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From: wkmi@cgch.UUCP (Michael Krueger)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.apl,comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: GEM and MIDI using APL.68000; help
Keywords: GEM VDI AES APL.68000 MIDI
Message-ID: <872@cgch.UUCP>
Date: 31 Aug 89 11:47:22 GMT
Sender: news@cgch.UUCP
Organization: WRZ, CIBA-GEIGY Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
Lines: 40


I'd like to write GEM-based applications for an Atari ST using APL.68000
from MircoAPL Ltd. Moreover they should communicate via the MIDI-ports.
As I had only once my hands on the APL.68000 Interpreter (Version 6.0.5c)
for a short time and have a limited understanding (yet) of GEM, I have some
questions:

1. I/O via serial port is implemented with an local auxiliary processor
   (functions ARBIN, ARBOUT). I/O via MIDI-port is *not* implemented.
   Has anybody done this? Are there general difficulties to be expected
   implementing an auxiliary processor for that purpose?

2. GEM Support:
   - There is a Workspace STGRAPH, which allows to call VDI-functions. 
     Is VDI supported completely? Will I be missing something?
   - Concerning AES, demos showed that keyboard/mouse events, dialog boxes
     and alert boxes are supported. What is missing? Are the routines
     graf_* (e.g. rubberbox, slidebox,...) available?
   - Generally: is it possible to write GEM-based applications with all
     "bells and whistles"? I'd like to have icons, sliders, buttons, 
     knobs, and so on. Are toolkits available? Do I have to implement them
     myself?
   - Do I need other development tools (e.g. Resource Construction Set)?

3. In the 83 APL Conference Procedings P.A. Van Cleave describes
   APL.68000's local auxiliary processor (pp 137). He mentions an 
   "68000 cross assembler/editor which runs on APL.68000".
   Is this available? Where? Price? Any good?

4. Any experience with APL-ASS (a tool for binding Assembler programs)?
   Maybe this is only available by the German distributor gdat, Bielefeld?

Gee, thats alot of questions. Thank you for your help.


Michael Krueger
Ciba-Geigy Scientific Computing Center, Basel, Switzerland
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