Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!newstop!sun!stpeter!cmcmanis From: cmcmanis@stpeter.Sun.COM (Chuck McManis) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: The Inevitable 1.4 Rom Problem Summary: Yes, its a problem, no we shouldn't "fix" it. Message-ID: <129893@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> Date: 4 Jan 90 19:46:53 GMT References: <1017@tuminfo1.lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de> <7797@cognos.UUCP> Sender: news@sun.Eng.Sun.COM Reply-To: cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis) Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View Lines: 67 The fact that the ROMs change on the Amiga occasionally is no secret to ANYONE. And sometimes, like in the case of Ferrari Formula I, or Crazy Cars, this causes problems. That is because the ignorant assholes writing the code are too lazy to figure out how to do it correctly. And the sad part is, it isn't all that tough to figure out since it is documented quite well. Now I had an interesting discussion with one I.A. who did the programming for another Amiga game which isn't all that popular anyway. The names will remain nameless because I don't wish them ill will, I'm just demonstrating a sad truth. Me> So, you're code is calling the trackdisk code that reads tracks. I.A> Yeah, isn't it neat, I didn't have time to write my own disk driver so I called the one that is already in the ROM. Me> So why don't you just use the trackdisk.device ? I.A.> Oh, I don't use AmigaDOS at all, I write straight to the hardware for maximum speed. Me> But you call the same code that would be called if you used the trackdisk.device. The only difference is you do it illegally. I.A.> Well, if I wanted to use trackdisk I would have to have Intuition running and boot the DOS. Me> ??!?! Say What? Exec doesn't depend on either Intuition or AmigaDOS, you don't have to "boot" anything. I.A.> Really ? Me> Of course, that is the way it was designed to work. I.A.> Oh, well this is just a game program, it isn't like it is a "real" program where there will be updates or anything. Me> I suppose, of course I'll never buy anything you have programmed? I.A.> Why not? Me> Because it won't run on my system. I.A.> How do you know ? Me> .... Anyway, the only way to "fix" this problem is to have the customers write to the companies selling this stuff demanding that the product work in the current and all future ROM releases. They can write into the porting contract that this is the case and the developers will have to be a bit more realistic. Another point, the I.A. above is well named because the code they wrote is complete crap, no modularity, little to no portability, and impossible to maintain. But what do you expect from someone who dropped out of college freshman year because they thought PASCAL was "stupid." Final summary, some of the programmers out there have only one goal in mind : "Get it running and out the door." And everything else is sacrificed for this single goal. This generally means that any pertubation of the system such as a different processor, different ROM, different model, or different motherboard, may and often does cause this barely running code to crumble to dust. some of the programmers out there write damn good code that will run on everything from Kickstart 1.0 to 1.4A16. When you find a program like FF1 that doesn't work, note the name of the programmers or company that did the Amiga port. Don't buy any more stuff that they port. If you can't find the name of the actual programmer then you might just boycott everything that company writes. Eventually, you will be buying only those games that will continue to work, and the companies will become sensitive to the need to write better code. Interesting Side Note : The only thing that changed in the 1.3 ROMs WAS autoboot, but the entry points of several routines got moved around. That is why things like FF1 crash. --Chuck McManis uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@Eng.Sun.COM These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you. "If it didn't have bones in it, it wouldn't be crunchy now would it?!"