Info-Atari16@SCORE.STANFORD.EDU (Info-Atari16 Digest) (11/27/86)
Info-Atari16 Digest Wednesday, November 26, 1986 Volume 86 : Issue 22 This weeks Editor: Bill Westfield Today's Topics: Re: HD Controllers (Berekeley MicroSystems) Re: Uniterm request Sony KV1311 w/ st Re: Uniterm documentation available? network for atari-st C168 floating point errors New UniTerm version, GDOS ? Time Bandits - (nf) Re: 1040 & composite monitors ST help Re: Hard disks ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 23 Nov 86 18:36:34 est From: Eric Terrell <terrell@ohio-state.ARPA> To: info-atari16@su-score.arpa A Review of the HabaCom Telecommunications Program I have recently bought HabaCom (version 1.06), and would like to share my impressions of the product. THE GOOD THINGS: The manual is well written and fairly complete (111 pages). The program is not copy protected. It works on monochrome systems, and should work with color systems also (it doesn't say in the manual). Several file transfer protocols are supported: Kermit XModem CompuServe B Atari Binary Transfer File I have used the XModem successfully for downloads. I haven't tried uploads. I am still trying to get Kermit to send my files from my ST to a VAX. I have been successful in receiving files from the VAX via Kermit. I haven't had occasion to use the other two protocols. A "macro" is just a character string that is associated with a function key. When a function key is pressed, the corresponding string is typed. Macros are supported, and one can create auto-login files for each system one logs onto. Since these files will have passwords in them, the files can be encrypted and given a password, so that one needs to give the password to access the file. I haven't bothered to try out this feature. One can access desk accessories as the program runs, and the GEM interface is used throughout the program. The program will probably support just about any modem, because when one enters numbers to dial, one must also furnish the corresponding modem codes. For example, I have a Hayes compatible, so when I enter a number to dial, I must preceed it with ATDP. Several numbers can be saved, and a number is dialed when the function key associated with it is typed. All the settings of the program (i.e. terminal type, baud rate, numbers to dial, macros, etc) can be saved in files, so one can have one settings file for each system one uses. One can record text typed out in a disk file, or print it out on the printer as it echoes on the screen. One can view the contents of disk files from within the program, and files can be printed. One can also print out many of the program's current settings (i.e. baud rate, stop bits, parity, etc). When one uses the program, the previous two screens of text are saved, and one may back up to see something in the two previous pages. THE BAD THINGS: The cursor is shaped like the underscore character (i.e. "_"). No big deal until one enters a full- screen editor. In such an editor, when the cursor is under a character, it CANNOT be seen. This makes the program almost useless for editing. When I want to edit a file, I have to select the VT52 emulator desk accessory and use it! I don't know if this is a problem with all full-screen editors or just EMACS, but if you plan to do any source editing, find out if the cursor will be visible. When using the Kermit file transfer protocol, there is little control over the various Kermit parameters (i.e. packet size, type of error checking, start-of- packet-character, etc). In fact it seems impossible to even find out what these parameters are. For this reason it has been very difficult for me to get this part of the program work properly. I can receive files fine, but when I send them often there are frequent errors, and always destination file has too many characters in it. I am not implying that this program cannot send files properly via Kermit. I am implying that since many of the parameters cannot be set or even seen, it may be very difficult to get it working. IN SUMMARY: This seems like a reasonably good program. I bought it for about $35.00. Some copies of the program come with a $15.00 CompuServe credit (the packages are marked with a sticker). Even though the Kermit part of this program may be very difficult to get working, this is the only telecommunications program that I have seen that has both XModem and Kermit. The problem with the invisible cursor was a great disappointment, but can be overcome relatively easily with the VT52 emulator desk accessory. P.S. If anyone knows how to use the Kermit part of this program, I would really appreciate hearing from him/her! Eric Bergman-Terrell ------------------------------ Date: 23 Nov 86 15:26:08 GMT From: imagen!turner@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (D'arc Angel) Subject: Re: HD Controllers (Berekeley MicroSystems) To: info-atari16@score.stanford.edu > In article <691@imagen.UUCP> turner@imagen.UUCP (D'arc Angel) writes: > > >About a month ago I went up to Berekely MicroSystems to buy one of their hard > >disk controllers and adaptor boards, I have been happy as a clam with them > >since. First what are they; > > > > the controller board is a standard Adaptec 4000 hard disk controller > > the price BMS asked was in line with the street price (~ $115) > > > > (this is the exciting part) the adaptor board converts the atari DMA > > format to SCSI (~ $135) > > rest of my posting deleted for brievity's sake > > This sounds pretty good, but I have a couple of other questions: > > 1. How does such a board interface to the ST? Does it fit > internally or plug into the DMA port and stick out the back? neither it screws onto the hard disk itself thru a pair of adapter rails that BMS sells for ~ $5 and the cable from the board fits into the hard disk port in the back of the st > > 2. What is the approximate cost? Do you have to have both of the > above boards or are they combined? Also, what are some good HDs that can > be used with an SCSI interface, such that the total cost of the board and > general SCSI drive would cost about the same as an Atari or Supra drive? the costs i quoted are accurate, (they came from BMS) you need both boards for the first drive, for the second just new cables. any disk that is ST212 or ST506 (which is just about every disk) can be used. most 20Mbyte disks cost about $350 + $250 for the boards = $600, but the second disk can be added for 'cost', also don't forget the real time clock, but what attracted me to this solution is that all i could afford now is a 10Mbyte disk, if i want or am able to get a larger disk later, or the disk dies or what ever, i don't have to chuck everything and start over > > 3. Since Atari markets a disk drive that plugs into the DMA port > and will hopefully fix the HD support in TOS soon (no more 40 folder, I hope), > will future software releases somehow not work with SCSI. (Maybe this is > a naive question) > > From what I've seen in Byte, there are a lot of HDs for the IBM that cost a > lot less than the $600+ currently charged for some type of drive for the > ST. I hope this board can offer a few more options. IBM probably uses a true SCSI interface etc. hence no need for a converter board (DMA <--> SCSI) also its a larger market, more volume, more compitition, hence lower prices hope this helps These are days for the locust to eat - Winston Churchill Name: James M. Turner Mail: Imagen Corp. 2650 San Tomas Expressway, P.O. Box 58101 Santa Clara, CA 95052-8101 AT&T: (408) 986-9400 UUCP: ...{decvax,ucbvax}!decwrl!imagen!turner CompuServe: 76327,1575 GEnie : D-ARCANGEL ------------------------------ Date: 23 Nov 86 22:39:38 GMT From: rutgers!clyde!cuae2!gatech!gitpyr!tynor@seismo.css.gov (Steve Tynor) Subject: Re: Uniterm request To: info-atari16@score.stanford.edu In article <1425@trwrb.UUCP> mdf@trwrb.UUCP (Mark D. Falleroni) writes: >Would someone please send me a working uuencoded copy of Uniterm? Me too! A kind soul has sent me ARC, but I still don't have UNITERM... Steve Tynor Georgia Instutute of Technology ...{akgua, allegra, amd, harpo, hplabs, ihnp4, masscomp, ut-ngp, rlgvax, sb1, uf-cgrl, unmvax, ut-sally} !gatech!gitpyr!tynor ------------------------------ Date: 24 Nov 86 21:46:12 GMT From: anderson@marlin.nosc.mil (Gregory W. Anderson) Subject: Sony KV1311 w/ st To: info-atari16@score.stanford.edu This is probably an old question that's been covered before but will the RGB output of the 520 or 1040 work with the Sony KV1311CR? If so, does anyone have the pin to pin connections figured out? thx ------------------------------ Date: 25 Nov 86 02:38:52 GMT From: mnetor!utcs!sikorski@seismo.css.gov (//TED) Subject: Re: Uniterm documentation available? To: info-atari16@score.stanford.edu I would also like a copy of the uniterm documentation. You can mail it to the above addr. Thanks in advance. ------------------------------ Date: 24 NOV 86 10:20-N From: ZRFA1%DS0RUS51.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU To: INFO-ATARI16@SU-SCORE.ARPA Subject:network for atari-st There were some questions about atari-st networks. I have got some information of a german company who has produced a network and is going to sell it starting in december. We are going to buy the network for a small set of ataris for testing. We are planning to used it for students education. If there is enough interest i am going to report to the net as soon as we have installed it. The specifiactions are: - bus based network with up to 128 stations - transfer rate of 1 megabit/sec - common network hard disk ( 85MB 28ms voice coil or 40MB 40ms ) - common devices like printer, modems etc. using apropriate servers - local devices, i.e. every slave can in addition use his own devices - not network based limit of max. disk storage - option to link to ethernet networks ( for example IBM PC ) - network software accelerates acess to lokal disks - record/file locking - password protection with 5 privilege levels - mailbox system to exchange news between 2 stations - fully compatible to all GEM and TOS applications - full DMA support of the net (the DMA port of the atari is used) - big hash buffer for faster access of the hard disk - network disk is a normal disk for all slaves - streamer 60MB for DC 600A tapes There were some limits in TOS which they had to remove - TOS has a maximum of 16 active files - max. partitioning of the hard disk of 16MB - having more than 256 entries per folder TOS looses data without error message - no file or record locking Prices are Software for master station 1140DM Software and hardware for each attached slave 165DM Ulrich Lang (ZRFA1@DS0RUS51.BITNET) University of Stuttgart Computer Center P.S. I don't have any connection to the company producing the network. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Nov 86 17:38 EDT From: <RDROYA01%ULKYVX.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU> (Robert Subject: C168 floating point errors To: info-atari16@su-score.arpa X-Original-To: info-atari16@su-score.arpa I finally received the updated version of the Alcyon compiler. An already I have a few questions about the floating point operations. I don't think these are about the library, but rather about the way C068 tells C168 that floating point is desired. I have a piece of code with the following declarations: long length; /* buffer length */ long curdot; /* current spot in buffer */ float ratio; /* percentage of buffer before curdot */ [later] ratio = (float) (100.00*(curdot/length)); now this worked fine with the pre 4.14 version, but with the new version I get the No code table for X error for a number of lines in the file. In fact I discovered the only way I could avoid these errors was to static float ratio = (0.00); /* the static and the () are required */ static float constant = (100.00); No compilation errors but ratio comes out non-sense. After a few hours of working on this, using ltodp() etc., I discovered that you can get the first part of the ratio (i.e. ratio=(float)(curdot/length) ), but when that value is multiplied by 100 you get non-sense (even when 100.00 is a float constant). I've tried double precision and just about everything I can think of. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get this worked out? robert royar ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Nov 86 17:24:19 GMT To: info-atari16@su-score.ARPA From: K538915%CZHRZU1A.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU Return-Receipt-To: K538915@CZHRZU1A.BITNET Subject: New UniTerm version, GDOS ? There is a new UniTerm version available (V1.6c), new features include: - Desk accessories accessible. - Translation tables for ASCII file capture and sending - A few bug fixes. I've written a small utility to transform Tektronix (TM) encoded vectors to GEM (TM) metafiles or to high resolution output on a printer using FX80.SYS, if anybody wants it send me mail (you'll naturally need GDOS aswell!). Simon Poole K538915@CZHRZU1A.BITNET P.S A few GDOS questions: - are there any device drivers for plotters etc. around yet? - why can't you open the metafile driver in NDC? (yes I know that the RC are 32767*32767). - what about somebody (a developer perhaps?) writing a generic printer driver? ------------------------------ Date: 24 Nov 86 14:25:00 GMT From: mcvax!unido!exunido!hmm@seismo.css.gov Subject: Time Bandits - (nf) To: info-atari16@score.stanford.edu Hey, has anyone played the game Time Bandits ? I have some trouble with level 4c of castle greymoon. I don't know what the mad hermit wants from me. He will let me in, since I solved the three other puzzles... But I would prefer to give him the right thing. Thanks in Advance, Hans-Martin Mosner University of Dortmund hmm@unido.uucp, hmm@unido.bitnet ------------------------------ Date: 25 Nov 86 00:57:02 GMT From: mnetor!utzoo!utcsri!uthub!utecfa!mugc@seismo.css.gov (ModemUserGroupChairman) Subject: Re: 1040 & composite monitors To: info-atari16@score.stanford.edu I built a little board that would generate composite video output from the RGB that the ST provides, using an MC1377 and very little other components. The board is still lying around (I don't have a colour monitor, and the board was originally designed for someone else) and I have the schematics I used. If people are interested, send me a SASE and I'll mail you photocopies of the schematics. If you are handy with a soldering iron, the construction should be quite straight-forward. You may mail me at: Anees Munshi 58 York Road Weston, Ontario M9R 3E6 (416) 246-0670 -anees -- Anees Munshi @ University of Toronto Engineering Comp. Facility :A {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!utcsri!utecfa!mugc ------------------------------ Date: 24 Nov 86 21:45:17 GMT From: phri!cooper!john@nyu.arpa (John Barkaus) Subject: ST help To: info-atari16@score.stanford.edu When I copy a file on my 1040 with one disk drive I have to swap the disk three times. Is this due to some verification procedure? If it is can someone tell me how to stop this? Thanks, John <> To:John Barkaus <> At:The Cooper Union for ihnp4!philabs!phri!cooper!john <> the Advancement of || <> Science and Art "phri!cooper!john"@nyu.arpa ------------------------------ Date: 25 Nov 86 06:32:55 GMT From: braner@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu (braner) Subject: Re: Hard disks To: info-atari16@score.stanford.edu Add-on hard disks (for IBMs, say) are cheap since they come with no box and no power supply. Those can easily add $75 or more. Could people who have attached SCSI drives tell us about this added problem? (Radio Shack sells a surplus unit, originally designed for the Adam, that gives 5V/1A, -5V/100mA, 12V/300mA. I don't think that's enough for any hard disks (?) but it's great for many other things, e.g. that SECOND megabyte. And they only ask $5 for it! Go get a pair :-) - Moshe Braner ------------------------------ End of Info-Atari16 Digest ************************** -------