Re: FORWARDING: Message from Steve Buggie

[dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Dave Althoff)]

Will Smith (wsmith@NOSPAM.ctron.com) wrote:

: that's okay...  i forgot how to change directories in ProDOS....  any
: ideas?  please?  (i'm serious on this one...)  i'm a DOS 3.3 kinda
: guy.  what can i say?

Uhhhh....
If you are digging deeper...
]CAT

/RAVEN

NAME            TYPE  BLOCKS  MODIFIED

*BASIC.SYSTEM     SYS      21  29-JUL-97
*PRODOS           SYS      35   7-AUG-96
 APPS             DIR       2  16-JUN-97
 COASTERS         DIR       3  16-JUN-97

BLOCKS FREE:xxxxx     BLOCKS USED:xxxxx

Okay, say you're looking for a trip report from a visit to, say, Conneaut
Lake Park.  Try...

]PREFIX COASTERS
]CAT

COASTERS

 NAME            TYPE  BLOCKS  MODIFIED
 WISDOM           DIR       2  12-DEC-97
 FLAMES           DIR       3   3-OCT-97
 REPORTS          DIR       4  17-DEC-97

BLOCKS FREE:xxxxx      BLOCKS USED:xxxxx

Note the absence of the leading slash on the directory name.  ProDOS does
not print the full pathname at the top of the directory, but when you are
looking at the root directory, the volume name will have the leading slash
(i.e. /RAVEN).

]PREFIX REPORTS

Okay.  I won't type up the theoretical directory here, but say you have
located the file /RAVEN/COASTERS/REPORTS/CONNEAUT, and done whatever it is
you were going to do with it.  Now, how do you get back?

Unfortunately, ProDOS (or more accurately, BASIC.SYSTEM) lacks an
equivalent to the "CD .." command found on other platforms.  To back up,
type PREFIX to get the current path...

]PREFIX
/RAVEN/COASTERS/REPORTS

Now, you can back up by entering the path you want--

]PREFIX /RAVEN/COASTERS

Or, if you want a completely different path...

]PREFIX /RAVEN/APPS/APPLEWRITER

There is also a shortcut to just take you back to the root direcotry--

]PREFIX /
]PREFIX
/RAVEN

Hope that helps.  It is my observation that having all those
subdirectories is more of a bother than a help on a 143k floppy-based
system, and I much prefer DOS 3.3 in those cases.  Trouble is, on /RAVEN
or /PHOENIX where I have 20 Mb to play with...or on the GS where I have
/GEMINI, /CYCLONE, /THUNDERBOLT, /TORNADO, and :MAGNUM covering about
250Mb, subdirectories suddenly become quite useful.

I just wish the DOS 3.3 FST for GS/OS were better so that I could more
easily share files between the DOS 3.3-based //c and the IIgs...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

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