=========================================================================
 
INFO-ATARI16 Digest         Wed,  7 Feb 90       Volume 90 : Issue  167
 
Today's Topics:
                            Hisoft's WERCS
                 Need addresses for ZRAM and ramchips
                            Right Way?????
                       Software/mouse problems
             Tick-tick-tick-CRASH! is not dead in TOS 1.4
                         TURBO C/MAS problem
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 7 Feb 90 04:29:02 GMT
From: obryan@gumby.wisc.edu  (Mark O'Bryan)
Subject: Hisoft's WERCS
Message-ID: <1990Feb7.042902.6530@gumby.cc.wmich.edu>
 
In article <483b9177.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert)
 writes:
>
> Could someone from Hisoft (who is I believe the original UK publisher
> of WERCS) tell me what is the latest version number and release date
> of WERCS? and tell me if Michtron, the USA distributor of WERCS, has
> it?? If Michtron doesn't have the latest version of WERCS, could you tell
> me how I, who lives in Arizona USA, can get the update. Heck, WERCS is
> worth buying all over again if I could just get a working version!!
 
I've had a number of problems with WERCS myself (I think I've got version
1.08).  I called Michtron a while back and asked whether the problems had
been fixed.  The person I talked to didn't know about the fixes, but did
know that an update to version 1.24 was available.  I haven't gotten
around to it yet because I've been doing all my work in K-Resource re-
cently.
 
To get the update, send $5 plus your master disk to Michtron (plus your
Registration card if you haven't sent it yet).  There may be an even
later update by now.  You can call them at (313) 334-5700 to find out.
 
If Hisoft has a newer version than Michtron, I'd be interested in
hearing about it.
 
--
Mark T. O'Bryan                 Internet:  obryan@gumby.cc.wmich.edu
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI  49008
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 7 Feb 90 07:48:12 GMT
From: silver!kclenden@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu  (Kevin Clendenien)
Subject: Need addresses for ZRAM and ramchips
Message-ID: <35164@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
 
In article <702.25cf31a9@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu> v067majp@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu
 writes:
>Does anyone know the address of the company that makes ZRAM. I'd like to write
>to them for more info about it.
>
 
Z-RAM 3-D/4 MEG is produced by:
 
Zubair Interfaces, Inc
5243B Paramount Blvd.
Lakewood, CA 90712
(213) 408-6715
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
kclenden@silver.bacs.indiana.edu                          Kevin Clendenien
BLoomington Atari ST users group                          BLAST, President
BLAST BBS - (812) 332-0573                                FNET node #141
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 6 Feb 90 18:33:21 GMT
From: ico!isis!csm9a!sfellows@handies.ucar.edu  (5 CR)
Subject: Right Way?????
Message-ID: <2136@csm9a.UUCP>
 
In article <1990Feb5.181710.17028@uokmax.uucp>, gefagan@uokmax.uucp (Geoffrey
 Edward Fagan) writes:
> In article <25C9E532.8848@paris.ics.uci.edu> wngai@ics.uci.edu (Wayne Ngai)
 writes:
> >     Ok, you are in a Jungle and it is getting dark. You must find
> >your way out of the jungle.  In the Jungle lived two tribes, one tribe
> >is good and always tells the truth while the other tribe is bad and
> >alway tells lies.  You are on a dirty path and came upon a Y-intersection.
> >Right in front of you is a sign pointing right and reads "This way to
> >Safty------->".  Behind the sign is a native, You can only ask him
> >one question with a yes or no Answer to determine if the native is telling
 the
> > truth or lie and determine which way is the right way out of the jungle.
> >Remember you are Allow to ask only one question and it must have a yes
> >or no anwer.
> >Wayne
>
> Ok, grab the native.  Grab your elephant gun.  Place the business end of the
> gun against the skull of the native.  State "I need to know if this path
> leads to safety and I'm gonna take you with me to find out." Finally, ask,
> "Do you suggest the left path?"
> Geoffrey Fagan (gefagan@uokmax.uucp)
 
Geoff, your getting to be like Chris.  Why not hose
both tribes and then take either path.
 
Anyway, the correct question is:
 
To any one of the two tribesman:
  Which path would the other tribesman say is the safest path?
 
Then take whatever path the tribesman DID NOT say was the safest.
Why?  If the tribesman you ask is the one who lies, then he will
give the the opposite of the other tribesman answer (the  answer being
the correct path).
      If the tribesman you ask tells the truth, then he will give
you the wrong answer, because he is giving the liar's answer which is
wrong.
 
That will be 100 gold , please.  Pay the dragon at the door as you leave.
 
Steven B. Fellows
sfellows@csm9a.colorado.edu
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 6 Feb 90 17:26:44 GMT
From:
 zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!van-bc!ubc-cs!alberta!ccu!bright@tut.cis.ohio-state.e
 du  (Bob Bright)
Subject: Software/mouse problems
Message-ID: <1990Feb6.172644.10464@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
 
In article <3284@plains.UUCP> blee@plains.UUCP (Blaine Lee) writes:
>
>My last complaint: The *#$@ mouse will swap up for down occasionaly after
>swaping disks (in the short time that the pointer disappears while
>redrawing a window) I can see no pattern nor is it easy to repeat
>(it will revert to correct _sometimes_).  Is there a patch?
 
This sounds suspiciously like the behaviour of one of the ST viruses
that George Woodside has catalogued.  As far as I can recall, it's
harmless enough, with the exception of the curious mouse behaviour you
mention (no flames, please; I know that no virus is _truly_ harmless.)
Fetch VKILLER from the panarthea archives and check your disks if you
haven't already done so.
  BBB
 
--
--------
Bob Bright <bright@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
Dept. of Philosophy
University of Manitoba
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 6 Feb 90 17:40:24 GMT
From: van-bc!ubc-cs!alberta!ccu!bright@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU  (Bob Bright)
Subject: Tick-tick-tick-CRASH! is not dead in TOS 1.4
Message-ID: <1990Feb6.174024.13984@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
 
In article <8040@shlump.nac.dec.com> goldstein@carafe.enet.dec.com (Fred R.
 Goldstein) writes:
>
>In article <2015@atari.UUCP>, kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher) writes...
>>grahamt@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Graham Thomas) writes:
>>
>>| GST say it's something inside TOS (or GEMDOS or whatever layer
>>| it might be), so I was rather hoping the problem might go away with TOS
>>| 1.4.
>>
>>Now why doesn't that surprise me?  Not to bash GST, but I have found
>>that a lot of problems similar to this are a result of bad programming
>>practices.  Not intentional, but just because the developer wasn't
>>aware of some restriction or another.  It's all too easy to blame TOS.
>  ...
>no fair, Ken, it's not GST's problem.
>
>About a year ago I posted this same problem with Word Perfect Atari.
>It too drops into "slow mode" now and then, when it eats up the keyboard
>buffer about one key every few seconds, treats the screen as if the
>mouse button were stuck down, and if you're lucky lets you (slowly!)
>request a save before you have to reboot.
 
Just so; this is _definitely_ not a problem restricted to GST products.
As Fred goes on to note, WP Corp. has been aware of The Problem for a
long time; they claim that Atari Corp. has been uncooperative in
helping them track down its source.
 
Whatever; fact is, there's a real problem here, it's a royal pain in
the *ss, and whether or not it's a bug in TOS is not entirely relevant.
If it is a bug in TOS, then you as well as us should be interested in
getting it fixed as soon as possible (another patch?; at any rate a fix
for TOS 1.8).  If on the other hand it really is a matter of developers
breaking rules, you should be interested in identifying the rule or
rules in question and warning developers of the consequences of
breaking them as soon as possible.  Apparently WP Corp. and GST are
under the mistaken impression that they're not doing anything wrong,
which is making my life miserable, not to mention harming their sales
and ultimately Atari's.
 
Fortunately, The Problem hasn't hit me in WP for a couple of weeks
(even without the chicken blood and incantations :-).  Prior to that it
seemed like I was getting bitten every other day or so.  I don't have
any more of a clue than anyone else about how to replicate it, but for
what it's worth, I've noticed that The Problem is not unconnected with
mouse movement.  I.e.: If I catch it before it gets out of hand (after
the machine has started to crawl, but before it locks up completely), I
can save my file and exit WP by moving the mouse slightly after each
key press.  Here's the scenario:
 
1.  Machine slows to a crawl; keystrokes and mouseclicks have an effect
    only seconds after a key is pushed or button clicked.
2.  I hit F7 ("Exit").  Nothing happens.
3.  I move mouse slightly.  "Save file?" dialogue pops us instantly.
4.  I respond with "y".  Nothing happens.
5.  I move mouse slightly.  File is saved, and "Exit?" dialogue pops
    up.
6.  I respond with "y".  Nothing happens... etc.
 
Does this behaviour suggest anything to anyone?
BBB
 
--
Bob Bright <bright@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
Dept. of Philosophy
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Man  R3T 2N2  (204) 474-9680
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 7 Feb 90 04:53:12 GMT
From:
 quanta.eng.ohio-state.edu!kaa.eng.ohio-state.edu!rob@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
 (Rob Carriere)
Subject: TURBO C/MAS problem
Message-ID: <4148@quanta.eng.ohio-state.edu>
 
In article <523.25cd9dcc@ccvax.ucd.ie> h236_014@ccvax.ucd.ie writes:
>    Does anybody know how similar the ST and PC versions of the compiler
>are ? The reason I ask is that I have Turbo C v1.5 for the PC and if the
>two versions were similar I might be able to make do with the PC manual
>for all the UN*X-like stuff and only be forced onto the German manual for
>the GEM/ST specific stuff.
 
Very.  In fact, for the docs the term translation comes to mind :-) The editor
is wired up rather differently (keybindings/menu structure), but with the same
functionality.  Given that the menus are in English, a TC PC 1.5 manual should
work fine.
 
SR
 
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End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V90 Issue #167
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