BBS terminal to Amiga 500

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

When I run the software, I get an error stating: 'Cant open req tools library'.

Have you installed reqtools.library?

http://aminet.net/package/util/libs/ReqToolsUsr.lha

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Also, does NComm work under 1.3?  You're going to be pretty limited with that kind of setup.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Is there a way to install ncomm to a seperate floppy and have it bootup at start up? I saw a youtube video where someone has a working NComm setup under wb1.2

Is there a way to have a lightweight workbench, where I can boot directly into NComm?

Make a separate copy of your Workbench disk, delete any tools and utilities you don't need to free up space, copy NComm on there and the required libraries to make it run, then just edit the Startup-Sequence on that boot disk to be something like:

Setpatch
Run >NIL: NComm
Endcli

You might need to leave a little more of the factory Startup-Sequence than this (like LoadWB if you want a Workbench window open in the background), but that should give you an idea.  

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Also, +1 to what @danbeaver said.  

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Also run everything with as minimal settings as possible.  Like if you can drop the screenmode down to 2 colors to conserve memory, do it.  I know there's a small shell tool that works under 1.3 that will even cut the Workbench window down to 2 colors (since you can't select that with 1.3 preferences), something to consider if you want to keep a Workbench window open in the background behind NComm.

You can make this work!  I have vague memories of going online 20-something years ago using a similar setup, only I had two floppy drives, and of course was using a dial-up modem at the time to connect to real BBS's.  

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Cool, I'll have to try that. So, if I do this all from WB 3.x from Amiga Forever, I'd be able to run with out a problem? Should I stick with version 3.0 or should 3.6 work with the earlier version of NComm?

If you run this through emulation you can emulate a much more powerful system, so yes, you'd have fewer problems.  But there's something nostalgic and quaint about getting it working on a classic A500.  

Not sure what you mean by 3.6, is that a version of NComm?  Or do you mean Workbench 3.9?

[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:

[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.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

:banana:  :banana:  :banana: