=============================================================================== Volume 1 Issue 12 February 1990 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _____ _____ ____ ____ ___________ / | / | | | | | | _____ \ / |/ | | | | | | | \__\ / /| /| | | | | | | | / / | / | | | | | | | | / / | / | | | | | | | | ____ / / | / | | | | | | | | |__ \ / / | / | | \ \_______| | | |_________\ \ |___| |/ |___| \____________| |________________\ __ __ ____ ______ _____ ____ | \ || / __ \ --,,-- |,--- //--\\ ||\\ || || || || || \\__ || \\ || || || || |,== ---\\ || \\|| ||__|| || ||___ ___// || \_| \____/ || |____ ___/ The Official Newsletter of: The Motorola Users Group of London =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Tired of Winter Yet? =============================================================================== February 1990 MUG Notes Page 1 Motorola Users Group of London 1989 EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT Stan Bischop 500 Osgoode Dr. #122. London N6E 2G9 668-7277 VICE- PRESIDENT Erik Tromp 1 Partridge St.. London N6A 1T4 679-6168 SECRETARY Judy Daviau 500 Osgoode Dr. #122 London N6E 2G9 668-7277 TREASURER Sheila Smith 11 Bridle Path London N6Y 2H1 672-4913 APPOINTED POSITIONS MEMBERSHIP CO-ORDINATOR Judy Daviau 500 Osgoode Dr. #122 London N6E 2G9 668-7277 NEWSLETTER EDITOR Sheila Smith 11 Bridle Path London N6Y 2H1 672-4913 P.D.LIBRARIAN Diane Gubbels R.R. #1 Miller Rd. Delaware N7G 3H8 652-3844 PUBLIC RELATIONS Gerry Thomas 232 Oakland Ave. London N5V 4H1 659-1374 B.B.S. SYSOP Wayne Morrison 532 Pinetree Dr. London N6H 3N1 471-5064 NEWSLETTER PUBLISHER Wayne Morrison 532 Pinetree Dr. London N6H 3N1 471-5064 TECHNICAL ADVISORS Stan Bischop 500 Osgoode Dr. #122 London N6E 2G9 668-7277 Wayne Morrison 532 Pinetree Dr. London N6H 3N1 471-5064 MUG Line B.B.S. 24 Hours Daily 300/1200 Baud N-8-1 641-0927 DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the Motorola Users Group of London, the editors, or the club members. While we try to make sure that all software and hardware projects in this newsletter have been tested and do work, we will not be responsible for any damage to your own personal equipment resulting from using information contained in this newsletter. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Contents of this newsletter are copyrighted 1989 by the Motorola Users Group of London. Reproduction by any means other than for the personal use of members without prior written consent is forbidden. Other non-profit computer clubs may make use of the enclosed material as long as written acknowledgement is made of the source. MANDATE This newsletter is published by and for the Motorola Users Group of London. This club has no affiliation with the Motorola Corporation. This club is a non-profit organization for anyone that may have an interest in Motorola 68XX and 68XXX based microcomputers and the use and exchange of information about these machines. February 1990 MUG Notes Page 2 Table of Contents Page Item ==== ==== 1.....................List of Officers and Mandate 2.....................Table of Contents 3.....................Kids Views of the Computer 4.....................About Basic09 5.....................P.D. Notes 6.....................The Rainbow is Alive and Well! 7.....................CoCo Q and A 9.....................Basic09, Speed with Flexibility 15....................The Friendly Guide to Safe Fax SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS The Motorola Users Group of London sponsors two special interest groups (SIG's for short). For December, the beginners SIG has been cancelled. The advanced SIG meets at Sheila Smith's (11 Bridle Path) Wednesday nights starting at 7:00 P.M. Whether you have just started out or you are an experienced hacker, there should be something of interest for you! February 1990 MUG Notes Page 3 KIDS VIEWS OF THE COMPUTER INTERVIEW: KRISTA RITCHIE: AGE 12 I would use the computer for home work, games, and story writing. Do you know around what age a child would be called a genus? I'd say about 6, you probably are thing get real! But, I know for a fact any human able to control the lettering and computers basic language is genus, well not exactly. You see a very good example would be the terrible teenager always out with friends but still manages - good grades. considering the fact that your reading my (a teenager) story. You wonder how collages send students out with degrees averaging about 98 % would be so stupid when they start work, its all in the hardware. You'd think the collages just couldn't take them so they gave them a degree and shipped them out , don't get wrong ideas it's not true. It's only computers that help these students. I think I've explained the basic facts on what children and teenagers alike use this one small step in mankind, that's helped millions all over. WRITTEN BY: AMANDA RITCHIE * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * T H E N E X T M E E T I N G O F * * _____ _____ ____ ____ ___________ * * / | / | | | | | | _____ \ * * / |/ | | | | | | | \__\ * * / /| /| | | | | | | | * * / / | / | | | | | | | | * * / / | / | | | | | | | | ____ * * / / | / | | | | | | | | |__ \ * * / / | / | | \ \_______| | | |_________\ \ * * |___| |/ |___| \____________| |________________\ * * * * Will Be Held On March 13, 1990 * * 6:30pm to 9:00pm * * London Central Public Library * * Lower Level * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 1990 MUG Notes Page 5 MUG P.D. NOTES ******************** This month's offerings of P.D. at the Febuary meeting. We have a lot of good stuff here to add to your collection. GERARD *** CoCo III Library Disk #002 *** 512KTEST/BIN : Test the 512K board in your CoCo 3.By Gerry Humphrey DSKLABEL/BAS : CoCo 3 label maker. Set up for Epson Compatable printers. Donated by Gerry Humphrey. DSKZAP/BIN/DOC : Disk zapper for the CoCo3.By Gerry Humphrey. EPDUMP/BIN/DOC : CoCo 3 graphics dump for the Epson printer. FOOTBALL/BAS : Game. Donated by Gerry Humphrey. MAX2/BAS : Patch to use COCOMAX II on the CoCo3. By Ed Mitchell LOWERCAS/BAS : Lowercase interpreter for the CoCo 3. By G. Humphrey MAC2CC3/BAS, : Transfer MacIntosh graphics to the CoCo 3 and VOYAGER/MAC a picture. Donated by Gerry Humphrey. MFOX/PIC : Donated by Gerry Humphrey. PRINT16/BIN, SHOW16C3/BIN, VIEW16C3/BAS: Print show and view 128 x 128 16 level pictures for the 640 x 192 2 color hi-res screen. For the Gemini and Epson printers. Documented in Rem statements.By G. Humphrey *** CoCo III Library Disk #003 *** */BAS : New program to Boot GHANA BWANA, PITFALL II, DESERT RIDER, ONE ON ONE and will give you full color on a COCO 3 when using an RGB monitor. It will also fix a bug in GHANA BWANA on the CoCo3. By S. Bjork. BIKINI/MAC: Pictures to be used with MAC2CC3/BAS on the prior CC3 disk. MADONNA/MAC Donated by Ed Mitchell. CC3IND/BAS/BIN: Disk maintenance utility for the CoCo3.By G. Humphrey. DFIX/BAS : CoCo 3 graphics dump for the Epson printer. DIAL+/BAS : Automatic dialer for Mikeyterm 40 and 43 with Hayes compatible DIAL+/DAT/DOC : modem. Will dial and redial until a connection is made. DISKFIX3/BIN, JMBUDGET/BAS: Keep track of your budget and checking account. DISPC/BAS, FATIBMC/BAS, THINIBMC/BAS: Use IBM type fonts on the CoCo 3 GPE1/BAS, GPE2/BAS, GETPE/GPF: Use GETPE to set-up macros for GREG-E-TERM for each BBS or information service you use. Then load the whole thing by running GPE1. This runs GPE2 and boots GREG-E-TERM. By Gerry Humphrey. SPOOLER/BAS/BIN/DOC/SRC : Print spooler for the CoCo 3. WFIX/BAS : Fix to use VIP WRITER with the CoCo3. Donated by Ed Mitchell. February 1990 MUG Notes Page 6 The Rainbow is Alive and Well! I just received a very interesting phone call from a person asking if there is any truth to current rumors that Rainbow is going to stop publishing. First, let me apologize to the caller -- I laughed quite loudly I am afraid. Apparently, the Midwest is alive with this rumor about Rainbow. I can freely say there are no plans whatsoever to fold The Rainbow. We plan to provide the best possible source of information for the CoCo for as long as you want and need such a magazine. And we believe that will be a long time, indeed! It is true The Rainbow has gotten smaller over the years.This is no secret. Nor is it a secret that this decrease in size is a direct result of a decrease in advertisers. While this size change does present its special problems to us in producing The Rainbow, it should not be taken as an indicator we are about to close our doors. No, I believe our doors are more open now than they have been for quite some time. We have lots of plans for the future and we are constantly working to meet your needs and wishes. Please feel free to let us know how YOU think we are doing. Without feedback, we have no way of knowing what direction to take. On a related matter, the reader survey that appeared in the November issue is still coming through our doors in a flood. The response has been phenomenal! While I can't say just what will come out in the wash (we won't tabulate final "results" until the flow reduces to a trickle), I can say there is a lot of interest in The Rainbow and the moves it makes. As long as that interest is there, as long as we have your support, we will continue to be just as strong as we ever were. Hopefully this will be enough to squelch those nasty rumors in the Midwest and anywhere else they might crop up. Sincerely, Cray Augsburg Rainbow Managing Editor February 1990 MUG Notes Page 7 Questions and Answers about the CoCo. by Gerry Thomas Cruising around the BBS circuit recently, I have picked up a few questions that BBS callers have had about different aspects of the CoCo. I felt that some of these questions (and modest answers) might be of interest. The first question is from a user in Texas. "I picked up a ROM pak for the CoCo 2 the other day after the (Radio Shack) sales-person told me it would also run on the CoCo 3 (as I have both machines). The PACK worked fine on the CoCo 2, but when I tried it on the CoCo 3, all I got was garbage. Did the Shack sales-person lie to me, just to make a sale ?" The name of the PACK was not mentioned, so it is hard to tell just what the problem was (other than 'garbage') on the CoCo 3, but in general - unless the packaging says it is compatible with the 2 and/or 3 then it is best to assume that it isn't. Systems required to use the PACK are listed on the packaging, so either the user or the Shack sales-person (or both) failed to read the label. I doubt if the sales-person lied to the user just to make a sale, but rather was just as mis-informed as the user. Most CoCo 2 ROM PACKs will run properly on the CoCo 3 unless the programmer used some system calls that he/she shouldn't have. Tandy told programmers to stay away from certain memory locations as they were 'reserved for later use', and that 'later use' turned out to be the CoCo 3. One such PACK was used with the "PLUG 'N' POWER" units that Radio Shack sold for controlling appliances and lights. The graphics look good on the CoCo 2, but show up as multiple blocks on the CoCo 3. Only a complete re-write of this software will cure the problem on the CoCo 3, so don't throw your CoCo 2 away. One method of making this PACK work on the CoCo 3 is the subject of a Rainbow article, yet to be published. Another question, this time from Ottawa. "I have a CoCo 3, and a friend of mine would like to get one, but the salesman at a local Radio Shack told him they couldn't be obtained in Canada. I thought that, even though the CoCo has been discontinued in Canada, that it was still available by special order. My friend was angry when the salesman wouldn't even check to see if one could be ordered, but instead tried to sell him one of the Tandy 1000's.My friend was also told that there was no software being written for the CoCo's" There are actually two questions here: Can a CoCo be purchased in Canada, and is there no longer any software being made available. The CoCo 3 can definitely be bought in Canada, but only by mail-order. One source is CRC Computers in Montreal. Check the Rainbow for their address. They have both the standard 128k CoCo 3, plus they sell a CoCo 3 with the 512k memory upgrade installed. (A 1meg CoCo 3 can also be ordered). The output of software for the CoCo has never slowed down, and there is always a 'new' program showing up every few days. The wealth of commercial software is constantly growing (again look in the Rainbow for some of the latest stuff), but the biggest growth area is in the "public domain & shareware" as can be found on many of the CoCo supported BBS systems. February 1990 MUG Notes Page 8 (MidNight BBS in London carries over 150 BASIC PD programs and almost 300 OS9 ones, not to mention the picture files available). The National boards run by DELPHI and COMPUSERVE and GENIE carry literally many hundreds of files. In general: "Are there any places one can go, to get more information on the CoCo. I have tried Radio Shack, but no-one is able to help me (but they do try to sell me ROM PACKS and Tandy 1000's). Even the local library is no help." The answer to this question is rather simple, but it could also fill a book. Some leg work may be necessary, but the results will be worth it. Check with your local Shack stores for the names of other CoCo users, or a local "Users Group" or club. If there is/are more than one "CoCo Club" in your area, check them both out carefully, as one may simply allow CoCo users in the club, while the other may be devoted exclusively to the CoCo. You will want the most quality for your money in choosing a club - and be prepared to contribute your time and talents to further improve whatever club you join. Subscribe to the "Rainbow", or buy it from a local newsstand. Get yourself a MODEM and a terminal package (a PD terminal from your local club) and use the service provided (usually free) by local Bulletin Boards (BBS's) devoted to the CoCo. There is a daily wealth of information and also immediate (or overnight) help. The System Operator (SysOp) of the BBS is also very knowledgeble of the CoCo, and if he can't help you out with a specific question (or problem) then he will likely know someone who does (probably another user). Most BBS's operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so you can call anytime (the daytime may be best for problems, as most users will call at night, tying up the phone-line). A question posted at noon will likely elicit a response before midnight. A good BBS is probably the best friend you will have in a crisis (or any other time). If you have any questions about the world of BBS-ing, or the CoCo in general, the author may be reached at the MidNight BBS and the MUG Line BBS in London. You may want to keep the following handy. CRC Computers Inc - 11 Boulevard des Laurentides Laval, Quebec, Canada H7G 2S3 1-514-967-0195 Rainbow Magazine - The Falsoft Building P.O. Box 385 Prospect, KY 40059-9989 1-800-847-0309 or (502) 228-4492 MidNight BBS - (519) 451-4769 24 hrs SysOp: Gerry Thomas 300/1200 Baud 8/N/1 MUG Line BBS - (519) 641-0927 24 hrs SysOp: Wayne Morrison 300/1200 Baud 8/N/1 February 1990 MUG Notes Page 9 BASIC09 - Speed with Flexibility BASIC09 is a very flexible and FAST language. This seems to be a concept not widely held in the CoCo community. Why, I'm not sure - possibly because of that word "BASIC". The purpose of this article is to refute those ideas and provide some empirical proof that this IS a fast and power- power-ful language. I have tested many of my own BASIC09 procedures and those written by others against the same or similar proce- dures written in PASCAL, Assembly, and "C". I have found that BASIC09 not only can stand up against those "more powerful" languages, but can even exceed their speed and flexibility. First, let's establish some basic facts. BASIC09 is a combination of a compiled and interpreted language. The source code of each procedure is complied into an intermediate format, commonly called "I-code" as each line of code is entered. This intermediate code is then "interpreted" by the run-time package, RunB, when the procedure is called as an executable command. Without getting into a lot of specifics, let's just say that the RunB package contains all the machine language sub- routines to execute the BASIC09 command statements. The I- code format is simply a set of "system calls", if you will, that are run in sequence. This is a great simplification of how it works, but it is very much like how Micosoft Basic runs in the CoCo, except there is no table searching required to decode each command statement and then jump to the appropriate location in ROM to execute it. This has the overall effect of making the RunB and I-code combination into one big machine language program, but only those routines that are needed for that specific procedure are called. In essence, BASIC09 is seen as a kind of machine language program when it is run. However, the difference between it and Microsoft Basic is the lack of table searching which greatly speeds up the entire process, one of the reasons that BASIC09 is so fast. To illustrate this, let's look at some comparisons. First look at the LIST command as it is supplied by Microware. This command simply reads a line of text from a disk file and writes it out unchanged to the standard out path. In all, just a few lines of assembly language is required to do the job. To perform the same operation in BASIC09 is extremely simple. Just read the line and then write it: February 1990 MUG Notes Page 10 PROCEDURE blist (* (* BASIC09 version of the standard OS-9 LIST utility. (* DIM line:STRING[255] DIM stdin,errnum:INTEGER stdin:=0 errnum:=0 ON ERROR GOTO 10 LOOP READ #stdin,line PRINT line ENDLOOP 10 errnum:=ERR IF errnum=211 THEN END ELSE ON ERROR ERROR errnum END ENDIF If you look in the OS-9 Technical Information Manual, you will see a listing of the LIST command. Notice that the read line and write line system calls are used. BASIC09 uses these same calls to perform the same operation, so the procedure will be nearly as fast, becoming noticeable slower only when the file to be listed is large. Examine the table below: File Size (bytes) List time Blist time ----------------- --------- ---------- 817 (331 hex) 4 secs. 5 secs. 3402 (D4A hex) 15 secs. 17 secs. 26082 (65E2 hex) 93 secs. 97 secs. (Each file was listed to a tempory disk file to prevent screen pauses from affecting the times.) As you can see, the time for the BASIC09 list procedure (Blist) increases proportionally to the assembly List. In fact, the correlation coefficient for the times above is r =.99. Although a larger sampling may yield a better indication of the relationship, it seems clear that the difference between the two is constant, probably due to overhead processing in the RunB package. Now, let's look at another comparison, the Word Count utility. I used the assembly language version of Word Count that was printed in the January 1986 edition of THE RAINBOW magazine. It is an extremely quick procedure. I wanted to see if I could write a BASIC09 procedure that performed as quickly. I did not fully succeed, but the results are another example of the speed of BASIC09, if used to it's fullest. Look at the BASIC09 Count utility below: February 1990 MUG Notes Page 11 PROCEDURE count (* (* Procedure to count the number of characters and lines (* in a file. (* DIM chars,lines,stdin,stderr,errnum:INTEGER DIM line:STRING[255] (* (* Initialize variables (* stdin:=0 stderr:=2 lines:=0 chars:=0 (* (* Begin main program loop (* ON ERROR GOTO 10 LOOP READ #stdin,line lines=lines+1 chars=chars+LEN(line) ENDLOOP (* (* Print results to standard error path (* 10 errnum=ERR IF errnum=211 THEN PRINT #stderr PRINT #stderr; "Lines in file: "; PRINT #stderr; lines PRINT #stderr; "Characters in file: "; PRINT #stderr; chars END ELSE ON ERROR ERROR errnum END ENDIF END Although this procedure does not count the number of words in a file, it quickly gets the number of lines and characters. Examine the table below: File Size (bytes) WC time Count time ----------------- ------- ---------- 817 (331 hex) 2 secs. 2 secs. 3402 (D4A hex) 2 secs. 3 secs. 26082 (65E2 hex) 6 secs. 8 secs. (In each case, the number of lines and characters reported were the same.) February 1990 MUG Notes Page 12 In this case, we can now see the advantage, however slight, that the assembly language procedure has over BASIC09. The correlation coefficient in this case is r =.98. Again, a larger sampling would better show the relationship. However, it is again clear that BASIC09 is capable of performing nearly as fast as an assembly language procedure. To summarize so far - BASIC09 has been shown to be nearly as fast as a similar assembly procedure. I have tested some other languages also and the results are even better. A version of the GREP utility written in "C" was downloaded from the OS9 User's Group data library (FIND.BIN). The BASIC09 version performed several seconds faster on each test, and provided more flexibility as far as the different options offered. I can recall reading a statement by a well known authority in the field that BASIC09 is a good language for program development, which then can be re-coded in "C" or assembly to "pick up the speed." I do not believe this to be the case. BASIC09 procedures, if properly written, will I believe always be as fast or faster than any "C" program that performs the same function. Since I do not have a PASCAL compiler, I am unable to report any tests of that language. Perhaps someone else will do so. I have saved the best for last. BASIC09 has the rather unique ability to read an entire data structure from a disk file in one "swipe". The manual states that the GET state- ment is much faster than a READ or INPUT statement. This is not always true. In my examples above, I tested the GET statement in place of READ in the same sample files. (The size of each line in the files are constant, allowing this be done.) The times to list or count the files were exactly the same. It seems the GET statement reads the number of characters determined by the variable size, (GET #stdin,line - were line is dimensioned to 255) it only inserts the characters up to the first carriage return ($0d) that is read. Any further GET's will read starting from the 256th character, even if there were only 80 characters before the first carriage return. This results in a really messed up input and is not any faster. However, because of the ability to read an entire data structure and place it in the proper variable, you could GET an entire array from the disk with one statement. (GET #stdin, array - were array is dimmed to array(10,10)) There is no provision to do this in assembly language, and as far as I know, no provision is made in "C". February 1990 Mug Notes Page 13 This means that any BASIC09 procedure that reads a formatted disk file structure that remains constant will always be faster than a assembly language or "C" version. Combine this with BASIC09's internal speed and you will have an extremely fast procedure that will be hard to duplicate in another language. I know I will get some "flak" about this so I'll provide an example: PROCEDURE blist (* (* BASIC09 version of the standard OS-9 LIST utility. (* using GET and PUT statements. (* TYPE records=name:STRING[20]; address:STRING[35]; city:STRING[18 TYPE records=name:STRING[20]; address:STRING[35]; city:STRING[18 ]; state:STRING[2]; zip:STRING[5] DIM record_array(42):records DIM stdin,stdout,stderr,errnum:INTEGER (* (* Initilize the variables (* stdin:=0 stdout:=1 stderr:=2 errnum:=0 (* (* Read the entire file (* GET #stdin,record_array (* (* Write the entire file (* PUT #stdout,record_array (* (* And that's it! (* END This procedure, basically the same the the previous Blist procedure, reads and writes an entire disk file with two commands. Of course, I knew the size of each record in the file, and the total number of records. But, the speed that this is accomplished is astounding! The file used is the same file used in the two previous tables, the file size is 3402 bytes. While the assembly LIST command listed the file in 15 seconds and the previous BLIST procedure did the same in 17 seconds, this new version accomplished it in 2 SECONDS! Of course, to do this you must know the structure of the file, but the point is the speed has been increased by over 200%. In addition, the file is separated into it's individual components - the name, address, city, state, and zip of each person (record) in the file. It would be just as easy to print only the names in one file, the address in another, etc. and do it much faster than any assembly language procedure. February 1990 MUG Notes Page 14 Before ending this essay, I would like to pass on some tips in BASIC09 programming that may help some of you reading this to speed up your procedures. 1) Use the command structures in BASIC09 to their best advantage. Don't write procedures as you would in assembly. The SUBSTR command is especially powerful. 2) Use the ON ERROR GOTO statement liberally. It is very flexible and is faster than making the tests yourself. 3) If you write subroutine modules and string them together to build a complete program, don't pass too many variables back and forth. Passing a number of variables to a called procedure slows everything down. Pass only those variables that are really required. 4) Experiment with dynamic dimensioning of variables and data types. If you have a file that is structured the same throughout, reading the first line will give you the structure and then you can build data types and arrays to allow faster operations. This is a very powerful capability that is not mentioned in the BASIC09 manual. 5) Reading disk files into an array and then performing any operations on it is a waste of time and slows everything down. BASIC09 is fast enough that any operations you need to perform on a file input can be done as it is read in. This will usually result in cutting the processing time in half. 6) Remember that variables are passed by location if the variable name is passed to a calling procedure. This means that any operation performed on that variable will also be reflected in the calling procedure so there is no need to pass it back again. I hope this essay has been informative to those of you that read it. If I have made some erroneous statements I would like to hear from any of you via Easyplex or through the SIG. The times for all the above tests were performed on a CoCo II using OS-9 Level I ver. 1.00 and BASIC09 ver. 1.00, and the Radio Shack thin-line drives. You may find your times are different, depending mostly on the disk drives used. As I have stated, I believe that BASIC09 is a very fast and flexible language. It should not be relegated to beginners and hobbyists, and as a development language before re-coding in "C" or any other language. It is in itself as powerful or more powerful than the other languages and should be recognized as such. The crowning point is that no other language available under OS-9 is nearly as interactive and forgiving. None are easier to use and none give the debugging and error tracing capabilities as does BASIC09. I believe I have shown this to be true. Mark D. Griffith 2351 E. Mall Dr. #202 Fort Myers, Fl. 33901 Copyright (c) 1986 February 1990 MUG Notes Page 15 The Friendly Guide to Safe Fax Dr. B. Comfortable answers some of your questions Q. Doctor, I am new to Fax. I have not had much Fax and I am worried. Is it safe to have Fax? A. Fax is perfectly safe, providing both you and your partner maintain your equipment in good order, keep it clean and have a regular checkup by a qualified consultant. Do not be embarrassed at your lack of experience. There are many excellent Fax manuals available, including my own, "The Joy of Fax". Q. About how often should I Fax? A. Those who are new to Fax often can't get enough, and do it all the time. We usually find, however, that as we get older and the novelty wears off, the desire for Fax decreases rapidly, particularly if we still keep the same old machine. (It is not unknown for jaded Faxers to have a brief "fling" with a new exciting machine, but this too, will usually burn out quite quickly). Q. Can I ever be too old to Fax? A. Definitely NOT. As long as you can turn on your equipment, you can Fax. Q. Can I Fax with more than one person? A. By all means. This is perfectly normal, even necessary in most circumstances. It is time we cast aside our hang-ups about Fax. Feel free to "Let It All Hang Out" and share your true self with the world. Q. Do I have to be married to Fax? A. Good Lord NO! People who hardly ever Fax their wives will spend most of their working lives Faxing complete strangers. Q. My parents say they never faxed when they were young, and were only allowed to write memos to each other until they were twenty- one; is this true? A. Yes, but why worry about boring old-fashioned twits like them? Q. If I Fax something to myself, will I go blind? A. Certainly not - as far as I can see. Q. Is there any chance of getting AIDS for frequent Faxers? A. Quite honestly, yes, but you are better off without them. Q. There is a place on our street now, where you can go and pay to Fax. Is this legal? A. Yes, many lonely people have no other outlet for their Fax drives and must pay a "professional" when their need for Fax becomes too strong.