Hacking the Mags

Not everything good and/or technical comes from Commodore Hacking, which is as it should be. (We still think we have the most, though...) Thus, let's spotlight some good and/or technical reading from the other Commodore publications.

If you know of a magazine that you would like to see summarized here, let C=Hacking know about it. These summaries are only limited by Commodore Hacking's inability to purchase subscriptions to all the Commodore publications available. We are very grateful to those publications that send complimentary copies of their publications for review.

Commodore Gazette

This new introduction is published by Commodore Gazette Publications, and is NOT related to COMPUTE's Gazette, in case you are wondering. In Volume 1, Number 7, editor Christopher Ryan mentions the above fact, as it seems some upset COMPUTE'S Gazette subscribers were calling him. In this issue, you will find some detailed instructions on installing CMD's JiffyDOS, as well as how to turn your 64 computer into a 128 (I should mention this was the April issue). Kenneth Barsky provides some handy tips for BASIC programmers, including one involving the append mode of CBM disk drives. Overall, the fare is a bit light, but is pleasing.

Commodore World (http://www.the-spa.com/cmd/cwhome.html)

In the continuing saga of the funky graphics, Jenifer Esile, who made a good share of them, has resigned from editorship of Commodore World. We hope it isn't something we said :-). Anyway, CW has hired a new assistant editor, and two new issues have rolled off the press.

Doug Cotton, the editor of CW, mentioned that Issue 13 was a nightmare. I guess even CMD falls prey to the superstitious number. No matter. For those wanting to learn more about the World Wide Web and HTML, Katherine Nelson presents an article on how to use this presentation markup language to develop exciting WWW sites. A glimpse of the Commodore LCD computer is given, and Doug Cotton presents his RUN64 loader, also presented in the last issue of C=H. For those who are anticipating the new release of Novaterm, Gaelyne Moranec interviews Nick Rossi, the author of Novaterm.

Issue 14 follows up on the HTML tutorial by Katherine Nelson. Since Commodore software is developed on many computer platforms, Doug Cotton presents an article on transferring files between dissimilar computer systems. In the reference department, clip out the User Group list compiled in this issue. Obviously, you don't need it, but it's something to send the clueless person who calls asking for help. Jim Butterfield shows how to get some input into your ML programs, and Maurice Randall delved into the VLIR file format used in GEOS.

DisC=overy ( http://www.eskimo.com/~drray/discovery.html)

Subtitled "The Journal of the Commodore Enthusiast," this recent publication introduction debuted online on May 17. Available in electronic format, like C=H, this is a magazine Commodore Hacking readers won't want to miss. Issue #1 includes articles by Stephen Judd on VDC timing, by Nate Dannenburg on constructing an 8-bit analog to digital board, and by Mike Gordillo on upgrading the 16kB 128 VDC to 64kB. Other articles include a discussion on George Taylor's new Tri-FLI technique, an overview of CP/M, and a look at ModPlay 128. Commented source is included for many of the articles, and the technical details are not spared. The layout is similar to early issues of Commodore Hacking, but more attention is paid to consistency throughout the issue. In addition to the issue itself, there is a WWW Site devoted to the magazine: (http://www.eskimo.com/~drray/discovery.html). Still uncertain here at Hacking Headquarters is the publication cycle for this new arrival, but we hope it finds an eager audience. The editors are certain that there is room in the Commodore publication arena for DisC=overy and more magazines like it.

Driven (http://soho.ios.com/~coolhnd/)

Issue #13 contains a good review of the 1541-DOS package from Bonestripper. For those who don't know, 1541-DOS allows your 1541 to read and write a disk format that can be read on IBM 5.25" floppies. Iceball presents a reality-check for the demo scene, while Tao discusses some ideas to help developers write graphics-format independent code. Even if you don't develop graphics code, you should read this article and heed its warnings. Failing to test NTSC code on PAL machines or vice versa can impact the usefulness of your application. A little extra effort in development can pay off in the end. Finally, Tron presents some more information on Internet Relay Chat (IRC), including how to use its features.

Eclipsing the last issue, Drive #14 offers a wealth of information. Nate Dannenburg presents information on ModPlayer 128, while Guenther Bauer reviews the new CMD 20 MHz SuperCPU accelerator. Nate describes some of the theory behind creating digital music and how it can be done using a Commodore 64. Lastly, Issue #14 presents a transcript of the Genie roundtable discussion on the 64 and its place on the Internet.

LOADSTAR (http://www.loadstar.com)

Issue 142 brings us Fender's proposal for dealing with the glut of good software languishing in the closets of those who have forgotten it sits there. Adam Vardy presents a screen saver appropriately described as "a screen saver for a computer that doesn't need one." Of special mention on this issue is Terry Flynn's SYSARCH, a handy 14 screen reference guide containing PRG info at the touch of a key or two. For those who have flipped through the 64 PRG enough to wear out the binder, this might provide some relief.

In Issue 143, Jeff Jones presents the nuts and bolts behind LOADSTAR's text packing routines, while CodeQuest '95 silver medal winner Paul Clark offers a handy LIST wedge that allows forward and backward BASIC listing scrolls. Paul's wedge even allows searching. That's a neat twist for you BASIC programers. For those who don't regularly use GEOS but are given graphics in GEOPaint format, Saimak Ansari provides a utility that will allow you to view and print them without GEOS.

By far the most technical of the 3 reviewed, issue 144 contains a number of helpful utilities. One, called Menu Toolbox II, allows the programmer to create useful and functional user interfaces with a minimum of effort. Jeff Jones, the author, has rolled an extensive list of user interface controls into this package. Additionally, Ken Robinson presents some bug fixes and enhancements to Jeff Jones' Static Array System, a package that allows programmers to treat RAM like a relative file.

LOADSTAR 128 (http://www.loadstar.com)

For all the Dave's Term folks, Issue 31 presents the 5th and final installment of the 128 terminal program. Bob Markland presents his RANDOM 2-254 program that one can use to create random numbers. In addition, Bob presents RLE 128, a utility to Run Length Encode (RLE) fines to make them smaller. RLE packing is especially useful for text screens and other files with repeating symbols. Fender Tucker notes in the introduction that many new 128 titles are arriving for publication, and he mentions that Mr. Markland will be taking charge of more aspects of this publication. We hope he enjoys it.

LOADSTAR LETTER (http://www.loadstar.com)

We have decided to break LL out from the LOADSTAR reviews because J and F Publishing has recently decided to make LL a separate product. The details are in LL Issue #34. The publication will continue to be free of charge until #37.

In LL #32, LOADSTAR introduces two more editions in its "Compleat" line. The Compleat Crossword offers what the name inplies, while The Compleat Jon presents 11 previously published Jon Mattson games in one compilation. Jeff details a particlularly nasty bug that he worked around in The Compleat Crossword. He invites savvy folks to figure out the problem. In the reference department, most will want to archive Jeff Jones' Introduction to Machine Language. Oh sure, it won't teach YOU anything new, but the tables are sure nice to have if, perchance, a friend ever forgets the addressing modes for some opcode. Lastly, Jim Brain presents part 5 of the Internet series.

LL #33 showed up with a revamped look. The publication now has a professional front splash graphic, and the style has evolved. We are impressed with the new look. Of notable mention is the preliminary information on the CMD SuperCPU and its compatibility. A discussion of BASIC compiler pitfalls and problems follows. Every programer should read and re-read the article on how to write applications that work on machines with "old" ROMs. The problems are so simple, but neglicting them ruins a perfectly fine app on an old 64. If you haven't figured out how to access RAM under ROM and I/O at $D000, there's some functions in the issue to do that as well.

In LL #34, we learn the new email address for LOADSTAR email: jeff@loadstar.com. The issue also mentions LOADSTAR's WWW address: http://www.loadstar.com and notes that it will be the "coolest C64 site on earth." Well, we'll see about that, but credit is due for the attempt. In this issue, LOADSTAR notes the impending change of LL from free to subscription based, and some more information on the SuperCPU is related. For those in the demo scene, you'll be pleased to know that Driven will now be distributed on the 3.5" version of LOADSTAR. Gaelyne Moranec and her WWW site is spotlighted, but the most newsworthy information in this issue is the mention that Byte magazine recently recognized the 6502, the SID, and the Agnes/Denise/Paula chips as some of the 20 most influential ICs in the computer industry.

Although LL will appeal to the beginner to intermediate Commodore user with current events information, we are pleased to see numerous code fragments and technical discussions interspersed with the lighter fare. For $12.00 a year, don't pass it over without a look.

The Underground

Commodore Hacking would like to thank the anonymous Underground reader who donated a subscription so that we can review this magazine for our readers. We appreciate the donation.

With our first issue, Scott Eggleston has changed the format of the publication a bit. Citing problems with reproduction of the smaller format and printing woes, The Underground gains a whole new larger format look with Issue 13. For those developers considering a CMD hard drive purchase, Disk Estel reviews an HD-40. Two Internet related articles surface in this issue, as Mark Murphy explains some of the technology of the Internet, while Disk Trissel details the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). A full complement of columns and departments accompany each issue as well. The Underground covers beginner to intermediate material and uses GEOS to publish each issue. Digitized photos make frequent appearances, and the content is top-notch.

Other magazines not covered in this rundown include:

Notes on Legend:

In addition, others exist that C=Hacking is simply not aware of. As soon as we can snag a copy of any of these, or get the foreign language ones in English :-), we will give you the scoop on them.

C= Hacking Home | Issue 13 Contents

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Last Updated: 1997-03-11 by Jim Brain