DECUS 12 BIT NEWS NUMBER 45 FEBRUARY 1984

This issue of the DECUS 12-Bit News, published in February 1984, provides updates on software, community news, and technical contributions. Robert Hassinger, the 12 Bit Coordinator, outlines submission guidelines and deadlines for the newsletter, encouraging machine-readable material.

The "Commercial Software" section discusses the limited availability of commercial applications in the DECUS Program Library, noting that most contributions come from researchers and educators sharing their work. It highlights GIANT/8 as a more affordably priced commercial package for COS-310 systems. An "TKPLOT Update" announces version 2/3 of TKPLOT, a graphics utility for Tektronix 4010 terminals used with OS/8 FORTRAN IV programs, detailing its capabilities for plotting, graphic input, and screen display management.

The author critically reviews "DECmate II Software," expressing frustration with the limitations of CP/M and MBASIC for serial I/O access. In contrast, they share a very positive experience with an unreleased OS/8 version for the DECmate II, praising its speed, user-friendliness, and potential for applications like data acquisition. The author hopes for the official release of this OS/8 version and the availability of FORTRAN IV.

Dr. Joseph R. Giganti's contribution suggests opening the newsletter to advertisements for user-generated software, listing surplus equipment, and fostering local user groups. He also critiques DECUS's "non-commercialism" policies, which he believes hinder such initiatives. Ian Templeton provides a technical fix for a "Scope-Type Rubouts in FRTS" problem and describes an IEEE 488 Bus interface designed for the PDP8/E, enabling control of Hewlett-Packard instruments via FORTRAN IV. Lastly, Ron Larkin details a hardware-related problem encountered with Bob Phelps' USR (User Service Routine) for OS/8 FORTRAN IV, which arose from the interaction between a new disk controller's DMA transfers and an obscure OS/8 "feature," underscoring the complexities of system-level programming without source code access.