ZigZag® system designed by Ted Nelson.
Protoype implementation and boot floppy construction by Andrew Pam.

  HOW TO MAKE THE ZigZag® BOOT FLOPPY

Sorry if this is too long-winded and simple-minded, but it involves technicalities far removed from most computer usage, so better clear than short.  (I'm also leaving out various options which could make this even longer.)

The ZigZag prototype is presently best tried from a boot floppy.  (The other alternative is to install it under Linux, installing also Perl and curses.  Even if you know how to do all that, you'll probably find the boot floppy to be easier.)

The ZigZag boot floppy actually contains a Linux kernel, a Perl language processor, the "curses" text presentation module, and finally the ZigZag program itself.  However, you won't be able to list them or see them on the disk.  Getting it all to fit was a big job.
 

You are going to need two files and put them in your C: drive.

Rawrite, by Mark Becker

Rawrite is a program that allows a boot floppy to be made.   (Created by Mark Becker in 1991; see original documentation-- which seems only to open correctly as a Web page in Netscape.  Sigh.)

zzdisk ©1997-2001 Project Xanadu
(a little over 1 meg in size)

"zzdisk" is the sector-for-sector data for the boot floppy.

Careful: Netscape Downloads this wrong.  If you use Internet Explorer, zzdisk should download without a problem.  If you use Netscape, it may try to rename the file to "zzdisk.html".  Don't allow this.  Or if it does, change the name back.  (Should work.)
 

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Technical explanation of the Rawrite operation.

If you just copy "zzdisk" onto a floppy, it will be stored on the floppy as an MS-DOS file, with a name and a directory structure taking up space, and worse, the resulting floppy won't boot the computer.  A boot disk has to have a special boot sector of binary code from which it loads the initial startup information to the computer.  There is no way that ordinary Windows utilities will let you make, or even copy, such a boot floppy.

Rawrite, on the other hand, is a disk utility which copies a preset, pre-divided file onto each disk sector exactly, with no file system or naming (unless they're already there), and therefore will copy boot sectors and other information in precisely the pattern necessarily to boot the computer.

What you will be doing is starting Rawrite (which opens in an MS-DOS window), and then telling it to copy "zzdisk" onto a blank floppy in a: drive.

We have set this whole ZigZag package up in the "zzdisk" file so that Rawrite can copy it into bootable format.

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2.  EXACT STEPS.

SELECT THE DIRECTORIES

The Rawrite interface is quite old-fashioned: you must give it exactly the right path.  To make this as simple as possible, put both Rawrite and zzdisk in c: drive (the root directory).  This saves you from having to type long difficult pathnames.

RUN RAWRITE

Now open c: and click on Rawrite.

You get an MS-DOS window that says at the top RAWRITE, and gives you the prompt:

Enter disk image source file name:

You must type exactly the following.

c:\zzdisk   [ENTER]

(Note that if you find it hard to type this exactly, you can pre-copy the text, copy it onto the clipboard, and paste it into the MS-DOS window using the "paste" icon at the top of the MS-DOS window).  The "ENTER" you must do by hand.

Rawrite now gives you the prompt

Enter target diskette drive:

You may think this is strange, because almost NObody has more than one diskette drive, but in 1991 (when Rawrite was created) many people did.  Therefore you must type

a:   [ENTER]

Now Rawrite says

Please insert a formatted diskette into drive A: and press -ENTER- :

Do so.

You will hear some round-and-round in the disk drive, as each sector of the boot floppy is written.

When it's finished, Rawrite will say

Finished - RAWRITE

Now close the MS-DOS window.  You now have the ZigZag prototype boot floppy.

This is not a regular diskette.  It is a boot diskette.  If you try to open it from Windows, you will see strange things, and if you try to get its Properties from the menu, you will get strange messages.  This is because it does not contain Windows or MS-DOS files, and so none of the usual requests for Windows files will work correctly.

SUGGESTION: LABEL IT NOW.  "ZigZag boot floppy" should do.
 

THE ZIGZAG KEYBOARD INSTRUCTIONS

Print out the keyboard instructions hence.

Note that this unusual interface allows you to manipulate two windows at once; if you build up skill you can get to touch-typing speed.

With these directions you can go wild in a strange and unexplained space.

However, we recommend

THE HOLM FAMILY DEMO.

We have a nice little demo of genealogy that runs in conjunction with the boot floppy.

Before you leave Windows, we suggest that you

•  Print out the Directions for the Holm Family Demo;

•  Download the data for the Holm Family Demo onto a second diskette.  Put a formatted Windows or MS-DOS diskette into a: and download the Holm Family Demo data onto that floppy.

The file will be called zigzag.zz.  It IS an ordinary Windows file, and may be copied in the normal fashion.

Careful: Explorer Downloads this wrong.  If you use Netscape, zzdisk should download without a problem.  If you use Explorer, it may try to rename the file to "zigzag.zz..zz".  It doesn't show this in the dialogue, only when you check the result.  If it's wrong, change the name back.  (Should work.)
 

Nothing to it.  Just

• put the floppy in the a: drive,
• go to the Start menu,
• select Shut Down,
• select Restart.

Windows will now shut down and reboot the computer from the ZigZag boot floppy disk.

When the Boot Floppy fires up, you see a menu with four choices:

E  Exit this demo
L  Load a zigzag.zz data file from a DOS disk
S  Save current zigzag.zz
Z  Run ZigZag

You have to decide: do you want to

•  go straight into the raw ZigZag space and the little explorations and mazes we've set up;

in that case, select the last choice on the menu and firmly grasp your printout of the ZigZag Condensed Instructions;

or
•  go to the Holm family demo, which is a much clearer way to begin;

in that case, turn to your printout of the Holm Family Demo and proceed from there.  You will now use your second floppy to load the zigzag.zz file containing the Holm Family Demo data.

To get back to the blue menu, hit ctrl-x.

To go from the Holm Family Demo to the mazes we've created, simply hit "g" and "G" to take the two cursors to the home cell.

8.  WHEN YOU'RE DONE: HOW TO GO BACK TO WINDOWS.

Take out the boot floppy, turn the computer off (you may do this directly from the main power button-- this ZigZag program is not delicate like Windows).  Push the button to turn the computer off, and then push the button to turn the computer back on.

Enjoy.

Best wishes, Ted Nelson

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