Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!vsi1!zorch!amiga0!mykes From: mykes@amiga0.SF-Bay.ORG (Mike Schwartz) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer Subject: Re: Mike Farren Tutorial. Message-ID: Date: 28 Mar 91 23:47:38 GMT References: <20115@cbmvax.commodore.com> <1991Mar27.012717.11541@starnet.uucp> <1998@aldebaran.cs.nps.navy.mil> <1991Mar27.175514.25590@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> Organization: Amiga makes it possible Lines: 56 In article <1991Mar27.175514.25590@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> es1@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita) writes: >In article <1998@aldebaran.cs.nps.navy.mil> schweige@cs.nps.navy.mil (Jeffrey M. Schweiger) writes: >>In article <1991Mar27.012717.11541@starnet.uucp> sschaem@starnet.uucp (Stephan Schaem) writes: >> >> >> >>>Well PIRACY is the key... From my part its a maybe! if more than 2 >>>people in >>>the ALL AMERICA want HD support, I might considered it... >> >>Well, I, for one, like hard drive support. I also dislike copy protection, >>custom operating systems, and lack of multi-tasking. >> >>By the way, if you mentionned it, I missed it, but what game did you write for >>the Amiga? >> > And to tag onto the list, I too want HD support. I could >never understand why these companies refuse to support it. Some >of the WORST parts of these action games that insist upon taking >over the computer are the time spent waiting for the disk to >load. I don't want to wait! That's why I bought a hard drive! >Shadow of the Beast would be truly excellent if you didn't wait >for a few minutes every time you enter or exit something. > >>-- >>******************************************************************************* >>Jeff Schweiger Standard Disclaimer CompuServe: 74236,1645 >>Internet (Milnet): schweige@taurus.cs.nps.navy.mil >>******************************************************************************* > > > -- Ethan > >Q: How many Comp Sci majors does it take to change a lightbulb >A: None. It's a hardware problem. I have been lobbying Commodore to solve the problem. The problem is not with the developers, but with the OS. What I suggest CBM does is to provide entry points in Exec for software that takes over the machine to access both the floppy drives and the hard disks. It is easy enough for them to do for 2.0 before it goes to ROM. The problem with hard disk support is that it REQUIRES the OS. Since all hard disk controllers have ROM on them, the controllers could easily provide the software routines needed to directly access the hard disk. Commodore should provide routines in Exec that allow AmigaDos access to the hard disk through this mechanism. Single tasking computers can do it, so can the Amiga. There is no need for Exec or AmigaDOS to be running to read the data from the drives. If Commodore provides this support, we will all see more HD Installable games, especially those that take over the machine. -- ******************************************************** * Appendix A of the Amiga Hardware Manual tells you * * everything you need to know to take full advantage * * of the power of the Amiga. And it is only 10 pages! * ********************************************************