Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!ria!uwovax!7103_2622
From: 7103_2622@uwovax.uwo.ca (Eric Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: Re: idle rambling
Message-ID: <6854.26de8f43@uwovax.uwo.ca>
Date: 31 Aug 90 20:24:35 GMT
References: <1990Aug30.225713.24233@math.lsa.umich.edu> <6848.26dd860f@uwovax.uwo.ca> <25952@cs.yale.edu>
Lines: 24

In article <25952@cs.yale.edu>, fischer-michael@cs.yale.edu (Michael Fischer) writes:
> In article <6848.26dd860f@uwovax.uwo.ca> 7103_2622@uwovax.uwo.ca (Eric Smith) writes:
>>The other problem is that no one can be sure that the AUTO folder patch
>>is available on every machine; hence, the constant re-invention of the
>>wheel.
> But that's what the cookie jar is for.  A program that wants to patch
> the jump table can test to see if the patch is there already.  If not,
> it can install it itself or else install its own trap handler the old
> way.
> 
But if you need to be able to install it yourself, you're not really saving
anything :-(. I suppose you could check the cookie jar and if the 'TRAP'
or 'MiNT' cookie is not there, print a message telling your user to get
the appropriate software. Seems a bit ugly; unless the trap handler provides
some really nice services (or you need some MiNT specific facilities).

If you've got to have the code in your program for installing the trap
handler yourself, you've had to re-invent the wheel again.
--
Eric R. Smith                     email:
Dept. of Mathematics            ersmith@uwovax.uwo.ca
University of Western Ontario   ersmith@uwovax.bitnet
London, Ont. Canada N6A 5B7
ph: (519) 661-3638