=========================================================================
 
INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Mon, 26 Feb 90       Volume 90 : Issue  262
 
Today's Topics:
                  40 folder bug [Was: Re: poolfix3]
                         A couple of requests
                         Directory Limits??!!
                      Make my STe sweat...?????
                 STE DMA sound (documentation posted)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 26 Feb 90 12:19:49 GMT
From: mcsun!ukc!edcastle!aimd@uunet.uu.net  (M Davidson)
Subject: 40 folder bug [Was: Re: poolfix3]
Message-ID: <2470@castle.ed.ac.uk>
 
In article <16819@cs.yale.edu> fischer-michael@CS.YALE.EDU (Michael Fischer)
 writes:
[Micheal writes about the 40-folder bug]...
>TOS 1.0 and 1.2 used the memory less wisely and had varous bugs in the
>management of the pool that could cause the machine to crash.  In
>particular, it failed to check properly when the pool was exhausted,
>so when too many folders or too many Malloc's used up the pool, weird
>things would start happening.  The so-called "40-folder" limit was
>just an empirical observation that users who had at most 40 folders on
>their disks were unlikely to exhaust memory.  Thus, as long as one had
>at most 40 folders, the problem would not usually be encountered.  By
>increasing the size of the pool, FOLDRXXX allowed more folders to be
>used.
 
I have just got a Hard Drive after 3 months of waiting for Power
Computing to come up with it (just thought I'd add that dig). Now that I
have all this disk space the 40-folder bug must be more likely.
 
Can someone explain exactly what causes the memory to be used up. Is it
creating folders/opening folders or both? I have installed foldr100 but
I'd like to have some sort of empirical measure of how long I can muck
around with my drive (setting it up etc.) before I should reboot.
 
Also, what are the symptoms of the bug? Does the machine crash or would
things like having several copies of the one file (with the same name) in
the same directory be a possible consequence? This happened to me last
night but I wouldn't like to jump to conclusions - I'd been compiling a
C prog which refused to do anything but bomb out, but my ST kept on
going (it didn't lock up) so normally I would have thought that was the
cause.
 
While I'm on the subject, what does *one* bomb mean? Neodesk didn't know
and either did any of my books....
 
>| Michael Fischer                                |
>|    Arpanet:    <fischer-michael@cs.yale.edu>   |
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 26 Feb 90 18:51:43 GMT
From: swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!lavaca.uh.edu!judy!cosc10hv@ucsd.edu
 (Paul Sears)
Subject: A couple of requests
Message-ID: <5670.25e9265f@judy.uh.edu>
 
In article <1990Feb26.162623.437@chinet.chi.il.us>, saj@chinet.chi.il.us
 (Stephen Jacobs) writes:
> I have a couple of requests for information (maybe 3).
>
> Has anyone seen a STacy offered for retail sale in the USA?
>
> Has anyone seen a Mega ST offered for sale with TOS 1.4 as original equipment?
>
> Would someone who knows more details about the Spectrum picture format than
> are given in the Baggett image formats list please explain the handling of
> palettes to me a bit more.  What I get from the list is that the image data
> looks just like a low rez screen, but that 3 palettes are loaded for each
> scan line; the palettes are somewhat abbreviated.  What pixel number does
> each palette take effect at?  Are these regular 16-word-long palettes?  If
> the docs with the package are good enough, I might buy it just for the docs,
> but with my lack of artistic ability, another paint program is the LAST
> thing I need.
>
> I guess replies to the net are appropriate for the first 2 questions; mail
> or posting, your choice, for the third.
>
> Thanks.                              Steve J.
 
As far as I know, there is a store here in Houston, TX that sells the Mega2's
and Mega4's with tos 1.4 and blitters installed.  I am not sure whether they
install the chips at the store or if they are shipped with them.  The store is
called THE FLOPPY WIZARD, Memorial City Mall, Houston.  I don't know the exact
address offhand...
 
 
                --------------------------------------------
                |  Paul Sears       University of Houston  |
                | "ThunderCat"      ---------------------  |
                |  node             COSC10HV@Elroy.Uh.Edu  |
                | 129.7.1.2      or TECHJW@Elroy.Uh.Edu    |
                |__________________________________________|
 
        'the greater an individual's power over others,
        the greater the evil that might possibly originate with him'
                -  PROPAGANDA, off the CD, A SECRET WISH
 
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 26 Feb 90 17:49:36 GMT
From: shlump.nac.dec.com!engage.enet.dec.com!oldtmr!wallace@decwrl.dec.com  (Ray
 Wallace)
Subject: Directory Limits??!!
Message-ID: <1534@engage.enet.dec.com>
 
In article <276.25E65B7C@uscacm.UUCP>, Ron.Hollins@uscacm.UUCP (Ron Hollins)
writes...
> 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
 
Here is an article I wrote for or user group's (NAVAUS) newsletter last year,
it should answer your question.
 
                               GGGG
                             GG    GG
                            G
                            G
                            G    GGGGem Alert
                             GG    GG
                               GGGG
 
Gem Alert, by Ray Wallace
 
As you probably all know GEM allows you to create folders (subdirectories) to
place some of your files in. This article will describe some of the folder and
file limitations inherent in GEM.
 
The top level (root) directory is limited to a maximum of 112 (256 for hard
disks) files (directories are counted as files here). This restriction exists
because the top level directory is created with a FIXED size when the disk is
formatted. (NOTE:Disk formatting programs can be written to change these
limits).
 
Subdirectories on the other hand can grow as need, so there is no limit
on the number of files that can exist in a subdirectory. Subdirectories
are really just specialized files, and just like other files can grow in size
so can subdirectories. One limitation to subdirectories is that they can
not shrink, in the sense that when you delete files (directory entries)
the subdirectory does not get smaller.
 
On top of all of this there is also a limit to the maximum number of files a
window will see. If you have more files in a directory than this window limit
then you will not be able to see (or access) all of the files in a particular
directory or subdirectory, regardless of how you scroll around with the scroll
bars.
---
Ray Wallace
                (INTERNET,UUCP) wallace@oldtmr.enet.dec.com
                (UUCP)          ...!decwrl!oldtmr.enet!wallace
                (INTERNET)      wallace%oldtmr.enet@decwrl.dec.com
---
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 26 Feb 90 18:31:00 GMT
From: ucsdhub!hp-sdd!apollo!rehrauer@ucsd.edu  (Steve Rehrauer)
Subject: Make my STe sweat...?????
Message-ID: <48e0f71e.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM>
 
In article <27242@cup.portal.com> Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com writes:
>Paul Sears asked:
>>I am new on this  newsgroup.  I have an Atari 520ST upgraded to 1 meg.  I am
>>aware of the new products that Atari is planning on releasing but this STe i
>>new to me.   I have only heard of the TT and the Stacey Laptop - unless the
>>is the same as the Stacey....  Someone give me some info...
>
>Probably the greatest departure from Atari policy of the past is the use
>of standard SIMM modules for memory expansion.  The basic 1 Meg STE can
>*easily*  be upgraded to 4 Megs, and rather inexpensively as well.  According
>to Bob Brodie, Atari doesn't plan to sell very many 4160STEs (4 Meg units)
>since it would be so easy to upgrade the 1040STE.
 
I thought we just heard from A.Pratt that use of SIMMs was on a "catch
as catch can" basis -- whatever method of cramming RAMs into the box was
cheapest on Day XYZ would be used.  Or was that for the STACEY?
 
>In my opinion, this change in policy regarding memory upgrading is one of
>the most positive moves Atari has made in 5 years.  (The other of course
>being hiring Bob Brodie...   :)
 
If opinions matter, I agree with BobR that use of standard SIMMs is a Good
Thing for the customer.
--
>>"Aaiiyeeee!  Death from above!"<< | Steve Rehrauer, rehrauer@apollo.hp.com
   "Flee, lest we be trod upon!"    | The Apollo System Division of H.P.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 26 Feb 90 21:30:30 GMT
From:
 zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!uflorida!beach.cis.ufl.edu!cr
 1@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu  (Christopher Roth)
Subject: STE DMA sound (documentation posted)
Message-ID: <22463@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU>
 
In article <2052@atari.UUCP> apratt@atari.UUCP (Allan Pratt) writes:
>Why was this article posted?  That information is available to all
>developers, is of limited interest to anyone else, and is protected by
>the nondisclosure agreement between developers and Atari.  It's not
>that this particular information is  all that secret, but posting it
>does constitute a violation of that agreement.  I don't want to be a
>bad guy about this, but you shouldn't just key in Atari documentation
>and post it.  Among the reasons is that you can get it wrong, or leave
>out important stuff, and people will complain to us about things which
>are not our fault.
 
 
   I am glad that SOMEONE at least is posting information about Atari
machines, Atari sure isn't going to do it!  It is a sad state of
affairs when you have to spend a couple of hundred bucks just to get
information on your machine.
 
--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
*     Christoper Roth                         *  "Machines have no
*     InterNet  :  cr1@beach.cis.ufl.edu      *   Conscience..."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Post No Bills-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V90 Issue #262
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