.AP;.lm15;.rm80;.nhy The VAX symposium tape copy seems to have been a big success. Lots of software of various types was received. I have tried to categorize all of it as best I could, and apologize for any gross errors. I have not had the time to test much of the software, even to the extent of making sure that it compiles, so no guarantees are made. Here is a short description of the types of software, and occasionally a description of the software itself, appearing in each subdirectory. .b3 CARLETON This directory contains a set of utilities received from Carleton College. They were not classified according to function because they have a large set of auxiliary subroutines in common. To avoid duplication, I have left the directory essentially intact. .b2 CWRUTAPES This directory contains a set of tape reading/writing utility programs designed to facilitate/make possible tape transfer between the VAX and many other systems. All the utilities were written at Case Western Reserve. The only reason that this directory is not merged with TAPES is organizational: the documentation provided with this set is not easily separable into a collection of HLP files, one for each program; to avoid confusion, this directory was left intact. .b2 DRIVERS This directory contains two device drivers, one for the RK05, the other for the XYLOGICS-CDC disk. .b2 FILETOOLS This directory contains a collection of individually documented file manipulation tools. It includes, among others, programs to fix up file headers, to give a nicely formatted directory listing of a directory and all its subdirectories, to display all useful information from the file header about a file, to perform file mapping, and to make FORTRAN and Pascal look like compile-load-and-go compilers. .b2 GAMES This directory contains what few games and game-type things I received. There must be some good games out there. Bring them to San Diego. .b2 LOGINOUT The routines in this directory, submitted by Iowa State University, implement login/logout quotas under Version 1 of VMS. .b2 MISCUTIL This directory contains two miscellaneous programs which do not fit anywhere else. They are DEFLOCAL, which allows the definition of local symbols from within a program, and TOPSUM, which computes the sum of a column of trailing overpunch sign numbers. .b2 MITER The collection of subroutines in this directory, from Miter Corp., allow remote copy programs to maintain a current copy of a data base. .b2 NEWSLET This directory contains all back issues of the VAX SIG newsletter, The Page Swapper. .b2 PROCONTRL The programs in this directory allow the user to control other processes in various fashions. .b2 ROLLINOUT This directory contains a system to allow rollout and rollin of the entire system. It was written largely by DEC and submitted by Boeing. .b2 SCIUTL This directory, submitted in its entirety by Systems Control Inc., contains what appears to be an extensive set of supplemental utilities. I have not looked at it in detail at all yet, but there seems to be some good stuff there. .b2 SYSMGR This directory contains a collection of programs which may be useful in managing your system. The routines are individually documented. .b2 TAPES This directory contains a collection of tape-handling programs, including a program to rewind a tape from the DCL level. .b2 TECO1, TECO2, TECO3, TECO4 These directories contain Version 36 of TECO. They were submitted in VMSUPDATE format on four floppies. The command file VAXTECO14 in directory TECO1 sets things off. .b2 TERMTOOLS This directory contains several routines to make your life easier at the terminal. .b3 It appears as though more useful software was received at this DECUS than at the last one. Keep it up. Bring your software to San Diego, but try to avoid duplication of previously submitted software. Please consider submitting "complete" pieces of software to the DECUS Program Library, where the visibility is greater and the dissemination is potentially greater. I may be talking to some of the submitters about particular pieces of software received at this symposium. If you have software which you would like to see on the symposium tape from San Diego, you may either bring it to San Diego or send it to me anytime between now and then. In either case, you will eventually get your tape or floppy back (no commitment as to when). If you want to send me something before San Diego, you will have to get a release form, fill it out, and send it to me along with the software. To protect both DECUS and myself, I just cannot accept software which is not accompanied by a release form. In addition, if the software contains DEC copyright notices, a signed release from some responsible DEC person will be necessary. Release forms can be obtained from te DECUS office, 1 Iron Way, Marlboro, Mass., 01752. Tapes will be accepted in ANSI format or RMS BCK format only, with machine readable documentation. Floppies will be accepted in ODS-1, ODS-2, or FLX format, also with machine readable documentation. My address is: .center;Roger Lipsett .center;Intermetrics, Inc. .center;4733 Bethesda Ave. .center;Bethesda, MD. 20014 .center;(301) 657-3775 .b1 Please feel free to call me with any questions. .b2 The files were put on the tape TWICE using RMS BCK. The best way to install the files is to situate yourself in a clean [sub]directory and execute the command file RESTORE.COM, as in the following example. .literal $CREATE/DIRECTORY [someplace.VAXS80] $SET DEFAULT [someplace.VAXS80] $ALLOC MT?: RSTTAP: ! the logical name RSTTAP: $MOUNT RSTTAP: VAXS80 ! is required. $COPY RSTTAP:RESTORE.COM * $@RESTORE.COM .end literal Then selectively move the executables, com files, and documentation to their more appropriate and permanent [sub]directories. To reproduce the tape for distribution (which please feel free to do even if you are not part of the official distribution net), try one of the two methods: .LIST .LE;Get a copy of the file MTCOPY.EXE from the tape. Hang the tape on drive 0 and execute MTCOPY (which makes copies on a one drive system using a disc file). .LE;Load the tape onto your system following the above example. Execute the command file TAPEBUILD.COM (also from the tape). .end list Although NONE of the software is officially supported by the authors, most would probably like to hear about any trouble you have with their creations. As librarian, I will be happy to forward your unofficial SPR's to the authors. Please include "SPRING80" and the "SUBDIRECTORY" of the offending package, as well as the names of the files involved and a BRIEF description of the problem. Include your name and address (complete) so the author can get in touch with you if details or dumps are needed. Please don't send me printouts, tapes, or floppies of the problem.