Hi,
We are looking for a programmer that could built a VT emulator program
and some scripts like automatic login and interaction with host.
If anybody is interested please contact the following persons:
Mario: mar…@gate.net
Tom: w…@gate.net
Does anyone know where I could ftp an emulator
that would capture laser output and convert it
dot matrix?
Thanks
Steve Herold
I was wondering, what ever happened to Utilities Unlimited’s PC emulator for
the Power Macintosh. It was supposed to be released later this month, but I
haven’t heard a peep from them.
I tried calling them, the person on the phone gave me Jim Drew’s fax number.
I sent him a fax about it, still waiting for a reply.
Hopefully it isn’t vaporware. SoftWindows is slow.
David Ludwig
sti…@sccsi.com
Did Executor 2.0 hit the stores yet? I heard from one of the
developers for Executor 2.0 that sometime in September Executor 2.0 was
supposed to be available. If anyone has it yet, can you give me an evaluation?
Thankx
Is there one, for PC or Macintosh, or X or etc.?
Hope to hear from someone soon.
+———————-+————————-+—————————–+
| Mark Ridley | "Well, if I Called the | Internet: m…@zoo.bt.co.uk |
| System Administrator | Wrong Number, Why Did | Telephone: +44 1473 647636 |
| BT Laboratories | You Answer the Phone?" | Mobile: +44 850 745467 |
| England | JAMES THURBER 1894-1961 | Facsimile: +44 1473 640468 |
+———————-+————————-+—————————–+
| THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ABOVE ARE MY OWN AND ARE DEFINITELY NOT THOSE OF BT PLC! |
+——————————————————————————+
Last winter sometime I played with a Mac emulator for the PC called
Executor. It didn’t work very well for me but the documentation that
came with it promised a new and improved version. Is there an Excecutor
demo availible by FTP? If so where?
Please reply by E-mail as I do not normally monitor this group.
Thanx
James.T…@dartmouth.edu
Here’s some information for anyone who’s wondering about the Sega Genesis
Emulator "SEGA101.ZIP" that has been up on wuarchive.wustl.edu.
I wrote "TurboCharged Technologies" in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Apparently,
the address listed in the readme file is actually Computer Warehouse. They
weren’t amused with the whole thing and are working with the administrator
at wuarchive to trace the source back to the host system. Yikes!
I hope that the Sega Emulator being a fake doesn’t come as a shock to
anyone.
Sam Foit (au…@freenet.buffalo.edu)
–
Hi everyone! Has anybody ever heard of a TN3270 terminal type?? If so, is
there any software (shareware or otherwise) that I could acquire to emulate
this terminal type? Thanks in advance!
Noel Derrah
Information Systems
N.B. Agriculture
New Brunswick, Canada
e-mail: nder…@gov.nb.ca
this question has probably been asked (nothing new under the sun and all…)
but i was wondering if anybody had (oh so cleverly) run an emulator on an
emulator. i have a reason for asking, other than "uh huh it would be cool
to run executor on softwindows" i would like to run c-64 and atari800XL /
atari800XE games on my powermac. i figure running PC Xfer on SoftWindows
is maybe possible and probably an exercise in futility, but maybe somebody
out there has tried something like this sucessfully. grasping at straws, i
know, but it would be worth any flames i get to get the info.
thanks.
dan
–
———-=========== d…@midway.uchicago.edu ===========———-
"Hmm… I’ll need soem photographs of this chest wound. It wasn’t a knife or
bullet that did this… In fact, I’ve got a nasty suspicion that whoever did
that did it with their fingers." –V FOR VENDETTA by Alan Moore
__
The Unofficial Atari 8bit ||||
Newbie / Stupid Question / Emulator Help _||||_
FAQ `\\ //’
`\/’
By Bill Kendrick
Revision 0.3 !! PLEASE !!
July 23, 1994 ASK MORE QUESTIONS
Differences from Rev.0.2: Added where to get (FTP) mentioned files,
e-mail and postal mail contact addresses, removed bad (space-wasting)
formatting in the "XIO" section, did minor editing here and there.
PLEASE also refer to: MyDOS 4.5 documents, SIO2PC documents,
XF2 documents, and the Atari 8-bit F.A.Q.
For general help (hardware, magazines, etc.) please check the Official
Atari 8-bit FAQ file:
From: Michael Current <MCURR…@carleton.edu>
Where to get the latest copy of the Atari 8-Bit Computers
Frequently Asked Questions List:
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/news.answers/atari-8-bit/faq
(and many other FTP sites that archive Usenet FAQ Lists)
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/atari-8-bit/faq/fa…
news:comp.sys.atari.8bit, news:comp.answers, news:news.answers
or, send a message to mailto::mail-ser…@rtfm.mit.edu that says:
send usenet/news.answers/atari-8-bit/faq
quit
Finally, you can always ask Michael for a copy at
mailto::mcurr…@carleton.edu
Objective of this file:
Much discussion has gone on in the comp.sys.atari.8bit Usenet
newsgroup about the newly released (mid 1994) Atari 8bit emulator for
IBM / MSDOS based computers, the PC X-Former 2.0 (XF2 for short). Many
people in the 8-bit community have gotten, well, fed up with the XF2-based
questions which do not pertain to them, or to the really dumb questions
which are in fact understandable to new or rusty Atari 8-bit users, but
have just gotten on the nerves of some of the comp.sys.atari.8bit
readers/digest subscribers.
This file was created to reduce the number of ‘newbie’ and XF2
questions.
This FAQ will present answers to simple questions like "how do I turn
off BASIC" (a good answer to that of course is, READ THE FRIGGIN’ MANUAL)
and "how do I get a disk directory?" (which is less obvious on
Atari 8-bits, err.. MOST 8-bits <grin>).
It will also direct people who are unaware of the large amount of Atari
8-bit support (NOT NECESSARILY EMULATOR SUPPORT) and perhaps become a
suplement for the many official and unofficial files floating around the
net (like the official FAQ, the Vendor/Developer List, the Who’s Who list,
etc.).
—=== XF2 Questions: ===—
Q.1) What does "READY" mean?
A.1) This is the Atari BASIC prompt. See below for hints on Atari BASIC.
Q.2) Why doesn’t this program load?
A.2.1) The program may not work under the Atari 800 Operating System, it may
require the XL/XE Operating System (which XF2 does not emulate).
A.2.2) Be sure you turned BASIC off before trying to load it if it cannot
run with BASIC on.
A.2.3) It may just refuse to run on the XF2 emulator.
Q.3) How do I turn off BASIC?
A.3) To toggle BASIC on and off, press [SHIFT]-[F10] ([F10] is [RESET], note:
on a real Atari 8-bit, [SHIFT]-[RESET] does not have this effect).
Q.4) Why doesn’t this game/program run correctly?
A.4.1) It may use player/missle collision detection which is not supported
on the XF2.
A.4.2) (See Question 2).
Q.5) How do I exit XF2 and return to DOS?
A.5) Press [F5]. Note: this does NOT temporarily ‘shell’ or ‘jump’ to MSDOS.
Q.6) How do I get to Atari DOS?
A.6.1) In BASIC, type "DOS" at the "READY" prompt.
A.6.2) Reboot without BASIC on.
A.6.3) Be sure you have a DOS-bootable disk image as the first MSDOS
parameter after the "XF2" command. (DOS25.XFD and MYDOS45.ATR are
both DOS boot-disk-images and are both in the XF2.ZIP file).
Q.7) How do I use MSDOS files with XF2?
A.7.1) Add the files to the command line and use them as their respective
drives (be sure the first drive is a DOS-bootable disk image).
Example: XF2 MYDOS45.ATR filename.ext
When booted the Atari will have two drives, D1: will be the MyDOS
4.50 disk image and D2: will be a write-protected disk which contains
only the file "filename.ext". Note: there are bugs in XF2 which
make accessing files from different directories a bit hard, just use
the MOVE (or COPY and DEL) commands in MSDOS to get the file to the
directory where you call XF2 from.
A.7.2) Use the MSDOS program S2PC (S2PC.ARC available in the Utilities
directory at the UMICH archives) which allows you to access files
within a MyDOS/compatible .ATR disk image without using an SIO2PC
or the XF2. S2PC let’s you read, write, delete, change directory,
and view the directory of a MyDOS/compatible .ATR disk image. It
can be used via command-line parameters from MSDOS, or as a menu.
Q.8) Just what ARE .ATR and .XFD files?
A.8.1) Refer to the XF2 and SIO2PC manuals for details on these files.
A.8.2) Simply put, they are Atari disks, stored as files which are as big
as the disk they represent (an 88k disk image will use 88k on the
IBM). .ATR files are used by SIO2PC (see below) as well as the XF2
(and the S2PC program mentioned above). .XFD files are used by
ST X-Former (the Atari 8-bit emulator for Atari ST’s) and
PC X-Former (XF2).
Q.9) What’s SIO2PC?
A.9.1) Refer to the XF2 and SIO2PC manuals for details on this program.
A.9.2) This is a program which runs on IBM/compatibles which, with the use
of a simple (and relatively inexpensive) cable, makes the IBM act
as though it were an Atari disk drive. (Up to four drives, actually).
It uses disk image files (.ATR’s) and can also let the Atari access
single IBM files (much like XF2 does) as a single file all alone in
its own disk. It also currently allows Print-Thru (all access to the
Atari "P:" (printer) device can be redirected to the IBM’s printer,
screen, or MSDOS file; different translations/conversions are
user-defined when the Print-Thru mode is turned on). Finally, with
the use of two programs on the Atari 8-bit (the only two programs
that currently have anything to do with SIO2PC that have been written
(to my knowledge) for the Atari 8-bit), the IBM can be controlled
remotely (commands are sent from the Atari, typing on the IBM is not
necessary) and files can be sent directly to the IBM’s drives.
Note: The following sections will simply discuss Atari BASIC, the Atari OS,
and Atari DOS 2.5 and MyDOS 4.50 (because these topics seem the most
relevant to the less-knowledged/experienced XF2 users).
—=== Getting around on the Atari: DOS and OS ===—
I. AtariDOS and MyDOS QuickReference:
MyDOS presents the user with the following commands:
[*] Disk directory of current directory (like "dir *.*" in MSDOS)
[1]-[9] Disk directory of a disk drive (like "dir a:\*.*" – "dir i:\*.*")
[A] Disk directory (like "dir <mask>" and optional output destination)
[B] Quit to cartridge
[C] Copy file(s) ("<source>,<destination>" copies from one place or
disk to another, just "<source>" copies from one place on one disk
in a drive to the same place on another disk in the same drive
(asks for swapping))
[D] Delete file(s) (add "/N" to delete without being prompted first)
(add ">*.*" or ":*.*" after a subdirectory name to delete the
files within it. A subdirectory name alone will delete the
subdirectory (if it is empty and unlocked)). (Acts like both
"del" and "rd" in MSDOS.)
[E] Rename file(s) (renaming multiple files is allowed, but be careful).
(like "ren <old> <new>" in MSDOS – with MyDOS, use "," between
old and new masks.)
[F] Locks file(s) from overwrite, deletion and appending (like
"attrib +r <mask>" in MSDOS.)
[G] Unlocks file(s) (returns them to their default state).
[H] Writes DOS files to a disk (this creates a disk which boots with
the current version of MyDOS you are using and also has the menu
file "DUP.SYS" on it as well). (This is like "sys"(?) in MSDOS.)
[I] Formats a disk (add "/N" after the drive number to do a quick-format
of an already-formatted disk (ie, just a very fast delete "*.*").
[J] Duplicate disk (copies an entire disk, including boot sector,
when using XF2, it’s much quicker to just copy one .XFD or .ATR to
another).
[K]
[L] Load binary file: loads a compiled program. (like "<filename>" in
MSDOS, except any ".EXE", ".COM", ".OBJ", etc. is still required.)
[M] Run at address. Mainly for advanced users. Reboot is "E477",
reset is "E474" (these are the hex values of the addresses where
the routines to reboot and reset are.)
[N] MEM.SAV: when this is on, whenever you go to DOS (from BASIC,
for example) it will write what is in memory to a file "MEM.SAV"
so that when DUP.SYS (the menu) loads it isn’t lost forever.
When you exit DUP.SYS with the "B: Run Cartridge" command, MEM.SAV
is reloaded and the environment should be as it was when you left.
It’s probably quicker to simply "SAVE" your programs (if in a
language) which aren’t nearly as big as all of the memory that
MEM.SAV saves.
[O] Options: this presents the user with some options. Mainly for
advanced users or special setups. See the MyDOS docs for details.
[P] Set density. Forces a drive to be recognized at a certain density
if MyDOS can’t figure it out. (??)
[Q] Make a subdirectory. (like "md" or "mkdir" in MSDOS).
[R] Set default directory. (like "cd" in MSDOS and "cwd" in SpartaDOS)
This makes "D:" now the same as a subdirectory or other drive.
ie, "D2:" will make all calls to "D:" act as though they are to
"D2:" instead. Some programs when prompting for filenames do not
add "D:" to the beginning if one is not present, they add "D1:".
If you don’t trust a program to look to "D:" instead of "D1:" and
you want it to look to some place OTHER than "D1:" (ie, where "D:"
is pointing which could be a VERY long path list), just add "D:"
to the beginning. ALSO, some programs don’t even ADD "D:"’s if they
aren’t in the filenames you give and may give errors (138, for
example: device not present, ie, if you said "TESTFILE.DAT" it
may think you want "T:" instead of "D:TESTFILE.DAT").
[S] Set ramdisk number. This is also under [O]ptions.
[V] Verify writes. This is also under [O]ptions. When Verify is on,
writes will be slower but 100% reliable. With it off, writes will
be much faster but possibly not as reliable (on bad disks, for
example). Default is off.
AtariDOS presents the user with the following commands which are identical
to MyDOS’s commands: A,B,C(no swaping),D,E,F,G,H,I(some densities),J,K,L,M,N
AtariDOS 2.5 presents the user with the following commands not present or
not the same as MyDOS’s commands:
[O] Duplicate file. This is used to copy a file from one disk to another
using only one drive. (In MyDOS, giving just a source will make
[C]opy act like DOS 2′s Duplicate.)
[P] Format Single. In DOS 2.5, this is used to format 88k (Single Density)
disks. To format an Enhanced Density (127k) disk, just use [I].
In DOS 2.0, [I] is the only format option and only handles 88k.
(I may be wrong, but I have never had a Double Density drive under
Atari DOS 2.0 or 2.5!)
II. General DOS and OS questions:
Q.1) How do I access the disk drives?
A.1) First, you need to have booted with a DOS. All but one DOS is on
disk (SpartaDOS X is on cartridge). When the Atari boots up, it
does some of its ‘boot-up stuff’ which includes looking for a
disk drive connected and turned on which is set up as drive #1.
It then begins to load from the disk’s "boot sector". If none
exists or there’s a nasty error on the disk, you get the
"BOOT ERROR" notice until the error is fixed. (On SpartaDOS disks,
even non-bootable disks have a boot sector, but all the boot
sector is is a small program which displays a ‘not a boot disk’
error).
To end the digression, the answer to ‘how do I access the disk
drives’ starts with ‘you must boot the Atari with a DOS’. Check
the 8-bit FAQ and the UMICH and other FTP archives for lists of
DOSes available for Ataris, but the most used are Atari DOS (for
compatibility with almost ALL older software), MyDOS (for an
Atari DOS compatible high-end DOS), and SpartaDOS (for a very
high-end DOS which looks much like MS-DOS but unfortunately
cannont run all software which runs fine with Atari DOS and
MyDOS.) Note: SpartaDOS does NOT run on Atari 400′s and 800′s
(except the cartridge versions and I believe disk version 1.1).
Now that you have a DOS loaded, the Atari understands the
"D:" device (see below for Atari devices). Since there is more
than one disk drive, you have to be able to tell them apart.
The Atari uses numbers when it has more than one of the same
device, so "D1:" is drive 1, "D2:" is drive 2, "D3:" is drive 3,
etc.!
After the "D:" device name comes the filename. Of the most used
DOSes, only MyDOS supports lowercase letters in filenames, but
since most programs force uppercase entry for filenames, nobody
really seems to use lowercase in their filenames.
Q.2) How do I copy things from one place to another?
A.2) Atari DOS and MyDOS give you the "C" command in their menu
interface. When it asks for a source and destination, you can
use wildcards (* and ? like in most other DOSes) to copy more
than one file at a time. You can also present no destination
so that a file can be copied from one disk in drive 1 to another
disk in drive 1, for example, and the DOS will ask you to insert
each disk.
Q.3) What are subdirectories?
A.3) Subdirectories are places where files go which are just like the
normal directory of a disk, except the they happen to be WITHIN
that normal directory, or even another subdirectory. For example,
you can have your disk divided up into the "GAMES" files, the
"GRAPHICS" files and the "SOUNDS" files. A directory of the disk
(the "root" or "base" or "trunk" directory) will simply list the
three subdirectories, "GAMES", "GRAPHICS" and "SOUNDS". Then,
if you ask for a directory listing of the "GAMES" subdirectory,
you will see the files (and perhaps other subdirectories) within
the "GAMES" directory. Think of it as a tree. For people familiar
with Macintoshes, "Folders" are simply subdirectories. A window
which appears when you open a "Disk" Icon is the "root", and all
of the "Folders" within it have more windows in them which also
have file and folder icons.
Here’s a comparison to using subdirectories on different DOSes
root ’GAMES’ ‘SPACE’ within ‘GAMES’
AtariDOS D: n/a n/a
MyDOS D: D:GAMES: D:GAMES:SPACE:
SpartaDOS D: D:GAMES> D:GAMES>SPACE>
MSDOS (IBM) \ \GAMES\ \GAMES\SPACE\
Note, only Atari DOS would be using drive 1 here, all other DOSes
are not necessarily using drive 1, and MyDOS and SpartaDOS may
already ‘be within’ a subdirectory.
In MyDOS and SpartaDOS (and MSDOS), you can change the ‘current’
or ‘default’ directory to a different place (a different drive or
a subdirectory). "D:" can stand for "D1:" (like AtariDOS always
does) or "D2:GAMES:SPACE:"! PLEASE READ THE MYDOS DOCUMENTS FOR
DETAILS ON THIS!
Q.4) What does "P:", "E:", "K:", etc. mean?
A.4) As stated before, the Atari has devices. "D:" is added when a
bootable disk in drive 1 is read. Other exist as well:
C: cassette – readable and writeable, no filenames
D: disk drive – readable, writeable, random access, directory,
files, multiple devices (up to 9 on MyDOS and newer SpartaDOS,
8 on AtariDOS)
E: editior – readable, writeable. This is how input from the
keyboard and output to the screen is normally handled. If
you wish to type a small file up by hand and have it sent to
the printer or a file, use "E:" as the source.
K: keyboard – readable. This is just the keyboard. Input from
it is not ‘echoed’ back like with the "E:ditor".
P: printer – writeable. Send data to this and it will appear
on the printer. You can print files (documents, etc.) by
using "P:" as the destination. The Atari XL/XE OSes support
"P1:" and "P2:", although I believe this usage is rare.
R: RS232 – readable, writeable, concurrent mode. This is not
built in to the Operating System, but is loaded. It supports
modems. The Atari 850 Interface has it’s "R: handler"
‘built-in’, which means the Atari also looks for an 850 (or
other compatible interface) and receives the "R: handler" code
from it. Other interfaces and the Atari ‘direct-connect’
modems require a file to be loaded which contains the "R:"
code. "R1:" and "R2:" is also supported, but also its usage
seems rare.
Z: RTime8 clock – readable, writeable. This is also not built
in to the OS, but loaded. This is loaded from disk and lets
the user access the "RTime8" real time, battery-backed up clock
for the Atari 8-bit. (This is a cartridge-based device).
I am unaware of any "Z:" clone which let’s you set the Atari
internal (non-real time, non-battery-backed-up) clock if you
do not have an RTime8, although I’d love to see one! <hint!!>
Q.5) How do I print something from DOS?
A.6) As stated above, just use the "C"opy command, then use the file
you wish to print as the ‘source’, and "P:" as the ‘destination’.
Example: "D1:DOCUMENT.TXT,P:"
—=== Getting around on the Atari: BASIC ===—
Q.1) What does "READY" mean?
A.1) Again, this is simply the prompt that Atari BASIC (and most older
BASIC’s) presents the user when it is in "Immediate" mode.
Entering a command will cause it to act immediately.
Entering a line number and then a command will place that line into
the current program.
Entering a line number alone will remove that line from the current
program.
To start a program, use the "RUN" command.
To erase a program, use the "NEW" command.
To clear variables, strings and arrays, use the "CLR" command.
To load a program, use the "LOAD" command followed by a filename
(see below). To load and run a program, use the "RUN" command followed
by a filename.
To save a program, use the "SAVE" command followed by a filename.
To list a program, use the "LIST" command followed by an optional
start and end set of lines seperated by commas.
Q.2) Where can I learn Atari BASIC?
A.2) A (set of) file(s) will be created explaining all of Atari (and Turbo)
BASIC’s commands and their usage. (A larger file may be produced
which will be based on examples provided in the Atari BASIC Reference
Manual). (As of today, 7/23/94, these particular files do not exist).
Q.3) How do I quit BASIC?
A.3.1) Type "DOS" to quit BASIC and return to DOS.
A.3.2) Type "BYE" to quit BASIC and exit to the OS’s "bye" routines
(Atari Memo Pad on 400/800′s, Atari Rainbow on 1200XL’s, and
Self Test on other XL’s and XE’s). (Note: On 1200XL’s, use [HELP]
to go to the Self Test when the Atari Rainbow appears).
A.3.3) For XF2 users, remember, [SHIFT]+[F10] reboots and toggles BASIC.
Q.4) Why don’t strings work?
A.4) Strings must be "dimensioned" like arrays in Atari BASIC. Strings
are special character arrays. See the BASIC usage/etc. files mentioned
in the answer to question 2. Simply put, to make a string that will
accept up to "#" character, use DIM <name>$(#) . Example:
DIM A$(10) - now A$ can contain between 0 and 10 characters.
Q.5) How do I make graphics?
A.5) Use the "GRAPHICS" command to switch between the following screen modes:
(Note: All modes except 0, 9, 10 and 11 have four lines of 40 x 24 x 2
sized text covering the bottom of the screen. Add "16" to the mode
number to remove this window (but do not make any PRINTs or PUTs to
the standard output otherwise a GRAPHICS 0 screen will appear))
(Note: Add "32" to the mode number to keep the screen from clearing
when it appears. One problem, however, all screens overlay each other
so unless you only use certain modes at certain times, parts of some
screens will become (or start out) with ‘garbage’ on them.)
0 40 x 24 x 2 text
1 20 x 24 x 5 text
2 20 x 12 x 5 text
3 40 x 24 x 4 graphics
4 80 x 48 x 2 graphics
5 80 x 48 x 4 graphics
6 160 x 96 x 2 graphics
7 160 x 96 x 4 graphics
8 320 x 192 x 4 graphics
9 80 x 192 x 16 luminence-only graphics
10 80 x 192 x 9 graphics
11 80 x 192 x 16 hue-only graphics
12 40 x 24 x 4-colored text
13 40 x 12 x 4-colored text
14 160 x 192 x 2 graphics
15 160 x 192 x 4 graphics
Commands available in Atari BASIC for manipulating simple graphics
include:
PLOT x,y POSITION x,y COLOR c (c=color or character value)
DRAWTO x,y LOCATE x,y,r (where r is where result will be stored)
SETCOLOR c,h,l (c=palette location, h=hue, l=lum)
Colors:
COLOR command colors are not identical to SETCOLOR command colors:
COLOR 0 will draw using the background color, set with
SETCOLOR 4,hue,lum
COLOR 1 will draw using color "0", set with
SETCOLOR 0,hue,lum
COLOR 2 will draw using color "1", set with
SETCOLOR 1,hue,lum
COLOR 3 will draw using color "2", set with
SETCOLOR 2,hue,lum
Except in GRAPHICS mode 10, where COLORs 0, 1, 2, and 3 must be
POKEd into memory locations 704, 705, 706 and 707 (the
player/missle graphics color locations). Examples of this will
be presented in the BASIC usage files. (Sorry)
Q.6) How do I make sound on the Atari
A.6) Remember, XF2 doesn’t support sound! But, anyways, in Atari BASIC:
SOUND c,p,d,v
c=channel (0-3)
p=pitch (0-255)
d=distortion (0,2,4,6,8,10,12 or 14)
v=volume (0-15)
The buzzer character is CHR$(253) aka [CONTROL]+[2] (NOT [CONTROL]+[G])
Q.7) How do I move the cursor and edit?
A.7) The Atari "E:" device (standard input/output which is the "editor")
allows the following characters for editing:
Key: AtASCII #: Use:
Atari none Turn inverse on/off (Atari 400/800 kybds)
Inverse [Triangle] none Turn inverse on/off (Atari XL/XE kybds)
CAPS none Turns caps-mode to lowercase (400/800 OS)
CAPS none Toggles caps-mode from upper to lower (XL/XE)
Sh-CAPS none Turns caps-mode to uppercase (all OSes)
Ct-CAPS none Turns caps-mode to [Control]-[Lock] (all)
Up ([^-]) 28 Move cursor up
Down ([^=]) 29 Move cursor down
Left ([^+]) 30 Move cursor left
Right ([^*]) 31 Move cursor right
Space 32 Move cursor right (overwrites w/Space char)
BackSpace 126 Move cursor left (deletes previous char)
Delete ([ShBkspc]) 156 Deletes a (logical) line (1-3 physical lines)
Insert ([Sh>]) 157 Inserts a physical line
Ct-Delete ([^Bksp]) 254 Deletes char under cursor, pulls rest left
Ct-Insert ([^>]) 255 Inserts space under cursor, pushes rest right
ClearScn ([^<]) 125 Clears screen
Bell ([^2]) 253 Sounds buzzer
TAB 127 Moves cursor to next TABstop
ClrTAB ([^TAB]) 158 Clears any TABstop under cursor
SetTAB ([ShTAB]) 159 Sets a TABstop under cursor
ESC 27 Sets ESCape (next edit char after is shown,
not done, non-edit chars shown (like normal))
RETURN 155 Sends End Of Line (moves cursor to lowerleft
of next line, accepts input)
Note: Inverse characters have values of the normal version of the
characters plus 128. (The only non-viewable inverse character is
inverse-ESC, or what would be the [ESC],[RETURN] combination. The
character exists, but must be set into screen RAM by hand. Oh well,
at least you still have 255 easily viewable characters! <grin>)
Q.8) How do I make the editor characters appear
A.8.1) As shown above, you must have an ESC sent before them.
When simply entering text, type [ESC] then the edit key and the
character for that edit key should appear.
When entering text in a PRINT statement, you must have it send an
ESC beforehand, so first type [ESC],[ESC] to make an ESCape character
appear, then type [ESC] then the edit key and the character for that
edit key should appear. When the PRINT statement is executed, the
first ESCape (which you typed as two [ESC]‘s) will make the editor
SHOW the following character (even if it is an edit character), then
the character which you entered (with [ESC] and then the edit key)
will make that character appear. This makes it difficult to align
a set of PRINT statements which make a multi-line picture or menu
which uses viewed edit keys. It is probably best to have all of the
lines in your program with the PRINT statements that can fit visible
on the screen, then edit them (without putting any of the ESCape
characters in, then when the picture looks like how you want it on
the screen, move the cursor to on top of each edit-key character and
press [Control]+[>] (Control-Insert). A blank space should appear
under the cursor and the rest of the line should move right. Now,
type [ESC],[ESC] and an ESCape edit-key character should appear
where the blank space was. When you are finished doing that for
each line with those PRINTs in it, BE SURE TO ENTER THEM INTO THE
PROGRAM BY PRESSING [RETURN] ON EACH OF THOSE LINES! Whew!
A.8.2) Set the memory location "766" to "1" with the command "POKE 766,1"
to turn on the no-edit mode (ALL characters except End Of Lines
will appear, even ClearScreens!) When you want to go back into
normal mode, set the location back to "0" with "POKE 766,0".
Q.9) What’s with the colors changing?
A.9) THIS, MY FRIEND, IS THE FIRST EVER SCREEN SAVER! This is called
"Attract mode" as was used on the Atari 2600 and Atari 400/800/XL/XE
series (and probably on the 5200 and 7800 but I cannot confirm this).
When a key hasn’t been pressed for 7 or 9 (depending on OS, model, etc)
minutes, the screen colors begin changing, thus protecting your TV
or monitor from having a static image burned on it.
To turn this mode off, press a key, or, if within a program, use the
command "POKE 77,0" at least once every few minutes (IF the screen is
active, otherwise turning it off would be kinda useless).
To turn it on, wait 7 or 9 minutes without pressing a key or having
location "77" set to "0", or set location "77" to "128" with
"POKE 77,128", voila! instant attract mode!
Q.10) How do I access ‘devices’ on the Atari?
A.10) The following commands are available to Atari BASIC’s (and also
variations on these are available in most other Atari languages!):
OPEN #a,b,c,d$ Opens channel ‘a’ for access to ‘d$’ in mode ‘b’
with auxillary mode ‘c’. Channel ‘a’ must be
free or a ‘Channel already open’ (129) error
occurs. Examples:
OPEN #1,4,0,"K:" – input from keyboard
OPEN #2,8,0,"P:" – output to printer
OPEN #3,12,0,"D:FILE" – random access to disk
OPEN #4,9,0,"D:DATA" – append-output to disk
OPEN #5,13,0,"R:" – concurrent to RS232 (modem)
OPEN #6,6,0,"D:*.TXT" – directory access to disk
(reads directory of "*.TXT" mask)
CLOSE #a Closes channel ‘a’ (freeing it for use)
GET #a,b Reads a byte from channel ‘a’ and stores it in ‘b’
PUT #a,b Puts byte ‘b’ onto channel ‘a’
INPUT #a,b$ Reads a string (up to 255 bytes and a REQUIRED
‘end of line’ (character 155)) from channel ‘a’
and stores it in ‘b$’
INPUT #a,b Reads a string (up to 255 bytes and a REQUIRED
‘end of line’ (character 155)) from channel ‘a’
and stores the numeric value of it in ‘b’
PRINT #a,<stuff> Just like the normal BASIC PRINT statement, but
sends the information to channel ‘a’ (semicolons,
comas, and mixed types are of course allowed).
STATUS #a,b Reads the error ‘status’ of channel ‘a’ and stores
it in ‘b’
XIO a,#b,c,d,e$ General I/O call. This a little complicated and
may be expanded upon in a future revision. Just be aware of the
following:
a – command
b – channel to use (usually must be free)
c – auxillary mode 1
d – auxillary mode 2
e$ – file or device to act upon
Examples:
XIO 32,#1,0,0,"D:FILE,OLDFILE" – renames file
XIO 33,#1,0,0,"D:OLDFILE" – DELETES file
XIO 34,#1,0,0,"D:GAMES" – creates a directory in My- & Sparta-DOS
XIO 35,#1,0,0,"D:NEWFILE" – locks a file from over-write and
deletion
XIO 36,#1,0,0,"D:NEWFILE" – UNlocks a locked file
XIO 40,#1,4,0,"D:PROG.OBJ" – loads and runs a binary file
(like "L" in Atari and MyDOS)
XIO 40,#1,5,0,"D:PROG.OBJ" – loads a binary file
(like "L" in Atari and MyDOS with the "/N" option)
XIO 41,#1,0,0,"D:GAMES" – changes default directory that
drive/subdirectory (all calls to "D:" will now occur within
that drive/directory)
XIO 254,#1,0,0,"D2:" – FORMAT a disk (in Atari DOS 2.5, this is
format ‘enhanced’, to format ‘single’ density, use XIO 253)
(in MyDOS, this is format, but not ‘enhanced’, use
XIO 253,#<channel>,1,0,"D<drive>:" for format a drive in enhanced
mode).
NOTE: 39 and 40 are the same. Also note the useage of AUX1 in the
"XIO 40" example.
—=== Getting Atari files to an IBM: ===—
Q.1) How can I read Atari disks on my IBM?
A.1.1) If you have double-density Atari disks, you can use the program
"Util" on the IBM which can read double-density Atari disks. Please
see the Atari 8-bit FAQ for more details.
A.1.2) If you have an Atari 1050 disk drive, you can use the program MULE
to copy files, one file at a time, 20k chunks at a time, from the
Atari to the IBM. You first must format a 180k disk on your IBM,
the run MULE on your Atari to get a file onto the MULE disk, then
run MULE on the IBM to get the file onto the IBM. Tedious, isn’t
it? MULE wasn’t meant to be a fully-functional program, just a
demo to show that this was even possible.
A.1.3) If you’re fortunate to have a Black Box interface on your Atari,
you can get an external IBM drive and the Black Box’s add-on, the
Floppy-Board and simply copy files from your Atari disks or hard
drive(s) onto IBM disks via the floppy board, then load them up
on your IBM.
Q.2) Ok, I can’t do any of that, now what?
A.2.1) You can use SIO2PC, which is a program for IBM’s which turns your
IBM into a set of Atari disk drives. You need the SIO2PC cable
(which you can purchase, assembled or unassembled, or buy parts
and build it yourself) and the SIO2PC software (available at UMICH).
Connect your IBM to your Atari, load SIO2PC, and then run the
program FILE2PC on the Atari to transfer files to the IBM’s hard
drive. Or instead create a disk image within SIO2PC and copy files
from one disk (a real Atari floppy) to another (the SIO2PC image)
with the Atari or MyDOS "C"opy command. If you want to extract files
out of the SIO2PC disk image file and store them on your IBM’s hard
drive or floppies as single files, either again use FILE2PC or use
S2PC, an IBM program which can extract files from or add files to
MyDOS-compatible SIO2PC disk images!
A.2.2) You can use two modems to download files from your Atari 8-bit.
A.2.3) If you don’t necessarily want files that you already have on your
Atari 8-bit, you can download files from the huge collection
available at FTP sites and Atari 8-bit supporting bulletin boards
and save them onto your IBM.
A.2.4) If you have only one modem, so you can’t connect both your Atari
8-bit and your IBM together via modems, you can do it via null-
modem, OR you can upload files from your Atari to some bulletin
board or account you have access to, and then connect the modem
to your IBM and download the files.
—=== Where to FTP files mentioned in this FAQ: ===—
The PC X-Former can be downloaded from the "ftp.clark.net" FTP site:
Directory/file-path: systems/msdos/emulators/xf2.zip
The following programs are availabel at the "archive.umich.edu" FTP site:
SIO2PC: atari/8bit/sio2pc/*.* [all files are SIO2PC/utility files]
MULE: atari/8bit/Utilities/????
Util: atari/8bit/Utilities/????
AGAIN, >>> PLEASE <<< CHECK OUT THESE OTHER FILES:
ATARI 8-BIT FAQ
PC X-FORMER DOCUMENTS
MYDOS DOCUMENTS
SIO2PC DOCUMENTS
Thanx!
Contacts:
I (Bill Kendrick) can be contacted at:
mailto::kendr…@vax.sonoma.edu
on the "comp.sys.atari.8bit" and "comp.emulators.misc" newsgroups, or
New Breed Software, 59 Palm Lane, Novato, CA 94945.
Darek Mihocka, the author of the PC X-Former can be contacted at:
mailto::dar…@microsoft.com
on the "comp.sys.atari.8bit" and other newsgroups, or
Branch Always Software, 14150 N.E. 20th Street, Ste 302, Belleuve, WA 98007.
Michale Current, keeper of the Atari 8-bit FAQ files can be contacted at:
mailto::mcurr…@carleton.edu
PLEASE add questions and report any mistakes or bugs to me ASAP.
-bill
kendr…@vax.sonoma.edu ||| kendr…@zippy.sonoma.edu
William (Bill) Kendrick / | \ ** New Breed Software **
That was a pin!?