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Silicon Times Report Issue 0037
ST REPORT WEEKLY ONLINE MAGAZINE
Monday, MAY 30, 1988
Vol I No. 37
===========
APEInc., P.O. BOX 74, Middlesex, N.J. 08846-0074
PUBLISHER MANAGING EDITOR
Ron Kovacs R.F.Mariano
=======================================================
ST REPORT EDITOR: Thomas Rex Reade
Headquarters Bulletin Boards
ST Report North ST Report Central ST Report South
201-968-8148 216-784-0574 904-786-4176
------------------------------------
CONTENTS
========
* From the Publisher's Desk..........* From the Managing Editor's Desk
* Final Day COMDEX SPRING 88.........* Reading Atari Around............
* Scout World 88 and ATARI...........* A Visit to Federated............
* Open Letter to ATARI...............* The ATARI DTP Challenge.........
* Modifying MIDI Programs............* MACRO MOUSE.....................
* ATARI...BreakEven?.................* FISCAL ATARI 1987...............
==========================================================================
Serving you on: Comp-u-serve - Delphi - GEnie
==========================================================================
:SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
======================
AMERICAN PUBLISHING ENTERPRISES INC.
is proud to announce
THE PREMIER ISSUE OF
AMIGA REPORT
Amiga Report Editor is Henry T. Colonna
Please check the Amiga area of your favorite service for this FIRST
issue Vol 1 Issue 1.
ST REPORT - PC REPORT - AMIGA REPORT - MAC REPORT (c)'88 APEInc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the Publisher's Desk:
==========================
During the past week I read a number of recent ST oriented magazines and,
I might add, thoroughly enjoyed them all. I did however, take exception
to one editorial. I would like to comment about it at this time.
I find difficult to believe a "leader" in the Atari ST Userbase could
possibly find a way to justify complacency through the use of fear
tactics. It is hardly possible to "wish" anything into reality.
It is most definitely possible to observe the course of events and offer
constructive criticism for the ultimate benefit of all concerned.
Would the Atari userbase base be better served by an attitude of Robotron
is good, therefore all is ok? Not hardly! I respectfully submit, that
a "bury our heads in the sand", attitude would surely hasten any dire
predictions to an occurance we would all regret. An image change can be
achieved in a very short time, ask any politician.
Atari needs to be the leader in the Atari world, they have yet to assume
this posture, if and when they do, we will find a great deal has improved
for all parties concerned ...the users, developers, programmers and
dealers. Until that time, it is our responsibility, not only to Atari
but to all concerned, to continue to bring forward the views and thoughts
pulsing through the ATARI WORLD for all to consider. We at ST Report
absolutely refuse to journey to La-La land.
Ron Kovacs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the Managing Editor's Desk:
================================
I had the extreme pleasure of attending the SCOUT WORLD 88 SHOW in
held at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida on
May 21-22, there were 162,00 in attendance and in my opinion, it was
simply terrific.
I participated in the ST JAUG booth and from 8:30am to 6:pm, the
spectators at the ST JAUG Atari booth were three and four people deep!
There was plenty of Atari literature ( from Atari Corp.) and the BEST part
was watching the amazement on the faces of the people when they saw the
MacIntosh and IBM software being demonstrated on the 1040ST Atari
Computers....some of the comments were, "that's fantastic", "I thought
Atari was only a game machine", "HOW MUCH?"....needless to say, this is
nothing new to the owners of ST computers we hear this all the time from
most anybody who sees the mighty ST in operation for the first time.
ST JAUG is ST Jacksonville Atari Usergroup, they really had the show
wrapped up tight. The Naval Commander in charge of the whole shibang
expressed it quite eloquently when he said, while sitting at one of the
keyboards himself, "You guys stole the show!....will you be back next
year?"
A few comments are in order here and, I direct them to Atari, please take
note of the basic message here, There were first of all, other computers
at this show and even the fellows from those displays came over to the
Atari display and remarked about how IMPRESSIVE the Atari show was...
in fact, they (ST JAUG) had forty feet of computers running!
The most important fact is that most folks didn't even know Atari existed
outside of the 2600 - 5200 world! When they saw these machines in
action, a typical remark was, "did they just come out with this?".
In my opinion, the market for Atari in the USA is a sleeping GIANT and
when Atari decides to awaken this market with some REAL advertising, mail
order sales and specialty dealer sales correctly coordinated, ATARI will
first become a real force in the computing world.
Anybody wishing to contact ST JAUG may do so by mail, at PO Box 6672,
Jacksonville, Fla. 32236-6672.
ST Report maintains an area on GEnie in category 22 for your comments.
You may also leave E-Mail on CIS and Delphi.
R.F. Mariano
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST REPORT ART WORK CONTEST
THE JUDGES LIST
===============
Service Name
======= ====
CIS Ron Luks
CIS Dan Rhea
CIS Mike Schoenbach
Delphi Clayton Walnum
Delphi Charles Bachand
Delphi Maurice Molineux
GEnie Darlah Hudson
GEnie Fred Beckman
GEnie Sandy Wilson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST-Report Official Contest Rules
================================
No purchase necessary.
Deadline for consideration in this contest is midnight August 31, 1988.
Winners will be announced in ST-Report on September 12, 1988. We
guarantee to award all prizes. The prize list will be announced during
the contest.
All readers are eligible to enter except employees of APEInc.
Publishing, CompuServe, GEnie, Delphi and their immediate families.
This contest void where prohibited or restricted by law. We are not
responsible for lost, miss-marked, or delayed art/work.
All submissions must be drawn with any Atari ST drawing program.
All submissions must be drawn by the original artist. Copyrighted art work
will not be accepted.
All submissions become the property of APEInc.
All submissions must be up loaded to specified BBS systems by the deadline
date. All systems have time and date stamping capability. Any entry dated
after 8/31/88 will be void from the contest.
Art Work Requirements
---------------------
All art work considered for this contest must be drawn with any Atari ST
drawing program.
Any person submitting art work must leave an address, telephone number,
and drawing program used.
Art work must contain the following:
ST-REPORT
The winning entry will be used at a later date for a newsletter or
magazine cover.
Where to Send
-------------
All art work may be up loaded to the following systems.
Syndicate BBS (201) 968-8148
Bounty ST BBS (904) 786-4176
Entries by mail are also permitted. Be sure to use a 3.5 floppy S/S!
You may send to:
ST-Report Logo Contest
Post Office Box 74
Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-0074
(Please include your name, address and telephone number)
Updates
-------
This contest will update up loading areas every two weeks. Contest rules
will not be changed, but judges may be added during the run of the
contest.
Current judge listing will be published next week.
This contest commences May 2, 1988 and will end Midnight August 31, 1988.
If you have any questions, Please leave email on the services at the
following addresses:
CompuServe: 71777,2140
GEnie : ST-REPORT
: R.KOVACS
DELPHI : RONKOVACS
The Source: BDG793
Rules and Regulations:
1). Use any full color program written exclusively for the ST to draw
your own personal design of an ST-Report logo.
2). Art work ported over from any other computer is void.
3). No X-rated art work will be accepted.
4). Winners will be announced by mail, email, phone call or equivalent
on or before September 12, 1988.
5). Judges decisions are final.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLOSING DAY, SPRING '88 COMDEX
==============================
by Andrew Reese START Editor
ANTIC (c)1988
(Atlanta, Georgia, May 13, 1988) The numbers held up well as the Spring,
1988 version of Comdex came to a close. Floor traffic stayed high and the
Atlanta airport resembled Manhattan at rush hour. There was general
agreement that the hottest item shown at Comdex was a new Dell PS/2 clone
and the hottest give away was a yellow nylon bag with a logo of "Wing Z,"
a new Mac II integrated spreadsheet package. The WingZ pavilion with
their flashy Leonard Nimoy-narrated laser, sound and light show was
just across the way from the Atari booth and the lines stayed long for the
entire show.
MIDI software publishers were well represented in the Atari booth itself
with Hybrid Arts, Dr. T, Passport, Sonus and Midisoft all showing their
wares. Announced today by Frank Foster of Hybrid Arts is their new ADAP
II. To be shown in June at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), ADAPII,
which stands for Analog-to-Digital Audio Processor, is the first Random
Access Editing System for Digital Audio Tapes (DAT). It will be available
this summer and carries a $3,000 price tag for the hardware and software
package. It requires a minimum of 1 meg of RAM in an ST (or a Mega, of
course) and a Hard Drive. The hardware consists of the sampler and a
coprocessor box. Just like the present ADAP, it allows 80 seconds of
stereo to be stored in a digital form on a 20 Meg hard drive. A truly
professional package and the first allowing DAT editing...and only on the
ST!
A.L. Hospers Jr. of Dr. T's was demonstrating their Multi-Program
Environment (MPE) system for MIDI. It's a shell for Dr. T's line of MIDI
software, but it's more than just a shell, because it allows for
interactive data sharing among the programs. Version 1.6 of the Keyboard
Controlled Sequencer (KCS) is shipping now at $249 with MPE and new edit
features. You can play around with 55,000 notes in a one meg ST and still
have a sequencer, MPE and three patch editors in RAM at the same time, but
if you want to add in Dr. T's impressive scoring software, better have
more than 2 megs of RAM. All in all, a very powerful and impressive
package.
Passport's Master Tracks Pro Version 2.1 was unveiled at Comdex. With
enhancements over their already powerful Version 2.0, Passport remains in
the hunt for ST MIDI leadership. Master Tracks uses a unique interface
for editing and allows the musician to lay down up to 64 tracks. Watch for
new developments from Passport in the very near future.
Superscore, the 32-track sequencer and scoring program from Sonus, made
its first Comdex appearance. This is a powerful program designed to let
the musician polish his/her work and then print out a finished score on
an Epson-compatible printer. It's priced at $249 and shipping now.
Midisoft Corp. showed their Advanced Edition of Midisoft Studio, due for
June release. Midisoft has added new event editing features,programmable
tempo changes and support for the emerging standard MIDI file format,
while still retaining the clarity for which the Standard Edition has
become known. Only $149.
An editorial aside here: your editor doesn't come from a MIDI background.
In fact, many who know me would say that I don't even come from a musical
background. But be that as it may, seeing these five finepackages side-
by-side impressed me with three things. First, they each use a
distinctive approach to the tasks, so that whichever interface you
prefer and whatever your needs, one of these packages will fill the bill.
Second, I was impressed by the level of activity in this segment of the ST
market; the ST has forged into the overall lead in the MIDI industry in
no small measure due to the efforts of these and other inventive ST
publishers. Finally, I was struck by the incredible power these packages
give the musician or even non-musician. I think that even I could knock
out something listenable with one of these -- and that's no small
accomplishment. Cheers for these guys who have made a name for the ST.
There were a number of new printers at the show. The trend continues to
be more power for less money as proces for 24-pin printers drop below
the $500 level. But the most spectacular printer at the show had to be
the new Tektronix 4693D, a full-color wax printer that produced thick, but
gorgeous pictures. Unfortunately, the price was $8,495...and Tektronix
has produced drivers only for the IBM, Mac and Amiga so far. I'm sure
that an ST driver could be produced without too much trouble, if the ST
market would support it. We'll just have to see what happens as Atari
increases its push into the business markets.
Well, that's about it from Atlanta. There were more booths and more
products than one person could possibly see in four days, so I'm sure that
I missed a few. But my feet will vouch for what I hope was a valiant
effort! It was a success as far as lining up some good writers for the
pages of START and Antic, however.
Watch for the likes of George Miller (formerly of the now defunct
Compute's ST magazine), Denis Labreque (one of Passport's musical
geniuses) and Kenneth George (wizard of the ST Accelerator) to grace our
pages in the months to come. And oh, did we find some great topics to
cover! Like...well, we better just keep things under wraps for now.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading Atari Around
====================
By Bob Rosendale
What do all the following user groups have in common?
* Cascades Atari Computer Enthusiasts (CACE)
* Capitol Hill Atari Owners Society (CHAOS)
* Gemesee Atari Group (GAG)
* Greater Kalamazoo Atari Users Group (GKAUG)
* Great Lakes Atari ST Support (GLASS)
* Grand Rapids Atari Systems Supporters (GRASS)
* Michigan Atari Computer Enthusiasts (MACE)
* Tri-City Atari Group (TAG)
* Washtenaw Atari User Group (WAUG!)
Other than all being located in Michigan, they have "joined forces", at
least their newsletters have, under a collective umbrella of MICHIGAN
ATARI MAGAZINE (MAM), published monthly by Unicorn Publications, 3487
Braeburn Circle, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108.
Patricia and Bill Rayl (Managing Editor and Editor respectively), do more
than just collect, edit and format each user groups newsletter into the
magazine. Besides ST and 8-bit software/hardware reviews, there are
regular features "From the Reader's Viewpoint", "Atari News and Comment",
"Flying the ST", "Learning Telecommunications Bit by Bit" and "Last
Hacks".
Subscriptions run $18.00 a year (12 issues) or $10.00 for six months.
There is a $2.00 cover price. Dues paying members of the listed user
groups receive MAM as part of their membership, OR as one user group put
it: "Check to see when your dues expire and calculate the number of months
remaining and multiply it by .35" (I love computer math.)
A pleasant surprise were the number of advertisers. Expecting only to see
local computer and software stores wanting user group members to flock to
their locations, national advertisers out-numbered local ads. In the
April '88 issue there were 5 local and 8 national advertisers. In the May
'88 issue there were 7 local AND 11 national advertisers.
As a rabid advertisement reader I found a couple of national ads that I had
not seen before, a company called IRRATA VERLAG offering two 8-bit
products - No Thrills Interface - allows hookup of any IBM or compatible
drive directly to a XL/XE computer, and a product called - Six System Box
- also for the XL/XE allowing 8-bit users to run any of six chips
installed in their computers at a flip of a switch.
The other advertiser is KOMPUTER KORRAL offering upgrades to the SF354
single sided drive. IRRATA VERLAG is located in Colorado Springs, CO and
KOMPUTER KORRAL is located in Portales, NM. A local advertiser offers,
for a fee, to a a computer club the rights to use a laser printer and a
VHS video editing system, and offers technical support classes on
"Introduction to the ST", MIDI Roundtable, Computer Graphics, and
Desktop Publishing.
The covers of the April and May '88 were very pleasant to the eye. Done
with a dot-matrix printer, the original art work was done by Steve
Volker of the Tri-City Atari Group. Steve also has a company called
GRAPHICOM ENTERPRISES that will "Create computer graphics to fill your
every need." It is assumed that Steve did the smiling "I love my Atari"
button and connect-the-dot puzzle as well as his own advertisement in the
April issue.
Articles seem evenly divided between the ST and the 8-bit, a closer look
revealed 6 ST specific, 4 8-bit specific and 6 general articles in the
April issue, but in the May edition there were 10 ST, 3 8-bit and 2
general articles (Reader mail and telecommunications). These are
additional articles, not just the newsletters supplied by the member user
groups, who do cover both the ST and the 8-bit happenings of their
individual user group meetings.
After reading both the April and May issues of MAM from cover to cover
(twice, the first time out of curiosity and suspense, the second time to
engage in a - what would I have don if I were in charge - observation) I
found just a couple of areas to comment on. Do the user groups publish a
separate newsletter or do their members have to wait till MAM comes out
each month? The reason for this question is that MACE has the largest
content for their newsletter and specifically "Headache #69, parts II and
III seemed out of place in MAM, why "yell" at your members in front of ALL
the user groups? On the positive side the information provided on ANALOG
and ST Log was presented fairly.
There was a bit of information about someone using ACTION! in writing a
program and then porting it over to APPLE. If you look back at some old
ANALOGs or ANTICs (1983) for the OSS (Optimized Systems) advertisements
for ACTION! you will notice that ACTION! was advertised for $99.00 for
Commodore and Apple and it was just being released for the Atari line.
I took for granted that WAUG! stood for Washtenaw Atari User Group, since
I saw Washenaw mentioned in the directions to the meetings, where as each
of the other user group acronyms were spelled out.
The biggest PLUS that I liked about having multiple newsletters in MAM
were all the names of the members that have been active in the individual
clubs. Everyone likes to see their name in print and it helps new users
connect names to faces when they have a problem.
Michigan Atari Magazine
A great way of "Keeping Atari Alive" in Michigan.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
NORTH FLORIDA SCOUT-WORLD 88
============================
By: Roger D. Stevens
Saturday, May 21, 1988 was a landmark day for ST-JAUG,
(ST Jacksonville Atari User Group). This would be our first full
function computer show. The Commanding Officer of Jacksonville
Naval Air Station has long been an ardent supporter of scouting.
As such, he annually puts the entire facilities of his
base at the disposal of the scouting community. The cause is a
worthy one and helps to support disabled scouts.
ST-JAUG was invited to help in these efforts and to promote our
favorite machines at the same time. Since many of our members are
either active duty or retired military, we had access to the
shakers and movers who put this event together. We were given an
area among the displays to be set up in one of the hangars on
base. Here we wanted to show off these machines and expose as many
people as possible to the full capabilities of these systems.
When the big morning arrived, we showed up at the gate
and were shown where our display was to be set up. The members
trickled in a few at a time (its difficult to assemble that many
people in one place at the same time). Tables were set up for us,
electrical outlets were made available and there was even a phone
line for us to use to show the myriad of possibilities of
electronic communications. In fact, GEnie assigned a * NO CHARGE *
account # just for the occasion. This in itself was no simple
task when you consider that the display was in the middle of a
LARGE hangar normally used for aircraft maintenance. Everyone
diligently set about unloading, carrying, and setting up equipment.
Soon, the area looked like a mass of wires and cables, but the
display was taking shape. I never really took a head count but,
there must have been at least a twenty systems there, ranging from
a 520 ST with one single-sided drive to 1040's with two drives and
hard disks from 30 to 60 Megabytes.
"It was really something to behold"... all those systems lined
up, booted up, and ready for the invasion that was to come!
Visitors and scouts now began to trickle in and were drawn
like magnets to our display area. Soon, we were literally awash in
a sea of scouts, seems word of our display spread really FAST!
For the major part of the day, we had people lined up eight to ten
deep at every station, just waiting to get a chance to try the
machines. The event was attended by over 160,000 people. I believe
at least 80,000 of those saw our display and most of these people
had to try the machines, at least once. We had produced, we were
told, the biggest attraction in the entire display area (even bigger
than Bill Elliot's NASCAR racing machine). Numerous rolls of film
were shot by club members to document the day for us. I can't wait
to see the pictures... some of the expressions and looks on the kid's
faces, as they battled invaders to save the universe, were priceless.
I think that we were as entertained watching the scouts as they were
using the computers
We did have our apprehensive moments.... all those scouts
walking up with various combinations of sodas, cotton candy, hot
dogs, and pizza in their hands, coupled with the bumping, pushing,
and shoving to get to the computers, made a few of us leave there
a little grayer than when we arrived. There were no major disasters
with the refreshments and ATARI Corp. should note that TIMEX watches
have nothing on the ST. Talk about "Take a Licking and Keep on
Ticking!!! Those ST Computers did us and ATARI proud that day!
The kids really loved all the games and graphics but that
wasn't all we had going. One machine was writing poems for their
girlfriends and parents, one was On-Line all day with the various
commercial systems such as GENIE and DELPHI, another was running
Time Works Desktop Publishing system with a 24 pin printer while
others showed Word Perfect for the ST and SwiftCalc.
We demonstrated the IBM Emulator (PC-DITTO) and the Macintosh
Emulator (MAGIC-SAC). People were really AMAZED to see such things
as LOTUS 1-2-3 and MAC-PAINT running on an ST. No doubt, lots of
people walked away from our display convinced that the ATARI name
no longer meant "Game Machine" (although they are better at that
than either IBM or APPLE). The biggest hit with the kids was the
games (SURPRISE!!!) and personally, I got a lot of satisfaction at
seeing their faces brighten up as they tried the games.
P.S. ----- We were IMMEDIATELY invited back to be a part of
next year's SCOUT-WORLD at NAS Jacksonville. All of the military
members involved are receiving letters of commendation from the
C.O. and similar accolades will go to the non-military
participants. WELL DONE!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A VISIT TO FEDERATED
====================
by: J.H.Lee
One of the items of interest in the Atari world was when Atari Corp.
bought the Federated Group, a chain of stores that specializes in home
electronics. Currently, Federated has 65, give or take a few, stores in
California, Arizona, Texas, and Kansas.
Like most Atarians, I thought, "Oh, good!! This will really give Atari
the opportunity to sell their computers in an excellent way."
I decided to check out a Federated store to see what they had. Lucky for
me, I was in California at the time, attending school, and there just
happened to be one near from where I was residing.
My eager anticipation to see the store sort of dwindled as soon as I saw
the building. It looked dead. The large windows were all tinted, very
dark, you could not see what the was inside unless you were right in
front of it. The building was all white and, had the Federated sign not
been next to the parking entrance, one might think the place
was one of those old vacant commercial rental buildings.
Anyway, I went in. It looked nice, but I wonder what they did with all
the space. It wasn't exactly empty, just too many large gaps between the
electronics on display. I saw all sorts of stereos, TV's, radios, etc.
I checked the prices to see how competitive Federated was going to be.
I went up to a display case, where it had portable CD players and
Walkmans. The prices were a little outrageous. No wait, it was really
outrageous. A Sony CD Discman was selling for $399! Granted, there are
a lot of different types of models, but I know what they are. That same
Discman I saw can be found for a lot less in catalog showrooms, like
$229. Hmmmm. Then I saw a Sony Walkman selling for $179. It was a
small unit, which offered stereo cassette player, FM/AM stereo,
auto-reverse, Dolby B, metal tape capability. It also came with a nickel
cadium rechargeable battery with recharger (it runs on one AA battery).
It was selling for $189. $189?!?!! I have the same exact model, which I
got on sale for $120. I decided to heck with this and came for what I
really wanted to see.
I walked over to the computer section. There were two 520 ST's on
display, as well as a 1040ST. The latter had MIDI software in it, but
there was nothing connected! There were also a 2600, 130XE, and XE Game
System displayed, and even the new XF551 drive and SX-212 modem. There
were a whole bunch of neatly stacked boxes of all the 8-bit hardware.
But once again, some of the prices were off. They were selling leftover
800XL's, still in their boxes, for $149. Huh? The XE Game System was
selling for the same price, and yet you would get a lot more for the
money. The 130XE was selling for $179, and I got mine for $99
(through a special sale from a mail order company). The other Atari game
machines (2600, 7800) were selling about $10 more than let's say, at Toys
R' Us. Ummm, what's going on? The XF-551 was selling for a whopping
$229, and well, I didn't bother to see the price of the SX-212.
Something was wrong, though, because apparently I was invisible to the
store employees. No one came up to me and asked if I needed assistance.
In fact, the store was practically empty with customers. I was there for
at least a half hour, wandering around looking at this and that, but to
no avail. It didn't really matter, I was only there to browse, not buy!
The software section had, shall we say, "fair" prices, and a "big"
selection. Well, the Atari 8-bit software was mostly oldies for Atari
Inc. Things like Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Pilot, etc. A tiny selection
of new software was hidden in the mass. The ST software selection had a
wider selection, so that was no problem.
Having decided I had enough and because I had to study for my next
mid-term, I started to walk out. But as I was leaving, something caught
my eye. It was another computer that I overlooked before. I looked at
it warily, and couldn't believe my eyes. I came up closer to make sure
I wasn't hallucinating. I rubbed my eyes to make sure dust wasn't
obstructing my vision. I looked and double looked to see my fears come
true. Right in front of me was an Amiga 500 computer!!!! An Atari owned
store selling the competition's computer??? Aaarrrggghhh!!!
And as the title character in the arcade game, Paperboy would say,
" Oh, man- that's BOGUS!
Ed. Note: 2 weeks after his visit it was reported that the prices in this
store were completely readjusted by the "new" manager. The computer
dep't had price cuts of up to 63 percent....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
AN OPEN LETTER TO ATARI
=======================
by T."Rex" Read
The time has come to take a look at what you (ATARI) are doing, you
absolutely need to advertise on a NATIONAL basis,..ie... network TV,
specialty magazines, local TV networks and begin to support the loyal
usergroups that have promoted your products while you were so obviously
absent from the public relations area.
Mail order sales handled properly can be the biggest sales tool you have.
The United States is fast becoming a "shop at home country", you would be
foolish to think that mail order would be detrimental to your image and
anybody who would tell you this is attempting to sell the US market by
1960's standards!
A sample plan for controlling the marketing through both VAR and mail
order is not the BIG task you would be led to believe!
First, a relatively simple method of checks and balances would have to
be put in place, you have more than half of it in place at this time.
a) Furnish a three or four part warranty ticket, (it would resemble a
Visa or Masterchge form), one part goes to Atari at the time of sale to
the customer, the other part, the customer fills in to activate the
warranty, the third part, the dealer or mail order house keeps on file,the
fourth part is for the customer to keep. This simple system would track
the serial number and movement of a device. Atari could even have a fifth
leaf to this form, removed at the time of shipping from Atari to the
outlet.
b) Furnish to VAR and specialty dealers upgrade kits to allow in the
field upgrades to various devices and allow a customer to obtain the same
kit with a dealer authorization to perform the upgrade, the dealer would
then send in the authorization to verify device# ???? was in fact,
upgraded.
c) Place a discount CAP on all mail order sales, any MO house violating
the cap would loose the privilege of selling Atari Products. These could
be periodically checked by sampling the market through spot purchases.
d) Allow dealers to participate in a FULL CO-OP Ad campaigns, with the
dealer allowed to choose the media used on the local level, after all, who
would know better how to approach their own market.
e) On exchange goods sent to the factory, be sure to send back to the
customer or dealer the SAME REVISION (Update) etc., as was sent in to be
exchanged. Don't allow your customers and dealers to have to play Russian
Roulette as far as getting back the same grade of goods they sent in.
Second, Atari has to realize just how potent the US Market is, to sit back
and blithely state directions to be taken that are indeed going to lead to
a situation of mediocrity then, it's time to listen to more opinions and
let go of old ideas and impressions.
To boldly CUT OFF MAIL ORDER SALES is without a doubt, the worst and
clearly the most hateful proposal made yet. Mail Order Sales are the most
powerful wave of sales media in this country in forty years! The wave has
yet to crest and ATARI is ignoring it! (INCREDIBLE!)
Whatever decisions are ultimately made, Atari must NEVER forget the
volatile memory of the general population. A wise and prudent decision
would be to cover ALL facets of the marketable population regardless of
whether it's in the business or home computer community. The main reason
for pointing this out is many individuals involved with business' needing
computer applications are indeed operating out of their homes on a
permanent basis. Now, with the popular advent of "FAX" machines, the
Atari computer in the home will become an even more powerful tool in the
business arena simply because the initial investment is easier to handle
by most who would be involved in the "Cottage Computer Industry".
Basically if your goal is to have Atari be the number one selling computer
in the United States for many years to come, with this in mind, the
question comes up, "then why all the double talk?" Why practice the, "say
one thing and do another", double standard so often?"
Federated Stores is gaining quite a reputation for itself already, reports
are coming in that they are selling products well below the average dealer
cost. Competitive sales practices are wonderful but, outright mass
destruction of the dealers in a given area around a Federated Store is
simply an indication that Atari could care less about maintaining product
value and good dealers who have been with Atari for some time. The real
point here is, the corporate heads in Atari must either get together and
follow direction or, GET GONE!
You now have a new department called "CREATIVE MARKETING" or some such
silly title, the only thing seen from them are more "rubber band" news
releases that are not quite in line with whats coming from corporate.
The conception, "IF A DEALER HAS NO STOREFRONT, HE IS NOT A DEALER"
is so ridiculous it smacks of insanity, some of the very best consultants
and sales organizations operate from small plain offices and homes. It
becomes impossible to imagine the person thinking up this nonsense, ie..
"YOU CANNOT SELL A MEGA ST UNLESS YOU HAVE A STOREFRONT!"... how
utterly dumb!....Leave the prospecting for sales to the consultants and
dealers, Atari should concentrate on making the machines and KEEPING THEM
AVAILABLE. We see now the 1040ST is back ordered! Why? Send to many to
Germany in error? I think NOT! I am willing to bet FEDERATED has plenty
of 1040ST machines. Could it be this "new" bundled deal is to deplete
the mega ST inventory so when the new "E" model megas and 1040s hit the
market there will be brisk sales? Don't worry, they will sell in any
case. Atari has to get rid of the people in corporate who are so busy
making sweetheart deals with old friends and comrades all over the
country and start to focus on SALES overall.
It can be safely stated that specialty dealers, mail order firms and
consultants are all quite willing and able to sell the ENTIRE product
line, it appears Atari is not! A long range observation would be that
Atari is either trying to get rid of all independent dealers in favor of a
national company chain or, can't get rid of the dead wood in it's decision
making process and thusly continues to come up with totally outrageous
and dead end marketing practices.
I find myself at a loss to explain many of the decisions made in the
corporate world, but I am sure most are needed at the time they are made.
Atari has the potential of taking the US market and setting it on it's
"ear" if only basic common sense were to be used in the approach to sell
this market. Establishing "Prima-Donna" type dealers is not the way to
go, four or five mail order firms equally placed in the US market,
specialty dealers given protected territories and consultants to
administer to the overall market, all with total product accessibility,
will assure a marketing success. First and foremost, STOP CUTTHROAT
PRACTICES! ala...FEDERATED........
IBM realized this a number of years ago and proceeded to train the US
population in one of the most successful indoctrination campaigns ever
seen in commercial advertising. Why fight this? Use it to your
advantage!
Picture in your mind a typical IBM appearing installation with it's
monster price tags and it's endless NEEDED peripheral accessories. NOW,
strategically placed on the same plate we see an ST WORK STATION all bought
and paid for with a very pleased and pleasant looking computer operator
finished with work and dreaming of a Tropical vacation! Or, A drab
black and white plate of a MacIntosh and the same delightful
representation of the ST.
Gentlemen, Putting Atari's best foot forward is not an insurmountable
task.
Take the initiative, BE.. RADICAL - BOLD - OUTSTANDING! The American
public just loves a refreshing change of pace and, a NEW NATIONAL
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN aligned with all the hype of the IBM, MAC etc..
WITHOUT THE SMUG ALOOFNESS AND MYSTERY PORTRAYED will crush the
competition . Crazy you say? hmmmm, Look at it this way, do you have
any idea how many ounces of CHEMICALS you consume every year? Almost 19!
Look at the ad campaigns that literally crushed the sugar industry.
Now, how crazy is a well conceived but radical ad campaign? 'Tis time
to put away both the folks and ideas of the 60's and get started on
making people pay some real attention to the ONLY POWERHOUSE computer
able to handle most any situation!
The above comments and statements are a sample representation of users,
dealers, developers and mass marketing firms who have been involved with
Atari for the past few years. To find so many actually hostile towards
Atari makes it so easy to believe the old adage, "where there is smoke
there is fire"...
Atari, the fire alarm is ringing................
next week,...GDOS and the developer's dilemma......
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atari Desktop Publishing Solutions at CEPS
==========================================
Compiled by Steve Godun
ZMag Assistant Editor
At the Corporate Electronic Publishing Show (CEPS) in Chicago last
month, Atari displayed new third-party software support for the
Atari Desktop Publishing (DTP) system, based on the Atari Mega line
of business computers and the Atari SML804 laser printer.
Atari has issued a challenge to DTP systems with Apple or IBM hardware and
software platforms, demonstrating complete systems at a lower price with
superior performance in most real-world applications. Said Chuck Babbitt,
president of Atari Computer, "The press really thought we had something.
We were showing a $5,000 desktop publishing solution, and Apple was
showing $18,000 to $20,000 systems. We are a real player in this
market."
The newest software offering, Desktop Publisher ST from Timeworks in
Deerfield, IL arrived in stores late last month. Suggested retail is
$129.95. Publisher uses a true GEM-based interface and offers word
processing, page layout, graphics, and typesetting, including WYSIWYG
display. The program allows users to import text from Word Writer STm
1st Word, and WordPerfect, as well as ASCII files from any other word
processor. It fully supports the Atari SLM804 laser printer, taking less
that one minute to produce a full page of text and graphics.
A family of Accessory Packs of ready-to-use graphics especially designed
for a variety of applications will be available later this summer at
$39.95 retail. Timeworks offers free technical support to all registered
users, a money-back guarantee, and an exclusive exchange policy. Timeworks
Desktop Publisher ST runs on the Atari 520ST, 1040ST, and Mega computers.
Soft-Logik Publishing Corporation of St. Louis, MO has announced
Publishing Partner Professional, an advanced version of its popular
Publishing Partner, to start shipping in early June. Publishing Partner
Professional supports auto-text flow around graphics, auto hyphenation,
auto kearning, a spelling dictionary, and grouping of multiple objects.
It offers the ability to rotate, slant, or twist text and objects, and
special functions for color printing. Publishing Partner Professional
also allows users to import text from Word Writer ST, 1st Word, Word-
Perfect, and ASCII files. According to Shawn Fogle, president, Soft-Logik
has dramatically improved the printing speed when used with the Atari
SLM804 laser printer -- now about 55 seconds to produce a full page of
text and graphics.
Publishing Partner Professional includes a driver for the Atari SLM804
laser printer, and support for a number of dot matrix and laser printers,
including PostScript for devices like the Linotronic phototypesetter.
Publishing Partner and Publishing Partner Professional offers a unique
font scaling technique to allow characters at any point size between 2
and 216, and many other features. Both programs function with Atari's
520ST, 1040ST, and Mega computers.
According to one of Publish! magazine's staff, upon viewing Publishing
Partner Professional at the CEPS show, "This program has features that
no other desktop publishing package has, like kearning tables and color
separations! I'm really impressed." Look for a full review of the Atari
DTP system in a future issue of Publish! and Personal Publishing.
Publishing Partner Professional will sell at $199.95 retail. Registered
Publishing Partner owners may receive an upgrade for only $50 in a
program just extended to June 1. The suggested retail price of the
original Publishing Partner has been lowered from $149.95 to $89.95.
Mirrorsoft's Fleet Street Publisher is a desktop publishing program out
of Great Britian. Marketed here by Spectrum Holobyte of Oakland, CA,
Fleet Street will fully support the Atari SLM804 laser printer with a
release due soon. Additional graphics libraries also will become
available. The current version works on the 520ST amd 1040ST and retails
for $149.95.
Fleet Street runs under GEM so it's friendly and easy to use. It includes
a library of ready-to-use graphic images, a pixel editor for creating
and adapting graphics, six fonts, and box and rule drawing in multiple
weights and shades. International character sets are available.
Another package from Europe is Calamus, being sold in the US by ISD
Marketing in Canada. It is currently anticipated that Calamus will appear
in stores in June. It offers many high-level features, including a full
GEM interface, scalable fonts from Monotype, polygon functions, an
integrated diagram graphics program with functions including vector
graphics, and support for a number of printers, including the Atari
SLM804. Calamus for the Mega will retail at $449.95, and a fully
compatible scaled down version will be available fot the 1040ST at
$199.95.
At the higher end of the marketplace, Atari is producing the G.O.
Graphics' Deskset, a high-quality desktop typesetting program designed
for use with the Atari Mega and SLM804 laser printer. Deskset is a
professional level typesetting package which uses genuine CompuGraphic
scalable fonts and WYSIWYG preview. It includes automatic hyphenation
and justification, character pair kerning, automatic character
compensation, and multiple exception hyphenation dictionaries. Deskset
uses a GEM interface and typesetting commands identical to those found in
CompuGraphic typesetting systems. Deskset is soon to be released -- it's
currently in beta testing -- and will retail for around $500.
All of these packages allow users to import text from ASCII files from
any word processor. Graphics can be picked up directly from either
Degas, NeoChrome, GEM Draw, or Easy-Draw formats.
Supercharged Easy-Draw from Migraph, in Federal Way, WA offers the
combination of the popular graphics program with a graphics file
converter. The Supercharger allows Easy-Draw to load bit images from
NeoChrome or Degas, as well as scanned images of portions of any
screen display.
Excellent for use as a low-end desktop publisher for the production of
forms and flyers, Easy-Draw 2.3 also offers use of fonts, and takes
full advantage of the speed and versatiltiy of the Atari SML804 laser
printer, composing a full page of text and graphics in only 30-40
seconds. Easy-Draw without the Supercharger is often used as a drawing
tool for the creation of scalable images, which are then imported into
the DTP packages mentioned earlier.
Supercharged Easy-Draw retails for $149.95. Easy-Draw end-users can
upgrade by purchasing the Supercharger directly from Migraph.
In another corner of the desktop publishing marketplace is a
sophisticated word processor, Microsoft Write ($129.95). Write offers
a number of different fonts and simple page layout commands to produce
professional-looking reports and documentation quickly.
Another key component of the Atari Desktop Publishing system is the ST
Scan package from Navarone Industries in Campbell, CA., consisting of
a high-speed interface and a Canon Image Scanner, the package allows you
to digitize photographs, line art, or other types of images, for use
with your Atari computer. The single-sheet scanner retails for
$1239. The flat-bed scanner, which can accept any type of bound
material to a maximum of 8.5"x12", retails for $1779. The ST Scan
package supports Degas, .IMG, and PostScript image formats, in
resolutions of 75 to 300 dots per inch.
**************************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
-----------------
As a reader of ST Report Magazine, you are entitled to take advantage of
a special DELPHI membership offer. For only $29.95 ($20 off the standard
membership price!), you will receive a lifetime subscription to DELPHI, a
copy of the 500-page "DELPHI: The Official Guide," and a credit equal to
one free evening hour at standard connect rates.
Signing up with DELPHI
----------------------
Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access DELPHI
services via a local phone call.
Join--- DELPHI
--------------
1. Dial 617-576-0862 with any terminal or PC and modem (at 2400 bps, dial
576-2981).
2. At the Username prompt, type JOINDELPHI.
3. At the Password prompt enter STREPORT.
For more information, call DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-544-4005, or
at 617-491-3393 from within Massachusetts or from outside the U.S.
DELPHI is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
**************************************************************************
Description of MIDI Status Bytes.
Michel Poirier
MIDICOM, Montreal 167/111
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANNEL VOICE MESSAGES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status byte # Description
------------------------------- - -------------------------------------
1000 nnnn : 80 - 8F : 128 - 143 2 Note OFF
1001 nnnn : 90 - 9F : 144 - 159 2 Note ON
1010 nnnn : A0 - AF : 160 - 175 2 Polyphonic Key Pressure (after touch)
1011 nnnn : B0 - BF : 176 - 191 2 Control Change
1100 nnnn : C0 - CF : 192 - 207 1 Program Change
1101 nnnn : D0 - DF : 208 - 223 1 Channel Pressure (after touch)
1110 nnnn : E0 - EF : 224 - 239 2 Pitch Wheel
CHANNEL MODE MESSAGES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status byte # Description
------------------------------- - -------------------------------------
1011 nnnn : B0 - BF : 176 - 191 2 Channel Mode Select (Mono, Poly, Omni)
SYSTEM MESSAGES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status byte # Description
------------------------------- - -------------------------------------
1111 0000 : F0 : 240 * System Exclusive * Variable
1111 0sss : F1 - F7 : 241 - 247 * System Common * 0 to 2
1111 1ttt : F8 - FF : 248 - 255 0 System Real Time
- Symbol "#" represents the number of Data following that Status byte.
- In Voice & Mode Messages, "nnnn"+1 = Channel Number.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CODE2 Channel Voice Messages.
Michel Poirier
MIDICOM, Montreal 167/111
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status Byte Data Byte Data Byte Description Detail
----------- --------- --------- ------------------ --------------------
1000 nnnn : 0kkk kkkk 0vvv vvvv Note OFF n: Channel
80 8F : 00 7F 00 7F k: Note number
128 143 : 0 127 0 127 v: Velocity
Status Byte Data Byte Data Byte Description Detail
----------- --------- --------- ------------------ --------------------
1001 nnnn : 0kkk kkkk 0vvv vvvv Note ON n: Channel
90 9F : 00 7F 00 7F k: Note number
144 159 : 0 127 0 127 v: Velocity
Status Byte Data Byte Data Byte Description Detail
----------- --------- --------- ------------------ --------------------
1010 nnnn : 0kkk kkkk 0vvv vvvv Poly Key Pressure n: Channel
A0 AF : 00 7F 00 7F k: Note number
160 175 : 0 127 0 127 v: Pressure Value
Status Byte Data Byte Data Byte Description Detail
----------- --------- --------- ------------------ --------------------
1011 nnnn : 0ccc cccc 0vvv vvvv Control Change n: Channel
B0 BF : 00 79 00 7F c: Control Number *
176 191 : 0 121 0 127 v: Control Value
* Control Number 122-127 reserved for Channel Mode
Status Byte Data Byte Data Byte Description Detail
----------- --------- --------- ------------------ --------------------
1100 nnnn : 0ppp pppp Program Change n: Channel
C0 CF : 00 7F p: Program number
192 207 : 0 127
Status Byte Data Byte Data Byte Description Detail
----------- --------- --------- ------------------ --------------------
1101 nnnn : 0vvv vvvv Channel Pressure n: Channel
D0 DF : 00 7F v: Pressure Value
208 223 : 0 127
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status Byte Data Byte Data Byte Description Detail
----------- --------- --------- ------------------ --------------------
1110 nnnn : 0mmm mmmm 0lll llll Pitch Wheel n: Channel
E0 EF : 00 7F 00 7F m: MSB Value
224 239 : 0 127 0 127 l: LSB Value
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CODE3 Channel Mode Messages.
Michel Poirier
MIDICOM, Montreal 167/111
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status Byte Data Byte Data Byte Description Detail
----------- --------- --------- ------------------- -------------------
1011 nnnn : 0ccc cccc 0vvv vvvv Channel Mode Select n: Channel
B0 BF : 7A 7F 00 7F c: Control Number
176 191 : 122 127 0 127 v: Value
Data Binary Hx Dec Description
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
c = 0111 1010 7A 122 Local Control
v = 0000 0000 00 0 Local Control OFF
v = 0111 1111 7F 127 Local Control ON
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
c = 0111 1011 7B 123 All Notes OFF *
v = 0000 0000 00 0
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
c = 0111 1100 7C 124 Omni Mode OFF
v = 0000 0000 00 0
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
c = 0111 1101 7D 125 Omni Mode ON
v = 0000 0000 00 0
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
c = 0111 1110 7E 126 Mono Mode ON
v = 0000 nnnn 0n n Number of Channels = 1 to 15
v = 0000 0000 00 0 Number of Channels = Number of Voices
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
c = 0111 1111 7F 127 Poly Mode ON
v = 0000 0000 00 0
* Messages 123 to 127 act as "All Notes OFF" messages.
* In Mono Mode, "n" specifies the number of Channels in which monophonic
Voice messages are to be sent. If n=0 the receiver will assign all its
voices, one per channel, from its "basic" channel through 16.
CODE4 System Messages.
Michel Poirier
MIDICOM, Montreal 167/111
Status Byte Data Byte Data Byte Description Detail
----------- --------- --------- ------------------ --------------------
1111 0000 : 0iii iiii 0ddd dddd System Exclusive i: Identification
F0 : 00 7F 00 7F d: Data *
240 : 0 127 0 127
EOX : 1111 0111 End of Exclusive
F7
247
* Any number of Data may follow. Must end with EOX
Status Byte Data Byte Data Byte Description Detail
----------- --------- --------- ------------------ --------------------
1111 0sss : 0ddd dddd 0ddd dddd System Common s: System Message
F1 F7 : 00 7F 00 7F d: Data *
241 247 : 0 127 0 127
* Variable amount of Data bytes from 0 to 2.
Data Binary Hx Dec Description
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
s = 1111 0001 F1 241 Undefined
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
s = 1111 0010 F2 242 Song Position Pointer
d1= 0lll llll LSB
d2= 0hhh hhhh MSB
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
s = 1111 0011 F3 243 Song Select
d = 0xxx xxxx Song Number
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
s = 1111 0100 F4 244 Undefined
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
s = 1111 0101 F5 245 Undefined
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
s = 1111 0110 F6 246 Tune Request
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
s = 1111 0111 F7 247 End of Exclusive
Status Byte Data Byte Data Byte Description Detail
----------- --------- --------- ------------------ --------------------
1111 1ttt : No Data No Data System Real Time t: Timing Message
F8 FF :
248 255 :
Data Binary Hx Dec Description
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
t = 1111 1000 F8 248 Timing Clock
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
t = 1111 1001 F9 249 Undefined
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
t = 1111 1010 FA 250 Start
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
t = 1111 1011 FB 251 Continue
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
t = 1111 1100 FC 252 Stop
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
t = 1111 1101 FD 253 Undefined
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
t = 1111 1110 FE 254 Active Sensing
---- --------- -- --- -----------------------------------------------
t = 1111 1111 FF 255 System Reset
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
MACRO MOUSE
===========
by Charles F. Johnson
* Records everything you do with the mouse, and everything you type
on the keyboard, then plays it all back in real time. The mouse
pointer moves from place to place on screen, selects files, etc. as
if a ghost were operating your ST! You can run programs, exit, and
run other programs, all under the control of MACRO MOUSE.
* Compatible with almost every ST program, including .TOS and .TTP
programs. Also fully compatible with hard drives.
* Up to 4 macro recordings can be held in memory at once. The size
of each buffer is easily configurable with the (included) GEM-based
"Configurator" program.
* Save and load macro recordings to and from disk.
* Buffers can be automatically loaded with a set of macros at boot time.
* Auto-run macros will execute when you power up your computer.
* "Hot-Key" feature lets you record, play, or loop a macro with one
keypress.
* A "punch-in" feature lets you play a macro, then instantly switch
into recording mode when you move the mouse or type any key.
* "Endless loop" feature is terrific for demos of any type; a macro
recording will play until you type in the secret code word (and no
one can interrupt it otherwise, neither by moving the mouse nor by
typing any other keys).
* Loop points can be set while recording, to repeat a section for a
specified number of times. Pauses can also be recorded, to allow a
user to select a file or answer a prompt, then continue the
playback.
* Recordings can be chained, and loaded from disk automatically
during playback, effectively eliminating memory limitations.
* Text messages can be displayed at any point in a recording. MACRO
MOUSE will either wait for a keypress while the message is
displayed, or wait for a specified number of seconds and then continue.
* On-screen counter displays the amount of memory left as you
record. Can be turned on and off.
* Playbacks can be paused and restarted with a simple keypress.
* While playing a macro, moving the mouse or typing any key will
instantly stop the playback (like a car's 'cruise control'
feature). It can then be resumed from the point at which it
stopped by typing a simple key combination.
List of features - MACRO UTILITIES
----------------------------------
* The MACRO UTILITIES are a set of very useful desktop tools,
accessible from within almost ANY ST program, not just GEM-based
programs. NOT a desk accessory, Macro Utilities are accessed by
typing the Alternate-Help key combination.
* Installs automatically at boot time from within an AUTO folder.
* Interfaces with Macro Mouse to extend its capabilities. (Both
programs also work fine on their own.)
* If you're still using the ST's drab, boring file selector (see
below!) Macro Utilities will let you change drives with only TWO
keypresses.
* Adjust the screen colors in any resolution, in any program, at
any time.
* Instantly switch to one of 10 user-definable color palettes, and
save and load sets of palettes to and from disk.
* Display and change the current time and date.
* Change the keyboard repeat and delay rates, and turn audible
keyclicks on or off.
* Turn disk write-verify on and off. (Turning off write-verify
greatly increases the speed of disk operations.)
* Display the amount of free RAM memory in your computer.
* Includes a four-function, 32 bit decimal/hexadecimal calculator.
* Echo all low-level screen output to the printer.
* Load and save Macro Mouse recordings at any time, whether you
have access to the desk accessories or not.
* Save a "snapshot" of the screen (in DEGAS picture format) to a
disk file AT ANY TIME. Again, you don't need access to the desk
accessories to use this feature. Every other snapshot utility uses
a 32K screen buffer...Macro Utilities saves the screen directly
from RAM, without gobbling up that precious memory.
* Insert characters from the upper half of the ST's character set
into any document. (All the foreign language, scientific,
trademark, copyright, and other symbols are in the upper half of
the ST's font.)
* Send a string of text or numeric printer codes to ANY type of
printer at ANY time. This feature can also be used as an
"electronic typewriter" for typing one line of text at a time on
your printer.
* Perform a cold or warm reset, equivalent to pressing the RESET
key on the back of your ST. (Mega ST owners can stop reaching
around the back of that system unit...)
* The MACRO UTILITIES program
can be configured so that your ideal
color palette, key settings, write-verify status, etc. are set
automatically when you start your computer. (Throw away that
memory-wasting Control Panel!)
* Written entirely in assembly language, uses only about 10K of RAM.
List of features - START SELECTOR
---------------------------------
The START SELECTOR is a complete replacement for the dreaded
ST GEM File Selector, maintaining full compatibility with the
original while adding many new and useful features. The program
runs from an AUTO folder on your start-up disk, and intercepts
EVERY call to the File Selector, from EVERY program. Thus, any GEM
program that tries to use the system's File Selector will find
itself using the START SELECTOR instead --- programs like 1st Word,
Word Writer, DEGAS Elite, CAD 3D, Cyber Paint, Spectrum 512, GFA
Basic...you name it.
If you already know how to use the GEM File Selector, you
won't have to learn anything new to use the START SELECTOR. Every
feature of the system selector has been faithfully duplicated.
However, the START SELECTOR goes well beyond the system selector in
terms of ease-of-use and functionality.
The features of the START SELECTOR include:
* A maximum of 300 files can be displayed in any one directory,
instead of the system selector's 100.
* New disk drives can be selected by clicking on a button...no
need to edit the directory line. TOS allows up to 16 logical
drives to be connected to the ST; the START SELECTOR gives you
access to ALL of them at once.
* Double-clicking on any drive button displays the amount of free
space left on that disk.
* The filename window displays 16 titles instead of 9, and also
shows the total number of files (including folders) in each directory.
* In addition to the filenames, you can also display the size and
time/date stamp of each file.
* High-speed filename scrolling routines.
* A button is provided to toggle between the original search
specification and "*.*", to make it easy to show all files in a
particular directory.
* When displaying subdirectories, you can instantly back out to
any level by double-clicking on the folder name on the "Path
Specification" line, or by using the close box.
* The START SELECTOR provides a programmer-accessible title box
with two lines of 13 characters each. The title lines may be
passed to the normal fsel_input call in a manner totally
transparent to the system. (In other words, if the START SELECTOR
is active, you see your title; if not, the system file selector
works normally.) Details on using the START SELECTOR's title box
are available on request.
* If you try to go too deep into subdirectories (folders) and
cause the pathname to overflow the "Directory" line, the system
file selector will die a nasty and brutish death. SUPER SELECTOR
is protected against this catastrophe; the "Path Specification"
line only displays the first 38 characters of a path. (The full
path spec is, of course, still active!)
* The START SELECTOR also will NOT crash if you try to read a
drive that has no disk in it. The system file selector gets very
unhappy (read "it crashes") in this situation.
* Written entirely in assembly language, so it's fast and compact.
* Uses only about 20K of RAM.
* Compatible with ALL GEM programs, and all ST computers with TOS in ROM.
NOTE: The START SELECTOR was published in the May 1988 issue
of START magazine. It is included with Macro Mouse if you order
now as a special bonus program.
To order Macro Mouse, contact:
The Catalog
544 Second Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
VISA/Mastercard orders: (800) 234-7001
MACRO MOUSE and MACRO UTILITIES are
Copyright (c) 1988 Charles F. Johnson.
Exclusively distributed by Antic Publishing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATARI SEES ITS UNIT NEAR BREAKEVEN
==================================
from: ANTIC (c)1988
According to Reuters, though losses from Federated Group continue to
hurt earnings, Atari said it expects Federated to just about break even
in the second and third quarters and a modest profit in the fourth
quarter. Atari also said it is reducing costs and improving product mix,
margins and sales. Without Federated, Atari said it would have earned
$15.3 million, or 26 cents per share, on sales of $97.7 million in 1988.
Atari's net income was $5.67 million, or 10 cents per share, on net sales
of $169.23 million for the first quarter, down from $15.26 million, or 26
cents, on sales of 165.13 million a year earlier. Last year's results
included a gain of $5.89 million. Additionally, the company said the
Atari computer and video game segment generated "significant" increases
in sales volume. The continuing shortage of Dynamic Random Access
Memory, however, has had a negative impact on sales, but Atari expects
the DRAM shortage and related high cost will begin to ease later this
year.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Atari's Annual Report
Forecasts Bright Fiscal Future
Atari's 1987 Annual Report was mailed to stockholders earlier this
month, just weeks after the company appeared on the Fortune 500 list for
the first time. Net sales for the corporation, including the Federated
Group chain of consumer electronics stores acquired late last year, net
sales were $493 million, an increase of 91%. This placed Atari as #484
among US corporations in total sales, according to Fortune magazine.
Without the inclusion of Federated's figures, Atari's net sales were a
record $363.8 million, an icrease of 42%. Operating income was $72
million, in increase of 49%, and income before extraordinary item was
$46.6 million. Earnings (before extraordinary item) were $0.80 per share,
compared to $0.53 in 1986, an increase of 51%.
In the Fortune survey, Atari ranked #264 in net profits, #400 in total
assets, #414 in stockholder's equity, #337 in market value, #42 in profit
as a percentage of sales, #61 in profit as a percentage of assets, #19
in profit as a percentage of stockholder's equity, and #53 in total
return to investors.
The annual report focused on the growth of Atari's markets overseas.
Atari opened new subsidiaries in Sweden, Spain, Australia, and Mexico.
There has been a dramatic increase in European sales of the Atari 520ST
and 1040ST computers. Demand in 1987 rose so sharply that the US marketing
assault has been postponed as Atari strives to increase production
capacities. The situation is expected to improve this year.
Atari shipped a number of new products in the last year, including the
new Mega line of computers and the SLM804 laser printer. Video games were
in high demand, and sales of the new XE Game System did well, as well as
a number of new software titles.
According to the Annual Report, Atari is planning on expanding the ST
computer line further by introducing a 32-bit system driven by a 68030
Motorola microprocessor. This powerful workstation would feature on-chip
memory management and cache providing extremely fast internal RAM
operations. With an industry-standard Unix operating system, the machine
would be fully supported by existing software for office automation,
engineering, and database management. The 68030 system is targeted for
shipping in the fourth quarter of 1988.
Atari also anticipates releasing the long-awaited CD-ROM later this year.
The unit will offer both audio and read-only data for users requiring
large amounts of data. Each condensed disk can hold up to 540 megabytes
of information!
Also, Atari is still looking to acquire, or form a strategic alliance
with, a semiconductor manufacturing plant. In part, this would solve the
crucial DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) ship shortage currently
gripping the company and the industry.
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ST-REPORT Issue #37 MAY 30, 1988 (c)'88 APEInc.
All Rights Reserved. Reprint permission granted except where noted in
the article. Any reprint must include ST-Report and the author in the
credits. Views Presented here are not necessarily those of ST-Report or
of the Staff.
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