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Silicon Times Report Issue 0939
SILICON TIMES REPORT
====================
INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
=============================
from
STR Electronic Publishing
September 24, 1993 No. 9.39
=========================================================================
Silicon Times Report
International Online Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155
R.F. Mariano
Publisher - Editor
-----------------------------------------
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EST
STR Publishing Support BBS Network System
* THE BOUNTY BBS *
FIDO 1:112/35 ~ FNET 350 ~ Nest 90:21/350.0
904-786-4176 USR/HST 24hrs - 7 days
2400 - 38.4 bps V.32 - 42 bis 16.8 Dual Standard
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EST
-----------------------------------------
Fido 1:112/35 The Bounty STR Support Central 1-904-786-4176
FNET. 620 : Leif's World ................1-904-573-0734
FNET. 690 : PASTE BBS....................1-206-284-8493
FNET. 460 : The Atari ST Connection......1-209-436-8156
FNET. 489 : Steal Your Face BBS..........1-908-920-7981
_________________________________________________________________________
> 09/24/93 STR 939 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
""""""""""""""""
- The Editor's Desk - CPU INDUSTRY REPORT - STR Confidential
- KODAK NewsLine - Glendale Overview - POWER PC to Debut
- People Talking - INTELLISYSTEM - ABOUT IRQs
- PC/IBM NEWS - MAC/APPLE NEWS - ATARI/JAG NEWS
-* COMPUSERVE TO OFFER CD ROMS! *-
-* VERBATIM TO SELL OPTICALS! *-
-* NOVELL EMBRACES UNIX! *-
=========================================================================
STReport 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/PROWL/ITC/USENET/NEST/F-Net Mail Networks. You may also Phone
The Bounty BBS direct @ 904-786-4176. Enjoy the wonder and excitement of
exchanging all types of information relative to computers, worldwide,
through the use of excellent International Networking Systems. SysOps,
worldwide, are welcome to join the STReport International Conferences.
The Fido Node is 1:112/35, ITC Node is 85:881/253 Crossnet Code is #34813,
and the "Lead Node" is #620. All platform's BBS systems are welcome and
invited to participate. Support your favorite computer Today!
=========================================================================
CIS ~ DELPHI ~ BIX ~ NVN ~ FIDO ~ PROWL ~ ITC ~ NEST ~ EURONET
USENET ~ CIX ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ~ FNET ~ GEnie
=========================================================================
COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME
to the Readers of;
STREPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
NEW USERS; SIGN UP TODAY!
CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198
You will receive your complimentary time
and
be online in no time at all!
WHAT'S NEW IN THE ATARI FORUMS (September 24)
COMPUSERVE TO OFFER CDROMS!
COMPUSERVE INTRODUCES 14.4 SUPPORT FOR THE PRICE OF 9600 BAUD!
14,400 BPS INTRODUCED IN 10 CITIES
ACCESS AVAILABLE FROM RUSSIA
CompuServe access is now available in Moscow for speeds up to 2,400
bps through an Infonet local dial-up number. The communication surcharge
is $11 per hour at any time. SprintNet access up to 2,400 bps is also
available in Russia, Indonesia and Kuwait, with a $49.70 per hour
communication surcharge.
CompuServe now offers 14,400-bps access capability in ten U.S.
cities: Cambridge, Mass.; Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Los Angeles; New York;
Newport Beach, Calif.; Orlando, Fla.; Philadelphia; Rochelle Park, N.J.;
and Santa Clara, Calif. This service will be offered in other U.S.
locations within the next year, and will eventually be extended to Europe.
Pricing for 14,400-bps access is the same as for 9,600 bps: $16 per
hour for Standard Pricing Plan members, and $22.80 per hour for
Alternative Pricing Plan members.
The 14,400 bps service supports V.42 error correction and requires a
V.32bis modem. To log on at 14,400 bps using the CompuServe Information
Manager, enter the Session Settings and change the bps rate to either
14,400 or 19,200. If you have problems logging on, change the modem type
to the Hayes Compatible (default) setting.
For more information about using 14,400 bps, GO FEEDBACK or visit
CompuServe's software support forums (GO CISSOFT). To obtain the 14,400
local access numbers, GO PHONES. To read more about CompuServe's pricing
plans, GO CHOICES. The information areas are all included in CompuServe's
basic services.
Download file MGIF42.ZIP from LIBRARY 14 of the Atari Arts Forum (GO
ATARIARTS) for an extremely fast monochrome GIF viewer for ALL ST's, TT's
and Falcon's. Tons of new features added in this version, to include
JPEG/JFIF view of files. faster and more accurate dithering, support for
GIF 89a's as well, plus a lot more.
This program displays GIF and JPG pictures so well, it's nearly like
having a mono equivalent of Photochrome. Due to the technique used,
pictures look best when viewed from 4-6 feet from the screen.
The history of Atari is posted as file ATARI.TXT in LIBRARY 17 of the
Atari Productivity Forum (GO ATARIPRO) (from the Internet system).
The second set of "20 QUESTIONS" submitted by Atari Forum members and
answered by Atari Corp (specifically Bob Brodie, Bill Rehbock and James
Grunke) is available for download as file 20Q_02.TXT in LIBRARY 15 of the
Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS).
See files OMEGA_.ZIP and OMEGAF.ZIP in LIBRARY 12 of the Atari Arts Forum
(GO ATARIARTS) for a very well done European demo for the STE and TT. Well
worth the download time.
Download file JAPANE.ZIP from LIBRARY 4 of the Atari Productivity Forum
(GO ATARIPRO) for a program which makes it possible to display the
Japanese and input single-byte katakana, double-byte katakana, hiragana
and more than ten different series of special symbols which are assigned
to symbol keys.
Download file DRIVRS.LZH from LIBRARY 11 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO
ATARIVEN) for the latest PageStream import modules. Updated 10-AUG-93.
This archive contains ALL of the import modules currently shipping with
PageStream 2.2b. Included are new Illustrator, EPS, and TIFF import
modules.
THE PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE
HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN
OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION
"GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM"
"ENJOY CIS' ATARI FORUMS WHERE CENSORSHIP IS A DIRTY WORD!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> From the Editor's Desk "Telling it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""
In this issue you will not find a single reference, other than this
editorial, to the "Lexicor/STRT/IAAD" Fiasco. Or, the Nathan & Darlah
Show and its being accused of "Conflict of Interest" by Lexicor. These
topics are being fully researched through all available and viable
conduits and as soon as further data is compiled, a full report of our
findings will be made available. STReport deems it necessary to do so as
a result of all the diversionary and flatulent activity coming forth in
the online community. Most of which seems to be coming from those who
would not want the real and truthful representations to be known.
As such, the research has begun and will be presented shortly.
In the past week, we've seen a number of other distracting,
diversionary issues projected to the forefront by those who can only be
seen as N & D supporters. Shamefully, we find other "non-biased" members
of the press surfacing and/or seemingly making claims of "ignorance of the
issues" while, at almost the same time, offering outspoken opinions about
the issues. Their opinions obviously reflect their apparently being fully
"briefed" by those who seemingly wish to have Lexicor remain "ostracized"
..thus attempting to justify their blatant and highly questionable
actions, statements and activities.
On another "front" we see where the blurb from last week's issue
about the Jaguar being late has been interpreted by some as "really
saying" the "Jaguar will fail". NOT! This is pure tripe. STReport
stated the "Jaguar will miss Christmas". That's exactly what was said and
nothing more. Although in the same blurb we did make an error. STR had
listed LA as being one of the cities slated for early distribution of the
Jaguar, it should have stated San Francisco.
Recapping, STR reported the Jaguar would be late, NOT a failure as
some, (whose obvious agendas are showing), have been parading about
saying. Atari's Brodie, when asked about the Jaguar item in STReport did
not at all deny the report but instead, seized the moment to further
denigrate the professional perception of Atari by offering, as a reply,
ridicule of STReport. Please accept our apologies for his unprofessional
behavior and representation of Atari.
Further, we calmly noted the editor of a "company voice" publication
is apparently desirous in making another of Atari's misfortunes into a
"circus" by asking for wagers on "when the Jaguar will appear". Its
"vaguely apparent" he has little or no idea of the differences between
"appearing" and "being in distribution".
(As an aside, how many recall the time when a statement made about a
particular product "shipping" was made valid by the company as it was
shipped from one company executive to another!)
Once again; the Falcon's appearance on dealer's shelves in quantity
will be delayed until _after Christmas, 1993_. Solid shipments of product
are not expected until the first quarter of 1994.
Lastly, and far more relevant to the times, STReport is embarking on
a series of articles looking into the monitor marketplace. We intend to
place emphasis on the quality rather than price break of the monitors.
The endeavor will encompass several months if not more. Additionally a
single high powered program will be used on all the monitors and the same
basic system will be employed. The first article will appear next week.
Ralph....
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
** STReport International Online Magazine **
NOW AVAILABLE FOR
ELECTRONIC HOME DELIVERY
DIRECT TO YOUR (E-)MAIL BOX
STReport will be E-Mailed to any GEnie subscriber who requests it as
an archived (in LZH format) attached file. Instructions for downloading
an attached file are provided on page 200 on GEnie (Type M200).
Downloading E-Mail utilizes the very same transfer protocols as the GEnie
RT Libraries, so there is little or no difference between downloading
from a Library and downloading an attached file (also called F-Mail).
To request STReport be E-Mailed to you, send subscription request in
E-Mail to J.MIRANDO1 requesting such and you will be put on our "paper
route" beginning with the next issue. Each issue will be uploaded by
Saturday evening and will be available to you immediately. It simply
appears in your E-Mail queue!
Wait no more for the REAL news and FULL information from the wonderful and
sometimes wacky world of computing...
Ask for your STReport deliveries to begin today!
*** 379 SUBSCRIBERS AND GROWING! ***
STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU!
""""""""""""""""
Publisher - Editor
""""""""""""""""""
Ralph F. Mariano
PC DIVISION AMIGA DIVISION MAC DIVISION
----------- -------------- ------------
Roger D. Stevens Robert Glover R. ALBRITTON
Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor Emeritus
STReport Staff Editors:
"""""""""""""""""""""""
Dana P. Jacobson Michael Arthur John Deegan
Lucien Oppler Brad Martin Judith Hamner
John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Joseph Mirando
Steve Spivey Doyle C. Helms
Contributing Correspondents:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Michael Lee Richard Covert Scott Birch
Brian Converse Oliver Steinmeier Tim Holt
Andrew Learner Norman Boucher Harry Steele
Clemens Chin Neil Bradley Eric Jerue
Ron Deal Robert Dean Ed Westhusing
James Nolan Vernon W. Smith Bruno Puglia
IMPORTANT NOTICE
""""""""""""""""
Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
via E-Mail to:
Compuserve................... 70007,4454
Delphi......................... RMARIANO
BIX............................ RMARIANO
FIDONET........................ 1:112/35
FNET........................... NODE 350
ITC NET...................... 85:881/253
NEST........................ 90:21/350.0
GEnie......................... ST-REPORT
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
"""""""""""""""""
Computer Products Update - CPU Report
------------------------ ----------
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Issue #39
By: John Deegan
COMPUSERVE TO OFFER CD-ROMS - In Columbus, Ohio, CompuServe Inc. an-
nounced this week a project with Metatec Corp. to publish a multimedia
extension of the information service on CD-ROM disk beginning in the
first quarter next year.
CompuServe and Metatec told reporters the project will enable those
with CD- ROM-equipped computers to receive constantly updated online
information enhanced by audio and video components.
"Potential content," observers said, "includes a graphics and sound-
enhanced version of CompuServe's electronic shopping service, an
interactive magazine and multimedia extensions to some of CompuServe's
most popular databases and special interest forums."
Said CompuServe President Maurice Cox, "This alliance with Metatec
allows us to help define the consumer information services of the
future. We can use our extensive network and database capability with
the multimedia capabilities of CD- ROM to deliver a broad array of new
services to CompuServe Information Service members."
Cox said the project is an opportunity to combine online services
with CD-ROM-based information and to have an interplay that makes the
best use of each medium's strong points.
"With faster transmission speeds and wider bandwidth," said Cox, "we
will add substantial value and quality to the information our members
receive. This is the first important step in making CompuServe available
through multiple media channels."
Metatec, which is based in nearby Dublin, Ohio, produces Nautilus, a
multimedia magazine published monthly on CD-ROM for Macintosh and
Windows platforms and featuring text and software.
VERBATIM TO SELL IBM OPTICALS - Verbatim Corp. has agreed to make and
sell 650mb and 1.3gb 5.25-inch optical disk cartridges for the IBM 3995
Optical Library Dataserver products and IBM 0632 CB Models Multifunction
Optical Drives.
Verbatim says the deal makes it the distributor of IBM brand WORM
media in the U.S., Canada and most of Latin America. The media will be
sold through Verbatim's distribution sales force. In addition, Verbatim
will set up a telemarketing unit to handle inquiries and provide
service.
NOVELL EMBRACES UNIX SYSTEM; MICROSOFT REACTS, CUTTING PRICES -
Saying it is committed to making the Unix operating system open to the
industry, network maker Novell Inc. said it will make UnixWare available
for other computer platforms besides Intel-based PCs.
Novell officials are quoted as saying the firm will integrate its
UnixWare operating system with its NetWare PC network operating system
as an alternative to Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT.
Within hours, Microsoft announced it will eliminate the charges
(normally $35,000) for the NT client software that links PCs together on
a network.
Observers said, "The move means users of Microsoft's new Windows NT
Advanced Server software will need to pay only a flat fee of $1,495 per
server computer. Software for 'client' software, which had cost up to
$39 per user, will be free."
IBM POWERPC CHIP MAKES ITS DEBUT - The PowerPC chip -- created by
IBM, Apple Computer Inc. and Motorola Inc. to challenge chipmaker Intel
Corp. -- makes its debut this week in four new IBM workstation
computers.
Another version of the RISC (reduced instruction set computing) chip
is expected to find its way into an Apple system in the future.
The four desktop and servers for networks introduced today also come
with new graphics capabilities. They will be available next month with
prices starting at about $7,600.
IBM also is introducing three more powerful workstations based on a
RISC design of its own, called Power2. "They fit at the top end of the
RS-6000 line," says AP, "with prices starting at $64,500 for a deskside
version and a server for networks beginning at $127,000."
AT&T, NEC TO JOINTLY DEVELOP ASIC CHIPS - AT&T and Japan's NEC Corp.
have signed an agreement to jointly develop application specific integ-
rated circuits (ASIC) by June 1995.
ASIC chips are semi-custom- made to meet a user's specific need by
combining standardized integrated circuit (IC) cells.
The AT&T and NEC have already jointly developed basic technology to
use 0.35 micron width lines and the next step is to apply this tech-
nology to product developments, said an NEC spokesman.
ATARI APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND ADVERTISING - Atari
Computer Corp. announced this week that Terrence Valeski, a 22-year
veteran in consumer electronics marketing, has joined the Sunnyvale,
Calif.-based company as director of marketing and advertising for
Jaguar.
Valeski's immediate responsibility will be to execute the national
roll out for Jaguar -- Atari's new high performance gaming system. He
reports directly to Sam Tramiel, president of Atari.
"We are very pleased that Terry has joined Atari. His experience is
invaluable to us," said Tramiel. "Developing strong relationships with
retailers and developers as well as communicating with consumers will be
critical to our success as we get ready to market and distribute Jaguar
worldwide."
In an industry dominated by foreign companies, U.S.-based Atari an-
nounced this summer that it has developed a high-performance, 64-bit
home video game system called Jaguar, capable of delivering faster and
more powerful video games to the home market. Atari will be made in
America and has signed IBM to manufacture the Jaguar in its Charlotte,
N.C. plant.
__________________________________________________
> ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
=====================
On CompuServe
-------------
compiled by
Joe Mirando
Hidi ho good neighbors and neighborettes. Its time again for us to
make the rounds on CompuServe to pick up on some of the news, hints, and
tips to be found there.
I guess that with all the hubub about health care reform the
president and vice-president haven't had the time to take me up on last
week's offer to show them what a real information highway looks and feels
like. And I'm still waiting to hear back on my idea of giving CompuServe
users tax credits. Hey!... maybe we can use those tax credits to help pay
for our share of the national health care plan... Naaahhh.
Well, let's get on with the column. Oh, before we do, remember to
write to your congressmen and senators and tell them to vote "yes" on the
'CIS/Tax Voucher Bill'. And now... on with the show.
From the Atari Productivity Forum
=================================
Rob Rasmussen posts:
"My Supra FaxModem all of a sudden will not get a dial tone when I
try to call CIS. After I double click on a number to call in Flash's
dial directory, the modem clicks and dials, but there was never a dial
tone so of course it doesn't connect. The TR (terminal ready)
indicator displays, and during dial the "DIAL" indicator lights up, as
does "OK". There was lightning here the other day. The computer and
modem were not turned on, and the modem's AC is plugged into a strip
with surge protection. Could this be caused by it getting zapped
through the phone line? Could I get it fixed or is it fried?"
Bob Retelle asks Rob:
"How are you calling in now..?
Are you using your ST with a different modem..?
If that's the case, then your ST is OK.. (big sigh of relief)
Is the ST also plugged into the surge suppressor..?
Unfortunately, just being turned off sometimes isn't enough to
protect against a nearby lightning strike. Physically unplugging
everything is the best protection against lightning (except for a
direct strike that burns your house down...)
I recently had an I/O card in my PC damaged by lightning that reached
through the modem without harming it, but blew out the input buffers
on the I/O card.
Luckily a new multi-I/O card was only $17..
From your description of the symptoms, it's likely that the input
buffer chips in your modem gave their lives to protect the rest of the
modem.
The output functions seem to be alive, but the modem is not sending
anything back to your computer.
If you type ATO in a terminal screen to the modem, do you hear the
modem "pick up the phone" and hear the dial tone from the modem's
speaker..?
If so, then commands are getting through to the modem from your
computer (which is true from what you said was happening.. it WILL try
to dial), but if you can hear the dial tone, and the computer
doesn't, then nothing is getting back from the modem.
(In my case I could actually dial out and connect to CompuServe, but
nothing ever got back to my screen...)
To make a loooong message short, it's very likely that you *might* be
able to save the modem by replacing the buffer chips."
Myles Cohen asks Rob:
"Could it be...I'm only clutching at straws, mind you...could it be that
your configuration has changed in some way..."
No word yet, folks, but we'll keep you informed of Rob's quest for an
answer.
Boris Molidyi asks Charles F. Johnson of CodeHead Software:
"Off subject, any chances of having MultiDesk compatible with graphic
cards that do not have Line-A?"
Charles tells Boris:
"The latest version of MultiDesk (v3.4a) _is_ compatible with
graphics cards that don't support Line A; all Line A calls have been
replaced with VDI calls. Version 3.4a has been available for over a
year now."
Boris tells Charles:
"Hmm, I believe that I have the latest version, and it does not work
with Crazy Dots II, and Gribnifs said that it's because of Line-A
calls... Strange."
Rick Flashman of Gribnif Software jumps in and tells Boris:
"Our copy of MultiDesk is most likely not the most up to date one (CT
show, I think), I would trust what Charles said, as Line-A is no big
deal to remove (in the sense that as the programmer, Charles would
know if any Line-A was left in). Check your version number and compare
it with what he said in his message."
Peter Joseph asks:
"Folks, what's the fastest reset-proof ramdisk around? I've been
using Maxidisk that I got here and it's performed flawlessly for years
and does some kind of compression thing so you can get more in it than
usual, but I get the feeling it's not the fastest thing around.
Sheesh, you'd think I'd leave well enough alone. :)"
Robert Aries tells Peter:
"When I installed the TEC card in my 520st, the ramdisk I had been
using stopped working. I experimented and found that Maxidisk was the
_only_ PD reset-proof ramdisk that worked with TOS 2.06 (well, the
only one I saw, anyway). You're right about its speed; it's actually
slower than my hard drive because it's doing its
compression/decompression thing.
So I'm waiting with you for any other responses to your query!"
Sysop Bill Aycock (of CAL/WHATIS fame) tells Robert:
"I've found the CodeHead Ramdisk (from their Utilities disk) to be
solid with all the TOS versions I've used, and it's one of the fastest
(if not THE fastest). No realtime compression, though..."
Carl Barron jumps in and posts:
" Code_ram works, 1 prob. with TOS 1.06 & possibly later toses is esc
from desktop to reread files displayed, causes 2 bombs, does so
without fail zilch loaded except code_ram 4 meg 1040ste. Weird...
Used sparsely with TT & !auto loaded so I may have to test it there.
Vers. circa apr.92."
Bill Aycock tells Carl:
"That's an odd error! I haven't run into it (even on a 4 meg STe),
but then again with HotWire and UIS I don't often open disk windows on
the desktop..."
Robert posts:
"...I'm sure the Codehead stuff is the best. Thing is, I already
have similar stuff that I'm using. Not as good but workable for now."
When Peter asks if the CodeHead Ramdisk is reset-proof, Bill Aycock
replies:
"Yup, sure is. A fact which has saved me a lot of work on several
occasions. :-) Plus, it doesn't need a 'double boot' when it starts
up."
Peter asks:
"Tell me again what it's called and where to find it, please."
Bill tells Peter:
"The CodeHead Ramdisk is available on the CodeHead Utilities Disk.
It's a normal commercial item, so you should be able to get it from a
dealer, or direct from CodeHead. (Ask Charles Johnson, 76004,2232, for
more info on that part.)"
Sysop Jeff Kovach tells us:
"Another ramdisk that will still work with TOS 2.06 is L-RAM, which
is part of L-UTILS by Keith Ledbetter. I believe it is available here
in the file libraries."
Robert Aries tells Jeff:
"Thanks Jeff. I downloaded the L-UTILS and the ramdisk does indeed
function with TOS 2.06. Curiously though, I have to deal with a
"double boot". This seems to be the case no matter where the ramdisk
is in the auto folder.
Also, I'm wondering if I need the L-CACHE program that's included;
doesn't TOS 2.06 do some disk caching?"
Jeff explains it to Robert:
"The double booting with the L-UTILS ramdisk is part of its
installation process, there's no way around it. Guess I've been using
it so long that I forgot to mention it.
As far as the disk-caching goes, I don't use L-CACHE. I'm not
aware of TOS 2.06 doing any disk caching, but I'm not certain. I
believe disk caching is a function of the hard drive utilities you
use. I use ICDs HD utilities which allow you to set several different
types of disk caches. I don't believe the Atari HD utilities have this
feature, and I have no idea about Supra HD utilities.
I'm sure you'll find the L-UTILS ramdisk to be reliable and
trouble-free. I too used Maxidisk for a while, but I found it to
occasionally corrupt data stored in it after HEAVY use."
Robert posts:
"I suppose I can live with the double-booting. At least I know it's
normal and not some weirdness with my system or TOS.
As far as disk caching, I have ICD software for my Link which I
haven't installed yet. I assume that's equivalent to what you're
talking about? Right now I'm using Atari's software with my Megafile
30 but I just bought a floptical & the Link from Purple Mountain
Computers."
Matt McNeely tells us:
"I am looking for dealers of Atari computers either in my local area
(Boston,Ma) or anyplace in the USA,also is the 1040ST still made?"
STReport's own resident Bostonian, Dana Jacobson tells Matt:
"Try The Computer Zone in North Attleboro, MA (near Providence, RI).
I don't have the number handy, but can get it if you don't want to
call Information. Other than that, I believe there may be a dealer or
two in the western part of the state. The 1040ST is not being made,
nor are any of the ST/STe series. although there may be some
available somewhere. Atari discontinued them. The current line
supported are TTs and Falcons."
Chris Gray posts:
"I thought 530 STFMs were still being made? (probably 1040 STes,
too)."
Bob Retelle tells Chris:
"It's hard to tell exactly what models Atari is still
producing. We've heard that the 520STFM was "re-introduced" in the
UK, but Bob Brodie has recently said that the Falcon030 is Atari's
"entry level" system now."
Rafael Mardones asks about revamping his old machine:
"I have a very old ST 520 with an external 400Kb floppy. Does anybody
know how to upgrade the floppy to a 720 (o better) one?"
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Rafael:
"The double sided 720K drive mechanism used in the Atari SF314 drives
is exactly the same as most IBM PC 3.5 inch floppy drives.
The only difference is the way Atari used the write protect line to
determine whether the disk had been changed or not.
Some drives seem to work with no problems at all, and some work, but
have problems telling when you put a new disk in the drive.
I've never made the upgrade myself, I just bought the Atari SF314
drives.
I think we might have had some text files about how to do the upgrade
yourself in the Software Libraries, but they're so old that they might
have been replaced by other files by now.. I'll see if I can find
anything.. or maybe some of our other members might have some info
that would help...
Oops.. I see that I omitted an important bit of information...
The ST uses the same drives as IBM systems do, as long as you obtain
a 720K drive. The most common drive in IBMland now is the 1.44
Megabyte style, which *might* work, but I can't confirm that it
does for sure.
Early STs like you have cannot be directly upgraded to the 1.44 Meg
drives, although there is at least one third-party high density drive
kit available.
You should be able to obtain a 720K drive mechanism for around
$50-$75 that will work with your 520ST."
From the Atari ST Arts Forum
============================
John Bonavita asks:
"What happened to the Falcons? I know that they were released but does
anyone outside the Atari community know about them?"
Bill Devonshire posts:
"Actually I have heard that they are selling very well. In Toronto,
as much out of the way as you want to get, they are selling steadily.
The main problem is not selling them but getting them to sell. They
are up to about sixty sales in last few months. as well , I have
talked to a dealer in the States that says they have moved about 600
of them. That's good news! Hey, don't count this machine out before
its even started. I think we hyped ourselves way in advance, (with
the help of an early release schedule). The developers are only now
getting a handle on the power of this beast, and it is a powerful
beast. I have seen a list of software titles from Holland that would
spin your head, at least 200 new releases in the wings and on the
shelves for the Falcon. Everything from GCR to Flight simulators!
Those who get on this band wagon are in for a ride. Those who haven't
taken a ride on this machine cannot comprehend the Falcon's abilities.
Anyhow, things are far from dead, they are just beginning,..."
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Bill:
"I don't think the original post here indicated that the Falcon was
"dead"... invisible sounded more like it.
Of the Falcons that you know of, are there an appreciable number of
*new* Atari owners among them, or are they mostly people who know
about the Falcon because they previously owned other Atari models..?
We *really* need a lot of NEW owners in the market..."
Bill tells Bob:
"You are right, invisible is the word! From the numbers, I
would think that most of the sales have been to the tried and true. We do
need NEW people coming in, but if the OLD ones don't buy, I don't think
that any new ones will either. It would seem that the majority of
advertising for the prowess of the Falcon comes from the user rather than
the creator. It really is too bad that it was released before a good base
of software was out there for it. It gives the impression of
invisibility. Right now the real work is throbbing under ground. But
soon it will be popping up."
Sysop Ron Luks asks Bill:
"Did the "Dealer in the states" say that his store had sold 600
Falcons, or that 600 Falcons had been sold in the states?"
Bill tells Ron:
"The dealer said 600 from his store (but maybe he's the only one
getting orders :-) ) (there's that double chin again) Anyway, it
would be in line for the numbers of present Atari users seeking out
and purchasing Falcons. As well, this dealer has a software company
with about 10 titles coming due for release on the Falcon."
From the Atari Vendors Forum
============================
Beat Koch asks:
"Does the company VersaSoft still exist, and if so, do they still
support and further develop dBMAN for the ATARI platform? What would
be the current release number?"
Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Magazine tells Beat:
"I think the most current version of dBMan is 5.3. VersaSoft still
exists."
CodeHead John Eidsvoog gives a very nice explanation of what a
print spooler is:
"The purpose of a spooler is to grab printer information as fast as the
computer can send it, without waiting for the time it might take the
printer to accept the data. If the application sending the printer data
is
very slow or your printer is very fast, you won't notice much effect
from the spooler, since the data will pour right through the spooler
out to the printer as soon as the computer sends it. Also, if you
fill the spooler, printing will proceed at the speed of the printer
until the computer has sent all of its data (as you surmised). This
is how all spoilers work, although some are more efficient than others
(none more efficient than the CodeRam spooler).
The documentation for the Spooler Manager is in the #4 release notes
(additional printed pages). If you don't have this documentation,
call our office and we'll arrange for you to get it. It should have
been included in the CodeHead Utilities package or upgrade.
The SPOOLER.PRG is old and outdated, even though we still include it.
You should use the spooler in the CodeHead RAM Disk, because it is
reset-proof and it communicates with the Spooler Manager. When you
reinstall the RAM disk with a different sized spooler, the change
takes effect immediately. The memory is reserved at the top of
physical memory."
Peter Joseph has a question or two more for John:
"Does the spooler work with TOS 2.06? Or maybe what I should ask is
why TOS 2.06 doesn't interact well with the WordPerfect spooler. Does
Warp9 interfere with this also? I know there is a WP patch on the
Warp9 disk, but that's for Multidesk right? I don't have Multidesk."
John tells Peter:
"Compatibility between most of our products and MultiTOS is pretty
much at a stand-still. We're not sure it's possible to achieve
compatibility with MultiTOS in its current state."
Tom Mynar jumps in and tells John Eidsvoog:
"That's OK. I would need a TT to really run it well anyway.
There's quite some delay even in typing in Flash when it's running on
my T25.
Perhaps Atari will smarten up (yah, and pigs are right now flying out
my butt) and re-package Geneva. But then we'd have to get Word
Perfect and others back involved...
I bought the TEC MegaBus board from you at the Atarifest and I love
it.
I have a suggestion and a question.
Could you use another means for the pin 28/20 wire connections. In
the EPROM sockets on my Mega 4, these wires were VERY loose. I bought
a header pin thingie from Best Electronics at the show and soldered
your wires to that. It provides a much better connection using the
resistance of the entire socket to hold onto.
I have Warp9 version 3.75 and Multidesk version 2.0. Should I upgrade
? I'm also now running SpeedoGdos with some Migraph products as well
as Atari Works. Should I upgrade your above products for SpeedoGdos ?
I as of yet have had no problems, but I wanted to be sure."
Charles F. Johnson tells Tom:
"Thanks for the suggestion on the TEC boards. We'll mention it to
the German manufacturers next time we communicate with them.
Yes, you should upgrade both Warp 9 and MultiDesk -- Warp 9 because
our just-released version 3.80 is compatible with SpeedoGDOS (v3.75
wasn't), and MultiDesk because version 2.0 wasn't completely
compatible with Warp 9."
Tom takes the opportunity to ask Charles:
"Since you're a TOS expert. How many of the fix-it files I had in my
AUTO folder are needed for TOS 2.06 ? I have: FOLDR100.PRG,
TOSFIX.PRG and TOSFIX.PRG."
On the subject of Warp9 version 3.8 being Falcon compatible, David
Hagood asks:
"When you say it's compatible with the Falcon, do you mean a Falcon
running TOS or MultiTOS?"
Charles tells David:
"This release of Warp 9 is not compatible with MultiTOS; it is
compatible with the version of TOS built into the Falcon. We're still
looking into the MultiTOS situation; we're hampered by the fact that
most of our usual debugging/development tools also refuse to run under
MultiTOS.
In the meantime, for our customers that need a multitasking
environment, Gribnif's Geneva looks pretty good -- and it's much more
compatible than MultiTOS, not only with our programs but with a
broader range of programs across the board."
Now that's what I call a good product! How many times have you seen
a vendor go out of their way to mention someone else's product that
directly competes with Atari's?
I've been using Geneva since its beta release and can tell you that
it is a wonderful program. The beta version is at least as polished
as many "final versions" of software on any platform. It's faster
than MultiTOS, and it's much more compatible. Thanks, Gribnif.
I guess that one good turn deserves another, so Rick from Gribnif
tells Charles:
"...Actually to expand upon that, Warp 9 works
"perfectly" with Geneva. We use it all the time. Therefore, we highly
recommend it."
Rick is correct also. Warp9 and Geneva work well together. It's a
combination that is hard to beat. Try them out and see.
From the Atari Portfolio Forum
==============================
Francis Shrago tells us:
"I am a student who studies in manchester and lives in London. I
intend to use the Atari if bought mainly for typing in my lecture
notes, and then transferring them on to my PC. Please could you tell
me:
a) If this is a good idea
b) Where & how much to get pay for the portfolio
c) What else I can do with the portfolio other than writing text etc"
Sysop Ron Luks tells Francis:
"I've heard from a lot of students that use the Portfolio as a
note-taker. It should do very well for you. I'm sorry but I don't have
any suggestions for getting the best price in London, but perhaps some
of our UK members can jump in here.
The Portfolio is a computer that runs a multitude of software.
There is no limit to what you might do with the unit and I would
suggest that you just browse thru the library files in this forum and
look over some of the programs we have available for downloading."
Peter Bennett tells Francis:
"I'm not a sysop here but I may be able to help as I run a business in
the UK which deals exclusively with the Portfolio, its hardware and
software (both commercial and PD & Shareware) - however that makes my
opinion pretty biased! ;-) . To answer your questions:
a) The Portfolio is ideal for the use you describe. It is small
enough to carry in your pocket, but still has a keyboard which is very
reasonable to type on. The screen font is large enough to read
clearly and it has a good battery life. To transfer to a PC you need
an accessory, the parallel peripheral which, as well as allowing you
to print files directly from the Portfolio, also comes with the
software necessary to transfer files to an IBM-compatible PC. There
are other file transfer solutions but this is the cheapest and least
hassle.
b) We are currently selling new Portfolio's for 119.95 UK pounds
(*including* VAT & P+P) which is probably the cheapest you can usually
get one in the UK. However, some shops are selling off their stock
(eg. W H Smith were recently) and if you are lucky enough to find one
you can pick one up for as low as 99.95 UK pounds including VAT. From
us, the parallel peripheral is an additional 42.50 UK pounds including
VAT & P+P. You will also need a file transfer cable (another 11.50 UK
pounds from us). If funds allow, a memory card is a useful addition
for saving files.
An alternative would be to check out the computer magazines for
second-hand models as you can often pick up a bundle of Portfolio,
parallel peripheral, file transfer cable and AC adaptor for around the
99 pound mark.
c)There is *so much* you can do with a Portfolio that I couldn't
really start here! Other forum members may chip in, but check out the
libraries here for over 1000 Portfolio related files. There is a
'frequently asked questions' file PORT.FAQ which is worth downloading.
Also if you send us your address by email, we can send you a
catalogue. We also produce a bi-monthly newsletter on
all-things-Portfolio. David E Stewart who also frequents this forum
produces a Portfolio magazine called Re:Port, also bi-monthly and each
issue comes with a disk of unique Portfolio software.
Hope this is of some help. Our address is:
The Portfolio Connection
Bucklands Cottage Wallingford Road
Cholsey Oxon
OX10 9HB Tel/Fax 0491 836880"
Bill Osburn tells Francis:
"That is exactly what I use my PORT for. I type in the notes,
transfer it on my PC via a Card Drive, then import it into
WordPerfect. I produce some slick homework that way. They're great
on tests, too!"
Sidney Ripkowski tells us:
"My port has impressed me yet again.
I just had to change the batteries, first time since last January. I
use it regularly to keep track of todo's, and access the ramcard
frequently. I don't know why, but the batteries lasted 9.5 months this
time.
The only secret may be: I plug it into AC power AS SOON AS I get
home, and unplug JUST BEFORE I leave.
I am waiting for the ramcard battery to die, I haven't changed it
since August 1992. It still works!
Just thought I'd share this mileage excerpt with any newcomers to the
Port arena."
JF Davington teases Sidney:
"Quite impressive but..., do you really unplug-it once in a while
;-)."
Peter Bennet asks:
"I've had a request from a client as to whether it is possible to
import Portfolio address book files into the Clarisworks database. I'm
at a bit of a loss as I am unfamiliar with the MAC.
I know that many databases import information in comma-delimited
format and, if my memory serves correctly (which it doesn't that often
;-)), I believe there is a small utility in the libraries to convert
.adr files to comma-delimited - so this may be a solution."
JF Davington tells Peter:
"I don't know if one already exists in the libraries but I was
working on one for the Port in Pbasic. I hit a snag when writing a
subroutine to strip the phone number off the first line in .ADR files
and put it in its own field. Other than that it works fine but it
simply puts each individual line in quotes and separated by commas. I
asked BJ to look into the bug but he has been very busy lately. If it
helps I can upload it now but it wont separate the phone number."
Peter tells JF:
"Thanks for your reply and offer. He has not yet got to the point of
being able to connect his MAC and Portfolio (he is considering the
Pocket MAC file transfer software from DIP - I'm not sure if its
available in the US) but wants to import .adr to Clarisworks when it
is connected. Hopefully, by the time he's got the file transfer up and
running, your program will be ready anyway (that's optimistic of me,
isn't it? <G>"
Brad Barclay asks:
"Is there anyone out there in either Canada or the US who has a
catalogue of Portfolio peripherals? I'm in need of a few things,
such as a carrying case, a serial interface kit, any other goodies
I can lay my hands on. I am also considering supplying Portfolio
systems to any of my employees who are interested (which just about
all of them are)."
Sysop Ron Luks tells Brad:
"David Stewart of Re:Port should be able to help you with
accessories."
Well folks, we've come to the end of the "show" for this week. Be sure to
tune in next week, same time, same station. Be ready to sit back in that
comfortable chair, kick your shoes off, relax and listen to what they are
saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
________________________________________________
> IRQ INFO STR Feature Getting to know IRQs
""""""""""""""""""""
IRQ CONFLICT.TXT
Paul Heim, CIS ID 74066,635
Two of the most typical causes of problems in getting a terminal
program to run properly these days are COM Port and IRQ conflicts. Let's
see what is meant by an IRQ or COM Port conflict, and what we can do to
avoid and correct such a conflict
COM Ports are the Input/Output Ports used by the computer to deal
with serial devices such as modems, plotters, mouse and other pointers,
etc. An IRQ is an Interrupt Request Line which is a way to interrupt
whatever the computer is doing in order to handle something important,
such as a characters coming in on the serial line.
Without special equipment we can normally make four COM Ports
available. These are called COM1, COM2, COM3 and COM4.
Each of these COM Ports has a BPA (Base Port Address). This is the
address to which signals for the COM Port are sent. Likewise each of
these COM Ports is serviced by an IRQ. The normal arrangement in most
(non-PS/2) types of computers) is as follows:
COM PORT ADDRESS TABLE (NON/PS2)
Port IRQ BPA
---- --- ---
COM1 IRQ4 Hex 03F8
COM2 IRQ3 Hex 02F8
COM3 IRQ4 Hex 03E8
COM4 IRQ3 Hex 02E8
(The PS/2 and its clones do this differently for COM Ports
after COM 2, but if you have a PS/2 or compatible you
probably already know about the differences!)
******************************************************************
* The not-to-be-forgotten rule is that no two serial devices, *
* such as modem and mouse, can use the same COM Port OR the *
* same IRQ at the same time. It just won't work, and sooner *
* or later will bring you grief. *
******************************************************************
If you will look at the above Table, you can immediately see the first
trap, put there by the original IBM architecture. Sure enough, COM Ports
1 and 3 both use IRQ 4. COM Ports 2 and 4 both use IRQ3.
In a practical sense this means that we cannot use COM1 and 3 at the same
time, and we cannot use COM2 and COM4 at the same time, IF we continue to
have them serviced by the IRQ as listed in the standard table. We may be
able to use them at the same time IF we change the IRQ that services them.
More on that later.
We are thus limited, it would appear, to really just two COM Ports if we
are to avoid IRQ conflicts resulting from the use of a single IRQ to
service two COM Ports.
When we first install our new computer we are often presented with one or
more COM Ports built in by the manufacturer, and made available for easy
access on the rear of the computer as Serial Ports COM1 and COM2, and
using IRQ4 for COM1 and IRQ3 for COM2. All fine and dandy. We can put
our mouse or other pointer device on one, and our external modem on the
other. No conflicts, as you can see from the table above. On the table
above, place a check mark in front of the COM Ports which are "built in",
and therefore "in use", and to which we can attach something, even if you
don't attach a mouse or modem or something else to them. If the
manufacturer only supplied one external COM Port, then place a check in
front of it. It is "in use" whether you attach something to it or not.
Parenthetically, we should note that on some computers there is
a separate Mouse Port for a "PS/2 type" mouse. If we have such
a Port, even better. Attach your PS/2 type mouse to this special
Port, use the PS/2 Mouse Driver furnished by the Mouse manufacturer,
and relax, because this PS/2 type Mouse does NOT use one of the
two Serial COM Ports above, and does NOT use either IRQ3 or IRQ4.
Such a "PS/2 type" mouse or pointer device typically uses IRQ12.
We are, in any case, using COM1 IRQ4 (or COM2 IRQ3) for our external
modem. Tell Procomm that the modem is on COM1 (or COM2) and Procomm, which
knows the standard IRQ and BPA for COM1 (or COM2), has no problems.
Ah, you say, but I have an "internal modem", not an "external" modem.
An internal modem is a little more than an external modem. It is
also a new Serial COM Port as well as a modem. It has its own UART
and must be told what COM Port number it is, what IRQ to use, and
what its BPA is. (The UART is the chip that does the sending and
receiving from the CPU to the Serial line.)
The manufacturer may only have provided COM1, and if so on the Table above
you have only checked COM1 as in use, and COM2 is available for the
internal modem. So you can configure the internal modem, through dip
switches or jumpers, to operate on COM2, IRQ3, BPA Address 02F8, and all
is well. No conflicts. Place a check mark in front of COM2 in the Table
above. COM2 is now in use.
But if there are two "built-in" COM Ports, our problems begin. We already
have "built-in" Ports COM1 and COM2, so the internal modem must be
assigned to a different COM Port, because COM1 and COM2 are checked as "in
use" because they are there, whether or not anything is attached to them.
Some computers offer the ability to "disable" a "built-in" COM
Port. If you can do that, then do so, and remove the check mark
in front of that COM Port in the Table above, and install your
internal modem for that "built-in but disabled" COM Port and at
that COM Port's standard IRQ and BPA.
Because we have COM1 (and IRQ4) and COM2 (and IRQ3) in use, we must choose
another COM Port number and assign another IRQ to service it. We have
COM3 available on the Table above as our next "in sequence" COM Port.
(More on "in sequence later".) Of course COM3 wants to use IRQ4, so we
need to find a different IRQ, an IRQ that is there in the computer but is
not being used. Do we have one?
In the normal computer there is almost an IRQ for every task.
We have seen that there are two for the COM Ports. There is one
for our LPT1 (Printer Parallel Port 1. And there is one for
LPT2 (Printer Parallel Port 2). Fortunately for us we do not use
a second printer. We can "steal" its IRQ, which is IRQ5. How do
we find these IRQs and learn what they are attached to? You
probably have a utility such as the Norton, or the MSD program
furnished with Windows. These can tell you about the IRQs in your
computer. In some very extreme cases IRQ2 (which is cascaded to
the second 8259 OIC chip in some computers) can be used, though
some early machines used this for the hard drive.
Having found a spare IRQ (IRQ5) that is not in use, we configure the
internal modem (usually with dipswitches or jumpers on the modem board) to
be COM3, serviced now by IRQ5, at the standard BPA address of COM3. Check
COM3 in the Table above, noting that in your computer it uses IRQ5 now
instead of IRQ4 as normally used.
If we have still another serial device to configure, perhaps a
second internal modem, then we have to go through the whole
procedure again to find another free IRQ to use for this device
to avoid a conflict with the normal IRQ3 (which is assigned to
COM2), UNLESS we can disable the builtin COM2. Perhaps this
time we will be forced to use IRQ2. IRQ2 is mentioned above,
but is not the most desirable choice of you can find another free
IRQ in its place.
If we are using a DOS Version of Procomm PLUS we must be sure to tell
Procomm PLUS that it is to use IRQ5 for COM3 (at Modem Port Assignments in
the Alt-S Setup program). (This is not possible in the old shareware
Procomm 2.4.x.)
If we are using Windows we must tell Windows about this use of the
different IRQ (IRQ5) by changing things at Windows/Control
Panel/Ports/Advanced. Procomm uses the Windows comm driver, and that comm
driver gets it information from SYSTEM.INI which is written to, in this
case, by Control Panel. You can write it yourself in SYSTEM.INI, if you
are comfortable doing so. SYSTEM.INI should contain something like this,
in its [386Enh] Section, IF you have three COM Ports with the internal
modem setup as above. (This is certainly not the complete [386Enh]
section.)
[386Enh]
COM1Irq=4
COM1Base=03F8
COM2Irq=3
COM2Base=02F8
COM3Irq=5
COM3Base=03E8
Earlier we deferred discussion of a few cautions about all of this that
should be mentioned.
DOS has a trick or two up its sleeve. When you boot the computer, DOS
creates an equipment list "scratchpad" into which it enters the BPA (Base
Port address) of the COM Ports. But it ONLY lists the BPA addresses of
the first two COM Ports, COM1 and COM2, not the BPA addresses of the COM3
and COM4 if you have them. While Procomm, "Interrupt Driven", doesn't
need the BPA addresses of COM3 and COM4 for normal operation, it MUST have
them for Host Shell (in the DOS Version) on these Ports. In Host Shell
Operations Procomm redirects things to and from the COM Port, and to do
this it must know the BPA address of the COM Port you are using. So at
boot we must find someway to enter the address of COM3 (or COM4, or both)
in the equipment list "scratchpad".
The 2nd surprise comes when COM Ports are installed but NOT in numerical
sequence (e.g. 1, 2, 4 with no 3, or 1, 3, 4, with no 2). DOS and Windows
may just shift the installed COM Ports to the left to fill up the blanks,
thus creating a situation where a COM Port address is not where it is
supposed to be. Try always to install COM Ports in numerical sequence.
Again there are ways to fix this.
There are utilities to correct both of these problems in one step. The
file COMPRT.COM in Library 2 of the Datastorm Forum, a self-extracting
archive, should be obtained and de-archived, and the contained
COMPORTS.COM used at each boot to write the addresses of the COM Ports
(above COM2) into the scratchpad area. Just add a line in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file to run COMPORTS at boot. This does what DOS should have
done and doesn't. The problem can also be avoided by instead running a
little DEBUG script at boot which "fills in the spaces" to prevent this
shift to the left for missing COM Ports. In a non-PS/2 environment with
standard COM Port BPA addresses, create a DEBUG script named COMPORT.SCR
in your root directory as a standard ASCII text file as follows:
E 0:0400 F8 03 F8 02 E8 03 E8 02
In your AUTOEXEC.BAT add the line "DEBUG < COMPORT.SCR" without the
quotes. When run at each boot, this will add the standard BPA addresses of
COM3 and COM4 in the "scratchpad area" so there are "place markers" and
the whole business can't "slip left" and mess things up. It simply does,
once again, what DOS should have done and didn't.
You may also take note that some Video boards may make use of an IRQ or
BPA that is normally assigned to COM Ports, thus rendering the associated
COM Port unusable. The Diamond Stealth, for example, uses the BPA of COM
4 while using IRQ2. Some ARCnet cards can cause the similar problems.
While we are here let's mention that there are two common types of serial
port connectors for modems. One is the DB25 family connectors with 25
pins, and the other the DB9 family with 9 pins. For proper operation of
Procomm all 9 wires are needed in the DB9 family, and wires 1-8 and 20, a
total of 9 conductors, must be run through on the DB25 connectors. If you
are forced to use a 25 to 9 pin adaptor, make sure that it carries all 9
wires through.
The Windows Terminal program has its COM Port configured through the use
of the Define Serial Port dialog box in Terminal, and this is written to
WIN.INI.
Now, what was that "never-to-be-forgotten" rule again? Do you see how and
why we have managed to avoided breaking it?
-end-
*************************************************************************
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 a friendly community of enthusiastic computer users
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. For
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Try DELPHI for $1 an hour!
For a limited time, you can become a trial member of DELPHI, and
receive 5 hours of evening and weekend access during this month for only
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active, you will automatically be enrolled in DELPHI's 10/4 Basic Plan,
where you can use up to 4 weekend and evening hours a month for a minimum
$10 monthly charge, with additional hours available at $3.96. But hurry,
this special trial offer will expire soon! To take advantage of this
limited offer, use your modem to dial 1-800-365-4636. Press <RET> once or
twice. When you get the Password: prompt, type IP26 and press <RET>
again. Then, just answer the questions and within a day or two, you'll
officially be a member of DELPHI!
DELPHI- It's getting better all the time!
*************************************************************************
> INTELLISYSTEM STR InfoFile Voice Response Expert System
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
INTELLISYSTEM PRODUCT OVERVIEW
==============================
The IntelliSystem is a Voice Response Expert System. It has been designed
to automatically answer and resolve a significant percentage of the calls
coming into support centers. The exact information that customers need is
contained in its knowledge base. Customers can access this knowledge using
a touch tone telephone, via a LAN or modem. The solutions can be delivered
immediately over the phone, fax'ed directly to a caller's fax machine, or
displayed on a computer screen.
The knowledge base is set up to simulate the way a technical support
representative interacts with a caller to diagnose a caller's problem. It
will ask several questions to the caller, going from general to specific
to identify the solution needed. The time to arrive at the solution is
generally under four minutes. If the resolution is not found, the caller
can be escalated to a live support representative, and a summary of the
caller's session can be reviewed by the representative to enable the rep
to continue troubleshooting with reduced talk time.
The intelligence built into Intellisystems' patented rule-based expert
system, allows a caller to quickly arrive at a solution for even very
complex problems. Average time-to-resolution is under four minutes. Every
answer a caller gives to a prompt is remembered. This information is then
used to determine which questions or information will follow. Extensive
system reports facilitate improvement of the knowledge base in response to
changing conditions.
A valuable feature of the IntelliSystem is that diagnostic sessions can be
saved at any time, allowing a caller to hang up, perform a suggested
procedure or obtain requested information, then call back and resume the
session where it was left off.
The IntelliSystem consists of three major components:
1. The knowledge base which contains domain-specific information. The
knowledge base can be created, reviewed and maintained on a stand alone
PC. It can even be distributed separately on a diskette.
2. The inference engine which does the reasoning. It makes assumptions
about how to solve a problem, given domain-specific information. It
manipulates the information stored in the knowledge base and information
provided by the user to derive a solution to a problem.
3. The user interface which can be the touch tone telephone, a modem or a
PC on a LAN. The user communicates with the knowledge base by responding
to prompts. The answers determine what questions or information will
follow.
The IntelliSystem phone server is built on an AT bus personal computer.
Digitized voice processor boards for up to 24 lines per system, are
supplied by IntelliSystems as part of the system license. For larger
configurations, multiple 24-line systems can be configured together.
The IntelliSystem has become an essential part of the customer support
centers of major high technology companies such as Central Point Software,
PowerUp Software, SunSoft, Corel, Aldus, Adobe, Dell, Apple, and Fujitsu.
It allows customers to diagnose their own problems and receive the
information they need to use their products, 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.
POWERFUL INTELLISYSTEM OPTIONS
The IntelliSystem has a series of options that allow further leveraging of
the information in the product knowledge base and provide a logical
extension to the phone interaction.
INTELLIFAX
This feature provides an "Intelligent Fax Retrieval" capability to the
system. Making use of the inference capability of the expert system, the
IntelliSystem will determine the exact fax document that a customer needs
to resolve a difficulty, request the fax machine phone number to which the
document should be sent and then deliver it within a few minutes. Support
representatives can also initiate fax delivery requests from their own PCs
by simply entering the document number and the customer's fax number in a
software utility provided with IntelliFax. Both DOS and Windows versions
are provided.
Applications of this feature include the delivery of: specifications
sheets, requirement listings (H/W, S/W, Memory, etc...), error codes,
supplementary manual information, application notes, schematics,
troubleshooting procedures, setup parameters, etc.
The IntelliFax option may also be setup to prompt the caller for a
specific fax document number before requesting the fax phone number. The
specific document will then be scheduled for delivery. The purpose of this
capability is to allow callers to obtain a document whose number they
already know or to request a list of available fax documents.
SESSIONVIEW
Although the IntelliSystem has excellent problem-solving capabilities, not
all callers will find a solution in the knowledge base. For those callers,
the IntelliSystem "escalates" the call to a live support representative.
SessionView allows the information that the IntelliSystem has gathered
during an interactive session with a caller to be transferred to a live
representative.
The representative can then pick up troubleshooting where the
IntelliSystem left off. This benefits the caller, because he or she does
not have to restate the problem, and benefits the support organization
because of the productivity gains associated with reduced "talk time" for
support representatives.
The SessionView summary is stored in simple ASCII text files on a network
server. The files are written by the IntelliSystem as the session is
concluded and the caller transfer is initiated. These files may then be
accessed immediately via a small "display" program on the support
representative's PC.
MODEM ACCESS OPTION
This feature provides an added dimension to the system knowledge base.
Through a connection via modem or stand-alone serial terminal, users can
proceed through an IntelliSystem diagnostic session by answering questions
presented on their computer screen. The information they require is
presented after a brief interactive session with the system. It also
allows users who do not have a touch-tone phone (or prefer a screen based
environment) to access the same knowledge base.
KNOWLEDGEVIEW
KnowledgeView provides visual access to the same knowledge base as that on
the IntelliSystem Phone Server. It allows the running of a diagnostic
session on any stand-alone PC or workstation on a network. It is designed
to operate on a PC LAN of the type usually found in a Technical Support
Department or Help Desk. The program presents a menu driven environment,
and establishes a consultation session with the user. By entering their
answers to the screen prompts, support staff are led to the information
they need to resolve a particular problem. KnowledgeView is particularly
helpful in environments where new hires or seasonal personnel are taking
support calls, as it helps to make them more productive sooner in their
training cycle.
KnowledgeView can also be used to assist in the design and testing of new
knowledge bases by allowing verification by users (domain experts) in a
network environment. It allows them to become familiar with the
information on the IntelliSystem, making it easy for them to contribute
suggestions for additions and improvements to the knowledge base.
The IntelliSystem knowledge base and KnowledgeView could be distributed on
a diskette or CD ROM to major corporate customers, distributors or field
offices. This further leverages the knowledge base and provides users with
a ready-made diagnostic utility to allow troubleshooting of problems
before having to place a call into a call center.
INTELLISYSTEMS INC. - RENO, NEVADA 1 (800) 637-8400 Call for DEMO or
Information (c) Copyright Intellisystems Inc. - 1989,90,91,92,93
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
:HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
_________________________________
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.
GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric
Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
| Welcome to the GEnie - MUG RT
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| The GEnie - Macintosh Users Group RoundTable
| ============================================
|______________________________________________________________________.
|=[]==================== Tonight in the RTC ===========================|
.__________________________________..__________________________________.
|=[]====== Hosted by... ===========||==== Top 10 Downloads - 06/93 ====|
|""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""||""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""|
| Kent Fillmore ............ DRACO || 29096 TIDBITS#180/14-JUN-93 |
| Tom Weishaar ............. TOM.W || 29113 CD-ROM TOOLKIT UP INFO. |
| David W. Reid .. (Unk) DAVE.REID || 29080 STAR TREK CLOCK.SIT |
| -{ SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS }- || 29089 ICONDESIGNER3.0.SIT |
| Education .... (Rob) R.WHITELOCK || 29106 DELTATIME 1.1.0.SIT |
| Mac Hardware .. (Nick) N.PASSINO || 29092 RADIOACTION.SEA |
| "J" (W.GLENN1) || 29062 FILE BUDDY 1.6.2.SIT |
| Games ......... (Bart) MAC.GAMES || 29059 BUTTONPAD V2.0.SIT |
| Telecommunity ..... (Kent) DRACO || 29093 ZTERM-11-FAQ.TXT |
| PowerBooks... (Doc) D.E.JOHNSTON || 29099 CD-ROM TOOLKIT 1.0.1 UPD |
| ----{ SOFTWARE LIBRARY }----- || ________________________________ |
| Chief Librarian: RANDY.SIMON || *** IMPORTANT INFORMATION *** |
| Asst Librarian: (Steve) S.MACK || For COMPLETE info ..and TIPS on |
| Asst Librarian: (Anne) ANNE-INDA || d/ling be sure to read: item #4 |
| Asst Librarian: P.VALIQUETTE || p605 - "About The RoundTable" |
!__________________________________!!__________________________________!
.__________________________________..__________________________________.
|=[]===== Weekly RTC Schedule =====||=[]===== Help Desk Schedule ======|
|""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""||""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""|
| (All Times Eastern) || (All Times EDT) |
| || |
| Educational Mac Mon. 9:45pm Rm 3 || Rm 1 Mon-Fri 9:00pm-12:00am |
| Hackers Nite M480;2 10:30pm Rm 1 || Rm 1 Sunday 10:30pm-12:00am |
| About PowerBooks Tue 9:45pm Rm 2 || ________________________________ |
| HyperTalks (M480;2) 10:30pm Rm 1 || To enter the GEnie-MUG RTC |
| Telecommunity Wed 9:45pm Rm 2 || type MOVE 605;2 |
| Macintosh Games Wed 10:30pm Rm 3 |!__________________________________!
| Macintosh H'ware Thr 9:45pm Rm 2 |.__________________________________.
| Hackers Nite M480;2 10:30pm Rm 1 ||=[]==== Online Servant RTC =======|
| Sunday Night Fights 9:00pm Rm 3 ||""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""|
| || Every 2nd Sunday of the month |
| Type M605;2 to enter the RTC || in the MacPRO RTC, page 480;2 |
!__________________________________!!__________________________________!
GEnie-MUG NEWS issue #28 talks about changing minds, PowerBook memory
installation tips, tricks, peeks, pipples and pointers, ClarisWorks users
united, Macintosh SE sunk pictures, PowerBook SCSI black magic,
deskwriters, and door-to-door salespeople and other special characters.
Curious? It won't hurt---just select option #5 on the next menu!
/--------------------------------------------------------------------\
| * GEnie-MUG NEWS * for the week of 9/20/93 - issue 28 |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| What's Hot and Happening This Week In GEnie's Macintosh User Group |
\--------------------------------------------------------------------/
GEnie-MUG News Editor: Eric Mueller (DLAND.ERIC)
entire contents copyright 1993 by Eric C. Mueller
WELCOME to the GEnie-MUG RoundTable newsletter! This quick bulletin gives
you an idea of what's cooking in the GEnie Macintosh User Group
(GEnie-MUG). I'm Eric Mueller, and I write this file every week so that
you can find the action in GEnie-MUG: the latest controversy in the
bulletin board, the hottest files in the library, and the hippest chats in
the RTC rooms. I'm always interested in your comments on this file, and
would love to hear them.
If you're new to GEnie or GEnie-MUG, you can read about GEnie-MUG
(including information on what GEnie-MUG has to offer and the layout of
the system) by typing "M 605;4". Additionally, the GEnie-MUG help desk (a
live hotline) is available six days a week in the GEnie-MUG RTC (type "M
605;2" then choose room 1). For more information and a schedule of times,
type "M 605;4".
GOT DEM POWERBOOK MEMORY BLUES? It's not unheard of... upgrading PowerBook
memory isn't always a piece of cake. Some memory distributors include a
free videotape with the memory you buy, explaining how to install the
memory into your PowerBook! But if you don't have a VCR---or you don't
want to go out and buy memory just for a silly tape---you can find out all
you need to know right here on GEnie-MUG! This Tuesday night, we're having
a conference to talk about PowerBook RAM installation. Have you done it?
Are you going to do it? Come and talk about it, either way. You're invited
to join Doc Johnston at the PowerBook RTC, Tuesday, September 21st, at
9:45 p.m. Eastern time. (To visit the GEnie-MUG RTC rooms, type "m605;2".)
CHANGE YOUR MIND OFTEN? It's okay on the Mac, because you can almost
always click "Cancel" or press command-period to stop what's going on....
but notice I said "almost." When you launch an application from the
Finder, you're kind of stuck with whatever you've started, and you have to
wait until the program completes launching, and then pick "Quit." This can
be quite a wait, if you accidentally launch something like PageMaker.
However, all that has changed, with the development of BAIL, a new
utility. With Bail, you have three seconds to abort the launching of any
application. As the application loads, you can click the mouse to "bail"
back to the Finder. If you change your mind a lot---or accidentally launch
PageMaker often (hey, it could happen!), check out BAIL, file #30151 in
the GEnie-MUG libraries. (To get to the GEnie-MUG libraries, type "m605;3"
and then "6" to download a file.)
CLARISWORKS USERS, UNITE... oh, wait, it looks like you already have.
According to information in the GEnie-MUG bulletin board, the ClarisWorks
User Group is crankin' right along, with truckloads of useful, powerful
ClarisWorks tips, tricks, picks, pocks and pooples (...with apologies to
Beagle Bros). In other words, if you're a ClarisWorks user, there's a
group of others just like you who are swapping information on making
ClarisWorks do things that will amaze and astound you. Never feel alone
again; never be the lone ClarisWorker in the crowd. Find out more about
the CWUG---read GEnie-MUG bulletin board category 2 ("SOFTWARE: Daily
Business"), topic 49 ("ClarisWorks"), messages 45 through the end of the
topic and find out for yourself.
MAC SE PICTURE SUNK? It is for GEnie-MUGger Leigh Lundin, whose Mac SE/30
monitor is doing some strange things. It seems that the picture on his
SE/30 has sunk down into the lower left corner of the screen, placing part
of the image tucked down behind the plastic holding the monitor in place.
What's a Mac user to do? Leigh popped the case, looking for adjustment
dials and knobs, but came up empty-handed. He's turning to GEnie-MUGgers
across the nation for help, in category 20 ("MACINTOSH: 512/KE, Plus, SE &
Classic"), topic 16 ("Monitor Problems"). Can you help him out?
SCSI CONNECTIONS are a black art, that much we agree on. But when you
factor in PowerBooks, you're talking about summoning demons from the
depths of... well, okay, maybe it's not that bad, but there is something
particularly heinous about attaching SCSI devices to a PowerBook.
GEnie-MUGger Kirk Hollingsworth is trying to attach a standard SyQuest
(removable-cartridge) drive to his PowerBook 170, with little luck. Doc
Johnston, our resident PowerBook guru and all-around good guy, suggested
an entire checklist of PowerBook SCSI tips; a checklist that should be
etched in stone, I think. If you're having PowerBook SCSI problems, see
category 25 ("MACINTOSH: PowerBook"), topic 4 ("Mac PowerBooks"), messages
273-275. And good luck!
DESKWRITERS ACROSS THE nation are wondering what the best paper is to use
with their HP DeskWriter printers, and the answer is... we're not sure.
Actually, the answer is more specific than that: some papers definitely do
not work well (those with low rag content), and some papers definitely
work fabulously (those with high rag content, of course!). What's in
between? Photocopy paper, laser paper, and more. GEnie-MUGgers talk it
out in category 33 ("HARDWARE: Output Hardware"), topic 33 ("HP
DeskWriter"), messages 86 through the end of the topic.
DOOR-TO-DOOR SALESPEOPLE are still out there, hawking everything from
cookies to Fuller brushes to salvation, but what about life insurance? You
don't see many of those door-to-door life insurance guys anymore, and it's
probably because GEnie-MUG has the market cornered for life insurance,
Mac-style! Available in the GEnie-MUG libraries now, MacLifeInsurance is a
set of two Control Panels that protect your work from system crashes,
accidental deletions, power outages, disk corruption, and other disasters.
The first Control Panel, MacLifeInsurance-FileSaver, protects you at the
file level by automatically saving files for you. (You can specify how
often the file should be saved.) The other Control Panel,
MacLifeInsurance-KeySaver, protects you at the 'keystroke level,' by
recording every key you press so that you'll always be able to retrieve
your work, no matter what happens to your Mac. Don't take chances with
your work; get MacLifeInsurance. The monthly premiums are... free! The
only cost involved is downloading the file, number #30098 in the GE- MUG
libraries. Enjoy, and work healthy!
LOOKING FOR A SPECIAL character, but can't stand the Keycaps desk
accessory?
Keycaps is useful sometimes, but it's a drag when you want to check out a
font fast: opening and closing the desk accessory, changing fonts from the
menu, looking at the keyboard map and trying to figure out what the right
key combination is to select a special character can be a hassle! Instead
of doing all that, check out POPCHAR, a cool extension to automate the
process. With POPCHAR, you can click in the corner of the screen, no
matter what application you're in, and instantly---POOF!---all of the
characters in the font are displayed. You can click one of them, and the
character will be typed for you automatically! No muss, no fuss, no ring
around the Font Manager. Interested? Check out file #30173 in the
GEnie-MUG libraries, post-haste!
THAT'S ALL for this week. Until next week, continue to soar with
Macintosh!
______________________________________________________
> MAC Mania! STR Editorial
------------------------
Mac Mania
=========
by Randy Noak, Editor, MAC Report
WHAT! A Macintosh column in STReport? Yep. After all the ST in
STReport does stand for Silicon Times and Macs are full of silicon. Hmmm.
Anyhow, beyond that tenuous connection, many Atari users are moving to the
Macintosh platform. Since System 7 and GEM share a common ancestry,
anyone using an Atari will find moving to the Macintosh a relatively
painless procedure. Notice that I said, "relatively painless"? There are
just enough differences to make life, umm, interesting, and to, hopefully
make this column interesting, and informative reading. In the weeks
ahead, I'll be doing my best to entertain and inform any STReport readers
thinking of moving to, or already using, Macintosh computers. I've been
told that I can write about whatever I wish, so this _could_ be very
interesting. Besides pontificating on whatever subject I feel like, I may
do a question and answer thing, summarize some on-line stuff, tell you
about Mac things I receive from the US Postal Service (and maybe some
non-Mac things too), review a software package or two, grab some freebies
at trade shows, and whatever else I think might be beneficial to STReport
readers. So here goes!
So that we might get to know each other a little, I thought I might
give you a little background info on myself. I started computing way back
in the days of the Atari 400. 16K and a 410 Program Recorder. Those were
the days. NOT! From there, I went to a 1040 ST with an extra external
floppy drive. Eventually, I ended up with 2.5 megs crammed in that small
1040 case and a 20 meg hard drive. A real "power" system. I learned
PageStream and Touch Up and all the Atari programs I needed to get my
publishing business off the ground. Even though those programs were good,
I found my self wishing that I could do more. I moved up to an Atari
TT030, but even though it was fast, it still lacked features that I wanted
(such as 8-bit graphics), and the software still wouldn't let me do some
basic things (leader tabs) that I needed.
As I read about DTP and graphics programs for Macintosh computers, I
realized that Macintosh software had the features I desired, so I picked
up a Spectre GCR cartridge to enable me to fill some of the holes in my
Atari programs with the plethora of features available in Macintosh
programs. It didn't take me long to realize that, for the most part,
Macintosh software far surpassed Atari software in both features and ease
of use and I began to lust after a "real" Macintosh. I waited, knowing
that eventually, prices would come down to my personal point of
afford-ability. As it turned out, I waited, and waited, and waited, and
waited as Apple introduced new machines that either didn't have the
features I wanted or cost too much. Finally, Apple introduced the LC III.
At last, a system that I could afford (sort of), that had the
"horsepower" to do what I wanted it to do . I priced LC III's at my
local dealer, checked the mail order prices and bought a Performa 450 from
Sears. The 450 is the same as an LC III (68030, 25mHz, 4 megs, built-in
8-bit video), but includes a monitor, keyboard, mouse, fax modem, and
lotsa pre-loaded software, including Claris Works that is extra when
buying an LC III. The price was good and, of course, my Performa is
backed by Sears. No worries about service there. I've since added an 8
meg SIMM (to bring me up to 12 meg memory), a Syquest drive and a CD-ROM
drive, and I plan to add a video SIMM to give me 16-bit color.
All-in-all, I'm pretty happy with my system.
I've been learning software since I bought my Mac, and it's been a
lot of fun. Learning some of the ins-and-outs of Aldus PageMaker 5.0,
Adobe Illustrator 5.0 Deluxe, Color It, Datebook and Touchbase Pro, and
Claris Works among others has given me a good understanding about the Mac
GUI, I think. I reactivated my Compuserve account, and have been using
Compuserve Navigator to, well, navigate Compuserve. I've gotten an
America OnLine account and have been checking out that service as well.
I'm still on GEnie, of course, and anxiously await for the long-promised
Mac version of Aladdin to arrive. In short, I've been busy.
I'm constantly amazed by the friendly and knowledgeable (and
ex-Atari) people that I've met in the Mac areas of all the services, but I
guess that's just part of the Mac "thing". Support, friendliness, new
software, service. What a platform!
Well, enough about me. Now it's your turn to let me know about you.
Let me know what you'd like to see in this column. Tell me what type of
Mac you're using and what your interests are. Please feel free to send
your comments or questions to:
Compuserve: 70323,1031
GEnie: R.NOAK
________________________________________________________
> FRAMEMAKER STR InfoFile More Than 100 New Features
"""""""""""""""""""""""
FRAME TECHNOLOGY INTRODUCES FRAMEMAKER 4
FOR UNIX, WINDOWS, AND MACINTOSH PLATFORMS
More Than 100 New Features Add Power and Ease-of-Use to Award-Winning
FrameMaker
SAN JOSE, CA, September 13, 1993 - Frame Technology(R) announced today the
release of FrameMaker(R) 4, its next-generation writing and publishing
software for UNIX, Windows, and Macintosh platforms. FrameMaker 4
includes over 100 new features and enhancements designed to increase
users' productivity for producing demanding business and technical
documents.
FrameMaker 4 provides a complete solution for companies that can no longer
meet their publishing needs using traditional word processing and desktop
publishing products.
FrameMaker 4's new features are designed to add more flexibility, power,
and ease-of-use to the product. Specifically, these new features fall into
five major categories:
* Improved user interface
* More powerful formatting tools
* Advanced color and graphics support
* Improved information management capabilities
* Extensible architecture
FrameMaker 4 is targeted at business and technical professionals who
create, manage, and distribute "demanding" documents. "Demanding"
documents typically have a long lifecycle, are frequently revised and
updated, and contain complex document content and formatting. Important
elements of these documents include multiple chapters, automatically
numbered sections, tables and illustrations, cross-references, footnotes,
indexes, and multi-level tables of contents.
Examples of demanding documents range from business plans and financial
reports to books, manuals, and procedure guides. Increasingly, these
documents are being written and published in a collaborative, multi-
platform environment. Often they require constant revision and updating,
and are distributed electronically to save time and money. The
single-user desktop publishing and word processing models of the 1980s can
no longer adequately address the complex publishing requirements of these
documents. But FrameMaker 4's publishing model enables multiple authors to
collaborate on demanding documents in a networked, cross-platform
environment and distribute these documents electronically for
cost-effective on-line viewing.
SIMULTANEOUS MULTI-PLATFORM AVAILABILITY
=============================================
The introduction of FrameMaker 4 marks the first time Frame has
simultaneously released a product on leading UNIX and desktop platforms
including Sun and HP workstations running X/Motif, the Apple Macintosh,
and PCs running Microsoft Windows. Unlike any other writing or publishing
application, FrameMaker 4 files can be shared transparently across all
these platforms, with no file conversion. FrameMaker conforms to the
native user interface on which it runs so users can work with familiar
menus and commands. In addition, FrameMaker takes advantage of the unique
capabilities of each platform by supporting platform-specific features.
NEW FEATURES
===============
FrameMaker 4 provides a rich writing and editing environment, advanced
color capabilities, automated page layout, long document handling, and the
ability to easily incorporate complex graphics and multimedia elements
into documents. FrameMaker 4 also includes a context-sensitive Help
feature that uses hypertext links to guide users through its on-line Help
system.
Frame has redesigned the FrameMaker 4 user interface to improve access to
frequently-used features, making the product easier to learn and use. For
example, FrameMaker's menus can be customized to support different styles
of working. Users can view complete menus, quick menus (a subset of the
complete menus), or even customized menus. By adding flexible menus to
FrameMaker 4, VARs (Value Added Resellers) and system administrators can
customize FrameMaker to meet specific user needs.
A new C-based Applications Programming Interface (API) enables corporate
in-house development organizations, systems integrators, and third-party
software developers to create powerful application extensions to
FrameMaker 4. Details regarding a Frame Developer's Kit (FDK) and Frame's
new API certification program for VARs will be announced at a later date.
Other new features of FrameMaker 4 include:
* A document comparison feature that provides a detailed
comparison report on the differences between two versions of a
document
* Enhanced color support for PANTONE(R), CMYK, RGB, and HLS color
models
* The ability to easily prepare and print spot and process color
separations, including process color separations of Encapsulated
PostScript and DCS color images
* An easy-access Formatting ruler to quickly select paragraph
alignment settings such as left-, center- or right-alignment,line
spacing, and tab settings
* Styles by example, a method that enables users to design
paragraph formats visually and store them in a catalog for future
use
* Automatic placement of side- and run-in heads
* A Quick Access bar that provides single-click access to the
most commonly used commands (Mac and Windows only)
* Arbitrary rotation of text and graphics
* A built-in Thesaurus
* Eight different dashed-line patterns
* Improved hypertext commands and automatic generation of
hypertext links
As with previous versions, FrameMaker 4 incorporates timesaving features
such as intelligent tables, FrameMath(TM), conditional text, and
electronic distribution of documents using FrameViewer(R).
Files created in FrameMaker 3.0 are directly usable with FrameMaker 4; all
formatting is completely preserved.
UPGRADE INFORMATION
=======================
FrameMaker 4 will be available in U.S. and International English, French,
German, and Swedish versions. The product is available through authorized
U.S. dealers, value-added resellers, and international distributors.
FrameMaker 3.0 customers with a currently active FrameMaker Support
Subscription (FSS) will automatically receive the FrameMaker 4 upgrade at
no cost. Customers who purchased FrameMaker 3.0 after August 15, 1993 are
eligible to receive a no-cost upgrade to FrameMaker 4.
NORTH AMERICAN PRICING & AVAILABILITY
=========================================
FrameMaker 4 will be available in late September for PCs running Windows
and Apple Macintoshes at a suggested retail price of $895. FrameMaker 4
will also be available in late September for Sun SPARCs and compatibles,
and Hewlett- Packard computers running X/Motif at a suggested retail price
of $1495 for a personal license, and $2595 for a shared license.
Upgrade pricing for Macintosh and Windows platforms is $199. UNIX
Personal license upgrades including 1 year of technical support and
upgrades are $895($695 through 12/31/93). UNIX Shared license upgrades
including 1 year of technical support and upgrades are $1295($995 through
12/31/93).
For international pricing and distribution information, please contact
Frame International Ltd. (011) 353-1- 8429-566.
FRAME TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
==================================
Frame Technology provides award-winning writing and publishing software
for the creation and distribution of demanding business and technical
documents. Frame's products are compatible across PC, Macintosh, and UNIX
platforms, enabling companies to increase productivity by leveraging
valuable corporate data. Frame Technology is a publicly-traded company
(NASDAQ:FRAM) located at 1010 Rincon Circle, San Jose, California 95131
USA.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
========================
Frame Technology
Carol Kaplan
(408) 428-6143
Copithorne & Bellows
Steve Jursa
(415) 966-8700
Frame Technology, FrameMaker, FrameViewer, and Frame are registered
trademarks, and FrameBuilder, FrameMath, and Frame Developer's Kit are
trademarks of Frame Technology Corporation. All other product names are
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
_______________________________________________
> Atari News STR FOCUS!
"""""""""""""""""""""
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT ATARI?
==========================
By Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
Editor Emeritus
A compilation of some of the more interesting questions and answers from
the 9/3/93 "Dateline Atari! with Bob Brodie" conference on the GEnie ST
RT. Captures of the conference were furnished to STReport by one of our
readers.
In short, most of Bob's introductory comments were devoted to the Jaguar
and Lynx. There are two new Lynx titles in stock, Lemmings and Jimmy
Connors Tennis. Lemmings is a conversion of the computer game and allows
the Lynx's colors to show their true power. Jimmy Connors Tennis is a
4-meg tennis game with digitized sound.
Two other games, Malibu Bikini Beach Volleyball and Ninja Gaiden III are
due to start in production and it's hoped that Eye of the Beholder might
be out by Christmas.
Even before the first Jaguar has reached the shelves, it is attracting
attention from many different fronts. Retailers, media, techies and
developers are all showing great interest in the Jaguar. While Atari
was pushing the Jaguar as a home entertainment system, others are seeing
the Jaguar in different ways - using it as a main board in coin-operated
video games, Virtual Reality, and more. One person even wondered about
hooking the Jaguar up to the Falcon [Atari has no plans to do this yet].
When asked if Atari planned to go into Europe with the Jaguar, Bob said
that Atari has plans to move into Europe in the first half of 1994. It
is expected that London will be first, followed by Paris and Frankfurt.
What about dealers like Toad Computers? While Bob admitted that Atari
hadn't solidified their dealer plans yet, he felt that dealers like Toad
would be able to buy Jaguars after the holidays. The initial introduc-
tion would still be in NY and San Francisco.
The Jaguar production is still on schedule. Sam Tramiel was in North
Carolina when the first pilot production run units came off of the line.
What about the Lynx? Atari decided to postpone the summer promotions for
the Lynx and make a combined effort when the Jaguar comes to market. Ads
for the Lynx will be coming out then. Atari will be using the Jaguar as
"leverage" to get stores to also carry the Lynx. While it won't be on a
1-to-1 basis (you gotta take one Lynx for each Jaguar you buy) it should
result in the Lynx being on more store shelves. Bob feels that the Lynx,
and its games, will soon be back in stores like Electronic Boutique - if
they aren't by now.
A developer asked why they should develop for the Jaguar instead of the
more established Sega and Nintendo machines. Two of Bob's reasons for
developing for the Jaguar were. Power, more power than any other compar-
ible system on the market will allow the developer to create games that
can only be dreamed of on other systems, and Price. Aggressive pricing
along with advanced technology. [Editor's Note: Another reason is that
with the Jaguar you can get in on the ground floor - on the other sys-
tems you'll just be a face in the already over-crowded crowd.]
One of the reasons that Bob thinks programmers and technicians are imp-
ressed with the Jaguar is the ability of being able to write directly to
the hardware with no operating system to hinder them.
Some of the other questions asked were about CD Rom games, would the CD
Rom drive work on other Atari computers, what about a battery backed
Jaguar, what type of monitor does the Jaguar RGB port work with, and is
there a keyboard attachment for the Jaguar.
Currently all games developed for the Jaguar will be cartridge products,
unlike the card types available for the Lynx, with the CD Rom games
expected to be available next year. The CD ROM drive for the Jaguar "is
designed to fit into a special spot on the Jaguar case, and plug into
the cartridge port." Not only that, but the player has a "pass through"
cartridge port, so you can play games on cartridge while the CD Rom
drive is installed. Currently a battery backed system is being discussed
and is possible in the future. As far as the type of monitor needed, Bob
said, "the Jaguar is incredibly versatile in the way that it handles
video. There are plans to have an accessory that will handle composite
RGB output." Bob did not know of any plans for a keyboard attachment but
he did say "there will be a DSP expansion port, that is envisioned as
being something that interactive media (including modems) could take
advantage of."
Now for some Falcon and TT related questions and answers
What about advertising and promotion for the Falcon? With PC sales be-
ing so bad, Atari has changed its plans and will use its resources to
give the Jaguar the "big push". Once the Jaguar is a success, then Atari
will use some of those profits to promote the Falcon. Bob said, "How-
ever, we are still committed to the Falcon. We believe in it, and intend
to support it."
There are plans in the works for a higher end Falcon [Ed Note: maybe
the Falcon040?] but nothing that can be announced yet.
The original LDW deal fell through but Atari is still investigating its
options. Bob thought that Blackmail, the voice mail program for the
Falcon, was still awaiting FCC approval.
There is no specific Falcon VAR program available. Atari makes sure the
VAR is legitimate and treats them like a normal dealer.
Until Atari's 14 meg memory upgrade boards are ready, Bob recommends the
Ram Gizmo board from Chro-Magic Software. For those who want a 14-meg,
no HD configured Falcon, Atari has no plans to produce one but you can
create your own by buying a 1-meg, no HD Falcon and adding the Chro-
Magic RAM Gizmo.
Will there be any problems due to DRAM price increases? Bob didn't think
that would be a problem for the Falcon or Jaguar. He felt that most of
the increases in DRAM prices to be artificial. That the US semiconductor
companies are again a major factor, and with Apple's sales slump, there
will more than enough DRAM product available for other companies.
Can the Falcon access the Atari Laser Printer, SLM605? Bob didn't know
why the SLM-to-Falcon interfaces haven't shown up yet and what the hold-
up is. The reason the DMA port on the Falcon was eliminated was to bring
the Falcon "more in line with the standards that the rest of the comput-
ing world" is using. That's why they also did away with the floppy disk
port on the Falcon.
People ask why the Falcon was built with a 16mhz rate. According to Bob,
"the reason that we used a 16Mhz 030 was because of the way that our
system works. We don't just rely on the CPU in order to make the system
work. We have an DSP chip, DMA, and FPU chip that are all available to
take the workload off of the CPU."
Have the new lot of TT's arrived yet? There's still no answer on how
many are expected, when they'll arrive and any changes that might have
been made to them.
________________________________________________
> NOVA CARD NEWS! STR InfoFile NOVA SPECS and UPDATE NEWS!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
NOTICE:
SPECIAL NOVA CARD UPDATE
========================
Announcement from Lexicor Software Corp.
----------------------------------------
The NOVA Mega and the NOVA VME 16M now have the same price of 599.99
U$D. The price for the SUPERNOVA has not changed and will cost: 999.99
U$D. The 32K Graphic Card is only available on Special Order and will
cost 429 U$D both the Mega and the VME. For these Card's there may be an
added handling Price.
Shipping cost are excluded from these prices.
Technical Specifications
------------------------
NOVA Megabus 16M
----------------
Maximum Frame Rate : 90Mhz
Video RAM : 1 Megabyte
RAMtype : DRAM
Maximum Color's : 16,7 Million Colors (24bit)
Maximum Resolution (>70Hz): 1024x768 in 256 Color's
Maximum Resolution (15bit): 768x512
Maximum Resolution (24bit): 640x400
Virtual Resolution : YES
Automatic REZ Switch : YES
Upgradable : YES
VDI for 24bit : YES
VMG : YES
HARDWARE Accelerator : NO
NOVA VME 16M
------------
Maximum Frame Rate : 90MHz
Video RAM : 1 Megabyte
RAMtype : DRAM
Maximum Color's : 16,7 Million Colors (24bit)
Maximum Resolution (>70Hz): 1088x832 in 256 Color's
Maximum Resolution (15bit): 800x600
Maximum Resolution (24bit): 640x480
Virtual Resolution : YES
Automatic REZ Switch : YES
Upgradable : YES
VDI for 24bit : YES
VMG : YES
HARDWARE Accelerator : NO
SUPERNOVA
---------
Maximum Frame Rate : 135MHz
Video RAM : 2 Megabytes
RAMType : VRAM
Maximum Color's : 16,7 Million Colors (24bit)
Maximum Resolution (>70Hz): 1280x1024
Maximum Resolution (15bit): 1024x768
Maximum Resolution (24bit): 800x600
Virtual Resolution : YES
Automatic REZ Switch : YES
Upgradable : YES
VDI for 24bit : YES
VMG : YES
HARDWARE Accelerator : YES
For more information check our previous releases on the NOVA Card. The
Virtual Resolution are programmable via the VMG. The VDI of the NOVA has
proven to be very compatible with our Software and many other Software
applications as well.
There is also a NOVA Special disk available soon that has some NOVA
Specific program's on it, including NOVA Mines, the game, and the special
Calamus SL driver that will enable Calamus SL to run in 15/16bit in
15/16bit color mode.
Yat Siu
Lexicor Software Europe
LEXICOR SOFTWARE CORP.
1726 Francisco ST.
Berkeley, CA 94703
Phone 510-848-7621
FAX 510-848-7613
_______________________________________________________________
> NVN NEWS & UPDATES! STR FOCUS!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
NVN - IT KEEPS GETTING BETTER!
==============================
Effective Immediately, the non-prime rate will be lowered from $5/hour to
$3/hour, and this includes 9600 baud access! That's right, you'll be able
to download, conference and use other Premium services for only $3/hour
during non-prime time. A lower rate wonÕt be found anywhere for 9600 baud
access!
NVN will begin to bill prime and non-prime rates according to the time
zone in which your call originates. That is, you'll no longer have to
remember to dial in according to Central time. In order to implement this
change and more accurately reflect our costs, the prime time hours will be
changed (on September 1) to 7:00am-6:00pm in your time zone. Using the
NVN Network will be more convenient than ever!
You can join NVN one of two ways...
By voice phone 1-800-336-9096 (Client Services)
or via modem phone 1-800-336-9092.
NVN HIGHLIGHTS
--------------
1. For the newcomers....
2. *** COMING SOON ---> *** LOWER RATES *** AND OTHER EXCITING CHANGES!
3. We have some NEW Forum Commands for you; that's just the beginning!
4. The Business Opportunities Handbook is now online!
5. If you shop by mail, this service is for you...
6. The Computer Networking Forum opens its doors...<GO NETWORKING>
7. Where to look for that book...
8. There are 16 conferences every night in the Soap Opera Forum...
9. Come to the Gala Opening! The Soap Forum Sunday, at 10pm EDT!
10. Calling All Chatters! Successful Chatline VIP Club Continues!
11. WARGAMERS! Speak live to Scott Hamilton of ADC Fame on the 28th...
12. Hidden treasure? Yes, if you are digging for a wealth of information.
13. Tune in to Sitcom Trivia in the TV Forum on Sundays, 10pm EDT!
_________________________________________________________
> GLENDALE OVERVIEW STR SHOW NEWS
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Glendale - 1993
Compiled by Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
Editor Emeritus
This year STReport didn't have any of its staff at the Glendale show, so
this report is a compilation of what has been said online, told to us
over the phone and via Email by people who did attend, and various other
misc. sources.
The annual Glendale Atari show was held last weekend. While attendance
was down considerably from previous years - 1375 for this year, 2500 for
1992 and 3500 for 1991 (thanks to John Nagy for these figures) - reports
say that folks who did attend had a great time. One comment heard was
that it was like an meeting of old friends. Exhibitors say that sales
were very brisk, satisfying, and in many cases, exceeded expectations.
Atari was there in full force - Bob Brodie, Mike Fulton, Eric Smith, and
Bill Rehbock - and there were plenty of Falcon's to be purchased. Bob
and Mike were kept busy answering questions. There was some disappoint-
ment in that Atari had no new product announcements or demos, and there
was nothing was said (publicly at least) about a Falcon040.
Atari had a developers meeting on Friday night before the show. Reports
say that over 50 people attended the meeting. Atari promised better dev-
loper support. Some of that support will come in the distribution of de-
veloper software on CDRom (resource editor, assembler, etc.)
To help developers, both old and new, there is a new programmers refer-
ence manual available. 'The Atari Compendium' by Scott Sanders covers
all versions of TOS, from TOS 1.0 to TOS 5.0, will be a big help to
software programmers. [Bob Brodie confirmed that there is a 5.0 version
of TOS that is already in developer release.]
Sales were brisk with many exhibitors reporting selling out of all of
the product they brought well before the show ended. Gribnif said they
sold out of their new GENEVA, a multi-tasking system, halfway through
the second day of the show - and they originally thought that they had
brought too many copies. But all in all, upgrade sales far exceeded new
version sales. Reports say that the Codeheads had to make up more of
their Warp 9 upgrade disk.
Migraph had a booth and showed their new ColorBurst Color Hand Scanner
for the Falcon030. ICD had a special limited edition Super Link Package.
The package included all that you need to a variety of SCSI, or IDE if
you own a Falcon, devices to your computer. ICD reported selling out of
their accelerator boards and had to take back-orders.
There were several dealers there, some - like Toad Computing - coming
all the way across the country. Mid-Cities (a L.A. based retailer) had
quite an impressive booth with a fake smoke filled volcano (the first
release of smoke gave everyone quite a surprise, including Rick who was
releasing the smoke). The Computer Network promises to be more competitive
with THEIR booth next year. These two retailers have a very good
reputation for getting along, helping each other (like matching prices
instead of knocking down an extra dollar) as well as having such spirited
competition in the booth design from year to year. [Thanks to Tom Mynar,
ACAOC President, for this information.]
Two major hardware developers who were expected to show, didn't make the
show, much to the disappointment of many attendees. Lexicor was supposed
to be in the Mid Cities booth showing their products but their represen-
tative, Ringo Monfort, at the last minute was unable to attend to attend
due to a personal matter. Lexicor apologizes to all of their customers
and promises that they will make it up to them in the future.
To make it up to his customers, Lexicor president, Lee Seiler, said that
at a future date, Lexicor will be putting on a 2-3 day, 24-bit applica-
tion show at the Mid Cities showroom. During this show, Lexicor will be
offering low prices on most of their products - and maybe have some new
and exciting stuff to show. Some "blow your socks off" stuff.
The other no-show was Jim Allen [Fast Tech]. Many folks were disappoin-
ted that Jim wasn't able to come, they were hoping to get a glimpse at
his long-awaited TinyTurbo accelerator board.
There were many more developers and dealers at the show, along with many
prominent members of the Atari community - more than I have the time or
space to mention (forgive me if I left you out).
Everyone that we spoke to said that the show was very professionally
done and except for one minor incident, everything went off well. Kudos
to all of the folks who spent many hard hours of their time making the
show the great success that it was.
__________________________________________________
> KODAK NEWSLINE STR InfoFile
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
NEW WRITABLE CD PRODUCTION STATION
INCLUDES WORLD'S FIRST 6X WRITER
WIESBADEN, Germany, Sept. 22-Eastman Kodak Company today unveiled an
automated CD writing station built around a new disc writer. The Kodak
PCD Writer 600 records at a rate six times that of conventional CD
recorders, making it the world's fastest CD recorder.
The Kodak Writable CD Production Station provides automated recording of
individually customized Writable CD discs or multiple copies of the same
disc. The station can automatically write as many as 75 discs.
The Kodak Production Station provides a data output system that is faster,
cheaper and with less environmental impact than systems outputting to
paper or most any other storage media. The station consists of four
components:
* The Kodak PCD Writer 600, the world's fastest CD writer/reader, has
transfer rates up to 900 KB per second and allows users to write a full
"63-minute" CD in about 10 minutes
* The Kodak Disc Transporter automatically inserts and removes Writable
CD media from the PCD Writer 600. The transporter includes input and
output spindles that hold up to 75 discs each
* Kodak Writable CD Publishing Software provides the system control and
batch programmability to record information as easily as printing or
copying onto tape. The software features multi-session recording in
standard industry formats. The initial product will be Sun UNIX 4.1.x
supporting SUN IPX., and SPARC 2 & 10 platforms. Kodak will offer
software products that support RS 6000's and other popular publishing
platforms based on market needs
* Kodak Writable CD media with the InfoGuard Protection System,
available in 63-minute (580-megabyte) and 74-minute (680-megabyte)
capacities, offer unique data protection features. And Kodak's bar code
feature provides easy tracking and identification through production.
To support this new station, Kodak will begin selling "bulk packs" of 50
stacked Kodak Writable CD Media. For convenience, Kodak will market the
packs in recyclable compact containers.
Cost, Speed Benefits
The Kodak Writable CD production station is designed to serve a broad
range of applications, including CD-ROM and CD audio, publishing,
information distribution and data archiving. It can produce large numbers
of individual Writable CD discs, or batches of identical CDs, at rates of
about six fully written discs per hour.
Advantages of the Kodak Writable CD Production Station versus a line
printer include:
* Speed-360 pages a second with the PCD Writer 600, compared to about
140 pages a minute using a high-speed line printer
* Media costs-Kodak Writable CD discs cost about $25 each,
approximately 1/100th the cost of paper needed to output the same amount
of data
* Distribution costs-A disc can be sent through conventional mail with
a few stamps, compared with the shipping costs for reams of paper
* Random access-CDs give users fast, random access to data, that lets
users analyze information more conveniently than analog media allow
* Environmental benefits-Writable CD discs, which reduce large amounts
of paper, can be recycled
"Any computer user who needs to store or distribute large data files will
benefit from using the Writable CD Production Station," said Fred Geyer,
general manager and vice president, Kodak CD Imaging. "From satellite
telemetry to corporate reports to the latest multi-media presentations,
any large data file can be output efficiently and inexpensively using
Writable CD technology."
Production Station Features
The heart of the station is the Kodak designed and manufactured PCD Writer
600. The Writer 600 provides a number of features to ensure accurate data
recording: automatic disc calibration; built-in error detection and
correction firmware; and "direct read during write," which ensures that
the CD is being written properly.
Other writer features include a bar code reader designed for use with
Kodak's Writable CD Media and expandable buffer memory (from 1 MB to 8
MB), and electronic upgrade capability of the Writer's firmware.
The entire Writable CD production station fits on a tabletop and
incorporates an automatic, self-switching power supply for worldwide use
without special accessories.
Media Features and Benefits
The system provides optimal performance when used with Kodak Writable CD
Media. Kodak Writable CD Media have a number of features as part of the
InfoGuard Protection System:
* A carefully selected dye chemistry that resists fading from light,
heat, and humidity
* A protective coating that resists scratches, dirt, rough handling, or
other common mishaps that may damage the disc's readability
* A unique identification number-printed in human-readable form along
with a corresponding machine-readable bar code for tracking, indexing, and
security
Availability
Kodak expects to market the Writable CD Production Station through systems
integrators, OEMs and value-added resellers beginning in early 1994.
Detailed pricing will be available in the 4th Quarter 1993.
KODAK SIGNS FIRST KODAK PICTURE
EXCHANGE IMAGE PROVIDERS
Stock photo agencies are first participants in new on-line image service
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 13-Fourteen stock photo agencies have selected the
Kodak Picture Exchange to market images for lease to advertising agencies,
publishers, and graphic design firms. These will be the first providers
to market images through Kodak's new on-line imaging service network.
The Kodak Picture Exchange links image buyers with images from some of the
finest stock agencies and image providers. Expected to be available in
the United States in the fall of 1993, the service will be among the first
to provide quick and convenient global access to vast collections of
images.
Subscribers will access the Picture Exchange with standard
telecommunications network and computer platforms, including Macintosh
computers and the Windows operating system. Subscribers will have a
choice of image search routines-from simple keyword and phrase entries-to
sophisticated expert search routines using over forty image attributes.
Benefits to Picture Exchange image providers include expanded market
reach, 24-hour customer access, reduced risk of lost or damaged originals,
and improved customer communications. Kodak Picture Exchange image
providers also can respond to customers faster. The Picture Exchange
image data base will improve archive management for image providers.
Advancements in image telecommunications, digital storage, computing
costs, and image digitization enable the Kodak Picture Exchange to be a
cost effective image distribution marketing channel. Kodak's Photo CD
technology is key to economic image digitization for the Picture Exchange.
"We are delighted to have signed some of the most recognized image
providers in the industry," said Fred Geyer, general manager and vice
president of CD imaging at Kodak. "These firms are using the Kodak
Picture Exchange to further improve the level of service they offer their
current and prospective customers. Technology is changing the way people
store, search, retrieve, and access images, and these providers are in the
lead."
The Kodak Picture Exchange represents Kodak's vision for a global image
transmission services network, similar to text and data networks. It will
link the suppliers of images, such as stock photo agencies, news
organizations, museums, universities, corporations, and archives, with the
customers they service. These include advertising agencies, graphic
designers, publishers and researchers.
Representing Quality and Diversity
Each of 14 photo stock agencies who have an initial commitment of between
5,000 and 20,000 images to the Kodak Picture Exchange are recognized as
suppliers of some of the finest images in the industry. These providers
include the following agencies.
Animals Animals/Earth Scenes-over 800,000 wildlife and nature images.
Archive Photos-over 5,000,000 images, including news photos, Hollywood,
engravings, and drawings.
Light Sources-over 100,000 photographs, including medical, children, and
New England images.
PhotoBank, Inc.-over 300,000 photographs, including world travel,
automobile, food lifestyle, industrial and medical images.
Ewing Galloway-over 2,000,000 images, including historical and nostalgic
photographs.
FPG International-One of the largest and oldest stock agencies in the
world with over 6,000,000 images, serving clients in advertising, design,
retail, travel, decor and editorial industries.
Hulton Deutsch Picture Library-over 15,000,000 images, described by Harold
Evans as "the greatest library of photojournalism in Europe."
The Image Works-over 400,000 photographs, including images of humor,
family, educat
ion, health care, occupations, culture, travel, recreation,
and historical personalities.
International Stock-over 1,000,000 images, including worldwide travel,
model released people and lifestyles, corporate, industrial, medical,
health, computer graphics, food , sports, scenics, and animal images.
Photo Researchers-over 2,000,000 images, including photomicroscopy,
medicine, high technology, and the sciences.
Profiles West-images include recreational, such as skiing, mountain
biking, whitewater, and the American West.
Ro-Ma Stock-features fresh images of exotic landscapes, patterns in
nature, plants, flowers and animals, as well as backgrounds, macro
photography, art, sciences, and people involved with nature.
The Stock Shop, Inc.-photographs including medical images.
Tom Stack and Associates-images of flora and fauna of the world, including
underwater and ecological images.
The Kodak Picture Exchange will allow people to use existing phone lines
and standard modems to access images from their desktop computers .
Subscribers will conduct fast online searches and will review and browse
low resolution images. Once image users have selected the images they may
want to use in an ad or publication, they submit the request to the
appropriate image provider. This is done electronically through the Kodak
Picture Exchange. The photo stock agency will negotiate image lease
rights and prices directly with the image user, as is currently done.
Software will be available for Macintosh and Windows users. Prices will
be announced in the fall, when the service is expected to go online. For
more information on the Kodak Picture Exchange, consumers can call the
Kodak Customer Assistance Center at 800-KPX-USER (579-8737).
KODAK ON-LINE PICTURE EXCHANGE
SERVICE TESTED AT HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept. 13-Eastman Kodak Company today announced a
three-month pilot of a new application of Kodak's new on-line image
service called the Kodak Picture Exchange. The application, called the
Eastman Exchange, is designed to assist Hollywood studios in the selection
and evaluation of film production sites. The application will consist of
a private image database of key national locations using the Kodak Picture
Exchange.
The Eastman Exchange's image database will comprise digitized still
photographs of film sites compiled by state film commissions. During the
test period, images will be provided by state film commissions in New York
and Arkansas. Test program participants will include Disney, Universal,
Warner Brothers, and Twentieth Century Fox studios.
Film producers will have immediate access to these images through standard
telecommunications networks and computing platforms, including Macintosh
computers and the Windows operating system. Location scouts can
research images on their computers using simple key words and phrases.
More detailed searches also can be conducted using over 40 image
descriptors. Producers can review, browse, and even print out low
resolution images on the spot.
Currently, film producers need to contact state film commissions by phone
in order to discuss and obtain photographs of specific sites. Commission
employees must search, process, and mail out the images to producers.
This can be a timely and expensive process for both parties.
The Eastman Exchange pilot application and Kodak Picture Exchange services
are consistent with the benefits provided by the Kodak Photo CD System,
which allows for cost effective storage of images on compact discs.
"We view this venture an important example of the value of the Kodak Photo
CD System and the Kodak Picture Exchange to businesses today," said Phil
Vogel, Manager of Worldwide Marketing, Kodak Motion Picture and Television
Imaging. "By offering this pilot program to our customers, we hope not
only to reduce the costs for location searches, but also to expand the
number of sites that studios can access and vice versa."
If proven successful, Kodak plans to offer the use of the Eastman Exchange
as a cost efficient service to film commissions and studios nationwide.
Future applications for the Eastman Exchange could be used for talent and
prop searches as well.
(Note: Kodak and InfoGuard are trademarks.)
Eastman Kodak Company, 343 State Street, Rochester, N.Y. 14650, 1993
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> A "Quotable Quote" "Nothing like kidding yourself..."
"""""""""""""""""
".... kinda like the old fashioned, "Gangland Squeeze"
a slick method of getting rid of the competition..."
..from an irate user's email
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> DEALER CLASSIFIED LIST STR InfoFile * Dealer Listings *
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ---------------
ABCO COMPUTER CONSULTANTS
=========================
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155
Est. 1985
1-904-783-3319
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
IBM/MSDOS-PC-CLONES-MAC-AMIGA-ATARI
CUSTOM - MADE TO ORDER HARDWARE
SOFTWARE, SUPPLIES & INSTRUCTION
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
COMPUTER STUDIO
===============
WESTGATE SHOPPING CENTER
40 Westgate Parkway - Suite D
Asheville, NC 28806
1-800-253-0201
Orders Only
1-704-251-0201
Information
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
Authorized Atari Dealer
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
EAST HARTFORD COMPUTER
======================
202 Roberts St.
East Hartford CT. 06108
1-203-528-4448
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
Authorized Atari Dealer
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
MEGABYTE COMPUTERS
==================
907 Mebourne
Hurst, TX 76053
1-817-589-2950
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
Authorized Atari Dealer
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
SAN JOSE COMPUTER
=================
1278 Alma Court
San Jose, CA. 95112
1-408-995-5080
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
Authorized Atari Dealer
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
CompuSeller West
================
220-1/2 W. Main St.
St. Charles, IL., 60174
Ph. (708) 513-5220
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
Authorized Atari Dealer
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
(DEALERS; to be listed here, please drop us a line.)
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport International Online Magazine
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STR Online! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" September 24, 1993
Since 1987 copyright (c) 1987-93 All Rights Reserved No.9.39
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