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PCT File Manager for HP-48SX - rprosperi - 12-10-2017 09:11 PM
Does anyone have a copy of PCT v5.56S (or later) they can share?
PCT was an early File Manager for the 48 series, written by Marc Vogel and Régis Duchesne, 2 of the early masters of 48 sysRPL and Saturn code. Although frequently mistaken for and called “PC Tools” (a popular DOS File Manager at the time), according to the authors, PCT stood for Port Control Tools. The 5.XYS versions were for the 48S/SX and the 5.XYG versions were for the 48G/G+/GX; they were not the same and could not be used on alternate platforms.
The latest version available for the S/SX on hplcalc.org is 5.55S, which does work, however this version has several problems, for example at startup, it does not scan for files, showing the starting location (either a PORT or VARS) as being empty. Toggling with [->] twice will refresh the list, but it should not be needed, all other versions work properly.
According to a post in comp.sys.hp48 on 950906 by Régis Duchesne, there was a version v5.56S released, but I’ve not been able to locate a copy.
So, does anyone have a copy of PCT v5.56S (or later) they can share?
In a related request, does anyone have documentation on PCT’s use of flags?
Reading the comp.sys.hp48 archives reveals that PCT employed USER flags extensively to control its behavior, but none of the actual usage is documented there. An example I’ve found is after running PCT, USER flags 9 & 11 will be set, even if manually cleared beforehand. Also, there is a post saying PCT will display hidden files only if a particular flag is set. Limited testing with setting flags randomly/experimentally has led to mem lost, so I’m looking for something better.
Any files as requested, tips or even links to resources would be appreciated.
RE: PCT File Manager for HP-48SX - Joe Horn - 12-11-2017 03:27 AM
There are several versions of PCT (including 5.6 and 5.7) in my post-Goodies-Disk-Project catch-all collection called "GDNEW" which I shared in the final paragraph of this posting. Look in the UTILS folder under PCT and PCT57GX.
ALso, version 5.6 is available at hpcalc.org HERE.
RE: PCT File Manager for HP-48SX - rprosperi - 12-11-2017 04:23 AM
(12-11-2017 03:27 AM)Joe Horn Wrote: There are several versions of PCT (including 5.6 and 5.7) in my post-Goodies-Disk-Project catch-all collection called "GDNEW" which I shared in the final paragraph of this posting. Look in the UTILS folder under PCT and PCT57GX.
ALso, version 5.6 is available at hpcalc.org HERE.
All those versions are 48G family only, unfortunately.
The 5.7 version was actually made by someone else, who integrated a bunch of other common tools in use at the time, but was unauthorized by the creators and caught a lot of flak from other users for hacking and releasing someone else's product.
Also, the resulting single monolithic library was much larger and obviously was in conflict with the modular style with smaller dedicated libraries preferred by more advanced users.
PCT had the ability to be extended by users, customizing as needed for their use, however the docs on how to do so were only released in French so never really caught on (outside France). The 5.7 author, also French, used this technique to build his 'swiss army knife' version.
All that said, 5.7 is stable, works well, is fairly well thought out and probably liked by lots of users.
But If you have a GX, there is no question that the File Manager you should be using is Filer48, the best RPL family file manager I've found by far.
RE: PCT File Manager for HP-48SX - HPReg - 12-21-2017 05:27 PM
I subscribed to this forum today and found this thread. What were the odds?!!!
Anyway, I will need to dig in my archives (on floppy disks, somewhere in my in-laws attic, no less) to find old binaries of PCT, maybe the source code, and also the documentation that I should now be able to translate to English.