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INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Wed,  9 May 90       Volume 90 : Issue  526
 
Today's Topics:
                        GEM Docs or tutorials
               poolfix3, poolfix4; naming conventions.
                Problems with drive light.... (2 msgs)
                     Splitting comp.sys.atari.st
                           ST Penpals list
                  Tim Oren's Professional Gem course
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Date: Wed, 09 May 90 12:07:20
From: "Simon Chappell" <S61304%PRIME-A.POLY-SOUTH-WEST.AC.UK@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: GEM Docs or tutorials
 
Does anyone have any recomendations for documentation about GEM
programming? I have the Abacus Internals book for the BIOS, XBIOS and GEMDOS
stuff (3rd Ed) and the Abacus GEM Reference, but the GEM reference is just
that, a reference and nothing more, I want some help starting!
 
I have heard that there is something called the GEM professional programmers
series available in the public domain, is this true? Where can I get it?
[I have no access to Terminator :-( ]
 
All suggestions are welcomed.
 
Regards,
 
Simon.
 
 
| Simon Chappell,  B.Sc(Hons) Computing and Informatics (Final Year)
| 51 Amherst Road, Penny-Come-Quick, Plymouth, Devon, PL3 4HJ, UK.
| JANET: s61304@uk.ac.psw.pa   (Until the end of June 1990)
|
| Holder of the ST Penpals list. Join now and beat the Christmas rush!!
|
| "The box said nothing, only this time louder!" - Terry Pratchett
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 9 May 90 04:29:12 GMT
From:
 zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!haven!wam!dmb@tut.cis.
 ohio-state.edu  (David M. Baggett)
Subject: poolfix3, poolfix4; naming conventions.
Message-ID: <1990May9.042912.22032@wam.umd.edu>
 
grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Graham Thomas) writes:
>Claus Brod has made some good points in a very reasonable way.  If his
>pool fixing program does what he says it does, and doesn't hurt anything
>else, then I can see no reason why it should not be distributed.  Why
>not let Allan Pratt add his comments (and maybe even POOLFIX3) and let
>users decide which version they want to use?
 
The problem was not with the program itself, but with the author's
attitude.  Allan Pratt may not be perfect, but then again if you've
every released software to the world you know that getting everything
absolutely right the first time isn't likely no matter how careful you are.
 
The original poolfix4 posting was one of the most pompous and obnoxious
messages I've ever seen in this newsgroup.  There was more of an
"I'm a better hacker, Nyyaah!" feeling there than an "I'm trying to help
out" attitude.  If I'd been Allan I would have been annoyed too.
 
My AUTO folder has poolfix3.prg in it.
 
Dave Baggett
dmb@wam.umd.edu
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 9 May 90 02:15:05 GMT
From:
 pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!ohstpy!miavx1!tmwhitehead@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Problems with drive light....
Message-ID: <1377.264736da@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu>
 
I've been noticing a problem with the disk drive on my 1040 ST.
 
When it's been on for a little while, the drive light comes on, and stays on.
 
I dont hear a spinning, the light just comes on.  If I access the drive, the
light will go off when it is done, and sometimes it comes back on, other times
it doesn't.  The drive has had problems recognizing a media change for a long
time now, but I usually just change the right protect status of the disk, and
it reads teh new disk.
 
One other thing, when I boot, after it loads all of the auto programs, the
desktop appears, but it remains white for a few seconds before it turns green.
This didn't use to happen before.  It used to go to green right away.
 
Auto programs:
AHDI            PLAY
BEEP            SKULL
CLICK           STARTGEM   (RUNNING NEODESK)
FATSPEED        SUPERBT
FOLDR100        UISII
OATBRAN         VACCINE
WATCHER
 
Accessories:
MOUSEKA
NEOQUEUE
TURBOST
CALLUIS
 
Any suggestions would be appreciated....
Thanx!
--
               ____
                /  _   _/  _/        Todd Whitehead
               / /_/ /_/ /_/        Miami University
                                      Oxford, Ohio
             If it looks like I said it, I probably did...
_____________________________________________________________________________
          I'm graduating in May as a Systems Analysis Major!
                        Anybody wanna hire me?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 9 May 90 04:14:43 GMT
From:
 usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!haven!wam!dmb@ucsd
 .edu  (David M. Baggett)
Subject: Problems with drive light....
Message-ID: <1990May9.041443.21862@wam.umd.edu>
 
In article <1377.264736da@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu>
 tmwhitehead@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu writes:
>I've been noticing a problem with the disk drive on my 1040 ST.
>
>When it's been on for a little while, the drive light comes on, and stays on.
 
I admit it; it's my fault!
 
The drive light problem is caused by either click.prg, beep.prg, or both.
(Probably both.)  It's completely harmless, but I admit it's somewhat
disturbing.
 
Good news, though:  I think I've fixed the problem.  I'm going to test the
new versions of the programs for a few days, then post them to terminator
again.
 
>One other thing, when I boot, after it loads all of the auto programs, the
>desktop appears, but it remains white for a few seconds before it turns green.
>This didn't use to happen before.  It used to go to green right away.
 
Are you running digivec also?  Digivec waits a couple seconds after GEM
loads to install its vectors.  This could be some bizarre side effect.
(I doubt it, though.)
 
Also, wait version of TOS are you running?
 
(Please reply via email.)
 
Dave Baggett
dmb@wam.umd.edu
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Wed, 09 May 90 12:01:56
From: "Simon Chappell" <S61304%PRIME-A.POLY-SOUTH-WEST.AC.UK@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Splitting comp.sys.atari.st
 
On the subject of the proposed split of the comp.sys.atari.st newsgroup
I vote against!
 
Whilst I can see the points made by Mr Baggett I think that there is more
to be gained from pulling the troublemakers into line, than by casting off
from them! We need everyone we can get in this world, we ST owners are
not so numerous that we can ignore half of our retinue! Besides, how do
you define an expert? I am expert at some things, yet at others I am so
embarrisingly inept that they wont let me near their computer! So, am I
an expert or clutz??
 
I have learnt so much from reading this newsgroup for the last two years
that possibly I will never feel that I have repaid the debt! This is part
of the reason that I started the ST Penpals List! (Had to mention that :-)
I think that reading the words of the wise has done me good, and as for the
many flame wars, well, even though they were a bit hostile at times, it
should be remembered that most of the topics covered were valid, even
if their presentation lacked that certain something!
 
I think that we should make a concerted effort to bring the bad guys into line
before we lock ourselves in a little world where only experts can come in!
This is not the way forard. I feel that the new monthly posting of the
"Welcome to c.s.a.s" should help greatly, from what I have seen in the first
issue, it covers very important topics (Bomd errors etc) of technical
interest, but also the equally important topic of net manners. We all have
to live along side each other in this big wide world, so the sooner we
learn how, the better! When I was a little sproglet, I used to go around
bashing anyone who didn't have the same computer/cpu/anything else as me,
looking back I realise that this made me a fool rather than a wise man!
Everyone should grow up eventually, and it is our job to help them.
 
There, I think that I have wandered around the point that I was trying to make
and possibly even arrived at what I meant to say! Sorry about the length
though, oh well, at least it isn't pages of quotes, like some messages
I can think of!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Regards,
 
Simon.
 
 
| Simon Chappell,  B.Sc(Hons) Computing and Informatics (Final Year)
| 51 Amherst Road, Penny-Come-Quick, Plymouth, Devon, PL3 4HJ, UK.
| JANET: s61304@uk.ac.psw.pa   (Until the end of June 1990)
|
| Holder of the ST Penpals list. Join now and beat the Christmas rush!!
|
| "The box said nothing, only this time louder!" - Terry Pratchett
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Wed, 09 May 90 11:38:55
From: "Simon Chappell" <S61304%PRIME-A.POLY-SOUTH-WEST.AC.UK@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: ST Penpals list
 
ST Penpals List
 
For those of you who have not heard, there is now a Snail mail list of
ST enthusiasts available. This list is especially useful for those of
us who have, or or soon will have, *NO* Email access (Final year students).
To join the list all you need to do is send me your full name, Snail mail
contact address, a list of your areas of interest and optionally upto
five lines by 70 characters of free form text about yourself or any other
topic you wish. To join or find out more contact me at the address below
(use Snail mail or Email) and I will get back to you. This is a worthwhile
cause and it's in your interests to join (I get nothing out of this) and it's
free! No information passed to me is sold to commercial organisations!
 
 
| Simon Chappell,  B.Sc(Hons) Computing and Informatics (Final Year)
| 51 Amherst Road, Penny-Come-Quick, Plymouth, Devon, PL3 4HJ, UK.
| JANET: s61304@uk.ac.psw.pa   (Until the end of June 1990)
|
| Holder of the ST Penpals list. Join now and beat the Christmas rush!!
|
| "The box said nothing, only this time louder!" - Terry Pratchett
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 8 May 90 17:25:00 GMT
From:
 zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!uxa.cso.uiu
 c.edu!gwg33762@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Tim Oren's Professional Gem course
Message-ID: <46300094@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu>
 
The first 10 lessons of the Professional Gem course are available, archived,
from terminator.cc.umich.edu.  They are in the atari/programming directory
and the archive is called PROGEM.ARC (I think that is it. -- They're there...)
 
Garret Gengler
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V90 Issue #526
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