Info-Atari16 Digest Wed, 3 Apr 91 Volume 91 : Issue 187 Today's Topics: *** WANTED *** 3.5" DS-DD Floppy drive for an Atari 520ST. amiga emulators Atari cpu evolution Graphics on the STE - v. generally speaking... (4 msgs) Having trouble uncompressing .Z files How to set environment and have shel_find use it. Latest flex Mice (2 msgs) Problems with GULAM in a terminal of MGR Reading the joystick... Help??? Telecom program help needed (2 msgs) Two New Computer Announcements - CeBIT Video Titler program for the ST? 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: 3 Apr 91 11:48:16 GMT From: pa.dec.com!shlump.nac.dec.com!dweezl.enet.dec.com!bagdy@decwrl.dec.com (Matt Bagdy) Subject: *** WANTED *** 3.5" DS-DD Floppy drive for an Atari 520ST. To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu V'z ybbxvat sbe n hfrq naq snveyl purnc (jryy, ubj nobhg ernfbanoyl cevprq) 3.5" 720Xo be 1.44Zo sybccl qevir sbe zl Ngnev 520FG. Jbhyq cersre gur rdhvczrag or cyht naq puht sbe gur flfgrz vs ng nyy cbffvoyr. Nz nyfb vagrerfgrq va nal 5/10/20Z uneq qevirf gung znl/znl abg or va jbexvat beqre. Nyfb arrqf gb or ernfbanoyl cevprq cyrnfr. Cyrnfr fraq Znvy. . .Gunaxf ! +-------------------------------------------+ | Zngg Ontql ontql@qjrrmy.rarg.qrp.pbz | | Fbhgu Oheyvatgba, IG | +-------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 15:13:14 GMT From: noao!ncar!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!psurge@arizona.edu (Troy Carpenter) Subject: amiga emulators To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <3303@hexagon.se>, daniel@hexagon.se (Daniel Deimert) writes: > 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!) > Strictly speaking that would be multi-processing, not multi-tasking...minor difference. Multitasking is where the CPU must divided its time between the programs running (ala Amiga), while multiprocessing allows programs to run at the same time (ala Atari Transputer, or similar device). Troy Carpenter Department of Computer Sciences THE University of Texas, Austin psurge@cs.utexas.edu "You're so open minded that your brain leaked out" - Steve Taylor *>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The best thing in life costs exactly that <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<* ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 11:51:06 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!cs.utexas.edu!know!pluto.hemel.bull.co. uk!keithb@arizona.edu (Keith Bedford) Subject: Atari cpu evolution To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Re the Pgc cpu - see Byte March 89 (maybe only the International edition?) for more details. ============================================================================== Keith Bedford keith.bedford@hemel.bull.co.uk Bull HN Information Systems Ltd Maxted Road - UK03-HM14 Hemel Hempstead Herts HP2 7DZ England +44-442-232222 ext 4520 ============================================================================== ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 05:06:00 GMT From: ucdavis!csusac!csuchico.edu!ekrimen@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Ed Krimen) 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: > > 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 >out there, but it seems amazing to me that on the VGA system (yes, I know >it has better graphics) it can look so amazing, and on my ST it looks like >someone sneezed! Am I doing something wrong? I've been using ViewPic which >is very nice for loading gif images, and works in mono or coulour (but looks >bad either way...the colours are all off), but the gray images still look >like nothing more than clever optical illusions... Get a copy of GIFFER for the ST for converting GIF files to the ST with a monochrome monitor. It has 4 levels of dithering. GIFFER won't let you save the files into a PI3 pic, so you'll need a screen capture program, SNAP30 works well (I think it's SNAP30). Both programs are on atari.archive. -- Ed Krimen ............................................... ||| Video Production Major, California State University, Chico ||| INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu FREENET: al661 / | \ SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261 FIDONET: 1:119/4.0 ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 07:50:34 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!jarthur!petunia!csuchico.edu!ekrimen@arizona.e du (Ed Krimen) Subject: Graphics on the STE - v. generally speaking... To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu logajan@ns.network.com (John Logajan) writes: - >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. I must disagree -- assuming by 'remotely nice' we mean as good as VGA. One may convert GIFs to Spectrum 512 format. Perhaps the best utility for converting them is DIGISPEC, a commercial desk accessory. There are other GIF conversion programs for the ST, but some will not do Spectrum 512 format, and others won't convert to Spectrum 512 as well as Digispec. I think a good comparison is the CLOWN pic: it looks good in VGA, and as good or better in Spec512 format on an ST, IMHO. I agree with John though, in that, if you want a GIF converted to the standard low-res's 16 colors (DEGAS or NEOchrome pic), then it's usually not worth the effort. -- Ed Krimen ............................................... ||| Video Production Major, California State University, Chico ||| INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu FREENET: al661 / | \ SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261 FIDONET: 1:119/4.0 ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 05:58:21 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio -state.edu!linac!att!news.cs.indiana.edu!msi.umn.edu!noc.MR.NET!ns!ns!logajan@a rizona.edu (John Logajan) Subject: Graphics on the STE - v. generally speaking... To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu >one frame-pixel in one of 8 possible levels. Or one at level 6 and >the other in 7 possible levels, etc .. 8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1=36 levels per >color, or 46,656 possible colors to choose from. Oops, many of those combinations are redundant upon averaging. So you really have less. -- - John Logajan @ Network Systems; 7600 Boone Ave; Brooklyn Park, MN 55428 - logajan@ns.network.com, 612-424-4888, Fax 612-424-2853 ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 05:55:19 GMT From: noao!ncar!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!news.c s.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 hyc@hanauma.jpl.nasa.gov (Howard Chu) writes: >>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. I take it by frame swapping that you build two (or more) logical screens and alternate between them every vertical retrace -- so as to layer intensities on top of one another. Thus your eye and the persistence of the phosphors become the brightness integrators. A duty cycle kind of thing. Let's see per color you have one frame-pixel full on and one frame-pixel in one of 8 possible levels. Or one at level 6 and the other in 7 possible levels, etc .. 8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1=36 levels per color, or 46,656 possible colors to choose from. Hmm, but you still only have 16 pallette cells to choose from per scan line, and you can only add them and not multiply them. Giving you 32 colors per scan line (or scan zone in Spectrum 512 mode) max. My guess would be that flicker and pseudo-shadow movements would be quite severe. So how does it really look? -- - John Logajan @ Network Systems; 7600 Boone Ave; Brooklyn Park, MN 55428 - logajan@ns.network.com, 612-424-4888, Fax 612-424-2853 ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 17:26:40 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!rpi!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!watserv 1!ljdickey@arizona.edu (Lee Dickey) Subject: Having trouble uncompressing .Z files To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <7223@bgsuvax.UUCP> sbrown@bgsuvax.UUCP (Scott F. Brown) writes: > > I'm having trouble getting files to uncompress properly that have the >.Z extension. I'm talking about the sound files on terminator. I believe I >have the proper programs to uncompress them but I must be doing something >wrong. I have followed the directions in the documentation but still have had >no luck. Could someone please mail me any instructions on what I am doing >wrong(or better yet, how do I do it right!) Thanks in advance It could be that you are losing bits during transfer, either from terminator to bgsuvax, or from bgsuvax to your atari. Or it could be "uncompress" for the ST. I believe that some "uncompress" releases for the ST did not have the same capability as compress on the vax. In either case, this sequence might solve your problem. Try this: (1) trasfer your ".Z" file from terminator to bgsuvax dont forget to use binary mode. (2) use uncompress on bgsu to get the uncompressed file. (3) use UUE or uuencode on bgsu to get a mailable "text" file. (4) transfer the text file to your ST (5) use UUD on your ST to decode and get the sound files. Good luck. Prof L.J. Dickey, Faculty of Mathematics, U of Waterloo, Canada N2L 3G1 Internet: ljdickey@watmath.waterloo.edu UUCP: ljdickey@watmath.UUCP ..!uunet!watmath!ljdickey X.400: ljdickey@watmath.UWaterloo.ca BITNET: ljdickey@watdcs.bitnet ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Apr 91 15:38 N From: Subject: How to set environment and have shel_find use it. To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Hi, I use to run environ.prg from the auto folder on our ST's. It sets the environment string for PATH to contain c:\bin\ and also sets some strings for TeX and SEDT. I used to do this even if I started Gulam later. Gulam recognises the external environment and forwards it to other applications. Last week I found out that environ.prg does not work on the TT! So I changed gulam.g to contain the proper environment strings and found that most things workes. Most things. The shel_find function does not seem to work. Shel_find uses the GEM path and not gulams (or the applications) path. This is a shame since it was nice to have all recources, .cfg and help files for our own applications in the same directory. I tried to write my own version of environ.prg, but did not succeed. What I tried was: - Malloc enough RAM (filelength of environ.dat + 2) - Load environ.dat there. - Change all \n's to \0 and end with 2 \0's. - Set the environment pointer in the basepage of the shell i.e. the basepage of TOS (_BASPAG->p_parent->p-env in Turbo C 2.0). - (I also set the the_env pointer but this seems not to be used) - Ptermres(0) (stay resident to keep the malloced memory) Should this work? Any help appreciated. Chris Evelo MFAGKCHR@HMARL5 (BITNET) ============================================================== Dept. of Occup. & Chris Evelo Environm. Health MFAGKCHR@HMARL5 (BITNET) and Toxicology. University of Limburg Tel: 31-43-888635 P.O. Box 616 Fax: 31-43-436080 6200 MD Maastricht The Netherlands ============================================================== ------------------------------ Date: 2 Apr 91 14:01:48 GMT From: ncrcom!ncrlnk!ncr-mpd!kentd@uunet.uu.net (Kent.Dalton) Subject: Latest flex To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Does anybody know the most recent version of flex that has been ported to the ST? The version on atari.archive is an old version and appears buggy. The latest UNIX version that I know of is 2.3, has anybody ported it? -- /**************************************************************************/ /* Kent Dalton * EMail: Kent.Dalton@FtCollins.NCR.COM */ /* NCR Microelectronics * CIS: 72320,3306 */ /* 2001 Danfield Ct. MS470A * */ /* Fort Collins, Colorado 80525 * (303) 223-5100 X-319 */ /**************************************************************************/ Fortune: Meskimen's Law: There's never time to do it right, but there's always time to do it over. ------------------------------ Date: 2 Apr 91 16:03:59 GMT From: aurs01!whitcomb@uunet.uu.net (Jonathan Whitcomb) Subject: Mice To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article darling@cellar.UUCP (Darling) writes: -Someone asked about alternative mice for the ST. I've been through 3 -counting that miserable clunker that came with the machine, and I really like -the Golden Image Optical mouse I've got now; it's the most durable, the most -comfortably shaped, and the switches are on a hair trigger. Highly -recommended. I have the Golden Image mechanical mouse (what do they mean by "opto- mechanical?), and it is very nice to use...and now I can throw my mouse accellerator away. It does seem to get dirty fairly often, though, and the ball is smaller than the Atari mouse so I can't use my cleaning ball. Anyone have any neat ways of cleaning the rollers other than Q-tips and alcohol? ********************************************************************** Jonathan Whitcomb UUCP: Alcatel Network Systems, Raleigh, NC Delphi: JBWHIT ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 17:58:53 GMT From: timbuk!marc@uunet.uu.net (Marc Bouron) Subject: Mice To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <59697@aurs01.UUCP>, whitcomb@aurs01.UUCP (Jonathan Whitcomb) writes: |> |> I have the Golden Image mechanical mouse (what do they mean by "opto- |> mechanical?), ... There is a Golden Image OPTICAL mouse (a la Sun) which I have. No more cleaning mouse balls :-) ... [M][a][r][c] ################################################################################ # # marc@sequoia.cray.com # . . # # Marc CR Bouron # M.Bouron@cray.co.uk (ARPA) # _|\ /|_ # # Cray Research (UK) Ltd. # M.Bouron@crayuk.uucp (DOMAIN) # (_|_V_|_) # # +44 344 485971 x2208 # M.Bouron@uk.co.cray (JANET) # | | # # # ...!ukc!crayuk!M.Bouron (UUCP) # # ################################################################################ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Apr 91 13:01:41 MET From: Bruno BARSELLA Subject: Problems with GULAM in a terminal of MGR To: Info Atari16 Digest I have successfully installed MiNT and MGR on my Mega-4 but I have some problems with the GULAM shell when I try to use it in a MGR terminal screen: GULAM starts well but as soon as I try to write on the screen curious interactions take place and I am not able to bring the screen to look like the normal GULAM screen. Has anyone had such a problem? Any help will be wellcommed ...... A second problem (with CLOCK2 accessory program) is the following: in Italy we have since three day the legal time. The computer time is correctly adjusted, the DATE program answers the correct legal time but CLOCK and CLOCK2 show the solar time. Any idea ... ..... ? Bruno Bruno BARSELLA - Astronomy and Astrophysics Section Department of Physics - University of PISA Piazza Torricelli, 2 --- 56100 PISA ITALY BITNET addresses : BARSELLA at ICNUCEVM.CNUCE.CNR.IT BARSELLA at IPIFIDPT.DIFI.UNIPI.IT ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 91 13:20 EST From: "Bob Schaedel - Canisius College Computer Center - schaedel@canisius.BITNET" Subject: Reading the joystick... Help??? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu I tried this question some time ago and received no responses. So I thought I'd give it another try. Does anybody know how to read the joystick from a GFA 2.0 program? I'm doing it now by using a poke to some location to shut off the mouse and then a peek to another location to get the joystick value. But I'm not sure if this is the best way or if it will even work with other versions of TOS (I think I have 1.1). If someone know of a better way then please send it to me. Thanks in advance BobS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- schaedel@canisius.BITNET Keep on Truckin'... Atari ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 08:49:53 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!waikat o.ac.nz!comp.vuw.ac.nz!actrix!Roger.Sheppard@arizona.edu Subject: Telecom program help needed To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Distribution:world In article <440@mixcom.COM> uuvvuu@mixcom.COM (Craig L. Stodolenak) writes: > 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 > > Interlink > > ST TalkPro > > Vanterm > -- > 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 Why not try RUFUS, it is in German and is Shareware, has all the things that you would wan't, here is a small list. 1. X,Y,Y-G,Z, and Stream 2. Auto Zmodem Dnloads. 3. Background Transfers, (Not Zmodem) 4. VT100/52 5. Batch/Script Mode 6. Group Dialing, also has a limit of 16 Phone No.s 7. Has support of 6 screen sizes 8. Fonts and Screen sizes selectable 9. Works in all resolutions Get a copy and have a Play with it, it is on Genie... -- Roger W. Sheppard 85 Donovan Rd, Kapiti New Zealand... ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 17:01:33 GMT From: noao!ncar!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!lavaca.uh.edu!menudo.uh.edu!rcte2p@arizona. edu (Paul S. Sears) Subject: Telecom program help needed To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Roger.Sheppard@bbs.actrix.gen.nz boldy writes in article <1991Apr03.084953.12784@actrix.gen.nz> >Distribution:world > [stuff deleted] > >Why not try RUFUS, it is in German and is Shareware, >has all the things that you would wan't, >here is a small list. >1. X,Y,Y-G,Z, and Stream >2. Auto Zmodem Dnloads. >3. Background Transfers, (Not Zmodem) >4. VT100/52 >5. Batch/Script Mode >6. Group Dialing, also has a limit of 16 Phone No.s >7. Has support of 6 screen sizes >8. Fonts and Screen sizes selectable >9. Works in all resolutions > >Get a copy and have a Play with it, it is on Genie... >-- >Roger W. Sheppard 85 Donovan Rd, Kapiti New Zealand... Can someone d/l it from Genie and post in on atari.archive? I assume that it is PD... I no longer have a Genie account to do this... -- Paul Sears The Univ. of Houston |"The greater an individual's power Student of the College of Technology | over others, the greater the evil that RCTE2P@Jetson.uh.edu *** | might possibly originate with him." RCTE2P@menudo.uh.edu * * * | - PROPAGANDA, from A Secret Wish (CD) ------------------------------ Date: 2 Apr 91 18:53:34 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!portal!atari! trh@arizona.edu (T R Hall) Subject: Two New Computer Announcements - CeBIT To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Alex.Valdez@bbs.actrix.gen.nz writes: >In article <2885@atari.UUCP> trh@atari.UUCP (T R Hall) writes: >> As far as data transfer, both the Notebook and Pad versions of the >> machines will include file-transfer software in the ROMS, transfering >> over parallel-ports to other ST's, and serial ports to non-ATARI >> machines (hopefuly with an existing protocol, so Atari won't have to >> write [shudder!!] MS-DOS software). >I thought the ST's parallel port is output only. Surely one would >transfer data from the notebook/pad into a regular ST as well. >Alex Valdez Read what I just said: OTHER ST'S! i.e. "REGULAR" ST'S! That was the whole POINT. And YES the ST's port is bi-directional; we use it all the time internally to allow our debugger to talk to remote machines. TRH ------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 91 11:57:29 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!know!pluto.hemel.bul l.co.uk!keithb@arizona.edu (Keith Bedford) Subject: Video Titler program for the ST? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.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. One was on a recent ST Format (UK magazine) Coverdisk, if no-one responds with a better alternative (it may not work with US video?) I'll upload it to terminator. ============================================================================== Keith Bedford keith.bedford@hemel.bull.co.uk Bull HN Information Systems Ltd Maxted Road - UK03-HM14 Hemel Hempstead Herts HP2 7DZ England +44-442-232222 ext 4520 ============================================================================== ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Apr 91 08:09:01 EST From: mitch@ppdpi2.nrl.navy.mil (Horace Mitchell) To: info-atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In an attempt to clear up the RF-modulator/composite output question: It doesn't matter whether or not you have a COMPOSITE OUT pin on your monitor port or not: IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN RF-MODULATOR IN YOUR ST (some 520ST's and all 520STFM's), THEN YOU DON'T HAVE A COMPOSITE SIGNAL ON YOUR MONITOR PORT. The RGB->NTSC converter is part of the RF-modulator circuitry, and the COMPOSITE OUT pin on the monitor plug is inactive without the RF-modulator. Atari did not want to add an RF-modulator to any ST, but felt that the low-end model 520ST might sell without a monitor if the RF-modulator was included. Do any STE's have an RF-modulator? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Horace Mitchell | email: mitch@ppdpi2.nrl.navy.mil SAIC | mitch@ppdd.nrl.navy.mil | The Special Project for Nonlinear Science | Voice: (202) 767-3195 Code 4700.3, Naval Research Laboratory | FAX: (202) 767-0631 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ End of Info-Atari16 Digest ******************************