Info-Atari16 Digest         Mon, 25 Mar 91       Volume 91 : Issue 169
 
Today's Topics:
                             1040 problem
                   2.5 million ST's sold worldwide!
               Can't connect a 1040st to a TV Set  :-(
                           Closing Windows
          Connecting Macintosh Hard Disks to Atari (3 msgs)
                       Copying protected disks
                     Discovery Cartridge - Moans
                      Gemini 1.2 (where is it?)
                      Info about WHATTAHE demo?
          Midi file format (Used by several midi programs).
                         SS->DS floppy mechs
                          standard practices
                                thanks
                       Thoughts on DC Utilities
                       uploads to atari.archive
 
Welcome to the Info-Atari16 Digest.  The configuration for the automatic
cross-posting to/from Usenet is getting closer, but still getting thrashed
out.  Please send notifications about broken digests or bogus messages
to Info-Atari16-Request@NAUCSE.CSE.NAU.EDU.
 
Please send requests for un/subscription and other administrivia to
Info-Atari16-Request, *NOT* Info-Atari16.  Requests that go to the list
instead of the moderators are likely to be lost or ignored.
 
If you want to unsubscribe, and you're receiving the digest indirectly
from someplace (usually a BITNET host) that redistributes it, please
contact the redistributor, not us.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Date: 25 Mar 91 23:39:48 GMT
From:
 noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!caen!uwm.edu!bionet!hayes.ims.alaska.ed
 u!acad3.alaska.edu!fnjlh1@arizona.edu (HARRIS JAY L)
Subject: 1040 problem
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
then locks up with the dread black screen syndrome. Cold booting immediately
doesn't help. If left alone for 2-3 hours, it will boot and run ok.
   Any suggestions welcomed, or similar symptoms and cures. Sounds like
someone is getting warm and flaking out, but before I can opener it encore
and douche it with heat gun and cool spray, I'd appreciate any and all help.
   I do realize that Mr ZRAM sits on the video shifter, and it probably runs
hotter than it did at 1M, but I can't see how the video shifty could screw up
a cold boot, but there's lots I can't see, I wear glasses.
   Thanks     j harris
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 25 Mar 91 22:02:46 GMT
From:
 noao!ncar!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!caen!uwm.edu!ogicse
 !milton!sumax!csc23042@arizona.edu (Dave Jorgan)
Subject: 2.5 million ST's sold worldwide!
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <5330@wucc.waseda.ac.jp> ytsuji@wucc.waseda.ac.jp (Y.Tsuji Y.Tsuji
 shagaku) writes:
>The only m68k machines ever sold in Japan are cpm68k boards to MSDOS machines
>or X68000 (SHARP's hobby machine). CPM68K has been expensive because they are
>for developers but SHARP's machines have been a great failure: people do not
>buy machines people do not know. As to ATARI, they are the things one usually
>finds in a music shop under dust. ATARI ST is very much like IBM PC here: the
>owners used them before coming to Japan: no reason why they can be sold here.
>Things are very different on 68020 or higher front (Sony's NEWS or SUN's of
>various names). But that is not a comfort for us.
 
 
 
 
In STart there is a company that appears to be a ST dealer in Tokyo. It is
 called
Andy's Music. Gives phone numbers, address.... and I have seen this ad running
for a while. One dealer does not market penetration make, I know, but it at
least seems as though they are doing reasonable business, so perhaps it is
not all that grim.......
 
 
Dave
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 25 Mar 91 21:54:46 GMT
From:
 noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio
 -state.edu!ohstpy!miavx1!rlcollins@arizona.edu (Ryan 'Gozar' Collins)
Subject: Can't connect a 1040st to a TV Set  :-(
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <XD26y2w163w@bluemoon.uucp>, dddean@bluemoon.uucp (David D. Dean)
 writes:
> It turns out that they (The Atari Company) did not include an RF modulator
> for their 1040st line.  DARN!!!    That really ticks!
 
On a related note, is it possible to add a RF modulator to an older ST?
I've noticed that there is space on the motherboard for it, but nothing is
there.
 
thanks.....
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ryan 'Gozar' Collins      Question for IBM Users:      rlcollins@miavx1.BITNET
   ||||   Power Without     How DO you move/copy a      rc1dsanu@miamiu.BITNET
  / || \  The Price!!         Subdirectory?               R.COLLINS1 on GEnie
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 25 Mar 91 22:27:00 GMT
From: math.fu-berlin.de!opal!unido!mcshh!janhh!jan@uunet.uu.net (Jan
 Willamowius)
Subject: Closing Windows
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
Dear netlanders,
 
every once in an while I had the problem that a window wouldn't
respond the first time I clicked eg. the closer. I figured it was
a rare bug burried in GEM.
 
But now I always have this problem with a program that I wrote myself.
I found out that this only happens when I turn off the menu (using
menu_bar(...,1)) while the user can work with he window. Turning
the menu off an d on isn't the usual thing to do, but as far as I know
there is nothing in the developers docs that says that I'm not allowed
to use menu_bar during the program.
 
So the question is, if there is any way around this problem that one
has to click twice to close the window ? Do other people have this, too ?
 
I also tried to turn off the menu by using menu_ienable on all the
menu titles, but as soon as I move the mouse on the still selected, but
disabled title I get garbage on the screen.
 
Any ideas ?
 
- Jan
 
--
Jan Willamowius      E-Mail: jan@janhh.hanse.de
Nienredder 6
2000 Hamburg 54      "A-Ram-A-Lam-A-Ding-Dong" (The Edsels)
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 25 Mar 91 23:20:46 GMT
From:
 noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!news-server.
 csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!cunews!bnrgate!bwdls61!bwdls56!fortinp@arizona.edu
 (Pierre Fortin)
Subject: Connecting Macintosh Hard Disks to Atari
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <2127@netmbx.UUCP>, hase@netmbx.UUCP (Hartmut Semken) writes:
|>zimm@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dylan Yolles) writes:
|>>I already have a hard disk with ICD controller, so it shouldn't be too
|>>tough to do; there even seems to be some kind of SCSI plug on the back of my
|>>hard disk.
 
[stuff deleted]
 
|>If You have a 50 pin (well, the contacts are not pins really) Amphenol
|>connector (the "real" SCSI connector), that looks like the parallel
|>connector of Your parallel printer, Youll probably need an adaptor.
 
Actually, this is (according to the SCSI-1 spec) the "alternative 2" connector.
The "real" connector is a double-row "header"-type connector.
 
[stuff deleted]
 
|>Termination of the cables *is* a problem. Refer to your ICD manual and
|>the manual of Your Mac drive.
 
I had to modify my ICD HA (just last night) to allow the use of a cable
terminator;
ICD does (did?) not provide TERMPWR (+5V on pin 26).  The result was
that a SCSI
terminator would kill the SCSI bus.
 
|>hase
|>--
|>Hartmut Semken, Lupsteiner Weg 67, 1000 Berlin 37 hase@netmbx.UUCP
|>Hi! (Zaphod Beeblebrox)
 
Cheers,
Pierre Fortin       fortinp@bnr.ca         (613)763-2598
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 26 Mar 91 04:08:58 GMT
From:
 noao!asuvax!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!rpi!uupsi!rodan.acs.syr.edu!jfbruno@ari
 zona.edu (John Bruno)
Subject: Connecting Macintosh Hard Disks to Atari
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <1991Mar23.002657.10286@leland.Stanford.EDU> you write:
>I have a Spectre GCR and would like to connect a Mac hard disk to my ST.
>Unfortunately, I'm basically ignorant about hardware, and so would like
>any input more experienced people have on this subject.
>I already have a hard disk with ICD controller, so it shouldn't be too
>tough to do; there even seems to be some kind of SCSI plug on the back of my
>hard disk.
>
 
I've done this with a ClubMac hard drive. I have the ICD Advantage+ Host
Adapter.  First, you need to get a cable that is standard SCSI on one end
(50 pin, this end plugs into your ICD board) and "Mac-SCSI" on the other
end (50 pin Centronics type - it fits into the connector on the back of
your hard drive case).  What I did was put the ICD board right inside of the
drive (I was lucky, it fit) and run the SCSI cable outside the back of the
drive and plug the other end into the SCSI connector on the back of the
drive. I had to make a hole in the side of the drive case for access to
the Atari in/out plugs. So basically, I have an Atari drive now, but I
can just reach around the back of it and unplug the SCSI connector and
be able to use it fine on a Mac.
 
I got my cable from ICD. It was about 18 feet long, so I cut off about 17
feet.  The power supply adapter they give you works fine, so running power
to the ICD board is no problem.
 
>[Rest deleted]
>
>Dylan
>zimm@leland.stanford.edu
 
---jb (jfbruno@rodan.acs.syr.edu)
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 26 Mar 91 04:25:15 GMT
From: njin!uupsi!rodan.acs.syr.edu!jfbruno@princeton.edu (John Bruno)
Subject: Connecting Macintosh Hard Disks to Atari
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <1991Mar24.104528.13341@mailer.cc.fsu.edu> boyd@nu.cs.fsu.edu writes:
>Huh?  I thought they were all made by Syquest!
 
They are, but Jasmine and tons of other VARS add a case and power supply, as
well as a little sticker that says "Jasmine".
 
>I am soon to purchase one of
>these units, any history/information would be appreciated.  I know that there
>was an upgrade in design at some point, and that there is some way of telling
>if a particular unit is the newer (better, faster) design or not.
 
The older units have a red access LED, the newer ones have an orange LED.
The newer ones have a rated 20ms access time compared to 25ms for the older
ones.  The newer ones also have twice the MTBF rating (Mean Time Between
Fukups).  I advise anyone who wants one of these to pick up a MacWeek and
order from somebody that explicitly states a 20ms access time in their ad,
I'm sure that there are some older mechs still out there, and there was
no change in model number from SyQuest, so there's no other way to tell.
These drives are now well under $500 (WITH case and power supply and mac
cable and formatting software).
 
>Also, it was announced that at least
>two totally new mechs are to be introduced, one a 3.5" device, the other
>5.25" (like the old one), but capable of using both 120mb and the old 44mb
>cartridges.  When this occurs, they also announced that they will still sell
>the old 44mb-only mechs for $200 less (and the new 5.25" mech will cost the
 same
>list price as the old).  Can anyone confirm any of this (it was gleaned mostly
>from the nets, and Computer Shopper)?  Has anyone seen either of the two new
>mechs, or more importantly a lower price on the old one?
 
I heard about the $200 thing about 6 months ago, at least.  But I couldn't
wait any longer.  I never heard about the 3.5" device.  In this week's
MacWeek, 2 different vendors have 88MB versions using a new SyQuest
mechanism.  One ad has a picture and the newer drives apparently use the
old cartridges!  The ad also states that "The 88MB drive can even read data
from a 44MB cartridge" (but they don't say "write")  If you want one of the
88MB versions, expect to pay out the old wa-zoo, no prices were stated in the
ads.
 
>Does Syquest have a 1-800 number?
 
Forget about ever calling SyQuest. No 800 number, and they won't talk to you
unless you're a VAR.
 
>What is the cheapest price quoted to
>you for just the bare
>mech (the lowest I have heard is $519)?
 
That's about the lowest I've seen for a bare mech, but as I said, you can
get a complete drive w/power case & cable for about $30-$40 less, and have
a case and power supply left over to boot (well, you can boot it if you
put another drive in it.)
 
>--
>    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
>             Mickey R. Boyd          |  "Kirk to Enterprise.  All clear
>          FSU Computer Science       |      down here.  Beam down
>        Technical Support Group      |      yeoman Rand and a six-pack . ."
>      email:  boyd@fsucs.cs.fsu.edu  |
>    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
 
---jb (jfbruno@rodan.acs.syr.edu)
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 25 Mar 91 23:29:49 GMT
From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!vsnyder@arizona.edu (Van Snyder)
Subject: Copying protected disks
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
I have some software from belly-up folks, on protected disks.  I'd like to
make backups.  I'm not trying to rip off somebody's copyright.
 
Are there any programs that copy protected disks?
 
Thanks in advance.
 
--
vsnyder@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov
ames!elroy!jato!vsnyder
vsnyder@jato.uucp
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 26 Mar 91 04:33:59 GMT
From: njin!uupsi!rodan.acs.syr.edu!jfbruno@princeton.edu (John Bruno)
Subject: Discovery Cartridge - Moans
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <2605@odin.cs.hw.ac.uk> sean@cs.hw.ac.uk (Sean Gordon) writes:
>
>In case any one does not know, the Discovery cartridge is an amazing
>piece of hardware from Happy Computers Inc. which plugs into the
>cartridge port of the Atari ST and allows the user to do such things
>as convert MAC format discs to Spectre format discs.:-
>copies virtually all disks :-) :-)
 
Yeah, but unfortunately, you have to spend about 20 minutes (at least)
figuring out the proper parameters to put in the stupid, clunky software
that they give you with it.  Rewriting the software is one of those projects
I'll do "someday"...
 
>
>Does anyone know if there is a later version of the discovery software
>than version 2.7 ?
 
Probably not. I know they have a BBS (I forget the #, but its in area code
916).  Last time I signed on, nothing had been updated in the last YEAR.
When you fax, call, or write to them, they NEVER get back to you.
 
>Its a shame that such a powerful piece of hardware is not supplied with
>an equally powerful piece of software. (or is it now ?, I have not heard
>anything from Happy Computers, despite having registered over 2 years
>ago ) :-(
 
I agree completely.  Does anybody have a list of parameters to use for
different programs?  If so, please send 'em to me, I haven't had the
patience to try out all of the settings.  For example, I haven't gotten
Operation Wolf to copy, although the Blitz cable can do it.  But there
are many other things that Discovery can to that Blitz can't, which is the
only reason I haven't sold the stupid thing.
 
>
>If anybody has any info on this, can you post it or mail it to me.
>
>
>Thanks.
>Sean Gordon ( sean@uk.ac.hw.cs )
 
---jb (jfbruno@rodan.acs.syr.edu)
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 22 Mar 91 17:03:59 GMT
From: mcsun!ukc!strath-cs!glasgow!kcl-cs!bointon@uunet.uu.net (Marcus "Bru"
 Bointon)
Subject: Gemini 1.2 (where is it?)
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
  Someone mentioned that Gemini 1.2 is on some ftp site- which one???
Could someone please post the internet address.
I can't seem to find it on atari.archive.
 
        Thanks,
                        Marcus Bointon.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 25 Mar 91 23:44:18 GMT
From:
 noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!caen!uflorida!mailer.cc.fsu.edu!nu!boyd
 @arizona.edu (Mickey Boyd)
Subject: Info about WHATTAHE demo?
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <2806@shodha.enet.dec.com>, jamie@defoe.enet.dec.com () writes:
>I'd MSA some demos myself (I've got maybe 30 disks worth of demos) but
>the MSA program
>seems to require TWO disk drives. Me with just one drive is left cold!
>
>If anyone has a version of Magic Shadow that works with a single drive
>then please let me have a copy and I'll start uploading these demos
>myself.
>
>Some of the best are : European Demo, Mindbomb, Skidz Row, Decade, Dark
 
I believe the latest version of MSA is 1.03, and I have MSA'ed many disks
with only one drive by using a large ramdisk (to write the .msa file to).
If this does not work for you, perhaps your version is dated?  I could
probably email you my version, or you could get it from atari.archive.
 
See ya!
 
 
--
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
             Mickey R. Boyd          |  "Kirk to Enterprise.  All clear
          FSU Computer Science       |      down here.  Beam down
        Technical Support Group      |      yeoman Rand and a six-pack . ."
      email:  boyd@fsucs.cs.fsu.edu  |
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 22 Mar 91 12:51:13 GMT
From: mcsun!ukc!strath-cs!glasgow!kcl-cs!bointon@uunet.uu.net (Marcus "Bru"
 Bointon)
Subject: Midi file format (Used by several midi programs).
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
In article <10189@pitt.UUCP> bogdan@neuronet.pitt.edu (Bogdan Kosanovic) writes:
>In article <1482@ahds.UUCP> geert@ahds.UUCP (Geert W.T. Jonkheer CCS/TS)
 writes:
>>...
>>I am writing a midi program for the atari ST. As many other programs,
>>I would like to use the standard Midi file format to store
>>midi data on disk. However, I don't know what the terms on this
>>format are. Where can I find information about the midi file format?
>>... etc.
>
>Thank you on asking that question. I have started a year ago interesting
>project (see below), not supported from any institution (as in majority of
>computer music projects), which led me to the similar questions.
>
>I don't think that there exists a Standard MIDI File Format. It is also
>important to define what kinds of information you would like to see
>in such file (multitrack recording of MIDI events, MIDI dump of patch
>parameters, music scores of composition, live performance protocol file,
>etc., etc.)
 
Sorry, not true. There is an official standard MIDI file format, specifically
for storing sequences. This is supported by meny mainstream packages such
as Master tracks Pro, Pro-24, Cubase, Realtime, M, Notator etc. It has three
modes, depending on how many tracks you want to store and how they are
arranged. It also stores any time signatures, tempos, lyrics, timecode,
patch changes etc. It is also very easy to write programs to deal with it.
I got the info from the Emusic server- ask in rec.music.synth.
There is a set of files covering all of the MIDI standard- sample dump,
midifiles, midi time code, and of course, the normal MIDI stuff. Nicely
written too.
 
>Bogdan R. Kosanovic
>4705 Fifth Ave, Apt 1-L
>Pittsburgh, PA 15213
>U.S.A.
>(412)-681-2019
>E-Mail: bogdan@neuronet.pitt.edu     (please use this address)
 
glad to be of service...
 
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<=Marcus Bointon=>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
<<  Consultant, Campaign for the Reduction of Entropy (C.R.E. Group(U.K.))  >>
<<    Campaign HQ: JANET%ZDAC810@UK.AC.KCL.CC.OAK or bointon@kcl.cs.UUCP    >>
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
<< Disclaimer: This message has been treated with flame-resistant chemicals >>
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 25 Mar 91 21:04:15 GMT
From:
 noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!psuvax1!psuvm!bgb100@arizona.
 edu (Bruce Blanar)
Subject: SS->DS floppy mechs
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
I have several SS drives which I would like to finally upgrade with DS mechs.
 
My question:  Which mechanisms work (best)?  Preferably, I would like to
              get HD mechanisms and use them as DS (if possible).  It only
              makes sense because HD mechs only cost about $5-$10 more than DS.
              Will it work though?
              My main concerns are about the connecting of the drives and the
              reliable operation of these drives.
 
Any help is much appreciated!
 
-Bruce.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 23 Mar 91 19:11:20 GMT
From: math.fu-berlin.de!opal!unido!mcshh!abqhh!tpki!oski!schlut@uunet.uu.net
 (Olaf Schlueter)
Subject: standard practices
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
rosenkra@convex.com (William Rosencranz) writes:
>
> while on the subject of standards, can i throw in my 2 cents on another
> plead for consistency?
>
> it would be really nice if unix-like programs on the ST (or anywhere, for
> that matter) would include the following command line switches:
>
>       -debug          to turn on internal debugging, if any
>       -help           to print a usage synopsis
>       -version        to print current program version
>       -changes        to print major changes since last rev (or indicate
>                       that this is first rev)
>
> does this sound reasonable? i have adopted this myself for both unix and
> TOS. i just wish P1003.2 would say something about this...
 
The unix style is single letter.  As for help, if you use the (posix)
getopt routine, -? should (and normally will) display short usage info
(since getopt returns the option ? for each not recognized option).
Either -v or -V usually gives version info (it should be possible to
determine the version of a program for bug infos). In GNU this
is accompanied by verbose mode, which is all of "debug" info a user
should get.
 
-changes is not needed. Updating the online manual is to prefer.
 
 
--
Olaf Schlueter, Sandkuhle 4-6, 2300 Kiel 1, FRG, schlut@oski.toppoint.de
"Someone is always the evil in the land, and then the good guys are
marching, the eyes full of sand, into a holy war." Konstantin Wecker
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 25 Mar 91 22:46:59 GMT
From:
 noao!asuvax!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.pr
 imate.wisc.edu!unmvax!bbx!bbxsda!scott@arizona.edu (Scott Amspoker)
Subject: thanks
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
About a month ago I posted a request for some info needed to port
some MIDI software I wrote from a PC to an Atari ST.  I got a few
responses directing me to various texts.  Well, once I got the
information into a "usuable" form the port went very smoothly.
I'd just like to say "thanks" for help, folks.
 
For anyone who is interested here are a few tidbits I discovered about
the ST that are of concern to those implementing MIDI software:
 
   The ABACUS book, as incoherent as it is, turned out to be invaluable.
   The ROM listing in the back answered all remaining questions about the
   hardware.
 
   The LASER C manual explained the hardware interface better than
   the hardware book in many ways.
 
   TIMER A is available for programmable interrupt intervals.  It
   can be set for a wide range of intervals (the shortest being
   a couple of microseconds).
 
   The MIDI ports share the same exception vector as the keyboard.
   A bios call may be used to set the address of "your" midi interrupt
   handler.  The main bios interrupt service routine gives the
   midi handler first crack and then moves on to the keyboard handler.
   This let's you *efficiently* take over the midi interrupt without
   having to mess with the keyboard.
 
   The VT52 simulator should handle most text-based applications without
   any hassle.
 
   The midi recieve port buffers only one character at a time.  In order
   to prevent overrun you must disable other non-critical interrupt processes
   on the system.  The vertical retrace interrupt (60hz) uses a memory
   flag to tell it not to do certain processing.  Turn off that extra
   processing.  Also, the TIMER C interrupt (200hz) will call the GEM
   event counter (this is an indirect call through memory $400).
   Change that location to point to your own stub routine.  This will
   deny GEM whatever use it is making of that interrupt but a serious
   realtime application must have *complete* control.  Only after
   making these changes could I no longer overrun the midi port no
   matter how hard I tried.
 
 
--
Scott Amspoker                       | Touch the peripheral convex of every
Basis International, Albuquerque, NM | kind, then various kinds of blaming
(505) 345-5232                       | sound can be sent forth.
unmvax.cs.unm.edu!bbx!bbxsda!scott   |    - Instructions for a little box that
                                     |      blurts out obscenities.
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 25 Mar 91 19:25:07 GMT
From: aurs01!whitcomb@uunet.uu.net (Jonathan Whitcomb)
Subject: Thoughts on DC Utilities
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
The March ST Informer had rave reviews for the new DC Utilities
package, so I picked up a copy.  In general the programs are
pretty good and useful, but there were a few bugs, and a couple
of missing features.
 
First ,XTractor Plus.  It is designed to handle compression and
decompression of archive files, using .arc, .lzh, .zip and .zoo
methods.  Lots of nice features, but the interface is not very
intuitive.  One of the problems is that no title strings are
passed to the file selector, so you press the "begin" box on
the main interface, and you get a file selector with no
instructions.  You can usually figure out what they want by
checking the default file selector extention, but how much
extra effort would it have taken to write an instruction
string to the file selector?  (I use the Little Green File
Selector by Charles Johnson, and like it alot.)
 
Another problem is that you can't install the program as
an application.  I currently just double click .arc and .lzh
files, and Arcshell prompts me to unpack them.  XTractor Plus
just comes up cold.  Until it recognizes paths passed to
it, and perhaps command lines, I'll stick with Arcshell to
unpack.
 
XTractor Plus does have a nice compression feature that lets you
keep selecting new files with the file selector (instead of
prompting you for each one), but it sometimes hangs when compressing
lzh files.  I had this happen several times, and consistantly with
neochrome format files.  I would prefer to use .lzh, because it
usually packs the smallest of all the formats.  I like the
packing environment of XTractor, but until they fix this problem,
I'll stick with Arcshell.
 
The DC Squish program is nice.  It compresses executable files and
uncompresses them at run time with no noticable delay.  You have
the option of setting fast-bits or clearing memory before running
the program, and you can unsquish any squished program.  The
documentation doesn't tell you if the memory clearing option is
necessary with Pinhead, though, or indicate if it is faster or
slower.  My main problem with DC Squish is that sometimes when
I unsquish a program, it leaves a squished copy in the folder
that I can't delete.  I guess it sets a read only bit, but I
can't seem to clear it.  This problem aside, I am very happy with
the program, and have reduced the amount of space I use on
my hard disk considerably...I will now be able to further delay
getting another hard disk!
 
I like the package in general.  My main complaint is that DC makes
assumptions about how you will be using their software, and don't
give you alternative options.  They also seem oblivious of how
their products work with other common programs (Pinhead, LGSelector,
Hotwire!, NeoDesk, etc.).  Maybe I've just been spoiled by Codehead
products, which are fantastic in this regard.  I also wouldn't expect
bugs and unpredictable behavior from a second generation product.
I recommend it for DC Squish, though.
 
Anyone else have any reflections on DC products?
 
-Jonathan the verbose
**********************************************************************
Jonathan Whitcomb                    UUCP: <whitcomb%aurgate@mcnc.org>
Alcatel Network Systems, Raleigh, NC                    Delphi: JBWHIT
 
 
------------------------------
 
Date: 25 Mar 91 19:18:56 GMT
From: noao!ncar!csn!boulder!tramp.Colorado.EDU!millert@arizona.edu (MILLER TODD
 C)
Subject: uploads to atari.archive
To: Info-Atari16@naucse.cse.nau.edu
 
Just uploaded the following files to atari.arcihve.umich.edu
 
dterm_1e.lzh    - latest version of the popular term prg (shareware)
2column4.lzh    - 2 columns ver. 4 -- print text files in two columns per page
                  and even use both sides of the page.  Saves paper. (freeware)
 
These may take a while to appear since Jeff seems to be a bit backed up :-)
 
 - todd
--
Todd C. Miller                    | "But all the politiCIAns now
millert@tramp.Colorado.EDU        |  They have no excuse
al804@cleveland.Freenet.Edu       |  They just hide behind their power
University of Colorado @ Boulder  |  And keep us from the truth" - Roger McGuinn
 
------------------------------
 
End of Info-Atari16 Digest
******************************