SHAFFERJ@BKNLVMS.BITNET ("Jim Shaffer, Jr.") (10/12/88)
Well, looks like the annual run of terminal program questions has started.
I was asking all these sort of questions last year about this time.
But I eventually survived and found a workable configuration, so I figured
I'd let everybody know what I'm using.
I'm running Kermit-65, SmartT, and DOS 2.5 on an unmodified 130XE and a
SMM301 (I think) modem. (It's the one that came out about the same time
as the XE line, if I remember rightly, before the latest one. Tiny gray
box, direct Atari connect, 300 baud.)
I haven't had any problems in simply running that particular combination
(i.e., no apparent memory conflicts), but a few interesting things turned
up (none of which I'm complaining too loudly about -- it's a great way
to do VT100 emulation on an Atari!):
(1) There is an immediately fatal memory conflict with the keypad driver.
I have the source code to it, so I could recompile it if only I had the
time to sit down and look at everything.
(2) The reason I mention the keypad driver is because I'm not exactly
thrilled with Kermit-65's key bindings. But it DOES have keypad
mode, i.e., all VT100 keypad keys are emulated.
(3) If you hit the BREAK key accidentally, the system locks up. This
can sometimes be fixed by pounding on OPTION and/or ENTER. I don't
know if there's an exact sequence; I just mess with it each time
it happens. John Dunning (the author of Kermit-65) says he's
aware of this.
(4) Occasionally the system locks up unrecoverably after an hour or
two of use. This doesn't happen consistently and I'm not blaming
it on any of the programs I'm running. It very well could be my
hardware. I'm only mentioning it here in the remote possibility
that it's the software.
Now, the part that I'm sure you've all been waiting for after reading the
subject line: the Atari 8-bit Program Archives!
First, I don't have any idea if the archives are available somewhere on
the Internet for FTP. If they are, then this message concerns only Bitnet
users and the rest of you can skip it.
There is an attempt being made to put the program archives from this
mailing list/newsgroup/whatever on a server on Bitnet. Here they would
be available to any Bitnet site, or for that matter to any Internet
site, by merely sending a message by Mail or interactive facilities.
No TCP/IP required :-) [Flame for the day: RSCS s*cks.]
However, there is a definite impediment to rapid progress in the fact that
the only site willing to let us use their machine and the only person willing
to take care of maintaining the archives are a considerable number of nodes
away. For those of you on the Internet, this means that the travel time
of a message or file can be rather long if the network is congested, and
that there's a high probability of short-term system failure somewhere
on the path.
Nevertheless, the program archives WILL be available on Bitnet!
Hopefully, most of them will be in place before the end of this year.
Right now things are still in a sort of testing (read: maintainer getting
used to the weird IBM system) stage. Programs should start appearing
on the server in about a week. I'll notify everyone when it would be
worthwhile to grab a copy of the filelist. UUDECODE.LST will be the
first thing up, of course :-)
For those of you who know about such things, the address is LISTSERV@TCSVM
and the filelist is ATARI8-F. For those of you who don't know about such
things, I'll explain later when it's actually worthwhile to get the filelist.
Jimcfchiesa@bsu-cs.UUCP (Christopher Chiesa) (10/13/88)
In article <8810121820.AA05237@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, SHAFFERJ@BKNLVMS.BITNET ("Jim Shaffer, Jr.") writes: > > > Now, the part that I'm sure you've all been waiting for after reading the > subject line: the Atari 8-bit Program Archives! > > First, I don't have any idea if the archives are available somewhere on > the Internet for FTP. If they are, then this message concerns only Bitnet > users and the rest of you can skip it. > > There is an attempt being made to put the program archives from this > mailing list/newsgroup/whatever on a server on Bitnet. Here they would > be available to any Bitnet site, or for that matter to any Internet > site, by merely sending a message by Mail or interactive facilities. Major question: would they be accessible from UUCP? That's where *I* live and boy, I'd sure love to get at the archive! Second point: even though this wonderful service may soon be available, I think I'll still post Kermit65 and handlers as originally intended. Lastly, Jim, I'm glad to hear you're successfully using Kermit65 with SmartT handler! On your fourth point, however -- > 4) Occasionally the system locks up unrecoverably after an hour or > two of use. This doesn't happen consistently and I'm not blaming > it on any of the programs I'm running. It very well could be my > hardware. I'm only mentioning it here in the remote possibility > that it's the software. I've seen similar things happen, most notably on my own 800 before I moved up a bit to an 800XL... The 800 experienced a progressive worsening of performance under prolonged exposure to high (90+ degrees F) operating en- vironmental temperatures. I know it was NOT software because even a VERY SHORT (1 sector) ML graphics demo I wrote, bunged up when run for several hours; therefore it had to be a hardware problem. However, the service place couldn't find any problem -- but they were air-conditioned and my apartment was at 100+ degrees most of the spring and summer, so that probably explains it. -- UUCP: <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee,uunet}!bsu-cs!cfchiesa cfchiesa@bsu-cs.UUCP