GEMini Atari/GEMini_Atari_CD-ROM_Walnut_Creek_December_1993.iso/files/program/arp68bok/prg_9ar.txt

Text File | 1993-10-23 | 3.5 KB | 65 lines

May 10, 1989

     I have used Switch/Back from Alpha Systems for many months.  Shortly
after I began the book "Atari ST Machine Specific Programming in Assembly",
I became discouraged because of the amount of time required to set up a
session with 1st Word Plus.  The Switch/Back package alleviated the time
required to load the document and the dictionary by cutting the time down to
seconds.  So I was very happy.  At that time I had a 1040ST.

     I soon realized that a 2-meg machine would permit me to use more desk
accessories while still taking advantage of Switch/Back partitions.  So I
purchased a MEGA ST2.  That's when I began to have problems with the Switch/
Back hardware (the dongle) which must be installed in the parallel interface
port.  To say that it was unreachable on the MEGA is to assess the situation
mildly.  Therefore, I purchased an extra cable so that I could run put the
dongle in between and rest it on my desk.  That's when the dongle began to
malfunction.  The button would work only if I grasped it just right, wiggled
it and pressed 5 or 6 times.  Furthermore, I noticed that during certain
testing that I perform with my printer for the book, the dongle interferred.

     I took a good look at Revolver, decided it was worth the money and
purchased that package.  The Revolver package has many advantages, not the
least of which is that a dongle is not required.  But the advantage I with
which I was most enthused was that a very small 256-byte partition would be
used in conjunction with a very large partition consisting of the remaining
portion of ram.

     As far as I am concerned, the major enhancement to the ST that these
programs introduce is the ability to get a session started immediately after
boot.  I soon discovered that I was able to obtain a faster setup response
with Switch/Back, especially when I split the MEGA ST2 into two 1-meg
partitions.

     I was disappointed that the designers of Switch/Back had not yet realized
that the value of the package would increase if the dongle would be eliminated.
Since no assistance seemed forthcoming, I decided to do something about the
problem myself.

     I designed a software dongle which I intended to introduce in a later
chapter of the book.  After reading several magazine articles which tend to
diminish the power of Switch/Back because of the dongle requirement, I have
decided to upload the software dongle so that those who have already purchased
Switch/Back will be able to continue to enjoy its distinct advantages, and
those contemplating a purchase will not be deterred merely because the
hardware dongle is a disadvantage.

     I feel that both products are valuable assets, and I offer the software
dongle with no malice and with no intentions infringing on anyone's software
rights.  But I am stuck with a package that I can not use without my own
program, and I think that there are others suffering the same fate.  That is
an untolerable situation.

     To use the software dongle, place DONGTRAP.PRG in the AUTO folder of
your boot disk.  Place DONGLE.ACC in the root directory of your boot disk.
When you are ready to perform a function that would require a press of the
hardware switch, select DONGLE from the accessory menu.  The screen will
darken as expected, then you can select your function.  By the way, there
will no longer be a need for the hardware dongle, so you can remove it.

     The design of these programs will be discussed in a later chapter of the
book.