INFO-ATARI16 Digest Fri, 3 Nov 89 Volume 89 : Issue 601 Today's Topics: am I a DA Atari ST software for sale Docs, gem, gdos, fonts and printer driver GNU C and sizeof(int) Memory upgrade affects performance? question SPECTRE GCR TT's VME-slots TT and STE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 11/03/89 15:58:40 GMT+1 From: UO04%DDAGSI3.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU Subject: am I a DA H.Friedrich Kammer 0441/798-3467 FB Physik Theorie Universitaet Oldenburg Postfach 2503 D-2900 Oldenburg FRG I think that you do not have to worry about startup code and the basepage to let a program find out how it is has been started (as application or DA). It is right that the startup code should do the right thing (mshrink or not), but there are startup codes available (e.g. APPACC.A) which ensure the correct startup in both cases. The other problem (find out the way the program is invoked) can be solved simply by using the AES-function shel_read, which returns a pointer to the string containing the program name (xxx.ACC or xxx.PRG) and a pointer to the parameter string. I have not yet tested this function (better look into the GEM-documentation about that) but when a program is started as a DA, either shel_read should return a pointer in addrout(.0.) or an error code (0) in intout(.0.). Friedrich ------------------------------ Date: 2 Nov 89 22:19:41 GMT From: mailrus!uflorida!unf7!comhex!sysop@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Joe E. Powell) Subject: Atari ST software for sale I have the following Atari ST software packages w/manuals for sale: (I will pay the shipping) Gridiron!: The Football Simulator $15 GFA Championship Basketball: Two-on-Two $10 Leader Board: Pro Golf Simulator $15 w/Tournament Disk #1 Rogue $10 Phantasie III: The Wrath of Nikademus $12 Roadwar Europa $12 Roadwar 2000 $12 Colonial Conquest $12 Gauntlet $12 The ChessMaster 2000 $15 Breach $10 Dungeon Master $18 Carrier Command $12 Gunship $12 Jet $12 Flight Simulator II $15 w/Scenery Disk 7 Starglider $12 Harrier Strike Mission $10 The Music Studio $20 PC Ditto I $25 (or all for $225) The following magazines w/disk: Compute!'s Atari ST February 1987 Volume 2, No 1, Issue 3 $3 April 1987 Volume 2, No 2, Issue 4 $3 June 1987 Volume 2, No 3, Issue 5 $3 August 1987 Volume 2, No 4, Issue 6 $3 October 1987 Volume 2, No 5, Issue 7 $3 December 1987 Volume 2, No 6, Issue 8 $3 February 1988 Volume 3, No 1, Issue 9 $3 April 1988 Volume 3, No 2, Issue 10 $3 (or all for $20) STart: The ST Quarterly Spring 1987 Volume 1, No 4 $3 Spring 1987 Volume 2, No 1 $3 Fall 1987 Volume 2, No 2 $3 Winter 1987 Volume 2, No 3 $3 Spring 1988 Volume 2, No 4 $3 (or all for $12) -- Joe E. Powell, unf7!comhex!sysop@bikini.cis.ufl.edu "You trip and fall down the stairs. -more- " "Your pet rock bounds down the stairs after you. -more-" "*crunch* -more-" ------------------------------ Date: 3 Nov 89 16:04:23 GMT From: cme!chang@uunet.uu.net (Forrest Chang) Subject: Docs, gem, gdos, fonts and printer driver Hi, I'm the thus far happy owner of a 1040ST for two weeks now. Now that I've spent a bit of time familiarizing myself with the machine, I'd like to start writing programs for it. I'd like to know if there is any documentation, hopefully PD for the following. 1) Gem. Yes, I'd like to write a fairly gem intensive program. I'm thinking of using sozobon or gcc. I'm a fairly experienced X11 programmer, so I don't think this should be a difficult task, I just need some reference guide. 2) Gdos. Been hearing this and that about it on this group. I don't really know what it is or how I can get it. My aforementioned program will want to print various non-standard characters (say chinese). And from what I've read about it, GDOS seems to be a good thing to deal with such. I see some gdos related stuff on some of the archives, but unfortunately there's no detailed list of what all the things are. 3) Fonts and printer driver. Well, I'd like to create, convert some asian character fonts and be able to support them on a printer. The aforementioned program does exist for X, I'm hoping to port it, and I'd like to support this. Could anyone mail me info on any of these topics, or at least suggest source code of existing PD programs, of which I can look to as examples. Many thanx. Forrest P.S. Please...... ------------------------------ Date: 3 Nov 89 15:58:51 GMT From: galaxy.rutgers.edu!argus!ron@rutgers.edu (Ron DeBlock) Subject: GNU C and sizeof(int) In article <30975@watmath.waterloo.edu> rbutterworth@watmath.waterloo.edu (Ray Butterworth) writes: >In article <1754@ruuinf.cs.ruu.nl> piet@cs.ruu.nl (Piet van Oostrum) writes: >>Dlibs and Gemfast have been written for a 16 bit compiler. >>I have a version of Dlibs that I adapted for use with GCC. >>It has been modified for 32 bit integers. > >This reminds me of something I've been wondering about for a while. >Why does GCC on the ST have 32 bit ints? >Surely 16 is the obvious size considering it has 16 bit memory access. >(Note that I don't consider > "so that badly written code will still work ok" > as a valid reason.) [ problems associated with 32 bit ints deleted ] This isn't a flame, just a reminder: If you want 16 bit ints, you must declare short ints. If you want 32 bit ints, you must declare long ints. If you just declare int, the size is implementation dependent. You're right that a 16 bit int makes more sense in a 16 bit architecture, but DO NOT depend on all compilers to do it that way! GCC is supposed to be portable over a wide range of machines, many of which are 32 bit. Perhaps this is why GCC ST has 32 bit ints. -- Ron DeBlock N2JSO Net: ...!rutgers!galaxy!argus US Mail: 42 Davis Street, Phillibsburg, NJ 08865 USA ------------------------------ Date: 3 Nov 89 14:47:03 GMT From: att!cbnewsi!dmk@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (daniel.m.kuster..jr) Subject: Memory upgrade affects performance? Hello all, I just upgraded my 1985 vintage 520ST to 2.5 Meg of memory and I've noted some system performance differences that make me wonder if I've done the upgrade correctly. First let me say that I've run a number of memory diagnostic programs and all seems fine. TOS recognizes the added memory and the memory seems to be working. The thing I don't understand is that the computer takes at least 4 times as long to boot (possibly longer). Is TOS running some kind of memory test, or is it just zeroing out RAM? Even worse, once that system is up and running, it takes a lot longer for applications to load and run. Is the system slowed down by the dynamic RAM refresh cycle? I thought that the MMU handles that? The one thing that I noticed is that if I configure and install a large RAM disk (?1.5 Meg) the loading and running of applications goes much faster. Any ideas on what's going on? Thanks in advance. dan ------------------------------ Date: 3 Nov 89 15:19:34 GMT From: matthews@umd5.umd.edu (Mike Matthews) Subject: question SPECTRE GCR In article <617@kubix.kub.nl> reus@kubix.UUCP (Dick de Reus) writes: > >Does anyone know anything about floppy compatibility between ATARI-1040ST with >SPECTRE GCR and Macintosh II. I mean: can I port data from ST to Mac (vice [stuff deleted] I do it all the time. Reading is no problem, writing will be slower on the GCR due to the Mac II's skewing scheme. Mike ------------------------------ Date: 3 Nov 89 08:45:01 GMT From: cca.ucsf.edu!wet!logic@cgl.ucsf.edu (Henry Kwan) Subject: TT's VME-slots In article <4695035f.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) writes: > >> The TT comes with most of what you'd ordinarily put into slots. Serial I/O. >> High-performance video. A place to plug RAM SIMMs. > >Ethernet controller?? Nope. >Tape backup controller?? Nope. >Internal high speed modem?? Nope. > >You see there are lots of potential internal addons for the TT. > The TT already has a SCSI port. Why would you need a tape backup controller? With the proper software, you could hang an Exabyte or a RDAT off the port. What more, in terms of tape backup, can you ask for? Also, what good is an internal modem? I know no one who has a high speed internal modem. Every high speed modem that I've seen is external. (Including the Dual Standard I'm using to call this system.) Besides, who wants to spend $700 (or whatever amount) for a high speed modem that will only work on one machine? > >That's my point: > You can't just go out and buy the more expensive Atari computer. >Because Atari introduces a new computer every two years, and if you don't >like it you are stuck. You can't enhance it and you can't buy a more powerful >computer. So, you are stuck. > >Richard Covert You can't enhance an Atari computer? Am I hearing this from the mouth of someone has a Turbo-16 upgrade inside his Mega? Or the Spectre GCR emulator? Or whatever else you might have inside that Mega? Why can't you buy a new computer if Atari comes out with one? What is preventing you from doing just that? -- Henry Kwan | AppleLink: D0690 FWB, Inc. | CompuServe: 71320,1034 2040 Polk St. Ste 215 | Internet: claris!wet!logic@ames.arc.nasa.gov San Francisco, CA 94109 | UUCP: ?claris,hoptoad,lamc,ucsfcca?!wet!logic ------------------------------ Date: 3 Nov 89 15:23:17 GMT From: pasteur!cory.Berkeley.EDU!soohoo@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Ken "nmi" Soohoo) Subject: TT and STE In article larserio@IFI.UIO.NO (LarsErikOsterud) writes: >We all know that both the TT and the STE will run ST software, >but will the TT run STE software ? The TT will not be able to run STE software that makes use of the STE's horizontal scrolling feature... Any software that doesn't need this, and uses either the extended color pallette (1 more bit R, G, and B) and/or DMA sound should work just fine. >Will the STE run some STE software (i guess not) ? Yes, STE specific software is going to be developed. >What I'm aiming at is: Will TT-user have the possibility of using programs >made for the STE (if the great TT user want to a game :-) In some cases, yes, in some cases, no. Say, for example, you've got a new STE Paint program, why then of course (as long as it doesn't scroll horizontally using hardware) you can use it, and the 4096 colors, on the TT! Problem with games is that they'll _probably_ use the horizontal scroll... > > Lars-Erik / ABK-BBS +47 2132659 / ____ ______ ________________________ > Osterud / larserio@ifi.uio.no / /___ / The norwegian ST >__________/ ______________________/ ____/ / Klubben, user association --Kenneth "kens" Soohoo (soohoo@cory.Berkeley.Edu) Atari Hacker (Atari's Hacker...) "It could be worse, you could get hit by a bus..." My opinions are my OWN, _not_ necessarily Atari's. But "hey", who knows? ------------------------------ End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #601 ***************************************** =========================================================================