darekm@microsoft.UUCP (Darek MIHOCKA) (08/27/90)
In article <908@beguine.UUCP> John.Bunch@samba.acs.unc.edu writes: >Is it possible to use the xformer cable, and not the xformer? >I would rather not have to run the 8bit emulator to print stuff..... > Yes it is _possible_ to have ST software use the Xformer cable directly. However, there is very little software out there that knows how to use the Xformer cable. It isn't quite possible to access it, like, say, an ST printer or modem. What software there is out there to use the cable is stuff like my Quick Transfer Utility, which transfers over 8-bit disks to the ST for the purpose of later using them with Xformer, and then there is another program out there which someone else wrote which allows you to use your 8-bit disks drives with GEMDOS, although this is a really slow alternative to simply buying a second ST drive! And besides, if you're going to write some new application that will make use of the Xformer cable, then just write it in Atari BASIC or 6502 assembler. Other than that, to use the Xformer cable to access 8-bit peripherals from other ST software, you would have to write your own driver. It's actually not that hard, since I wrote the bulk of Xformer's cable driver in one night. I have had other people request that I write a printer driver along the lines of what you're looking for, but I simply don't feel such a driver needs to be written. What's so hard about simply printing out files from within Xformer? Running Xformer is easier than running, say, an MS-DOS emulator or a Mac emulator, and people have gone through a lot more trouble to get something printed out on those emulators. So as far as I'm concerned, my suggestion is that whatever you need to print out, print it to a file (e.g. if you're using a word processor, have it print to a file) and then run Xformer and use Atari DOS to copy the file to the P: device, then exit Xformer. The whole operation (not including printing time) takes less than a minute. Try booting up and exiting an MS-DOS emulator in a minute. I'm sure if it was really worth my while ($$$) I could be motivated to write the beast, but that's probably not going to happen. - Darek
kentd@FtCollins.NCR.com (Kent.Dalton) (08/27/90)
> Yes it is _possible_ to have ST software use the Xfromer cable > directly. I just had this vision of my Atari 410 program recorder backing up my hard drive! :^) x 1.0E+6 -- /**************************************************************************/ /* Kent Dalton * EMail: Kent.Dalton@FtCollins.NCR.COM */ /* NCR Microelectronics * CIS: 72320,3306 */ /* Fort Collins, Colorado * "This mind intentionally left blank" */ /* (303)223-5100 X-319 * All standard disclaimers apply */ /**************************************************************************/
scott@tab29.larc.nasa.gov (Scott Yelich) (08/28/90)
>> Yes it is _possible_ to have ST software use the Xfromer cable >> directly. >I just had this vision of my Atari 410 program recorder backing up my >hard drive! :^) x 1.0E+6 The 410 is a WRITE ONLY device.... -- Signature follows. [Skip now] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scott D. Yelich scott@[xanth.]cs.odu.edu [128.82.8.1] After he pushed me off the cliff, he asked me, as I fell, ``Why'd you jump?'' Administrator of: Game-Design requests to <game-design-request@cs.odu.edu> ODU/UNIX/BSD/X/C/ROOT/XANTH/CS/VSVN/ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
kentd@FtCollins.NCR.com (Kent.Dalton) (08/28/90)
> The 410 is a WRITE ONLY device...
You are wrong. It can be read and written to. It'd be worthless
otherwise!
--
/**************************************************************************/
/* Kent Dalton * EMail: Kent.Dalton@FtCollins.NCR.COM */
/* NCR Microelectronics * CIS: 72320,3306 */
/* Fort Collins, Colorado * "This mind intentionally left blank" */
/* (303)223-5100 X-319 * All standard disclaimers apply */
/**************************************************************************/scott@tab29.larc.nasa.gov (Scott Yelich) (08/29/90)
>> The 410 is a WRITE ONLY device... >You are wrong. It can be read and written to. It'd be worthless >otherwise! I was also told in private email that the 1010 should be a R/W device... Nope, even the 1010s ADVANCED circuits only allows a WRITE ONLY device... The 1010 IS good for expanding your SIO cabled device chain. I took an extra SIO cable... like from a disk drive... and I cut it in half and I soldered the wires onto the two female jacks on the 1010... one connector per femal jack--> in the end, I had a 1010 with 2 female ports and 2 male ports (And no, I am NOT going to tell you why I found this so incredibly useful.) Note 1: The 410/1010 are WRITE ONLY devices as APL is a WRITE ONLY language. Note 2: GET IT? A JOKE? What? Wrong news group? :-) I could write with my 410/1010 fine... but when I tried to READ one of those tapes.... I got into the habit of storing my files on paper and retyping them wheever I wanted one. I still have 4 410s... and 1 1010. -- Signature follows. [Skip now] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scott D. Yelich scott@[xanth.]cs.odu.edu [128.82.8.1] After he pushed me off the cliff, he asked me, as I fell, ``Why'd you jump?'' Administrator of: Game-Design requests to <game-design-request@cs.odu.edu> ODU/UNIX/BSD/X/C/ROOT/XANTH/CS/VSVN/ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
rehrauer@apollo.HP.COM (Steve Rehrauer) (08/30/90)
In article <KENTD.90Aug28084700@zappa.FtCollins.NCR.com> kentd@FtCollins.NCR.com (Kent.Dalton) writes: >> The 410 is a WRITE ONLY device... > >You are wrong. It can be read and written to. Sayeth Foghorn Leghorn: "Thass a joke, son!" Actually, I think the 410 qualified as the first "write once, read-many" device, as in, "read many times to (maybe, eventually) retrieve what you wrote once." > It'd be worthless otherwise! It WAS all but worthless. -- >>"Aaiiyeeee! Death from above!"<< | (Steve) rehrauer@apollo.hp.com "Spontaneous human combustion - what luck!"| Apollo Computer (Hewlett-Packard)