Byte vol.9 №4 April 1984

Columns
32 Build a Scrolling Alphanumeric LED Display by Steve Ciarcia I Individual character arrays can be linked together to show lengthy messages.
57 User’s Column: The Most Fabulous Object in the Entire World by Jerry Pournelle I Ain’t love grand, Diser, and lots more from Chaos Manor.
82 BYTE West Coast: Stylish Output by Ezra Shapiro I Graphics terminals and a quiet ink-jet printer are discussed.
Themes
93 The World of Micros by Gene Smarte I This month’s theme articles deal with theory. system descriptions, and projects touching on the capabilities and perils of real-world interfacing with microcomputers.
94 Personal Computer Signal Processing by Bill Englemann and Mark Abraham I An introduction to transducers, interfacing, and system development.
114 Planning a Computerized Measurement System by Craig R. Wyss I The author offers tips on digital processing of analog signals.
127 Designing Systems for Real-Time Applications by James Isaak I Some pointers to keep in mind before you tackle a real-time design.
137 Interfacing for Real-Time Control by Russell M. Genet. Louis J. Boyd, and Douglass J. Sauer / Appropriate interfacing simplified the design of hardware and software in an observatory’s telescope system.
152 Putting the Apple II Work, Part 1: The Hardware by Richard C. Hallgren I How to create a high-speed system for the acquisition and analysis of data.
Reviews
169 Reviewer’s Notebook by Rich Malloy/ BYTE’s product-review editor comments on Panasonic’s Sr. Partner, the ACT Apricot, the Smart Cable, and this month’s reviews
170 The Rainbow 100 by David B. Suits I It runs CP/M-80. CWM-86, and MS-DOS, but only on Rainbow-format disks.
186 Peachtext 5000 by Stevanne Ruth Lehrman / A collection of five business applications that are confederated- not integrated—into one package
206 The Coleco Adam by Jules H. Gilder I This inexpensive home computer includes all the necessary peripherals, but using it is no Garden of Eden.
224 Micro-Logic by Richard Krajewski / With this software you can design digital circuits with your Apple II or IBM PC.
2 34 Statistical Software for Microcomputers by James Carpenter, Dennis Deloria, and David Morganstein / A comparative analysis of 24 packages.
Features
269 This Month’s Features by G. Michael Mose I Several new versions of BASIC are covered as well as the Mindset Personal Computer. Soviet microprocessors, and more.
270 The Mindset Personal Computer by Gregg Williams IA promising graphics-onented system that’s partially compatible with the IBM PC.
298 Is BASIC Getting Better? by G. Michael Vbse / The language that made early microcomputers accessible is maturing to match the sophistication of a new generation of hardware
300 True BASIC by Brig Elliott / A company founded by BASIC’s original authors announces a new version of the language.
302 BetterBASIC by G. Michael Mose / One of the unique features of this BASIC vanant is its modularity.
318 Macintosh BASIC by Scot Kamins / Apple’s new computer uses a semicompiled language with tools designed to simplify code writing.
334 Professional BASIC by Donald P. George / Providing both support for the 8087 coprocessor and an array of debugging aids, this programming system makes BASIC a serious 16-bit tool.
344 BASIC-09 by Brian Capouch / A structured, incrementally compiled BASIC for Motorola MC6809-based microcomputers.
351 Soviet Microprocessors and Microcomputers by Ruth Heuertz / A review of Soviet literature indicates that most microcomputers in the USSR, are based on older American microprocessors.
365 Toward Standardized Video Terminals: ANSI X3.64 Device Control by Mark L. Siegel / A set of codes that promises to alleviate incompatibility.
379 A VIC-20/Commodore 64 Terminal Emulator by John P. Russo I This versatile program puts you in touch with mainframes.
422 Special April Supplement / A potpourri of features, including a preview of the Smart Blankie diurnal environmental control system.
Nucleus
4 Editorial: A Call for Ethical Standards for Personal Computer Magazines
9 MICROBYTES
IS Letters
392 Programming Quickie
398 BYTE’s User to User
410 Ask BYTE
428, 432 Book Reviews
436 Clubs and Newsletters
442 Books Received
448 Software Received
465 Event Queue
479 What’s New?
541 Unclassified Ads
542 BYTE’s Ongoing Monitor
Box. BOMB Results
543 Reader Service
Cover painting by Robert Tinney