INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Tue, 14 Nov 89       Volume 89 : Issue 649
 
Today's Topics:
                        Atari TT Block Diagram
     DOES PC-DITTO SUPPORT MOUSE FOR USING PC SWARE LIKE VENTURA
                   GDOS - basic information wanted
                           Give me a break
                           Tech Specialties
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Date: Tue, 14 Nov 1989 08:54 EST
From: Greg Csullog <01659%AECLCR.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Atari TT Block Diagram
 
     Here  is  a bit of information extracted from the  ST  Report
Magazine  which sheds some well needed light on the state  of  the
Atari  TT.   The spec's have been listed  elsewhere,  however  the
block diagram of the TT inards are very interesting!
 
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
 
 > TT - TT/X STR Tech Notes       BLOCK DIAGRAM - FUNCTIONS - FEATURES
 
               - 16 Mhz Motorola 68030 full 32 bit microprocessor
               - Optional math co-processor MC68881/68882 Floating Point.
 
               - 2 mb or, 4 to 16mb of RAM
 
               - 512 Kb of ROM in 4 1mb chips
 
               - 1.44 Mb 3.5" floppy drive, will handle 2 drives
                 WD 1772/2793 controller.
 
               - VME bus Eurocard expansion
                    [ TT ]  - 1 single slot
                    [ TTX ] - 5 slots
 
               - ACSI internal bus with external connector for expansion
               - SCSI internal bus with external connector for expansion
 
          - Serial ports:
            ------------
               - 2 asynchronous RS-232 ports    68901 MFP
               -  2  asynchronous/synchronous  RS-232  ports  (Appletalk or
                 PromiseLAN)  Zilog 8530 SCC
 
               - Parallel port  Yamaha YM-2149
 
               - MIDI in/out ports
 
               - Keyboard port  (including mouse and joystick)
 
               - Digital 8 bit stereo sound
               - Stereo audio output jack
 
               Monitor output (6 modes): RGB and Monochrome
               --------------------------------------------
         VGA monitor for colour modes, special monochrome monitor
 
     Video modes:
     -----------
                Resolution      Colours      Palette
                ==========      =======      =======
                320x200         16            4096
                320x480         256           4096
                640x200         4             4096
                640x400           "Duochrome"
                640x480         16            4096
                1280x960           Monochrome
 
          - Battery backed Time/Date clock and 50 byte RAM
                    - 145 watt power supply
                              - Desktop packaging
 
          - Operating systems
                - ST TOS                      - Unix V Release 3.1
 
 
     Further, Atari added (verbally) that the  co-processor was  the 16 Mhz
 68881 (just plug in the chip, for the small TT it is included in the TTX),
 the digital sound was the same as that in the  new 1040STE  (enhanced 4096
 colors etc.),  and joystick  ports would support current joysticks and the
 new 15 pin analog joysticks (both  machines).   Also, expect  to hear more
 about "Demand Paging Memory Management" (Unix), GLS, X-Windows
 
                                 BAD NEWS:
 
     The monitors will be proprietry as the STs are.(ie NO EASY WAY TO HOOK
     UP A MULTISYNC) although if you could get a cable/connector  it should
     be easy to setup.
 
 
 TWO MODELS:
 ===========
 
     TT
     ==
         - A  desktop version in an AT style case w/30mb Hard Disk (limited
           expandability) 1 VME Bus slot A24/D16  Eurocard
         - ABSOLUTELY NO UNIX ON THIS VERSION.  This version will be
           released first....  sometime around  the end of October 1989 and
           mid November.
 
     TTX
     ===
         - A Tower configuration w/60mb Hard Disk,   Multiple hard  drive -
           floppy - optical drive bays (3+) Will support both TOS and Unix.
 
         - 5 VME Bus expansion slots; A32/D32 - A24/D16 - A16/D16  Eurocard
 
         - Unix  will be  a separate  release Item  (as per STart interview
           with Sam T.)
 
         - TTX Release dates not set but will be during 1990.
 
 
 Nota Bene;
     To be expected, there will be some unavoidable  compatibility problems
     but, Atari is taking all the neecessary steps to maintain an extremely
     high level of downward compatibility with existing software.
 
 
 
 > TT - TT/X STR Tech Notes       BLOCK DIAGRAM - FUNCTIONS - FEATURES
   ========================
                                                  _____________ _______
                                                  Midi in/out  mouse 
                                                  ------------  Joystk
                                                       #        -------
                                                       #           #
  __________     ___________     _____________     _________   _________
  MC 68030     ROM 512kb     MC 1468 18a    6850 ACIA 6850 ACIA
   16mhz       4 x 1mbit                     ---------   ---------
  ----------     -----------     -------------         #           #
      #               #               #                #           #
  ######################################################################
      #                       #     _______________      ____________
  ____________                ##### Yamaha YM2149 ____ Centronics 
  MC 68881/2                #     Sound Chip    __    Parallel  
   16 mhz       __________  #     ---------------_    ------------
  ------------  _  ST DMA   #  __________________      ______________
  ___________     "ACSI"  ##  Dual Purpose RAM  ---- Drive Select 
  ACSI port -   ----------  #  2 mb 64 bits wide      --------------
  -----------                #  ------------------ 
  ___________   _____________ #     ______________        _______________
  Flop port   flop contrl #     Memory Cntrl        Stereo Audio  
  1mb - 2mb - WD 1772/2793#     --------------        ---------------
  -----------   ------------- #  ________                     
             _________        ## FUNNEL --------   _______________
             TT glue ########  --------_       __ Sound Shifter 
             ---------        #  ________            ---------------
  ___________     ______      ## FUNNEL --------___  _______   _______
  SCSI port     SCSI      #  --------            - VIDEO - Video 
  25 pin "D"###Cntrol######    ______________      Shifter   out  
  -----------     ------      #### MCS 8901 MFP __    -------   -------
                              #     2.4576 mhz       _______________
                              #    --------------   -- RS 232 Async. 
                              #                        ---------------
                              #    ______________ __   _______________
                              #    MCS 8901 MFP   -- RS 232 Async. 
                              #     2.4576 mhz       ---------------
                              #    --------------      ________________
                              #                     --Ext. Interrupts 
                              #                         ----------------
  _________   ______________  #  _____________         __________________
  VME Bus     VME - Bus   ## NIBBLE Mode #######  Sys. Ram Option 
  System  #    R32/D32   ##  Memory Cntr           4 - 16 mb Dram 
  ---------      R24/D32    #  -------------         ------------------
                 R24/D16    #
              --------------  ####  _____________     ___________________
                                 #  "A" Channel -+- RS 232 Serial 25p 
                                 # -------------  -------------------
                                 ##8530 SCC DMA  _    LAN Systems    
                                   -------------   -------------------
                                    "B" Channel ---  RS 232 Async 9p  
                                    -------------     -------------------
 
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 13 Nov 89 23:51:14 GMT
From: nis!pwcs!stag!daemon@UMN-CS.CS.UMN.EDU  (John Stanley)
Subject: DOES PC-DITTO SUPPORT MOUSE FOR USING PC SWARE LIKE VENTURA
 
[ia4@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Imran Anwar) writes...]
>
>       DOES PC-DITTO SUPPORT MOUSE FOR USING XEROX VENTURA ETC.
 
  Yup...
 
  PCDitto has a mouse emulation that emulates a microsoft mouse.  This
covers 95% of all mouse driveable sw on an ibm..  (Which is to say, just
about everything that works with a mouse on an IBM...)
 
  In addition, it has an alterante mouse mode which uses the mouse to
send arrow-key keystrokes to the application running and the two mouse
buttons can be preset to send specific keystrokes.  This allows using the
ST mouse even with applications that don't normaly allow using a mouse.
 
---
John Stanley <dynasoft!john@stag.UUCP>
Software Consultant / Dynasoft Systems
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Tue Nov 14 14:35:00 UTC 1989
From: VCD51661%DS0RUS54.bitnet@jade.berkeley.edu
Subject: GDOS - basic information wanted
 
Hello, out there in netland!
 
From time to time the same question seems to appear on the net:
What is GDOS, and more important: How can i use it? Did i miss
the answer? As i once bought GDOS myself but have no luck in
using it (it came with almost no documentation) i want to post
the question again. More specific:
 
1.) What does GDOS consist of? It is, as far as i know, a
    supplement to TOS/GEM. Which functions belong to it? Is
    it just some environment/kernel for device drivers, or do
    drivers belong to it?
2.) What is the general format of the assign.sys file (which
    seems to be some startup information file)? Are there other
    files needed (except for font files)?
3.) How do i use the GEM Metafile device? Can i, e.g., open a
    virtual workstation with a metafile as device, and do all
    kinds of VDI operations on it, and then - somehow and some=
    where - a metafile is produced? And how can i use this meta-
    file later? Where do i get a metafile driver, if it isn't
    part of gdos itself?
4.) How can one write own drivers, i.e. what specifications
    has a driver to fulfil?
 
This is a catalog of questions. The answer would be a handbook
on GDOS, i guess. I suspect that no one would like to answer
in full detail, even if he/she knows. However, every information
is welcome. Maybe some literature hint, if any. Documents in
the style of Allan Pratt's "Pexec cookbook" or Tim Oren's "Pro-
fessional GEM" would be perfect, but i doubt that such a document
on GDOS exists.
 
Again, every hint is welcome.
 
                        /*
                        **  Benno Salzgeber
                        **  Institute for Computer Applications
                        **  University of Stuttgart
                        **  Pfaffenwaldring 57
                        **  D-7000 Stuttgart 80 (FRG)
                        **  VCD51661@DS0RUS54.BITNET
                        */
 
-- FOOD FOR THE LITTLE LINEEATER -- FOOD FOR THE LITTLE LINEEATER -- FOOD
-- FOOD FOR THE LITTLE LINEEATER -- FOOD FOR THE LITTLE LINEEATER -- FOOD
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 13 Nov 89 23:51:51 GMT
From: nis!pwcs!stag!daemon@UMN-CS.CS.UMN.EDU  (John Stanley)
Subject: Give me a break
 
[UUCJEFF@ECNCDC.BITNET (jeff beer) writes...]
> I have FLASH 1.52 and its only trouble is that it cannot send a break, or
> it has not been documented.  Does anyone know, has FLASH a more recent
 version,
> and does it send a break?
 
  There is version 1.60, which I recommend you get if/when you can.
There's a patch program on GEnie (and probably elsewhere) that will
update your 1.52 prg and rsc files into 1.60 files or you can get Antic
to send you the update for not much more than the cost of the disk +
postage...
 
  Even the older versions allowed sending a break (quite easily at that).
Take a look in your manual (on page 50 in the older manuals) in the topic
"Other Features" (which is all of about 15 lines long)...
 
---
John Stanley <dynasoft!john@stag.UUCP>
Software Consultant / Dynasoft Systems
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Tue, 14 Nov 89  10:35:48 EDT
From: BAILEYS%FSU.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU
Subject: Tech Specialties
 
Yikes,
 
     Well, I am glad I said something about the company before I bought
 
anything!  I guess an impressive catalog does not a good company make.
 
Thanks to all who responded for the information.
 
 
___________________________________________________________________________
                             
      Bob Marley               "To err is human, to compute devine,
                                  trust your computer, but not it's
      FSU Comp Sci                  programmer."  - Moris Kingston -
                             
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #649
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