The Devias Letter / The RSX Multi-Tasker

This document is a joint newsletter from the DECUS (Digital Equipment Computer Users Society) U.S. Chapter, covering two distinct sections: "The RSX Multi-Tasker" and "The DeVIAS Letter" (IAS SIG newsletter).

The RSX Multi-Tasker (Section One):

• Editorials: Discusses the upcoming rise in subscription fees to better reflect production costs and the issues regarding the DEC Direct customer service line.
• Tape Copy News: Provides updates on the release of the Fall 1983 RSX SIG tape, including new software like Kermit and Swedish PASCAL.
• Technical Articles: Includes guides on dynamic allocation for FORTRAN data arrays, modifications for the OPS.CMD file, and an explanation of the automatic file truncation feature in RSX-11M.
• Q&A Session: Features a extensive collection of questions and answers from the 1983 Fall DECUS U.S. Symposium, addressing various bugs, system configurations, and utility issues for RSX-11M and M+.
• Utilities: Details a "Character Design Utility" for the VT-200 series and a method for implementing a system-wide EDTINI.EDT file.
• Troubleshooting: An analysis of RP06 disk corruption on RSX-11M V3.2, including proposed driver modifications to prevent data loss.
• Runoff Comparison: A comprehensive reference chart and analysis comparing the features of three versions of the Runoff program (DSR, Clement Runoff, and Spalding Runoff) to help users select the appropriate version for their needs.

The DeVIAS Letter (Section Two):

• Editorials: The editor highlights the increase in newsletter contributions and reports the successful upgrade of several systems from RSX-11D to IAS.
• Administrative News: Notes the formation of a working group to handle newsletter financing, recruitment of new committee members, and an appeal for members to register their SIG membership with DECUS.
• Technical Content: Features an "IAS Patches" section provided by Jim Underwood, focusing on creating a non-overlayed version of the MO handler to avoid transient disk errors, and a technical article detailing a fix for a "tight-pool" memory loop issue in IAS V3.0 and V3.1.
• Official Announcements: Includes an official letter from Digital Equipment Corporation announcing IAS Version 3.2, detailing its new hardware support, layered product updates (such as DATATRIEVE-11 and FORTRAN-77), and ordering information for new system startup service packages.