HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: wbdst+@pitt.edu (William  B Dwinnell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Convince me to stick with Atari.
Date: 13 Jan 93 02:39:18 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh


Although I may get rocks thrown at me...
I have been using DOS computers for years, and have built a career out of them.
I like IBM clones and DOS, but I am not blind to their weaknesses, some of
which Atari sts do not share. I own a DOS clone and an STe, and am quite
happy with each. Software availability is certainly weak for the ST, but 
then again systems software for the IBM is limited. DOS is nice, but
has its limitations, Windows simply doesn't perform reliably, and OS/2 
is limited in performance, software abvailability, and distribution. 
(Personally, and I know more stones will be cast at me for writing this,
I'd prefer Unix as an upgrade to DOS, over Windows or OS/2), DOS did have 
a chance to keep moving, but, thanx to Microscam, that never happened.
Lastly, my experience has been that TOS with GEM runs much more reliably
than DOS with Windows, for all the cool technological innovations that
Windows has (tried) to deliver, like DLLs.
Xref: sparky comp.sys.atari.st:19533 comp.sys.atari.st.tech:6574
From: molin@ptb.cl.msu.edu (Michael Olin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: Re: QUESTION: Syquest 44 boot
Date: 11 Jan 1993 05:07:16 GMT
Organization: Michigan State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: ptb.cl.msu.edu

jensk@hpbbn.bbn.hp.com (Jens Kilian) writes:

  <concerning Syquest drives>
>I always boot using a disk with a warmstart program in the AUTO folder
>(and I don't like it).

Several years ago, Tim Purves wrote a program which sold in a package
called "Michtron Utilities" that would resolve the first-boot problem
with Syquests (and any other SCSI drive which won't auto-boot the first
time on powerup.)  It was called HARDAUTO.  You simply put your hard
drive booter software in the AUTO folder on a floppy in drive A:, and
then put HARDAUTO in there right behind it.  The first time you boot
you will still boot from the floppy, but HARDAUTO forces the system to
look for AUTO and .ACC files on the harddrive anyway...

There's also a program called SCSIBOOT that will write a bootsector to
floppy A: that issues a SCSI wakeup which takes care of the problem.
Personally, I don't prefer this method since I'd rather have my
VirusKiller Monitor Guard installed on my A: bootsector instead...

For some inexplicable reason, I dont have this problem anymore since I
installed a Maxtor 130meg fixed drive along with my Syquest.  But I
also know people who use only the Syquest, and they don't have the
problem at all...  Go figure.
--
  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
                               |||      Sing a happy tune and
    molin@ptb.cl.msu.edu       |||     happy dancers will join
    Canton, Michigan USA      / | \     your trip.  -T. Golas
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Last time on this one
From: jonc@status.gen.nz (Jon Clarke)
Date: Wed, 06 Jan 93 18:48:25 GMT
Organization: The Z*NET Global News Gateway in Parnell New Zealand.

gordonf@monashee.sfu.ca (Gordon Farrell) writes:

 
                (bytes deleted)

> in the XFORMER 8-bit emulator.  Atari refused to let him sell it with the
> BIOS chips (I believe he said they wouldn't sell the chips to him in the
> first place).  Darek was less than pleased with this action, and thus began
> his personal vendetta against Atari Corp.
> 
> While I think that Darek has over-reacted a bit to this action by Atari,
> (Dave Small's relations with Apple seem much better Darek and Atari's)
> I accept the fact that he feels that Atari did him wrong, and nothing
> any of us say is going to change that.
 
 And fair enough too!  If Darek is upset at them let him be. It is not
 up to us to judge the guy. Look at all the GOOD software the chap has
 written that has given us many hours of fun over the years!
 
 Go for it Darek.


 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: comp.sys.atari.st
From: wmagro@uiuc.edu (William Magro)
Subject: Re: Zterm & Spectre GCR
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 15:05:59 GMT

In article <1993Jan6.163445.28826@netcom.com> yonder@netcom.com  
(Christopher Russell) writes:
>Maybe I should post this to one of the mac groups too, but I will
>start here.  I am currently using Zterm (version .9 or something like
>that) with Spectre.  I would like to be able to enter two different
>key sequences that I have not been able to figure out.
>
>How do I send and ESC key?  For example, I need to send and ESC when I
>am in emacs.  The ESC key does not seem to function as an escape key
>under Mac emulation.
>
>How do I send a ^_ (that is control-shift-underbar).  The key sequence
>is used in Pine (to switch to alternative editor).

I have used Z-term without much difficulty.  It is the only telecomm prog  
I have used that sends ESC when you hit the escape key on the atari.   
Others usually require that you hit the tilde-backquote key.  If escape  
isn't working for you, I'd try the tilde key.

--
William Magro                                       NeXTMail welcome
wmagro@uiuc.edu
From: wells_s@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz (Steve Wells)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Convince me to stick with Atari.
Date: 10 Jan 1993 05:23:55 GMT
Organization: Wellington City Council (Public Access), Wgtn, Nz
Distribution: world
Reply-To: wells_s@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
NNTP-Posting-Host: kosmos.wcc.govt.nz

> Let 'er rip folks.  If I'm going to have to replace all of my software
> anyway, I'd rather do it with _quality_ software with a decent
> interface.  Right now, a '486 system with OS/2 on it is looking _very_,
> _very_ attractive.

Who cares!?  In the end, it's the user who decides, why should anyone
else decide, they aren't going to be the ones using the machine!  if
you prefer another machine, sobeit, buy that machine!!


 =============================================================================
 | O O    Computers:  Not just machines, they're a way of  |       |||       |
 |  o     life.  Your computer *IS* your religion!         |       ||| TARI  |
 | \_/    Steve Wells - Wellington, New Zealand.           |      / | \      |
 =========================WELLS_S@KOSMOS.WCC.GOVT.NZ==========================

Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
From: jhenders@jonh.wimsey.bc.ca (John Henders)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Distribution: tp
Organization:  One of these days for sure
X-News: HERMES MMAIL 1.10 Rev. Dec 15 1992
Subject: Re: RFD: What to do with
	comp.binaries.atari.st/comp.sources.atari.st?
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 13:53:46 -0800
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

In <C0oxzr.CIA@dcs.ed.ac.uk> arjm@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Andrew Maccormack) writes:

>In the UK a large number of people cannot access US ftp, so c.b.a.st is one of
>our few sources of new pd/shareware software.

	This is the one main argument for the binaries and sources groups,
and I was waiting to see if anyone still was in this situation. While
ftp is definately more efficient, if enough people are using mail
servers, the binaries and source groups are actually more efficient than
mail. However, as people seem to not be submitting things, the only way
it can keep working is if someone takes over the group who actually
wants to go get stuff for distribution. Obviously this needs to be
someone at a well connected site who doesn't pay by the hour for their
access. 
	The other thing about the binaries and sources groups seems to
be the catch 22 of the situation. If people don't see much happening on
the groups, it won't occur to them to send the files to the moderator. I
know there are plenty of people who are getting their feeds though bbs'
that don't have ftp, and limit the mail recieved. The binaries and
sources groups are the only way that these people can get software.

-- 

 "If Rush fans were braindead, why are there so   Bruce Bufalini
 many people posting to alt.music.rush?"              PSU
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
From: gordonf@monashee.sfu.ca (Gordon Farrell)
Subject: Re: Good old Darek
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 22:54:38 GMT

In article <4JAN93.09101838@cc4.crl.aecl.ca> csullogg@cc4.crl.aecl.ca writes:
[...]
>
>Another thing that really annoys me is how stupid an Atari ST user pretends
>to be when it comes to bitching about the redraw speed of Windows. Ok,
>grade 4 math. The screen resolution of the ST in color is what? 320x200
>in 16 colors. 320x200*4/8 = 32000 bytes of screen memory. A PC running
>Windows is typically running what, a VGA. 640x480*4/8 = 153600 bytes of
>screen memory. That's almost a 5:1 increase in screen resolution, which
>duh, required either 5 times longer or 5 times the processor speed to 
>redraw compared to your ST. If you compared oranges to oranges, you'd find
>that Windows isn't that slow after all. The closest thing to VGA mode on
>the ST is TT medium resolution on the TT. Actually, TT medium resolution
>IS EXACTLY the same as VGA mode. Boot up a TT and compare redraw speeds of
>ST monochrome mode (640x400 mono) and TT medium resolution (640x480 16 colors).
>Surprise, Surprise, you'll see a major speed difference. Look at the Mac,
>it has very fast redraws compared to the ST, but that's because Macs had
>the smaller 512x384 screen which only require about 20K of screen memory.
>
[...]
>- Darek

While I'll admit to not having used PC VGA much, I do know about the speed
of TT medium.  Its not slow.  I'd say that it's speed is better than
ST medium (even faster with Warp 9).  Actually, the speed is better than all
of the ST resolutions on an ST, though ST high is a close call.

________________________________________________________________________________
Gordon Farrell          |e-mail:gfarrell@cs.sfu.ca |"Shee, you guys are so unhip
			|	gordonf@sfu.ca     | it's a wonder your bums
Simon Fraser University |			   | don't fall off."
Burnaby, B.C., Canada   |			   |	-Zaphod Beeblebrox
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
From: hasse@solace.hsh.se (Hans Holmberg)
Subject: Re: *** CAN YOU ANSWER THIS DISK DRIVE QUESTION? ***
Organization: Solace Computer Club, Sundsvall, Sweden
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1993 00:27:09 MET

In <07g9wB5w165w@sys6626.bison.mb.ca> winnipg@sys6626.bison.mb.ca (Winnipg) writes:

>      I used to have an CHINON F354 drive but it's toast so I got a
>new CHINON 720k as a replacement, an FZ354. The problem :( is that it
>doesn't recognize a new disk having been put in the drive(unless it's
>write protected). 'ESC' won't work and the Forced Media Change program
>also is a no-go.
>   Question: Can this FZ354 be fixed with jumpers or is it time to
>             call TEAC for a replacement?
>If you need any further info, like how I have the jumpers set, say
>so.

There is just a switch that needs to be set. It tells the drive in which
mode to report disk change in.

1. 	It just changes the state of disk change if a disk is put in or out,
	ie. if it was 1 and you remove/insert a disk it is set to 0.

2.	The state of the disk change signal is the direct status if a disk
	is in or out, ie. if a disk is in the drive the disk change signal is
	1 (or vice versa).

Hope this helps.

/Hasse
-- 
/     email: hasse@solace.hsh.se, irc: Knightman, mud: Kniggit@VikingMud      \
\     snail-mail: Hans Holmberg, Sommarvagen 5, 854 67 Sundsvall, Sweden      /
/                  phone: +46 60 569169, fax: +46 60 569266                   \
\          "In a crazy world a sane person would appear to be crazy."         /
From: mapmh@gdr.bath.ac.uk (M Hagger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: The compatibility story (Falcon & A1200)
Date: 11 Jan 93 11:37:22 GMT
Organization: School of Mathematics, University of Bath, UK

> stuff about other planets deleted
>Most problems comes from the fact that
>- self-modyfying code blows up with caches (turn them off)
>- the stack frame is different (no hope for these shitty programmers)
>- it runs faster and timing depending on the processor speed blows up. This
>is especially bad on custom loaders (more shitty programmers)
>
>A very big number of Amiga games have been done on the ST by the same
>programmers so you'll have your share of crashing games.
>
I'm curious, just what do you mean by shitty programmers?  In the real 
world do you seriously expect game writers (ie people trying to screw the
maximum performance out of a machine) to worry about their program being
a little incompatible with future generations of chips?  Particularly if they
are not even aware of the these new machines etc when the software is written.
Maybe you would prefer it if the games were a little slower or a little less
impressive, but I certainly wouldn't.

Mark (I wonder if that puts me in the shitty programmer class?)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
From: smiller@bcarh838.bnr.ca (Scott Miller)
Subject: Atari Market
Reply-To: aa438@freenet.carleton.ca
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 15:31:29 GMT



In article <1itb88INN4pn@life.ai.mit.edu>, dmb@case.ai.mit.edu (David Baggett) writes:
|> ... If you think I'M hard on your
|> Party Line, you should listen to what the Real World is saying.)

This is the scary part.  The real world is saying NOTHING.  Nobody cares, because
the Atari market is almost flatlined,

A couple of months ago, I was ready to go out and plunk my money down on a Falcon.
Instead of buying an SC1435, (maybe) a MegaSTE and Flight of the Intruder, I decided
to sit tight.  But now, because of the Falcon/MultiTOS delays, the price/performance
ratio, and the software availability, I would say it's 50/50 between F030 and a 486.

I'm in no hurry anymore.  I will wait and see.  But if there is a manufacturing 
delay, they had better be taking advantage of it.  (For the MegaSTE case, Multitos
and software)  

Atari is on the very edge of blowing themselves out of the computer market, 
forever.  If they successfully kill of the ST user base, that's it.  This is
not 1985, when PC's were expensive, and Macs and Amigas were also new.
(Though they might be able to hang on in video game consoles)
Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Date: Wednesday, 6 Jan 1993 17:15:26 PST
From: Terry Reeves <REEVES@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: SPS files
 <1180@usdtsg.DaytonOH.NCR.COM> <1993Jan6.182318.10233@cs.nott.ac.uk>
 <C0GECs.MBt@ecf.toronto.edu>

Actually, there is a slide show program SPSLIDEX or something like that to
show .SPS files. Unfortunately, I don't remember the exact name. Maybe
someone else does. SPS files are compressed .SPU files, but not the standard.

                                                      Terry Reeves
From: ritz@ritz.mordor.com (Christopher Mauritz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: a blurb
Date: 12 Jan 93 14:57:57 GMT
Organization: Ritz International, Inc. -- Import/Export Consultants
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]


 (01mbmccabe@leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu) wrote:

OS/2> P.S.  Why are the only people who actively promote the clones _I know_, the
OS/2> ones who are able to hook up with _pirate copies_ of the hard-drive munching,
OS/2> processing-time gobbling software they rave about?  I reckon a large number of
OS/2> people would sing a different song if they _had_ to play by the rules.  Not to
OS/2> mention they wouldn't be able to afford to fill those bulging hard-drives their
OS/2> shiney new system sports.

You must be kidding.  When I was a college student, there were approximately
5 or 6 ST BBS's in New York City.  They were ALL pirate BBS's.  That's
right, they were ALL pirate BBS's...100% of them!  I knew several of the
sysops and I was a cosysop on one of them.  When I found out about the
piracy, I started deleting the files as they were uploaded.  After getting
yelled at by the head sysop, I quit.  They used to have meetings where 
they would literally conspire together so that they didn't "waste" disk
space on the same pirated files.

Perhaps, the real reason we "sing our song" is because we get better
quality and value for our bucks....

Regards,

Chris

--
Christopher Mauritz                 | My views reflect those of my
ritz@ritz.mordor.com                | company since I own the company.
{backbone}!rutgers!spcvxb!ritz!ritz | Ritz International, Inc.
OS/2 OS/2 OS/2 OS/2 OS/2 OS/2 OS/2  | Import/Export Consultants
From: Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: A letter to Dave Baggett
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 93 22:59:02 PST
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
  <93010539@ritz.mordor.com><1993Jan6.123352.3450@wg.estec.nl>  
  <H.ea.T8tPKI2qGqM@semprini.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca> <73275@cup.portal.com>
  <1993Jan10.011704.11237@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>

Dan Cable writes:
 
>>OS/2 is available *NOW* from IBM, on CD-ROM, for  $15.00

>Yes it's true. However, that $15.00 version of OS/2 is a non-registered
>beta version which is only liscensed until January 3, 1993. You wouldn't
>want to have a pirated OS would you?

Well, er..  my boss called IBM at the 800 number you provided on
Molin's Den (thanks, Dan..!) last Friday, January 8, 1993, and
IBM sold him a CD-ROM with OS/2 on it..  with nothing said about
it being a beta copy..
 
They said two week delivery, but unofficially to expect it much
sooner than that... so I guess we'll see when it gets here..
 
Heck.. at that price, I'm thinking of ordering one too..!
 
BobR
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Connect (was Re: What terminal program....)
From: craig@yonder.equinox.gen.nz (Craig Shore)
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 11:58:30 +1200
Reply-To: shore_c@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Organization: Equinox Networks (Public access), Node: Yonder
X-Software: HERMES GUS 1.04 Rev. Sep  5 1992

In <1993Jan7.111142.7402@dxcern.cern.ch>, Wolfgang Wander writes:

>You'll need a good vt100 /ansi or vt200 emulation. In my opnion there
>are only two alternatives, which go both confirm with tests for
>this emulations. The one is he good old uniterm, a fast but not
>GEM-based terminal. The second is my terminal programme CoNnect, which 
>is available in release 1.91 now runs completly in GEM and supports
>all mamachines including the falcon. On a MEGA STE, the falcon or a TT
>you even can use higher baudrates then 19200 (eg 38400 or 57600).
>There exists and english version but no english documentaion  so far.

I hate Terminal programs on the ST that only run in a GEM window.
 The reason, I need 80 columns. To get 80 columns on the screen with
 GEM, you need to use real small characters, and with the ST's poor
 screen modes, it's hard on the eyes. (note: i'm using a colour
 monitor, not mono)

Therefore to connect to a VAX, I use UNITERM.

 Craig.

-- 
* Craig Shore.  Phone +64 3 3852501                    * 
*  Email: from in NZ - craig@yonder.equinox.gen.nz     *
*  from rest of world - shore_c@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz     *
* PLEASE DON'T mail to yonder from outside NZ. Thanks! *
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
From: vicb@clark.edu (Victor Bruhn)
Subject: Re: Editor???
Organization: Clark College, Vancouver, Wa.  USA
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 15:16:28 GMT

In article <1993Jan7.215054.29914@csi.uottawa.ca> cbbrowne@csi.uottawa.ca (Christopher Browne) writes:

(regarding good text editors...stuff deleted)
>
>For PD stuff, there's lots of stuff out there:
>
>Emacs clones
>vi clones
>origami (a "folding" editor - before I got Sudden View, I used
>          Origami.  It is pretty nice.)
>Alice - a German editor, very similar to STeno (the GEM Desk
>          Accessory).  I probably should upload a copy...
>
>Check on atari.archive.umich.edu, in /atari/Editors.  There's got to
>be something there that you'll like.


I'll toss in my vote for STPage, also at atari.archive.
Small (<13K) and quite fast; I can't compare it to any of the commercial 
stuff, but it's much faster than anything else I've seen that's PD; paging
down through a file is very quick, and searches are also.  The only complaint
I have had is that it doesn't recognize tab characters; if it reads one in
a file, it deletes it, and if you use the tab key, it inserts the spaces 
needed to get to the tab stop rather than an actual tab character.  
The editor has a lot of features for such a small program: search/replace/
delete/move/copy etc.  It isn't Gem based, but does have easily used drop
downs and uses the GEM file selector.

I searched for quite a while for a small, fast editor to use for my 
source code, and I haven't found one better than this.

Victor Bruhn
vicb@clark.edu
From: entropy@gnu.ai.mit.edu (maximum entropy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: on the need for 'virtual memory'
Date: 13 Jan 93 00:51:56 GMT
Organization: Not Proud Programmers

In article <C0r8vp.683@news2.cis.umn.edu> davidli@simvax.labmed.umn.edu writes:
>Can someone who knows the history of UNIX please comment on whether the
>early versions of UNIX 'required' virtual memory in order to work?  My
>own impressions are that the PDP computers didn't have any virtual
>memory, and that most programs that were larger than memory consisted of
>a series of intelligent overlays.  (My impression is partially formed by
>experience with UNIX 7.0 on a PDP-11/34, requiring a grand total of
>10 megabytes of hard disk space, and the fact that one of the selling
>points of the VAX series of computers was the fact that they had virtual
>address space.)

Your impressions are accurate; it was even a big deal when the 11/34A
came out because it could split instruction and data space for a grand
total of 128K of per-process memory.  My DEC Pro-350 (11/34 class)
running VENIX 1.0 (V7-like UNIX clone) lets you use more than 64K per
process only by mapping pages of memory on a user-controlled basis
(The C library will do it for you if you use some compilation
switches) with a special OS call.

Why's this in comp.sys.atari.st?  Getting frustrated with trying to
compile 600 meg source files with GCC under MiNT? (1/2 :-) )

Cheers,
entropy
--
entropy@gnu.ai.mit.edu
entropy. . .it's not just a good idea, it's the second law.
Boycott AT&T, Lotus, Apple, and Xerox.  Join the League for
Programming Freedom!  Write to lpf@uunet.uu.net for more information.
From: molin@ptb.cl.msu.edu (Michael Olin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: NEW ATARI SUPPORT Part 2
Date: 9 Jan 1993 04:15:24 GMT
Organization: Michigan State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: ptb.cl.msu.edu

<SML108@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:

>The question arises:  why the *#:&#: does Atari have this attitude?  I agree,
>it's like they ENJOY shooting themselves in the foot after making a really
>neat new gizmo...  I'd love to buy a Falcon, I really would...  But

Why does Atari have this attitude?  Because it's owned and operated by
some really STOOOOOPID fucks.  I say we should start a postcard campaign,
resulting in mailbags full of the cards arriving daily, on which each one
is written:  "Please Msrs Tramiel, won't you all please climb into one of
your BMWs and drive off a steep cliff BEFORE you kill the company off
completely?"

Be sure to say "Thank you" at the end of the note...
--
  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
                               |||      Sing a happy tune and
    molin@ptb.cl.msu.edu       |||     happy dancers will join
    Canton, Michigan USA      / | \     your trip.  -T. Golas