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GEnieLamp Online Magazine Issue No.1.11
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~ ST ALADDIN: MAKING IT WORK FOR YOU ~
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Aladdin On Floppies: Yea Or Nay?
Aladdin Tips and Tricks
Aladdin RTC Highlights
Aladdin POWER users
Hack'n Aladdin
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
November 1, 1990 ~ A T/TalkNET OnLine Publication ~ Issue No.1.11
////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Publisher/Editor ................................... John F. Peters
Co-Editor ........................................ Darlah J. Pine
Technical Editor ................................ Jeff Williams
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] GEnie ONLINE ............ [GEN]
Notes From The Editor. ALADDIN: Tips & Tricks.
HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM] HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HEY]
Poetry In Computation. Is That A Letter For Me?
ALADDIN'S LAMP .......... [ALA] ATARI_QWIK_TIPS ......... [TIP]
ST ALADDIN on Floppies? Atarians Helping Atarians.
ONLINE FUNNIES .......... [FUN] ON THE BULLETIN BOARD ... [BOA]
CowTOONS! Hard Disk (De)Fragmentation.
HELP!!! ................. [HEL] PD_QUICKVIEW ............ [PDQ]
Not For Beginners Only. VANTERM: Yours For The Asking.
OFF THE RECORD .......... [OFF] ASK MS. GEnie ........... [ASK]
Mini_Qwik_reViews. Q & A About GEnie.
GOING BUGGY? ............ [BUG] LOG OFF ................. [LOG]
Problems & Solutions. GEnie Lamp Information.
[IDX]
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
READING GEnie Lamp GEnie Lamp has incorporated a unique indexing
"""""""""""""""""" system to help make reading the magazine easier.
To utilize this system, load GEnie Lamp into any ASCII word processor
or text editor. In the index you will find the following example:
FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] GEnie ONLINE ............ [GEN]
Notes From The Editor. ALADDIN: Tips & Tricks
To read all the latest tricks and tips to using Aladdin, set your
find or search command to [GEN]. If you want to scan the articles,
search for [EOA]. [IDX] will bring you back to the index whereas [EOF]
will take you to the last page.
MESSAGE INFO To make it easy for you to respond to messages re-printed
"""""""""""" here in GEnie Lamp, you will find all the information you
need immediately following the message. For example:
(TIMPURVES, CAT6, TOP1, MSG:58/M475)
_____________| _____|__ _|___ |____ |_____________
|Name of sender CATegory TOPic Msg.# Page number|
In this example, to respond to Tim's message, log on to page 475,
enter the bulletin board and set CAT 6. Enter your REPly in TOPic 1.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
/////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///////
/ "Thank God for British educations! I have finally found /
/ someone who can spell "definitely"." /
/ /
/ "Yeah, if I had that silly American education, I'd be /
/ pumping gas for a living right now. Definitely. <grin>" /
///////////////////////////////// N.WEINRESS / DAREKM ////
[EOA]
[FRM]//////////////////////////////
FROM MY DESKTOP /
/////////////////////////////////
Notes From The Editor
"""""""""""""""""""""
o COMMENTS & OTHER MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS
o ATARI ROUNDTABLE ODDS & ENDS
TOP OF THE PAGE Phenomenal. Incredible. Unbelievable. Fantastic.
""""""""""""""" In the last issue of GEnie Lamp, I wrote in this
column that if ST Aladdin is half of what all the beta testers said it
would be, we were all in for a very special treat. I didn't realize at
the time just what was in store for us. I was expecting some great
things from Aladdin, but I wasn't expecting to be totally blown away!
Downloading, uploading, reading and replying to messages - all at the
click of a button, I feel like a kid with a new toy at Christmas.
Apparently, many of you feel the same way...
[*][*][*]
There's no doubt in my mind that Aladdin will make GEnie MUCH MORE
popular than ever. A program that is so fun and easy to use makes you
WANT to explore new territories. Nice job, Tim. [OUTRIDER]
[*][*][*]
Aladdin completely changes one's perception of GEnie for the
better, not that it was bad to begin with. It's a great program and
makes using GEnie >much< easier. The ability to perform functions off-
line which automatically take care of themselves once online is amazing,
though when using Aladdin you never really feel like you're offline.
The ability to browse the product index is yet another wonderful
feature, I find myself going to areas I previously ignored or was un-
aware of - not needing to know the cryptic GEnie commands is a real
plus. [CHAZ]
[*][*][*]
Aladdin continues to amaze me! This afternoon I logged onto GEnie
using Flash. After doing some of my SysOp chores I decided to quit
Flash and run Aladdin...without logging off of GEnie. When I selected
AUTOPASS 1 not only did Aladdin know I was already connected to GEnie
(which I expected) it also automatically entered the TIMEP command so
that it could check GEnie's time and reset the billing clock!!!
Then, while Aladdin was doing its autopass thru the various RTs I
must have had a surge of line noise. The line noise either bumped me
off of GEnie or Aladdin saw it and decided to take action on its own (I
wasn't in the room). At any rate...when I came back into the room I
found Aladdin automatically redialing GEnie to continue from where it
left off!! [STACE]
[*][*][*]
I noticed that the title to the topic mentions how Aladdin saves
you time and money on GEnie. What are you ... a wiseguy?!?!
Since Thursday night I must've been on GEnie a billion times. I
just can't wait to get all the new messages and see the new files. Then
I can't wait to send my replies. Of course there are the times when I
think of a message to write and of course I have to get it right up on
GEnie.
Egads, methinks you guys have created a monster! I'm sure I'm not
alone. [CYBERPUNK]
[*][*][*] [*][*][*]
Sure there are a few bugs and problems with the initial release of
Aladdin, but it's amazing at just how minor the problems are considering
the enormous complexity of what Aladdin is doing while on and offline.
Get this program. This program will change the way you view GEnie.
Literally.
Take care...
John Peters
[ST-GUEST]
P.S. Before I go, I'd like to point out an encouraging quote from Bob
Brodie that I spotted on the Atari Corp. bulletin board the other day.
"I suggest that you hold on tight for COMDEX, which should be
our show all/tell all time. November 12-16 in Las Vegas."
I do _love_ surprises! One can only hope...
>>> ATARI ROUNDTABLE ODDS & ENDS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
EXPRESS BBS REVISITED Well, personally I think it's wonderful that
""""""""""""""""""""" Rick has taken over Express! ST. I think this
will breathe new life into the program. I never wanted it to die, but
certain things in life can't be helped. I just wanted to wish "good
luck" to Rick, and my offer of explanations and/or questions answered
still remains. Take good care of "my baby"! Keith Ledbetter
(ORION.MICRO, CAT8, TOP24, MSG:52/M475)
COMDEX = ATARI Fall Comdex is just around the corner. According to
"""""""""""""" the Comdex preview guide I received today Atari will
be there and will be exhibiting in the new Sands Hotel convention area.
Other than the JVC booth Atari's booth is shown as the largest booth in
the entire Sands convention area! Looks like it is about twice as large
as Commodore's booth.
(STACE, CAT11, TOP13, MSG:1/M475)
CDAR405 Beware of the ad regarding Mac CD ROM compatibility! The
""""""" CDAR405 works well with IBM CD ROMS but there is NO driver
currently available that recognizes the Mac CD ROMS (similar to having
ST DD recognize Mac formatted disks).
Regarding IBM CD ROMs, I have tried a number of these successfully
for importing straight ASCII text, picture files, and MS-DOS programs
for use with pc ditto. Picture files go straight into Atari DTP
programs without a hitch (depending on the format). Unfortunately, most
IBM CDs use some form of text compacting with front-end retrieval soft-
ware. These do NOT (obviously) work in an Atari system - nor do any of
the IBM emulators have the "hooks" to recognize IBM CD ROM players.
The present Atari CD ROM situation is restricted to the couple of
native format CDs for PD software and graphics, or IBM CDs for pix.
There are supposed to be a few international Atari-specific CDs but I
haven't come across them myself yet. In the near future, the MegaTalk
board from Gadgets By Small will allow a TRUE Mac CD ROM player
(currently can get one from NEC for about $550 mail-order) to connect.
By reading files under Spectre and Transverting them into Atari format,
we will be able to use Mac-formatted CD ROM data. Jim Pierson-Perry
(REMO, CAT14, TOP28, MSG:41/M475)
/////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "CodeHeads, Talk about service! Maxifile and LGS patches /
/ for a new program even before the program is out." /
////////////////////////////////////////// J.MEEHAN3 //////
[EOA]
[GEN]//////////////////////////////
GEnie ONLINE /
/////////////////////////////////
ALADDIN: Tips & Tricks
""""""""""""""""""""""
o ALADDIN RTC HIGHLIGHTS
o PROBLEMS?
o ALADDIN TIPS & TRICKS
o ST ELSEWHERE
RTC HIGHLIGHTS An informative roundtable conference on Aladdin was
"""""""""""""" held on October 24th. The RTC's guests consisted of
Neil Harris (from GEnie), Tim Purves and Gordon Monnier (from Griffin
Software), and Juan Jimenez, who is the Aladdin developer for the
Macintosh and provides PC Aladdin support. Here are some of the RTC
highlights:
INTRODUCTION "Aladdin was first developed on the DOS platform. It
'''''''''''' was written as shareware by Bret Mulvey, a GEnie
member. After a while he started to get too busy to continue with it,
so the sysops of the IBM PC RT bought the rights and hired Juan Jimenez
to continue development of it."
"GEnie did a study and found that people using Aladdin were VERY
unlikely to leave GEnie compared to other people. It seems that Aladdin
makes it so much easier and faster to use GEnie that people are much
happier with the service. So, we bought the rights to it and removed
any fee for registering it. We've had Juan working on updates and also
on porting it to the Mac. Because there are SO many ST users on GEnie,
we decided to make the ST version a priority, so Griffin Software got
the contract for that."
ODDS & ENDS
'''''''''''
o "ST Aladdin's Zmodem is tweeked for the implementation on
Genie. The Zmodem driver on Aladdin, as it stands now, is a
subset of the full Zmodem standard. It does not support, for
example, the challenge packet."
o "Scripts written for the PC version are completely compatible
with the ST version. We are trying to keep the two programs
fairly close so that GEnie Feedback people can give help to
customers who call. (The 1000+ line Schwab script works
fine.)"
o "Aladdin is not a term program. It is much more than that and
needs much more control and signals from/to the modem to work
properly and how to correct it. Aladdin has to know if it is
online or not so that it can redial if disconnected."
o "PC Aladdin was written in a language called Pascal. ST
Aladdin was re-written in 'c'. Currently it is about 20,000
lines (500K or so) ...and the slow parts were speeded up by
being rewritten in machine code."
NEW VERSION ANNOUNCED!
''''''''''''''''''''''
o "The new version, will be faster (a bunch faster). [It will
have] a virtual memory scheme and an editor that will blow
your socks off!"
o "The new version will implement the "once daily" routine for
checking downloads."
o "Also, a *SN to save without format when entering or replying
to a message will be available."
o "The backspace beyond the border of either the 2nd or 3rd lines
in the type-ahead has been fixed."
o "The list of items to be added to the new version has
approximately 15 new changes and/or options."
o "The new version of Aladdin can be expected in about two
weeks."
16974 CO102490.ARC X JEFF.W 901025 12600 33 13
Desc: Aladdin RTC - 10/24/90
[*][*][*]
LOG ON PROBLEMS? We have had quite a few complaints from users that
"""""""""""""""" they can not logon to GEnie with ST Aladdin. Let me
try to explain.
A normal smart communications program is fairly dumb. It just does
what it is told to do. Log on, read this, download that, log off...
Aladdin is totally different. It is intelligent (well kinda). You
assign Aladdin a task and you can go do other important things like
reading a book and drinking a glass of wine. In order to do this
Aladdin must know things a smart terminal program does not need to
know. Like is GEnie still online or did she somehow get disconnected.
If the carrier is lost Aladdin must redial the phone by itself. To
do this Aladdin must know the phone line was disconnected. This is
known as a carrier detect. All modems have this.. Up till now you may
not have used it.. With Aladdin you must have it!!
If after setting up ST Aladdin and you tell it to log onto GEnie
and nothing happens you have a problem! (as if you didn't know that!)
It can be the modem settings or the cable. There are three things that
must be true.
1. The Modem must assert Carrier Detect (DCD RS-232c pin 8) only
when the modem is online and a carrier data signal is present.
2. The Modem must follow Data Terminal Ready (DTR RS-232c pin 20).
That is the modem must drop carrier when DTR is de-asserted.
3. The cable must connect at a bare minimum pins 1-8 and 20.
Example modem settings:
HAYES SMARTMODEM 1200
'''''''''''''''''''''
Switch Setting Effect
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
1 UP Follow DTR.
2 UP Verbal Result codes.
3 DOWN Send result codes.
4 UP Echo commands.
5 DOWN Do not auto answer telephone (Doesn't
matter)
6 UP Modem reports Carrier detect only when
data carrier is present.
7 UP Single phone line.
8 DOWN Modem can accept smart modem commands.
SUPRA 2400/HAYES 2400 (or any true Hayes 2400 baud compatible)
''''''''''''''''''''' Configure Aladdin to 2400 baud. From the
terminal screen, <cr> means the ENTER key.
AT&F<cr> Reset modem to factory defaults.
AT&C1<cr> DCD ON indicates data carrier from remote modem.
AT&D2<cr> Modem hangs up upon ON to OFF transition of DTR.
AT&W<cr> Write current configuration to nonvolatile memory.
US ROBOTICS 2400
''''''''''''''''
Switch Setting Effect
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
1 OFF DTR Normal.
2 OFF Verbal Result Codes.
3 ON Display Result Codes.
4 OFF Echo Off line commands.
5 ON Suppress auto answer.
6 OFF DCD normal.
7 OFF Single Phone line.
8 ON Normal AT command set.
9 OFF Disconnect with +++.
10 OFF Reserved.
If Aladdin can logon to Genie, but when reading messages Genie
prints the message "Return Scroll<>?". Then you must Set the page
length to zero. This can be done in the SETUP menu on Genie, or
selecting option 6 on page 1000.
This should let you enjoy GEnie with ST Aladdin. If you have any
questions feel free to ask.
(GORDON, CAT1, TOP1, MSG:5/M1000)
MARK, REPLY, DO WHAT? There has recently been a lot of questions
""""""""""""""""""""" concerning how to make the topic list stored
within Aladdin reflect the topics you want to ignore, read, etc. While
the documentation is confusing on this issue, the "how to" is really not
all that difficult.
First, logon to your favorite roundtable with Aladdin and select
"update topic list" from the menu. When it is finished - LOG OFF.
Second, while offline, use the "Mark/Reply Old Topics" selection to
select which topics you are interested in. After you finished marking
your topics use the "Do Pending Operation" selection to logon to Genie
(within the selected roundtable" to update topic list in Genie.
Finally - use the "update topic list" selection again to update the
topic list within Aladdin.
Congratulations! You now will only see the topics you want to see!
Terry Quinn [T.QUINN1]
>>> ALADDIN TIPS & TRICKS <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
DTR - WHAT'S DAT? A quick check to see whether DTR is working
""""""""""""""""" correctly on your modem is to start Aladdin, go to
Terminal Mode, and select Hang Up. Watch the modem lights--the TR or
MR light should go off for almost a second and then come back on. If
you don't see a response, you may have a problem.
MONITERM USERS To those of us with Moniterms - Aladdin supports it
"""""""""""""" fully. The entire height of the screen is used to
display text and replays. Entire comments can be read on one screen.
(MRAYMOND, CAT 1, TOP 19, Msg:109/M475)
CLICK & SCROLL Has anyone noticed that neat use of the mouse when
"""""""""""""" you're editing your e-mail? If you select the incoming
mail window and click the left mouse button, the message scrolls.
(M.MOTOGAWA, CAT2, TOP1, MSG:73/M1000)
JUST SAY NO Aladdin is having troubles with some resident programs.
""""""""""" If you have these programs in your desktop you might want
to remove them while using Aladdin until you check with the authors and
make sure they work properly with Aladdin. They are:
o COPYFIX.PRG
o Universal Item Selector (May be okay -jury still out!)
o FMC
If you use the Little Green Selector be sure to download the latest
version (LGSEL18A.ARC) from the ST RoundTable, to avoid conflicts with
Aladdin. And if you use MaxiFile (from CodeHead) as a desk accessory,
be sure to download and use the file MAXIFIX.ARC, also in the ST
RoundTable. (GORDON, CAT1, TOP1, MSG:6/M1000)
16790 LGSEL18A.ARC X C.F.JOHNSON 901011 46620 309 2
Desc: Little Green Selector 1.8A
16791 MAXIFIX.ARC X C.F.JOHNSON 901011 3780 181 2
Desc: Patch for MaxiFile/Aladdin
FINAL SOLUTION I fought with Aladdin for some time before I could get
"""""""""""""" it to talk to the modem. What finally did it was two
things - First, I replaced my modem cable with one which had all 25
pins wired straight through. Second, I completely stripped all
programming (other than the factory's) from the modem and reprogrammed
it from the ground up. I suspect that this might be a necessary step
for anyone who has a modem which uses nonvolatile (EEPROM?) memory
instead of dip switches. Now that the standard setup includes &C1 and
&D2 it seems to work rather well.
(T.QUINN1, CAT6, TOP1, MSG:108/M1000)
Yes, that's a point worth bringing up and sharing here. Over on
the PC Aladdin side we've had a number of problems with users that had
problems with Aladdin that we were not able to track down. Eventually
we did track the problem down -- to a faulty cable that was missing DCD
and/or DTR. You need a cable that implements all of the modem signals
to use Aladdin. That means pins 1-8 and 20.
(J.JIMENEZ, CAT6, TOP1, MSG:110/M1000)
>>> ST ELSEWHERE <<<
""""""""""""""""""""
ST ALADDIN POWER USERS One option in Aladdin ST that is just now
"""""""""""""""""""""" starting to attract some attention is its
script language. The script language allows you to "program" ST Aladdin
to do things that ST Aladdin cannot now do. (Yes, in spite of what you
may think, ST Aladdin can't do everything!)
Since script files written for the MS-DOS version of Aladdin are
suppose to be identical to the ST version, I decided to see what our PC
friends have come up with. I sneaked over to the Aladdin RoundTable and
did a search on "SCRIPT" in the library. Here's what I found:
90 QUOTES11.LZH X D.DRURY 901004 3780 175 3
Desc: Autodownload Stock Quotes
80 SCHALAD.COM X MARK.YOUNG 900831 11340 104 3
Desc: Schwab Interface for Aladdin
12 SCRPTS1.ZIP X R.TULLIS1 900415 6300 585 3
Desc: Selected captures/Script msg topic
Three files? I was expecting to find a whole slew of script files
to play with. (Maybe I'm using the wrong keyword?) Not too impressive,
huh? Thinking that I was in the wrong area, I moved over to the IBM
library to see if there were any script files hiding out there. Nope.
Pretty much the same thing. Hmmmmm... where did they all go?
Well, fellow STers, it looks like it's up to us to pave another
pathway for our less fortunate friends and to put our Atari ingenuity to
work. (Hey, we've been doing this kinda stuff with .DO files for years,
right?)
Do you have an idea for a script file? Atarians have always been
known for their creative, independent side... Are you game? Write it,
de-bug it and upload it to the ST Aladdin RoundTable. I'd lay odds that
in 6 months time there will be IBMers sneaking around in _our_ Round-
Table looking for some goodies to download. Now wouldn't _that_ be a
nice change! John Peters [ST-GUEST]
/////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////////
/ "Calamus on the Lynx, now there's a thought. :-)" /
/ /
/ "I think Nate has been into the Jolt and Donuts again... :-)" /
////////////////////////////////////////////// ISD / ISD2 /////
[EOA]
[HUM]//////////////////////////////
HUMOR ONLINE /
/////////////////////////////////
Poetry In Computation
"""""""""""""""""""""
By Joy James Orton
[JOY.ORTON]
(Ctsey. Writers RoundTable)
No Computer Ease
My parity is odd,
My stacks overrun.
I can't stop a bit.
I think there's a short
in my real world interface.
The silicon chip inside my head
has learned to live with
all this dread.
An endless loop I said...
An endless loop I said...
My mind is offline,
My recursion doesn't end.
I can't flowchart it.
My analyst lacks all
flow control.
The silicon chip inside my head
has learned to live with
all this dread.
An endless loop I said...
An endless loop I said...
My memory dumps,
My Hardwares weak.
I can't speak.
I think it was the virus
I caught last week.
The silicon chip inside my head
has learned to live with
all this dread.
An endless loop I said...
An endless loop I said...
Joy James Orton '90
(JOY.ORTON, CAT3, TOP15, MSG:51/M440)
////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE /////
/ "Obsolete?!? The Mega4? I won't trade-up to a STe. /
/ I love my Mega! It works! Now!" /
/ /
/ "Now.. mebbe a Stacy... hmmmmm yeah.... Will there /
/ be a Stacy-e... or would its new name be confusing to /
/ pronounce ;) Stacy-y ..." /
//////////////////////////////////////// W.PARKS3 /////
[EOA]
[HEY]//////////////////////////////
HEY MISTER POSTMAN /
/////////////////////////////////
Is That A Letter For Me?
""""""""""""""""""""""""
o ATARI_TID_BITS
o WHAT'S NEW
o ATARIAN MINDS WANT TO KNOW...
o HOT_TOPICS!
o MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT
>>> ATARI_TID_BITS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""
(Bits & Pieces From The Bulletin Board)
PAGE_1 Aladdin looks at the file number as well as the date [*] We
"""""" now have a profiler for the ST, that will allow us to optimize
the bottlenecks in Aladdin. The next release will be faster [*] Aladdin
archive files are always appended to.. If you use the same name it will
keep tacking the messages onto the end. [*] Aladdin's editor has been
completely re-written. It is now much more intelligent when it comes to
formatting. [*]
PAGE_2 Rumblings of M1 Tank Platoon by Microprose are starting to show
"""""" up in the bulletin board. See CAT 9, TOP47, MSG:80/M475 for
details [*] TOWNS [John@Atari]> "[The] TT will be "significantly less"
than $3800" [*] Sub: JOIN/IGNORE library command (new)->We are beta
testing a new library command that will allow you to ignore specific
libraries. Private libraries are now also available. [*] My Syquest
was making the 'whiny' metallic sounds with all my carts so I phoned
Syquest, got a return number & got the drive replaced. [*]
PAGE_3 Metados is a program for using the CD players. It allows for
"""""" the importing of data as well as playing music, but not at the
same exact time [*] MetaDOS is a program which allows for additional
device drivers to be loaded and used. The CD-ROM driver is just one of
MANY possibilities. [*]
>>> WHAT'S NEW? <<<
"""""""""""""""""""
WIZ WORKS For those of you who have sent in your cards, the drawing
""""""""" tools will be shipping right after the goblins knock on
your door. They are being fine tuned at this very minute......
MUG SHOT! will hit the dealers shelves next week. Shipping
through the channels on the 15th.
Modules for both the Geniscan/ST and the Migraph scanners will be
available shortly. The Geniscan module needs some tweeking (or so my
beta testers report) so it'll be another few days before I can offer
that one, but the Migraph module is looking good. (Actually, there's
going to be two separate modules for the Migraph... since I don't know
if all their interfaces are the same or not- it'll be in the module's
docs.)
We've got a tentative price at $14.95 for the Geniscan module and
$19.95 for the (pair of) Migraph module.
(C.WALTERS1, CAT7, TOP6/7, MSG:137/5/M475)
CHAOS ALERT! In about about two weeks FTL releases the OFFICIAL Chaos
"""""""""""" Strikes Back Adventurer's Handbook written in part by
yours truly. This 96 pg. volume includes everything you'd ever want or
need to know about the Prison.
The volume is broken up into two sections with the first containing
a rather neat general hints walk-through of the levels broken up by
paths. The back section contains specific answers to all the puzzles
and tricks to every level. Plenty of maps and visual guidance assure
the player along the way. Priced around $12.95. For all of you still
wandering through those dismal halls, this tome is a must!
(J.RATKOS1, CAT9, TOP38, MSG:37/M475)
NOTATOR 3.0 To all My friends: NOTATOR 3.0 is now available with many
""""""""""" of the previous problems fixed. Included is a new manual
totally re-written, fully indexed and colorcoded. The Notation section
has been expanded to include full page preview and additional fonts. The
update for previous users should be available direct from Didigsign and
I think the price, which includes a complete new manual, 3.0 disk fonts
disk and song demo disk is around $60.
(ATARI-MIDI, CAT10, TOP8, MSG:7/M475)
MAZ GONE SHAREWARE Just a quick note here to announce that MAZ, which
"""""""""""""""""" I originally wrote for distribution by Griffin
Software, has now been released here on GEnie as shareware.
MAZ is a one or two-player graphics maze game. It runs on color
systems only, and supports any combination (and I do mean _any_
combination) of keyboard, mice, and joysticks.
(JWEAVERJR, CAT9, TOP8, MSG:1/M475)
16726 MAZ.ARC X JWEAVERJR 901004 34020 178 8
Desc: 1 or 2 player color maze game
LGS 1.8Ax I've just finished fixing a small bug in version 1.8A that
""""""""" caused the 'FILL' status to not be saved properly with the
configuration...so a new version may not be too far away.
>>> ATARIAN MINDS WANT TO KNOW! <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
(Facts, Fiction & Maybe)
NEW GDOS Re the reported new GDOS, it is separate from the new
"""""""" desktop...and that's all I'm at liberty to say right now...
Sorry!!! As soon as I can say anything of substance, I will. Right now,
I suggest that you hold on tight for COMDEX, which should be our show
all/tell all time. November 12-16 in Las Vegas.
(BOB-BRODIE, CAT14, TOP35, MSG:284/M475)
ALADDIN UPGRADE We now have a profiler for the ST, that will allow us
""""""""""""""" to optimize the bottlenecks in Aladdin. The next
release will be faster.
(TIMPURVES, CAT6, TOP1, MSG:58/M475)
MASTERLINK v1.2 For what it's worth, Jeff Rigby posted on CIS about
""""""""""""""" two weeks ago that MasterLink v1.2 is expected to be
released to the public "hopefully within a month." That means within
two weeks now. Anyone giving odds? ;^)
(OUTRIDER, CAT8, TOP17, MSG:42/M475)
MEGA STE? Sorry.. Atari employees are not allowed to discuss any
""""""""" products which have not been announced. Therefore, if a
Mega STE did exist, I would not be able to discuss it.
(TOWNS, CAT14, TOP40, MSG:142/M476)
CHESS FOR THE LYNX? I believe that US Gold is already working on a
""""""""""""""""""" Chess game for the Lynx.
(M.KENNEDY3, CAT36, TOP2, MSG:105/M476)
LYNX AND MS. PACMAN Actually.. I think Ms. PacMan is on the way to
""""""""""""""""""" the warehouse.. But, I am not absolutely sure on
that one. (TOWNS, CAT36, TOP5, MSG:122/M475)
PARSEC DISCONTINUED? Well guys I don't know what is true but I called
"""""""""""""""""""" Rio/Datel Computers today and ask if the Parsec
is really discontinued, He said that it wasn't... and that they were
just having some trouble getting it. So he said that it is just delayed
until next year (which is just 3 months away!!). Well I had a few
questions.... how in the world would they be able to fit the board
inside if it going to be internal?? and why would they go to another
processor if the present processor is so fast? No other present
processor is that fast that I know of now.. 50mhz???
(M.LEE3, CAT4, TOP41, MSG:62/M475)
HOLOBYTE INFO Check Topic 34, Msg#78 for news of our latest FALCON
""""""""""""" Mission Disk :-) I think it was a lot of fun testing
that one! We don't have any plans yet for Mission Disks for Flight of
the Intruder (aka FOTI). We're still concentrating on getting it out
by this Xmas. (HOLOBYTE, CAT9, TOP28, MSG:9/M475)
TT PRICE CHANGE? Who said the TT is going to be $3000? I don't think
"""""""""""""""" Atari has set any kind of firm United States pricing
yet. And, with the new low cost Macs just released, I imagine Atari is
taking a good hard look at TT pricing for the US market (and
elsewhere!). (STACE, CAT14, TOP23, MSG:35/M475)
CD-ROM SIGHTING Hey Hey.... Just saw the CDAR 504 CD-ROM drive.. On
""""""""""""""" sale NOW... Has anyone bought one? How fast are they?
What's the MAX storage you can get on one? Is there anyway to write
software to one? It says it can use MAC and IBM CD-ROM disks... Does
this mean, you could write your own CD-ROM on an IBM with a WORM drive,
then use it in your CDAR 504??? Hmm... Looks cool!
(J.ROY18, CAT14, TOP28, MSG:38/M475)
PORTFOLIO POWER There is currently a ZBASIC in development for the
""""""""""""""" Port. It seems to be about 90% finished, and the
author is down to adding only the most obscure of features to it.
Multidimensional arrays were the most recent addition.
(J.NESS, CAT14, TOP34, MSG:51/M475)
BORLAND TRANSLATIONS? We have considered a translation, but without
""""""""""""""""""""" the permission of Borland Germany (who need the
permission of Borland U.S.A.) we cannot simply translate their manuals.
There is some hint that this may be possible in the future, but there
is nothing definite.
(GRIBNIF, CAT3, TOP7, MSG:12/M475)
MVG FIRST? I haven't heard a thing about it for some time now. I've
"""""""""" been egging Dr. Bob on to include an autotracing module in
MVG. He and Chet are masters of the screen. Hopefully we'll see some
sort of autotracing before the years end. It would be another first
for the ST. (M.MOTOGAWA, CAT7, TOP2, MSG:31/M475)
>>> HOT TOPICS <<<
""""""""""""""""""
CAT 14, TOP 34 The ballot is still out on alternate desktop
"""""""""""""" developers. Atari is not going to unilaterally yank
someone's market out from under them if Atari can help it. Period.
Business may be war, but Atari is in the computer business, not the
software business. It would be thoughtless and cruel of Atari to
release a product that put it in direct competition with its developers.
After all, what's a computer without software???"
>>>>>>>>>>>> "Hmmm. Seems to me that two of the companies that market
"""""""""""" desktop replacements (CodeHead and Double-Click) have
come out strongly in favor of releasing the new desktop. Who exactly
is being protected here? And why?"
>>>>>>>>>>>> "I think it's much more "thoughtless and cruel" to let
"""""""""""" the entire Atari userbase clunk along with a 5-year-old
desktop when a vastly improved version is available. Last time I
checked, the concept of "competition" was a perfectly valid one ... and
_everyone_ benefits from a strongly competitive market. Where would
things be in the PC world if Microsoft had decided not to release
Windows 3.0 because it _might_ hurt Quarterdeck's business?"
[*][*][*]
CAT 12, TOP 10 "What makes for a good product review? What
"""""""""""""" qualifications should writers have or follow? Under
what situations should someone NOT write a product review (or have an
editor accept it)?"
>>>>>>>>>>>> "Well, XXXXXXX certainly has no sense of humor at all.
"""""""""""" The piece he refers to in message 123 was supposed to be
somewhat tongue-in-cheek, at least the part about reviewing to get free
software. The implication here is that it is a better idea than
pirating, which is how MOST free software is obtained. As for the
personal comments, well, this could get ugly, so let me just say that
the review I wrote was accurate."
[*][*][*]
CAT 2, TOP 19 You mean that last comment from XXXXXXX was reflective
""""""""""""" of his past attitude? Well, all I can say is I'm glad
I've stuck with XXXXXXX all this time. XXXXXXX seems to have no
problem treating their customers with respect.
>>>>>>>>>>>> "I am sorry.. but I must agree with XXXXXXX. You can
"""""""""""" have the best product in the world and if you don't
support it properly, it won't make any difference."
>>>>>>>>>>>> "In response to your E-mail I've deleted my message.
"""""""""""" You truly have a way with words."
>>>>>>>>>>>> "Do yourself a favor.. pick up a copy of The Macintosh
"""""""""""" Way by Guy Kawasaki. It's available from most EggHead
Software Stores and a fair amount of Bookstores. Then read it from
cover to cover."
[*][*][*]
CAT 26, TOP 14 "Guess what I hear is true, the competition, the
"""""""""""""" discounting of another will go on forever no matter
what truces are supposedly posted. Wonder whatever happened to people's
word. Guess that goes out the window when it comes to this type of
journalism. :-("
>>>>>>>>>>>> "The basis for keeping agreements is for both parties to
"""""""""""" stand behind the agreement. Not only are those
agreements covered here, but they are extended to all areas. I remember
the announcement and felt at the time it was fair. But since that time,
which has proved time and time again that the party you make deals with
is blowing smoke at you."
>>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Atari-ST RoundTable
Category 14, Topic 34
Message 105 Thu Oct 25, 1990
K.BAD [Ken @ Atari] at 14:28 EDT
First of all, I don't have my head in the sand. I can see as well
as anyone else that the ST in the US isn't in very good shape. I can
see how it got there. Given the way things are run here in Sunnyvale,
I don't know that I could have done any better for Atari U.S. Hey,
that's why I'm a Software Engine and not an executive type!
The thing that set me off was B.BALETKA's comment about me not
paying attention. I pay a lot of attention. I just wanted y'all to
know that I, and several other Atari people get up here regularly, and
we pay attention. B.BALETKA has apologized, apology accepted. I just
hope my tirade hasn't scared anyone away.
Nevin, I appreciate your concerns. I do my best to try to avoid
"ivory tower syndrome" here, I question authority whenever possible,
and I listen to what the people out in the trenches have to say. Anyone
who's been to any of the Tech Talks that John and Cary and I have held
at user group shows knows how frank I can be sometimes. Bob Brodie
sometimes stands in the back of the room gritting his teeth at some of
the things I say. It's true, I don't like to hear about how upset
people get at the way things are going with their computer of choice. I
have a lot of pride in my work. It's sometimes frustrating to work for
a company whose major market is overseas, and who, for whatever reasons,
isn't a great success in the U.S.
David, I'm glad you like your ST. What makes me ill is not
criticism itself, but the way some folks tend to zero in on specific
issues, harp on them, and miss the big picture. If you'll permit me to
get a bit trite here: Rome wasn't built in a day, nor will Atari U.S.
win a reasonable share of the market in a month. I know, it's been more
than a month, but a lot of the U.S. Corp. presidents that have come and
gone have demonstrated a lack of appreciation of long range planning,
and my personal opinion is, _that_ is the root of the problem. As they
come in, fail because of a lack of vision, and get fired, continuity is
lost, and you end up with the situation we have today.
When someone jumps off a building and gets broken bones, internal
organ damage, and starts bleeding from a dozen cuts, a band-aid is not
gonna help them out a whole lot. You have to treat all of the wounds,
or that person is not gonna survive very long. Advertising is a
band-aid.
When there's a traffic jam, and your wife gets home a half hour
late for the dinner you've made, do you think about how nice it would be
to have a better mass transit system? Do you think about all the other
people who lost time? Not likely. You're probably just upset that your
wife didn't make it home until after the dinner cooled. There's a
traffic jam on Wall Street these days, and a lot of companies are stuck
in it.
I think that complaining about symptoms is counterproductive. When
I complain about complaining, I'm asking people to suggest solutions, or
maybe think about cause and effect, and discuss those instead. Yes,
top management at Atari needs to know about symptoms, but they need to
know about cause and effect more. Treating symptoms will not cure the
patient.
Charles, I agree with you 110%. Atari needs some flash, some
press, something people can show off. If people saw the progress that
is really being made, it would raise a few eyebrows. Maybe even open a
few pocketbooks. Just as you developers are our lifeblood, our hardware
is yours. We gotta sell jillions before you guys can.
Finally, getting back to being "ostrich-ized" by Chet (sorry, guy,
I couldn't resist): my job at Atari is to write and maintain system
software. My presence here on GEnie _should_ strictly support that job-
-I should be looking at things people want to see in system software,
and finding out what they don't like about the current system software.
That's why I'm paying close attention to THIS particular topic: The TT
Desktop! Having to deal with all the other realities of the Atari
marketplace in the U.S. is not only not my job, but it taxes my ability
to do my job.
BUT!!! I care deeply about how Atari does, and what perceptions
are out there. Maybe that'll be my undoing someday, Leonard has told
me time and again that I shouldn't bother with stuff like this. When I
start caring too much, glib criticisms cut me too deeply, and I start
re-examining why I'm online, on GEnie. So I go off, and vent my
feelings, hoping that maybe you'll get a taste of what it looks like
from this side of the monitor.
Let's help each other rather than sniping. God knows, Atari U.S.
has enough bullet holes in it already.
ttfn...
(*ken*)
[*][*][*] [*][*][*]
While on GEnie, do you spend most of your time downloading files?
If so, you may be missing out some excellent information in the Bulletin
Board area. The messages listed above only scratch the surface of
what's available and waiting for you in the bulletin board area.
If you are serious about your Atari, the GEnie Lamp staff strongly
urge you to give the bulletin board area a try. There are literally
thousands of messages posted from people like you from all over the
world.
//////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE /////
/ "Boy, I sure am writing a lot more messages with this /
/ (Aladdin) program. Jeez, and it's such a nice day out too."/
///////////////////////////////////////////// CYBERPUNK /////
[EOA]
[ALA]//////////////////////////////
ALADDIN'S LAMP /
/////////////////////////////////
ST Aladdin on Floppies - Yea or Nay?
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
by Mel Motogawa
[M.MOTOGAWA]
ALADDIN! There's been quite a stir on Genie the last few weeks. Unless
"""""""" you've been offline or only occasionally visit the ST
Roundtable, you've heard about ST Aladdin, the brand new front-end for
Genie ST users. It's easy to see, from the storm of activity in the new
ST Aladdin RT, that this program will be a tremendous boon to Genie as
it makes using the service so easy and fun.
Don't tell me you haven't d/l'd Aladdin yet? Heard it was disk
intensive and required a hard drive? So did I, but if it could save me
$$$ online, I was sure going to check it out. And am I glad I did.
There are a few other articles in this issue detailing all the neat
features of Aladdin, so let's discuss the ins-and-outs of using Aladdin
ST on floppy drives.
520ST & A SS DRIVE If you are still using a 520 ST with a single-sided
"""""""""""""""""" drive, get a double-sided drive will ya? <grin> My
current configuration of Aladdin is running about 390k of files. (Your
mileage will vary from day to day. The size of all the data files for
Aladdin differs, depending on how many RT's you participate in and how
many files/messages you've snagged.) For what it's worth, Aladdin
uncompresses to 226k worth of files, before you log on and start
generating all of it's data/message files. Don't even think about any
desk acc's or auto prg's, they'll just eat up valuable disk space.
You see, Aladdin creates a lot of little/big files on disk as it
goes about it's business. When you're off capturing messages in the
RT's, these .msg files can get huge. Aladdin saves them to disk while
you're online so that later you can read/reply to them. Wouldn't you be
happier with a ds/hard drive or more memory?
I've heard Aladdin will work in a half meg of memory, but it will
be tight. I only have a 1 meg 520 and a 2 meg STe, so I can't verify
this. Extend the format on that floppy as far as it will go and see
what happens. I feel for you if you only have 1 ss drive.
Two ss drives will yield slightly better results. You can specify
that some of Aladdin's files be sent there, from it's configuration
options. There's even a hack in the ST Aladdin RT on how to direct all
of Aladdin's work files to drive B, giving you more room to stretch if
you have a second drive and are adventurous.
520 ST & A DS DRIVE You did put that memory upgrade down on your to-do
""""""""""""""""""" list, didn't you? <grin again> There are a lot of
nice ones available, even chic SIMM-based ones for pre-STe users. Place
Aladdin on your disk and weigh your auto folder and desk acc's
carefully. We're talking austerity here. You'll have a reasonable
amount of space on your ds drive, but memory will be at a premium.
Nothing fancy with this setup.
1040 ST AND A DS DRIVE O.k., we're starting to hum! You might want to
"""""""""""""""""""""" using a disk cache to speed things up. Pack
all your prg's and acc's to try to save even more disk space. I highly
recommend DC SQUISH 1.4, out of the DC UTILITIES package from Double
Click Software since you can squish/unsquish in one program and do batch
executions of both operations. If you're bound to floppies, you need
this program. What was mentioned above about directing files to drive B
will yield enough room overall for most appetites in the message bases
and d/l's, if you have a second ds drive. Using one ds drive, I've
captured over 400 messages and over 250k of data and still had room to
spare. But don't expect to spend hours capturing everything in sight on
Star Services and expect it to fit on your ds disk.
MEGS OF MEMORY Running Aladdin from a floppy is o.k., but I wanted
"""""""""""""" more speed. Loading a topic list of a fairly large RT
took several seconds. And with Aladdin doing a lot of readin' and
writin' all the time, the wait states were getting old. Hey, I have 2
megs under the hood of my STe! Why not try running Aladdin from a
ramdisk?
Using CODERAM and CODECOPY from the CodeHead Utilities package, it
was a snap. CODERAM has a nice feature of being able to load an image
file of a disk (created by CODECOPY), and recreate it in a ramdisk. So
I just took my Aladdin disk and created an image file of it with
CODECOPY, then I placed this special image file on a bootdisk with
CODERAM in the auto folder. When I power up, CODERAM leaps into action
and in no time I have a nice 808k ramdisk automatically set up with all
the Aladdin files in it and room to spare. ('Course, you can configure
your CODERAMdisk to any size you want, memory allowing, but 808k seems
comfortable for me right now.)
Wow! Was I impressed! Everything zipped along turbo fast.
Loading that topic list now only took about half a second. I wouldn't
have it any other way after tasting this speed. And best of all, I set
up CODECOPY in my Hotwire menu so it automatically copies my ramdisk
back to a disk file when I exit Aladdin. Now I'm ready to go for next
time. If you have 2 or more megs of memory and find the hard drive is on
the wish list, this is really the way to go.
Since I started using Aladdin, you should see how often I log onto
Genie! With my bill, Genie may pass *ompuserve any day now. Sometimes,
I found myself in an endless loop of reading the latest messages,
creating replies and logging on for the next round. Now I know how that
hamster feels. :-) Well, spending $$$ was never so fun and automatic
as with Aladdin. Yes, even floppy users can enjoy the benefits of
Aladdin and stay online longer, for less.
//////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //////
/ "You still don't encounter too may who can use the word "ensure" /
/ when it's needed though. That's definitely an infinite problem,/
/ I can "insure" you....... /
/////////////////////////////////////////////// C.WALTERS1 ///////
[EOA]
[TIP]//////////////////////////////
ATARI_QWIK_TIPS /
/////////////////////////////////
Atarians Helping Atarians
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
o HACK'N ALADDIN
o SENTINEL TO THE RESCUE!
o DESKJET TIP
HACK'N ALADDIN If you feel adventurous, gutsy, or desperate, you
"""""""""""""" can try hacking Aladdin directly to place all primary
roundtable files on drive B:. I have tried the following hack on my
machine for about 55 minutes and it "appears" to work alright.
Before Tim or Gordon reaches for the flame-thrower, I should
mention that this is a 1000% -Hack-. It may or may not work. Please,
please, make a separate copy of your Aladdin work disk before making
this modification and test it on a RT you won't be too upset about if
you loose a few messages before doing a pass-1 on all your RT's.
--> Disclaimer: Don't do the following if you don't understand it. <--
Putting binary patches directly into a program file is risky. I'm
providing this information only with the understanding that if it fails
to work, it trashes your disk, or your machine vaporizes and the sun
goes nova as a direct result of this patch, you're on your own... !
Format two new blank disks.
Copy all the files in the directory where your ALAD.PRG file
reside (including ALAD.PRG), but not the DATA folder, to one of the
disks. Make the changes mentioned below to this copy of the program.
This is now your new Aladdin A: disk.
Take the 2nd disk. Create a subdirectory called D on this disk.
Copy the files from the DATA subdirectory on your original Aladdin work
disk to the D: directory on the 2nd disk. (Note that you're copying the
files, not the DATA folder itself!) This is now your Aladdin B: disk.
Put your original Aladdin work disk someplace safe and be sure you
label all disks clearly to avoid mixups.
At offsets 155178 and 155184 ($25e2a and $25e30 in hex) in the
ALAD.PRG file, you'll find the two strings used for defining and
accessing the directory Aladdin-ST uses for the RT files. The two
strings are "data" and "data\". Using a binary editor (NOT a TEXT
EDITOR and not a WORD-PROCESSOR!!), change them to "B:\D" and "B:\D\"
respectively, and Aladdin will save/read its RT work files to/from the
"D" subdirectory on drive B:. If you don't have a binary editor, I'd
recommend you go to the ST library and get the Memfile 2.0 accessory by
Dan Wilga.
Note that I had to change the name of the directory to retain the
same string length while adding a drive specifier to the filename.
Don't do anything to change the length of either string.
To use your new set of disks, place the disk with the modified
ALAD.PRG in drive A:, place the disk with the D subdirectory in drive
B:, and run the modified ALAD.PRG program.
(JLS, CAT2, TOP5, MSG:7/M1000)
SENTINEL TO THE RESCUE! Regarding the problem of trying to deARC these
""""""""""""""""""""""" files to a disk without enough space:
ARC602 does NOT inform you of write errors, such as not having
enough space on disk. This is not a problem with ArcShell but
ARC602.TTP. It is for this very reason that I wrote a small program
called SENTINEL.PRG. Sentinel is less than 1K, goes in your AUTO
folder, and will inform you of any write errors that occur. Using it
will sometimes cause you to receive more than one error message (one
from Sentinel and one from the application you're using), but it will
eliminate problems caused by ARC602.TTP.
Sentinel has also saved me aggravation with Flash. I save my
capture buffer in Flash from a DO file and if there is a disk full,
Flash's error message only appears on the bottom line for a split
second. Sentinel will pop up and inform me that my capture wasn't
saved allowing me to solve the problem before clearing my capture
buffer. Of course, who uses Flash anymore? :^) Aladdin's great!!
(J.EIDSVOOG1, CAT2, TOP1, MSG:140/M1000)
14225 SENTINEL.ARC X J.EIDSVOOG1 900302 3780 273 2
Desc: Watches for "disk full" errors.
HP DESKJET TIP If you want to print on transparencies with the DJ, go
"""""""""""""" to an art supply store and pick up sheets of prepared
acetate." I bought this and the DJ prints very cleanly and only a
little unevenly in density. Beats the living H out of printing
something that you want to copy into another program on tracing paper!
(A.VALENT, CAT4, TOP9, MSG:25/M475)
/////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE /////
/ "(now returning you to your regularly scheduled /
/ Hardware Tech Talk Topic, already in progress...)" /
/////////////////////////////////////// K.BAD //////
[EOA]
[FUN]//////////////////////////////
ONLINE FUNNIES /
/////////////////////////////////
CowTOONS!
"""""""""
By Steve "Hawk" Schultz
(Head of Heifer Control)
(__) (__)
[##] (@o)
/-------\/ /-------\/ /------- (__)
/ | || / | || / | || (oo)
* ||----|| * ||----|| * ||----|---\/
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~
"This cow belonged "This cow lived with "This cow belonged to
to Flash Gordon" the Little Rascals" the Headless Horseman"
////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE /////
/ "I was there last year. I went there to buy Mario /
/ 3 for the Nintendo. Shhhhhh...don't tell anyone. :-)" /
////////////////////////////////////////// DARLAH /////
[EOA]
[BOA]//////////////////////////////
ON THE BULLETIN BOARD /
/////////////////////////////////
Hard Disk (De)Fragmentation
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Terry Quinn
[T.QUINN1]
Recently, there has been a discussion on Hard Disk Defragmentation
in Category 2, Topic 6 on the ST message base. From the general tone of
some of the messages it appears as if hard drive users fall into two
categories on this subject; those that are comfortable and knowledgeable
on this subject and those that are scared to death.
First, the question is why should you ever want to reorganize a
disk? Well, a normally operating hard drive does not make any effort to
keep files in one piece when it saves them to a hard drive. What
results is that one file may be saved in 5 or six pieces with the
operating system keeping track of where all the pieces are. When you
need that file, the drive seek out each piece and hooks them all
together. Now, you don't actually see this happening but normally
programs need resource files, data files, etc. and if they are all
fragmented the drive may have to assemble 20 or 30 "pieces" in the
course of using a program. While hard drives are fast, this still takes
time.
If you defragment a hard drive, instead of 5 or 6 operations to
read a file, you will do one read period since this operations makes
every file on the disk stored in one piece so only one read is needed
for any given file. The difference in speed can be dramatic! On
bigger, more elaborate programs like desktop publishers, this one change
can make it look like a whole new program because the speed increase can
be in the neighborhood of 40%. One additional advantage is that your
drive will last longer because it has less work to do.
Now, the next question you may have is how safe is it? All I can
say is that for all of the times I have done this, I have not had any
problems because I follow a few simple rules. First, I make sure I know
what I am doing before I start (you did read the documentation you got
with the program didn't you?). Second, if you keep a good system of
backups (you have a copy of Turtle, Vault 201 or a similar program,
right?) you really don't need to worry about this one since you can
always get back to where you were with little effort. If you don't have
at least one complete recent backup of your hard drive - Shame on you!
Backups are the best, cheapest insurance you can get against anything
going wrong with your system. With disks for the ST going for as little
as 39 cents from some mail order outfits (check out the GENIE MALL), you
really don't have an excuse for not having a good verified backup.
Finally, how do you do it? One way to do it doesn't require
anything except a good backup of your system. If you reformat your hard
drive and put everything back (in one massive copy operation). All
files will be copied consecutively and continuously so they will all
wind up in one piece. In face, a full filewise restoration of a hard
drive will result in a fast speedy unfragmented disk. Another closely
related method would be to use an empty partition of your hard drive
instead of floppies. This would have a great advantage of speed over
floppy disks but you need a lot of free space on your hard drive to make
it work.
Finally, you should probably begin to acquire some of the programs
out there that have been written to help you take care of your hard
disk. While none of them are perfect (what created by humans ever is?),
they can be invaluable in helping your hard drive in good operating
condition. Some of the commercial programs favorably mentioned for this
purpose have been "Hard Disk Sentry by Beckemeyer"; "HD Toolkit by
Michtron"; and "Cleanup ST" by ICD. Documentation is critical for this
type of program so please buy a copy; don't just try a friends copy. If
you "lunch" your hard drive just because you didn't read documentation
you didn't have, you have only yourself to blame. For the budget
minded, DLII, FSrepack (& FSCK) and others are available for download in
the ST Library on Genie.
If you have more questions or have some strongly held opinions on
this subject, please feel free to join in the discussion in Category 2,
Topic 6.
/////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ To the three great lies of the past: /
/ "The check is in the mail." /
/ "I'll respect you in the morning." /
/ "I'm from the government, and I'm /
/ here to help you." /
/ /
/ We'll have to add a fourth... /
/ "My benchmarks show...." :-) /
//////////////////////// MRAYMOND /////
[EOA]
[HEL]//////////////////////////////
HELP!!! /
/////////////////////////////////
(NOT) For Beginners Only
""""""""""""""""""""""""
o AVOIDING A TOPIC MESS
(ctsey. GENIEus RoundTable)
o GEnie Qwik_TIP: CLOCK STOPS ON P200?
TOPIC MESS Think about it... you wouldn't want to wade through fifteen
"""""""""" Topics, each one talking about the same thing, right? So
please be sure to search the Bulletin Board of any RoundTable that you
want to start a topic in.
This is not to say that we discourage anyone from starting a
discussion of anything, but GEnie becomes much less useful if it is
more difficult to find where the conversations are.
It's easy to search the BB's, and doesn't take too long (as long
as there aren't too many new topics! -- See above!). Here's an
example:
1 ?Search /Topic/
Do you want to search ALL categories...(Y/N) ?Y
Searching for [TOPIC]...
Found in Descrip: Cat 1 Top 2, Sub: Your First BB message
Found in Descrip: Cat 1 Top 29, Sub: Sysops sign in here!
Found in Subject: Cat 2 Top 8, Sub: Marking TOPics.
Found in Subject: Cat 2 Top 11, Sub: Watza Topic Leader?
Found in Descrip: Cat 2 Top 12, Sub: Messages Lost
Notice that when you search, the word you're looking for must
appear within slashes. Here, in this example, we're searching for
/Topic/ throughout ALL of the categories of the GENIEus Bulletin Board.
Notice also that GEnie reports back when it finds the target string
"topic" in either the Description or the Subject line of each Topic
where it was found.
Lastly, notice that even though we searched for t-o-p-i-c, GEnie
reported a match in Category 2, Topic 8, with t-o-p-i-c-S. So you can
use a pretty general search term, rather than worrying about getting
too specific. Use whatever comes to mind first--it'll probably be the
most common example.
If you've tried a few search terms and have had no luck, by all
means, feel free to start a new Topic. You've found something that
isn't being talked about on GEnie--and it probably should be!
With a little attention to what's already in place in the Bulletin
Boards, you can make things a lot easier--easier to navigate, easier to
remember, and even easier on the SysOps here on GEnie! Now--have at
it! :) (MARK.HIATT, CAT1, TOP3, MSG:1/M150)
[*][*][*]
GEnie QWIK_TIP: Travel -through- page 200 for email is not billed.
""""""""""""""" You will only be billed if you sit on page 200 for 13
seconds or more, and Aladdin doesn't do that unless it's sending or
receiving files via email, and that's not included GEnie Star*Services.
[J.JIMENEZ]
////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //////
/ "Charles [Johnson] is in Hawaii for his first anniversary, /
/ and he brought his modem with him??? Now THAT is dedication!" /
/////////////////////////////////////////////// OUTRIDER ///////
[EOA]
[PDQ]//////////////////////////////
PD_QUICKVIEW /
/////////////////////////////////
Yours For The Asking
""""""""""""""""""""
By Fred H. Koch
[F.KOCH]
Program Name : VanTerm
Filename : VANTERM.ARC
Library Area : 7
Program Number : 12011
File Size : 158760
Program Type : Telecommunications
Author : Wm. A. Van Nest, Sr.
Version Reviewed: 3.8
File Type : Shareware ($10-$20)
[*] [*] [*]
WHAT IT IS This a GEM based terminal program for the Atari ST.
""""""""""
WHAT IT DOES This terminal program is totally GEM based. All
"""""""""""" functions are accessible via drop down menus with many
having a keyboard equivalent which is shown in the menu. There is a
complete on-line help file describing each menu option.
VanTerm has built in access to the following file transfer
protocols: ASCII, Xmodem, Xmodem 1K, Ymodem (batch), and Compuserve B.
Ymodem allows sending multiple files as well as receiving multiple
files. Shadow background transfers are supported if shadow is
installed.
There is a capture buffer which can be set to hold up to 32767
lines with each line containing up to 32767 characters. No memory is
used for the buffer until it is needed and a percent full indication is
provided allowing monitoring of buffer space.
Access to external programs is provided with built in access to
Dcopy. Parameter passing to external programs is supported allowing
execution of GEM, TOS and TTP programs without exiting VanTerm.
The dial directory will support 30 phone numbers including name,
baud rate, username and password. The baud rate can be automatically
set to match that listed in the dial directory and the directory
username and password can each be transmitted with a single key press.
A new dial directory can be loaded at any time allowing unlimited
directory access.
Auto re-dial and chain dialing are supported from the dial menu.
Once connection is made with a chain dialed number it is dropped from
the chain so chain dialing can be continued without repeating the
contacted number.
Each function key can contain a string of up to 32767 characters
which will be transmitted when that key is pressed.
Disk operations include: Create/delete folder, copy/rename/display
file, and display free space or a file directory. There is also a file
info display which will show transfer statistics including transfer
time for each baud rate supported.
[*] [*] [*]
PD_Q RATING * * *
"""""""""""
DOCUMENTATION GOOD (only available from program)
"""""""""""""
PD_Q COMMENTS This program is as good as many commercial programs.
""""""""""""" Everything works as described with only the minor
problems listed below. The Shadow transfer operation was not tried
since I do not own Shadow.
The external program access never locked up or bombed. The author
warns to use an external program at your own risk, but I never
experienced problems. The only limitation is it will not recognize
programs with an APP extender even though accepted by GEM.
Some desk accessories work very slowly or the screen is not updated
correctly when called from VanTerm. I also had problems with not being
able to use the keyboard when UIS III was called as an accessory, but it
worked fine for program initiated item selector calls.
I experienced two problems with file transfers. After using ASCII
upload, the on-line screen was replaced with the main menu screen, even
though the program returned to the on-line mode. This made it a little
difficult to determine what the next action should be since all
information previously displayed was gone. When downloading with
Ymodem, if the last operation before beginning to download was disk
access (checking disk free space etc.) the download frequently aborted
stating the file cannot be created. This did not happen if another
operation was performed between disk access and downloading. This
could be a problem between UIS III and VanTerm.
The only real drawback to the program is not having an editable
buffer. The buffer has to be saved or transmitted as a whole since
there are no block operations and no buffer editing.
I have seen more serious problems in some commercially released
programs than found in VanTerm. Mr. Van Nest has made several updates
to the program in the past and may make more in the future if enough
Shareware contributions are received. If you can live without an
editable buffer, I highly recommend this program.
////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///////
/ "Hey ain't this great!--we finally have something (Aladdin) /
/ before the MAC people do! Wonders never cease." /
///////////////////////////////////////////////// HERM //////
[EOA]
[OFF]//////////////////////////////
OFF THE RECORD /
/////////////////////////////////
Mini_Qwik_reViews
"""""""""""""""""
o JOPPA FAX/MODEM UPDATE
o MAKING A CASE FOR STACY
o STACY SURGERY:This Won't Hurt A Bit!
JOPPA FAX UPDATE I think I'll try to answer some questions on the
"""""""""""""""" Joppa FAX SF01 Atari ST FAX/Modem.
Yes, it's manufactured by Zoom Telephonics but hardware modified
for our needs. It is CURRENTLY (note capital letters) only 4800 bps
Group 3 SendFax only and a 2400 bps data modem. The software is written
to handle the 9600 bps SendFax so expect it soon. Upgrades will be
available.
Perhaps our biggest push is our custom drivers for Pagestream and
Calamus DTP. Just use one of our drivers instead of your normal printer
drivers and it will print to disk as a FAX file to be FAXed, and fast.
As far as the price of $169.95, please look at it as a suggested
retail, and expect them to be in the hands of US distributors by next
week, and then into dealer stores. As a developer that wishes to have
these in ST stores WE cannot sell them for less than what a dealer will
sell them for.
We have debated long and hard about selling the software only but
currently there are no plans to sell the software only. We have even
thought about allowing customers sending in their Zoom Sendfax/Modem
and doing our hardware modification and selling the software BUT that
would cut out dealers again. Our main goal is releasing it into dealers
stores. I expect the modem to have a shelf price of around $145 based
on our distributor pricing. So when you take in consideration at what
this FAX/Modem mail-orders for, $100- 110 then add $35 for our software
I think the $145 price will be about right. Please note that this
product is sold under the name of Joppa Software Development, PO Box
226, Joppa, MD 21085. Telephone (301)676-2989. Look for a demo copy
of our software to be up in the download section very soon.
(M.CARVER, CAT4, TOP15, MSG:49/M475)
STACY CASES Here's some information I got from Multibyte Inc. last
""""""""""" week on their Stacy cases. They call them the CASEY &
CASEY Plus cases. The plus is 20" x 15" x 3.5" designed to allow un-
restricted use of the Stacy's cartridge port without removing the Stacy
from the case and to permit most cartridge devices to remain plugged
into the Stacy while in use or in transit.
The CASEY is 15" x 15" x 3.5" for Stacy's user without the need
to use the cartridge port.
The CASEY Jr. is 15" x 17" x 3" is for uses with a internal Stacy
battery pack.
CASEY PLUS Suggested retail: $ 368.00 comes with one 4.5* hour pack
(External) CASEY Suggested retail: $ 348.00 ( same )
(*4.5 hour is the average time.)
CASEY Jr. Suggested retail: $ 135.00 or $ 325.00 with a internal battery
pack kit. ( 2.5 hour average time.)
Extra 4.5* hour battery pack $ 188.00
Stacy internal battery pack $ 198.00
Custom case colors additional $ 25.00
Quick charge battery charger $ 135.00
(* 4.5 hour pack is the average tested time during normal operations
using a Stacy 4 with a hard drive and floppy. Actual time may vary
depending on usage.)
CASEY line colors are: Stacy Grey, Light Grey and Navy Blue.
Custom colors are: Black, Electric blue, Woodland camouflage, Burgundy,
Bright red, Pink, Forest, Green, Light green, Deep purple, Yellow, and
Florescent orange.
This is all off information I got from :
MULTIBYTE INCORPORATED
213 N.LINCOLN AVE.
STERLING, VA. 22170
Voice (703) 406-9139 / fax (703) 406-9420
(specifications subject to change without notice...)
D.NICOLAU, CAT14, TOP29, MSG:232/M475)
STACY SURGERY The following will definitely VOID your warranty if
""""""""""""" you're not a dealer, and is not recommended by Atari...
To take apart a Stacy:
o Begin by removing the "Stacy" escutcheon that is just
below the LCD.
o Remove the two Phillips head screws that are now exposed.
o Look carefully for the points at which the two halves of
the display are snapped together. (Front edge has 3: ~1"
in from either edge, and in the middle; left & right sides
have 2: ~.25" from the back and ~1.25" from the front; the
rear has two on the edge not by the hinge. The LCD side
has the snaps which extend into the cover, so you must
_CAREFULLY_ pry the cover from off of the snaps. The snaps
have no "give", they break easily in untrained hands:-)
o Remove the lower screw from the vertical brace in the
center of the rear of the display.
o Disconnect all of the connectors (I think there are a total
of 4 plus the ground wire)
o With the lid open just enough so that there is no preload
on the spring, remove the 4 lid-hinge screws and hinges.
The harness passes through the right hinge, just slide it
down as far as possible.
o Set the display to the side (The hard part's over).
o Remove the lower case screws from the bottom and rear of
the unit.
o With Stacy face up, look for the pry points. The snaps
extend down into the lower housing. There are two on each
side and two on the front edge by the handle hinges. Lift
the left side up first and work the cover from around the
floppy drive. Without the display on, you'll have a lot
of working room.
o Be wary of the keyboard connector, the ribbon cable DOES
NOT simply pull out, there is a plastic release that has to
be pulled back first.
If you need help removing the metal shielding, you should not even
think of attempting any of this.
That's how I take apart Stacys. Others do it differently. I have
no idea what Atari's official disassembly method is. Hope this helps.
(B.REHBOCK, CAT14, TOP29, MSG:22/M475)
/////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //////
/ "Yep...I remember those days when I was testing the old /
/ "1030 Express" terminal program that I'd stay on for /
/ HOURS downloading 30K files at 300 baud. Whew. Those /
/ were the days! Now, I always check out 9600 baud /
/ boards first for a file, 'cause downloading at 2400 /
/ seems so slow!" /
//////////////////////////////////////// ORION.MICRO ////
[EOA]
[ASK]//////////////////////////////
ASK Ms. GEnie /
/////////////////////////////////
Questions & Answers About GEnie
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
o DOES ALADDIN SLOW DOWN BAUD SPEED?
o ALADDIN AND MARk: I'm Confused!
o HOW CAN I PAGE ANOTHER USER ON GEnie?
o THIS CAT WON'T GO AWAY!
HI EVERYONE! Welcome to, "ASK Ms. GEnie!" I've been selected by the
"""""""""""" GEnie Lamp Staff to field any questions that you may have
about the Atari ST RoundTable, the ST, GEnie or anything else you can
think of. Let's get started...
[*][*][*]
Dear Ms. GEnie,
I have a question: Does the text that scrolls up on Aladdin always
look so slow? The reason I ask is because even though I _appear_ to be
connected at 2400 baud (modem HS light on, CONNECT 2400 string
displayed), the text scrolls like it is a 300 baud modem during PASS 1
Ops. What gives?
BJ.KING
Dear BJ,
I know the text speed is not usually as fast as a 2400 baud modem,
but there's a reason why it seems slower. The program buffers up each
line and blasts it on the screen when it's all done. So you get a
pause, a line, a pause, etc. Seems slow. And it is, a little, but not
as much as it seems.
Anyway, Tim promises to speed it up in a future revision. Don't
you, Tim? <grin>
Have A Happy!
Ms. GEnie
[*][*][*]
Dear Ms. GEnie,
I have a question about Aladdin. When I want it to read new
messages on certain topics, should I use the N command on the Mark
Topic selection, or should I log on manually and "MARk" the topic? If
I already have a topic MARked should I also set it to "NEW" on the Mark
Topic command under Aladdin's Roundtable commands?
Roy
Dear Roy,
Lot's of people are having problems with this one... Currently you
have to manually MARK the topic, or REPLY to it to mark it. If you
already have it marked Aladdin doesn't need to told about it. The next
release will have two more added functions, MARK and UNMARK.
NEW means "read all new messages" ALL means "all the messages in
the Topic" LAST means "just the last one" (Remember LAST does not reset
the GEnie message pointer. So if the topic has not been read before, or
was ignored, the next "BRO ALL NOR" will read all the messages)
Have A Happy!
Ms. GEnie
[*][*][*]
Dear Ms. GEnie,
How do you page a user that's on GEnie somewhere?
Roy
Dear Roy,
GEnie has temporarily disabled the Locate and Notify commands until
such time that they are confident that they can be reactivated without
impacting system performance.
Once they return, you will be able to use the Notify command to
page someone. For example, if I want to send a quick message off to
you that you would see when you see your next GEnie page prompt, the
command would look something like this:
n j.roy18 Hi! I just answered your question in email. Check it
out.
Have A Happy!
Ms. GEnie
[*][*][*]
Dear Ms. GEnie,
I'm one of those people who uses BRO ALL NOR to suck up new
messages and then read them offline. While BROing, I watch the Topics
roll by and cancel any new ones that do not interest me.
There are a number of CATs that I have set as IGN PER. This is
fine, until a new Topic appears in an Ignored Category. Then the IGN
is overridden by the new TOP and I must IGN PER the whole CAT again.
This order of priorities seems to defeat the whole notion of Ignoring
Categories.
So...Is it possible for someone to rub the lamp and change the
software such that a CAT once Ignored won't keep coming back at me?
Fred
Dear Fred,
To stop seeing all the topics in a particular category, take a
pass on the IGN commands. Use the CANcel command. You can do this
easily in ST Aladdin or you can do it manually.
If you want to CANcel your participation in Category 3, for
example, just issue the CANcel command like this:
can 3
There are two restrictions in the use of the CANcel command.
First, you cannot CANcel category 1 in any RT Bulletin Board. Second,
you can't CANcel the category you are currently in. If you're in
Category 3 and you want to CANcel that category, use the SET command to
move to any other category, and then issue your CANcel command.
Have A Happy!
Ms. GEnie
[*][*][*] [*][*][*]
The questions and answers found in Ask Ms. GEnie have been taken
from the bulletin board area. Ms. GEnie would like to thank Neil
Harris, Timothy Purves and Jeff Williams for taking the time and effort
to answer the questions in this issue's column.
If you have a question you would like for Ms. GEnie to address,
post your question on the GEnie Lamp Bulletin Board, CAT 34, TOPic 4 or
leave E/Mail to me, Ms. GEnie, in the "Feedback to SysOps" option on
page 475.
//////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///
/ ".DO files? .DO files? We don't need no /
/ stinking .DO files!" /
///////////////////////////// JEFF.W //////
[EOA]
[BUG]//////////////////////////////
GOING BUGGY? /
/////////////////////////////////
Problems & Solutions
""""""""""""""""""""
o DC ICE 1.2a? TRASH IT!
o DELUXE PAINT & HOTSAVER: Trouble Getting Along.
o STALKER/STENO: Escape City!
o NEODESK.INF CONVERTER FIX: Last Minute Change.
o MACCEL3: Problems?
o HOTWIRE/HOTSAVER: Observation.
In GOING BUGGY? you will find messages that have been posted by RT
members that have found a problem or a unusual situation with a
particular piece of software or hardware. We will also print their
solutions (if any).
It's important to remember that just because someone says they have
found a bug or caught a virus, that things are sometimes not always as
they seem. There is the possibility that they may be having a problem
with a conflicting desk accessory or auto-program or it could even be
hardware related and specific only to their set-up.
[*][*][*]
DC ICE 1.2a? TRASH IT! Oh, the life of a software programmer...
""""""""""""""""""""""" It seems (gulp) in our endeavour to squash one
problem, we've created yet another. If you have used the patch program
to update DC ICE to v1.2a, please toss this out and don't use it. You
can loose icons.
Actually, the icons are still in the ICE file, but their index can
get set to a -1 value, and thus, you'll get garbage looking icons.
Please, trash version 1.2a of DC ICE and go back to 1.2 (for now).
We are working to solve this problem, even as I type.
The problem only exhibits itself under the following circumstances:
1) It is a unique icon (no other name shares the icon).
2) You edit the icon.
3) You REPLACE the old icon with the new one.
4) You save the file back out.
The icon you edited will appear to be garbage, but in fact, it is
in the ICE file, but is not being pointed to correctly.
Thanks and sorry for the trouble. Thanks to M. Madore for pointing
this out to us.
(DOUBLE-CLICK, CAT30, TOP3, MSG:25, M475)
DELUXE PAINT & HOTSAVER I just got Deluxe Paint by Electronic Arts,
""""""""""""""""""""""" and it appears not to get along with
Codehead's Hotsaver. In other words, I will be playing around with DP,
and Hotsaver kicks in as if I had been doing nothing! And then, no
matter what I do, I'm locked up, (no keyboard warm or cold booting.. I
have to disable it for this program only...
(C.GEEROMS, CAT7, TOP23, MSG:1/M475)
Since Deluxe Paint ST uses it's own keyboard and mouse routines
(and not the slower system routines), screen saver programmes (TSR's)
will not work with it. DPaint doesn't actually lock up, but the screen
saver thinks no keys are being pressed. Sorry for this inconvenience,
however, the mouse routines are much faster than the system's.
(A.PABON, CAT7, TOP23, MSG:2/M475)
STALKER/STENO Often when I'm dloading something in Stalker I like to
""""""""""""" edit my msgs in Steno. However, I often get zillions of
esc codes echoing thru stalker to Steno, the desktop, whatever is
active. This makes it useless. Do I have Stalker misconfigured? The
esc's start the minute I try to do something in another program.
(M.LOADER1, CAT6, TOP29, MSG:114/M475)
Mike, this is a limitation of the ST's interrupt code, which can't
keep up with the keyboard and 2400 baud serial access at the same time.
(DOUG.W, CAT8, TOP29, MSG:115/M475)
Mike: I find that downloading is OK, but you're almost certain to
get a bunch of fake keystrokes if you're uploading. I reported this
problem to Atari several months ago (probably over a year now) along
with a short program that reproduces the bug and so far all they've done
is acknowledge the problem and blame it on the fact that a 68000 at 8
MHz doesn't have enough time to handle everything.
The frustrating thing is that Doug's code for the MegaTALK board
doesn't have the same problem, even at speeds like 38,400 baud, so you
can hardly blame the hardware for what appears to be a certain bug in
TOS. (E.ROSENQUIST, CAT8, TOP29, MSG:116)
MACCEL3 PROBLEMS? Thanks for the suggestion about Maccel3. I went
""""""""""""""""" back to Maccel2 and have NOT seen the Data May be
Damaged message from my computer since. It's been a full week now with-
out a problem so I think Maccel3 must have been the culprit. After
reading your message No. 113 it made me think back and though I'm not
positive it seems like it all started about the same time I started
using Maccel3. I didn't want to say anything until enough time passed
to feel confident about the results.
(RRWELDIN, CAT14, TOP6, MSG:114/M475)
NEODESK .INF CONVERTER It appears that a last minute change in the
"""""""""""""""""""""" .INF converter (it's a well-known rule in soft-
ware that it always is the last thing changed!) resulted in a bug which
causes the INF Converter to read pre-NeoDesk 3 .INF files incorrectly.
This bug will be obvious to anyone who attempts to load an .INF file
that was saved after using the bad version of the .INF Converter.
The bad version can also be identified by its file size: 7957
bytes. After receiving a number of reports of this bug, we have
switched over to a fixed version of the program, which we are shipping
with upgrades and new orders. If, however, you are certain that you
have the bad program and would like a copy of the one which works
correctly, you can either send a private E_Mail message to GRIBNIF
(in which case you will receive it in a downloadable file) or you can
send your original Extras disk back to us and we will return it to you
with the fixed version.
Of course, this is not a huge problem, since at the very worst you
will have to re-create your old INF files from scratch, something that
always happened in the past whenever the format of .INF files changed
for an upgrade.
HOTWIRE_HOTSAVER That's a very interesting observation about the BIOS
"""""""""""""""" overhead of HotWire and HotSaver. It made me do some
tests of my own to examine what's going on. Yes indeed, HotSaver and
HotWire do slow down BIOS text by almost 20%. This is because they both
intercept the BIOS vector to determine if the BIOS calls coming through
are something they need to interact with. In the case of HotSaver it is
monitoring text, printer, and modem I/O to determine "activity" and
decide when to kick in screen-saving. HotWire also intercepts the BIOS
for a variety of reasons.
What can be done about this? My best suggestion is to use Turbo ST
or Quick ST. Both of these fine screen accelerators will increase your
text speed by enormous amounts. In the tests I ran I got the following
results:
Turbo ST Turbo ST, HotWire, and HotSaver
BIOS Text 309% 304%
BIOS string 1279% 1255%
With Turbo ST present, the introduction of HotWire and HotSaver
caused a slowdown of only 1.6% and 1.9% for BIOS text and BIOS strings
respectively. If you now compare the 304% figure with your 89% figure
you can see that it's well worth the money to get Turbo ST. It is
because I always use Turbo ST that I never noticed the slowdown of
HotWire and HotSaver before.
(J.EIDSVOOG1, CAT32, TOP2, MSG:248/M475)
/////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //////
/ "I say release now, tweak later. :^)" /
/ /
/ "Actually, I think this delay is all a ploy to get /
/ me to call every day, desperately seeking Aladdin." /
////////////////////////////////////// OUTRIDER /////
[EOA]
[LOG]////////////////////////////////
LOG OFF /
///////////////////////////////////
GEnie Lamp Information
""""""""""""""""""""""
COMMENTS? If you would like to ask a question, leave a comment or just
""""""""" drop in and say hi, you can contact us in CAT 34. If you
prefer to remain private, you may use the "FEEDBACK TO SYSOPS" command
on page 475, or leave a message to one or more of the following
addresses:
o John F. Peters [ST-GUEST] Publisher/Editor
o Darlah J. Pine [DARLAH] Co-Editor
o Jeff Williams [JEFF.W] Technical Editor
o Larry Duke [LARRY.D] GEnie Lamp Advisor
o Sandy Wilson [SANDY.W] GEnie Lamp Advisor
o Fred Beckman [FB] GEnie Lamp Advisor
o John J. Kennedy [JJKENNEDY] GEnie Lamp Advisor
- Terry Quinn [T.QUINN1] Contributing Author
- Mel M. Motogawa [M.MOTOGAWA] Contributing Author
- Fred Koch [F.KOCH] Contributing Author
HOT OFF THE PRESS GEnie Lamp is published on the 1st and the 15th of
""""""""""""""""" every month for our Atari ST RoundTable members on
page 475, option 5.
If you prefer to download your issue of GEnie Lamp, you will find
the current issue as well as all the back issues on page 476, in the
GEnie Lamp library, #35.
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