Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cbmvax!bpa!rutgers!orstcs!nikola!richarr
From: richarr@nikola.cs.orst.edu (Robert Steven Richardson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: 1.4 Hopes and Dreams
Summary: System beep function
Message-ID: <9526@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU>
Date: 20 Mar 89 01:56:11 GMT
Sender: usenet@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU
Reply-To: richarr@nikola.UUCP (Robert Steven Richardson)
Distribution: na
Organization: Oregon State Universtiy - CS - Corvallis, Oregon
Lines: 33

I am sure there are far more important and pressing features to add in
1.4 than the following suggestion, but let me qualify why I think it
should be considered.  The Amiga is not just the best machine for many
applications, but it is also often a FUN machine to use and tailor to
one's personal tastes.  Bearing that in mind, here lies my suggestion:

A system beep() function.  Any program calls this function, and all it
does is play an IFF sample file stored in SYS:s/beep-sample.

The volume of the beep could be adjusted in preferences, as well as   
the default filename.  To conserve space on the workbench disk, the
"factory shipped sample" could be a simple sawtooth wave of a short
duration.  An ambitious user could change the beep-sample file with
whatever they want to customize the machine.  This can already be done,
by the way, on the MacInTrash.  So why can't we?

A possible extension of the idea would be two functions:  attentionbeep()
and  errorbeep().  You could configure these to play two different samples.
THe first sample could be something like "Hey! I'm waiting", and the other
could be "I'm sorry Dave, but I'm afraid I can't do that."

While I'm far from a competent operating system programmer, the above
seems fairly simple and small to implement, and could be a lot of fun
to use.  I would be eternally grateful if this was implemented.

Thanks,
Bob Richardson
richarr@nikola.cs.orst.edu
220 NW 21st, Corvallis OR 97330
503-758-5018

PS: How about BSD 4.3 Unix on ROM for $39.95?  Might be popular!
(And a C-64 version too--the CP/M cartridge is too out of date)