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Conference hydra::amiga_v1

Title:AMIGA NOTES
Notice:Join us in the *NEW* conference - HYDRA::AMIGA_V2
Moderator:HYDRA::MOORE
Created:Sat Apr 26 1986
Last Modified:Wed Feb 05 1992
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5378
Total number of notes:38326

485.0. "Quiet Upgrade Policy: EA" by HYSTER::DEARBORN (Trouvez Mieux) Mon May 04 1987 13:49

    I just noticed some discussion of "quiet upgrades" to EA products
    in the usenet.  Does anyone have more information about this?
    
    Apparently, there are bugs in DPaint II and DMCS.  If you find them,
    and complain about them to EA, they will send you a newer version.
    If you haven't found them, and don't complain, you are on your own.
    
    I think this policy is pretty lame.  I am (partially) surprised
    that EA would pull something like this.
    
    Anyone know what the bugs in DPaint II are?  The only one that I
    have found is the Out of Memory warnings I get, even though I have
    1.5megs, with plenty of memory unused.
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
485.1...LEDS::ACCIARDIMon May 04 1987 15:262
    Try changing the printer settings thru Preferences while still in
    DPaint ][.  Then try printing.
485.2out of memNAC::VISSERMon May 04 1987 16:284
    Out of memory probably means 'out of chip ram', as this also occurs,
    and is thus explained in Aegis Draw Plus, much to my dismay.
    John
485.3...LEDS::ACCIARDIMon May 04 1987 16:5125
    I have gotten similar messages from 'Draw Plus', but something doesn't
    compute here...
    
    Assuming that the program code hunks are loaded into 'fast' ram, that
    should leave 400k or so of 'chip' ram, right?  (WorkBench and DOS eat
    about 100K).  Well, if a 640 x 400 x 16 color screen requires 128k of
    'chip' ram, then I should be able to display at least 3 full sized,
    color hi-res screens simultaneously, right? 
    
    Maybe these programs (DPaint ][ and Draw Plus) are being greedy
    wiht the 'chip' ram, because I can never have MORE than 2 640 x
    400 full sizes windows open at the same time, and I have 2.5 megs
    of ram on tap.
    
    To test this theory, I once took a disk full of hi/med/low res IFF
    pictures, and using ViewILBM as the default viewer program, was
    able to display 2 640 x 400 full color screens, and several (3?)
    320 x 200 32 color screens all at once before running out of chip ram.
    
    One theory I have about Draw Plus is that if you have a lot of parts
    in stock on a particular drawing, they are held in chip ram, thereby
    reducing the available display space.  DPAint ][, in my opinion,
    just isn't working properly.
485.4HYSTER::DEARBORNTrouvez MieuxMon May 04 1987 20:0322
    I found that I was getting the out of memory warning too frequently.
    That was, until I selected 'swap' when booting DPaint II.  That
    eliminated the problem...although some of the functions are slower
    because they have to be loaded from disk as they are selected. 
    Still, this should not be happening.
    
    If I install something like Grabbit, or Zing! and then try to run
    DPaint II in hi-res, it will only give me a partial palette, because
    it thinks there is not enough memory.  Irritating, huh?  Especially
    when I know there is PLENTY of memory to spare.
    
    Another thing I don't like.  In Hi-Res, a large brush will be indicated
    with a reference rectangle, instead of an image.  If the brush is
    too big, you cannot modify it at all.  It would be nice it the program
    would use the additional memory to get around this irritating
    limitation, but it doesn't.
    
    Now, back to the original question...does anyone know what the
    'magic-question' is to get the upgrade?
    
    Randy