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 GENERAL / BEGINNERS ' SUPPORT GROUP CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
    Friday May 26,  1989  10: 00 PM EDT
 "Get the Most Out of Your 128"
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 QDL Laura: Welcome to the General / Beginners ' Conference ! Tonight ' s topic is "Get the Most Out of Your 128". Even if you don ' t have a 128 but are thinking about buying one,  we hope to help you understand it more. Let's get rolling ! Well,  back in 1985 Commodore marketed a new computer,  the C128. It was described as being both the 64 and another computer called the 128,  with more memory and an expanded BASIC 7. 0 language built in. The 128 would run in either 40 or 80 column mode,  with a larger range of functions. It would also handle the vast amount of CP / M files which are available. Since then,  the 128 has become a very popular computer. Programmers like the BASIC 7. 0 ease and the greater memory capabilities. 

 Since the earlier 128 versions,  a newer 128 has been marketed. Called the 128D,  it comes with a built - in 1571 drive and a detachable keyboard. It ' s basically the same as the older version,  except it has the new ROM upgrades. 

 Question:  What kinds of CP / M programs are out there,  and how do you use them ? 

 QDL Laura: There is a huge amount of public domain CP / M programs available since it ' s an older and established operating system. For using CP / M,  you should visit the CP / M Computing Support Group here in COMMODORE INFORMATION NETWORK. There are articles and starter kits available to help get you going. 

 QDL Robert: And a LOT of great public domain files that you can download and use,  too. 

 Question:  Can you run MS - DOS programs using CP / M,  too ? 

 QDL Robert: CP / M is sort of the "ancestor"of MS - DOS,  but programs for the MS - DOS operating system will NOT run under CP / M. 

 Question:  I understand Fred Bowen has a 128 with a 1581 built - in. Do you think this would help sales if Commodore made it standard ? 

 QDL Laura: The 1581 is fantastic as a second drive. However,  as a main drive,  you ' ll have problems since there is little software support yet. 

 QDL Robert: I think Fred has dozens of old Commodore prototypes that have never been marketed for various reasons,  and as Laura said,  the main reason is the number of people who will likely be interested in the machine. There are rumors about new Commodore 8 - bit machines,  though. We ' ll just have to see. 

 Question:  Is it possible to reassign the device number on the 128D to device 9 ? 

 QDL Laura: Through software,  yes. I wouldn ' t mess with the insides,  though. 

 QDL Robert: The command is OPEN 15,  8,  15, "U0 >"+ CHR $( n ): CLOSE 15,  where n is the desired device number. 

 Question:  Will there be a hard drive for the 128 ? 

 QDL Laura: There are several hard drives that will work with the C - 128,  such as the DataChief and Lt. Kernal. As far as Commodore itself marketing one,  I doubt it. 

 Question:  How do you utilize the double - sided format of the 1571 ? 

 QDL Laura: We ' ll be getting to that in just a moment. The C - 128 is switchable between 64 mode and 128 mode. This is done in various ways. If a cartridge is in the port on the back,  you will power up in 64 mode. The exceptions to this are cartridges designed specially for the 128,  such as Mach 128,  which has a switch on the cartridge itself. 

 If you hold the Commodore key down and power up or hit the reset switch on the side,  you ' ll be in 64 mode,  too. Normal power - up takes you into 128 mode. You CAN get to 64 mode after powering up in 128 mode if you type GO64 and answer "y"to the prompt. However,  if you have a 1571 drive you could have problems with this. 

 When you switch into 64 mode that way,  the 1571 is left in double - sided mode,  and a lot of commercial software for the 64 will not tolerate that. The 1571 will always be set up in fast,  double - sided mode when you turn on the computer in 128 mode. To format a disk,  type: 

 HEADER "diskname", Iid,  Un

 "Diskname"is up to 16 characters to be used as a name for that disk. "ID"is any two characters. You can leave off the "U"option if you ' re using drive 8,  but if you wish to format a disk in another drive,  specify the drive number like "U9"or "U10". The 128 has other easy - to - use disk commands. To scratch a file,  for instance,  all you have to type is: 

 SCRATCH "filename"

 The old complicated form of the rename command is greatly simplified to: 

 RENAME "old filename"TO "new filename"

 And the valuable validate command,  which can clean up cluttered disks becomes: 

 COLLECT

 There are many more useful commands to know,  and they ' re all detailed in the System Guide that comes with your 128 or 128D. 

 Question:  I ' ve heard of devices that let you use the 80 column mode of the 128 with a normal composite monitor. Where can I get one ? 

 QDL Laura: The 128 has two unique video modes. The normal 40 column mode and the 80 column mode which requires a RGB monitor to view. It IS possible,  through hardware add - ons or modifications,  to use a composite monitor to view the 80 column screen,  but you ' ll get a fuzzy picture,  usually only in black - and - white. For the full effect,  you really want an RGB monitor. 

 The 80 column screen is great for serious applications,  like word processing and spreadsheets,  while the 40 column screen is best for games. Many monitors can display both modes,  like the Commodore 1902 and 1084 dual monitors. 

 Comment:  I just uploaded a good example of 80 column color graphics entitled "parsinia. arc". It should determine whether there is a market or not for 80 column games. How can I inform people of it ? 

 QDL Robert: Now that ' s on the cutting edge of what can be done with a 128D. There are some truly spectacular pictures that can be achieved using the 128 ' s 80 - column chip,  up to 640x600 resolution in interlaced video mode. Only a slight flicker is noticeable,  too. To let people know about it,  why not post a message on one of the message boards in the Graphics or Game World Support Groups here in CIN. You can find a lot of "ultra hires"files in the Graphics Support Group,  in the 128 libraries. 

 QDL Laura: Now,  many first - time 128 users are confused about how to display 80 columns. On the top of the keyboard you ' ll see several gray keys. One of these is marked 40 / 80 Display. If the key is up,  then you ' ll be in 40 column mode. If the key is depressed,  you ' ll be in 80 column mode and must switch your monitor to RGB. Depending on your specific monitor,  the RGB switch or button may be on the front or back. 

 QDL Robert: Where the confusion usually lies,  though,  is in the fact that the key is ONLY checked when you ( 1 ) power up,  ( 2 ) reset,  or ( 3 ) hit RUN / STOP and RESTORE simultaneously. Simply switching the 40 / 80 DISPLAY key will not instantly switch modes for you. In fact,  some software will ignore it totally. 

 QDL Laura: Sometimes if you are loading a 128 program and you get nothing on the screen,  you can switch the column mode and see if there ' s anything going on. 

 Now,  to take full advantage of the 128,  you need a 1571 drive,  especially if you intend to use CP / M mode often. This drive functions exactly like a normal 1541 in 64 mode,  but when you switch to 128 mode,  it becomes a speed demon. Besides all the commands we mentioned earlier,  there are several different load commands to use with the 128. 

 When you download any 128 files,  you might have to experiment with several of the commands to find which works. The function keys are predefined in 128 mode,  and pressing F2 will cause DLOAD to appear on your screen,  and you simply type the filename to load and press RETURN. You still must type RUN to execute the program. 

 Another boot command to know is the RUN command. It ' s just a combination of DLOAD and RUN. RUN "filename"will load and run that file from your disk. BOOT alone will start up an auto - booting disk ( which we ' ll discuss later ). BOOT "filename"is useful for loading and executing machine language programs. Plus,  you can use the normal LOAD"file", 8 and then RUN. Note that you ' ll VERY rarely run across a 128 - mode program that should be loaded with LOAD"filename", 8,  1,  so don ' t use it. 

 QDL Robert: Want to run the first file on the disk ? Just press SHIFT and RUN / STOP simultaneously. 

 QDL Laura: The 128 is equipped with a keypad at the side which can save you a few keystrokes. The keypad is like a calculator and simplifies entering long strings of numbers,  and most 128 word processors and database programs will allow you to use this. It ' s also an aid for programmers. 

 The 128 comes with a DOS Shell program on the 1571 ' s Test / Demo disk. Put this disk in the drive and power up or reset the computer,  and it automatically boots. The shell allows you to perform DOS functions easily,  such as scratching,  renaming,  disk cleanup,  etc. It will also alphabetize your directory and perform other functions such as loading certain files. 

 Also at the top of the keyboard you ' ll see a set of cursor keys. These have the same function as the normal cursor keys,  but there are four keys so you don ' t have to ever shift to move up or to the left. These keys,  like the keypad and the next ones we ' re about to discuss,  function in 128 MODE ONLY. They ' re totally useless in 64 mode. 

 As you probably know,  if you want to type in all capital letters and use the SHIFT key,  your spaces are capitalized,  too,  and come out as a graphics character. The CAPS LOCK key eliminates this problem. 

 QDL Robert: One of my favorite additions to the 128 is the ESCape key. It gives you ALL sorts of useful little functions. It ' s a BIG help if you write them down on a little reference card to keep by the computer. For example,  have you ever found yourself stuck in "quote mode"while entering a filename and wished you could cursor back to correct a typo,  but when you use the cursor keys,  they end up as graphics characters ? Just press ESC twice to take yourself out of quote mode. 

 ESC and then "@"lets you clear from the current cursor position to the bottom of the screen - VERY useful when editing. Need to open up a line or two on the screen so you don ' t type over information below you ? Press ESC and then I to insert a line at the cursor position. ESC - D has the opposite effect ; it deletes the line where the cursor lies. 

 Do you hate the flashing cursor ? ESC - E will make it a steady cursor instead,  and ESC - F will restore it to a flashing one. There ' s even an auto - insert mode,  activated by ESC - A and deactivated by ESC - C that lets you type a bunch of characters and have them automatically inserted into the current line. And that ' s just a small sampling of the things you can do with ESC. 

 QDL Laura: They ' re very useful ! 

 QDL Robert: And if you ' ve never tried CTRL - G on a 128,  try it tonight. It doesn ' t do much,  but it ' s cute. A lot of people ask how to define the function keys to frequently used text and commands. To list the current function key assignments,  type the command KEY and press RETURN. 

 You ' ll see what you get when you type each of the numbered function keys. If,  for example,  you wanted to make F1 say "Hiya"you would type the following: 

 KEY 1,  "HIYA !"

 The next time you press F1,  you ' ll see that text. What if you want it to press RETURN after recalling the text ? Just append a + CHR $( 13 ) to your definition: