INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Mon, 13 Nov 89       Volume 89 : Issue 639
 
Today's Topics:
            Blitz! Floppy Backup available (Advertisement)
     Don't Buy From tech spcialities (was Re: Memory upgrade...)
                     INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 #627
              keyboard interrupt, character substitution
                             Languages!!!
                         Self-Modifying Code
                          vertical scrolling
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 13 Nov 89 06:00:03 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!marque!carroll1!dnewton@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
 (Dave 'Post No Nicknames' Newton)
Subject: Blitz! Floppy Backup available (Advertisement)
 
In article <1817@cuphub.cup.edu> kar7481@cuphub.cup.edu (Dan
 Karbowsky;AtariEliteOfPghPa bbs412-384-5609) writes:
 
> [suspiciously commercial stough deleted]
 
   This sounds suspiciously like an ad.
 
--
David L. Newton       | uunet!marque!carroll1!dnewton  | The Raging Apostle--
(414) 524-7343 (work) |    dnewton@carroll1.cc.edu     | for the future--
(414) 524-6809 (home) | 100 NE Ave, Waukesha WI 53186  | for the world.
"Isn't it fun to take two unrelated sentences and mix the batter lightly?" -me
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 13 Nov 89 07:30:03 GMT
From:
 gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!samsung!aplcen!jhunix!d_alvear@tut.cis.ohio-state.ed
u  (Dom Alvear)
Subject: Don't Buy From tech spcialities (was Re: Memory upgrade...)
 
In article <89110911304412B.CKBC@RAI.CC.FSU.EDU> BAILEYS@FSU.BITNET (NOLES #1)
 writes:
>
>thought I would share this with y'all.  I received some neato junkmail
>about a month ago from an outfit in Texas called Tech Specialties.  As
 
Junk mail is a good term for this catalogue!!!
 
>far as I can tell, they are an ST only group, and they print a damn nice
>catalog.  Offered within are:
>
>        1.  Various memory upgrades, seperated by different versions of
>            ST models.
 
I bought TWO (2) of their memory upgrades for my 520ST, and they
DIDN'T work!  It seems the instructions for installation were
misprinted, and the owner wouldn't (or didn't know) tell me!
 
>        4.  CPU cases, in various formats.
 
CPU Cases...Ah that's a joke.  They sent me a so-called CPU case, and
it was a nightmare.  It took over SIX MONTHS (from Dec. '88 to July '89)
for me to get the cases in working condition, and I STILL DON'T HAVE
EVERYTHING PROMISED!
 
> In refference to number 4, these guys are offering an upgrade to 1040's and
>520's in which you can get the motherboard and drive put into a METAL case,
>similar in size to the Mega's (with more room for expansion), and put the
>keyboard into another case, and connect the two, thus having a sexy two
>piece computer (an alternative to getting a Mega, if you are so inclined).
>The keyboard case is roughly the same size as a Mega's, and uses the
>original keyboard from the 1040/520.  Pretty neat!
 
Neat?  No way!  The keyboard case is made of folded metal with a cut
top from a 520 or 1040 (depends on your machine).  I bought two CPU
cases with all the trimmings, and the 1040 keyboard case is a piece of
junk.  Not only is the keyboard case top cut crookedly, but the
keyboard sends out spurious signals because t*s didn't use all the lines!!!
 
>
>Another thing I liked was the info printed within the catalog.  They did a
>good job explaining why they designed there stuff the way they did, and I
>learned quite a bit about both memory boards and HD's from it.  There
>(whoops)  Their address is:
>
>      Tech Specialties
>      909 Crosstimbers Street
>      Houston, TX  77022
>      Tel: (713) 691-4527/8  Fax:  (713) 691-7009
>
 
If you want to really learn about HD's read the Dave Small articles in
START or get the HD/ToadFile Info Files from TOAD Computers: (301) 544-6943.
It's funny, but I have tech*spec's number memorized because I've had
to call them up so many times to TRY (and fail) to get everything promised.
 
>My catalog is dated 02-13-89, hope these guys are still around.  I heartiy
>recommend getting this catalog, just the info it contains is worth a stamp.
 
Yeah, they're still around, but if they keep up the good work (hah!!!)
they won't be for long.
 
>
>
>Bob Marley
>
>Disclaimer:  I am in no way connected with Tech Specialties.  I haven't
>             even bought anything from them, but would damn sure like to!
 
I wouldn't buy anything from them ever again, and I wouldn't recommend
them to anybody.  (Not even somebody I didn't like...)
 
Dom Alvear
 
P.S.  I am not connected with tech specialities or Toad Computers
(although I'd like to be connected with TOAD).  I am just a user who's
been used and abused by a BAD ST developer.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 89 22:53:24 EST
From: Early Bird <EARLY07%ALBNYVM1@UACSC2.ALBANY.EDU>
Subject: INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 #627
 
Is there a archive site in dortmund?  How does one access it?
Any info would be nice...   If possible please send the address
and the tcp/ip numbers.  Thanx..
 
                                      Early Bird
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 89 11:58
From: Roland Waldi
 <BD05%DKAUNI2.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: keyboard interrupt, character substitution
 
Hello netland,
 
Somebody recently asked how to intercept characters from the keyboard,
including from the repeat function. An example for this can be found in
the assembler source code, which I included in my posting of KBEXT 4.10
to S. Grimm (panarthea archive, "binaries group"). To remind you: KBEXT
installs 5 keyboard tables for normal, SHIFT, CAPS-LOCK, ALT and
SHIFT-ALT, together with other features.
 
Speaking about postings: could someone please post some of the nice PD
games for >>monochrome<< monitors, like DRACHEN, GO_UP, OPUS_1,
BUMERANG, RAMSES, MONOPOLY, CAVEMINER... (I know there are lots more)?
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 13 Nov 89 06:49:00 GMT
From: acf5!mitsolid@nyu.edu  (Thanasis Mitsolides)
Subject: Languages!!!
 
/* acf5:comp.sys.atari.st / ehsnsr@JUPITER.NMT.EDU (Eric Hobbs) / 11:58 pm  Nov
 10, 1989 */
>     I am looking into trying to learn a new computer language,
>but I really don't know which one to try out.
 
In my opinion, one of the most powerful higher level programmiong languages
around is ICON designed by Griswold (designer of Snobol4).
 
Its features include: List processing, Backtracking, generators, Coroutining,
                      String Matching, set processing, first class functions
                      etc.
 
Try it. Unless you are specializing in Programming Languages
(and by your posting it seems you are not) you are bound to be impressed.
 
Even if it is not suitable to you (which can only be true if efficiency
is particularly important) you will learn some useful programming techniques.
 
Thanasis
 
PS You can ftp it from arizona.edu
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"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: 13 Nov 89 01:12:27 GMT
From: psuvm!sml108@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu
Subject: Self-Modifying Code
 
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
 
Since branching is relative, one would think it would work, and a dump of
the object file indicates this is so.    HELP !!!!
 
Scott Le Grand
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 13 Nov 89 06:02:33 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!marque!carroll1!dnewton@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
 (Dave 'Post No Nicknames' Newton)
Subject: vertical scrolling
 
   How do ya' do vertical scrolling?  Do ya' just blit (VDI, not blitter) all
but the top/bottom line up/down, then fill in the new top/bottom line?  Or is
there a better way?
 
--
David L. Newton       | uunet!marque!carroll1!dnewton  | The Raging Apostle--
(414) 524-7343 (work) |    dnewton@carroll1.cc.edu     | for the future--
(414) 524-6809 (home) | 100 NE Ave, Waukesha WI 53186  | for the world.
"Isn't it fun to take two unrelated sentences and mix the batter lightly?" -me
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #639
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