Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!chinet!mcdchg!mcdphx!hrc!force!covertr From: covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st Subject: Re: official tos 1.4 release Summary: Once more into the trenches Message-ID: <46207fa0.14a1f@force.UUCP> Date: 9 Oct 89 16:40:44 GMT References: <460c4f58.14a1f@force.UUCP> <2074@hudson.acc.virginia.edu> Distribution: comp.sys.atari.st Organization: gte Lines: 67 In article <2074@hudson.acc.virginia.edu>, gl8f@astsun8.astro.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl) writes: > In article <460c4f58.14a1f@force.UUCP> covertr@force.UUCP (Richard E. Covert) writes: > > > Well, my feeling is that Atari has really dropped the ball on the release of > > TOS 1.4!! > > Lots of feeling, no understanding. I tried to send this email, but > uunet doesn't know where "force.UUCP" is. Well, I can be reached at .../gtephx!covertr. FORCE is a node on our Apollo network. Just try gtephx!covertr. > > You suggest that Atari go ahead and produce updated TOS 1.4 ROMS. This is > probably a bad idea. Can't you just see customer service: "I have this > problem", "What version of TOS are you running?", "TOS 1.4, I just bought > it from my dealer", "Which one, new TOS 1.4 or old TOS 1.4???" Greg, the problem is one of timing. By the time Atari got the TOS 1.4 PROMs out, and notice that they are PROMS not ROMs, bugs had already been identified and repaired by hackers. Since, the offical TOS ROMs still haven't been released, it is not unreasonable to hope that Atari would fix the known bugs before releasing them. I just hate to see TOS 1.4 start off with a bunch of auto folder patches!! And there is still no legal way to buy TOS 1.4 in 100 ns EPROMs so that the Turbo16 can run at full speed. T16 can be setup to access the TOS memory without wait states if the memory is quick enough. Hence the need for 100 ns EPROMs. If Atari was selling TOS in ROMs it might be possible to buy them in 100ns roms. who knows?? > > Or, a user sees TOS14PATCH.ARC on his BBS, and wonders if he's > supposed to run it or not. It's vastly easier to have all TOS ROMS > distributed for a long time be the same, and for all users to need the > same patch program. This is the only philosophy that makes sense for a > home machine. Atari isn't Sun. Greg, the user already needs an auto folder patch for the TOS 1.4 that is being sold by Atari. How many more patches will be needed over the next six months?? > > On another topic, Richard flamed Atari for not providing more software > support to people trying to get the SLM804 working with Mac software. > it's silly to expect David Small to do it if it would take so much > time it wouldn't be cost-effective. > > Can I get down off my soapbox yet? ;-) > > > ------ > Greg Lindahl > gl8f@virginia.edu I'm not the NRA. And finally, Greg, I have stopped asking Dave Small for a 300 dpi QuickDraw driver for the SLM804. As you have just said it appears to be too hard for Dave Small, or anyone else, to develop. So, whose fault is it?? Atari?? Apple?? GBS?? All I know is that when I bought my Spectre 128 from Dave Small in Sept 1988, Dave said that he would provide a 300 dpi driver for the SLM804 laser printer. And now over a year later it has proven to be an impossible task. The best that Dave can do is 144 dpi, which is basically just draft printing on a 300 dpi laser printer. so, while I am not satisified with the Spectre printer driver for the SLM804, at least I know that Dave gave it his best shot!! So, I am NOT flaming GBS. I am just waiting for GBS to release the Spectre version 2.0 software so that I can use my SLM804 laser printer in 144 dpi mode. Richard (gtephx!covertr) Covert