Info-Atari16@SCORE.STANFORD.EDU.UUCP (11/22/86)
Info-Atari16 Digest Friday, November 21, 1986 Volume 86 : Issue 18
This weeks Editor: Bill Westfield
Today's Topics:
downloading!
Looking for ST modules format
Monochrome Aspect Ratio
Quitting the Monochrome Pool Game
John Harris's Reset servivable ramdisk
TRY AGAIN WITH NEW ADDRESS
EDUCATIONAL MARKET, MORE ABOUT POSSIBLE SNAIL MAIL POSTINGS
Size of digests
2 meg 1040 ST
DB Master One (who knows?)
Networking STs???
TOS Executable format
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Date: Tue, 18 Nov 86 21:09 EST
From: Rodney <Peck@RADC-MULTICS.ARPA>
Subject: downloading!
To: info-atari16@SU-SCORE.ARPA
help! Does anyone have a short program in basic that i can type in as
a boot strap to be able to do{wn load a terminal program??
Rodney
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Date: Wed, 19 Nov 86 12:56:04 ULG
From: Andre PIRARD
Subject: Looking for ST modules format
To: INFO-ATARI16@SU-SCORE.ARPA
A friend of mine is adapting to the ST a host system integrated Forth
development system that already runs on CP/M 80, CP/M86, MSDOS, AppleII,
CBM64, CBM128 and Sinclair (Timex) QL with uniform host files access
interface, integrated files editor, debugger and minimal sized application
modules generator.
He only has limited technical information about TOS and is sure helped by
the resemblance with MSDOS.
But that Forth must be able to generate modules of itself and applications.
And the executable modules format is not the same as MSDOS.
To put it simple, the problem is to write to a file a core image of a
relocatable contiguous code chunk. There is no separate data area to be
included, but when execution starts, the module must be able to use an
adjascent higher memory area of a given size. The system can however
accomodate a lower size, but must of course know it.
In summary, what is the simpler module extension to use. What is the header
format if any (no relocation table is needed). Where are the addresses, sizes,
stacks etc.. when execution begins.
Please can someone help him contribute to the range of available ST software.
Please mail answers directly to me as I am not on the mailing list.
Andre PIRARD
SEGI - Universite de Liege
15, av. des Tilleuls
B4000 LIEGE (Belgique)
+32 (41) 520180(449)
Bitnet: A-PIRARD%BLIULG12
Arpanet: A-PIRARD%BLIULG12.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU
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Date: Wed, 19 Nov 86 18:27:59 EST
From: maccarle@ed.ecn.purdue.edu (Carl A Maccarley)
To: info-atari16@score.stanford.edu
Subject: Monochrome Aspect Ratio
Regarding my, and possibly other postings on enlargement of the screen image
on monochrome monitors, the following was posted:
> From: apratt@atari.UUcp (Allan Pratt)
> Organization: Atari Corp., Sunnyvale CA
> There has been some discussion about "tweaking" the set screws inside
> monochrome (and color) monitors to make the ST screen area larger. I would
> like to point out that the monitor as shipped has square pixels, and that
> changing the screen area changes the aspect ratio. Graphics programs which
> expect square pixels for drawing circles and squares will draw ellipses and
> rectangles instead.
> This is not a problem for everybody, and people have been working with
> non-circular circles on computer screens for a long time, but if you care,
> or expect you will care in the future, think twice before tweaking your
> monitor.
This is a very good point. Since the aspect ratio of the "standard"
image does not match the physical dimensions of the screen, the aspect
ratio will change if the image fills the entire screen exactly.
Distortion of geometric shapes such as circles will occur for graphics
programs which assume the original aspect ratio.
This, however, does not preclude adjustment of the image to more completely
fill the available screen space. An aspect ratio of 1.75 (width to height)
is required for preservation of the integrity of circles drawn by ST BASIC.
The "as-delivered" aspect ratio appears to be 1.70 (this may vary slightly
between individual units). If the image is adjusted conservatively for a
full screen width of 9.0", the height must be restricted to 5.15".
This is still a slight improvement in size over the standard image.
Displaying a full screen circle (CIRCLE 308,172,172 in ST Basic) while
adjusting the screen dimensions might be a helpful aid.
Personally, I most often use the excellent Tektronix 4014 emulator in Simon
Poole's UniTerm, which (probably) assumes the 1.36 aspect ratio of the 4014,
so that the full-screen aspect ratio of 1.38 is nearly perfect.
Curiously, if the pixels are indeed square, a 640 x 400 field of pixels would
result in an aspect ratio of 1.60. I have no explanation for this.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 86 18:56:11 est
From: Eric Terrell <terrell@ohio-state.ARPA>
To: info-atari16@su-score.arpa
Subject: Quitting the Monochrome Pool Game
Alas,it appears that one can only quit the pool game that I recently
posted by pressing the reset button.
Terrell
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Date: Thu, 20 Nov 86 14:54 EDT
From: <RDROYA01%ULKYVX.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU> (Robert
Subject: John Harris's Reset servivable ramdisk
To: info-atari16@su-score.arpa
X-Original-To: info-atari16@su-score.arpa
Before I got a hard drive, I used John Harris's rest survivable ram disk
program all the time. I thought it was excellent because of its survivability.
But the program is "locked" into drive D which is also claimed by the
hard drive. I have another ramdisk that installs as drive M:, but I would
like one that is reset survivable. Does anyone know of a reliable patch
to the Harris program that would let me install it as drive M: or above?
Thanks,
R. Royar
RDROYA01@ULKYVX.BITNET
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Date: 19 Nov 86 19:09:00 EST
From: GEORGE FRAJKOR <F27FRAJP%CARLETON.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU>
To: <INFO-ATARI16@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: TRY AGAIN WITH NEW ADDRESS
WELL, what the heck ,let's see what this system will accept
Sent: 11/18/86 23:54 Rcvd: 11/19/86 00:00 Number: 357
To: NETNORTH From: GEORGE FRAJKOR @CU
Subject: SNAILMAIL TRIUMPHANT
Re: <info-atari16@score.arpa>
I HAVE noticed a lot of "would some kind soul please send me..." requests
onthe net so it is clear that many others are like us here at Carleton
university--unable to download programs off the net. Is there room for
someone to be designated librarian and collector of net programs to be
snail-mailed tous unfortunates? I hate being green with envy as I
read all about wonderful programs which I may never get to use.
It would be no big deal for me to pay a decent amount for them, and
even send some formatted DDSS disks and SASE for it, if i knew
to whom. Specifically, I'm interested in UNIterm, Alite, ARC, and MONST.
Can this bedone? Anyone out there sufficiently mercenary and capable?
Jan G. Frajkor School of Journalism
Carleton University Ottawa, Ont. Canada
K1S 5B6 613 564-5530
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Date: 20 Nov 86 16:20:00 EST
From: GEORGE FRAJKOR <F27FRAJP%CARLETON.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU>
To: <INFO-ATARI16@SU-SCORE.ARPA>
Subject: EDUCATIONAL MARKET, MORE ABOUT POSSIBLE SNAIL MAIL POSTINGS
I agree with the Univ of Houston chap who suggests that
atari should push the campus and education market. I know our store,
which has a kickback deal with Apple and Zenith, has often sales-
talked poor students into buying $5000 macs when they darn well
an 8-bit commodore or Atari will do most student-type jobs aswell
or better. In my class, we use a mini-net (shareddisk, shared printer)
of eight Commodore 64s. I would rather have had 520STs because their
price is comparable to the C128 and they're a much better machine.
But Atari has nothing in this market. BMB Compuscience of Toronto
claims to be developing/have developed a network that would tie
into IBMPC nets--Atari should be following this up and getting
in onitquickly. Mac almost locked up the desktop publishing
market, and Amiga is trying to get the TV graphics market (the next
big field for computers, especially in journalism). I love my
1040 and wish Atari would get on the ball.
IN THE meantime,add to the list of programs which I would be happy to
have posted to me by some kind soul the program ST speech that
everyuone is raving about. Naturally I will be glad to pay some feee
and snailmail postage and send a DSDDdisk for the program.
cheers.
A Jan G. Frajkor School of Journalism
ACarleton University Ottawa, Ont. Canada
AK1S 5B6 613 564-5530
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Mail-From: BILLW created at 20-Nov-86 14:43:32
Date: Thu 20 Nov 86 14:43:32-PST
From: William "Chops" Westfield <BILLW@Score.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Size of digests
To: info-atari16@Score.Stanford.EDU
At least one mail redistribution point (at MIT) has been
complaining about the INFO-ATARI digests being too long for it to
handle. Therefore I will attempt to limit the size of these
digests to about 20K characters.
The problem is that many of the uuencoded (or whatever) programs
that have been submitted have been longer than this. Could people
submitting programs please cut them into ~20K chunks?
Thanks
Bill W
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Date: 20 Nov 86 21:55:20 GMT
From: ucdavis!ucdavis!deneb!Stephan@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU.Schell@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Stephan Schell)
Subject: 2 meg 1040 ST
To: info-atari16@score.stanford.edu
Has anybody out there heard about upgrading a 1040ST to 2 megabytes ?
At an Atari expo in San Jose in August, I saw one (1) vendor with a
board to add 1 meg to the 1040, and the board was a prototype at that.
He projected a price of $450 and delivery Real Soon Now.
From my point of view, 1 megabyte = $100 from just about any mail order
place. Add in a couple bucks for possible address decoding, etc., and
even $80 for profit and just being a nice guy. That's only $200. Why
hasn't anyone jumped into this niche yet ?
As a semi-serious C programmer working under the micro C-shell (!) and
a ramdisk, I would certainly relish another meg of ramdisk. Yeah, yeah,
I know -- buy a hard disk. $650. Ugghhhh. Any and all suggestions,
hardware kludges, and info regarding adding meg's to a 1040ST are
hereby solicited. Thanks in advance.
Steve Schell
EE Dept.
UC Davis
ucdavis!deneb!g568291613ea is some or all of my path (?)
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Date: Fri, 21 Nov 86 08:26:49 cst
From: moore@ncsc.ARPA (Moore)
To: info-atari16@su-score.ARPA
Subject: DB Master One (who knows?)
I'm posting this to the distribution list because I think it's of sufficient
interest, but I hope that neil in particular responds to this:
Is DB Master One public domain? Is it not p.d., but like 1ST Word (i.e., every
ST user was supposed to get a copy)? Or is it a copyrighted program that a
person must pay for in order to legally use it?
One of the sysops of the BBS I got DBM1 from thinks it is pd, while one of the
moderators of this news group says it's probably commercial: it *does* look
very professional, and bears copyright notices from Stoneware.
Any help in ridding me of this confusion would be appreciated.
Jim
Moore@NCSC.arpa
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Date: 21 Nov 1986 10:25:39 EST
Subject: Networking STs???
From: smb.mdc@OFFICE-1.ARPA
To: info-atari16@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Does anyone know of any currently available networking support for the
ST? I'm interested in a setup that would allow a hard disk and printer to
be shared between 2 or more STs.
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Date: 21 Nov 1986 10:32:48 EST
Subject: TOS Executable format
From: smb.mdc@OFFICE-1.ARPA
To: info-atari16@SU-SCORE.ARPA
Could someone please send me some information on the format of TOS
executable files? Thanks in advance...
P.S. Hasn't anyone written a PD disassembler for the 68000 yet?
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End of Info-Atari16 Digest
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