Date   : Mon, 13 Sep 1982 1152-:00PDT
From   : Jeffrey@Office-2
Subject: terminal features

I've had my TeleVideo 950 terminal since April 1981.

My reasons for choosing the 950 were primarily three:

       - the displayed image is very clear and stable
         (no waviness).

       - the keyboard is separate from the display

       - it has 11 (22 if you count shifts) PROGRAMMABLE
         function keys

I knew the 950 had lots of features, but I hadn't started using
them until recently.

I found out that for about $9.50, I could purchase a 8x2k RAM
chip which gives the 950 another "page" of memory. This is quite
handy.  When I have something on the screen which I want to refer
to later, I simply switch to the alternate page.  Later, when I
need to look at the saved screen, I simply switch back.    I find
this very useful for temporarily saving compiler error messages.
Then when I'm in the editor looking to fix things up, I refer
back to the saved screen image.  I save this image until I've
looked at all the areas corresponding to problems.  I've
programmed one of my function keys to do the switching.  Each
time I hit F11, the other page of memory is displayed and used if
information is written to the screen.

Rick Conn's TVI950 configuration program taught me how to program
a function key so that its action is local (to the terminal)
rather than causing characters to go to the host (my CP/M
system).  This is how I've programmed my F11 function key.

I've tailored Mark of the Unicorn's Mince a little and have
established some of the two key commands on the remainder of my
function keys.

Using the SYNONYM utility, I've created a COM file (950.COM)
whose effect is equivalent to the CP/M command:  TYPE 950.SAV   .
I've created the file 950.SAV to contain the terminal commands
which load all of my function keys and perform other terminal
initialization.

I recently modified my BIOS so that at the end of each coldstart,
the command 950 is executed.  This runs 950.COM which types
950.SAV which configures my function keys and other terminal
characteristics.

Yesterday, I was thinking about the 950's SEND key.  I read my
950 manual and found out that the SEND command could be initiated
from the host system.

I now have built a program which when invoked, causes the
terminal to SEND back the entire screen image which is being
displayed. The resultant characters are stored in a file or
printed to lst: .

This may be slightly useful or may not; time will tell. I guess
it will help when I want to catch (in a file) some sample
dialogue which isn't more than a screenful or two (I can
configure the terminal as 2 - 24 line pages or a single 48 line
page).

One nice thing about having the terminal send back its content is
that the terminal is a REALLY separate machine. It doesn't know
or care about coldstarts, control-zilches, or any other special
thing which may effect the host.  Distributed processing is
powerful.

I guess the point of all this jawboneing is that many terminals
have a lot of logic just waiting for a chance to work.  Its
probably worth a look at your terminal manual to find out what's
out there.

If anyone would like the source to the program which captures the
screen image from TVI950, send me a request.  Its written in BDS
C.

Jeffrey Stone
Menlo Park, CA