kkaempf@rmi.UUCP (Klaus Kaempf) (01/22/88)
I hope it's not too late for the following ...
- REPEATGADGET: An additional gadget flag that will result
in several "GADGETDOWN"-messages, as long, as the user
keeps the left mouse button pressed, then a single
"GADGETUP". This can easily be implemented even now, but
it would be nicer to have it in the ROMs. (Don't repeat
a second time until replied, use KeyRptDelay/KeyRptSpeed.)
- AmigaDOS/NFS: Provide an official way of dismounting
AmigaDOS-devices. This way you could finally use the
"disk.resource"'s "AllocUnit()", even after the DOS is up
& running, for example to implement a new device that uses
"GCR" instead of "MFM" and then use it for a particular
disk unit. Right now the "trackdisk.device" cannot
"FreeUnit()", because the DOS won't ever "CloseDevice()".
- Make "MODE_OLDFILE" read-only, even if this will certainly
break lots of programs. It is the only function holding a
shared read-lock on a file, that can be written to! (Try
it yourself: several applications can open a single file
with READONLY and ALL OF THEM can write to it at the same
time!) This is probably a holdover from pre-1.2 when there
was no "MODE_READWRITE". 1.3 should enforce the synonym
"MODE_READONLY"!
- Fix the "TD_REMCHANGEINT"-bug. Right now it uses the same
node-structure for both IORequest-queueing and linking the
chain. So the list is already destroyed, if the
device-handler tries to execute the REMOVE-macro.
- European PAL-machines sometimes behave like NTSC-versions
in providing only 200 lines (non-interlaced). This bug
occurs once in about 80 reboot-cycles. (BTW: We'll ALWAYS
have to cope with this "double-mouse" at line ~223).
Take your time and make 1.3 the best OS ever!
!ralph
Ralph Babel | sys64824
Falkenweg 3 | (!#X3F0001)()
D-6204 Taunusstein | (**((void (**)(void))0xfc0004))();dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) (01/26/88)
: Make "MODE_OLDFILE" read-only, even if this will certainly : break lots of programs. It is the only function holding a : shared read-lock on a file, that can be written to! (Try : it yourself: several applications can open a single file : with READONLY and ALL OF THEM can write to it at the same : time!) This is probably a holdover from pre-1.2 when there : was no "MODE_READWRITE". 1.3 should enforce the synonym : "MODE_READONLY"! It will break just about every program in existance. I would also like to point out that some of us may *want* to have several programs writing the same file at the same time, or one program writing while another is reading. A better thing to do would be to add a new mode that is READ with an exclusive lock. -Matt
page@swan.ulowell.edu (Bob Page) (01/26/88)
OK, I got one... I want to click on a drag bar, on any window, in any screen. Now that I have the mouse button held down, I want to cycle through all my screens. Maybe use left-amiga-space or something, so I can do it with one hand. While I'm cycling through the screens, the window I'm "dragging" stays on top of everything. Finally, I find the screen I'm interested in and let go of the mouse button. The window I was holding (dragging) now gets an IDCMP NEWSCREEN message, and the application can look at the ScreenData so it can configure itself accordingly .. number of colors, etc. Essentially I want to move any window to any screen. Yeah, I KNOW how Intuition, custom screens, layers and the copper work, and I know it would be a bitch. But I still want it. ..Bob PS Oh yeah, did I say it has to be backwards-compatible? :-) -- Bob Page, U of Lowell CS Dept. page@swan.ulowell.edu ulowell!page "I don't know such stuff. I just do eyes." -- from 'Blade Runner'
dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) (01/27/88)
> Whilst on the subject of PAL screens - Matt in DME why do you go to the >bother of using GetScreenData and then limit the size of DME's window to 640 by >200. I used just to patch the binary to give me 672 by 265. I use an alias now >since you've changed the way you open the initial window. However, I am a DME >worshipper so I can cope with any good reason. Only when it opens the window, and that can be overriden. You can resize the window to whatever you want, of course. There is a REASON for this! It is so people don't get into the habit of writing text files which are wider than a standard window... that when they DO such a thing they *know* they are doing it. -Matt
jdm@gryphon.CTS.COM (John Mesiavech) (01/28/88)
An idea to make life easier for novice users of the system....
Include an AUTOFORMAT flag in the OS. When this flag is set to 1,
have the system automatically format the disk, if the Disk-Validator marks
the disk as BAD. Possibly better, would be a system requester saying
"Disk in drive dfx: is BAD...format?" with the usual OK/Cancel gadget..
OK in this case meaning "yes, format the disk" and Cancel meaning "NO, do
NOT format". This would make life a lot easier and faster for newer users,
all they'd have to do would be to insert a blank disk and the system would
automatically format it, or format it after the user clicks OK.
This would be Preferences-selectable, of course, and really wouldn't
add that much to the OS, since all it would have to do is wait around for
a DISKCHANGE signal, wait for Disk-Validator to do it's thing, then pop a
requester according to the signal returned. If the requester gets popped,
then upon the OK click just Execute() the FORMAT command. Most of the code
is already IN the Workbench...just a matter of tying it together.
Related ideas: An EXPERT gadget in Preferences, that if it was clicked
ON, would cause the system to never come up in Workbench, always in CLI.
(Yes, yes, I know...just delete LoadWB from startup-sequence...remember, we're
talking novices here) This would allow for handier use of the system..after all, it's for things like this that Preferences was designed FOR, no?
The above could be implemented by having TWO startup-sequences..and either a
bit of renaming, OR having the system look for the appropriate one after
loading system-configuration..
Anyway, just some ideas, dust in the wind...Thought I'd toss 'em out, and
see if anyone sneezed....8->
John
--
0-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-> All disclaimers apply; I didn't write this <-=-=-=-=-=-0
| ------------------|----------------------- |
| "I am the Entertainer, | John Mesiavech |
| And I know just where I stand, | |
| Another serenader, | {anywhere}!cadovax!gryphon!jdm |
| And another longhaired band..." | <This space for rent> |
| - Billy Joel, "The Entertainer" | |
0-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-0jesup@pawl15.pawl.rpi.edu (Randell E. Jesup) (01/28/88)
In article <8801251900.AA00551@cory.Berkeley.EDU> dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) writes: >> Make "MODE_OLDFILE" read-only, even if this will certainly >> break lots of programs. It is the only function holding a > It will break just about every program in existance. I would also >like to point out that some of us may *want* to have several programs writing >the same file at the same time, or one program writing while another is >reading. A better thing to do would be to add a new mode that is READ with >an exclusive lock. > -Matt I would prefer a MODE_REALREADONLY or somesuch that REALLY would not let you write, but would let you read even if another program was writing to it (we HAVE both exclusive and shared locks already, let's use them). And of course, MODE_SAFEREAD, which doesn't allow others to write to it while you're reading (as you suggested); and a variant on it, MODE_SAFEREADONLY, which allows you to safely read ala mode_saferead, but doesn't allow YOU to write either. These MODE_(SAFE)READONLY commands gives you a bit more safety when reusing code that accesses important files. They may not be strictly neccesary, but they reduce the chance of trouble from poorly-written or buggy code, or in things where the user could do very dangerous things because of the tools provided (interpreters are a good example). The MODE_SAFEREAD really is needed. // Randell Jesup Lunge Software Development // Dedicated Amiga Programmer 13 Frear Ave, Troy, NY 12180 \\// beowulf!lunge!jesup@steinmetz.UUCP (518) 272-2942 \/ (uunet!steinmetz!beowulf!lunge!jesup) BIX: rjesup
lupin3@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (-=/ Larry Hastings /=-) (01/29/88)
+-In article <2293@gryphon.CTS.COM>, jdm@gryphon.CTS.COM (John Mesiavech) wrote:- +---------- | | Include an AUTOFORMAT flag in the OS. When this flag is set to 1, | have the system automatically format the disk, if the Disk-Validator marks | the disk as BAD. Possibly better, would be a system requester saying | "Disk in drive dfx: is BAD...format?" with the usual OK/Cancel gadget.. | +---------- System requester would be fine; I wouldn't want ANYTHING to auto-format disks; what if it "thinks" it's a bad disk but it isn't (it's something you're going to DiskDoctor or something)? Wouldn't even be too hard for C= to put in; just wedge it in there good and hard... +---------- | | Related ideas: An EXPERT gadget in Preferences, that if it was clicked ^^^^^^ | ON, would cause the system to never come up in Workbench, always in CLI. | (Yes, yes, I know...just delete LoadWB from startup-sequence...remember, we're | talking novices here) ^^^^^^^ | +---------- Huh? Make an "EXPERT" mode for "Novices"? If they can't use CLI enough to edit their startup-sequence, then they don't deserve to be in CLI all the time. Wouldn't be good for 'em... Anyways, this doesn't have to be in Preferences; you could just write a program that opens the startup-sequence, reads it, and writes it back with everything but the line "LoadWB". It'd be a snap to write, then you just make an icon for it and put it on the boot workbench. +---------- | | | "I am the Entertainer, | John Mesiavech | | | Another serenader, | {anywhere}!cadovax!gryphon!jdm | | +---------- -- .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . /\\\ | _ _ _ _ |_| _ _ |_ -__ _ _ARPA: lupin3@ucscb.ucsc.EDU /\\ \\\ L_ (_\( ( (_/ | |(_\_\ (_ || )(_)_\UUCP: ...!ucbvax!ucscc!ucscb!lupin3 l>c>>h>>>larry / hastings _/ BITNET: lupin3@ucscb@ucscc.BITNET \// /// and they came out... and the last cow was jet-propelled...ZZZZZZ \///Disclaimer:My views don't reflect UCSC's, as theirs NEVER reflect mine...
cmcmanis%pepper@Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) (01/29/88)
[Sorry John but this one really cracked me up, presented is an example of why one should read their own postings before typeing 'send' or whatever] In article <2293@gryphon.CTS.COM> (John Mesiavech) writes: > Include an AUTOFORMAT flag in the OS. When this flag is set to 1, >have the system automatically format the disk, if the Disk-Validator marks >the disk as BAD. Serious note here : Yuck City! What if you stick the only copy of your copy protected game into a drive (which is not a DOS disk because it was designed to be Bootable) and the validator reformats for you? Poof! And the novice user can only assume that since the system is offering to help it must be the right thing to do. No, this is not a good idea in my opinion. > Related ideas: An EXPERT gadget in Preferences, that if it was clicked >ON, would cause the system to never come up in Workbench, always in CLI. >(Yes, yes, I know...just delete LoadWB from startup-sequence...remember, we're >talking novices here) This would allow for handier use of the system... So why would a NOVICE click on the EXPERT gadget ? I say leave it as it is, consider it one of the steps of enlightenment. When you can start the machine and not have it go into workbench, then you will be ready grasshopper. >Anyway, just some ideas, dust in the wind...Thought I'd toss 'em out, and >see if anyone sneezed....8-> Ahhhhhhhh-Choooo! :-) :-) :-) --Chuck McManis uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.
ain@s.cc.purdue.edu (Patrick White) (01/29/88)
In article <2293@gryphon.CTS.COM> jdm@gryphon.CTS.COM (John Mesiavech) writes: > Include an AUTOFORMAT flag in the OS. When this flag is set to 1, >have the system automatically format the disk, if the Disk-Validator marks >the disk as BAD. Puleeese no... the first time I pop a toasted disk into my drive (say from some other computer, or just fails validataion) the data would go away. If that ever happens, I will find whoever got C=A to put that idea in and I *won't* buy them a beer :-) I agree, however, it would be nice to have some basic program (say workbench) automatically ask if I want a "bad" disk formatted when I pop it in the drive... but there also has to be a way to shut that feature off if I have a program that wants to experiment with it's own data encoding format. > Related ideas: An EXPERT gadget in Preferences, that if it was clicked >ON, would cause the system to never come up in Workbench, always in CLI. If one wants CLI, they might as well learn CLI commands -- I could see this idea causing major confusion the first time a novice click it on to see what would happen then reboots. Now workbench dosen't come up, and they can't get to preferences the way they did before... now they are really lost... >Anyway, just some ideas, dust in the wind...Thought I'd toss 'em out, and >see if anyone sneezed....8-> Achoo. :-) Seriously though, some good ideas, but isn't the idea of making a computer for a novice to make it so "dumb" actions don't cause damage? (ie. to limit the the abilities of a machine to "safe" ones?) -- Pat White UUCP: k.cc.purdue.edu!ain BITNET: PATWHITE@PURCCVM PHONE: (317) 743-8421 U.S. Mail: 320 Brown St. apt. 406, West Lafayette, IN 47906
farren@gethen.UUCP (Michael J. Farren) (02/02/88)
In article <2293@gryphon.CTS.COM> jdm@gryphon.CTS.COM (John Mesiavech) writes: > >Possibly better, would be a system requester saying >"Disk in drive dfx: is BAD...format?" with the usual OK/Cancel gadget.. >OK in this case meaning "yes, format the disk" and Cancel meaning "NO, do >NOT format". Ala Macintosh, you mean? This would be an okay idea if, and ONLY if, the FORMAT command resided in Workbench space, rather than being an external command. I already believe this to be a good idea - format, info, and diskcopy are, currently, the only Workbench standard operations that require you to re-insert your Workbench disk, if it has been removed, except for those commands that actually do writes to the Workbench disk itself, such as snapshot. I would MUCH prefer to see all of the Workbench menu commands operate without disk changes, and since the next release of Workbench supposedly all resides in a library anyhow, why not just make the library a little bit bigger, for the sake of greatly improved convenience? -- Michael J. Farren | "INVESTIGATE your point of view, don't just {ucbvax, uunet, hoptoad}! | dogmatize it! Reflect on it and re-evaluate unisoft!gethen!farren | it. You may want to change your mind someday." gethen!farren@lll-winken.llnl.gov ----- Tom Reingold, from alt.flame
ali@rocky.STANFORD.EDU (Ali Ozer) (02/04/88)
In article <644@gethen.UUCP> farren@gethen.UUCP (Michael J. Farren) writes: >>Possibly better, would be a system requester saying >>"Disk in drive dfx: is BAD...format?" with the usual OK/Cancel gadget.. >Ala Macintosh, you mean? ... I just overheard yesterday how this one guy lost a month's worth of work when he replied "OK" to the "disk is unreadable... initialize?" question... Sounded like he just thought the Mac was going to "initialize" the disk (whatever that might mean to a person who just word-processes and hasn't bothered to read or find out anything about the machine) as opposed to "totally erase and get rid of everything on it." Well now he knows, I guess, but he didn't sound too happy telling this to his friend. The friend sounded more knowledgable --- he asked about backups --- and the first guy had no idea what those were... Anyway, the automatic "format?" question is nice when you put in a brand new disk (or a non-Amiga disk), but for corrupted floppies it should not replace the "disk is corrupted --- use DISKDOCTOR" requester. Or if it does, it should be clear that the operation will totally get rid of every file on the disk. Otherwise you'll always get some people who, like the above person, totally manage to destroy their disk with a single click of the mouse. ----- On another note --- in my previous message I mentioned "DigiAdaptor" and said it digitizes stuff from a VCR --- just so that people don't get the wrong idea: You still need DigiView. And that's all I know about it! But I'd like to find out more, if anyone knows more... ----- Ali Ozer, ali@rocky.stanford.edu
kent@xanth.cs.odu.edu (Kent Paul Dolan) (02/04/88)
While we're on the subject, it would be nothing short of wonderful if the requesters that currently come up and say you can't access a resource would tell you what resource and why. It does me little good to tell me a file is tied up if I can't figure out why. A systematic review of the requestors to assure that each is providing the maximum available amount of useful information is in order. Kent, the man from xanth.
kkaempf@rmi.UUCP (Klaus Kaempf) (02/13/88)
Sizing a window that is currently not active (calling "SizeWindow()" after receiving an "INACTIVEWINDOW", for example) causes the "NEWSIZE" message to be sent to the window that's currently active. Just thought someone might find this interesting (especially C-A ...) !ralph
anthes@geocub.UUCP (Franklin Anthes) (02/19/88)
Keywords: Here are my 2 cents on the subject. I'd like to see the active window change colors. I mean when I have 3 or more windows sitting around, it just isn't enough that all except one ar grayed out. So I invariably type into the wrong window sooner, or later We have colors on the amiga don't we, just because that's the way the Mac does it doesn't mean we have to do it that way! Hmmm! Maye this could even be done by some sort of setfunction thingy? I'm afraid I don't know enough about WorkBench/Intuition to say whether it's possible or not. Well is it possible? And even more important , is it a good idea? Would it break any existing programs? Maybe something like this already exists, and I just don't know about it yet... Frank -- Frank Anthes-Harper Usenet: ....!ucbvax!decvax!uunet!mcvax!inria!geocub!anthes
phil@titan.rice.edu (William LeFebvre) (02/23/88)
In article <200@geocub.UUCP> anthes@geocub.UUCP (Franklin Anthes) writes: >I'd like to see the active window change colors. I've always thought (from the first time I saw the Workbench running) that the CLI windows should have a different background color than the WB's background. That would really set the window apart from the rest of the screen. How about merging these two ideas? Only the currently selected CLI window has a different background color?......Hmmmm....... Now if the new dropcloth worked reliably, I could have it change the screen's background color and I'd be happy! But it does seem to have a few problems........oh well.... >just because that's the way the Mac does it doesn't mean we have to >do it that way! Absolutely! William LeFebvre Department of Computer Science Rice University <phil@Rice.edu>