BBS terminal to Amiga 500

[Dr. Chef]

Okay, I'm lost. I was able to delete the different applications that came bundled with Workbench that I didn't need, to free up to a little more than 100KB's, but how do I install directly to wb1.3?

I have reqtools in libs. Now what? I tried copying ncomm to ram: and then running the installer. Basically, I typed in install df0:, but nothing happens, or nothing I'm aware of. If I try to install with version 3.0, the earlier version, I get errors while the installer attempts to install. If I run version 3.6 in ram, with out installing, it loads, but I cant connect to serial.device.

Edit: If I try to copy Ncomm, installer and all, then I don't believe I'll have enough space to copy everything.

If you add FAST ram (upto 8 Megs. See Kipper2K's offerings), a system  like yours really starts to feel more spacious after booting (easily the  slowest part of using the system).  With a spacious Ram Disk:, you can  de-archive there, execute them there, and only if you like them - commit  them to permanent floppy.

That seems like a nice option, plus the price very reasonable.

[Dr. Chef]

If you add FAST ram (upto 8 Megs. See Kipper2K's offerings), a system like yours really starts to feel more spacious after booting (easily the slowest part of using the system).  With a spacious Ram Disk:, you can de-archive there, execute them there, and only if you like them - commit them to permanent floppy.

That seems like a nice option, plus the price very reasonable.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Just took a quick look at this version:

http://aminet.net/package/comm/term/ncomm306

It doesn't look like it needs to be "installed", not like a modern program, anyway.  Just copy the contents of the fonts directory into SYS:Fonts (your Workbench/Fonts directory), and the NComm file itself to anywhere on the disk.  I'm not sure what the "NCommToChipPatch" is, but it looks like it has a .doc that you could read to see if it's something you need.  

So in other words, just put the NComm file itself on your new boot disk that you're making (along with the fonts, of course).

It looks like you'll need to free up 223KB for that to work.

Contents of comm/term/ncomm306.lha
   PERMSSN    UID  GID    PACKED    SIZE  RATIO     CRC       STAMP          NAME
---------- ----------- ------- ------- ------ ---------- ------------ -------------
[generic]                 1016    1836  55.3% -lh5- 0d6c Feb 19  1996 chippatch/NCommToChipPatch
[generic]                 1235    2385  51.8% -lh5- 605d Feb 18  1996 chippatch/NCommToChipPatch.doc
[generic]                 1002    1788  56.0% -lh5- e330 Mar 18  1995 chippatch/src/NCommToChipPatch
[generic]                 1287    2906  44.3% -lh5- d6d5 Feb 19  1996 chippatch/src/NCommToChipPatch.c
[generic]                  104     104 100.0% -lh0- caae May 13  1993 chippatch/src/SPrintf.o
[generic]                   26     264   9.8% -lh5- 7c94 Jan 14  1996 fonts/NComm1.font
[generic]                 1431    2616  54.7% -lh5- 6edd Jan 14  1996 fonts/ncomm1/8
[generic]                   41     524   7.8% -lh5- 3d97 Jan 14  1996 fonts/NComm2.font
[generic]                  353    1352  26.1% -lh5- 38f7 Jan 14  1996 fonts/ncomm2/8
[generic]                  157     241  65.1% -lh5- 2688 Jan 14  1996 Install
[generic]                  222     810  27.4% -lh5- 205b Jan 14  1996 Install.info
[generic]               114798  222928  51.5% -lh5- ade8 Feb 26  1996 NComm
[generic]                  388     835  46.5% -lh5- 0055 Jan 14  1996 NComm.info
[generic]                 6161   14540  42.4% -lh5- 71dd Feb 25  1996 NComm.news
[generic]                  298     813  36.7% -lh5- dc94 Jan 14  1996 NComm.news.info
[generic]                 1690    5022  33.7% -lh5- af62 Jan 14  1996 Register.doc
[generic]                  302     813  37.1% -lh5- 11c2 Jan 14  1996 Register.doc.info

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Yeah, I was right.  The "Install" file is just a script that copies those fonts for you, if you can't do it yourself.  

[FONT="]echo "This script will install the new NComm fonts in fonts:"

failat 100
copy >nil: fonts/#? fonts: ALL ;Reset machine to flush fonts
echo "All done. You should now reset your machine"
endcli                               ;Needed for XIcon
[/FONT]
 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Commodore didn't have a legitimate "Installer" application until Workbench 2.1, if I recall correctly (might've been 2.04).  Prior to that people would just sort of "wing it", with IconX scripts and whatnot.  I feel like I want to be a smartass and say "we were all a lot more computer savvy, back in the day".  You actually had to know what all these files were, how to copy them manually, and whatnot.  None of this fancy self-installing stuff.  Now you kids get off my lawn!  :lol:

[Dr. Chef]

I can install the fonts my self. Right now, I'm attempting to delete as much as I can to get over 200KB, but I'm finding that a little difficult, because I don't know what is required by the system or not. I could probably delete shell commands that I know that I wont be using. I've deleted all the utilities besides Cmd.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

I can install the fonts my self. Right now, I'm attempting to delete as much as I can to get over 200KB, but I'm finding that a little difficult, because I don't know what is required by the system or not. I could probably delete shell commands that I know that I wont be using.

Correct.    Also fonts are a good target.  And the Workbench preferences program itself, if you won't be changing any preferences (I think that's about 50K).  You can always run that off a separate disk later, if you need to.

[Dr. Chef]

Correct.    Also fonts are a good target.  And the Workbench preferences program itself, if you won't be changing any preferences (I think that's about 50K).  You can always run that off a separate disk later, if you need to.

Yeah, I have multiple workbench floppies, so I can copy if I require anything.

Thanks for your help. You guys have been very helpful.

[Dr. Chef]

Good news. I was able to delete the larger fonts and now I have 244KB available. Now, I'll attempt to install, and whatnot, via click and drag.

Looking at NCommToChipPatch, it looks like a patch for A4000's or something, so I'll hold off on using that.



Now we are getting somewhere. I 'installed' everything, except the NCommToChopPatch, but I'm getting a new error: 'load ncomm: file is not an object module.

[Tenacious]

...I was able to delete the different applications that came bundled with Workbench that I didn't need, to free up to a little more than 100KB's...

The following are files that can usually be deleted from a copy of Workbench 1.3 to make a customized bootable disk for other applications.  I'm sure no one needs to be reminded to NOT modify the original!

from C:
Avail, Break, Changetaskpri, Diskchange, Diskdoctory, Edit (you might keep Ed), Else, Endif, Endskip, Eval, Failat, Fault, FF, Filenote, Getenv, IconX, If, join, Lab, Lock, Protect, Quit, Relabel, Remrad, Rename, Resident, Search, Setlock, Setdate, setenv, setpatch, skip, sort, stack, status, wait, which, why.  These are mostly used in scripts.

from Devs:  clipboard.devise, narrator.devise,

from Fonts:  Everything. Keep the empty directory for App specific fonts to be added.

from L:
Aux-handler, FastFileSystem, Pipe-handler. Speak-handler

from Libs:  the math libraries if the app doesn't need them, translator.library

from Prefs:   CoipyPrefs, Prefs (with the proviso from Mike, above)

from S:
Dpat, PCD, Spat, Startup-Sequence.HD, StartupII,

from System:
Fastmemfirst, Fixfonts, Initprinter, Mergemem, NoFastMem

from Utilities:  Everything with the possible except of More, in case you want to read the app's documentation.

Some programs like astronomy, rendering, calculators, etc might need the math libraries.  I hope this helps.

[Tenacious]

I forgot to mention, many floppy drives can be brought bake to life with a little cleaning (gentle!, use a cleaning disk) and lubrication.

[Dr. Chef]

Now we are getting somewhere. I 'installed' everything, except the NCommToChopPatch, but I'm getting a new error: 'load ncomm: file is not an object module.

Found the problem, the file wasn't fully copied, so I deleted the news file since there is no need for it.

[Dr. Chef]

The software is running, but I cant connect. If I try dialing to a BBS such as 'bbs.at2k.org', it will attempt to connect, but I get an error stating 'modem not responding'. Its a issue on the windows side of things.

I decided to give tcpser a go because the other thing I was using didn't work.

I have a batch file created, but when I load it, it attempts to connect, but it then disconnects.

This is the command I used. I followed a youtube video and copied their commands, but switched with my own com port to 5(S4).
tcpser -d /dev/ttyS4 -s 19200 -p 23 -l 4

If I try using Boycott with Handshake XonXoff, it doesn't actually connect. If I change it to RTS like on my Amiga side, it wont work, but actually gives me an error stating 'RtsEnable cannot be accessed if Handshake is set to RequestToSend or RequestToSendXOnXOff.'.

[Dr. Chef]

I can ran the software, but when I attempt to connect to a server, I get errors on BoycoT

Code: [Select]

2/14/2015 11:02 AM - Loading Character Code Translations
2/14/2015 11:02 AM - Opening COM5,19200,8,None,1,XOnXOff
2/14/2015 11:04 AM - ModemCommandString = ? ? ??? ????? ATDTBBS.AT2K.ORG
2/14/2015 11:04 AM - Modem Error Code = 4
2/14/2015 11:04 AM - ModemCommandString =  CSDADAXZAZCZXV
2/14/2015 11:04 AM - Modem Error Code = 4
Sometimes I can connect, then I get an error code 1.

[Tenacious]

I can ran the software, but when I attempt to connect to a server, I get errors on BoycoT

Code: [Select]

2/14/2015 11:02 AM - Loading Character Code Translations
2/14/2015 11:02 AM - Opening COM5,19200,8,None,1,XOnXOff
2/14/2015 11:04 AM - ModemCommandString = ? ? ??? ????? ATDTBBS.AT2K.ORG
2/14/2015 11:04 AM - Modem Error Code = 4
2/14/2015 11:04 AM - ModemCommandString =  CSDADAXZAZCZXV
2/14/2015 11:04 AM - Modem Error Code = 4
Sometimes I can connect, then I get an error code 1.

Would you confirm your signal path again. Amiga to Null-modem to serial2USB converter to Windows laptop running BoycoT?  Did you construct the Null-modem cable youself?

It's been a very long time since I've used Ncomm or a null-modem cable.  Shooting from the hip, I'm guessing that BoycoT (Terminal program on the other platform?) is expecting a real modem at the end of your USB2serial converter.  Isn't there a Null Modem option in BoycoT when connecting?  It seems that there was one in Ncomm.

Have you successfully used this USB-to-serial converter in the past?

[danbeaver]

The modem commands are not needed.  Unsure of your BoycoT program though, as i just open the terminal in Windows (using a Win98 laptop from 2000) to communicate with my X1000's serial port over a Laplink serial (null) cable.