QPX On-Line Pictures QPX is a system that allows viewing of pictures over the modem. In this system a 160 x 100 pixel picture can be received and displayed at 2400 baud in less than 10 seconds. Pictures are monochrome, containing up to 8 grey levels. You can view most pictures by using the beta version of QPXTERM.TOS, version 0.2. Version 1.0 contains additional functions, and can be purchased by sending $20, plus $2 for shipping and handling for any US address ($5 for shipping and handling to Canadian addresses) to Paul Swanson, 12 Shedd Rd., Billerica, MA 01862. You will receive a user manual and a diskette containing QPXTERM version 1.0 as well as a program that will convert correctly formatted low resolution Degas pictures to the QPX format. The Dij-It video digitizer can be used to create low resolution Degas pictures that are compatible with the .PI1 to .QPX conversion program. A kit containing the main parts for building a Dij-It digitizer, instructions and the digitizing software can be purchased by sending $40 plus $5 for shipping and handling to any US address ($10 for shipping and handling to Canadian addresses) to the address given for QPXTERM. To complete the digitizer you will need some additional components that are readily available at any electronics store. Radio Shack part numbers are given for all additional components required. Use version 0.2, which is for free distribution only, to "test drive" the QPX system. You will find demonstrations and games on various Nite Lite and other bulletin board systems that support this graphics protocol. If you like what you see, order your copy of version 1 to show your support in further software and hardware development for the Atari ST computer system. Version 0.2 requires any Atari ST computer system with a color output. This demo version operates only in low resolution and if you attempt to operate it on a monochrome monitor in high resolution the pictures will not display properly. Remember that version 0.2 is meant only as a demonstration of the QPX system, and it has very few functions. Use some other terminal program to log on to a BBS that supports QPX, then switch to QPX by exiting to the desktop to load QPXTERM or by loading QPXTERM through the terminal program if it allows that function. QPXTERM does not set the baud rate or any other modem parameters, so these must be set up before you enter the program. The BBS supporting QPX will send commands to you that will enable the pictures. At 1200 baud, each picture will take almost 20 seconds and at 2400 baud each picture will take less than 10. They will display in the lower left quarter of your screen. If you have a .QPX picture, you can load it directly from your diskette, whether or not you are logged onto a BBS, by pressing ALT-V (hold down ALT and press V). You will get a prompt asking you for the file specification of the picture you want to view. Some QPX pictures are included in this arc'd file that you can load in this manner. Version 1 adds many more functions to what is available in version 0.2. In version 1, pictures can be positioned anywhere on your screen and can be in either the 1/4-screen format supported in version 0.2 or in an icon format, which is 1/4 of the size of these QPX pictures. The icon files are only 500 bytes long, so they take little more than 2 seconds to receive at 2400 baud. Version 1 also contains picture buffers, accessible by the BBS, so the BBS can store pictures and call them up later by codes. In addition to the load picture function availble in version 0.2, version 1 can also save pictures received and can transmit pictures to another computer running a program that is able to receive them. On the diskette with version 1 are utility programs that allow you to convert picture formats. The utilities support low resolution Degas (.PI1), NEO and QPX formats. One of the utilities can create the 500-byte icon QPX pictures. Supporting QPX If you are operating a BBS, you can list QPX pictures on line. Listing single full-sized (1/4 screen) QPX pictures is a simple task on most BBSs. To send a QPX picture to a caller you must first make sure your BBS will send all eight bits of each byte, with no parity. The procedure required to send one 2000-byte QPX picture file is: 1. Send the four bytes $00, $01, $01, $00. This tells QPXTERM to expect the picture. 2. Wait for the one-byte response $40. This should be returned immediately if the caller is running QPXTERM. If it isn't, or if some other character is returned, assume the caller is not running QPXTERM. Do not send a QPX picture to a caller running another terminal program. There could be bytes within the picture file that are interpreted as control charcters on the terminal they are running, which could produce some rather interesting results. 3. As soon as you get the proper response byte, send all 2000 bytes of the picture to the caller. The picture is displayed to the caller as soon as the 2000 bytes have been received. You may encounter some "combination" files of QPX pictures. These files have command bytes in them, so all you have to do is send the entire file, making sure that you send all eight bits of each byte. If you use these combination files, remember that QPXTERM will respond to the various commands with response bytes. These bytes should be read from your buffer after the file is sent, before you return the caller to a menu or other prompt.