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Silicon Times Report Issue 0108
*---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original Online ST Magazine"
_______________________________
October 06, 1989 Vol III No.108
=======================================================================
ST Report Online Magazine ½
__________________________
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida
32205 ~ 6672
R.F. Mariano
Publisher - Editor
_________________________________________
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT
BBS: 904-786-4176 12-24-96 HST
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EDT
_________________________________________
** F-NET NODE 350 **
Our support BBS carries ALL issues of STReport
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__________________________________________________________________
> Issue: #108 STReport¿ The Online Magazine of Choice!
-------------------
- The Editors' Podium - CPU REPORT
- The Twilight Zone - HINDSIGHT and the STE
- RED STORM RISING Part 1 - WORDUP 2.0
- WAACE Update!! - ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL
---===** ANTONIO SALERNO PROMOTED TO VICE PRESIDENT **===---
---===*** SIG HARTMANN TO BE KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT WAACE! ***===---
=======================================================================
AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX
=======================================================================
> The Editor's Podium¿
WAACE... These folks have scheduled quite a show for this weekend, if
you are local, (a resident of the USA), stop by and say hello to the
developers and all the good folks you have seen on the services. You will
finally get to meet the folks behind the words of wisdom. Atarifests are
an excellent opportunity to renew one's faith in the future of the Atari
marketplace because of the various displays of product, new technology,
new software and most of all, the enthusiasm of the users. So, if it is
at all possible, as Jim Dooley used to say, "Come on down" to WAACE and
enjoy! And of course, Sig Hartman, Atari's unofficial "Ambassador at
Large" will present the keynote address at the banquet on Saturday night.
On a more serious note, we find a number of questions have been asked
of Atari recently that perhaps need to be answered as soon as possible.
Notably, the inconsistences beginning to surface from around the country
about how dealers, new and old alike, have been dealt with by Atari. From
a quick overview, it looks like the relationship has been pretty much one-
sided, Atari's. It now becomes very easy to understand why dealers are so
unhappy and are making noises about dropping the line. Also, the level of
inconsistency in dealing with these folks only goes to prove how naive
those who make the marketing and distribution decisions.
When one finds only certain dealers have been permitted to carry and
sell the "Portfolio" one begins to ask, who makes these decisions and what
are the criteria that must be met by a dealer. Surely, the Portfolio is
NOT that difficult a machine to operate. We have been told that only
those dealers with MS/DOS experience are 'going to have the portfolio to
sell'. If such is the case, every Atari dealer who ever used Sparta Dos
from ICD (most have) has more than enough experience with command line DOS
to handle this new goodie!
Atari will, we are sure, take a long hard look at these events that
are unfolding and bring about a positive change. After all, it is totally
to their benefit to do so. We are confident Atari will show a positive
effort in the very near future whether they care to or not is something
else. The userbase, users, dealers, developers etc.. are determined to
"help" Atari 'see the light' and mend it's ways. Atari should be proud
that so many people are genuinely concerned about the future.
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 to your own computer system 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 # 35
----------
by Michael Arthur
Remember When....
In August 1985, Microsoft and IBM signed a long-term agreement, for
jointly developing Operating Systems, User Interfaces, and PC/MS-DOS
upgrades for IBM Compatibles, and when, in 1988, Microsoft licensed MS-DOS
3.3 and PC-DOS 4.0 from IBM?
CPU INSIGHTS¿
=============
Atari's Future: The Cause of the Year of the Atari ST
------------------------------------------------------
Part III
Here is a hypothetical note:
"The Atari ST is doomed: an orphan's orphan. It has no good
software, and is just a game machine. 90 percent of its userbase are
filthy, slimy pirates, and the other 10 percent are ignorant fools who
don't know when to quit. Jerry Teakettle said that Atari was going to
stake its future on becoming a PClone maker. And if Jerry Teakettle says
so, then Atari has GOT to be totally in the doldrums, and the ST CANNOT
have any chance whatsoever. Meanwhile, Commodore has practically sold
more Amigas than Apple has sold Macintoshes, the Amiga has virtually NO
pirates, and Jerry Teakettle said that the state of Amiga productivity
software is getting extremely good. And if Jerry Teakettle says so, then
the Amiga has GOT to be the ONLY feasible low/middle end computing
solution in the industry."
The above paragraph sums up what much of the US ST Userbase, parts of
the computer industry, and certain "industry experts" fervently believe
about Atari and the ST line. While many, MANY people in the industry
would just love it if this were true, let us examine the true state of the
Atari ST....
Atari has sold 1.75 Million - 1.9 Million Atari ST's worldwide, and
has a US ST Userbase 500,000 systems strong. When the Mac's Userbase
reached the 2 Million mark, the Macintosh was declared to be set in stone
as an industry standard, and Apple was going to be King of the Hill. But
even though Atari has nearly reached that plateau, many say that the ST
has an ice cube's chance in the sun. Even though the ST has become a
dominant standard in Europe, surpassing Mac sales and even encroaching on
European PClone sales, and even though Atari is selling as many ST's as it
can manufacture....
Meanwhile, Commodore has sold 1 Million Amigas worldwide, and has
700,000 Amigas in the US. However, while most of the ST's sold are used
for productivity applications, 75 - 90 percent of all Amigas sold are
Amiga 500s. Given that most Amiga 500s are used for games, it seems that
the ST not only has a larger userbase, but has a MUCH better foundation as
an industry standard. Also, while both Atari and Commodore are Fortune 500
Companies, the ONLY time Atari hasn't posted a significant profit is when
they were involved with Federated. In comparison, Commodore has been a
financially troubled company ever since Jack Tramiel left. But the US ST
Userbase, the computer industry, and even ST Developers don't usually
consider these facts With the result that everyone finds it mindboggling
that Wall Street has always liked the Tramiels' Atari so much....
"The ST is nice, but it has little or no good software." It seems
that this frame of thought is prevalent, not only in the computer
industry, but in the Atari ST Userbase itself. But this myth couldn't be
further from the truth. The ST has practically taken over the MIDI
market, with companies like Hybrid Arts, Midisoft, and Dr. T's making
software that FAR surpasses Mac MIDI products. But while this is common
knowledge, many do not seem to fully realize the ST's abilities in other
fields. For example, Logical Design Works' LDW Power spreadsheet for the
ST provides capabilities and versatility that rivals even Lotus 1-2-3, and
in the Database world, 2 ST software products (Paul Heckel's Zoomracks II
and Regent Base SQL 2.0) have literally revolutionized the industry.
Also, ST DTP Products like Calamus, PageStream, and Migraph's Touch-Up
easily rival, if not surpass, their Mac/IBM DTP counterparts in
capabilities. And with ST CAD programs like Foresight Resources' Drafix
and ISD's DynaCadd providing abilities found in top-flight stuff like
AutoCad, the state of ST Productivity Software, contrary to opinions of a
substantial few, is not only superb, but truly excellent. And with over
5000 software products (most of which is productivity software) out for
the ST, it seems that not only the quality, but the quantity of ST
software is no problem. In comparison, much of the Amiga's software base
is game-oriented, and Amiga productivity software has only recently
achieved an admirable measure of quality. But these facts are not often
realized by the industry, or by the ST Userbase itself. Resulting in the
absolutely outrageous myth that the ST doesn't cut it in software, while
the Amiga is getting to be the perfect low-end computing solution....
The main excuse that Software Companies have used to rationalize not
developing for the ST is the reportedly gargantuan amount of ST Pirates
and their activities. But since Software Pirating is a fact of life for
all computers, let us examine this further: Software companies use the
number of ST Pirate BBS's that have been shut down as the basis for their
arguments. But curiously, if Mac Pirate BBS's were to start being shut
down at the rate that ST Pirate BBS's were in 1988, Apple would break open
the champagne bottles and start celebrating, since with all other
non-orphan systems, the decline of software Pirate activities has resulted
in a proportional increase in Software Development. But when the same
thing happened to the ST, with ST Pirates being locked up left and right,
software companies said the ST was a bad investment. But since most
pirating is done with game software, and anyone even remotely in touch
with the situation in the ST Pirate world will tell you that ST Pirates
are making a mass exodus to the Amiga (due to the amount of games
available for it), one could say that the ST is probably safer from
software piracy than any other major computer. Also, with ASTDA, an
independent national Atari ST Developers' Association, gathering up
momentum, the plight of ST Developers is guaranteed to get better....
In comparison, many "industry experts" say the Amiga is a superb arena
for Software Development, even though WordPerfect testified that the
reason they stopped much of their Amiga Software Development is that most
Amiga Users have Amiga 500s, and that the entire Amiga Userbase, at one
time, was only buying 700 packages of WordPerfect 4.1 a month. Now,
either Software Companies' policies are awry, or there is another reason
that many Software companies shun the Atari ST line. Curiously, many ST
Developers complain that Atari not only provides shoddy Developer support,
but that a certain few at Atari actually go out of their way to abuse
them. Given the ST's aforementioned advantages in the Software Arena, it
seems more than probable that....
Another reason the ST is reportedly hurting is Atari's Vaporware
announcements. This is DEFINITELY true. But since Atari has stopped the
practices that caused the Vaporware Epidemic, and given that Atari's
products, if not their policies, have always delivered on the promise of
quality, this may not be a problem anymore. But then, given that Atari is
still continually missing shipping dates for their products, maybe this IS
a problem. But since Vaporware has always proliferated in the computer
industry, it may not make that much difference....
So now, given the aforementioned statements, how do we, the Atari ST
Userbase, rationalize the ST's not living up to its potential? We have
already established that the ST itself, Software/Hardware Development, and
Piracy, the main problems for computer systems, can't really explain why
the ST almost was obliterated as a standard in 1988. In order to begin to
do so, we must take an example from Wall Street itself:
In Early 1989, many financial analysts worried that the US was going
to go into a Depression. The conditions for it were certainly there, and
the stock market was unstable enough to trigger such an event. However,
when Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve said they would prevent a
Depression, the analysts gave the economy a better chance. When the US
Economy didn't go into a recession right away, the "prophesy" was
confirmed. But in hindsight, the Feds didn't really do that much. The
TRUE reason that the predicted recession didn't happen has been a
cornerstone of business economics for centuries: Business Confidence.
This theory basically says that what the Community (or Userbase) as a
group believes, no matter if it is true or not, will eventually become
true. Group Dynamics (a tenet of psychology) confirms this, saying that
the Community will then act as if the belief is true, and subconsciously
shape the situation accordingly. For example, as the Federal Reserve took
steps to stop a Recession, Wall Street began to believe that a recession
wouldn't happen. This triggered increased business activity, which
reversed the economic indicators of a recession. In Business Confidence,
Cause does not necessarily trigger Effect....
The Amiga Community now believes that the state of the Amiga is
improving: No matter what the validity of that may be, Business Confidence
is now fueling the Amiga's current growth. In comparison, even though the
Atari ST has EVERY cause to be the next industry standard, the Atari ST
almost lost the support of its US Userbase because the Userbase itself
became despondent over Atari's actions and policies in 1988. Now that
Atari is trying, in 1989 to revitalize the Atari ST, the ST's future is
beginning to look much brighter....
Furthermore, while we all complain about Atari the Company, the truth
is that many top-flight people work for Atari. People like Julius
Oklamcak and Neil Harris, once Atari employees, are now excellent
advantages to their new employers, who probably thank the Revolving Door
everyday for bringing them good employees. But since these people are
mainly in Atari's Middle management, there remains but one reason for the
woes of the ST: The actions of a few Atari Corporate Executives....
Here are some words to the wise, to Sig Hartmann, Sam Tramiel, and
Jack Tramiel: There has been an internal cause of strife, a cancer if you
will, at Atari for the past 4 years. It has caused both the Revolving
Door's activity, the awful treatment of ST Developers, and the US ST
Userbase's near-catastrophic loss of Business Confidence in Atari. Remove
this cancer immediately, and listen to the suggestions of your company's
Userbase, and Atari will become a billion dollar company by 1992. Let the
cancer continue to fester, harassing Atari employees like Shiraz Shivji to
the extent where they run to the Revolving Door, treating developers so
badly that they run to the Amiga, and causing deleterious consequences
through its control over Atari's product line, and the legacy of Business
Confidence will have a most unfortunate effect on a certain paradox of the
computer industry....
DEC, MIPS Computer, and the End of the RISC Wars
------------------------------------------------
When, in 1987, Digital Equipment Corporation, or DEC, announced that
it would shortly be entering the low-end workstation market, many in the
industry wondered what approach DEC would take: Since most low-end
workstations use RISC-based architectures, it was certain that DEC would
also take this road. However, with speculation over whether DEC would
support Sun's SPARC architecture, go with one of the many other RISC
architectures then available, or design its own RISC chip, this knowledge
only helped the proliferation of industry-wide rumors. Which were
centered on the fact that if DEC chose an existing RISC architecture, that
the resulting endorsement would have great consequences for the current
battle between the many competing RISC Architectures and standards that
has been called, the "RISC Wars"....
In Early 1989, DEC ended all speculation with the introduction of its
DECstation line of workstations. Surprisingly, DEC did not design its own
proprietary RISC architecture for the DECstation, and didn't use one of
the newer RISC chips, but went with the R2000 chip architecture, which,
curiously, had been out for 2 years. Designed by MIPS Computer Systems, a
company founded by a group of scientists renowned for their research into
RISC architectures, the R2000 (and the newer R3000) provide much of the
promised potential of RISC chips, but have previously cost too much for
most of the workstation industry. Recently though, MIPS Computer Systems
dramatically cut its chips' prices, letting the DECstation to be
positioned in the low-end workstation market, and adding a new item to the
R2000's list of virtues....
Over 20 other minicomputer and workstation products are now based on
the MIPS Rx000 chip architecture. Silicon Graphics uses a 16 MHZ R3000 in
their $12,500 Personal Iris low-end workstation, and not only is NEC using
the MIPS architecture in their workstations, but they also made an
agreement with MIPS Computer Systems permitting them to manufacture the
MIPS R3000 chip. Since MIPS Computer Systems has also licensed the R2000
to three other chip makers, and given Sun's efforts in getting as many as
seven semiconductor companies to license their SPARC architecture, this
could be an effort to eliminate Sun's SPARC chip, the only other widely
supported RISC architecture on the market, as a strong competitor....
Ironically, DEC's gesture of support for the MIPS R2000 architecture
may establish more unity in the computer industry than its VERY active
involvement in the Open Software Foundation, as DEC's stature adds another
factor in MIPS Computer Systems' quest to bring a sudden end to the
industry battle known as the RISC Wars....
The DECStation, OSF/1, and DECwindows
The DECstation 2100 uses a 12.5 MHZ version of the RISC-based MIPS
R2000 chip, which runs at around 10 MIPS. It also uses the R2010 Floating
Point math chip to achieve 0.9 Million Floating Point Operations per
Second (MFLOPS). It has 8 Megabytes of RAM onboard, and comes with a
1024*864 resolution with either a monochrome or 256 color display. It
also has 2 serial ports, 1 SCSI port, and 1 Ethernet Port for interfacing
with Local Area Networks.
It currently uses Ultrix-32, DEC's port of AT&T Unix System V.3, with
DECwindows, DEC's X/Windows implementation, as a Graphical User Interface
(GUI). However, this is about to change: DEC is one of the charter
members of the Open Software Foundation (OSF), a group of several major
Unix Vendors developing OSF/1, a standard operating system based on AIX,
IBM's implementation of Unix. DEC has provided the DECwindows Software
Toolkit as part of OSF Motif, the Unix GUI segment of OSF/1, and has
announced that when OSF/1 is finished (at around the Second Quarter of
1990), it will standardize on it for all DEC workstations. However, this
doesn't necessarily mean that OSF/1 will be the standard for systems using
the MIPS Rx000 chip architecture. But since neither Silicon Graphics or
NEC has expressed support for AT&T Unix System V 4.0, the upcoming version
of AT&T Unix, for their low-end workstation line....
Graphic comparison of the features of the ATW and the DECstation 2100:
ATW/SPARCStation Features List:
(Comparison of each Systems' Features)
_________________________________________________________________________
System Features| Atari Transputer Workstation | DECstation 2100 |
and Components | Cost: $8000.00 | Base System: $8000.00 |
---------------|------------------------------|--------------------------|
Features of | 20 MHZ Inmos T800 RISC chip | 12.5 MHZ R2000 RISC chip |
Main Processor | running at 10 MIPS | running at 10 MIPS |
---------------|------------------------------|--------------------------|
Megabytes of | 4 Megabytes of 32-Bit RAM | 8 Megs of 32-Bit RAM |
Standard RAM |1 Meg of Dual-Ported Video RAM| |
---------------|------------------------------|--------------------------|
Description of | Helios Operating System with | Ultrix-32 (DEC's Unix) |
Operating | X/Windows V11, the standard | w/DECwindows. OSF/1 Unix|
Features | Unix windowing environment | and OSF/Motif forthcoming|
---------------|------------------------------|--------------------------|
Type of Bus | Proprietary 32-Bit Bus, with | Unknown at this time |
Architecture | four Expansion Slots | |
---------------|------------------------------|--------------------------|
| # of Displayable Colors | # of Displayable Colors |
|Mode 0: 1280*960 w/16 Colors |1024*864 w/256 Gray Scales|
Graphic Display|Mode 1: 1024*768 w/256 Colors| |
Resolutions and|Mode 2: 640*480 w/256 Colors | 1024*864 with 256 Colors |
Capabilities |Mode 3: 512*480 w/16 Million | (Optional)|
| | |
|The ATW has a 24-Bit per Pixel| The DECstation 2100 has a|
| (16 Million Color) Palette | 24-Bit per Pixel Palette |
---------------|------------------------------|--------------------------|
Standard Amount| 40 Megabyte Internal | 104 Meg Hard Drive |
of Mass Storage| Hard Drive | As an Additional Option |
---------------|------------------------------|--------------------------|
Built in I/O | Uses Mega ST Motherboard for |[1] SCSI, [2] Serial Ports|
Ports | an Input/Output Controller | [1] Ethernet LAN Port |
---------------|------------------------------|--------------------------|
Sound/Audio | Uses ST Sound Chip for | Unknown at this time |
Capabilities | 3 Sound Channels (Voices) | |
---------------|------------------------------|--------------------------|
Networking | Helios can use the T800 to do| DECnet protocol, TCP/IP, |
Capabilities |Distributed Processing on LANs| Sun NFS, Ethernet Port |
---------------'------------------------------'--------------------------'
Based on both this graph, and last week's System Descriptions, I have
made a comparative analysis of both systems, and made these standings,
which are classified according to the above topics:
Main Microprocessor:
--------------------
First Place - Inmos T800 (used in the ATW). Since the T800 and the MIPS
R2000 are different chip architectures, and given the limited space in
this column, this choice cannot be made based on each chip's particular
RISC implementation, but on the aspects which set one apart from the
other. In this area, the T800 has the advantage of a built in floating
point math unit, which performs math computations at a rate of 1.5 MFLOPS,
and has a great edge in its design as a parallel processor. On the other
hand, a single 20 MHZ R2000 is much faster than a single 20 MHZ T800, and
the MIPS R2000 architecture has a large amount of multivendor support,
from several major companies. However, given the T800's special
capabilities, and potential for the future....
DECStation Comparison:
----------------------
The R2000/3000 chip architecture developed by MIPS Computer Systems is one
of the fastest RISC-based microprocessors currently available. With
extensive CPU caching support, the 16 MHZ R2000 is capable of 15 MIPS, and
a 16 MHZ version of the new R3000 chip can achieve 27,760 Dhrystones per
second, or more than 18.5 MIPS. With that type of computing power, the
MIPS Rx000 architecture is truly a superb RISC-chip. However, there is no
support for true parallel processing, as in the T800 architecture, and
while the R3000 may use newer chip design technology, the Inmos T800 still
provides good performance. And since SGS Thompson drastically reduced the
price of the T800, Inmos may be designing a new version of the Transputer
with increased performance....
Operating System Features:
--------------------------
First Place - DECstation 2100. In order to have full support of both the
T800's parallel processing features, and to provide powerful multitasking
multiuser operations, the ATW had to forsake Unix compatibility, and use
the new Helios Operating System. However, not being a parallel processor,
the R2000 can run Unix with no compromises. Furthermore, with OSF/1 and
OSF/Motif in the horizon, the DECstation 2100 promises to have a large
amount of software in very little time....
ATW Comparison:
---------------
The Helios operating system was made to optimize the operations of a
parallel processing chip such as the T800, as well as letting it be as
Unix-compatible (through emulating Unix Version 7 calls) as possible. It
also supports Distributed Processing, meaning that, in a network of ATW's,
ATW A could use the computing power of ATW B and C to run a task or a
process for it. Even though Helios has the potential of becoming the
standard operating system for parallel processing microprocessors, the
fact is that it is a new operating system, with only a small software
base. It may have great potential, but OSF/1's industry-wide support, as
well as OSF Motif and its current Ultrix OS, gives the DECstation a great
advantage.
DECstation Comparison:
----------------------
The DECstation comes with Ultrix-32, DEC's version of AT&T Unix System V.3
and also includes DECwindows, DEC's windowing environment for Unix. It
uses both X/Windows V11, the current standard for Unix windowing
systems,and Display Postscript, Adobe's unified imaging standard.
However, DEC is a big member of the OSF, and has played a major role
in developing the new OSF/1 Unix standard. OSF/Motif, the GUI component
of OSF/1, uses the DECwindows Toolkit as its programming tool, and DEC
will standardize on OSF/1 and OSF/Motif once they are introduced. Since
many other workstation vendors, such as IBM, Apollo, and Hewlett-Packard,
will also use it, OSF/1 is expected to have a good software base, which
gives the DECstation a dominant advantage over the ATW in this area....
Graphics Displays:
------------------
First Place - Atari Transputer Workstation. While the DECstation's one
resolution is very good, it is only slightly better than the ATW's Mode 1
display, and since the ATW's other display modes are very powerful in
themselves, the ATW outperforms the DECstation in this area.
I/O Ports/Networking:
---------------------
First Place - DECstation 2100. Even though the ATW has a greater number
of peripheral ports than the DECstation, both systems have a similar set
of the I/O ports that are necessary in a computer. Also, since the
DECstation also provides an Ethernet port for LAN Networking, as well as
supporting Sun's Network File System, DECnet, and other LAN Networking
standards, the SPARCStation has a decent advantage over the ATW. But
given that the ATW's Helios Operating System supports distributed
processing over Local Area Networks of ATWs, allowing the combined
computing power of all ATWs connected to the LAN to be available to any
ATW using the LAN, the endurance of this advantage depends on OSF/1's
capabilities....
Market Outlook for the ATW and DECstation
-----------------------------------------
ATW Outlook:
------------
The Atari Transputer Workstation is a VERY unique machine,
with excellent potential. Featuring the state of the art in current
workstation capabilities, and Helios, a new Unix-like operating system,
the ATW has the makings to become a major player in the workstation
market. However, since the low-end workstation market is currently
single-processor and Unix-oriented, and given the flood of RISC-based
workstations currently entering the market, it seems that the ATW
shouldn't be aimed at the general Personal Workstation market at this
time. Interestingly enough, Atari isn't planning to market the ATW in
this area, saying it is not a mainstream computer system, and doesn't have
features lending itself to the general workstation market. While this is
a good stance for now, let us hope that Atari's position is not permanent
or inflexible, for these reasons:
The ATW has extreme potential in Research Labs and Universities, who
need the ATW's parallel processing capabilities as well as its workstation
versatility. With Helios' distributed processing capabilities, this
market, who is always looking for the best system for their money, may
just standardize on the ATW because of its parallel processing and
interconnectability alone. In fact, with the promise of using the ATW as
a logical front-end to other companies' Transputer-based supercomputers,
it could become a standard in the European business market, where
Transputer-based systems are now becoming VERY popular....
Interestingly enough, the ATW could become the most popular in a very
unique computer market: Washington D.C. Many agencies in the United
States Government, especially the Pentagon, are VERY interested in
purchasing parallel-processing systems. With the ATW's competition in
this area featuring systems with base prices of $100,000 and up, and with
the ATW's Distributed Processing Capabilities providing extra versatility
to ATW-based Local Area Networks, the potential is almost too great for
one's imagination. Of course, the amount of money, government contracts,
and industry reputation that Atari would gain as a result of putting the
ATW on the GSA Schedule (or list) of computer systems, would also be
almost too great for one's imagination. And given that the Senate is
conducting hearings on a bill to set up a $1.75 Billion dollar national
network of computers with supercomputer-level capabilities....
One area where Atari IS marketing the ATW is in the image processing
market, as its speed and graphics capabilities are almost custom-suited
for this segment of the industry. But while this holds great potential
for ATW sales and prestige, Atari MUST not only get companies who produce
popular workstation graphics software, like Wavefront Technologies, Pixar,
and Intelligent Light, to support the ATW, but must show graphics software
already being written for the ATW (by people like Alan Page, who wrote
Flash for the ST), so as to generate ATW Interest in this segment of the
market....
Finally, while the mainstream computer industry is now starting to
realize the benefits that RISC technology may bring, parallel processing
has received relatively little attention, due to a belief that it is a
future technology, not to be realized until well into the 1990's. Because
of this, the Inmos Transputer is currently the only major parallel
processing architecture on the market, being used by several supercomputer
companies interested in using Helios. Given that the ATW is also priced
less than many high end microcomputers and low-end workstations, all this
sets up an EXTREMELY good opportunity for the ATW, since we can assume
that in a few years, after the market for RISC chips has stabilized, the
computer industry will shift its attention to parallel processing
technology. When this occurs, if Atari has sufficiently supported the
ATW, concentrating on slow, but steady growth for it, then the ATW (and
the Helios operating system) should have a small, but significant userbase
with a solid amount of good software, having had a VERY long time to
establish the only truly feasible standard for a true parallel processing
system. Meaning that both the ATW and Helios would become dominant
standards (if not a true monopoly) in the microcomputer industry....
DECstation Outlook:
-------------------
The DECstation is directed at the business-segment of the growing
low-end workstation market, in part to satisfy its customers' desires for
the price/performance first provided by high-end 80386 machines, and now
by several workstation vendors. As the OSF makes its stand against AT&T's
domination of the Unix standard, the DECstation may become a barometer of
how well OSF/1, OSF Motif, and the very idea of a group like the Open
Software Foundation survives. For if OSF/1 becomes a solid competitor to
AT&T's Unix, then the rights that were shown by the formation of the OSF,
in any part of the computer industry having the power to form any
coalition, whether it be supportive or separatist, that can successfully
defeat or reform a company or group that has shown monopolistic or unwise
ways, will be reinforced. But if the OSF fails in its bid, then the
chances of survival for groups like the Gang of Ten, who are attempting to
establish an alternative to IBM's MicroChannel Bus with the EISA Specs, or
alliances with more noble and selfless purposes than the OSF or EISA, may
become tragically slim....
But whether this worst-case scenario becomes true or not, both the
DECstation and the MIPS R2000 architecture have great potential to become
accepted in the industry. But since there are several different types of
RISC chips currently out on the market, all with a significant following,
it seems that it will be much harder for any one vendor to crack this
market than expected. Due to the number of RISC-based workstations being
developed by large companies like IBM and Hewlett Packard, as well as the
great support that Motorola and Intel have fostered for their RISC chips,
there is bound to be a great deal of fierce competition and great chaos in
this market. And given that the RISC arena is very much a seller's market,
driven more by Industry expectations than by users' realistic needs....
But ponder, if you will, these questions:
1) How long would it take for the Atari ST, TT, and ATW to become TRULY
dominant standards in Europe if Atari were to implement wise actions
and policies in the US that would be markedly noticeable?
2) In the latest issue of STart Magazine, Sam Tramiel says that Atari is
looking into making another RISC-based workstation, perhaps based on
the Motorola 88000 chip. Given the RISC-based ATW's potential and
abilities, how would this benefit Atari?
3) Given its emerging popularity, could MIPS Computer's R2000/3000 series
of RISC chips become the third industry standard microprocessor,
joining Intel's 80x86 and Motorola's 680x0 architectures, or will the
80486 and 68040 chips limit the market for RISC architectures?
CPU REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿
=======================
Redmond, WA Microsoft is reportedly preparing to introduce several
----------- new products at Comdex/Fall, such as Windows 3.0,
which will have increased graphics speed, and improved
interprocess communication & memory management
facilities. Windows/386 3.0 will also support expanded
memory, for providing more than 640K of RAM to DOS
programs running as virtual 8086 tasks.
Microsoft Word 6.0, which will be a Windows-based
application, and a Presentation Manager version of
Microsoft Excel using OS/2's features, will also be
introduced in Fall Comdex.
Sunnyvale, CA Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is readying to ship its
------------- new 20 MHZ and 25 MHZ versions of the 80286 chip, in
the First Quarter of 1990. Aiming them at the 80386sx
and low-end (16-20 MHZ) 80386 market, AMD's new chips
are around 10-20 percent faster than Intel's 80386
competition. Interestingly enough, AMD also said that
its chances of winning the court battle with Intel
over the right to license the 80386 chip are slim....
Tokyo, Japan In an effort to weaken NEC's domination of the Japan
------------ computer market, 10 major Japanese companies,
including Fujitsu, Hitachi, IBM Japan, Mitsubishi, and
Sharp, are backing the OS/2 standard. This alliance
will establish a set of standard routines and
programming rules for developing Japanese OS/2
applications by the Fourth Quarter of 1989.
But while OS/2 is a VERY powerful OS, and this effort
is backed by both IBM and Japan, given that two
previous efforts, Microsoft's MSX and AX operating
systems, failed to dethrone NEC in the past....
West Chester, PA Commodore is reportedly going to introduce its new
---------------- Amiga 3000 computer at Comdex/Fall. The basic model
of the Amiga 3000 will feature a 16 MHZ 68030/68882
combo, 4 Megs of RAM standard, and 5 expansion slots
using the Zorro III bus architecture, a 32-bit version
of the Amiga 2000's bus. The high-end Amiga 3000 will
have a 20-25 MHZ 68030 + 68882 math chip, and up to
8 Megs of RAM. The Amiga 3000 will also come with a
new version of the Amiga's graphics chips, which could
possibly give 320*200 graphics, with the full color
palette being displayable, a non-interlaced 640*400
resolution with 256 colors, and a 1024*768 w/16 gray
scales. The Color palette will have 16-bit planes, or
65,536 colors, or 24 bit planes for 16 million colors.
Aimed at the Unix workstation market, the Amiga 3000
will come with an 80 Meg Hard Drive, on which Amix,
Commodore's port of AT&T Unix System V.3, and
X/Windows will be installed. It will also come with
AmigaDOS 1.4, which will have hooks for virtual memory
and come with Arexx, for expanded interprocess
communication facilities. Probable Cost: $5000.00
for a basic model, $7500.00 for the high-end A3000....
________________________________________________________________
> RED STORM RISING STR Review¿ Part One - An in-depth review.
===========================
RED STORM RISING
================
by Ron Brunk
Red Storm Rising (RSR) is a thorough and realistic simulation of
modern submarine warfare. It's so complex that justice can't be done to
it based on a few days of play, but I'll give an overview at this time,
and follow up with a comprehensive review later.
RSR is based on the novel of the same name by Tom Clancy, who was
consulted in the development of the game along with Larry Bond (who
assisted in the research for the book). A strategic map displays the
progress of the war in Europe with (Warsaw) Pact forces in red, and Nato
in green. Unlike most games of this sort, it is not merely a shoot-em up
and rack up the points type of game. Each mission performed in the
campaign directly affects the overall picture of the war, with graphically
shown results following each mission, while the strategic map changes
appropriately. For example, if you fail to stop an amphibious invasion at
Trondheim, an animation of Pact marines hitting the beach is shown, and
the strategic map shows a flood of red forces spreading out through Norway
from Trondheim, followed by a "newsreel" describing the failure of Nato
forces to stop the invasion. On the other hand, successfully eliminating
a sub wolfpack allows supplies to reach Europe facilitating a Nato
offensive to stop the Pact advance or recover territory. The strategic
map is updated frequently by aircraft, satellites, and SOSUS lines, while
the red tide ebbs back and forth in time with your successes and failures.
At the bottom a colored bar shows relative strengths of the two sides
which, when entirely one color, signifies victory, draw, or defeat,
resulting in war-hero or veteran status, or confinement to a gulag.
Interspersed throughout the game are animations of various battles i.e
carriers being destroyed, major ground offenses, etc.
As nice as the strategic features of RSR are, the actual game is
played on the tactical level and the tactical realism is superb. Targets
are other subs, as well as surface ships and helos. The sensor of choice
is sonar, both active, passive, and towed. Some of the factors taken into
account which affect sonar are: thermal layers, ducting, dirty water,
effectiveness of your sensors, targets range, course, and speed, your own
course and speed, and even random factors like a crewman slamming a hatch
at the wrong time. Passive sonar (hull mounted and towed array) is used
to track and identify targets most of the time, but if it is damaged, you
can resort to active sonar, active or passive radar, periscope mounted
laser, or as a last resort, visual.
The weapons available to you depend on the type of sub you choose to
command (Permit, Sturgeon, LA, improved LA, or Seawolf), with your choice
being limited by the year you choose, from 1984-96. In later years more
weapons become available (improved torpedoes, Tomahawk air to surface
missiles, Sea Lance (a torpedo launched via missile), even Stingers
mounted on the periscope for those pesky torpedoes. Pact capabilities
improve with time also (quieter subs, better sonar, more aircraft
carriers) so it doesn't get easier with the better weapons, just more
complicated.
The game is very complete, with a 100 page manual, keyboard layout,
and a technical supplement of symbology and commands. The manual is very
thorough, discussing game play, battle tactics, Nato and Pact strategy,
and capped off with a reference section on Nato weapons and subs, and Pact
surface ships and subs including all applicable sensors and weapons. The
game can be installed on a hard disk, although disk "A" must be in drive
"A" and you are asked to identify a silhouette from the reference section
when you start a game. Once the key disk is checked, no more disk access
is used even for the animations. Overall, this is the best naval warfare
game I've yet to see for the ST, and I would recommend it highly to anyone
who enjoys this type of game.
______________________________________________________________
> What Gives? STReport OnLine¿ Atari, TOS 1.4, New Products, etc...
===========================
THE TWILIGHT ZONE
=================
by R.F. Mariano
The following was a reply to message online, but since it covers a
variety of irritating, re-occurring problems in the Atari ST world we
present it here for our readers.
Nevin;
The first question we must ask is:
"Just who is in charge at Atari?"
Now, with that out of the way, let's proceed......It's an
extraordinary occasion that we, you and I fully agree. This is one of
those occasions. Atari, has in the past few months devitalized and left
it's network of servicing dealers in an appalling state of disarray, while
seemingly approving the 'joints' interested in "lowballing" the goods out
the door. It becomes a real problem when we find that an establishment in
NYC is sending mailers to users in all 48 continental states touting their
fabulous DISCOUNTED prices for the MegaST 2 and 4. Of course, Atari
EMPHATICALLY BOASTED they did not want, nor would they permit, advertised
cut-throat MAIL ORDER sales.
Why mention the above when trying to place an agreeable opinion online
with Nevin's? Easy, the discount joints have driven the majority of the
stand-up servicing dealers in NYC and around the country to drop Atari
like a hot rock! When one considers the requirements to deal in MEGA
computers one must be a blue ribbon, full service, parts stocking dealer.
Right? WRONG!!! Why is it that a certain house of melody, (J&R Music),
in NYC can cut everyone's throat and offer NO SERVICE???? (We recommend
folks patronize ONLY those dealers who service the products they sell.)
Why is it that this outfit can skirt all the COSTLY requirements the rest
of the dealers in Atari's super anemic dealer network are forced, cudgeled
and pressured into satisfying?? And blatantly continue to get away with
it?? Who is in charge HERE?
The out of town dealer who told Nevin they had the chips ordered or
that they "must" do the installation (per Atari) are among the atypical
minority who have worked very hard at giving all of Atari's dwindling good
dealers a bad rep. Thankfully, they are going to be rapidly exposed by
the lack of large numbers of good dealers that they may 'hide' behind.
TOS 1.4, now so appropriately named The Rainbow Tos, is for many users,
holding the unreachable promise of relief from countless headaches. But
alas, it is genuinely... "Somewhere over the Rainbow..."
If ever anything was mishandled, the release of this fine upgrade was.
And now, evidently, it continues to be. Atari, how could you design a
series of machines (ST-MEGAS) to run comfortably on 1mb x 2chips and then
smoothly slip 6 chip sets out the door and down the dealers and users
throats? While remaining obviously uncaring about all the horror stories
surrounding their sales and installation? What happened to the 1mb x2
chip chipsets with TOS 1.4?? Where are they? Why haven't they made an
appearance? Were the 'Proms being sent to dealers such a bargain for you
to begin with? Wait till you add the total cost! IE; customer
satisfaction lost, reputation lost, repetitive business lost, referred
customers lost, damaged equipment lost, excessive dealer man hours for
installation. Yessir, those 'proms were a real bargain! Who is in
charge here?
When the EXCHANGE RATES, were <<"JACKED UP">>, (another incredible
fumble), which Sam said he knew nothing about but would look into during
the last CO, began to evidence itself as an obvious effort to discourage
the userbase from exchanging defective computer gear for replacement,
thus, forcing the end user to either "DISCARD" the disabled gear and buy
NEW hardware or, put hundreds of miles between themselves and the
defective equipment to be repaired. The silence on this one has been
deafening! This is a responsive and caring Atari? WHO is in charge here?
What may a user buy NEW??? An STE? A TT? A STACY? A CD-ROM? A
LYNX? What? A MEGA!? Anything, but the purchase of the brand spanking
NEW hardware would be self defeating as it has all the latest in Atari's
"new technology" incorporated in it's design.<grin> Since none of the
"NEW" items are available besides the "Tom Thumb" special, the user, once
again, is on the short end of the stick. Thanks to the 'sharpies' in
Sunnyvale, there are smiles on most all the marketing faces at Apple and
CBM..... Who IS in charge at Atari?
In the meantime, we must take the time to reassure everyone that we
have, implanted firmly in our hearts and minds, the desire to see Atari
become the frontrunner they rightfully should be in the home computer
marketplace across the USA. We say this with all sincerity for there are
those who would, in their blind lemming like behavior, find ways to
represent us as something we are not. Of course, nothing could possibly
be farther from the truth. We, in our efforts to be diligently outspoken
are trying with every last vestige of our energies to bring to the
attention of every caring and responsible individual, the true "bottom
line" situation, in a sincere attempt to facilitate the fastest possible
rectification.
______________________________________________________________
> INFORMER II STR FOCUS¿ Release Info on the new Informer...
======================
News Release
------------
INFORMER II
===========
A Data/Graphics Manager
Good news for database users and enthusiasts! Soft-Aware, Unlimited is
shipping INFORMER II, said to provide twice the power of The Informer,
its' predecessor. As graphic images relate to DTP, so do they relate to
this new concept in data/graphics management. Image files are logically
connected to records within the database and accessed for casual or
"slideshow" viewing. Images are also used as the background for
personalized "form-on-the-screen" input. Manipulating columns on the list
screen, input boxes on the form screen and utilizing the many commands is
as simple as using the mouse. As a programmable-type file manager,
INFORMER II utilizes concepts found in word processors, forms managers,
report writers, and spread-sheet programs without the burden of
programming. Creation and duplication of data and graphic oriented
applications such as invoicing or realtor listings is commonplace.
The three disk system comes with a full-sized 120+ page illustrated
manual containing three tutorial training sessions. Converting to or from
INFORMER II is simple, a conversion program which converts many data
formats is available plus the program reads and writes delimited text
files. Available now on the Atari ST series, the program is being tested
on PC's for near-future release.
Deciding to publish themselves, Soft-Aware is introducing "FareWare",
a logical combination of conventional and shareware concepts. Dealer and
user incentive programs allow for unrestricted dissemination of a demo
version containing that holder's unique REG number. Orders produced from
this REG# produce commissions for that holder. Dealer respond to the
concept since shelving and stocking is not required, commissions are good,
and an in-store demo is available. Users like the low, low price and the
commission plan. Products are shipped directly from Soft-Aware who also
provides the technical support. Users of The Informer upgrade at half
price.
CONTACT:
Soft-Aware, Unlimited
334 "B" No. Euclid Avenue
Upland, CA 91786
Phone 714-982-8409 - FAX 714-985-2348
GEnie: R.SKRALY and Category 34 in the Atari RT (475)
________________________________________________________
> TOS 1.4 DEBACLE STR FOCUS¿ Tos 1.4 is great, the distribution is sad.
=========================
DO IT OUR WAY!
==============
by R.F. Mariano
Ah yes, an old friend is in our faces again, TOS 1.4! It appears that
our favorite computer company has allowed another golden opportunity to
become fool's gold. Has anyone ever considered what the sale price of a
520STF is today? Well, at Price Club it hovers around 550.00. Now, if
Joe User wants to put TOS 1.4 into his new 520STF computer, it will cost
him another 100.00 plus installation! That's approximately 20% of the
cost of the computer.. an operating system update has to cost the end user
roughly $120.00 for a $550.00 computer? What was the total cost for the
last set of ROM chips offered to the Userbase as an upgrade?
Better yet, the original plan was to offer the new TOS in the PROPER
chip configuration, 1mb x2 chips. It appears that some bright minded high
thinking well paid executive has once again made sure Atari would loose in
the long run by implementing the 6 chip shipments. For whatever reason,
the 6 chip shipments have proven to be a veritable disaster! One can
easily cite these blistering examples;
a) bus overloading problems
b) lack of 4 sockets in many machines
c) butchering of MegaST motherboards
d) weak or marginal Blitter failures
e) immediate failure of other marginal devices
Most experienced observers have expressed the fact that if Atari had
shipped the 2 chip chipset, there would have been none of the above
problems. And best of all, the use of the 1mb chips would have made
copying them via an eprom burner infinitely more difficult. Additionally,
Atari could have sold these chips either factory direct or through dealer
sales without the risk of installation problems. Besides, the fact that
it would have been the right thing to do.
___________________________________________________________
> COPYRIGHT VIOLATION? STReport OnLine¿ Scanned Pics ok?
====================================
POSSIBLE COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
===============================
Are we, who scan and collect Clip Art, guilty of copyright infringements?
From: D.HELMS
To: ST.REPORT
Sub: Scanned Reproductions
Ralph,
I've got a question that a friend and I were wondering if
maybe you could give us some insight on.
The recent emergence of image scanners from various
manufacturers gives greater capabilities to the DTP markets and it
s users. These scanners are extremely useful for those people that
cannot draw/create their own graphic illustrations for inclusion
in reports or whatever. This is where the quandary begins. If you
cannot create YOUR OWN graphics and have to rely on magazines,
books or whatever for sources of your illustrations that means you
have to copy from these sources. Correct? Reference the 'Summer
1989' issue of Migraphs Headline newsletter page 3. That point
shows the hand scanner in operation on a magazine (looks like 'The
Week in Science') copying a photo of a butterfly. Now I'm not
saying that Migraph did not receive express written permission to
use the picture/example for their advertisement, but they seem to
be saying(along with other scanner manf.'s) that this is what is
the main use of scanners- to COPY from others to include in your
work.
Now when a disk copy program is advertised, they usually have
a disclaimer stating the obligations of the user NOT to copy
software illegally.
Is copying pictures and illustrations from various
sources(which these sources usually state that 'No part can be
copied or reproduced in ANY manner without the permission of
publisher') any different than reproducing copyrighted software
without due payment to the author/publisher?
Have you ever read a book and then loaned it to a friend for
them to read or vice versa? Ever read someone elses magazine or
newspaper that you didn't purchase? Are not the articles/contents
of these publications copyrighted the same as software?
A word on 'some' of the software people that cry CRIMINAL
when they find a illegal copy of their program on a BBS. They need
to take a look at the above paragraph and ask themselves if they
should be throwing stones around their glass house.
Take a look at the pay service BBS's and look at the VAST
amount of SCANNED picture files. Where did the source of these
files originate? Did the person that scanned them have 'express
written(or any other type) permission' to scan and upload/share
these pics/files with others for inclusion in DTP
articles/newsletters? Why are the BBS's allowing this flagrant
posting of copyrighted material? Would they allow someone to post
a copy of Migraphs TOUCH-UP program? I think not. Why not? Isn't
the principal the same? Would you consider this an endorsement
of 'certain' reproduced copyrighted material?
Doyle~
Editor Note:
------------
Doyle, we felt the very best way to point out that there may be a grey
area here was to include the following letter sent to the good folks at
Computer Shopper for having reproductions of certain images in an issue
without permission.
Although, many folks busily scan art work, photos and line art. They
may not be aware that by then swapping and sha
ring the results of their
efforts with their friends and neighbors it could very well be illegal.
Hopefully, we will be able to obtain an unbiased legal opinion that
may become a guideline. We at STReport see it this way; if a user scans a
piece that is (c) copyright then he assumes the liability. This means
that we feel it is ok as long as;
(a) The user keeps the results of his efforts for his own
enjoyment.
(b) The user obtains permission to share the work from the
copyright holder. Not a very pleasant thought we admit but
certainly an area open for extensive debate and arbitration.
-----====**====-----
from COMPUTER SHOPPER, July 1989
Feedback Forum page 181
Letters from our readers
Dear Editor:
We are general counsel for United Feature Syndicate, Inc., which
syndicates, among other properties, the comic strip Garfield by Jim Davis
and the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz in thousands of
newspapers in the United States and throughout the world. United Feature
Syndicate, Inc., owns all of the copyrights, trademarks and other
subsidiary rights relating to these comic strips and the characters
appearing therein, including the characters "Garfield," "Odie," "Jon,"
"Snoopy," "Woodstock," "Charlie Brown," "Sally," etc. Because of these
rights, third persons are prohibited from reproducing or copying the
Garfield or Peanuts comic strip characters in any form for any purpose
without a written license from United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
No one has been authorized by United Feature Syndicate, Inc., to
create, sell or otherwise distribute clip art or general graphics computer
software containing images of any Peanuts or Garfield characters.
Notwithstanding this, we have learned that unlicensed clip art and general
graphics software is available with unauthorized images of Peanuts and
Garfield characters. Such an unlicensed software program was featured in
the article "The Amiga Workbench" which appeared in the April 1989 issue
of the "Computer Shopper."
These unauthorized software programs and disks are available most
often through distribution sources which carry so called "Public Domain"
and "Shareware" software. The name "Public Domain" software is a
misnomer, at least regarding any such software that contains copies of
copyrighted works, such as the Peanuts and Garfield comic strips and
characters. United Feature Syndicate, Inc., has complete and effective
copyright registrations regarding the Peanuts and Garfield comic strips
and characters. Copies or reproductions of these characters which appear
in "Pubic Domain," "Shareware" or any other clip art software are
unauthorized and constitute infringements of the rights of United Feature
Syndicate, Inc., rendering the infringer liable for damages. Anyone who
sells or distributes the unauthorized software is liable for infringement
even if he or she did not create or manufacture the infringing image.
United Feature Syndicate, Inc., would like to inform the readers of
"Computer Shopper" and others interested in such software that it will
hold fully accountable under the law anyone found to be creating, selling
or distributing software containing unauthorized images of any Peanuts or
Garfield character.
Baker & Hostetler
General Counsel for
United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
The Editors of "Computer Shopper" apologize for the oversight
regarding the Garfield characters. This letter should also stand as a
reminder to all BBSs & User Group newsletters that duplicate or distribute
copyrighted images.
________________________________________________________
> TAKIN' A LOOK STR Tech Notes¿ Why are the TT and STE creating a stir?
============================
HINDSIGHT and the STE
=====================
Graphics Chips, the STE/TT, ...and the Chef's Cooking
-----------------------------------------------------
by Michael Arthur
Ever since the Atari STE's introduction, many ST Developers have shown
great disdain towards it. Even though it has 8-voice stereo sound, 256K
TOS ROMs, and extended ST Resolutions, most ST Developers have said that
they simply won't support it. Since such a response about ANY computer
system, especially from a widespread group of vital companies, has VERY
dark implications, one would wonder as to the reasons why. After looking
at Developers' complaints, two main reasons stood out:
1) The Atari TT is the future of the Atari ST, while the STE is an
evolutionary dead-end.
Given that the TT provides MUCH more versatility (with a VME Bus
Architecture, 512K TOS ROMs, and Ethernet ports) than the STE, and that
with 68030 and 68882 math chip support, the TT will last a LOT longer than
the STE, the first part of this statement is obviously true.
However, the second part foretells a great deal about the STE's
future. Since the low-end Atari TT will cost around $3000.00, or about
500 dollars above the STE, many ST Users may simply spend the extra bucks
to go with the TT, instead of having to get an STE now, and spend another
$2500 to get a TT later. But logically, any group of knowledgeable, wise,
and experienced businessmen would have realized this. Therefore, Atari
had aimed the STE at the middle end of the ST Line. Interestingly though,
it seems that one of the STE's prime targets, current 520/1040 ST Users,
are saying that they prefer the Mega's added memory to the STE's extra
"frills", and eventually plan to buy a TT. Also, market trends seem to
indicate that the STE's other target, future 520/1040/Mega Owners, may
actually buy the cheaper 1040 and Mega STs, rather than paying the extra
bucks for the same amount of RAM. Curiously, if Atari were to discontinue
the 520, 1040, and Mega ST's, in order to force the STE onto the
marketplace, it seems that a significant number of future 520/1040/Mega
Owners may simply buy USED ST's from Atari owners upgrading to TT's,
instead of buying new STE's from Atari....
2) The STE uses a Surface Mount 68000 chip, meaning that it can't
be expanded, and is even more of a Dead-End product.
Remember when, in 1985, Atari ST Users had to drop their ST's onto a
desk from a height of six inches in order to reseat the chips on the ST's
motherboard? Well, in order to prevent this from happening again, a
certain few at Atari decided to use a Solder Mask Over Bare Copper Board
(or SMOBC) fabrication technology to make the STE's motherboard. This
method, which Apple and NeXT have used so their systems could be produced
in robotic manufacturing facilities, produces a more reliable board. But
since all chips (including the 68000) have to be surface-mounted (instead
of soldered) on the motherboard, ST Add-in products such as PC Ditto II
and Turbo 16, won't ever be compatible with the STE. And since the STE
doesn't have a Mega expansion slot, that means that, outside of memory, it
can't be expanded AT ALL. Sadly, given the aforementioned benefits, the
STE's SMOBC motherboard, which could have been a real advantage, now turns
out to be its Achilles Heel. But oddly, Atari didn't use SMOBC technology
to make the TT's motherboard....
Interestingly enough, while ST Developers have complained about these
issues, they have overlooked what may be the TRUE Atari Blunder of the
Year, at least towards the STE and TT: Mainly, its graphics chips....
Here, we present the STE and TT's extended graphics modes:
Atari STE Atari 68030 TT (or TT030)
--------- -------------------------
320*200 with 16 Colors out of 4096 320*200 with 256 Colors out of 4096
640*200 with 4 Colors out of 4096 640*400 with 16 Colors out of 4096
640*400 with 4 Gray Scales 1280*960 with 16 Gray Scales
Now, please consider these two facts:
1) Atari, in making the STE, simply attached a second Shifter chip to
the STE Motherboard, and made a few interconnections to achieve the STE's
graphics. However, in making the TT, Atari redesigned the Shifter Chip,
both giving it (let's call it Shifter II) both the benefits of the STE's
graphics, and making some modifications to give the TT's expanded array of
displayable colors. Now, given the aforementioned results, one can make
two logical conclusions:
A) Atari did this to make the STE's graphics modes completely
compatible with the TT's graphics modes. If this is true,
it would be interesting to see if, with three months time, a
knowledgeable ST Developer could write a TOS Patch capable
of reproducing the TT's Graphics with an STE, without a
significant loss in the STE's speed....
B) Atari has included Shifter II in BOTH the STE and TT, but
decided to place the code necessary for the TT's displayable
colors ONLY on the TT. If this is true, that ST Developer
could write that TOS Patch in ONE WEEK, with NO
disadvantages to the STE User whatsoever....
Interestingly enough, while Atari was busy designing the Shifter II,
which provides a 4096 color palette, Apple gave the Mac II a 16 million
color palette, using the same chip that RasterOps used to make a $1000.00
24-bit color board for the Mac II, and that Commodore's Amiga 3000 will
use to provide a 320*200 resolution with all 16 million colors displayable
at the same time....
Called the BrookTree RAMDAC, this chip has been available for the past
2-3 YEARS, and now costs only $50.00 in OEM/VAR quantities. Oddly, it
appears that the Shifter II will cost just as much, if not MORE, for Atari
to use. In addition to that, given that the Shifter II's R&D Effort not
only cost Atari hundreds of thousands of dollars, but that waiting for the
FCC to approve the Shifter II is the principal reason for the STE and TT's
shipping being held up so long in the US, it is literally MINDBOGGLING how
Atari made this AWFUL and grievous mistake. If Atari's decision were to
be Cuisine served at a Paris Restaurant to a French Food Critic, it would
probably be spat out, and pronounced, "Bad Cooking!"
So, perhaps to prevent this mistake from being permanent, I
respectfully submit this set of solutions, which would both cure the TT's
pathetic inadequacies concerning its graphics chips, but would give Atari
yet ANOTHER selling point for its future machines:
1) Atari is (hopefully) developing a TT040, or a version of the
TT using the 68040 chip. Atari should include BOTH the
Shifter II and the BrookTree RAMDAC onto the TT040's
motherboard, allowing for these new resolutions:
320*200 with 16 million display colors at the same time
640*400 with 256 display colors out of a 16 million Color Palette
800*600 with 16 display colors out of a 24-bit Color Palette
These resolutions would not only be readily possible with the TT, but
would run FASTER, and be FAR easier to develop than the Shifter II and its
graphics were. Atari would then introduce the TT040, giving Developers the
specs necessary to utilize these resolutions. Bundling the Shifter II
would give backwards-compatibility with current ST applications, while
Brooktree's Graphics chip would provide a wide and bountiful pathway for
future ST Applications to use....
2) Atari should introduce new models of the STE and TT030
which would also include the BrookTree RAMDAC (and
resolutions similar to those specified above for a possible
TT040) , and discontinue the present models of the STE and
TT. While this would cost Atari a noticeable amount of
money, and would "force" Atari to raise the cost of the STE
and TT several dozen dollars, I don't quite think that the
ST Userbase will mind the short-lived "inconvenience" that
this would cause, in light of the drastic increase in
graphics resolution. Also, since the "Extended STE" and
"Extended TT" would both have the Shifter II, for
compatibility with any forthcoming STE or TT applications,
the transition would be painless for both ST/TT Developers,
and for the STE/TT Userbase....
In this article, a "recipe" has been given to improve the
palatability" of the Atari STE and TT's graphics. Let us now hope that
Atari now will both follow this recipe, and replace the "chef" who was in
charge of the Team who "cooked up" the STE and TT's present graphics....
_______________________________________________________________________
> Sheer Frustration STReport OnLine Another power user thinks twice..
=================================
Conf : Atari 16/32 Bit
Msg# : 2770 Lines: Extended Read: 1
Sent : Oct 2, 1989 at 1:13 PM
To : ALL
From : ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR at The Entertainment Center # 285
Subj : Re: <2685> Atari Management
When I bought this Mega, I bought it NOT for the support that I *wish*
I had now, but because of the potential that I saw in this machine. I
looked at the latest PCs, EGA was the highest graphics level, and that
would have NOT been supported by the software that was out, plus it would
have added more than $1000 to the price of the machine, and CGA was not
good enough to interest me. Apple had their IIe machines, but they were
still running 1 Mhz 8 bit processors. No thanks there. I looked at the
Mac, but the last thing I wanted was a B&W 9" screen. No thanks there
either. Then I looked at the Amiga, I actually spent a while with the
Amiga, but once I found out how often it crashed, I gave up on it. So,
the choice was narrowed down to the ST.
Now, the ST promised a lot. At that time, only the 520ST was out.
The 1040ST was still being promised. I decided at that time to wait for
the 1040ST for 2 reasons. One, it had more memory, and second, the floppy
drive was built-in. Well, the 1040ST came out, but then Atari started
talking about a Mega series that would have a detached keyboard. That was
the one complaint that I had about the ST. I wanted the detached
keyboard. So i continued to wait, and later the next year, I bought the
Mega at the fall COMDEX show.
At that time, there were demonstrations of local area networks
(remember PromiseLan???), CD ROM players were being demo'd, and lots of
things, including expansion boxes for the Mega that would give us real
slots. Atari was also saying that the Mega series (the Mega 1, Mega 2,
and Mega 4) were going to become the main machines for them. They even
hinted that the Mega 1 would replace the 1040ST, and that future upgrades
would be available for the Mega, because they had designed the Mega so
that it could be upgraded. It even had a blitter built-in, and a newer
version of TOS in it.
With all of that, how could I possibly be making the wrong move? I
was getting the latest machines, one that was going to be the companies
flagship, and future upgrades were going to be made for it, plus it had
all the features that I was looking for, namely a 16 bit processor, pretty
good graphics, some sound capabilities, a built-in double sided floppy,
and LOTS of memory.
Did I get what I paid for? In hardware, YES! In support? ..Kind of.
In the beginning there were people at Atari that wanted to make this the
best selling machine in America. You could call them, get answers, and
even get some pretty darn good support. The Mega I bought at COMDEX would
not function with a blitter chip in it, so I had to send it back. Then
someone lost it at Atari. I was able to call Richard Frick, and he
personally went down, found my old Mega, and had a new one at my front
door in three days. There was no way that I could possibly knock that
kind of support.
But then the executives at Atari started getting what appeared to be
'a bad time', and one by one they started leaving. Soon there was nobody
left that you could call and get a straight answer from any longer. It
was almost as if they all worked for the same company, but were getting
their information from lots of different sources, because everyone had
different information and attitudes.
By now, it has almost reached the point where, not even Sam Tramiel
has any credibility left. They say something, and then you wait, and wait
and wait, and then suddenly, something ELSE happens. And if you get lucky
enough to ask Sam Tramiel a 'to-the-point' question during one of his
online conferences, you get one of the best tap dances you'll ever see,
but you wont get an answer to the question. Long before Neil Harris
(anyone remember him?) left, you could pretty much listen to him, and get
a straight story, but then even he wasn't getting the truth very often,
and off to GEnie he went.
Maybe, some of this has to do with the $100,000,000 that Atari blew
playing with Federated... Maybe it doesn't. Maybe it has something to do
with Atari going public. I know one thing, there was a lot better support
for the user, user groups, developers, dealers and most everyone else in
1987 than there has been for the past 18 months.
If I were going out to spend $2000 on a computer system today, I most
certainly would *not* make Atari Corp, and the Mega my first choice as
easily today. Maybe I know more about the company now than I did then,
but since the price of AT clones has come WAY DOWN during the past two
years, and the ST has stayed about the same. That makes the PC clones a
much better deal than they were two years ago. EGA will only run you
about $600 today, but the machines have come down almost $1400. That
makes AT clones about $2000 cheaper than they were 2 years ago, and most
of the software is now written to support EGA, in fact, VGA is fast
becoming the standard.
With a PC, I know that I can upgrade almost everything, without having
to buy a new machine. The Atari TTx sounds like it might offer some of
these features, but that's a machine that is not out yet. The TTd sounds
like another Mega with more memory, and a larger pallet of colors,
basically. But the one slot promised in the TTd doesn't sound expandable
enough to me.
I guess what it all comes down to is this. I want a machine that can
be purchased for a fairly reasonable price, will have good graphics, some
sound capabilities, lots of memory, is expandable, is upgradable, and for
which I can get some decent support *somewhere*. I don't expect to be
able to call IBM and get all the answers if I own an IBM machine, but I
can go out and buy a book on it. And if they come out with better
graphics, I can go out and buy a video card and monitor, and add them to
my system. That's what I thought I was getting when I bought this Mega.
Apparently I was wrong.
Will I buy Atari computers in the future? It depends on the machines.
Atari is going to have to compete with the marketplace. If they offer the
same or better features for the same or less money, then I will have to
consider the machine. If it costs more than competing machines, I doubt
that they will get my money.
____________________________________________________________
> WORDUP 2.0 STR FOCUS¿ Developer Updates from Neocept.....
====================
WORDUP V2.0 NEWS
================
Neocept has discovered a HARMLESS virus on all of the WordUp v2.0
upgrades and new packages with serial numbers from WUP004000 to WUP004249.
This virus is completely harmless and does nothing more than copy itself
to the boot sector of all disks that are accessed. In fact, this virus
could arguably be called a "virus killer", since it wipes out any harmful
virus that may already occupy the boot sector. It is remotely possible
that this virus could be the "key" to activate some other virus, or that
this virus interacts to duplicate some other virus. However, Neocept has
already disassembled and looked closely at the virus, and can find no
indication of how it might act as a "key". To be safe, users should clear
out all but the first 32 bytes of the boot sectors of their WordUp disks,
using a disk editor or a virus killing program.
It has been reported to Neocept that DESKCART, by QMI, is incompatible
with WordUp v2.0. It causes the keyboard handling of WordUp to function
incorrectly. If you have DESKCART, it should be completely disabled
before using WordUp. In version 2.0 of Wordup, we added low-level
keyboard buffers in order to correctly buffer the status of the SHIFT,
CONTROL, and ALTERNATE keys, to work around a bug in GEM. Some programs
which perform keyboard macros may not be compatible if they do not follow
compatible methods, such as those used by THUNDER, the spell checker desk
accessory from Batteries Included (which functions correctly with version
2.0 of WordUp).
WORDUP & G+PLUS
---------------
With the help of a couple of our users, we have uncovered what appears
to be a problem with G+PLUS and the ASSIGN.SYS file created by the WORDUP
INSTALL PROGRAM. If you use G+PLUS and WORDUP together, and have been
getting a "NO FONTS LOADED" message when you boot WORDUP, read the
following for an explanation and solution.
The basic ASSIGN.SYS file included with the WordUp package is modified
by the installation program for the setup you choose. To make this a bit
easier, the font names in this ASSIGN.SYS file have a space character in
front of them. GDOS does not care and reads the font name following the
space, but G+PLUS apparently treats any line beginning with a space as a
comment, and ignores the font name following the space. Since the
ASSIGN.SYS file from WordUp has spaces or semicolons at the start of each
line, this makes it think there are no fonts installed, and WordUp will
give you a message to the effect of "NO FONTS LOADED" when you boot. When
you replacing G+PLUS with GDOS, the problem disappears.
We have discussed this problem with the guys at Codehead, the
publisher of G+PLUS, and they are looking into it. (I would like to say
that I use G+PLUS myself and think it is a fine product, and I personally
recommend it. - Mike F. @ NEOCEPT)
If you have seen this error, then for the moment, in order to use
G+PLUS instead of GDOS, the ASSIGN.SYS file must be edited to remove the
spaces in front of the font names. See your WordUp manual for more
information on how to modify the ASSIGN.SYS. You will need to replace
G+PLUS with GDOS temporarily if you want to use WordUp to edit the
ASSIGN.SYS file.
_______________________________________________________________
> Usergroup Support STReport InfoFile¿ Ongoing support for Usergroups..
===================================
Contact: Pattie Snyder-Rayl (313) 973-8825
Unicorn Publications
3487 Braeburn Circle
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Atari Interface Magazine Offers User Groups a Low Cost, Hassle Free
Newsletter Alternative
ANN ARBOR, MI
Has your Atari user group found itself spending a large chunk of its
funds to produce and mail a club newsletter? Do you have an overworked
newsletter editor who scrambles to get each newsletter produced? Does
your club find it increasingly harder to have a quality newsletter
containing original articles? Has your club tried including Z*Net
supplements only to find the increased production costs far outweigh the
benefits?
Unicorn Publications, producer of Atari Interface Magazine (AIM),
announces a plan to help Atari user groups overcome the hassles
associated with producing a club newsletter. We invite your club to join
groups from Michigan, Oklahoma and Texas in becoming a Participating Club
in Atari Interface Magazine for the unbelievably low price of only 50
cents per issue per member...for each member, that's only $6.00 per year!
For the price many clubs are currently paying for postage alone, your
members can have a high quality, national newsletter delivered each month
to their doors. Here's how it works: Participating Clubs submit club
news, minutes, reviews, editorials and other feature articles on or
before the 17th of each month. Participating clubs also supply mailing
labels for their members and a check or money order for 50 cents per
supplied label. Here at Unicorn Publications, we write monthly columns
and features, and we do all the "dirty work" -- editing, laying out and
producing the magazine and mailing each issue to the club members.
For those of you unfamiliar with AIM, Unicorn Publications began
producing the magazine back in December, 1987, under the name Michigan
Atari Magazine. With the addition of Participating Clubs outside the
state of Michigan in January, 1989, the publication evolved into Atari
Interface Magazine. The magazine supports both the Atari 8-bit and ST
computers. With over-the-counter sales in select Atari stores from Maine
to California, chances are you can find a copy of AIM at your local
dealer.
As well as submissions from participating clubs, the magazine currently
includes the following regular monthly columns:
* Atari Bulletin Board, a look at what's new each month in the
Atari world
* Turbo Info by DataQue's Chuck Steinman who discusses the Turbo-816
16-bit processor upgrade for Atari 8-bit owners
* An in-depth tutorial to help people get the most from the
AtariWriter+ wordprocessor
If your editor is currently struggling to produce a monthly
newsletter, or if your club has tried including Z*Net supplements only to
find that local content has to be decreased or newsletter production
costs soar out of reach, we urge you to consider participating in AIM.
Production and mailing of a monthly club newsletter is, quite often,
the largest expense for a club. As a Participating Club paying only 50
cents per issue per member, your newsletter costs should decrease
substantially. At the same time, your club joins with other Atari user
groups to gain the benefits of participating in a national user group
publication.
For more information on becoming a Participating Club in Atari Interface
Magazine and other benefits of participation,
contact:
Pattie Snyder-Rayl
(313) 973-8825
Or
Call our BBS at (313) 973-9137 (300/1200/2400 baud).
Unicorn Publications can also be reached via electronic mail on:
CompuServe (ID 71361,411)
GEnie (UNICORNPUB)
Delphi (UNICORNPUB)
We hope to hear from your club soon!
_______________________________________________________________
> AIM UPDATES STR Spotlight¿ Usergroup support at it's best....
=========================
Here is a list of the new clubs that have "enrolled" in the Atari
Interface Magazine.
The Mid-Ohio Atari User Group (MAUG), with President Chuck Steinman,
creater of the Turbo-816 16bit upgrade board for the 8bit Atari line.
The Rockford Atari Computer Club (RACC), of Rockford, Illinois, home of
ICD, Inc.
The Central Connecticut Computer Club (CCCC), who boasts as one of their
members Darlah Pine of GEnie. Rich Scheidel, known to CompuServe users as
"Yankee" Rich is CCCC President.
Layton Atari Computer Enthusiasts (LACE) from Layton, Utah. They are a
well-knit club of Atarians from the Salt Lake State.
These four clubs join the nine clubs who already participate with the
Atari Interface Magazine.
These clubs are:
----------------
CACE of Jackson, MI
GKAUG of Kalamazoo, MI
GLASS of Troy, MI
GRASS of Grand Rapids, MI
MACE of Southfield, MI
ST Club of El Paso of El Paso, TX
TACE of Tinker, OK
TAG of Bay City/Saginaw, MI
WAUG of Ann Arbor, MI
We are pleased that, as of now, four more clubs are joining AIM with the
November issue. There may be more than four by the time the November
issue's Deadline approaches. For more information about joining the Atari
Interface Magazine, subscribing to AIM or advertising with us.
Please contact Pattie Rayl: (313) 973-8825.
______________________________________________________________
> ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿
======================
- Washington, DC **** SOFTWARE RENTAL TO BECOME ILLEGAL ****
--------------
A bill to prohibit the rental of software has been introduced by
Senator Orin Hatch (R-Utah). The bill is an amendment to section 109b of
the Copyright Act. And will fall under the US Penal Code, Section 501,
Title 17. Actually, we mentioned this event about 2 months ago, but due
to a technicality, the bill was re-introduced thus the new announcement.
Senate bill 198 would make it illegal to rent, lease, or lend software for
commercial advantage, with the exception of libraries. Video cartridges
would not be covered under the terms of the bill.
- Kyoto, JAPAN ***** ONE MILLION GAME BOYS SHIPPED *****
------------
Nintendo has engendered another significant electronic gadget sales
sensation. They delivered over one million Game Boy hand held game
machines! Nintendo delivered 710,000 units since this April through the
end of this August in Japan, and has been exporting to the U.S. 450,000
units per month since the end of July. Atari should look at this, they
(Ninetendo) delivered more at home than abroad! They are not mistaken in
knowing where their roots are. Meanwhile, the software industry is boldly
pushing forward to support this gadget. Japan's software vendors are
becoming licensed with Nintendo in droves to supply software for Game Boy.
They (Nintendo) are now producing 300,000 Game Boys monthly and fully
expect to have the monthly production at 400,000 by early next year.
Additionally, it has been learned that the regular Ninetendo machines will
have accessories available allowing them to receive Vidtext and they plan
to have peripheral devices available allowing the Ninetendo to be utilized
as a full featured computer.
- San Diego, CA. ***** MIXED FEELINGS EMERGE OVER PORTFOLIO *****
--------------
Many users and dealers are beginning to question the use of MS-DOS
2.11 for the PortFolio, and have suggested Atari license Digital
Research's DR-DOS for use on the Portfolio. The version of MS-DOS 2.11
that the Portfolio uses will NOT be compatible with most MS-DOS
applications. Since Digital Research's DR-DOS is ROMable, and fits in the
SAME amount of space as the MS-DOS 2.11 ROMs, but provides features and
versatility found only in PC-DOS 4.00, and is completely compatible with
99% of IBM programs, the Portfolio would be gaining a more powerful, and
more compatible set of DOS ROMs. Also, since Digital Research markets
DR-DOS ROMs for HALF of what the MS-DOS 2.11 ROMs are licensed for, Atari
would realize a substantial savings by using Digital Research's DR-DOS in
the Portfolio, instead of the expensive and obsolete MS-DOS 2.11
software....
- Sunnyvale, CA. ***** ANTONIO SALERNO PROMOTED! *****
--------------
Antonio Salerno has been promoted to Vice President at Atari.
Antonio, who has demonstrated himself as a capable junior executive at
Atari will assume his new duties as Vice President in charge of software.
Although we are sure his responsibilities will encompass a great deal
more, we find it very difficult to keep up with all the promotions,
demotions, resignations and dismissals at Atari. One day soon somebody
there will discover that true success comes with stabilized leadership who
are true team players. Good luck to you Antonio.
______________________________________________________________
> WAACE ATARI FEST STR NewsPlus¿ Usergroups helping Atari and the users.
=============================
Washington Area Atari Computer Enthusiasts (WAACE)
Fifth Annual Atarifest
Scheduled for October 7th and 8th, 1989
The Washington Area Atari Computer Enthusiasts (WAACE) has announced
that the fifth annual Washington D.C. area Atarifest will be held at
Fairfax High School, 3500 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax, Virginia on Saturday
and Sunday, the 7th and 8th of October. Atarifest is a computing
exposition featuring the Atari line of personal and home computers, as
well as the complete line of entertainment systems. The show features
educational seminars covering nearly all areas of computing;
demonstrations of various applications of Atari computers, including MIDI
music, desktop publishing, and entertainment; and exhibits by software
publishers and hardware manufacturers showing the latest developments in
the Atari world. In the past, representatives from Atari Corporation have
been on hand to answer questions and provide assistance.
This year's theme is "The Atari Alternative," and the goal is to show
how Atari computers can be used in business and in the home. It will
include demonstrations of both eight-bit (400/800/XL/XE) and ST software
and hardware. Whether for creative endeavors, helping with some of the
household paperwork, or just to have fun, the organizers of Atarifest '89
intend to show how the "Atari Alternative" can meet and beat other
computer systems in its class, and why Atari Corporation's motto is "Power
Without the Price."
WAACE is a confederation of Atari user groups in the Maryland,
Virginia, and Washington, D.C. area, each dedicated to supporting the
Atari community in their respective areas. Atarifest is co-sponsored by
the Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools' Office of Adult and
Community Education, and the emphasis has always been on educating the
public about computers and their uses. The 1985 Washington Atarifest was
one of the first such shows, which are now held in more than 10 cities
across the nation.
Atarifest has grown in popularity, attracting thousands of attendees
each year. This year, organizers hope to attract over 5,000 people. The
show is open to all persons who have an interest in computing, and the
FREE ADMISSION and hourly door prizes (including an Atari hard disk drive)
encourage attendance by those who may not yet own an Atari computer. It
is especially designed to have something of interest for everyone, from
diehard Atarians to mainframe systems managers to computer neophytes.
Fairfax High School is located at 3500 Old Lee Highway, just off
routes 29 and 50 in Fairfax, Virginia. The school can conveniently be
reached from the Vienna Metro station (Orange line) by taking the Fairfax
Cue bus. Hours of the show are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, and
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Most user group demonstrations will be
conducted on Saturday only. For further information, call John Barnes at
(301) 652-0667.
For further information contact:
Gary Purinton (703) 264-8826
John Barnes (301) 652-0667
Vendors should contact:
Johanna Ogden (703) 450-3992.
-----====***====-----
****** Alive and Thriving *******
WAACE AtariFest 89 - Infogram
For those of you who *may* have gotten the wrong impression from ST
Informer we would like to report that WAACE AtariFest '89 is well on
its way to becoming the Atari event of the year on the East Coast.
Here are a few of the Features: (exact names or titles subject to change)
Vendors/Developers/Publications in attendance:
----------------------------------------------
ASDE Inc./ST Plug Accusoft Accustar
Alpha Systems Atari Corp Best Electronics
Cal Com Codehead Software Current Notes
Debonair Software Diskcovery Diverse Data Prod
Double Click Soft. Electronic Clinic First Stop
Gribnif GEnie I.C.D.
Johnsware Joppa Computer L & Y Electronics
Lantech Magnetic Images Michtron
Orion Microsystems Rock Digital STReport/CPU Report
ST Informer ST Log Seymor Radix
Softrek Strata Software Toad Computers
Unicorn Publications Wintertech Wizztronics
Xlent Software Z*Mag/ZNet
Also, reps from ISD Marketing, FAST Tech, Gadgets by Small, and STReport
Online will be on hand helping out in User Group Demo Rooms and/or giving
Seminars.
Demonstrations (Saturday Only)
(See printed schedule available at Fest)
Telecommunications Art and Graphics Mac Emulation
Desktop Publishing MIDI MS-DOS Emulation
Business Applications Games
Hardware Add-ons Programming Languages
Door Prizes:
Saturday - Grand Prize - Atari ST Computer
Dozens of others - Announced every few minutes
Sunday - Grand Prize - Hard Drive from ABCO
Seminars:
Saturday. 7 October Sunday, 8 October
1100 - Computers and Kids 1300 - Fleet Street 2.0
D. A. Brumleve Mike Johnson, Michtron
1200 - Atari Corp Speaks 1400 - "Why Some Programs
Sig Hartmann Stink " A. Wrotniak,
1300 - Alternative Desktops Debonair Software
Rick Flashman - Gribnif 1500 - Atari Hardware Futures
1400 - Hard Disk Systems Panel: D. Small, James
Tom Harker - ICD Allen, David Troy.
1500 - Speeding up the ST 1600 - Grass Roots Atari
Wayne Buckholdt - Softrek Panel Discussion on
1600 - Ask STReport Magazine Atari User Interests
Ralph Mariano 1300-1600 Musicians and MIDI
Hospitality:
1800 - Hospitality Suites - Fairfax Quality Inn
1930 - Cocktail Hour - Hunan Lion Rest
2000 - AtariFest Banquet - Hunan Lion Restaurant
Current Notes Author of the Year
** Atari's World - Sig Hartmann **
User Group Leadership Workshop - 0900 Sunday - Bob Brodie
(UG Representatives by Invitation)
----------
Other Information:
John D. Barnes, WAACE Chairman,
7710 Chatham Rd,
Chevy Chase, MD 20815.
GENie: J.D.BARNES. Phone: 301-652-0667
(return calls collect).
Lodging:
Quality Inn of Fairfax - $49.50 per night.
Be sure to mention AtariFest when reserving (before 25
September).
WAACE wishes to express its appreciation for the support we have received
from the Atari world. This Fest is truly an expression of "Power without
the Price".
________________________________________________________________
> PRE-HOLIDAY SPECIAL STR FOCUS¿ Solid line of performers offered
=============================
NEW PRICES! & MORE MODELS!!
============================
ABCO COMPUTER ELECTRONICS INC.
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672
Est. 1985
_________________________________________
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
(you are NOT limited to two drives ONLY!)
(all cables and connectors installed)
SEAGATE HARD DISK MECHANISMS ONLY!
ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED
* OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS *
**** CALL FOR SPECIAL PRE-HOLIDAY "AVOID THE RUSH" DISCOUNTS!! ****
** LAST WEEK FOR THE SG32238 32MB EXPANDABLE HARD DRIVE @ 469.95 **
32mb #SG32238 539.00 42mb #SG44710 595.00
51mb #SGN4951 629.00 65mb #SG60101 679.00
80mb #SGN296 709.00 100mb #SG84011D 969.00
130mb #SG1244D 1099.00 145mb #SG3A4210 989.00
170mb #SGT41776 1389.00 260mb #SG1244Q 2169.00
320mb #SGN7788Q 3295.00
Listed above are a sampling of the systems available.
Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations
(over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited)
*** ALL Units: Average Access Time: 24ms - 34ms ***
ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> MAGIC SAC - PC-DITTO/II - SPECTRE/GCR
LARGER units are available - (special order only)
* Removable Media Devices Available (44mb) Syquest 555 *
*** Available for ST - Amiga - IBM ***
LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS
- Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets -
TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets
ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED
12 month FULL Guarantee
(A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE)
Quantity & Usergroup Discounts Available!
_________________________________________
DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!
Company and Personal Checks accepted.
ORDER YOURS TODAY!
904-783-3319 9am - 8pm EDT
___________________________________________________________________
> A "Quotable Quote"¿
=================
An executive, whispering to another exec about Vapor Product...
"AWW, TELL 'EM WHAT THEY WANNA HEAR!! ...THE STOCK MARKET IS UP!!"
....Moron's Morals
"ATARI IS BACK?"
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ST-REPORT¿ Issue #108 "Your Independent News Source" October 06, 1989
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ½ copyright 1989
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Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
the editors, staff, ST Report¿ or CPU Report¿. Reprint permission is
hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. All reprints must include ST
Report or CPU Report and the author's name. All information presented
herein is believed correct, STReport or CPU Report, it's editors and staff
are not responsible for any use or misuse of information contained herein.
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