========================================================================= Info-Atari16 Digest Thu, 30 May 91 Volume 91 : Issue 303 Today's Topics: 'only_ste.lzh' Assistance selecting a hard drive, please. assorted TT questions Best ST serious Magazine Green Goblin Virus Large files MS-DOS <-> ST Last Uniterm (Was Re: ST User Virus!) Lost connection again? monitor for sale or trade My stupidity Protect6 - New version !! Questions on Desktop/Environment Rainbow TOS Bombs again Sleeping GEM ST code or C source for uncompressing .hqx & .sit files: Wanted! ST User Virus! The inexorable STacy??? 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 May 91 14:46:02 GMT From: mcsun!hp4nl!cwi.nl!piring.cwi.nl!jansteen@uunet.uu.net (Jan van der Steen) Subject: 'only_ste.lzh' To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu jimomura@lsuc.on.ca (Jim Omura) writes: > I don't know what's going on here. After receiving the 26 >uuencoded parts I tested the 'only_ste.lzh' file with 'fstlzh20' >and it passed. So I unpacked the files and it turns out to be >'msa.prg' and 'only_ste.msa'. Ok. So I ran the 'msa' program >and in theory I unpacked the disk. It turns out that on that >"huge" disk there were only a few files, none of which was all >that big. Is this some kind of joke? I think I could repackage >all the relevant files in a single LZH file of about 40K. Since it's a pity if anyone with an STe would miss this beautiful demo I'll explain in some more detail how to unpack it: 1. Transfer only_ste.lzh to your system 2. Unpack the archive using lharc This will give you two files: a. only_ste.msa b. msa.prg There is no documentation included for the msa.prg. Now execute msa.prg and press the disk-->file button. It will change to file-->disk. Insert an empty floppy in your disk drive and press the F:\FILENAME.MSA button to select the only_ste.msa file which you have unpacked previously. Finally press the DOIT button and the msa file will be unpacked to a full floppy disk image. As Jim Omura mentioned a listing of the files on A:\ will only show an auto folder and three or four other files. At this stage do a soft reset (!). After the intro screen has been build up hit space and while a message and credits story will flow over your screen you can select one out of two modes using arrow up or down. The top mode (sorry, I forgot the exact name) is the music demo. The bottom mode is a music sample editor (called Esion). If you select the editor you'll return to the desktop and you can execute the program esion.prg on A:\. Jan van der Steen PS. Amazing sounds and user interface. Beautiful! -- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Jan van der Steen jansteen@cwi.nl Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science (CWI) Kruislaan 413, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands ------------------------------ Date: 30 May 91 14:05:11 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!crdgw1!gecrd vm1!syspmzt@arizona.edu Subject: Assistance selecting a hard drive, please. To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu With the imminent demise of my external B drive (likes to misread directories, and goes into a long pause at access time most of time, successful or not), I'm going to finally break down and purchase a hard drive. I recently bought a 1040 STe, and am running Rainbow TOS (1.6?). Can anyone post/mail considerations on the various options available to me? I can live with 20 meg, though 30 or 40 would be more appealing. Cost is important, and I'm suprised at the expense of most of the drives the latest STart listed. My friend was able to purhase a 105M drive for his Mac for little more than most 30M Atari drives are listed. Is there any way I can take advantage of SCSI technology? Any recommendations on inexpensive yet trustworthy dealers to buy this from? What are the software requirements for formatting a hard drive and backing up a hard drive? I assume that any drive I purchase will include that software, but is there a standard (pd?) application that I should/want to have? I apologize for my naive and encompassing questions, and truly appreciate any assistance I might receive. If anyone's noticed me in this category lately, they'll know that I started by asking if I should buy a Mega or a 1040. The responses to those questions directed me to buy a new 1040 STe and upgrade the memory to 4M myself, at ****CONSIDERABLE**** savings. I hate to be an information leach, but you Netters really know what you're doing, and I surely don't. Many thanks in advance, Phil Z ------------------------------ Date: 30 May 91 07:19:09 GMT From: mcsun!hp4nl!phigate!prle!prles2!cstw163!meulenbr@uunet.uu.net (Frans Meulenbroeks) Subject: assorted TT questions To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Hi, I'm in the process of convincing myself to buy a TT, and I'm stuck with the following questions: As I'm told the TT does not have a 68882 on board, but does have a socket for such a beast. Right? What speed must this beast have, or can is the speed selectable? the 68881 and 68882 are supposed to be compatible. I owe a 68881. Can I use that one instead (assuming it is the right speed). I'm a little puzzled by a previous posting about how memory is implemented. Are there two different daugtherboards?? If I buy a 2 MB system is it then just a case to add sims if I want to upgrade to 4 MB? If not, I think I'll prefer to buy a 4 MB system. Is such a 4 MB system easily upgradable (e.g. by adding (or maybe replacing) simms). From a previous posting I concluded that there is a different daugther board if you go to 8MB. Is the ram on the second daughter board faster than on the first one?? What speed is the ram actually. Do I get wait states when accessing the memory? In any of the above cases?? Then there is the monitor. Is it possible to use an ST monitor if the screen is in an ST resolution?? I think the price on a TT monitor is on the high side. However, I'm told that this is just a regular VGA monitor. Can I go out and buy a VGA monitor and use it? I assume I need a monitor with 640x480 resolution and 60 or 70 hz refresh rate, and a D connector plug (forgotten the number of pins). Do I need a color monitor, or can I also use a monochrome monitor. Using a monochrome monitor would cut the price with $ 200 or $ 250, and I do not really need color. If someone could answer these questions that would be very appreciated. Thanks! -- Frans Meulenbroeks (meulenbr@prl.philips.nl) Centre for Software Technology ------------------------------ Date: 30 May 91 11:21:13 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!harrier.ukc.ac.uk!gos.ukc.ac.uk!lhf@uunet.uu.net (L.H.Fuller) Subject: Best ST serious Magazine To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu >From: SYSPMZT@gecrdvm1.crd.ge.com > >Can I further the request, and ask what Atari magazine readers of the net >find most useful? If possible, could someone post/send addresses for >those magazines? I recommend ST Applications. After the demise of ST World, it evolved from a PD newsletter, into a magazine. Even though STW is coming back, STA has the edge as the best serious ST publication for the ST. (IMHO) The address is, ST Club, 49 Stoney Street, Nottingham, NG1 1LX England. Tel: 0602-410241 And subsciption costs are, UK 15 pounds Europe 18 pounds (Air Mail) Worldwide 28 pounds (Air Mail) Lee. -- Lee H Fuller, Computer Science Dept, Kent University, Canterbury, England, Small blue-green planet, Unfashionable end of the Galaxy. ------------------------------ Date: 30 May 91 15:12:06 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!crdgw1!gecrd vm1!syspmzt@arizona.edu Subject: Green Goblin Virus To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu I've seen quite a number of references to viruses, and to a program called VKILLER. Is this a public domain program? I've been downloading quite a bit of software recently, and it scares me to think that something corrupting may have come along with one of the files. It's doubly scary to hear that a disk included with ST User may have included a virus. Any suggestions of precautions/checks I should routinely be taking to avoid problems? I've been having trouble with intermitent corrupted 3 1/2" directories, and this has me worrying. Gosh, just what I need: a new way to be paranoid. Thanks, Phil Z ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 May 91 14:20:21 BST From: Simon Partridge Subject: Large files MS-DOS <-> ST To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu I notice a few people have been having problems moving large (e.g. MSA) files from PC's to their ST's at home. The problem being that the files are generally larger than a standard MS-DOS 3.5" disk (720K). I also had this problem for a while but thought that their must be a way to increase the size of an MS-DOS disk. So, I looked around a few MS-DOS ftp sites and came across a nifty little formatter called FDFORMAT. This program formats disks on your PC to just about any spec. that you want, typically 800K and up. I must admit to only using these disks to get the files home to my ST tho' (it's easier by far than chopping files onto seperate disks). If anyone can think of a good place to put this program on atari.archive (and the demand is high enough) I'll upload it. Bye for now, Simon. [simonp%uk.ac.pcl.sun@ukacrl] ------------------------------ Date: 29 May 91 19:47:49 GMT From: garfield!carlos@uunet.uu.net (Carlos Borges) Subject: Last Uniterm (Was Re: ST User Virus!) To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Graham S Thomas) writes: >It looks like ST User is innocent this time. (Innocent of this, at >least. On the cover disk is what they call - several times - the 'very >latest version of UniTerm'. The version is in fact 2.0c. The last >version that Simon Poole released is, I believe, 2.0e011. 2.0c is quite >usable; if they didn't shout so much about the program being "hot from >the programmer's fingertips" - with a 1987 copyright date??? - I >wouldn't mind.) I'm using version 2.0e011, and it has a 1986 copyright date. So maybe 2.0c _IS_ a newer version. -- C. Miguel Borges "The philosophers have only interpretted St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada the world in various ways; the point carlos@garfield.cs.mun.ca is to change it." an630@cleveland.Freenet.edu - Karl Marx ------------------------------ Date: 30 May 91 14:46:13 GMT From: HUACHUCA-EMH2.ARMY.MIL!mrhyner@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Mark Rhyner) Subject: Lost connection again? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Can anyone tell me if the digest is still in operation? Our Internet host was updated with new software from Unisys and that usually means stuff is screwed up for awhile. :-< If this gets out could someone reply to me, please? Thanks ############################################################################## # Mark Rhyner # # # USAISEC # All comments are mine and # # ASQB-OSE-PA # mine alone. They are # # DSN: 879-7440 COMM: (602) 538-7440 # not attributable to any # # EMAIL: mrhyner@huachuca-emh2.army.mil # Government organization. # # or mrhyner%sed@huachuca-emh2.army.mil # # ############################################################################## ------------------------------ Date: 29 May 91 03:50:02 GMT From: bbn.com!ulowell!woods.ulowell.edu!coteb@eddie.mit.edu Subject: monitor for sale or trade To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu For sale or trade: SC1224 color monitor. will sell for $210 or best or trade for 40 mb or greater hard drive. reply by mail if interested. Thank you. ------------------------------ Date: 30 May 91 11:07:30 GMT From: waikato.ac.nz!comp.vuw.ac.nz!actrix!Alex.Valdez@decwrl.dec.com (Alex Valdez) Subject: My stupidity To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <16582@helios.TAMU.EDU> n160ao@tamuts.tamu.edu (Mark Lehmann) writes: > I have a problem though. The sozobon files have directory names that > I want to keep. If I use the novice "zoo -extract" command, all of the > files are retrieved without pathname. I looked at the man pages and > tried the followin command: > > zoo {x}[//] d:\term\download\sozobon1.zoo > > But zoo doesn't understand and just give me the usage line. Would someone > tell me the proper zoo command and flags needed to retrieve zoo files with > their original pathnames. > > Thanks > > Mark Lehmann > tamuts.tamu.edu!n160ao Were you trying to run zoo from the desktop and do you have TOS 1.0? The TOS 1.0 desktop converts all TTP parameters to uppercase. So, instead of zoo seeing a -x option, it sees -X which it doesn't understand. Try using a CLI (one that doesn't convert parameters to -- ================================Alex Valdez============================= "Alas sais na naman, oras ng pagdidili-dili... Isaisip ang mabuti, ang masama'y iwaksi..." ------------------------------ Date: 30 May 91 15:09:44 GMT From: IFI.UIO.NO!larserio@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (LarsErikOsterud) Subject: Protect6 - New version !! To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Protect6 - The resident bootsector/linkvirus detect/kill program """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Well... Uhhh.... Hmmm... OK, so the first version of Protect6 didn't stop all the link- viruses :-( Because of some strange features in the GEMDOS it is possible to WRITE data to a file that i OPENed as READ ONLY. This should give an error from GEMDOS, but it doesn't. Some link- viruses opens the program file from READ ONLY and then use WRITE. (does Atari Corp have a comment on why this is possible !!!????) As the first version of Protect6 checked for OPENing of a program file for READ & WRITE or WRITE ONLY these viruses get passed it. Well, this new version of Protect6 (check your date) uses a completly different way of checking things. I also removed the XBRA stuff. Why? Well, any virus could use the XBRA stuff to un-hook Protect6 from the OS-vectors and disable Protect6 ! Lars-Erik / ABK-BBS +47 2132659 / ____ ______ ________________________ Osterud / larserio@ifi.uio.no / /___ / The norwegian ST __________/ ______________________/ ____/ / Klubben, user association ------------------------------ Date: 30 May 91 08:27:36 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!edcastle!hwcs!neil@uunet.uu.net (Neil Forsyth) Subject: Questions on Desktop/Environment To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <1991May29.154140.5510@informatik.uni-erlangen.de> csbrod@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Claus Brod) writes: >tnzoerne@faui09.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Thorsten Zoerner) writes: >>Is there any way to reckognize from out of an Accessory if the >>aktual process is the Desktop (when receiving an acc_open) ? > >No legal way, unfortunately. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) OK :-) BTW: Atari UK say this is 'OK' to talk about. When an accessory is starting up it should get the address of the OS header at $4F2. This usually points to the start of the ROM, wherever it is, but AHDI might change it. Either way what it points to is, or should be, consistant. At $28 offset from the start of the structure $4f2 points to is a pointer to the process ID of the current process. This is actually its basepage. For an accessory that is starting up this will be the PID of the GEM Desktop since accessories are not processes in the true sense, ie. they belong to the AES and Desktop. The accessory can save this PID and compare it to the current value when the accessory is activated from the menu. If it's the same then we are on the desktop. If not then we are in a program. Actually this is quite handy for adding modules to an existing program. Caveat: This PID pointer does not exist in TOS 1.0. For that ROM version its value is 0x602C execpt for the Spanish ROM where it is at 0x873C. The TOS version is found at offset $2 from the start of the OS header and the country is encoded at offset $1C but the lowest bit is screen freq. eg. ; long *get_pid() ; Return PID pointer for any ROM version. ; (Note: Call this in Super mode for access to _sysbase) SPA: EQU 4 ; Spain country code _sysbase: EQU $4F2 _get_pid:: MOVE.L _sysbase,A0 ; A0 -> OS header CMP.W #$0100,2(A0) ; Is this the old TOS? BEQ.S .old MOVE.L $28(A0),D0 ; D0 = PID address in modern ROMs BRA.S .done old: MOVE.W $1C(A0),D0 ; D0 = Country and screen freq. LSR.W #1,D0 ; D0 = Country code CMP.W #SPA,D0 ; Is it Spain? BNE.S .other MOVE.L #$873C,D0 ; D0 = Spanish PID BRA.S .done other: MOVE.L #$602C,D0 ; D0 = Rest of the world PID done: RTS ; return(D0); END Note the complete lack of XBRA usage in the above example! :-) +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ! DISCLAIMER:Unless otherwise stated, the above comments are entirely my own ! ! ! ! "I think all right thinking people in this country are sick and tired of ! ! being told that ordinary decent people are fed up in this country with ! ! being sick and tired. I'm certainly not and I'm sick and tired of being ! ! told that I am!" - Monty Python ! ! ! ! Neil Forsyth JANET: neil@uk.ac.hw.cs ! ! Dept. of Computer Science ARPA: neil@cs.hw.ac.uk ! ! Heriot-Watt University UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!neil ! ! Edinburgh, Scotland, UK ! +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: 30 May 91 14:50:51 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!rpi!crdgw1!gecrdvm1!syspmzt@arizona.edu Subject: Rainbow TOS Bombs again To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <91148.111516SYSPMZT@GECRDVM1.BITNET>, says: > >In article <12020002@hpspdra.spd.HP.COM>, freds@hpspdra.spd.HP.COM (Fred >Saavedra) says: >> >>I have recently installed the new? rainbow TOS in my mega2. >> >>*flameon* >>It seems to run less software than the old version, which >>is depressing since the my older 1040 which I sold for the Mega >>ran the largest set of software. >> >>Well is it my imagination??? >> >> > >I just bought a 1040 STe and upgraded the memory to 4 meg. I've noticed that >a lot of pd software others have suggested as great programs do not run or >bomb my system. Examples so far are CAL 5.0, which will not run, and MELT, >which melts the screen then bombs the system. Some of the software that I >wrote with Personal Pascal long ago (I gave up writing for the machine about >3 years ago) has some odd reactions on the STe that my old 1040 did not. > >I'm also interested in what the architectural differences are between an ST >and >an STe. > >Phil Z > > I should follow up, as this isn't quite correct. Actually, the offending software was the MACCEL mouse accelerator that Dr. T shipped as pd with KCS Omega. I'll miss the speed, but it was corrupting all sorts of software. I can't tell you if it would have on old TOS as I only started using it when I got my 1040STe (my old 1040 ST wouldn't read it's internal drive, so I had no ACC's or AUTO things loaded). CAL50 seems to run alright, although with other windowing software it seems to have problems keeping the mouse pointer visible on the screen. It's really hard to figure out who or what's causing a problem in the moving target public domain software world... Phil Z ------------------------------ Date: 30 May 91 13:48:47 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.e du!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!cbnewse!hofmann@arizona.edu (james.r.hofmann) Subject: Sleeping GEM To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu I have written a GEM application that launches a long running application, writting text output to one window and graphs to other windows. This works fine, except that - after running awhile - the computer halts. It stays halted until the mouse is moved. The mouse pointer is converted to a bee while the application is running and back to a pointer when it re-enters the event_multi loop. When the program locks up, the mouse pointer is still a bee. I am running this on a Mega ST2, TOS 1.4, Viking Moniterm monitor. Is this a known problem? Are there workarounds? Any insight into this problem would be appreciated! Jim Hofmann AT&T Bell Laboratories hofmann@ihlpf.att.com ------------------------------ Date: 30 May 91 11:19:03 GMT From: otter.hpl.hp.com!hpltoad!ghiggins!gjh@hplabs.hp.com (Graham Higgins) Subject: ST code or C source for uncompressing .hqx & .sit files: Wanted! To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu ++ Does anybody know of any way I can uncompress these files on either my ++ ST or a unix system (before down loading) ? Try looking for unix utilities on apple or sumex-aim ftp-accessible archives. 'Mcvert' is a Eunuchs-hosted .hqx converter (to .sit) and 'Unsit' unarchives sit files. Graham ====== ------------------------------------------------------------------ Graham Higgins | gjh%ghiggins@hpl.hp.co.uk Hewlett-Packard Labs | gjh%ghiggins@hplb.hpl.hp.com Filton Road, Stoke Gifford | gjh%hplb.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa Bristol, U.K. | ...!mcvax!ukc!hplb!gjh Tel: +44 272 799910 x24014 Fax: +44 272 790554 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Disclaimer: My opinions above are exactly that, mine and opinions. ------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Date: 30 May 91 07:49:35 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!edcastle!hwcs!neil@uunet.uu.net (Neil Forsyth) Subject: ST User Virus! To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <5236@syma.sussex.ac.uk> grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Graham S Thomas) writes: >It looks like ST User is innocent this time. Yes. Mine's clean too. > (Innocent of this, at >least. On the cover disk is what they call - several times - the 'very >latest version of UniTerm'. The version is in fact 2.0c. ... You'll also find an illegal (very!) copy of NEOchrome on there too. About now you'll all be saying "Why does this guy keep going on about NEOchrome?". Well the answer is I would like it to be PD officially but Atari seem disinterested. >Graham Thomas, SPRU, Mantell Building, U of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RF, UK >Email: grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk Phone: +44 273 678165 Fax: .. 685865 +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ! DISCLAIMER:Unless otherwise stated, the above comments are entirely my own ! ! ! ! Neil Forsyth JANET: neil@uk.ac.hw.cs ! ! Dept. of Computer Science ARPA: neil@cs.hw.ac.uk ! ! Heriot-Watt University UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!neil ! ! Edinburgh, Scotland, UK "That was never 5 viruses!" ! +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: 29 May 91 02:30:47 GMT From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!sdd.hp.com!think.com!linus!philabs!crpmks!wiz kid!admiral!slammy@arizona.edu (Dave Litchman) Subject: The inexorable STacy??? To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu swood@vela.acs.oakland.edu ( EVENSONG) writes: > I never see STacy's for sale on the net. Is it that they are not sold > that much, or that people are so happy with them that they never want to > get rid of them? 1) STacy's are not all that widespread. Last I heard, they still only had their FCC Classification B rating. Meaning that they can only be sold for professional purposes. 2) STacy's only come out in the last year or so. There's nothing to replace them yet (for die-hard Atarians, anyway) so there's no reason to sell one if you have one. 3) STacy's are excellent laptop computers. If I had one, I wouldn't sell it either! slammy@admiral.UUCP (Dave Litchman) The Grid/Magpie and /Waffle BBS (HST/V32) 203-661-1279 (PEP/V32) -2873 (V32) -0450 (V29/MNP6) -2967 Multiplayer Games, Multicolor Chat, Multibbses, Multifun! ------------------------------ End of Info-Atari16 Digest ******************************