[comp.sys.atari.st] TT questions

dsmall@well.sf.ca.us (David Small) (01/22/91)

The thread asks TT questions.

The TT can have up to 4 megabytes of "ST RAM". This is RAM that has
video contention; e.g., the processor can't get to it whenever it would like
to,
because the video chips are tied up displaying the picture. It's a lot like
ST RAM and runs programs in it, and so forth.

	The TT can also have fastRAM, or "TT RAM". It's on a daughterboard
which I recently learned is an option you need to ask for; it's not standard.
Anyway, that has either 4 megs or 16 megs of RAM on it, depending on which
size SIMM you choose, 1 meg or 4 meg. All this RAM (ST/TT) is SIMM mounted and
dynamic RAM; I am not aware of any static RAM in the system.

	For completeness' sake, there is a chip with around 60 bytes of
battery-backed up RAM in there somewhere; I know almost nothing about it.

	TT RAM is burst mode (if you buy the right sorta SIMMS), 32-bit,
very quick RAM that is not slowed down by video. (My benchmarks show a 2-3X
improvement -- video takes a BIG chunk out of the TT's ST-RAM bandwidth).
Programs loaded into TTRAM, by setting the program-flag to do so, really
scream
along much faster; the flag lets you selectively load programs into the RAM
they
will work in, as some programs will break in TT-RAM. (TT-RAM cannot display
video or
do ACSI disk I/O directly to it, although buffering through ST-RAM is easy 
enough.)

	The TT is apparently shipping with 720K drives. According to another
network, Atari tested out prototypes of a new chip that was supposed to run\
at the higher density, but it was flaky, so they went to 720K. Also
according to elsewhere, there is a jumper if they ever get it working to
supply the new chip the higher clock rate. I would be very surprised if the
DreamPark board to do highest density drives wouldn't work in TT, though.

	I read that TT currently has only FCC Class A that we all know from 
Stacy, so you may have trouble getting one *at all* unless you are
a non-residential application. I am not going to suggest you tell the dealer
that you work downtown in an industrial area and are going to put your TT
next to your arc welder, all in a fully metal-shielded Faraday cage room.

	My guess would be you will have a tough time getting a "custom" TT.
The configurations I saw with dealer pricing all had hard disks, for
instance. 

	Good luck, and I hope the information helps. Feel free to ask if
I can tell you anything more that'll help.

	-- thanks, Dave Small / Gadgets

CSULLOGG@CRL.AECL.CA (04/09/91)

As a TT user, life is pretty lonely right now. I keep posting questions
on the net about TT compatible software but I do not get any responses.

If anyone has an answer to any of the following, please post a reply:

1. Is there a terminal emulation package (VT100/240,etc) that works on
   the TT in TT screen modes (Flash and Uniterm have to be in ST
   screen mode).

2. Do any of the PC emulators work on the TT (ATOnce, ATSpeed, Delta-
   Modul, SuperCharger). I want minimum AT emulation but would prefer
   386 performance.

3. When will Pagestream be fixed to work on a TT (Calamus works in
   ST screen modes and sort of works in TT screen mode).

4. Has Signum been updated for the TT? (Tex works well but I hate
   the command interface).

5. NeoDesk 3 requires a warm reboot to change rez on the TT, thus
   making it unusable because I have to change rez often. Will this
   be worked around in the future.

6. I spoke with the developer of Revolver and there is no plan for an
   upgrade to the TT (ST versions did not sell very well). Pity,
   the ST/TT without Revolver is a drag. Anyone else working on a TT
   task switcher (I could retire before UNIX is ready).

7. MVG works only in ST high rez; any plans for a TT screen mode fix?

8. Turtle and Megamin will not work on the TT; any plans for an upgrade?

9. Will EasyDraw be recompiled for the 68030/68882; it would scream!

csbrod@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Claus Brod) (04/09/91)

CSULLOGG@CRL.AECL.CA writes:

>1. Is there a terminal emulation package (VT100/240,etc) that works on
>   the TT in TT screen modes (Flash and Uniterm have to be in ST
>   screen mode).

Try Rufus.

>2. Do any of the PC emulators work on the TT (ATOnce, ATSpeed, Delta-
>   Modul, SuperCharger). I want minimum AT emulation but would prefer
>   386 performance.

The SuperCharger works.

>4. Has Signum been updated for the TT? (Tex works well but I hate
>   the command interface).

Yes, there is a TT update. (ST-High only!)

>6. I spoke with the developer of Revolver and there is no plan for an
>   upgrade to the TT (ST versions did not sell very well). Pity,
>   the ST/TT without Revolver is a drag. Anyone else working on a TT
>   task switcher (I could retire before UNIX is ready).

Try MultiGEM from Maxon in Germany. It's a MultiFinder-clone for the
ST which will soon be released for the TT, too.

>9. Will EasyDraw be recompiled for the 68030/68882; it would scream!

Why do you think so? I don't think they're using many floating point
ops in Easydraw, do they? Better get some TT RAM and let it run there;
this gives you 20 to 40 % more performance. You might also move TOS
into fast RAM which makes for another noticeable speed boost.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Claus Brod, Am Felsenkeller 2,			Things. Take. Time.
D-8772 Marktheidenfeld, West Germany		(Piet Hein)
csbrod@medusa.informatik.uni-erlangen.de
Claus Brod@wue.maus.de
----------------------------------------------------------------------

ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) (04/10/91)

In article <23274@know.pws.bull.com> CSULLOGG@CRL.AECL.CA writes:
>As a TT user, life is pretty lonely right now. I keep posting questions
>on the net about TT compatible software but I do not get any responses.
>
>If anyone has an answer to any of the following, please post a reply:
>
>1. Is there a terminal emulation package (VT100/240,etc) that works on
>   the TT in TT screen modes (Flash and Uniterm have to be in ST
>   screen mode).
>

Atari's TT030 brochure has a desktop screen shot with a multicolored STeno window opened.  I wouldn't be surprised if STalker, which has VT100, works on the TT.Eric Rosenquist, would you like to comment if it works on the TT in TT screen 
modes?

>2. Do any of the PC emulators work on the TT (ATOnce, ATSpeed, Delta-
>   Modul, SuperCharger). I want minimum AT emulation but would prefer
>   386 performance.
>

I heard Atari is writing their own MS-DOS emulator for the TT, although
they probably won't admit to it.  Other than that, I don't know if the others 
work.

>3. When will Pagestream be fixed to work on a TT (Calamus works in
>   ST screen modes and sort of works in TT screen mode).
>

Pagestream 2.0 supposedly works on the TT in TT screen modes.  It will be out
in a few weeks.

>4. Has Signum been updated for the TT? (Tex works well but I hate
>   the command interface).
>

Dunno 'bout that one.

>5. NeoDesk 3 requires a warm reboot to change rez on the TT, thus
>   making it unusable because I have to change rez often. Will this
>   be worked around in the future.
>

I'm kinda not surprised about this.  To change from mono to color on the ST,
the ST *usually* requires a warm boot.

However, I was playing with EMULA, which is a pretty good monochrome emulator,
and when I changed from color (running EMULA) to mono, the computer didn't
reboot!!!  I was really surprised, and pleased.  Now, if there's a program
out there that does this for color mode, without EMULA, I'd really like to
hear about it!  Anyone know of one?!

>6. I spoke with the developer of Revolver and there is no plan for an
>   upgrade to the TT (ST versions did not sell very well). Pity,
>   the ST/TT without Revolver is a drag. Anyone else working on a TT
>   task switcher (I could retire before UNIX is ready).
>

Many people thought that Intersect was out of business and not coming back.
Apparently, Revolver doesn't work with TOS 1.4 and up.  Just curious, how did
you get a hold of them?



-- 
         Ed Krimen  ...............................................
   |||   Video Production Major, California State University, Chico
   |||   INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu  FREENET: al661 
  / | \  SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261        FIDONET: 1:119/4.0

ggreenbe@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Gerald Greenberg) (04/10/91)

In article <1991Apr9.135117.24365@informatik.uni-erlangen.de> csbrod@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Claus Brod) writes:
>
>Try MultiGEM from Maxon in Germany. It's a MultiFinder-clone for the
>ST which will soon be released for the TT, too.
 
 Does anybody know where to get this in the US?
 -Gerry
 ggreenbe@rodan.acs.syr.edu

csbrod@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Claus Brod) (04/10/91)

ggreenbe@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Gerald Greenberg) writes:

>>Try MultiGEM from Maxon in Germany. It's a MultiFinder-clone for the
>>ST which will soon be released for the TT, too.
> 
> Does anybody know where to get this in the US?

It's just been released here in Germany. As far as I know, there's no
US distributor for it yet.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Claus Brod, Am Felsenkeller 2,			Things. Take. Time.
D-8772 Marktheidenfeld, West Germany		(Piet Hein)
csbrod@medusa.informatik.uni-erlangen.de
Claus Brod@wue.maus.de
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Shervin.Shahrebani.Of.250/744@f744.n250.z1.FidoNet.Org (Shervin Shahrebani Of 250/744) (04/14/91)

Pagestream 2.1 will be out soon and will support the TT fully.  Unix V for the
TT will be out by summer.  As for IBM emulators, there is a software emulator
(that is supposed to give about 10-12 Mhz AT performance) is being developed for
the TT and will be available to users of the TT free of charge and will be
bundled with all TT's thereafter.  Now that is the deal in Canada.  I don't know
about the U.S.

S.S.

pbh@jake.tmc.edu (Patrick Haggood) (04/18/91)

In article <671694059.1@egsgate.FidoNet.Org> Shervin.Shahrebani.Of.250/744@f744.n250.z1.FidoNet.Org (Shervin Shahrebani Of 250/744) writes:
> Unix V for the TT will be out by the summer.

Will this Unix multitask GEM? Or, can it run one GEM window (e.g.
Juggler I) in a window while running Unix?

-- 
Patrick B. Haggood
Wayne STate University
Detroit, MI
Physics - Class of 1991 (-2?)

D.C.Halliday@newcastle.ac.uk (Dave Halliday) (05/01/91)

Is it realy true that the TT can only run Unix OR TOS but not both. I do not
meen that they should run Unix and TOS at the same time but be bootable
between the two different OS's.

Here at this University we have a set of Acorn R260 Achemedies that useually
run the acorn OS but have been configured to boot X and Unix whilst still
allowing a boot back to Achemedies mode. This seems much more sensible.

apratt@atari.UUCP (Allan Pratt) (05/04/91)

D.C.Halliday@newcastle.ac.uk (Dave Halliday) writes:
>Is it realy true that the TT can only run Unix OR TOS but not both. I do not
>meen that they should run Unix and TOS at the same time but be bootable
>between the two different OS's.

No, it is not true.  Any production TT can be booted in either TOS or UNIX.
UNIX, of course, is not yet a product from Atari, but there is no distinction
between a TOS TT and a UNIX TT; it's all in the software.

============================================
Opinions expressed above do not necessarily	-- Allan Pratt, Atari Corp.
reflect those of Atari Corp. or anyone else.	  ...ames!atari!apratt