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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

1458.0. "1024 x 1024 Workbench" by LEDS::ACCIARDI (I Blit, therefore I am...) Mon Jun 06 1988 00:27

    Here's an interesting Workbench mod... you can create virtual screens
    of any size up to 1024 x 1024 (currently the Amiga limit).  You
    can scoll horizontally or vertically by merely bringing the mouse
    to the edge of the screen.  The scrooling happens in a blink of
    an eye.  The extra area is totally active for windows, icons, etc.
    
    You can enlarge any other custom screen, too, although I've only
    used it on Workbench.
    
    As usual, it's in LEDS3::USER6:[ACCIARDI.AMIGA]VWORKBENCH.ARC
    
      //
    \X/ Ed.  (Like the new logo?)
    
    
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
1458.1I can't believe its not butterVIDEO::LEIBOWMichael LeibowMon Jun 06 1988 07:1316
    Hi,
    
    IT IS VERY HARD TO AMAZE ME, BUT THIS PROGRAM BEATS MOREROWS TO
    A PULP.
    
    I LOVE it.  I can't believe how well this program works.  I am writing
    this note from our cluster using Meshugena and a new multiple session
    manager written by Jeff Lomicka (Author of Whack) and myself.  I
    don't have to have all of my sessions overlapping, and I can open
    the windows big enough to get a real 24 x 80 display.
    
    I wonder if I just breathed some cyanide gas and this is what heaven
    is like.
    
    	--MIke
    
1458.2ClarificationPRNSYS::LOMICKAJJeff LomickaMon Jun 06 1988 13:443
(That's the Atari-ST "Whack" terminal emulator, not the Amiga debugger
"Whack", but I think most of you know that by now.)

1458.3Good stuff!SOFTY::HEFFELFINGERGive my body to science fiction.Tue Jun 07 1988 02:0321
    Yessss!  I can slide windows out of my way!  One of the things that
    the M*c did better than the Amiga was the fact that you can slide windows
    most of the way off of the screen.  (Now if C= will just "pretty"
    up Intuition and the Workbench a little, the M*c won't have
    anything on the Amiga.)
    
    I agree with Mike.  Morerows is toast.  Of course vScreen gobbles up
    so much CHIP RAM that it makes it even more urgent that I find more
    memory somehow.  (It begins to look like I'll have to upgrade to
    the A2000 after all.)
    
    Anyway, this tool is so good that I have the sincere hope that C=
    will incorporate it into a future release of Intuition.  It should
    be full supported.  

    Now we just have to convince Eric Lavitsky to change Dropcloth,
    to work with vScreen.  (It doesn't.  At least with a hires Workbench.)
    It would be nice to have better defined boundaries to the screen
    and Dropcloth with its patterned backdrop would do quite nicely.
    
    Gary
1458.4EVER11::EKLOFWe're everywhere.Tue Jun 07 1988 02:1411
	This is rather nice.  I'm impressed.  One warning though - if you're
addicted to Uedit, this isn't for you.  Uedit really doesn't like this, and
will give you garbage until it decides to crash the system.  DME works fine
with this, as does Ed (the lackluster editor that comes with Workbench).  I
haven't tried any of the flavours of Emacs.  I also haven't tried WordPerfect.
Hmmmm, better go give that one a shot now... Oh well, I don't have enough
memory available at the moment.  I'll try later and post the results.

Mark

1458.5EVER11::EKLOFWe're everywhere.Tue Jun 07 1988 02:228
	WordPerfect works fine with it.

	Ed, does this work with 1.3, or am I going to have to give it up
soon?

Mark

1458.6I'm using 1.3 and VWorkbench right now.LEDS::ACCIARDII Blit, therefore I am...Tue Jun 07 1988 03:241
    
1458.7EVER11::EKLOFWe're everywhere.Tue Jun 07 1988 03:3911
Re: .6

	Thanks, that's nice to know.

	Also, I have found a problem with DME.  If the window it's run from
has been enlarged (bigger than would fit on a normal screen), there are some
problems.  First, the DME window won't resize, and second, it seems to crash
on exiting.

Mark

1458.8PUHLEEEEZE !!AYOV10::ATHOMSONC'mon, git aff! /The Kelty ClippieTue Jun 07 1988 14:525
    This sounds fabulous !! Is there anyone who could volunteer to download
    it for me please ?? I will return disks/refund postage etc.
              ^^^^^^
    			Modemless,
    				Alan T.
1458.9More info..LEDS::ACCIARDII Blit, therefore I am...Tue Jun 07 1988 15:0323
    
    You can use NewZap to edit stupid programs that assume that the
    screen size is 640 x 200 or 640 x 400.  (This is bad Ami programming
    practice, right?  Shouldn't you check the screen size first?)
    
    Anyway, I read some notes on PLINK where people are searching for
    hex occurrances of 640 x *** and changing it to whatever size they
    want.

    Also, the Mac DOES allow you to move windows off screen, but to
    scroll the screen requires 'Stepping Out' or similar sliding screen
    hacks.  It sure doesn't scroll as fast as a an Amiga blit.
    
    Another tip; if your running low on CHIP ram (C'mon Fat Agnes),
    you might try cutting Workbench back to a single bitplane with WBDepth.
    I think it's still in my directory; if not, I'll re-upload it. 
    Icons look a litle bland in only two colors, but you will cut your
    CHIP ram usage in half.
    
      //
    \X/  Ed.
                                              
    
1458.10More StuffLEDS::ACCIARDII Blit, therefore I am...Wed Jun 08 1988 01:0712
    I've re-loaded a couple of old tools that should go nicely with
    VWorkbench.
    
    WBDepth allows you to specify the number of bitplanes for the Workbench
    screen.  Usage is 'WBDepth n'.
    
    WBIconify will turn any Workbench window into an Icon, ala V*xStations.
    
    Enjoy.
    
      //
    \X/  Ed.
1458.11STC::HEFFELFINGERGive my body to science fiction.Wed Jun 08 1988 02:568
    Never used WBDepth.  Does it work with most software?  (Guess
    I'll just have to fool with it for awhile.)  WBIconify is slick
    but I think I'd rather use vScreen and slide windows out of the
    way.  Personal preference and all.
    
    Thanks for the ideas, Ed.
    
    Gary (Uh... how might one draw an ASCII "boing"? :-)
1458.12Wow.STC::HEFFELFINGERGive my body to science fiction.Wed Jun 08 1988 04:1321
    Yowzuh!!!  I've been using WBDepth with vScreen for a few minutes
    now and I'm in love.  I can have an ugly 1 bit plane workbench that
    is 640x800 and still only take as much memory as the usual 640x400x2
    workbench!!  Thanks indeed, Ed.  
    
    For those of you who are rolling in FAST RAM so that you can spare
    the CHIP RAM, be careful with the 3 bit plane WB and vScreen.  It
    could be that I was just getting low on memory, but when I tried
    it, vScreen got a little flakey on me.  Didn't crash, but windows
    started wrapping around.  (I sized a window downward and suddenly
    I saw the top of the window, at the bottom of the screen.  Cute.)
    
    If you can stand the ugly look of the workbench, give them both
    a try.  
    
    Maybe we should all start using 1 bitplane, black and white
    workbenches.  Yeah, and then someone can write a little program
    to put a little black apple on the title bar.  Yeah!  That's the
    ticket....  :-)
    
    Gary
1458.13vScreen is great!WJG::GUINEAUWed Jun 08 1988 12:3156
1458.14there's trouble ahead..LEDS::ACCIARDII Blit, therefore I am...Wed Jun 08 1988 12:3613
    
    I discovered that when using WBIconify and VWorkbench, you cannot
    move iconified windows off of the original 640 x 400 screen area.
    
    Anyway, this is all great stuff, but we're gonna get in trouble
    someday... probably with 1.4, where all the graphics libraries will be
    rewritten and optimized.  All this stuff does illegal and devious
    things to Intuition.  If CBM would sexify Workbench with drop down
    options for screen size, number of planes, and built-in iconification,
    we'd have true workstation-like functionality. 
                          
      //
    \X/  Ed.
1458.15WJG::GUINEAUWed Jun 08 1988 12:4219
    
>    I discovered that when using WBIconify and VWorkbench, you cannot
>    move iconified windows off of the original 640 x 400 screen area.


Yup. This is true of ALL workbench icons (like the disk icons!)

Workbench creates a screen (named "Workbench Screen") and aslo a backdrop
window (names "Workbench") into which it writes it's icons. Since the workbench
*window* is a backdrop, the icons in it are always behind every other window
on the workbench screen.  I wonder if doing a:

	vScreen newx newy "Workbench Screen"	; name not required here"
	wSize newx newy "Workbench"		; fix workbench backdrop window

would fix this? I'll try tonight...

John

1458.16fixROXIE::LEIBOWMichael LeibowWed Jun 08 1988 15:292
    do you loadwb after vscreen.
    
1458.17WJG::GUINEAUWed Jun 08 1988 16:4411
>    do you loadwb after vscreen.


I tried that (by mistake at first). all it did was a nasty guru.

But come to think of it, That was probably because before LoadWB, only
the "Workbench Screen" exists (which will make vScreen happy). I was
then doing a wSize, which probably caused it to croak..    

John
1458.18Uh, make that 1008 by 1008TLE::RMEYERSRandy MeyersWed Jun 08 1988 17:5912
Re: .0

>    Here's an interesting Workbench mod... you can create virtual screens
>    of any size up to 1024 x 1024 (currently the Amiga limit).

I recommend that you not create a screen with any dimension greater than
1008.  Some of the graphics routines assume that certain operations can be
performed by the blitter in one pass.  The blitter hardware has a 1008
pixel limit.

The new Hedley monitor that Commodore has been taking to trade shows only
shows 1008 pixels across in order to be compatible with the blitter limits.
1458.19WJG::GUINEAUThu Jun 09 1988 13:294
Looks like doing vScreen before loadWB works.

John