VOL52.NEWS

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8 November 1985         N E W S   L E T T E R           Volume 52
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Good Morning; 


VOL52: is a real  winner.  My favorite is the  fantastic utility,
FLIST.   This is  an interactive diskfile management utility that
on  the surface  works like  the FILELIST command, but then  goes
light years  beyond.   With  it  you  can sort  on  most FILELIST
fields, rename  or erase  selective files and more, all  by using
on-screen  commands  without  leaving the  utility.  Bruce Pearce
created this gem and has contributed a limited version to the OUG
library  (the  commercial  version  allows  paging  backward  and
forward through the entire "FILELIST" display).  

I have  received so  many requests  of  copies of our information
system, CARAVAN, that the time has come to put something into the
library.  Volume  52 contains  part of it.  The portion  included
covers  the  upload/download, help,  sign-up, ordering, tutorial,
members information search, and help functions.  The CBBS message
program  must  be  ordered  directly  from Ward  Christensen, the
author.  Ordering information is included.

Henry Aylward has sent  us a bunch of nifty  utilities.  ASCIDUMP
allows you  to save the physical contents of any file in an ASCII
sequential  file.   Systems  level  programmers will  immediately
appreciate  its  possibilities.   Then, he  gave us WORDCNT which
just counts the characters, words, and lines in sequential files.
Finally,  there  is  WPF2TEXT  which converts  the "funny" output
files  from  several  word  processors  (like  MultiWrite)  to an
ordinary ASCII file  that you can print.  It  works great and has
already saved me many minutes.  

From Al Whitaker we  get REPORT, a shell designed  especially for
untrained users,  that simplifies using the SPOOLER.  RTSPATCH is
a modem  device driver patch which makes it possible recover when
some remote  user causes  the system to "hang", thus  locking out
other user coming in through the modem port.  Mike Scheidell sent
it to us.  

Finally, Wayne  Lauritsen  has contributed  PLOT,  a program that
produces automatically scaled bar charts from user provided data.
Wayne is  also in the process of updating the earliest volumes so
that they  now include all of the fancy improvements we have been
adding over the years to the later volumes.  

BONUS52: contains   the   latest  copy   of  the  OUG  membership
information  file needed  to use  the  WHO feature under CARAVAN.
Then there is  a consolidated QUIP file that  brings together all
four  smaller  files  of  quips  released  on  different volumes.
Several of you  have told me that the  smaller file you are using
has  cycled around  one or  more times.  It will take  longer for
this one  to start repeating.  Finally, Easybase is scheduled for
release next time  and there is a sneak  preview included on this
bonus volume.  

COMDEX: is shaping up.  Theos Software is having an open house on
Thursday, 21 November,  in the Tracy Tower Gable  room at the MGM
Hotel.  Time is 7PM and all OUG members are invited.  Look for an
important announcement that just might boost Theos into stardom. 

Randy Rogers tells me that IBC is coordinating a round of golf on
Tuesday morning.   Call Don Graves at IBC (818)NXX-XXXX for time
and  place in  Las Vegas.   I hate to eat alone  all the time, so
would  welcome  the  opportunity  to  get  together  with  anyone
interested in  breakfast or dinner during the 20-24 November show
period.  Leave  word at  the main conference hall message  center
where  you can  be reached,  and I will let the  folks at the IBC
booth #1372 know where I can be reached.  

OUG MEETING AT COMDEX:  As announced in the last  newsletters, we
will  once again  have a  general meeting at Comdex.  The  Friday
afternoon gathering will  be held from 2-5 PM  in the New Orleans
Room  of  the  Best  Western  Mardi  Gras  Motel  very  near  the
convention  center.   In  addition  to our  usual discussions and
announcements, this  year's meeting will include a celebration of
our  1000'th  member  with a  special gift presentation ceremony.
Robert Pressey,  the lucky  winner, will be there to  receive the
presentations.  In addition to all the other goodies mentioned in
the last newsletter, IBC is awarding him a copy of their new $150
Fast ISAM package for use on one of his IBC machines.  

AGENDA: for the OUG meeting will look something like this...  

          2:00      1985 OUG activities and announcements
          2:30      Theos Software announcements
          3:00      Member's brief announcements
          3:30      New Product presentations
          4:30      Celebration of 1000th new member.
          5:00      Adjourn

THEOS86: Buddy  Auble  of Theos  tells me  that  version 8 is now
being delivered and  that the product is moving  pretty well.  He
also says they have completed new drivers for the Alloy disk/tape
drives being sold  as add-ons for the IBM  PC/XT and compatibles.
Buddy says version  8 now handles all hard  disk drives supported
by IBM, including  20 Mbyte and larger.  Kevin  Hansen informs us
that he  solved the problem of getting the IBM PC/XT to boot with
a  color  graphics  card  installed (see  VOL52.FEEDBACK file for
details).  

From various  sources  we  have learned  that the following PC/XT
compatibles work  fine with Theos86: NCR PC, ITT XTRA, Sperry PC,
Bondwell XT,  and Sanyo PC.  I also learned from Buddy that about
40 to 50  dealers have completed the process  of converting their
8-bit applications for use on 16-bit machines.  

What we need now to make Theos86 and Theos286 really take off are
some  new applications  written to specifically take advantage of
the  increased capabilities  of the 16-bit processors.  While the
XT  is no  speed demon,  it does offer the potential  for running
much more complex programs and for using much larger files.  And,
I like  to think  of it as a popular  stepping stone to the 80286
based  machines,  which  do  offer  some significant  performance
advantages over their 8-bit predecessors.  

THEOS286: Ron Austin  says he has learned that the Compupro PC/AT
compatible  will  run  THEOS286  and  Kevin  Hansen  has reported
enthusiastically  on  his  experience  with  the Kaypro  286 (see
VOL52.FEEDBACK).   It seems  to run compiled Basic programs about
twice as fast as the fastest Z80 machines, but execution of Basic
programs  through  the interpreter  is considerably slower!  Disk
access is  a function  of the speed of the  drives of course, and
the Kaypro's are  on the slower side in  comparison with a number
of the 8-bit Oasis systems we have looked at.  

THIRD COAST TECHNOLOGIES: has announced the availability of a new
8Mhz 80286 system that operates in the Protected Virtual Mode for
performance that  is said  to out-class the IBM PC/AT  by a speed
factor  of four.   The system  will support 14 to 32  users under
Theos286 with  85  to 506  Mbytes of  hard  disk space and up  to
sixteen  Mbytes of  DRAM.  This  guy looks like the first  of the
Theos  supermicros.   If  it is  only half  as  good as its specs
imply,  we  have   moved  onto  a  new  plateau   of  Theos/Oasis
performance!   They are  at Comdex,  MGM-120.   Mike Pappas is VP
Mkt.  

OASIS8: Han  Juerges  called  from  Germany  to  say  that Rekers
Digital Technique GMbh  is now shipping an Oasis8  machine called
the Condor Jr.   that uses the Hitachi 64180  microprocessor.  He
says  it  incorporates a  fast (23  msec) 85 Mbyte hard disk  and
appears to  run  about  fifty  percent  faster than  the  current
fastest 8-bit Oasis system.  No further details at this time.  

ONYX: I visited  the new Corvus offices to see how Onyx was doing
now  that the  merger and  physical move have been completed.   I
discovered that  they are  doing just fine, thank you.   They are
working on a  new 6.1 version of Oasis  to be released by the end
of  the year.   The new  Corvus  facilities are luxurious.  Randy
Weber and Diane Byrne seem happy to be pushing what they maintain
are the best Oasis machines now available.  On the darker side, I
have  confirmed  that Arrow  Electronics will  no  longer be Onyx
dealers once their existing stocks of machines are gone.  

ALTOS UPGRADE:  article in  the last newsletter was very popular.
I am  told that  all of the 40 Mbyte  drives are now gone at BNF,
but they  do still have some of the 20 Mbyte left at $150.  BNF's
number is  (617)NXX-XXXX.   My Onyx tape cartridge deal  is also
sold out, though  there is a possibility that  my source may come
up with more tapes in the future.  

PRESS: The latest issue of PC Week has an article comparing Theos
with  PC/DOS and  networking schemes.   It  concludes that no one
solution  is  best for  all applications  and  that Theos has its
natural niche.  I've  finally gotten to the bottom  of my pile of
old computer newspapers  and found the long articles  about Oasis
changing its  name to  Theos and the companion article  about Ron
Gibbs taking over  Phase One - both articles  side by side in the
19 August issue of Computer Systems News.  Each leaves the reader
with a  positive impression.   I see that Dr.  Dobb's  Journal is
scheduling  an issue  devoted to  operating  systems next year in
December.  Article deadline  is 9/1/86.  I think it  is essential
that Theos/Oasis be represented in that issue, if at all possible.  

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS: We  have three more this time.   For the
orphan  Systems  Group  computer  owners  there  is  SIG-SG  with
coordinator  Macy  Hallock (216)NXX-XXXX.  A common information
exchange  point  for owners  of Altos  machines  running Oasis is
SIG-ALTOS coordinated by Jim Simmons (404)NXX-XXXX.  Finally, we
have a coordinator for our growing number of health professionals
who use Oasis  machines, SIG-MED coordinated by Jon  Rosser (817)
NXX-XXXX.   All  of   these  people  have  agreed  to   serve  as
information exchange points for their respective areas of special
interest.  Give  them a call and let them know they are not alone
in their interests.  

UXBASIC: is  in the  news.  CSN  7 October reports that IBM  will
market  a  version  of UX-BASIC  for the  System/370.   From Bear
Systems Group I  have received a review copy  of four new manuals
dealing with  UX-BASIC.  The  first is a 50 page  tutorial ($10).
The  second is  a 50  page User Guide ($20).  The  third is a 230
page Reference  Manual ($40),  and the last is a  100 page set of
Syntax Charts ($15).   Each has several kinds of  indexes and the
Reference Manual has  a "see-also" feature for each  statement or
function.  The Syntax Charts are unique.  The graphic flow charts
might   be  an   easier  way   for  some  people  to  learn   the
characteristics  of  commands and  functions.  The sets are loose
leaf 8.5X11  typed pages  punched for a three ring  binder.  They
sell the whole package for $50 which seem a bit pricy compared to
other  comparable  publications.   Contact  Jeff  Levinger  (415)
NXX-XXXX for more information.  

CARAVAN: has been rather  busy lately.  Some of you  have already
discovered that a new feature, WHO, has been introduced.  With it
you may locate other members who either live near you or who have
some particular  piece of equipment or software.  The facility is
available  only to  current paid  up members and requires you  to
enter your  membership number.   This has proven to be  a popular
feature.   Sometime  in  December our  OUG library locator system
will become available  on CARAVAN too.  With it  you will be able
to search  the library  description file by key words.   I use it
all the time now and it is just great!  


Peace, 


Fred Bellomy 

(805)NXX-XXXX and (805)NXX-XXXX for CARAVAN-information system.

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end of .......          N E W S   L E T T E R           Volume 52
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