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From: bruceb@amiga.UUCP (Bruce Barrett)
Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga
Subject: Re: Help with AbasiC
Message-ID: <328@amiga.amiga.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 22-Nov-85 23:22:09 EST
Article-I.D.: amiga.328
Posted: Fri Nov 22 23:22:09 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 24-Nov-85 07:17:16 EST
References: <376@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Reply-To: bruceb@hunter.UUCP (Bruce Barrett)
Distribution: net
Organization: Commodore-Amiga Inc., 983 University Ave #D, Los Gatos CA 95030
Lines: 76

In article <376@ssc-vax.UUCP> warren@ssc-vax.UUCP (Warren Kring) writes:
>Hello world!
>	My main gripe, besides the fact that there's literally no
>software available, is that I can't get the AbasiC to operate in
>other than a 40 column mode.  Is it possible to get an 80 column
>mode out of it...

From Commodore-Amiga (The Gripe busters!):

	Yes, set your Preferences to 80 and use the ABasiC command:

	SCREEN 1,2,0     -- or --	SCREEN 1,3,0

When you first come up.  This command IS documented, see page R-151
of the ABasiC manual.  Parameters are:
	1st - mode, 1=highres, 0=lowres
	2nd - depth (# of bit-planes) 1=2 colors, 2=4 colors, 3=8 colors,...
	3rd - top of screen (# of scan lines from the top)

I do note that this is in the "File Management Commands" section so I
had a little trouble looking it up.  (And I knew I needed the SCREEN
command)  I first tried "graphics", then "I/O" commands.  Found it by
using the command summary in the back of the book.  Oh well...

>	I also have a pre-release of Textcraft.  I realize that 
>what I have isn't the final product, but will the final version
>allow you to continue with other jobs while one is printing???  It
>seems rather useless to have a Multitasking machine if one can't do
>multiple jobs (even if one is a print job).  Perhaps Mr. Commodore
>could answer this one to?

First of all I'll put on my "big bad police man's" hat and say "What
are you doing with a product that: ((keep  :-)ing  please! ))
	a) will be sold (not a give away with the machine)  and
	b) had only be released in a dealer demo version."
My understanding (and I could be wrong) is that Textcraft was sent to
dealers so that they could demo machines, not give an unreleased 
product away.

Anyway, that aside, you are right to note that TC does not "print-spool"
and that all indications are that the Amiga could handle this.  The answers
are:

	1) Just because a machine multi tasks doesn't mean that you (the 
		developer, Arktronics in this case) has to.
	2) Textcraft is meant as an "entry level" word processor.  Not a
		*high-powered* business tool.  Yes, there are some and
		will be other businesses that can use TC.  That is not
		the stated market for THIS product.
	3) *IF* you had lots of memory and *IF* Arktronics had allowed 
		you to use the Amiga-M and Amiga-N keys to get back and
		forth to the workbench screen and *IF* Textcraft ran in a 
		machine with more than 512k of memory and *IF* your
		document(s) was(were) small enough to fit in memory, 
		TWICE  -- *THEN* -- you could run 2 copies of Textcraft,
		printing in one and editing in the other.  ED in the
		CLI, for example will do this.  ED, however, will not
		do many of the other things TC does.

The released 1.0 version of Textcraft will continue to print in this way.
I do not know (and probably couldn't say) when the next rev will be out
and what features it has.  If you want to start a "card and letter" campaign
please either direct it to Arktronics or get in touch with me and I'll 
try to determine if it is us (C/A) or they you should lobby.

Hope that helps!

Bruce Barrett


PS:
>		Boeing Aerospace Co.
		^^^^^^ I like your planes.

PPS:
	Amiga and Textcraft are trademarks of Commodore-Amiga, Inc.