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Menu95 for the HP-95LX

Jornada+Linux Page Icon Posted 2022-03-22 3:39 PM
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There's a utility for the HP-95LX called "Menu95". It should enable you to run MS-DOS programs without closing all of your other opened apps. It was written by somebody from The HP Palmtop Paper and it was included on the floppy disk that came with issue Jan/Feb 1992 page 19 (see this web page).

The link to this utility on the Retro Isle web page is broken.

Does anybody have that disk or Menu95?
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I dunk for bananas Page Icon Posted 2022-03-22 4:30 PM
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Jornada+Linux Page Icon Posted 2022-03-22 4:44 PM
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I dunk for bananas - 2022-03-21 5:30 PM

Does this work? https://web.archive.org/web/20110910204805/https://www.retroisle.com...

Thanks for that link of an archived version of the Retro Isle website. Unfortunately on that version of the website the link to Menu95 is broken too (accidentally points to backlit.zip).
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michelbel Page Icon Posted 2022-03-23 7:55 PM
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I will get it from my archives.

It is in SuperLX here - Subscriberdisk1992 , I just uploaded it there. Just click on the link, Dig it out and read how to use it.

(10 mins searching through my about 2M files archive) I *think* I still need permission from Hal Goldstein of Palmtoppaper to publish the contents of the 53 Palmtoppaper diskettes I have already zipped and archived on Super. That contains lots and lots of 95LX programs. PM me for a - private- link. Most of the software is Public Domain, but maybe not the collection per se)

Michel
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michelbel Page Icon Posted 2022-03-23 8:04 PM
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And real soon now (that will probably not be before my 71st birthday- september) I will try and set up the 95LX part of SUPER (a.k.a mizj.com )with all those 95LX special programs...


(PS: Don't hold your breath, it may be a lot of work, and I am busy right now....)
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Jornada+Linux Page Icon Posted 2022-03-24 2:20 PM
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michelbel - 2022-03-22 8:55 PM

I will get it from my archives.

It is in SuperLX here - Subscriberdisk1992 , I just uploaded it there. Just click on the link, Dig it out and read how to use it.

(10 mins searching through my about 2M files archive) I *think* I still need permission from Hal Goldstein of Palmtoppaper to publish the contents of the 53 Palmtoppaper diskettes I have already zipped and archived on Super. That contains lots and lots of 95LX programs. PM me for a - private- link. Most of the software is Public Domain, but maybe not the collection per se)

Michel

Thanks man!!!!! You're the best.

The Menu95 app indeed allows me to run MS-DOS apps without having to close all open "blue application key" apps. It's more complicated to setup as I thought and there are some caveats with the use of capitals and setting the path. Will post a personal "How To" here after some more experimenting.
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Jornada+Linux Page Icon Posted 2022-03-24 9:01 PM
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The program Menu95 is very handy. It will enable you to run MS-DOS programs when your "blue application key" apps are still open. It's more complicated to setup than I thought. This is my personal "How To".

Contents

A. General

B. Place on C disk & edit

C. Place on A disk & edit

D. Configure menu95.bat

E. Configure menu95.lst







A. General

Menu95 uses the following files (make sure they're in the right place):

C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT => Set parameters.
C:\MENU95.EXM => TSR so you can use Ctrl + Menu to start Menu95.bat
C:\_DAT\APNAME.LST => Loads menu95.exm on boot.

A:\MENU95.BAT => Contains settings and calls mnu95.exe.
A:\MENU95.LST => Alphabetical list of progs to call via mnu95.exe.
A:\MNU95.EXE => The executable itself.


B. Place on C disk & edit

AUTOEXEC.BAT should set two parameters, else they must be called again and again from menu95.bat. If you want to put mnu95.exe and menu95.lst on your A disk to save space on the RAM disk:

REM (D) & (DV) are used by MENU95.BAT 
SET (DV)=A: 
SET (D)=A:\BIN

Warning: it looks like the (D) and (DV) variables are case sensitive.

Disk space on the RAM disk is very limited so use a minimal setup like this:

C:\_dat\APNAME.LST
C:\MENU95.EXM

Add in apname.lst:

C:\MENU95.EXM,CA00,Menu95


C. Place on A disk & edit

These may be called from A disk to save space on the RAM disk, they must be in the path (e.g. A:\BIN):
    A:\BIN\MNU95.EXE
    \MENU95.LST
    \MENU95.BAT



D. Configure menu95.bat

The basic structure of menu95.bat is like below. It calls mnu95.exe.

    ECHO OFF
    CLS
    %(DV)%
    CD %(D)%
    IF EXIST MN.BAT DEL MN.BAT
    IF NOT (%1)==() GOTO %1
    MNU95 MENU95.LST
    IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO QUIT
    MN
    :0
    CLS
    GOTO QUIT

    << your command >>

    :QUIT


I've a sneakin' suspicion that MN.BAT is created by MNU95.EXE.

Example of your << your command >>:

    :H
    CLS
    DIET.EXE %2 %3 %4 %5 %6
    REM or: A:\Software\Science\HexCalc\hexcalc
    PAUSE
    MENU95.BAT 0 REM The 0 option exits Menu95.


It's pretty self explanatory. The letter "H" is the letter you should press in the Menu. The command line options start at %2 because %1 is already used internally.



E. Configure menu95.lst

Not to be confused with the system file apname.lst.

Is used by mnu95.exe to show the app names. It's an alphabetical list. Example: if you want to start a prog by pressing "D" on the keyboard (the 5th letter in the alphabet) then the FIFTH line must be:

+Diet

The "+" sign tells Menu95 that this application will use command line arguments like %2, %3, etc., see chapter "Configure menu95.bat".

Edited by Jornada+Linux 2022-03-24 9:03 PM
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Jake Page Icon Posted 2022-03-28 3:06 PM
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Jornada+Linux, thank you for taking the time to write such clear instructions.

Jake
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Jornada+Linux Page Icon Posted 2022-06-21 9:30 AM
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michelbel - 2022-03-22 9:04 PM

And real soon now (that will probably not be before my 71st birthday- september) I will try and set up the 95LX part of SUPER (a.k.a mizj.com )with all those 95LX special programs...


(PS: Don't hold your breath, it may be a lot of work, and I am busy right now....)

Hello there Michel,

Sorry for the off topic but I'm looking for yet another HP 95LX prog to seriously upgrade the usability of my 95LX. Since you are the maintainer of the 'SUPER' site for HP LX software (link) you might still have it. There's a 95LX section on the "old" Super site on the Wayback Machine (link). But all the links there were on an ftp server that no longer exists.

It's a program called:

Deriveshell

You can find it on the old Super site in the 'Utility' section for the 95LX (link), download link is dead.

That app will enable/force graphics mode on the 95LX for the Math program 'Derive'. Derive is the follow up of 'MuMath', one of the first computer algebra systems (CAS) for CP/M. A forerunner of the famous 'Maple' Math system. I've ran MuMath on CP/M on a C64 emulator ant it was way, waaaaaaay ahead of it's time. It could solve mathematical/scientific equations analytically. It' could do integrals, derivatives etc., etc. A scientist dream!

'Derive' for MS-DOS could do 2D and 3D (!) graphs. See picture below.



There is a version 3 that is compatible with the 95LX. However, it's very slow. And worse: most of the screen estate is taken up by the menu (see picture below). It's the only app that I wouldn't mind using the ALT + Cursor Keys for to scroll the 95LX's screen.



To make a long story short: do you still have derive shell for the HP-95LX?

Best regards,

Michel (yep, I'm named Michel too )
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michelbel Page Icon Posted 2022-06-23 12:01 PM
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I'll start digging again.
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Jornada+Linux Page Icon Posted 2022-06-23 12:23 PM
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You're the best!
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Jornada+Linux Page Icon Posted 2022-06-28 1:52 PM
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michelbel - 2022-06-22 1:01 PM

I'll start digging again.

I guess you couldn't find it?

Anyway, I think that 'deriveshell' for Derive 2 does the same thing as Derive 3 (version 3+ is 95LX compatible). This is, it will shrink the screen size to the 95LX size.
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michelbel Page Icon Posted 2022-06-28 8:41 PM
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I checked my whole file database (1.5M files) , and no, I do not have it.
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Jornada+Linux Page Icon Posted 2022-06-29 8:51 AM
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michelbel - 2022-06-27 9:41 PM

I checked my whole file database (1.5M files) , and no, I do not have it.

Thanks for checking.
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