========================================================================= INFO-ATARI16 Digest Fri, 29 Dec 89 Volume 89 : Issue 869 Today's Topics: DEGAS pics to bitmaps? Memory upgrades for 520STfm Menus Music Composition Program Summary TT Unexpandable megas WANTED: Atari ST Application Programming book. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 29 Dec 89 09:15:58 GMT From: sdcc6!sdcc13!pa2027@ucsd.edu (Stupendous Man) Subject: DEGAS pics to bitmaps? Message-ID: <5838@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> Ok, I'm new to software development on the ST, and I want to do something fairly basic, but essential. How do I convert a saved DEGAS pic or block and then convert it to a bitmap so I can blit it around in C? Should I use DEGAS or some other graphics program? Are there PD programs out there that will convert a pic to data that I can load into memory? Currently I'm using MWC.. how does Laser C compare? What is the best C compiler currently for the ST? Anyway, any response via e-mail or posting to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated! thanks in advance! -Brad McQuaid -- Michael Butler - "Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink"- S.T. Coleridge and Iron Maiden//// Brad McQuaid - When reality obscures your dreams, mind becomes a graveyard of memories, that wander like the lonely breeze... -Fates Warning, No Exit ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Dec 89 16:18 EST From: Arion Subject: Memory upgrades for 520STfm Can someone suggest a relatively simple upgrade kit to get my ST up to 2.5 meg or 4 meg? (I got the RF shielding off my ST finally and saw that there were two rows for ram chips. I guess this means if I fill (soldier in sockets for, etc.) the second row with 512Kbit chips, I'll have 2.5 meg, or if I desoldier the 16 256Kbit chips and replace everything with 1Megbit chips I'll get my 4 Meg? However, I'm not up to that at the moment (especially if any trace cutting is involved)) Send mail to me, if anyone else is interested I'll mail him (generic 3rd person singular pronoun) a summary or if enough people are interested, I'll post a summary to the net. John v067majp@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu ------------------------------ Date: 29 Dec 89 12:25:17 GMT From: zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!dogie.macc.wisc.edu!vms.macc.wisc.edu@tut.cis .ohio-state.edu (Neil Gilmore) Subject: Menus Message-ID: <2875@dogie.macc.wisc.edu> Does anyone out there know what object type the root of a menu is? Every silly book I have always starts out "then you run your resource program". I'm one of them assembly people who hates header files, and I'd like to include my object trees directly in the program. I've had success with other object types, but I can't find this one anywhere. On a related note, does anyone have a working example of the function vro_copy? I can't seem to get it to do anything. My trials will make the call, and return, but nothing happens on the screen. I'm pretty sure I have the vdi stuff set up correctly (even the type of copy), but I'm stumped on this one. Lucky I wrote my own... +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Kitakaze Tatsu Raito Neil Gilmore internet:gilmore@macc.wisc.edu | | Jararvellir, MACC, UW-Madison bitnet: gilmore@wiscmac3 | | Middle Kingdom Madison, Wi | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: 29 Dec 89 15:54:16 GMT From: zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!caesar.cs.montana.edu!ogicse! blake!ramsiri@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Enartloc Nhoj) Subject: Music Composition Program Summary Message-ID: <5177@blake.acs.washington.edu> In article <8912290801.AA26701@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> ROEDERT@ARIZVM1.BITNET (Timothy Roeder) writes: >To begin, I would like to thank all of those who replied to my original >By and far, the largest number of replies I received recommended Hybrid >Arts EZ-Score Plus. The output on 24-pin printers is good, and the program >has the ability to play back through the sound chip or MIDI. Since this >program can be had for around $100 US, it is probably the one I'm going to >get. > >Another recommendation was the ScoreST Music DTP program in the Jan. 1990 >Timothy Roeder > I bought Ez-Score Plus a couple of years ago. THe menus and options look promising.. but the quality of output I found was rather unacceptable on my Epson 24 pin. ALso, the version I had gave you 3 staves only.. that version was very buggy... i made a list 3 pages long of very disturbing bugs or "features" of the program. Supposedly, a newer version was to support 6 staves... (This is extremely paltry this day and age.) I inquired for several months.. but no updates seemed to materialize. The playback feature is spartan... not a sequencer at all.. which is no problem if you simply want to hear straightforward playback... but there were strange timing problems .. pauses.. accelerandos and decelerandos inadvertant... Unless the program has improved.. you should LOOK at others before you buy... i GAVE my program to a friend who never uses it. It may in fact be the "best" for $100... my suggestion is that, if this is so, save your money and get something more useful. Music processors are like word processors.. you buy six different ones before you find one you like... and then, it's never perfect. Keeps the future bright :-) -kevin ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu ------------------------------ Date: 29 Dec 89 06:44:19 GMT From: ogicse!blake!ramsiri@ucsd.edu (Enartloc Nhoj) Subject: TT Message-ID: <5176@blake.acs.washington.edu> It's been 4 solid months since the Dusseldorf "announcement" of the TT on August 25th, 1989. Today is more than 30 days beyond the ATARI policy of Show and Deliver. Can anybody in Europe tell us non-Europeans that you have indeed purchased a TT from a dealer? -kevin ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu PLEASE.. NO WARS on this one.. this is an honest to goodness simple question. ------------------------------ Date: 29 Dec 89 09:36:47 GMT From: oliveb!amdahl!pacbell!sactoh0!mfolivo@apple.com (Mark F. Newton) Subject: Unexpandable megas Message-ID: <2340@sactoh0.UUCP> In article <8912280804.AA16948@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, STJLHI33@WATSON.BITNET writes: > 'Someone from Atari' has responded. It seems that the kit isn't made by Atari > but a 3rd party. Details anyone? > A third party, eh? The box had the Atari logos and the board itself had "Atari" etched into it... > > And if you *really* need more capacity, then the TT is for you. > > (Although you need to go to Europe to get one) > > Oh, the old 'buy another computer' upgrade. 8-P Only now we have to go to > Europe to get it. I wonder how many Atari owners are that dedicated? > Fortunately, I don't think that's the way it's going to turn out (at least > I hope not). > Oh, but I am not wrong in my opinion that if you really need that kind of computer, you should get one (TT). I distinctly remember hearing that attitude about "why should I get an ST, when I expanded my 800XL to 1Mb..." Similar arguments, in regards to "I can do about what an ST does..." or something like that. Not to denigrate the 8bit owners, but the ST can do alot more, faster, better than an 8bit, and I am sure the same holds true that a TT or ATW can do alot more faster, better than even my Mega 4. I mean, it would sure look nice, but at the moment, I don't need, say, multitasking. I just run a Mega 4 and 1040 side by side. Not to mention my 800XL churning away on the side. (All I need is a network) Even now, the Macintosh has been pretty much eclipsed by the Macintosh II family, and 286 machines have given way to 386 machines, that are about to be pushed aside by 486 jobbies... (My opinion, on the surface) If only Atari could get the ball rolling with the STE and TT here in the US, I feel that they would replace the current ST line in a couple of years. (or would they, considering the fierce devotion of American Atari ST owners?) Mata ne da-cha, Shinobu -- Sakura-mento, CA mmsac!sactoh0!mfolivo mfolivo@sactoh0 pacbell!sactoh0!mfolivo (they're worth a try...) ------------------------------ Date: 28 Dec 89 23:20:39 GMT From: portal!cup.portal.com!buggs@uunet.uu.net (William Edward JuneJr) Subject: WANTED: Atari ST Application Programming book. Message-ID: <25456@cup.portal.com> WANTED: Atari ST Application Programming book. The publisher, Bantam Books, says it's out of print! Oh, no!! SOMEBODY must have/know of a place that has a supply of these in stock! !!!!!! HELP !!!!!! Ed June SysOp FoReMNet node 386 & FidoNet node 1:133/403 ------------------------------ End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #869 *****************************************