Info-Atari16 Digest Wed, 3 Apr 91 Volume 91 : Issue 186 Today's Topics: amiga emulators Atari 1040STE with 4 meg RAM and software FOR SAL Atari SC1224 Color Monitor for sale Can't connect a 1040st to a TV Set :-( CSB GCR + 1.44Mb floppies Graphics on the STE - v. generally speaking.. (2 msgs) Graphics on the STE - v. generally speaking... MAC Printer Driver for OKIDATA 292/IBM Graphics? Monitors Turbo C's Wierd Behavior Uploading to atari.archive and posting to c. Video Titler program for the ST? WANTED: The RUN DEMO Welcome to the Info-Atari16 Digest. The configuration for the automatic cross-posting to/from Usenet is getting closer, but still getting thrashed out. Please send notifications about broken digests or bogus messages to Info-Atari16-Request@NAUCSE.CSE.NAU.EDU. Please send requests for un/subscription and other administrivia to Info-Atari16-Request, *NOT* Info-Atari16. Requests that go to the list instead of the moderators are likely to be lost or ignored. If you want to unsubscribe, and you're receiving the digest indirectly from someplace (usually a BITNET host) that redistributes it, please contact the redistributor, not us. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 29 Mar 91 14:57:28 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!uupsi!sun ic!kullmar!pkmab!hexagon!daniel@arizona.edu (Daniel Deimert) Subject: amiga emulators To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Mark Choi writes: )Every one repeat after me. There is no such thing, there is no such )thing, there is no such thing.... Actually, I saw such an emulator at a local BBS once. The archive was approximately 300 kb, but I downloaded it anyway (at 300 bps!)--we all know why--but the gizmo required an extra drive and a BLiTTER, and since I had a 1040 STfm, I had none of these. The README claimed that the emulator would emulate (!) an Amiga 1000 but not the HAM mode, and not the sound, and not... Perhaps it should have stated what it would emulate instead. I never got that clear. ;-) Also, a copy of the Amiga Workbench was required. The manual stated that there would be a commersial version available soon (this was the PD ver.), but I haven't heard anything since. Probably they gave up and bought an Amiga. Seems the easiest thing to do, and you can use both computers at the same time. (That's *real* multitasking, folks!) Disclaimer: I live in my own reality, which isn't neccessarily yours. :-) -- Daniel Deimert, daniel@hexagon.se or ...!sunic!kullmar!pkmab!hexagon!daniel ------------------------------ Date: 2 Apr 91 21:50:28 GMT From: beguine!Steven.Kennedy@mcnc.org (Steven Kennedy) Subject: Atari 1040STE with 4 meg RAM and software FOR SAL To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Atari 1040STE with 4 meg RAM forsale, (720K DS/DD internal drive). We are selling our complete Atari system. We have a brand new 1040STE that we no longer need. It has a authorized service upgrade to 4 megs RAM (old SIMS are still available too, for those wanting to upgrade an existing system). In addition to the base computer, we have a second double sided drive for sale. We also have two monitors, one SC1224 that is only about 1 year old, and one SM124 that is brand new. For those of you who don't know the those model numbers, the first is color, the second is monochrome for high resolution graphics and clearer text readout. As those of you out there who cherish Atari's know, this is a very powerful computer, with great application for MIDI work as well as desktop publishing and quality word processing output. In addition, we have several productivity programs for sale as well, including VIP Professional (just like LOTUS 123), the financial cookbook (for calculating mortgage costs, loan payments, and lots of other useful stuff), PageStream, Word Perfect, Microsoft Write, Phasar, Printmaster Plus, and various games. See below for prices. HARDWARE: Brand New Atari STE with 4 meg RAM $550.00 Or Best Offer 2nd DS/DD Atari floppy drive $100.00 " Brand New Atari Monochrome Monitor $140.00 " One-Year Old Atari Color Monitor $250.00 " SOFTWARE: Wordperfect (great word-processor) $100.00 " PageStream (desktop publisher) $100.00 " Phasar v3.0 $30.00 " VIP Professional (spreadsheet, etc) $30.00 " Microsoft Write $25.00 " Printmaster Plus (for posters) $20.00 " Financial Cookbook $20.00 " Various Games for all $50.00 " ________ IF YOU WANT THE WHOLE SYSTEM ------------$1335.00 Or Best Offer JUST REMEMBER , YOU CAN MAKE US ANY OFFER YOU WANT. IF ITS REASONABLE, WE WILL CONSIDER IT FAVORABLY. The entire system is in excellent condition, and as stated above, most of it is brand new. I'd prefer to sell the whole thing to one person, but I will break it up if necessary, so don't hesitate to call for just one piece. If you interested, which you should be, please either call Steve Kennedy at (919) 479-7066 or get me e-mail at Steven.Kennedy@samba.acs.unc.edu I'd prefer to be called at home, as I don't get to check my e-mail but once a day. There is a machine at my home number , so please leave a message. -- ============================================================================= Extended Bulletin Board Service, Research & Development Office of Information Technology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill internet: bbs.acs.unc.edu or 128.109.157.30 ------------------------------ Date: 2 Apr 91 21:21:51 GMT From: arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!un ix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!bagate!sugaree!bill@arizona.edu Subject: Atari SC1224 Color Monitor for sale To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <1991Apr2.010855.4702@cs.odu.edu>, cwc@nut.cs.odu.edu (Chris Carpinello) writes: > I have an Atari SC1224 Color Monitor + monitor master for sale. This is the > type of monitor with the dials on the side. $185 takes it -- which includes > shipping anywhere in the continental US. (via UPS or USPS -- your choice). > > Terms of sale: > > After I receieve your M.O. or check, I send you the monitor. If it doesn't > work when you get it, I take it back. If it gets there without any problems > it's yours forever. ;-) > (Sorry about posting this reponse, but we don't have the ability to directly rely yet.) Chris, I want that monitor - $185.. that's a deal! Give me a call so that we can lock it in. Tel: (215) 834-0180 ext 256. 8:00AM - 5:30PM EST Bill Bishop ------------------------------ Date: 2 Apr 91 22:29:30 GMT From: NISC.SRI.COM!todd@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Todd Koumrian) Subject: Can't connect a 1040st to a TV Set :-( To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu It is too easy. I also have an old 1040ST. Not only is there no modulator board, but the composite output line that's supposed to come out the connector doesn't exist. On later models it was added. We're screwed. My info comes both from the Atari ST Internals book and I asked at an atari shop just the other week about this. Oh well. ------------------------------ Date: 2 Apr 91 12:42:54 GMT From: arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!ucsd!mvb.sa ic.com!ncr-sd!ncrcae!ricks@arizona.edu (Rick Silverstein) Subject: CSB To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu If anyone has maps, hints, or other useful info on Chaos Strikes Back, I'd like to hear from you. Thanks! Rick Silverstein ricks@opus-2.Columbia.NCR.COM ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 00:34:52 GMT From: noao!ncar!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!bloom-beacon!eru! hagbard!sunic!news.funet.fi!funic!santra!saha.hut.fi!s37837k@arizona.edu (Jari Lehto) Subject: GCR + 1.44Mb floppies To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article gjh@hplb.hpl.hp.com (Graham Higgins) writes: >Anyone know whether Spectre GCR handles the 1.44Mb floppy ugrade? > >Cheers, > >Graham >====== I have 1.44Mb floppy on my ST and in Spectre when I push one in, it does not like it, but with exchanger it should work. My exchanger is bad, so I can not try it before I catch a new copy somewhere... Is there a Mac-HD-format or is the 800k maximum in Mac-format? 1.6Mb floppies would be great... Jartsu *** Jari Lehto, jartsu@otax.hut.fi, s37837k@saha.hut.fi *** ------------------------------ Date: 2 Apr 91 23:36:43 GMT From: IFI.UIO.NO!larserio@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (LarsErikOsterud) Subject: Graphics on the STE - v. generally speaking.. To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu I have a monochrome GIF viewer that uses a kind of dot pattern (not the usual GEM-fill patterns - much better) and that look very good on SM124 You can buy some upgrade kit in Germany that makes it possible to use MEDIUM and LOW res on SM124 as grey-scale.... Lars-Erik / ABK-BBS +47 2132659 / ____ ______ ________________________ Osterud / larserio@ifi.uio.no / /___ / The norwegian ST __________/ ______________________/ ____/ / Klubben, user association ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 00:40:47 GMT From: arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!hanauma.jpl.na sa.gov!hyc@arizona.edu (Howard Chu) Subject: Graphics on the STE - v. generally speaking.. To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <1245@exua.exeter.ac.uk> SAMcinty@exua.exeter.ac.uk (Scott McIntyre) writes: > I've posted a few bits and pieces lately about the graphics capabilities >of the ST series, but I don't seem to have learned much, so, here are >all my questions....if you can help me, I would greatly appreciate it... > > Is the usual method of de-giffing a colour (heck, even mono) picture >onto an ST merely the clumping of black and white dots, at a horrendous >resolution? I know that a lot of effort went into writing these programmes There is no usual method, GIF is not an ST standard picture format. It is a (*gag*) PC oriented format designed by the Software Geniuses at Compu$erve. (double-*gag*...) >2) Does the STE have gray scales, you know, proper shades of gray, not >just the nearness of black and white pixels? How can I use these scales? >When I look in magazines I see some AMAZING pictures on SM124s that are >gray, but look as sharp as a photograph! They ought to! 600 x 400 should >yield fantastic quality...so, where is it? "Gray-scales" on the STe typically refers to using a color monitor on the STe and just filling the palette (16 entries) with gray. On the STe since there are 4 bits per color (R,G,B) and "gray" is just equal values of each color, you can get 16 distinct intensities of gray *on a color monitor* and only in low-rez. In medium rez you can only get 4 levels. There's nothing special going on here, you're just using your color system with a pretty unimaginative selection of colors. >3) Is there any source ftpable that has a collection, or even just >a few, of these images? What might they be called? What kind of suffixes >will they have? GR8? GR9? Try .SPC, .SPU, or .SPS for Spectrum 512 pictures. Spectrum 512 only uses low-rez as well. >4) Is it possible to get Gif images to look remotely nice on a STE? Well, it's fairly simple to display a full 256-color GIF image, if that's what you mean. I have code doing this in my port of Fractint 12. Using frame-swapping to (almost) double the number of bits per pixel just about squares the number of colors to choose from, and also squares the number of colors displayable at once. (Fractint lets you use 16 colors in med-rez and 256 in low-rez.) This is pretty reasonable, given that regular VGA rez only allows 16 colors onscreen in 640x480 mode. I wonder why other folks haven't tried these tricks with their GIF decoders. I am taking the GIF decoding routine from Fractint and using it with my frame-swapping code, and getting pretty tolerable results. For you with your monochrome system, well... Frame-swapping can work there too, but I'm not sure how many colors you can reasonably expect to get. I just received some code from someone else that is supposed to render 256 grayscales on a monochrome monitor, I haven't gotten to try it yet. (Looking thru, it seems to really only give 4 or 16, but that's still better than black&white, eh?) -- -- Howard Chu @ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA Disclaimer: How would I know, I just got here! ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 05:10:45 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!news.cs.indiana.edu!msi.umn.edu!noc.MR. NET!ns!ns!logajan@arizona.edu (John Logajan) Subject: Graphics on the STE - v. generally speaking... To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu SAMcinty@exua.exeter.ac.uk (Scott McIntyre) writes: >1) I have a 520 STE (w 4/meg add on)...and the SM 124. >GIF stuff... and viewing them on the PC that does the >downloading - they all look brilliant. But when I get them home they look >crap. The secret to photo quality pictures is (for black and white) the number of brightness levels (greys) or (for colour) the number of RGB combinations available per pixel. Consider that USA broadcast television can only send about 250 equivalent color "pixels" per scan line, and you can see that the issue is not one of the number of pixels per line (of course, more don't hurt) but of the "shades" those pixels can assume. A GIF on a 640 VGA is BETTER quality than anything I've seen on my broadcast television set. An Atari ST or STe is much worse. Not because of the number of pixels in a scan line (which exceeds broadcast TV) but simply because the Atari has only a few shades to pick from in color mode (4 or 16) and only black and white for high-res mode. You see, VGA has 256 colors (or 64 shades of grey, I believe) per pixel. There in lies the secret, and there in lies the disappointment of Atari's stone age graphics modes. >4) Is it possible to get Gif images to look remotely nice on a STE? No. Even ST's in color mode have only 8 shades of grey, and the STe's have only 16. In high-res mode you just got on or off. -- - John Logajan @ Network Systems; 7600 Boone Ave; Brooklyn Park, MN 55428 - logajan@ns.network.com, 612-424-4888, Fax 612-424-2853 ------------------------------ Date: 2 Apr 91 23:38:57 GMT From: arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!apple!netcom!kron@arizona.edu (Kenneth Kron) Subject: MAC Printer Driver for OKIDATA 292/IBM Graphics? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu I've tried all of the vendors in the GCR Manual and none of them do the OKI 292 and local vendors. Any ideas? Grappler says they are not compatible with any Atari/Amiga emulators. Has anyone tried them? Printworks phone is no longer in service and GDT Sofworks doesn't support the 292 (only 300 and up). BTW -- I have a printworks printer driver for sale (originally $75) will take best offer. -- Kenneth Kron kron@netcom.COM ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 00:25:18 GMT From: o.gp.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!mc4c+@pt.cs.cmu.edu (Mark Choi) Subject: Monitors To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu MultiSync is a trademark of NEC. Multi-scanning is the generic term. ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 00:21:51 GMT From: arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!hanauma.jpl.na sa.gov!hyc@arizona.edu (Howard Chu) Subject: Turbo C's Wierd Behavior To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <1991Apr1.065127.11604@daffy.cs.wisc.edu> carter@cat34.cs.wisc.edu (Gregory Carter) writes: > >Cold anybody explain why Turbo C 2.0 takes a long constant like this: > >ffff8e20 and turns it into -> 8e20 then takes It's an optimization. Remember, word-length values loaded into address registers are automatically sign-extended, so you can store addresses 0000-7fff and ffff8000-ffffffff in only 16 bits. This saves 2 bytes and a couple cycles every time you reference those addresses. It is also completely legal/correct. >00ff8e20 -> ffff8e20??? Dunno, maybe to try to take advantage of the above optimization. It's also perfectly legal. In fact most of my docs list the hardware register addresses as ffffxxxx, not 00ffxxxx. Can't think why you'd want to use 4 bytes to store a value when you only need 2, and using 4 slows you down... > >I had this occur when I was working on my app program..MOST ANNOYING. Nothing to fret about whatsoever... > >It seems to only generate the correct address when you insert the two 00's >???? The address will be correct when the code actually executes. Leave it alone... Hey, what's any of this got to do with the Mega STE? (Why was Mega STe in the keywords of your posting?) -- -- Howard Chu @ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA Disclaimer: How would I know, I just got here! ------------------------------ Date: 2 Apr 91 20:36:55 GMT From: arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!sdd.hp.com!samsung!umich!terminator!te rminator.cc.umich.edu!weiner@arizona.edu (Jeff Weiner) Subject: Uploading to atari.archive and posting to c. To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Uploading to Atari.archive.umich.edu and Posting to comp. By Jeff Weiner, Atari.archive Guardian How to upload to atari.archive.umich.edu: There are two main ways to upload to the archive: FTP or mail 1: FTP - This is the preferred method, as it doesn't clog my mailbox with megs and megs of stuff, not to mention it's a bit easier for you too. Logon to the archive as usual, then issue the following commands cd type binary put filename.ext mail weiner@atari.archive.umich.edu .... "Hey Jeff, I just uploaded this..." This last step is very important. As we're now integrating the index with text and the ls -lR listing, descriptions and an address to send questions to are key. Ed Krimen, ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu, adds this: For those that may not know, may I add that, for aesthetic effects, if you enter "hash," before you "put filename.ext" or "get filename.ext," the ftp program will display a # for every 1024 bytes sent or received. Actually, when you 'put' a file, it will display bunch of # at once. Moreover, if you enter "bell," it will sound your system bell when a function has completed. Finally, you can send and receive a list of files using the "mput" and "mget" commands, respectively, with a list of the files after the command. 2: MAIL - This is a bit slower for you and for me, but is still very effective. Simply uuencode the file, (please split it into parts and mail the result to weiner@atari.archive.umich.edu. Please name the parts in the subject line. This is really helpfull as the parts usually don't arrive in the proper sequence. Also, please include a message labeled file transmission, containing a short description of the file, etc. Shar files are also acceptable, but I prefer the uuencoded. And for those of you who would like to see your binaries and sources appear in comp. Grimm's Introduction to Binaries and Sources: Subject: Submitting binaries for publication Items intended for posting or queries and problem notes should be sent to atari-binaries@panarthea.ebay.sun.com. If you are on a UUCP-only site, you can send them to If you're in Europe, you can send binaries to the European submoderator, Jan-Hinrich Fessel, at unido!atari-binaries (or, if you're a masochist, atari-binaries@unido.informatik.uni-dortmund.de.) He will test them and forward them to me. Submitting to him saves net bandwidth, so it's encouraged. If you want verification of arrival, so say in a cover note, or at the beginning of your submission, if it is small. I try to verify that a program works, and if I can't get it to work, I may hold up posting it for a couple of days. Please note that, except in rare cases, software without documentation will not be published. The backlog from receipt to posting varies from one to four weeks depending mostly on the set of submissions currently in my queue. If you are submitting both sources and binaries, PLEASE send the two separately. If I have to separate your sources from your binaries by hand, your submission will most likely sit on the back burner for a while. Also, as of volume 8, I will only accept binaries packed with an archiver for which source code is widely available. For the time being, this pretty much means arc, zoo, and lharc. If you want to use a nifty new archiver, make the source code available to the public (posting to comp.sources.atari.st is fine.) I reserve the right to repack binaries with another archiver if the other archiver saves a significant amount of space, or has other advantages. If you're submitting a demo of a commercial program, or a shareware program, please keep the amount of advertising to an absolute minimum. The net gods become angry when people try to use the net as a free advertising medium, and I'd like to keep comp.binaries.atari.st out of trouble. If you want to solicit orders, do it in a README file or an About... dialog box, not in a message that comes up every time the user does something. In other words, treat the net like a PBS station (apologies to those outside the US.) I will not accept programs which I feel are excessively commercial. I'm aware that commercial demos and shareware are often very useful (to the users on the net,) which is why I allow them at all. Subject: Submitting source for publication Items intended for posting or queries and problem notes should be sent to atari-sources@panarthea.ebay.sun.com. If you are on a UUCP-only site, you can send them to sun!ebay!panarthea!atari-sources. In Europe, send your submissions to Jan-Hinrich Fessel, the European submoderator of the group, at unido!atari-sources (or, if you're a masochist, atari-sources@unido. informatik.uni-dortmund.de.) If you want verification of arrival, so say in a cover note, or at the beginning of your submission, if it is small. I try to verify that a program works, and if I can't get it to work, I may hold up posting it for a couple of days. Please note that, except in rare cases, source without documentation will not be published. The backlog from receipt to posting varies from one to four weeks depending mostly on the set of submissions currently in my queue. I prefer that you submit sources and binaries separately, as it's a pain to separate them, and such submissions are invariably placed on the back burner. Sources should be submitted in the same format as binaries -- uuencoded arc, zoo, or lzh files. Please use Pierre Dumas' "uue" program if possible, as it can correct some common transmission errors. Split long submissions up into reasonable (less than 50K) chunks. "uue" will do this for you, if you use "uue -700 file" to encode. Please inform me of any special system requirements, and what development environment was used, so that I can properly test your submission and label it when I post it. -------------------- -- Jeff Weiner weiner@terminator.cc.umich.edu Jeff_Weiner@ub.cc.umich.edu Mail Dennis_Devine@ub.cc.umich.edu and ask if he'd like a White Castle Atari.archive.umich.edu Caretaker||194M and climbin'|| "So like take off eh?" ------------------------------ Date: 2 Apr 91 23:29:17 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!van-bc!ubc-cs!al berta!arcsun.arc.ab.ca!erkamp@arizona.edu (Bob Erkamp) Subject: Video Titler program for the ST? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <4540.27f730a4@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu> rlcollins@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu (Ryan 'Gozar' Collins) writes: >Well, I'm in an educational media class right now at school, and I need to >know if there is any sort of video title program for the ST out. > The latest ST Format (I think) witht he disk has a demo of just such a program called I believe ST Titler. Bob ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 04:13:52 GMT From: noao!ncar!news.miami.edu!umiami!dlk0ms9s@arizona.edu Subject: WANTED: The RUN DEMO To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu I am looking for a graphics demo that was fetured in ST Format. It was not on the disk but was mentioned in the PD section of the magazine. ANyway, it is called the RUN DEMO. If anyone has it, or knows where to get it, than please u/l it to the archive or leave me email and I will be more than glad to send you a disk. Thanks Mark Santora dlk0ms9s@umaimi.ir.miami.edu ------------------------------ End of Info-Atari16 Digest ******************************