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NewScreen.DOC
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1988-04-28
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Multiple Workbench Screens v1.6 ©
1988
Roundabout Software
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sure, we all know the Amiga can multitask. But isn't it annoying when
that busy pointer comes up on the Workbench screen while reading icons
from that disk of 150 files? Not very elegant for a multitasking system.
Well, this program isn't really a solution to that problem. However, it
WILL let you have more than one workbench screen at a time. I'm not quite
sure why anybody would want this, but I thought it was kind of neat so I
decided to 'release' it to the general public. Not much programming
was required -- as a matter of fact I stumbled upon this little trick by
accident. When I am satisfied with the source code I will probably
release it along with the executable, but don't hold your breath.
Performance notes
-----------------
NewScreen is designed to run from CLI only. Perhaps at a later time
I will add in the workbench support -- not a hard thing to do, really, but
I just haven't had time lately. Here, then, is usage from CLI :
RUN Newscreen {screen mode} [depth]
Screen mode can be four different options :
l
- for
lo-res
i
- for
interlace
m
- for
medium-res
h
- for
hi-res
Depth can range from 1-3. 1 bitplane gives you 2 colors, 2 bitplanes
gives you 4 colors, and 3 bitplanes give you 8 colors. I haven't allowed
the program to accept any values higher than three because the crash rate
at that point becomes constant. Depth defaults to 3 bitplanes if not
specified.
Once the program is up and running, there will be an added window bar
in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Clicking on this bar will
allow you to use a menu with three options. 'About' will give you a little
information about the program, 'Colors' will bring up a palette to allow you
to edit your onscreen colors, and 'Quit' will perform the same thing as
clicking the close gadget. (PLEASE read carefully the section below on
warnings dealing with quitting NewScreen)
By the way, the color palette assumes you are using a 3-bitplane (8 color)
screen. If you aren't no problem, the palette just won't look quite as
lovely as normal, and there will be too many gadgets. I am working on
this now, and plan to have it fixed by the next release of NewScreen.
NewScreen REQUIRES that the command 'loadwb' be in your C directory.
Sure, we all hate programs that use execute, but it couldn't be helped
in this case.
What good is this anyway?
-------------------------
You can have a hi-res workbench screen and a medium-res workbench
screen at THE SAME TIME.
You can run your terminal programs that come up on the workbench screen
and they will use 8-color ANSI. Since most terminals now support 8
colors, this isn't such a big deal.
You can run the demos on the workbench disk and watch as they work with
all 8 colors (if you have specified 3 bitplanes).
You can have a lo-res or an interlace workbench screen. Lo-res is useful
for making your friends think you have a C-64 emulator.
You can just play around and see what the different resolutions look
like with the workbench on it.
WARNINGS
--------
You must RUN NewScreen from your CLI, or use RUNBACK or RRUN. NewScreen
(at the present time) does not detach itself from the CLI so if you wish
to continue to use your CLI, use one of these commands on the command line
before NewScreen.
Through no fault of my own, when you close down the alternate screen via
using the close gadget, about 20K of memory will be lost until you reboot.
This is due to memory allocated for the Workbench task not being released
when the screen is closed. If you don't believe me, type 'loadwb' three
or four times in your CLI window and watch your memory go down. Oh well,
maybe in the next revision of the OS. When you click on the close gadget,
NewScreen will send a message back to the CLI it was run from indicating
that the memory has been lost. Also, the system can sometimes (not always)
becomes crash-prone after closing the alternate workbench screen, so it might
be a good idea to reboot after closing the window. I provided the close
gadget just for convenience, and I don't guarantee that it will always
return safely.
Strange things can happen sometimes (guru) when disks are inserted
or removed. I have found one way around this .... copy the program to
your RAM disk (or VD0 or some other non-removable media) along with
the 'loadwb' program and take all disks out of your drives. Run
NewScreen and then re-insert your disks.
Disclaimer
----------
I, Chris Bailey, assume NO responsibility for any data lost or destroyed
by this program. There is NO Trojan or otherwise offensive code in this
program, HOWEVER, the methods used to achieve the end result make certain
things a bit unstable. Use this software at your own risk.
This program may be distributed via BBS's anywhere, or included on
any software collection provided that the charge for said software
collection or PD disk does not exceed that of the media and/or shipping
charges. Posting to major networks is allowed (and encouraged) except
for Compuserve. I have no desire to belong to their libraries, and if
you find this there, please ask the sysops to delete it by request of
the author.
If you enjoy this program, then why not give my BBS a call? I may
be located at the following locations:
Chris Bailey (VOICE) (803) 796-8058 or
(VOICE) (803) 794-4933
My BBS (803) 791-9448
bix : csbailey
And at various other BBS's across the country (thank you, PC-Pursuit).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This product was written and developed with:
Benchmark Modula-2
by
Avant Garde Software
-------------------------------------------------------------------------