INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Wed, 22 Nov 89       Volume 89 : Issue 694
 
Today's Topics:
                 Atari ST Multitasking/Multiuser OSs
       Experience with Toshiba 3 1/2 inch double sided drives?
                            Gif --> Degas
                      Rainbow TOS ROMs (AGAIN!)
                            Shareware Mac
                        tos 1.4 problems list
                            Vapourware!!!
                               Word-Up
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 22 Nov 89 18:44:46 GMT
From:
 mailrus!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!torsqnt!hybrid!spocom!gng@tut.cis.ohio-state.ed
 u
Subject: Atari ST Multitasking/Multiuser OSs
 
Here's a recent msg. I received from Ge' Weijers <uunet!sci.kun.nl!ge> although
I posted the summary too quickly before I recieved the msg.  Thanks!
 
 >1)  What is the name of the OS and the latest version of it?
 
 RTOS V2.2 (I've only got 2.1, but I'm getting 2.2)
 
 >2)  Is this OS multitasking, multiuser, or both?
 
 Both, but users can annoy each other easily.
 
 >3)  What is the minimal ST hardware (and software if necessary) configuration
 >    for this OS and if possible, the usual/best configuration for it?
 
 Runs smoothly in the humblest ST 520 with only a single sided floppy drive.
 
 >4)  Who is the manufacturer of this OS, and how can they be contacted?
 >    (address, phone, uucp, etc)
 
 IF you speak German (no english docs as far as I know of), it is sold
 by a company called eMedia in Hannover, BRD. I can get more info if you really
 want to.
 
 >5)  How much does it cost (at the present time if possible)?
 DM 270,- (130 $)
 
 >6)  How long have you been using this OS?
 A year.
 
 >7)  On a rating of zero to ten, how Unix compatible is this OS?
 >    (An explanation following it would be nice too)
 -1. It is TOTALLY different. it's a Real Time Operating System, with
 a builtin compiler,assembler,linker,task kernel,file system etc.
 The language compiled is Pearl (tasks & semaphores available, but
 a syntax you could scare dogs with), but the nice thing is that it all
 fits into 128K RAM. The same system can be run on a number of single
 board computers, and give you a complete if clumsy development environment.
 
 >8)  What strengths prevail in this OS (if possible, compared to others also)?
 The minimal environment you need to run it. Use an ST (or Amiga) as the
 development environment, and then copy the linker files to your dedicated
 computer.  Version 2.2 also supports networking, and can read MSDOS floppies.
 
 >9)  What weaknesses are noticeable in this OS?
 Very simple command language etc.
 It's not a Unix look- or workalike.
 The keyboard tables are German-only. Some zapping required.
 
 >10) Other comments about this OS, the makers of it, etc?
 It works, it gets the job done in little memory.
 A Modula-2 compiler can be bought these days, at 3 times the cost of the OS.
 
 Ge' Weijers
 --
 Ge' Weijers                                    Internet/UUCP: ge@cs.kun.nl
 Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science,   (uunet.uu.net!cs.kun.nl!ge)
 University of Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1
 6525 ED Nijmegen, the Netherlands              tel. +3180612483 (UTC-2)
 
--
George Ng (Comp. Sci., U of Toronto)   |"We're not just doing it for money;
uunet!mnetor!?becker,hybrid?!spocom!gng| we're doing it for a s***load of
   or   utgpu!ncrcan!ziebmef!spocom!gng| money!"  -  Spaceballs
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 22 Nov 89 20:44:49 GMT
From: shlump.nac.dec.com!hiatus.dec.com!norge.dec.com!chad@decuac.dec.com
Subject: Experience with Toshiba 3 1/2 inch double sided drives?
 
I've had a Toshiba drive in my upgraded 520STfm (internal floppy) and it
works great
except that the ST doesn't detect media change correctly.  Jumpering
with a switch
some lines fixed that but it ain't ths safest the way I did it.
 
I paid about US$ 85 including postage
 
maybe somebody has the dirt on the media change?
 
Chad
chad@norge.enet.dec.com
DEC has no opinions
---------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 89 19:35:37 MST
From: ehsnsr@jupiter.nmt.edu (Eric Hobbs)
Subject: Gif --> Degas
 
Hi.
 
    I keep seeing postings about being able to load gif files into PICSW7
and convert them to other picture formats. Pardon me if I am crazy, but I
have Picswitch 0.7 and I can't load gif files. Am I doing something wrong?
Respond before I go nuts!
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Lad, put away thy gum. Thy knowest not that I come in the service of yams."
                                  -Clay C. Smith
 
Eric Hobbs
ehsnsr@jupiter.nmt.edu
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 22 Nov 89 14:55:11 GMT
From: att!watmath!watcgl!electro!ignac@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU  (Ignac Kolenko)
Subject: Rainbow TOS ROMs (AGAIN!)
 
In article <1811@atari.UUCP> kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher) writes:
>mboen@nixpbe.UUCP (Martin Boening) writes:
>
>| Another question: is TOS1.4 EVER going to be distributed in the
>| form of 1MBit ROMS...
>Yes.  The individual who is responsible for ordering the ROMs tells
>me that they will be in stock Thanksgiving week.
>
>| What about people with a motherboard that doesn't have room for 6
>| ROMS?
>Every ST/Mega motherboard manufactured by Atari has room for 6 ROMs.
 
 
great. so now they release the 2 rom set. since its in stock this week,
can you tell us with any great certainty if you will accept a trade from the
6 eprom set to the 2 rom set with no additional cost????? if we here at
electrohome don't have to butcher our motherboard to install 6 eproms,
all the better.
 
 
also, will the 6 eprom set be turned into a 6 ROM set in the very near future??
the 6 eproms make the atari feel like its a cheap clone of the real thing.
 
 
 
--
=====Ignac A. Kolenko (The Ig)           watmath!watcgl!electro!ignac=====
     co-author of QuickST, and the entire line of Quick Shareware!!!!
       "I don't care if I don't win, 'cause I don't care if I fail"
             from 'Youth Of Today' by SUBURBAN DISTORTION
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 22 Nov 89 17:40:37 GMT
From: mcsun!hp4nl!dutrun!hans@uunet.uu.net  (Hans Buurman)
Subject: Shareware Mac
 
In article <641@nixpbe.UUCP> capit@peun11.uucp (Capitain) writes:
>I didn't receive any answer at all to my first mail.
>Is there really no interest in a shareware mac emulator???
 
I tried to mail but I couldn't reach you. I have Aladin 3.0 (upgraded from
1.3). From your posting I understand Aladin is dead. But if there is some
some path to the future, I'm interested.
 
        Hans
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 22 Nov 89 23:49:24 GMT
From:
 gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!nic.MR.NET!ns!logajan@tut.cis.oh
 io-state.edu  (John Logajan)
Subject: tos 1.4 problems list
 
I don't know if this has been noticed and reported before but...
 
GFA Basic 2.0 interpreter no longer will abort running on pressing the
three button escape sequence.  I believe this is because tos 1.4 now
looks for these keys to do different warm/cold boots.
 
GFA Basic 3.0 does not seem to have this problem.
 
--
- John M. Logajan @ Network Systems;  7600 Boone Ave; Brooklyn Park, MN 55428 -
- logajan@ns.network.com, john@logajan.mn.org, Phn 612-424-4888, Fax 424-2853 -
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 89 14:05:57 PST
From: escd!es56!karl@decwrl.dec.com (Karl Rowley)
Subject: Vapourware!!!
 
I have been reading this newsgroup from the beginning, and I know that
Neil Harris did state very clearly a number of times that the blitter
upgrade would be available for the 520 ST and 1040 ST.  Since he worked
for Atari at that time, the statements were assumed to have some
credibility.
 
I know a number of us became skeptical some time ago about Atari's
committment to the blitter.  When some of us expressed our doubts on
Usenet, we were told by Neil that the blitter upgrade was still planned.
 
No, I haven't saved all my old email and news messages -- I am just
recalling events as I remember them.  I anticipate flamage, so I will
be waiting by my mailbox with a bucket of cold water.
 
                                Karl Rowley
                                Evans and Sutherland Computer Division
                                Mountain View, California, USA
                                escd!karl@decwrl.dec.com
                                ...!ames!amdahl!escd!karl
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 22 Nov 89 13:40:13 GMT
From: haven!h.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu!jlf%h.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu@ames.arc.nasa.gov  (Jack L
 Forester,???K,2933607,6526712)
Subject: Word-Up
 
From article <8679@medusa.cs.purdue.edu>, by abc@cs.purdue.EDU (Rick Hunter):
> In article <4529@blake.acs.washington.edu>, themod@blake.acs.washington.edu
 (Chris Hinton) writes:
>>
  [some stuff deleted...]
>
> Funny you should mention this. When I first got a copy of this program
> I had the same problem. Except, I was using a Gemini10X. I could not get
> the thing to work with the printer unless I did some fancy formating
> with page length and width. Even then it was not guaranteed to work.
>
> What did I end up doing? My brother coughed for a new printer that
> is known to work with it. I could not determine exactly if the problem
> was in the software or my outdated printer. For all the trouble you are
> going through I would suggest buying a new printer. Oddly, I could
> get it to work with the Star NX-1000 at the store where I bought the
> program. Hope this helps. Has anyone else had this problem with the
> older Gemini printers?????
>
> Alan Chan
> abc@arthur.cs.purdue.edu
 
That sounds a lot like the problem I was having when I first got Microsoft
Write.  I, too, am using an older Gemini 10X printer, but I worked around
the problem this way (I know these are two different programs, but they both
use GDOS so this might help).
 
1.  First I made sure I was using the FX80.SYS driver and that the printer
    setup (on the DA) was set to 960 dots per line.
 
2.  I patched the printer driver so that that the proper sized line feeds
    were sent to the printer.  This came about after I finally got something
    to be printed - there were gaps in the printed material.
 
Now anything that uses GDOS will print properly on my printer.  I don't
think I can legally post the modified driver here on the net, but I can
try to dig up the docs I wrote to explain how to patch the driver.  If there
is enough interest, I'll post them, otherwise, I'll email them.
 
Jack Forester, Jr.
West Virginia University
Department of Computer Science and other Imaginary Things.
That's jlf@a.cs.wvu.wvnet.edu to you!
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #694
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