geoVision International - Issue 01 (1993-01)(geoVision International)(US)

28 Pages·6.4 MB·English

FROM
DISK #9
From Riding
TravelToons Side Saddle!
Disk From
Puntoons #2
HUNDREDS
of cartoons,
all in Commodore GEOS format!
Each disk contains about 50 cartoons, plus
at least one GEOS font.
Great for newsletters, business,
or just plain fun.
And at $10.00 a disk ($12.00 outside the
U.S.) They're a great bargain!
So get one, or a couple, or get them all!
--------------------- ~ ----------
Please send me the following disks at $10.00
each ($12.00 outside the U.S.): 1
o I.
0 0
Disk #1 Disk #2 Disk #3
o
0 0
Disk #4 Disk #5 Disk #6
o
0 0
Disk #7 Disk #8 Disk #9
o
0 0
Disk #10 Disk #11 Disk #12
o
0 0
Disk #13 Disk #14 Disk #15
o
0 0
Disk #16 Puntoonz 1 Puntoonz 2
o
Traveltoons FROM
TOTAL: _______________________ __ DISK #14
Nrune _________________________ _
Ad&ess _______________________
City State ____ Zip ____ _
~ Sendto:~
CARTOON SAMPLER
7048 Micl!iKan Street
Elwell, MI 48832
,-- - ----------------------------~
2 geoVISION International
PUBLISHER/MANAGING EDITOR
g'~TqY'~JRLN~
Grady E. Brown
NEW USERS EDITOR
Robert Hunter BRINGING THE WORLD TOGETHER WITH GEOS
geo VISION International is an independent Inside %is Issue
bi-monthly publication serving GEOS users
and programmers with the best and latest
information available.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
(One Year/Six Issues -In U.S. Funds) Features
U.S. $21. Canada, Mexico and Foreign
Surface Mail $27. Foreign Air Mail $33.
6 Commentary on 1992 - CMD Takes Center Stage
ADVERTISING
See page 12 for rates and more information. by Dale Sidebottom
20 An Inside Look Into Programming
CORRESPONDENCE & ARTICLES FOR
by Nate Fiedler
CONSIDERA nON
We always welcome, and encourage your
contributions. Please ask for our Writers
Packet. Submissions for publication should be
sent on disk with hardcopy. By submitting
material, you grant gVI, First Serial Rights Columns
and Second Reprint Rights. And, agree not to
submit this material to other publications for
a period of six months.
9 TELECOMMUNICATIONS- A Comparison of The
Major Networks by Grady E. Brown
The views expressed in geoVISION
International are those of the individual 10 THE ART GALLERY - Rembrandts of GEOS - My
writers and do not necessarily reflect the
Beginnings with GeoPaint
views of geoVISION International, its staff,
by Jane M. Voskamp-Jones
or advertisers. The acceptance of an ad does
not necessarily constitute an endorsement of a 14 REVIEWS - New Horizon's Landmark Series
product. geoVISION International reserves
by Ken Nakatsu
the right to determine the acceptability of
16 NEW USERS -A GeoWrite Tutorial
any articles or advertising submitted.
by Robert Hunter
geoVISION International is a Trademark of
18 PROGRAMMING - Which Language Is For You?
Grady E. Brown and is no way affiliated with
by James Caldwell
Commodore Business Machines, Berkeley
Soft works, or GeoWorks. GEOS, GeoPaint, 26 USER GROUPS, BBS'S, PUBLICATIONS
GeoWrite, GeoPublish, GeoCalc, GeoDex,
GeoFile, GeoChart, DeskTop, and BSW are
Registered Trademarks of GeoWorks.
No part of this publication may be reprinted
Departments
or reproduced in any form without written
permission from the publisher. Printed in the
U.S.A. ISSN Pending.
4 EDITORIAL
geo VISION International
5 LEITERS
816 S.E. Polk Street
24 NEWS
Camas, Washington 98607-2240
27 CLASSIFIEDS
Copyright 1992, geoVISION International
January 1993 3
EDITORIAL
My rrw o Cents Worth
Wfiat! Jtnotlier qf£OS Magazine?
by (jrady 'E. f}3rown
You have just opened the door to a new that are closing their doors, and user
forum for Commodore Users of all kinds. A groups changing gears allowing other Publications with GEOS support.
user group of sorts, (in print) where GEOS computers systems in? We will take care
users exchange and share their experiences of you. We'll also include in EVERY issue, a
and ideas with others. Letters section, where you write in and tell
The existence of geoVISION us what's on your mind (a question and
Our premise is quite easy to understand. International is to bring all GEOS users answer place). News will have general
geoVISION International is here to be and programmers together, spreading topic views on what's new and what's
your all inclusive source of GEOS the knowledge, experiences, and coming in the future for GEOS. The
material. A "Where to find it" magazine, information of GEOS users worldwide, Classifieds section is where you can FIND,
if you will. and to give you the best GEOS support or SELL GEOS software, books, magazines,
possible. We'll be your link to other or hardware, for FREE. If you're looking for
The complicated part of rounding up this users and programmers of the same and larger space, check out our 1/6th to Full
material and its sources lies on us, saving better skills. page display advertising, priced just right
you time to enjoy GEOS. As it should be. for everyone.
With our great contacts, writers, By subscribing to geoVISION
programmers and editors, we can bring you International you can be assured, you'll Each issue of geoVISION International
most everything you want and need. For have a continued source of GEOS should be in your hands within the first
that last small percentage of material information. geoVISION International two weeks of each publication month.
missing, we ask your help. If you're a is for all ages and levels of experience. January, March, May, July, September, and
programmer, why not put us in your budget November. We're on a strict publishing
for display page advertising. Our rates geoVISION International is published schedule, so you can be sure to receive your
are unbeatable, and are that way so we bi-monthly and is mailed via First Class copy ON TIME and ON A REGULAR basis.
can be assured of carrying most every mail, which has top priority over Bulk
source of GEOS products to the readers. Mail that other publications use. This One full year has been put into research,
Check them out. At least place us on your material is so important, we want to be planning and layout of every aspect of
mailing list for product announcements and sure it gets to you on a timely basis. geoVISION International before we made
press releases. Or better yet, send us your any decision to bring this product to you.
program and we'll give it top priority in All material in each issue is GEOS. There was and is a need, so here it is.
the next REVIEWS column. Commodore GEOS. So don't waste time
reading about other computers and We cannot guarantee we'll be around
I hear you all asking, "Why do we need operating systems just to find one ot two forever. No one can. But, WE DO
another GEOS magazine and will it stick tidbits of information on your system. PROMISE to follow through with ALL our
around"? These are a very valid commitments to EACH AND EVERY
questions. We'll try and answer them Each issue contains feature articles on subscriber. As long as there's a substantial
both. the hotest topics of the day. And great need, geoVISION International will be
'How-To' instructions. geoVISION here for you. We look forward to being your
With other Commodore and GEOS specific International will give you a continuing ultimate source of GEOS material.
magazines slowing down or disappearing dose of regular columns on Programming
all together, a void is left. Where do we GEOS; software and hardware Reviews; Spread the word about us to all your GEOS
look for GEOS knowledge? There are a Telecommunications column with friends and tell your local user groups about
many locations, big and small, spread out what's hot (or not) on the 'BIG' our FREE listings. Write to us with your
all over the world. But, where do you find networks; The Art Gallery, where we questions and your suggestions. We want to
out about these sources? geoVISION highlight artists and their works; hear from everyone. Our mail box is
International, that's where. And what something for the New Users; and a always open. Enjoy your new found
about the software and hardware houses column listing User Groups, BBS's and knowledge and expertise.
4 geoVISION International
LEITERS
Your WordS Thouglits
&
QJtestions, J2Lnswers, Suggestions & Ideas
6ylOru
PC GEOS Coverage? throughout the world. Please be aware are your VISION into the world of GEOS.
Are you planning on expanding your that geoVISION International is in no We want to inform the users of any and all
coverage to include IBM GEOS? I use way connected with geoMETRIX or (old and new) GEOS programming so you
GeoWorks PRO most of the time, and am geoJOURNAL. can make your own decision as to whether
interested in seeing a magazine with info you need it or not. A programmer can't
on that topic. FREEDOMware afford not to send us their new stuff or
-Dale Beach / Elwell, MI Thanks for supporting independent advertise with us, and a user can't afford
software developers like me! With your to not subscribe to geoVISION
[EDITOR] Sorry, but geoVISION help I can continue to develop new and International.
International is dedicated to 8-bit hopefully useful software for the
Commodore computer users of GEOS. We venerable Commodore 64/128! This area is your forum to ask us questions,
feel it would be best for us to stick with -Kent L. Smotherman make suggestions, or to air your
the users that gave GEOS number one sales complaints. Let us know what's on your
status, and at this time have no plans of [EDITOR] That's what we're here for. mind by writing to us today, or leave
expanding to include PC GEOS. To support users with the GEOS E-Mail to GradyBl on Q-Link. We want to
information they need, in both how to hear from everyone for whatever reason.
Best Wishes to geo VISION Int'l get the most out of the original GEOS Anything you have to say is very
WHOOA! (I bet you'll never guess who's Applications, what additional GEOS important to us. Write to: geoVISION
writin' this letter!) There... By chance, programming is out there, and how to International; Letters Department; 816
did you guess it was the 01' geo-IDIOT best use it too. As our name implies, we S.E. Polk Street; Camas, WA 98607-2240.
himself??? That is, errr, me??? (I'm
bettin' you did!) So, yer re-ward is ...
*tymphany, orchestral flourish ... et al...* PRODUCTION TOOLS
A CHECK for the amount of... $21.00 U.S.! geoVISION International is proudly produced on a Commodore 128 with upgraded
I originally intended on getting my ROMS and 64K Video Display Memory, a 512K Commodore 1764 REU, two
subscription order in to you earlier ... Then, Commodore 1581 (3 1/2") drives, and one Commodore 1541 (5 1/4") drive. A
only after I heard glowing praise for all Panasonic KX-PI091i printer is used for pre-proofing pages. Final proofing is done on
yer efforts on the 1st issue, I knew I had to an IBM 4019-E laser printer.
subscribe!!! My best wishes for success go
to you and geoVISION International. TEXT EDITING
-Terry (geo-IDIOT!) Witter All text is submitted either on disk or via modem to us, and converted to GeoWrite
128 v2.1. Text is then proofed and input into GeoPublish vl.0b for further editing.
German GEOS Programs
Are you going to include any of the LAYOUT & DESIGN
GERMAN GEOS programs on any of your geoVISION International's design and layout is done using GeoPublish vl.0b.
bi-monthly disks, that geoJOURNAL
reviewed in issue #10? TYPOGRAPHY
-Dave Belter /Rockford, IL Every issue uses LW Cal (Helvetica), LW Cowell (Palatino-Roman), LW Zapf
(Zapf-Chancery), and LW Shattuck (Zapf-Dingbats), all from GeoWorks, Inc.
[EDITOR] We hope to include many of the
Public Domain and Shareware programs OUTPUT
written by those in other countries as they Except for certain ad material, finished pages are printed to disk using a patched
come available. We would like to set up version of GeoPubLaser v1.8 and copied to an IBM disk using Big Blue Reader 128
an exchange of software with other v4.01. The pages are then copied to an IBM 4019-E laser printer through Microsoft
countries and would also like to exchange DOS v5 for masters. Film of the masters are then created and offset printed by
ideas and GEOS uses with everyone LAZERQUICK Copies #22,1410 Main Street Vancouver, WA 98663.
January 1993 5
FEATURE
Commentary on 1992 Once upon a time, we depended upon
Commodore (CBM) for hardware and
Berkeley for software. These companies
CMtJJ cra/(es Center Stage
still provide an important level of
support. As long as CBM can sell nearly a
million units (C64's) a year, due mainly to
the demand overseas, that level of
by'Da1eSitfe6ottom support will likely continue. But who do
you tum to when you want to "push the
Shakespeare thought, "The play's Grady Brown is, at this stage, a proven envelope?" When you want to expand the
the thing ... " He felt that life was a stage, performer. While it remains to be seen limits of your computing world, who do
and that we were the actors, playing how well geo VISION International is you call? I usually call CMD.
many parts. I hope you got to spend a good accepted, it has the potentional to
deal of your time in 1992 playing the role become a powerful voice in our C/G Let me give you a little background.
of a Commodore/Geos (C/G) enthusiast. theater. In June of 1988, I helped organize the
GeoCORPS, a Special Interest Group
01' Will could have said, "Each of us A second high point has been the within my Commodore user group. When
is a central processor, computing within continued growth of overseas markets. the 1764's and 1750's came out, almost
Life's universal network, receiving data As free market economies expand in every one of us purchased an REU. It made
from divergent sources while running Europe and Asia, so do Commodore sales. "geosing" about, a lot easier and more fun!
various programs, using both productive Sometimes referred to as "the poor man's However, like most users, we were far
and non-productive software." PC," it is often the computer of choice from content. We developed a long wish
Unfortunately, the "Bard" never used a among new computer buyers. For this list. We wanted: (1) more memory, (2)
computer. If he had, we might understand reason, we see some great new products non-volitile memory, (3) ease of use
him better than we do. being developed "over there," which outside Geos, (4) a real time clock, and (5)
eventually make computing a lot better auto-booting from the REU. Such a long
What if he had used our computer? "over here." Two of the best examples list seemed impossible to satisfy.
What would he write concerning our recent are the Perfect Print program and the
history? Might some of these events HandyScanner 64. Now all these impossible dreams
merge into a tragedy. After all, we have have come true in CMDs' RAMLink. You
taken some real hits lately! In the past Another side of the "European may have heard the old ad expression, "It
year and a half, we have seen Ceo World, Connection" is the GUC (Geos Users costs a little more, but it can do so much
then CeoJournal, and even Ms Lamb's Club), based in Germany. While only more!" That is how I would describe
GeoStore fade from the horizon. about 50% of Commodore users are also RAMLink.
Geos users in this country, the large
Most recently, we mourn the loss of majority of C64/128 users in Europe Keep in mind that cost is relative. I
RUN Magazine. I understand the parent appear to use Geos extensively. The purchased my 1764 REU for $115. I paid
company, Techmedia publishing, Inc., a GUC has approximately 2,400 members $65 to upgrade it to 512K and again paid
division of IDG Communications, Inc., has representing at least 13 countries. In $130 to have the memory enlarged to 1Mb.
pulled the plug, claiming that there are November, 1992, I received a letter from So the total price I paid for a Commodore
not enough subscribers to warrant Lars Heidbrink. He represents a special REU with 1Mb of memory was $310!
continuation. Details are still hazy, but if interest group within the GUC whose Today you can buy a RAM Link from CMD
RUN's run is indeed over, we still want to purpose is to contact Geos users around which includes a power supply, battery
thank its staff who, for years, have the world. He encouraged me to back-up, real-time clock, and 2 Mb of
brought the excitment of Commodore into exchange ideas and PD programs with memory for less than $375. The
our homes. Thank you all for a job well his group. It is another big reason that I Commodore REU cannot safely carry more
done, and we wish you godspeed in look forward to 1993. than 1 Mb of memory, according to a recent
whatever direction you choose to go. RUN article, but the RAMLink is
By far, the most exciting upgradeable to 16 Mb!
Remember how Shakespeare wrote, development I saw in 1992 was the
"All's well that ends well!" So let's look ascendency of Creative Micro Designs CMD began as Fellows, Inc., selling
and see how 1992 ended. The year 1992 (CMD). This was the year that they JiffyDos back in 1986. A year later, Mark
ended very well, thank you, and for pushed the HardDrive, mastered the Fellows got together with Charlie
several reasons. One of them has to be the RAMLink, and introduced the new FD (Charles A. Christianson, Jr.), and
publication of this magazine. Its editor drives. together they formed Creative Micro
6 geoVISION International
FEATURE
Designs. They were the co-founders, and hard to make their product compatible next year. While an SOOK disk costs about
the only employees! I figured they chose with everything possible. I learned that seventy-five cents, and a 1.6 Mb disk costs
the name because its abbreviation, CMD, their philosophy is to make storage $1.50, the 3.2 Mb disks still cost about
was the Commodore basic term for devices with as much speed as possible, $10.00 apiece. Hopefully, the big three
"command," but they swear it was but NEVER sacrifice compatiblity for will begin adapting these drives to their
coincidental. speed. CMD targets productivity platforms soon, if only to drive down the
software, and they support Geos because price of our ED disks!
JiffyOOS was still their only it is a good platform with a lot of active We see that when Commodore
product, but they worked to expand. In users. stopped producing REU's, CMD developed
1989, CMD developed hard drives for the and marketed one that was even better.
Commodore, which they began shipping Next I asked them why they And when CBM stopped producing 1581
in 1990. RAMLinks were developed in developed the FD-2oo0 and FD-4000, the drives, CMD introduced an improved
1990 and were shipped in 1991. (However, 3 1/2 inch drives CMD has begun to version. Does anyone see a pattern
the gateWay program which allows Geos market recently. They told me about forming here?
users to make full use of the RAMLink was computer shows in Canada, where
not properly debugged until Jim Collette 1581-starved Commodore users offered But it does not stop here. Consider
worked on it this last summer.) And from $300 to $500 for a used 1581 drive in that there are six parts necessary for good
reading between the lines, one might their booth. Other countries, like productivity software. There has to be a
expect that the FD-2000 and FD-4000 Australia, apparently never did receive word processor, a graphic-arts program, a
drives were developed in 1991 for sale in a shipment of 1581's. In other words, database program, a spreadsheet, and a
1992. With all this growth, CMD must there was a world-wide shortage of desktop publisher, in addition to a disk
have hundreds of employees, right? Not! Commodore-ready 3 1/2 inch drives. management system that glues it all
There are just a dozen employees, and only together. It is significant that CMD now
four of these work full-time! markets Geos-based software which
INCREASINGLY WE FIND
makes improvement in two of these six
When I asked about the reasons for OURSELVES TURNING areas? In addition to producing hardware,
RAM Link, I was told that the Commodore TOCMD CMD sells gateWay (new desktop) and
REUs were compatible with less that 1 % TO FULFILL OUR DREAMS. geoCanvas (art applicaion). In fact, they
of available software. Of course, the represents a widening circle of contributors
GeoRam was only compatible with Geos. who find it useful to let CMD market
Therefore, there was a need for RAM In addition to this, CMD Hard products for them.
memory that could function like a 1541 Drive owners were clamoring for some
drive, reflecting track and sector numbers. way to back up their hard drives. All One important example is the PPI
For Geos users, it was necessary to construct methods were considered, including the RAMDrive. Peter Fiset, a genius in his
a new "desktop" program that would obvious choice of a SCSI tape drive. own right, is the guiding force behind
allow Geos to be free from the "1541/71/81 However, these solutions carried price Performance Peripherals, Inc. <PPJ). He
syndrome." tags that went from $500 on up. CMD and CMD worked together, sharing
decided to compromise, opting instead knowledge, to bring to market a
So CMD created its own form of DOS for a drive that could back up significant RAMDrive that is 100% compatible with
(disk operating system) which would amount of data, and when not backing up CMD's other products. This required an
allow the emulation of any Commodore the hard drive, could then be used as an additional six months effort on Pete's
disk drive. They also "sweat blood" additional storage device. It is sort of part, but you and I are the immediate
through ten or more hardware revisions in like having your cake and eating it, too! beneficiaries. I have trouble with my
RAM Link. Jim Collette was hired to RAMLink whenever I try to take it to a
debug the "infested" version of gateWay, Many Commodore users are computer meeting. I lose memory about
and gateWay 2.5 was sent out as a free surprised that ours is the first computer half the time even with the back-up
replacement disk. When users could not platform to be offered these 3.2 Mb (31/2 battery. The PPI RAMDrive is, in my
get RAMLink to work at all, CMD asked inch) drives. We once expected to be first opinion, more stable and more convenient
them to send in the RAM Link AND their with new technology; now we stand to carry. It also makes working with the
computer, so new compatibility problems amazed! The enhanced disk (ED) drive SX-64 easier.
could be diagnosed and corrected. The is still a rarity and hard to find in
result is that RAMLink is now a fairly computer shopper magazines. None of In addition to developing new
flawless product. the big three (IBM, Amiga, or products of its own, and marketing great
MacIntosh) yet produce one for their products from others, CMD helps C/G
It amazed me that they worked too patrons, although IBM is ready to do so users in one more way. This publication is
January 1993 7
FEATURE
0"
called geoVISION International for a Savs up to 12.5% SUBSCRIBE TO
reason. We are aware that our best course ths slnglslssus rats.
lies in building upon our international
strength. This is what CMD is doing also.
g~Ry~~INQN~
They now have at least three
dealers in Germany, two in Australia, one
in Sweden, and are working toward
England, France, Italy, Hungary, and BRINGING THE WORLD TOGETHER WITH GEOS
Poland. They have begun to establish a
permanent European office in Austria. It is
staffed by a commissioned agent working
out of his home ... not a big office, but an gVISINGLE& gVI SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
important beginning, none the less. BACK ISSUES: (1 YEAR· 6 ISSUES)
U.S.A.,
$4.00 $21.00
CMD seems to be the most aggressive Via 1s t Class Mail
company developing new hardware and (Washington Residents Must Add Your Local Sales Tax)
supporting new software for C/G users.
They presently occupy center stage in our CANADA, MEXICO &
theater. H you have not witnessed any of $5.00 INTERNATIONAL, $27.00
their performances lately, I recommend Via Surface Mail
that you see one soon!
INTERNATIONAL,
$6.00 $33.00
[EDITOR] Dale Sidebottom is a member of Via Air Mail
LUCKY (Louisville Users of Commodore of
KentuckY). He has been president of the
GeoeORPS (the geos-SIG) for 5 years and
editor of the LUCKY UNE Magazine for ...- ------------------------.
four. In his spare time, he works for Uncle !p~t£t£! Your paid subscription to
geoVISION International
Sam,delivering your mail.
also comes
with this bonus:
A FREE 30 word Classified
Ad. See page 27 of this
issue for more details.
o
Renewal Enclose a Check or Money Order in U.S. Funds
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geoVISION International 816 S.E. Polk St. Camas, WA 98607-2240
8 geoVISION International
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
CompuServe
Comparison of% e
.9l.
GEnie C=G
Q·Llnk C=Q
Major 9{g,twork§
Delphi C=D
Other C=O
6y qrruly T.. 13ro'Uht
Let's assume you already have a modem The Monthly fee for ,. Basic Services is which includes a $25.00 usage credit,
and know how to use it, as well as have a $4.95. There's an additional CompuServe Users Guide and Quick
good terminal program to use. I would like Communications surcharge of $2.00 an Reference Booklet, and the monthly
to give you just a little bit of infonnation hour. Value Services (non-Basic) are an member magazine.
about each of the networks so you can judge additional $6.00 per hour. For more
for yourself which one is right for you. information call or write a GEnie Client The fourth, Delphi is another that allows
There are so many differences, I Service Representative or log right on. the use of your own terminal software.
recommend you call or write each one for Everything is included in the basic fees.
more information. I will tell you about the CompuServe is more of a service catering There are no 'Plus', 'Extended', or
GEOS support and pricing of each service. to Big Blue and MACs, but it does contain non-value ,. services to worry about.
There are local access telephone numbers Commodore and GEOS files in its various E-Mail, message bases, and downloading
for most major cities through various libraries and many good message areas. files is all free. There are two packages to
sytems. TymNet and SprintNet (Telenet) Again, you may use your own terminal subscribe to. The 10/4 Plan is $10.00 a
to mention a couple. They all bill your software here. The monthly fee includes month giving you 4 hours of use.
VISA or MasterCard, or will debit your up to 60 pieces of Electronic Mail Additional use is $4.00 per hour. The
checking account. (E-Mail). Forums (message bases) and 20/20 Advantage Plan is $20.00 per month
software libraries are included in the and includes 20 hours of use. Additional
Quantum-Link (Q-Link) is the only extended Services rate. CompuServe has time is only $1.80 per hour. This plan has
Commodore specific network available to a monthly fee of $7.95 for basic services a one-time entry fee of $19.00.
us. It requires you to use their proprietary and a $1.70 per hour SprintNet and
software for access. You'll find an Tymnet communications surcharge. It is The chart to the left gives you a good idea
extensive library of GEOS software and $12.80 per hour for all extended services. of the pricing for an about 5 hours per
message base full of GEOS users and To get started, you'll have to purchase a month. I've not mentioned FidoNet or
programming experts. E-Mail, the CompuServe Membership Kit for $39.95 talked about BBS's since there are so
message bases, and Downloading files is many, and they are pretty much all free.
considered 'Plus' time. With your $9.95 There are a few that do charge for access.
monthly fee, you receive one free hour of
'Plus' time. Additional 'Plus' time will be
billed to you at $4.80 an hour. To order
your Free Q-Link Starter Kit (If you don't
already have one) just call or write to
Quantum Computer Services.
GEnie is a service that allows you to use
your own terminal software. It covers
many computer brands so there is a smaller
amount that we Commodore GEOS users
can use. They do however, have quite a
large GEOS software library. You'll also
find many GEOS users and programmers • This comparison is based on 5 hours
constantly on-line in the message area. In use per month of Q-Link 'Plus' time,
fact, it seems that quite a few Q-Link users GEnie 'Value' Services, CompuServe
have moved over to GEnie or are on both 'Extended' Services, and Delphi at
networks. E-Mail considered Basic, but 1200bps. The lower number is 5 hours of
you'll be charged for access to Roundtables baSic free services, while the higher is 5
(message bases) and downloading files. hours of 'pay' services.
Jan uary 1993 9
THE ART GALLERY
erne
of
(jt£OS
~m6randts
My '13eginnings Witli (jeoPaint
6y Jane M. %sKg.mp-Jones
Discovering geoPaint prepare a work disk. The deskTop then
prompts you with a dialog box to enter a returned to its position on the system disk.
When I first discovered GEOS in 'diskname,id' up to 16 characters. At Now you must follow the same process for
1988, I knew right away that I wanted to this point remove the system disk and the other files, until the task is completed
do something with this program. All I insert the disk you intend to make your and your first geoPaint work disk is
needed was a small amount of guidance to work disk, then press RETURN. When ready. Did I mention tedium i-)
get me started in geoPaint, and a reason to the format is complete the blank
do something. This guidance came from deskTop of your work disk is displayed. Once you have your first work disk
our local Commodore User Group. Once I Next reinsert your system disk and click prepared, I recommend not doing all that
knew the barest details I began finding my on the disk in the upper right corner of again. The best procedure to follow is to
own way. the screen to make it active. Then click backup this first geoPaint work disk, using
once on the deskTop icon to highlight it, something like Fast Hackem (any
At the time my equipment consisted then click again to get the ghost icon and version), using the fast copy feature. But
of my first C64 (1983 vintage), one 1541 drag it to the border area below the remember, when you next work with
disk drive (1985 vintage), a deskTop page itself, but avoiding the GEOS, promptly rename all the work
C1525/MPS801 (1983 vintage) printer and printer icon and the trashcan icon that disks with a characteristic name such
GEOS v1.2 System Disk. Don't groan. I also reside there in the bottom right as GE0S64Paint-1Work. Well anything
know many people who are beginning this corner of the screen. Also drag the icons that makes sense to you and is up to 16
way in 1992. I sympathize with them, of geoPaint, photo manager, at least one characters in length will be fine.
and I try not to overwhelm them, but to font, a printer driver, and an input driver
keep their interest and curiosity alive. to the border area. This border area is Tackling geoPaint
Back then I didn't know anything other also known as the off-page-directory.
than my desire to create Art with That is how I began using geoPaint.
geoPaint, and I couldn't see any Next, you need to insert your work A lot of preparation and not much
limitations in this set up. Ignorance is disk, and open it by clicking on the disk inspiration, yet. My first major task, in
bliss, and when people tried to tell me I icon. Then you click on deskTop icon in May 1989 only one year from first tackling
couldn't achieve anything with the the border area to highlight it, then GEOS and geoPaint, was to create a new
equipment that I had, I said 'yeah, just click again to get the ghost icon and drag Flyer and new cover for our User Group's
watch me'. They are still watching, and I the ghost up to the work disk deskTop Newsletter. Being an Artist for 15 years
am enjoying myself with all that GEOS page, and click again. GEOS then prior to this, it was natural for the Group
can offer. prompts from a dialog box, to insert your to single me out, even though I had not yet
system disk and click OK when you have mastered geoPaint or even created
One of the first things you learn with done this. The deskTop program is read anything yet. A very daunting prospect
GEOS is about work disks. You must set up from the system disk until you are again with the range of equipment and skill I
work disks with different disk names and prompted from a dialog box, to insert had at my disposal. You're probably
organize yourself. Funny thing was, every your work disk back into the drive. The thinking impossible. I didn't know that
time I added to my system I had to do this deskTop program is then written to your either so it never occurred to me. I said
again, and again. With v1.2 tedium ad first work disk. Now you must put the ignorance is bliss. Since I only had an
infinitum becomes obvious, but to system disk back in the drive and click MPS-801 printer I was restricted to 60% of
accomplish anything you must face it. on the drive icon to activate it. You will the geoPaint page. I needed to figure out
notice that the deskTop icon is still in exactly where that was before trying to
Prepare geoPaint work disks the border area. Click on it once to position any graphics or text. It took quite
highlight it, then click again to get the a few tests to establish this border.
After booting GEOS on a single drive ghost icon and then drag the ghost icon
system, you click on the file menu from back up to the deskTop of the system Then with one of my work disks I
deskTop and select the format option, to disk. The deskTop program is then double clicked on geoPaint and I selected
10 geoVISION International