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Silicon Times Report Issue 0624
*---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
_____________________________________
from
STR Publishing Inc.
""""""""""""""""""
June 15, 1990 No.6.24
=======================================================================
STReport 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/14.4
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EDT
_________________________________________
** F-NET NODE 350 ** 500mb Online **
STR'S owned & operated support BBS
carries ALL issues of STReport Online Magazine
and
An International list of private BBS systems
carrying STReport Online Magazine for their users enjoyment
__________________________________________________________________
> 06/15/90: STReport¿ #6.24 The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine!
-------------------------
- The Editor's Podium - CPU REPORT - CPU STATUS REPORT
- ATARI APOCALYPSE - READER VIEWS - PCD II 2 WEEKS???
- Supercharger News - Montreal Report - CPU CONFIDENTIAL
---===*** PORTFOLIO HAS MORE WOES? ***===---
--==** HACKER WITCH HUNT UNCOVERED! **==--
==========================================================================
ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE¿
"Only UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
-* FEATURING *-
Current Events, Up to Date News, Hot Tips, and Information
Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
==========================================================================
STReport's support BBS, NODE # 350 invites systems using Forem ST BBS to
participate in Forem BBS's F-Net mail network. Or, Please call # 350
direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging ideas about
the Atari ST computers through an excellent International ST Mail Network.
==========================================================================
AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX
==========================================================================
> The Editor's Podium¿
There are those who like to paint the grimmest of grim pictures, then
comes those who have already buried the patient. As far as we are
concerned the patient is on the road to recovery. Never before has so
much of the story been told directly to the powers that be. Maybe we are
fortunate and maybe not but at least you and the rest of us who are
genuinely concerned can say we tried and we are still trying to have a
catalytic effect on the ways the Katzenjammer do things.
As always, we find those who say the truth is hurting the industry.
To that we say to hide the truth will damage the industry for time and
eternity as far as credibility is concerned. If we those directly
involved in this industry cannot criticize and effect change then,...
truly all is for naught. Atari has made some mighty serious mistakes in
the past but that should be behind them now. We must continue to be
vigilant in making sure the same mistakes don't occur again but at the
same time, encourage and help hasten Atari's 'new leaf'.
Typically, the summer is the 'slow time' for computing. This summer
however, is going to be especially hot in the Atari arena. The
metamorphosis will take place across this summer and hopefully lead us
into the fall season and Comdex Fall/90 where Atari is expected to show an
entirely new representation of themselves. No more Day School, No more
Atari University. All PRO and eager and ready for strong business. We
shall see.....
Thanks for your continued strong support,
Ralph......
*****************************************************************
> CPU REPORT¿
==========
Issue # 71
----------
by Michael Arthur
Remember When....
In November 1971, Intel introduced the first microprocessor, the
4004 chip (which had come out of research towards an easily programmable
calculator chip), or when Intel introduced the first 8-bit microprocessor,
called the 8008 chip, in April 1972?
Or when, in April 1974, Intel introduced the 8080 chip (which became
the first industry-standard microprocessor, and much of the basis of the
CP/M standard), shortly before Motorola announced the 6800 chip in August?
CPU INSIGHTS¿
============
Evidence found of "Hacker Witch Hunt" in Secret Service Efforts
---------------------------------------------------------------
Mitch Kapor, founder of Lotus Corp., has started investigations into
symptoms that the recent "Operation Sun Devil investigation", in which the
Secret Service investigated computer "crackers" (a nickname for
"safecrackers") in over a dozen cities for alleged computer crimes. Kapor
has found several reports of disturbing incidents occurring during the
investigation, including those of severe harassment during search
operations. Also, he mentioned that for the mass confiscation of
equipment (over 42 computers and thousands of disks) resulting from the
investigation, that only a few indictments have been made so far....
Kapor is now trying to collect information on the Secret Service's
actions in the course of "Operation Sun Devil's" execution of 27 search
warrants. These actions are the source of several reports on Internet,
including ones of agents "bursting in on 14 year old at 6 AM, holding
fathers and little sisters at gunpoint, putting mothers in choke holds."
While very little specific information about "Operation Sun Devil" has
been released by the government, Kapor is working with two law firms to
"get a better picture of what's happened here". If the evidence that is
found points to such "terrorist tactics", one law firm working with Kapor
has stated that three types of actions are being considered:
1) Aid in criminal defenses.
2) Efforts to get confiscated property returned
3) "Affirmative lawsuits on behalf of bulletin board operators
claiming that their rights have been violated by the actions of
the authorities" in Operation Sun Devil.
Steve Wozniak and Dan Bricklin (developer of VisiCalc) have said
that they feel Kapor's concern is healthy. Bricklin has said that people
must distinguish the differences between criminals using computers and
innocent computer users going "online" must be drawn more clearly, and has
also expressed concerns about "First Amendment Protection concerns" in the
area of computer crime legislation. Also, Steve Wozniak has pledged his
full support (both in terms of financial and legal assistance concerns) to
Kapor in his efforts, and has expressed concerns over "media hysteria" in
the recent attitude towards computer hackers being "white collar
criminals"....
Among other things, Bricklin also commented whether BBS equipment
could "be seized because someone else puts illegal information onto the
(BBS) system". He also said that if this trend continued, that the
government could be deemed able to confiscate an entire corporation's
communications systems (computer-based or otherwise) if someone left
illegal items on them.
Interestingly, the Secret Service (in response to a request by the
House Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights concerning its
agents' methods of investigating computer fraud) recently admitted to
using informants and undercover agents to secretly monitoring bulletin
boards and online networks, in direct response to charges of criminal
activities. It has said that it doesn't keep records of the systems it
monitors, but can access information on systems upon request. A part of
the House Subcommittee, Rep. Edwards has stated that, "Every time there is
a perceived crisis, law-enforcement agencies and legislators overreact and
usually due process and civil liberties suffer. The Fourth Amendment
provides strict limits on rummaging through people's property."
CPU Systems Roundup¿ XXX
========================
SPARCStations, General Electric, and Actions of the Rising Sun
--------------------------------------------------------------
Sun Microsystems has recently announced a small RISC-based (reduced
instruction set chip) computer aimed at the "X-Terminal" arena, a segment
of the low-end Unix workstation market which both the Amiga 3000, and the
upcoming 68030 TT are poised for. Called the SPARCStation SLC, it is
targeted at the growing market for diskless computers which can be used as
inexpensive X/Windows-capable Terminals for LAN Networks. This system
comes with a 20 MHZ SPARC processor that can perform at 12.5 MIPS (million
instructions per second),and a Weitek 3170 Math Chip capable of processing
1.2 MFLOPS (Million floating point operations per second). It comes with
8 Megabytes of RAM standard, three ports (SCSI, Ethernet, and parallel
ports), and has a 1152*900 monochrome resolution. Cost: $5000.00.
The SLC's 9x7 inch motherboard fits in the back of its 17-inch
monochrome monitor, and the entire system is designed so only a monitor
and a keyboard & mouse are visible to the user. By this design, Sun has
also made it possible for faster versions of the SLC to be easily
installed as upgrades to existing systems. However, it cannot be expanded
in other ways, such as adding a color display (Sun is developing a color
monitor version of the SLC), or other Expansion cards. The SPARCStation
SLC will be compatible with the more than 2,000 applications available for
the SPARC chip (called SPARCware), and will also run AT&T System V.3 with
Sun's Open Look GUI (Graphical user Interface).
Sun has also recently made significant gains in increasing the
acceptance of its new SPARCStation standard. Several Sun Porting Centers,
including several in the US and Canada, have been established to aid
Third-Party Software Developers in porting their software to run on
SPARC-based systems. Also, Yale University has recently selected the Sun
SPARCStation as the standard computer system for 8 of their Academic
Departments, including Psychology, Engineering, Economics, and Computer
Science. Students using PCs or Macs can access files on two of Yale's 10
SPARCServer 390s via modems or an AppleTalk network, and Yale has
purchased over 200 Sun SPARCStation 1s at the present time. Also, General
Electric Co. recently chose Sun as one of their main suppliers of
Unix-based workstations for its divisions. Sun estimates that they could
gain revenues of around $50 - $100 million within the next few years
because of this agreement. Interestingly enough, GE chose Sun because of
the wide support available for the SPARCStation, both in terms of software
availability and "mundane" technical support....
STR MacNews¿
===========
ZedCor Introduces Desk - Integrated Software Set
------------------------------------------------
Zedcor Inc. is planning to introduce Desk, a set of seven Mac Desk
Accessories which function as a modular integrated software package. Desk
consists of this software:
- DeskCalc, a spreadsheet with chart/graph capability
- DeskCom, a telecommunications program w/Background File Transfers
- DeskSecretary, an Appointment Calendar/Memo program
- DeskWrite, a word processor program
- DeskFile, a flat-file database program
- DeskPaint, a 32-bit Color QuickDraw paint program w/autotracing
- DeskDraw, a 32-bit object-oriented drawing program
Designed to be used in tandem, these desk accessories are
file-format compatible with each other. Also, a simple form of
interapplication communication is employed, so changes made on a file in
one program are automatically accounted for in another one. For example,
if a chart made in DeskCalc is copied into DeskDraw and edited, then the
changes will also appear automatically in DeskCalc. Cost: $400.00.
But ponder, if you will, this question:
1) What constitutes "support" in the computer industry?
> CPU STATUS REPORT¿ >>> LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS <<<
=================
- Santa Clara, CA SEYBOLD, DATAQUEST JOIN FORCES FOR PUBLISHING PROJECTS
---------------
Andrew Seybold, a leading consultant on the desktop publishing
industry, and Dataquest Inc. (a leading market research and consulting
firm dealing with the computer industry) have announced that they will be
working together on a series of publishing projects.
Seybold currently runs a consulting/publishing/product research firm
called ASCII, which produces a computer industry newsletter called "The
Outlook". Under this agreement, Dataquest will begin marketing this
magazine, and ASCII will produce a series of reports on trends in Portable
Computing, which will be jointly sold by ASCII and Dataquest.
Formed in 1983, "The Outlook" (or "Seybold's Outlook on Personal
Computing") is a magazine dealing with happenings in the microcomputer
world (with an emphasis on DTP), and providing product reviews of upcoming
products. Seybold expects "The Outlook" to double its circulation within
a year, and his magazine may soon become a VERY prominent computer
industry magazine....
- Cambridge, MA OSF ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR UNIX-BASED DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING
-------------
As part of its development of OSF/1 (a new version of Unix), the
Open Software Foundation has announced plans to use several technologies
for its Distributed Computing Environment (or DCE). With DCE, an OSF/1
computer hooked up to a LAN Network will be able to use the combined
processing resources of every available computer on that LAN Network to
perform tasks. As per OSF's custom, DCE will include features from
different Unix Vendors, in order to support applications written for each
Unix Vendor's system. The DEC technologies include:
- Hewlett Packard's NCS/RPC Distributed Processing System
- DECdns and DECdts from Digital Equipment Corp.
- Sun Microsystems' Network File System (NFS)
- LM/X PC from Microsoft Corp.
- Monroe, MI PD UTILITY PROVIDES VIRUS PROTECTION DURING FILE COPYING
--------
Hilgraeve Inc. has recently released HCOPY, an MS-DOS utility which
features real-time filtering of viruses during file copy operations, to
the public as "freeware". HCOPY is used like DOS's COPY command, but can
detect over 68 different DOS viruses. If a file which is being copied is
found to be infected, HCOPY displays a warning identifying the virus and
allowing the user to abort the request to copy that file. Hilgraeve Inc.
makes a $200.00 MS-DOS terminal program named HyperAccess/5, which has
HCOPY's underlying virus screening technology built-in, for use in file
transfer operations. In case you may want to request that they make such
a program for the ST, Hilgraeve Inc.'s BBS number is 1-313-243-5915....
- Orem, UT IMPROVED SUPPORT, WINDOWS 3.0 VERSION OF WORDPERFECT PLANNED
--------
WordPerfect Corporation has recently announced that it will be
shipping a version of Word Perfect for Microsoft Windows 3.0 before it
ships a version for OS/2 Presentation Manager. This is noteworthy in that
Word Perfect announced an OS/2 PM-based Wordperfect in Fall Comdex 1989,
and said it would be shipping in June. However, it is speculated that
"WordPerfect for Windows" is simply a port of the OS/2 PM Version, which
was delayed because of the tremendous popularity of Windows 3.0. Also, it
is interesting to note that when WordPerfect Version 5.1 was announced,
that a "major update "with "a true Graphical User Interface" was mentioned
by a few as being "in the works"....
Also, WordPerfect Corp. is now using a "hold jockey" to monitor its
200 Customer Support Lines and inform callers of information like how many
people are waiting in line ahead of them to ask questions, and how long
they can expect to wait. Background music and ads for upcoming
Wordperfect products are also featured....
_______________________________________________________
> ATARI APOCALYPSE STR Spotlight¿ Atari's Exchange Program now a GOUGE
==============================
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS
=======================
segment two
The Users be Damned!
by R. F. Mariano
For quite some time we have enjoyed the security of Atari's fine
equipment exchange program, with it's realistic costs and excellent
service. Now comes Mr. Eager Beaver executive who felt he needed to do
"something" to brighten the day when the dismal figures came out for the
quarter.
Along comes Mr. "Work Every Day Joe" who took anywhere from one to ten
percent of his annual income to purchase his "pride and joy" Atari ST
computing system... Joe and all the users just like him enjoy using their
computers and most do so everyday. One bright and sunny afternoon, Joe
turned on his computer and witnessed a small mushroom cloud rise slowly
and deliberately from the vents of his beloved 1040 ST....Oh no! After
checking the receipts, he found he has had the computer for over 4 months.
NO MORE WARRANTY. Not to worry Joe, Atari has one of the very best
exchange programs in the industry, many good users have barely lost a step
in their daily enjoyment of using the Atari ST Computer Line. When one
considers the cost of a Mega ST4 and SLM 804, the Desktop Publishing
System, and then read the warranty -> 90 days!! <- it becomes somewhat
shocking, to the person who has just dropped a few thousand dollars on
that new computer system, that it's covered for only 3 months!
Most dealers and users comfort themselves in the security of the
exchange program, the dealers had an excellent selling point and the end
user knew, that if anything did happen to his equipment, he could, for a
nominal fee, get it either fixed or replaced.
Enter Mr. Eager Beaver Executive; "HEY! LET'S DOUBLE AND TRIPLE THE
EXCHANGE RATES, THAT'LL HELP MAKE UP THE LOSSES!! WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA!"
..This "jewel of leader" gloats to himself. (Picture, if you will, an
angel on one of his shoulders and the devil on the other) The sweet
little angel whispers, don't do this, you will hurt hundreds of users and
force them to regard a broken computer as a throw-away. It is wrong!
Outraged, the devil screams in the other ear; awww, go ahead give 'em the
business! they'll only squawk for a little while!
Folks ..the DEVIL WON! Atari has drastically increased the exchange
rates for both the users and the dealers.
The saddest part is the 'OTHER' JUSTIFICATION IS EVEN WORSE! We have
been told that the "true" cause for the increase is a direct result of the
actions of a few 'less than honest' individuals. That's right, A FEW
dishonest users "seem" to have taken advantage of Atari's exchange
program; "they sent in older 520stfm units (working) with single sided
drives and got back 520stf units with double sided drives. To that we say
if Atari had "played the game straight from the getgo"... these
infractions would never had occured! Atari 'secretly' shipped all the
original D/SD/D drives to their Federated Chain and neglected the
authorized dealer chain. Now... Federated is gone.... and the dealer
chain is almost non-existant. And still, the exchange program remains
RAPED!
Drastic = DOUBLED AND TRIPLED!
The "End User Cost" has risen to a point where it no longer makes sense to
have the exchange program in place. Could this possibly be one of the
reasons why a bright guy like Dendo is not there now, perhaps, he
disagreed with putting the "short end of the stick" to the dealers, new
and old alike. We KNOW Dendo had good results (numbers) coming in. We
KNOW the dealers liked Dendo. The cost to the user is now roughly 50% of
factory recommended retail prices. Another fine example of progressive,
positive, decision making at Atari! Simply put, it is an insult to the
userbase. Obviously, this move appears to be a plain old fashioned
gouge. In any case, it should be rescinded or, at least, reviewed and
modified!
Aside from the obvious, the second most blatant slap in the face is
this; Remember when Sam Tramiel asked that we ALL become evangelists?
Most folks and Usergroups chuckled because they already were very busy
promoting the ST to friends, neighbors and folks they were socializing or
doing business with. All in all, it was very satisfying to see those
people who bought an ST at our urging and found it to be as satisfying as
we do. The obvious question here is what does this have to do with the
"jacked up prices" for the exchange goods? Answer: Nothing really, unless
you care to look at it this way...
Could Sam and his brothers be so cold as to forget the SOLID UNDYING
loyalty and support we gave and continue to give through the thin
impossible times? Is it really possible that Sam and his brothers look at
us as being purely 'expendable'? Are all the indicators true that they
are trying to penetrate a different market level in a different country?
Is this really the 'payback' for the months of relatively blind loyal
fellowship and support for Atari while THEY were busy bestowing their
offerings upon the European marketplace and now, Russia?
In our humble opinion, Atari has dealt a rather severe blow to the
loyal users and dealers new and old alike. The world, universally, has
condemned "GROUP PUNISHMENT" yet Atari, in its infinite wisdom, has done
just this in its "SOLUTION" of eliminating the possibility of the
occasional abuse of an excellent defective equipment exchange program.
ATARI MUST, WITHOUT HESITATION, RESTORE THE EXCHANGE PROGRAM TO IT'S
FORMER STATE. The goodwill generated by this move would far outweigh any
meager monetary benefits derived from the increased tariffs. Besides,
this would definitely be the least expensive way to reach a good majority
of the users in a most positive manner. The exchange program, once again,
was the envy of the industry and one of the strongest selling points for
the Computer lines in light of the "puny" 90 day warranty. Perhaps, the
brightest facet of the program was the mighty fact that Atari had not
forgotten those whose 90 day warranty had expired.
THE NEW EXCHANGE PRICES TO THE END USER, WHO HAS PROBLEMS WITH HIS ATARI
PRODUCTS AND HAS HAD HIS EQUIPMENT LONGER THAN THE NINETY DAY PERIOD, ARE
OUTRAGEOUS.
EXAMPLES OF THE OUTRAGEOUS PRICE INCREASES:
PRODUCT LIST PRICE DEALER EXCHANGE USER EXCHANGE
Old - New Old - New
SC1224 Color Monitor $399.95 95.00 175.00 95.00 260.00
SM124 Mono Monitor $199.95 60.00 80.00 60.00 130.00
.5mb Computer System $399.95 115.00 115.00 115.00 300.00
1mb Computer System $599.95 125.00 125.00 125.00 375.00
2mb Computer System $ 899.95 175.00 265.00 175.00 525.00
4mb Computer System $1399.95 225.00 350.00 225.00 675.00
SLM 804 Laser Printer $ 999.95 425.00 700.00 Dealer Only
Folks, those users who have no dealer(s) within a reasonable distance
from their homes or those who have a poor relationship with their * only *
dealer for "hundreds" of miles are really put to the gaff. By all surface
appearances, it looks like the unimaginative minds at the top at Atari
were not even "slightly considering" the "LOYAL, EVANGELISTIC" users when
these new tariffs were slapped in place. In the long run the dealers and
the users will eventually feel the effects of this catastrophic decision
and policy change. The present Atari leadership really outdid themselves
with this slick, uncaring move. When this complaint was first brought to
Sam Tramiel, during an online conference, he mentioned he would "look into
the situation" and..... as usual, just so much fodder...
Well Sam... the time is at hand. The present leaders at Atari have
darn near run Atari slap into the ground. Will you please allow some real
professionals to re-organize and run the company? Step ASIDE.. take an
extended vacation anything! PLEASE! And take your brothers with you!
The Katzenjammer has managed to put the cobs to Atari, to us the
users, the dealers and developers. The dealer network is virtually non
existant, solid commercial software development concerns have a very
cautious hands off approach toward Atari if the Katzenjammer are involved
in the negotiations. The knee jerk retribution, (to name only one; The
Atari Explorer Fiasco) the Katzenjammer have so capably demonstrated to
the entire userbase truly indicates the level of destructive emotional
extremes the Katzenjammer will and do go to.
NEXT... The Developer Program; and how the Katzenjammer have clobbered it
too.
_____________________________________________________________
> STE's Future STR OnLine¿ A few reader/user opinion's....
========================
ATARI'S REQUIRED READING
========================
Conf : Atari 16/32 Bit
Msg# : 6282 Lines: 20 Read: 1
Sent : Jun 14, 1990 at 10:08 AM
To : DAVE LOCKWOOD
From : ELECTRON BEAM at Bloom County #75 Mtn. View, CA
Subj : Re: <6213> Atari Petition!
In reply to:
> As for the STe, I have what I want from my ST already, and I have 4 Meg
> 4096 color pallette now to boot. Atari's just beating a dead horse
(boy
> I gonna get flamed for that one (-: )...the STe is years late and many
> features short.
Dave, they can flame you if they want...but you are 100% correct. I am
living proof. I bought my 1040 ST a couple of years ago. I was very
happy with it, but being a musician with a good ear, very frustrated by
the rather weak sound. A friend of mine had both an ST and an A500. It
just got to where I could not stand the graphic and sound superiority of
his A500 anymore, so I went out and bought one. Would I have done this if
I had originally purchased a 1040 STe...the answer is obviously NO!! The
STe is 5 years late and that is all there is to it. I need two computers
because of the BBS, but they would have been a 1040 STe and a used 1 Meg
520 (for the BBS) if the STe had existed when it SHOULD have. So, any
Atari Apologists that want to can also flame me...but it is Atari's fault
I own an Amiga...not mine!!
EB
Conf : Atari 16/32 Bit
Msg# : 6268 Lines: 8 Read: 1
Sent : Jun 14, 1990 at 5:18 PM
To : ALL
From : WOMBAT at The Bre(/\)ery _ Ajax_Canada _
Subj : STE/hard drives
Looking through messages here I was surprised that no one seems to
have experienced a recent problem of mine. On switching from an STfm to
an STe I had MAJOR hard drive problems, which made the HD virtually
unusable. Atari Canada tried to be helpful but didnt seem to know what was
going on. They now say they are waiting on a TOS upgrade and have given me
an STfm to use in the meantime. I am wondering if it is only the TOS that
is at fault as I have heard it suggested that the DMA chip used in recent
machines is also a contributor. Anyone know the whole story?
Conf : Atari 16/32 Bit
Msg# : 6269 Lines: 14 Read: 1
Sent : Jun 14, 1990 at 7:07 PM
To : WOMBAT
From : BREWMASTER at The Bre(/\)ery _ Ajax_Canada _
Subj : Re: <6268> STE/hard drives
I talked to you about this earlier...For the last 18 months,I have not
seen an Atari that will work on an old SH204 host adapter,as Atari changed
the specs and supplier on the DMA chip.At least Supra Corp was honest
enough to acknowledge it,and offer a trade in policy on their host
adapters for the HD,where Atari,the company who made the changes,ignores
the consumer again.Atari Canada knows all about it,and had the exact
problem with Shawn Smiths' hard drive. For them to say they don't know
anything about it,is quite ridiculous. The SH205 falls into the same
problem as the SH204,as it uses the same design of host integrated into
the controller board.
A tos fix will not resolve this problem in the least,as it is a
hardware fault.How long can a company continue to operate,making design
changes to it's machines,and not support the consumer on other Atari
products they bought(specifically,the SH204/205) previously??
____________________________________________________
> PCD II 2 WEEKS? STR FOCUS¿ ONLY 2 WEEKS TO DECIDE AYE or NAY??!!??
=========================
WHO WROTE AG'S RULEBOOK?
========================
E.GORELIK posts;
Well, I did manage to get through the Avant-Garde today, had a lengthy
talk with Jeff, and found out some things which other Ditto users might
want to know.
RIBBON CABLES:
AG has purchased a 100-ft length of shielded cable (which is the only
kind that can be used successfully with the unit) and is willing to sell
it in any desired lengths to PCD-II users at $8/ft (no shipping chgs). If
you return your original 1-ft length (in like-new condition only), they
will credit you $16 towards purchase of the longer cable. I'm afraid I
forgot to ask whether they will also put the connectors on the longer
cables, but I suspect they won't, since Jeff gave me information about
purchasing the connectors. You can use a gold or tin 34-pin, and a gold
or tin 26-pin socket connector, both female, with or without strain
relief. They're available at Radio Shack. They can also be gotten from
Digitkey (1-800-344-4539) in Minnesota, the parts #'s being ASC34G- ND
(gold 34) ASC34T-ND (tin 34), ASC26G- ND (gold 26), and ASC26T-ND (tin
26). Prices are about $2-$3, with the tin slightly cheaper than the gold.
AG has thoroughly tested installed ribbon lengths up to 18". Beyond
that, they have no firsthand knowledge of how performance of the unit will
be affected or degraded. Reports from users have indicated that up to 24"
there does not seem to be a problem, but anything beyond 18" you take your
chances, and how the system might be slowed down or degraded due to
increased capacitance and resistance present in a longer cable is as yet
unknown.
As far as installation of the cables goes, one method Jeff described
for those who want to place the unit outside the case was routing the
ribbon through the crevice between the metal DMA port and plastic case.
INSTALLING THE BOARD:
Jeff confirmed that the board can't be installed without removing the
center post from the ST's case, which he claimed was nonfunctional anyhow,
and merely used for machining purposes in constructing the case (at least
that's what I understood him to say), and that the presence of the PCD-II
unit in the case would firm up the case anyhow. As expected, he
confirmed that the board couldn't be installed together with the RF
shield-- you'll have to keep the latter off--unless, of course, you're
routing the board outside the case.
FUTURE PLANS:
I asked whether they had any plans to decrease the sqize of the
board. The answer was that they had looked into this, and found that they
could decrease the length by 2" and width by 3/4", but that doing so
wouldn't affect the problems of installing it in a 520ST (which I found
hard to understand). Whether or not they will eventually go to the
smaller size depends on how well the product sells. When I asked whether
they considered selling an external PCD-II, I got the same response:
depends on sales volume of the initial unit. When I asked about going to
surface mount technology for the board, he replied that they had no plans
to do so, because of the unit's thickness--it contains six separate
layers; going to s.m.t. would necessitate fitting all of those layers into
a single layer, so that although the board would become very thin, it
would also become too wide and long, and hence wouldn't ease the problems
of fitting the unit inside an ST.
When I asked about revision D motherboards seeming to have special
problems working with PCD-II he denied that they were exceptional or
different from any others in regard to compatibility with the unit.
As expected, current boards are being sent out with the new PAL chips
and the latest software (what's up on GEnie now--the 1.0001 files). And
those getting their boards at this time have 2 weeks in which to make a
decision about keeping them.
--Eugene
ctsy: GEnie
Editor Note:
It seems kind of unfair to read that the recipients of PCDII have
only TWO WEEKS to decide if they care to keep the thing or not. When one
considers that the average user has waited considerably longer than that
just for the delivery of this infamous product. The least they could do
is allow the users 30 days to decide. With the summer here, its vacation
time and many will not be around when they are delivered their "long
awaited" item. AG should seriously reconsider this 'mickey mouse' two
week tinme limit.
_____________________________________________________________
> SLAP STReport! STR SOUND OFF¿ Nothin' like killin' the "messenger"!
============================
READER LASHES OUT STREPORT
==========================
As usual, in trying times, when the news is not the greatest there are
those who feel they must vent their anger at the messenger who brings the
unhappy stories. Such is the case here, but in all fairness to the reader
STReport felt obligated to allow everyone to see this young man's message.
Believe it or not, we sympathize with this fellow, but at the same time
graciously point out that his anger should be directed at the cause of all
the grief. The three Tramiels running "the show."
Of course the passage below is filled with emotion and carries littel
if any real facts other than the personal information provided by the
writer. Again, it is very easy to sympathize with this writer. We also
present a number of posts extracted from GEnie, where substantially well
known users also voice rather strong discontent with Atari Corp.
B.Greger posts; in an uploaded message on GEnie;
Another week has gone by, and after reading the gloom, doom, and despair
of STReport, I find myself wondering why I ever purchased an Atari
Computer. It usually takes a lot for me to get vocal, but I feel
compelled to speak out now. I have owned an Atari ever since the 1200XL
came out. Even though the system was an 8bit, I really enjoyed it. That
8bit was my introduction into computing and it sold me on computers. Then
in 1985, the ST's came into being. My mouth "drooled" at the thought of
having so much power for a reasonable price. I jumped on the ST bandwagon
and purchased a 520ST without ROMS and two DS disk drives. The only
software for the machine was Logo, and a few programs from Haba Software.
I remember the first time I turned on the machine... I could not keep my
mouth shut. You know how your mouth forms an "O" when you get surprised,
well mine stayed that way for at least a week. I just could not get over
how easy the machine was to operate. Later I purchased the ROMS when they
became available and almost every piece of software that was
released....even Haba "C".
Can anyone remember that program? By this time, the 1040ST was out and I
ended up swapping up to it. I now had a whole Meg of RAM and a built in
drive. Good new's and praise for the machine was all I ever read. Even
Byte magazine covered the Atari in several of their issues. Atari
appeared to have a very bright future. As time went on, and software
became plentiful, I kept upgrading. I now have 2.5megs in my 1040, a
Spectre GCR, color & mono monitors, HP LaserJet IIP, FaST 85meg HD,
Cardinal 2400baud modem with MNP level 5, and lot's of software. There
are some very talented people producing GREAT Hardware Hacks and Software
Hacks for the Atari, and I support their efforts by purchasing their
products.
This brings me up to now. Week after week I kept reading about Atari's
demise in STReport and a few other online mag's, and week after week I
began to wonder if I should sell my machine and go IBM or Mac. Well, to
STReport and any other magazine that wishes to publish nothing but doom
for the Atari, I say NO! What I am going to do is stop READING your
magazine. There are so many good things the Atari computers can do that
all of the articles in these mags could easily focus on Productivity
instead of Destructivity. (Not sure if that's a word or not but it fits).
I have to agree with the magazine that Atari is rolling downhill pretty
fast, but giving it a push over the edge is not the answer. Focusing on
positive aspects of the computer and getting the most bang for the buck is
still the way to win friends and influence people. The Spectre GCR and
Turbo16 are about the best hardware hacks I have seen and I am putting
back a little money each week so I can get the T16 installed.
Being able to run Mac software out of the box is a REAL THRILL and it
brings back some of the enthusiasm I felt when I first purchased my ST. I
know of at least 10 people who have purchased Atari Computers because of
me showing off it's capabilities. Just one look at what all these
fantastic machines can do, and almost everyone wants one. The biggest
hurdle for Atari has always been in Advertising and Letting people know
about their machine. Well, Atari does not appear to be interested in
this, and they just might sink because of it, but a magazine that preaches
Atari's demise week after week only speeds up this process. Come On Guys!
Let's pull together and focus on what the machine can do! I for one am
very tired of the BASHING! Every computer has it's problems, and Atari
has it's share. Well, enough of this. I just felt I had to express my
opinion. I wish only the BEST for anyone supporting the Atari Computers,
and I have started writing to Software Publishers and letting them know I
appreciate their efforts toward Atari Software.
One Guy's Opinion!
Ross Greger (B.GREGER
K.ALBURY [Blade Runner] posts;
I, too am getting worried about the future of Atari in the U.S.A.
I've been with Atari since those old (and great) days of "pong" & "super
pong" and think it's really sad what the brass at Atari has done to
themselves. And the end users. I mean, when the ST came out, they really
pushed it well and said things like "we're not a game company" & "the ST
is better than an I.B.M.". So we bought the ST and it still makes us
happy.
However, here we are, a few years latter, and NO advertising, next to
no support, little software, etc. And low and behold, Atari is now
releasing it's new GAME machine amd I.B.M. compatable. Plenty of
advertising, support, and software for these systems, but little for the
ST. I feel like I've been shafted. I'm glad Atari is making new and
good products but I wish they would at least try to give us the same
support we've given them. I mean if it wern't for our support, they
would have been gone along time ago. And now that we're in need all I
hear from Atari is empty promises and how well the European market is
doing. I just wish they would give us a REAL answer. If you're going to
support us, than SUPPORT us. If your not, then DON'T. Just please stop
taking us for a ride.
D.GAXIOLA posts;
I've been a fairly loyal Atarian all of my life practically. Since
the third grade I've had an Atari computer, an Atari 800 with 48k of
memory, an 810 disk drive, and a 410 tape recorder. It served me well
over the years and I accomplished a lot with it. Games, word processing,
and keeping track of my comic books were regular tasks with the Atari.
Just as I found myself becoming confined with it, just as I was yearning
for something more, there was the Atari 1040ST, which could not be
compared with the older 8-bit machine. So away with the ol' 800 and 810
(by then both had died and been replaced with a 65XE and XF-551) and in
came the new Sixteen-Thirty computer.
For four years, or there abouts, I was content with its power. I was
still the leader in computer use among my friends. While they were just
beginning to discover the benefits of word processing, on XT-clones, I
was an old hand at it. I had great games, sixteen out of five-hundred
and twelve glorious colors while they had a sickly cyan and pink world to
contend with. Eventually, things started to change. I discovered
programming and purchased a cheap XT-clone to learn C on and enter the
larger world of MS-DOS and big blue. At the same time I was finding the
1040 too confining, a megabyte of memory too little, so I had (that is I
convinced) my family buy a Mega ST2, as well as a Megafile 30. For a
time I was content with the Atari again.
Meanwhile, I was not content with my XT. EGA graphics and a thirty
megabyte hard disk were taking their toll on the 4.77 MHz machine.
Because of memory chip speed problems as well as the fact that they were
sodered into the board, a speed upgrade was impossible. Ultimately, the
clone was sold and a 12 MHz 80286 clone was brought in and with it a slew
of more problems all stemming from a bad hard disk controller card.
As I was experimenting with the AT clone I began to notice things
about my Atari, problems made more evident when I purchased a laser
printer. My friends at school were asking me whether or not I had a Mac
of and IBM. I found myself uncomfortable explaining how it is that I
have an Atari, telling the same old story of the Atari computer, one of
success in Europe, lack of advertising and sales in America, my friends
nodding there heads along the way.
Recently, my family made another jump up with the IBM clone, all the
way up to a 25 MHz 80386 clone. We now have a total of ninety megabytes
of hard disk space, three megabytes of memory, and super VGA graphics
(800x600x256 colors). I want to make a similar jump with the Atari, but
find that I really can't. Even when the TT does come out, it is still
inferior technolically. A pallet of 4096 colors with such a relatively
low resolution? Even my 1024x768 has 16 colors available. Maybe I will
be able to plug in VME graphics card, but what software will support it?
Speaking of software, what about it? Will I be able to multitask if I
want to? What about simple program switching? And for me, the most
important of all, what about the games? Where is LHX, Blockout, Budokan,
Mechwarrior, and A-10 for the Atari? Will they ever be out for the
Atari? Even so, how will they look? Can the best that Atari can do
compare to VGA/MCGA? When I get a sound card for the IBM, can the sound
from the ST compare as well?
When the TT finally does come out, Atari will have to sell it to me.
I will treat it as if I had no knowledge of it prior to its introduction
to the market. If I see no newspaper, magazine, or TELEVISION ads, it
will not exist to me. As for my Mega, I will probably let it fade away
and move all of my tasks over to the 386. Sure the software is generally
more expensive in terms of productivity software, but in some ways it
might be better. It has been said many times on many bulletin boards
that if the computer you own does what you want it to, then it is the
right computer. The Atari ST for me is no longer the right computer. I
would really like to move on to another, greater Atari computer, but Atari
Corp. has left me no option; I see no reason to wait for a dream to
condense into a reality.
David Gaxiola
J.E.DONOHUE;
I doubt if anybody is hanging out here in hopes of a resurgence by Atari
U.S. For MOST users, all we have left is each other, ala the 8 bit users.
Someday maybe we can all look back with perspective and have some
justifiable answers and opinions as to what went wrong.
Did the user base never reach it's full potential because Atari did not
effectively market (in the U.S.) and get the ST machines and related
products into more homes, businesses/schools?
Did Atari not market the ST (in the U.S.) because the user base wasn't
strong enough? Or did we all get caught up in the forever changing
computer technologies?
Not easy to keep up with it financially...but that's true of ALL computer
users. Never will I bore the readers of this thread with "Bye
ya'll.....I've had it...I'm off to buy a Mac/Amiga/Clone". If and when
that day ever comes, I'll simply do it. No fanfare. I doubt if one more
user will be missed.
I estimate that 90% of my hardware and software was purchased from my
friendly (now non-existent) local dealers. What concerns me the most (as
mentioned in my previous post) is what about ME...the end user? You have
to admit...it IS nice to see a product (be it hardware or software) before
you buy. Thank God for software demo's and the folks who frequent these
areas and write for the trade publications offering reviews. Pity the
folks who are not members of either GEnie, CIS, Delphi, etc. whose local
dealer/service center is gone, and the next closest one is 200 miles (and
maybe the next state!) away. Think about it.
john
T.MCCOMB posts;
No way is ComputerLand or BusinessLand going to touch _any_ Atari product.
The Atari Advantage is dead for 1990, that includes XMAS 1990. You're not
going to see it in Sears, JC Penny or KMart. It wasn't at CES. They
didn't place orders with Atari, they placed orders elsewhere.
I'm not saying the _product_ is bad, we all know the product is _great_.
It's just that Atari has never supported an assault on the US market and
anything they do now is too little and way too late.
S.COLLER [Steve] at 11:39 CDT
REALITY CHECK
It seems to be long passed time for U.S. ST users to face reality.
For the past 3+ years we have been hearing repeated calls for Atari to get
active in the U.S. market before it was too late. We have heard repeated
comments from Atari officials that "This is the year for Atari," or that
all new equipment would now be unvailed in the U.S.
Folks, Atari is not dying in the U.S. market - it is in fact already
dead. We U.S. users just refuse to accept the demise. Let's look at some
facts:
(1) Atari has yet to launch a national campaign for the ST's.
The only national advertizing that has been done has been
for the Portfolio and the Lynx.
(2) Atari has never had an over abundance of dealers and has
been losing those that it does/did have rather rapidly over
the past 3 years.
(3) From an outsider's point of view it appears that Atari has
absolutely no faith in its own product. Or perhaps they
are just ignorant of just how good the ST's really are.
(4) Lack of third party support. Software and hardware
developers, the life-blood of any computer system, have been
leaving Atari even faster than dealers.
(5) Dealers that have hung on have difficulty getting products
to sell.
I was in a computer bookstore last night and did a quick survey of
ST vs Amiga related magazines. There were 8 Amiga mags and 1 ST. Which
one would you judge to have more third party support? Were we to hook
Atari U.S. up to an EKG machine to monitor it's life signs, we would see a
flat line and no one around to administer CPR.
Do I plan on trashing my ST system? Heavens no! There isn't
another system available that offers the power and versitility at the
price of the ST. For instance, in the area of DTP nothing can come close
to the ST and PageStream. I've looked at PageMaker on both IBM's and
MAC's and find it hard to believe people are willing to live like that.
This article is not meant to be a flame on the ST. Even at a dated 8mhz
the ST is still an impressive machine. And given the large number of
users around the country that are still working with 8-bit systems, there
are a lot of people around that would still view 8mhz as warp speed.
My background is not one of business; it is behaviorial science and
law enforcement. I tend to look more at what individuals do/did than what
they say/said they would do/did. Talk after all is cheap. It is
therefore, my conclusion that Atari U.S., as a viable, and active
participant in the U.S. computer marketplace, is dead. Can it be revived?
Not unless it wants to be, and since the evidence leads to the conclusion
that this was a suicide, I would have to say the the prospects of
resurrection are highly unlikely. Steve Coller President Central Missouri
Atari Group Columbia, MO
T.MCCOMB posts;
You pretty much nailed it on the head, Steve. Atari Computer Division, in
the US, is dead. IT will continue in europe for awhile but the USA is
dead. The entertainment division will follow suit once the competition
hits the streets. Can you say NEC?
I'm not abandoning my ST, either. It serves me well. However there is _no_
way I could reccomend one to anyone else.
It's really a shame. 1990 is gone. THey blew the last shot at 1990 by
cancelling the Atari Advantage package at CES. June CES is where the mass
market people place their Xmas orders. None were placed, none will be sold
in 1990. Does ally think it will be better or different in 1991? Ron
Luks of CompuServe told a sad story. While at CES he approached 4 Atari
Reps and asked where he could find the STEs. They didn't know. He found a
fifth one that did, he pointed him in the right direction. He found a row
of four STEs with an Atari Rep seated at one, playing a game. He asked the
rep about the features of the STE. The Rep replied 'I don't know anything
about them, I'm just playing a game'.
Simply amazing.
As one can readily see, many folks have just about run out of
patience with the Tramiel sons, who have in effect used Atari Corp. as a
learning platform in "how to conduct one's self miserably in business".
Please dear readers don't ask that we look the other way while the
Katzenjammer do their utmost best to finish the "job".
_____________________________________________________________
> ONLINE TODAY STReport OnLine¿ The wires are hummin'!
=============================
COMPUSERVE (CIS)
STR'S ROVING REPORTER
=====================
by Oscar Steele
This week I'll begin coverage of CompuServe (CIS). There are a number
of differences between GEnie and CompuServe, some are obvious, such as the
hourly connect charges (GEnie charges $5/10 per hour compared to CIS's
$6/12 per hour). Other differences are more subtle. All in all, both
networks have their strengths and weaknesses.
The first thing I noticed is that CIS is quick, noticeably quicker
than GEnie. CIS responds almost immediately to a request. On GEnie,
there are a few seconds of pause here and a few seconds there. They add
up over a session. I have also been told by several people that
downloading is also quicker on CIS; however, I have yet to test CIS's
downloading to verify this. So, it's not entirely fair to compare the
rates charged straight across the board. They should be balanced by an
overall picture of the "real" time it takes to accomplish tasks. That's
not to say that GEnie is, indeed, more economical, it's just that it's not
as simple as looking at the 2 companies' rates.
The message base structure is totally different. This means that it'll
take a GEnie user a while to get used to CIS (and vice versa). I'd like
to spend at least another weeks before doing comparisons on the two
networks. I've offered the previous remarks as very first impressions.
Some people "choose" a network. However, life is a bit more complicated
than just black and white, or yes and no. Each network is unique, like a
person. They each have their own personality and individual benefits.
Notes from GEnie this week:
Downloads:
A brief mention of mentionable updates: Pinhead 1.7 (#15128), BSTAT
2.36 (#15184), SAT 3.11 (#15441), ICD Host Adapter Utilities - latest
version (#15440), DeskSwitch 1.1 (#15419), DCOPY 3.6 (#15339), and
Deskmanager 3.3.
Conferences:
This upcoming week there will be two conferences. The first, scheduled
for tomorrow, is a special conference at 9pm EDT. A group of BBS Express
sysops will meet to discuss topics relating to the product.
The second conference is on the normally scheduled day, Wednesday, June
20th. Guests will include Chet Walters, the author of IMAGE CAT and MUG
SHOT, and W. David Parks aka Dr. Bob, author of MVG (MULTIVIEWER
GRAPHICA). The conference will being at 10pm EDT.
Message Area Notice:
Intersect, representative of the current state of Atari's developers,
is no longer providing support via GEnie. Their past topics have been
moved to other categories, where hopefully ST users will offer help
and support. See Cat. 1, Topic 8, Message 5 for exact details.
_____________________________________________________________
> Supercharger News STR InfoFile¿ The Best keeps getting BETTER!
==============================
CTSY GENIE
TALON.TECH POSTS:
Thanks for waiting...
I am currently working on our new manual and it should be available
in a month or so. I am also working on a compatibility list and disk of
"PD" program and custom batch files. The manual and the disk will be
available at a small charge to current registered SuperCharger customers.
ICD
ICD has developed a fix for an incompatibility with the ICD
Advantage and Advantage Plus host adaptors. The fix includes a
combination of software and hardware and sells for $15.00 If you have one
of the older ICD host adaptors you can get a software fix so you don't
have to hold the reset button down on your SuperCharger. It should be
noted that ICD did not have a defective product but instead made their
product compatible with ours. All of this was done at their own costs.
I don't have the hardware fix, but as soon as I have it I will let
you know how it works. Some of you have already called and reported ICD's
new software for the older host adaptors works great! Great job ICD,
thanks!
Midi Support
As of now I know of no plans for supporting Midi. Although I will
pass this request along to Beta Systems.
Vertical Lines (Banner)
If a program is set to run in one graphic mode and you run it in
another you will see vertical lines. Lets say you have a program set to
run in monochrome and you run it while in CGA color, the program will
display vertical lines and lock-up. Some programs can't see CGA color on
SuperCharger and will default to Hercules monochrome.
ABIOCON.TOS?
Even though the documentation says this file exists, IT DOES NOT.
The program ABIO.TOS should be used in it's place.
AutoCAD
AutoCAD does work, although I do not have release 11.
>Richard Betson
>Talon Technology Inc.
______________________________________________________
> STReport CONFIDENTIAL¿ Sayin' it like it is.....
=====================
- London, UK TOS 1.4 BOOTLEGGED IN THE UK?
----------
There is a situation in the UK under investigsation at this time
concerning the packaging of TOS 1.4 in Eprom and Calamus (the US version).
It appears that a distributor/dealer in the UK has decided to deep
discount Calamus. And since Calamus (the UK version) cannot be obtained
cheap enough in the UK to allow the deep discounting, its being imported
from the States. Also a rather interesting and familiar program seems to
have surfaced in the UK called PROXIMA... A vaguely familiar DTP package.
We await the arrival of this Stateside to see just which program this is
in a different "jacket".
- Atlanta, GA. PORTFOLIO'S CROSSTALK IN HOLDING PATTERN
-----------
According to sources close to the top, the Atlanta Ga. firm who is
involved with the development of Crosstalk, (Top Notch TeleComm Program
for MS DOS), for the Portfolio has suspended all activities for the time
being. Apparently there is a strong disagreement over who will distribute
the new version of Crosstalk which was rewritten expressly for the
Portfolio.
- Los Angeles, CA. BORLAND RELEASES TURBO C ++ VER. 2
----------------
- Turbo C++ 1.0 Compiler (NEW)
- Turbo Profiler 2.0 (NEW)
- Turbo Assembler 2.0 (UPGRADE)
- Turbo Debugger 2.0 (UPGRADE)
Turbo C++ 1.0 is a new product, not an upgrade from Turbo C 2.0, but a
promotional offer is in place for Turbo C 2.0 users that may want to
purchase Turbo C++. Upgrade offers are available for the Turbo C and
Turbo Pascal Professional packages, and for Turbo Debugger, Turbo Profiler
and Turbo Assembler as one package deal. The Turbo Profiler package is an
upgrade to the Turbo Debugger/Turbo Assembler package.
- Boston, MA. BOB BRODIE KEEPS THE TROOPS HAPPY!
----------
Bob "on the road again" Brodie will be making an unscheduled visit to
the Boston area this Friday. He relates ...One of our dealers, The Bit
Bucket is having an Atari day on Saturday, June 16th at their store in
Newton. Atari has decided to send me as the "factory rep" for this event.
I'll be arriving in Boston on Friday afternoon, which just happens to be
the day of the South Shore Atari Group meeting. I've been in touch with
the members of the South Shore Group as well as the members of the Boston
Computer Society. So, I hope if your in the New England area, you can stop
by! The South Shore Group meets at the Super Stop & Shop, 495 Southern
Artery in Quincy at 7:00PM.
Please contact Norman Boucher, Jr. at 617-361-0590 for further
information or call the Bit Bucket in Newton, at 617-964-3080.
regards,
Bob Brodie
**********************************************************************
: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: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.
**** SIGN UP FEE WAIVED ****
The system will now prompt you for your information.
**********************************************************************
> Hard Disks STR InfoFile¿ Affordable Mass Storage....
=======================
NEW PRICES! & MORE MODELS!!
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> A "Quotable Quote"
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"Crying Towels are only for those who know.."
...... they are loosers!
... Knobby Walsh
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STReport¿ "Your Independent News Source" June 15, 1990
16/32bit Magazine copyright ½ 1990 No.6.24
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