INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Sat, 28 Oct 89       Volume 89 : Issue 575
 
Today's Topics:
                    386's, TT's, a machine I want
               Atari STE reviews in three German mags.
                             C++ GNU-C++
                               Drachen
                             dvi2slm804 ?
                  Look ma, no flames! <well almost>
                       My problems with Atari.
                          PMFS Serial driver
      QIC 02 interface? (connecting a cartridge drive to an ST)
                Re: Look ma, no flames! <well almost>
                              ST-Magazin
                  TOS 1.4 Incompatibility List:  zoo
                          UNIX -- ATW Speed
                               Want BOP
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 27 Oct 89 16:42:23 GMT
From: phoenix@g.ms.uky.edu  (R'ykandar Korra'ti)
Subject: 386's, TT's, a machine I want
 
(A point of correction to a previous claim; ignore if you don't care about
 Unix availability...)
In article <214@fjcp60.GOV> winston@fjcnet.GOV (Winston M. Llamas) writes:
>I would hope that Atari can release their version of Unix for the TT within
>a reasonable time period of the computer's release (unlike Commodore, which
>has promised Unix on the Amiga for years now).
     No. Amiga hasn't given a shipping date for the US. They have repeatedly
said that they are working on it and they have repeatedly implied that it
will NOT be out in the US until the Amiga 3000 ships. When is that? They
refuse to say, since this is a ground-up, all 32-bit project - not at all
the same as just dropping a 68030 into an Amiga 2000 or 2500.
     If you want Unix right now, go to Europe.
>As I said, we'll have to wait and see if Atari can bring these products out
>in time.  I'm not sure I can hold my breath that long, however.
     Last time I went shopping for a computer, I looked at the Atari ST
line. It didn't win out. I keep hoping that Atari will put its stuff
together and help prevent IBM and OS/2 from owning everything. (That's
why I read this group, by the way). I'm also not holding my breath.
                                                      - R'ykandar.
--
| R'ykandar Korra'ti, Editor, LOW ORBIT | phoenix@ms.uky.edu | CIS 72406,370 |
| Elfinkind, Unite! | phoenix@ukma.bitnet | PLink: Skywise | QLink: Bearclaw |
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 27 Oct 89 23:46:14 GMT
From: mcsun!sunic!tut!hydra!hylka!jalkio@uunet.uu.net  (Jouni Alkio)
Subject: Atari STE reviews in three German mags.
 
If somebody would like to know about the Atari 1040STE, note this:
 
There has already been a review in three different German magazines:
 
ST-Magazin
Happy Computer
Chip
 
(The newest issues, I don't remember the numbers)
 
 
                                        Jouni Alkio
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 27 Oct 89 15:25:34 GMT
From: otter!gjh@hplabs.hp.com  (Graham Higgins)
Subject: C++ GNU-C++
 
I see that g++ (GNU C++) seems to have appeared in terminator's directories
(atari/gnustuff). If you have the Mbytes, you could try that route.
 
Graham
======
 
------------------------------------------------------------------
Graham Higgins                  |  Phone: (0272) 799910 x 24060
Hewlett-Packard Labs            |  gray@hpl.hp.co.uk
Bristol                         |  gray%hplb.uucp@ukc.ac.uk
U.K.                            |  gray@hplb.hpl.hp.com
------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: My opinions above are exactly that, mine and opinions.
------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 26 Oct 89 21:13:41 GMT
From: hpfcso!hpldola!jg@hplabs.hp.com  (Joe Gilray)
Subject: Drachen
 
I read about a PD (?) game from Germany called DRACHEN.
 
It seemed neat (I read about it briefly in Computer Shopper).
 
Does anyone know where I can get it?  (FTP, MAIL preferred)
 
Thanks!
 
-Joe Gilray
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 28 Oct 89 03:06:11 GMT
From: phyllis.math.binghamton.edu!dennis@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu  (dennis
 pixton)
Subject: dvi2slm804 ?
 
I've looked in the various archives and I can't find a dvi driver for the
slm804 laser printer.  Is there one available?  If not, does anyone know
where I can find some sample slm804 code so I can try to put one together
myself?
 
Thanks for any pointers...
--
Dennis Pixton
Department of Mathematical Sciences     (607) 777-4239
SUNY-Binghamton                         dennis@math.binghamton.edu
Binghamton, NY  13901                   dpixton@bingvaxa.bitnet
Dennis Pixton
Department of Mathematical Sciences     (607) 777-4239
SUNY-Binghamton                         dennis@math.binghamton.edu
Binghamton, NY  13901                   dpixton@bingvaxa.bitnet
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 27 Oct 89 16:39:59 GMT
From: haven!uvaarpa!hudson!astsun9.astro.Virginia.EDU!gl8f@ames.arc.nasa.gov
 (Greg Lindahl)
Subject: Look ma, no flames! <well almost>
 
In article <4675ca0d.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert)
 writes:
 
[ responding to a question about TT multitasking ]
 
>Nope, it does NOT multitask.
 
J. Townsend has announced that 3rd party Unix will be available "RSN".
Unix multitasks. It's entirely possible that David Beckmeyer could
produce a TOS multitasker that could multitask as well on the TT as
MTC does on the ST. However, multitasking ST programs in general is
quite a complex problem.
 
The TT has 2 markets:
 
1) Upgraded ST -- singletasking, runs GEM, fast.
2) Unix box. System V binary-compatible, nice fast colour display,
   ram above 2 megs uses burst cache fill so it's relatively fast.
   This is the future.
 
> This has been mentioned by John Townsend et al
>on GEnie in the past.
 
John also talked about Unix. Unix multitasks, eh?
 
> The TT will simply be a faster ST with slightly
>better graphics.
 
To market # 1, TT will be this. It's an upgrade path for the ST. For
market # 2, the TT will be quite different. It will be a box capable
of running Unix programs distributed as source as well as 680x0 binary-
standard applications. Instant software base.
 
I hope that Richard doesn't buy one so that he won't tell us all about
it. Actually, I wish Richard would benchmark TeX on his SLM804 against
an HP Laserjet and then tell us how bad the SLM804 is.
 
------
Greg Lindahl
gl8f@virginia.edu                                             I'm not the NRA.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 28 Oct 89 02:39:09 GMT
From: zephyr.ens.tek.com!tekcrl!tekfdi!mikeb@uunet.uu.net  (Mike Boyce)
Subject: My problems with Atari.
 
    I do not like the way Atari decided to keep everything a secret
about the ST.  The developer's documentation (which I have) is useless.
I am glad I didn't have to pay the hundreds of dollars the computer's
former owner had to pay for them.  I wish that Atari would release a
complete set of manuals for the ST that anyone could buy like Commodore
did for the Amiga.  In this way Atari could set standards that everyone
would follow.
    The GEM operating system seems very clumsy to me.  This is probably
due to the documentation on the ST being incomplete.  I say this
because some VDI calls are not present and others simply don't work as
the DRI books say they should.  (Remember v_opnvwk() and the work_in
array?)  It's a good thing I got MWC because it had all of that in it's
lexicon.
 
    I do have 2 suggestions about how to improve Atari's image:
 
        1.  Release a complete and accurate set of manuals that doesn't
            cost $500.00 like the developers documentation did.
 
        2.  Take an idea for the NeXT computer.  Bundle gcc and g++ with
            the ST.  This would be taken as a positive effort on Atari's
            part since a computer is useless without software.
 
    If Atari does not correct the problem with the bad documentation I will
buy another computer and it will not be an Atari.  I simply will not put
up with inadequate documentaion.  If this is corrected then I will buy
another machine from Atari with more memory since I do like the ST.
 
    If anyone feels that they must send me flames please send them to the
address in my .signature since this is a borrowed account.
 
====================================================================
Dan Wilson    <danw@shadow.FDI.TEK.COM>
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 27 Oct 89 19:51:38 GMT
From:
 mailrus!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!watmath!watcgl!electro!ignac@tut.cis.ohio
-state.edu  (Ignac Kolenko)
Subject: PMFS Serial driver
 
In article <44999@ccicpg.UUCP> paulm@ccicpg.UUCP (tmp Paul Moreau usenet acct)
 writes:
>   I found out something last night:
>   PMFS will not work without DC's qstauto.prg in the auto folder!
>   I've mailed Ignac in hope of figuring this out.  Anyway, if yours
 
 
 
quick st is NOT a double click product. it's a completely seperate shareware
product from the double click shareware stuff. anyways, when i received
paul's message about pmfs NOT working without quickst, i was astounded. finally
software which needs quickst!!!! :-)
 
whenever i get a bit of time i'll have a look at pmfs. it sounds like an
excellent idea and since we have plenty of room on our sun harddisk here
at work, it would be great to back up the megafile 60 to the sun harddisk
at will.
 
 
 
 
--
=====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: 27 Oct 89 13:36:20 GMT
From: mcsun!hp4nl!phigate!prle!prles2!cstw01!meulenbr@uunet.uu.net  (Frans
 Meulenbroeks)
Subject: QIC 02 interface? (connecting a cartridge drive to an ST)
 
Hi!
 
I have a 1/4 " cartridge drive which I want to hook up to my Atari ST.
This drive has a QIC 02 REV D interface.
I was wondering if
- anyone with an ST has done this before?
- there is a company selling converters from QIC 02 to either SCSI or the
  parallel port (I do have a ACSI to SCSI board)
- anyone can supply me with a pointer to a build it yourself article.
 
The software is not going to be the problem. However the hardware is a
little more difficult for me.
Would it be enough to be able to access all 16 interface lines from
the computer, and do the rest in software, or is there more required??
 
Frans Meulenbroeks        (meulenbr@cst.prl.philips.nl)
        Centre for Software Technology
        ( or try: ...!mcvax!phigate!prle!cst!meulenbr)
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 27 Oct 89 23:41:39 GMT
From: mcsun!sunic!tut!hydra!hylka!jalkio@uunet.uu.net  (Jouni Alkio)
Subject: Re: Look ma, no flames! <well almost>
 
In article <4675ca0d.14a1f@force.UUCP>, covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert)
 writes:
>
> And when I first bought the 520ST, the ST was a steal. And when I first bought
> the Mega I was told about all of the future boards being designed for it.
> Over the last 3 years the ST, both 520/1040 and Mega ST, have been left in
> the dust by IBM PC clones. And now that Commodore is producing an Amiga
 (A3000)
> which uses non-interlaced graphics, the A3000 is a serious contender in my
> book.
 
Amiga A3000? I haven't even heard of it. Can you buy one in the US now?
If you can't is it still a plan or do they have a prototype? How much
will it cost? What are the specifications? And what's so special about
non-interlaced graphics?
 
I have only heard of an Amiga A2500. It is has only a M68020 and is more
expensive than an Atari TT!
 
What makes the A3000 special that you would choose it over a TT, for
example? I doubt Commodore is supporting more than Atari...
 
>
> I would dearly like to get a good CASE tool but if you think I will
> ever see one for the ST or the TT you are pretty optimistic. The
> software market has just plain and simply left the ST. Except for
> games. There are plenty of new games for the ST. Just lots and lots
> of games. And mostly from Europe.
 
You could buy your non-games software from Europe, too. There is plenty
of it.
 
>
> So, that leaves the ST as a Game Machine. and maybe that where ATari
> should concentrate. Sell the ST and TT as Super Game Machines and blow
> away Ninetendo.
 
A Games Machine with Unix - you must be joking!
>
> But, I will NEVER buy another computer from Atari. Especially
> a closed system like the TT/P. One lousy short VME card slot
> does not make an OPEN system. you need 5 or more. One slot
> just guarantees that no one will design for it. Lack of resources.
 
What do you need those 5 or more slots for. (And please don't answer:
"internal modems, hard-disks, etc", because that's only a cosmetic issue.)
 
By the way, I've read that Atari will bring the graphics card of the ATW
(which is quite neat) for the TT as a VME-card...
 
                                        Jouni Alkio
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 27 Oct 89 23:53:32 GMT
From: mcsun!sunic!tut!hydra!hylka!jalkio@uunet.uu.net  (Jouni Alkio)
Subject: ST-Magazin
 
If you want to read a good ST-magazine you should try
the German "ST Magazine" (that's the name).
 
It is very informative and when you read it, you will see that there is
quite a lot happening on the ST-scene.
 
It's too bad that it's written in German. (I mean too bad for them who
don't understand the language.)
 
 
 
                                        Jouni Alkio
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 27 Oct 89 14:35:21 GMT
From:
 mailrus!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!watmath!watdragon!tiger!achowe@ames.arc.n
asa.gov  (anthony howe)
Subject: TOS 1.4 Incompatibility List:  zoo
 
>
>I am concerned about the fact that programs work for some people under
>TOS 1.4 and not for others.  Either (A) the program is different or (B)
>the TOS is different.
>
>People, the only official TOS 1.4 release is dated 4/16/89.  You can
>see the date in the ROM by dumping offset $18 from the start of the ROM
>(which is $FC0000 on ST, but not STe!) ... you should see the date as
>four hex bytes: 04 16 19 89.  If you don't see this, you don't have the
>right version.
>
>You should GET the right version: the old ones are inferior, and  the
>incompatibilities which caused some of these programs to fail might
>have been fixed in the released version - that would explain a lot of
>this confusion.
>
 
I just received my TOS 1.4 and the date on it is  4/6/1989. Now last
night when I installed it I was unpacking rainbow.uue and then
archiving the newly unpack directory with zoo (which saves directory
structure -- great for backup with turtle).
 
Anyway I think I found a YABEE (yet another bug eeeek!). I have been
using Developer's TOS 1.4 (8/8/88) for months now with no trouble.
All my archives done with the latest zoo are fine. However I found
last night that ANY archive built under EPROM TOS 1.4 (4/6/89) fails
to test correctly.
 
Here is what I did to generate the problem repeatedly:
 
     (rom TOS 1.4 -- 4/6/89)
zoo -backup snert snert\*
zoo -test snert
     (received multiple CRC errors)
     (reboot under Developer's TOS 1.4 -- 8/8/88)
zoo -backup foobar snert\*
zoo -test foobar
     (archive ok)
zoo -test snert
     (archived still f....d)
     (reboot under rom TOS 1.4 -- 4/6/89)
zoo -test foobar
     (no problem)
 
Now this morning I read the above comment about TOS 1.4 version date.
Why is Atari Canada getting eproms from the states with eproms that
are 10 days older than what Allan says is acceptable? Is the bug
I'm experincing due to zoo? or TOS 1.4 (4/6/89)?
 
- Ant
 
PS. I was so happy yesterday -- it was like Xmas, I did well on my
Japanese mid-term, I received my Word Perfect update and TOS 1.4 on
eprom. Then after midnight I find this annoying tit bit and it is
still 4 days before Halloween!!!
  achowe@tiger.waterloo.edu     | "Life is not fair. Anyone who tells
   _     -|-|_   _              |  you different is trying to sell you
  (_\ |\| | | | (_) |\| \/      |  something." - The Princess Bride
                     ___/       |                        disclaimer...
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 27 Oct 89 00:41:57 GMT
From: mcsun!sunic!tut!hydra!hylka!jalkio@uunet.uu.net  (Jouni Alkio)
Subject: UNIX -- ATW Speed
 
In article <4212@blake.acs.washington.edu>, themod@blake.acs.washington.edu
 (Chris Hinton) writes:
>   This is in response to a request for information on the Atari Transputer
> Workstation (ATW).  There is an article in the November STart.
                        ...
 
>       4 megabytes of RAM, upgradable to 120 meg
>       With all 4 boards, that is 13 transputers, the machine
>        runs at 10 MIP (= 1/5 Cray)
 
I guess this should be at least 100 Mips, because ONE T800 can run at 10
Mips.
 
                                Jouni Alkio
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 26 Oct 89 21:16:32 GMT
From: hpfcso!hpldola!jg@hplabs.hp.com  (Joe Gilray)
Subject: Want BOP
 
I wish to purchase a used, monochrome version of Balance of Power.
 
If anyone wishes to sell please contact me through EMAIL.
 
Thanks!
 
-Joe Gilray (jg@hpldola.hp.com)
 
------------------------------
 
End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #575
*****************************************
