Conference hydra::amiga_v1

    Go directly to topics 3709, 3722 and 3723...

    SID is full of 68000 only code - 24 of them if my memory serves me
    right. I ran FIX68010 to fix the OP Code that won't run on the
    010, 020, 030.
    
    regards
    kevin

    
    Thanks for the information, Is that the name of the program?  If so, do
    you know who wrote it, I'd like to pick up a copy from the local
    boards.
     
    Thanks,
     
    JK
    								

    The Memory Location in Wellesley received its first shipment of A3000s
    yesterday (Friday) morning.  By 6pm they had sold one and had three
    more in boxes ready for any takers.  There are more in the basement.
    
    Who will be the first from this group?

Re: .4

Just a small word of caution here.

While nothing indicates a short term hardware change in the A3000 (like the
A2000/B2000 desaster), you should only rush to get ahold of this nice baby if
you're not insisting to exclusivly use OS 2.0.
I've been told by CBM that they made the Beta 6 release the FCS (first customer
shipment) version. I've seen this release only for a few minutes by now and
while it seemed a heck more stable than the Beta 5 version, I'd bet that
some free OS upgrades are due for you early buyers.
It's not that Amy is going to explode in your face, ;-) but I can't imagine
Beta 6 being the final release version. There's no way they could have get
all those bugs in B5 out in that period of time.
Ask the vendor about any details he might know regarding the status of the
OS.

Regards,

<CB>_waiting_for_his_B6_release

According to the Memory Location, all 3000's will get an upgrade to the
released version of 2.0 when it ships.  Also,  apparently any machines bought
since May(??) will get a free upgrade to 2.0 when it ships.  I am not
real sure of this date.  It could be earlier or later.  For the latest
info check with your own dealer.  (Other dealers in New England area should
have 3000's in tomorrow.)


-----Robert

PS: The memory location had sold 2 by 6PM on Friday.  They had received
a total of twelve in the shippment.

    They taking trade-ins?

What CBM announced when they announced the 3000 and 2.0 was that 1) all
A3000 purchasers would get a free upgrade to the release version or 2.0\
when it ships in September. Ditto for anyone who buys a 2000 after the 3000
ships.

	<mike

    Just brought an A3000-25 home yesterday.  As a matter of fact, I'm
    typing this note in with it using Smokey X1.0 and Workbench 2.0.
    
    Very nice machine.  Here's a quick report:
    
    Price:	$3795, includes:
    		25mhz 68030
    		Commodore 1950 monitor (flicker free!)
    		2 meg RAM (1 meg chip, 1 meg fast)
    		1 floppy drive
    		40 meg 19ms hard disk
    		Detachable keyboard
    		Mouse
    		Workbench 2.0 & extras
    		Workbench 1.3 & extras
    		Kickstart for both 1.3 or 2.0
    		(No AmigaBasic included)
    		3-ring bound manual covering:
    			Workbench
    			AmigaDos
    			AreXX
    		Additional resolutions up to 1280 x 400.
    
    As all the mags said, it comes with a pre-release of 2.0.  You can
    choose to boot either from 1.3 or 2.0 during power-up by holding down
    both mouse buttons, and it allows you to select via a screen-pick.
    Also included is the following:
    
    --------------------------------------------------
    NOTICE
    
    You have purchased a preproduction version of the Commodore Amiga 3000
    computer.  This early release of the machine contains BETA system
    software.  We at Commodore plan to be releasing revised system software
    in the future.
    
    Please contact your dealer for future system software upgrades.
    
    We appreciate your support.
    --------------------------------------------------
    Nothing about free upgrades or when they will be available.  Also no
    ROM.  Kickstart eats up about 700k of fast ram.
    
    Now, for the not-so-good news.
    
    I am having SEVERE compatibility problems coming from a 1-meg A500. 
    About 80% of my purchased software DOES NOT WORK on the A3000.
    
    And the stuff that does, tends to have problems.  For example, "Faery
    Tale" boots up fine, but all the characters move at a dead run instead
    of walking around.  I may have a lot of software up for grabs soon.
    The problems seem to be hardware-related.  I'll let you know what will
    work and what doesn't, as I find out.
    
    Bruce

>>>    And the stuff that does, tends to have problems.  For example, "Faery
>>>    Tale" boots up fine, but all the characters move at a dead run instead
>>>    of walking around.


Could it be they programmed delays using CPU timed loops ??? (shudder)

    perhaps CBM should add a SPEED command.  Compaq's version of MS-DOS has
    a MODE SPEED command for slowing down fast machines for backwards
    compatibility with programs that do things like CPU timed loops.
    
    Beats having to hunt for pd progs that just chew up cpu time in the
    background.  After all, the folks in charge of the OS should know the
    best way to do it in an OS friendly way.
    
    Dave

Re: .11

Your joking Dave, right?

While a "slowdown" tool might have some merrit for those "unfortunate"
developers w/o a plain 68000 machine by giving them a crude feeling
of how their blazingly fast program might perform on such a platform,
it's making the lifes of folks that can't or won't read programming
guidelines a bit too easy.

I for one really wouldn't have my expensive high-tech toy burning CPU cycles
for a game that could get away with a tenth of it's performance...

<CB>

    re .12:
    He's not joking.  This is reality in the MS-DOS world.  Preserving the
    customer's investment in already bought software is a critical factor.  
    
    Fortunately, most software doesn't have this problem,
    but MODE SPEED {AUTO|COMMON|SLOW} is there for those that do.
    
    dennis
    

    Re .13:          
    
>   This is reality in the MS-DOS world.
    
    Sad, but true.  Inserting such "timing loops" into code is the "quick
    and dirty" way to compensate for ever-faster CPUs.
    
>   Preserving the customer's investment in already bought software is a
>   critical factor.  
    
    Absolutely!  Rather than encouraging application developers to "roll
    their own" speed normalization techniques, AmigaDOS should define a
    standard means of doing so.  I'm sure there are already recommended
    coding practices that would avoid the problem.  Applications that eschew
    such means must be tolerated (though it would be reasonable to send the
    authors thereof a nasty letter asking them to "get with the program").
    
>   Fortunately, most software doesn't have this problem,
>   but MODE SPEED {AUTO|COMMON|SLOW} is there for those that do.
    
    One would hope that an AmigaDOS implementation of a command to control
    a task's perceived CPU speed would do so in a way that doesn't mangle
    the multitasking environment.  Timing loops are only appropriate in a
    unitasking environment (what ELSE are you going to do with the wasted
    cycles?); they're completely INAPPROPRIATE to AmigaDOS.

    When I need timing, I use the Timer Device.  That's a good way, even
    with the overhead.
    Tom

There's always the Delay(ticks) function. It takes the number of 50HZ clock 
ticks (50 ticks/second) and just hangs out in a multi-tasking way for that
long.


john

    Yeah Delay() works.
    Tom

    re:.17  don't forget the famous Delay(0) bug :-)
    
    re: kidding   Think of it as a test tool to see if there is a timing
    loop that is the reason an old program won't run, instead of 68000
    only coding.  Makes proving the "bug" to the publisher much easier
    in the nasty letter.  Remember the location zero bug?  And the various
    folks who blamed CBM for putting something non-zero in location zero,
    instead of fixing their buggy code...
    
    -Dave

    Re: last few
    
    Kidding, .18: I'm not unaware of the various MS-DOS speed commands,
    about 40% of my work involves PCSA, uh, DEC LanWorks for MS-DOS. ;-)
    Yeah, the location zero bug is really a classic, blaming CBM for
    breaking an inherently broken program. ;-)
    I think that Delay() if fixed these days.
    
    As for timing loops under Amiga-OS: 
    There never has been the need for it and CBM has always urged people
    to use the timer.device and such. Folks that use them do just the same
    as writting processor specific code. It's their code that is broken
    and their responsibilty to fix it.
    
    <CB>
    

    re .19:
    Um...its DEC LanWORKS for DOS.  Most of the other case sensitive
    spellings of it are already snarfed up by other companies.
    sigh...I'm not thrilled with the new naming, but I'm not a marketeer.
    100% percent of my work involves the DECnet-DOS components of that product.
    
    dennis
    

    Here's what works on the A3000 and what doesn't ... so far.  Most of my
    software is fairly old, so newer versions may (or may not) work better.
    
    Obliterator		Won't boot.
    
    DPaint III		Works OK except has overscan problems.  The menu
    			bar at the top disappears.  (works on 2.0 as well)
    
    Purple Saturn Day	Won't boot.
    
    Plutos		Works, but play speed varies with number of objects
    			on the screen, in general, plays much faster.
    
    TechnoCop		Won't boot.
    
    Batman		Works with minor video bugs (some sections of the
    			floors don't show up at Axis Chemical).  Ever drive
    			a BatMobile at Warp Factor 7?  You do here.
    
    Battle of Briton	OK (1.3), play is much smoother.
    
    Battlechess		Won't boot.
    
    Roger Rabbit	OK (1.3), so far, timing seems OK.  One floppy
    			drive makes you play "swap disks" considerably.
    
    Marble Madness	Gurus.
    
    Operation WOLF	Won't boot.
    
    Skyfox		Crashes on boot.
    
    Artic Fox		Crashes on boot.
    
    The Bards Tale	Won't boot.
    
    Shanghai		OK (1.3)
    
    Firepower		Game comes up, but video goes crazy (colors
    			flashing on and off, play is very fast).
    
    CygnusED		OK (1.3 & 2.0), hot key doesn't work.
    
    Superbase Personal	OK (1.3)
    
    Deluxe Video Maker	V1.2 - Seems ok on 1.3, Gurus on 2.0
    
    Perfect Sound	OK (1.3) - only tested playback so far.
    
    Populus		Plays Intro only.  Won't load game (protection?)
    			You should see these guys run!  (They are supposed
    			to walk).
    
    More to come later.  In general, music seems to run OK, but anything
    that auto-boots doesn't.
    
    Bruce
    
    PS:  When I plugged in my external drive from my former A500 into the
    A3000 - it wouldn't recognize a disk was in it.  I only have DF0 in the
    A3000 box.  Rather strange.