Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!decwrl!spar!snjsn1!news
From: news@SJ.ATE.SLB.COM (USENET News System)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: To Fix or Not To Fix
Message-ID: <383@snjsn1.SJ.ATE.SLB.COM>
Date: 17 Aug 88 16:33:34 GMT
References: <635@ihnet.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: greg%sentry@spar.slb.com (Greg Wageman)
Organization: Schlumberger ATE, San Jose, CA
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In article <635@ihnet.ATT.COM> bryan@ihnet.ATT.COM (b. k. delaney) writes:
>
>There is a very simple solution to the problem of fixing things in
>the ROMS that cause bad programs to break.
>
>If you have a program that does not work with the old version of the OS
>then boot from Floppy the old version of the OS and use your program!!
>
>Remember the Original 520ST came with a floppy that booted in the OS
From: greg@bilbo (Greg Wageman)
Path: bilbo!greg

Yes, but not all of us have the OS on disc.  I know that I don't; my
1040ST came only with BASIC when bought about a year and a half ago.

But you're right; Atari could release the 'fixed' version in ROM for
new machines and retrofits, and provide the old version on a floppy
disk, so that users could boot the appropriate version for the software
they wish to use.  This is a pain, admittedly, but Macintosh users
seem to cope (there are some programs which run with only certain
versions of System/Finder).

The OS-on-disc eats into user memory too, don't forget.  But it seems
like a good way to get the fixes everyone wants into the ROMS without
undue hardship to the writers of "misbehaved" software.  They could
even supply the proper OS on their release discs, with Atari's
permission and cooperation, of course.

Are you listening, Mr. Good?