SPARTADOS 3.2f vs. 3.2g (CREDIR)

[DFELD2005]

I have been comparing the game disk menu features of  MyDos 4.53 (using MyPicoDos) vs SpartaDos 3.2g (using MSDOS 4.7).

   (Using ATR disks with Altirra 4.30 (test versions)) on my Win 10 PC.

I found that SpartaDos 3.2g does not appear to execute the CREDIR command with my downloaded and homemade 3.2g ATR disks.

   (I get the message "File not found".)

Today I tried using SpartaDos 3.2f. My downloaded and homemade 3.2f disks are able to execute the CREDIR (and related DIR commands.)

   (And 3.2f can create a subdir on my 3.2g disks.)

I am wondering if I used version 3.2g incorrectly and what are the main differences between 3.2f and 3.2g???

I am pleased to find version 3.2f works great with msdos4.7 for binary load ATR game disks (various sizes).

Edited July 20 by DFELD2005

[+kheller2]

What's new in SpartaDOS version 3.2g

************************************

Version 3.2f could only access drive ID numbers from D1-D8.  Now, you can
access drive D9.

************************************

A filespec that does not contain a drive number, such as D:TEST, will
now default to your currently logged drive on the command line.

For example, if you are logged to D4: a filespec of D:TEST will be converted
to D4:TEST, instead of D1:TEST as it used to be. This change can be very
useful when running programs from different drive numbers, since you
can access files with D: and they will automatically be taken from
whichever drive the program was was started from.

You must now be careful however, to always type D1: when you need to 
access drive 1 specifically.

************************************

A file will no longer be destroyed when copying it to itself.  The DOS
checks for this condition, and will report a 'File exists' error.

Commands such as:

 D4:COPY D4:TEST

will no longer destroy the file TEST.

************************************

All command line input, including all commands, files, and drive IDs, can
now be entered in either lower case or upper case.  Lower case was only
partially supported in version 3.2f.

************************************

Some commands have been changed, to make them more compatible with the X
cartridge, as well as making them easier to type.  The following changes
have been made:

CWD has been changed to CD.

CREDIR is now MD (Make Directory).

DELDIR is now RD (Remove Directory).

Note that with the Remove Directory function now called RD, the RD.COM
ramdisk handler needs to be renamed to RM.COM in order for it to work.

(This will be the name of the MARS8  compatible driver to be released.)

************************************ 

There are many additional error messages, so you should no longer see
error numbers on the command line.

************************************

A system lock-up bug has been fixed, when the clock wraps from 12-31-1999
to the year 2000.  

Also, the day of the week offset has been corrected for years after
2000, in the new TDLINE program.

We are 5 1/2 years 'ahead of time'<g>

************************************

Program files containing a RUNAD, can now be reentered with the RUN command
after returning to DOS.  The normal process of saving the starting address
for a .COM file into Sparta's internal variables, was disrupted when the file
contained a RUNAD address.  This has now been fixed, so all program files
will behave the same way, whether or not they include the RUNAD address.

************************************

Several changes have been made to the keyboard buffering routines.  When
holding a key down for auto-repeat, the buffer will not fill up with
excess characters that the application program hasn't used yet.  There will
at most, be one additional character in the buffer during a key repeat.

This means that when you release a key, the repeat process stops right
away, whereas there could have been many additional keycodes 'stacked up'
when using version 3.2f.

The key combination Shift-Control-Esc can be used to clear all of the keys
currently stored in the buffer.  This gives you a way to cancel everything
in the buffer when a situation may require you to abort.

************************************
 
The 1200XL key functions such as DMA off, keyclick toggle, and keyboard
lock, now work properly.

************************************

The key buffer NOW DEFAULTS to OFF due to incompatabilities with certain
programs.  It can always be activated as part of a STARTUP.BAT file using
'key on' (even in lower case), if you would like this feature enabled.

************************************
 
The AINIT command was removed from the command line. However, the XIO Atari
format function can still be used within application programs.

************************************

Even with all these changes, the DOS file size has been reduced by 260
bytes, and the lomem has been dropped 119 bytes.  If you do not have a PBI
device, your lomem will be at $17A2.

Users with a PBI device will find their lomem at $1BA2, since the buffer
space uses 1K at lomem, instead of the $D800 PBI area.

************************************ 

FTe has decided to release a special 3.2 'gx' version that can bring 
memlo back down to $17A2, by placing the disk buffers under the OS at
$C400.  This has an added benefit of using a full 2K of buffer space,
instead of the 1K space allocated at memlo, and will help the DOS run
faster.

However, SpartaDOS 3.2 'gx' is NOT COMPATIBLE with BASIC XE, or any
other programs using the RAM under the OS from $C400-$CBFF.  It is provided
for those users who don't require this compatibility, and who would like to
have the additional RAM available.

NOTE that if you ARE NOT using a PBI device, (such as an MIO or Black Box)
you do not need the special 'gx' version, and will already get the 2K
buffer space and $17A2 lomem with using the STANDARD 3.2g version.

************************************ 

SpartaDOS 3.2g and 3.2gx are being released as Shareware on an AS-IS
basis.  If you do happen to discover any incompatibilites, please don't
hesitate to let us know, so that we might be able to fix the problem
in any future revisions.

This upgrade was made possible by everyone out there who took the time
to register 3.2f  Thank You!

************************************

If you like what you see, you may register 3.2g by sending $19.95 to
    
     Fine Tooned Engineering
        
          PO Box 66109

       Scotts Valley, CA

                       95067

This will get you all 3 manuals in addition to the SpartaDOS Toolkit.

 

[Ray Gillman]

I went to this link to download 3.2g and booted it (in altirra 4.1 I think?) and ran the MENU program and went to like the 5th menu with CREDIR and created a directory and it seemed to work fine.
https://atariwiki.org/wiki/attach/SpartaDOS/SpartaDOS_3.2g_720K.atr

 

If you had a different question or are not using the CREDIR on the menu program but from the command line let me know and catch me up.

 

I see references to 3.2p and 3.3c etc so I would probably compare to the later versions as well (not sure where they are up for download to play with but I digress)

 

Edited July 20 by Ray Gillman

[_The Doctor__]

 

CREDIR is now MD (Make Directory).

and the alias can be re instated.

Edited July 20 by _The Doctor__

[DFELD2005]

WOW !!!  THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR THESE HELPFUL RESPONSES.

I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS IN VERSION 3.2G

MD, CD, AND RD ALL WORK GREAT IN THE COMMAND LINE.

I was not using the MENU.COM program. I was using CREDIR in the command line.

 

THANK YOU!!!