LF: Fargo FAQ v1.1


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LF: Fargo FAQ v1.1



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* Unofficial FARGO FAQ compiled by Aaron Tubbs - aaron@parrett.net  *
* Version 1.1 - http://www.parrett.net/~poral/fargo.html            *
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    This FAQ is designed to answer commonly asked questions that have been
seen on the IRC channel #Fargo and on the mailing list List-Fargo.  From
now on, all the questions that I see in these areas will be archived if
it has a valid use in this FAQ.  Special thanks goes out to Tim Gerla
for his assistance.


Questions covered in this FAQ:
------------------------------
Q: What is Fargo?
Q: Will Fargo destroy my TI-92 if something goes wrong?
Q: How do you rotate blocks in FTris?
Q: Can you connect to a modem using a home-made calculator-computer 
   link?
Q: When I try to run Fargo, the screen flashes, or the calculator 
   mysteriously turns off.  Why isn't Fargo working?
Q: Where can I find all of the programs available for Fargo?
Q: Can I password protect my TI-92 so that it can't be used without
   permission?
Q: Can I run Zshell programs in Fargo?
Q: Can I make sound with Fargo?
Q: Can you hook the ti-92 to an internal modem or does it have to be an
   external modem?




Q: What is Fargo?
A: Fargo is a program for the TI-92 graphing calculator that enables 
   execution of 68000 machine language programs. These programs are 
   stored on your calculator as PRGM variables.  (Taken from the file 
   FARGO.TXT) For more descriptory information and to download fargo, 
   visit http://www.ticalc.org or 
   http://members.aol.com/jwardell/ti92/fargo/index.html.


Q: Will Fargo destroy my TI-92 if something goes wrong?
A: Fargo cannot physically alter your calculator, so no permanent damage
   can be done. It is possible that somehow Fargo could cause your 
   calculator to crash.  If you calculator crashes, you can remove one
   of the AA batteries, and hold the [on] buttone for a few moments, 
   this should allow you to get a clean re-boot, and recover to the 
   calculator's original state.  Another way to reset a crashed calculator
   is to hold down [hand]+[on]+[2nd] until the calc is reset.


Q: How do you rotate blocks in FTris?
A: The [STO>] button rotates the block counter-clockwise, and the [c]
   button rotates the block clockwise.  It was programmed this way so 
   that it would naturally fit your hand.


Q: Can you connect to a modem using a home-made calculator-computer 
   link?
A: No, use of a modem requires the full functionality of a RS232 port,
   which so far can only be emulated by the official Texas Instruments
   graph-link.


Q: When I try to run Fargo, the screen flashes, or the calculator
   mysteriously turns off.  Why isn't Fargo working?
A: You need to make sure you have transfered the manditory files that
   are needed to load fargo.  These files include: ROMLIB.92P, SHELL.92P
   FLIB.92P, and GREYLIB.92P (GREYLIB is not required, but is used by 
   MANY programs).


Q: Where can I find all of the programs available for Fargo?
A: Check out http://www.ticalc.org/pub/92/fargo/programs/, all known
   programs are located here.


Q: Can I password protect my TI-92 so that it can't be used without
   permission?
A: Yes.  There are two programs that can do this, Lockout and Keepout.
   Keepout requires you manually edit the ASM source code to change the
   password, and Lockout allows you to change the password within the
   program, though Lockout requires no verification to change the 
   password, so somebody could lock you out of your calculator if you
   gave them access to it at any time.  Hopefully this feature will be
   changed in the next version.  Both of these programs can be found at
   http://www.ticalc.org/pub/92/fargo/programs/.


Q: Can I run Zshell programs in Fargo?
A: No.  Many Zshell authors will port their programs, but they will not
   run natively under Fargo.


Q: Can I make sound with Fargo?
A: As of yet, nobody has been able to produce sound with their TI-92.
   A 2.5mm jack can be plugged into the link port that hooks up with a
   speaker, but so far, nobody has found a way to output sound. Many
   people are try to work on this, going as far as making a separate
   DAC/MIDI box.  According to David Ellsworth, the creator of Fargo,
   there is no way to do this.  This answer will be updated as 
   information becomes available.


Q: Can you hook the ti-92 to an internal modem or does it have to be an
   external modem?
A: It has to be an external modem, so that it can be interfaced via
   a RS-232 port.


The newest versions of this FAQ will always be available on Aaron Tubbs'
web site, http://www.parrett.net/~poral.  The HTML formatted FAQ is
available at http://www.parrett.net/~poral/fargo.html.  The plain-text
FAQ is available at http://www.parrett.net/~poral/fargofaq.txt.  Please
address any questions or comments to aaron@parrett.net.