
     ICTARI USER GROUP             ISSUE 41                 December 1996

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                     *   m   a   g   a   z   i   n   e   *

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                       I C T A R I   U S E R   G R O U P
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                              INDEX FOR ISSUE 41
                              ==================

     C               Bezier curve routine.

     GFA             Functions for using ARGV arguments in command lines.
                     File recognition routine.
                     Using the Iconified window Server in GFA.

     STOS            Slideshow program and tutorial.

     FORTRAN         BC-FORTRAN 77 development system.
                     FORTRAN-C compiler.
                     Compiler-Driver for BC-FORTRAN 77.

     MISC            A quick guide to creating an HTML document.
                     Current membership list.

     In next months issue of ICTARI (this may change) :-

     ASSEMBLY        Long integer multiplication & division routines.

     C

     GFA

     STOS

     MISC

     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   EDITORIAL
                                   =========
     THE FUTURE OF ICTARI
     --------------------
     I am sure you will all be glad  to know that I have had several offers
     to take over as editor  of  Ictari  so  that I am reasonably confident
     that the group will continue  for  quite  a  while  yet. As I am still
     sorting out the details, any disks/money should be sent to me for next
     months issue and I will announce further details in the January issue.

     We are still very short  of  articles  for  future issues, perhaps the
     uncertainty of Ictari has deterred some members from contributing. Now
     that the group is set  to  continue,  we  would  like to see some more
     articles, programs, programming questions, etc  being  sent in so that
     the new editor has some useful material to work with. I have also been
     told that there are  a  number  of  programmers downloading the issues
     from the WWW page that Giles Greenway has set up for us. Perhaps these
     users would also like to send  something  in  (direct to me or via the
     Web) for future publication. As I have mentioned before, the group can
     only survive if members provide something for each issue themselves.
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 CORRESPONDENCE
                                 ==============
     To: Peter Hibbs
     From: Mrten Lindstrm

     GEMULATOR
     ---------
     You say that you haven't room for both Atari and PC and therefore have
     to dispose of your Atari software.  But  haven't you got Gemulator for
     your PC? Not that I mean to press  you  to stay on as Ictari editor; I
     can very well understand it if you want to be relieved of duty after 3
     years. I just hope that my own remark, some months ago, that Gemulator
     didn't work too well  with  Windows  95  hasn't  put  you off from it.
     Gemulator is continually improving.  When  I  wrote  my remark I still
     couldn't get Gemulator  (4.05)  to  write  anything  on real Windows95
     drives (Windows intercepted and  terminated  Gemulator).  But that was
     fixed very shortly afterwards and  now  with  "Gemulator 96" (4.5) the
     emulation has got even better. The  core 68000 emulation seems to have
     been very reliable from the day  I  got my first Gemulator version; it
     seems to only be  the  emulation  of  "peripherals", and (when working
     with Windows95 real drives) (GEM)DOS, that could be improved.

     Practically everything I have contributed this  year to Ictari, I have
     written on my  PC  -  with  Gemulator  running  the  Atari  Protext. I
     actually use this configuration for purely  PC related work too, since
     Protext is a good editor that I have become accustomed to. (OK, I know
     there is a PC DOS version of Protext too, but what I have now seems to
     work just as well, and in  Windows  windows  of  any size I want; when
     writing this, my Gemulator  window  (=  ST  screen)  is set to 736x512
     pixels which Protext is quite happy with).

     Thank you very much for your generous offer to lend me your PostScript
     book. I don't really think  I  will  be  able  to take advantage of it
     right now (other things to do,  and  the 700 pages you mentioned sound
     scary) but perhaps I can get back to you later, if the offer stands?

     To: All

     CAB
     ---
     Hmm, just want to say that I perhaps was a bit hasty with my criticism
     of CAB. It DOES take  advantage  of the 16-colour low-resolution mode.
     It was just I who must have somehow messed up its configuration to run
     in black and white only. The problem  with the too small fonts in low-
     rez could be solved by supplying  special bitmapped GEM fonts for GDOS
     device 2 (the low resolution screen). I might alternatively be able to
     write a fix that changes the resolution recorded for low-rez screens -
     from 45 DPI to 90 DPI  as  in  high-rez  -  used by NVDI at least. (If
     there is any interest.)

     I do get the impression though, that CAB  is a bit memory hungry - for
     an Atari program (we shouldn't mention  the PC equivalents here, which
     seem to never get enough  memory).  (I  must, however, confess to have
     really only tried CAB under Gemulator on my PC).

     */ When I have had my PC up and running for a while I may well look at
     the Gemulator as I do have quite  a lot of software, Calamus files and
     Protext files that I would like  to  keep.  I believe that it emulates
     the 68000 chip in software, how does the speed compare with a standard
     Atari (using a 133MHz Pentium), I  did read somewhere that it actually
     runs quicker which is a bit hard to believe.

     If you would like to see the book  at any time in the future, just let
     me know. I should  mention,  however,  that  it  is mainly a reference
     book, there is lots of information on the various commands, functions,
     etc but there are no descriptions  of  how you would actually use them
     in a program  and  no  help  on  how  one  would  write  a Post Script
     interpreter. If you were starting from  scratch I think you would need
     documentation on how the system works before this reference book would
     be of any help.  PDH /*
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     To: David Preston
     From: Charles Ayres

     In reply to the question about the  new Channel 5 interfering with the
     computer display on a television, I  do  not  think this will have any
     effect as it is only the video  recorder  that is adjusted. I have had
     the visit from the adjuster and he did  not seem to have any answer to
     this question as the training  they  are  given  is limited. The whole
     procedure seems to consist  of  connecting  a  small  black box to the
     video recorder, playing  an  instruction  tape  and  adjusting a small
     screw on the video to retune to  channel 39. When the picture is shown
     on the selected channel  on  your  television,  that's  it.  My TV has
     FastText and three video channels  as  well  as 30 selectable channels
     but for other TVs I would  think  that  is  possible to either use the
     channel already set  up  for  the  computer  or  to  retune to another
     channel wherever you can pick up the computer signal. I have connected
     my outfit up to the TV  since  the  adjustment was carried out with no
     problem but I think the only  way  to finally answer the question will
     be to wait until  Channel  5  starts  broadcasting  and  then try your
     computer to see the result.
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     To: Peter Hibbs
     From: Pete Bailey

     Sorry to see you go, Peter; thanks for  all your hard work and for not
     complaining  that  my  disk   arrives   late  month   after   month...
     Condolences on moving to the PC - I  use one all day at work,  and the
     constant reboots every time it  hangs  drive me to distraction. Anyone
     got Bill Gates' phone number?  I'd  like  to  give him a call and tell
     him what a pile of  poop  Windows  is,   just  in case nobody else has
     thought to point it out to him.

     To: David Preston
     From: Pete Bailey

     David,  I'm  not a STOS person but I can't resist  commenting  on your
     letter.  "Swiz" is definitely a  real  word  -  it  may  not be in the
     dictionary,    but   it   was   in    use    in   my    homeland    of
     Leicestershire  when  I was a  kid,   and  I  picked  it  up  from  my
     mother who had been using it  since  she  was  a  kid.  As far as  I'm
     concerned,  that gives it an  impeccable pedigree.  "Spragged", on the
     other  hand,   is  a  new  one  on  me,   but  it's   so   wonderfully
     expressive that I shall be using  it at the slightest  provocation for
     the foreseeable future. Excellent.

     To: Mrten Lindstrm
     From: Pete Bailey

     Many thanks for your response to  my  menu-hacking problems. I have to
     admit that,  since submitting the  program  to  Ictari I've found that
     the d*mn program is even less stable than it seemed to be at the time,
     and I've pretty much given up on  it  for now. I seem to recall posing
     the question:  "Is this a misguided approach?"  The answer seems to be
     "Yes,  it probably is". TOS  seems  to  pinch the vector back whenever
     you're not looking,  and I can't think  of  a reliable and safe method
     of reinstating it.  As to your   comments on the question of disabling
     interrupts:  yes,   I  understand  that  they   can't   be permanently
     disabled.  My uncertainty was   as   to  whether,   when  AES calls my
     installed mouse routines,  the system is actually in interrupt mode at
     the time. If it is, then  I  guess  that interrupts should be disabled
     for the duration of  my  routine  to   prevent  serious confusion.  My
     belief,  though,  is that  the  actual   interrupts   are handled at a
     lower level (by  the  packet handlers),   and  that AES will only call
     my routines when it  sees fit.  In  other words, my routines are being
     called, in effect, as  subroutines   rather  than as interrupt service
     routines.  Can  you (or anyone else) confirm this?

     Loved the little poem, by the way - got any more?
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     To: All
     From Jim Macleod

     My STFM having shut itself down on  a  permanent basis I now have bits
     and pieces which may be  of  use  to  others  who still have a working
     system. No offer  refused  as  I  now  have  to  start  collecting for
     (regretfully) one of them pesky PC things.

     DevPak ST 2
     NVDI 2.5
     GFA Basic V2 + Compiler (I think) but without a manual.
     2.5Mb memory upgrade-with manual and test disk.
     External floppy drive.
     The actual hardware itself -  one  major  fault was the internal drive
     had gone. If anyone wants the bits  I will explain what it did/did not
     do which may help to indicate what chips, etc are still OK.

     Books-
     Glentop    1st Steps in 68000 Assembly
     Peel       ST68000 Programmers Guide
     Leventhal  Assembly Routines for the 68000  ST specific
                Atari ST Internals

     Please ring/write if anything  of  interest-other  than Sunday/Thurs &
     Fri evenings I am usually home most of the time.

     Tel. 0117 9682490

     Happy Xmas & New Year to all.

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