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INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Wed, 31 Jan 90       Volume 90 : Issue  129
 
Today's Topics:
                             FORMDIAL.PRG
                             FTP sites ?
                             pc-ditto II
                           reserving memory
                          Shareware Policy.
              TeX on the ST from Current Notes Magazine
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Date: 30 Jan 90 22:50:53 GMT
From: eagle!ncastellano@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU
Subject: FORMDIAL.PRG
Message-ID: <6157@eagle.wesleyan.edu>
 
What does the program FORMDIAL from the archives do?  The index says it speeds
up dialog boxes, but I got it and unarchived it, and it contains no
documentation, and doesn't seem to affect system performance, and doesn't
display any messages or anything, just exits.  Programs like that make me
nervous.
 
Any info on this would be welcome...if you don't have any experience with it
but know 68000 assembler pretty well, it's only about 500 bytes so it shouldn't
be too hard to disassemble.  I looked at it myself but I don't know 68000
assembler well enough to make anything of it.
 
                Thanks...
                               Nick
 
--
_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_
Mathematics is the subject in which we never know what we are talking about,
nor whether what we are saying is true.  -Bertrand Russell
_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_
Nicholas Steven Castellano     | Box 4127 Wesleyan Station | Disclaimer: I am
ncastellano@eagle.wesleyan.edu | Middletown CT 06457       | irresponsible.
_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_=_-_
 
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Date: 30 Jan 90 23:59:01 GMT
From: mcsun!hp4nl!ruuinf!cs.ruu.nl@uunet.uu.net  (Piet van Oostrum)
Subject: FTP sites ?
Message-ID: <2364@ruuinf.cs.ruu.nl>
 
In article <9001260802.AA27507@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, K298027@CZHRZU1A (Michael
 Mueller) writes:
 `Just two days ago, Joachim Vance gave a list of available anonymous ftp sites.
 `Most of these sites were situated in the US. What about Europe ?
 `
sol.cs.ruu.nl [131.211.80.5] also has a lot of Atari stuff.
--
Piet* van Oostrum, Dept of Computer Science, Utrecht University,
Padualaan 14, P.O. Box 80.089, 3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Telephone: +31-30-531806   Uucp:   uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!ruuinf!piet
Telefax:   +31-30-513791   Internet:  piet@cs.ruu.nl   (*`Pete')
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 31 Jan 90 05:31:28 GMT
From: usenet.ins.cwru.edu!mango!pietrzak@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu  (John Pietrzak)
Subject: pc-ditto II
Message-ID: <1990Jan31.053128.1498@usenet.ins.cwru.edu>
 
I just received my pc-ditto II through the mail today!  The board measures
about 4 3/4 by 7 1/4 inches, and contains an NEC V30 chip and a socket for
an 8087-1 coprocessor.  It connects to the ST by piggybacking on the 68000
with a solderless clip-on attachment (great for hardware klutzes like me).
Unfortunately, when I opened up my mega, I discovered a small "patch chip"
grafted to the top of my 68000.  In the installation manual (which, by the
way, is relatively helpful and thorough in describing the procedure to put
the board in place) does mention this problem, and offers two solutions to
the problem; namely moving the patch out of the way with the help of a few
wires (by your dealer), or purchasing an Expansion Bus Connector to bypass
the problem completely (probably what I will do).
 
The other problem I have had is that the pc-ditto II user manual was not
included in my package (although it was mentioned in the installation manual),
so I don't really know the final specs for this board.  Hopefully, I'll be
able to get this and the bus connector from them in the near future.
 
Just wanted to pass along the good word . . .
 
J P               pietrzak@ces.cwru.edu
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 29 Jan 90 18:42:22 GMT
From: hp-sdd!hplabsy!hpfcso!hpldola!jg@hplabs.hp.com  (Joe Gilray)
Subject: reserving memory
Message-ID: <11830072@hpldola.HP.COM>
 
Thanks to Alex and Derek for their insights, and I agree that malloc()ing
all of the memory is a no-no.  But I'm still a tad confused, let me state
the problem another way:
 
Let's say my application is loaded, wakes up and says, "I wonder how much
memory I can use".  It goes out and does a Malloc(-1L) to find out how
much available memory the OS has.  Then it says, "I want all but 50K".
 
How should the application accomplish this?
 
Ideas:
1) malloc() (or Malloc()) all but 50K of the available memory and manage
   that chunk of memory itself.  I just can't believe this is necessary,
   shouldn't malloc() be able to do this (see #3 below)?
 
2) Malloc(50K) before any call to malloc() then Mfree() that 50K right
   after the call the malloc() to keep 50K always free for the OS.
   Yuck!, but could be workable on a single tasking OS.
 
3) set some switches so that malloc will never take the last 50K of
   memory from the OS.  This seems preferable, but I don't know what
   the switches are for MWC (or any other compiler for that matter).
 
Thanks for any help with this problem.
 
-Joe Gilray
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 30 Jan 90 15:42:30 GMT
From: hpl-opus!hpnmdla!hpsad!randyh@hplabs.hp.com  (Randy Hosler)
Subject: Shareware Policy.
Message-ID: <750046@hpsad.HP.COM>
 
>/ hpsad:comp.sys.atari.st / davidli@umn-cs.cs.umn.edu (David Paschall-Zimbel) /
  7:43 am  Jan 29, 1990 /
 
>I _do_ have several shareware programs under consideration.  However, the
>shareware programmer/author should be aware that the time between download
>and evaluation may be _months_ or _years_ rather than weeks.  For instance,
>the two main programs I'm considering at this time are Opus 2.2 (I've used a
>spreadsheet on the average of once per year for the past 3 or 4 years ... and
>it's been on a minicomputer at work), and a GDOS-based documentation program
                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>whose name escapes me at the moment, but it is supposed to print 5 1/2 x 8 1/2"
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>pages sideways.  The latter will probably get used once or twice within the
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>next month to see whether such documentation printing is worth the time and
>effort as opposed to just printing out ASCII text.
 
  Could you tell me where I can find this program or post it or mail it to me?
 
>-- David Paschall-Zimbel
 
  ------
  Thanks, Randy Hosler                       randyh@hpsadpk
                                   ...!hplabs!hpsad!hpsadpk!randyh
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 30 Jan 90 23:12:20 GMT
From: hp-pcd!hplabsy!hpl-opus!hpnmdla!hpsad!bobw@hplabs.hp.com  (Bob
 Waltenspiel)
Subject: TeX on the ST from Current Notes Magazine
Message-ID: <750047@hpsad.HP.COM>
 
>Current Notes Magazine for December 1989 has an excellent article on
>TeX for the ST.  They also have five discs in their library that
>represent the distribution kit including LaTeX, MetaFont, SliTeX,
>PicTex, and (I think) BibTeX.  The discs come with documentation and
>examples for their use.
?
>Horace Mitchell, the author of the piece, did an outstanding job of
>putting all of this together and providing extra documentation.
?
----------
I'd like to confirm this message.  I called CN and requested the discs.
Received them in about 5 days.
 
The instructions on the disc are very clear and spell out exactly how
to set the system up.  The files on these discs seem to be the same
ones I was having trouble with just a couple of weeks ago.  The author
*HAS* done an outstanding job with the additional documentation.
 
Thanks to John Barnes for the pointer and to Horace Mitchell for putting
the package together.
 
-Bob
 
 ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
| Bob Waltenspiel                   | e-mail: bobw@hpsad (hplabs!hpsad!..)    |
| ATE Software Team                 | Telnet: 794-3091                        |
| HP Signal Analysis Division       | AT&T: (707) 794-3091                    |
| 1212 Valley House Dr.             | HPDesk: Bob WALTENSPIEL/HP5300/A0       |
| Rohnert Park, CA 94928-4999       | HP Mailstop: 1UR-M                      |
 ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
 
This goes along with another belief of mine: that everyone else my age
is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise.
 
                                        Margaret Atwood
                                        "Cat's Eye"
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V90 Issue #129
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