STOS + Fun School II updaters 1/09/90 ---------------------------------------- The three PRG files on this disc allow you to update a STOS Language, STOS Compiler and ST Fun School II disc, so that they will be compatible with the latest STE machines which offer TOS 1.62 in ROM. The original STE machines had TOS 1.6 on ROM. This new TOS 1.62 breed of STE seems to be restricted in its circulation. We had great difficulty locating such a machine and to our knowledge it has yet to hit the UK in any large numbers. Even if you don't own such a machine, it is still very important for you to update. Otherwise all the programs you write and Compile in STOS just won't work on TOS 1.62 machines. STOS Language disc Updater ---------------------------- STOS Basic has been updated three times since its original release. Version 2.3 was first, then, following as an update with the STOS Compiler, came 2.4. It was necessary to release 2.4 with the Compiler because we introduced a faster floating point maths routine which would only work with versions of STOS greater than V2.3. At this point we did not change the masters for STOS Basic because we wanted to offer the original double precision floating point routines to all STOS users. With the advent of the new Atari STE machine we had to update STOS again. The STE proved to be totally incompatible with STOS so alterations were made and version 2.5 was born. About a year later Atari did it again! - another Atari STE, this time with TOS 1.62 chips installed. It has thus been necessary to alter STOS again, now to Version 2.6. You must be aware of the changes from 2.3 upto 2.6. Most alterations concern the fixing of obscure bugs that users have reported to us. The main change is the new floating point routine: Version 2.3 used the latest IEEE standard for its floating point numbers. This allowed your program to use numbers between -1.797692 E+308 and +1.797693 E+307. These numbers were accurate to 16 decimal places. However it was quickly discovered that few users really needed this level of accuracy, especially in a game environment. We therefore opted for a faster single precision system, this allows a floating point number to range between 1E-14 to 1E+15 (7 decimal places). If you get hold of a Basic listing that was written on V2.3 and it uses the old floating point routines, you will have to update it first using the CONVERT.BAS file. One of the existing files (COMPACT.ACB) on from the STOS Accessory disc will need updating before it can be used with the new STOS. CONVERT.BAS can be found on this updater disc. One last thing to note: If you buy the Compiler after updating to 2.6, remember not to update your language disc unless the Complier contains a version greater than 2.6 - otherwise you'll be going back to square one! STOS Compiler Updater ----------------------- The Compiler also has to be updated to the latest version. Bugs reported by users have all been fixed to give a more reliable product. To update simply double click on COMPNEW.PRG and follow the on screen prompts. Fun School II Updater ----------------------- Fun School II was written in STOS Basic (Version 2.4) and thus needs the same sort of update as STOS. The updating procedure is very simple and only requires you to update disc 1 of Fun School II. All age groups (Under 6s, 6-8s and Over 8s) can be updated using the same updater. Help with STOS ---------------- For further technical support concerning STOS, join the STOS Club. You can contact Dave Tomesch (Club Editor) at: STOS CANADA CLUB P.O. Box 2083 Station B Kitchener, Ontario Canada N2H 6K8 Membership costs 25 Dollars per year (30 Dollars for shipping Overseas Airmail). STOS PD --------- This disc and many more STOS related PD discs can be obtained directly from Dave Tomesch. You do have to be a club member to take advantage of his services. Happy STOSing and please let us see what you write in STOS.