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Silicon Times Report Issue 1004
SILICON TIMES REPORT
====================
INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
=============================
from
STR Electronic Publishing Inc.
January 21, 1994 No. 1004
======================================================================
Silicon Times Report
International Online Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155
R.F. Mariano
Publisher-Editor
-----------------------------------------
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM-4 PM EST
STR Publishing Support BBS Network System
* THE BOUNTY BBS *
FIDO 1:112/35 ~ ITCNet 85:881/253 ~ FNET 350 ~ Nest 90:21/350
904-786-4176 USR/HST 24hrs-7 days
2400 -38.4 bps V.32-42 bis 16.8 Dual Standard
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM-6 AM EST
-----------------------------------------
Fido 1:112/35 The Bounty STR Support Central 1-904-786-4176
FNET. 620 : Leif's World ................1-904-573-0734
FNET. 690 : PASTE BBS....................1-206-284-8493
FNET. 489 : Steal Your Face BBS..........1-908-920-7981
MNET - Toad Hall BBS.....................1-617-567-8642
______________________________________________________________________
> 01/21/94 STR 1004 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
"""""""""""""""""
- CPU INDUSTRY REPORT - Digital > Losses - Microsoft Profits UP
- Stacker & PCTools - AOL users UP - Connect 2.44
- Deliverance a Review - HP Dashboard - The Old Fishin' Hole
-* SEGA TO WORK WITH MS ON NEW OS FOR GAMES! *-
-* JAMES BUCKLEY APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF APPLE USA *-
-* US GOV'T. SUED OVER DATABASE! *-
-* HP COLOR PRINTER SALES DOUBLED IN '93! *-
======================================================================
STReport International Online Magazine
The Original * Independent * Online Magazine
-* FEATURING WEEKLY *-
"Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
======================================================================
STReport's BBS - The Bounty BBS, invites all BBS systems, worldwide, to
participate in the Fido/PROWL/ITC/USENET/NEST/F-Net Mail Networks. You
may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 904-786-4176. Enjoy the wonder and
excitement of exchanging all types of useful information relative to
computers, worldwide, through the use of excellent International
Networking Systems. SysOps, worldwide, are welcome to join the STReport
International Conferences. The Fido Node is 1:112/35, ITC Node is
85:881/253 Crossnet Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is #620. All
computer platforms BBS systems are welcome and invited to participate.
======================================================================
CIS ~ AOL ~ DELPHI ~ BIX ~ FIDO ~ PROWL ~ ITC ~ NEST ~ EURONET
USENET ~ CIX ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ~ FNET ~ GENIE
======================================================================
COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME
to the Readers of;
STREPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
NEW USERS; SIGN UP TODAY!
CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198
You will receive your complimentary time
and
be online in no time at all!
"Enjoy CompuServe's forums; where information is at its very best!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""
Earthquakes, Blizzards, Killer Cold Waves and no end in sight. A
moment's silent reverence for those who have perished and those who
continue to suffer as a result of mother nature's madness. This is
certainly beginning to look like the year that "was" already.
Would you believe that... in certain circles some say STReport is
really "the online magazine"? No matter how much I like to hear it...
the truth is we are simply trying to please the most readers with the
best variety in informative coverage. Your mail has certainly helped in
forming the current setup for STR. We are always open to suggestions for
further improvement.
On the entertainment front, its amazing to witness the comments and
strange postures being taken as a result of Doom becoming more and more
popular. As in most everything, there are those who are passionate about
the game... <g> and those who are equally passionate about not liking the
game only... that's where the rub lies. Those who have voiced their
disapproval the loudest have also stated that as long as the "demonic
graphics" are in Doom they'll "continue to play the shareware version
without registering and getting the two additional levels". This, to me,
is an exercise in pure hypocrisy! "Won't pay to play but as a freebie
its ok! The demonic symbolisms etc. are ok as long as the almighty buck
ain't involved but as soon as you have to hit the hip.... the religious
zealot's "bless me now" nerve is zinged! This is pure bunk! It smacks
of snake oil and smoke dancing nothing more and nothing less. Anybody
remember the famous TV preacher caught with a Texas Prostitute? When he
was caught... he said he had done "wrong". But a month or so later, "he
was there to "teach her the errors of her ways". True understanding and
brotherly love are fast becoming a thing of the past. As it all seems to
be hooray for me and the he** with you! Sad but true.
The folks at ID software have produced a fine software package in Doom
and deserve every lick of success they can possibly savor. To ID I say
Keep up the good work! You're doing just fine. Folks, if you haven't
had an opportunity to see Doom yet, do so ..you owe it to yourselves.
Its a fine example of the future having arrived early. Superb
programming!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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...
via E-Mail to:
Compuserve................... 70007,4454
America Online..................STReport
Delphi......................... RMARIANO
BIX............................ RMARIANO
FIDONET........................ 1:112/35
FNET........................... NODE 350
ITC NET...................... 85:881/253
NEST........................ 90:21/350.0
GEnie......................... ST-REPORT
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
"""""""""""""""""
IBM/POWER-PC/PC SECTION (I)
===========================
Computer Products Update - CPU Report
------------------------ ----------
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Issue #04
By: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
******* General Computer News *******
** Microsoft Profits Up 22% **
A 22 percent jump in profit for the second quarter has been reported
by Microsoft Corp. Microsoft earned $289 million, or 95 cents a share,
in the most recent quarter, up from $236 million, or 78 cents a share,
in the year-ago quarter. Revenues rose to $1.22 billion from $938
million.
** HP Color Printer Sales Doubled in '93 **
Hewlett-Packard Co. reports that it more than doubled its color
printer sales last year. HP says it sold approximately 2 million color
inkjet DeskJet printers worldwide in 1993, a 122% increase over 1992 when
the company sold nearly 900,000 units. HP color printer sales in 1991
were 120,000.
HP's says its sale of 2 million color DeskJet printers represents a
figure greater than all other makes of color printers combined, based on
statistics supplied by BIS Strategic Decisions, a market research firm
located in Norwell, Mass. HP notes that it has sold more than 10 million
monochrome and color inkjet printers since its first model was introduced
in 1984.
** Digital Reports 2nd Quarter Loss **
Digital Equipment Corp. today reported a second quarter loss of $72.1
million, compared with a loss of $73.9 million for the same period a year
ago. The computer maker continues to face a tough recovery with revenues
for the quarter down 12% to $3.25 billion, compared to $3.69 billion in
the fourth quarter of 1992.
** PC World to List Top Computers **
PC World this week introduced the PC World Top 20, a monthly listing
of the industry's leading PCs. Beginning with its February issue, the PC
World Top 20 will each month provide readers with a top-down ranking of
the PCs that were analyzed by the PC World Test Center.
"The PC World Top 20 ranks the first time a monthly computer
publication has responded to the ever-shortening PC product cycles --
which is roughly six months for R&D, three months to promote and sell,
and three months to 'unload' the product," says PC World's
Editor-in-Chief Phil Lemmons. "The PC market is moving so incredibly fast
that buyers need continuously updated information and recommendations."
The PC World Top 20 will be comprised of three PC categories -- the
Top 20 Power Desktops, the Top 20 Budget Desktops, and the Top 20 Mobile
PCs (10 power notebooks/subnotebooks and 10 budget notebooks and
subnotebooks). The top five products in each of these categories will be
honored as the monthly "Best Buy."
** Sega to Work With Microsoft on New Operating System for Games **
Microsoft Corp. has agreed to supply Japan's Sega Enterprises Ltd.
with a new operating system for Sega's 32-bit home video game player,
"Saturn," to be released in November.
A spokesman with Sega, Japan's largest maker of commercial-use
amusement equipment, said the two firms also are considering cooperating
in developing new game software.
Saturn is to have two 32-bit RISC (reduced instruction set computing)
chips in its central processing unit. Reports says Sega plans to sell it
for less than $450.
Sega's move follows an announcement last week by Japan's consumer
electronics giant Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. that it planned
for the launch on March 20 of a 32-bit home entertainment player jointly
developed with 3DO Co. of the United States, and six software titles.
** Tektronix Unveils Desktop Color Printers **
Tektronix Inc. this week announced the Phaser 220i and Phaser 220e
thermal transfer color printers. The 600 by 300 dots-per-inch units
output at two pages per minute, feature network connectivity options and
print on most laser papers.
The Phaser 220 printers include dual-tray configuration options, large
tray and ribbon capacities and automatic ink- level sensing to minimize
the need for printer maintenance or operator attendance.
The Phaser 220e and 220i are priced at $3,995.00 and $5,995.00,
respectively. Both printers are available now.
** America Online Subscriber Rate Jumps **
"As a result of strong word of mouth and a growing list of partners
who bundle America Online with their products, our subscriber growth has
continued to accelerate," said Steve Case, president and CEO. "These new
bundling agreements can help us attract new PC owners, further increasing
our market share."
Dell, a leading manufacturer of personal computers, will now include
America Online with all of its PCs sold through consumer channels. By
preinstalling the Windows version of America Online in these computers,
Dell purchasers will see an icon representing America Online on their
Windows desktop. This will provide quick and easy access to the America
Online service.
US Robotics, a leading manufacturer of modems, will expand their
bundling agreement with America Online to include their entire line of
consumer modems. US Robotics' Macintosh line of modems began bundling
America Online last year.
"As 1994 unfolds, we plan to continue to expand bundling and content
partnerships because we believe they help us attract and retain
customers. We plan to continue to add compelling content in a number of
areas such as news, personal finance and shopping," Case added. "By
making it easier for consumers to try our services, and providing them
with compelling reasons to continue as customers, we believe we are
well-positioned to take advantage of the encouraging market trends for
consumer online services."
America Online, Inc., based in Vienna, is a leading provider of online
services to consumers. The company offers its more than 550,000
subscribers a wide variety of services, including electronic mail,
conferencing, software, computing support, interactive magazines and
newspapers, and online classes. Founded in 1985, the company has
established strategic alliances with dozens of companies including Time
Warner, CNN, The New York Times, Knight Ridder, Tribune Company, IBM and
Apple. Personal computer owners can obtain America Online software at
major retailers and bookstores, or by calling 800-827-6364.
** Government Sued Over Database **
Tax Analysts, a nonprofit publisher of legal information, has filed
suit in federal court asking for portions of the Department of Justice
(DOJ) JURIS database under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The dispute concerns public records which West Publishing, a private
company, provided to the Department of Justice for use in its JURIS
online Computer Assisted Legal Research (CALR) database system.
The data are public records and, by federal law, not copyrightable.
West, however, claims that it owns the arrangement of the data, and the
Department of Justice is not free to release it.
JURIS was established initially for DOJ's use. The President, by
Executive Order 12146 (July 18, 1979), directed DOJ and its head, the
Attorney General, to expand JURIS for use throughout the government legal
community. All federal agency users share the cost of JURIS operation,
database management and improvements.
JURIS is organized into and contains federal case law material,
statutory law, digest material, tax documents, Federal regulations,
Federal manuals, work product material, legislative histories, federal
administrative law opinions and decisions, treaties, DOJ publications on
the FOIA and other such legal materials. The basis of the suit is that a
federal agency should not be making exclusive arrangements to give away
public data to a private company.
The lawsuit will be heard by U.S. District Court Judge Richey, the
same jurist who is presiding over an FOIA case involving public access to
electronic mail records.
******* General Computer News *******
** Autodesk Ships AutoSketch Release 2 **
Autodesk Inc. is now shipping AutoSketch Release 2 for Windows, a 2-D,
CAD-based drawing package.
Autodesk notes that the software "combines the power and precision of
computer-aided design with the freedom of an illustration program by
providing tools for creating sketches, technical drawings, diagrams and
information-based graphics and presentations."
The latest AutoSketch release features a new user interface, as well
as improved file import/export capabilities and additional drawing tools.
It also offers expanded CAD functionality and interoperability.
AutoSketch Release 2 software is now available through Autodesk
resellers and the retail channel at a suggested price of $299. Existing
AutoSketch customers can upgrade to Release 2 for $99 (certain
restrictions
may apply).
** OS/2, Valuepoint Machines Unite **
In a move intended to sharpen its appeal to business, government and
other commercial customers, IBM PC Co. this week begins bringing its PS/2
and ValuePoint products under one brand team.
While PS/2 and ValuePoint computers will maintain their different
labels for the time being, they will be sold by one team to be known as
the Commercial Desktop brand, with Stephen Cohen, who led PS-2 marketing,
directing the group. (The ValuePoint brand was designed to offer less
costly models that are updated more frequently than PS/2.)
He said IBM will continue to develop PS/2 and ValuePoint computers
separately, partly because they have different technical designs for how
information is moved inside them.
******* General Mac News *******
** James Buckley Appointed President of Apple USA **
Apple Computer Inc. this week appointed James J. Buckley, 43, as
president of Apple USA effective immediately. Reports say that Buckley
will be responsible for all of the division's sales, marketing, channel,
customer service and support activities.
A nine-year veteran of Apple Computer, Buckley was most recently vice
president and general manager for Apple USA's Higher Education division
and was responsible for directing all sales, marketing, customer support
and service operations to 3,500 colleges and universities in the United
States.
Buckley held positions as Apple USA's vice president and general
manager for Northern Operations in Norwalk, Connecticut, vice president
and general manager for Apple's Central Operations Group located in
Chicago, area sales director of Apple's U.S. North Central Area, and
director of educational sales at the company's Cupertino headquarters.
** Apple Introduces Macintosh Performa Money Edition Computer **
Money Magazine and Apple Computer have teamed up to create the
Macintosh Performa 560 Money Edition, a multimedia computer designed
especially for those who want to take advantage of the latest technology
to manage their personal finances.
Reports say the system features popular personal finance and
organizational programs such as WealthBuilder by Money magazine, Quicken,
MacInTax, Willmaker and Personal Recordkeeper; the ClarisWorks integrated
database, word-processing and spreadsheet package; the Datebook
Pro/Touchbase Pro Bundle for calendar and address-book capabilities.
It also includes interactive educational programs such as the 21
volume New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia CD-ROM, the TIME Almanac
CD-ROM and the American Heritage Dictionary as well as entertainment
programs such as the World Tour Golf CD-ROM and Monopoly, and a special
Money version of the After Dark screen saver. In addition, the system
features MacLink Plus/Translators Pro, which enables users to exchange
information easily with MS-DOS and Windows files.
The Macintosh Performa 560 Money Edition computer features powerful
Macintosh multimedia hardware, including a Sony Trinitron color monitor,
160-megabyte hard disk, an internal double-speed CD-ROM drive, built-in
stereo speakers, digital sound and microphone, and a send/receive fax
modem.
Sold directly through Apple and at selected Circuit City stores in the
United States, the computer retails for $2,199.
___________________________________________________________
> STACKER & PCTOOLS STR Feature
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STACKER AND PC TOOLS
====================
RAMBOOST "CAN'T FIND PROFILE" FILE UNDER STACKER 3.1
SITUATION:
----------
Install Stacker 3.1. Reboot and RAMBoost may display the message "Error:
Can't find profile D:\RAMBOOST\DATA\RAMBOOST.INI." However, RAMBOOST.INI
does exist in the \RAMBOOST\DATA directory on the uncompressed drive D:.
CAUSE:
------
This message may occur if DEVICE=C:\STACKER\STACHIGH.SYS is loaded after
DEVICE=D:\RAMBOOST\RAMBOOST.EXE LOAD in the CONFIG.SYS, and when
RAMBOOST.EXE and RAMBOOST.INI are on the uncompressed drive.
SOLUTION:
---------
Option 1: Edit the CONFIG.SYS file, move the STACHIGH.SYS device driver
prior to RAMBoost, and reboot. This method will not allow
RAMBoost to load the STACHIGH.SYS driver into upper memory.
Option 2:
1. Move the RAMBOOST.EXE file to the \PCTOOLS directory on the
compressed drive
2. Move the RAMBOOST.INI file to the \PCTOOLS\DATA directory on the
compressed drive.
3. Edit the CONFIG.SYS file and change the path to RAMBOOST.EXE to
reflect the new directory. For example:
DEVICE=C:\PCTOOLS\RAMBOOST.EXE LOAD.
However, do not change the loading order of RAMBoost and STACHIGH.SYS.
4. Reboot. This will allow RAMBoost to load the STACHIGH.SYS driver
into upper memory.
NOTES:
------
Prior to Stacker 3.1, RAMBoost had to be installed on the uncompressed
drive. With Stacker 3.1, this is no longer necessary.
PC TOOLS CANNOT FIND SYSTEM FILES UNDER STACKER 3.1
SITUATION:
----------
Install Stacker 3.1. Run PC Format, and select "Install System Files."
PC Format formats the floppy, but will report "unable to locate system
files."
Run EDisk, and EDisk will report "Could not find system files." Under
Stacker 3.0, both PC Format and EDisk could find the system files.
CAUSE:
------
The method PC Format, and EDisk use to determine where the system files
are, no longer works under Stacker 3.1, due to changes in how Stacker 3.1
handles drive swapping.
SOLUTION:
---------
Option 1: Update to PC Tools Pro V9 which solves these
incompatibilities.
Option 2: To create bootable floppy disks, use DOS Format with the /S
parameter.
To create an Emergency Disk:
1. Format a bootable floppy disk using DOS Format with the /S
parameter.
2. Run EDisk, and select Configure Disk.
3. Deselect "Format disk first," and deselect DBLSPACE.BIN from the
list of files for EDisk to transfer.
4. Select Create Disk to make the Emergency Disk, and when EDisk
prompts for a disk, insert the bootable floppy created with DOS
FORMAT /S.
NOTES:
------
PC Tools Install normally renames DOS FORMAT.EXE to FORMAT!.EXE, so it
may be necessary to type FORMAT! to run DOS Format.
Deselecting DBLSPACE.BIN from the list of files for EDisk to transfer is
necessary. DOS Format with the /S parameter will place the Stacker 3.1
DBLSPACE.BIN file on the floppy. This file is Hidden, System and
Read-Only.
EDisk will default to copying the DOS DBLSPACE.BIN file, which is
slightly different than the Stacker DBLSPACE.BIN file, to the floppy.
Because the file on the floppy is HSR, EDisk will display the message
"I/O Error. Permission denied error during open for output operation in
DBLSPACE.BIN" when it attempts to overwrite the file.
NUMBER OF BUFFERS TO USE WITH CP BACKUP AND STACKER
QUESTION:
---------
Is a special configuration required for Central Point Backup when running
a disk compression program such as Stacker or SuperStor?
ANSWER:
-------
No special configuration is required when running a disk compression
program, such as Stacker or SuperStor. However, when running a disk
compression program, CP Backup may require more buffers when
troubleshooting a problem such as file miscompares or errors reading
files from the hard drive. The additional buffers will help with the
on-the-fly decompression of files. Start by editing the CONFIG.SYS file
and set BUFFERS=50. It may be necessary to increase buffers to 60, 70 or
even 90 if problems continue.
In some cases, a disk cache like PC-Cache or SMARTDrive can be used in
place of increasing buffers. Even when using a disk cache, buffers
should be set to at least 30.
PC TOOLS V7 AND STACKER VERSIONS 1 THROUGH 2
GENERAL CONCEPT:
----------------
Stacker takes a portion of a partition, compresses that portion, and
creates a new, software-driven partition that can hold twice as much data
as the original partition. The new partition, called the Stacker volume
or Stacker drive, compresses all data stored to it and decompresses all
data called from it.
The Stacker volume is actually a large file stored on the original, non-
compressed drive, called the Host drive. Stacker files will always be
stored in the root directory of the Host drive, and unlike SuperStore,
there can only be one compressed file per partition. The file name of
the Stacker volume will vary depending on the version of Stacker and the
method used to create the Stacker volume.
METHOD OF CREATION NAME OF STACKER FILE
Stacker V1.1 or upgraded STACVOL.000 for first drive
to V2.0 from V1.1 STACVOL.001 for second
drive etc.
Stacker V2.0 and used the install STACVOL.DSK for all drives
program to create Stacker volumes
Stacker V2.0 and used Stacker STACVOL.000 for all drives
commands to create Stacker volumes
EXAMPLES OF STACKER DRIVES:
---------------------------
If a system has an 80m hard drive, +-----------------+
partitioned as one drive C:, | C: |
DOS will see this drive as: | |
| |
| |
| |
| 80 Meg |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
+-----------------+
The user installs Stacker and instructs the program to compress as much
hard drive space as possible. Stacker requires that one or two meg
remain uncompressed. After the Stacker volume is created, DOS now sees
the drive as:
+-----------------+ +-----------------+
| C: | | D: |
| | | |
| 2 Meg | | |
| | | |
+-----------------+ | |
| 160 Meg |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
+-----------------+
Assuming 50% compression, twice as much hard drive capacity is available,
but all data has been moved to D:, a drive that was not present prior to
running Stacker. Setup files, environment settings, batch files, etc.
still point to the C: drive, which means the system is not going to run
correctly.
That leads to what causes the most confusion on Stacker drives:
DRIVE SWAPPING:
---------------
By installing the SSWAP.COM command in the CONFIG.SYS, Stacker can place
the drives back to the way they were before the compression. Stacker
V2.0 does this automatically with the Install program. This is how DOS
will see the drives when SSWAP is used:
+-----------------+ +-----------------+
| C: | | D: |
| | | |
| | | 2 Meg |
| | | |
| | +-----------------+
| 160 Meg |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
+-----------------+
Everything is back to the way it was - almost. Stacker must make DOS
aware of the swapping during the boot process. Unfortunately, the only
way to do this is to create another CONFIG.SYS and another AUTOEXEC.BAT
for the second drive. The files are normally identical. In this example,
the actual AUTOEXEC.BAT is on drive C: and the actual CONFIG.SYS is on
drive D:, even though both C: and D: each have an AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS.
If the /SYNC option is used on the end of the SSWAP line in the
CONFIG.SYS, Stacker will automatically ask if both files should be
updated next time a reboot occurs.
SWAPMAP:
--------
Users are frequently confused as to which drives are swapped and which
are not.
The Stacker SWAPMAP command will display exactly which drives are swapped
and the drive letter that each drive has after swapping. Following is
the SWAPMAP display from the preceding illustration:
Drive A: was drive A: at boot time
Drive B: was drive B: at boot time
Drive C: was drive D: at boot time [D:\STACVOL.DSK = 80 MB (physical)]
Drive D: was drive C: at boot time
This will tell the user that drives C: and D: are swapped. After
swapping, drive C: is the STACVOL file.
THE CONFIG.SYS
The following lines will be in the CONFIG.SYS on Stacker systems:
DEVICE=C:\STACKER\STACKER.COM C:\STACKER.DSK
DEVICE=C:\STACKER\SSWAP.COM C: D:
The first line loads the Stacker drive into memory. If there are two
Stacker volumes, the line would look like the following:
DEVICE=C:\STACKER\STACKER.COM C:\STACVOL.DSK D:\STACVOL.DSK
The STACKER.COM device driver requires about 34k to 40k of memory,
smaller if the system has a Stacker hardware coprocessor, and can be
loaded high. SSWAP is NOT a TSR, and may be executed from the DOS
command line.
STACKER DANGERS:
----------------
Even though Stacker will double the hard drive space, there is a price to
pay. Stacker will slow down faster systems, like 386 and 486 machines.
It may, however, speed up slow XT machines if a coprocessor is installed.
It will primarily slow down applications that open many files, such as
Windows, network applications, scan functions in CPAV and CP Backup, etc.
It is important to remember that the Stacker volume is just one big file.
That means that if any part of that big file is damaged in any way, the
entire contents of the drive may be damaged. One corrupt file, one bad
sector, one cross-linked file or one error in the FAT can potentially
destroy the entire Stacker volume and thereby lose all of the data
(files) in the volume. Although some of these problems can be repaired,
others can not. It is very important that Stacker users have current
backups.
DETERMINE FREE SPACE ON A STACKER VOLUME:
-----------------------------------------
The amount of free space on a Stacker system causes a lot of confusion.
PC Shell, CP Backup, and the DOS DIR and CHKDSK commands will all report
different numbers for the amount of free space on a Stacker drive. To
get the most accurate report of free space, run Stacker's SCHECK program,
which is Stacker's version of CHKDSK. Following is an example:
Stacker Drive Statistics
------------------------
Stacker Drive STACVOL File
Drive D: C:\STACVOL.000
--------------------------------------------
Total Bytes: 139,804,670 69,907,456
Bytes Used: 102,277,120 (73%) 53,654,528 (76%)
Bytes Free: 37,527,522 (26%)* 16,252,928 (23%)***
Stacker Drive Compression Ratio = 1.9:1
Projected Bytes Free = 30,252,184**
* The amount of free space on the drive with full 2:1 compression. This
compression ratio is not always the case, so this number may be a little
high. This is the number that Stacker passes to DOS. PC Shell and
CHKDSK will report this number.
** The amount of free space on the drive with the current compression
ratio, which is 1.9:1 in the example. Again, this number is subject to
change, but it is more accurate than the number that PC Shell or CHKDSK
will report. This is the number reported by the DOS DIR command.
*** The amount of free space on the drive with no compression. This is
the actual disk space available without Stacker. If, for example, a user
reports that there isn't any free space on the drive after copying a
number of ZIP files (which hardly compress at all), but PC Shell reports
that there is 10m free, run SCHECK and look at this number. This is the
actual, non-stacked, amount of space free.
STACKER ERRORS:
---------------
There are two primary errors and both are usually caused when the system
locks or by rebooting within a large program like Windows or CP Backup.
"Write Protect Error" or "Volume is Write Protected" is usually a minor
error. To correct, perform the following:
1. From the root of the non-stacked drive, remove the Read-only
attribute from the Stacker file by typing SATTRIB -R STACVOL.DSK.
2. Go to the Stacked drive and type SCHECK /F. It will report most
errors, but may not fix all of them.
3. Run CHKDSK /F on the stacked drive.
4. Reboot. The Stacker drive will be accessible once more.
"Read Fault" errors are very serious. The good news is that they are
almost always localized to one or two directories, and do not effect the
entire drive like a write protect error. In these situations it is best
to refer the caller to Stacker tech support.
STACKER AND CENTRAL POINT PRODUCTS:
-----------------------------------
ANTI-VIRUS
----------
Bootsafe will always report "Partition / Boot Sector was Modified".
Simply place the drive letter of the non-stacked drive at the end
of the Bootsafe line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT.
Do not immunize the Stacker volume or the Stacker files located in
the STACKER directory. CPAV 1.2 has STACKER.COM and SSWAP.COM in
the Immunization Exceptions List.
Installing CPAV on a V1.0 or V1.1 Stacker system will cause all of
the lines added to the AUTOEXEC.BAT, such as SET CPAV=, Bootsafe
and VSafe, to be added to the wrong AUTOEXEC.BAT file. This
normally will cause no problem, but if the lines are to be removed
or changed, make sure both AUTOEXEC.BAT files are checked. With
Stacker V2.0 this doesn't matter, since both of the AUTOEXEC.BAT
files are the same.
COMPRESS
--------
Compress will display a message as soon as you call up the program,
reporting "A Stacker volume has been detected", and gives a warning
message asking the user if they are sure they want to continue.
Even though this message displays, we have not received any reports
of data loss from our users or from STAC. Compress is a DOS level
application, and since Stacker is a device level driver, there
should be no problems. It is important to remember, however, that
the Stacker volume is just a file, albeit a very large one. If a
Stacker user suspects files are fragmented, Stacker has an optimize
program called SDEFRAG.
CP BACKUP
---------
IMPORTANT: It is generally not necessary to back up the STACKVOL
file; exclude it from the backup. If a user has already backed it
up and is trying to restore it, simply overwrite the existing
STACVOL file.
The data in a Stacker volume will be backed up normally. You can
even restore a backup done on a Stacker system to a system that
does not have Stacker.
Stacker allocates by sectors; DOS allocates by clusters. CP Backup
is not fooled by the fact that DOS allocates a minimum of 2k per
file; it takes the actual size of the file into account. Therefore
CP Backup will report a great deal less than Stacker does. For
example, SCHECK reports 104m, but CP Backup only reports 82m. This
is because CP Backup is reporting the actual space used, not the
allocated space reported by Stacker and DOS. CP Backup will still
backup the entire drive.
Backing up is usually slower with Stacker. This is because CP
Backup calls for a file, Stacker decompresses the file, CP Backup
compresses the file and writes it to floppy or tape, and Stacker
compresses the file.
For troubleshooting, Stacker usually requires more buffers than
normal; 40 or more. These buffers are used for on-the-fly
compression.
DIRECTORY MAINTENANCE
---------------------
With Stacker V1.0 or V1.1, it is not a good idea to delete a large
directory (10m or more) on a Stacker drive. It may damage the
volume. This should not be a problem with Stacker V2.0.
DISKFIX
-------
The DiskFix Repair a Disk function in PC Tools V7.1 provides
Stacker support and will cause no problems if run on Stacked or
Host drives.
There is no need to run Surface Scan on a Stacked drive. Simply
run it on the Host drive and it will cover both. Remember that the
Stacked drive is just a file.
DO NOT run a BIOS Surface Scan on a Stacker volume. As noted
previously, this will make BIOS calls which are potentially
dangerous to Stacker.
FILE FIX
--------
File Fix cannot fix a file on a stacked drive. With PC Tools V7
and V7.1, 9/21/91 file dates will return the error "A serious disk
error has occurred. Run Diskfix". With 10/18/91 file dates, the
error message will be "Copy to a non-compressed drive before
continuing".
Move the file to be fixed to an uncompressed drive and run File Fix
again. Make sure that there is sufficient disk space available on
the drive where the file will be fixed; double the space of the
damaged file is required.
PC-CACHE
--------
The status window for PC-Cache does not show Stacked drives, only
actual partitions. Since Stacker is just a file, it IS cached, it
just does not appear in the status window.
PC FORMAT
---------
Stacker (and other compression software) users will get "Cannot
Find System Files" error message when trying to format a bootable
floppy. PC Format will ask the user to place a system disk in
drive A:. Once this is done, the system files will be transferred
to the floppy.
PC SHELL
--------
RENAMING THE VOLUME LABEL OF A STACKER DRIVE WITH PC SHELL WILL
DESTROY THE ENTIRE VOLUME. This has been re-created in-house. The
DOS VOL command may be used. Remember that any BIOS call like
this, that bypasses DOS, is dangerous to the Stacker file and is
not recommended.
Remember that the amount of free disk space reported by PC Shell
will usually be high. Refer to the example in the Determine Free
Space section of this document.
With only a few exceptions, PC Shell and its' applications, Desktop
and Commute should have no problems with Stacker volumes.
UNDELETE
--------
All three delete protection methods, DOS, TRACKER & SENTRY, have
been tested in-house. All run without problems with 100% success
rate.
We have recently received reports regarding Sentry. During the
initial Stacker installation, Stacker does not compress hidden
files.
If a user has a large, 10m for example, Sentry directory (all of
which is hidden), on an 80m drive, and instructs Stacker to
compress 78m, Stacker will ignore the 10m Sentry directory and will
actually compress 68m. Once the user reboots and loads the Stacker
driver, the system will lock and the Stacker volume will not be
accessible.
NOTE: This is a serious problem.
Advise users who experience this problem should report it to STAC
electronics as they are working on a solution to this problem.
NOTES:
------
PC Tools Pro V9 is generally compatible with all versions of Stacker
through Stacker Version 3.1. PC Tools Pro V9 DiskFix and Optimzer also
support fixing, and optimizing, a Stacker compressed volume.
CANNOT FORMAT FLOPPY DISKS WITH STACKER 3.0 INSTALLED
SITUATION:
----------
With Stacker 3.0 installed, PC Format may display the message "Format
Failure" when trying to format a floppy disk.
CAUSE:
------
Stacker 3.0 remaps floppy drives via the Stacker driver to allow floppy
disks to be mounted and stacked.
SOLUTION:
---------
Option 1: Run PCFORM.EXE with the undocumented command-line parameter
/K:8.
For example:
PCFORM A: /S /K:8
/K:8 disables PCFORM routines that normally check for Stacker partitions.
Option 2: Remove the A:, B:, or the @ from the end of the STACKER.COM
line in the CONFIG.SYS file and reboot.
PC FORMAT CANNOT FIND SYSTEM FILES ON A COMPRESSED VOLUME
SITUATION:
----------
PC Format may display the message "We were unable to the locate system
files. Please insert a system diskette in drive A:" when using the
option to Install System Files.
CAUSE:
This may occur on a computer running Stacker disk compression software.
SOLUTION:
---------
Option 1: Run the DOS Format program with the /S parameter to create a
bootable disk. For example:
FORMAT! A: /S
Option 2: Run PC Format from a batch file that contains the following
steps. Refer to the Stacker documentation for the proper
commands and syntax.
a. Unswap the drives with the Stacker utility SSWAP. For
example;
SSWAP D: C:
b. PC Format command for the target floppy drive;
c. Reswap the drives; reverse the order of the drives used in
step a; for example;
SSWAP C: D:
NOTES:
------
This problem may also occur with other disk compression programs, such as
SuperStor.
BOOTSAFE MAY REPORT BOOT SECTOR CHANGE ON COMPRESSED VOLUME
SITUATION:
----------
Run Bootsafe on a drive, which has been compressed with a program such as
Stacker or SuperStor, and Bootsafe will display the message "The Boot
Sector and/or the partition table has been modified." This may occur
each time the computer is rebooted, even if "Update" was previously
selected.
CAUSE:
------
The compression software rewrites the boot sector of the compressed
volume each time the computer boots, usually because of drive swapping
performed by the compression software. When the boot sector of the
compressed volume changes, Bootsafe detects the difference and will
display the warning message.
SOLUTION:
---------
1. When the message is displayed, select "Continue" or "Update." Do
not select "Rebuild" as this could cause loss of data.
2. Edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, and specify the uncompressed volume's
drive letter on the Bootsafe line. For example, if drive C: is the
compressed volume, drive D: is probably the uncompressed volume.
In this example, the correct syntax for Bootsafe would be:
BOOTSAFE D:
NOTES:
------
Running VSafe and VWatch will detect known boot sector viruses. Bootsafe
will detect unknown viruses that may change the boot sector.
INSTALL MAY FAIL TO TRANSFER SYSTEM FILES TO THE RECOVERY DISK
SITUATION:
----------
Run Install and select to create a Recovery Disk, select the format
button, and the message "We were unable to locate system files. Please
insert a system diskette into drive A:" may display.
CAUSE:
------
This may occur on a computer running disk compression software, such as
Stacker or SuperStor, under MS-DOS or DR-DOS
SOLUTION:
---------
Option 1: During the Install process, specify the boot drive as the
drive where the AUTOEXEC.BAT file is located. If running
Stacker, SuperStor or other disk compression software, and the
drives have been swapped, the AUTOEXEC.BAT file may not be
located on drive C:.
Option 2: Run INSTALL /RD while logged onto the boot drive. For
example, if the install disks are in drive A:, log onto the
boot drive, and at the DOS prompt, type:
A:\INSTALL /RD<Enter>
Option 3: Run the DOS Format program with the /S parameter to format a
system disk for use as the Recovery Disk rather than selecting
to format the disk through Install.
___________________________________________________
> DASHBOARD 2.0 STR InfoFile
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
NEW VERSION OF DASHBOARD FROM HP HAS
MORE THAN 25 NEW FEATURES AND ENHANCEMENTS
Dashboard Speeds Past Competitors
as Sales Exceed 300,000 Units
Hewlett-Packard Company is shipping Release 2.0 of Dashboard for
Windows, a major upgrade to its award-winning, push-button utility panel
for Windows. Release 2.0 of Dashboard adds the features most requested
by its growing base of users, including snap-off toolbars and a DOS
Command
Line.
"Users have driven Dashboard sales far beyond our expectations," said
Harry W. (Webb) McKinney, general manager of HP's PC Software Division.
"Release 2.0 gives them the features they asked for without asking them
to give up a product design they're already comfortable with."
Release 2.0 of Dashboard adds 25 new features and enhancements that
help users work faster than ever before in Windows, including:
o vertical or horizontal orientation enables users to
put Dashboard within easy reach in the position they
like it best;
o hotkeys and hot mouse-clicks give users new options
for toggling, launching and more;
o snap-off toolbars let users personalize Dashboard and
put quick-launch buttons, the printer panel or the
program menu exactly where they want them;
o Dashboard Run Window allows users to use DOS commands
and drag-and-drop to launch DOS and Windows
applications and files without ever leaving Windows;
o the Resource Gauge's new Drive Watch monitors network
drives, removable drives and CD-ROM drives;
o sizing options, custom colors, custom fonts, custom
screen backgrounds, launch mini-buttons and new
gauges let users customize Dashboard to suit their
needs.
User Feedback Positive
"Whether you're a power user or you're new to Windows, Dashboard puts
you in the driver's seat," said Howard Kelley, a Dashboard 2.0 beta user,
and president and chief executive officer of Sally Corp., a maker of
entertainment robots. "New users love the instant access to
applications. More experienced users -- especially in networks -- love
the gauges and the customizing features. Release 2.0 of Dashboard builds
on a great concept with lots of new power, yet HP has kept its promise to
keep Dashboard simple."
"Dashboard is ideal for the corporate environment," said Harris Z.
Tilevitz, director of information systems for New York-based Skadden,
Arps, Meagher & Flom, a leading U.S. law firm. "Dashboard makes it
easier to work within Windows and allows better training and support for
large corporate user groups. The new release is even more customizable,
with features like snap-off toolbars and the vertical orientation."
According to HP, Dashboard 1.0 has sold more than 300,000 units and
holds a strong market position among Windows application launchers.
Dashboard is available in English and German. It received PC
Magazine's Best of 1992 honors in the January 1993 issue, the Best of
1992 in the January issue of Home Office Computing and Windows User
Magazine's Editorial Best Award for 1992.
Upgrade Prices and Availability
Dashboard is $99.00 (U.S.). Users of Dashboard 1.0 can upgrade
directly from HP for $29.00 or purchase Dashboard 2.0 through retail
stores and receive a $15 upgrade rebate from HP.
Dashboard 2.0 requires 1.5 MB of free disk space and Windows 3.1.
Sales inquiries should be directed to Hewlett-Packard Company, PC
Software Division, 974 East Arques Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. The
phone number is 1-800-554-1305.
Hewlett-Packard Company is an international manufacturer of
measurement and computation products and systems recognized for
excellence in quality and support. The company's products and services
are used in industry, business, engineering, science, medicine and
education in approximately 110 countries. HP has 93,800 employees and
had revenue of $16.4 billion in its 1992 fiscal year.
_______________________________________________________
> CALLING CIS STR Feature
"""""""""""""""""""""""
Compuserve - getting there from India
=====================================
ctsy CIS
by Atul Chitnis
I got a call this morning. All the way from Bombay. Wow ! The
gentleman at the other end had a very interesting query - what's
Compuserve's Bombay phone number ?
Oh oh.
Many moons ago, I wrote a full article on Compuserve. I never had
so many responses to anything I wrote in my life before! Not even after
that unfortunate incident I had with a cheque I once issued without
checking my bank balance....
But the phonecall gave me reason to think - Compuserve seems to be
indelibly on the Indian businessman's mind. Am I to blame for that ?
Yes? What a nice feeling!
Anyway, I went back and dug up that issue of PCQ (the one I had to
steal from Dayanand at PCQ Bangalore because I couldn't get a copy on
the newsstands), and re-read what I wrote in those days.
Woefully inadequate. Surprising that you dear people still read my
column. OK, let me make amends - here's the inside dope on how to get to
Compuserve.
Modemer's Paradise
------------------
Everytime I log into Compuserve, I have this warm feeling washing
over me. It's like coming home. The sight of the "You have Electronic
Mail waiting" notice is like seeing my dog sitting on the doorstep
wagging its tail seeing me approach. And, on entering the the various
forums I frequent, being greeted by "11 messages waiting for you" feels
like my daughter running down the garden path, arms outstretched, yelling
"Papa!".
Not for nothing does the world speak of Compuserve as "the biggest
communication service in the universe (unless proven otherwise)". With
almost a million people frequenting the place, it is the world's biggest
meeting place. And it is just a phone call away.
It is surprising how easy it is to meet people on Compuserve. An
innocent query in a forum, and you get responses from all over the world,
from people who want to help you, who want to know you, who want to
interact with you...
I have made it a habit of signing my name as "Atul Chitnis [India]"
in forums. That country tag alongside my name is almost certain to get
me responses - simply because people can't believe that I am calling from
India (where people supposedly still live in caves and use smoke signals
to communicate).
And it also helps in business - especially since India's markets are
opening up, and there are plenty of people out there who want to do
business with our motherland, but were scared because of the lack of
communication facilities. The very fact that I am able to communicate
via Compuserve gives them hope.
Yes, Compuserve is a modemer's paradise. Let me get you there.
Getting to Compuserve
---------------------
There are three steps you must take to get to Compuserve.
1. You HAVE to have a modem, a phone line and a PC of sorts.
2. You have to have a line of communication to Compuserve.
3. You have to get a Compuserve account.
Let's take them one at a time :
Getting a modem, etc.
You'll have to have a PC (or a Mac, or a...), you have to have a
phone, and you HAVE to have a modem.
The first two are usually already in place (else you wouldn't bother
reading this article).
The third part is important, because this is where most people goof.
Buy a GOOD modem (not a cheap Taiwanese "deal"). The better the modem,
the better the returns. Make sure it has error correction (MNP/V.42),
and make sure it is fast. If you haven't bought a modem yet, but are
about to do so, do NOT buy a 2400 bps modem. Those old clunkers are
outmoded and will be history in a year or so. Buy a 14400 bps, V.32bis
modem.
Do NOT buy an internal modem - they are cheaper, but much more
trouble. Make sure that your PC's serial port has a 16550AF UART chip -
without it, you cannot communicate at high speeds.
Do NOT buy/acquire/steal an imported modem - believe me, you'll be
sorry (unless, of course, the modem is made by a VERY reputed
manufacturer such as Hayes, Multitech, Motorola, US Robotics, Supra or
AT&T - just remember that the Indian P&T may not allow you to use an
imported modem). And don't judge the modem's quality by the fact that
"it sends faxes just fine" - sending a fax is not a real test - it hardly
strains the modem.
Getting a line of communication to Compuserve
---------------------------------------------
There are a number of ways to connect to Compuserve. Some are
expensive, some are more expensive, some are ridiculously expensive.
The cheapest way is retiring to the Himalayas and establishing
contact via meditation. That's cheap, but has been know to fail, so
don't bank on this option.
A more reliable (but also more expensive) way is calling Compuserve
directly with an ISD call to the USA. One of the 14400 bps numbers is
001-614-764-2917. Remember that the tariff is one pulse (local call) a
second.
Cheaper than a call to the USA is calling the Compuserve node at
Hong Kong. Since HK is a SAARC country, the tariff is only one pulse
every 1.2 seconds. The number is 00852-3041332. The number takes both
9600 and 2400 bps calls.
Cheapest (relatively) is INET (provided you use it wisely). To get
an INET account, contact your local Telecom office. It costs Rs.1820 for
registration - what you need is a X.28 dialup account. INET will not
give you an account unless you are using a modem cleared for use in India
by the DoT - another reason for buying a reputed modem of Indian
manufacture. INET is now available in 89 cities in India. INET usage
charges are Rs.200/64kb of data, plus Rs.4 per minute.
Once you have your INET account, connect to the local INET node
using your PC and modem.
When you get to the "*" prompt, type "Npppppp,uuuuu-03132", where
"pppppp" is your INET account's password, and "uuuuuu" is your INET
account number.
In a few seconds, you'll see the word COM on your screen, and a few
seconds later you'll be prompted for a host name - enter "CIS". Next you
will be asked for your Compuserve User ID and password - enter them and
you are on.
But we are ahead of ourselves. Let's first of all get ourselves a
Compuserve account.
Getting a Compuserve account
Actually it is very easy getting a Compuserve account - you can
register online. But there is a fatal hitch - Compuserve will only let
you register if you have a credit card (VISA/MasterCard/AmericanExpress)
that is valid in the USA. This rules out your local credit card - the
RBI rules forbid it, except for a few rare exceptions (such as when you
are a registered, $$$ earning exporter).
So how do you get around this?
-----------------------------
One way is to ask your contact abroad to open the account for you,
based on his/her credit card, and give you the user id and password.
You'll have to come to some arrangement to pay back the money. If your
contact abroad has difficulties getting an account, ask him to call
Compuserve's service centre (voice) at 1-800-848-8990. Or you can call
them from India at 001-614-457-8650. The service centre will give you
all the help you need.
Another way is to ask someone abroad for the use of his/her credit
card number (you'll also need the date of expiry and the bank on which it
is drawn). This is dicey, and usually works only if your contact trusts
you completely (son/daughter studying/working abroad, relative, VERY good
friend, etc.) Then you can use that credit card number to register
online.
Connect to Compuserve using one of the ways mentioned above. When
the connection to Compuserve is established,enter "177000,5000" as User
ID and "PC*MAGNET" at the password prompt. When asked for the agreement
number, enter "Z11D9200". (This may have changed, check a recent copy of
PC Magazine). Enter the information that will be asked off you,
(including the credit card number).
Once you have registered, you'll be issued a user id, but not a
password. The password will be sent to you by post after about 10 days,
after Compuserve has verified the credit card information. Once you get
your password, go online and change it immediately (GO PASSWORD).
At the end of all this, you will have a valid Compuserve account.
Congratulations. Sit back and have a Coke. Now don't call Compuserve.
You ain't ready for it.
Using Compuserve effectively
----------------------------
Before you call Compuserve (after you get your own account), please
sit down and think. Communication of any form can be expensive unless
you do it right. Standard Compuserve rates are $12.80 per hour at 2400
bps, $24 at 9600/14400 bps. If you use only e-mail and some selected
services, then these rates can be $8.95/$16.00 per month, but it is easy
to go outside these selected areas.
Go out, and buy all the back issues of PCQ you can find that have
1993 in the masthead. Read my past articles. I have spent a good part
of the year writing about effective communication methods, bone up on
them. While you are at it, get a PCQ subscription so that you don't miss
out on anything in the future.
Get a copy of OzCIS 2.x (the world's best Compuserve automation
program). OzCIS 2.x is shareware, but you can download it only from
Compuserve (GO CIS:OZCIS) or get it from a friend. BBSs (including mine)
CANNOT offer OzCIS 2.0 or later because the author, Steve Sneed, does not
permit it. OzCIS saves me thousands of dollars a year, because it
accepts all input from me before calling Compuserve, then goes online and
rips through all requested actions and logs off, allowing me to peruse
the results offline. You'll need a special script to use it with INET -
you can pick it up from my BBS in the PCQ forum (filename OZINET2.ZIP).
Getting help
------------
Once online to Compuserve, the best place to ask questions about
Compuserve is in the Practice forum (GO CIS:PRACTICE). This area is free
of Compuserve charges (but you will still be paying for communication
costs).
Ask your questions, and you are sure to get answers. Just remember the
following golden rules when posting a message :
1. Do not send a message that is ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. This is
considered rude and may get you banned off the area.
2. Be brief and to the point. State your question in a couple of
sentences - long messages are frowned upon.
3. Don't send unsolicited messages to anyone using e-mail. You usually
will make friend with people in the forums, then can carry on your
relationship with them using e-mail if they indicate that this is
desirable.
There are various other ways of getting help.
---------------------------------------------
The best way to learn about Compuserve is to pick the brains of a
friend who has a Compuserve account.
There are also consultants who can help you (yup, guys like me), but
since it is their profession, they'll charge you for it. Dependant on
how good the guy is, a consultant can very quickly get you up to speed.
Make sure that HE has a Compuserve account himself and verify this on
Compuserve by checking the membership directory (GO CIS:DIRECTORY) for
his name. I know a number of conmen who say that they have "extensive
Compuserve experience" after having seen a distant acquaintance log in
once, and who'll gladly take you for a ride at your expense. Beware of
such parasites. And NEVER divulge your INET or Compuserve passwords to
anyone, even your friends. Always type them in yourself when needed. A
"shady" friend/consultant will show his true nature when he asks you for
the password instead of asking you to type in the passwords yourself.
As a Compuserve member, you will also receive a free subscription of
the Compuserve Magazine, which is also an invaluable resource.
There are some excellent books in the market - browse through your
local computer bookstall, you are sure to find something.
Become a member of a BBS near you. Many Compuserve members also
frequent BBSs, and you could ask them.
And finally, explore Compuserve online (carefully). Make sure that
you have your capture/log file open, so that you can read everything that
happened later when you are offline. Do not spend time online reading
what appears on the screen.
Logout
------
I hope that this time round I have really given enough details on
how to get to Compuserve. And I hope this article helps all those people
abroad who wish to have their Indian counterparts contact them via
Compuserve, but didn't know whether (and how) it could be done.
See you on the other side.
----------
Note : This article appeared in the PC Quest magazine in January,
1994 and has been uploaded here with permission of the magazine.
ATUL CHITNIS is the Managing Director of A.R.B.Constellation, a
Communications Consultancy firm in Bangalore, India and can be
contacted via E-mail at 70620,563 on Compuserve,
70620.563@COMPUSERVE.COM via InterNet, via his BBS at +91-(80)-3341137
(User ID SYSOP or log in as GUEST) or c/o PC Quest, New Delhi. He
writes a regular column called COMversations for PC Quest.
PC Quest is India's leading Computer magazine.
A subscription costs $50/year.
Write to:
PC QUEST
D-74, Panchsheel Enclave
New Delhi 110 017, India
Make subscriptions payable to: CYBER MEDIA (INDIA) LTD.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
: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
I had written an opening editorial carping and complaining about the
bitter cold that we've been experiencing here in the Midwest. Then the
earthquake hit California, and the cold didn't seem like such a big deal
after all. All of us at Mac Report wish for a speedy return to normalcy
for our Los Angeles readers.
Circle March 14 on your calendar. It looks like that will be the
release date for Apple's PowerPC computers. From all reports, they are
faster than greased lightning and priced to make even the most jaded
DOS/Windows user ready to dig into his/her pocketbook. After March 14
will also be the time to find great bargains on all those "obsolete" Mac
Quadras gathering dust on the dealer's shelves.
Who remembers Winky Dink? For those readers who don't, Winky Dink
was the first Interactive TV show. Aired in the early 1950's, Winky Dink
fans could, with the aid of a special "magic screen" that was stuck on
the picture tube and "magic crayon" assist Winky Dink in his endeavors.
When Winky Dink came to a chasm, no problem. Kids across America busied
themselves drawing a bridge for Winky Dink to cross. Winky Dink needs a
canoe to cross a river and evade the bad guys? No problem. Kids from
California to Virginia were busy drawing the means of Winky Dink's
escape. Kids _loved_ Winky Dink. Parents _hated_ Winky Dink. It seems
that some children, in their haste to help their favorite cartoon hero,
would "forget" to place the "magic screen" over the picture tube
resulting in a Crayola-covered mess. Needless to say, Winky Dink didn't
last too long. With all the talk lately about "Information Highways" and
Interactive Television" it's nice to look back and realize that,
baby-boomers had the opportunity to participate in some of the latest and
future technologies earliest experiments.
Enough of my reminiscing. On to the column. This week there's a
review of Inline Software's Deliverance, a press release about Apple's
new Performa, and the Mac Report Mail Bag. Remember, something big is
coming!
_______________________________________________________
> DELIVERENCE STR Review
""""""""""""""""""""""
DELIVERANCE
===========
From Inline Software
by Jeff Coe
Senior Associate Editor
Sharpen up your battle axes folks, we ve got some serious monster
bashin to do. Deliverance is a good old fashioned Hack-and-Slash game
with a few unusual twists thrown in to keep it interesting. You control
the barbarian warrior called Stormlord as he sets out on his quest to
rescue some fairies from the castle of the evil Tnarom . Armed with an
unlimited supply of throwing axes, Stormlord must search the many levels
of the castle, free the fairies from their bondage, and guide them back
home. To get home, he must pass through the Pits of Fire (stage 2), the
Enchanted Forest (stage 3), and even fly on the back of a mechanized
dragon in the Winged Warriors Filled Skies (stage 4). Each level is
different enough in game play, graphics and type of bad-guys to make sure
you don t get tired of the whole thing. In fact, the final stage on the
flying dragon could even be a different game completely. The first three
stages have our hero on foot, doing hand to hand combat with the evil
ones. He either throws an axe at them, or hold the axe and hacks away
when things get real close. The dragon riding section is more of a
sideways scrolling shoot em up, so none of the experience you gained
early on in the game will be of any use to you there.
Since the majority of the game is played on foot, I ll tell you a
bit more about it. Your perspective on the game is from the side. You
control Stormlord as he walks left or right, jumps up, crouches down or
uses his weapon. The same keyboard command for jumping will also make
your man climb ladders. The standard key assignments have you using the
arrow keys to control direction, and the spacebar to attack.
Combinations of an arrow with the spacebar permit Stormlord to throw long
or short, or to hold on to the axe and just swing it in an arc all around
himself. Combinations of arrow key presses will make your fighter jump
left or right. These keys can be reassigned if you have a layout you
think might be better.
Personally, I hate the arrow keys all in a row along the bottom of
the Apple Keyboard II that I use. A separate cursor control pad is much
more natural to me, so I set my left, right, up and down keys to be the
4, 6, 8 and 2 keys on the numeric keypad. The game also supports the
MacFly , Gravis GamePad and MouseStick II controllers. Unfortunately,
I don't have any of those so I can't comment on how they respond here,
but this game just screams for a joystick! At any rate, back to the game
play. In addition to hacking monsters into little pieces, you also gotta
save the fairies, remember? Some of them are locked up in these fancy
closet things on all the different floors of the first section. To open
a closet, you center your fighter in front of it, press up, which in this
case makes him turn to face it, and press up again which then actually
opens it. If there was a fairy in there, she ll come flying out and buzz
around a bit. Touch her to add her to your collection. It s possible
that the closet could also contain something else. It might be a giant
spider or a couple of bats, which you need to kill quickly before they
drain too much of your health. Or, the closet might contain a key, which
you ll need in order to pass through doors. Watch your reflexes when
opening closets! It s all too easy to instinctively hit the spacebar
after opening one in order to slice a bat, and then find out you just
whacked a fairy. You can t save them if you kill them!
Lets talk monsters. Each section of the game has unique creatures
not found elsewhere. The main nasties in the first section look alot
like the monsters from the movie ALIEN . These guys come after you
usually one at a time, but occasionally in groups. They also spray a
delightful green blood when you get a good hit in. This is also the
section with the spiders and bats I mentioned before. The second
section, the Pits of Fire, is where the neatest monsters are. They look
kind of like devils, but they have the unique ability to fade into the
walls and disappear. Occasionally you ll see one as a blur on the wall
behind you as it moves about. They can only be killed when they re solid
though, and they don't stay solid for very long. As in the first
section, there are some flying nasties to contend with, as well as a lava
monster that pops up through a hole in the floor to spit fire at you.
Section three as flying and walking monsters too, but your battle ground
is on platforms up in the trees. I'll leave the details up to you to
discover on your own. Each level also has the traditional end of level
Boss monster that must be defeated in order to progress onward. These
range from giant fire-breathing dragons to mechanical hero smashers, to
combination animal machine type creatures. Probably the coolest is a
giant mechanized spider thing that throws exploding spheres at you. Very
tough to kill, too!
Each section of the game will give you a password when you beat it.
All the information about your current game will be the same when you
enter the next level, including the number of lives you have left, the
number of fairies you have, and the amount of health you hero currently
has. An interesting project for someone might be to try to decode the
password system. With a bit of luck, you could then enter each level
with all of your three lives and full strength, not to mention lots of
fairies.
Just a quick note on strength or health. You start with a bar
across the bottom of the screen that gets longer or shorter depending on
the number of hits you ve taken. Resting will allow your health to
gradually increase up to full again. If it gets too short, you loose a
life. You have three lives. Enough about that.
More Technical Stuff...
Deliverance can be played on any Macintosh with a color monitor.
You need at least System 6.0.7 or higher, a hard disk, and 4MB or RAM.
The game can be played in several different modes, depending on your
hardware. You have the choice of playing in 16 or 256 color modes, and
in a large full screen mode or a smaller window mode. The small mode
gives you a total gaming area that takes up about 25% of your screen
area. The graphics are very sharp this way, but I found it more
difficult to play. The graphics at full screen are just a touch on the
blocky side, but still very good. One sour note here though. If your
Mac is on the slow side (like an LC II or a Performa 400 through 430) the
large graphics in 256 color mode don t scroll very smoothly. In fact it
could make you sea-sick to watch it. Fortunately, dropping down to 16
color mode helps alot, and there is also an option they call FASTER
that darkens the screen a touch, but seems to pick up the pace a bit too.
Small screen graphics were great no matter what, and this mode also
offers you the added bonus of being able to switch between applications
if you re the type that enjoys doing more than one thing on your computer
at a time. Sound in the game is pretty good, but nothing to get excited
about. All things considered, Deliverance is a pretty good game. The
graphics are good, the sound is fair, and the game play is good. On a 1
to 10 scale I'd give it about an 8.
Deliverance is published by:
Inline Software
308 Main Street
Lakeville, CT 06039-1204
(203) 435-4995
They can also be reached on-line:
AppleLink: INLINE.TECH
America Online: INLINE
CompuServe: 75300,2014
GEnie: INLINE
MCI Mail: INLINE
If you ve read this far and you decide to buy the game, I have a
little cheat for you that can help make the early stages a little easier.
If you make your character walk up to a wall, turn him around to face the
other direction, and then press down and towards the wall, most of the
time old Stormlord will crouch down, turn around and begin floating
straight up the wall through floors and everything. You need to be very
careful with this because if you go above the top of the playing field
into unprogrammed areas you crash your Mac. There are some places where
it doesn t work too, but it saved my butt a couple times. I owe this one
to my son Chris, who figured it out just messing around.
Now... go get those beasties!
Jeff Coe is a 36 year old computer hobbyist with experience on a variety
of platforms.
________________________________________
> PERFORMA MONEY EDITION STR InfoFile
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Macintosh Performa 560 Money Magazine Edition
=============================================
Here's an interesting press release. It looks like Apple has realized
that software sells computers. This is a package that answers the
question, "What the heck do I need a computer for?" Hopefully, Apple will
pursue this in future models.
RELEASE MOVED OVER THE PR NEWSWIRE AT 8:31:AM EST, MONDAY, JANUARY 17,
1994
Money and Apple Team Up to Offer Multimedia Personal-Finance Computer
System
January 17, 1994--Money magazine and Apple Computer, Inc. today
introduced a multimedia personal computer system aimed at providing
consumers with a complete solution for home and financial management.
The Macintosh Performa 560 Money Magazine Edition offers a unique
combination of power, performance and programs with 19 preloaded
software packages worth more than $1,900 MSRP.
The system features popular personal-finance and organizational
programs such as WealthBuilder by Money magazine, Quicken, MacInTax,
Willmaker and Personal Recordkeeper; the ClarisWorks integrated
database, word-processing and spreadsheet package; the Datebook
Pro/Touchbase Pro Bundle for calendar and address-book capabilities;
and an introductory subscription to the America Online interactive
information service.
It also includes interactive educational programs such as the 21-
volume New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia CD-ROM, the TIME Almanac
CD-ROM and the American Heritage Dictionary as well as entertainment
programs such as the World Tour Golf CD-ROM and Monopoly, and a
special Money version of the After Dark screen saver. In addition,
the system features MacLink Plus/Translators Pro, which enables users
to exchange information easily with MS-DOS and Windows files.
The Performa Money Edition was designed specifically for people who
want to take advantage of the latest technology to manage their
personal finances. It features powerful Macintosh multimedia
hardware, including a Sony Trinitron color monitor, 160-megabyte hard
disk, an internal double-speed CD-ROM drive, built-in stereo
speakers, digital sound and microphone, and a send/receive fax modem.
The Macintosh Performa 560 Money Edition will be sold directly
through Apple via a 24-hour toll-free phone number, 800-351-6111, and
carries an Apple price of $2,199. The system, available Jan. 15 in
the U.S. only, will also be sold nationwide at selected Circuit City
stores.
___________________________________________________________
> STR Mail Call "...a place for the readers to be heard"
"""""""""""""
STReport's MAC MailBag
""""""""""""""""""""""
Adobe's recent announcement of prices cuts on their popular Font
packages was welcome news, but now Adobe has announced even further cuts
for their Type On Call customers. Priced from $25 to $179, Adobe's high-
quality fonts are now an even bigger bargain. Call 1-800-682-3623 for
more info.
The Cobb Group announces ThePage for Mac desktop publishers, Full of
"Ideas, Tips & Hints.", ThePage is available for $59 per year. Write The
Cobb Group at P.O. Box 35160, Louisville, KY 40232-9719.
Whoa! An envelope with "FINAL NOTICE - Please Open Immediately" written
on the front. Boy, this really frosts me. Of course it's a final notice
for a software offer, but, in my opinion, sending a potential customer a
letter that makes it appear that he/she is a deadbeat is not the way to
get them to purchase your software. I won't give this company the
benefit of a mention.
C-WUG, the ClarisWorks User Group is offering a free upgrade to
ClarisWorks 2.1 to new members. Join C-WUG and they will send you the
upgrade when it is released by Claris. There are a lot of benefits
available for C-WUG members including book discounts, access to C-WUG's
extensive library of templates, graphics, and help files, MacAcademy
videotape rentals, free telephone help and more. For a limited time the
first year's membership is only $29. Call C-WUG at 1-313-454-1969.
That's it for this week. I hope to make a special announcement in the
next week or two, so keep your eyes open! As always, please feel free to
send your comments or questions to me at:
America OnLine: STReportRN
Compuserve: 70323,1031
GEnie: R.NOAK
____________________________________________________________
> FOR A LAUGH OR TWO STR Feature
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF GOD
HAD TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN?
From the Jerry Pournelle RT on GEnie...
AND GOD SAID:
"IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED HEAVEN AND EARTH." He was then faced with
a Notice of Violation and a class action lawsuit for failing to file a
Part A notification and an environmental impact statement with HEPA
(Heavenly Environmental Protection Agency), an angelically staffed agency
dedicated to keeping the Universe pollution free.
God was granted a temporary permit for the heavenly portion of the
project, but was issued a "cease and desist" order on the earthly
portion, pending further review by the HEPA.
Upon completion of His construction permit application and environmental
impact statement, God appeared before the Heavenly Environmental
Protection Commission to answer unresolved questions regarding His
application.
When asked why He began these projects in the first place, God simply
replied that He liked to be "creative." This was not considered adequate
reasoning; and God was required to substantiate this further.
HEPA was unable to see any practical use for earth, since "THE EARTH WAS
VOID AND EMPTY, AND DARKNESS WAS UPON THE FACE OF THE DEEP." And God
said, "LET THERE BE LIGHT." He really should never have brought up this
point, since one Commission member was very active in the Sierrangel Club
and immediately protested, stating "How was light to be made? Would it be
a nuclear-powered or coal-fired generating plant? Would there be strip
mining? What about thermal pollution? Air pollution? Universal warming?"
God explained that the light would come from a huge ball of fire. No one
on the Commission really understood this, but it was provisionally
accepted assuming (1) there would be no smog or smoke resulting from the
ball of fire, (2) a separate burning permit would be required, and (3)
since continuous light would be a waste of energy, it should be dark at
least one-half of the time. And so God agreed to "DIVIDE THE LIGHT FROM
THE DARKNESS, AND HE CALLED THE LIGHT 'DAY', AND THE DARKNESS 'NIGHT'."
(The Commission expressed no interest with in-house semantics.)
When asked how the earth would be covered, God said "LET THERE BE
FIRMAMENT MADE AMIDST THE WATERS, AND LET IT DIVIDE THE WATERS FROM THE
WATERS." One ecologically radical Commission member accused Him of
double-talk, but the Commission tabled action since God would be required
first to apply for a "firmament" permit from the ABLM (Angelic Bureau of
Land Management), would be required to obtain water permits from the
appropriate agencies involved, and further, insure that construction of
any firmament would result in no net loss of wetlands.
The Commission asked if there would be only water and firmament, and God
said "LET THE EARTH BRING FORTH THE GREEN HERB, AND SUCH AS MAY SEED, AND
THE FRUIT TREE YIELDING FRUIT AFTER ITS KIND, WHICH MAY HAVE SEEN ITSELF
UPON THE EARTH." The Commission agreed to this, as long as only native
seeds were to be used.
About future developments, God also said "LET THE WATERS BRING FORTH THE
CREEPING CREATURE HAVING LIFE, AND THE FOWL THAT MAY FLY OVER THE EARTH
UNDER THE FIRMAMENT OF HEAVEN." Here again, the Commission took no formal
action, since this would require approval of the Game and Fish
Commission, coordinated with the Heavenly Wildlife Federation and the
Audubongelic Society.
It appeared that everything was in order until God said that He wanted to
complete the project in six days. At this time He was advised by the
Commission that His timing was completely out of the question. HEPA would
require a minimum of six to nine months to review the permit application
and environmental impact statement, and then there would have to be a
45-day public comment period followed by public hearings. After any and
all public comments were considered, it could feasibly take 12 to 18
months before a permit could be issued.
And God said, "THE HELL WITH IT!"
**********************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
=================
STReport International Online Magazine is available every week for
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
======================
Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access
DELPHI services via a local phone call
JOIN --DELPHI
--------------
Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002
then...
When connected, press RETURN once or twice
and...
At Password: type STREPORT and press RETURN.
DELPHI's Basic Plan offers access for only $6.00 per hour, for any
baud rate. The $5.95 monthly fee includes your first hour online. For
more information, call: DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-544-4005 DELPHI
is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, MA.
Try DELPHI for $1 an hour!
For a limited time, you can become a trial member of DELPHI, and
receive 5 hours of evening and weekend access during this month for only
$5. If you're not satisfied, simply cancel your account before the end
of the calendar month with no further obligation. If you keep your
account active, you will automatically be enrolled in DELPHI's 10/4 Basic
Plan, where you can use up to 4 weekend and evening hours a month for a
minimum $10 monthly charge, with additional hours available at $3.96.
But hurry, this special trial offer will expire soon! To take advantage
of this limited offer, use your modem to dial 1-800-365-4636. Press
<RET> once or twice. When you get the Password: prompt, type IP26 and
press <RET> again. Then, just answer the questions and within a day or
two, you'll officially be a member of DELPHI!
DELPHI-It's getting better all the time!
**********************************************************************
ATARI/JAG SECTION (III)
=======================
Dana Jacobson, Editor
> From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Well, I'm still alive (if you call this living!). I had a follow-
up doctor's appointment late last Friday evening, including another
x-ray. I got a chance to see the x-rays, and see the comparison
between the two sets. I also learned that I'm suffering from _double_
pneumonia. Apparently, the infection is in both lungs. It looks weird
in an x-ray, but shows that it's clearing up. I don't feel any better
physically, but I'll take the doc's word that I'm improving. He also
told me to stay out of work another week, at least; and gave me an
additional prescription to continue with the antibiotics I'm currently
on. I've never been this sick for this length of time; I hope none of
you ever experience this.
I hope that all of our southern California friends made it through
Monday morning's earthquake unscathed. I can't understand how you
people do it, how you accept this as a common occurrence and rarely
think twice about it. I mean, I live in the Northeast and hurricanes
are a common weather phenomena here. But, hurricanes can be tracked
and we have plenty of advance warning and plenty of time to prepare.
With quakes, there's no real warning and no real preparation! Or, have
we just all become numbed to these kinds of "natural" disasters? It's
a scary thought, regardless...
Last week I had wanted to make a few comments about the CES, but I
just didn't have the energy to think. I'm planning better this week,
and started my column _very_ early to prepare for the periods of no
energy. Anyway, is Trip Hawkins really a bozo; or did he seriously
underestimate the significance of Atari and the Jaguar? I couldn't
believe some of the remarks this man made at CES!! Kudos to Ron Luks
for raising Hawkins' consciousness with his poignant question! I also
hope that someone mailed Hawkins a copy of the "rebuttal" that Atari's
Don Thomas (unofficially) made last week, and was printed in STReport.
Don did a great job of countering all of Trip's comments. I think it'll
be awhile before Trip makes another speech at one of these events; at
least before screening the audience!
All I keep hearing these days is a plethora of praise for the
Jaguar. The only negative messages that I've seen have been on CIS and
posted by a self-proclaimed Nintendo employee. To-date, the games
available have been getting rave reviews from the users. It's
reminiscent of when the Atari 2600 first came out! I believe that the
excitement is going to continue for quite some time.
Still nothing on the computer side of things, however. There have
been a few tidbits here and there, but no real indication as to what
the future holds for Atari computers. Take, for example, some
questions and answers from last week's Delphi online conference with
Bob Brodie regarding the CES and other topics:
(Editor's note: The following questions, answers, and comments
were taken from an "unofficial" transcript of the CO. Formatting
and spelling corrections were made to make reading easier. DPJ)
Tony> Yes, tonight at the user meeting a question came up. Are the
proceeds for the Jag going to be used to help out the computer
end of the Atari line ??
BOBBRO> Yes, that is our plan. Naturally, we cannot devote 100% of the
resources generated by the Jaguar to the computer line. We
must be sure to re-invest in the Jaguar as well. But we are
very much still interested in the computer business.
Gordie> In the meantime, can we take the last answer as a confirmation
that TOS is not dead?
BOBBRO> Yes
Bry> I don't know too much about CES, but I would like to know if Atari
plans to (with the current computer climate) put future Falcons
into production, or will Atari continue its efforts with a
next-generation machine?
BOBBRO> No comment is the real answer to that. Sorry.
(Editor's note: ...and later on in the conference...)
BOBBRO> We are looking at the idea of making the Jaguar chipset on a
card, or perhaps a whole new computer.
On the one hand, it certainly sounds like Atari is still
interested in staying in the computer business, but with no clear cut
indication as to direction. But, when pressed for specific answers for
future plans, the reply was 'no comment.' Somehow, I don't get that
warm & fuzzy feeling when I see this. I realize that Atari is
presently unwilling to make any commitments with regard to non-Jaguar
issues; but that lack of commitment is what has me and many other Atari
users concerned. Atari's focus these days is on the Jaguar. The
Jaguar's CD player apparently is scheduled to go on sale sometime this
summer. If Atari's energy is on the Jaguar, for how long? What will
be the determining factor for Atari to say it's time to re-invest in a
computer line? There are just too many intangibles here. Speculation
can drive us all insane, but what else is there? What of the dealers
and developers? I can just imagine what's going on in their minds
these days!
Where is Atari headed? A fair question, but I don't think even
Atari is quite sure at this moment. They have an apparent winner and
plan to let it ride. Atari has gone full-circle: from the 2600 game
console to the Falcon 030 computer. That circle is starting over again
with another game console, the Jaguar. Will the path bring any new
variations this time around? It's impossible for anyone to say.
I haven't forgotten Part 2 of our online support staff article.
I've begun work on the Compuserve section, but it's far from complete
at this moment. I apologize for the lack of continuity in this piece,
but it just can't be helped.
STReport's resident online fisherman has landed another big one
this week. Check out John Duckworth's column as he describes CoNnect
2.44, a communications program that keeps getting better. And, our
resident Compuserve columnist, Joe Mirando, has found the usual variety
of interesting tidbits while perusing the various Atari Forums.
So, let's see what's happening with these folks, and anything else
of interest along the way!! Meanwhile, I'll get ready for another
appointment with my doctor Friday and see if I'm anywhere close to
being near "normal" again!! This has got to break sooner or later!
Until next time.....
Dana P. Jacobson
From Delphi's Atari Advantage
TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (1/19/94)
(1) CD ROM INFO (6) TOAD'S SYSINFO
(2) ST ZIP 2.4 (7) DIRECT-DRIVE
(3) PREMIUM MAH JONGG (8) MYCLOCK V.1.07
(4) LHARC VERSION 2.99 (9) PFXPAK V3.0
(5) BRODIE CES CONFERENCE (10) ATARI MAIL ORDER DEALERS
HONORARY TOP 10
The following on-line magazines are always top downloads, frequently
out-performing every other file in the databases.
STREPORT (Current issue: STREPORT #10.03)
ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO - VOLUME 2, ISSUE 22)
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
As I watch the evening news I feel a great deal of sorrow as I
watch the hundreds of people who have lost their homes, cars, and in
some cases friends and relatives to the earthquake in California. I
sincerely hope that our friends in California will be able to recover
quickly and move on with their normal day to day lives. This week
I'll be taking a look at a shareware terminal program from Germany
which may just be the answer for those who are outgrowing their old,
dated terminal packages. By having an easy to use, dependable
communications program, we will be more able to stay in contact and
ultimately help those who are faced with situations like those in the
Los Angeles area.
"CoNnect 2.44" by Lars & Wolfgang Wander is a wonderful GEM
compliant shareware communications package from Germany. "CoNnect"
works on any Atari TOS computer and even works fine with
multi-tasking operating systems such as MultiTOS.
Although many of the options and features in "CoNnect" may only
be obvious with the manual (available by registering), I will try to
cover those features that most users will look for (and need) in a
terminal program. The first task after unpacking the file is to set
up the program for your specific needs, which is fairly
straightforward and intuitive. Most users will want to start with the
options available within the terminal window itself such as emulation,
file transfer settings, terminal window and buffer sizes, and the port
to use for communication. Most of these settings are fine at their
default settings, but it is nice to know that everything is virtually
customizable...right down to the terminal window title and colors used
for the window.
Next phone numbers for bulletin boards and online services will
need to be entered into the dialing directory. This is a simple as
clicking on an empty slot and entering a name and phone number. I
looked for an area to set emulation for each service, but was unable
to find such an option perhaps it can be changed from a CoSHy script.
BY this time you are probably asking..."What exactly is a CoSHy
script?"...well, CoSHY (not sure what it stands for since the demo
version I received didn't contain a detailed document file) is a
scripting language which seems mighty powerful for a terminal program
which isn't commercial. Some parts of the CoSHy language can be
pieced together from the extensive (and humorous) online help system,
but the easiest way to program a useful CoSHy script is by the learn
option.
By choosing the "Learn a script" option from the miscellaneous
menu, "CoNnect" will basically intercept all keyboard events and
write them to a script file. In this way automatic log-on scripts can
be written painlessly and effortlessly. It took all of 10 seconds for
me to create a script to automatically log-on to Delphi. No strange
syntax needed to be learned...it was natural, as it should be. More
complex scripts can apparently be written, but a manual may be
helpful when attempting such a feat.
Most users appreciate it when programmers include keyboard
shortcuts for menu options. The "CoNnect" author take this concept a
step further by letting the user choose which keys he wants for each
selection in the program. Default settings may be chosen which will
assign hotkeys automatically. Another useful option is the ability to
track online charges (and automatically log calls) for online
services. Probably the most unique feature of "CoNnect" is the
ability to assign sounds and/or .mod files to certain system and
program events. "Paula" is needed when using .mod files from within
"CoNnect".
"CoNnect" is a very professional and complete communications
package. Some other features (which I wasn't able to test) were its
fax and answering machine (voice mail) capabilities...I am a bit
tempted to get a ZyXEL just to use the answering machine feature!
"CoNnect" has just about everything needed in a telecommunications
package (and probably more). If you feel you are outgrowing your
terminal program which you are now using, then by all means take a
look at "CoNnect". The only feature missing is background
downloading, so I may just hang on to STalker for a while more.
Until next week, hang in there...it can only get better! I always
appreciate constructive e-mail, if you have any questions or
comments: JDUCKWORTH@delphi.com.
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Old Fishin Hole Tackle Box * |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| CoNnect v.2.44 |
| Delphi: Atari Advantage - (READ CONNECT) |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
* 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'!
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PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
=====================
On CompuServe
-------------
compiled by Joe Mirando
Hi there everyone. I'll tell you right off the bat that this week's
column is going to be shorter than usual. I'll explain right after the
applause dies down <grin>.
This past week my grandmother lost her battle with cardio-pulmonary
problems after more than four months. As anyone who has lost a close
relative knows, it is quite a shock (even if, as in this case, it is
expected).
My grandmother, although un-aquainted with most of today's technology,
was always interested and amazed by what it had to offer. I can remember
many times when she would watch over my shoulder as I accessed online
services, displayed digitized pictures, or did anything else that my
computer can do. She was in awe of e-mail, stock quotes, downloading,
and Desktop Publishing (If on-line bingo had ever caught on she would
have run out and bought a computer for herself). She would often utter
those well-worn words: "What'll they think of next?" as she watched, and
always supported me in my electronic endeavours, even though the
reasoning for some of them eluded her. For this, and for so much more,
I will miss her dearly.
I would like to thank those of you who expressed interest and concern
after I mentioned my grandmother's heart attack back in September. Your
e-mail messages have shown me that electronic interaction need not be
cold and impersonal. Thank you once again.
Well, I guess that I should start the column now, huh? Okay, let's
get busy...
From the Atari Productivity Forum
=================================
Steven Russell tells us:
"First off, I want to say that I am fairly new to this forum and have
been reading a lot of the messages from here on various subjects. I
believe that this is the place for someone to go if they are looking
for help in a particular area or need information about a given
subject. I have owned an Atari computer for only a little over two
years now and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I have question about the RAM Gizmo board for the Falcon030. When I
install it on the Falcon and boot the computer the screen stays blank
and you can hear some clicking, like the computer is trying to read the
RAM but can't find it. The board is brand new and has 4 MEGs installed
on it and the jumpers are positioned in the correct locations ( I think
). Can anyone tell me what the problem might be and a probable solution
for a fix? I'm hoping that the board isn't damaged or bad from the
factory. That would be a bummer."
Rob Rasmussen tells Steven:
"Hopefully someone familiar with the RAM Gizmo board can answer your
question. I am curious how to install a board into a Falcon - it has no
slots like TT, right? Tell us more about Gizmo. I might get a Falcon.
How do you like yours?"
Brian Gockley of ST Informer tells Steven:
"We've installed RAM boards without any trouble, I would strongly
recommend you contact the manufacturer and get a new board. It may have
damaged RAM on it. I assume that everything works again when you take
it out again?"
Sysop Bob Retelle adds his voice to Brian's:
"It would probably be a good idea to contact the manufacturer of the
RAM expansion board about your SIMMs..
While in theory all 1 Meg SIMMs should be functionally equivalent, in
practice there are some differences that can render particular SIMMs
incompatible with some applications.
In particular, sometimes "3 chip SIMMs" are not fully interchangable
with "9 chip SIMMs", even though they have the same pinouts and
specifications.
It might be that your SIMMs are perfectly OK, but just incompatible
with the expansion board. Hopefully the manufacturer of the board
would have some experience with this and would have recommendations
about what kind of SIMMs would be fully compatible."
Steven replies:
"The board came unpopulated and we are using Seimens Sims. Yes, When we
took the board out, everything worked like brand new. I have the same
problem with two different boards now and am begining to wonder if the
sims might be bad as well. I guess that I will give the manufacturer a
call and find out what they think. I really do appreciate your help
though.
I will give the manufacturer a call and find out if they have
experienced this sort of thing in past or present.
It seems that they would some how find a way to make the SIMMs more
compatible with other SIMMs and different expansion boards. Sounds like
a tall order, but if they could some how get together on a standard
then the consumer would benefit greatly. I'm not sure if it would be to
their benefit or not though.
I have another question for you. I was wondering if you watch Computer
Chronicles on Sunday afternoons? Do you remember the show that was on
Sunday before christmas when they did coverage of the CES show? I was
wondering why they do any coverage of Atari? they had coverage of
almost everyone else but them. I really think that they should have had
some sort of coverage of Atari for the efforts that atari has put forth
in the past few months with the release of the Falcon030 and now the
Jaguar. I guess that I'm just upset because Atari has not done a whole
lot of advertising in the past and I would sincerelly like to see Atari
get back to the for-front of the game and computer industry. Maybe
wishful thinking.
One more question before I go. Do you know of any Boot managing
software that will work on the Falcon? Something like superboot v8.0 or
Desk Manager. I really hate the fact that if you want to load any boot
programs or desk accessories, you have to rename them and then reboot
the system. Not only time consuming but a little bit of a hassle as
well. I have been looking at the BBS's and Atari Base, but to no
avail."
Boris Molodyi jumps in and tells Steven:
"Re: your boot manager question. Take a look at XBOOT from Gribnif
(they have a section in ATARIVEN). It can handle AUTO programs, ACC's,
and CPX's, also ASSIGN files (or any other kind of files you might want
to use), and has many very nice features. It also uses GEM-like
interface, with mouse support, and works on Falcon."
Steven thanks Boris:
"Thank you for the advice about XBoot, I think that was maybe the only
boot manager that I haven't tried yet. I will look into it though. You
know, If I were a programmer I would write my own boot manager program,
but alas, I am not so I have to rely on others to come up with idea and
hopefully there will be one strictly for the Falcon in the near
future."
Boris Replies:
"I've tried many boot managers, too, and I've found that IMHO, XBOOT
is the best. It has all the features, is compatible with all ST to
Falcon machines, manages AUTO, ACC and CPX files, data files, has a
scripting language etc."
I'd like to add my "thumbs up" to that. XBOOT is a truly useful
program. It skillfully bridges the gap between novice and expert. It
can do as little or as much as you wish it to. It's a nice piece of
work.
Meanwhile, Ian Fleming asks about modems:
"I am thinking of upgrding to a V32,fax modem.The Supra and the Zoom
seem very good value.I would appreciate any feedback from users or
other recommendations. What fax software is available for the ST?"
Sysop Jim Ness tells Ian:
"I've had very good luck with Practical Peripherals modems. My current
one is a 14400. And, Ron Luks swears by Supra modems.
I know you can GO SUPRA and GO PPIFORUM for Supra and PPI support
online."
Rob Rasmussen tells Ian:
"I can't comment on Zoom since I've never used one. I use a Supra
FaxModem v32bis and STraight FAX! Recommend them highly."
Charles Smeton tells Ian:
"My company, NewSTar Technology Management, makes STraight FAX! 2. It
supports Class 1 and Class 2 Send/Receive FAX Modems such as the Supra
and Zoom FAX Modems. It is available in the UK from System
Solutions/Atari Workshop. Look for a review of STraight FAX! in an
upcoming issue of ST Review Magazine.
We also have a press release in the file area here with the features of
STraight FAX! 2."
Steve Adams posts:
"I have a couple of questions about the Falcon:
- Will 520 peripherals work with it (monitors, floppy drives, hard
disks)?
- How much memory can be put into a Falcon?"
Bob Wilson tells Steve:
"Technically one can put 14 megs into a FALCON. You can not use any
floppy drives with the falcon and all hard drives externally must be
SCSI. The standard ATARI expansion port is missing (you can not use an
ATARI laser either). You can use ATARI monitors."
Sysop Jim Ness posts this little bit of info:
"Some cost trivia for folks who enjoy such things...
14400 service (available in 10 major cities) provides an average of
about 1550 bytes per second for file transfers and message downloads.
Under the new pricing, this means a cost of $1.76 per meg of data.
9600 service averages about 930 bytes per second, thus costs $2.94 per
meg.
2400 service averages about 230 bytes per second, thus costs $5.94 per
meg.
It's pretty clear that if you are using an autonavigator to download
files and messages, faster is better.
The above average data speeds are typical for my area (Chicago) and
may differ depending upon how you connect to CompuServe. The costs
quoted do not include surcharges which may apply to your connections."
Jonnie Santos posts:
"Today's silly question of the hour is:
Is there voicemail available (software/hardware) for the ST?"
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Jonnie:
"As far as I know, there is no voicemail product available for the ST.
There is one under development (I'm not sure if it's been released or
not) for the Falcon, but that one requires the DSP in the Falcon, so
it's not likely there'll be a version for the ST..."
Yat Siu corrects Bob:
"Actually Bob...Voice Mail is sort of supported in Connect version
2.40 and 2.50 will have Class I Fax implementation as well.
It can function as a Answering Machine too...EXCEPT that for this it
requires the Zyxel Modem specifically...probably not quite THE
VOICEMAIL but it's something for a regular ST User :)"
From the Atari ST Arts Forum
============================
Chris Punton tells us:
"I was wondering if I can view LHZ and other pictures on an IBM PS2.
More importantly are the IBM and ATARI compatible? I thought they
where."
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Chris:
"The IBM and Atari computers are not compatible, at least not in the
normlly understood sense of an "IBM compatible" computer.
The CPU chip is quite different, so the software won't run between the
systems.
On the other hand, there ARE some areas of compatibility, for example
the compression methods you mentioned are compatible.. ARC, LZH and
ZIP to name a few can be compressed and uncompressed by either kind of
system interchangiably.
Any GIF file we have here in the Atari libraries can be viewed by IBM
picture viewers, but so far there is no IBM picture viewer that we know
of that will display Atari specific file formats like .SPC or .SPU,
although there is one IBM program that will display DEGAS (.PI1, .PI2,
.PI3) format picture files."
From the Atari Vendors Forum
============================
Beth Jane Freeman tells us:
"I discovered something very interesting. When you import a graphic to
the picture window, you can used variable zoom to make the image
larger. This makes it MUCH easier to clip out a part of it."
Mike Mortilla thanks Beth:
"That could be very helpful. I also like to keep the "show pictures"
option off until the set-up of the page is done. Then I don't have to
wait forever for the screen to re-draw.
PageStream is such a great program. I only wish they'd upgrade it. The
only reason I have Calligrapher is to do flex-text. But I wouldn't
consider working in it regularly. I think it would be very good for
someone who publishes mags & newletters, but for the one page at a time
user (me, f'rinstance) PgStream isthe cat's Meowwwwwww!"
Beth tells Mike:
"Yes, I agree, PGS is the Cat's Meow! I have a Tif file of my friend's
cat, done on the IBM with Logitech's Fotoman, and I've used him as PGS
clip art, and it comes out terrific. Thank goodness for all the import
modules they have for PGS.
I think you could flex the text by doing the text as an object and then
using slant and/or twist under the Rotate menu. Perhaps that would do
what you want to the text. Me, I love to collect fonts."
Mike replies:
"Actually, Beth (that;s my wife's name, tooo...<g>) I sometimes need
to wrap words around curves (like a circle) the PgStrm features don't
allow this and also distort the letters.
Not a *BIG* deal but something I need to do at times. Yeah! Fonts are
Fun!"
Well folks, I told you that this would be a short column. I hope that
you enjoyed it and got something out of it anyway. That's what
CompuServe is all about... enjoyment and learning. It's a winning
combination. So tune in again next week, same time, same station, and
listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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