ljdickey@water.UUCP (12/09/86)
Volker A. Brandt (XCG112@DBNUAMA1.BITNET) (Bonn, West Germany) writes: > Lee Dickey <ljdickey%water@waterloo.edu> (Waterloo, Canada) writes: >> ...This APL has followed the lead of IBM in several ways. ... >Since I have been using both VS APL on a VM/CMS system and the (fairly >recent) APL/PC on the PC/AT, I'm very interested in this APL.68000. So >I have several questions: > - How IBM-like is it ? The implementor followed the IBM manual when writing the code for APL.68000. Of course, this does not mean that internal representation is the same. I think that the atomic vectors are different, for instance. > Does it use the same APL workspace format as APL/PC ? > Or is there at least some means of conversion, so that > applications can be ported from the PC/AT to the ST ? I would be quite surprised if the workspace format is the same. The only reliable conversion technique that I know is WSIS, the WorkSapce Interchange Standard. See APL Quaote Quad, Dec. 79. > - How is the AP (auxiliary processor) concept implemented ? What APs > are provided ? Do they correspond to the IBM APs, either in name > (e.g. AP100 etc) or in usage ? No AP's are provided, but the hooks are there to write your own. The article in the proceedings of APL83 by Phillip van Cleeve explains how to make use of the Shared Variable processor. > - Are there any printer drivers provided ? The IBM APL/PC does give > APL character print features on all EPSON-compatible dot matrix > printers (in 8-dot mode only). Is the user able to reconfigure the > printer drivers or switch between different types of printer ? There is some feature available, but from looking at the documentation, it looks to me like they have not provided the character set for those printers that permit down-loadable character sets. > - What is the retail price, and should I (from Germany) order it in > the UK or directly in the USA ? From Germany, I suggest that you order it from MicroAPL in the UK. I am not usre about the price. I thought it was $395 (US), but the other day I saw an item on Sharp network saying that Virginia Systems is offering it for $295. I do not know if the latter price represents a price cut or a typographical error. > ... information on other APL implementations ... I am pretty sure that there is no other APL for the Atari right now.