[Coco] Dumb way to write 3.5" floppy in Coco RSBASIC?

Robert Gault robert.gault at worldnet.att.net
Sun Dec 7 00:24:00 EST 2003


KnudsenMJ at aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 12/6/03 9:38:23 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
> robert.gault at worldnet.att.net writes:
> 
> 
>>NO! RSBasic will complain bitterly unless you type DSKINI2.
> 
> 
> Right :-)  Tells you how long ago I used RSBASIC.  Darn, I was good at it 
> back in early '80s!
> 
> 
>> The best means for transfer is still null modem if you have an RS-232 pak.
> 
> 
> Pretty sure I still do.  Now I just need a terminal program that runs under 
> RSDOS (maybe the VidText ROM in the RS232 Pak will do), and a PC term program 
> that will run a Baud rate as low as the Coco's.  Will good old Hyperterm or 
> whatever that stock DOS thing is, go that slow? 120 Baud or whatever?
> 
> Ran plenty of "primitive" terminal programs on Coco in my day, on blazing 
> fast 1200 Baud Bell modems, but never on a PC.  --Mike K.
> 
>  
> 
HyperTerminal is perfect but get the latest version 6.1. Both Ultimaterm 
and OSTerm work nicely on the Coco. There is a limit on the baud rate 
for successful transfers but that not much of a problem.

There is also a limit to the size of files that can be sent from the 
Coco. You can't make an .lzh file of your entire hard drive and expect 
it to transfer. Coco programs were not written with files of that size 
in mind and will overflow the maximum values of their pointers.

There is a minor problem with x and ymodem format compatibility. The 
Coco formats are not current, so some experimentation is needed to get a 
match. Ultimaterm's xmodem seems OK with HyperTerminal's xmodem and 
OSTerm's batch ymodem matches HT's ymodem. I have not gotten ymodem to 
work with Ultimaterm.




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