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Date: 2000-08 atari800xl.org comp.sys.atari.8bit
About Spectre GCR  
 
1.  Greg Goodwin  
 More options Aug 1 2000, 4:00 pm
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: "Greg Goodwin" <Greg.Goodwinp0.f2.n8@fmlynet.org> -
Date: 2000/08/01
Subject: About Spectre GCR
| | | | | |
FamilyNet HQ: Telnet:\\

> From: Rich <r@cstone.net>
> A product I remember well, and what is Dave up to these days btw? I
> can still clearly recall watching Dave type up, on the fly, several
> hundred lines of 68K code for an experimental mod to Spectre at an
> Atari convention in Washington D.C....watching him compile and run it
> without a single mistake in either syntax or logic. Very humbling. :-)

    I hear stories like that and realize that whatever barrier Dave Small hit
with System 7.0 must have been quite an obstacle.  :(

    Doctor Clu

FamilyNet <> Internet Gated Mail


 
Atari and CBM  
 
1.  Russ  
 More options Aug 2 2000, 4:00 pm
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: "Russ" <chill@xxx.com> -
Date: 2000/08/02
Subject: Re: Atari and CBM
| | | | | |
Actually they do make a device along those lines called the Nomad. It looks
like a game gear but it plays genesis games. You can also hook it up to a TV
and hook a second controller into it for 2 player games.
--
chill@xxx.com
To email me change xxx to hotmail.

"Jessica C" <beadsandbang@earthlink.net> wrote in message

...


 
Program Name?  
 
1.  John K. Picken  
 More options Aug 3 2000, 4:00 pm
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: "John K. Picken" <y@victoria.tc.ca> -
Date: 2000/08/03
Subject: Re: Program Name?
| | | | | |

On 4 Aug 2000, RHamiIton5 wrote:

> >Amiga WorkZ" ZaX@nospam.nowhere asked:

> >I remember a hack that let you run two programs at
> >once on an expanded (128k) XL or XE. Switching between
> >the two with keyboard strokes - the second program
> >"froze" while running the first.

> > Anybody remember the name of this hack?

> It was by Tom Hunt IIRC and required >=256K and is listed on XLSearch...
>

> -Ron

> I don't have a solution but I admire the problem.

Tom wrote "Snapshot" and I followed up with "XL2". In both cases, the
operation was "task swapping" as opposed to "multi-tasking"--only one
application was running, the other, and its complete 64k environment
were stored in extra memory.

Neither required more than 128k; why would you? You have 64k of main
address space and only need a little over 62k to store it in extra RAM
(2k in the main area is hardware addresses).

Tom went on to produce "SnapHD" which allowed for multiple images using
hard drive space while I went back to tweaking XL2 for more speed and
trying to come up with a faster RAMdisk.

All of this stuff can be found on Tom's ftp site. Look for "snap*.*",
"xl2*.*", and (if you use a SpartaDOS RD) "ramjet.*).

The only true "multi-tasker" (using what seems to be the MS definition
of it) for the 8-bit, was Tom's MTOS which allocated time slices to
several BASIC programs. That's also on his ftp site ("mtos*.*).

BTW the programs were not "hacks" they were, in Tom's case, 100% original
and, in my case, 90% original (I stole the SnapShot concept from Tom, but
my implementation in XL2 was completly different).

jkp


 
'Tis Good to Be Back  
 
1.  John K. Picken  
 More options Aug 4 2000, 4:00 pm
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: "John K. Picken" <y@victoria.tc.ca> -
Date: 2000/08/04
Subject: Re: 'Tis Good to Be Back
| | | | | |

On Fri, 4 Aug 2000, Jessica C wrote:
> It's ok.... just don't do it again.

> Alan Sharkis wrote:

> > Sorry!

Damned high school punks have no concept of short-term memory loss :)

jkp


 
Beefing up an Atari  
 
1.  John K. Picken  
 More options Aug 5 2000, 4:00 pm
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: "John K. Picken" <y@victoria.tc.ca> -
Date: 2000/08/05
Subject: Re: Beefing up an Atari
| | | | | |

On Sun, 6 Aug 2000, Jessica C wrote:
> I am looking to beef up my Atari 800 (first love) with an expanded
> memory, etc.  What I need to know is:

> 1: How much memory can I add to my 800 (I would love to add a TB to it
> but a few more K will be OK)?

Probably as much as the power supply can handle.

> 2: Where can I get instructions for the project?

Got me on that one.

> 3: What is the fastest modem that I can hook up (can I hook up a 56K
> modem or would that be too much?)?

Even the ST serial ports max out at 19200 so there's not much point in
using anything better than a 14k4.

The major problem you'd face, after the hardware stuff, is software. The
vast majority of 8-bit software that uses extra RAM assumes 130XE
compatibility i.e. RAM/ROM is controlled via PORTB. On the 800, PORTB
is used for joysticks and, depending on the upgrade, various other
addresses are used for RAM control.

In the long run, if you want a large RAM A8, you're better off with
an XE or XL. If you stick with the 800, about the only software that will
utilize the extra RAM is MYDOS 4.5+.

jkp


 
mpp 1150  
 
2.  Rick Cortese  
 More options Aug 16 2000, 4:00 pm
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: "Rick Cortese" <ricor@netmagic.net> -
Date: 2000/08/16
Subject: Re: mpp 1150
| | | | | |
"RHamiIton5" <rhamiit@aol.comedy.com> wrote in message

...

> >kena@earthlink.net replied:

> >you can probably change the micro inside and get it going again. I did
> >that when mine was hit by lightning. good as new.

> Haven't looked inside it yet; how do you know what chip to replace and
where
> would you locate it?  Is MPP (now Supra?) still in business?

I believe they were bought out by Diamond. The Supra name is still around,
but looks like Atari support will be kind of low.

 
 
3.  RHamiIton5  
 More options Aug 17 2000, 11:37 am
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: rhamiit@aol.comedy.com (RHamiIton5) -
Date: 17 Aug 2000 02:36:50 GMT
Local: Thurs, Aug 17 2000 11:36 am
Subject: Re: mpp 1150
| | | | | |

>kena@earthlink.net replied:
>you can probably change the micro inside and get it going again. I did
>that when mine was hit by lightning. good as new.

Haven't looked inside it yet; how do you know what chip to replace and where
would you locate it?  Is MPP (now Supra?) still in business?

-Ron

I don't have a solution but I admire the problem.


 
 
4.  RHamiIton5  
 More options Aug 17 2000, 11:37 am
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: rhamiit@aol.comedy.com (RHamiIton5) -
Date: 17 Aug 2000 02:36:50 GMT
Local: Thurs, Aug 17 2000 11:36 am
Subject: Re: mpp 1150
| | | | | |

>kena@earthlink.net replied:
>you can probably change the micro inside and get it going again. I did
>that when mine was hit by lightning. good as new.

Haven't looked inside it yet; how do you know what chip to replace and where
would you locate it?  Is MPP (now Supra?) still in business?

-Ron

I don't have a solution but I admire the problem.


 
File Conversion on the 8 bit  
 
1.  John K. Picken  
 More options Aug 6 2000, 4:00 pm
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: "John K. Picken" <y@victoria.tc.ca> -
Date: 2000/08/06
Subject: Re: File Conversion on the 8 bit
| | | | | |

Generally speaking, no. .xfd (and .dcm, .atr, .scp) are disk image files
designed to either be used as an emulated disk drive or extracted to
reproduce a disk.

You can convert a .xfd to a real disk and thereby access the files on
(in) it. A .xfd is simply an image of the data sectors on a 5.25"
floppy, usually Atari single density (18 sectors/track * 40 tracks * 128
bytes/sector = 90K).

jkp

On 7 Aug 2000, Euskara wrote:


 
Graphics and sound needed  
 
1.  RHamiIton5  
 More options Aug 7 2000, 4:00 pm
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
From: rhamiit@aol.comedy.com (RHamiIton5) -
Date: 2000/08/07
Subject: Re: Graphics and sound needed
| | | | | |

>Vidar \"Hawk\" Olavesen" olav@online.no requested:
>I am a lousy artist, but really want to convert the Box World game to the
>Atari 8-bit computers.
..snip..
>Anybody want to help out here ?

Hawk; I wish I had better graphic or any musical abilities as the lack of
response appears to be totally appalling here. Plus I have not even seen that
title on its native platform.

-Ron

I don't have a solution but I admire the problem.


 

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