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From: markv@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: Newbie developer blues.
Message-ID: <27272.275e25d3@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu>
Date: 6 Dec 90 17:04:51 GMT
References: <901204.08444761.046515@CMR.CP6>
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services
Lines: 83

>      OK, I'm taking my first steps into the wonderful world of Amiga
> developing. So I have a few questions for those who have gone before, and
> who have already made the mistakes I will probably make if I try this
> totally unassisted. 
>      1) What does developer's status with CBM entail? Who do I contact
>         about getting it? How much? Student discount?

Commodore has two types of developer's programs.  Certified is $75 a
year and gets you discounts on hardware, a subscription to AmigaMail,
and access to pre-release versions of software for development and
testing purposes.  (In the last year this has included 1.4/2.0 and
TCP/IP software, and other stuff).  If I remember there is also a
one-time registration fee of $50 the first time you register, but my
memory is fuzzy.  No student discount, but the price is reasonable.
(There is also a "Commercial" level that is $500 a year, gives a
higher level of direct support, but is limited to firms with already
released commercial products).

>      2) What is out there in terms of essential literature? Where do you
>         get them?

Certainly the RKMs (Addison-Wesley).  With the 1.3 that means the "Includes and
Autodocs" and the "Libraries and Devices".  Also the DOS manual
(Bantam) for 1.2 (there hasn't been a new release for 1.3).  Keep in
mind the new RKMs have blue covers, older ones will be white.  The
RKMs can be ordered from Commodore if you are a developer.  If you are
doing hardware devices you certainly want the "Hardware Reference
Manual".  There are other things like the "DevCon" notes, a collection
of conference notes from the annual developers conference.  The 1990
notes include extensive material on Zorro III, 2.0, and the 3000
hardware.
 
>      3) What are the 'must have' developer's tools?

Certainly a full C compiler with docs, and a source level debugger.
An Amiga with a hard drive.  A printer.  A plethora of public domain
helps.  GOMF.  A dumb serial terminal or other computer for use with
things like enforcer or ROM-Wack.
 
>      4) With regards to C, what are the incompatabilities between Manx and
>         SAS? What versions are most recent? Recommendations? How hard is it
>         to port Manx source to SAS source?

Like many compilers most of the differences are in the libraries.  If
you only use ANSI/"standard" C functions and Amiga functions the port
will be easy.  I have SAS and am quite happy.  SAS/Lattice has several
non-ANSI functions that are very nice and I *do* use, especially in
terms of strings and file handling.  These kinds of things are much
less portable, but certainly still no too difficult.
 
>      5) My first project entails writing a device driver. Where can I find
>         info on this? Example source? How big of a project am I looking at?

Source to a sample device driver is probably the best place to start.
(There is such source in the "Includes and Autodocs".)  If you are
writing a device driver to duplicte the interface of an existing one,
studying that device driver's docs is good too.  A good reference on
the run-time interface, behavior, process, etc is the "Amiga
Programmers Reference - Volume 2" by Eugene Mortimore.  Although
somewhat dated (1.2) it has an excellent discussion of the linkage of
system structures and the processes of Device I/O and a chapter on
each device and it's specifics.
 
> That should about cover it. (For now :) ) War stories, horror stories etc.
> are welcome. I'm willing to read 'wise old man from the hill' letters too.
> (I remember writing that 3D raytrace program for the Altair 6800. Boy, was
>  that a project... :) )

My notes are from the perspective of a student and relativly new
developer (last 6 months).  I've been working for an existing
developer on a project, but that is almost done, and I've applied for
status on my own to continue developing some of my own ideas.

> Thanx in advance.
>  Dennis Grant
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Mark Gooderum                 /\     \ | /     H a p p y  
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University of Kansas        /v  v\   / | \    ///
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