=========================================================================
 
INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Mon, 15 Jan 90       Volume 90 : Issue   45
 
Today's Topics:
                        connection with BITNET
                             dissassembly
                       Drive question (2 msgs)
                       GNU-Emacs 18.55 Atari-ST
           Help Needed with Atari H/W interfacing. (2 msgs)
                     Navarrone time cart for sale
                           Need help w/WWST
                         Physbase vs. Logbase
                  SM124->MultiSync Board from IKS...
                              TOS 1.6...
                           Viruses (2 msgs)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 90 18:57 N
From: "Frits Dumortier/R.U.G." <FD%BGERUG51.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: connection with BITNET
 
Dear INFO-ATARI16 networkers,
 
What has happened with the connection towards BITNET.
I haven't received any info-atari16 mail since 2 January 1990.
 
Frits Dumortier
(FD@BGERUG51.BITNET")
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Jan 90 17:33:02 GMT
From: pwp@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu  (Paul Purdom)
Subject: dissassembly
Message-ID: <33082@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
 
The question of whether or not to up grade a ROM operating system so that old
programs work is delicate. Many users would like to beable to up grade to
remove bugs in their operating system without losing the ability to run their
old comerical programs. Their needs should be balanced aagainst the
difficulty (or impossibility) of fixing the bugs while still being able to
run old programs. The benefit of each change needs to be compared with the
trouble it causes users of old programs. For the most part, people who write
their own programs like improvement, but people who buy programs like
stability. I do both myself, so I feel for the people that have to decide
what to do in each particular case.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Jan 90 14:52:20 GMT
From: cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!mrsvr.UUCP!jupiter.uucp!krieg@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
  (Andrew Krieg)
Subject: Drive question
Message-ID: <1871@mrsvr.UUCP>
 
I have had this weird quirk in my ST system ever since I got it (3 years ago)
and I am wondering if it is normal.  I have a 520 ST, a single sided disk and
a double sided disk.  The double sided disk is drive A and the single sided
disk is drive B.  Whenever I access drive A, drive B spins also.  Should this
be?  Is this harmful?  The drive light on B does not come on, but if I have a
disk in there, I can hear it spinning.  If I access drive B, drive A does not
spin.  Anyone know what is going on?
 
--
=========================================================================
=       Andrew Krieg                            The Marvel Historian    =
=               G.E. Medical Systems - CT - New Berlin, WI              =
=                    USENET: krieg@jupiter.med.ge.com                   =
=========================================================================
=               "Holy one track Batcomputer mind!" - Robin              =
=========================================================================
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Jan 90 15:59:13 GMT
From: matthews@umd5.umd.edu  (Mike Matthews)
Subject: Drive question
Message-ID: <5948@umd5.umd.edu>
 
In article <1871@mrsvr.UUCP> krieg@jupiter.UUCP (Andrew Krieg) writes:
>I have had this weird quirk in my ST system ever since I got it (3 years ago)
>and I am wondering if it is normal.  I have a 520 ST, a single sided disk and
 
It is.
 
>a double sided disk.  The double sided disk is drive A and the single sided
>disk is drive B.  Whenever I access drive A, drive B spins also.  Should this
>be?  Is this harmful?  The drive light on B does not come on, but if I have a
>disk in there, I can hear it spinning.  If I access drive B, drive A does not
>spin.  Anyone know what is going on?
>
>=      Andrew Krieg                            The Marvel Historian    =
Nothing to worry about; that's what they all do.
 
Why, I don't know.
 
Mike
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 14 Jan 90 22:45:43 GMT
From: portal!cup.portal.com!buggs@uunet.uu.net  (William Edward JuneJr)
Subject: GNU-Emacs 18.55 Atari-ST
Message-ID: <25950@cup.portal.com>
 
WHERE is the latest version of GCC found?
Is there an ST port of G++?
I'd prefer a dial up BBS as I can't FTP here, or if they could be UL'd to
 the comp.sys.binaries, that be great too!
 
 
Ed June
71171, 1311 CI$
404-471-9230, Ground Control BBS, HST & Pursuitable
FoReM ST node 386 *AND* Fido node 1:133/403
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Jan 90 12:27:27 GMT
From: mcsun!ukc!harrier.ukc.ac.uk!gos.ukc.ac.uk!shc1@uunet.uu.net  (S.H.Cogheil)
Subject: Help Needed with Atari H/W interfacing.
Message-ID: <2706@gos.ukc.ac.uk>
 
I am present in the process of undertaking a project, in which I need
to interface a standard 6821 PIA to an Atari ST.
 
However, as with every project, I have a problem.
 
My problem lies in the fact that the cartridge port has no R/W line,
and that the GLUE chip does not allow you to write to ROM space anyway.
(Hence I cannot use the Rom3/Rom4 lines as dummy R/W lines)
 
At the same time I see products on the market (such as Robot Arm Controllers)
which use the cartridge port, and obviously find some way of getting around
the above WRITE problem.
 
If Anybody (but anybody) has had past, present or planned future experience
with interfacing to the Atari, Please could you drop me some helpful hints.
 
Yours (a little bit more that truly) Sam.
 
p.s. Is the DMA port a viable alternative ???
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Jan 90 13:12:09 GMT
From: mcsun!ukc!harrier.ukc.ac.uk!falcon.ukc.ac.uk!adw@uunet.uu.net  (Andy
 Webber)
Subject: Help Needed with Atari H/W interfacing.
Message-ID: <3427@falcon.ukc.ac.uk>
 
In article <2706@gos.ukc.ac.uk> shc1@ukc.ac.uk (S.H.Cogheil) writes:
>My problem lies in the fact that the cartridge port has no R/W line,
>and that the GLUE chip does not allow you to write to ROM space anyway.
>(Hence I cannot use the Rom3/Rom4 lines as dummy R/W lines)
 
The method I have seen used (e.g. in ST Replay) involved weird usage of the
READ from cartridge port.  I will see if I can find any more details in the
mean time consider that a hint!
 
>Yours (a little bit more that truly) Sam.
 
                Andy.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Jan 90 15:12:52 GMT
From: fozzy!hendrick@uunet.uu.net  (Bill Hendricks)
Subject: Navarrone time cart for sale
Message-ID: <838@fozzy.UUCP>
 
Navarrone date/time cartridge:
Works fine, includes original box and software.
The software includes time display and alarm
clock functions.  The cart presents a continuation
of the cart port to allow for other carts to be
plugged in; for example, I have had no problem with
the Migraph scanner cart plugged in to the Navarrone cart.
Asking $20 - for that, I'll pay the shipping.
 
Regards,
Bill
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Jan 90 15:51:43 GMT
From: fozzy!hendrick@uunet.uu.net  (Bill Hendricks)
Subject: Need help w/WWST
Message-ID: <839@fozzy.UUCP>
 
Regarding Word Writer ST (Timeworks, Version 2.0),
I need help with a minor problem:
 
Having loaded an ASCII text file into WWST,
how do I get "format" to work?  When I tried
this past weekend, the text would _not_ reformat.
 
Anybody know the answer to this one? HELP!
 
Thanks in advance.
Regards, Bill
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 14 Jan 90 22:40:38 GMT
From: portal!cup.portal.com!buggs@uunet.uu.net  (William Edward JuneJr)
Subject: Physbase vs. Logbase
Message-ID: <25949@cup.portal.com>
 
>Doug Latornell
>latornell@mech.ubc.ca    (this address works for everybody I know!)
>Check out Pollack and Weber, "Atari ST Application Programming",
>Bantam, 1987 for further details.
 
Unfortunately this book is out of print and NOT available.
If ANYONE knows where to get a copy, I WANT one!
 
Ed June
 
71171,1311 CI$       -or-  404-471-9230, bbs, HST, Fido node 1:133/403
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Jan 90 16:01:47 GMT
From: sun-barr!newstop!texsun!samos.Sun.COM!woife@apple.com  (Woife Bachhuber)
Subject: SM124->MultiSync Board from IKS...
Message-ID: <1986@texsun.Central.Sun.COM>
 
Four month ago I bought the assembled board from IKS.
 
The kit was preinstalled and all I had to do was to buildt in
the bw/color switch and connect about 15 cables inside the monitor.
This is not as easy than it seems:
You have to work very carefully, and check things twice before
connecting them. If you are experienced it'll took about 3 hours
to do all the stuff.
If it works : fine; if not : happy searching.
 
The bw quality is nearly the same as before the upgrade
but it very hard to work with 50 Hz color.
IKS recommends to execute a 50to60hz.prg as first file of your
AUTO folder.
 
If you have still questions, feel free to contact me.
 
----------------------+----------------------------+-----------------------
Wolfgang Bachhuber    |  woife@Germany.Sun.COM     |
Unix Group            |  FAX    (49)-89-46008-400  |  "If you had my job,
German Answer Center  |  Phone  (49)-89-46008-0    |  you'd drink too."
Sun Microsystems GmbH |                            |
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Jan 90 17:53:14 GMT
From: pwp@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu  (Paul Purdom)
Subject: TOS 1.6...
Message-ID: <33087@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
 
Having just posted a note saying how I feel for those of you that must
maintains TOS, let me also say that I think it would be helpful to release
the source for TOS (or as much as possible if Atari does not own it all). I
don't think Atari has much to lose from copies of the ST (my guess is that if
someone came out with a copy, ST sales would go up). Problems from bad code
being written would be offset by occasional good suggestions for improvements
(UNIX did not start out all that great). I think that Atari only needs to
worry about the bad code that would end up in successful programs. Most of
the bad code will have no effect and future operating system suggestions.
 
I remember learning a lot by reading disassembled code for the first Radio
Shack computer.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 90 11:27:10 EST
From: Stephen Harold Goldstein <steveg@SAIC.COM>
Subject: Viruses
Message-ID: <9001151627.AA03713@CASPIAN.SAIC.COM>
 
The only problem with an 'anti-body' program is that some jerk will
no doubt create a virus that 'looks' like an antibody program,
flashing the screen, etc, so you think you're safe, when in fact
you're being infected.  The best defense would be source code to
an anti-body program so that you could customize the bootup action.
If my disk boots and says "Steve Goldstein, this disk is safe"
I can be pretty sure it's MY message, and not a deviant strain of a
'public' anti-body program with a much more generic message.
 
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 15 Jan 90 15:37:21 GMT
From: maytag!water!ljdickey@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu  (L.J.Dickey)
Subject: Viruses
Message-ID: <2900@water.waterloo.edu>
 
In article <21702@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> cr1@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Chris Roth)
 writes:
 
 |    I have heard of things called antibodies, that sit in
 | your boot sector and do something like flash the screen .  The idea
 | being that if a virus hits and writes over the antibody, you will
 | notice the screen not flashing.
 
This is the first I have heard of this idea, and I find it interesting.
But I think it would drive me crazy.
 
Does anyone have experience with something like this?
 
 
 
--
    L. J. Dickey, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Waterloo.
        ljdickey@water.UWaterloo.ca     ljdickey@water.BITNET
        ljdickey@water.UUCP             ..!uunet!watmath!water!ljdickey
        ljdickey@water.waterloo.edu
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V90 Issue #45
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