Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Silicon Times Report Issue 0114
*---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original Online ST Magazine"
_______________________________
November 17, 1989 Vol III No.114
=======================================================================
ST Report Online Magazine¿
__________________________
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
and
An International list of private BBS systems
carrying STReport for their users enjoyment
__________________________________________________________________
> Issue: #114 STReport¿ The Online Magazine of Choice!
--------------------
- The Editors' Podium - CPU REPORT 9600 Baud
- DevPac Professional - QUARTET ST
- SIMM UPGRADE SHOWN - Word Perfect UP on Atari!
- Sig Hartmann at VideoTech - ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL
---===**** EYEWITTNESS REPORT-> COMDEX * COMDEX * COMDEX ****===---
=======================================================================
AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX
=======================================================================
> The Editor's Podium¿
How deceiving the flight schedule was.... board the airplane at 6:30am
in Jax, Fl. and deplane in Las Vegas at 11:30am. Hmmmm, pretty quick
flight. It actually totals out to more than 8 hours of flight time.
After arriving Saturday at about 11:45am, the fun began... the time spent
in getting settled in was next to unreal with numbers of people trying to
do the very same thing. The unofficial figure for those attending Comdex
was upwards of 125,000 people. I, like most other Atari supporters in
attendance, went directly to the Atari display for a much needed
"enthusiasm fix".
Atari, (hmmm.. my favorite subject), had a rather respectable display
area set up. The color scheme was subdued and very professional. The
display area was located about 70 feet inside the main entrance in the
west hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. In the Atari display area,
there were cubicles designed to enhance the appearance of the developers
and those products that were on display. The setup also included two
secluded offices set behind smoked glass and an upper level. Incidently,
there were 5 TT computers in use along with 5 Stacy 4mb units and scads of
Portfolios. The new multi-rez Atari monitors were good looking and the
performance was flawless. The Image Systems 19" color monitor in use at
the SoftLogik cubicle was simply stunning. Atari distributed what could
only be called a "first rate" Press Kit that was the "hit" of the Press
Room.
COMDEX/Fall 89 and Atari put on quite a show. Folks... the best thing
to come from our attendance for the past five days is the re-establishment
of our faith in Atari and its POSITIVE future.
thanks for your support,
Ralph.... (still wide eyed)
**********************************************************************
: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 # 41
----------
by Michael Arthur
Remember When....
DEC introduced VMS, an operating system for their VAX minicomputers
which was one the first systems to implement Virtual Memory, and how in
1978, the University of California at Berkeley, in an effort to bring
Virtual Memory to Unix, created BSD Unix 3.0?
CPU INSIGHTS¿
============
V.32, the CCITT, and the Tale of the 9600 Baud Modem
----------------------------------------------------
Recently, a lot of attention has been placed towards the specific
types of 9600 baud modems. It seems that as developments such as Magneto
Optical Cartridge Drives, Megapixel displays and versatile microprocessors
like the 80486 and 68040 appear so frequently in the industry, that in our
endless pursuit of faster and more powerful computer technology (and to
download that large file as fast as possible), we have come to expect the
same rate of progress from our modems. But with the promise of faster
modems have come controversy, as many modem manufacturers come out with
incompatible products, each claiming to be the best. But in order to
understand the current situation, we must take a look at the history of
high-speed modems.
Modems were perhaps the first kind of computer network. Until the
late 1980's, large corporations and the government were by far the biggest
users of modems, looking more at reliability and power than the price or
size of modems. In maintaining compatibility in data communications,
(as compatibility is necessary in a global marketplace), the job of
setting standards for modem transmission protocols fell to the CCITT, an
agency of the United Nations that specifies standards for all aspects of
the communications industry.
When 9600 baud modems were first developed in the early 70's, the
CCITT drew up a recommendation, called V.29, which was the first such
standard for these modems. But as only large corporations could afford
them at that time, V.29 only covered synchronous modems communicating over
leased lines, as well as 9600 baud Facsimile, or Fax Machines. CCITT V.29
is still used today in all Fax Machines, but modems would eventually take
a divergent path.
In 1984, when advances in chip technology made it feasible to sell
9600 baud modems for less than 5000 dollars, the CCITT again set up a new
standard for 9600 baud modems, designated as V.32. This specification was
a great improvement over V.29, as V.32 modems could be used on regular
phone lines, and had some support for asynchronous transmission and full
duplex operation. The one problem with this otherwise adequate protocol
is that it was expensive to implement.
In order to accomplish full duplex operation, V.32 used a technique
called echo cancellation. When both modems transmit data simultaneously,
first each modem remembers what it has sent, then each modem uses echo
cancellation to separate the data signal that it sent, and process the
incoming data. At 9600 baud, though, it requires the use of high speed
Digital Signal Processors (or DSP's), and DSP's have only recently become
available commercially, as well as the other circuitry required for a V.32
modem being expensive to produce.
This was not a great factor in 1984, though, as high speed modems were
primarily sold to the business market back then, in a comparatively small
market. However, when the user demand for 9600 baud modems began to
increase in 1986, many modem manufacturers found the cost of developing
the circuitry for V.32 modems prohibitive, and looked to other ways of
making moderately priced 9600 baud modems.
One method of sending data at 9600 baud is to compress the data that
is being sent through the modem. In all modems, this data is sent in 10
bit segments (8 bits of data plus a start and stop bit). Modems using
data compression algorithms first compact these data segments to a smaller
size and transmit them. The receiving modem then decompresses the data as
it gets it. This enables modems running at a slower baud rate (2400-4800)
to emulate 9600 baud transmission.
In another way, called the ping pong method, both modems buffer the
data to be transmitted, and flow control is implemented, so stop and go
signals are sent to each modem at a quick rate, telling each when it has
the line free to transmit data. This, by the way, is similar to how
packet switched networks operate....
Ping pong is necessarily a half-duplex method (where only one modem
sends info at a time) because although full duplex operation does not
require echo cancellation at lower transmissions (since the signal sent by
both modems can both fit on the phone line's bandwidth), a single 9600
baud signal can take up all of the line's bandwidth. Echo cancellation
removes this problem by cramming both signals together, and leaving it up
to both modems to sort the data out. Ping pong, however, cannot do this,
but gets around full duplex operation by acting as a "traffic cop" to
manage the time that modems have to transmit data.
Another problem with 9600 baud modems, whether they use ping pong,
echo cancellation, data compression, or any other method to achieve its
transmission rate, is the increased probability of flawed data being sent,
as a result of line noise or a poor connection. Because of this, the need
for error correction in modems (where the modem would decrease its baud
rate to reduce the chance of data errors, or simply retransmit the flawed
data) became apparent. Into this situation, a company called Microcom
arrived onto the scene....
MNP, CCITT V.42, and the future of Modeming
-------------------------------------------
Microcom is a modem manufacturer selling primarily to the business
market. They saw the need for error protection in all types of modems
(not just the high speed variety) and invented the Microcom Networking
Protocol, or MNP....
MNP was the first protocol to implement point to point error
correction. This meant that if an MNP-equipped modem called another MNP
equipped modem, then they would have the benefit of error free data, but
if a non-MNP equipped modem was called, then another protocol (such as
V.22) would let the modems communicate, but without MNP error correction.
There are 9 classes of MNP, representing its various stages of
development. MNP Classes 1 to 3 only had error protection, as Microcom
worked to make the error protection 100% efficient. But at around Class 4
or 5, Microcom saw that data compression would also be needed in modems,
resulting that MNP Classes 5 and above provided a very efficient method of
error protection, and excellent data compression. Many modem
manufacturers, seeing its capabilities, started licensing MNP,
contributing to the general decline in popularity for V.32.
So, why isn't MNP the 9600 baud standard today, with Microcom becoming
the Hayes of the modem industry? As in many other tragedies in the
computer industry, this was caused by greed. Microcom, who also sold MNP
modems to the business market, wished to have an edge over the licensees
of MNP, who they began to see as their competition instead of their best
allies. In order to do this, they started offering higher classes of MNP
for their OWN modems than they licensed to other modem makers. As some of
the other modem makers saw that they were being given less powerful
Classes of MNP just so Microcom could become a standard, while Microcom
itself took measures to put them out of business, some began looking for
other protocols that implemented data compression and error protection.
Even though MNP became a de facto standard, and Classes 5 and 6 of MNP
were adequate for the job, the modem industry, not willing to overtly shun
MNP, delegated it to the status of an aging standard....
This was a master stroke of luck for Hayes in 1987. In the late 70's
and early 1980's, Hayes had made a de facto standard of the AT modem
command set by both selling aggressively to businesses and by considering
the needs of the home market in the area of 300-2400 baud modems. But in
1986, modem technology had progressed to the point where 300-1200 baud
modems could be made cheaply. The resulting competition, and the boom in
the modem market, resulted in that Hayes modems were being overlooked in
favor of less expensive, equally efficient Hayes compatible modems. So
when MNP began to be joined by alternative protocols which provided error
protection, Hayes saw an opportunity to regain its once gargantuan lead in
the industry.
The International Standards Organization (ISO), made up of the
organizations in many countries that are responsible for standardization,
(such as ANSI), designed X.25, the primary protocol used to connect
synchronous computers to packet networks, in 1976. The LAP B protocol, or
Link Access Procedure-Balanced, as well as LAP D (an extended version of
LAP B used for ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) communications)
are implemented in this protocol.
Since LAP B is an error correction protocol that is an international
standard (since it was designed by the CCITT), Hayes decided to use it in
their V-Series SmartModem 9600 modems. The SmartModem also uses a modified
version of V.32 which, instead of using echo cancellation at 9600 baud,
uses the ping pong method at half duplex. Many of the other modem makers
who rejected MNP, though, used their own proprietary methods, which
resulted in VAST incompatibility problems.
In order to establish a standard that would end these problems, the
CCITT developed a new standard, called V.42, in 1988. The CCITT has
developed a new protocol for V.42, called LAP M (Link Access Procedure for
Modems). LAP M is based on LAP B and LAP D, and provides the necessary
error correction for V.42, while also providing 7 and 8-bit data
compression which is 30 percent more efficient than MNP Class 5. V.42 is
designed for full duplex modems, and achieves 9600 baud by the use of
isynchronous (asynchronous to synchronous) converters, which convert
asynchronous data to synchronous data which the modem can interpret.
V.42 itself has not been fully defined by the CCITT, as neither data
encryption (something which is VERY important to businesses), or
half-duplex operation are included, but will appear in LAP M as optional
features. However, the vital components necessary to modem operation have
been set, and modem manufacturers (such as Hayes and Microcom) will
contribute to the process of establishing standards for these areas.
Until a standard for data compression has been established, however, V.2
has "system hooks" in it, allowing modem manufacturers to use their own
proprietary protocols. V.42 regulates this so it appears as an option,
however, so potential incompatibility problems are avoided.
MNP Classes 1-4 will be supported in CCITT V.42, for an alternative
error protection protocol included to maintain compatibility with the vast
user base which has accepted 9600 baud MNP modems. However, MNP Classes 5
or 6, which also have data compression algorithms, will not be supported
in CCITT V.42. But since the American National Standards Institute (or
ANSI) would be the final determinant of the US implementation of V.42,
these Classes of MNP may be supported in the United States.
V.42 promises to be an excellent 9600 baud standard, which sets both
rules for the internal makeup and data transmission between modems (except
for the modem command set, which will be developed by the CCITT) and which
establishes an adequate bridge/link for the present crop of incompatible
9600 baud modems. MNP modems, such as US Robotics and Telebit, will not
become obsolete, due to V.42 designating MNP, and Hayes 9600 baud V-Series
SmartModems will have minimal incompatibility problems if any, since LAP M
is a superset of LAP B. Hayes is now in the process of producing V.42
modems, and US Robotics has recently announced plans to introduce a
V.42-compatible version of their Courier HST Modem in Early 1990, and to
offer low-cost upgrades for earlier versions of their modems. With the
two major 9600 baud Modem manufacturers in the US pushing for it, the
CCITT V.42 standard may become popular here FAR more quickly than
otherwise imaginable....
Also, as V.42 provides a powerful gateway to standardized 9600 baud
telecommunications, Telebit and US Robotics are working together to make a
high speed standard for transmitting data at above 9600 baud on ordinary
phone lines. And as the CCITT has endorsed their efforts to develop this
protocol for use in future V.x2 specifications for modem standards....
But ponder, if you will, this question:
1) When will the issue of 9600 baud modems be vital to the majority of
modem users?
2) Will Commodore's $20 Million dollar Ad Campaign truly have a powerful
enough effect on the Amiga's sales this Christmas season to offset the
cost of this program, let alone help Commodore through its current
financial straits by the Second Quarter of 1990?
CPU REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿
=======================
Armonk, NY IBM has licensed the design technology for its
---------- 4 Megabit DRAM chips to Micron, one of the few US
Companies still producing memory chips, and agreed to
engage in cross-licensing for semiconductor and memory
patents. Given that IBM, currently the only major US
company to have introduced 4 Meg DRAM chips, has said
they may license this technology to other US
Semiconductor Vendors....
Paris, France The Business Software Association has recently filed
------------- charges against two major French companies for not
paying the entire amount of their site-licensing fees
on Lotus, Ashton-Tate, and Microsoft software
products. The BSA also plans to step up their legal
activities in this area. But curiously, it seems that
in Europe, a software product sometimes costs more
than twice as much as the American version, which is
usually identical in capabilities....
Las Vegas, NV Commodore did not introduce the Amiga 3000 at Fall
------------- Comdex, saying that it is still under development, and
now will not be introduced until Commodore has
finished porting Release 4.0 of AT&T Unix to the
Amiga, in the First Quarter of 1990. This is also
when Version 1.4 of the Amiga's OS is scheduled to be
completed....
However, Commodore did announce Amiga price cuts of up
to 10 - 15 percent. They also introduced the A2500/30,
a new version of the Amiga 2000 with a 25 MHZ 68030
and a 68882 math chip, 1 Meg of RAM standard, and a
40 Meg internal Hard Drive. Cost: $4700.00....
Las Vegas, NV Lotus Development and WordPerfect have announced an
------------- agreement to co-design the user interfaces of 1-2-3/G
and WordPerfect for Presentation Manager, so that they
have the same "look and feel", and are able to
seamlessly exchange data, using OS/2's Interprocess
Communications facilities. Both products will be out
by Summer 1990.
Interestingly enough, as these products will have to
compete against Microsoft's PM versions of Excel and
Word, which will have a similar method of connectivity
between them....
____________________________________________________________________
> STR Spotlight¿
=============
COMDEX/Fall89....WOW!!
by R.F.Mariano
The list of exhibiting developers was like a who's who register in the
Atari community. Atari's executive representation was excellent. Lead by
Jack Tramiel (the founder) and his sons, Sam and Leonard, along with
Antonio Salerno, Mel Stephens, Chas. Cherry, and almost everyone we know,
either from online or through our dealings with the company. We did
however, have the distinct pleasure of meeting most all the folks for the
first time and believe me, they were indeed warm and friendly at all
times.
The Portfolio was clearly the HIT of the Atari display. Sure the TT
was there.. but in sheer numbers Portfolio ran away with the amount of
folks coming into the Atari booth specifically to "see" the Portfolio.
The stats are that Atari has sold approximately 123,000 Portfolio units to
date and there is no end in sight. Please, keep in mind my friends, the
Portfolio may be the best thing to ever happen to Atari... why you ask?
Easy, the game image is slowly going down the tubes......HOW DO YOU SPELL
RELIEF?? PORTFOLIO.
ATARI CORP. had DESKSET II on display and in the very capable hands of
Elizabeth Shook. Admittedly, after Miss Shook gave a demonstration of
DeskSet II, it certainly appears to have a number of first rate,
redeeming, values. The third party developers who were setup in the Atari
area put on quite a show for all attendees. DeskSet II is designed as a
typography modification system as opposed to a DTP program contrary to
preliminary reports it deserves a second look.
The "NEW" goodies to be seen were simply dazzling to the senses, for
example, the 19" Multi-Rez monitor in use in the Pagestream (Soft Logik)
cubicle.
The STe TT
Mega File 44 Stacy
Portfolio Moniterm 19" monitors.
SIMM Expansions T16 16mhz upgrades
Mage Systems
Developers in attendance at the Atari site
------------------------------------------
STart & Antic - Jim Chapperal
Gadgets by Small - Dave & Sandy Small - Doug Wheeler
Fast Technologies - Jim Allen
JRI (John Russell Innovations) - John Russell
Soft Logic - Mike and Deron K and Mark
ISD - Nathan Potechin and Julius O.
Migraph - Liz Mitchell
Abacus - Staff
Michtron - George Miller
Blue Chip Software - Lauren Sellers
Soft-Aware - Richard Skraly
Dr. T's - Staff
Video Touch - Staff
Word Perfect - Reed Hainsworth
Getting the most attention was, without a doubt, the Portfolio. Many
individuals from the MS-Dos world who had never considered an Atari as a
serious computer source were deliberately seeking out the Atari display to
examine the Portfolio. Naturally, they HAD to see all the other 'neat'
goodies running in the Atari area. Most were, by their own admissions,
"quite impressed" with the performance of the Atari computer line.
The TT model uses the 68030 cpu and supports 5 resolutions on one
multi-sync monitor and has built-in support for the Moniterm and other big
big screen monitors. The TTs were in use in several cubicles and
represented itself quite well. ISD was running DYNACADD on a TT along
with a plotter, very impressive. There were however, a number of Mega STs
running the T16 16mhz enhancement too and they looked comparable to the
TT in many ways. I saw "clones" of my system in use and was pleased to
see that others felt the same as I. I chose to build up my Mega4 with a
moniterm and T16 enhancement.
The STe has two additional ports on the left forward side and are for
the new joysticks, on the back are 2 RCA jacks for stereophonic output.
The STe was set up displaying games and since it was using the extended
color palette, stereo sound and the light gun it now looks like a serious
contender in the entertainment arena.
My favorite, The Stacy (ST laptop) also had a prominent position of
display here, one was in the very capable hands of GBS, (Gadgets by Small)
demonstrating the Apple MAC emulator GCR. Another was at the Blue Chip
Software cubicle with Lauren Sellers doing the honors while demonstrating
Word Flair. The other units were in the Midi areas and justifiably so as
they seem to fit right in. Since Stacy has passed the FCC type acceptance
tests, it won't be long now... perhaps by mid December.
Moniterm monitors were quite obvious by the number of units in use.
The performance of these beauties in nothing short of spectacular. We
found that the major stumble is a simple fix to the video call one must
use VDI instead of getrez then the big screen is free to 'do its thing'.
The moniterm was in use in mast all the developers cubicles.
The Atari reception was well put together and the revelation of highly
increased Developer support through a totally revamped program was indeed
a welcome announcement. Atari's goals, as far as we are concerned, are
well within reason for 1990. Mr. Gordon Monnier introduced this reporter
to Leonard Tramiel early on in the evening, and from that time forward the
delights of the evening went strictly uphill. In fact, I found Leonard to
be quite charming and very willing to discuss the future of Atari. As the
evening wore on, Leonard invited me to accompany him as he 'made the
rounds' of the reception. At last... I got to meet John Townsend and Ken
Badertscher, I must say, both young men were very impressive. Atari has
an excellent staff assembled and should become quite a competitor in the
coming months. A very pleasant surprise came later in the evening when I
found John Eidsvoog playing one of my favorite styles of music,
progressive jazz, folks... John is not good.. he is a great musician.
____________________________________________________________________
> MichTron STR FOCUS¿ FORGING AHEAD and DELIVERING THE RESULTS!
==================
FINDING WAYS TO SATISFY
=======================
MichTron had their own display area, #1899, it soon became the mecca
for Atari enthusiasts who were wandering about the main convention hall.
As one began looking over the MichTron display, it became very apparent
that this company makes it their business to offer to the users programs
and hardware they know will be welcomed with open arms. From PC Speed to
Quartet... the MichTron display was a treat for any user, Atari, PC, Amiga
and of course, the avid game player.
QUARTET is a 4 voice polyphonic music synthesizer that transforms your
ST into a high quality musical creativity tool and instrument. It permits
one to compose and arrange original work in its four scrolling staves by
using a variety musically instrumented frequencies already built into the
program. After your great works of musical art are done, you may then
listen to your masterpiece through your TV, monitor or replay cartridge.
Additionally, QUARTET supports new programming techniques that allow
audio playback at up to 16khz, thus providing the ST with unrivaled sound
quality.
4 voice sampled synthesis
Powerful music score editor (mouse controlled)
Easy to use slides and loops
Variable playback form 4 to 16khz
Up to 20 instruments in use, in memory, at one time
Wide range of playback environments
Ability to use sampler outputs
Sampler processor for filtering and repetition
Capability to add your own songs to your own programs
Provision for full MIDI compatibility, both play and record
MichTron has a real winner in Quartet, be sure to check it out at your
dealer ....
PCSPEED is everything they say it is, with over ten thousand of these
devices sold worldwide, you can be sure there will be ample increments of
new software and improvements for the future. We watched Microsoft
windows running at more than a respectable speed on an ST.
Through the years MichTron has shown, time after time, their undying
support for the Atari ST arena, even when things looked rather thin. The
MichTron presence at COMDEX/Fall 89 was first rate, no matter how judged
and by what yardstick, we saw many things that are coming down the road
very shortly from this growth oriented company.
DEVPAC PROFESSIONAL is a greatly enhanced version of DevpacST/Amiga,
the acclaimed assembly-language development system for the Atari ST and
Commodore Amiga machines. The additional features are designed
specifically for professional programmers who require features over and
above the regular user. Devpac Developer is compatible with
DevpacST/Amiga & Assembles to seven different output file formats for the
Atari and Amiga as well as S-Records. Dual machine development is
supported for direct remote assembly and cross debugging. Both assembler
and debugger are integrated with the editor and are available as stand
alone versions. The Multi-Format linker can mix any combination of input
file types to produce any output file type. Devpac Developer runs faster
than Devpac 2 despite having over three times as many directives and
op-codes. Its still the fastest professional assembler available.
FEATURES
Devpac Developer includes all the features of Devpac. In addition, it
offers these advanced features:
Flexibility
Devpac Developer directly generates the following output file formats:
ST Executable - GST Linkable - DRI Linkable - Amiga Linkable - Amiga
Executable - HiSoft absolute and S records. HiSoft absolute is a special
format designed for multiple section absolute code type programs,
especially games. The multi-format linker takes any combination of
linkable formats and can produce any executable output format. This is
particularly suited to cross development for other 68000 based machines,
or for another machine of the same type. The assembler features a Full
Specification two pass Motorola - standard based assembler, including
macros, conditionals, and include files. All source files are ASCII and
the parser is flexible enough to accept most other assemblers source code,
for example, colons are not obligatory after labels and comments do not
need delimiting with semicolons. Devpac Developer includes support for
68010/020/030 processors, 68881/2 (requires a math co-processor to be
fitted on the host machine) and 68851.
Speed
Devpac remains the fastest professional-specification assembler
available; partly due to the advanced caching algorithms used; include
files are only read on pass 1 if memory permits for example.
Environments
- Atari ST Host:
The normal environment is from with the GEM based screen editor where
both the assembler and debugger can be instantly accessed. In addition,
any other GEM or TOS program can be invoked and commands passed to any
shell being used by the programmer. Many programmers have special editor
and environment preferences therefore, all programs are available in stand
alone versions using environment variables and return codes. (Note: we
cannot guarantee compatibility with present versions of the Laser C shell
environment)
- Commodore Amiga Host:
The normal environment uses the Intuition based screen editor, where
both the assembler and debugger are instantly accessed. Many programmers
have strong editor and environment preferences so all programs are
available in stand alone versions and return codes.
- Master & Slave Hardware
For each host machine Devpac comes complete with master hardware.
This consists of an interface box allowing fast parallel communication
between machines and is required for Devpac Developer to run. Additional
slave hardware is available to facilitate dual machine development,
described below. A master can be used as a slave, but not visa versa.
Examples of different combinations are described later.
- Dual Machine Development
Devpac Developer as supplied can be used for dual - machine
development by passing disks between machines (e.g. by using DOS TO DOS
between STs and Amigas) or via the serial port (using the programmer's own
or third party software). However, as a option additional hardware is
available for destination machines providing a fast data link allowing
remote assembly and full remote symbolic debugging. Unlike the ordinary
version of the debugger, the remote version makes no demands on interrupts
or screen display allowing the advanced features of ordinary MonST/Am to
be available for the first time to games programmers and other
hardware-level programmers. Remote hardware is available for both Atari
ST and Commodore Amiga machines.
- Technical Support
Devpac Developer registered owners will be automatically sent free
software upgrades for a year and be entitled to additional technical
support.
- Manual
Devpac Developer comes with a detailed manual explaining all the
various tools along with notes regarding the file formats and details
about customizing the remote stub code.
- Freelance Games Programmer
They prefer the ST as a programming environment but wishes to develop
for both the ST and the Amiga. Use a Mega4 for development with a 520ST
and an A500 as test machines. They need a Devpac developer host for the
Mega (which will be supplied with the master cartridge), a ST slave
cartridge for the 520 and an Amiga Slave for the A500. They then can
develop entirely on the Mega, then upload the code to either slave machine
and debug the programs remotely. When the programs are finished they can
convert the absolute files they've been using to a format suitable for
custom disk loaders.
- Embedded Systems Programmer
Using a Mega ST and wishing to develop code for a stand-alone 68020
board. They need a Devpac Developer ST Host which will allow the creation
of S Records for uploading either to the board itself or to an Eprom
programmer. In addition, they can exploit the 68020 instructions and
addressing modes and for debugging could convert the symbol table file
into a form suitable for an in-circuit emulator. They will have to write
a simple upload program and will not be able to use the dual machine
features.
- Applications Programmer
Having an Amiga 2000 and developing high level Amiga applications. A
Devpac Developer Amiga host will be needed. This will allow creation of
the applications in a modular way, exploiting a 68881 math co-processor in
a special version of the application. Ordinary debugging can be achieved
using the standard release of MonAm, but for harder to find bugs they may
find it worthwhile to run the program on an A500 together with a slave
cartridge. It could then remotely debug the application with much greater
control as the remote debugger can perform remote sub-task intercepts and
step through any system call, unlike the native Amiga debugger. If its
decided to port the application to the Atari ST, an Atari slave cartridge
would allow all development to remain on the Amiga but the advantages of
remote debugging would be available for the ST version.
- Software Development Team
The team has a wide variety of hardware, including high end STs and
Amiga as well as low end test machines of both types. Their workload
varies, as does the programmer preferences, so they would be suited for a
Devpac Developer site license. Due to the variable nature of their work,
most cartridges would be master so that they can be used as slaves for
remote debugging as required. They can also use the cartridges to
transfer files between the machines using software included with Devpac
Developer.
For more information; call:
Paul Deckard, Director of Public Relations
MichTron Inc.
576 S. Telegraph
Pontiac, MI 48053
1-313-334-8729
_____________________________________________________________________
> Atari Stock ~ STReport¿
======================
THE TICKERTAPE
==============
by Glenn Gorman
Atari stock dropped 1/4 of a point on Monday and 3/8 on Tuesday. It
rose Wednesday by 1/8, Thursday by 1/4. No change on Friday. Finishing up
the week at 10 points. Up 1/4 of a point from our last report.
+---------------------+
| ATARI STOCK WATCH |
| Week 11-06 to 11-10 |
+=======+==========+===========+=============+============+=============+
| | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
+-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
| Sales | 1339 | 1382 | 1523 | 1405 | 1221 |
+-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
| Last | 10 --- | 9 5/8 | 9 3/4 | 10 --- | 10 --- |
+-------+----------+-----------+-------------+------------+-------------+
| Chg. | - 1/4 | - 3/8 | + 1/8 | + 1/4 | ------ |
+=======+==========+===========+=============+============+=============+
| From > THE CAVE ST BBS <> 609-882-9195 <> 300/14400 HST <> F-NET #351 |
+=======================================================================+
_________________________________________________________________
> ST REPORT CONFIDENTIAL¿ Sayin' it like it is....
======================
- Las Vegas, NV ***** WORD PERFECT TO CONSIDER GRAPHICS FOR ST *****
-------------
Among the subjects discussed was the compatibility problem with the
Moniterm monitor and what the future may hold as far as WP and the Atari
marketplace. Surprisingly, the WP folks are "UP" on Atari and feel the
new directions taken by Atari will lead to more substantial upgrades for
the program in the ST arena.
- Las Vegas, NV ***** INFORMER II TO GET MONITERM FIX *****
-------------
Richard Skraly, programmer and developer of Informer II informed this
reporter that they too are making the necessary adjustments to Informer II
so that the program will behave on the Moniterm. "This monitor is simply
too gorgeous, we will make sure our software works with it". He said.
- Las Vegas, NV ***** Les Player Heads up PR work for GFA *****
-------------
Les Player, formally of Atari UK and Stacy project manager, is heading
up a firm of his own in the UK which will, among other enterprises, handle
GFA products. Player felt, like most all at Comdex, that the Atari arena
is far from dead and that the new attitude and direction exhibited by
Atari was very encouraging.
- Las Vegas, NV ***** ANDY MARKEN TOTALLY UPBEAT ON ATARI *****
-------------
Andy Marken, of Marken Communications, has the right idea; his opinion
was perhaps the most upbeat of all at the Atari display area. He
eloquently stated that as of this show, "We are on our way".. This
reporter has to agree, after speaking to the Tramiels and most all the
folks in the Atari area, they indeed are on their way in a most positive
manner. Atari, by all indications, is headed for it's best year yet.
- Las Vegas, NV **** JRI UNVEILS SIMM MEMORY UPGRADE! ****
-------------
John Russell Innovations, JRI, unveiled a nifty little device at
COMDEX, it is a memory upgrade using SIMMS. The board, no bigger than a
deck of cards, is quite the goodie. According to the spokesman, John
Russell, this device will be available shortly.
__________________________________________________________________
> Hard Drive Info STReport InfoFile¿ Affordable Mass Storage
=================================
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)
RUGGED SEAGATE HARD DISK MECHANISMS
* ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS *
32mb #SG32238 549.00 42mb #SG44710 619.00
51mb #SGN4951 629.00 65mb #SG60101 689.00
80mb #SGN296 729.00 100mb #SG84011D 949.00
130mb #SG1244D 1099.00 145mb #SG3A421 1110.00
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)
--> CALL for Special Holiday Discounts <--
*** 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 NOW Available (44mb) Syquest 555 *
* SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICES *
EXTRA CARTRIDGES: 97.95 (anytime)
* SYQUEST 44MB (#555) REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE *
- SYQUEST 44 MB removable media drive - ICD ST Host Adapter
- ICD Mass Storage Utility Software - 3' DMA Cable
- Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply
(1) 44 MB Syquest Cart.
Completely Assembled and READY TO RUN!
ONLY $869.00
We would offer floppy drives.. but Computer Shopper has 'em at the right
price. And.. you can plug 'em right into our cabinets and power supplies.
Low-Boy OR Standard Case (designed with room for another 3.5 OR 5.25"
drive) They're made for user expansion! TRUE UPGRADE-ABILITY!
* TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT *
SPECIALLY PRICED $1529.00
* SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS *
- Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives -
50mb SQG51 $1299.00 30mb SQG38 $1219.00
65mb SQG09 $1339.00 85mb SQG96 $1399.00
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!
Personal and Company Checks are accepted.
ORDER YOURS TODAY!
904-783-3319 9am - 8pm EDT
_______________________________________________________________
> A "Quotable Quote"¿
=================
"This is the beginning of a new era...
of co-operation and positive endeavors"
...FDR
"ATARI IS BACK!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST-REPORT¿ Issue #114 "Your Independent News Source" November 17, 1989
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ½ copyright 1989
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
