========================================================================= INFO-ATARI16 Digest Mon, 30 Apr 90 Volume 90 : Issue 496 Today's Topics: cachexxx.prg in auto folder. For Sale: Spectre 128 MiniBBS working a 1200 baud? (2 msgs) Stereo Sound on a regular ST????? STE TOS / TOS 1.4/1.6 etc. Unix Windows uuencode format wanted Word-Processing in European Languages ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 30 Apr 90 13:34:04 GMT From: usc!srhqla!quad1!ttidca!woodside@ucsd.edu (George Woodside) Subject: cachexxx.prg in auto folder. Message-ID: <12812@ttidca.TTI.COM> In article <9004261545.AA06928@Sunburn.Stanford.EDU> MFAGKCHR@HMARL5.BITNET writes: > >I did the following: > >Boot a mega 2 with TOS 1.4 (UK version) with AHDI 3.01 as autoboot driver. >Place cache90.prg in the auto folder. No other auto program. Cache90 >says: no cache buffers added. Is this normal? No. However, it is understandable when you realize how the program works. It (cachexxx) searches for it's own name in the directory to determine the size of the cache it is to allocate. It does this by searching the current directory, then /AUTO on the default drive, and then (possibly, this was a while ago) the root directory on the boot device. Since the autoboot sequence doesn't set the current directory to /AUTO, the current directory is the current drive (usually C: at boot time). Consequently, if there is any file named CACHE???.??? (that's cache ANYTHING) on drive C, even a hidden file, that is the entry found. If the last three digits of the file name are not numeric, CACHE does not get a properly parsed size value, and logs the error message. Check your directory for such things as a hidden "CACHE.INF" from another caching program (that's what did me in). Since TOS does not oficially give a program its own name, this is (in my opinion) a reasonable approach to the task of building in a parameter for an automatically executed program. The only other alternative that comes readily to mind is a separate parameter file. That makes the original program that much more complex, adds another level of maintenance, and opens another window for problems. -- * George R. Woodside - Citicorp/TTI - Santa Monica, CA * * Path: woodside@ttidca * * or: ..! ------------------------------ Date: 30 Apr 90 22:28:30 GMT From: cs.yale.edu!pekowsky-larne@CS.YALE.EDU (Larne Pekowsky) Subject: For Sale: Spectre 128 Message-ID: <24483@cs.yale.edu> Well, since the person who expressed interest in buying my Spectre has either lost interest or fallen off the face of the earth, I'm offering it again. Just to make things absolutely clear, this is the 128, not the GCR. This means you can't read Mac disks directly. Included, however, is a program called the transverter which will transfer a file from an ST format disk to a Spectre format disk. I'm also including a telecommunication program, so you can always download whatever you want (that's how I did things most of the time). This has the second to latest release of the Spectre software, which supports sound (although not perfectly), hard drives, Atari's laser printer and so on. The mac 128K ROMS are also included. All this for only $175 plus shipping. I would especially like to hear from people whom I originally told this wasn't available (since they should have first crack at it). However, if I don't hear from any of them it goes to the first person I do hear from. Larne Pekowsky pekowsky@yale.arpa pekowsky@Yale-Sun3-Nebula CIS: 73715,1552 ------------------------------ Date: 20 Apr 90 07:22:16 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!ohstpy!miavx1!r lcollins@ucsd.edu Subject: MiniBBS working a 1200 baud? Message-ID: <1296.262e7258@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu> Has anybody downloaded MiniBBS from comp.sys.binaries? I have it, but cannot get it to answer at 1200 baud. 300 works fine though. I have a 1040 with Tos 1.0, and the Atari SX212 modem. thanks. Ryan -- "When you have Super Powers, rlcollins@miavx1.BITNET hard work is easy" rc1dsanu@miamiu.BITNET -Dufus from Ducktails ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 May 1990 0:45:42 MET DST From: LarsErikOsterud Subject: MiniBBS working a 1200 baud? Message-ID: Your modem must send the baud rate in the CONNECT-message. 300: CONNECT 2400: CONNECT 2400 1200: CONNECT 1200 Lars-Erik / ABK-BBS +47 2132659 / ____ ______ ________________________ Osterud / larserio@ifi.uio.no / /___ / The norwegian ST __________/ ______________________/ ____/ / Klubben, user association ------------------------------ Date: 25 Apr 90 18:13:15 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!ohstpy!miavx1!r lcollins@ucsd.edu Subject: Stereo Sound on a regular ST????? Message-ID: <1314.2635a26b@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu> Seeing how the JRI memory upgrade can give me 4096 colors cheaply, is there anyway to get the stereo sound cheaply? (I want an STe, but can't really afford it!!) Ryan -- "When you have Super Powers, rlcollins@miavx1.BITNET hard work is easy" rc1dsanu@miamiu.BITNET -Dufus from Ducktails ------------------------------ Date: 30 Apr 90 13:10:20 GMT From: usc!srhqla!quad1!ttidca!woodside@ucsd.edu (George Woodside) Subject: STE TOS / TOS 1.4/1.6 etc. Message-ID: <12811@ttidca.TTI.COM> In article <37990@brunix.UUCP> rjd@cs.brown.edu (Rob Demillo) writes: ...[edited]... >This is ridiculous. There may be inherent *legalities* about >publishing a dismantled ROM, but there is no "inherent weakness" >in this kind of analysis. It is merely very difficult. And prone to be inaccurate. I've dis-assembled hundreds of boot sectors, which are generally 300-450 bytes of code, been puzzled by some things, wrong about others, and fooled by still others. I've done larger items regularly, and it is very subject to interpretation. More so when the code is the output of a higher level language, rather than originally written in 680X0 assembler. Since I've been in this business for well over 20 years, and written several dis-assemblers, I tend to think I know what I'm doing. Dis-assembly is not a science, it is an art, even with a sophisticated, interactive dis-assembler. And not a totally reliable one, no matter how good your dis-assembler is, or how much experience you have in reading/writing code. >How do you think all of the IBM clone manufactures came up with >*their* ROM BIOS and XBIOS stuff? Do you think they went up to >Big Blue and said "excuse me, could you please give me a copy >of your ROM code? I'd like to rewrite it for cloning." Those who did it by the means you suggest have been sued out of business. The BIOS code still available through other sources was done via the "clean room" technique. A group of programmers who demonstrated no knowledge of the code in the ROMs were assigned to write a BIOS. A second group who were familiar with the characteristics of the BIOS tested the results of the first group, and pointed out where their code acted differently. The first group then revised their code. This technique was tested in court, and found to have been legal. All other methods (that I am aware of) have been ruled illegal, and the products removed from the market, or subject to licensing fees. -- * George R. Woodside - Citicorp/TTI - Santa Monica, CA * * Path: woodside@ttidca * * or: ..! ------------------------------ Date: 28 Apr 90 23:45:44 GMT From: sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!ohstpy!miavx1!r lcollins@ucsd.edu Subject: Unix Windows Message-ID: <1327.2639e4d8@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu> In article <1990Apr28.025740.26620@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>, cs325ec@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Gregory Lemperle-Kerr) writes: > austin@cs.odu.edu (Jason C Austin) writes: > > >> I was looking through the atari archives at panarthea and >>found what looks to be a very interesting program called Unix Windows. >>If I'm reading things right, this program will allow the opening of >>several windows, each containing a different process, while logged >>into a UNIX system over a modem. The only problem is the program is >>only the client side of the package and didn't say were the UNIX host >>program might be found. Is the host side a commercial program or is >>it available from an ftp site somewhere? > > I have seen it recently at terminator in unix/ or at > sumex.stanford.edu in unix/... > > -- Greg I downloaded uw.arc, but couldn't get the ST to run. I read that it only supported Monochrome, so I loaded in a mono emulator I had. (The one from Terminator) Well, it still didn't run, so I downloaded uwsrc.arc, which had a file called bin.arc in it, which had some font files and stuff in it. Well, it almost ran, at least it gave me two bombs before exiting to the desktop!! Anyway, has anyone got it to run? I found the Unix sources at terminator under atari/telecomm/uwbin.tar.Z (I think, I know it had the extension .tar.Z.) It compiled just fine on the NeXTs we have here. Ryan p.s. Also, it had the files for a MAC in the Unix source file, for people with Spectre out there. -- "When you have Super Powers, rlcollins@miavx1.BITNET hard work is easy" rc1dsanu@miamiu.BITNET -Dufus from Ducktails ------------------------------ Date: 30 Apr 90 18:25:54 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!icdoc!inmos!inmos-is!gary@uunet.uu.net Subject: uuencode format wanted Message-ID: <39.263c8332@brb.isnet.inmos.co.uk> I am having problems when I extract uuencoded files from comp.binaries.atari.st on the VAX (at work), then copy them over to the PC, where they are decoded. I then copy the files onto 3&1/2 inch disks which can be read by my ST. It seems that the VAX drops any trailing spaces, and thus causes the PC uudecode software to fail. I am writing a simple piece of C code which will fix line lengths as necessary, before I copy the files to the PC. I already have a piece of ST software which knows and works around this particular problem, but find it more convient to use the work facilities. The point of this post: could somebody please Email me the details of the uuencode format, or possibly any (short) source code (in C) which would help me understand how to decypher these files. I have an idea that the first character indicates in some way the length of the line of text that follows(?). Please EMAIL and I will summarize. ============================================================================ Gary Morton Inmos Ltd, Aztec West, Bristol | EMail(UK) ----------| +44 454 616616 X520 |------------| gary@brb.isnet.inmos.co.uk The opinions above are my personal views | EMail(ROW) and may not reflect Inmos policy. | gary@brb.isnet.inmos.com ============================================================================ ------------------------------ Date: 30 Apr 90 12:10:37 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!stc!datlog!dartus@uunet.uu.net ( David Artus) Subject: Word-Processing in European Languages Message-ID: <2846@dlvax2.datlog.co.uk> A friend wishes to do some WP on an atari ST (or Amiga !?) and particularly needs to use accented characters etc. He is especially interested in the usability of the software when entering such characters, having to hit all manner of control/alt/escape keys to get an 'e acute' does not appeal. Does anyone have any prefered Software for this purpose? Replies by email please. Thanks, Dave Artus. -- Regards, Dave Artus ------------------------------ End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V90 Issue #496 *****************************************