Practicalc Spreadsheet

History and Preservation Issues

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tlr
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Post by tlr »

eslapion wrote:I just checked on the Zimmer's FTP archive and I was able to find a tape image of the original Practicalc (not Plus) v1.60 that I transfered for Ward Shrake many years ago as well as some (improperly) cracked version but not the disk image I was able to generate.
Interesting. The second file is named P160 on that one (=v1.60). On practicalc plus that file is named P190 (=v1.90?).

What format is your tape image? There is no extension except .csm.gz on the file.
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eslapion
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Post by eslapion »

tlr wrote:What format is your tape image? There is no extension except .csm.gz on the file.
The problem is: its not my tape image at all.

Even I can't use that file. Also, the "cracked" version available on Zimmer's is a very poor quality crack, IMHO.

Note to moderators:
Shouldn't this thread be in the "Collecting and History" section ?
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orion70
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Post by orion70 »

I resurrected the thread where I found it, but I agree with you and moved it to Collecting and History :wink: .

tlr: the save and load functions work perfectly with your one-file version.
To save, press F3 then S (save) or L (load). @0:SAVE (or LOAD) FILENAME for disk operation; SAVE (or LOAD) FILENAME without @0: for datassette. Of course, you'll have a tape or disk attached.
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orion70
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Post by orion70 »

As promised, I scanned the MANUAL, cleaned the pages from heavy yellowing and dirt, and made a pdf (17.8 MB). Will submit it to Bombjack later, as I'm at work now and have no access to some kind of sites (filtered as "gaming"). Enjoy this 80-pages brick :)

Also, basing on the article on Commander, I wrote a new page in DenialWiki.
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vicist
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Post by vicist »

Many thanks for all your hard work on this project.
It is much appreciated. :D
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orion70
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Post by orion70 »

You're welcome. I submitted the work to David Haynes (Bombjack site), and he wrote back:
Hi,

I got the pdf and tap file downloaded.

I will get them posted later tonight. Made a few changes to the pdf format.
Think you will like it.

Thanks for taking the time to contribute.

David
Can't verify now, as I said I'm @work and Bombjack is filtered :( .
tlr
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Post by tlr »

orion70 wrote:As promised, I scanned the MANUAL, cleaned the pages from heavy yellowing and dirt, and made a pdf (17.8 MB). Will submit it to Bombjack later, as I'm at work now and have no access to some kind of sites (filtered as "gaming"). Enjoy this 80-pages brick :)
Reading the manual I would say that the load"",1,1:<option> won't work in the cracked version. I could probably fix that if anyone is interested.
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Post by orion70 »

Why not? It would add to the completeness of the program (even if nowadays I'm probably the only owner of a B/W monitor :P ).
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Post by orion70 »

Update: a one-page version of the manual has been uploaded in Bombjack DLH archive HERE (18 MB).
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eslapion
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Re: Practicalc Spreadsheet

Post by eslapion »

I should kick myself in the (behind) and scan the original Practical manual...
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eslapion
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Re: Practicalc Spreadsheet

Post by eslapion »

Last November, I had a catastrophy in my apartment and I lost a huge lot of historical stuff related to the VIC-20.

However, one of the things I did not lose is the manual for Practicalc for the VIC-20.

I no longer have a scanner which would allow me to archive it. Anyone wants it ?
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Re: Practicalc Spreadsheet

Post by ral-clan »

Hi Eslapion,

I will scan the practicalc stuff it it can fit on a standard 8.5" x 12" scanner. I always wanted to learn more about spreadsheets for the VIC.
I'll also scan the education books if you want. Again my scanner is only standard size.

(wait: Orion70 a few messages up says he scanned it, but the file is no longer hosted - anyone know where it is? Bo Zimmerman hosts the binary but not the manual. The manual should be hosted there or on the Denial Wiki page for the software).
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eslapion
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Re: Practicalc Spreadsheet

Post by eslapion »

ral-clan wrote:(wait: Orion70 a few messages up says he scanned it, but the file is no longer hosted - anyone know where it is? Bo Zimmerman hosts the binary but not the manual. The manual should be hosted there or on the Denial Wiki page for the software).
Nope! He's referring to Practicalc Plus.
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orion70
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Re: Practicalc Spreadsheet

Post by orion70 »

eslapion wrote:
ral-clan wrote:(wait: Orion70 a few messages up says he scanned it, but the file is no longer hosted - anyone know where it is? Bo Zimmerman hosts the binary but not the manual. The manual should be hosted there or on the Denial Wiki page for the software).
Nope! He's referring to Practicalc Plus.
Yep, exactly. Manual is here now: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AkJbuuXDFTt7yRKkyULhcGO4Gh-Q
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Re: Practicalc Spreadsheet

Post by eslapion »

orion70 wrote:Yep, exactly. Manual is here now: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AkJbuuXDFTt7yRKkyULhcGO4Gh-Q
I strongly suggest you send it to Bo Zimmerman which has been a reliable and durable maintainer of important archived data for all the Commodore community.

I fear putting this important historical information on unreliable online services only leads to them disappearing or having to be reposted elsewhere every few years.

Please note the .WAV and .TAP images you placed online have also become inaccessible.
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