INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Mon, 13 Nov 89       Volume 89 : Issue 645
 
Today's Topics:
                        Languages!!!! (cont.)
                            MAC emulators
                 MWC errors (was Re: GEM help needed)
                         Self-Modifying Code
                 TOS 1.4 Incompatibility List Request
                  What does the TT Buy me?? (2 msgs)
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Date: Mon, 13 Nov 89 21:29:34 MST
From: ehsnsr@jupiter.nmt.edu (Eric Hobbs)
Subject: Languages!!!! (cont.)
 
Hello Again.
 
     I have received a few replies that mention that some versions of GFA BASIC
are in the public domain. Is this true? If so, where can I get it without
having to spend money for it. It must be legal, of course. What can I say? I'm
a cheap S.O.B. who doesn't really want to spend $15 for a back issue of
STart. :-)    :-P'''
 
Thanks again.
 
Eric Hobbs
ehsnsr@JUPITER.nmt.edu
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 13 Nov 89 16:11:22 GMT
From: mitel!laika!colbeck@uunet.uu.net  ( design)
Subject: MAC emulators
 
I'm new to this newsgroup so I'm probably asking a question that's been
asked before...
 
Just wondering what is the latest in MAC emulators available for the ST1040?
I was looking around about a year ago and at that time I believe that
Magic-Sac was the only thing around. Does anyone know what the latest revision
of this product is or whether there is anything better around?
 
Thanks in advance....
 
Roger
 
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Date: 13 Nov 89 22:37:11 GMT
From: ecsvax.uncecs.edu!dukeac!sbigham@mcnc.org  (Scott Bigham)
Subject: MWC errors (was Re: GEM help needed)
 
In article <46c13647.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert)
 writes:
>Has anyone else found any errors in the MWC Version 3.0 manual??
 
As a matter of fact, yes.  The 3.0.5 manual claims that the proper way to call
objc_edit() is as follows:
 
int objc_edit(tree,object,character,oldindex,kind,newindex);
OBJECT *tree;int object,character,oldindex,kind,*newindex;
 
This is in fact what GEM expects.  It is not, however, what the 3.0.5 library
expects.  The actual call format is:
 
int objc_edit(tree,object,character,index,kind,index);
OBJECT *tree;int object,character,*index,kind;
 
where index serves the function of both oldindex and newindex above.
 
By the way, what is the most recent version of MWC?  I've heard 3.0.9 and I'm
somewhat concerned that Mark Williams hasn't notified me.  To my knowledge I'm
registered (how might one check that?).
 
                                                sbigham
--
Scott Bigham                         "The opinions expressed above are
Internet sbigham@dukeac.ac.duke.edu   (c) 1989 Hacker Ltd. and cannot be
USENET   sbigham@dukeac.UUCP          copied or distributed without a
...!mcnc!ecsgate!dukeac!sbigham       Darn Good Reason."
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 13 Nov 89 19:30:58 GMT
From:
 gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!shadooby!mailrus!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!w
atmath!ria!uwovax!7103_2622@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu  (Eric Smith)
Subject: Self-Modifying Code
 
In article <89316.201227SML108@PSUVM.BITNET>, SML108@PSUVM.BITNET writes:
> Hi, I am writing an assembly language routine which modifies its own code in
> a tight loop in order to avoid having to do a decision statement at every
> iteration.  Unfortunately, whatever code I am inserting is screwing things up
> royally, and although I have checked it fairly throughly, I cannot figure out
> what is going on.  Question:  Is there something screwy about executable and
> object files that would disallow self modifying.  The block that gets modified
>
> is this:
>
>          lsr.w   d3
>          bne     cont
>          add.l   #8,a0
>          move.w  #$8000,d3
>   cont:  nop
It would have helped if you had included the code that was doing the
modifications. The 68000 does instruction prefetch. If you're modifying
code that's really close to the instruction that does the modification,
then you can lose (the chip is executing the instruction it prefetched,
rather than the updated instruction in memory). You can get around this
by sticking some nops in. A better solution is to eliminate the self
modification entirely. I *strongly* suggest the latter, because your code will
almost certainly break on the TT (which has a 256 byte instruction cache).
--
Eric R. Smith                     email:
Dept. of Mathematics            ERSMITH@uwovax.uwo.ca
University of Western Ontario   ERSMITH@uwovax.bitnet
London, Ont. Canada N6A 5B7
ph: (519) 661-3638
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 14 Nov 89 01:08:37 GMT
From: oahu!stephen@cs.ucla.edu  (Steve Whitney)
Subject: TOS 1.4 Incompatibility List Request
 
In article <19506@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> jmorton@euler.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (John
 Morton) writes:
>I have been trying to keep my list up to date, but I have found that
>most entries have been contested by subsequent postings.  The following
>is where it stands now, with all entries removed which were cited as
>running flawlessly by someone.
>
[list deleted]
 
>Timeworks DTP
 
This works great on my Rainbow TOSsed 520.
 
[rest of list trashed]
 
 
>"Down                             John Morton                  M.E. Machine Shop
> Down in the basement     jmorton@euler.berkeley.edu   Etcheverry Hall
> We hear the sound of machines..."                     Univ. of Calif.
 
 
Steve Whitney   "It's never _really_ the last minute"       (())_-_(())
UCLA Comp. Sci. Grad. Student                                | (* *) |
Internet: stephen@cs.ucla.edu              UCLA Bruin-->    ?  \_@_/  ?
GEnie:    S.WHITNEY                                           `-----'
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 14 Nov 89 03:54:00 GMT
From: acf5!mitsolid@nyu.edu  (Thanasis Mitsolides)
Subject: What does the TT Buy me??
 
/* acf5:comp.sys.atari.st / covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) /  3:56 pm
 Nov 13, 1989 */
> In article <2245@hudson.acc.virginia.edu>, gl8f@astsun8.astro.Virginia.EDU
 (Greg Lindahl) writes:
> > Monitors that show resolutions greater than 640x480 in color are very
> > expensive.  Not very suitable for a small-business machine. You can
> > always buy some PC Klone with one if you want it.
>
> Color monitors capable of 800x600 are under $700. ...
> The TT was an opportunity for Atari to LEAP ahead of the
> competition in graphics instead falling behind.
 
I would hate to reduce your enthousiasm (:-) for Atari Richard
but that would have to be quite a LEAP.
The current most common VGA for 386 PCs is 800x600x16colors.
It won't be more that 5-6 months before 1024x768 color will be THE standard
for 386 systems.
By the time the TT appears...
 
> > Price high resolution monitors for the Mac. Note that they require a card.
> > Note that the TT/P has a card slot.
>
> Yes, EXACTLY ONE, and that is only a half-VME card slot at that!!
 
I have seen the NEC Multisync 3D for less than $550.
Its provides 1024x768 interlaced or 800x600 non-interlaced. Color of course.
For the PC a controler (1024x768x16colors) costs less that $220.
 
Thanasis
 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you pray hard enough, water will run uphill. How Hard?
 Why, hard enough to make water run uphill, of cource!"      R. A. Heinlein
 
Internet: mitsolid@csd2.nyu.edu          (mitsolid%csd2.nyu.edu@relay.cs.net)
UUCP    : ...!uunet!cmcl2!csd2!mitsolid
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 14 Nov 89 04:33:00 GMT
From: acf5!mitsolid@nyu.edu  (Thanasis Mitsolides)
Subject: What does the TT Buy me??
 
/* acf5:comp.sys.atari.st / hyc@math.lsa.umich.edu (Howard Chu) / 10:04 pm  Nov
 13, 1989 */
>Given that perspective, TOS isn't so bad - the PC world has yet to switch
>to OS/2, so they're still looking at single-user single-tasking 24x80
>character cell COMMAND.COM prompts. Obviously this market is shaking itself
>out pretty quickly though, and Atari may yet miss the boat...
 
I Assume you haven't heard of Microsoft windows or Desqview for the PCs.
It takes less that $1000 of hardware to multitask DOS using a graphical
environment and virtual memory (of sorts).
 
Thanasis
 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you pray hard enough, water will run uphill. How Hard?
 Why, hard enough to make water run uphill, of cource!"      R. A. Heinlein
 
Internet: mitsolid@csd2.nyu.edu          (mitsolid%csd2.nyu.edu@relay.cs.net)
UUCP    : ...!uunet!cmcl2!csd2!mitsolid
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #645
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