Byte vol.12 №1 January 1987

FEATURES
Introduction…………………………………..82
Ciarcia’s Circuit Cellar: Build the GT180 Color
Graphics Board, Part 3: Software by Sieve Ciarcia .. .85 An overview of the ACRTC registers and commands and a look at Borland’s Modula-2.
Intelligent Databases by Christopher D. S. Moss……97
Logical-language databases yield program efficiency and take up minimal memory space.
An Introduction to Relaxation Methods
by Gregg Williams……………………………..Ill
This numeric technique is useful in solving physics problems.
Programming Project: Look It Up Faster with Hashing by Jon C. Snader…………………..128
A number of code examples illustrate the implementation of hashing functions.
RegionMaker by Howard Katz ……………….. 145
The RegionMaker program builds a Macintosh region from an arbitrary graphics image on the screen.
Programming Insight: High-Performance Software Analysis on the IBM PC
by Byron Sheppard ……………………………..157
If you count clock cycles and shuttle code to boost program performance, you’ll be interested in the author’s high-resolution timer.
Programming Insight: Dynamic Memory Allocation by Antonio Fernandes …………………………..169
Dynamic structures offer an alternative to the more commonly used array structures.
Programming Insight:
Testing Intrinsic Random-Number Generators
by Doan T. Modianos, Robert C. Scott, and Larry W. Cornwell…………………………..175
The authors’ survey on the statistical characteristics and adequacy of several random-number generators shows that all RND functions are not created equal.
Data Structures in a Bit-Mapped Text Editor by Wilfred J. Hansen……………………………183
A system designer explains how Carnegie-Mellon took on the task of displaying typographic-quality text on the IBM RT PC.
THEME: Programmable Hardware
Introduction…………………………………194
Overview of Programmable Hardware by Phillip Robinson…………………………..197
Options range from full-custom chips to user-programmable logic devices.
Introduction to Programmable Array Logic by Vincent J. Coli……………………………207
A look at architectural differences between PALs and other programmable logic devices.
Getting Started with PALs by Robert A. Freedman . .223
Useful tips on choosing a PAL and having it programmed.
Microcoded Versus Hard-wired Control by Phil Koop man……………………………..235
The advantages and disadvantages of microcoding and hardwiring the instruction sets of microprocessors. R\Ls Simplify Complex Circuits by Trevor G. Marshall…………………………247
A hardware designer’s experiences with FALs.
A PAL Programmer by Robert A. Freedman………….263
This inexpensive PAL programmer board fits in your IBM PC.
REVIEWS
Introduction…………………………………290
Reviewer’s Notebook by Jon Edwards……………..293
The Stride 440 by Paul A. Sand…………………295
Raw computing power and multiuser capability. The Data General/One Model 2 by Wayne Rash Jr. . .303 This laptop has many improvements over the DG/One Model 1. The Video Technology Laser 128 by talus E. White. .307 An inexpensive Apple II compatible. EGA Times 12 by Chris H. Pappas and William H. Murray………..313
A comparison of a dozen EGA boards.