INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Mon,  6 Nov 89       Volume 89 : Issue 610
 
Today's Topics:
                               1STW2PS
                       GEMDOS extended arg spec
                             Help for cms
                 Memory upgrade affects performance?
                       New Mega STs and TOS 1.4
                        Seed Fills on the ST!!
                 Spectre-GEM partition file transfers
                             Spectre GCR
                   Still blitter errors in TOS 1.4
                          terminator archive
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: Mon, 6 Nov 89 11:00:46 GMT
From: a_kowald%NIMR.MRC.AC.UK@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU (Axel Kowald)
Subject: 1STW2PS
 
Recently Jean-Francois Germond asked for a simple drawing program which
produces Postscript output.
On the panarthea file server there is a program which does some very helpful.
It converts a .gem file from EasyDraw2 into postscript, and the results are
realy very impressive.
The program is called 'Gem2ps' and is in volume6 of this server.
I hope this is of any help.
                Axel
 
a_kowald@uk.ac.mrc.nimr
 
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Mon,  6 NOV 89 14:01:34 GMT
From: MALCOLM%tower-vax.city-poly.ac.uk@NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK
Subject: GEMDOS extended arg spec
 
Hmmm.  Seems to me like a non-conforming child might have problems with this
spec if the circumstances are right (i.e. wrong).  Example:
 
Suppose I Pexec a child and want to pass an argv[1] of "PATH=bletch"
(don't ask why!); suppose further that the *real* environment doesn't contain
a PATH variable.  Now the child starts up with an environment something like:
 
REAL_ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLE=anything
ARGV=
c:\bin\foo.prg
PATH=bletch
 
If the child's startup code knows nothing of extended args and doesn't clobber
ARGV, then any subsequent getenv("PATH") will get the value of something which
was never intended to be an environment variable.  PATH is just an example, of
course: it would happen with anything.
 
The xarg standard didn't have this problem, if I remember rightly, since the
extended args were in the parent's address space rather than in the child's
environment.  But that's probably undesirable - the child ought to leave the
parent's space alone.  But what's wrong with something like this?:
 
REAL_ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLE=anything
ARGV=
ARGV0=c:\bin\foo.prg
ARGV1=PATH=bletch
ARGV2=etc
 
Yes, I know what's wrong with it:  it's yet *another* standard, when the MWC
one is tried and tested, and if startup code has to deal with all the
standards then we'll all need Megas (hey, wait a minute :-).  Just felt like
being pedantic, that's all.
 
Now, a small gripe (more a flicker than a flame).
silver!jkain@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu complained about some German from David
Megginson:
 
> Well isn't *this* a fine how-do-you-do?  Even if we live in the U.S.
> perhaps we would like to know what you're saying.
 
Writing queries to non-English readers (not including Americans ;-) in their
own language is a nice touch I suppose, but maybe a bit unnecessary since if
they didn't read English they wouldn't be reading this list.  BUT (a big but):
I'd *far* rather struggle through some simple German than the megabytes of
why-Atari-are-jerks/why-Commodore-are-better drivel that we see every day here
and which I've been seeing for *years*.  90% of this stuff says nothing new,
so what purpose does it serve?  It certainly doesn't gee-up Atari: they've
heard it all, they *know* there are p*ssed-off users out here.  Yeah, I know
I'm wasting my breath...
 
Malcolm Ray
City of London Polytechnic Computer Service
 
JANET:          malcolm@uk.ac.clp.tvax
EARN/BitNet:    malcolm@tvax.clp.ac.uk
Internet:       malcolm%tvax.clp.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Mon, 06 Nov 89 14:43:04 MEZ
From: Harald Feldkamp <UNC438%DBNRHRZ1.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Help for cms
 
Hallo,
I Have some problems to UUDECODE and ARC PD-Software from Fileservers like
Parnathea.
I am working with an IBM3081 under vm/CMS and a IBM Modell 30 as terminal and
3081 terminal emulation.
Is there a program under cms to uudecode and arc software ?
For any help I would be glad.
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harald Feldkamp           Earn/Bitnet: UNC438 at DBNRHRZ1
Anorg. Chem. Institut
Uni Bonn
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 6 Nov 89 10:10:41 GMT
From: mcsun!unido!gmdzi!focke@uunet.uu.net  (Stefan Focke)
Subject: Memory upgrade affects performance?
 
In article <1184@cbnewsi.ATT.COM>, dmk@cbnewsi.ATT.COM  writes:
>
> I just upgraded my 1985 vintage 520ST to 2.5 Meg of
> memory and I've noted some system performance differences
> that make me wonder if I've done the upgrade correctly.
>
> The thing I don't understand is that the computer takes at least
> 4 times as long to boot (possibly longer).
>
> dan
 
 
I think I've read some time ago, that they have solved this problem
with the Blitter-TOS.
 
If you have an older version, you can put the program NULLFILL in
your AUTO-folder witch also makes loading a program faster.
 
Stefan Focke   (focke@gmdzi.UUCP)
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 6 Nov 89 10:16:59 GMT
From: mcsun!unido!gmdzi!focke@uunet.uu.net  (Stefan Focke)
Subject: New Mega STs and TOS 1.4
 
I have heard, that in Germany also in future new Mega STs will be delivered
with the old Blitter TOS, not with TOS 1.4.
 
Is this the same in the rest of the world?
 
Does anyone know a good reason, why Atari sells new hardware with a faulty
TOS if they have a better one.
 
Stefan Focke    (focke@gmdzi.UUCP)
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Mon, 6 Nov 89 13:06:40 GMT
From: n-waters%NIMR.MRC.AC.UK@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU (Nick Waterson)
Subject: Seed Fills on the ST!!
 
        Hi out there,
                Recently I have been trying to find a way of determing the area of irregular
 shapes. The method I was going to employ was a fill routine, the   number of
 pixels in the fill being converted to an area. So the question is ....
Is it possible to return the number of pixels 'filled' from the atari ROM seed
 fill routine, if so how, and if not does anyone have a suitable routine?
 
 
                                                 Thanks,
____________________________________________________________________________
  Nick Waterson                  JANET:            n-waterson@uk.ac.mrc.nimr
  Limb Development group          UUCP:
  Nat. Inst. Medical Research     DARPA:n-waterson%mrc.nimr@nss.cs.ucl.ac.uk
  The Ridgeway
  Mill Hill
  LONDON NW7 1AA                   Tel:                        01-959 3666
  U.K.                                                           ext. 2366
____________________________________________________________________________
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Mon, 06 Nov 1989 09:15 EST
From: Greg Csullog <01659%AECLCR.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Spectre-GEM partition file transfers
 
My true commercial copy of Spectre GCR arrived today (up to now I had
a gamma test version) and I have not had a chance to check out Transverter
yet. I agree with the netter who asked Transverter to support HFS transfers.
What would be even better would be for someone to write a Mac code that
would access the GEM partitions (most Macs come with DOS disk capability now)
to allow direct read/write to GEM partitions while in Mac mode. Any whiz kid
wanna pick up the challenge on this one?
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 5 Nov 89 09:21:55 GMT
From:
 att!occrsh!uokmax!metnet!p0.f30.n147.z1.FIDONET.ORG!Fred.Mah@ucbvax.Berkeley.ED
U  (Fred Mah)
Subject: Spectre GCR
 
To answer your question about Mac and Atari/Spectre GCR disk
compatability I would have the following to say: Using Spectre GCR, the
Atari will read SS/DD and DS/DD Mac disks but not high density so if
you only put the info on double density disks there should be no
problem.
 
3
 
 
 
--
Fred Mah - via FidoNet node 1:147/10
UUCP: ...!att!occrsh!uokmax!metnet!30.0!Fred.Mah
INTERNET: Fred.Mah@p0.f30.n147.z1.FIDONET.ORG
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 6 Nov 89 10:22:12 GMT
From: mcsun!unido!gmdzi!focke@uunet.uu.net  (Stefan Focke)
Subject: Still blitter errors in TOS 1.4
 
I am a new owner of a Mega ST. Some time ago I read something about
problems with Blitter-TOS and the Blitter. There is a program GOODBLIT
(prehaps the name is not correct), witch does anything like preventing
system crashes (I do not know the exact problem).
 
Is this program also neccesary with TOS 1.4?
 
Thank you
 
Stefan Focke    (focke@gmdzi.UUCP)
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Mon, 6 Nov 89 12:55:43 GMT
From: n-waters%NIMR.MRC.AC.UK@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU (Nick Waterson)
Subject: terminator archive
 
Paul at Glasgow,
        In answer to your question YES it is possible to reach terminator from
the UK. It is also possible to get to Panarthea which is another archiver. The
 addresses are below:
 
 1) atari@terminator.cc.umich.edu.
 2) archive-server%panarthea.ebay@sun.com.
 
        I would also be glad to hear of any other ST archivers or Lists .
 
                                                 Thanks,
____________________________________________________________________________
  Nick Waterson                  JANET:            n-waterson@uk.ac.mrc.nimr
  Limb Development group          UUCP:
  Nat. Inst. Medical Research     DARPA:n-waterson%mrc.nimr@nss.cs.ucl.ac.uk
  The Ridgeway
  Mill Hill
  LONDON NW7 1AA                   Tel:                        01-959 3666
  U.K.                                                           ext. 2366
____________________________________________________________________________
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Mon,  6 NOV 89 13:20:43
From: WOODALLP%VAX1.COMPUTER-CENTRE.BIRMINGHAM.AC.UK@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
 
******FOR SALE IN U.K*******
 
Hyper-Paint & Flair Paint Both Brand new 12 quid each.
 
Easy Tools  (1 meg and EZD II required)  15 Quid
 
The Pawn and Psion Chess  6 Quid each
 
PP Font Disk (Chancery, Chicago, Bookman) 5 quid
 
Pro Midi 5 quid
 
Quantum Paint 1.05 (oldish version) 5 quid
 
Genesis Molecular Modeller  20 quid
 
Cyber Studio (As New, binder etc) 35 quid
 
Sorry to non UK RESIDENTS ABOUT WASTING YOUR TIME.
 
Reply to Philip Woodall   WOODALLP@UK.AC.BHAM.VAX1
 
OR
         1 Yarner Close
         Dudley
         West Midlands
         DY1 2UR
 
Phone Day: 021-414-4308 (Superconductor Lab- ask for Philip)
    Night: 0384-241461
 
------------------------------
 
End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #610
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