Keith Cameron
P.O. Box 1933
Ozona, Texas 76943

AmigaDOS Glossary, Part 4

This is the final installment of a four-part series detailing terms related to using the Shell. Last month, we ended with the letter `P', so this month we will resume with the letter `R'.
RAM (Random Access Memory) is, in effect, the Amiga's memory (see memory for further discussion). The Amiga, though, also uses RAM to refer to a memory area set aside and used as a disk storage area. You can use the RAM disk as you would any other disk, with the understanding that what is in the RAM disk will be lost when the computer is turned off. One of my first articles concerned how to effectively use this disk area, especially for those people with no hard drive and only one disk drive. The RAM disk can be very effective.

I often refer to requesters in my articles. These are little windows that pop up when the computer needs more information. The user must then select one of the options available. For example, when you format a diskette, you will see a requester appear "requesting" information from you, like "Continue" or "Cancel".

A resident program can be executed very quickly, for it "resides" in the computer's memory; it does not have to be loaded from disk.

When you purchase your Amiga, it comes equipped with ROM (Read Only Memory) that can not be changed. Certain commands and instructions are already set. To change these, you would have to purchase new hardware.

Disks have a root block which provide information about the disk. If this block is erased, the disk becomes ineffective. Many viruses, especially the early ones, often resided in the root block of disks.

The root directory is the first level of directories on a disk (regardless of whether it is a hard disk or floppy). It is, in effect, the first generation of parents (see parent).

A script is a type of program using AmigaDOS commands that instructs the computer to perform a specific funtion. Most users write script files for complicated or detailed tasks they perform regularly. They then need only to execute that one file.

Although most users think of the Workbench when they see the word scroll, you can scroll through other windows by using the arrow keys.

When a command or file is executed, the Amiga follows a search path in order to locate that file. For example, the `c' directory is always searched, as are certain others (depending on the version of Workbench you are using). The search path can be altered by using the PATH command. To execute a file not in the search path, you must type in the complete path to that program (see path).

A sector is a unit of storage on a hard drive and is, in most cases, 512 bytes.

Another of the numerous gadgets is the sizing gadget. Located in the lower right hand corner of most windows, it allows you to change the size of the window. 

A source file is one that is being used to provide information (see destination). If you copy a program from one diskette to another, for example, the original is the source while the diskette copied to is the destination.

Sometimes it becomes necessary to increase the stack size associated with a program. The stack is the amount of memory allocated to that program. By increasing the stack, you increase the amount of memory the program can use.

A file we have worked with many, many times in my articles is a script file called startup-sequence. It is located in the `s' directory, and it instructs the computer how to do certain things as it boots. If you have come to the Amiga from the IBM community, think of the "autoexec.bat" file.

By now, you know that a subdirectory is simply a directory which is within another directory. It is the Shell equivalent of a drawer. 

My first Amiga was the old 500 with one floppy drive and no hard drive. It also was limited to 512 memory. This resulted in a lot of disk swapping, or alternately putting in one floppy diskette and then another. Just making a backup of a diskette resulted in at least six swaps.

Every AmigaDOS command has a syntax that defines the necessary ingredients of the command. It identifies the necessary keyword as well as any other arguments that are required.

While a program is being executed, that process is referred to as a task. Remember multitasking?

Template and syntax are really about the same thing. A command's template, though, is specific specifications. To see what I mean, type in a `c' directory command followed by a space and a question mark. When you do so, that command's template should appear.

Ready for another gadget? How about a text gadget? Such a gadget appears when you need to enter some text, like a file name.

Run the list command and you will be provided with a list of files in the current directory. See the dates and times listed? Each one is called a timestamp and designates when the file was created or last altered.

The top of your screen or window should have a label indicating its name. If you are in a word processor, for example, the name of the document may be at the top. This name normally appears in the title bar.

Any program that creates or uses data is a tool. When assigning icons to programs, be sure to give tool icons to tools.

What version of Workbench are you using? Run the version command to find out. The version identifies the software. Of course, newer and newer versions of software are always appearing.

Don't be confused by volume. This just refers to a disk, whether floppy or hard. For example, the disk in drive df1 can be referred to as "df1:" or by a name.

To get the most use you can out of pattern matching, you should become familiar with wildcards. Wildcards are symbols like the question mark (?) and the number sign (#) that are used to indicate certain patterns. If you are familiar with the use of wildcards in the MSDOS world, you will realize that the asterisk (*) is the most commonly used wildcard in that system.

A window is simply a designated area of the screen where activity occurs. Windows normally have a title bar, scrolling gadgets, sizing gadgets, and other accessories.

When I speak of Workbench, I am referring to the Amiga user-friendly graphical interface -- in other words, the icon environment. I sometimes use Workbench to refer to the software that operates the Amiga. Hopefully, my meaning is clear according to the context in which it is used.

If you write to a disk, you save information to that disk. 

If you set a disk to write-enable, you allow it to be written to. If you write-protect that disk, no information can be recorded to that disk. On floppies, you will see a little sliding plastic tab in one corner that can be moved about. When you can see through the tab, the disk is write-protected. When you can not see through the slot, the disk is write-enabled.

The zoom gadget in the upper right hand corner of most windows allows you to quickly change the size of the window. However, there are only two sizes available.

This concludes this four-part series on AmigaDOS terminology. Hopefully, some of the terms I use in my articles make more sense to you now. You may want to copy this series and keep it handy to refer to while reading computer magazines and manuals.

