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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!unido!infbs!tubsibr!hafer
From: hafer@tubsibr.uucp (Udo Hafermann)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.apl,comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: GEM and MIDI using APL.68000; help
Keywords: GEM VDI AES APL.68000 MIDI
Message-ID: <1989Sep4.094431.3176@tubsibr.uucp>
Date: 4 Sep 89 09:44:31 GMT
References: <872@cgch.UUCP>
Sender: hafer@tubsibr.uucp (Udo Hafermann)
Organization: TU Braunschweig, Informatik (Bueltenweg), Germany
Lines: 41

wkmi@cgch.UUCP (Michael Krueger) writes:


>I'd like to write GEM-based applications for an Atari ST using APL.68000
>from MicroAPL Ltd. Moreover they should communicate via the
>MIDI-ports. ...

>1. I/O via serial port is implemented with a local auxiliary processor
>   (functions ARBIN, ARBOUT). I/O via MIDI-port is *not* implemented.

It is, only it's not documented.  Just specify the appropriate port
number (3, I think).  APL.68000 won't be fast enough for real-time
musical applications;  you'd have to write an own auxiliary processor
for that.  The neat thing about ARBIN is that you can read any amount
of data in one chunk without worrying about buffering.  I had no
problems writing a soundbank manager for my synth.

>2. GEM Support:
>   - There is a Workspace STGRAPH, which allows to call VDI-functions. 
>     Is VDI supported completely?

Yes.  There is a low level interface.  (Well, you can't do raster
copying or anything requiring absolute pointers.)

>   - Concerning AES, ... What is missing?

Quite a lot ... especially user-defined windows.  There is no generic
way to call AES functions except from an auxiliary processor.  I
haven't tried much of that, though.

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

gdat supplies quite a few tools for writing Window/Menu/Icon-based
applications, in particular, a fast editor package.  You should
contact them (they are not on the net, unfortunately).

[Perhaps you should take a look at the APL.68000/MWC interface I posted
recently.]
						Udo Hafermann