[net.micro.amiga] Suggestions for new-improved features

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)