The Amateur
Computerist
Fall 1990 Volume 3 No. 3
Table of Contents
WHAT CRITICISMS HAVE YOU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1
TIPS AND TRICKS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3
LETTER TO EDITOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5
EDITORIAL.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5
Common Man of Greatness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7
CoCo CORNER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 11
EXCERPTS FROM BBS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15
C64 RESET SWITCH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 18
WHAT CRITICISMS HAVE YOU OF
THE AMATEUR COMPUTERIST
NEWSLETTER?
Recently, some of the staff of the Amateur Computerist visited the
MIT Technology Museum in Cambridge, Mass. It was enlightening to
see an exhibit tracing the history of “The Tech,” a newspaper by MIT
students.
Just as MIT and the student newspaper “The Tech” were stimulated
into activity by new developments in technology, so the Amateur
Computerist owes its origins to the emergence of the computer and the
problems that developed in having education that would meet the
Webpage: http://www.ais.org/~jrh/acn/
Page 1
wondrous needs of the computer.
In the exhibit of “The Tech” one issue especially stood out. That
issue contained the request to the readership to offer their criticism and
suggestions to help the MIT student newspaper more adequately serve
the needs of its readers.
Though the Amateur Computerist newsletter was born three years
ago out of a fight at the Ford Rouge Plant in Dearborn, MI, for computer
programming classes, copies of it have gone around the country as
people from varying regions and walks of life have requested sample
copies or subscriptions. However, despite the interest shown in single
issues, the staff feels the great need to have more input from the
readership of the Amateur Computerist so as to sort out the direction the
newsletter should go in.
In the Nov. 16, 1918, issue of “The Tech,” this letter appeared:
“How can we improve this paper and make it meet the
demands of the student body here at the Institute? We ask you
for your co-operation in this matter and hope that you will give
us your frank criticism.
What changes can we bring about that will make it a more
satisfactory paper to you?
Will you help us make ‘The Tech’ the best college daily in
this country?”
We ask the same questions, only about the Amateur Computerist
newsletter. We need your comments and criticisms so that the newsletter
can better serve the educational needs of the amateur computerist
movement. Only if we hear from you and have some input regarding the
kind of changes you would like to see, can we make the newsletter better
serve the movement it has grown out of.
We welcome your comments and questions. Also, if you wish us to
print your letter but to withhold your name, let us know. In any case, we
need your input if the Amateur Computerist is to continue in a way that
will help the development of the amateur computerist movement in the
U.S.
Page 2
TIPS AND TRICKS
by Michael Hauben
Problem: Your IBM computer won’t boot from the hard drive and
you suspect something might have happened to one of the system files.
After trying unsuccessfully both DOS’s SYS command and Norton’s
NDD command, you don’t know what to do next.
Caution: While trying to correct this problem, make sure you use
the same DOS version’s system files that were on your hard drive before
the problem occurred.
Solution:
A. Clean out the boot sectors.
1. Remove all attribute (archive
doesn’t matter) flags from any
files in the root directory.
(Read Only, System, and Hidden
Flags). You can use any of the
following:
A. Norton’s File Attribute
command (FA FILENAME
/[ro,sys,hid][+,-]) (eg FA
MSDOS.SYS /hid-)
B. PC-Tools:In File Menu,
attriBute change, and then
type the letters of the
flags: H,S,R and save it.
C. Mace Utilities has a
utility also.
D. DOS has ATTRIB to change
file attributes, BUT it
doesn’t work with the
system flag.
2. Make a backup directory to move
files into. (MD \BAKUP)
3. Copy all files from the root
Page 3
directory to the backup
directory. (COPY \*.* \BAKUP).
4. Delete the system files in the
backup directory. (COMMAND.COM
and IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS or
IBMBIOS.COM, IBMDOS.COM)
5. Delete all the files in the
root directory. (DEL \*.*)
B. Try to use DOS’s SYS command to copy the system files to the boot
sector/root directory. (From A drive, SYS C:)
C. If SYS doesn’t work, try using the Norton Disk Doctor to transfer the
system files. (Using NDD’s MAKE DISK BOOTABLE)
D. If NDD doesn’t work:
1. Remove the hidden, read only
and system flags on your
system files on a floppy disk
with the system files.
2. Copy the hidden files from
your floppy into the root
directory of the hard drive.
(COPY FILENAME C:\)
3. Place all of the flags back on
to the system files.
E. Try to boot...if this works, move all the files from the backup drive to
the root directory, and delete the files in the backup directory and
remove that directory.
(CTRL-ALT-DEL, COPY \BAKUP .,DEL \BAKUP, RD \BAKUP)
(Note: the “COPY \BAKUP .” step copies the files from “\BAKUP” to
“.” which represents the current directory you are in, which should be
the root directory.)
F. If this procedure doesn’t succeed for you, write us describing what
you tried to do, and what the results were. We will either write back, or
will print the letter to get help from our readers.
Page 4
LETTER TO EDITOR
I enjoyed the Amateur Computerist [vol 3, no 2 - ed]. I enjoyed
Floyd Miller’s words because they are so true. If Floyd Miller’s words
are still read and appreciated then perhaps we can say that Floyd Miller
still lives. I know that his words touched my heart!.
Deb. C.
Michigan
EDITORIAL
by Ronda Hauben
Three years ago, in September, 1987, several of us met to discuss
publishing a newsletter that would continue the efforts to support
education among amateur computerists. The Amateur Computerist has
continued in that vein despite the fact that many computer magazines
have gone out of business, and the battle to restore computer program-
ming classes to the Ford Rouge Plant, and the teacher of those classes,
seems to have hit a dead end.
In the meantime, however, certain facts have been discovered which
perhaps shed some light on the battle which occurred at the Ford Rouge
Plant.
First, the invention of the computer is a significant technological
milestone in the history of the development of human technology. The
Amateur Computerist serialized a history of the development of
computers in its pages during its second year of publication.
The second fact is that not only has the computer been developed
after 400 years of documented human efforts to create it, but also the
amateur computerist movement in the 1970's successfully fought the
attempts by big computer companies to keep the computer from the
masses of people. A low cost personal computer with open architecture
was developed in the process that has found its way into millions of
homes in the U.S. and around the world.
Page 5
The third fact is that amateur computerists in the U.S. created the
personal computer, and these amateur computerists were the product of
the American education system. Yet there has suddenly been a barrage
of propaganda condemning that education system and insisting that the
very companies that tried to hold back the creation of a computer for the
masses be given a more direct influence in the education system.
The fourth fact is that the combining of computer education and
factory work was stymied at the Ford Rouge Plant, and despite substan-
tial efforts of many people, no progress has been made to restore those
classes. Instead the teacher has been tied up in endless and futile legal
battles in a court case and at the state labor board over three long years.
The court has now given its clear OK to Ford that there is no govern-
ment support for restoring the classes and the teacher, but instead the
court has thrown the case out on a concocted technicality, e.g. that the
teacher wouldn’t say which students typed the petition or contributed
their words asking for the restoration of the classes. The teacher is now
in danger of being fined for her attempt to ask that the court help in the
battle. And the state labor board is only now holding a hearing after
postponing the case almost 4 years. And the teacher is not being allowed
to submit her evidence into that case.
Thus it is clear that the effort of big companies like Ford to prevent
computer programming education at their own factories has been given
active support and encouragement by the courts to prevent the kind of
grassroots educational movement that produced the personal computer
in the 1970's from going on to encourage that the computer be success-
fully integrated into the workplace.
Where does this leave the Amateur Computerist newsletter and the
battle to integrate computer technology at the shop floor level?
The Amateur Computerist invites articles and letters from readers
suggesting what has been learned over the past three years and what is
the way forward. It seems clear however, that without a grassroots
computer education movement which is independent of the big
companies and the government, computer education in the U.S. will be
stymied until a way is found to overcome the fetter.
In the book, Ancient Society, analyzing the role played by technol-
ogy in the development of society, the writer, Lewis Morgan, explained
Page 6
the significant impact the invention of iron had on the development of
human intelligence. He said: “The process of smelting iron ore was the
invention of inventions...beside which all other inventions and discover-
ies hold a subordinate position. Mankind, notwithstanding a knowledge
of bronze, were still arrested in their progress for the want of efficient
metallic tools, and for the want of a metal of sufficient strength and
hardness for mechanical appliances. All these qualities were found for
the first time in iron. The accelerated progress of human intelligence
dates from this invention. This ethical period, which is made forever
memorable, was, in many respects, the most brilliant and remarkable in
the entire experience of mankind.” (Ancient Society, by Lewis Morgan,
New York, 1877, p. 539)
We expect that the invention of the computer will create just such
another stupendous leap for human society and human intelligence, once
it is possible to break through the blockade being put up by the big
companies who are trying to interfere with this breakthrough.
A Common Man of Greatness
By Michael Hauben
(Editor’s Note: Following is the Eulogy presented to honor Amateur
Computerist writer Floyd Hoke-Miller at the memorial service held in
his honor on July 14, 1990.)
“You just don’t have any constitutional government in America
(today). You got laws, but nobody shows any respect or regard.” It’s rare
that such honest words are spoken. They came from a proven 91
year-old rebel in an interview done on January 11, 1990 a few months
before his death. This rebel had written a poem called The Critic and
the Rebel. It reads:
We’ve had our rebels, both good and bad
From Attila the Hun, to Ivan the Mad.
Page 7
We’ve had Crusaders for the Carpenter’s cross
That history records as a religious loss.
We’ve had soap-boxers stand for human rights
Only to be martyrs for their courageous fights;
But none like those with the Barons of Barter
Where Labor fought Capital for a Magna Carter
So let the critics rant and let them rave
We are all destined to some sort of grave;
And if the rebel’s maligned as totally rotten,
He’ll be remembered when the critic’s forgotten.
Whether history calls him a hero or a heel
There is one thing it cannot conceal –
He was a Rebel!
This rebel was our Floyd Hoke-Miller. Most importantly he was a
labor poet who “wrote for the downtrodden” (what he called workers).
He wanted to “educate to emancipate instead of dominate.” Floyd was
also an active participant in the 1936/37 Flint Sitdown strike that won
General Motor’s recognition of the UAW as the chevrolet workers’
bargaining representative.
Floyd was born in Fort Mayberry, Arkansas in 1898. He said about
his birthplace, “It was just a small jerkwater, all-purpose town. That had
everything from a factory on down to just everything in it. It was a one
man town... I was brought up there in a condition of oneness of the
pioneer spirit.”
When, in 1927, a huge flood destroyed his home, Floyd traveled to
Flint, Michigan in search of work. Upon reaching Flint, Floyd found
work as a clerk for the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Railroad work was in
the spirit of one of his heroes, Eugene V. Debs, who also started out a
Railroad worker. Floyd’s union spirit grew and developed while he
Page 8
worked for the railroad. He joined the Brotherhood of Railroad Clerks
and always carried his BRC card with him. Floyd later landed a job in
Chevy Engine plant number four. That was in March or April of 1930.
Even before World War I, Floyd started to write poetry as a hobby
and a possible source of income. Floyd told me he didn’t start to write
labor poetry until he was 35 in 1933, when a lady interviewed him and
read some of his poetry. Floyd asked her if he should go into a specific
field. She said definitely, you should write labor poetry, and the Poet
Laureate of the Flint Labor movement was born.
Floyd explained, “I am writing for the downtrodden. I was writing
on the form educate to emancipate...So in other words, educate the man
so he can understand what is going on, to look at and see what’s
happening.” Floyd said he wanted to leave a better world than he found
it. Floyd explained why he wrote poems for the common man in his
poem, The Laborer, Yes!.
You ask me why I praise his kind
And why I seek to rouse his mind
To thoughts beyond his daily task,
Wherein the chains that daily bind
Are shrouded lies to keep him blind –
And those are the things you ask
About the man the Gods don’t bless,
The Laborer, Yes!
I’ll tell you why I take this stand
To praise the one with hardened hand;
With daily drudge and sweaty smell,
He’s the greatest one in all the land
But yet, the least one in command
Of all the goods the traders sell
And take the more and give the less
The Laborer, Yes!
As he advanced in years, Floyd said his goal was, “To leave the
torch for someone else to pick up and carry. Because when one man lays
it down, somebody else has to pick it up.” His idea of this torch included
Page 9
many things. Some of them were: the struggle of and for the common
man, the struggle for the open press, and the struggle for a six hour day
with no loss of pay.
Floyd often used Eugene Debs’s famous saying, “When I rise it will
be with the ranks, and not from the ranks.” Laura Miller, Floyd’s wife
for 67 years, clarified what Floyd meant. She said, “Floyd is a good
man, a common man.” Floyd’s poetry is by a common man, for and
about the common man.
Floyd used various nom de plumes, like Vicky Vann and Evelyn
Pierce. He had two main reasons to use them: he wanted people to think
his poems were the ideas of many and not just one, and he wanted
people to focus on the ideas in his poems and not that he was the poet.
He was trying to spread the idea, not the man. Floyd also found that it
wasn’t safe to publish under one’s own name during WWII. He explains
some of this in his poem My Obsession:
‘Tho I may use some pseudonyms,
A nom de plume or phoney,
I never stoop to downright whims
of writing pure baloney.
I know that workers make the works
By brains and muscles toiling
And taken by the class that shirks
Whose object is despoiling
That’s why I strive in all my rhymes
To paint the picture clearly
Of how there can be better times
If workers plan sincerely.
While he was working in the “Chevy” auto plant, he inspired others
to write labor poetry and prose. Floyd felt he was obligated to as he said,
“I had to try to make another poet, and so I made a few down the line
(fellow workers on the assembly line) writers. [I] tried to get somebody
else to do it, because it’s the idea that counts. The man will be gone and
Page 10
forgotten, but the idea won’t be forgotten. It lives on forever. It is the
premise, not the person (that counts.)”
A friend of Floyd’s expressed to me his opinion that Floyd was an
example of the universal man. When you spoke to Floyd you heard
references to current American literature, European literature, ancient
Greek literature, and Roman literature. His grasp of the historical and
intellectual content of our age was immense. He read continuously
throughout most of his life, and through his reading examined every-
thing; he took in the essence of it all. As a poet he studied the meaning
of words. He had an extremely broad vocabulary and was forever
finding the right word to convey just precisely the image he wanted.
Writing poetry made him into a more articulate and clearer thinker. He
had the ability to look at current world problems and cut through to their
essence.
Floyd will be deeply missed as he was a treasure and an inspiration
to us all to keep on looking for solutions. In his memory we are holding
this memorial to continue this inspiration to others. We hope you all take
something away from this memorial to keep in your thoughts. Floyd
would have wanted the pieces of his torch picked up by others.
CoCo CORNER
by Scott McMahan
(Editor’s Note: In the previous issue vol 3, no 2, the Amateur
Computerist printed a COCO program, but by mistake, we left out Scott
McMahan’s column introducing the program. Fortunately, Scott brought
this printing error to our attention. We apologize and are instituting a
procedure to check submissions against printed copy to try to prevent
such an error from occurring again. We are printing Scott’s column in
its entirety as a correction to the last issue.)
This month’s programming exercise is aimed at those of us who like
to stay healthy. All of us should strive to at least be in reasonable fair
Page 11
shape, after all. Especially if our line of work keeps us behind typewrit-
ers and desks (or both, in my case.) There’s no reason why we can’t
have a little fun doing it, though, and no reason not to get some use out
of the COCO.
This CALORIE program came about when my mother’s doctor
gave her a book on low-cholesterol stuff, an area that I don’t even
pretend to understand. When it comes to health fads, the only thing of
which I’m sure, is that they don’t last. Cholesterol, however, is staying
around for a long time. There may actually be something to it. It never
hurts to be healthy, though. The best way to get educated on a subject is
to read about it, so read my mother did. She has never been a mathemati-
cal genius, and she freely admits it, but then again there is really no need
for anyone other than a computer software designer or an engineer to
learn higher algebra, trigonometry, and calculus (you knew I’d tie
cholesterol into computers somehow.) When my mother stumbled over
a certain formula for determining how many calories one needs to eat to
reach one’s ideal weight, she was utterly confused and brought it to me,
the family member who has had higher math. I also found myself
confused.
The only thing computers are good for, after all, is making sense of
complicated mathematics. I went through the formula step by step and
programmed it into my computer, with the following result:
0' CALORIE
1' by Scott McMahan
2' on 7-21-88
4' ******************
6' For People who are not mathematic
geniuses yet want to watch the
cholesterol and calories.
8' *******************
9 CLS
10 INPUT "What is your personal
weight goal or ideal weight (in
pounds) "; W
20 PRINT: INPUT"What is your age "; A
25 PRINT: INPUT" Are you (M)ale or
(F)emale "; S$
30 IF A = > 45 THEN B = 1 ELSE B = 0
Page 12
40 IF B= 0 AND S$= "F" THEN W= W * 10
50 IF B= 0 AND S$= "M" THEN W= W * 11
60 IF B= 1 AND S$= "F" THEN W= W * 9
70 IF B= 1 AND S$= "M" THEN W= W * 10
80 CR = (A - 25) * 10
90 W = W - CR
95 CLS
100 PRINT "Which of these applies to
you? 1) SEDENTARY (OFFICE WORK)
101 PRINT "2) MODERATELY SEDENTARY
(OCCASIONAL EXERCISE)
102 PRINT "3) MODERATELY ACTIVE
(REGULAR EXERCISE)
103 PRINT "4) VERY ACTIVE (INTENSIVE
EXERCISE)"
105 INPUT "Choose one ( 1-4 ) "; PA
110 IF PA = 1 THEN W = W + (W * .3)
120 IF PA = 2 THEN W = W + (W * .4)
130 IF PA = 3 THEN W = W + (W * .5)
140 IF PA = 4 THEN W = W + (W * 1)
150 CLS
160 PRINT " THE RESULTS: "
170 PRINT" Your daily caloric
requirements are "; W;
" calories."
180 END
190 ' ********************
The formula I used comes from page 44 of the book HEART
SMART: A PLAN FOR LOW CHOLESTEROL LIVING, by Gail L.
Becker, R.D. It is very intimidating on paper but it is easy on the
computer. I hesitate to give a very detailed explanation of what the
program does, since I am not entirely sure what all the numbers mean
myself. All I know is that it works, and the program gives me the same
answers as were given for the examples in the book. If you are really
interested in the why and how, I suggest you get the HEART SMART
book and talk to your doctor.
On a more computer-oriented note, the process which the computer
goes through in each step of the program is much the same as you’d go
through were you doing it by hand. With the information supplied in the
input statements, the computer decides which numbers to multiply the
Page 13
variables by and when to add and subtract. The main difference is that
the computer is not intimidated by confusing procedures and does not
loose track of what it is doing.
That’s about all that can be said about the CALORIE program. On
to more esoteric things. (As if calories and cholesterol aren’t esoteric
enough! At least you might understand this!) Somewhere in the depths
of your COCO’s memory is a place called 282 (or, if hexadecimal turns
you on, 11A). You can use this memory location to turn the CAPS
LOCK on and off without simultaneously pressing SHIFT and O. If you
use the command:
POKE 282,0
it will make the letters lowercase (which show up on the screen as green
characters on a black background), forcing you to shift to get uppercase,
black-on-green characters. To go back to the locked position, you use
the statement:
POKE 282,255
It will return you to the normal all-caps state.
I’m not sure exactly how useful this feature can be, but in some
situations (where word processing, for example) it could come in handy.
It’s a good one to file away for reference.
That wraps it up for this installment, and be sure to drop in again
next time when, finally, I get around to explaining how you can put
characters on the screen using POKE. Keep in mind: COMPUTERS
ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS WHAT YOU PUT INTO THEM.
(Editor’s Note: Columnist Scott McMahan has asked for responses from
readers on his columns. Readers are invited to send us letters to forward
directly to the columnist or for inclusion in the letters to the editor
section. Just indicate whether your letter is for publication or to be
forwarded to the writer.)
Page 14
EXCERPTS FROM BBS
DISCUSSION ON TRADE UNIONS
(Editor’s Note: In the last issue, we promised to include articles on
BBS’s in upcoming issues. For this issue, we are printing some excerpts
from a discussion item posted on the MNET bulletin Board in Ann
Arbor. The discussion was too long for us to be able to print all of it, but
we are printing excerpts to give a flavor of the discussion. The computer
can facilitate getting to the heart of serious intellectual disputes and
clarifying the differences. The item discussed some of the problems of
American trade unions and democracy within the trade unions.)
Item 26 entered Sat, Sep 16, 1989 (16:20) by (history)
Why couldn’t the UAW organize Nissan? What does the loss by the
UAW of the vote at Nissan seem to signify?
#1(history) Sat, Sep 16, 1989 (16:32): I find it interesting that the UAW
supposedly has a reputation as the most democratic of U.S. unions. It
seems that it’s quite the opposite – and that the lack of democracy is a
great weakness it will now have to deal with....
If there are no democratic elections, no free press, no right to speak
freely at union meetings (which is the situation I’ve found), then there
isn’t much democracy. If there is no democracy in trade unions in the
U.S., where else might one expect to find any democracy?
Also, the UAW leadership at the last Convention explained that they
stood for “jointness” with management. Why then should a worker pay
them dues money?
Trade unions were formed as a protest against the exploitation a
worker experiences from an employer. “Jointness” is a contradiction in
terms from the basis and need for trade unions. Thus it seems that the
UAW is being attacked from within by those who cry “jointness” rather
than defending workers in their fight with management.
#2 (russ) Sat, Sep 16, 1989 (18:48): Adversarial relations with the
company led to lower productivity in the U.S. auto industry. When the
Page 15
Japanese, with their cooperative, goal-oriented philosophy hit our
shores, they rolled over the nation like a tide. Their plants spotting the
USA seem to be our future: we have seen them, and they certainly work.
If labor and management are busy fighting each other instead of
working together to produce goods, then they will make fewer and
poorer goods than those who spend their time better. This is a bad deal
for the consumer, and I expect the confrontational factions in the UAW
to continue to lose ground as the example of the productivity and
profitability of cooperation continues.
#7 (history) Sat, Sep 23, 1989 (18:45): Re #2: But adversarial relations
are the description of exploitation, not of the attitudes of managers and
workers. The economics of factories dictate that there are adversarial
relations, regardless of how covered up the public relations department
tries to gloss over the reality....
#8 (russ) Mon, Sep 25, 1989 (11:33): Re #2:.... Factories produce a
product, which the auto companies (and most other enterprises) sell for
more than the cost of materials and energy. The excess is available for
wages, salaries and expansion. These are the economics of the factory;
are you implying that something else is implicit in this, such as
disagreements over how the excess is divided? I know counterexamples
exist to invalidate most blanket claims....
#9 (history) Wed, Oct 4, 1989 (22:43): ...Yes I am implying that there
is a disagreement – over several aspects of your model. First, where does
the excess come from? You seem to say from the sale of the product.
I would say that it comes from the labor power of the worker. The
company buys a worker’s labor power. They buy the worker’s ability to
work. They pay him just enough to survive so he can work. During the
time a worker works, the products he produces belong to the employer.
The employer buys, for example, the ability of a worker to work for a
day. For example in four hours of the worker’s workday he produces
enough to pay his wages. The additional six hours (say he works a 10
hour day) belong to the company gratis. That’s where their wealth
(profit) comes from. It’s like the serf who had to work several days for
Page 16
free on his Lord’s land. Here the worker works gratis for part of his
workday, but the economics is more hidden.
Second: I disagree that “the excess is available for wages, salaries
and expansion.” That implies that the more excess, the more expansion.
The opposite is the case. Companies will make every effort to keep from
investing in new machinery, updating processes of production, etc. They
will make every effort to lower the wages and expand the hours of
workers.
If workers’ wages drop and hours expand, it is no longer profitable
for a company to put in new machinery. Only high wages and shorter
hours lead to expansion. Thus the society gains by supporting higher
wages and shorter hours for workers, not in supporting companies
efforts to gain at workers’ expense....
#12 (russ) Mon, Oct 9, 1989 (09:23): Re #9: What about robot factories
(which do exist)? Whose “labor” makes those products?
What about the costs of the enterprise itself? Buildings must be paid
for and repaired, heated, lit, and replaced periodically. Machinery must
be purchased and maintained. And *all* of this must happen before a
worker can work a single hour. How much should the people who make
this possible be paid (note: they are capitalists)? Remember that they put
forth their effort up front, and get a return later if they get one at all.
Engineers and designers have done wonders with products, making
them simpler, cheaper and more capable all at the same time. (Example:
the IBM Proprinter: three minutes to assemble, vs. 30 minutes for an
Epson.) Where does the additional value come from there, the assembly
worker or the engineer?
Labor by itself is worthless. You can move stones from one end of
a field to the other and back all day, taking much labor but making zero
value. The value produced by labor, design, management, or any other
activity can only be measured by the desire of people for its products.
You could probably not sell more than a few thousand modern Model T
copies today, no matter how much labor they took....
#16 (history) Thu, Oct 19, 1989 (00:33): Re #12 - ...Re “How much
should people who make this possible be paid?”
Page 17
Ans. Under feudalism the lords retained the surplus wealth.
Under capitalism, the capitalists retain the surplus wealth (surplus
value)....
Also Robert Owen was a factory owner in England who found that
reducing the hours of labor and paying his workers higher wages
benefitted him as well as his workers. He was able to make the same or
a higher profit with a 10 hour day than 12 or 16 hour day other factory
owners had.
And he then went to Parliament and tried to get a shorter hours bill
passed.
But just as there have been different ways of creating wealth
through the ages – i.e. primitive communalism, slavery, feudalism,
capitalism – to say that history stops here is it seems short sighted....But
Russ, are you saying that people’s desire determines value? Are you
suggesting that Marshall’s marginal utility is a description of our
economic reality?
#18 (garima) Thu, Oct 19, 1989 (01:22): I don’t think its up to anyone
to create laws to regulate distribution of wealth. A free market will
create its own distribution -- which WILL be just in a TOTALLY free
market, each being rewarded for the exact value of his/her work or labor
or effort and what it can earn.
#19(history) Thu, Oct 19, 1989 (08:22):....Are you saying that there are
no laws governing the economy? That there is economic anarchy and
that there is no way to understand how the economy functions, but
instead just throw up ones hands and make no effort to do anything that
will help the economy develop in a healthy way?
COMMODORE C64 RESET SWITCH
(Editor’s Note: The staff has not been able to try out this How to article.
If you need help or have questions, please write and we will forward
your correspondence to the writer.)
Page 18
Have you often wished that the Commodore 64 computer came with
a reset button? With the persistent crash of games, and other programs
that render the computer temporarily useless, I’ve found the RESET
button that I have added to my computer to be a big nerve saver.
Now the RESET button will break a basic program while erasing it,
but it will stop most if not all machine language programs and leave
them intact. With some commercial games that use total machine code,
the RESET button will actually cause the game to reset and start from
the beginning! Games such as Juice!, and BLACK THUNDER to name
a few. And besides, using the RESET every time you would normally
turn the computer off and back on to reset, can save a lot of wear on not
only the computer but the power supply as well.
Yes, you must crack open your 64 to add this feature. And yes this
will void your warranty. But since this is my second 64, and my
warranty has been up for quite some time now, I thought what the heck,
you only live once.
The tools that are needed to install your RESET button are very
common and can be found in anyone’s, ( or Fathers ), garage workshop.
Check off the tools as you find them:
[ ] 1 Voltmeter
[ ] Power/Hand drill
[ ] Assorted drill bits
[ ] Soldering Iron (not gun)
[ ] Wire Snips
[ ] Wire Stripper
[ ] Phillips screwdriver (Medium size)
[ ] Solder wick (Not necessary. But Handy!)
[ ] Solder. (64/40 A MUST!)
Check off the electrical components as you find them:
[ ] 1 LED
[ ] 1 SPDT switch (push Button a Must!)
[ ] 3-4 feet STRANDED THIN Wire
[ ] 1 static wrist grounder. (See text)
Page 19
GETTING STARTED
Check off the steps as you complete each one. Please do check them off,
trust me, it helps.
[ ] Take your C64 and disconnect any cables and accessories that it
might have hooked up to it.
Page 20
[ ] Remove the computer from its normal work area and place it upside
down on a workbench, or table. If the spot your computer was normally
used at has sufficient room, then by all means keep it there.
[ ] Locate the static wrist strap from your parts inventory and put it on.
For the amateur, a static wrist strap keeps dangerous static voltages
away from your self and your computer. (these straps can be found at
your local Radio Shack store. Ask a sales person for help.) To use the
strap, you must find an electrical ground somewhere. The one I use is a
ground wire attached to an electrical outlet. I hooked a wire up to the
screw that holds the front plate on. However, if you are not sure of what
you are doing, do not use this route. I would suggest that you then find
a cold water pipe, and use this as a tie point instead of the outlet. To use
the strap, put the black band around your wrist and affix it with the
velcro strips attached to it. Notice that there is a wire coming out of the
black band. This is your grounding wire. Take the clip on the end and
attach it to a longer wire. (They never give you enough cord!) Now take
the other end of your extra wire and wrap the bare wire end of it around
the pipe. If you’re using the outlet, unscrew the plate on the outlet and
wrap the bare wire around the screw. Then screw the screw back in the
hole. There. You’re grounded, and safe from ruining your computer
from static electricity. (However, don’t let anyone that has just come
into your room touch you. They are NOT grounded and would therefore,
pose a static threat.)
[ ] Take the screwdriver and open up your computer from the three
screws near the keyboard. (Screws are on the back, keyboard front.)
[ ] Plug in your soldering iron and let it heat up.
[ ] As you remove all of the screws, place them in a safe place.
[ ] Flip your C64 back over.
[ ] Now lift up on the top half of your computer. The top half will swing
open, because it is hinged at the back.
[ ] Notice that your computer might have some foil like shielding over
the components. Remove this shield as best as possible.
[ ] With one hand holding the top half open, look inside and locate two
sets of wires. One set will go from the left side on the computer to the
top half of the case. This is the keyboard connector. Take your free hand
and pull the connector from its socket. Carefully though! You don’t
Page 21
want to bend any of those pins! (A little force might be necessary.)
[ ] After you have disconnected the cable, locate another thinner cable
rising up from the bottom to the top on the right side. This is the LED
connector. Pull this up in the same fashion.
[ ] The top half on your C64 can now be removed and set aside.
GETTING FAMILIAR
[ ] Take a good look at your system. Become familiar with some of the
areas that we will be using next.
[ ] With the computer bottom still in the position it would be when you
normally use it, look in the upper left hand corner of the component
board. (Near the spot where you removed the keyboard connector.) You
should see part of the board that sticks out the back of the case. This is
the USER PORT. From here, we will tap into the RESET line.
[ ] Take the top half of your computer and locate where you would like
to put your RESET button. Locate a spot where it will be out of the way
of accidental resetting.
[ ] Once you have that spot located, make sure that when the switch is
installed, it won’t brush up against any other components in your
computer once it is installed.
[ ] WARNING! The “Vented” area that runs to the left and right of the
power LED is very thin and tends to shatter VERY easily.
[ ] Drill the necessary hole for your switch.
[ ] Bring the two halves close together with the keyboard half upside
down and facing away from the back of the C64.
THE HOOKUP
[ ] For the next few steps refer to the diagram following the article.
[ ] The place that you will be soldering to will be a small hole in the PC
board. (PC = Printed Circuit) The tie point that you will be looking for
will be a small hole just above a resistor bank. The resistor bank in my
computer is black and runs from left to right on the board. (Your resistor
bank might be a different color.)
[ ] With a properly cleaned SOLDERING IRON tip, melt a small dot of
solder into the small hole.
[ ] Now take the stranded wire in your supplies and strip one end about
1/4 of an inch.
Page 22
[ ] Take your soldering iron and tin the end of the wire by heating the
wire and melting a little solder onto the wire. Continue to heat the wire
until the solder is “absorbed” by the stranded wire. This will help the
wire to adhere better to the PC board.
[ ] Now take the wire and by following diagram #2, heat up the bead of
solder that you put on the PC board, and solder the wire to the board.
See diagram #2.
[ ] Secure the wire by wrapping it around, or through one of the
capacitor components near your solder connection. This will give it a
more solid grip.
[ ] BY NO MEANS SHOULD YOU PULL UP ON THE WIRE WITH
ANY FORCE WHAT SO EVER! Doing this could pull the copper trace
up from the PC board. Then your in a nice mess. By executing the last
instruction, you should be reasonably safe from this calamity.
HALF DONE!
By this time you should have your switch installed, and your first wire
installed.
[ ] Take the piece of wire that is about 3-4 feet long that has one end
soldered to the PC board, and cut it to a length that will easily reach the
other top half of the keyboard when apart. Doing this allows easy access
when needed. Hint: make sure that the remaining piece is => half the
original.
[ ] From diagram #1 again, locate a glob of solder that is just below the
PC screw. From this point, we will take our ground for our RESET.
[ ] Strip and tin the second piece of wire the same as you did the last
one. (Have you tinned both ends of both pieces yet...?)
[ ] Take your iron and heat up the glob of solder on the PC board where
previously indicated. Solder the second half of the wire to this point.
(You should have TWO wires now coming from the PC board.)
INSPECTING AND INSTALLING YOUR SWITCH
[ ] Take your switch from your parts pile. If you are not sure exactly
which connections on the switch to use, refer to the diagram on the back
of the switch’s package, or follow the instructions below on how to
identify which connections to use.
SWITCH BASICS
[ ] Take your voltmeter and turn its selector to OHMS Rx100. Now take
Page 23
any two leads on the switch and hook them up to the meter. When you
push the switch, you should see the needle on the meter rise toward zero.
If it only goes close, that’s OK too. Mark these two leads somehow.
These are the ones that you will be using.
INSTALLATION
[ ] Install the switch to the top half of the computer if you haven’t
already done so.
[ ] Now solder the two wires from your computer that you have just
installed to the two leads on the switch that you have just marked.
WRAP UP
[ ] If you are sure everything is OK, and that your job was successful,
lets put your C64 back together now.
[ ] Plug the power LED back in.
[ ] Plug the keyboard connector back in.
[ ] Put the piece of foil back over the components. (This thing can be left
out since it is used to dampen the interference to your TV screen from
the computer. If you are using a monitor, leave the foil out. You should
have no problems. I have a TV and I left mine out, and haven’t had any
problems so far....
[ ] Screw the keyboard top piece back to the bottom piece.
[ ] You are finished!
[ ] Unplug your iron.
USE
[ ] With your power supply cable plugged back in, and your monitor or
TV hooked up, turn on the power and wait for the C64 Basic V2 screen
to come up. If it doesn’t after 5 seconds, TURN THE POWER OFF!
You have made an error some where. Some possible sources of error:
1. Switch
2. Soldered to wrong hole at the user port
With the screen intact, and everything seeming to run OK, push the
reset button. You should see the screen shrink, cursor stop flashing, and
the ready prompt come up in about 2 seconds.
Well, I believe I have covered all of the steps necessary to install
your own RESET. If you seem to have trouble with the electronics
aspect, ask a friend who might know. And again, its important to stress
that doing modifications of this sort voids your warranty, and puts your
Page 24
computer in jeopardy if you don’t really know enough about electronics
to do a good job. Just take your time, and your RESET will work.
The Cheeze in Commodore County,
John Gritzmacher Jr.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Ronda Hauben
William Rohler
Norman O. Thompson
Michael Hauben (1973-2001)
Jay Hauben
The Amateur Computerist invites submissions.
Articles can be submitted via e-mail:
Permission is given to reprint articles from this issue in a
non profit publication provided credit is given, with name
of author and source of article cited.
The opinions expressed in articles are those of their
authors and not necessarily the opinions of the
Amateur Computerist newsletter. We welcome sub-
missions from a spectrum of viewpoints.
ELECTRONIC EDITION
ACN Webpage:
http://www.ais.org/~jrh/acn/
All issues of the Amateur Computerist are on-line.
Back issues of the Amateur Computerist are available at:
http://www.ais.org/~jrh/acn/Back_Issues/
All issues can be accessed from the Index at:
http://www.ais.org/~jrh/acn/NewIndex.pdf
Page 25
