HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ab588@yfn.ysu.edu (joseph sabatino)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Zybex is *NOT* PD
Date: 16 Oct 92 00:36:31 GMT
Organization: Youngstown State University/Youngstown Free-Net


Sorry Dean, but Zebex was posted on GEnie as released to PD in 
Discommed format.  The version I have is supposed to save high
scores but it does not.
-- 
Joe Sabatino-->ab588@yfn.ysu.edu
From: Rick_Michael_Cortese@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Networking an 8-bit
Date: Thu,  8 Oct 92 14:05:29 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)

At least for the ROMs, I know a little about them. There's the PC
boards were made in different configs to take eveything from 2532's
to 27128's. The path of least resistance would be to find one with
a 28 pin device (Old Galaga carts from Atari were this type). These
will take a standard 2764, no problem. B & C sells cart making
supplies if you don't want to take a cart apart, but they're pricey.
To make something run from a cart, it's pretty much as simple as
either storing the run address at $BFFA or $BFFE.mThe OS does
a JMP($BFFA) to turn control over to the cart. There's a few other
major details, but it's not that bad. IMHO: you may have trouble
finding someone with info on the interface. If you write the code
for a program that runs in the cart address space, burning an EPROM
page
Whoops! only takes a couple of minutes.
From: phbill@cyberden.uucp
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: 1050 vs XF551
Date: Fri, 09 Oct 92 21:38:41 PDT
Organization: Indescribable Creations

Jim_Johnson@abcd.Houghton.MI.US (Jim Johnson) writes:

> Atari disk drives.  While I know this is true for the 1050 (a simple turn
> of a potentiometer), I do not think it is quite as simple on the XF551. 

Ah... but if one were to "speed up" their good old 1050, would it still 
read the old disks? (ie, say I had a disk I formatted and wrote to, would 
changing the speed make it unreadable??)

PhBill: Bill Kendrick               |||  1200 Cyberden BBS (+1 415 472-5527)
Moon!Cyberden!PhBill@Well.SF.CA.US / | \ 2600 North of San Francisco California
From: Jim_Johnson@abcd.Houghton.MI.US (Jim Johnson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: drive RPMs & ability to read/write
Date: 9 Oct 92 12:43:02 GMT
Article-I.D.: abcd.Jim_Johnson.09s8
Distribution: world
Organization: Amiga BitSwap Central Dispatch

The question was how disks are interchangeable when they have been created
on a 288RPM drive (810 or 1050) vs a 300RPM drive (XF551)...

The revolutionary speed does not actually have a major impact in this case.
The drive controller for both drive types uses the drive speed of its drive
to format the disk with a specific number of sectors per track, bits per
sector, tracks per disk side and (with the XF551) the number of sides. 
Once this information is on the disk (low level format), it is used to
read/write higher level information (directory structure and data).  Disk
rotational speed is no longer a consideration (except where used by copy
protection schemes).

To read an Atari disk in an IBM drive, it must be double density as the
standard disk controller for IBM 360K drives cannot read a sector density
lower than 256 bytes per sector.

-- Via DLG Pro v0.995

Jim Johnson-
*** Remember, they're only tools - Not a way of life! ***
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Atari 800 Parts
From: carl@eagle.wesleyan.edu (David Carlson)
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 17:11:02 GMT
Organization: Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT USA

	Does anyone know where I can get parts for the Atari 800XL computer. 
I am interested in some keyboards. Maybe somebody has one of these computers 
sitting in the closet collecting dust.

			Thanks for any info
			DCARLSON@EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU
From: andrewh@panix.com (Andrew Huie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: High Scores
Date: 11 Oct 92 04:48:11 GMT
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix & Internet, NYC


Actually, the Defender high score isn't all that difficult to break, you
just need a lot of TIME.  Dropzone was a much harder game.

On Star Raiders, I've achieved a Star Commander Class 5 on Warrior level and
Star Commander Class 1 on Commander level WITHOUT docking. I also got
1,060,000 on Missile Command, starting from level 8.

Now that I've wasted bandwidth bragging and inflating my ego to humongous
proportions, let's hear from other people... 8-)
From: bmarcum@world.std.com (Bill Marcum)
Subject: Re: "Relax" - EMG box from Synapse software question
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 05:55:07 GMT

In article <1992Oct8.211934.15753@cc.gatech.edu> jack@multimedia.gatech.edu (Tom Rodriguez) writes:
>	A company called Synapse software made an electromyogram box
>for the Atari called Relax.  my brother has one and i'm trying to
>figure how hard it would be to interface to a general purpose computer
>to play around with it.  does anyone know what the interface to it
>looks like.  it uses a regular joystick port but i don't really know
>what that looks like electronically on the atari.  thanks for any
>help. 
>
That box probably connected to the paddle inputs, in which case it would look
like a 0-100K variable resistor.

Bill Marcum  bmarcum@world.std.com


Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Subject: Re: Networking an 8-bit
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 13:24:35 GMT


In article <67376@cup.portal.com> Rick_Michael_Cortese@cup.portal.com writes:

>To make something run from a cart, it's pretty much as simple as
>either storing the run address at $BFFA or $BFFE.mThe OS does
>a JMP($BFFA) to turn control over to the cart. There's a few other
>major details,

Such as? I knew about having the run address burned into the special
locations, but I didn't know about the others.

Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: tgreen@iastate.edu (Todd Greenfield)
Subject: Re: email to C.S.S. ?
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 17:22:39 GMT

In <1a2vgnINNsth@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> aa700@cleveland.Freenet.Edu
(Michael Current) writes:

>In a previous article, tgreen@iastate.edu (Todd Greenfield) says:
>>does anyone know if Computer Software Services (Bob Puff)
>>has an email address on the internet?  I'm pretty
>>sure I've seen one on this group before, but I couldn't
>>find it back.

>I have Bob Puff at 76702.1076@compuserve.com.  I've never heard if he's
>actually there or not, so if you do hear from him it might be useful to let
>us know.

I was able to contact Bob at this address.  I didn't ask how often
he checks his mail there, but he got back to me in a couple of
days.
From: Rick_Michael_Cortese@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Networking an 8-bit
Date: Fri,  9 Oct 92 09:32:37 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
  <Bvuvwz.37I@news.cso.uiuc.edu>

Well, from Mapp'n, $BFFC non-zero=>No cart in left slot. $BFFD allow disk
boot. I forgot the value you need to allow disk boot. Found out about it
the hard way when I burned a SpeedScript cart. Allowing disk boot doesn't
hurt anything If there's no drive, just takes a little longer & give you
the option IF you want it.
From: pattons@CS.ColoState.EDU (samuel patton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Null Modem Cable
Date: 11 Oct 92 22:37:03 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University, Computer Science Department

I just ended up building a 9 pin to 9 pin cable and avoided the cost of all
of the other stuff.  It was much cheaper and easier.  Thanks to everyone who
sent input on the subject.  

Sam

-- 
_____________________________________________________________________________
|  Sam Patton -=>  pattons@beethoven.cs.colostate.edu |                     |
|                  spatton@lamar.colostate.edu        |     Emotion 13      |
|_____________________________________________________|_____________________|
Organization: Computing Technology Services, Michigan Technological Univ.
Date: Wednesday, 7 Oct 1992 00:06:04 EST
From: Jeff McWilliams <JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Quest for Refresh

Bill,

Yeah, I agree.  Who Needs Tom Hudson when we have Rick?
Many thanks, Rick!

Jeff
From: UJ1G@DKAUNI2.BITNET (Marek Tomczyk)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: 1050 upgrade?????????
Date: 12 Oct 92 13:44:17 GMT
Organization: University of Karlsruhe, Germany



Jeff McWilliams writes:

> I'm starting to begin programming in Action!  I really like it.  Recently,
> my ROM for my OSNXL died, and it started me thinking, that all things
> are mortal, even Action! cartridges.  I've been seriously thinking about
> Quick, at least getting a copy of it, as an alternative language to turn
> to if my Action! cartridge ever bites the dust.

What's wrong with your ROM? I don't think ROMs die so easily.
Maybe it's just a cold solder?

> Of course, I don't read one bit of German, how hard do you think it would be
> to translate the manual into English?  If Power Per Post were interested,
> I could take a rough German to English translation, and polish it up, and
> produce an almost camera ready English version
> of the manual at school, on the laser printer, in my spare time.
> This way, all that would be needed is a U.S. distributor and they could sell
> the programming language here in the states.
> Just getting a free copy of Quick! would be enough in return for me editing
> the English version of the manual. What do you think?

It wouldn't be too difficult to translate the manual.
I could do a rough translation, no problem. Your idea sounds very
good for me. I don't know what PPP would think about it.
I guess I write a note with a query.

BTW: Some days ago one of the programmers of Quick, Harald Schoenfeld,
got back on me. He wants to make Quick available in the US soon.
He've heared about the problems with Bills copy on his 1200XL.
Before he's going to release Quick in the US Harald Schoenfeld
wants to know if it will work on US Atari 8bit computers.
To check this, there's a file called 'rubberba.arc' on the
atari.archive.umich.edu in the main 8bit directory.
It contains a demo version of a commercial game programmed in Quick.
Could you or anybody test the game on your system.
Harald Schoenfeld would like to have as much feedback as possible
from owners of different computer types i.e. 130XE, 65XE, 800.

He is realtively new on the net. I've explained to him how to
contribute to c.s.a.8. Who knows, maybe he'll explain Quick
by himself in near future.

Jeff, I guess I pass your proposal directly to Harald Schoenfeld.
Let's see what he's gonn say about all this.

Marek Tomczyk
                                        \         ATARI 8-BIT
----------------------------------------| \           the
Internet: uj1g@ibm3090.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de| \        best
BITNET:   uj1g@dkauni2                    |   /    equipment
CFN:      bn137                           | /
----------------------------------------| /    for the 21st century
                                        /
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Friday, 16 Oct 1992 01:24:07 CDT
From: Mark Czarnowski <U58578@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject:    SX212 Modem

I am looking for a used, working SX212 Modem for my Atari XEGS.  I have seen th
e modem new for $20-$35.  Also, do you need software to run the modem through t
he SIO port?  Thanx.

Mark B. Czarnowski
Internet: u58578@uicvm.cc.uic.edu
Bitnet: U58578@UICVM
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit,misc.forsale.computers
From: grover@emunix.emich.edu (Grover Thomas)
Subject: Deprotecting software for use on the XF551 drive
Organization: Eastern Michigan University
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 19:47:58 GMT

Many people here have indicated that the XF551 drive causes some havok
to a few copy-protected disks, such as Flight Simulator II by SubLogic.

What deprotection programs are available (so I can use FS-II on my XF551
drive) and where can I get it/them? 
-- 
 __                                                                        __
(__)  Grover Thomas                   InterNet:  grover@emunix.emich.edu  (__
(__) "We're going to have the best educated American people in the World" (__)
(__)                                                         --Dan Quayle (__)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Subject: Networking an 8-bit
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 13:39:57 GMT


Here's one for you hardware gurus out there:

How tough would it be to rig up an Atari 400/800 with an RS-485 port,
either through the SIO connector or a couple of joystick ports?

Here's my plan: I'd like to pull some 8-bits out of retirement and give
them a full-time job as terminals for a home automation system. The
house would have a central "brain" (an IBM clone) connected to various
sensors and actuators via an RS-485 network. The Ataris would also be
linked to the house net and would be connected to standard TV sets to serve
as remote I/O terminals for the system and possibly also I/O processing
stations for the various sensors and actuators. Needless to say, Ataris
are ideal for this purpose: they're plentiful, cheap, reliable,
well-built, and very user-friendly. Plus they can easily be run entirely
from ROM (see below).

Why RS-485? Well, ethernet would be overkill (;-), and Steve Ciarcia's
home automation stuff uses an RS-485 net running over twisted pair
wiring, so if it works for him, it should work for me, too.

So what do you think? Doable? How tough would it be? Anyone done it
before?

OBTW, I plan to write the terminal software and put it into an EPROM,
stick it into an old ROM cart, and stick the cart into the Atari's
crtridge slot. Voila! Instant turnkey network workstation, with no need
for cassette or floppy boots when the machine is shut off or power fails.

I've never burned my own EPROMs before. What kind would I need for the
Atari? Is there an EPROM which would be a drop-in replacement for the
ROMs used in the typical Atari ROM cart, or would I have to use actual
program-once ROMs? Obviously, I'd prefer EPROMS since I can erase them
and reprogram them should the terminal software be changed or updated.
With normal ROMs I'd have to toss the old ones and buy new ones with
each change, which could get quite expensive. :-(
From: phbill@cyberden.uucp
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Demos from a.a
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 92 15:30:02 PDT
Organization: Indescribable Creations

Hi!  I programmed T1000.ARC :)  It's bug was a problem with my UUencoded 
send.  Get T1000.DCM - Mike Todd (THANKS!) fixed up my program and 
DiskComm'd it together.

As for the others.. I KNOW that Das_Omen doesn't work on the 1200xl's (I 
have a 1200xl! grr!) and I'll just guess that the rest of them might have 
the same problem.

I'm going to get Bob Woolley to fix up my 1200xl by replacing the 
Operating System ROMs.  He's going to do it with EPROMs I believe, but 
there's another (slightly more difficult sounding, at least to a 
non-hardware hacker like myself) way of upgrading the 800XL OS and 
there's a text file on how to do it floating around. (I had it somewhere 
myself.)

Jeff McWilliams is also another 1200xl'r, he may be able to help.

--
Bill Kendrick           PhBill@Cyberden.UUCP    Viva las Ataris!

        (NOTE NEW ADDRESS!  (NICE AND SHORT, TOO!))
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Subject: Re: Networking an 8-bit
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 18:37:28 GMT


In article <92282.200436JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET> Jeff McWilliams <JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET> writes:
>Khan,
>
>For all practical purposes, a ROM is a ROM is a ROM, whether is be
>a masked ROM, which is a regular rom, or an EPROM, or an EEPROM.

As long as they have the same pinout, number of pins, power
requirements, access speeds...

Based on the emailed responses I received, there are some EPROM families
with different pinouts than the ROMs typically found in Atari ROM carts,
which would require modifications to the ROM cart's circuit board. I
wish to avoid this sort of problem at all costs.

>It might be more feasable on an XL or XE, since the Parallel bus, or even an
>internal hack for that matter, allows you to wire in chips directly to
>the processor addressing space, and access them directly.

I agree, however I want to use 400s because a) they're cheapest, and b)
they have those Coke-proof keyboards. Besides, my 800 works, but my
800XL is hosed. :-(

>This sounds like a great project you are cooking up, please
>keep either this net, or me personally, posted on your progress.

You bet! I'm sure I'll need more help as time goes on... ;-)


Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: ab588@yfn.ysu.edu (joseph sabatino)
Subject: Re: HIGH SCORES
Organization: Youngstown State University/Youngstown Free-Net
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 20:13:26 GMT


My son has flipped Zebex twice with only one man.  I can't get 
above 69000.
-- 
Joe Sabatino-->ab588@yfn.ysu.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: A few more Action! questions
From: rlcollins@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu (Ryan 'Gozar' Collins)
Date: 13 Oct 92 15:17:37 -0500
Organization: Miami University Academic Computer Service"

     1. How do you access individual elements of a CHAR ARRAY?                  
                                                                                
     2. What are the different variable types? (Difference between BYTE,        
        CARD, CHAR ARRAY, etc)  
     
     3. How would you do the following in Action!?                              
                                                                                
          If name$="Test" then .....
                                                                                
          I can't figure out how to do comparisons with CHAR ARRAY.  
     
     4. Is there any sort of INSTR command, like the one in TurboBasic?         
                                                                                
     5. Can anyone give me a list of CHAR ARRAY procedures? (Like real          
        definitions to Scopy() Sassign(), and whatever else you can think.) 
          
     6. Is there anyway to make the left margin in column 0 in the editor? 

     7. Any other commands in the editor or compiler that are not that
        easy to figure out?

     I've only used Action! a little bit, but I like it a lot, I doubt I
will ever go back to Basic!!!!

     Thanks a lot!!!

Later.......

------======={{{{{{{{((((((Ryan 'Gozar' Collins))))))))}}}}}}}}=======--------
"You can never own enough /    __    ___  ___  \rlcollins@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu
computer equipment"      /    /  /  /  /    /   \RC1DSANU@miamiu.acs.muohio.edu
                        /    / _   /  /   /      \rcollins@apsvax.aps.muohio.edu
 |||   "Power Without  /    /__/  /__/  /___      \  R.COLLINS1 on GEnie
/ | \     The Price"  /                            \
	    ------======={{{{{{{{(((((())))))))}}}}}}}}=======-----  13-OCT-1992
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: monty@blackhole.lerc.nasa.gov (Monty Andro)
Subject: Need MSDOS prog. to read atari disks
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Distribution: comp
Date: 14 Oct 92 10:35:20


Could someone tell me if there exists a program for MS DOS that can
read Atari formatted 5 1/4 inch disks?  If so, could you tell me
where I can anonymous ftp the program.

Thanks,
Monty
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: thester@nyx.cs.du.edu (Uncle Fester)
Subject: Re: 1050 vs XF551
X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University
	of Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
	control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 92 03:05:25 GMT


Enhanced versus Double density and the 1050:

                         OOPS!

I missed the distinction somehow.  Must be a flaw in my monitor. (sure)
Sorry.

Uncle Fester

--
:  Master,                        :       Uncle Fester       : Printed  :
:    Me and Rex took the kar      :   thester@nyx.cs.du.edu  : on 100%  :
:    to town. Stay home. Stay!    :         -or try-         :recyclable:
:       Ha ha ha ha.   The dog.   :    T.HESTER4 on GEnie    : phosphor :
From: Roger.Mier@f47.n282.z1.tdkt.kksys.com (Roger Mier)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: High Scores
Date: 13 Oct 92 04:06:00 GMT


       Well, I have gotten scores of over 90,000 on Donkey Kong, I was the
champion at my house for a long time because of that score.  But, others were
getting very close to beating it.

 * Origin: FlightLine BBS {MSP}MN USRdual 612-544-5118 (1:282/47.0)
Organization: Computing Technology Services, Michigan Technological Univ.
Date: Tuesday, 29 Sep 1992 22:52:41 EST
From: Jeff McWilliams <JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: Quest for Refresh
 muohio.edu> <92270.164344JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET>
 <66704@cup.portal.com><92272.202908JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET>
 <66832@cup.portal.com> <92273.141031JJMCWILL@MTUS5.BITNET>
 <66857@cup.portal.com>

Rick,

Yes, I am aware of how Action! passes parameters via the page Zero locations,
and A, Y, X registers when the routine is called.  There ARE opcodes like STZ,
and even some special opcodes for moving blocks of memory, up to 64K in length,
all at once!  What leaves me floundering is that you couldn't make a 24 bit
pointer in Action!  You would need one to point to anything in memory above 64K,
say, if you had a 256K SRAM card up at $40000-$80000.  How could you allocate
some of that RAM, say to store a UUdecoded file, which you're going to decode,
because that just happens to be what you're writing the program to do?  Sure,
you could fetch the stuff from highmem in chunks, say with a routine called
GetFromHigh(lowptr,hiptr,numbytes).  But ick, bleck, ack, cough, gag.  It feels
like segmented Intel memory or something. Even that routine requires a 24 bit
pointer.  Well, I suppose you could do a .DEFINE LONG byte array [3] or how ever
that works, I'm at school and can't remember the Action! syntax.  But then you
also would need something like a IncLong(Longptr), a DecLong(Longptr), and maybe
a AddLong(Longptr,Any_integer), and a SubLong(Longptr,Any_Integer).  See, it
would be nice if Action could intrinsically handle Longpointers, so you could
just do a :

Longptr==+
NextByte=FileArray[longptr]
If NextByte=155
	nextByte=19
OutArray(Longptr2)=NextByte
.
.
Loop, or whatever

I am using Pseudo syntax code here, very foggy on Action, or anything for that
matter.  Hopefully you will get what I am driving at.  Am I being too picky by
not accepting that we'll just have to live what defined functions to make up for
what Action! can't do intrinsically?  Somebody throw me a tether if I start
levitating off of the world of reality okay?

Jeff
From: ereidell@media.mit.edu (Evan A. Reidell)
Subject: For Sale: Atari 800XL, Atari 400, periphs and 30 games: $75
Organization: MIT Media Laboratory
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 02:31:19 GMT

Asking $75 for all of the following:

Atari  800XL  and power supply
Atari   400   and power supply
2 joysticks (not Atari CX40s, too bad)
Pair of Atari CX30 Paddles
2 (dying) 410 Program Recorders
Compute!'s First book of Atari Graphics
Compute!'s Second book of Atari Graphics
Basic B (CXL4002b)
Basic C (CXL4002c)

Atari game cartridges:
Space Invaders (CXL4008)
Star Raiders (CXL4011)
Missile Command (CXL4012)
Asteroids (CXL4013)
Centipede (CXL4020)
Pac-Man (CXL4022)
Galaxian (CXL4024)
Defender (CXL4025)
Dig Dug (RX8026)
Donkey Kong (RX8031)
Pole Position (RX8034)
Ms. Pac Man (RX8043)

Other game cartridges:
River Raid (Activision) (an EXCELLENT game!)
Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom (Sega)
Frogger (Sega)
Star Trek Strategic Operations Simulator (Sega)
Congo Bongo (Sega)
Gorf (Midway)
Wizard of Wor (Midway)
Submarine Commander (Thorn EMI)
River Rescue (Thorn EMI)
Soccer (Thorn EMI)
Kickback (Thorn EMI)
K-razy Antiks (CBS)
K-razy Shoot-out (CBS)
K-razy Kritters (CBS)
K-star Patrol (CBS)
Boulders and Bombs (CBS)
Nightstrike (TG)

Think of it as two classic computers for $15 and $2 per game cart.