INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Sat, 11 Nov 89       Volume 89 : Issue 634
 
Today's Topics:
                             Languages!!!
                               MODULA 2
                   P/D Command Driven OS? (3 msgs)
                            Software House
                      What does the TT Buy me??
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 89 21:58:32 MST
From: ehsnsr@jupiter.nmt.edu (Eric Hobbs)
Subject: Languages!!!
 
Dearest Netters,
 
     I am looking into trying to learn a new computer language,
but I really don't know which one to try out. The only things that
I must have is a language that is in the Public Domain or it is
Shareware (I'm a poor college student!), the language must support
graphics and sound without too much hassle, and it _MUST_ be able
to run on a 520STfm with 512K and a 360K SS/DD disk drive. Well
that narrows it down, doesn't it. I don't really want to learn
68000 assembly language and I only know BASIC and a little bit of
Logo. (Pretty Limited, Huh?).
     You guys and gals are my last hope! Save me from expensive
languages and ST BASIC!!!!!ARRRRGH!
     By the way, if you have any suggestions, please tell me where
I can get it (mail-order, ftp, e-mail, etc.). Thanks.
 
 
                               Eric Hobbs
 
 ----   |  |                   ehsnsr@JUPITER.nmt.edu
 |      |  |
 ----   ----
 |      |  |
 ---- . |  | .    <- Pretty Dumb, no?
 
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 11 Nov 89 10:40:40 GMT
From:
 gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!uxa.cso.uiuc.e
du!glk01126@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: MODULA 2
 
        The PD compiler from ETH is available from 35.1.33.8
        or panarthea.  It is a port of Wirth's own compiler
        and is pretty standard.  It is free and contains
        a graphical shell, editor, debugger and all gem i/o
        including things like obfix etc.
 
        I could e-mail it if you don't have access to those sites...
 
        -Spieu!
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 11 Nov 89 10:40:52 GMT
From:
 gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!uxa.cso.uiuc.e
du!glk01126@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: P/D Command Driven OS?
 
        The best I've seen is GULAM, available at the ftp sites...
 
        -Spieu!
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 11 Nov 89 07:23:05 GMT
From: eru!luth!sunic!tut!tukki!suhonen@bloom-beacon.mit.edu  (Timo Suhonen)
Subject: P/D Command Driven OS?
 
In article <73839@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> <thamer@cis.ohio-state.edu> writes:
>       Anyone know of a command driven TOS interpreter ala MSDOS that's
>public domain.  If not, I'm about to write one.  Although utilities like
>Universal Item Selector are good, I haven't seen one as useful as QDOS
>is for the IBM.
There are some MS-DOS like interpreters for ST. I have not used them so
I don't know are they worth having or not, but I do know that there is
gulam -shell that is very much like Bourne shell in Unix. I have used it
about a year now and I think it is just *GREAT*
 
Timo
--
Timo Suhonen                                           suhonen@tukki.jyu.fi
Disclaimer: The text above is from my left brain cell. The right one is for
          SeX and Drugs and Rock'n Roll. Al K. Hall has eaten the others...
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 11 Nov 89 07:01:50 GMT
From: thelake!steve@UMN-CS.CS.UMN.EDU  (Steve Yelvington)
Subject: P/D Command Driven OS?
 
In article <73839@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>,
     thamer@rose.cis.ohio-state.edu (Mustafa Thamer) writes ...
 
>Although the ST DEsktop has its mouse-based advantages, I'm really starting
>to miss the MSDOS/UNIX type abilities to just type CD somewhere or
>run a program anywhere by typing its name or path, or the advantages
>of simple batch files.  I'm getting real tired of clicking my way through the
>7 partitions of my 85 meg drive to get to the directory I want just to run
>a program.
>       Anyone know of a command driven TOS interpreter ala MSDOS that's
>public domain.  If not, I'm about to write one.
 
There are probably a dozen or more free or shareware command shells for
the ST. The most well-known is gulam, which uses a Unix-like command set
and includes a built-in version of MicroEMACS and a communications
terminal. I currently use John Stanley's jShell (it's small and has a nice
uEMACS-style command-line editing facility).
 
Others I have used include David Parsons' tsh (Teeny Shell), a Korn
Shell-like interpreter with a very powerful scripting facility, and
PCommand, which is very much like the MS-DOS COMMAND.COM interpreter.
 
There are several commercial alternatives, too, including the msh program
that comes with Mark Williams' C compiler, and Dave Beckemeyer's Micro C
Shell and Multitasking C Shell (the latter for use with Micro RTX).
 
With many of these interpreters, you can create a batch file (shell
script), install the interpreter as a .TTP application (using the GEM
Desktop's "Install Application" menu), and run the batch file from the
desktop simply by clicking on it.
 
You don't have to use a command-line environment to avoid having to click
your way through 85mb of folders, though. Neodesk, a replacement for the
built-in GEM Desktop, lets you drag program icons out on the desktop where
you can reach them without having to dig into folders. And, incidentally,
you can design your own icons for the programs. Another program, Hotwire,
lets you define alt-key combinations to launch programs.
   -- Steve Yelvington, up at the lake in Minnesota
  ... pwcs.StPaul.GOV!stag!thelake!steve             (UUCP)
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 10 Nov 89 13:55:00 GMT
From: inmet!hedger@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Software House
 
I don't live in your area, but I agree with you. Customers should not
have to pay for the store's extended phone bills. There's this thing
in business called overhead or the cost of doing business. You don't
raise the price of one item to offset bills incurred from problems with
a supplier. You chalk it up to overhead. If the product is essential,
you eat the cost as long as it is within the bounds of a previously
budgeted 'overhead' figure. If it doesn't then don't carry the
product until you can get it without the extra phone bills.
This is a gouge.
 
 
=====================================================================
|                                                                   |
| Keith Hedger :  ?...!?uunet!inmet!hedger   hedger@inmet.inmet.com |
|    'It is a sad, but beautiful world..........'                   |
=====================================================================
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 10 Nov 89 23:19:00 GMT
From: eru!luth!sunic!tut!hydra!hylka!jalkio@bloom-beacon.mit.edu  (Jouni Alkio,
 University of Helsinki, Finland)
Subject: What does the TT Buy me??
 
In article <46bcb82f.14a1f@force.UUCP>, covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert)
 writes:
 
                <Part of the text deleted>
>
> I get the following:
>
> 1) GDOS with ALL of its WARTS and faults
>
> 2) TOS 1.6, with only single tasking
>
> 3) An increase in speed
>
> 4) A higher rez color mode (640x480 in 16 colors)
>
> Except for the higher color rez I don't see anything in the TT
> that would make me want to dump my investment in my current ST
> hardware.
 
Well, don't buy it, then.
>
> What would make me buy an Atari computer:
>
> 1) A FAST CPU, at least a 25 Mhz 68030, with an option to go to
>    33 Mhz or even 50 Mhz as Motorola releases the faster cpus.
>
> 2) ability to change to a 68040 CPU without buying a whole new
>    computer. That is why I can Atari computers disposable. In order
>    to upgrade to a different CPU you have to "dispose" of your older
>    computer.
>
> 3) A true multi-tasking, multi-windowing OS. I mean, heck the Amiga
>    has had multi-tasking since the first A1000 was released.
>
> 4) An open buss so that 3rd party vendors can develop boards for the TT.
>
> 5) Better Developer support from Atari, with real discounts given to
>    Developers for Atari hardware.
>
> 6) Real color graphics ala the Macintosh. 640x480 in 16 colors is a joke,
>    and Atari should be ashamed for introducing a new machine with such
>    limited grpahics?? The TT will be the Atari machine for the early 1990s
>    and should be better then that!!
>
> 7) A replacement for GDOS. Something that uses outline fonts. The Mac system
>    beats GDOS all the way to the North Pole!! GDOS is such a memory hog that
>    even 4 megs in my ST is limiting!!
 
Atari already has announced the technical specifications for the first
TT, so you can't help it, can you? By the way, don't you know that
Atari has said that the ATW's nice graphics card will probably be
introduced for the TT (this has been posted here)?
 
You REALLY DON'T HAVE TO SUPPORT ATARI if you don't like them! You can
by all means change the company. I can see no reason why Atari wouldn't
try to do all they can. If they can't do all you want them to do, it's
not their fault. Find a company that can fulfil your needs.
>
> Richard (Tired of Bashing the TT) Covert
 
                (Oh, what was this, then?)
 
 
                                                   Jouni Alkio
 
 
 
------------------------------
 
End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #634
*****************************************
=========================================================================