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Silicon Times Report Issue 0073
*---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original Online ST Magazine"
-------------------------------
February 03, 1989 Volume III No.73
==========================================================================
ST Report Online Magazine ½
------------------------------
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida
32236 ~ 6672
R.F. Mariano
Publisher - Editor
_________________________________________
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EST
BBS: 904-786-4176 ~ 12-24-96 HST
_________________________________________
** F-NET/FIDOMAIL NODE 350 **
Our support BBS carries ALL issues of STReport¿
and
An International list of private BBS systems
carrying STReport¿ for their users enjoyment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Highlights
----------
~ From the Editor's Desk ~ CPU Report
~ ShareWhat?? - ShareWare!! ~ NEC P2200
~ Kosmic Krieg ~ How's Yer Dongle??
~ Calamus ~ HST ROM Update
~ ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL ~ Falcon & Piracy
~ The Indelible MARK! ~ TurboST Offer
**** PHREAKERS-HACKERS-PIRATES EXPOSED! ****
========================================================================
AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ THE SOURCE
========================================================================
From the Editor's Desk:
-----------------------
Thump, thump, thump,...we hear the fist hit the table, well,
"almost", it's about time the obviously mundane nonsense about seeking the
utopian solution to the Discovery - Spectre relationship must come to an
end. We, at STR, have resolved ourselves to the fact that the two
companies, Happy Computers and GBS will go their own ways. The whoopla
being raised will do nothing but fan the flames of downhill controversy.
A simple observation shows that this situation is best served by
letting it go to sleep. In our opinion, anybody who would deliberately
rekindle this old issue of just "what the Discovery Cart can or cannot do"
or, "Who said what about whom" is looking to just plain "make trouble".
Let's follow the lead of the respondents in this matter and "let it die".
Ultimately, the overall sales of the products will "tell the tale of the
tape". So please, let's finally put this thing to bed.
In response to the questions concerning CPU Report. We have no
intention of carrying 8 bit Atari information in a magazine dedicated to
16 bit computers, we considered it but decided we would let others pursue
that direction. CPU Report is designed to give you the opportunity to
know what is going on in the computer world in general, hopefully, this
will allow the reader to compare the "so-called" giants against our great
ST machine.
I don't know where to begin to thank you for all the support mail
we have been receiving. I will try though, on behalf of Myself, Michael
Arthur, Bill Baugh, Richard Bennett, Neil Bradley, Myles Goddard, Tom
Rinaldi and all the other folks who have contributed to the continued
success of the "NEW" STReport.
We extend to all our readers a heartfelt thank you!
Ralph......
"1989 - ATARI'S QUEST"
**************************************************************************
NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE
FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY
COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME
to the Readers
ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE
NEW USERS SIGN UP TODAY!
Call any of the St Report Official BBS numbers
or
Leave E-mail to St Report - R.Mariano
Be sure to include your full mailing address so your
Compuserve kit can be immediately mailed to you!
NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE
**************************************************************************
CPU REPORT ½
============
Issue #7
By Michael Arthur
Remember When....
Five years ago on January 24, 1984, Steve Jobs unveiled
the Apple Macintosh, heralding the future of personal computing.
CPU INSIGHTS¿
=============
CPU Report Special Edition: CPU Systems Roundup I
--------------------------------------------------
CPU Report is dedicated to providing concise and accurate information
about current happenings in the computer industry. This usually manifests
itself in CPU INSIGHTS, where recent innovations now on the market are
analyzed and discussed to see what impact it will have on the computing
world. But in the quest to succinctly cover each facet of a current
development, some information (usually technical) on a certain topic must
necessarily be omitted. Since this technical information is often needed
for a full understanding of a topic, it is vital that such material be
available. But given CPU INSIGHTS' size and format, sometimes it is not
possible to fully provide it within an article.
Thus I have created a new section to CPU Report, called CPU Systems
Roundup. It will not only provide a more comprehensive and detailed
analysis of current technologies (mainly in a technical viewpoint) that
provides the type of data that otherwise could not be contained in CPU
INSIGHTS, but will also have in-depth studies of new innovations, such as
the Atari 68030 TT, when they are introduced. But since CPU Report is
currently made up of two sections, CPU INSIGHTS and CPU STATUS REPORT,
CPU Systems Roundup will at first only appear from time to time, as a
feature of CPU INSIGHTS. This will enable CPU Report to further elaborate
on the technologies discussed in CPU INSIGHTS with CPU Systems Roundup,
while having the option of making CPU Systems Roundup a new section
of CPU Report in the future.
In this series, CPU Systems Roundup will attempt the subject of
multitasking in the microcomputer world. In future issues, CPU Systems
Roundup might include studies on such things as the operating systems of
the Macintosh and Amiga, Readysoft's Max Emulator (which lets the Amiga
emulate a Macintosh), and maybe even Unix....
An Ode to the Nuts and Bolts of Multitasking
--------------------------------------------
Part I
There seems to be much confusion in the microcomputer industry over
the various facets of and techniques used in multitasking. While phrases
such as MMU's, virtual memory, and priority schemes help to describe its
services, they also tend to confuse the issue. Therefore, there is a need
to fully understand this very complex issue.
Multitasking, as you may know, is a way of making more than one
application share system resources in such a way that they appear to run
at the same time. This involves two things: Resource Management, and
(to a lesser extent) Interprocess Communication.
Resource Management
Resource management is the method by which the system distributes
the computer's CPU time, system I/O, and memory between tasks. The most
important of these functions (at least to a multitasker) is CPU time.
Distributing the CPU's time between each process is done by first
dividing the CPU's time into segments called time slices, and then
distributing enough time slices each second (using a processor scheduler)
to each process (or task) that is running on the system so as to give each
task a certain amount of time to use the CPU. The scheduler must give out
time slices in such a way that:
1) All processes are able to use the CPU for a certain
amount of time.
2) Heavily CPU-intensive tasks get as many time slices as
possible.
3) CPU time is used as efficiently as possible.
4) All tasks are completed as quickly as possible.
5) The program in the foreground (that is, the program that the
user is currently interacting with) functions as quickly as
possible, so as to increase the system's responsiveness to
the user.
These goals are often contradictions within themselves, as the only
way to make programs run faster in the foreground is to steal time slices
that would be used by programs running in the background, and if programs
in the background are CPU-intensive (or if there are many programs being
run at the same time) the scheduler must dole out a reasonable amount of
time slices to each program. But as this process necessarily limits the
speed with which all tasks are completed, the system runs into many
difficulties in the attempt to be more efficient. Obviously, the life of
a multitasking operating system is not easy....
Fortunately, System I/O can often be done while the CPU is doing
other things, meaning that processes must relinquish the CPU while
performing I/O operations. The scheduler then has more time slices to
give to other programs, and this speeds up system operation. One catch,
though: As System I/O is comparatively slow in the first place, perceived
system performance (especially for foreground programs that are doing I/O
operations) drops markedly, as System I/O must also be multitasked. This,
predictably, tends not to be efficient. In such cases, a large (32K-128K)
I/O Cache (like a Print Spooler or Disk Cache) can become necessary.
The system's job of allocating all available memory to the various
running tasks, while not as apparent to the end user as managing CPU time
or System I/O, is just as essential. All operating systems must fairly
and efficiently distribute memory to any program(s) running on that
computer. But while singletasking operating systems just allocate all RAM
to the application currently running, multitaskers not only have to make
all memory available to the tasks currently running, but to conserve as
much memory as possible for programs that will be run later.
In order to do this, after the operating system has allocated enough
memory for a process to run in, it designates the rest of the computer's
RAM as a big pool of Shared Memory. This special segment of RAM is where
the system gets memory to allocate for new tasks, and to allow current
tasks to use as much memory as they need, PROVIDED that the system gives
the tasks permission. Since the system controls what memory is allocated
to all processes, Shared Memory makes memory management a lot easier for
multitaskers. When the system has allocated all the RAM in the computer,
for example, it simply deallocates all memory that is not currently being
used by running tasks to replenish its supply of Shared memory.
It is relatively simple to implement shared memory in multitasking
systems built from the ground up, as processes in such systems have to ask
the system for memory before they can use it. In add-on multitaskers,
however, the system tells the task that the segment of memory that it
allocated to it is all the memory that is available, and as the task needs
more memory, the system allocates more to it if possible. Likewise, if
a task does not need a certain section of RAM allocated to it, the system
deallocates that section of RAM, adding it to its supply of Shared Memory.
Since the system can only deallocate so much memory from tasks,
however, a multitasking OS must find other ways to conserve memory. One
excellent way is to have built-in code libraries. These are functions
that an application generally performs (such as floating point operations,
screen handling, etc.) that the system makes available to programmers for
their use, which have MANY benefits. Some are that the resulting program
is much smaller than it would normally have been (which conserves memory),
the operating system can manage tasks much more quickly and efficiently
(since these Libraries are part of the OS itself), resulting in quicker
execution of those tasks, and compatibility is ensured, so that hardware
products (such as math co-processors) can work with all programs, and so
improvements made to the operating system directly benefit the system's
applications.
InterProcess Communications
Resource Management is a vital component of multitasking operating
systems, doing the integral functions required of them. But even though
a multitasking system can be designed using just it, the potential uses of
multitaskers are squandered if it doesn't provide some way for all running
tasks to communicate and exchange information with each other. This
capability (called InterProcess Communications, or IPC) is of great
advantage to any serious multitasker. Just about any aspect of computing,
from sending data from a database to a spreadsheet, to E-Mail services on
a Local Area Network can be made more efficient when applications can work
together. And since those applications are all running at the same time,
things that aren't possible on normal systems (such as a spreadsheet
constantly being updated with financial data from a database) become easy
for multitasking systems.
While the possible implementations of Interprocess Communications
are incalculable, here are some of the ones that are most commonly used in
multitasking operating systems:
Semaphores: When a word processor is printing a document in a
multitasking system, you usually want it to finish before another program
starts printing something else. In order for a scheduler to efficiently
handle when two tasks compete for a certain system resource, it assigns a
semaphore to the resource. A semaphore is a variable (such as a yes/no
flag, or integer) that can be read or manipulated by any task, so it can
gain sole use of that resource. When a task tries to access a resource
with a semaphore, the scheduler first makes sure that no other task is
currently using the resource. If the semaphore is not set to indicate
that the resource is being used, then the task is given access to the
resource. The system then lets the task set the semaphore to show that a
task is currently using the resource. After the task is finished, it then
restores the semaphore's setting to normal, so other tasks can use the
resource that it regulates.
Pipes: One of the more touted uses for multitaskers has been to
download a file using a terminal program in the background, while typing
text in a word processor. If a person using this setup wanted to send all
the messages on a BBS to the word processor, so as to read and answer them
at his/her own convenience, a multitasking system would need a way for the
term program to send the messages to the word processor. Pipes provide a
one-way method for a task to send data a character at a time to another
task. They are commonly used to take the output of one task and send it
to another task as input.
Queues: Queues are simply a larger type of pipe. While pipes only
send data a character at a time from one task to another, queues allow
whole segments of data (such as a picture or E-Mail message) to be sent
from one task to another. As in pipes, this method is purely one way....
Named Pipes: Named pipes can be considered a step above ordinary
pipes or queues. Like queues, they allow tasks to send blocks of data to
to each other, but unlike ordinary pipes, they allow data to be sent in
both directions. You could also do this with a pair of ordinary pipes,
but Named Pipes are more efficient. Named pipes are especially useful in
a LAN or multiuser system, as each computer in such networks needs to
communicate with the others in this fashion.
Signals: Signals, or software interrupts, tell tasks to immediately
handle an asynchronous event, regardless of whatever it is doing at the
time.
Shared memory can also be used for Interprocess Communications, by
letting two programs use a segment of memory to exchange data. This has
the advantages of speed (as this would essentially be a direct data
transfer) and the ability for both programs to directly manipulate the
contents of this type of shared memory.
In Part I of this series, We covered the inner workings of most
multitasking operating systems, describing what a multitasking scheduler
must go through, while showing how Interprocess Communications help make
applications (and indirectly, multitasking) more efficient.
In Part II, We will explore the different implementations of
multitasking, while showing some of the other utilities, such as virtual
memory, that are used with multitasking to bring it more flexibility and
power, and examining some of the problems associated with multitasking
systems.
But ponder, if you will, this question:
1) When are singletasking operating systems more useful than
multitasking operating systems?
---=====***=====---
CPU REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿
=======================
Mountain View, CA NASA's Ames Research Center recently became one of the
----------------- first purchasers of the new Cray Y/MP. It uses eight
parallel processors to execute more than 1 billion
instructions per second in sustained operation, and has
achieved a peak speed of 2.37 billion per second, or
2370 MIPS. Cost: Around 15-20 million, but....
The Cray-2, which WAS the fastest supercomputer, can
execute over 250 million instructions per second in
sustained operation.
Detroit, MI Super Soft is currently developing a new monitor for
----------- the ST that has a 1024*1024 resolution, 4096 colors at
the same time, and stereo ST sound. It will first be
used in conjunction with their port of Berkeley
Unix 4.2/4.3 for the ST, but specially written ST
programs will also be able to use it. Current plans
are to start shipping it in the Third Quarter of 1989.
Cost: 1995.95.
Redmond, WA Microsoft has released QuickBasic for the Macintosh,
----------- which is one of the first major versions of Basic for
that computer. But as HyperCard already provides many
of the benefits of Basic for the Mac....
Cupertino, CA Apple has introduced a new version of the Macintosh,
------------- called the Mac SE/30. It uses a 16 MHZ 68030 chip with
with Motorola's 68882 math coprocessor, to achieve up
to four times the performance of a normal Mac SE, along
with floating point calculations up to 100 times faster
than before.
Errata: In Issue 5 of CPU Report I said that the Cray X/MP was capable of
====== 680 million instructions per second. The peak speed of the Cray
X/MP is 170 MIPS, and the top speed of a X/MP-48 (the fastest
version of the X/MP) is only 420 million instructions per second.
Kinda slow, don't you think?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
STR Features¿
------------
SHAREWHAT? - SHAREWARE!
=======================
by R.F.Mariano
George Woodside, Gordon Moore, Charles Johnson, Lloyd Pulley, Tom
Hudson and the list is almost without end (ad infinitum). To name just a
few of the "good guys" in the ST programming arena who have utilized the
shareware concept and produced outstanding software intended for use with
the ST is just one of the "small" ways to pay a little homage to the most
courageous of all the programmers ..those who ask for a "small" stipend to
offset their expenses are slowly going the way of the DoDo Bird. Why? well
that's easy...the users who are enjoying the fruits of these guys labors
have not responded with the offerings.
Contrary to popular belief, programmers do not survive on "small"
bytes or a little bits and morsels. They too must use funds to provide for
themselves those needs we all find so necessary. So, fellow users, let's
"get with the program" and "hit the hip", shell out a few bucks and
participate in the shareware concept.
Many times I reflect how thankful I am for Turtle, SuperBoot,
Mystic, DCFormat, Picswitch, Desk Manager, etc...here are absolutely
superb programs brought to us via the shareware channel and yet these
programs which just about everyone uses at one time or another have
generated "small" amounts of dollars compared to their popularity. Maybe
the users would rather have the dongles, dingles, dollups, bad sectors and
all the other nonsense coupled with commercial programs like; "well you
will need the special drivers for an additional fee" and you will need
this and that and ...oh yes, the ever present ninety day upgrades "send in
your fifteen bucks and we will send you the new upgrade....we corrected a
few obscure bugs"!!!
The real facts are simple, if a programmer does go commercial, he IS
most certainly deserving of our full support if, in fact, that support is
reciprocal. My hat's off to PageStream's Soft Logik folks, they have the
right idea, sell the program reasonably, sell many copies and post the
upgrades on the services. The trickle down effect is superb in the
computer community, any "informed" corporate exec will agree that the day
of the modem has arrived. Recently, we saw where at least 12 of every
twenty users had one or more modems (this is for the uninformed execs).
Let's not forget the shareware concept, in the coming months we will
see more fine programs coming from this "small" niche in the market.
Perhaps we all can do our bit in showing support for the honest to goodness
programmers out there trying to satisfy and make a living at the same
time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
STR Review¿
==========
NEC P2200
=========
A Low Cost 24-Pin Printer.
By Thomas A. Martz
If you are in the market for an inexpensive but capable 24- pin
printer for text and desktop publishing try the NEC P2200. I have had one
for about a year and am very satisfied with its performance. Cost was
around $335.00.
Although it is not a fast printer, (HS Draft-170cps, LQ- 47cps) it
makes up for it in print quality. Up to 360 by 360 dpi resolution.
Some other features include:
---------------------------
Pull or push tractor feed.
Single sheet or optional cut sheet feeder.
Front or rear paper feed.
Easy to use front controls.
6 print modes.
8 form settings.
7 interface settings.
10, 12, 15, & 20 cpi in draft.
10, 12, 15, 17, 20 cpi in ltr quality and proportional spacing.
4 selectable internal fonts and several optional fonts.
8k buffer (4k if user defined characters installed).
Compatible with Epson LQ series and NEC pinwriter series printer
drivers.
Prints on a stationary flat platen. Not on the roller. You can also
disengage the tractor feed so that single sheets can be loaded through the
front convenience door while the tractor feed paper stays attached. (Nice
feature)
There was a problem with line spacing using some drivers but NEC
offered a free warranty Atari upgrade that seems to have fixed it. The
help and service from NEC was very professional. All I paid was the cost
of shipping to them. They paid the return.
Except for being a little noisy and a little slow, this printer is
well worth the price. If you want high quality printouts and can't afford a
laser printer, 24-pin is the way to go.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
STR Spotlight¿
=============
HATS OFF TIME!
==============
The Atari Exchange program has been in place for some time now, and
we are receiving mail about it's triumphs and we wish to make sure all the
users are aware of it's existence and have the needed information on how to
take advantage of of the benefits this program offers.
Diana Goralcznyk of Atari Customer Relations is the person to contact
to resolve any problems you are having with any Atari hardware in or out of
warranty. Please call 408-745-2000 for further info and exchange rates.
It really is quite simple to use, you send in your defective item and Atari
will, for a small fee, exchange it for a similar unit in good working
order. Do NOT send any upgrades along they will not reinstall them, remove
them and reinstall them yourself or have a local tech do so.
Looking at the big picture we applaud Atari for the job it is doing
in the customer support area. If one were to consider the folks in Tech
support and Customer support, one would readily see where the "front lines"
are for Atari and the clamoring customer base. I wonder how many calls per
day are handled by the two departments.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
STR Review¿
==========
Kosmic Krieg
============
A Space-Age Version of "Battleship"
by Neil Bradley
I recently visited the offices of Alpha Tech, a small 2-man company
located in Minneapolis Minn. While there, I met the authors of Kosmic
Krieg, a "Battleship" type game written and compiled in GFA Basic. Kosmic
Krieg is not in the same class as Dungeon Master or EMPIRE!, but it is an
enjoyable game. The main selling point is that it allows you to play
another person via modem, or else against a BBS that has a Kosmic Krieg
shell, available from major networks or direct from Alpha Tech.
The game has two modes: Barrage and Five-Shot. Barrage allows you
one shot per drone(ship) piece which decreases as your ships are destroyed.
Five-shot gives you five shots no matter how beat-up your fleet is.
Another interesting aspect of the game allows you the opportunity to
send your opponent messages at the end of each turn, and also send him
messages while he is plotting his shots. Sending a message to your opponent
while he is plotting sends him a dialog box, forcing him to stop what he
is doing and acknowledge the box. This can be very distracting, breaking
your opponents concentration.
The graphics in the game are not awe-inspiring, but not poor either.
The entire game is mouse-driven, with the exception of messages you type
to the other player.
Bottom line: A nice game to pass 10 minutes or so, with the option
of playing others via modem, which I hope to be a standard feature on many
more games to come.
To obtain your copy: Call or Write.....
ALPH TECH COMPUTERS
2901 Wayzata Blvd.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55405
Voice: 612-374-3232
Data : 612-374-5307 (PCP:MNMIN)
Tell 'em you saw it here!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
STR Spotlight¿
=============
HOW'S YER DONGLE?
=================
by R.F.Mariano
DONGLE aka P.S.K. (Program Security Key)
There sat John Q. User, in front of his Mega4 ST with the SLM804
Atari Laser Printer on the right and his 24 pin Dot Matrix printer on the
left. On it's own stand off to the left stood the Korg Midi keyboard and
directly in front of him on top of the Mega4 were his GTS 100 and his HST
modem, of course, under the Mega4 was the customized Hard Disk in a
Megafile cabinet with 132mb of storage. Impressive system? Dream System?
Nope! Not a dream system, this is a real system and not too unlike many of
the ST systems out there in use by serious users.
The entire point of the graphic description is to show just how
involved the back panel of the Mega4 can become. Also, it all sits on a
lowboy riser so the Monitor Master and the Mouse Master are easily
accessible then, there are two possibly three midi cables, an RS232 cable,
Printer cable, DMA cable, Tweety cables, Floppy Drive cable, monitor cable
and of course, all the transversing wiring associated with this equipment.
This fellow readily points out that he OWNS all the previous releases
from this company, in fact, two copies of Easy Draw and the documentation
are on the shelf. Again this fellow has the Touchup program in it's IBM
type box, grey in color etc....(he OWNS it too.) He bought this one on
blind faith and because of previous product satisfaction. When he SAW the
dongle ..his heart sank, and after he went through the "installation of
same" the decision was made to repack the P.S.K. and the program in it's
original packing and wait for a P.S.K.-less revision to come along...
Citing piracy as a reason for the P.S.K. is like saying an Eskimo
needs a freezer. All of Migraph's fine products are documentation
dependant and therefore, preclude the wholesale piracy so hinted at with
the P.S.K. We respectfully submit that the P.S.K. is for the "honest and
legit" business user who has more than one work station in the same
location. It puts the honest user in a position of "get the special
license and hardware keys" or buy more than one complete package. What
about the casual user? Well, it remains to be seen, perhaps, over the
next few months we shall find out how they feel seeing their computer
begin to look like it is growing quills of dongles in series, each a key,
for some future program. A keen observation would be that if Migraph
realizes a decent amount of sales over the next few months and receives a
squawk call from just about every private (noncommercial or school) user.
It could spell the end of the P.S.K. in time for future releases of a
higher magnitude. Actually, Touch-Up HAS to be the most documentation
sensitive program yet released by Migraph.
Dongles are NOTHING more than a CHALLENGE to the hackers. Migraph's
best interests would be served if they concentrated on the users instead
of P.S.K.s etc....put simply, the users do not want P.S.K.s or any other
inane dollups to keep track of....just ask some of the folks who had to
mess with the dongles of programs in the past. Or, check out the sales
records for those same programs.
Please, do not, under any circumstances, misunderstand our position
relating to commercial software offered to the ST marketplace, support of
commercial software houses is quite vital to the survival of the ST as a
viable home computer and we fully comprehend that fact. What we are
alarmed at (quite strenuously) is the commercial software house who simply
disregards or, fails to take into consideration the wants, likes and
dislikes of the userbase and forces "their way" upon all of us and perhaps
set a precedence in the production and application software field that
will burst open the flood gates and allow all the Dongles and outrageous
protection schemes imaginable to flood the marketplace! Somewhere along
the line someone forgot to ask the customer how they felt about EXPENSIVE
P.S.K.s.
Saving the best for last is usually something one does when one has
something great to enjoy. Oh, how I wish that were the case now, however,
it isn't...The Dongle we have been talking about is shipped with the new,
and by the majority of opinions, excellent image editor Touch-Up, by
Migraph. This is the part that really saddens the entire situation about
this confounded Dongle ...IT'S BATTERY POWERED! To me, that translates to
(a) guaranteed renewable built in expense, [who changes this battery when
needed] (b) loss of data when the battery needs replacement. In addition,
this goodie costs approximately twenty five dollars each to manufacture.
Migraph wants us to believe they absorbed the cost of the P.S.K. and that
the price of Touch-Up does not reflect this jewel's expensive price tag ..
this is believable? Also, it appears the P.S.K. is totally aimed at the
business and scholastic communities. Therefore, it must be applicable to
them and not the "little guy" involved in the cottage computer DTP areas..
Please, Migraph reconsider your position on this P.S.K. issue, you
really must because of the gross inconvenience placed upon the users with
this "thing". If only it were not Migraph involved here, in plain
language, you have presented the ST community with such fine programs in
the past that it is VERY difficult to even be slightly upset over the
P.S.K...but at this time we must sincerely ask that an end be put to this
noble but unwarranted effort. Come now, piracy among the users is not the
issue here ..how many pacman enthusiasts want to rework an image file?
The real issue is the folks who are using your software to earn
handsome profits. They should purchase a special license allowing them to
install the program in more than one work station. Also, the schools
should be sold under a separate program where the consideration paid to
Migraph is sufficient to cover the inevitable that occurs in schools with
the supervision's blessings (in most cases).
The bottom line is that protection of application and productivity
software is deplorable. Most of the userbase will not copy or exchange
high quality programs under any circumstances. Since your programs
actually require the documentation, it is unlikely that the P.S.K. is
really needed. Remember how most of the users felt about "Final Word" and
it's goofy protection scheme?
"SOFTWARE PROTECTION SCHEMES HAVE NO PLACE IN PRODUCTIVE SOFTWARE"
.....psssst, Touch-Up is quite good! Ed..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
STR Review¿
==========
Calamus Part I
==============
An Overview
-----------
By William Y. Baugh
This weeks review is actually a brief overview of a spectacular
new Desktop Publishing program from ISD, Calamus. Due to the
enormity of the program, this review has been separated into two
parts to allow a presentation of what Calamus has to offer; then
delving on into the more technical areas of the program.
Calamus fits into the category of a "new breed" of DTP in that it
runs independently of GDOS. This allows a much more flexible
working environment with font sizing along with saving memory
(and headaches) when not having to use GDOS. One of the
drawbacks to Calamus is that you must have a 1040 or above to run
it (sorry 520's), plus a monochrome monitor. Granted, anyone
seriously considering desktop publishing should own a monochrome
monitor, but for those who cannot afford it...
Once the program is up and running, you are greeted with an array
of icons lining the top and right side of the desktop. From
these icons almost every aspect of Calamus may be executed. The
number of icons may seem to be overwhelming at first, but after
using the program for awhile, they become second nature. The
manual is quite comprehensive on all facets of the icons' uses,
plus when you move the mouse arrow over any icon, a short
description of its function appears in the upper right corner of
the screen. Also lining the top of the screen is the "all too
familiar" menu bar where the more mundane functions (such as
save, load, etc) are chosen. Keyboard equivalents are also shown
as you move across the options under the drop down menus.
Lining the top left are five icons that allow the user to select
between differing modes of operation. These are Page Setup,
Frames, Text, Lines and Raster Planes. When each icon is
highlighted, its associated "sub-icons" appear in an area
underneath the five. All the functions used for working with the
desktop of Calamus are nested within these five icons.
The first icon, Page Setup, allows different layouts to be
loaded, saved and created, along with the ability to insert,
delete, etc. of pages. A layout is similar to a Master Page in
that it only displays the defined work area, usually no "work"
may be done on it. The layout forms the page where the actual
work is done. The Frame mode is where you'll find a myriad of
icons that enable you to draw and modify frames that will enclose
the work being done on the desktop. Text Mode is just as it
sounds, it allows you to input text into the layout. ISD has a
great feature in that they included a text editor with the
program. From here, you may type all of your text without having
to bother with proportional spacing and sluggish response when
using large fonts.
In the editor, you are able to see and edit control codes
embedded in your text, as well as being able to set font sizes,
justifications, all formatting features (margins, tabs, etc),
along with clipboards, footnote entries, and a hyphenation
dictionary. With all of these features, ISD has added one
more brilliant one; the ability to define text macros! You may
set up to 22 active macros that are selected by hitting the
control plus whatever key you defined as the macro, or by
using the mouse. These macros may be saved and loaded in for
future use. Fonts are selected from the text icon. Only two
fonts come with the package, with more being available from ISD
along with a Font Editor. As mentioned before, since Calamus
runs GDOS independent,you may set the point size of the font as
large as you want. I have defined an 'A' to be the size of the
entire page! It is amazing the speed, power and versatility
available with these fonts. The Lines functions allow you to
accentuate your layout with a variety of line sizes, types and
widths. The last function, Raster Planes allows geometric and
other graphical shapes to be incorporated into the layout.
Options include the shapes, predefined fill patterns (you may
make your own), setting the grey scale, line thickness and
"shadow" options and other effects to make your document look
spectacular.
The functions mentioned above are an integral, but not all of
the fine features of Calamus. I hope this overview has "whetted"
your appetite for a more in depth review next week.
Until then...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
STR Tech Notes¿
==============
Courier HST Supervisor ROM
==========================
INSTALLATION
------------
To establish whether or not you have the latest ROM chip in your HST,
type the following; ATIn where "n" is a 0 thru 7 ...those will give you
all the info needed to determine the status of your modem and the version
of ROMS you have...the latest version has (2)Two extra "S" registers 23 and
38.
The latest ROM revision nomenclature: SV930/HST 09-30-88
The procedures listed below should be followed to the letter.
1)- To open the case, remove the two rear rubber feet, doing so will
expose the access screws. Remove the two access screws and lift the bottom
plate out.
____________________________________________________________
| |
| SPEAKER ---------- |
| __________ |
| _______ _______ |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| XXX | | | |
| REPLACE THIS^ |
| CHIP |
| v notch |
| ----- |
|____________________________________________________________|
2)- The printed circuit board is attached to the top case through the
LED panel. The two are connected through a series of standoffs (metal
support pins). Care should be taken when removing or reinstalling, so that
the pins are not bent and all are connected properly. To remove the
circuit board pull straight up with even pressure at both the front and
back.
3)- The chip you will be replacing is labeled as SV96n (n= Rom rev.
#). Care should be exercised when removing or installing chips, making
absolutely sure NO pins are bent or misaligned. Also, one should note the
location of the notch on the chip as this indicates where pin #1 is. Be
sure to install the new chip with the notch facing the same direction.
4)- Repeat steps 1,2, and 3 in reverse order to reassemble.
5)- Before powering the modem, with the new chip installed, turn
Dip switch 10 in the down/on position, to load factory settings. Execute
the following command: AT &Z0= [RET] (DO NOT put any value after the =
sign) then: AT &W [RET] (each command is terminated by a carriage return).
Now, the modem is ready to be custom configured to your specifications.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿
======================
> Cambridge, MA ***** INFOCOM GOES GRAPHIC! *****
-------------
Infocom, the folks who made the word ZORK a household word among
computer enthusiasts has made the leap to using graphics in their unique
and highly entertaining adventure games. The latest is SHOGUN, based on
James Clavell's novel and adapted to the computer scene through a
cooperative effort between Mr. ZORK, Dave Lebling, and J. Clavell, this
baby has stunning graphics, totally enhanced and beyond "state of the
art". Sure hope we see "ZORK ZERO"!!
> Los Angeles, CA **** DUNGEON MASTER STILL # ONE! ****
---------------
Dungeon Master has advanced to the highest possible level on the
Adventure Game Ratings Charts in the Action/Adventure Top 50 in the nation.
The sequel, is expected to thrust Dungeon Master fans worldwide into the
agony and ecstasy of triumph and defeat all over again.
> San Diego, CA **** The SEQUEL to DM DELAYED ****
-------------
The much anticipated sequel to Dungeon Master will make a later
appearance than expected, look for it near the end of Feb. or the
beginning of March.
> Sunnyvale, CA ***** ATARI READIES IT'S "SECRET" WEAPONS *****
-------------
Atari, in keeping with it's posture of, "closed mouth and ready with
the new product", has a few neat goodies prepping for the show across the
sea in Hanover. By all indications Atari sure plans to make 1989 the year
of the Fuji!
> San Francisco, CA **** ORIGIN SYSTEMS HAS ANOTHER WINNER ****
-----------------
"There were 18 copies on the shelf yesterday, now, they're all gone!"
That's what the complaint was about "TIMES OF LORE"..."It is selling like
hotcakes". According to a few of the folks who have booted this new
release, the graphics are simply stunning. "Move over Ultima"
> Chicago, IL **** KING'S QUEST IV RELEASED ****
-----------
Sierra has released King's Quest IV and from all indications this is
a beautiful programming job with 3D graphics (no glasses) and excellent
sound controls including Midi MT-32 etc...this is their best yet...
***** Defcon 5 Demo may have a virus *****
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
STR Spotlight¿
=============
An Interesting Exchange on CIS
==============================
FALCON and Piracy
The Real Cost of Software Piracy
--------------------------------
When the Atari ST first came out, many of us thought that the Atari would
become the best selling personal computer. Just like when the Commodore C64
first came out, the Atari ST represented state of the art technology at a
cost that everybody could afford. Programmers naturally gravitated towards
the ST because of its low cost and high performance. But the Atari ST
suffered both from a lack of software and a poor market positioning. Those
who bought Atari STs quickly banded together through networks and users
groups. In many ways, the Atari ST suffered from the same fate as the Atari
400/800 (which by the way, was light years ahead of the C64 in many ways):
great machine with little or no support.
After talking to Atari users at user groups and network services such as
GEnie and CompuServe, many had wanted to see our best selling air combat
simulator, FALCON, converted to the Atari ST. They also wanted us to take
full advantage of the machine's capability and not do just a simple
conversion job from the Macintosh or IBM like the way many other titles were
converted. Many of our competitors warned us about releasing an ST product
as being a money loser. We were told that within weeks the product would
be up on the bulletin boards and sales would fall to zero. We chose to
disregard these comments and felt that a majority of Atari ST users really
wanted new products and that the piracy problem only existed with a small
handful of users.
Within thirty days of releasing FALCON for the Atari ST, pirates had the
product up on the bulletin boards complete with diagrams for the code wheel,
keyboard layout, and mission maps of the product.
Many of us did not want to put copy protection on the product. Basically,
we feel that copy protection is inconvenient and is a hassle for the honest
user. Copy protect is also expensive adding about $0.50 to our cost of
production.
***The real cost of software piracy is not the lost $49.95 sale, but
rather the lost industry support
Spectrum HoloByte Corp.
----=====***=====----
:A Reply:
=========
FALCON and Piracy
-----------------
Thanks for your support and glad to see you here online with us.
You reflect the position that the SYSOPs here and on other services have
held for 9 years that I know of! I suspect that there is some very _real_
confusion in the "outside" world as to what the problem with Atari Software
sales in the US is. 4 years (pre-ST) I concur that it was piracy. With the
ST, it has been an absolute lack of hardware sales and support.
We are approaching the proverbial chicken and egg situation. There
are not enough Atari owners in the US to tolerate _any_ piracy and still
sell a product at a reasonable price, and Atari SW prices tend to run half
that of the other computers. If we ever reach "critical" mass, the piracy
"problem" will mitigate to a level where we can tolerate the sort of
rampant piracy that exists on other systems, till then, you will see a
_lot_ or piracy talk on most Atari related BBS's.
It is not that we have more pirates (we have far fewer per capita)
it is that we are much more sensitive to YOUR needs! Our concerns may be
scaring developers like yourself, but if they do, YOU are misreading the
Atari Market. Sam Tramiel recently committed to a MAJOR increase (30,000
units/month) in hardware availability in the US. With outstanding
software like yours, he will sell them and you will sell software! Stick
by us and with us, display some faith in our personal integrity.
You will be rewarded. Thanks!
Dave Groves....
Addendum:
For the sake of the "silent majority" of Atari ST owner/users we
extend to Spectrum HoloByte this thought, The vast majority of the Atari
users have been, on the whole, quite honest and straight forward on every
issue, many of the software developers who have been critics of the Atari
market are really "sour grapes" as a result of the userbase "getting on
their case". The direction that you took in releasing Falcon to the ST
community only weakens their argument and thus, proves there are indeed a
good percentage of honest users of Atari computers. 1989 will be the year
of the Atari ST and thankfully, you WILL be a part of this gratifying
experience. Again on behalf of the "silent majority" many thanks for your
terrific support.
Ed.
STReport
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Indelible MARK
==================
by R. F. Mariano
A few observations...
As far as I am concerned, it is time to close the door on the
"Elwood" matter. Actually, the Michigan State Police have done this.
They confiscated all of his equipment, disks, papers, notes and related
materials. An important note to make is that his BBS userlog (The Crypt)
is now in the hands of Law Enforcement and all his "buddies", innocent or
otherwise, will be scrutinized. Having had the opportunity to discuss the
"materials" confiscated with Elwood, (Exedore to most of the BBSing world),
he stated.. "they got everything..handles, names, phone numbers, addresses..
..all of my papers"
Considering the "incident" Elwood provoked on CIS, I still feel
sorry for him, he is just around 18-20 years of age and already he will
have the stigma of a criminal record. It's sad to think that when that
record is accessed, it won't say, "he was a nice kid who made a silly
mistake" it will, instead, say; "he broke the law" and to be sure, this
will have a very negative effect on the future of this young man.
Perhaps the course of current events will send a loud and clear
message to the younger and newer users...DON'T PHREAK AND HACK OUT CODES!!
Hacked out LD codes are, in fact, account numbers to charge accounts
belonging to others. Telecommunications is fascinating and ultra fast, but
theft of service and fraud is devastating. It certainly is NOT cool! In
fact, it's plain dumb. Think twice, there are plenty of automated devices
out there just waiting to record your every electronic move..they are by
the sheer nature of reliability error free and therefore relied upon by Law
Enforcement to assist along with many other means to NAIL you.
Certainly the thrill (of sorts) of communicating with some remote
part of the globe is not worth a lifetime of embarrassment and "closed
doors". Please, don't phreak or hack out codes..remember, if you place a
call against a credit card or account that's not your own it's the same as
charging merchandise against a "hot credit card". The dollar amount
climbs very fast when one is connected to Europe.. go over 100.00 and the
penalties become quite severe.
As a final note, we have learned that the traced calls to and from
Elwood's number are being sorted out and checked..."this could just be the
tip of the iceberg" one investigator noted. The calls are all over the
USA, Canada and Europe. In Europe, mostly Germany and England. Also, his
friends, their connections and associates are being checked out. The
whole sordid affair is being closely looked into. It was also alleged
that he had entry codes to Gov't computer facilities. Apparently, one of
the investigators is aware of computer piracy and has alerted the proper
agencies for that facet of the investigation. "This is going to be a
lengthy and thorough investigation, we are confident numerous indictments
will follow".
From all the comments we have heard, both on and off the record, it
becomes quite clear that this investigation will have far reaching effects
both in the US and Europe. The copious quantity of verifiable information
obtained by the warrant is apparently being checked in every minute
detail.
BEWARE - PHREAKERS - HACKERS - PIRATES - BEWARE
-----------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
USERGROUP SPECIAL OFFER!
-----------------------
TURBO ST Ver 1.4
================
DISCOUNT OFFER
--------------
We now offer the following user group discount on Turbo ST, the software
blitter that makes your Atari 520/1040 ST outrun a Mega ST in most text
applications. Until April 1, 1989, legitimate Atari ST user groups may
order Turbo ST for only $35 a copy. To qualify, the following form must
be filled out and an order placed for at least three copies.
If the order is sent to one address, you can enter zero for the shipping
and handling charge. The shipping and handling charge will also be waived
if at least ten members of your user group order Turbo ST.
Number of copies ordered: _________ at $35 each = _____________
Add 5% for shipping and handling (see above) = _____________
Subtotal = _____________
Florida Usergroups add 6% state sales tax = _____________
Total = _____________
Payment must be in U.S. funds and can be composed of checks and/or money
orders. We can accept payment by MasterCard or VISA, however we request
that each MasterCard or VISA number be contained in a separate sealed
envelope along with the member's expiration date, billing address, and
signature.
Please answer the following about your Atari ST user group. The address
listed will be used as the shipping address unless you specify otherwise.
Turbo ST can be shipped individually to user group members, if a mailing
list is included with the order.
User Group Name: ________________________________________________
President: ______________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________
City: _______________________ State: _____________ Zip: _________
Country _________________________________________________________
Phone: __________________________ Number of members: ____________
If your user group is associated with any Atari ST dealers, please list
them below.
Dealer 1 Dealer 2
Name: _________________________ Name: _________________________
Address: ______________________ Address: ______________________
City: _________________________ City: _________________________
State: __________ Zip: ________ State: _________ Zip: _________
Country _______________________ Country _______________________
Phone: ________________________ Phone: ________________________
Owner: ________________________ Owner: ________________________
Members who are ordering Turbo ST (please print or type names):
1) ___________________________ 2) ______________________________
3) ___________________________ 4) ______________________________
5) ___________________________ 6) ______________________________
7) ___________________________ 8) ______________________________
9) ___________________________ 10) _____________________________
11) __________________________ 12) _____________________________
13) __________________________ 14) _____________________________
15) __________________________ 16) _____________________________
17) __________________________ 18) _____________________________
19) __________________________ 20) _____________________________
As an incentive to buy Turbo ST, we offer user groups the following
additional bonus. If ten of your members register or have registered their
purchase of Turbo ST and are listed below, we will automatic- ally send your
user group one free update disk to the mailing address listed on this form,
whenever Turbo ST is improved. The user group can then use this disk to
update all original Turbo ST disks that belong to members at no charge.
Members who have previously registered their Turbo ST purchase: (if
available, please also list their Turbo ST serial number or zip code, it
will help us to verify the information furnished).
1) ___________________________ 2) ______________________________
3) ___________________________ 4) ______________________________
5) ___________________________ 6) ______________________________
7) ___________________________ 8) ______________________________
9) ___________________________ 10) _____________________________
Please send this form, along with payment, to
Softrek, P.O. Box 5257,
Winter Park, FL 32793.
If you have any questions, please call (407) 657-4611.
Orders are normally shipped within three days of receipt. However, should
demand exceed supply, your order could be delayed by up to four weeks.
I certify that the names listed above are current active members in our
user group.
President's signature: _________________________ Date: _________
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
WELCOME ABOARD!!
================
The entire staff of STReport extends a warm welcome to the following
Bulletin Board Systems who have recently joined the ranks of the successful
STReport team.
Fox's Den 44-0689-27085 Orpington, Kent, United Kingdom
Twilight Zone II 44-01-608-1485 London, United Kingdom
The Madhouse 412-821-1802 Pennsylvania
The Golden Gate 817-865-6352 Texas
RattleSnake Station 208-587-7603 Idaho
BBS Sysops....please note, to carry STReport for your callers, just
leave us the information pertaining to your BBS in E-Mail or in the
STReport message area on the home BBS of STReport:
The Bounty Atari ST BBS
904-786-4176
12-24-48-96oo baud HST
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS WEEK'S 'QUOTABLE QUOTE'
============================
Diabolical Truth
================
"IMITATION IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF FLATTERY"
or,
"IMITATION CLEARLY ESTABLISHES THE LEADERS & THE FOLLOWERS!"
"1989 - ATARI'S QUEST"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST-REPORT¿Issue #73 "Your Independent News Source" February 03, 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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
