Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!orchid!rbharding
From: rbharding@orchid.waterloo.edu (Ron Harding)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: ATASCII to ASCII
Summary: A simple C program to do it.
Keywords: ATASCII ASCII
Message-ID: <650@orchid.waterloo.edu>
Date: 13 Nov 89 01:24:48 GMT
References: <18039@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Reply-To: rbharding@orchid.waterloo.edu (Ron Harding)
Distribution: na
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 52

In article <18039@watdragon.waterloo.edu> rrwood@lotus.waterloo.edu (Roy Wood) writes:
>I realize that this has probably been asked before, but I'm asking again.
>
>I have a couple of text files that I would like to print from my Unix account,
>but they are ATASCII files, not ASCII.  Is there a utility I can use to convert
>them to ASCII without having to download them to my 130XE (which understands
>ATASCII) and upload them to the Unix account (the software for the 130XE knows
>how to convert ATASCII to ASCII).  Obviously I could write the software myself,
>but then I'd have to actually think about it and spend time I  can't afford.
>
>So, in the interests of my own laziness and desire to survive this academic
>term, I appeal to you.
>
>
>
>Thanks, 
>
>Roy Wood (rrwood@lotus.waterloo.edu)

    Just a couple days ago I had the same problem.  Since I'm not so lazy, I
whipped out a quickie fix for the problem.  The fruits of my labors appear
below, in source code form.

    Just cut the source into a file with some appropriate name like "convert.c"
and type, to the shell, "cc -o ~/bin/convert convert.c"

    You should then have an executable program, which acts like a filter, i.e.,
it reads ATASCII from standard input, and writes Unix ASCII to standard output.

    My specific use of it was "convert <kermit65.doc | lpr"

    It is, of course, rather simplistic.  It just changes $9b's to $0a's.  
Other ATASCII weirdities like inverse video aren't considered.

    Anyway, here's the source.  It's very complex, so don't try to understand
it unless you have a PhD in computer science.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 "Nuke 'Em!  Get them before they get you.     | Ron Harding
  Another quality home game from Butler Bros." | rbharding@orchid.waterloo.edu
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

================================Snip, snip======================================
#include <stdio.h>

main() {
	int c;

	while( (c=getchar()) != EOF )
		if( c == 0x9b ) putchar( 0x0a );
		else putchar( c );
}