🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <8603012353.AA01723@nicmad.UUCP> you write:
>I have done the 1meg upgrade for myself and a couple of others, but I
>have yet to find a reasonable ramdisk!  I am going to be doing a lot 
>of C and it sounds worthwhile.
>
>Whose ramdisk do you use and where can I get one??  If it is public 
>domain can i send you some cash for your trouble in making a copy for
>me?  If it isn't public domain where can I buy one?
>
>Also any pointers on how you set things up to use the disk would 
>be appreciated!
>
>Thanks.
>
>-- 
>Jim Luscher / Nicolet Instruments / Oscilloscope Div.
>5225 Verona Rd Bldg-2 / Madison Wi 53711 USA / 608/271-3333x2274

At the end of this message is the source for a 360k ramdisk.
I got it on the net a long time ago and have been using without
any problems for quite a while.

In terms of how I use it, it depends on what I am working on.
If I am working on ST Basic and 1st-word together, which I do
quite often, put both of them on the ramdisk.  This allows me to
switch from one to the other very quickly (in seconds!).  When
compiling, I put most of the compiler and linker on the ramdisk,
leaving the libraries on floppy.  I also put ME on the ramdisk.
This leaves enough room on the ramdisk to put the source and
compile very quickly.  Linking takes time but I find that I
usually compile a lot more than I link (finding syntax errors,
etc.).  I also have a 512k ramdisk (changed the entries in the
BPB structure).  However, I can't seem to find the source right
now.  If you want the 512 k ramdisk, I can mail you the uuencoded
binary.  In fact, I can also mail the uuencoded binary for the
360k ramdisk if you wish.

============ source for 360k ramdisk follows ============
/* RAM  DISK ACCESSORY Version 1.3 - 1986 Feb. 1.

   Original:  Version 1.1 Gert Slavenburg, Mountain View, CA.

   Modified:  1.2: Reginald Knighton (213) 473-5202 [voice].
              improved performance by over a factor of 3

              1.3: E S Fraga - cleaned some things up.  Does not
              copy A: on boot up any more.  No beeping either.

   For Atari 520ST with RAM extension to 1 MByte.
   Link this program with accstart,%1,osbind,vdibind,aesbind

   This is the first, experimental version of the RAMdisk. It should
   be installed as a DESK ACCESSORY on the Bootdisk. Before re-booting,
   and thus activating it, the menu entry "install disk" should be used
   to install drive "D" with icon-label "RAMDISK". Then save the desktop to
   make the newly installed drive permanent.
   Now re-boot end enjoy. (write protect if you're paranoid - I am)

   You may get annoyed by my trick to let the RAMdisk give a beep every
   30 seconds. This was a debugging tool for me to see if it's still
   alive, and I get worried now if I don't hear it anymore...
   To remove it, just replace the "beep" statement in procedure "sleep".

   known bugs :
   1) GEMDOS refuses to do full diskette copy to/from the RAMdisk. Don't 
      know why it does that, since the BPB's are identical.

   Lots of fun - Gert
*/

#include "portab.h"
#include "obdefs.h"
#include "define.h"
#include "gemdefs.h"
#include "osbind.h"     

struct bpb
{ WORD recsiz,       /* see BIOS:rwabs.c for more info */
       clsiz,
       clsizb,
       rdlen,
       fsiz,
       fatrec,
       datrec,
       numcl,
       bflags;
};

/* stupid AES binding arrays - what a drag */

int contrl[12];      /* better find out what's REALLY NEEDED */
int intin[128];
int ptsin[128];
int intout[128];
int ptsout[128];

/* the variables below are really serious */

typedef LONG (*PFL)(); /* define "pointer to function returning a long" */
typedef WORD (*PFW)(); /* define "pointer to function returning a word" */

PFL getbpb;            /* pointer to the systems original getbpb function */
PFW mediach;           /* pointer to the systems original mediach */
PFL rwabs;             /* pointer to the systems original rwabs */

struct bpb rdiskbpb = { 512, 2, 1024, 7, 5, 6, 18, 351, 0 };
                       /* same as Single Sided microdiskette */

int data[184320];      /* 720 sectors of 512 bytes */
                       /* same as Single Sided microdiskette */


LONG RDgetbpb(dev)
WORD dev;
{
   if (dev != 3) 
      return( (*getbpb)(dev) ); /* pass all non-RAMdisk to old handler */
   else
   {  return( &rdiskbpb );      /* return our bpb */
   }
}

WORD RDmediach(dev)
WORD dev;
{
   if (dev != 3)
      return((*mediach)(dev)) ; /* pass all non-RAMdisk to old handler */
   else
      return( 0 );              /* RAMDISK media never changes */
}

LONG RDrwabs(rw,buf,count,recno,dev) /* see page 5 of The Hitchhiker's Guide */
WORD rw;                             /* to the BIOS, 26 August 1985 Version  */

/*  int *buf;  */                    /* <------- classic code */

register long *buf;                  /* <------- new code */
WORD count, recno, dev;
{
/*  int i, *p;  */                   /* <------- classic code */

   register int i;                   /* <------- new code, declare register */
   register long *p;                 /*                    for speed        */

   if (dev != 3)
      return( (*rwabs)(rw,buf,count,recno,dev) ); /* pass it on */
   else
   { if (rw > 1) rw -=2;  /* we never change media anyway */
     while ( count > 0 )
     {  p = &data[((long) recno) * 256L];/* both casts necessary - C068 bug */
        if (rw==0) /* read */

          /* for (i=0; i<256; i++) *buf++ = *p++; */   /* <--- classic code */

          for(i=0; i<32; i++)   /* NEW read/write 16 bytes per loop cycle,   */
          {                     /* 32 cycles for 512 bytes.  Looking at the  */
             *buf++ = *p++;    /* .s files, DRI C generates very tight code */
             *buf++ = *p++;    /* for this construct...                     */
             *buf++ = *p++;    /*                                           */
             *buf++ = *p++;    /* modification by Reg Knighton              */
          }
        else      /* write */

          /* for (i=0; i<256; i++) *p++ = *buf++; */   /* <--- classic code */

          for(i=0; i<32; i++)  /* NEW code for write, see read block above  */
          {
             *p++ = *buf++;
             *p++ = *buf++;
             *p++ = *buf++;
             *p++ = *buf++;
          }

        count--; recno++;
     }
     return(0L);
   }
}

install()     /* take over DISKIO vectors, MUST RUN AS SUPERVISOR */
{
   long *bpbvect = 0x472;
   long *rwvect  = 0x476;
   long *mcvect  = 0x47e;
   long *devset  = 0x4c2;

   getbpb  = (PFL) *bpbvect; /* save old vectors */
   mediach = (PFW) *mcvect;
   rwabs   = (PFL) *rwvect;
   *bpbvect = RDgetbpb;      /* install new ones */
   *mcvect  = RDmediach;
   *rwvect  = RDrwabs;
                             /* vectors set-up, include in deviceset : */
   *devset  = (*devset) | (0x8L);

}

sleep()                      /* sleep forever */
{ int i;
  while (1) 
  {  i = evnt_timer(30000,0); /* wait 30 Sec. */
     /* Bconout(2,7); /* BEEP to show I'm alive */
  }
}

main()
{ 
  register long int *ip;
  register long cnt;

  appl_init();             /* this is needed even to link - Yack !!!!!!! */

     /*
      * don't need to do this -- we just zero out the area.
      * ESF
      */  
  /* Rwabs(0,data,720,0,0);   /* copy drive A: into RAMdisk data array */

     cnt = 92165;
     ip = (long *) data;
     while( cnt-- )
          *ip++ = 0;          /* zero out the whole thing */

  xbios(38,install);       /* INSTALL vectors in SUPV MODE */
  sleep();                 /* accessories never end ..... */
}

-- 

Eric S Fraga		   ||				   esfraga@water.uucp
Dept of Computer Science   ||			 esfraga%water@waterloo.csnet
U of Waterloo		   ||	esfraga%water%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa