=========================================================================
 
INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Sat,  3 Feb 90       Volume 90 : Issue  149
 
Today's Topics:
                         A Better GIF Viewer?
                         Emulators, et al...
                      Facts, not only talking a
                             FORMDIAL.PRG
                         HELP: ICD HDUTIL.PRG
                             PC-DITTO II
                            Stacy's Power
                        STe, I really want one
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 3 Feb 90 04:09:55 GMT
From:
 jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!neat.cs.toronto.edu!omicron.cs.fsu.edu!fsucs.cs.fsu.edu
 !boyd@rutgers.edu  (Mickey Boyd)
Subject: A Better GIF Viewer?
Message-ID: <9002030411.AA01765@fsucs.cs.fsu.edu>
 
In article <7814@chaph.usc.edu>, jjung@nunki.usc.edu (John Jung) writes:
>
>  I've recently become interested in GIF pictures. But the problem I have is
>that all the GIF viewers I've seen are limited to only showing images as big as
>the screen allows. If the GIF picture is in any way bigger than the screen
>size, then the whole picutre gets squished one way or another.
>
>  So, all I want to know is : Is there a GIF viewer for the ST's that will
>_not_ condense the picture down if it's bigger than the screen size? (I imagine
>such a thing would use either a window system or the arrow keys to allow the
>user to scroll through the whole picutre without loss of resolution.)
>
>  Post or E-mail any responses you have. (If I get no replies, I guess I'll
>just have to wait for the STe or the TT to come out in the U.S., maybe they'll
>be able to handle GIF pictures better!  :-)
>
>  Thanks in advance.
>
>                                               John
 
Digispec, a desktop accessory included with the Computer Eyes Digitizer (I
think) will give you the option to view the top, center, or middle.  You can
also adjust colors and grey-scale values, and reevaluate the picture with the
new colors/intensities.  It will also allow you to save the pics in Spectrum
format.  Only problem is that I do not think it is available by itself (I am
not sure on this one).
--
 
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
         Mickey Boyd                 |    "Nobody can be exactly like me.
                                     |      Even I have trouble doing it."
             FSU Comp Sci            |              - Tallulah Bankhead
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 01 FEB 90 14:53:46 CST
From: Z4648252 <Z4648252%SFAUSTIN.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
Subject: Emulators, et al...
Message-ID: <900201.14534518.019609@SFA.CP6>
 
 Tom Bellucco writes:
 
"Let's compare apples to apples here...it makes sense to want 3 seperarte
items that perform their tasks perfectly than 1 item that performs 3 seperate
tasks half-ass."
 
    This is in reference to running emulators on an ST.  In my biased
opinion, it depends on the quality of the emulator.  I'm running Spectre
GCR, the Macintosh emulator on a monochrome monitor and the end result
is a faster 3.7 megged Mac Plus.  I run PageMaker, FullWrite, and am
typing this letter via my RedRyder 10.3 terminal program for the Mac.  As
far as all end results are concerned, my ST is a Mac while in GCR mode.
The only 'half-ass' job is in the fact that the emulator is lousy at
copy protected games which I could postively care less about.  I use the
ST side for games, if need be.  David Small has so extended my ST that
I have two computers on my desk.
    Extension of the computer is what emulation is all about.  We are
fortunate that Spectre GCR is so solid that the extension actually turns
the computer into another system.  Tom's statement is just not correct
as far as the GCR is concerned.
    Indeed, I have FEWER CRASHES which using the GCR than I do while in
native host ST mode.  by crashes, I mean the cute little cherry bombs and
this is with TOS 1.4, which has made my ST even more solid that it
originally was.
 
"Look at the list of software that wouldn't run on the Megas!"
 
    WHAT LIST?????  I've had a Mega2 ST since December of 1987 and I've
yet to run across any problems.  Are there problems with games, where
is the difficulty?  Someone tell me so that I can convince the software
that I use that it is not supposed to run.  Typical software that I
use daily is Flash 1.61, WordPerfect, Dungeon Master, Blood Money, Xenon II,
HotWire, Falcon, Populas, and all the popular utilities from the CodeHeads
and DoubleClick.  I've lots more but these are the ones which come to
mind.  Also note that I've been collecting ST software since summer of 1985
and haven't discarded anything yet.  I do know that Arkanoid used to not
work, or something like that.  I never had it anyway.  Oh well...
    Speaking of incompatibilities...
    Since upgrading to TOS 1.4, I have noticed that Captain Blood stopped
working on me.  Everything else seems clean to me.  Anyone know anything?
    Regarding emulation again...  it is a concept allowing extension of
the host machine.  We are fortunate in that we have such good emulators
that they seem to replace the host, the ST.
 
Larry Rymal:  |East Texas Atari 68NNNers| <Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET>
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 3 Feb 90 02:13:16 GMT
From:
 cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!jhunix!rick@tut.cis.ohio-s
 tate.edu  (Eric Ruck)
Subject: Facts, not only talking a
Message-ID: <4125@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>
 
In article <90020121141238@masnet.uucp> ron.sharp@canremote.uucp (RON SHARP)
 writes:
>So.  If Atari has been improving its deal for developers, why haven't
>they been telling anyone about it?
 
Haven't you heard?  They're not allowed to tell!
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 3 Feb 90 07:04:18 GMT
From: obryan@gumby.wisc.edu  (Mark O'Bryan)
Subject: FORMDIAL.PRG
Message-ID: <1990Feb3.070418.13493@gumby.cc.wmich.edu>
 
In article <6157@eagle.wesleyan.edu> ncastellano@eagle.wesleyan.edu writes:
>
> 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.
 
I agree that the documentation for FormDial is minimal, or non-existent.
Which is unfortunate, since it's an interesting idea.  What it does is to
speed up screen redraws (make them instaneously, actually) after you CLOSE
a dialog box.  It does this by reserving a 32 kB chunk of memory (and you
thought it took only 500 bytes!), where it saves a portion of the screen
during a formdial (reserve, ...) call which preceeds a dialog box draw.
Then it intercepts the formdial (free,...) call and blits the image back
when the dialog exits, avoiding the redraw.
 
The reason it displays no messages is that it's intended to be run from the
AUTO folder.  If you don't know that, I can see why you'd be nervous.  Ac-
tually, you should be nervous of *any* program of doubtful parentage, with
no documentation!
 
If your dialogs commonly cover fairly small, or simple areas, you may not
notice the speedup very much.  If they tend to cover very large, or complex
areas that takes lots of time to redraw, you will notice it.  But you might
not attribute it to FormDial, unless you know that is what it's for.
 
Most programs work OK with FormDial, but some don't and will hang, probably
because they got sloppy and don't balance their calls to formdial properly
(just my guess).  Whether it's worthwhile for you will depend on how tight
memory space is, and if you ever run ill-behaved programs that cause it
to hang.
 
--
Mark T. O'Bryan                 Internet:  obryan@gumby.cc.wmich.edu
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI  49008
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Fri, 2 Feb 90 23:31:00 EST
From: Greg Csullog <01659%AECLCR.bitnet@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca>
Subject: HELP: ICD HDUTIL.PRG
Message-ID: <90Feb2.233343est.58642@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca>
 
I set up a new ICD 85 meg FA.ST drive and everything was OK until I
formatted partition H (the last one) as a Spectre partition. Now my
system will not boot from HD (the same problem happened on SH204 and
Megafiles when a Spectre partition was set up).
 
I tried to run the ICD HDUTIL.PRG code but I get two bombs. The disk seems
to have come in damaged.
 
Could someone E-mail me UUENCODED copies of the .PRG and .RSC files for
HDUTIL so I can set up the HD to boot from HD again?
 
As an aside, I am still trying to get more info on Dave Small's comments
about an Appletalk board for the ST. Is this a Mega only board or can it
be put into an ST?
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 2 Feb 90 15:01:54 GMT
From:
 cs.utexas.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!peregrine!ccicpg!paulm@tut.cis.ohio-state.
 edu  (tmp Paul Moreau usenet acct)
Subject: PC-DITTO II
Message-ID: <56432@ccicpg.UUCP>
 
  Has anybody in this whole wide world got PC-DITTO II working ???
 
  I could run down to Computer Games+ tomorrow and pick up PC-SPEED
  if I wanted to but PC-SPEED does NOT support hercules monochrome
  graphics and I here that PC-DITTO II will.   I have both color
  and monochrome monitors and my monochrome gets 99% useage over
  the color (color for games only).
  If any body has it working I'd be very interrested in hering about
  it and the MONOCHROME support.
 
  THANX,  Paul
----
  .==========================================================.
  | ### ####### ###     |    N O R T H    | /==============\ |
  | ### ###     ###     |  A M E R I C A  |< An STC Company >|
  | ### ####### ####### |    (was CCI)    | \==============/ |
  |----------------------------------------------------------|
  | UUCP:  ...ccicpg!dl2!paulm   |      Paul L. Moreau       |
  |   or   ...ccicpg!dl1!paulm   | Diagnostics Software Eng. |
  |   or   ...ccicpg!paulm       |    Irvine, California     |
  `=========================================================='
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 3 Feb 90 04:58:54 GMT
From:
 zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!haven!umbc3!umbc5.umbc
 .edu!chuck@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu  (Chuck Rickard; (PC))
Subject: Stacy's Power
Message-ID: <2749@umbc3.UMBC.EDU>
 
In article <20467@watdragon.waterloo.edu> swklassen@tiger.waterloo.edu (Steven
 W. Klassen) writes:
>In article <2741@umbc3.UMBC.EDU> chuck@umbc5.umbc.edu () writes:
>>I recently heard from my local dealer that the Stacy is going to run off of
>>ordinary C-cell batteries!  Also, the dealers should have them by March!
>>Wow, I guess Atari doesn't want to be stuck-up like the other laptop makers
>>and actually use rechargable battery packs!  Now when your computer runs out
>>of juice (about 15 seconds with a hard drive), you can run to your local
>>thrifty store and pick up eight more!  Gee, thanks !!!
>
>So...if you like rechargeable batteries, buy rechargable C-cell batteries
>and a recharger!  If you think it's a waste and will mostly run the Stacy
>from an adapter or something, don't bother.
>
>Some might argue that using ordinary batteries is even better than a
>custom rechargable battery pack since you can use the 'fast' rechargers
>advertised by some companies.  On the down side, you will have to
>actually remove them in order to recharge.
 
I was mainly trying to say that this tends to make the Stacy look like the
kind of product you might find in a toy store, albeit a $1500 toy.  Tandy,
a company known for its overpriced products, has a laptop for $1500 that
comes with two drives, P/S ports, internal slots, and a rechargable battery
pack that charges in one hour.  And also, who in their right mind wants to
carry around a charger that can hold 8 (or more) batteries!  That would be
at least a third of the size of the laptop intself!  If they included an
internal FAST charger, that would be different, but C-cells are an inefficient
use of space.  Battery packs can hold more and take less space.
 
Chuck Rickard
University of Maryland
Baltimore County
(chuck@umbc5.umbc.edu)
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 3 Feb 90 02:10:01 GMT
From:
 cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!jhunix!rick@tut.cis.ohio-s
 tate.edu  (Eric Ruck)
Subject: STe, I really want one
Message-ID: <4124@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>
 
I think a posting about Canadian dealers might be appreciated by a number
of people.  Aside from being slightly illegal, are there any technical
problems with smuggling one of the machines across the border?  Is there
a best way to do the dirty job? :-)
 
I've noticed the lack of Mega 2's for sale in the US.  I have a Mega 2 in need
of repair--not only do they not have the part, but they don't have another
Mega 2 *at Atari* to send me as a replacement, or to cannabalize to get the
part.  You might try finding a new Mega 2 at j&R Musicworld, in NY.
 
Eric
 
------------------------------
 
End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V90 Issue #149
*****************************************
