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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!gwspc!cbcsta!n8emr!lwv
From: lwv@n8emr.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: APW C
Message-ID: <173@n8emr.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 9-Jul-87 11:13:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: n8emr.173
Posted: Thu Jul  9 11:13:53 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Jul-87 17:48:33 EDT
References: <12314933218.19.MEPCOM-IM@STL-HOST1.ARPA> <3503@ecsvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: lwv@n8emr.UUCP (Larry Virden)
Organization: N8EMR's Ham BBS (HBBS), Columbus,Ohio
Lines: 37
Keywords: ecp


ECP (extended/enhanced/external?  I forget) Command Processor is a "shell"
for either Prodos8 or Prodos16 (there is a ECP8 and ECP16).  It is a shareware
package by Don Elton from the Carolinas somewhere.  The two shells together
cost $40; either cost $30.  ECP8 runs on ANY Apple II which runs ProDOS;
obviously ECP16 only runs on GS compatible machines.

The shell allows the installation of various types of external commands into
a 'bin' like directory.  The shareware package comes with about 2 dozen or
so commands (type out a file, sort a prodos directory, talk to a modem,
cat out a directory, give info about a directory's creation, etc.).  It
also comes with a help command and files which give you an idea of more of the
scope of the paid-for system; there are probably a hundred or more commands in
the whole package.  The software is set up to restart when an external command
calls the ProDos quit.  With the publically available package you can copy files,
move them, rename them, create directories, delete files or directories, 
squeeze and unsqueeze files, build ar like libraries OR Binary II libraries,
etc.  This provides quite a lot of capability.  But the best is yet to come.
The programs also provide a shell script capability; ie shell variables, looping,
and other such exciting features.  In other words, ECP provides MUCH of
what APW provides, in a smaller package and at a lesser cost.  The 'problem'
is that it is NOT an APW replacement; there are some features (dont ask
me - I am just repeating what I have been told) of APW that are NOT duplicated.
One reason is time; Don is also supporting a number of other shareware projects
(such as a shareware communications package called Talk is Cheap).  Anyways,
the bad news is that I don't have an address handy to give you for more info.
Don has a CIS account and a Proline (I think that is the one) account that
he commonly uses.  If you have access to either service, try to track him
down.  The code is really too large to attempt to post thru the mail; even
compressed the ECP8 package is I think over 100 Prodos blocks long; unpacked
 it is larger than a 5.25 inch disk (though it could probably be placed on two
 disks).

-- 
Larry W. Virden	 75046,606 (CIS)
674 Falls Place, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 (614) 864-8817
cbosgd!n8emr!lwv HAM/SWL BBS (HBBS) 614-457-4227.. 300/1200 bps