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From: acphssrw@csun.UUCP (Stephen R. Walton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: ARP, the AmigaDOS Replacement Project
Message-ID: <941@csun.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 4-Dec-87 14:31:45 EST
Article-I.D.: csun.941
Posted: Fri Dec  4 14:31:45 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 11-Dec-87 05:46:03 EST
Reply-To: acphssrw@csun.UUCP (Stephen R. Walton)
Organization: California State University, Northridge
Lines: 46
Keywords: ARP AmigaDOS replacement project cheath
Summary: I sing the praises of ARP and tell where to get it

Netland, I have had the opportunity to play with ARP some these last
few days, and I recommend it highly!  ARP, for those who don't know,
is the AmigaDOS Replacement Project, a Bix-based project spearheaded
by Charlie Heath (author of  TxEd) to write C and assembler replacements
for the AmigaDOS commands we all know and hate.  Right now, ARP V1.0
is available as publicly available (PA) software.  It includes new
versions of 15 or so AmigaDOS commands (Assign, If, Type, Join, Copy,
and so on) as well as arp.library which contains common code used by
all of these commands.  The commands are both smaller and have more
functionality than their original counterparts, even counting the
disk space occupied by arp.library.
   I don't want to belabor Arp's good features here;  suffice it to
say that the goal of a consistent interface has been largely successful.
The ARP docs show the following example:  All of the following ARP
commands will print all of the C files in the current directory on
the printer:
	COPY #?.C TO PRT:
	JOIN #?.C AS PRT:
	TYPE #?.C TO PRT:
For various reasons, none of these work with the original AmigaDOS
versions of these commands;  you have to hand-Copy each file.
   arp.library is a very nice bonus, including routines for such
things as case-independent string comparison, printf/fprintf to
AmigaDOS file handles, a CompareLock() function, FindFirst() and
FindNext() which augment Examine()/ExNext() with wildcarding,
etc., etc.  C bindings aren't out yet, but they're very easy to
generate if you know even a bit of assembler.
   To try it out:  Individuals can copy the ARP distribution disk
from anyone who has it; the complete distribution is also on the
latest TxEd and FastFonts update disks.  If you want to be on the
mailing list, send $5 for the latest version to:
	Arp Support
	c/o Microsmiths Inc.
	P.O. Box 561
	Cambridge, MA 02140
After Dec. 31, 1987, send an SASE to the above address before
sending money to find out if Arp is still supported.  Users groups
and other purveyors of PD software are asked to send in the $5
in order to register at least one member of the group before
distributing Arp to other members.

Disclaimer: My only connection to Arp is as a happy user of it and
of TxEd;  besides, I doubt anyone is making money off of it :-).

					Steve Walton, CSUN
RCKG01M@CALSTATE.BITNET	or swalton@Solar.Stanford.Edu