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Almathera Ten Pack 2: CDPD 1
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Almathera Ten on Ten - Disc 2: CDPD 1.iso
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101-125
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123
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arp
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intro
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1995-03-13
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4KB
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133 lines
INTRODUCTION October 7, 1987
_T_h_e__P_r_o_b_l_e_m
Take an exciting new computer, with state of the art
graphics and sound hardware and software, add a multi-
tasking kernal, and then add a DOS that doesn't work well
with the rest of the system. This makes software less
reliable, harder to develop, and results in more headaches
and more expense for programmers and users alike.
_T_h_e__S_o_l_u_t_i_o_n
The solution is ARP, which stands for "AmigaDOS
Replacement Project". ARP is an effort led by Charlie
Heath of Microsmiths, Inc. to replace the current DOS in a
compatible fashion, so that current programs will continue
to work, but making whatever improvements are possible, so
that current and future programs will work better.
_W_h_y__i_s__A_R_P__b_e_t_t_e_r_?
Well, that is what this entire little manual is
about, but in brief, ARP replacement programs are
typically much smaller and much faster than their AmigaDOS
equivalents. It is not unusual to find ARP programs which
are less than half the size of the program they are
intended to replace. This translates immediately into disk
space and memory savings for you, both precious
commodities on the Amiga. In addition, ARP programs often
have enhanced features, and can do things the original DOS
programs simply can't. Finally, and perhaps most
importantly, they conform to clearly defined Amiga system
standards for Amiga software, so developers don't have to
handle a lot of special cases, which will help all Amiga
software.
_I__n_e_v_e_r__u_s_e__t_h_e__C_L_I_,__w_h_y__s_h_o_u_l_d__I__c_a_r_e__a_b_o_u_t__A_R_P_?
If you truly never use the CLI, then the impact of
ARP will be less apparent to you. But you will realize
big savings in memory and disk space. In addition, with a
more standard software environment for developers,
software reliabilty will increase, and as software becomes
easier to write for the Amiga, prices of important
(*) Though I may be more visible than Scott Ballantyne, who
wrote this manual and much of the ARP library and programs,
he has certainly been as important as I have in developing
ARP.
...cheath
- 2 -
software will be less than they would be in a difficult
development environment.
_H_o_w__m_u_c_h__i_s__i_t__g_o_i_n_g__t_o__c_o_s_t__m_e_?
It will cost you the duplication cost of a disk, or a
connect fee to a network to download it. Many busy
programmers worked hard on ARP, donating large amounts of
their time in an effort to make the Amiga a better place
to work and play. The emphasis here is on improving the
Amiga environment, so that future software will work
better, not on separating you from your money. (That
comes later, when you buy all that neat software that ARP
made so much easier to develop.)
_C_a_n__I__g_i_v_e__i_t__a_w_a_y_?
You sure can, and we encourage you to distribute it
as widely as possible.
_I__a_m__a__d_e_v_e_l_o_p_e_r_,__c_a_n__I__i_n_c_l_u_d_e__i_t__o_n__m_y__c_o_m_m_e_r_c_i_a_l__d_i_s_k_s_?
Yes, you can and should. All we ask of commercial
users of ARP is that if you use any portion of the
arp.library in your software (and we hope you will),
please include the rest of the ARP replacement programs as
well.