Internet How-To

Submitted by Gaelyne on Sun, 06/29/2008 - 13:51.


Using your C64/128 on the Internet



Since the first week my home page became 'live' on the World Wide Web, I've received heaps of Email from people who are using other platform computers that want to know how they can use their Commodore's to access the Internet or how to move files between their PC (or MAC, or Amiga) to or from their C=64 or C=128.

Others have wanted to know where they could find more Commodore support with their modems. This page can't possibly answer _all_ the questions, but hopefully it will give you a quick overview and point your towards other sources of info and the programs you may need.

Some of this is in Question and Answer form - it's fictionalised and a sample of questions I've had in my Email.

> Hi! I haven't the vaguest idea how
> to get going on my Commodore 64 that 
> I bought at a rummage sale. Where can
> I look to find programs/information/ways
> to hook up?

The info you need can be obtained in a couple of places. It would be silly not to mention that there's a book on the subject with almost 300 pages of information that many have found invaluable. The book was written to answer many of the questions I've been asked about accessing the Internet with our Commodore computers. The title of the book is The Internet for Commodore C64/128 Users.

My Telecomms feature article from Commodore World Issue #4 has the basics of what you need to know. Like the book, it's written for everyone - not the technical dweebs. ;-)

Special thanks to Go64!/Commodore World has graciously allowed us to reprint the article on our website.

The Internet method of obtaining the information is to get the FAQ (which means "Frequently Asked Questions") file from the comp.sys.cbm newsgroup. This file can also be accessed from the World Wide Web and FTP:
http://ftp.videocam.net.au/cbm/info-txt/comp.sys.cbm.

The comp.sys.cbm FAQ files can answer some of your specific questions about using your C64 or 128 to connect to the outside world.

The chapter called Connecting Up will answer the following questions:

  • How do I connect my computer to the outside world?
  • What services can I use to get online?
  • What hardware do I need?
  • What kinds of terminal programs exist?
  • Can I use my Commodore computer on Amateur Radio?
  • Is there TCP/IP software available for Commodore computers?

The FAQ chapter entitled The Online Resevoir has information such as what you can do once you're online:

  • How do I download? What does transfer protocol mean?
  • What is the difference between PETSCII and ASCII?
  • Where can I find Commodore programs?
  • What is a file extension, and what do they stand for?

The next section (actually part of the same group, but in the next file) covers:

  • What is electronic mail?
  • What are mailing lists and how do I join one?
  • How do I contact people on Compuserve, Genie, etc.?
  • What is USENET or NetNews? What is a USENET newsgroup?
  • What news groups cater to Commodore 8-bit machines?
  • What is a FidoNET echo?
  • What echoes cater to Commodore 8-bit machines?
  • What is the World Wide Web?
  • What WWW sites have Commodore information?
  • What is File Transfer Protocol (FTP)?
  • What FTP sites have Commodore Information?
  • What is an FTP Mail Server? How do I use one?
  • What is Internet Relay Chat (IRC)?
  • How do I access IRC?
  • What else is available online?
  • I See Commercial Software Available Online. Is That OK?

The FAQ chapter called Exchanging Data has information on transferring files from other computer platforms to or from the Commodore. It can answer the following questions:

  • How do I exchange data among Commodore 8-bit machines?
  • How do I exchange data between an IBM(tm) and my Commodore?
  • How do I exchange data between an Amiga and my Commodore?
  • How do I exchange data between a Macintosh(tm) and my Commodore?
  • How do I exchange data between an Atari ST(tm) and my Commodore?
  • How do I exchange data between a UNIX(tm) machine and my Commodore?
  • Are there other ways to exchange data between computers?

The chapter relating to Modifications and Cabling will show you how you can build your own modem interface:

  • How do I build a simple RS-232 interface cable?
  • How do I build a 2400/9600 bps RS-232 interface cable?

The FAQ chapter concerning Enhancements to your computer answers questions that relate to modeming in terms of speeding up the disk drives and using high speed modems. It will answer questions such as:

    How do I:

  • Increase my disk drive's transfer speed?
  • Expand my disk drive's capacity?
  • What is a Hard Drive? Who sells them?
  • Expand my computer's RAM capacity?
  • Increase my computer's speed?
  • Increase my computer screen's resolution?
  • Increase my computer's serial transfer speed?
  • Increase my computer's sound quality?
  • Hook up a Hayes(tm) compatible modem to my Commodore computer?
  • What other ways can I expand my Commodore computer?

CMDRKey carry a number of items relating specifically to getting online such
as modems and interfaces.

Another source of information is Greg Nacu's Get on the InterNet with a Commodore64/128


First, you'll need a modem...

> I'm using our local county wide program
> to talk to you, and I don't think I can 
> get email until I'm hooked up at home.

From the looks of it, you might be able to visit the county wide program and come back to read this. I hope so! :-)

(It's for this 'Catch-22' situation that I have this sample here for all to read). Anyone who is accessing the Internet using a computer at a library or Cyber Cafe should be aware that they CAN have have an Email address by signing up with Hotmail. That way, you can leave Email and later read any replies to it next time you get online.

To use your C= computer on the Internet, you'll need a modem. This is pretty much the same as in the PC world... the faster the better.. you can get a Commodore compatible modem that plugs into the computer directly, or you can get an EXTERNAL PC or MAC modem, *however* you will need an Interface for it - this is similar to the PC's SERIAL
card.

There are two basic types of interfaces available. One plugs into the USER port (on the rear left of the computer), the other plugs into the CARTRIDGE port (rear, right). The USER port style is only suitable for up to 2400bps (Commodore 64) or 9600bps (with a Commodore 128). The cartridge port types can handle 9600 through 58.8k bps and beyond. I recommend the Turbo232, which can be ordered from CMDRKey (info above).

You'll also need a term program. Which one to use depends on the type of computer you have. If you have a C64, Novaterm is the most widely used, and it's readily available. If you have a C128, you can use Novaterm 9.6 from the link given above (it lets you use the 128's 80 column screen), or you can pick up Desterm (it's shareware), or Dialogue128 (freeware).

If you have a C128, hopefully you have an 80 column monitor. If not, then consider finding one. Your use of the C128 will be seriously limited with a 40 column monitor. If this is the case, and you can't find an 80 column monitor, I would suggest you use a C64 terminal (ie, Novaterm), because most term programs for the 128 require an 80 column monitor.

After you have a modem, interface and term program, you'll need some place to dial. Find an Internet Service Provider who offers 'dial-in' or 'shell' accounts that you can access with your term program. You will need to set the term program for VT102 (or ANSI) emulation.

Once you get online, you can use UNIX programs to access various aspects of the Internet. A few very common ones are Pine and Elm for Email, Tin for reading the newsgroups and Lynx for browsing the World Wide Web. When you access these programs, you type their name in (use all lower case) on the UNIX
command line.

For our Homestead Plus members, we have a unix help file and UNIX Help site (developed by the University of Edinburgh) online with links to information on using the shell utilities mentioned above (Pine, Elm, Lynx, Tin etc). Feel free to browse the help file as it may help you get familiar with the utilities available online.

Utility Programs

You'll need compression utilities so you can decompress files you download. These are the ones that are in most common use:

For dissolving PKZip files (with an extension of .zip), nzp12819.sfx has utilities for both the C64 and C128 to dissolve PKZip v1.x files.

Until recently PKZIP 2.04g files couldn't be dissolved on the Commodore. This has recentlly changed, as Errol Smith has created an unzip program that dissolves PKZip 2.04g files on the C64. You can find it at http://www.ros.com.au/~errol/64.html

Pasi Ojala also has a program for unziping files named gunzip.c64. It handles a few more compression methods. It's available at http://www.cs.tut.fi/~albert/Dev/gunzip/.

You may still need NZP12819.SFX, as Errol's program *only* unzips 2.04g style files, and not the older version files. (I am uncertain if Pasi Ojala's program handles PKZip v1 or not).

For MS-DOS style ARC files you'll need a copy of CSX01.SDA.

For LZH you need CS-DOS. This is an alternative operating system rather than a program though. It has tools for dissolving ZIPS (slow), ARCS, and LZH - I wouldn't recommend it for beginners, but once you have everything else settled, it's a useful operating system.

You can also use LHX64-09.SFX. It's a C64 program that's menu driven and easy to use, once set up. Unfortunately, many people have trouble with the original set up of this utility because they skip reading the "README" file in the archive. The readme text file gives a bit of an explanation as to the origin of the program and has a poke command that you *MUST* follow if you want to be able to use the program. You must do this in C64 mode, NOT C128 mode (it's a C64 program). Once you've followed the instructions for the poke, you can then run the program and you can copy it to other disks and keep it for future use. You need only have to go through the poke procedure once.

For Internet use, I also highly recommend UUXFER.PRG and UUXFER.TXT. This is a C64 utility to decode uuencoded files you might receive in your Email, or on FTP and WWW on WWW sites.

By the way, if you have a UNIX account, you can decode uuencoded files online before downloading them. If you're using lynx to browse the web and find a uuencoded file, press the letter "p" to print the file and save it to your home directory. To uudecode the file, make sure you're in the same directory as the uuencoded file and type:

uudecode filename

Make sure and type in the correct name of the file and not "filename".

To create a uuencoded file while online, you'll have type a little more. The command is:

uuencode filename filename >newfile.uue

The ".uue" isn't needed, but it is an easy way to show that the file is uuencoded. Yes, you need to type the file name twice within the command.

I also suggest ACE16 (or higher), as it has utilities for uuencoding and uudecoding files and it offers a lot more than just this. ACE is an operating system. If your interested in becoming computer literate in the sense of understanding other, non-Commodore systems, it's worth spending time learning to use it. The same could also be said for the CS-DOS operating system.

ACE16 also has a term program, but I didn't mention it above because it doesn't (yet) have transfer facilities that a new user can easily use.

Stop Press!

I've received more questions that weren't covered here, so taking the easy way out again, here's a peek into my mailbox and my replies. This particular set of questions came from a Commodore and PC user, but the answers will also benefit Commodore users with UNIX shell accounts:

 > As an example of the kind of info
 > I need that I never seem to find; 
 > if I get something that is arced
 > in some way, do I de-arc it on the
 > pc and then copy it, or do I copy it
 > and then de-arc it on the C64?

I'd be inclined to move the file to the Commodore first. As the Commodore uses a different file naming convention, there's a risk that the files could be misnamed, and for some programs this can cause problems. I.E., if it tries to load a file and its name has been changed (such as if it's been truncated).

Another reason to dissolve C= files with the Commodore computer is file type: SEQ, PRG, etc. This is especially the case for programs that you download - their support files in the archive may need to be a specific type of file or the program itself won't function correctly.

 > .zip coded files can be unzipped on the pc
 > and then will convert to the C64 
 > (at least most of the time)

Most of the time. There's also a distinct difference between a file compressed with PKZip 1.x and the disk files compressed with the Commodore program Zipcode. They are not the same: PKZipped files end with .zip and Zipcoded files are usually four files named !1name !2name !3name !4name.

Now that there's a Commodore dissolver for both the PKZip v1 and v2.04g style archives (see above), it's best to dissolve these on the Commodore as well.

Note: 'zipcode' is not one of the archive formats that I recommend, but it's useful for when you find files archived in this format.

 > .uue,.uua these I convert and then 
 > run through uuxfer, which I run on 
 > the C64 (I assume that's the only
 > place it WILL run)

Correct, kind of. The ACE operating system will also decode these.

Uuencoded files can also be 128 files - so if the resulting file doesn't run in 64 mode, don't assume it was a bad file automatically. C128 users should remember this also, and try both 40 and 80 column modes.



 > .sfx, .sda - these I convert (if uuencoded)
 > and then run on the C64 to dissolve.

Correct. And even for 128 owners, its usually best to dissolve SFX files in 64 mode. This is because the 64 can decompress larger SFX files than the 128 can. (Neat bit of trivia, eh?)

.SFX and .SDA files are SELF Dissolving files. Load and run them, and
follow the on screen prompts.

 > My big need now is to be able to 
 > de-arc an .lha, and I don't see anything 
 > your document that sheds any light on that.
 > Any ideas?

This depends. You can use CS-DOS or LHX64-09.SFX (both are discussed above) to dissolve .lha files --- but they will only handle .lha versions that are v1, which isn't too common these days. These may also be named with a .lzh extension, too.

For the C64, there is a file that will convert the .lha (same version info as above) to a .sfx file, lzhtosfx.sfx but this doesn't always work. The file has to fit in the C64's memory, and in my experience, this doesn't happen too often.

The other resource is if you have a UNIX shell account, you can dissolve the file online and then download it to the Commodore. The command is:

lha e filename

  > How about a .zoo?

No thanks I already live in one. :-)

A .zoo is something that must be dissolved on the Unix account. The command is:

zoo x filename

To create a .zoo file the command is:

zoo a archivename filename1 filename2

The archivename is what you want the final .zoo file to be named. The filename1 and filename2 are the names of whatever files you want to be archived. You can also use wildcards to put all the files in a directory within the archive:

zoo a archivename *

For lha archives, substitute "lha" instead of the word "zoo".

 > Our whole network is UNIX,
 > so I guess the capabilities I need 
 > are there if I can find someone who
 > can tell me how to use them.

This is one of the reasons Unix accounts are popular - as it does allow us Commodore users to dissolve files we normally couldn't do on our own and then download the files for use or viewing/reading.

You can find information from our unix help files and the University of Edinburgh UNIX Help site, and there's also several books on the topic, including our own The Internet for Commodore Users.

Regarding lha and zoo, these can also be dissolved within your UNIX shell, and the easiest way to find out how, is to read the "MAN" (manual) pages for them online. Try:

man lha

man zoo

These may not have a MAN (or Manual) file, but the utility may still be around for use. A lot of times if you just type the utility name by itself and you might get a quick help screen. When I type "lha" on the command line and press return, the system sends a help file which tells me how to use it.

Also, there's gzip, compress, uncompress, zip and a few others you can learn about this way. It should help you over the hurdle and keep you from having to do things with your 'dreaded' PC. :-)

Moving files between Computer Platforms

Some people have PC's and MAC's as well as their Commodore computers. If this is the case, often you want to move files from one computer to the other. If you have a 1571, 1581 or FDxx disk drive, there are two programs which will let you copy files to and from IBM PC disks. One is commercial and called 'Big Blue Reader' (this is often abbreviated to BBR). The other is Freeware and can be found on the Internet or on Bulletin Boards - it's called 'Little Read Reader' (or LRR).

Other ways to move files to/from the Commodore include using a NULL modem between the two computers, or if you want to use the PC as a file server (so you can load CBM files that are on the PC - but do so while using your Commodore), there's 64Net. This requires a special cable that connects to the USER port on the Commodore and any parallel printer port on the PC.

Files List

This is a list of files which can be found online that you will find useful for modeming with you Commodore. If you need any further help, be sure to send me Email. I think one of the reasons Commodore 64 and 128's are still so popular is because we have some of the most friendly and helpful of user bases - and I do my best to continue the tradition. Enjoy!

Term Programs:


(C128 Shareware Term program)

Dialogue128
(C128 Freeware Term program)

The Freeware notice is included with the docs, and each disk side archive - please read it.

Dialogue128 Docs: Those with only one 1541 drive should dissolve dlg-doc4.sfx on the 2nd side of the disk.

Dialogue128 Disk Side One. This disk side is for those who use a USER PORT interface. After dissolving the archives, have a formatted disk ready, and run the program named "work disk".

Dialogue128 Disk Side Two. This disk side is for those who use a SwiftLink or Turbo232 interface. After dissolving the archives, have a formatted disk ready, and run the program named "work disk".

  • DLG-TBLS.SDA :
    Replacement tables and charsets plus docs, as created by David Schmoll.

  • DLG-RTC.TXT :
    David Schmoll's CMD RTC patch for the Dialogue boot file.

  • DLGEXTNS.SDA :
    Henry Sopko's Dialogue extensions. Contains 2 sda's; the two releases of his various extensions plus his docs. Extensions include a sliders game to play during downloads and a screen blanker (among others).

Novaterm 9.6 was a commercial program, is now freely available. Version 9.6 is very stable. Version 10 allows PPP connections but is unfinished.

Offline Mail Readers:

QWKie (C64 Offline Mail Reader)

QWKRR v5.1 (C128 Offline Mail Reader)


  • QWKRR5-0.TXT    : C128 QWKRR Information


  • QWKRR5-1.SFX    : Main QWKRR128 archive


  • QWKRR5-2.SFX    : Utilities for QWKRR128, pre-QWKRR tutorial


  • QWKRR5-3.SFX    : QWKRR128 v5.1 Documentation in ASCII format


  • QWKRR5-4.SFX    : German Help files and additional QWKRR character sets.


  • REGGEN.BIN    : Registration Code generator (QWKRR is now free to use and distribute as it was released under the GNU Licence).

Archive Programs/Dissolvers

CS-DOS

ACE Operating System 64/128

Miscellaneous

  • UUXFER : C64 uuencode/uudecode program
  • UUXFER : docs
  • Browser
    (BROWSER2.SFX): Handy text reader - reads mail packets ANSI files, etc. (with docs)

  • Browser Beta
    (BROWSERB.ZIP): Updated evolution of browser2.sfx (little or no docs - check the Web page)

  • LRR270.SFX : C128 - reads IBM format disks (requires a 1571 or 1581 disk drive)

Hopefully this will get you started on the right track.
You're gunna have a helluver lot of doc reading to do though. <grin>

The files I just mentioned can be found on the Internet. Most of them can be FTPed from the ftp.videocam.net.au /cbm directory and other Commodore FTP sites online.

You can also find these files on many bulletin boards, such as 221B Baker Street BBS, which lets first time Commodore callers download files: 1-850-862-8643. For other BBS's that support Commodore users, see the Favourite BBS list.