I exclude Phoenix from this because they do look like a worthwhile
project, have considerable backing and their focus doesn't appear to
exclude partnerships with AROS or any worthwhile aspects of the
official Amiga. I hope to cover Phoenix in a future article).
Many thanks to Stefan, Aaron and the rest of the AROS team for their
support and enthusiasm while I prepared this article.
Author - John Chandler
Published October 2, 1999
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/amiga/26509
PHOENIX
URL : http://owlnet.net/phoenix/Pages/about.htm
Title: About Phoenix
Who Are We, Really?
Phoenix originally was a few guys skulking around, wondering what
could be done about Gate-Amiga Inc, who was unilaterally ignoring
Amiga developers and seemed to have absolutely no interest in the
desktop. We knew that convergence without a desktop platform was a
hollow victory for Amigans indeed.
Then, a few more joined in, also convinced that a developer
organization should if possible take a more active interest in
products and marketplace, and not depend on a parent company to
provide impetus and practical focus. We saw bad-faith business
practices at the top, and were also very interested in QNX's eight
months of work to make Neutrino a modern Amiga-like experience in
usage.
Still later, as an underground movement, planning, biding our time,
we were working with some of our earliest Amigans, to build what we
needed to have a chance of surviving in the fractured landscape.
Then, when we saw that Gate-Amiga Inc was in the process of
shattering the dreams of the community, we decided we had better make
ourselves known so as to diffuse the impact - though we still were
not fully organized and planning had really only begun.
And now, here we are today. A multimedia OS and some migration
products are on the horizon. Stay tuned...
Material Copyright © 1999 Phoenix Platform Consortium
If you have either software or hardware for your Amiga that has taken
your fancy, please bring it to our attention. I'm sure your specific
interests will be of interest to others. Let me know if this is the
case at the next meeting, or leave me email on our BBS. Remember, a
user group is only as rewarding as the sum of the efforts of its
individual members.
MLCUG STEERING COMMITTEE:
PRESIDENT: Emil Volcheck 610-388-1581 SECRETARY: Charles Curran 610-446-5239
TREAS./MEMBERS:Dewitt Stewart 610-623-5145 AMIGA SIG/SYSOP: John Deker 610-828-7897
INTERNET/Linux:Peter Whinnery 610-284-5234 DATABASE: Layton Fireng 610-688-2080
AT LARGE: Tom Johnson 610-525-3440
Getting Started with Linux - I
* Task-oriented information Many times, you'll find that you'd like to
configure your Linux system in a certain way, but you're not sure where to
begin. In this case, it's often a big help to see what others in similar
circumstances have done. This is where the Linux Documentation Project (also
known as the LDP) can come in handy. Each of their HOWTOs document a particular
aspect of Linux, from low-level kernel esoterica, to using Linux in an amateur
radio station.
ANNOUNCEMENTS & COMMENTS
########################################
Y2K Update Tidbit
$ TRADING POST $
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
64/128/PC MEETING
***************************
OUR Y2K MEETINGS
Let's hope for lots of member input on this nearly fait accompli!!!
MAIN LINE AMIGA USER HAPPENINGS
by John Deker
MASTER ISO & HARDWARE CAPABILITY
/* $VER: JAZ0 40.2 (28.8.99)
* Jaz file system entry
* For 2GB Jaz cartridge.
*/
FileSystem = l:pfs3
Flags = 0
Surfaces = 1
BlocksPerTrack = 1512
SectorsPerBlock = 1
SectorSize = 512
Mask = 0x7ffffffc
MaxTransfer = 0x00fffe00
Reserved = 2
Interleave = 0
LowCyl = 2
HighCyl = 2588
Buffers = 256
BufMemType = 0
StackSize = 600
Priority = 10
GlobVec = -1
DosType = 0x50465303
/* The Device and Unit fields are controlled by tooltypes in the JAZ0 icon.
*
* Device = squirrelscsi.device
* Unit = 4
*/
I find the JAZ drive to be useful as a source feed for burning CDROMS.
There are several more dedicated Amiga news groups.
AROS website: http://www.aros.org/
Copyright © 1996-1999 Suite101.com, Inc., All rights reserved.
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FUTURE MEETINGS
DIRECTIONS FOR ST. AUGUSTINE CENTER MEETING ROOMS
Meetings are in the St. Augustine Center at Villanova University. The 8-bit
and PC sessions will be in Room 110 and the AMIGA meeting in Room 210.
Enter from the ITHAN AVENUE main gate, then proceed to the 2-level parking
building adjacent to St. Augustine, on the Ithan Avenue side.
NOTE: maps on our webpage - http://astro4.ast.vill.edu/mlcug/index.html
64/128/PC/Amiga Meetings 1999-2000 Steering Committee Meetings
November 13 * November 17
December 11 * December 15
January 8 * January 19
* = second Saturday ** = second Wednesday
**********************************************************
EDITOR: Emil J. Volcheck, Jr. 1046 General Allen Lane West Chester, PA
19382-8030
(Produced with C-128D/SCPU 128, RAMlink, HD-40/85, 1571, FD-4000, THE WRITE
STUFF 128, XETEC Super Grafix, Canon BJ-200ex, Swiftlink and Motorola 288
modem)
MLCUG BBS: 610-828-1359 (300 > 33600 bps), 24 hr/day
WWW: http://astro4.ast.vill.edu/mlcug/index.htm
PUBLICITY: Robyn Josephs 610-565-4058
DISK ORDERS: Charlie Curran 610-446-5239
VILLANOVA SPONSOR: Prof. Frank Maloney, Dept. of Astronomy