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Silicon Times Report Issue 0041
ST REPORT WEEKLY ONLINE MAGAZINE
Monday, June 27, 1988
Vol II No. 41
===========
APEInc., P.O. BOX 74, Middlesex, N.J. 08846-0074
PUBLISHER MANAGING EDITOR
Ron Kovacs R.F.Mariano
=======================================================
ST REPORT EDITOR: Thomas Rex Reade
PO Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida. 32236
Headquarters Bulletin Boards
----------------------------
ST Report North ST Report Central ST Report South
201-968-8148 216-784-0574 904-786-4176
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CONTENTS
========
* From the Editor's Desk.............* Contest Rules...................
* Atari Changes (Remember?)..........* LASER QUALITY.without THE PRICE.
* ISGUR Reports on Atari.............* ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL..........
* WHY THE DOUBLE TALK?...............* Another View of European Sales..
* Tasty Tidbits to Ponder............* A Plea - A Call to Pens........
=========================================================================
Serving you on: Comp-u-serve - Delphi - GEnie
=========================================================================
From the Editor's Desk:
There comes a time in every Editor's quotidian exercise that he comes
across those who appreciate seeing him have problems and will go to any
extremes in attempting to accomplish this.
Apparently this is one of the "not so nice" aspects of doing this job. It
is easy to withstand the majority of the comments and justify a reader's
dislike of an editor's perception. However, I find it equally difficult
to understand disdainful defamation and obtrusive invention.
The Atari userbase needs all the help and enthusiasm that can be mustered
and I might add, I feel mighty proud to be among such great company. It
is a shame that a few Borks find it necessary to utilize slanderous
prevarication to foster further division in the Atari Community. Surely
all would find this a very contemptible situation, I know I do.
As Editor of ST Report, the responsibility is to provide information and
news, the good as well as the bad. The compensation for this
responsibility is not a cash recompense, it is instead, knowledge that
all of the users in the Atari Userbase have accessible, for their use,
the current events that effect them as soon as possible.
I find that prevaricators are, without a doubt, the lowest life forms
living on this planet. Please, excuse my using this area for a rostrum,
but I just had to get the fact off my chest that certain people, who, by
the way, are presumed to be conscientious members of the Atari Community,
would find it necessary to try to sabotage this Editor and St Report by
fostering such conspicuous misrepresentations.
The good news is...I will continue regardless of any inutile attempt
taken by morons who, while slowly ebbing from notability, would exploit
any stratagem to remain contemporaneous in the Atari community.
T."REX" READE
p.s. It is nice to know you saw it here first, no matter how much fanfare
may be in the hard copy mags, you still saw it here first.....
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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
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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, mis-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 uploaded 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.
Artwork 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 uploaded 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 uploading 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Little Refresher on Current Events
====================================
Compiled by R.F.Mariano
Neil Harris, Spokesman
ATARI CORP.
May 09, 1988
We have several new people on board in the US Computer Division
(now called "Atari Computer"). The division is headed by Chuck Babbitt,
whose title is President. There is also a new vp of sales, Tony Gould.
Changes have been made to the field sales organization to promote the
business activities of computer specialty retailers -- specifically, we
have stopped using distributors and are in the process of hiring direct,
Atari-employed sales reps throughout the country.
We are also beefing up the marketing organization at Sunnyvale ...
We've already added a new telemarketing group, a newsletter person, and
are seeking to fill additional marketing positions. Also, we changed PR
agencies, scaling back our old agency and adding a computer specialty
firm. We hope to shortly hire an ad agency.
** Reading the tea leaves, I have to think this means that corporate
management is getting very serious about the USA MARKETS. They would not
be allowing us to spend the money to do all this otherwise.
June 27,1988.....
MAY 09,1988! This was the beginning of last month! How much of this now
famous news item is still in place folks? A mere 45 or so days later and
most of the "changes" are CHANGED! We have now the famous Chinese fire
drill ..and now the ST is about the same as an AMIGA and can do
nothing in the home except play games on...or so the spokesperson for
ATARI sez in July's BYTE magazine.....
** Reading tea leaves??? Nah...Smoke 'em! or Chew 'em!, Obviously, reading
them did no good at all.
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LASER QUALITY WITHOUT A LASER PRICE!
====================================
by Jim Wallace
For many of you who have been anxiously "wishing and hoping" for an
alternative to a laser printer and expensive memory upgrades for quality
desktop publishing - the wait is finally over! Now, thanks to Hewlett
Packard, you can get real "laser quality" output WITHOUT a laser printer!
This is a review of the new, HP "DeskJet" INKJET printer that offers real
"power without the price" for desktop publishers, and is without a doubt
the single most important technological development for desktop publishing
to come down the pike since the laser printer!
WEIGHING YOUR OPTIONS...
It was rumored for some time that Atari might introduce a low cost,
high resolution printer that would run with relatively low memory.
Instead, they introduced a laser printer for $1,995 retail that requires a
minimum of two megabytes of memory to operate. This means that on top of
the expense of the printer itself, you must either purchase a new Mega ST
with at least two megs of memory for about $1,500, or upgrade the memory
of your present ST computer to at least two megabytes. And since the
required one meg memory chips have recently skyrocketed to around $40.00
each, you will spend about $700. for a memory board and the required 16
chips it takes to get a 1040ST to 2 1/2 megs. This is because most boards
require that you go to 2 1/2 megs instead of just two megs. Again, adding
this required 1 1/2 meg to a 1040ST to get it to 2 1/2 megs requires 16 one
megaBIT chips since these are measured in "bits" - not "bytes".
Besides buying an Atari laser printer, there are of course other
alternatives available. You could purchase a Hewlett Packard LaserJet
printer or compatible. Unlike the "Atari solution," you won't be required
to upgrade your computer memory to run these printers - but, you'll have
to upgrade your printer's memory, and this will cost about the same as
upgrading your Atari computer's memory.
You can of course, also purchase an expensive "Postscript" printer,
but this will run you at least $3,500 for one of the "cheap" models!
"Souped up" units with more memory and more fonts, faster output, etc.
will cost you even more.
BITS, BYTES AND BUCKS...
This extra memory, by the way, is needed because a laser printer must
print the whole page "at once." And for quality desktop publishing, you'll
need 300 dpi resolution which interprets into 90,000 bits per square inch
that the printer must deal with. For a typical 8 1/2 x 11 inch page, your
image area is about 8 x 10, and 8 times 10 equals 80, and 80 square inches
times 90,000 bits comes to a whopping 7,200,000 BITS of image, which in
turn translates into almost 1 megaBYTE! What all this means is that a
typical laser printer MUST have about 1 meg just to create and hold the
page for printing. Additional memory is required for fonts and other
files.
In short folks, there's a BIG "gotcha" anyway you go if you want a
laser printer for desktop publishing. In the near future, perhaps as early
as late this summer, when memory chips have hopefully come down in price,
and Atari introduces a rumored "Postscript compatible software driver" for
their laser printer, things should be different. But, if you're like me,
and are tired of almost endless "real soon now" promises, and must get
things done NOW, an answer has ALREADY arrived.
A DREAM COME TRUE...
Just introduced in the first quarter of 1988, the amazing Hewlett
Packard "DeskJet" printer has solved the output problem for most of us. So
finally, the "rest of us" have a relatively inexpensive, practical, and
viable answer to high quality output on the Atari ST computer.
COMPARING THE TECHNOLOGY...
As most of you know, "laser" printers apply their image to paper the
same way as most "dry" toner photocopiers. In fact, the only difference
between a "copier" and a "laser printer" is what FORM the "original" is in
- a "digital stream of bits" or a visible, tangible image on paper. (Note
that the new bread of "digital copiers" like the Canon Color Laser Copier,
also use lasers to image the drum, yet cannot be connected to a
computer).
A "conventional" photocopier uses optics and "normal" reflected light
to expose an electrostaticly charged drum with a mirrored image of the
original.
A laser printer or laser copier, on the other hand, uses optics which
reflect a high intensity laser beam onto the drum which produces
"rasterized" rows of dots which mirror the original, digital computer
image.
In either case, after the drum has been charged by light, both
technologies produce the image onto paper in exactly the same way. This is
done by using a dry, powdered "toner" that clings to either the image, or
non-image areas of the drum (depending on whether "write black" or "write
white" technology is used) and is then deposited onto the paper. This
toner, which is basically composed of black carbon and plastic resin, is
then "fused" (literally melted, or "glued") to the paper surface by heat
and pressure. There is no "ink" involved, and the toner is left "stuck"
to the surface of the paper. I've simplified this process a bit for
brevity, but I think you get the general idea.
BACK TO THE FUTURE...
As someone who has been involved in printing and "graphic arts" for
many years, I have a "special affection" for the HP DeskJet. This is
because it uses a unique "inkjet" technology to put images on paper.
Specifically, this unique print method is described as "plain paper
drop-on-demand thermal inkjet printing." Much like an actual printing
press, the HP DeskJet uses real, liquid INK and literally "sprays" this
directly onto (and into) the paper, much like one of those robotic arms
which automatically spray paint products on an assembly line.
Although inkjet technology has been used for the past few years for
high-speed addressing and other low quality "imprinting" applications,
Hewlett Packard is probably the first to apply this innovative, high tech
process to high quality output for personal computers.
The DeskJet uses a unique, replaceable ink cartridge/print head that
produces an image by blowing ink through tiny, microscopic holes in it's
patented print head. The print head travels down the page in horizontal
"passes" from left to right, across the sheet, much like other printers.
Unlike printers which use ribbons, an inkjet printer produces perfectly
inked images without the annoying white lines, faded areas, and other
imperfections produced by even the best dot matrix "impact" ribbon
printers. Note that inkjet, wire impact, and laser printers are all "dot
matrix" printers. The only difference is HOW they put the dots on the
paper.
In fact, large-scale inkjet printing technology may someday be used
instead of printing presses to print just about everything - including
your daily newspaper! The equipment just needs to be built large enough
and fast enough to be able to move more paper through the machine.
PERFORMANCE?...
And just to prove how "good" it really is, the HP DeskJet is not
afraid to print large, perfectly printed black solid areas and even fine
screens. In fact, fine screens look so good you can't tell whether they
were produced by inkjet or by offset printing. You see nothing but a
solid gray, no lines or streaks whatever - but that's not all folks!
While producing perfect solid blacks, it also produces the finest hair
lines. Pages produced by this amazing printer are picture perfect, and
are as good (and in some cases better) than anything you can print on
even the Atari laser printer. And I use the Atari laser printer for
comparison because it produces probably the best image quality of any
laser printer on the market today. And yes, it is virtually impossible to
distinguish the difference between the same pages produced on both the
Atari laser printer and the HP DeskJet. The DeskJet is normally slower,
but the quality is the same. And since the DeskJet can be purchased for
much less than $1,000, combined with the fact that it operates just fine
on one megabyte of memory, this makes it a real "power without the price"
product! In fact, the DeskJet is to printer price/performance what the
Atari ST is to computer price/performance.
As you may have already guessed, I'm really sold on the Hewlett
Packard DeskJet! But..... to put this opinion in perspective, I've been
in the graphic arts industry for many years. I've set REAL metal and wood
type by hand, and I've also set type on some of the leading photo
and digital typesetters used in commercial typesetting. In other words,
I'm into desktop publishing "from the top down," instead of from the
"bottom up." And because of my background in printing and advertising,
it takes quite a lot just to get my attention, let alone my "admiration."
Since purchasing the DeskJet, I've really "put it through it's paces."
I've tried the "hard stuff:" large black solids, fine screens, and I've
looked through a jewelers "loop" to see if the fine "serifs" are printing
well. I've also tried printing both very small, and very large digitized
photographs scanned on a Navarone scanner at 300 dpi.
Comparing output from the DeskJet with even a great laser printer like
"Atari's own," I've yet to see anything that is not equal in quality. In
fact, I've even made a "game" of it. By printing the same pages on both
the Atari laser printer and the DeskJet, I have given these to people
just to see if they can tell "which-is-which." And so far, no one has
been able to tell the difference!
However, don't get me wrong, there IS a way to tell the difference.
But the "secret" is to look at the BACK of the sheet! Yep, because
inkjet printing uses real INK, it normally "wrinkles" the paper ever-so-
slightly wherever it deposits the ink. This is not a "problem" however,
it is simply one of those subtle little differences that are a part of any
printing process. For instance, experienced printers can easily
differentiate between sheets which have been printed by offset,
letterpress, gravure, silk screen, and other printing processes by simply
knowing what "clues" to look for.
FEED THE KITTY...
Besides outstanding print quality, another advantage to using the
DeskJet is that it uses cut sheet, plain paper. And while some paper
prints better than others, almost anything works. The convenient paper
tray holds up to 100 sheets, and the automatic paper feed mechanism
functions perfectly and is very easy to use.
Another major advantage to using cut sheet paper is that paper
alignment is no longer a problem. For instance, if your software was set
for a half inch margin all the way around the page, then that's EXACTLY
what you will get! No more wasted time trying to align the horizontal and
vertical position of tractor feed paper!
Although any decent "bond" type paper works fine for most work, I've
discovered by trial and error that for the finest reproduction possible
you should use "Hammermill Laser Plus." It even has a special "wax hold
out coating" on the back for paste-up of camera ready masters. For the
finest "reproduction proofs" this premium paper is tops. For a free
sample pack of this fine paper and a Hammermill dealer near you, you can
call them toll-free at 1-800-621-8272.
The DeskJet not only feeds paper sizes up to 8 1/2 x 14, but will also
feed envelopes! But because the paper must wrap around a roller (called a
"platen") much like a typewriter, this limits the paper thickness to
about 60lb. stock.
NO NO'S
It cannot feed "thick" postcards, and mailing labels are not
recommended. Small, die cut labels might possibly come off and stick
inside the machine which could cause problems.
When printing envelopes, these must be fed by hand. The envelope
feature is included for people who don't have a typewriter and simply
want to print simple addresses and the like on standard sizes up to a
#10 size business envelope. You can print on these by using almost any
word processor, but the process is slow and is only included as a
"convenience feature."
Personally, I simply use my now "almost obsolete" dot matrix printer
to print labels the "old fashioned way." And for postcards and other thick
stock, I just create an original on the DeskJet and then photocopy this
on 8 1/2 x 11 inch "postcard stock" and cut out the cards as needed. But
shucks, not even laser printers can feed EVERYTHING!
Since having the DeskJet, I really haven't used the old dot matrix
much - but it's not yet totally obsolete. It has now found a "new career"
as a scanner, using the "IMG Scan" attachment.
COMPATIBILITY ASSURED...
Surprisingly, compatibility is fortunately a "non-issue" with the HP
DeskJet printer since it uses some of the most popular printer languages
in use today. The DeskJet comes with the HP PCL (level 3) printer
language built-in and an optional Epson FX-80 emulation cartridge is now
available for about $75. Next to Epson and Postscript, the popular HP PCL
printer language is supported by more software than you can imagine.
Practically EVERY serious software program for both the IBM and the
Atari ST supports this very popular language. This is mainly due to the
immense popularity Of the HP LaserJet printers. In fact, there are more
HP laser printers and compatibles around than any other type of laser
printer, and this includes the Apple LaserWriter. What this means to you
is that since the HP LaserJet and DeskJet both use virtually the same
language, you can use the popular HP LaserJet drivers for your DeskJet!
Note that the DeskJet doesn't need to be "compatible" with the
LaserJet - it simply uses virtually the SAME language! I've used my
DeskJet with HP 150 dpi and 300 dpi LaserJet drivers with programs like
Publishing Partner and Drafix 1 with no problems whatever.
NOTE: Specifically, the DeskJet uses HP PCL "level 3" and the HP
LaserJet uses HP PCL "level 4." But the subtle difference shows up only
when doing justified, "micro-spacing" in TEXT mode when using the
DeskJet's internal ROM fonts. Currently, WordPerfect is the only program
supporting this feature in conjunction with HP's optional font cartridges
which are almost identical to those used by the LaserJet.
GDOS OUTPUT: GDOS output is already a reality from programs like
Easy-Draw, Athena CAD, Microsoft Write, and TimeWorks Publisher, thanks to
the folks at Migraph, who have brought you great, useful programs like
Easy-Draw. Migraph has already written special DeskJet GDOS drivers which
have been "tweaked" to give somewhat better performance than the LaserJet
drivers. Also included with the 150 dpi and 300 dpi drivers are matching
fonts for these resolutions. In addition, you get a "screen dump" program
which allows you to do an "alternate/help" screen printout in the normal
fashion. This is especially useful if you don't have the optional Epson
cartridge.
A disk containing all of these goodies is now available from Migraph
for about $40. In fact, Migraph also sells the DeskJet printer. I've used
the GDOS drivers extensively and they work without a hitch. Note that to
use these new drivers and fonts you must have the latest versions of both
Easy-Draw and it's accompanying "Outprint" program. Since Migraph is also
selling the DeskJet printer and have taken the time to write custom
drivers for it, they are supporting it very well. You can call Migraph for
additional information toll-free at 1-800-223-3729. And don't forget to
mention that you heard about it in ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE!
EPSON EMULATION: While the Epson emulation cartridge works great, and
even adds some special features of it's own, you must remember that the
word "emulation" means "to work like something else." So don't expect that
with Epson emulation that your output from Epson drivers will magically
print at 300 dpi - not so! It's true that your printouts will look much
better all around, but the resolution will be the SAME as with an Epson or
compatible printer. It works this way on a laser printer, and it works
this way on the DeskJet.
Incidentally, since there is still no Epson emulator available for
the Atari laser printer, DeskJet owners currently have another big
compatibility advantage. And, unlike the Atari laser printer which can
only be used with an Atari computer, the HP DeskJet, because of it's
built-in, industry-standard serial and parallel ports, can be used with
ANY personal computer.
WANTA RACE?...
While the HP DeskJet won't normally beat a laser printer in the
quarter mile, it does produce exceptional print quality that equals any
laser printer.
Speed is a relative thing on any printer, and the DeskJet is no
exception. Printouts can take from 30 seconds to about 20 minutes,
depending on many factors.
TEXT MODE: Like other printers, the DeskJet uses built-in ROM fonts
for fast, text-only output. The printer's rated print speed for such
"default fonts" is 120 cps at 10 cpi in letter-quality mode, and 240 cps
at 10 cpi in draft mode. The printer can use the built-in Courier font,
more than a dozen optional font cartridges which even include big-gun
"typeset quality" fonts like Times Roman and Helvetica, or "soft
(downloadable) fonts" used with optional printer RAM. You can expect to
print a respectable 2 pages per minute when using the "built-in" fonts.
Draft mode prints at 150 dpi while letter quality mode prints at 300
dpi. Print quality is indistinguishable from even a daisy wheel, and the
normal print features like variable pitch, bold, italic, etc. are
obviously supported. A friendly printer control panel and easy-to-use,
plug-in cartridges with bright green LED's, make using this whisper quiet
printer a breeze.
GRAPHICS: Here is where the DeskJet really shines! It does full- page
bitmaped graphics at 75, 100, 150, and 300 dpi. Margin space around your
page at 300 dpi is the same as for a laser printer. You can print as
close as a quarter-inch from the edges of the sheet which gives you an
effective image area of about 8 x 10 1/2 for a letter size sheet.
The time it takes to print a full-page of graphics depends on many
factors. These include: the program used to create the page, the type and
efficiency of the drivers used, what printer language is used, the amount
of computer memory available, print buffer size (the DeskJet comes with a
built-in 16K buffer and an optional 128K RAM cartridge is available),
whether serial or parallel is used (parallel is much faster), the make-up
of your page (text and high resolution bitmaps like photos normally take
longer to print than simple "objects" like lines, boxes and polygons), and
still other variables.
In general, graphic files which can use GEM output - like Easy- Draw -
print much faster than programs like Publishing Partner which currently
doesn't have fast, optimized drivers. The latest release of "Publishing
Partner Professional" (which may not be out till summer) is supposed to
ship with "enhanced" drivers for the HP LaserJet/DeskJet printers that
reportedly will speed up the current version by as much as 40%.
Average times for Easy-Draw at 300 dpi run about 3-5 minutes per
full-page. While Publishing Partner averages about 10 minutes per
full-page. But "small" layouts in Publishing Partner have printed out in
as little as one minute, while "heavy" full-page layouts have taken as
long as 20 minutes. (The 150 dpi drivers are used for fast proofing, and
print out in about half the time).
Note that the DeskJet only has to make one pass per line regardless of
resolution or mode. For 300 dpi it just "blows" more dots onto the paper in
the same pass. This is a far cry from my "old" dot matrix impact printer
that must make as many as three passes for so-called "high rez" output.
ZAPPING A "MYTH:" Most people probably think that laser printers are
always "lightning fast," but this is simply not always the case. This
probably has to do with the word "laser," which conjures up images of
instantaneous light beams shooting everywhere. It's true laser beams are
fast, the problem is that they must first be given the "directions" to know
where to go. Laser printers (just like the DeskJet and dot matrix impact
printers) must first change the printer language used by the software into
a bitmap (this process is called "RIP," or "raster image processing"). This
is a complicated process which can take a long time to accomplish, since at
300 dpi, the computer must map over 7 million pixels for a full-page
graphic! Depending of course on which printing language is used, and other
factors, it can take even a $5,000 Apple LaserWriter using Postscript (no
speed demon itself) over 15 minutes to create a rasterized image in memory.
So, as you can see, it always takes additional time for each DIFFERENT page
to print on a laser printer. Once the image is created however, a laser
printer can then print COPIES of this "original" image as fast as the
printer can physically operate. And for most laser printers, this is about
eight sheets per minute.
What all of this means is that while both the laser and DeskJet
printer need additional time to process the first page, the laser printer
is capable of pumping out additional copies of each page much faster,
while the DeskJet takes almost as long to print each copy as it does to
print the original. But this applies only to graphics.
All text pages produced with any printer with built-in fonts will
print at the maximum speed of the device. Text pages produced with
built-in fonts do not need to be processed as bitmaps since the mapping
for the character sets already reside in ROM.
To sum up folks, the DeskJet will print, on average, much faster than
a "dot matrix" printer, but slower than an average laser printer.
Remember that when the DeskJet is printing at 300 dpi, it's printing
90,000 dots (or "pixels") per square inch!
As laser printers go, the Atari laser printer, which uses the very
fast "DMA" port, is probably the fastest laser printer around. In fact,
it can easily print a full-page from Easy-Draw in less than one minute!
But don't expect to get this same speed from a HP Laser printer or
Compatible. Like the DeskJet, these printers cannot be connected to
Atari's own proprietary DMA port and must therefore use either the slow
serial port or the relatively fast parallel port. Perhaps surprisingly,
I have found that in many cases the DeskJet has actually been faster than
some laser printers!
I'VE ALWAYS SAID: "That if I only had a printer that would give me
beautiful typeset quality, I wouldn't care so much about how long it took
to print out." Well, the DeskJet is just that. Since I use it strictly for
commercial typesetting, I'm only concerned about getting ONE, good,
"camera-ready" page for later reproduction by offset or copy machine. If
you need a printer for a large office where each sheet must be printed in
multiples, or you need a printer that can be connected to a network of
users at the same time, then the DeskJet may not be for you. But if
you're like me and just want to produce fine "originals" and will be
using the printer just yourself, then the DeskJet may be just the
ticket. The DeskJet is advertised as a "personal printer," and for that
purpose it is well suited.
DOTS OF A DIFFERENT COLOR...
It is important to understand that the "dots-per-inch" produced on
low resolution, dot matrix ribbon printers OVERLAP. So even though your
printer may be rated at "240 dots-per-inch," this is not really accurate.
All high resolution devices like the DeskJet, laser printers, and higher
output devices like the Linotype digital typesetters produce dots which
are SIDE-BY-SIDE, and these dots do NOT overlap! The DeskJet, like other
"high-end" printers, produces clean, sharp, and accurately positioned
dots. If you wish to check this out for yourself, just use a good
magnifying glass or jeweler's "loop" and compare the output from
different types of printers. To some of you, this may sound like a minor
issue, but the print quality from these different printers "speak for
themselves."
INCIDENTALS...
EASY SET-UP: The DeskJet comes attractively packaged and easily sets
up in a few minutes. In fact, you probably won't even need to look at the
beautifully printed documentation that comes with the unit! Just unpack
it, plug your ST into the parallel port, pop in an ink cartridge, flip
the switch, and start producing beautiful, whisper quiet output that
rivals anything you may have seen before. The DeskJet is the easiest
printer I've ever set-up and used!
EXCELLENT SUPPORT
Practically no other company supports their products as well as Hewlett
Packard. From the moment you open the first-class packaging that
surrounds your DeskJet, you are literally "awash" with support from
toll-free phone numbers and local and international service personnel
available around-the-clock.
RELIABILITY
The DeskJet has an excellent reliability and estimated usage rating
("MTBF") of 20,000 hours. 2,000 hours power-on and 12,000 printed pages
per year, or about 50 pages per day average use. Replaceable,
non-clogging print cartridges cost about $17 each and are
fully guaranteed. The printer comes with a 1-year "no-nonsence"
guarantee against parts and labor.
THE BOTTOM LINE...
The DeskJet has the same resolution and virtually the same ability to
accurately print "dots" onto paper as a laser printer. Thus, the DeskJet's
true potential to produce top quality output is virtually dependent upon
the capabilities of the SOFTWARE to generate and produce precise fonts
and graphics. This is made especially evident by closely comparing pages
printed on various laser printers that use Postscript, HP PCL, GEM "meta
files," and "proprietary" schemes used by programs like Publishing
Partner and Apple's own "Quickdraw." While all of these methods are
capable of great output, they ALL have their own strengths and
weaknesses. An in-depth comparison of these methods may become a future
article, but for now I think that it's sufficient to simply say that all
of these methods - whether used on laser printers or the DeskJet, are
capable of superior output. In short, IF you think that laser output
looks better than DeskJet output, then perhaps you should blame the
SOFTWARE - NOT the DeskJet!
But enough said! If you would like a free color brochure and
additional information about the new HP2276A DeskJet inkjet printer, you
can call HP toll-free at 1-800-752-0900.
Happy Printing!
(EDITOR NOTE: This review was written by Jim Wallace, 1209 S. Chester
Ave.,Indianapolis, Indiana 46203, and was published in the June 1988
issue of Current Notes Magazine)...
************************************************************************
:HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
---------------------------------
To sign up for GEnie service: Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
"TELL 'EM YOU SAW IT HERE"
Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
Wait for the U#= prompt.
Type XJM11877,GEnie and hit RETURN.
The system will prompt you for your information.
************************************************************************
ANTIC PUBLISHING INC.
COPYRIGHT 1988 REPRINTED BY PERMISSION.
ISGUR REPORTS ON ATARI
======================
BY Gregg Pearlman
ANTIC ASSISTANT EDITOR
The following information about Atari Corp. comes from May, 1988 report
from Lee Isgur, first vice president of Paine Webber Inc., advisor to the
Antic Publishing board of directors and author of the Isgur Portfolio:
* Atari will introduce a 68030-based computer in the fall, as well as a
laptop ST with a built-in hard drive.
* In January, 1989, Atari will introduce "what will probably be the first
68000-based game machine." It should retail at around $199.
* Atari will double the $10 million it spent advertising video games last
year.
* Management is cautious about video games and expects the current
excitement to wane, so Atari plans to undersell the market continually.
Atari also will increase its emphasis on software, which is seen as less
risky than hardware.
* Because of the DRAM shortage, Atari is currently producing a few
thousand
PC clones a month, but later this year, the company will
begin making the PC-5, an 80286 machine.
* In addition to the 50 transputers currently in the hands of developers,
Atari will have sent 200 more in June. The transputer should be
available to the public before the end of the year.
* Atari Corp.'s first quarter 1987 results confirm that the company has
$68.5 million cash on hand and should earn well over $1 per share in
1988. The Federated retail division, which Atari didn't own during the
first quarter of 1987, lost 16 cents a share.
* Under Atari Corp., Federated's employees have fallen from 3,000 to 1,900
as six stores have been closed and several others have been reduced.
* Demand for Atari products, mostly computers, exceeds supply by at least
50%, and that if DRAM shortages ease in the second half of 1988, so will
comparative gross margin declines.
* Video game sales this year should be twice last year's $80 million, with
the Atari 7800 and XE Game System accounting for more than half of these
sales.
* Over 80% of Atari's computer sales, around $400 million to $500 million
this year, are outside the United States. Management hopes for 50% of
computer sales to come from the United States in 1990.
* Atari will probably open a factory in the United States before the end
of the year.
Ed Note: Hope they saw the article in Byte Magazine....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL
======================
Psst? Did you know the new Authority on hard disks is now a magazine
writer?....yeppers! He has it ALL figured out.....check out your local
hard copy magazine and you too can have a 30mb Hard Disk for less than
700.00! With the footprint of GODZILLA!
Seems a certain spokes - person for Atari has half the free world up in
arms about his opinion of the ST Computer....eeek! here comes JT!
We are expecting relief... from CFJ, Charles F. Johnson, ...
A BETTER and MORE FUNCTIONAL G-DOS! Spell relief A/DOS!
Keep your eyes open for the EPSON EMULATOR for the SLM804, shame is, it's
all in GERMAN!...Das is Gut! yuck!
Seems the author of Flash (Alan Page) has just about finished a new
program that'll allow a person to get all the news 24 hours around the
clock with an ST!
How in the world is Elizabeth Shook going to talk away the LATEST
COMMENTS from the Atari Rubber Band Mill?
Seems an Independant Study of Computers in use today in the USA has
placed the count of ST type computers at close to 425,000, it further
states, the reason Atari admits to only 250,000 is because they do not
want to admit that the mail order and distributor sales through ALMO
distributors of Pennsylvania outsold their Dealer network.
So, the Midnight Oil burns at Atari...BETTER GET A SUBSCRIPTION TO BYTE
MAGAZINE. You will need MORE than MIDNIGHT OIL!
For the time being, it would appear the better value according to recent
sales activities is still the ST, despite crazy comments and "other"
well placed "torpedoes"....Folks, PLEASE send the letters to Jack Tramiel,
ATARI CORP. 1196 BORREGAS, SUNNYVALE, CA. 94089.....PLEASE!! Tell him of
this latest in the long line of Blunders and Double Talk coming from
the spokespeople at ATARI? I wonder??..For whose benefit??? ATARI'S???
From the water fountain: The New Atari Factory WILL be in Texas, at least,
for this week.....hmmm Long Range, heavy handed, rock solid, decision
making, that's what Atari is noted for!
The Ultimate kick in the teeth: The new factory will also be building the
"ALL NEW 520 GAME SYSTEM"! What will they think of next to perpetuate the
Pac-Man mental midget image?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHY ALL THE DOUBLE TALK?
========================
by T."Rex" Reade
For those of you who thought I was mellowing, you were right. After
having had the EXTREME pleasure of reading BYTE 7/88, I come away well
bitten and thoroughly miffed! JUST ONCE, I would love to report that the
Atari sales skyrocketed and broke all records, that the ST has finally
come of age and is gaining universal acceptance as a viable substitute to
the more expensive alternatives, But that is not to be and becomes more
apparent with every utterance from Atari. SHEEEESH!
The following is an excerpt from JULY'S BYTE MAG....please, YOU read it
and see how you feel about the impact it will have, Both here and abroad.
* Despite being recognized as technologically impressive personal
computers, Atari's ST and Commodore's Amiga haven't had the kind of market
success enjoyed by machines from IBM and Apple. SO what's the problem?
* Part of the problem is that, "these computers are not powerful enough
to be used at home for anything productive," says Neil Harris, Director of
Product Marketing at Atari. "I think the ST and the Amiga are in the right
direction, but we're still not there yet."
* Harris also "blames" the industry press for not covering the Atari
machines enough. "The computer press is too busy analyzing its
readership," he says. He also cites less malevolent forces, such as the
RAM shortage.
* As for Atari's success in Europe, as opposed to the US.: "MS-DOS
wasn't entrenched overseas, and there's much less disposable income
there, so when a lower-cost alternative was introduced, it was embraced"
by the Europeans.
HOW ABOUT IT ATARIANS??? HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH DOUBLE TALK?
WHERE DOES THIS TYPE OF INFORMATION COME FROM?
IBM?, COMMODORE?, APPLE?
SURELY NOT ATARI!
YOU BET IT DID! STRAIGHT FROM THE HEAD SPOKESMAN!!
NEIL HARRIS - DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT MARKETING - ATARI CORP.
It is time to take the gloves off and begin a true game of hard ball, to
openly admit to self and all the world that the ST is a "weak also ran",
is absolutely insane!!
Hey, Atari, Is this the "New Marketing Approach" in the US??? Or, are you
now embarking on a new and different direction called, MAKE 'EM TAKE PITY
ON US AND BUY FOR SYMPATHY'S SAKE?
I KNOW this much, after reading Neil Harris' stupendously delightful
statement about my ST being under powered and in the same class as an
Amiga...I now feel like the guy who went in the main gates at Barnum and
Bailey and over heard Mr. P.T. Barnum say ......
** "THERE IS A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE" **
Tell us Neil, Are Our machines really underpowered and underdeveloped??
Is it really true that my new Mega4 is obsolete the minute I took it out
of the box? THAT I CANNOT DO ANYTHING PRODUCTIVE AT HOME WITH IT?
What kind of answers will you have for us this time? More double talk??
...more of the same Barrister type banter where you know nothing will be
said except hello and good bye?
About the income in Europe, Who cares?! If Atari had placed the same
effort in marketing the ST here as it did in Europe the figures would have
been triple what they are in GERMANY and surrounding areas. I suppose the
Swedish Railway System is small potatoes to you that can be handled by
the weak and inadequate ST??? A large number of STs were purchased by the
railway......so folks, it's not ONLY personal sales of STs in Europe!
Even as this is being written the heartbreak being felt by this Reporter
is sadness, because with THIS type of CREATIVE MARKETING, the sales, in
fact....the FAITH in ATARI is gone down the tubes.....and this guy is
trying to cover the tubes with concrete! What about all those new users
who just plunked down the long green for the ST computer??? I know I
truly want to wrap this computer system around his head forcebly!
Frankly, after having had the time to read and re-read that article all
that can be said is it's really time for some serious changes at ATARI
beginning with the SALES and MARKETING DIRECTOR......
For the last 5 years, this reporter has been an ardent Atari User but I am
in a very ANGRY mood and WONDER WHY in heaven's name is Atari's leadership
allowing statements like this out? Why not just tell the whole country
the computer is not anything more than a fancy game machine or, tell em
you are going into microwave sales and dropping computers...hell, Your
statement is just as crazy as those at least these are unbelieveable!
Darn it! you really have frosted the cake with this...Everytime I read
it, I am amazed and enraged at the outright stupidity of putting down
your own product! SHAME on you! W.T.F.O.
NIEL,
*** I am sitting here looking at a MEGA4 ST and saying to myself,
"SELF, Your wife bought this ST as a Father's Day present, because you
like Atari so much!"
Should I let Her read your "utterly devastating"
Comments ? ?.............. Well Neil???
DISPOSABLE INCOME = Spendable Monies
What the devil do you mean the "DISPOSABLE INCOME" is lower in Europe?
If it's higher here....why the hell are you TOUTING EUROPE????
YOU FOLKS HAVE REALLY DONE IT THIS TIME....PURE DOUBLE TALK AT IT'S
SCIENTIFIC BEST!!!!!
Atari sells better in Europe because people have LESS money to spend than
the citizens of the U.S.A.???? To that, I say ....You are full of HOCKY
PUCKS! Stop the double talk and take the US market on HEAD FIRST!...
WITH:
NATIONAL ADVERTISING DISTRIBUTOR NETWORKS
MAIL ORDER DEALERS VARS
GET SOME REAL MARKETING PEOPLE IN PLACE, ATARI!!
TIME TO GET RID OF THE PETS!
PLEASE stop trying to copy someone else's success story, MAKE YOUR OWN!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A DIFFERENT LOOK AT EUROPEAN SALES
==================================
BY T."Rex" Reade
Deciding to get some info, this reporter called a number of contacts
who are in the military. The folks called are stationed from the UK to
the Middle East....The QUESTION asked was: What does the Atari ST line
sell for in the area you are in...AVERAGE ANSWER: The ST computer SELLS
for roughly DOUBLE the US PRICES.. It appears that they take the dollar
sign off the computer and replace it with the monetary sign of each
country... Without any monetary conversion at all! If this is the
example of the "EUROPEAN DISPOSABLE INCOME"...they "must" have money to
burn!
The guy in the street is getting the "short end of the stick" ALL the
time...and sooner or later it will catch up to the Atari people in
Europe..( The BIG secret weapon the ATARI Users in Europe have is the
U.S. SERVICEMEN all over the place who own ATARI and know what the real
prices are back home).... These facts are easy to verify, just pick up
any computer magazine from Europe and LOOK at the SALES ADVERTISEMENTS
for ST Computers...
DISPOSABLE INCOME EH?... PRETTY NEAT!
Does ATARI really care or give a hoot about it's loyal followers? I think
not! How could they care and make statements about the ST being weak and
unable to accomplish anything at home! Neil, that was, and is, the MOST
CONFUSING and DAMAGING statement to come from ATARI and you!!!
TYPICALLY, most of what was said in that article appeared contradictory to
all the previous statements by ATARI, like... "The Atari Challenge"...
issued at CEPS CHICAGO...It sez, if I may refresh your memory, the great
DTP Challenge! What Challenge??? (more hot air?)
***** THIS IS THE CHALLENGE ISSUED BY ATARI *****
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 ST line of 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."
Listen your Numbness, We are really looking forward to seeing some truth
from you and your cohorts....you have since gotten rid of WILSON, BROWN,
BABBITT, GOULD, FRICK, SCRUTCH and a few other good honest and truthful
men in favor of, who knows? ....
By the way folks, a set of disks have been sent to the offices of Jack
Tramiel. These disks contain all the ST Reports, all the message
captures, source articles, corroborating articles and all the articles in
general relating to Atari that DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ANALYZE THE READERS! But
instead try to understand Atari and it's goals.
It seems after this statement in BYTE, ATARI has just taken another shot
at the future and has, instead,
SHOT ITSELF IN THE FOOT!! WAY TO GO!
As a Comedy Act, the BOYS from Atari would be a smashing hit!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tasty TIDBITS to Ponder
=======================
It appears that quite a few folks are becoming very upset with ATARI and
it's Comedy Act...The now famous Atari Revolving Door has yet to nail the
right person(s) ...
Here's an item which ran in the S.F. Chronicle not too long ago:
Out at Atari Corp.: Charles Babbitt, hired only a few months ago to
head the Sunnyvale-based company's U.S. Computer operations. A predecessor
J. J. Brown, left similar responsibilities last year after only five
months. Atari won't comment, but outsiders blame the revolving door on
Atari's negligible U.S. computer sales and Chairman Jack Tramiel's
pinch-every-penny mentality .
Ummmmmm... what about Walt Wilson... he had ideas to move Atari Corp
into the20th Century too...The "revolving door" caught him where he sits
down before he hardly had a chance to do much more than call a Press
conference...Anyone else get the feeling that the "3 Stooges" are
*really* in charge..??
Or better yet...why not a whole bunch of us put up the money to buy the ST
line??? Yea, I know...too many bucks, but it's certainly a thought.
I'll take my 1040 any day over an IBM PC type of machine. Use *those*
all day at work and it's so refreshing to get home to the 1040. Can't
understand why companies like Atari do this to themselves. Sigh....
Ya know, ... the idea has occurred to many of us "user group" types..
If Jack Tramiel doesn't really want to be burdened with running "Atari"
as a "real" company, why don't we ALLLL get together and buy it off of
his hands..? I wonder what it would take...??? Remember...
Robert Heinlein showed us what it would take to "Buy the Moon"
Speaking of chip shortages...isn't it about time US manufacturers started
to crank out these little babies again...hmmmmm???? They claimed at
first that they couldn't compete price wise with the Japanese, but that
should be changing now. It sure looks as though the market is there for
a Motorola or TI or National Semi to start cranking out RAM.
Interesting point, on the last chips I bought it said NEC-Made in the USA!
Well, Atari probably is having a tough time since the machines are low
priced, and have lots of RAM. However, Commodore is still advertising,
and seems to be hanging in there. In short, who knows.
Well, isn't Atari's manufacturing base much smaller than Commodore's?
And from what I've heard, a sizable portion of the ST line was converted
to crank out video games. What ST's are left are distributed 80/20, the
US getting the 20% while Europe gets the rest. SO I believe their claims.
We have just looked over the concerned observations of a diversified
group of users of Atari ST equipment. Their names have been omitted to
protect them from the (pvt E-Mail) shut-up notices certain people are so
quick to send. In all but one or two comments we can detect a bit of
disatisfaction about the performance of Atari as a company trying to
promote and sell a fine product. It is easy to see why when you carefully
look over all the blubbering noise that had been fed to the userbase over
the last few years. And now, the latest in the long line of sadistic jabs
at a loyal userbase (almost fanatical) ....
Niel Harris has outdone himself in his opinion of the ST and AMIGA!!!!
Wow! a real authority on ALL computers.....send this guy to join Wilson,
Babbitt and the other recipients of the revolving door's action!
A Private Comment to Jack Tramiel:
My Father-in-Law wears the TATTOO and, to this day, even with the
"Reparations", will NOT have ANYTHING to do with anything, or anyone from
the GDR...Purely out of respect for ALL the NON-SURVIVORS......
FORGIVE and FORGET? NEVER! IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO FORGET! EVER!....
How can you?...Just for money?
REX
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
A PLEA - A CALL TO PENS!
========================
TO ALL ATARI OWNERS.....8 BIT - 16 BIT ..ALL OF YOU!
Your help is needed....Please send a letter or post card to ATARI.
TELL THEM HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING...
ADDRESS IT TO :
JACK TRAMIEL
C/O ATARI CORP.
1196 BORREGAS AVE.
SUNNYVALE, CA., 94089
Be sure to let them know how you felt after reading the article in Byte
Magazine and all about it here in ST REPORT.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST-REPORT Issue #41 June 27, 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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
