6.9.3. How do I send files to an FTP site? If you have the Commodore 128 .sfx creator, use it. It is part of the = CS-DOS public-domain software package, and it requires a Commodore-1700-compat= ible RAM expansion unit. If you can't make .sfx archives, upload the files = as straight binaries. Text files which you include in .sfx archives shoul= d be PETSCII. Separate text files should be ASCII or ISO 8859-1. If you ar= e uploading GEOS files, use William Coleman's Convert 2.5 program to tran= sfer the files to standard Commodore format before including them in the .sf= x archive. You can make .sfx archives on a Unix machine by first compressing the files into an .lzh or .lha archive, then using Marko Makela's LZHconver= t package on the LHarchive. This technique may work on some non-Unix computers. LZHconvert is on ftp.funet.fi in directory /pub/cbm/archivi= ng. Upload a .readme file separately from your program or archive. In your= readme file, give a one-sentence description of each of your program(s)= . List the lengths, starting addresses, and CRC32s of the files. Look on= ftp.funet.fi in /pub/cbm/archiving for CRC-32 software. People should be able to make sure easily that they have all the parts = of your software package. Put a complete file list in the readme file. M= ake a directory on the FTP site if you can, and put all your files in that. E-mail the maintainers right before you post your data. Your message c= an be just the .readme file with an introductory comment. The following is a list of valid FTP sites as of 26 Sep 1995. In the directory names below, replace "..." with the existing name closest to = the purpose of your files. "Dir" indicates whether the FTP site allows you= to create your own directories. Destination: ftp://ccnga.uwaterloo.ca/pub/cbm/... Uploads: ftp://ccnga.uwaterloo.ca/pub/cbm/INCOMING/... E-mail: csbruce@ccnga.uwaterloo.ca Dir: Yes Destination: ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/cbm/... Uploads: ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/cbm/incoming/... E-mail: cbm-adm@nic.funet.fi Dir: No Destination: ftp://pitel_lnx.ibk.fnt.hvu.nl/pub/c64/... Uploads: ftp://pitel_lnx.ibk.fnt.hvu.nl/pub/c64/incoming E-mail: cba@pitel_lnx.ibk.fnt.hvu.nl Dir: No Destination: ftp://dhp.com/pub/c64/... Uploads: ftp://dhp.com/pub/c64/pub/c64/incoming Email: rotox@dhp.com Dir: No Destination: ftp://ftp.giga.or.at/pub/c64/... Uploads: ftp://ftp.giga.or.at/pub/c64/INCOMING (no read access here= ) E-mail: spockie@giga.or.at Dir: Yes (difficult to delete, though) Destination: ftp://bbs.cc.uniud.it/pub/c64/... Uploads: ftp://bbs.cc.uniud.it/pub/c64/incoming E-mail: playboy@bbs.cc.uniud.it Dir: No 6.10. What is Internet Relay Chat (IRC)? Internet Raley Chat (IRC) is an online version of citizen's band radio = or BBS chat rooms. The service is worldwide and is available on the Inter= net. To use IRC, one would normally use a client program (typically called i= rc on UNIX machines) to access the service. Although the program used to access IRC varies, the commands are pretty much standard. All commands are entered on the text line and begin with a "/" character. Here are a few important ones: /join #c-64 Join the #c-64 channel, which discusses topic= s concerning Commodore hardware and software. /msg Commbot help will get you info on Commbot which carries C6= 4/128 software to download. /msg Filebot help another C64 bot with software to download fro= m. /msg coolhand xdcc list if he is online, this user has many c64 files which can be downloaded via this command. /quit leave. /names * List names of all people in current channel. /dcc send (nickname) (filename) Send a file to person (nickname). /dcc receive (nickname) or /dcc get (filename) REceive a file from someone. If you need more info on how IRC works, there is a file available on Jim Brain's email file server called irc-info.txt that explains IRC in more depth. (See Section 6.5.2 for directions on how to use the mail s= erver) 6.11. What else is available online? If you are looking for other places on the Internet to talk Commodore, there is the Commodore forum on CoSy, a system accessible from the Internet. To access this service, you must have access to a telnet program. Here is the relevant information: telnet cosy.softwaords.bc.ca login: cosy CoSy: j commodore This will bring up a list of topics pertaining to Commodore. The forum moderator is Robert Todd and his email address is robert.todd@bbs.serve= .org. This forum is ideally suited to discussions about the Color64 BBS system and other Commodore BBS systems. If you wish to post in the forum, please send email to that effect to Robert Todd. #! rnews 27499 Path: pravda.aa.msen.com!news1.best.com!news.texas.net!newshost.comco.com= !newsfeed.concentric.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 6/9 Supersedes: Followup-To: comp.sys.cbm Date: 5 Jul 1996 06:23:44 GMT Organization: Brain Innovations, Inc. Lines: 584 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.p6 Comp-answers-archive-name: commodore/main-faq/part6 News-answers-archive-name: commodore/main-faq/part6 Comp-sys-cbm-archive-name: main-faq/part6 Version: 3.1 Last-modified: 1996/06/05 -----------------------------------------------------------------------= ---- Table of Contents (for this file) --------------------------------- 7. Exchanging Data 7.1. How do I exchange data among Commodore 8-bit machines? 7.2. How do I exchange data between an IBM(tm) and my Commodore? 7.3. How do I exchange data between an Amiga and my Commodore? 7.4. How do I exchange data between a Macintosh(tm) and my Commodore? 7.5. How do I exchange data between an Atari ST(tm) and my Commodore? 7.6. How do I exchange data between a UNIX(tm) machine and my Commodo= re? 7.7. Are there other ways to exchange data between computers? 8. Operating Systems 8.1. What Operating Systems are available? 8.2. What is GEOS? 8.3. What is UNIX? 8.4. What is CP/M 9. Demonstrations 9.1. Just what is a demonstration, or demo? 9.2. What does NTSC and PAL mean? 9.3. Where do I get demos? 9.4. What is a demo competition? 9.5 What does FLI, DYCP, etc. mean? -----------------------------------------------------------------------= ---- 7. Exchanging Data At some point in time it becomes necessary to move data from one machin= e to another. Sometimes this is easy, sometimes it is not. This section w= ill | help you decide which way of transferring files is best. For those who= have + WWW access, additional information is at + http://www.funet.fi/pub/cbm/transfer/ 7.1. How do I exchange data among Commodore 8-bit machines? You can exchange data between Commodore machines in a number of ways, b= ut each way requires an exchange medium, whether it be tape, disk, modem, = or null modem. To transfer files between any Commodore machines besides the Plus/4 series that have datasette ports, the file can be save to tape and exchanged. The Plus/4 series tape drives read and write data in a form= at not compantible with any other CBM system. To transfer files between any Commodore computers with disk drives, you need to find a drive that can be connected to either computer, or two drives with compatible disk formats. Some examples of two drive setups= : 2031 1541 4040 1541 (Read but not write compatible_ 8050 8250 (can't use back side of 8250 disk) 8050 SFD1001 (can't use back side of SFD1001 disk) 1551 1541 1571 1541 (can't use back of 1571 disk) Modems can be used to exchange the information, if both computers can use modems. Just perform a dowload on one end, and an upload on the other. Null modems can make this job simpler, by removing the data-> telephone line step performed in a modem. With all of these methods, data files should transmit fine, but program file written in ML will most likely not work, and BASIC programs will usually fail is loaded on a machine with a differing version of BASIC. 7.2. How do I exchange data between an IBM(tm) and my Commodore? Commodore computers use a disk format which is not compatible with the disk formats of other computers. However, some programs exist which al= low you to read foreign, specifically MS-DOS, disks. Note that in general = to do this, you must have either a 1571 or 1581 disk drive. The 1541 cann= ot read MS-DOS disks without some hardware modifications. Big Blue Reader A commercial package, The Big Blue Reader, from SOGWAP software, runs o= n either a 64 or a 128, will read and write MS-DOS format 3.5" (with a 15= 81) and 5.25" (with a 1571) disks. Crosslink Other freely distributable programs exist to read and write 5.25" MS-DO= S disks. One such program is Crosslink, (available on ccnga.uwaterloo.ca although it is limited to reading files 43K in size or smaller. Finall= y, there are a few CP/M MS-DOS reading utilities that work in the C128's C= P/M mode. RUN Reader RUN magazine (4/89 to 6/89) published a series of programs that would u= se 1571/1581 drives to transfer MS-DOS files to and from a C=3D drive. It= is also limited in file size handling ~43-44K. Little Red Reader Issues 4 and 5 of C=3D Hacking magazine presented a program called Litt= le Red Reader for the 128 that will copy files to and from MS-DOS floppy disks. The menu-driven program requires two disk drives to work, where= the one containing the MS-DOS disk must be a 1571 or 1581 (or compatible). = The program does not buffer data internally, so the only size restriction o= n copying is the capacity of the target disk. The program provides PETSC= II/ ASCII conversion but will work only with the root directories of MS-DOS disks. The program is also available via FTP and is FREE. 1541-dos To read and write to MS-DOS disks with 1541 disk drives you have to mak= e a small hardware modification. The 1541-dos package contains instructions= on how to modify Commodore 1541 and Oceanic OC-118/OC-118N disk drives, an= d programs to read disks in MS-DOS format and to write to disks in a form= at that can be read by MS-DOS computers. The newest version of the packag= e is available via anonymous ftp on ftp.funet.fi in /pub/cbm/documents/1541-= dos. x1541 To read CBM disks on an IBM, you can use the program x1541 available on ccnga.uwaterloo.ca in /pub/cbm/emulation. This program uses the PC par= allel port to emulate a C=3D serial port. You need to have a unique cable bu= ilt to make the connection. The cable is connected to a 1541 drive. The documentation has a schematic for the cable. + If you would rather not build the X1541 cable, the following individual + offers them for a nominal cost: + Paul MacArthur + attn: X1541 Cable Offer + 24 Central Street + Braintree, MA 02184 22DSK If you own a Commodore 1581, there is a PC program which can read 1581 formatted disks. The latest version is 1.4.2 and is available at ftp://oak.oakland.edu/Simtel/msdos/diskutil/22dsk142.zip. Note that th= is program will only handle CP/M formatted disks. C64-Connect A very fast way of transferring one file programs between the Commodore= and PC is C64-Connect. All you need is a simple cable between user port of C6= 4 and PC's parallel printer port (LPT). Loading of a 50 KB program takes = about 3.0 seconds and transferring the same program from C64 to PC takes 4.5 seconds. (Times were measured on a PAL-C64 and 486DX-40, NTSC units wi= ll see slighly faster times) This program is a boon for every C64 user that h= as only a cassette drive, as the loader program needed fori the C64 is sho= rter than most cassette turbos and aboyt 45 times faster. C64-Connect stores C64 programs on PC in the standard PRG format, so you can easily convert them to various file formats used by emulators. The latest version of C64-Connect is 0.99. You can get it from file://ftp.funet.fi/pub/cbm/transfer/CBM-to-PC/ Email Ville Muikkula at vmuikku@raahenet.ratol.fi for more information. PC2VIC This package enables you to send programs (and other data) to your VIC2= 0. The data is sent from the PC:s printerport to the VIC20:s userport, whi= ch makes the transfer rather fast. adam.bergstrom@um.erisoft.se Adam Bergstrom Storgatan 92,2 903 33 Umea SWEDEN + Anadisk + Anadisk will allow you to read, write, and edit sectors of 1581 disks i= n + an IBM PC floppy drive. The current version is 2.07 and has the filena= me + ANAD207.ZIP. There are no programs that will read a 5.25" Commodore disk in a 5.25" = PC drive. 7.3. How do I exchange data between an Amiga and my Commodore? TransNib The TransNib 1.00 package for Amiga allows transferring files C64<->Amiga at up to 60000 bps. It uses a parallel<->user port cable th= at currently transfers 4bits at a time. Uses 2-way handshaking. 2 versions= of the 64software are in the archive. Requires a disk drive. 1541 fastloader compatible. The Amiga side software can be run from shell of= WB, multitasks fine and has nice simple GUI. For more information, get the archive from ftp.wustl.edu, /systems/amiga/aminet/misc/emu/TransNib100.lha PData The PData 3.51 package for the Amiga allows transfer of both binary and text files between the C64/C128 and the Amiga. It's about 25 times fas= ter than a null modem cable, and it even leaves your Amiga serial port free= for other applications. You can transfer up to 255 files in both directions in multitransfer mo= de. The program works with an cable attached between the 64 user port and t= he Amiga parallel port. The Amiga software can be run from any Amiga, although Kickstart v37.175 (v2.04) is required to utilize all functions. for more information, get the archive at: ftp://ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk/computing/systems/amiga/mods/chip/NemeSIDs-Extra= .lzh prlink prlink is a program that uses the X1541 cable to transfer data from the Commodore to the Amiga It is at: ftp://pub/cbm/transfer/CBM-to-PC/prlink-0.8.0a.lha + Over5 + Over5 (successor to OverFour) is a program that uses a standard 3 wire = null + modem cable to transfer files between the Amiga and the 64/128. No spe= cial + serial port cartridges are needed. Only a simple votga econverter for = the + 64/128 user port to generate RS-232 level voltage is needed. The code + is at: + http://www.stacken.kth.se/~tlr/computing/over5.html + FEATURES: + * filecopy with wildcards !!IMPROVED!! + * builtin diskturbo + * Read/Write memory !!IMPROVED!! + * Read/Write file + * Read directory + * Send disk command + * Read disk status + * do RUN/SYS + * both PAL and NTSC versions + * the Amiga as harddisk server !!IMPROVED!! + * fastformat with verify + * Read/Write raw disk !!IMPROVED!! + * ZIPCODE archive depacking + * ZIPCODE archive packing + * timeout handling on the c64 + * source code included !!NEW!! + * protocol documentation !!NEW!! + The author: + Daniel Kahlin + Vanadisv=E4gen 6, 2tr + s-113 46 Stockholm + Sweden + 08-34 84 73 (+468348473) (Phone) 7.4. How do I exchange data between a Macintosh(tm) and my Commodore? 7.5. How do I exchange data between an Atari ST(tm) and my Commodore? Atari ST can read and write 3.5" DD disks formatted for PC. You need to= use TOS 1.4 or higher to format. Using Big Blue Reader to write 3.5" PC format on CBM will permit transfer. ST also has RS-232 port, so one can transfer data by using RS-232 adapt= or on the C64 and some terminal/handshaking programs to control the transf= er. 7.6. How do I exchange data between a UNIX(tm) machine and my Commodo= re? One way is to use PC and then ftp to UNIX, unless the UNIX runs on a PC. Some Sparctations have drives with MSDOS filesystem emulation, but it h= as problems even with Atari/DOS disks. cbmfs cbmfs is a read-only filesystem driver which allows transparent reading= of 1581 disks under Linux. It is installed as a loadable kernel module an= d allows mounting Commodore 1581 disks in a standard 3.5" floppy drive, a= nd 1541 disk images (.D64 files) copied to any floppy disk. PETSCII to AS= CII conversion can be automatically performed. Partitions on 1581 disks ar= e accessed as subdirectories. The publically-released version will be available at and at . prlink prlink is a program that uses the X1541 cable to transfer data from the Commodore to Linux (or any UNIX). It is at: ftp://pub/cbm/transfer/CBM-to-PC/ 7.7. Are there other ways to exchange data between computers? If you are transferring data to another computer (e.g. a PC) in the sam= e room, or if you are lucky enough to have a terminal server line near yo= ur 64/128(more and more colleges are putting such beasts in dorm rooms), y= ou be able to connect your serial port directly to another computer. If y= ou have a terminal server port, all you need is a C=3D RS232 to standard R= S232 adapter (see 9.8). If you are connecting to another, PC, you will also need a null modem. A null modem is a simple device that you can buy fo= r less than $10. It typically is a small box with a 25-pin (or 9-pin) RS= 232 connector on either side. Put it somewhere in the line between your C=3D= and the other PC. 8. Operating Systems Most Commodore users aren't aware that each machine has an operating system. Since all Commodore systems come complete with a built in operating system and BASIC programming language, the need for an operating system is minimized. However, Commodore's internal OS is not always the right tool for the job, so alternate OS systems are available for the CBM. 8.1. What Operating Systems are available? Well, Commodore computers come with a standard operating system built in ROM. They also contain a built in BASIC interpreter which is normally activated after switching on or resetting the computer. If you want alternative options to replace the existing OS, there are a= few that may suit your needs. GEOS is the best known, but a number of peop= le have made UNIX-like operating system replacements for the Commodore 64 = and 128. Also, on the 128, CP/M is available out-of-the-box. (see below fo= r details on different OS types.) 8.2. What is GEOS? GEOS stands for Graphical Environment Operating System. It is a Graphi= cal User Interface (GUI) style of OS, and it brings to the Commodore 64 and= 128 integrated applications. The graphical nature of GEOS allows applicati= ons to use fonts of any size, bitmaps, and menus and mice. The system was Designed by Berkeley Softworks, now GEOWorks, and is supported now by C= MD. There are a number of graphical style GEOS applications, like GEOWrite, GEOPaint, GEOPublish, GEOTerm, etc. The system is very easy to use, an= d is very fast, even when compared to other GUIs like Windows and OS/2. GEOS can make very effective use of a Ram Expansion Unit, a RAMDrive or RAMLink, or GEORam. GEOS allows you to configure your REU to appear ju= st like another (very fast) disk drive, although it does not keep its cont= ents when you turn your computer off. So, any GEOS software that works off = of a disk will work out of your REU. Since GEOS is very disk-intensive, t= his greatly improves the performance of your system. Indeed, some firm GEO= S adherents have said that they would not use GEOS without a RAM device o= f some sort. GEOS will not work with a stock 1700. To have a RAM drive, in GEOS, yo= u must have at least 256K of expansion. Thanks to patches developed by J= im Collette(configure2.1), GEOS also supports 1 Meg, 1.5 Meg, and 2 Meg RE= Us. GEOS files are structured differently from standard Commodore files. T= hey cannot be uploaded or downloaded directly. Before you upload a GEOS fi= le, use the freeware GEOS application convert2.5 by W.C. Coleman to convert= it to Commodore format. When you download a GEOS file, you must use the s= ame program to convert it to GEOS format. By convention, GEOS format files converted to standard Commodore format have a .cvt on the end; however, many converted GEOS files just have the same name as the original GEOS = file. As a rule of thumb, any GEOS file you download, regardless of the exten= sion, must be converted to GEOS format with convert2.5. If you download an archive of GEOS files (e.g. a .arc or .sda file containing GEOS files), you must first dissolve the archive using your = C64 or C128 in native mode. The constituents of the archive will be conver= ted GEOS files, whether or not they have the .cvt extension. Each of these constituents (which are GEOS files) must be individually converted to G= EOS format with convert2.5. If you need some help with GEOS or any aspect of it, I refer you to Myl= es Skinner at mskinner@julian.uwo.ca. He is one of many people who use GE= OS every day and can be of help. 8.3. What is UNIX? UNIX is an OS that was developed by Bell Laboratories in the 1960's and is now used on many workstations. It is a multi-user, multi-process OS that has extensive support from the educational and commercial communities. Internet and Usenet are primarily a collection of UNIX workstations networked together. The UNIX-like OS replacements for Commodore computers mainly emulate the shell of UNIX, where programs ar= e run by merely typing in their name. Other aspects of UNIX, such as multiple processes are supported by some of the offering, which are: Asterix. - A UNIX-Look-and-feel Shell replacement for 64 UNIX128. - A small implementation of UNIX for the 128. ACE 128/64.- A new offering which borrows the UNIX shell look for = 64 | and 128. It is available at: ftp://ccnga.uwaterloo.ca/pub/cbm/os/ace/ + LUnix - A new offering which attempts an implementation of UN= IX + for the 64. It is available at: | ftp://rpool1.rus.uni-stuttgart.de/~etk10217/proj.htm + CS/A65 - Andre Fachat's multitasking OS. At: + http://www.tu-chemnitz.de/~fachat/csa/ + CXII - http://www.cynapses.com/ry/cx2home.html 8.4. What is CP/M CP/M stands for Control Program for Microcomputers and is available on every Commodore 128. There is also a CP/M cartridge available for the Commodore 64, but it cannot read CP/M disks, just 1541 formatted disks,= and there are questions concerning its ability to work with all revisions of the Commodore 64. CP/M was very popular in the early eighties befor= e MS-DOS became popular. It requires a Z-80 microprocessor, which the 12= 8 has, or an 8080 processor, and a disk drive capable of reading CP/M dis= ks, such as the 1571. If you don't need to read existing CP/M formatted di= sks, then a 1541 could also be used. This operating system is the one that MS-DOS was modeled after, so there are a lot of similarities. If you a= re interested in using CP/M as your primary OS, then please check out the newsgroup comp.os.cpm, as they have more info on the current events concerning CP/M. The version of CP/M used on the 128 is 3.0, commonly called CP/M Plus. It is compatible with earlier versions of CP/M but adds some new featur= es. The copy of CP/M 3.0 that ships with the 128 was specially modified to = allow use of the features of the 128, such as the Ram Expansion Unit as a RAM disk, the SID chip, and the extra RAM of the 128. In the March 1994 issue of dieHard, Mike Gordillo gave an overview of t= he CP/M operating system. It is one of many such articles that should be = read by anyone new to CP/M. 9. Demonstrations Very few Commodore enthusiasts have never seen a demonstration, yet many aren't really sure what one is. Well, since these programs are st= ill alive and strong in the 1990's, we need to answer some of their mysteri= es (but not all of them, as their job is to amaze). 9.1. Just what is a demonstration, or demo? A demonstration, or "demo" as they are known, is a piece of software th= at is designed to provoke a visually and aurally pleasing effect from the computer. This usually involves large amounts of multi-colored graphic= s, complex synthesized or digitized sounds, and orchestrated movement of shapes or color schemes on the screen. Demos originated as introductio= ns to "cracked" games, games in which the copy protection had been rendere= d useless. As time wore on, the standard abilities of the computer were = all used in demos, and rival "cracker" teams raced to bring out the best de= mo. In the search for the "best demo", demo authors, or "coders", tried to maximize the use of the computer in a demo program. Also, they exploit= ed any undocumanted feature the computer could provide. Since most of the circuits in the Commodore computers were multi-purpose, experienced cod= ers could use some of their features in non-standard ways. Some examples: Removing the top and bottom border. Removing the side borders. Placing text (text mapped sprites) in the open borders. More than 8 sprites on screen at once. pseudo interlacing to create illusion of up to 640*400 resolution. Since the commercial game market has shrunk significantly over the past few years, and since demos are sometimes too involved to be classified as a game into, many demos are packaged so they can "stand-on-their-own= ". Users can download a demo, load it up, and run it like any other progra= m. As demos got more involved, some coders produced cutting-edge technolog= y demos intended to "one-up" their rival coders, while others made artist= ic, but less technically challenging demos for arts sake. Either way, it i= s important to note that demos are not usually interactive. They are mea= nt to be viewed and listened to. Demos are mostly passive entertainment, and appreciation for the effects generated in a demo increases as one realizes the normal limitations of the Commodore line of computers. So, sit back, load up a demo, run it, and enjoy.