Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!dptg!lzsc!hcj
From: hcj@lzsc.ATT.COM (HC Johnson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Switch Back
Summary: You are too harsh
Message-ID: <1881@lzsc.ATT.COM>
Date: 15 Jun 90 15:23:16 GMT
References: <382@trwrb.dsd.trw.com>
Organization: AT&T BL Middletown/Lincroft NJ USA
Lines: 37

In article <382@trwrb.dsd.trw.com>, gibson@trwrb.dsd.trw.com (Greg Gibson) writes:
> <I am interested in hearing of others' experiences with a product from

>  I also asked "Switch Back" this question.  They said they
> did not have a list but in general it works with programs that do not
> continuously read drive A.
> 
> For me, this reponse was to vague.  I did not buy "Switch Back".
> 
> GG

This is not a vague answer.  Its hard fact.  Switch back grabs an interrupt
from the printer and uses it to activate a TSR program that will save
the memory image of the whole configured RAM (.5, 1,2 megs).

The image is loadable on any machine and the program can be restarted.
Most TOS applications work well this way.

It is useful in the following ways:

1. snapshot a game, so that you can restart it at that point.
2. capture a Copy protected program so that it can be run later without
	the D..n protect disk.  Many CP programs only read the floppy once
	and then are happy.

Switch-Back warns that games that boot pose problems.
Also, programs that set out to defeat S-B can do so.

Finally, If a program were to continuously keep checking the CP floppy
then indead there is no real advantage to S-B.

I have it, use it occasionally, and like it.

Howard C. Johnson
ATT Bell Labs
att!lzsc!hcj
hcj@lzsc.att.com