HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: gduncan@philips.oz.au (Gary Duncan)
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 93 09:21:27 GMT
Organization: Philips Public Telecommunications Systems, Melbourne, Australia
Subject: Flushing Devices;  C= doco (mutter!)

Ever done an "RTFM" on a key issue, can't find the answer, asked for 
help then later find it was in "TFM" but so described as to be easily
overlooked but allow the manual writers to say "well its in there" ?

Yes ? Causes some stress doesn't it ? Definitely generates negative
thoughts. Anyway...
   
A few days ago I posed a question on how to flush unused
devices out of RAM from a program (as distinct from doing it from the 
command line using "Avail Flush", for example). Nothing in the
RKMs seemed to answer this question (but read on).

In my case getting rid of the serial device was the issue. Having it hang 
around unused after my program exitted gave a false impression of a 
memory leak. 

Well I got some helpful replies on how to force a flush from
requesting  gigabytes (thus causing Exec to flush unused libraries
and devices from RAM) to suggestions of  using the Flush entry in
a device. Fortunately someone had made a passing reference to some
code examples so I managed to trip over one of C='s 1.3 examples
(dated May 1990) issued on Fish Disks and saw a neat example on
how to do it (para-coded below).

Armed with this info I rescanned the RKM-Libraries (ed 3) index
and noticed a "FlushDevices()" entry {my brain had been previously
programmed to look for keywords like Remove/Delete/Expunge and in
big bold letters, not as a side issue to a specific chapter}. 
This lead to a discussion/code as shown below and in fact answered my query.

So what I'm saying is that there is a real deficiency in that 
manual to do with this issue. There should at least have been
a reference to RemDevice() which would have lead on one.

I feel better now :)

Passing thought ; why the heck aren't unused libraries/devices
flushed automatically anyway? Sounds like a legacy of the days 
when hard disks were rare and dragging a device off floppy was
time-consuming. Those days are gone...


- Gary  

 
--------------------------------------------------------------
extern struct ExecBase *SysBase;

void
FlushSerDevice (void)

{
  DEVICE *dev;

  Forbid ();
  if (dev = (DEVICE *) FindName (&SysBase->DeviceList, SERIALNAME))
    RemDevice (dev);

  Permit ();
}

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Gary Duncan			gduncan@rosella.pts.philips.oz.au	
Philips Public Telecommunications Systems    Phone: +61 3 8813666
Melbourne, Australia      		       Fax: +61 3 8813577
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
From: val@news.ccutah.edu (Val Kartchner)
Subject: 680x0 Branch Instructions?
Organization: University of Utah Computer Center
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 93 18:44:45 GMT

I program in 680x0 assembly language from time to time.  I will soon be
programming some routines in assembly language again soon.  I need help
on the meaning and practical usage of the less common branch instructions.
I know what the eight common ones do.  (BRA, BSB, BLS, BLE, BEQ, BNE, BGE,
BGT)  I think that four of the others are used for branches based on
unsigned compares, but I'm not sure which ones.  (BCS, BCC, BPL, BMI?)
What practical use are the other four branch instructions?

Would an assembly guru be willing to confirm this usage and/or correct it
as well as provide practical examples (short) of using all of the branch
instructions? (C-like pseudo-code is prefered, but Pascal-like would be
fine.)

			Thanks in advance,
				-=:[ VAL ]:=-

P.S.: I can figure it out (as I usually do), but I would like confirmation.

P.P.S.: I probably got several of the mneumonics wrong.  Please correct.
--
|================== #include <disclaimer.h> ==================///=============|
| "AMIGA: The computer for the creative mind" (tm) Commodore /// Weber State  |
| "Macintosh: The computer for the rest of us"(tm) Apple \\\///   University  |
|== "I think, therefore I AMiga" -- val@csulx.weber.edu ==\///= Ogden UT USA =|
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
From: Todd_Lewis@unc.edu (Todd M. Lewis)
Subject: Re: DD vs HD floppies
Organization: UNC Office of Information Technology
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 15:04:58 GMT

In article <19269@mindlink.bc.ca> Charlie_Gibbs@mindlink.bc.ca (Charlie Gibbs)  
writes:
>In article <1993Jan5.161230.8635@city.cs> sheun@cs.city.ac.uk
>(Sheun Olatunbosun) writes:
>
>>I'm having a problem finding an IBM compatible machine which will accept
>>my DD (Double Density) floppies. All the I've seen PC's seem to have the HD
>>(High Density) drive as standard. [...]

>     Every IBM-compatible machine I've seen can read and write DD [3.5"]
>disks in an HD drive. [...]
> Start with a 3 1/2-inch DD disk (don't use an HD disk!) and
>format it on an IBM clone with the /F:720 parameter.

Depends on the version of MS-DOS you are running.  Some don't allow
the /F:720 parameter.  The following should work for all MS-DOSs that
support 720kb 3.5" disks (the "A:" is just an example):

   FORMAT A: /N:9 /T:80
--
 _/_/_/  _/     Todd_Lewis@unc.edu          You can lead a horse to 
  _/    _/     utoddl@guitar.oit.unc.edu   Mohammad, but you can't make
 _/    _/_/_/                             a mountain drink a mole hill.
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Date: Fri,  8 Jan 1993 17:27:26 -0500 
From: Michael Witbrock <mjw+@cs.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Subliminal Messages
	<crystal.726438666@glia>

Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.amiga.programmer: 7-Jan-93 Re: Subliminal
Messages Crystal@glia.biostr.wash (2775)

> The ads weren't "sub" "liminal" messages.  They can be perceived if you
> look for them.  Sub-liminal means "below the threshold of perception".  If you
> can perceive it, it's not subliminal, and if it's subliminal it can't be
> perceived so it can't POSSIBLY work.

This isn't quite true, there are stimuli that, although below whatever
threshold there is which determines whether it should be consciously
percieved, do fire neurons in the sensors, and produce excitation in the
sensory cortex.

In fact, there is a considerable body of experimental evidence showing
effects of non conscious processing of low level  stimuli.
(And if it hadn't been 8 years since I finished my Psych degree, I'd
remember some of the researcher's names, but...)

This, of course, says nothing in particular about whether attempts at
subliminal coercion work. As I remember, they don't, or at least not to
any extent worth having.

Putting musk at unnoticeable concentrations on clothing does help to
sell it though, so caution might be advised (perhaps this marketing ploy
could be tried on Amigas (yech)).
From: jh@cadre.com (Joe Hartley)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: Z_Kick for 2.04
Date: 12 Jan 93 23:22:32 GMT
Article-I.D.: fripp.1993Jan12.232232.11368
Reply-To: jh@cadre.com
Organization: Cadre Technologies, Inc.

In article 8Hy@mentor.cc.purdue.edu, image@sage.cc.purdue.edu (The Melancholy Image) writes:
>I was just wondering if there is a ZKick for 1.3 roms?  I still have my old 1.3
>rom laying around, but I really don't want to go and get a silly old switcher.

There is a program on amiga.physik.unizh.ch called skick which will let you
kick any ROM image from 1.2 to 2.1 into RAM.  Sounds just like what you
want.

---
===============================================================================
Joe Hartley          | jh@cadre.com  -  Whenever you find that you are on the
Cadre Technologies   | side of the majority, it is time to reform. - M. Twain
222 Richmond St.     | --------------------------------------------------------
Providence, RI 02903 | Overman 1st Class - the Kilgore Trout Memorial Clench
(401) 351-5950 x266  |            of the Church of the SubGenius  
===============================================================================
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer,comp.sys.amiga.misc
From: walker@twix.unx.sas.com (Doug Walker)
Subject: Re: AmigaDOS vs. ANSI SAS implementation [Was Re: SAS C6.1 datecmp bug]
Originator: walker@twix.unx.sas.com
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 14:24:16 GMT
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.


In article <1992Dec29.220310.29392@bernina.ethz.ch>, wild@nessie.cs.id.ethz.ch (Markus Wild) writes:
|> Since you mention it.. ;-) Some people bitched at ixemul.library clock(2) not
|> really measuring real time, so I must assume it's a usual behavior of other
|> AmigaOS clock(2) implementations to not return the amount of cpu time used by
|> *the process calling clock*, but just some system dependant flavor of time(2)
|> with an unknown time base. Is that true? Just as a reminder, this is from the
|> man page of clock(2):

The ANSI definition of clock() does not require that clock() measure
only CPU time.  Ours measures real time.

|> Is this what you implemented so efficiently ? ;-)

Efficient implementation has nothing to do with whether clock()
measures real time or CPU time.  It is possible to have efficient
implementations of incorrect algorithms, or inefficient implementations
of correct algorithms.  In this case, the implementation is reasonably
efficient and the algorithm, while not the ideal, is acceptable by 
the ANSI standard.

|> Markus M. Wild    -  wild@nessie.cs.id.ethz.ch  |  wild@amiga.physik.unizh.ch 

-- 
  *****
=*|_o_o|\\=====Doug Walker, Software Distiller====== BBS: (919)460-7430 =
 *|. o.| ||                                          1200/2400/9600 Dual
  | o  |//     For all you do, this bug's for you!
  ====== 
usenet: walker@unx.sas.com                            bix: djwalker 
Any opinions expressed are mine, not those of SAS Institute, Inc.
From: fgd3@nifty.UUCP (Fabbian G. Dufoe, III)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: Novice needs a little help re C
Date: 10 Jan 93 11:35:51 EST
Distribution: world
Organization: Fabbian G. Dufoe, III

In article <1993Jan9.203224.2555@netcom.com> damiel@netcom.com (Paul Theodoropoulos) writes:
>at the ripe old age of 33, i've decided to learn C.
>
>my query: how do i get the Commodore includes? obviously if i spend the $250

   You can get the includes (and the autodocs and some programming tools) in
the native developers kit.  Write to 

      Commodore Business Machines, Inc.
      Department C
      1200 Wilson Drive
      West Chester, PA  19380

AmigaDOS V2.0 Native Developer Update, P/N:NATDEV20       $20.00

   The 2.0 Native Developer Update is a must-have for any Amiga
programmer.  This four-disk set contains the final 2.04 function Autodocs,
final 2.04 C and assembler Amiga include files, linker libs (Amiga.lib,
debug.lib, ddebug.lib) FD files, offsets, a great deal of 2.0 example code,
and the "Software Toolkit II" disk full of the latest Amiga debugging
tools.

Shipping and handling for USA is $3.00.  Shipping and handling for
Canada and Europe (via Air) is $15.00.

Add local state sales tax for the following states:  Pennsylvania, Virginia,
California, Tennessee and Illinois.

Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

--Fabbian G. Dufoe, III
   350 Ling-A-Mor Terrace South   | GEnie:    F.DUFOE3
   St. Petersburg, Florida  33705 | internet: fgd3%nifty@tct.com
   813-823-2350                   | uucp:     ...tct!deep6!nifty!fgd3
From: cs_e445@ceres (Vlod Kalicun)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: Smalltalk available for Amiga ?
Date: 11 Jan 1993 14:36:07 GMT
Organization: Kingston University
NNTP-Posting-Host: ceres.kingston.ac.uk
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4

Hartwig.Schieck@arbi.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de (Hartwig Schieck) writes:
: Hi !
: 
: The subject says it all : Is there a SMALLTALK-system available for the
: Amiga, be it PD or commercial ?
: 
:          Thanks
: 
:                       Hartwig Schieck
: 

Hmmm.. I just replied to someone looking for prolog.
look on fish disk 524- 'Kermin' various interpreters incl smalltalk.

can't vouch for it tho.

Regards..

Vlod
-Amiga Advocate.
----------------------------------------------
Amiga - Anything else isn't worth considering
----------------------------------------------
From: The_Invigilator@mad.UUCP (Paul Ayotte)
Subject: HiSoft Pascal file/dir detection
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Summary: 
Keywords: 
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: 12 Jan 93 04:18:53 MST
Organization: The Spectre BBS

Anybody know how this can be done?

--

Paul Ayotte.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
From: cdougs@crash.cts.com (Doug Sherburne)
Subject: Question on getting device names
Organization: CTS Network Services (crash, ctsnet), El Cajon, CA
Date: 8 Jan 93 07:19:06 GMT

I would like to know how to get to the names of corrosponding
device names e.g. trackdisk.device, gvpscsi.device etc. of the
volume names listed in the current DosList structure of DOSBase
and if its possible to use drivers already loaded or if I need
to call OpenDevice() again for each one I want to use.

Thanks,

Doug Sherburne
San Diego, CA

Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
From: hassink@cs.UAlberta.CA (Hassink Brian John)
Subject: Prolog Available?
Organization: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 21:33:22 GMT

Is prolog available for the Amiga? If so, could someone please direct
me to a site?

Thanks,
Brian

hassink@cs.ualberta.ca

Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
From: jamie@cdevil.unx.sas.com (James Cooper)
Subject: Re: SAS C6
Originator: jamie@cdevil.unx.sas.com
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 14:18:38 GMT
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.


In article <SIE.93Jan6131614@introitus.fulcrum.co.uk>, sie@fulcrum.co.uk (Simon Raybould) writes:
>
>Has anyone in the UK recieved update info from V5.10 to V6 yet?
>
>I have stopped using SAS C as it doesn't work with the 68040 properly,
>I am reliably informed that V6 works properly with the 40.
>
>I still haven't recieved any info about upgrading to V6.00, though
>many people seem to be upgrading from V6.00 to V6.10 !!
>
>It seems that new customers are getting precedence to V6.00 and us old
>users are just getting left behind till last, a bit annoying that.

Not hardly!  That would be *very* bad business!

Try contacting HiSoft in Bedford for details on upgrading to 6.0.  They are
supposed to be handling the upgrades in the U.K.

As for why you haven't been notified yet, I don't know.  Maybe your address was
wrong in the database, maybe it was incomplete, etc., etc.  Please contact
HiSoft.

-- 
---------------
Jim Cooper
(jamie@unx.sas.com)                             bix: jcooper

Any opinions expressed herein are mine (Mine, all mine!  Ha, ha, ha!),
and not necessarily those of my employer.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
From: scholz@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE (The Answer is 42.)
Subject: HELP commodities.library
Originator: scholz@hphalle2g.informatik.tu-muenchen.de
Organization: Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Germany
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 11:32:09 GMT


Does anybody know where is published a description of the commodities.library?
I can't find it in the RKM Libraries!

Thanks, Boerny

Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer,comp.sys.amiga.hardware
From: eas3714@ultb.isc.rit.edu (E.A. Story)
Subject: Re: HostileTakeOver of Amiga OS
Originator: eas3714@ultb
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology
X-Newsreader: Arn V1.00 beta rel2
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 21:39:27 GMT

In article <H9aywB8w165w@lakes.trenton.sc.us>, Rockerboy writes:
> mcuddy@fensende.Rational.COM (Mike Cuddy) writes:
>
> > the biggest gotcha when taking over the machine is that on >68000 machines,
> > the exception vector table is not always at 0.  The VBR (vector base
> > register) is used to move the exception table into fast ram to avoid
> > contention with the custom chips.
>
> Speaking of this, what is the proper way to find the base of the vectors?

AddIntServer... use it, it works.

-- 
"THAT is a DRY turtle.  That turtle is NOT moist!"
Ezra Story, a student at RIT, and
eas3714@ultb.isc.rit.edu, his trusty(?) mailing address.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
From: walker@twix.unx.sas.com (Doug Walker)
Subject: Re: SAS 6.* Unicode (JIS, etc.) supported?
Originator: walker@twix.unx.sas.com
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 14:48:49 GMT
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.


In article <1993Jan2.023023.46032@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu>, jamiller@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes:
|> Does SAS 6.* support 16-bit Unicodes like JIS (Japanese 2-byte ascii)?

No, sorry.

|> James Miller

-- 
  *****
=*|_o_o|\\=====Doug Walker, Software Distiller====== BBS: (919)460-7430 =
 *|. o.| ||                                          1200/2400/9600 Dual
  | o  |//     For all you do, this bug's for you!
  ====== 
usenet: walker@unx.sas.com                            bix: djwalker 
Any opinions expressed are mine, not those of SAS Institute, Inc.
From: bloc1469@ee.ee.uwm.edu (Gregory R Block)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: IPC and shared memory
Date: 6 Jan 1993 23:24:57 GMT
Organization: Electrical Engineering Dept. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.2.33

>Using a named semaphore makes things way simpler, if you really do
>want to use concurrent processes and not a centralized server
>bureaucrat-process.

Well, it really does depend on the app.  How's about telling all of
us interested people about it, and we'll bounce ideas off of the back
of your head?  I've recently done a LOT of stuff with shared access to
stuff, and I've got a pretty good grasp of some really whacked-out
ideas that add a lot of power and expandability to your stuff.

Of course, if you don't like C, then don't ask me.  :)

Greg

--
(: (: (: (: Have you overdosed on smileys today?  Why NOT!?! :) :) :) :)
(: "Our father, who art in Iowa, Hollow be thy head, Thy ideas run    :)
(:  Thy will be done, At Commodore as it is at Apple"  -Dan Barrett   :)
(: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: (: () :) :) :) Wubba, the Dark Angel :)
Xref: sparky comp.sys.amiga.programmer:18546 comp.sys.amiga.misc:19780
From: plav@cup.portal.com (Rick M Plavnicky)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer,comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Re: Upgrade MANX C for ADOS 3.0 stuff? How?
Date: Wed,  6 Jan 93 18:36:47 PST
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Distribution: world


iank@microsoft.com (Ian Kennedy) writes:

>I tried calling their BBS, but the area code changed. So I called
>the number with the new area code and it had been disconnected.
>
>So, what is the number for the MANX BBS (are they still around?)?

Manx's tech support and BBS numbers have changed.  The new numbers
are:

   tech support - +1 908 780 5005
            BBS - +1 908 780 6363

BBS access is still 2400 bps max, but they claim to be thinking about
getting a faster modem.

I recently caught up on the message traffic there (about 3.5 months
worth) and frankly, I was disappointed.  Lots of Manx bashing (!),
complaining, and whining, and precious little 'meat'.  Responses from
Manx seem weak and non-committal. 

I didn't notice any new and interesting files either.  The latest
product revisions available for downloading seem to be the 5.2b beta
stuff, but I didn't look really hard.  I guess it's been a while since
Manx has done any Amiga product revisions.  :-(

Hope this helps someone, although on re-reading it sure looks like I'm
painting a picture of doom and gloom.  I've used Manx products for
years; give me my command line driven compiler/assembler/linker, make,
a halfway decent emacs, and standalone revision control tools over
that GUI stuff any day.  (Perhaps one day I'll change my mind.
Everyone seems to consider Borland's Integrated Development
Environment (on Intel-based boxes) to be an excellent GUI development
environment, but I find it quite confining.) It'll kinda bum me out to
end up switching to SAS for current support, and having to a) learn a
new way of doing things, and b) figure out how to get all the GUI
stuff out of the way without losing too much functionality. 

Of course, ummm, those are my personal problems, right?  :-)

Aside to Doug Walker: How long will the Manx-->SAS upgrade deal you
recently mentioned last?  Another week or two?  Indefinitely?
Somewhere in between? 


/* Rick Plavnicky  plav@cup.portal.com */
From: peter@cbmvax.commodore.com (Peter Cherna)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: SASC 6.1 Wrong Protos
Date: 4 Jan 93 20:30:06 GMT
Reply-To: peter@cbmvax.commodore.com (Peter Cherna)
Organization: Commodore-Amiga, Inc.  West Chester, PA.

In article <1993Jan4.091145.1581@ghost.dsi.unimi.it> labenrsa@ICIL64.CILEA.IT writes:
>Hullo,
>
>Has anyone noticed that the protos for the BOOPSI method functions
>distributed with SASC (as of patch 6.1) are wrong?
>
>The Msg argument is referred to as Msg *msg, which is incorrect,
>since Msg is already typedef'ed as a pointer. The most recent
>AutoDocs from CBM I have show  this clearly.

That was my typo in the Commodore prototypes (since fixed), which
SAS licenses and supplies.  The autodocs have been right since
they were written.

>And, by the way, either the proto or a pragma file somewhere should
>mention that these functions are __stdargs, or somebody should provide
>a double-standard amiga.lib (like the 6.X standard libraries).

This would be a prototype change.  It couldn't be a pragma, since
these functions are in a linked library, and pragmas bind to
shared-library functions.

>And oh, it seems that the 6.1 Amiga.lib has no HookEntry(), and
>maybe none of the shorthands for BOOPSI methods mentioned in
>AmigaMail and BOOPSI examples that are floating around (DM, DSM).

The original Boopsi examples used functions like DM() and DSM(),
before these functions were added to amiga.lib.  When we added them to
amiga.lib, we opted for the more clear names (eg., DoMethod() and
DoSuperMethod()).  The autodocs for those functions mention the old
names.

HookEntry() is in amiga.lib.  The purpose of HookEntry() is to
convert the hook call (which passes arguments in registers) to a
stack-based call for use with the standard C calling convention of
stack-based arguments.  Hence, HookEntry() is called _HookEntry in
amiga.lib, since a pre-pended underscore signifies a standard
function.  (Note that while HookEntry() actually takes its parameters
in registers, it's never called from C, but is used by stdargs C
programs, so the use of the underscore may be confusing, but it is
necessary).  If you're compiling with registerized arguments, you
don't need a HookEntry() function.  Just have the hook jump directly
to your code, using explicit registers for parameters (__asm and
__register).

If the linker is complaining that it can't find @HookEntry, this
is the problem.  (@ is prepended to regargs functions).

>					Andy

     Peter
--
Peter Cherna, User Interface Development Group, Commodore-Amiga, Inc.
{uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!peter    peter@cbmvax.commodore.com
My opinions do not necessarily represent the opinions of my employer.
"Opinions enlarged to show detail"
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer