GFA-Basic
11 messages in this thread
I would like to communicate with anyone who is programming in GFA-Basic to
discuss problems, tips, bugs, etc. If you're interested, please leave me a
message, or Email.
Jon Bojicic
71460,2023
I have been programing in the language for the last month. I finally got tired
of TRUE basic making promises of an update for the past two years! Anyway, I'm
glad I changed. There are much more options in GFA and I really haven't ran
into any bugs yet (except examples in the book that didn't work until a few
lines were changed).
I am setting up a program to control a microprocessor (it runs analytical
chemistry analysis) and a 386 that collects the data.
I've been translating a program I wrote in AmigaBasic, and am very happy with
most of the results, but I'm having some trouble with the SOUND statements. For
example, type in a SOUND command, then a PAUSE command, then another SOUND
command. When you run it, the program pauses, THEN plays the 2 sounds. If you
substitute a DELAY command for the PAUSE, it works like it should. I've been
trying to contact Antic for help but no luck yet. Let me know if you have any
ideas about why this might happen.
Mike, try to run a program that needs more than 300k of memory. Bombo time!
Try using library routines that address memory in the lower 512k, like a
graphic or gadgets, etc., and watch it blow away. GFA has lots of serious
problems with memory management and cannot run programs as large as or
requiring memory over 512k inclusive of the program!!! You will also find at
least one supported command which is unrecognized by the interpreter if it is
in a .LST file, but is recognized when in a .GFA file! Try converting a long
AmigaBasic program with that converter. If more than a few hundred lines it
crashes!
Hope you have fun with GFA, but I would switch to something else more reliable,
compatible, etc. I went to HiSoft Basic, which is much better, tho the
programming environment isn't as nice as GFA. Unfortunately, it isn't free of
bugs either.
When is are the promised updates for GFA coming out? There supposedly was a
compiler release scheduled for about now, but so far nothing. Of course the
interpreter itself is hardly perfect. It's too bad, because GFA shows promise
of being a very powerful programming enviromnent, if they would just clean it
up. As for Hi-Soft, it has it's points, but Michtron should be accused of
false advertising for claiming that it's "100% AmigaBASIC compatible." I have
a fairly involved AmigaBASIC program with about 30K of source code and the
incompatibilities are too mumerous to mention.
Don
Jon,
I was programming in GFA, but it is just too buggy, incomplete, and
will not work well with extended memory, doesn't know about memory outside of
the first 512k, etc., that I gave up. I spent alot of time on the phone with
Tony Barnes, their techie, and he relayed lots of info to Germany, but
revisions have never materialized. I was told the compiler would be out in
June (last) and their is not only no compiler, but no bug fixes for the
interpreter. I now work in HiSoft or A/C Basic.
Too, bad, to. GFA was a nice environment that with some help could have been
something more than an Atari cloned product which never made it out of the
Atari concept.
I just recieved 3.02 from antic. I have 6.5 megs on my 1000 and haven't had
any problems yet (but I haven't been running a program more than 200 lines
yet). I have enjoyed working with it and have only had a few problems (nothing
that bombed the system though). I haven't used any of the library routines
yet.
Michael, Does the version you have have the bugs in the SOUND statement fixed?
Scott, one of the Antic techieays that an update should be available by the end
of the month. Is your copy a pre-release version? What other enhancements are
there over 3.0?
Jon Bojicic 71460,2023
Michael,
It works fine with small programs. Try a program with a large array
which requires more than 250k or so of space. Or try to RESERVE 512k and see
what happens. I was working on a large statistical analysis program which used
enormous amounts of ram. I could not RESERVE more than 200k or so of space,
plus program space, without running into trouble. I also had problems with
reliable operation when putting gadgets on the screen (window). Some times
things worked and sometimes they bombed. I sent most of the stuff to GFA
people in SanFran with hopes they would be able to get their Basic working
properly, but 3.02 has been around quite a while without any bug fixes. I have
even left several EMAIL letters to tech support and they haven't been
communicating for several months, now. Hope you enjoy it. I did for a while.
I'm sorry they hadn't done a better job. But GFA basic is compiled to operate
in a system with 512k of memory. It has no earthly idea that you have more
than that, and refuses to use it. I also found that if you executed other
programs before you ran GFA you couldn't load a .GFA file. You get an out of
memory error. They acknowledged that was a bug back in May, but haven't made
any effort to fix it. GFA still thinks it runs on an Atari 512!!!
Steven,
The only bug I've discovered so far is with the sound statement.I spoke
to Scott at the Antic support line, and he said an update should be available
by the end of October. Michael Grove has already got version 3.02, which may be
a beta release? I've had no problems whith expanded memory (comspec) on my
1000. And it's a hekuva lot better than AmigaBasic. How does it compare to
HiSoft & A/C, in your opinion?
Jon
Jon, try this. Run GFA and write a program which starts with RESERVE 512000.
Tell me if it runs. Version 3.02 was out back in June or May. It's not new.