RSMAGRUD@WEIZMANN.BITNET (Randy Magruder) (01/02/86)
I just got the KERMIT file transfer protocol files and was delighted and ready to put them in when I saw that I'd have to have the ACTION! language cartridge in order to do so. Also, because Atari's DOS II destroys the T: and R: drivers, I have to recompile the programs before I can run them each time. The suggested alternative was to build my own AUTORUN.SYS which would compile automatically the stuff, and save me time. Does anyone know how I would go about writing such a system? And what software I need? (remember please I am a very new Atari owner with an 800XL --> please don't look down on me, ST owners). Also, I know that they'd LIKE Me to get the cartridge rather than have action! put onto a diskette, but is it possible to have someone put it on diskette for me? Would I still be able to run the stuff? and compile it? Ignorantly yours, Randy Magruder
rroux@spp2.UUCP (Ray Roux) (01/03/86)
Randy Magruder,
I suggest you pickup an ANTIC magazine and in their catalog section look
at a program called Chameleon. It's a modem program that emulates a vt52
and can handle xmodem and kermit file transfers. I believe it costs about
$19 from them and I've seen it for about $12 in the stores. They also
sell ($10) just kermit but I don't know if you need Action! to use it or
not.
By the way, Action! is a terrific language for the 800 series, and the price
has gotten VERY reasonable (less than $50).
--
Ray Roux
{ucbvax|decvax}!trwrb!trwspp!spp3!rroux oyster@uwmacc.UUCP (Vicious Oyster) (01/07/86)
> >The suggested alternative was to build my >own AUTORUN.SYS which would compile automatically the stuff, and save >me time. Does anyone know how I would go about writing such a system? >And what software I need? (remember please I am a very new Atari owner >with an 800XL --> please don't look down on me, ST owners). > First off, this is an Atari newsgroup, not exclusively an ST newsgroup. You are more than welcome to abuse it (:-). Secondly, as a former new 8-bit owner, I strongly suggest purchasing the following: a memory map book (e.g. Compute!s Mapping the Atari), De Re Atari (a technical manual), and possibly Compute!s Third Book of Atari. The memory map will tell you all kinds of good things about how to get the most out of your machine, and where to go to do it; De Re Atari will explain what all the stuff in the memory map book means; and the Compute compendium will have some nice examples of using all this (I think it has an autorun example). I find the first two indispensable. >Also, I know that they'd LIKE Me to get the cartridge rather than have >action! put onto a diskette, but is it possible to have someone put it >on diskette for me? Would I still be able to run the stuff? and compile >it? This is known as software piracy, and is generally considered bad netiquette to refer to openly on USENET. I would suggest buying the cartridge. I just did, and it's as nice as others have been saying. The time saved (over things like Deep Blue C) in the edit/compile cycle alone makes it worth the price. The only thing I really don't like is the cartridge dependency (though for a price one can get around that). (Oh, and the thing comes with the rapidly-becoming-standard license agreement wherein the cartridge could be an empty casing, and they wouldn't be responsible. However, it might be in bad taste to include this, so just forget I even mentioned it, OK?) - Joel ({allegra,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!oyster)
info-atari@ucbvax.UUCP (01/07/86)
If you are a member of Compuserve, check out the download libraries for the atari8 SIG. I posted a binary (i.e. compiled Action!) version of kermit some time ago. Otherwise, you may find this floating around the various atari oriented boards.
striepe@muscat.UUCP (Harald Striepe) (01/12/86)
> >Also, I know that they'd LIKE Me to get the cartridge rather than have > >action! put onto a diskette, but is it possible to have someone put it > >on diskette for me? Would I still be able to run the stuff? and compile > >it? Another reason (aside from the piracy issue) why you cannot have ACTION! (or, for that matter, BASIC XL/XE or MAC/65 with DDT) on disk is that these are the only cartridges making use of a technique called BANKSWITCHING. They are actually 16K carts taking up only 8K of address space. If you use OSS's DOS XL, DOS will use the RAM "hidden" by the cart for even more program memory. The capability to use this feature is another indication of the fabulous design and forethought that went into these little 8 bitters. I just got another one of them! The newest incarnation (130XE) carries on the proud tradition with a nicely thought out approach to bank switching its 128K RAM and supporting its parallel bus. By the way, you can obtain a runtime library to make your action programs independent of the cart, or modifiy the IO library to do program development for the C64 or Apple (you better know the respective OS's to do that...). -- Harald Striepe DEC APB-WEST decwrl!muscat!striepe decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-winery!striepe WINERY::STRIEPE