HELP!HELP!HELP!
19 messages in this thread
ATTENTION:
Desperately seeking anyone who has the following configuration:
A2500 with 2.04 Installed
VERY important!
Gary
– Mirror Image Prod. (416) 495-7469, via WHAP!
Gary,
With the 2.04 ROM installed…or running 2.04 off the developer's
kickstart version? If the later…I've got a 2000 w/ A2620 card (thus a
2500/20) running 2.04.
That of course presumes you want something tested…not to buy the
hardware… cuz I'm not selling.
Don
Don:
I'm trying to reproduce a bug which a customer has told me about with my
software wherein everytime he pushes a button on our programme's screen,
the program freezes, or goes into some sort of processor eating loop. I've
never heard of this from anyone else and he has a 2500 with the 2.04 ROM
installed. I can only think of one command in my code that could possibly
cause this (though it hasn't caused anyone else problems) and I'm wondering
if there's something in the 2.0 ROMs for A2000s which is causing it. I'll
be sending him a modified version and see if it clears up the problem. If
not, I'll get back to you. Thanks.
Gary
– Mirror Image Prod. (416) 495-7469, via WHAP!
Gary,
Oh…btw, I do have the 2.04 ROM, just can't install it yet. Still
waiting on the -06 ROMs for the 2620.
Don
Gary –
I'm running 2.04 from ROM on a 2500. I have the -06 ROMs in my 2630 board.
My Workbench version is 37.64 (not 37.67), the last developers version
(which is supposed to be identical to 37.67, except for, I believe, the
install script). The system presently has 5 megs (1 meg on motherboard, 2
megs on A2091 and 2 megs on A2630). Does this configuration meet what you
are looking for?
Jeff Schweiger
Jeff:
I think your system meets the requirments (see last message to Don for
details). If you want to help, try downloading a file in this area called
"MI-M2I.LZH", which is a Mac to IBM Type 1 Converter (don't worry if you
don't have any Type 1s to convert; all I want is for you to start the
program and then push any button in the program's window. If the button
stays pushed in and the program just sits there, then I have a problem). If
you could do this, I would be very grateful. Thanks.
Gary
– Mirror Image Prod. (416) 495-7469, via WHAP!
Gary, Just for kicks, I downloaded MI-M2I.LZH and ran it under 2.0(4) with
Enforcer. This program has a LOT of problems — from opening windows to
pushing buttons. There are numerous places where it is trying to reference
a null pointer.
Steve:
I've been through this Enforcer thing before with other people. I'm not
entirely sure what it means when someone says that my software has ALOT of
problems when put through Enforcer. As far as I know, the program does what
it's supposed to do, it returns ALL memory to the system (wish I could say
the same for alot of big, mainstream programs), it doesn't interfere with
other programs running… so what's the problem?
If you say that MI-M2I has problems opening windows, does that mean that
the windows don't open or that they don't work when opened or that they
cause the system to fail when they open or what? Currently, whatever all
this means, it's pretty much out of my hands. Things like opening windows
are taken care of by the language I write in and there's little I can do
about it, short of writing in pure library calls.
Gary
Gary
– Mirror Image Prod. (416) 495-7469, via WHAP!
Gary, An "Enforcer hit" means that the program is referencing off a null
pointer (ie, window = NULL; SetAPen(window->RPort, 0) — boom — you've
just tried to reference from location 0), or you're writing to low mem.
All in in, you're trashing low mem and at that point the system is very
fragile and can crash without warning. You wouldn't dimension an array to
10 then try to stick 20 things in it, would you? An Enforcer hit just as
serious — you're referencing memory you do not own — in a multitasking
system you are asking for trouble (and crashes).
Steve:
Okay, I understand the Enforcer thing now. Unfortunately, like I said, most
of the Enforcer hits are undoubtedly caused by commands in my language, not
by my code, per se. Word is that a update for my language to make use of
WB2.0 is in the works as we speak so that hopefully, my software in the
future will not contain any of these "bugs". However, it still makes me
wonder. After hundreds of hours testing, I have yet to run into a single
problem which I could attribute to the things you mentioned. I guess
they're just problems WAITING to happen :). Thanks for the info.
Gary
– Mirror Image Prod. (416) 495-7469, via WHAP!
Gary, Yes, they're "waiting to happen". That's why I doubt that your
customer that is having problems is _not_ having hardware problems. It's
probably a something else that he's running that's using the memory that's
getting stepped on.
Enforcer is a developer's tool for use with an MMU. Enforcer is not a 2.0
only tool, it can be used under 1.3 — the limiting factor is you must have
an MMU to use it. The problems "waiting to happen" can happen under 1.3 as
well as under 2.0. Because of the relatively recent appearance of Enforcer
and the fact that a similar tool has never before been available, these
types of problems could have caused many of the "mystery gurus" that were
not always reproducable at will that Amiga users have experienced quite
often in the past. Not only is 2.0 much more solid than 1.3, but tools
like Enforcer and Mungwall are making the productivity software we use much
more reliable.
Actually, "enforcer" is only a useful tool with Workbench versions 1.3.3
and above. Earlier versions of the Amiga OS have too many enforcer hits
themselves, which would make it difficult to sort through the "is it mine
or CBM's?" question. Still, any developer in the current market owes it to
his/her customers to use the tool — it's too valuable to ignore.
…BobR
Bob, True. It was the combination use of Enforcer and Mungwall that made
2.0 so solid. If anyone is writing commercial, shareware, or pd software,
they should be using Enforcer.
Gary –
I downloaded and ran the program. No buttons stayed pushed in. I did not
see any obvious problems (I did not run Enforcer). I checked the program
both with the 2.04 workbench (37.64) and the 1.3.2 workbench (34.28) which
boots up quite nicely from floppy even with the 2.04 kickstart in ROM.
Jeff Schweiger
Jeff:
Thanks. I guess I'll have to get a test file to my customer and see what's
what. My guess is that there is something seriously screwy going on in his
machine.
Gary
– Mirror Image Prod. (416) 495-7469, via WHAP!
Gary, I doubt there's "something seriously screwy going on in his machine".
Any time any program starts writing to/reading from memory it does not own
you've gotten your machine in a very fragile state.
-sja
Me has that configuration 🙂
Paul
P.S. and me is happy with it.
–pt–not seattle– 😉
Paul:
Thanks Paul, but I think it's my customer's system that's at fault. I'll
have to tackle at this end.
Gary
– Mirror Image Prod. (416) 495-7469, via WHAP!