HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: nicaugh@otago.ac.nz
Newsgroups: nz.comp
Subject: Re: What computer is the "Coruba, DO DA" ad done on?
Date: 13 Dec 92 14:48:55 +1300
Organization: University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

>> > For animation the Commodore engineers claim that 2000 fps can be done on an
>> > Amiga 4000 (25MHz 68040 based machine) through the operating system.
>> 
>> What you're neglecting to mention, of course, is that those frames have to be
>> in RAM first. And not just any RAM, but "chip" RAM, of which you're only allowed
>> to have a total of 2MB, even on the newest machines (or so I'm told).
> 
>     There are a number of things either not being mentioned by Michael
>     or which you are incorrectly informed about.
> 
>     1.  2000 fps? Sheesh. Anything over 60 is pointless, anything over
>         30 is excessive, anything >= 8 is acceptable. That's 8 frames
>         per second, not 8 seconds per frame for you QuickTime or MPEG
>         folks... :)
No way. 25fps for TV animation mate. maybe 12.5 if your lucky.
Though who really gives a toss whether you can do 2000fps,
You will more than likely be recording frame by frame (like we do)
or to an abekas via SCSI or Ethernet (Images). For quality
animations such as coruba recording real time just won't cut it.
Oh you would also need 2Gb of RAM to store 60 seconds of animation
(24 bit of course) and display to Video
RAM. Anyone got such an Amiga in NZ or Aus!.
>     4.  Commercial animations are made frame by frame on video or
>         film, not as computer animation files. Frame rate is not
>         important. Processing speed, powerful software, and the ease
>         with which one can write to tape are, which probably explains
>         the dominance of workstations in mags like Computer Graphics
>         World.
You betcha you need processing power. The United add we did involving
flying around the Grand Canyon. Paris, Rio & A Pacific island
whilst following a 747-400 took on average 30 minutes on a HP9000-720,
that is for our software > 3x a DX50 & top end amiga.
So I do eat my words you could render Coruba on an Amiga, well actually
a few amigas (guess > 5). Though you still have to get the top end 
s/ware. Just one  other point given a machine so slow, your prototypes
will take longer to produce, ie development will be slower.
Nigel
Newsgroups: nz.comp
From: Andy.Linton@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Andy Linton)
Subject: Re: Wellington Sysops
Organization: Victoria University, PO Box 600, Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 03:57:42 GMT


In article <1992Dec14.142021.400@otago.ac.nz>, allan@otago.ac.nz writes:
|> hi,
|> 
|> Could someone please mail me the correct addresses for the 'sysops' on:
|>    actrix.gen.nz         and             kosmos.w-cc.govt.nz
|> 

What about using the required address 'postmaster'?
e.g.

	postmaster@actrix.gen.nz
	postmaster@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz

(Note the change of spelling of 'wcc')


Newsgroups: nz.comp
From: Andy.Linton@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Andy Linton)
Subject: Re: What computer is the "Coruba, DO DA" ad done on?
Organization: Victoria University, PO Box 600, Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 03:55:22 GMT


Well, all this makes me think of another ad on TV - you know the one where
they're yaking about Marmite and the new label and the guy doing the
cooking says "Who cares?"

Oh, by the way I think the graphics on the Marmite ad are much better!
Newsgroups: nz.comp
From: cctr132@csc.canterbury.ac.nz
Subject: Atari Portfolio file transfer software
Organization: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 21:47:19 GMT

Hi All,

Does anyone out there have (or have access to) an Atari Portfolio -with-
the parallel interface??

If so, could you be persuaded to send me a copy of the file transfer
software.  I have a user here with one of these machines and he got the
parallel interface at a fire sale and discovered when he got home that
the diskette with the software was nowhere to be found.  Consequently,
he is unable to transfer stuff between his PC and the Portfolio.  I
realize there are some murky copyright issues here, but as the Portfolio
is now out of production, alternative sources of this stuff are getting
hard to find.

Cheers,

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
 Nick FitzGerald, PC Applications Consultant, CSC, Uni of Canterbury, N.Z.
 n.fitzgerald@csc.canterbury.ac.nz  TEL:+64(3)364 2337, FAX:+64(3)364 2332
From: athomson@otago.ac.nz (Alastair Thomson)
Newsgroups: nz.comp
Subject: Re: What computer is the "Coruba, DO DA" ad done on?
Date: 18 Dec 92 12:54:58 +1300
Organization: University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

In article <BzDux4.Mwp@comp.vuw.ac.nz>, kjx@comp.vuw.ac.nz (R James Noble) writes:
> In article <e5B9uB1w165w@amigans.gen.nz> batman@amigans.gen.nz (Kerry Emerson) writes:
> 
> This was done on a custom "paintbox" - I was told the name (second
> hand) but I don't remember it - something like "Quantel" :-). However,

Sorry, the Quantel is a 2D system only, *very* good, but only 2D, Pixel do not
have one either.

> I have on good authority that like everyone else in the smallish-pro
> animation world Pixel Perfect are moving to fast Intel boxes, with
> heaps of memory (dedicated frame buffers) and hardware to write out to
> video. Algorithms in all cases are fast, configurable, and pixel
> buffer based - not raytracing.

I don't know who your authority is, but Pixel have used a PC based Cubicomp for
several years and have just moved to an SGI machine with SoftImage.
===============================================================================
                                    |
Alastair Thomson,                   | Phone +64-3-479-8347
University of Otago,                | Fax   +64-3-479-8529
Department of Computer Science,     | e-mail athomson@otago.ac.nz
P.O. Box 56                         |
Dunedin                             |
New Zealand                         |

===============================================================================
Newsgroups: nz.comp
From: cree@elec.canterbury.ac.nz (Michael Cree)
Subject: Re: What computer is the "Coruba, DO DA" ad done on?
Organization: Electrical Engineering, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 02:03:05 GMT

Lawrence D'Oliveiro, Waikato University (ldo@waikato.ac.nz) wrote:
> That 2000 frame-per-second rate would apply if you were just changing a
> copper-list register to point to a different image which is already in chip
> RAM (and as someone else has pointed out, 500 microseconds is really pretty
> slow for such a simple operation). Thus any claim that an Amiga can animate at
> this speed for any length of time (even with unlimited fast RAM) can't be the
> whole truth, and I claimed no more than this.

As I understand it that figure is for copying from a memory buffer
into the display buffer as I explained in a previous reply to your
posting. If it was just changing the copper list it could be done
probably close to a million times per second (since that is how long
the operation takes) or only 50 times per second (since changing
copper lists is normally tied to vertical blanking) and either case
you are wrong. As to claims that an Amiga can't animate may I point
out that if a 486 can do the animation then it will be no problem for
a fast Amiga.

> Lawrence D'Oliveiro                       fone: +64-7-856-2889

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Cree                              Gold there is
cree@elec.canterbury.ac.nz                 and rubies in abundance;
                                          But lips that speak knowledge
                                           are a rare jewel. (Prov 20:15)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ldo@waikato.ac.nz (Lawrence D'Oliveiro, Waikato University)
Newsgroups: nz.comp
Subject: Re: What computer is the "Coruba, DO DA" ad done on?
Date: 17 Dec 92 13:47:30 +1300
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

In article <jbickers.0le1@templar.actrix.gen.nz>, jbickers@templar.actrix.gen.nz (John Bickers) writes:
>
>     Lawrence is a frequent Mac advocate, and he hasn't exactly said
>     that they are _useless_ for animation. He just has some mistaken
>     information about what's involved in Amiga animation.

Which mistaken information was that? Here's a repeat of what I said in
<1992Dec10.174028.12714@waikato.ac.nz>:

>In article <Byys6D.9Ay@cantua.canterbury.ac.nz>, cree@elec.canterbury.ac.nz (Mic
>hael Cree) writes:
>>
>> For animation the Commodore engineers claim that 2000 fps can be done on an
>> Amiga 4000 (25MHz 68040 based machine) through the operating system.

>What you're neglecting to mention, of course, is that those frames have to be
>in RAM first. And not just any RAM, but "chip" RAM, of which you're only allowed
>to have a total of 2MB, even on the newest machines (or so I'm told).

As far as I can determine, none of the followup postings has exactly refuted
my statement. Someone explained the capabilities of the Amiga to decompress
frame-differenced images from fast RAM into chip RAM (interestingly, I can't
recally anyone mentioning anything about decompression from disk), but no one
has claimed that this can be done at 2000 frames per second, nor do I believe
that it is possible.

That 2000 frame-per-second rate would apply if you were just changing a
copper-list register to point to a different image which is already in chip
RAM (and as someone else has pointed out, 500 microseconds is really pretty
slow for such a simple operation). Thus any claim that an Amiga can animate at
this speed for any length of time (even with unlimited fast RAM) can't be the
whole truth, and I claimed no more than this.

Lawrence D'Oliveiro                       fone: +64-7-856-2889
Computer Services Dept                     fax: +64-7-838-4066
University of Waikato            electric mail: ldo@waikato.ac.nz
Hamilton, New Zealand    37^ 47' 26" S, 175^ 19' 7" E, GMT+13:00
From: ldo@waikato.ac.nz (Lawrence D'Oliveiro, Waikato University)
Newsgroups: nz.comp
Subject: Re: What computer is the "Coruba, DO DA" ad done on?
Date: 21 Dec 92 15:02:03 +1300
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

In article <1992Dec17.115238.423@otago.ac.nz>, athomson@otago.ac.nz (Alastair Thomson) writes:
>
> As far as software goes for the Amiga, I've never seen
> *anything* on an Amiga that can come close to either TOPAS or 3D Studio.

Hmm, quite a few people swear by LightWave 3D (the software that comes with
the Toaster).

Have you seen Todd Rundren's "Theology" video? I asked about it on
comp.graphics.animation, and was told that it was done entirely on Amigas
and Macs.

Lawrence D'Oliveiro                       fone: +64-7-856-2889
Computer Services Dept                     fax: +64-7-838-4066
University of Waikato            electric mail: ldo@waikato.ac.nz
Hamilton, New Zealand    37^ 47' 26" S, 175^ 19' 7" E, GMT+13:00
From: news@massey.ac.nz (USENET News System)
Subject: Re: interNet via modem
Organization: DSIR, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 92 23:14:12 GMT

In article <1992Dec17.212607.427@otago.ac.nz> grads@otago.ac.nz writes:

>I was wondering the same thing.  How come nobody has replied to this query?

I also would be interested to know. (thats 3 of us now guys)

Dale Ogilvie
From: ldo@waikato.ac.nz (Lawrence D'Oliveiro, Waikato University)
Newsgroups: nz.comp
Subject: Re: What computer is the "Coruba, DO DA" ad done on?
Date: 21 Dec 92 15:17:34 +1300
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

In article <jbickers.0loz@templar.actrix.gen.nz>, jbickers@templar.actrix.gen.nz (John Bickers) writes:
>
>> recally anyone mentioning anything about decompression from disk), but no one
>> has claimed that this can be done at 2000 frames per second, nor do I believe
>> that it is possible.
>
>     I mentioned decompression from disk, in the form of buffering the
>     data before decompressing it. The other approach, which is done
>     for some trade shows but which isn't "normal", is to read the
>     data directly into display RAM from disk, for the duration of the
>     animation. This requires a special disk format and custom code,
>     apparently.

That's a pity. Systems like Apple's QuickTime and Microsoft's Video for Windows
do it by storing their data in ordinary files--even on CD-ROM. They get most
of their speed from careful design of the compression algorithms. A Mac LC,
for example, can do 10 frames per second at 320*240 resolution, sustained,
straight from a hard disk. I have one animation (Todd Rundgren's "Theology")
that is only 160*120 in size, but plays back perfectly smoothly at 15fps,
straight off a CD-ROM.

>     As for a conventional animation working at 2000 fps - if you use
>     the OS, then yes, you'll quickly run out of frames (unless your
>     animation is a very short loop, like the spinning coin Psygnosis
>     use), because you haven't got any spare time to decompress
>     anything. :)

That's pretty much what I suspected. How long can you go for at that speed? Is
the limitation the amount of chip RAM, or total RAM?

>     If you do the double-buffering yourself, then you can pick an
>     animation that will work quickly, like a dot moving around the
>     screen... :)
>
>     BTW, do you know what's involved in double-buffering on the Mac?

Depends on which Mac. Video hardware is a bit more varied on the Mac than it
is on the Amiga. When a full-size, full-colour screen can take several
megabytes of VRAM, it can get a little expensive to provide enough for a
second buffer. This is probably the reason why there is no OS support for
double-buffering. In any case, I think the QuickTime solution is a better
general-purpose one.

Lawrence D'Oliveiro                       fone: +64-7-856-2889
Computer Services Dept                     fax: +64-7-838-4066
University of Waikato            electric mail: ldo@waikato.ac.nz
Hamilton, New Zealand    37^ 47' 26" S, 175^ 19' 7" E, GMT+13:00
From: aipost@otago.ac.nz
Newsgroups: nz.comp
Subject: <None>
Date: 14 Dec 92 14:21:25 +1300
Organization: University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

Dear all-

HELP!!

We are trying to compile InterViews under Ultrix 4.2A on DECstation 3100-5200's

We are using gcc 2.2.2 with libg++2.1. Does anyone have this running, if so,
what version of IV, gcc and g++. Any help would be appreciated.
Also, any users of IV on any platform please feel free to reply, I would like
to know who's doing what around the country.

Any help much appreciated.

Andrew McPherson
Computer Science
University of Otago
Dunedin
New Zealand
email aipost@otago.ac.nz
-- 
==============================================================================

                              "The AI Kids"
                     Department of Computer Science
                           University of Otago
                               New Zealand
                       Internet: AIPOST@otago.ac.nz
Newsgroups: nz.comp
From: cree@elec.canterbury.ac.nz (Michael Cree)
Subject: Re: What computer is the "Coruba, DO DA" ad done on?
Organization: Electrical Engineering, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 01:54:04 GMT

Alastair Thomson (athomson@otago.ac.nz) wrote:
> A general remark, sure you can do animation on an Animga, or a C64, or a BBC,
> but those of us that have to make enough money to eat from it would use
> something faster.  As far as software goes for the Amiga, I've never seen
> *anything* on an Amiga that can come close to either TOPAS or 3D Studio.

It is a little unfair to heap Amigas in with the C64 and the BBC. Heck, there
are Amigas available (admittedly not yet in NZ) that have comparable speed
to the SUN sparc stations we use in the elec eng dept here.

Considering you lack of knowledge of Amigas (which at a guess is based on
the observation of Amiga 500s only, which btw are faster than the basic
8MHz 286) it is not suprising that you have no knowledge of software
either.

> Alastair

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Cree                              Gold there is
cree@elec.canterbury.ac.nz                 and rubies in abundance;
                                          But lips that speak knowledge
                                           are a rare jewel. (Prov 20:15)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: nz.archives
From: root@comp.vuw.ac.nz (The Superuser)
Subject: Recent additions to VUW Computer Science Archive
Organization: Dept. of Comp. Sci., Victoria Uni. of Wellington, New Zealand.
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 16:55:00 GMT

The Dept. of Computer Science maintains a public access archive
for software and computer related documents.

The following files have been added to the archive in the last fortnight:

    83001 Dec 16 22:30 pub/prog-tools/patch-2.0.12u8.tar.Z
   316433 Dec 19 04:07 pub/ls-lR.Z
     8579 Dec 15 19:44 pub/what-is-WAIS.Z
    62551 Dec 10 20:27 pub/news/nov.dist.tar.Z
   333623 Dec  7 09:47 pub/mail/mac/eudora-122.hqx
  1896763 Dec 16 20:51 pub/mail/mh-6.8.tar.Z
    58041 Dec  7 08:52 pub/mail/tulp-3.0.2.tar.Z
     6788 Dec 17 14:07 pub/packages/gnu/emacs/lisp/vuw/gnus-speedups.el
   107853 Dec 16 22:14 pub/packages/gnu/time-1.4.tar.Z
  1324657 Dec 16 22:28 pub/packages/gnu/glibc-1.05.tar.Z
  3886443 Dec 16 23:25 pub/packages/gnu/gdb-4.7.tar.Z
   358547 Dec 16 22:16 pub/packages/gnu/finger-1.37.tar.Z
   516120 Dec 16 22:20 pub/packages/gnu/texinfo-2.16.tar.Z
  1342487 Dec 16 22:39 pub/packages/gnu/groff-1.06.tar.Z
    83001 Dec 16 22:30 pub/packages/gnu/patch-2.0.12u8.tar.Z
   217753 Dec 16 22:12 pub/packages/gnu/screen-3.2b.tar.Z
  1718057 Dec 14 08:49 pub/packages/gnu/libg++-2.3.tar.Z
   242119 Dec 16 22:09 pub/packages/gnu/fileutils-3.4.tar.Z
   241923 Dec 16 22:11 pub/packages/gnu/shellutils-1.8.tar.Z
  3771112 Dec 16 20:34 pub/packages/X/contrib/lib/iv-3.1.tar.Z
    53910 Dec 14 08:33 pub/packages/X/contrib/clients/xpostit3.3.1.tar.Z
    68260 Dec 16 08:25 pub/packages/X/R5/fixes/fix-20
   269312 Dec 11 14:33 pub/networking/msdos/qvtne303.zip
   208975 Dec 14 14:38 pub/networking/ip/ftp/ncftp.tar.Z
    44998 Dec  7 08:48 rfc/rfc1331.Z
     7241 Dec  7 08:47 rfc/rfc1332.Z
    11465 Dec  7 08:49 rfc/rfc1333.Z
    12657 Dec  7 08:51 rfc/rfc1334.Z
     2578 Dec 10 15:18 rfc/rfc967.Z
    10691 Dec 10 15:19 rfc/rfc970.Z
     8983 Dec 10 15:21 rfc/rfc971.Z

Additionally recent traffic in the comp.sources.* and alt.sources
groups is archived in the archive subtree.  See the relevant "toc" files
for new listings.

For details on how to access the archive see the monthly posting in
this group.
Newsgroups: nz.archives
From: hamish@actrix.gen.nz (Hamish MacEwan)
Subject: Re: ASCII Art
Organization: Actrix Information Exchange
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 05:47:18 GMT

In article <NiyqVB2w165w@status.gen.nz> jonc@status.gen.nz (Jon Clarke) writes:
>Hi archivers and Netusers,
> 
>Do any of you have any ascii art? If so could you please email
>me with a few sample snippets of CLEAN ascii art. I have a lot
>of adult stuff here but I require some for work and would like
>anything with an Xmas or festive theme.
> 
>Please email to me at jonc@status.gen.nz
>

Please post it... I wouldn't mind a few trees, mistletoe et al to deck the
bows etc.



Newsgroups: nz.archives
From: lundman@kauri.vuw.ac.nz (L Lundman)
Subject: Re: ASCII Art
Organization: Disorganised.
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 19:36:46 GMT

In article <1992Dec17.054718.16788@actrix.gen.nz> hamish@actrix.gen.nz (Hamish MacEwan) writes:

>   Please post it... I wouldn't mind a few trees, mistletoe et al to deck the
>   bows etc.


Ahhh, what about..eh.. cows?

Kef



--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jorgen Lundman         eMail: lundman@kauri.vuw.ac.nz, lundman@rata.vuw.ac.nz.
8 Atua Street          My thoughts are my own and not VUW's..
Johnsonville,wgtn      "Research indicate that only 21 percent of what goes
New Zealand            wrong here is actually my fault."
Phone: +64 4 478 2724 (GMT+11 hrs) Amiga Archive Admin on ftphost.vuw.ac.nz
Newsgroups: nz.archives
Subject: ASCII Art
From: jonc@status.gen.nz (Jon Clarke)
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 92 12:43:10 GMT
Organization: The Z*NET Global News Gateway in Parnell New Zealand.
Summary: ASCII festive art wanted

Hi archivers and Netusers,
 
Do any of you have any ascii art? If so could you please email
me with a few sample snippets of CLEAN ascii art. I have a lot
of adult stuff here but I require some for work and would like
anything with an Xmas or festive theme.
 
Please email to me at jonc@status.gen.nz

Kind regards



 Jon Clarke                                                     Z*NET Pacific
 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  jonc@status.gen.nz           GEnie: J.Clarke6        Hexagon: HSBC NZM EBD
  Phone: (+649) 358-5589       IFNA : 3/772:105        GEM    : NZM CABLES
 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
     "Practise safe computing ! Wear a write protect tab!" jc 1988
Newsgroups: nz.archives
From: Tony.Martindale@vuw.ac.nz (Tony Martindale)
Subject: kauri.vuw.ac.nz unavailable early Monday
Return-Path: <Tony.Martindale@vuw.ac.nz>
Summary: Unavailable 07:30 - 09:00, Monday 21/12/92
X-Mailer: mail-news 4.1
Organization: C.S.C., Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 01:57:08 GMT
Distribution: nz 


  Kauri will be unavailable on Monday 21 December, between 07:30 and
09:00, while some maintenance work is done on the system disk.

  As kauri is currently ftphost.vuw.ac.nz the VUW CSC archives will be
unavailable along with general login access and POP mail service.

  Your patience and cooperation during this disruptions would be
appreciated.


Tony Martindale                    Computing Services Centre,
phone: +64 4 495 5051              Victoria University of Wellington,
fax:   +64 4 471 5386              P.O. Box 600, Wellington, NEW ZEALAND.