OOOOThe Boston Computer Society
SINCLAIR-TIMEX USER GROUP NEWSLETTER
Volume 2, Issue 12 December 1983
COMPUTER
EDUCATION:
F- O LJ FU ESSENTIAL
ELEMENTS
by Greg Coffin
Out of the kaleidoscope of mi crocomputers in schools, one fact comes into focus — a successful education program requires four essentials:
1. An enthusiastic, knowledgeable teacher:
2. Llear, logical, well written teaching material, that is, units and lesson plans;
3. High quality software and documentation designed or adapted for the grade level at which it is being used;
4. Hardware capable of achieving the specified objectives.
These elements are listed deliberately in descending order of importance. Contrar y to some opinions about sel f — 1 earni ng on the computer, the teacher is the essential element. Some ch i 1 dr en given sufficient time on the
LITERACY page 6
m leu £*_
DECEMBER GROUP MEETING
Wednesday, December 14, 1983 7:00 p . m.
Small Science Auditorium UMass Harbor Campus (Directions inside)
NOVEMBER M I GHL I GUTS
With Will Stackman moderating, the meeting began with a few words from Cliff Danielson and Jack Hodgson about the newsl et ter . Jack once again i nvi ted al 1 comers to get involved with all aspects of creating this publication.
John Kemeny spoke briefly about the TS/2X T-shirts he's selling, these designer shirts with their distinctive "Don’t judge a computer by its keyboard" emblem on the front are still available. Over 2 dozen are left of all sizes except small. Contact John at the meetings or by mail at 284 Great Road, Apt. D5, Acton, MA 01720.
Sue Mahoney made a few comments about the October Celebration
HIGHLIGHTS page 10
1 O REM
Well, another month ancthe:- nswslstter . As you can see this month's issue cintains more art 'pictures and graphics) than last month. This new mix ct text and art is what we're gonna shoot for from now on.
Sales of the new Timex Color Computer (TS206S) seem to De good. Although retailers are only able to get a small number of machines they seem to sell them all as quick as they get them. Most retailers seem to be enthusiastic about the computer and are trying to reorder in time for Christmas.
According to Popular Science Magazine, Sinclair's flat screen TV has recently been introduced in Great Britain. The set , which has a black and white screen measuring A 1/A by 1 3/4 inches, sells in 68 for the equi vi lent of $120. Sir Clive ( Sir Uncle Clive? Uncle Sir Clive?) says that it could sell for n wel 1 under $100M when it's introduced in the U.S. in 1984.
Our hearts go out to Charles Warner or Games To Learn By (one of the few New England retailers carrying the TS2068 sc far) who. on the occasion of our last user group meeting, spent the entire evening roaming the halls of UMASS looking for us. He evidently passed by our door more than once while we were ir there but never managed to look in at the right times. He mav try again in December. Good Luck Char 1 es .
A new item this month is a column called POINTERS. This monthly feature will be a question and answer forum tc deal with the problems of the beginning computer user. I f vcl
now of something that ought to be covered or have a a problem •/OLt’d like explained don't hesitate to contact Mr. Diamond or myself at the meeting or write.
* vs been getting some good response from the members concerning more par t i c i pat 1 on in this newsletter. This is good but don t stop now. The more input (sorry) contributions we get the better. Keep it up. ( ^'-*st to let you know how serious this subject is: the BCE's Atari User's Group just discontinued its newsletter because of group apathy. )
We are currently in the process of selecting articles from the past year to appear in a "Best of the Sinclair Time;
Newsletter". The "Best of..." will contain things such as Dave Wood’s Hex Assembler, the routine to emulate the READ-DATA -RESTORE commands of other BASICS and other items of continuing interest. If you have any favorites from the past issues that you'd like to see included let me know. Watch for this "Best of..." collection in the Spring (maybe late winter).
A f i nal note:
The possibly fatal flaw of the "electronic office" is that voi can never find a pencil when you need one.
The Sinclair Timex User Group
O Boston
□
s
This newsletter is produced to in-form group members o-f the agenda and logistics o-f future meetings, as well as to recap and amplify the information provided at the meetings. It also provides a forum for members and interested parties to communicate what thay have learned or developed relating to Si ncl ai r and Timex computing . Meetings are open to the public (non-member admission is *3); however attendees are encouraged to join the Boston Computer Society (BCS) This newsletter is free to members. Back issues are one dollar each.
Sue Mahoney Di rector c/o BCS Office or 203-755—2699
Jack Hodgson Publ isher /Editor P.0. Box 526 Cambridge, MA 02238 617-354-7899
John Kemeny
User Group Correspondent 284 Great Road, Apt. D5 Acton, MA 01720
Beth Elliot
Group Librarian
c/o Sinclair Research
50 Staniford Street
Boston, MA 02114
617-742-4826
Al lan Cohen Meeting Coordinator 617-961-3453
DIRECTIONS TO MEETING* The S-T User Group meets in the Large Science Auditiorium (Room 8/2/ 009) of the University of Massachusetts, Boston Harbor Campus. It is located only 3 miles from downtown Boston and easily accessible by public and private transportation. From the north or west, take the Southeast Expressway to Exit 17.
Turn left onto Columbia Road. Follow construction signs to get to Morrissey Boulevard in the direction of UMASS and the Kennedy Library. Bear right on traffic island, get in the right two lanes, following UMass/ Boston signs. Turn left at the light into Campus. From the south, take Morrissey Boulevard northward to the campus. On the MBTA, take the Red Line (Ashmont Train) to Columbia Station. Transfer to the free University shuttlebus in the T parking lot.
Jeff Parker
Advertising Manager c/o P0 Box 526 Cambridge, MA 02238 617-354-7899
The Sinclair Timex Newsletter is publ i shed monthly by the Si ncl ai r Timex User Group of the Boston Computer Society. Membership in the BCS is 424 per year which includes a subscription to its magazine "The Computer Updata" and subscription to two of its group newsletters (such as this one) .
Advertising space is available in this publication on a limited, first come first served basis. The rate is 460 per quarter page. At this time no other ad sizes are available.
For detailed rate and discount information contact the Advertising Manager or the Publ i sher .
Tiny Logo
by Will Stackman
LOGO, a procedural language based on the "artificial intelligence" language LISP, used at MIT, has gained considerable acceptance as a way of teaching the concept of computer programming to young children. Its value may be over -stated by teachers who prefer demonstrati ng its graphic capabilities to dealing with the 1 ess-i nter esti ng and more cumbersome details of BASIC.
Tiny LOGO, as currentl y available for the TS1000/1500, is a subset of an early implementation of the larger language which emphasizes its "turtle" graphic elements. As a 16K program even a limited LOGO might offer a chance for its use in settings where expensi ove computing is not available.
This version is, however, too limited to be of much use.
Tiny LOGO is written entirely in BASIC, and its listing reveals several ingenious programming methods. The resulting language, which might be labelled a LOGO simulation, is very slow and jumpy, due to the use of the FAST mode for computation and SLOW for plotting. At 40+ * 60+ , the Sinclair BASIC plotting screen is too course to draw attractive or even accurate geometric designs, thus thwarting the major allure of LOGO. The same program, using a Hi -Res plot on the 2068 would be a lot more attractive, though still too si ow.
This implementation needs pruning plus a number of machine code routines to handle its display before it will become more than a curiosity. Tiny LOGO could be used, with a
little practice, to give demonstrations of LOGO and its procedural principals, as long as designs were chosen carefully. It is possible to BREAK into BASIC by entering a bad command and use COPY to get a printout of the screen. Then
the program is recovered by entering LET DEPTH = 0 and GOTO 400. Removal of over length variable names like DEPTH plus a host of REM' s would reduce this listing by 500 bytes.
Fans of BASIC programming will appreciate the way string slicing is used to handle commands. Those who dislike error messages will want to devise more error checking within the program. Its propensity to crash, coupled with its ugly display make it virtually useless with young children, though a fifth grade
hacker, pining for an Apple, would probably find it a challenge. There are no text or list handling facilities to speak of.
All three copies available were hard to load. The tape headers were noisy and the levels uneven. The docufnentati on is minimal, but sufficient if you
have a nodding aquaintance with LOGO or another procedural language. Most LOGO books are specific to particular implemenations, but might prove helpful. We are still waiting for a LOGO, especially the less gr aphi c elements, which properly implemented might prove useful for word processing and other text manipulations.
Available from GLADSTONE tLEC i RONICS, Buffalo. Current list $14. 95. Released by International Software &
Publ ishing.
VP ROSS RELEASED
BY TIMEX
Dec. 5 — Dan Ross, Timex Marketing Vice President and national spokesman for the Timex Sinclair Computer line, was released from his post late last week. Ross, a longtime veteran of the computer industry, was said to be surprised and shaken by the sudden action.
Unof f i ci al sources wi thin Timex say that Ross will remain with the company for the next two months as a consultant and that this move is part of yet another structural reshuffling of this international company’s computer operation.
LITERACY
continued
machine and suitable software, can learn by themselves; but most children need guidance.'
the level of
4* ,
regardless o-f intensity, i *f achieve their The teacher
they are to maximum potential
- - must be
knowl edgabl e about the sub ,ect matter. They need not be a computer scientist, a programmer, or a computer linguist to teach fifth-graders how a computer works. But they do hav* to know how fifth- graders learn — and more about how computers work than what ~h®y plan to teach their class.
To be effective, teachers must -e enthusi satic, especially about their particular subject matter. A computer, however, needs an additional dimension: enough enthusiasm to motivate -hem to read as much as is needed to stay abreast of new developments in this burgeoning field. The teacher must be
aware of the best sources of information and have regular access to them in order to keep pace with rapidly changing developments. Much could be written about the requirements for effective teaching; my point here is simply that the teacher is and will remain the most important element in the four- part mi;:.
The second element is teaching material, prepared by whoever is going to use it. Styles are highly individual; as Gilbert Highet said long ago, "Teaching is an art, not a science." Of course the teacher must be familiar with and possess a wide range of published material; this is an essential tool of the trade. However . having decided upon objectives, the teacher must personally develop the
Judy Field, teacher at Timilty Middle School in Boston demonstrating the ’"SI 500 to students from her schools.
units and daily lesson plans necessary to achieve them.
After this has been done, the teacher's own material can be revised, updated, and edited and material from others can be borrowed or adapted. Over time a substantial reservoir of personal resources will be accumulated. And, just as the teachers themselves are different , the resources they select will be different.
The third ingredient for effective computer teaching is quality software. Teachers must learn how to judge software; they must know what is on the market at any given time and how and where to preview it to see if it meets their specific needs. Reading software reviews most of which are biased to some degree — is not enough. Risking 49.95 for a Time:: Sinclair tape may not seem too bad compared with 495.95 for an Apple disk. But the 49.95's can add up fast when one considers the flood of materials coming on the market weekly1 Unfortunately, although the programs represent effort on the part of the programmer, most of
them are " junk, " at least for serious educational applications. "Buyer beware" is ■a slogan, and, if possible, teachers should try out the software before purchasing it. This applies to documentation as well, for rewriting documentation can be a long, laborious process.
The final significant element of
The author and associate Maria Trczz: sneaking with Cliff and Carol Danielson and their children Cora and filar..
a computer education program is hardware. A popular entertainer would have you believe that the brand name of the computer is the primary consideration, when, in fact, the situation is analogous to selecting an automobile. You can get from Boston to New York in a Volkswagen or a Cadillac in the same amount of time. On# provides more creature comfort, but you pay for it. The same is true of microcomputers. Every microcomputer has its fan club whose members can recite a litany of reasons in praise of their f avori te. But the over — riding question should bet What do I want to accomplish with this teaching tool? If the answer is relatively simple and unsophisticated, then the machine should match it. You cion t NEED a Cadillac to go from New York to Boston!
Of the four elements essential to a computer education program, the teacher is the most important by far. Don't let Madison Ave. deceive you, !
COMPUTER LITERACY I O ** HIT ^ r T I MEX SINCLAIR CELEBRATION
Greg Coffin and his staff were present at our group’s October Birthday Celebration with one of the most popular exhibits there.
Throughout the day the Dartmouth/Exeter Rooms were the scene of ongoing demonstrations and seminars on teaching computer literacy. In attendance were individuals of all ages listening to Greg and associ ates, Maria Trozzi and Judy Fields, discuss how to use computers and how to teach how to use computers.
iieir exhibition was based on their experiences teaching computer literacy in the Boston Public Schools and at Northeastern University.
Other exhibits at the celebration were involved with this field as well. The very popular booth operated by our group’s machine language subgroup was the scene of almost constant attention by attendees interested in the more advanced aspects of computer use (see this sub group’s highlights on page 11).
ed. notes Will insists that the rules of this game are self- explanatory, we'll see.
HIDDEN MAZE at -f or the
TS ± OOO/ 1 SOO submitted by Will Stackman
Comments:
This game is adapted from Bill L. Behrendt’s "Maze", from "30 Games", Micro Text Publications, NY 1993.
The program is a good example of Sinclair's ability to handle strings in a unique and flexible way.
For IK machines, remove title and replay routines. Reduce variable names, and enter initial values for MOVE, SCORE,
X , and Y and reduce maze itself to 8 lines.
Line 40 - RAND can take a "seed" . This formula gives good results with this string <M$ (M) ) array.
Lines 90-180 These graphic strings can be modified to make the maze harder (if not impossible). Line 40 may also need to be changed.
Improvements might include inverting maze field, use grey graphics and white spaces in M* strings. The field could be as large as 18x32.
WS
THE NEW TS 1 500 ROM by Dave Wood
The ROM in the new TS1500 is slightly different from that in the old TS100. Sixty-one bytes have been changed at the following hex addresses!
0002-0004 | 0006; 0362; 03C6- 0401? 16BC? 1SD0.
9997 jp 255 ±PEE 98 THEN STOP
00000(3000
OOOOOOQOO
ooooooooo
OOQOOOOOO
ooooooooo
ooooooooo
ooooooooo
OOOOROOOO
ooooooooo
ooooooooo
The changes i ntroduced are
1) Different power-up initialization.
2) Fix of the reknowned LPRINT bug (see May— June newsletters)
3) Fix of an obscure bug in the least significant bit in division (see last month)
Two procedural changes are introduced in initialization. First, because the TS1300 is configured with 16K RAM, there is no check of the amount of RAM. It is assumed to be 16K, and all 16K is cleared to zeroes. Second, in order to provide for cartridge power -up , the contents of memory location 2000h (8192 decimal ) is checked.
If it contains a 1, then a jump is made to 8192i
03DA LD HL, 2000h DEC (HL)
JR NZ, 03E2h JP (HL)
03E2
This 1 atter process could be
disasterous if you have RAM at 8192 and it contains a 1. On the other hand this is a handy way to bypass the system ROM at power-up .
Another possibly si gn i f i cant change is that memory locations 407B/C hex ( 1 6507 dec.), which used to contai n zeroes (unused) are now loaded with the address of the front of BASIC (407Dh » 16509d )
The Boston Computer Society
F’O X NTERS
by Jacob Diamond
Q: What is a self- running program and how can I make my programs self running?
A: Self-running programs are just what they say, programs that, after you’ve loaded them from tape automati cal 1 y "run". You don’t need to type the command "run" to get started.
The main advantage to this type of thing is that it that it helps to protect any variables that have been loaded for use in the program. Because the T/S computers will erase these variables if the program is started with the command "run" self-running will help avoid the problem. Self running programs also present a more attractive and "user friendly" package for a pgm. The user needs only to follow the directions, that can appear on the screen, to use a pgm.
You can make your program self running by including, near the end of the 1 i sting, the lines 9000 SAVE "program name" 9010 GOTO 1 . Then you save the program by starting the recorder as usual and then typing, instead of SAVE, GOTO 9000. When you load this program back into the computer later, the machine will pick up with line 9010 and keep running.
Send your questions about any aspect of personal computing to: POINTERS, S-T Newsletter, P0 Box 526, Cambridge, MA 02238.
QO
oo
HIGHLIGHTS continued
and renewing your BCS membership: current BCS members can renew until the first of the year for $20, after that $24.
Dick Forsythe gave a very interesting presentation on tape recorder maintenance and Will Stackman gave a presentation and review of the Tiny Logo language, see his article in this issue.
The main event of the evening was a presentation by Di cl Govatski of Memotech , Inc. He spoke about their line of TS/ZX peripherals and their commitment to "continue to support our TS customers. Over 35, 000 of them," even though they have "no plans to add onto the TS line." He did say though they may release some new software on eprom ( cartri dges) .
SUHHINS LJF=- THE X S O O by Cliff Danielson
Since the introduction of the TS1500, I’ve been busy trying to determine the differences between it and the ZX81 (TS1000) . Well, recently I’ve completed a checksum of all the bytes in the TS1500 ROM. If you check past newsletters, you will find that the checksum for the ZX81 ROM is 855106. The sum for the new computer is 854417, i.e.,
689 less than that of the ’81.
In order to achieve this lower total, Timex reduced the number of bits set (bits equal to one) by thirty (62 bytes have been changed). Do you think this might have something to do with the low price of the new machine?
® ° o !•=: F< e v i e m
CONVERTING TO
"T I MEX S I NCI _ AIR
I C
by Stuart L. Bird review by Will Stackman
It you have looked longingly at the volumes of listings published -for other BASICs which accumulating in our public libraries, or if you have racked your brain converting from extended BASIC for the TRS-80, tor example, into Sinclair BASIC, get this book and rejoice.
A bit of study will allow you to simulate commands and functions not included in the Sinclair instruction set by replacing them with ingenious subroutines.
Most of these short programs are based on manipulating Sinclair BASIC’s amazing string t unctions, plus the ease with which POKEs and PEEKs can be included in a TS BASIC program. READ, DATA, RESTORE are of course treated in detail, but there are also extensive graphic handling routines, including a demonstration of "turtle" graphics. You will also d i scover some of the more peculiar commands which have been included in specialized BASICS, some of which incorporate unique programming ideas. If you can’t find this volume in the bookstore order it ■from Wayne Green Publishing, Peterborough, NH 03458, $14.95 + shipping, or call 603-924-9471.
oooo
MACHINE CODE GROUP I— I X GHI _ I GHTS
The Machine Code subgroup experienced a surge of growth in November with membership virtually doubling.
The main event of the evening was a presentati on/di scussi on by Dave Wood about the changes to the operating system of the newly released TS1500 computer. Details of those changes can be found in Dave’s article on page 9.
Leader Bob Heath demonstrated a new utility called Memory Scope and presented his proposal for a series of group software projects which was dubbed Project Dazes.
This subgroup meets on the first Wednesday of the month at Itek Optical in Lexington. For details and directions call Bob at 276-2424.
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A LARGE 60 KEY TACTILE FEEL KEYBOARD (MEASURES 10" x 4") THAT PLUGS INTO THE SAME CONNECTORS AS EXISTING KEYBOARD ON YOUR 2X81 OR TIMEX SINCLAIR 1000. IT HAS ALL SILKSCREENED LEGENDS IN 3 COLORS ON THE BASE; MOLDED LEGENDS & GRAPHICS ON KEY TOPS; 8 AUTOMATIC SHIFT KEYS (NO SHIFTING REQUIRED) FOR EDIT, DELETE, SINGLE & DOUBLE QUOTES, COLON. SEMI-COLON, FUNCTION & STOP; 5' SPACE BAR; 2 SHIFT KEYS; NUMERIC KEY PAD
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