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Ictari Issue 41
ICTARI USER GROUP ISSUE 41 December 1996
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* m a g a z i n e *
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I C T A R I U S E R G R O U P
63 Woolsbridge Road, Ringwood, Hants, BH24 2LX Tel. 01425-474415
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INDEX FOR ISSUE 41
==================
C Bezier curve routine.
GFA Functions for using ARGV arguments in command lines.
File recognition routine.
Using the Iconified window Server in GFA.
STOS Slideshow program and tutorial.
FORTRAN BC-FORTRAN 77 development system.
FORTRAN-C compiler.
Compiler-Driver for BC-FORTRAN 77.
MISC A quick guide to creating an HTML document.
Current membership list.
In next months issue of ICTARI (this may change) :-
ASSEMBLY Long integer multiplication & division routines.
C
GFA
STOS
MISC
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EDITORIAL
=========
THE FUTURE OF ICTARI
--------------------
I am sure you will all be glad to know that I have had several offers
to take over as editor of Ictari so that I am reasonably confident
that the group will continue for quite a while yet. As I am still
sorting out the details, any disks/money should be sent to me for next
months issue and I will announce further details in the January issue.
We are still very short of articles for future issues, perhaps the
uncertainty of Ictari has deterred some members from contributing. Now
that the group is set to continue, we would like to see some more
articles, programs, programming questions, etc being sent in so that
the new editor has some useful material to work with. I have also been
told that there are a number of programmers downloading the issues
from the WWW page that Giles Greenway has set up for us. Perhaps these
users would also like to send something in (direct to me or via the
Web) for future publication. As I have mentioned before, the group can
only survive if members provide something for each issue themselves.
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CORRESPONDENCE
==============
To: Peter Hibbs
From: Mrten Lindstrm
GEMULATOR
---------
You say that you haven't room for both Atari and PC and therefore have
to dispose of your Atari software. But haven't you got Gemulator for
your PC? Not that I mean to press you to stay on as Ictari editor; I
can very well understand it if you want to be relieved of duty after 3
years. I just hope that my own remark, some months ago, that Gemulator
didn't work too well with Windows 95 hasn't put you off from it.
Gemulator is continually improving. When I wrote my remark I still
couldn't get Gemulator (4.05) to write anything on real Windows95
drives (Windows intercepted and terminated Gemulator). But that was
fixed very shortly afterwards and now with "Gemulator 96" (4.5) the
emulation has got even better. The core 68000 emulation seems to have
been very reliable from the day I got my first Gemulator version; it
seems to only be the emulation of "peripherals", and (when working
with Windows95 real drives) (GEM)DOS, that could be improved.
Practically everything I have contributed this year to Ictari, I have
written on my PC - with Gemulator running the Atari Protext. I
actually use this configuration for purely PC related work too, since
Protext is a good editor that I have become accustomed to. (OK, I know
there is a PC DOS version of Protext too, but what I have now seems to
work just as well, and in Windows windows of any size I want; when
writing this, my Gemulator window (= ST screen) is set to 736x512
pixels which Protext is quite happy with).
Thank you very much for your generous offer to lend me your PostScript
book. I don't really think I will be able to take advantage of it
right now (other things to do, and the 700 pages you mentioned sound
scary) but perhaps I can get back to you later, if the offer stands?
To: All
CAB
---
Hmm, just want to say that I perhaps was a bit hasty with my criticism
of CAB. It DOES take advantage of the 16-colour low-resolution mode.
It was just I who must have somehow messed up its configuration to run
in black and white only. The problem with the too small fonts in low-
rez could be solved by supplying special bitmapped GEM fonts for GDOS
device 2 (the low resolution screen). I might alternatively be able to
write a fix that changes the resolution recorded for low-rez screens -
from 45 DPI to 90 DPI as in high-rez - used by NVDI at least. (If
there is any interest.)
I do get the impression though, that CAB is a bit memory hungry - for
an Atari program (we shouldn't mention the PC equivalents here, which
seem to never get enough memory). (I must, however, confess to have
really only tried CAB under Gemulator on my PC).
*/ When I have had my PC up and running for a while I may well look at
the Gemulator as I do have quite a lot of software, Calamus files and
Protext files that I would like to keep. I believe that it emulates
the 68000 chip in software, how does the speed compare with a standard
Atari (using a 133MHz Pentium), I did read somewhere that it actually
runs quicker which is a bit hard to believe.
If you would like to see the book at any time in the future, just let
me know. I should mention, however, that it is mainly a reference
book, there is lots of information on the various commands, functions,
etc but there are no descriptions of how you would actually use them
in a program and no help on how one would write a Post Script
interpreter. If you were starting from scratch I think you would need
documentation on how the system works before this reference book would
be of any help. PDH /*
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To: David Preston
From: Charles Ayres
In reply to the question about the new Channel 5 interfering with the
computer display on a television, I do not think this will have any
effect as it is only the video recorder that is adjusted. I have had
the visit from the adjuster and he did not seem to have any answer to
this question as the training they are given is limited. The whole
procedure seems to consist of connecting a small black box to the
video recorder, playing an instruction tape and adjusting a small
screw on the video to retune to channel 39. When the picture is shown
on the selected channel on your television, that's it. My TV has
FastText and three video channels as well as 30 selectable channels
but for other TVs I would think that is possible to either use the
channel already set up for the computer or to retune to another
channel wherever you can pick up the computer signal. I have connected
my outfit up to the TV since the adjustment was carried out with no
problem but I think the only way to finally answer the question will
be to wait until Channel 5 starts broadcasting and then try your
computer to see the result.
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To: Peter Hibbs
From: Pete Bailey
Sorry to see you go, Peter; thanks for all your hard work and for not
complaining that my disk arrives late month after month...
Condolences on moving to the PC - I use one all day at work, and the
constant reboots every time it hangs drive me to distraction. Anyone
got Bill Gates' phone number? I'd like to give him a call and tell
him what a pile of poop Windows is, just in case nobody else has
thought to point it out to him.
To: David Preston
From: Pete Bailey
David, I'm not a STOS person but I can't resist commenting on your
letter. "Swiz" is definitely a real word - it may not be in the
dictionary, but it was in use in my homeland of
Leicestershire when I was a kid, and I picked it up from my
mother who had been using it since she was a kid. As far as I'm
concerned, that gives it an impeccable pedigree. "Spragged", on the
other hand, is a new one on me, but it's so wonderfully
expressive that I shall be using it at the slightest provocation for
the foreseeable future. Excellent.
To: Mrten Lindstrm
From: Pete Bailey
Many thanks for your response to my menu-hacking problems. I have to
admit that, since submitting the program to Ictari I've found that
the d*mn program is even less stable than it seemed to be at the time,
and I've pretty much given up on it for now. I seem to recall posing
the question: "Is this a misguided approach?" The answer seems to be
"Yes, it probably is". TOS seems to pinch the vector back whenever
you're not looking, and I can't think of a reliable and safe method
of reinstating it. As to your comments on the question of disabling
interrupts: yes, I understand that they can't be permanently
disabled. My uncertainty was as to whether, when AES calls my
installed mouse routines, the system is actually in interrupt mode at
the time. If it is, then I guess that interrupts should be disabled
for the duration of my routine to prevent serious confusion. My
belief, though, is that the actual interrupts are handled at a
lower level (by the packet handlers), and that AES will only call
my routines when it sees fit. In other words, my routines are being
called, in effect, as subroutines rather than as interrupt service
routines. Can you (or anyone else) confirm this?
Loved the little poem, by the way - got any more?
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To: All
From Jim Macleod
My STFM having shut itself down on a permanent basis I now have bits
and pieces which may be of use to others who still have a working
system. No offer refused as I now have to start collecting for
(regretfully) one of them pesky PC things.
DevPak ST 2
NVDI 2.5
GFA Basic V2 + Compiler (I think) but without a manual.
2.5Mb memory upgrade-with manual and test disk.
External floppy drive.
The actual hardware itself - one major fault was the internal drive
had gone. If anyone wants the bits I will explain what it did/did not
do which may help to indicate what chips, etc are still OK.
Books-
Glentop 1st Steps in 68000 Assembly
Peel ST68000 Programmers Guide
Leventhal Assembly Routines for the 68000 ST specific
Atari ST Internals
Please ring/write if anything of interest-other than Sunday/Thurs &
Fri evenings I am usually home most of the time.
Tel. 0117 9682490
Happy Xmas & New Year to all.
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