bryce@cbmvax.UUCP (Bryce Nesbitt) (03/06/89)
The first volume of the new ROM Kernel Manual set is now available!
The book is titled "ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Includes & Autodocs".
This book can be seen as a direct replacement for the White "RKM Volume 2",
or as an update to much of the material in the three older Addison-Wesley
manuals (Exec, Libraries & Devices, and Intuition). This manual describes the
Amiga up to the current revision of the system software (V1.3). The manual
is up to date with the V1.3 Includes and Autodocs as distributed on disk.
The manual contains:
o A short introduction to Amiga programming rules.
o An "autodoc" for each library, device and resource call in the
system (except dos.library).
o A short introductory section on what libraries, devices and
resources are.
o All C and Assembly include files.
o Documentation for the linker libraries amiga.lib and
debug.lib. This section incldues example source code.
o Numerous handy reference charts including: 1> A massive cross-
reference of each symbol in the system with it's resolved
value and location in the include files. 2> A function chart
giving the negative offset for each function call in the system.
3> An assembly structure reference, listing each structure in memory
order with the offset from the base. Perfect for debugging
at the assembler level.
o Full IFF documentation, including updated sample code and updated
FORM specifications.
o A small function index and to top it all off, thumbtabs.
This manual was written here at Commodore-Amiga. The Addison-Wesley
publishing company has informed us the manual should be available at local
bookstores immediately. Copies of the first print run are already in-house.
Two other manuals will complete the new ROM Kernel Manual set. No release
dates are available:
Amiga Hardware Reference Manual - updated to include the A500 & A2000
Amiga ROM Kernel Manual: Libraries and Devices - will include all
tutorial information including Intuition & Exec programming.
There will no longer be separate Exec or Intuition manuals.
--
|\_/| . ACK!, NAK!, EOT!, SOH!
{O o} . Bryce Nesbitt
(") BIX: bnesbitt
U USENET: cbmvax!bryce@uunet.uu.NET -or- rutgers!cbmvax!bryce
This article may be redistributed or republished without restriction.ddave@pnet02.cts.com (David Donley) (03/09/89)
How come nobody will write a dos.library manual? I have gobs of manuals, and
the only one I have that says anything about dos is "Inside the Amiga with C".
(It only has about 10 pages)
When is somebody going to write a book that documents _EVERY_ function in
dos.library?
Is dos.library like INTUTIONPRIVATE or something?
Call my BBS at (213) 372-4494
Disclaimer: If it doesn't work, you did something wrong.
ddave@pnet02.CTS.COM ddave@pnet.gryphon.COM killer!gryphon!pnet02!ddaverap@ardent.UUCP (Rob Peck) (03/10/89)
In article <13067@gryphon.COM>, ddave@pnet02.cts.com (David Donley) writes: > How come nobody will write a dos.library manual? I have gobs of manuals, and > the only one I have that says anything about dos is "Inside the Amiga with C". > (It only has about 10 pages) The Programmers Guide To The Amiga, SYBEX, 1987 (which I wrote) contains an entire chapter on the DOS functions that are simply listed in the AmigaDOS manual, with LOTS of tested, functioning examples. I don't document sending DOS packets, though. The reason for C-A not documenting "every" DOS call I believe was to prevent programmers from relying on the positioning and structure of the dos.library... it is, after all, written in BCPL and is structured entirely differently than the standard Amiga libs. If AmigaDOS is eventually rewritten, C-A will likely make public the functions that they'll support and thats what you really want... something that'll stay the same from release to release. I do document the supported functions though. Re the Programmers Guide... it seems to be a well kept secret, though 16,000 folks have already found and purchased it. AND it is now available in Italian, Danish and German. Somehow, when SYBEX put together the most recent SYBEX REPORT, they listed the Mortimore books, with their cover shots, but deleted the cover shot of the Programmers Guide To The Amiga, and listed it on the following page, under miscellaneous hardware books. As a result, anyone using the SYBEX REPORT to search for books about the Amiga might easily miss it in the listing. In fact, both Amiga World and Amazing Computing, while putting together their definitive list of "all books in print about the Amiga", did NOT list the Programmers Guide... one of them just relied on the SYBEX REPORT while searching for available Amiga books. The other called SYBEX directly and it seems that the new sales rep did not notice the listing of my book (SIGH!). Considering the nice compliments that I've received about the book, and the user support (three folks have taken it upon themselves to provide Manx C, TDI Modula and Benchmark Modula translations of the book... the text is primarily Lattice C), it feels real strange to have difficulty in getting the publisher himself to recognize the problem in the catalog. Well, a new catalog is due soon, and I'll keep pluggin' for more space. Aaaaarrrrggghhh. Well, at least Walden Books has begun to carry it again. And I still ship disks to folks who find the coupon in the back. So it goes. Rob Peck P.S. All examples in "Inside The Amiga with C" use busy-waits. Don't do that... it destroys multi-tasking.
bryce@cbmvax.UUCP (Bryce Nesbitt) (03/11/89)
In article <13067@gryphon.COM> ddave@pnet02.cts.com (David Donley) writes: >When is somebody going to write a book that documents _EVERY_ function in >dos.library? The AmigaDOS manual, second edition. Bantam Computer Books. ISBN 0-553-34440-0. (or maybe) ISBN 0-553-34440-4. -- |\_/| . ACK!, NAK!, EOT!, SOH! {O o} . Bryce Nesbitt, Commodore-Amiga, Inc. (") BIX: bnesbitt U USENET: cbmvax!bryce@uunet.uu.NET -or- rutgers!cbmvax!bryce Lawyers: America's untapped export market.
ewhac@well.UUCP (Leo 'Bols Ewhac' Schwab) (03/11/89)
In article <13067@gryphon.COM> ddave@pnet02.cts.com (David Donley) writes: >How come nobody will write a dos.library manual? [ ... ] My best information indicates: Commodore signed a deal with Bantam books giving them exclusive perpetual rights to publish the AmigaDOS documentation. No one seems to know exactly why this was done. I don't know who at Commodore agreed to this. I'm pretty sure he hasn't been caught yet. That means that not even Commodore can print DOS autodocs in the Rom Kernel Manual. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Leo L. Schwab -- The Guy in The Cape INET: well!ewhac@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU \_ -_ Recumbent Bikes: UUCP: pacbell > !{well,unicom}!ewhac O----^o The Only Way To Fly. hplabs / (pronounced "AE-wack") "Work FOR? I don't work FOR anybody! I'm just having fun." -- The Doctor