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Silicon Times Report Issue 0068
*---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original Online ST Magazine"
-------------------------------
January 02, 1989 Monday Volume III No.68
==========================================================================
ST Report Online Magazine ½
------------------------------
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida
32236 ~ 6672
R.F. Mariano
Publisher - Editor
_________________________________________
Headquarters Bulletin Boards
----------------------------
North South
201-247-8252 904-786-4176
Central West
216-784-0574 916-962-2566
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Highlights
==========
~ From the Editor's Desk............ ~ Calamus - Issues and Answers...
~ CPU Report........................ ~ A Different Viewpoint Part II..
~ GFA - MICHTRON.................... ~ ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL.........
and....much more!
========================================================================
AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ THE SOURCE
========================================================================
From the Editor's Desk:
-----------------------
Here I sit...obviously enraptured by the thoughts of things to come.
The signs indicate we, the Atari ST enthusiasts, are in for a very
interesting year. The holiday season really hasn't failed to produce some
new software for the ST marketplace. In fact, the presentations have been
rather impressive.
In the entertainment area we have Falcon, Chronos Quest, Manhunter
and Leisure Suit Larry II and bunches more. All of these are extra fine
examples of the ST's ability to provide endless hours of exciting, edge of
the seat entertainment.
For productivity, there are just too many to list here that have
appeared in the last 60 days. (most are of top notch quality) I will,
however, take a moment or two to mention a company who is a neighbor to
the north, ISD Marketing, this is firm with a vision on the future. ISD
has brought to the ST area Five excellent programs to date. Two of which
are; DynaCadd and Calamus, I have been fortunate to see samples of the
output of both of these extra special programs and believe me, being
impressed is the weak way to describe how I felt after having seen what
these two jewels are capable of! Folks, you owe it to yourselves to see
these two programs in action and any user who is serious about Desktop
Publishing should not be with out them.
Gem is a DRI original, and am I sorry a guy named Wilga was not
there in "the beginning". His creation, Neodesk II, is one mighty fine
desktop. Neodesk II has embodied all the features obviously missing from
the original Neodesk and then some! Move over Mac, here is a really
functional Desktop.
This year is going to be interesting for sure, already the
enthusiasm is climbing and the expectations of Atari's performance is, at
last, at a two year high.
Ralph.....
**************************************************************************
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**************************************************************************
CALAMUS - A Report
==================
by Don Smith
I've gone through the Calamus manual word-for-word. I've tried every
function I could. The following is a report on some of the problems I've
found, but I first want to say that Calamus is a first rate program. It
is far beyond anything I've seen for personal Desktop Publishing. I think
it inevitable that a program of this power has some initial bugs. When
you consider it in the whole, however, you'll see that the remaining
problems are few compared to the many powerful features that work well
right now. This is an error report, and by it's very nature, the
uninformed could think it's a negative statement on Calamus. This is not
the case. I cannot emphasize enough how terrific Calamus is. I've
written this report to help us all to get the few remaining problems
straightened out. Also, despite my best research, some of the problems
could be a short between the headphones on my part. I'm looking for
feedback here.
Here's what I've found:
----------------------
In some cases, attempting to insert a time stamp directly into a layout
results in a "fatal error". I've grown to know and hate the alert box
that tells me that. For some comical reason, it gives me the option of
"CONTINUE"... which never works. The only path out of this alert box is
the desktop... a crash if you will. When I tried this later with larger
text frames containing information, the crash did not result. Strange.
You cannot crop .IMG pictures yet. Yes, you can enable the crop feature,
but what you'll get is the upper left corner of the picture as the cropped
area. The book mentions on pages XXI-4 and 5 that Calamus doesn't handle
post processing of scanned images yet... that it's better to do cropping
outside Calamus at the moment.
If you set vertical and horizontal guidelines, with magnetic properties,
than any frame created will fill to the rest of the page or to the next
horizontal and/or vertical magnetic guideline despite your best effort to
nail down the lower right corner in the position of your choice. You must
turn off the magnetism to re size. I haven't decided if this is a feature
or a bug. The manual doesn't mention this capability. For the moment,
lets consider it a feature. If you set guidelines and don't which to fill
all the white space between the guidelines with your frame, then create
your frame before enabling the magnetism.
I'm typing this report with the Calamus Text Editor. I like it, but it
still needs streamlining. I was entering some text for test purposes,
and at one point, the <RETURN> key took me only halfway back. Despite my
best efforts, I couldn't see the left half of my document. I exported the
text the the text frame I had previously opened, and the result was the
same. I then imported the text BACK into the Calamus Text Editor, and
VIOLA! All the text was there!
However, after typing in this document and attempting to downsize the
text editor window, the system crashed. I had the window at full size for
entering the text you are reading now.
Choosing the FRAME FOOTNOTE ENTRY icon without a frame selected resulted
in a "Fatal Error" alert. Again, the only way out was a system crash.
Same thing happens with INDEX ENTRY. I may have attempted an improper
operation, but please guys, don't send me to the electric chair for
crossing against the light... just alert me to my ineptitude.
I had an interesting time working on the hyphenation dictionary. The
manual does not alert you to the fact that you have to load a dictionary
first before you can use it. Again, the program should alert me to load a
dictionary before attempting to use this function, but instead it let me
flounder around. When I went back to the text frame I had previously
selected, I was presented with a VERY BIG "less than" sign (about 48 pts
high is my guess), and every line of the text was written over one
another. All the lines took up only one line of the frame. By the way,
there was no "less than" sign in my text. Went to the text editor to try
to clear things up, but the system crashed. Sure am getting used to that.
Once I figured out that I needed to load a hyphenation dictionary first,
that function performed as advertised. Sure wish they can alert you to
load the dictionary if you attempt to use that function without one.
On the screen, a text underline is WAY below the text. It rides the
upper part of the text on the next line down. Haven't tried printing it
yet to see what it looks like.. although a big strength of Calamus is its
capability to print EXACTLY what you see on the screen.
Could not get the CHECK TEXT STYLE icon to work.
The manual left out the explanation for DECIMAL SYMBOL FOR DECIMAL TABS
and instead used the explanation for the OUTLINE THICKEN STATIC/DYNAMIC
instead. Needless to say, the header OUTLINE THICKEN STATIC/DYNAMIC
cannot be found.
Why were the sample Macros in German? Even so, I could understand most
of them, but they didn't work anyway. I would select a block of text and
invoke the macro.. sometimes by the mouse, sometimes by the keyboard.
Instead of affecting the marked block, it would affect the text from the
beginning of the marked block to the END OF THE TEXT! That is, when it
affected it at all. At one point, selecting the macros either by mouse
or keyboard resulted in the text simply disappearing from the text frame.
When I fist purchased Calamus, I was concerned that the fonts would be
protected. I called ISD and was told by the last fellow to leave before
the Christmas holidays that I would be able to share my created pages with
another Calamus owner.. that the other Calamus owner didn't have to own
the same fonts as I did to create the page. He said the other Calamus
owner would be able to create my page. In the manual, however, it later
says that the fonts used in a layout need to be available to the program
with the page is loaded. If my fonts can't be used on his program
(protection, remember?) then how can we share those pages? This is a
question I would like answered.
Under Page Layout, MINIMAL MARGINS has no effect, even though a printer
driver is selected.
Page XIII - 1 and 2: It says click "USER" field for user defined page
dimensions. No such field. Probably means "OTHER" field.
No "Centimeters" measurement either, it's INC. Probably means the
INCREMENT you've chosen elsewhere, which could be centimeters, or inches,
or ciceros, or picas.
At one point, and I can't tell you exactly where, but Calamus simply
froze. As I moved the mouse around, the help lines in the upper right
corner continued to display the text associated with my mouse position,
but otherwise the program was dead. No dropping menus, no icon response.
Just the helpful text was moving. I had created a page with one large
text frame, and was groping around trying to remember how to create a
second page. I had clicked on the right arrow to page, but since I hadn't
created the second page, it was unresponsive. I later tried that when the
program was rebooted, but the program did not freeze. I had set the
magnetic guides for one row and one column, with one inch borders before
drawing the text frame (which, if you remember my earlier comment, filled
the white space between the magnetic guides).
That's it for the moment. It's what I've found after reading through the
entire manual with the program in front of me. My configuration is a Mega
ST4 with a 60-meg hard drive. During my analysis, I had NO desk
accessories loaded, and NO AUTO programs loaded. The computer was
"clean". Nothing was attached to the cartridge port. At the moment, my
printer is an NEC LC-890, the BEST Postscript laserprinter for the
consumer in my opinion. It has HP LaserJet Plus emulation, however, for
Calamus output. It does surprisingly well, but I've decided to get the
Atari laserprinter. Calamus makes that printer SING!
I'll be spreading this file around to get feedback. Maybe I can be shown
where I've gone wrong.. maybe it'll help ISD get the few remaining
wrinkles out of Calamus. I can work around most of the problems I've
listed, but sure would like to see them fixed. From what I've heard, ISD
is aggressively honing their product.
You can reply to me on Genie at DON.SMITH, CIS at 75565,1351 or call my
BBS, The Atarist in Houston at 713-541-9160. Look for my column, "By The
Numbers", in ST X-Press magazine.
----===**===----
CALAMUS - A Response
====================
A Response to a Report from Don Smith
-------------------------------------
12-28-88
First of all, thank you for your interest and your comments. I
appreciate both. Let me also mention, to all that read these messages,
that I am always interested in intelligent, constructive criticism and it
is also a great pleasure to receive compliments on an excellent program.
Before I address your concerns in the order that they appeared,
let me take this opportunity to mention that Calamus is constantly being
cleaned and tightened up. As you are probably aware, Calamus Plus is
being developed even as we speak and all the Calamus features are
receiving attention on a daily basis. Borland's German office has finally
completed development for their Turbo C on the Atari ST. Calamus has now
been compiled using it. (In fact, we were a Beta test site.) The result
is a cleaner, tighter version than had been previously shipped.
Approximately 100K of memory is now available on the 1040ST. For
those REGISTERED USERS interested in obtaining the latest version, please
send in your program diskette only and we will install the latest version
on your master disk at no charge.
The latest version has already addressed some of your concerns:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Inserting System Time both within the Text Editor or directly into the
layout works correctly, 11.19 am, as does System Date, 12.29.1988.
The difficulty that apparently was randomly encountered in our .IMG
cropping feature has been corrected.
The horizontal and vertical magnetic guidelines are an excellent feature
of Calamus. Once you become more comfortable with them you will really
enjoy the accuracy in positioning that you are now allowed. This feature
does require activation and de-activation. Hint: By activating a frame
and then pointing and clicking on the x and y coordinates, you can
position any frame precisely.
The Calamus Text Editor was probably the single most difficult section of
programming involved in development and overall, I am really pleased with
the results. However, there are a few areas that will be addressed in
time. You mentioned the <RETURN> key taking you halfway back in the
Editor.
In order to see your document again may I suggest that you position your
cursor at the last text character on the line above and then use your
direction arrow to advance one more space to the right which will return
you to the far left position.
In this current version, I was unable to duplicate your crash resulting
from downsizing the Text Editor window.
Choosing either the FRAME FOOTNOTE ENTRY or the INDEX ENTRY icon without
first selecting a frame, now results in an alert box appearing to advise
you to PLEASE SELECT ONE TEXT FRAME. Note: It is not our intention to
send you an early award for crossing against the light. In most cases the
reason that Calamus will allow you to exit, not continue, concerns the
decision that was made not to allow you to proceed with a corrupt file.
As a last minute decision the hyphenation dictionary was not shipped
within the SYS folder simply because the memory that it requires can be
put to better use based on the preponderance of 1040 owners that exist in
the North American market. If you so choose, as perhaps a Mega owner
would, simply put the STANDARD.CWB file within the SYS folder, rename it
to CALAMUS.CWB and it will be loaded upon bootup. I apologize for the
oversight in not mentioning this in a READ.ME file. The manual had been
produced before this decision was taken. You may perform hyphenation
without the dictionary loaded as hyphenation is based on an algorithm.
However, the exceptions dictionary does make the algorithm even better and
more accurate.
Text Underline is located in the FONT STYLE & SIZE menu under GET INTO
STYLE MENU located in the bottom right hand corner. The fourth category
in the MISCELLANEOUS STYLE SETTINGS is the UNDERLINE OFFSET which
currently defaults at 5 points. Simply change that entry to your
specifications.
GET TEXT STYLE works correctly. Highlight the text in question and click
on this icon. The point size will change to reflect the text indicated.
In FONT MENU the correct font that was used will now be highlighted.
Thank you for pointing out my oversight on the Decimal Tab. You may
change the format character for a decimal tab to a . or whatever you
choose and the decimal tab will react accordingly. A complete explanation
of the decimal tab function is located in Chapter IX, Page 16 under INSERT
DECIMAL TABS.
The sample macros are now in English. I apologize for this oversight.
Some of those German macros cause the Text to disappear intentionally.
Please learn our Macro section as this is one of the best features
inherent within Calamus.
If you have saved either a Page or a document using fonts that you have
created yourself, then naturally, until you make these fonts available to
your friend, they will not be able to load your identical document. They
can, however, substitute a font that they do possess in order to load your
document. The only fonts that will not be interchangeable between
different copies of Calamus are those that we are making available from
Compugraphics (ISD Mkt./Compugraphics Press Release to follow at a later
date.)
Minimal Margins works correctly in some of the drivers ie; the Atari
SLM804 Laser Printer. However, and we are aware of this, some of the
drivers have been written either incorrectly or incompletely or they just
conform to the European A4 standard rather than our own. This is
currently being addressed, corrections made and new drivers are being
written. They will be uploaded onto online systems as soon as they are
completed.
Yes, in Chapter XIII, page 2, USER was used rather than OTHER.
INC represents inches. I am having this changed to INCH. Centimeters is
represented by CM. I don't understand your comment on increments.
Hopefully, all the random freezes and crashes will be eliminated. Please
understand that this is quite an extensive program that has taken over
three years to develop. I believe that Calamus is a great product and
will only get better. It performs quite well with the SLM804 as you
mentioned.
Note: For those using this printer, save the Raster setting in the Print
screen on 2. This line was developed specifically for the Atari Laser
Printer.
I have just downloaded 42 pages of comments on Calamus. I will read them
all this weekend. Some are old, some are redundant and some are just
plain silly, however, some are right to the point. Those will be
addressed, as time permits. We will get the remaining wrinkles out of
Calamus and I appreciate the input.
Calamus Information
-------------------
A Response to the 42 pages....
December 30, 1988
Nathan Potechin ISD Marketing, Inc.
ISD Marketing, Inc. is coming online. Please give me about two more
weeks to get setup with all of the major online services.
Back in February 1988 M. Cawthon said and I quote "I would be
willing to pay the price if we start getting some real PRO software!".
Well, three weeks ago we delivered Calamus. It has a suggested retail
price of US $299.95 and is well worth it.
Calamus is a professional desktop publishing solution based on the
ST platform. Five months ago ISD Marketing released DynaCADD, a complete
2D and true 3D CADD (Computer Aided Design and Drafting) solution, also a
professional package based on the ST platform. Regardless of what you may
have heard, read or imagined, ISD today, with DynaCADD and Calamus,
represents the two most important application software available in their
respective disciplines, based on the ST platform. We will not turn our
back on the ST platform as has been suggested. Instead, development
continues on both Calamus Plus and DynaCADD 2.0. We support our products,
we are committed to continuing development on the ST platform and we will
live up to our commitments.
ISD and Ditek have been supporting the ST since its inception. To
date, we have only represented five products;
Calamus, DynaCADD, (ST)Accounts, Masterplan and VIP Professional.
I am sure that these titles are not unknown to you and all represent
serious application software. Please don't let anyone tell you that we
will not support the ST. It is simply not true. On the contrary, it is
our stated intention to offer a viable professional alternative to the
Mac and IBM platforms. In DynaCADD and Calamus, that option now exists.
We will continue to support the North American market to the best of our
ability.
I promised to respond to 42 pages of comments downloaded from Genie
yesterday. Fortunately, most of the comments had already been addressed
or you would have had another 400K file to download. To the point...
1. Sales are already excellent
-------------------------------
It seems that putting the DEMO version of Calamus online was a good
idea. Yes, Piracy is an issue but I will address that specifically at a
later date. The intention was to show you, the ST Owners and Dealers,
that Calamus exists, it does exactly what it was supposed to do and we
are proud of it. I believe that we have accomplished our purpose so if
you liked the DEMO, buy the program.
2. Fonts
---------
The Calamus Vector Font Editor will be available in about 2 months
and will be sold as a separate item. The program itself is done but we
have not yet completed the manual. (Note: A LOGO created using the
Calamus Font Editor can be included within a character set allowing it to
be accurately scalable in 1 point increments up to 999.) The Editor will
be offered with a selection of Fonts. The price, not yet determined, will
reflect the quantity of Fonts that you choose to purchase. Note: Once
prices have been determined I will put them online. We currently have
approximately 12 more Font Families available, about 50 Fonts.
We have completed negotiations with FC FONT TECHNOLOGIES, a
division of COMPUGRAPHICS. We will be offering you a selection of some of
the best Fonts available, easily comparable to anything that Postscript
produces. Check our list of COMPUGRAPHIC Font Families with your local
Printer, then ask him the price on the IBM or MAC. COMPUGRAPHICS made an
aggressive move to support us on the ST platform. They deserve credit. Let
me also mention that it was not inexpensive to acquire the rights to these
Fonts. This is a long term commitment to the ST platform. Again, LONG
TERM COMMITMENT. The following is an excerpt from our Press Release:
We are pleased to announce that an agreement has been signed with
Font Technologies, a division of the Compugraphics Corporation,
Massachusetts, U.S.A. Further to our intention to offer the Consumer a
viable, professional alternative to other computer platforms and software,
we have obtained 84 Compugraphic fonts for Calamus from the following font
families, available beginning in February 1989:
ITC Souvenir CG Times Bauer Bedoni
Garamond ITC Korinna Helios Rounded
Schneidler Univers CG Triumvirate
Futura II CG Palacio Souvenir Gothic
Greek CG OmegaITC American Typewriter
Raphael Revue CG Century Schoolbook
Uncial Isabella Typewriter Large Elite
Garth Graphic ITC AGG Wedding Text
Lucia Script Park Ave ITC Zapf Chancery
Old English Cyrillic Modern Black Letter
Antique Olive
3. Printer Drivers
-------------------
Yes, the printer driver on the SLM804 "SMOKES" as does most of the
others. I think that Calamus and the Atari Laser Printer go well
together. Imagine that! (It was raised and answered earlier but
let me repeat that on the SLM804, Fill Patterns or Screen Rasters print
best on the 2 Raster setting of Calamus. That is the reason it is there,
to control the lines.) We have encountered a few difficulties with A4
sizing rather than letter on a few of the Drivers that are now being
addressed. New drivers are being added and will appear online. More
specifics on this later.
4. The ISD Commitment
-----------------------
Does everyone out there understand that ISD is committed to
supporting Calamus on the ST platform!!?? I responded yesterday to
DON.SMITH. Today I am generally addressing everyone else. Since some of
you spent a great deal of time worrying this issue to death, drop it. We
are here to stay. Who started this?? For what reason?? We are
committed!! We support our products!! I cannot make it any plainer than
that.
5. Product Packaging
---------------------
By the way, obviously, I disagree with the assessment of some of you
regarding our packaging. I thought it was clean, neat and to the point.
Calamus sells itself. But you're right. We are all entitled to our own
opinion.
6. Update Policy
-----------------
There is a new version available that has been recompiled using
Turbo C. Some difficulties have been corrected, ie; Cropping etc..
Updates are free but please send us in your original program disk. It
will be returned to you the day that it is received. We will always try
to improve the performance of Calamus. At the least, Printer Drivers and
more file format compatibility will be added. I will not be any more
specific until I have released new items and have actual facts to relate.
New information will appear online. Thanks to all those that responded to
questions on our behalf. I'll try to hold up my own end from now on.
Give us time. The first product was shipped to our US Distributors a
little over two weeks ago and look at the rumours that appeared. The fact
is that Calamus is a great product now. It can only get better and ISD,
Calamus and the Atari ST platform is here to stay!!!
Regards,
Nathan Potechin, President,
ISD Marketing
Editor Note:
Coming within the next few weeks, an in depth report on the performance of
Calamus and how well it interfaces with the neophyte user, so far, the
average user is in for a treat using this superb Desk Top Publishing
System.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU REPORT ½
============
By Michael Arthur
Digital Research's X/GEM Interface:
-----------------------------------
Over the past few weeks, much has been said and rumored about the
new X/GEM Interface introduced by Digital Research. Many have wondered
whether it is just a new revision of GEM, with minor changes, or whether
it truly is a Multitasking GEM. As the ST uses GEM, the latter prospect
brings great hopes to ST'ers, especially with the looming spectre of the
Female Spanish Friend (Amiga) always hanging overhead.
As to the rumors of a new revision of GEM, they are true, as Digital
Research has constantly updated GEM in the 3 years since its release, and
the newest version (for IBM machines) is GEM/3. It, though, is not the
great revelation that ST Users might expect. Even though it has full
support of both Postscript and the new Bitstream Scalable Fonts, is much
faster than earlier versions of GEM, and has integrated support for some
printers, it is not a substantial enough revision to put in the ST.
However, Digital Research (DRI) has shown a new GEM XM Desktop in
Europe. This is essentially a program switcher, which allows up to 12
programs to be in memory at one time, and for users to switch easily from
one to the other. As it has the same features of GEM/3, it is a superb
upgrade of GEM, combining limited concurrency and a new Desktop with new
features that are excellent in themselves. DRI is shipping the GEM XM
Desktop to the US in Early 1989 (for IBM Machines), and could possibly be
an excellent prospect for a new version of GEM for the Atari ST.
But even limited multitasking is not seemingly enough for many ST
Users, who see the Amiga, Mac, and IBM with multitasking OS's, and begin
to wish that their Atari ST could also multitask. And while Beckemeyer
Development has proven (with MT C-Shell) that high quality multitasking
can be done with TOS programs, it will take a new revision of GEM for the
ST to multitask GEM programs as well.
Hence, X/GEM....
X/GEM is a new version of GEM made for UNIX systems which combines
GEM with MIT's X/Windows, a high level graphical environment for UNIX,
giving X/GEM multitasking and multiuser abilities. It also will allow
X/GEM to be compatible with current UNIX programs using X/Windows, while
allowing future UNIX programs to use the GEM Programmer's Toolkit to
utilize GEM's features in future applications.
Seeing this potential, Digital Research has decided to present the
X/GEM environment to the Open Software Foundation, a group of leading UNIX
developers that are developing a uniform Application Environment
Specification based on UNIX. One of the OSF's main goals is to provide
X/Windows as part of this environment, and X/GEM might be the Graphical
User Environment component of OSF's plans.
Also, Microsoft is talking with DRI about licensing the GEM Toolkit
itself for use in OS/2's Presentation Manager, and Digital Research plans
to introduce their OS/2 GEM Toolkit around 30 days after Presentation
Manager is shipping. All GEM programs using this Toolkit will run on OS/2
exactly as they do on other machines, except that they will conform to the
Presentation Manager's User Interface.
There are many subtle, yet essential advantages to both Microsoft's using
the GEM Toolkit in OS/2, and the OSF's using X/GEM for UNIX, including:
1) PROGRAMS THAT ARE EASILY PORTABLE FROM SYSTEM TO SYSTEM
Digital Research designed the AES and VDI Libraries, which make up
the GEM Toolkit, to be portable over all types of hardware, and allow GEM
programs to be ported from computer to computer with only 10-20% of its
code rewritten to take advantage of that particular machine's features.
This is evidenced by First Word, Timeworks Desktop Publisher, and VIP
Professional being introduced so quickly for the Atari ST.
This means that since GEM is a proven technology, with over 800
applications written specifically for it, that by using the GEM Toolkit
for OS/2, Microsoft could cause OS/2's software base, presently a dozen
programs, to grow almost instantly to hundreds of applications, maybe
including products such as Ventura Publisher (which is a GEM application).
Also, the OSF's new Applications Environment for UNIX could have a
large number of new applications using both GEM's features and the UNIX
Operating System virtually overnight.
In fact, when the Helios Operating System is complete, Atari plans
to use the X/GEM Interface on the Abaq Transputer, so as to port many of
the GEM programs from the IBM and ST over to it, giving it a headstart
with a viable software base. Incidentally, they have not expressed plans
to use it in the 68030 TT, which will also be a UNIX system.
2) A STANDARD GRAPHICAL ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL APPLICATIONS
While this is the goal of all Graphical Operating Systems, and
systems like the Macintosh have achieved this in their own software base,
there is yet to be a standard Windowing System across many varied computer
systems. With GEM/3 and the Atari ST's GEM, Digital Research has done
this on both the Atari ST and IBM machines, and X/GEM stands a good chance
of doing the same for UNIX Machines, enabling all systems to have the same
"look and feel".
Even though the GEM Toolkit for OS/2 will be designed to make OS/2's
GEM applications consistent with the look and feel of Presentation Manager
the CUA User Interface (Common User Access, IBM's acronym for the Windows
environment) resembles GEM closely enough for it not to seriously hamper
this goal.
Also, X/GEM will have GEM XM's new Desktop, having an environment
resembling MultiFinder, in which applications run in (and can be accessed
from) their own windows, for handling and using programs. I am not sure,
but I think that Digital Research has chosen to forsake the old Desktop's
Menu Bar to go with an environment more resembling NeXT's WorkSpace.
But even as I state the incredible features of the X/GEM system, the
fact remains that although X/GEM is a superlative innovation, and the GEM
Toolkit for OS/2 underlies Digital Research's ambitious plans for GEM
itself, X/GEM is not the El Dorado, the ultimate multitasking GEM System,
that the ST User has eagerly awaited for all these years.
Given this, you could easily state that the only hope for the Atari
ST Operating System's significantly improving is for Atari to license the
GEM XM System from Digital Research, in the hope that Atari would work
with DRI in the future to make a true multitasking GEM.
But, I am sorry to say, this is all a pipe dream....
The reason, simply enough, is that when Atari worked with Digital
Research on porting GEM over to the ST, DRI did not have GEM completely
finished. This resulted in many problems for both Atari's programming
staff and DRI's engineers, and resulted in lots of angry feelings between
Atari and Digital Research. Also, when Digital Research settled out of
court with Apple over the look and feel of GEM, they made a stipulation
that OEM's would have to re-license GEM from DRI whenever they updated to
the newest version of GEM. As Atari is a licensee of GEM, if they were to
work with DRI on a new version of GEM, they would have to make changes in
their initial license to be able to use it.
In short, one main reason that GEM will never be improved for the
Atari ST is because both Atari and Digital Research are possibly still
holding deep grudges from the problems they had while porting GEM. If this
is truly so, then the two companies' bad relations make it improbable that
they will ever work together again. The second reason is because Atari
does not wish to go through the trouble of updating the Atari ST's GEM to
have more powerful capabilities, even though such a decision would
enormously benefit ST Users, and help give the ST Userbase confidence in
Atari's prospects for the future....
Unless, of course, Atari were to follow the TRUE meaning of the New Year
and put the problems of the past behind them, going to Digital Research
to make a sincere effort to heal any harsh feelings between them (if any
still exist), and forge through any problems that might arise, in order
that both companies may finally work together to improve GEM for the
benefit of all Atari ST Users, in the spirit of mutual cooperation that
both the Talmud and the Bible ask us all to do. But knowing Atari....
But even if Atari decides not to upgrade GEM on the Atari ST, there
is still hope for all ST Users, in Robert Shady of Microtext Software.
Microtext Software is planning to develop a FULL implementation of
BSD 4.2/4.3 UNIX for the Atari ST, being totally Posix-IEEE compatible
and fully supporting X/WINDOWS. Microtext is also considering contacting
Digital Research themselves, so they can port X/GEM to the Atari ST for
use on their UNIX. IF they did this, all they would have to do is provide
multitasking for TOS programs (a task which has already been done by
Beckemeyer Development, with MT C-Shell) and they could provide a fully
multitasking ST Operating System.
Lest you think that UNIX cannot be implemented on the 68000 chip,
there are many Altos 6800 workstations around that run UNIX, and they
mostly use the 68000 chip....
But this is all in the future. In the present time, the fact still
remains that even though Digital Research has been constantly updating GEM
since it was first introduced, even to the extent of such a powerful
environment as X/GEM, there is little hope in the foreseeable future for
Atari ST Users to gain the El Dorado of operating systems, a multitasking
GEM that will erase the looming spectre of that everpresent Female Spanish
Friend, the Amiga, and allow ST'ers to use their incredible machines to a
level unimaginable before.
But as this IS a New Year, we can still hope and work for a day when
ST Users will be able to multitask GEM programs, and when the Atari ST's
operating system will finally blaze a path to the forefront of innovative
computer technology.
But ponder, if you will, on this question:
1) What do the Atari ST and the Amiga TRULY have in common?
---=====***=====---
CPU REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿
=======================
Armonk, NY IBM has appointed James Cannavino, 44, to head its
---------- Personal Computer division, replacing William Lowe, who
resigned to become Executive Vice President of Xerox.
Lowe was not forced to resign, but rumors say he quit
because of IBM's PS/2 line of computers not selling as
well as expected, and IBM's losing market share to the
many Clone Manufacturers.
Warrenville, IL Reeve Software has introduced Diamond, a new Operating
--------------- System for the Atari 8-Bit having a GEM-like interface,
with windows, Icons, and Menus. It lets you have 16
Desk Accessories, allows up to 16 Megs of Extended RAM
for direct access, and can be used with the ST Mouse.
Hopefully more on this in a future issue....
CPUville, USA ETA Systems, a subsidiary of Control Data Corporation
------------- which develops supercomputers, has shown their use of
Atari ST's running under the IDRIS Operating System as
development stations for both writing supercomputer
software and to help design supercomputers.
Armonk, NY IBM has introduced PC-DOS 4.0, a new version of DOS
---------- which supports up to 512 Megabyte Hard Disk Partitions,
has a Windows-like Graphical "Shell" for Disk Utilities
and handles LIM/EMS Extended RAM easier. It does have
some bugs, though, and PC-Ditto compatibility is in
doubt. An upcoming DOS 4.01 is expected to clean up
the compatibility problems with many IBM Clones.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Different Viewpoint
=====================
By: Chris Thompson
The fiasco that was Fiscal Year 1988 in Sunnyvale has finally drawn
to a close. Atari nearly killed itself by manhandling the US marketplace.
Developers dropped Atari from their programming schedule. There were even
rumors of the great guru Tom Hudson abandoning "Old Fuji" for the IBM
scene. Ralph screamed and yelled and pointed fingers, and, I would like
to believe, caused a stir in the management ranks at Atari. As I write
this on Christmas Day, 1988, I see a new year of growth for Atari on the
Horizon. I see Sig Hartmann as a beacon in the storm. I see an Atari
ad campaign blitzing the Market. I see new machines that earn the respect
of reviewers and critics. I see software companies falling over each
other trying to get onto the Atari bandwagon. I believe it can happen.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm a born pessimist. My motto is
"The only two types of people in the world are Optimists and Realists.
"As much as we would like it, Atari may never be "America's computer"
because IBM has too much of a strangle hold on the market. I do, however,
think that they could come close. We have a powerhouse sitting in these
grey plastic boxes that blows away anything else in its class, based on
potential. In reality, it is not as powerful as it could be due to dealer
apathy. What would it take for the ST to be "Super CPU"? A few slight
modifications and we're set.
The 68000-16 CPU upgrade to 16Mhz is tops on the list. When the ST
first came out 8Mhz was incredible. (so was a 1200 baud modem if anyone's
interested) Now we have IBM machines running 3 times as fast at 25Mhz.
CPU report in issue #67 even listed a 33Mhz IBM clone. As I understand,
the upgrade is being delayed due to continued problems with Monochrome
output. We wish them well. I know I'll be first in line to get one when
they do come out.
A graphics board is next. Not a neat software hack like Spectrum
512, but a real time graphics board. The ST is severely limited by its
low color and low resolution graphics. Granted, in 1986, 320x200 w/ 16
colors in real time was quite strong. We now have the 'Lowly' IBM (never
before touted for it's graphics) with Super VGA cards that blow the ST
away. The fabled Atari Rumor Mill has Atari with a board in it's Research
& Development department. I'd like to see 640x400 at 16 colors at the
VERY least. This will help to compete with the Amiga. Of course the folks
in Cupertino aren't standing by idly as the Amiga 2500 and a new Super
Graphics board are expected.
Multi-Tasking GEM. It's a reality at Digital Research, why not on
the ST? C'mon Jack, programs like Revolver and Juggler II may simulate a
multitasking environment, they don't match up to the real thing.
Sound is a must. I spent some time recently at Cincinnati's biggest
Atari/Commodore retailer. That's all they sell so there is ample room for
showcasing both systems. Carl, a friend of mine, booted up Aegis SONIX on
an Amiga 2000 and proceeded to play several songs through some speakers.
(incl. Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' complete with digitized wolf howls)
One guy asked, "Wow, is that a stereo Monitor?"
Carl answered, "Yes, but it's volume is all the way down. The Sound
you hear is coming from Radio Shack's cheapest Amplifier and these two
tiny speakers here. The sound output from the Amiga is in Stereo and is
very near the quality of a Compact Disc."
Another customer standing nearby (who I recognized as an ex-Atarian
who defected recently to the Amiga) said; "Well, that's what you get when
you put a real Sound Chip in a computer. Atari went the easy route and
put in the same chip that was in the Timex-Sinclair 2068"
The man, a new buyer looking for a system, decided at that point to
get an Amiga. He wouldn't listen to my cries of "But what about the ST's
MIDI?" and ended up buying an Amiga 500.
All is not lost, however. Another of my wants has already been
fulfilled. I am an avid modem user and hope to have my own BBS someday. I
have always been in awe of the IBM's multi RS232 ports. Now any computer
can have up to eight ports with the SP808 from NiteLite Systems. Each
RS232 port has it's own 65C02 processor to help keep the drain off of the
68000. If you listen to the rumor mill (which I do from time to time)
Matt Singer's incredible FoReM ST Bulletin Board program will be getting
a facelift in FoReM Elite. MultiLine support is rumored to be part of the
package.
Of course, all of this is written without the true knowledge of the
capabilities of the TT and ATW systems. If the TT is really upwardly
compatible with the ST, all of this may be moot. If it goes as planned,
the TT will run at 25Mhz. It will have graphics that will make an Amiga
user choke.. 640x400 with 16 million colors at once??? 1280x960 with 16
out of 16M colors??? I can hear the Amigoids coughing right now.
Especially if we see Dave Small bring his Spectre 128 to the TT.
A 25Mhz Mac???
So we now see that all is not lost. After my rather doom filled
article in ST-Report #66 I can impart this news to you. With a few
add-on's the ST would be a TRULY incredible machine, not just a
POTENTIALLY incredible machine.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
GFA ~ MICHTRON
==============
As of Jan 1, 1989 MichTron will no longer be selling GFA programs. This
is a brief statement of what happened.
MichTron has received notice from GFA Systemtechnik that after January 1,
MichTron is no longer licensed to sell or service GFA products.
Since last July, MichTron has known that they were going to lose the GFA
line. In July MichTron had a great relationship with GFA. MichTron will
have paid GFA almost $150,000 in royalties during the past two years.
GFA seemed very happy with sales in the USA. In a very weak market (The
ST in the USA), where most business software companies were either going
out of business or just barely making a living, the MichTron GFA
partnership was profitable to both parties.
But Rolf Hilchner, the CEO of GFA, wanted more. He wanted all of the
profits, not just a percentage, and he wanted the right to say what
products would be sold (MichTron had refused to sell 4 or 5 GFA programs
that they did not like in the past year). GFA wanted to have their own
subsidiaries in the USA, UK and France.
In September at the PCW show in England Hilchner told his English
publisher, Glentop, that they were going to be terminated. HiSoft heard
about this and asked MichTron if they would sell the HiSoft line of
programs in the US. MichTron sent sample copies of the HiSoft programs to
its beta testers. When all of the MichTron beta testers came back and
said that the HiSoft programs were much better then the GFA programs.
Upon hearing this MichTron signed a contract to sell HiSoft software in
the US after Jan 1. In early October we told GFA that we were going to
sell HiSoft basic in the US. Needless to say, GFA was not thrilled with
us selling a better basic then theirs.
In November, at the Comdex show Rolf asked if MichTron was going to sell
GFA's BASIC for the Amiga. MichTron told him that the program had too
many bugs in it, and that GFA should spend another month or two and get
the bugs out and then we would talk about it.
It seems that GFA has, since early last summer, changed from a company
that sold good software and supported its users to a company obsessed with
making money and to heck with its customers. GFA 3.0 is a good BASIC, but
it has some serious bugs in it. Bugs that GFA has known about since last
summer, and they have done nothing about them. Now they are releasing a
new version of BASIC on the Amiga that is just loaded with bugs. At
Comdex, MichTron could not keep it running for more then 1 or 2 minutes
without it locking up.
Now GFA has terminated its only distributor/publisher in the US, and it
has NO plans as of this date on how it will continue to support, users,
update the existing user base and fix the bugs in the US version of 3.0.
GFA's feelings on this, is that it is mad at MichTron so MichTron is fired
and to heck with all the users who have purchased its programs. If you
doubt this last statement, call Germany and ask them how they are going to
handle updating owners of GFA BASIC 3.0.
We at MichTron will continue to answer questions and support the GFA
products on both GENIE and CIS as best we can. Any other support will
have to be obtained from Germany. The phone number there is
011-49-211-550400. You might note that Germany is 5 hours ahead of EST.
So you will have to call early in the morning to reach them. Their
product support people do speak English.
Short day by day description of the fallout
July 1, 1988
------------
Rolf Hilchner flies over from Germany to tell MichTron that he is going
to start a subsidiary in each of the countries where he now has a
publisher. He wants to hire one of my employees, (Rob Washburn), as the
president of GFA USA. He will start this GFA USA sometime in the first
quarter of 1989.
September 1, 1988
-----------------
Rob Washburn and Gordon Monnier flew to Germany to meet Rolf Hilchners
boss and Mr Thomas the owner of GFA Systemtechnique. A business agreement
was finalized where Gordon Monnier would be the chairman of the board of
GFA USA and would receive 10% of the profits of this company. Rob
Washburn would be president of GFA USA. GFA would purchase all the stock
of MichTron. (GFA manuals and boxs) and pay MichTron $30,000 for the
loss of GFA's business.
Sept 15, 1988
-------------
HiSoft approached MichTron and asked MichTron to carry the HiSoft line.
October 7, 1988
---------------
MichTron signs contract to sell HiSoft starting in 1989.
October 15, 1988
----------------
MichTron tells GFA that they will be selling Hisoft programs Jan 1st.
October 20, 1988
----------------
Rolf Hilchner gets on a conference call on GEnie and tells MichTron that
the agreement they reached in September with him and the owner of GFA will
not be honored if MichTron sells HiSoft BASIC. Rob Washburn then tells
Rolf Hilchner that if he is not a man of his word he, Rob Washburn, does
not want to work for him and quits as President of GFA USA.
November 1, 1988
----------------
GFA asks us to get them 2 hotel rooms at Comdex. Hilchner says he is not
coming that the rooms are for two of his employees.
November 13, 1988
-----------------
Hilchner appears the day before Comdex. He tells MichTron employees that
the only reason he came was to find someone to replace MichTron.
November 14, 1988
-----------------
Hilchner looks over the MichTron booth and is very upset because MichTron
is not pushing GFA products. When told that, MichTron sees no advantage
in pushing products that GFA is trying to find another publisher for and
that they are going to lose shortly. Hilchner is visibly upset.
November 15, 1988
-----------------
Hilchner shows MichTron GFA BASIC 3.0 for the Amiga, (this is supposed to
be the finished version), it locked up within seconds. Hilchner and
Frank Ostrowski then decide that the reason for the lockup is the version
of the operating system that Commodore is using is different from the one
that GFA developed the program on. Hilchner asks MichTron if they will
sell GFA Amiga BASIC in in the US. MichTron tells him no. Not until
they get a bug free version. Hilchner is very upset with MichTron and
thinks they are just stalling him until HiSoft releases their BASIC on the
Amiga.
December 1, 1988
----------------
MichTron gets a letter from GFA telling them that effective Jan 1, 1989
they are no longer licensed to sell or service any GFA programs.
Editor Note:
------------
As with all controversial issues there are TWO sides to every story,
now, after having read and heard all the hype from Comdex 'till reading
the above, it is easy to see why Michtron did what they did. This is a
situation where Michtron, who has faithfully served the ST community from
day one, has been dealt from the bottom of the deck and deserves a better
shake than what we see has happened. Some folks would call it "business"
and rightfully so. It would appear that Michtron made every attempt to
maintain a professional posture, especially in wanting to wait for a firm
version of 3.0 for the Amiga. As a result of what we have seen, we
support Michtron in it's decision as far as GFA is concerned.
We say it is time for the US companies to mature and realize that
the methods of doing business employed "on the other side" are different
than in the States. Anyway, the negotiations between GFA and Michtron
obviously could have been done behind the scenes without emotions clouding
the picture and could possibly have been resolved.
As usual, in situations like this, the user, the little guy who
forked over his hard earned dollars is left on the short end of the stick.
Ok, the newer users got version 2.0 as a "freebie" or, at least, almost.
What about all the thousands who payed full boat for the same program,
does this mean that if one were to wait long enough any program today will
become a dirt cheap commodity later on? Better yet, what guarantee do the
users have the same series of unhappy events will not occur with version
3.0? Thanks, but no thanks.
Hisoft.....here I come.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿
======================
Sacramento, CA Sierra has increased it's customer service hours to
-------------- 13 hours per day. 209-683-6858 This line will handle
hints and technical problems. Customer support is
becoming a priority and justly so.
NYC, NY Paragon Software, formally allied with Electronic
------- Arts, has joined forces with Micropose in the
Medalist Software Group. Soon they will be working
on a series not unlike the S.A.G.A. series we have
seen on the ST. Paragon signed a deal with Marvel
Comics. Spidy and Cap't. America are back!
Tokyo, Japan SSI and Pony Canyon Inc. of Japan have signed a
------------ distribution agreement for SSI products to be sold in
SE Asia. Most of SSI's goodies will be ported to the
NEC 9801.
Miami, Fla Baudville announces new goodies for the Amiga. Video
---------- Gammon, Dream Zone and Award Maker Plus round out the
line up of new goodies for the Amiga.
Chicago, IL Vega Technologies has announced a new Videotape (VHS)
----------- which is 40 minutes of intense instruction on how to
use the Amiga CLI. They also offer a high class
"leather" mouse pad in 3 degrees of surface friction,
precise, general or fast. only $15.95
Denver, CO Once again we find the local dealer doing a dance on
---------- the hot plate of adversity, it seems the Federated
Store near him has certain Atari Products he has NO
access to at this time. Sam, is somebody is still
dropping the ball? Or, is Federated being used for
test marketing new products?
NYC, NY PC Pursuit, is going to shock all of it's users with
------- it's 'NEW' rate structure, "it wasn't too bad trying
forever to reach a certain city for 25.00 mo. but at
the new rates....FORGET IT!" Also, it appears they
feel they have 24oo bd available at all their nodes.
They should ask their PAYING customers if this is
true.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST's MIDI POWER
===============
About a new book by R.A. Penfold
The Atari ST is the proven leader in the music - computer field,
with it's unrivaled and rapidly expanding range of available software and
add-ons. It's built in MIDI ports, large memory, high processing power,
good graphics, and moderate cost have made it the computer of choice for
demanding musical applications such as MIDI sequencing.
This book is aimed at musicians who want to exploit the full
potential of the Atari ST in music applications. a fundamental knowledge
of how to use the ST and run programs on it, (basically, a solid grasp of
the information provided in the user's manual), is necessary. For
computer enthusiasts, some simple hardware projects are presented, along
with information on how to program the ST's sound chip and MIDI
programming, including some very useful MIDI processing routines.
Most of the material is easy for non-technical types to understand.
Topics include applications programs such as sequencing and score writing;
and simple but useful add-on projects. MIDI is covered in depth, with
particular emphasis on how it applies to Atari STs. Full details of MIDI
messages and coding are provided.
"MUSICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE ATARI STs"
To order a copy: Catalog #: BP246
Send $11.95
> includes shipping and handling <
to
Electronics Technology Today
PO BOX 240
Massapequa, Long Island, N.Y. 11762
PS...don't send cash.. (check or M.O. is OK) and be sure to include your
full name, address and telephone number.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS WEEK'S QUOTABLE QUOTE
==========================
The Mirror on the Wall Sez:
---------------------------
THERE IS NOTHING AS DEAD...AS THE ECHO OF YESTERDAY'S APPLAUSE!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST-REPORT¿Issue #68 "Your Independent News Source" January 02, 1989
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ½ copyright 1989
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those
of ST Report¿ or CPU Report¿. Reprint permission granted, unless noted
otherwise. All reprints must include ST Report or CPU Report and the
author's name. All information presented herein is believed correct, ST
Report or CPU Report, it's editors and staff are not responsible for
any use or misuse of information contained in this publication.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
