Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!jgreco
From: jgreco@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Joe Greco)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm
Subject: Re: More on fastloaders, etc
Message-ID: <1481@csd4.milw.wisc.edu>
Date: 9 Mar 89 03:51:57 GMT
References: <1376@csd4.milw.wisc.edu> <89Mar7.154848est.2399@godzilla.eecg.toronto.edu>
Sender: news@csd4.milw.wisc.edu
Reply-To: jgreco@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Joe Greco)
Organization: Starbase 74 - Starfleet Operational Support Services
Lines: 63

In comp.sys.cbm article <89Mar7.154848est.2399@godzilla.eecg.toronto.edu>, leblanc@eecg.toronto.edu (Marcel LeBlanc) wrote:
]>That would be nice, as long as it is not "corrupted" by unusual
]>settings on the machine.  That's one of the gripes I have with the
]>Card's monitor....  the BBS environment messes it up.  :-)
]
]The monitor on SS V4, as well as most other features (except wedge, F-keys),
]will work in any machine state.  I have never found a machine configuration
]that interferes with the monitor.  As a test, try:
]
]	$2000	ldy #0
]		lda #some_byte_value
]	loop	sta $0000,y
]		iny
]		bne loop
]		inc loop+2
]		ldx loop+2
]		cpx #$10	;erase 0 to $1000
]		bcc loop
]	endless	jmp endless
]
]This will overwrite all of memory from 0 to $1000.  You can interrupt this
]with SS V4, enter the monitor, then RESUME without any difficulty.  Just for
]fun, add some code to turn on NMI and IRQ interrupts from the CIAs or the
]VIC chip (raster IRQ), put the interrupt service routines in the RAM at
]$E000-$FFFF or $D000-DFFF, turn on any display mode, or anything else you
]can think of, and none of this will make any difference to the operation of
]SS V4.  You will still be able to interrupt, make modifications with the
]monitor, and resume execution.  Except for a few bytes on the stack
]generated by the interrupt, nothing will be corrupted by SS V4.

You haven't told us anything about the monitor itself, though.  Is it
a decent monitor?  Does it follow the "Commodore" style?  Built in
single line assembler?  One of my favorite things to look for is to
see if the load command has an option for relocating load....

I seem to recall one particularly horrid cartridge based monitor, and
I suspect it was the one in "Fastload."

]>I find the problem with programmable function keys is that they tend
]>to get really messy, especially with programs that expect to be able
]>to use them.  This brings up a more general question:  Overall, how
]>"compatible" IS this beastie?
]
]I haven't found any programs where the F-keys interfered, but I can't say
]that I've tried that many.  If you do find a program where they interfere,
]you can disable the F-keys separately from the wedge and the fast
]loader/saver.  If you haven't disabled the wedge, you can enable/disable any
]of these from the wedge, or you can use one of the menus in SS V4 to
]enable/disable features individually.  All things considered, I think it's
]safe to say that SS V4 is AT LEAST as compatible as the classic Epyx
]FastLoad.

That's not saying a whole heck of a lot.  ;-)

Now.... any users of SS V4.... let's pose it like this.  Has anyone
had any bad experiences?  Had to unplug the thing?  Any positive comments?

ANYTHING?  :-)
--
jgreco@csd4.milw.wisc.edu		Joe Greco at FidoNet 1:154/200
USnail: 9905 W Montana Ave			     PunterNet Node 30 or 31
	West Allis, WI  53227-3329	"These aren't anybody's opinions."
Voice:	414/321-6184			Data: 414/321-9287 (Happy Hacker's BBS)