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Silicon Times Report Issue 0066
*---=== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ===---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original Online ST Magazine"
-------------------------------
December 19, 1988 Monday Volume II No.66
==========================================================================
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............. ~ FOND FAREWELL.................
~ CPU REPORT (A sneak Preview)....... ~ A Different Viewpoint.........
~ ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL............. ~ INTERLINK Ver. 1.85!..........
and....much more!
========================================================================
AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ THE SOURCE
========================================================================
From the Editor's Desk:
-----------------------
Can you imagine what Christmas 1988 would have been like if Atari
hadn't cut-off ALL mail order sales and HAD diverted a large quantity of
ST Computers to the US market? It is possible ...
After snuggling up is a very comfortable overstuffed chair beside
the warm fireplace, it became very easy to allow the imagination to go to
work. Lo and behold, the very first image I see is happy, jubilant faces
sitting in front of brand new ST computers all over the country! The
fireplace crackles loudly and I begin to see a different picture.
The vivid colors of the advertisements are absolutely stunning! It
is almost too good to be true, but there it is, right in front of me.
Atari ads saying they are the leaders in personalized mail order sales and
service. Just above the bottom of the flyer I see the Federated name.
Now the whole thing becomes quite clear, Atari had placed a mail order
operation under the Federated roof where they could keep a tight reign on
rampant discounting, (the previous mail order effort was terrible), and as
a result had reached more customers in a scant 12 month period than they
had in the previous 36 months.
Slowly a picture of a fold out advertisement begins to take shape in
front of me, as I silently watch this dramatic presentation, I said to
myself, pretty neat! This ad was as good as any made for a major motion
picture. Color, depth and 3d headlines all were there, proclaiming Atari
Computers to be the number one computer for Mr. and Mrs. America, the best
part was the marquee, (like MacDonald's), showing the 2 millionth machine
had been sold. What a warm wonderful feeling I had, my ST gear would live
and prosper. The best part is the ads were in non-computer specific
magazines like Time, Reader's Digest, People etc...I guess they finally
realized that the best way was to reach those who hadn't made up their
minds completely yet.
As the fire let loose with another loud crackle, I saw a beautiful
winter wonderland of rooftops covered by a fresh snowfall..what a thrill
to see such beauty! As I stood there mesmerized by all the splendor, I
heard a light thump, thump, thump, behind me. Slowly I turned to see a
an older gent, quite jolly I might add, spryly climbing into his sleigh.
As he reached for his reigns he glanced over at me grinning and pointed at
a bulging sack. It was easy to see the sack was filled to the top with
white boxes marked with blue Fuji symbols flashing non-stop. I looked
back at the jolly man and saw his face, his white beard glistening in the
bright moonlight. The expression of joy on his face was one I will never
forget!
The bells jingled briskly and as the sleigh started to go, I heard
the words of the ole 'gent as he zipped through the snow.....
"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL and TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!"
'suppose there really is a Santa?
Ralph......
**************************************************************************
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**************************************************************************
Farewell Washington
===================
When I started working in this business, fresh out of college in May
of 1982, Atari was a strong & exciting company. Our competitors at the
time were retailers such as Computer Age, The Math Box (became MBI
Business Centers), Sears and several "discount" stores such as Circuit
City, Toys-r-Us and Reliable Home Appliances.
What I saw at that time is many of these retailers selling the
"boxes", but few of them providing any support or after-market products
(ie. software, books, modems, etc.). That niche is what Applied Computer
Associates filled.
Anyone familiar with the history of Atari, knows what the crash of
the video game and home computer worlds did to the market's view of Atari.
In those years, most people figured Atari was out of, or was going out of
business. Most people, except for the Atari computer owners.
The Atari Computer owner is a rare breed. Most of them bought an
Atari because they saw the quality and performance of the computer, over
that of the Commodore Vic & 64, was worth paying for. They saw the
support that was available in the form of user groups, magazines,
software, and stores like Applied Computers. They also saw that other
Atari Computer buyers were not a bunch of hackers & teenagers, but
professionals looking for solutions to their business and personal
computing needs. The Atari owner continued to have faith in their
computer, and that faith was rewarded when Jack Tramiel took over Atari
in July 1984.
I was in Las Vegas in January of 1985, when Jack Tramiel unveiled
the 520 ST. I marveled, as did the rest of the industry, that a man could
take a company, clearly in dire financial straights, and in only 6 months,
release a computer that "knocked the socks off" everything else in the
industry.
1986 was an tremendous year for Atari, and for Applied Computers.
The new ST computers were the talk of the industry and the pride of every
Atari owner. Sales of the ST were strong, Atari was advertising, product
was available, and once again Atari was an exciting computer company.
They say all good things must come to an end, and in 1987 that's
exactly what happened to Atari's honeymoon with the U.S. computer market.
1987 was a disastrous year for Applied Computers and the U.S. Atari
community. Price increases in late 1986 took full force in early '87,
Atari released no new products, did no advertising, got no public
relations. At the same time the prices on IBM clones were falling like
lead bricks and new graphic standards rivaled those of the ST. Atari
made no efforts to support the U.S. market or its dealers, citing a
shortage of product because of strong European sales.
During this time, our competitors changed. No longer were we
competing with any of the previously mentioned stores, but instead with a
new generation of competitors. Black Patch Computers, with their
double-page ads, drastically effected what the Atari consumer was willing
to pay for product. Merchandise that had been fairly priced by the local
stores, was now being "given away" by Black Patch. Applied Computers
stood up to them and challenged their pricing and services, and
eventually Black Patch faded away. My fondest hope was that the local
market would learn its lesson. No one can survive on 5-10% margins, you
must make fair profits in order to survive.
Alas, the market didn't learn a thing. L & Y Electronics picked
right up where Black Patch left off, trimming margins to the bone,
thinking that with lower prices they could increase their volume.
What they didn't realize, is that it wasn't higher prices that limited
their sales, but rather the market's lack of demand and Atari's
nonexistent efforts to create that demand, which was causing the slow
down in sales. By mid-87 and into 1988 those buying an Atari computer
could be lumped into two categories; those that owned Atari or had
friends that owned Atari and those businesses whose employees owned
Atari and had been convinced to purchase them instead of PCs for the
employee. Basically the people buying an Atari were not buying based on
price, but rather on recommendation, therefore, price cutting was not
needed because they would have bought it anyway.
All this brings us the present, December 1988. I have evaluated
the Atari marketplace and Atari's recent efforts to improve it, but I see
no way to recoup the losses we suffered in 1987, and it is with much
regret that we have decided to cease operations on December 31, 1988.
If it seems that I am bitter about the whole thing, I'm not. I
worked hard these past 6 years, and my efforts to serve the Atari
community have not gone un-rewarded. I received fair compensation for my
work, and I am proud that our customers were all treated fairly and
honestly. My greatest rewards have been in dealing with a group of
dedicated and professional people, the employees and vendors I have
worked with, and most of all the Atari Computer owner.
I hope the closing of Applied Computers will send a message out to
the Atari community and to Atari itself, that the U.S. market is in real
trouble. In order to survive we must all work together. Dealers should
provide fair prices and service to their customers. Customers need to
support those dealers and recognize that the lowest price only benefits
in the short run. Lastly, Atari Corporation must commit to the U.S.
marketplace by increasing product availability, increasing brand
awareness by advertising both locally and nationally, and by introducing
new products that will once again make Atari the vibrant company it
should be.
My sincere thanks goes out to all the customers and vendors that
have supported us over the years, I hope you will continue to support the
Atari community every chance you get, and help bring Atari back to the
fore-front of the industry. With these thoughts and my best wishes I bid
you....
Farewell Washington,
Chris A. Amori
Vice President
Applied Computer Associates, Inc.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU REPORT - A SNEAK PREVIEW
=============================
CPU REPORT #1
=============
By Michael Arthur
What is CPU REPORT?
-------------------
In many ways, ST REPORT is a very good magazine, providing the latest
information on the state of the Atari ST. It has shown some interesting
developments in Atari itself, and provided a way for all ST'ers to have
knowledge on new developments, not only with the ST itself, but on other
Atari products such as the 68030 TT and the Abaq.
But one thing that it lacks is a section on OTHER computer systems.
While ST REPORT might have some info on other systems now and then, there
isn't a definitive way for ST'ers to gain the same type of information
about other computer systems that ST REPORT provides for the Atari ST.
Hence, CPU REPORT.....
CPU REPORT is a new feature of ST REPORT that is dedicated to
providing current news on developments for other computer systems, just as
ST REPORT provides current news on the Atari ST.
Based on this, you might think this is a sort of "Amiga Report".
While CPU REPORT will provide information on the Amiga, it will also show
the latest developments in the Macintosh and IBM fields, while not
neglecting other areas, such as the UNIX world, and showing how a lot of
them directly relate to the Atari ST.
CPU REPORT will currently have two sections:
1) CPU REPORT CONFIDENTIAL: This is the equivalent of ST REPORT
----------------------- CONFIDENTIAL, providing concise
information on other systems.
2) CPU REPORT: This is the Essay section, and will
---------- have weekly articles on developments
in the computer industry in general.
--====--
Over the next few weeks, CPU REPORT will have articles on Digital
Research's X/GEM Multitasking Interface, Dream Computer Systems, and other
topics.
Maybe even a dissertation on the differences between the ST and Amiga....
But ponder this question for a few moments.......
If you could have any microcomputer for Christmas, configured with any
hardware necessary to its performance (like a hard drive), what would this
"Dream System" be?
Dream Computer Systems: Which is really best?
---------------------------------------------
Part I:
Now, as Christmas approaches, all of the computer companies are
announcing new computer systems, showing this or that system's features,
and saying that theirs is the best computer. While these computers are
often very good, the most powerful ones are often VERY expensive. So we
try not to pay attention to them.
But after seeing computers like the NeXT system, we tend to fantasize
about what would be our Dream System, the one computer that we would
REALLY want for Christmas if we had the money. And we start bickering
over which Dream System is the best....
To attempt to determine which Dream System really IS the best, I have
made a list of the most powerful microcomputers on the market, comparing
their features to make an objective opinion. I ignored variables like
operating systems and software, and concentrated on the actual computers'
features and speed, the largest hard disk you could attain, and the best
graphics that system could provide. While operating systems and software
are a definite factor in a computer, I wanted to aim for the best hardware
itself, to which you could add the other items.
After doing some research, I found several configurations which could
claim the title of "Dream System". Shown in no particular order, here is
my list:
(Warning: Do not be surprised by the Retail Prices Shown.)
System #1
---------
- ALR FlexCache Model 300 - Total Cost of System: $19,000.00 Dollars.
This IBM Compatible is a 25 MHZ 80386 system with 2 Megabytes of RAM,
a 300 Megabyte Hard Disk, and 8 expansion slots.
To FURTHER enhance this system, I would add a 25 MHZ 80387 Math
Coprocessor, a Four Megabyte RAM expansion, Orchid's Designer VGA card,
and a Relisys VGA Monitor.
With this system you have:
ALR FlexCache w/300 Meg Hard Drive, and 80387 Chip (Cost: $14,798.00)
4 Megabyte RAM Expansion (Cost: $2995.95)
Designer VGA Card (Cost: 495.95)
Relisys VGA Monitor (Cost: 795.95)
VGA Graphics Resolution: 320*200 with 256 Colors out of 256,000
640*480 with 16 Colors out of 256,000
Extended Mode has 640*480 with 256 Colors out of 256,000
800*600 with 16 Colors out of 256,000
800*600 with 256 Colors out of 256,000
1024*768 with 16 Colors out of 256,000
Faults with System: An extra 4 Megabytes of RAM would be nice....
System #2
---------
- Macintosh IIx w/Priam MacDisk Hard Drive - Total Cost: $18,100.00
This Macintosh uses a 16 MHZ 68030 with a 16 MHZ 68882 Math Chip,
Four Megabytes of RAM, and 6 NuBus Expansion Slots. It also comes with a
1.44 Meg High Density Disk Drive, and uses the SWIM (Sander-Woz Integrated
Machine) Disk Controller chip to allow the Mac to read/write to MS-DOS and
OS/2 formatted disks.
To FURTHER enhance this system, I would add a Priam MacDisk, which
is a 300 Megabyte Hard Drive, and a SuperMac Spectrum/24 Video Card, which
lets the Mac have a 1024*768 display with 16 Million colors at the same
time.
With this system you have:
Macintosh IIx w/4 Megs of RAM (Cost: $7769.00)
Priam 300 Megabyte MacDisk (Cost: $4800.00)
Spectrum/24 Video Board (Cost: $2000.00)
Taxan 980 20-Inch Monitor (Cost: 3500.00)
Macintosh II Resolution: 640*400 with 256 Colors out of 16 Million
With Spectrum/24 it has 1024*768 with 16 Million colors at the same time.
Faults with System: Should be faster than 16 MHZ....
System #3
---------
- Amiga 2000 w/Hurricane 68020 Card - Total Cost of System: $11,300.00
This is an Amiga 2000 with 1 Meg of RAM and 7 expansion slots. Along
with this would be a Hurricane Accelerator Board having a 16 MHZ 68020
and 68881 Math Coprocessor, and 2 Micron Two Megabyte RAM Expansion Cards
(for 4 Megs of additional RAM).
I would also add C Ltd.'s 150 Megabyte Hard Drive (there aren't any
larger Amiga Hard Drives), Moniterm's 19-inch monitor, which lets the
Amiga have a 1008*800 display in monochrome, and Microway's FlickerFixer,
which lets the Amiga have a noninterlaced 640*400 display.
With this system you have:
Amiga 2000 w/color monitor (Cost: 2400.00)
Hurricane Accelerator Card (Cost: 999.95)
2 Micron Two Megabyte RAM Expansion Cards (Cost: 1995.95 total)
C. Ltd 150 Megabyte Hard Drive (Cost: 3300.00)
Moniterm Viking I High Resolution Monitor (Cost: 1995.95)
Microway Inc. FlickerFixer (Cost: 600.00)
Amiga Resolutions: (Not including Overscan)
320*200 with 32 colors out of 4096
320*200 with 64 colors out of 4096 (Extra Half-Brite)
320*200 with 4096 colors at the same time (HAM Mode)
640*200 with 4 to 32 colors
640*400 with 2 to 16 colors (interlaced)
With Moniterm:
640*400 using Monochrome (noninterlaced)
1008*800 using Monochrome Colors
With FlickerFixer:
640*400 with 2 to 16 colors (noninterlaced)
Faults with System: As you can get 20 MHZ 68020's, speed is not a problem,
but the high price of Hard Drives is intolerable.
System #4
---------
- NeXT System w/670 Meg Hard Drive - Total Cost of System: $10,500.00
The NeXT computer features a 25 MHZ 68030 w/68882 Math Coprocessor,
Eight Megs of RAM, 4 NuBus Expansion Slots, and a 256 Megabyte Optical
Drive with Removable Cartridges.
To FURTHER enhance this system, I would add NeXT's 670 Megabyte Hard
Disk Drive. That's it....
With this system you have:
NeXT Computer w/256 Meg Cartridge Drive (Cost: $6500.00)
660 MB Winchester Hard Drive (Cost: $4000.00)
NeXT Resolution: 1120*832 Pixel Display using Monochrome.
(Keep in mind that these prices are for Universities only, and that actual
market prices will be much higher)
Faults of System: 256 Meg Tape Drive is MUCH too slow, and there is NO
Color Display, a terrible and glaring omission....
System #5
---------
- Mega 4 ST w/Turbo ST, ST Expander - Total Cost of System: $9250.00
This is a Mega 4 ST with 4 Megs of RAM, 1 Expansion Slot, and both
Color and Monochrome Monitors. Along with this would be a Turbo ST, having
a 16 MHZ 68000, and an ST Expander, which gives the ST Eight expansion
slots and an MMU chip letting the ST support 16 Megs of RAM.
I would also add Moniterm's 19-Inch Monitor, which allows the ST to
have a 1280*960 display using Monochrome, and a 250 Megabyte Hard Drive
made by Supra Corp or a 320 Megabyte Hard Drive from ABCO.
With this system you have:
Mega 4 ST w/Color & Monochrome Monitors (Cost: $2700.00)
Turbo ST Accelerator Board (Cost: $200.00)
ST Expander (Cost: $250.00)
Supra Corp. 250 Megabyte Hard Drive (Cost: 3995.95)
SG320 ABCO 320 Megabyte Hard Drive (Cost: 4495.95)
Moniterm Viking II High Resolution Monitor (Cost: 1995.95)
Atari ST Resolution: 320*200 with 16 Colors out of 512
640*200 with 4 Colors out of 512
640*400 using Monochrome
With Moniterm:
1280*960 using Monochrome
Faults of System: Not fast enough, not good enough graphics, NO ability to
expand its capabilities, even through expansion cards,
and NO support for the 68881, 68020, or 68030 chips....
Notice I did not mention products that are not shipping shortly, like
the 68030 TT (read: until Atari tells us its features, it is only a dream,
not a Dream System), or products which have not been fully announced, like
the Abaq (no word on price of peripherals, expansion cards, or date of
introduction).
The ONLY reason I chose to have a Mega ST Dream System is because of
the 68030 TT and Abaq not being currently available, so if you notice a
disparity between the other systems and the ST....
In Part I of this series, I have given a list of the best systems to be
found currently in the market, and shown their individual features. In
Part II these Dream Systems will be compared to each other, in order to
determine the "best" one. Based on this article alone, though, you could
safely say that either the NeXT System or the Macintosh IIx System was the
best, but the IBM system is VERY powerful, and the Amiga System comes out
surprisingly strong, meeting the "Power without the Price" test for Dream
Systems....
Ponder on these questions, though, for next week:
1) What is it that makes a Dream System?
2) Which type of Dream System is better: a Computer System that is
inherently powerful, or a small system that can be greatly expanded?
-----====***====-----
CPU REPORT CONFIDENTIAL
=======================
Redmond, WA Microsoft Corporation has introduced Windows/286, a
----------- 286 version of Windows, to replace Windows 2.0, which
allows 690K of addressable memory and is 40-60% faster.
West Chester, PA Commodore has announced the A2286, a new BridgeCard for
---------------- the Amiga 2000 that comes with an 8 MHZ 80286, to be
shipping in February. No word on OS/2 compatibility.
Rumored cost: $1000.00.
Armonk, NY IBM and NeXT have made a $10 million licensing agreement
---------- which allows IBM to use the WorkSpace, NeXT's Graphical
User Interface, on its UNIX machines.
Hannover, FDR Commodore-Germany is working with a German Institute to
------------- develop a Transputer Board for the Amiga 2000, which
will run under the Helios operating system.
Longview, TX Cheetah International, an IBM Compatible Company, is
------------ planning to introduce at Spring COMDEX a 33 MHZ 80836
system. Cost: EXTREMELY expensive....The Atari ST
(without a Turbo ST) only runs at 8 MHZ.
West Chester, PA Commodore is working with Sun Microsystems to develop
---------------- a version of their TOPS Network for the Amiga.
TOPS is a VERY popular AppleTalk compatible LAN System
for the Macintosh and IBM. They are THINKING about
making one for the Atari ST, though. Their number is
1-415-769-9669, in case you wish to contact them....
Carrolton, TX Haitex Resources has introduced X-Specs 3-D, a pair of
------------- LCD Glasses for the Amiga that can display 3-D Images
with startlingly realistic depth to the wearer. No
software currently uses its capabilities.
(Note: Antic Software has made StereoTek 3-D Glasses
for roughly a year, providing the same capabilities to
the ST. It works with the Cyber STudio. and much
software uses its features)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Audio-Visual Sequencer
==========================
Player Program
--------------
This is a player program for files created with the Audio-Video
Sequencer (AVS) in the November issue of START (on sale now). AVS by Jim
Kent is a mixing program that lets you add sound to your Cyber Paint
animations. To run the AVS Player program, use ARC to extract all the
files from ADEMO.ARC and APLAYR.ARC. Now, double-click on AVSPLAYR.PRG.
Then click on Load to load an AVS sequence. To see Jon Bell's space war
demo, download AVSDEMO.ARC in the software shelf. (This is the same demo
that's on November's START disk.)
Click on Play once under the drop-down menu to see the AVS sequence;
click on Play loop to play it over and over. To get out of a loop, press
the Escape key. The movie will show to the end of the sequence and then
AVS Player will return to the menu screen. The Memory option tells you
how much memory is being used in how many tracks; Quit exits AVS Player.
START's Audio-Video Sequencer is compatible with ST Replay sound
samples, but you don't need Cyber Paint or ST Replay to run AVS; all you
need are sequence and sound files, which you can download from CompuServe.
From AVS, you can save your movie "script" with the extender AVS, and play
it back either inside AVS or by running AVSPLAYR.PRG.
Both the AVS Player program and AVS itself are copyrighted by Antic
Publishing, Inc. The AVS Player may be freely distributed, but the Audio
-Video Sequencer is available only on the November 1988 START Disk.
***** Call 1-800-234-7001 to order. *****
AVSDEM.ARC
----------
Jon Bell created this demo with the Audio-Visual Sequencer (AVS),
from the November 1988 issue of START (on sale now). AVS lets you
combine sound and animation for great ST movies. The public domain AVS
Player program (AVSPLY.ARC on this month's software shelf) lets you sample
and show AVS sequences. This is the same space-war demo that is on
November's START disk. Requires AVS or AVSPLAYR to run.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 520ST One Meg Upgrade
=========================
by Russell Vail
WHAT IS REQUIRED
----------------
To do the upgrade, you will need: 16 256K RAM chips, 150 ns access
time, e.g. NEC 41256C-15 or TMM4256-15 which is what I used. You can
order them from MICROPROCESSORS UNLIMITED, INC.,24000 South Peoria Avenue,
Beggs, Oklahoma 74421 (918) 267-4961, or if you know of a place locally.
A good miniature soldering iron, with a small tip. Approximately
four foot of wire. If you have it, use wire-wrap wire. But you can use
ordinary thin single strand wire. De-soldering equipment. E.g. a sucker.
Normal tools, such as a screwdriver, tweezers, pliers etc.
How it's done:
--------------
1. Open up the 520ST case; pull off the keyboard connector; if there is
shielding round the circuit board, take that off, and remove the board.
2. Identify all the RAM chips
(U45,44,43,42,38,34,33,32,30,29,28,25,24,18,16).
Desolder and remove all the capacitors adjacent to them. This is to give
you more room to do the soldering of the chip pins. Using a solder
sucker, open up the holes that used to be occupied by the capacitors. Do
this step carefully to avoid damaging your ST board.
3. Take each of the new ram chips in turn. Bend pins 4 and 15 so that
they are horizontal to the package, and cut off the tips of pins 4 and 15
so that they are about half length. Place the RAM chip on top of the old
one (same way around!)with all the pins except, 4 and 15, touching the
chip underneath. Carefully solder each pin, except 4 and 15. The best
way to do this is to put the tip of the iron on both pins, heat them both
for a second(no more) and add a little solder, which should flow around
both legs. After doing each chip, check all pins with a magnifying
glass.
4. Replace all the desoldered capacitors and solder them back exactly as
they were. Please note that your should not attempt to power up your ST
until you have completely finished step 6.
5. Now for the wires. The first one connects the RAS on pin 4 of all the
new chips, to pin 18 of U15. If you are using wire-wrap wire, then strip
off five inches of insulation, Solder the end to pin 4 of the new U45.
Measure the distance to the next pin, and shift over that much insulation
before soldering. Continue until all the ships are done. Route the wire
through the hole in the PCB next to U15 and connect to pin 18 of U15.
6. The second wire connects all the pin 15's of the new U45-U32 to U15
pin 22. The third connects from pin 15 of the new U30-U16 to U15 pin 21.
7. Now sit back and think. Read through these instructions again. Have
you done everything? look at the board. Are all the joints good? If you
have a meter, check for continuity on all the wires. Applying power with
errors might destroy a lot of chips. If you are confident, then put the
board back in the case (your workbench is probably covered with bits of
wire and solder), connect it to the monitor, disk and power supply, and
switch it on.
8. If it boots, then you are probably there. If you have SID (supplied to
the developers only) or Kissed, then look at the phys-top variable($42E)
which should read $100000. If it is only $80000 then you have only 512K.
If you don't have SID, load basic and type in this program.
10 def seg=0
20 loc#=1070
30 print peek(loc#)
This should print a result of 1048576. If you get half this (524288) then
you have only 512K.
DISCLAIMER: The author of this doc file or ST Report are not responsible
for your workmanship, success or failure on this upgrade project.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
A DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT
=====================
By: Chris Thompson
I've read ST-Report since about issue #35. Ralph always has had
something to say about Atari, some good, some bad. I began to see a
trend starting. It seemed that more and more, Atari was losing serious
amounts of ground in the home computer race. I've also been a loyal
Atarian since the days of 400's and 810 Disk drives. Back when only the
Ultra-Rich owned 1200 baud modems. Through all the times I've remained
true to Atari computers. I began losing hope. Now, Atari appears on the
move again,(If somewhat haltingly).
I breathed a sigh of relief and was happy that Atari was safe once
more. Then, I was shocked and made to realize exactly how deep Jack and
the boys are in the obsolete pit, (the place that TI-994A's and Adam's
are kept). It's almost silly actually. On Family Feud one day the
question was "Name a company that makes home computers." Simple enough..
right? Wrong. Atari was not listed. The company that brought the second
personal computer to the world (The Apple II being the first "Real" Home
computer. I'm not counting the Atari as a real computer) was not listed.
IBM, Apple, and Commodore were. This is out of a 100 person survey.
If not even one out of one-hundred people can remember that Atari
makes computers, can we assume that less that 1% of the ENTIRE USA doesn't
know? I want more than anything for Atari to be a major computer force.
I'd love to see Companies like Lotus and Microsoft falling over each other
to write ST or even TT software. But Jack has to ask himself, can Atari
come back from these depths?
Over the past several issues, the public has seen Ralph blast Atari
to the point of embarrassment. (I'd be embarrassed if I was Jack Tramiel)
He's attained a sort of 'reputation' for writing a 'Tabloid type magazine'
and having 'Nothing good to say about Atari' (not my words) I know Ralph,
and nothing is farther from the truth. Ralph, too, is a loyal Atarian.
He is frustrated seeing his computer being shunned by people because of
the idiocy of its parent company. Ralph, however, is alot more outspoken
than alot of people, myself included.
At this point in time, I feel that maybe if Atari heard those same
type comments from a person who had no vested interest in it (Like Dave
Small) or didn't have a 'Reputation' like Ralph's, maybe it'll do some
good. I don't claim to be a business whiz, but even a complete idiot can
see that unless Atari shapes up, Commodore will RULE the personal computer
world.
If the 'DRAM Crisis' is over at Atari, why aren't thousands of ST's
flooding the market for Christmas? Why also isn't Atari even following
the basis of any marketing plan, and ADVERTISING! I see Amiga 15 second
spots all over the place. Now they are giving away a free VCR with the
purchase of Amiga to show off its Video capabilities. If Atari has a
superior machine, as I believe they could with an AMY chip and a Graphics
board, (Anyone who has ever used Workbench knows that GEM blows it away
in user friendliness. It borders on hostile), why are people flocking to
the Amiga in DROVES?!?
Steve Jobs releases the NeXT and people go nuts. Atari announces
the ABAQ (Now ATW) and people say "Oh, Atari's trying to put out a
transputer." Then promptly change the subject to the NeXT. It's time for
a change boys and girls, and I have a feeling that if we don't see it
soon, it may be too late.
I just read ST-Reports #64 and 65 about an hour ago. I saw some notes
in ST-Report Confidential about how certain market analysts say that Atari
of '89 is going to be much better than Atari of 1987. I also saw where
the ST is #1 in Europe and near #1 in the UK. This is fantastic. I can't
wait to say to someone "I own an Atari" without explaining that it's a
NEW Atari ST Computer, not the game machine.
-----------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL
======================
Winter Park, FL Wayne Buckholtz, author of Turbo ST has announced
--------------- the new super smart version 1.4 of TURBOST! This
version is 100% compatible with Timeworks DTP and
performs flawlessly with G+Plus.
Jacksonville, FL Avante Guarde Systems has been consuming copious
---------------- quantities of midnight oil in their quest of a
quicker Ditto and a "Lil Black Box" along with a
super monitor setup...We know one thing, if it's
done anything like Ditto, it will be a picture of
programming perfection.
Rockville, MD GEnie Information Services has joined in an
------------- agreement with NEC Japan to provide GEnie in that
country, hmm GEnie in the "FAR EAST"!
Portland, OR An Atari spokesman said that Atari hopes to have
------------ at least 1.1 to 1.2 million ST Computers in use
worldwide and better than 100-200 thousand in use
in the US marketplace as quickly as possible. We
would love to see that too.
Sunnyvale, CA TOS 1.4 as some of us know the 'new' tos, will be
------------- an in chip reality midyear 1989 and it is likely
to have a new designation along with some real
powerhouse features ie; large capacity drives etc.
Houston, TX Again?....Yep, this time the heated discussion
----------- table sez it's going to be an Atari Chip
Manufacturing Facility. Now, that's worth
bragging about.
Sunnyvale, CA Industry Observers say that we will see good
------------- things from Atari by mid '89, like the 68030 and
the now famous laptop, whose formal name is the
STACY....but wait it's name has been changed to
the STACY II and it's sleek and slimline all the
way! Even the hard disks are the thin line.
Expected to appear in time for Fall Comdex 89
Los Angeles, CA The highly touted and expected to be shown MAC
--------------- portable (laptop) simply will not be ready for the
MACWORLD show in Jan 1989, it is however, expected
to make it's appearance by late summer.
La Habra, CA ST X-PRESS in it's triumphant come back appears to
------------ have fully survived the ST magazine 'shakeout'
that recently occured, it's fine new 'look' and
quality are more than worth the subscription.
Sunnyvale, CA Atari and Nintendo are at each other's throats
------------- again, seems this is over who got over whose
protection schemes...hmmmmm.
Camarillo, CA WORD-UP ~ An "exceptional" Word Processor using
------------- G-Dos/G+Plus, has released Ver 1.30 dated 11/10/88
the manual is revised. Those of you who have the
'older' manual can update by calling 805-482-4446.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Inside View
==============
The responsibilities of an Editor of any magazine are truly awesome.
Let's take a look at a few points here and see. An Editor has to choose
between many articles and items every day to put together a quality
magazine. He has to always keep the reader in mind and be expertly
sensitive to all the readers of the magazine. The readers must always be
placed above all else.
Realistically speaking, the Editor has few tools at his disposal
besides his avenues of communication that enable him to verify and gather
first rate information. He has, however, one other very decisive tool
called ethics at his disposal and believe me it probably comes into play
more often than any other tool. He has three major questions to ask
himself, first, "does this item effect our readers and in what manner?"..
second, "has this information been verified"? and third, "do we have both
sides of the issue?". Purposely one killer question was omitted and that
is "WHAT WILL OUR ADVERTISERS THINK OF THIS ARTICLE?" thankfully, many
editors have "trained" both the publishers and the advertisers that they
must not attempt to sway the embodiment of the articles to fit their own
convictions and opinions. Now to succeed with the special interest groups
and others who still make vain attempts to do such nasty things.
In this day and age, it is easy to communicate rapidly on a world
wide basis and therefore many situations are able to develop and must be
either handled, looked into, or passed over. In the Atari arena very
little is passed over, perhaps the best way to say that is," nothing
except the personal lives of the participants in the Atari area is passed
over."
Consider the facts, almost 100% of the information flow in the Atari
world reaches the users, (all the users, modems or not), and it is almost
totally attributed to the thousands of modem users worldwide. Just about
each and every one of us owe a debt of gratitude to these folks. Many of
the folks with the modems belong to usergroups and are sincerely dedicated
to making sure the information is passed along.
ST Report has long been suspect of the "so-called" studies that say
around three out 10 users do not have a modem, we would like to know and
the only way to find this out is for you to tell us, please, check in
your Usergroup, and let us know how many members you have overall, how
many of those members have modems and (surprise!) how many have MORE than
one modem. It is time we, (all of us), set the records straight.
When you think of how many active dedicated usergroups there are in
the USA today, it becomes very clear that the modem is the second most
powerful communications tool behind the telephone. There comes with the
swift communications ability, a responsibility to provide ALL the news,
information and topics available to the user regardless of the source or
depth of controversy. The editor must keep in mind that if he does not
present the information, it will appear in any case and then he will
be forced to assume the posture of: showing partiality, concealing certain
items to protect people or products or last and perhaps the most damaging
having betrayed the public trust "To provide ALL the information" (legally
and morally correct) and allow the users the right to arrive at a
conclusion of their own free will.
We, at ST Report, believe the userbase is very capable and quite
able to choose between right and wrong and therefore will continue to
present all sides of every issue. Having seen a number of issues develop
in the past year, allowed us to mature and become able to see things more
clearly. We will, in the coming year, strive to bring forward all the
news and information aimed at or concerning the Atari userbase and
computing in general. We will most certainly remain responsive to the
majority of our readers who have, in recent months, expressed encouraging
comments about the magazine's progress.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
JANUARY 1989 ST - LOG
=====================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================
FEATURES
--------
The Trans-Warp Drive...................David Small & Dan Moore
Double the speed of your floppy-disk operations!
DeTab Utility............................Matthew J.W. Ratcliff
Replace the tab characters in source code files with the
proper number of spaces for print-out.
Cartridge Port Interface.........................Randy Constan
For readers with electronic experience, here's an
interesting build-it-yourself project.
Software Engineering:
Module Madness...............................Karl E. Wiegers
This month, the ST-Log software engineering guru discusses
program modularization.
Omni-Life...........................................Tom Hudson
Atari veteran Tom Hudson presents a new twist to the game of
life--with eye-popping results.
Drama-cide.........................................A. Baggetta
Is it murder, or is it suicide? How did it happen? Who
is responsible? It's up to you to explore the castle and
find the answers.
REVIEWS
-------
DynaCADD (ISD Marketing)..........................Ian Chadwick
Impossible Mission II (Epyx).........................Andy Eddy
BB/ST (QMS).......................................Blake Arnold
Desktop Publisher ST (Timeworks)..................Ian Chadwick
NeoDesk (Gribnif Software)...........................Andy Eddy
COLUMNS
-------
Assembly Line.....................................Douglas Weir
Ian's Quest.......................................Ian Chadwick
Database DELPHI......................................Andy Eddy
ST User.....................................Arthur Leyenberger
Step 1.......................................Maurice Molyneaux
DEPARTMENTS
-----------
Editorial............................................Andy Eddy
Reader Comment................................................
ST News.......................................................
Footnotes........................................Kevin L. Pehr
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
REWARD - REWARD
===============
As of Nov. 01, 1988, "The Atari Advantage Collector Promotion" began
offering prizes to consumers based on the number of Atari Video Games for
their Atari Game System (2600,7800 or XEGS).
Atari video game retailers can provide consumers with a free Atari
Advantage Poster and catalog, the consumer then attaches proof of purchase
seals from Atari Games to that poster. Collecting five games earns the
consumer a free Atari Advantage T-shirt, while 15 games purchased earns a
free Atari cartridge for any Atari game system. Die Hard collectors with
25 proof of purchase seals will earn a reduced price on one item of Atari
hardware (7800 for $25.00, XEGS or Disk Drive for $50.00).
Consumers who submit a 25 word essay describing why they like Atari
video games along with their 25 seal poster are also eligible to win the
Grand Prize: A seven day trip for two to California, including a tour of
the Atari Headquarters Facility.
Yes..folks, they are serious....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERLINK 1.85 UPDATES
======================
12/12/88
Program Updates
---------------
TA Buffer is no longer filtered (allows foreign fonts to be used).
TA Buffer bug when used with both word wrap and half duplex
has been fixed.
Redraw bug associated with file selector override is fixed.
New version of VT100 fixes some bugs related to line feeds and
graphics modes.
PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENTS:
-------------------------
Auto load of .TXF / .EMU can be specified in the Startup Parameters.
Message can be left Private (for high access only) in Answer Mode.
Numerous shortcut keys have been added including:
Execute Program Alternate-x
Quick Draw Alternate-q
Open window Alternate-w
Save Buffer Alternate-s
Clear Buffer Alternate-b
Set Block Start Alternate-g
Set Block End Alternate-e
Clear Settings Alternate-h
Delete Block Alternate-y
Move Block Alternate-m
Copy Block Alternate-k
Find String Alternate-n
Repeat Find Alternate-t
These shortcuts are ALSO reflected in the drop down menus.
Find command has been speeded up.
Buffer garbage collection has been speeded up.
New version of MULTIXY adds Batch Ymodem to the background.
INTERLOG.PRG now has the ability to save the cost per hour/min
for the phone buttons.
German version handles date in dd.mm.yy format and time in 24 hr.
German version does not strip high order bit in VT52 mode.
* Intersect's Ongoing Support for the ST *
======================================
NEW ADDITIONS:
--------------
A DEVELOPER'S KIT has been released for .TXF and .EMU protocol
development (MEGAMAX C compatible), this kit is FREE and may be
down loaded from GENIE, COMPUSERVE and our BBS (813-924-4590).
Release Notes for REVOLVER Version 1.1
--------------------------------------
Q & A:
------
A text file with common questions and answers has now been included
on this disk.
TIME:
-----
The ST has a software clock and a hardware clock. The hardware
clock is not changed during switching or rolling in programs but the
software clock will lose accuracy during switching and when rolling in
programs. If you prefer to have the clock reflect accurate time you
should add REVTIME.PRG to your AUTO folder. This program will cause all
accesses to the ST's clock to be made from the hardware.
NOTE: The Set Time & Date function in REVOLVER set the hardware
clock.
PARTITION COPY:
---------------
Partition copy is a new feature that copies the contents of one
partition to another one. To use it click "COPY" on the main menu, then
select the target partition. An example of a good use for this feature
would be if you have partitions that are the same size, you only need
to boot one of them, and copy the others, making startup faster.
SYSTEM CRASH MESSAGE:
---------------------
Revolver 1.0 intercepted system crashes 2 and 3 by displaying a
message in the upper left hand corner of the screen. This display has
been removed in Version 1.1 so that a system crash is handled by the
operating system in the normal manner.
FLOPPY DRIVE MEDIA CHANGE:
--------------------------
Revolver 1.0 could be fooled into not making a media change when
switching between single and double sided floppy disks. Version 1.1 forces
a media change to occur whenever a partition is switched to, thus fixing
the problem.
FORTY FOLDER FIX:
-----------------
Version 1.1 will not activate the Forty Folder Fix when used with
the Version 1.4 Operating System (since this problem is solved in 1.4).
PYROTECHNICS:
-------------
Version 1.1 allows the user to turn off REVOLVER's sounds and
visual slide in effect (selectable in the Configuration Menu).
FOLDER RENAME:
--------------
A folder rename has been added the the Disk Commands Menu.
FILE SELECTOR:
--------------
The file selector will now show folders when using a wild card
pattern for the file name.
EXIT USING RETURN KEY:
----------------------
REVOLVER dialogues may now be exited using either the left mouse
click on the EXIT button or by pressing the Return Key.
MOUSE ACCELERATOR:
------------------
The Mouse Accelerator in version 1.0 conflicted with Word perfect
and several other programs that used their own mouse drivers. This has
been fixed in version 1.1 thus allowing the use of such programs with
REVOLVER. However if problems occur simply de-install the mouse driver
and reboot without it.
PARTITION SIZE ALLOCATION:
--------------------------
The partition allocation block size has been decreased from 256K
to 128K thus allowing for a greater combination of partition sizes. This
is of particular benefit to 1040 users. Additionally, the allocation of
REVOLVER's overhead across partitions can be handled in two ways...
EVEN allocation will allocate the overhead equally across all partitions
(this was the way Version 1.0 did it), PERCENTAGE will allocate the
overhead based on the percentage of memory in each partition. PERCENTAGE
is recommended if you wish to allocate a minimum size partition (1 block).
PARTITIONS TOO SMALL FOR GEM:
-----------------------------
Version 1.1 will force partitions with less than 160K of memory
to become TOS only partitions. You may run only small TOS applications
in such a partition but REVOLVER will be accessible through them. This
will allow you to use REVOLVER with minimal overhead should you desire
not to use the GEM switching functions.
MOUSE COLOR CHANGE:
-------------------
The mouse color has been changed so that it is easier to see on
monochrome systems.
RIGHT MOUSE DOUBLE CLICK:
-------------------------
The mouse driver has an added feature selectable in the Mouse
Configuration Dialogue that allows you to use the Right Mouse Button to
simulate a Left Mouse Double Click.
BOOT MANAGER:
-------------
A boot manager has been added and can be turned on in the
Configure Dialogue. It allows you to select auto programs and desk
accessories as each partition is booted. Simply select ACC or AUTO
on the lower left of the dialogue then use the mouse to move your
selections to the USE column (if you want them) or the POOL column
(if you wish to boot without them). Pressing Return or clicking on
Desktop will allow the boot process to continue normally, clicking on
the CLI will cause the booting partition to boot only to TOS.
CALLING UP REVOLVER:
--------------------
Normally REVOLVER can easily be called up using the ALT-LEFT SHIFT
key combination and switching to the next partition can be quickly
accomplished by pressing the CONTROL-ALT-LEFT SHIFT combination.
Some programs will not respond to these combinations unless you depress
another key (such as the space bar) while waiting for REVOLVER to
acknowledge (the screen flash). Some example programs that demonstrate
this are DCOPY, DBMAN and GULAM. Also sometimes pressing a mouse button
helps.
PROBLEM PROGRAM TYPES:
----------------------
Most programs that do not work with REVOLVER are those that place
the keyboard into Joystick Monitor and/or Fire Button Monitor Mode. This
includes many games. You can often successfully rollout then rollin such
games from their title screen or menu screens. Rolling them out from the
action screen will cause them to be fully restored when rolled back in
except that the Joystick Fire Button will not work.
Programs that boot directly from the master disk will not allow
REVOLVER to load (since REVOLVER is not on the master disk). This
category is also usually games.
Programs that make changes to the architecture of the operating
system (such as PCDITTO and MAGIC SAC) will remove REVOLVER and all
of its Partitions and should be run without REVOLVER loaded (Hold down
the ALT-LEFT SHIFT while booting to boot without REVOLVER).
REVOLVER ROUTINES:
------------------
REVOLVER has several functions that can be called through the
trap 13 handler. They were designed to aid in integration of REVOLVER
with standard applications. See REVBIND.C for examples.
THE REVOLVER DISK CONTAINS:
===========================
REVINST.PRG REVOLVER Installation Program
REVINST.RSC Resource for REVINST.PRG
REVLOAD.PRG REVOLVER Loader
REVOVLER.SYS REVOLVER System File
REVTIME.PRG REVOLVER's Clock Access manager
(use AUTO folder if you want synchronized clock).
RELEASE.TXT This file.
Q&A.TXT Questions and Answers text file.
REVBIND.C Examples of programming binding for REVOLVER.
TO ORDER EITHER REVOLVER 1.1 or INTERLINK 1.85
------------ --------------
Call or Write:
==============
Intersect Software
2828 Clark Road Suite 10
Sarasota, Florida, 34231
TOLL FREE FLA ONLY
--------- --------
1-800-826-0130 1-813-923-8774
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS WEEK'S QUOTABLE QUOTE
==========================
An EXPERT'S Credo
-----------------
The 'Expert' is the person who deftly avoids the small errors,
while sweeping on to the GRAND FALLACY!
*** Happy Holidays to all our Friends ***
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST-REPORT Issue #66 December 19, 1988
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ½ copyright 1988
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Views Presented herein are not necessarily those of ST Report/CPU Report.
Reprint permission granted, unless otherwise noted. All reprints must
include ST Report and the author's name. All information herein is
believed correct, ST Report, it's editors and staff are not responsible
for any use or misuse of information contained in this publication.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
