Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!imagen!atari!towns
From: towns@atari.UUCP (John Townsend)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Atari SLM804 Laser Printer Woes
Message-ID: <1208@atari.UUCP>
Date: 31 Oct 88 18:50:30 GMT
References: <3f4a59db.14e07@gtephx.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: Atari Corp., Sunnyvale CA
Lines: 45

> 
> I am the person on GEnie who has been pushing Atari to fix the Diablo 630
> emulator. And Atari has known about the Trap 13 Vector bug in the Diablo
> emulator since it's release last year. Atari had NOT moved on this bug until
> AFTER I started griping on GEnie about it. And I didn't do that until after I
> found that MultiDesk wouldn't work with the diablo emulator. It seems that because
> of the poor use of the Trap 13 vector in the Diablo emulator, once MultiDesk
> is loaded in to memory, the emulator is lost. So, I can't even print from the
> desktop with MultiDesk loaded.
> 

Ok. Let me respond to this one. First, the way that Diablo uses the Trap
#13 call is not a bug, it is just different from the way MultiDesk uses the
Trap. Second, the Diablo Emulator _IS_ still there, the desk accessory just
can't locate it. You can still print from the Diablo Emulator with MultiDesk
installed. This will work. Try it. The only thing you can't do is access the
desk accessory to do Form Feeds.


> ..<Lots of Flaming Deleted..>.
> 
> So, please, give me the straight dope and not more promise. Charles Johnson said that
> he could fix the Trap 13 Vector bug in a half an hour. Maybe you should contract
> with him to fix your buggy software!!
> 
> If I sound bitter it is because the SLM804 is the BEST laser printer out, bar none,
> but it is saddled with the most useless system software and lack of support from
> Atari that I have ever seen!!
> 
> richard (still looking for the Laser Brain Epson Emulator) Covert

And Finally, for the hundredth time, Atari Corporation is currently
looking at ways to improve the Diablo Emulator. One of the planned 
improvements is in the way the Desk Accessory locates the Diablo Emulator.
(i.e. Use of Trap #13)

At some point in the near future, we will make some changes to the
Emulator. A release date for a new version has NOT been decided.

The bottom line is, that we realize there is some incompatibilities
with Diablo and other programs. We are working on it! Now give us
some time to do that!

-- John Townsend
   Atari Corp.