LocoScript - Revision history

Sembiance: sample files

2024-09-13T13:45:32Z

sample files

MihaiPopa7 at 13:36, 8 September 2024

2024-09-08T13:36:45Z

JTN: clarify that LocoScript was an MDA consumer, not creator

2023-02-28T20:26:17Z

clarify that LocoScript was an MDA consumer, not creator

JTN: note LocoLink for Windows file conversion, and its limitations

2023-02-28T20:24:40Z

note LocoLink for Windows file conversion, and its limitations

JTN: lk JCE's page on Loco 2+ character set

2023-02-18T19:20:32Z

lk JCE's page on Loco 2+ character set

JTN: lk JCE's LocoScript version history

2023-02-18T18:59:26Z

lk JCE's LocoScript version history

JTN: /* Converting LocoScript documents */

2023-02-18T18:54:03Z

‎Converting LocoScript documents

JTN: /* Converting LocoScript documents */ describe LocoScript's usage of CP/M "user areas", limbo files, etc

2023-02-18T18:53:18Z

‎Converting LocoScript documents: describe LocoScript's usage of CP/M "user areas", limbo files, etc

John e at 19:27, 16 January 2021

2021-01-16T19:27:28Z

JTN: another reference for Euro-Arabic LocoScript, thanks User:John e

2021-01-16T17:09:12Z

another reference for Euro-Arabic LocoScript, thanks User:John e

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 == File formats ==
 Each major version of LocoScript changed the file format. Newer versions could read files from older versions, but not vice versa.
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 == Identification ==
 All known (PCW) LocoScript files start with the three ASCII bytes <tt>4A 4F 59</tt> ("JOY"), followed by two bytes identifying the major format version:
 * <tt>01 00</tt>: Identified by LocoScript 4 as "LocoScript 2 document (Export)"
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 == Converting LocoScript documents ==
 Probably the most difficult problem with converting LocoScript documents into more readable formats is not the conversion process itself, but the fact that the majority of LocoScript files were stored on [[three inch disc|3-inch floppy disks]], which are now difficult to access. See the linked page for ideas for how to deal with this.
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 * The PC versions of LocoScript could read PCW files, and had an export function to other formats such as WordPerfect, but are no longer particularly easy to acquire and run themselves.
 * LocoLink for Windows could also convert files that were already on a PC to other formats, although reportedly with less fidelity than LocoScript PC ([https://groups.google.com/g/comp.sys.amstrad.8bit/c/wCCTSEzkIUc/m/9r4whhKeXrYJ according to Howard Fisher of Locomotive]).
 == Links ==

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 |subcat2=Word Processor
 }}
-'''LocoScript''' was the word processor bundled with the Amstrad PCW. There were four major versions for the PCW, and two for MSDOS.
+'''LocoScript''' was the word processor bundled with the Amstrad PCW. There were four major versions for the PCW, and two for MS-DOS.
 -bit versions ([https://www.seasip.info/Unix/Joyce/locohist.html more detail]):

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 * LocoScript 2 (1987) was bundled with the Amstrad PCW 9512 (3" drive) and PcW 9512+ (3.5" drive), and was a common upgrade for the other models.
 * LocoScript 3 (1993) was only available separately. It added semi-scalable fonts.
-* LocoScript 4 (1996/7) was only available separately. It added support for images (in [[MDA]] format) and colour printing.
+* LocoScript 4 (1996/7) was only available separately. It added support for using images (in [[MDA]] format) and colour printing.
 Most PCW documents, on either 3" or 3.5" floppy discs, are thus likely to be in LocoScript 1 or 2 format.

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 * "UDC" - Spellchecker dictionary
 * "XCH" - Scalable font
 == Converting LocoScript documents ==
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 * [https://ai.ansible.uk/ailink.html AILINK] by Ansible Information is former commercial software for Windows, now free, which can convert PCW LocoScript 1-4 documents to more modern formats such as RTF, keeping most of the formatting codes and special characters (not Greek and Cyrillic). It can do bulk conversions. If you're not trying to read actual floppy discs with it, it should work fine under modern Windows. It runs adequately on Linux under [[Wine]].
-* The PC versions of LocoScript could read PCW files, and had an export function to other formats, but are no longer particularly easy to acquire and run themselves.
+* The PC versions of LocoScript could read PCW files, and had an export function to other formats such as WordPerfect, but are no longer particularly easy to acquire and run themselves.
 == Links ==

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 (The PcW 16 did not run LocoScript.)
-While standard LocoScript had a relatively wide range of characters, there were some specialised versions for particular scripts, such as [http://www.fvempel.nl/manuals/araloco.pdf Euro-Arabic LocoScript] ([https://archive.org/details/8000-plus-magazine-37/page/n14/mode/1up see also]) and [http://www.habisoft.com/pcwwiki/doku.php?id=es:aplicaciones:advantage_hebrew_locoscript Hebrew LocoScript].
+While standard LocoScript had a relatively [https://www.seasip.info/Unix/PSF/Amstrad/Scrchar/index.html wide range of characters], there were some specialised versions for particular scripts, such as [http://www.fvempel.nl/manuals/araloco.pdf Euro-Arabic LocoScript] ([https://archive.org/details/8000-plus-magazine-37/page/n14/mode/1up see also]) and [http://www.habisoft.com/pcwwiki/doku.php?id=es:aplicaciones:advantage_hebrew_locoscript Hebrew LocoScript].
 PC versions:

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 '''LocoLink''' (and the later 'LocoLink for Windows') is a hardware / software combination that connects a PC parallel port to the expansion connector of an Amstrad PCW, and provides the software tools for both transferring LocoScript documents to the PC, as well as converting them to RTF or TXT formats. Note that the later PcW 16 has part of LocoLink built-in, and while this means documents can be transferred from an older PCW to a PcW 16 and then onto a PC, PcW 16 computers are few and far between, making this option unlikely.
-PCW LocoScript used CP/M format for its discs, so LocoScript files are likely to be found in a [[CP/M file system]]. LocoScript only kept live versions of files in CP/M user areas 0-7 (called "group 0" etc by LocoScript); files in user areas 8-15 were "limbo files", previous or deleted versions of documents, that LocoScript would automatically delete when space was needed. User area 8 contained limbo versions of files from user area 0 ("group 0" in LocoScript terminology), and so on.
+PCW LocoScript used CP/M format for its discs, so LocoScript files are likely to be found in a [[CP/M file system]]. LocoScript only kept live versions of files in CP/M user areas 0-7 (called "group 0" etc by LocoScript); files in user areas 8-15 were "limbo files", previous or deleted versions of documents, that LocoScript would automatically delete when space was needed. User area 8 contained limbo versions of files from user area / group 0, and so on.
 Once you are at the stage of having individual document files:

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 * <tt>01 02</tt>: LocoScript 2 (emitted by 2.03, 2.12, 2.16, 2.28b)
 * <tt>01 03</tt>: Identified by LocoScript 4 as "LocoScript 3 document (Export)"
-* <tt>01 04</tt>: LocoScript 3 (emitted by 3.06b)
+* <tt>01 04</tt>: LocoScript 3 and 2.5x (emitted by 2.54, 3.06b)
 * <tt>01 05</tt>: Identified by LocoScript 4 as "LocoScript 4 document (Export)"
 * <tt>01 06</tt>: LocoScript 4 (emitted by 4.06, 4.10, 4.11)