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INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Tue, 23 Jan 90       Volume 90 : Issue   84
 
Today's Topics:
                      Atari TT: Threat to IIcx?
                        How to get TOS 1.4???
                           Mark Williams C
                            Overscan stuff
ST Format, TOS 1.4 moans directed at Atari UK (was: HAPPY NEW YEAR, ALL!)
                       TOS io redirection bugs
                          TT. More rumours?
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Date: 22 Jan 90 19:58:38 GMT
From: fozzy!hendrick@uunet.uu.net  (Bill Hendricks)
Subject: Atari TT: Threat to IIcx?
Message-ID: <840@fozzy.UUCP>
 
As a loyal ST'er, I wanted to pass along the following:
What follows is a quote from Macintosh News, January 15 1990,
"The Mac's Factor" by Rick Doherty (page 13)...
 
--- Begin quote ---
 
ATARI TT: THREAT TO IIcx?
 
        Late this month, Atari Corp. will begin shipping
its under-$2000, 16MHz, 68030-powered TT computer.
Priced at about one-third of Apple's price for the
IIx and IIcx, this second-generation Atari machine
could be a threat to Macintosh markets with the
addition of the $300 GCR Macintosh ROM adapter from
Gadgets By Small.
 
        Equipped with the GCR cartridge and borrowed
Mac SE ROMs, the TT will be able to run the vast
majority of Macintosh software at a fraction of
Apple's Mac IIx and IIcx pricing.
 
        Still, Atari is not well known for successful
U.S. distribution.  Indeed, while the TT labored
through FCC testing in December, it was shipping
in volume in Europe.  There, the machine is
already a favorite of German industry and could
impact Mac sales in a country that is already
below other European companies in per capita
Mac sales.  Stateside, Atari's lackluster distri-
bution could make the TT little more than a
68030 curiosity.  It's priced at three to four times
the average Atari 68000-based ST system.  By
selling the T, storefront resellers will put pres-
sure on their already limited resources.
 
--- End quote ---
 
Regards,
Bill
 
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Date: 22 Jan 90 16:30:16 GMT
From: uvm-gen!pegram@uunet.uu.net  (pegram r)
Subject: How to get TOS 1.4???
Message-ID: <1383@uvm-gen.UUCP>
 
I inadvertently lost the Atari phone and address info, supplied by
either Ken B. or Alan Pratt, that allows ST owners without a nearby
dealer to get the TOS 1.4 ROMs.  Would someone please email me the
info??
 
thanks,
        Bob Pegram  (pegram@griffin.uvm-gen.uvm.edu)
or      RFD 2, Box 2843
        Vergennnes, VT 05491
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 23 Jan 90 15:22:57 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!hrc!force!covertr@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu  (Richard E.
 Covert)
Subject: Mark Williams C
Message-ID: <483550e1.14a1f@force.UUCP>
 
In article <20044@watdragon.waterloo.edu>, swklassen@tiger.waterloo.edu (Steven
 W. Klassen) writes:
> In article <756@nadia.UUCP> marauder@nadia.UUCP (Stefan Hess) writes:
> >Somebody told me that MW has stopped development of MWC on the ST. Does
> >anybody know if this is true ? I would hate it if there wouldn't be an
> >ANSI version of MWC.
>
> Steven W. Klassen                       +-----------------------------+
 
I called MWC a couple of months ago to report a bug problem (which turned
out not to be a bug after all :-) ) and asked about an ANSI version of
the MWC ST C compiler. I was told then that the programmer who wrote the
ST was a contractor who went on to bigger and better theings. Then, I was
asked if I wanted to write the ANSI compiler!
 
Well, I turned them down, and haven't anything since. But, seeing as MWC
started selling source code to their Libraries in 1989, it seems that they
need whatever profit they can derive from the ST market, even if it means
selling source code. If things get much worse, they might even sell source
code to the compiler itself!! (that's just a joke folks!!)
 
But, I am not surprised that MWC hasn't produced an ANSI C compiler, or even
a C++ compiler for the ST market. After all, it appears that Turbo C has
the German ST market all wrapped up, and the German ST market is the ONLY
healthy market left for the ST. The US market has died and gone to MacHeaven
or to PCHell or wherever!!
 
All this is not to say that I don't like the MWC compiler. I still use it and
buy the updates whenever they are sold. I currently use version 3.09. But, I
am considering getting GCC as it is more ANSI compatible and I can get
source code to it!! (GCC is the GNU C compiler and has been ported to the ST).
 
As far as the TT goes, who knows if we will ever see it in the USA, so who can
tell if MWC will support it.
 
Good luck folks!
 
--
 Richard E. Covert, Lead Engineer of Software Tools Group
 AG Communications Systems, Phoenix AZ   (602) - 581-4652
 TCP/IP: covertr@gtephx
 UUCP: ?ncar!noao!asuvax | uunet!zardoz!hrc | att?!gtephx!covertr
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 90 12:52:09 MEZ
From: ONM07%DMSWWU1A.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (Julian Reschke)
Subject: Overscan stuff
Message-ID: <9001231152.AA12454@freya.dmswwu-ether>
 
In article <10712@stag.math.lsa.umich.edu>
zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!math.lsa.umich.edu!hyc@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
(Howard Chu) writes:
 
> Ah, that's what I thought. Yeah, this scrolling problem is quite a
> hassle. You can also see it in TOS 1.2 ROMs (like I had when I bought
> my Mega. I think it's just the blitter code that's at fault. Also
> had this problem with older versions of TurboST.)
TRUE. And I hope Atari will fix this someday...
 
> I've found, much to my dismay, that the GEM VDI function vro_copyform
> (and the corresponding Line-A function) clips at 640x400. This has
> been kind of a pain; I suspect that there are more functions with this
Definitively NOT TRUE. I use Overscan all the time and all my software
runs with the standard VDI calls.
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Julian F. Reschke, Hensenstr. 142, D-4400 Muenster, Tel.: 0251/861241
eMail: ONM07@DMSWWU1A.BITNET
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 23 Jan 90 06:26:34 GMT
From: att!chinet!saj@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU  (Stephen Jacobs)
Subject: ST Format, TOS 1.4 moans directed at Atari UK (was: HAPPY NEW YEAR,
 ALL!)
Message-ID: <1990Jan23.062634.25733@chinet.chi.il.us>
 
In article <6350@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> cs163wed@sdcc10.ucsd.edu ( ) writes:
>
[attribution lines, but no text deleted]
>
>Looks like after Atari lose the US, Atari will lose the UK too!
 
People who don't sign their names lose the privilege of being flamed privately.
Did your folks have any children who lived, sdcc10, or was their best effort a
blob that just gloats at live people's problems?
                                        Steve J.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 22 Jan 90 17:37:21 GMT
From: umn-cs.cs.umn.edu!nis!pwcs!stag!daemon@ub.d.umn.edu  (Dale Schumacher)
Subject: TOS io redirection bugs
Message-ID: <1990Jan22.173721.12285@stag.UUCP>
 
[neil@cs.hw.ac.uk (Neil Forsyth) writes...]
> I may be getting TOS 1.4 soon (though don't hold your breath folks:-).
> TOS 1.4 has the I/O redirection handling bugs fixed so you can redirect the
> output from any program. But developers have to use 'isatty' stuff so that
> their programs work on 1.0 and 1.2 so there is not really a big win here for
> them. Likewise with Malloc.
 
Allan's message about bugs with multiple processes having the same file
open (which is the root of at least some of the redirection bugs) clearly
said that this bugs exists IN ALL TOS VERSIONS.  This includes TOS 1.4.
And I've verified that redirection bugs DO still exists in TOS 1.4.
 
The IS good news, however.  By exploiting a "feature" of the Pexec()
mechanism relating to the h-blank vector, we seem to have a robust
work-around for most of the redirection problems.  This technique has
been in use only for a week or so, but it does appear to allow nested
redirections of stdin/stdout, which enables programs like uucp mail
software to operate via chained "pipes" (really temporary files).
We've tested the new code with a calling sequence like...
        uuxqt -> rmail -> lmail -> rmail -> uux
...where each process is invoked from it's parent via popen(), and thus
receives data via redirection stdin.  This kind of calling sequence will
fail miserably using normal Fdup/Fforce redirection.
 
I'd be willing to post the technique to the net, but I would like to get
confirmation from Allan or Ken that the "Pexec/H-blank trick" will continue
to work in future TOS versions.
 
On a related point, there has been some movement to correct a long-standing
inconvenience in TOS regarding stderr.  Handle 2 is connected to the AUX
port by default, but I support it's use as a redirectable stderr.  To
force this to work properly, C start-up code should check to see if handle
2 is a tty.  If is IS, then Fforce() it to -1 to attach it to the console.
This is harmless if it already IS attached to the console, and makes sure
you don't confuse your serial i/o device if it's still attached to AUX.
If handle 2 IS NOT a tty, leave it alone, since that should indicated that
someone has redirected it.
 
\\   /  Dale Schumacher                         399 Beacon Ave.
 \\ /   (alias: Dalnefre')                      St. Paul, MN  55104-3527
  ><    ..!nic.mr.net!bungia.mn.org!syntel!dal  United States of America
 / \\   "The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism
/   \\   by those who have not got it." -George Bernard Shaw
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 90 03:17 EDT
From: Jacob Baltuch <BALTUCH@binah.cc.brandeis.edu>
Subject: TT. More rumours?
 
Somebody was quoting "Macintosh News" about the TT starting to ship States side
"late this month... for under $2000" I don't know but mac news could
be just as gifted a rumour mill as as any. Besides the "under $2000"
noun clause seems so ridiculous... Wouldn't such a price threaten Mega
sales? (Notice the question mark? It's just a question ok? I didn't graduate
from Harvard Business School) Any source closer to Atari would care to
comment? I mean, late this month can't be later than within 7 days,
so if this has any substance to it, at least dealers should know by now.
 
Jacob
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V90 Issue #84
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