ST Report: 23-Feb-90 #408
From: Phillip M. Chow (aa400)
Date: 03/08/90-05:21:45 PM Z
From: aa400 (Phillip M. Chow)
Subject: ST Report: 23-Feb-90 #408
Date: Thu Mar 8 17:21:45 1990
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> 02/23/90: CPU Newswire? #408 The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine!
----------------------------
- The Editor's Podium - CPU REPORT - CPU STATUS REPORT
- THE ICD ADVANTAGE!! - The ALTERNATIVE - Vector Intercepts
- PCD2 HELP! - NASA Schedules - CRASWELL Interview
- CIS NEW FileFinder - DynaCADD p V - CPU CONFIDENTIAL
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> The Editor's Podium?
Atari offers the STE, the Megafile 44 and the Stacy for sale all over
the globe but not in the USA WHY?? Not that its any great news or
anything like that, but we make mention of this item to point out another
nail in the coffin being built by Atari US called the US market. Their
operations in the US market have been abominable. Seriously, though, if I
don't laugh at their actions in the USA, I'd find it so very easy to cry!
What in heaven's name are they trying to do? Kill this market, a market
they have half dead already? Can the rumors of an exodus be true? Is
Atari going belly up in the US computer market because they can't compete?
Is it all over but the shouting? What is on the horizon for the US ST
Userbase.
The time is at hand for some real answers from Atari. We (the users)
don't see any substantial advertising. Dealers across the country are
upset that they cannot get or sell the Lynx. And now, for the best yet is
they (dealers) cannot offer the same "thirty day satisfaction Guarantee"
the factory does on the sales of Portfolios.
Clearly, Atari needs real direction, the first quarter of 1990 is a
dead duck, what have they in store for the rest of the year? They are not
attending Spring Comdex, at least the new president of Atari US will have
a better chance of seeing Fall/Comdex.. Any bets?? Now, we find that
they are trying to tell us that an ex-executive from the beverage industry
who is heading up the combined Entertainment and Computer division in the
USA is just what the doctor ordered. Sounds more like a plumber operating
in neurosurgery! The only way I see this being a positive move is if he
drowns the incompetents, in Sunnyvale who are killing Atari, in a pool of
benzene tainted vichy water. The constant flow of disappointment after
disappointment must come to an end. Maybe the Aircraft Carrier really did
sink!
The above sounds so very terminal and upsetting, well it is! Call
your local dealer and ask if they are happy with the relationship they
have with Atari Corp. That is, if there is a dealer in your area....
I, for one, am very uncomfortable with the thought that a few
concerned developers are heavily burdened with the decision of whether or
not the new Mega STE will have the MEGA bus or the VME bus. Please,
before anybody gets their wig bent outta shape, the whole matter is being
openly discussed online. Sorry guys, but this type of thing belongs in a
questionnaire that the ENTIRE USERBASE can participate in. Atari has got
to learn that the road to success in the US marketplace is paved with
satisfaction on both sides of the fence. Not just a one-sided affair as
it is now. All Europe and nuthin' much for the US. It really has gotten
to the point where everytime I hear or read a press release coming from
Atari, I think of lawyers, you know, (How do you tell a lawyer is lying?
..His lips are moving!) It truly has gotten to this. One cannot trust
what Atari says, usually, its denied the following week.
I am down on the present leadership of Atari, I feel they are
misleading the Tramiels in a most "officious" manner. Something has to be
done. And it must be done fast. The latest rumor in the executive
recruitment field is; Go with Atari, its only for a short while and the
titles look great on your resume. sheesh!
Ralph.......
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> CPU REPORT?
==========
Issue # 55
By Michael Arthur
Remember When....
A company named Metacomco developed a Unix-based operating system
based on the 68000 chip, and when in late 1984, Commodore (after firing
several of Amiga Corp.'s developers who had been designing an OS around
the Exec multitasking OS Kernel), realized that they needed to have a
complete OS for the Amiga within 6 months in order to introduce it, and
hired Metacomco to "quickly" port what became AmigaDOS to the Amiga?
And remember when a group of Amiga developers designed a toolkit
called the AmigaDOS Replacement Project, so as to provide a work around
for the crippling problems with AmigaDOS, which arose in the "quick"
porting process?
CPU INSIGHTS?
=============
FSF, The Hacker Ethic, and The GNU Manifesto
--------------------------------------------
In the late 1970s, as the microcomputer industry began to develop,
many programmers and computer experts believed that computers were a tool
for exchanging information, and that this "information flow" should not be
hindered or restricted. This belief in the "freedom of information
exchange" became part of what was known as the "Hacker Ethic". This was
when the word "hacker" was used to honor and praise a computer "guru" for
his abilities....
Richard Stallman, who designed the well-known EMACS text editor in
the 1970s, decided to create the Free Software Foundation as part of an
effort to place standards in computer software and operating environments
in the public domain, where this information could benefit all. The FSF
soon began the GNU Project, whose goals were to establish an operating
system environment, Unix utilities, and software which would be placed in
the public domain, available for all to use. Here is an essay written by
Richard Stallman when he established the GNU Project, which not only
explains the goals of the FSF, but provide some insight into the ideals
behind the "Hacker Ethic"....
The GNU Manifesto
"""""""""""""""""
by Richard M. Stallman
What's GNU? Gnu's Not Unix!
GNU, which stands for Gnu's Not Unix, is the name for the complete
Unix-compatible software system which I am writing so that I can give
source level debugger, a yacc-compatible parser generator, a linker, and
around 35 utilities. A shell (command interpreter) is nearly completed. A
new portable optimizing C compiler has compiled itself and may be released
this year. An initial kernel exists but many more features are needed to
emulate Unix. When the kernel and compiler are finished, it will be
possible to distribute a GNU system suitable for program development. We
will use TeX as our text formatter, but an nroff (Note: A Unix text
editor) is being worked on. We will use the free, portable X/Windows
system as well. After this we will add a portable Common Lisp, an Empire
game, a spreadsheet, and hundreds of other things, plus on-line
documentation. We hope to supply, eventually, everything useful that
normally comes with a Unix system, and more.
GNU will be able to run Unix programs, but will not be identical to
Unix. We will make all improvements that are convenient, based on our
experience with other operating systems. In particular, we plan to have
longer filenames, file version numbers, a crashproof file system, filename
completion perhaps, terminal-independent display support, and perhaps
eventually a Lisp-based window system through which several Lisp programs
and ordinary Unix programs can share a screen. Both C and Lisp will be
available as system programming languages. We will try to support UUCP,
MIT Chaosnet, and Internet protocols for communication.
GNU is aimed initially at machines in the 68000/16000 class with
virtual memory, because they are the easiest machines to make it run on.
The extra effort to make it run on smaller machines will be left to
someone who wants to use it on them.
To avoid horrible confusion, please pronounce the `G' in the word
`GNU' when it is the name of this project.
Who Am I?
I am Richard Stallman, inventor of the original, much-imitated EMACS
editor, formerly at the Artificial Intelligence Lab at MIT. I have worked
extensively on compilers, editors, debuggers, command interpreters, the
Incompatible Timesharing System and the Lisp Machine operating system. I
pioneered terminal-independent display support in ITS. Since then I have
implemented one crashproof file system and two window systems for Lisp
machines, and designed a third window system now being implemented; this
one will be ported to many systems including use in GNU.
[Historical note: The window system project was not completed; GNU now
plans to use the X/Windows system.]
Why I Must Write GNU..
I consider that the golden rule requires that if I like a program I
must share it with other people who like it. Software sellers want to
divide the users and conquer them, making each user agree not to share
with others. I refuse to break solidarity with other users in this way. I
cannot in good conscience sign a nondisclosure agreement or a software
license agreement. For years I worked within the Artificial Intelligence
Lab to resist such tendencies and other inhospitalities, but eventually
they had gone too far: I could not remain in an institution where such
things are done for me against my will.
So that I can continue to use computers without dishonor, I have
decided to put together a sufficient body of free software so that I will
be able to get along without any software that is not free. I have
resigned from the AI Lab to deny MIT any legal excuse to prevent me from
giving GNU away.
Why GNU Will Be Compatible with Unix..
Unix is not my ideal system, but it is not too bad. The essential
features of Unix seem to be good ones, and I think I can fill in what Unix
lacks without spoiling them. And a system compatible with Unix would be
convenient for many other people to adopt.
How GNU Will Be Available..
GNU is not in the public domain. Everyone will be permitted to
modify and redistribute GNU, but no distributor will be allowed to
restrict its further redistribution. That is to say, proprietary
modifications will not be allowed. I want to make sure that all versions
of GNU remain free.
Why Many Other Programmers Want to Help..
I have found many other programmers who are excited about GNU and
want to help.
Many programmers are unhappy about the commercialization of system
software. It may enable them to make more money, but it requires them to
feel in conflict with other programmers in general rather than feel as
comrades. The fundamental act of friendship among programmers is the
sharing of programs; marketing arrangements now typically used essentially
forbid programmers to treat others as friends. The purchaser of software
must choose between friendship and obeying the law. Naturally, many decide
that friendship is more important. But those who believe in law often do
not feel at ease with either choice. They become cynical and think that
programming is just a way of making money.
By working on and using GNU rather than proprietary programs, we can
be hospitable to everyone and obey the law. In addition, GNU serves as an
example to inspire and a banner to rally others to join us in sharing.
This can give us a feeling of harmony which is impossible if we use
software that is not free. For about half the programmers I talk to, this
is an important happiness that money cannot replace.
How You Can Contribute..
I am asking computer manufacturers for donations of machines and
money. I'm asking individuals for donations of programs and work.
One consequence you can expect if you donate machines is that GNU
will run on them at an early date. The machines should be complete, ready
to use systems, approved for use in a residential area, and not in need of
sophisticated cooling or power.
I have found very many programmers eager to contribute part-time work
for GNU. For most projects, such part-time distributed work would be very
hard to coordinate; the independently-written parts would not work
together. But for the particular task of replacing Unix, this problem is
absent. A complete Unix system contains hundreds of utility programs,
each of which is documented separately. Most interface specifications are
fixed by Unix compatibility. If each contributor can write a compatible
replacement for a single Unix utility, and make it work properly in place
of the original on a Unix system, then these utilities will work right
when put together. Even allowing for Murphy to create a few unexpected
problems, assembling these components will be a feasible task. (The kernel
will require closer communication and will be worked on by a small, tight
group.)
If I get donations of money, I may be able to hire a few people full
or part time. The salary won't be high by programmers' standards, but I'm
looking for people for whom building community spirit is as important as
making money. I view this as a way of enabling dedicated people to devote
their full energies to working on GNU by sparing them the need to make a
living in another way.
Why All Computer Users Will Benefit..
Once GNU is written, everyone will be able to obtain good system
software free, just like air.
This means much more than just saving everyone the price of a Unix
license. It means that much wasteful duplication of system programming
effort will be avoided. This effort can go instead into advancing the
state of the art.
Complete system sources will be available to everyone. As a result,
a user who needs changes in the system will always be free to make them
himself, or hire any available programmer or company to make them for him.
Users will no longer be at the mercy of one programmer or company which
owns the sources and is in sole position to make changes.
Schools will be able to provide a much more educational environment
by encouraging all students to study and improve the system code.Harvard's
computer lab used to have the policy that no program could be installed on
the system if its sources were not on public display, and upheld it by
actually refusing to install certain programs. I was very much inspired
by this.
Finally, the overhead of considering who owns the system software
and what one is or is not entitled to do with it will be lifted.
Arrangements to make people pay for using a program, including
licensing of copies, always incur a tremendous cost to society through the
cumbersome mechanisms necessary to figure out how much (that is, which
programs) a person must pay for. And only a police state can force
everyone to obey them. Consider a space station where air must be
manufactured at great cost: charging each breather per liter of air may
be fair, but wearing the metered gas mask all day and all night is
intolerable even if everyone can afford to pay the air bill. And the TV
cameras everywhere to see if you ever take the mask off are outrageous.
It's better to support the air plant with a head tax and chuck the masks.
Copying all or parts of a program is as natural to a programmer as
breathing, and as productive. It ought to be as free.
Some Easily Rebutted Objections to GNU's Goals..
"Nobody will use it if it is free, because that means they can't
rely on any support."
"You have to charge for the program to pay for providing the
support."
If people would rather pay for GNU plus service than get GNU free
without service, a company to provide just service to people who have
obtained GNU free ought to be profitable.
We must distinguish between support in the form of real programming
work and mere hand-holding. The former is something one cannot rely on
from a software vendor. If your problem is not shared by enough people,
the vendor will tell you to get lost.
If your business needs to be able to rely on support, the only way
is to have all the necessary sources and tools. Then you can hire any
available person to fix your problem; you are not at the mercy of any
individual. With Unix, the price of sources puts this out of consideration
for most businesses. With GNU this will be easy. It is still possible
for there to be no available competent person, but this problem cannot be
blamed on distribution arrangements. GNU does not eliminate all the
world's problems, only some of them.
Meanwhile, the users who know nothing about computers need
hand-holding: doing things for them which they could easily do themselves
but don't know how. Such services could be provided by companies that
sell just hand-holding and repair service. If it is true that users would
rather spend money and get a product with service, they will also be
willing to buy the service having got the product free. The service
companies will compete in quality and price; users will not be tied to any
particular one. Meanwhile, those of us who don't need the service should
be able to use the program without paying for the service.
"You cannot reach many people without advertising, and you must
charge for the program to support that."
"It's no use advertising a program people can get free."
There are various forms of free or inexpensive publicity that can be
used to inform numbers of computer users about something like GNU. But it
may be true that one can reach more microcomputer users with advertising.
If this is really so, a business which advertises the service of copying
and mailing GNU for a fee ought to be successful enough to pay for its
advertising and more. This way, only the users who benefit from the
advertising pay for it.
On the other hand, if many people get GNU from their friends, and
such companies don't succeed, this will show that advertising was not
really necessary to spread GNU. Why is it that free market advocates
don't want to let the free market decide this?
"My company needs a proprietary operating system to get a
competitive edge."
GNU will remove operating system software from the realm of
competition. You will not be able to get an edge in this area, but
neither will your competitors be able to get an edge over you. You and
they will compete in other areas, while benefitting mutually in this one.
If your business is selling an operating system, you will not like GNU,
but that's tough on you. If your business is something else, GNU can save
you from being pushed into the expensive business of selling operating
systems. I would like to see GNU development supported by gifts from many
manufacturers and users, reducing the cost to each.
"Don't programmers deserve a reward for their creativity?"
If anything deserves a reward, it is social contribution. Creativity
can be a social contribution, but only in so far as society is free to use
the results. If programmers deserve to be rewarded for creating innovative
programs, by the same token they deserve to be punished if they restrict
the use of these programs.
"Shouldn't a programmer be able to ask for a reward for his
creativity?"
There is nothing wrong with wanting pay for work, or seeking to
maximize one's income, as long as one does not use means that are
destructive. But the means customary in the field of software today are
based on destruction. Extracting money from users of a program by
restricting their use of it is destructive because the restrictions reduce
the amount and the ways that the program can be used. This reduces the
amount of wealth that humanity derives from the program. When there is a
deliberate choice to restrict, the harmful consequences are deliberate
destruction.
The reason a good citizen does not use such destructive means to
become wealthier is that, if everyone did so, we would all become poorer
from the mutual destructiveness. This is Kantian ethics; or, the Golden
Rule. Since I do not like the consequences that result if everyone hoards
information, I am required to consider it wrong for one to do so.
Specifically, the desire to be rewarded for one's creativity does not
justify depriving the world in general of all or part of that creativity.
"Won't programmers starve?"
I could answer that nobody is forced to be a programmer. Most of us
cannot manage to get any money for standing on the street and making
faces. But we are not, as a result, condemned to spend our lives standing
on the street making faces, and starving. We do something else.
But that is the wrong answer because it accepts the questioner's
implicit assumption: that without ownership of software, programmers
cannot possibly be paid a cent. Supposedly it is all or nothing.
The real reason programmers will not starve is that it will still be
possible for them to get paid for programming; just not paid as much as
now.
Restricting copying is not the only basis for business in software. It
is the most common basis because it brings in the most money. If it were
prohibited, or rejected by the customer, software business would move to
other bases of organization which are now used less often. There are
always numerous ways to organize any kind of business.
Probably programming will not be as lucrative on the new basis as it
is now. But that is not an argument against the change. It is not
considered an injustice that sales clerks make the salaries that they now
do. If programmers made the same, that would not be an injustice either.
(In practice they would still make considerably more than that.)
"Don't people have a right to control how their creativity is
used?"
"Control over the use of one's ideas" really constitutes control
over other people's lives; and it is usually used to make their lives more
difficult.
People who have studied the issue of intellectual property rights
carefully (such as lawyers) say that there is no intrinsic right to
intellectual property. The kinds of supposed intellectual property rights
that the government recognizes were created by specific acts of
legislation for specific purposes.
For example, the patent system was established to encourage inventors
to disclose the details of their inventions. Its purpose was to help
society rather than to help inventors. At the time, the life span of 17
years for a patent was short compared with the rate of advance of the
state of the art. Since patents are an issue only among manufacturers,
for whom the cost and effort of a license agreement are small compared
with setting up production, the patents often do not do much harm. They
do not obstruct most individuals who use patented products.
The idea of copyright did not exist in ancient times, when authors
frequently copied other authors at length in works of non-fiction. This
practice was useful, and is the only way many authors' works have survived
even in part. The copyright system weated expressly for the purpose
of encouraging authorship. In the domain for which it was invented --
books, which could be copied economically only on a printing press-- it
did little harm, and did not obstruct most of the individuals who read the
books.
All intellectual property rights are just licenses granted by society
because it was thought, rightly or wrongly, that society as a whole would
benefit by granting them. But in any particular situation, we have to ask:
Are we really better off granting such license? What kind of act are we
licensing a person to do?
The case of programs today is very different from that of books a
hundred years ago. The fact that the easiest way to copy a program is
from one neighbor to another, the fact that a program has both source code
and object code which are distinct, and the fact that a program is used
rather than read and enjoyed, combine to create a situation in which a
person who enforces a copyright is harming society as a whole both
materially and spiritually; in which a person should not do so regardless
of whether the law enables him to.
"Competition makes things get done better."
The paradigm of competition is a race: by rewarding the winner, we
encourage everyone to run faster. When capitalism really works this way,
it does a good job; but its defenders are wrong in assuming it always
works this way. If the runners forget why the reward is offered and
become intent on winning, no matter how, they may find other strategies -
such as, attacking other runners. If the runners get into a fist fight,
they will all finish late.
Proprietary and secret software is the moral equivalent of runners
in a fist fight. Sad to say, the only referee we've got does not seem to
object to fights; he just regulates them ("For every ten yards you run,
you are allowed one kick."). He really ought to break them up, and
penalize runners for even trying to fight.
"Won't everyone stop programming without a monetary incentive?"
Actually, many people will program with absolutely no monetary
incentive. Programming has an irresistible fascination for some people,
usually the people who are best at it. There is no shortage of
professional musicians who keep at it even though they have no hope of
making a living that way. But really this question, though commonly asked,
is not appropriate to the situation. Pay for programmers will not
disappear, only become less. So the right question is, will anyone program
with a reduced monetary incentive? My experience shows that they will.
For more than ten years, many of the world's best programmers worked
at the Artificial Intelligence Lab for far less money than they could have
had anywhere else. They got many kinds of non-monetary rewards: fame and
appreciation, for example. And creativity is also fun, a reward in
itself. Then most of them left when offered a chance to do the same
interesting work for a lot of money.
What the facts show is that people will program for reasons other
than riches; but if given a chance to make a lot of money as well, they
will come to expect and demand it. Low-paying organizations do poorly in
competition with high-paying ones, but they do not have to do badly if the
high-paying ones are banned.
"We need the programmers desperately. If they demand that we
stop helping our neighbors, we have to obey."
You're never so desperate that you have to obey this sort of demand.
Remember: millions for defense, but not a cent for tribute!
"Programmers need to make a living somehow."
In the short run, this is true. However, there are plenty of ways
that programmers could make a living without selling the right to use a
program. This way is customary now because it brings programmers and
businessmen the most money, not because it is the only way to make a
living. It is easy to find other ways if you want to find them. Here are
a number of examples.
- A manufacturer introducing a new computer will pay for the porting
of operating systems onto the new hardware.
- The sale of teaching, hand-holding and maintenance services could
also employ programmers.
- People with new ideas could distribute programs as freeware, asking
for donations from satisfied users, or selling hand-holding
services. I have met people who are already working this way
successfully.
- Users with related needs can form users' groups, and pay dues. A
group would contract with programming companies to write programs
that the group's members would like to use.
All sorts of development can be funded with a Software Tax:
Suppose everyone who buys a computer has to pay x percent of the
price as a software tax. The government gives this to an agency like the
NSF (the National Science Foundation) to spend on software development.
But if the computer buyer makes a donation to software development
himself, he can take a credit against the tax. He can donate to the
project of his own choosing--often, chosen because he hopes to use the
results when it is done. He can take a credit for any amount of donation
up to the total tax he had to pay.
The total tax rate could be decided by a vote of the payers of the
tax, weighted according to the amount they will be taxed on.
The consequences:
* the computer-using community supports software development.
* this community decides what level of support is needed.
* users who care which projects their share is spent on
can choose this for themselves.
In the long run, making programs free is a step toward the post-
carcity world, where nobody will have to work very hard just to make a
living. People will be free to devote themselves to activities that are
fun, such as programming, after spending the necessary ten hours a week on
required tasks such as legislation, family counseling, robot repair and
asteroid prospecting. There will be no need to be able to make a living
from programming.
We have already greatly reduced the amoubut only a little of this has
translated itself into leisure for workers because much nonproductive
activity is required to accompany productive activity. The main causes of
this are bureaucracy and isometric struggles against competition. Free
software will greatly reduce these drains in the area of software
production. We must do this, in order for technical gains in productivity
to translate into less work for us.
Copyright = 1985 Richard M. Stallman
Permission is granted to anyone to make or distribute verbatim copies
of this document as received, in any medium, provided that the
copyright notice and permission notice are preserved, and that the
distributor grants the recipient permission for further redistribution
as permitted by this notice. Modified versions may not be made.
------------
The GNU Project is funded primarily by grants from companies such as
Hewlett Packard, the Open Software Foundation, and NeXT Inc. The ongoing
results of this endeavor, such as the GNU C Compiler and GNU Emacs, are
arguably some of the best software programs available in the industry. It
seems that while the ideals of the Free Software Foundation may not truly
be implementable in today's increasingly business-oriented computer
industry. However, the continuing support of Richard Stallman's work, as
well as the beliefs exemplified by the GNU Project, hold many implications
about the attitudes and practices which have formed the present state of
the computer industry....
But ponder, if you will, this question:
1) Are there any aspects of the Free Software Foundation's beliefs which
are feasible enough to be widely implemented throughout the computer
industry?
---===***===---
> CPU STATUS REPORT? >>> INDUSTRY-WIDE LATE BREAKING NEWS & VIEWS <<<
=================
- Cupertino, CA ** APPLE LAYS OFF 400 AS FINANCIAL SLOWDOWN CONTINUES **
-------------
In its first such measure since 1985, Apple has laid off over 400
employees in several Apple divisions, including Customer Service, Finance,
and Apple USA Marketing and Distribution. These employees will receive
severance pay, and the services of a Transition Resource Center to help
with job counseling. Interestingly enough, Apple is going to continue
hiring efforts for Apple's R&D and USA Sales Divisions, as well as in
their European and Asian operations. Also, it seems that some Apple
employees are upset over the monetary size of special "bonus" packages
being given to current and departing Apple exec is selling NeXT Computers in
England. Per the terms of NeXT Inc.'s agreement with Businessland, they
will have exclusive sales rights for the NeXT Computer in Britain. Also,
Dan'l Lewin, NeXT's former Chief Marketing Officer, recently left NeXT
Inc. to handle the marketing efforts of Go Corporation, another upcoming
computer company startup....
- Washington, DC ***** OZONE LAYER SAVED? *****
--------------
The Environmental Protection Agency has recently approved a compound
which can replace the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) in chemicals.
While such chemicals are now used heavily for industrial purposes (in
freon and in cooling computers, for example), they also cause serious
damage to the Earth's Ozone layer. Called Genesolv 2010, this chemical
(made of HCFC's, or hydrochlorofluorocarbons) has been determined to not
cause damage to the ozone layer. The EPA is now continuing further
testing, in order to verify these findings....
- Osaka, Japan ** MATSUSHITA MAKES 64-BIT VERSION OF SUN'S SPARC CHIP **
------------
Matsushita, parent company of Mitsubishi, has developed a 64-bit
version of Sun's SPARC (Scalable Processor ARChitecture) RISC chip, which
is capable of running at up to 80 MIPS. Designed by Solbourne Computer,
who plans to make clones of Sun's SPARCStation line using the chip, this
version of the SPARC chip uses 1 million transistors in combining a 32-bit
CPU, a Floating Point chip, and a 64-bit bus controller on one chip. Given
that Sun originally licensed out the SPARC chip to just generate industry
support for it, and the possibility of a Sun clone on the horizon....
Errata: CPU Report Issue 54 stated that Frank Loren was Apple's new COO
======= (Chief Operating Officer). Michael Spindler is actually their
COO, while Alan Z. Loren, Apple's former sales and marketing
head, recently resigned from Apple. Also, Jean Louis Gassee has
expressed his intentions to soon resign from Apple....
____________________________________________________________
> ICD LEADS the WAY! CPU/STR InfoFile? The ICD Advantage
===================================
:The ICD Advantage:
=================
Totally NEW AND UNIQUE designs to answer all your SCSI needs.
Since 1984, ICD has been providing Atari owners with innovative and
superior peripherals and enhancements for their computing needs. ICD
products have always added value and performance to computer systems. In
1987 ICD introduced their SCSI ST Host Adapter, defining a new market for
third party hard drives and setting the standard for DMA daisy chaining.
ICD's progressive vision continues in 1990. This year they are
introducing the NEW ADVANTAGE SCSI PRODUCTS FOR ATARI, AMIGA, APPLE,
MACINTOSH, AND IBM PC/AT COMPUTERS.
This introduction includes three totally new SCSI designs for the
Atari ST market which are available now. ICD has also developed new
versions of our ST Host Adapter software. New features have been added in
response to your needs. What this means to you, the Atari ST owner is
this; the ICD Advantage allows you to take your SCSI Hard Drive investment
and use it on virtually any computer in use today. And the ICD tradition
will keep your investment working for you in the future.
ICD Advantage ST Software combined with any of their ST host adapters
is already the quickest available for the ST computer. With an ICD
system, some hard drive operations are actually three times faster than
the competition! Advantage ST software now supports up to 64 hard drive
partitions per drive and 128 total partitions per system. Volume names
are allowed on all partitions and can be passed through to the desktop
icons. Partition swapping through the new ICD DESKTOP.ACC allows any
partition to become active in any of the 14 possible desktop icons.
Partition sizes of up to half a gigabyte are possible under TOS 1.4.
256 Megabyte partitions are supported under older TOS versions. ICD
Advantage ST Software does require at least one ICD ST Host Adapter in the
system. The full ANSI SCSI command set is supported with our new
Advantage SCSI Host Adapters. Advantage ST Software is included with all
ICD Advantage Host Adapter kits and is available as a $10 upgrade for our
ICD ST Host Adapter (STHA) owners. It can also be downloaded from GEnie,
CompuServe, or the ICD BBS.
The BEST is now even BETTER
===========================
ICD Advantage Micro ST SCSI Host Adapter - At 1.3 by 2.7 inches, it is the
smallest SCSI host adapter commercially available. The Advantage Micro ST
is a zero footprint design which makes it the perfect host adapter for
internal MEGA needs. The Advantage Micro ST plugs directly into the 50
pin connector of an embedded SCSI drive and powers itself from the SCSI
bus. The adjustable power-up delay circuit provides up to two minutes of
delay before allowing your Mega computer to boot. The Advantage Micro ST
kit includes a sturdy mounting bracket for a 3 1/2 inch hard drive
mechanism, internal DMA cable, drive power cable, our famous software, and
excellent manual: everything you need to install a 3 1/2 inch hard drive
inside you MEGA computer.
ICD Advantage ST SCSI Host Adapter - Less than half the size of our
original ST Host Adapter, the Advantage ST has all of its features except
the clock. Added features include full SCSI command set, parity
generation, dual mode DMA daisy chaining, and 48 ma drivers. The ICD
Advantage ST includes our unique new dual mode DMA daisy chaining
providing both the drivers for standard pass-through operation invented
by ICD and full compatibility with devices that use parallel daisy
chaining. The Advantage ST kit includes the ICD Advantage ST Host
Adapter, 3 foot molded DMA cable, DC power adapter cable, Advantage
Software, and manual.
ICD Advantage Plus ST SCSI Host Adapter - With all the features of the
Advantage ST plus a real-time clock, this board is the same size as the
previous ST Host Adapter and it can easily replace the original ICD ST
Host Adapter in existing applications. (For replacements: Please specify
side or end mounting of the DMA connectors.) The Advantage Plus ST kit
includes an ICD Advantage Plus ST Host Adapter, 3 foot molded DMA cable,
DC power adapter cable, powerful software, and excellent manual.
ICD Advantage Micro ST SCSI Host Adapter $109.95 (Internal Mega Kit)
ICD Advantage ST SCSI Host Adapter $119.95
ICD Advantage Plus ST SCSI Host Adapter $135.95
ICD ST Host Adapter Comparison and Specifications
Features Micro Advantage Advantage+ Old ICD
STHA
SCSI Commands* All All All Grp 0 only
Driver Power 24 ma 48 ma 48 ma 24 ma
Parity Generation No Yes Yes No
Real Time Clock No No Yes Yes
Usable Device IDs 0-3 0-5,7 0-5,7 0-5,7
DMA Daisy Chaining** Parallel Dual Dual Pass-Through
ICs Used 5 8 11 14
Total Parts Used 17 31 44 60
Autobooting from HD Yes Yes Yes Yes
Atari Compatible Yes*** Yes Yes Yes
AHDI 3.xx Compatible Yes Yes Yes Yes
PCB Dimensions (in) 1.3 x 2.7 2.5 x 3.95 3.93 x 6.3 3.93 x 6.3
US Retail Price $109.95 $119.95 $135.95 $135.95
* SCSI Commands conforming to the ANSI X3.131-1986 specification as well
as the preliminary SCSI-2 specification except for arbitration which
is not supported on any models.
** Parallel means that all DMA lines are in common with no drivers in
between. Pass-Through means that there are line drivers in between
each DMA port. A pass-through type DMA device will not work when its
IN (computer) port is plugged into a parallel device. (That is why
the standard SLM804 laser printer cannot be plugged directly into a
Mega DMA port with internal hard drive.) ICD's unique Dual Mode ports
function when plugged into either port type and allow either type to
be plugged into the OUT (expansion) port. The noise immunity benefit
of using line drivers is still retained.
*** The DMA daisy chaining capabilities of the Micro Series Host Adapter
is not Atari compatible except with the SH204. Otherwise, you must
have a 'Dual' mode device in between the Mega Hard Disk port and
another pass-through device.
Advantage ST? is a trademark of ICD, Inc.
__________________________________________________________
> ANOTHER REVOLUTION? CPU/STR SOUND OFF? This just ma!
=====================================
A Silent Revolution
===================
by Tim Holt
President, ST Club of El Paso
As I write this article, I really do not know how well the Atari
Revolution is doing. I hope it is doing well. I have even got my little
"Join the Revolution"irst of all, writing to the Tramiels is sorta like trying to move the
proverbial mountain. If you haven't guessed by now that the Gang of Three
doesn't give a lot of thought to us U.S. users, then you haven't been
paying attention. Smell the coffee Bubba, they are in it to make a buck.
What the U.S provides is pocket change.
Secondly, the Revolution appears to many to be like trying to stop a
hemorrhage with a band aid. It is a nice try, but it doesn't do much
good. The damage has already been done, and calling 20/20 won't do much
good simply because the folks in Sunnyvale(what a misnamed place if ever
there was one!) do give a hoot what users think. (See reason #1)
Thirdly (Is that a word?), the main focus of the Revolution is
terribly misdirected. Roseanne Barr doesn't give a flying flip if her
family wins a computer. Have you seen that show? The computer would end
up as a door stop, or worse yet, Roseanne might sit on it. (In the
process, a palmtop ST would be born.)
The Revolution needs to go to only one place: WHERE THE MONEY IS. That
is why I wrote this short essay. The Atari Revolution will only succeed
when we make some ECONOMIC impact, somewhere. All the letters in the
world won't do as much good as the sight of money lost. Think about it.
If you were a businessman, what would make you think more: A few hundred
letters from a bunch of computer fanatics (and that is what we are folks,
don't try to deny it), or the loss of a few thousand dollars in sales?
Well, I think the latter.
May I humbly offer the following as a CO-Revolutionary proposal: Let
us target some software company. (Just for no other reason than I have a
current catalog, I will use Broderbund as an example, although ANY
software company will do.) I know that they make a nifty program called
"If it moves, Shoot it!". I also know that, from the catalog, it only is
made for the IBM and Amiga line of computers. What if three thousand of
us sent Broderbund checks made out, all for $29.95, for this product, BUT
ONLY IF IT WERE FOR THE ATARI ST? This would have several effects:
1. The company would see that there is a market that they have missed.
2. If the company had any brains, they would see that they were losing a
of a lot of money. In this case, close to ten thousand dollars in
lost sales. (The more checks sent, the more money that they would be
losing.)
3. The company would consider the ST community the next time they came
out with a new product.
4. They would actually LOSE MONEY because they would have to spend man
hours refunding our checks, since they did not have the item we wished
to order. And that, my friends, is where this revolution would take
off. If we could benignly cause companies to lose money, simply
because they didn't carry ST software, hit them in the pocket book,
then we would make our mark. Let me give you another example:
Suppose Company X sold a grammar checker for it's popular word
processor for the IBM, but not for the ST. Again, suppose this grammar
checker sold for $300. If this company received 5000 checks, all made
out for $300, but ONLY FOR THE ST VERSION of the program, this company
would see rather quickly that they just lost 1.5 million dollars in
sales. PLUS, they had to refund the checks, using office personnel, so
in effect, they lost EVEN MORE than the 1.5 million. I think they would
get the picture rather QUICKLY.
What would this cost the ST user? Just the cost of a stamp, and a
little letter writing. You would not lose the money on the check,
because the company did not have the item you ordered. They would have
to refund your money, so you lose NOTHING.
What do you get out of the deal? Well, ever see a program on IBM or
MAC or Amiga that really looked nice, only to find out it was never made
for the ST? If enough checks are written, I'd be willing to bet money
that you would see that program finally written for the ST.
The time has come for us to stop goofing around, and stop looking
like a bunch of children who are unhappy because daddy never comes home.
To hell with those that won't pay attention to us. To hell with Atari if
they ignore us. They sold the computer, that is all they wanted to do
anyhow. The time has come to hit the software companies where it hurts
the most.. in the pocket book. Show them that we are out here, we have
money, and we are ready to spend it. Because in this big a beautiful
country of ours, let's face it: When push comes to shove, it is MONEY
that TALKS. Let's show them that we have money, we want to spend it, but
ONLY on ST items. Then we will be heard, and then we will have won the
Atari Revolution!
To join the ST Club of El Paso, write to us at:
ST EL Paso, Texas 79934
We hope you enjoyed this article. Please check out our other articles on
line on GEnie, or in the Atari Interface Magazine, the official newsletter
of the St Club.
Editor Note;
Folks, this "POSITIVE ACTION" sounds like it may work and work well!
I can just a National Sales Manager in any of these companies watching all
t > VECTOR INTERCEPTS CPU/STR InfoFile? Tried and true techniques
==================================
A Programmer's Eleven Commandments for Coexistent Vector Stealing
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tried and true techniques used by the CodeHeads for successfully
intercepting vectors in the midst of numerous ST vector thieves.
Copyright 1990 John Eidsvoog and Charles F. Johnson
(CodeHead Software)
Last revised: Wednesday, February 14, 1990 5:47:44 pm
We have prepared this document in the interest of attaining and
furthering compatibility between resident programs and accessories for
the Atari ST. Since the TOS operating system has no provisions for
managing its interrupt and trap vectors, ST developers who need to
intercept these vectors are forced to use the "trial and error" system to
determine what works.
This is a very dangerous situation. More and more programs are
appearing which enhance the ST's GEM operating system by patching into the
vectors which handle system calls. Many of these programs work perfectly
as long as no other resident programs are used, or as long as certain
combinations of programs are used. But when these programs are released
into the "real world," the conflicts quickly start showing up.
At CodeHead Software we've encountered more than our share of these types
of problems, since almost all of our commercial products intercept one or
more of the ST's system vector(s). From this boiling witches' brew of
potential pitfalls, we've managed to distill some pragmatic methods that
can alleviate most, if not all of the conflicts.
If you follow these guidelines when programming Atari ST applications
which require the interception of system vectors, you will be cwith _most_ of the programs currently in use. At the very least, your
code will be compatible with all of the CodeHead Software products. If
any program has general compatibility problems with other resident
programs or accessories, it's very likely that the offending program is
breaking one of the following Eleven Commandments:
--------
I.
-------- ant to
terminate your routine with an RTE. Be aware that if you do this, any
program which was previously installed in that vector will not "see" this
call come through.) The "fall through" can be accomplished by storing the
previous vector address two bytes past a JMP instruction; this approach
solves any possible problems with pushing the return address on the stack
(see Commandment V below), or destroying an address register to do an
indirect JMP.
There are some cases where it doesn't make sense to fall through to a
previous routine, such as when you replace the Alt-Help vector which
performs a screen dump. Even here, however, it's a good idea to make
allowances for other programs which may use the Alt-Help vector for
purposes other than a screen dump...such as the Templemon and AMON
debuggers. AMON avoids conflicts with other programs in the Alt-Help
vector by requiring the user to press the left shift key in addition to
Alternate and Help.
Another special case where falling through makes no sense is the ST's
vertical blank queue list, which allows you to install a routine to be
executed as a subroutine from the main system VBI. There are eight
entries in the default queue list, and the correct way to install a
routine in one is to search the list for a zero longword. When your VBI
queue routine is finished, it may remove itself by clearing its entry in
the list. (This is why it makes no sense to fall through to a previous
queue entry -- that entry should have been zero when you grabbed it.)
Even this mechanism is subject to abuse, however; an unfortunate number of
programs simply stuff an address into one of the queue slots, without
checking first to see if that slot has been taken. (A good example of
this kind of vector abuse is the first version of STARTGEM.PRG.)
Remember: when using the vertical blank queue list, always search the
list for a zero entry in which to install your routine.
With more and more programs appearing that replace entire operating system
functions, compatibility is going to become even more problematic. For
example, clashes will occur because Program A needs to "see" a certain
call being made, but Program B is intercepting for which it's watching. Keep
this in mind when you're writing code intended to replace an entire system
call; and be sure to test your code with as many other resident
vector-grabbers as possible.
--------
II.
--------
Never replace a vector after grabbing it, unless you're in a controlled
situation where there is no chance that another prog your code. Here's an example of what
can go haywire if you do replace a vector at the wrong time:
An early public domain ST program had a feature to select DESKTOP.INF
files for different resolutions. The program grabbed the trap #1 vector
(GEMDOS) and then used the Ptermres() call to make itself resident.
Then, as a resident program, it monitored all GEMDOS calls, l.INF depending on the current
resolution. Then it made the big mistake -- to remove itself, our example
program took the address that it originally found in the trap #1 vector
(when it first ran) and stored it back into the vector.
Why is this such a big mistake? Because other programs that can run AFTER
our example program may also need to grab the trap #1 vector. If this
happens, the next program to install itself in trap #1 will be CUT OUT of
the chain of fall-throughs when our example program replaces the vector.
If you're lucky, the only ill effect will be that one of your TSR's will
suddenly stop working. If you're unlucky, the system will crash or hang.
(It all depends on what the program that got cut out of the chain was
doing with that vector.)
Oh, and by the way, our unnamed example program has since been updated to
fix this thorny problem. The fix was simple; the program now remains in
the trap #1 vector after replacing the system's DESKTOP.INF filename;
after doing its job, the code does nothing but fall through to the
previous vector.
If you are a resident program and you want to remove yourself, do it by
setting a flag to bypass your code and fall through (see Commandment I.)
Remember that some other program may run after yours and grab the same
vector; in this case, the other program will be falling through to your
code. If you remove yourself by replacing the original vector address,
you'll also be removing everything else that ran after you.
--------
III.
--------
Don't use a "magic cookie" (the infamous Diablo emulator mistake). That
is, if you are trying to find another program (or yourself), don't look
for a "magic" word near the address in the vector that the program steals.
This technique will fail as soon as some other program grabs the same
vector; and this is exactly how the Diablo emulator (for the SLM804 laser
printer) breaks. The Diablo emulator consists of two separate programs,
one that goes in an AUTO folder (the emulator code itself), and a
configuration program that installs as a desk accessory. The AUTO program
grabs the BIOS vector, so that it can redirect printer output to the laser
via the DMA port. The desk accessory configuration program tries to find
the AUTO program (every time it's activated) by looking for a "magic
cookie" stored by the AUTO program in the location immediately before its
BIOS interception code. Problem: if another program intercepts the BIOS
vector AFTER the Diablo emulator AUTO program, the configuration accessory
is unable to find the AUTO program (because the "magic cookie" is not
where the accessory thinks it should be).
There are a number of ways to reliably find another program. One of the
easiest is to make a "fake" call to one of the trap routines with an
undefined function code. The ST's BIOS and XBIOS will ignore calls with
undefined function codes, and simply return with no ill effects if the
program you're searching fyour code will not
conflict with future additions to the BIOS or XBIOS functions. The
receiving program can then return whatever kind of information you need
from it (you've got lots of registers to use).
Here's an example (in assembly language) of some code that uses an
undefined BIOS call to detect the presence of another program:
-------------------r and examine the stack after each trap #13 call
* to see if the magic word function number is present. If it is, the
* target program should load the return value into d5 and perform an RTE.
moveq #0,d5 ; Clear d5 in preparation
move #$4857,-(sp) ; Magic word - undefined BIOS call
trap #13 ; Call BIOS
addq #2,sp ; Correct the stack
tst.l d5 ; If d5 is still zero, we didn't find
anyone
beq.s notfound ; If non-zero, it's a returned value
move.l d5,returned ; Save the returned value somewhere
-------------------------------------------------------------------
(NOTE: The version of TOS (1.6) that will be supplied with Atari's STE and
TT machines has a new feature called the "Cookie Jar," which does not
suffer from the problems described here. It provides a documented address
where programs can search for "magic cookies"; it's a nice solution. Our
only complaint with the "Cookie Jar" is that we wish it had been
implemented three year-------
IV.
--------
Do not try to monitor and maintain a vector from a vertical blank or other
timed interrupt (in other words, don't keep watching it and replacing it
if it changes). Think for a moment about what happens if two programs do
this at the same time. (Ouch.) This extremely bad practice may seem to
work when no other programs are using the same vrom an interrupt or trap vector. There is
_very_ little stack headroom available in the location used by the
operating system. A system stack overflow will cause crashes that can be
extremely difficult to diagnose.
If you need to save registers during some vector-handling code, it's best
to save them in a location in your own program, instead of on the system
stack. For example:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
movem.l d0-a6,-(sp) ; Don't do this!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
movem.l d0-a6,regsave ; Do this instead.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
VI.
--------
Always restore all registers and the status register when your routine is
finished. Don't even assume that you can destroy D0 or A0 because some
programs (believe it or not) actually rely on them to return from a trap
unchanged. (The exceptions to this rule are the BIOS and XBIOS vectors;
the dispatching routines for these vectors always trash register A0, so
it's safe to use A0 in a BIOS or XBIOS routine without saving it.)
--------
VII.
--------
Don't alter the processor state. That is, don't 'rte' into your own code
in order to be in USER mode because other programs down the line may
expect the machine to be in SUPERVISOR mode.
--------
VIII.
--------
When intercepting frequently called traps (such as trap #2), always use
optimized assembly language routines to eliminate a slowdown in system
operation. Don't make the "GDOS mistake".
--------
IX.
--------
Never assume something simply because it always "seems to be." This
includes using "hard" addresses specific to a particular ROM, assuming
that certain vectors will be pointing to ROM routines, assuming that 8
bytes into the GEM base page is pointing into the OS, or making _any_
decision based on an empirical condition.
--------
X.
--------
Use the source code provided below for maintaining the trap #2 vector from
a resident program. This somewhat oblique method is required because the
operating system stuffs its own address into the trap #2 vector (with no
regard for what is there) after running a TOS program, and possibly at
other times as well. (Yes, we are aware that this routine breaks
Commandment IX.) The routine which handles trap #13 in this code also
demonstrates a method to remain compatible with 68010/68020/68030
processors, by checking a new BIOS variable Atari has documented.
--------
XI.
--------
Commandment XI may be the most difficult one to follow. Have the wisdom
to know when it's necessary to break any of the other commandments, and
the responsibility to think through the consequences if you do. Some of
these rules should _never_ be broken; others can be bent once in a while,
as long as you carefully consider all the ramifications. Above all, just
as in any other endeavor, you have to learn the rules and understand the
reasons for their existence before you can get away with breaking them.
*****************************************
* *
* Intercept the trap #2 vector *
* *
* Code by Charles F. Johnson *
* *
* Includes ideas, techniques and *
* refinements by Bob Breum, *
* Chris Latham, and John Eidsvoog *
*
* Last revision: 06/26/88 12:13:32 *
* *
*****************************************
.TEXT
* ------------------------
* Program initialization
* ------------------------
move.l #prog_end,d6 ; Get address of end oogram
sub.l 4(sp),d6 ; Subtract start of basepage - save in d6
move.l #not_auto,addrin ; Try to do an alert box
move #1,intin
move.l #f_alrt,aespb
move.l #aespb,d1
move #$C8,d0
trap #2
tst intout ; If intout is zero, we're in \AUTO
beq.s .start1
#2 right away if run from
desktop
move #38,-(sp) ; Supexec
trap #14
addq #6,sp
move #1,prgflg ; Set flag indicating desktop load
bra.s .start2
.start1:
pea title ; Print title message
move #9,-(sp)
trap #1
addq #6,sp
.start2:
dc.w $A000 ; Don't you just love Line A?
move.l a0,line_a ; Save the address of the Line A variables
pea set_bios(pc) ; Appropriate the Trap #13 vector
move #38,-(sp)
trap #14
addq.l #6,sp
clr.w -(sp) ; Terminate and Stay Resident
move.l d6,-(sp) ; Number of bytes to keep
move #$31,-(sp) ; That's all folks!
trap #1 ; We are now happily resident in RAM
* -------------------------------
* Desktop vector initialization
* -------------------------------
prg_start:
move.l $88,t2_vec ; Set my fall throughs
move.l $88,aesvec
move.l #my_trap2,$88 ; Steal trap #2 (GEM)
rts
* -----------------------
* Steal the BIOS vector
* -----------------------
set_bios:
move.l $B4,t13adr ; Set Bios fall through
move.l #my_t13,$B4 ; Steal trap #13 (BIOS)
rts
* ------------------------
* Trap #13 wedge routine
* ------------------------
my_t13:
btst #5,(sp) ; Was the trap called from super or user
mode?
beq.s t13_ex ; If from user mode, bail out
lea 6(sp),a0 ; Pointer to function code on stack
tst $59E ; See what _longframe has to tell us
beq.s notlng ; If _longframe is zero, it's a 68000
lea 8(sp),a0 ; Advance past the vector offset word
*** This section is based on the assumption that the OS always calls
*** BIOS setexec() immediately after obnoxiously grabbing back the trap
*** #2 vector with no warning whatsoever. Yes, this is an empirical
*** condition, which violates Commandment IX. (But there's no other
*** way to prevent cmp.l #$050101,(a0) ; Setexec call for critical error vector?
bne.s t13_ex ; Nope, exit
tst prgflg ; On the desktop? Or are vectors already
set?
beq.s first_time ; No, skip ahead
do_crit:
move.l #my_trap2,$88 ; Pilfer trap #2
move.l $404,d0 ; Get current crit vector
m ; We only get here if we're last in the
chain
first_time:
tst.l 4(a0) ; Reading the vector?
bmi.s t13_ex ; Yes, let the system take care of it
move.l $4F2,a1 ; Get address of OS header (could be in
RAM)
move.l 8(a1),a1 ; Get pointer to base of OS from header
cmp.l 4(a0),a1 ; Is the crit error routine below the OS?
bhi.s t13_ex ; Yes, bail out
move.l $14(a1),a1 ; Get address of end of OS (GEMDOS parm
block)
cmp.l 4(a0),a1 ; Is it above the OS?
blo.s t13_ex ; Yes, exit stage left
*** This is a very important part of the code. In order to maintain the
*** correct vector chaining order when running at \AUTO time, it's
necessary
*** that each program first fall through to the BIOS and RETURN TO ITS
OWN
*** CODE, grabbing the trap #2 vector on the way back. This way, the
order
*** that each program intercepts trap #2 is the same as the order in
which
*** they run from the AUTO folder.
move #1,prgflg ; Set the 'first-time'/'desktop' flag
move.l 2(sp),retsav ; Save return address
move.l #t13_2,2(sp) ; Replace it with my own
t13_ex: jmp $DEADBEEF ; Go to the Bios and come back,
t13adr = t13_ex+2 ; maintaining the correct chaining order
t13_2: bsr prg_start ; Grab the trap #2 vector on the way back
move.l retsav(pc),-(sp) ; And return to the caller
rts
retsav: dc.l 0
*--------------------------------------------------------------
The techniques described here have worked successfully for us, both in
our CodeHead Software products and our individual projects. However, we
do not wish to appear as the final and absolute authorities on this
subject. If you can find any flaws in our scheme, or perhaps enlighten us
with a more efficient trick, we can be easily reached. The quickest way
to get a reply is to leave a message in the CodeHead Category (#32) on
GEnie or leave GEnie mail to C.F.JOHNSON or J.EIDSVOOG1. You may also
call CodeHead Software at (213) 386-5735.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
NOTES ON THE GERMAN "XBRA" PROTOCOL
For quite some time we've been hearing rumors about a new "standard"
protocol devised in Germany, which supposedly can prevent some of the
problems with conflicting vector-grabb called the "XBRA"
protocol -- here's how it works:
When a program needs to intercept a trap or interrupt vector, it should
put the previous vector address four bytes before the beginning of its
routine, preceded by two longwords. The first longword before the address
should be a unique identification code for your application. The second
longword before the previous vector address should be the magic longword
"XBRA" ($58425241). So, in assembly language, the code would look
something like:
*----------------------------------------------------------------
dc.l 'XBRA' ; Magic longword signifying XBRA protocol
dc.l 'BRAT' ; Unique (hopefully) 4-byte ID
oldvec: dc.l 0 ; Put the previous vector address here
my_vector_routine: ; Your vector-handling code starts here
*----------------------------------------------------------------
In order for this protocol to really work, the vector interception code
should also use the previous vector address stored in the XBRA structure
to fall through to the previous routine. This way, if it's necessary to
restructure the fall-through chain, any vector interception code will
automatically start falling through to the new address.
*----------------------------------------------------------------
move.l oldvec(pc),-(sp) ; One way to fall through to the
rts ; address in an XBRA structure
*----------------------------------------------------------------
move.l oldvec(pc),jump+2 ; Another way to fall through:
jump: jmp $ADEADBEE ; by modifying a JMP instruction.
; This uses more memory, and may
; not work on a 68030 (without
; tweaking), but it doesn't use
; the system stack.
*----------------------------------------------------------------
The main use of XBRA seems to be to allow programs to unhook themselves
from a vector chain; it provides a method whereby programs can walk
through the chain of vectors, unhook themselves (or unhook other
programs!) if necessary, and even restructure the whole chain. Again, it
would have been nice if the XBRA protocol were proposed three years ago;
if even one program in the chain is not following XBRA, the whole scheme
is useless. And since there are _many_ programs that don't use XBRA, the
scheme is of little use in the real ST world at the present.
Still, it doesn't take much effort to implement the XBRA protocol, so it
may be a good idea to use it in any future vector-grabbing programs. If
all programs used XBRA, _some_ of the problems with conflicting vector
thieves could be eased. (Why does XBRA remind us of Esperanto, the United
Nations-sponsored "international language" that was going to make it
possible for all mankind to live in peace?)
(NOTE: In our opinion the XBRA protocol could be i structure immediately before the previous vector
address. If the structure looked like this:
*----------------------------------------------------------------
dc.l 'XBRA'
dc.l 'BRAT'
jump: dc.w $4EF9 ; 680x0 absolute JMP instruction
oldvec: dc.l 0 ; Put the previous vector address here
my_vector_routine: ; Your vecto----------------------------------
then a program could simply branch to the label "jump" to fall through to
the previous vector-handling routine.
We must _emphasize_, however, that this is merely an observation on our
part. Don't use this suggested extension to XBRA in your code, since the
XBRA protocol does NOT support it as of this date.)
It should be pointed out that XBRA is not a panacea; the "Eleven
Commandments" we've outlined here are still valid, even if you do employ
the XBRA protocol in your code. In fact, since so many programs already
exist that do not use XBRA, it's even more important not to rely on the
XBRA protocol to solve your problems for you.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><><><><>
***********************************************************
* *
* This document is copyright 1990 CodeHead Software *
* and may be freely distributed as long as this ASCII *
* text file is complete and unaltered in any way. This *
* document MAY NOT be reprinted or used for commercial *
* purposes without express written permission from *
* CodeHead Software. *
* *
* If you wish to reprint this document, contact us at *
* the phone number given above for permission. *
* *
***********************************************************
________________________________________________________
> CRASWELL INTERVIEW CPU/STR Feature? Jay Craswell is not, er ah, normal..
==================================
CANNIBALISTIC VIDEO CARD MAKER,
JAY CRASWELL, DESCRIBES 300 FOOT INFLATABLE WOMAN
AND EXPLAINS DESKTOP SEWING
by Charles Medley
First of all, I want to state that this is not simply an interview. This
is because interviewing Jay Craswell is not, well, a normal process. You
cannot expect to ask a question and get normal answers. No, you get far
more than that. You get entertainment. So this will be more of a profile
of the demented and creative mind of this Atari developer, with a few
Q&A's in there to give you an idea of what an interviewer is going up
against:
Q: What has made you enter the Atari ST market, and become the "force"
you are now in the industry?
A: I have no idea. Moniterm made me design a card... and then my er-in-crime, Mark Medin, wanted to do one better. I tried to
making something of myself and failed.
Q: Okay, why are you in the ST market in particular? A: Sewing.
Q: Huh?
A: Well, this company called Software Cafe pre-ordered five of our video
boards, and they are writing a program that allows you draw logos and
things. Then it hooks up to a sewinas possible, the topics of our conversations, and exactly WHO
this guy is.
Jay works for Image Systems. At least for now (when this article
comes out, he may be fired...<grin>). He has received a bit of attention
over a video card he has made for the Mega ST computer which sports
1024x768 resolution with either 16 colors from 4096 or monochrome. From
talking to Jay, I can see that a psychiatrist would have fun with him.
It seems that some of the major events in his formative years were:
1) Building model planes without instructions and using a hot butter
knife to insure that when you put the wheels on the planes, they
could still roll...
2) Going to see "2001: A Space Odyssey" with his brother-in-law as a
"young teen" and sitting in the front row of a theatre and getting
sick during one of the psychedelic scenes. He attributes this as
one of the reasons he works on video cards today.
Later in life, Jay went on to hold a radio station hostage to his
demands. The station in question was one KXDL whose location I didn't
get (but the call letters mean west of the Rockies...). Apparently, Jay
used to repair "important stuff" at the radio stations, and as a joke, he
told the DJ that he had to play Frank Zappa and John Lennon albums if he
was going to fix it. Apparently, the DJ conceded to Jay, and he went
about his work. However, Jay erroneously wound up on the air with the
DJ, who asked him his full name, to which Jay claimed that he was "fleeing
National Drug Enforcement Agents" and that he would not say his name.
Apparently, the DJ offered a Leif Garrett album as bounty to the first
listener who guessed "Jay the Repairman's" last name. Also, Jay acquired
an appreciation for classical music, such as Jimi Hendrix. Being an avid
Hendrix fan, he has a ton of basement and bootleg tapes that have
inspired him to become a member of a group called "Joe Grow", who is
managed by a guy named "Nick Vermin". As you can see, this man is not
normal, but who am I, of all people, to judge? He also has an affection
for the Rolling Stones, and anyone who has seen their stage has seen
the "300 foot inflatable women" that accompany the show.
Well, anyway, after a long tortuous life, Jay wound up acquiring an
Atari ST somehow, and got "hired" as an independent contractor to do the
video card for the Mega ST Viking Moniterms. He worked on this with Mark
Medin, a person who Jay claims "doesn't talk much" <who will most likely
say something about Jay telling the world that>. Mark is apparently a
very seyone else had these cards except, of course, the
Atari". With the noblest of intents, Mark and Jay got to work on what is
now called the Image Systems ATR-4CP 1024x768 4 plane video board, which
touts a meager suggested list price of $800.
Also, for those who enjoy a good "SCOOP", here is one. You read it
here first: Image Systems is working on two video cards for the ST and
TT030/2. Both are roughly two MEGAPIXEL (two million pixel) displays.
One is monochrome with a resolution of "roughly" 2000x1500 and requires a
24" monitor, but it would work on the 19" Viking monitors. The other is
color, uses a 21" monitor and has 1600x1280 resolution. No mention was
made by Jay as to the full capability of the color display (i.e. bit
planes and such), but both of these products are "still on the drawing
board" and will be a while before hitting the market. Also, they may or
may not have page-flipping capability (so more VRAM <video RAM> will be
needed, which is expensive) for supporting smooth animation capabilities,
so, the price may be quite high. Finally, to end this article, I wanted
to mention that Jay has some fascinating views on:
o FLORIDA GUN CONTROL LAWS:
"Little old ladies walking around with .357 Magnums looking for
trouble..."
o BACHELOR PARTIES:
Three key ingredients:
1) You have to watch crude movies
2) make bad jokes about the movies
3) drink toxic material.. all on the day before or the
morning of the wedding.
o MIXING DRINKS:
"Get a Marina Triangle..."
o BATMAN (TV SERIES) EPISODES:
"My favorite was when Robin was out on a date and he got the Bat
Signal and had to pick between a gorgeous girl and possibly
getting whipped on by a guy wearing lipstick."
So, as you eople behind the
wonderful products that appear in the ST market place. ST Developers tend
to not be as stuffy as IBM and Mac developers, and they tend to drop more
hints at the secrets of the Mother Corporation (Atari Corp.) than the
PCers.
Here, is one such secret:
Leonard Tramiel's favorite movie this year was "Earth Girls Are Easy".
<the above is a clos two of them are
clones, since Jay claims that Leonard is "a lot like myself", which
is SCARY....>
STatus Disk Magazine
4431 Lehigh Road
Suite 299
College Park, MD 20740
$30/6 issues = 1 year
____________________
> PCD2 HELP! CPU/STR OnLine? AG finally gets online....
=========================
ctsy GEnie Atari RT
Tue Feb 20, 1990
AVANTGARDE at 17:00 EST
pc-ditto II owners who've asked for PAL replacements
Thanks for all of your kind e-mail. As most of you mentioned, our
initial "replacement" post was not meant to be insulting to the
intelligencia of the majority of ST owners online. With good intentions
in mind, we recognize most here are experts in electronics and computers.
As such, we really have endeavored to reach to those with less experience.
And, we're glad the rest of you have not taken offense. Again, thanks!
Refunds to pc-ditto II orders (requested via e-mail or message). In
case you have only requested a refund by e-mail, and not called or used
the USPO, then your request was logged today and your refund is being sent
tomorrow (Wednesday). We apologize for the delay. (Had we heard from you
by another means, your refund would already have been sent). Due to the
fires we have been putting out lately, we have not downloaded any mail or
messages in a while. Again, your refunds are on their way, and we still
appreciate your support!
Missing warranty card and users manual
--------------------------------------
If you purchased pc-ditto II at the $150 discount price from
Avant-Garde, you did not receive a warranty card nor a pc-ditto II User
Manual. Actually, the "warranty" card is a registration card. Since you
received the discount offer, you are already registered, and there was no
reason to waste your time on another registration. (By the way, pc-ditto
II is warranted, and the warranty is described in the rear of the
pc-ditto II Installation Manual). Also, the user's manual is the Users
Manual from pc-ditto, since the operation of the software in pc-ditto II
is the same as with pc-ditto for convenience.
Smaller pc-ditto II board
-------------------------
The current size of pc-ditto II is not compatible with some Atari ST
models that also contain other hardware upgrades. In most instances, the
remainder of space inside the upgraded machine is too small to permit
even the installation of a postage stamp, much less any circuit board.
We are looking into technology to reduce the board size, and we will keep
you posted when we have more specific information and dates.
New pc-ditto II software Version 1.0001
---------------------------------------
We have released a new version of the pc-ditto II software, Version
1.0001. Only the programs pc_d2.1 and pc_d2.2 have changed, and copies
are available in the library on this network. This version corrects a
minor video glitch, increases the video speed another 10 percent, and
increases the compatibility of other IBM software, including games.
Blitter fix for pc-ditto II owners
----------------------------------
Currently, some ST owners with pc-ditto II installed must first turn
off their blitter (via the OPTIONS menu on the Desktop). We are currently
producing a software program that will eliminate this extra step. The
software will be available on this network in the next few days. A
document file will also explain the usage of the program (you will click
the program rather pcditto2.prg, so no extra steps will be needed).
Mega Connector for pc-ditto II
------------------------------
We are currently investigating a connector for the Mega Expansion Bus.
The problem is that many of the pinouts are not exactly the same as the
68000 pins. Consequently, many of the electrical connections needed by
pc-ditto II are not provided by the Expansion Bus and must be obtained by
attaching wires to other points in the Mega. This ae are researching ways to permit the
use of a connector without resorting to these limitations. We will post
an announcement on this network when we have decided on alternative
solutions and request commentary for the final implementation.
Missing Diagnostic program on pc-ditto II disk
----------------------------------------------
There is no diagnostic program on the pc-ditto II disk. Subsequent
to the printing of the Installation Manual, the diagnostics were included
in the software startup routines. (Most of the work in setting up the
hardware is done at that time, and since the setups were being tested
anyway, it seemed best to perform the complete testing each time for user
convenience). One note: Diagnostic testing is simplistic at best. No
software diagnostics can test for all hardware problems. pc-ditto II
hardware also falls prey to certain conditions that cannot be checked by
software. But, for many things, the diagnostics is very useful as a
first step in discovering a hardware deficiency.
pc-ditto II and ST models with 68000 chip under spacebar
--------------------------------------------------------
Because the revision naming and numbering conventions used to identify
ST motherboards has not been consistent, we now specify motherboards by
the location of the 68000 chip. We have had reports that an old version
of the motherboard has the 68000 located under the spacebar at the front
of their ST. The design of the pc-ditto II 68000 Connector is not
compatible with these machines. We have a special connector that that
will provide a lower clearance and better angulation of the cables
towards the rear of the machine. pc-ditto II owners with one of these
machines may return their connector in exchange for one of these special
connectors. The exchange is no charge, but the returned connector must
be in original shape as received, without alterations or other damage.
Return to: Avant-Garde Systems
381 Pablo Point Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32225
Note: If your machine does NOT have the 68000 under the spacebar, do
not request a connector exchange. The new connector will
definitely be incompatible and cause problems for your
installation.
pc-ditto II boards with new PAL chips
-------------------------------------
A few members of this network have requested we hold their shipment of
pc-ditto II until the boards contain the new PAL chips, regardless whether
the old chips would work with their machine (just in case). If you would
like to add your name to that list, please send us e-mail (not a message)
and include your pc-ditto serial number. We will hold your board until
the new PALs are available and ship the board with the new PALs on it.
Thanks!
ST models used in pc-ditto testing
----------------------------------
Someone asked what model STs we used for designing and testing
pc-ditto II.
They are: 18 Connector)
All these machines had the 6 ROM set with no modifications. (One 1040
is now dead -- we spilled a Coke in it last year). The Megas had 120ns
memory, the others had 150ns memory.
We recently added six more STs to our stable. They are:
3 1040 STs Rev.1 (68000 perpendicular to drive); 120ns memory
1 1040 ST Rev.2 icular to drive); 150ns memory
1 520 STfm Rev.1 (68000 perpendicular to drive); 120ns memory
(motherboard silk marked as 1040, however; only bank 0 memory filled)
By the way, we use ten of the STs in our burn-in center; the
remainder we use throughout, mostly for design and testing.
pc-ditto II boards with missing chip
-------------------------lease return
the board to us so we may send you another board. (We ask for the old
board, rather than just send a chip, because we can test the board here
to insure no other damage has occurred to it. All of these boards are
burned-in (tested) before they are shipped. Either we mishandled the
board in packaging it, or somewhere along the way, it was vibrated or
mishandled. Anyway, please send a note along with your returned board so
we may return a new one to you as soon as possible. Thanks!
Intermittent pc-ditto II problems
---------------------------------
We have received a couple of problem reports of pc-ditto II units
that installed successfully. DOS would boot fine, but sometimes the
keyboard would become erratic, or the system may lock up at random
intervals. We have traced those symptoms down to the timing problem we
have experienced with other pc-ditto II units that fail upon booting DOS.
Thus, the fix involves the same two PAL chips we have requested from
other pc-ditto II owners: U15 EMSPAL and U27 GLUPAL. Please return
them to us for replacement parts.
Note: If your pc-ditto II suffers only from occasional video screen
garbage, you will need only a software update (Version 1.0001).
Please refer to the posted library files for those and any later
update versions.
pc-ditto II Installed Correctly, But Does Not Boot
--------------------------------------------------
We have received early reports from some users that their pc-ditto II
was installed correctly (because there were no error messages on the
startup screen). However, after pressing the RETURN key to start DOS,
the disk drive would spin, the the ST would lock up. Below is a set of
steps to follow to check your machine and pc-ditto II operation.
ONE OF THE FOLLOWING WILL DEFINITELY GET YOU RUNNING!
1. First, check the connections of the connector to the 68000 chip.
The diagnostics routines (which run automatically at startup) cannot
check all connections, and even one pin not connected well will cause
pc-ditto II not to boot. We recommend a continuity test between the
top pins on the connector and the 68000 pins on the bottom of the ST.
(Contact us if you need to know how to do a continuity test --
...anyone can do it).
2. Second, check that the disk you boot from (or the hardisk partition)
correctly has a bootable DOS on it. pc-ditto II will lock up if
trying to boot a GEM format disk. (Bootable disks are created on with
the DOS FORMAT command. See your DOS manual for more information).
3. Next, be sure the 8087 jumper is installed correctly on the pc-ditto
II board (see pc-ditto II Installation Manual for details).
4. Then, with the ST open, check the top of the large, square custom
chips on the ST motherboard (they are referred to as GLU and MMU). If
either or both have a designation label IMP, then those chips need to
be swapp (Your ST service center can assist you with new chips). Those parts
are incapable of driving the additional load of pc-ditto II and other
hardware add-ons.
5. Finally, if you have done all the above steps, and pc-ditto II still
does not boot DOS, then you must remove two socketed chips from the
pc-ditto II board and return to Avant-Garde for replacement. (The
timings of some ST models vary outside standard tolerances, and the
replacement chips accommodate these new timings).
Here's how its done....
The chips are labeled: U27 GLUPAL (part TIBPAL 20L8-25CNT)
U15 EMSPAL (part TIBPAL 16R4-25CN).
First, disconnect the pc-ditto II board from the cables. Then, please
carefully remove these two chips (a flat-edge screwdriver under the end of
each chip works best).
CAUTION: Please observe static discharge procedures (as noted in the
pc-ditto II Installation Manual) to prevent damage to your
board.
Then, wrap the two chips in a soft packing material and return to
Avant-Garde (the address is in the Installation manual. Call technical
support if you have any other questions). Please include your name and
return address. We will return two new replacement chips, along with
instructions on replacing them.
Missing pc-ditto II Installation Manual Steps
---------------------------------------------
Later this week, we will be uploading to the libraries text versions
of the missing steps for placement of the pc-ditto II board in an ST.
Because these text files contain no graphic images, you may also E-MAIL
or contact us to receive a copy of the actual manual pages complete with
images.
Thanks! AVANT-GARDE
> N.A.S.A. Schedules CPU/STR InfoFile? Full schedules and plans...
===================================
NEW NASA SHUTTLE SCHEDULE FOR 1990
==================================
provided by Pete Kemp
NASA announced Monday it is shuffling its space shuttle launch
schedule, reducing from 10 to 9 the # of flights this year and aiming for
12 flights in 1992 and 13 in 1993. The new sght, that of a SDI payload, was put off nearly 14
months until January 1992. No specific reason was given for the long
delay. The space agency's new long-range schedule calls for 8 flights in
1991, 12 in 1992, 13 in 1993, 11 in 1994, 11 in 1995, and 10 in 1996.
Delays in the LDEF and HST flights apparently prompted the change.
The new manifest for Space Shuttles scope.
* 05/09/90 Columbia (STS-35) with an Astronomy Laboratory and
WA4SIR operating SAREX.
* 07/08/90 Atlantis (STS-38) with DOD payload.
* 08/29/90 Columbia (STS-40) with Space Life Sciences Laboratory.
* 10/05/90 Discovery (STS-XX) with the Ulysses spacecraft to study the
sun.
* 11/01/90 Atlantis (STS-37) with the Gamma Ray Observatory to study deep
space.
* 12/12/90 Columbia (STS-42) with the International Microgravity
Laboratory.
From : FRANK KLAESS at Mile High #5 Colorado
Subj : NASA SHUTTLE FREQUENCIES
From NASA SPACELINK
Provided by the NASA Educational Affairs Division
Operated by the Marshall Space Flight Center
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-
Amateur Radio Retransmission of Shuttle Audio/Video
NOTE: This information is UNOFFICIAL, AND ITS ACCURACY IS NOT GUARANTEED.
The Goddard Space Flight Center Amateur Radio Club (GARC) has transmitted,
by Amateur Radio, NASA Select audio on the following freoverage *
15 Meters: 21.395 MHz World wide coverage *
10 Meters: 28.650 MHz World wide coverage *
AO-13 (AMSAT OSCAR-13) Satellite; 145.945 MHz.
Primary; 145.955 MHz.
Alternate. This Mode B requires a satellite-high gain antenna
* Coverage is dependent on Solar Activity and Ionosphere
conditions. With a good short-wave receiver and outside antenna,
reception should be possible. Due to ionospheric conditions and
time of day/night, certain bands have better reception. A search
of each band is recommended.
The GARC plans to re-transmit Shuttle video on Amateur TV for hams and
ham TV watchers in the Washington, DC area. Contacts at GSFC: Russ Jones,
N3EGO, or Frank Bauer, KA3HDO.
The Marshall Center Amateur Radio Club will re-transmit NASA Select
audio at 147.100 and 145.100 MHz. These transmissions can be heard only in
the local Huntsville, Alabama area.
People in the greater San Francisco Bay area and Sacramento can view
the mission via the W6NKF Amateur Television repeater on MT.Diablo which
operates on 427.250 MHZ with vertical polarization. Those with cable ready
TVs and VCRs or cable TV converters can tune this equipment to channel 58
in the CATV format and by hooking up an outside TV antenna should be able
to receive the telecast. This makes the service available to the general
public, including schools, colleges, etc.
Shuttle audio is re-transmitted in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
area on 145.150 MHZ during Shuttle flights. Additionally, during some
flights, the audio is also re-transmitted by the 3M ARC repeater
(WB0BQG/R) on 147.120 MHz FM.
In the Los Angeles area, Shuttle air-to-ground audio may sometimes be
heard on VHF at 145.460 MHz.
The WB4LA repeater located in Dayton, Ohio on 145.110 MHz,
re-transmits Shuttle Select audio.
Shuttle audio is available in the Phoenix, Arizona area on 449.000 MHz FM.
The Coastal Plains Amateur Radio Club provides Shuttle Audio on
the WD4EVD Repeater in Ashburn, Georgia on 147.285 MHz FM.
During STS missions, NASA Select audio is available on Amateur Radio
repeater WD6BNO/R, transmitting on entral San Joaquin Valley, California. Coverage includes Bakersfield to
Stockton. ENJOY!!
The Ames Amateur Radio Club re-broadcasts NASA Select Audio on 145.580
MHz. The signal originates from the NASA-AMES Research Center in the
heart of the Silicon Valley, Mountain View, Ca.
NASA Select video is available for those who have a line-of-sight path
to Black Mountain via Amateur TV. For ATV details, write:
AMES Amateur Radio Club
P.O. Box 73
Moffett Field, Ca., 94035-0073.
The Johnson Space Center supplies NASA Select Audio on 146.640 MHz FM, via
the W5RRR repeater.
From WB4CXD: Shuttle audio can be heard in Birmingham, Alabama, on 145.380
MHz directeater on
146.940 MHz.
NASA Select is on 444.300 (NN0V) and 146.400 MHz in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa
area.
.............
The space shuttle transmits on three frequency bands, UHF, S-Band, and
Ku-Band. The UHF frequencies are simple AM voice and very easy to copy.
These frequencies are used for launch and landing operations, EVA
communications, (i.e. from the spacesuits back and forth to the shuttle),
and as an additional voice downlink when other channels are in use or the
current ground station has no S-Band capability. The frequencies in use
are:
296.8 MHz - air to ground, or orbiter to suit
259.7 MHz - air to ground, or suit to orbiter
279.0 MHz - suit to orbiter or suit to suit
243.0 MHz - standard Mil aircraft emergency freq.
The S-Band system is one of the primary orbiter downlink bands. The
voice channels are digital slope delta modulation and are multiplexed in
with the rest of the orbiter telemetry, very difficult to copy. Much of
the downlink TV is on S-Band also but it is wideband FM and should be
easily understandable. The frequencies are:
2287.5 MHz - primary digital downlink
2250.0 MHz - wideband FM with either main engine analog
telemetry during launch, or TV during orbit
operations.
The Ku-Band system is used in conjunction with the tracking and data
relay satellites and is used much more heavily in Spacelab flights than in
others. The data is *very* high rate digital (50 Mbits/sec range) and
therefore essentially impossible for you to demodulate and decommutate in
your basement. Nevertheless the shuttle transmits on 15.003GHz. You
should also note however that these transmissions are directed toward the
TDRS satellite with a high gain antenna and would therefore not be
copyable on the ground.
The UHF frequencies are fun to listen to but are not heavily used
except during EVA's. You will almost always hear some activity on them
however sometime during a mission but you just have to be patient.
Other Frequencies of interest:
USAF/NASA Frequencies
=====================
4.510 MHz 9.974 MHz
4.760 MHz 10.780 MHz
4.855 MHz 11.104 MHz
4.992 MHz 11.414 MHz
5.350 MHz 11.548 MHz
5.810 MHz 14.615 MHz
6.727 MHz 19.303 MHz
6.740 MHz 19.984 MHz
8.993 MHz 20.191 MHz
9.315 MHz 20.475 MHz
HF USED AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER : 2.182 MHz 3.023 MHz
Search/Rescue (Aircraft) : 164.800 MHz
(Ships) : 148.500 MHz, 149.100 MHz, 162.000 MHz
S-Band Microwave
================
Air-to-Ground : 2205.0, 2217.5, 2250.0, 2287.5 MHz
Ground-to-Air : 2041.9, 2201.4 MHz
NASA Aeronautical Frequencies VHF/UHF in MHz
============================================
KENNEDY SC PATRICK AFB EDWARDS AFB
117.8 118.4 116.4
121.7 121.7 120.7
126.2 125.1 121.8
126.3 126.2 126.1
284.0 8
340.9
348.4
358.3
KSC Ground Support VHF in MHz
=============================
148.480 163.510 170.350
149.170 163.560 171.150
162.610 165.190 171.260
163.460 170.150 173.560
163.480 170.170 173.680
NASA Malabar (Palm Bay) HF Networks (in KHz)
====================================================================
2405 Data Buoys 2622 SRB Recovery (Primary)
2664 Backup Mission Audio-Cape/Hou 2678 ETR Range Control
2716 Navy Harbor Cntl-Port Canav. 2764 SRB Recovery Channel
3024 Coast Guard SAR (Primary) hannel
4856 Cape Radio/Leader 4992 Cape Radio/Coast Guard Ships
5180 NASA Tracking Ships 5187 NASA Tracking Ships
5190 ETR Primary Night Channel 5350 Launch Support Aircraft
5680 Launch Support Ships 5810 ETR Secondary Night Channel
6720 SAR Primary Atlantic 6896 Cape Radio
6837 Cape Radio 7412 SAR Comms with The Bahamas
7461 Cape Radio/Launch Support A/C 7525 NASA Ground Tracking Net
7676 Launch Support Aircraft 7765 SRB Recovery Ships
7919 Data Channel 7985 Data Channel
9022 Launch Support Aircraft 9043 Launch Support Aircraft
9132 Launch Support Aircraft 10305 Space Missile Tactical Net
10310 Malabar-to-Ascension Is-MUX 10780 ETR Primary Day Channel
11104 Launch Support Ships 11252 Launch Support Ships
11407 SRB Recovery Ships 11414 Cape Radio
11548 Cape Radio 11621 SRB Recovery Ships
13227 Launch Support Aircraft 13237 Data Channel
13495 Data Channel 13600 Malabar-to-Ascension Is-MUX
13878 Launch Support Aircraft 14937 Ascension Is-to-Malabar-MUX
18009 Launch Support Ships 19303 Launch Support Ships
19640 Cape Radio 19966 Ascension Is-to-Malabar-MUX
20186 Launch Tracking Net 20192 Malabar-to-Ascension Is-MUX
20198 OCC Shuttle Mission Audio 20390 ETR-Secondary Day Channel
22755 Ascension Is-to-Malabar-MUX 23413 Cape Radio
27065 NASA CB Radios
_______________________________________________________________
> CIS FileFinder CPU/STR InfoFile? At last! An easy way to find them.
===============================
CompuServe and the Atari ST Forums are pleased to announce the
availability of the new Atari ST File Finder (GO ATARIFF). The Atari ST
File Finder will help you locate any file available in the Atari ST Arts
Forum, Atari ST Productivity Forum, and Atari Vendors Forum FAST AND EASY!
Just enter your search criteria (User ID of uploader, Keyword,
Filename, etc.) and CompuServe will tell you which Forum the file is
located in and in which specific Library!
WHAT IS THE ATARI FILE FINDER?
==============================
File Finder is an online comprehensive keyword searchable database of
file descriptions from Atari related forums. It was designed to provide
quick and easy reference to some of the best programs and files available
in the following forums:
Atari Productivity Forum
Atari ST Arts Forum
Atari Vendors Forum
Browsing through files has never been easier or more time efficient.
File Finder provides you with seven common search criteria for quickly
finding the location of a wanted file or files. You can search by topic,
file submission date, forum name, file type, file extension, file name or
submittor's userid. File descriptions, forum and library location are
displayed for the matched files giving instant information on where to
find a most wanted file.
- HOW TO ACCESS THE ATARI FILE FINDER
The Atari File Finder can be accessed by selecting the appropriate menu
choice from the ATARINET Menu (GO ATARINET) or by typing GO ATARIFF at any
CompuServe service "!" command prompt.
- HOW TO USE THE ATARI FILE FINDER
The File Finder database consists of files from various CompuServe Forum
Libraries. This database allows you to search for files under the various
criteria, which are listed below. The area also gives you the date the
file was uploaded, the Forum where you can download the file, the library
where the file resides, and a description of the file.
You can locate your file of interest by using the search procedure that is
available from the menu and based on one or more of the following
categories.
KEYWORDS:
You are prompted for the keywords you would like the software to
search by. This would be useful when you would like to find a
file relating to a certain topic, but you are unsure of the
filename. If you would like help in locating keywords, choose
choice 3 from the preceding menu.
SUBMISSION DATE:
This search criteria selection will allow you to search the
database for files submitted during a specific time period. You
will be prompted for the upper and lower limits of the range.
If you know that a file was submitted to a forum during a certain
period of time, you might use this method to locate the file.
FORUM NAME:
Searching by Forum Name will allow you to select the forum you
want to search from. You will be given a menu of available
Forums. If you know the forum where a file resides, you can
search that particular forum under any of the other search
criteria that are listed.
FILE TYPE:
You will be prompted for the type of file you would like to
search by. Your choices are:
ASCII
Binary
Image
Mac
Graph
FILE EXTENSION:
This option will allow you to search a file by its
extension, such as ASC, TXT, ARC, DAT, or BIN.
FILE NAME:
If you know the exact filename, this option will allow you to
search for the file by name.
FILE SUBMITTER:
This criteria will allow you to search for the files in the
database that were uploaded by a particular User ID#.
Should your search criteria come up with nothing, you will be
prompted for your "Next Action", which could be:
1. Begin New Search
2. Restore Previous Selection Set
After a search has been completed, if the number of files found
is larger than 19, you will be prompted to take an additional
action. Your options would be:
1. Display Selections
2. Narrow the Search
3. Begin a new search
Option 1 will allow you to look at the files that have met the criteria
that you specified in your search. When you choose to display the
selections, you will be presented with a menu. Once you select a file
from the menu, you will see the forum name, the library number of the file
and the filename.
By selecting option 2, you will be able to continue to do a search using
the selection set that was created by your initial search.
Option 3, will allow you to start all over and begin a new search through
the database.
If your search criteria comes up with less than 19 files, the filenames
will be displayed to you and you can select the file that you would like
to review.
___________________________________________________________________
> Stock Market ~ CPU NewsWire?
===========================
THE TICKERTAPE
==============
by Michael Arthur
Concept by Glenn Gorman
Atari Stock went down 1/4 of a point on Monday, but recovered by
going up 1/4 of a point on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Atari Stock went up 1/8
of a point, and on Thursday it went up 1/4 of a point. On Friday it went
down 1/8 of a point. Finishing up the week at 6 7/8 points, Atari stock
is up 1/2 of a point from the last report.
Apple Stock was down 1/2 of a point from Friday, February 9, 1990.
Commodore Stock was down 1/4 of a point from 2/09/90.
IBM Stock was up 1 point from 2/09/90.
Stock Report for Week of 2/1rt|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg. |
-----|-------------|-------------|-------------|-----------|-------------|
Atari| 6 5/8 - 1/4|6 7/8 + 1/4| 7 + 1/8|7 1/4 +1/4|7 1/8 - 1/8|
| | | | | 38,900 Sls |
-----|-------------+-------------+-------------+-----------+-------------|
CBM | 8 1/4 - 1/4|8 1/8 - 1/8|8 3/8 + 1/4|8 3/8 |8 1/4 - 1/8|
| | | | | 58,800 Sls |
-----|-------------+-------------+-------------+-----------+-------------|
Apple| 34 - 1/4|34 1/2 + 1/2|34 1/4 - 1/4| ----- | 33 3/4 |
| | | | |1,135,800 Sls|
-----|-------------+-------------+-------------+-----------+-------------|
IBM |101 1/8 |103 1/4 |103 1/4 +1/2|103 3/4 |103 1/2 -1/4|
|102 1/2-1 3/8| +2 1/8| | |2,201,400 Sls|
-----'-------------------------------------------------------------------'
'Sls' refers to the # of stock shares that were traded that day.
'CBM' refers to Commodore Corporation.
' ' means that the stock's price did not change for the day.
_______________________________________________________________
> DynaCADD V CPU/STR Review? When only the best will do..
=========================
DynaCADD 1.7 Vs Autocad 10
============================
by Myles Goddard
DynaCADD's drop down menus are always available via a menu bar. This
is a boon to CADD users and it sure makes it a lot easier than trying to
remember hundreds of commands or trying to remember where a certain
command is located. On the menu bar you will find six menu titles. They
are, DESK, FILE, SET-UP, TOOLS, IMAGES and GCP. Under each category you
will find options. As you select a category, the menu system will drop
down and you can move the mouse to the desired option and click with the
left mouse button. Additionally, when you want to access the options
without using the mouse you can use the ALT key in combination with other
pre-selected keys. For instance, if you want to quit, you simply hit ALT
& Q to quit your session.
Under the DESK MENU you will find the DynaCADD information option.
Click this on and it will tell you which version of Dynacadd you have and
the copyright notice. Under the same title, you will find your
accessories. Normally, when using a 1 meg ST, you should not have any
accessories installed, due to memory limitations. Furthermore there may
be a memory conflict with certain DA's as well.
The next menu option on the bar is the FILE MENU. Here you can
activate Save Part, which saves both the part and drawing to your selected
filename. Every setting you were using in the drawing will be saved and
when you bring it back to work on it, all the settings will be just as you
left them. As with many applications, it is best to save your work every
now and then to make sure you don't lose everything in case there is a
power bump. I'm sure everyone knows what that means!
Under the Save part slot is the option Save Part As option. This is
identical to Save Part except here you can change the filename in case you
decide that the original name isn't as good as you thought it was.
The next slot is the Save Default option. If you are doing a lot of
drawings with the same dimensions and scale, this lets you start all your
drawings with the same defaults every time you start a session. Very
handy too. Autocad lets you do the same except it is not as easy to do as
with DynaCADD.
Next, we come to Save Macro option. This letsnd it is really self explanatory. It lets you merge any drawing to
another from your data disk drive. File Transfer is DynaCADD's file
conversion program that allows the porting of Autocad's DXF files,
DynaCADD's DEF files and ASC. You can only export DXF and DEF files
though. The Clear option, when selected, will clear the memory of the
current drawing, wh
this option should only be used when you ARE sure you want to stop. The
Restore option will allow you to reload the current part and drawing from
the data disk. This option cannot be UNDO'd so what you have done is
done.
The Database Sort is equivalent to Autocad's REDO command. When you
have gone into your drawing and edited numerous times you will find points
ain the
drawing and how much you have remaining and the percentage of available
memory for use.
The next option slot is List Ascii. This allows you to load a text
(ASCII) file into the text editor box.
The controls to view the text are:
^-S stop the scrolling ^-Q restart the scrolling
Control - slows the scrolling UNDO Cancels online docs
Alt Fast scrolling
Remember, this is merely a viewer and editing cannot be performed
while text editor box is open.
The next option is for Background Output. This is simply a way to
send your commands to the printer or plotter while you are doing the
drawing. Every command is printed as you do them so you will have a hard
copy of what you have done while you are actually drawing.
Of course, the option you will use every time you work with DynaCADD,
is QUIT. This is activated by selecting with the mouse or by hitting the
Alternate Q combination. A box will appear and prompt you to quit without
saving or save and then end the session.
This concludes this portion of the MENU BAR options. Next time we
will go into the SET UP MENU. This controls all the parameters for
getting your drawing set up the way you want it.
______________________________________________________________
> CPU NEWSWIRE CONFIDENTIAL? SAYIN IT LIKE IT IS....
=========================
- Rockville, MD. **** GENIE OPENING NEW EUROPEAN NODES ****
-------------
Our info has it that Genie will, "at about the same time as the
Hannover Computer Fair, announce that West Germany is being brought
onboard the extensive Genie Network." Additionally, Genie will
methodically involve most of Western Europe in the coming year. GEnie
will be conducting an online conference in the Atari ST RT this March
originating from Australia (March 07). The guest will be ISD's Nathan P.
- San Francisco, CA. **** ANTIC LATEST TO GET HURT? ****
------------------
Well, Antic is down to Technical 'Support' Monday AND Friday ONLY,
8:00am - 5pm PST. With Atari and their lack of activity, (Sales-
Advertising etc), in the US COMPUTER market now going on for what seems
like forever, another landmark company and folks becomes their latest
victim. All those who have purchased from "The Catalog" now must put up
with the busy signal blues. The list is long and hard feelings run deep,
when is Atari gonna wake up?
- Toronto, Canada **** MEGAFILE 44 ON SALE IN CANADA ****
---------------
Atari has the megafile and other "NOT FOR SALE IN THE US" products
readily available in Canada and other parts of the world. Why the
continued three fingered sign aimed at the US market... What gives? The
time is really at hand for some solid answers.
- Philadelphia, PA. ***** ATARI PLAYING A SHELL GAME? *****
----------------
Many times mention has been made of the ill-fated Stacy, like where
is it and when can it be bought? The new question is why is it possible
to buy this thing from J&R in person but when one calls on the phone the
typical answer is; "what unit? Do you have a model number?" Two rather
substantial dealers who carry Atari computer products in quantity have
informed us that they are seriously considering telling Atari and its
staff of comedians they call marketing a very clear message. "No Stacy
for us, then let your music dealers sell it all for you!" 1990 may just
be the year for Atari, ... the year for Atari's RUDE AWAKENING! Atari had
betis latest fiasco. They, simply put, are not interested in the
class A and B baloney, they WANT the product to offer for sale..period!
When they are told it goes in music stores only it is like lighting the
fuse... Hey ... SUNNYVALE!! WAKE UP!!!
________________________________________________________________
> WOA ANAHEIM STR FOCUS The show must go on!
=====================
WORLD OF ATARI SHOW -> ANAHEIM, CA.
===================================
WORLD OF ATARI
==============
APRIL 7 & 8 1990
WORLD OF ATARI will be held at the Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim California,
on April 7th and 8th. For Reservations, Car Rentals and Airline tickets,
call: 1-800-842-9034. The hours of the show are 10 am till 6pm on
Saturday, the 7th and on Sunday; 10am till 5pm. Admission is $5.00 per
day or $7.00 for both days.
Atari Corporation will feature their full line of products. Of course,
many of the companies we are all familiar with will be displaying their
latest products.
Exhibitor Listing;
-----------------
Atari Computer Avant Garde
Best Electronics Beckemeyer Development
Brumeleve Software Computer Games +
Codehead Software Double Click Software
Gadgets by Small DataFree Industries
FAST TECHNOLOGY ICD INC.
Imagen Corporation LucasFilms Software
Maverick Creations Migraph Inc.
Megamax Inc. MichTron Inc.
Mid-City Compu-Soft Micro Creations
Prospera Online
Seymor/Radix Slicc Software
Softrek Marketing San Jose Computer
Talon Technology Word Perfect Corp.
Wuztech Inc.
plus many more...
<*- SPECIAL OFFER -*>
for the readers of CPU NewsWire/STReir monthly publication, featuring such
notables as Dave Small, Dr. Dave Brewton, Joe Speigel, Earl Hill, Bob
Mulholland, George Miller, Milt Creighton, Brian Miller, Mike Rosen
and of course, Larry Payne and Charlie Young.
For a limited time only, the readers of STReport may subscribe to ST
World Magazine for the low, low price of $12.00 (REG $18.00!) p_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
----(clip)----
ST WORLD Subscription Mail To:
ST WORLD MAGAZINE
2463 LANTONA CT. ne
Please enter my subscription to ST World for SALEM, OR., 97303
a period of (1)one year @ $12.00 { } 1-503-393-9688
FOREIGN: (1)one year @ $15.00 { }
Name: _______________________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________
City:______________________State:____Zip:_____________Apt:___________
Phone:______________________Computer System:_________________________
Amount:$______________Check#__________Money Order#________DO NOT SEND
CASH!!
American Express - VISA - MasterCard#_______________________exp:__/__
Signature____________________________________________date:___________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
----(clip)----
Make your reservations early!
The Disneyland Hotel is almost BOOKED SOLID call:
1-714-956-6400 for your reservations....
__________________________________________________
> Hard Drive Info STReport InfoFile? Affordable Mass Storage
=================================
NEW PRICES! & MORE MODELS!!
============================
ABCO COMPUTER ELECTRONICS INC.
P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672
Est. 1985
_________________________________________
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT
BBS: 904-786-4176 12-24-96 HST
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 PM - 6 AM EDT
_________________________________________
HARD DISK SYSTEMS TO FIT EVERY BUDGET
_____________________________________
All systems are complete and ready to use, included at NO EXTRA COST
are clo
-ALL ABCO HARD DISK SYSTEMS ARE FULLY EXPANDABLE-
(you are NOT limited to two drives ONLY!)
(all cables and connectors installed)
RUGGED, RELIABLE SEAGATE HARD DISK MECHANISMS
* ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS *
* SCSI EMBEDDED CO0 579.00
51mb #SGN4951 619.00 65mb #SG60101 679.00
80mb #SGN296 719.00 100mb #SG84011D 939.00
CALL FOR SUPER SAVINGS ON LARGER CUSTOM UNITS
============================================
:IMPORTANT NOTICE:
============================================
=========================
ORDER YOUR HARD DRIVE NOW AND GET A SECOND COMPLETE UNIT!
****** for $100.00 LESS! ******
That's right! A custom two for one sale.
Buy with a friend and save money!
CALL TODAY and ORDER YOURS!
--==*==--
shippiy-
============================================
* SYQUEST 44MB (#555) REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE *
- SYQUEST 44 MB removable media drive - ICD ST Host Adapter
- ICD Mass Storage Utility Software - 3' DMA Cable
- Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply
(1) 44 MB Syquest Cart.
in a shoebox OR under monitor cabinet
ONLY $889.00
* TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT *
SPECIALLY PRICED $1539.00
* SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS *
- Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives -
50mb SQG51 $1279.00MING SOON! INSITE FLOPTICAL DRIVE *****
August-September, 1990
20 MB 3.5 FLOPPY DISK MASS STORAGE OPTICAL DRIVE!
uses standard 3.5" floppy disks and Floptical disks
Will access and read your present library of floppys
$789.95 approx.
CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE
Listed above are a sampling of the systems available.
Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations
(over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited)
*** ALL Units: Average Access Time: 24ms - 34ms ***
ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> MAGIC SAC - PC-DITTO/II - SPECTRE/GCR
LARGER units are available - (special order only)
We would offer floppy drives.. but Computer Shopper has 'em at the right
price. And.. you can plug 'em right into our cabinets and power supplies.
Low-Boy OR Standard Case (designed with room for another 3.5 OR 5.25"
drive) They're made for user expansion! TRUE UPGRADE-ABILITY!
complete units only, no scaled down versions or refurbs offered
- Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets - TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets -
Keyboard Custom Cables Call for Info
ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED
-* 12 month FULL Guarantee *-
(A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE)
QUANTITY & USERGROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE!
_________________________________________
DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!
please, call for details
Personal and Company Checks are accepted.
ORDER YOURS TODAY!
904-783-3319 9am - 8pm EDT
_______________________________________________________________
> A "Quotable Quote"?
=================
"The level of expertise varies in inverse proportion to...
the number of statements understood by the general public!!"
...from THE PABLUM MANUAL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU/STR? "Your Independent News Source" February 23, 1990
16/32bit Magazine copyright = 1989 No.4.08
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
the editors, staff, CPU NEWSWIRE? CPU/STR? or CPU Report?. Reprint
permission is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. All reprints must
include CPU NEWSWIRE, CPU/STR or CPU Report and the author's name. All
information presented herein is believed correct, the editors and staff
are not responsible for any use or misuse of information contained herein.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
-----------------------------------------
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