gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn ) (02/10/88)
Some of you may already know about this product. However, I think it deserves a plug, so here goes: I was getting really frustrated playing Return of Werdna, because of extremely unfavorable rolls of the dice at critical times forcing me to keep starting over. So, recalling something about SoftSwitch from Roger Wagner Publishing, I bought a copy, and guess what -- now I can instantly snapshot the state of the game at a couple of key positions and instantly switch back to one of the snapshotted states when things go badly in the game. In fact, it is so convenient that it is worth while to keep rolling dice from the same saved state until getting a favorable outcome, then replace the saved state with the new one, etc. Ths is the only way I know of to map every corner of the minefield on level 8 with a level-3 Werdna, for example (forcing +8 HP per DIOS potion). Here's what SoftSwitch does, in essence: It works only on a IIGS and is installed as a Classic Desk Accessory. At any point in an 8-bit application (other than while a disk is being accessed), press open-apple/ctrl/esc to get to the console/CDA menu, and invoke SoftSwitch. It shows mini-screens of the interrupted application and up to three snapshotted states. By a couple of keystrokes, one can clear a snapshot, copy the interrupted state into a snapshot, or copy a snapshot into the interrupted state (this is the "switch"). Upon leaving SoftSwitch, then leaving the console/CDA menu, one is back at the interrupted application, which MAY BE A COPY OF A PREVIOUSLY SAVED STATE. The snapshots are saved in allocated memory (at least 512KB expansion recommended), and there is a utility called "KeepSake" that can be run to save snapshots in disk files or load snapshots from disk files. (Great for games without a convenient "save game" feature!) The main reason this technique can work is that there is really no disk write caching in DOS 3.3 or PRODOS-8, so there is no need to flush internal buffers to the disk before switching to another task. SoftSwitch works best if one of the snapshots is of the DeskTop (NOT the Finder, which works in 16-bit mode; the DeskTop runs in 8-bit mode). The DeskTop is supplied with SoftSwitch, in case you don't have it (i.e. you have only the latest IIGS System Disk). This makes it possible to at any point in an 8-bit application quickly switch to the DeskTop to create directories (oops, "folders"), format disks, etc. then switch back to the application right where you left it. It should be obvious how handy this can be.. The main limitation is that 16-bit applications cannot be switched, for a variety of techincal and practical reasons. Also, some 8-bit applications may disable interrupts so that you can't get to the control panel (console/CDA menu) to invoke SoftSwitch. But when it does work, it is great! It seems very well designed, too; it beeps and asks for confirmation if you attempt to do something that would irretrievably lose the interrupted state, but it just goes ahead and does what you request (typically using a single obvious keystroke) in all other cases. I admit to being somewhat dubious when I read about this product in Open-Apple, but now that I've used it I can attest that it really works as advertised. It's useful for a lot of applications, but I especially think no IIGS Wizardry player should be without it!
shack@bucsb.UUCP (Randy Shackelford) (06/10/88)
>Well, the GS is semi-multitaksing. There's someting from W. RODGERS >PUBLISHING that >'s called the "SWITCHER" It allowes 4 simultasking programs to be run. >Although not at the same time, you can just flip back and forth from >Appleworks and then to Dazel Draw. (When the boss turns his head.) Get it right, bud. First of all, the program is called Softswitch and it is published by Roger Wagner Publishing. It can switch between three different ProDOS 8 programs, after ProDOS 16 is booted. >I think it only works for ProDos, (Ok, another limitation.), but then >again, I don't own the thing. So you feel limited by ProDOS. So what is your OS of choice? DOS 3.3? CP/M? I kinda like ProDOS myself. >+-++Jeremy+-++ >!Spies!fatcat!Jeremy Haven't thought of a trick .sig yet so this will have to do.
SEWALL@UCONNVM.BITNET (Murph Sewall) (06/10/88)
>So you feel limited by ProDOS. So what is your OS of choice? DOS 3.3? CP/M? >I kinda like ProDOS myself. Now that the quit code has been humanized by Glen Bredon, Don Elton, Dave Lyons, and others (who've I left out?), I think ProDOS is OK. However, as a user, I see little advantage other than the hierarchical file structure makes it MUCH easier to keep things organized on large (over 256K) storage devices. The problem IS so much worthwhile software isn't upward compatible (ProDOS doesn't have a "DOS box" the way OS/2 will in the IBM world). I have quite a bit of software that still does what I bought it to do quite nicely AND I'm used to it (no reason to change) BUT it's NEVER going to be ported to ProDOS (in many cases the original publisher has gone bankrupt or merged into another firm that's abandoned it, in a few cases it's just been abandoned - example: Apple made Quick File <for all intents and purposes> part of AppleWorks and doesn't sell a <cheap> free standing version for ProDOS). I don't have a Z80 in my //e, but I know quite a few folks that do. dBase II retains all the power it ever had. Is there REALLY enough extra advantage to ProDOS (ProDOS 16 may be another matter, but the software library at the moment looks more like "gee whiz" stuff than something with REAL advantages over in-place systems) to merit starting over from scratch? dBase II is "expertware," and I'd hardly recommend anyone starting up invest in it, but once even complex software is learned and often used, then new stuff which is prettier (color, icons, etc.) and easier to learn may not offer much real advantage. In fact, for many tasks of modest size dBase II in the hands of an experienced user runs circles around most of the newer stuff (CP/M coprocessors have run 3MHz and faster for years and dBase doesn't generate the overhead that ease of use often requires). --------------------- Disclaimer: The "look and feel" of this message is exclusively MINE! (subject to change without notice; void where prohibited) ARPA: sewall%uconnvm.bitnet@mitvma.mit.edu Murphy A. Sewall BITNET: SEWALL@UCONNVM School of Business Admin. UUCP: ...ihnp4!psuvax1!UCONNVM.BITNET!SEWALL University of Connecticut
AWCTTYPA@UIAMVS.BITNET ("David A. Lyons") (06/14/88)
>Well, the GS is semi-multitaksing. There's someting from W. RODGERS >PUBLISHING that's called the "SWITCHER" It allowes 4 simultasking >programs to be run. Although not at the same time, you can just flip >back and forth from Appleworks and then to Dazzle Draw. (When the boss >turns his head.) >I think it only works for ProDOS, (Ok, another limitation.), but then >again, I don't own the thing. If you're talking about the product I think you're talking about, it is called SoftSwitch, and it's from Roger Wagner Publishing (the people who brought you Merlin and MouseWrite, etc). They can be reached at 1050 Pioneer Way, Suite "P"; El Cajon, CA 92020. (619) 442-0522. The actual limitation is that SoftSwitch will not switch ProDOS 16 programs in or out. It works fine with ProDOS 8, DOS 3.3, and any other environment that does NOT turn off interrupts but can be preserved with a snapshot of the first 128K of RAM (and, optionally, requests additional RAM from the GS memory manager, like AppleWorks does). I haven't tried it with Apple Pascal, but I suspect it would work fine. The reason interrupts must be left enabled is that you can't get into the CDA menu to get to SoftSwtich and switch to another program if interrupts are off! Disclaimer: I know & like Roger Wagner, but he's not paying me to say any of this. >+-++Jeremy+-++ >!Spies!fatcat!Jeremy --David A. Lyons a.k.a. DAL Systems PO Box 287 | North Liberty, IA 52317 BITNET: AWCTTYPA@UIAMVS CompuServe: 72177,3233 GEnie mail: D.LYONS2
jm7e+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU ("Jeremy G. Mereness") (04/04/89)
I am experimenting with a copy of SoftSwitch that came with my computer, Apparently, any program that tries to capture all the available memory kills Softswitch. This includes Appleworks 2.0 and Proterm. Could someone recommend a terminal program that works like Proterm that doesn't try to use all available memory for its capture buffer? jeremy mereness ============= jm7e+@andrew.cmu.edu (Arpanet) r746jm7e@CMCCVB (vax.... Bitnet)
SASQUATCH@ALBION.BITNET ("Kevin Lepard, 629-1827", 517) (10/11/89)
Under GS/OS software 3.0, Softswitch insists that all my applications, even P8 ones, are GS/OS applications. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, is there an update to Softswitch? BTW: Does anyone know how to contact R.Wagner on the network or what his email address on, say, compuserve is? Thanks. Kevin Lepard Bitnet: Sasquatch@albion.bitnet
lhaider@pro-sol.cts.com (Lawrence Haider) (10/13/89)
Network Comment: to #12076 by SASQUATCH%ALBION.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu >Under GS/OS software 3.0, Softswitch insists that all my applications, >even P8 ones, are GS/OS applications. Has anyone else had this problem? >If so, is there an update to Softswitch? It's a problem with SoftSwitch that I've called Roger Wagner Publishing several times about. I keep getting a nice receptionist to tell me that Roger is working on the problem and someone from the tech-support will get back to me with an explaination about when I "might" expect an update. Guess what! I've never been called back! I really miss that program, but I hope the update supports GS/OS based applications. I can't understand why it never has (even under ProDOS16), like programs have been running on IBMs and Macs for years now. Certainly a similar system can be made for the GS. Laer lhaider@pro-sol.cts.com
dlyons@Apple.COM (David Lyons) (10/14/89)
In article <8910111253.aa14997@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> SASQUATCH@ALBION.BITNET ("Kevin Lepard, 629-1827", 517) writes: >Under GS/OS software 3.0, Softswitch insists that all my applications, >even P8 ones, are GS/OS applications. Has anyone else had this problem? >If so, is there an update to Softswitch? Yes, I believe there's an update. The problem was Softswitch and GS/OS not interpreting a certain flag byte in the same way (additional bits are now used, but Softswitch was checking for the byte to be zero or nonzero). -- --Dave Lyons, Apple Computer, Inc. | DAL Systems AppleLink--Apple Edition: DAVE.LYONS | P.O. Box 875 America Online: Dave Lyons | Cupertino, CA 95015-0875 GEnie: D.LYONS2 or DAVE.LYONS CompuServe: 72177,3233 Internet/BITNET: dlyons@apple.com UUCP: ...!ames!apple!dlyons My opinions are my own, not Apple's.