CompuServe Messages

2 things here that I really appreciate having on the Amiga are sprites, and fast text routines (Or at least they seem fast…). I was looking at a terminal program running on the ST today (a GEM terminal program, I am talking GEM here not TOS), and it COULD NOT KEEP UP AT 1200 BAUD! I was told by an ST programmer that this is because GEM is not fast enough to handle the modem and the screen! How many of us have used Starterm 3? Next time it is reading a message, shove down the right mouse button for a few seconds, and when you let go of it, notice how fast it does the text… Anybody ever use Logo on the ST? You move the mouse, and your program stops running until you stop moving the mouse!! This is to make sure that their fake 'sprite' does not write all over whatever you happen to be doing. In most of the slide show demos, and many other programs, they either have to shut the pointer off, or it drives all over whatever bitmapped stuff seems to be going on! You may say 'Who Cares', but they are both Really nice to have. The only graphics support the ST has in hardware is the bitmapped screen modes – almost like the 64. It is either in 640×400, 640×200, or 320×200. On the Amiga, you could mix 4 different screen resolutions no problem… Of course I'm probably just boring everybody, but I like to ramble on about the Amiga… (Love this keyboard! Another Amiga Plus!)