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BIG BLUE READER and CROSS LINK

A Review By
Kevin Stevens
(KEVIN-S. on GEnie)


     Since the introduction of the Commodore 128, with its full 80 column 
screen, CP/M operationg system, and fast 1571 drive, many people have become 
interested in using the machine for personl productivity or business purposes. 
One of the hindrances to this has been incompatibility with the IBM-PC, the de 
facto standard in business computing.  Now, however, two programs are 
available which address this shortcoming.  Big Blue Reader and CROSS LINK each 
allow files to be transferred to or from Commodore disk formats to MS-DOS 
disks for use by applications programs for either machine.

     CROSS LINK, a public domain program by M. Garamszeghy, allows you to read 
and write files to and from MS-DOS, Commodore 128, and Commodore CP/M disks.  
Big Blue Reader, a commercial program from S.O.G.W.A.P. Software, Inc., 
provides a complete interface between MS-DOS and Commodore disks, allowing 
such advanced capabilities as MS-DOS disk formatting and backup on the 1571.  
The two programs are somewhat different in concept and execution, but both 
provide great utility for file transportation.

     Big Blue Reader provides facilities for copying any Commodore or MS-DOS 
file to or from either disk format, with or without ASCII/PETSCII translation. 
You can also load any file into memory for direct viewing onscreen, or 
printing.  Also available are quick viewing or printing of either Commodore or 
MS-DOS directories, as well as a Commodore-only disk wedge.  Additional 
utility programs on the disk allow you to format fresh MS-DOS disks, as well 
as do complete MS-DOS disk backups (with automatic formatting). Big Blue 
Reader is designed to work well with only one 1571 drive, but it can readily 
support a second 1571, or a 1541 or compatible for use with Commodore GCR 
format disks only.

     Big Blue Reader comes on a single 128 format disk, along with an 
excellent manual and several support programs.  The disk is not copy-
protected, and backups can be made with any normal file copier.  It is a 
compiled BASIC program, and autoboots from the 1571 drive in about 18 seconds. 
Upon loading, you are prompted to enter the current time and date, for use in 
time stamping MS-DOS files.  Unlike MS-DOS, you are NOT allowed to bypass this 
important step!  You are then presented with the main operations screen, now 
almost blank.  On the right side is an area for showing disk, buffer, and 
memory utilization, on the left a window for displaying the disk directory, 
and the command menu.  Big Blue Reader can be used in 40 column mode as well, 
in which case the ALT key toggles between the two sides of the 80 column 
screen.  

     The first step in using Big Blue Reader is generally to load a disk 
directory into memory.  Simply shove in a disk, position the cursor over the 
LOAD DIR command, and hit return.  The right side of the screen will show 
information on the disk format: (MS-DOS or CBM), single or double sided, 8 or 
9 sector MS-DOS disk (8 sector is an older 160/320k disk format used mainly 
under MS-DOS versions 1.xx).  The number and type (for CBM disks) of files 
present is also displayed, along with total disk space, space used, and space 
available.  On the left side, a full disk directory is displayed.  MS-DOS 
files show size in bytes and creation date.  System files are marked with an 
apostrophe.  CBM directories show the file name, size in CBM blocks, and file 
type.  The directory scrolls both upwards and downwards for easy viewing.

      There are really two main functions available within Big Blue Reader, 
although the flexibility of the command menu makes it seem like more.  You can 
load a file into memory for viewing or printing, or you can copy a file from 
one disk to another.  Options are presented in a logical order, with good 
error detection and default settings.  To load a file, you select the LOAD 
command, then scroll through the directory to the desired file and hit return. 
You will be prompted to insert the correct disk, then the file will load, and 
the buffer status will change to reflect the remaining space.  Big Blue Reader 
has an adjustable buffer size of up to 51k.  If you try to LOAD or COPY a file 
larger than this, the first part of the file will be loaded, and a BUFFER FULL 
message displayed.  After reading or copying the first buffer-full, re-
selection of the LOAD or COPY command will result in the option to continue 
with the next section of the file.  In this way, files of any size may be 
transferred, limited only by the disk space available.  When viewing a file, 
or copying it between disk types, you will be given the option of doing an 
ASCII/PETSCII translation on the data.  This is one reason for using the LOAD 
command; I found it very helpful to be able to preview the data to see whether 
it needed to be converted during an ensuing COPY.

     Considering the complexity of the job it is doing, I was surprised at the 
things I was able to accomplish with Big Blue Reader.  It seems designed 
primarily for transfer of textual data files, but the capabilities range quite 
a bit beyond that.  For example, I was able to format an MS-DOS disk with the 
external Big Blue Format program, then use Big Blue Reader to copy IBM system 
files and the Wordstar program onto that disk.  When I fired it up in the IBM-
PC, voila!  Not only did the program work, but the PC was able to boot DOS off 
of the "cloned" disk!  In another trial, I attempted to copy a copy-protected 
Sidekick file from an old 8-sector disk.  Big Blue Reader reported back with a 
disk error in the correct sector, and asked if I wanted to retry, ignore, or 
abort the procedure.  The ASCII/PETSCII conversion table works quite well.  
Most files transferred with complete legibility, although Big Blue Reader had 
a few problems with a Sidekick help file, which contained non-standard ASCII 
graphics characters for the IBM.  Only those characters were scrambled, 
however.

     Actual errors with Big Blue Reader were few; in fact, thinking about it, 
the only problems I ran into were with the support files, Big Blue Format and 
Big Blue Backup.  When I was using Big Blue Format to prepare MS-DOS disks, it 
would occasionally crash with a "Device not present" error.  Re-booting the 
system, or simply turning the drive off and on, and re-running the program, 
solved the problem.  According to the program's author, Michael Miller, there 
have been two revisions of the program since the original product reviewed 
here, and this problem has been corrected.  Also, I was unable to create a 
backup of any MS-DOS "system" disk with the Big Blue Backup program.  All the 
files would transfer normally, but the IBM-PC would not even acknowledge the 
presence of the disk in the drive when I attempted to boot it.  Nor would the 
diagnostic program CHKDSK.COM or the Norton Utilities deign to recognize it!  
Non-system disks were backed up with no problem, even the older 8-sector 
disks.  This brings up an important point, however.  Both Big Blue Reader and 
CROSS LINK play some very interesting tricks with your drive, and it is 
EXTREMELY ill-advised to write data to an important "real" CBM or MS-DOS disk. 
It is strongly recommended that you use "scratch disks" to transfer files, and 
then copy the files using the proper tools within the operating system they 
are destined for.  

     All told, I find Big Blue Reader to be a very competent and professional 
piece of software, with the very few problems mentioned above.  According to 
Mr. Miller, the next step in Big Blue Reader's development will include the 
ability to read and write CP/M disks as well, which will be a welcome addition 
to an already outstanding program.  I strongly recommend Big Blue Reader to 
anyone who has to deal with the vicissitudes of Commodore/MS-DOS file transfer 
on a regular basis.  Big Blue Reader is available directly from S.O.G.W.A.P. 
Software Inc., 611 Boccaccio Avenue, Venice CA 90291.  A demo version of the 
main program, with the LOAD and PRINT to sreen only functions enabled, is 
available within the GEnie Flagship software library as file #2264, or by name 
form within the Delphi C-128 software database.

     If you need the capability to move files directly from CP/M format to MS-
DOS at the moment, or are just looking for a flexible file utility for dealing 
with CP/M, CBM, and MS-DOS files all at once, then CROSS LINK is the program 
for you.  Although it does not provide quite the flexibility and 
sophistication in dealing with MS-DOS that BBR does, for casual use CROSS LINK 
might prove to be an even more valuable utility.  It allows you to read 
directories and copy files to and from Commodore sequential and program types, 
Commodore single or double sided CP/M disks, and MS-DOS disks.  CROSS LINK 
works with a single 1571 drive, with optional support for a second 1541 for 
use while dealing with CBM GCR files. In addition, CROSS LINK comes with an 
excellent documentation file, giving BASIC and ML source code notes and 
locations, as well as a general overview of the program.

     CROSS LINK loads and initializes in about 30 seconds, presenting you with 
a single menu screen, with space for source file and destination file 
information, along with disk directory space and a list of commands.  Choices 
are made with the use of the function keys.  Overall, the manner of use is 
much the same as Big Blue Reader.  You can get a directory from any disk type, 
then type in the source file name and select the proper disk type.  You then 
make like choices for the destination file, and proceed with the transfer.  
One feature which I liked very much is that the destination file information, 
source file information, and actual file reading and writing are all done as 
separate steps.  This means that you can create multiple backups of the same 
file on different disks, by just changing disks and hitting the key to write 
the file again.  Or, you can create multiple backups on the same disk by 
editing only the destination file information.  This makes for a very flexible 
system.

     Overall, CROSS LINK worked as specified, although I did have a few 
problems with it.  The most serious of these is that, when copying more than 
one file per session to a CP/M double-sided disk, CROSS LINK would erase all 
but the last file copied!  If I reset the computer between each file, or used 
different disks, I was all right.  This underscores the point made earlier 
about preserving the integrity of your original disks by working with "scratch 
disks" at all times.  Also, CROSS LINK will not deal with 8-sector MS-DOS 
disks, either in reading or writing.  This is not really much of a liability, 
as that disk format is practically obsolete.  No provision is made for time or 
date stamping of MS-DOS files, and system disks cannot be created.  Again, 
these are niceties, and not functional flaws.  A slightly more serious 
consideration is that CROSS LINK is limited to working with a 45k buffer, with 
no provision for copying larger files in segments.  This might prove to be a 
limitation with some larger MS-DOS files, which tend to be larger than either 
CBM or CP/M files.  CROSS LINK's ASCII/PETSCII translations worked well for 
straight text, but had more problems with the Sidekick help file's special 
characters than did BBR.  The copied file was unreadable past the point where 
those graphic characters occurred.  I had no problems, however, with using 
CROSS LINK to convert CP/M programs stored on Commodore CBM disks to CP/M 
format disks.  Indeed, it worked better for that purpose than most of the 
other such programs available.  I was similarly able to transfer an MS-DOS 
program file and run it successfully on an IBM-PC.

     CROSS LINK offers a valuable utility at this point, for those who need 
occasional MS-DOS transfer capability along with the CP/M transfer.  An 
intriguing phrase in the documentation notes that it should not be difficult 
to modify the program to deal with other MFM formats as well, in which case it 
could become a true Uniform-type program for the 128.  CROSS LINK is available 
in the GEnie Flagship software library as file #2319, or by name within the 
Delphi C-128 software database.


          Below, I have created a table showing some comparative 
     statistics on Big Blue Reader and CROSS LINK.  It may help 
     in comparing the many capabilites of these two programs.


                            Big Blue Reader               CROSS LINK
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Startup time:                 18 sec                         30sec
Reads/Writes:                                                  
CBM SEQ                         X                              X
CBM PRG                         X                              X
MS-DOS 8-sector                 X                              
MS-DOS 9-sector                 X                              X
Commodore CP/M SS                                              X
Commodore CP/M DS                                              X
Translate ASCII/PETSCII         X                              X
File copy times:                

MS-DOS --> MS-DOS                                              
41,216 byte file              1:22                           2:33

MS-DOS --> CBM
(w PETSCII conversion)
42,240 byte file              4:05                           3:41
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