Amiga ISO Collection/AmigaDemoCD2.iso/ASCII/TEXTE/SCENE/AMIGA/Useful-Amiga/AmigaFAQ/AmigaFAQ.doc

Text File | 1994-05-14 | 84.5 KB | 1,926 lines

  Amiga-FAQ
  *********

     This document lists some frequently asked questions and trys to give
  answers.  Is intention is to help new users and to reduce the amount of
  news that most experienced users don't like to read anymore.

     Please notice that there are many questions that aren't answered yet,
  even more: Whole sections that remain empty! I feel that I cannot give
  satisfying answers. So it's your turn: Fill the gaps and tell me what i
  should include into this document!


  Disclaimer

  1 CPU, Custom chips, RAM and other stuff
    1 What are the 68EC020 and the 68EC030?
    2 What's an FPU?

  2 The Operating System
    1 Can I use another Kickstart than the builtin?

  3 Programming
    1 What documentation do I need as an Amiga programmer?
    2 What is CATS?
    3 Where do I get the Amiga includes?
    4 How do I become a developer?
    5 What compilers (assemblers) are there?
    6 Those never working Esc sequences!
    7 Is it possible to use AmigaBasic on the A1200?
    8 How do I localize my program?
    9 How to obtain a pointer to a console's window
    10 What are pragmas?
    11 Where do I find the function xxx?

  4 Applications
    1 Text Editors
    2 What word processors are there?
    3 Desktop Publishing
    4 What is TeX and where can I get it?
    5 Are there any Postscript interpreters?

  5 How about Graphics?
    1 What are chunky and planar displays?
    2 What is doublebuffering?
    3 What monitors will work on my Amiga 1200/4000?
    4 How do I switch between PAL and NTSC?

  6 Emulators
    1 Can I run Unix on my Amiga?
    2 Is it possible to use the Amiga as X11 terminal?

  7 Miscellaneous
    1 Is there any unix version of LhA?
    2 What are files ending with ...?
    3 Is there a Stacker-like utility to pack my hard drive?
    4 Where do I get Fish disk xxx?

  8 Where and how do I get Software?
    1 Files and databases on freely distributable software
    2 A collection of tests
    3 Getting files from a FTP server
    4 Getting files from a Mail server
    5 The Fish disks
      1 The Amiga Library disks
      2 The Fresh Fish CD-Roms
    6 How do I Read and write MS-Dos disks?
    7 How do I split large files?

  The Amiga-FAQ archive

  Contributions

  Credits

  Index



  Disclaimer
  **********

     This document is

       Copyright (C)  Jochen Wiedmann
                       Am Eisteich 9
                 72555 Metzingen (Germany)
                       Tel. 07123 / 14881
                       Internet: [e-mail]

     Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim and modified
  copies of this document following the terms of the "GNU General Public
  License" provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
  preserved on all copies.

     The author gives *absolutely no* warranty that the answers given
  here are correct or usable. Many of them were contributed by other users
  and I cannot even make marginal checks. If you think that something
  should be changed, please tell me. Suggestions, contributions, new
  answers, critics, flames (oh, how I like this `nil:' :-) are rather
  welcome.  See Contributions.

  1 CPU, Custom chips, RAM and other stuff
  ****************************************

     This chapter contains questions concerning the Amiga-Hardware.

  1.1 What are the 68EC020 and the 68EC030?
  =========================================

     Motorola, the company producing the 680x0 family offers crippled
  versions of their processors. They are a little bit cheaper than the
  originals, that's why Commodore decided to build the 68EC020 into the
  A1200 and the 68EC030 into the A4000/030.

     The difference between the 68020 and the 68EC020 is that the latter
  can address just 16Mb of memory. That's why the A1200 cannot have more
  that 10 Mb RAM. In most cases you will not notice the difference.

     This is not the case for the 68EC030: Many owners will notice that
  the 68030 has an MMU and the 68EC030 doesn't have. There are some
  important programs depending on an MMU, for example Enforcer (a
  debugging utility), GigaMem (a program to emulate virtual memory) or
  all current Unix versions (see Unix). Other Amigas than the A4000 and
  the A3000 need an additional processor card to run these.

     Finally the 68LC040 is a 68040 without FPU. See FPU.

  1.2 What's an FPU?
  ==================

     The first 680x0 processors (upto 68030) could process integers only.
  Floating point operations had to be emulated by the software. An FPU is
  a chip (or part of a chip) that can process floating point operations, a
  mathematical coprocessor.

     One separates three FPU types on the Amiga: The 68881, 68882 and the
  68040's internal FPU. The 68882 is up to 1.5 times faster than the
  68881, because it is splitted in two parts: A conversion unit (the
  FPU's are using an 80 bit format internally) and the arithmetic unit.
  The 68040's internal FPU adds a pipeline, but misses the trigonometric
  instructions of the others. These are still emulated by the software,
  68040.library for example.

     Special programs (Raytracing, DTP, Mathematics, TeX) are offered in a
  special coprocessor version which are up to 50 times faster than the
  original versions.

     Michael Kaiser ([e-mail])

  2 The Operating System
  **********************

     This chapter handles questions concerning the operating system,
  Kickstart as well as the Workbench.

  2.1 Can I use another Kickstart than the builtin?
  =================================================

     First let's drop some words on the Kickstart's Copyright: This
  belongs to Commodore, you *must* not use Kickstarts, without the right
  to do it!  Especially it isn't allowed to make an image of anyone
  else's Kickstart and run this on your own Amiga. (I even doubt that it
  is allowed to do this on your own Amigas, if you have more than one.)

     But of course it is possible and allowed for some people, developers
  for example.  There are two different ways, a hardware solution and a
  software solution.  The former is to buy a card which can hold two or
  more Kickstart ROMS and allows to select between when the System is
  booting.

     The software solution needs a program (softkicker) and an image of
  the ROM. The softkicker allocates RAM, loads the ROM image into the
  allocated memory and reboots. Of course you have less RAM after the
  Reboot: 256Kb when running Kickstart 1.2 or 1.3 and 512Kb for Kickstart
  2.0 or higher.

     There are different Softkickers, some of them needing a MMU (see
  68EC0xx). A nearly perfect solution seems to be `kick13' (Aminet,
  directory `util/misc') because it has the ROM image included. (With
  Commodores agreement!) For newer Kickstarts I recommend SKick 3.43
  (Aminet, directory `os20/util') because it doesn't need a MMU and
  supports many different Kickstarts. It is rather easy to create the ROM
  image using the following program:

           #include <stdio.h>

           #define kickorig 0xf80000   /*  0xfc0000 for Kick 1.2 und 1.3   */
           #define kicklen  0x080000   /*  0x040000 for Kick 1.2 und 1.3   */

           void main(int argc, char*argv[])
             { FILE *fh;

               if ((fh = fopen("kickstart.file", "w"))  !=  NULL)
                 { result = fwrite(kickorig, kicklen, 1, fh);
                 }
               fclose(fh);
             }

  3 Programming
  *************

     This chapter handles problems arising for programmers only.

  3.1 What documentation do I need as an Amiga programmer?
  ========================================================

     The best information available are the RKMs (ROM Kernel Manuals), 3rd
  edition, by Commodore, published by Addison-Wesley:
       The Amiga ROM Kernel Manual:  Libraries, ISBN 0-201-56774-1
       The Amiga ROM Kernel Manual:  Devices, ISBN 0-201-56775-X
       The Amiga ROM Kernel Manual:  Includes and Autodocs, ISBN
                                                            0-201-56773-3
       The Amiga Hardware Manual, ISBN 0-201-56776-8
       The Amiga User Interface Style Guide, ISBN 0-201-57757-7

  Especially the RKM: Libraries is a must. The RKM: Includes and Autodocs
  isn't that much worth: Better get the same stuff on disk instead to
  have it online.  See Includes.

     AmigaDOS isn't included in these books. The Autodocs give much
  information, but to go deeper you probably need
       The AmigaDOS Manual, 3rd Edition, ISBN 0-553-35403-5
     published by Bantam Books.

     Another good choice is
       The Amiga Guru Book

  by Ralph Babel. The book starts with a survey on different aspects of
  programming the Amiga. (About 250 pages) Useful for beginners are the
  sections on the Amiga's data types (not to be confused with the 3.x
  DataTypes used by MultiView, for example), the Includes and the
  amiga.lib. But even experienced programmers will find useful things
  here that are missing in the RKMs.  But the largest part are about 500
  pages on AmigaDOS and, as I think, the most important, because AmigaDOS
  is the worst officially documented part of the OS. The book is rather
  concise and hence not as easy to read as the RKMs, but I recommend it
  as an addition and instead of the AmigaDOS manual.  (Not, however, a
  replacement for the Libraries and Devices, which aren't covered here.)
  Unfortunately the book has no ISBN and is available in special stores
  only. But there are some mail order companies which offer it for about
  50$ and which accept credit cards:

       Buchhaus Gonski, Neumarkt 18a, 50667 Koeln, Germany
       Phone: [phone],        Fax: [phone]

       Buchhandlung Bouvier, Am Hof 32, 53113 Bonn, Germany
       Phone: [phone]         Fax: [phone]

       Hirsch & Wolf OHG, Mittelstrasse 33, 56564 Neuwied, Germany
       Phone: [phone]          Fax: [phone]
       (Eurocard/Mastercard/VISA)

       DTM-Computersysteme, Dreiherrenstein 6a, 65207 Wiesbaden, Germany
       Phone: [phone]           Fax: [phone]
       (Eurocard/Mastercard)

       Unlimited GmbH, Kehrstrasse 23, 65207 Wiesbaden, Germany
       Phone: [phone]          Fax: [phone]

       Periscope, Attn: Cody Lee, 1717 W Kirby Ave, Champaign, IL 61821, USA
       Phone: [phone]    Fax: [phone]

       Someware, 27 rue Gabriel Peri, 59186 Anor, France
       Phone: [phone]         Fax: [phone]
       E-Mail: [e-mail]

  3.2 What is CATS?
  =================

     This is a department at Commodore West Chester which was formerly
  named `Commodore Amiga Technical Support' and was later renamed
  `Commodore Application and Technical Support'. These are people that
  work independently of Engineering, but close together with them, and try
  to help developers outside of Commodore to create nice Amiga
  applications, software or hardware. To achieve this, CATS has gathered
  a lot of informations and tools, on floppy, CD, or paper. Much of this
  material is also available to the general public. (1) But don't mix
  this up with some sort of Hotline for everyone!

     For Americans the address to get this material is
           CATS - Developer Applications
           Commodore
           1200 Wilson Drive
           West Chester, PA. 19380

  for all Europeans it's a company in Germany:
           Fa. Hirsch & Wolf
           Mittelstr. 33
           56564 Neuwied
           Tel. [phone]

     Dr. Peter Kittel, [e-mail]

     ---------- Footnotes ----------

     (1)  Which means: For Non-Developers.

  3.3 Where do I get the Amiga includes?
  ======================================

     The only legal way to get the includes and autodocs (and you *should*
  get them, they are *very* useful!) is to become a developer (see
  Developer) or to buy the `NDU' (Native developers update kit, also
  known as `NDUK' or `NDK'), which is offered by CATS. They cost about
  30$ plus shipping and this seems to me to be a fair price. See CATS.
  The current version is 3.1.

     If you need only the includes, you could get them as well with a
  compiler (commercial compilers or the registered version of Dice) or by
  getting the Fresh Fish CD. See Fish CD.

  3.4 How do I become a developer?
  ================================

     You need the `ADSP' (Amiga Developer Support Program) documents. To
  get this write a letter to your local Commodore branch asking for these
  documents.  Everything else should be explained there. The german
  address (for the US address see CATS) is
           Commodore
           Lyoner Strasse 38
           60528 Frankfurt
     There are three different developer versions:
  *Registered*
       developers get access to the adsp-Net (kind of a
       Commodore-internal Usenet), which makes it possible to discuss
       problems with other developers, Commodore engineers included.
       Registered developers pay about 80$ per year, plus initial 30$
       initially.

  *Certified*
       developers seem to me the most interesting claass: They have the
       possibility copy the most beta versions of the system software
       (Kickstart and Workbench) and the respective Includes and
       AutoDocs. (Not all beta versions and especially no beta hardware.)
       You pay about 250$ per year plus 50$ initially for this.

  *Commercial*
       developers finally have in most details the same as certified
       developers, but may expect to get more beta versions and sooner,
       included beta hardware (This has *not* always been so in the
       past.), hencethey pay about 400$ plus 50$ initially.

  The above describes the prices and the situation in Germany and might be
  different elsewhere. Especially not all Commodore branches offer the
  registered status. A tip is to build a group of users and become a
  developer group, so the costs are reduced.

     All developers have to sign the so called`NDA' (non disclosure
  agreement), with which they accept not to give the received
  informations to unauthorized people.

  3.5 What compilers (assemblers) are there?
  ==========================================

     There is a lot of programming languages on the Amiga, commercial as
  well as freely distributable. I will enumerate only those that I know
  or which seem it worth to me otherwise.

  *Assembler*
       All C-compilers have an Assembler included. Freely distributable
       are A68K and PhxAss (directory `dev/asm' on Aminet or Fish disks
       521 and 906)

  *C*
  *C++*
       Freely distributable C-compilers are `gcc' (which has its own
       directory `dev/gcc' on Aminet) and the evaluation version of
       `Dice' (for example per FTP from `ftp.uni-paderborn.de', directory
       `/news/comp.binaries.amiga/volume91/languages' or on Fish disk
       491).  `Dice' is Shareware, however, but registering will cost
       only 50$.  The advantage of `gcc' is that you find `gcc' versions
       all over the world and on all computer systems. Another advantage
       is that C++ is included into `gcc'! But it is slow and needs 4Mb
       of RAM or more. `Dice' is very fast. Both compilers seem to be
       reliable.

       Commercial C compilers are `Aztec-C' and `SAS-C'. I cannot
       recommend `Aztec-C', because the compiler doesn't seem to get
       further development. It should be remarked that the commercial
       compilers have especially wonderful debugging utilities (Source
       level debuggers!) that the others are missing. `Dice' will become
       commercial soon too and probably will have debugging utilities
       then. SAS-C has a crosscompiler included, which translates C++ to
       C and supports the source level debugger too.

       Comeau C++ is a crosscompiler like SAS-C++. That wouldn't be a
       problem, but Comeau C++ doesn't have a C compiler included.  You
       need SAS-C, Aztec-C or Dice additionally. But it supports the
       newest standards. And like gcc it runs on many platforms. Maxxon
       C++ is offered in Germany. I cannot say anything on it. Both
       compilers are commercial.  Comeaus address is:
                Comeau computing
                91-34, 120th Street
                Richmond Hill, NY, 11418-3214
                USA

                EMail: Greg Comeau, [e-mail]

  *Forth*
       JForth is said to be an excellent Amiga port of Forth. Among its
       advantages are object oriented extensions, full Amiga interface
       and an application generator. It is available from:
                Delta Research
                P.O. Box 151051
                San Rafael, CA   94915-1051

                Phone: [phone]
                EMail: Phil Burk, [e-mail]
                       Mike Haas, [e-mail]

  *Fortran*
       (Sigh! Still people who need it :-<) Freely distributable are BCF
       (Fish disk 470) and f2c, a Fortran to C converter (Aminet,
       directory `/dev/misc'). A commercial compiler is offered from
       ABSoft. All these are Fortran 77 compilers, I don't know any
       Fortran 90 compiler on the Amiga.

  *Lisp*
       Freely distributable Lisp interpreters are XLisp (Fish disk 181)
       and OakLisp (Fish disks 519 and 520) and CLISP
       (`/pub/lisp/clisp/binaries/amiga' at the server `ftp
       ma2s2.mathematik.uni-karlsruhe.de'). Lisp compilers are Gambit
       (Fish 764 and 765) and Scheme-to-C (Fish disks 556, 557 and 558).
       A mailing list is available too: Send a mail with the word
       `Subscribe' to `[e-mail]'.

  *Prolog*
       `/dev/lang/UNSWProlog.lha' and `dev/lang/sbp3_1e.lha' on Aminet as
       well as `SBProlog' on Fish disk 141 and `SBProlog' on Fish disk
       145 are freely distributable Prolog interpreters.

  *Modula-2*
       M2Amiga is offered in Europe, Benchmark Modula-2 in the U.S. Both
       are said to be very good, have a powerful souurce-level-debugger,
       a large library.  Especially M2Amiga has great support by a german
       user-group (AMOK) which for example offers own PD disks.

       M2Amiga is offered by:
                A+L AG
                Daderiz 61
                2540 Grenchen
                Schweiz

                Tel.: [phone]
                Fax:              -79

       Benchmark Modula-2 is available from:
                Armadillo Computing
                5225 Marymount Drive
                Austin, Texas 78723
                USA

                Phone/FAX: [phone].
                EMail: Jim Olinger, [e-mail]

  *Oberon*
  *Oberon-2*
       AmigaOberon is offered by A+L too. It is integrated into a full
       developers environment and has a large library of modules. Library
       linker and source level debugger are available. The AMOK user goup
       supports AmiOberon as well as M2Amiga.

  *Pascal*
       There is a PD-compiler called PCQ (Directory `dev/lang' on Aminet
       or Fish disk 511). It doesn't support all of Pascal and major
       features are missing. P2C, a pascal to C converter is on disk 341.
       (Aminet: `/dev/misc/p2c120.lha') Additionally there are two
       commercial compilers called HiSoft Pascal and KickPascal. HiSoft
       Pascal and P2C claim to be compatible to Turbo Pascal up to 5.0.
       HiSoft has a source level debugger included.

  3.6 Those never working Esc sequences!
  ======================================

     Many printers come with a manual that explains which Esc sequence
  causes which action on the printer. But there happen weird things when
  you try to send these sequences to your printer, either it does
  nothing, or it does something completely different. There is a reason,
  the Amiga printer drivers. These drivers are made in a way that they
  only understand a certain set of `ANSI Esc sequences', not the special
  ones defined (differently) by the various printer manufacturers. The
  purpose is that every application on the Amiga just uses this one
  standard set of control sequences and this way doesn't need to know
  which printer is actually connected. The printer driver then translates
  these standard sequences into the special sequences a certain printer
  understands.  A list of the available ANSI Esc sequences is found in
  the current Workbench manuals (or older AmigaDOS manuals). Now if you
  want to issue a control sequence to the printer that's not available as
  an ANSI command, you have two possibilities to achieve this:
    1. Bypass the printer driver (that would unsuccessfully try to
       interpret the sequence) and send your output *only* during this
       sequence to `PAR:' (or `SER:', respectively). For this you have to
       close and open printer output channels very often which is rather
       tedious, and you have to know where (`PAR:' or `SER:') your
       printer is connected.

    2. Use a special ANSI sequence, made exactly for this case:
                `Esc[<n>"<x>'
       where `<n>' is the decimally typed number of bytes in the string
       `<x>', which actually contains your special printer sequence. This
       ANSI sequence tells the printer driver to not interpret or
       translate the next `<n>' bytes.
          But both methods have one big disadvantage when used in an
  application program: You lose the printer independency! If you stick to
  ANSI sequen- ces, you can output to any printer on earth, as long as
  there is an Amiga printer driver for it. If you start to use special
  control sequences, your program will be tied to this single printer
  model and will not be usefull for any other (or you would have to
  provide some dozen new printer drivers for your application).

     Dr. Peter Kittel, [e-mail]

  3.7 Is it possible to use AmigaBasic on the A1200?
  ==================================================

     We heard conflicting reports about AmigaBasic on the A1200: While I
  said that you can work sufficiently with it, others said that this
  isn't possible, as AmigaBasic crashes on the slightest little error.  I
  couldn't reproduce this.

     Now I can. It depends on the setting in the Sound Prefs editor. When
  you activate a sound there, this conflicts with sound that AmigaBasic
  tries to produce by hand and obviously not quite the correct way itself.

     Easy solution: To work with AmigaBasic on the A1200, just
    1. Switch off sound output in the Sound prefs editor.

    2. On the A4000 (as well as on an A1200 with Fast Mem expansion (1))
       you  additionally need to run NoFastMem.

    3. Better avoid SUBs and use conventional GOSUBs instead, then the
       compatibility with newer processors will be higher.

     Dr. Peter Kittel, [e-mail]

     ---------- Footnotes ----------

     (1)  If you have a turbo board

  3.8 How do I localize my program?
  =================================

     Suggest, you want to write a `HelloLocalWorld.c'. Your final program
  will look like this:

           #include "HelloLocalWorld_Cat.h"
           #include <exec/clib_protos.h>

           struct Library *LocaleBase;

           void main(int argc, char *argv[])

           {
               /* Open the locale.library. No kill, if not successfull.
                  (Just use the builtin catalog strings instead.) Note, that
                  we open locale.library here, even if our compiler supports
                  AutoOpening.
               */
               LocaleBase = OpenLibrary("locale.library", 38);
               OpenHelloLocalWorldCatalogs(NULL, NULL);

               printf(GetString(MSG_Hello));

               CloseHelloLocalWorldCatalog();
               if (LocaleBase) CloseLibrary(LocaleBase);
           }

     The routine GetString checks, if the wished catalogs are available
  and returns a pointer to either the builtin string or the catalog
  string. (In my case the german string.)

     You see, the main difference besides the minor opening and closing
  stuff (OpenLibrary, OpenHelloLocalWorldCatalogs, ...) is to replace
  strings with a function call. Hence we need a file
  `HelloLocalWorld_Cat.c', which holds OpenHelloLocalWorld, GetString,
  CloseHelloLocalWorld and the builtin strings (this could be an array,
  where
               array[MSG_Hello] = "Hello, local world.\n";

  is defined) and an include file `HelloLocalWorld_Cat.h', which defines
  the message ID's like MSG_Hello. You don't need to know, how these files
  work internally, especially you don't need to know `locale.library'!

     There are some catalog generators (in what follows: CGs) available
  (`CatComp', for devlopers only, `KitCat', german docs only, `MakeCat',
  which I don't know and `FlexCat', which I  recommend, because it is
  most flexible in the generated source and supports catalogs on 2.0 and
  any language, even Amiga-E, Cluster, Pascal, ... and besides that: I'm
  the author ;-) are tools, that create  HelloLocalWorld_Cat.h,
  HelloLocalWorld_Cat.c and the real catalogs for you. (The above code
  might differ slightly between the different CGs.) (See Aminet, directory
  `dev/misc'.)

     Of course they need to know how to use them. First create a so-called
  `catalog-description' file. This could look like this:
           ; Lines beginning with a semicolon are comment lines.
           # language english
           ; the language of the builtin strings
           # version 0
           ; the catalog version (0 = any)
           MSG_Hello (1/15/30)
           Hello, local world

  Any string is defined by a line like the last two lines above: MSG_Hello
  is the message-ID, (1/15/30) says, that the value of MSG_Hello should be
  1 (you may omit this, in which case just the next free number is used)
  and the string must not be shorter than 15 characters or longer than 30
  characters. (These may be omitted too.)

     Now write your program. Once you are ready, use the CGs to create a
  so-called catalog translation file. (One for any language different than
  the builtin.) In my case (german) this could look like this:
           ; Lines beginning with a semicolon are comment lines.
           ## language deutsch
           ; the catalog language (german)
           ## version $VER: Deutsch.catalog 1.0 (22.12.93)
           ; the catalog files version string
           MSG_Hello

           ; Hello, local world

  Note the empty line after the message ID. (The arguments of ## language
  and ## version would be missing as well.) You have to fill in the
  german strings here. Again using the CGs you create a catalog file from
  this. Additionally note, that no informations on the strings ID or
  length are behind MSG_Hello.  They are taken from the catalog
  description file.

     Once you change the program (adding strings, changing the string
  length) you change the catalog description as well, use the CGs in the
  same way to update the catalog translation and hence the catalogs.

  3.9 How to obtain a pointer to a console's window
  =================================================

     The following function returns the window pointer of a CON window.
  It can be executed safely under all versions of the Amiga's OS.

         struct Window *getConWindowPtr(BPTR fh)
          {
          struct Window *w;
          struct FileHandle *cfh;
          struct StandardPacket *sp;
          struct InfoData *id;
          struct MsgPort *mp;

          w = NULL;

          if((cfh = BADDR(fh))->fh_Type != NULL)
           {
           if(sp = AllocMem(sizeof(struct StandardPacket),
                            MEMF_PUBLIC | MEMF_CLEAR))
            {
            if(id = AllocMem(sizeof(struct InfoData),
                             MEMF_PUBLIC | MEMF_CLEAR))
             {
             if(mp = CreatePort(NULL, 0))
              {
              sp->sp_Msg.mn_Node.ln_Name = (char *)&sp->sp_Pkt;
              sp->sp_Pkt.dp_Link         = &sp->sp_Msg;
              sp->sp_Pkt.dp_Port         = mp;
              sp->sp_Pkt.dp_Type         = ACTION_DISK_INFO;
              sp->sp_Pkt.dp_Arg1         = MKBADDR(id);

              PutMsg(cfh->fh_Type, &sp->sp_Msg);
              (void)WaitPort(mp);
              (void)GetMsg(mp);

              if(sp->sp_Pkt.dp_Res1)
               w = (struct Window *)id->id_VolumeNode;

              DeletePort(mp);
              }
             FreeMem(id, sizeof(struct InfoData));
             }
            FreeMem(sp, sizeof(struct StandardPacket));
            }
           }

          return w;
          }

     Notes:
     * Accessing a console's window directly may interfere with operations
       performed by the CON handler. Be careful!

     * To obtain the window pointer of a CLI's console, pass the
       FileHandle returned by Open("*", MODE_OLDFILE) to the above
       function.

     * The result of the above function may well be NULL, e.g. in case of
       an AUX handler or if an AUTO CON handler is unable to open its
       window.

     * Sending an ACTION_DISK_INFO packet to an AUTO CON handler (2.0+)
       causes its window to lose its special AUTO properties (i.e. it can
       no longer be closed at any time by clicking on its Close gadget),
       as the window pointer returned in id_VolumeNode must remain valid
       from now on.

     * All in all: Don't use this function. :-)

     For more information, please refer to pages 273, 276, 435, 463, 485,
  and 629 in "The Amiga Guru Book" (see Manuals).

     Ralph Babel, [e-mail]

  3.10 What are pragmas?
  ======================

     Pragmas are special preprocessor commmands which control certain
  features of a C-compiler. Two problems arise when using pragmas:
    1. Pragmas are compiler specific. You cannot expect that one compiler
       will understand pragmas of another compiler, even if both run on
       the Amiga.

    2. You are not guaranteed that a compiler ignores pragmas, that he
       doesn't understand. Even more: It might not help, to use something
       like this:
                #ifndef MY_COMPILER
                #pragma DoAnything
                #endif

  A workaround is to put pragmas in a special include file (BTW, the same
  holds true for statements like #asm (Aztec-C) or #extern (C++) and
  replace the above with
           #ifndef MY_COMPUTER
           #include <mypragmas.h>
           #endif

     But what do pragmas on the Amiga? The most common usage (not the
  only, but most meant when talking about pragmas) is to tell the
  compiler about how to call library functions: Simple C functions expect
  their arguments on the stack, but library functions want their
  arguments in special processor registers and additionally the `library
  base' in register a6. Lets have a look at a pragma command of the
  Aztec-Compiler.
           #pragma amicall(SysBase,0xd2,FreeMem(a1,d0))

  This tells the compiler to put the first argument of FreeMem in register
  a1, the second in register d0 and the value of the variable SysBase in
  register a6. Maxons pragmas look the same, Dice pragmas and SAS pragmas
  look a bit more complicated;
           #pragma libcall SysBase FreeMem d2 0902

  Here d2 is (like 0xd2 above) the `library vector offset' (see below),
  the digits 09 are codes for the argument register in reversed order
  (Register codes are 0=d0, 1=d1, .., 8=a0, 9=a1, a=a2, ..), the
  following 0 is the result's registerä(always d0))and the final digit 2
  is the number of arguments.

     A command `FreeMem(fib,sizeof(*fib);' could produce the following
  code, if the compiler has seen a pragma statement like above:
           move.l  _fib,a1
           move.l  260,d1        ; sizeof(struct FileInfoBlock)
           move.l  _SysBase,a6
           jsr     -0xd2(a6)       ; 0xd2 = _LVOFreeMem

  Calling FreeMem in that way is shorter and faster than pushing the
  arguments on the stack, calling a function _FreeMem which would do just
  the same like the above code by pulling the arguments from the stack.

     The best way to use pragmas is to include statements like the
  following in your program:
           /*    Get the prototype for the function; note, that this is    */
           /*    compiler independent.                    */
           #include <clib/exec_protos.h>

           /*    Get the pragma; compiler dependent, but most pragmas    */
           /*    are in files with the same name.
           #ifdef AZTEC_C
           #include <pragmas/exec_lib.h>
           #endif
           #if defined(__SASC) || defined(_DCC) || defined(__MAXON__)
           #include <pragmas/exec_pragmas.h>
           #endif
           #ifdef __GNUC__
           #include <inline/exec.h>
           #endif

  The above example can be compiled on all these compilers and produce the
  best code.

     A final question arises: How to get the pragmas? Most compilers have
  them included. However, sometimes you want to produce pragmas for
  yourself, for example if you are using new libraries or new versions
  with additional functions. In that case you can produce them from the
  so-called `FD' files which should be a part of the developer docs of
  the library. (The NDU has a directory FD which contains FD files for
  all libraries and devices of the OS. see Includes) Most compilers have
  a utility with the name `fd2pragma' or similar included which can do
  that for you. A freely distributable version which can produce pragmas
  for Aztec, Dice, SAS and Maxon as well as LVO files for assembler and
  stub routines for the tag versions is available on Aminet
  (`dev/misc/fd2pragma2_0.lha' and on the Fish CDs.

  3.11 Where do I find the function xxx?
  ======================================

     First ensure, that the function is really missing: For example
  floating point functions are in a special link library and you need a
  linker option like `-lm' to include it into your program. Another
  possibility would be that you are using a library function and didn't
  notice it. This might lead to a missing library base, `IntuitionBase'
  for example. In that case just put something like
           struct Library *IntuitionBase;

  somewhere in the global part of your program. (Don't forget to call
  OpenLibrary() and CloseLibrary! :-)

     However, you could as well use a function which really isn't present
  in your library at all. If you have, for example, an amiga.lib from 2.0
  you would hardly find the locale functions or the pool memory
  functions. (1) Best solution is to get the NDU (see Includes), but you
  probably don't want to wait for it. In that case you have to find what
  kind of function you are missing.
     * Simple library functions (Examples: `exec/AllocPooled',
       `locale/OpenCatalogA') can be called with pragmas. However, you
       need informations on the name of the library base and where to put
       the arguments. See Pragmas.

     * Tag functions are mostly just stub functions which call library
       functions. If you have, for example, `dos/AllocDosObject' which
       expects a constant and a pointer to an array of tags, you have the
       varargs version `AllocDosObjectTags' which expects tags on the
       stack as well! Just create the following function:
                #include <clib/dos_protos.h>
                #include <pragmas/dos_pragmas.h>    /*  Probably wrong name */

                void *AllocDosObjectTags(ULONG objtype, Tag tag1, ...)
                { return(AllocDosObject(objtype, (struct TagItem *) &tag1);
                }

     * Some functions still remain: Amiga.lib has some functions which
       are really doing valuable things and not just call a library: The
       BOOPSI functions (`DoMethod', `DoSuperMethod') the memory pool
       functions (`LibAllocPooled', `LibCreatePool', which are
       replacements of 3.0 functions). The only way to replace these is
       to get equivalents. The AmigaFAQ archive contains some of them
       (DoMethod, DoSuperMethod and HookEntry) in the `programmer'
       directory as well as the most common pragma files and some
       examples of varargs functions. See Amiga-FAQ Archive.

     ---------- Footnotes ----------

     (1)  This problem arises most frequently for owners of Aztec which
  is no longer supported and owners of Dice, which has sometimes rather
  incomplete libraries. I own both ...

  4 Applications
  **************

     This chapter offers informations about major Applications.

  4.1 Text Editors
  ================

     Text Editors are programs allowing to enter and edit unformatted
  text.  Generally, this means text that is meant to be manipulated by
  machine, rather than human. Programmers use these to enter the text for
  compilers.  Since UNIX machines don't typically have word processors,
  most text processing starts with a text editor, then is filtered
  through a page layout system (TeX, for example) to produce attractive
  paper results.

  *Commercial Products*
       CygnusEd Professional and TurboText seem to be the main contenders
       in the professional realm. The Fred Fish disks contain dozens of
       other shareware text editors. A demo version of TurboText is on
       Fish disk 445.  A very old demo of CygnusEd is on Fish disk 95
       (testament to its lasting-power). In the following some freely
       distributable editors will be discussed.

  *Emacs*
       Gnu Emacs (the "G" is not silent) comes from Unix and is probably
       the king of editors - it's huge (about 1 Megabyte), feature-packed
       (it does windows and even contains a game!) and extensible (if you
       know lisp you can write new emacs functions and bind them to any
       key combination).  On the other hand, it may be too huge, its
       feature-ladenness is imposing, and its extensibility often means
       you can't use someone else's emacs configuration. Source: Aminet
       (directory `util/gnu').

  *Vi*
       The leaner, less configurable, non-extensible cousin to gnu emacs
       is vi (pronounced "vee eye"). Unix people like vi especially
       because you find it on *any* Unix machine. What you choose is
       personal preference, and will mark you for life. Vim is a good vi
       for the amiga, and is on Fish disk 591 or in the `util/gnu'
       directory of Aminet.

  *DME*
       Many Amiga programmers like DME. It's fast, fully configurable;
       menus may be created and any key may be mapped. It's much easier
       to learn DME than than Emacs or Vi. There are three different
       versions: AmokEd, DME and XDME. It's a matter of opinion which you
       prefer. (Oberon and Modula programmers like AmokEd because it's
       written in Oberon and supports AmiOberon error messages, C
       programmers like DME or XDME.) Sources: Aminet (directory
       `util/edit'), Fish disk 776 (XDME) and 749 (AmokEd), AMOK 90.

  4.2 What word processors are there?
  ===================================

     A word processor is the typical application for writing notes,
  letters or reports on a computer. Unless you prepare newsletters on a
  weekly basis, your word procesor is probably your workhorse program.
  Thus choosing one you are comfortable with determines how comfortable
  you are with your computer. Word processors can offer a variety of
  features, and many can approach the sophistication required for Desktop
  Publishing (see DTP) but no one uses them for programming, for which
  text editors are more suited.

     One distinguishes between Wysiwyg programs (What you see is what you
  get) and page layout languages. Wysiwyg programs should be fast,
  comfortable and easy to use. Most people prefer them. The alternative
  is an approach that works similar to compilers. You feed text files to
  a a program that produces the layout which may be previewed on screen
  or printed. LaTeX takes this approach. See TeX. Lout is another such
  system which seems smaller, easier to learn and has full documentation
  included, but it is nonstandard.  Lout produces Postscript output. (I
  don't know if this is an advantage or disadvantage. ;-) See Postscript.
  Both programs are freely distributable.

     There are a lot of wysiwyg programs, but only commercial products:
  Final Copy II, Wordworth, Word Perfect, AmiWrite, Beckertext II, Maxon
  Word and many others. I don't dare to recommend any. ALl I can say is:
  Give yourself time to make a selection.

  4.3 Desktop Publishing
  ======================

     These programs offer features lacking in word processors, usually
  tailored to flexible arrangement of text, but often don't provide all of
  the text manipulation that a good word processor provides. The best
  desktop publishing programs strive to provide the features of both,
  just as the best word processors strive to provide the features of
  desktop publishing programs. Microsoft Word (Mac, PC) is a good example
  of a word processing program that offers many page layout feature.
  Framemaker (UNIX, Macintosh, DOS, etc.) is an example of a desktop
  publishing system that offers most needed word processing functions. As
  yet, no Amiga program has bridged the gap, though the main word
  processors are coming close. (On the other hand, even many
  sophisticated programs don't support typesetting mathematics, tables,
  producing bibliographies, indexes, or cross-references. The page layout
  languages do, and programs like Frame are improving their support of
  such features.) Unless you need to prepare fancy newsletters or
  promotional literature, a word processing program is probably enough.
  See Word Processors.

     There are not yet any freely distributable wysiwyg desktop publishing
  systems. Commercial products are ProPage and PageStream. They have been
  playing leapfrog for the past few years. It appears that PageStream 3.0
  is about to leap ahead. A more detailed description of these products
  and their differences is welcome. Both programs' list prices are $299.
  Student discounts are available (approx 40% discount.)

  4.4 What is TeX and where can I get it?
  =======================================

     TeX is a very powerful wordprocessing system. It can display
  mathematical formulas or complex tables as well as function graphs,
  creates indices, contents and many other things. Its greatest advantage
  is that it is freely distributable (TeX, not the previewers and the
  printer drivers!) and that you find TeX all over the world on every
  computer family. Its greatest disadvantage is that it isn't very handy
  (works similar to a compiler) and it isn't wysiwyg. But many people
  like it. (BTW: This document is written using TeX. 8-) See Word
  Processors.

     There are two major implementations on the Amiga. The first one,
  Amiga-TeX, from Thomas Rockicki and Radical Eye software is commercial.
  It is said to be excellent and his owners seem to be very satisfied.
  But it costs at least 200$.

     I recommend PasTeX, a freely distributable version. People seem to
  have problems installing PasTeX, especially the font loading and
  generation (It's a quite complex program.) but I did not here anyone
  upset once it was installed. (A friend with knowledge of TeX helps
  immensely.) A few words should be said what you need:
     * 5 disks containing the TeX-compiler itself

     * 2 disks containing MetaFont

     * Nothing more Many people ask for fonts. They are included in the
  MetaFont-package and can get compiled by you. All you need to do is
  setting up your TeX-system in the right way which is described in the
  documentation. Please note that the PasTeX disks are compressed using
  the program Zoom. (see Endings) Sources: FTP at `ftp.uni-passau.de',
  directory `/pub/amiga/tex/PasTeX1.3'.

  4.5 Are there any Postscript interpreters?
  ==========================================

     PostScript is a programming language designed to be used to describe
  printing on pages. Apple helped make PostScript popular by selling
  printers with built in PostScript interpreters. Many programs have
  evolved to produce PostScript programs as their output, making
  PostScript the lingua franca of printing. Until recently, in order to
  print a PostScript file, you had to have a relatively expensive laser
  printer. The development that changed this was the software PostScript
  interpreter. These programs allow your computer to interpret PostScript
  programs, and produce the matrix of dots to send to your normal
  graphics printer.

     One of the benefits of PostScript is that it is resolution
  independent.  What this means is that it can support the highest
  resolution of your device - and that you can reasonably preview
  PostScript on a low resolution screen.

     There are two free PostScript interpreters for the Amiga. Post and
  Ghostscript. Post comes as an Amiga shared library along with front
  ends for previewing to the screen and printing. This structure allows
  others to write programs that can show PostScript images on screen. In
  fact, AmigaTeX uses Post's library to support incorporation of
  PostScript into documents.  Ghostscript similarly comes in two
  programs, but not as a shared library.  Ghostscript is the rendering
  engine, and Ghostview is the front end.  Sources: Aminet (directorys
  `text/print' and `text/dtp'), Fish disk 669

  5 How about Graphics?
  *********************

     Graphics is one of the major strengths of the Amiga. Why don't we
  have more answers here? :-(

  5.1 What are chunky and planar displays?
  ========================================

     Simply put, the terms `chunky' and `planar' (short for `bitplanar')
  refer to different ways of storing graphics information in a computer's
  memory. They are rather easy to understand, as far as things go, but
  incredibly difficult to explain:

     Computer images are arranged as a grid of pixels, each of which can
  be thought of as a number representing the color number of the pixel,
  sort of like a paint-by-numbers scheme.  For example, here's a
  simplified example image, in four colors:

          00302132

     The Amiga stores this image in a `bitplane' mode. That is, it is
  represented by several planes of bits (binary digits, 1s or 0s). This
  is a four-color image, so each color number could be represented by two
  bits.  Therefore there are two bitplanes:

          00100110    Here's bitplane 0
          00101011    And here's bitplane 1
          --------    Now, let's add them up, binary style:
          00302132

     Which is the final image. If the image was in two dimensions, it
  would truly be composed of bit planes. However, I'd need three
  dimensions to show multiple bitplanes overlayed, and therefore for
  simplicity we're working in one dimension (which is all we need).

     Now, there's another way of storing this image.  How about if we
  localize the bit data in little chunks?

          00 00 11 00 01 10 11 01 = 00302132

     This is the principle of the `chunky' pixel mode.

     Both methods of image storage are perfectly logical, and no one can
  say that one is better than the other. However, there are certain
  technical aspects which cause certain advantages and disadvantages.

     First, if you've seen colored text scroll on your Amiga, you know
  there is a bit of "flicker" that arises. Specifically, what happens is
  that while the text is scrolling, its color temporarily changes to
  something completely different. What's happening is that the computer's
  moving several bitplanes of data while the raster (monitor electron
  gun) is sweeping across the screen. What that means is that, if the
  raster catches the data while it's being moved, you can end up with some
  bitplanes being moved and some not. What if we filled bitplane 1 in the
  example above with 0s? Instantly all the 3s become 1s, and the 2s
  become 0s! This is what causes "flicker" when certain colors are
  scrolled. By contrast, if a chunky pixel display is caught while
  scrolling, all we see is a partially-scrolled image; the colors are
  preserved (since their units are the small ones).

     That's a disadvantage to planar pixels, but what about chunky pixels?
  Well, recall that a computer organizes information in terms of 8 bit
  bytes. These groups are static; you cannot decide to all of a sudden
  organize data in terms of three bytes or something! Therefore, when
  using chunky pixels, things get complicated if we decide to use a
  nonconvenient number of bits per pixel. In practice, the 8-bit
  (256-color) mode, and 24-bit (16 million color) modes are the most
  common candidates for chunky pixel displays.

     Finally, certain effects can be accomplished with the different
  systems.  Bitplanar mode is particularly useful for things like shadows
  (where an extra bitplane is set with 1s instead of 0s), and chunky mode
  is great for perspective and "mapping" (since the data for each pixel is
  localized in a single "chunk"). The latter advantage makes chunky pixel
  mode really great for games, and is what made Wolfenstein 3-D possible.

     We all know that Amigas use the bitplane system for storing images.
  However, the Macintosh and PC(VGA) both use chunky pixel modes. While
  we can optimize our RAM usage with "bizarre" modes like 8- and
  128-color, they gain the advantages of non-flicker scrolling, and the
  programming simplicity of just writing a byte where you want the pixel
  to go.

     The difference between the two modes becomes problematic in things
  like emulation. EMPLANT has a "chunky to planar" routine which it uses
  to convert a Macintosh display into an Amiga one. "Chunky to planar"
  routines are also useful for getting chunky-inclined things to run on
  Amigas (see TMAPDemo, rotdemo). On a side note, there was some
  confusion as to what EMPLANT used the MMU for with regard to chunky to
  planar. The MMU itself is incapable of performing the algorithm for the
  conversion; rather, it is used to detect what portions of the display
  memory are updated from the Mac side, and therefore the processor is
  saved from having to perform the chunky to planar conversion for the
  entire display.

     I sincerely hope that helped clear up most of the mystery concerning
  the terms "Chunky" and "Planar"!

     (Joseph Luk, [e-mail])

  5.2 What is doublebuffering?
  ============================

     Don't be ashamed if you haven't a clue as to what this is. It's
  rather simple, really. Imagine you wanted to animate something by
  drawing out each frame. Now imagine you had only one piece of paper.
  Even if you drew pretty fast, it would be difficult to see what the
  animation looks like because you'd have to erase the frame you just
  drew, in order to draw the next one!

     What if you had two pieces of paper? Why, then, you could see the
  difference between two adjacent frames. First you'd draw your first
  frame on the first piece of paper, then you'd draw the second frame on
  the other piece.  Then you'd erase the picture on the first piece of
  paper, and draw in the third frame. Then you'd erase the picture on the
  second piece of paper, and draw in the fourth frame, and so forth.

     This is the principle of doublebuffering. The computer shows you the
  picture it just drew, then turns around and draws the next one. It then
  swaps the picture in front of you with the one it just drew, and
  repeats the process. The result is a smooth animation, because you
  never need to see the computer draw; all you see is each finished
  product.

     (Joseph Luk, [e-mail])

  5.3 What monitors will work on my Amiga 1200/4000?
  ==================================================

     Monitors can be classified after the horizontal scan frequency they
  require.  TVs, as well as C='s 1084 monitor, need frequencies around 15
  kHz. VGA/SVGA need approx. 30 kHz. Multisync monitors can take many
  frequencies.

     In short: You can use any monitor you want with an A1200. BUT:

     - If you use a regular VGA/SVGA monitor, you can only use a few
       display modes (like DblPAL, DblNTSC and/or Productivity). I.e.
       (320|640) x (256|512|1024) for DblPAL. This is great for Workbench
       and all "serious" utilities (DTP etc), but don't expect any games
       to work... they don't use your preferences, just take over the
       machine and assume a 15 kHz monitor. Also, you cannot utilize the
       "Early Startup Control" screen (you know, disable cache, and that
       stuff), which also requires a 15 kHz monitor. Furthermore, VGA
       monitors don't have speakers. And the VGA-type modes don't support
       Genlocks. But for a lot of "serious" work, a VGA monitor is quite
       adequate.

     - You already know what happens with a 15 kHz monitor; the
       flickering in Interlace mode. A small tip: Try to use NTSC instead
       of PAL. This increases the refresh rate from 25 Hz to 30 Hz, at
       the expense of lower vertical resolution (482 lines maximum). The
       NTSC and PAL modes aren't as bad as many people think. If your
       monitor has a lot of phosphorous (long afterglow), PAL Laced can
       be quite OK, and it gives you a resolution of 1448x566 in
       SuperHiRes. That's the highest resolution currently supported on
       AGA Amigas, in _any_ display mode.

     - A Multisync gives you the best of both worlds. The new 1940 and
       1942 monitors from C= are quite OK, although rather cumbersome to
       use... The h/v size and offset must be set manually each time you
       switch display mode.  (1)

     For a VGA/SVGA or Multisync monitor, you'd need a little shiny box
  which gives you the standard 15-pin "D" connector. It costs around $15.

     There are other alternatives... like the "AmiVGA" box ($50 or so),
  which I think is a cheapo version of the Flicker Fixer. (But it's
  really a shame to use this on an AGA Amiga.)

     Also, you can get a VGA monitor, and hook up your TV to the
  composite or RF port on the Amiga - one monitor for games, one for
  serious stuff.

     (Per Espen Hagen, [e-mail])

     ---------- Footnotes ----------

     (1)  A patch is available on Aminet for Kickstart 3.0 to do this
  without manual actions in the file `os30/util/Monitor30Patch.lha'.

  5.4 How do I switch between PAL and NTSC?
  =========================================

     PAL and NTSC are two different video standards, the former being
  European, and the latter being American. PAL has a slightly taller
  screen (256 lines non-interlaced, non-overscanned) as opposed to NTSC
  (200 lines), so if you see the bottom portion of a program's screen
  getting cut off on your American machine, chances are the program was
  written for PAL, and is running on your shorter NTSC screen. PAL and
  NTSC differences are somewhat less important to European users; since
  their machines default to PAL, running an NTSC program is no more than
  a minor annoyance having the screen only appear in the top portion of
  the display.

     Therefore, for us NTSC folks, switching into PAL mode becomes
  important to avoid loss of some picture on Euro Demos, etc.

     First, the most common misconception about switching between PAL and
  NTSC is that you need a Multiscan or special monitor for such a purpose.
  Not so! Just about any monitor can handle the minor signal difference
  between PAL and NTSC (50Hz vertical refresh versus 60Hz). The 108x,
  19xx, and 20xx series, and even most TVs, can display both PAL and NTSC.
  Sometimes it is necessary to perform minor tweaking of vertical hold
  and/or v. size on your monitor to achieve full display, though this is
  trivial.

     What IS needed to switch between PAL and NTSC in software, is a
  "Fatter" (1MB) Agnus or better. If your system has more than 512K of
  CHIP RAM (use the avail command to find out) you have this chip. If you
  do not, ou can still construct a hardware switch (see below).

     The following directions assume you're an NTSC user who wants to
  switch into PAL mode, but the procedure for going from PAL to NTSC is
  much the same.

     The most common use of switching into PAL is for self-booting games,
  demos, etc.  The best way to accomplish this on pre-3.0 systems is to
  use Chris Hames' Degrader program (most recent version: 1.30). Once you
  have procured this program, the switch is as simple as selecting
  "50Hz", and "50Hz System", then installing the program's ROMTag (little
  program that runs at boot-time) by pressing the "Survive Reset(s)"
  button.

     AmigaDOS 3.0 added a PAL/NTSC switch feature to its Boot Menu, and
  all you need to do in order to access this is hold down both mouse
  buttons as the computer boots. Select Display Options, Display
  Mode/PAL, and then Boot. If the program still fails to go into PAL mode
  (Zool is one I've found), you may wish to get Degrader anyway and try
  that.

     Software PAL/NTSC switching is easy and painless. Some people have
  gone even further by installing hardware PAL/NTSC switches. This
  results in a system which even the most nasty hardware-banging programs
  can't bring to its original configuration (if it has been switched).
  The procedure is simple - most Amigas have jumpers already - but beyond
  the scope of this document.

     Therefore, if your screen is too short or cut off, seek the different
  screen mode. You'll "see new horizons", literally!

     (Joseph Luk, [e-mail])

     (1)

     ---------- Footnotes ----------

     (1)  PAL/NTSC switching with a MultiSync monitor is possible on 2.0+
  and easily accomplished by moving the PAL monitor type to (or NTSC, as
  applicable, I have them both in) the Devs/Monitors drawer (from the
  Storage/Monitors drawer), reboot, then go into the Prefs drawer and
  select the ScreenMode program. You will see at least two PAL modes
  available (PAL and PAL Interlaced). Simply select one of the (usually
  non-interlaced for demos) and select "Use". All windows on the Workbench
  will close, the video mode will change, and then the windows will
  reopen - that simple!

     Allen J. Newton, [e-mail]

  6 Emulators
  ***********

     What? The Amiga isn't good enough? You really want it to be another
  machine?  Well, look here...

  6.1 Can I run Unix on my Amiga?
  ===============================

     Actually there are three Unix versions on the Amiga. All of them
  need at least 68030 (see 68EC0xx), probably a 68040 in the near future
  and seem to have problems with many hard-drive-controllers. You should
  have a good look into the documentation before installing it. Unix
  needs much resources, say at least 10Mb RAM and a 150Mb Unix-partition
  on the hard-drive.

    1. Commodore offered a System V Unix in the past. It contained TCP/IP,
       X11 and other software and seemed to make a good job, but it was
       expensive and after all Commodore has dropped developing it.
       Commodore-Unix needs a streamer because it is distributed on tapes.

    2. A Linux port is prepared. But actually there is not very much than
       the kernel. Specialists might like to use it, but it cannot be
       recommended for now. Linux is freely distributable. Sources:
       `ftp.uni-paderborn.de', directory `/pub/amiga/linux' or
       `ftp.uni-erlangen.de', directory `/pub/LINUX/MIRROR.tsx-11/680x0'.

    3. NetBSD is freely distributable too. Like Linux it isn't ready for
       now, but it seems to make big steps. Most GNU software is said to
       run, especially emacs and gcc. I think it's worth to have a look
       on it. Sources: `ftp.uni-paderborn.de', directory
       `/pub/amiga/NetBSD' or `ftp.uni-erlangen.de', Directory
       `/pub/amiga/unix/NetBSD'.

  6.2 Is it possible to use the Amiga as X11 terminal?
  ====================================================

     Yes, it is. There are two different packages available:

     GfxBase offers a commercial version which is said to be excellent,
  but expensive. The distribution includes different window managers
  andclients.  A demo version is on Aminet.
  (`gfx/x11/GfxBase-X11-Demo.lha')

     DaggeX is freely distributable and probably not finished yet. (It
  calls itself version 0.91.) Source: Aminet, `gfx/x11/DaggeX-0.91.lha'
  and `gfx/x11/twm_930531.lha'.

  7 Miscellaneous
  ***************

     This last chapter contains some questions that don't fit in the
  chapters above.

  7.1 Is there any unix version of LhA?
  =====================================

     See Endings.

  7.2 What are files ending with ...?
  ===================================

     Most endings on FTP sites or Fish disks tell you that the file is
  compressed and/or is an archive containing more than one file. Some
  programs even archive whole disks. Frequently found endings and
  programs to handle the related files are:
  *.sfx*
       Compressed archives which are included in an executable program:
       Just call the program and it will extract itself (sfx = self
       extract)

  *.lha*
  *.lzh*
       Compressed archives; recommended: LhA (`util/arc/LhA_e138.run' on
       Aminet  or Fish disk 715) or Lx (`util/arc/lx100.lha' on Aminet),
       Unix version available (`misc/unix/lha-1.00.tar.Z')

  *.dms*
       Disks compressed using DMS (`util/arc/dms111.sfx' on Aminet or
       Fish disk 406)

  *.zom*
       Disks compressed using Zoom (`util/arc/Zoom_5.4.lha' on Aminet,
       Fish disk 682); an older version which you probably need for
       uncompressing PasTeX is found on Fish disk 459.

  *.zoo*
       Compressed archive; recommended: Zoo (`util/arc/zpp2-10.lzh' on
       Aminet or Fish disk 527)

  *.Z*
  *.z*
  *.gz*
       Compressed files; recommended gzip (`util/pack/gzip124x.lha' on
       Aminet), note that this are Unix files in most cases

  *.tar*
       Acrhive; recommended: tar (`util/arc/tar.lha' or
       `util/arc/gtar10.lha' on Aminet or Fish disk 445), note that tar is
       a Unix archiver and you often find soething like `.tar.Z'.

  *.arj*
       Compressed archive; recommended unarj (`util/arc/unarj-0.5.lha' on
       Aminet)

  *.zip*
       Compressed archive; recommended UnZip (`util/arc/unzip-5.1.lha' on
       Aminet), note that this are MS-Dos archives in most cases

  7.3 Is there a Stacker-like utility to pack my hard drive?
  ==========================================================

     XFH does a good job. It operates as a handler and uses the
  XPK-libraries, so you have different compression modes (NUKE is a good
  choice) and possibly even more in the future. The only disadvantage is,
  that the size of a file is limited by RAM: Don't use it with less than
  2MB of RAM.

     XPKDisk by Olaf 'Rhialto' Seibert is another stacker program that
  takes advantage of the variety of XPK libraries available. Unlike other
  harddisk compressors it does not compress the files, but creates a
  pseudo partition and stores the whole tracks as compressed files on
  your harddisk. Its major advantage is that it does not limit the
  maximum file size, because it works similar to trackdisk.device and
  therefore does not need too much temporary storage. But be careful:
  Never try to optimize an xpkdisk partition using ReOrg. It will trash
  your virtual partition.

     Another possibility is EPU. It's shareware and should offer the same
  as XFH, but without limiting the file size.

     Sources: Aminet, directory `util/pack', Fish disks 754 (XFH) and 858
  (EPU)

  7.4 Where do I get Fish disk xxx?
  =================================

     Those FTP servers have that much space (or a CD-Rom) to have all
  fish disks available online:
       ftp.isca.uiowa.edu      (USA, directory `/amiga/fx/fxxx')
       ftp.hawaii.edu          (USA, directory `/pub/amiga/fish')
       ftp.dfv.rwth-aachen.de  (Germany, directory `/pub/amiga/fish')
       ftp.uni-erlangen.de     (Germany, directory `/pub/amiga/pd')
       ftp.funet.fi            (Finland, directory `/pub/amiga/fish')

  Note that the CD-Rom's are not always mounted. See FTP.

     Another possibility would be to ask your local dealer. :-)

  8 Where and how do I get Software?
  **********************************

     Three questions arise in this context: Which programs can be found,
  where are they and how to get them and transfer them home?

  8.1 Files and databases on freely distributable software
  ========================================================

     Of course you need to know where you find things. Many good choices
  are listed in this paper, as I hope. Other sources are:

  *AmigaSciSchool*
       is a list of software and where you find it in Ascii format. It is
       posted monthly to the newsgroups `comp.sys.amiga.applications',
       `comp.unix.amiga', and `news.answers'. Additionally you will find
       it on Aminet sites (`text/doc/AmigaSciSchool-4.01'). It handles
       everything listed here and many more, for example GNU software,
       libraries (linked and shared), shells, Unix commands, educational
       and scientific software and much more.

  *FishCon*
       are lists of the Fish disk contents. (`fish/doc/fishcon-???.lzh' on
       Aminet)

  *FishXref*
       is a cross reference list of the Fish contents.
       (`fish/doc/fishxref-???.lzh' on Aminet) FishXref and Fishcon are in
       Ascii format.

  *KingFisher*
       A Fish disk database, (`fish/doc/Kingfisher1_30.lha', which is the
       program and `fish/doc/KFData850.lha' ,which contains the data, on
       Aminet or Fish disk 863) allows search by name and context. See
       Fish.

  8.2 A collection of tests
  =========================

     `Comp.sys.amiga.reviews' is a moderated newsgroup where tests of
  soft- and hardware, books and anything else relevant to the Amiga are
  posted. Its always a good idea to check this newsgroup for a review, if
  you are interested in something special. Of course you always find only
  the latest reviews, but the older postings are available per FTP from
  `math.uh.edu', Directory `/pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews' or on the
  Fish CDs.

  8.3 Getting files from a FTP server
  ===================================

     Things are easy for those who have access to the Internet and a
  program called FTP (File Transfer Program). Nearly all Unix computers
  have it, but not all of them allow the use of FTP.

     FTP allows you to gain access to some other machines and store and/or
  retrieve files. Normally one needs an acoount on the remote machine to
  use it, bat a number of machines have a setup that allows everybody to
  log in as the user `ftp' or `anonymous', so anybody may get files from
  them. The most important of this servers are the Aminet servers, which
  mirror each other and hence should have the same files. They are the
  best choice if you are looking for Amiga software. Aminet hosts are
       USA (MO)     ftp.wustl.edu           128.252.135.4
       USA (CA)     ftp.cdrom.com           192.153.46.2
       USA (TX)     ftp.etsu.edu            192.43.199.20
       Scandinavia  ftp.luth.se             130.240.18.2
       Germany      ftp.uni-kl.de           131.246.9.95
       Germany      ftp.uni-erlangen.de     131.188.1.43
       Germany      ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de     130.149.17.7
       Germany      ftp.uni-paderborn.de    131.234.2.32
       Germany      ftp.uni-oldenburg.de    134.106.40.9
       Germany      ftp.coli.uni-sb.de      134.96.68.11
       Switzerland  ftp.eunet.ch            146.228.10.16
       Switzerland  litamiga.epfl.ch        128.178.151.32
       UK           ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk        146.169.2.1
     All these mirrors have a directory `/pub/aminet', where you will find
  much stuff. Please use a mirror close to you! Some other important hosts
  are
       ftp.funet.fi             (Finland)
       ftp.isca.uiowa.edu       (USA)
       ftp.hawaii.edu           (USA)
       ftp.cso.uiuc.edu         (USA)
       ftp.dfv.rwth-aachen.de   (Germany)
     Note that grind, aachen and erlangen have the full collection of Fish
  disks available! See Fish disk xxx.

     To connect to a special host (ftp.uni-erlangen.de for example), you
  should type
       ftp ftp.uni-erlangen.de

  The host answers by requesting your login. You should type
       ftp

  No you are asked for a password. Please type your Email address here, if
  you have one. If not, use the password ftp.

     Now you're inside the host. There is a number of commands you may
  execute here. The most important are:
  *?*
       Prints the help text of the FTP command. Additionally you may type
       *? command* to get information on a special command.

  *bin*
       Tells the FTP program that you whish to transfer binary files. It
       is always a good choice to type bin as the very first command!
       Files you load without the bin command can be corrupt.

  *get <file>*
       Loads the given file from the host. On most Unix machines you can
       type something like `get file.txt -' or `get file.txt |more' to
       show a text on the screen. Note that there *must* be no blank
       between the | and the word more!

  *mget <pat>*
       Loads the given files. pat may contain Unix style like wildcards.

  *put <file>*
  *mput <pat>*
       Like get and mget, but transfer files from you to the remote host.
       This is in most cases not allowed, except for a special directory
       called `incoming'. You can place files here which you want to make
       public.

  *cd <dir>*
       Like the usual cd command. The commands get, mget, put, mput, dir
       and ls refer to the current working directory.

  *dir [<dir>]*
  *ls [<dir>]*
       Like `list' and `dir' on the Amiga. Note that the FTP-dir
       corresponds to the Amiga-list!

  *bye*
       Leaves the FTP program.

     When you have used FTP for the first times you will notice, that you
  always begin with executing the same steps:
    1. Type the login (ftp in most cases)

    2. Type the password (your mail address in most cases)

    3. Enter the bin command

    4. Change the current working directory (`/pub/aminet' for example)
          This may get executed automatically. What you need is a file
  called `.netrc' in your home directory. Note that it needs to be
  protected against others! The FTP program doesn't use it, if it can be
  read by anything else than you. (Protection is set using the command
  `chmod go-rwx .netrc'.) The .netrc file contains some entries for your
  most favourite FTP sites, each separated by empy lines. A typicel entry
  may look like this:
       machine ftp.uni-erlangen.de
       login ftp
       password <your mail address> or <ftp>
       macdef init
           bin
           cd pub/aminet
     Note that on some machines it is possible to use the machine name
  `default' which meets all machines not listed in .netrc.

  8.4 Getting files from a Mail server
  ====================================

     Another way to get files is to use a mail server. This assumes that
  you can send mail to Internet addresses and get mail from Internet
  hosts. It works by sending a mail to the server specifying some
  commands, for example send commands for the files you want. Important
  mail servers are
       [e-mail]
       [e-mail]
       [e-mail]
       [e-mail]
       [e-mail]
       [e-mail]

  The most important commands are:
  *Help*
       Tells the server that you wish to get an Ascii file containing
       detailed explanation how to use the server.

  *Limit <number>*
       Specifys that you wish to get not more than <number> Kbytes per
       mail.  Larger files get splitted into small pieces of at most
       <number> Kbytes which are sent as separate mails each. Note that
       the mails may get larger because of overhead.

  *Cwd <dir>*
       Sets the current working directory to <dir>. This directory is
       used by the commands send and dir.

  *Index*
       will return a list of files and/or directories that the server
       offers. Note that this may be *very* large!

  *Index <item>*
       returns a list of files containing <item> in their names.

  *Dir [<dir>]*
       returns a list of the files and directories in the given directory.

  *Send <file1> <file2> ... <fileN>*
       Tells the server to send the given files to you.

  *Begin*
       Tells the server to ignore all lines above this command.

  *End*
       Like Begin, but specifies to ignore the lines below. (A signature
       for example!) A typical session would be to send the following
  mail to the mail server:
       BEGIN
       CD /pub/aminet/util/arc
       SEND LhA_e138.run
       END

  8.5 The Fish disks
  ==================

     A very good source are the Fish disks. One distinguishes between the
  floppy disks and the CD-Roms.

  8.5.1 The Amiga Library disks
  -----------------------------

     Fred Fish has started in the middle eighties to collect freely
  distributable software on floppy disks. There are more than 900 disks
  for now and very much good stuff on it. Most Amiga dealers sell them
  and most magazines contain addresses of people mailing them to you for
  about 3$ per disk or less.

     Fred Fish has announced to terminate offering software on floppy
  disks with number 1000. Instead he offers CD-Roms. See Fish CD.

     There are some things which can be found on the Fish disks, but not
  on Aminet.  However, you can get them with FTP. See Fish disk xxx.

  8.5.2 The Fresh Fish CD-Roms
  ----------------------------

     Fred Fish is going on to offer freely distributable software. But
  now he collects it on CD-Rom's. He will release two different kinds of
  CD's:
    1. Monthly released disks are divided into roughly three sections:
         1. New material, which includes the material from the new
            unreleased floppy disks as well as material which does not
            appear in the floppy distribution, about 84Mb on the first
            disk.

         2. Useful utilities that can be used directly off the CD-ROM if
            desired, thus freeing up the corresponding amount of hard
            disk space (GNU Emacs, Gnu C, GNU C++, Amiga E, PasTeX,
            AmigaGuide, Installer, 2.0 and 3.0-Includes, different
            archivers, tape drivers, the AmiCDROM filesystem and many
            other GNU and BSD tools, ...), about 150Mb on the first disk.

         3. Older material from previous released floppy disks or
            CD-ROM's, about 404 Mb on the first disk. (Fish disk 600-910)

    2. Disks containing the latest software as well as recent software in
       packed format only. (These are intended to be used for example in
       BBS's.)
          I recommend especially the first kind of Fish CD's. They cost
  about 20$ plus 3$ for shipping (5$ outside USA/Canada/Mexico) and are
  available from

       Amiga Library Services
       610 N. Alma School Road, Suite 18
       Chandler, AZ 85224-3687
       U.S.A.

       Phone/FAX: [phone]

  8.6 How do I Read and write MS-Dos disks?
  =========================================

     No problem for owners of Workbench 2.1 or higher: The program
  CrossDos is part of the Workbench. All you have to do is mounting the
  device `pc0:' by putting it into the drawer `Devs:DOSDrivers' or by
  double-clicking the icon in `Sys:Storage/DOSDrivers'. Ms-Dos disks in
  drive `df0:' can now be handled in the usual manner replacing the word
  `df0:' by `pc0:'. For example the directory can be shown with the
  command dir pc0:.

     People still running Workbench 2.0 or lower need a program called
  `MSH'.  You will find this on the Aminet (directory misc/emu) and on
  Fish disk 382.  See Sources. After editing the file `devs:MountList' as
  described in the documentation you have to say Mount msh: in the CLI
  and can now do the same as above replacing the word `pc0:' with `msh:'.

  8.7 How do I split large files?
  ===============================

     There are some archives which are too large to fit on one disk. To
  transfer them on disks you need to split them into smaller pieces and
  transfer each part on a separate disk. I recommend Martin Schlodder's
  `Splitter'.  (Aminet, `util/misc/splitter_121.lha'. The archive
  contains binaries for MS-DOS and should be compilable without problems
  on any Unix system.

  The Amiga-FAQ archive
  *********************

     The Amiga-FAQ is available in different formats: Ascii format (which
  is posted to the nets) AmigaGuide format (which is the adequate format
  on the Amiga) and in dvi format (to be printed). Additionally there is
  some stuff, that might be useful or interesting, but could not be
  included into the Amiga-FAQ:
       txt/amiga.history       On the Amiga's history
       txt/story.txt           The Commodore story (or: the Tramiel
                               story ;-)
       txt/amiga.newsgroups    Overview on comp.sys.amiga.*
       txt/amiga.sites         List of FTP sites
       txt/AmigaOverview.tex   A short overview on the Amiga-Soft- and
                               Hardware
       txt/Hardware.tips       For those people who can't live without solder
       src/JWSplit.c           The source of a file splitter
       src/JWJoin.c            The opponent to JWSplit
       src/addtoc.c            Utility to add a toc to texinfo-created docs
                               (this document uses it)

     I decided to collect these in the Amiga-FAQ archive. It is called
  AmigaFAQxxxxxx.lha (where xxxxxx is the date of the last release) and
  can be found on Aminet, directory `text/docs'.

  Contributions
  *************

     This FAQ can neither get useful nor hit further development without
  your help. Suggestions, contributions, new answers, critics, anything
  is rather welcome.

     Please note, that very major subjects are absolutely missing yet:
  Nothing about sound, nothing on graphic cards, no Animation. These are
  some of the Amiga's best points! But I don't know them ... :-(

     So grab your keyboard (Your pencil? Well, if there's no other way...)
  and send mail to:

             Jochen Wiedmann
             Am Eisteich 9
       72555 Metzingen (Germany)
             Tel. 07123 / 14881

             Internet: [e-mail]

  Credits
  *******

     My thanks go to:
  *Reinhard Spisser and Sebastiano Vigna*
       for the Amiga version of texinfo. This is written with it.

  *The Free Software Foundation*
       for the original version of texinfo and many other excellent
       programs.

  *Dylan McNamee*
       for contributing the sections on Editors, Word Processors, DTP and
       Postscript and some wording fixes.

  *Joseph Luk*
       for help in the section on chunky/planar, double buffering and
       PAL/NTSC

  *Urban Dominik Mueller*
       for the FAQ on FTP and Mail-servers.

  Index
  *****



   .arj                                   Endings
   .dms                                   Endings
   .gz                                    Endings
   .lha                                   Endings
   .lzh                                   Endings
   .netrc                                 FTP
   .sfx                                   Endings
   .tar                                   Endings
   .Z                                     Endings
   .z                                     Endings
   .zip                                   Endings
   .zom                                   Endings
   .zoo                                   Endings
   68EC020                                68EC0xx
   68EC030                                68EC0xx
   68LC040                                68EC0xx
   Amiga Library disks                    Fish floppy disks
   Amiga-FAQ archive                      Amiga-FAQ Archive
   AmigaBasic                             AmigaBasic
   AmigaSciSchool                         Infos
   Anonymous                              FTP
   Assemblers                             Compilers
   AutoDocs                               Includes
   C                                      Compilers
   C++                                    Compilers
   Catalog description                    Localizing
   Catalog translation                    Localizing
   Catalogs                               Localizing
   CatComp                                Localizing
   CATS                                   CATS
   Chunky displays                        Chunky vs. Planar
   Commodore, Frankfurt                   Developer
   Commodore, West Chester                CATS
   comp.sys.amiga.reviews                 Reviews
   Compilers                              Compilers
   Console window                         WindowPtr
   Contributions                          Contributions
   Credits                                Credits
   CrossDos                               MS-Dos disks
   DaggeX                                 X11
   Desktop Publishing                     DTP
   Developer                              Developer
   DoMethod                               Missing functions
   DoSuperMethod                          Missing functions
   Doublebuffering                        Doublebuffering
   DTP                                    DTP
   Editors                                Editors
   Emulators                              Emulators
   endings                                Endings
   Enforcer                               68EC0xx
   Esc sequences                          Printer control
   FD-files                               Pragmas
   fd2pragma                              Pragmas
   file endings                           Endings
   Fish CD-Rom's                          Fish CD
   Fish disks                             Fish disk xxx
   Fish disks                             Fish
   Fish floppy disks                      Fish floppy disks
   FishCon                                Infos
   FishXref                               Infos
   FlexCat                                Localizing
   Forth                                  Compilers
   Fortran                                Compilers
   FPU                                    FPU
   Fresh Fish CD-Rom's                    Fish CD
   FTP servers                            FTP
   GfxBase                                X11
   GigaMem                                68EC0xx
   Graphics                               Graphics
   HD compression                         HD-Compression
   Hirsch & Wolf                          CATS
   history                                Amiga-FAQ Archive
   HookEntry                              Missing functions
   Includes                               Includes
   KingFisher                             Infos
   KitCat                                 Localizing
   LibAllocPooled                         Missing functions
   Linux                                  Unix
   Lisp                                   Compilers
   locale.library                         Localizing
   Localizing                             Localizing
   Mail-server                            Mail
   MakeCat                                Localizing
   Memory, virtual                        68EC0xx
   Missing functions                      Missing functions
   MMU                                    68EC0xx
   Modula-2                               Compilers
   Monitors                               Monitors
   MS-Dos disks                           MS-Dos disks
   Msh                                    MS-Dos disks
   Multiscan                              Monitors
   NDA                                    Developer
   NDK                                    Includes
   NDU                                    Includes
   NDUK                                   Includes
   NetBSD                                 Unix
   NTSC                                   PAL-NTSC
   Oberon                                 Compilers
   packers                                Endings
   packers on Unix                        Endings
   Page Layout Languages                  Word Processors
   PAL                                    PAL-NTSC
   Pascal                                 Compilers
   Planar displays                        Chunky vs. Planar
   Postscript                             Postscript
   pragmas                                Pragmas
   Printer control                        Printer control
   Prolog                                 Compilers
   Reviews                                Reviews
   RKMs                                   Manuals
   Rom Kernel manuals                     Manuals
   Splitting files                        Splitting
   Stacker                                HD-Compression
   TeX                                    TeX
   Text Editors                           Editors
   Unix                                   Unix
   Unix-LhA                               Unix-LhA
   VGA                                    Monitors
   Word Processors                        Word Processors
   Wysiwyg                                Word Processors
   X11                                    X11
   XFH                                    HD-Compression
   XPK                                    HD-Compression