[comp.sys.acorn] internal error 5

s_jekutsch (01/24/91)

To complete it: A few months ago I got the message "Paint has suffered an
internal error type [?] and must exit immediatly" (I forgot the error type
number) I only worked quite a while with it in a non standard mode. And:
I do not have an ARM3!
Seba

cca@cs.exeter.ac.uk (Clive Carmock) (01/26/91)

Edit suffers from the Type 5 Fatal Internal error - in this case
it's due to too many fonts.  My solution is to have a different font
directory for edit - and in it's run file set font$path to point to this
instead.  Only problem with that is unless to forget to reset it afterwards
you end up with a smaller set of fonts!

Clive Carmock

dhmyrdal@solan.unit.no (Dag H}kon Myrdal) (01/26/91)

It seems to be Acorn's idea that an abstract, non-informing error-message
like "Internal error #" is better (more professional?) than simply
stating what the problem seemed to be!!!
Mostly when I have got errors like this, memory is short...
So, why doesn't the programs say so??? (or better still: give a warning first...
Impression is good at this, it gives you the option of trying to cope...)

--
Dag Haakon Myrdal, student of electronics
--
email:   dhmyrdal@solan.unit.no         (-SUN  internet, Trondheim)
snail:   DH Myrdal, Moholt Alle 2-01, N-7035 Trondheim, Norway
phone:   +47 7 588244

pcolmer@acorn.co.uk (Philip Colmer) (01/28/91)

In article <1991Jan26.150347.10596@ugle.unit.no> dhmyrdal@solan.unit.no (Dag H}kon Myrdal) writes:

>It seems to be Acorn's idea that an abstract, non-informing error-message
>like "Internal error #" is better (more professional?) than simply
>stating what the problem seemed to be!!!
>Mostly when I have got errors like this, memory is short...
>So, why doesn't the programs say so??? (or better still: give a warning first...
>Impression is good at this, it gives you the option of trying to cope...)

First of all, the number given is actually the C signal number, so 3 is
illegal instruction (normally caused by attempting to using floating point
without FPE loaded) and 5 is a bad memory access ... could be practically
anything really :-)

Secondly, Impression is no longer good at this. All of the pseudo programmer
messages have been replaced by cryptic codes like "Internal error GT3 has
occurred".

Basically, it comes down to the fact that once a program has suffered a
really bad problem, there isn't an awful lot that can be done to recover
from it, so it is best to exit cleanly and not run the risk of stamping on
anything else.

--Philip Colmer

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, I'm Pisces. I just dive right in ...

john@mantis.co.uk (John Brimacombe) (01/29/91)

cca@cs.exeter.ac.uk (Clive  Carmock) writes:

> 
> Edit suffers from the Type 5 Fatal Internal error - in this case
> it's due to too many fonts.  My solution is to have a different font
> directory for edit - and in it's run file set font$path to point to this
> instead.  Only problem with that is unless to forget to reset it afterwards
> you end up with a smaller set of fonts!
> 
> Clive Carmock

I got round this problem by running a slightly later version of !Edit (1.04,
I think). I understand that this is an official Acorn release, but not one
they have shouted about. The fix stops edit falling over, but it will still
only list the first section of the fonts in the selector.

dbh@doc.ic.ac.uk (Denis Howe) (01/29/91)

In article <4803@acorn.co.uk> pcolmer@acorn.co.uk (Philip Colmer) writes:
>   In article <1991Jan26.150347.10596@ugle.unit.no> dhmyrdal@solan.unit.no (Dag H}kon Myrdal) writes:
>
>>It seems to be Acorn's idea that an abstract, non-informing error-message
>>like "Internal error #" is better (more professional?) than simply
>>stating what the problem seemed to be!!!
>
>Basically, it comes down to the fact that once a program has suffered a
>really bad problem, there isn't an awful lot that can be done to recover
>from it, so it is best to exit cleanly and not run the risk of stamping on
>anything else.

Exit cleanly, yes. Exit cryptically, no!

For example, when running Basic programs from the desktop, it's
annoying not to be told the program line number where the error
occured. The theory is presumably that the inexperienced user would be
confused by too much information but as long as he can distinguish
between errors he has caused and errors in the program the error
message should be as informative as possible.
--
Denis Howe <dbh@doc.ic.ac.uk>
Aliens ate my signature file.