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Silicon Times Report Issue 1007
SILICON TIMES REPORT
====================
INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
=============================
from
STR Electronic Publishing Inc.
February 10, 1994 No. 1007
======================================================================
Silicon Times Report
International Online Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155
R.F. Mariano
Publisher-Editor
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______________________________________________________________________
> 02/10/94 STR 1007 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
"""""""""""""""""
- CPU INDUSTRY REPORT - 6 NEW Crays - IBM Outlet Open!
- SUN Awarded Honors - Electronic Keys - Internet Thefts!
- New Pentium Chip! - Apple Memories - Compaq->Subnotebook
- OMNISCAN - Donohue & DTP - The Old Fishin' Hole
-* EA & Broderbund Agree to Merge *-
-* PCTOOLS WINDOWS 2.0 SHIPS! *-
-* Viruses Invade Olympics System! *-
======================================================================
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
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STREPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
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"Enjoy CompuServe's forums; where information is at its very best!
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> From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""
Talk about weather! The country is getting a pasting the likes of
which hasn't been seen in decades! Hang in there dear hearts, it'll all
be over soon. After all, Spring is really coming.
New products are right around the corner and fancy new software is
known to be the "order of the day". Word Perfect 6.0a is in the works,
PC Tools for Windows version 2.0 is now in the pipelines and is it fancy!
Wait till you see this one. Spring Comdex should be very interesting.
On the to the issue, its a lengthy one but its all good reading.
Enjoy and do let us know what you think of the presentations.
Ralph....
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU!
""""""""""""""""
Publisher -Editor
""""""""""""""""""
Ralph F. Mariano
Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor, Current Affairs
Section Editors
"""""""""""""""
PC SECTION AMIGA SECTION MAC SECTION ATARI SECTION
---------- ------------- ----------- -------------
R.D. Stevens R. Glover R. Noak D. P. Jacobson
STReport Staff Editors:
"""""""""""""""""""""""
Dana P. Jacobson Michael Arthur John Deegan
Lucien Oppler Brad Martin Judith Hamner
John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Joseph Mirando
Doyle Helms Frank Sereno John Duckworth
Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur
Melanie Bell John Donohue
Contributing Correspondents:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Tim Holt Norman Boucher Harry Steele
Clemens Chin Neil Bradley Eric Jerue
Ron Deal Robert Dean Ed Westhusing
James Nolan Vernon W. Smith Bruno Puglia
Glenwood Drake
IMPORTANT NOTICE
""""""""""""""""
Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
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> CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
"""""""""""""""""
IBM/POWER-PC/PC SECTION (I)
===========================
Computer Products Update - CPU Report
------------------------ ----------
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Issue #07
By: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
******* General Computer News *******
** EA & Broderbund Agree to Merge **
Software publishers Electronic Arts and Broderbund Software Inc. have
signed a definitive agreement to merge by the end of May. The merger is
subject to approval by the stockholders of each company and other cust-
omary conditions.
Broderbund, which produces education and personal productivity soft-
ware, will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts, which is
best known for its interactive entertainment software in the PC and 16-
bit video game cartridge markets.
Operations of the two firms -- Broderbund's in Novato, Calif., and
Electronic Arts' in San Mateo -- are to continue, a statement from San
Mateo, Calif.
** New Crays to be Introduced **
Cray Research Inc. says new versions of its departmental supercomput-
er line are expected to give six to 12 times more power for the same
price.
Cray officials say the volume shipments for the next generation of
departmental supercomputers are scheduled to begin in the first quarter
of next year.
"Those machines are considered entry-level supercomputers and
generally sell for under $1 million. Since entering that market in late
1991, it has received more than 220 orders."
** Sun Named Best-Run Computer Company **
Sun Microsystems Inc. has been named by Germany's Manager Magazine as
the world's most successful and best-run computer company. The magazine,
which is recognized as Germany's top business publication, joined forces
with experts at the Boston Consulting Group to conduct a study of pub-
licly traded enterprises in the top 14 industrial nations.
While Sun ranked ninth among all businesses worldwide and fourth in
the United States behind Home Depot, Intel and Motorola, it was recog-
nized as the world's best-run computer firm.
** Feds Use 'Electronic Keys' **
Two federal agencies are controlling new "electronic keys" -- a tech-
nology known as Key Escrow Encryption -- that unlock scrambled telephone
and computer signals. This is the same encryption system formerly known
as the Clipper Chip.
Attorney General Janet Reno says the keys to the technology will be
held by the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and
Technology and the automated systems division of the Treasury
Department.
Reports say the decision allows law enforcement officials to maintain
wiretaps and that the system uses a state-of-the-art microcircuit
created by government engineers.
"While it is a voluntary system, available to people who need to en-
code messages, the high security of the system is expected to attract
customers. The scrambling technology would be included in phones and
computers by their manufacturers."
"Procedures for scrambling this material are so sophisticated that,
without a key system like that being instituted, the government would be
unable to break the codes and read or hear these messages, a problem
causing great concern among crime fighters."
Reno told reporters the keys will be used only for lawfully author-
ized wiretaps and that strict procedures are being set up to guard the
keys.
Here's how the system works:
-:- Each device will have two unique numbers, or "keys," that would
be needed by authorized government agencies to decode the transmissions.
The keys are 80-bit codes unique to each device.
-:- When a wiretap is required, written requests will have to be sent
to both agencies certifying that the wiretap has been legally approved.
-:- The two components for that particular encryption device would
then be provided to permit the messages to be decoded.
** Internet Users Warned of Thefts **
Rumors on Internet say that users there need to change their pass-
words because security has been compromised by rogue "sniffer" programs.
The federally funded Computer Emergency Response Team issued a warn-
ing last week that computer vandals have deployed a program that can
copy down passwords used when Internet visitors log onto remote computer
systems through the vast network.
"Those passwords are then passed by the clandestine computer program
back to the password thieves, who use them to log on to remote systems,
posing as the legitimate users"
CERT, in an emailed advisory to thousands of system operators, dec-
lined to provide details of the incidents or to say if any computer
files had been damaged by the Internet bandits, but "team members said
they would send out upgraded software to remote nodes on the Internet to
make them more secure in the future."
** Viruses Invade Olympics System **
Two viruses reportedly have been discovered in the Olympic Games'
computer system in Lillehammer, Norway. The rogue programs reportedly
were set to become active on the Games' opening day Feb. 12.
The Oslo newspaper Dagbladet reported one of the viruses, named The
Penetrator by its programmer, apparently was smuggled in from Sweden and
placed in the Olympics computer system by a local employee.
The German Deutsche Presse- Agentur news service reports, "The virus,
when activated, was supposed to send a message by the Games mascots --
which would appear on the screens affected - - to International Olympic
Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch proclaiming: 'Lillehammer '94
- Hakon und Kristin have exploded. They have with a small virus caused
great chaos in the Olympic computer.'"
The wire service added, "It was not clear how much destruction the
viruses could cause. Experts estimate that the possibility of a major
data collapse being brought about -- for example, through destruction of
the programs for the results of the various events -- are about 10
percent."
Sven Strand, director of the Olympic computer communications system,
confirmed to the Dagbladet that two viruses were discovered, but said he
was optimistic they could be destroyed before the opening day.
******* PC Computer News *******
** IBM Opens Factory Outlet **
IBM's first U.S.-based factory retail outlet will be opened Saturday
by the IBM Personal Computer Co. unit at Raleigh-Durham's Triangle
Factory Shops in North Carolina.
The IBM PC Factory Outlet will offer select discontinued, withdrawn,
reconditioned and returned PCs, displays, features and options at
significant discounts.
From the shop, which will occupy 13,000 square feet, products will
come with a 15-day money back guarantee. While warranties vary by
product, every item will come with an applicable IBM Statement of
Limited Warranty.
** Intel to Introduce New Versions of the Pentium Chip **
Intel Corp said it will offer a version of the Pentium microprocessor
that is 50% faster than its current chip, as well as produce a mid-range
Pentium chip. Sources say, Intel will preview the new Pentium, which is
called the P54C, at a technical conference.
In addition, the company will unveil on March 7 a lower-voltage mid-
range chip that will be most useful in laptop computers where its lower
voltage will extend battery life.
** Compaq Claims Portable PC Lead **
Computer maker Compaq Computer Corp. says it has taken the lead in
the portable PC market, jumping from fourth place in 1992 to the top of
the list compiled by Dataquest researchers.
Compaq cites initial 1993 Dataquest figures as showing it holds a 12%
share of the worldwide portables market, up from 8.7% in 1992, meaning
it has "hurdled past Apple, Toshiba and NEC, and outpaced IBM and all
other portable PC vendors."
** Compaq Unveils First Subnotebook Computer **
Compaq Computer will begin selling its first subnotebook this week. The
new Contura Aero is a 3.5-pound PC with a base price of $1,399. A 4.2-
pound color version is due out next month for $2,199.
The base monochrome Aero offers a 25MHz Intel 486SL microprocessor, a
PCMCIA 2.0 expansion slot, 4MB of RAM (expandable to 12 megabytes) and
an 84MB or 250MB hard disk.
** Lotus Offers Specially Priced 1-23/Organizer Bundle **
Lotus Development Corp. says it's now selling a $149 product bundle
featuring the upgrade version of 1-2-3 Release 4.01 for Windows spread-
sheet and the Lotus Organizer 1.1 personal information manager (PIM).
The offer runs through May 15.
The package is available to customers upgrading from either 1-2-3, a
qualifying competitive spreadsheet or Organizer 1.0. Lotus notes that
users can save as much as $395, based on the products' suggested retail
prices.
"This promotion provides an excellent opportunity for our customers
to buy two leading Windows applications at an attractive price, if they
act quickly. Both these products are designed to make powerful features
easy to learn and easy to use, and they will help users be more produc-
tive," says Jeffrey Anderholm, Lotus' director of spreadsheet marketing.
** IBM Cuts ValuePoint Prices **
IBM has cut prices by up to 19% on most recently announced ValuePoint
products. The Valuepoint P60/D prices start at $4,149.
In addition:
-:- All models of the entry-level ValuePoint Si are reduced up to
13%, with prices starting at $749.
-- Prices for the Multimedia for ValuePoint or MVP Series are reduced
up to 10%. The MVP models start at $1,422.
** New 'Word 6.0 for Windows "Ignores" Competition **
Sources say that Microsoft's new blockbuster word processing program,
Word 6.0 for Windows, is unable to convert a competitor's files. The
Windows program with more features than users can count does not supply
a filter for Lotus Corp.'s Ami Pro, another very popular award-winning
word processing program.
One disgruntled user is quoted as saying, "This is inexcusable in to-
day's computing environment."
******* Mac Computer News *******
** Apple & Oracle Collaborate **
Apple Computer, Inc. and Oracle Corp. have signed an agreement that
will allow Oracle's Media Server product line to work with a set-top box
based on the Macintosh.
A set-top box receives multimedia information from a media server
over phone or cable lines and presents that information to the user on
his or her TV. The set-top box is operated through a remote control
similar to that of any TV or VCR. Unlike a traditional cable box, the
Mac-based set top product provides full interactivity.
The two companies intend to deliver the unit on a trial basis
sometime in the first half of 1994. During the trial, Apple intends to
show how the system could be used to deliver video on demand, home
shopping, interactive learning and other multimedia applications to
consumers.
** New Quicktime Adds Music and Interactive TV Support **
Apple Computer, Inc. this week announced a new Macintosh version of
QuickTime, its movie-making software. QuickTime 2.0 provides larger vi-
deo at faster frame rates, support for music and support for interactive
television applications.
Apple says QuickTime 2.0 provides greatly increased performance,
resulting in full-screen movies -- without the addition of any hardware
-- closely resembling what viewers see on television. For example, on a
Macintosh LC475, one of Apple's lowest-cost computers, 30 frames per
second video is possible at a resolution of 320 by 240 dots. Full-screen
video of 640 by 480 dots is possible at 15 frames per second.
QuickTime 2.0 also allows professional-level video editing. The soft-
ware includes support for time-code, 60 fields per second video and data
throughput greater than 3MB per second, representing a 300% increase
over previous versions of QuickTime.
QuickTime 2.0 will run on any color-capable Macintosh running System
7 or 6.0.7. It requires at least 2MB of memory.
** PowerPC Macs to Offer DOS and Windows Compatibility **
Insignia Solutions of Mountain View, Calif., and Apple Computer Inc.
announced that they have reached an agreement for Apple to include
Insignia's new SoftWindows PC compatibility software on selected
configurations of the Macintosh with PowerPC.
Terms of the agreement and pricing weren't disclosed.
SoftWindows will let Macintosh with PowerPC users run DOS and Micro-
soft Windows applications on top of the standard Macintosh operating
system. Apple plans to offer specific Macintosh with PowerPC configur-
ations with SoftWindows pre-installed when it debuts the new RISC-based
computers next month. Insignia also plans to distribute SoftWindows
separately through its existing worldwide distribution channels.
Depending on system configuration and applications, SoftWindows will
offer Macintosh with PowerPC users Intel '386 and '486 performance
levels. SoftWindows provides full DOS and Windows in standard mode, as
well as built-in PC network support for Novell NetWare, LAN Manager,
Banyan Vines, Windows NT Advanced Server and TCP/IP.
SoftWindows is also compatible with of PC devices and systems, inclu-
ding COM and LPT ports, floppy drives, memory systems, video displays
and CD-ROM drives.
** New PowerPC Macs to Lead Low-End RISC Workstation Field **
Apple Computer will introduce its new line of PowerPC-based Macintosh
systems on March 14, including several machines that top the performance
of every major low-end RISC workstation in price/performance and beat
out Pentium systems as well, claims a report in trade journal Open
Systems Today.
The report, based on internal Apple documents and industry sources,
says the new line will thrust Apple into the PC workstation price war
with RISC machines that outperform and underprice just about everything
else on the market.
One of the new machines tops all competing systems in SPECint92
price/performance, in SPECfp92 floating-point price/performance and in
SPECfp92 straight performance. It also has the lowest list price,
according to Open Systems Today. The machine beat everything in straight
SPECint92 tests except for a DEC Alpha workstation, which was slightly
faster, says the publication.
But some users, analysts and software vendors questioned how much ap-
peal the new machines will have beyond Apple's own installed base,
despite Apple's intention to position them against Intel PCs.
Starting at $2,000 for a Power Macintosh 6100/60, the new desktops
are built around the PowerPC 601 microprocessor, which is rated at 60
SPECint92 and 80 SPECfp92. Besides the 60MHz model 6100, Apple will
unveil a 66MHz Model 7100 started at $3,000 and an 80MHz Model 8100
starting at $4,500, according to sources and documents quoted in the
Open Systems Today story. The models will come with 8MB of RAM,
expandable to 72MB on the low- end model, 136MB on the midrange and
264MB at the high end. The low-end model has a 160MB disk, while the
other models come with a 250MB disk, the story said. The low-end model
has one expansion slot and a single SCSI interface, while the other
models have three slots and dual SCSI channels. All three models support
Ethernet.
To lure PC users to the new Macs, Apple plans to offer DOS and
Windows compatibility through Insignia Solutions' SoftWindows emulator,
the story quotes sources as saying. The newspaper says performance will
be at about the level of a 486 PC. Existing applications will run on the
new Macintoshes through software emulation in the System 7 operating
environment. As far as native applications, Apple is expected to have
about 60 software vendors with applications either shipping or set to
ship within 60 days of the hardware's introduction, sources told Open
Systems Today.
** Rasterops Unveils Macintosh Graphics Accelerator Card **
RasterOps Corp. has announced the PaintBoard Professional -- a new
addition to its line of Macintosh graphics accelerator cards.
Priced at $2,199, PaintBoard Professional offers QuickDraw acceler-
ation. The device provides 24-bit color support of large-screen monitors
up to 21 inches in size at a resolution of 1,152 by 870 dots.
RasterOps claims that, on average, the PaintBoard Professional deli-
vers QuickDraw performance gains four times that of a Macintosh Quadra
950's standard internal video. It also notes that peak performance gains
can exceed 44 times the level provided by the standard Quadra 950.
RasterOps DSPro, an optional daughtercard, holds twin high-speed dig-
ital signal processors (DSPs) to boost the performance of computation-
ally intensive image processing functions such as Adobe Photoshop
filters. The PaintBoard Professional preconfigured with DSPro costs
$2,999. The daughtercard is available as an add-on for a $1,099.
_________________________________________________
> STR InfoFile
""""""""""""
WORDPERFECT CORPORATION
ADDS
TECH DATA CORPORATION
TO ITS PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL
OREM, Utah * Feb. 8, 1994 * WordPerfect Corporation today announced it
has broadened its distribution base by extending the company's current
distribution contract with Software Resource to Tech Data Corporation.
This action follows Tech Data's acquisition of Software Resource.
"The expertise of Tech Data, with its VAR (value added reseller) niche,
combined with Software Resource's consumer product emphasis, strengthens
our existing distribution base," said Rod Brooks, vice president of
channel sales for WordPerfect Corporation. "This new relationship will
have a strong influence on the sales of WordPerfect Corporation's
workgroup and business applications, and the WordPerfect Main Street
consumer products line."
WordPerfect Corporation offers a limitted number of contracts to major
channel distributors. The acquisition of Software Resource by Tech Data
allows WordPerfect Corporation to broaden its channel reach without
increasing its number of distribution contracts.
"WordPerfect Corporation recently reviewed Tech Data as a potential
distribution partner and finds this acquisition very timely," added
Brooks.
Other key channel distributors of WordPerfect Corporation products
include Ingram Micro, Merisel and Kenfil Distribution.
______________________________________________
> PC Tools Windows 2.0 STR InfoFile
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PCTOOLS FOR WINDOWS VERSION 2.0
===============================
PCTW 2.0 ADDRESSES MOST CRITICAL USER PROBLEMS
To help identify solutions for the three primary user problems
encountered, Central Point turned to finely tuned research. In focus
groups, the company asked experienced Windows users to evaluate over 100
potential new features for the new release of PCTW. This research helped
the company develop a subset of the most important new features. Here's
a brief look at some of the new and enhanced features in PCTW.
- Protection against Crashes/Data Loss
Crash Guard warns users when memory, disk space or system resources
get low. - in time to prevent crashes.
Native Windows DiskFix now supports DoubleSpace Drives.
Complete Central Point Anti-Virus 2.0 for Windows and Central Point
Backup 2.0 for Windows now included.
- Enhanced System Control and full configuration assistance
System Consultant analyzes the user's system and recommends changes
then makes those changes automatically, with user approval.
When the user edits system files, INI-Consultant is the ideal online
tool. It is unique, offering plain english descriptions of cryptic
DOS and Windows system files making it easier to understand and edit
these files.
- Faster Performance
An improved Optimizer defragments the hard drive for the best
possible performance, now supports MS-DOS 6 DoubleSpace volumes as
well. Runs in the background also.
- Enhanced File and Program Management.
Improved Multidesk provides multiple, configurable desktops and now
features AutoSync Folders and AutoSync Desktops that update
automatically when files are changed or created. Because there is
less clutter, users can find their data faster and thus, improve
their productivity.
The PCTW File Manager is enhanced with support for WYSIWYG viewers,
PKZip 2.0 compression and an integrated Smartfind and Undelete.
New animated tutorials make PCTW as easy to learn as it is to use.
COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF NEW FEATURES
--------------------------------------
CRASHGUARD
----------
Crashguard functions as a configurable resource gauge set. It
offers both analog and digital readouts on memory, system resource and
disk space use, enabling users to monitor heavy computing that could
overtax and crash the system. Even better, the gauges can be set to
provide an audible alarm at any warning level the user chooses.
Crashguard also provides an integrated clock and calendar.
SYSTEM CONSULTANT
-----------------
Windows based systems have become larger and more complex. That
increases the need for users to stay on top of system status. System
Consultant reports on over 400 hardware, software and network parameters
such as interrupts, benchmark testing, Windows Memory, processor, video
and network users. More importantly, more than forty system specific
recommendations provide configuration tuning tips for optimal
performance. Those recommendations have been expanded in version 2.0,
the System Consultant does more than suggest and explain changes, it
performs the changes at the touch of a "Do It" button.
INI CONSULTANT
--------------
This NEW Feature, integrated into System Consultant, helps make
sense of the confusing DOS and Windows system files and code that users
may sometimes examine or edit. It provides an explanation of each line
of code, defines acceptable parameters and offers suggestions for
changes.
OPTIMIZER
---------
Optimizer helps resolve the most common performance problem in
Windows; Hard Disk Fragmentation. Hard Disk Fragmentation results from
DOS' inefficient, random system of storing clusters of data. From within
Windows, Optimizer automatically defrags the drive, rearranging the
clusters into a more logical order whenever the system remains idle for
an extended period of time. With version 2.0, Optimizer now supports
DoubleSpace compression and faster performance.
SCRIPTOOLS
----------
The easy to use Macro System and batch language includes full
recording capability, advanced tools such as dialog box creation, network
scripting language and support for Dynamic Data Exchange. (DDE)
This is the first of a mini-series that'll be presented here over
the next few weeks. PC Tools for Windows Version 2.0 is HOT! Its very
powerful, and... so far; Its quite sure footed. At this point, I'd
recommend an upgrade to 2.0 in a heartbeat. Look for our subsequent
articles about this new release from Central Point. So far, its very
impressive!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
: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
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
___ ___ _____ _______
/___| /___| /_____| /_______/ The Macintosh RoundTable
/____|/____| /__/|__| /__/ ________________________
/_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/
/__/|____/|__|________|__/
/__/ |___/ |__|_/ |__|_/____ Managed by SyndiComm
/__/ |__/ |__|/ |__|______/
An Official Forum of the International Computer Users Group
*** STReport available in MAC RT ***
ASCII TEXT
for ALL GEnie users!
MAC/APPLE SECTION (II)
======================
Randy Noak, Editor
Whew! There's a ton of useful and informative info in this week's
Mac Report. First off, DTP Associate Editor presents an article about
finding DTP clients, then Applications Associate Editor Steven Kiepe
reviews the Omniscan Bundle, an all-in-one software/hardware combination
and, finally, we present Apple's Time-Line. Perfect for settling
arguments and bets. Don't forget to look for the premier issue of Mac
Report Monthly early next week.
> DONOHUE & DTP STR Feature
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
DONOHUE & DTP
=============
by John Donohue
HOW AND WHERE TO FIND DTP WORK
------------------------------
The following "ideas" are purely my own, and although they may not
work for everyone, they have brought me some degree of success and on
that basis ought to be worth a thought or try.
My initial ideas of getting into the DTP business were to approach
local printers who did not do their own typesetting and get some ideas,
and let the conversation lead into "well, I do typesetting, let me do
some work for you". Well the first printer I went to was very "don't
call me, I'll call you". Off on the wrong foot right from the start. I
really wanted to work with this print shop because he was close by (about
2 miles - but there's a good ending with this print shop). The second
shop I went to (a "quick print" shop) saw me as a "savior", since he had
all of his typesetting done almost 50 miles away and sometimes the turn
around was 3 or 4 days for a simple business card. I offered him 24 hour
turn around on business cards, letter heads, envelopes, etc. and 48
hours on most other jobs. Not much .... but I was on my way. By the
way ... the first print shop I went to (the stand offish guy) started
calling me every so often with small one liners (address changes, etc.).
That was over 4 years ago. I currently do ALL of his typesetting, design
layout, logos, etc., and I now work with 3 print shops - all within 10
miles of home.
My bottom line with print shops is: get to know them. First off,
just having an understanding of the printing "operation" can do nothing
but help your business. Second, you will need to have material printed
from time to time, and you will always be in a position to suggest a
printer to a particular customer. It MAY be the little ammunition you
need to get your foot in the door of a print shop.
Many print shops have full time typesetters, layout type folks, but
I've found that sticking your head in the door from time to time, just to
let them know you're still around, helps. You never know when a print
shop employee may go on vacation, come down with the flu, the shop gets
"swamped" with work, or just plain get fired. Let the shops know you're
available if they ever get into a jam.
Lotsa shops (especially up north) may be unionized - and they may
see you as a "scab". Be careful.
The print shops idea CAN work. I've even offered to do some
typesetting for a "new - hard to convince" print shop for 1 week for
FREE. Yep, free. Just to let them know the quality of work I can
produce.
Ad Agencies - some of my biggest jobs to date have been run thru ad
agencies. If you have a great collection of typefaces and clip art
it helps.
Schools - most schools I know produce a "newsletter". Some do them in
house as part of a journalist class. But approach them. Alot of
printed material comes thru the school systems, and most have to
watch their pennies. Be competitive, but be fair.
Golf and Country Clubs - Newsletters (more on them later), membership
booklets, tournament fliers, Tee schedule sheets, shop signs, etc.,
etc.
Restaurants - obviously menus. They are constantly changing them with
prices, deletion of slow moving items, etc.
Clubs/Organizations - ALL the "do good" clubs. Elks, Lions, American
Legion, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE! (join!!) .... most of them have
newsletters and an old idea that still works is: approach the
organization with the idea of "I'll put you're newsletter/bulletin
together and deliver the final product for free". Make them aware
that you will be selling ads to offset the print/design-layout costs
and that they will have final say on the ads. All they need to do
is supply you with the articles/photos. (See, you're now in a
position to work with a printer as a "customer".
Newsletters - I currently do 4 monthly and 3 quarterly newsletters, (one
of the quarterly's is a 24 pager). Folks, newsletters can be very
profitable (and time consuming for the first few, til you get in the
groove with the client). An OCR/Scanner package helps tremendously.
Think of the number of organizations that produce a newsletter.
I've mentioned some above - many are internal for employees only,
but here's a few other "possibilities".
- Banks
- Doctors (everything from Dentists to Vets)
- Hospitals
- Financial offices (CPA's, Stockbrokers, etc.)
- Environmental clubs
- Car dealers
- Health clubs
- Governmental agencies (DON'T be "afraid" to approach them)
... the list goes on and on, but there's a GREAT market for
newsletters!
The bottom line is this. When was the last time you went a day
without seeing something printed. (Forget newspapers and magazines -
they don't count). There is a TON of paper being run thru presses
gobbling up ink. SOMEONE has to set those letters/photos/clipart, etc.
on that paper. Why not you?
___________________________________________
> OMNISCAN STR Review
"""""""""""""""""""
OMNISCAN HAND SCANNING SYSTEM
=============================
by Steven Kiepe
As we travel down the overly-hyped information super highway, there
increasingly is a need to transfer images and text from paper medium to
the world of digital coding. The neighborhood newsletter publisher wants
to be able to incorporate photographs and line drawings in their work.
Home offices seek ways to automatically convert faxes and other printed
material into directly readable text. The gotta have it folks view
hardware and software novelties as near essential to getting maximum
value from their computers. All of these concerns not withstanding, one
of first considerations (besides finances) when buying a scanner is to
review its intended use. Few users seeking to spice up the neighborhood
newsletter can justify a $1000 to $2000 plus expenditure necessary to buy
a flat bed color scanner. Additionally, as most users do not have a
high-resolution color printer, the need for color scanning capability
(even if it was available in a hand scanner) seems remote. Most users
have a monochrome printer and accordingly, a monochrome or grey-scale
scanner is the best bet. Because even greyscale flat bed scanners cost
between $500 and $1300, there remains untapped the lower-end market of
the occasional user. For these potential customers of scanning
technology, the hand scanner is likely the best tool to fill their needs.
One currently available hand scanner is the OmniScan system by Caere
(part of a bundle of hardware and software).
The OmniScan System Bundle
--------------------------
The OmniScan system provides limited Optical Character Recognition
(OCR), graphic scanning/manipulation, and fax generation/reception
capability for the lower end of the user spectrum. For about $400
(street price) the system is aimed at being the jack of all trades for
the home user although it is certainly the master of none. The hardware
half of the bundle contains a hand held scanner and base power/interface
unit. Software packages include OmniPage Direct v1.10 which is the
lite version of OmniPage Professional OCR software; Image Assistant
v1.11, the greyscale version of the higher end color graphics
manipulation program; FaxMaster, a Fax interface (requires a fax modem,
purchased separately) for sending and receiving greyscale faxes and OCR
interpretation of the same; and in some bundles, you may also receive
Kudo v1.0.7, an early version of a graphics librarian program.
Physical Description and Requirements
-------------------------------------
The OmniScan system comes in a large box containing the scanner and
base unit, a single large user manual, three disks, and a series of
coupon offers to upgrade to the professional or full-fledged versions
of the software programs in the bundle (just add money). The scanner
itself consists of a base unit about the size of a standard 5.25 inch
external floppy drive and a large black scanning wand, significantly
larger than others available in the Mac or DOS worlds. This scanning
wand plugs into the base unit that connects to the SCSI port of your
Macintosh. The scanner will image 256 shades or scales of grey from
white to black (theoretically). The installation program installs all
required programs, extensions, etc. into the necessary locations on your
hard drive. Installation places several folders, extensions, resources
and a few Apple Menu items into the system folder.
Don't even think about hooking up the system if you don t have at
least 8 MB of RAM exclusive of virtual memory. If you need to scan large
objects or at high resolutions, expect to require significantly more RAM
than that. Installation of the full OmniScan bundle (not including
samples and tutorials) will take up about 6.2 MB on your hard drive. The
system works well with System 7 and is 32 bit address clean.
The scanning wand has a usable four inch scanning window although
the unit s head is 6.25 inches wide. The scanner s length is another 6.5
inches with a set of rollers just behind the scanning window and again at
the rear of the unit. This wide footprint makes the scanner very stable,
and it tracks easily in a straight line. Even so, scanning against a
straightedge is highly recommended. Unfortunately, the extra one and an
eighth inches of dead space on either side of the scanning window makes
it near impossible to scan text or graphics near a book s center binding.
That impairs its utility for scanning from most paperbacks and many hard
bound volumes as well.
From the Beginning . . .
--------------------------
The OmniScan system works within other applications. OmniPage
Direct is used to scan and perform OCR of text directly into your
favorite word processing document or into the Mac s clipboard.
Similarly, the graphic scanning function works within a graphic
manipulation program, in this case Image Assistant. FaxMaster works
transparently in the background of nearly any Mac application, standing
by to create fax files vice printed output.
I began with a trial of the text scanning capability of OmniPage
direct working within ClarisWorks 2.0 and WordPerfect 3.0. My system s
test configuration was a PowerBook 165 8/80 coupled with a SuperMatch 17
color monitor, 245 MB external hard drive through a SCSI DOC SCSI
adapter, NEC SilentWriter 95F Postscript 2 laser printer and of course
the OmniScan. Thirty-two bit addressing was selected with either 8MB
installed RAM or with installed RAM plus an additional 8MB virtual memory
used.
To accomplish OCR scanning requires the installation of the OmniScan
init extension and the OmniPage Direct application. The application is
listed in the Apple Menu, allowing drop down selection from within most
word processors. The minimum application memory for Direct is 2.1 MB.
Scanning can be accomplished from top to bottom or side to side. If
scanning tables, left to right scans are recommended. In the 8 MB RAM
configuration while working within ClarisWorks, over 11 linear inches
could be scanned at 300 dpi. For those with data entry requirements
wider than the 4-inch scanning window width, the program performs
automatic stitching of sequential passes before commencing OCR.
Unfortunately, despite owner s manual assertions to the contrary, the
Direct program would not conduct vertical scans for stitching, instead
only stitching horizontal scans. This precluded full page/full width
scans from bound books as it was impossible to scan a full page without
the positioning roller losing contact with the page before the scan
window finished viewing the text. A call to Caere technical support
indicated that they are aware of this defect and that it should be
corrected in the next upgrade. Top to bottom scans (unstitched) were no
problem. I must admit to being pleasantly surprised at the quality of
the scan stitching. I noted that the invisible merging of the text
scans was far superior to the merging of graphics passes (as will be
commented on later).
The OmniScan manual recommends text scanning at 300 dpi (unless
very large text is used) or even 400 dpi for very small fonts. On the
other hand, the manual addendum for Direct version 1.1 recommended text
scanning at 200 dpi. I tried multiple approaches to this and found that
in the sample scanning page supplied with the scanner, at 200 dpi there
were 90 errors (represented by tilde characters) out of 210 words. At
300 dpi there were no errors save that hyphens (when scanning sideways)
were not recognized. Vertical scans recognized hyphens without
difficulty.
After a few minutes of calculation, during which the system flashes
pieces of the text it is trying to recognize (without allowing manual
intervention) the text flows into the position of the cursor in the
document you have open. If there are no open documents, the text will go
onto the clipboard. An interesting aspect was that the text appeared in
roughly the font size and style of the original, including italics and
occasionally bold. Even mixed fonts and sizes on a single page (as long
as they were simple) were rendered in close fashion. OmniPage Direct
will recognize (with limited success) tables and, if scanning columns
vertically, will ignore text scanned outside of the primary column.
Considering that this is at the lower cost end of the OCR spectrum, the
results were fairly impressive.
Image Assistant GS
------------------
Another major scanning function of the OmniScan bundle is its
graphic capability. Image Assistant GS scans 265 levels of grey that can
be saved in many formats and compression routines. Limited image
manipulation tools are available for use. These include standard
cut/paste/fill and paint tools, lassos' that select all objects in either
a freehand defined area or within areas defined by object edge contrast.
Other tools include the ability to lighten or darken all or part of an
image, create special effects including posterization and embossing of
an image, and similar features. Scanning can be done either horizontally
or vertically and this time the stitching feature worked from either
direction. The graphic stitching feature is, however, significantly less
accurate than that seen with text. Stitched scans tend to align closely
through about half the image with significant deviation noted as the
image lengths increase. There is no feature to allow manual intervention
in stitch alignment.
Scans were impressive in detail but the trueness of the greyscale
rendition was poor. When scanning simple line art against a pure white
background, the background was rendered as a significant shade of grey
despite gamma and correction settings. Although this does ensure the
inclusion of significant data for manipulation later (it is easier to
use lightening to improve an image s appearance than it is to darken the
same), it was annoying and neither the monitor nor scanner calibration
features did much to affect the results. Only by greatly brightening the
image was it possible to get the white background to appear white and
then at the cost of turning dark black images to a medium shade of grey.
It was impossible to scan line art directly as a bi-level image, instead
the image was captured as a greyscale image and then converted based upon
a 50% threshold setting. This seemed a very inefficient method of line
art scanning. The conversion was, however, reasonably accurate.
Image Assistant GS offers the option of selecting two different
sizes of tools. It also has an enhanced assist mode that condenses the
number of tools visible into a few categories, then leads you toward your
desired effect a step at a time. The features of the normal and assist
modes were both intuitive and appropriate for most needs. The program
will also import color or greyscale TIFF, JPEG, and GIF images (to name a
few) and convert them to 256 level greyscale for further manipulation.
Fax and Fax/OCR Capability
--------------------------
The final feature of the OmniScan bundle is the FaxMaster program.
FaxMaster functions both as a system extension for sending and receiving
faxes, using a chooser interface to print to fax from within any
application. The application requires a minimum memory allocation of 2.7
MB RAM. It is capable of transmitting or receiving greyscale or halftone
faxes and can be set up to automatically OCR incoming faxes as they are
received. This feature is marginal in accuracy unless the sending
station transmits the fax at fine resolution. Additionally, there is a
high price to pay in terms of speed when automatically OCRing incoming
documents. First, because fine resolution is selected, there is much
more data to be translated and received. Second, each fax can take
several minutes (up to ten) to be deciphered by the system. The solution
is to OCR faxes or portions of a fax after the fact with the Faxmaster
utility. The section of interest is highlighted on the screen by the
user and then recognized.
Don't get the wrong impression about the fax feature. You still
must acquire a suitable fax modem to be able to send or receive faxes
with the OmniScan system. The FaxMaster application is a reasonable
system but, unless you plan to attempt optical character recognition of
many faxes, the fax programs that usually come with each fax modem are
likely to be as good or better than FaxMaster. Further, some people
don t like having to go through the chooser to print to fax. Regardless,
the system works adequately for most purposes.
Conclusion
----------
The OmniScan bundle has several negative traits, most notably the
size of the scanning wand relative to that of the scanning window. On
the other hand, it offers many features not available with other scanners
at twice the price. With a market price of about $398, it is an
affordable solution for the needs of many home users and hobbyists.
_____________________________________________
> STR MAC InfoFiles
"""""""""""""""""
APPLE COMPUTER, INC. TIMELINE
January 1976 to December 1993
January 1976
- Steve Wozniak (26) is working at Hewlett-Packard and Steve Jobs (21)
is at Atari.
March
- Wozniak and Jobs finish work on a preassembled computer circuit
board. It has no keyboard, case, sound or graphics. They call it
the Apple I.
April
- Wozniak and Jobs form the Apple Computer Company on April Fool's
Day.
- The Apple I debuts at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, CA.
May
- Jobs sells his VW van and Wozniak sells his Hewlett-Packard
programmable calculator, raising $1,350 to finance production of the
Apple I boards.
- The Byte Shop computer store orders 50 Apple I boards. Jobs
leverages the order to get credit so they can build the machines in
Jobs' parents' garage.
June
- Apple retains Regis McKenna Advertising to represent Apple Computer.
July
- The Apple I board is released for sale to hobbyists and electronics
enthusiasts at the Product price of $666.66.
August
- Jobs meets venture capitalist Don Valentine through Atari founder
Nolan Bushnell. Valentine will refer Jobs to Mike Markkula, who had
previously managed marketing for Intel Corp. and Fairchild
Semiconductor.
November
- Apple's first formal business plan sets a goal for sales to grow to
$500 million in ten years. As it turns out, the company will pass
that mark in half the time.
December
- Apple I computer boards are sold through 10 retail stores in the
U.S.
January 1977
- Apple Computer is incorporated by Jobs, Wozniak and their new
partner and chairman, Mike Markkula. In addition to plotting its
marketing strategy, Markkula invests $250,000 in the fledgling
enterprise. Additional financing will come later from a group of
venture capitalists that include Venrock Associates, Arthur Rock and
Associates and Capital Management Corp.
- Apple moves from Jobs' garage to a building on Stevens Creek
Boulevard in Cupertino, California.
February
- Markkula asks Michael Scott to accept the position of Apple's
president. Scott becomes a driving force behind Apple during its
fastest growing years.
April
- The new Apple II is unveiled at the first West Coast Computer Faire.
It is the first Product personal computer able to generate color
graphics and includes a keyboard, power supply and attractive case.
- At the show Apple rents the largest booth and uses a large
projection screen for demonstrations. Markkula walks the floor,
signing up dealers.
- The Apple logo as seen today is designed by Rob Janoff, art director
for Regis McKenna Advertising.
May
- Regis McKenna Advertising launches its first ad campaign for Apple.
Although advertising is initially aimed at electronics enthusiasts,
Apple will soon become the first company to advertise personal
computers in consumer magazines.
June
- The Apple II is now available to the general public. Fully
assembled and pretested, it Product includes 4K of standard memory,
and comes equipped with two game paddles and a demo cassette. The
price is $1,298. Customers use their own TV set as a monitor and
store programs on audio cassette recorders.
- Monthly orders reach a $1 million annual sales rate.
- First Apple shipped to Europe through an independent distributor
called Eurapple.
January 1978
- Apple moves into its new headquarters at 10260 Bandley Drive in
Cupertino. Over the years, a campus of Apple office buildings will
spring up around it.
March
- Apple introduces various interface cards for connecting to most
printers.
June
- Apple's Disk II is introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show. It
is the easiest to use, lowest priced, and fastest minifloppy disk
drive ever offered by a computer manufacturer. It will make
possible the development of serious software. Production at first
is handled by just two employees, turning out 30 drives a day.
- Apple announces telephone linkup services to Dow Jones for Apple II
users.
December
- In only its second year, Apple is one of the fastest growing
companies in America. Sales have increased tenfold, and its dealer
network has grown to over 300.
February 1979
- President Mike Scott declares that Apple should set an example for
businesses everywhere, and issues a company-wide mandate: "No more
typewriters."
June
- Apple II+ is introduced, available with 48K of memory and a new
auto-start ROM for easier startup and screen editing for $1,195.
- Apple Education Foundation is founded. Its goal is to grant Apple
systems to schools that will develop new classroom software and
integrate computers into the curriculum.
- Apple's first printer, the Silentype, is introduced.
- Apple announces a nationwide repair program featuring same-day
service.
- The first Dealer Council convenes. Designed to get dealer input
without breaking the FTC rules on competition, it will be widely
copied by other manufacturers in the personal computer industry.
August
- Apple II Pascal is released.
October
- Personal Software, Inc. releases VisiCalc for the Apple II. The
spreadsheet is the first application to make personal computers a
practical tool for people who don't know how to write their own
programs.
- The International Apple Core, an independent umbrella organization
for user groups, is formed in San Francisco.
December
- Apple introduces a low cost, one-year extended warranty for all
Apple products.
- Apple II sales rate is at 35,000 units, up 400 percent from 1978.
- Apple now employs 250 people working out of four buildings.
March 1980
- Apple Fortran introduced. Proves to be a catalyst for high-level
technical and educational applications.
June
- Regional support centers open in Boston, MA; Charlotte, NC; Irvine,
CA; Carrollton, Marketing TX and Toronto, Canada.
July
- Apple opens a manufacturing plant in Carrollton, TX. Apple
facilities now occupy more than half a million square feet of floor
space in the U.S. and Europe.
September
- Apple III announced at the National Computer Conference. With a new
operating system, a built-in disk controller and four peripheral
slots priced at $3,495, the Apple III is the most advanced system in
the company's history.
- Apple opens a plant in Cork, Ireland and a European support center
in Zeist, The Netherlands.
November
- Apple II chosen as the network access machine for EDUNET an
international computer network for higher education and research.
December
- Apple goes public. Morgan Stanley and Co. and Hambrecht & Quist
underwrite an initial public offering of 4.6 million shares of Apple
common stock at a price of $22 per share. Every share is bought
within minutes of the offering, making this the largest public
offering since Ford went public in 1956.
- Apple's employee count breaks 1,000.
- Apple Seed announced, a computer literacy program that will provide
elementary and high schools with computer course materials.
- Apple's distribution network is the largest in the industry 800
independent retailers in the U.S. and Canada, plus 1,000 outlets
abroad.
January 1981
- R&D budget jumps to $21 million, three times more than the year
before.
- Apple announces a Loan-To-Own program for employees. Each employee
can borrow an Apple II+ to use at home. After one year, the
computer becomes theirs to keep.
February
- Mike Scott authorizes the layoff of 40 employees in an effort to
streamline Apple's internal machinery.
- Chiat/Day Advertising acquires the Apple account when it acquires
Regis McKenna's advertising operations.
- European headquarters open in Paris, France and Slough, England.
March
- Top management restructured. Mike Markkula replaces Mike Scott as
president; Steve Jobs succeeds Markkula as chairman; Scott named
vice chairman.
- Apple Expo '81 is launched the company's first national
merchandising roadshow.
April
- Accessory Products Division formed to handle production of printers,
modems and other peripherals.
May
- Apple Language Card introduced. It allows Apple II users to run
programs in either Product Pascal, Fortran or Pilot.
- IEEE-488 interface card announced. Apple II computers may now be
linked to over 1,400 scientific and technical instruments.
- Second offering of 2.6 million shares of common stock is completed.
July
- Apple begins to air commercials featuring Dick Cavett as spokesman.
- Manufacturing plant opens in Singapore.
August
- International Business Machines introduces the IBM Personal
Computer. Apple greets its new competitor with a full-page ad in
the Wall Street Journal with a headline that reads, "Welcome IBM
Seriously."
September
- Apple's first mass storage system, the 5MB ProFile hard disk is
introduced, priced at $3,499.
November
- There are now about 3,000 Apple dealers worldwide, a third of which
are authorized service centers.
- First annual report notes that the Apple II installed base has grown
to well over 300,000; that employees now number about 2,500; and
that Apple has introduced over 40 new software programs this year.
- Apple becomes a household name. Surveys show that public awareness
rose from 10 percent to 80 percent in 1981.
January 1982
- R&D budget increases 81 percent over last year to $38 million
.
- More than 100 companies are making personal computers. Apple has an
installed base of more than 650,000 units; 10,000 Apple software
programs offered by more than 1,000 developers; 60 companies
producing Apple II peripherals.
July
- Apple Dot Matrix printer introduced for $2,195.
August
- Apple announces that U.S. Customs agents will detain and seize all
foreign imitations of the Apple II.
November
- A new extended warranty program is announced and dubbed AppleCare.
- AppleFesta showplace for more than 5,000 Apple-related products
opens in San Francisco.
December
- Apple becomes the first personal computer company to reach $1
billion annual sales rate. It throws a "Billion Dollar Party" for
employees.
- Community Affairs office created to award grants to civic groups
that deal with issues such as housing, drug abuse, the environment,
employment, medical research, the arts, youth and the elderly.
- Time magazine's "Man of the Year" issue is devoted to "The Year of
the Computer."
January 1983
- Apple IIe computer priced at $1,395 and Lisa computer priced at
$9,995 introduced as well as several new peripherals.
- Apple's European offices and distributors stage major events in 12
cities to launch new Marketing productsLondon, Paris, Zurich,
Munich, Milan, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Brussels, Tel Aviv,
Madrid and Dublin.
February
- Apple University founded to provide employee training programs.
April
- John Sculley, formerly president of Pepsi-Cola, elected Apple's new
president and CEO.
May
- Apple enters the Fortune 500 at number 411 in under five years.
- "Kids Can't Wait" program announced. Apple II computers will be
given to about 10,000 California schools by September.
June
- The millionth Apple II rolls off the assembly line and is the first
of the computers to be awarded in the "Kids Can't Wait" grant.
July
- Apple and General Electric Credit Corp. form the Apple Plan.
Customers who qualify are given a credit Credit card to finance
Apple purchases.
September
- EVA (Employee Volunteer Action) is created to match the skills of
Apple employees with community needs.
October
- Certified/Registered Apple Developer Program created.
November
- AppleWorks, an integrated package containing word processing,
spreadsheet, and database applications all in one, is introduced and
will soon become the world's best selling software.
December
- Apple III+ computer announced and lists for $2,995.
- ImageWriter printer introduced and lists for $675.
- Apple sponsors a nationwide Computer Clubs competition for high
school and K-12.
January 1984
- Apple landmark "1984" commercial that introduces the Macintosh
personal computer airs during the SuperBowl broadcast. This is the
only time Apple will run the spot, but over the following weeks it
is replayed by dozens of news and talk shows, making "1984" one of
the most memorable ads in TV history.
- Macintosh unveiled at Apple's annual shareholders meeting to be sold
for $2,495.
- Apple inserts a 20-page ad for Macintosh in major magazines and sets
new records for readership and recall scores.
- Apple University Consortium announced. Twenty-four leading colleges
and universities agree to conduct major development programs with
the Macintosh, and commit $61 million in sales to the project over a
three year period.
- A new factory, designed and built for the production of Macintosh
computers, is officially opened in Fremont, CA. The facility is one
of the nation's most automated plants and uses many Japanese
manufacturing methods: robotics, just-in-time materials delivery, a
linear assembly line, and an improved quality of life for workers.
- The 300 and 1200-baud Personal Modems are introduced at $299 & $495.
April
- Apple IIc, priced at $1,295, introduced at the company's "Apple II
Forever" conference Product in San Francisco. Two thousand dealers
place orders on the spot for more than 52,000 unitsan industry
record.
- Development of the Apple III line is discontinued.
- Scribe printer, priced at $299, is introduced.
- National Accounts program is announced focusing on large volume
purchasers in the Fortune 1000.
May
- Apple severs its ties with domestic manufacturer representatives
saying it will build its own sales force to service the dealer
network.
- Manufacturing facility in Cork, Ireland begins producing custom-
language Macintosh computers for Germany, Italy and the United
Kingdom.
July
- Apple is elected to the Consumers Digest Hall of Fame for
responsiveness to consumer needs.
August
- Apple IIc receives the 1984 Industrial Design Excellence Award
(IDEA) sponsored by the Product Industrial Designers Society of
America.
September
- Macintosh 512K introduced at $3,195.
October
- Apple Grants department formed, encompassing Education Affairs and
Corporate Employee Volunteer Action programs.
November
- Apple buys every advertising page in a special post-election issue
of Newsweek. The issue's final, fold-out ad is used to launch "Test
Drive a Macintosh" promotion. About 200,000 people take a Macintosh
home for a free 24-hour trial. Advertising Age magazine names "Test
Drive" one of the 10 best promotions of the year.
- Two millionth Apple II sold.
January 1985
- Super Bowl XIX: Apple covers Stanford Stadium with Apple-embossed
seat cushions. Also runs a controversial new commercial titled,
"Lemmings."
- "The Macintosh Office" campaign is launched at the annual
shareholder's meeting. Program stresses the significance of Apple's
new LaserWriter printer priced at $6,999 and AppleTalk Personal
Network priced at $50. Jobs introduces Apple's goal of connectivity
to other personal computers and declares "detente with IBM."
- Apple and Northern Telecom announce an agreement to network
Macintosh computers over telephone lines of digital PBX switches.
- Lisa officially renamed the Macintosh XL.
- Apple shows up on magazines' best-of-lists for 1984: Sculley is
named "Adman of the Year"by Advertising Age; Macintosh is named
"Hardware Product of the Year" by Infoworld;and Jobs and Wozniak are
named members of the "Best of the New Generation" by Esquire.
- Best quarterly sales ever, but dealer inventories remain high after
a disappointing holiday season. Amid the celebrations, John Sculley
warns that the next few months will be "extremely challenging" for
Apple.
February
- Jobs and Wozniak receive National Technology Medal from President
Reagan at the White House.
- Wozniak resigns to start a company that will develop products in the
home video area.
March
- Apple and 28 independent developers dominate an issue of the WSJ
with ads promoting "The Macintosh Office."
- Apple IIe computers are enhanced with four new higher-performance
chips.
- The company's employee count hits all-time high of 5,700.
- Manufacturing plants close for one week due to excess inventory.
April
- Apple announces a computer training scholarship program for
elementary and secondary school educators.
- Over 400,000 Apple IIc computers have been sold in the first year of
production.
- Macintosh XL (formerly called Lisa) is dropped from Apple's product
line.
- ImageWriter II, HD-20 hard disk and Apple Personal Modem introduced.
June
- Sculley announces a major reorganization. Work force reduced by 20
percent Corporate (1,200 employees).Operations are restructured
along functional lines, not product lines. Manufacturing facilities
are reduced from six to three plants.
- Apple launches European University Consortium at Lund University in
Sweden.
- The First quarterly loss in the company's history is reported
because of the cost associated with the reorganization.
July
- AppleLink telecommunications network goes into service, connecting
Apple Corporate employees dealers, suppliers, developers, and
vendors through electronic mail and information libraries.
- Apple's Office of Special Education is created to identify the
computer-related needs of disabled people and assist in the
development of responsive programs.
August
- Apple takes a public stand against South African apartheid by
discontinuing its selling activities in South Africa.
- Apple's Placement Center created to find new jobs for employees laid
off in the reorganizationcloses its doors, after successfully
placing 90 percent of those who used its services.
September
- Steve Jobs resigns to start a new computer company.
November
- First Lady Nancy Reagan presents an Apple IIe to the College de
Leman International in Versoix, Switzerland during the
Reagan-Gorbachev summit.
- Singapore manufacturing plant receives its country's National
Productivity Award.
- Education Advisory Council founded an opportunity for leading
educators to help guide Apple's products and programs for schools.
December
- Apple buys 14 pages of advertising in USA Today for the Apple IIe
and IIc.
January 1986
- Macintosh Plus and LaserWriter Plus unveiled at the AppleWorld
Conference in Product San Francisco, priced at $2,599 and $6,798.
- Apple announces it will build a network of specialty dealers to
service the education market.
- U.S. schools given the opportunity to trade in old Apple, IBM, Tandy
and Commodore personal computers for credits on the purchase of new
Apple computers.
- Academic Courseware exchange founded. A joint effort of Apple and
Kinko's graphics, the program will distribute low-priced,
university-developed Macintosh software through Kinko's copy shops
serving colleges and universities across the country.
- Apple forms a support program to promote communication between the
company and nearly 600 Apple user groups nationwide.
February
- Apple purchases a Cray X-MP/48 supercomputer, valued at about $15.5
million. The system will be used to simulate future hardware and
software architectures and accelerate new product development.
March
- Apple CentreSM dealerships open throughout the United Kingdom stores
dedicated exclusively to selling Apple desktop solutions.
April
- Macintosh 512K is replaced with an enhanced version with more power
and storage. The Macintosh 512K Enhanced sells for $1,999.
- Educators are offered special rebates on computers for their
personal use through a six month program called "An Apple for the
Teacher."
- Apple reduces number of authorized Apple dealers from 2,600 to
2,000.
- Apple moves its advertising account from Chiat/Day to BBDO, which
had previously handled the company's advertising abroad.
- Apple introduces a KanjiTalk Japanese version of the Macintosh
operating system.
June
- Collaborative effort is begun with the National Geographic Society
and Lucasfilm Ltd. Product to explore the use of optical
technologies (video and compact disc) in education.
August
- Apple Programmers and Developers Association (APDA) formed.
September
- Apple IIGS, with enhanced graphics, sound and expanded memory,
priced at $999, as well as an enhanced Apple IIc are introduced.
- Apple stages Open House events in shopping malls across the country.
Hands-on demonstrations of computers and software attract thousands
of first time buyers.
- Apple opens a sales office in Washington, D.C. as part of a new
marketing group that will focus on sales to the U.S. government at
the federal, state and local levels.
October
- The press is invited to the Plaza Hotel in New York for a sneak
preview of Apple's new TV commercials. Film critics Gene Siskel and
Roger Ebert provide their own editorial reviews following the show.
- Arabic Macintosh operating system introduced.
December
- Over 200,000 AppleTalk networks are now in place, making it one of
the world's most preferred local area computer networks.
- Apple is now selling into more than 80 countries worldwide.
- 1986 Annual Report describes a full recovery from the prior
turbulent year profits for the fiscal year close at record highs,
151% over the previous year; employment has nearly returned to pre-
reorganization levels with about 5,500 employees worldwide; and
Apple enjoys the industry's highest sales to employee ratio.
January 1987
- Apple updates the IIe, priced at $829.
- New desktop communications products including the AppleShare file
server software and AppleTalk PC Card are introduced. They are
priced at $799 and $399.
March
- A new generation of Macintosh personal computers is introduced at
the AppleWorld Product Conference in Los Angeles. The Macintosh SE,
an expandable Macintosh, is priced at $2,898 for a dual floppy
configuration. The Macintosh II, with its open architecture, is
priced at $3,898 for the basic system, and at $5,498 for one MB of
RAM, one 800K floppy disk drive and one 40MB internal SCSI hard disk
drive.
- Apple introduces the "Apple Unified School System" and Apple's
Education Purchase Program (EPP) in a shared commitment with
educators to integrate computers into the learning process.
April
- Apple announces a two-for-one share split and declares its first
quarterly cash dividend at $0.06 per share (post-split).
- The National Special Education Alliance (NSEA) is formed to promote
awareness of computer use by disabled individuals.
- Apple announces plans to create an independent software company, to
be known later as Claris.
May
- Ronald McDonald Children's Charities and Apple announce the joint
funding of the installation of Macintosh personal computer systems
in 100 Ronald McDonald houses across the United States.
- Apple invests in Touch Communications, Inc. to support the
development of Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) networking products
for the Macintosh platform.
June
- Scholastic Software and Apple honor the U.S. Constitution with a
National Archives exhibit.
August
- Apple unveils a host of new products at MacWorld in Boston. New
software products include the HyperCard personal tool kit for
organizing all forms of information, and MultiFinder, the first
multitasking operating system for Macintosh. New hardware products
include the ImageWriter LQ, priced at $1,399 and the AppleFax Modem,
priced at $699.
September
- AppleFest is held in San Francisco to celebrate the Apple II family
of computers.
October
- USA for Africa/Hands Across America and Apple announce an electronic
network for combating hunger and homelessness. The pilot project
will connect 50 organizations for the hungry and homeless throughout
the state of California.
- Apple donates $50,000 to this year's EDUCOM/NCRIPTAL Higher
Education Software Awards Program.
November
- Apple introduces its VAR program strategy for 1988 and announces key
contracts with Automatix, Inc., Du Pont Biotechnology Systems,
Interleaf, Inc. and TechSouth, Inc.
- Apple awards $1.1 million in computer grants to 25 primary and
secondary schools nationwide in the second cycle of Apple Education
Affairs' "Equal Time" grants program. The technology will be used
to help students develop higher-level thinking skills.
December
- For the first time, Apple uses its HyperCard technology to
distribute a 1987 HyperCard supplement on diskette for Macintosh
personal computers.
January 1988
- MacWorld Expo opens featuring 350 exhibitors and over 25,000
attendees, Corporate underscoring the acceptance of the Macintosh in
business. John Sculley's keynote address stresses Apple's
commitment to networking and connectivity.
- Apple introduces the LaserWriter II family of desktop laser
printers, priced at $6,599 Product for the LaserWriter IINTX, $4,599
for the Laser Writer IINT, and $2,799 for the LaserWriter IISC.
- AppleShare PC is introduced, allowing users of an IBM PC or
compatible computer to share and print information stored on an
AppleShare File Server. Price is $149.
- Digital Equipment Corporation and Apple announce a joint technology
agreement to integrate Macintosh personal computers and AppleTalk
networks with VAX systems.
- Apple reports first billion dollar quarter in its history as net
income rises 108 percent.
February
- Apple ships A/UX for the Macintosh II, which combines the Macintosh
intuitive user Product interface with UNIX. Prices range from
$8,597 for the entry monochrome system to $9,346 for the entry color
system.
March
- Apple acquires Network Innovations to help build its networking and
communications capabilities.
- Apple and Texas Instruments announce the MicroExplorer computer
system, an Apple Macintosh II computer equipped with TI's Explorer
Lisp coprocessor board and software environment. This agreement
with TI is one of Apple's largest value added reseller agreements to
date for the Macintosh family of personal computers.
- Apple introduces AppleCD SC, an optical storage device that gives
access to huge Product amounts of information. Priced at $1,199, a
single CD-ROM disc can store up to 270,000 pages of typewritten
information.
- Suggested retail price for the Macintosh Plus is reduced from $2,199
to $1,799.
- Apple files suit against Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard to protect
its Macintosh audio visual display. The lawsuit is seen as having
industry wide implications regarding copyright laws.
- Apple announces the opening of an employee childcare center.
Apple's childcare center is supplied with Macintosh computers for
administrative functions and as a teacher resource tool. Apple IIc
and Apple IIGS computers are used for child learning.
May
- Apple and Quantum Computer Services introduce AppleLink-Personal
Edition, an online communication and information service designed
specifically for Apple II computer s.
June
- Apple acquires Orion Network Systems, Inc., which develops and
markets IBM-compatible Systems Network Architecture(SNA) software
products.
August
- Apple ships five products that expand and enhance its AppleTalk
Network System: Product AppleShare File Server; $799, AppleShare
Print Server, $299; Aristotle, $199; Apple II Workstation Card,
$249; Apple IIG Workstation Software, $99; and Inter-Poll Network
Administrator's Utility, $129.
- Apple and Digital Equipment Corporation outline a joint development
program for integrating their respective networking environments.
- Apple celebrates HyperCard: One Year Later and announces new
products at Macworld Product including the Apple Scanner, priced at
$1,799; the Macintosh II 4MB RAM, 40MB hard drive configuration
priced at $7,269, and the Macintosh II four megabyte memory
expansion kit priced at $2,399.
- The Challenger Center for Space Science Education, Apple Computer,
Inc.,and the Houston Museum of Natural Science host the opening of
the first Challenger Center, a place where children can learn
science and math in a simulated space station.
- Apple creates four internal operating divisions, each to function as
independent operating units and headed by operating division
presidents. They are: Apple Pacific, led by Del Yocam; Apple
Products, led by Jean-Louis Gasse; Apple USA, led by Allan Z.
Loren; and Apple Europe, led by Michael Spindler.
September
- Apple appoints eight nationally recognized educators as Educational
Technology Consultants (ETCs) to help integrate technology into
schools and prepare K-12 students for the 21st century.
- A faster and less expensive Apple II computer is introducethe Apple
IIc Pluat Product $1,099. GS/OS, an enhanced Apple IIBS operating
system is available for $39.
- Apple introduces the Macintosh IIx computer, priced at $7,769. It
is the first Product Macintosh II computer to use Motorola's 68030
microprocessor and 68882 math coprocessor. It is also the first
Macintosh to incorporate FDHDFloppy Drive High DensityApple's new
1.44MB floppy disk drive that can read and write to MS-DOS, OS/2 and
ProDOS formats.
- A new configuration is announced for the Macintosh SE. The new unit
features two megabytes of RAM and an internal 40 megabyte hard
drive. It retails for $5,069.
October
- Apple reports net sales of $4.07 billion and net income of $400.3
million for fiscal year 1988.
January 1989
- Apple introduces high-performance Macintosh SE/30 that provides MS-
DOS and O/S2 disk compatibility. Suggested retail price is $4369.00
- Apple announces new services for Apple development community. Apple
Partners and Apple Associates Program are designed to provide
greater convenience and improved services for Apple's growing and
increasingly diverse development community.
- Apple offers the Macintosh Programmers Workshop (MPW)3.0, a complete
software Product development system for creating professional
software application programs for the Macintosh family.
- Apple acquires Coral Software Corp., which markets programming
languages and artificial intelligence tools for Macintosh computers.
March
- Apple announces 21-inch Two Page Monochrome Monitor and 15-inch
Apple Macintosh Portrait Display. Suggested retail prices $2149.00
and $1099.00
- Apple rolls out the versatile Macintosh IIcx with 68030 performance
in a small-sized modular design. Suggested retail price $5369.00.
April
- Apple II Video Overlay Card is introduced. It provides video
overlay capabilities for the Product Apple IIGS.
- Apple introduces 32-Bit QuickDraw that allows Macintosh personal
computers to process and display photo-quality documents, images and
visualizations with exceptional color clarity.
May
- Apple announces Macintosh Communications Toolbox which extends the
Macintosh System Software into the networking + communications
environment.
Macintosh
- Apple announces seven core technologies to be included in future
versions of system software. Core technologies include a new
outline format,Inter Application Communications, Layout Manager,
Updated Finder, Database Manager, New Print Architecture and
Virtual Memory.
June
- Apple donates $2 million in computers to 23 schools to help at-risk
students.
- Apple unveils more than a dozen new networking and communication
products to increase Macintosh compatibility in multivendor
environments,including DEC, IBM, OSI and TCP/IP.
- Apple launches desktop media marketing campaign (desktop publishing,
desktop presentations and multimedia).
July
- Apple IIGS System Software 5.0 is announced. It is the first 16-bit
operating system for the Apple IIGS that operates over the AppleTalk
network system.
- Apple sells all 3,423,792 shares of its common stock holdings of
Adobe
Systems, netting Apple $79 million.
August
- Apple announces the Apple FDHD SuperDrive now standard in all
Macintosh SE computers and reduces the suggested retail price of all
Macintosh SE 68000-based configurations by $300 in the U.S.
September
- Ian W. Diery joins Apple as senior vice president and president,
Apple Pacific. Diery replaces Delbert W. Yocam.
- Apple announces Macintosh Portable, a full-function Macintosh in a
portable design, and Macintosh IIci, a high-performance version of
the Macintosh IIcx, running at 25 MHz with built-in video.
October
- Apple announces earnings of $454.0 million, or $3.53 per share, for
the year ended September 29, 1989, on revenues of $5.284 billion.
December
- Apple ships the CL/1 Developer's Toolkit for Macintosh and
CL/1Server for VAX/VMS. Both provide a client-server platform for
developing and running Macintosh applications that can have access
to data residing on a variety of host platforms.
- Xerox files suit challenging the validity of Apple's copyrights
covering the Lisa and Macintosh computers' graphical user
interfaces. Apple responds that the claims are without merit.
- Apple, the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education
(NFIE), the National Alliances of Business (NAB) and Group W
Television announces the Thanks to Teachers campaign, a nationwide
teacher excellence awards.
January 1990
- Michael Spindler, previously president Apple Europe, promoted to
Chief Operating Officer. Allan Loren, previously president Apple
USA, resigns. Sren Olsson, formerly vice president Apple Sweden &
Europe North, promoted to president, Apple Europe.
February
- In response to slow U.S. growth, 400 employee positions mostly in
General & Corporate Administrative and Apple USA Sales & Marketing
are laid off.
- Apple reduces U.S. prices on Macintosh SE, SE/30, and LaserWriter
II printers.
- Apple and KPMG Peat Marwick allign to provide system integration
services for companies implementing executive information systems on
Macintosh.
March
- Jean-Louis Gasse, previously president of Apple Products, resigns.
R&D organization starts to report to Sculley.
- Apple extends warranty for U.S. hardware products to one-year.
- Apple rolls out a collection of high-performance Macintosh products:
The "wicked fast" Macintosh IIfx, A/UX 2.0, and a new family of
powerful display cards. The 40 MHz, 68030 IIfx is the fastest
system Apple has ever developed.
- U.S. District Court dismisses most of Xerox's lawsuit against
Apple, which challenged the validity of Macintosh and Lisa
copyrights.
April
- Earnings per share skyrocket 136 percent for the second fiscal
quarter to $1.04. But revenues only increase eight percent. Gross
margins are up due to strong sales of high-end systems and decreases
in component costs.
June
- Apple announces at PC Expo that it will license AppleTalkthe
company's Macintosh Product networking software.
- HyperCard 2.0 debuts at Digital World. It sports more than 100 new
features.
- Robert Puetteat 24-year Hewlett-Packard veteran becomes President,
Apple USA.
July
- Apple rolls out new line of low-cost laser printers: the Personal
LaserWriter SC and Product Personal LaserWriter NT.
- Apple legends Bill Atkinson, Andy Hertzfeld, and Marc Porat form a
new spin-out company, General Magic. Apple becomes a minority
investor in the new venture.
September
- Apple lists on Tokyo Stock Exchange.
- Beta-quality version of System 7 ships to developers.
October
- Apple rolls out a suite of new low-cost Macintosh personal
computers, the Macintosh Classic, the Macintosh LC, and Macintosh
IIsi. The products are the first volley in Apple's aggressive new
market-share strategy. The Classic, especially, meets with
phenomenal initial acceptance.
- Fiscal 1990 revenues surpass $5.5 billion.
November
- Spindler becomes President, Apple Computer, Inc.
December
- Apple rolls out HyperCard for the Apple IIGS. Product
January 1991
- Apple announces plug-and-play Ethernet product family, including the
Apple Ethernet LC card and the Ethernet NB card for NuBus Macintosh
systems.
- Apple petitions the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to let
computers transmit and receive information over radio waves, paving
the way for a new industry, called Data Personal Communications
Services (Data-PCS).
March
- U.S. District Court dismisses arguments by Microsoft and Hewlett-
Packard questioning the originality of Apple's Macintosh copyrights.
Case moves closer to trial.
- Low-cost laser printers introduced, including the StyleWriter and
Personal LaserWriter LS. Apple also cuts prices on high-end laser
printers.
- Apple chooses Fountain, Co., as site for new manufacturing plant.
April
- Second quarter fiscal 1992 results announced: unit shipments up 85
percent on strong acceptance of new low-end products. Gross margins
slip to 48.8 percent.
- Apple says it will eliminate the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
to clean circuit boards.
May
- Apple unveils the much-anticipated System 7 for $99, the newest
upgrade to the Macintosh computer operating system.
- Apple announces it will restructure the company over the next 12
months to reduce operating expenses. Apple's workforce is reduced
approximately 10 percent.
- Apple announces QuickTime, a new system software architecture for
the integration of dynamic media for Macintosh computers.
June
- Apple ships a family of communication products that extend the
ability of Macintosh to integrate with IBM's Systems Network
Architecture (SNA) environment.
July
- Apple and IBM sign a letter of intent to cooperate on major
technology initiatives for the 1990s.
August
- Apple announces ten international language versions of System 7.
- Apple USA rolls out Macintosh "Right Now Rebate," which offers
immediate savings of up to US $800 on selected Apple Macintosh
computers and printers.
September
- Federal District Court Judge James Ware enters judgment in favor of
two former Apple officersA.C. (Mike) Markkula, Jr. and John
Vennard in 1982 securities law violation case.
- Apple announces that it plans to locate the Apple USA Customer
Support Center in Austin, Texas and a new 60- to 80-person Module
Repair Center in Fountain, Co.
- Apple rolls out Beat-the-Backup day. Company donates 75 bicycles to
be used by Apple employees for intercampus transportation.
- At the Seybold computer publishing conference, Apple introduces a
number of new imaging products: Apple OneScannersports revolutionary
"one-button" scanning technology; Macintosh 21" Color Display
complements the high-performance Macintosh personal computers;
LaserWriter IIg andLaserWriter IIf , new laser printers.
- Total Macintosh computer unit growth exceeds 60 percent for the full
fiscal year, which ended Sept. 27, 1991.
October
- Apple, IBM, and Motorola finalize milestone technology alliance.
The alliance consists of five distinct technology initiatives:
1.) better integration of Macintosh PCs into IBM's networks;
2.) a new family of RISC microprocessors for PCs and entry-level
workstations;
3.) Power Open a new open systems environment derived from AIX (IBM's
industry-standard version of UNIX);
4.) Kaleidaa new multimedia joint venture that will create and license
new multimedia technology;
5.) and Taligent a next-generation operating environment based entirely
on object-oriented technology.
- Apple announces its Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
interface card for Macintosh personal computers in the United States
and Canada.
- At Networld in Dallas, Apple announces a new Token Ring 4/16 NB
Card, for the Macintosh product line. It is the first product to
emerge from Apple and IBM alliance.
- Apple launches largest product introduction in its history at the
Las Vegas Comdex show. Products include Macintosh Classic II,
Macintosh Quadra 700 and 900, and a new line of notebook-sized
computers, Macintosh PowerBook 100, 140 and 170.
- Apple announces new environmentally-sensitive packaging and rolls
out battery recycling program for customers worldwide.
November
- Apple announces it has appealed to the Court of International Trade,
asking the court to reverse the imposition of a 62 percent tariff on
active matrix flat panel displays.
January 1992
- John Sculley outlines Apple's plans to create a new category of
products personal digital assistants in major speech at Consumer
Electronics Show.
- MacWorld Expo in San Francisco features hundreds of new applications
using QuickTime.
March
- Apple and Kodak announce that they are working together to integrate
support for Photo CD images into future versions of QuickTime.
- Apple announces a low-cost CD-ROM Drive; a powerful new Macintosh LC
II; and two new products for MS-DOS/Windows personal computers the
Apple OneScanner for Windows and the Personal LaserWriter NTR.
- Apple and Sharp announce a joint license and development agreement
for a new Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) product.
- In an effort to reduce environmental waste and conserve natural
resources, Apple sets up a program to help customers recycle used
toner cartridges from Apple's laser printers.
May
- IBM, Motorola and Apple formally dedicate a new facility that will
serve as the focal point of design and development efforts for the
PowerPC family of single-chip, reduced instruction set computing
(RISC) microprocessors.
- Apple announces its new WorldScript technology, intended to
transform the Macintosh computer into the first international PC
through worldwide language support.
- Continuing its expansion into Eastern Europe, Apple announces that
it has signed distribution agreements with companies in Romania and
Bulgaria to sell and market Apple products.
- Apple introduces the high-powered Macintosh Quadra 950, a 33-MHz
68040 personal computer.
- SOFTWARE AG and Apple announce an agreement that will enable
customers to combine the client/server solutions offered by each
company.
- Apple announces MacX.400, MacODA, and MacOSI at Interop Spring '92.
- At the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, Apple unveils its
revolutionary Newton Intelligence technology, which will be the
basis for new products in the personal digital assistant category.
June
- Apple becomes a charter participant in the US Environmental
Protection Agency's new Energy Star Computers program, a cooperative
effort between industry and government to promote the development of
computers that use less energy.
- Apple and Toshiba announce an agreement to develop new PDA products
in the multimedia player category.
- Apple and Symantec announce a development and marketing agreement to
provide a cross-platform application framework for Macintosh
computers and Microsoft Windows-based PCs.
July
- As a result of a partnership between Apple and the Environmental
Support Center, one hundred organizations working on environmental
issues in the US are awarded personal computers and printers with a
total value of over $330,000.
- Apple completely eliminates CFC's from worldwide manufacturing
operations.
August
- Apple improves the price/performance of its midrange PowerBook line
by introducing the PowerBook 145.
- Number of customers using System 7 reaches 4 million.
- As part of Apple's EarthGrants project, Apple donates personal
computer systems worth $613,000 to 19 institutions working on
environmental issues around the world.
September
- Apple realigns its worldwide manufacturing and distribution
activities. Fremont facility will be relocated to the Sacramento
facility.
- Apple launches the Macintosh Performa Line, a new family of
computers designed for the consumer marketplace. With the
introduction of the Performa line, Macintosh products are available
for the first time through mass merchandisers and superstores.
- Responding to customer requests for a wider selection of affordable,
high-quality fonts, Apple introduces the Apple Font Pack.
October
- Apple begins direct mail order sales for the first time via The
Apple Catalog.
- Apple begins manufacturing market-specific products in India.
- To further enhance the multimedia capabilities of its Macintosh
computer family, Apple introduces the AppleCD 300. The portable and
mid-range Macintosh lines are strengthened with the introduction of
the PowerBook 160 and 180, Macintosh DuoSystem, Macintosh IIvx and
IIvi, and Macintosh 14-inch Color Display.
- Apple computers and LaserWriter printers rank highest in J.D. Power
and Associates Business User Satisfaction Studies. Apple tops PC
satisfaction index second straight year.
- Apple announces the Apple Multimedia Program designed to spur the
development of products such as interactive books, music and
animated content.
November
- Apple announces QuickTime for Windowswhich brings sophisticated
multimedia capabilities to people who use Windows computers.
- Donald Norman, renown expert on human-focused design, joins the
company as an Apple Fellow.
December
- Apple reaches its first $2 billion-revenue quarter .
- By end of 1992, the PowerBook product family has won more than 30
top international awards from leading publications and trade shows.
January 1993
- Apple unveils a collection of color and grayscale imaging products,
including ColorSync color matching architecture, LaserWriter Pro
series of workgroup laser printers, StyleWriter II personal printer,
Apple Color Printer, and Apple Color OneScanner. The new Apple
Adjustable Keyboard and new Apple Desktop Bus Mouse II are
exceptionally easy to use because of ergonomic design and
adjustability
- Apple shows off alpha version of its first Newton product at Winter
Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
February
- At Macworld Tokyo, Apple makes largest product introduction in the
company's history: Macintosh Color Classic, Macintosh LC III,
Macintosh Centris 610 and 650, Macintosh Quadra 800, PowerBook 165c,
and the LaserWriter Select 300 and 310 laser printers. This is the
first time Apple launches major products from a venue outside U.S.
- Apple ships the ten-millionth Macintosh computer.
- Apple introduces SNA-ps 5250 terminal emulator for IBM AS/400
system. It is the first product to be sold by both Apple and IBM.
March
- Apple introduces three new Apple Workgroup Servers60, 80 and 95. It
also announces AppleSearch, a powerful new information access and
retrieval service for Macintosh workgroups.
- PowerCD, a portable CD-ROM drives that plays CD-ROM, Photo CD and
audio compact discs, is unveiled at Hannover Fair.
- International Data Corporation ranks Apple as the #2 personal
computer vendor in Japan, behind the market leader NEC.
- As part of a strategy to make Newton an industry standard, Apple
begins licensing key technologies to other companies, including
Sharp Corporation, Motorola, Siemens.
- QuickTime multimedia software shipments pass the one-millionth mark.
Since the product's introduction in January, 1992, more than 500
QuickTime applications have been announced by independent
developers.
- Apple introduces AppleDesign Powered speakersthe first speakers
designed by a computer company specifically for users of computer
and multimedia technology.
April
- Apple makes available its Japanese Language Kit, a new software
product that lets people use Japanese characters on non-Japanese
Macintosh computers.
- Apple's net revenues for the second fiscal quarter were $1.974
billion up15 percent from the second quarter of the prior year.
However, net income was $110.9 million down from the prior year's
$135.1 million. An escalating industry price war erodes Apple's
gross margins.
- Asian Business SYStems (ABSYS) is appointed Apple's marketing arm
for Kazakhstan and Central Asian Republics of the CIS. Apple also
opens a marketing and channel development office in Mexico City.
May
- Apple introduces Open Database Connectivity software developers kit
that enables Macintosh developer to build applications and drivers
using Microsoft ODBC.
- Apple delivers VITAL Technical Architecture Guides for information
systems planning and development.
- Apple reveals plans to make it possible for Macintosh software
services and applications software to run on UNIX systems. Apple
will collaborate with other Open Systems vendors consortia.
- During the annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple
demonstrates a prototype Macintosh computer running on an 80 MHz
PowerPC 601 processor, achieving a new performance level in the
industry. The company also demonstrates PowerPC-compatibility with
existing Macintosh applications software.
- Apple ships QuickDraw GX, its enhanced imaging services for System 7
system software to more than 15,000 Apple developers.
- In a historic meeting, Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple
Computer, meets with Poland's President Lech Walesa, the former
leader of the "Solidarity" movement. Woz, who's grandparents
emigrated from Poland to the U.S., presents President Walesa with a
Macintosh PowerBook.
June
- Two new models expand Apple's popular PowerBook seriesthe PowerBook
180c brings active matrix color to the top of the line, while the
PowerBook 145B lowers the entry-level price by 25 percent.
- Apple debuts two new printersThe low-cost and energy efficient
Personal LaserWriter 300 and the Portable StyleWriter, designed
specifically for PowerBook users.
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officially releases the
Energy Star emblem for display with energy-efficient computers and
peripherals. Apple has more than 20 products that meet the EPA's
the technical requirements.
- Michael Spindler, formerly Apple's president and COO, is appointed
CEO. John Sculley continues as Apple's chairman.
July
- Apple announces it will restructure the company cover the next 12
months to accelerate earnings growth. About 2,500 workers worldwide
will be laid-off.
- Apple ships the final beta-test version of its Apple Open
Collaboration Environment AOCE) software. PowerTalk and PowerShare,
the first products based on AOCE, enable network users to exchange
electronic mail and documents.
- New Macintosh models, Macintosh Quadra 840AV and Macintosh Centris
660AV bring together telecommunications, video and speech
technologies on a desktop computer for the first time.
August
- The first product based on Apple's Newton technologythe Newton
MessagePad handheld communications assistantis introduced at
Macworld in Boston. 50,000 units are sold in the first 10 weeks.
- Apple launches an advertising campaign on MTV, marking Apple's first
direct response television effort to reach the college market. The
company also debuts a series of print ads and TV commercials that
ask "What's on Your PowerBook?"
- Apple continues its aggressive price cutting to build sales
momentum.
Since April, Apple has reduced prices on a broad range of products.
Unit shipments pick up significantly.
September
- Apple greatly expands business operations in the People's Republic
of China.
- Developer interest and support for Apple's Newton technology
continues to gain momentum. Over 2,000 developers are working on
new applications and titles.
- Apple's net sales for fiscal year ending Sept. 25, 1993 are a
record $7.98 billion. But, industry conditions continue to put
pressure on Apple's margins. Net income is $86.6 million.
October
- System 7 Pro, an advanced version of the System 7 operating system
for Macintosh personal computers is released.
- Apple launches Software Dispatch, a 24-hour delivery system that
lets Windows and Macintosh customers choose from more than 80
software applications on CD-ROM.
- Revenue for the fourth fiscal quarter was $2.14 billion, the highest
quarterly sales level ever achieved by the company. Unit shipments
of Macintosh computers grew 36 percent, also reaching a new
quarterly high.
- John Sculley announces his resignation from Apple Computer. A.C.
(Mike) Markkula is elected Apple's new chairman.
- PhotoFlash software for the Macintosh computer , announced at the
Seybold conference in San Francisco., simplifies the process of
getting photos into documents.
- Motorola delivers first silicon of the PowerPC 603, the second
member of the PowerPC family of chips designed jointly by Apple, IBM
and Motorola.
- Apple streamlines product lines, announces a host of new Macintosh
computer models that cost less, improves the performance of mid-
range models, and continues to drop prices on many models.
- Apple announces Macintosh TV, a product that combines an Apple
Macintosh computer, television and CD-ROM stereo system into one
compact, low-priced unit.
November
- After 17 years of active duty and 5 million units shipped, the Apple
II product line is quietly discontinued. The Washington Post marks
the event with an appreciation column, "One Good Apple: A Farewell
to the Marvel at the Core of the PC Boom"
- PowerBook notebook computer sales top one million mark.
- Ingram Laboratories test results find that many new Macintosh
computer models outperform comparably priced DOS systems running
Windows 3.1.
- New Apple Remote Access products allow individuals or workgroups to
easily access information and services remotely over a variety of
connections, ranging from telephone lines to cellular links.
December
- Newton MessagePad receives top product awards from PC Magazine, PC
LapTop Computers Magazine, Fortune, Byte, Popular Science and
Reseller Management magazines.
Apple Computer, Inc.
Corporate Fact Sheet - January 1994
Apple Computer, Inc.
20525 Mariani Avenue
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 996-1010 (General Public)
(408) 974-2042 (Media, Industry Analysts & Consultants)
AppleLink: APPLE.PR (Media, Industry Analysts & Consultants)
Traded: OTC Market and listed on NASDAQ under the symbol AAPL, on the
Tokyo Stock Exchange under the symbol APPLE, and on the Frankfurt
Stock Exchange under the symbol APCD
Net Sales: Fiscal 1993 $7.977 billion
Net Income: Fiscal 1993 $86.6 million
Incorporated: January 3, 1977
Employees: Approximately 11,900 worldwide
Installed Base: Over 13 million Macintosh systems
Approximately 5 million Apple II systems
Company Profile
---------------
Apple Computer, Inc. develops, manufactures and markets personal
computer, server and personal interactive electronic systems and
services for use in a wide range of markets. A recognized pioneer and
innovator in high-technology products, Apple does business in more than
120 countries. It seeks, through technology, to provide people with
easy and affordable access to information and computing power.
Products, Services & Solutions
------------------------------
Apple Computer develops and markets a full family of products and
solutions including Macintosh personal computers, the Newton family of
personal digital assistants and the Apple Workgroup Server range. The
company s AppleSoft division is responsible for developing leading edge
system software products together with a range of software extensions
and development tools. Additionally, Apple manufactures printers,
monitors and scanners. Apple also provides a family of online services
called eWorld, and creates a variety of networking and communication
products which integrate Macintosh systems into different computer
environments. Claris Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple,
is a leader in the market for personal computer application software
across a variety of platforms.
Research and Development
------------------------
Apple invests approximately 8 percent of its annual sales in
research and development . The company s development activities reside
in its 5 divisions: Personal Computer division, Personal Interactive
Electronics (PIE), AppleSoft, Apple Business Systems, and Claris
Corporation.
Manufacturing
-------------
Manufacturing facilities are located in Sacramento, California;
Fountain, Colorado; Cork, Ireland; and Singapore. Distribution
facilities are located in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia,
and Singapore.
That's it for this week. Be sure and download Mac Report Monthly
early next week. As always, please feel free to send your comments or
questions to me at:
America OnLine: STReportRN
Compuserve: 70323,1031
GEnie: R.NOAK
**********************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
=================
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your reading pleasure on DELPHI. STReport's readers are invited to join
DELPHI and become a part of a friendly community of enthusiastic computer
users there.
SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI
======================
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DELPHI services via a local phone call
JOIN --DELPHI
--------------
Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002
then...
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DELPHI's Basic Plan offers access for only $6.00 per hour, for any
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But hurry, this special trial offer will expire soon! To take advantage
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<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!
**********************************************************************
ATARI/JAG SECTION (III)
=======================
Dana Jacobson, Editor
> From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Well folks, it's nice to be able to sit at this keyboard and have
some energy to think and write without the need to get up and go to
sleep!! January must have been "Let's get the Atari online magazine
editors" month as myself and my counterpart at AEO are recovering,
finally. Hmmm, maybe it's time to head to the warmer climates in the
Southwest parts of the country - nah! Then again, with another
snowstorm just starting to fizzle out here in the Northeast....
Anyway, let's get away from the weather and illnesses; this is an
Atari column! It's amazing what you see everyday; and after awhile,
some things begin to click. I've heard mentioned, at times, that when
a particular subject that's been discussed in a highly positive manner
starts to slow down, the negative starts to come out of the woodwork.
Lately, I've seen exactly this type of behavior online with regard to
the Jaguar. It's even crept into print magazines.
What can be said negatively about the Jaguar? Very little, from
what I've seen and heard. So, what's the problem? Well, it appears
that the initial wonderment of the Jaguar has worn out with current
users. And, if people don't already have one, they _may_ be taking a
wait-and-see attitude for things to come - how fast and how many. Like
most games, you play it numerous times and become "lethargic" with it
in anticipation of something new. We've seen the Jaguar ads; and now
they've disappeared except for some gaming magazines. We've heard
about how well the test market areas have received the Jaguars, but
we're all waiting for that national push. Essentially, everyone is
waiting for the next Jaguar "item," whatever form it may take.
I believe, that in gaming circles, we always want more; we can't
get enough. Atari has the dubious honor of coming out with terrific
products, pushing them for a short period of time, and then fade away.
Some are wondering if this is happening all over again with the Jaguar.
And then there are others who feel positive, and that this period of
inactivity will be very short-lived and the push will start very soon.
Personally, I'm somewhere in the middle.
I realize that it's easy, with Atari's history, to be concerned.
But, it's also easy to realize that the Jaguar has only been available
for a little over two months. The Christmas season is always a good
time for a new product to come out. Everyone is happy at that time of
year, and it's not difficult for many to carry that emotion for weeks
later. But we also have to realize that January is probably one of the
slowest buying periods of the year for most people. Most purchases,
especially toys (yes, the Jaguar is a toy, albeit an expensive one),
have been made already to fill those Christmas lists. In addition to
that, personal finances always seem to be strained during the holidays,
so costly purchases are usually by necessity rather than pleasure. So,
it makes sense that Jaguar activity is going to take a downward slide.
So, when will this change? Word from Atari via some of the
onlines, from folks such as Don Thomas and Bob Brodie, say the national
rollout has begun. 10 additional major urban areas have been targeted
and chains such as Babbage's and Electronic Boutique should be receiving
product soon, if not already. The next available new game is slated
for a March delivery, so that is disheartening for many awaiting new
games. I'm certain that once these new target areas start seeing
product; and the public becomes aware of it, the vocal activity will
once again reach a high level of enthusiasm. Let's hope so!!
Just to give you an idea as to what kinds of attitudes have been
taken toward negativity, I've included a couple of posts from various
online services. You can look at them and realize that frustration
seems to have been the motivation.
From a recent copy of InfoWorld magazine was this editorial. I
cannot verify the contents' veracity, but others have claimed to have
seen the same piece. Regardless, as you can see, the editor starts off
depicting his article as a fantasy. I would surmise that what he's
written is based on a personal attitude, not fact. Whether his
"prediction" holds true in the future is anybody's guess. Mine would
be that it doesn't hold much of a possibility. Here it is:
"Here's another fantasy: Atari, having had a resounding lack of
success so far in selling its Jaguar 64-bit video game machine, is
getting Jaguar 2.0 ready to go this fall. The new box combines the
Tom and Jerry video ASICs into one chip and replaces the 68000 with
a PowerPC. What you get is a $250 home video game to which you can
attach a SCSI hard disk and use it as an Oracle server.
"Of course, Atari will screw it up, but there is always the prospect
that somebody will buy out the Tramiel family and start running
Atari like a real business. IBM would be a good choice, given that
it builds the Jaguar for Atari and is moving into the TV set-top box
business. I've heard that there is interest, too, from Sega, which
could put a patent suit to rest with such a purchase, as well as
pick up the technology."
In another post, a user on Compuserve brought a rumor to the attention
of the users, and looked to Atari's Don Thomas for a reaction:
"Don,
On the Prodigy BB there is a rumor circulating that IBM has
cancelled their contract with Atari to produce the Jag. Supposedly, this
information came from some of the IBM employees in North Carolina that
work at the plant.
I guess that if this is true, it would not be the worst thing in the
world, since the Jag has proven itself as a superior game box. The only
thing that would happen is a delay of the National Rollout. However, I
suspect that this is only a rumor -- and I would like to put a stop to it
ASAP. The problem with a rumor such as this on Prodigy is that there are
probably hundreds of BBers monitoring that board. If you could address
this quickly, I will get the information back to Prodigy. I realize that
Atari can't be too concerned with what goes on in the rumor factory,
because they will come and go, true or not, but this rumor has evidently
caused some of the long time Atari stockholders to sell at a loss.
Interestingly enough, this issue has caused some of the normal Jag
bashers to come to the defense of the Jag.
The problem with this rumor is that it fits into the "why has the
National Rollout been delayed?" scenario and is therefore more easily
accepted than the hundred of other untrue rumors that have come across
the board.
I would really like to put a stop to this immediately, if you can comment
on it."
Don Thomas' comments were brief, and to the point:
"Bob,
<<On [on line services] there is a rumor circulating that IBM has
cancelled their contract with Atari to produce the Jag.>>
I doubt that heavily. I was in meetings with people as late as yesterday
(Friday) in regard to diverting units to me from IBM for direct sales
purposes as I need them.
<<I guess that if this is true, it would not be the worst thing in the
world, since the Jag has proven itself as a superior game box.>>
It is a superior box, but there is no kidding that there is much more to
do. It is being done... you just can't enjoy the benefits of all those
labors until the work is completed.
<<The only thing that would happen is a delay of the National Rollout.>>
The "National Rollout" as a distribution part has already begun. What I
think everyone expects is to see it happen more aggressively and I don't
think that will happen until more product is out there. I suspect a
retail buying seasonal trend upward might be motivating too. This time of
the year, a lot of retail orientated advertising pull back simply because
people are paying off the bills they created before the holidays.
<<However, I suspect that this is only a rumor -- and I would like to put
a stop to it ASAP.>>
Me too.
<<I realize that Atari can't be too concerned with what goes on in the
rumor factory>>
We are. Sometimes a sound PR decision is to let rumors fizzle out on
their own. People get tired of talking about the same things over and
over unless there is some change. Every time a company responds, that can
be enough change to keep the matter in perpetual motion.
<<The problem with this rumor is that it fits into the "why has the
National Rollout been delayed?">>
I think the big thing people expect is a "National Rollout" in the form
of overwhelming advertising from border to border. We have started
shipping product nationally. We are running ads in national gaming
magazines. We are being conservative until we have a wider selection of
software that all the early birds say is needed."
-- Don Thomas
Atari Corporation
So, as you can see, "boredom" or even impatience tends to breed
negativity. I think it speaks highly of Atari, an
d personnel like Don
Thomas, to be available online and help waylay some of these rumors and
correct errant information. Additionally, it helps us to make sure
that what you read is based on facts. Without Atari's cooperation,
we'd be sharing more rumors rather than having access to firsthand
information.
I know I'm tired of saying it as much as you're probably as tired
of reading it, but computer-related news on the Atari front is rare.
Word has it that the reported batch of TTs are ready. Where they're
headed hasn't been noted, as yet.
Not much else going on in the home front. Things have been hectic
this week for me with evening meetings and partial double shifts at
work. I've been lucky to get online the past couple of days, but as
you can see, I did find a few interesting tidbits. From what I've
heard from our roving CIS editor, Joe Mirando, his review of Gribnif
Software's "Geneva" is just about ready. I think I heard it will be
ready for next week's issue (right Joe??!).
So, we're going to be quite short this week. I do recommend John
Duckworth's "Fishin' Hole" column this week. Not only does he have a
couple of whoppers on the line, but also includes a listing of Internet
sources. You may want to save that info for future use; I hear the
fishing is quite good in those waters!!
Until next time......
Delphi's Atari Advantage Top 10!!
TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (2/9/94)
(1) ST ZIP 2.4 (6) COMPUTER PATIENCE
(2) LHARC VERSION 2.99 (7) TELECOMMUNICATIONS GLOSSARY
(3) TOAD'S SYSINFO (8) JENS SENDS SHOCKER 2
(4) BRODIE CES CONFERENCE *(9) BOB BRODIE CONFERENCE 1/11/94
*(5) BRODIE FEB 4 CONFERENCE *(10) TWO COLUMN PRINTER RELEASE 6
* = New on list
HONORARY TOP 10
The following on-line magazines are always top downloads, frequently
out-performing every other file in the databases.
ST REPORT (Current issue: STREPORT #10.06)
ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO: VOLUME 3 - ISSUE 2)
Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database.
________________________________________________
> The Old Fishin' Hole STR Feature
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
THE OLD FISHIN' HOLE
====================
-A Guide to the Online PD/Shareware Waters.
by John R. Duckworth
Come one, come all! Gather round for yet another edition of 'The
Old Fishin' Hole'. Today you'll hear tales of a tiny mouse pointer
which is able to lift windows to the top of desktops effortlessly, and
a marvelous and amazing GEM compliant game which captivates it's audience
for hours. You'll also receive...free of charge...a list of fabulous
Internet FTP sites which house virtually every known public domain and
shareware program available for Atari computers. Sound too good to be
true? Read on...
"Maus-Window v.1.25" by Thomas Binder, a German programmer, is a
handy little utility which simply "tops" whatever window your mouse
pointer is over when it stops moving. Some of you may say that this
is hardly a new idea in the computer world. With "Maus-Window", Atari
users can now have the convenience of auto-topping. This utility can
be run as either a program (only useful in multi-tasking environments),
or an accessory. Several default options may be set to take effect
whenever "Maus-Window" is installed on the system. One option is to allow
the utility to top a window only if the pointer resides within the work
area of the window...this allows the user to manipulate window gadgets
for those that are in the background. Another option will allow the
user to choose whether the utility will top a window even if the new
window completely covers the window which was previously on the top.
Other options involve mouse movement and how "Maus-Window" will react,
such as waiting for the mouse to stop before topping, and waiting for
movement again in case another window was topped using keyboard shortcuts
(otherwise the old window would just pop back up to the top). If this
all sounds confusing, it really isn't...most of the setting should be
satisfactory when the utility is first started. One interesting option
involves "Maus-Window" to automatically raise the priority of the top
window when run under MultiTOS. This is a wonderful small utility (which
even comes with a smaller, 'lite', version) which I will never start
my computer without.
"Slartris" is a public domain tetris clone Thomas Schmidt (yet
another great German programmer). "Slartris" is completely GEM
compliant and should work on all Atari TOS computers. Since the game
runs from within 2 windows (uniquely attached to one another)...it
is playable when using MultiTOS, although system performance will
probably be affected. A great feature of "Slartris" is the ability to
play against a friend via midi hook-up. Although the game is
completely in German (as well as the documentation file) it isn't too
hard to figure out most option with a bit of trial and error.If you
aren't yet tired of this game genre...give "Slartris" a try, the
program is small and won't cost a great deal of download time.
Since many of you have access to the Internet...I recently came
across a list of anonymous FTP sites for Atari archives which I thought
may be useful, in case you missed it when it was posted by Hallvard
Tangeraas on the Usenet.
A T A R I S T F T P S I T E S :
USA:
---
atari.archive.umich.edu...(141.211.120.11)..../atari/
f.ms.uky.edu..............(128.163.128.6)...../pub/atari/
archive.wustl.edu.........(128.252.135.4)...../systems/atari/
comp.binaries.atari.st/
cs.bu.edu.................(128.197.2.1)......./PC/ATARI-ST/
world.std.com.............(192.74.137.5)....../src/atarist/
CANADA:
-------
aupair.cs.athabascau.ca...(131.232.10.8)....../atari/
NETHERLANDS:
------------
ftp.cs.ruu.nl.......(131.211.80.17)........./pub/ATARI-ST/
nikhefh.nikhef.nl...(192.16.199.1)........../pub/atari/
star.cs.vu.nl.......(192.31.231.42)........./pub/atari/
ftp.twi.tudelft.nl..(130.161.156.11)......../pub/atari/
FINLAND:
--------
ftp.funet.fi........(128.214.248.6)........ /pub/atari/
GERMANY:
--------
ftp.uni-kl.de.............(131.246.9.95)....../pub/atari/
ftp.uni-erlangen.de.......(131.188.1.43)....../pub/atari/
ftp.tu-clausthal.de.......(139.174.2.10)....../pub/atari/
ftp.uni-muenster.de.......(128.176.121.55)..../pub/atari/
athene.uni-paderborn.de...(131.234.2.32) ...../atari/
ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de.......(130.149.17.7)....../pub/atari/
pascal.math.fu-berlin.de..(130.133.4.50)....../pub/atari/
ftp.uni-regensburg.de.....(132.199.1.202)...../freeware/software/atari/
vax.ph-cip.uni-koeln.de...(134.95.64.1)...... /pub/atari/
ftp.germany.eu.net........(192.76.144.75)...../pub/comp/atari-st/
ftp.uni-stuttgart.de......(129.69.8.13)......./pub/systems/atari/
ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de......(131.159.0.198)......../pub/comp/
platforms/atari/
ftp.informatik.rwth-aachen.de......(137.226.112.172)....../pub/atari/
wowbagger.pc-labor.uni-bremen.de...(134.102.228.9)......../pub/atari_st/
ma2s2.mathematik.uni-karlsruhe.de..(129.13.115.2)........./pub/atari/
reseq.regent.e-technik.tu-muenchen.de..(129.187.230.225)../pub/comp/
platforms/atari/
UK:
---
micros.hensa.ac.uk (148.88.8.84) .......... /micros/atari/
SWITZERLAND:
-----------
ftp.isbiel.ch.....(147.87.2.27)............/atari/
FTP "mirror"-sites:
-------------------
mirror.archive.umich.edu...(128.252.135.4) or (128.193.2.13) or
(128.193.4.2) or (128.255.21.233) or (128.255.40.200) nic.switch.ch
(130.59.1.40)............/mirror/atari/
(umich.edu, USA)
archive.wustl.edu (128.252.135.4)....../mirrors/archive.umich.edu/atari/
(umich.edu, USA)
src.doc.ic.ac.uk (146.169.2.1)........./packages/atari/umich/
(umich.edu, USA)
src.doc.ic.ac.uk (146.169.2.1)........./packages/atari/uni-paderborn
(uni-paderborn, GERMANY)
That's all for this time...see y'all next week. Questions?
Comments? E-mail: JDUCKWORTH@delphi.com.
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Old Fishin Hole Tackle Box * |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Maus-Window 1.25 |
| Delphi: Atari Advantage- READ MAUSWIND |
| Slartris |
| Delphi: Atari Advantage- READ SLARTRIS |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
* The Tackle Box is meant to provide assistance in finding files
mentioned in the column. It should not be considered a COMPLETE
listing and is provided for convenience only. Delphi Atari Advantage
files should be found in the Recent Arrivals section of the database
until moved to their appropriate sections.
_______________________________________________
> ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
=====================
On CompuServe
-------------
compiled by
Joe Mirando
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Yet another storm has dumped its load
of snow on my region of the country and we're all just about fed up with
it. If anyone would like to take a portion of it away for us, you're
more than welcome to it. We've gotten more snow this year that the last
four or five combined, so don't feel bashful about coming back for
seconds. <big grin>
Well at any rate winter doesn't want to let go of us so while the
white stuff is falling outside, let's take a look at the info that's
available every week right here on CompuServe. Well, let's get to it...
From the Atari Productivity Forum
=================================
Dan Rhea asks Dazzz Smith:
"At the store I work at, we get a lot of folks from the UK and other
parts of Europe coming in to buy equipment. I was wondering (and was
asked this less than a week ago)... Will a standard USA v.32/v.32bis
Fax/Modem work in the UK, or are there Telco restrictions or protocol
incompatibilities? In other words, can a customer from London buy a US
Robotics Sportster 14400 Fax Modem here in the US, take it back home
to London, plug in in his PC and not have any problems getting it to
work?"
Dazzz tells Dan:
"Ok the answer comes in two parts,
1. Mechanical, the modems in the USA have different adaptors to those
here in the UK. so it would require either swopping the adaptor on the
end or getting a switcher cable to plug into it and then into your
phone line.
Also you would have problems with the power supply.
2. Regulatory, all communications equipment should be BABT approved
(Similar to your FCC, but telecommunications only) so it is illegal to
use non approved equipment here in the UK, although it isnt illegal to
buy it! So we have thousands upon thousands of non approved modems over
here, since the chances of getting caught is so slight."
Greg Wageman tells Sysop Jim Ness:
"I missed the announcement about your "promotion" to SYSOP status.
Congratulations.
Seems like whenever I'm away from CIS for any length of time, something
significant always happens. (Wasn't there something about a 'quake in
L.A.?) (For the humor impaired, I'm a Northern Californian and couldn't
possibly have missed the L.A. 'quake short of being comatose for a
month.)
I've been observing "interesting" behavior with QCIS at 14.4Kb. It
seems that occasionally CIS just "stops". If I type ^C, I get the ^C
menu, and then if I type a "1", things go on from there. The message
base indicates that the pause could be anywhere, right in the middle of
a message (typically). Also, the behavior at the end of a file
transfer (the infamous "lost CR") changed when I changed baud rates.
It seems that at 14.4Kb, the CR is lost, and the command QCIS sends is
lost too: EXCEPT for the "bye" command, which is NOT ignored, but no
logoff message is generated! Strange, very strange.
I guess I should consider myself lucky to have a 14.4KB node locally.
I'm still waiting for CIS to ship MacNav, or whatever they call it.
It's out of stock. Here I am, waiting to spend more $ on CIS and they
aren't even helping me. Heck of a way to run a business. :-)"
Jim tells Greg:
"Thanks for the congrats.
QuickCIS cannot keep up at 14400, so I imagine there is some problem
with flow control. From your description, CIS stops sending and never
begins again. I have had similar problems happen, but usually when I
am sending/posting a new reply. It gets sent at 14400, and CIS chokes,
but only once in a thousand. I have to ^C to get out of it, and that
message is never posted."
Greg tells Jim:
"It dawned on me that the behavior of QCIS after a download has
changed each time I've changed buad rate -- from 2400 to 9600, and most
recently from 9600 to 14400. When I went to 9600, that "extra CR"
problem cropped up. Now that I'm using 14400, I seem to *need* the
"extra CR" -- the next command the QCIS sends is ignored by CIS, with
the sole exception of "bye", which causes CIS to hang up, but without
the normal logoff messages! Really weird.
I'm looking forward to a whole new class of problems with MacNav, if
CIS ever ships it..."
I'd like to add my congratulations to Greg's. Jim has been a constant
source of information to CompuServe users for as long as I can remember.
It's good to see the Sysop title in front of his name as recognition for
his efforts. I guess that you could say that he got the title the old
fashoned way... he EARNED it.
Meanwhile, Dan Rhea continues the talk about using CompuServe with a
range of baud rates:
"The reason things are different at different baud rates is that CIS
maintains a profile for each baud rate you call in at. And they don't
talk to each other (i.e. settings at one rate don't affect the settings
at another rate). I'll let Jim explain the details so far as QuickCIS
applies. I just thought you would like to know the Why behind the
problem/feature <grin>."
Bill Waggener posts:
"I have seen references to programmers using the Atari to develop
programs which were then "ported" to Windows. I have also seen some
programs in the Forum which convert GEM resource files to Windows
files. Has anyone written anything about porting GEM programs to
Windows? I like the GEM environment but I would like to port some
programs over to Windows. Any references to methods and possible
software examples would be greatly appreciated."
Sysop Dan Rhea tells Bill:
"Since the systems are so different, the "conversion" is usually more
of a re-write of the program. The way Windoze <g> and GEM are
structured are very different. Usually all you can port is the core of
a program. The user interface usually needs to be re-done from the
ground up. Assembly code is not portable at all. The Intel instructions
are completly different (and a real pain in the... ah, you know what I
mean <grin>), from those used in Motorola 680xx processors.
The only type of program that can be converted without much work is a
TTP or TOS program. They are so much like DOS programs that I manage to
use the same C source for both ST and IBM versions of my non GEM
programs.
I shudder at the thought of trying to write a GEM to Windows
converter. It would be an enormous task even to go from IBM GEM to
Windows.
BTW... Basic ports pretty easy too."
Bill tells Dan:
"I thought as much...I have ported my C programs from the Atari to
PC's and other machines without much trouble but a program for
converting resource files caught my eye and made me wonder."
Here's another instance that shows that computer users think about more
than just computers. Greg Wageman posts:
"As a confirmed person owned by a cat (no one ever "owns a cat"), I
can speak from long experience (15 years) that cats are indeed more
like humans than dogs, in that they consider themselves your equal.
Personally I find this much more stimulating than the fawning
admiration of a dog. Having a successful relationship with a cat is
much like having a successful relationship with another human- there is
much give-and-take, with compromise being the order of the day. Cats
are good teachers of patience. :-)
Contrary to some opinions, however, cats can be as loyal as dogs in
their faithfulness and love, as long as it is a reciprocal
relationship. My first cat, Athena, died of kidney failure last April.
He was as good a companion as I could ever hope for, and I still mourn
his passing. My remaining cat, Zonker, will be 15 in April. He's
"helping" my wife with her Mac Powerbook as I type this. When he goes,
we will most likely get another pair of kittens. I can't imagine this
household without any cats underfoot."
Beth Freeman tells Greg:
"I'm sorry to hear about Athena, your cat. You sound like my cousin.
She always got two pets at a time, to keep each other company, except
she got two dogs. They kept each other company and got into trouble,
too!
My friend Ann's cat Meenoosh (I'm not sure if that's how you spell it)
used to pick her kids up a the bus stop after school each day. She
eventually made the fatal mistake of wandering onto Jerusalem Avenue (a
main road and bus route). She got hit by a car or something larger. I
saw her, and had to tell my friend the sad news. I don't think she
suffered. I think a big bus hit her and that was it.
We have a friend down at the pool, Irene, and she also agrees that the
cat owns you, not the other way around.
Meow!!!"
Sysop Dan Rhea puts in a word for (or should it be against) us dog
lovers:
"Don't be fooled Beth, Dogs own thier people too. Cats are just a bit
more assertive about the issue (as I type this, or try to, my dog is
bumping my elbow with his cold wet nose... This means walk me now, or
I'll torment you all night)."
Beth agrees with Dan:
"Yeah, dogs do let you know when they want something. We had neighbors
with a black dog, and she would come over to where you were sitting
and plunk her head on your lap (she was about knee high). That meant,
"Pet Me!"
Our dog used to love my grandmother. When she'd come back from one of
her trips, the dog would run back and forth from my grandmother to
under the grand piano, barking and barking. Well, she obviously knew
what a special person my grandma was.
My dog wasn't very good about screening my dates, though. Well,
nobody's perfect, even dogs."
Mitchell Porras asks:
"I was wondering if someone can offer some advise? I downloaded a
fineart GIF`s [omo47.gif,omo42.gif,and omo52.gif] and when i try to
view them using GIFSHO.PRG nothing happens, Im able to view other GIF`s
just fine. I find it hard to believe three files could be corrupted and
think it must be something else. any advice would be appreciated."
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Mitch:
"This is just a guess, but I wonder if the GIF files you've been having
problems with are using the "GIF89a" standard... most of the ST viewer
programs will only show GIFs that use the older "GIF87a" format.
If you have an ASCII text editor (like the Flash capture buffer, or
EdHak), take a look at the first few bytes of the GIF files. (WHATIS
should be able to do this too). If it says GIF89a in the first few
bytes, you might be able to make the pictures viewable by changing the
89 to an 87 and resaving the file.
Another solution would be to get a newer GIF file viewer like GEMVIEW."
Mitch tells Bob:
"I think I'll try the GEMVIEW. I seem to have the worst luck doing the
smallest things on my 1040st. I must hold the record for the most
locked up screens in the country. maybe you can answer another ?.I
recently went to a computer show and they had programs running with
computer generated images that have that metalic look [ex. the apple on
NEWTONS APPLE a television show on catv] . i mess around with
ANIMATOR,and NEOCHROME., which are probably outdated.but was hoping you
could advise me of what kind of programs these are that produce
these metal like images?"
Bob explains to Mitch:
"The computers those "metallic looking" images were drawn on have much
higher resolution screens than the ST has, and can display a lot more
colors at one time too...
The reason they can get such a nicely shaded metallic look is that
they can show many different shades of the same color right next to one
another, so the color blends nicely around the curves of the objects,
like the apple in the Newton's Apple picture.
Unfortunately the Atari ST can only show 16 colors at one time, which
is really not enough to get a good range of shades for those realistic
effects. With some add-on programs like Spectrum 512, you can display
more colors at once, so the effects are a lot more realistic, although
still not quite as good as the higher-powered machines can do.
The company that sold Spectrum 512 is long out of business, but you
might be able to find someone interested in selling a used copy to play
around with.
Also, Lexicor sells some more high-powered graphics programs that can
generate really nice images, but to really take advantage of them
you'll need either a Falcon030 computer or a TT030 with a special
graphics card."
Bob Caroles asks for help:
"I've got an ST linked to an old Megafile 20 and Megafile 30 and I
think there may be some DMA conflict going on as I get 'Data may be
damaged on drive...' fairly often. Since there is no external DMA
switch on the megafile, is there something inside I can change, dip
switches or something like that?"
Mike Mortilla tells Bob:
"The ID #s need to be 0 & 1. The Megafile is usually set to 0 so you
need to set the SH 204 to 1. I've used the exact same setup for years
with sucess but I have seen that message before."
Domingo Alvear poses...
"...a little mystery for you audiophiles.
A friend of mine gave me a pair of speakers. They are three-way
speakers with a tuned port. I can't figure out the brand. Looks like
they are a pair of "generic" speakers. The name-plate states that they
are Acoustic Monitor - Digital Ready speakers model db IV - Liquid
Cooled. Very generic if you ask me.
Anyway, here is the mystery. First, one speaker seems to have trouble
keeping the midrange driver going. It looks to me to be related to the
crossover controls because when I turn the knob marked "Mid Frequency
Driver", I get lots of dirty noise. The midrange driver then comes
back to life. The real mystery lies in the woofer. At all different
volumes, the woofer will cut out for no reason at all. The speaker has
a circuit breaker built into it, but that covers the whole unit. The
weird part is that when I press the woofer ANYWHERE, on the cone, on
the rubber part around the speaker, etc., it starts to work. Sometimes
the speaker will continue to work when I stop pressing on it, other
times it will stop working as soon as I release the pressure.
What the heck is going on here? It's driving me nuts. I figure the
speaker has just worn itself out enough that the magnet can't drive it,
but it still seems weird to me."
Mike Mortilla tells Dom:
"I'd suspect that the coil is broken. When you press the speaker,
maybe you're allowing current (normally the coils job) to vibrate the
cone? I think a detached coil is fairly easy to repair. But the
question is why did it become detached in the first place. Is it an 8
ohm or 4 ohm speaker? Hmmmmmmm?"
Dom tells Mike:
"I've been told this by another person as well, so my guess is this is
the case.
OK, so how do you fix it? :-) The label on the speaker says it is an
8 ohm speaker. Does that help?"
Mike bursts Dom's bubble:
"Well *YOU* don't fix it, but you have it done by a technician. Even
someone who is good with a soldering iron probably wouldn't have the
technical skill to do the job.
Bottom line: Find someone who repairs speakers in your area. Yellow
pages is a start...
Sorry it's not a do it yourself problem."
Sysop Dan Rhea adds:
"Sounds like a Labtec knockoff to me. I can't think of a fix though.
As cheap as these speakers are getting, it might be less work to simply
toss them and get another set.
If you don't mind spending $300 or so, Altec Lansing has a nice
computer speaker set that has a sub-woofer, 2 inch tweeter and a 5 inch
midrange. They sound incredible."
From the Atari Vendors Forum
============================
Mike Mortilla Posts:
"Today I saw an add in the local free paper for 2 Atari ST's with
extra floppy drives & 2 hard drives, a color and a mono monitor *ALL*
for $200! Arrrrrgh! I was about 10 hours too late to grab it!"
Beth Freeman tells Mike:
"Wow! That is cheap. However, there could be something wrong with the
stuff, like one of the HD's is crashed or very small (like 20 meg).
After years in the jewelry business I've learned that if it looks too
good to be true, it usually isn't."
Gregory Gauthier asks ICD:
"I have a small problem that I am hoping you might help resolve. I have
been attempting to obtain a SCSI FaST kit for my Dad's 1040st, and
40meg quantum hard drive, which I am told you folks are still making.
I have tried to order the hardware from two different stores in the
Chicago metro area who claim to carry your equipment, and also claim to
support the ST. Well, this has been MUCH LESS than an enjoyable
experience. The shop in Chicago, on Peterson Ave., called 'Software
Plus', has had trouble contacting you, and at first I thought it was
them. But, when I gave up on them, I began to try and contact you
myself, and for several weeks I have not been able to talk to even ONE
human being, and have yet to get a response to the messages.
Well, this is my last attempt. I am leaving this message here, in hopes
that you might be able to respond, and tell me how I might purchase
your hard drive interface kit. If I haven't heard from you by monday,
then I have already lined up a parallel to SCSI interface which I will
purchase from ELEK-TEK, another Chicago concern which just happened to
have ST equipment on hand."
Howard at ICD tells Gregory:
"Sorry to that frustration but I understand. We are still tryingg to
get this voice mail system to work and lost a lot of messages during
changes the setup (we try to recover them over the weekend, so you
might get a call anyway...).
You can reach me either here or at work by dialing my extension 241.
But be aware that I am more away from desk than siiting there, so
please leave a voice mail. Those I get for sure and we return calls
(getting the messages is the more difficult part at this time)!
Feel free to send your order via email too!"
Mike Mortilla tells the CodeHeads:
"I'd like to update my Warp 9 (v 3.75) to the current version. Can I
send you a credit card number and you can send me a copy in e-mail? I
seem to remember that was an option for a while.
Thanks. I'm having a little incompatibility problem in a couple of
programs with the current version and would really like to see them go
away."
Charles F. Johnson, CodeHead el Supremo, tells Mike:
"Yes, you can order the Warp 9 upgrade through Email. What sort of
incompatibility are you having?"
Mike fills Charles in:
"For one, my screen (in general) will flip colors and stay flipped
when I use the mouse. It might be a problem with the Mandala module and
I've gone back to the default one. But also in EditTrack (from
Barefoot) the screen sometimes redraws without all the borders and
such. Usually after I've run The Copyist DTP (Dr T). If I quit and
re-run EditTrack it's usually fine, however.
It may well be the other programs (or even SilkMouse) that is causing
the problem, but whatever it is, I'm hoping that the Warp 9 upgrade
will solve *ALL* my problems (including having to walk the dog in the
rain!)
Anyway, I'll e-mail you my credit card # and await the upgrade.
Very cool way to do it!"
Charles tells Mike:
"Well, this is the first time I've ever heard of any of those problems
being associated with Warp 9, so I'm afraid I can't tell you whether or
not the latest version fixes them -- if indeed they are problems in
Warp 9. We do test with SMPTE Track and have never seen the redrawing
problem you mention, so it's possible something else in your system is
interfering."
Mike explains:
"It only happens after I run Copyist DTP, so I think the problem may
be in that prog."
From the Palmtop Forum
======================
Terry Clayton asks about memory cards for the Portfolio:
"I read some old messages and conference logs on GEnie that mentioned
some FLASH RAM cards that a company named OPTROL was making for the
Portfolio. Does anyone know if OPTROL still has these cards available.
If so, what about current pricing and card sizes?"
Dave Stewart tells Terry:
"Yes [they are available]! I will email you some info on the FlashRAM
cards ... 524K, 1 meg, 2 meg, and 4 meg sizes."
Robin Ward tells us:
"Well, I've downloaded lots of goodies, including PBASIC, UPDATE.COM,
FM.COM, plus lots of other files. Now, in order to run PBASIC and the
various '.BAS' files, I'm not sure how much RAM to put aside for C:
drive (for storage of my app files and a few games...), PBASIC, and how
much to leave available to RUN the various .BAS, .EXE, and .COM files.
With my parallel interface, I can easily swap programs in and out of
my PC to use, until I pick-up a RAMcard. But, I'm hoping some of you
more experienced PORTers, can offer some ideas, or explain how the
memory is adressed between usable RAM and RAMdrive. The spiral manual
doesn't give too much detail, and PORT.FAQ doesn't point directly to a
solution, either..."
Well, off to play some PORTRIS...after, some work, that is! Hmm..."
For anyone who doesn't know, PBASIC was written especially for the
Portfolio by BJ Gleason. In addition to being one of the most visible
and respected people in the Portfolio world, he is also "going for" his
doctorate in computer science, and teaches at American University in
Washington D.C. BJ is also a Sysop here on CompuServe with a reputation
for going out of his way for anyone who asks for help. If you ever get
the chance to see BJ at a computer show (there are still a few that
cater to Atari machines), don't hesitate to step on up and say "hi". BJ
is good people!
Steve Morales posts:
"Hi - would anyone happen to know what the BASIC command is for the
"Beep" function on an Atari Portfolio? Any assistance greatly
appreciated!"
Atari's own Don Thomas (but don't let the fact that he works for Atari
fool you... he's a great guy) asks Steve:
"Are you using PowerBasic or PBasic?"
Steve tells Don:
"Turns out the what we need is the memory location for the beep
function. We are compiling programs on other PCs and porting them over
to the Portfolio. If we can find the memory location, then we may be
able to use the 'poke' function to activate the beep."
Now that's what I like to see: someone writing new programs for an
Atari Computer... ANY Atari computer. Keep up the good work, guys.
Well folks, that's it for this week. Tune in again next week, same
time, same station, for another joy ride along the electronic highway
with me. Its a good way to feel the wind in your hair, the hum of the
highway... heck, its got everything except bugs splatting against the
windshield <grin>. Just always remember to listen to what they are
saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
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