Xref: utzoo comp.sys.atari.st:12988 rec.music.synth:5565
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cwjcc!hal!nic.MR.NET!eta!pwcs!umn-cs!ns!logajan
From: logajan@ns.UUCP (John Logajan x3118)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st,rec.music.synth
Subject: Re: Language for the ATARI
Message-ID: <1030@ns.UUCP>
Date: 14 Dec 88 23:59:42 GMT
References: <3808@alvin.mcnc.org>
Organization: Network Systems Corp. Mpls MN
Lines: 23

Kevin D. Houser writes:
> I need ...  a language for the Atari 
> ST that supports the midi ports ... that will compile
> to 68000 object code ... use the GEM windowing environment.
> Is GFA basic a good choice?

You can do all that stuff from GFA, and compile it with the GFA compiler.

I/O is buffered by the bios and GFA makes use of that.  X=INP(Y) and OUT Y,X
handle midi I/O. (I don't recall the value of Y for midi.)  Given the 
possibility of hanging waiting for input your can do a INP?(Y) test first.

Or you can open the midi ports as files. (I've done this with the RS232 port
for output, and it works great, but I haven't succeeded in doing so for the
input.)

My development language of choice on the Atari ST is GFA Basic.  If you
eventually need speed, you can poke in some assembly language routines
or you can port over to another language.

-- 
- John M. Logajan @ Network Systems; 7600 Boone Ave; Brooklyn Park, MN 55428 -
-    ...rutgers!umn-cs!ns!logajan                or     john@logajan.mn.org  -