Mailservers: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu. First nine lines of message: send /usenet/comp.sys.cbm/main-faq/part1 send /usenet/comp.sys.cbm/main-faq/part2 send /usenet/comp.sys.cbm/main-faq/part3 send /usenet/comp.sys.cbm/main-faq/part4 send /usenet/comp.sys.cbm/main-faq/part5 send /usenet/comp.sys.cbm/main-faq/part6 send /usenet/comp.sys.cbm/main-faq/part7 send /usenet/comp.sys.cbm/main-faq/part8 send /usenet/comp.sys.cbm/main-faq/part9 =20 brain@mail.msen.com (Jim Brain's Mailserver - always has latest copy) Subject: MAILSERV send faq.p* =20 Mailing List =20 To receive any major updates to the FAQ, mail: To: brain@mail.msen.com Subject: MAILSERV Body: subscribe cbm-main-faq Firstname Lastname quit =20 See Section 6 for directions on how to use these services to retrieve t= he FAQ. =20 =20 2. Overview =20 Obviously, we must walk before we run, and this principle applies to FAQ files as well. Here are some general questions we often receive in the Commodore community.=20 =20 =20 2.1. Do people still use Commodore 8-bit machines? =20 Yes, people still do. Newer machines may have appeared and taken over = the corporate world, but the Commodore 8-bit machines live on. =20 =20 2.2. How many Commodore machines are there? =20 If you are asking the quantity of Commodore machines sold, the simple t= ruth is that we do not know. Commodore never officially released any such numbers for all models. It has been estimated that Commodore sold over 10 million Commodore 64 machines, but that has not been proven, as= far as I know. So, if you ever determine exactly what quantity of each mod= el was produced, please pass the information along. =20 If you are asking the number of different models Commodore sold, we hav= e a slightly better idea. Jim Brain has compiled a list of all known CBM products, marketed or not, into the "Canonical List of Commodore Produc= ts". This include all of the Commodore line, including the PCs and the Amiga systems. As it is much too large to fit in the FAQ, it can be requeste= d=20 from Jim Brain's mailserver as file cbmmodel.txt (See Section 6.5.2 for directions on how to access the mailserver). Alternately, the file is=20 posted to the USENET newsgroup comp.sys.cbm on a periodic basis. 2.3. What do people do with Commodore 8-bit machines? =20 People use their machines for very different purposes: Game Console. Home Computer. Experimentor's machine. Small Business Computer. No matter what purpose they use them for, they use them because there i= s a wealth of programs available for the Commodore computer systems. The Commodore line of computers has a seemingly endless supply of quality programs available for it, and more are being created daily. =20 2.4. What Commodore 8-bit machines are most widely used? =20 Well, it is a fact that all types of Commodore 8-bit computers are s= till in use, but the following machines get the most use: Commodore 64 (include SX64, DX64, and PET64) Commodore 128 (includes 128D and Euro 128D) The following systems manufactured by Commodore still have a devout following: Commodore VIC-20 Commodore PET series Commodore B series Commodore Plus 4 and 16 Commodore C65 + The Commodore 65 (64DX) =20 The Commodore 65 is a recent addition and is the result of a liquidatio= n of some ALPHA stage test machines. A number of people have purchased thes= e test units, and they have a FAQ devoted just to this machine. Much=20 information on this machine is available at=20 ftp://ccnga.uwaterloo.ca/pub/cbm/c65 In spite of rumors, No company is considering manufacturing the C65. | If you own a Commodore C65, the following people are compiling lists of people who own them. Robin Harbon 542 West Donald Street. Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7E 5Y6 Canada =20 + Gary Pearson + gpearson@mistral.co.uk =20 + The Commodore PET Series =20 If you currently use a PET series Commodore computer or just want to kn= ow more about them, one person is trying to start a magazine devoted to th= ese machine. For more information or to submit articles for the magazine,=20 please get in touch with: Mark J. Kingsbury 25 Latta Battle Creek, MI 49017 Mark_J_Kingsbury@fc1.glfn.org + If you own a Commodore VIC-20, the following individual is planning to + create a list of owners: + Jeff's Ink Press & Deli + P.O. Box 477493 + Chicago IL 60647 + U17632@uicvm.uic.edu (Internet Contact) 2.5. What is the economic status of Commodore? =20 On April 29, 1994, Commodore International announced that it had been u= nable to renegotiate terms of outstanding loans and were closing down the business. In the months that followed, the liquidation process dragged= on,=20 owing to the large far-reaching size of the corporation. In addition, = the fact that the company was incorporated in the Bahamas while a large sha= re of the creditors were from the US made legal proceeding tense and drawn= out. On April 20th, 1995, almost a full year later, Commodore was sold to a German company called ESCOM for approximately 10 to 12.5 million doll= ars. =20 At present, the new acquisition has been named Amiga Technologies GmbH = and is at the following address: =20 Amiga Technologies, GmbH Berliner Ring 89 D-64625 Bensheim, Germany. =20 The new head of Engineering is Dr. Peter Kittel, whome many know from his post in the liquidated Commodore Corporation. A press release by M= r. Kittel states that the company will care exclusively for the Amiga line= of machines at present, although licensing for the 8-bit technology is pos= sibly an option for the near future. =20 If people would like to become part of the new company, plain resumes=20 (no fax or email) can be sent to: =20 ESCOM AG Personalabteilung Tiergartenstr. 9 D-64646 Heppenheim Germany =20 I have word that the new company is licensing a manufacturer to produce C64s for the Chinese market, but these cannot be exported. =20 Of course, since Commodore hasn't served the Commodore 8-bit community for quite some time, most Commodore owners are only interested in what will happen to Commodore Semiconductor Group (CSG), the fabricator for many of the special ICs in the Commodore 8-bit line. Below is the curr= ent status of CSG as of April 6, 1995: Commodore Semiconductor Group liquidated in December, 1994. The vast=20 majority of the operational material and the real estate was purchased = by=20 GMT Electronics, a company formed by CSG's management. GMT has paid th= e=20 $1 million lien that the EPA had levied against CSG, and is now operati= ng=20 as a for-hire chip production plant. CSG/GMT is holding approximately $5 million in Commodore parts. =20 3. The BASICs =20 These are some questions we receive about "BASIC", the built-in programming language in all 8-bit Commodore computers, and the "basics= " of using the machine. =20 =20 3.1. How do I format a Commodore disk? =20 To format a disk in drive 0 (older PET drives had drive 0 and 1) on dis= k device #8, you issue the following command from BASIC: open1,8,15,"n0:16char_name,12":close1 | The name can be 16 characters in length, and the disk id (12 in this example) can be any two alphanumeric characters. For more information on how to use the 1541 disk drive or compatibles,=20 a complete manual is available at ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/cbm/documents. (See Section 6.9 for direction on how to use ftp.) =20 =20 3.2. How do I transform a BASIC program to a text file? =20 As you may know, Commodore BASIC stores programs in "tokenized" format, so they are unreadable from a standard text editor. To fix that, load = up you BASIC program, and then type the following in direct mode: open1,8,2,"listing,s,w":cmd1:list The text listing will be placed on drive 8 in a file called listing. A= fter the listing is finished, your cursor should return. Type the following in: print#1:close1 You now have an un-"tokenized" copy of your program, which you can edit= with any text editor. =20 3.3. How do I transform a text file into a BASIC program? =20 Since Commodore BASIC stores its programs in "tokenized" format, one cannot simply load text files containing BASIC statements and run the f= ile directly. However, there is a solution. In direct mode, type in the=20 following: C64: open1,8,2,"filename":poke781,1:poke812,73:sys 65478 =20 C128: open1,8,2,"filename":sys 65478,,1 This will read in each line of the text file and try to execute it (or=20 store it if the line is preceded by a number). The screen will go blan= k (scroll upwards) while the file is retrieved and will likely end up=20 printing an error message, which is normal. When the last line of the program is entered, hit RUN/STOP-RESTORE, and type in the following= : close1 The file will now be loaded into memory. Immediately save the file to disk as a BASIC program. =20 If the above sounds too complicated for you, check out the seq-to-basic program that is posted to comp.binaries.cbm every month. It will perfo= rm the translation for you, after you answer a few simple prompts. 3.4. How can I change my drive device number through software? =20 To change the device number on Commodore drives, follow these steps: In the following examples, 'olddn' is the drive's current device number= , and 'newdn' is the new number you wish to change it to. =20 1) Turn off all drives except one you wish to change device number o= f. 2) Type the following in, depending on drive type: =20 1540/41/42/4040/Most Compatibles: open 15,olddn,15 print#15,"m-w"chr$(119)chr$(0)chr$(2)chr$(32+newdn)chr$(64+newdn) close 15 MSD SD-1 (Old ROM): open 15,olddn,15 print#15,"m-w"chr$(117)chr$(0)chr$(2)chr$(32+newdn)chr$(64+newdn) close 15 =20 1551/70/71/81 open 15,olddn,15 print#15,"u0>"+chr$(newdn) close 15 =20 3) Turn back on other drives. =20 The change is only temporary. It will revert back if the drive is turn= ed off. =20 3.5. Can I get my 1581 drive to change its device number on startup? =20 When the 1581 is initialized, as well as checking the boot sector of th= e disk, it also looks for a file "copyright cbm 86". This file, if found= , can specify a device number for the 1581 disk. Whenever the 1581 is bo= oted or initialized with this disk inserted, its device number will be chang= ed to the specified number. The utility 1581-auto-dev by David W. Tamkin (can be found on ccnga.uwaterloo.ca in the utilities directory) will cr= eate this file. It can also do other stuff, so check it out. =20 =20 #! rnews 22520 Path: pravda.aa.msen.com!news1.best.com!news.texas.net!newsfeed.concentri= c.net!news-master!mariner.cris.com!Gaelyne From: Gaelyne@cris.com (Gaelyne Moranec) Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm Subject: COMP.SYS.CBM: General FAQ, v3.1 Part 2/9 Supersedes: Followup-To: comp.sys.cbm Date: 5 Jul 1996 06:18:56 GMT Organization: Brain Innovations, Inc. Lines: 602 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Message-ID: Reply-To: brain@mail.msen.com NNTP-Posting-Host: mariner.cris.com Summary: This posting contains answers to questions that commonly surface= in comp.sys.cbm. This posting will tell you enough to get your computer connected to a network, fixed, and/or enhanced. This f= ile should be read by new users of comp.sys.cbm before posting to th= e group. It should also be proofread by users who are currently active in comp.sys.cbm. Keywords: CBM FAQ Help List C64 C128 VIC Modem X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Archive-name: cbm-main-faq.3.1.p2 Comp-answers-archive-name: commodore/main-faq/part2 News-answers-archive-name: commodore/main-faq/part2 Comp-sys-cbm-archive-name: main-faq/part2 Version: 3.1 Last-modified: 1996/06/05 =09 -----------------------------------------------------------------------= ---- =20 Table of Contents (for this file) --------------------------------- =20 4. Publications 4.1. What paper publications are available? 4.2. What paper publications have disappeared? 4.3. What is a Disk Magazine? Where do I find them? 4.4. What is an Online Magazine? Where do I find them? 4.5. Are there other publications I should be aware of? 4.6. How do I know which magazines to subscribe to? -----------------------------------------------------------------------= ---- =20 4. Publications =20 Commodore users are always wanting more information about their computer. They want to see articles about how to use it, program it,=20 care for it, and expand it. Some use publications to gain knowledge, = while others use them to find other people who have knowledge. =20 =20 =20 4.1. What paper publications are available? =20 The Underground The Underground 4574 Via Santa Maria Santa Maria, CA 93455 underground@tcf.com (Contact) Scott Eggleston (Editor) The Underground is a small format (8.5" x 5.5", with an average 28 pages) publication which covers all sorts of Commodore topics. Each issue will usually have two feature articles and two reviews, as well as regular columns on GEOS, telecommunications, programming, news, commentary, and Public Domain and Shareware. One unique feature to the Underground is "Underware", which is all the PD/SW software mentioned in each issue which is provided "free" to those subscribers who send in a blank disk with return postage. We also pride ourselves on being the most affordable publication, as well as being completely produced on Commodore equipment. The Underground is produced using geoPublish and a TI Laser printer, and reproduced on a high-quality copy machine. It appears regularly every other month. Writers are encouraged to send articles in PETASCII or ASCII format (1,000 words is recommended) on a disk, or directly to the editor's e-mail box. The Underground pays $5 per article. =20 Subscription rates: (All checks or money order in US funds) Type of Subescription US Canada/ International Mexico one year subscription (6 issues) $11.00 $12.50 $21.50 sample issue $2.00 $2.25 $3.75 =20 Commodore World Creative Micro Designs, Inc. P.O. Box 646 East Longmeadow, MA 01028 (800) 638-3263 (Credit Card Orders) cmd.sales@the-spa.com (Information and Pricing)=20 cmd.cw@the-spa.com (Questions or Comments)=20 cmd.cac@the-spa.com (Charles Chistianson - Marketing)=20 doug.cotton@the-spa.com (Doug Cotton - Editor) This is a new magazine that supersedes the RUN magazine. It is packed with info about Commodore computers.=20 =20 Subscription rates:=20 Type of Subscription US Canada/ EC All Others Mexico one year subscription (8 issues) $29.96 $35.95 $45.95 $57.97 sample issue + shipping $6.95 $6.95 $8.95 $8.95 =20 Twin Cities 128/64 (TC128/64) Twin Cities 128/64 (TC128) Parsec, Incorporated P.O. Box 111 Salem, MA 01970-0111 (508) 745-5855 Twin Cities 128 is (as of issue #29) published by Parsec, Inc. It feat= ures Commodore 128 iand 64 specific information, and attempts to cater to re= aders at all levels of experience, not just novices. Additionally, starting = with Issue #31(February/March 1991), Twin Cities 128 comes with a companion = disk. Subscription rates: (All checks or money order in US funds) Type of Subscription US Canada/ International Mexico one year subscription with disks $24.00 $24.00 $36.00 =20 Commodore Network Commodore Network Magazine Warren Naismith 9 Wadeson St Cobram Victoria Australia 3150 =20 In U.S.: COMMODORE CEE | 5443 College Oak Drive #26 | Sacramento, CA 95841 Jack Vanderwhite@cee-64.wmeonlin.sacbbx.com (Contact) ceejack@crl.com (Contact) Jack Vanderwhite, editor. Fidonet: 1:203/999 | (916) 339-3403 (Bulletin Board System) Starting 1/95 subscriptions will be available in the U.S. from Jack Vander White at $40.00 per 12 issues. This is the same as the local price in Australia. Back issues and Compendium volumes will be=20 advertised in the near future for U.S. subscribers. Subscription rates: (From Jack Vander White) Type of Subscription US =20 =20 one year subscription (12 issues) $40.00 =20 64'er (German) 64'er=20 Magna Media Post Fatch 1304 D-85531 Haar bei Munich Germany +49 89 4613192 (Voice) +49 89 46135001 (Fascimile) mmatting@cube.net (E-mail Address) +49 89 4613266 (Bulletin Board System) Subscription rates: Type of Subscription Germany/ Others Austria/ Switzerland one year subscription DM105.00 DM129.00 (12 issues @ 64 p each, 12 disks) =20 Atta Bitar (8-Bit) =20 =20 SUBSCRIPTIONS=20 ]tta Bitar (]=3DÅ) c/o Anders Reutersw{rd ({ =3D ä) Runsav{gen 44 S-161 53 BROMMA Sweden andersr@dmz.medstroms.se (Internet Contact) =20 EDITOR ]tta Bitar c/o Erik Paulson (Editor and Contact) \stantorp Fridhem (\ =3D Ö) S-590 90 ANKARSRUM Sweden =20 http://www.mds.mdh.se/~dat95pkn/8bitar/ (WWW URL) This is a Swedish magazine that caters to Commodore 64 and 128 users. Subscription rates: (Subscriptions fees should be payed to postal giro account no. 82 66 75= -1) Type of Subscription Sweden Scandinavia one year subscription (6 issues) 75.00sek 100.00sek The Commodore GEOS Publication =20 The Commodore GEOS Publication 713 East Main Street Independence, KS 67301-3726 User oriented magazine. =20 The Commodore 128/64 Power User Newsletter Power User GosserGamesLtd. Incorporated c/o Thomas Gosser P.O. Box 1817 Shelton, WA 98584 (360) 426-0750 (Subscriptions and Information) (360) 426-2406 (Bulletin Board System) 128POWERUSER@delphi.com (Email Contact) http://www.msen.com/~brain/guest/GGL/cpu.html (WWW URL) The Power User newlsetter is a small format (8.5" x 5.5") publication t= hat contains Commodore 128 and 64 pertinent information. + Subscription rates: + Type of Subscription US =20 =20 + one year subscription (6 issues) $15.00 =20 + bulk 1 year sub. (6 issues) $10.00 =20 + LOADSTAR Letter =20 + SOFTDISK PUBLISHING + P.O. BOX 30008 + SHREVEPORT, LA 71130-00008 + Jeff Jones (Associate Editor) + EMAIL: loadstar@softdisk.com (Internet Contact) + (800) 831-2694 (Phone) + (318) 221-8870 (Fascimile) + (318) 425-4382 (Bulletin Board System) + Formerly the printed 8 page insert bundled with every copy of LOADSTAR + and LOADSTAR 128, this small magazine is now offered as a separate prod= uct. + Editted by Scott Egglestone and Jeff Jones,the ads will will be replace= d + with Commodore information. + Subscription rates: + Type of Subscription US =20 =20 + LOADSTAR Letter $ 12.00 =20 =20 4.2. What paper publications have disappeared? =20 Although the following magazines are no longer in print, most of the=20 information is still timely. Some of these publications, such as Transactor, are highly sought after for their technical content. Since some programs and information is not republished in newer magazines, th= ese old magazines might have the only article about a given topic or proble= m. =20 Ahoy! =20 RUN =20 Creative Micro Designs, Inc. P.O. Box 646 East Longmeadow, MA 01028 (800) 638-3263 (Credit Card Orders) ISSN: 0741-4285 Jan 1984 - Nov/Dec 1992 Creative Micro Designs offers back issues of RUN magazine.=20 =20 Commodore Microcomputing-Power/Play =20 GeoVISISON =20 The Transactor Transactor Publications ISSN: 0827-2530 (or 0838-0163?) Apr 1978 - 1989 Sure, it's dead, and has been for a few years, but this one was a class= ic. Calling itself the magazine for Commodore programmers, this magazine wa= s enough to make any C64/C128 programmer drool. Featuring in-depth techn= ical information and programming tutorials, as well as "out-of-the-way" topi= cs (things along the line of Richard Curcio's 256K and 512K articles that appeared in TC128). If you are a programmer and can get your hands on back issues of this magazine, do so. =20 + An HTML index of Transactor issue is at: + http://vanbc.wimsey.com/~danf/cbm/transactor.idx Micro-Bytes (Original) + Paul McAleer, editor + hijinx@xnet.com (Internet Contact) + This is the original Micro-Bytes, as published by Paul McAleer. + Copies of all issues are available from Paul for the cost of shipping. + CHeck out the following URL for more information: + http://www.xnet.com/~hijinx/news/mb.htm + Micro-Bytes (Greg Noggle's Version) Parsec, Incorporated P.O. Box 111 Salem, MA 01970-0111 (508) 745-5855 As of 25-May-1992, Parsec, Inc. has taken over the distribution of MB=20 products, and back issues. More information about MB can be found in t= he=20 /pub/cbm/micro-bytes directory on ccnga.uwaterloo.ca.=20 =20 COMPUTE'S Gazette COMPUTE'S Gazette P.O. BOX 3244 HARLAN, IA 51593-2424 (800) 727-6937 (Subscription Number) tomnetsel@aol.com (Gazette Editor, Tom Netsel) ISSN: 0737-3716 Jul 1983 - Feb 1995 Yes, the Gazette is finally shutting down. They are trying to clear ou= t old inventory, so give them a call for back issues. =20 GEOJOURNAL =20 COMMODORE CEE Publications | 5443 College Oak Drive #26 | Sacramento, CA 95841 EMAIL Jack Vanderwhite@cee-64.wmeonlin.sacbbx.com (Contact) Jack Vanderwhite, editor. Fidonet: 1:203/999 | (916) 339-3403 (Bulletin Board System) COMMODORE CEE has taken over publication of back issues of GEOJOURNAL. dieHard dieHard subscriptions P.O. Box 392 Boise, ID 83701-0392 (208) 383-0300 (Information) Magazine devoted to all 8-bit Commodore computers. After the October, = 1994 issue was published, LynnCarthy Industries has not produced another iss= ue. The latest information, asz per a press release issued to many of the competing magazine, indiciates that the decision to cease publication i= s effective October 4, 1994. More information can be read in the actual press release, commented by Jack Vanderwhite of Commodore CEE Magazine,= on=20 Jim Brain's MAILSERV server. The file is named dieHard_Press_Release.t= xt. COMPUTE! COMPUTE! Publications ISSN: 0194-357X TPUG (Toronto PET User Group) Magazine TPUG Publications ISSN: 0825-0367 Info 64 The Northwest User's Guide Commander Optimizer 64