🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1617@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> hurf@batcomputer.UUCP (Hurf Sheldon) writes:
> will you share it? [referring to a DMD user interface I'll be developing]

Sure, when it's ready I'll announce it somewhere.  Is this the right newsgroup?
I'm one of the old-timers who would rather give away useful software than
sell it; I think there's only a few of us left..

>    do you know how to get a larger font in the tek4010 window?

The font menu uses two character sizes with 4 inter-character spacings.
(One can lock the font in so that set-font codes from the host have no
effect.)  Since the "tek4014" program attempts to emulate a scaled
Tektronix 4014, no larger fonts are available.  By the way, "myx" (although
not a Tektronix emulator) supports other fonts besides the default.

> We have several 3b2/dmd systems - We are ignorant of the possibilities & would
>much appreciate any helpful suggestions & software. I was excited when I
>realized we had the real magilla blit that A.K. Dewdney wrote of but where
>is a standard reference on what it can do & how to do it?

References:

ACM Transactions of Graphics, Vol 2 No 2 (Apr 1983) pp 135-160:
Rob Pike, "Graphics in Overlapping Bitmap Layers"
	describes the fundamental algorithms underlying layers
	(not really necessary for DMD programmers, since this
	code is mostly hidden within the system and libraries)

AT&T Bell Laboratories Technical Journal, Vol 63 No 8 Part 2 (Oct 1984)
pp 1607-1631: R. Pike, "The Blit: A Multiplexed Graphics Terminal"
	overview, design philosophy, implementation, etc.
pp 1633-1647: T. A. Cargill, "Debugging C Programs With The Blit"
	describes what is essentially the same as "dmdebug"

AT&T documentation available from their Customer Information Service:
select code 306-140: 5620 Dot-Mapped Display User Guide
	how to use the basic utilities (tek4014, jim, dmdp, etc.)
select code 306-141: 5620 Dot-Mapped Display Administrator Guide
	how to install DMD software, etc.
select code 306-142: 5620 Dot-Mapped Display Application Development Guide
	DMD programmer's reference manual and instructions for "icon"
select code 306-143: 5620 Dot-Mapped Display Text/Graphics Guide
	how to use cip & proof
select code 306-144: 5620 Dot-Mapped Display Reference Manual
	"UNIX manual" pages; essential for programming DMD applications

The AT&T UNIX System ToolChest offers some DMD programs; descriptions
can be had by dialup modem access ((201)522-6900, login "guest").  Last
time I dialed up, some months ago, I found the following:
$price	$transmission	name		description
60	?		centipede	Insect Shooting Game
125	69.50		dmd-pgmg	Collection of Teletype 5620 DMD Prog's
					(includes "myx")
95	?		dmdps		Bitmap Printer Interface
75	?		gebaca		Corporate Logo Shooting Game
1200	?		paw		Graphic Model Builder and Simulator

I mail out my own implementations of "dmdp" and "crabs" upon request
(Gwyn@BRL.MIL).  Doug Kingston (DPK@BRL.MIL) has posted some useful
software to the INFO-BLIT mailing list, which seems dormant at present.
To join the mailing list, send a note to INFO-BLIT-REQUEST@BRL.MIL.

I took an excellent 5-day DMD programming course at AT&T's Lisle, IL
corporate education center, but I haven't seen that course offered
recently.  My suggestion is to get the two AT&T manuals flagged above
as useful for programming, obtain the AT&T DMD core and text+graphics
source packages (you also need the application development binaries)
and some programs such as "myx", and use the existing source code and
reference manuals as a guide for what to do.  Start with some of the
simpler "demo" program sources and modify them experimentally..