Classic Computer Magazine Archive ANTIC VOL. 2, NO. 3 / JUNE 1983

I/O BOARD

REACTION

Your new program listing approach contains two elements that have a tendency to increase the typing error rate, at least for me. When looking for erroneous entries, I check to see that the line wraps at the correct point, and that the last character of a logical line aligns with preceding lines. Your new "typeset listings" violate the conditions that allow me to proofread listings using my technique.

I thoroughly enjoy ANTIC, and am very happy to see you are going monthly. Please give some thought to my reaction to your new format.

Curtis P. Hedman
Saint Paul, MN

Your solution requires true monospacing for all characters, including punctuation and the "custom" graphics set. There is no such font yet available. --ANTIC ED

CONTRIBUTION

I have come up with a neat little program that displays GTIA Mode 11. The listing looks simple, but it draws a complex picture. Here is the program:

Tim Miltz
Indiana, PA

10 X1=0:X2=80:Y1=0:Y2 =192:GRAPHICS 11
20 X1=X1+1 :X2=X2-1 :Y1=Y1+ 1:Y2=Y2-1
30 IF Y2=0 OR Y1=192 THEN X 1=20:X2=60:Y1=48:Y2=144
35 IF X1>=80 THEN X1=79
40 PLOT X1,Y1:DRAWTO 80-X1,192-Y1
60 PLOT X1,Y2:DRAWTO 80-X1,192-Y2
65 IF X2=0 THEN X2=1
70 PLOT X2,Y1:DRAWTO 80-X2,192-Y1
80 COLOR C:C=C+1:IF C=15 T HEN C=1
90 GOTO 20

RECREATION

I recently received an ATARI 800 for Christmas, and every day after school I use it. Here is a program I wrote myself. I got the idea from your issue on Sound and Music. I call it the TMT SPECIAL. Hope you like it.

T. Michael Tebo
West Chester, PA

5 REM **TMT SPECIAL**
10 GRAPHICS 3+16
20 FOR A=0 TO 2
30 COLOR A
40 FOR B=1 TO 15
50 FOR C=2 TO 14 STEP 2
60 SETCOLOR 4,B,C
70 SOUND 0,B*C,10,8
80 SOUND 1,210-B*C,10,8
90 PLOT B,C:DRAWTO C,B
100 PLOT 11+B,4+C:DRAWTO 1 1+C,4+B
110 PLOT 21+B,C:DRAWTO 21+ C,B
120 FOR W=1 TO 25:NEXT W
130 NEXT C
140 NEXT B
150 NEXT A

ROOT FUNCTION

I am a high school freshman. My interest in math, and the lack of any root function in ATARI BASIC other than square root, led me to create a method of returning any root of any number. My method is based on the "Logarithm of the Root Law" which states that the Log of the Bth root of A equals (Log A) / B or (1/ B)Log A.

Darron Bacall
Staten Island, NY

10 REM CALCULATION OF THE X ROOT OF N
20 ? "NCLOG OF THE X ROOT OF N=(1/X)*CLOG(N)":?
30 ? "N="j:INPUT N:?
40 ? "X=";:INPUT X:?
50 ? "(1/X)*CLOG(N)=";
60 Y=(1/X)*CLOG(N)
70 ? Y:?
80 W=10 ^ Y
90 ? "THE X ROOT OF N =";
100 ? W

MODULATION

I am learning Assembly Language, and am trying to design a new game. I can't figure out how to change graphics modes while under the power of the Assembler Editor cartridge.

Chris Voigt
Shoreham, NY

We posed this question to Jerry White, who responded with the following self-documented Assembler Editor listing. Jerry suggests that, when printing characters to the screen in Assembly Language, that you stick to using documented ROM jump uectors such as the Central 1/0 routine Vector (CIOV at SE456) as described in De Re Atari, rather than using the put character subroutine at $F6A4. --ANTIC ED

0100   .OPT NOEJECT
0110 ; MODE1.SRC BY JERRY WHITE
0120 ;
0130 ; THIS ASSEMBLER CODE SIMULATES
0140 ; THE FOLLOWING BASIC PROGRAM:
0150 ;
0160 ; CLOSE #6
0170 ; GRAPHICS 1
0180 ; PRINT #6;"GRAPHICS MODE ONE"
0190 ; PRINT "TEXT WINDOW" 0200 ;
0210 ; ASSEMBLE THEN
0220 ; EXECUTE FROM BUG (G620)
0230 ;
0240 ;
0250   *= $600 ; RELOCATABLE
0260 ;
0270 DEV  .BYTE "S:" ; SCREEN
0280 MSG1 .BYTE "GRAPHICS MODE ONE",$9B
0290 MSG2 .BYTE "TEXT WINDOW",$9B
0300 ;
0310   LDX #$60        ; IOCB #6
0320   LDA #$C         ; CLOSE
0330   STA $342,X
0340   JSR $E456       ; LET CIOV DO IT
0350 ;
0360   LDX #$60        ; IOCB #6
0370 ;
0380   LDA #$3         ; OPEN
0390   STA $342,X
0400   LDA #DEV&$00FF  ; ADDRESS
0410   STA $344,X
0420   LDA #DEV/256    ; OF DATA
0430   STA $345,X
0440   LDA #$1C        ; READ/WRITE
0450   STA $34A,X
0460   LDA #$1         ; GR. 1
0470   STA $34B,X
0480   JSR $E456       ; LET CIOV DO IT
0490 ;
0500   LDX #$60        ; IOCB #6
0510   LDA #$9         ; PUT RECORD
0520   STA $342,X
0530   LDA #MSG1&$00FF ; ADDRESS
0540   STA $344,X
0550   LDA #MSG1/256   ; OF DATA
0560   STA $345,X
0570   LDA #$12        ; LENGTH OF
0580   STA $348,X
0590   LDA #$0         ; MSG1
0600   STA $349,X
0610   JSR $E456       ; LET CIOV DO IT
0620 ;
0630   LDX #$0         ; IOCB #0 (TEXT) 
0640   LDA #$9         ; PUT RECORD
0650   STA $342,X
0660   LDA #MSG2&$00FF ; ADDRESS
0670   STA $344,X
0680   LDA #MSG2/256   ; OF DATA
0690   STA $345,X
0700   LDA #$D         ; LENGTH
0710   STA $348,X 
0720   LDA #$0         ; MSG2
0730   STA $349,X
0740   JSR $E456       ; LET CIOV DO IT
0750   BRK             ; END DEMO

OBJECTION

I object to your encouraging the use of such products as Micropainter, Paint, and Versawriter in your cover art contest. Those of us who do not own any of these do not have a fair chance to win.

Concerned Programmer

One of the first entries to the contest was a very impressive full-color drawing done in Graphics Mode 7 in BASIC A+. The ATARI's inherent graphics capabilities are quite powerful and may be readily harnessed without special software. --ANTIC ED

TRANSLATION

Are Microsoft BASIC and Applesoft BASIC compatible? Could I use Apple programs in my ATARI? Why or why not?

David Moore
Ballston Lake, NY

You can't use Apple programs on your ATARI. Each machine has a distinctly different Operating System, and the ATARI has additional chips not present on the Apple. There are many similarities among the various forms of BASIC, and if you familiarize yourself with them, it is possible to "translate" BASIC programs from one machine into BASIC programs for another. The ATARI Microsoft BASIC manual includes a section on converting programs. --ANTIC ED