Buddy

Other Information



Contents


Troubleshooting Tips

If you think Buddy is misbehaving, try one or more of these suggestions to determine if the problem is really with Buddy or is an interaction with some other program. These are independent items; not a sequence.
  1. Turn Buddy off (push CTRL-MINUS).

  2. Reboot and push MINUS during the banner message to keep Buddy from loading.

  3. Start a user macro recording (e.g., SHIFT-Fn-F1), do the operation that is not working properly, stop the recording, and then look at the macro that was recorded to see what Buddy did.

  4. Remove or rename your Buddy ENV file (e.g., C:\_DAT\BUDDY.ENV) and reboot.

  5. Remove all of your other TSRs and reboot.

  6. Change the order in which your load your TSRs, including BUDDY.COM.

  7. (For DOS communication program problems.) In HP Setup, check that you do NOT have the client or server interface(s) set to "infrared."

  8. If you occasionally find that some of your keystrokes are skipped or ignored, that may be due to a problem with your 100LX/200LX. Some early ROM versions do that.

  9. You must at least activate and then quit the EXM in order for the ENV file to be created or updated. If you never activate the EXM, any "on-line" changes you make to the database using the COM will not be saved for the next time you reboot.

Interactions

When you record an Fn macro, the recording will include only those keystrokes passed through by Buddy and keycodes generated by Buddy. This may cause unexpected results when you play back the macro. (You can use this "feature" to trap Buddy's keystrokes if you want to go back and see what Buddy is doing.) Likewise, when you invoke an Fn macro, Buddy does NOT see the keystrokes. So, when you record a macro, it is wise to temporarily turn Buddy off (via CTRL-MINUS).

If you are using other TSRs, load them before you load Buddy, unless noted otherwise, below.

Program Description
FCL Font changer.
HELV100 Helvetica font.
Magnify! Enlarges regions of the screen. Load after Buddy.
Sticky.COM (not necessary)
Timeout.COM (not necessary)
Key100.COM May interact, but OK to use. Just remember it's there.
Keybez Fn labels and keys won't work in Memo. Checking "Require MENU before Buddy Fn-letter keys" in the EXM might solve this problem. Easy navigation in some windows does not work.
Comm pgms Buddy will hold the serial port off if you have the port "locked" in the Filer.
DOS Weird results may happen in some DOS programs if you are using SmartCaps(tm) or d-click features.
95LX EXMs Most will probably work OK, but no promises. The password prompt after doing Fn-F will not appear.
Software Carousel Allows multiple DOS sessions
The following example batch file can be used to alternate between running sysmgr with Buddy and running a DOS program. Buddy should be configured to exit when you terminate sysmgr.
:loop
a:\buddy\buddy.com a:\buddy\buddy.env
100
hdm
goto loop
*** Use with Software Carousel


Shareware Distribution and Registration Notice

Buddy is not freeware. It is shareware. Try it out for a few days. If you like it and want to continue using it, you are on your honor to send your shareware registration fee of $40.00 to the address below (registration form). Please send US$ only or a check drawn in US$ on a U.S. bank. Sorry, no credit cards. For single-copy registrations, please prepay with your order and save us both the hassle of processing an invoice. Registration entitles you to continue using the program (and any new releases of Buddy) on one computer. If you do not register your copy of Buddy, please discontinue its use and remove it from your computer.

If you obtained Buddy from a shareware distributor or other source, you have NOT paid the registration fee, only a diskette charge. You still need to register and obtain a serial number from The Buddy System, LLC.

If you have already registered for 100/200Buddy versions 1 or 2, you do not need to register again.

Attention international users: Please add $1.00 for diskette postage and $5.00 for manual postage (if you order a diskette or manual). I cannot accept Eurocheques. All checks MUST have the name and address of a U.S. member bank, otherwise it costs me too much to cash the check. Most banks can do that, or go to an American Express office. International postal money orders are acceptable, too.

Registration may also be done via CompuServe's shareware registration database. Registration via CompuServe assumes you have already downloaded the program from the HP Handhelds forum, "100/200LX General," library 11. This registration method will be of particular interest to international users. Logon to CompuServe and type "GO SWREG" for more details. Look for "BUD100.ZIP" (program ID #2101). Discussions about Buddy and other HP 100LX/200LX topics occur in the HPHAND forum, section 11. Do not confuse 95BUDDY ("BUD95.ZIP") with Buddy ("BUD100.ZIP"). 95BUDDY will not work on the 100LX/200LX.

Quantity discounts for purchases of 10 or more copies and site licenses for 100 or more copies are available. Please contact me for details.

Buddy may be freely distributed as long as this complete documentation file and the registration form are included in full. To be complete, please distribute the BUDDY.ZIP file. No charges may be made for such distribution (other than nominal charges to cover the costs of diskettes and shipping). If you are distributing Buddy to a wide audience, contact me to be sure you have the latest release or any important repairs thereto.

This documentation file may be summarized or otherwise edited and freely distributed in printed or electronic form without the executable code as long as there is a mention that Buddy is shareware.

SmartCaps® and Buddy® are registered trademarks of Jeffrey Mattox.


Distribution Files

The distribution files and contents of BUDDY.ZIP are:
File name Disk requirements System RAM requirements
Buddy.COM 61 Kbytes on disk 56.5 Kbytes when loaded
46 Kbytes (w/o WorldTime)
BuddyDOS.COM 16 Kbytes on disk 12 Kbytes when loaded
Buddy.EXM 38 Kbytes 64 Kbytes when loaded
Buddy.ICN 200 bytes
Buddy.ENV 1.5 Kbytes
Readme 5 Kbytes
Buddy.TXT 169 Kbytes
Buddy.HLP 21 Kbytes
Register.TXT 2 Kbytes
FAQ3.TXT  
Version3.TXT 17 Kbytes
Note: BUDDY.ENV is not on the distribution diskette; it is created automatically when you activate BUDDY.EXM. Another file of interest is BUDDY.OWN. You create that text file yourself. It is automatically displayed after a number of failed attempts to enter a password. The ENV, HLP, and OWN files must all be in the same directory (the default location is C:\_DAT\.)


Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to thoroughly test and verify all Buddy functions. However, THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS-IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. IN NO EVENT WILL THE AUTHOR HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IMPROPER OPERATION OF BUDDY OR INTERFERENCE OF BUDDY WITH ANY PROGRAM, NOR BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES OF ANY SORT RELATED TO THE USE OF THIS PROGRAM. Make backup copies of your important files and use this program at your own risk.


Author

Buddy was written by:
Jeffrey Mattox
The Buddy System, LLC
P.O. Box 45282
Madison, WI 53744-5282
Internet: Email me.
WWW: http://mat.buddy.com (x) <--- you are here

voice:   (608) 831-1103   evenings after 7:00pm U.S. central time only.

Please send your comments and suggestions. Most of the features in Buddy are the result of suggestions from users. If you find a bug or have special needs, please contact me.


Boot Options

During a boot, Buddy displays a startup screen and pauses for a few seconds. If you hit "*" while booting, Buddy will pause indefinitely so that you can contemplate any messages on the display; hit any key to resume processing. If you press the minus key ("-") while booting, Buddy will abort its startup process and all Buddy features will be turned off. Use this to see what life was like BB (before Buddy).


Other

Buddy only understands English, same as me. It will not operate with non-English displays. It would be a lot of work to make it understand another language because Buddy uses hundreds of display cues.

While Buddy is busy opening a memo file or doing other work, you may use the keyboard and type ahead. Up to 16 keystrokes will be saved.

If you reboot while operating on batteries, your battery timer may appear to lose a few minutes of time unless you push a key prior to rebooting.

Buddy will not take complete control until sysmgr starts. Therefore, if you start in DOS after a boot, most Buddy features will not be activated until you enter sysmgr. (Then you can go back to DOS.)

KNOWN BUGS: (1) If you have sticky CTRL and sticky SHIFT enabled, then CTRL SHIFT SHIFT may cause the gray keys and the arrow keys to generate incorrect codes. To correct this, push SHIFT SHIFT. (2) In HP Setup, if the letter keys only beep after pushing MENU, use the arrow keys to highlight the desired menu selection and push ENTER. This problem has been seen even without Buddy loaded.

Buddy was written entirely on a 100LX. It consists of about 10,000 lines of C and machine code. It was compiled, assembled, and linked on a 100LX using PCC, PCCA, and PCCL from C-Ware Corporation, Paso Robles, CA. It did a great job. The documentation, however, was written on a Mac. I love my Mac!

Buddy chains to interrupts 06h, 10h, 15h, 16h, 1ch, 21h, 2fh, and 7eh. Buddy will not unload if any of these vectors has been changed since Buddy was started. Thus, you should carefully consider the order in which you load and unload your TSRs. (Buddy should be loaded last, except for Magnify!.)

XBRAM information: Buddy uses 10 bytes of XBRAM with an ID of "JM" according to HP's XBRAM allocation scheme.


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Updated: March 31, 1997