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Silicon Times Report Issue 1033
SILICON TIMES REPORT
====================
INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
=============================
from
STR Electronic Publishing Inc.
August 12, 1994 No. 1033
======================================================================
Silicon Times Report
International Online Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155
R.F. Mariano
Publisher-Editor
-----------------------------------------
Voice: 1-904-783-3319 10am-4pm EST
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______________________________________________________________________
> 08/12/94 STR 1033 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
"""""""""""""""""
- CPU INDUSTRY REPORT - NAVCIS v 1.25 - Compute! Closed
- ATI & QEMM - Millie's Math - AWE 32 Enhancements
- WUGNET Special! - People Talking - WPerfect MACNEWS
- Jaguar NEWSWIRE - Dino Dudes - STR Confidential!
-* Verbatim Offers NEW Recordable Cds! *-
-* Borland Ships dBASE for Windows! *-
-* World's Fastest Modem Debuts! *-
======================================================================
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 ITC/PROWL/USENET/NEST/F-Net/Fido Mail Networks. You
may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 1-904-786-4176. Enjoy the wonder
and excitement of exchanging all types of useful information relative to
all computer types, worldwide, through the use of excellent International
Networking Systems. SysOps and users alike worldwide, are welcome to join
STReport's International Conferences. ITC Node is 85:881/250, The Fido
Node is 1:374/147.3, Crossnet Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is #620.
All computer platforms and BBS systems are invited to participate.
======================================================================
CIS ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX ~ PROWL ~ ITC ~ NEST ~ EURONET ~ CIX
USENET ~ USPOLNET ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ~ FNET ~ AOL
======================================================================
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!"
""""""""""""""""""""""
There's not too much to talk about this week because of summer
vacations, going fishin' or any number of other wonderous outdoor
activities that simply "must come first". In any case, The Boston MAC
Show produced a good deal of info that'll keep you reading and of course,
the PC world is literally booming. Enjoy our humble offering.
Ralph....
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU!
""""""""""""""""
Publisher -Editor
""""""""""""""""""
Ralph F. Mariano
Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor, Current Affairs
Section Editors
"""""""""""""""
PC SECTION AMIGA SECTION MAC SECTION ATARI SECTION
---------- ------------- ----------- -------------
R.D. Stevens R. Niles J. Deegan D. P. Jacobson
STReport Staff Editors:
"""""""""""""""""""""""
Michael Arthur John Deegan Brad Martin
John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Joseph Mirando
Doyle Helms Frank Sereno John Duckworth
Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur
Melanie Bell Jay Levy Jeff Kovach
Marty Mankins Carl Prehn Paul Charchian
Contributing Correspondents:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Tim Holt Norman Boucher Clemens Chin
Eric Jerue Ron Deal Mike Barnwell
Ed Westhusing Glenwood Drake Vernon W.Smith
Bruno Puglia Paul Haris Kevin Miller
Craig Harris Allen Chang Dominick J. Fontana
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..................... 1:347/147.3
FNET........................... NODE 350
ITC NET...................... 85:881/253
NEST........................ 90:21/350.0
GEnie......................... ST-REPORT
Internet.............RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> 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 #33
Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
******* General Computer News *******
** AST Unveils New Machines **
New personal computers in the Bravo value line and the Premmia high
performance desktop line have been unveiled by AST Research Inc.
Reports say a fully configured Premmia MX 4/100t (486DX4) with 8MB
RAM, 256KB cache, 420MB hard drive and a CD-ROM drive has an estimated
sales price of $3,000. Meanwhile, the Bravo MS 4/66d with 8MB of memory,
420MB hard drive, 1MB video RAM and a dual-speed CD-ROM has an estimated
sales price of $2,300.
AST says the Bravo MS and the Premmia MX systems will be available
through AST resellers starting this month.
** Fujitsu to Enter U.S. Multimedia **
With a new software and services division, Japan's Fujitsu Ltd. is
seeking to enter the U.S. interactive multimedia market early next year.
Called "Cultural Technologies," the new division has purchased for
undisclosed terms the worldwide rights to a telecommunications-based
interactive entertainment technology from LucasArts Entertainment Co.
** CD-ROM Market Set to Soar **
The number of multimedia - capable PCs with CD-ROM drives will rise by
about 10 million to more than 17 million by the end of 1995, according
to a new study from SIMBA Information Inc.
The study notes that Microsoft's Multimedia PC (MPC) will be the
dominant multimedia platform, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all
multimedia PCs. Macintosh systems, with 32% of the market, will account
for most of the other third.
Besides computers, the 1.4 million CD-ROM-equipped videogame machines
in play at the close of 1993 will more than triple to 4.9 million by the
end of 1995, according to the study.
** Gateway Enhances Pentium Models **
Gateway 2000 says it has enhanced the value of its standard Pentium
PC packages by as much as $333 without raising prices. The direct market
PC manufacturer reports that most of its systems now include high-
performance multimedia kits and larger-capacity IDE hard drives.
** World's Fastest Modem Makes Debut **
AT&T Paradyne has introduced what it claims is the world's fastest
modem, with capabilities of transmitting nearly 6,000 more words per
minute than the next quickest modem.
Reports say the faster speed of the new 33,600 bits-per-second modems
is ideal for medical image transfers, online information access, remote
LAN interconnects and innovative video applications, such as video-
phones, desktop video conferencing and remote security surveillance.
The new 33,600 bps speed will be available in the fall on AT&T
Paradyne's COMSPHERE 3800 Plus and COMSPHERE 3900 modems. In addition,
customers will be able to have the 33,600 bps speed, as well as other
new features, remotely added to the modems via software downloads over
the telephone line.
** Microsoft in Kids Software Deal **
Microsoft Corp. says it has signed a development and publishing
agreement with the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), the company
that created Sesame Street.
The agreement calls for CTW to develop and Microsoft to market soft-
ware that combines characters and stories from CTW's Ghostwriter tele-
vision series with the creative tools provided by Microsoft's Creative
Writer product.
Ghostwriter fans will be able to crack their first computer case this
fall when The Case of the Blue Makva arrives on dealer's shelves. Micro-
soft notes that the software will let kids use Creative Writer tools to
solve the mystery, uncovering secret codes and collecting clues and
evidence in a casebook.
The Case of the Blue Makva is scheduled to become available in
November for for approximately $19.95.
** Franklin to Offer Puzzle E-Book **
Franklin Electronic Publishers Inc. says it has signed an agreement
with Dell Magazines, a major publisher of word puzzles, to produce a
pocket-sized electronic book featuring 500 crossword puzzles.
Franklin reports that the handheld unit will offer instant access to
crossword puzzles for a range of skill levels -- easy, medium, hard,
expert and champion. It will also contain hints to help players find the
right word.
Dell, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Magazines, has been
publishing crossword puzzles for more than 60 years. The company sells
more than 17 million puzzle magazines annually, with retail sales of
over $30 million. It has no corporate relationship with Dell Computer.
** New Sharp Wizard Makes Debut **
Sharp Electronics Corp. has introduced the new Wizard Pocket Communi-
cator, a pen-based, touch-screen personal information organizer.
Reports say the OZ-952OFX comes complete with a CE-FM4 Fax/Modem,
which allows users to create and send faxes, transmit and receive modem
messages and files and connect to online services through any standard
RJ-11 phone jack. The built-in modem software also allows users to
communicate with remote computers, including mainframes and online
information services. It provides both ASCII TTY and VT100 emulations.
The OZ-9520 Wizard, with 512K of internal memory, measures 6.1 by 3.8
by 0.9 inches and weighs just 10.5 ounces with batteries. Two conven-
tional AAA batteries power it for 70 hours, or about two months of
normal use.
Retail cost is $179.99.
** Borland Ships dBASE for Windows **
Starting this week, the long-awaited new dBASE for Windows database
software is being shipped by Borland International Inc. The product was
launched in late June at the PC Expo trade show.
Borland also is set to announce a new version of its Paradox software
called Paradox 5.0 for Windows.
** Ziff-Davis Ends Compute Magazine **
Assets of Compute magazine, including its list of subscribers, have
been acquired by the Ziff-Davis Consumer Media Group, which, says the 15
year old publication, will cease after its September issue.
Ziff says Compute subscribers will be offered the option of subscribing
to Z-D's Computer Life or FamilyPC magazines.
** Interactive Users Above Average **
Dataquest reports that home interactive multimedia consumers in seven
of the largest U.S. interactive television test sites are well above the
national average in terms of income, education, and technical
orientation.
The market researcher adds that the test market customers also own
more computers and cable TV subscriptions than average consumers.
** Software Sales Up 11.1% **
North American application software sales were up 11.1% in the first
quarter of this year, compared with the same period in 1993. The quar-
terly sales reached $1.49 billion, according to the Software Publisher
Association.
Windows applications sales led the pack, rising 42.9% in the quarter,
to $898 million. DOS applications, while still the second largest source
of sales, declined 32.3% to $318 million. Apple Macintosh applications
totalled $259 million, up 17% from a year ago.
Further analyzing the sales, SPA said:
-:- The best sellers were word processors, up 23.5% to $225.6 million
and spreadsheets, up 5.9% to $216.8 million.
-:- Database sales were off 65.8% to $47.6 million from a very strong
product-launch period a year ago.
-:- Business-related software still outsells all other categories,
but home applications sales are growing fastest. Home education software
sales rose 127% to $89.4 million and entertainment software sales
climbed 57% to $81.3 million for the quarter.
** Dell Launching Latitude Laptops **
Featuring battery systems that last five to 17 hours, the new
Latitude laptops for consumers and businesses are being launched this
week by Dell Computer Corp. These are the first products of Dell's own
design in more than a year.
The units feature 9.5-inch screens and a trackball pointing device
located below the keyboard. Prices range from $1,400 to more than $5,000
depending on the kind of microprocessor, amount of memory, size of hard
drive and whether the screen is color or monochrome.
** Lotus Readies New Products **
Lotus Development Corp. reports that it has begun manufacturing Lotus
1-2-3 Release 5 for Windows, Approach 3.0 for Windows, Lotus Ami Pro
Release 3.1 for Windows, Freelance Graphics Release 2.1 for Windows,
Lotus Ami Pro Release 3.0b for OS/2 and 1-2-3 Release 4 for DOS.
The software publisher says the new products will be available in
U.S. retail stores by mid- August. SmartSuite 3.0 for Windows, the
company's integrated desktop suite product that includes Windows
versions of 1-2-3, Ami Pro, Freelance Graphics, Approach, Organizer and
ScreenCam is expected to ship in late August in the U.S.
Lotus has also announced introductory promotions for the Ami Pro and
Approach products. All versions of both applications will be offered at
$129 through Dec. 31. Customers in the United States who purchase Ami
Pro 3.1 for Windows before Sept. 30, will receive a $30 rebate coupon
that can be redeemed 60 days after purchase, bringing the effective
price to $99.
** Crayola CD-ROMs Released **
Software publisher Micrografx Inc. and crayon maker Binney & Smith
are now offering CD-ROM versions of their Crayola Amazing Art Adventure
and Crayola Art Studio programs.
The products are the first in a line of home software titles planned
by Micrografx and Binney & Smith.
The CD-ROMs feature the same creative activities, games and crafts
found in the diskette versions, plus additional video, animation and
sounds. The discs include a video tour through the Binney & Smith plant
in Easton, Pennsylvania.
The programs will be sold through software retailers as well as mass
market outlets. The products' estimated shelf prices will range from $34
to $49, depending on location.
The products are immediately available in Windows format. Macintosh
versions are planned for release before year's end.
** House Bills Now on the Internet **
The U.S. House of Representatives will make legislation accessible to
constituents over the Internet, a month after U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer (R-
N.J.) introduced legislation calling on House leaders to make the
service available to the public.
The congressional "Text of Legislation service" is now available on-
line free of charge, according to House Information Systems, which runs
the service.
** Compaq Finds, Fixes Elite Defects **
A defective part discovered in its flagship line of notebook
computers caused Compaq Computer Corp. to halt production on three
models for one week last month. However, manufacturing resumed 11 days
ago, the company says.
The PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association)
controller card was performing more slowly than product specifications
advertised, slowing communication transmissions, Compaq spokeswoman
Yvonne Donaldson said.
She said the company "found a couple of issues," but only a "small
number of units were affected," adding an internal manufacturing audit
had discovered the flaw.
Compaq had been manufacturing its new Elite notebook line for 3-4
weeks when the problem was discovered in three of the line's five models
during mid-July. The three models affected were the LTE Elite 4/50 CX
Model 340, the 4/75 CX Model 340 and the 4/75 CX Model 510.
Donaldson said Compaq intends to repair or replace "LTE Elite" units
sold since they first shipped in mid-June, that as soon as the problem
was discovered, the company began contacting customers, offering to
dispatch technicians to replace the defective parts on site or to repair
the units via a mail-in program with a turnaround time of five to seven
days.
** Holographic Data Storage Studied **
Stanford University engineers say they have developed a way to digit-
ally encode text, sound and pictures into a three-dimensional framework,
which may lead to holographic data storage technology.
Writing in the journal Science, the scientists say the new system can
store information on the full thickness of non-moving wafer (as opposed
to current disk technology, which stores data on a single layer measured
in microns on the top of a rotating disk).
Reports say the stationary wafers could store 1,000 times more
information than current disks.
At a recent demonstration of the method, Lambertus Hesselink,
Stanford professor of electrical engineering at Stanford, said he and
his team stored and retrieved reprints of the Mona Lisa and other famous
paintings and, writes Schuster, "The color that was retrieved appeared
to be an exact likeness of the original."
Said Hesselink, "In the past, people have used holography to store
images like pictures, but we have stored digital images and used the
power of digital processing to enhance the holographic process and
improve the accuracy of recording and recall."
In the process, a laser beam shines on a stationary wafer, much as a
beam reads bar codes in a retail checkout counter, which generates a
checkerboard pattern on a detector. The detector reads the dark spots as
zeroes and the bright spots as ones and likes the computer process the
digital information.
** Verbatim Offers New Recordable CDs **
Disk maker Verbatim Corp. has introduced recordable CD media for the
new generation of recorders that operate four times faster than first
generation equipment.
Jim Riggs, optical engineer at Verbatim's Charlotte, North Carolina,
facilities said in a statement, "First-generation recorders spin about
between 200 and 550 rpms. The newest recorders spin four times as fast
and they require enhanced media that few companies currently can
produce. Verbatim now is ready to ship its 63-minute recording length
media that meets Orange Book standards, is fully compatible with today's
4X recorders and is downward compatible with first and second generation
recorders." The disks cost $24.
Riggs says the advantage of faster recorders, which are retailing in
the $6,500 range, is that it now takes about 16 minutes to record a 63-
minute disk.
"CD-R is a complementary technology to CD-ROM," Riggs said. "It is
perfect for applications which don't require high volume production.
Most users of CD-R are in low volume multimedia replication, service
bureaus or in software duplication."
_____________________________________________
> NavCIS ver 1.25 STR InfoFile Fast - Solid - Easy to Use
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
NavCIS Version 1.25
===================
Announcement
------------
Dvorak Development has just released version 1.25 of NavCIS, its
navigation utility for CompuServe. As an off-line navigator, the product
reduces the amount of connect time spent on-line with CompuServe. This
means big savings for the CompuServe user. Feedback from users indicates
a substantial reduction in connect time of between 45% and 75% per day,
while actually yielding more information.
NavCIS makes the actual process of using CompuServe much easier since the
CompuServe paradigm is shifted in the mind of the user from that of a
poorly defined geographical realm into a task oriented environment. For
example, instead of having to know how to go to a specific forum, and a
specific library in order to download a specific file, a user simply
"picks" the desired filename from a list (called a "catalog") while
off-line, then NavCIS logs onto CompuServe, performs the specified task,
and logs off.
NavCIS includes a host of features which makes using CompuServe easier
and more efficient: a built in spell checker, a viewer for GIF, JPG and
BMP graphic files, a graphical thread viewer that simplifies viewing
conversational threads in natural organic order. Font control so a user
can use bold and italics along with Arial , Times Roman, Courier,
WingDings and System fonts to add even more personality.
NavCIS is available for free from the DVORAK forum, library 1. The
30-day demo version, called NavCIS TE, is a fully functional version that
works for 30 days. After 30 days it stops going on-line, but does not
destroy any collected data. An in-depth overview is also available in
Library 1, called DVORAK.EXE.
NavCIS is available in both Windows, and DOS GUI (graphical user
interface) versions. The Windows version requires version 3.1 of Windows
(and is compatible with Windows/NT), or higher running in enhanced mode.
The DOS version requires at least 2mb of RAM, and an EGA or better
monitor. A mouse is recommended.
Contact info: Mike Ceranski, Pres.
Dvorak Development & Publishing Corp.
385 S. Pierce Ave.
Lousiville, CO 80027 (midway between Denver and Boulder)
Phone: 303-661-0345
Fax: 303-661-0635
CompuServe: GO DVORAK
Internet: 71333.11@compuserve.com
Editor's Note; Next week... look for a complete review/overview of NavCIS
version 1.25.
_________________________________________________
> ATI & QEMM STR FOCUS!
"""""""""""""""""""""
ATI Video Cards & Quarterdeck Products
======================================
OVERVIEW
--------
The ATI product line includes a number of video cards, including the
VGAWONDER, the VGAWONDER+, the VGAWONDER XL24, the ATI Graphics ULTRA, the
ATI GRAPHICS ULTRA+, and the ATI GRAPHICS ULTRA PRO. These have been
tested with Quarterdeck's QEMM, DESQview, and DESQview/X products. The
following notes are intended to help with any potential conflicts; they
are intended neither to endorse nor disparage the products of either
company.
RESOLVING VIDEO CONFLICTS WITH QEMM
-----------------------------------
Q: How do I resolve conflicts with the ATI INSTALL program?
A: 1) Some versions of ATI's INSTALL have been known to hang on exit
if the range from B000-B7FF is being used as High RAM; this is
QEMM's default behavior unless X=B000-B7FF appears on the
QEMM386.SYS line in the CONFIG.SYS file:
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS RAM <other parameters> X=B000-B7FF
Adding this parameter, however, reduces your available High RAM
by 32K. Therefore, Quarterdeck and ATI recommend very strongly
that instead of using this EXCLUDE, you simply boot your system
with a minimal number of programs loading. This is discussed in
the next step.
2) If you are having problems running ATI's INSTALL (either at
startup or on exit), it is worthwhile to boot with a clean
system configuration. This ensures that nothing in the
CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT files is coming into conflict with
ATI's INSTALL program.
To boot with a clean system:
If you are using MS-DOS 6 or later:
Reboot the machine, and hold down the <F5> key after you see
the message "Starting MS-DOS". Run the ATI INSTALL program,
make the necessary changes to your configuration, exit the
INSTALL program, and reboot your system without holding down
any keys.
Please note that if you are using any disk compression
programs that require a driver to function, or your hard drive
requires a driver to be loaded, then you should use the <F8>
key instead of the <F5> key; this will allow you to load ONLY
those drivers required to boot.
If you are using any other version of DOS:
Rename your CONFIG.SYS file to C.SYS. Rename your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file to AE.BAT. Reboot your system. Run the ATI
INSTALL program, make the necessary changes to your
configuration, and exit the INSTALL program. Change to the
root directory, rename C.SYS to CONFIG.SYS, rename AE.BAT to
AUTOEXEC.BAT, and reboot your system.
Please note that if you are using any disk compression
programs that require a driver to function, or your hard drive
requires a driver to be loaded, then you should NOT rename the
AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files, but instead place a "REM "
(no quotes) in front of every line in these files EXCEPT those
required to boot the machine.
Q: How should I configure QEMM to avoid conflicts with ATI graphics
cards?
A: 1) If you are using an ATI GRAPHICS ULTRA PRO or GRAPHICS ULTRA+
with Microsoft Windows on an ISA system that has more than 12MB
installed, you may find that you are unable to set the Memory
Aperture feature. In this case, the video card will attempt to
set up a memory aperture using the 128K of address space between
A000-BFFF. This will conflict with QEMM's default behavior,
which is to map High RAM to the addresses normally used by
monochrome video adapters (B000-B7FF). On ISA systems with a
GRAPHICS ULTRA PRO or GRAPHICS ULTRA+ and 12MB or more of memory
installed, add the X=B000-B7FF parameter to the QEMM386.SYS line
in the CONFIG.SYS file:
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS RAM <other parameters> X=B000-B7FF
2) If you have both a Hercules-compatible monochrome display and a
color monitor and your computer is setup up to start in VGA
mode, add the X=B000-B7FF parameter to the QEMM386.SYS line in
the CONFIG.SYS file, exactly as shown in item (1) above.
3) VIDRAM, a part of the QEMM package, adds extra memory to DOS by
using the address space normally used by EGA/VGA graphics. Note
that VIDRAM disables graphics use while it is ON, but can
increase conventional memory up to 736K. Typing VIDRAM ON
results in a blank screen on some ROM revisions of the ATI
VGAWONDER series. If this occurs, try using VIDRAM ON EMS
instead.
Q: What should I do to troubleshoot ATI video conflicts with QEMM?
A: The following troubleshooting techniques should help to resolve any
video conflicts. Please take the time to note the results of the
steps below.
1) If Microsoft Windows fails to start properly on any of the
VGAWONDER series of video cards or on any card in the ATI ULTRA
family and you are using QEMM's Stealth feature, try placing the
Page Frame over the video ROM. Do this by adding the FRAME=C000
parameter to the QEMM386.SYS line in the CONFIG.SYS file:
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS RAM <other parameters> ST:M FRAME=C000
2) If Microsoft Windows still fails to start properly and you are
using a card in the ATI Graphics ULTRA family, try step (2)
above. If the conflict still occurs, try EXCLUDEing the first
4K of the video ROM. Do this by adding the X=C000-C0FF
parameter to the QEMM386.SYS line in the CONFIG.SYS file:
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS RAM <other parameters> ST:M X=C000-C0FF
3) If Microsoft Windows still fails to start properly after trying
steps 1 & 2 above, you should prevent the video ROM from being
Stealthed. Do this by adding the XST=C000 parameter to the
QEMM386.SYS line in the CONFIG.SYS file:
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS RAM <other parameters> ST:M XST=C000
4) If you have tried steps 1, 2, and 3 and Microsoft Windows still
fails to start properly, your problem is not likely to be a
video conflict. In this case, obtain the following Quarterdeck
Technical Bulletins from one of the sources listed at the end of
this document:
#207 Windows 3.X and QEMM Advanced Troubleshooting (WINFLOW.TEC)
#241 QEMM Version 7: General Troubleshooting (TROUBLE.TEC)
#242 Windows 3.1 and Quarterdeck Products (WIN31.TEC)
QEMM 7 users can find WINFLOW.TEC and TROUBLE.TEC in the
\QEMM\TECHNOTE directory. Again, please keep notes on your
results.
5) If you are still unable to resolve your problem, please contact
Quarterdeck Technical Support at the numbers listed at the end
of this document.
GENERAL INFORMATION
-------------------
Q: What does ATI's RAMBIOS.SYS utility do, and can I use it with QEMM?
A: RAMBIOS.SYS, included on the supplementary disk that comes with many
ATI products, is meant to speed up the operation of your video card
by copying the contents of its ROM into the RAM on your system. This
program is intended for use with non-386 systems that do not have
hardware shadowing built-in; typically 8086/8088 or some 80286
systems.
This program should not be used on 386 systems. You should use the
ROM parameter of your memory manager instead. If you are using QEMM
version 7, or QEMM version 6 with Stealth enabled, the presence of
RAMBIOS.SYS in your CONFIG.SYS file may cause your system to crash on
bootup. Remove RAMBIOS.SYS from your CONFIG.SYS file, and add the
ROM parameter to the QEMM386.SYS line:
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS <other parameters> ROM
The location of the ROM parameter is not important. Adding the ROM
parameter will have the effect of copying all of your ROMs (not just
your video ROM) into fast RAM, mapping that RAM to the addresses
initially occupied by the ROM, and then write-protecting that
address. For more information on the ROM parameter, please obtain
the following Quarterdeck Technical Bulletin from one of the sources
listed at the end of this document:
#224 ShadowRAM, Top Memory, and QEMM (SHADOWRM.TEC)
Q: What does QEMM's Stealth feature normally do with the video ROM?
A: QEMM's Stealth technology makes extra High RAM available by mapping
High RAM into addresses that are normally used by the ROMs on your
system. When you use ST:M ("Map Mode"), QEMM maps system, video,
disk ROMs, and any other "Stealthable" ROMs out of the first megabyte
to addresses elsewhere in the processor's memory map. When the ROM
is needed by the system, QEMM maps the appropriate ROM code into the
expanded memory page frame. The ROM code now has a valid DOS address
at which it can execute, and it does so normally. When the ROM
routine is finished, QEMM then remaps the ROM elsewhere outside of
DOS's address space.
When you use ST:F ("Frame Mode"), QEMM leaves the system, video, and
disk ROMs where they are normally found. QEMM then maps the EMS page
frame such that it lies on top of a ROM. Expanded memory can then be
mapped into the EMS page frame. When the ROM that has been hidden by
the page frame is needed, QEMM momentarily disables expanded memory
usage and maps the page frame out of DOS's address space, exposing
the ROM beneath. The ROM code then executes normally. When the ROM
routine is finished, QEMM can then re-enable the EMS page frame, and
lie it back down over the ROM.
For more information on Stealth technology and troubleshooting,
please obtain the following Quarterdeck Technical Bulletins:
#168 QEMM's Stealth Technology (STLTECH.TEC)
#205 Troubleshooting Stealth (STEALTH.TEC).
Both STEALTH.TEC and STLTECH.TEC are located in the \QEMM\TECHNOTE
directory for QEMM 7 users. Users with previous QEMM versions should
see the end of this note for information on where to obtain these
files.
Software typically does not have to be Stealth-aware in order to work
properly. It must only be aware of Stealth if it attempts to access
the contents of a ROM directly, rather than via interrupt, when ST:M
is in use. ATI's Windows drivers and its INSTALL program, as of this
writing, are not Stealth-aware and from time to time need to access
information in the video ROM via direct reference. Thus, when ST:M
is on the QEMM386.SYS line in the CONFIG.SYS file
- earlier versions of INSTALL may report that you do not have an ATI
card installed;
- later versions of INSTALL may suggest that you disable your memory
manager while INSTALL is running;
- Microsoft Windows may fail to start properly.
Techniques to resolve these conflicts appear at the beginning of this
technical note.
Q: Are there any special considerations when using DESQview with an ATI
graphics card?
A: DESQview version 2.4 or earlier may have difficulty saving and
restoring the screen of Microsoft Windows when it is running in a
window in a video mode greater than 640x480 in 16 colors. DESQview
2.6 addresses this problem. If you are running Microsoft Windows
under DESQview, and the screen is not being restored properly, the
following technique may help.
1) In the Microsoft Windows window, go to a full-screen DOS window.
2) In that full-screen DOS window, press the DESQ key, and open a
window or switch to another window as you wish.
3) When you return to that same DOS window, type the word "exit" and
press {Enter}. Microsoft Windows will restore its own screen. You
may also write a Microsoft Windows macro that automates Step 1,
and/or a DESQview Script that automates Step 3.
Q: Are there any special considerations when using DESQview/X with
an ATI graphics card?
A: DESQview/X provides support for all ATI chipsets in a wide variety of
resolutions. The highest resolution available as of this writing is
1024x768 in 256 colors; this is available on the ATI VGAWONDER+, the
ATI WONDER XL24, and all of the ATI ULTRA products.
The ATI ULTRA series of video cards are register-compatible with the
IBM 8514/A graphics adapter. If you are using a Graphics ULTRA,
8514-ULTRA, GRAPHICS ULTRA+, or GRAPHICS ULTRA PRO, you may be able
to increase significantly the amount of memory available in your
DESQview/X windows.
Try adding the VIDRAMEMS parameter to the end of the QEMM386.SYS line
in the CONFIG.SYS file, and type VIDRAM ON before you start
DESQview/X.
This can result in a memory gain of up to 96K inside DESQview/X.
For complete details on the technique to do this properly, please
obtain the following Quarterdeck Technical Bulletin from one of the
sources listed at the end of this document:
#252 DESQview/X: Maximizing Window Size (MAXWINDO.TEC)
Q: How do I obtain the technotes discussed in this document?
A: The technical notes mentioned above are available on Compuserve (!GO
QUARTERDECK), the Quarterdeck BBS at (310) 314-3227, the internet
(anonymous FTP to QDECK.COM), large local BBS systems, and also via
our Q/FAX fax retrieval service (from the handset of your fax
machine, call August 12, 1994(310) 314-3214, or in Canada, (416)
665-5070).
This technical note may be copied and distributed freely as long as it
is distributed in its entirety and it is not distributed for profit.
Copyright (C) 1994 by Quarterdeck Office Systems
_______________________________________________
> Millie's Math House STR Review
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Kids' Computing Corner
----------------------
"MILLIE'S MATH HOUSE"
=====================
from Edmark
by Frank Sereno
"Millie's Math House" is an educational game in which Millie, a brown cow,
teaches math concepts to children ages 2 to 6. The program is available
for both IBM compatibles and Macintosh computers. On clones, Millie's
requires 3 megs of hard disk, 580k of free ram, EGA or greater graphics
and a mouse. Highly recommended is a Sound Blaster compatible or greater
sound card to allow the output and input of digitized sound. A printer can
be used in some of the activities. On the Mac, requirements are a Mac
Plus or later, 3 megs of hard disk, System 6.0.7 or later, plus 1 meg of
memory for the monochrome version or 2 megs to run the color version with
a color card. System 7 doubles the ram requirements for the program. This
review will be on the DOS version and the test machine was a 386DX-40
running DOS 6.2 with a Sound Blaster Pro audio card.
Millie is installed by running the install.com program on the first floppy
disk. You will be asked to indicate your sound card after the files are
installed to create a configuration file which Millie will load upon
executing. Edmark advises against running this program from Windows
because of possible conflicts. I have run the program from Windows both
from KidDesk Deluxe and from the Window's MS-DOS prompt and have had no
problems. Edmark does include a PIF file and an icon for the program, but
if you wish to run it from Windows you must create your own program group.
Millie is loaded simply by going to the Millie subdirectory created by the
Install program and typing Millie to execute the program. A title screen
will be shown listing the credits of the artists and programmers who
worked on the program, then the program will load in the main interface.
The interface is Millie's Math House which consists of six cubicles or
rooms which will load the learning activities when clicked upon with the
mouse. Each activity has two modes, an explore and discover mode which
allows the child to freely interact with the game and a question and
answer mode which prompts the child to complete certain tasks. Each
activity can be exited by clicking on the icon of Millie positioned in the
lower left corner of the screen in each game. An adult section complete
with lesson overviews, program options and suggestions for learning games
away from the computer is available by pressing Alt-Control-A at any time.
From left to right on the upper level of the Math House is a pair of
sneakers representing the Little, Middle, & Big game, a house made of
geometric shapes for the Mouse House activity, and a lumpy green creature
and three boxes is the icon for the Bing & Boing game. On the lower level
of the Math House, a strange-looking creature symbolizes the Build-A-Bug
activity, a cash register represents Number Machine and the Cookie Factory
game's icon is a cookie jar.
The Little, Middle, & Big game teaches size concepts and vocabulary.
Characters of graduating sizes must be outfitted with the proper size
shoes from a bookcase with three shelves. In explore mode, the child can
click on a character who will introduce himself as either Little, Middle
or Big, then the child can click on a pair of shoes which are described as
small, medium or large. Clicking on the picture frame in the room moves
the game to question mode and the characters will take turns asking for
the proper size shoes. If the characters are given the wrong size shoes,
they will show various amusing reactions and will tell the child that the
shoes are too little or too big. When gameplay begins, the shoes are
sorted according to size. Clicking on the cat which is sleeping on top of
the bookcase will shuffle the order of the shoes and make the game a bit
more challenging. This activity is well-designed and entertaining.
The Mouse House game teaches the names of geometric shapes, matching
shapes, choosing between sizes of the same shape and building with shapes.
The child can print out the blueprint creations. In explore mode, the
child can choose between matching simple or complex blueprints or he can
build his own designs by picking on of the three blueprint designs. The
left half of the screen will contain the shapes needed to complete the
blueprints which are shown on the right half. Each geometric shape is
announced by shape and size when it is selected. When matching
blueprints, the child clicks and drags one of the geometric shapes to its
match on the blueprint on the right. The child can continue to build on
the blueprint if he wishes. There is no negative or positive feedback in
the explore mode. I think that a small improvement would be to
congratulate the child when he matches the blueprint and then ask him if
he would like to continue building.
Clicking on the picture frame will begin the question mode. The child can
choose from three levels of difficulty based on the complexity of the
completed mouse houses. Mr. Mouse will appear holding a blueprint and he
will ask the child for a shape. The child can either click and drag the
shape onto the blueprint or he can simply click on it. Negative feedback
for choosing the wrong shape is very gentle. The child will be told which
shape he chose and will be asked to choose another. Positive feedback is
mildly enthusiastic and upon completing a blueprint, the child will be
rewarded with the animation of two mice jumping up and down for joy
accompanied by some bright music. I think this portion of the program
could be made more pleasing by coloring in the completed mouse house. On
the whole, this is a fun learning activity.
Bing & Boing teaches pattern recognition and creation. In the upper left
of the screen are located 8 icons with 4 being animals and 4 being shapes.
Each of these icons also makes a sound when clicked. You and your child
can record your own sounds for these icons, but you have to be very quick
because the recording time is very small. The original sounds are saved
and you can use any combination of originals sounds and your creations.
In explore mode, the child can click on up to 3 icons to create a pattern
which will be played when he clicks on Bing, a green roundish creature.
Click on the picture frame and question mode will begin. Boing, a pink
creature, will repeat a pattern several times for the child, then ask him
to fill in a blank spot in the pattern. This game is very entertaining,
especially when recording new sounds for the icons, although this may a
bit difficult for younger children.
Build-A-Bug allows the child to make bugs by clicking on a bug body part
icon and then choosing one of the numerals from zero to ten. Once the
parts have been placed on the bug, the child can rearrange them by
clicking and dragging to a new location. This game only has an explore
mode. Three different bug heads can be chosen and each makes a different
sound when clicked upon. The child can choose to make his own recordings
for these heads. Bugs can also be printed. I am surprised this activity
has no question mode. I believe the addition of an activity in which
children would be asked to count spots, legs, eyes, etc., would be a
natural progression to this program. Or perhaps the parts could be
counted aloud as they are added to the body. As it is, if a child chooses
ten ears, then ten ears appear instantly on the bug.
The next activity is the Number Machine which is intended to teach the
numbers and counting as well as learning some singular and plural forms of
some nouns. The machine consists of a large cash register with the
numbers zero through ten on the keys. In explore mode, the child clicks
on one of the numbers, the cash drawer will open and the computer will
count a set of objects equal to the number selected. Click on the picture
frame and question mode begins. Annie the worm will ask the child to find
a certain. The number will be shown in a speech bubble in the upper right
corner of the screen. If the child has difficulty picking the correct
answer, the choices will be narrowed down first to the row of the correct
answer and eventually only the correct answer will be available. When the
correct answer is given, the cash drawer opens and the objects pop up as
they are counted. Feedback is evenly tempered in both negative and
positive modes.
The final activity is the Cookie Factory. Here children learn about
counting, trial and error, and problem solving. The factory consists of a
pipe, activated by clicking on its red button, which deposits the cookie
onto a conveyor belt. The belt is operated by a lever which will move the
cookie under a jelly bean dispenser. The beans are dropped onto the
cookie by clicking on the dispenser and are counted aloud as they are
placed on the cookie. In explore mode, once the child has decorated the
cookie, he can click on a mechanical hand on the left side of the screen
to place the cookie in a numbered slot below the conveyor. Cookies made
with the same number of jelly beans have different patterns to show the
number is the same regardless of the pattern.
Clicking on the picture frame starts question mode. The child now must
decorate cookies to fill the orders of Harley Horse. A cookie will be
placed beneath the jelly bean dispenser and then Harley will ask for it to
be decorated with a number of beans. If the number of beans is incorrect,
Harley will tell the child whether too many or too few beans are on the
cookie and then give the cookie to his friend Froggy.
Graphics are fairly good but not great. Sometimes the animations are a
bit jerky and the sounds are not completely in sync. In fact on the main
screen, Millie talks when clicked upon but her mouth doesn't move at all.
One nice touch is that Millie's eyes follow the cursor around the screen.
The sounds and music used in this program are enjoyable. It may be my
sound card, but sounds seemed to be a bit distorted, almost fuzzy. In
recording our own sounds for the portions of the program that allowed it,
the sounds were much clearer. The distortion did not affect the
audibility of the sounds and voices in the program.
The interface is another variation on point and click. It is easy to use
and understand although I think more audible help should be used. The
adult section is very good, especially the on-line textual help which
explains each activity and its purpose to the parents. The user's guide
is excellent. It is easy to read, written in large type with a humorous
style. It is also contains a complete trouble-shooting guide. If a
problem cannot be resolved using the guide, Edmark technical support is
available by phone at 206-556-8480.
Play value is quite good. My 3 year-old has really enjoyed Millie's Math
House. While the graphics and sound are not state of the art, these well-
designed games are still fun to play. Educational value is excellent
also. Many important concepts are taught in an entertaining manner. I
feel that bang for the buck is quite good. Suggested retail price is
$49.95 but it is available for much less than that at most national
discounters. Contact Edmark Customer Service at 206-556-8484.
Graphics............. 7.5
Sounds .............. 7.5
Interface ........... 8.5
Play Value .......... 9.0
Educational Value ... 9.0
Bang for the Buck ... 9.0
Average ............. 8.41
As always, I thank you for reading!
________________________________________________
> AWE 32 Enhancement STR InfoFile
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Wavetable Daughter boards for the SB16 & AWE32
==============================================
The Waveblaster connector has now become a De Facto standard, and
many manufactures now produce soundcards with such a connector, and also
the actual daughter boards that will connect onto these cards providing
'Wave Table' produced sounds, that far exceeds the quality and realism of
FM synthesis that is used on most of these cards.
This document covers the nine different daughter boards that are available
from seven different manufactures. It includes;
1 - Creative Labs - WaveBlaster.
2 - Turtle Beach - Rio & Maui (Not a daughter board, but it has the
connector).
3 - Roland - SCD-10 & SCD-15(SCDB-55)?.
4 - Sound Galaxy - Wave Power.
5 - Bluepoint - Wave FX Upgrade.
6 - Gallant - GMW1000 Wave Module.
7 - Media Vision - The Professional Wave Table Upgrade
1 - Creative Labs - WaveBlaster
-------------------------------
This is the one that most people probably know about. The 'Synth Engine'
used was created back in 1991 by E-mu Systems. This is the Proteus chip
that appears in other products such as E-mu's own rack mount MIDI
modules, and Turtle Beaches' famous Multisound Card. The Waveblaster has
a processor on board to interpret the MIDI messages, (the one thing that
the AWE32 lacks) so you do not have to run a separate TSR to do this.
Hence it is a great deal more reliable in such applications as games. The
Waveblaster has 4Mb (that's Mega Bytes) of digital samples in a ROM that
contain over 256 digital audio samples in 16Bit. All the sounds that the
Waveblaster produces are made up of 1 or more of these samples. These
samples are extremely good quality. There are then many different 'sample
modifiers' that are all real-time, such as reverse, chorus, flange,
digital delay, tuning, cross fading, linking etc..
When initialised, the Waveblaster is in General Midi mode, but using a
program supplied it can be altered to give you MT-32 patch compatibility,
much like the SCC-1, whereby it will not act on specific MT-32 sysex data.
There are editors available that allow you to change the 100's of
different parameters for each patch so that you can produce completely
different sounds that can be absolutely fantastic. The sound quality is
exceptional with virtually no hiss. It can produce wonderful thick low
frequency 'synth' sounds like the MOOG series used to produce. All the
effects, (delay, flange, etc..) is for each of the 32 channels, not a
global setting.
2 - Turtle Beach - Rio & Maui
-----------------------------
Turtle Beach currently have two products that can be connected to a
soundcard having a Waveblaster compatible connector. The Maui however is
NOT a daughter board, it is a standard 16Bit ISA card but can be connected
to the Waveblaster connector so that it can be controlled through the
other cards MPU-401, even though it has one of its own. Both the Maui &
Rio use the Wavefront Synth engine also found in Turtle Beaches new
Multisound Monterey card. Both of these cards has a samplestore facility
like that on the AWE32, so adding this to an AWE32 might not be a good
idea, however it would equip a SB16 with a samplestore capability, without
totally replacing the card, but you are better off getting an AWE32.
Maui - General Midi Compatible, 2Mb of compressed sounds in ROM,
Samplestore of up to 8Mb using SIMM's. No sampling capability, just a
pure Synth. Up to 32 voices. Download samples at any rate up to
16bit/44.1KHz/Stereo.
Rio - General Midi Compatible, 4Mb of sounds in ROM, Samplestore up to
4Mb. up to 32 voices. The Rio obviously sounds better, ( the same as the
Multisound Monterey). Download samples at any rate up to
16bit/44.1KHz/Stereo.
3 - Roland - SCD-10 & SCD-15(SCDB-55)
-------------------------------------
These two boards are based on the famous Sound Canvas sounds used in a
variety of Roland products (SC-33, SC-50, SK-50, SC-55, SC-155, SCC-1,
SC-7, CM-300, CM-500 etc..) There is not a great deal of information to be
found on these yet, I believe that these are available in America, but
seem to be a bit scarce here in the UK. Roland had never heard of the
product, (perhaps they were just pretending, you know a joke or
something..)
SCD-10 This provides general midi compatible 128 tones, This is an SC-7 on
a daughter board. 28 voice poly, Reverb, Chorus, and delay effects, and 6
drum sets.
SCD-15 or SCDB-55, these could be two seperate cards, I'm not sure.
This is a GM/GS daughter board, containing the 128 GM/GS capital
tones, plus the variation tones. This is an SC-55 / SCC-1 / CM300 on a
daughter board. 24 voice poly, 317 total tones, 9 drum sets, 1 SFX set,
and MT-32 mode. Sounds fantastic (and that not just the spec!!)
4 - Sound Galaxy - Wave Power
-----------------------------
This is based around an Esoniq synth with 4Mb of onboard sounds in ROM,
providing General Midi Compatibility. 128 Instruments. Some of the
instruments on this tend to do strange things as they go out of a 'normal'
range. The 4Mb sounds impressive, perhaps they mean 4Mbits?? Who knows?
5 - Bluepoint - Wave FX Upgrade
-------------------------------
A great low cost answer for games. This provides 317 Instruments, General
Midi, MT-32, GM/GS and SCC-1 patch compatibility. There is 1Mb of samples
on board and it does not use DSP emulation like in the Gravis, Soundwave,
etc.. This is the same synth that appears on the Sound FX Classic 3000
soundcard. The quality is not as good as the Waveblaster, well you
wouldn't have thought so anyway would you?
6 - Gallant - GMW1000 Wave Upgrade
----------------------------------
Similar spec to the Wave FX above, and I suspect that it uses the same
chip set but it is just implemented differently. It has been commented
that it is slightly better than the Wave FX. Probably the best
alternative price wise.
7 - Media Vision - The Professional Wave Table Upgrade
------------------------------------------------------
This is based around the KORG sound engine used in such products as the
new Korg X-3, i2, and i3, based on Korg's AI synthesis architecture. This
provides 32-note polyphony, 16-part multitimbral, reverb and chorus
effects standard. The 4Mb of sample sounds includes 128 General MIDI
sounds and four drum kits. This board seems to be the equivalent of the
Audio GallerySound Module. This was expected to be available during the
second quarter of this year.
Well there are a few to choose from now, all of these have an 'on
board MIDI processor' unlike the AWE32, so a TSR is not required for this
task, so this compatibility problem does not exist.
All this information is based on press releases and information
gathered from many people. As for as I know it is correct, but there
could be some minor errors, please check out the products thoroughly
before you buy. It is always a good idea to get a demo first also if you
can. Try using the board with some of your software.
Keith Mason 15th July 1995. [100345,3450]
All the products mentioned, trademarks and copyrights are the properties
of their respective owners.
__________________________________________________
> ENROLL IN WUGNET STR InfoFile
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
ENROLL IN WUGNET IN AUGUST
==========================
SAVE $49.95
SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP OFFER ONLY VALID DURING AUGUST MEMBERSHIP DRIVE!
Sign up for an individual membeship now at $95.00 (US) and get your choice
of a ($49.95) book free. Includes shipping! Membership includes:
Subscription to the Windows Journal, System Engineer 2.0, Enhanced full
text WINHELP version of the Microsoft Windows for WorkGroups Resource Kit
addendum. This offer valid for the month of August only so order now!
Call 800 WIN-USER, email 76702,1356 or fax to: 215-565-7106. Offer valid
in US only. Canada $105. Europe $135.00 Pacific $145.00
THE WINDOWS USER GROUP NETWORK
------------------------------
The Windows User Group Network is the premier international organization
for Windows professionals. WUGNET's role is to communicate windows-based
technologies and applications to an international audience through the
WUGNET forum on CompuServe, conferences, trade shows, publications, trade
books, and various membership interactions. WUGNET offers its members a
number of technical support tools and support resources designed to save
them time and solve quickly problems. These support tools include: The
Online Windows Help versions of the popular Microsoft Windows 3.1 resource
kits and Windows for WorkGroups resource Kits, (available soon) WUGNET
System Engineer, a support oriented CompuServe FORUM with a private
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WUGNET's Computing Book Series books are now available. Windows 3.1
Connectivity Secrets (Connally, Rorabaugh, Hall and Rezmovic, and Windows
3.1 Configuration Secrets by Valda Hilley and Jim Blakely (published by
IDG Books Worldwide)are now available directly from WUGNET for $39.95 + $5
shipping. Call 800 WIN USER to get your copies.
WUGNET's mission is to:
* Promote understanding and cooperation among organizations e
ngaged in
furthering the progress and application of windows based systems.
* Provide an international clearing house for information and advancement
systems and technology.
* Conduct conferences and exhibitions for the exchange of information
* Provide document based information through the publication of a journal,
trade and reference books.
* Provide education for windows based systems
PUBLICATIONS - The Windows Journal newsletter The Windows Journal,
published bimonthly by WUGNET Publications, is the leading independent
technical journal focusing on the Microsoft Windows operating environment.
The Journal is a technical resource for consultants, corporate support
staff, programmers and power-users of the Windows environment. Its mission
is to help programmers build Windows applications more reliably and
efficiently, to help corporate support personnel setup, optimize, and
maintain Windows workstations, and to provide in-depth technical
information for end-users.
The Journal features extracts from the authors of leading books on Windows
and keeps readers up to date on the drivers, patches, and files found on
CompuServe. Written and edited by Windows professionals, the Windows
Journal is the only independent international publication focusing on
Windows solutions. The Windows Journal is a user read publication
circulated worldwide to approximately 10,000 professionals. Windows
Journal readers are expert PC users who have made the move to the Windows
environment. They are technically advanced. At least 75% of our readership
is actively programming applications in the Windows environment, either
through direct use of programming tools, application development
environment, or application customization. MIS Professionals, Windows
Programmers, and power users from industry and government look to The
Windows Journal to discover technology advances they can use in developing
software products or increasing the value of their current software
technology. Through the Windows Journal, the Windows User Group Network
acts as an information resource center, making available publications and
materials from leading software and hardware vendors, and specialized
consultants.
WINDOWS JOURNAL COMPANION DISK
------------------------------
The organization distributes each Journal comes with a working model of a
software chosen by the WUGNET staff. The working model typically meets the
high standards of technical excellence and innovation sought by members.
As an added benefit, vendors will extend a fantastic user group price to
all who wish to purchase the full version of the product.
A complete listing of WUGNET user group discounts are posted in a file
called discount text located in FORUM data library 11 (User Group Lib).
This file is updated with each issue of the journal since many vendors
choose to introduce their products through our membership.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TOOLS and UTILITIES
WUGNET'S ELECTRONIC EDITIONS OF THE WINDOWS RESOURCE KITS
---------------------------------------------------------
The Windows Users Group Network publishes and electronic version of the MS
Windows 3.1 Resource Kit and Windows for WorkGroups Addendum are diskbased
hypertext editions available to members of WUGNET. The Windows Resource
Kit 3.1 Electronic Edition converts Microsoft's 580-page guide into
interactive reference, providing immediate access to Windows 3.1
information. It is designed as to aid technical support professionals
(corporate help desks, VARs, systems integrators, resellers, developers,
and trainers) in setup, optimizing, and troubleshooting the Windows
environment.
SYSTEM ENGINEER 2.0 FOR WINDOWS
-------------------------------
New Features and Capabilities Result in Ultimate Control Panel for Window
Users
December 21, 1993 Media, PA - The Windows User Group Network (WUGNET) has
announced System Engineer version 2.0, its highly acclaimed Windows
Configuration tool. This innovative software package allows Windows
professionals and power users to fine tune their Windows environments.
System Engineer gives the Window professional a comprehensive set of tools
to manage all aspects of Windows' configuration on their workstation,
whether standalone or on networks. In addition to its powerful but
easy-to-use interface for editing individual sections and statements
within Windows configuration files, System Engineer provides a complete
librarian for storing, managing and recovering multiple configurations.
Changes to any and all INI files or entries are logged in a master file,
which creates an audit system that allows users to retrace specific
changes made to configuration files, including support for installation
and deinstallation of Windows applications and supporting system
enhancements.
Unlocking the Windows Environment
---------------------------------
System Engineer provides access to every SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI parameter
including:
* Undocumented parameters for managing memory
* Undocumented parameters supporting the Windows keyboard interface
* Network setting options, including Novell Netware specific options
* Configuration settings for managing all asynchronous communications port
* Parameters for setting Windows EMS memory and Virtual memory management
* Parameter settings for Windows operation of disk storage devices
* Parameter settings supporting DOS applications running under Windows
* Parameter settings exclusive to Windows standard mode
* System fonts used by Windows
REAL-TIME INFORMATION MONITORS
------------------------------
This release of System Engineer introduces easy-to-use real-time
monitoring facilities for both expert and non-expert Windows users.
* The Task Monitor provides a real-time data window displaying all active
tasks with their task handles.
* The File I/O Monitor allows users to track what files and devices are
currently open, and determine read/write privileges. This also supports
monitoring of open data files and Windows supported devices that are
shared, protected, or read-only in nature. This information can then be
used by general users in determining the optimum files, buffers and cache
settings for particular tasks in Windows.
* The Memory Monitor is not just a viewer, but a comprehensive statistical
monitor reporting the memory use of active module components in six
specific memory classes including fonts and DLL's. Use the monitor
snapshots to analyze application-specific GDI and USER system resource
memory heaps, and determine what discardable and non- discardable portions
of memory a particular Windows 3.1 module or application is utilizing. New
Features in System Engineer 2.0 Solve Windows Most Complex User Issues
including
NEW INTERFACE - SUPER CONTROL PANEL AND MORE!
---------------------------------------------
System Engineer's new interface now includes separate panels for all the
configuration management tasks in Windows. Windows Setup.exe and Control
Panel are incorporated into the interface, with additional tabular windows
for SYSTEM, WIN.INI, INFORMATION and BACKUP support. Version 2.0 also
supports full drag and drop support with Windows File Manager (or PC Tools
for Windows or Norton Desktop), allowing the user to select an INI file,
drag it to the SYSTEM ENGINEER icon, and immediately have the INI editor
with the INI loaded.
NOW HANDLES COMMUNICATION PORT DEVICE CONTENTION
------------------------------------------------
System Engineer 2.0 now includes OTC Corporation's KINGCOM COM PORT Driver
- an enhanced communications port driver and configuration tool enabling
System Engineer to manage all data/fax traffic, and eliminate conflicts
that develop when mutiple applications access the same fax/modem hardware.
The Windows COM driver is limited to two active serial devices, but
multiple applications may support the active port. For example, when a fax
application attempts to access a modem while a terminal communications
package is loaded the result is an error message. System Engineer's
inclusion of KINGCOM, developed by OTC Corporation, solves this problem.
By creating a "virtual" com port driver, users can designate all their
software to a specific com port to specific applications.
SE'S ADVANCED CONFIGURATION TOOLS AND FEATURES
----------------------------------------------
The System Engineer INI editing system includes support for archiving,
library, backup (full and selected) and restoration for Windows INI files
and Windows applications INI files. For example, any INI topic or
parameter can include specific comments, deleted, archived into the system
engineer archive. The INI Editor archive capability allows the user to
select a topic and store it in the active archive. Once archived, the user
can selectively restore it to another INI file or use the archived library
for network system maintenance of other user INI files. Any modification
through the INI editor is also maintained in a an active log, providing
insurance and complete UNDO support. Users can use the LOG Browser to
monitor changes to all INI files made through System Engineer. The System
Configuration Backup and Restore support has been expanded to include
Windows GRP, AUTOEXEC.BAT
SYSTEM ENGINEER USERS APPLAUD
-----------------------------
System Engineer was developed by the WUGNET support staff in 1990. We've
helped hundreds of Windows users, both novice and expert since 1988, and
incorporated virtually every support feature imaginable into this one
product.
"My first reaction to System Engineer was: 'WOW! It's about time!' Finally
there is a product that addresses the needs of the systems integrator
trying to customize the internals of the Windows environment. System
Engineer is a powerful tool for the service and support industry, and is
one of those utilities that make you think 'it should have been there in
the first place.' I highly recommend System Engineer to anyone who has
to deal with diagnosing, configuring, and supporting the Windows 3.xx
operating system environment. Mandatory equipment for the support
engineer's arsenal". Randall Kennedy
THE WINDOWS USER FORUM ON FORUM ON COMPUSERVE
---------------------------------------------
Windows professionals, from corporate professionals to consultants,
communicate in the fastest growing independent technical user forum on
CompuServe - The Windows Users Forum (GO WUGNET or GO WINUSER). Members
of the organization are also provided with access to a private library
containing advance reports on trade shows, technical notes, and product
appnotes and reviews. WUGNET maintains an active private beta testing
program where members can sign up on line and test new versions of
innovative products. WUGNET works with shareware authors in helping to
promote high quality and innovative shareware. THE WUGNET shareware of the
week program, makes available to and informs forum members about the
hottest applications to be found on CompuServe.
WUGNET has a long history of working very closely with shareware authors
and considers them an integral part of the WUGNET community.
ORIGINS OF THE WINDOWS USERS GROUP NETWORK
------------------------------------------
Founded in 1988, as an independent organization, WUGNET has positioned
itself as an industry wide technical resource, rather than as an
organization committed to any single vendor or groups of vendors.
For five years, the Windows User Group Network has dedicated their effo to
communicating trends and developments, and solutions about the Windows
environment on an international level. As a result of the technological
changes experienced in the last few years, WUGNET has evolved into an
organization which aggressively promotes the interfacing of existing
technologies with new state of the art technologies to create intelligent
solutions to today's business problems.
ENROLLMENT APPLICATION
----------------------
There are two levels of enrollment: Individual and Corporate (Group
Gov/Academic). The following membership application be used for Fax, Mail
or email
Call for Corporate and Group Membership packages.
Name_____________________________________________________
Company__________________________________________________
Title____________________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________
City_________________________________State______________
Zip__________Phone Number_________________________
Email________________________________
Fax___________________________________
Save $$$ on our hot new books
WUGNET COMPUTING BOOKS SERIES (Publisher IDG Books Worldwide, Inc)
Windows 3.1 Connectivity Secrets [ ] 39.95 + $5 Shipping
Windows 3.1 Configuration Secrets [ ] 39.95 + $5 Shipping
(Pa. Residents add 6% sales tax)
Amount Enclosed _______________________
Please Charge my Credit Card: AMEX____ VISA_____
MASTERCARD____ Card Number:_____________________________
Expiration Date:________ Signature:___________________________
Prices quoted in US Dollars
Inividual Membership includes: Subscription to Windows Journal, WUGNET
System Engineer 2.0 Windows Resource Kits(Windows 3.1 and Windows for
Workgroups* (when available next month), access to private data
library--(Send request for access to Howard Sobel 76702,1356 once you
join).
US Individual Rate: $99.00
Gov't/Academic Institutions are eligible for 50% discount (see group
pricing below) Individual Rates Ovreseas: South America $110.00, Canada
$110, Europe $130, Pacific $145
GROUP MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMS
As of August 19, 1993
CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP
10 Members Program - allows System Engineer and Windows Resource Kit
(online edition) to be on a network server with access for 10 users.
Includes 5 Windows Journals with Companion Disks.......$495.00
25 Members Program - allows up to 25 users of System Engineer and Windows
Resource Kit (online edition) to be on a network server. Inclu 100 Members
Program - allows unlimited use of System Engineer and Windows Resource Kit
(online edition) on a single server. Additional ser.*Government,
Non-profit, and Academic organizations membership rates are 50% off .
Please direct all inquires to:
Jim Herndon
Windows Users Group Network
126 E. State St.
Media, PA 19063
Tel: 215 565 1861. Fax: 215 565-7106
Email: CompuServef
76702,1023 or WINUSER
FORUM InterNet Email:
76702.1023@CompuServe.Com
Direct Membership Enrollment:
1-800-WIN-USER (1-800-946-8737)
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
: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) 1994 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)
======================
John Deegan, Editor (Temp)
> WordPerfect NEWS STR FOCUS!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
WORDPERFECT 3.1 FOR POWER MACINTOSH
DEMONSTRATED AT MACWORLD EXPO
New features and Apple System 7.5 support extend WordPerfect's
user benefits and ease-of-use
WordPerfect, the Novell Applications Group began demonstrating WordPerfect
3.1, the second Power Macintosh version of the world's best-selling word
processor at Macworld Expo. The product upgrade adds new features such as
QuickCorrect and enhanced data merge capabilities as well as support for
Apple's System 7.5 that significantly increase the program's ease-of-use
for the end user.
"I am looking forward to WordPerfect 3.1," said Phyllis Eliasberg,
who is a consumer and computer reporter, as well as a Compuserve Wyzop.
"While WordPerfect's support of Apple's System 7.5 will add great
functionality, the QuickCorrect feature alone would be worth the upgrade
to me. I switched from Microsoft Word to WordPerfect 3.0 because of
WordPerfect's innovative interface and ease-of-use. After struggling for
so long in Microsoft Word's difficult and restrictive interface, I am
impressed with the increased amount of work I have been able to accomplish
with WordPerfect."
WordPerfect 3.0 for Macintosh shipped in October 1993 and was the
first word processor to support System 7 Pro, including PowerTalk. In
March 1994, WordPerfect 3.0 was the first and only word processor to ship
native for Power Macintosh. WordPerfect 3.1 will ship approximately 30
days after Apple releases System 7.5.
"WordPerfect has worked closely with us in developing their word
processor to support new and emerging Macintosh technologies as they are
released," said David Nagel, senior vice president and general manager,
AppleSoft. "Supporting System 7.5 is a great opportunity for WordPerfect
to differentiate their product in the market. The adoption of the 7.5
technologies as well as the innovations that WordPerfect has added will
provide real value for the user. WordPerfect is a great example of an
application that will truly help a user be more productive."
System 7.5 Support
QuickDraw GX Printing. By supporting QuickDraw GX printing,
WordPerfect 3.1 will offer users increased printing options
and greater printer control with simplified dialog boxes and
a quick print option. Users will be able to designate the
order of print jobs, and change paper size, orientation
(landscape or portrait) and scale factor throughout the
document on a page-by-page basis.
Macintosh Drag and Drop. In version 3.1, users can drag and
drop text or graphics within a single document, as well as
between documents and other applications. Text can even be
dragged out of a document and onto the desktop where it
resides as a clippings file until it is dragged back into a
WordPerfect document or another application.
Apple Guide. WordPerfect 3.1 will incorporate Apple's on-
line help and coaching capabilities to help users learn the
necessary steps to perform specific word processing tasks,
including recording macros, inserting graphics and many
other tasks.
AOCE Enabled. Now that the system software for Power
Macintosh includes Power Talk, WordPerfect's AOCE support
will be enabled in the Power Macintosh version, and the
Power Talk option will be available from the WordPerfect
Toolbar. This will allow a user to send messages to other
PowerTalk directly from within WordPerfect.
New Features
QuickCorrect. QuickCorrect automatically corrects mistyped
or misspelled words. For example, "teh" is replaced with
"the" as soon as the user presses the space bar or another
word delimiter such as a comma, period or semi-colon.
QuickCorrect also automatically expands abbreviations and
corrects errors with two initial caps on the fly. Users can
edit the list of word substitutions to meet their individual
typing patterns.
Fat Binary Installer Option. WordPerfect 3.0 currently uses
a smart installer to detect whether a user is installing on
a Power Macintosh or a 68K-based Macintosh. Version 3.1 will
offer a Fat Binary Installer option to install a "universal"
version of the application that contains both binaries and
will run on both types of hardware. This increases ease of
administering the product from a network.
Merge Data File Options. Users will be able to perform
merges using data that has been exported from FileMaker Pro,
as well as data from WordPerfect tables.
Pricing
The suggested retail price for WordPerfect 3.1 will be $495.
Upgrades to WordPerfect 3.1 for Macintosh will be available for $89 and
users of any competing word processor can upgrade for $99. Customers
purchasing WordPerfect 3.0 for Macintosh 30 days before and 30 days after
version 3.1 ships will receive a free upgrade to WordPerfect 3.1 when it
is available. For more information, customers can call WordPerfect, the
Novell Applications Group, at (800) 451-5151.
GRAMMATIK 6 FOR MACINTOSH SHIPS IN AUGUST
Grammatik 6 brings robust grammar checking and linguistic
intelligence to the desktop
WordPerfect, the Novell Applications Group, announced that Grammatik 6,
the new version of its grammar and style-checker, will begin shipping
mid-August. Grammatik 6 offers several new writing improvement features
including a redesigned interface and a new automatic sentence rewriting
feature that brings the first linguistic intelligence of its kind
to grammar checking.
The complete revision of Grammatik is the result of user feedback,
interface design and usability testing. Thousands of hours of design and
usability studies identified the need for a simpler, more speller-like
grammar interface, as well as new ways to present powerful features like
sentence rewriting and writing styles.
"I found Grammatik 6 to be much more comprehensive than the grammar
checker that came with Microsoft Word," said Barbara Smith, administrative
assistant, University of California at Davis. "I write several kinds of
scientific manuscripts and found the custom styles for checking different
kinds of documents to be very helpful." The interface is so clear and
intuitive that I've never had to reach for a manual," said Peter
LaBarbara, a New York accountant at Ogden Corporation who uses Grammatik
for correspondence and short story writing. "As far as I'm concerned,
Grammatik is the only grammar checker on the market today that's worth
using."
Grammatik 6's new QuickCheck option provides a simple way to do basic
checks of spelling, punctuation and grammar. QuickCheck saves users time
by not checking for things like style and more esoteric characteristics
such as archaic language, cliche's and gender-specific words.
In addition to QuickCheck, Grammatik 6 offers 10 predefined style
guides and three levels of formality to choose from, so users can
personalize their proofreading processes for the appropriate audiences.
An extensive Help system gives users guidance on both writing problems and
program features.
New features have been added to help users improve writing skills.
Grammatik 6 offers a high degree of grammar and spell-checking accuracy.
It is now the only grammar checker available that offers sentence
rewriting, a feature that allows users to automatically replace their
original sentences with Grammatik s corrected sentences simply by
double-clicking. To help users learn as they go along, the software also
provides readability statistics, background information, and a new
graphical Parse Tree that provides additional information on sentence
structure by identifying subjects, direct objects, indirect objects,
infinitives, verbs, adverbs, etc. In previous versions, Grammatik 6
offers accurate error detection by using a linguistic te d chnology called
Mor-Proof, meaning morphology-based proofreading. Mor-Proof's combination
of word and sentence analysis allows intelligent replacement of spelling,
grammar and clause errors. As the software proofreads documents for errors
in grammar, style, usage, punctuation and spelling, it also explains
errors and gives advice.
Once the user makes a change, the software automatically (and
invisibly) rechecks changes for correctness. Grammatik also provides a
"bookmark" feature, which lets users stop proofreading in the middle of a
document and instantly return to that point to resume checking.
The Macintosh version of Grammatik 6 will begin shipping on August 15
and will require a Macintosh with System 6.0.5 or later, a minimum of 2MB
of RAM and 2.5MB hard disk space. Grammatik 6 will have a suggested
retail price of $49.95US. With more than five million copies sold and
because of its support for all popular word processors, Grammatik is the
best-selling writing improvement tool in the world on all platforms.
Grammatik continues to be the only grammar checker developed
internationally for English, U.K.-English, French and German, and will
soon be available in Italian, Spanish and Dutch.
The stand alone version of Grammatik 6 for Macintosh is part of the
WordPerfect Main Street consumer product line. WordPerfect Main Street
products are designed to educate, entertain and enhance a user's computing
experience in the home with titles for personal productivity, family
entertainment and home education.
NOVELL ANNOUNCES EXPRESSFAX+ 3.0 FOR MACINTOSH
ExpressFax+ Integrates Fax, Data and Optical Character
Recognition for Home and Office
WordPerfect, the Novell Applications Group, announced the development of
ExpressFax+ 3.0 for Macintosh. As part of the WordPerfect Main Street
product line, ExpressFax+ will be one of the first Macintosh products on
the market to integrate fax, data and optical character recognition (OCR)
in one product.
ExpressFax+ tightly integrates fax, data and OCR into a single
product, distinguishing itself from other dedicated fax or data
communication software products. "Macintosh users are looking for
telecommunication software that has a uniform look and feel for both fax
and data," said Sam Yee, product marketing director, consumer products
division, WordPerfect, Novell Applications Group. "ExpressFax+ provides a
consistent interface for both fax and data communication services as well
as OCR. For the first time or novice user of fax and data communications
software, ExpressFax+ will be the perfect solution for the home or
office."
ExpressFax+ allows users to send and forward faxes to single or
multiple destinations. Fax and phone numbers for both fax and data
communications may be stored in a single integrated phone book. Up to
64,000 entries may be stored in each phone book.
OCR services are provided by TextBridge 2.0, the emerging market
leader for full-featured OCR technology, manufactured by Xerox Imaging
Systems. TextBridge allows users to accurately recognize received faxes,
and convert them into editable text.
The text can then be edited and manipulated by users within their word
processor or spreadsheet. TextBridge also includes such features as the
proprietary Lexifier(tm), which significantly increases recognition
accuracy for classes of text commonly found in business documents that are
not true words such as telephone and social security numbers, and dates.
Also included with ExpressFax+ is a free starter kit for America
Online which contains software for 10 free hours of on-line time a $44.95
value.
ExpressFax+ 3.0 will require 4 MB RAM (8 MB for OCR), 4 MB hard disk
space, a MacPlus or higher with System 6.0.5 or higher (System 7 for OCR)
and a high-density disk drive. The product will have a $109US suggested
retail price and be available during fourth quarter 1994.
ExpressFax+ is part of the WordPerfect Main Street consumer product
line, which includes products for personal productivity, family
entertainment and home education with suggested retail prices between
$29-139US. The consumer division of WordPerfect, the Novell Applications
Group will lead the greater Novell into becoming one of the top two
providers of products and services in the consumer software category, the
fastest growing segment of the software industry throughout the world.
JAPANESE VERSION OF WORDPERFECT 3.0
FOR POWER MACINTOSH SHIPS
Initial sales for the KanjiTalk-based Power Macintosh version
exceed company's projections
WordPerfect, the Novell Applications Group, announced the availability of
WordPerfect 3.0 for Power Macintosh in Japanese at an international press
conference with Apple Computer. The KanjiTalk-based version of WordPerfect
makes the world's best-selling word processor available to the growing
Japanese computer market.
Early interest in the Japanese version of WordPerfect 3.0 for Power
Macintosh spurred product pre-orders by the distributor and reseller
channels that far exceeded company expectations. "The pre-orders we have
taken for the Japanese version of WordPerfect 3.0 already total six times
our original projections," said Mark Calkins, vice president of product
and strategic marketing for WordPerfect, the Novell Applications Group.
"This increase in product sales, as well as the awards our other
international versions of WordPerfect for Power Macintosh have won, are an
encouraging sign that our commitment to be the Macintosh technology leader
is being recognized around the world."
"The Japanese market is really taking off," said David Nagel, senior
vice president and general manager, AppleSoft. "Power Macintosh sales in
Japan have been increasing, which translates into a great opportunity for
developers like WordPerfect. WordPerfect 3.0 in KanjiTalk takes advantage
of the increased computing power of the Power Macintosh to offer a great
word processing solution for Japanese computer users."
WordPerfect 3.0 has received international awards, including the
Software Excellence Award for Usability Excellence, Ziff Davis Europe; the
Software Excellence Award for Technical Excellence, Ziff Davis Europe
(Finalist); Software of the Month Award, MACupa (Germany); the Editor's
Recommendation Award, MACWELT, (Germany); and The Mice Award, SVM Mac
(France).
WordPerfect has become the Macintosh technology leader by being first
to support Apple technologies such as QuickTime and Apple Computer's
System 7 Pro, including PowerTalk, AppleEvents, AppleScript and
WorldScript. Since March of this year, WordPerfect 3.0 has been the first
and only word processor fully-accelerated for the Power Macintosh.
With Apple's WorldScript technology, WordPerfect 3.0 users can use
different languages in a single document. Through Apple's Language Kits,
many languages beyond those in which WordPerfect is localized can be used
in a WordPerfect document, including Chinese.
WordPerfect 3.0 for Macintosh and Power Macintosh provides document
compatibility with the lastest versions of WordPerfect on other platforms,
including features such as tables, equation editor and drag-and-drop text.
WordPerfect 3.0 also includes a built-in drawing package with
sophisticated drawing tools such as Bezier curves, polygons and a
free-rotation tool. Other popular features include an integrated grammar
checker, styles, columns, text boxes, macros, sort, merge, speller,
thesaurus and stationery.
WordPerfect 3.0 for Power Macintosh is currently shipping in Dutch,
Danish, US English, Australian English, UK English, Canadian English,
French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish and Swedish. Exact pricing
varies by country. For more information, call WordPerfect, the Novell
Applications Group at (800) 451-5151.
**********************************************************************
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 an extremely 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 20/20 Advantage Plan
20 Hours for Only $20!
-----------------------------
Advantage Members have always enjoyed the lowest DELPHI access rates
available. On the new 20/20 Advantage Plan, members receive their first 20
hours of access each month for only $20. If you happen to meet someone
online or find some other diversion, don't worry because additional usage
is only $1.80 per hour.
20/20 Advantage rates apply for access via SprintNet or Tymnet from
within the continental United States during home time or via direct dial
around the clock. Home Time is from 6pm to 6am weekdays. Access during
business time carries a surcharge of $9 per hour. These rates apply for
most services, but note that there are some surcharged areas on DELPHI
which are clearly marked with a "$" sign.
Who is eligible to take advantage of the plan? Any DELPHI member in
good standing. Applications are reviewed and subject to approval by
Delphi Internet Services Corporation.
It's easy to join. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can
apply online -- at any time -- for membership in the DELPHI 20/20
Advantage Plan. Your membership becomes active at 4 a.m. Eastern Time on
the first billing day of the following month.
The $20 charge will be billed to you at the beginning of the month to
which it applies. Any portion of the 20 hours not used in any month does
not carry forward into the next month.
Advantage rates may be changed with 30 days notice given online.
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 the BEST Value and getting BETTER all the time!
************************************************************
ATARI/JAG SECTION (III)
=======================
Dana Jacobson, Editor
> From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
It's hard to believe that Labor Day is only a few weeks away! It
seems like yesterday that we were all planning on what to do during the
summer; and it's almost over already! The last of the known Atari
shows is just 2 weeks away - the CT AtariFest. Hope you're planning to
attend!
With the Woodstock 25th Anniversary festival this weekend, and
Michael and Lisa Marie married now, what else could we ask for? Well,
one out of two isn't too bad! I guess these are just signs of the
times that things just aren't what they used to be. Let's hope that
these signs don't relate to all things, including Atari. Fond memories
and hopeful thinking - they have to account for something. Maybe.
Let's get to it, as vacation has made me more sluggish than usual
this week!
Until next time...
Delphi's Atari Advantage!
TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (8/10/94)
(1) AEO: SCES 94 EDITION *(6) MARCEL 2.3 AND DICTIONARIES
(2) TOAD'S SYSINFO 2.0 (7) GEMINI 1.999 - ENGLISH RSC
*(3) MAZE COMBAT V.1.095 (8) GUCK 1.8
(4) MOUNTAIN READER II (2.0) *(9) MARCEL 2.34
(5) GEMINI 1.999 DESKTOP *(10) SPEED OF LIGHT VIEWER V3.5
* = New on list
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 10.32)
ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO: SCES 94 EDITION)
Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database.
___________________________________
> Binary Sounds! STR InfoFile! - Binary Sounds Update!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Binary Sounds
ANNOUNCES
What's going on here?!
Binary Sounds has taken over the marketing, distribution and support of
the MidiTrack ST Series (Smpte/Edit/EasyTrack), GenEdit, EZ-Score and
MidiMaze of Hybrid-Arts Fame. Stefan Daystrom will continue support and
upgrading of the MidiTrack ST Sequencers. We are also reducing the prices
to make our products some of the best values available for the amateur,
semi-pro and pro musician!
Our new list prices are as follows:
(In addition we are offering some special prices thru Oct-31-1994 as an
incentive to get to know us. Demo's will be available on Genie, Delphi
and Compuserve as well as the Midiworld BBS and other fine BBS's in your
neighborhood!)
SmpteTrack Platinum 7.1 W/SMPTEmate Plus.........To be announced Soon!!
EditTrack Platinum 7.1..........List $149.95...........Special $ 99.95
EditTrack/SmpteTrack Upgrades to Platinum 7.1
(software and manuals only)
From Gold 6.xx ..................List $ 70.00
From before 6.xx.................List $ 95.00
EditTrack Gold..................List $ 89.95............Special $ 59.95
EasyTrack.......................List $ 24.95............Special $ 19.95
GenEdit 2.0.....................List $124.95............Special $ 99.95
EZ-Score Plus....................................To be Announced Soon!!
MidiMaze........................List $ 24.95............Special $ 19.95
.............2 for $ 35.00
All prices are in U.S. Dollars. Shipping and handling are additional.
For all those Platinum user who received Gold Manuals with addenda,
we now have Platinum Manuals available for $18.95 plus shipping.
Binary Sounds is operated by:
Rick Ladage and Bob Semaan in Houston, Texas, in the USA.
We can be reach by E-mail or snailmail or tele or fax!
Rick Ladage Bob Semaan
GEnie...R.Ladage GEnie...B.Semaan
DELPHI...BONDSERVANT DELPHI...BOSEM
Internet...bondservant@delphi.com Internet...bosem@delphi.com
Binary Sounds
431 Oak Dale
Houston, TX 77477 USA
713-776-9118 9am-9pm (Central Time) Mon - Sat
713-449-3129 6pm-9pm (Central Time) Tue - Thurs
Look for us in the Binary/Barefoot/Hybrid areas of GEnie, Delphi and
Compuserve. Or find us in the regular Atari areas. That's the kind of
guys we are... regular!
__________________________________________
> Speed of Light! STR InfoFile! - 'Speed of Light' Viewer Improves!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
SPEED OF LIGHT 3.5 on a.a.u.e!!
From: Stuart Denman <sdenman@wolf.cs.washington.edu>
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 1994 02:25:06 GMT
The latest and greatest version of SOL 3.5 is out. I uploaded it to
atari.archive.umich.edu and it is in atari/Graphics. I will upload it
to some other ftp sites soon. This version adds lots of features and
fixes tons of bugs. It also lets unregistered users access filtering
and warping but with blank lines. New features include warping,
improved filtering, clean JPEG loading (lots of options, octree,
dithering, etc.), and many bugs fixed. The GIF saving bug in 3.1 was
also fixed.
I will post a complete list of changes (for those interested) in
another article. It's pretty long (this is good!)
Hope you alllike it, please let me know what you think (post, email,
whatever). I'm interesting in user feedback. This has given me a lot
of good ideas for 3.5.
-Stuart Denman
StuSoft
sdenman@cs.washington.edu
Speed of Light 3.5 CHANGES.DOC
From: Stuart Denman <sdenman@wolf.cs.washington.edu>
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 1994 02:27:55 GMT
Changes in version 3.3 from 3.1
-------------------------------
-=> Double clicking on "Purge" in the options dialog allows you to purge
all the images except the first one.
-=> A feature "Image = Screen" fuses the screen into an actual image.
This makes any warping or filtering permanent so you can do other
alterations of the image. By making the screen an image, you can now
save the screen as a GIF by using "As Original" when you save it.
-=> The Warp feature was added. Two warping effects can be combined:
bulge (stretching) and ripple (shifting). Bulge zooms the scan line
outward or inward, causing the stretching effect. This can be applied
anywhere on the image (to the scan lines) and can be set to any size.
Ripple is merely a shifting of the scan lines a certain amount
(horizontally). Warping only effects the displayed image, not the
original image. You must use "Image = Screen" to make it permanent.
You can then rotate the image 90 degrees to apply warping on the
vertical axis, use "Image = Screen" again, and then rotate it 90 degrees
back for example.
-=> Unregistered versions now can use filtering, but every eighth line
is blank. This is the same for warping.
-=> The Display Screen Popup Menu was changed slightly to accommodate
more entries.
-=> CONTROL-F toggles filtering in the Display Screen.
-=> Rotations are FASTER!
-=> The name of the current file being processed appears at the top of
the screen during loading and color reduction.
-=> TONS OF BUGS FIXED!!!
-=> A bunch of other stuff I can't remember.
Changes in version 3.5 from 3.3
-------------------------------
-=> SOL now starts out with the Options Dialog (unless starting in GEM
mode) so that you can change the settings before loading an image if
you want. I found this to be better especially when loading JPEG images
because I usually want to set the truecolor loading preferences before
loading, but in earlier versions, I had to load a junk image first just
to get to the preferences.
-=> Truecolor conversion now can use Octree colormap quantization to
reduce to 256 colors. You can also dither the image using different
patterns including loaded patterns. Inverse colormaps are supported to
allow faster mapping both for truecolor quantization and with color
filtering. All truecolor octree and color reduction parameters are in
the preferences dialog box.
-=> Fixed Palette truecolor loading can also be used with other
dithering patterns besides just random dithering. Other fixed palettes
are supported with biases toward red, green, or blue, and combinations
of red, green, and blue.
-=> A new preference allows you to display the image immediately after
loading without going to the Options Dialog or GEM Menu.
-=> You can load multiple files using Selectric fileselector as well
as using wildcards [*/?]. Selectric also offers extensions of all
the images that SOL can load.
-=> JPEGs with bad data can be loaded with less trouble.
-=> Fixed GIF saving! No more messed up data! Stayed up all night to
fix this one! =)
-=> Speed is great! Just compare! A 800 x 600 256 color GIF...
SPEED OF LIGHT 3.5 GEMVIEW 3.00
LOADING/UNCOMPRESSING TIME: 8 sec 11 sec
GIF COMPRESSING/SAVING TIME: 14 sec 1 min 32 sec
FILE SIZE IN BYTES: 98846 100517
This GIF had 115 colors and lots of blank space, only SOL realized
that it could save it as a 128 color GIF and saved file space! How
about another...768 x 512 256 color GIF
SPEED OF LIGHT 3.5 GEMVIEW 3.00
LOADING/UNCOMPRESSING TIME: 11 sec 15 sec
GIF COMPRESSING/SAVING TIME: 20 sec 1 min 19 sec
FILE SIZE IN BYTES: 334829 334802
These are actual saving and loading times, no lie!
-=> Saving and loading display information in GIF89a images now works
correctly.
-=> A "Flat" wave was added in warping to allow discrete shifting of
the image in places. Ideal for corrupted JPEGs.
-=> Lots of bugs fixed involving the capture of the image when going
from display to dialogs and back.
-=> Zoom Area now centers your zoom on the screen when the area you
selected is not the same aspect ratio as the screen.
-=> Colormap Editor was changed a bit:
-=> The palette can now be edited in VDI order as well as Device
order.
-=> A new command "Take" works like "Select" except that you choose
a pixel from the image and the color you are currently editing will
be set to the image's original color at that spot. Confused? Me
too...try it!
-=> You can switch to a different image while in the Color Editor.
-=> The unimplemented feature "omit colors" was omitted (ha ha)
from the Color Editor. Ho Hum, so not all of my ideas are cool! =)
-=> Filtered Scaling was really worked-over:
-=> Greyscale Filtering is a little faster.
-=> Color Filtering is now almost as fast as Greyscale Filtering by
using an inverse colormap. The inverse color map resolution can be
changed for fast approximations or accurate renderings. Dithering
is also supported with color filtering using true random dithering
as well as standard matrix dithering.
-=> Complex color transformations now also work with filtering.
(A previous bug made this look funny.)
-=> The filtered image is much more accurate both in brightness and
in position. The pixels in previous version were shifted
incorrectly up and to the left.
-=> Up and down scrolling now works with filtering. This was caused
because the filtering routine always drew one less scan line than
it was supposed to!
-=> New filters were added and two groups were created: Standard
and Enhancing filters. Standard filters try to reproduce the
original image as closely as they can. Enhancing filters change
the image in weird ways, especially when enlarging the image.
-=> Asymmetrical enhancing filters can be flipped, and all filters
can be wrapped or faded at the edge of the image.
-=> Filters can be scaled in height as well as width both
horizontally and vertically. Scaling in height causes the filter
to brighten the resulting image. Scales less than 1 will darken
the image. Blurring by scaling the filter horizontally and
vertically can often cause the image to darken, so you can
compensate for this with height scaling.
-=> When using the "Change Picture [P]" option from the display screen,
you can now select the position on the image that you would like to
display next. This is done by dragging a small box (representing the
display area) to the position you would like to move to. You can also
move between small greyscale pictures with the arrow keys as well as
the slider bar.
-=> You can now access images 21-30 with ALTERNATE-Function Key, and
you can move to the next/previous image with the '[' and ']' keys.
-=> Holding down ALTERNATE in the display screen prevents scrolling
when the mouse moves into the scrolling area.
-=> Scrolling right and left now has less "annoying flickering" in 256
colors.
-=> "Image = Screen [X]" feature now supports a "Shrink" option so that
it only converts the parts of the screen that are used. It essentially
clips the image for you and omits any blank space.
-=> Two new histograms were added: DARKCONT.HST and LITECONT.HST. These
are contrast histograms that only apply contrast to either the dark or
light intensities in a color plane.
-=> A glossary was included (GLOSSARY.DOC) to explain some of the more
complicated image processing terms.
-=> Fixed some Graphics Card bugs.
-=> The E-Z Registration form can now be printed to an ASCII disk file
as well as to your printer. A blank file is also included: REGIFORM.TXT
-=> Speed of Light 3.5 may not be put on any magazine cover disks
without my prior permission!
-=> More bugs fixed than I can remember! (I really do have a pretty
good memory, don't get me wrong!)
__________________________________________
> Atari Classics! STR NewsFile - "8-bit Mag to Change Hands?"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
ATARI CLASSICS: Final Farewell August 10, 1994
It pleases me greatly to report that the issuing of refunds to all
former subscribers to the old AC is now essentially complete, and as of
this date the original publication may be considered officially
terminated.
I wish to officially announce my departure from the AC Staff, and
hereby declare my resignation therefrom in the positions I occupied,
Managing Editor and Circulation Editor.
The status of refunds at this time is as follows:
1.) A batch of 88 refund checks, representing the last of the American
refunds and all of the Canadian refunds, was posted on August 9 and
should be in the hands of their intended recipients shortly.
2.) A batch of 18 IPMOs and bank drafts, representing refunds to overseas
subscribers, was posted today. The IPMOs will take a few weeks for
postal processing before final delivery.
3.) Unicorn Publications is presently working up 17 credit card refunds
to overseas subscribers. Notices of account credits will be mailed
out shortly by Unicorn Publications from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
All together, a total of 351 refunds has been/are being issued. The
refund policy as announced in the April AC was followed very nearly as
given, except in the case of Australian refunds: one Australian refund
was denied and the remainder made by bank draft, in consequence of the
discovery that IPMOs are not available to Australia.
The entire stock of back issues of the old AC has been transferred
to the magazine's new management in California, including back issues
of the AC Software Disk. I will no longer respond to inquiries
concerning back issues or subscriptions to AC. Individuals desiring
such information about the new AC should contact:
ATARI CLASSICS Magazine
5507 Langford Court
Concord, CA 94521
ATTN: Jim Hood, Managing Editor
A number of people have asked what role I will play in the new AC.
I've made myself available to the new management in a consulting/support
capacity over the past 6 months and expect to continue in that role for
as long as they desire my services. Many people have begged me to
continue my "Alchemist" column in the new AC, but regrettably
circumstances will not permit me to make contributions of that nature
in the foreseeable future.
In consequence of unprecedented instability now sweeping the U.S.
pharmaceutical industry in the wake of political turmoil surrounding the
Clinton national health plan proposals, many scientists in that industry
are experiencing the loss of their jobs and wreckage of their careers.
I am one of them. In June the department where I worked for 13 years
was abolished, and I became unemployed. A few weeks later I received
news that my mother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. In a few
days I'll be leaving for an extended visit to Mesa, Arizona to attend
my mother's needs. I trust the 8-bit community will forgive me for
placing these serious concerns far above any continued participation
in Atari magazines. However, I anticipate being an 8-bit user for quite
some time to come, and of course I'm a charter subscriber to the new AC.
The slow pace of refunds over the summer on the part of Unicorn
Publications initially hobbled the efforts of our California colleagues
to restart the magazine. Many loyal readers apparently held off
subscribing to the new AC until they had received their refund from the
old AC. By encouraging Unicorn to complete the refund process in a
timely manner I expect to see a corresponding boost in support for the
new AC in the weeks ahead. Feedback I've received from readers in
response to the refund program has consisted mainly of expressions of
astonishment that the policies stated in the April issue were actually
followed and people had a cash refund in hand from an Atari magazine
for the first time in the history of Atari computers. I'm very proud
of the legacy AC established in dealing "up-front" with its loyal
supporters and hope the new management will continue the tradition.
I don't have any real figures for the present level of support for
the new AC, but reasonable estimates place it at around 200 paid
subscriptions. Based on my experience I believe the revived
publication will probably top out with a subscriber base in the range
of 300-350. Unpublished manuscripts remaining in my hands were turned
over to the new management following their promise to continue the same
policies toward author compensation that I originally established.
Recently they've begun aggressively recruiting a staff, and I'm
pleased to report many of the former AC Staff will be serving the new
publisher. I'm also aware the new management has been in contact with
Unicorn Publications to secure transfer of the magazine's 2nd Class
mailing permit. They've also made local arrangements that will permit
them to print the new AC far more cheaply than Unicorn did, which means
they'll be able to survive financially with a smaller subscriber base.
All indications point to a revival of AC very soon, I would guess
September but must admit that's purely speculative.
Finally, many people have questioned why it was necessary to shut
down AC and start it up anew instead of just having the old publisher
turn over operations to the new. First, I must point out that plans to
shut down AC had already been laid in January 1994, well before
Bob Woolley became actively involved in saving the magazine and securing
a new publisher. Once the presses began to roll it was too late to
stop the process; the best I could do was extend support to the new
effort. Second, back in February no one knew what level of support a
revived AC might attain. Staff morale was extremely low due to the
sharp falloff in renewals in Dec.'93/Jan.'94, and even Bob Woolley
and Jim Hood were concerned there might not be enough support to
warrant their continuing the effort. The whole period of January-May
1994 was fraught with unknowns, anxiety, chaos, and instability--
punctuated by power blackouts and disruptions caused by the Killer
Winter of '94 (which left me with $2,000 in property damage and a huge
mess to clean up). For Unicorn to turn over AC to an unknown third
party in such a climate would have been an act of catastrophic
stupidity. Due to the uncertainty of future support, Bob Woolley
and I mutually agreed any continuation of AC would have to be an
independent effort. And finally, neither the Staff nor Publisher of AC
had the authority to transfer the magazine's operations even under
ideal conditions. Had AC been threatened by some external event (for
example, the collapse of its publisher), it would have been within the
scope of my authority to transfer the operation elsewhere. But instead,
AC was threatened by a failure of support from the very community that
brought it into existence. In conferring with Jeff McWilliams (de facto
representative of the 615 people whose response to the mail campaign of
1992 authorized him to ask me to start the magazine), we agreed that in
view of the situation the correct response was to "give AC back"
to the community that authorized its existence. The only way to do
that was to release the Staff back to the community and distribute the
magazine's financial resources back to the community. We have in
effect given AC back to the community from whence it sprang, in
consequence of the community's failure to support the original mandate.
People should bear in mind that the revival of AC in California is
totally independent of the original AC. All the support given by
elements of the old publication to the new have been at a purely personal
level, none of it official. For the past 8 months I've walked a fine
line between strict adherence to the original proposals upon which AC
was founded and my own personal desire to see the AC Experiment live on.
Through the intervention of Bob Woolley and a mutual spirit of informal
cooperation between elements of the old and new publications, I believe
I can at last claim success on both accounts. We have been through a
trial by fire, from whence a new AC will arise as a Phoenix from the
flames.
For some of you, the refund you receive(d) is merely a check, to
be cashed and spent. But for others- those of you still capable of
dreaming- that refund check is a ticket to be used to vote yet a second
time to continue what still stands as one of the most unique events in
the history of personal computers. I hope people will realize the
extraordinary effort that has gone into giving the community a second
chance to vote, and that you will do so wisely.
Respectfully submitted,
Benjamin L. Poehland
<Managing Editor>
<Circulation Editor>
ATARI CLASSICS Magazine
___________________________________________
> TPBBS?! STR Conference News! - An Old BBS Favorite Into The '90s!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
[Editor's note] As a longtime user of MichTron BBS 3.0, I've been
hoping to see the program updated for over 4 years now. As I've
watched old BBS systems fall by the wayside, new ones come and go, I've
stuck with the MichTron system knowing that someday it would be
upgraded. Two years ago, Tim Purves, the author of MBBS, held a
similar conference on GEnie to the one below. The upgrade never
materialized for a number of reasons. Purves has been active upgrading
the numerous Aladdin OLR for GEnie as well as other projects. An
upgrade for an Atari program just didn't take the kind of priority that
it used to in years past. However, in recent months, a number of
existing users of the system have been in correspondence with Purves,
hoping to convince him that an upgrade was seriously long overdue.
Although there were long gaps between correspondence, our patience was
finally rewarded when a few of us logged on to GEnie one night and saw
a welcomed sight in the log-on banner - Purves was to be the guest of
one of the BBS RT's nightly conferences to announce the new program!
Needless to say, I attended that conference. I thought it would be
informative for our readers, especially those of you who are former,
present, or would-be SysOps of bulletin boards. This program looks to
be a vast improvement over an already terrific system. Here's what
Purves and the attendees had to say:
(Courtesy of GEnie's BBS&TC RoundTable)
Edited Transcript of Tim Purves' TalkAbout
BBS&TC RT, page 610
Aug 1, 1994
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> Tonight's BBS&TC RT TalkAbout has a very special
guest speaker...Tim Purves!
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> We ready to start?
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> I'm ready.
<[Criss Cross] C.WAWRZYNIAK> Me too!
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> He will be talking about his new BBS software
for the Atari 16-32 bit computers and Windows NT. I guess I'll let you
take it from here Tim. Go ahead and start. :)
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Ok follows is a brief feature list.
Purves Enterprises - MultiUser BBS
Features:
Enhanced scripting language for extending BBS.
large integers
local variables
file I/O
database access
Easy migration of MichTron MCL source scripts.
Access to all user level variables from script language.
Support for multiple download and upload protocols, including ZMODEM.
65536 security levels.
26 separate Message areas.
26 separate File areas.
Support for listing of archive files.
Support for high speed modems (not with DC-PORT)
Full screen editor
ANSI support
External serial support modules.
External protocol support modules.
External archive support modules.
Available on Atari ST, and Windows NT
Target release 3QTR 94
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> Looking good Tim, sounds like quite a piece of
BBS software.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Questions?
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> Yeah, I have several.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> me too!
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> go ahead
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Rich.
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> One at a time please...go ahead Rich.
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> i just recently switched from BBS Express Pro to
Transcendence.
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> I have been getting this transferred but I have a
wish list of features
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> That I don't have available.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> You can always drop them to me in EMAIL.
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> Specifically, Quickmail and Usenet access. Will
you have any of those?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> I have been playing around with UUCP and internet news,
it maybe added as an external module, one of the things I have tried to
do is make the BBS extendable, and even have an API for developing these
types of things.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> <ga>
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> That would be good to have. Smaller local boards
seem to benefit greatly from internet access since those areas are
quite active.
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> How are you going to address the serial port
limits on the normal ST?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> I agree, I have an internet news feed here and I
spend more time than I would like reading it... <ga>
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> If you're done Rich, Dana's next...GA Dana.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> With DC-Port, 9600 with non-HST modems? Also,
what would be required to switch from MBBS 3.0 to this? <GA>
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Rich, it supports the DC-Port.
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> Thanks
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> ga
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Dana, the problem with the DC-Port is the lack of
CTS/RTS it limits the usability of high speed modems. <ga>
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Ok, how about the switch from 3.0 to this new
version - what's involved?
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> GA
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> I have one question Tim...will your BBS support
RIP graphics?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Dana, to move from MBBS 3.0 to This system requires
running a conversion program that converts the file and user profiles.
MCL will require the original source and slight modifications to the
new syntax (simple mods) and a recompile. <ga.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> RIP Graphics I have not looked at, but the script
language will output any "codes" required.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> And will those new syntax codes be documented?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Dana, yes well documented.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> It's is a very painless procedure.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> ahhhh, that's good to hear!
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> prices?
<FINOCCHIARO> Dana I have seen the RIp and they are somewhat like the
iGs files... the local terminal program does all the real work for the
graphics and should be easy to set up....
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> I've never really gotten into online graphics much,
but may now!
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> The current plan is $39.95 + shipping for a
competitive upgrade from _ANY_ BBS software and $59.95 for a retail
release.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Sounds good to me, where do I sign?
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> <g>
<MIKE.KELLER> purchase direct from you?
<[Criss Cross] C.WAWRZYNIAK> A question Tim...
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> I am still working out the details but it will ship
3 Qtr at the latest. I will be handling direct sales for the short term.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> The documentation is in the final stages.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Criss. <ga>
<[Criss Cross] C.WAWRZYNIAK> Will it be MultiTOS and/or Geneva friendly?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Criss, Not at the current time.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Could you talk a little about the external modules?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> The BBS supports externally written C (or C++) modules
that are loaded and linked into the BBS as startup, this allows me to
add features by distributings new modules.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> They automatically extend the script language to allow
them to be called. <ga>
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> So we can do archiving and transfers externally?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> File transfers can be added, and archiving could be
developed the external modules are not standard TOS files, but a special
format that is aware of the multitasker.
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> Will there be any conversion routines for BBS
systems other than MBBS, such as Transcendence or BBS Express ST? The
conversion process can be lengthy when you have to rework the file
descriptions, plus message bases usually have to start over.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Rich, the database formats are standard DBF files,
and conversion programs could be written, I am going to try and avoid
the file conversion business.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> <ga>
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Same message editor? <g>
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> DBF format would be great. You could process it
through any number of dbf converters.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> No, completely new full screen editor.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Rich, that was my plan. <g>
<FINOCCHIARO> What is the message line limit of the message bases Tim?
<ga>
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Mike, sysop definable to 1000 lines.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> <ga>
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> quoting functions?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Dana, limited.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> <ga>
<FINOCCHIARO> Great... did you add the batch file..in the background
option we spoke about?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Mike, there is a background script that you can start
to perform background functions, it logs onto a virtual session.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> <ga>
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> Tim, will the documentation be complete enough
to allow third party support of external modules?
<FINOCCHIARO> SOunds good... I had a few ideas for the MNET..also can
we dial out from within the bbs to do mailings?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Mike, you can via the script connect to one of the
ports and "script" to another system
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> Tim, you mentioned an NT version. Why NT and not
a normal Windows version or DOS version. Seems like it would limit the
available purchase base. Also, will the ST and Win-NT version have any
"network" facilities?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Chris, I plan to sell an "construction kit" that
documents the API.
<FINOCCHIARO> This is sounding better all the time... if we can do this
it will eliminate having to shut down during mail transfers... Is the
printer Dameon working that was one option I like to have online..
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Rich, With Chicago on the wings, I have developed to
the Win32 API, it will allow me to target the low end and the high end.
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> So it will run under Chicago when Chicago is
released Tim?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Mike, printer daemon? please clarify.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Chris, yes. I am considering a GUI interface as well.
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> How many nodes will the system handle on an ST?
how many on a Win-NT or Chicago system?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Rich, what type of networking? It will support
standard file system type of networking, as far as messaging that would
have to be developed.
<FINOCCHIARO> We had requested the ability to go to a printer which I
would use a bit here to save hard copies of messages etc... you had
mentioned you had added it at one point.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> MNET!!
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Rich, 3 lines on Atari, NT is limited to the Win32
API 255 modems.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Mike, Ok the printer spooler support. Yes that is in
there.
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> (the GUI was what I was wondering about when I
mentioned RIP, great news Tim!)
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Rich - there is networking available now, thanks
to Mike!
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> The GUI is up in the air, if the BBS pans out it will
be developed and free to the SYSOPS of the BBS.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> What's the name of the program, btw?
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> <g>
<M.HILL13> What networking software are we talking about for the ST?
<FINOCCHIARO> We have to change it to something else Dana....
<R.LEVETIN> Will it run on a Mega STE and take advantage of the multiple
serial ports
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> I have then just calling the PEBBS, but I need a good
name.
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> You might also give everyone your support address
and BBS phone # also Tim.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Mike, it's a combo GFA/MCL external/internal
feature.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Mike, name?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> R.LEVETIN, not out of the box, but an external module
can be developed (and probably will be if it takes off).
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> I never got involved in the PRO networks. It
would be nice to be able to connect with other types of BBS systems
such as FIDO, not necessarily Atari type systems.
<FINOCCHIARO> Michtron Network
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Mike F. - we can re-name to fit Tim's new name
change!
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> FIDO compatibility is almost a must, nowadays.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Fido? Really?
<FINOCCHIARO> Tim you mentioned a front end to allow interfacing to
networks easier..did you do anything with that?
<[Mike] M.HILL13> I came in late. Any info on price, availability.
ST wise that is.
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> I think so, Fidonet and Atarinet (and all the
other Fido-like nets) are really big, Internet too.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> The script language has complete database and file
I/O support, it could be developed in the script language or in
external modules.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Mike, $39.95 competitive upgrade, $59.95 retail,
availablity 3 qtr 94
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> Mike, there will be a transcript of this
conference up in library #22 in the next 24 hours so we don't have to
backtrack too much.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Any other questions?
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> How about CDROM support? Would I be able to add
a GEMINI Atari disk?
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Tim, new protocols and arc-listing functions?
<[Mike] M.HILL13> Will it support networks such as Mikenet/Little Net
for multiple ST running more nodes (assuming they registered that many
nodes!)
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> CDROM is looked at just like another hard disk there
is nothing special about CDROM.
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> Have you included anything in the code to allow
for simultaneous ul's/dl's or the ability to ul/dl and go off to read
messages, etc. at the same time Tim?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Dana, in the box ZMODEM upload and download is
supported, and ARC,LH?,ZIP are supported.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> great
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Chris, there is no multi sessioning built in.
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> With say 3 nodes, will there be any way of
users interacting?
<T.RODRIGUEZ4> SEE YA LATER, IT'S BEEN NICE CHATTING WITH YOU G
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Chris, absolutely! There is multiline chat and dial
build in.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Tim, what was "removed" from 3.0, anything?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> The editor, and artifical limits.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> It has been re-written from the ground up in C++.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Will there be an "un-compiler" for old MCL files?
<FINOCCHIARO> Explain the DIAL BUILD IN
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Just in case!
<FINOCCHIARO> SHame Dana no source backups?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Dial, like in MBBS to "dial" the user on the other
line.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> hehe, just makin' sure!
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Dana, no. But It could be looked at if there is a
need <g>
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Hopefully not!
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> When will you start accepting orders?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Well I am getting married in two weeks, so My plan is
Sept 1 to take orders and ship.
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> Well, I'm gonna take off. Things sound very
interesting. While I don't plan on making any changes in my system
right way, I'll be watching for reports of the new system and seeing
what the comments are from the sysops.
<[Rich Link] R.LINK1> Good luck on the wedding....
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Married!! NOOOOOO!!! <g>
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Rich, thank for stopping by.
<[Janie BBS&TC] PITAKIA> Night Rich and Thanks for coming.
<[Joe@STReport] J.MIRANDO1> OH NO!! DON'T DO IT, TIM! (:^{>
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> We still need an address and support BBS #...but
if you're getting married you may not want to give that out til after
Sept. 1. :)
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> You mentioned existing mail and files have a
conversion, how about SIG set-up and other .BBS files?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Chris, I have not set up the order line setup yet.
<FINOCCHIARO> Good Luck Tim...your computer time will now be limited
to what she lets you have heheheheheheheh..
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Dana, currently the conversion program handles the
config,user, and file listing files.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Is there a comparable MAINT.PRG?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Yes.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> okay, that's what I think I meant! <g>
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> Tim, will there be a game (Doors) area and if
so will it handle currently available doors prgs?
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> It is going to be painless to convert!
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Dana, that is the plan.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> I like that plan!
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Will you be running a "Griffin" system again for
support?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Chris, because of the multitasking nature of the BBS,
it requires the "external" programs to be written in the script
language or the custom API.
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> Well we'll just have to work on that one... :)
<R.LEVETIN> Griffin would be a good name for the BBS
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Dana, I will be running a support BBS on Windows NT
sharing the line with my internet feed.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> I don't want to use the Griffin name.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> bad memories!
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> That was the MichTron logo. <g>
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> That's why I "apostrphed" it!
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> apostrphed?
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> I'd call it PURfect BBS or something (to get
part of your name in. (: )
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> <RBG>
<R.LEVETIN> I know it was there logo but not their name. Just a thought
for familiarity.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> TPBBS - we've been telling you for years!
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> <G>
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> I hope there is still interest in the Atari version
of the software, I know of at least two people. Dana, TPBBS does have
a nice sound doesn't it.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> There are more than 2, trust me!! I even have
Don Thomas converted!
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> What about MultiTOS are you guys using it?
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> There just aren't any real good packages out there
(nothing personal guys!).
<FINOCCHIARO> You can say that again DANA.... I will be ordering the
ST as well as the IBM version Tim.. My only disappointment is that now
I have to get WINDOZ...NT I did a lot of work on my IBM for the BBS and
tested it that way...but Progress is the name
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Geneva - no MTOS!
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> MikeF, wait for Chicago, it will run it also.
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> I think there are a lot of Atarians that are
just floundering around looking for a really good third generation BBS.
You may be surprised by the response from the Atari world Tim!
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> I agree Chris!
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Geneva, is not a TOS program multitasker is it?
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> yup, as long as the program is run from a window
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> or do I misunderstand?
<FINOCCHIARO> Up until now I was planning to run to IBM...but now the
ST will stay online until it DIES of old age.....
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> hehe
<R.LEVETIN> So it will not be able to run external programs like
turbo or forem On-line games?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> I have not looked at the other multitaskers, mine
seems to work fine.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> R.Levetin, no because of the multiline capability it
will not allow it.
<[Criss Cross] C.WAWRZYNIAK> Yes, I'm a MultiTOS user myself.
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> Well folks, believe it or not it is already the
top of the hour already...This ends the official TalkAbout, feel free
to stick around and chat if you want. I'll leave it up to you Tim as
to when you feel it's time to quit. :)
<FINOCCHIARO> You just reminded ne of one problem I saw with 3.0 where
the text from one user was being displayed onto another users screen...is
that fixed?
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Tim, will you answer questions via Mail?
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Yer right Mike, that was/is a problem!
<[Joe@STReport] J.MIRANDO1> Well, I've gotta go. Good luck, Tim, it
sounds impressive. I'll get more info from that Dana guy. (;^{>
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> MikeF, there was an obscure bug that was fixed.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> hehe
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Dana, yes.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Joe, thanks for stopping by.
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> I gotta run too, looking forward to the transcript!!
<FINOCCHIARO> see ya Dana...
<[Dana] D.JACOBSON2> Thanx Tim!! Looking forward to TPBBS real soon!!
<[Janie BBS&TC] PITAKIA> Night Dana!
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Night Dana.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> It's been a long time in the development, I think
everyone will be pleased.
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> Before many more leave I want to take this
opportunity to thank Tim for coming tonight and for his devotion to the
Atari community! :) (and not one question about ST Aladdin Tim!).
<FINOCCHIARO> Tim...could you give us an idea as to how many commands
have been changed?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Chris, can you believe it!
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> MikeF, most have stayed the same, quite a few added,
the goal was to provide a smooth transition.
<R.LEVETIN> Good luck with your up coming marriage. I'll be heading
off as well/
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> Just goes to show how interested everyone is in
your latest Atari BBS software.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> R.LEVETIN, thanks for stopping by.
<[Janie BBS&TC] PITAKIA> Night R.L.
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> Yes, good luck with your marriage, may it last
as well as mine and Janie's! :)
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> I waited long enough, it's time. <g>
<[rod] R.WELLS6> good luck tim look forward to the new bbs program...
going to play a little castle wolf 3d on the jag...
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Rod, thanks for stopping by.
<[Janie BBS&TC] PITAKIA> Night Rod!
<FINOCCHIARO> Opps sorry I;m not a touch typist... and missed ok
Thanks Tim .... By the way save number 1001 in both versions for me
and GOOD Luck with your marriage... I have my 28 years in and it has
all gone well..
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> MikeF, you got it. and thanks for your support.
<FINOCCHIARO> No Problem...this kind of software is hard to come by
and I sure want to keep it coming ....
<FINOCCHIARO> By the way add split screen to Aladdin if you ever redo
it....
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Mike, it never ceases to amaze me how addicting it is
working on the BBS, you add one thing and before you know it you have
added several.
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Mike, press F6
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> Tim, do you have some sort of pre-release PR for
your software that the BBS&TC RT (as well as the Atari ST RT, etc.) can
put up in our libraries?
<[Tim] TIMPURVES> Chris, I need to develop one. I didn't want to post
it until I was taking orders.
<FINOCCHIARO> Ok Tim... I have to sit sown and read the manual on this
one of these days...
<[Chris] C.CARPENTER3> Okay...well everyone's going to be reading the
transcript from this RTC and you'll have them really chomping at the
bit when you officially release it. :)
END OF LOG.
__________________________________________
JAGUAR SECTION
==============
Wolf 3D Review!
Dino Dudes 'Real Life' Review
Video Games Ratings Debate, and More!
> From the Editor's Controller "Playin' it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Could it be that the tide is changing? It looks like the long
drought of games has been stemmed. Wolf 3D has been out for a couple
of weeks and now Brutal Sports Football has started to make the rounds.
Word has it that games such as Alien vs. Predator, Doom, Club Drive,
and Kasumi Ninja are just around the corner. Also rumored is the fact
that there may be five or more 3rd party games from Europe ready for
production, or already in the process. As soon as we learn more, this
will be one of the first sources for you to learn about them!
Marty Mankins' long-awaited "real life" review of Dino Dudes is
finally here! Be sure to check out this humorous review with a modern
concept. Also in this week's issue is a review of Wolfenstein 3D, from
yours truly. I couldn't let the staff have all of the fun! We're
waiting for a review copy of BSF, so stay tuned for that in an upcoming
issue, as well as reviews of the latest games as they arrive on our
doorsteps! Also in this issue is an editorial dealing with the recent
government decision to force makers of video games to incorporate a
ratings systems for new games. We've also included comments from our
readers as well as some extracted from the online services. Your
comments are also welcome, so feel free to voice your opinions after
reading this piece.
Until next time...
________________________________________________
> Jaguar Catalog STR InfoFile - What's currently available, what's
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" coming out.
Current Available Titles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
J9000 Cybermorph $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9006 Evolution:Dino Dudes $49.99 Atari Corp.
J9005 Raiden $49.99 FABTEK, Inc/Atari Corp.
J9001 Trevor McFur/
Crescent Galaxy $49.99 Atari Corp.
J9010 Tempest 2000 $59.95 Llamasoft/Atari Corp.
J9028 Wolfenstein 3D $69.95 id/Atari Corp.
JA100 Brutal Sports FtBall$69.95 Telegames
Available Soon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
CatBox $49.95 ICD
CatBox + $69.95 ICD
J9008 Alien vs. Predator $69.99 Atari Corp.
Hardware and Peripherals
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER
J8001 Jaguar (complete) $249.99 Atari Corp.
J8904 Composite Cable $19.95
J8901 Controller/Joypad $24.95 Atari Corp.
J8905 S-Video Cable $19.95
____________________________________________
> Jaguar Developers STR InfoFile - Current Developer Lists & Titles
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
ALIEN vs. PREDATOR - COMBAT ACTION
Choose you weapon and brawl with the notorious warriors
of the big screen! Commission the Colonial Marine and use
your weapons and your wits to destroy the base - and
survive. Be an Alien and use your voracious instincts to
defend the hive and rescue your Queen. Or play a Predator
and use your grisly arsenal to acquire the ultimate
trophy... the skull of the Alien Queen. Game features
"miles" of texture-mapped 3D corridors to explore and
conquer. Detailed graphics with chilling stop-motion
animation create ultra-realistic character likeness,
movements and responses. Digitized SFX from the 20th
Century Fox films bring graphic horror to life. Each
character possesses his or her own arsenal and battle
skills -- just like in the movies!
[1 player] $69.99 (Atari/J9008) Release: 4th QTR '94
BRUTAL SPORTS FOOTBALL - ARCADE ACTION
If you like action, but reckon that chainsaw massacres
are for grannies' tea parties, then you'll have to play
Brutal Sports Football. Play "league", "knockout" or
"unfriendly tournaments", but play to stay alive! This
is football with a whole new set of rules... THERE ARE NO
RULES! Choose 1 or 2 players, 11 different teams, head to
head or all out combat. Any way you play, count on masses
of pick ups, laughs and blood-red blood. This is an all
action, bone crunching, foot stomping, no holds barred
game of mutant football where heads literally roll and
"injury time" means just what it says. Brutal Sports
Football is proudly presented by Telegames as the world's
first third-party game available for the Atari Jaguar.
[1 or 2 players] $69.95 U.S. (Telegames/JA100)
______________________________________
> Jaguar Game Title STR Review - "Wolfenstein 3D"
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" -= Available Now =-
WOLFENSTEIN 3D
==============
Developed by: id Software
Published by: Atari Corporation
Price: $69.95
by Dana P. Jacobson
Enter William J. "B.J." Blazkowicz, literally a one-man army.
He's an expert in espionage and the martial arts. In fact, he's so
talented that he reports directly to the President! B.J.'s
assignments: to seek out and destroy Hitler's domain of evil and then
to seek and destroy Hitler himself. Welcome to Wolfenstein 3D!
Your mission is to take on the role of B.J. Blazkowicz and to
successfully complete 6 missions, each with varying numbers of levels
to complete. Finishing each level is no easy task, for at the end of
each level you must defeat one of Hitler's monstrosities in order to
take on your next mission. This is a challenge in of itself!
Let's get to the basics before getting into the game itself. This
is one of those games that includes an overlay for your controller.
Carefully "install" the overlay (watch out for the blood spills!), plug
the game cart in, and power up the game. You'll see the usual Jaguar
blood-red logo (how appropriate for this game!). Press any of the fire
buttons and you'll come to another rotating scene. I recommend that
for the first time you load this game that you let the title screens
play out and then watch the game demo screens to give you an idea of
what's in store!
Okay, you have an idea of what to expect, so let's get set up so
you understand the controls. The defaults for the fire buttons are:
A - Speed
B - Fire weapon
C - Open/Strafe
The speed button can be used for quick getaways, especially from
the end-bosses! Use this button in conjunction with the joypad.
The fire button will allow you to fire the current weapon that's
shown on the screen. Holding down the fire button will cause your
weapon to rapid-fire, so use only when necessary.
The open/strafe button allows you to open (and close!) doors and
secret passages. The strafe function is still oblivious to me at
present!
The "option" button allows you to cycle through the various
weapons that you presently possess. The "pause" button allows you to
pause the game for a breather or a pensive moment!
The joypad allows you to move right, left, forward and backward.
Holding down the open/strafe button while turning right or left allows
you to "slide" in either direction while facing forward rather than
turning in the chosen direction.
Unlike previous games, the number keys aren't all functional. The
1,2,and 3 keys are used to save a game to the corresponding numbered
slot. While this function is nice, it's not as useful as you may
think. More on this later. The number 5 key is your most important
function as it allows you to view a map of the floor's layout. An
important tip to remember is this map only shows you those floor plans
of the portions of the floor you've seen. Personally, I find this
better than having access to the entire map as I know where I've been
and where I have to go. Your current location is signified by a yellow
arrow, showing where you are and in what direction you're facing. The
0 key toggles the music on and off. And like all previous games,
hitting the # and * keys simultaneously will restart the game. You can
also adjust the music and sound effects volume by pausing the game and
selecting the A button to access the music volume and the B button to
access the sound effects volume controls.
Let's get ready to start a game! Once you've memorized the
control settings, you're ready to prepare to play. After you've
finished viewing the title screens and perhaps the demo scenes, press
any of the fire buttons. This will take you to the menu screen where
you begin all new or saved games. The menu screen is broken up into 3
sections: Start, Difficulty, and Controls. You can scroll up and down
with the joypad to get to any of these options. While at an option,
scrolling right or left will change the selections. For example, while
in the Start option, you can start a new game, the last game played, or
one of your 3 saved games. Difficulty levels are: easy, normal, extra
carnage, and total carnage! The higher the degree of difficulty will
determine how resilient you are to enemy fire as well as your enemies'
resilience. Also, the more difficult settings will also mean that your
enemies fire more often (and usually with better accuracy!). The
controls option will allow you to change the default controls for the
fire buttons.
Once you've made your selections, you're ready to play! Press any
fire button for your first presidential mission briefing. Once your
mission is known, press a fire button for your first level, first
floor. What you'll see is the first room. You'll always know your
starting point by "spinning around" with your joypad and seeing a solid
silver/blue/gray wall plate. On the map, this will also be
distinguishable. Looking at the screen, at the bottom, you'll also see
three items of importance. Always keep an eye on these factors, your
life could depend on it! On the far left is you. It's almost like
looking in the mirror, isn't it?! At full health, you've got an
arrogant, almost too cocky look. Notice those eyebrows slyfully
twitching! You'll also see a figure signifying the number of health
points currently available. You'll start off a new game with 100
health points. As you take hits, those health points will rapidly
decrease; and your face will show the effects! In the lower middle of
the screen, you'll see a weapon. You initially start off with a pistol
and a knife, although you'll never see the knife unless you run out of
ammo. If this happens - pray, as you most likely don't have long to
live! Ignoring the knife, the pistol is your least-effective weapon.
To "exchange" it for the next level of weapons, the machine gun, you're
going to either find one in your travels, or take one from one of your
dead victims! A word to the wise: the only weapons that you can remove
from one of your victims are pistols and machine guns. Additionally,
as you kill one of your enemies, they conveniently leave behind a full
"clip" of bullets, 10 bullets to a clip. However, weapons with better
killing power lie waiting for you throughout the level:
Flame thrower - my personal favorite! A couple of fiery bursts
will take out any enemy but the end bosses; sometimes more than one
soldier at a time!
Rocket launcher - another versatile weapon which fires rockets
which will take out any soldier with a single blast. These nazis
occasionally come at you in single-file. Fire at the lead one and
watch as these rockets sear right through them all with a single shot!
Aim well as this weapon usually needs to be right on target to have
optimal effect.
Chaingun - this weapon is a portable Gatling gun. It has a
rotating barrel, which allows you to fire a continuous stream of
bullets - a couple at a time or rapid-fire for as long as you have
bullets to feed it. Caution though, this weapon will rattle off huge
amounts of bullets if you're not careful. However, as mentioned above,
your victims do leave behind ammo for the taking. You have no
feelings, take it when you need it!
A fun part of using these weapons is listening and watching the
sound and visual effects for each weapon. Using the knife, you can
hear and see the slashing of the blade as you wield it against your
enemy. Hear the pistol crack and watch the recoil. The machine gun
kicks and you'll hear the rat-a-tat-tat firing. The chaingun smokes as
the barrel turns and blasts away with multiple bullets. Watch and hear
the flames erupt from the flame thrower. Watch the flames fly through
the air as they head toward their intended victims. The rocket
launcher kicks and flames as it propels a visible rocket through the
air, and usually through its victims. Great effects!
On either side of your weapon depiction, you'll eventually see
either a blue or gold key. Once you've found a key (see below) each of
the possible two will be shown.
Along the way through your mission, you're going to come across
some valuable items to make your mission a success. Not finding them
or leaving them behind could mean your doom or failure to complete your
mission. Grab what you can use and remember where an item was in case
you need it later! Also remember that there is a limit as to how much
of an item you can carry at one time, so use these items to the best
advantage. Here are the items that you'll need to watch out for in
your travels:
First Aid kits - probably one of the most valuable items available
to you. Fortunately for you, the nazis' stolen cache of kits is strewn
throughout the area; some of them are hidden away so be prepared to
search. Each kit will restore your health by 25 points. Be frugal
because these kits cannot boost your health beyond 100 points, If
you're only down a few points, don't waste using a kit unless you know
you're about to face a large enemy force, or an end boss!
Dinners - Your enemy has to eat and food is plentiful in many
areas. You're not picky, you'll eat their food. These dinners will
increase your health by 10 points each. Again, you cannot go beyond
100 points, so don't bother to try.
Dog food - That's right, I said dog food!! The manual doesn't
mention this, however. Man's best friend is still the dog. Trust me,
be grateful for that! Your enemy has trained a great number of German
Shepherds as guard dogs. They're vicious and need to be fed also. If
you're lucky, you can storm into a room and find an occasional bowl of
dog food. It may taste horrible, but you're tough - you'll eat
anything, especially if it will restore 3 or 4 health points!
Ammo - You can never have too much ammo - you'll use it with great
abandon! There are numerous types available to you throughout your
mission. Grab it all whenever and wherever you can! Available:
Ammo clips - Shoot a guard, take his ammo, 10 bullets each.
Ammo boxes - 40 bullets each.
Ammo packs - Increase the maximum number of bullets that you
can carry at one time. Total max - 350 bullets.
Gas cans - 40 fiery blasts, total max - 99 shots.
Rocket boxes - 40 rockets each, total max - 99 rockets.
Keys - Not all doors will open with just a touch of the "open
door" fire button. You'll know these doors when you see them. Instead
of a door handle, you'll see wither a blue or gold keyhole. You'll
need a corresponding blue or gold key to open these doors, Otherwise,
all that you'll get when you try to open these doors is a resounding
click. These keys can be found out in the open at times, or behind a
secret panel. You can also depend on every end boss having a gold key,
but you must kill him first to get at it! You may not need to get into
these locked rooms to complete the level, but you may need some of the
items that are hidden away to survive!
Treasure - The nazis were infamous for stealing treasure of the
world and hording it. Not only do you want to steal it back from them,
but each item is valuable to you in other ways - each item restores
your health by 4 points! And what's makes these treasure items even
more valuable is the fact that your health can be increased beyond 100
points! These are the only items that can do that (with one exception
as described below). A valuable tip: when your health is low and you
are near both treasure items (a chest, cross, or crown) and first aid
kits - take the first aid kits first to reach 100 health points, and
then the treasure to go beyond 100 points. If you do it in reverse,
you'll waste the additional health value these items possess!
One-ups - I have no idea why the manual refers to these items as
one-ups. I guess they had to name them something! I prefer to call
these items "B.J. Maximum Health Pods"!! These items are round blue
"pods" with B.J.'s face on them. Regardless of our current health
status, taking one of these items will boost your health to 200 points.
Don't waste these! If there are 2 in a room (a rarity!), taking them
both won't help. More than likely, you'll need the additional ones
later and you can't "stock up" for later use!
So, that was a summary of the good things to come. What about the
bad? These fortresses and castles that you're about to invade are full
of surprises. You'll be inside some mazes with one or more exits.
You'll encounter secret rooms and passages that you'll only find by
"tapping" on walls, pictures, or tapestries. What's more, these places
are manned to the teeth!! And even worse, there are evil monstrosities
to overcome to escape with your mission intact! Let's see what we're
going to face!
Guards - These are the most common soldiers that you'll face,
especially in the lower levels of the game. Dressed in brown fatigues,
including helmut, these are the weakest and easiest to kill - not to
mention that they're "stupid" as well (but they can kill you just as
easily as any other of the enemies!). These enemies always bark out a
warning "achtung" when they see, or hear, you coming. They wear no
body armor (body armor??) so they can usually be killed with a shot or
or two. They're slow to react to you, but once they do they'll come
running at you with abandon. Fortunately, they only carry pistols
(single shot) and stop to aim before they shoot. They are easily
dispatched.
German Shepherd - These dogs are vicious enough left alone, but
the ones that you'll face are fast and extremely vicious. They'll rip
you apart if you don't kill them quickly. They seem to know when
you're about to shoot, as they dodge very well. A well-aimed single
shot will kill them, but your timing must be good if you're limited to
your knife, pistol, or machine gun!
S.S. Guards - The S.S. guards are more elite than your typical
guards. Dressed in blue, these men are protected with thick vests
making them more difficult to kill. Although they're not easily
surprised, some do bark a warning of "SS" when they become aware of
your presence. These guards are armed with machine guns, and they're
trained for accuracy, especially at close range!
Officers - These are toughest of the 3 types of soldiers that
you'll meet. Although their "armor" is light and they only carry
pistols, they're quick and able to dodge well while coming at you.
They're easier to kill than the S.S. guards, but you need to aim well
and quickly to shoot them. They're also usually silent and have no
qualms about shooting you in the back! Then again, none of your
enemies mind shooting you from behind!
Mutants - The nazis were known for their horrendous experiments on
their victims. This game is no different. As you get to the lower
levels of the game, you'll also encounter the living proof of these
experiments. These mutants appear to have knives for hands and a
machine gun attached to their chest! It's difficult to be positive as
to get close enough to a mutant to see means almost certain death for
you. They come at you with arms slashing and chests blazing. They
also are harder to kill with mere bullets (although a few rounds will
do the trick); using the flame thrower or rocket launcher is much
easier when faced with these monsters! If you don't see them first,
you'll know they're there when they start slashing you with growls of
pleasure! They can finish you off very quickly if you don't get them
first. They'll also keep shooting at you even though they've been hit
by a few rounds of bullets. Finish them off quickly.
End Bosses - You'll wish that you were back in a room full of
mutants after you've encountered your first end boss! There's an end
boss for every level, on the final floor of each. As you go from
mission to mission, the end bosses get more difficult to kill. There's
even a secret floor where you'll eventually come to face with FOUR end
bosses, one at a time, throughout the floor! Be sure that your health
is as high as possible and your ammo well stocked before you take these
end bosses on, if you can prepare. They do have a knack of coming up
on you suddenly, but they each yell out a distinguishable warning to
let you know they're on to you! Here they are, in order of appearance:
Hans Grosse - This once-human mutant is larger than anything
you've met up to now. If I recall, other than being heavily armored,
he only (only??) wields his multi-knived hands. A continuous blast
from the chaingun will eventually bring him down. Stay as far away
from him as possible while firing; and don't stop! I believe this boss
will always attack from the front (but I'm not positive!).
Trans Grosse - Hans' big brother! I think Trans Grosse has either
a machine gun or a chaingun in his chest. Regardless of what weapons
available to him, he's tougher than his "little" brother! If you have
the opportunity and a full supply of bullets, the chaingun will usually
stop this end boss. However, I've found that the flame thrower works
better, and quicker.
Dr. Schabbs - What I remember about this nasty is that he's
responsible for all of the mutants that you've faced so far, and in the
future, including the end bosses. To get to Dr. Schabbs, you must
first face his horde of mutants. If they don't get you, you can be
sure that he'll come after you to avenge the loss of his beloved
mutants! I don't recall his armament as I was fortunate enough to
finish him off from a distance from the friendly cover of an open
doorway! He's armed somehow as I did take a lot of health point hits!
The Ubermutant - The mutants that you've met up to now were
child's play! This is one heck of a mutant with multiple arms wielding
razor sharp blades AND a chaingun in his chest! He'll attack from any
direction; and even double back and attack from another. You'll
probably have little time to plan a strategy, so hit and run and hit
hard with everything you've got!
Death Knight - I found this end boss to be the most difficult; or
I wasn't as prepared as I might have liked! Like his predecessors,
he's another fully-armed super mutant. What's worse, he's armed with a
chest of never-ending rockets! Like the Ubermutant before him, he'll
attack from all sides and he's sneaky! Stay out of his line of fire
(as if you'll need to be told!) and fire, run, and repeat the process
until he's destroyed. Make sure that your health points is AT LEAST
100, if not higher; and that you have plenty of firepower (preferably
the flame thrower).
MechaHitler - Okay, from pictures in our history books, Hitler
didn't appear to be all that scary by looking at him. It appears that
he had Dr. Schabbs provide him with some super steroids or Hitler
worked out while hiding in his bunker!! This end boss is merciless,
and "doubly" so!! If you can, plan a strategy before taking him on.
You'll find him in a room behind locked doors, to your advantage. Make
sure your health is at the max, or more, and that your weapons are
fully armed! MechaHitler is aptly named - he's fully armored, and
armed! The room that he's located is wide-open, so attack and run as
far away and as quickly as possible while continuing to shoot (that
means running backwards, so know where the walls are!). If your health
and ammo is really low, head out through a locked BLUE door
(remembering that the end bosses only have gold keys!) and re-arm and
find some first aid kits to re-build your health. Go back for more!
Now here's the scary part (whaddaya mean "scary" - what was this up to
now?!). Kill MechaHitler and all that happens is you've killed off the
armored Hitler, his armor is gone but you're then faced with a tough
"regular" Hitler!! You may need to repeat the hit and run tactics that
worked earlier to defeat this one also. Fortunately, he's a "little"
easier to defeat than his mechanized former self!
If all this sounds fun (and it is!), how do you play you're
asking? Obviously, there's more to the game than each of the things
I've described above. You need to combine all of this knowledge in
order to defeat the enemies that you encounter, but you have to find
them all first, and then escape.
AS mentioned earlier, you start out on each mission (Level) on the
first floor. There are AT LEAST 3 floors per Level. You'll need to
move about each floor, searching out for weapons, ammo, treasure, and
keys. Along the way, expect to find at least one enemy per room. Some
rooms are empty and some have many enemies that need to be killed
before you can progress, or retreat. Sooner or later, though, you may
have to go back and defeat these enemies to move ahead; they have a
penchant to see you out if you leave them alone! You'll more than
likely have to find every room to find your way to the last room which
contains a secret elevator to take you down to the next floor. To
accomplish this task, you may need to find a secret room or passage to
get to another room or find a much-needed item to survive. Every floor
has AT LEAST one secret door, some with over ten! Remember that you'll
have to kill the end boss to successfully complete your mission;
however, this may not always be true for every Level. Making your way
through each level will get you a "score" telling you the percentage of
the enemy killed, treasure found, and secret doors located. You;ll
also be told how much time you used to complete the floor and the "par"
time necessary for doing it. Some of these times are in seconds!
Completing a level will bring you back to the President for a briefing
on your next mission. When you start the next floor, or mission,
you'll retain whatever levels you ended the previous floor or mission
with - health points, weapons, and ammo. Any keys that you may have
had are gone. You may need to build up health and ammo before
progressing too deeply into the next floor, so do so.
At the end of this review, I'll summarize my reactions to the game
and provide some useful tips. I'll also summarize my complaints as
well as my good points. Before I do that, let me rate the game's
attributes.
Graphics: 9.5
Sound FX/Music: 7.5
Control: 8.5
Manual: 8.0
Entertainment: 8.0
Reviewer's Overall: 8.5
Reviewer's quick ratings comments - summation.
I consider Wolf 3D one of the best efforts yet to come. The
graphics were superb. Every item looked realistic, right down to the
potted plants! You could barely discern a pixel unless you looked at
an item so closely that it was right in front of your nose. The
tapestries and pictures of Hitler, the Third Reich symbols, etc. were
very well done. Every time that you killed one of your enemies, you
could see some blood spurt from the wounds, but you'd have to be fairly
close to see it. My only complaints were that each of the enemies,
except for the end bosses, looked and reacted identically. Even the
dogs all looked identical in size and coloration. They all died the
same, either falling right or left. However, all victims of Blazkowicz
did react realistically when hit by various weapons; being knocked off
their feet or clutching their chests in agony. Gruesome, but fun! The
end bosses looked great, if you had the time to really look at them!
As I mentioned during my weapons descriptions, each weapon looked great
and when the were fired, the effects were really nice.
I wasn't overly impressed with the music and it got on my nerves
early on and I toggled it off. Otherwise, my rating for the music and
sound effects would have been higher. The sound effects were
excellent. By themselves, a definite 10! Firing each weapon gave off
its own distinctive sound, and a realistic one at that. Turning up the
volume for the sound effects enhanced the quality and effect. Your
victims winced, groaned and screamed in agony when hit. Even the dogs
"whelped" when hit! The guards shouted distinctive warnings as you
approached; and the dogs barked. The best sound effect comes when the
end bosses realize you're near; they shout their own personal welcome
of doom! The doors opening and closing resounding with a realistic
clang. For those doors requiring a key to open, you heard a
distinctive click as the door unlocked and opened. If you tried to
open a door without the key, you were met with a disappointing clunk
telling you this door isn't going to open!
Using the joypad to control your movements was quite good. It
does take some practice to move about, especially if you want to move
fast. But overall, it became almost second nature.
The manual was quite good, for a change. It gave you a good
summation of the players and various items throughout the game. I
think the only item that it missed was the dog food, perhaps
intentionally! The enclosed diagrams gave you a good idea of what he
screens would look like getting started. The manual even comes with a
few helpful hints to get you started, including a vague tip on how to
find a secret room (something not mentioned anywhere else in the
manual). Each mission is laid out briefly although it's obvious what
you need to do after the first few meetings with the enemy!
Overall entertainment was excellent. You were rarely bored and
always on your toes. You never know what to expect at every turn, or
behind the next door. There is always something to keep the adrenaline
pumping, especially on the end boss floors!
My overall rating was high because I found all aspects of gameplay
to be fun. This was a game that I wanted to keep playing until I
finished it. Fortunately, I was on vacation (and still am) when I
received the game. The first night I was playing until 4:00 a.m.
before I took a break and realized what time it was. I've played it
often enough to beat the game in both the easy and normal modes. I'm
ready for extra and total carnage next! I'm also getting better at
reacting to a hidden enemy rather than panicking the first few times.
However, I'm still not proficient enough to make it through the game
without being killed. I actually like that because it tells me that
the game is challenging enough to keep me wanting to come back for
another round.
Let me give you some general helpful hints, in addition to some I
provided earlier during my description of the weapons and enemies.
I'll then describe those things that I didn't like or thought could be
improved.
Use the map function often! You cannot be attacked while in map
mode, so feel free to use it at any time. Always remember that the map
will only show you those parts of the floor plan that you as the player
have seen. If you open a door and look straight ahead, all that you'll
see when you look at the map is those parts of the room ahead that you
can see while looking through the door. This may mean you'll only see
a portion of a wall and an impression that a room will veer off in a
particular direction. What I try to do is look in every direction so
that part of the floor will appear on my map. If I have to stand in
the middle of a room and spin around in a circle to take in the room,
I'll do it. Also, the map will show you where you've been and will
likely give you an idea of where you need to go or show you where you
haven't explored yet. It also helps you to find your way as these
rooms are all laid out differently. The map looks almost identical to
the rooms that you pass along the way. If you're in a room where the
walls are all stone, you'll see the same design on the map, including
the different colored blocks of stone. A wooden wall in a room will
look like a wooden wall on the map, and so forth. Even the pictures
and tapestries are defined on the map in the exact location as you see
them during gameplay!
Don't just burst into a room or beyond a protruding wall or
corner; you never know what awaits you on the other side! Be cautious.
When you come to a corner, move in such a way so you can see if there's
an enemy soldier around the corner. See an alcove along the wall?
There could be someone waiting for you in it! Before opening a door,
or before you go through a door, fire a shot or two into the room.
Usually, but not always, you'll get a resounding yell as an answer
telling you someone is waiting for you to enter the room. Be warned, a
soldier or mutant can be waiting for you as soon as you walk into a
room, so be prepared to turn quickly and fire. Sometimes firing a shot
outside of a room will give you an indication of what, or who is
waiting on the other side of the door. Don't stand in an open doorway
for too long, especially right inside of a door; it will close behind
you and you'll need to turn around to open the door again. However, if
you open a door, remember that you can close it again. Also worth
noting is the fact that except for the key doors, you're enemies can
open doors also; and sometimes there is more than one door to the same
room. I've been in situations where I'm battling enemies from one
doorway and all of the sudden I was attacked from the side or rear by
soldiers coming out of the door(s)! In those instances in which you
feel there's more than one door, stand back in such a way that you can
see the other door and potential attackers.
The flame throwers and rocket launchers are the most effective
weapons to take out many enemies in a room; as well as the end bosses.
The chaingun is great for the early levels or one or two enemies,
especially in the easy or normal difficulty levels. However, both of
these weapons have a maximum of 99 shots and ammo isn't as readily
available as bullets. Also, the flame thrower uses 2 blasts for every
shot, so it's used up quicker than the rocket launcher. However, it's
easier to use than the rocket launcher.
It doesn't take much for your health points to be depleted
rapidly. You can't take a lot of hits before being killed. If you
take some hits, either retreat quickly or finish off your attackers
quickly without being hit again. It's usually better to retreat and
lick your wounds before going back into a room to finish the job.
Remember where you've found the first aid kits and meals - you'll
definitely need to go back for them many times. Each health pack gives
you 25 health points, so use sparingly. Remember that treasure items
can boost your health beyond 100 points; this comes in very handy when
dealing with the end bosses!
Try to shoot from a distance. It may cost you more ammo, but
you'll last longer than dealing with your enemies close up. The closer
that you are to your enemies, the more susceptible to damage you'll be.
Don't get trapped in a corner if you can help it!
Every time you start a new floor, save your game. The manual
doesn't go into this much, but you'll only need to save your game once
per floor. I'll go into this more below as it's one of my complaints.
Secret doors are usually in a corner, an alcove, or behind a
picture. However, this is not always the case. To find a secret
passage, you must stand right up against the wall or picture and push
the open/strafe fire button. If there's a secret door, you'll hear and
see it open. Holding down the open/strafe button and "sliding" along
the wall will not have an effect, unfortunately.
There are also some cheats available, but I won't add them in this
review. If you get too discouraged, drop me a message and I'll relay
the following tips to you. I also have the location of every secret
passage. The cheats and secret moves available are:
God mode, or invincibility. Even the B.J. icon on your screen now
has a halo around his head!
Unlimited weapons and ammo! Instantaneously have the chaingun,
flame thrower, and rocket launcher - all with 999 rounds of ammo each.
Invoking this cheat also moves you to 100 health points, even if you
have just found and used a 200-point icon! You'll also have both keys
now. Watch out what happens if you invoked this unlimited ammo cheat
and subsequently pick up a gas can or box of rockets! There is no
limit to the number of times that you can invoke this cheat.
Re-start the same floor. Missed something and would like the
opportunity to return to the floor you just played - here's your
chance.
Floor/mission select. Select a mission and floor to play. You
can use this one to find the two secret floors that are only found
otherwise via secret doors.
Skip a floor. This one is self-explanatory!
TIC: HUD. I haven't tried this one yet, but it supposedly
describes some inner workings of the game. I should look at this one
to actually see what happens.
Select music. You can actually select the song you want to hear
with this "cheat" if you care to try it. I didn't care for the music
that much, so no big deal here!
Those are the ones I've come across so far - there may be others.
If you come across any others. please pass them along to me privately.
There were a number of things that I didn't like about the game
but they certainly won't keep me from playing it more. First of all, I
was disappointed with the save functions of the game. The save
function is extremely limited. If you save a game, you'd expect to be
able to re-start at the same spot as you saved. Sorry, but it doesn't
work that way. If you save a game and then go to restore, you'll be at
the start of that floor again. This means that you'll have to re-play
the entire floor again. The good part is that your saved health
points, weapons and ammo, and available keys will still be there.
Another thing that I didn't like was the fact you can't sneak up
on the enemy (except in those rare instances when you can see one
hiding in an alcove and you send a well-aimed flame blast or rocket
into the alcove). Every time you you encounter an enemy, he's facing
you and attacks. This means he can sneak up on you from the side or
the rear; you can't do the same. Also, the enemy always knows where
you are; they home in on you with extreme accuracy. The only benefit
to this is you can sit and wait for them if you have the patience!
From what I understand, the PC version of the game allows you to sneak
up on the enemy and surprise them.
You cannot open a door unless you're facing it. This means while
you turn around and
fumble for the open fire button, the enemy is
shooting at you relentlessly. It's be nice to be able to open a door
and continue shooting. I guess this isn't realistic, so I won't
complain too much about this feature!
Finding the secret doors is a real chore. To find one, especially
in a less than obvious spot, you need to simultaneous push forward on
the joypad and press the open fire button - panel by panel on each
wall. You have to do this on every wall in every room if you want to
find every secret panel. There are a few floors with as few as three
secret panels, and some with over ten! Some secret doors have secret
panels within secret panels!! It can be very frustrating. I even
learned where they're all supposed to be and I still can't find them
all! Don't be discouraged though; some of them contain little of
extreme value. You don't have to find them all to complete the floor.
My biggest complaint is with regard to the ending of the game. It
just ends!! Defeat the MechaHitler and the game is over, a natural
end. However, that's practically it. You're given a final de-briefing
from the President (boring) and then you'll come to a screen in which
you finally get to see an animated depiction of the enemies that you
defeated. But that's it! No final tally of your accumulated scores,
no scoring whatsoever, in fact. The only thing that you can do to
improve is do complete each floor faster, find more of the treasure if
you missed some in previous games, kill more enemies, and find more
secret rooms. However, there is no final score to tell you how you
did. Most game players that I know like the ability to compete against
their own previous best scores, or others'. Wolf 3D doesn't allow you
that option.
Well, happy hunting and watch your back!
______________________________________
> Dino Dudes STR Review
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-/- Atari Jaguar Dino Dudes "Real World" Review -/-
by Marty Mankins
Imagine yourself placed back in time over one million years ago.
Every bit of your knowledge goes with you, but you don't have a
single 20th century piece of technology with you. You must reply on
the primitive items such as steel and fire, to get you where you need
to go. Your destination as a member of the Dino Dude group is to find
a way to evolve without getting left behind by your animal friends.
You live life as Grok and you have to get from point A to point B in
a little time as possible. But you must endure many levels before
you reach your goal. Your colleagues are just as agile as you are,
but you feel you have a slight edge on them due to your experiences
in the future. You use steel spears to jump ravines and create fires
to burn obstacles that are in your way. You miss your ladder, modern
weed wacker and Bic lighter to handle these obstacles, but you have
no choice. You must evolve and move on in the world.
You start on the ledge of a cliff that overlooks one of the many
valleys. You see where you need to get to so you plan your strategy
of how to get there. You will most likely start at a lower level of
the mountain and then move up to an upper level or vice versa. You
are given some brief instructions of how to get to your destination.
You are also given a list of items that can help. Part of your
instructions include how to jump and throw. The list of items you
can use include fire and a spear. If you lose your spear, you are
out of luck. Unless of course, there are several spears available to
you. But it is wise to be very careful when using a spear. In fact,
you need to forget that you lived in the future for some things. You
are spoiled and have most likely taken things for granted (the curse
of the 90's).
Some of the members of your party may lose their lives in the process
of evolving. Since you cannot run and jump between ledges, some
people in your party may forget to use their spear and exercise their
braveness. It results in a loss of life. You will also encounter
the hungry T-Rex, who must be killed with a spear in order for you to
pursue your goal. You find you must get good at killing the T-Rex as
he may require more hits with a spear. You learn that he doesn't
like fire, but the fire can't hurt him. It only scares him.
In your journey towards evolving, you will need the help of others in
your party. The help you will get is in the form of their body to
stand on. As a kid, you remembered how you and your friends would
help each other climb trees. The same concept applies here. You
start with one of your partners, you get another partner to climb up
on top of him. And the process continues until you can reach the
level where you need to go. Once you reach the desired level, you
may have to leave some of the other behind. But that's ok. Once you
reach your destination, they will follow.
As you progress from level to level, you find that the process of
evolving gets harder and harder. And you find that your day to reach
your destination varies a lot, making it longer or shorter than you
expected. Of course, you are always delighted when you have more
time in a day to finish your tasks. You are learning more and more
and becoming smarter in the primeval state you are in. You really
start appreciating all of life's smaller luxuries you were so used to
in the future.
There will be a few times that you will run into a witch doctor.
These creatures will either help you or hurt you and it's up to you
to know the difference. You need to do things right to make sure
they will help you. If instructions are not followed properly, then
you will be wasted. When you need to stack people to get to a
different level, a converted witch doctor will help.
While it appears that you would tire easily, you get some rest on
occasions. During your instructions briefing, you will have a chance
to rest. It seems shorter than it really is, but at least it's a
rest. There are no 7-11's to stop at and you can't just sit down at
a fine eatery and pig out. You fight for your food. Although, you
don't see this, it is obvious that you do eat to regain your energy
for the next adventure.
Your goal is evolution. And you have friends to help you. But it's
not easy. If you don't make it, then you get to watch the animals
run off with the greatest luxury of life - the automobile. If you
make it, then you get to celebrate and live the life that you
remembered from the future. You will go down in history as the Dino
Dude who helped your race evolve. What a proud title to carry for
millions of years.
_________________________________________
> Jaguar Easter Eggs/Cheats/Hints STR InfoFile Solving Those Riddles!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
We're still putting together all of the hints, tips, and cheats
together into one big package. However, we will not be releasing that
information in one lump sum; we don't want to take away from anyone's
enjoyment. However, we will be offering various tips, etc. - a few at
a time to help you out! We have tips and help for all current games,
except for Brutal Sports Football (and that will come too!). If you're
desperate for help, please drop us a line (dpj@delphi.com will get me)
and we'll be glad to try to help you past those rough spots!
____________________________________
> Video Games Ratings! STR Opinion! - Is Government Going Too Far?!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
An STReport Editorial
Whatever happened to personal responsibility? I really would like
to know. More specifically, what has happened to the concept that
parents raise their children and teach them responsible behavior; from
knowing right from wrong - reality versus fantasy?
There's an ongoing campaign forcing video game makers to rate
video games in an effort to protect children (?) from violence in
games. Who's behind this campaign? The government. The same body of
legislators who seem to always be behind some legislation to protect us
from ourselves!
Sure, violence, especially today, is something to be concerned
about. But we're not talking about real-life portrayals of violence
such as television or movies - but GAMES. Fiction, fantasy, make-
believe, comic book, and whatever else you want to call it - it's not
real. We do know the difference.
So why is the government making a stink? Too many complaints from
parents who unwittingly bought games for their kids which turned out
too violent? Government thinking that they know more about being
parents than those not in government? Advocates of political
correctness in all phases of life? In my opinion, government is
infringing on too many facets of life to my liking.
When I was a youngster, I was taught to know right from wrong. I
was also taught what was real and what was make-believe. Like most
kids, I was no angel but at least I knew the differences. I didn't
learn this stuff from television, but from my parents. That learning
was re-enforced by other parents, and teachers to some degree.
When I was a kid, we used our imagination to have a good time. If
we weren't lucky to have a toy gun, we'd use a stick and pretend it was
a rifle or whatnot. We played "army" and "cowboys and indian" and
"cops and robbers." It was fantasy, but fun. We didn't even consider
the possibility of using real guns and making it real!
Nothing has changed from then to now except that toys have taken
on a more realistic appearance. However, they are still toys. What
has changed is what appears to be the failure of some parents to take
the time to teach their children the differences between reality and
fantasy. They've "allowed" their children to grow up learning from
television and the widescreen. They've allowed their childern to be
taught by other means other than themselves. Excuses such as being a
single parent or both parents are working, etc. just aren't good enough
when it comes down to raising children.
What it has boiled down to is the problem that parents have
allowed their children to grow up by their own means. And since this
hasn't worked (obviously), the government in its well-intentioned
methods, is trying to create standards to correct the mistakes made by
the lack of parenthood. However, in doing so, government is slowly
cutting away at those things that it is supposedly to represent:
personal freedoms. This, in my opinion, is wrong.
There has been an ongoing discussion of this topic online in
recent weeks. Here are just a few of the opinions expressed during
these discussions; the majority taken from Compuserve (names omitted).
***
Since this is an issue that seems so hot on the minds of others, I guess
I should put in my two cents.
I am one of those that does not believe in restricting the games at all,
and probably for a different reason than a lot of people. I don't mind
the trouble of having to enter a pasword in every time I want to play.
But, I feel that it the responsibility of the parents and only the
parents to regulate what their kids see and don't see. That is one
reason I kindda like the rating system on the Nintendo carts (although
this really doesn't work). If a parent doesn't want their kids seeing
a certain thing, they should go to the trouble (not much though) to
find those things that are objectionable, and deny it to their kids.
It isn't that hard if the parents are willing to put a little effort
into it.
***
>> I agree fully. I have never seen so many people willing to let
government, or quasi-governmental agencies take over their lives. It
is time to take responsibility for ourselves. And that does include
parents making sure their kids do not get what they do not want them to
have.<<
>It's time for parents to assume their roles _as_ parents. I think it's
time for a pro-parenting movement! <
PMFJI, ... The real underlying problem began decades ago in the late
sixties.... It is really a very basic and sinister situation. The
Government, in its infinite wisdom, has been and is forcing the
destruction of the Family as we know it, as our fathers knew it and as
their fathers knew it. Of all the families you or anyone reading this
is familiar with, how many of those families can boast of the mother
being home full time thoroughly involved in the role of mother and
housewife? It is perhaps the greatest calling of all (Mother &
Housewife).
Yet the US Government encourages the "going to business" of mothers and
housewives. It is a proven fact that a mother exerts much more
influence over the behavior and learning habits of children than the
father or, at least it used to be that way. Now, its the counselor at
the day care center, then the grade school teacher and so forth. Or in
the very worst scenario, the child's peers.
The Government is already telling us where to live, how to live, what
our children shall be taught in school, how they shall be taught and by
whom they shall be taught. The government deftly controls what we do
for a living, how much we may keep of what we earn, how and where we
may practice our religion, what medicines we may and may not use, what
foods we may or may not obtain, how our vehicles run, what is or is not
"good" for us and on and on ad nauseam. An ugly, gargantuan Orwell is
already here, brutally here! But very cunningly and expertly disguised.
The Government, by allowing tax incentives for day care and for companies
providing day care for their employees, is promoting the minimizing of the
mother's role in the rearing of children. The Family is, without
question, the basic most solid building block of mankind's social
structure yet this government of ours sees fit to slowly erode that tenet.
The family, at the government's hands is soon to become nothing more than
a Rockwell picture from the past. The "Wonderful, Benevolent all seeing
and all knowing US Federal Government WANTS control of you and yours from
the womb to the tomb. That.. my friends is the bottom line. Until we, as
an electorate, wake up and take action to control our lives and our
ultimate destiny, we are condemned to live a "planned" existence. It's
time we TOLD our elected representatives to get off their collective
rumps and start to represent us..not resent us. George Orwell's Big
Brother story was mild compared to what's happening at this time. Take
a look around you. There was a time when the citizens of this country
could boast of the very greatest of civil rights, schools, medical care,
infant survival and senior citizen comforts. Those have all gone the way
of the dinosaur.. they're extinct! I don't have to tell you what the
Founding Fathers of this nation would be doing right now if they were
here.
***
Good points xxxxx, but let me add to it by saying for me it wasn't only
my mother but also my father that taught me right from wrong. The fear
of 'the board of education' across my behind is what kept me straight.
I'm not talking about abuse, I'm talking about discipline and respect.
It doesn't exist in most homes nowadays.
***
You're right; however, the real problem is that too many parents
just _aren't_ doing what they should. The system isn't working anymore
and that's when governments step in. I'm certainly not for government
taking control over everything, but the alternatives aren't happening
and things are getting worse. So are we just supposed to live in our
protected environments while the rest of the country eats itself.
That's irresponsible. Just because I live in a decent non-violent
neighborhood doesn't mean that I shouldn't have to do something to stop
violence. If it isn't a joint effort there are only 2 options. Either
it continues to get worse or the government steps in. And let's not be
so naive as to not realize that some areas of this country are close to
martial law. It's coming and it isn't gonna set right with either side.
***
<< I don't have to tell you what the Founding Fathers of this nation
would be doing right now if they were here. >>
[Standing on my soap box]
Does the year 1773 (Boston Tea Party) and 1776 (Independence) ring a
bell. Our Founding Fathers would be the first to start a revolution!
Of course, I am not advocating this drastic action; but I am agreeing
that we should be very involved in our nations/states politics. We have
all seen our Bill Of Rights eroded right before our eyes. How many of
us are crying in favor of gun control, censorship, evasion of privacy
with government having electronic access to all of our records (medical,
financial, personal mail, etc), freedom of religion (Waco, TX), unlawful
search and seizure (started with drug war), loss of "innocent until
proven guilty" (drug war and child abuse), etc. And now we are turning
our health care system over to the government as well!
Our government, as invisioned by our Founding Fathers was to be as little
government as possible. It was mainly the state governments that wrote
the laws and governed the people; and again it was mainly up to the
local governments and family to keep society functioning. The family
played a large role in American society. Most of our social problems
now are a result of declining family unity and structure. Now the
government even dictates how we should raise our children! And they
are asking us to give up even more freedom on a daily basis. I am
actually afraid for the future or our country. And as we grow closer
to a world government, it appears that our world government will be
very "Orwellian" indeed.
[Stepping down from my soap box.]
***
Being a family man myself, I think it's important that the family take
back what is rightfully theirs - the ability to govern all family matters
without worrying about governments to screw it up.
***
You're right and I agree. I don't _really_ want the government
mandating what parents should be doing. But the simple fact is that at
this point the situation is so grave that who knows if it can be fixed.
Simply asking people not to have kids if they can't/won't raise them
right isn't going to work. And trying to get non-disciplinarians to
suddenly turn to discipline won't happen either. My point was that if
people aren't willing to do what is necessary to REMAIN ALIVE and have
a decent place to live then they don't really deserve the rights that
they're clamoring for. There's just too much worrying about who's
telling who what they can and can't do and not enough people looking at
what it is they're doing that's wrong!
________________________________________________________
> ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
=====================
On CompuServe
-------------
compiled by
Joe Mirando
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Its time for us to again take a quick
trip down that electronic highway. C'mon, I'll drive! And while I'm
watching the road, you can look out the windows and do some sight seeing.
Now, I know that the "electronic highway" bit is wearing a bit thin,
but let's face it, it's the best metaphor for going online right now.
Well, at any rate, let's go for a quick spin and we'll see what we
can see.
From the Atari Computing Forums
===============================
Bernard Gaughran tells us:
"My first computer was an Atari 1200XL. It had no disk drives of any
kind, just a cartridge slot and one of those frustrating data cassete
things which would take all day to load a program (if you were lucky
enough to get it to load at all). I remember thinking I had tons of
memory, what with 64K and all! All in all, it was a neat computer and
my "first love" but in the end it was not powerful enough and I had to
move on. I sold it (sob!) in 1985 and bought myself a shiny new Atari
520 ST! Joy!
This was one of the first ST's ever--external floppy drive and TOS had
to be loaded into memory at bootup off a disk! This computer
eventually developed serious problems, so I complained to Atari and
they replaced it with an STfm (TOS in ROM and an internal floppy,
though they let me keep my external too).
This computer I used and was happy with for many years. I did all my
word processing, programming (GFA Basic), game playing, etc. on it. It
was no longer an electronic device; it was my good and trusted friend
(okay, okay, maybe I need to get out more). But, alas, as I moved
into 3D modeling and animation I found it impossible to stick with my
ST; eventually, with a heavy heart, I boxed it up and bought a dreaded
IBM clone, with windows and the like. It's a decent computer, but no
more than that; it certainly isn't magical, like my ST.
Every so often I look at the stack of boxes in the corner of the room
labeled "ST stuff" and think, I ought to sell it or give it away.
But then I think, "If I sell it, I wouldn't get much money for it and
it will probably end up with someone who doesn't care about it, someone
who looks at Atari computers with scorn and contempt. Probably as some
snot-nosed college students word processor."
Yes, I know it's only a computer; it can't really be "abused" or
"neglected." What I just can't stand is the thought of it belonging
to someone who doesn't appreciate it in the least. Neurotic perhaps,
but there it is.
And of course, I just don't want to let it go. So I put the thought of
selling it out of my head one more time...
What I really want is to find a use for it! I thought that perhaps my
wife could use it--she plays piano/keyboard and wants to get into
MIDI...wants to be able to hook a computer up to her keyboard and play
music, and have the computer transcribe what she plays into standard
musical notation, suitable for editing and printing (my windows machine
doesn't "do" sound, one of its many weaknesses). I know the ST does
MIDI well (though I never used it for that myself) ...but mine is a
real old one, with an old version of TOS, single-sided floppies, no HD
and only 512k mem. I don't know if there is any decent MIDI software
it can handle without serious upgrading, and unfortunately, I can't
afford to throw much money at it (wish I could).
Anybody out there have any ideas, comments, suggestions? I'm at a
loss."
Brian Gockley of ST Informer and The Connecticut AtariFest tells Bernard:
"There are quite a few music programs that will work well on that 520,
EditTrak comes to mind right away. There's a fellow named Mike Mortilla
that is here online that is a dedicated user that can tell you more,
and the programmer is here also.
P.S. You can probably pick up a 2nd had copy of EdiTrak for less than
$200 if you look around."
Rob Rasmussen tells Brian (and Bernard):
"Actually, a brand new EditTrack Platinum (newest version) can be had
for $99.95. Binary Sounds has taken over Barefoot's MIDI software and
have reduced prices. EditTrack Gold is now $59.95."
Peter Joseph asks Rob:
"Are you saying that Stefan is no longer supporting his terrific
software? I have the SMPTEtrack pro bundle and I like the idea of
being able to come here and talk to Stefan directly about it. What a
bummer. Let me/us know what gives on this situation."
Peter then tells Bernard:
"First of all, don't feel alone 'cause you've got plenty of company. We
all have had a loving relationship :) with our trusty ol' Ataris.
Times change however and unfortunately Atari didn't change with them so
we're all stuck with lovable but old orphans.
I have been in the same boat for years. I just recently took the
plunge after many months of research and bought a PC. I wanted to make
sure I got one that could sufficiently replace the Atari so I went the
whole 9 yards and got a Pentium based machine with all the fixins. I
must admit it's quite impressive and I think it will more than replace
the Atari. And, although Atari has had the leading edge for many years
where MIDI is concerned it just isn't that way anymore; it's obvious to
me now that the PC will do that nicely too. All these things come at a
price though. But I paid the price and now I have a system that will
be supported and upgraded for years to come.
I have a MegaST4 that I have been using for MIDI and other things for
several years. As far as your system goes, I'll point this out. With
less than 1 meg of ram you will be hard pressed to even load any decent
MIDI software much less do anything with it if it does load. MIDI
recording uses a lot of ram and disk space (hard drive essential). So
you see, even though the ST has the benefit of having MIDI built in,
with the latest software 1 meg is a push and any less is about
impossible. Sorry to have to drop this on you. I've got both the Mega
and the PC sitting here and I plan to keep it that way for a while
anyway. I also have a 1040ST sitting in a box as well. You're right
about how hard it is to give up on such a trusty friend."
Ethan Mings joins in and tells Peter:
"I too have an Atari Mega sitting in a box. An Atari Mega St with 4
Mg of ram up and running (I'm typing this message on it). BUT, I
purchased a 486 with all the 'fixins' last fall due to the need for
current software in both data base and statistics. I'm sorry to say,
Atari just doesn't have the software to keep up with the times. On the
other hand, my DOS/Windows machine will never have the ease and
greatness of GEM when working with software.
In a nutshell, I don't know who the folks are at ATARI but they sure
aren't the wisest in understanding the market place. Somehow, I don't
think they took Micro-Econmics 101. (The lecture on profit, services
and long run competitive advantage)."
Henry Rapoport tells Bernard:
"Do what I do, use it as a terminal and a machine to fiddle around
with for programmiing. It's a heck of a lot easier to deal with AES and
VDI and GEMDOS calls even from ST BASIC than to try deal with Windows
or OS/2 or even (I know someone will say something) Amiga Workbench/Dos
whatever. It's relatively simple to program, and there are fewer and
fewer machines that you can say that for. I still even use my 1200XL
for the same thing, although I do play a lot of games on it still...."
Anthony Catanzar asks:
"Does anyone remember how to load a basic program from the disk drive
on an Atari 800. I just took mine out of the closet to see what I
wrote 15 years ago and can't remember..."
Sysop Bill Aycock tells Anthony:
"How about LOAD "D:PROG.BAS" for a first try? Been awhile for me,
too! Remember that the main 8-bit support area is in GO ATARIGAM --
the folks there will be able to jog your memory as much as necessary!"
Richard Watt asks:
"Is there a fast way of finding out whether a desk accessory is loaded
or not?
I have a routine to do this, but it is slow and I have to restrict it
to certain RAM areas. I would like to be able to detect Harlekin so
that I can adjust the screen sizes to avoid the clock as it looks
messy. Also, perhaps to read the internal config. to see if the clock
is active or not."
Sysop Jim Ness tells Richard:
"Yes, there is a GEM call to search for open apps via their file name
(no extender). In early TOS, that means you can search for ACCs. In
MultiTOS, it means you can also search for multitasking programs.
I'm on the road, unfortunately, and can't remember the name of the
call. shel_read, maybe?"
Carl Barron adds:
"The aes call is appl_find(char *name); /* name is left justified space
padded if nec. */"
Now, I have no idea what any of that means, folks. So I'll just take
their word for it.
Ben Slade sends up an S.O.S.:
"Help! I seem to be having a great deal of trouble with my 1040
STe (TOS 1.06). Firstly, often when I exit from a program, the
drive windows open in the wrong places and I lose a window (I can only
open 3 windows instead of 4). Eventually it bombs and resets the
computer. Also it messed up the directory of one of my temp folders.
Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong? It is a known virus?
Is it problems with the computer or hard disc? Help..."
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Ben:
"The symptoms you describe sound somewhat familiar.. I've never
encountered those problems myself, but I think I remember someone else
posting a message describing a similar problem...
If I recall correctly, the answer was to delete the DESKTOP.INF file
from the root directory of the hard drive, then set up the desktop the
way you like it and re-save it again.
Apparently if the DESKTOP.INF file becomes corrupted, it can cause all
kinds of grief, similar to what you've been seeing.
(By the way, even though this isn't likely to be a problem with a
virus, it's a good idea to use a virus scanner on your system
regularly.. if something does appear, you'll have a lot better chance
of catching it before it really causes trouble...)"
Andrew Duncan asks:
"Can anyone give me advice on hard discs? I've got an old 1040STFM, and
recently come across a Rodime SCSI disc, type RO652 02C. Can I simply
get a 50 pin SCSI cable, rig up a 12v & 5v power supply, & get going?
Or is that too simple (grin).
Any help would be appreciated."
Kris Gasteiger tells Andrew:
"I don't know anything about the Rodime hard drives, but if they're
scsi, then all you should need beyond what you listed, is a scsi host
adapter, and hard drive software. I reccomend the ICD Link, and ICD
SCSI Pro software.
The link plugs into the cable between the drive and the computer, so
hooking the drive up to a computer with a SCSI port is as simple as
removing the Link from the cable.
The ICD SCSI PRO software includes the hard disk driver,and a suite of
very sweet tools for maintaining your drive.
You should be able to find these at your "local ATARI dealer", lacking
one of those, try:
TOAD Computers
570 Governor Ritchie Highway
Severna Park, MD 21146-2925
410-544-6943 (Info)
800-448-8623 (orders)"
Ian Fleming posts this sad note:
"I'm afraid I have finally decided to move on from the Atari.Mainly
because my wife has bought a Mac set up for Freelance DTP work. I
should like to thank all the people on the CIS Atari Forums for their
help and friendliness over the past few years. I shall not slag off
Atari because the Machines are good and the software is much better
value for money than the Mac."
From the Palmtop Forums
=======================
Andrew Hradesky asks:
"I am in the market to buy a Portfolio which was/is manufactured by
Atari. My current notebook is unrealistic for my job needs (Laser
PC-4). It is great for school and note taking but clumsy as a PIM. My
Cambridge Z88 died last year and the cost of repair is too much. Is it
possible to purchase Portfolios with more than the installed 128K RAM?
The one I owned several years ago had a 512K card (beta Atari version)
which was also clumsy. Has the portfolio's PCMCIA port been redesigned
for current standards?"
Sysop Ron Luks tells Andrew:
"The Portfolio sold by Atari today is the same unit from, 1988. Same
128k with 3rd party upgrades available at additional cost. The Atari's
card slot is not PCMCIA standard."
On the subject of "Pentops", the amazing little computers that you write
on instead of keyboard entry, Paul Reder asks about the Casio Z-7000:
"I am "in-the-market" for a Z-7000. I love the idea of going online
with it. I am an America Online user as well as CompuServe. Will the
Z-7000 support CompuServe someday? Is there a unit out besides the
Z-7000 that supports CompuServe?
Also, I am interested to find out where the best place to purchase my
unit would be. Is there a mall merchant here online that is offering
good prices?
Also, where is the best place to purchase all the accessories?
I can't wait to hear all about this product and can't wait to try it
for myself."
Sysop Ron Luks tells Paul:
"Yes, the Z-7000 will support CompuServe. CIS has a GEOS app
available ($10 charge to download the program but you get a $10 usage
credit, so essentially, its free)."
Paul asks Ron:
"Can you get full access to compuserve including CB features??? I
know that AOL is very limited. If it can support a full version of
CompuServe I'm sold!!"
Ron tells Paul:
"Unfortunately, the access to CIS via their GEOS interfaced is limited
similarly to the AOL interface. I campaigned hard for full system
access, but it was too late in the development stages to get this."
Sysop Marty Mankins adds:
"Full access would be nice, but at least they have e-mail and a few
other often used CIS options on this version.
It would have been nice to include at least this forum, where the
support for the Zoomer is."
Doug Miller posts his "Notes From the Road":
"I'm just back from a few days on the road, and knowing that Lloyd at
least occasionally likes to hear things from a user perspective, I
thought I might give report a bit on how I used my Z-PDA this trip.
This might also be interesting information for new users/potential
users, to let you know a little more what the capabilities of the
Zoomer are.
Two things made this trip a bit unusual: first, it was the first
opportunity my partner and I had to get together for an extended period
of time since he bought his Zoomer, and we intended to do some much
needed strategic planning for our business. So with both Zoomers in
tow, we set out for Grand Rapids, MI, from Indianapolis.
Along the way, we held some pretty heavy duty discussions about our
business directions. He drove, I scrawled noted in PowerInk on my Z.
The trip is about four hours, and by the time we'd arrived, I'd filled
about ten notebook pages. I had also received three or four articles
from Rueters on my EMBARC Newscard. These were principally market
close updates. During our discussion I pulled up an article on
Videoconferencing that I had saved about a week ago, it significantly
figured in our discussions for about an hour. Halfway there we stopped
for gas and I bought a drink and some snacks; I logged the expense in
Pocket Quicken.
It turned out that my partner had actually booked us in a fishing
lodge in Holland, MI, rather than a proper hotel. It seems that he and
a girlfriend had stolen away there one weekend when he was an
undergrad. To my mind, the most significant feature was the lack of a
phone in the room. After a momentary panic, my EMBARC card chimed, and
I relaxed; I was still connected.<g> That night we continued our
discussions after we used the IR link to transfer the notes I had taken
into his Zoomer.
Early the next morning we drove into Grand Rapids to meet with a
potential client. Along the way I read him the morning news and
business news items, including the Asian market close, off of EMBARC.
During the meeting, we both took notes on our Z-PDA's. The client was
impressed, both with our services and with our Zoomers. We were asked
for a proposal. The client was suitably blow away when we used the IR
port to trade our notes at the end of the meeting.
After the meeting, we checked out of good old Ed and Bertha's Fishin'
Shack, and headed for a hotel, where I used the Z-PDA and a pay phone
to log on to CIS and AOL to check e-mail. After that, we walked out on
to the beach, and continued our strategic discussions and Zoomer note
taking on the shores of Lake Michigan, just like the AT&T commercial.
During a late lunch in St. Joseph, MI, we again traded notes over the
IR Link.
The drive back was similar to the drive up, and by the time we were
back, we'd generated over twenty pages of notes to make up our
strategic plan for the next twelve months, as well as several pages of
notes from our meeting in the morning. Oh, we also stopped at a
roadside stand where I bought a quart of fresh blueberries and 4
apricots; expense logged in Pocket Quicken.
That night, I realized that my partner hadn't taken the last few pages
of notes we'd taken. I copied the entire notebook to my PC via
PalmConnect, copied the necessary pages into a new notebook, and sent
the whole thing to him via MS-Mail using CIS as a mail hub.
All in all, it was a successful trip, and a great acid test for the
Z-PDA in field service for general business tasks. If anyone else is
doing creative things in the field with their Z-PDA, I'd sure like to
hear them, so I can incorporate them into our operations!"
Sysop Lloyd Wasser tells Doug:
"Thank you! I don't think anyone could have said it better - being
able to "hear" about your trip and actually understanding how the
Zoomer proved useful was very rewarding for me; I really liked the fact
that you used a variety of tools with it, including the CIS software
and the new pager.
Great stuff. I'd love to re-publish your account, if you're willing,
in an upcoming issue of MTR. Let me know if that would be alright....
it seems to explain quite succintly the real world uses of this
technology. Something we seem to have been missing until now.."
Well folks, that's about it for this week. Boy, I can't get over how
quickly I run out of room while writing this column. Be sure to tune in
again next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what
they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
______________________________________________
> STReport CONFIDENTIAL "Rumors Tidbits Predictions Observations Tips"
"""""""""""""""""""""
- Norcross, GA HAYES TO REORGANIZE
------------
Hayes has announced a reorganization process thus reducing the
Norcros, GA, staff by 40 permanent and 80 temporary employees this week,
according to New York Times News Service report on 8/11/94. Other
reductions included selling off a Canadian based 25-person facility and
closing a six-person San Diego-based R&D office. Part of the Hayes
reorganization program included selling the rights to the Mac version of
the telecommunications program, Smartcom II. Why? Hayes made it known
that Macs "represent a relatively small percentage of the overall computer
marketplace." Those effected by the layoffs included clerical, mid-
management and engineering positions.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> A "Quotable Quote" "Get the Message?"
"""""""""""""""""
"YOU CAN FOOL SOME OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME...
ALL THE PEOPLE SOME OF THE TIME....
BUT YOU'LL NEVER FOOL ALL THE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME!"
A. Lincoln
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> DEALER CLASSIFIED LIST STR InfoFile * Dealer Listings *
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ---------------
ABCO Incorporated
=================
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155
Est. 1985
1-904-783-3319
1994 SUMMER SPECIALS NOW IN EFFECT!
EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND!!
---------------------
ABCO manufactures custom storage devices!
Name your preference!
INTEL 32 BIT 486/66, VLB w/Math CoProcessor
8MB ram upgradable to 64MB 1MB SVGA VESA VIDEO CARD
Sound Blaster Compatible Stereo Sound Card
DOS 6.2 - Windows for Workgroups 3.11 Included
256K CACHE - 1.44/1.2 FLOPPY Drives, Mouse & 101 deluxe Keyboard
340MB IDE hd - 2 SERIAL, 1 PARALLEL, 1 GAME PORTS
250W POWER SUPPLY TOWER SYSTEM - 14" SVGA 1024x768, NI 28dpi Monitor
66Mhz, S&H Incl 1295.00 - 695.00 with order, balance COD
Other higher powered packages available or, design your own!
100Mhz - P5 - Pentium Call for value added pricing!
Call: 904-783-3319 Anytime, Voice Mail
=====******=====
Syquest Removable 200mb 449.95 SCSI Drives(Priced Right!)
All Size Platters Available 200mb (84.95)
One Platter included with each Drive free!
Bernoulli! Call for Prices!
Diamond Computer High Speed Video Cards w/1-2mbVRAM
Greatly Enhances Windows SPEED and EFFICIENCY
Diamond High Performance Sonic Sound Cards Available
Soundblaster Cards and compatibles 8 & 16 bit
Creative Technologies' Sound Blaster 16 SCSI
&
Sound Blaster * AWE 32 * SUPER Sound Card
Media Vision Line - True Multi-Media
IDE Super IO cards & 16550 UART 2 & 4 Port Cards
SCSI ADAPTER CARDS & SCANNERS COLOR & MonoChrome
Call: 904-783-3319 Anytime, Voice Mail
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COMPUTER STUDIO
===============
WESTGATE SHOPPING CENTER
40 Westgate Parkway -Suite D
Asheville, NC 28806
1-800-253-0201
Orders Only
1-704-251-0201
Information
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
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EAST HARTFORD COMPUTER
======================
202 Roberts St.
East Hartford CT. 06108
1-203-528-4448
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
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MEGABYTE COMPUTERS
==================
907 Mebourne
Hurst, TX 76053
1-817-589-2950
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
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SAN JOSE COMPUTER
=================
1278 Alma Court
San Jose, CA. 95112
1-408-995-5080
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
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CompuSeller West
================
220-1/2 W. Main St.
St. Charles, IL., 60174
Ph. (708) 513-5220
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
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(DEALERS; to be listed here FREE of Charge, please drop us a line.)
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STReport International Online Magazine
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STR Online! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" August 12, 1994
Since 1987 copyright (c) 1994 All Rights Reserved No.1033
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