BELLCOM PD Catalog Disk

[Hornpipe2]

Backing up all my old 8-bit software from back in the day and I run across this BELLCOM Public Domain Software Catalog disk. Looks like it's the BELLCOM catalog on-disk - you can load up the different text files and browse through them to see the software available for order. Everything sector-copied OK through SIO2PC.

 

I can use my scanner to get an image of the disk if anyone's interested.

BELLCOM.zip

[ballyalley]

I [ran] across this BELLCOM Public Domain Software Catalog disk. Looks like it's the BELLCOM catalog on-disk

 

I'm aware that this post is from 2008 and it's now March of 2014. It's usually poor etiquette to respond to such an old post. However, I'm making an exception here as this post deserves some attention. I'm not sure how it managed to slip through the cracks.

 

I'm not sure if the original person that made this post is even going to see that I responded to his posting after six years, but if he does, then I just want to thank you, "Hornpipe2," for archiving both sides of your BELLCOM disk. It's been fun to look through.

 

This Catalogue contains descriptions for 110 disks: "DISK 001 - STARTREK CLASSICS" to "DISK 110 - Home Utilities."

I booted this 1986 BELLCOM "Catalogue On-Disk" without trouble using the Altirra 2.3 emulator as an NTSC Atari 130XE. I loaded the menu from BASIC (it's called "MENU"). You get greeted by some a nice-quality introduction screen:

 

 

 

After the intro, you are greeted with a copyright screen. I'm grateful for that; otherwise I would not have known this disk was from 1986:

 

Finally, you are greeted by the actual menu.

 

The "Introduction" says this about a print-out of the entire catalogue:

 

 

Should you prefer a hard copy of

this Catalogue On-Disk for your

reference, you can access your

printer from the menu. The chart

below indicates the computer paper

you would need. As you can see,

its a LaRgE Catalogue...

 

INTRODUCTION = 05 SHEETS

 

GAMES I = 15 SHEETS

GAMES II = 10 SHEETS

GAMES III = 09 SHEETS

UTILITIES I = 11 SHEETS

UTILITIES II = 08 SHEETS

GRAPHICS I = 15 SHEETS

GRAPHICS II = 16 SHEETS

MUSIC/SOUND = 07 SHEETS

EDUCATIONAL = 08 SHEETS

TELE-COMM = 09 SHEETS

HOME/BUSINESS = 07 SHEETS

 

ORDER FORM = 01 SHEETS

__________

121 SHEETS

==========

 

 

Can you imagine printing all 121 pages back in 1986 on a dot-matrix printer using fan-fold paper?!

 

The menu allows you load the various parts of the catalogue one at a time and either display them or print them. Here's an example of the first part of the "Introduction" displayed on the screen:

 

 

I "printed" two items from the menu and saved them as files as examples of what is on the disk. These two text files are of menu choice A: "Introduction" and menu choice B: "Games I." Note that since there were reverse characters used in the Atari text file, those characters "printed" as question marks. I went through the text files and replaced them with plain capital letters. The text no longer stands out as it would have originally looked if printed on an Atari printer, but it's better than seeing "???? ???" instead of the reversed text of "DISK 001."

1. Option A - Introduction: BELLCOM PD Software Catalogue (1986)(Option A - Introduction).zip
2. Option B - Games I: BELLCOM PD Software Catalogue (1986)(Option B - Games I).zip

I have three questions concerning BELLCOM:

1. Does anyone know the history of BELLCOM?
2. When was the last catalog (disk or paper) made?
3. Have all the BELLCOM disks been archived anyplace?

Again, thanks for archiving the disk!

 

[powersoft]

THANKS for moving this up!

I am into such things and quite happy to have it.

Yes, any archieve would be awesome.

 

Anyone here got my catalouge discs "Powersoft Info-Disk" archieved?

 

Cheers

Markus

[+davidcalgary29]

 

I'm aware that this post is from 2008 and it's now March of 2014. It's usually poor etiquette to respond to such an old post. However, I'm making an exception here as this post deserves some attention. I'm not sure how it managed to slip through the cracks.

 

I'm not sure if the original person that made this post is even going to see that I responded to his posting after six years, but if he does, then I just want to thank you, "Hornpipe2," for archiving both sides of your BELLCOM disk. It's been fun to look through.

 

This Catalogue contains descriptions for 110 disks: "DISK 001 - STARTREK CLASSICS" to "DISK 110 - Home Utilities."

I booted this 1986 BELLCOM "Catalogue On-Disk" without trouble using the Altirra 2.3 emulator as an NTSC Atari 130XE. I loaded the menu from BASIC (it's called "MENU"). You get greeted by some a nice-quality introduction screen:

 

BELLCOM PD Software Catalogue (1986)(Title Screen - Disk 1 - Side A).jpg

 

BELLCOM PD Software Catalogue (1986)(Title Screen - Disk 2 - Side A).jpg

 

After the intro, you are greeted with a copyright screen. I'm grateful for that; otherwise I would not have known this disk was from 1986:

 

BELLCOM PD Software Catalogue (1986)(Copyright Screen - Disk 1 - Side A).jpg

Finally, you are greeted by the actual menu.

 

BELLCOM PD Software Catalogue (1986)(Menu Screen - Disk 1 - Side A).jpg

The "Introduction" says this about a print-out of the entire catalogue:

 

 

 

Can you imagine printing all 121 pages back in 1986 on a dot-matrix printer using fan-fold paper?!

 

The menu allows you load the various parts of the catalogue one at a time and either display them or print them. Here's an example of the first part of the "Introduction" displayed on the screen:

 

BELLCOM PD Software Catalogue (1986)(Introduction Displayed - Disk 2 - Side A).jpg

 

I "printed" two items from the menu and saved them as files as examples of what is on the disk. These two text files are of menu choice A: "Introduction" and menu choice B: "Games I." Note that since there were reverse characters used in the Atari text file, those characters "printed" as question marks. I went through the text files and replaced them with plain capital letters. The text no longer stands out as it would have originally looked if printed on an Atari printer, but it's better than seeing "???? ???" instead of the reversed text of "DISK 001."

1. Option A - Introduction: BELLCOM PD Software Catalogue (1986)(Option A - Introduction).zip
2. Option B - Games I: BELLCOM PD Software Catalogue (1986)(Option B - Games I).zip

I have three questions concerning BELLCOM:

1. Does anyone know the history of BELLCOM?
2. When was the last catalog (disk or paper) made?
3. Have all the BELLCOM disks been archived anyplace?

Again, thanks for archiving the disk!

 

 

There was a recent thread here about a unique cart that included a newsletter from GCACE in it. While looking through that newsletter, I noted that one of the user group's positions was 'Bellcom' editor (or something like that). It looks like GCACE inherited the Bellcom library, and you'd probably find out everything you needed if you could get a response from any former member (I haven't tried this myself).

[ballyalley]

Anyone here got my catalouge discs "Powersoft Info-Disk" archieved?

 

This sounds like the "Powersoft Info-Disk" that you're looking for:

 

http://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/8bit/Unverified/Powersoft/powerso.txt

 

You'll have to go "up" one directory in order to download the disks (in ARC format):

 

http://www.umich.edu/~archive/atari/8bit/Unverified/Powersoft/

[BillC]

There are almost 1000 BELLCOM PD ATRs on the Holmes CD #3, which is archived on the Pigwa FTP site.

ftp://ftp.pigwa.net/stuff/collections/holmes%20cd/Holmes%203/BELLCOM/index.html

[ballyalley]

There are over 1000 BELLCOM PD ATRs on the Holmes CD #3, which is archived on the Pigwa FTP site.

ftp://ftp.pigwa.net/stuff/collections/holmes%20cd/Holmes%203/BELLCOM/index.html

 

Thanks for the link!

 

Over 1,000 disks! That's quite an amazing collection! I'd heard the BELLCOM PD library back in the early nineties. I never did get a catalog though-- I guess I should have!

 

To be sure these 1,000+ disks are actually what was described on the 1986 disk catalogue, I loaded up disk one. It's exactly as described (right down to the sector size of each program!) Here's the menu of BELLCOM "Disk 001 - StarTrek Classics:"

 

 

Here's what STARTREK.DOC looks like when loaded:

 

 

Here's the Title/Loading Screen of STARTREK:BAS:

 

 

Finally, here's the first screen that you'll see in STARTREK.BAS (I think this is called the "map"):

 

 

I figured that there would be a listing of what's one each of these BELLCOM disks, just like on the BELLCOM disk catalogue from 1986 that was originally posted. However, the best that I could find was this listing (in the above linked-to directory):

 

http://ftp.pigwa.net/stuff/collections/holmes%20cd/Holmes%203/BELLCOM/DISKS.TXT

 

The listing is hit or miss, and it is nowhere near as detailed as the posted disk catalogue. That catalogue is quite detailed and gives a great idea of what to expect on each disk-- it's not just the name of programs as most of this disk listing seems to be.

 

I also found a disk called INFODISK.ATR in the above linked-to directory. However, it's not a catalogue at all. Instead it's a listing of helpful information that was made in January 1994.

 

Here's BELLCOM InfoDisk's Title/Loading Screen (nice, right?):

 

 

Here's an overview of the InfoDisk:

 

 

Here's what's on the InfoDisk's menu that loads the text files:

 

 

I was interested in what was in these text files, so I "printed" them all to files. I like that the menu now allows the files to be printed to an 80-column printer. Also, I didn't notice any non-ASCII characters (i.e. reverse characters), so the files look fine.

 

Here's a link to a zip file I created that contains all the text files on the Atari ATR disk: Intro, Magazines, Dealers 1 and 2, Repairs and Game Tips. For good measure I also included the original disk too. I would have loved to have seen this disk in 1994 when it was first made:

 

BELLCOM (January 1994)(InfoDisk).zip

 

Does anyone have a link to a file or disk that contains a description of all 1,000+ disks in the BELLCOM collection that is just as detailed as the 1986 Disk Catalogue?

[+bob1200xl]

The PoolDisk has a file on it (along with all the BellCom disks).

 

DISKS.TXT

 

 

Bob

[Mathy]

Hello guys

 

The Pooldisk might have an error on it. One of the Pedrokko disks is the same on both sides. If it is, that might be my fault.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

[walter_J64bit]

WOW, I've never got my hands on BellCom's Disk Catalogue, I've allway's got the paper Catalogue (1992) it was the last one I got and I use now to help me with my Pooldisk's BellCom directory. :thumbsup:

Edited March 29, 2014 by walter_J64bit

[ballyalley]

The PoolDisk has a file on it (along with all the BellCom disks).

 

DISKS.TXT

 

This is the same "DISKS.TXT" as was linked to above. It is full of holes. For example, just using disks 1-50 as an example, there are only eight disks that have descriptions in "DISKS.TXT:"

1. 001.ATR Star Trek Classics
2. 012.ATR Voyage Through Time
3. 021.ATR Sci-Fi Trio
4. 035.ATR Games of Space #1
5. 036.ATR Games of War
6. 040.ATR Arcade Fun #3
7. 046.ATR C Compiler and Editor
8. 048.ATR Printer [Epson]+

Is there a more complete version of "DISKS.TXT" available?

 

[ballyalley]

The Pooldisk might have an error on it. One of the Pedrokko disks is the same on both sides. If it is, that might be my fault.

 

Do you recall which disk it might be?

[ballyalley]

WOW, I've never got my hands on BellCom's Disk Catalogue, I've allway's got the paper Catalogue (1992) it was the last one I got and I use now to help me with my Pooldisk's BellCom directory. :thumbsup:

 

This paper catalogue from 1992 sounds like about the same time I saw a paper catalogue from BELLCOM. Is this available online someplace? If not, could you scan it in at 300DPI in grayscale (unless it's color?!) and save it as TIFF, BMP or PNG? I could save it as a high-quality pdf and/or OCR the document.

[Mathy]

Hello ballyalley

 

It might have been #5, but I'm not sure.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

[+Larry]

Some of the CD compilations have a several Bellcom Disks that others don't. I merged all that I have into one directory and come up with a total of 882 disk sides. Impressive quantity, and there are some nuggets of gold in there.

 

But I've never seen a text listing that had all of them. Pool Disk Too is probably as complete as it gets.

 

-Larry

[+Roydea6]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/knl1n3s517d6zgr/Bellcom.zip

 

This is my most recent Bellcom Library That I got from several sources and not sure of it accuracy or completeness.

[brenski]

any chance of someone re-upping this one, please

[+Roydea6]

Bellcom files

[brenski]

thanks very much

[ballyalley]

Yesterday, Allan uploaded a great BELLCOM 32-page shareware catalog from 1989 to archive.org:

 

https://archive.org/details/bellcompublicdomainsharewarecatalog

 

It would be really cool to see a video of some of the software (games, of course!) from this catalog.

 

Adam