[HEA]
    _____________________   ___                                   _
    |___   ______________| |   |                                 | |
        |  | _             |   |                                 | |
        |  || |            |   |                                 | |
        |  || |            |   |                                 | |
        |  || |            |   |   ____ _   _ _   _   ______     | |
        |  || |            |   |  / __ \ | | / \_/ \  | ___ \    | |
        |  || |__   ____   |   | / /  \  | |  /\ /\ \ | |  \ \   | |
        |  ||  _ \ |  _ \  |   | \ \__/  | | | |_|| | | |__/ /   | |
        |  || | | || |_||  |   |  \___/|_| |_|    |_| | ____/    |_|
        |  || | | || |__   |   |____________________  | |         _
        |__||_| |_|\____/  |________________________| | |        |_|
                                                      | |
         Lighting Your Apple II Path                  | |
                                                      |_|

-----------------------------------


                       >>> WELCOME TO THE LAMP! <<<
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


           THE BEST OF THE A2 BULLETIN BOARD ON Syndicomm Online
           "Teaching the Apple II user how to fish since 1998"


 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 The Lamp!            An Onipa'a Software Production        Vol. 9, No. 2
 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 Publisher................................Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W.
 Editor.....................................................Lyle Syverson
 Internet Email, Publisher.........................thelamp@sheppyware.net
 Internet Email, Editor................................lyle@FoxValley.net
 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

                            TABLE OF CONTENTS
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                            February 15, 2006

HIGH ABOVE THE ROCK RIVER---------------------------------------------[OPN]
     Back on the Farm - The Grove
     Computers and Energy

A2 FORUM AT Syndicomm Online (A2Central.com) DISTILLATIONS------------[DAS]
     Alpha Release of the Generic Tile Engine (GTE)-------------------[GTE]
     DiskMaker 8 Version 1.1 Released---------------------------------[DMR]
     ORCA/M Help------------------------------------------------------[OMH]
     ORCA/C Help------------------------------------------------------[OCH]
     MediaBlender Has Roots in GSoft----------------------------------[MBR]
     Juiced.GS V10I4 Another Hit--------------------------------------[JAH]
     Work Begins on Second Volume of GS Plus CD Set-------------------[GSP]
     IIgs Emulator for the x86 Mac OS X Machine?----------------------[EIX]
     Sweet16 Built and Running on Intel Macs--------------------------[SIM]
     KEGS for Windows-------------------------------------------------[KFW]
     Assembly Language Programming for the 8-bit Apple II-------------[ALP]
     The Weekly e-newsletter This Is True-----------------------------[TIT]
     ID That Font-----------------------------------------------------[IDF]

ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM SYNDICOMM------------------------------------------[ANS]
     To Sign up for Syndicomm Online----------------------------------[TSU]

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR-------------------------------------------------[LTE]
     Setting the Record Straight
     An Invitation

KFEST 2006------------------------------------------------------------[KF6]
     KansasFest 2006--------------------------------------------------[KFS]

EXTRA INNINGS
     About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN]


                                [*] [*] [*]

READING THE LAMP!   The index system used by The Lamp! is designed to make
"""""""""""""""""   your reading easier.  To use this system, load this
issue into any word processor or text editor.  In the index you will find
something like:

EXTRA INNINGS
     About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN]

To read this article, simply use your search or find command to locate
[INN].  There is a similar tag at the end of each article: [EOA].



[OPN]-------------------------------
         HIGH ABOVE THE ROCK RIVER |
------------------------------------
From The Editor
"""""""""""""""
by Lyle Syverson <lyle@FoxValley.net>

                       Back on the Farm - The Grove
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     The tight supply of energy, resulting in higher prices, brings to mind
the grove of trees back on the (Minnesota) farm.

     Every farm had a cluster of buildings... house, barn, hog house,
chicken house, etc.  To the North and West of the buildings was a buffer
zone of trees and shrubs.  Called The Grove, these trees and shrubs broke
the prevailing Northwest wind... making it easier to heat the house.

     The house was heated with a pot bellied stove using wood from the
grove as fuel... a truly sustainable fuel source some sixty years ago.  (It
is said that wood is the fuel that warms you twice... once when you
cut/split it and again when you burn it.)

     The grove also provided a place for the children to play... and plenty
of squirrels and rabbits for the dog to chase.

                           Computers and Energy
                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     Certainly the thousands of computers as a total consume great
quantities of energy.  They also make it possible to conserve energy since
some people can work from home or other areas remote from the work to be
done.

     So practice wise use of energy to keep warm or cool while you enjoy
your Apple II's.


[EOA]



ASCII ART BEGINS
_________  _                     _                                      _
|__   __| | |                   | |                                    | |
   | |    | |                   | |                                    | |
   | |    | |___     ____       | |       _____   __ ___ _   _ _____   | |
   | |    | ___ \   / __ \      | |      /____ \  | v   v | | v ___ \  | |
   | |    | |  | | | /__\ \     | |       ____| | | /\ /\ | |  /   \ \ | |
   | |    | |  | | | _____|     | |      / ___  | | || || | | |    | | |_|
   | |    | |  | | | |_____     | |____  | |__| | | || || | |  \___/ /  _
   |_|    |_|  |_| \______|     |______| \____^_| |_||_||_| | |\____/  |_|
                                                            | |
                                                            | |
                                                            |_|

ASCII ART ENDS
[EOA]



[DAS]----------------------------------------------
DISTILLATIONS FROM The A2 FORUM at Syndicomm.com  |
                                  (A2Central.com) |
---------------------------------------------------

by Lyle Syverson <lyle@foxvalley.net>

[GTE]
Alpha Release of the Generic Tile Engine (GTE)
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Hi,

For anyone who doesn't follow csa2p, I'd like to announce the Alpha release
of the Generic Tile Engine (GTE). Here is a copy of the message posted to
the newsgroup.

I'm pleased to announce that after 8 years of on-again, off-again effort,
v1.0 alpha of the Generic Tile Engine (GTE) library has been released.  It
is currently available in source code form at

   http://iigs.dreamhost.com/gte/gte.html

I plan to provide emulator-friendly downloads with the beta release.
Currently the documentation is incomplete and I would like to write an
in-depth tutorial as well. If anyone has an interest in creating a
tile-based GS-only game, I invite you to give this library a try.

Also, I welcome feedback on the documentation as well as the code as
provided.  This is an alpha release, which means I consider it
feature-complete, but there are undoubtedly many bugs remaining. I will
expand the online documentation as time permits and questions are raised.
Hopefully, by releasing things in an unfinished state, this will pressure
me into continuing to support this project. :)

Here is a partial list of the features supported by GTE in its current
state:

  * Tiles of size 4x4, 8x8, or 16x16
  * Up to full-screen (320x200) playing fields
  * 8-way scrolling
  * Independent Foreground and Background tile layers (for parallax
    effects)
  * Fringe tile layer
  * Mask tile layer for per-pixel masking of sprites, e.g. put sprites
    behind fences
  * Up to 32 dynamic tiles on screen
  * Up to 32 sprites on-screen
  * Up to 256 tiles on-screen per layer
  * Support for Windows BMP files
  * Compiled sprites with support for horizontal and vertical mirroring
  * Use of Object Attribute Memory (similar to the NES) for controlling
    sprites
  * Logical palette binding
  * Interrupt-friendly.  Interrupts are never disabled for more than a few
    hundred microseconds.

I am especially interested in hearing about any additional features people
would like. I plan to add a high-level sprite and animation manager to the
engine, but I'm sure there are other obvious items to add.

I look forward to everyone's feedback.

-Lucas

(LSCHAREN, Cat 14, Top 2, Msg 88)
[EOA]


[DMR]
DiskMaker 8 Version 1.1 Released
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I have updated DiskMaker 8 disk image utility, which now offers faster
5.25" disk formatting, the ability to boot from your newly-created disk
when it's finished writing, and support for DOS 3.3 volume numbers.  Get
your copy today!  Feedback always appreciated.

-- Mark

http://www.syndicomm.com/~mark/DM8/

(MARK, Cat 20, Top 22, Msg 8)
[EOA]


[OMH]
ORCA/M Help
"""""""""""
Hi,

Is there an option to turn off the generation of .ROOT files using the
assembler?  Something along the lines of #pragma noroot in ORCA/C.  I'm
trying to streamline my library build script and the fact that some
assembly file generate both a .a and .root file is a little strange,
especially since the documentation says that .root files should just
contain initialization code.

I've misplaced my ORCA/M manual, so any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
-Lucas

(LSCHAREN, Cat 22, Top 4, Msg 1)

>>>>>
"""""
ORCA/M puts the main code in the .ROOT file.  Only stuff for other segments
go in .A, .B, etc.  So you don't want to get rid of .ROOT -- that's your
main code. :)

Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.com
Owner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com
                     Building communities, bit by bit.

(SYNDICOMM, Cat 22, Top 4, Msg 2)

>>>>>
"""""
I don't like .root files either, but you'll need to edit the orca/m source
to get rid of them.  It would be nice to have an option to get rid of them.
When mixing asm and c/pascal code, linking the asm objects first can cause
major problems -- it's safer to stick an empty dummy segment at the start.

Kelvin.

(KWS, Cat 22, Top 4, Msg 3)

>>>>>
"""""
Hmmm....then I'd think that it shouldn't be generating any .root files.
All of my code lives in its own segment, and all of the .root files contain
just the first function in the ASM file.

So, if my code looks like this

subrtn1 start MYSEG
        end

subrtn2 start MYSEG
        end

subrtn3 start MYSEG
        end

.
.

Then the .root file contains "subrtn1" and the .a file contains everything
else.   Since none of the code is in the default segment, shouldn't it all
go into the .a?  Bug or not?

I'm thinking of working around this by adding a

DUMMY start MYSEG
      end

to the top of all my files.  That way I can just link in the .a files and
get all my code.  Thoughts?

-Lucas

(LSCHAREN, Cat 22, Top 4, Msg 4)

>>>>>
"""""
>> I'm thinking of working around this by adding a
>>
>>DUMMY start MYSEG
>>      end

Yes, this is the way you normally get around this problem.  There's
actually sample code that does exactly this. :)

Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.com
Owner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com
                     Building communities, bit by bit.

(SYNDICOMM, Cat 22, Top 4, Msg 5)

>>>>>
"""""
The first omf segment (regardless of the name, segment name, or type) goes
into the .root file.

Kelvin.

(KWS, Cat 22, Top 4, Msg 6)
[EOA]


[OCH]
ORCA/C Help
"""""""""""
Hi,

I posted this is csa2p, but I think I'll actually get a response here.  I
tripped over this problem while trying to get ORCA/C to access an
externally defined array which lives in a separate segment.  I'd like to
access it without resorting to the large memory model.  The bad behavior
only shows up when I turn on bit 0 of the optimization flags. Any thoughts?

*** Assembly File ***
; Note that this data region is in its own segment "GTE"
Globals data GTE
OAM  entry
     ds MAXSPRITES*SizeofOAM
     end

*** Header File ***
typedef struct {
  int x;
  int y;
  unsigned int flags;
  Sprite *sprite;
} OAMEntry;

/* Notice the "extern" declaration */
extern OAMEntry OAM[MAX_SPRITES];

*** C code ***
OAM[0].x = 0;
OAM[0].y = 0;
OAM[0].flags = 0;
OAM[0].sprite = sprite;

And the resulting compile code from "dumpobj +D"

00015A 00007C |          STZ   OAM
000163 00007F |          STZ   (OAM+$00000002)
000173 000082 |          STZ   (OAM+$00000004)
000183 000085 |          LDX   $09
000186 000087 |          LDA   $07
000188 000089 |          STX   (OAM+$00000008)
000197 00008C |          STA   (OAM+$00000006)

Notice that ORCA generated STZ opcodes which use absolute addressing, even
though the OAM array is declared as extern.

-Lucas

(LSCHAREN, Cat 22, Top 5, Msg 24)

>>>>>
"""""
Unfortunately, all global data is presumed to be in the same segment unless
you use the large memory model.

You'll either have to use the large memory model or use assembly code to
access the data.

Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.com
Owner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com
                     Building communities, bit by bit.

(SYNDICOMM, Cat 22, Top 5, Msg 25)

>>>>>
"""""
You could also access the data via a pointer, or add some new features to
orca/c.

Kelvin.

(KWS, Cat 22, Top 5, Msg 26)
[EOA]


[MBR]
MediaBlender Has Roots in GSoft
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Mike Westerfield of The Byteworks recently mentioned in an email to me:

"that a successor of GSoft is now the scripting language in MediaBlender."

http://www.tech4learning.com/mediablender/index.html

(KGAGNE, Cat 22, Top 10, Msg 16)

>>>>>
"""""
A little off-topic, but let me plug another product of theirs, called
"Simply VR" which stitches Quicktime VR Panoramas and VR "models" for only
$30.

http://www.tech4learning.com/simplyvr/index.html

An example of the output of the latter can be seen at

http://homepage.mac.com/thomascompter/Mercia/Characters/encumbered.html

Don't expect miracles-- It only does "1-layer" panoramas, so you can't do
the full spherical stuff, but for the occasional hobbyist, it's a good
deal.
_________
  | homas

(TCOMPTER, Cat 22, Top 10, Msg 17)
[EOA]


[JAH]
Juiced.GS V10I4 Another Hit
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
All subscribers' copies of Juiced.GS V10I4 have been mailed.  Enjoy!

Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.com
Owner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com
                     Building communities, bit by bit.

(SYNDICOMM, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 703)

>>>>>
"""""
Enjoy the swimsuit cover ;-)

Ryan
Chief Sysop and Head Geek

(A2.RYAN, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 704)

>>>>>
"""""
My Juiced.GS arrived on Saturday and it seems it got put on a stack and
shoved in a corner thus I've not read the whole thing yet.  So far I'm
enjoying the issue.  Looks like I am going to have to have a talk with my
wife about where they go:)

Dain

(A2.DAIN, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 705)

>>>>>
"""""
I really like Kirk's article on the Gatorbox.  Makes me want to set a
permanent search on eBay for one. :)
_________
  | homas

(TCOMPTER, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 706)

>>>>>
"""""
Juiced.GS arrived in Quebec.  Another great issue.

Thank you Ryan for your 4 years at the Juiced.GS helm.  Ken has a tough act
to follow.

-- Mark

(MARK, Cat 23, Top 2, Msg 707)
[EOA]


[GSP]
Work Begins on Second Volume of GS Plus CD Set
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I am beginning work on the second volume of the GS Plus CD set.

Any suggestions?

Ryan
Chief Sysop and Head Geek

(A2.RYAN, Cat 24, Top 38, Msg 7)
[EOA]


[EIX]
IIgs Emulator for the x86 Mac OS X Machine?
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
As I just got a x86 Mac OS X machine up and running, I'm somewhat
Classicless, meaning no Bernie.  Can I hear some suggestions for a native
OS X substitute?  I've looked myself, but want to hear from others :)

Ryan
Chief Sysop and Head Geek

(A2.RYAN, Cat 29, Top 21, Msg 175)

>>>>>
"""""
Compile KEGS for Intel Mac.  That is your only option for a fully native GS
emulator.  Skip that universal nonsense.

Geoff

(GEOFF, Cat 29, Top 21, Msg 176)

>>>>>
"""""
What's wrong with building a Universal Binary?  That runs natively on both
Intel and PowerPC chips.

I think you're confusing "Universal Binary" with the Rosetta emulation
environment.

Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.com
Owner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com
                     Building communities, bit by bit.

(SYNDICOMM, Cat 29, Top 21, Msg 177)

>>>>>
"""""
No, I'm just pushing for obsolescence of the PowerPC architecture.

Geoff

(GEOFF, Cat 29, Top 21, Msg 178)

>>>>>
"""""
I can't imagine why anyone would be in a rush to live in a world that's all
Intel processors.

Icky. :)

Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.com
Owner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com
                     Building communities, bit by bit.

(SYNDICOMM, Cat 29, Top 21, Msg 179)

>>>>>
"""""
Apple already made the decision to move towards intel, so it is our
responsibility as technologists to ensure the best future for
compatibility. We can live in the past to support the Apple II, but we have
to live in the future to make the best decisions for what we will be using.
Steve Jobs is pushing for the end of the Power PC so we have to try to be
one step ahead by ensuring that we are looking forward to where Apple is
going.

For desktop applications, x86 hardware is more than acceptable.  If you
want to talk servers, then I can agree the world is better off with non-x86
(but not using Macs).

Geoff

(GEOFF, Cat 29, Top 21, Msg 180)

>>>>>
"""""
Well, ignoring the millions of people who already have PowerPC Macs is not
a good way to sell your software. :)

Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.com
Owner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com
                     Building communities, bit by bit.

(SYNDICOMM, Cat 29, Top 21, Msg 181)

>>>>>
"""""
Maybe its the environment which I am in, but the early adaptors and leading
innovations is a much more interesting area to promote and push.

Ten years ago, Bernie was a great example of this concept when it broke
ground back in 1996 (trying desperately to get this thread back to some
sort of relevancy).

Geoff

(GEOFF, Cat 29, Top 21, Msg 193)
[EOA]


[SIM]
Sweet16 Built and Running on Intel Macs
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I have Sweet16 built and running on Intel Macs now:

http://homepage.mac.com/sheppy/sweet1.png

Took about an hour to get it running.

Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.com
Owner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com
                     Building communities, bit by bit.

(SYNDICOMM, Cat 29, Top 21, Msg 182)

>>>>>
"""""
Well, interestingly, given that the Sweet16 build for PowerPC isn't
functional when built in Xcode, I'm pretty much focusing on the Intel
version for now.

Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd                                sheppy@syndicomm.com
Owner, Syndicomm                                  http://www.syndicomm.com
                     Building communities, bit by bit.

(SYNDICOMM, Cat 29, Top 21, Msg 184)
[EOA]


[KFW]
KEGS for Windows
""""""""""""""""
Geoff,

I followed your instructions to compile KEGS from the Dec 2005 JuicedGS and
it works! However, why is the length of kegswin.exe when I compile it
431,844 bytes and the v0.91 already compiled by Kent 413,192 bytes?

The reason I tried compiling was to attempt to fix the F2 key to alias for
the option key (as it's supposed to), however F2 on my system maps to the
back-arrow. Do you know how to fix this?

-Jeff

(FINKSTERJ, Cat 29, Top 41, Msg 45)

>>>>>
"""""
Of course the instructions work ;)  And since Jeff mentioned it, a
step-by-step method to compile KEGS under Windows and UNIX is now found in
the latest issue of Juiced.GS.  It is much better than anything I might
have alluded to with postings here.

Size differences of the binary may be a factor of which version of gcc is
used.  Different versions of gcc have different optimizations.

Windows key code translation can be found in windriver.c.  UNIX key code
translations can be found in xdriver.c.

Geoff

(GEOFF, Cat 29, Top 41, Msg 46)

>>>>>
"""""
F2 is supposed to be an alias for the closed-apple or option key in KEGS,
but it maps as the back-arrow instead.

Can anyone tell me exactly what in the code needs to be changed to fix
this?

-Jeff

(FINKSTERJ, Cat 29, Top 41, Msg 47)

>>>>>
"""""
Geoff,

After I recompile KEGS via your instructions, I can only run it from the
cygwin shell. Do you know what is needed to make it runable from Windows?

-Jeff

(FINKSTERJ, Cat 29, Top 41, Msg 48)

>>>>>
"""""
Geoff,

Another issue I have is after I recompile KEGS, there is no sound. If I try
to force it on with the -audio 1 switch when starting KEGS from the shell I
get an error:

win32snd_init
Unable to send back audio rate to parent
ret: -1 fd: -1, errno: 9

What's wrong? Kent's pre-compiled kegswin.exe image sound works properly.

(FINKSTERJ, Cat 29, Top 41, Msg 49)

>>>>>
"""""
Sounds like you didn't use the correct vars file.  The first step I take
when I get a new copy of the KEGS source is to get rid of vars and symlink
one that I know is correct (one can also copy a file too).  And even then,
I tend to customize the vars for my setup.

Geoff

(GEOFF, Cat 29, Top 41, Msg 50)

>>>>>
"""""
I know my knowledge here is very limited.

But I followed your instructions in the Dec 2005 Juiced.GS exactly for the
KEGS windows version. Why doesn't the sound work? Please be more specific;
I'm using the vars_win32 file, is that not right?

-Jeff

(FINKSTERJ, Cat 29, Top 41, Msg 51)

>>>>>
"""""
I don't have a copy of wrote with me.  You want to delete vars and then do
one of the following:

ln -s vars_win32 vars
-or-
cp vars_win32 vars

(these both effectively do the same thing).

I've compiled KEGS under Windows and haven't had any sound problems.
You'll have to perform standard troubleshooting to figure out what problems
you are experiencing.  Besides pointing you to the Windows API pages at
MSN, I don't know what else to suggest.

Geoff

(GEOFF, Cat 29, Top 41, Msg 52)
[EOA]


[ALP]
Assembly Language Programming for the 8-bit Apple II
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Over the last couple of days I've been looking over some assembly source
code samples and I've seen a few that always start a program the following
way...

ldx #$FF
txs

The effect of this is to reset the stack pointer.  My question is, is this
something that should always be done in a program?  What are the dangers of
both doing this and not doing this?

--Mark

(MARK, Cat 51, Top 3, Msg 16)

>>>>>
"""""
It all depends if the program is expecting any parameters on the stack or
need to rts/rtl when it is done.

It also depends on how much stack space your program needs--and do you
trust that other programs did the right thing with cleaning up its stack
usage?

You don't want to do this with GS/OS programs since the OS allocates stack
space for your usage (unlike modern operating systems, there are no checks
in place if you overrun it, that it why you have to know what you are
doing).

Geoff

(GEOFF, Cat 51, Top 3, Msg 17)

>>>>>
"""""
Geoff wrote:

>> It all depends if the program is expecting any parameters on the stack
or need to rts/rtl when it is done. <<

I'm thinking in terms of a standard 8-bit 65c02 ProDOS SYS program that
always ends with a call to MLI Quit.  Based upon what you've said doing
this could prevent problems that other programs may have left behind.  So
for this type of program, would this be a good idea?

--Mark

(MARK, Cat 51, Top 3, Msg 18)

>>>>>
"""""
I think most 8-bit SYS programs reset the stack pointer as a normal part of
their init sequence.

-Jeff

(FINKSTERJ, Cat 51, Top 3, Msg 19)

>>>>>
"""""
I can't think of any problems if it is necessary.  If I recall correctly,
the stack pointer will roll over so the issue should be moot.

Geoff

(GEOFF, Cat 51, Top 3, Msg 20)
[EOA]


[TIT]
The Weekly e-newsletter This Is True
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I subscribe to the weekly e-newsletter This Is True, written by Randy
Cassingham, who also publishes The TRUE Stella Awards, HeroicStories, and
JumboJoke, and who makes the Get Out of Hell Free cards.  This Is True
comes recommended by a certain Apple II luminary:

http://www.thisistrue.com/woz.html

Randy recently launched yet another web site, "True Tales of Customer
Service Incompetence".  It is a blog at which "postings are limited to a
fairly small cadre of [Randy's] friends".  One of the latest entries is
provided by another recognizable Apple II name: Matt Deatherage.

http://www.crankycustomer.com/

-Ken

(KGAGNE, Cat 2, Top 31, Msg 60)
[EOA]


[IDF]
ID That Font
""""""""""""
From <http://www.bonzersites.com/identifont.html>:

"OK, so you see a font in a magazine or something that you like, and you
want to be able to use it yourself. You've got a billion fonts that came
with your word processor/art program/desktop publisher, but you're not sure
which one is the one you need, or whether you need to buy it. Identifont
<http://www.identifont.com> to the rescue! Answer a series of questions
(does the middle stroke in the capital M go all the way to the baseline?
Does the $ have one line or two?) and it will narrow it down for you. Very
handy for those who care what their printed work looks like."

This web site also has visual examples of the fonts in question.  You can't
install them on your computer, but you can see what each character looks
like.

-Ken

(KGAGNE, Cat 8, Top 14, Msg 10)

>>>>>
"""""
if you have an image sample of the font, you can also try whatthefont.com,
which will offer up some suggestions (and try to sell you their fonts).

Kelvin.

(KWS, Cat 8, Top 14, Msg 11)
[EOA]



[ANS]-------------------------------
      ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM SYNDICOMM |
------------------------------------

by Lyle Syverson <lyle@foxvalley.net>

[TSU]
TO SIGN UP FOR SYNDICOMM ONLINE
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Please visit our web site at http://www.syndicomm.com for information or to
sign up!

(Logon message)
[EOA]



[LTE]-------------------------------
             LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
------------------------------------

[SRS]
Setting the Record Straight
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
From: Kitcoke19@aol.com
Date: January 20, 2006 12:53:35 PM EST
To: webmaster@syndicomm.com
Cc: admin@portmatilda.com
Subject: The Apple II WebRing

(Ryan,

Was out surfing the web and run across the story below, and thought I'd set
the record straight..........print it or don't, it's up to you)

Actually, I wrote the original "Delphi Messenger" to be a speed reading
script for the BB/Message Boards. Someone quipped one day that I didn't
have enough familiarity with Spectrum to actually do that. So...........

(I always did love a challenge)

In actuality, the newer version was a team effort. Gary, Paul Pirosko and I
developed the "Delphi Messenger" to read, and write.  Gary wrote the button
scripts, writing scripts and graphic overlays, while I made them compatible
to Delphi and my own program, fine-tuning them with my original scripts.
Paul Pirosko proofread the scripts, and shortened some of them to keep the
program simple. Ewen gave me a few scripts that helped shortened the
process, but at the time was doing another project so Paul, Gary and I
stuck with it.

After the program was up and working (it did everything and did it right)
Ewan asked me to send him the scripts, as he was at that time finished with
his other work, and he'd see about incorporating newer scripts into it.
When the original COG came out, we tore it apart to discover that over 80%
of the scripts were ours (Paul {who said 90%+}, Gary's and my own) and Ewan
had added a picture in the front and renamed our program (COG), giving us
very little credit.  As a matter of fact, I used our original scripts to do
the same thing for Compuserve until they too stopped supporting the ApPLE
II's and Amigas.  I still have my APPLE IIGS's but have moved into other
fields. Paul has a web-designing business and I helped for a time, learning
Cold Fusion and Microsoft FrontPage.  Now, I build computers... both my
kids are grown and the few times I did come back to the Apple II areas, I
felt the reception was a bit cool....... so I moved on.  I am not angry
about COG, as I do recognize Ewan as a superior Speccie writer, however the
Reader/Writer for Delphi was my idea, and on my Apple II's I still used
Delphi Messenger (as did Paul) until we packed them up and put them in
storage.

Good Luck to all........

REF - FROM THE NOVEMBER 2003 ISSUE OF _The Lamp!_ .......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[KGS]
KIT GRAHAM AND SPECTRUM SCRIPTS
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Wasn't there a Kit Graham who wrote scripts to make CoPilot work on
CompuServe using Spectrum 2.0?

(KGAGNE, Cat 2, Top 31, Msg 42)

>>>>>
"""""
Yes indeed. Kermit Graham did work on those scripts, and I remember at the
time helping him with the scripts. If I remember correctly, I eventually
evolved the scripts into COG for Delphi, which then evolved into SOAR for
Syndicomm. I have not heard from him for many years now, perhaps someone
else knows what he is doing now.

Ewen Wannop -  Speccie - Sat 25 Oct 2003 - 269 days till KFest '04
Delivered without using a IIgs by Spectrum v2.5.3 & SOAR 1.0b11 Setup:
IIgs running at 95Mhz thanks to Bernie ][ the Rescue 3.0

(CONDUCTOR, Cat 2, Top 31, Msg 46)
[EOA]


AN INVITATION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Express your opinions about the comings and goings in the world of the
Apple II computers.

Send your comments to Lyle Syverson, Editor <lyle@FoxValley.net>

The Editor reserves the right to edit any material submitted.

The Editor reserves the right to reject any material he considers
unsuitable for publication in _The Lamp!_.
[EOA]



[KF6]------------------------------
                       KFest 2006 |
-----------------------------------

[KFS]
KansasFest 2006
"""""""""""""""
is scheduled for July 18th-23rd, 2006

Mark your calendar... start saving some money.  :)
[EOA]



[INN]------------------------------
                    EXTRA INNINGS |
-----------------------------------
About The Lamp!   The Lamp! is published on the fifteenth of every month on
"""""""""""""""   the WEB at:   http://lamp.a2central.com/

This publication produced entirely with real or emulated Apple II computers
using Appleworks 5.1 and Hermes.  Apple II Forever!

     * The Lamp! is (c) copyright 2006 by Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W.  All
       rights reserved.

     * To reach The Lamp! on Internet email send mail to
       thelamp@sheppyware.net

     * All issues of The Lamp! are available at The Lamp! Home Page,
       http://lamp.a2central.com/

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors, and do not
necessarily represent the opinions of A2Central.com, Delphi Online
Services, Syndicomm, Ryan M. Suenaga, or Lyle Syverson.  Forum messages are
reprinted verbatim and are included in this publication with permission
from the individual authors.  A2Central.com, Delphi Online Services,
Syndicomm, Ryan M. Suenaga, and Lyle Syverson do not guarantee the accuracy
or suitability of any information included herein.  We reserve the right to
edit all letters and copy.

Material published in this edition may not be reprinted without the
expressed written consent of the  publisher.   Registered computer user
groups, not for profit publications , and other interested parties may
write the publisher to apply for permission to reprint any or all material.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<



[EOF]
