Info-Atari16 Digest Thu, 23 Jan 92 Volume 92 : Issue 40 Today's Topics: Aladin Atarians! Where Are You?! Desk Accessory ordering -- Summary Desktop background GCR with overscan? HD Toolkit? Is STart magazine utterly dead? (2 msgs) Multifinder for Atari-ST ? New Supra Modem... Sozobug 1.33i The Computer Chronicles at NAMM TOS chipsets (was Re: What to do?) TT Fast-RAM for sale Yet another ST for sale (2 msgs) 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: 23 Jan 92 08:51:26 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!wupost!spool.mu.edu!olivea!apple!well!dsmall@arizona. edu (David Small) Subject: Aladin To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Spectre 3.0 (no prior versions) has the ability to read and write Aladin format disks. Use the Shift-HELP menu to configure the A/B: drives between Aladin/Spectre and 9/10 sectors, if I recall correctly. To transfer data from Atari disks, use the program TRANSVERTER on the Spectre 3.0 disk. It even does some conversions on ASCII data if you wish; it's handy. It moves data from Atari fd/hd to Mac *single sided* MFS disks (Spectre format only); from there you can write to an Aladin disk. In all honesty, it is possible that one or another of Aladin formats was not perfectly supported. I believe they had 9 / 10 sectors, single / double sided disks, and another format with MSDOS-TOS data on one side, and Mac data on the other side. Pull up the Shift-HELP menu from inside Spectre (while in Mac mode) and check it out, and experiment. We added Aladin support as part of the effort to work with customers in Europe who had the Aladin cartridge before the company making it stopped; we did this in 3.0 with foreign language support in menus, etc. CAUTION: Aladin INFECTS Mac programs with a virus called "Frankie virus" by virus killer programs; only fairly recent Disinfectants and such can find it. This virus checks for the Aladin copy protection "dongle" in the cartridge port. It attempts to disable itself while running on a real Mac; it accidentally disables itself on Spectre, due to pure, dumb luck. However, any alteration to a program in that manner is not something to be lightly undertaken, and since you said you were moving data around ... Finally, one other possibility: Boot up an Aladin ST with a terminal program that works, null-modem it to an ST or PC (if PC compatible disks) and x/y/zmodem the files across. I hope this helps. -- thanks, Dave / Gadgets p.s. The author of Aladin is on the net here somewhere ... ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 21:37:40 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!src.honeywell.com!umn.edu!cs.umn.edu!kksys!or bit!pnet51!chucks@arizona.edu (Erik Funkenbusch) Subject: Atarians! Where Are You?! To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu ucacmsu@ucl.ac.uk (Mr Stephen R Usher) writes: >PS. The Amiga is a fine machine for graphics, and quite good for sound, but >it isn't ideal for some things, including I must say, programming in C. Huh? could you please explain that opinion? Since most of the OS was written in C i don't understand how you could come to that conclusion. .--------------------------------------------------------------------------. | UUCP: {amdahl!tcnet, crash}!orbit!pnet51!chucks | "I know he's come back | | ARPA: crash!orbit!pnet51!chucks@nosc.mil | from the dead, but do | | INET: chucks@pnet51.orb.mn.org | you really think he's | |-------------------------------------------------| moved back in?" | | Amiga programmer at large, employment options | Lou Diamond Philips in | | welcome, inquire within. | "The First Power". | `--------------------------------------------------------------------------' ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 15:43:58 GMT From: mcsun!uknet!yorkohm!minster!mjl-b@uunet.uu.net Subject: Desk Accessory ordering -- Summary To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Thanks to all those who responded to my question about how desk accessories are ordered on the "Desk" menu -- a summary follows: When starting up, the AES gets the name of the next accessory (using Fsfirst and Fsnext GEMDOS calls), loads it and executes it. As soon as the DA makes an AES call, the AES suspends execution of that DA and loads the next... and so on. The ordering on the menu depends on the order in which the DAs execute the menu_register call. However, due to the behaviour of the AES described above, "Desk" menu ordering depends on how many AES calls each accessory makes before it calls menu_register. If all the accessories make the same number of AES calls, then the ordering will be the same as directory order. Otherwise, it depends on the number of AES calls made by each accessory. Mat | Mathew Lodge | "What do they call you, boy?" "Kate." "Isn't | | mjl-b@minster.york.ac.uk | that a bit of a girl's name?" "... it's | | Summer: lodge%alsys@uknet | short for 'Bob'" -- Blackadder II | ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 16:30:07 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!src.honeywel l.com!umn.edu!lapis.labmed.umn.edu!davidli@arizona.edu Subject: Desktop background To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <185@mailmak.swb.de>, theo@mailmak.swb.de (Theo Janssen) writes: > ...Does anyone know if it is possible to have an alternate > background on the SM124 with a 'normal' ST ? A program was posted to comp.binaries.atari.st a while back (volume 11). It was sent/written by Noud van Kruysbergen. You can obtain a copy from the atari.archive server in the /atari/Binaries/volume11/desktop1 directory. There are 2 uuencoded parts to the program. The program only works with monochrome monitors. -- David Paschall-Zimbel davidli@simvax.labmed.umn.edu "The most important fact about Spaceship Earth: An instruction book didn't come with it." -- R. Buckminster Fuller ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 08:38:41 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!mips!spool.mu.edu!olivea!apple!well!dsmall@ar izona.edu (David Small) Subject: GCR with overscan? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu // base file has questions about the GCR. // Spectre GCR 3.0 and below (all versions) do not work with overscan. The problem is that in monochrome overscan, the "border" on the sides of the screen is created in video RAM, which hacks off Quickdraw, Mac's drawing package. I'm still looking for a fix, but have a few ideas. We thought we had it fixed once and unfortunately said so. It does not run in the TT color modes. On the TT, you get ST High Res, or the TT dual-page monitor. The GCR does sound like a regular ST. It is difficult to adjust the timing of Mac sounds to the DMA sound timing of the STe/TT; the frequency is a little different. Might be worth doing even if the pitch is off, though, since it will greatly offload the CPU. Happy to answer questions; I have been away from the Net due to SST development for quite some time. You may want to email me at dsmall@well.sf.ca.us as sometimes I don't get here in time before notes scroll off, particularly during "shipping madness". -- thanks, Dave / Gadgets by Small ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jan 92 19:57 EST From: Subject: HD Toolkit? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu I have had the program HD Toolkit by Michtron, I originally bought it for backing up my hard drive. Now I am trying out the program Tune-up that is built into it. I have heard horror stories about the program Tune-Up. Like it would trash partitions if so many % of the partition is not free, etc. Can someone tell me if this applies to the Toolkit version of Tune-Up or just the stand-alone, or vice versa? ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 22:13:25 GMT From: van-bc!ubc-cs!newsserver.sfu.ca!news@uunet.uu.net (Gordon James Farrell) Subject: Is STart magazine utterly dead? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <4874@mtecv2.mty.itesm.mx> gerardo@uapnx1.dgsca.unam.mx (Gerardo Cisneros) writes: > Does anybody know if STart magazine is definitely dead? > Or whether they still have an office in San Francisco? > > Their subscriptions P.O. Box in Mount Morris has been closed, according to the > USPS. > > Your replies to my questions will be appreciated. Yes, they're deader than a doornail. Antic Publishing also did a dirty to those of us who still had issues coming ( I had about 7 or 8 myself) by creating a new company (I forget the name), transferring all of Antic's assets to the new company, and declaring Antic to be non-existant!!!!! Therefore, they don't owe their subscribers (or any of their other creditors) any money!!!!!! Thanks for nothing, you &%$%*&%'s! > -- > Dr. Gerardo Cisneros |Depto. de Aplicacion de Microcomputadoras > gerardo@uapnx1.dgsca.unam.mx |Instituto de Ciencias, UAP, Puebla > CISNEROS@UNAMVM1 (BITNET) |91-92: on sabbatical at DGSCA/UNAM, Mexico ___________________________________________________________________________ Gordon Farrell Computing Science Major Simon Fraser University e-mail: gfarrell@sfu.ca ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 22:16:51 GMT From: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!crabapple.srv.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!mg20+@cs.roch ester.edu (Michael Paul Greelish) Subject: Is STart magazine utterly dead? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu I'm replying to the newsgroup so everyone who needs to find this out hopefully sees it here: "Does anybody know if STart magazine is definitely dead?" DEADER THAN A DOORNAIL. I had a subscription which died with 5 months left on it. This was sometime, uh, in the middle of last year I think. I could say that a cerain larger metaphorical entity is dead too, but that'd be inviting a flamewar... Oh, and I still use my TOS 1.0 1040ST... because I can't afford anything else at the moment. ______________________________________________________ Mike Greelish mg20@andrew.cmu.edu Carnegie Mellon University, Professional Writing major "...but unfortunately, SHIT AIN'T LIKE THAT!" ---"Body Count", Body Count featuring Ice-T ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 13:30:54 GMT From: mcsun!uknet!warwick!nott-cs!dpg@uunet.uu.net (`Grave' Dave Gymer) Subject: Multifinder for Atari-ST ? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <29446@imag.imag.fr> maraninx@imag.fr (Florence Maraninchi) writes: >I need something like the equivalent of the Macintosh multifinder ... >Does it exist ? Not really. Yet. >Or perhaps someone can find another way of solving my problem : >I would like to use a Lisp interpreter which does not allow to call an editor. >And I don't want to quit the interpreter, then to load the editor, etc... >for each modification of the source. I had a similar problem with a version of prolog. I got round it using MiNT; suspending prolog whilst I edited, and suspending the editor whilst I, er, prologed. You could also use the MGR window system under MiNT (but this really is the long way round - nice if you can, though). This does seem like an awful lot of trouble to go to, thought, if you don't already have MiNT. Perhaps you should try looking for another Lisp? (Any Lisp guru's out there know hidden system()-type commands in Lisp?) -- `Grave' Dave Gymer | WHYDOPEOPLEUSETHESECONFUSINGMESSAGESINTHERESIGNATURESIDONT 42 St Mary's Park, | KNOWBUTIFIGUREIMIGHTASWELLDOITASWELLACTUALLYITSBLOODYDIFFI Louth, Lincs, | CULTTOTYPEWITHOUTGOINGFORTHESPACEBARAUTOMATICALLYOHWELLBET LN11 0EF, ENGLAND | TERTRYANDMAKETHISFINISHATEXACTLYTHEENDOFTHISCURRENTLINEUGH ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 20:05:32 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!qt.cs.utexas.edu!yale.edu!spool.mu.edu!umn.edu!cs.umn .edu!thelake!steve@arizona.edu (Steve Yelvington) Subject: New Supra Modem... To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu [In article <1992Jan23.171744.29869@watserv1.waterloo.edu>, jparker@caddac1.waterloo.edu (James Parker) writes ... ] > I have a somewhat related question concerning my Supra 2400 modem. > I have been using it satisfactorily for several years until recently > new modems were installed on the server here at the university. > Now I cannot connect at 2400 baud (tho' it does still work at 1200). > > According to the docs, the dial-in lines use V.42bis at 2400 baud. > My Supra 2400 manual says it is V.22bis. Is there an inherent > incompatibility here? Do I need to get a new modem using V.42bis > to talk at 2400? Please say no! I know nil about what V.42, V.22 etc > means so be easy on me. No, there isn't an inherent incompatibility. All standard modems that support 2400bps connections do it with V.22bis. Does your university's modem support 9600 (V.32) connections? If so, your old-model SupraModem may be ``falling back'' to 1200 about the time the university modem is falling back to 2400, so they never link up at the higher speed. Check your modem manual to see if there's a way to disable fallback (connect ONLY at 2400) or extend the time your modem waits for a 2400 connection. The V.42 stuff takes place AFTER the basic connection has been made. If your university's modems work properly, they'll notice that they get no V.42 answers from your older SupraModem, and proceed with a conventional 2400 link. V.42 and V.42bis do not have anything to do with the speed of the link. They deal with error-correction and data compression. They DO affect the amount of data that will flow (computer-to-computer speed), but not the speed at which signalling events take place (modem-to-modem speed). V.42 is LAPM (Link Access Procedure M) error-correction. This is a standard that describes the way two modems can detect errors and retransmit bad data without either computer knowing anything about it. They use a block-checksum method, sort of like Xmodem in a general sense. V.42bis is BLTZ (British Telecom Lempel-Ziv) data compression. The modem analyzes outgoing data, compresses it, and then hands it to V.42 for transmission. The receiving modem then decompresses the data. It's sort of like running ARC, ZOO or LZH on the fly. On easily compressed data, the actual throughput might be three times as high as the bps rate supported by the two modems. (Obviously, the computer-to-modem connection has to be set at a higher speed. This requires flow control, which is a complicated subject on the ST due to bugs in various versions of TOS.) V.42 and V.42bis can be run on top of any modem-to-modem link speed. The SupraModem 2400plus runs those protocols on top of V.22bis. High-speed modems run V.42/V.42bis on top of V.32 or V.32bis links, achieving very high throughput. -- Steve Yelvington, Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota Note: Mail to the .mn.org domain has been failing for about a month. If your mail bounces, try cs.umn.edu!thelake!steve. It's probably another side effect of the Super Bowl. (I'm praying for a blizzard on Super Sunday.) ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 23:59:34 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!wupost!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-sta te.edu!linac!att!bu2.bu.edu!bu.edu!bucsf.bu.edu!harryk@arizona.edu (Harry Karayiannis) Subject: Sozobug 1.33i To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <1992Jan23.020126.2287@ccu.umanitoba.ca> bright@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Bob Bright) writes: >In article <1992Jan22.143127.1@lapis.labmed.umn.edu> davidli@lapis.labmed.umn.edu writes: >>Just a note to let folks know that there is at -least- a problem with one of >>the example programs that comes with the 1.33i release and STe computers. >> >>I installed the 1.33i release on an STe last night, during the local MAST+ >>programmers meeting. We then 'tested' the program by clicking on the makefile >>in the example programs folder. It compiled and ran the test programs without >>a hitch. However, the 'minicolr' pallette changer doesn't work with STe >>machines. I didn't go through the code enough to learn whether it was a >>special call or not; I assume that the program makes assumptions about the >>color pallette information (which is 4 bits for the STe vs. 3 bits for the ST). > > >There are also problems with minicolr that don't have anything to do >with whether it's running on an STe. When run as a prg, my mouse >locks up on exit and I have to reboot. This occurs on both of my >machines, a 520ST/TOS1.2 and 1040ST/TOS1.0. Minicolr seems to work >OK on both machines when it's actually running, though. > Although I might be totally wrong here, I suspect (guess) the problem is that there is a call to wind_update(END_UPDATE) missing from the source code... Take a look at the code and make sure that for every call to wind_update(BEG_UPDATE) there's a corresponding call to wind_update(END_UPDATE). However, if the code contains #ifdef directives the above search may turn out to be rather tedious, 'cause you have to make sure that every pair of calls to wind_update() lies (sp?) in the same context. Note that I haven't looked at the code of the program so I am just _suggesting_ a possible cause of the problem. >BBB >-- >Bob Bright | E-mail: bright@ccu.umanitoba.ca >Dept. of Philosophy | FAX: (204) 261-0021 >University of Manitoba | Voice: (204) 474-9105 >Winnipeg, Man R3T 2N2 | ============================================================================= Author of ATZENTA2 Harry Karayiannis ________E-Mail________ 15 N.Beacon, #316 Boston Univ. |INTERnet: ** || ATARI ** Allston, MA 02134 Computer Sc. | harryk@bucsf.bu.edu ** /||\ MegaST ** U.S.A. |BITnet: ======================================================| cscrzcc@buacca.bu.edu ---------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 20:47:07 GMT From: mnemosyne.cs.du.edu!isis.cs.du.edu!mmiller@uunet.uu.net (Mark Miller) Subject: The Computer Chronicles at NAMM To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu I just got Z*Net yesterday, and it says that the PBS show The Computer Chronicles will be at the NAMM show, and will focus on Atari in the MIDI field. Issue #91-03 was dated Jan. 17, and they said that the NAMM show started on Saturday. Z*Net also said the show is watched by about 700,000 viewers. You may want to make a point of watching The Computer Chronicles to see the show. I don't know how much of a delay they have in when they film and when they actually show it, but I would assume it is pretty quick since the computer industry moves so fast. It is on Wednesdays at 11:30am, and the Wednesday shows are repeated Sundays at 3:30pm. You should probably make a point of watching this Sunday's show to catch it. Check your local TV listings for the right channel. For those of us in Colorado, it is on Channel 12. |Mark Miller, computer science |"I was just thinking of the immortal words | |major at C.S.U. | of Socrates...'I drank what?'" | |millerm@mozart.cs.colostate.edu |"What a waste it is to lose one's mind..." | |mmiller@isis.cs.du.edu | Do you _really_ think I care that your | | / Atari friend! ||| | computer is "better" than mine??? Think | | \/ --- The Mark )|( | about it. I'm not THAT ignorant. | | World Peace / | \ There's nothing else quite like it. | ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 23:49:39 GMT From: mintaka.lcs.mit.edu!wookumz.gnu.ai.mit.edu!entropy@yale.arpa (maximum entropy) Subject: TOS chipsets (was Re: What to do?) To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <4f3rxzd@rpi.edu> pinelr@aix.rpi.edu (Robert Jeffrey Pinelli) writes: >p.s. To get an idea how old my mega is, it has the 6 chip ROM set in it that >almost NO Megas have! Boy am I glad I didn't take Toad Computer's word for >it when ordering my TOS 1.4 upgrade! I'm considering doing a TOS 1.4 upgrade in my circa-1987 1040 ST. (rev. D motherboard.) Where are the TOS roms located? I found a group of 6 chips under the power supply that looks like it might be the TOS, but I'd like to be sure, so that I don't order the wrong set and find out from the installation instructions that I was looking at the wrong thing and really need a 2-chip set. Thanks, entropy -- entropy@gnu.ai.mit.edu entropy. . .it's not just a good idea, it's the second law. Boycott AT&T, Lotus, Apple, Ashton-Tate and Xerox. Join the League for Programming Freedom! Write to league@prep.ai.mit.edu for more information. ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 13:11:23 GMT From: mcsun!uknet!stl!robobar!ibmpcug!demon!news@uunet.uu.net (Cygnus Software Ltd) Subject: TT Fast-RAM for sale To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Sorry if this is in the wrong place; I'll keep it short. I'm upgrading my TT to >8Mb, but to do so my existing 4Mb Atari Fast-RAM board (about 6 months old) has got to be unplugged. If anyone wants it, it's yours for 350 UK pounds (about $620), or nearest sensible offer. It's a simple plug-in unit which would take a standard 2Mb TT up to 6Mb - the board is small & light, so could easily be air-mailed to anywhere in the world. Any takers? Andre Andre Willey | Email: andre@cix.compulink.co.uk 7 Oaklands Road, Sutton Coldfield, | or andre@cix.uucp West Midlands, B74 2TB, England. | or ...{mcsun}!uknet!cix!andre Phone: (UK) 021-308-5251 | "Il est mort, Jean Luc..." ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 13:00:48 GMT From: mcsun!ieunet!tcdcs!vax1.tcd.ie!mpnolan@uunet.uu.net Subject: Yet another ST for sale To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <1992Jan23.062347.2682@milton.u.washington.edu>, england@milton.u.washington.edu (Gregory Miller) writes: > In article <1992Jan22.183730.12621@varian.uucp> lefko@csbvax.uucp (Marty Lefkowitz) writes: >>Atari 520STfm for sale. Hardly used. 1040 motherboard. >>Comes with mono monitor, >>1 double sided disk (IBM compatible) >>1 single sided disk. >>Monitor Stand >>All origonal boxes and manuals >> >>$350 or best offer. > > > Heh heh.... Like a rat scrambling to abandon a sinking ship, yet another > Atarian offers up his 'computer' hoping that some fool will be stupid enough > to buy it. > > _______________________________________________________________________________ > __ > I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, /// > briefed, debriefed, or numbered. __ /// Only Amiga makes > \\\/// it possible..... > My life is my own. \XX/ > _______________________________________________________________________________ > > england@u.washington.edu What a plonker! What age are you, Marty? SIX? YOU HAVE NOTHING TO ADD TO THIS GRUP. THIS GROUP WAS SET UP FOR ATARI USERS AND OWNERS, NOT KIDS WITH THE BIGGEST 'TOY' IN THEIR STREET. Now leave us alone. P.S. Is there anybody/anywhere I can complain to about this guy disrupting the group? .____________________________________. |*Mark Nolan ************| ||| | |*Trinity College Dublin*| ||| | |*Eire*******************| / | \ | |*mpnolan@vax1.tcd.ie****| / | \ | -------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jan 92 21:46:21 GMT From: fs7.ece.cmu.edu!crabapple.srv.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!mc4c+@sei.cmu.edu (Mark Choi) Subject: Yet another ST for sale To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu On 23-Jan-92 in Re: Yet another ST for sale user Gregory Miller@u.washing writes: >FOAD loser.... The loser is the one who has nothing better to do than to read newsgroups that do not affect them, and send posts just to get a rise. If you do not own an ST, why bother us. I subscribe to comp.sys.atari.st for info on how to get the most out of my two STs. I subcribe to the Amiga group to get new on how to best use my 2500. I can get by with the mac just fine without. I do not post ST stuff to comp.sys.amiga that relates to the ST. Get a real life, and get a grip. Besides, there are actually more for sale posts in the amiga bulitten board than there are in the ST Bboard, with more people here selling to upgrade to another ST, so your original point is STUPID. God what a waste of time.Go away, little boy. mark ------------------------------ End of Info-Atari16 Digest ******************************