HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: tomasa@dront.nada.kth.se (Tomas Arvidsson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: Hardware Reference Manuals
Date: 12 Dec 92 02:39:33 GMT
Organization: Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

In <amipb.04tj@amipb.gna.org> amipb@amipb.gna.org (Philippe Berard) writes:

>In article <1992Nov28.001247.28000@kth.se> ludde@cyklop.nada.kth.se (Erik Lundevall) writes:
>> In <1992Nov27.133243.59543@qut.edu.au> podesta@qut.edu.au (Department of Computing Science, QUT) writes:

>    And, of course, the 1200 will have RTG ! But you'll need to have a
>    '040, an EGS to have the fast games that we have in normal/ECS
>    machines... That's the best point I ever heard !

Get real!  You apparently have no idea of what you are talking about.

>                                   -- Philippe


-- 
Tomas Arvidson			 			     ///
d91tar@csd.uu.se,					    ///
tomasa@nada.kth.se, tomasa@sprawl.adsp.sub.org   	\\\///
Expressed opinions are mine unless stated otherwise      \XX/
-- 
Tomas Arvidson			 			     ///
d91tar@csd.uu.se,					    ///
tomasa@nada.kth.se, tomasa@sprawl.adsp.sub.org   	\\\///
Expressed opinions are mine unless stated otherwise      \XX/
From: paulk@terapin.com (Paul Kienitz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Aztec Tech Support on BIX -- address?
Date: 18 Dec 92 19:53:29 PST
Organization: BBS

Does anybody happen to know the BIX address of Manx tech support for Aztec C? 
I've seen it a hundred times, something like "manxts", but never wrote it
down...  now their BBS is down and I need to send them a fairly large file
demonstrating a compiler enforcer hit problem ...  is it true that I can mail
them at BIX through this net by sending to SomeBixID@dcibix.das.net?
From: jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: AmigaDos Assign command
Date: 15 Dec 92 21:30:23 GMT
Reply-To: jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA

ianm@laghey.UUCP (Ian Moran) writes:
>I have noticed strange behaviour with the 'assign' command under 2.04 and
>above. If I take advantage of the multiple assign facility thus :
>
> assign rexx: s: dh0:turbotext/rexx
>
>Then Arexx macros will not be located under Turbotext which is contrary to
>what I would expect, only s: is searched.

	Instead of trying to Lock() or Open() "rexx:<file>", it's Lock()ing
rexx:, CurrentDir()ing to it, then trying to Open() <file>.  Lock() will
give you a lock on the first directory.  If searching for a specific item,
use AddPart() to build a full path first.

>Also, why do few (if any) file requesters follow multiple assigned
>paths similar to the above. If I enter rexx: in the C= requester then I will
>get only the contents of s:

	How I would handle doing something to each entry in an assign (multi-
assign or not): 

BOOL do_something_to_all (char *path, BOOL (*function)(BPTR lock))
{
	struct DeviceProc *dp = NULL;
	struct MsgPort *old_fsport;
	BPTR lock, old_curdir;
	char *remainder;
	LONG err;

	// NOTE: not strrchr - PathMan has files with ':'s in them
	remainder = strchr(path,':');
	if (remainder == NULL)
		remainder = path;
	else
		remainder++;	/* point past ':' */

	while (1) {
		dp = GetDeviceProc(path,dp);
		if (!dp)
		{	/* getdevproc freed dp for us */
			// NOTE: 2.04 and 3.0 have a bug, and never return
			// ERROR_NO_MORE_ENTRIES.  Accept 0 as no error as well
			// This will be fixed next release.
			err = IoErr();
			if (err == 0 || err == ERROR_NO_MORE_ENTRIES)
				return TRUE;	// all done
			else
				return FALSE;	// never found anything
		}
		/* save filesystem port pointer, set default FS to target */
		old_fsport = SetFileSysTask(dp->dvp_Port);
		old_curdir = CurrentDir(dp->dvp_Lock);	   // may be NULL

		/* we have an entry, get a lock on the remainder of path */
		lock = Lock(remainder,SHARED_LOCK);

		/* reset filesystem port and current dir */
		(void) SetFileSysTask(old_fsport);
		(void) CurrentDir(old_curdir);

		/* we got a lock on it, call user function.  Function can */
		/* return FALSE to stop the scan. */
		if (!lock || !(*function)(lock))
		{
			UnLock(lock);		// NULL is safe
			FreeDeviceProc(dp);
			return FALSE;
		}
		UnLock(lock);
	}
}

	Warning: that was written off the top of my head, but I do have the
source code for reference.  Also, at least one developer has used this and
it works.

	The person keeping the FAQ might want to add this...

-- 
To be or not to be = 0xff
-
Randell Jesup, Jack-of-quite-a-few-trades, Commodore Engineering.
{uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!jesup, jesup@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com  BIX: rjesup  
Disclaimer: Nothing I say is anything other than my personal opinion.
From: shulick@navajo.ucs.indiana.edu (Sam Hulick)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Sorry, can't learn from includes alone
Date: 16 Dec 92 02:15:29 GMT
Reply-To: shulick@navajo.ucs.indiana.edu
Organization: Vallen Software
Originator: shulick@navajo


To those of you who said it's possible to learn 2.0 programming on the
includes... sorry.  Look at this:

struct NewGadget
    {
    WORD ng_LeftEdge, ng_TopEdge;   /*  gadget position */
    WORD ng_Width, ng_Height;    /*  gadget size */
    UBYTE *ng_GadgetText;     /*  gadget label */
    struct TextAttr *ng_TextAttr;   /*  desired font for gadget label */
    UWORD ng_GadgetID;        /*  gadget ID */
    ULONG ng_Flags;        /*  see below */
    APTR ng_VisualInfo;       /*  Set to retval of GetVisualInfo() */
    APTR ng_UserData;         /*  gadget UserData */
    };

What's ng_GadgetID supposed to do?  What should I set it to?  What's the
ng_UserData?  The includes do NOT explain these.  Isn't there some book
available that does?  For instance, Sybex put out an EXCELLENT book
called "Amiga Programmer's Handbook" which totally explains the Amiga C
functions (OS 1.3).. it explains what you should set certain things to,
etc. etc.  Is there some kind of book like this for OS 2.0?  I want to
make gadgets, but I have no clue without any good books.

-- 
    // Amiga 3000   ___ \ Sam Hulick: shulick@indiana.edu (NeXTmail OK!)
   // 68030 25 MHz /__/\ \ My opinions wear combat boots.  Or whatever.
\\// OS 2.04       \__\/ / "Walk!  Not bloody likely.  I am going in a
 \/                     / taxi."  --George Bernard Shaw
Xref: sparky comp.sys.amiga.programmer:17575 comp.sys.amiga.hardware:21824
From: skogaas@solan.unit.no (John Olav Skog}s)
Subject: Re: CISC and RISC
Organization: Norwegian Institute of TechnologyNorwegian Institute of TechnologyNorwegian Institute of Technology
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 92 15:50:39 GMT



RISC - reduced instruction set computer:

Fewer and less complex intructions than in CISC processors
Only one or two instruction formats (usually - results in fast decoding)
Large register file: 32-2048 internal registers
Few adressing modes (1-2 usually)
Optimizing compilers (it is easy to generate good code for the RISC architecture)
Support for high-level languages (when it comes to passing parameters etc.)
Hard-wired control unit
Optimized instruction pipeline
LOAD/STORE - architecture
One clock-cycle pr. instruction



CISC - complex instruction set computer:

Has a big software base (Amiga, Mac, DOS...)
The newest CISC processors are now using RISC techniques to archieve performance
(partly hardwired control-units, and one clock-cycle pr. instruction performance)
It may be easier to make op.sys.-software on a CISC processor.

The code size for RISC-processors will usually be larger than it would be for a
CISC processor.

Nowadays, it seems like that the RISC and CISC-prosessors are approaching each
other. The manufacturers incorporate RISC-features in CISC-processors and 
visa versa.



More interesting is multiprocessor-systems, with maybe thousands of processors.
Or just 16 68040's in a "hypercube" system. Such HyperCubes are at the moment
being developed at the Norwegian Institute of Technology. An early prototype,
16 i486 connected together (with local memory and disk), was capable to raytrace 
a picture much faster than any other HyperCube in the world (i think it was by 
a factor of 10). It was done in just a couple of seconds. Merging and sorting 
two files were done 10-100 times the performance of a big mainframe. This system 
was originally designed to be a fault-tolerant system, with at least two copies 
of every byte on different disks. What about an Amiga HyperCube with 8 68040 
processors with XX MB local memory...?  :-) However, AmigaDOS would then have
to be rewritten quite a lot... Another Amiga model: Amiga NevroNet... :-)
From: paulk@terapin.com (Paul Kienitz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: Hardware/Amiga 1200.
Date: 12 Dec 92 10:34:25 PST
Organization: BBS

> Yes, bitplanes were great when introduced in 1984, they saved
> memory, but were VERY slow.
 
Not so.  They're actually faster for many operations, just BECAUSE
less memory is involved.  Blitting rectangles, for instance, can be
faster with planes than with chunks because fewer total words of
memory need to be accessed.  With bitplanes, using fewer colors
translates directly into higher speed.  With chunky display, a 2
color picture is as slow as a 256 color one.
 
> That is, normal PC graphics cards is at least 15 times faster than
> amiga graphics when running on same clock speed.
 
> This is when doing a ReadPixel(), WritePixel() that is the most
> elementary operations to be performed on a raster display.
 
This is *ONLY* when doing ReadPixel and WritePixel.  You have picked
the one operation where bitplanes are weakest and byte chunks are
strongest.  Don't generalize from that to more complex operations.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer,comp.sys.amiga.misc
From: misar@rbg.informatik.th-darmstadt.de (walter misar)
Subject: Re: Advice to SAS/C 5.10b users
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 14:49:54 GMT
Organization: TH Darmstadt

In article <BzDM7J.5nG@csugrad.cs.vt.edu>, jaker@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Jake Rose) writes:
> shulick@shoshone.ucs.indiana.edu (Sam Hulick) writes:
> 
> >It would be rather safe to stick with 5.10b.  6.0 and 6.1 are too
> >buggy.. But you can probably see that from all the posts(complaints) on
> >c.s.a.p. :)
> 
> I've been using my roommate's version 6.1 compiler for a while now, and I
> haven't had any real complaints.  It's a little different, but I wouldn't
> call it "buggy".  People just haven't gotten used to the differences yet.

Ever tried to compile with far code/far data ? That will give you nice
stack overflows if the program is just a little bit bigger than a simple
one-file program.

-- 
Walter Misar                        It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly
misar@rbg.informatik.th-darmstadt.de       unless one has plenty of work to do.
From: walker@twix.unx.sas.com (Doug Walker)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: Does opening libraries require a fixed varname?
Date: 17 Dec 92 14:30:59 GMT
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.
Originator: walker@twix.unx.sas.com


In article <BzDnFz.FM5@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu>, shulick@navajo.ucs.indiana.edu (Sam Hulick) writes:
|> 
|> If I wanted, for instance, to open intuition.library, does the line
|> *HAVE* to be:
|> 
|> IntuitionBase = OpenLibr.......
|> 
|> Can it be something like "IBase = OpenLibrary(.." or "blech = Open..."
|> In other words, does it matter what you call the variable?
|> GadToolsBase, ExecBase, GfxBase, etc.

Yes, it must use the assigned name, unless you take extra steps.  There
are two major ways that calling system functions work: via stubs, and 
via pragmas.  If you call via a stub, the parameters get pushed on the
stack like any other C call, then the stub pops them into the correct
registers, LOOKS AT AN EXTERNAL VARIABLE TO GET THE LIBRARY BASE, and
jumps to the library.  The external variable that it looks at is the
IntuitionBase, GfxBase, etc. that you're referring to.

The alternate method is to use #pragma statements.  #pragmas specify
the library base name, the number of parameters and which registers
the parameters go into.  This allows the compiler to call the library
function directly instead of going through the stubs.  The pragams
provided with your compiler all specify IntuitionBase, GfxBase, etc.
as the bases, so normally you would have to initialize them just
like with stubs.  However, the variables can be local variables or
preprocessor #defines; this kind of lets you get away from the
IntuitionBase name if you like.  You can do this, for example:

#include <proto/intuition.h>  // Or <pragmas/intuition_pragmas.h>

#define IntuitionBase IBase
struct Library *IBase;

void main(void)
{
   IBase = OpenLibrary("intuition.library", 0L);
   ...
}

|>     // Amiga 3000   ___ \ Sam Hulick: shulick@indiana.edu (NeXTmail OK!)

-- 
  *****
=*|_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.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
From: dbenn@leven.appcomp.utas.edu.au (David Benn)
Subject: Re: Does a compiler for AmigaBASIC exist somewhere ?
Keywords: compiler, AmigaBASIC
Organization: University of Tasmania at Launceston
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 92 22:54:48 GMT

Yes, such a compiler does exist in the PD.

One is already available via ftp and Fish disks: Cursor. 
What Cursor implements, it does so very well. It has single and double
precision reals, SUBs etc. Unfortunately, the last release I have doesn't
implement many advanced features (eg: graphics).

I have been writing a compiler (ACE) for AmigaBASIC since late last year.
It doesn't have double precision reals (only single), but it *does* have
over 100 commands and functions plus many features that AmigaBASIC (AB) does
not have, eg: structures, defined constants, turtle graphics, external
references, recursive SUBs (Cursor has recursion too), a better WAVE
statement which in conjunction with SOUND allows you to play sound samples,
SUBs can be treated like C functions (ie: they can have return values) so
instead of DEF FN you just define a SUB with a return value (defaults to
single precision, like variables), indirection operators, etc.

I keep resisting the urge to release ACE to the PD (yet), because there are
still too many little things that need fixing. 

There are a few Wb 2.04 dependancies that I want to remove so that 1.3
owners can run all ACE programs. 

I am currently in between jobs, so I have lots of spare time for a change,
so I will be spending a large proportion of the next two months or so
working on ACE. With any luck therefore, it is my intention that ACE will
see the light of day in the PD early next year.

I am quite happy for individuals to (alpha?) test it in the meantime
however, since it works fine and I'm already making good use of it in a
wide variety of tasks. However, I'd rather you waited for a COUPLE of weeks
(that seems to be an ever-receding point in time) so that I can fix the Wb
2.04 dependancies.

Feel free - and this goes for others who've asked me about this - to e-mail
me about this once a week or so. If you specifically want me to put you on
the mailing list for ACE (although I don't have a formal one yet), tell me
so.

If you just have queries about the compiler and perhaps want to see the
docs, I'll happily e-mail them to you.

To those who've been seeing these posts over the last year or so, I
apologise for the ever-receding release-date estimates. Basically this last
6 months has been too frantic to do much but study and work. Not so now
though. Unemployment has its benefits. :-)

Regards...


-- 
dbenn@leven.appcomp.utas.edu.au
David Benn - Applied Computing, University of Tasmania at Launceston.
Anyone who is practically acquainted with scientific work is aware that
those who refuse to go beyond fact rarely get as far as fact. (TH Huxley)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Animation examples in C
From: bjbernstein@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu
Date: 14 Dec 92 13:49:04 -0500
Organization: Miami University Academic Computer Service"

   I want to make graphic demos. I know how to program in C, I undersstand 
Assembly, though I prefer not to use it, and I have a relative complete 
understanding of the amiga and how to program it.   So what do I do? I look 
for a book to give me some kind of examples on how to get started on 
graphics and animation. To no avail... Oh, yeah.. Abacus has graphics on 
the Amiga.. IN BASIC...

  So basically, what I'm asking is if someone could please send me a small 
bit of code so I can get my feet wet in animation...   Nothing tremendous, 
maybe some code for a background and placing a sprite on the screen 
animating it and moving it around.. 

  Thanks..

Please reply by email

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
@@ Brian Bernstein (Drone)           @@ "I'm a white dread, I'm a white   @@ 
@@ bjbernstein@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu @@  dread, so? I got a little ring   @@
@@-----------------------------------@@  and I hang it from my nose.."    @@
@@ the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers!@@                -Jane's Addiction  @@
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
From: Gene_Ruebsamen@republik.fidonet.org (Gene Ruebsamen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: I want to Learn C (hehe)
Date: 16 Dec 92 02:08:15 PST
Organization: Eiffel Media of Orange County

I am currently studying the C language, and I am a Beginner..
I have a book called Amiga C for Beginners.. which is ok, but I was
wondering if there are any other books, text files, or other sources
where I can learn the C language quickly and eaisly?

Thanks in advance!


Gene Ruebsamen

 * Q-Blue v0.7 [NR] *

-- Via DlgQWK v0.63b
Xref: sparky comp.sys.amiga.programmer:17494 comp.sys.amiga.hardware:21744
From: idr@rigel.cs.pdx.edu (Ian D Romanick)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer,comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: CISC and RISC
Date: 18 Dec 92 00:56:48 GMT
Article-I.D.: pdxgate.6587
Organization: /etc/organization

In article <Bz8FD1.Dxt@ns1.nodak.edu> dewald@plains.NoDak.edu (Eric Dewald) writes:
>What are the advantages of CISC and RISC?

Well, since RISC is a more basic instruction set, it is MUCH easier for a
compiler to generate good code for it.  It's to the point now on RISC machines
that a native compiler can usually BEAT and assembly language progammer (snif)
It also makes it so that the instructions themselves are smaller and can be
fetched and decoded quicker.

                                  - Ian Romanick
                                    Dancing Fool of Epsilon

[]--------------------------------------------------------------------[]
 |                                                                    |
 | My opinions are exactly the same as PSU's.  NOT!                   |
 | Mail at:  idr@cs.pdx.edu             Epsilon, for the best in NTSC |
 |                                      demos! :^)                    |
 |                                                                    |
[]--------------------------------------------------------------------[]
Xref: sparky comp.sys.amiga.programmer:17357 comp.sys.amiga.hardware:21490
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 19:00:13 -0500 
From: Michael Witbrock <mjw+@cs.cmu.edu>
Subject: SAS C 6.1 bug
	<S37732V.92Dec12145909@lk-hp-20.hut.fi> <Bz95w4.LI7@unx.sas.com>
	<JRAJA.92Dec15231111@vipunen.hut.fi>
Distribution: inet


I use Helvetica 15 for (whatever the name (perhaps system default font)
of the font is that displays the) menus on my system.
This is  very effective way of detecting programs that don't quite know
how to deal with fonts.

The message browser in SAS C 6.1 is such a program. The first row of the
menus appears in Helv 15, the rest in topaz 8 (or some such). 
A bit more control over the colours used for highlighting etc would be
nice too.

michael
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
From: ridder@zowie.zso.dec.com (Hans)
Subject: Re: Ways to get hold of system gadget images ?
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation - DECwest Engineering
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 21:56:11 GMT

In article <1992Dec11.202213.22176@ida.liu.se> d90magri@odalix.ida.liu.se (Magnus Rindeberg) writes:

>Does anyone know of a way to get a pointer to the system gadgets
>"UPIMAGE" and "DOWNIMAGE", i.e. to their "Image" structure.

They're available through the BOOPSI "sysiclass".

>/Magnuz

-hans
-- 
  Hans-Gabriel Ridder <ridder@rust.zso.dec.com>
  DECwest Engineering, Bellevue, Washington, USA
  "I'd rather be writing MACRO-20!"
  Any opinions expressed are not those of my employer, honest.
From: jaker@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Jake Rose)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: Multiple Windows
Date: 16 Dec 92 06:26:29 GMT
Organization: Virginia Tech Computer Science Dept, Blacksburg, VA

Erik Funkenbush writes:

>Is there an easier way of telling which Window a Window pointer is pointing
>without resorting to the UserData field?

You can compare the pointers with the ones you know you have out there, and
see if they're the same, if you like.
-- 
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jake Rose               :: MS Windows: faster than a dead sea turtle crawling up
jaker@csugrad.cs.vt.edu :: the beach with a boxcar on its back, but only just.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From: kontos@clipper.ingr.com (Thorne Kontos)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: IFF/ILBM formats
Keywords: desperation sets in
Date: 15 Dec 92 17:39:08 GMT
Organization: Intergraph Advanced Processor Division - Palo Alto, CA


     I am writing a short program that needs to be able to read
a file in the above format(s). If anyone has the specs or knows
where I can find them, I would appreciate some E-mail. If
you have a brief piece of code, that would be even better.
I am trying to manipulate basic images through different filters
for a small graphics program I am working on. This program actually
(or one very close to it) sells for $30+ for the Mac and the Clones.
So if you help me, I'll send it to you free when it is finished...

                                        Thanks for the help,
                                        Thorne Kontos
                                        System Engineer
                                        Intergraph Advanced Processor Division
                                        kontos@clipper.clipper.ingr.com
From: simons@peti.GUN.de (Peter Simons)
Date: Tue, 08 Dec 1992 23:25:42 CET
Organization: * Private Amiga Site Bonn - Member of Individual Network e.V. *
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Distribution: world
Subject: Re: Hardware hacking....
X-Newsreader: Ann 0.10

In article <29067@castle.ed.ac.uk>,
        alexm@castle.ed.ac.uk (Alex McLean) writes:

 > [...] The OS is simply useless for  arcade/3D  games  etc.Sure,if  you
 > want to have a 'nice' prog that exits well,use the  OS  calls,allocate
 > memory,call  LFOForbid  etc...  But  games/Demos  need  the   hardware
 > direct-Kill the OS,use the hardware the way you want. [...]

You're absolutely wrong!! It's okay to program the hardware directly, BUT
you definetly have to know what  you're  doing.  With  lots  of  effects,
vectors, scrollers, stars etc... you may impress  the  16-year-old  kids,
but anyone who owns a harddisk or an accelerator-board  will  delete your
demo immediately, if it doesn't return correctly.

What's the problem  with  allocating  the  memory  you  need?  Why  don't
disabling the multitasking via  Disable(),  going  to  the  hardware  and
enabling it afterwards again?

I used to "code" for the scene  some  months  (years??)  ago  and  I  can
proudly say that all of my demos work fine on my new machine.

        bye, Peter


--
              ____ ____      ____
             /___ /__  /\  /  /    INTERNET: simons@peti.GUN.de
            ____//___ /  \/  /      FIDONET: 2:242/7.25
           to you by Peter Simons     VOICE: 0228 / 746061
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer