=========================================================================
 
INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Sun, 25 Feb 90       Volume 90 : Issue  257
 
Today's Topics:
                  Cartridge Port Information Request
                         Directory Limits??!!
                         Hard drive question
                      I need a Terminal Emulator
                                RateHD
                STE documentation - why it was posted
                       Terminal desk accessory
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 23 Feb 90 05:42:38 GMT
From:
 zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!kuhub.cc.ukans.edu!whitten@tut.cis.ohio-sta
 te.edu
Subject: Cartridge Port Information Request
Message-ID: <22345.25e478ee@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu>
 
I know this is old ground, so I'll make it short--
Can someone mail me the list of companies or company that sells
prototype boards for the ST cartridge port?
 
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
   Michael C. Whittenburg              Operations, The University of Kansas
                                             Academic Computing Center
   WHITTEN@KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU
   MWHITTENBURG@VOLTA.ECE.UKANS.EDU           WHITTEN@UKANVAX.bitnet
   MWHITTENBURG%ECE@KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU        OP55@UKANVM.bitnet
   Standard Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are mine...
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 24 Feb 90 08:50:42 GMT
From:
 snorkelwacker!mintaka!ogicse!emory!hubcap!ncrcae!usceast!uscacm!Ron.Hollins@tut
 .cis.ohio-state.edu  (Ron Hollins)
Subject: Directory Limits??!!
Message-ID: <276.25E65B7C@uscacm.UUCP>
 
 Question:  Is there a limit to the total number of files that a
double-sided floppy disk can contain. (I'm NOT refering to the 40
folder limit). I suspect that the 'FAT' must have a ceiling to it.
If someone does know this 'magic' number , might you also suggest a
technique to trap for this disk 'error'.  I'm using GFA 3.07
                     Thanks,
                                Ron,
 
 
 
--
--
Ron Hollins == ...!usceast!uscacm!Ron.Hollins
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 24 Feb 90 08:12:03 GMT
From: cca.ucsf.edu!wet!logic@cgl.ucsf.edu  (Henry Kwan)
Subject: Hard drive question
Message-ID: <979@wet.UUCP>
 
In article <26812@cup.portal.com> buggs@cup.portal.com (William Edward JuneJr)
 writes:
>Just got the big tax refund, yey!
>Now I'm lookin' for the BIGGEST *AND* FASTEST __half height__ HD mech.
>I'd like it to be either RLL or SCSI!
>Also who'd have the best price *8~)
>
>Ed <not askin' TOO much, am I?> June
 
Easy.  Ask for the Imprimis 94241-502.  It's a Wren VI class half height
mechanism.  Average seek time of 15 ms and should format on the ST to
something like ?425 MB.  Transfer rate is something like 14-22 Mbit/sec.
There is a pared-down version which formats to ?300MB but has a transfer
rate of 18-22 Mbit/sec.  It's an imbedded SCSI mechanism.  These puppies
just absolutely scream.  I have the Wren V half height on my ST and it
cranks 975 K/sec and 18 ms under RATEHD.  The Wren VI's are faster.  Much
faster.  Whew!
 
(Sorry for the inexactness.  I don't have the spec sheets handy and I don't
remember them exactly offhand.)
 
By the way, getting a big tax refund is a bad idea.  Ideally, you should pay
Uncle Sam at tax time.  No so much that you have to pay additional interest,
of course.
 
--
Henry Kwan                |  AppleLink: D0690
FWB, Inc.                 |  CompuServe: 71320,1034
2040 Polk St.  Ste 215    |  Internet: claris!wet!logic@ames.arc.nasa.gov
San Francisco, CA  94109  |  UUCP: ?claris,hoptoad,lamc,ucsfcca?!wet!logic
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 24 Feb 90 23:48:42 GMT
From: cs.columbia.edu!cunixf!cunixb.cc.columbia.edu!rt2@columbia.edu  (Rens
 Troost)
Subject: I need a Terminal Emulator
Message-ID: <1990Feb24.234842.25574@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
 
Can anybody help me? I need a vt-100 emulator for my 520ST, public domain if
possible. I am languishing away! Please reply via net mail
 
Thank you!
 
Rens Troost
Department of Philosophy
Columbia University
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 90 15:11:31 GMT
From: Chris Ridd <RiddCJ%computer-science.birmingham.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk>
Subject: RateHD
Message-ID: <9002251511.aa04527@benjamin.Cs.Bham.AC.UK>
 
Michael Fischer wrote:
>In article <900223121113.363135@DMZRZU71-UNI-MAINZ--GERMANY>
> Ritzert@DMZRZU71.BITNET writes:
>>Chris Ridd wrote:
>>
>>>I tried the RateHD a day or so ago
>>>...
>>>time was only about 36ms!  Has DLII (the defragger used) done something
>>>unexpected to my drive, or has RateHD gone doolally?
>>
>>RateHD is buggy. The results for the access time can be considered only
>>a *rough* estimate. I found out that there is even a dependence on the
>>partition size.
>>
>Access time is seek time plus rotational delay.  I don't know exactly
>what RadtHD is measuring, but the larger the partition, the further the
>head has to move to get from one end of the partition to the other, so
>it only stands to reason that the average access time should increase.
>This is hardly a reason to call a program buggy.
 
  I believe RateHD reads from sector 0 to sector 30000, and it assumes a
16 meg partition. (That probably makes it 32768 sectors).  It kind of steps
from the beginning to the end, several times and then estimates the access
time.  I'd imagine this would be sensitive to the number of heads and the
sizes of the platters.
 
  So why should the 'access time' vary if TOS's sectors are rearranged?
 
-- Chris Ridd, Computer Science, Birmingham Uni, UK -- RiddCJ@Cs.Bham.Ac.Uk --
 
"'It's going to look pretty good, then, isn't it,' said War testily, 'the One
Horseman and Three Pedestrians of the Apocralypse.'" - Sourcery
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 90  17:30 GMT
From: Vision Newspapers <SOCS18%vaxb.york.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk>
Subject: STE documentation - why it was posted
 
This article is primarily in reply to Allan Pratt's posting questioning the
reasoning behind my posting of the STE DMA sound information. Since Allan
posted his complaint to the net, I'm going to post my reply similarly.
 
Allan, I realise that you're not "The Villan Of Atari US", and I would like to
give my reasons for the posting.
 
1) My STE documentation was obtained from Atari UK. However, I am not a
developer - I just write for a computer magazine. I am also not the only UK
computer journalist with a copy of the documentation. But what did Atari UK
think computer journalists were going to do with the it? Lock it away in a safe?
 
2) The amount of mail I received requesting that I posted the info to this
group clearly indicates that this information is _NOT_ of limited interest to
anyone. One of the biggest problems with writing software for the ST is the
lack of correct technical information available to non-developers (i.e. the guy
who is fairly serious about programming his ST, and wants the facts, but who
doesn't want everything else you get when you pay to be a registered developer)
I would imagine that my column in ST World would not run to six pages every
issue if such information was available.
 
3) I agree that simply keying in Atari documentation and posting it is bad (and
also a breach of copyright). Although what was posted is fairly close to the
original Atari text, it is not the same. The wording is mine.
 
4) Since the wording is mine, I will carry the can for any mistakes or
omissions.
 
 
As you might guess, I'm not convinced that posting programming information on
the STE is wrong. I still intend to post some information on display hardware
soon.
 
Regards,
 
Mathew Lodge
***********************************************************************
* c/o Dept. Computer Science    * "Baldrick, fetch me a turkey _so    *
* University of York            * big_, you'd have thought its mother *
* Heslington                    * had been rodgered by an Omnibus"    *
* York, UK                      *                                     *
* YO1 5DD                       * JANET : SOCS18@uk.ac.york.vaxa      *
***********************************************************************
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 25 Feb 90 07:12:48 GMT
From: ubc-cs!alberta!ccu!bright@beaver.cs.washington.edu  (Bob Bright)
Subject: Terminal desk accessory
Message-ID: <1990Feb25.071248.20091@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
 
In article <25E74384.25975@paris.ics.uci.edu> wngai@paris.ics.uci.edu (Wayne
 Ngai) writes:
>Does anyone knows of any good terminal DESK ACCESSORY (like the one come with
>the atari system disk)???
 
Try STalker.  VT52/ansi emulation, ascii and x/ymodem up/downloads,
great autodialer, a host of nice features, and it works perfectly in
the background with your favorite GEM application.  I haven't used
anything but for ages.  STalker is distributed by:
  Strata Software
  94 Rowe Drive
  Kanata, Ontario
  K2L 3Y9  (613) 591-1922
I think it sells for about $35.  BBB
--
Bob Bright <bright@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
Dept. of Philosophy
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Man  R3T 2N2  (204) 474-9680
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V90 Issue #257
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