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 Lines: 28 Summary: Expires: Sender: Followup-To: 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?