VDE version 1.94, CGA snow and a question about printer drivers

[Alex Cruickshank]

I'm using VDE on an ancient Panasonic Sr Partner (8088 CPU, CGA graphics). About ten years ago I set it up with VDE 1.94 because, at least according to my old notes, that was the last version that had CGA snow prevention built in. I'd like to modify some of the VDE settings but I've lost the associated VINST.COM file... and now I can't find version 1.94 anywhere. I can find 1.94a but having tested it, that does have snow.

(Interestingly - or not - later versions of VDE will run on this machine with snow, so I use 1.96a for editing RTF files, a feature lacking in 1.94. But later versions of VINST don't handle XT keyboards so I have to install it first on another machine and then copy it to the Panasonic. No big deal.)

Separately, how would I go about getting/creating an Epson MX-80 printer driver? This old Panasonic has a thermal printer built in, which emulates that model of Epson. I can see options for Epson FX and LQ but not MX. I'm assuming I could create one if I knew the relevant control codes?

Thanks in advance.

[Eric Meyer]

Hi Alex,

Nice to hear that you're still using VDE, and that your Sr Partner is still
running. VDE 1.95 was the last version with CGA snow avoidance, so the
distribution file you want is VDE195.ZIP. I don't have it myself (would have
to reconstruct it from source code) and it's not on the VDE Files page (on
Internet Archive now) but if you Google that filename you'll find a couple of
sites you can download it from.

Yes, just to confirm, 1.96 did add RTF support (and drop testing for XT
keyboard, although it's so long ago I don't recall what the problem would be).

Epson MX was the precursor of FX, so you could try the FX driver to begin with
(the two may be similar). For further customization, or if that doesn't work,
find a reference for Epson MX printer codes online.

Best wishes -- Eric Meyer.

[Eric Meyer]

Hmm, I see now you said "1.94a has snow". Snow avoidance should still be
there in VINST, so maybe you didn't turn it on? But if you do find you have
to keep using 1.94, as a last resort I can reassemble a copy of VINST for that
and send it to you.

[Mark P. Fishman]

Thus far I have found 1.93d at 

https://vetusware.com/download/VDE%20Editor/?id=12435

and 1.94a at

https://web.archive.org/web/20060513192628/http://uk.geocities.com/short_stop_uk/dl/vde194a.zip

Can't seem to find 1.95.

Somewhere in an old backup I probably have it, though...

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Fundamentalism reads texts as if God were as simple as we are. That is unlikely to be true.

   -- Jonathan Sacks

[Mark P. Fishman]

Alex,

from what I've been reading while searching, VDE194a is just 194 with patches already applied. Have you tried using the VINST.COM from 194a with your copy of 194?
(Obviously work on a COPY so you don't mess up your working version.)

Eric might know if that's likely to be a non-starter...

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[Eric Meyer]

I agree that VINST from 1.94a should work on VDE 1.94.

'Mark P. Fishman' via VDE_Editor wrote:
> Alex,
> from what I've been reading while searching, VDE194a is just 194 with patches

> already applied. Have you tried using the VINST.COM <http://VINST.COM> from

[Alex Cruickshank]

Thanks for your help, everyone. By chance last night I found a copy of 1.94 on an old backup that I'd forgotten existed. I'll experiment some more in the coming weeks but if anybody wants that specific version, let me know.

I must have forgotten that the CGA snow prevention was a selectable option - thanks Eric, I will try 1.95 on this old PC too.

I really appreciate the quick and helpful replies.

[moy]

That's awesome. I don't use my Panasonic Business Partner (8086, text/Hercules clone video adapter) any more--but I still have it!

And yes, I still use VDE.

-- m

[Tom Stenzel]

In my last backup of my DOS machine I have versions 1.93 and 1.96. Drat.

I found a copy of VDE195.ZIP at:

http://info.elf.stuba.sk/packages/pub/pc/utiltext/

I wasn't too sure about the safety of the site but downloaded it (hey, no guts no glory). The ZIP file is 167,361 bytes and was able to open it with my archive manager on my linux box. It seems to contain all the correct files but I don't have any way to run them.

If you do obtain the file from there use the usual caution.

-Tom Stenzel

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[Mark P. Fishman]

I found VDE195.ZIP on an Internet Archive capture of the UK mirror of ShortStop's "Mostly VDE" pages.

https://web.archive.org/web/20090107145141/http://uk.geocities.com/short_stop_uk/dl/vde195.zip

I compared the CRC64 of that ZIP file with the CRC64 of a copy that I downloaded yesterday from 

ftp://www.zedz.net/pub/msdos/kde.org/editors/vde195.zip

The values are the same: CRC64: 92CF680B8178DABA

You can compare the file you have, or if you feel more comfortable with the ShortStop mirror by all means get it from the Internet Archive.

[Alex Cruickshank]

Thanks, and yes - my 1.95 matches the one on the "Mostly VDE" page.

[Eric Meyer]

Correction: I actually do have every version of VDE.EXE and VINST.COM, and
complete distributions (ZIP) for 165C, 195, 196, and of course 197.