An MP3 of a good capture should be fine for this; I've used a ThinkPad with some homemade cables to feed a 5150 to load my copy of the diagnostics. These types of things have to be preserved; there are so few of them out there.
Yeah! An MP3 of that would be pretty awesome!Mike,
I totally agree. I actually set out to do it this weekend but could not find a cable to connect my portable tape player to my laptop. I am going to look around the house a bit more and if I can't find a cable I will stop by the Radio Shack - hopefully part of the 80s still there!
luvit,
That is some damn fine detective work. Although, what is really required for the program to be on a cassette? I.E. would there need to be any fundamental change to the program code or is it more akin to putting a program from 360KB disk on a 720KB (i.e. medium changes but nothing is fundamentally altered)? If it is the latter the publisher could have made a cassette version without input/knowledge from the author. Don't get me wrong I agree with you that it probably was never produced (or is in a landfill with E.T. cartridges ) but it could a happened! :D
It'd depend on how complicated it was. The big difference with a cassette is you no longer have random access, so the program needs to be written so that's not required/expected.
(Off topic - but I do have a CP/M-86 laptop that uses a micro-cassette which has a drive letter and rewinds the tape when you start up - I'll have to try it out properly, because it seems to treat it like a disk drive)
Yeah, we're on the same page, I'd love to see it too, but i;m not a believer. lol. The diagnostics on cassette were probably a pacifier for the few PCs that left the factory without floppy drives...If it is the latter the publisher could have made a cassette version without input/knowledge from the author. Don't get me wrong I agree with you that it probably was never produced ...but it could a happened! :D
I wouldn't say a Part Number guarantees existence of the cassette version, especially with the legend of how Microsoft sold DOS to IBM. Part Numbers can be part of major planning, but they didn't follow through with the plans to put it on cassette. But with that said, the author said that Typing Tutor was ONLY about 100 lines of code in BASIC.. and it would be nice to have a couple programs in the plan for said PCs that were sold without floppy drives.. but to sell the cassette version separately from the PC would be insane.. since cassette software just wasn't in scope by anyone. I too, believe the cassette version with a Part Number was just over-planning, or due diligence at an early time of the PC.The software was available both as a cassette and as a floppy (disk : PN 6024013 / Cassette : 6024018). Here are images of the physical product (from http://www.digibarn.com/stories/ibm-pc-25/erik-klein-photos/) :
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You're right.. It's not a complicated program. The author has a site where he quotes Bill Gates said it was the most tangible 100 lines of code in BASIC. What is fascinating about his product is that it monitored the typist and determined which keys took a little longer than other keys. So it would repeat key strokes which you showed hesitation compared to other keystrokes.It'd depend on how complicated it was. The big difference with a cassette is you no longer have random access, so the program needs to be written so that's not required/expected.
Now I really want to build a cassette cable for the 5150 to play with it.
The author said that Typing Tutor was ONLY about 100 lines of code in BASIC..
ah ok.. i too found a reference to monitoring upto 39 students here
You and I each have a cassette with the diagnostics on it. That makes two copies that I know of.
Have you made an audio file out of the advanced diagnostics? I made my copy of the standard diagnostics available on MP3 years ago. The advanced diagnostics would be nice to see too.
Well it took a while but I finally got the file. I have now made the recording of the tape.
Did this cassette Advanced Diagnostics ever get posted anywhere?
You and I each have a cassette with the diagnostics on it. That makes two copies that I know of.
Have you made an audio file out of the advanced diagnostics? I made my copy of the standard diagnostics available on MP3 years ago. The advanced diagnostics would be nice to see too.
Read through the thread ... reply #12 to be specific. I posted it here in 2014 and posted my original page on the Internet in 2008. WinWorldPC has a version too.
I just bought a NOS Rev. 1 Guide to Operations that has a sealed Diagnostics tape in it. Although now I wonder where can you find a tape deck cable? I had one but I lost it.