Date: 24 Jun 91 22:22:22 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!samsung!know!daemon@arizona.edu (Thomas Hill) Subject: Atari-To-Amiga Convert Info Source! To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu darling@cellar.UUCP (Darling) writes: %ai065@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Thomas Hill) writes: > Even Atari's best feature, > good MIDI software, is weakening as several of those authors port their > software to the Amiga. %Ever met a professional producer, Tom? We use the best programs available on %any computer: C-Lab's CREATOR/NOTATOR for sequencing, Digidesign's ATARI %SOUND TOOLS for digital audio recording/editing, and POLYFRAME for patch %editing. None, I repeat, NONE of these have been ported to the Amiga. And %unless future Amiga machines clean up the severe MIDI timing problems they've %got now, they never will be. In all my reading and experience with the Amiga, I have yet to hear one complaint about "severe MIDI timing problems". Care to back that up with some source material? Also, please re-read what I just wrote, as you seem to have taken it out of context. "Even Atari's best feature, good MIDI software, is weakening as several of those authors port their software to the Amiga." Did I mention any of the above titles? The answer is no, but I can promise you that I always deal in facts. After all, facts are what made me pick the Amiga over the ST and any other computer in it's price range. Here are a few quotes from the January 1991 issue of Amiga User International- "In 1985 Steinberg introduced an Atari sequencer called the Pro24. It was good, well ahead of it's time in some respects, and tt's dit rapidly gained professional acceptance." "The fact that Steinberg have released a Pro24 version on the Amiga is significant in several respects not least in that it indicates that Steinberg are now prepared to take the Commodore Amiga music market seriously. Make no mistake...the Amiga, from a technical viewpoint, can run rings around the ST but because of the lack of music software many musicians had, until fairly recently, been wondering whether professionally useable packages would ever arrive." "The Amiga version of the Pro24 is not a direct port of the original program- it's a complete re-write. The aim was nevertheless to produce an enhanced look-a-like, as opposed to an identical one, and this is something which has clearly been achieved." "With Pro24 Amiga all of this is taken one stage further because the program runs in the standard multi-tasking environment. Whereas machines like the ST are struggling to provide the sort of environment in which several programs can run simultaneously..." It goes on to say many nice things about the program. Anyway, beyond this there are several other Atari software vendors ported their MIDI software to the Amiga. Some of these (even titles you mentioned) are still in the rumor stage. > On the other hand, Amiga sales are higher than ever. %Bzzzt! Commodore just posted its worst figures in 4 years. Oh really? I'd love to hear where you got that information. I can post recent figures from the source that say we've just had one of the best years. Care for them? > If you need any advice on file conversion, > where to buy Amiga-related hardware for the best price, information on the > Atari ST emulators out for the Amiga, or have any other questions related to %I'll save you the time, Tom. Amiga ST emulators blow. They're all slow, %buggy, and none, I say again NONE, work properly with any MIDI software %whatsoever. Makes ME want to rush out and buy one, so I can play 32-million- %coloured games instead of all that WORK I'm getting done now. As typed in from the Feb issue of Amiga World, page 109: BrainSTorm It had to happen and here it is! The MAST ATARI Emulator! Make your Atari friends envious - now your Amiga emulates yet another computer, this time the Atari. BrainSTorm is a software/hardware combination from MAST Germany that runs 98% of Atari software (approx.), including MIDI support. It even emulates the Atari keyboard click! All programs should run except the very small percentage that do direct DMA or program the MFP. It supports: * 8mb Fast RAM, 2mb chip ram * all ST resolutions including color * full page monitor emulation with scrolling * Amiga serial & parallel ports * all Amiga drives (df0-df3) simultaneously * two ST's at same time in one Amiga! * almost ST speed, text is 120% faster, disk 108% * hardware emulates the ST custom chips, has sockets for Atari ROMS, and does addr. translation * Atari PD support on our BBS Price is $99 Call MAST at (702) 359-0444 [END OF FILE] Other ST emulators, some in total software, exist for the Amiga also. > I have received several requests for > information to smooth the conversion from the Atari to the Amiga. I do this as > a service to fellow computer users. %You noble soul! The self-sacrifice! In turn, I offer to help YOU smooth the %conversion of your lips from their present location to my sweaty posterior. %I do this as a service! This kind of talk leads nowhere and isn't productive to the conversation. If you want to talk facts then I suggest you stay on the topic. I won't respond to such remarks as they have nothing to do with the exchange of facts. Please try to do the same. %Tom, I haven't read such a heap of bunk it a long time. If you're frustrated %that your computer isn't being used in any professional environment, fine. %But don't come over here and shovel propaganda and outright false statements %in an effort to get others to join you in your malcontence. Grow up. A "my %computer is better" rant under any other name smells equally bad, no matter %how you may attempt to dress it up. You insult me and then tell me to grow up? I am willing to ignore attacks by insecure users in order to help those who need the kind of information I am providing. So far I have received mail from well over ten Atari users who need help in converting to the Amiga. This makes it worth cutting through your kind of message. If your not interested in leaving your ST for the Amiga then I'm glad to hear it, but don't make things rough for those who want to. Tom ------------------------------ Date: 24 JUN 91 09:01:43 CDT From: Z4648252 Subject: At LAST, an international question! To: Hello all, I have noticed an improved quality in games for the Atari ST. I'm not much of a gamer but even I get tired of using spreadsheets and am wowed by phenomenal graphics and amazing sounds. The recent "AMIGA IS GOD" postings by the Amiga zealots further drives me away from that alleged computer and demonstrates to me their inferiority complex over the Amiga. I thought that I had better throw that in before some multitasking-is-god Amigoid tells me that I should buy an Amiga 500 to play games with awesome graphics and sounds. Ok, that was the preface. There are some kind souls out there who post game ratings and so forth for the Atari ST. The lists show up frequently here and I cannot recall the address of the individual submitting these. At any rate, I'd like to offer a request and suggestion. Due to the amazing sales of the STe's lately (whenever they can be found) it would be handy if two categories could be added: ST and STe. I'd like to start buying games that use the hardware scrolling and stereo sound of the STe. The difference between games on these two platforms are just incredible. The only way that this could be done is if the user who is doing this review can actually test the game to see if it takes advantage of the STe abilities. And PLEASE, Amigoids, STAY AWAY FROM ME! I just happen to enjoy and USE my ST! Larry Rymal | ATARI ST USERS OF EAST TEXAS ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jun 91 15:36:54 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!mips!spool.mu.edu!olivea!genie!udel!brahms .udel.edu!don@arizona.edu (Donald R Lloyd) Subject: Juvenile user war crap To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article steve@thelake.mn.org (Steve Yelvington) writes: >It is noise. It drives reasonable people of good will away from the >newsgroup. It has no place here. If you think you're doing Atari >owners or c.s.a.st readers a favor, you're mistaken. Actually, it appears that Tom (the original poster of the 'informational' message, which I never actually read but heard a little about) did so specifically to start a flamefest in c.s.a.st. My evidence for this is his post from a day or so ago in c.s.amiga.advocacy inviting everyone to move over to c.s.a.st and join in the fun.... The best way, of course, to alleviate this problem is to just ignore it & let it die out when people realize they're not getting the attention they covet; we know, though, that that's not likely to happen. -- Gibberish May the Publications Editor, AmigaNetwork is spoken fork() be Amiga Student On-Campus Consultant, U of D here. with you. DISCLAIMER: It's all YOUR fault. ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jun 91 14:41:32 GMT From: van-bc!jonh!jhenders@uunet.uu.net (John Henders) Subject: Juvenile user war crap To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In , Steve Yelvington writes: > >Sigh. I don't know why I bother. Maybe I should just unhook >comp.sys.atari.st and rely on GEnie, where they pay people to spike >ruggie user fight trash. > >You and the ill-mannered Amiga fanatic from Cleveland Freenet are >engaging in a public pissing match, posting lists of messages from >Freenet's Commodore forums and recycling ignorant, inflammatory, >ill-intended messages. > >It is noise. It drives reasonable people of good will away from the >newsgroup. It has no place here. If you think you're doing Atari >owners or c.s.a.st readers a favor, you're mistaken. Steve, and all other .atari group readers who respond to this thread. Please remember that handy.dandy tool for getting this trash off this newsgroup, the follow-up line. If everyone who follows up this thread sets the followups to comp.sys.amiga.advocacy, the thread will die a quick death. Perhaps we should add a section to the FAQ on how to deal with these monthly nuisance threads. -- John Henders jhenders@jonh.wimsey.bc.ca MIND over MIDI Productions or ubc.cs!van-bc!jonh!jhenders Vancouver,B.C ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jun 91 12:54:42 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!snorke lwacker.mit.edu!ira.uka.de!smurf!nadia!fearn@arizona.edu (Cabell Fearn) Subject: Mac Roms are avaiable To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Anyone out there who is looking for Mac ROMs: I just found some at RHOADS 519 W. Taylor #114 Santa Maria CA 934564 (805) 925 6682 ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jun 91 16:58:07 GMT From: cleveland.Freenet.Edu!aa400@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Marc A. Lombardo) Subject: Noizetracker MOD Players To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu After downloading almost every mod file player that the Atari archive has, I have yet to find one that lets me use my hard drive to load in the lengthy mod files. The Audio Sculpture program is a work of art, and so is the Digi-Composer program. Both allow me to use the ST Replay cartridge for one speaker, and the monitor for the other, allowing true stereo from my ST! The problem is, the sculpture program can only (as far as I can tell) be loaded from a floppy drive, and doesn't allow the hard drive boot program to load. (It is a boot disk) The Digi-Composer gave a little more hope, since it runs from GEM, and after the hard drive has been installed. The problem is, it won't allow hard drive use either, as far as I know. I set the preferences to save preferences to drive C, the modules to C, and the samples to C. I didn't have any problem understanding this, but when I click on save preferences it gives me four bombs, or else it clears half the screen and then another fourth, and then locks up. It does a similar thing when I try to load MOD files from the hard drive C partition. I found the program Replay 1.5 MOD file player in the noiztrkr.lzh file on the a.a., but this doesn't allow stereo output, but it does let you use the hard drive. Any ideas on how I might get this to work, or maybe an update on the replay mod file player that allows stero output? Any help would be greatly appriciated. Thanks in advance. . -- Marc A. Lombardo User Address:aa400@cleveland.freenet.edu /-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/--/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\-/-\- Atari ST, MIDI, Music ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jun 91 22:22:27 GMT From: IFI.UIO.NO!larserio@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (LarsErikOsterud) Subject: Noizetracker MOD Players To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Esion XLI soundtracker has full harddisk support (both for program and the modules). Both the ST and STE version can be used on harddisk (the oldest versions have trouble with folders but the one posted with the ONLY-STE demo works 100% and has the best sound yet) Lars-Erik / ABK-BBS +47 2132659 / ____ ______ ________________________ Osterud / larserio@ifi.uio.no / /___ / The norwegian ST __________/ ______________________/ ____/ / Klubben, user association ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jun 91 18:29:23 GMT From: mcsun!ukc!harrier.ukc.ac.uk!hobby.ukc.ac.uk!wabe@uunet.uu.net (W.A.B.Evans) Subject: Ram Disk To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <310asplundm@physc1.byu.edu> asplundm@physc1.byu.edu writes: >I am presently using EDISK on my ST, and I love the reset-proofness of it, >but I find it annoying that I can't change Ram Disk sizes without a cold >re-boot. Can anybody either tell me what I am doing wrong, or tell me about >a better program? > >Matt Asplund >BYU >Provo UT As far as I am aware, ALL reset proof ramdisks involve a RESET if they are resized. In this EDISK is no exception. However the main point of this reply is to draw your attention to Mark Williams Co.'s RDY ramdisk utility that is now PUBLIC DOMAIN - even if you are not a registered licensee of Mark Williams "C". This is FAR more sophisticated than EDISK (I am familiar with both!) - in that it allows you to configure Reset-Proof ramdisks that are Booting or non-booting and you can simultaneously load as many ramdisks as memory and/or volume letters (C:\,D:\,....P:\) allow. You may also configure the ramdisk to have the FAT structure of a FLOPPY so you can SECTOR-copy the entire contents of floppies quickly onto them (using DFT.PRG - a program within DFSUITE2 - also available on the network) - or you may use 16-bit FATS for additional access speed. Further they may be saved WITH CONTENTS to .PRG files on floppy or hard disks and loaded again with ease by simply executing them. As Mark Williams reputedly no longer write software for the ST, there was a hiccup when I tried to use my old RDY installations on a new STE. I looked into the problem, to discover it was to do with the RESET VECTOR not being correct for the STE. A minor hack produced RDE.PRG - the STE-compatible version of Mark Williams' RDY.PRG - which, with Mark Williams Co.'s permission, was distributed on atari.binaries.st last January or early February. This has solved similar problems for many who recently "upgraded" to an STE - as is testified by the many Emails I've received. One further advantage is that saved RDY ".PRG" files may be packed with an efficient packer (like PFXPAK - also PUBLIC DOMAIN) that makes them extremely economical to store on Floppy. Working this way with a 4-Mbyte STE I can load many different utilities on different ramdisks simultaneously and have not so far felt the need for expensive error-prone hard-disks. Anyway, hope this may help some readers. W. Alan B. Evans [ wabe@ukc.ac.uk ] P.S.: Whilst EDISK is not as sophisticated as RDY/RDE, it is excellent as a SINGLE reset proof ramdisk. It works equally well on the new TOS as well as the older versions - which means it "looks up" the proper RESET VECTOR, *((long *)0x4), in Supervisor Mode before executing it - which was the fault with RDY (or at least the version of RDY I was given when I upgraded to Mark Williams "C" version_3.0.6). When I upgraded I never was given the sourcecode of this "newer" RDY that worked satisfactorily on 4Mb machines (presumably there was insufficient space on the upgrade disk) - so I would be obliged if anyone who bought version 3.++ of Mark Williams "C" and who presumably got this "updated sourcecode" - which is now also PUBLIC DOMAIN (or so I learn from a FAX from Mark Wms' Dale Schumacher - but I don't really know where to access it) could be bothered to Email me this. True I could probably get it from Mark Wms. Co. also - but, as they've left the ST-scene, let's not bother them. I would then, I believe, be able to modify it so that a single RDY.PRG would work (like EDISK) on all ST machines - the only slight doubt is whether there is enough room in the bootsector of a self-loading RDY ramdisk to include the few bytes of additional code required to "look-up" the reset address vector before using it. ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jun 91 12:06:51 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!ccut!wnoc-tyo-news! toumon!wucc!ytsuji@arizona.edu (Y.Tsuji) Subject: ST Software from British distributors To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu An American buying software from UK won't have much trouble as you say. Given the same TOS, the difference is only a few keyboard assignments ( @, software from other part of Europe: the keyboards are very different! But if you don't hit a key, the program should run without a hitch. One thing worthy to note: when UK vendors export, they cannot charge the notorious 17 per cent Value Added Tax. And 17 per cent is usually cheaper than the air mail parcel post cost. Cheers, Tsuji ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jun 91 17:25:20 GMT From: cadence!cadence.com!bammi@uunet.uu.net (Jwahar R. Bammi) Subject: This week's program To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu In article <1991Jun22.003927.19972@menudo.uh.edu> uace0@menudo.uh.edu (ATARI Computer Enthusiasts) writes: > Many people have inquired as to where they can get our program's of the week... > > 100% assembly. ST, STe and TT compatible. > Actually, what would be infinitely more useful (to me anyways) would be a short technical description of all the neat tricks you guys come up with, how you did it etc, and maybe the source. -- -- bang: uunet!cadence!bammi jwahar r. bammi domain: bammi@cadence.com GEnie: J.Bammi CIS: 71515,155 ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jun 91 20:32:43 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!waikato.ac.nz!comp.vuw.ac.nz! med.wcc.govt.nz!galaxy.southpower.co.nz!ccc.govt.nz!trevor@arizona.edu Subject: Wanted: ZORK for Atari ST To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu Aaaaarrrgghh! I feel like I've woken up (over) a year late - which is what comes of taking 'established' institutions for granted. So, is there anyone out there willing to sell me a 2nd-hand copy of Infocom ZORK (& maybe Lurking Horror, MIT games are folklore-ish too), to run on an Atari ST ? I'm about to be a little preoccupied, so I may be a little late dealing with my post, but I would like to buy these programs. Thanks in advance. Trevor Ingham, Systems Programmer, Christchurch City Council, P.O. Box 237, Christchurch, New Zealand e-mail: trevor@ccc.govt.nz Wellington City Council's node or try bounces a lot of our mail. trevor%ccc.govt.nz@wcc.govt.nz s-mail: Trevor Ingham, P.O. Box 1459, Christchurch, New Zealand. ------------------------------ Date: 24 Jun 91 20:46:39 GMT From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!waikat o.ac.nz!comp.vuw.ac.nz!rata.vuw.ac.nz!gnat@arizona.edu (Nathan Torkington) Subject: Wanted: ZORK for Atari ST To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu If you are capable of a little hackery, you could probably compile the sources for dungeon (a Zork predecessor) which are available from VUW Comp Sci's archive as /archive/comp/sources/games/volume12/cdungeon/* Nat. -- Nathan Torkington Contracting to CSC, Internet: gnat@kauri.vuw.ac.nz Victoria University Of Wellington, Vocal Abuse: +64 4 853 881 (post-chronos) P.O. Box 600, New Zealand. This is not an official communication of any part of Victoria University. IBM: It may be slow, but it's hard to use. - Andrew Tannenbaum , author of Minix and Amoeba ------------------------------ End of Info-Atari16 Digest ******************************