=========================================================================
 
INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Tue, 19 Dec 89       Volume 89 : Issue  832
 
Today's Topics:
                    Chaos Strikes Back (CSB) bugs?
                 GCC times(2) & #define HZ tech query
                  GCR postscript/Ultrascript SLM804
                  GEM question: how to ring a bell?
                    SYQUEST REMOVABLE DRIVES10643
                THINK C's source debugger and Spectre
                          Unexpandable megas
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 19 Dec 89 18:17:00 GMT
From: hp-sdd!apollo!rehrauer@hplabs.hp.com  (Steve Rehrauer)
Subject: Chaos Strikes Back (CSB) bugs?
Message-ID: <4785e824.71d0@apollo.HP.COM>
 
In article <926@crash.cts.com> canada@crash.cts.com (Diane Barlow Close) writes:
>In article <10355@stag.math.lsa.umich.edu> dyer@math.lsa.umich.edu (Jon Brode)
 writes:
>>BTW, is anyone from FTL listening? How do I get in touch with them to
>>send in bug/oddness reports?
>
>While it isn't strictly the same thing, I'm collecting CHAOS bug reports
>and reporting them to FTL (who is here in San Diego).  Why?  My husband was
>one of the play testers and spent many, many hours playing CHAOS and
>tracking down bugs.  We are both interested in seeing the kinds of things
>that play testers miss (perhaps it is due to just using *local* play
>testers, rather than a broader spectrum of people?).  If you want to call
>FTL yourself, report all bugs to ``Debbie'' at (619) 453-5711.  Or write
>FTL c/o Software Heaven, 6160 Lusk Blvd., San Diego ,CA (forgotten the zip,
>sorry).
 
I'm not connected with FTL in anyway; heck, I don't even own Chaos yet.
Just a gentle reminder, for sake of the good people at FTL, to please be
specific as possible.  I know if _I_ were at FTL, one of the following
hypothetical bugs would be ignored (exercise for the reader to guess which):
 
    "I played Chaos for 36 straight hours and then it crashed."
 
    "Thrown weapons don't work properly if you've just used stairs,
     and are still standing on the 'landing' when you throw.  First
     noticed it on the 2nd level, and it is repeatable."
 
(Not trying to insult anyone's intelligence, but I know from experience that
even intelligent people sometimes send in the most incredibly obtuse & useless
descriptions of their software problems.  Better too much verbage than too
little, in this case.)
--
--
>>"Aaiiyeeee!  Death from above!"<< | Steve Rehrauer, rehrauer@apollo.hp.com
   "Flee, lest we be trod upon!"    | The Apollo System Division of H.P.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 19 Dec 89 17:55:15 GMT
From: per2!dag@speedy.wisc.edu  (Daniel A. Glasser)
Subject: GCC times(2) & #define HZ tech query
Message-ID: <887@per2.UUCP>
 
In article <570049@otter.hpl.hp.com>,
        gjh@otter.hpl.hp.com (Graham Higgins) writes:
[edited for brevity]
> The C system call "times(2)" -- my SysV manual states:
> "The times are in units of 1/HZ seconds, where HZ is processor dependent (see
> <sys/param.h>)."
> The sys/param.h from J.Bammi's port of GCC to the ST doesn't have a definition
> for HZ.
> Can anyone provide me with an appropriate value for HZ for an (unaccelerated)
> ST?
 
I cannot tell you for sure about the particular times() function in the
particular library (if I were at home, I could), but the ST's system 'tick'
clock is a 200Hz clock.  Try that value out and see if the results
seem plausible.
 
                                                        Daniel
--
 _____________________________________________________________________________
    Daniel A. Glasser                           One of those things that goes
    uwvax!per2!dag                              "BUMP!!!(ouch)" in the night.
 ---Persoft, Inc.---------465 Science Drive-------Madison, WI 53711-----------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 19 Dec 89 19:59:02 GMT
From:
 zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!caesar.cs.montana.edu!ogicse!blake
 !ramsiri@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu  (Enartloc Nhoj)
Subject: GCR postscript/Ultrascript SLM804
Message-ID: <5102@blake.acs.washington.edu>
 
I was at a friend's the other night and watched him
print out a less than elaborate drawing of a flower
from his MAC IIcx (68030-15.66mhz, 5MB RAM)...
to his Apple Laser II.
It took over 11 minutes.
 
Is it correct to assume that under GCR, running postcript
files to the SLM804/Ultrascript should be multi-fold faster?
 
-kevin
ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu
 
(BTW: the image he printed was a TIFF format.)
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 19 Dec 89 18:53:24 GMT
From: per2!dag@speedy.wisc.edu  (Daniel A. Glasser)
Subject: GEM question: how to ring a bell?
Message-ID: <888@per2.UUCP>
 
In article <0B4A9973765F4011CF@KVI.nl>, STOOP@KVI.NL ("P.Stoop, KVI, Zernikeln
 25, 9747 AA Groningen, NL") writes:
> Can anyone tell me how to ring the bell from within a GEM application?
> From a TOS program it's no sweat, i know: printf("%c", 7); works fine.
> If you try this from a GEM application you just get the symbol for char(7)
> somewhere on you screen. I suppose there shoud be a VDI output function for
> this but my MEGAMAX manual does not list such a function.
 
This is relatively easy so long as you don't care about porting this
program to non-ST/STE/TT platforms.  There is a sound daemon built in to
TOS that allows you to make sounds and continue the normal flow of your
program concurrently.  The function is called Dosound, and is XBIOS function
#32 (decimal).
 
Dosound takes a single parameter which is a pointer to an array of unsigned
bytes.  This array contains commands to the sound daemon which load various
sound chip (and psudo) registers and commands which control looping and
sound output.  It returns a pointer to the current sound list position
(usually NULL) so interrupted sound lists can be restarted (though this
may cause rather odd results -- no sound register contents are preserved)
or so you can detect when the sound has completed.  See your compiler's
documentation for more details.
 
I'd type in an example, but I don't have any real ST documentation
here with me at work.  (I've got a copy of xbios.h from the MWC dist,
so I know the XBIOS function number and number of parameters, but that's
all.)
 
Anyway, using Dosound should work just fine, and allows much more interesting
sounds than just the bell (how 'bout a gun-shot, siren, bomb, or laser rifle?)
I hope this helps.
                                                Daniel A. Glasser
                                                    Trapped in the body of a
                                                    IBM PC programmer.
--
 _____________________________________________________________________________
    Daniel A. Glasser                           One of those things that goes
    uwvax!per2!dag                              "BUMP!!!(ouch)" in the night.
 ---Persoft, Inc.---------465 Science Drive-------Madison, WI 53711-----------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 19 Dec 89 22:34:54 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!mrsvr.UUCP!jupiter.uucp!krieg@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
  (Andrew Krieg)
Subject: SYQUEST REMOVABLE DRIVES10643
Message-ID: <1757@mrsvr.UUCP>
 
Do you have any specs/pricing for these units.  I'm looking for a removable
disk and these sound good!
--
=========================================================================
=       Andrew Krieg                            The Marvel Historian    =
=               G.E. Medical Systems - CT - New Berlin, WI              =
=                    USENET: krieg@jupiter.med.ge.com                   =
=========================================================================
=  "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from store."            =
=  "Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" - The Grinch  =
=========================================================================
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 19 Dec 89 21:20:12 GMT
From: uflorida!beach.cis.ufl.edu!rs0@g.ms.uky.edu  (Bob Slaughter)
Subject: THINK C's source debugger and Spectre
Message-ID: <21543@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>
 
In article <15096@well.UUCP> dsmall@well.UUCP (David Small) writes:
> (Sorry about all the net bandwidth -- there have been many Spectre
>questions.)
 
Wasteage of bandwith like this is just what we need; sure beats
Atari-bashing and other fun events that have cloggin things up around
here lately.
 
>       Hence, don't give up hope.
Hey, we own Atari machines; "eternally hopeful" is our middle name.
 
>       -- thanks, Dave / Gadgets
Anytime, Dave!
 
 
 
--
*     Bob Slaughter                           *  This space for rent       *
*     InterNet#1:  rs0@beach.cis.ufl.edu      *    Call 1-800-FOR-RENT     *
*     InterNet#2:  Haldane@Pine.Circa.Ufl.Edu *   Model Railroading        *
*     Bitnet:      Haldane@UFPine             *          is Fun!!          *
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 19 Dec 89 19:32:09 GMT
From:
 pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!ap
 lcen!haven!uvaarpa!murdoch.acc.virginia.edu!bessel.acc.Virginia.EDU!gl8f@tut.ci
 s.ohio-state.edu  (Greg Lindahl)
Subject: Unexpandable megas
Message-ID: <1989Dec19.193209.14318@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
 
In article <25185@cup.portal.com> Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com writes:
 
!It's always been my understanding of "business" that making one part serve
!several purposes is more economical...  unless you're trying to "force"
!customers into paying your price for your product...
!
!Why would Atari Corp make *TWO* different PC boards, when it would cost them]
!more to do it that way...?
 
Maybe it doesn't cost them more? Do you know anything about manufacturing?
I sure don't. And so I try to avoid showing my ignorance in public by
bashing Atari on topics that I don't know anything about.
 
------
Greg Lindahl
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #832
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