Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!pyramid!hplabs!ucbvax!RICE.EDU!Sun-Spots-Request From: Sun-Spots-Request@RICE.EDU.UUCP Newsgroups: mod.computers.sun Subject: SUN-Spots Digest, v4n18 Message-ID: <1986.06.19.16.31.05.005.10299@iapetus.rice> Date: Thu, 19-Jun-86 17:31:04 EDT Article-I.D.: iapetus.1986.06.19.16.31.05.005.10299 Posted: Thu Jun 19 17:31:04 1986 Date-Received: Sun, 22-Jun-86 00:50:32 EDT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: Sun-Spots@Rice.edu Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 446 Approved: sun-spots@rice.edu SUN-SPOTS DIGEST Thursday, 19 June 1986 Volume 4 : Issue 18 Today's Topics: V-System release 6.0 Mount deadlocks Suntools under 2.0 and SunView under 3.0 (3) Sun 2 running 3.0 and TeX Sun release 3.0 compiler bug LCF lives Suncore from Franz Lisp How to track the cursor on the screen under SunView? Audio Visual uses of Sun workstation output? MACSYMA on SUN-3s? Sun as a Timesharing Box? MDQS on Sun 3.0? Will Sun-3's run 68010 executables? Need suppliers for new 9" Hitachi/NEC drives? Need cheap paint program? Atof bug fix? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: 18 Jun 1986 1626-PDT (Wednesday) From: Lance Berc Subject: V-System release 6.0 A new version of Stanford's V-System, release 6.0, is now available. The V-System is a distributed operating system which runs on Sun and MicroVax workstations. It's based on a distributed kernel that provides lightweight processes and network transparent, high speed interprocess communication. Utilities and applications include a high performance window system, internet network protocol handlers, mouse oriented editors, and the TeX family of document compilers. Enhancements between release 5.0 and 6.0 include changes to naming & authentication, group ipc, many more applications, and ports to DEC MicroVax-II & Sun-2/50 and Sun-3 workstations. Release information is available through the Stanford Office of Technology Licensing. Their address is: Office of Technology Licensing Suite 250 350 Cambridge Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94306 (415) 723-0651 Lance Berc lance@pescadero.stanford.edu ----------------------------- Date: Sat, 14 Jun 86 19:53:26 EDT From: Barry Shein Subject: mount deadlocks Re: will cross-mounting file-systems cause deadlocks if the two systems come up at about the same time. Yes. BUT, the good news is, simply move the line which does the mounts to below the one which starts up NFSD in /etc/rc.local and the problem seems to be solved. Note that if your fstab names local mounts before NFS mounts (almost certainly should) the worst that could happen is the far end has to wait for you to get to that point. That is, '/etc/mount -vat nfs' should be about the last thing in your /etc/rc.local file. Use your common sense, it wouldn't be wierd to do local mounts early and only NFS mounts at the end, whatever makes you happy but that's all that should be involved. -Barry Shein, Boston University [I would suggest SUN change the default rc.local on the distribution tape to be this way unless someone can come up with a reason why not.] ----------------------------- Date: Thu, 12 Jun 86 16:50:49 -0500 From: Mark Weiser Subject: Suntools under 2.0 and SunView under 3.0 (1) Panels are not a SunView feature, they appeared over a year ago. From the Sun 2.0 Programmers Reference Manual for SunWindows (April 1985): The option subwindow package is included in this release, but will *not* be included in future releases of SunWindows. We recommend that client programs instead use the panel subwindow package. That was a year's warning, not even "might not be included", but "WILL not be included". Plenty of time to convert to panels (especially since that same manual also gives a recipe for converting options to panels which I had to use at one point and found pretty easy.) -mark ----- Spoken: Mark Weiser ARPA: mark@maryland Phone: +1-301-454-7817 CSNet: mark@umcp-cs UUCP: {seismo,allegra}!umcp-cs!mark USPS: Computer Science Dept., University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 ----------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Jun 86 14:03:49 bst From: David England Subject: Suntools under 2.0 and SunView under 3.0 (2) In the 2.0 Sunwindows Reference Manual App. F on Option Subwindows it says: [1st para.] "NOTE: The option subwindow package is included in this release but will *not* be included in future releases of SunWindows. We recommend that client programs instead use the panel subwindow package .... " etc. This was also pointed out at Sun User group meetings by Sun representatives in the UK. You had been warned. Dave ..!mcvax!ukc!dcl-cs!de "I like to go where the action is. Move in, move out. And no paper work." ----------------------------- Date: Fri, 13 Jun 86 14:52:50 CDT From: William LeFebvre Subject: egg on face, foot in mouth, general stupidity (3) Well, what's a gentleman to do when he discovers that he has made a complete fool of himself in front of thousands of people nation-wide? As several people have pointed out to me, it was well documented in the Sun release 2.0 manuals that option subwindows were going away and would not be supported in future releases. My apologies to Sun and to those I misled or otherwise offended. As I look thru the Sun 2.0 manuals, it occurs to me that I have never seen these things before. I suddenly realize that ALL of my SunWindow hacking was done with the Release 1.1 manuals in my lap, and not 2.0! No wonder the disappearing optionsw took me by surprise. But why is this? I don't know---it may have something to do with the fact that someone here at Rice hid the Sun 2.0 manuals in binders that say "Digital" on the outside. As for VorTeX, the people at Berkeley apparently did not heed the warning any more than I did. But, an hour's worth of hacking or so with a 2.0 manual in my lap, and I think I have a dvitool that will compile and run under both 2.0 and 3.0 (SunWindows and SunView). I really do like SunView alot better than the old stuff. The user interface is nicer to use and the program interface is MUCH, MUCH BETTER than the old one. No more of this declaring and initializing 300 different structures and calling 100 different routines that each require you to give a different field of the structure the last routine returned. Everything is much more straightforward. Coming soon to a mailbox near you......a review of VorTeX. William LeFebvre Department of Computer Science Rice University ----------------------------- Date: Fri 13 Jun 86 14:54:33-PDT From: Pierre MacKay Subject: Sun 2 running 3.0 and TeX Numerous reports confirm that there are serious bugs in Sun operating system 3.0 when it is brought up on a Sun 2. The most obvious for people trying to bring up TeX and Metafont appear to center on the IO library, or at least in that vicinity. Both initex and inimf will compile, but inimf usually causes an instantaneous core dump when it is invoked, and initex, though it will apparently run almost to completion, hangs on the \dump phase. This is absolutely NOT a defect in the TeX or METAFONT code. The very same code works in version 3.0 when it is run on a SUN 3. It also works in versions of SUN 2 software before 3.0. The problem is assuredly not limited to TeX and METAFONT, but it is particularly crippling in the case of thos programs. The only thing I can suggest, besides screams of protest, is that binaries from earlier versions MAY work for now. They certainly run on a SUN 3, though you can't expect to undump them for real convenience. But this really MUST be fixed. Pierre ----------------------------- Date: Sat, 14 Jun 86 18:02:45 -0100 From: GIBBS Simon Subject: Sun release 3.0 compiler bug WARNING - SUN 3 cc optimizer bug Try compiling and executing the following program: main() { int i = 0; char *p = " "; register r1 = 0; register char r2 = *(p+i); if(r2 == 'x') r1 = r1 - 1; else if(r2 == ' ') r1 = 1; printf("%d\n", r1); } it should print a 1. The results we've had are: compiler on OS: without -O with -O 4.2 1 1 Sun release 2.2 1 1 Sun release 3.0 1 0 ??? Simon Gibbs Centre Universitaire d'Informatique Universite de Geneve ----------------------------- Date: Fri, 13 Jun 86 13:09:58 edt From: young@ll-vlsi (George Young) Subject: LCF lives LCF does exist -- I talked to them last week. They can be reached at: tel. (408) 221-0776 LCF International 2530 Berrryessa Rd. suite 507 San Jose, California 95132 They have 4MB multibus boards available immediately, VME boards are in production, but will be 4-6 weeks for delivery. All boards have lifetime warranty-- phone in report of a fault and they will fed-express a new board, then you send back old board. [I have no connection with LCF, just a brain damaged sun-1/100 starving for memory] ----------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Jun 86 13:56:24 bst From: David England Subject: Suncore from Franz Lisp On our version on Franz Lisp these files exist in /usr/lib/lisp; /usr/lib/lisp/suncore.demo.l /usr/lib/lisp/suncore.l /usr/lib/lisp/suncore.o /usr/lib/lisp/suncoreinit.c /usr/lib/lisp/suncoreinit.o This is Franz Lisp opus 42.16.3 1985 (fasl '/usr/lib/lispsuncore.o) gives assess to SunCore routines which are prefixed by 'sc:' e.g. (sc:initialize_core sc:buffered sc:synchronous sc:twod) (sc:initialize_view_surface viewsurf sc:false) (sc:select_view_surface viewsurf) (sc:set_window 0.0 100.0 0.0 100.0) (sc:create_retained_segment 1) ;;; some drawing routines (sc:close_retained_segment 1) (sc:terminate_core) I know Suncore and C but not lisp. This was borrowed from a lisp hacking colleague. Dave uucp: ...!mcvax!ukc!dcl-cs!de arpa: de%lancs.comp@ucl-cs "I like to go where the action is. Move in, move out. And no paper work." ----------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Jun 86 19:26:56 CDT From: Bill Janssen Subject: How to track the cursor on the screen under SunView? Question for you SunView hackers: how does one track the cursor on the screen, when it goes outside the window it's associated with? I'd like to get all mouse events, no matter where the cursor is on the screen. I'd like to have the location reported in the window coordinates, but screen coordinates will be fine too. I'm using SunTools (release 3.0, I believe) on a Sun-3/160 with a color monitor. I've tried (in order of frustration :-)) 1. Setting the window attribute WIN_GRAB_ALL_INPUT to TRUE with window_set(). When the mouse leaves the window boundary, events stop happening until it comes back in. No good. 2. Calling "win_grabio()" and "win_releaseio()". Same no good effects. 3. Using the complete "fullscreen" package described in Chapter 12 of the "SunView System Programmer's Manual". Same results. 4. Opening "/dev/mouse" and reading the thing directly. I DON'T like to do this under SunTools! (and don't understand what I'm reading, either :-)) Sun claims it can't be done unless SunTools is modified. Anyone know differently? (And what DOES fullscreen do for one, anyway?) Bill ----------------------------- Date: Tue, 10 Jun 86 13:32:33 edt From: Bob Marcus Subject: Audio Visual uses of Sun workstation output? We are interested in producing transparencies, videotapes, and 35mm slides from Sun workstation output. We would appreciate information on hardware and software packages which would give us this capability, along with any relevant user experience. Thank you for your help. Steve Boudreau AV Specialist Wang Institute of Graduate Studies ----------------------------- Date: Fri, 13 Jun 86 09:31 EST From: Diana Wegner Subject: MACSYMA on SUN-3s? Does anyone have experience running MACSYMA on a Sun-3? We will soon be receiving five diskless Suns and a file server with color monitor and are considering running MACSYMA on the file server node. We are interested in any information available. Thanks in advance, Diana Wegner Mathematics Department General Motors Research Laboratories csnet address: wegner@gmr.com ----------------------------- Date: Fri, 13 Jun 86 21:10:42 edt From: Ken Mandelberg Subject: Sun as a Timesharing Box? Is anyone using a Sun for straight Unix Timesharing with many users? What would it take to configure a Sun system to handle say 40 students simultaneously doing course work? Ken Mandelberg Emory University Dept of Math and CS Atlanta, Ga 30322 {akgua,sb1,gatech,decvax}!emory!km USENET km@emory CSNET km.emory@csnet-relay ARPANET ----------------------------- Date: 13 Jun 86 14:55:44 PDT (Fri) From: trwrb!trwspp!spp2!urban@ucbvax.berkeley.edu Subject: MDQS on Sun 3.0? Has anyone gotten BRL's `MDQS' spooling system working under version 3.0? Some of our users have reported that the "netsend" routine stopped working when they started running 3.0. Mike ----------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Jun 86 14:57:18 PDT From: speck@vlsi.caltech.edu (Don Speck) Subject: Will Sun-3's run 68010 executables? This summer, half of our Sun-2's will be upgraded to Sun-3's CPUs. The Sun Unix 3.0 documentation claims that we need to keep separate /usr.68010 and /usr.68020 directories, but we don't have disk space for it. Is it really true that 68020's won't run 68010 binaries? I thought the 68020 was supposed to be upward compatible! What is it that goes wrong? Page size mismatch? Don Speck speck@vlsi.caltech.edu seismo!cit-vax!speck ----------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Jun 86 17:25:48 pdt From: bake@ee.UCLA.EDU (Dr Rich Baker) Subject: Need suppliers for new 9" Hitachi/NEC drives? Hitachi has a new 9" 525 MB (unformatted) drive, the DK-815, which sports an 18 ms average access time. We are considering it for use on a Sun file server. We understand NEC has a similar product. Both fit in 1/2 the space of the typical Fujitsu Eagle. (1) Anyone using these drives? (2) Who are your suppliers? I'll summarize responses to Sun-Spots. Rich Baker, EE Dept, UCLA bake@ee.ucla.edu ucbvax!ucla-cs!bake ----------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Jun 86 15:39:49 pdt From: bake@ee.UCLA.EDU (Dr Rich Baker) Subject: Need cheap paint program? We need a good program for creating figures for technical publications (IEEE, conferences) that runs on the Sun and creates ditroff or postscript for laserprinting. It should be able to do block diagrams, schematics, simple charts, etc., with typeset legends. What do all you folks use? I'll post your suggestions. Rich Baker, Asst. Prof., EE Dept, UCLA bake@ee.ucla.edu [ucbvax!]ucla-cs!bake ----------------------------- Date: 18 Jun 1986 12:05:22 EDT (Wednesday) From: T. Michael Louden (MS W422) Subject: atof bug? Does anyone have a fix for the atof function? I find that although the manual says it returns a double you only get 6 decimal place accuracy. Somewhere it must be doing float math. ----------------------------- End of SUN-Spots Digest ***********************