Coky the Bug
selections from the Project file cabinet
Here is a rather large selection of the most interesting Coky project file folder cartoons.
Note: these were all drawn after the bug was fixed or feature implemented! The most recent of these drawings is certainly more than 10 years old! None of these problems exist in today's modern FOCUS code, as far as I know!
 
The MODIFY "NEXT" command has a variant called NEXT. That is only used internally. I don't recall the difference.
MODIFY COMPILE: Big cases don't compile.
Looks like Bin #34 is not clearing in this bug. The bins were caches for FOCUS dadtbase pages that were sometimes overlaid with executable FOCUS code to help squeeze FOCUS into a smaller memory footprint.
Coky is pushing the button here in Reagan era America.
Looks like this had to do with module overlays again.
TABLETALK parsing corrupted some input buffer I think.
A Chorus line of dancing Cokies! Ref2 in 5.5 is "out of synch" with 5.0.
A general cleanup of a few 5.0 bugs.
DBA restrictions look very restricting here.
I worked for a very long time fixing this AT&T bug. Note the distinctive look of the tombstones!
There are two ways to call subroutine like things in MODIFY: PERFORM and GOSUB. I would have chosen different names, but that's not my department. This cartoon tells the difference between them.
This cartoon also shows the fabulous new telephone console at 1250 B'way's 38th floor reception area.
The Hole is the area that dynamically loaded FOCUS modules can load into.
Clearly, this has something to do with inverted views.
Scott Rhodes wrote the compiled modify feature, so Coky here sport's Scott's haircut.
Occasionally, a single project fixes several bugs, so I get to just do a cartoon that isn't particularly relevant.
Modify was looping, I think.
FOCUS running on a Mac IIcx.
FIXFORM mixed with CRTFORM was getting confused. Both use the FOCUS interface API.
The Manufacturers Hanover Corporate Challenge race in Central Park, where once in a while the runners die of heatstroke or heart attacks.
Ghastly pun, featuring MATCH.
This reagan-era cartoon features a reference to Marty Rossip's fancy new camera.
FILETALK was not so user friendly, I guess.
A little overflow problem.
Coky is watching a wall of TVs, as popularized by Nam June Paik. this was a feature upgrade to allow 64 FIDEL screens.
If the password was '' (blank), it wouldn't be accepted. I think security minded folks might have liked it better that way. The note at the bottom says "fix to MVCL", which probably didn't allow 0-length moves.
This cartoon had nothing to do with the project, but it's a picture that had to be drawn.
There was some parsing subtlety with MODIFY's PROMPT .
FOCEXEC's -QUIT command wasn't working. Scene stolen from the movie "Breaking Away".
A stuck madonna record. Popular vinyl recordings were still able to be purchased at the time of this bug fix.
A reissue of the original Coky cartoon, seen here also!
Another desert-themed masterpiece, featuring REPOSITION.
Tex Avery's Screwy Squirrel was brought in sometimes to help with SQL bugs.
Another classic featuring a lost physical segment.
This has something to do with T. fields in FIDEL. I think the Statue Of Liberty may have been restored about that time.
Another detail-filled cartoon: note the MASTER file diagram as a subway map, graffiti from "IBI*32" and spanish subway ads.
the Sisyphusian task of fixing some FOCUS bugs is presented here.
FML, aka SML, aka ??? was looping.
Dedicated to Roger Corman and American International Pictures.

Featuring: FIDEL!
FIDEL is watching TV in a hospital bed, which is spending a week replaying the Challenger disaster footage.
Little known fact: FIDEL is an external file interface like FOCSAM and other SUFFIX= external interfaces. if FIDEL is in core, it might be called by mistake when trying to read a file! Or at least it could until I fixed this bug.
TRANCT, venerable old FORTRAN routine, is retired. FIDEL wants to retire too.

[Back to Coky][Back to the main page]
Henry Lowengard, jhhl-at-panix.com / 324 Wall St #5 / Kingston NY 12401

© 1980-2004 Henry Lowengard