Info-Atari16 Digest Tue, 23 Apr 91 Volume 91 : Issue 226 Today's Topics: ``Standard'' colors for desktop computers ANALOG SIMULATION FOR ST/TT ASSIGN.SYS for OPUS spreadsheet/Charting program atari user mag AUTOGEM-AUTOBOOTER Cubase vs. Omega for ST??? Esion XLI and 60 Hz Good database software wanted. Graphics on the STE - v. generally speaking... How to set environment and have shel_find use it (problem solved!) ICD AdSpeed Monitors! Next release of Mupfel Other FTL games? (2 msgs) Upload to atari.archive (TeXdraw 1.79) Whattahe Demo (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: 22 Apr 91 12:22:46 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps. ohio-state.edu!think.com!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!m csun!ukc!slxsys!ibmpcug!mantis! (mathew) Subject: ``Standard'' colors for desktop computers To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu malc@tahoe.unr.edu (Malcolm L. Carlock) writes: > Admittedly, this light tan and black (or all-black) color scheme tends to > be non-distracting and soothing to the eye, but has anyone else besides me > ever been tempted to get a can of "Hot Purple" spray paint (and maybe a > day-glo orange racing stripe kit) and liven up their disk shoebox or CPU? Jeff "The GOD of Arcade Games" Minter has a resprayed Atari ST. It's black with starfields and rainbows and geometric shapes in neon colours and similar bizarre decorations. mathew -- If you're a John Foxx fan, please mail me! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Apr 91 10:38 MET From: ALBERT JOCHEMS Subject: ANALOG SIMULATION FOR ST/TT To: INFO-ATARI16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Hi there, I want to know if there is an analog simulation program for the ST/TT. something like Pspice. please E-mail me Albert Jochems ....Email TC3_JOCHEMS@HRO.NL ------------------------------ Date: 22 Apr 91 17:06:59 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!sdd.hp.com!think.com!snorkelwacker.mit.edu! bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!mcsun!ukc!warwick!nott-cs!lut.ac.uk!elmar@arizon a.edu (Mohammad A. Rahin) Subject: ASSIGN.SYS for OPUS spreadsheet/Charting program To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Many recently, once again showed their frustration for not being able to draw fancy charts with the OPUS program. All this is mainly due to OPUS's rather strict rule on printer font selection. The main requirement is that one must use the exact corresponding printer font as for the screen font. If this requirement is satisfied, one is more or less assured of hassle free operation. There is one other thing one must do, i.e., run FONTWIDT.PRG in order to set up font metrics for OPUS's internal use. Any way, here is my ASSIGN.SYS file. It works perfectly OK with me and hopefully will work for you as well. [ I'm using a mono screen and a 24-pin Epson LQ800 compatible printer. ] ------------------------ Sample ASSIGN.SYS File -------------------------- path = A:\GEMSYS 01p screen.sys ; DEFAULT 02p screen.sys ; LOW RESOLUTION 03p screen.sys ; MEDIUM RESOLUTION 04p screen.sys ; HIGH RESOLUTION ; SWISS FONT shss06un.fnt shss07un.fnt shss10un.fnt shss12un.fnt shss14un.fnt shss18un.fnt shss24un.fnt ; DUTCH FONT shtr07un.fnt ;shtr10un.fnt ; corresponding printer font is not available shtr12un.fnt ; -> Helevetica 12 Pt. converted from MAC. ;shtr14un.fnt ; 14 pt printer font is not available shtr18un.fnt ;Printer is 24-pin Epson (LQ800) 21 LQ800.SYS ; SWISS FONT lqss06un.fnt lqss07un.fnt lqss10un.fnt lqss12un.fnt lqss14un.fnt lqss18un.fnt lqss24un.fnt ; DUTCH FONT ;lqtr06un.fnt ; I don't have screen fonts for 6 & 8 pt dutch. ;lqtr08un.fnt lqtr07un.fnt lqtr12un.fnt lqtr18un.fnt ;lqtr24un.fnt 31 META.SYS ----------------------------- END --------------------------------------- Hope this helps. -Rahin ------------------------------ Date: 23 Apr 91 10:23:34 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!wciu!abode!scale@arizona.e du (Luis Outumuro) Subject: atari user mag To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Hi Matthew, Actually you are correct, AtariUser is intended as a free magazine for the users. It was also intended for the dealers (both computer and bookstores) to give it away for free; but a few dealers and several bookstores said they would not carry it if AtariUser was a free magazine (that's why AtariUser has a $1 cover price, so those that insist on charging for it can). The $15 price is actually an "introductory price" available for this month only. The annual subscription rates will be: $ 21.30 US Bulkrate $ 41.30 US First Class This subscription prices are set according to the cost of postage. AtariUser is offering subscriptions not for profit; but for users who cannot pickup AtariUser in the user's local area. In addition to computer dealers and bookstores, AtariUser will also be available free to/from local user groups. AtariUser's future looks very promising with John Nagy (of Z*Net) as the Editor-In-Chief. The AtariUser staff feels that the first issue had few mistakes, and the quality will only continue to get better. Bye........ Luis -- """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Luis Mark Outumuro III | "Well... you're damned if you do, Computer Office Products 818/813-1051 | and you're damned if you don't!" Infoline 818/813-1053 | - Bart Simpson, 1990... ------------------------------ Date: 22 Apr 91 11:13:16 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!usc!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.ed u!emory!gatech!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!mcsun!ukc!strath-cs!rmacgreg@ariz ona.edu (Sorcerer) Subject: AUTOGEM-AUTOBOOTER To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <0ce3fc9fa1cd280eb898@rose.uucp> jim.devonshire@rose.uucp (JIM DEVONSHIRE) writes: > > I've been trying to get Autogem to operate for me. > > I've run the BOOTMAKER.PRG and told it which program to load and >the screen text which appears tells me it was successful in creating >the bootable file. I then copied the AUTOBOOT.PRG into my Auto folder >and rebooted my ST (TOS Ver.1.2). The screen text which appears tells me >that AUTOGEM is auto starting my specified program and then I am promptly >returned to the GEM desktop? My program, which is in the root directory, >does not load. > > I have only one other program in my auto folder (LGSELECT) which loads >before Autogem. > > Anyone have any suggestions? (other than the obvious) > I've got a similar setup to you and I've got no problems when I run everything. Assuming you've checked the file with a texteditor and its ok, try loading Autogem before LGSELECT, and/or disabling all DA's. I'll setup my system as you've described yours and see if I come across any trouble. The Sorcerer is 'Only visiting this planet' but can be found at: JANET: cadx862 @uk.ac.strathclyde.computer-centre-sun rmacgreg@uk.ac.strathclyde.computer-science INTERNET: via nsfnet-relay.ac.uk BITNET: via ukacrl UUCP: via ukc.uucp or second star to the right and straight on 'till morning. ------------------------------ Date: 22 Apr 91 13:01:35 GMT From: aurs01!whitcomb@uunet.uu.net (Jonathan Whitcomb) Subject: Cubase vs. Omega for ST??? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article peter%midiline.uucp@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov (Xorcist) writes: >X-OR is NOT a multitasking tool with OMEGA as is CUBASE's MIDI MANAGER. Well, X-or is not a multitasking tool in itself, but it does run in KCS Omega's Multi Program Environment (MPE), which loads several programs into memory and lets you switch amoung them without re-loading (effectively a multitasking environment). In addition, MPE allows several of Dr.T's programs to share common data. For instance, you can play KCS Omega sequences from within X-or. The song editor in Omega will automatically load X-or performances when a new song is loaded, which will save lots of time. You can only do this sort of thing within MPE...you will lose all these capabilities if you go with CUBASE. >Although, OMEGA, I feel, is better then CUBASE. I've used both and >CUBASE is a lot buggier then OMEGA and very sluggish. It's like >working in jello. OMEGA is fast and direct. And I have yet to find a bug in KCS Omega. > The only way to utilize XOR and OMEGA is to have 2 ATARI's. I'm going to >try that soon. Sorry, this is incorrect... although you will need at least two megs of RAM to fit them both, you can most definately run them in one ST...I can comfortably fit KCS, Tiger , the Song Editor and X-or in my un-modified Mega ST2, with Hotwire! and Maxifile resident. This is a very powerful setup, and it's great to switch amoung all of the programs with no waiting. I will have to upgrade to 4 megs in order to load T-Basic and Quickscore as well, though. > PS -Jonathan ********************************************************************** Jonathan Whitcomb UUCP: Alcatel Network Systems, Raleigh, NC Delphi: JBWHIT ------------------------------ Date: 22 Apr 91 22:25:31 GMT From: IFI.UIO.NO!larserio@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (LarsErikOsterud) Subject: Esion XLI and 60 Hz To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Due to some tight timing it looks like the Esion XLI SoundTracker posted to comp.binaries and to some of you directly from me does ONLY work as it should in 50 Hz. If you have an Atari monitor it should work in both 50 and 60 Hz (at least they do over here in Europe) and most good Televisions do too.... Use this short program to switch to 50 Hz video.... table !"#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>? @ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]~_ begin 644 50hz.prg M8!H 8 $ $AZ X_/ F3DYOn a related note, has anyone tried out Timework's new Data Manager >Professional? Any thoughts you'd care to share? ~~~ Do you mean that there is a new version of Data Manager Professional? I bought mine about a year ago, and although I haven't spent a great deal of time with it, it does seem like a nice vanilla database. The thing is completely GEM driven, but the menus and documentation are very "British", and some of the terms were less than intuitive in American English. (Funny how the languages have diverged! Usually the changes I've noticed are in developments in technology made since the turn of the century...truck vs. lorry, trunk/hood vs. boot/bonnet and so on. I was in England on business a year ago and had to translate British English to American English for my partner. Reminds me of a quote from "My Fair Lady". :~) ) Once you get used to the terminology it is easy to use, and relatively powerful. You have to live with the built in features though, because there is no associated command language. You also have to make sure you plan out your data fields well in advance, because you can't easily add new ones or change parameters of existing ones once you've gotten started. It should be more than adequate for all but the most advanced users. The program is not copy protected, so you can use it on your hard disk. It comes on two floppy disks, and is not bad to operate off of floppies (I did so before I bought my hard drive). -Jonathan ********************************************************************** Jonathan Whitcomb UUCP: Alcatel Network Systems, Raleigh, NC Delphi: JBWHIT ------------------------------ Date: 22 Apr 91 15:35:20 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!caen!ox.com!math.fu-berlin.de!fauern!unido !ipsi!wallmann@arizona.edu (Georg Wallmann) Subject: Graphics on the STE - v. generally speaking... To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <1991Apr16.211304.6829@rice.edu> bgr@uncle-bens.rice.edu (Robert G. Rhode) writes: >In article <1991Apr16.192259.4357@rice.edu>, bgr@uncle-bens.rice.edu (Robert G. Rhode) writes: >> In article <1563@ipsi.UUCP>, wallmann@ipsi.UUCP (Georg Wallmann) writes: >> >> > always came up with "too expensive". Of course if you think 16 MB isn't >> > expensive ... as you do in your post. While thinking about it I >> > had this great idea for a new RAM technology, which unfortunately >> > (then unbeknownst to me) already existed as dual-port RAM. Even then the >> > bus width needed and the cycle speed is just about too ridicolous for >> > [deleted] >> I think I can (theoretically) offer you a better deal: >> >> How about 1024x1024x24-bit color for <$350 parts cost (if you are an OEM)... >> >> Ingredients: >> 24 1-Megabit Video Rams @ >> 1 Brooktree triple 8-bit RAMDAC @ >> glue logic >> > >I hope this reaches more than just me this time... Sure did... Your graphics board sounds quite good, even for twice the price, but what H.Chu and I were talking about was some sort of graphip coprocessor like the old 8-Bit ANTIC. ANTIC provided control over the vertical arrangement of the screen (where to get the memory from and to display in what resolution). I figured that a coprocessor that also tried to control the horizontal arrangement (as great as that would be) would be much to costly in terms of bus speed. Otherwise you'd need to restrict the number of windows displayable pretty severely. As to the guy, who responded saying that hardware cursors were bullshit in the nineties. We 'discussed' this offline and I just want to state that a) I am not convinced that hardware cursors are useless b) questioning my CS knowledge was maybe a bit hasty Anyway. I have seen a couple of adds now in various journals about note book computers. I thought that the Atari notebook was doing handwriting recognition, or am I wrong on that ? Most of the other notebooks don't seem to be able to do that. Nat! Email: XBR1DE7B@DDATHD21.BITNET (only this address) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Apr 91 12:42 N From: Subject: How to set environment and have shel_find use it (problem solved!) To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Ton van Overbeek send me the assembler source of the original environ.prg. After some minor changes it assembled with Borland's MAS. This time it runs flawlessly on the TT. The problem with the original environ.prg is probably caused by the assembler used (No. I do't know what problem or which assembler, it just bombed). The approach used in environ.s is another one as the one that was discussed here earlier. Environ.s uses the exec_os vector ($4fe) to change the environment for the AES before it is started. This works better than changes in the environment pointer in the basepage of the parent processes. If there is interest in it I will post the new binary. The advantages of environ.prg are: - You can set the environment for things like TeX and SEDT, without bothering which shell you will use. - You can change the environment string for PATH to include e.g c:\bin this will be used by shel_find and by rsrc_load. Thus you can have all resources in the same place, without having to cd there before the program starts. Chris Evelo ============================================================== 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: 17 Apr 91 05:28:15 GMT From: unisoft!bdt!david@uunet.uu.net (David Beckemeyer) Subject: ICD AdSpeed To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Do many people have the ICD AdSpeed? I recently put one in a Mega ST-4 with a Moniterm board and it seemed to work pretty well. I left the machine on overnight and it had crashed by morning. It seems that it crashed within a few hours. The problem seems to be heat related, because the system seems to get flakey after it's been on for a while. Has anybody else experienced similar problems? -- David Beckemeyer (david@bdt.COM) | "Don't call me Stupid!" Beckemeyer Development Tools | "No. That would be an insult P.O. Box 21575, Oakland, CA 94620 | to all the stupid people!" UUCP: {uunet,ucbvax}!unisoft!bdt!david | - A fish called Wanda ------------------------------ Date: 23 Apr 91 02:37:40 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!lll-winken!unixhub!slacvm!reeves@arizona.edu (Terry Reeves) Subject: Monitors! To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <1991Apr19.012132.636@abode.wciu.edu>, scale@abode.wciu.edu (Luis Outumuro) says: >than the Moniterm. The ISAC has a resolution of 1024 x 768 in both color and >monochrome modes; with a palette of 4096 in color mode, and 2 colors in >"DuoChrome" mode (DuoChrome allow you to choose which two color you prefer in >the monochrome mode). Is that 4096 colors on the screen at one time, or is 4096 the numbers of colors that one gets to choose a subset of, like 16 out of 512. Also, how much does this baby cost? I might consider getting one some day, and a rough price would tell me how long I have to wait. Thanks. Terry Disclaimer: The above are my opinions. They are not necessarily the opinions of SLAC, Stanford University, the DOE, or the U.S. government. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Apr 91 04:54:33 CDT From: fisher@sifvs9.SINet.SLB.COM (Craig Fisher - Schlumberger Technologies) Subject: Next release of Mupfel To: info-atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu > From: (Julian F. Reschke) > Subject: Okami Shell - NOT with VI, NO ARGV/xARG support! > All these things will be possible in the next Mupfel version (which will > have a 99% bourne shell compatible script language, main difference to > sh: it will be able to cope with 8-bit characters). The one thing I DO prefer about Gulam compared to Mupfel, is the filename completion (and following on from this - directory caching). Otherwise I find Mupfel a much nicer to use shell. Anyone else out there suffering from file-completion-withdrawal-symptoms? Should it go into the next Mupfel? (*I* would use it...) -Craig ------------------------------ Date: 22 Apr 91 23:12:18 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!think.com!laird@arizona.edu (Laird Popkin) Subject: Other FTL games? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <7197@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COM> ricks@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COM (Rick Silverstein) writes: >Does FTL produce any other games similar to the quality of Dungeon Master >and Chaos Strikes Back? > >Rick Silverstein Oids is (IMHO) even more finely crafted than Dungeon Master and it's sequel. It's simply amazing how much feeling they got out of so few pixels. - Laird Popkin (laird@think.com) ------------------------------ Date: 23 Apr 91 00:49:00 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!udel!have n.umd.edu!wam.umd.edu!dmb@arizona.edu (David M. Baggett) Subject: Other FTL games? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <7197@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COM> ricks@ncrcae.Columbia.NCR.COM (Rick Silverstein) writes: >Does FTL produce any other games similar to the quality of Dungeon Master >and Chaos Strikes Back? How about * Sundog *, one of my favorites. Dave Baggett dmb%wam.umd.edu@uunet.uu.net (Wow, more letters in the signature than in the message. Now everyone will start calling for comp.sys.atari.st.games again...) ------------------------------ Date: 23 Apr 91 14:44 +0200 From: pirnay%vax1.rz.uni-regensburg.dbp.de@RELAY.CS.NET Subject: Upload to atari.archive (TeXdraw 1.79) To: info-atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Hi, I've just uploaded the latest release of my program TeXdraw (object-orientated draw-program for TeX) to atari.archive.umich.edu. Docs are still in German yet, but there is an English version of the program. Hope you enjoy Jens Pirnay, Institut fuer Physik III, Uni Regensburg, Germany email: pirnay@vax1.rz.uni-regensburg.dbp.de OR hru003.djukfa11.bitnet ------------------------------ Date: 22 Apr 91 23:14:14 GMT From: ccncsu!lamar.colostate.edu!sytang@purdue.edu (Shoou-yu tang) Subject: Whattahe Demo To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu This might have been answered before but did not catched by me. Is Whattahe Demo require ST with Color, or there is a patch or a version that will run on STE? Thanks Tang sytang@lamar.colostate.edu ------------------------------ Date: 23 Apr 91 03:20:42 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!usc!jarthur!petunia!csuchico.edu!ekrimen@ar izona.edu (Ed Krimen) Subject: Whattahe Demo To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <14427@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU> sytang@lamar.colostate.edu (Shoou-yu tang) writes: > > This might have been answered before but did not catched by me. > Is Whattahe Demo require ST with Color, or there is a patch or a version that > will run on STE? Someone posted this a while ago. -------------- Here is a simple patch to enable 'whattahech' to run on the STe: After you have extracted the MSA file on a disk you start your fave disk editor and write the following in the bootsector : Address Value 206(dec) 2e 3c 00 00 3a bc 510(dec) d2 52 that it... (some of the demos with overscan work, and some don't (they flicker a bit) ) --------------- Then, if I wanted to change the values back, I added: The original settings are E0 8B EA 8B B7 47 B8 ED I'm fairly certain that the version at atari.archive has this modification already performed. It also works on the ST, BTW. -- 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 ------------------------------ End of Info-Atari16 Digest ******************************