=========================================================================
 
INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Fri,  2 Feb 90       Volume 90 : Issue  148
 
Today's Topics:
                         A Better GIF Viewer?
                            Aegis Manuals
                 EXCEL 2.2 ON SPECTRE WITH A 1 MEG ST
                      Facts, not only talking a
                          information wanted
                      Memory Expansion (summary)
                            Stacy's Power
          STE Criticisms in UK - unfair but understandable?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 3 Feb 90 01:41:51 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!usc!chaph.usc.edu!nunki.usc.edu!jjung@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
  (John Jung)
Subject: A Better GIF Viewer?
Message-ID: <7814@chaph.usc.edu>
 
  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
 
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Date: Fri, 2 Feb 90 20:41:50 EST
From: "Hiscocks, Peter" <FCTY7284%RYERSON.bitnet@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca>
Subject: Aegis Manuals
Message-ID: <90Feb2.205600est.58731@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca>
 
I have two copies of the Aegis Animator manual left. First 2 requesters I will
 mail it out to.
                Peter
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Fri, 2 Feb 90 21:44:29 EST
From: "Gerry Greenberg: 315-443-5378"
 <MAXG%SUVM.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject: EXCEL 2.2 ON SPECTRE WITH A 1 MEG ST
 
A simple question really:  Does Excel 2.2 run on a 1 meg ST with
Spectre?  I can't seem to get it to run...I seem to get some sort of
"bus error".  You can post to the net, or email to me directly.  Thanks
very much  (as always!).
--Gerry
maxg@suvm        (bitnet)
ggreenbe@rodan.acs.syr.edu   (internet)
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 2 Feb 90 15:25:11 GMT
From: eru!luth!sunic!mcsun!ukc!icdoc!dcw@bloom-beacon.mit.edu  (Duncan C White)
Subject: Facts, not only talking a
Message-ID: <1529@gould.doc.ic.ac.uk>
 
In article <1989@atari.UUCP> kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher) writes:
>You can purchase developer documentation by itself for a significantly
>reduced price.  The latest release of the developer documentation is
>professionally printed, indexed, and includes several new addenda.
 
(Reduced from $300, for those not following this thread)
 
I would be interested in knowing exactly WHAT this "significantly reduced
price for the documentation alone" is.  Is it on sale to the general
public?  Or do you have to become a Registered Developer (complete with
non disclosure agreement) in order to see a word of it?
 
I have spent some time studying the original (circa 1985) developer's
documentation, and, in my opinion, it is a badly photocopied, badly written,
incomplete and misleading set of junk.
I'm very glad to hear Ken say that Atari are finally getting round to
producing a decent version. Only 5 years late, I guess..
 
(All this may be complicated by the fact that I'm in the UK, and Atari UK
are generally regarded as even worse than Atari US...)
 
Finally, may I say that I am not trying to criticise Ken or any other of
the Atari employees who spend some of their time being "visible" on the
Net.  I have two Ataris (one being repaired :-), I like them, but I think
the level of technical information freely available to anyone - general public
or developers - has been appalling ever since the ST was released.
 
        Duncan
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Duncan White,           |       Doctor: "I'm sure I've forgotten something.."
Dept. Of Computing,     |       Shopkeeper: "Haven't you forgotten something?"
Imperial College,       |       Doctor: "Yes..but what?"
London SW7              |       Shopkeeper: "Money"
England,                |       Doctor: "Oh no, that wasn't it"
The Earth.              |       (wanders off looking puzzled, without paying)
(or Gallifrey?)         |               Survival episode I, 22nd Nov 1989
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 2 Feb 90 14:14:04 GMT
From: eru!luth!sunic!mcsun!ukc!newcastle.ac.uk!turing!q1rse@bloom-beacon.mit.edu
  (D.M. Johnson)
Subject: information wanted
Message-ID: <1990Feb2.141404.9314@newcastle.ac.uk>
 
      Does anybody know of a public domain program that will analysis
electronic networks on the ST. If possible the program should handle both
active and passive components.  I have used a program on an apollo workstation
that that does this call Hspice (also Mspice) and I was wondering if there is a
cut down version for the ST.
 
      Second question. I am starting to learn C, can anybody recommend books to
learn from.  I have already 'C The programming language. Version 2', but I
would also like a couple of other books to study from.
 
Thanks in advance
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 3 Feb 90 02:31:23 GMT
From: usenet.ins.cwru.edu!usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu!bammi@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
 (Jwahar R. Bammi)
Subject: Memory Expansion (summary)
Message-ID: <BAMMI.90Feb2212620@dsrgsun.ces.CWRU.Edu>
 
i guess i should add my two bits :-)
        i expanded memory in my 1040 using a John Russell Innovations
SIMMS based expansion board. the board lets you use either 1M Simms or
256K Simms, but you cannot mix them. There are four Simm sockets on
the board, and you can populate either 2 or all 4 sockets. It will
accomodate either the x8 or the x9 Simms (they can be 80ns, 100ns or
120ns simms, 150's will work too,but are not recommended, and are hard
to find in any case). An additional feature of this board is that it
comes with sockets for two shifters. you pull the existing shifter out
of its socket and install it in one of the sockets on the board. you
can optionally buy a second shifter, and plug it into the second
sockets for an expanded pallette (the board comes with software to
support the JRI 4096 color technology).
 
installation is quite easy if you are the handy type (6 solder points
and two headers, took about 30 min total). it fits (very snug) under
the shield (low profile SIMMS are *really* required for this). i have
had the board in for over a month, and its been doing great. to me it
made a lot of sense to use Simms instead of discrete chips, as they
can easily be re-used or moved to other machines, including future
atari ones. (they are quite cheap too now -- $85-90/1M Simm -- look at
the ads in computer shopper).
 
JRI can be reached at:
                john russell innovations
                PO Box 5277
                Pittsburg, CA 94565     (yes, pittsburg CA not PA)
                (415) 458-9577
 
Unpopulated board costs $125 + shipping
 
#include<std.disclaimer>
--
--
bang:   ?any internet host?!dsrgsun.ces.CWRU.edu!bammi  jwahar r. bammi
domain: bammi@dsrgsun.ces.CWRU.edu
GEnie:  J.Bammi
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 2 Feb 90 17:35:29 GMT
From: attcan!utgpu!watserv1!watdragon!tiger!swklassen@uunet.uu.net  (Steven W.
 Klassen)
Subject: Stacy's Power
Message-ID: <20467@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
 
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.
 
Steven W. Klassen                       +-----------------------------+
Computer Science Major                  | Support the poor...buy fur! |
University of Waterloo                  +-----------------------------+
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 2 Feb 90 13:59:23 GMT
From: eru!luth!sunic!mcsun!ukc!icdoc!syma!grahamt@bloom-beacon.mit.edu  (Graham
 Thomas)
Subject: STE Criticisms in UK - unfair but understandable?
Message-ID: <2097@syma.sussex.ac.uk>
 
From article <2013@atari.UUCP>, by kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher):
> Am I being paranoid, or has there really been a proclivity on the part
> of the press (UK and elsewhere) to slam the STE???  I've heard more
> negative rumours and outright lies about the STE than any other recent
> Atari development.  I wonder why this is?
>
 
I too think the STE's been slammed a little unfairly.  Perhaps it stems
from confusion about some of its features, leading to over-high
expectations.  Some people thought the STE would be able to display lots
more colours on screen at once, without special tricks.  When they found
out you could still only have 16 in low-res (albeit from a wider choice)
they were disappointed.  Premature references to an 'Amiga basher'
increased this disappointment.
 
Also, the way they were introduced in the UK didn't help.  They came in
'through the back door' without any proper announcement (and, in one
version I heard, as a result of Atari UK's bad estimates of the amount
of stock they'd need before Christmas).
 
It doesn't help either that the STE doesn't come with its own manual
(there's a loose 'addendum' sheet to the STFM manual), doesn't come with
any demo programs (or even an enhanced control panel accessory, I think)
which take advantage of its new features, and doesn't come with any of
the fixes which Allan Pratt posted here a while ago.  Non-technical
users who are bothered about the bug that prevents bootup in medium-res
first have to find out about the fix then have to get it from somewhere
- which isn't always easy.
 
No doubt later shipments will overcome these teething troubles (well, we
live in hope).  In the meantime, just to show all is not doom and gloom,
I have a friend who's just bought a 1040 STE and is really pleased with
it.
 
Graham
 
--
Graham Thomas, SPRU, Mantell Building, U of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RF, UK
 JANET: grahamt@uk.ac.sussex.syma  EARN/BITNET: grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk
 ARPA:  grahamt%syma.sussex.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk
 UUCP:  grahamt@syma.uucp          Phone: +44 273 686758
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V90 Issue #148
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