Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!uwvax!per2!dag
From: dag@per2.UUCP (Daniel A. Glasser)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: More ELITE(tm) strangeness
Summary: No accessories or TSRs loaded, no extra external hardware
Message-ID: <832@per2.UUCP>
Date: 20 Mar 89 22:23:31 GMT
References: <0218891426200604@dynasoft.UUCP>
Organization: Persoft Inc., Madison, WI
Lines: 55

In article <0218891426200604@dynasoft.UUCP>, dynasoft!john@stag.UUCP (John Stanley) writes:
[quoted description of joystick problem deleted]
>   Hi Dan.  The problem you 1st described is symptomatic of too much
> time spent inside a hi priority interrupt.  The keyboard processor
> doesn't do any handshaking with the 68000.  When the keyboard is
> ready to tell the ST about a keypress or a mouse action, your machine
> has to be ready to grab the data fairly quick, or it's lost.  If this
> happens, the 2nd byte of the keyboard message packet is interpreted
> as if it were the 1st with odd consequences.  (Most often, this
> causes a series of repeating ESC keypresses that stop when you hit
> some other key on the keyboard.)  This is often caused by "background"
> programs, multitaskers, or TSRs like corner clocks.  If you have
> anything loaded, try running the game from a completely unloaded
> machine.

This problem is occuring without any background programs.  There are no
desk accessories, no TSRs.  I know what the symptom is and I know about
out-of-sync packets.  I always run Elite with my hard drive turned off
and booting the program from power-up.

[quoted description of 11 bombs on screen deleted]

>   This is another bug I've seen before.  It's "normaly" caused by
> programs that can't keep up with a fast typing rate and is actualy a
> bug in the OS that bombs-out when the keyboard buffer overflows.

It is because I know about these problems that I posted my query --
There must be something wrong with my hardware to keep it running too slow
for the game.  I want to know if there is some ikbd incompatibility where
the keyboard is sending joystick reports too fast for the system to process
them -- not at too fast a baud rate, just too close together.

>   Both problems point to "something" that is causing your machine to
> spend lots of time doing something other than running ELITE (probably
> something in a high priority interrupt).  If you do have lots of
> accessories and TSR programs, I'd try running Elite with them
> unloaded.  If you don't, then I'd suggest you have your machine
> checked out by a good service center.

Unfortunatly, there is no such thing in the Madison, WI, area.

> > Any help is appreciated.
> 
>   I hope this does help...
> 
Your help is appreciated.

	Thanks,

			Daniel Glasser
-- 
 _____________________________________________________________________________
    Daniel A. Glasser                           One of those things that goes
    uwvax!per2!dag                              "BUMP!!!(ouch)" in the night. 
 ---Persoft, Inc.---------465 Science Drive-------Madison, WI 53711-----------