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Silicon Times Report Issue 0723
*---== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
from
STR Publishing Inc.
""""""""""""""""""
June 07, 1991 No.7.23
==========================================================================
STReport International Online Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida
32205 ~ 6672
R.F. Mariano
Publisher - Editor
-----------------------------------------
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EST
BBS: 904-786-4176 USR/HST DUAL STANDARD
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EST
-----------------------------------------
** Fnet 350 * Fido Node 1:112/35 * NeST Node 90:3000/350.0 **
privately owned & operated STReport support BBS
ALL issues of STReport International Online Magazine
are available along with
A worldwide list of private bbs systems carrying STReport
__________________________________________________________________
> 06/07/91: STReport #7.23 The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine!
-------------------------
- The Editor's Desk - CPU REPORT - ATARI'S FUTURE
- STALKER 3 NEWS! - STENO RELEASED! - ATARI # 1!!
- AlberTT Released! - UNIX & TT030! - 2MB FLOPPY
- SPARCbook Overview - FSM GDOS NEWS - STR Confidential
-* PAGESTREAM 2 RELEASE IMMINENT! *-
-* ATARI SELLS FACTORY! *-
-* BIG SHAKEUP AFOOT! *-
==========================================================================
ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE¿
The _Number One_ Online Magazine
-* FEATURING *-
"UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
Current Events, Original Articles, Hot Tips, and Information
Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
==========================================================================
STReport's support BBS, NODE 350, invites systems using Forem ST and Turbo
Board BBS to participate in the Fido/F-Net Mail Network. Or, call Node
350 direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging infor-
mation relative to the Atari ST computer arena through an excellent Inter-
national ST Mail Network. All registered F-NET - Crossnet SysOps are wel-
come to join the STReport Crossnet Conference. The Crossnet Conference
Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is # 350. All systems are welcome and
invited to actively participate. Support Atari Computers; Join Today!
==========================================================================
AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON: GENIE ~ CIS ~ DELPHI ~ BIX ~ FIDO ~ F-NET
==========================================================================
> The Editor's Podium
"To each his own!" Isn't the right to choose wonderful? "Variety is
the spice of life!" How true. If everything were similar, things would
be sure be BORING. Recently comments have been made concerning STReport's
carrying information pertaining to the "other" computer platforms. The
comments ranged from ..."make it smaller", "...drop the added coverage",
"make it like..."
STReport has been presenting IBM/MAC coverage in its issues well
before it dawned upon anyone that it just might be interesting to some of
the readers. Especially those who own and operate successful emulators
like GCR and Supercharger. All of our coverage is geared to bring to the
Atari user the BEST of information throughout the computing community that
may have an effect on our future. We may, from time to time, "trim the
fat" but for sure... we will continue to be "different" and provide full
coverage in one publication.
STReport made the decision to only support the current Atari computer
platform and not move directly into other systems. We do however, carry
a "digest" of the happenings in the other marketplaces in a genuine
effort to keep the ST user well informed.
Its great to see a "pioneer" such as Jay Craswell (moniterm card)
developing and releasing a super video card that supports the MSTE/TT030
VME bus. Congratulations Jay! The VME bus has literally hundreds of
cards already made and ready to purchase and use in our machines. For
some time, Atarians have clamored for a "standard expansion bus". We now
have it in the VME bus that's in the MEGA STE and the TT030. STReport is
fully behind those who support development using the VME bus. Full infor-
mation is elsewhere in this issue about Jay's new board.
Also in this issue, STALKER 3 & STENO information. Gribnif Software
also pioneers in their own right, famous for Neodesk, will market Eric
Rosenquist's fine programming efforts.
Thank you for your strong support,
Ralph.........
For the record.....
Recently, (AtariUser-6/91), therein appeared an item written by Nathan
Potechin detailing the beginnings of the IAAD, unfortunately, there were
some "minor" points of information missing. STReport called Gordon Mon-
nier (a founder and original Board member) to ask a few questions and
verify the information on hand. This basically covers the omissions.
In the weeks prior to the WAACE show of Sept. 1989, STReport's Michael
Arthur discussed the formation of a developer representation group with
Gordon Monnier of MichTron Software. It was subsequently agreed that an
organizational meeting would be held at WAACE for the purpose of getting a
formal developer representation group off the ground. That meeting,
spoken of by N. Potechin in his article, was held in my (Ralph Mariano)
hotel room at WAACE/'89. Believe me, the room was packed. Prior to the
meeting, Michael Arthur and Gordon worked together for about 6 weeks to
get the meeting agreed upon, scheduled and attended. For approximately 8
to 10 months thereafter, Gordon and Nathan worked together bringing the
IAAD up to full speed. While speaking to Gordon to verify the accuracy of
our info Gordon added that, "in all fairness, the IAAD was really the
'brainchild' of STReport's Michael Arthur."
TODAY'S NEWS ..TODAY!
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> STReport's Staff The regulars and this week's contributors!
================
Publisher - Editor
------------------
Ralph F. Mariano
Staff Editors:
--------------
Michael Arthur Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. Dana P. Jacobson
Lucien Oppler Brad Martin Walter Daniel
Oscar Steele Robert Allbritton John Szczepanik
Dan Stidham
Contributing Correspondents:
----------------------------
Michael Lee Richard Covert Roger Stevens
Brian Converse Oliver Steinmeier Ed Krimen
Tim Holt Andrew Learner Norman Boucher
Ben Hamilton
IMPORTANT NOTICE
================
Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
via E-Mail to:
Compuserve.................... 70007,4454
GEnie......................... ST.REPORT
Delphi........................ RMARIANO
BIX........................... RMARIANO
FIDONET....................... 112/35
FNET.......................... NODE 350
NEST.......................... 90:19/350.0
***********************************************************************
COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME
to the Readers of;
ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
NEW USERS; SIGN UP TODAY!
CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198
You will receive your complimentary time
and
be online in no time at all!
WHAT'S NEW IN THE ATARI FORUMS (June 7)
FINDING FILES FAST!
During June, explore the many programs and files available in CompuServe's
Atari ST Forums with File Finder -- now reduced to $6 per hour for all
baud rates, including 9600. The Atari File Finder includes all files
within the Atari Arts Forum, Atari Productivity Forum, and Atari Vendor
Forum. Type GO ATARIFF to access this service.
ATARI OFFERS BOOTH SPACE FOR DEVELOPERS
Atari is offering free booth space for developers wishing to display their
products in the upcoming Dusseldorf show. Atari ST Registered developers
should read the file MESSE.TXT now available in LIBRARY 7 ("Registered
Developers") of the Atari Productivity Forum (GO ATARIPRO), and Portfolio
Developers should read file MESSE.TXT in LIBRARY 9 of the Atari Portfolio
Forum (GO APORTFOLIO).
MANAGING FILES MADE EASY!
Direct-Drive makes managing the files on your floppy and hard disks sim-
ple, quick and painless. With a mouse click you can get a list of every
file on a disk that can be saved, searched, sorted and printed. You can
also print disk labels, format disks and much more! If you often waste
time looking for files or thought you'd never get your disks organized, we
think you'll find Direct-Drive indispensable!
Download file DIRDRV.ARC from LIBRARY 1 ("New Uploads") of the Atari
Productivity Forum (GO ATARIPRO) for your copy of Direct-Drive.
Available EXCLUSIVELY for download from the Atari Forums on CompuServe!
NEW FROM DOUBLE CLICK SOFTWARE!
DC Mouse Wrapper from Double Click Software will 'wrap' the mouse cursor
when you hit the edge of the screen. Go up, and hit the edge of the
screen, and mouse goes to the bottom of the screen! Download file DCMRAP-
.ARC from LIBRARY 13 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN).
Also download file DCSHOW.NEW from LIBRARY 13 of the Atari Vendors Forum
(GO ATARIVEN) for information on an easy offer to get DC SHOWER!
ST WRITER ELITE 4.1!
Version 4.1 of ST WRITER ELITE is now available in LIBRARY 1 ("New
Uploads") of the Atari Productivity Forum (GO ATARIPRO). This new version
contains one bug fix and one added feature over version 4.0. Download
file(s):
STWEL4.ARC - ST Writer Elite 4.1 English Version.
STWELG.ARC - ST Writer Elite 4.1 Word Processor German/Spanish.
NEW IN ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM
Custom Base, a program to turn your Portfolio into a data collection
device, is now available in LIBRARY 1 of the Atari Portfolio Forum (GO
APORTFOLIO).
A copy of the File Manager program, distributed by Atari Corp. with all
new Portfolios is now available in LIBRARY 1 of the Atari Portfolio Forum
(GO APORTFOLIO) for those who purchased their units before the FM card was
included. File provided courtesy of Atari Corp., all rights reserved.
A new version of Don Messerli's PGSHOW and Judy Hamner's Forum Notes
report are now available in LIBRARY 1 of the Atari Portfolio Forum (GO
APORTFOLIO).
THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE
HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN
OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION
"GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM"
***********************************************************************
> CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
=================
Issue #24
Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
- Sunnyvale, California ATARI TO SELL TAIWAN FACILITY
---------------------
According to Reuter's News Agency, Atari Corporation said it agreed to
sell its Taiwan facility for sixty million dollars. The sale, to an un-
disclosed buyer, is scheduled to close late this month and is contingent
upon certain closing conditions being met.
Atari, a maker of personal computers and video games, said assembly
operations have been relocated to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
- Washington, D.C. SOFTWARE BLAMED IN SAUDI SCUD ATTACK
----------------
The U.S. Army has disclosed that the Scud attack which killed a number
of U.S. military personnel in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War
succeeded because of faulty software. Had the replacement software
arrived in time (it was reportedly delivered the next day), the Scud
missile would, in all probability, not have made it through the other-
wise near-perfect defenses presented by the Patriot missile system.
- Tokyo, Japan 3-D LCD DEVELOPED BY NTT
------------
Incorporating a technology called a lenticular lens, NTT has developed a
unique color display for computers and TVs. It is a liquid crystal dis-
play (LCD) capable of showing an image in three dimensions. NTT's
three-dimensional display is designed to be used in computers, TVs, and
TV phones. With this color display technology, 3-D viewing does not re-
quire the use of special 3-D glasses, as has been traditional since the
50s.
The lenticular lens, based on technology developed a year ago, is curved
on both sides and has a LCD on the back. It projects an image which
looks three-dimensional from all viewing angles. The display is 15-
inches large, which is quite sizable for an LCD.
- Torrance, California MITSUBISHI UNVEILS SUPER LIGHT
-------------------- 3.5 INCH DRIVE
Mitsubishi Electronics America has announced the availability of its
lightest 3.5-inch floppy drive, which has been designed for the portable
computer market. The MF355E is a 2 megabyte unformatted (1.44 for-
matted), floppy disk drive that is 15mm in height, and weighs less than
half a pound. The drive features downward read/write operation and
power-saving options when the drive is in standby mode. The units are
designed for use in laptop and notebook computers, where space and over-
all weight are crucial factors, the company said.
The company is also introducing the MF355S, a belt-driven 3.5-inch drive
that has the same performance features as the MF355E, but is larger at
17 millimeters high, and heavier at 0.53 pounds.
- White Plains, New York PRODIGY DROPS ITS ELECTRONIC GROCERY SHOPPING
----------------------
The home grocery shopping service, once heavily touted as one of Pro-
digy's main advantages, has been quietly dropped. Only 15% of the over
one million Prodigy subscribers ( one - third of whom use the system at
least once a day) were able to participate in the grocery shopping net-
work.
Prodigy's news, banking and brokerage services generate the most traf-
fic with half of their members having Easy-Sabre accounts.
- Houston, Texas HAND-HELD COMPUTERS FOR FOOT SOLDIERS?
--------------
Texas Microsystems Inc., (TMI) has announced it has received a contract
from the U.S. Army's Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) to study
the feasibility of pocket-sized computers for foot soldiers. TMI
described the device as something that "could help revolutionize conven-
tional ground warfare."
The pocket-sized unit slated for possible deployment in 1995 would weigh
one pound and include some of the advanced communications and graphics
capabilities found in fighter aircraft, tanks and other sophisticated
weapons systems. The unit would be about the size of a cigarette pack
and would probably use Intel's 80386 microprocessor.
Although details have not been finalized yet, one possible configuration
of the unit would include a battery powered processor; a radio capable
of transmitting both voice and data; a 'heads-up' display, which would
project an image on a helmet visor or glasses; a microphone; a hand-held
joystick-like device; and a global positioning system, which would allow
the user to pinpoint their exact position at any time.
- New York, New York LOTUS PROMISES FALL SHIPPING OF
------------------ 1-2-3 MAC
Nearly 4 years after its initial announcement, 1-2-3 Mac will ship this
fall, according to an announcement by Lotus Development Corporation. The
Macintosh version of the popular DOS-based 1-2-3 spreadsheet, which has
sold 14 million copies, will be fully compatibility with version 7.0 of
the Macintosh operating system and will make use of Apple's Data Access
Language for accessing data stored in corporate mainframes, mini-
computers, and departmental servers. Lotus had also added 3-D graphics
and new capabilities to the Macintosh version. 1-2-3 for Macintosh will
cost $495.
Lotus also said that Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows will be available this
summer.
- Tokyo, Japan NINTENDO TIES UP WITH PHILIPS ON
------------ SUPER-FAMICOM'S CD-ROM
In a surprise move, Nintendo has signed with Philips to develop a CD-ROM
system for Nintendo's best-selling game machine, dubbed "Super-Famicom."
Philips will manufacture the CD-ROM drive unit, and Nintendo will market
the product in Japan and the U.S. next summer. Industry experts had
expecting Nintendo to sign with Sony since Sony developed the sound sys-
tem for Super-Famicon. With the new CD-ROM drive system, the quality of
game software for the Super-Famicom is expected to increase.
- Tokyo, Japan OPTICAL LASER DISK BREAKTHROUGH:
------------ USING "GREEN" LASER
Hitachi has developed a device which emits a laser capable of producing
an optical disk with three times more memory storage than conventional
optical disks. It is called a green laser, based on its color. The 5-
inch disk can hold whopping 1,500 megabytes of data.
The wave length of Hitachi's latest green laser is half that of the cur-
rent infrared semiconductor laser. With this short wave, more detailed
lines can be drawn on the disk.
- Cupertino, California NOT EVEN APPLE CAN WIN THEM ALL
---------------------
In a suit filed against two former executives for allegedly misleading
statements they made about the company's ability to build its own hard
drive for Apple's failed Lisa microcomputer in the early '80s, damages
were awarded that could total as much as $40 million.
After Apple's Lisa computer was discontinued, shares fell 70% in value,
and the company abandoned work on the drive before it reached market.
As a matter of interest, the Lisa is still being sold by at least one
company, Sun Remarketing Inc., of Logan, Utah. The company now sells it
complete with Macintosh Plus emulation software, 1 megabyte of RAM, and
a hard drive.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE!
=================
As a reader of STReport International Online Magazine, you are entitled to
take advantage of a special DELPHI membership offer. For only $29.95 ($20
off the standard membership price!), you will receive a lifetime subscrip-
tion to DELPHI, a copy of the 500-page DELPHI: THE OFFICIAL GUIDE and over
$14 worth of free time.
NOTE: Special offers can be found in your favorite Atari magazines:
START CURRENT NOTES ST INFORMER
ATARI INTERFACE MAGAZINE
SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI
======================
Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access
DELPHI services via a local phone call
JOIN -- DELPHI
--------------
1. Dial 617-576-0862 with any terminal or PC and modem (at 2400 bps,
dial 576-2981).
2. At the Username prompt, type JOINDELPHI.
3. At the Password prompt enter STREPORT.
For more information call:
DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-544-4005
or
at 617-491-3393 from within Massachusetts or from outside the U.S.
DELPHI is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, Mass.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
--------------------
The 20/20 Advantage Plan IS FANTASTIC! And it features 20 hours online
for just $20 a month! The $20 is a monthly fee that covers your first 20
hours online via direct dial into one of DELPHI's two direct-access lines,
or via a special Tymnet 20/20 Access code. It also gets you additional
hours at just $1.20 per hour. And you get free access to several services
on DELPHI as part of the Advantage Perks.
Other telecom services may have additional charges. Canadian Tymnet users
have an additional telecom charge. Office Time access (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,
weekdays) may have an additional charge. And of course, other restric-
tions may apply. But this is still an amazing deal!
For more information please contact:
DELPHI at 1-800-544-4005 and ask for Member Services.
DELPHI- It's getting better all the time!
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> STR Portfolio News & Information Keeping up to date...
================================
THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM
=========================
On CompuServe
by Judith Hamner 72257,271
Atari Support reports that they have a new phone system. Because of
the change there is a new phone number for Portfolio support. Call (408)
745-2004 during normal business hours Pacific Time.
Jim Straus 70116,667 is continuing development of his outliner. Jim
is still asking for feedback and suggestions. A demo version is available
in Lib 1. David Stewart is also continuing work on his 60 column word
processor. David is moving to Oklahoma and intends to devote more time to
Portfolio programming.
External storage for the Portfolio is still a hot topic. See message
12837 for information on the Flashdrive, a 20 meg battery operated port-
able drive. Portfolio drivers for the Flashdrive are in the Library. Ira
Adams reported on his experiences with the Interloop interface for the HP
floppy drive. A new upload this week, PDD2.ARC gives us another controller
for the Radio Shack Portable Disk Drive 2. This new program is superior
to previous offerings. Program and docs are available in PDD2.ARC.
See message 12798 for John Feagans report on the summer CES in Chicago.
Atari has granted permission to have the Portfolio File Manager avai-
lable in the Library. This software ships with all new units on the File
Manager/Tutorial card. If you don't have it, be sure to check Lib 1 for
FM.COM.
Don Messerli has upgraded his PG Show file viewer for PGC graphics.
PGSH21.ZIP is the filename for version 2.1 which is 20% faster than the
previous version. Another new upload, CBASE.ARC, offers a way to use the
Port for data collection. Lists of questions for others to answer are
stored in .adr format.
***********************************************************************
: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.
-> NOW! GENIE STAR SERVICE IS IN EFFECT!! <-
GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric
Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission
***********************************************************************
> The Flip Side STR Feature "STalker 3.0 "..IT IS AWESOME"
=========================
A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT
==================================
by Michael Lee
From RMORROW about the new version of STalker - from Delphi...
I received an updated beta version of STalker this evening and I've
got some news for everyone - IT IS AWESOME. Everything that was ever
talked about has been added:
Support for ports (Normal Serial, MIDI, Printer PLUS the TT/MSTe's
additional Serial Ports, MegaTalk (from Gadgets by Small), DC-Port,
& MT C Shell type),
Automatically sensed Zmodem (EXTREMELY configurable receive and
send options including 16 or 32 bit)
VERY POWERFULL Script Language Support (C-ish BackTALK compiler)
...and of course many features NOT found in any other terminal pro-
gram -- Multiple STalker's for multiple online sessions, Background
transfer (STalker is a Desk Accessory so GEM background transfers
work quite well), Unique communication with STeno text editor
.ACC/.PRG for the ultimate capture/edit/type ahead buffer, Remote
BBS mode and many, many more.
STalker v3.0 isn't release yet because STeno is currently being
upgraded to go with it (the current version of STeno works fine) and
Gribnif is striving for the ULTIMATE when they release THEIR first
release.
All of the above isn't to be taken as a press release or official
information but as my personal knowledge (now yours) and opinion. If
you have seen STalker/STeno advertised and just wondered what kind of
terminal program it would be if you purchased it, don't worry about
it ---> purchase it (especially if you have a hard drive) and soon
you will find a nice storage place for those OTHER terminal programs
that other people consider to be the BEST (but aren't).
----------------
From Lee Seiler (Lexicor) on CIS...
...I organized Lexicor and have spent in excess of $200,000
developing a line of software...which I think you will see has some
merit. When I first started, I felt that there were enough people
using Atari [systems] so that if we produced something useful and
well designed, we would be able to make a reasonable profit.
...While I am not sure about how well we will do here in the USA, I
can tell you that we will do very well in Germany and most of Europe.
The reason is very close attention by the numbers of these people to
protect their own best interest.
...taken as a whole The ATARI market is really quite good and
developers who do approach the new machines understanding what the
ATARI market is should do just fine.
From Lee Seiler (Lexicor) about some of his new products - from the ST
Roundtable on Genie...
Rosetta 3D is just one of five main applications which make up a full
house graphics work station. Rosetta 3D is a program which translates
an assortment of object and picture files in to formats that can be
used on the ATARI. That is all it does.
Our other programs do other things such as create 3D animations add
special effects, and render in 24bit color out to NTSC devices like
VCRs and genlocked ATARIs.
...we are shipping product as fast as we can get it packaged and we
will be unveiling our 24 bit color card for the ST very soon now. It
uses the Intel 34010 graphics chip. It has its own screen RAM and
outputs a super clean NTSC signal for direct connection to VCR or
Genlock.
----------------
Question about hard drive cables from Kenneth G. Goutal on CIS...
I have a 1040ST with the Atari SH204 hard disk drive. The cable that
came with it is about 1.5 feet long. This severely limits where I can
locate the disk drive relative to the system/keyboard box. Is it
possible to get a longer cable? Will a longer cable work? (i.e. is
the protocol length-sensitive?)...
Answer from Greg Wageman on CIS...
Because Atari didn't provide for termination on the DMA port, the
cable length is VERY CRITICAL to proper hard disk operation.
If you lengthen it, you will likely run into trouble with unreliable
disk operation. Longer cable lengths result in more noise and
ringing, and at the speed of the DMA port, this becomes a real
problem. Don't lengthen the cable. In fact, even daisy-chaining more
than two (three if you're lucky) DMA devices is a problem.
Reply from Paul LeFevre (Antic) on CIS...
I have to disagree - perhaps I've just been lucky, but I have a 3 1/2
foot DMA cable running from my DMA port to the hard disk, and have
never had any problems with it. It's a standard 19 pin D connector -
check out Radio Shack, and make your own cable!
Reply from John Davis (Sysop) on CIS...
Our local dealer...sells DMA cables that are 3 ft. in length. I got
one for one of my customers, and he's been running on it for about 2
months (with a Megafile 30) with no problems. It's fairly expensive
(about 20 bucks), but almost necessary if you want to use a Megafile
with a 520 or 1040.
----------------
Questions about the SST and ISAC boards from Ed Stuckey - from the ST
Roundtable on Genie...
Does the SST have an FPU and if so, what size. I use Dynacadd a lot
and could benefit from your product.
Will the SST board fit under the ISAC board? If I use both the SST
and ISAC boards, will there be a strain on the power supply. (I have
the BEST power supply installed).
Answers from George Richardson (Merlin Group) - from the ST Roundtable
on Genie...
FPU doesn't come in sizes, the 68881 & 68882 are both 32 bit, but the
68882 has some enhanced abilities. We use the 68882, but the ordinary
version of Dynacadd doesn't recognize it. You'd need the TT version,
unless they revise the ST version.
The ISAC & Moniterm boards both fit & will work with the SST,
although the part of the board to the front of the Mega must be
lifted slightly (*very slightly*) to clear the DRAM SIMMs on the SST.
No real problem.
Using the SST & the ISAC board is guaranteed to overload the supply.
We'll have a supplementary supply that you can use for these circum-
stances.
----------------
Some clarification about ICD's Host Adaptors - From Cat. 4, Topic 39,
Messages 46 & 49 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie...
Question by J.ROY18...
There has been a lot of talk on FIdo Net recently about ICD HA's.
Some people say they are too slow to format 1:1 and are really
ragging on them. Others say it will format most drives to 1:1 fine
but some drives are too slow and need 2:1. What I gather is this:
ICD HA 2:1 only
ICD Advantage HA (AdSCSI?) 1:1 on drives that can handle it
ICD Advantage Plus HA (AdSCSI+?) No mention from anyone...
Can someone give me some correct information? I'd like to know if I
have to upgrade my ICD HA to a newer AdSCSI or something in order to
take advantage of the speed of the LPS52S I hope to buy soon.
Answer from Tom Harker (ICD)...
The discussion is really a result of propaganda from BMS on their
BMS-200 host adapter. They have put a few extra ICs on their host
adapter to cut a few nanoseconds from SCSI command overhead. This
allows them to get 1:1 interleave with Seagate ST-277N and 296N
drives which are slow on their command overhead. ICD host adapters
take a bit more time and cannot usually do 1:1 with these particular
Seagate drives. We have no problems doing 1:1 with nearly all other
drives including other Seagate models.
Our software is also faster than any other so we more than make up
for that even at 2:1 with the ST - 277N drives.
----------------
Misc. comments from Jim Allen (FastTech) - from the ST Roundtable on
Genie...
The TURBO20 is our new 20Mhz 68000 accelerator, the fastest
accelerator currently available for your ST.
The JRI25 is John Russell Innovations' 25Mhz floating point add on
board for the ST, the only FPU board available for the ST nowadays,
and the fastest to boot.
The COMBO is the combination of the two above mentioned products and
forms the best solution to date for Dynacadd customers that don't
want to update to the Atari TT computer. And the COMBO fits in 520s
and 1040s...at least most versions.
A user expressed some concern about the reliability of the 20mhz 68000
chips since they were being pushed past the manufacturers stated
ratings...
How I test them [16mhz 68000] to know which is reliable and which
isn't reliable - is proprietary. You will just have to trust me. I
wouldn't go out and start selling them if I weren't quite confident
in its reliability.
If you need to understand it, then read up on the performance limits
of the chip. Things like operating temp range, junction temp-vs-
operating speed, and the affect on critical timing factors with
increasing temperature.
The whole matter of pushing things beyond their limit, this
particular limit, is just science, not voodoo. My distributor is
aware of what I'm doing, has consulted Motorola on it, and accepts
back the "under qualified" as returns. If this was destructive to the
chips, they wouldn't do that. More over you'll find that some of the
testing that goes on at Motorola during testing pushes chips to their
limits, and beyond, in an effort to seek out weaknesses.
----------------
From Larry Rymal - from the ST Roundtable on Genie...
...if you want a good education on monitors, buy the June 1991 issue
of Computer Shopper. Although there is a lot of "VGA" talk, items
such as dot pitch, contrast blooming, frequency requirements, shadow
masks are covered. This is an excellent issue.
----------------
From Randy Noak - Cat. 16, Topic 2, Message 134 - from the ST Roundtable
on Genie...
May I suggest that anyone that needs paper for DTP call 1-800-272-
7377, and ask for PAPER DIRECT's catalog. They have some very neat
stuff in there.
They are also having a contest in conjunction with Desktop
Communications magazine. Best stuff wins the big prize (a feature in
the magazine) but every entry gets a free one year sub to the
magazine! Wouldn't it be great if someone using an Atari with Calamus
or PageStream won?
----------------
About speeding up the loading of Pagestream - From George (JMGSOFT) Cat.
14, Message 52, Topic 32 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie...
Note that when Pagestream starts, it goes and loads up all the import
and export modules in the PSOTHER folder. Since each one of these is
loaded by a PEXEC, they are in effect little programs. What does this
mean, you ask?
It means you must set the fast-load bit on EACH of these modules.
(Assuming you're using TOS 1.4 or greater w/o pinhead). Once the
fastload bit has been set on each and every module, the load time
will be quick like you would expect.
----------------
From George Richardson (Merlin Group) on Genie...
The SST will require page mode 1Mx8 or 1Mx9 simms. Although you can
configure the SST for various speed memory, the best results are to
be had with 80 nanosecond or faster DRAM. These are the type of SIMMs
that are the most common, and used in both Macs and PC clones.
----------------
Experiences with getting a good multi-sync monitor - from JAKOB (John
B.) on the ST Roundtable on Genie...
...After reading all of the past messages and comments, I narrowed my
choices down to the NEC MultiSync 3D and the Princeton UltraSync.
Mainly because I was trying to save a little money, I decided to go
with the UltraSync. I poured through the ads in Computer Shopper and
the lowest confirmed price I came up with was $519. I got the
UltraSync early last week, proceeded to gut my Monitor Master and
rewired it with a DB9 submini in place of one of the Atari monitor
jacks and then plugged everything together.
To put it simply, the mono performance disappointed me. The color
modes were very sharp and bright, much sharper than the Atari
monitor. Looking at a 50% black on white dither pattern, the dots are
very distinct and easily discernable, whereas on the SC1224 you get
color artifacts. However in monochrome, although all text (including
the small 6x6 icon text) is very readable, it is not nearly as sharp
as the SM124, which is surprising considering the bandwidth on this
monitor is rated at 45Mhz and the dot pitch .28mm.
I tried everything I could to clear it up, like wiring the shields
differently and changing the terminating resistors in my switchbox,
but with no luck. Maybe I'm just spoiled by using the SM124 for over
5 years but I found the UltraSync to be unacceptable for monochrome
use.
Another thing that really bothered me about the new Princeton, the
power regulation was awful. Just flipping between menus would cause
the display size to flutter. Opening a window from a blank desktop
would cause the display to grow very noticeably. The aspect ratio in
the center was also noticeably different from on the edges, although
this may have just been an internal adjustment.
Friday night I went over to a local computer store and they were kind
enough to let me rent a Nec Multisync 3D, with the rental fee
deductible if I decide to purchase the monitor. As I sit typing this
in monochrome, I find the 3D to be superb in every way! Everything
about this monitor is top-notch, including the styling. Color modes
are at least as sharp and bright as the Princeton, while monochrome
FAR surpasses it. Although it still does not QUITE equal the Atari
monochrome, (after all this IS a color monitor), I'd say it's as
close as you can get with a color monitor.
The sizing and position controls are behind a drop-down door on the
front of the monitor. Since this is a microprocessor-controlled
monitor, instead of a knob, there is a pair of small pushbuttons for
each control (Vpos, Vsize, Hpos, & Hsize), with each very legibly
labelled on the inside of the door. All settings are permanently
stored in the monitor's memory, and there is also an additional
memory that can be recalled with a slide switch right next to the
pushbuttons. If you are using one of the pre-programmed video modes
(ie.CGA, EGA, VGA, Mac, etc.) the monitor will automatically use
those settings, otherwise it uses the user-programmed settings.
Therefore, you can just preset each of the two memories to color and
monochrome modes and when you switch resolution, just flip the memory
switch, and the monitor resets all the size and position controls for
you for a perfect display. No fiddling with knobs every time you
change resolution! It IS possible to set up the controls so that you
use the same settings for mono and color, but the image ends up a bit
off-center.
To sum up, I am VERY happy with the 3D, and the Princeton is going
back on Monday. Like I said, the Princeton IS very nice in color, and
is also very readable in mono, just not sharp enough for my tastes.
PS. The Princeton I got was the Ultra 1400. According to the FCC
certification enclosed with the monitor, the newer Ultra series
(1200, 1400, & 1600) is made by a company called Flextronics, in
Singapore. Apparently, they are not up to the quality of the original
UltraSync.
----------------
Until next week.....
_________________________________________________________
> STR InfoFile BLACKJACK PLUS 3 BASIC
============
>>> PRESS RELEASE from MUSICODE SOFTWARE JUNE, 1991 <<<
***************************************************************
* *
* NEW -----> "BLACKJACK PLUS 3 BASIC" <-- NEW *
* *
* UPDATE --> "BLACKJACK PLUS 3" Version 1.2 <-- UPDATE *
* *
***************************************************************
===============================================================
NEW! ----> "BLACKJACK PLUS 3 BASIC" <---- NEW!
Atari ST (Color & Mono) suggested retail: $39.95
IBM PC & compatibles (EGA/VGA) " " "
================================================================
HERE IT IS - THE PERFECT WAY TO LEARN THE BASIC GAME OF BLACKJACK!
Practice alone, or play with your friends using joysticks,
mouse and/or keystrokes. Just like being at the casino!
>>> <<<
>>>> <<<<
NEW! >>>> BLACKJACK PLUS 3 BASIC <<<< NEW!
>>>> <<<<
>>> <<<
The 'Basic' version includes:
A preset basic playing strategy
Programmable win/loss betting strategy
Programmable insurance selection
All features of the advanced program
except as noted below
The 'Basic' version does not include:
Programmable playing strategies
Programmable counting systems
Play log and save setup features
OF COURSE, WHEN YOU'RE READY --
YOU MAY UPGRADE TO "BLACKJACK PLUS 3"
& GET ALL THE ADVANCED FEATURES!
Call or write for upgrade details.
Ask your dealer to order for you, or contact:
MUSICODE SOFTWARE
5575 Baltimore Drive
Suite 105-127
La Mesa, CA 91942
(619) 469-7194
=================================================================
UPDATE --> "BLACKJACK PLUS 3" Version 1.2 <-- UPDATE
Atari ST (Color & Mono) suggested retail: $89.95
IBM PC & compatibles (EGA/VGA) " " "
=================================================================
MUSICODE is determined to provide users with the ABSOLUTE BEST
casino blackjack program available anywhere! So, we have added
even more advanced features, expanding your ability to set up
virtually any playing, betting and counting strategy. Use those
from Canfield, Revere, Thorp, Uston or come up with your own!
VERSION 1.2 enhances the programmability of the card counting
strategies with the following changes:
You can now set the value of each card for the running count
Select from various methods to determine the true count
(As before, playing and betting decisions are
programmable based on the true count)
Use an Ace side count adjustment for betting
Make insurance decisions based on the count
No longer are you at the mercy of the casino, now you'll be ready!
More than just another game, BLACKJACK PLUS 3 can show you why you
have lost in the past and teach you how to WIN in the future!
This program provides realistic casino play, plus 3 additional
playing modes to quickly examine how different strategies perform.
Examine the play log and statistics to determine a winning style
of blackjack play. Play alone or with friends, use mouse, keyboard
or joysticks!
You may specify:
One to seven active players (just like at the casino)
Each player's mode of play (see 'Play Modes' below)
Each player's play strategy (non-counting strategy)
Each player's betting strategy (win/loss strategy)
For the advanced player: card-counting strategies (see NOTE below)
How many decks to use (1-9) & dealing depth (when to shuffle)
Casino rules (not all casinos use the same ones)
Playing speed (your comfort level)
Display card totals?
Display card counts? (Running count, true count, # of cards left,
# of Aces, adjusted count)
Keep a log? (All play action is recorded)
Extended statistics display? (Information calculated for you)
Print log and statistics for evaluation?
Save all setups to disk?
NOTE: A player's card counting strategy may use any counting system:
Programmable running count
Selectible true/exact count adjustments
Count adjusted playing and betting strategies
Ace side count adjustment for betting
Insurance decision based on count
ALL ASPECTS OF THE GAME OF BLACKJACK ARE SUPPORTED!
You always have the option to:
SPLIT ANY PAIR
DOUBLE DOWN (according to casino rules you set)
DOUBLE after SPLIT
TAKE INSURANCE
SURRENDER
You can lower or eliminate the casino's odds by practicing the game.
Learn why you have lost, and how to win next time!
PLAY MODES: MANUAL - you play the game, just like in the casino
AUTO - play is automatic, by chosen strategy
FEEDBACK - you are informed of mistakes in play
BACKGROUND - test strategies quickly (100 hands-8 seconds)
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
BLACKJACK IS ALWAYS FUN TO PLAY, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU WIN!
MUSICODE SOFTWARE
5575 Baltimore Drive
Suite 105-127
La Mesa, CA 91942
(619) 469-7194
******************************************************************
> UNIX!! STR FOCUS What is UNIX and X Windows?
================
TAKING A LOOK AT UNIX, ATARI & ALTERNATIVES
===========================================
by Richard Covert
SPARCbook 1 - An Alternative To TT030 UNIX
The UNIX workstation is a rapidly growing market which Atari Corp
hopes to tap. This article is a pre-review of a new notebook sized SPARC
workstation being developed by Tadpole Technology of Austin Texas. The
SPARCbook 1 is an example of a modern UNIX X Windows workstation using the
Sun Microsystems's SPARC RISC proceossor. I will discuss where the TT030
falls short of the state of the art with respect to UNIX X Windows
workstations and hopefully will encourage Atari Corporation to improve the
design of the next TT class computer.
This review is based upon preliminary literature received from Tadpole
Technology and from several telephone conversations with Ann Gearding of
Tadpole Technology. I have receieved NO official announcements of the
UNIX/X for the TT, so the information in this article has been collected
from various on-line computer services, and magazines. First I would like
to explain briefly what a UNIX X Windows workstation is and why it is im-
portant.
What is UNIX and X Windows?
UNIX is a multitasking operating system originally developed by AT&T
Bell Labs in the late 1960s. Multitasking simply means that you can exe-
cute many programs simultaneously. AT&T is currently shipping UNIX System
V (pronounced FIVE) Release 4 (SVR4). Atari Corporation calls their im-
plementation of UNIX X Windows ATX. Base UNIX uses a command line inter-
face with limited graphics (basically character graphics such as would
display on an old IBM PC). Thus, base UNIX is NOT user friendly. But, base
UNIX is VERY portable, and programs adhering to the AT&T Libraries are
portable to many platforms. X Windows is an addition to UNIX (or other
operating systems) which is being developed at the Massachussetts Insti-
tute of Technology (M.I.T.). X Windows is currently at Release X11 Release
4. X Windows is a set of function calls which allow consistent manipula-
tion of graphic devices such as graphics terminals, mice, plotters, etc.
Programs adhering to the current X11 documentation are portable to any
platform which has X11 implemented. Thus, low level X11 programs would be
IMMEDIATELY portable to new workstations such as the TT030/ATX. But, X11
is a VERY low level interface, which does not provide high level funct-
ions such as a window with all attached buttons. To provide high level
functions you need to use either MOTIF or OPEN LOOK.
MOTIF and OPEN LOOK provide high level functions to open fully sizable
windows, create desktop environments and create consistent user interfaces
to programs. Both MOTIF and OPEN LOOK have style guidelines, which desc-
ribe a strict look for the user interface. Thus, programs have a consis-
tent user interface, and are easy for a new user to learn. But, it is im-
portant to remember that MOTIF and OPEN LOOK both require X11 and are add-
tional layers on top of X11. OPEN LOOK is an interface developed by SUN
MICROSYSTEMS for use on their line of X11 workstations. MOTIF is an inter-
face developed by the Open Software Foundation (OSF) and is used on the
IBM RISC System 6000 workstation (amongst others). Thus, a X11 worksta-
tion in the USA MUST offer X11 Release 4 as well as either OPEN LOOK or
MOTIF.
One major hurdle with UNIX/X Windows is that applications must be
recompiled for the target machine. AT&T is attempting to setup an Applica-
tion Binary Interface (ABI) standard for SVR4. The ABI would mean that any
program compiled for SVR4 would run on any SVR4 platform using the same
CPU. For example, if WORD PERFECT were compiled for the HP 9000 UNIX/X
Windows workstation running the 68030 CPU AND SVR4, then the SAME
executable would run on say an Atari TT030 running SVR4. If this standard
appears, then niche computers such as the TT030 would have immediate ac-
cess to many hundreds of high quality applications. But the ABI standard
has been finalized yet, and so that is off into the future.
Currently, the best that a TT030/ATX user could hope for is that the
many public domain 'C' and 'C++' programs would compile correctly. There
are many fine programs, such as replacement desktops, small applications,
and even a fine Chess game, available for X Windows computers. Most are
available for free download from INTERNET/USENET or from GEnie at a cost.
Thus, ATX should be mainly directed at the home hacker, or the serious
developer. In fact, the official development tools are the Free Software
Foundation's implementation of the ANSI 'C' compiler, and the 'C++'
compiler. These are called GNU C and GNU C++. FSF is an organization heaed
by Richard Stallman which believes in free software, and all of the FSF
software includes the complete source code. Thus, TT030/ATX MUST include
the source code to GNU-C and GNU-C++ as well as the executable code. By
the Way, GNU stands for GNU's Not Unix, which is an inside joke!! As of
this time, there are NO commerical development tools announced for ATX.
In fact, the other commerically available development package for the TOS
OS on the TT030 is the Lattice C package from HiSoft in England.
The SPARCbook 1 By Tadpole Technology
The SPARCbook 1 is, simply put, a complete UNIX X Windows workstation
implemented as a notebook sized computer. The SPARCbook 1 uses the SPARC
RISC cpu developed by Sun Microsystems for the SPARC workstations. Below
are some of the preliminary specifications of the SPARCbook 1:
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS ARE LIABLE TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE
UNTIL VERSION 1.0 OF THE SPECIFICATION IS RELEASED.
o SPARC 25 MHz RISC Processor core
o Ethernet, modem, and SendFax hardware are standard features
o Advanced Disc Peripherals
o High resolution VGA screen and support for external display
o UNIX SVR4 and MS-DOS emulation
o Conformant with emerging SPARC Compliance Definition 2.0
Standard Hardware
Processor L64811 SPARC IU 25 MHz
L64815 SPARC MCT 25 MHz
Cache 64Kb direct mapped, Zero wait state
Optional 25 MHz Floating Point Unit
Memory L64850 64 bit DRAM Controller
8 Mbyte (4 Mbit technology)
32 Mbyte option (16 Mbit technology, 120 Mbyte
Disc Systems and above).
Display 640 x 480 Backlit Paper White LCD 64 Gray Scales displayable
Keyboard 82 key Notebook Style Keyboard with integrated Mouse-key
Storage 720Kb/1.44 Mbyte 3.5" Floppy Disk
62/120 Mbye formatted 2.5" 22mS Winchester Disc
I/O External Color Video Output
RS232 Serial I/O Port (for printer/modem support)
Parallel I/O Port (Centronics compatible)
Ethernet Interface IEEE 802.3
Modem Interface with SendFax capability
External power supply (supplied)
Battery Internal removable NiCad 2.5 Hours operation (worst case)
12V 2.8 AH 3.5 to 4 hours operation
2 Hour fast recharge from Power Supply
Dimensions 11.8" x 8.5" x 1.9" Magnesium alloy case
Weight 6.9 lbs including batteries and all peripherals
STANDARD INTEGRATED SOFTWARE
AT&T UNIX SVR4 Operating System with X11 R4,
runs X-based conformant SUN-OS 4.1 applications.
80386 DOS Emulation - Insignia SOFT-PC with hardware
VGA graphics
Modem and Ethernet Communications support. MS-DOS 4.01
included.
What The SPARCbook 1 Specification Means
The specs mean basically that you are getting a X11 workstation which is
rated at 18 MIPS (about 4 to 10 times the speed/power of the TT030) which
runs any SUN OS 2.0 Applications as well as MS DOS applications amd MS
WINDOWS 3 applications. And you are getting it in a notebook sized
format!!
The SPARCbook 1 Advanced LCD Screen and External Display
The SPARCbook 1 notebook includes a high performance paper white 640 by
480 resolution CFL side-lit display. The display is a low power monochrome
LCD display, incorporating fast reposnse crystal technology to minimize
screen "drag effects". Up to 64 gray scales are simulated using the
SPARCbook 1 graphics controller.
Color output is available by using an external RGB VDU (not provide) to
display 640 by 480 VGA or 800 by 600 resolution (non-interlaced) with 16
colors from a palette of 4096. System software provides modes to run
SUN-based software requiring an 1152 x 900 screen without modification.
The SPARCbook 1 High Capacity Disc Peripherals
A high capacity notebook winchester disc drive is used in the SPARCbook 1
design. The SPARCbook 1 uses low power 2.5" industry standard devices to
initially provide 60 or 120 Mbyte (formatted) of disc storage.
A conventional 3.5" floppy drive is provided as an alternative to Ethernet
for system and applications software loading and backup. Standard DOS and
UNIX Disc format up to 1.44 Mbyte are supported.
The SPARCbook 1 Networking Support
The SPARCbook 1 has fitted as standard an Ethernet Interface (IEEE 802.3)
15 way interface to an external transceiver. A software user interface is
included to allow the user immediate access to compatible networking
services without an understanding of UNIX or the underlying technology.
The SPARCbook 1 Modem
A high performance modem is included as standard. The modem is a full
implementation supporting 2400 baud data transfers compatible with CCITT
V.29, V.22bis, V.22, BELL 212A, and 103 standards. In addtion the modem
supports Sendfax capability at 9600 baud for Standard Group III FAX imple-
mentations. Full software support for the modem and Fax is available.
The SPARCbook 1 I/O Capabilities
o Serial I/O Port (to 38.4K baud asynchronous) for external printer or
modem support.
o Parallel I/O Port (Centronics comptaible)
o CRT interface (RGB analog color)
o External Mouse input
The SPARCbook 1 UNIX Software Implementation
A full implementation of AT&T UNIX System V Release 4 (SVR4) is provided,
configured on disc. This operating system provides full System V Release 4
functionality including TCP/IP networking, NFS support, X Windows 11 Rele-
ase 4 graphics support and OPEN LOOK. The SPARCbook 1 will be certified by
SPARC International to the SPARC Compliance Definition 2.0 (SCD 2.).
DOS Emulation (developed from Insignia Solutions Soft-PC 386) is provided,
running as a Task under UNIX. This implementation takes advantage of the
SPARCbook 1's hardware VGA to provide a high-performance emulation of DOS,
allowing the user to run existing PC applications including MS WINDOWS.
The entire SPARCbook screen is dedicated to either DOS or UNIX output at
any one time, while the UNIX OS remains active at all times. An MS-DOS
4.01 license is provided.
How The SPARCbook 1 Compares to the TT030
PRICES
First, you might well think that the we are talking about two different
price ranges here. But the SPARCbook 1 configured with 8 megs of RAM and
a 60 meg hard drive retails for under $6,000. Here are the tentative
prices for the TT030 as previously announced by Atari USA:
TT030 2/50 2399.95
TT030 4/50 2799.95
TT030 8/80 3799.95
ATX 1600.00 rumored to include a 200 meg hard drive, but can not
be
confirmed as Atari USA has not released any official prices for
ATX yet.
PTC Color Monitor 549.95
Thus, a TT030 8/80 with ATX and 14" color monitor totals the same $6,000
MSRP. Now, you may argue that you won't pay MSRP for an Atari computer,
but then you might not have to pay the MSRP for the SPARCbook 1 either.
So, actually, both the TT030 equipped with ATX and a color monitor retails
for the SAME PRICE as the SPARCbook 1! Furthermore, I am using the
SPARCbook 1 as a typical example of the SPARC clone workstation. Other
SPARC clones may be priced less then the TT030/ATX combination.
FEATURES
Since the TT030 isn't Class B certified yet, and since ATX hasn't been
officially released (or even announced) the price and features of it are
not known. But, from rumors and from announcements from various shows it
appears that ATX will have the followong features:
o AT&T SVR4 o X11 Release 4
o MOTIF o GNU pd C,C++ compilers
OPTIONS:
o Ethernet VME card with software
Editorial summary
-----------------
I have owned and thoroughly enjoyed Atari computers since my first
800XL almost ten years ago. I make my living programming in C on UNIX
workstations and thus awaited eagerly the TT030/ATX workstation. But the
recent, and consistent, decline of the Atari market has made me very leery
of future Atari products.
None the less, I still need to purchase a UNIX X Windows machine in
the next 6 months, and an Atari machine would allow me to use my existing
software. But, I simply must reconsider based upon these following
obervations and comparisons of the TT030/ATX vs. the SPARCbook 1.
1) TT030 does not support 1.44 Mbyte floppies.
2) TT030 does not provide a MS DOS emulation as standard. Several MS DOS
hardware based emulators are available but wheither they would work
under ATX is not known.
3) TT030 does not provide a data/fax modem as standard.
4) TT030 is not a notebook sized computer.
5) Slow 16 MHz buss, with 32 MHz CPU.
6) How does the split between ST RAM and TT RAM affect the operation of
SVR4 UNIX? SVR4 UNIX is a virtual memory OS which means that processes
may be swapped from RAM memory to hard disk transparently as required
by the OS. My concern is that since 4 megabytes of the 8 megabytes of
RAM in a TT030 8/80 machine is slower ST RAM, does UNIX use it, or
the faster TT RAM, or both? Using only the ST RAM would slow UNIX,
while using only the faster TT RAM would mean MANY MANY swaps to disk.
Thus, since not all 8 megabytes of RAM are the same the split between
ST RAM and TT RAM would have big system impacts on SVR4 on the TT030.
Resulting in a slower machine!!
7) Where are the ATX applications? Since they must be recompiled for the
TT030/ATX machine, will companies like Word Perfect bother to support
the TT030/ATX machine? If not, then where do you get ATX programs for
the TT030?
The SPARCbooks does offer many reasons to purchase it:
1) compatiable with SUN-OS 2.0 software allowing the use of hundreds of
professional applications.
2) compatible with SUN-OS OPEN LOOK allowing the easy porting of hundreds
of X Windows public domain programs and desktops
3) Builtin data/sendfax modem
4) Builtin 1.44 megabyte floppy
5) Builtin MS DOS emulation
6) Builting Ethernet interface allowing the SPARCbook1 to be linked to an
Ethernet network immediately!!
7) Upto 32 megabytes of RAM. With a fast SPARC MMU!!
8) Very fast 25 MHz RISC processor. Most probably 4 to 10 times faster
then the TT030/ATX machine.
For me, the most important requirement for my next machine is that it
run either OPEN LOOK or MOTIF under UNIX. Both the TT030/ATX and the
SPARCbook 1 meet this requirement. But the TT030 fails to provide a 1.44
megabyte floppy, it lacks an Ethernet interface, has limited graphics, and
doesn't offer UNIX yet. Even when ATX does become available the cost of a
UNIX based TT030 is so close to the SPARCbook 1 as to make it unattractive
to me. Additionally, my future employment will most likely involve
programming on Sun SPARC workstations, so the SPARCbook 1 would be more
likely to help me remain employed then would an Atari TT030. Also, since
the SPARCbook 1 is a notebook sized workstation I could use it both at
home and at my client's location. This too would be a big advantage.
Also, since Atari USA has lost any market peneration with the ST, and
since the cost of the TT030 is as high as most 80386 based machines, I
don't see major UNIX applications being ported to ATX on the TT030. So,
you won't see Word Perfect 5.1, or Interleaf, or other major UNIX/X Win-
dows based applications appearing on the TT030. In fact, the TT030's
future, with regards to new software, looks just as bleak as the ST's pas-
t!!
But, the SPARCbook 1 has a builtin MS DOS emulator thus allowing the
immediate use of many existing DOS programs. Since the availablity of new
ST/TT software is not certain, MS DOS emulation is a definite advantage.
This article is intended to give STReport's readers an idea of an al-
ternative to the TT030 if you need UNIX and X Windows. While the speci-
fications of the SPARCbook 1 are still subject to change, they should be
equivalent to those of other SPARC workstations. In fact, a California
company named RDI has announced a SPARC workstation which includes both MS
DOS and MACINTOSH emulators. So, the UNIX workstation market is a very
competive market in which I don't believe the TT030 will succeed.
Especially without better features then found in the TT030. The lack of
some binary compatiblity with other UNIX X window workations limits your
choice of X Windows applications. The small Atari presence in the USA
almost guarantees few new ATX applications.
_____________________________________________________________
> ATARI IS #1! STR Feature "..he got rid of his Mac for an Atari ST!"
========================
DOING WHAT THE OTHERS COULDN'T!
===============================
part II
by Dana Jacobson
Ever wonder why comic books, especially the early ones, are worth so
much money? It's because most of them are no longer available, and the
master copies of them were never kept so they cannot be reproduced as "2nd
editions". How then, you may ask yourself, can we purchase hardcover
editions which contain these original comics, starting with the first
copies?
As you may have read in last week's issue of STR, Rick Keene is an
artist, and much of his work is done on the ST. Among his talents is car-
toon work, some of which he put into comic book format. He learned from
various sources that DC Comics was interested in restoring their early
works, specifically their Superman comics. Rick had an idea as to how
these comics could be restored to almost their original form. After all,
without the original artwork in some case, it was not to be an easy task.
To hear Rick talk about it, it seems easier than most would think.
What Rick had read/heard from various comic book journals was that DC
Comics was interested in restoring these old issues. They didn't have the
means to do it themselves; or at the least, all they had were theories.
One of the first ideas they had was to "farm" out the work and see the
results. What happened was people would buy up some old issues, cut them
up (i.e. destroy them!), and then bleach out the pages to get all the
colors and "age-stains" out, resulting in cleaning up the pages. The
resulting pieces would get recolored and pasted back together. Very slop-
py, to say the least. Also, what about those issue where an entire comic
couldn't be obtained, or were incomplete due to pages missing, etc.?
To Rick, it seemed that a lot of great and valuable comics were being
destroyed with the end result being very poor quality reproduction. The
processes being used were barbaric. He decided to enlighten DC with
modern technology. He put together a videotape of some of his graphics
and animations along with a letter explaining what he proposed, and sent
it off to see if they wanted to digitise their comics. After all, think
about it. All of the original comics were worn with age, if not lost. It
was all on paper. With the computer, all of the artwork, pages could be
stored on magnetic media for retrieval at any time - no loss of quality!
Rick didn't get a reply, or his tape back. About six months later
Rick decided to send another batch of work. This time, he sent out work
done in black and white. He discovered, quite by accident, that he could
reproduce the colored comic pages _without_ the color! The process invol-
ves scanning with certain settings and other 'secrets' that Rick won't
divulge, but once he figured out what he had done and perfected the
process he figured DC might be more interested than earlier. He took an
old Batman comic panel, "removed" the color, and sent it in. He also
explained the benefits of using the computer, especially playing up the
storage angle and other benefits of computer technology. This time he got
the attention of DC Comics and his calls were returned. Their only com-
plaint was that the output of the laser printer was still rough; it wasn't
good enough as is. So Rick played around with the panels some more,
smoothed out the work. After some more samples were submitted, the third
one got results. They told Rick that they were now useable, finally.
They then told Rick that "we need 40 pages done - soon. Can you get the
job done?"
The end result can be seen in the "Superman Archives - Volume II". I
haven't seen Volume II yet, but I do have Volume I. Rick explained that
there is quite a noticeable difference in quality between the two books.
The first was done with the "washed-out" process while Rick's 40 pages
were done with the Atari ST. I'm waiting to get my hands on the second
volume! Although the book's acknowledgements state that Rick's work was
"recolorizing", Rick explained that there was a _lot_ more to it than just
that. Changes in editors led to some confusion as to what Rick's role
actually was. In fact, a lot of those pages were not only recolorized,
but reconstructed from partial pages, panels, dialog balloons, etc. Some
of the artwork had to be redrawn from scratch or reconstructed from bits
and pieces remaining!
Future work with DC Comics is up in the air at the moment for many
reasons. First of all, even with all of the computer equipment that DC
has they cannot get the results that they want. Another factor is that DC
is currently reorganizing their personnel and priorities. Contrary to
what most people think, comic books are not drawn at the company and then
published. The work is down outside by contracted artists. The company
does all of the rest by putting it all together, publishing the books, and
the marketing. They don't have time time or manpower to do the things
that they'd like to do, which is to come out with many more "archival"
books of their past comics. Seeing another great opportunity, Rick has
continued to keep in contact with DC with the hopes of being part of this
bigger project. What DC is hoping to do is mass-reproduce about 40 books
all at once, and publish them all at the same time! What this would in-
volve would be contracting out many people to do the work, an almost her-
culean task. The most obvious problem with this mass reproduction is
quality control. Very few of these books are going to look the same with
regard to quality. It would seem more appropriate to do one or two at a
time, by the same artist/company. DC has, however, contacted Rick to come
down and meet with the folks at DC again, and give a presentation.
Details of this meeting are still up in the air until DC can finish with
their internal reorganization before any final decisions can be made.
Still, Rick has a lot to be optimistic about; and he's anxiously awaiting
to sell his ideas once again.
What amazed me, and probably DC comics as well, is that most of the
work Rick has done for DC was done with an upgraded 520 ST and various
other hardware, ST-related. The point is that DC Comics is aware of the
abilities of the Atari computer; they have seen the results and are very
happy with them. The company is very choosy when it comes to their books.
According to a message Rick left me on one of the onlines, "DC's Marketing
would like Atari to be more agressive in their advertising in DC's
magazines. The Lynx is already there but they would like Atari to adver-
tise their computers also. My point is that DC's Marketing is more aware
of the Atari media and they're reading more Atari-specific magazines. For
example, a xerox of the ST Informer interview with me and the pictures of
Robin [Batman & Robin] was left in DC's marketing office just last week.
The head of marketing said that he saw that when he was in Chicago a month
earlier. When asked what was being done, his reply was: 'It's going
through channels.' I'm not sure what that means except that it could mean
that Atari and DC are working out some kind of print advertising
arrangement."
So, it seems that Atari has managed to score the admiration of a new
market because of the strengths of a machine that most would claim had
many limitations. I asked Rick why the Atari and not something like per-
haps the Macintosh for this work. After all, it would seem a place like
DC Comics would expect it; and Rick is familiar with the Mac. He told me
that the ST was his first choice. It was easier and much more enjoyable
to use. He feels comfortable with an ATari than with the Mac. Using the
Mac seemed to be too "mechanical". You could spend thousands of dollars
on hardware and software, and really not be sure that the results were
going to be what "someone" like DC would want. It appears that DC wants
more than just mechanical. "Superman", or any of the other characters in
the DC collections are almost like family. They want that personal touch
which Rick feels can be accomplished better with the Atari. He does the
work while the machine is one of his tools. With the Mac, for example, it
would almost be the opposite.
Until Rick learns what his future partnership with the Superman (and
Batman) archives will be, he continues to run his company and taking on
new projects. Next time we'll take a look at another aspect of his work.
______________________________________________________
> ASDE STR InfoFile GEOGRAPHY TUTOR V3.2
=================
GEOGRAPHY TUTOR V3.2 PRESS RELEASE
==================================
ASDE Inc.
151 rue Jolicoeur
Hull, Quebec
CANADA J8Z 1C8
Phone:(819)770-7681 Fax:(819)777-6330
Compuserve: 72417,3026 Genie M.ROCHON
GEOGRAPHY TUTOR is the only ELECTRONIC ATLAS available for the ATARI
ST/MEGA/TT line of computers. V3.2 is now shipping with completely updated
maps and data bases for every country in the world.
The software has been upgraded and now includes full zoom capacity on
any area of any map as well as the ability to save maps to disk and to
print any data by country or by category. An animated display of the
earth globe can also be superimposed on any of the maps. Also added are
full descriptions of any data element with source and definitions.
A map and data base of the MIDDLE EAST is now part of the basic
program as well as the previously included:
1) WORLD
2) AFRICA
3) EUROPE
4) NORTH AMERICA
5) CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
6) THE STATES OF THE U.S.A.
Loading and saving data bases has been speeded up and is now
approximately 3 times faster than in pre V3.0 versions.
All registered owners can upgrade their program at the same time as
the data bases and maps for a fee of $10.00 which includes all mailing
costs. Send your original disk together with a cheque or money order (U.S.
funds)
New maps and data bases of AUSTRALASIA, THE CARIBBEAN, and SOUTH EAST
ASIA can be purchased for a special one time price of $5.00 if they are
ordered at the same time as the upgrade.
The program can be ordered directly from ASDE Inc. at the above ad-
dress for $39.95(u.s.) including all mailing costs.
SOME NOTES ABOUT GEOGRAPHY TUTOR:
The first version of this program was released in 1988. Since then
it has undergone 3 major upgrades. Data bases and maps have been updated 4
times to keep all information current.
The program is distributed in France (French Version) by UBI SOFT
which has sold more than 1800 copies of the program in 18 months. In the
U.K. the program is distributed by GRALIN INTERNATIONAL. A German
language version of the program is also available.
The program has been reviewed extensively and always very positively
in the ATARI Press and on line magazines. It has been demonstrated at the
two last WAACE fest, ATARI WORLD show in Los Angeles, BOSTON ATARI FEST,
TORONTO ATARI FEST, LONDON (U.K.) 16 BIT FAIR and other ATARI special
shows and demonstrations.
Writing in RESET (Vol 1 Issue #3 P14-15)
Bob Thompson gave a very good review and pointed out in particular
the "excellent user interface".
The program was very thoroughly reviewed in the Jan/Feb 1990 issue (Vol.
10 No. 1 p.54-56) of Current Notes. Bill Moes the author of the review,
concluded
"an extremely well designed program that offers help
to students from 5th grade through college. It's
easily used and, with the supplemental disks available,
amazingly open-ended."
Atari St User in the United Kingdom, published a short overview of the
program in its September 1990 issue p.82 It concluded ..
"Geography however is fun and educational".
In the same issue, a list of the top 30 P.D. or DEMO ST software was
published. GEOGRAPHY was listed first in that section.
The November 1990 issue of Start magazine, reviewed the program
fully and was very positive. The review is subtitled:
"Travel The World Without Leaving Home"
Some of the highlights of that review follow:
"Geography Tutor is GEM based, so it is easy to use.
To make it even easier, there are always instructions
at the bottom of the screen that tell you what to do next.
The manual is well written and includes screens shots
to help you navigate through the programs various features."
"One of the more powerful features of Geography Tutor
is the ability to compare one country with another.
For instance, you can color all the countries on the
screen on the basis of doctors per capita. Or look at
which countries have Islam as their major religion.
You can easily switch back and forth from this graphical
representation to a list of the counties ranked by
their value or alphabetically."
"Geography Tutor lets create your own separate databases
or modify and update the ones that come with the program.
There is also room for up to four notes of your own
that can added to the database for each country or state.
These notes don't have to be text, they can also be DEGAS
compressed pictures -- a picture of that country's
flag, or a map of one of the cities for instance."
The April issues of ST Format and ST User (U.K.) both contained short
positive reviews on the new versions of GEOGRAPHY TUTOR.
________________________________________________________
> Serious Overviews STR Spotlight "...What's Atari waiting for?"
===============================
ATARI - A STUDY IN ITSELF!
==========================
by Ed Krimen
I've been an Atari ST user for 3-1/2 years. I started out with a
1040ST, color monitor, and 9-pin printer. I bought it for writing for
school with the intention to do telecommunications and drawing later. 6
months later, I bought a modem and it hasn't been the same since. I now
have a 4meg STe, NEC Multisync 3D, Quantum 105meg hard drive with ICD host
adaptor in an ICD case, and a Supra 2400 modem. But, enough with the sap-
py introduction....
I'm really not sure what's going on in the world of Atari. I look to
the on-line magazines, ST Informer, and now AtariUser for info, plus vari-
ous networks. The networks provide the user's point of view. The magazi-
nes are also effective information because they try to explain what's
going on behind the scenes. I have the strange feeling that Atari is like
a circus behind the scenes. On the surface, it seems like any other cor-
poration: the people who answer phones at Customer and Technical Support
are very friendly and responsive. Yes, Atari has returned my calls.
On the other hand, its actions demonstrate the amateurism that the
magazines don't necessarily express explicitly. Sure, we have MegaSTe's
shipping. TT's are Trickling in, Too. STe's are in abundance. Research
and Development is alive and well; we have an ST Notebook in the wings
with an ST Pad (STylus) close behind -- or so they say. Software seems to
be picking up too, especially with Goldleaf importing high-end applicat-
ions from Europe, ISD and SoftLogik updating their fantastic programs.
The situation seems to be pretty rosy....
...but it isn't. Why do I know the situation the way it is? Because
I try to keep up to date in the Atari world. I make an effort to do so.
The problem is that the non-Atari users don't and shouldn't have to make
the effort to know what's going on. Why should they know what's going on?
Well, I would think that Atari wants to sell a lot of computers, and
people aren't going to buy something they don't know exists. Actually, I
sometimes wonder if Atari's goal is to sell computers. I've heard stories
that their production plants only produce a small fraction of what they're
capable of producing.
So what's Atari waiting for? _Christmas_? Perhaps. But it's not
Christmas of this year, or next year, of the following year. My guess is
that its Christmas of 1995 or later, if ever. As with all corporations,
Atari has their "plan." They're going to wait and wait and wait until the
time is right to push their computers. The vast majority of people out
there don't know what they'd use a computer for, so why try to sell them
one now? Computers must get smaller, cheaper, and more powerful. The
interface must be easier, without a bulky keyboard. Speech recognition is
a ways off, but apparently, handwriting recognition is closer than we
think, or so they tell us. These easy-to-use interfaces are necessary so
that the masses will at least begin to feel comfortable with computers.
This is where the ST Pad (or STylus) comes in. Its simple-to-use,
pen-input interface could be the answer that would get more people to buy
computers. There's still the problem for what they're going to use it.
Writing notes, memos, forms -- perhaps, but not with a $2,000 computer.
Eventually, though, the price will come down, thanks to Atari's low-cost
production.
However, when you hear about pen-based computers and interfaces, you
hear about Go Corp. and sometimes Window's pen-interface. But you woul-
dn't hear about Atari and its STylus, even though it was shown at CeBit,
one of the largest computer fairs in the world, in Germany where Atari has
a strong presence. (Actually, I don't even think Atari should have showed
it. It's not ready to be shipped, so why show it? We don't want to see
something that we can't have for several months.)
The same thing can be said for the Portfolio. Recently, HP introduced
a palmtop which included Lotus-123 built-in. It looks very similar to the
Portfolio, but it got much more press than the Portfolio. NBC even did a
lengthy segment of the HP on their Nightly News, giving HP credit for
inventing the palmtop. Certainly Atari didn't invent the palmtop (DIP of
the U.K. designed the Portfolio and Poquet has their own palmtop), but
they could have milked a little more of the credit for it. This is
Atari's responsibility and no one else's. HP was at best third with a
palmtop on the market, with Atari and Poquet coming out with one at sim-
ilar times. If one was to get exposure for his product, he doesn't sit on
his duff. The press in general isn't like '60 Minutes' where they active-
ly investigate the stories. The stories in the ordinary press must be
given to them, and then they may investigate to find more information, or
just use what was given to them.
This is the press release's function. They should be packed with more
information than the press can use. And preferably without a lot of spel-
ling errors like the glossy MegaSTe and TT brochures. The beauty about
press releases is that they're far cheaper than commercials. The press
will distribute the information for you to the masses in the form of news.
I'm sure this is what HP did when they released their palmtop; they sent
information to NBC, which then featured it in a long news story on their
Nightly News.
I majored in telecommunications (video production), not public relati-
ons, in school. Atari doesn't need me telling them what to do (maybe they
do). I'd hope they'd have professionals who've been working for a few
years in the field knowing how to promote the computers (maybe they
don't).
What Atari needs is enthusiasm. The company is hardly representative
of its users. Look what happens when you get a few enthusiastic, success-
ful users in there: Bob Brodie, Bill Rehbock, and others who have actually
known what an Atari computer is and can do before they worked for the com-
pany. Atari needs employees who just don't work for them, but employees
who know the value of and love Atari computers. They need employees who
want to see the computer survive and succeed. Look at users on GEnie,
Usenet, Fidonet, Fnet and Freenet. Look at Atari user groups! Atari
would not be here today if it wasn't for those users and user groups sup-
porting the Atari computers.
I've used everything from MS-DOS to Windows to the Macintosh IIfx and
always prefer using the ST. I often wonder why the ST doesn't have sup-
port like the other computers do. There are a variety of reasons, and
piracy isn't one of them. I'm absolutely NOT condoning piracy, but there-
's a lot more piracy in the MS-DOS and Mac market, and you don't see them
struggling. The main issue is that there isn't enough of a user base for
a Microsoft or other large company to invest in the relatively small ST
user base. If Atari users want more third-party support, the user base
must increase.
The way to increase the user base is simple from the user viewpoint:
(1) tell a great deal of people about the power and affordability of the
ST computers and (2) get the computers to them. Atari users have been
telling Atari Corp. for years that the company must advertise. This is
not news, and Atari apparently doesn't listen; if you do listen, Atari,
lets here from you. In "Ogilvy On Advertising," a virtual bible on adver-
tising, David Ogilvy of Ogilvy and Mather, one of the leading advertising
agencies in the world, says in chapter 16, "What should you do in times of
recession, when you need every penny to sustain your earnings? Stop ad-
vertising?" "If you stop advertising a brand which is still in its intro-
ductory phase, you will probably kill it -- forever. Studies of the last
six recessions have demonstrated that companies which do not cut back
their advertising budgets achieve greater increases in profit than compa-
nies which do cut back." Moreover, in chapter 9, he states, "You cannot
rely on *short-term* advertising to turn the tide of hostile public opi-
nion in your favor, to boost the price of your stock, or put a halo around
your reputation." "Most corporate campaigns are short-lived because they
don't start with any clear objective, and because research is not used to
track their progress." Finally, he says, "Corporate advertising can impr-
ove the morale of your employees; who wants to work for an outfit that
nobody has ever heard of? It can also make it easier to recruit better
people, at all levels."
As I stated, the second part of the issue is getting computers to
the people who want them, and if Atari does indeed advertise, then people
WILL want them. Mass market is the key here. You must make it very easy
for the common person to obtain an Atari computer. Since there is a lack
of dealers in the US from which to buy an Atari computer, mass merchandis-
ers are the answer. Now, which computers should they stock? I think the
STe and MegaSTe should be stocked by the mass merchandisers. Yes, I know
the dealers don't like to hear that, but with a lack of dealers, this is
the only way to get a lot of computers to a lot of people.
The STe and MegaSTe are the home and business computers, respectiv-
ely. The MegaSTe MUST get out to the public in large numbers because
it's such a powerful machine at a good price, whereas the STe is the per-
fect machine for the home. I DO NOT think however that the dealers should
be ignored. How about giving the greater discount to dealers instead of
the mass merchandisers? Therefore, the dealers could have the benefit of
having the lower price and attracting more customers. The TT MUST be sold
to none other than the authorized dealers because it requires dealer sup-
port, which the STe and MegaSTe do not. Moreover, the dealer network sho-
uld be developed to include a larger number of better-informed dealers.
I am saddened to say that there are a lot of dealers who don't know what
they're selling and couldn't help a TT user in need. If I'm going to buy
something for $2,000 or more, I had better get good answers to my ques-
tions, and I shouldn't have to look any further than the person who sold
it to me. If the person can't answer my questions, then they shouldn't
be selling the product; it's that simple.
In this age of inexpensive modems and computers, there's absolutely NO
reason why Atari cannot better support its dealers either through a dealer
specific BBS or roundtable on GEnie. Furthermore, with the mass market
shipments of computers, there should be included in the box a list of aut-
horized Atari dealers in the US. I don't mean a complete list of places
that sell the Lynx and Portfolio, but a list that only has dealers that
carry STe/MegaSTe-related products. If I buy an ST computer, I don't want
to know where I can get a Lynx and Portfolio. The list should be a master
list of all the dealers in the US -- not a regional list, because we all
know how things get messed up and before you know it, people in Florida
will get a list of dealers in California, and that's not the way it should
be. This list should also be constantly updated. When one buys a
computer, they shouldn't receive a list that's a year old; of course, rec-
ently updated lists would be available from Customer Relations, and this
fact must be mentioned on the list. Finally, I think that a free Atari
magazine subscription would be quite beneficial and a necessity to the new
user.
Here's a relevant anecdote: I consulted a new ST user for the past few
months. He had just bought a used 1040ST and wanted some help with it
because he didn't know how to use it. One of the first questions he asked
me was if Atari was still in business. Another question he asked was if
Commodore and Atari were one company. It certainly seems that way some-
times, doesn't it? Too bad Atari's stock isn't where Commodore's is. He
is an example of a person on the outside, just coming into the inside. He
was totally oblivious to the Atari world, knowing nothing about the com-
pany or the computer; he only bought the computer because it has MIDI
ports and he was going to write his own MIDI software using ST Basic.
(AAK!!) He didn't even know how to program, but was willing to learn.
Take this test: try to go a week without touching or using your Atari
computer (or just imagine doing that). Observe all the news Atari gets in
the mass media. Go to your local bookstore. Read the newspaper. Watch
TV. Hear no Atari, see no Atari. Pretty pitiful, isn't it? Well, this
is what the common person gets exposed to. They don't know about Atari,
if it's dead or alive, if it still makes arcade games <grin>, or what.
This is completely Atari's fault, despite the incredible, tremendous ef-
fort of the users, user groups, and people like Donald Thomas who want to
spread the word.
If Atari wants to become a big player, and I don't see why they
shouldn't want to play with the big boys, they're going to have to sell a
lot of computers and impress a lot of people. Their appearance at CEPS
was very commendable and impressive, but a high-end niche isn't going to
solve the problem. The high-end market demands a lot of support, and
Atari and its developers are in no position to provide that kind of sup-
port yet. To impress and to get into a situation that can provide sup-
port the high-end market needs, Atari must sell computers. That's the
bottom line. To sell computers, people must know about them. And right
now, people don't know about Atari computers. People can't and will not
buy what they don't know about.
I don't know what difference my prose will make, but I hope it does
indeed make a difference. What I've said has been said before many times
by many people. If you would like to reach me, I just got a shiny, new
GEnie account: E.KRIMEN. I welcome all praises and flames. <grin>
EDITOR NOTE:
Ed sent in this essay in response to our request for reader opinions and
views concerning the future of Atari and what may be done to help.
Hats off to Ed for a fine piece of work!
Next week, we will present a host of reader mail sent to STReport in
response to our call for reader input.
____________________________________________________
> STALKER/STENO STR InfoFile GRIBNIF SOFTWARE RELEASES
==========================
Gribnif Software Press Release June, 1991
GRIBNIF SOFTWARE WILL NOW CARRY
STRATA SOFTWARE'S STENO(TM) AND STALKER(TM)
SOFTWARE FOR THE ATARI ST/TT
HADLEY, MA
Gribnif Software announces that effective immediately they are taking
over all marketing, distribution, support, and promotion of Strata
Software's STeno(TM) and STalker(TM) software products for the Atari ST.
Gribnif will release new and enhanced versions of these programs,
which when combined with Gribnif's effective marketing and strong support
will give these excellent packages the market recognition that they
deserve.
First to be released will be a new version of the STeno text editor.
This powerful GEM based text editor makes any text editing job a breeze
and includes features normally only found in more expensive word proces-
sors.
This will be followed by the release of a brand new and powerful ver-
sion of the STalker terminal program. This new version will combine a
powerful script language, terminal emulations, new transfer protocols, and
GDOS support, making it one of the most powerful terminal programs for the
Atari ST/TT.
STalker and STeno are trademarks of Strata Software. Exclusively
marketed and distributed by Gribnif Software.
GRIBNIF SOFTWARE RELEASES
NEW STENO(TM) TEXT EDITOR
PROGRAM FOR THE ATARI ST/TT
HADLEY, MA
Gribnif Software is proud to announce the immediate release of a new
version of the STeno(TM) text editor for the Atari ST/TT, recently
acquired from Strata Software.
This amazing GEM based text editor runs as both a desk accessory or
stand alone program. It is fast, easy to use, and incredibly powerful.
It even includes features normally only found in more expensive word
processors.
STeno also has the impressive ability to display its entire menu set
inside its own window. This allows complete access to its drop-down menus
while running STeno as a desk accessory. Other features include the
ability to interact with the popular STalker(TM) terminal program and the
NeoDesk(R) 3 desktop replacement.
The program is being released with the low introductory price of
$29.95. It is available directly from Gribnif Software or through normal
Atari software dealers and distributors.
STeno and STeno are trademarks of Strata Software. Exclusively
marketed and distributed by Gribnif Software. NeoDesk is a registered
trademark of Gribnif Software.
For more Info Contact:
Gribnif Software
P.O. Box 350,
Hadley, MA 01035
Tel: (413) 584-7887
Fax: (413) 584-2565
____________________________________________________________
> STReport CONFIDENTIAL "BLOCKBUSTER ATARI NEWS - ALWAYS FIRST!"
=====================
- Sunnyvale, CA ATARI SELLS OFFSHORE FACILITIES
-------------
The factory has been sold. BUT...consider this,,, Atari sold the fac-
tory and that's good. Here's why; Atari no longer must face the cost of
maintaining the buildings, salaries etc.. They have only contractual
agreements to adhere to which means added profits. Atari has made a fine
business decision, they sold the facilities and now contract for the
production of Atari products.
- London, UK GST TO SUPPORT PUBLISHER ST & 1ST WORD PLUS
----------
GST Holdings has initiated a programmer's group to update and support
First Word Plus (WordWriter) and Publisher ST (Timeworks DTP). First Word
Plus, a fine word processor that is closely related to WordWriter ST, will
be supported with updates and refinements. Publisher ST, the close
cousin to Timeworks DTP, will also be fully supported and updated. These
two programs add to the variety of affordable application software being
made continually available to Atari ST users.
- St. Louis, MO PAGESTREAM 2.0 TO DEBUT AT VANCOUVER
-------------
PageSTream 2, the anxiously awaited update to the already powerful and
very popular Desktop Publishing solution for the Atari ST computer plat-
form, is scheduled for debut and release at the upcoming Vancouver Atari
Computer Show. This very powerful release version will include 10
Compugraphic Fonts plus 8 Soft-Logik fonts. All fonts used by PageSTream
2 are scalable to printer and screen. Most fonts are scalable up to
183,000 points in .01 point increments. Additionally, this new version
will import most all word processor formats and graphics formats, has its
own spelling and hyphenation dictionaries, draws objects with box, line,
elipse, arc, polygon, Bezier curve and freehand tools. This solution pri-
nts to dot matrix, ink jet, laser and Postscript compatible printers.
This folks, is an update that makes a very positive statement about the
future of Atari. The time frame for registered users to upgrade will be
extended thus, affording everyone an opportunity to upgrade. And...
please remember; its made in the USA!
- Sunnyvale, CA FSM GDOS TARGET DATE -> AUG 1, 1991
-------------
Atari's FSM GDOS, the new, scalable GDOS that Atari has been feverish-
ly developing for use with the new line of computers and TOS, now has a
tentative release date of August 1st. Seems a few more 'undocumented'
features have appeared.
- Jordan, MN AlberTT - VME Video Board Released!
----------
A New VME product! AlberTT VME based for the MegaSTe & TT. 1024x768
(16 colors out of 4096). Optional 800x600 or 640x480. Works with Lexi-
cor software and made by the designer of the Viking Moniterm and Color
ISAC, Jay Craswell. Pricing has not been set in stone yet. Dover is now
taking advance orders for the initial production run. By the way, this is
NON-Interlaced output. Unlike the VGA cards for the PC. This is ROCK
SOLID! No flicker. Rio Datel advertises they have a 1024x768 monitor for
$500.00. Atarians now have a compatible and affordable monitor. And.. the
AlberTT production units will have a flying Palette widget that allows
clever programs to display more than 16 colors at once (Ala Spectrum 512).
For further Information Call or write:
Dover Research
321 West 4 St.
Jordan, Mn. 55352
(612) 492-3913
P.S. Dover is still selling the ISAC for Megas.
- Chicago, IL CES -> LYNX - PORTFOLIO - JAGUAR
-----------
The ELECTRONIC VIDEO GAME MARKET has seen SOMEWHAT OF A SLOWDOWN IN
GROWTH due to the mild recession and by so-called 'market saturation'.
However, Atari Corp. indicated its experience is "quite the opposite" to
the current trend and is looking forward to continued growth this year in
sales of its highly popular, hand-held 16-bit Lynx system.
Last year Atari sold almost a half million Lynx machines worldwide,
and for 1991 they expect to do even better. In fact, Atari fully expects
to sell everything they make." Lawrence Siegel, president of Atari Enter-
tainment Division, said Atari's Lynx was well positioned in the market in
"a carefully chosen niche" and supported by some 22 game titles, with 15
more to be introduced during the trade show.
"By year end, there will be 50 games out there for Lynx," Siegel said.
Siegel mentioned that he anticipates Nintendo's new Super NES system will
sell more than a million units this year. But, at the same time, he also
believes the market share it will claim will be mostly from Sega's Gene-
sis.
Siegel said Atari is developing "a new, powerful family of console
products. Among which the 'Jaguar' is tentatively planned... "but
introduction of the new products won't be until 1992 and will depend on
market conditions." The executive also said sales of the company's
Portfolio palmtop computer continue to show increased strength.
__________________________________________________________
> STR Crystal Ball BIG SHAKEUP IS AFOOT!
----------------
RE-ALIGNMENT - LAYOFFS - BELT TIGHTENING
CONSOLIDATION
"THE IDES OF MARCH IN JUNE?!?"
The CRYSTAL BALL is glowing WHITE HOT! Could it be true?
Is there going to be anywhere between a 30-50% layoffs?
IS... "HE BACK IN CHARGE?"
Is there really going to be a consolidation of subsidiaries?
Are there to be DEMOTIONS, TITLE CHANGES, MORE WORK-NO RAISES?
Second Generation TT030 "The Real Thing" @ 01/01/92 >FALCON<
No "TAMALES OR MAPLE LEAVES" just one big bag of tricks?
"DOWN UNDER" being throttled back?
What do you mean; YOU DON'T LIKE RIDDLES!
How about; "TV STARS FINISH LAST!"
Yo Adrian! We ain't talkin' about the Johnny Carson show!
For the whole story ..... stay tuned!!
_____________________________________________________
> Hard Disks STR InfoFile ***** ABCO PRICE CHANGES! *****
=======================
** EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY! **
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)
* ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS *
* ICD ADSCSI+ HOST ADAPTERS * FULL SCSI COMMAND SET SUPPORTED *
* SCSI EMBEDDED CONTROLLER MECHANISMS *
WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
Deluxe 2 bay Cabinet w/65w auto-switching PS
Model Description Autopark Price
==================================================
SGN4951 51Mb 28ms 3.5" Y 479.00
SGN1096 85Mb 24ms 5.25" Y 549.00
SGN2055 105mb 17ms 3.5" Y QUANTUM 719.00
SGN6277 120Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 789.00
SGN1296 168Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 1019.00
==================================================
ADD $35.00 for 4 BAY SUPER CABINET w/250w PS
PLEASE NOTE: The above is partial listing only!
CPU ACCELERATOR & MEMORY UPGRADES AVAILABLE & INSTALLED
>> ABCO is now taking orders for 1040 & MEGA STe Computers! <<
Call for VERY special Introductory prices!
If you don't see what you want listed here, call us.
Odds are we have it or, can get it for you!
AT THE BEST POSSIBLE PRICE!
"We service what we sell. (when necessary)"
****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ******
* SYQUEST 44MB (#555) >> ABCO "44" << REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE *
- SYQUEST 44 MB DRIVE - ICD ST ADSCSI PLUS H/A
- ICD Utility Software - 3' DMA Cable
- Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply
(1) 44 MB Syquest Cart.
--->> SPECIAL! NOW ONLY __$ 645.00__ <<---
WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED AND READY TO RUN!
Cart and Utility Software Included!
EXTRA CARTS: $ 74.50
DRIVE MECH ONLY: $ 349.95
****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ******
* TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT *
SPECIALLY PRICED ** $1019.00 **
Includes TWO cartridges!
* SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS *
- Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives -
50mb SQG51 $ 819.00 85mb SQG96 $ 1019.00
LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS
CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE
WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
Listed above are a sampling of the systems available.
Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations
(over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited)
ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> SUPERCHARGER - AT/PC SPEED - GCR
LARGER units are available - (Custom Configurations)
*>> NO REPACKS OR REFURBS USED! <<*
- Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets - TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets -
* SLM 804 Replacement Toner Cartridge Kits $42.95 *
* Toner Starter Kits $49.95 *
* Replacement Drums $183.95 *
>> MANY other ATARI related products STOCKED <<
ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED
-* 12 month FULL Guarantee *-
(A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE)
WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!<
QUANTITY & USERGROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE!
_________________________________________
DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!
please, call for details
Personal and Company Checks are accepted.
ORDER YOUR NEW UNIT TODAY!
CALL: 1-800-562-4037 -=**=- CALL: 1-904-783-3319
Customer Orders ONLY Customer Service
9am - 8pm EDT
Tues thru Sat
ABCO is EXPANDING!! CALL FOR INFORMATION!
____________________________________________________________
> A "Quotable Quote"¿
==================
"PERFUME AND POISON COME IN SMALL PACKAGES!"
....Napolean Blown-apart
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport International Online Magazine¿
Available through more than 10,000 Private BBS systems WorldWide!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport¿ "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" June 07, 1991
16/32bit Magazine copyright ½ 1987-91 No.7.23
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
the editors, staff, STReport¿ CPU/MAC/STR¿ or ST Report¿. Permission to
reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Each reprint
must include the name of the publication, date, issue # and the author's
name. The entire publication and/or portions therein may not be edited in
any way without prior written permission. The entire contents, at the
time of publication, are believed to be reasonably accurate. The editors,
contributors and/or staff are not responsible for either the use/misuse of
information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
