CompuServe Messages

Jim, it is not necessary to have any new programs to do what you (your customer) wants. Aegis Draw Plus can create HPGL plot files just fine, and its plotter drivers are very easy to customize. The output is simply an ASCII file containing the plot commands (though it will be a fairly big file for complex drawings). The only problem for your customer is how to get send the plot files to the plotter at work. Fortunately that is not too hard either. Presently, I do this kind of thing by sending the file to our VAX at work via telephone/modem, and then get it from the VAX to (a) the plotter directly using a dual-port terminal, or (b) an MS-DOS computer using an MS-DOS terminal program. At that point, it is a simple matter to send the plot file directly to the plotter. No MS-DOS CAD programs ever get into the picture. I have done a lot of this work with HPGL CAD output and a similar procedure for desktop publishing output to get to PostScript printers at work (only I usually get the file onto a MAC instead of MS-DOS because most of the PostScript printers are connected to Macs). All this should get even easier when I pick up a copy of DOS-2-DOS, so that I can write 3.5' MS-DOS disks directly. If your customer only has 5.25' MS-DOS drives at work, then he could buy an Amiga 5.25" drive and use the PC utilities to write to it. Your customer can rest assured that these methods work – though it really helps if he understands both computers himself, because if he asks for help at work he is likely to get smart remarks about "non-standard" computers! Good luck. Joel