INFO-ATARI16 Digest Tue, 7 Nov 89 Volume 89 : Issue 616 Today's Topics: 3D-Reconstruction on the ST. NMR Imaging. atari ABC yea or nay ???? Atari Support -- a different perspective Binaries distribution within BITNET/EARN/NETNORTH. CMI update... I got screwed royally... Concatenation of multiple TSRs Definition of MIPS (was Re: UNIX -- ATW Speed) Monitors Printing Files. Prolog 10, Common LISP smalltalk Trip-a-Tron ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 7 Nov 89 14:15:10 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!harrier.ukc.ac.uk!jbww@uunet.uu.net (J.B.W.Webber) Subject: 3D-Reconstruction on the ST. NMR Imaging. In article <8911011128.AA28149@nimsn41.> n-waters@NIMR.MRC.AC.UK (Nick Waterson) writes: >Hi there, > I am trying to find out if there are any 3D-reconstruction packages available > either commercially or in the PD. These packages are primarily used to > a series of sections cut > through a cell or leg! to give an overall image of the object before it was > sectioned. Other capabilites usually include the ability tomeasure cross > sectional areas, volumes and other morphometric measurements. > > I would also like to know if there are any other ST'rs out there who use these > machines in a scientific environment, if so, what do you use them for? > I was also working up to posting a similar query, as I was thinking it would make sense if we were not all dupilcating each others work. O.K. I will kick off : Field: My main field is in using NMR to measure diffusion and motion induced relaxation in solids; we have for a number of years also been looking at NMR imaging in solids. I also help out other groups, i.e. simulation studies of molecular dynamics. Software: Over a number of years, I have written a variety of routines for these; the ones particularly relating to imaging including various of the standard surface plots, 3D transformations and projections, stereoscopic pairs, etc. Currently (well, from time to time) I am doing a set of routines to start with a 3D volumetric set of data, and generate shaded surface views of features. (Interesting results so-far, but NOT finished - perhaps now I have a 4MByte machine ...). Languages: I program in a mix of languages, using each where suitable - i.e. : Shell, using Sed to fire up a command setup to run Apl (where the bulk of the array massaging is done), which may call compiled routines created in perhaps C or Fortran , or do requests on Maple (the algebraic manipulation language). Currently I am still tranfering this to the ST; much of the Apl transfered painlessly (just a simple translator - in Apl of course); still can not afford a copy of Maple for the ST, and the only copy of Maple 4.2 on the campus is on a VMS system (any one know how to do an equivalent of piping under VMS ??). Device Drivers: In the past I have driven other devices : - i.e. Sigma graphics, Tek, XY scope, Transient recorder, Epson Colour JX80 but the interest here is in ST screen: have been slowly implementing a set of windowd graphics for the ST; - line, shaded+coloured bit map, shaded surface. Don't have much time for it, but this is where my recent query on firing up desk acessories came from. Glossary: NMR - Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NOT high energy physics - actually just uses radio frequencies) looks at the nuclei precessing in a magnetic field, as a sensitive probe as to what is happening in the material. (Freq = gamma x Field) NMR Imaging Now a routine tool for medicine (Imaging without X rays) - they look at the water in the body; tissues show up well, bones (they are solid!) don't. O.K. solids are harder; that is what we do (no, we can't do whole bodies yet, no we can't do bones well yet - this is physics research.) Question: Any NMR (Diffusion,Imaging) routines you are willing to share ? (I would have to get an OK on swapping mine). Any ST graphics or imaging routines ? (as above). Sorry to write so much beau webber jbww@ukc.ac.uk ------------------------------ Date: 6 Nov 89 17:52:36 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!tcdcs!csvax1.cs.tcd.ie!swift.cs.tcd.ie!vax1.tcd.ie!dbearly@uunet.uu.n et (BIG BAD DOM) Subject: atari ABC yea or nay ???? I have previously sent this posting to the boys at the pc dept. but the didn't seem to know anything about the machine,so I come to you : I am seriously thinking of buying a PC at the moment and I have basically decided on one of two models, 1)ATARI ABC 2)AMSTRAD 2086 Both cost around the same,and both include a 30mg hard disk.The Atari uses a 286 micro-processor however and thus seems the obvious choice.The only trouble I am having is getting info/reviews on this machine.Does anyone have/know of the machine and if so could someone please offer me advice on buying it? All replys will be muchly appreciated, Big Bad Dom. dbearly@vax1.tcd.ie ******************************************************************************** please send me as much info on the atari ABC (if it indeed exists,as my dealer assures me!!) again any help would be appreciated, B.B.D. even info on the reliability of atari machines in general would be helpful,especially their range of pc compatibles!! ******************************************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 7 Nov 89 10:15:30 EST From: csrobe@cs.wm.edu (Chip Roberson) Subject: Atari Support -- a different perspective We have all seen the moaning and groaning about Atari's support that has been taking up net bandwidth. I will be the first to agree that Atari's delivery record has left me feeling lacking, but I would like to accentuate a positive point. If it had not been for this network in general and Atari employees like Allan Pratt, Ken Badertscher, et al. clearing up rumors and providing solutions, my view of Atari and the ST would be quiet different. As it stands, I am willing to pay the $100 (when I get it) for Rainbow-TOS and I am even considering the TT/X down the road (I am a diehard Unix nut). Don't get me wrong, I have my share of gripes with Atari, its just that support from people-in-the-know like these have muted the effects. In the long run, what will decide if I stay with Atari products is how the rest of the company comes around. I'm sure it is no revelation when I say that I expect reasonably priced products, a supportive dealer network, and expandability. Atari has given me a powerful machine (in its day) at a reasonable price that has served me for over 4 years. The market has changed since then and users demand more -- hopefully, the TT/X is Atari's answer to that demand. To keep from wasting more bandwidth, I want to re-iterate that Atari's online/network presence has mad a difference with this customer and I wish to thank them for that. I hope that Atari sees the importance in such user contact and maintains them as we see the new products hit the streets. cheers, -c -=- Charles S. Roberson ARPANET: csrobe@cs.wm.edu -=- -=- VA Remote Sensing Study UUCP: ...!uunet!cs.wm.edu!csrobe -=- -=- Dept of Comp. Sci. Compu$erve: 71500.2056@compuserve.com -=- -=- College of William and Mary BIX: csrobe -=- -=- Williamsburg, VA 23185 Ma Bell: (804) 253-4393 -=- Fur Comment: Today thousands of animals will be killed just for what they are wearing. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 07 Nov 89 13:21 From: "Thomas Koenig" Subject: Binaries distribution within BITNET/EARN/NETNORTH. Chuck Reid wrote: > All the good binaries are being kept on a FTP server somewhere but > that does all of us no good! The amount of PD binaries that are > making it to any of the EMAIL accessable servers is literally a > trickle compared to what is out there. Luckily, there is a way to get at FTP-servers from BITNET. Send mail to BITFTP@PUCC.BITNET with the command HELP in the first line of the body of the text. A warning: BITFTP delivers the files it retreives from the FTP - servers in NETDATA - format (IBM's own), so that there is probably little use requesting files from outside BITNET... > I really wish that someone would (out of the goodness of their > hearts) start shipping this stuff out of GENIE and into > distribution (like Volker has done) or send it to Panarthea. Life > would be grand, then. I agree. There is one thing I like to see, too: can somebody tell the net what FTP servers are available for ATARI ST stuff and in which directories it is stored (using BITFTP is not exactly interactive, as you have to use mail to get there)? I'm sure many people would appreciate that. Thomas Koenig UI0T@DKAUNI2.BITNET UI0T%DKAUNI2.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (soon: new address, old machine) UI0T@IBM3090.RZ.UNI-KARLSRUHE.DBP.DE 'Ich dachte nicht, ich untersuchte.' Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen ------------------------------ Date: 7 Nov 89 02:46:38 GMT From: hp-sdd!ncr-sd!tw-rnd!johnl@hplabs.hp.com (John Lindwall) Subject: CMI update... I got screwed royally... In article <4424@druwy.ATT.COM> med@druwy.ATT.COM (Myron E. Drapal) writes: > >I do suspect, however, that you may have slightly better luck getting >your ounce (I guess I should say pound ;-)) of flesh from CMI, since >they still sell in the Amiga market as well (unless they've really >gone belly up). > Myron Drapal Bad news folks. There are similar rumblings among amiga folks in comp.sys.amiga. I haven't seen anyone give a definitive answer to the question "Did CMI disappear?", but I have seen several postings where CMI customers are asking why CMI's phones are disconnected, etc. I hope they are still alive - they make some neat stuff -- John Lindwall | "Not my employer opinions; mine" johnl@tw-rnd.SanDiego.NCR.COM | a man, a plan, a beer, reeban alpa nama ----------------------------------+-------------------------------------------- Amiga PenPal V1.2 for sale: $75. All original disks, manual, box. Registration. ------------------------------ Date: 7 Nov 89 14:30:50 GMT From: mcsun!hp4nl!nikhefh!n62@uunet.uu.net (Klamer Schutte) Subject: Concatenation of multiple TSRs In article <111500054@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> glk01126@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu writes: > Does anyone see a problem with the following program concept: > > Take a list of .TOS files (.PRG in auto\)... > Create one file with the following: > (pseudo code) > JSR program1 > JSR program2 > ... > RTS > Pack the @#%$#er > -G.M.L-K Yes, there is a problem: Probably program 1 will do an exit(2) (or, the GEMDOS counterpart of this U*IX call) and the rest is not executed. Besides, some of your programs may go resident -- at this way there will be multiple copies resident; this may not be what you want. To do what you want, disassemble the programs, look at these two points, (simulating exit() by a jmp (probably with saving of SP)), and reassemble. Klamer. -- _____________________Yes, mail address changed again :-(________________________ Klamer Schutte mcvax!nikhefh!?n62,Schutte? ?Schutte,n62?@nikhef.nl ------------------------------ Date: 6 Nov 89 20:26:41 GMT From: snorkelwacker!spdcc!merk!alliant!linus!cvbnet!jdonsbac@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Jeff Donsbach) Subject: Definition of MIPS (was Re: UNIX -- ATW Speed) From article <1767@atari.UUCP>, by kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher): > > MIPS == Meaningless Indications of Processor Speed > -- > ||| Ken Badertscher (ames!atari!kbad) > ||| Atari R&D System Software Engine > / | \ #include or MIPS == Meaningless Information Provided by Salesmen :-) -Jeff ========================== Jeff Donsbach, Graphics Development, Computervision , Bedford, MA UUCP: ?decvax|linus|sun?!cvbnet!jdonsbac | Internet: jdonsbac@cvbnet.prime.com Computervision: The name (if not the magic) is back! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 7 Nov 89 10:23:02 EDT From: BAILEYS%FSU.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU Subject: Monitors Hey, Anybody out there ever made their own monitor switchbox? I wish to add a monochrome monitor to my color system, and I am trying to save as much money as possible. I am also interested in (but probably not prosperous enough for) interfacing a Muli-sync monitor to my system. I have seen an Omnimon (sp?) setup like this, and it is very nice. The color setting yields superior rendition to my color (not by much, but it is perceivable). The monochrome is not quite as sharp as the Atari mono, but this is even less perceivable that the color differece. All in all, probably worth it to rid one of two monitors cluttering up the desk. The only problem is cost: it is only sold as a monitor/interface package (to my knowledge). If anyone knows different, or if anyone has built either a multi-sync interface or a monitor switchbox, I would certainly like to hear about it. ___________________________________________________________________________  Bob Marley  "To err is human, to compute devine,  trust your computer, but not it's FSU Comp Sci  programmer." - Moris Kingston -  --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 7 Nov 89 15:06 GMT From: Jan Ameij Subject: Printing Files. Dear Gang, Does anyone out there know a good way of printing files (ie transferring a file to a printer) from within a program, in C? The file is an HPLJ+ binary file, from DVI2HP, so it has lots of font downloading and is therefore as unpleasant as they come... fopen/fgetc/fputc/fclose keeps falling over (it sees end of files in the input) as does open/_read/_write/close. Advice and particularly examples would be much appreciated. Is there a way of calling the Gem/Tos routine which does printing, 'cos clicking on the icon and choosing Print works a treat? Thank 'ee, people. Jan Ameij, Department of Applied Metaphysics, Oxford University. ------------------------------------------------------------- Go on, try to sue Oxford University, we didn't train half the Judges in Britain for nothing. Nyaaaaaah!!!!! ------------------------------ Date: 7 Nov 89 12:10:55 GMT From: mcsun!hp4nl!ruuinf!piet@uunet.uu.net (Piet van Oostrum) Subject: Prolog 10, Common LISP In article <89Nov4.072332est.57669@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca>, MEGGIN@vm (David Megginson) writes: `I address this especially to continental European ST users: ` Not all continental Europeans are German -- Piet van Oostrum, Dept of Computer Science, University of Utrecht Padualaan 14, P.O. Box 80.089, 3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands. Telephone: +31-30-531806 Internet: piet@cs.ruu.nl Telefax: +31-30-513791 Uucp: uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!ruuinf!piet ------------------------------ Date: 7 Nov 89 17:33:44 EDT From: Subject: smalltalk Has anybody out there heard anything about Smalltalk for Atari ST ? I am in desperate need of some information CHARLIE ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 7 Nov 89 10:33:25 EDT From: BAILEYS%FSU.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU Subject: Trip-a-Tron Netters, In a vintage (dec 88) issue of ST Action, a british publication, I noticed a piece of software for sale that sounds right up my alley. It is called Trip-a-Tron, and is a "light synthesiser". Basically, a neato moving color graphics creator that can be driven by MIDI signals. It also states that Trip-a-Tron has it's own control language, for programming the demos. I am VERY interested in this package (Trip-a-Tron, FM modulator, and a Kloss Vidio Beam would make a dandy wall-sized distractor at a night club). Does anyone out there have this package? Does it work on US machines (very important)? Is there a used copy I might liberate from some individual? The add states that it is made by Llamasoft. ___________________________________________________________________________  Bob Marley  "To err is human, to compute devine,  trust your computer, but not it's FSU Comp Sci  programmer." - Moris Kingston -  --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #616 ***************************************** ========================================================================