Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!menudo.uh.edu!uace0
From: uace0@menudo.uh.edu (Michael B. Vederman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: Re: Stealing vectors... IT's already documented!
Keywords: cookies XBRA
Message-ID: <1991May30.131702.26440@menudo.uh.edu>
Date: 30 May 91 13:17:02 GMT
References: <1991May29.190047.15959@wam.umd.edu> <1991May29.234238.24892@menudo.uh.edu> <1991May30.115257.19816@cs.ruu.nl>
Organization: University of Houston
Lines: 43

In article <1991May30.115257.19816@cs.ruu.nl> nico@cs.ruu.nl (Nico Verwer) writes:
>If this is so, why should I use the cooking jar? I guess there are many
>people like me, who ocasionally write a program which needs to steal a
>vector. If Atari refuses to make the specification of the cooking jar
>PD, it is better to use the XBRA standard, which is well documented and
>PD.

Ooops...  It's supposed to be the "COOKIE JAR" not cooking...  :-)

The cookie jar is an attempt to allow resident programs to leave a memory
resident 'cookie' uniquely identifying that application for any other
application which is aware of it, in one common location.  Then, a longword
following the unique ID can point to some application specific routine/
structure/whatever, or the longword can mean something itself.

The 'cookies' are stored in a table which you can add/delete or change.

>I don't understand why Atari releases the "how to steal a vector"
>specification only to registered developers. Is this to ``protect''

You misunderstood me, so let me make myself clearer:

ATARI DID NOT RELEASE THE 11 COMMANDMENTS FOR TAKING VECTORS!

Charles F. Johnson (CodeHead and Little Green Footballs Software) did!
As far as I know, Atari has never sanctioned that methods described, altho
the methods described are widely accepted and practiced.  I would GUESS that
since Atari is aware of these practices, they will attempt to keep them
working as long as possible in all future TOS/GEM revisions (IMHO).

>-- 
>Nico Verwer                                       | nico@cs.ruu.nl
>Dept. of Computer Science, University of Utrecht  | phone: +31 30 533921
>p.o. box 80.089, 3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands | fax:   +31 30 513791

- mike


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