PERQ FAQ #3
Robert D. Davis
please read it over and please let me know if there is anything
that you feel should be added to it or corrected. Thanks! The
present-day PERQ users will really appreciate your helpful and
informative comments.
This FAQ isn't as complete as I would like it to be, since there are
several things that I need to add to it and there are several things
that I'd like to change. I apologize for not getting these additions
and changes made yet. However, it's time to send out this FAQ, such
as it is, for those who may need some of the information that it
contains.
Additionally, several people have made some very good suggestions for
additions and changes to this FAQ, which I haven't had a chance to
implement. Hopefully, these changes will be implemented by the time
the next PERQ FAQ rolls off the electronic press. :-)
======================================================================
FAQ for PERQ Graphics Workstations
======================================================================
PERQ FAQ #3, Friday, July 2, 1993
NOTE: This FAQ deals primarily with the POS operating system, although
there are some mentions of Accent, PNX and FLEX. If there is
something that you'd like to see added to this FAQ, or if you notice
any errors, please send e-mail to:
Robert D. Davis ...uunet!mystica!rdd or rda...@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu
Telephone: +1 (410) 744-7964
***********************************************************************
*** Information in this FAQ supersedes any information from any ***
*** previous PERQ FAQs. Corrections, additions and changes may ***
*** have been made. ***
The topics included in this FAQ are:
Part I - Frequently asked questions.
------
1) Why has my DDS changed to some number, other than the one which
indicates a successful boot, after running some random program?
2) What types of replacement discs can I use with my PERQ?
3) Can I install a second hard disc? How do install one?
4) How do I format a new hard disc and get it ready for use in my
PERQ?
5) What is the easiest way to add and delete partitions?
6) There are files listed in a directory that I cannot access or delete.
Other than the directory listing, POS seems to think that these files
do not exist. What do I do to read/delete them?
7) How do I install Accent on my PERQ?
8) How do I use BindBoot under Accent?
9) Can I use a tape drive with my PERQ?
11) Is there a faster/better way to duplicate floppies, other than
using the s...l...o...w duplicate function of the floppy program?
12) Is there a version of UNIX for the PERQ?
13) Why shouldn't I leave my monitor sitting on top of the PERQ
chasis? Is there a way to keep my hard disc from getting hosed
if I do this?
14-a) What other text editors, other than Editor, are available for use
with POS?
14-b) What other text editors, other then Editor, are available for use
with Accent?
15-a) What text/document processing software runs of the PERQs under
POS?
15-b) What text/document processing software runs on the PERQs under
Accent?
16) My monitor has developed a "wraparound" problem. How can I fix
it?
17) Why should I, or *shouldn't* I use BYE/OFF of /WAIT?
18) What operating systems are known to run on PERQs?
19-a) What languages have been available for PERQs running POS?
19-b) What languages have been available for PERQs running Accent?
19-c) What languages have been available for PERQs running PNX?
20) How can I create and edit fonts?
21-a) How can I create and edit .cursor and .animate files under POS
and Accent?
21-b) How can I create and edit .cursor and .animate files under PNX?
22-a) What programs have been used to create/display graphic designs
on the PERQs under POS?
22-b) What programs have been used to create/display graphic designs
on the PERQs under Accent?
22-c) What programs have been used to create/display graphic designs
on the PERQs under PNX?
23) How do I change the default font using POS?
24) How do I make a PERQ play music, and other noises, and talk,
under POS?
25) My PERQ's real-time clock always displays the wrong time and I
can't get it to stay set to the correct time. How do I correct this
problem?
Part II - Frequently asked questions without answers.
-------
1) What is the best way for to preserve as many PERQs, and PERQ bits,
as possible from being scrapped by companies and institutions?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
* NOTE: Unless I hear some objections, the plan for the next FAQ is
to break it down into the following sections, or something similar:
I Pertaining to all PERQs, all operating systems
II PERQ-1 hardware specific questions
III PERQ-2 hardware specific questions
IV PERQ-T2 hardware specific questions
V POS specific questions
VI Accent specific questions
VII PNX specific questions
VIII FAQs in need of answers
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Why has my DDS changed to some number, other then the one that
indicates a successful boot, after I've run some random program?
It is only during the boot process that the PERQ's diagnostic display
system (DDS) contains valid information about the status of the
system. After the system has successfully booted, a program may make
a call to SetDDS, which will set the DDS to whatever value is
specified by the program.
Users should be aware that there is a DDS bug that possibly can cause
the display to be one digit off while the system is being booted. So
far, it does not seem to appear very frequently.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2) What types of replacement discs can I use with my PERQ?
The file SYS:Boot>disk.params contains a list of disc drives that can
be used with a PERQ T2. These are all MFM, ST-506 type hard disks
(with the exception of one ST-412 that requires a different controller
board). Additional MFM disc types may be added to this file, on one
condition: do NOT add them to the end of the file; place them anywhere
*before* the last drive description.
It is possible to replace the PERQ-1's 14-inch hard disc with an
8-inch hard disc without too much difficulty. This requires some
hardware hacking; I have a document that describes the theory of this,
but there are no schematics. I did hear that some PERQ-1 systems were
modified to use a 5-1/4" hard disc, but I have no information on this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Can I install a second hard disc? How do I install a second hard
disk?
Yes, if you have a PERQ-2 or a T2. One caveat: the second drive
cannot be used with POS. However, POS is used to format the drive
before Accent or PNX can be used. For more information, consult the
PERQ-T2 Service Guide. If there is much of a need for this
information, it will be included in a later version of this FAQ.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
4) How do I format a new hard disc and get it ready for use in my
PERQ?
In order to do this, you will need several programs that were not
normally distributed to PERQ customers. These programs are:
BadSector, DiskTest and NewPart. Note that there were two varieties
of the DiskTest program: one was primarilly for internal use at PERQ
Systems and the other was released to some customers. The version
released to customers was a crippled version of DiskTest, and could
only perform non-destructive tests. The version that you will need to
use is the version used internally at PERQ Systems.
The following steps are necessary to format a disk and make it ready
for use. The following example is for a PERQ-T2 with a Toshiba MK-56
hard disc.
NOTE: You will need to make some minor changes to some of the
following parameters if you are using a different disk drive. the
parameters that you will need to change should be self explanatory,
such as the number of heads, cylinders, etc.
In order to format the disc of a PERQ-1 or a PERQ-2, a few other
things may need to be done differently; if so, please notify me and
I'll add these to the next FAQ. For example: Does the 14" Shugart use
write precompensation? Are there some utilities mentione below that
won't work with a PERQ-1 or PERQ-2?, etc. If you've successfully
reformatted and partitioned a PERQ-1, or PERQ-2, system please
send a note explaining what, if anything, you've done differently.
1. Boot the system from a boot floppy, fast-boot floppy or auto-boot
floppy.
2. Dismount the boot floppy:
> dis f
3. Insert a load floppy and mount it:
> mo f
4. Run the badsector program to check the hard disk's bad blocks. If
a bad sector map is not found, you will need to tell badsector which
sectors are bad, manually (you will need the factory disc defect list
for this). Use the help command to see what other commands are
available.
> badsector
The bad sector map must be read into a buffer if it exists:
CMD> readmap
List the bad sectors and compare these, if any, with the defects
listed in the list provided by the hard disc's manufacturer. If they
match exactly, go to the last step below, the 'q' (quit) command.
CMD> li
Insert the known bad blocks into the bad sector map using the defect
list.
CMD> insert
Before you can actually insert the bad blocks into the map, you will
be prompted for the type of disk drive that you are using (in this
example, a Toshiba MK-56 is used). If the type of drive that you are
using is not listed in disk.params, you will need to press [RETRN] and
enter all of the disc parameters manually.
Enter disk model or press <RETURN> to enter other parameters: mk56
You will also need to answer the following prompt. You will normally
enter 'b' to enter bad spots by byte (4 digits) as listed on most
disc manufacturer's defect lists. You will then be prompted further
(not shown here... will be self explanatory when you go to do this)
for the bad sectors.
Enter bad spots by byte or sector? [B or S]: b
After you have finished entering the bad sectors, continue with the
following to list the bad sectors in the buffer to make sure that you
have entered them correctly:
CMD> li
Write the bad sectors from the buffer to the bad sector map:
CMD> writefile
Write the bad sectors to a text file named BadSectorFile.Text (or
whatver name you want to give it), so that you can read or print out
this listing later.
CMD> prinfile
File: BadSectorFile.Text
Quit the BadSector program:
CMD> q
4. Run the DiskTest program, Note that running format with checking
on is slow; running format with checking off, and then using scan,
achieves the same results, and is faster. The 'help' command may be
used to obtain a listing of commands.
> disktest
Tell DiskTest what area of the disk is to be formatted. These numbers
depend upon the disc type and upon whether pre-compensation is used.
Again, these parameters are for a Toshiba MK-56 drive.
COMMAND> area r,1,829
Tell DiskTest that it is permitted to proceed with something that can
make permanent changes to your disk:
COMMAND> unsafe
Proceed with the format. This will take a while, so take a break and
fix a cup of tea and grab a handfull of cookies to snack on, order a
pizza to be delivered and wait for it to arrive, then go back to the
PERQ so you can watch the little boxes appear on your screen as the
disc is formatted:
COMMAND> format
When the format has finished, scan the disc for errors:
COMMAND> scan
Quit the program. The disc has been formatted.
COMMAND> q
5. Run NewPart to initialize the disk drive, give it a name, and
partition it. If you are running an older version of NewPart, you
will need to tell it what type of drive you are using. If using the
newest version(s), it will guess the type of disc drive automagically.
> newpart
Initialize the drive and give it a name:
CMD> devinit
[no] y
Enter dev. name> SYS
[no] y
At this point, you are ready to partition the disc. Refer to the
next FAQ question for information on how to do this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
5) What is the easiest way to add and delete partitions?
Use the NewPart program instead of the Partition program. If you are
using an older version of NewPart, you will need to specify the type
of hard disc, or enter the parameters for the disc. If using the
newst version(s), NewPart will guess the disc type automagically.
Use the 'help' command to obtain further help with using NewPart.
> newpart
After selecting the disc type, if necessary, create the necessary
partitions. This example is for a partition named Boot with 10,080
blocks. Use whatever partition size you wish, with the following
restrictions: the partition must contain fewer than 32,768 blocks and
it must be a number which is the ending of a cylinder boundary. Don't
worry too much about the number that you enter, as far as the cylinder
boundary goes; if you enter a number that is incorrect, NewPart will
suggest the nearest numbers which are the endings of cylinder
boundaries. If you have less than 2MB of memory, you should keep the
size of partitions 10,080 or fewer blocks ...unless you want to
wait a l...o...n...g time when you use Scavenger.
The following creates the partition, initializes the pages and
then tests the pages:
CMD> createpart/initpages/test Boot 10080
Quit NewPart:
CMD> q
NewPart will prompt you to find out if you want the disk re-mounted.
You should normally respond with yes, the default; just press <RETRN>.
Destroying partitions is even easier; however, you must start with
the last partition created. You will be prompted to verify that
you actually want to destroy the last partition. Respond with 'y'.
CMD> destroypart
----------------------------------------------------------------------
6) There are files listed in a directory that I cannot access or
delete. Other than the directory listing, POS seems to think that
these files don't exist. What do I do to read or delete them?
Scavenger to the rescue! Run Scavenger for the partition where the
problem exists and answer yes to to the prompts including, and
following, the one that asks if you wish to rebuild the directories.
*** WARNING: Do *NOT* run Scavenger from the partition being ***
*** scavenged, as errors may result which could possibly make ***
*** your hard disc unbootable, or at the least, could cause some ***
*** strange errors and noises. For example, when scavenging the ***
*** present partition, Scavenger may abort and crash the system; ***
*** when you attempt to re-boot, you'll hear that "grinding" ***
*** of the hard disk re-calibrating. It may, or may not, ***
*** re-boot. If this happens to you, and you do get it to ***
*** boot, there may be some disc damage that you'll need to fix! ***
----------------------------------------------------------------------
7) How do I install Accent on my PERQ?
*** NOTE: you cannot use Accent unless you have a EIO or OIO ***
*** board installed in your PERQ. ***
First, you will need to create two partitions, one for the Accent
OS files and one that Accent uses for paging. It matters not what
you name the partition used for the OS, but you must give the paging
partition the name of 'paging'. The minimum size needed for the paging
partition is 10,080 blocks, and a size of 15,000 blocks is preferable.
The next step is to load the Accent files onto your hard disk.
Although Accent can reside in parts of your hard disc that are beyond
the reach of POS, you still need to load these files into a partition
that POS can Access (unless you already have another version of Accent
running on your hard disc, in which case you will need to use the
BindBoot program provided with Accent). If you have created a
partition beyond the reach of POS, you will see a message that says
"Using partition relative fillers" (or something like this).
Use BindBoot (this is for the POS version) to make the partition
bootable. The following example is for use with a 'b' boot on a
PERQ-T2.
Existing boot file: Accent.Boot
Hard disk selected.
Which character to boot from: b
System b-boot is unused.
Interpreter b-boot is unused.
System or Interpreter [S]: <press return>
System b-boot disk address = nn
*** ***
*** Before answering the following question, refer to this chart. ***
*** ***
PERQ model Answer to the following prompt:
---------- -------------------------------
PERQ-1 (with 1A CPU) Accent.PERQ1A.MBoot
PERQ-2 Accent.PERQ2.MBoot
PERQ-T1 Accent.PERQ2.MBoot
PERQ-T2 Accent.T2.MBoot
Existing boot file: Accent.T2.MBoot
Hard disk selected.
Which character to boot from: b
System b-boot disk address = nn
Interpreter b-boot is unused.
System or Interpreter [I]: <press return>
Interpreter b-boot disk address = nn
Existing boot file: <press return>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
8) How do I use BindBoot under Accent?
This is fairly self-explanatory; run the Accent BindBoot program to
see for yourself. In order to create a bootable Accent partition that
is outside the range of POS, it is necessary to use this program.
______________________________________________________________________
9) How do I undelete a file?
Under POS, there is a program named Undelete that can be used to
undelete deleted files. Note that the longer you wait to undelete
a file, the lower your chances are of undeleting it; that is, if
you've performed many disc writes before using Undelete.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
10) Can I use a tape drive with my PERQ?
Yes. You'll need an appropriate streaming tape drive (an Archive QIC-2
drive that uses DC-300 tapes; further specs for the required drive
will be included in a later FAQ.) and, unless you have a Multibus
board, you'll need to get out the wire-wrapping supplies and wrap your
own board, assuming that you have a PERQ wire-wrap board that fits in
the card cage. If you don't have such a board, you can always tap
into the wire-wrap connectors on the PERQ's motherboard/backplane.
Schematics are available, but only request them if you are sure that
you can undertake this project and know what you're doing. I've done
it, and it wasn't too difficult. Beware that if you make a mistake,
you could fry something that you don't want to fry, and you could kill
your PERQ.
For those who do have a tape drive and controller:
Streamer tape drive software: there are basically two, very similar,
programs that you can use: Stut and Stut2. Stut2 is just a version of
Stut that I modified to write the directory listings of a tape to a
file.
The streamer tape drive is used mainly to copy entire discs, or
partitions, to a tape. However, it can be tricked into copying
only a subdirectory if you tell Stut (or Stut2) that the directory is
a partition. You cannot, unfortunately, use a similar trick to
restore data to a subdirectory on the hard disc.
Each DC-300 (or DC-300XL) tape will hold a maximum of about 20
megabytes of data, no matter what the length of the tape is.
WARNING: Backing up, or restoring, data using the version of Stut
provided with Accent S5 is not reliable. If the partition to be
backed up is accessible by POS, or if you have another verison of
Accent on your machine, by all means use the other versions of
Stut. Otherwise, you may be in for a lot of error messages, such as
those referring to buffer allocation problems, errors reading buffers,
etc. Don't be misled by these errors into believing that you are
using a bad tape! This problem normally occurs with very large
files, such as the SPICE LISP core file.
IMPORTANT: Prior to usng a new tape, you should use the erase command
to remove any glitches that may have been put on the tape by stray
magnetic fields.
Additional information on other tape drives: there were also some tape
drives (9-track) used with the PERQ's GPIB port and for a MultiBus.
Other than the software, and the name of the manufacturer of the
interface, no further information seems to be available.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
11) Is there a faster/better way to duplicate floppies, other than
using the s...l...o...w duplicate function of the Floppy program?
Yes, use the programs (again, these are programs not suppled to most
PERQ Systems customers) named Duplicate, DupBoot, and PNXDup. All
three of these run under POS.
Duplicate is used to duplicate either RT-11 format floppies or PERQ
POS and Accent file-system floppies (except for "fast-boot" floppies).
DupBoot is used to duplicate boot floppies, including the "fast-boot"
floppies.
PNXDup is used to duplicate PNX file-system floppies, including the
PNX boot floppy.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
12) Is there a version of UNIX for the PERQs?
There are primarilly two alternatives here (although other varieties
of UNIX are rumored to exist for PERQs): PNX and QNIX.
PNX is a completely seperate operating system that cannot co-exist on
a hard disk with any other operating system. This is a version of
UNIX from ICL that is based on a combination of AT&T System III and
Version 7 UNIX. The newest versions will not run on a PERQ-1.
QNIX is a UNIX environment that runs under Accent and uses it's own
seperate microcode. It can run in an Accent window alongside other
Accent programs, as well as alongside the SPICE LISP environment.
This came from Spider Systems and is based upon AT&T System V UNIX.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
13) Why shouldn't I leave my monitor sitting on top of the PERQ
chasis? Is there a way to keep my hard disc from getting hosed
if I do this?
Stray magnetic fields from the monitor can do some things, that aren't
very nice, to the data on your hard disc. If you still insist on
abusing your PERQ in this manner (as I do :-), then you should
periodically run a non-destructive re-format on your hard disk, to
avoid data-corruption. Even if you don't keep your monitor sitting on
top of the PERQ chasis, you should still run this from time to time.
Basically, the non-destructive re-format reads all the data from your
hard disk and writes it back. It is a good precaution to take against
disaster!
*** CAUTION ***
*** This is an example for using a Toshiba MK-56 hard disc. You will ***
*** need to substitute the following parameters for the disc drive that ***
*** you are using. Refer to the section of this FAQ for installing ***
*** a new hard disk, then come back to this. ***
Be very careful what you enter, as this has the potential of hosing
your hard disk's data if you make a mistake.
How to run a non-destructive re-format on your hard disc:
> disktest
CMD> area r,1,829
CMD> unsafe
CMD> reformat
CMD> q
----------------------------------------------------------------------
14-a) What other text editors, other than Editor, are available for use
with POS?
The Pepper editor is similar to the EMACS editor (but has far fewer
features and capabilities), and comes in two varieties: the standard
Pepper editor from PERQ Systems and the version from Igloo software
that comes with IDOCS (this version uses different key bindings and,
to an EMACS user, is more difficult to use).
14-b) What other text editors, other then Editor, are available for use
with Accent?
If you have SPICE LISP, you can use the Hemlock editor, which is a
very nice implementation of EMACS.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
15-a) What text/document processing software runs of the PERQs under
POS?
3Prose, Mint and QED.
3Prose, loosely based on DEC Runoff. This is for creating text-only
documents. It is said to be possible to use multiple fonts with this,
but no one seems to recall how to do this. This is from PERQ Systems.
Mint (from the Igloo IDOCS software package). This is similar to
Scribe and can be used to create large, complex, documents that
include graphics, various fonts, etc. (e.g. - books, etc.).
QED appears to be used with with the PERQ AUDRE software package and
appears to be some sort of WYSIWYG editor that can include graphics in
a document. Is anyone who is reading this familiar with QED? More
information is needed.
15-b) What text/document processing software runs on the PERQs under
Accent?
3Prose, loosely based on DEC Runoff. This is for creating text-only
documents. It is said to be possible to use multiple fonts with this,
but no one seems to recall how to do this. This appears function
exactly as the POS version. This is from PERQ systems.
Scribe possibly ran under Accent. Does anyone know anything about this?
Mint possibly ran under Accent. Does anyone know anything about this?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
16) My monitor has developed a "wraparound" problem. How can I fix
it?
There are two solutions, depending upon the exact cause of the
problem. Both are simple, and one requires no spare parts.
One possible solution is to tweak the appropriate pot on the left
side, from the front, of the monitor (refer to the Moniterm monitor
schematics for a better description). If you don't have the monitor's
schematics, the pot to be tweaked is P9, used to adjust vertical D.C.
centering. There are about 6 or so small square pots in a row at the
edge of the PC board. The last of these, from the front, before the
first pot with a large adjustment knob, is the one to tweak.
If you're not familiar with working with high-voltage circuits, read
this paragraph. Since you have to do this with the monitor turned on,
you could risk being fried, zapped across the room, or you can end up
with a radical new hair-style! :-) Proceed with caution; high voltages
are inside the monitor. Be sure to use a non-conductive tool to
adjust the pot and don't touch anything other than the adjustment tool
(e.g. such as the type of tools used to make adjustments to TV sets;
yo can get these at any _real_ electronics store... Radio Shack also
sells them. Remember, hazardous voltages remain inside the monitor
chasis even when the power has been turned off (beware of large caps
and the CRT which acts as one humongous high-voltage cap! zap, Zap,
crackle, ZAP!
The other possible solution is to replace the PLL chip if the above
solution doesn't solve the problem.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
17) Why should I, or *shouldn't* I use BYE/OFF or /WAIT?
ONLY use BYE/OFF or /WAIT with a PERQ-1. If you use it with a T2, it
will move the heads to the wrong position on the hard disc. On a
PERQ-1, track 0 is where the boot information block resides, and it is
close to the center of the disc. On the T2's 5-1/4" discs, this track
is near the outside of the platter. You do not want to park the disk
heads in the wrong place.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
18) What operating systems are known to run on PERQs?
POS, MPOS, Accent, PNX, Spoonix, QNIX and FLEX.
POS is the original PERQ operating system. It is a single process
operating system. The latest known version of POS is G.7, but that
was primarily used only with the 24-bit PERQ-T4 systems. G.6 was the
most commonly used later version of POS. G.7 is said to have a lot of
bugs in it.
MPOS is a multitasking version of POS, but it will not run on
newer PERQs. A special PROM is needed to use it. This is the
same situation for POS versions F2 and earlier.
Accent is a multitasking operating system developed at CMU and is
the successor to RIG and predecessor of MACH. The latest known
version of Accent is S7 (and is said to have some bugs in it) with
S6 being the most commonly used later version.
PNX is a version of UNIX from ICL. It was not widely available in the
States, but was used by many in the U.K. and Europe. The latest known
version is 5.02, which only ran on PERQ's with 5-1/4" and 8" hard
discs. Only versions before 3.0 ran on PERQ-1's with 14" hard discs.
Spoonix. Does anyone have any information about this?
QNIX is a version of UNIX that runs alongside Accent and uses Accent's
Sapphire window manager. It was developed by Spider Systems.
FLEX. Information about this OS will be included in the next FAQ.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to add the information for it
yet.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
19-a) What languages have been available for PERQs running POS?
Pascal, FORTRAN and possibly C (some C code was found on a PERQ POS
hard disc).
19-b) What languages have been available for PERQs running Accent?
PASCAL, Fortran, C and SPICE LISP (Known today as CMU Common LISP. The
PERQ ran seperate microcode for this while still running Accent;
hencs, you can have a LISP machine using one window and Accent
programs running in another (you can also have UNIX (QNIX) running in
another window).
Does anyone know of the existance of SPICE LISP version M3 that runs
under Accent S6? The only thing that still appears to exist is
version M2 that will only run uner Accent S5. Another question: does
anyone know if version M3 will run under Accent version S6 as well as
S7?
19-c) What languages have been available for PERQs running PNX?
C, Pascal, FORTRAN and MicroSoft BASIC.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
How can I create and edit fonts?
20) Under POS and Accent, the FontEd program is used. MetaFont may
also be used with POS. There is also a PNX utility for this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
21-a) How can I create and edit .cursor and .animate files under POS
and Accent?
Under POS and Accent CursDesign is used to create, edit, and
display .cursor and .animate files. MetFont has been used to edit
.cursor files.
21-b) How can I create and edit .cursor and .animate files under PNX?
Under PNX, cedra is used.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
22-a) What programs have been used to create/display graphic designs
on the PERQs under POS?
For editing .pic files, several commercial progams were available:
Paint (from Advent Imaging Ltd.) and Picasso (from Prolog Software).
Other commercial picture editing programs include MetaForm (from ?)
and ? (from ICL). These are the .pic files used most frequently and
were used by programs such as Mint (IGLOO software) and created (from
a scanner) by programs such as AgfaScanner (IGLOO Software).
A program named (the one used on the Audre); this created a different
type of .pic file and was not usable by other PERQ programs.
There is also a program used to view .(what?) picture files; this
are not compatible with either of the above types of .pic files.
Only a few .(what?)files appear to be available and are primarily
scanned in images of attractive women.
For CAD purposes, the program DP is used (creates .dp files). A
program PicToDp is available to convert .pic files to .dp files...
howver, this does not appear to work properly. There have been
several different versions of DP in use, including one that came with
IDOCS and crashes the PERQ very easily when the tablet or bitpad
buttons are pressed (especially when making menu selections).
There is also several programs named Sketch. One of these looks like a
very simplified version of Paint and Picasso. This can create
graphics on the screen; however, no one seems to know how save the
pictures to a file, or retrieve pictures from a file, using this.
22-b) What programs have been used to create/display graphic images
under Accent?
Good question. Does anyone have an answer to this?
22-c) What programs have been used to create/display graphic images
under PNX?
There are two CAD/CAM programs, from ICL (DIAD and something else).
These programs use a huge amount of disc space!
The PNX demo includes programs that can display .pic, .rle and .dp
files. If not mistaken, a demo program can be used to convert .pic
and .rle files.
Does anyone know how to edit .pic files under POS? Has anyone
successfully used PBM-plus under PNX?
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23) How do I change the default font using POS?
Does anyone know how to do this without crashing the PERQ?
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24) How do I make a PERQ play music, and other noises, and talk,
under POS?
There are several programs, such as Talker, that read .spk files. The
programs used on PERQ-2, and T2, systems are not compatible with the
PERQ-1 systems. Known .spk files play music as complex as that from
Handel (sounds fairly good through the PERQs speaker!). The voices of
people speaking have also been recorded. Does anyone have the
schematics to the circuitry, and software, used to record information
into these files.
There is also a program named Organ that can play simple tunes.
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25) My PERQ's real-time clock always displays the wrong time and
I can't get to stay set to the correct time. How do I correct this
problem?
It is necessary to perform some hardware hacking. Some pins on the
cip used for the real-time clock, on the EIO board, need to be
shorted together while a special diagnostic program is run. A special
test-clip was used, but I imagine other methods can be used.
There are two ways to do this under POS (both requiring the same
hardware hacking). The first requires a special boot floppy containing
a program to set the clock.
The second method requires two PERQs to be used; one used as a testbed
and both systems must have a "link" board installed. To do this,
one of the systems uses ODTPrq to load in a microcode used to set
the clock.
Under PNX, it appears to be a bit simpler. The date command can be
used, by root, to set the real time clock. However, this still
requires some hardware hacking.
Does anyone know the proper way to perform the above?
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E N D O F F A Q
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--
Robert D. Davis | Yes, PERQs are still running in 1993;
...uunet!mystica!rdd | the ultimate machines for hacking!
rda...@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu |
Telephone: +1 (410) 744-7964 | Subscribe to alt.sys.perq!