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Silicon Times Report Issue 0832
*---== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
from
STR Publishing
""""""""""""""
August 07, 1992 No.8.32
==========================================================================
STReport International Online Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida
32205 ~ 6672
R.F. Mariano
Publisher - Editor
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_____________________________________________________________________
> 08/07/92 STR 832 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
""""""""""""""""
- The Editor's Desk - CPU Report - PORTFOLIO NEWS
- STR MAILCALL - NEW MAC LC II - $300 FLOPTICAL
- ONLINE WEEKLY! - CT ATARIFEST'92 - STIPPLE NEWS
- AA UPDATES - LEGAL RIGHTS V - STR Confidential
-* FULL FALCON SPECS! *-
-* DALTON TO SELL ATARI WARES! *-
-* ATTEND SEYBOLD FREE! *-
==========================================================================
ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
The Original * Independent * Online Magazine
-* FEATURING WEEKLY *-
"Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
==========================================================================
STReport's BBS, The Bounty, invites BBS systems, worldwide, to participate
in the Fido/TurboNet/Atari F-Net Mail Network. You may also call our BBS
direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging information
relative to the Atari and other computers worldwide through the use of
excellent International Messaging Networks. SysOps, worldwide, are quite
welcome to join the STReport International Conferences. The Crossnet Code
is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is # 350. All BBS systems are welcome and
invited to actively participate. Support Atari Computers; Join Today!
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WHAT'S NEW IN THE ATARI FORUMS (August 07)
VENDOR LISTING UPDATE BEING PREPARED...
We're preparing an update to the VENDOR.DAT file that works with the
VENDOR.ACC utility. (This is a quick and easy database of current vendors
in the Atari community that runs as a .PRG or .ACC and written by Bill
Aycock.)
If you have any additions or corrections to our current information,
please post a message or send an Email to Ron Luks 76703,254 or Bill
Aycock 76703,406 as soon as possible.
INVISION ELITE
INVISION Elite is a black and white paint program. It has been in
intensive development over the past year and a half and is now being
introduced to the market from Power Thought Software. Download the
following files from LIBRARY 10 of the Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS):
INVIPR.TXT - Announcement of INVISION ELITE, mono paint program
INVDM2.ARC - Demo of mono paint program, part 2 of 2
INVDM1.ARC - Demo of mono paint program, part 1 of 2
NEW IN ATARI VENDORS FORUM (GO ATARIVEN)
Now available in LIBRARY 17 -- the newest Calamus SL demo. A big
download, but worth it.
Also look in Library 11 for PG22B.LZH, a patch for version 2.1 of
PageStream updating it to version 2.2B. Brought to you by the folks at
Soft-Logik.
The folks from CODEHEAD TECHNOLOGIES have uploaded a series of files that
will enable you to print out font charts of all the available URW fonts
available for Calligrapher. The files are now available for most all
printers in LIBRARY 16.
THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE
HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN
OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION
"GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM"
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""
What's there to say? The turmoil is now incidental and calming way
down. The summer seems to be getting hotter. I know, forget the weather
reports, tell us about what's happening. Hmmmm, not much at all except
the Falcon situation, elsewhere in this issue we have some very
interesting overviews of the machine and its power. Also, estimates are
found in the "mailcall" which are relative to when we may see it and its
'brothers'.
There is some disharmony in the FNET these days, it seems the Atari
Online Conference is experiencing some operating difficulties. Long time
participating nodes are disappearing. Its moderator is busy trying to
silence those who offer criticisms relative to Atari, its performance or
lack thereof. When will people learn its a disaster to attempt to
'silence' critics? Anytime, in recorded history, that such attempts were
made, the critics became ten times more vocal and highly visible. Cutting
nodes out of the network is not the answer by any means. It only
engenders further friction of unpredictable quantities.
GEnie, Compuserve and Delphi offer the most coverage and information
access for Atari enthusiasts. I'm sure most of you agree with this
statement. Then it only stands to reason Atari's key communicators belong
involved in these telecommunicating environments. Why is it the Director
of Communications seems to be spending almost twice the time in the FNET
than with the all the majors combined? Something is wrong with this
picture, very wrong. I, like most other concerned Atarians must begin to
ask that an end be brought to all games and flames. Its time the energies
of all the key individuals in this arena were spent in informing,
supporting and building for the future.
Ralph @ STReport International Online Magazine
THE STORM IS BREWING!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU!
""""""""""""""""
Publisher - Editor
""""""""""""""""""
Ralph F. Mariano
PC DIVISION AMIGA DIVISION MAC DIVISION
----------- -------------- ------------
Roger D. Stevens Charles Hill R. ALBRITTON
STReport Staff Editors:
"""""""""""""""""""""""
Lloyd E. Pulley Sr. Dana P. Jacobson Michael Arthur
Lucien Oppler Brad Martin Judith Hamner
John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Joseph Mirando
Steve Spivey Doyle C. Helms
Contributing Correspondents:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Michael Lee Richard Covert John Deegan
Brian Converse Oliver Steinmeier Tim Holt
Andrew Learner Norman Boucher Harry Steele
Ben Hamilton Neil Bradley Eric Jerue
Ron Deal Robert Dean Ed Westhusing
James Nolan Vernon W. Smith Bruno Puglia
Clemens Chin
IMPORTANT NOTICE
""""""""""""""""
Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
via E-Mail to:
Compuserve.................... 70007,4454
Delphi........................ RMARIANO
BIX........................... RMARIANO
FIDONET....................... 112/35
FNET.......................... NODE 350
NEST.......................... 90:19/350.0
GEnie......................... ST-REPORT
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
=================
Issue #32
Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
-- New 3M Disk Holds Fourteen Times More Data
3M Co. says it is ready to market a new "floptical" data-storage device
it says can hold up to 14 times more data than floppy disks. Housed in a
3.5-inch square hard plastic case like a floppy, the device combines
some of the technology found in compact discs.
The new diskettes can be used only in a special disk drive that will be
available starting next month. 3M says the drive will be sold as an
attachment to PCs, costing about $300, and later as a built-in option on
some computers. The diskettes will have a list price of about $31 each,
compared to $3 or less for today's diskettes. But 3M claims they are
cheaper per unit of data stored that today's diskettes.
(The name "floptical" arises because the disks combine the technology of
floppy diskettes and optically based CDs.)
-- Apple Claims Four Million System 7 Users
Apple Computer Inc says its research indicated that System 7, introduced
in May 1991, is being used by 50% of Mac owners, meaning that over four
million Macintosh customers are using its System 7 operating software.
-- Motorola's 25mhz '030 Used in New PowerBook 145
Motorola's High Performance Microprocessor Division announced this week
that its 25-MHz 68030 provides the processing power for Apple Computer,
Inc.'s new PowerBook 145, boosting the performance level of the midrange
offering in Apple's popular PowerBook line of notebook-sized computers.
The new PowerBook 145 will replace the 16-MHz 68030-based PowerBook 140.
The PowerBook 145 incorporates all of the original features of its
predecessor while running 35% faster, a result of the higher clock speed
of the 68030. In addition to the clock speeds being increased, the price
has been lowered, boosting price/performance ratios. The PowerBook 145
is priced from $2,399.
-- AT&T Develops OP Disk Technology
A new technique that eventually could increase the storage capacity of
magneto-optical disks by 100 fold has been demonstrated by AT&T Bell
Labs researchers.
Though Bell Labs spokesman Guss Glover noted it is all experimental
right now and will take years to develop, The new technology could allow
a computer user to store the equivalent of two copies of 'War and Peace'
on an area of the disk the size of a pinhead.
Today's magneto-optical disk drives use a laser light focused with a
lens, while the Bell Labs technique "involves concentrating the laser
through a probe made from an aluminum-coated optical fiber, which is
tapered to a tiny point."
-- Fujitsu to Post 10 Billion Yen Loss
Fujitsu Ltd. expects to post a consolidated net loss for the first half
of its fiscal year. The loss will be the company's first since it was
listed in 1949.
The Japanese computer giant said it should have a net loss of 10 billion
yen, down from earlier estimates of 20 billion yen. A year earlier
Fujitsu posted net earnings of 10.3 billion yen.
-- Digital Largest Mail-Order Seller
Digital Equipment Corp., the world's second largest computer company,
has been dubbed the computer industry's largest mail-order seller by
Direct Marketing Magazine. Digital moved up to No. 16 in 1991 from 32
in 1990 in the annual "Mail Order Top 250."
Dell Computer Corp., which was the top computer mail order seller in
1990, dropped to 94 in the overall list in 1991. IBM Corp. moved to the
21st spot from 43rd last year, becoming the industry's second-largest
mail order vendor with $900 million in mail-order revenues.
________________________________________________________
> ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
=====================
On CompuServe
-------------
compiled by Joe Mirando
From the Atari Productivity forum.
Ethan Mings encounters a problem that has become all too common in the ST
community:
"I am scared to ask the question. Could tell me what happened to LDW
Power? I tried to call them regarding my spread sheet software and
found the phone number,'no longer in service'. In the last three
months, I found the majority of people responsible for the software I
use have vanished. (For example, the upgrade for Superbase never
happened. I sent the disk and the money. In return, nothing. Dbase
V from Versa Soft was, in short, a disaster. The software was sent
out with some interesting bugs in the report writer. You could not
print the complete memo fields to paper or disk.) Any information on
the status of LDW Power would be appreciated. I need to know whether
to keep the software or dump it now. I look forward to your answer as
soon as possible."
Steve Gold answers Ethan's question and adds his own experiences:
"You can contact the new owners of SuperBase in the AtariVen forum the
name of the company is Oxxi and their online rep is Pat Cummings. As
for VersaSoft I agree their handling of DBMAN version 5.3 has been
awful. I have called them several times about the update they
promised and have been told it was on the way. I am going to try one
more time, before I send a letter demanding my money back from the
upgrade."
Elsewhere, Rob Rasmussen asks about corrupted files:
"I know that the more I write and overwrite to a disk, the more
fragmented it will get, and the slower the access time will be since
the sectors are no longer continuous. How can a file actually get
damaged though? Could a file get confused with a previous file that
was overwritten, and if so "rescue" it? I have a prg called UNDELETE
which supposedly (never used it) saves files still on a disk that the
OS thinks I erased. Two different ways of repairing, I guess."
Carl Barron tells Rob:
"It is possible through 'bombs' and resets to destroy a files fat
list, create cross-linked files, etc. I know I have done it. HD Sentry
finds these shorten,botched files and creates a folder of files of
fragments so that the entire fat table is repaired without loosing any
data at that point. It will also reorganize partitions if desired. A
'glitch' can do it even to floppy disks."
Albert Dayes of Atari Advantage Magazine adds:
"Changes in the power to your computer ... brownout and surges can do
things. BEST (the company that makes uninterruptible power supplies)
has a very detailed report that they can send you on how bad power
problems can really mess up your data. Also files can get
cross-linked ... that is two files are allocated for the same space
... not fun. Many of these problems go unnoticed for a long period of
time until really strange things start happening on your hard disk."
John Barnes adds his experiences:
"BEST has been doing a fine job of bringing their units within reach
of the consumer. I am seriously looking at one of their Fortress
models for my systems. I'm going to try hooking up the system at the
lab and see what it draws (the Fortress unit has a handy pushbutton
readout for the current load).
The electricity where I work is really junky and it is nice to watch
the UPS-protected stuff ride right through sags that last a couple of
seconds.
On the matter of cross-linked files: I have arrived at the point where
I use Cleanup right away after a software crash. One program in
particular that seems to cause directory problems under this condition
is dBMAN."
As we all know, knowledge is just as important as hardware.
Albert Dayes tells us:
"Best had done the best job of just educating the consumer about the
problems with general power. An AT&T study found 83% of all power
problems to be brownouts (sags in the power below the normal 110 or
120 volts). I was just viewing their demo on the PC and it really had
quite a bit on information I would have never even considered.
Their literature is first rate too ... also if you call them up their
reps always are willing to explain every detail about how power works
in general and how their UPS systems work. I see BEST will also come
out and runs tests on your power for a month or so to see what you
need as well. Very professional company."
What has quickly become known as "THE FORBES ARTICLE" is still a big topic
of conversation. The article, titled "Cheap Didn't Sell", basically said
that although Atari makes some of the best hardware in the business, they
don't advertise it enough to do any good. Last week, conversation
centered on why Atari merchandise such as the Lynx was less prominent on
dealers' shelves. The conversation continues as Greg Wageman says:
"I think a lot of it is "availability". Here in Fremont, I can walk
into any of about a dozen (at least) computer stores, and buy software
for PC's and Macs. There is one vendor in Fremont that sells Atari
software, and they are a surplus/liquidator/discount outlet.
To find a real Atari vendor, I have to drive either to Berkeley, San
Jose or Santa Clara. Considering that Fremont is a city with a
population of over 150,000 this doesn't speak well of Atari (whose
corporate headquarters are closer to me than their nearest dealer!).
The rest of the computing world wants to treat computers as just
another appliance. Atari computers do not conform to this mold, since
Atari dealers are so few and far-between. Unfortunately, Atari's
cutbacks do not bode well for improving this situation."
The ever-popular Charles F. Johnson of CodeHead Technologies sums up a
feeling that a lot of people have:
"Well, I can't say I really 'liked' the Forbes article. So Forbes is
doing a followup to this one?"
Sysop Ron Luks replies:
"I hear that a followup is under consideration as we speak."
Along the same lines, an article in "Computer Shopper" is generating some
interest as Albert Dayes of Atari Advantage tells us:
"I noticed in Computer Shopper magazine (August 1992) they have a nice
article on the future of GEM by STan Veit "What ever happened to ...
the Mac killer: DRI's GEM"
Ron Luks adds:
"Stan Veit is running a series of "What ever happened to...." articles
for CompuTer Shopper. If you liked the one on GEM (I didn't read it
yet), you'll probably like next months article "What ever happened to
Power without the Price...." Yes, its about the Atari marketplace."
From the Atari Arts forum.
Sysop Ron Luks tells us:
"Folks:
We need some new GIF images. In conjunction with the Graphics Forums,
the AtariArts Forum is participating in the GO GRAPHICS compendium on
a quarterly basis. This compendium catalogues the best GIF images
from a multitude of CompuServe Forums and is mailed to thousands of
subscribers each quarter.
While we have many, many great graphic images in this forum, we are a
little short of GIF-format images. There are utilities that convert
Atari format files to GIF format available in library 14 and to entice
you to upload GIF format images, the staff of the Atariarts Forum will
be offering gifts of free access to Atariarts/Ataripro Forums to the
uploaders of the best images. Details to follow in the days ahead.
Any GIF images uploaded starting now, thru Labor day 1992 will be
eligible for the first round of free access gifts, so don't wait to
start uploading.
Ron Luks
Manager
Atari Forums on CompuServe"
Pattie Rayl of AIM Magazine asks:
"Does this have to be original artwork, or could I cheat and upload a
gif version of a scanned pic or something? (Naturally, I'd be sure
about copyrights!)"
Ron replies:
"It doesn't have to be original artwork as long as its a 'legal'
file."
Lee Seiler of Lexicore Software tells Ron:
"I will have ringo upload Gif files, How many do you need and what
sort of subject matter? we have lots of 24Bit stuff we can convert to
gif. I trust you want 256-16MK type files?
Lee
BTW it will all be original art from my pen!"
Ron replies:
"That's great, Lee. We are participating with the GRAPHICS forums in
a regular quarterly cataloging project. They've been publishing a
catalogue of GIF images from 14 forums as a big, thick hardcopy book,
available on a single issue or regular subscription basis. The
catalogue displays the actual image, a description, and information on
the forum that features the image. I'd like to give your stuff plenty
of exposure and I think this is a great way to do this.
The only requirement that the printer is going to place on future
items is that the GIF image be available in 320x200 or 640x480
resolutions. Number of colors is not a concern but the aspect ratio
is.
I'm happy that the AtariArts forum was selected to be in this
cataloguing project, and while its too late to get new images into the
catalog being prepared this week, I'd like to have a bunch of new
goodies for the 4th Qtr (Christmas) catalog.
I appreciate your support."
From the Atari Vendors forum.
Boris Molodyi asks Nathan Potechin of ISD Marketing:
"I've seen in your mailout that you have a sale on Vector Art library.
Could you please tell what clips are in there. Right now I'm
interested in a vector clip of the globe, but if there is something
else interesting, I might take it anyway."
Nathan replies:
"Thanks for asking. This is an old GEM Metafile library from Europe.
This is reflected in many of the clip art it contains. There are
dozens of categories and approximately 800 different pictures.
Personally I would use maybe 200 of them but I long since learned
never to comment on art because something I consider junk, someone
else probably considers the work of Michelangelo and vice versa. :-)
For $30.00 you can't go far wrong."
Well, that's about all we have time for this week folks, but before I
finish I'd like to shamelessly plug the Connecticut Atari Fest which is to
take place on the weekend of August 15/16 at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley
International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The show is sure to
be a hit with many of the biggest names in the Atari Arena scheduled to be
in attendance. Be sure to stop by the C.C.C.C. user's group booth to say
"hi" to me.
Okay, okay, end of plug <smile>. Tune in again next week to find out
what they are saying when "PEOPLE ARE TALKING".
_____________________________________________________________
> STR Portfolio News & Information Keeping up to date...
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
On CompuServe!
by Judith Hamner 72257,271
The sands are running down as the date for AtariFest '92 approaches.
August 15 & 16 are the big dates. Some new files with more show details
are: CTPOR.TXT which describes a promotion and contest; CTUSER.TXT which
describes discounts available to members of participating user groups; and
CTUPGR.TXT describing demos of upgrades for 8 bit and 16 bit Ataris.
Peter Bennett has uploaded another of his PowerBasic games. PATTRN.ZIP
uses a grid with blocks of different patterns. The goal is to get the
patterns into rows. Pbrun.com is required and is also available for
download. HIDE.COM allows you to conceal a file from the command line. It
can be reversed by repeating the same command.
BSE is now represented online to answer all of your questions about
their Flashdrive. Dan Shearer 75460,3367 is our new representative.
Flashdrive is a portable hard drive which uses the parallel port of your
Port or IBM compatible computer. FLASHA.ZIP contains the latest release of
the drive software for the Port. FLASH.ZIP contains descriptions ordering
information.
Those who are familiar with UNIX know the wc word count command. Now i
t is available for the Portfolio. WC.DOC contains information. WC.COM
contains the program which will count the words in a document.
_________________________________________________________
> STIPPLE! STR InfoFile HOT STUFF FOR IMAGE PROCESSING & TRANSLATING
"""""""""""""""""""""
STIPPLE*
THE ATARI ST/STE/TT IMAGE FILE VIEWER
FROM
ZOCRA TECHNOLOGIES
*"noun: dotted painting, giving gradation of shade."
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
STipple is a program for viewing, translating and saving graphic
images on the Atari ST, STE and TT series computers. STipple supports a
wide variety of graphic image file formats ranging from computer dependant
formats such as NEO, Degas and MacPaint to hardware independent formats
such as GIF and CP8.
STipple allows your ST to show graphics created on a PC, an Amiga, or
whatever, even if the original image has more colors or pixels than the
ST ca n display. Likewise STipple will load and display any ST graphic in
any resolution. It also allows you to convert your Atari ST images into
GIF and MacPaint formats for exchange with other systems.
STipple has a rich translation feature which will translate between a
number of graphic file formats without first converting them to an ST
resolution. This file-to-file translation allows conversion without a loss
of image quality. Conversions include GIF, Spectrum 512, and AIM.
STipple is GEM-based and operates in all three ST resolutions, and
five of the six TT resolutions. When an image is loaded it can be scaled
and then rendered with a variety of painting and dithering options. Images
can be scale d prior to dithering for maximum picture quality. Once loaded
and rendered, images are displayed in scrollable windows.
The on-screen images (rasters) can be clipped and scaled and their
colors can be edited. The resulting image can be saved in a variety of
Atari and non-Atari formats.
HOT FEATURES
o Easy to Use!
Simply select "Load Image" and select the file.
o Color Dither!
Images can be rendered in color either by painting or
dithering. The color dither is slower but produces fantastic
images in 16 color mode.
o Two Gray Dithers!
Images can be rendered in grayscale using two dithering
routines.
o Edge Enhancement!
Blurry images can be "sharpened" prior to any gray dither by
selecting "edge enhancement".
o Arbitrary Scaling!
Images can be scaled by arbitrary percentages, from 5% to
500%. Individual horizontal and vertical scaling provided.
o Pre Dither Scaling!
Scale image before dithering for maximum image quality.
o Color Editor!
Edit image colors with a moveable menu!
o Full Screen Mode!
Simply press "Escape" and the image fills the screen. Use
keypad to scroll.
o Full Screen File Save Preview!
Full screen mode shows clipping when saving NEO or Degas
screens.
o Resolution/Size Converter!
A monochrome image can be converted to a 4 or 16 color image
reduced in size. Likewise a 4 color image can be reduced to
a smaller 16 color image.
o STE Support!
Fully supports STE's 4096 color palette.
o TT Support!
Supports TT Medium and TT High. (TT Low not supported yet.)
Additional image save options for larger screens. (.PI5 & .PI7)
o Overscan and large screen monitor support!.
Full Support for non-standard resolutions.
o Includes BONUS UTILITY PROGRAM FixMac!
Remove Mac Headers from Mac GIF files.
Place Mac Headers on headerless MacPaint files.
PROGRAM DETAILS
The following graphic file types can be viewed and translated:
NEO, Degas, Degas compressed, GIF, PCX, IFF, LBM, MacPaint, Mac
Startup screen, CP8, FastLoad (.FL), AIM (.IM).
Images can be saved in the following formats:
NEO, Degas, GIF, MacPaint, Mac Startup screen, FastLoad.
Graphic files can be directly converted to the following file types:
GIF, CP8[3], Spectrum 512 (SPU), AIM, CP8[1].
STipple is written in C and assembler using Borland International's
Turbo C and Turbo Assembler.
DEMONSTRATION
For a demonstration of some of the features found in STipple try
ViewGIF 1.2, STipple's shareware predecessor. STipple is more powerful,
faster and easier to use than ViewGIF.
----------------------------- Clip Here ---------------------------------
ORDER FORM - STipple 1.0 - The Atari ST/STE/TT Image File Viewer
==========
Includes STipple, 28 page users manual and bonus FixMac program.
Remit To:
Zocra Technologies
4-319 MacKay St.
Ottawa, Ont.
K1M 2B7 CANADA
Payment: $35 US check or money order ______
OR
$40 CDN check or money order ______
+ 7% GST (2.80) ______
+ 8% PST if in Ontario. (3.20) ______
PLUS
$2 US/CDN for shipping and handling. ______
($4 US if outside US/Canada)
TOTAL ______
(Use money order or certified check for faster turn around!)
Send To:
Name:_____________________________________________________
Company:__________________________________________________
Address:__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
----------------------------- Clip Here ---------------------------------
***********************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
=================
STReport International Online Magazine is available every week in the
ST Advantage on DELPHI. STReport readers are invited to join DELPHI and
become a part of the friendly community of Atari enthusiasts there.
SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI
======================
Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access
DELPHI services via a local phone call
JOIN -- DELPHI
--------------
Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002
then...
When connected, press RETURN once or twice
and...
At Password: type STREPORT and press RETURN.
DELPHI's Basic Plan offers access for only $6.00 per hour, for any
baud rate. The $5.95 monthly fee includes your first hour online.
If you spend more than 200 minutes online a month, you'll save money
by enrolling in DELPHI's optional 20/20 Advantage Plan. You'll enjoy up
to 20 hours online each month for the ridiculously low price of just
$20.00! And if you go over that 20 hours, the rate goes up to only $1.20,
still 1/5th the price of other services.
There is no signup fee for joining the Basic Plan. There is a fee of
$39 when you join the 20/20 Advantage Plan, a one-time $19 signup fee and
your first month's $20 fee.
These connect rates apply for access via Tymnet or SprintNet (within
the continental United States) during home time (7 p.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays
and all day weekends) or via direct dial around the clock. Telecom
surcharges apply for daytime or international access via Tymnet or
SprintNet. See Using DELPHI online for detailed information on telecom
surcharges.
For more information, call: DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-544-4005
DELPHI is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, Mass.
:IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
DELPHI INTRODUCES THE 10/4 PLAN.
Effective July 1, 1992, all Basic Plan members will be upgraded to the
10/4 Plan and receive 4 hours of usage each month for only $10! For full
details, type GO USING RATES. SprintNet home time to begin at 6:00 p.m.!
Effective July 1, 1992, you may access DELPHI via SprintNet beginning at
6:00 p.m. local time without incurring a telecom surcharge. To find the
SprintNet node nearest you, type GO USING ACCESS.
!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!
* Mark your calendars, folks! *
! We are proud to host Sam Tramiel, !
* President of Atari, *
! for a formal Conference here on !
* Thurs., August 13th @ 10 p.m. EDT. *
! Sam will be officially announcing !
* the new Falcon 030 to DELPHI, and *
! discussing it with us. !
* Don't miss it! *
!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!
DELPHI- It's getting better all the time!
***********************************************************************
> ATARI ADVANTAGE STR InfoFile ATARI ADVANTAGE -> ALIVE & WELL!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/// A T A R I A D V A N T A G E M A G A Z I N E ///
/// Contents -- June/July 1992 ///
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
FALCON'030 REVEALED! -- The next generation of home computer is
"""""""""""""""""""" on the way and the Falcon'030 leads the
pack with power and features.
FALCON'030 at a GLANCE:
* Motorola 68030 Microprocessor running at 16MHz,
multi-tasking capable
* Motorola 68881 or 68882 16MHz Floating point coprocessor
* Motorola DSP 56001 Digital Signal Processor (DSP)
* 1 to 16MB of memory and 512KB of ROM
* 16 bit BLiTTER Graphics coprocessor running at 16 MHz
* Enhanced Broadcast TV quality Video
-- "True Color" 320x200 resolution, 32,768 colors or 640x480
resolution, 256 colors from a 264,144 color palette
-- VGA or Video 320 or 640 by 200 or 400 resolution, 2, 16, or
256 colors from a 262,144 color palette
-- Standard STe video modes with a 4096 color palette
-- RF modulator and VGA monitor connections
-- Overscan support
-- Genlock and multi-media capable
-- Graphics overlay and video tiling
-- Enhanced high speed 16MHz Blitter graphics co-processor
-- STe horizontal scrolling
* "CD quality" stereo sound
-- Stereo 16 bit Analog to Digital inputs
-- Stereo 16 bit Digital to Analog outputs
-- Eight channel stereo DMA sound engine with 16 bit PCM digital
record/playback with up to 50KHz sample rates
-- Stereo 8 bit STe compatible PCM sound
-- ST compatible 3 channel PSG sound
-- Multiplexer to connect Codec, DSP and DMA sound engine
-- Stereo microphone inputs and headphone outputs connected to a
16 bit stereo codec
-- DSP digital audio connector, up to 1MHz data transfer rate
-- Built-in monophonic speaker
* 1.44MB floppy drive
* Built-in IDE 2 1/2" hard drive interface (drive optional)
* SCSI II peripheral interface (hard drive, tape drive, etc.)
* Mega STe/TT compatible local area network (LAN) interface
* Enhanced modem/RS232 port
* ST and STe compatible joystick/controller ports
* Built-in "processor direct" expansion connectors
* On board real time clock and battery backed up RAM
* MIDI input and output
* Parallel printer port
* Enhanced keyboard controller allows 300 DPI mice
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW -- Atari expects to have over 80 Lynx
""""""""""""""""""""""""" titles available and 2 million cats sold
by the end of the year.
COLUMNS
"""""""
== Editors Desk ...... Just a few words from the humble staff.
== Rumor City ........ What's new and what's not.
== MIDI Notes ........ Discover the world of MIDI.
== EuroGames ......... Reports from our European correspondent.
== Lynx Line ......... Hints, tips, and reviews on those hot games.
FEATURES
""""""""
== New & Improved .... New and improved products announced
== Briefs ............ Late breaking news
== Events ............ What's coming up?
REVIEWS
"""""""
== Arabesque Professional.. Powerful bitmap/vector illustration tool.
== Multiplay .............. Math exploration, discovery and practice.
== Blues and Jazz ......... Blues, jazz and rock keyboard skills.
== MEGA Check ............. ST/TT finance management.
== WARP 9 - v3.60 ......... Software screen acceleration to the max.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A closing note from Darren Meer:
There is one area of transition that I need to tell you about -- that
being the world of magazines. This issue is not only historical in its
content, it also marks the last issue of "Atari Advantage" Mike and I will
be involved in. We have been asked to join the "Atari Explorer" staff and
bring our style of coverage and production values. "Atari Advantage" will
be left in the hands of a very capable and extremely energetic group of
writers and users who will introduce themselves in next month's issue. We
are really excited about the opportunity to join "Explorer", and feel
confident that the Atari market will be well served by both magazines for
a long time to come.
If any of you have any concerns as to how this affects your subscriptions,
articles or advertisements, please don't hesitate to call or write us to
express your feelings. We want you to get your money's worth and will do
what ever we can to make sure your do.
And finally, we want to thank all of you who have waited so patiently for
this issue to arrive. Between the Falcon coverage and negotiations with
Atari, our schedule got completely thrown out of whack. Those things
along with the intense Murphy field that has been hovering over our
offices, combined to make this an especially memorable issue for us as
well ( he said with a big twisted smile).
. . . RjR 8/92
And now... abut the NEW Owners;
Castle Publishing in Houston, Texas has purchased Atari Advantage
magazine from Lamplight Publishing in Oregon. The new editor in chief,
Neal Symms, promises that Atari Advantage will continue to provide timely
and informative news and reviews and will keep its readers on the cutting
edge of the Atari industry.
Neal brings with him a staff with over 20 years of journalism
experience. They are quite enthusiastic about continuing to set a new
standard for Atari magazines.
When asked what to expect from the new staff, Neal said, "We're
striving to make Atari Advantage the voice of the worldwide Atari
community. We'll be promoting the greater involvement of well known
developers, user groups and sellers from across the globe. Our primary
goal is to go that extra step so that our readers can stay well informed.
I think the Falcon series speaks for itself." Neal also said that Atari
Advantage is always glad to receive unsolicited articles from the Atari
community.
The August/September issue will bring more exclusive coverage of
Atari's Falcon '030. Other upcoming articles will include more hands-on
previews of hot new Atari products, including the Gemulator from Branch
Always Software.
All current subscriptions will be honored for their full term by
Castle Publishing. The June/July issue (from Lamplight Publishing) was
mailed on July 24th from Oregon. Monthly publishing will resume after the
August/September issue.
Editor Note:
------------
Neal Symms, of Capitol Publishing, has informed us they are already
preparing the next issue of Atari Advantage. Atari Advantage is indeed a
fine publication that warrants your attention. They avoid the games and
flames while sticking to the real interest getting stories.
Capitol Publishing
P.O. Box 610121
Houston, TX 77208 0121
1-713-526-6436
_____________________________________________________________
> FALCON! STR FOCUS! The new '030 system to be introduced by Atari!
""""""""""""""""""
THE FALCON - SOARING WITH EAGLES
================================
One Man's Opinion
by Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
Senior Editor of ST Report
I think by now, most of STReport's readers have heard about the new
'030 system about to be introduced by Atari - the Falcon. It has been
cussed and discussed on most online services, BBSs, ST Magazines (this
month's Atari Advantage has a great article about it) and in STReport.
Since Atari hasn't _officially_ announced the Falcon yet, all we have to
go on is rumors - but I'm guessing the latest rumors are going to be
pretty close to the release version (Atari Advantage had a Falcon in-house
to play with).
This article isn't to discuss specific features of the Falcon -
there's already enough articles that have done that - but to give you one
man's personal feelings and thoughts about the Falcon.
What do I think about the Falcon? I think one word will describe how
I feel...WOW!!! For the first time in years, Atari has come up with a new
system that not only impresses me, but one that I plan on buying!! (The
TT impressed me but was too expensive for my pocketbook.) And this is
from a person who just a few short months ago swore he would never buy
another Atari product.
Not only am I impressed, but I think the dealers will be also. My
local dealer who dropped the Atari line several months ago - and swore
he'd never have another Atari product in his store - called me the other
night asking about the Falcon. The Falcon is impressing him enough that
he's thinking about bringing in 6-12 units - plus some ST hardware and
software.
IMO, if Atari handles the Falcon marketing and promotion correctly,
the Falcon could be the system that resurrects Atari in the US, Canada,
and European markets! In its price range (approx. $800-$1,000 without
monitor), there's nothing else on the market that can touch it.
I feel that the Falcon is a cheap upgrade for most current ST owners
who have been thinking of upgrading their systems to TOS 2.06, a T25
and/or a 1.44 drive (all of which I've debated adding to my system).
Assuming the Falcon is priced in the $800-$1000 range - with is the latest
rumor - you can buy a Falcon for very little more than what these 3
upgrades would cost you.
A TOS 2.06, 1.44 meg drive setup, and a T25 will cost you somewhere
around $600. Now let's say you can get $200-$300 for your old system.
When you add the two together, you have about the price of the Falcon.
You will have all of the features that you were going buy PLUS many new
ones (more rez's, math co-processor socket, nice add-on slot, internal IDE
hard drive and more)...plus a brand new system, not an upgraded old one!!
The only thing that might cost you a little extra is a decent VGA
monitor and cable (I've been told that just about any good VGA monitor
will work with the Falcon). You should be able to pick up a good VGA
monitor and cable for around $300.
So for about $300 more than upgrading your current system, you'll have
all of the Falcon's additional features AND a system that is faster than
one upgraded to a T25 (according to Jim Allen). No, it won't be as fast
as Jim's or Dave's '030 board upgrades, but it'll be quite a bit cheaper
(when you figure in all of the extra stuff you get). You'll have a system
that is upgradable to 14 megs of memory, has an internal slot that
hardware programmers are already drooling over (I've heard talk of a '386
emulator and a '040 add-on already).
There are a couple of negatives (IMO). One is that the Falcon comes
in a 1040STe type of case. I like the separate keyboard that my MegaST
has. Another is no one yet can tell me what SLM laser printer owners are
supposed to do, the Falcon doesn't have a DMA slot (I'm sure that Atari is
working on a 'fix' for this though).
In spite of these two _minor_ negatives, I've already started saving
my pennies, I plan buying one of the first Falcons' available to me (I'm
sure that Atari hates to hear that <grin>) and I'd highly recommend one to
any current ST owner...or potential ST owner!
If you want to hear more about the Falcon and it's release, Sam
Tramiel, president of Atari, will be in conference on the Genie ST RT on
August 12th (a week before Atari debuts the Falcon at the Atari Messe show
in Duesseldorf). If you're a member of Genie, stop on over and hear what
he has to say (if you're not a member of Genie...why not? <grin>).
_______________________________________________________________
> SILHOUETTE UPDATE! STR InfoFile MAXWELL CPU MOVES EAST!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
MAXWELL C.P.U. MOVES EAST!
==========================
Official Press Release
Maxwell C.P.U., the developers of Silhouette, Fractal Fantasy, Expose
and Megstenders, have moved east. Having resided in the great state of
Colorado for the past four years, we have moved to Maryland for
professional reasons - jobs. My wife and I have secured positions at
Goddard Space Flight Center. I am preparing the software needed to upload
commands and receive data from the magnetometer instrument onboard the
Mars Observer probe that is destined for Mars on a Titan IV booster.
As it has been in the past two years, a full time job does take time
away from developing Silhouette, but the big advantage is that Maxwell
revenue can be refunneled into the business. Silhouette has reached a
threshold of sorts, and it has shown in user enthusiasm and sales.
Indeed, the enthusiasm and sales have kept my interest in Silhouette high.
Version 1.5 is under construction and thoughts are turning to version 2.0.
Participating in Atari computer shows have been a great boost to the
continued development of Silhouette.
Atari Corp. will begin shipping a great new version of the ST
computer, the Falcon, at Dusseldorf this month and later this year in the
U.S. But the ST and TT absolutely needs more and improved software, so
please help me in preventing the unlawful piracy of Silhouette or any
other programs.
Moving to Maryland is offering some great opportunities for Maxwell.
While having resided here only 3 weeks, we have already participated in
two Atari shows and are preparing to display at the Connecticut and WAACE
shows. Furthermore there is an abundance of Atari dealers in our area not
the least of which is Toad Computers. Let me add that the Asheville,
North Carolina and Indianapolis shows were outstanding. Kudos go to
Sheldon Winick, Dan Ward and the people that supported them.
Our new address is:
Maxwell CPU
1533 Meyer's Station Rd.
Odenton, MD 21113
Phone: (301)261-0637
So the computers are unpacked and up and running. Maryland and vicinity is
going to offer some new adventures unlike what we had in Colorado. The
humidity has eased up and Silhouette development is back on course.
_______________________________________________________
> FALCON OVERVIEW STR InfoFile supports both VGA & broadcast monitors
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
FALCON PRELIMINARY OVERVIEW
REVISION No. III
compiled by John Deegan
From the viewpoint of an application writer, the most important thing
to understand about the Falcon 030 is that it is an ST compatible TOS
machine. This means that software written to take advantage of the
operating system features via operating system calls of earlier machines
will work without modification. In fact, a great deal of effort was
expended to insure that a comprehensive percentage of software that runs
on previous machines will continue to successfully operate. The changes
the user will see in the Falcon over previous TOS machines, involves
greatly improved video and sound abilities.
The video system has the following characteristics:
1) The system supports both VGA and broadcast system monitor types.
For this document "broadcast type monitor" means a TV as well as an
analog RGB monitor such as the SC1224.
2) The number of vertical lines can be either 200 or 400 (approx.)
This is done by using interlace on broadcast monitors to get 400 lines
and doubling each line on VGA monitors to get about 200.
3) The number of horizontal pixels can be approximately either 640 or 320.
4) The number of bitplanes can be either one, two, four or eight.
5) Characteristics numbered 1-4 can be mixed in any combination.
6) The color palette is 262144 in 1, 4 or 8 bit per pixel mode and 4096
in 2 bit per pixel mode.
7) Overscan is available in all broadcast video modes.
8) A 16 bit per pixel, true color mode exists that will operate in all
modes except 640 pixel wide VGA mode.
All of these modes can be accessed via the GEM VDI. In the case of
true color mode there is no color palette to allow for changing the color
of pixels that have been already drawn. The GEM VDI provides 256 virtual
pens to use for drawing. These pens act just like the physical pens in the
other modes except that once a pixel is drawn, it cannot be changed using
vs_color().
The sound system has the following components:
1) 56001 Digital Signal Processor
2) DMA sound engine that can playback or record one, two, three or four
16 bit stereo channels at 12.5, 25, or 50 Khz.
3) 16 Bit stereo codec allowing both input and output of sound via
built-in headphone and microphone jacks.
4) An external port (DSP) that allows external I/O for a wide variety of
purposes.
Falcon 030 Hardware Reference Guide
-----------------------------------
The Falcon 030 hardware specification can be summarized as follows:
CPU: 68030, 16 Mhz
FPU: Socket for optional 68881 or 68882 running at 16 Mhz
RAM: Custom module. 1 to 16 Mbytes of RAM.
Blitter: Graphics coprocessor running at 16 Mhz
Resolution BPL Colors Palette colors
:::::::::: ::::::::::: ::::::::::::::
ST Low-res 320 X 200 4 16 4096
ST Med-res 640 X 200 2 8 4096
STHigh-res 640 X 400 1 2 4096
True color 640 X 480 8 256 262144
320 X 200 15 32768 N/A. 1 bit for overlay
VGA or Video X:320 or 640 1,4 2,16 (Overscan
Y:200 or 400 8 256 262144 selectable)
All modes can also be Genlocked, to provide multi-media capabilities on
monitors or televisions. The true color modes also directly supports
overlays.
An on board RF modulator allows for direct connection to TVs. Monitor
connector allows connection to VGA monitors, ST monochrome, or color
monitors (via an adapter plug).
Horizontal scrolling is supported, compatible with STE.
Built in stereo 16-bit analog to Digital convertor.
Built in stereo 16-bit DACs.
Stereo microphone input and stereo headphone output jacks.
Internal speaker.
Sophisticated multiplexer connects DSP, Codec and DMA.
3 channel PSG sound (compatible with ST)
8 channel 16 bit PCM digital record/playback I/O
Stereo 8bit PCM sound (compatible with TT030,STE and MSTE)
Digital Audio/DSP connector
DSP: 56001 32Mhz Digital Signal Processor with 32Kx24 zero wait state SRAM
Modem/RS232 port (9 pin)
MIDI in
SCSI II (50 pin connector) with DMA
LAN Local area network (compatible with TT030 and MegaSTE)
Joysticks:
----------
Two STE compatible enhanced joystick ports supporting four paddles a light
gun, and up to 21 buttons each.
FDD:
----
1.44 Mbyte Floppy Disk Drive
HDD:
----
Internal (optional) hard disk mechanism on IDE bus.
Keyboard:
---------
94/95 key keyboard (with enhanced controller IC which supports faster
keystrokes, up to 300 DPI mouse, and prevents overrun and underrun).
Mouse:
------
100 DPI mouse supplied as standard.
Real time clock with battery backed, non-volatile RAM.
Optional internal HDD
Internal expansion connector
________________________________________________________________
***********************************************************************
:HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
_________________________________
To sign up for GEnie service:
Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo)
Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
Wait for the U#= prompt.
Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.
|"""| |"""| |"""""""""""""""""""|
| | | ||"""""| | Your |
| T ||"""""|| L || | | Computing RT |
| H || || A || R | | Resource! |
| E || G || M || O | | ~ |
| || E || P || U | | GEnieLamp |
| || n || || N | | Online Magazine |
| || i || || T | | ~ |
| || e || || A | | Ed-NET |
| || || || B | | ~ |
| || || || L | | Online Magazines |
| || || || E | | ~ |
| || || || | | Bookettes! |
|"""||"""""||"""||"""""| |"""""""""""""""""""|
|B33||B34.4||B35|| B64 | | C35.4132 |
|===||=====||===||=====| |===================|
Your SysOps: John Peters [GENIELAMP]
& Jim Flanagan [JFLANAGAN]
CHECK IT OUT!--> PAGE 515 - TYPE: M515[RET]
Friends - They're Worth $10 a Head!
The GEnie Buddy Bonus Program makes your friends worth 10 bucks each to
you. Tell your friends about GEnie and get them to subscribe before August
31, 1992. If you and your buddy are still active subscribers at the end of
three months, YOU get a $10 usage credit on your GEnie account!
And there's more! GEnie will award prizes for the person who brings in the
most buddies!!!
Here's your chance to make your friends REALLY pay off! Type *BUDDY now
and get the complete scoop on GEnie's Buddy Bonus Program.
|----------------------------------------------------------|
| ST Roundtable Realtime Conference Special Events |
|----------------------------------------------------------|
| August 10th Peter Zalesak of ABC Solutions will be |
| (Monday) the guest speaker. Peter will discuss |
| Publisher 2 - the first major upgrade |
| for Timeworks Desktop Publisher. |
| |
| August 12th President of Atari, Sam Tramiel, will |
| (Wednesday) give us an advance look at the Falcon |
| prior to its debut the following week |
| at the Atari Messe show in Duesseldorf. |
|----------------------------------------------------------|
| All conferences begin at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time |
|----------------------------------------------------------|
NEW FREE FILE - Select "Darlah's Treat of the Month" on page 475, Option
#9. This month's file is MONOCHROME ONLY.
This demo version of INVISION Elite contains many new features not
included in the first demo. Also included are sample pictures, ordering
information, and the INVISION Elite RTC transcript. INVISION Elite. The
ultimate black and white imaging package. New from Power Thought Software.
For more info and support, see Category 7, Topic 6 ("Invision Elite") in
the Bulletin Board. Remember this file is FREE.
Last Month's Top Downloaded Programs/Utilities:
-------------------------------------------------
24702 LZH201L.LZH (LH5)LZH X ST.REPORT 920701 71296 598 40
Desc: ** LATEST QUESTER UPDATE 201L **
24750 SPX18.LZH X GRMEYER 920704 7040 317 28
Desc: SPX viewer v1.18
24834 LHX.LZH X S.JOHNSON10 920711 18048 223 2
Desc: Damaged LZH file recovery program
24957 SERFX1_1.LZH X BPENNER 920719 8064 220 2
Desc: Serial Fix Version 1.1
24995 FREEFILE.LZH X F.KOCH 920722 1792 208 7
Desc: Aladdin script to DL free file
24713 LABEL2.LZH X N.BEDY 920701 10880 197 2
Desc: A label maker for 3.5 disks.
GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric
Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission
*******************************************
****************************
> ALL 'ROUND GENIE STR Feature LOOKIN' GEnie OVER!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
All Around Genie
================
NUMBER 3
Compiled by Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
Senior Editor of ST Report
A few posts that I found interesting in my travels around Genie. Most
are related to computers and/or the ST, some are not. Today's posts are
all from the Jerry Pournelle RT.
Some folks have left me E-Mail asking why I print so much from the Jerry
Pournelle RT. The answer is simple, I hang out there a lot. There is a
lot of discussion about 1,001 different topics going on over there all
of the time. Discussions about politics, nuclear energy, politics,
medicine, computers - yes, the ST and TT are talked about there, along
with other systems - books, science fiction (usually Jerry's books) and
a little bit of everything else (the only two topics not allowed are
abortion and religion).
Plus one of the best things about Jerry's area is IT IS FREE!! Yes, it
is part of Genie's BASIC Services, so it's included in the monthly basic
Genie payment. You can spend 20 hours a week there and it doesn't cost
you a penny (unless you d/l files). Come on over and tell them that
Lloyd sent you.
------------------------------
From Category 4, Topic 40, Message 66 - D.JONES117 [Mobius]...
For those who travel and have troubles...If you are in a Hotel room that
has no RJ11 jack Unlimited Systems 619-277- 3300
They have a gizmo called a Blackjack, it screws into the mouthpiece of
the telephone and puts a standard RJ11 into it. $50.00
And the Konexx plugs into the small jack for the mouthpiece for $100.00
this one works most of the time.
Reply by C.IRBY1 [cirby]...
For under $5, you can get two alligator clips and an RJ11 female and
clip into an open phone mouthpiece/earpiece...
-------------------------------------
Some computer jokes from Category 4, Topic 24...
From D.MOELLER2 [DaveM] - From COMPUTERWORLD (with a little editing):
A software salesman died and since the salesman had led a bit of a
mixed life, St. Peter decided to leave the decision of what to do
with his soul up to the dead man. St. Peter leads the guy to two
doors. Behind Door No. 1, it's party time--rock and roll, funny hats,
everyone having a ball. Behind Door No. 2, things are pretty quiet--
pastoral scene, white robes, hymnal reading. The software salesman
says to St. Peter, "Gee, I'm a rock 'n roll kind of guy, I'll opt for
Door No. 1." So he goes in, St. Peter backs out, the door slams shut
and locks. Dead silence. Suddenly, in a cloud of sulfurous smoke, the
devil appears. The software salesman says, "Hey, what happened to the
rock and roll?" Devil says, "Ah, so you liked our demo, eh?"
--------
How many Wordperfect users does it take to change a lightbulb?
101. 1 to do the 'CTRL-ALT-RIGHT SHIFT-L' command and 100 to write
books on how to do it.
--------
The Laws Of Computer Programming
1. Any given program, when running, is obsolete.
2. Any given program costs more and takes longer each time it is run.
3. If a program is useful, it will have to be changed.
4. If a program is useless, it will have to be documented.
5. Any given program will expand to fill all the available memory.
6. The value of a program is inversely proportional to the weight of
its output.
7. Program complexity grows until it exceeds the capability of the
programmer who must maintain it.
--------
Pierce's Law
In any computer system, the machine will always misinterpret, mis-
construe, misprint, or not evaluate any maths or subroutines or fail to
print any output on at least the first run through.
Corollary To Pierce's Law
When a compiler accepts a program without error on the first run, the
program will not yield the desired output.
--------
Osborn's Law
Variables won't; constants aren't.
--------
Troutman's postulate
1. Profanity is the one language understood by all programmers.
2. Not until a program has been in production for six months will
the most harmful error be discovered.
3. Job control cards that positively cannot be arranged in improper
order will be.
4. Interchangeable tapes won't.
5. If the input editor has been designed to reject all bad input, an
ingenious idiot will discover a method to get bad data past it.
6. If a test installation functions perfectly, all subsequent systems
will malfunction.
--------
Weinberg's Second Law
If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then
the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization.
--------
Sattinger's Law
It works better if you plug it in.
Jenkinson's Law
It won't work.
--------
Horner's Five Thumb Postulate
Experience varies directly with equipment ruined.
--------
Cheop's Law
Nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget.
--------
Rule Of Accuracy
When working toward the solution of a problem, it always helps if you
know the answer.
--------
Westheimer's Rule
To estimate the time it takes to do a task: estimate the time you
think it should take, multiply by two and change the unit of measure
to the next highest unit. Thus, we allocate two days for a one hour
task.
--------
Stockmayer's Theorem
If it looks easy, it's tough.
If it looks tough, it's damn near impossible.
--------
Brooke's Law
Adding manpower to a late software makes it later.
--------
Finagle's Fourth Law
Once a job is fouled up, anything done to improve it will only make
it worse.
--------
Featherkile's Rule
Whatever you did, that's what you planned.
--------
Flap's Law
Any inanimate object, regardless of its position, configuration or
purpose, may be expected to perform at any time in a totally
unexpected manner for reasons that are either entirely obscure or
else completely mysterious.
--------
From D.MOELLER2 [DaveM]
How many programmers does it take to change a light bulb?
None--it's a hardware problem!
From J.TENNANT1 [JOTTO]
The canonical form of this joke is:
How many hardware engineers does it take to change a light bulb?
None, it's a software problem!
How many programmers (software engineers, whatever) does it take to
change a light bulb?
None, it's a documentation problem!
How many technical writers does it take to change a light bulb?
None, it's a hardware problem!
--------
R.DREWYOR3 [>>Rich<<]...
Left brain people use PCs...
Right brain people don't use computers...
No brain people use Macs.
--------
From W.EARL [Bill Earl]
A hardware engineer, a software salesman, and a programmer were
driving a company car through the desert on the way to COMDEX. In the
middle of nowhere, they heard the THUMP THUMP THUMP sound of a flat
tire.
They pulled over and the engineer and salesman got out to look over
the situation. Sure enough, one of the tires was flat. The software
salesman said "Well, the company should have replaced these tires
with a new set a long time ago." The hardware engineer said "Nope,
they need to trade in the fleet for a better model. This car even has
one of those dumb emergency tires instead of a real spare."
The programmer leaned out the window, looked at the tire, and said
"Well, it's not making any noise now; let's take it back out on the
road and see if it runs okay this time."
From ROBERT.L...
I heard a different punch line that I like better. The programmer
says: "Lets keep on driving and hope that nobody notices"
--------------------
> LEGAL RIGHTS V STR Feature "TRADE PIRATES"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
ADAPSO AND SPA--TRADE PIRATES
=============================
by Albert Silverman
From the Mac RT on GEnie
This is the fifth article in a series on "piracy"--with a reverse twist.
This series currently includes the following articles:
(1) Great Software Licensing Hoax (LEGAL RIGHTS PIRACY1)
(2) Software Copyright/License Quiz (LEGAL RIGHTS PIRACY2)
(3) Great School Copyright Robbery (LEGAL RIGHTS PIRACY3)
(4) San Diego County--Truth Squad (LEGAL RIGHTS PIRACY4)
(5) ADAPSO and SPA--Trade Pirates (LEGAL RIGHTS PIRACY5)
(6) Aldus--Snaring a Pirate Chief! (LEGAL RIGHTS PIRACY6)
-------------------------------------------------------------
ADAPSO
Meet the computer industry's major trade association: ADAPSO, which
originally stood for "Association of Data Processing Service
Organizations." Its current name is the "Computer Software and Services
Industry Association," but who can pronounce CSSIA? Since 1984, ADAPSO
has been disseminating a creative and very imaginative little pamphlet
entitled "Thou Shalt Not Dupe." Claimed as its purpose is the "education"
of the computer software user about the nature of the software copyright
laws, and the effects of software "piracy."
Apparently, however, it is only the software USER who shalt not dupe,
as the software industry, led by its two trade associations, ADAPSO and
SPA, continues to dupe software users (about the true nature of the
copyright and/or licensing laws) on every possible front. In simple
language, ADAPSO is a full-fledged "legal-rights pirate," among other
things.
The King of Disinformation
Given below are three quotations from ADAPSO's engaging little pamphlet.
Quote #1
"Reproducing computer software without authorization violates the US
copyright law."
The Purpose:
To hide the fact that there are two circumstances in which you ARE
permitted to make unauthorized copies of copyrighted computer software.
The Truth:
(1) The making of backup copies of copyrighted computer software, with-
out the authorization of the copyright owner, IS permitted under
Section 117(2) of the copyright law.
(2) The making of a copy of computer software, without the authorization
of the copyright owner, IS permitted for the selected purposes
detailed in Section 107 ("fair use") of the copyright law.
Quote #2
"The money paid for a software product represents a license fee for the
use of one copy."
The Purpose:
(1) to attempt to convince you that your use of any commercial computer
program is controlled by a license agreement.
(2) to inform you that your right to make copies of software is
controlled by a license agreement
The Truth:
(1) If you have not entered into a license agreement, you own the title
to the software. And if you own the title to the software, the
purchase price is NOT (repeat: NOT) a "license fee."
(2) In either case, your right to make and/or use copies of purchased
software is controlled by the federal copyright law and NOT (repeat:
NOT) by a license agreement.
Quote #3
"The developer trusts that the customer will make use of only those copies
for which he has purchased a license, even though making additional,
unauthorized copies."
The Purpose:
(1) to attempt to convince you that your use of any commercial computer
program is controlled by a license agreement.
(2) to inform you that your right to make copies of software is
controlled by a license agreement.
(3) to inform you that you may not use any more copies simultaneously
than the number that you have purchased
The Truth:
(1) If you have not entered into a license agreement, you own the title
to the software. If you own the title to the software, the purchase
price is NOT (repeat: NOT) a license fee.
(2) In either case, your right to make and/or use copies of purchased
software is controlled by the federal copyright law and NOT (repeat:
NOT) by a license agreement.
(3) Copyright law may (under a "fair use" exception) permit the use of a
single purchased copy simultaneously on two or more computers.
SPA
Meet SPA, which stands for "Software Publishers Association." Like ADAPSO,
SPA is no slouch in the disinformation department. As the Prince of
Disinformation, it can also tell a boldfaced lie about the law with a
straight face.
SPA has published two little imaginative pamphlets, whose purpose is of
course to "educate" the legally-ignorant software user about the salient
features of the software copyright laws. One of these pamphlets is
entitled "Software Use and the Law: A Guide for Individuals, Educational
Institutions, User Groups, and Corporations." The other is a little
question and answer session (a favorite technique used by those who
dispense such disinformation) entitled: "Is it Okay to Copy my Colleague's
Software?" Let us now scrutinize the honesty of SPA's program of
user-education. Here are some imaginative quotes from its publication:
"Software Use and the Law"
The Prince of Disinformation
Quote #1
"Title 17 of the U.S. Code states that 'it is illegal to make or
distribute copies of copyrighted material without authorization' (Section
106). The only exception is the user's right to make a backup copy for
archival purposes (Section 117)."
The purpose:
(1) to hide the fact that there are exceptions, OTHER than for archival
(backup) purposes, to the copyright owner's exclusive right to make
and distribute copies, and
(2) to convince the user that only a single copy can be made for
archival purposes
The Truth:
(1) The doctrine of "fair use" (Section 107 of the copyright law) grants
the right to make and use unauthorized copies for selected purposes,
which are unrelated to the making of such copies for archival
purposes.
(2) Section 117 of the copyright law does NOT limit the number of copies
which can be made for archival purposes.
Quote #2
"The law..........................does not give users the right to copy
software unless a backup copy is not provided by the manufacturer."
The Purpose:
(1) to sell publisher-furnished ("pseudo-backup") copies of copy-
protected computer programs as replacements for disks which are
damaged during use.
(2) to discourage the user from attempting to make a backup copy of a
copy-protected program
The Truth:
The copyright law permits the user to make copies of ANY publisher-
supplied program "for archival purposes." Whether or not such a copy is
labeled "archival" or "backup" is irrelevant, and such labeling cannot
abridge this basic user right.
Quote #3
"When a publisher provides a backup,........................there is no
defensible use for a code breaker on that product."
The purpose:
To convince you that it is unethical to make backup copies of a copy
protected program
The Truth:
There is nothing EITHER ILLEGAL OR UNETHICAL in the making of backup
copies of a copy-protected computer program. On the contrary, making a
backup copy of such a program eliminates the requirement that the user
PURCHASE (from the publisher or a distributor) a "backup" copy to replace
an ORIGINAL copy which is damaged during use.
Quote #4
"Because Congress did not envision the growth of this sub-industry of code
breakers, they are not mentioned in the Copyright Act."
The Purpose:
to convince you that the Congress might have written Section 117
differently, had it foreseen that there would be scoundrels out there who
would be so audacious as to profit from helping the software user make
backup copies of copy-protected programs.
The Truth:
Congress draws no distinction between unprotected and copy-protected
programs since such a distinction is irrelevant in the intent of the
archival exception. It grants the user the right to make archival backup
copies of ANY computer program, whether or not the publisher approves or
disapproves. Period.
Quote #5
"Public Law 101-650, the Software Rental Amendments Act of 1990, now
prohibits the lending of original copies of commercial software without
the express permission of the copy-right holder."
The Purpose:
to convince the user that it is illegal to LEND your original computer
software, under all circumstances
The Truth:
In 1990, Section 109 of the copyright law was amended to prohibit the
temporary transfer of computer software to another party for the purpose
of direct or indirect commercial advantage. Nothing in this amendment
prohibits the LENDING of software (to a friend, for example) when there is
no profit motive.
Here are some of the answers from SPA's other imaginative little pamphlet,
entitled: "Is it Okay to Copy my Colleague's Software?"
Question:
"So I'm never allowed to copy software for any reason?"
Answer
"No, you are allowed to make one backup copy if one wasn't included in the
box. Copyright law prohibits you from making additional copies of the
software for any other reason without the permission of the software
company."
The Purpose:
(1) to sell publisher-furnished ("pseudo-backup") copies of copy protected
computer programs as replacements for disks which are damaged during
use.
(2) to discourage the user from attempting to make a backup copy of a
copy-protected program.
(3) to convince the user that only a single copy can be made for
archival purposes.
(4) to hide the fact that there are exceptions, OTHER than for archival
purposes, to the copyright owner's exclusive right to make and
distribute copies.
The Truth:
(1) The copyright law permits the user to make backup copies of any
original (purchased) computer software, without regard to the number
of copies supplied by the publisher.
(2) Section 117 of the copyright law does not limit the number of copies
which can be made for archival purposes.
(3) The doctrine of "fair use" (Section 107 of the copyright law) grants
the right to make and use unauthorized copies for specific purposes
which are unrelated to the making of such copies for archival
purposes.
Question:
"What happens when I receive an upgrade? Can I give my old version to
someone else to use?"
Answer:
"The answer to this question is generally 'no.' Upgrading your software
doesn't give you the right to sell or give away the earlier
version................"
The Purpose:
to prevent you from transferring a publisher-furnished copy, even though
you are NOT licensing the use of the software
The Truth:
Section 109(a) of the copyright law provides that one who owns the title
to a computer program may transfer it without the permission of the
copyright owner. However, one who does not own the title, but is instead
using the software under a license agreement with the publisher, may not
legally transfer the software IF the terms of the license prohibit such
transfer. A licensee who violates this provision of a license, although
not guilty of copyright infringement, is guilty of a breach of contract
and may be prosecuted in state court.
It is very difficult to figure out what this particular question has to do
with "copying your colleague's software," which is supposedly the content
of the material in the little pamphlet containing this question. But
then, the industry's purpose is to muddle the issues to such an extent
that the software user will give up the battle (understanding what the law
is all about) out of frustration. Nice try, SPA.
Protecting the "copy-protectors"
The use of "copy-protection" has not yet disappeared from the scene. One
of SPA's purposes is to protect the interests of those diehard software
publishers who are still using copy-protection. This practice frustrates
the intent of Congress, which is to grant the USER the right to make
archival backup copies. Once again, SPA sees nothing at all wrong in
blatantly LYING about the law in order to achieve his desired end:
preventing the software user from making backup copies of a copy-
protected program.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Read all about it in "THE COPYRIGHT GAME, ETC.--A Strategic Guide for the
Computer Software User," by Albert Silverman. ISBN 0-9527435-1-8. 330
pages in nominal 8-1/2"x11" format, softbound with an attractive cover.
What is the purpose of this book? Replacing the legal Mumbo-Jumbo with
plain English, it provides an all-inclusive, detailed, and impartial
explanation of the computer software copyright laws, using past court
cases for clarification of obscure language in the written letter of the
law. Since there is NO commercially-generated distortion, it is likely
that you will find some surprises; i.e., which run contrary to the
industry's self-serving "interpretation" of the law. Thoroughly debunked
is the industry's attempt to pirate your legal rights by the use of a
phoney "licensing strategy." Included is a detailed and entertaining
analysis of several leading Software License Agreements. In summary, you
are provided with sufficient and accurate information (i.e., the legal
FACTS) to permit you to handle your computer software in the manner
intended by the U.S. Congress, while safely ignoring those industry
perversions of the law which seek to gain for it an unfair advantage--at
YOUR expense.
Exposed in great detail is the outrageous software industry piracy of the
legal rights of unsophisticated software users (directed by unconcerned
educational administrators) within the California public schools. For the
first time ever, this well-hidden scheme has been unearthed (with
supporting and incriminating documentation from my extensive research into
the inner educational sanctum) and is being made public. Although this
ongoing effort is particularly well-organized in California, the premier
"computer state," it blankets the entire nation, leaving no educational
level uncovered.
The disastrous result of this exceptionally cozy relationship between the
computer software industry and the California Department of Education is
explained. If you are at all concerned about the way in which this
illicit educational-commercial "partnership" affects the integrity of
computer education in your public schools and drains away your tax money
to line the software industry's pockets with unwarranted profits, this
book is essential reading.
What will NOT be found in this book? Since its sole purpose is to ensure
that you understand precisely what conduct is required for your
(simultaneous) compliance with federal copyright law and state licensing
law, there are no sermons about your "moral" or "ethical" obligations.
That is, it is only your hard and fast LEGAL obligations which are
addressed. The industry's "moral suasion" is most often an attempt to get
the software user to obey the law; i.e., it is a substitute for the
economically-unfeasible prosecution of small- scale violations of the
copyright law. On the other hand, there may also be a piratical attempt
to make an end-run around the law. That is, when there is NO ground for
legal action against the software user, the industry may seek to gain its
own way, either by shaming the user with claims of immoral and/or
unethical conduct or by the use of a phoney (and usually coercive)
"license." This book sorts it all out for you.
----
The price of $19.92 (check or money order) includes $4.50 for handling,
shipping by UPS, and sales tax if shipped to a California address. A
street address is required for shipping purposes. Off-the-shelf delivery
from:
INTELLOGIC PRESS
P.O. Box 3322
La Mesa CA 91944
----
Any questions? If you want information about the subject matter of this
article, or if you want more information about my book, send me a message
by GE Mail. My GEnie mail address is A.SILVERMAN4. Or you may write to
me at the above address, enclosing a stamped, self- addressed envelope if
you would like a reply.
______________________________________________________________
> STReport CONFIDENTIAL "Rumors Tidbits Predictions Observations Tips"
"""""""""""""""""""""
- Cupertino, CA APPLE ANNOUNCES NEW MAC LCII
-------------
Apple has plans to come out in the fall with a new version of the
Apple Macintosh LCII. This new unit is codenamed Brazil. The Brazil
will include a 68030, a CD ROM drive, color monitor and Apple's QuickTime
multimedia architecture prebundled. This Mac is due in October'92 though
consumer outlets priced around $1000.00. Also due out in the fall are at
least 2, possibly 3 new PowerBooks w/145meg HD and 4Meg ram. Plus
several System 7 upgrades and enhancements.
- New York City, NY DALTON BOOKSTORES TO CARRY ATARI SOFTWARE
-----------------
B.Dalton bookstores, has began tests at selected outlets that will be
carrying computers software, mainly games and educational. Among the
systems they plan to carry titles for is Radio Shack, IBM, Apple and
Atari. The move is viewed as a response to Walden's "Waldensoft".
- Boston, MA COMPUSERVE EXHIBITED AT MACWORLD
----------
CompuServe exhibited at the MacWorld Expo in Boston, 4-Aug through
7-Aug. CompuServe representatives will demonstrate the latest version of
CompuServe Information Manager for Macintosh (Mac CIM Version 2.0) and
CompuServe Navigator for Macintosh (Version 3.1), as well as provide
information and helpful tips.
- San Francisco SEYBOLD DEBUTS ON ZIFFNET
-------------
To celebrate its debut on ZiffNet, Seybold, a newsletter publisher and
trade show company, is extending a special offer to members attending its
Fall Publishing and Communications Expo. Sign up for Seybold San
Francisco between now and 21-Aug, and receive free admission to the Expo
(a $30 value). The Expo runs from 23-Sep to 25-Sep and features exhibits
from more than 250 vendors, plus Gutenberg's Garage, a special hands-on
training center, and the Seybold Art Gallery. Also on ZiffNet, look for
articles from Seybold's three newsletters: Digital Media, Seybold Report
on Desktop Publishing and Seybold Report on Publishing Systems. To
access Seybold within ZiffNet or ZiffNet/Mac, GO SEYBOLD. From CompuServe,
GO ZNT:SEYBOLD. To sign up for the Expo, just GO SANFRAN from within the
Seybold area, and choose Register for Seybold San Francisco. ZiffNet is a
part of CompuServe's extended services.
_________________________________________________________
> STR Mail Call "...a place for the readers to be heard"
"""""""""""""
STReport's MailBag
""""""""""""""""""
Messages * NOT * EDITED for "content"
-------------------------------------
From CIS
(A correction & clarification....)
#: 33698 S1/Forum Business
06-Aug-92 13:24:13
Sb: Corrections
Fm: SYSOP*Ron Luks 76703,254
To: All
This message is being posted to make a correction and a clarification
to comments posted by me in a message earlier this week.
CORRECTION:
In my message I stated that Atari Canada had been closed. Talking to
Atari Corp this morning (Bob Brodie), it was pointed out to me that the
Atari Canada operation had not been totally closed, but had been turned
into a satellite sales office, with many of the other administrative
functions being consolidated into Sunnyvale. If you call Atari Canada,
the phones will be answered.
CLARIFICATION:
In my earlier message, while discussing the open market repurchases of
company stock and debentures, I had made the statement that this was
"probably not illegal as long as it was done right....." My message was
intended to be a public explanation about the concept of company
repurchases, and the specific comment in question was made with the intent
of saying that Atari Corp.'s actions along these lines were NOT illegal.
In fact, its a fairly common action taken by many companies when such
stock and bond repurchases can be made at strategic times.
I certainly did not mean to imply in any way that the actions taken by
Atari Corp. or the Tramiels were illegal (or even improper) in any way.
Quite honestly, I was surprised to hear that my message had been misread
to give such an impression and I quickly *volunteered* to place this
clarification online the moment I heard about the misunderstanding.
I publicly apologize to Atari and the Tramiels for anyone who might
have taken such an inference from my message about their actions. I have
always enjoyed honorable dealings with Sam and family and it was never my
intent to imply otherwise. In fact, such repurchases in the open market
tend to give support to the stock price. While I'm sure myself and other
shareholders would have preferred a higher support price ($8/share would
be nice. [grin]), I applaud Atari Corp for showing faith enough to make
any repurchases.
Ron Luks
From the FNET
(An international opinion)
Conf : STReport Online
Msg# : 20946/20959 Lines: Extended Read: 2
Sent : Jul 09, 1992 at 6:01 PM
Recv : Jul 09, 1992
To : Gerry Mon @Fnet 504
From : Steve Taylor
Subj : Re: Wars
In a message of <07 Jul 92 08:49:00>, Gerry Mon @Fnet 504 (100:2/0)
writes:
- Previously Spider-man wrote:
-
- As the Director of Communications for Atari Corp. don't you think that
- B owes it to Atari and to Atari's users to be unbiased and even-handed
- in treatment of various software developers. It's not as though
- Atari I never understood this "unbiased" argument. I feel that this is
- impossible. We are all human and we all have biases. All businesses
- form partnerships with other businesses.
-
- Finally, this is America. I would like to think that Bob Brodie is
- entitled to having personal preferences in certain third party
- software.
Well sure, Bob Brodie is entitled to his *personal* preferences but when
he uses Atari Corp. to bolster his biases it does not leave them a great
deal of credibility. Not everybody can get free TTs, laser printers,
Falcons etc. but it seems like a bit more than chance is involved.
Finally, this is the UK and it affects us here as well when this sort of
bias has a negative effect on the Atari community of which we are all
part.
Ridiculous favoritism is no way to run a successful company...
ATB, Steve.
* Origin: Steve Taylor's Point on <<<InterNet--- (100:100/0.11)
From GEnie's ST RT
(say....what?)
Category 18, Topic 25
Message 102 Fri Jul 31, 1992
R.NOAK at 01:14 EDT
Did you read the Forbes article? I've come to a startling conclusion! The
author of the article, is really Lloyd Pulley writing under one of his
many nom de plumes! Think about it. Have you ever seen Lloyd and Dyan
Machan (the alleged author) together at the same time? I thought not. We
all know that only ST Report would print such an article which is proof
in, and of, itself. Also, Lloyd has been accused of being about 3 or 4
other people and no responsible person would make accusations like that
without something to back them up. Come on Lloyd. Prove to us that you
and Dyan Machan are not the same person.
Randy @ Southlake, Inc.
------------
(Uh oh, the jig is up!)
Category 18, Topic 25
Message 103 Fri Jul 31, 1992
LEPULLEY [Lloyd Pulley] at 02:50 EDT
Randy,
You caught me out. Yes, I'm Dyan Machan. ST Report has infiltrated
Forbes and is planning on using it for our hidden agenda.
Lloyd <grin> Pulley
------------
Category 18, Topic 25
Message 104 Fri Jul 31, 1992
ISD [Nathan] at 10:03 EDT
Now that is really funny Lloyd!
------------
(ah yes.... from the funnybone)
Category 18, Topic 25
Message 105 Fri Jul 31, 1992
R.NOAK at 23:23 EDT
Lloyd,
I thought so.
Hey, now that you mention it, has anyone ever seen Malcolm Forbes Jr. and
Ralph together? I didn't think so!
Randy @ Southlake, Inc.
------------
From the FNET
(Interesting Position....)
Conf : Atari Explorer On-Line
Msg# : 55/44 Lines: Extended Read: 1
Sent : Jul 26, 1992 at 5:45 PM
To : Ron Kovacs
From : Robert Guadagno at Fnet Node 133, Hologram Inc. - 133 - O.B., NJ
Subj : Atari, and other Myths
In a message of 25 Jul 92 09:27:00, Ron Kovacs wrote:
I have done much in the past few years, I have fought long and hard
FOR Atari. Stood up for a machine whilst I watched friends and co-
workers surpass me with their home computers. I have seen quartly
reports from IBM, Compaq, and Apple showing strong sales and large
market share (note: sales were weaker that previous years, but good
for current conditions). And on the other hand I had Atari, once a
proud company, fighting to reach some success, now I see her asleep
on the job, whilst others look on her and spit. This hurts me, alot
more than anyone can know. I have a major investment with Atari and
not just will a few hundred shares of the company, I have a MEGA ST
4 with a AdSpeed ST 16Mhz board, a color and mono monitor, an extra
floppy drive, an Atari MEGAFILE 60, and a supra FD-10 for storage
plus the Migraph Hand Scanner, and the Navarone Sheet-Feed scanner,
as well as the Atari SLM804 Laser for "professional looking" prints
when my Panasonic KX-P1124 needs a rest. TONS of software, NAME IT!
I most likely have (or HAD) a PURCHASED COPY!!! (I own TWO (2), YES
TWO copies of WordPerfect).
Now I feel cheated, cheated becaue Atari is doing everything wrong!
Releasing product I know she'll never support with any strong back-
ing, and that will not likely BE supported by software companies.
So here I have my last say, my ability to let off some collective
steam, Why? because Atari has hurt ME for one last time.
RK> The "Year of Atari" was something coined from ST.REPORT.
I never stated the origin of the phrase, but STR was not the ONLY
magazine to use it, I recall Z*NET, Current Notes, AIM, as well as
ST Informer. Plus I can recall Atari telling us 1990 was going to
be THE YEAR OF ATARI.
RK> And if you think about it, there are plenty of other cute quotes that
RK> slip out of the mouths of the editors.
Yes, I know. However, my message was NOT about STR.
RK> The problem with it all is just your type of message. Not the content,
RK> but the perception of things.
Ron, please I thought you knew me better than that. What I wrote
came from many-a-month after Bobs reply to me after I wrote that
he was WRONG about Atari making money FY '91.
On top of the fact that the report I received now tells me I was
2-Million off, Atari did not lose 12-Million First Quarter '92,
They lost 14-Million!
RK> If Atari were to constantly release product to the public there
RK> wouldn't be any support for it.
I understand that, IF Atari was a "normal" company but lets take
your statement one part at a time. First Atari has yet to release
a NEW product, the STe was not "new" it was a correction of an
original developers error, lets face it. The TT is new, but it's
OLD Technology, and is still limited because Atari has YET to
THINK that people would like to EXPAND (not just memory!).
Second. Even if the Falcon does come out, I will repeat IF! does
anybody really THINK they will be supported! and if so by WHO!?!
Tell me one, only ONE software publisher that will support it and
CodeHead, ISD, ICD, Gribnif, SDS, ATARI, SoftLogik, GoldLeaf (as
well as the rest of the Professional Systems Group), and ALL MIDI
software companies CAN NOT BE INCLUDED!
RK> The STe and TT were released to developers and they have continued to
RK> develop for it.
Give me NAMES!, WHO??? Daffy Duck! what company is "looking" at
the Falcon? and don't give me that "I am not allowed" garbage!!
I know full-well "Why" Bob Brodie is "unwilling" to provide that
information...it's because all the names are the SAME! no one new
on the list! tell me I'm wrong!!!! and then PROVIDE PROOF!!! :^)
RK> The NEW machine is close to release to developers who will hopefully
RK> create more product.
YES! I agree, from CodeHead, ISD, ICD, etc. etc. etc. (I wonder
if PaineWebber will be opening an office in Germany?).
RK> There aren't too many companies having great years right now because
RK> of the economy.
Again, I agree, but that's the 1991-1992 excuse, what about 1987-
1990?
RK> We all have to cut back. Until things change, what else can be done.
RK> You cannot spend money, like TV, Radio etc... with low income.
You have to SPEND money to MAKE money, and Atari has done: C) None
of the above.
* Origin: Aces High BBS ~ Matawan, NJ ~ AtariNet 51:4/4 ~ (1:107/662.0)
From the FNET, a few of _47_ messages recently posted by Brodie
wish we could see as much Atari participation on the majors....
("Public Relations at its _very_best!")
Conf : Atari Explorer Online
Msg# : 245 Lines: 16 Read: 6
Sent : Jul 20, 1992 at 6:12 AM
To : Mark Kovarski
From : Bob Brodie at Z*Net Golden Gate - California (Node #706)
Subj : Statistics
In reply to:
- Since Atari Corporation and its representatives lack professional
- business matters, I will tell you and the rest whatever I feel
- necessary to be known to you and the rest. If you don't like it, just
- ignore my messages.
-
Mark, I'm getting an awful lot of complaints about the posts you and your
brother make. Please stop.
It's not your place to post whatever you feel is necessary. You and your
brother are becoming VERY annoying, AGAIN. If you care to discuss Atari
Computers with regard to your usage of them, and any problems that you
might have in using them, we're glad to help.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
(The "analyst" speaks)
Conf : Atari Explorer Online
Msg# : 245 Lines: 20 Read: 6
Sent : Jul 20, 1992 at 6:39 AM
To : SHERVIN SHAHREBANI
From : Bob Brodie at Z*Net Golden Gate - California (Node #706)
Subj : Re: <24500> Open your eyes
In reply to:
- Oh another thing, Mark Kovarski is by NO STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION an
- Atari basher. He does not have "contempt" for Atari. He, like me,
- wish that Atari were in a much better position right now. He simply
- doesn't want to be mislead. He wants the facts out on the table where
- he can see them. Isn't that what we all want?
You could have fooled me, Shervin. I think he does have contempt for
Atari. Frankly, I'm not even sure if he owns an Atari ST/STE/TT right now.
I'm not asking for apologists in this conference. This is a place to
discuss, and get help with Atari ST/STE/TT Computers. You are free to ask
questions on almost any topic related to our product line. However, I get
more complaints about the Kovarksi Brothers than anything else, and that
includes our failure to advertise!!!
Approach is everything online. They come across as arrogant. Most of the
users are reacting negatively to that, which is to be expected.
(Somebody else; "Saying like it is")
Conf : Atari Explorer Online Crossnet
Msg# : 21295 76 Lines: Extended Read: 5
Sent : Jul 21, 1992 at 3:37 PM
To : Bob Brodie
From : Mark Kovarski at The Bre(/\)ery _ Ajax_Canada _ (Node #66)
Subj : Atari
Replies: 24801
Mr. Brodie,
I am not certain if you are still trying to answer my questions regarding
the three 'bugs' or you are just ignoring them because you don't know the
answers. Thank you very much anyway.
I would like you to answer the following question. You have pointed out
that at Atari Corporation there are many projects which are worked on
under different code-names. This leads me to the so-called "Panther". You
have not denied the existence of this particular piece of hardware, but
you also have not confirmed it. I am certainly interested in the fact that
Mr. Grove's Company (CEO of Intel Corporation) has a PC workstation with
the name "Panther", which is based on the new 586i microprocessor, which
customers will be able to licence. Titles and slogans can be protected to
some extent by federal trademark law and by state laws against unfair
competition and misappropriation; a title, for example, will be protected
by those laws if it has acquired such a reputation in the public mind that
the use of it by someone else would amount to taking a free ride on the
first user's/companies popularity. I seriously doubt that Atari
Corporation will be running a lawsuit against lawsuit hungry Intel
Corporation. However, there is a very high probability that it will be the
other way around once this issue will be put on the desk of Intel
Corporation.
Also, a benchmarking test completed by Sanford C. Bernstein & CO.,
Integrated Circuit Engineering Corp. shows that under the CISC category
the Intel 486 microprocessor is ranking first with a SPECmarks of 19 while
the Motorola 68040 is second at 11 SPECmarks. Needless to say, both
processor are exceptionally fast, however the winner is the Intel
processor.
I have obtained from Intel Corporation some Data Sheets that discuss their
future plans with their new designs. In a recent interview with CEO Andy
Grove, he pointed out that Intel will be pushing the new designs hence
Intel will release every two year a new microprocessor. The Data sheets
confirm it as well. Intel has started the 586 Design in 1989, publicly it
was shown in 1992, and volume shipments will start in early 1993. The
chip is rated at 100 Mips. The design of the 686 have begun in 1990, 1994
will be shipment day and 1993 will be the public unveiling. Rated at 175
Mips, it will be almost double as fast as the 586. The 786 due in 1996
(volume shipments) will be rated at 250 Mips. It is obvious that PC
manufacturers will adopt this chips in their computers. Since Atari
Corporation is planning to release the Falcon next month , and 1993 will
be the volume shipment year of the Intel chips, what are the plans of
Atari Corporation with the Motorola Corporation and their designs? It
seems that Motorola has fallen behind in the design of microprocessors but
they are promising to come back with the 68060. Are there any plans to
switch to the Intel based microprocessor, unless Motorola will be shipping
its microprocessors equivalents during the same timespan as Intel does? By
the time the Falcon will be on the market for a few months there will be a
microprocessor that will be as much as 16 times faster than the current
one in the Falcon. Are there any concerns at Atari Corporation at this
point and time?
Intenet: kovarski@zooid.guild.org
UUCP: uunet.ca!zooid!kovarski
IBMnet: Mark_Kovarski@40:649/313
Opinions expressed are my own.
(Who said ....that!)
Conf : Atari Explorer
Msg# : 24710 Lines: 10 Read: 4
Sent : Jul 22, 1992 at 4:47 AM
To : Steven Scavone
From : Charles Berlinguette at TEMPLE OF DOOM BBS (Node #595)
Subj : Re: <24570> THE NEW MACHINE
Previously Steven Scavone wrote:
- I beleive the Falcon will be like a Honda..... It will sell tself.
If the Falcon would be like a Honda, the US government would charge Atari
with unfair business, like dumping or not having enough American content.
The government would STOP anything if special interests are not being
served. Just like this message base, this should be an open forum without
the need of a PRO-ATARI cop force.
Sorta reminds me of Mcarthyism of the 50's. I'm communist because I run
an IBM! Ha ha.
(Oh no! More of the love it or leave noise..)
Conf : Atari Explorer On-Line
Msg# : 17/3 Lines: 15 Read: 3
Sent : Jul 31, 1992 at 7:28 PM
To : Charles Berlinguette
From : Duke Kish at Fnet Node 610, The Songwriter's Den
Subj : FALCON
Charles, get serious. How many conversations do you dive into...where you
are the subject and the negative comments are dripping. Oh yeah, I dove
into two of those conversations about an hour ago and six of them early
this morning. Oh yeah..I REALLY loved getting my butt kicked around.
Are you REALLY for real. You lambast the guy and you want him to jump and
smiling and say "Charles, Charles, my friend, it's a wonderful day, how
goes it with you?" There is only two ways to handle someone like you and
one is ignore you. That's the civilized way. I've read your posts and
have yet to see anything positive and really constructive in them.
Perhaps you'll shock me and the others on this conference who happen to
believe in this company and its' representatives. No...I'm not on the
payroll, not a personal friend, not anything but a user. Lately, I'm
starting to feel "used" by people like you. Grow up, or get off the
boat.
Duke.
(Yup! If ya don't like what they're sayin' SILENCE 'EM!)
Conf : Atari Explorer On-Line
Msg# : 328/4 Lines: 15 Read: 4
Sent : Jul 28, 1992 at 9:04 AM
To : Tim Steed
From : Bob Brodie at Fnet Node 319, Atari Base USA
Subj : FALCON
TS> And I do hope that you are honest and include yourself in the
TS> bunch you mention above...
TS>
TS> If you don't like the conference, you are always free to leave.
TS>
Just start using MaxiMiser, Tim. Put him in the TWIT list, and you'll
never see messages from him again.
regards,
Bob Brodie
Bob Brodie
* MMST 2.09 #: 97
(Not nice! .... Bad mouthing those not here to defend themselves.)
Conf : Atari Explorer On-Line
Msg# : 3/2 Lines: 15 Read: 5
Sent : Jul 28, 1992 at 9:10 AM
To : Ed Krimen
From : Bob Brodie at Fnet Node 319, Atari Base USA
Subj : THE KOVARSKIS
Ed,
You're wrong about FoReM not having a kill file like UseNet. FoReM
uses an offline reader called MaxiDoor that allows you to set up a
TWIT.LST which will kill off all those messages that you don't want to
read. It's just a simple ASCII file with the names of those people
that you don't want to hear from.
It took a little bit of experimentation, but I've got it down now. On
UseNet, our guys have kill files for the Bob Retelle, Richard Coverts,
Chris Mauritz, and the like. Here, I have a twit list for Edward
Kovarski and a few other people.
Silence really can be golden! <grin>
* MMST 2.09 #: 97
(The fear of who? What?)
Conf : Atari Expl OnLine
Msg# : 9/3 Lines: Extended Read: 4
Sent : Aug 01, 1992 at 7:56 PM
To : Robert Guadagno
From : Richard Guadagno at Fnet Node 133, Hologram Inc. - 133 - O.B., NJ
Subj : Atari
In a message of 31 Jul 92 21:29:42, Robert Guadagno wrote:
RG> Thank you ALL for your time!
Please let this be the last message on the subject. Anytime someone
says anything remotely negative about Atari, the Roaches come out of the
woodwork and make it very hard to continue to read these conferences.
In fact there are about 3 roaches still insisting on causing
trouble,and because of their constant put down of Atari, it made your
message look bad because it appeared to most people that you were jumping
on the bandwagon.
What is making matters worse is there are more and more people saying
the same things, but because of the few who will not let up, nobody is
allowed to say anything bad about Atari or they will:
A. Be placed on a twit list.
B. Be told to sell the Atari and buy ...pick a computer...
C. Told they "work" for ST*Reports.
And automatically be considered a "bad seed", "troublemaker"....whatever.
* Origin: Jokers' Wild ~ Matawan, NJ ~ (1:107/662.1)
From the FNET
(More.... about the FALCON)
Conf : Atari On-Line
Msg# : 9/3 Lines: Extended Read: 1
Sent : Aug 01, 1992 at 12:39 PM
To : All
From : Dan Aylward at Fnet Node 596, Super 68+ Kent, WA
Subj : Atari Advantage is Here!
Guess what I found in my mailbox this morning? Yep! The waiting is over.
It looks as if AA will remain in publication. A new firm is taking it
over; not Atari Explorer. The Falcon article was excellent! There were
pictures... Looks just like a 1040 STe but darker, yellow letters on the
keyboard (yuck), and different ports. It'll work with any VGA monitor; no
multisync needed! One part said a math coprocessor was included, and
another said there is a slot for one... TWO processor direct slots; one
for a motorola-based expansion (such as a Mac emulator) and one presumably
for an Intel-based expansion, such as a clone emulator. Max number of
pixels are 640X400 256 colors out of 32,758, but supposedly the built in
overscan will give a 5% larger screen in any resolution... I don't know
what that means... scrolling, maybe? This is a disappointment compared
to earlier rumors; I hope later versions will sport 24 bit graphics! Most
of the other rumors appear to be true. Oh, it says 2 megs of RAM are
reserved for the OS (MultiTOS), Which is curious, because it will
supposedly be available in a 1-meg version... and the internal IDE drive
is optional. They did not mention the price, but from what I've heard
before, $700 would probably be the 1-meg version with no hard drive. Oh,
also there's a new keyboard controller that supports faster typists :) and
300 DPI mice. And a 1.44 floppy with an Ajax chip that is rumored to
support 2.88 meg floppies. No external ACSI or floppy drive port.
Bi-directional parallel port, and the serial port is the 9-pin type (like
TT and Mega STe). It also has LAN port and DSP port and SCSI port &
stereo in/out port, headphone jack, internal speaker, etc, etc...
Oh, remember the "THE STORM IS COMING" ad in the last AA? Guess what.
There's another ad by the same company in this issue. It says "THE STORM
IS BREWING!" with no explanation. But this time it's in the advertisers
index. The advertiser is.... "The Storm"! Yippee skip.
From CIS
(and More.... FALCON INFO)
#: 68498 S8/Hot Topics
07-Aug-92 08:49:44
Sb: #68435-Forbes Article
Fm: INTERSECT Software 76004,1577
To: SYSOP*Ron Luks 76703,254 (X)
Again, rumors that I have heard suggest that there will be a new
mid-line computer, probably named "Sparrow." There will be a 68040
machine sometime in the future.
Just a guess but I expect Atari to continue to sell the STE, as the
low end computer ($300.00), a mid line computer...Sparrow with 68030 and
an optional internal HD ($700) and Falcon with 68040 and extended graphics
to support Xwindows ($1,400).
The names may change but the positioning will remain the same.
The current specs for what we are hearing are to be in the Falcon would
not support Xwindows and a message here on CIS from a Unix person in Atari
suggests that Atari won't release Unix until a 68040 machine is available.
The TT can only support Xwindows in a 19 inch Monochrome monitor.
[Jeff]
From the FNET
(....More * REAL * Casualties...)
Conf : STReport Online
Msg# : 21347/21360 Lines: 12 Read: 1
Sent : Aug 03, 1992 at 1:59 PM
Recv : Aug 04, 1992
To : Ralph Mariano
From : Flemming Nielsen
Subj : Re: Atari Canada Closed?
ATARI closed it's office in Denmark last spring, and has closed it's only
remaining office in Scandinavia August 1st.
I am an ATARI dealer, but have no idea as to where I am going to get the
computers from now. (Probably Germany) There has been absolutely no
warning to the dealers here. I can still get the machines I need, but for
how long? I don't want to help start an avalanche, but ATARI does seem to
have a problem.
Flemming (Digisoft) SysOp @ DigiBBS
* Origin: DigiBBS Denmark (The Danish ATARI Connection) (100:105/3)
(From a very well-known and popular Canadian BBS)
Message : 3239 [Open] 7-31-92 9:59pm
From : Gordon Lawson
To : All
Subject : ATARI Canada
Sig(s) : 1 (Text Files) There are 2 replies
Have just learned that ATARI CANADA has closed its doors. In fact, if you
go to their building in Scarborough on tues Aug 5, there will not even be
a sign on the door. All repairs are now being shifted to private
companies around the country. Where does that leave us? Will ATARI U.S.
still be around in a year? Any information sure would be appreciated.
How could such a great system be run by such fools......?
[N]ext [J]ump [R]eply [A]gain [Q]uit Next
Message : 3241 [Open] 7-31-92 10:19pm
From : Tom Watts
To : Gordon Lawson (x)
Subject : #3239 ATARI Canada
Sig(s) : 1 (Text Files) There is 1 reply
Closed its doors? Thats odd! Why would Atari U.S. not mention that
they were closing the Atari Canada building? Maybe Atari has gone
bankrupt and they're selling everything while they can.
-Tom
[P]rev [N]ext [J]ump [R]eply [A]gain [Q]uit Next
Message : 3244 [Open] 8-01-92 4:19pm
From : Richard L Rosado
To : Gordon Lawson
Subject : #3239 ATARI Canada
Sig(s) : 1 (Text Files)
Gordon,
That is very odd. There is no message like "Now located at..." or
anything remotely similar? That's rather frightening. I mean, what
_else_ is going to be happening to Atari in the near future? While I
don't want to start any rumors, if they simply moved that is the worse
possible way of handling it.
Richard
(Who said its NOT CLOSED?)
----------
Conf : AEO CROSSNET
Msg# : 6/3 Lines: Extended Read: 1
Sent : Aug 03, 1992 at 21:54 PM
To : All
From : David Pischke at Fnet Node 523, LEFTOVER HIPPIES 523 1:250:744
Subj : ATARI CANADA *CLOSED*
This message was originally posted to the TAF BBS. I am reposting it
for everyone here.
Conf : Open Forem
Msg# : 2904 Lines: Extended Read: 2
Sent : Aug 3, 1992 at 12:28 PM
To : ALL
From : ANDY NEDZA
Subj : ATARI CANADA UPDATE (REPOSTED)
On Friday July 31st, 1992, Atari Canada has closed its doors. This
comes in a move of several layoffs beginning through mid July, and was
part of planned cutbacks since early this year. The closure, however,
does not reflect the folding up of Atari as much as it marks the
beginning of the new marketing strategy for the Falcon line. Atari
Canada distributed and supported Atari hardware since 1985. Prior to
this, Atari in the pre-Tramiel days contracted its hardware
distribution to the Irwin (electronics) Toy company in Toronto. It is
suspected that Atari will be going back to doing the same thing (but
not the same contractor).
On Friday, dealers calling Atari Canada were told that a new service
centre and sales representative will be appointed shortly. Atari
Canada has itself been using the GE service centre in Toronto for the
past three weeks. It is suspected there will be a sales rep appointed
to each province which will take orders to be filled from a central
warehouse. If this warehouse is in the US, prices for hardware are
expected to fall due to lower shipping costs in the states.
Atari Canada was never able to make enough sales to meet its salary
expenses, even though staff was already minimally paid and cut back
to the bare essentials. It is not expected that prices will rise
through contracted redistribution. Atari has been criticized in the
past for its poor in-house distribution network in America. Using
existing third party networks may be the fastest way to bring a
network that is almost to none-existent back to working order.
Atari Canada's Sunnyvale North was also closed. This unique BBS had
an active node on the datapac network providing a means to connect the
country together for free. Any user in Canada could call up their
local datapac number and talk to users across the country. This
service will be sorely missed.
It is not known what happened to the remaining staff at Atari Canada,
but it is suspected they lost their jobs (rather than being
re-assigned or re-located). More will be brought as soon as it is
known.
* MMST 2.09 #: 12
(Phone # is the same, but the address ain't?)
Conf : Atari Explorer
Msg# : 54/83 Lines: Extended Read: 3
Sent : Aug 04, 1992 at 12:22 PM
To : All
From : DAVID PISCHKE at Fnet Node 523, LEFTOVER HIPPIES 523 1:250:744
Subj : Atari Canada -- Update
This is an update on the Atari Canada situation.
It started with a call from an Atari Canada employee to a local dealer
last Monday. The employee said that it looked like Atari Canada was
closing up, because they were moving stuff out and getting rid of
staff quickly. A high-level Atari Canada employee also told the
dealer the week before that he might be leaving Atari Canada. When
the dealer called Atari Canada back, the dealer learned from the staff
there that the high-level employee was no longer with Atari. However,
he resurfaced on the Wednesday before the closing (it closed Friday
July 31) without any explanation what he was doing. Technically, he
wasn't with Atari Canada anymore, or at least that's what was told to
the dealer's staff when they actually went to Atari Canada to pick up
stock.
On Friday, dealers officially learned that Atari Canada was closed
through a tape recorded message on the service phone number. The
message said that a sales representative would get in touch with them
and that an alternative service centre would be appointed. It sounded
like Atari would now maintain a sales rep in separate regions, but now
it's starting to look like Geoffe Earle will remain with Atari, but as
the service rep for all of Canada. It is also believed that Atari
will set up a warehouse in the Eastern US to distribute stock for
eastern North America. The role of the service rep will be to drum up
orders and new customers who would then receive stock shipped directly
from this warehouse. It's believed this will be the direction because
shipping through US companies is cheaper, and some are even offering
free one way shipping to Canada. This doesn't mean, though, that
contracted distribution will not be considered, as was done before.
There is suspicion that Atari may have already obtained a distribution
contract. This is not an unusual situation, and may in fact be quite
beneficial. ICD currently markets its products this way, as do many
other companies. Its also thought this move is the first step in
FALCON marketing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I cannot take credit for the contents, I was given the information by
a local user who had sources within Atari Canada.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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STR Online! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" August 07, 1992
Since 1987 copyright (c) 1987-92 All Rights Reserved No.8.32
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