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How do you use your Atari? Do you dabble with drawing packages, write wordy letters or communicate via Comms packages. If so, you can reap the benefits offered by Geneva.
Whilst working on a project or just playing around it is often neccessary to edit other material which is imported into the program which you are currently working on. Until recently, the only option was to exit your current program, call up another to edit the image\text that you intended to import, then exit this program and re-run your original program. Still not satisfied with the "import"? Hey, hum. Repeat the cycle... Time lost, time and time again.
Preparing an article such as this one, to be shown in HTML format is a prime example of the above procedure - Lord only knows how I would have managed it without the help of Geneva for the constant editing and viewing and then re-editing this HTML script to my final satisfaction.
Geneva, from Dan Wilga of Gribnif, offers the elegant solution of task-switching. This is a situation where you would stop work in one program, call up another program; perform some function in this program and then resume work in your original program.
Tomes have been written about multi-tasking programs and the time savings possible when using such programs. Maybe, if you had an 060 processor and 14Mb of RAM to play with and the kind of brain that readily accepts multi-tasking and the pre-structuring of your work session that is neccessary to use multi-tasking gainfully then you could use MultiTOS to your advantage. For mere mortals, task-switching (which is Geneva's forte) is far more practical.
I used to be sceptical about the alleged benefits of multitasking until I bought Geneva. Version 002 was O.K. but a bit buggy. Version 003 was better in terms of functions and stability but I still only used it some 40% of my computing time. Version 004 is VERY good, offers far more functionality and stability and furthermore can use the "core" of MiNT to enable pre-emptive multitasking as well! In short, I now use Geneva some 95% of the time and would estimate, although it is difficult to quantify\verify, that I save some 40% on time in using Geneva over my "pre-Geneva" days. Until version 004 Geneva was solely a "co-operative" multi-tasker - applications get an equal share of processor time allocated to them, unlike MultiTOS which is a pre-emptive multi-tasker. The processor time allocated to individual applications can be altered to prevent programs from hijacking all the available processor time and holding other applications up. The downside of incorporating the MiNT "core" is that Geneva is now slower when running a multiple number of applications. Geneva takes very little overhead in terms of processor power with the result that either you do not notice any loss of speed whilst using it or at most a very minor decrease.
Actually, Geneva does not require a desktop at all. The distinction between programs and accessories diminishes as Geneva will run as many as memory will allow, unlike MultiTOS, and also irrespective of their active\inactive status (PRG\PRX, ACC\ACX). TOS programs can be run in a window, too. Problem programs can be set to run by themselves by putting all other applications "to sleep" and there are many options to allow applications which are either badly written or use old system calls to be run successfully. Basically, there is VERY LITTLE that will not run within Geneva!
Installation is a simple matter of running the INSTALL.PRG which prompts you for the neccessary paths and disks. Geneva comes with an excellent manual - with a large section devoted to the "techie" types and a version of Geneva which allows the "techies" to analyse problems.
Programs appear at the top of the list and accessories below, separated by a horizontal line. Active programs are shown in normal type whilst sleeping programs are shown in italics. Single tasking applications are shown in small type in the Desk menu. Sleeping programs are ones which are loaded in memory and are awaiting a keypress to awaken them. Applications can be opened directly from Geneva Manager by invoking Geneva's own file selector and you can quit Geneva if you are done with task switching. As an aside, Geneva's file selector is pretty useful and can create folders\copy\move\delete\search and is also configurable as to whether it shows folders in one column and files in another or, as is more common, files and folders together. My own preference is for Universal Item Selector but you are certainly no pauper when using Geneva's own offering. To assist it, Geneva uses a small PRG\ACC called Taskman.
Taskman manifests itself as a
small window which appears on the screen. This window contains a list of loaded
applications and their status (active\sleeping), accessories being
denoted by a preceding small circle. This window, like others, can be iconized (made into an even smaller icon
which when double clicked on will revert to its normal appearance) or
"sent to the back"; this is neccessary in a program with the
possibility of multiple windows displayed all over the screen. Clicking
on a header bar will activate the "owner" application. All application
windows contain this "send to back" device next to the "full window"
square. Taskman contains three drop down menus - Files, Options and
Settings.
File calls up Geneva's own file selector for an application to be run and also allows you to set the Execution Flags for applications i.e. whether the application should run in single tasking or multi tasking mode, memory usage (to prevent the application from demanding too much memory) and many options to allow ill behaved applications to run. Applications can also be put to sleep, awoken or terminated in "File" mode and you can even tell Taskman to depart from here. The Options menu allows you to set keyboaed shortcuts, many aspects of the appearance of windows (Yes, Geneva alters these for the better - in my humble opinion) and fonts used for the windows, the video resolution (although this will cause a reset, after a warning dialogue), access to the extensive Geneva Help and the option to save all the settings or to reload them.
All well and good, but how do I use it ?
Geneva can be set to auto-boot, as mentioned before, but it can
be made to auto load programs in a set sequence ready for you to begin
work immediately with all your most useful applications pre-installed.
It does this by loading a GEM.CNF file at boot-up. This is a file which
can be edited using a text editor in ASCII mode. An example is shown
below :-
# GEM.CNF: written by INSTALL.PRG setenv ACCPATH=C:\
setenv PATH=.,C:\GENEVA\GENEVA
setenv ACCEXT=ACC,ACX
setenv GEMEXT=PRG,APP,***,EXE
setenv TOSEXT=TOS,TTP
setenv RSCEXT=.,*.RSC
setenv SHOWHELP=C:\GENEVA\GENEVA\HELP\GNVAHELP
setenv TOSRUN=C:\GENEVA\GENEVA\GNVA_TOS.PRG
shell C:\THING\THING.APP #(substitute GEMINI\TERADESK\NEODESK here)
run C:\TASKMAN.PRG
run C:\GENEVA\GNVARUN\GNVARUN.PRG UTILITY1.GRP
runsleep D:\TEXT_WP\EVEREST.3_3\EVEREST.PRG
run D:\UTILITIE.S\CAB\CAB.APP
# end of GEM.CNF
This set up loads THING, TASKMAN, GenevaRun - with the command\parameter to show UTILITY1.GRP, CAB.APP and sets EVEREST in sleep mode ready to be called up by a keypress or by selection from the accessories menu bar. By using a Boot Up manager you could use any "batch" (GEM.CNF) file of your choice to set up Geneva as you wished.
If you wish to "unload" any applications to
release some memory select them from the Desk menu whilst holding the
Control key. Geneva will ask if you wish to terminate (enter Arnie) and
the program will be removed.
Similarly, holding down the SHIFT key will "put to sleep" the senu wm wload progRUN=C:\GENEV
run D:\UTILillk immediaAB.APP
# end of GEM.CNF
This set up loads THING, TASKMAN, GenevaRun - with the command\parameter to show UTILITY1.GRP, CAB.APP and sets EVEREST in sleep mode ready to be called up by a keypress or by selection from the accessories menu bar. By using a Boot Up manager you could use any "batch" (GEM.CNF) file of your choice to set up Geneva as you wished.
If you wish to "unload" any applications to
release some memory select them from the Desk menu whilst holding the
Control key. Geneva will ask if you wish to terminate (enter Arnie) and
the prograou wish to " will au wiill au wTWI au wTWI auTWTva
To run I) fileeep" the senhe
mouse progRUN=C:\GE\GEIhe
ALT ILillk immediaAB.APP
# end of GEM.CNF
This set up loads THING, TASKMAN,
GenevaRun - with the command\parameter to show UTILITY1.GRP, CAB.APP
and sets EVEREST in sleep mode ready to be called up
by a keypress or by selection from the accessories menu bar. By using
a Boot Up manager you could use any "batch" (GEM.CNF) file of your
choic assignednedn sleep m reTP
# end o" command as Geneva
To run Gecun m the accu bar. By rogram or do
setenvn
the progn
I a simila the desktop. If loaded from the desktop an
option appears in the Geneva Manager to QUIT, if auto-booted this
option is greyed out and you must reboot to exit Geneva. Geneva will
load the configuration found in the GEM.CNF file and run any programs
or accessories found there with the "run" command assigned to them. nu wC:\GENeneva as CCCCCBeUIT,m. FIea Mawish to rll up the ultultH4>Runtion foBIw all foBIw aF-booted this
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be stored iin Bktop. If lector "pop-up". Select an application and
moments later the application window will open topping whatever else
was previously on the screen. Work can then commence in this
application. Should you wish to change to one of the other loaded
applications double click on the entry in the Taskman window, or
double clicking on an entry in the GenevaRun window, or send the
appENEVA\GENGEN witnckiT TaskmanI top.w, Tne Gm of the otwindow, or by
a keyboard shortcut orne of the other loaded
plications using the
ALT TAB key combination. Enough options for you? Unhappy with the
mouse pointer and "busy bee"? Change them. There are several
variations available.
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