SpartaDOS Toolkit / utility / commercial










From: Michael Current (aa700@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)

Date: 04/21/92-07:43:29 PM Z









From: aa700@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Michael Current)
Subject: SpartaDOS Toolkit / utility / commercial
Date: Tue Apr 21 19:43:29 1992


Reprinted from the A.C.E.C. BBS (614)-471-8559


SpartaDos Toolkit
 by Chuck Wallace

Cost            -29.95
Format          -Disk
Manufactured by -ICD, Inc.
Address         -1220 Rock Street,
                 Suite 310
                 Rockford, Il.
                 61101-1437


   If you are a SpartaDos user you should own the SpartaDos Toolkit. This is a collection of unreleased utilities for all SpartaDos versions. While there are PD programs that do the same thing, I hope to convince you these programs are worth the price.

   Are you an Atari Dos user who recently switched to SpartaDos. If so you might want to check out the DOSMENU.COM program. It will provide you with an Atari Dos look alike menu. This one thing makes using SpartaDos easier for someone who is use to the Atari menu.

   For the old SpartaDos users there are many new utilities which I will try to explain in a little detail. The first is RENDIR.COM. This program lets you rename subdirectories. While it doesn't accept wildcards and is not case sensitive it does the job very well. 

   The next couple utilities are MIOCFG.COM and WHEREIS.COM. The MIOCFG.COM file is simply a program to let you save your MIO configuration to floppy disk and have it load at boot-up. The other file while useful on a floppy based system is really better used on a MIO/hard drive system. With it you are able to find a filename or part of a filename anywhere on a disk. This is useful on floppies with subdirectories but is great on a hard drive with lots of files.

   Next we come to a few of my favorite programs. SORTDIR.COM will let you sort directories. Not only can you sort filenames alphabetically in ascending order. You may also sort by file type, file size, and creation date. If this weren't enough you may also sort all these ways in Reverse (descending) order. 

   The next utility is VDEL.COM. It is useful if you have alot of files to delete and no way to wildcard them. Instead of deleting them individually you just give the command VDEL D1:*.*. From here you are prompted to delete each file. all you have to do is answer yes or no. After VDEL is done it will tell you the number of files deleted. 


  COMMAND.COM is the next program we will look at. It adds 20 programmable function keys, path prompts, screen color change, IBM style recall console keys, and much more. When you load COMMAND.COM it looks for a file COMMAND.BAT. If it finds this file it loads it. COMMAND.BAT is a batch file you write defining your function keys. The disk comes with sample batch files for use with Action, Mac65, and Basic. The ability to define keys from the D:prompt is also there. You may also get a listing of all the com



mands by typing help or ? at the D: prompt.


   Finally we have come to the best part of the Toolkit. DISKRX, the disk editor that is alone worth the price of the Toolkit disk. While editing disks is not for the beginning user DiskRX makes it so easy that is is possible for anyone. This program and the SpartaDos manual is all anyone needs to be able to edit and fix disks. DiskRX is a painless way to edit sectors, trace files or sector maps in any density, and rebuild directories. With DiskRX you can edit Sparta or non-SpartaDos disk. I have used many



 disk editors and DiskRX blows them out of the water. I have saved many a disk with it. I even have been able to recover files from a disk I gave the AINIT command to by mistake. While file recovery is not easy, DiskRX makes it tolerable. 


   All in all I couldn't find anything bad about the toolkit. The price may seem high at first, but it is more than worth it. If you need a disk editor get the SpartaDos Toolkit and DiskRX. If you are considering witching to SpartaDos you will want the Toolkit and the DOSMENU program. Once again ICD has delivered a fine addition to the Atari 8-bit line.



-- 
 Michael Current, Cleveland Free-Net 8-bit Atari SIGOp   -->>  go atari8  <<--
   The Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG is the Central Atari Information Network
      Internet: currentm@carleton.edu / UUCP: ...!umn-cs!ccnfld!currentm
     BITNET: currentm%carleton.edu@{interbit} / Cleveland Free-Net: aa700









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