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Silicon Times Report Issue 0088
*---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original Online ST Magazine"
-------------------------------
May 19, 1989 Volume III No.88
=========================================================================
ST Report Online Magazine
------------------------------
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida
32236 ~ 6672
R.F. Mariano
Publisher - Editor
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> Issue: #88 STReport
-------------------
- The Editors' Podium
- CPU REPORT
- "CHOPSTICK" LOUIE, FLYING HIGH!
- NEODESK 2.03 -=- Overview
- C.E.K.A. DREAMS or HOAX??
- SPEEDBALL - A Review
- ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL
- WAACE DTP Contest
=========================================================================
AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ THE SOURCE
=========================================================================
> The Editor's Podium
As Atari makes it's comeback more evident every day, there are still
those who feel a need to second guess every move Atari makes. Perhaps they
feel they are justified by Atari's past performance. One thing is for sure,
Atari is on the move and that is the best news we have to offer. Perhaps
those who have their doubts should give Atari the benefit of a "show-me"
attitude rather than displaying blind disbelief.
When are we going to see the unity and decisive strength that comes
from being unified begin to materialize in the Atari community? Lately all
we see is a constant procession of detractors who seem bent on keeping the
Atari Userbase in a constant state of disarray. It would seem that by now
most folks would realize that as individuals we are much more effective
if we are unified and pursuing a common goal, ie; The success of Atari's US
comeback.
Again, thanks for your support!
Ralph.....
ATARI IS BACK!
************************************************************************
:HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
---------------------------------
To sign up for GEnie service: Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
Wait for the U#= prompt.
Type XJM11877,GEnie and hit RETURN.
The system will prompt you for your information.
THE GENIE ATARI ST ROUNDTABLE - AN OVERVIEW
-------------------------------------------
The Roundtable is an area of GEnie specifically set aside for owners and
users of Atari ST computers, although all are welcome to participate.
There are three main sections to the Roundtable: the Bulletin Board, the
Software Library and the Real Time Conference area.
The Bulletin Board contains messages from Roundtable members on a variety
of Topics, organized under several Categories. These messages are all
open and available for all to read (GEnie Mail should be used for private
messages). If you have a question, comment, hot rumor or an answer to
someone else's question, the Bulletin Board is the place to share it.
The Software Library is where we keep the Public Domain software files
that are available to all Roundtable members. You can 'download' any of
these files into your own computer by using a Terminal Program which uses
the 'XMODEM' file-transfer method. You can also share your favorite Public
Domain programs and files with other Roundtable members by 'uploading'
them to the Software Library. Uploading on GEnie is FREE, so you are
encouraged to participate and help your Roundtable grow.
The Real Time Conference is an area where two or more Roundtable members
may get together and 'talk' in 'real-time'. You can participate in
organized conferences with special guests, drop in on our weekly Open
COnference, or simply join in on an impromptu chat session. Unlike posting
messages or Mail for other members to read at some later time, everyone in
the Conference area can see what you type immediately, and can respond to
you right away, in an 'electronic conversation'.
************************************************************************
> CPU REPORT
==========
Issue # 22
by Michael Arthur
Remember When....
In 1985, Lotus Development Corp. launched a HUGE advertising campaign
for Lotus Jazz, an integrated software package for the Macintosh which was
supposed to catapult it into the business market (something which was
desperately needed, as the Macintosh wasn't too popular in those days), and
how Lotus Jazz turned out to be a slow, buggy, and generally horrid product
that almost crippled the Macintosh's chances in the computer industry?
CPU Systems Roundup VIII
=========================
Practical Computer Systems I: Power Without the Price
------------------------------------------------------
Part II
In Part I of this Series, I showed a list of the most powerful Dream
Systems that could be configured in the low/middle end of the microcomputer
market, giving these systems (and the majority of home/small business
compute users) access to performance usually found in high end
microcomputers. While there were newer computers and peripherals that
could have been included, the list was generally accurate. Now I will
compare these "Practical" Dream Systems, stacking their various features
against each other to determine which ones you could safely consider the
"best".
And while this essay mainly concerns the greatest capabilities that
can be supplied for the major low/middle end microcomputers at a cost which
is reasonable to a large percentage of computer users, it can also help to
show which computer system in the low/middle end of the computer market is
both the most powerful, and a good example of "Power Without the Price".
Here is a Graph of the features of each Practical Dream System:
Practical Dream Systems List:
(Comparison of each Systems' Optimal Features)
________________________________________________________________________
Dream |Main Chips,|MainChip|Mass |Expansion|Graphics Displays/ |
System |Megs of RAM|Speed |Storage | Slots |Best Resolution(s) |
----------|-----------|--------|----------|---------|-------------------|
IBM 286 |Intel 80286| 20 MHZ | 100 Meg | Three |320*200*256 Colors |
System | Two Megs | |Hard Drive|IBM PC/AT|640*480*16 Colors |
----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
Mac SE/30 |68030/68882| 16 MHZ | 60 Meg | One |512*342 w/Monochr. |
System | Two Megs | |Hard Drive|'030'Slot| |
----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
Amiga 500 |68020 Chip | 11 MHZ | 65 Meg | Two |320*200*4096 Colors|
System | 2.5 Megs | |Hard Drive|Zorro II |640*400 w/16 Colors|
----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
Apple IIgs|65816 Chip | 7 MHZ | 40 Meg | Three |320*200*4096 Colors|
System | Two Megs | |Hard Drive| II/IIgs |640*400 w/16 Colors|
----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
Mega 2 ST |68000 Chip | 16 MHZ | 65 Meg | One |320*200 w/64 Colors|
System | Two Megs | |Hard Drive| Mega ST |640*200 w/4 Colors|
----------'-------------------------------------------------------------'
(Note: The Apple IIgs CAN display its entire palette of 4096 colors in
one of its low resolution modes.)
Based on both this graph, and the System Descriptions, I have made these
Standings:
IBM 386 Dream System: Third Place
The IBM system is very well rounded in features, provides all the
power of a Dream System, and is priced reasonably enough for a large
percentage of computer owners when outfitted with Dell's 40 Megabyte Hard
Drive. However, the cost for their 100 Megabyte Hard Drive boosts the IBM
System's price significantly, resulting in that its price/performance ratio
is not good enough for it to earn First Place, and BARELY keeps it from
getting Second Place....
Mac SE/30 Comparison: The IBM is superior to the Mac SE/30 in the
number of Expansion Slots, amount of mass storage, and graphics
capabilities, is equal in the amount of RAM, and is inferior in processing
speed. Since the Mac SE/30 also costs more, the IBM system ends up scoring
higher than the Mac SE/30.
Amiga 500 Comparison: The IBM is superior to the Amiga 500 in
processing speed, amount of Mass Storage, and the number of expansion
slots. It is roughly equal in graphics capabilities, and is inferior in
the amount of RAM. However, although the IBM system scores higher than the
Amiga system in terms of performance, the Amiga system costs MUCH less than
the IBM system, whether it uses a 40 Meg or a 100 Meg Hard Drive. This
causes it to beat the IBM system in price/performance, and since "Power
Without the Price" is the main factor in Practical Dream Systems, the Amiga
system scores higher overall than the IBM system, but only by a VERY tight
margin....
Apple IIgs Comparison: The IBM is superior to the Apple IIgs in the
amount of mass storage, processing speed, and is equal in the number of
expansion slots, and its amount of RAM. Since it is not inferior to the
Apple IIgs in ANY areas except (by a close margin) graphics capabilities,
and actually costs LESS than the Apple IIgs system, the IBM system scores
MUCH higher than the Apple IIgs system.
Mega ST Comparison: The IBM is superior to the Mega ST in processing
speed, amount of Mass Storage, in the number of Expansion Slots, and is
barely superior in graphics capabilities, and is equal ONLY in the amount
of RAM. Therefore, just as with the AMiga 500 system, the IBM scores
higher than the Mega ST in terms of system performance. However, just as
with the Amiga 500 system, the Mega ST is MUCH better in the ratio for
price/performance than the IBM system, and, because of the "Power Without
the Price" test, causes the Mega ST to score higher overall than the IBM
system....
Macintosh SE/30 Dream System: Fourth Place
Strangely, while the Mac SE/30 is unbeatable in processing speed, and
is well-balanced in almost every other area, it falters disgracefully in
graphics capabilities. But since the SE/30, by using the 256K Mac ROMs,
has access to Color QuickDraw (and Mac II color) capabilities, this is not
a large factor unless you do not plan to add-on anything else to your Dream
System. However, the Mac SE/30, though it is the most powerful system in
the group, is also the most expensive. And since its price is FAR above
what many computer users would pay for a low/middle end system, the SE/30,
instead of taking First Place, loses drastically because of its lacking in
price/performance....
Amiga 500 Comparison: The Mac is superior in the areas of processing
speed, is roughly equal in the amount of mass storage, and is inferior in
the number of expansion slots, the amount of RAM, and its graphics
capabilities. Also, since the Mac SE/30 System costs twice as much as the
Amiga system, but does not have the capabilities needed to give it a better
price/performance rating, the Amiga system scores higher than the Mac SE/30
system....
Apple IIgs Comparison: The Mac is superior to the Apple IIgs in
processing speed and amount of mass storage, is equal in the amount of RAM,
and is inferior in the number of expansion slots, and its graphics
capabilities. Also, since the Apple IIgs system's cost is somewhat close
to the Mac SE/30's, the Mac SE/30 has a vastly better price/performance
rating. So if you can live without color graphics at the present time, the
Mac SE/30 scores MUCH higher than the Apple IIgs.
Mega ST Comparison: The Mac SE/30 is superior to the Mega ST in
overall processing ability, is equal in the amount of RAM, number of
expansion slots, and amount of mass storage, and is inferior in graphics
capabilities. Since the Mac SE/30 and the Mega ST are equal in so many
aspects, the main factor becomes price/performance. And since the SE/30
costs almost twice as much as the ST, the Mega ST system scores MUCH higher
than the Mac SE/30, based on the "Power Without the Price" test....
Amiga 500 Dream System: Second Place
Even though the Amiga 500 System was the cheapest setup in this list,
it managed to have a surprising amount of power. Even though its processor
speed was the second-slowest of the group, its graphics capabilities were
very good, and its other features enabled the Amiga system to be a VERY
good example of "Power Without the Price", providing many of the features
of other systems with a lesser price. In fact, the battle for First Place
in this essay was between it and the similarly configured Mega ST system,
which ultimately beat it in a TIGHT struggle....
Apple IIgs Comparison: The Amiga 500 is superior in the amount of
mass storage, processing speed, and the amount of RAM, is equal in graphics
capabilities, and is inferior in the number of expansion slots. While the
Amiga is more powerful than the Apple IIgs in terms of performance, as it
is also MUCH less expensive than the Apple IIgs system, the Amiga blows
away the Apple IIgs.
Mega ST Comparison: The Amiga 500 is superior to the Mega ST system
in the amount of RAM, and the number of Expansion Slots, is roughly equal
in the amount of mass storage, and is slightly inferior in processing
ability and graphics capabilities....
The reason for the latter statement is that the Amiga can ordinarily
display a maximum of 32 colors in low resolution, and it takes a complex
amount of coding (and many processor-intensive operations) in order to
manipulate the Amiga's bit planes in HAM mode so the Amiga will display
4096 colors at the same time. Since the Mega ST system is able to display
64 colors in low resolution, it is actually superior in this regard to the
Amiga system, and since, just as in the Amiga system, special programming
could be used to let the ST display 4096 colors at the same time, the
Mega ST would technically be superior to the Amiga system in graphics....
Also, given that the main focus was in price/performance, it is VERY
hard to judge which is the best of the two systems, since BOTH systems have
similar prices, have similar capabilities, and have equally superb
price/performance ratings. In fact, the big difference between the two
systems is in processing speed. Even though the 68020 is faster than the
68000 chip, the Amiga runs it at a slower speed than the ST runs its 68000
chip. And since processing ability is an essential part of a system's
price/performance, the Mega ST system scores higher than the Amiga 500
system....
Apple IIgs Dream System: Last Place
The Apple IIgs is, simply put, a real-life anomaly. In some areas,
such as graphics capabilities and expansion capabilities, it has top of the
line features. However, some aspects of the IIgs system, like its slow
65816 processor, are a sorry sight to behold. Also, since it is priced
almost as high as a middle-end computer system, but does not have the
corresponding capabilities, the Apple IIgs has a bleak future indeed, as an
overpriced, underpowered computer does not last long in the computer
industry....
Mega ST Dream System: First Place - The Best System Currently Out There -
Providing many of the capabilities found in middle end computer
systems, while being priced towards the low/middle end of the market, the
Mega ST system has an excellent price/performance rating, and is a superb
example of its maker's slogan of "Power Without the Price", fully deserving
a First Place ranking....
Given that the Amiga 500 system also fit much of this description,
though, and seeing that the "Tiebreaker" between the two systems was the
ST's greater speed, one cannot help but feel uneasy at how very CLOSE the
Amiga 500 system came to matching the Mega ST system in hardware
price/performance, and what could happen if the Atari ST does not utilize
its potential by becoming the dominant standard in a market which it
currently has such an advantage in....
So as to account for future developments, I have included a list of
Low/Middle End Entry Systems which would be affordable to almost all
computer users, so accurate comparisons can be made between present
Practical Dream Systems and future Entry systems. While some of these
systems simply make minor modifications on old systems, and while all of
these systems lack some "Dream System" features in order to cost less than
2100 dollars, as shown by Atari's Laptop ST (known as the Stacey),
sometimes this is an easy tradeoff, which can result in a system with VERY
good price/performance, excellent functionality, and a computer which can
serve most home/small business user's needs just as well as a higher-priced
system....
Upcoming Systems' Features:
________________________________________________________________________
Dream |Main Chips,|MainChip|Mass |Expansion|Graphics Displays/ |
System |Megs of RAM|Speed |Storage |Slots |Best Resolution(s) |
----------|-----------|--------|----------|---------|-------------------|
Atari |68000/68881| 8 MHZ | 20 Meg | One |320*200 w/64 Colors|
Laptop ST | One Meg | |Hard Drive| Mega ST |640*200 w/4 Colors|
----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
IBM 8086 |Intel 80286| 8 MHZ | 40 Meg | Five |320*200*256 Colors|
System |640K of RAM| |Hard Drive|IBM PC AT|640*480 w/16 Colors|
----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
Mac Plus |68000 |7.83 MHZ| 40 Meg | None |512*342 in Monochr.|
System | One Meg | |Hard Drive| | |
------------------------------------------------------------------------'
System #6, the Atari Laptop ST, comes with a 68000 chip, 1 Meg of RAM, an
internal 20 Megabyte Hard Drive, and a Mega ST Expansion Bus built in. To
enhance this system, John Russell Innovations' JS-4096 Color board (which
allows the ST to display 64 Colors out of 4096 in Low Resolution) would be
used, as well as the Atari SFP-004 expansion board currently in development
which uses a 16 MHZ 68881 math chip. Cost: Around 2200-2400 dollars.
Resolutions: 320*200 with 64 Colors out of 4096
640*200 with 4 Colors out of 512
640*400 with Monochrome Resolution
Comparisons with Other Systems: While many of the features of Atari's
Laptop ST (or the Stacey) are identical to the features of the current
Mega ST Dream System, and the STacey's mass storage is smaller than the
other systems', the main difference is that the STacey is a Laptop machine,
having much of the functionality of the current Dream Systems in a portable
case. And since powerful Laptops could be considered Dream Systems in
themselves....
System #7, the IBM 8 MHZ 80286 System, is a Tandy 1000 TL with 640K of RAM,
five IBM PC AT Expansion Slots, an ABCO 40 Megabyte Hard Disk, an Orchid
Designer VGA Board, and an Amdek 732 VGA Monitor. Cost: $2600.00....
EGA Resolutions:
320*200 with 16 Colors out of 64^[
640*350 with 16 Colors out of 64
VGA Resolutions:
320*200 with 256 Colors out of 256,000
640*480 with 16 Colors out of 256,000
Comparisons with Other Systems: This system, having powerful graphics, a
decent hard drive, and a good number of expansion slots, is a VERY
respectable IBM Entry System, which passes the "Power Without the Price"
test rather well. In fact, the only thing REALLY preventing this system
from matching the Amiga and Mega ST Dream Systems in price/performance is
its comparatively slow processor. However, this does not matter much to
beginning computer users, and this IBM Entry System has the potential to
QUICKLY become a factor in the low/middle end of the market, taking over
the markets that could belong to the Atari ST....
System #8, the Mac Plus System, is an Apple Macintosh Plus with 1 Meg of
RAM onboard, an 8 MHZ 68000 chip, an AppleTalk LAN Port, and a 40 Megabyte
Hard Drive from ABCO Inc. Cost: 2600 to 2700 dollars....
Mac Plus Resolution: 512*342 with monochrome resolution
Comparisons with other Systems: This Macintosh system, like the Apple IIgs
system, costs more than the other Systems, but provides far less in the
area of price/performance. It has sub-par graphics, has no expansion
capability, and has no superior qualities with which to rationalize its
higher cost. Given that it is the low end of the Macintosh Line, the Mac
Plus system is not as worthy of consideration as expected....
The main objective to home/small business users, when configuring
their own computer system, is not necessarily performance for its own sake,
but finding a system which has a decent price for its capabilities. In
order to determine the system which provided the best price/performance in
this list, many otherwise exceptional systems, such as the IBM System and
the Mac SE/30 System, had to be forsaken simply because they were somewhat
too expensive. But then, as shown by the Apple IIgs system, sometimes the
search for a Practical Dream System can weed out making a poor, though
tempting choice. Interestingly though, as shown by the competition between
the Amiga and Atari ST Systems, it seems that, in researching Practical
Dream Systems to show how powerful a computer system could become while
still being affordable, one could make a very good assessment at the state
of the low/middle end of the microcomputer industry....
But ponder, if you will, this question:
How long will it take for other computer makers to produce systems
which are comparable in power to the NeXT computer and the ATW?
--------=======***=======--------
CPU REPORT CONFIDENTIAL
=======================
Sunnyvale, CA PC-SIG has recently completed a new version of its
------------- PC-SIG CD-ROM Library. Now in its sixth edition, this
CD-ROM disk (which is in the High Sierra CD-ROM format,
working with most CD-ROM drives) holds PC-SIG's entire
library of 15,000 IBM Public Domain/Shareware programs,
and comes with a text retrieval program to locate any
program on the disk. This is a necessary utility, as
its disk directory (which has full file descriptions of
each program on the CD-ROM disk) is over 3 Megabytes
long. Cost: $495.00.... If you want more information
on the PC-SIG CD-ROM Library, PC-SIG can be reached at
1-408-730-9291....
Redmond, WA As its next major OS/2 project, Microsoft is planning to
----------- modify OS/2 so it can be easily ported to non-IBM
systems. This will mean that it will have to be almost
completely written in C, and the OS/2 kernel itself will
require considerable modification to allow OS/2's
capabilities to be processor-independent. This will
allow OS/2 to compete with Unix in almost ALL computing
arenas....
However, since Microsoft's present OS/2 project, making
an 80386-specific version which will take advantage of
its special capabilities, is not likely to be completed
before the Third or Fourth Quarter of 1990, this
"Portable OS/2" is not likely to appear until around
1992....
Mountain View, CA Sun Microsystems has introduced the Sun-3/80, a new Unix
----------------- workstation based on its 3/50 and 3/60 systems which
uses a 20 MHZ 68030 chip with a 20 MHZ 68882 floating
point math chip, comes with 4 Megs of RAM onboard, an
Ethernet port for LAN Networking, 1 SCSI hard disk port,
serial and parallel ports, and its own proprietary
expansion bus, called the P4. It also supports a
resolution of 1152*900, with either monochrome or 256
displayable colors at the same time....
The interesting thing about the Sun-3/80 is that its
base system will cost around $5000.00, without a
monitor. Since Atari's 68030 TTx (a version of the
68030 TT which runs Unix and has an Ethernet port) will
ALSO cost from $4500.00 - $5000.00, it seems that Unix
Users will have TWO serious options for low-end Unix
workstations. And given that Sun has a MUCH greater
reputation in that area than Atari....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1989 Atari Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari Roundtables. See
signup information in this magazine. May be reprinted only with this
notice and signup information included.
> HoloByte CO STR Feature
-----------------------
> "CHOPSTICK" LOUIE, FLYING HIGH! <
Spectrum Holobyte Conference
ATARI ST ROUNDTABLES
May 17, 1989
GEnie Information Services
Room 1, the General Club room.
Stenographer is Miss Jane Hathaway
Job City Room Sta Mail-Address
1 Jacksonville,FL 1 N [Ralph] ST.REPORT
2 Oakland,CA 1 N [Chopstick] HOLOBYTE
3 Indianapolis,IN 1 L [Holly] HS
4 Santa rosa,CA 1 N DOUG.W
5 Dune,CA 1 N [Cary] CGEE
6 Whitestone,NY 1 N R.ROBERTSON
7 Twins house,CA 1 N [Fred Beckman] FB
8 Passaic park,NJ 1 N [Vince-Cubed] V.AVERELLO
9 Baltimore,MD 1 N [bob] B.O.B.
10 Detroit,MI 1 N [William] W.LIGGET
11 Brookfield,CT 1 N [Mel] NIGHTDIVER
12 Pontiac,MI 1 N GORDON
13 Santa fe,TX 1 N R.URBANI1
14 Rochester,NY 1 N BOB.PUFF
15 Rockford,IL 1 N M.CARTWRIGHT
17 Brookfield,CT 1 N DARLAH
18 Ann arbor,MI 1 N [Pattie] UNICORNPUB
19 Wantagh,NY 1 N J.MUGNAI
20 Trenton,NJ 1 N MR.CHIPS
21 Fremont,CA 1 N TOWNS
22 Winston salem,NC 1 N M.MCCANN2
<[Holly] HS> Room is now listen-only.
<[Holly] HS> Hi everyone... we're here for a formal conference tonight
with Spectrum Holobyte.... Joining us later will be Gilman Louie, but here
right now to field questions is Marissa Ong (I sure hope I spelled that
right!) For those of you who are new to conference, please use /RAI to get
in line with your questions. (Marisa with 1 s... sorry! *blush*). You will
be allowed to speak one at a time. I will try to ack your /RAI and let you
know who you follow. When you're done with your question, please use GA,
for go ahead. That lets our guest know you're finished. When you're done
asking your question, please let me know also. It helps move things along.
You might want to use a typeahead buffer to store your question. I'm told
that Gilman has arrived, also, now... Any opening remarks?
<[No.19] HOLOBYTE> Sure! I apologize but Gilman "Chopstick" Louie is now
here. Back from testifying about schools in San Francisco. So I'll turn
it over to him.
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> was <[No.19] HOLOBYTE>.
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Let me start by thanking all of you for your input
regarding the ST. I have to say that the ST community has been vocal on
this issue and that we have been "educated" on many of the issues that
affect the ST market.
<[Holly] HS> Thank you... I'd like to ask the first question if I might...
<[Holly] HS> Where did the nickname "Chopstick" come from?
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Chopstick was given to me by some pilots. I'm
skinny and I'm Chinese American.
<[Holly] HS> Ah... thank you! I always wondered about that!
<[Holly] HS> Jeff
<JEFF.W> Marisa (what a lovely name!), this whole ST/Piracy issue has
gotten quite messy and triggered a lot of ill feelings ..amongst ST owners
who resent the "guilt by association" that Gilman's letter seemed to
imply. ..Recently, an "amended" letter that narrowed the scope of
Gilman's "accusations" a bit. Will this be hitting all the magazine
publishers like the first letter did? Thank you.
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> I "Chopstick" want to once again apologize any
inferences regarding "guilt by association". That was not the intention.
I would point out that we have received over 100 letters via mail
regarding my letter. Most, (over 90%) have been very supportive and
included the registration cards as a reminder that they were customers and
not pirates. And, most people agree that the Atari ST need more support
and that they were doing their personal effort to support it by buying
products. As far as the letters are concerned, we make the letters
available to all magazines. We have no control over whether the editors
use or change the letters I've written. Most of the ST users have not
taken my article out of context--and realize that we're all in the same
boat together. As No.19 constantly points out, discussions like piracy
like discussions re - abortion. It's a very hot topic, but one that we
don't shy away from.
<JEFF.W> Has your latest post been sent out to all the publishers who used
the first letter? If they haven't, I hope you do so soon as a follow up...
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> We're planning to send out the entire threads to
the same publishers we sent the first letter to.
<JEFF.W> I think it will be VERY significant (and appreciated) to see that
despite the first letter SH will still be coming forth with new ST products.
Thanks.
<[Holly] HS> Thank you... I'm going to change just a second to another
topic, near and dear to my heart. (I'm sure we'll hit piracy again before
the night is out... :-) Tetris for the ST... I own both the IBM and the
ST versions, and as an admitted Tetris addict, I am disappointed with the
ST version. What is good in it is VERY good. The graphics are better
than the IBM version, I think. I like the block style better, but the
program seems to be "unfinished" and has some VERY rough edges. Do you
have plans to keep updating Tetris? And when might we expect them?
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> The original programmer for ST Tetris (over in
England) did a sub-standard job. We won't be using him again. The
programmer who finished up the ST version is now working for a bio-tech
company. Unless we can find a qualified Atari ST programmer, we won't see
any fixes for Tetris. Each Tetris version is dependent on the programmer
who's responsible for the conversion. That's why the the ST version has
better graphics and menu support, but the sound suffers. (OK, stinks!)
As far as the desk accessory version, we'd love to do a DA version, if we
could figure out how. Our Mac expertise is greater than our ST. We're
hoping to change that.
<[Holly] HS> That's very disappointing for me. Who is working on the other
ST
programs for you, and couldn't they work on Tetris? Falcon was/is terrific!
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> FALCON was developed by me! The Amiga and ST
conversions were done by Rowan Software in England, through Mirrorsoft, our
sister company. Since the original FALCON design was ours, we had more
control over the end result. In the case of Tetris, we had suggested many
of the changes/corrections that users such as yourself pointed out, but
Mirrorsoft refused to do it. Because it was good enough for their market.
So, we were forced to use a Mac programmer to finish the ST conversion.
We will point out that the ST version is almost identical to the Amiga
version (for whatever that's worth). Basically, we decided to put out the
game, because although it doesn't have a DA version nor is the music very
good, the basic game is still extremely addictive and fun and worthwhile.
The only disappointing thing about the ST version is if you compare it to
some of the other versions we did (versus the Mirrorsoft versions). It's
definitely better than the IBM version. No.19 here! As lead beta tester
on the ST version, I can say that when we submitted our first bug report
to the English programmer, his revision fixed only ONE bug. A minor one,
at that, after 3 months of waiting for a new disk. Chopstick here: In
the final analysis, we all agree we need to do a better job on the ST.
<[Holly] HS> I do *love* the game. How do you feel about the PD versions
floating around for the IBM and the Amiga? (There is also a monochrome PD
version for the ST, and I know of an unreleased color PD version.) Thanks!
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Some of the PD versions are very good. But they
lack some of the features of the commercial versions. In addition, the
Soviets don't get any royalties from the PD versions..which they're using
to fund purchase of computers for school children.
<[Holly] HS> Mel...
<[Mel] NIGHTDIVER> Back in the BB there's been some talk about how much work
it is to adapt a program for the ST...I'm a nontechnical type... Can you
explain a little of what goes on to adapt a program for the ST?
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> There's 2 ways you can handle it. You can write
your original program in a high level language like C, but the performance
of your program suffers greatly and the program looks identical from one
machine to the next. (Which means that the game will look like the lowest
common denominator). The other approach is to rewrite the program from
scratch in a low-level language like assembly and take advantage of
everything the machine has to offer. This takes a great deal of effort
but is worth it by getting a much better product in the end. If you look
at FALCON, for example, you can see a significant difference between the
IBM and Mac version and the Atari ST version. It's obvious that the ST
version is far superior in graphics, frame rate than the originals. This
could only be accomplished by a rewrite. A rewrite using this approach
takes about 70% of the effort of doing the original version. A port takes
only 10%, but then you get what you pay for.
<[Mel] NIGHTDIVER> Thanks. Done
<[bob] B.O.B.> I recall in 1 of the Falcon adds, something about "most of
the advanced avionics features of the AT version." What are the
differences? (What can AT do that St can't)?
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> The ST version was based on the original Mac version.
Since our ASATs (our military simulators we're doing for the government)
are being hosted on the ATs, our flight models are more accurate. Yet, we
are planning to even upgrade FALCON AT with a later version released this
year--and hope to do the same with the ST version. It doesn't have
anything to do with the basic capabilities of the hardware.
<[Holly] HS> Thanks, Bob... Vince...
<[Vince-Cubed] V.AVERELLO> Thanks, Mr Louie did you have any idea what
kind of uproar your letter would cause when you wrote it & would you do it
again ... ?
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Absolutely! I think that the issue needed to be
brought up, because many publishers and developers agreed with my
statements but were afraid to say anything about. They just refused to
develop software for this machine. We felt that it was necessary to bring
this issue out on the table in order to clarify misconceptions and help
users and publishers educate each other about the ST market. Many
programmers and publishers have been in contact with me and are very
interested, not only in the issues of piracy and copy protection, but
also express interest in delivering new products to the ST platform. Many
are watching the sales curves of FALCON, Battlehawks 1942, DungeonMaster,
etc. as a barometer of what the market is really like. Whereas the ST
sales have been not as strong as some of the other formats (in total
value), many companies are surprised by the success the product has had in
the marketplace. They feel that if they can leverage their European ST
development effort with an American marketing and sales effort that there
are plus dollars to be made. Many of us are formulating a similar
approach.
<[Vince-Cubed] V.AVERELLO> How is the ST version (sales) doing versus the
Amiga version (is the disparity still as bad) ???
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Hang on a sec! Gotta get the sales figures! We're
still doing better overseas in ST sales.
<[Vince-Cubed] V.AVERELLO> Oh no sales figures ........
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Customer Support reports that they get more Amiga
calls than ST calls overall. I believe DungeonMaster had the exact
opposite experience in terms of American vs. European sales. We sold from
5/1 to 5/15 258 Atari ST FALCONs and 827 Amiga FALCONs. This has been the
trend since release of both versions.
<[Vince-Cubed] V.AVERELLO>
<[Holly] HS> Thank you!
<[Holly] HS> William...
<[William] W.LIGGET> When playing falcon multiplayer at 2400 bps, its very
slow, and hard to control. Will the upgrade improve the multiplayer
option ?
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Unfortunately, the next upgrade will not improve
the modem option. We only recommend direct connection and threw the modem
option in as a extra freebie. We do plan to upgrade the entire line
(including ST) next year. This will solve the communications slowdown.
In addition, the new versions will be compatible with our new tank A-10
and helicopter simulations.
<[William] W.LIGGET> How does falcon perform with 9600 bps connection?
You can try it out yourself over a direction connection with a null-modem
serial cable. flies fine, as far as I can tell :)
<[William] W.LIGGET> Thank you
<[Holly] HS> Doug...
<DOUG.W> Back to the "infamous Gilman Louie letter."... We recently had an
IBM customer at the store (where I work) that made a comment about the
piracy in the ST userbase. I asked him where he got that impression and
he replied "oh, from that Spectrum Holobyte guy." I can understand your
desire to get your feelings out into the marketplace and to other
developers but, have you considered the impact on non-ST
owners/developers? I have to second Jeff's request that your follow-up
letters be sent to these magazines very soon.
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> First of all, I don't think it's relevant what an IBM
owner thinks about an Atari ST--considering his machine doesn't make any
recognizable sounds and has yucky graphics. More importantly, though, is
how it affect ST publishers and developers. Because these are the people
who are going to determine the success or failure of a machine platform.
The reality is what I said is what people believed--but were just afraid
to say anything about it. And, the real issue needed to be put on the
table. But, you may be preventing IBM (or Amiga or Mac) owners from ever
buying an ST, based on the "rumors" of piracy and "rumors" of lack of
support from ST developers. This is not even mentioning the people that
don't
own a
computer yet. IBM as well as Macintosh and Apple II all have piracy
problems. And, as a percentage, may have less or more pirates per
thousand. The issue is, that with a small installed user base, piracy has
a greater effect because a format has reached critical mass, every sale
(and I MEAN every sale) counts!
<DOUG.W> Also, if your primary target was ST Developers, why was it published
in non-ST specific magazines? And if IBM, Mac, and Apple II have piracy
problems, why was the ST singled out?
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> But, I will stand by my observation (and this is not
rumor,but my personal observation) that the ST pirates are very well-
organized. And I have personally been on these pirate boards for IBM, Mac
and STs. It is these pirates that are hurting the rest of us--and I have
no intention of defending them or allowing them to hide behind the skirts
of the thousands of good ST users nor behind the incredibly poor marketing
efforts of Atari.
<DOUG.W> I think the message that *actually* came across will reduce the
potential ST userbase, and *not* the piracy. This is the exact opposite of
what I (and *you*) want.
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> I don't necessary agree, based on the letters I've
received. We haven't had any comments that customers are going to stay
away from the Atari ST based on my letter. In fact, unless Atari makes a
better marketing effort, most new buyers haven't even heard of the ST.
<DOUG.W> I don't think you will receive letters like that, but that doesn't
mean those feelings don't exists.
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> You're probably right, but I felt strongly that a
statement had to be made and other companies weren't saying it. They just
weren't publishing software for the ST. We were very happy to see on the
Battlehawks 1942 board that people were saying buy the product to prove me
wrong. (My God! I really do hope I'm wrong--and we're betting part of
the company by committing to developing new ST products).
<[bob] B.O.B.> Do your update plans include smoother joystick response?
(faster sampling rate, smoother scrolling)??
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Another, absolutely! The flight controls have been
totally rewritten courtesy of John Harris, creator of Frogger &
Jawbreaker. We're hoping to release this new version of FALCON ASAP.
<[bob] B.O.B.> Sitting next to me is someone who has flown REAL T-38's...
He says...."Nice job...Falcon is awesome!"
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Thanks! Did he fly T-38's at Williams AFB?
<[bob] B.O.B.> Randolph AFB
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> You can tell your friend that we're still hoping to
make FALCON even better. If you (or your friend) has any ideas for
improvements or suggestions, just let us know by posting your message here.
<[bob] B.O.B.> Great ... Thanks
<[Holly] HS> Ralph...
<[Ralph] ST.REPORT> A little discretion would have gone a long way, You
have, in all probability made many non-computer owners very leery of the ST
and it's userbase! You may not have the access to the comments about
this...STers have heard them though.
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Ralph, you might be right...but nobody is going out
of their way to buy STs because they haven't heard about it. You and I
both agree that Atari has done a miserable job in marketing and
distributing their product. You should note, by the way, that similar
complaints were made against the Apple II back in the the late 70s and
early 80s. The Apple II had a terrible piracy problem but it didn't
affect Apple's success with the product. Apple continued to push hard on
their machine and got good business products like Visicalc to help sell
their systems to the business world. It wasn't until the emergence of
Visicalc that Apple began its hyper-growth. If Apple had to depend purely
on the home market, they would have failed. It was only their success in
businesses and schools that Apple was able to overcome the stigma of
hackers and pirates. Once there was a large enough installed base, we
game manufacturers were able to make a profit by selling games on the
Apple II.
<[Ralph] ST.REPORT> Agreed....all I say is the need for ALL of us to work
together in one common direction is very necessary, that's the success of
the ST lines and Atari.
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> I'm in total agreement. We're all in the same boat
Ralph, you and I have talked a number of times--and we both want to stop
piracy as well as getting Atari to move into the US market.
<[Holly] HS> Jeff...
<JEFF.W> Mr. Louie, One last question (from me) about that letter. What
response (if any) have you had from Atari Computer about the letter? Would
you categorize it as supportive (or at least understanding)?
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Atari has not said anything regarding the letter
I will say that their subsidiary, Federated, is really helping out the ST
market by refusing to pay for ST products. That it bought from publishers
and they're selling in their stores today. If this is an indication of
Atari's support, we have major problems. For Atari's defense, though, it
is working with us to include FALCON in every new ST that is sold. We
take this as a very positive step by Atari to encourage new users by
providing quality software with their new machines. Atari needs help,
too. They want to be successful. Keep writing to them. Believe it or
not, they do listen.
<[Holly] HS> Thank you Jeff...
<TOWNS> Thank you. For your information, Federated is (and has been)
operating as a SEPARATE company for some time now. Their business affairs
have nothing to do with Atari Corporation. If you have a problem with
Federated, I suggest you take it up with their management. As for our
commitment. Yes, we do listen and we appreciate any comments we receive.
And you are right.. We do want to be successful.
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Thanks, Towns.
<[William] W.LIGGET> Are you currently working on any new military
simulators?? I myself would love to see an F-14 or F-15 carrier based
simulator.
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Definitely! We're working on tanks, helicopters,
cars or anything else made of metal that moves.
<[William] W.LIGGET> Thanks
<[Holly] HS> Thank you...
<[Holly] HS> That's it for the evening...
<[Holly] HS> Any final comments?
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Yes, I think one thing should be clear: in order
for this community to survive, all of us (users, developers, publishers
and Atari itself) depend on each other. We all agree that the Atari ST is
a great machine. And we all have a responsibility to do everything
possible to encourage growth, new ideas, new products and profits to all
those whose livelihoods (including Atari)_depend upon it.
<[Chopstick] HOLOBYTE> Thank you for inviting me!
<[Holly] HS> Thank you for coming and spending time with us!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> NEODESK 2.03 STR Review
=======================
NeoDesk 2.03
By William Y. Baugh
Are you tired of looking at your same ol' boring icons. Have you
ever wished you could change them? Well, Dan and the folks at
Gribnif have done it again! A new upgrade, just a couple of
months after the tremendous upgrade of 2.02, allows you to do
just that. It's fantastic! Especially when all you pay for the
upgrade is the price of shipping...are you listening "other
companies" that make you pay for features that should have been
there in the first place?
This newest upgrade, though not as extensive as 2.02, is very
asthetically pleasing. They have introduced a new icon editor
which allows you to draw icons (or redraw current ones) for any
of the desktop icons. The best feature of all is that you may
give each program its own unique icon! It's great to let your
imagination run wild and create icons for your favorite programs.
I've done a few for Mark William's C, Calamus and for Opus 2.10
(which is Opus, of course). Using the new editor, you may drag
in a question mark which allows you to start from scratch and
create the new icon. When drawing, you see what the icon will
look like on the desktop and in the window; selected and
deselected. You may move, copy and erase any part of the icon.
The editor is extremely easy to use and is actually fun once you
get the hang of it. Once the icon is drawn, you may enter the
name of the program in the Template area so that it knows which
program to be with. You may also use wildcards for icons if
they're not being used for a specific programs; such as fonts,
.TXT files, etc.
You may be saying "So what, I use text mode!" Well, so do I, but
the programs you drag to the desktop look great being
individualized. It adds a little flair to the normal looking
desktop.
I stress once again; if you own a hard drive and you don't own
NeoDesk...what's wrong? Go out and get this program it's
fantastic!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> C.E.K.A. STR FOCUS
==================
CEKA - DREAMS or HOAX?
======================
One can't help but wonder if the CEKA stories released to us at
STReport, select hard copy magazines, other personalities and companies in
the Atari Community are nothing more than an elaborate hoax or the ranting
and raving dreams of rather imaginative individual. One thing is certain,
Mr. James McHugh owes a number of us in the Atari community a reasonable
explanation of the 'divine' revelations he has bestowed upon us.
After all, James McHugh called this Reporter, Micheal Arthur,
David Small and Richard Adams and a number of other folks in the Atari
Community (according to McHugh). Just what is going on here? One can't
help but wonder if you are indeed the perpetrator of an elaborate hoax or
the victim of delusions of grandeur. One thing is for sure, you, and
anything you have to do with any company or product will be highly suspect
and questionable until the validity of anything you have to say or do is
infallibly verified.
Folks, when James McHugh originally called, (2 weeks before Anaheim)
he assured us he was sending a CEKA device to STReport for review purposes.
He did tell us it was not quite ready but that he had a press release to
coincide with the show, we said send it to us and we will see what we can
do. It was at this time he told us that he would be showing the device
(prototype) at the Atari Booth. And, after being told that James McHugh had
indeed spoken to others in our community regarding the emulator we felt this
lent some credence to it's validity. As we all know now, it made no
difference what-so-ever! As of this date, we have not received a review
copy.
We promised ourselves we would follow up on this situation and
either refute this hardware goodie or in fact, show beyond a shadow of a
doubt that the device (CEKA Emulator) does exist. Actually, we courteously
provided access to CEKA products(?) and James McHugh for two press releases
and an interview with Micheal Arthur. As a result, it will now be
difficult, at best, for the next aspiring young developer to gain access to
tell the userbase about a new product.
Actually, you begin to wonder just how far one must go in verification
of a press release, we supplied the Name, Address and Telephone number of
CEKA for anyone to use. We called it and verified that it was McHugh's
number "he answered the phone!" Besides, it would have been tragic if we
had ignored this information and it does become a reality.
We noticed a number of folks complained about not having enough info
about CEKA or that perhaps it was a fabrication on the part of the reporter
who submitted the articles. All we can say about those types is we consider
the source, then dismiss it as sour grapes. Here is the telephone number
and address, the phone number was included in the first press release in
STReport #84. We now present the information ONCE again.
C.E.K.A. / S.E.K.A.
c/o James McHugh or John Winchentsen
3031 Gough ST
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-474-2641
If, in fact, the CEKA/SEKA press release was a hoax, allow us to
shed some light on the remarks of the lesser informed, the press release
and it's related information appeared in a number of hard copy
publications and in more than one roundtable as a discussed subject.
Granted, it appears that some ultra 'considerate' person has taken the time
and trouble to attempt to create an uncomfortable situation involving
Richard Adams and DAVID SMALL (now litigants) and STReport by reporting the
same information to all of the above mentioned folks. We decided to bring
it out in the open for all to see the silly games played behind the
scenes. David Small has already verified in both his roundtable and the
ST RT that he indeed had been contacted and was given the same information
that we at STReport were. Richard Adams has contacted this publication
and also related to the fact that he too was called and given this
information.
Fellow Atari users, let's look at this cooly and see if in the next
few weeks we can unravel the situation (if one exists)...Let's see if we
can find out exactly who is at the bottom of this story and what the real
purpose was and is. Who knows, McHugh may be 100% legit and then
again,...
STReport's Opinion:
-------------------
If this guy McHugh has indeed tried to purposely and with malicious
intent mislead the people involved in the CEKA thing all we can say is that
it is a cruel and very sick act to commit against SMALL and ADAMS at this
time. To cause STReport to bring this out in the open for all to see and
judge is really stupid because now, all it can do is backfire into McHugh's
and CEKA'S face and loose any momentum or effectiveness it may have gained.
Further, we see it as a slap in the face of the entire userbase simply by
releasing this information in an obvious attempt to cause all the parties
concerned to commence to further bickering and friction. As always, we
will make every attempt to vigorously pursue this issue until such time
that all the real intentions and goals are fully brought forward.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
> SPEEDBALL STR Review
====================
Speedball
by William Y. Baugh
Speedball is a terrific new release for the states from Image
Works Software and The Bitmap Brothers (being distributed by
Cinemaware for the states). Speedball mixes sports and arcade
action to make an amazingly fast action packed game.
The game consists of two teams of six playing on a steel-walled
pitch 90 feet wide and 160 feet long; with walls 30 feet high.
Near the middle, built into the walls are two doorway
"transporters" that will, if the ball is thrown into them,
transport it to the opposite transporter, retaining the balls'
velocity and angular motion. Also in the middle is the ball
launcher which will pop up out of its recess and fire the ball
out at random angles to start the game and after every goal. At
both ends of the pitch are the goals. These are "holes" built
into the wall that take up around 3/4 of the end wall.
Positioned around the floor are four bounce domes which deflect
the ball (if not thrown over them) but players may move freely
over them during game play. The position of the domes changes
from game to game. During play, tiles appear with either letters
coins rotating on the floor. Each tile, depending upon the
letter, will help you out in a certain manner. These range from
allowing you to increase your stamina or decrease the opponents,
protect your team from being tackled, to turning the ball into a
weapon that when thrown will tackle an opposing player. The
coins are collected during play and may be used after the game to
increase your attributes, buy more time, decrease the attributes
of your next opponent or reduce the computers intelligence.
Before you start playing, you have the option to either play One
Player Knockout, One Player League or a Two player game. Once
one of these are selected, you are presented with a choice of
three team captains and their attributes. You must select one of
the captains to play before you continue (Each one has his pluses
and minuses...).
The knockout consists of a ten round elimination where you will
play ten different teams and attempt to beat each one. The first
rounds are relatively easy, with the wimpy teams getting the
early rounds(After you've progressed to the sixth round...things
start getting a little hairy). There are three games per round;
during this time you must accrue 3 points to advance to the next
round (Scoring is broken down as thus: 2 points for a win, 1 for
a draw and 0 for a loss). Before each game starts there is a
status window updating you on your current status towards
completing the round. Also displayed is your attributes (Power,
stamina and skill) as well as the other players stats.
The league play allows you to select the duration of the league
(anywhere from 1 to 100 weeks and
you may save a current game in
progress and load it back in whenever you like) and gives you a
running tally of total points, goals you've made, goals made
against you, the number of games played and your won/loss record.
Scoring is as follows: 100 points for a win, 20 for a draw and 5
for each goal. It is vital during league play to score as many
goals as possible. You may have a worse won/loss record as
another team, but if you've been scoring left and right, you
should be well ahead of that team. Your opponents are selected
at random during the first round; so be prepared to (maybe) meet
up with one of the toughest teams your first game. If your
playing a multiple week game, the teams stay in the same order
after the first round; so write them down! You may want to know
who's next in case you need to lower their strength, stamina,
etc.
Now, onto the game. The actual game play is spectacular! It's
fast, hectic and frantic. I was hooked the moment I saw it.
Your leather and studs clad men (similar to Roller Ball) are
initially positioned similar to that of a hockey game. With two
men up on the half-pitch line, two men further back and the
goalie. The ball launcher appears, with ball spinning and then
releases it in a random direction and speed. You must be patient
at this time since you cannot move until the ball is launched.
Once launched...the fun begins. There are no rules to this game,
no penalties to worry about; the main premise is to score as many
goals possible, any way you can. You may tackle your opponent
with the ball, tackle one without the ball, tackle the goalie,
anything! The main thing is to move the ball up-court and score.
Your men are controlled using the joystick. Throwing the ball is
accomplished by either pressing the button very quickly for a
hip-high shot or holding the button for a lob shot. Getting
these two button-presses down is vital for playing the game. It
is virtually impossible to score on a lob throw, you must be able
to throw the hip-high shot for scoring as well as passing the
ball. What will probably make this part of the game hard is your
joystick. If you are using an Epyx 500J; don't even bother with
this game. You cannot get the right response from the fire
button to do the different throws. I use a TAC-2 joystick and it
works great! As a suggestion, stay to stiff fire button
joysticks.
As you play, you never lose track of the ball. This game has
terrific scrolling and intelligence built in to automatically
switch your players for you so that the one closest to the ball
is the active player. If you do not want that particular player,
you may bring another player from off screen to be the active
one. You get the hang of it after playing a couple of times.
Now the hardest part of the game is when your opponent has the
ball near your goal and you must control the goalie. The reason
this is hard is that you control the goalie AND the currently
active player! If your not paying attention and are using the
player to, say, tackle from the right side, your goalie is doing
the exact same thing leaving the goal wide open. This can be a
real nuisance until you get enough practice and experience to
leave the guy alone and use just your goalie for defense. This
feature is also unfair because the computer is not under any such
constraints; thus making it hard (and some teams nearly
impossible) to score against. As with other games; practice,
experience, luck (and the tiles) will help you persevere over the
tougher opponents.
I strongly, highly and every other 'ly' recommend this game. It
is definitely the hottest sports/arcade game out for the ST. If
your looking for FAST action and great game play, check this out,
you'll love it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL
======================
- WillowBrook, IL. **** AeroChopper is OUTTA SIGHT! ****
--------------
AeroChopper is a flight control system not unlikley those found in the
model airplane community. You have a hand held device that's identical to
those used by Radio Control hobbyists. Coupled with the software provided,
you actually can fly seven different aircraft and a 'copter. So far most all
who have tried this goodie say it is wild and well worth the investment.
- Sunnyvale, CA. *** DESKSET TO BE 'THE CAT'S MEOW' ***
-------------
Although not intended to replace any DTP system currently available,
Atari's new Deskset is reported to be the word processor 'epitome'. This
author can't wait to see, feel and use this new killer-diller! Coupled
with Hyperplan and Wordflair, it sure promises to be a power house!
- Sunnyvale, CA. **** Scale-Able G-DOS Still ALIVE? ****
-------------
We all remember the stories about the scaleable G-Dos, you know, the
fully flexible GDOS that allowed scaling of the fonts..well, according to
our sources, we may yet see that program later this year. Alleged to be
leaner, faster and more efficient, it too shows a great deal of promise.
Atari is really on the move.
- Jacksonville, FL. **** SCOUT WORLD 1989 ****
----------------
Scout World Shows have almost become a National Institution at JAX
N.A.S. and we are about to enjoy another. Last year's show was a
resounding success with well over 150,000 attendees. ST J.A.U.G., a
Jacksonville Atari Usergroup had a forty foot booth last year and 22 Atari
ST computers up and running, this year, TWO forty foot booths are planned
and direct connects to CIS - GENIE - DELPHI will be in place. Show dates
are 5-19,20,21-89 at Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
> STR Spotlight
=============
The Best of Atari Desktop Publishing
====================================
WAACE - Current Notes DTP Contest
All Atari computer users are hereby invited to submit entries to a Desktop
Publishing contest sponsored by Washington Area Atari Computer Enthusiasts
and Current Notes Magazine.
Entries must be submitted before the 8th of September 1989. Judging and
awarding of prizes will take place at the WAACE AtariFest on 7-8 October.
The contest is intended to showcase the kinds of business and personal
communications that are possible with 8 and 16 bit Atari computers.
Personal and Commercial categories in both 8 and 16 bit divisions give
everyone a chance to win.
The prizes will consist of valuable gift certificates for software and
hardware as donated by AtariFest supporters.
Copies of the contest rules are available from Current Notes Magazine at
122 N. Johnson Rd, Sterling, VA, 22170, from your local Current Notes retail
sales agent, or by downloading file the file DTPCONTS.ARC from the ST
Roundtable on GENie.
CONTEST RULES
The contest rules listed below provide the restrictions and other
guidelines governing the WAACE - Current Notes DTP contest:
1 Eligibility
- developers of DTP products or their employees are not
eligible.
2 Categories
- Submitted works will be judged in one of the following four categories:
1) 8-bit Personal, 2) 8-bit Commercial,
3) 16-bit Personal, 4) 16-bit Commercial.
Entries in the personal category will have been prepared for the use
of the submitter and his/her family. Works will be deemed commercial if
they are intended for wider audiences including, but not limited to,
educational and social organizations, business clients, or the general
public. The judges may elect not to award prizes in categories for which
there are fewer than 4 entries.
3 Originality
- All work must be the original work of the submitter.
Submitter must certify that none of the subject matter or graphic images are
substantially derived from copyrighted works.
4 Ownership
- All submitted material becomes the property of WAACE and
Current Notes Inc to use as they see fit. Material rejected as being
unsuitable will be returned only if the submitter provides return envelopes
and postage.
5 Limitation as to number
- No more than two entries will be accepted from
any one household in any one division.
6 Use of Atari Hardware and Software
- All work must use Atari computers.
Hardware from other manufacturers may be used as peripherals. Hardware or
software that has not been available at retail to the public prior to 1 July
1989 may not be used.
7 Submissions
- All entries must be submitted as hardcopy accompanied by a
floppy disk containing all components needed to produce the document. Floppy
disks must be readable by standard Atari disk drives. Each submission is
limited to 1 disk. Hardcopy output may not amount to more than the
equivalent of 5 8 1/2 by 11 pages. The submission disk must also contain a
text file providing complete instructions for generating the final output.
Products (hardware and software) used to create all graphics and text
components of the work must be specified.
Submissions must be accompanied by a letter giving the submitter's
name, address, and home telephone number and the title of the submission.
Submission of an entry constitutes affirmation that the submitter has read
and agrees to comply with the contest rules. The organizers are not obliged
to provide opportunity for submitters to remedy defects in their
submissions.
All submissions are at the submitter's own risk. The organizers
will not assume any responsibility for wear and tear that submitted material
is subjected to.
Submissions shall be sent to Current Notes Magazine, Attn: DTP
Contest, 122 N. Johnson Rd, Sterling, VA 22170.
8 Deadline
- all entries must be in the hands of the organizers by September 8 1989.
9 Taste
- The judges reserve the right to reject work that is offensive or
otherwise unsuitable for public display at a family event.
10 Award Criteria
- The awards will be made on the basis of the effectiveness of
submissions in conveying information. Visual impact and related factors
such as style, arrangement, typography, and text content will be considered.
The judges may elect not to award prizes if none of the entries in a
category are deemed to be prize-worthy.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
OFFICIAL ENTRY BLANK
1989 WAACE - Current Notes DTP Contest
Please complete a separate entry form for each submission
---------------------------------------------------------
Submitter's Name ________________________________________________________
(please print)
Address: Apt _______________ Street:_____________________________________
City ____________________________ State ____ ZIP _______________
Home Phone Number: ____ - ____ - ____________Bus:___ - ___ - ___________
Title of Submission: ____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
[ ] 8 Bit [ ] 16 bit [ ] Personal [ ] Commercial
I hereby certify that I have read the contest rules and that my entry
complies with them in all respects. I certify that this submission is
my own original work and that none of the material is substantially
derived from any copyrighted work.
______________________________________ _______________
Signature Date
Send this form together with your disks and hardcopy output to:
Current Notes
122 N. Johnson Rd
Sterling, VA 22170
** BEFORE -> 8 September 1989.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> STReport InfoFile
=================
ABCO COMPUTER ELECTRONICS INC.
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672
_________________________________________
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT
BBS: 904-786-4176 12-24-96 HST
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 PM - 6 AM EDT
_________________________________________
HARD DISK SYSTEMS TO FIT EVERY BUDGET
-------------------------------------
All systems are complete and ready to use, included at NO EXTRA COST are
clock/calendar and cooling blower(s).
ALL ABCO HARD DISK SYSTEMS ARE FULLY EXPANDABLE
(all cables and connectors installed)
SEAGATE hard disk mechanisms - ICD Host Adapters used
EXCLUSIVELY
OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS
42mb #SG44710 619.00 65mb #SG60101 719.00
85mb #SG840110 949.00 132mb #SG3A1210 1049.00
ALL Units: Average Access Time: 24ms
LARGER units are available - (special order only)
--------------------------
*** Available for ST - Amiga - Mac - IBM ***
LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS
6 month FULL Guarantee
followed by
6 month Parts & Labor Warranty
(A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE)
Call or Write for more info.
** PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGES ABOVE THERE WERE TWO TYPO ERRORS IN LAST WEEK'S
NOTICE. THE 42MB IS 619.00 AND THE 65MB 719.00. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY
INCONVENIENCE.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> A "QUOTABLE QUOTE"
==================
"SMALL THINGS AMUSE SMALL MINDS"
"ATARI IS BACK!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST-REPORT Issue #88 "Your Independent News Source" May 19, 1989
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED copyright 1989
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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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
