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Silicon Times Report Issue 1042
SILICON TIMES REPORT
====================
INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
=============================
from
STR Electronic Publishing Inc.
October 14, 1994 No. 1042
======================================================================
Silicon Times Report
International Online Magazine
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______________________________________________________________________
> 10/14/94 STR 1042 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
"""""""""""""""""
- STR INDUSTRY REPORT - MYST A Review - ZEOS Pentium 90
- IBM Buying into Apple! - IBM PPC - 1995 - Primera Pro Overview
- German Pirates Nailed! - COREL Champions - WP MAC 3.1 SHIPS!
- Mindscape News - People Talking - Jaguar NewsWire!
-* TOSHIBA: PENTIUM 75MHZ NOTEBOOK! *-
-* IBM INTRO'S OS/2 WARP! *-
-* ONLINE PRICE WAR? *-
==========================================================================
STReport International Online Magazine
The Original * Independent * Online Magazine
-* FEATURING WEEKLY *-
"Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
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"Enjoy CompuServe's forums; where information is at its very best!
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> From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""
The Pentiums are here right along with the PPC and all the earmarks
of wonderful things to come. On the PC front, it looks as rosy as it can
get. We all know that's relative but the truth is, its brighter and more
enjoyable with every passing month. Not to mention the remarkable
affordability in the PC world. There are those who'd have you believe
that the PC is not the way to go. Also there are those who seemingly
delight in telling me I am all wrong when I say the PC is the mainstream.
The only platform with a real and genuine future. That is the bottom line
folks.
Which of the existing platforms has a real and promising future? For
me the answer is easy.. the PC platform. A number of recent events lead
me to believe this. One of the main reasons being the migrations of major
software packages that were formally on other platforms only like Canvas
and OFOTO. These two packages alone are veritable powerhouses of
productivity and are indeed a fine compliment to any system. You may say
it was a simple business decision. I'll agree wholeheartedly. I'd even
go further and say the decision makers in those companies have an
excellent vision into the future and are preparing now for that future.
Sadly enough, I am, as many others are, a former "inhabitant" of a
dead platform. It was a wonderful platform. One that many fond memories
are and will remain a part of. I do however, see and hear many familiar
comments being made by members of the Mac community that sound an awful
lot like those I used to hear in the days I called the beginnings of the
end on my old platform. Five years from now will tell the tale. I
believe the PC platform is where the future is and will be henceforth.
The Mac, in my humble opinion, will slowly but surely evolve to the PC way
of doing things.
The first in a series of articles about the ZEOS Pentium appears in
this issue. I'm certain you'll enjoy this adventure as much as I am.
Thanks for your support!
Ralph....
Of Special Note:
----------------
STReport will be branching out further to Internet's userbase in the
very near future. We've received numerous requests to receive STReport
from a wide variety of Internet addresses. As a result, we're putting
together an Internet distribution/mailing list for those who wish to
receive STReport on a regular basis, and we'll UUENCODE each issue and
mail it to you.
If you're interested in being added to our mailing list, please, send
your requests to either "dpj@delphi.com" or, RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM. Look
for mailings to begin by October first. We are also considering a number
of Internet ftp sites in which to post our issues for as well. Whatever
we can do to make STReport available to you. we'll try it!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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 Paul Guillot 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:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Dominick J. Fontana 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 Tim Holt
Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
via E-Mail to:
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IMPORTANT NOTICE
----------------
STReport, with its policy of not accepting any paid advertising, has over
the years developed the reputation of "saying it like it really is". When
it comes to our editorials, product evaluations, reviews and over-views,
we shall always keep our readers interests first and foremost. With the
user in mind, STReport further pledges to maintain the reader confidence
that has been developed over the years and to continue "living up to
such". All we ask is that our readers make certain the manufacturers,
publishers etc., know exactly where the information about their products
appeared. In closing, we shall arduously endeavor to meet and further
develop the high standards of straight forwardness our readers have come
to expect in each and every issue.
The Staff & Editors
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> STR INDUSTRY REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
"""""""""""""""""""
IBM/POWER-PC/PC SECTION (I)
===========================
Computer Products Update - CPU Report
------------------------ ----------
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Issue #42
Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
******* General Computer News *******
** Online Price War **
Computer network rivals Prodigy and America Online waged a miniwar
on prices this week after Prodigy introduced a cheaper membership option
and reduced an hourly rate.
The Prodigy option, announced Wednesday morning, costs $9.95 a month
for five hours of online time and $2.95 for each additional hour.
Prodigy previously charged $14.95 a month for unlimited access to most
of the network.
By Wednesday evening, America Online, which also charges $9.95 for a
basic five-hour service, had said it would reduce its rate for additional
hours from $3.50 to $2.95.
** Philips to Launch CD-I for PCs **
The compact disc-interactive system, commonly known as CD-I, from
Philips Electronics NV will be available for use on personal computers
early next year.
Reports say that CD-I, only available so far for televisions, is a
multimedia game and entertainment system that allows users to manipulate
sounds and images.
"We are bridging the PC environment by introducing a CD-I card for
PCs," said John Hawkins, the Philips executive responsible for CD-I
sales.
The new CD-I card that will fit into a PC will give users access to
software, such as encyclopedias, that have only been available so far in
digital form via CD-ROM. Hawkins said that in addition to being more
user friendly than CD-ROM, CD-I is also superior for sound and video
applications.
"CD-I is a plug-and-play system," he said. "Consumers who work with
CD-ROM know what pain it is to make the software work."
However, Hawkins stressed that CD-I and CD-ROM were not competing
systems, noting that CD-ROM is "a productive system" for professional
use, while CD-I is intended for home entertainment.
"You would want to use CD-ROM if you deal with a whole lot of text or
databases such as phone directories," he said. "You would use an
encyclopedia on CD-I when it contains a lot of video items."
He would not disclose the retail price for which Philips will sell
the CD-I card, although Hawkins did say that the Dutch electronics firm
would join with other, unnamed firms to produce it.
** Dell Offers Pentiums Under $2,000 **
Word is Dell Computer Corp. is set to introduce a Pentium-based
system for corporate customers that starts below $2,000.
Reports from Dell say the slimline OptiPlex 560/L, which includes
Intel Corp.'s 60Mz Pentium processor, "is the final step in the complete
replacement of Dell's corporate desktop lines and is available immedi-
ately in the U.S. and Canada starting at $1,970."
Also, reports say Dell will offer Intel Corp.'s new 75MHz Pentium
with its products as the processor becomes widely available.
The OptiPlex 560/L's basic instruction software can be upgraded for
customers seeking to take advantage of the Plug and Play features
expected to be available with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows95 operating
system.
** IBM PowerPC Products Set for '95 **
IBM Chairman/CEO Louis Gerstner says a launch of PC products built
around the new PowerPC chip now is likely to take place in the first
quarter of next year.
Speaking with reporters during a visit to Brussels, Gerstner this
week commented, "We've always said it would be a late 1994 event. It now
looks likely to be early 1995."
The IBM chief is quoted as saying the PowerPC, based on a RISC archi-
tecture and jointly developed with Apple Computer Inc. and Motorola, is
mainly aimed at the workstation market where it already has been
launched.
** Apple Forecasts Higher Earnings **
Apple Computer Inc. announced this week it expects revenues and
earnings for the quarter ended Sept. 30 to be higher than expected,
causing the stock to once again jump in price.
Reports are that strong demand for the entry-level Power Macintosh
and PowerBook notebook systems are largely responsible for fourth
quarter revenues of approximately $2.50 billion, compared with $2.10
billion a year ago. In addition, the company forecast earnings that
should be just over 90 cents a share, compared with earnings of 24 cents
a share in the fourth quarter of 1993. Final results for the quarter
will be issued on Oct. 17.
Apple also said it expects gross margins as a percentage of net sales
for the fourth quarter will be slightly above the 26.7% it reported in
its third fiscal quarter, ended July 1, and that operating expenses will
be slightly less than 20% of net sales.
** Fujitsu Unveils New Tablet PC **
Fujitsu Personal Systems Inc. has introduced the Stylistic 500, a
2.6-pound tablet PC. The computer maker notes that the system's Intel
486DX2-50 microprocessor is the fastest microprocessor ever designed
into a tablet computer.
Fujitsu says the Stylistic 500 is designed for use in insurance,
transportation, utilities, consumer packaged goods, pharmaceuticals,
health care and other industries with a mobile workforce.
The Stylistic 500 features ATA and Type III PCMCIA slots. Also pro-
vided are 4MB of RAM (expandable to 20MB, two lithium-ion battery packs,
an infrared serial interface and an 8-inch monochrome screen. The
computer supports the DOS 6.2, Windows for Pen Computing, PenDOS and
PenRight operating systems.
Measuring 7.2 by 10.7 by 1.5 inches, the Stylistic 500 weighs 2.6
pounds with both battery packs installed. The system is scheduled to
become available in November. It will sell for $2,795, including a 105MB
PCMCIA hard disk, MS-DOS 6.2 and Windows for Pen Computing. The system
will also be available without the hard disk and operating system for
$2,285.
** AT&T Plans Pentium Notebooks **
AT&T Global Information Systems says it plans to release notebook PCs
based on Intel's new 75MHz Pentium microprocessor before year's end.
"Intel is an important partner for AT&T Global Information Solutions
and we plan to deliver high performance Pentium notebooks by the end of
the year," says Rob Howe, worldwide vice president of PC Marketing for
AT&T Global Information Solutions.
Howe didn't announce any specific product details. Several other PC
makers, including Toshiba and Dell Computer have already committed to
using the 75MHz Pentium CPU. Many other firms are also expected to jump
on the bandwagon.
** IBM Introduces OS/2 Warp **
In a packed Broadway theater in New York City this week, IBM Corp.
unveiled its third-generation operating system, OS/2 Warp, that it says
will sell at a street price of under $80.
Sources say that the new operating system is designed for corporate,
small business and home computer users and will be widely available by
the end of the month. A version for use with local area networks will
begin beta-testing in November.
Several computer manufacturers, including Dell and Toshiba, immedi-
ately announced plans to include OS/2 Warp with the computers they sell.
IBM said the retail price of OS/2 Warp will be $129, but officials
said they expect it to sell for less than $80. Another version, called
the "fullpack edition," is designed for users without Windows. It will
sell for $199 retail with an expected street price of $130. Both
editions will be shipped with a "BonusPak" of popular applications
including word processing, spreadsheet, database, networking, Internet
access and multimedia programs.
More than 40 software vendors also announced plans to develop new
software titles for OS/2 Warp.
** Toshiba to Have 75MHz Notebook **
The T4900CT, Toshiba America Information Systems Inc.'s first Intel
75MHz Pentium-based notebook, is to be on the market by late next month
with a suggested retail price of $7,499.
The company is quoted as saying the T4900CT offers a 10.4-inch color
TFT active matrix screen, integrated AccuPoint pointing device and a new
VL local-bus graphics accelerated video controller to provide multimedia
capabilities for graphics/processor-intensive applications.
It is built around Intel Corp.'s new 3.3-volt 75MHz Pentium pro-
cessor, newly-developed high-speed EDO memory, and high capacity 810MB
hard disk drive.
** IBM to Buy Equity Stake in Apple? **
What started out late last week as rumors of an imminent buy-out of
Apple Computer by AT&T or Motorola turned into a published article this
weekend in the San Francisco Chronicle, asserting that IBM Corp. would
either invest in Apple or reach an agreement on a common standard to
make each company's computers compatible with one another. True or not -
- neither company will confirm the report -- Apple and IBM stock are up.
It's reported that representatives from both companies have confirmed
that they are talking but will not provide details. Apple CEO Michael
Spindler reportedly met with IBM senior vice president James Cannivino
three times last week to discuss an IBM equity investment.
Wall Street analysts have long insisted that Apple needs to revive
its business and loss of market share by finding ways to attract new
users. If a single machine standard that would run IBM's OS/2, Apple's
Macintosh and Microsoft's Windows operating systems were developed,
sales would no doubt jump. Such a standard would also benefit software
developers, who would have a greater incentive to write new programs for
a bigger potential market.
** N.Y. Architects Honor Autodesk **
The New York Society of Architects has honored Autodesk Inc. with a
Special Award in recognition of the company's development of AutoCAD
software and other Autodesk CAD (computer-aided design) products.
Autodesk is the first computer software company to receive an award
from the prestigious organization.
The New York Society of Architects, established in 1906, is a not-
for-profit organization devoted to the advancement of architecture
through education, information and professional development.
** Government Funds Info Highway **
The U.S. federal government this week doled out $24 million to com-
munities as large as Chicago and as small as Hall, Montana with its
population of 95 people to help them plan or build their own versions of
the information superhighway.
Reports from Washington, D.C. say that funding was awarded by the
Department of Commerce to 90 of the 1,000 applicants. The smallest grant
of $3,000 went to Hall, which plans to install a connection to the
Internet in its two-room schoolhouse that will provide access for the
entire town, including the school's 25 students.
The largest grant of $716,883 was awarded to a remote-education pro-
ject that will serve 15 of the most sparsely populated states, including
Alaska, Hawaii and Wyoming. The program will offer six degree or certi-
ficate programs, including water quality management and hospitality
management. It will be run by the Western Interstate Commission for
Higher Education in Boulder, Colorado.
Chicago will use its $415,497 grant to compile home mortgage and
lending information available in the metropolitan area into a community
computer network. It is hoped that by making such information widely
available, discriminatory lending practices will be alleviated.
The projects are examples of communications technology "changing the
way we provide for our families ... changing the way we educate our
children ... and interact with each other," said Commerce Secretary Ron
Brown.
Others receiving grant funds included:
--The Native American Public Broadcasting Corp. for a project that
will link 500 Indian tribal governments nationwide.
--The Carnegie Institute for a project that will link environmental
databases of nine science institutions and museums.
About $58 million is expected to be awarded next year for similar
projects by different groups.
** Sports Illustrated Goes Digital **
Sports Illustrated is coming to CD-ROM. With a century's worth of
baseball stats? The best of the football bloopers? A gigabyte of old
O.J. Simpson interviews?
Well, maybe later. But first, the annual Swimsuit Issue.
In Cambridge, Massachusetts, officials with SoftKey International
Inc. said the firm is set to sell Windows- based CD-ROM calendars of the
best-selling SI issue, with a version for Apple Macintosh to follow
soon. And the company says already the $29.95 CD-ROM it has ever
published.
"Our initial orders from retailers were three times the unit volume
we've received from any other CD title," Softkey President Kevin O'Leary
said. "We've had lots of calendars -- whales, cards, baseball -- but
nothing has come close to the orders we've seen on this one."
The CD contains 70 images, "many of them not included in the annual
issue, which can be used to create computer or pocket calendars or to
print out images on color printers. The calendar is perpetual, meaning a
customer needn't buy another one every year."
** Germans Crack Piracy Ring **
Authorities in Dresden, Germany, have arrested three men accused of
selling thousands of bootleg copies of Microsoft Corp.'s MS-DOS 6.2
software. Estimates of the value of the illegal software is about $9
million.
Police spokesman Lothar Hofner said that between June and August, the
trio produced 100,000 complete software packages and illegally copied
400,000 floppy disks.
Hofner said authorities searched apartments, offices and warehouses
in three German states and Berlin and found production, copying and
packaging equipment, as well as 50 PCs, adding the equipment was running
around the clock.
________________________________
> Corel Champs! STR Spotlight Top Drawer Stuff!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
COREL CHAMPIONS
BIOGRAPHIES
Congratulations to the first group of winners of the COREL CHAMPION
AWARDS. Below please find a biography of each of the winners for this
quarter. Once again, thank-you Mark, Brian, Steve, Jack and Jerry for
your hard work in the forum.
Mark Alger 73611,2514
======================
24-year veteran of the concert industry, working for promoters, venues,
etc., as a gopher, office manager, etc. up to 1980, when I came to work at
Otto as first an account rep, then designer, finally production person.
Otto is the world's leading producer of access control systems for the
music touring industry.
At Otto have worked in art & type, stripping & platemaking, the pressroom
and the bindery. Was production manager from 1981-1986. Since then I
swim in calmer waters as the leading sales rep and designer for the
entertainment division. Since 1993 have also served as graphics
supervisor and systems manager, researching and specifying computer
equipment and software buys and configuring and maintaining our computer
systems. (It's a small company. <g>)
I write a regular column for Chris Dickman's CorelDRAW Journal on output
strategies ... aimed at the small print shop and graphic designers
struggling with the realities of DTP and the graphic arts. This year, I
contributed an unaccredited article for Rick Altman's _Mastering CorelDRAW
5_, published by Sybex and on the shelves right now.
My participation on the CORELAPPS forum began, I think, in a pretty
typical manner. I signed on to CIS to get help with problems I was
having. I was very surprised to find myself considered an expert, but was
quite glad to share that expertise with fellow seekers after knowledge. I
have, upon occasion, found myself embroiled in controversy, a position I
find somewhat uncomfortable. I am not, however, one to keep my thoughts
to myself. <g>
Brian L Johnson 100101,3623
============================
Aged 45, I am married with 2 children (boy and girl, 14 and 15) and 2
cats.
I served in the Royal Air Force for 16 years, flying Vulcans, F4s and,
latterly, HS125 trainers. When I retired from the service in 1985, I went
back to my first love (and academic training) and decided to start a
software consultancy business.
Amazed at the low quality of many of the local software firms, I resolved
to provide an honest service to small businesses. Working from an office
on the back of my house-- in a village just south of Lincoln-- I can
provide telephone support to firms whilst slaving over my current
projects.
I work in conjunction with a local printer to produce school brochures,
newsletters, posters, company reports, manuals, etc. Books (in
particular, translations) and larger technical manuals are generating an
increasing amount of business, usually originating in the EU.
Naturally, CorelDraw and Ventura have been in my stable since the
beginning (v1.01 and v1.2, I think) and I am looking forward to grappling
with CV5 in the near future! Several interesting projects lie ahead for
Ventura.
Most of my non-DTP work involves supplying and installing software to
local firms. I provide training and support, in particular, for
custom-built database applications and accountancy programs.
I teach IT-related subjects at local colleges and also provide a gratis
service for several village societies.
Despite the high UK phone charges-- the boulders on Britain's Information
Superhighway-- I regularly log-on to CIS. It enables me to stay ahead (or
at least abreast) of competitors and to meet a broad spectrum of fine
people. Of late, my daughter has discovered the Internet and the
availability of e-mail fanzines, so my CIS and phone-bills have been
steadily rising.
Nonetheless, it's nice chatting to you all <S>. Take care.
Steve Rindsberg 70711,55
=========================
Steve Rindsberg runs RDP (Rindsberg Digital Photography), a slide imaging
service bureau in Cincinnati, Ohio. As you might well imagine, RDP is a
Corel Approved Service Bureau, but also handles imaging slides, 4x5's and
overhead transparencies from most popular PC and Mac graphics programs.
Steve wrote the book on printing from Corel Draw. Well, ok, not *the*
book, but *a* book ... Rick Altman's Mastering Corel Draw. Well, ok, not
the book, the chapter. But you get the idea. Steve's also a contributing
editor for The Cobb Group's "Inside Microsoft PowerPoint".
Steve's not particularly imaginative when it comes to blowing his own
horn, so that's about all he can think of to say about himself.
<<No, wait, that's not true ... there's more, lots more! My wife's name
is Helen, and we have two cats. I like to sing really old music and ...>>
Ahem!
That's ALL he can think of to say about himself!
<<Oh. Sorry.>>
<g>
Steve
Jack L. Chalker 72205,613
===========================
Jack L. Chalker is the founder of The Mirage Press, Ltd., a small press
publishing company that has been in business since 1961. He got interested
in computers when running the night shift computer room at Johns Hopkins
University in 1965, and in the late Sixties was involved in setting up
what is now called a service bureau in Baltimore that used early computer
typesetting and graphics equipment. He has also been an advisor and
consultant to others setting up small press book operations, at least a
dozen of which are now going in the U.S., and in helping such operations
with book design, typography, illustration, and promotion. In the Eighties
he concentrated on the PC rather than Mac side of production, since that
is what the bulk of his clients began with, and was an early proponent of
Postscript on the PC. For the past few years, he has used (and
recommended) CorelDraw for advertising and promotional materials and for
jacket, type design, and illustration preprocessing. Best known as a
science fiction novelist and computer columnist, he is constantly testing
and pushing new desktop publishing, graphics, and layout software and
hardware.
Jerry Sanderson 74660,2213
===========================
I was raised on a farm in western Pennsylvania. Spent several years
working as a machinist while taking various courses in electronics. In
the mid-70's I landed a job programming for a Univac 9400 (24K memory!)
mainframe and in a few months was promoted to Systems Analyst. After two
years, I moved on to my ultimate goal (electronics work), and spent the
next eleven years as a two-way radio bench and field service technician.
Eventually, the self-destructive urge for independence led me to strike
out on my on as a self-employed field service tech, working from my home
near Harrisburg, Pa. I currently service copiers, fax machines and laser
printers in the south-central Pennsylvania area, while my wife and I
operate a part-time word processing and DTP business. Two cats, a blind
dog and our two boys (4 and 5) are delighted to help us keep the office
in a continual state of disarray. Not that we need the help.
Editor Note;
A Corel Champion is one who cheerfully volunteers to help others
through the everyday problems one encounters in all software/hardware
adventures. The folks above have gone above and beyond the call. Thanks
much folks!
______________________________
> Mindscape Inc. STR Spotlight
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The Software Toolworks, Inc.
Becomes Mindscape, Inc.
-- New Corporate Name and Logo Underscore
Long-Term Commitment to Consumer Market --
Novato, CA -- October 1, 1994 -- After nearly fifteen years in the
consumer software industry, The Software Toolworks, Inc. has changed its
name to Mindscape, Inc., to more accurately reflect the type of products
the company produces and the markets it serves. Simultaneously, Mindscape,
Inc. is unveiling a new logo, the result of extensive focus testing and
planning.
Mindscape is a name familiar to many long-time industry watchers and
personal computer software consumers. Acquired by The Software Toolworks
in 1990, Mindscape, Inc. has been a leading force in entertainment
software for personal computers and video game systems for many years. The
Software Toolworks has continued to distribute individual titles under the
Mindscape label -- principally its video game cartridges.
As company executives began to plan for the future, they grappled with a
number of consumer marketing issues, including the name of the company.
Numerous surveys of software dealers, store salespeople and end users
revealed that while The Software Toolworks was well known and appreciated
by its loyal customer base, the name was also considered restrictive.
Seeking a name that encompasses the creative, innovative, and entertaining
value of its products, management discovered one in its own backyard.
"As we expand our place in the consumer software market, the software we
produce will continue to set new standards for creativity and innovation,"
said Bob Lloyd, Chairman and CEO of Mindscape, Inc. "Mindscape products
will educate and entertain, broadening users' minds while allowing them to
'escape' at the same time. The name is a perfect fit."
A New Look
----------
Once the company had arrived at the decision to adopt a new name,
officials began the process of selecting a new logo. Because a logo
communicates a great deal about the identity of a company to its customers
and associates, great care was taken in the selection of the new image.
The new logo, chosen only after extensive nationwide consumer testing,
will be used on all future packaging and print materials from Mindscape.
An animated sequence featuring the logo is currently being prepared for
inclusion in forthcoming software products. A GIF file of the new logo is
available in our Software Lirabary.
"As companies look forward to the 21st century, they must ask themselves
how their customers will interact with their logos," said Julie
Wainwright, Mindscape's Vice President of Marketing. "For us, our logo is
more than a simple watermark to be used on business cards. Our customers
will see our logo -- fully animated -- every time they run one of our
programs."
Mindscape, Inc. is a leading developer and publisher of consumer software
for personal computers and video game systems. Founded in 1980 as The
Software Toolworks Ltd., the company was a pioneer of entertainment,
educational, and reference software. Market-leading software like The
Chessmaster, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing!, The Software Toolworks World
Atlas and The Software Toolworks U. S. Atlas, and The San Diego Zoo
Presents... The Animals! have established the company's reputation
world-wide. Recent hits, including MegaRace, PC/Computing How Multimedia
Computers Work, and Merriam-Webster's Family Dictionary have strengthened
that reputation.
Among Mindscape's strengths are a unique ability to attract strong
strategic partners and top multimedia and content providers, the expertise
to recognize new opportunities in nascent technologies (including CD-ROM
and desktop video), and a worldwide distribution network of OEMs,
distributors, catalogs, major chains, resellers, dealers, mass
merchandisers, department stores and warehouse clubs.
The company was purchased in early 1994 by Pearson plc, an international
media group based in London whose other holdings include Addison-Wesley
Publishing Co., Penguin Books, Thames Television Ltd., The Tussauds Group,
satellite broadcaster BSkyB, The Financial Times of London, and a 50%
interest in The Economist. Later the same year, the company changed its
name to Mindscape to reflect more accurately the types of products it
produces and the markets it serves.
For more information on Mindscape products or to find a dealer near you,
please call (800) 234-3088.
_____________________________________
> ZEOS International STR InfoFile A company on the "move upward"
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
ZEOS INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
COMPANY PROFILE
ZEOS International provides superior value to customers by
(designing, manufacturing, servicing, supporting and marketing high
performance, high-quality, affordable personal computers.
ZEOS products include PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect), EISA
(Extended Industry Standard Architecture) and ISA (Industry Standard
Architecture) desktop and notebook computer systems and related hardware.
ZEOS computers are based on some of the most advanced and powerful
microprocessors available -- currently including Intel's 486SL, SX, DX2,
DX4, and Pentium CPUS. In addition to Microsoft DOS, ZEOS systems are
compatible with a variety of other operating systems including Novell
NetWare, OS/2, UNIX and ZENIX.
ZEOS products have earned numerous industry awards for performance,
speed, quality and value, making ZEOS one of the top computer companies in
the country. To maintain this excellence, ZEOS maintains their own
research and development subsidiary PC Tech, and an on-site Novell
certification laboratory at their headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
ZEOS' award-winning reputation continues with after-the-sale support.
In fact, no company has won more PC Magazine Readers' Choice for Service &
Reliability awards than ZEOS -- six in all. ZEOS was also one of the
first companies to provide 24-hour toll-free technical support. In
addition, all ZEOS products are covered by a One Year Limited Warranty and
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee. And many products include Express Parts
Replacement.
ZEOS markets its systems directly to value-added resellers,
businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, and the general
public primarily through direct-mail and multi-page advertisements in
leading PC publications.
ZEOS was incorporated in May 1981 and has been a public company since
October 1987. The company's stock is listed on the NASDAQ over-the-
counter exchange, where it trades under the symbol "ZEOS."
****
And now, the first in an eight part series, (hopefully only eight),
on what can only be called a "Dream System" with the ZEOS 90Mhz Pentium at
the center of everything. Through the course of the series, we shall
cover in detail the installation of each of the custom peripherals which
are listed below.
The Peripheral List:
--------------------
A)- 2 1083 Mb Western Digital 31000a Enhanced IDE Hard Drives
B)- 1 Teac CDROM CD55a 4x Drive
C)- 1 Mitsumi IDE CDROM Drive
D)- 1 Archive Viper 250mb SCSI Tape Backup
E)- 1 Sound Blaster AWE32 Sound Card w 2mb & Roland SCD-15 Daughter
Board.
F)- 1 Maxtor 340Mb SCSI Hard Disk
G)- 1 Canon IX-4015 SCSI Color Scanner 1200lpi w/ADF
H)- 1 Fargo Primera Pro Color Printer 600dpi
I)- 1 Hewlett Packard Laser Jet 4P Printer 600dpi
J)- MAG Innovision 17F Color Monitor 17" ni
K)- 1 USRobotics Dual Standard V.34/V.FC/28.8 External Modem
L)- Adaptec 1542cf SCSI Busmaster card & EZ SCSI Software
along with a few other items yet to be made mention of.
To Begin;
---------
When the cabinet was opened for the first time, the clean and very
orderly manner in which this machine was assembled was a treat to observe.
Of course, the size of the cabinet insured there was plenty of "room to
spare". Most importantly, a comment was passed shortly after mention was
made that we were looking a ZEOS Pentium over that was somewhat
disturbing. The comment went like this in so many words; "The card slots
were not able to support large cards in the ZEOS." This is absolutely not
true at all. For those of you who are familiar with the AWE32 Sound Card
you'll know its a _very_ large card. (Almost the full length of the
machine front to back) I installed the AWE32 and had room to spare
internally.
After the initial shock of seeing just how much faster this machine
was than the one we were running, a 486 dx50, the time for real
exploration arrived. The mother board is of the highest quality we've
seen. Obviously multi-layered and made well. The Cabinet is very well
designed, clearly done so with the future in mind as there is as mentioned
before, room to spare. The massive heat sink on the Pentium Chip does the
job as it is only warm to the touch. The cabinet is supplied with two
fans one in the front and one in the rear. The power supply was barely
warm to the touch after hours of use. It was at this point the decision
was made to commence with the installation of the peripherals. The IDE
hard drives had been formatted with Disk Manager in the other machine.
So, they had to be reformatted according to the new and much improved CMOS
in this machine. After setting the CMOS for the large hard disks and
telling it to use it all. we were ready to proceed with the bootup
process.
The first goodie to go in was the Adaptec 1542cf SCSI Busmaster Card
and the installation of the EZSCSI software. The method to the madness
was to install the scsi card so the tape backup and the scsi hard disk
mechanism could be easily installed, up and running . Why? Easy... the
directories for DOS, the tape backup software with the VTOC tables and the
other needed utilities were on the scsi hard disk mechanism. You see,
there really was plan. <g> A disk was prepared so the system would boot
recognizing the needed locations for DOS and the Tape software. Back to
the SCSI card's installation. All seemed to go well in fact, the card
went right in and the ribbon cables fit perfectly. Now, the moment of
truth. Turn the machine on time. Zipping right past the prelims.. the
machine started to do the right thing and then went to sleep.
With a re-boot and a CTRL A, the Adaptec SCSI card was re-configured
for this new speed demon of a machine and now, we see and admire a very
clean, immediate boot-up. All it took was an Interrupt change on the scsi
card.
The floppy disk was in drive "a" and it pointed to everything we
needed to get the system up and running. Up and running we were in fine
style. The first of seven backup tapes began to feed the system.
Next week; the Re-configuration and Software tune-ups.
_____________________________
> WITH THE FUTURE IN MIND STR Review
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The Kids' Computing Corner
--------------------------
THE NAME OF THE GAME
====================
by Frank Sereno
This past week I received several new programs for evaluation. I
need more time to give these titles the in-depth reviews as I have done in
the past. These titles will be reviewed fully in the next few issues of
the magazine but for now I wish to whet your appetites with brief
descriptions.
Four titles are from Western Publishing's new Step Ahead software
series. These programs all use Bright Star Technologies' patented
animation synchronization process so characters have lifelike mouth
movements in time with the audio. "ABC with Hickory and Me" features
Hickory, an adorable mouse, and Nat, his firefly friend. Fun activities
with varying difficulty levels aid children ages three to six in building
alphabet skills. "123 with Hickory and Me" features Hickory and Nat at a
meadow and small pond. Activities assist children in learning number
recognition, counting and other math skills.
The remaining two programs are for children ages six to eight.
Monker, a blue creature, and Echo, his purple Tribble-like friend, are the
hosts in "Monker's Math Factory" and "Monker's Spelling Submarine."
Addition and subtraction are learned in "Math Factory" and phonics,
spelling, rhyming and word-building skills are taught in "Spelling
Submarine." These colorful programs are as entertaining as they are
educational.
Next up on the list is Optical Data Corporation's "The Wanderoos Go
Exploring." Wanderoos are very similar in appearance to kangaroos.
Pocket and her twin brother Tails will lead your child on an interactive
journey of learning and discovery. This program comes on CD-rom and is
filled with hundreds of still-images and QuickTime movies to educate and
entertain your child. This program is aimed at children ages three to
eight but even adults can have fun tracking, capturing and feeding the six
missing wanderoos.
The final program awaiting review is T/Maker Company's
"Stradiwackius: The Counting Concert." This is a multilingual program
using 3-D animation to entertain and educate children about music and
counting. The program allows children to build unique instruments by
combining various tools. Due to the animations used in this program, it
requires at least a fast 486 CPU but a Pentium is recommended. This
program is visually and aurally stunning.
In the coming weeks I hope to be reviewing several programs from
Edmark and a few titles from American Educational Publishing which
publishes the new Muppet software line. I will continue to seek and
develop relationships with the major educational software publishers to
bring you the latest news and reviews. I also wish to spotlight shareware
authors and I welcome submissions of press releases and demonstration
software.
Here's some news of a worthwhile charity. Micrografx is holding its
sixth annual Chili for Children Cook-Off Tuesday, November 15 at 6pm at
the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. This year's festivities are
being advertised as the Chili-Willie-Dilly. The chili is prepared by many
of the biggest names in the computer industry. The Willie refers to
Willie Nelson, who will be giving a concert following the dinner. The
dilly is for the rip-roaring armadillo races. The cause is the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Tickets are $50 and are
available for purchase in the lobby of the Convention Center or the Sands
Expo or by calling 1-800-357-7255.
Elek-Tek has an interesting offer. They have a bundle of Davidson
products called Kid Tools which features Kid CAD, Kid Works 2 and Kid Keys
for the low price of $19.99. Until October 31 or while supplies last,
they will include a Davidson T-shirt with a purchase of Kid Tools. Call
708-677-7660 to order. Sorry, but Elek-Tek does not ship overseas.
Maxis will soon be introducing a junior version of its best-selling
SimCity program. Entitled SimTown, this new program is aimed at children
ages eight to twelve. Children will build neighborhoods by choosing and
placing various building along streets. Price is undetermined at this
time. You can contact Maxis at 1-800-336-2947.
Sierra has an interesting offer available now through October 31 for
owners of IBM compatibles with CD-rom drives and Windows. Three CD-roms
contain the anthologies of three of Sierra's most famous graphic adventure
series. The King's Quest Anthology contains all six King's Quest
adventures, a preview of KQ VII and an interview with Roberta Williams.
The Space Quest Anthology contains the five Roger Wilco adventures and an
interview of the Two Guys from Andromeda. Finally, the Leisure Suit Larry
Anthology includes all five Larry Laffer misadventures along with the
Laffer Utilities for Windows, Larry's Pinball Games, Nick's Picks-Larry's
Casino Games and a sneak peak at the latest Al Lowe creation, Capitol
Punishment. These collections will show the great advances in computer
capabilities and interfaces over the past ten years. Individually, the
anthologies cost $59.95. Two collections cost $99.95 and all three can be
purchased for $129.95. Call 1-800-757-7707 to order.
Regarding Leisure Suit Larry, a rumor came through Chicago that
Seinfeld's Jason Alexander was under consideration to portray Leisure Suit
Larry. Details were not available whether Mr. Alexander would be doing
the role for a feature motion picture, for a live-action interactive game
or both.
Thank you for reading.
_____________________________
> MYST STR Review
"""""""""""""""
M Y S T
=======
by Ivan Cockrum 72604,1117
By now you've probably seen and heard plenty of hyperbole regarding
Robyn and Rand Miller's new interactive game, MYST. MYST is unique in my
memory, in that people are actually going out and buying expensive CD Roms
just to play it. When a single piece of software can sell the hardware
required to use it, it's gotta be good. In any case, here at last is your
chance to find out what it's all about.
IN A NUTSHELL
-------------
The games begins when you, the player, find a lost MYST linking book.
This magical book transports you to the island of MYST, a lush, beautiful
land, filled with wonderful structures and picturesque vistas.
Immediately, the plot begins. You quickly learn that the inhabitants
of the island, Atrus, his wife and two sons are missing. Through the
Journals of the Ages, you learn that Atrus has somehow learned the
mystical ability to create whole new worlds, or Ages, merely by writing
them into existence. However, someone has been destroying the Ages. You
must travel to each of the remaining ages, where you will search for clues
to discover who is at fault, and what has become of Atrus and his family.
To complete the game, you must learn how to use the many strange and
mysterious machines left behind by Atrus in each of the Ages.
SETTING STANDARDS
-----------------
MYST succeeds admirably on many levels. With MYST, the Millers and
their team at Cyan have managed to set several new standards for computer
gaming.
First and most obviously, there's the art. Painstakingly conceived,
beautifully rendered, the art in MYST lives up to the full promise of the
photo-realistic, 3D graphic age. Every screen in MYST looks like a
snapshot of a real place: textures are rich and luxurious, from green
grass to knotty pine to cold steel walls; settings have genuine depth,
visibility diminishes into the distance; light sources reflect gaily off
bright surfaces or create eerie shadows. MYST's art appears real and
convincing, and is as attractive as anything ever seen on a computer
screen. This compelling quality aids greatly in drawing the player
into the game.
Then, there's the sound. Unlike in most games, where the sound track
is loud and intrusive, and important audible information lost beneath
blaring music, MYST's audio mix is clear and level. Never does the music
overpower any other aspect of the game, or interfere with spoken voice or
sound clues. Where background noise in games usually becomes tedious, the
sounds of MYST are pleasant and entirely harmonious with its superb art.
I never tired of hearing MYST's background sounds (though there is a
convenient option which allows you to turn them off), and rarely had to
adjust the volume. Further, the sounds you do hear are delightful and
provocative, from the low roar of a crackling fire, to the sweet sounding
flow of a gently rushing spring. And sound is not only a background
element, it's a source of information. With puzzles based on sound,
sound becomes essential in understanding and solving the worlds of MYST.
Further, sound *animates* MYST. Background animation in MYST is used
sparingly, due to the limitations of technology. Background animation on
every screen would eat up inordinate amounts of processor time. But the
sounds of MYST are so sparkling, so unobtrusive, they become a form of
living animation. Water swirls by in a constant stream in some places,
the wind cascades through the trees in others. Insects and reptiles
chirp. Everything is alive with movement, even though nothing is moving.
MYST also takes advantage of Quicktime to the greatest degree I've
ever seen in a game, even though it is used sparingly, as I mentioned
earlier. Because MYST runs on a Hypercard engine, moving objects around
on screen would have been difficult and tedious for the programmers, so
the Millers came up with the ingenious solution of performing ALL actions
with Quicktime movies: levers and gears, rising elevators, all Quicktime
movies, seamlessly integrated into the existing background art. MYST also
contains Quicktime actors, characters who speak to you. They, too, fit
flawlessly into their surroundings. As with MYST's sound, these Quicktime
movies are technically superior. They are well edited, and rarely do they
halt or skip.
The Millers have set still another standard, in interactive
storytelling. The story of MYST is as compelling and as richly textured
as any of the game's fine graphics, and compares favorably with any of
Infocom's best text adventure games. The plot is well developed, the
characters have great depth and are rich with motive and idiosyncrasies,
and the mystery of MYST's missing inhabitants engaging. MYST genuinely
draws the player in. While playing, I actually FELT that I was a part of
this world. I found myself wondering who I was within the context of the
game, where I had been before coming to MYST. And since MYST doesn't
presume the gender of the player, the game should be equally appealing to
players of both sexes.
As adventure games go, MYST is fair, yet challenging. The puzzles
are all logical, and involve no leaps of faith. Rather than making you
figure out how to use an endless array of meaningless inventory, MYST's
puzzles are usually based on learning to use one of Atrus' many machines
(all of which could have been inspired by Jules Verne). Traditional
adventure game mapping is difficult in MYST, until you realize that the
topography of MYST mirrors that of real life. Rather than the usual grid
of labeled boxes, I found myself drawing contour maps, with icons
indicating each point-of-view I found. If you can see something in the
distance, chances are you can get to it in a linear fashion. Also, there
are no frustrating, arbitrary boundaries in MYST. Because the Ages of
MYST exist as a series of tiny islands, each is bounded by water, which
helps preserve the illusion of an endless world.
MULTI-MEDIA, BUZZWORD OF THE 90s Finally, what all this adds up to is
something of great import. In my opinion, MYST is the first TRUE
computer-based, interactive multi-media experience. Forgetting MYST for
the moment, let's think about the definition of multi-media. As explained
by the computer industry and the media, it basically just means that you
can add audio to your boring Persuasion presentation. But let's think
about what it really means. A medium is something through which a message
is conveyed, including the spoken word, photography, film, painting, etc.
Multi-media is the expression of one or more ideas through a multiple of
mediums. Adding a rock and roll soundtrack to your high-tech video game
isn't multi-media, it's just background noise. The soundtrack doesn't
convey any important information.
But in MYST, multiple mediums DO join together to convey information.
In MYST, there are at least three separate mediums through which
information is conveyed, all of which have been mentioned above. First,
there's the art. You learn a great deal about MYST by what it looks like.
Second, there's the sound. The sounds of MYST aren't just pleasant
background noise: they often contain vital clues and solutions to puzzles.
Third, there's the story. This can be broken down into two parts: the
Journals of the Ages, in which you learn much of MYST's history; and the
plot as you experience it. (Theoretically, these could be considered two
different mediums, but I'm trying to keep it simple, for the sake of the
argument). Each of these mediums are integrated into the whole,
synthesized together into a sum that is greater than its parts.
WHAT IT ALL MEANS For the many reasons listed above, I truly believe
that MYST will become the new standard by which computer games are
measured, at least until something better comes along, but isn't that
always the case? And MYST *guarantees* that we'll see better, and soon.
Now that we have a standard, it won't be long before people come looking
to beat it.
In any case, if you have a CD Rom and the money to spare, do yourself
a favor: get yourself a copy, as soon as possible. If you don't have a CD
Rom, well, with prices coming down...
____________________________
> Primera Pro STR FOCUS! Fargo's Primera Pro Color Printer
""""""""""""""""""""""
PRIMERA PRO
===========
For approximately two weeks now, you've read about the "special free
sample printout" offer. The printout is from a Fargo Primera Pro color
printer. What can be said aboiut a color printer other than it works and
works well? I am going to try to tell you what I have found so far. The
installation of the Fargo was a breeze. Set it up by inserting the right
goodies and paper. (three simple steps) Then plug it in. Connect it to
your PC or MAC and pop the driver software disk into your floppy drive and
install the software for use on your system. The Windows drivers are fine
they worked without so much as a hiccup. I used Corel Draw 5.0e, Aldus
Pagemaker 5.0a and Micrografx Picture Publisher 5.0 to put this baby to
the test. Needless to say it left me breathless with its performance.
There are two major types of output one can set it up for. Dye
Sublimation and Wax Transfer. Both are stunning in their clarity. The
wax is ideal for every day color work and the Dye sub is perfect for
Photo-Realistic output. It'll also do fine monochrome output.
The wax output can also be done with special heat resistant paper.
Its to be used to do "iron on" custom shirt designs. The colors are vivid
and bright. Not even the slightest hint of muddiness. For the price, the
Fargo Color printer is a real value. For further information; call Fargo
at 1-612-941-9470.
Why all the enthusiasm?
We simply
like the Primera Pro and want as many people as possible to
know about it. We have, among other printers, the Fargo Primera Pro and I
might add we are quite enthusiastic about this printer's fantastic
performance. It does the job real well and is affordable across the
boards. From the hobbyist to the corporate giant, the Fargo Primera Pro
Color Printer (600dpi) is a necessity not a luxury. The output quality is
undeniably top-notch. In fact, in an attempt to assist in having others
see the output of such a fine printer that is truely affordable, we offer
a free sample printout to anyone requesting such. Look elsewhere in this
issue for the details.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N
FARGO PRIMERA PRO COLOR PRINTERS - 600DPI
For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent
to you that demonstrates FARGO Primera & Primera Pro SUPERIOR QUALITY
600dpi 24 bit Photo Realistic Color Output, please send a Self Addressed
Stamped Envelope [SASE] (business sized envelope please) to:
STReport's Fargo Printout Offer
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155
Folks, this has GOT to be the best yet. Is far superior to the newest of
Color Laser Printers selling for more than three times as much as the
FARGO Primera Pro. Its said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words.
Send for this sample now. Guaranteed you will be amazed at the superb
quality. (please, allow at least a one week turn-around)
A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
: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.
Fire up that high-speed modem and head for your favorite GEnie Software
Library! Effective October 10, 1994, you'll be able to participate in an
open beta test, offering access to GEnie Services at 9600 bps for as
little as $5.00 per hour.
As a result of an arrangement with Sprint, GEnie will be offering 9600 bps
access from almost 300 SprintNet locations. Best of all, this high-speed
access will not be subject to high-priced surcharges. The normal $2.00
per hour SprintNet surcharge will apply...even at 9600 bps! This open
beta test is expected to run through the end of the year.
To find the number of the SprintNet access number nearest you, simply type
PHONES at any GEnie menu prompt (or use the "Move To Keyword" option in
Genie for Windows and type PHONES). Remember, this rate applies only to
9600 bps access via SprintNet. So be sure to choose the access number
showing "9600" in the "Baud Rate" column AND "SprintNet" in the "Network"
column.
From the "Fine Print" department, please note that the $2.00 per hour
surcharge for SprintNet access is applicable even during your initial four
hours of monthly usage.
So, whether you're into downloading software, reading bulletin boards, or
accessing databases, it's about to become cheaper to do it faster!
GEnie Information Services 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)
> WP MAC 3.1 STR InfoFile
"""""""""""""""""""""""
WORDPERFECT 3.1
THE SECOND POWER MACINTOSH VERSION
SECOND VERSION OF WP FOR POWER MACINTOSH NOW AVAILABLE FOR $99
WordPerfect, the Novell Applications Group, has shipped WordPerfect 3.1,
the second Power Macintosh version of the world's best-selling word
processor. The upgrade adds the QuickCorrect feature, Macintosh Easy Open
and a filter for Microsoft Word files, and support for Apple's System 7.5.
"Our main goal with version 3.1 was to offer Macintosh users a great deal
of added functionality without requiring additional RAM or asking them to
buy a machine with a bigger hard drive," said Roger Bell, WordPerfect for
Macintosh product marketing director. "WordPerfect users are finding the
new features in version 3.1 extremely useful without having to sacrifice
additional system resources. While our competition now requires more hard
drive space and additional RAM, WordPerfect s hard disk requirement is
still only 9MB on a 68K-based Macintosh, 11MB on a Power Macintosh, and
the RAM requirements did not change."
WordPerfect 3.1 will be available for an suggested introductory retail
price of $99 (US) until January 31, 1995. Users of any Macintosh version
of WordPerfect can upgrade for a suggested $59 (US). After January, the
suggested retail price will be $395 (US) and the upgrade will be $69 (US)
Steven Bobker, former editor of MacUser magazine praised WordPerfect's
support of Apple's System 7.5. "By supporting the Macintosh Drag Manager,
WordPerfect 3.1 makes it easy to drag and drop things into and out of a
document. The Drag Manager beats the pants off OLE, and it will continue
to increase in functionality as more applications support it."
"I have also found WordPerfect's support of the PowerTalk Mailer extremely
useful. We run a LocalTalk network here with eight Macs and we've been
able to dump all our extraneous mail stuff and mail from directly within
WordPerfect," Bobker said.
"I really like the QuickCorrect feature," said Michael Erb, a WordPerfect
user from Ithaca, New York. "It's nice because I can see it fixing things
behind me, but I don't have to think about it. Everyone mistypes words
when they are preparing a document in a hurry and QuickCorrect fixes
that."
System 7.5 Support
------------------
AppleGuide support in WordPerfect provides interactive, online help and
coaching capabilities to help users learn how to perform specific word
processing tasks and use specific WordPerfect features, including
recording macros, inserting graphics and other common tasks.
Drag Manager support in WordPerfect 3.1 allows users to drag and drop text
or graphics between documents and other applications. Text and graphics
can even be dragged out of a document and onto the desktop, where they
will reside as clippings files until they are dragged back into a
WordPerfect document or another application.
QuickDraw GX Printing offers WordPerfect 3.1 users increased printing
options and greater printer control with simplified dialog boxes. Users
will be able to designate the order of print jobs and change paper size,
orientation (landscape or portrait) or scale factor throughout the
document on a page-by-page basis.
PowerTalk was supported in WordPerfect 3.0. Now that it is part of Apple's
standard system and enabled on the Power Macintosh, more users will be
able to take advantage of this feature. A PowerTalk button is available on
the WordPerfect ToolBar.
AppleScript was also supported in version 3.0. AppleScript is a
system-level macro language that allows cooperation and communication
between multiple applications. Scripts are useful for tasks such as taking
data from a spreadsheet, creating a chart, and then pasting it into a
WordPerfect document. WordPerfect is a scriptable application, which
means that it acts or functions as a target application for Scripts.
New Features
------------
QuickCorrect includes more than 130 of the most commonly misspelled words
and hundreds more can be added to automatically correct spelling errors on
the fly. QuickCorrect can automatically remove extra spaces between words
and sentences, capitalize the first letter of a sentence, and insert
typeset quality quotation marks. QuickCorrect entries can be added to
expand text, such as having initials become a name.
WordPerfect 3.1 ships with Macintosh Easy Open to make opening and
converting documents into another format as easy as any other basic
Macintosh task. Easy Open finds programs on a system that can open a
document and lists them for the user. The user can then choose a program
that can convert the document using its own internal translation
capability, or one that uses specialized translation software.
The DataViz compound filter for Microsoft Word 4.0 5.1 also ships with
WordPerfect 3.1 to allow WordPerfect users to import and export documents
in the Word file format including Word Fast Save files.
Improved Merge Data File Options allow users to perform merges using data
exported from FileMaker Pro, as well as data from WordPerfect tables.
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.
For stand-alone machine installation, WordPerfect will continue to offer a
Smart Install option that automatically detects whether a user is
installing on a Power Macintosh or a 68K-based Macintosh and installs the
appropriate code-base. By providing both of these installation options on
a single set of disks, WordPerfect is able to offer a single package that
simplifies the purchase and installation process for users.
System Requirements
-------------------
For Macintosh, WordPerfect 3.1 requires a minimum of a Macintosh Plus,
System 6.0.7 or later, 2MB available RAM, and a hard drive with 9MB of
free space (complete installation).
On the Power Macintosh, WordPerfect 3.1 requires 4.5MB available RAM,
System 7.1.2 or later, and a hard drive with 11MB free space (complete
installation).
For more information, customers can 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...
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20 Hours for Only $20!
-----------------------------
Advantage Members have always enjoyed the lowest DELPHI access rates
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20/20 Advantage rates apply for access via SprintNet or Tymnet from within
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Who is eligible to take advantage of the plan? Any DELPHI member in good
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It's easy to join. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply
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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!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Well, they keep saying that it can only get better? Bah!! No,
I'm not referring to Atari - not this time anyway. My work schedule
has been all messed up the past few weeks. With no night supervisor,
half of my night staff consisting of vacancies with no end in sight to
fill them - I've had to readjust my schedule to try and fill in on that
shift! Not bad if it's just occasionally, but the next six weeks or so
should prove interesting, to say the least! I have no idea what my
superiors will want - night shift, day shift, splits, doubles, and who
knows what other combination?! Hopefully, this won't adversely affect
our Atari coverage in STReport. Sorry, I'm just cranky from finishing
a double shift and deadlines arriving quickly!
We've got a lot of interesting STuff for you this week! Along
with our regular "People Are Talking" column from Compuserve, we've got
a review of the latest version of that workhorse from Migraph: TouchUp,
version 2.5, from local South Shore Atari Group member, Rick Keene.
Rick is a professional graphics artist who has appeared in the pages of
STReport in the past with other items of interest to DTP enthusiasts.
He's updated us with details of the latest offering from Migraph.
Greg Kopchak updates us with some news of Audio CD Master. Are you
an "Othello" player? Well, "Stello" has been updated and we've got a
list of the new features for you. Ever consider what kinds of
strategies Atari should use? Well, we've got some more to help Atari
get a foothold into the 90's! Looking for some specific PD or
shareware software? Well, Suzy B's has it all (or close to it!) Make
sure to check out their latest offering, in CD-ROM format and supported
by Toad Computers. We're also including a little bit of history behind
the origin of Suzy B's, just to make it even more interesting!
And there's more!! Let's get to it (because I need some sleep!)
Until next time...
_______________________________
Delphi's Atari Advantage!
TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (10/12/94)
(1) NEWDESK AND DESKTOP GUIDE *(6) MAGIC SPOOLER 1.09
*(2) HSMODA04 SERIAL PORT ACC *(7) IDEALIST 3.51
(3) PUNT II (8) FALCON UPDATE ISSUE 6
(4) STOMP (9) LJS TERM 2.1
(5) TYPE 1 CONVERTER *(10) PLAYMPEG 0.60 DEMO
* = 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 10.41)
ATARI ONLINE (Current issue: AEO: VOLUME 3, ISSUE 12)
Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database.
________________________________
> Audio CD Update! STR NewsFile! - Audio CD Master 3.3 Ready!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
From It's All Relative's Greg Kopchak:
Version 3.3 of Audio CD Master is now ready. If you are a known owner
of a Toshiba drive, you will be getting the update free as it fixes
some problems with this brand of drive.
WHAT'S NEW
You can now save your programmed sequences of tracks for future use.
Up to 16 tracks from a CD can be programmed for either current use or
saved so the same program is available anytime the CD is in the drive.
You can select tracks by number from a pop-up menu very similar to the
drive selector used in Sound Lab.
You can now play a CD from a given track, minute, and second offset.
eg. Play track 2 starting 1 minute and 14 seconds into the track.
Updates are available for $5.00, postpaid, to all registered users
of any previous version of Audio CD Master.
Write It's All Relative, 2233 Keeven Lane, Florissant MO 63031.
Toshiba owners, leave us e-mail to make sure you are on the free
update mailing list.
> Stello Upgrade! STR GameFile! - Othello Clone Improved!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Hello everybody.
Stello 1.11 othello is out with features such as:
- Works under Gem, all Atari computers, all screen resolutions,
(x resolution must be at least 640)
- Supports Multitos and WINX
- Uses multitasking under Multitos
- Advanced game-playing algorithms, alfa-beta minimax, iterative
deepening, response killer table, saves game tree and
uses the zero width minimax modification.
- One of the best Othello programs in the world.
- Background pictures on the board
- Supports english, german, french and danish.
- Dialogs in windows
- Nice interface (3d buttons and check boxes even under old
tos versions, nice line menus)
New in Stello 1.11.
The endgame search is a little faster and Stello now speaks
french. Small bug fixes.
More details in the documentation. Stello is a Shareware game. I
have uploaded the game to the following ftp sites, in the file
STELL111.LZH.
ftp.uni-kl.de
ftp.uni-paderborn.de
sun.rz.tu-clausthal.de
and if i ever can make it through the net i will also be at
atari.archive.umich.edu
Happy Othello playing.
Claus J. Pedersen.
-/- CompuServe First in Subscribers -/-
In the competitive online information services industry where
several claim to have the most subscribers, a study by Information &
Interactive Services Report places CompuServe squarely at the top of the
heap with 2.25 million subscribers in the third quarter of 1994.
CompuServe has 1 million more subscribers than its nearest competitor.
Reuters reports that the industry newsletter said CompuServe
subscriptions rose 12.5 percent during the period, while Prodigy slipped
7.7 percent to 1.2 million and America Online rose 11.1 percent to 1
million.
Prodigy is preparing a new design, while Delphi Internet Services Co.
and GE Information Services Inc.'s GEnie online service are both
overhauling their operations. Delphi has about 120,000 subscribers and
GEnie has just 100,000 online.
Migraph Releases Touch-Up 2.5! - A Review of the Classic DTP Tool!
by Rick Keene
Everyone who uses a computer has favorite program or two. It
might be work-related, one used with a hobby or just for fun. These
favorites are always easy to find on the hard drive and are as welcome
as an old friend when they are opened.
One of my favorites is Touch-Up, a black and white pixel editor
that's been around since 1988. Over the years it has been upgraded for
improved performance and now, once again it has been upgraded again.
This time to version 2.5. [Editor's note: an upgrade to version 2.52
just arrived in the mail, a few weeks after 2.5 was released] There
have been numerous reviews of Touch-Up in the past, so rather than give
a review of the whole program, I'd like to cover the upgraded features.
Upon opening Touch-Up, everything looks approximately the same
except now there is a .5 added to the zoom boxes under the toolbox, and
mouse coordinates appear in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
(Figure 1). The .5 is a half-size zoom mode that allows a half scale
view of the image being worked on. This is helpful when placing clip
boxes around an image that was too large for full-size. The mouse
coordinates give the position of the mouse cursor during work and can
be an aid when placing a lassoed piece of art. These coordinates move
to the upper left hand portion of the screen in Lightning mode. Other
noticeable changes are the drop down menus. Most functions have
keyboard equivalents next to the menu selections. Some have been
changed from previous versions of Touch-Up to accommodate the Atari
standard of keyboard commands while other features that were only
available through the keyboard have been added to the menus. Another
change in the look is the 3-D effect available to multi-TOS users on
the Falcon and TT.
One of the biggest and most used improvements is that you can now
scroll around large images with the mouse. To do this you hold down the
Control key while holding down the left mouse button and move the mouse
in the direction you want to scroll. At first try, I kept overshooting
where I wanted to go, but in a very short time I was able to control
the speed of the scroll by moving the mouse at an angle to the
direction I was moving. Sort of like setting the drag. This has saved
time by not having to move the mouse to the scroll bars or the black
box under the toolbox to move in small increments.
Changes have been made when using the clipboard. Now when you
paste an image that has been cut to the clipboard, you get to actually
see the upper left hand corner of the art that you are pasting along
with the wireframe box. Using the Z key, you can toggle from the upper
left corner to the lower left which is an aid in pasting an image past
the top edge of the screen, for instance.
It is now easier to move an image with the clipbox by holding
down the shift key and moving the mouse with the left mouse button
pressed. A wireframe of the image is shown and then the art is dropped
into place when you let go of the mouse button. The clip box is also
placed around the clipped art in the new position. If for any reason
you want to move the clipped art, but leave the clipbox behind in the
original position, you just need to hold down the alternate key along
with the shift key.
Re-sizing a clipbox has been made easier by not having to grab the
re-size handle on the side of the box. You can now just grab an edge and
drag. It works great and is more convenient. In previous versions, when
I thought I was grabbing the handle, I was grabbing nothing and ended
up creating a new clip box. Grabbing the edge in any zoom mode seems to
work easier and more efficiently. I haven't made any unwanted new clip
boxes.
One of the features that I have missed on a desktop computer
imaging program is the ability to remove unwanted spots of different
sizes. The "Cleanup" feature under the Process menu is fine for
removing unwanted stray black and white pixels, but many times it's
like using a Dustbuster when you need a street sweeper. Especially when
you scan in an image that you've drawn by hand or a photograph. I
figure since a computer is designed to make a task easier to accomplish,
it should cheerfully do the grunt work that puts us humans in a bad
mood. Version 2.5 now includes the Keene tool found under the Process
menu. To "Keene" an image, you place a clip box around the area that
has unwanted black or white spots and select Keene. (Figure 2) A
dialogue box appears asking you to select black or white spots, and the
size of the spots. This could be a minimum of one pixel in size to
whatever the largest spot is. Pressing the alternate and K keys, undoes
Keening. And yes, I blushingly admit that it was named after me.
Touch-Up now has a merge feature which allows you to scan or load
two images and merge them together within the program. You can scan or
load in the left half of an image and then scan or load in the right
half and then merge them into one image. This is a real time-saver,
especially if you use a hand-scanner.
Other enhancements include progress bars that have been added to
features that didn't previously have them and depending on what
resolution you're in, they are colored. Atari laser printer owners can
now select the ID of their laser printer. I always wanted to print from
within Touch-Up rather than use the Outprint program. I usually ended
up loading my images into PageStream and printing from there. Cumbersome
and time-consuming at best, but at least I didn't have to deal with
GDOS. Now I'm able to change the ID of my laser printer and print from
within Touch-Up whenever I want. The ID change can be saved with the
defaults. The lasso behaves better due to changes in memory management
and is able to select larger images. Also, TIFF images load without a
problem and a warning box. I can finally relax my return key.
Of course there are still things that I would like to see improved
and even fixed. The first thing I'd like to fix is the scrolling while
using the lasso in Lightning mode. After having lassoed an image,
placing it and even hitting the Escape key to clear, the lassoed image
will be placed after you finish scrolling with the mouse/Control key
combination. Hit Undo before doing anything else or else you will be
stuck with an unwanted image being pasted. Speaking of Undo, sometimes
it just doesn't work while In Lightning mode. I usually notice it when
using the polyline tool. Another noticeable bug was that after printing
from within Touch-Up, I closed the program and went into PageStream.
After working for awhile I went to print and PageStream printed blank
pages. Re-booting remedied the curious situation. These days, there are
less "vanilla" Atari computers than ever before, so these glitches may
not show up on your machine.
As for improvements, the ability to open more than one window at
a time comes immediately to mind. Cutting and pasting between files in
separate windows is something I've always wanted in Touch-Up. I'd also
love to be able to scroll in Fatbits with on-screen arrows and the
mouse or with the cursor keys.
Aside from those picky little things, Touch-Up is a solid,
hard-working program that I use around 50 hours a week or more. In the
past 3 years I've produced at least a thousand pages with Touch-Up and
my TT. This updated version has already changed the pace of my workday
and it's still the program I use most. Even with graphics cards and all
the latest color imaging programs, Touch-Up is needed now more than
ever. Some of these imaging programs use .img files as masks and they
don't have much in the way of drawing tools. They are for enhancing
images and photos and therefore don't really require basic drawing
tools. I usually create my masks in Touch-Up and then import them for
use in Retouche CD. For special color projects, I will either scan my
drawing into Touch-Up or draw it in the program. From there, I'll bring
it into Retouche CD or TrueImage where I'll do the coloring and the
special effects. Of course, Touch-Up still does wonders with black and
white desktop publishing.
While it doesn't have gradient shadings and hundred of other
gimmicky special effects, it allows everyone from the professional
illustrator to the DTP novice an abundance of tools that make
illustrating fun. And what's important to me is that the finished
product doesn't have that computerized look that can cripple an
illustration.
Touch-Up is still a solid program and an old friend from Migraph,
a company that is continuing to support the Atari market after 10 years.
And with the improvements in this latest version, I suspect that our
friendship will continue for years to come.
NEW FROM SUZY B's SOFTWARE:
TWO VOLUME CD SET PUBLISHED BY TOAD COMPUTERS!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Suzy B's Software has been collecting and cataloging Atari Public
Domain/Shareware programs and files for the past five years. Known
for the "Honey of a Deal" they offer their their customers by allowing
them to customize the disks they order, Suzy B's now offers, in
teamwork with Toad Computers, an even sweeter deal. Their complete
software library is being released in a two volume, 11,000 file, 1,300
meg CD collection. These CDs are not not 11,000 files of fluff either.
Suzy B's has removed all the outdated versions of programs unless an
older version has some specific features that make it useful in and of
itself. This library is all the evidence needed to show how busy they've
been in combing through the online services throughout the country.
Each file is individually described, sometimes with a description
reaching over a page (the main catalog is over 3.6 megabytes of ASCII
text!). The files are grouped in such ways as to allow you to easily
buzz through the CDs. There are 51 separate categories, and each file
within a category resides in its own folder, with a catalog description
within each folder. Since all of the files are uncompressed, you can
run them directly from the CD, saving a lot of hard drive or floppy
disk space!
What's the cost? Not much at all. You can get our two volume CD for
only $69.95, either from Suzy B's Software or through Toad Computers.
Now that's "a honey of a deal!"
And what do you get when you order this amazing 2 CD set? A double CD
jewel case with 2 custom-made CD ROMs packed inside! It's attractively
packaged and a must-have for any serious Atari user! It's compatible
with all ST computers. ExtenDOS is recommended for accessing the disks
and may be purchased from Toad Computers for $19.95.
Suzy B's Software
3712 Military Road
Niagara Falls, NY 14305
716-298-1986
Toad Computers
570 Ritchie Highway
Severna Park, MD 21146
(800) 448-8623 Orders
(410) 544-6943 Information
___________________________
And how did Suzy B's get started? What can they do for you?
Suzy B's Software..."A Honey of a Deal"
Suzy B's Software is buzzing onto the scene of the Public Domain/
Shareware supply services with a difference. Supplying single- or
double-sided disks as requested, we will fill the disks full with
compressed self-extracting files (compatible with all TOS versions).
That in itself gives you a good deal, but Suzy B's goes on to give you
what the owner, Susan Burkley, calls "a honey of a deal." She asks,
"How many times have you wanted a utility and a game from a P.D.
service but had to buy two disks to get them both? With Suzy B's we
put your individual selections on a single disk so you can pick and
choose and get more of what you want. Do you want a game, a children's
program, a picture file or two, the most recent version of ST Writer,
and a NASA press release? You can have them all on one disk! All our
files are compressed in a self-extracting format to give you even more
of what you want. Right now we have about 11,000 files from which to
choose--our catalog is over 1,400 pages long--THREE POINT SIX Megabytes
of ASCII text, and it keeps growing! It's a lot more work for us, but
you get a honey of a deal!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How did Suzy B's Software come about? One day in 1989 Susan and Michael
Burkley ordered twenty single-sided disks from a major PD disk supplier.
After getting the disks and sorting them and discarding the "stuff" they
couldn't use, well, they didn't have much left. And so, an idea was
conceived. After nearly two years of work, Suzy B's Software was born.
Susan, with the help of her husband, runs Suzy B's Software out of their
home. Dividing up the labor between them, Susan runs the administrative
end of the business while her Michael combs through the 1000's of online
files to bring you the best in Public Domain/Shareware offerings.
Susan manages both home and business while Michael is the pastor of the
Niagara Presbyterian Church and the author of "The Unabashed
Atariophile," an ongoing series of articles in Atari Explorer Online.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To All Shareware Authors (please pass this along!):
Suzy B's Software is offering you an opportunity to increase your
Shareware registrations. If you will place a brief text description of
our service in your software's documentation (see below) we will give a
free two disk Suzy B's Software catalog (value $2) _and_ a $3 discount
on a Suzy B's Software disk to each person who registers one of your
programs. If they register two they will get a total of $6 in credits.
Even if a person is just _upgrading_ your software (and if you charge
money for the upgrade!) they still get the $3 discount! Please get in
touch with us if you wish to participate in this program, or if you wish
to get one of our catalogs and see our selection first hand. Maybe we
can help each other!
Suzy B's Software
3712 Military Road
Niagara Falls, N.Y. 14305
U.S.A.
phone: 716-298-1986
716-297-8514
Suzy B's carries an ENORMOUS selection of Atari PD/SHAREWARE
software as well as having a VERY unique approach to software
distribution. Call today for a catalog, I think you'll be pleased!
Suzy B's Software puts your individual selections on a disk so you
can pick and choose and get more of what you want. Do you want a
game, a children's program, a picture file or two, the most recent
version of almost any PD Program, and a NASA press release? You can
have them all on one disk! Right now they have about 11,000
compressed files from which to choose! With Suzy B's software you
get "a honey of a deal!"
Good News! Everyone who registers one of my Shareware programs will
receive a free two disk Suzy B's Software catalog (value $2) _and_ a
$3 credit towards the purchase of a disk from the Suzy B's Software
collection. Register two programs, get a $6 credit towards the
purchase of two or more disks; register three programs, get a $9
credit towards the purchase of three or more disks...and so on! What
if you've already registered, but have an older version of my
software? Just upgrade for a fee of $x and you'll still get the Suzy
B's discount. Now that sounds like "a Honey of a Deal!" Just include
a SASE with your registration fee so that I can mail a certificate of
registration back to you for use with Suzy B's.
__________________________
Jaguar Section
==============
More AvP News!, "Fight For Life"!
Toys R Us!, Jaguar vs the 5200?
Atari Doom!, BioVision!,and more!
> From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
It's been an interesting week for Jaguar news. While there are no
new games (on store shelves), AvP, for one, will be arriving shortly.
I'm confident that we'll hear of other games going into production any
day now! Yes, I said confident.
Atari has arranged a good deal with Toys R Us and there will be
300 stores carrying the Jaguar shortly. Atari needed to add this
popular chain to their growing list of re-sellers; and it will prove to
be a successful arrangement.
Ever compare the Jaguar to some of Atari's older game console
units? Well, STReport Jaguar staffer Dominick Fontana did just that.
Check out Dom's article comparing the Jaguar to the 5200.
Enough teasing, let's get to the news! Look for reviews of Brutal
Sports Football next week, and Alien vs. Predator within the next
couple of weeks. And, there will be more great news!
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
J9008 Alien vs. Predator $69.99 Rebellion/Atari Corp.
Available Soon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
CatBox $49.95 ICD
CatBox + $69.95 ICD
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
> Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Contact: Diane Carlini/Marivi Lerdo Ron Beltramo
Edelman Public Relations Atari Corporation
(415) 968-4033 (408) 745-8852
_For Immediate Release_
TOYS-R-US STOCKS UP ON JAGUAR,
THE WORLD'S FIRST 64-BIT VIDEO GAME SYSTEM
Atari Launches Multi-Million Dollar Marketing Campaign For Jaguar
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (October 10, 1994) -- Toys-R-Us isn't waiting until
late 1995 to offer 64-bit video game systems in its stores. The retail
chain has agreed to stock the award-winning Atari Jaguar in nearly 300
Toys-R-Us stores. The Jaguar is the only 64-bit video game system in
the world.
"Our competitors want consumers to wait until next Christmas to
experience the power of 64-bit video games," said Sam Tramiel,
president of Atari. "But why should they wait when they can walk into
a store and buy the most advanced video game system now?"
The Atari Jaguar currently is sold in approximately 3,000 retail
outlets across the United States with new accounts continuing to sign
up as sales build toward the holiday buying season.
Atari certainly isn't waiting for game enthusiasts to discover the
Jaguar. On September 12, Atari launched an aggressive, multi-million
dollar advertising campaign.
The campaign kicked off with a humorous new commercial in which a
teacher attempts to explain 64-bit technology to a group of dim-witted
video game marketers who can't seem to tell her which of three numbers
-- 16, 32 and 64 -- is larger. The advertising schedule includes
national cable advertising in addition to programming in 19 of the top
spot markets that will deliver more than 300 million targeted media
impressions.
More than 30 Jaguar game titles are scheduled for release leading up
to the holiday season. Expected hits include Alien vs. Predator,
Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story, Doom, Troy Aikman Football, Iron Soldier
and Kasumi Ninja.
Since its release in November 1993, Atari's Jaguar game system has
been named the industry's "Best New Game System" (Video Games
Magazine), "Best New Hardware System" (Game Informer) and "1993
Technical Achievement of the Year" (DieHard GameFan). The Jaguar is
the only video game system manufactured in the United States.
Atari Corporation markets interactive multimedia entertainment
systems, including Jaguar, the world's only 64-bit system, and the
only video game system manufactured in the United States. Atari is
headquartered at 1196 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, California 94089.
# # #
Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari is a registered
trademark of Atari Corporation. Other products named may be trademarks
or registered trademarks of their owning companies.
CATNIPS.... Jaguar Notes from Don Thomas
Below is an excerpt from text issued by Atari's PR firm; Edelman
Worldwide. It was issued to selected contacts regarding Atari's "Fight
For Life" game revealed by Francois recently on the online services.
(Thanks to Travis Guy from AEO Magazine who found & forwarded me a
copy of this text online and saved me some typing) [routed Oct. 12, 1994]
--------------------------------------------------------
TAPING SESSION for new Atari video game.
Atari producers are using live Martial Arts experts and BioVision(tm)
full motion technology to create the most accurate and realistic
Martial Arts fighting game ever made. Thanks to BioVision technology
and the Jaguar's 64-bit power, the characters in the "Fight For Life"
video game will have fluid and natural motion.
At the video shoot, Martial Arts experts will perform the required 250
different moves (attack, defense, collision, moving, etc.) needed for
the game's 3D animation.
25 different markers will be attached to each of the Martial Arts
experts. Signals from each marker will be picked up by the camera and
sent to a central system (monitors will be set up to view this action).
The rate of the shooting is an incredible 200 frames per second. All
the data will then be processed, adjusted and modified for the Jaguar's
3D engine.
Atari has invested in BioVision's advanced production technology to
fully utilize the superior power of the Atari Jaguar 64-bit technology.
Although BioVision's technology has been used to create other video
games, it has never been used to produce 3D games for a system as
powerful as the Jaguar 64-bit system.
BioVision offers state-of-the-art motion capture service for the Video
Game Development and Computer Graphics Animation Industries. BioVision
software in conjunction with 3D optical data acquisition system,
captures, calculates and animates motion.
# # #
CATNIPS.... Jaguar Notes from Don Thomas
The Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
1995 in Las Vegas will be Friday, January 6
through Monday January 9. Atari's booth is
number 6939.
The Jaguar 64-Bit Entertainment System
Another Look
By: Dominick J. Fontana
CIS: 74766,2154
STR has already presented a review of the Jaguar console and has
taken a few looks at Cybermorph. This article is not intended as a
full blown review of the Jaguar console. Instead it will mention the
points about the console that have not yet been covered.
I was a bit disappointed with the actual physical appearance and
outer design of the Jaguar console. I felt it wasn't designed as nicely
as the Atari 5200, which was introduced around 1982. The Jaguar is
certainly a better piece of hardware than the 5200, but coming twelve
years after the 5200's release, I also expected the physical console to
be better too.
There were features that the 5200 had, that the Jaguar does not.
First, the 5200 was much more high tech looking than the Jaguar. The
Jaguar is actually a small, somewhat circular, rather odd looking piece
of hardware. It is dark grey with the word Jaguar written in red across
the top. The sides are sculpted to almost look like wings. It has two
controller ports on the front, a power switch and red LED on the top,
the RF input, channel select switch, power jack, Video expansion port,
and DSP expansion port on the back. The top also has the cartridge
slot and a circular groove to accommodate the planned and much
ballyhooed CD-ROM drive in the future.
The Jaguar comes with the console, external AC power adapter of
the wall wart variety, automatic RF switch box, Cybermorph with game
manual and controller overlay, and a console manual together with a
Jaguar poster that contains hookup instructions on the back. You simply
unplug your coaxial antenna from your TV and plug it into the RF box,
then plug the RF box into your TV's antenna input. Then you connect the
attached cord from the RF box to the Jaguar and set the channel select
switch on the console to either channel 3 or 4, depending on which
channel does not get reception in your area. (I'll assume channel 3 for
this article). Then plug one end of the AC power adapter into the
Jaguar and plug the other end into a wall outlet. If your TV doesn't
use a coaxial antenna input, then you will need two adapters, which are
not included. Turn on your TV and select channel 3. Then insert a
cartridge into the console and turn on the power. A title screen will
appear and then the game. The RF switching is automatic. When you turn
off the power to the Jaguar the TV picture returns automatically and
you may select a channel for viewing. This is pretty straightforward
stuff. I only mention it to illustrate a point.
The setup and operation of the Jaguar is similar to most of
today's video games. However, the 5200 had a much better way of doing
things and that was twelve years ago. I expected the Jaguar to be as
good as the 5200 or better in this regard, but it was not. The 5200 had
only one round cable permanently attached to it that ended in an RCA
plug. The cable could be neatly wrapped around the base of the unit.
There was also a unique RF switch box and a better AC power adapter.
The adapter was not a wall wart. It could be placed on the floor and
had a long RCA cable coming out of one side of the adapter and an AC
power cord coming out of the other side. This meant that the AC power
adapter was not plugged directly into the outlet. Just the cord from
the adapter was plugged into the outlet.
The 5200 RF box was great and I don't know why Atari opted to use
a less sophisticated box with the Jaguar. The 5200 RF box carried both
the RF signal and the AC power, so you didn't have to plug the AC power
cord directly into the 5200. You simply plugged your TV antenna into
the RF box and then attached the box to your TV. Then you attached the
RCA plug of the AC adapter to the RF box and plugged the AC adapter
cord into an outlet. Finally, you connected the attached cable of the
5200 to the RF box and set the channel switch on the back of the 5200.
This might sound complicated, but it really isn't. To summarize,
with the 5200 you simply plugged one cable from the 5200 to the RF box
on your TV. All other connections were made directly to the RF box.
Plus the 5200 cable was long and sturdy and could be neatly wrapped
around the console's base when not in use. You could keep the 5200 near
the sofa in the living room with just one cable coming out of it and it
would most likely reach your TV. Turning on the 5200's power would
automatically send the RF signal to the TV and turning off the power
would return the TV picture. Simple and elegant. Now normally, an
automatic RF box can present a problem if you wish to leave a game on,
watch some TV, and then return to the game later. The 5200 solved this
dilemma by including a Normal/Standby switch on the RF box. In the
normal position, it worked as described above. However, in the Standby
position it disabled the automatic switching. This meant that the power
to the 5200 could still be on, but the RF signal would not be sent to
the TV. This allowed you to keep the 5200 turned on indefinitely, to
save your place in a game for instance, and watch TV without
interference from the 5200.
The Jaguar, on the other hand, has no such Normal/Standby switch.
This means it is always in automatic switching mode. So if the Jaguar
is turned on, you get the Jaguar's signal on your TV and not the TV's
signal. You can't watch TV with the Jaguar turned on. As long as the
Jaguar is connected to the RF box, you must turn off the Jaguar if you
want to watch TV. That means you can't stop your game, watch TV for
awhile, and then continue your game. The manual RF boxes are a real
nuisance, since you always have to select TV or Game, depending on what
you want to view. However, you can keep the game on and watch TV,
simply by flipping the switch to TV. Now, the Jaguar's automatic RF box
is much nicer than this for normal use, but you have to turn off the
power to watch TV. That's why the 5200's automatic RF box was the best
of both worlds. You had full automatic switching for normal but you
could override it for those times you wanted to keep the 5200's power
on and watch TV. Plus the 5200's RF box had built-in Velcro fasteners
for fastening it to the back of the TV. The Jaguar's RF box does not
have this.
I don't mean to belabor the point, but the Jaguar's RF box seemed
like a step backward from the technology used 12 years ago with the
5200. Since the Jaguar is supposed to be state of the art, I expected
everything about it to be that way, and that included the RF box.
There were other amenities that the 5200 had, that the Jaguar does
not. The 5200 was a very sleek, high tech looking console that was very
sturdy and had a power switch and red LED on the top of the unit. It
was black and silver and had 4 controller ports on the front, compared
to the Jaguar's 2 ports. It had one long, sturdy cable attached to it
and the channel select switch on the back. That was it. The Jaguar
requires you to connect the RF cable and the AC power cable to the back
of it. The RF cable is connected to the RF box and is very short. The
Jaguar could barely extend to the front of my entertainment center,
when I originally set it up with the RF box. You would need an RCA
adapter cable for the RF cable and an extension cord for the AC adapter,
in order to place the Jaguar even a reasonable distance from your TV.
It works, but it's a little messy with all those cables. And, as
previously mentioned, the 5200 had a better RF box.
The 5200 also had a hidden recessed compartment on the top of the
console, which was used to store two controllers. The hinged door of
the compartment was undetectable and provided a very sleek look. But
when you opened the door, you had the convenience of having two
controllers handy. The Jaguar has no such storage capability.
The 5200 also used overlays, but the cartridges had recesses on
the back with slots in order to store the overlays, when not in use.
For some reason, the first 4 Jaguar cartridges don't allow you to
conveniently store the overlays. Hopefully, this will change in the
future.
Finally, the 5200 had a covered cartridge slot on the console and
the cartridges were also protected. The Jaguar console has its
cartridge slot exposed and the first 4 cartridges are also exposed on
the bottom. Plus, the back of the Jaguar has the video and audio
expansion slots previously mentioned, and they too are exposed to the
elements.
This is not to say that I don't like the Jaguar, because I do.
The items I mentioned are really just convenience features and not
directly related to performance. I mention them here because I've never
seen these items mentioned before and to provide a different
perspective for a review of the Jaguar console.
In addition, many of these items can be rectified. Atari has
released Composite Video and S-Video cables that can be connected to
the Jaguar's Video expansion port, so many people will not even be
using the RF box. I am using the Composite cable. The cables are
available now. Custom made RGB cables, as well as the other cables,
are also available from Redmond Cable in Washington State. If you use
one of these cables, then the Video expansion port is no longer exposed.
Plus, one company has announced an expansion port box, that will
presumably connect to the Jaguar's expansion ports, thereby covering
and protecting them.
When the CD-ROM unit is released, it will plug into the Jaguar's
current cartridge slot and provide its own cartridge slot. If that slot
is covered, that will take care of the exposed cartridge slot problem.
Finally, future cartridges may be released that are covered on the
bottom and that have slots to hold the overlays, and that will take
care of the final two problems I mentioned.
What's really important about the Jaguar is what is under the hood
and whether or not the software takes advantage of it. The Jaguar
certainly has a lot of power and is a fine machine. Don't be put off by
this article because of the points I made. I was just comparing the
Jaguar to the last Atari game machine I owned and the Jaguar is
certainly a much better machine than the 5200. They are really rather
minor points and once you get everything set up to your liking, these
points won't be an issue. I'm sure that dust covers, cartridge storage
cases, and other accessories will be released for the Jaguar in due
time. I purchased the Jaguar in January 1994 and it is a great machine
and I highly recommend it. Now all we have to do is wait for the
software that will really showcase the power of the Jaguar and that
software is forthcoming shortly.
> Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
From Compuserve:
Fm: David Solomon 76670,622
To: All
Here's an interesting conversation I had using the CIS SEN commands
just a few minutes ago:
Randy Hain - hi david
DS: hi there
RH: got a jag ?
DS: yes, since november '93 ... you?
RH: jag. developer
DS: Great! What are you working on??
RH: Fight For Life, soon on your screen
DS: Hmmm, I haven't heard of that... are you free to describe it?
RH: was top secret until now.I am coming from Japan.I was
working on the arcade version of Virtua Fighter for Sega ...
DS: "..." Whoa - no kidding!!??
RH: no no kidding.so far the game is 1000 polygon/frame.20
frames/second.texture map. and other top secret stuff
DS: That would be a **major** winner for the Jag... have you
announced it yet to the Jag forum(s)?
RH: no not yet. The press conference is for next
thursday.with CNN,discovery channel,channel 4,channel 40,
game pro,next generation...
DS: Well your secret is safe with me...
RH: by the way I am french. My name is Francois.
DS: I won't say a thing, Francois.. !
RH: it's no more a secret. the first article was on a
french magazine last month.
DS: Well, you should post it here, you'll *really* make everyone
happy...!
RH: Their opinion : faster,better than Virtua Fighter for the
saturn
RH: I like to speak with users time to time. But I am to lassy
to post anything.But go ahead, you free to report
whatever I tell you
DS: ok, will do
RH: (What's about my English ?)
DS: your English is great. one mistake "lassy" = "lazy" :)
RH: Thanks, spelling is not that easy. The game must be
available for the next CES in L.V.
DS: Winter CES in January?
RH: YES
DS: Well, I'll put a post together of our conversation ...
RH: 8 characters.3 boss.Want the story line?
DS: Yes- please, what's the story line?
RH: All of my poor characters are dead (you got a boxer, a
ninja, an exotic dancer, an arabian fighter, a ex-marines,
a chinese, a dock worker)
Unfortunately they are in the hell. There is a way out.
Each year, you got a tournament in the hell, where the winner
can encounter the devil's son. the price of a victory here
is a life, a new life. Welcome to Fight For Life
DS: Those characters sound great... I like the
"getting out of hell" theme
RH: [ I forgot Sarah, ex psychopate (???)]
DS: psychopate = psychopath
RH: thanks. I got to go.
Must brush up the version for next week
DS: okay, thank you!! take care!!
In a message correcting one of David's assumptions:
Sorry my name is not Randy, I am Francois, and the name of my game is
Fight For Life, not Virtua Fighters....
And more on Fight for Life from Atari's Bill Rehbock:
A couple of things...
The name of the game is "Fight For Life"
Eight Characters (plus a few more :-) in Eight Different Backgrounds
Some texture mapping on the characters (facial features, clothing
details, etc.), but mostly high-frame-rate polygons.
True-color backgrounds
Awesome soundtrack by Joe Vitale
Very cool camera tracking system, much more variance than Virtua Fighters.
Advance replay system that looks fantastic.
Latest-generation Silicon Graphics motion capture that we are doing in
conjunction with Biovision.
...and some secret stuff :-)
The game is an Atari in-house project. I am the Executive Producer, J.
Patton is the Producer, and Francois is the Project Lead. 3D models and
artwork are being done by a team in Chicago.
Story...
You and several others that have led less-than-stellar lives find
yourselves dead. Not quite committed yet, though. Somebody does want
to give you a break though and allows all of you to have one last
tournament and give the winner a second chance to Life on Earth to
redeem themselves. The fights progress, but there is an unexpected
contestant at the end...
Stay tuned,
-Bill Rehbock @ Atari
From Steven Bernhard regarding recent AvP review comments:
Just received the latest issue of Gamefan. They have a final review
of AvP and give it 98's across the board. This is each reviewers
comments.
"What an absolute buttkickin' game AVP is! A couple of years ago (when
I saw the movies) I would have never imagined playing a game this good.
If this is how Atari treats big license, than every big movie should go
directly to the Jag! Great sound, great graphics, great control...
GREAT GAME!"
"AVP is not a walk through, 3-D shoot 'em-up. I'm so happy! I've
waited six months, so I wanted a long game. Well, I got not one, but
three! You have to think and map in AVP or you WILL die...cool. I
can't believe this is a 16 meg cart."
"AVP is the best 3-D action game that I have ever played. It has more
strategy then Doom, and the graphics are second to none. I cannot
believe how well the movies are represented here. From the sound to
the look of the characters and backgrounds this is what a movie port
should look like. The Jag has proven itself. This is only a 16-meg
cart! Imagine the future!"
Also no "Let The Games Begin" or even the AVP ad. They have been
replaced by the new Kasumi Ninja two page ad, a one page Doom and a
one page Checkered Flag ad.
Steve,
Gameware Express
There has been some disappointment regarding id software's dropping
modem support for Doom on the Jaguar. Atari's Bill Rehbock offers some
insigh
t to that decision, and some looks into the upcoming game:
Jag DOOM does support two-console networking, and yes, the need to
ship before Christmas outweighs the need for the modem. Don't forget,
ID also wrote Wolfenstein for Jaguar in the middle of the DOOM project.
Cool stuff in Jag-DOOM:
23 levels (plus secret level)
16-bit true color, not 256 so the shading down the hallways looks
eerier than you've ever seen before, and there's no "color swim" as
you cruise down hall-ways as in other version. Lighting effects in
the pulsating lighting zones look outstanding also.
Very responsive two-console play using ICD's CatBox (we also are
planning to have inexpensive cables available from Atari, too.) Wait
until you see how fast your buddy can try to run away from you :-)
All of the original, complete animations of the monsters, with
side-views, back views, etc.
Many tweaked levels to make things different than the PC, as well as
a couple of unique Jaguar areas.
-Bill Rehbock @ Atari
___________________________________________
> ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
=====================
On CompuServe
-------------
compiled by
Joe Mirando
73637,2262
Hidi ho good neighbors. It's that time again. As I sit here, typing
on my Stacy, I am amazed at the amount of activity here in the Atari
Forums on CompuServe. Let's be honest: Atari effectively went out of the
computer business a year ago. That's a year without producing computers
(okay, they produced a few TTs for Jaguar development, but they didn't
last long and weren't advertised). And through all these months without
machines being manufactured, interest has remained high in these wonderful
machines. Of course the level of activity isn't the highest it's ever
been, but it's still pretty good. So let's take a look...
From the Atari Computing Forums
===============================
Paul Peeraerts tells us about his mouse problem:
"From time to time, when I move the mouse of my Atari away from me,
the pointer goes down instead of up. This lasts for about five minutes
(until I'm getting used to moving the mouse in the "wrong" way) and
then everything is all right again.
Some one told me, that this is caused by a virus.
Has someone experienced this same thing?"
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Paul:
"Yes... that is the effect of a known virus on the ST.
You should use a virus checker/killer on all your disks as soon as
possible..!"
Dazzz Smith tells Paul:
"Yeah it sounds like the Ghost virus or green goblin, basically after
so many copies the virus inverts the mouse movements.
On of the earlier virus killers should handle it no problem, try
searching the libs here with keyword VIRUS.
You will need to go through ALL of your floppies though, and be
careful of using it on disks that autoboot!
In the meantime I suggest you do a coldboot of the machine (i.e. Power
it down) before using a disk."
Paul tells Dazzz and Bob:
"Thank you very much for the warning, Dazzz! I have checked all my
floppy disks and 90 % of them had the "Inverse mouse virus" and 5 % the
"Key virus". I had never checked my disks before, thinking that those
things never happen to me... I have "desinfected" all my disks now and
until now my mouse behaves properly.
But what about my hard disk? Could it be infected by one of those
viruses too? I didn't find a program in the library to desinfect hard
disks.
Thanks again for the big help!"
Dazzz replies:
"Well the inverse mouse one isnt a problem for the Hard disk, the key
virus I dont know about i'm afraid.
There are very few Virus's on the ATari that do affect Hard drives,
however if you want to be sure then you need to get an up to date virus
killer that will tell you about them."
Sysop Bob adds:
"As Dazzz indicated, those two viruses you found on your disks are
floppy disk viruses.. they can't infect your hard drive.
In fact, even though there has been talk of "link viruses" which CAN
infect hard drives for years, I still don't remember hearing of any
reliably reported instances of anyone really being infected.
Be sure to check any floppy disks that come into your computer from
outside sources, even commercial disks, before you boot from them.. and
keep the write protect tab open on any disks you can, to protect
against re-infections."
Carl Barron adds this bit of info:
"ORA in their ultimate virus killer docs, describe at least 10
existing link viri, and what they do. Docs are at my other location...
Be warned , self booting disks will be detected as containing viri, by
many virus checkers, of course, since they use the boot sector to load
the program, they better not be disinfected, or infected by an existing
virus. Cold boot with blank, [unformatted is even safer! diskett in
the drive.] If you have an hd, this will work. Also no diskette in the
drive and no hard dsk might produce no icons, as no block devices are
found on boot up."
Sysop Bob tells Carl:
"I've read about the link-viruses from Europe too.. but have you ever
heard of a single instance of anyone really seeing one..?
I'm not saying it can't or won't happen, only that in all the time
I've been watching the Atari scene, I haven't seen it."
Carl tells Bob:
"So far, I have not seen a link virus! [Thank goodness!!] When I do I
will tell EVERYONE!!!"
Dazzz adds:
"Link virus's dont seem to have spread very far (Thankfully) but they
do exist, I know there were at least 3 in existance as far back as 3
years ago."
Ken Goodwin posts:
"I'm trying to locate a product called Video Key. Does anyone have
one they would like to sell, or know where I can pick one up, price,
etc.?"
Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Ken:
"If I remember correctly Video Key allowed your Atari ST to generate
composite video output so it could be taped on a VCR or output to an
NTSC style monitor. The prices way back when were around $70 or so.
You might try Toad Computers they seem to have almost everything Atari
these days."
Ken also asks:
"I am trying to convert some clip art files with the extension CGM.
These are for an IBM platform, but I need to convert them to Atari. I
tried using Gemview, but it would not recognise the file. Any
suggestions?"
Nathan Potechin tells Ken:
"CGM (Computer Graphic Metafile) is most easily converted on your IBM
using programs such as Hijaak or Debabelizer and converting the files
to something the Atari will recognize, such as a standard GEM Metafile.
I am not aware of any program on the Atari that recognizes CGM straight
away although I don't claim to know all programs and might have missed
hearing about one."
Jeff Mumma asks:
"Is there any program for the Atari ST that serves as a front end to
CompuServe? For example, my friend with an IBM clone uses WinSim, and
on GEnie I use Aladdin. Any help/guidance would be greatly
appreciated, as I am new to CompuServe and feeling sort of "out there"
since I don't have a PC or a Mac."
Sysop Jim Ness tells Jeff:
"Try my QuickCIS package, available as QWKCIS.PRG in Library 2 here.
It's not as extensive as Aladdin, but has essentially the same
purpose."
Through the Internet, Brian Roland posts:
"I'd like to see Atari shoot for some new horizions...
Atari does have some good archives of past research laying around, that
with a tiny bit of working them up to the current times and beyond
could give them some leverage into two very powerful markets. One
being virtual reality systems. Perhaps a good place they can gain some
immediate ground is in the low end Personal Computer market. There are
millions of people out there who would love to have a simple PC, yet
don't require anything any more powerful than an ST. Not everyone
cares about, and even fewer people need the power and punch of a
Pentium or Power PC. The current trend in software is to make it VERY
MEMORY, CPU TIME, and HARD DRIVE hungry. Atari proved years back that
their systems could do very amazing things with a mere one megabyte of
RAM and a CPU that tops out at 8mhz. They got creative and found ways
to directly access the memory...bypassing the CPU unless it was
absolutly necessary. Of all the machines made to date...it is hard to
argue against ATARI beig the best at hardware efficency, and laying out
a good OS that allows programers to milk that machine for all it's
worth with minimal fuss. With all of this in mind...here are some
potential stratageys Atari could take to stay alive while they shoot
for getting back into real compitition with the big dawgs.
1> Market what you have! The STe could easily be sold at a good
profit complete with a monitor and small hard drive for less than
$500.00 a pop if produced in large enough quanities. But it must
be pushed as a HOME COMPUTER. Stress exactly what the system CAN
DO right now...and not what it might to TOMORROW. How many of you
ask the car salesman, "Can I upgrade my Grand Am to a Bonniville
when I get the money?" Believe me...there is a market for this
type of system...people simply have to be offered an opportunity to
buy it. In the entire historyof the PC wars...no company has ever
attempted this "Get what you pay for strategy." They've always made
a point to stick in a bug here and there, in hopes of moving
tommorows product, be it a new machine, or a $5.00 fix.
2> Assimilate a list of tasks you want the system to perform
flawlessly and efficently. Get the word out, "Hey...this is a job
you need done, and this is a job this system can do...today...right
now." Most people buy a product with these things in mind.
1. What do I need this tool to do?
2. How much money do I have to spend on it?
Would you buy a $16,000.00 Snap Tight tool kit complete with a
hydrolic wrench when all you really need s a $4.00 3/4" socket, a
$15.00 hammer, and a few screwdrivers? I didn't think so. Would
you buy a 6 car garage for these tools if you only planed to use
them on one car? No, I didn't think so. Well...that's what the
current PC market is asking you to do. Buy our machine that has
more room than you need...and our package deals are going to force
you to buy tools you don't need in the form of sloppily written
Operating systems and software which are guaranteed to suck up over
half of your hard drive space!
3> Worship your dealer There is no better way to move a product than
keeping the people who stock your products happy. The best example
I can offer for this concept is little company built in a wood shop
in Meridian, Mississippi. Peavey Electronics...they haven't always
made the BEST of the BEST products throughout their history, and
they haven't ever bought multi-million dollar TV spots...but they
kept the goods rolling by remaining loyal to their dealers, and
assureing them an attractive share of the profits. They keep the
tools small and seperate, so that they can fit in almost anyones
budget, yet still turn a good profit for the retailers who choose
to carry them. The Asian giants laughed so hard at Hartley Peavey,
that they fell on their back sides...and just kept funneling their
overpriced overkill products (with no choices per budget on
options) through the pennys per sale warehouse market. Peavey
still remains loyal to their dealers to this day...and they are now
a very successful GIANT in the industry. For this very
reason...you will rarely ever walk into a music store that carries
Peavey products...and not have unquestioned local support.
Furthermore...dealers really PUSH Peavey because they are such a
pleasure to deal with...and the balance sheet shows that even with
extremely competetive prices...the retailer makes a handsome
profit.
4> Refer to point 3>
There are a number of ways to market yourself. The big boys are
aimed at high priced media methods. Shooting for 1 in every 5
people who are foolish enough to buy what they don't need...just
because a flashy commercial or news article makes them want it. It
works well, because they reach billions of people, and they mass
distribute via warehouse for pennys per copy."
Jon Sanford adds his own thoughts:
"Once I got my hands on a 16Mhz MegaSTe I don't like to use the 8Mhz
ST as much as I used to."
John Amsler adds:
"Someone in Atari's shoes...who has little money for media and mass
marketing can still make a very healthy and profitable go for a share
of the market, which can rapidly grow into big time contenters. Atari
can not afford to pertend it is IBM or Apple...and snub off small
buissness as a distribution method. For peanuts, on the corprate
scale, Atari can send out reps and sell their ideas on the local level
by winning the love and support of small and medium retail dealers.
Next, they should keep constant communication with these
dealers...waiting on them hand and foot...helping them advertise
loaly...person to person...mouth to ear. They should go out of their
way to help these dealers train technicians for quality in house
support...and do everything in their power to help fatten the wallets
of these dealers.
If you were in the market for a new PC...
And there was a place nearby where you could go to take a few systems
for a test drive. I'm almost positive you'd do it!
If you liked what you saw... and the dealer had a reputation for
prompt and quality service...
I'm pretty confident you'd look no further...and give the local
guy...who will soon become a personal correspondant and friend, your
buissness. If that weren't enough...upon seeing his price is just
right for your budget, and the tool will get the job done quickly and
efficently...I'm pretty sure you'd buy it then.
Still not sold? This guy sponsers your son's little league team as
well...I've yet to see BIG BLUE directly affect many communities
unlesthere happened to be a plant in town.
This ancient, but almost forgotten approach to good buissness not only
puts desperately needed dollars in the accounts of a dwindling
corperation, it also puts a number of "Be You Own Boss" type of jobs
out in the economy. It opens the arena for Enterpenures that aren't on
Atari's pay roll...technicians that aren't on their pay roll...
Advertiseing not on Atari's books...
Risks bared by the nation at large...
And a strategy that's been tried and proven time and time again.
5> Try as they may...Mass Media will never outsell the efforts of hard
working individuals...people...people trying to make a good honest
go in life...with the courage to risk a little on the line of a
trusted profit source. Atari could become one of these
sources...people would buy it! And people would benifit from it!
For those of you who have forgotten...
Atari once held many of these notions dear to heart.
I can remember when there was an atari machine of some sort in every
other house on the block, and dealerships of all shapes and sizes
scattered in towns and cities of very diverse natures. I also remember
dealers who were proud to be associated with Atari...and enthuastic
about showing you what the machines could do...and even more enthused
to sell you one. Then one day...they all took down the Atari Signs
from their windows...and sighed in disguest as they said, "It was a
wonderful machine...and I loved selling them, but Atari refuses to keep
me stocked to potential." I once even heard an Ex-Atari dealer say,
"I'm selling them as fast as they'll ship them to me, but I can't
continue to deal with them any longer when they refuse to answer my
Faxes, Letters, and questions about technical problems...my coustomers
deserve better than this...and if it means going to less effiecent and
more expensive machines...then I will." The list goes on...and I've
even seen some of the snide reports that Atari would eventualy send in
response when dealers would simply ask, "Why?" They also managed to
alienate some of the industry's finest engineers and designers...and
turn down scores of brilliant programers who simply asked for an
affordable development kit for independent enterprise. The list of
disappointments goes on and on...and progressively worse. You've made
your mistakes Atari...it's time to get back to the basics and win back
your most valuable asset...people. You've got highly marketable
products...and potential to someday make another day-view on the
innovative scene...but it's a long hard haul...and it's got to start
all over...from the ground up. The way I see it...Atari's
relationships with people should be top priority for now...as that is
the least expensive to begin altering, and the most benifical in the
long run. As much as I love my Atari STe...I must admit...Atari has no
buissness seeking top minds and developing top notch machines until
they learn to manage what they already have.
I wish them luck...
And I'll stand by my Atari STe tooth and nail until the day it refuses
to complete a task I need done...and when that day comes...unless Atari
has at least tried to work up to it's potential...I'm afraid I'll be
buying a Mac or PC. From there...the decision will be mostly
influenced by the demonstrations I recieve of both the machine, and the
proven service of a local dealer. The first guy that shows me a
machine that impresses me, does what I want it to do on demand, and
gives me the best support and price, thats what I'll buy...and who I'll
buy it from. I really don't care who makes it, and what gadgets the
tech heads argue is the best...when I walk in the store, I'm ready to
buy...not waste time shoping my valuable work and leisure time away.
That's how I was sold my ST...and that's how I'll be sold my next
computer. By a person...not a 5,000 page book of ad's...not a TV
commercial, and most definately, not a colour flyer boasting a neatly
packaged system thru Amercian Express."
Jon Sanford adds:
"There is another Strategy which can sell Atari Computers. A store is
not necessary anymore. All that is required is an enthuastic individual
like Frank at CyberTech in Santa Fe, NM (505) 474-2861. He is keeping
my Atari intrest alive & well by having a large catalogue & delivers
what I order in less than a week, To my door! He is Knowledgable and
our phone conversations are very usefull. A full line of Atari
Computers is still avaliable. Software is still being upgraded. But
face the reality that people who can see thru the mass market hype are
rare. When you say Atari most people won't know what your talking
about. Don't feel bad because your smarter than average."
Well folks, that's about it for this week. There's lots more info
where this came from, so why not just dial up to CompuServe and listen to
what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
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STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON"
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> A "Quotable Quote" "A True Sign of the Times"
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"A WOMAN'S PLACE IS....
IN COMMAND!"
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> DEALER CLASSIFIED LIST STR InfoFile * Dealer Listings *
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ---------------
ABCO Incorporated
=================
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155
Est. 1985
1-904-783-3319
1994 Fall SPECIALS NOW IN EFFECT!
---------------------
ABCO manufactures custom storage devices!
TEN PERCENT OFF (10%) with this ad (clip)
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 FLOPPY Drive, 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 - 595.00 with order, Checks OK, balance COD
Other higher powered packages available or, design your own!
90Mhz - 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/1-2mb VRAM
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
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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, drop us a line in Email.)
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STReport International Online Magazine
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AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE ON OVER 70,000 PRIVATE BBS SYSTEMS
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STR Online! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" October 14, 1994
Since 1987 copyright (c) 1994 All Rights Reserved No.1042
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All Items quoted, in whole or in part, are done so under the provisions of
The Fair Use Law of The Copyright Laws of the U.S.A. Views, Opinions and
Editorial Articles presented herein are not necessarily those of the
editors/staff of STReport International Online Magazine. Permission to
reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints
must, without exception, include the name of the publication, date, issue
number and the author's name. STR, CPU, STReport and/or portions therein
may not be edited, used, duplicated or transmitted in any way without
prior written permission. STR, CPU, STReport, at the time of publication,
is believed reasonably accurate. STR, CPU, STReport, are trademarks of
STReport and STR Publishing Inc. STR, CPU, STReport, its staff and
contributors are not and cannot be held responsible in any way for the use
or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained
therefrom.
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