Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!sun-barr!sun!imagen!atari!kbad
From: kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: TOS environment
Summary: `the_env' is one of those "unused, reserved" variables.
Message-ID: <1529@atari.UUCP>
Date: 6 Jun 89 22:47:41 GMT
References: <1232@infbs.UUCP>
Reply-To: kbad@atari.UUCP (Ken Badertscher)
Organization: Atari Corp., Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 26

In article <1232@infbs.UUCP> hafer@infbs.UUCP (Udo Hafermann) writes:
| What is the TOS variable 'the_env' (at 0x4be) used for?  The documentation
| says it is an evironment pointer and is 0L.  Does any software use it?


The system variable the_env is currently not used by the OS, but is
reserved for use by Atari.  It is documented as a "null environment;
four bytes of 0."  Back in the dark ages of TOS, before the environment
started getting set up later on in system startup, these four bytes
were a convenient place for GEMDOS to pick up a null environment
string.  It's done differently these days, but the cruft of the_env is
still lying about.

If you're looking for low memory space to put something, there are much
better places than at the_env.  Please don't use it.

I don't know of any software that uses it currently.  I am still
planning (someday) on releasing the DA/program environment-setter that
I have put together, and as system software, I may have it use the_env
for something meaningful.  If I do, I'll be sure to document its
purpose far and wide.

-- 
   |||   Ken Badertscher  (ames!atari!kbad)
   |||   Atari R&D System Software Engine
  / | \  #include <disclaimer>