Info-Atari16 Digest Sun, 31 Mar 91 Volume 91 : Issue 180 Today's Topics: BIGCOLOR.PRG Character sets? Info-Atari16 Digest V91 #179 memory problems Mr. Pietrzak responds to: "Mr. Choi" responds to Atari (a flame) (2 msgs) Need a cooling fan for my 1040ST with ZRAM upgrade Opinions on gcc rant and rave (2 msgs) SPC Pics from Umich, corrupt? Telecom program help needed Time Bandit... TRHall and Notebook Type faster than write? (was Re: ST Pad specs) (2 msgs) Uniterm & Kermit 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: 30 Mar 91 16:15:49 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!wuarchive!m.cs.uiuc.edu!vela!lwwarpup@arizona. edu (Lonnie W. Warpup) Subject: BIGCOLOR.PRG To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Has anyone else had any problems with the BIGCOLOR color monitor emulator? It boots up ok only about 20% of the time. I am running on TOS 1.0, but it is supposed to work with all TOS version. Any suggestions? -- /-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-\ | "It's only wafer thin." | Lonnie Warpup | Internet: | | -"The Meaning Of Life" lwwarpup@vela.acs.oakland.edu | \-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-~-v-/ ------------------------------ Date: 31 Mar 91 05:05:09 GMT From: noao!asuvax!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!uflo rida!mailer.cc.fsu.edu!nu!boyd@arizona.edu (Mickey Boyd) Subject: Character sets? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <4qukZ1w162w@fquest.fidonet.org>, mspacek@fquest.fidonet.org (Mark Spacek) writes: > > I've never messed much with character sets on the ST. Never had any >installed but the system default. Never thought about it much. UNTIL, a >guy showed me a little program the other day. It was called MACINTOS, I >think. It was like 4270 bytes long, went in his auto folder, and changed >the font to a Mac-type font. It changed the font on the GEM menus on the >desktop and the font all through programs that were run. So.. > I got to thinking about installing an ANSI character set to make a >VT-100 terminal work better with a PC ANSI BBS, etc. So, I'd kinda like >to get some feedback about what character set editors are out there. Neodesk 3.0 comes with a PD font editor, and a small auto program that can replace the system font at boot time. Alternately, you can use a different font just within Neodesk (but have the regular one when you run programs). Pretty nifty. -- ---------------------------------+------------------------------------- Mickey R. Boyd | "Kirk to Enterprise. All clear FSU Computer Science | down here. Beam down Technical Support Group | yeoman Rand and a six-pack . ." email: boyd@fsucs.cs.fsu.edu | ---------------------------------+------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 30 Mar 91 12:35:56 EST From: Greg Subject: Info-Atari16 Digest V91 #179 To: "RE: Mr. Choi " Well said, Mr. Choi. ATARI has long been known to dump its woes (mostly self-caused) onto others. When AMIGA Co. was hitting hard times, they did their best to dump them further down under the pretense of buying them out due to Mr. Tramiel's petulance over a perceived slight. I have been a dedicated ST user for many years (5), but I've finally grown exhausted and jumped ship. I still have my 1040 for Nostalgic reasons, but I also own an Amiga. Sometimes, Mr. Choi, one can be right but be arguing with idiots. It's not worth your time. Please, no more of these letters on the list server! ------------------------------ Date: 30 Mar 91 20:48:31 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!hayes .ims.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fnjlh1@arizona.edu (HARRIS JAY L) Subject: memory problems To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu While chasing some problem that caused intermittent lockup w/ black screen, after trying heat and cool spray, and getting random bomb numbers, I finally removed the ZRAM, removed the MMU, treated the little pins w/ Cramolin (neat stuff), and reinserted. I tried to be carefull and worked on a static mat, tried to account for the little interrupt insulation that the ZRAM uses on one pin, but still ended up with .5M instead of the normal unenhanced 1M. I found this very discouraging. Is there a specific pin that addresses each bank of memory, and where, as exactly as possible might it be on the mmu? Or should I bark up another tree entirely? I also fiddled with the video shifter in the ZRAM removal if thart could be implicated. Thanks for any help. Stuck on my wife's 1M st... J Harris ------------------------------ Date: 30 Mar 91 15:22:23 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!agate!usenet.ins. cwru.edu!skybridge!pietrzak@arizona.edu (John Pietrzak) Subject: Mr. Pietrzak responds to: "Mr. Choi" responds to Atari (a flame) To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Mr. Choi. I've just read through your thesis on how you have been persecuted on this board, and by Atari in general. In the last week, you have been quite active in writing to comp.sys.atari.st; let me summarize what you've said: Saturday, March 23rd Subject: Re: ST Pad specs A message describing how pen-based computing has been established in the PC world, plus your opinion: >I doubt Atari will really go the whole 9 yards with this. They have just >jaded me too often in the past. I have STacy, so I know what Atari doesn't >do right :~(! Saturday, March 23rd Subject: Re: Two New Computer Announcements - CeBIT A message giving your "wish list" of what you want in a notebook PC, now that they've designed one at Atari. Plus, your opinion: >BTW, I have STacy, and so I know how badly Atari can screw up in the >portable market! Monday, March 25th Subject: Re: Two New Computer Announcements - CeBIT A reply to a previous description of the design choices of the notebook ST. You refute them, and point to the PC world as well. Plus, your opinion: >This thing would sell like mad if they could get it out in time (ie. >before apple comes out with its soon to be released mac notebook) but >I doubt atari learns anything from the past, and so I do not think this >will happen. Monday March 25th Subject: Re: Two New Computer Announcements - CeBIT In your disgust of current Atari hardware (especially the notebook ST) you bring up the point that Atari may be attempting to perform monopolistic practices, forcing people to buy Stacys instead of notebook STs. Plus, your opinion: >I know th ST can be *used* in these other fields, but it is not versitile >enough, and nopt good enough in any of these fields, except DTP/MIDI to >really catch on. The hardware is O.K. for a lot of it, but the >software/OS stinks. Thursday, March 28th Subject: Re: Two New Computer Announcements - CeBIT An Atari employee attempts to explain design procedures for your earlier requests. Again, you refute him, pointing to your wish-list of notebook PCs, especially the external monitor request. Plus, your opinion: >[...] But Atari the company. It *is* Blind/Dumb! And excruciatingly >slow as well. Which brings us to the message I am replying to. Saturday, March 30th Subject: "Mr. Choi" responds to Atari You reply to several posts from people angry at you. You "defend you honor" with a long reply, again refuting most of the discussion of design considerations, as well as commenting on their style of posting. Some of your opinions: >My responses were amicable and polite in reference to all individuals >involved. >Your above contentions are both misinformed, and misinforming. I expected >better. And you think you know the market. You scare me. >If you look at my posts, it is obvious that what I said was to improve >the product, I even stated as much. >If you read my post, I find it hard to see how you can think anything I >say berated TRH, let alone rudely (can one do otherwise?). My point? Sir, you are WHINING. You have WHINED in every single post you put on the board last week, and you are WHINING in this one. Your style is corrosive; your opinions are self-centered; your "facts" are dubious, come from third-party sources, and are used incorrectly. You want something you cannot have, and are throwing a tantrum of great proportions to a network which sends your messages over the entire world. Stop it. ------------------------------ Date: 31 Mar 91 07:15:40 GMT From: daffy!cat7.cs.wisc.edu!carter@rsch.wisc.edu (Gregory Carter) Subject: Mr. Pietrzak responds to: "Mr. Choi" responds to Atari (a flame) To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu What i would Like to know, is why can't everyone just leave others alone. If someone has something to say, let them say it. Just because you feel something isn't of worth, then hit the N or Q or K key OK? I hardly believe my eyes, sometimes. Those of you who critque others on simply writing messages, regardless of topic. The technology you have access to you take for granted, thats a shame. Few people realize the things they do and the impact they have on rn. --Please, let people speak, and leave them alone. --Gregory ------------------------------ Date: 31 Mar 91 00:23:00 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!mintaka!bl oom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!isgate!krafla!adamd@arizona.edu (Adam David) Subject: Need a cooling fan for my 1040ST with ZRAM upgrade To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In <1991Mar26.192606.8264@cs.wayne.edu> pbh@jake.cc.wayne.edu (Patrick Haggood) writes: >> J. Harris writes about how his ST with ZRAM stops running after a few >> hours, then when left off for 2-3 hours, boots fine. >I've been having the same problems with my ST. I figured it was heat, It could be heat affecting the memory board, heat from the power supply spreading through the metal shielding and motherboard, or the Atari power supply is pushing its limits. By far the most heat in the computer is the power supply. I haven't calculated the power loss in that supply but it doesn't look very efficient. There are two choices available. A fan was already mentioned. The best place in a 1040 for a fan is just to the right of the power supply, blowing upwards. A good fan would draw most of its air from the side where the power supply is. Venting slats also have to be opened up in order to get a reasonable airflow. I chose the other (and probably simpler) solution. I removed the power supply altogether and fitted a diskdrive power connector where the switch used to be. Plug in any off-the-shelf power supply and go. All the heat is outside where it belongs, also there is no danger of accidently pulling out the (DC) power cord because it is a snap fit. I have room in the computer box now for an internal hard disk and am not restricted to using the standard Atari PSU with all its shortcomings. If the standard PSU must be used it can be mounted in an aluminum box. To avoid RFI leakage it is a good idea to use a screened cable for the DC power and close with metal the hole where the AC power cord used to plug in. I hope this will help someone. -- Adam David. (adamd@rhi.hi.is) ------------------------------ Date: 30 Mar 91 22:39:07 GMT From: xanth!xanth.cs.odu.edu!jason@ames.arpa (Jason "dedos" Austin) Subject: Opinions on gcc To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu I recently noticed that an st version of gcc was available, and I would like to know something about it before taking the time to download and set it up. One thing I'm interested in is support for AES/VDI system calls and how easily programs written with other st compilers can be converted to work with this one. There is also a mound of gcc related files at the archive site; does anyone have a list of what's needed? -- Jason C. Austin jason@cs.odu.edu ------------------------------ Date: 31 Mar 91 03:53:29 GMT From: fernwood!portal!cup.portal.com!Bob_BobR_Retelle@decwrl.dec.com Subject: rant and rave To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu L.J... does your "kill file" include "potty mouth" comments from our revered "Atari representatives"...? Funny how they can drag a discussion down into the muck with personal attacks and foul language.. ("piss in my coffee"... "you haven't the faintest idea what-in-the-fuck you're talking about") and still have the resident Atari cheerleaders jump to their defense... Is this any way for representatives of a major computer company to talk to the public..? We're all in pretty serious trouble if we have to accept abuse like this just to have the "honor" of their presence here... BobR ------------------------------ Date: 31 Mar 91 07:43:13 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!think.com!mintaka!wookumz.gnu.ai.mit.edu!e ntropy@arizona.edu (entropy) Subject: rant and rave To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <40715@cup.portal.com> Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com writes: L.J... does your "kill file" include "potty mouth" comments from our revered "Atari representatives"...? Funny how they can drag a discussion down into the muck with personal attacks and foul language.. ("piss in my coffee"... "you haven't the faintest idea what-in-the-fuck you're talking about") and still have the resident Atari cheerleaders jump to their defense... It's also funny how some users of this newsgroup can drag a discussion down into the muck by continually pissing in everyone's coffee and babbling on and on when they haven't the faintest idea what-in-the-fuck they're talking about. Is this any way for representatives of a major computer company to talk to the public..? We're all in pretty serious trouble if we have to accept abuse like this just to have the "honor" of their presence here... No one is forcing you to read the messages by anyone from Atari, just put atari.UUCP in your kill file and you won't have to take any more abuse, at least from them. You'll still get abuse from the rest of us unless you stop bitching and griping and start posting something useful here. By the way, most of the Atari folk here are on Usenet on their own time, NOT as representatives of Atari (or have you failed to read the disclaimer attached to their messages?) Personally I really appreciate their presence here and wish assholes like you would quit giving them reasons why they should discontinue that presence. Your friendly resident Atari cheerleader, entropy ------------------------------ Date: 30 Mar 91 12:23:16 GMT From: exeter.ac.uk!avalon@ucbvax.berkeley.edu Subject: SPC Pics from Umich, corrupt? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu The other day I downloaded several SPC pictures from bart, but when I tried to view them on my ST, using a specshow programme I found on bart, only the top quarter of the pictures was visible...the rest was a mess of lines...could the files be corrupt, or is my viewing programme just buggered? Thanks, Scott ------------------------------ Date: 30 Mar 91 10:10:29 GMT From: mixcom!uuvvuu@uunet.uu.net (Craig L. Stodolenak) Subject: Telecom program help needed To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu I just purchased a used 1040 ST and SC1224 about a week ago and have a few questions. Okay, really just one question: Which telecommunications package do you use and why? My observations so far: UniTerm A really spiffy interface with some functions just where I want them, others a mile away, or lacking altogether. The emulations are immaculate from what I can tell, but lack of Zmodem, or even batch Ymodem is a big no-no for me. Interlink Lots 'o features with a so-so interface. At least everything seems available reasonably quickly. Why I don't have control over whether or not a LF is inserted when I hit CR in the buffer window is beyond me. I'm currently using v1.82; I've heard that the latest is v1.85 but it's buggy. The emulation .EMU files I have seem old and definately have bugs; the protocols work reasonably well. Dialing menu is too short for me. I'd like a built-in _full_-featured Zmodem. ST TalkPro v2.0 is supposedly still unfinished, but again supposedly has a lot of nice features. I haven't seen it to comment. Have any of you? Vanterm I was told to look into this product. I have yet to see it or to hear any more than, "get it". Should I? Why? Since telecommunicating is the #1 thing I do with my computer, the associated software is of prime importance to me. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Please post, my E-mail quota is full (yes, we have off-site quotas here). Thanks! -- Craig L. Stodolenak "Then have sent to my chambers two young boys, mixcom!craig%uunet.uu.net a pumkin, and the schnauzer. After this meet- craig@mixcom.com ing I shall wish to be depraved." -- E. Weiner ------------------------------ Date: 29 Mar 91 13:48:56 GMT From: noao!asuvax!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!samsung!cg-atla!tremblay@arizona.edu (Ken Tremblay) Subject: Time Bandit... To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article 33676 Sean asked for help on Excalibur, a puzzle in Time Bandit I tried to mail some info to Sean but I'm not sure if the address worked. But while I'm posting ... can anybody offer some hints to level 3C of Guardian. There is a riddle that has to be answered , correctly of course, before you can advance and this has me stumped. I've been able to solve all the other puzzles. Any help is appreciated. -- AGFA Compugraphic cg-atla!tremblay 200 Ballardvale Wilmington, Ma. rectum? Shit, nearly killed 'em! ------------------------------ Date: 30 Mar 91 22:25:40 GMT From: beguine!Duncan.Lewis@mcnc.org (Duncan Lewis) Subject: TRHall and Notebook To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Having departed the ST arena for the slightly greener pastures of the (*gasp*) Amiga world, I find it refreshing to see a new face on the net from Atari. I'd really like to get more information on this Notebook pc since I still have alot of interest in a portable notebook like ST. I see this more as an accssory to an ST-desktop system tho. I wonder if there's a 68040 station on the horizon for Atari? Maybe a workstation with some real horsepower. I found the TT a disappointment of sorts. Time for 24 bit color and big resolution. Anyways back to Mr. Hall, can you point me and others to a soruce of info on thsi notebook? Thanks -Duncan -- ============================================================================= 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: 28 Mar 91 03:54:51 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!news-server. csri.toronto.edu!torsqnt!geac!maccs!johns@arizona.edu (Conan the Barbarian) Subject: Type faster than write? (was Re: ST Pad specs) To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <1991Mar27.163030.4500@ccu.umanitoba.ca> bright@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Bob Bright) writes: >[...] > This sounds pretty nifty, but will the machine also allow a >normal keyboard to be plugged in? The HCR interface would be very >handy for portable use, but I can type a lot faster than I can write, >and it would be nice to have the option available. >[...] I agree that you can probably type a paragraph of prose faster than you can write it out by hand. But what about a mathematical proof or the solution to a physics problem with all its special symbols? I also move the cursor up and down a lot when I type, and that takes quite a bit of time, relatively speaking. I think in some circumstances, I would be more productive if I could use a pen instead of a keyboard. I think I can type a paragraph faster than I can write it, but I think I could write a page faster than I could type it. -- John Schmitt johns@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca !unet!utai!utgpu!maccs!johns ------------------------------ Date: 31 Mar 91 04:45:43 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!mips!news.cs.indiana.edu!pwp%iuvax.cs.indi ana.edu@arizona.edu (Paul Purdom) Subject: Type faster than write? (was Re: ST Pad specs) To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Once you get use to TeX you can type math faster and neater than you can write it long hand. Also, although text editors are not good symbolic algebra systems, they can go substitutions so they are of some use. ------------------------------ Date: 29 Mar 91 21:04:04 GMT From: nuchat!lobster!mwk!wrightgr@uunet.uu.net (Greg Wright) Subject: Uniterm & Kermit To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu >>>Help! I'm having big problems trying to get Uniterm to download >>>files with kermit. Can someone send me a detailed message on what to >>>do? >>> >>I'd be interested in any advice people have as well. I download some- >>thing to my ST, and when I try to unarc it, the arc usually comes up >>with a comment like "This uses 13 bits I can only handle 12." Can anyone >>tell me why the files I try to downloaded after ftp'ing keep getting >>smashed? The text files are ok, its just the binaries that are getting >>creamed. > > Sometimes I had a similar problem while downloading bigger archives from > our VAX. The transfered file was about 30% bigger than the original and > (guess!) it got broken, no matter what sort of archive. I'm shure the > kermit settings were correct. After wasting some time with unsuccessful > downloads, I decided to use another program which also has a built-in > kermit, but I miss the enhanced features of uniterm. > Anyone got an idea what could be wrong? (Btw. sometimes the transfer > completed successfully, using the same settings!?) This might be a little late, but I've been away for a few weeks. Anyway, if your going through a VAX system you have to change the format of the file to fixed length records before you download. If you don't, it changes all linefeeds to carriage return-linefeeds. I don't know how other systems handle it. There is a program called BILF for the VAX to do the conversion for you. BILF changes your file from stream-linefeed format to 512 fixed format and vice-versa. I don't like using 512 fixed length though because it pads the end of the file with nulls to fill out the last record. I wrote my own conversion program to use 1 byte fixed length records so that when you get it downloaded it has the correct length in the directory listing. Hope this helps, Greg Wright -- Internet: wrightgr@mwk.uucp /M\ The M.W. Kellogg Company UUCP: uhnix1!mwk!wrightgr KELLOGG 601 Jefferson lobster!mwk!wrightgr \W/ Houston, TX 77210-4557 BITNET: mwk!wrightgr%moe.rice.edu@harvunxw.bitnet (713) 753-3414 ------------------------------ End of Info-Atari16 Digest ******************************