cg@myrias.UUCP (Chris Gray) (06/20/86)
Some requests for a future version of the Amiga ROM's: 1) Have a couple of new loader section types. One would simply allocate bss-type memory and specifically not initialize it to anything. This is the cheapest for program loading (I personally NEVER assume anything about the initial value of global variables). The second would specifically initialize the section to pseudo-random values (seeded by something like the microsecond timer). The advantage of this (and to some extent the non-initialized section also) is that errors due to not properly initializing something are much more likely to be discovered early. 2) How about Preferences containing a screen depth selection? I'm using 1.2 (beta 2) with interlace, and with the colors such that I may as well have only 1 bit plane and save the memory/time. Or does Workbench assume a 4 color screen? 3) A few nit-pickers around here (I'm kind of a crusader for the Amiga, and in self defense they have to find things to complain about!) get all upset about the Amiga not supporting standard XON/XOFF on the console. Telling them that space (or any other printing key) will stop the output and backspace will restart it doesn't do any good - they want what they are familiar with to work. So could we have XON/XOFF in the console support? 4) A couple of people on the net have suggested that the libraries do more consistency checking of their calls and parameters. DO NOT BUILD THIS INTO THE MAIN ENTRY POINTS! There will always be applications that need every ounce of juice that the system can deliver. (Take a look at all the successful products for the MS-DOS market - a surprising number are hand- coded assembler throughout - all in the interests of squeezing the last drop from the machine.) Since, on the Amiga we can replace library entries, the proper way to construct a fully consistency checking interface is through a debug package which replaces ALL of the entry points with equivalent ones which do all the checking their little hearts desire, then just call the originals, which they have squirrelled away somewhere. Keep up the good work C-A! I just LOVE the interlaced screen! Chris Gray (...ihnp4!alberta!myrias!cg)