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Silicon Times Report Issue 0076
*---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original Online ST Magazine"
-------------------------------
February 24, 1989 Volume III No.76
==========================================================================
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
~ STReport Reader - 1st Class! ~ Leisure Suit Larry
~ Turtle 3.0 ~ Manual Maker 2.0
~ ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL ~ Fleetstreet 2.0
**** ST REPORT'S CPU NEWSWIRE LIVES! ****
** MEGA FAMILY SOON TO EXPAND! **
**** LYCO SEZ 1040 "OLD & DISCONTINUED"! ****
========================================================================
AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ THE SOURCE
========================================================================
From the Editor's Desk:
-----------------------
With Atari Corp. planning a systematic uphill reclaiming of the home
computer market in the USA, how can any true Atarian sit still? Here at
STReport the wave of excited anticipation has never been so high.
Usually, you hear well, let's wait and see. Not this time though, we are
confident of Atari's forward thrust and can readily see the positive,
enthusiastic attitude of the folks at Atari.
We have noticed that a few other "publications" have felt a need to
put us down for our editorials and commentaries. In the great words of
Rhett..."Frankly ..etc." We feel we provide a viable service to the Atari
computing community and judging by the positive mail we are receiving from
both the States and Europe, we have been mandated to forge ahead and
continue as we have been.
In the past, we have been "pro" mail order, it appears we may have
to "eat crow" because of the behavior of two rather prominent mail order
houses, LYCO for saying the 1040ST is discontinued and worse yet is CMO
who likes to use it's customers money (interest FREE!) Both items appear
in this issue.
Happily, in the year of the FUJI, STReport has begun the first mail
out to our faithful readers and supporters! If you're not on our mailing
list, please leave your full address in E-Mail or drop us a post card
with your address on it to our PO Box 6672, JAX, FL. 32205.
Thanks for your support,
Ralph....
**************************************************************************
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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
(Listed at the top of ST REPORT)
or
Leave E-mail to St Report - R.Mariano
Be sure to include your full mailing address so your
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**************************************************************************
> CPU REPORT¿
----------
Issue 10
By Michael Arthur
Remember When....
In 1985, the 520 ST didn't have TOS in ROM, but Atari was showing a
260 ST (which would have had 256K of RAM), which just happened to have TOS
in ROM, with the result that the 260 ST with TOS ROMs had almost as much
memory free for applications as did the 520 ST without TOS ROMs?
CPU Systems Roundup II¿
=======================
WORM Drives, Floptical Disks, and the Future of Storage
-------------------------------------------------------
In the time of the computer industry, advances in chip technology,
graphics, and RAM have occurred at an incredible rate. While these areas
are very important, one field which (although it is just as vital to
computers) has not achieved the level of recognition as areas such as
microprocessors is the matter of storing all the information that
computers handle.
As computers became more powerful, operating systems gained in
capabilities, and applications had more features, the need for ways to
store the data generated by all these computers grew exponentially. While
Five Mb hard disks were reserved for power users as late as 1985, now
20-40 Meg hard drives are the norm, with 150-300 Meg Hard drives being
the Power User's dream. But as computers improve even more, it is a
certainty that even MORE storage will be needed. In the past few years,
four technologies have emerged to fill the present and future need for
information storage: CD-ROMs, WORMs, Bernoulli Drives, and most recently,
Magneto-Optical disks.
CD-ROM's (or Compact Disk - Read Only Memory) read data from Compact
Disks through a pretty interesting process. First, a laser emits a beam
of light which is reflected by a mirror into an objective lens, which
focuses it onto the optical disk. Embedded into the disk are tiny pits
(or dots), and when the disk is rotated under the lens, the raised pits
reflect a greater intensity of light back to the lens than the rest of the
disk. This increase in intensity is then detected by the read head, to
denote the digital data stored on the disk. Laser technology is used to
pack an enormous number of "dots" onto the disk, resulting in that vast
amounts of data are densely compressed in Compact Disks. CD-ROMs are made
in an unconventional manner, with disks being formed by stamping them, or
cutting them out of a smooth sheet of plastic film. This, by the way, is
exactly how phonograph records are made in the music industry....
CD-ROMs might be perfect for storing large databases of general info
that doesn't require revision often (such as encyclopedias, digitized
sounds, and dictionaries), but if you need to store huge amounts of your
OWN data (such as a series of AutoCad 3-D files with full schematics of
the space shuttle, or a complete catalog of ALL the source code produced
by a programming team from the program's inception) for archiving etc,
WORM (or Write Once, Read Many) drives may be your only option.
WORM drives read data in a fashion similar to CD-ROM drives, but
they can also write data to disk (though this writing is permanent; hence
the term, "Write Once Read Many"). This is done by using a laser to burn
holes directly onto the surface of the disk. Since these holes reflect
much less light than intact disk areas, the decrease in beam intensity
which is caused is used to denote the data stored on the disk. As with
CD-ROMs, the lasers are used to mark a great number of tiny holes in the
relatively small area of the disk, causing great information density, and
greater data storage capabilities....
Most of us identify Bernoulli drives with the 20 Megabyte Removable
Cartridges made by Iomega Corporation. This technology, though, is based
on a principle of physics that is used everyday....
Bernoulli's Principle states that an increase in the flow of a fluid
on one side of a surface produces less pressure on the other side, and
that a decrease in fluid flow on one side results in an increase in
pressure on the other side. For example, a plane's wings are made so the
speed of the airflow below the wing is greater than the speed above it,
resulting that the pressure below the wing is greater than the pressure
above it, producing a lift that helps the plane take off.
Iomega used this principle in the Bernoulli Box by having a flexible
magnetic disk rotate very closely to a circular plate which contains the
magnetic read/write heads. When the disk is spinning, the circular plate
draws in and manipulates air flow, lifting the disk up towards the plate
close enough that the head to disk spacing is VERY small (50 microns for
the Bernoulli Box). Since the magnetic head does not actually touch the
disk (doing so would create pressure that would push the disk away from
it, and nullify the Bernoulli effect), head crashes are practically
impossible. Also, since the disk is closely (but safely) aligned with the
magnetic head, more data can be stored and accessed, since the head can
accurately read/write from more tracks than otherwise possible. Also,
given the general basis of this method, Bernoulli technology can be used
with other storage methods, in order to achieve even MORE reliable ways of
storing MUCH more data than before....
Although these three technologies will be important, most of them
deal with archival storage, or storing massive amounts of data for later
retrieval. Recently introduced, however, magneto-optical drives seem
certain to revolutionize the area of floppy disk storage. The most famous
of these drives is the Sony drive that comes with the NeXT Computer.
The disks for the NeXT drive use the same material as CD-ROM disks,
with a reflective "mirror" layer on top of a plastic film. NeXT disks use
a single laser to both read and write data.
To write data to the disk, first the drive applies a magnetic field
to the disk. This field is oriented to write the binary digit 0 on the
disk. Then, a laser is used to heat a sector on the mirror layer to its
Curie point, or the temperature at which the crystals in the mirror layer
change their polarity to match that of the magnetic field. This makes
all binary data in the sector consist of 0s. The drive then orients the
magnetic field to write the binary digit 1 on the drive. The laser then
heats all the sector's areas where a bit must be set to a 1, to the mirror
layer's Curie point.
To read data onto the disk, the drive first removes the magnetic
field. When it uses the laser to aim a beam of light at the mirror layer,
a phenomenon known as the Kerr effect causes the crystal alignment to
alter the polarization of the reflected beam. The amount of beam
polarization determines its intensity, and a polarizing filter in the read
head then determines whether a 0 or a 1 was read on the disk by the level
of beam intensity. As in CD-ROMs, lasers enable a large amount of data to
be written in a very small space.
But the NeXT technology, at $1500 a drive, and $50 a disk, is too
expensive, slow, and big (not all of us need 256 MB disks in regular use)
for conventional microcomputers. To satisfy the needs of personal
computers, Insite Peripherals has developed the Insite I325 Drive, which
uses removable "Floptical" 3 1/2 Inch disks, each capable of storing up to
25 Mb of data. Designed by Jim Shugart, one of the engineers behind
the original 5 1/4 inch floppy disk, Floptical disks are very similar to
high-density floppy disks used by IBM to hold 1.44 Megs of data, and can
be used by any computer with an SCSI interface.
One serious problem with current floppy disks is that they tend to
wobble, making it difficult for the magnetic read/write heads to track the
data on the disk accurately. So as to make it easier for the drive's
magnetic heads, floppy disks always have had a limited amount of tracks
per inch. Insite Peripherals solved this by embedding an optical servo
track (using lasers to precisely etch the track markers) onto the surface
of conventional high-density disks. An infrared LED is used to follow the
tracks, so magnetic heads can be aligned more precisely, preventing disks
from wobbling. Since the read/write heads are made more accurate, lasers
can etch tracks on the disk more densely, and the LED can easily follow
the tracks, this allows MANY more tracks (15,000 per inch, as compared to
regular 3 1/2 Inch disks, which only hold 135 tracks per inch) to be used
on Floptical Disks. Roughly translated, this means that MUCH more data
can be quickly stored and accessed from disk.
In fact, Insite's drives have the same seek time (65 milliseconds)
as a Seagate 225, and the I235 is planned to match the cost of Seagate's
SCSI 20 Meg Hard Disk (at around $250.00), so it can go head to head with
current hard disk technology....
Most of us take disk storage for granted. While we get excited over
the newest computer, powerhouse microchip, or the latest and greatest in
computer graphics, no one really seems to consider what we all use to
store our data, whether it be the IRS 1040 Tax Form, the church
newsletter, or Falcon. But while information storage has received
relatively little acclaim in the computer field, it is unquestionably a
vital part of all computers, both now and in the future....
But ponder, if you will, these questions:
1) With Magneto-Optical Drives, will current hard drives become obsolete?
2) When will the technologies discussed above be widely used in low to
middle-end microcomputers, and who will first utilize them?
------==========***==========------
> CPU REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿
=======================
Sausalito, CA AutoDesk Inc. has started shipping AutoCad Version 10
------------- for the Macintosh II. Cost: $2995.95, but for the
most powerful CAD package for microcomputers....
Chatsworth, CA NMB Technologies has introduced the first 1 Megabit
-------------- DRAM chip with an access time of 60 milliseconds.
**NOTE** This new DRAM chip will allow computers running at
25-30 MHZ to be made without needing complex memory
caching schemes, which will dramatically reduce their
cost, and without having wait states, which will
greatly increase their speed.
West Chester, PA Commodore displayed a new Graphics Card for the Amiga
---------------- 2000 which will GREATLY expand the Amiga's dominance
in the graphics arena. Not much is known at this time
about this board, but it is rumored to use 16 million
colors at the same time, and have a top resolution of
1280*960 w/256 colors at the same time. There WILL be
more info on this board next week....
Flowery Branch, GA DayStar Digital has just come out with the 33/030
------------------ Accelerator II, a new coprocessor for the Mac II/IIx
that uses a 33 MHZ 68030 and a 33 MHZ 68882 math chip.
Cost: $7000.00, not including the 4 Megs of 32-bit RAM
required to use it. Since that will cost an added
$1600.00, maybe 8 or 16 MHZ isn't so bad after all....
Besides....It's only money....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
> STReport InfoFile¿
=================
NAVARONE INDUSTRIES
===================
Navarone Industries currently has five products. All of our products
are for the ST (both 520 and 1040) and all of the MEGA series. All
products include a cartridge which plugs into the cartridge port of the
ATARI.
The five are:
1. TimeKeeper: The Navarone TimeKeeper is a battery operated
clock/calendar cartridge which always knows the time and date.
Software included provides several choices for versatile use
of the TimeKeeper, including updating the computer with the
current time and date when powered on. The TimeKeeper
cartridge is 'flow-thru', meaning another cartridge may be
plugged into it so as to not lose the cartridge port. Retail
price is $29.95.
2. Video Digitizer: Connect a video camera, surveillance camera,
VCR or any other video signal (not RF) and see the image on
the ATARI screen. Several grey scales are available as well
as animation capabilities. The images shown may be captured
to disk in several formats for later use in desktop publishing
programs. $79.95.
3. Sound Digitizer: Similar to the Video Digitizer, but samples
of sounds are captured instead. These sounds may be viewed
through a pseudo oscilloscope on the ATARI screen or played
back through the cartridge and externally powered speakers.
Any of the sounds may be modified by stretching, squeezing,
patching, even played backwards. Imagine what a drop of water
sounds like played backwards. Both the Video and Sound
digitizers are quite educational. $99.95.
4. ST-SCAN-S: A combination of the Canon IX-12 sheet fed image
scanner, cable, interface cartridge and software for a
complete package to be used in the desktop publishing arena.
A page of information (max. 8.5 x 11) may be scanned with
several options including line art and half tones, along with
adjustments for light and dark copy. Four densities of 75,
150, 200 or 300 dots per inch may be chosen. Formats for
storing the images are DEGAS, GEM (IMG) and PostScript. A
mini editor is also provided to 'clean up' any scanned images,
including 'fat bit' manipulation. The retail price of ST-
SCAN-S $1239.00.
5. ST-SCAN-F: The same package as #4 above, but including the
Canon IX-12F flatbed image scanner instead of the sheet fed.
With the sheet fed scanner, the item to be scanned is 'pulled'
through the scanner, scanning as it goes. The flatbed scanner
is much more like a copy machine, in that the object to be
scanned is placed on a flat glass and the scanning mechanism
moves across (beneath) it. This method allows scanning most
anything; boxes, bound pages in books, even your hand.
Everything else mentioned about the sheet fed scanner above is
true for the flatbed except for the price. The flatbed scanner
retail price is $1779.00.
There are other products in the works, but that's the future...
We accept Master Card, Visa, COD and pre-paid check. We ship UPS to
the USA and Canada. Please call for pricing and availability.
Generally, all orders are shipped the same day as ordered or the next
day if UPS has already picked up today.
Our address and phone numbers are:
Navarone Industries, Inc.
454 Kenneth Avenue
Campbell, CA 95008
(800) 624-6545 (USA except California)
(408) 378-8177 (in California, Canada or foreign)
(408) 378-3920 (FAX)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
> STR Spotlight¿
=============
STReport READING PROGRAM
========================
(c)ASDE Inc.
151 Jolicoeur
Hull, Quebec
J8Z 1C8 CANADA
The [STReader.prg] program in <STREADER.ARC> is a shareware
contribution Copyrighted program by ASDE Inc. and produced exclusively for
STReport.
The program permits very quick loading of text files so that it is
almost as quick to use as the desk top <SHOW FILE> option. It is however
vastly more sophisticated than the desk top reader, since it permits you
to go back and forth from one page to the next or previous page. It also
permits you to jump forward or back to any page number. The program does
not scroll a page on screen but displays it all at once, this greatly
diminishes eye fatigue while reading long texts. The title of the text
being read as well as the present page number and last page number are
displayed on the last line of the screen.
A book like frame has been added around the text to create an more
pleasant reading environment. Page changes, either forward or backward
are graphically displayed by a figurative page flipping of the right or
left top most corner.
If you enjoy this program and would like to sample our other fine
ST/Mega programs, send $5.00 and a blank disk together with a self
addressed envelope. In return we will send you a functional demonstration
version of GEOGRAPHY TUTOR the Electronic Atlas and GFA_BILD the program
building utility which makes your GFA BASIC enormously more flexible and
easy to use.
Ed: Since the great surprise of being treated to this neat reader, we have
no regrets in endorsing this program. We realize you really do not need a
reader program, but...this one is quite nice and has some really nice
special effects. In fact, we recommend it's use to each and every one of
our readers and respectfully request that all who use this reader follow
through and support the author. We thought so much of the efforts of the
author we sent him a check to help his new company along and, as a result,
he has promised enhancements for the STReport Reader.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> STR Review¿
==========
LEISURE SUIT LARRY II
=====================
by Bill Baugh
Leisure Suit Larry II or by its official name, Leisure Suit Larry
goes Looking For Love (In Several Wrong Places), is a new inter-
active graphic adventure from the folks who are synonymous with
adventuring, Sierra. As the title states, it is a continuation
of their first LSL game, with nerdy ol' Larry Laffer being the
main character.
Graphic adventures have always fascinated me. Being able to live
out a characters life, as in a book, is great for relaxation and
escapism. But up until recently, most of the graphic games have
been, well, quite blocky. With the insurgence of games like
Chronoquest, Captain Blood and the grandaddy of them all, Dungeon
Master, we are finally able to see some of the true power the ST
possess in the realm of graphics. Well, Sierra has never truly
taken the ST to its graphic limits; but they're trying. With
recent releases of Manhunter, Police Quest II, Kings Quest IV and
of course LSLII, you can tell that they are doing more than just
porting over Apple programs.
You can see the improvement immediately; from the title screen
until the last hoorah with Larry. The game is also much larger
than its predecessor. Whereas the original came on two, single
sided disks, LSLII comes on three double sided disks! (For 520ST
owners with SS drives, you may send your disks back for single
sided ones for a nominal fee.) Al has added options, such as
picking the level of nastiness that you will play at, and hiding
the parser cursor when you are not typing (allows for larger
screen display).
Now on to the story. After the first LSL, Larry has gained
(surprisingly) more of a compassionate view towards women.
Rather than looking for a good time, Larry is ready to find "Mrs.
Right" and settle down for awhile. The only problem is that
Larry has accidentally bought something the KGB wants
desperately; and will stop at nothing to get at (even
seduction!). This is probably one of the few games in which you
will enjoy dying in. The story takes you from L. A., to a cruise
ship, to a resort island, to a plane then finally to a tropical
island in the middle of nowhere.
I would like to say more but I can't without ruining the game for
everybody. I will say though, if you like adventures, this one
is for you. It is very challenging and best of all, enjoyable.
Also, Sierra deserves all the support we can give them. They are
really putting out some quality games, all available for the ST.
So if your in the mood for some fun, check out Leisure Suit Larry
II, you won't regret it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> STR Review¿
==========
Turtle 3.0
==========
The Premier Hard Disk Back-up Utility
-------------------------------------
There are a lot of different hard drive back-up programs out in
the public domain, but none (to me) stand up to Turtle 3.0 by
George R. Woodside. Mr. Woodside incorporates an ingenious
scheme in that he uses a RAM disk that is exactly the same
configuration of the destination floppy disk. This program
flies! Having the hard drive writing directly into the RAM disk
and then whole disk copying out to the floppy; it's quite amazing
to see how fast it actually works.
The program is full of great features, all accessible through
drop down menus. You are able to set an archival bit so that in
later back-ups, you may skip over programs that have already been
saved, select the number of copies you want to back-up and use
the query mode to pick and choose which files will be copied.
Also, you have a wide variety of destination disk formats to
choose from, with the RAM disk conforming to whatever is chosen.
Since the program copies the files using TOS and no special
compressions, you may restore the drive using the desktop. This
may seem tedious, but with having very recent experience with
this, I have found that it is definitely the way to go.
-----=====**=====-----
Manual Maker 2.0
================
Manual Maker is a new program from Craig W. Daymon that takes any
ASCII file, such as a README file or docs for your favorite
program, and turns it into a fully formatted, double sided, font
selectable, page numbered printout.
The program must run under either GDOS or G+DOS, with GEM fonts
and printer drivers. None of these are included. Once loaded,
you have the ability to set page configurations, select what
fonts you have available, select justifications and print
qualities (whether draft or final). You also have the ability to
embed commands to perform functions like centering, boldface,
etc. As stated above, you also have the ability to print on both
sides of the paper to make it look like an actual "manual".
The program is very well written. It may seem a little slow on
formatting your document, but you must remember that it is having
to reformat and "re-font" your entire document. Give this a try,
I think you'll like it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿
======================
- Orange, CA. ***** SIG HARTMANN CAMPAIGNS FOR ATARI *****
-----------
Sig Hartmann, Executive Vice President of Atari Corp will be present
at the main meeting to discuss 'Where Atari is heading'. The meeting
usually lasts about 1 1/2 hours, and there will be a room set up after
the meeting, where you will be able to talk to an Atari Rep., and dealers.
Our usual meeting is held at 11:00 am. The meetings are at Chapman
College, 333 N. Glassell Orange California. The 11:00 meeting is in
Wilkenson Hall, Room 221. The main meeting is held at 1:00 pm in
Hashinger Lecture Hall.
For More Info:
call Dain Leese at (714)552-5185
or
Bill Bencivenga at (714)633-4665.
- San Francisco, CA. **** SPECTRUM HOLOBYTE TO UNVEIL E.B.S! ****
-----------------
In a bold move to maintain the lead in innovative gaming software,
preliminary plans for a superb Electronic Battlefield Simulation is right
around the corner. It could mean you and the guy next to you, (that's
right, next to you!), will fight a common enemy ..the neat part is your
buddy can be a thousand miles away! Six NEW titles are on the way for
1989! G. Louie is an ST Fan!
- N.Hollywood, CA. ***** CODEHEAD = HIGH LEVEL PROGRAMS! *****
---------------
Chas. F. Johnson and John Eidsvoog continue to make "magic" with
assembly programming. In plain terms; "these guys are good!" Codehead
Software, the name of their company, is planning a number of superb
releases in the very near future: Codehead Utilities [2 disks], HeadStart
[Extended Version] and FatBack [30-60 days]. Codehead also has G+Plus Dos
[2.1] and Multi-Desk [1.70] available ..folks, these programs have a
proven track record and are among the very best available for the ST in
the "make your life easier" area. On top of all this action CFJ has also
released to shareware ..version 1.98 of his world famous "ArcShell".
Since this program is shareware, it up to all of us to show our
sincere appreciation for his fine efforts and loyal support. If you are
using the program send him the few ducats he asks for...Arcshell has made
all our lives just a little easier.
- Rockville, MD. **** GEnie Assigns a NEW SYSOP ****
--------------
Darlah Hudson Pine, Head SysOp GEnie Atari Sigs, announced this week
the appointment of Douglas N. Wheeler to the position of sysop in the
Atari ST RT. To Doug we wish all the luck and success possible. His
'new' address will be Doug.W...
- New York, N.Y. **** CLONING THE MAC ****
-------------
Cloning the MacIntosh. Many companies think about it. Some have
even tried - for example, the Brazilian company Unitron. But Apple's
threats of legal action have always put a damper on the idea. Now,
Taiwan-based Happy Joiner Company has shown two Mac-compatible gate-array
chip sets at the Computex trade show in Taiwan. The gate arrays include
a real-time clock chip and floppy disk controller that's capable of
managing two 800k Mac floppy drives. The company, an uninterruptible power
supply (UPS) vendor, hasn't cloned the Mac ROM yet. But according to
Asiatrends, a newsletter on Asian sources of computer products that is
published by the Trade Media in Hong Kong, Happy Joiner also exhibited a
prototype Mac-compatible at the show. Since Happy Joiner maintains the
chip sets don't violate any existing Apple copyrights, the company
apparently isn't worried about Apple lawsuits. Happy Joiner doesn't plan
on selling the Mac-compatible computers itself, but will sell its chip
sets to anyone who wants to design legal Mac ROM and legal software to run
it.
- Sunnyvale, CA. ***** NEW ADDITION TO MEGA FAMILY! *****
--------------
Rumor has it that there is a 1mb MegaST in the works. The gain here
is the use of the expansion buss. The Mega family will soon become the
backbone of Atari Corp. According to our source..
- Jersey Shore, PA. *** LYCO COMPUTER SEZ 1040 IS DISCONTINUED ***
----------------
Talk about SOUR GRAPES!! Just because Atari will not supply mail
order, they now have their representatives telling folks the 1040STF is
outdated and discontinued... just ask Joe!
- London, U.K. ***** APPLE MUSIC LTD. sues APPLE COMPUTERS! *****
-----------
The group that revolutionized rock 'n roll wants the company that
revolutionized the personal-computer industry to stop the music. Apple
Corps Ltd., the British-based concern once owned by the Beatles, said
Apple Computer has violated a trademark agreement that prohibited the
computer maker from marketing any musical product with the name "Apple."
In a lawsuit filed this week in London, the Beatles' company asked a
court to prevent Apple Computer from selling some of its most popular
models, which are capable of playing or synthesizing music. (CTSY CIS)
- London, U.K. **** ATARI UNVEILS POCKET SYSTEM IN UK ****
-----------
Atari Corp. displayed at London's Which Computer? Show this week
an MSDOS pocket computer that was designed by Distributed Information
Processing Ltd. and made by Atari in Japan. Atari hand held device weighs
about a pound and measures eight by four inches. The 80C88 system offers
a 40-col. by eight-line liquid xtal display and comes in 128K and 256K
memory sizes. ROM software includes OS, address book, diary, spreadsheet,
calculator and editor, it uses AA batteries." You first read about this
goodie here in STReport before the Fall Comdex Show in Las Vegas.
- Williamsport, PA. **** CMO USES FREE MONEY AT BUYER'S EXPENSE! ****
----------------
COMPUTER MAIL ORDER CO. received an order for a monitor on the 13th
of January, 1989 and the customer received it on the 18th of January,
BROKEN & CRACKED! When CMO was called they said they had no more in stock
and would refund the purchase price and S&H upon receipt of the defective
monitor. CMO received the monitor back on the 27th of January..the
customer still has not received his refund, in fact, after much discussion
with 5 CMO representatives, it came to light that CMO cuts refund checks
only after they have a certain amount of refunds to do. It seems they are
"pressed" for time or manpower...or maybe your money??? How many of you
remember BLACK PATCH!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
> STReport InfoFile¿
=================
FLEETSTREET PUBLISHER 2.0¿
=========================
MICHTRON proudly announces the release of Fleet Street Publisher 2.0¿.
When it comes to publishing on the Atari ST¿, no one does it better than
Fleet Street and YOU!!!
Your wait for a full featured, bug-free Desk Top Publishing program ended
when you discovered Fleet Street Publisher 2.0¿. Now your publications
can have the extraordinary impact that only a Professional Desk Top
Publishing program can give them.
You can begin creating impressive newsletters, advertisements, business
reports, and bulletins immediately with the most advanced Desk Top
Publishing program available for the Atari ST¿. Fleet Street Publisher
2.0¿ has the features you want at a price you won't believe (Read about
MICHTRON'S Special Introductory Offer below!!).
Fleet Street Publisher¿is not a scaled down DTP program for the ST, but a
full-featured program rivaling the critically acclaimed Aldus Pagemaker¿
for the Macintosh¿ and Ventura Publisher¿ for the PC¿.
Just think how much more impact your communications could have if you
could, for example:
o Lay out your pages with headlines and columns
o Add graphics to illustrate or emphasize points in your text
o Use different type styles and typefaces
o See your page on screen as you work on it exactly as it will
appear when you print it
Desktop publishing allows you to do all this and more, while retaining
complete control over what goes on your page and where.
If you have a laser printer, or can obtain access to one, you can get
near typeset quality fonts that can be controlled and used by Fleet Street
Publisher¿ to further enhance the appearance of your printed documents.
Fleet Street Publisher 2.0¿ provides all the features you would expect of
a high priced system, but at the affordable price you have come to expect
from MICHTRON.
The program runs on any Atari ST¿ under GEM¿, so it's friendly and very
easy to use. The pull down menus & WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)
screen display lets you design and produce high quality documents after a
short time with the program.
Advanced Text features allow you to:
-----------------------------------
o Type directly onto the page and/or read text from any ASCII
word processing file. This includes files created on IBM and
compatibles with appropriate software. You can even strip out
word processor control codes automatically.
o Hyphenate (by algorithm), justify, kern text and create
proportional spacing.
o Choose background ink tones (Shadings).
o Search and replace words and phrases.
o Place multiple tabs and indents.
o Vary line leading.
o Utilize the included typefaces in varying sizes from 4 to 216
points with 1 Meg of memory.
Graphics features include:
-------------------------
o A complete library of ready-to-use graphic images.
o The ability to import graphic screens and scanned images from
other software.
o A Pixel Editor for creating, adapting, and touching up work.
o A box and rule drawing tool that allows multiple line weights
and shades.
o The ability to Intermix text and graphics easily.
Page make-up functions provide:
------------------------------
o Full page composition with multiple columns.
o Text editing while in page make-up mode.
o Easy picture re-sizing and cropping.
o The use of linked text blocks.
o Rotation of picture blocks in single-degree steps.
o Variable page sizes.
o Variable sized text blocks that can be set anywhere on a page.
o Function keys can be used to store text attributes.
o Page dummies that can include text style information.
Printer Drivers are included for a host of printers including: the
Atari SLM 804¿ Laser printer and the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet+¿
and Series II¿ Laser Printers.
Fleet Street Publisher 2.0¿ is available from MICHTRON for $149.95.
But now, for a limited time, MICHTRON makes an extraordinary offer. We
know that many of you have already purchased Desk Top Publishing
programs; we also know that you deserve and want the best available.
So, until March 31, 1989, if you send us the actual Copyright page
(No Photo Copies Please!) from any Desk Top Publishing program manual, we
will send a copy of Fleet Street Publisher 2.0¿ for only $50.00,
that's right, a $149.95 value for only $50.00. Don't wait, order your
copy today!
NOTE: Please include 5.00 for shipping and handling.
FLEET STREET PUBLISHER¿ - MichTron Inc.
576 S. Telegraph
Pontiac, Mich. 48053
(313) 334-5700
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> STReport InfoFile¿
=================
Michigan Atari Expo Update --> Michigan Atari Computer Enthusiasts
PO Box 2785, Southfield, MI 48037
As you know, the Michigan Atari Computer Expo is scheduled for May 6&7,
at the Detroit Metro Airport Hilton, located in Romulus. Show times are
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The Exhibitor Kits were mailed on February 1, and we already have half our
booths committed for by large and small developers. Some names you may
recognize are ICD, Migraph, Alpha Systems, Innovative Concepts, SofTrek,
USA Media, CodeHead Software, Gribnif Software, BEST Electronics,
ST Informer, Index Legalis, Mars Merchandising, Total Control Systems and
others! Local dealers coming to the Expo include Rite Way, Computer
Concepts, Joppa Computers and Basic Bits 'N' Bytes, just to name a few.
The list of names increases weekly from "maybes" to "YES, I'll be there!"
User Groups will be able to obtain booths free of charge at the show by
simply reserving a table with MACE. User Groups in the Midwest region
should be receiving information packets on the show in the next week or
two,
but they may wish to contact us to make sure a kit is sent. The kit will
also contain information on how they can participate in advance ticket
sales and make some money for their club's treasury! User Group booths
will be placed near the ticket sales for maximum benefit to the clubs, as
many attendees will want to take advantage of the User Group Discount
Program mentioned below.
User Group members will be able to obtain discounts from vendors
participating in the User Group Discount program. This discount would be
above and beyond any special show prices!
For more information concerning the show, or to request a User Group Kit
for your club, please call
Pattie Rayl
MACE Convention Coordinator
at
(313) 973-8825
or, write to
MACE Expo.
3487 Braeburn Circle
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
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> STReport InfoFile¿
=================
STReport PROUDLY welcomes the following BBS's to our system.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
ST Place BBS 512-653-1248 Texas
TNT BBS 301-871-2552 Maryland
The Golden Gate 817-547-1734 Texas
STing BBS 616-891-8740 Michigan
Dragon Keep 904-375-3500 Gainsville
As we receive the listings from the sysops we will post them here to allow
everyone to update their STReport BBS list and keep it current.
Please help us keep this list up to date, it will be made available on a
regular basis for verification. If you have any additions or deletions to
make, please let us know at the BOUNTY 904-786-4176 or, in E-Mail to
STReport on any of the major services.
Thank you for your continued support!
Ralph......
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> STR Spotlight¿
=============
Conf : ST Report
Msg# : 115 Lines: Extended Read: 6
Sent : Feb 18, 1989 at 11:47 PM
Recv : Feb 20, 1989
To : STReport
From : TODD HENDREKS at Node 3*Atari-OH!@Houston, TX
Subj : !
Hi! Thanks for making ST REPORT a great ST Magazine! If you were a
hard back magazine, I'd get a subscription! I really enjoyed issue #75.
There's a new deal for the Atari/Ultrascript thing. For a limited time
only, you can get the ST Laser for $1300 and with Ultrascript (with 30
or so Postscript FONTS and 10 or so Ultrascript FONTS) for $1500. This
deal will go in effect soon.. I hear.
Down here, in HouSTon, we already have some Atari commercials
showing on Cable. A 520STF is seen floating in the background and in the
foreground is a guy working on a business program and the ST "locks-on" to
the other computer and blowing it up. All these charts and graphs fly in
formation and swoop inside the ST disk drive. Then it shows a guy painting
on a wall, and the ST 'Locks-On" to that blows up the wall, with some of
the paint splashing on the painter, and all the paint flys in formation
and "SWOOSH" goes inside the disk drive. Then there's this stand up
arcade game a kid is playing and the ST "Locks-On" to that and blows it
up. At the end it has a plug for the name/location of an ST dealer. (We
have four in HouSTon) So, the ST emphasizes on Business, Graphics, and
Entertainment in that particular commercial.
All is well down here in HouSTon. All the stores are doing well selling
ST systems. I just recently got Police Quest 2 and I love it. I plan to
get a Mega 4 soon (Hopefully) BUT, if this 68030 hurry up and works well
and runs all or most of the ST stuff, I might get that. When I get a Mega
or 68030 (I doubt I really need a 68030) I'd get HEAVY into animations and
sound digitizing, with maybe some DTP'ing and perhaps programming. I have
a 520ST and I mainly use it for telecommunications. I've had the ST since
June '86.
Thanks Again Ralph!
Todd
"1989 - ATARI'S QUEST"
--------======***======--------
Conf : ST Report
Msg# : 20 Lines: Extended Read: 2
Sent : Feb 21, 1989 at 5:34 PM
Recv : Feb 21, 1989
To : SYSOP
From : CEREBUS
Subj : ST Report
It has certainly been my pleasure visiting your fine BBS. I spoke with
you on the phone during my first call, and briefly mentioned that I
co-Sysop an Atari ST BBS (Express) in Gainesville, FL called Dragon Keep.
Don't let the name fool you. We have a lot of very serious Atari users,
and act as a BBS for the AGUG group in G'vlle. We are very committed to
the Atari (we have2 back-up ST's with hard-disks), and as I mentioned,
have been considering a move over to Forem. We actually have the sware in
hand, and haven't finished our evaluation. Our biggest complaint is the
lack of a script lanquage for setting up 'sub-systems' like Forem does
with it's bulletins. We would also like to be able to change the option
letters on the main menu. We are are very picky bunch of people. We have
also been considering a move to an MSDOS clone since we could get
mulit-line capabilities. Have you heard anything about second serial
ports for the ST?
About your wonderful ST Report Online Magazine: WE WANT IT!!! What do I
need to do? Is there any other way besides me calling long distance to
get your weekly updates? (I work in Jax, but cannot download files from
the system I work on).
I probably won't be in Jax to call back till next week. Once again, it
has been my pleasure visiting your most impressive realm...
CEREBUS of DRAGON KEEP
(904)375-3500
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> THIS WEEK'S 'QUOTABLE QUOTE'
============================
HATLO'S Crumbled Cookie
=======================
"The Fatal Disk Error occurs ONLY after you've done several
hours of work without performing a back-up!"
"1989 - ATARI'S QUEST"
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ST-REPORT¿Issue #76 "Your Independent News Source" February 24, 1989
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ½ 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.
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