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Silicon Times Report Issue 1043
SILICON TIMES REPORT
====================
INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
=============================
from
STR Electronic Publishing Inc.
October 21, 1994 No. 1043
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Silicon Times Report
International Online Magazine
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> 10/21/94 STR 1043 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
"""""""""""""""""
- STR INDUSTRY REPORT - USR & MHZ Merge! - ZEOS "DREAM MACHINE"
- AST Intros New Line - Fargo Print Offer - NEC Multi CanBe
- CIS->NEW FTP I-Face - Micron buys ZEOS - Info Hi-way=Internet?
- Mindscape buys SSI - PPC CPU 620 Intro - Jaguar NewsWire
-* APPLE, LOTUS NEXT TAKEOVER TARGETS? *-
-* AMD LAUNCHES NEW RISC CHIP! *-
-* INTEL->DX2 PENTIUM UPG! *-
==========================================================================
STReport International Online Magazine
The Original * Independent * Online Magazine
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> From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""
Equal Justice for ALL?
Its been a wild week in the world of news media. Ol' Judge Ito is
apparently getting ready to gag the press even further in the "name" of
judicial fairness. IMHO, he's been undeniably PRO prosecution from day
one. Seems kinda odd that _he_ simply has to try to silence the press by
barring them from "his" courtroom. Then we have the BOOK, now made
infamous by Ito's emotional reactions, that seemingly "tells all". Ito
hit the emotional _panic button_ over The Book being circulated. He wrote
to just about every media agency in the country making a futile attempt at
stifling the reports and planned interviews of the book's author. Is
Judge Ito a serious and capable professional who is able to rise to the
level of the Simpson case or, is he a purposely appointed token of racial
equality being indirectly victimized by an inept Los Angeles Judicial
System? Obviously to many observers, its time to consider his replacement
with an individual whose judicial qualifications far outweigh any
possibilities of racial favoritism being allowed to cloud these
Constitutionally important issues.
This particular case, the O.J. Simpson Murder Trial, is undoubtedly
overwhelming for Ito. As a matter of fact, every responsible jurist in
the country is deeply concerned that certain of Ito's "decisions" in this
case will set very dangerous and highly questionable precedents that'll be
argued in all levels of the courts well into the next decade.
Judge Ito is NOT, by any stretch of the imagination, bigger or more
powerful than the Constitution of The United States of America. Yet it
appears that Ito and the LA DA's office offers every indication that they
feel "they are" by their most recent actions. The entire Judicial
Conclave "out there" didn't learn a bit about tact and professionalism
from the Rodney King affair. They have learned neither humility, respect
for the ability of the American public to see right through a ruse, or
attempted to correct the obvious and blatant inside track between the DA's
office, the LA Police department, the Courts and favorites in the LA
Press.
It seems to be "the order of the day" in Los Angeles for the
authorities to proceed as "they see fit" regardless of the ultimate
consequences not only for LA but for the entire country. The bottom line;
if LA can't handle the case and it seems they cannot. (Ito & the
Prosecution are far too emotional and seemingly politically motivated) It
should then be placed in the Federal Court System. I'm willing to wager
the Simpson Case will eventually be heard in Federal Court. Ito simply
has to go. This case is far bigger than he is at this time.
While the defense team is extending every effort at being graciously
agreeable with Ito, its obvious to even the casual bystander that Ito is
becoming their greatest ally. Ito's ever so consistent blunders in
clobbering the first amendment has provided the defense team with at least
a dozen different appeal opportunities. That's our opinion. What's your
opinion on these matters?
In another time and place....
A recent Computer Chronicles Show had an Apple's Risc based Power PC
"66" prominently spotlighted. It was a very curious show in that there
were no Microsoft, IBM or Intel representatives present. Yet... they went
on the air with a "lofty" effort to compare a Compaq Pentium 66 to the
Apple PPC 66. Of course, they were careful to point out the two machines
had the same amount of memory 16mb, the same secondary cache and that the
machines were "equals" in most every way. They did however point out the
fact that the Compaq had a Windows Accelerator video card in it. Now the
"catch". You knew that was coming. <g>
The most important point of all the "points" made was conveniently
glossed over as in _not made mention of at all_. The compared costs of
both machines was obviously missing from this "less than eloquent"
comparison of two totally different 66mhz machines. In fact, 66 mhz was
really the only thing that came close to "equal". The reps from Apple
spoke in warm glowing terms of PPC 66 and made it an obvious point to
indicate the tasking slowness of the Compaq Pentium 66 when it was
performing the same tasks as the Apple PPC 66. They (the Apple Reps)
actually "boasted" of the "wonderful" way the PPC66 ran the emulator of MS
Windows as an SX25!! (the best PPC can do)
In a quick excursion through a few mail order catalogs, it was found
that.. conservatively speaking, the amount of DOLLARS spent by "Joe
Consumer" for a 66mhz 16mb fully equipped Apple PPC would have easily put
Joe into a _90mhz Pentium_ that would have been comparably equipped. But
this "little, glaring fact" was never pointed out. In fact, it should be
added.. "Joe Consumer" would have had some money left over to take the
wife out to dinner.
So.. you see, its not always what you see or hear that are the real
facts. It can, in many instances, be what you do not hear or see that
holds the entire story in its true perspective and proper balance. The
"comparison" exhibited on Computer Chronicles was, in this reporter's
humble opinion, disheartening and less than candid. One thing is was ...
it was not accurately informative. The Price/Performance break was way
out of line. Obviously slanted to trash the Compaq and lavishly bestow
amazement and wonder upon the Apple PPC. What a way to win consumer
confidence and influence future sales. If this is the tack Apple is
taking... they've got some real navigation yet to do.
Thanks for your support,
Ralph...
ps; Be sure to check out the info about Hewlett Packard's new "Three in
One" Printer elsewhere in this issue. Printer-Copier-Fax!!
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
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If you're interested in being added to our mailing list, please, send
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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:
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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
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IMPORTANT NOTICE
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STReport, with its policy of not accepting any paid advertising, has over
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that has been developed over the years and to continue "living up to
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appeared. In closing, we shall arduously endeavor to meet and further
develop the high standards of straight forwardness our readers have come
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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 #43
Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
******* General Computer News *******
** IBM Eyes Underwriting Apple Work **
There is speculation of a proposal for IBM to underwrite massive
costs of a new alliance with Apple Computer Inc. Reports say the deal
calls for IBM to gain rights to the Macintosh operating system "in
return for funding an effort that could easily cost Big Blue well over
$1 billion."
IBM is considering the bold plan as part of an urgent effort to
salvage its faltering PowerPC strategy and form a broad alliance with
Apple aimed at developing a common hardware platform that would run both
Apple and IBM software programs.
One unnamed industry executive close to Apple said that, at the
least, IBM has agreed to provide Apple with a substantial sum to defray
the estimated $40 million to $60 million cost of modifying the Mac
system to run on IBM's PowerPC design.
** NEC Offers 'All-in-One' PCs **
"All-in-one" personal computers - integrating a TV tuner, CD-ROM, fax
and Windows software - have been introduced in Tokyo by Japan's NEC
Corp. NEC Vice President Tomoo Miyawaki is quoted as saying, "The
product is NEC's first step towards moving into multimedia beyond the PC
market."
Reports say the "98 MULTi CanBe" offers electronic images such as TV,
photo CD and digital books on its 15-inch color display, and is equipped
with stereo speakers. The series comes in six models, with the highest
end model incorporating a Pentium processor. Miyawaki hopes to sell
400,000 units in the first year.
** Mindscape Acquires SSI **
Home software publisher Mindscape Inc. says it has acquired Strategic
Simulations Inc. for undisclosed terms. SSI will become a Mindscape,
subsidiary. SSI's management will remain in place.
SSI is a privately- owned developer of computer war games, sports
simulations, and fantasy role-playing games for personal computers, on-
line services and video game systems.
** Apple Boosts Mac Production **
Apple Computer Inc. says it has boosted Macintosh production in order
to keep up with increased customer demand.
"The tremendous growth in demand for our Macintosh computers means we
are producing more computers per day than any time in the past," says
Tom Foyer financial controller for Apple's Fountain, Colo. facility. "We
are adjusting the work schedules by adding weekend shifts to meet the
increased demand."
The Fountain facility is currently producing over 1 million computers
annually.
** Intel Making DX2-Pentium Upgrade **
Work is under way at Intel Corp. on a central processing unit that
will allow people with old DX2-based PCs to upgrade them to be powerful
as Pentium-based computers.
Intel officials are quoted as saying consumers who buy the so-called
Pentium overdrive chip can upgrade their computers at about a fifth to a
fourth the cost of buying a whole new Pentium-based personal computer.
An engineering director at Intel said, "it has twice the temporary
storage of a Pentium or four times the temporary storage of a DX2-based
computer."
** Modem Makers Set Merger **
U.S. Robotics Inc. and Megahertz Holding Corp. say they have signed a
definitive merger agreement. The stock-swap transaction has been approved
by both companies' boards, and is subject to shareholder approval
and regulatory clearance.
U.S. Robotics manufactures modems and other desktop and data center
communications systems and products. Megahertz is a provider of mobile
communications solutions, including PCMCIA cellular data/fax modems.
** AST Introduces Holiday Line **
AST Research Inc. is rolling out its holiday line of new PCs this
week, like its competitors, is including CD-ROM drives in all consumer-
oriented machines.
The company also has created its first models with a built-in monitor
similar to Apple Computer Inc.'s original Macintosh.
Dennis Cox, AST's marketing director for consumer products, said the
company is offering a mix of PCs based on '486 microprocessors made by
Cyrix Corp. and Pentium chips by Intel Corp.
AST also:
-:- Introduced new server computers for networks of PCs in business
and government offices. The new machines, powered by Pentium chips, are
configured in stand-alone and rack-mounted versions.
-:- Announced an alliance with Ziff-Davis Interactive to provide a
CD-ROM-based library of information and documents for fixing PCs and
computer networks.
** Micron Takes Control of Zeos **
Control of computer maker Zeos International Ltd. has been acquired
by Micron Technology Inc. in a transaction valued at about $405 million.
After the merger is complete, Micron Technology will own 79% of Zeos,
the Micron subsidiaries' employees will own about 10% of Zeos and Zeos's
current shareholders will own about 11%.
** PowerPC 620 CPU Introduced **
IBM Corp. and Motorola Inc. say they have achieved development and
fabrication of the PowerPC 620 microprocessor.
The PowerPC 620 is the first 64-bit implementation of the PowerPC
architecture. The companies note that the microprocessor is software
compatible with current 32-bit applications and extendible to future 64-
bit applications. The PowerPC 620 is designed to be the volume price/
performance leader for server and high-end workstations.
The PowerPC 620 provides multiprocessing, numerically intensive com-
puting and floating-point features. The device -- like other PowerPC
microprocessors jointly designed by Apple, IBM and Motorola -- are based
on a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) architecture. The PowerPC
620 at 133MHz achieves an estimated SPECint92 No. rating of 225 and an
estimated SPECfp92 No. rating of 300. It also has a design frequency of
133MHz to 150MHz.
The PowerPC 620 is the fourth chip produced by the Somerset Design
Center in approximately two years and is the first chip in a line of
server and high- end workstation microprocessors within the PowerPC
family.
While the PowerPC 620 completes the alliance's initial wave of
PowerPC microprocessors, Somerset will continue to enhance existing
lines and also target new markets by developing new implementations of
the PowerPC architecture.
** AMD Launches New RISC Chip **
Advanced Micro Devices announced this week it is launching its K86
chip, a fifth-generation, Windows-compatible RISC microprocessor.
The new chip can execute four instructions per clock cycle, which is
twice the capability of rival Intel Corp.'s Pentium processor. AMD said
last week it would destroy its inventory of AM486 chips after a court
upheld Intel's exclusive right to the microcode contained in the chips.
"The initial product of AMD's K86 family, code-named K5, is an AMD-
originated, true superscalar RISC microprocessor," the company said.
Pricing and availability will be announced later.
** Mosaic Comm to Release Software **
Mosaic Communications Corp., formed by developers of the Internet's
popular Mosaic software, is expected to release at no charge its own
version of the program in a bid to establish it as a standard for
navigating parts of Internet.
Marc Andreessen, who started MCC with Silicon Graphics Inc. founder
James Clark, said "We want as many people to use the software as
possible."
Mosaic, which provides a graphical interface for navigating Inter-
net's World Wide Web, already is freely available on the network.
Sandberg adds, "It has become so popular -- about 70,000 Internet users
download it monthly -- that more than a dozen software companies have
licensed the university-developed software to enhance it for commercial
use."
Andreessen said his company will give users a free version of its
Mosaic Netscape client software because "that's not where the money is
anyway," adding MCC plans to sell the server software to companies
seeking to be suppliers of information and goods on the network.
Andreessen estimated Mosaic Netscape is about 10 times faster than
any current version of Mosaic. To run Mosaic, users must have a special
"SLIP" or "PPP" connection, which only some Internet access providers
offer and which typically costs more than $40 a month.
"Even so," says Sandberg, "the software can be slow to access infor-
mation -- sometimes taking several minutes to download complex graphics
files. Only users with faster connections, such as corporations and
universities, can receive information quickly."
Mosaic was developed by Andreessen and others two years ago at the
National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of
Illinois. Swamped with interest, NCSA licensed the software company
Spyglass Inc. to handle all relicensing.
Andreessen, who has since hired from NCSA five other programmers of
the original Mosaic, says his company's version has "been completely
rewritten from scratch" and "doesn't contain a line" of the original
code.
** OCR Makers Set to Merge **
Caere Corp., a leading maker of optical character recognition (OCR)
products, says it has agreed to acquire competitor Calera Recognition
Systems Inc.
The companies expect the merger to be completed during the first
quarter of 1995, subject to a review by the Securities and Exchange
Commission and shareholder approval.
The companies had combined revenues of $48.3 million during the 1993
calendar year. Current plans call for Caere to market and support all
major products of both companies and continue existing sales and
marketing programs.
** CompuServe to Show FTP Interface **
CompuServe Inc. this week is set to demonstrate a new interface it
has developed that soon will allow members to access millions of files
available through the Internet's FTP (File Transfer Protocol) feature.
A statement today from CompuServe's headquarters says the FTP
interface, to be demonstrated at PC Expo in Chicago later this week, is
part of the company's "Internet made easy" initiative.
"FTP is currently in the final stages of testing and will be gener-
ally available to members within four to six weeks," the statement said.
"Internet FTP access will complement the more than 500,000 files already
available on CompuServe."
The interface also will feature enhanced menus that will help members
find files more easily, the statement said, adding, "A window of icons
representing popular Internet file downloading sites includes logos
illustrating each information source. Members looking for files from
these popular sites simply click on the icon and the FTP service
presents a list of files available at the site. A member can then view
or download the files that are of interest."
** IBM Promotes Its Brand Names **
IBM Corp. this week announced a new marketing strategy that
emphasizes the IBM brand name in its personal computer line to make it
easier for customers to shop for, purchase and own a PC.
Reports are that the computer giant will reduce from nine to four the
number of product lines. The remaining brand names -- IBM PC, IBM PC
Server, ThinkPad and Aptiva -- will be promoted in an aggressive
television and print advertising campaign.
New products will have fewer and simpler names, a common building-
block design, a build-to-order fulfillment system and exclusive
preloaded software.
In addition, IBM said it will reduce prices on selected models of
ThinkPads and PS/2s by up to 17%.
** Apple, Lotus Next Takeover Targets? **
Reports are that Apple Computer Inc. and Lotus Development Corp. are
seen as the next potential major targets in a wave of consolidation
sweeping the computer software industry.
Recent industry speculation has focused on Apple as a possible target
of a buyout or as a participant in a new strategic relationship with IBM
Corp.
Lotus, which like Intuit has managed to beat Microsoft in a niche
market, has been the topic of widespread industry speculation about its
future amid disappointing earnings and rumors of impending layoffs.
Borland also has been mentioned as a possible takeover candidate if
it cannot return to profitability within the next six months. However,
it's felt that Borland is not an attractive acquisition candidate
because of large unknown liabilities from pending lawsuits and other
issues.
** IBM's Earnings Up **
IBM Corp. this week announced it earned $710 million in the third
quarter, compared to a loss of $48 million a year ago.
The third quarter profit amounted to $1.18 per common share, compared
to a loss of 12 cents a share last year. Revenues rose 5% to $15.4
billion, up from $14.7 billion for the same period a year ago.
While IBM's U.S. revenue growth was a modest 3%, it increased 13% in
Europe and 16% in Asia.
** Tandy's Profits Up 9 Percent **
Tandy Corp announced this week third quarter profits of $46.2 million
(or 58 cents a share), a 9% increase over profits of $42.6 million (or
52 cents a share) reported a year ago.
The revenues increased 19% on hefty gains in U.S. retail sales,
rising to $1.12 billion from $939.9 million. Tandy said sales at its
U.S. retail outlets were up 23% in the quarter.
** Compaq's Profits Up 88 Percent **
Compaq Computer Corp. this week reported an 88% leap in third quarter
profits, earning $201 million (or 75 cents a share), compared with $107
million (or 42 cents a share) for the same period a year ago. The re-
venue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was $2.83 billion, up from $1.75
billion last year.
Compaq led other PC makers in sales growth, unit sales and profit-
ability for the first half of the year and appears to have held on to
that title for the third quarter, although a few companies have yet to
report their results.
** Digital's Posts Losses **
Digital Equipment Corp. this week reported first quarter losses of
$131 million. The losses were less than anticipated and caused Digital's
stock to increase.
The loss for the first quarter of the fiscal year amounted to 98
cents a share, compared to a loss of $154 million (or $1.14 a share) a
year ago. Revenue was up 4 percent to $3.12 billion for the quarter,
compared to $3.01 billion in 1993.
** Unisys' Earnings Drop 50 Percent **
Unisys Corp. announced this week it earned $42.9 million in the third
quarter (or 8 cents a share), a 50% decline from the same period a year
ago when the company earned $84.1 million (or 29 cents a share).
The revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was $1.78 billion, down
from $1.80 billion last year. The firm's operating income of $85.5
million, a decrease from the $135.3 million of a year ago, was hurt by
lower sales to government agencies, as well as higher expenses.
** Info Highway Equals Internet? **
When asked to define the "information highway," leading corporate
information technology users overwhelmingly say "the Internet,"
according to a survey of attendees at a major technology conference.
A full 76% of the Fortune 1,000 professionals surveyed - representing
a cross-section of top executives, sales and marketing professionals and
chief information officers - said the information highway is the
Internet, while only 16% cited interactive TV/videos on demand.
The poll was conducted at the Technology Management Forum, an annual
gathering of information industry experts sponsored by market researcher
Forrester Research, which is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
** Professor Threatened After E-mail **
A Texas A&M University professor says he has been targeted with death
threats ever since someone broke into his electronic mail account and
sent a racist message to about 20,000 computer users in four states via
the Internet earlier this week.
Calling it "a digital equivalent of a drive-by shooting," professor
Grady Blount said, "My door is locked. We canceled a class last night
and one today will be moved to another location."
Blout said his password was used to send hate e-mail Monday to
college campuses in Mississippi, Wisconsin, Colorado and Texas.
A&M spokeswoman Mary McQueen said the school determined the unknown
intruder sent the message from off campus.
The message, signed 'Crusader,' was similar to a flier produced by
the white supremacist National Alliance... It urged sending 'minority
parasites packing to fend for themselves,' condemned financing black
'breeding colonies,' and claimed the government funds '80 IQ welfare
mothers' and 'Jewish organized crime gangs.'
_______________________________
> Western Publishing Goodies STR Review
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The Kids' Computing Corner
--------------------------
123 AND ABC WITH HICKORY AND ME
===============================
by Frank Sereno
The first two programs of Western Publishing's new Step Ahead
software series for Macintosh and Windows systems feature Hickory, an
adorable mouse, and Nat, his firefly friend. Both programs are aimed at
children ages three to six years. 123 with Hickory and Me teaches number
recognition, sequence and counting. ABC with Hickory and Me teaches the
alphabet, sequence, phonics and matching. Windows requirements are a
386sx-20 or greater CPU, Windows 3.1, VGA display of 640 by 480 with 256
colors, four megs of free ram and 5.5 megs of hard drive space. Macintosh
requirements were not stated in the literature provided to me. These
programs are also available on CD-rom.
123 features two play areas with various activities and difficulty
levels. The main screen features Hickory sitting on a mushroom while Nat
hovers nearby. On the left side of the screen is a small pond. At the
back of the pond is a boulder with numbers which serves as the icon for
the parent's screen. The parent can set a code number for access and has
the option of whether the quit button will be displayed to the child.
This will prevent the child from leaving the game and possibly creating
havoc on your system. To the right of the boulder is a large tree with a
stop sign hanging from it. The stop sign is the quit icon and the tree is
filled with hotspots that trigger amusing animations. A log lays across
the pond and that serves as the icon for the counting games. A small boat
made from a paper milk carton floats on the pond and it is the icon for
games teaching number recognition and sequence. Hotspots in the pond
start more animations.
Clicking on the log begins the counting games. The child can choose
from three different activities with two skill levels. This screen
features Hickory seated upon a log. As he counts from one to ten, acorns
bearing the appropriate numbers will appear. Below those numbers will be
three activity icons. A fourth icon is the branch below Hickory. When it
is positioned to the left, games are played at the first skill level.
Clicking on it will move it to the right and change the game to the more
difficult second level. Default mode is the discovery mode which is
triggered by a looking glass icon. Children click on the numbered acorns
to watch Hickory count that number of moles as they tunnel out onto the
meadow. On the first level, the moles are adjacent to one another while
on the second level there may be spaces between them.
The next activity is initiated by the 123 icon on the log. In this
activity the child counts the animals which appear on the screen and then
clicks on the acorn bearing the answer. On the first level, only five or
fewer animals will appear. On the second level, up to ten animals will
appear. Basic math and subtraction problems are presented when animals
are added or removed from the screen and the child is asked for the new
number of critters. If a child provides an incorrect answer, Hickory will
tell him that the number is too large or too small and then remove several
numbers to make finding the answer easier. When the correct answer is
given, Hickory will praise the child with enthusiastic adjectives,
clapping his paws or giving a wink of an eye.
The final counting exercise involves matching a number of pellets to
a number of animals. The child provides the correct answer by clicking on
the group of pellets which is the same in number as the animals on the
screen. Again, the lower level involves numbers of five or less and the
higher level will use numbers up to ten. When the correct answer is
given, the animals will eat their food and then leave.
After finishing the counting games, the child can go back to the main
screen by clicking on the mushroom in the meadow. Or he can go to the
matching and sequencing games by clicking on the milk carton boat in the
pond. The first game involves identifying a number by guiding the boat
around a pond by clicking and holding the mouse on a location. On the
lower level, Hickory shows a picture of the number and all the numbers in
the pond will be that number. Clicking on the frog in the pond begins the
second level of the exercise. Hickory will only speak the number which he
wishes to be found and other numbers will be present in the pond. To add
to the difficulty, a frog is swimming along in the pond and he will make
the boat spin in circles if he touches it. After the child finds all
examples of the target number, Hickory will ask him to rescue the cheese
which appears in the pond. After the child has rescued six cheeses,
Hickory will recite a poem and then eat the cheeses.
Clicking on the float (or a bobber as my father called it) on
Hickory's fishing line will start the sequencing game. Different numbers
will appear in the pond the child must collect them in the proper order
from smallest to largest. On the lower level, the numbers will be in a
consecutive sequence such as one, two, three, and four. Hickory will also
show the correct number on his yellow screen. Clicking on the frog takes
the child to the more difficult level. The frog will again be swimming
around the pond. The numbers will no longer be consecutive such as three,
five, seven and ten. In both levels, if the child clicks on the wrong
answer, Hickory will announce the number that was found and the correct
answer. In both levels, clicking on Hickory will cause him to say which
number the child should find next.
123 with Hickory and Me is a well-planned and entertaining program.
Because the interface, graphics and other qualities are similar to those
in ABC with Hickory and Me, I will comment on those areas at the end of
the overview of ABC.
The main screen for ABC is a kitchen scene. Two play areas are
available by clicking on the cheese wedge on the floor and the cuckoo
clock on the wall. Other objects are hotspots for short, humorous
animations. The cuckoo clock is Hickory's secret hiding place. Inside
you will find a red switch for changing between lower and uppercase
letters. Three icons represent the activities available in this location.
The looking glass starts the explore mode. The child can click on the
letters and hear Hickory pronounce the letter, say its letter sound and
then say a word starting with that letter. A flashlight is located on the
right side of the screen. If the flashlight is on, a picture will be
shown of the letter, an object using that letter and the name of the
object.
The next game is "Letters" and it is accessed by clicking on the ABC
icon. In the easy mode with the flashlight on, Hickory will ask for the
child to find a letter, he will pronounce its letter sound and then the
letter will be shown on the wall. If the child takes too long to answer
or if he makes incorrect answers, letters will be removed until only the
correct answer remains. With the flashlight off, the letter will not be
shown and the child will have to listen carefully as Hickory asks him to
find a letter.
The final activity in the cuckoo clock is "Names" and it is initiated
by clicking on the apple icon. On the first level, a picture will be
shown on a clock wall of an object with its word and the first letter.
Hickory will ask for a letter, pronounce its letter sound and then
announce the object in the picture. On the second level, no picture is
shown and Hickory asks for the letter and says its letter sound. This is
the same as the second level in the "Letters" game. In the Letters and
Names activities, correct answers cause a short animation to appear and
Hickory will praise the child vocally.
Clicking on the cheese takes the child to two maze games. The maze
is the checkerboard pattern of the kitchen's tile floor. The first game
asks the child to "pick up" a specific letter. Move the cursor to the
location that Hickory should be moved to then hold down the left mouse
button to have him walk there. After finding five examples of the letter,
the child will be asked to pick up the cheese. After gathering six
cheeses, Hickory will recite a poem and then eat the cheese. On the first
level, Hickory shows a tablet with the letter and only the correct letter
is in the maze. By clicking on the cat icon, the child moves to the
second level. On this level the floor is covered with puddles which make
it difficult for Hickory to walk. A cat is also moving about the screen
trying to catch Hickory.
Clicking on the letters icon starts a game in which children must put
the letters in alphabetical order. Below the maze window is the alphabet
minus the letters in the maze. On the easy level, the letters are chosen
from those that are adjacent in the alphabet. Hickory will show the
letter to be chosen on a tablet. On the second level, again the floor
will have puddles and the cat will be trying to catch Hickory. This time
the letters will not be adjacent in the alphabet and Hickory will put down
his tablet. If the child takes too long to find the correct letter,
Hickory will tell the child which letter to pick up.
Graphics in these two programs are very good. Animations are smooth
and in sync with the sound track. Hickory is drawn very cutely. Bright
colors are used throughout. The sounds are excellent also. All the
sounds are distinct. The music is lively and entertaining. The sound
effects are used liberally and effectively. The voice acting is quite
good with much enthusiasm.
The interface is simple and effective. Only a few icons are present
on each screen but these make all activities and levels easily accessible.
Hickory provides plenty of verbal encouragement and praise. Hickory
utters not a discouraging word. If the child becomes inactive within the
program, Hickory will ask about the child's whereabouts and then fall
asleep. Directions are announced for each game upon entry and will be
repeated by clicking on Hickory. The manuals are short but very
informative.
123 and ABC are very fun to play and children should be entertained
for many hours. Educational value is good. Both programs could have had
more activities but important lessons are learned. These programs are
value priced at $25 or less so it may be a sign of greed to expect more.
Some words to the wise: The Step Ahead programs may be difficult to spot
right now. I looked for these programs in a Chicago area Wal-Mart. They
were located in the Golden Books section of the toy department, sitting
along side books with nothing to bring the software to the consumer's
attention. These programs are well worth making a concerted effort to
find them.
Step Ahead programs come with a 30-day guarantee through which
another title can be exchanged or money can be refunded. Technical
support is available by telephone, fax and mail. If you have questions or
comments, contact the Consumer Relations Department at 1-800-323-3568.
Graphics ............. 9.0
Sounds ...............10.0
Interface ............10.0
Play Value ........... 9.0
Educational Value .... 8.0
Bang for the Buck .... 9.0
Average .............. 9.16
****
Brighter Child Software Receives '94 Innovations Awards
at
International Electronics Show
American Education Publishing's line of educational software is now
considered one of the most innovative consumer electronics products of
1994. At the 1994 International Summer Consumer Electronics Show, four
Brighter Child software titles won the '94 Innovations Awards. All
winning titles were displayed in a special exhibition at the show which
took place June 23 through 25 in Chicago. A highly visible brochure with
the winning products' descriptions was also distributed at the show.
Members of the software development industry and industry press
judged the entries on originality, sound, graphics, audio visual effects,
play action, mechanics, user interface, value and usefulness. American
Education Publishing received a distinguished engraved plaque for the
awards and is now allowed to use the Innovations logo on all of the
Brighter Child software packaging. The '94 Innovations Awards were
sponsored by the Electronic Industries Association.
Each Brighter Child software title features more than thirty learning
activities, color graphics and sound. Full color workbooks that reinforce
the skills learned on the computer are included in the software package.
This workbook / software combination is designed for the children at the
first, second and third grade reading levels.
American Education Publishing was founded in April of 1990 by Vince
Douglas, Lowell Morrison and JMAC, Inc. The company's goal is to produce
the highest quality children's literature and to provide parents and
teachers the opportunity to give themselves a "brighter child and America
a brighter future."
*-*
Please note that I have evaluation copies of two of American Education
Publishing's titles: Jim Henson's Muppet\Brighter Child's Letter: Capital
and Small, and Brighter Child's Reading and Phonics Grade 1. I will be
reviewing these titles in upcoming articles.
Work is progressing on a mailing list that will distribute the Silicon
Times Report from my "home" BBS via FTP mail. This list will also allow
people to post regarding STR, children's software and other interesting
topics. Issues of Silicon Times Report will be available by file request
for those who do not have Internet mail access. More details as they
become available. Meanwhile, you may contact me at these addresses:
FidoNET: Frank Sereno at 1:2235/10
Internet: Frank.Sereno@uti.com
U.S. Mail: Frank Sereno
528 West Ave.
Morris, IL 60450-1768
I thank you for reading!
___________________________________
> WUGNET Overview! STR FOCUS!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
THE WINDOWS USER GROUP NETWORK
==============================
The Windows User Group Network is the premier international organization
for Windows professionals.
We offer a number of services and benefits designed to reduce your support
costs and maximize your use of Windows based software. An enrollment form
is located at the end of this document.
Joining our organization will put you in touch with windows professionals,
PC Managers, MIS staff and consultants located all over the world. You are
also encouraged to contribute to our Windows Journal. If you are
interested in contributing articles contact Howard Sobel at 76702,1356 or
sobel@libertynet.org.
Additional information about WUGNET books published by IDG can also be
found on the Internet at HTTP://libertynet.org in the Libertynet
marketplace.
WUGNET's role is to communicate windows-based technologies
and applications to an international audience through the WUGNET forum on
CompuServe, conferences, trade shows, publications, trade books, and
various membership interactions. WUGNET offers its members a number of
technical support tools and support resources designed to save them time
and solve quickly problems.
These support tools include: The Online Windows Help versions of the
popular Microsoft Windows 3.1 resource kits and Windows for WorkGroups
resource Kits, (available soon) WUGNET System Engineer, a support oriented
CompuServe FORUM with a private library for members.
WUGNET's Computing Book Series books are now available by calling 800
WINUSER. Windows 3.1 Connectivity Secrets (Connally, Rorabaugh, Hall and
Rezmovic, and Windows 3.1 Configuration Secrets by Valda Hilley and Jim
Blakely (published by IDG Books Worldwide)are now available directly from
WUGNET for $39.95 + $5 shipping.
WUGNET's mission is to:
-----------------------
* Promote understanding and cooperation among organizations engaged in
furthering the progress and application of windows based systems.
* Provide an international clearing house for information and advancement
systems and technology.
* Conduct conferences and exhibitions for the exchange of information
* Provide document based information through the publication of a journal,
trade and reference books.
* Provide education for windows based systems
PUBLICATIONS
------------
The Windows Journal newsletter, published bimonthly by WUGNET
Publications, is the leading independent technical journal focusing on the
Microsoft Windows operating environment. The Journal is a technical
resource for consultants, corporate support staff, programmers and
power-users of the Windows environment. Its mission is to help corporate
support personnel setup, optimize, and maintain Windows workstations, and
to provide in-depth technical information for end-users.
The Journal features extracts from the authors of leading books on Windows
and keeps readers up to date on the Windows files, drivers, patches, and
files found on CompuServe. Written and edited by Windows professionals,
the Windows Journal is the only independent international publication
focusing on in depth Windows solutions.
The Windows Journal is a user read publication circulated worldwide to
approximately 10,000 professionals. Windows Journal readers are expert PC
users who have made the move to the Windows environment. They are
technically advanced. At least 75% of our readership is actively
programming applications in the Windows environment, either through direct
use of programming tools, application development environment, or
application customization.
MIS Professionals, Windows Programmers, and power users from industry and
government look to The Windows Journal to discover technology advances
they can use in developing software products or increasing the value of
their current software technology. Through the Windows Journal, the
Windows User Group Network acts as an information resource center, making
available publications and materials from leading software and hardware
vendors, and specialized consultants.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TOOLS and UTILITIES
WUGNET'S ELECTRONIC EDITIONS OF THE WINDOWS RESOURCE KITS
The Windows Users Group Network publishes electronic version of the MS
Windows 3.1 Resource Kit and Windows for WorkGroups Addendum. These are
disk-based hypertext editions available to members of WUGNET. The Windows
Resource Kit 3.1 Electronic Edition converts Microsoft's 580-page guide
into interactive reference, providing immediate access to Windows 3.1
information. It is designed as to aid technical support professionals
(corporate help desks, VARs, systems integrators, resellers, developers,
and trainers) in setup, optimizing, and troubleshooting the Windows
environment. The files WFW1.ZIP and WFW2.ZIP (Windows for WorkGroups
Addendum) can be downloaded directly from private members library 17. When
you join WUGNET please request access to this area by sending an email
note to Howard Sobel 76702,1356.
SYSTEM ENGINEER 2.0 FOR WINDOWS
-------------------------------
New Features and Capabilities Result in the Ultimate Control Panel
for Windows Users
Media, PA - The Windows User Group Network (WUGNET) has announced System
Engineer version 2.0, its highly acclaimed Windows Configuration tool.
This innovative software package allows Windows professionals and power
users to fine tune their Windows environments. System Engineer gives the
Window professional a comprehensive set of tools to manage all aspects of
Windows' configuration on their workstation, whether standalone or on
networks. In addition to its powerful but easy-to-use interface for
editing individual sections and statements within Windows configuration
files, System Engineer provides a complete librarian for storing, managing
and recovering multiple configurations. Changes to any and all INI files
or entries are logged in a master file, which creates an audit system that
allows users to retrace specific changes made to configuration files,
including support for installation and deinstallation of Windows
applications and supporting system enhancements.
Unlocking the Windows Environment
---------------------------------
System Engineer provides access to every SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI
parameter including:
* Undocumented parameters for managing memory
* Undocumented parameters supporting the Windows keyboard interface
* Network setting options, including Novell Netware specific options
* Configuration settings for managing all asynchronous communications port
* Parameters for setting Windows EMS memory and Virtual memory management
* Parameter settings for Windows operation of disk storage devices
* Parameter settings supporting DOS applications running under Windows
* Parameter settings exclusive to Windows standard mode
* System fonts used by Windows
REAL-TIME INFORMATION MONITORS
------------------------------
This release of System Engineer introduces easy-to-use real- time
monitoring facilities for both expert and non-expert Windows users.
* The Task Monitor provides a real-time data window displaying all active
tasks with their task handles.
* The File I/O Monitor allows users to track what files and devices are
currently open, and determine read/write privileges. This also supports
monitoring of open data files and Windows supported devices that are
shared, protected, or read-only in nature. This information can then be
used by general users in determining the optimum files, buffers and
cache settings for particular tasks in Windows.
* The Memory Monitor is not just a viewer, but a comprehensive statistical
monitor reporting the memory use of active module components in six
specific memory classes including fonts and DLL's. Use the monitor
snapshots to analyze application-specific GDI and USER system resource
memory heaps, and determine what discardable and non-discardable
portions of memory a particular Windows 3.1 module or application is
utilizing. New Features in System Engineer 2.0 Solve Windows Most
Complex User Issues including
NEW INTERFACE - SUPER CONTROL PANEL AND MORE!
---------------------------------------------
System Engineer's new interface now includes separate panels for all
the configuration management tasks in Windows. Windows Setup.exe and
Control Panel are incorporated into the interface, with additional tabular
windows for SYSTEM, WIN.INI, INFORMATION and BACKUP support. Version 2.0
also supports full drag and drop support with Windows File Manager (or PC
Tools for Windows or Norton Desktop), allowing the user to select an INI
file, drag it to the SYSTEM ENGINEER icon, and immediately have the INI
editor with the INI loaded.
NOW HANDLES COMMUNICATION PORT DEVICE CONTENTION
------------------------------------------------
System Engineer 2.0 now includes OTC Corporation's KINGCOM COM PORT
Driver - an enhanced communications port driver and configuration tool
enabling System Engineer to manage all data/fax traffic, and eliminate
conflicts that develop when mutiple applications access the same fax/modem
hardware. The Windows COM driver is limited to two active serial devices,
but multiple applications may support the active port. For example, when a
fax application attempts to access a modem while a terminal communications
package is loaded the result is an error message. System Engineer's
inclusion of KINGCOM, developed by OTC Corporation, solves this problem.
By creating a "virtual" com port driver, users can designate all their
software to a specific com port to specific applications.
SE'S ADVANCED CONFIGURATION TOOLS AND FEATURES
----------------------------------------------
The System Engineer INI editing system includes support for
archiving, library, backup (full and selected) and restoration for Windows
INI files and Windows applications INI files. For example, any INI topic
or parameter can include specific comments, deleted, archived into the
system engineer archive. The INI Editor archive capability allows the user
to select a topic and store it in the active archive. Once archived, the
user can selectively restore it to another INI file or use the archived
library for network system maintenance of other user INI files. Any
modification through the INI editor is also maintained in a an active log,
providing insurance and complete UNDO support. Users can use the LOG
Browser to monitor changes to all INI files made through System Engineer.
The System Configuration Backup and Restore support has been expanded to
include Windows GRP, AUTOEXEC.BAT
SYSTEM ENGINEER USERS APPLAUD
-----------------------------
System Engineer was developed by the WUGNET support staff in 1990.
We've helped hundreds of Windows users, both novice and expert since 1988,
and incorporated virtually every support feature imaginable into this one
product.
"My first reaction to System Engineer was: 'WOW! It's about time!' Finally
there is a product that addresses the needs of the systems integrator
trying to customize the internals of the Windows environment. System
Engineer is a powerful tool for the service and support industry, and is
one of those utilities that make you think 'it should have been there in
the first place.' I highly recommend System Engineer to anyone who has to
deal with diagnosing, configuring, and supporting the Windows 3.xx
operating system environment. Mandatory equipment for the support
engineer's arsenal". Randall Kennedy
THE WINDOWS USER FORUM ON FORUM ON COMPUSERVE (GO WINUSER)
----------------------------------------------------------
Windows professionals, from corporate professionals to consultants,
communicate in the fastest growing independent technical user forum on
CompuServe - The Windows Users Forum (GO WUGNET or GO WINUSER). Members of
the organization are also provided with access to a private library
containing advance reports on trade shows, technical notes, and product
appnotes and reviews.
WUGNET maintains an active private beta testing program where members
can sign up on line and test new versions of innovative products. WUGNET
works with shareware authors in helping to promote high quality and
innovative shareware. THE WUGNET shareware of the week program, makes
available to and informs forum members about the hottest applications to
be found on CompuServe.
WUGNET has a long history of working very closely with shareware
authors and considers them an integral part of the WUGNET community.
THE WINDOWS CONNECTIVITY FORUM (GO WINCON)
NETWORK WORLD NEWSWEEKLY TO SPONSOR WINDOWS CONNECTIVITY FORUM ON
COMPUSERVE New 24-Hour, Direct Access WUGNET Forum Designed to Promote
User-to-User and Vendor-to-User Exchanges
FRAMINGHAM, Mass.-Network World, the newsweekly of enterprise network
computing, has announced its sponsorship of a new CompuServe forum,
Windows Connectivity Forum (WINCON), designed to promote user-to-user and
vendor-to-user exchanges of information regarding Windows networking
products, applications and issues.
The WINCON Forum on CompuServe will also be complemented by a weekly
column in Network World's "Local Networks" section, written by WUGNET's
technical staff, aimed at helping NW readers make decisions on all aspects
of Windows connectivity.
WINCON, which is conducted by the Windows Users Group Network (WUGNET),
went on-line on CompuServe on Monday, Sept. 27. WUGNET has been active on
CompuServe since 1988, where it has promoted an exchange of technical
information and solutions among Windows users.
"Network World is very pleased to be sponsoring the WINCON forum on
CompuServe," said Colin Ungaro, Network World publisher. "Our mission is
to empower IS professionals with knowledge they need for advancing
enterprise and global networking; WUGNET's WINCON forum will assist that
process greatly by involving CompuServe's global on-line community."
"Together, the forum and column will provide users and vendors with a
wealth of information, support options and software to ease the job of
Windows networking," explains Network World's Editor in Chief John
Gallant.
The WINCON forum on CompuServe will provide 24-hour, direct access to
technical and product representatives from major networking vendors, along
with the latest network drivers, updates and technical notes. Network
World's NetAccess software demo library will also be available, as well as
access to the Windows Internet Library, the largest library of updated
Windows Internet software, tools and add-ons.
"WINCON's missions," says Joel Diamond, WUGNET's technical director, "is
to provide users with as much information and assistance as possible in
order to maximize their Windows networks and applications. That mission
has received a great boost from Network World, which has once again taken
the lead in meeting the needs of IS professionals."
To get to the Windows Connectivity Forum on CompuServe, type Go Wincon at
any ! prompt. Network World and WUGNET are currently offering a free
CompuServe membership sign-up: call 1-800-524-3388.
The Windows Users Group Network is the largest technical association of
Windows professionals, with over 8,000 international individual and
institutional participants. WUGNET publishes a bimonthly technical
newsletter, "The Windows Journal," and members receive electronic editions
of Microsoft Windows Resource Kits and value-added resources through
WUGNET forums on CompuServe. The group has two best-selling advanced
reference handbooks available through IDG books: "Windows Connectivity
Secrets" and "Windows Configuration Secrets."
Network World newsweekly, a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data
Group (IDG), helps shape the future of network computing in the enterprise
by empowering IS professionals with the knowledge to deliver the open
applications and infrastructure necessary to meet their evolving needs.
ORIGINS OF THE WINDOWS USERS GROUP NETWORK
Founded in 1988, as an independent organization, WUGNET has positioned
itself as an industry wide technical resource, rather than as an
organization committed to any single vendor or groups of vendors.
For five years, the Windows User Group Network has dedicated their efforts
to communicating trends and developments, and solutions about the Windows
environment on an international level. As a result of the technological
changes experienced in the last few years, WUGNET has evolved into an
organization which aggressively promotes the interfacing of existing
technologies with new state of the art technologies to create intelligent
solutions to today's business problems.
ENROLLMENT APPLICATION
----------------------
There are two levels of enrollment: Individual and Corporate (Group
Gov/Academic). The following membership application be used for Fax, Mail
or email
Call for Corporate and Group Membership packages.
Name_____________________________________________________
Company__________________________________________________
Title____________________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________
City_________________________________State______________
Zip__________Phone Number_________________________
Email________________________________
Fax___________________________________
Save $$$ on our hot new books
WUGNET COMPUTING BOOKS SERIES (Publisher IDG Books Worldwide, Inc)
Windows 3.1 Connectivity Secrets [ ] 39.95 + $5 Shipping
Windows 3.1 Configuration Secrets [ ] 39.95 + $5 Shipping
(Pa. Residents add 6% sales tax)
For Overseas shipping costs contact WUGNET HQ
Amount Enclosed _______________________
Please Charge my Credit Card: AMEX____ VISA_____
MASTERCARD____ Card Number:_____________________________
Expiration Date:________ Signature:___________________________
Prices quoted in US Dollars
Inividual Membership includes: Subscription to Windows Journal, WUGNET
System Engineer 2.0 Windows Resource Kits(Windows 3.1 and Windows for
Workgroups* (when available next month), access to private data
library--(Send request for access to Howard Sobel 76702,1356 once you
join).
US Individual Rate: $99.00
Individual Rates Ovreseas:includes shipping South America $110, Canada
$110, Europe $140, Pacific $150
GROUP MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMS
10 Members Program - allows System Engineer and Windows Resource Kit
(online edition) to be on a network server with access for 10 users.
Includes 5 subscriptions to the Windows Journals.
25 Members Program - allows up to 25 users of System Engineer and Windows
Resource Kits (online edition) to be on a network server. Includes 10
subscriptions to the Windows Journal.
100 Members Program - allows unlimited use of System Engineer and Windows
Resource Kit (online edition) on a single server.
Please direct all inquires to:
Jim Herndon
Windows Users Group Network
126 E. State St.
Media, PA 19063
Email: CompuServe
76702,1356 or
FORUM InterNet Email:
sobel@libertynet.org
Tel: 215 565 1861. Fax: 215 565-7106
Direct Membership Enrollment:
800-WIN-USER (1-800-946-8737)
___________________________________
> USR's Sysop Program STR Spotlight
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
US ROBOTICS SYSOP SUPPORT PROGRAM
=================================
PRODUCT PRICE
-------------------------------------------------------
Prices subject to change without notice.
Modems are now shipping with V.34!!!!!!
The NEW Courier "V.Everything"
with V.34 utilizes FLASHROM technology, so
updates are only a software download away!
COURIER V.Everything w/V.34 & FAX $ 249
-------------------------------------------------------
ComServer 486 for Ethernet w/V.34 & HST $ 995
INTERNATIONAL COURIER V.Everything w/V.34 $ 249
DOMESTIC POWER SUPPLY (INT'L USERS)* $ 10
INTERNATIONAL POWER SUPPLY (INT'L USERS)* $ 50
!HIGH SPEED DUAL ASYNC SERIAL BOARD $ 50
Product subject to availability
-------------------------------
* European Sysops must now order via our office in France.
The BBS number is +33 20 05 32 41, voice number is
+33 20 19 19 59. Be sure to read their EURODEAL rules as they differ from
USR/USA.
**International version - a separate power supply must be ordered if the
modem is used outside the U.S. or Canada. International power supply is
220 volts; Domestic power supply is 110 volts. At least one (1) power
supply must be ordered with each international modem.
***For detailed information and technical specifications on the above
products, call the U.S. Robotics Technical Support Department at
800-550-7800. International callers can call 1-708-982-5010. You can also
FAX at 708-982-0823 or try our Fax on Demand at 800-762-6163 or
708-982-9061. In Europe call +33 20 19 19 59 or FAX +33 20 05 32 40.
****
U.S. ROBOTICS SYSOP SUPPORT PROGRAM
-----------------------------------
General:
This section describes the rules of the U.S. Robotics
SYSOP Program. U.S. Robotics reserves the right to modify or change these
rules at any time.
Scope:
The U.S. Robotics SYSOP Program permits QUALIFIED SYSOPs to purchase
current U.S. Robotics products at a reduced price. The purpose of this
program is to continue the close relationship established many years ago
between U.S. Robotics and the Sysop community. Participants should
recognize that our ability to continue the program is dependent upon the
strong position U.S. Robotics enjoys in the reseller channel, with the
distributors and dealers, VARs, etc. that continue to buy and resell our
products to home and business users around the world. It is our intent to
maintain the integrity of our channel relationships by closely
scrutinizing each SYSOP sale to ensure that we only sell products to
qualified SYSOPs.
Qualifications:
---------------
1. The SYSOP states that he/she is NOT in the business of reselling
computer products and/or related peripherals, including modems. Qualified
resellers may take advantage of other programs offered by U.S. Robotics by
calling (800) 342-5877 and asking for the dealer sales representative for
your area. International callers may call 1-708-982-5010.
2. The SYSOP has been operating the bulletin board system for at least
six (6) months and that this activity can be verified by dialing into the
bulletin board system. Typically user logs, activity logs, and local
message bases are a good source for verifying activity.
*** The exception to this rule is as follows:
If you are a registered owner of any of the following software packages US
Robotics automatically waives the 6 month verification portion of the
qualifications. US Robotics is proud to have entered into this agreement
with:
****
The participating vendors are:
PC Board(Clark Development ) (800)356-1686 Voice Dos
(801)261-8976 BBS
Wildcat!(Mustang Software Inc.) (800)999-9619 Voice Dos
(805)873-2400 BBS
TBBS(eSOFT) (303)699-6565 Voice Dos
(303)699-8222 BBS
(303)699-6872 FAX
Power Board(NUIQ Software Inc.) (914)833-3479 Voice Dos
(914)833-1479 BBS
(914)834-7830 BBS
(914)833-3623 FAX
Searchlight (800)780-LITE Voice Dos
(216)631-9285 BBS
Roboboard (819)682-6670 Voice Dos
(819)682-7771 BBS
T.P Board and Front Door (201)941-1110 Voice Dos
RemoteAccess(Wantree Development) (800)648-9800 Voice Dos
(913)441-0595 BBS
The Major BBS (Galaticomm, Inc.) (800)328-1128 Voice Dos
(305)583-7808 BBS
First Class (SoftArc) (416)299-4723 Voice Mac(E-Mail)
(416)609-2250 BBS
TeleFinder (Spider Island) (714)669-9260 Voice Mac
(714)730-5785 BBS
AmiExpress Phone to be announced.... Amiga
DLG (TelePro Technologies) (403)341-7826 Voice Amiga
(403)347-3269 BBS
Celerity/Alacrity (Lexicon Computing) (310)693-9405 BBS Dos
TEAMate (MMB Development Corp) (310)318-1322 Voice Unix
Vision-X (Eid Youssef) (613)728-4861 Voice Dos
(613)728-5787 BBS
(613)728-7959 BBS
****
3. The SYSOP understands that the number of modems that may be obtained
under this program is limited to the number of working, VERIFIABLE data
lines. Data lines MUST be dedicated for modem use only and MUST be
available 24 hours a day for modem access. Modems purchased under this
program MUST be used on one of the stated lines. Furthermore, the SYSOP
understands that the number of serial cards that may be obtained is one
for each 2 modems ordered under the SYSOP Program. Participants in the
Sysop Program beginning 1/1/92 may purchase the Dual Async Card based on
these rules as well.
4. The SYSOP agrees to post an appropriate logon notice, visible to users
of the bulletin board, which states that said bulletin board uses and
supports U.S. Robotics brand products.
5. The SYSOP agrees that he/she intends to operate the bulletin board,
for which these products are purchased, for at least six (6) months post
purchase. The U.S. Robotics logon must remain in effect for six (6)
months to allow verification that the bulletin board is in place and that
the U.S. Robotics promotional message is being displayed.
6. The SYSOP agrees that, in order to avoid conflict with the U.S.
Robotics reseller channel, modems purchased under this program cannot be
re-sold without the expressed written consent of U.S. Robotics. Violation
of this policy will result in the SYSOP's being ineligible for future
participation in the U.S. Robotics SYSOP program. In addition, any
warranties on modems re-sold without U.S. Robotics authorization will be
null and void.
7. The SYSOP understands that initialization of the verification process
may take from one (1) to fifteen (15) days depending on the number of
orders being processed by the SYSOP Support Department, and difficulty in
verifying your bulletin board. Shipment of product will take from two (2)
to six (6) weeks pending availability of the particular product ordered.
U.S. Robotics will ship product(s) to QUALIFIED SYSOPs as soon as possible
after:
A. The SYSOP completes the order form and questionnaire found on the
U.S. Robotics BBS via the SYSOP command at the main menu. These
must be filled-out on-line as no mail-in orders will be accepted.
Prepaid orders will NOT be processed until payment has been received by
U.S. Robotics. After placing an order on the board, a SYSOP wishing to
prepay his/her order should send a money order or cashier's check for
U.S. funds to:
U.S. Robotics
SYSOP Support Program
8100 McCormick Blvd.
Skokie, IL 60076
It is imperative that the SYSOP name, voice phone number and BBS phone
number be indicated for identification purposes. A personal or company
check is acceptable, but shipping will be delayed for ten (10) working
days to ensure that the check clears our bank.
NO CHECKS OR MONEY ORDERS WILL BE DEPOSITED BY U.S. ROBOTICS
UNTIL THE SYSOP's BBS HAS BEEN VERIFIED.
********************************************************
** Wire transfers MUST be pre-approved by the **
** U.S. Robotics Sysop Department. **
********************************************************
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$ U.S. Robotics will now accept credit card orders. $
$ To pay via credit card please call the 800-550-7800 $
$ and be prepared to provide the phone representative $
$ pertinent credit card information. Charges will not $
$ be applied to the account until the BBS has been $
$ verified by a SYSOP administrator. $
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
B. The SYSOP understands that once an order is placed, it cannot be
changed. If you are uncertain as to the product you want to
purchase, you may consult the Information & Text Files file area of
this bulletin board for product information. Or, you may call the
U.S. Robotics Technical Support Department at (800) 550-7800 or
call our Fax on Demand system at 800-762-6163 or 708-982-9061.
C. Your board will be verified by a U.S. Robotics Online Support
Analyst. We MUST be able to connect with your bulletin board to
verify board status. In the event that we are uncertain of your
board status, you will be notified by a U.S. Robotics
representative. We will advise you as best we can as to what you
need to provide in order to have your board verified (appropriate
logon, copy of phone bill, software registration, etc.). In no
case will we verify a board until we are certain that it meets the
requirements of the program.
D. U.S. Robotics will not accept voice phone-in orders.
E. U. S. Robotics reserves the right to modify, change or cancel this
program at any time.
F. If you have any questions regarding this program, please call
(800) 550-7800 for clarification.
*** THANK YOU ***
ADDENDUM
--------
We realize that all Bulletin Boards are not the same and we are not always
able to ascertain their validity during our normal verification process.
In order not to exclude those Bulletin Boards from our program, we may
request additional information such as copies of telephone bills, proof of
software purchase and/or registration and network and association
membership. This information will only be requested by U.S. Robotics in
rare cases and can not be used solely as a means of qualification.
Before placing an order, please take steps to ensure the process goes as
easily as possible.
1. Create a login for U.S. Robotics
2. Ensure no questionnaires or voting is necessary
3. If your logon requires information other than password be sure to
include this information on the order.
4. Once this is established logon under the U.S. Robotics ID and look for
verifiable proof of six months activity. If you can't find it, odds
are we won't be able to either.
** US Robotics CAN NOT download special software to verify **
** your BBS. We support the basic communication platforms. **
U.S. Robotics is determined to provide a SYSOP Program which is fair and
equitable to everyone. Any requests made of SYSOPs in order to verify
Bulletin Boards are made in order to ensure that the program serves the
entire SYSOP community and protect the USR distribution channel as well.
We will make every effort to process each and every order in a
professional and courteous manner. Please help us to provide the type of
service you want and deserve by filling-out the order form as completely
and accurately as possible and responding to our requests for additional
information in a prompt manner.
*** THANK YOU ***
Contact Points for U.S. Robotics Inc., USA
BBS - 708-982-5092
FAX - 708-982-0823
Fax on Demand - 800-762-6163 or 708-982-9061
Compuserve - GO USROBOTICS 76711,707
FIDO - 1:115/500
RIME - USRUSA #174
PRIME - 98:212/1
Internet - support@usr.com
Voice Sysop Support 800-550-7800
1-708-982-5010
Sales 800-DIAL-USR
1-708-982-5010
****
09/01/94
USRobotics Inc.
____________________________
> ZEOS International STR InfoFile STReport Mini-Series
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
ZEOS INTERNATIONAL, LTD.
A DREAM SYSTEM!
Let's begin the second in an STReport mini-series on what can only be
called a "Dream System" with the ZEOS International 90Mhz Pentium at the
center. Through the course of the mini-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.
THE RE-CONFIGURATION OF THE SYSTEM
AND
SOFTWARE TUNE-UPS
The software setups began with the slight modification of both the
Autoexec.Bat and Config.Sys files to finally, the installation of
Quarterdeck's excellent memory manager, QEMM 7.5. Which, in our opinion,
is the best.
Once the seven backup tapes were restored to the new ZEOS P90 system,
the real fun was about to begin. The older system had a Diamond Stealth
Pro 2mb Video card. It's drivers had to rem'ed out of the config files.
Then, since the new system has a Diamond Stealth 64 2mb video card, it had
to be installed. The first step was to set the Autoexec and config files
for the new card. Then, the video setting for WFWG 3.11 had to be set for
VGA (generic) until the new video card was properly installed. The
installation of the Diamond software was a breeze. Once installed, the
improvements over the old card became quite obvious. The Diamond In-Tools
control panel was vastly improved (trouble-free changing of resolutions,
Zoom functions, desktop switches, viewport switches, all on the fly from
anywhere!) Once this minor event was completed, the enhanced 386
configurations were about to be addressed.
Enhanced 386? For a Pentium 90? You bet... even though the name
implies something else, the fact is we are talking about pure, unbridled
high speed performance. First the Western Digital WDCTRL.386 driver was
installed, then the selections for thirty two bit disk and file access
were set. The permanent swap file was set at 4mb (easily big enough with
16mb ram) and the 32bd&f was turned on. The 32bF Cache was set to 2mb. A
point to be made known here is that once 32b is activated, Smart Drive is
disabled when you boot Windows. There is no loss of performance. In
fact, it only gets better with 32b F&D access turned on. The Hard Disks
all showed 32b F&D access for all partitions.
After the preliminary setups were completed, it was time to optimize
the usage of memory. Yes friends, until such time as Win 95 hits, we
are still, unfortunately, "married" to the 640k nightmare. Once booted, a
quick check of memory used and available free memory made the 640k barrier
painfully obvious. With the various drivers loaded; for the Stealth 64
video card, AWE 32 sound card and twin CD Roms installed and running, the
system really needed memory optimization, it had only 505k free.
Quarterdeck's QEMM 7.5 to the rescue! The installation of QEMM 7.5
was begun from within WFWG 3.11. The Quarterdeck "Quickboot" feature was
enabled and the installation completed itself with obvious ease. Now,
with a fast click of a button and a few moments of sheer amazement..,
Quarterdeck's Optimize quickly did it's thing... we were now ready to see
the amount of free memory QEMM 7.5 had provided for this system. It was a
whopping 646k! Now, we are all set to "doittoit" any way we wish.
Next week; the IDE GB Hard Drives and the CD Roms being installed.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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, the FARGO Primera Pro has GOT to be the best yet. Its far superior
to the newest of Color Laser Printers selling for more than three times as
much. 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)
> SPECIAL NOTICE! STR InfoFile
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Call for Contributors:
======================
ARTISTS, ILLUSTRATORS, DESIGNERS!
KPT Power Tools Illustrated Guide
=================================
By Nick Clarke
Published by Addison Wesley Publishers Limited
Addison Wesley and author Nick Clarke are current seeking artists,
illustrators and graphic designers who have used KPT Power Tools to
contribute images to this exiting book.
The book, which is full color through-out will be published in the USA and
UK early in 1995. Included with it will be Macintosh CD ROM which is
planned to be a showcase the best use of KPT.
We will include your details, contact address and full biography providing
you give permission to publish your work. We are also looking to publish
the best works inside the book if you could provide us with details on how
you created your images using KPT.
So if you want massive exposure and you think you can contribute to this
exciting project: Write, Call, EMail us today. Or send your work to the
follow address:
Nicky Jaeger, Senior Editor Computing, Addison Wesley Publishers Ltd,
Finchampstead Road, Workingham, Berkshire, UK. RG11 2NZ
Telephone: +44 (0) 734 794000: Telex 846136: Fax: +44 (0) 734 794035:
E-mail: 100020.554@compuserve.com: Applelink: Addiwes.UK.
To contact the author:
Nick Clarke: Telephone: +44 (0) 61 225 7945: E-mail:
74730.1570@compuserve.com or try brox@cix.compulink.co.uk.
Note: Send your work on Macintosh formatted 45Mb Syquest or HD Floppy: All
media will be returned back to you.
Here is a brief press release about the book:
Kai's Power Tools: An Illustrated Guide
Nick Clarke
At last a book for KPT power users!
-----------------------------------
This book will put you in control of KPT, the best-selling plug-in filters
for Mac based programs like Photoshop and Painter. If you've only begun
to scratch the surface of possible effects with these mind blowing
utilities and are eager to explore further 'Kai's Power Tools: An
Illustrated Guide' is definitely the book for you.
Since their release in 1992, the KPT Filter set of image processing
effects has received critical acclaim from the Macintosh press and the
design industry. Their low cost and power user appeal have made them the
most successful set of PhotoShop compatible filters of all time. Many of
the filters are too complex to explain in words alone which is why desktop
designers and illustrators will love Nick Clarke's visual approach.
Richly illustrated in full color throughout he presents a series of
work-throughs that explore how to use the filters and shows them in
action.
Features Include:
-----------------
Chapters devoted to each of the major KPT filters including:
* An overview of the interface features, a series of step by step work
throughs and actual examples of filters in use.
* Work-through tutorials illustrated in full-colour.
* Easy to follow, step-by-step, instructions that help you get the best
out of KPT.
* A complete reference illustrating the KPT filter set in action.
* Ideal book for all PhotoShop and Painter users, young and old.
* Filled with creative hints and tips.
A CD-ROM containing:
--------------------
* Animated examples of filters in action.
* A Gallery of Excellence containing images created using KPT from a
range of designers including Kai Krause.
* Demo versions KPT filters (Have HSC agreed to this?)
* Software Demos: Adobe PhotoShop 3 and Painter 3.
* Online start-up kits from Compuserve and America Online
* Previously unpublished KPT tips from HSC
* Foreword by Kai Krause
Nick Clarke is Senior Lecturer of Computing and Design at University
College Salford in the UK. For the past eleven years he has been a
technology consultant for the design, print, pre-press and multi-media
industries.
He is a regular contributor to MacUser magazine where he is the
Contributing Editor for Graphic Design software. Since 1987 he has over a
quarter of a million words published about Macintosh software.
_________________________________
> LASER PRINTER/COPIER! STR Spotlight
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY BRINGS SPACE-SAVING
PRINTERFAXCOPIER TO THE PROFESSIONAL HOME OFFICE
HP OfficeJet Packs "No-compromise" Features
into a
Three-in-one Package
PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 17, 1994 - Hewlett-Packard Company, the leading
supplier of printers and plain-paper fax machines, today introduced the HP
OfficeJet personal printerfaxcopier, a new category of product designed
specifically for professional home-office users.
The OfficeJet printerfaxcopier, priced at $959 (U.S.), offers
customers a complete office solution with functionality typically found
only in more expensive products targeted at the corporate marketplace.
"HP's technical strengths in the printer and plain-paper fax markets
enable us to offer customers with home offices a product that doesn't
compromise one function for another," said Steven J. Gomo, general manager
of HP's San Diego Division. "OfficeJet printerfaxcopier is a
full-featured printer and plain-paper fax machine as well as a convenience
copier.
"OfficeJet printerfaxcopier was developed based on customer requests
for an integrated product that is easy to learn and manage and saves
space. It helps a small office run more smoothly; there's only one print
cartridge, one kind of paper and one manual for all three functions."
OfficeJet Printer Features
--------------------------
OfficeJet printerfaxcopier works out of the box with Windows and DOS
PCs and is compatible with Macintosh computers through third-party
solutions such as GDT PowerPrint. The OfficeJet printerfaxcopier uses the
same printer technology as the popular HP DeskJet printer. It is designed
to print clear, sharp black text with smooth, crisp edges.
This high print quality is achieved through 600 x 300 dots-per-inch
(dpi) resolution with Resolution Enhancement technology (REt). REt varies
the size and placement of the dots produced by the printer to smooth
curves and edges on individual characters.
OfficeJet printerfaxcopier prints on plain cut-sheet paper and also
supports a variety of other media types, including glossy paper and
transparencies. Unlike other printers, which require manual adjustments
to print envelopes, OfficeJet printerfaxcopier features an automatic
sensor that ensures optimal print quality on envelopes.
The new device produces 256 grayscale levels in print mode for users
who want to produce very high-quality graphics. The personal
printerfaxcopier comes with 14 TrueType scaleable fonts for Windows(tm)
users and six built-in typefaces for DOS users. OfficeJet
printerfaxcopier comes standard with a high-speed Centronics parallel
interface, which enables users to transfer print jobs from their PC 10
times faster than if the device used the more common RS-232 serial
interface. The product is compatible with leading software and comes with
DOS and Windows drivers in the box.
OfficeJet Fax Features
----------------------
In addition to high-quality monochrome printing, OfficeJet
printerfaxcopier is a full-featured plain-paper facsimile machine. With
it, professional home-office users can transmit fax pages in about 10
seconds.
OfficeJet printerfaxcopier can be programmed to speed dial 65
locations, including five group locations, and automatically redial busy
signals up to five times. The product also can broadcast a fax document
to up to 10 locations and perform polling, a feature that allows users to
call another fax and receive a transmission from it.
OfficeJet printerfaxcopier, with its 24-page memory, will receive
incoming faxes into memory while printing a document. In addition, it
stores incoming faxes in memory if it runs out of ink or paper. The
product comes standard with a front-loading, straight-through paper path
and a reliable 20-page automatic document feeder to virtually eliminate
misfeeds and paper jams.
The new product can share a single telephone line with an answering
machine and is equipped with Distinctive Ring detect, a feature that
enables the device to respond to multiple rings to signal a fax call.
This feature, available through some telephone companies, allows a user to
have two telephone numbers with different rings on a single line. The
product meets the CCITT/ITU Group 3 international industry standard.
OfficeJet Copier Features
-------------------------
Additionally, OfficeJet printerfaxcopier offers professional
home-office users the benefit of a convenience copier. While not designed
for large copying jobs, OfficeJet printerfaxcopier can save time and
hassle by eliminating the need to go to a copy center when a few extra
copies of a document are needed.
The OfficeJet printerfaxcopier's copy function also is capable of
document reduction. For example, it can reduce legal-size documents to
fit on 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper. For added flexibility, users can reduce
a copy by as much as 70 percent of the original document. In total, seven
different reduction settings are possible.Combined Features
OfficeJet printerfaxcopier has a convenient, front-loading, 100-page
paper tray that supports the most widely used media sizes, including
letter-, legal- and A4-size paper. The new product's output tray
accommodates print jobs of up to 100 pages.
The device, which prints at up to 3 pages per minute, is designed
around a new user-friendly front panel that integrates printer and
fax/copy features in an easy-to-read, menu-driven display. The design
highlights the most commonly used fax features, enabling users to access
speed dialing, auto redial, resolution and reception mode easily and
quickly -- without looking up function codes.
OfficeJet printerfaxcopier is powered by a National Semiconductor
NSFAX chip set and software solution designed to support multifunction
products. Because the product uses HP's inkjet technology for all three
functions, one print cartridge and plain paper meet all printing, faxing
and copying needs.
OfficeJet printerfaxcopier is available through HP-authorized dealers
and retail stores. Replaceable ink cartridges for these models are $31.95
(U.S.) and print approximately 1,000 pages; they are available at
office-supply and computer retail stores.
OfficeJet printerfaxcopier is backed by a limited, one-year Express
Exchange replacement warranty. With Express Exchange, customers receive a
replacement machine within one business day.
HP is the world's leading supplier of inkjet products. HP inkjet
technology, which is used in a variety of products from printers and
facsimile machines to plotters, was developed at HP Laboratories and HP
InkJet Technology Centers.
Hewlett-Packard Company is an international manufacturer of
measurement and computation products and systems recognized for excellence
in quality and support. The company's products and services are used in
industry, business, engineering, science, medicine and education in
approximately 110 countries. HP has 97,900 employees and had revenue of
$20.3 billion in its 1993 fiscal year.
Windows is a U.S. trademark of Microsoft Corp.
**********************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
=================
STReport International Online Magazine is available every week for your
reading pleasure on DELPHI. STReport's readers are invited to join DELPHI
and become a part of an extremely friendly community of enthusiastic
computer users there.
SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI
======================
Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access
DELPHI services via a local phone call
JOIN --DELPHI
--------------
Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002
then...
When connected, press RETURN once or twice
and...
At Password: type STREPORT and press RETURN.
DELPHI's 20/20 Advantage Plan
20 Hours for Only $20!
-----------------------------
Advantage Members have always enjoyed the lowest DELPHI access rates
available. On the new 20/20 Advantage Plan, members receive their first 20
hours of access each month for only $20. If you happen to meet someone
online or find some other diversion, don't worry because additional usage
is only $1.80 per hour.
20/20 Advantage rates apply for access via SprintNet or Tymnet from within
the continental United States during home time or via direct dial around
the clock. Home Time is from 6pm to 6am weekdays. Access during business
time carries a surcharge of $9 per hour. These rates apply for most
services, but note that there are some surcharged areas on DELPHI which
are clearly marked with a "$" sign.
Who is eligible to take advantage of the plan? Any DELPHI member in good
standing. Applications are reviewed and subject to approval by Delphi
Internet Services Corporation.
It's easy to join. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply
online -- at any time -- for membership in the DELPHI 20/20 Advantage
Plan. Your membership becomes active at 4 a.m. Eastern Time on the first
billing day of the following month.
The $20 charge will be billed to you at the beginning of the month to
which it applies. Any portion of the 20 hours not used in any month does
not carry forward into the next month.
Advantage rates may be changed with 30 days notice given online.
TRY DELPHI FOR $1 AN HOUR!
For a limited time, you can become a trial member of DELPHI, and receive 5
hours of evening and weekend access during this month for only $5. If
you're not satisfied, simply cancel your account before the end of the
calendar month with no further obligation. If you keep your account
active, you will automatically be enrolled in DELPHI's 10/4 Basic Plan,
where you can use up to 4 weekend and evening hours a month for a minimum
$10 monthly charge, with additional hours available at $3.96. But hurry,
this special trial offer will expire soon! To take advantage of this
limited offer, use your modem to dial 1-800-365-4636. Press <RET> once or
twice. When you get the Password: prompt, type IP26 and press <RET> again.
Then, just answer the questions and within a day or two, you'll officially
be a member of DELPHI!
DELPHI-It's the BEST Value and getting BETTER all the time!
************************************************************
ATARI/JAG SECTION (III)
=======================
Dana Jacobson, Editor
> From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I apologize for my "tone" last week. As you may have noticed,
the "real job" has been chaotic the past few weeks and it's not getting
better fast. I've been in "grouch mode" for a couple of weeks,
enhanced by irregular hours, shifts, and other oddities. I'm hoping
that things normalize within the next couple of weeks, so please bear
with me if I seem out of sorts via my opening comments from time to
time!
With that in mind, I'm going to do something which is quite out of
character for me - and that's to say nothing editorially this week!
So, let's just move ahead and see what's brewing this week.
Until next time...
_______________________
Delphi's Atari Advantage!
TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (10/19/94)
(1) NEWDESK AND DESKTOP GUIDE *(6) HACE NEWSLETTER
(2) HSMODA04 SERIAL PORT ACC (7) FALCON UPDATE ISSUE 6
(3) IDEALIST 3.51 *(8) ESS-CODE V6.2
(4) MAGIC SPOOLER 1.09 *(9) E-MAIL LIST
(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.
ST REPORT (Current issue: STREPORT 10.42)
ATARI ONLINE (Current issue: AEO: VOLUME 3, ISSUE 12)
Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database.
_______________________________
> Falcon Toolkit STR Spotlight
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
FALCON030 TOOLKIT
=================
Press Release -- October 1994
Trace Technologies is proud to introduce the F030TKIT.
Shipping date: AVAILABLE NOW!
Special price through November 15, 1994.
Plus a discount on FastPath.
F030TKIT - a 'must have' collection of utilities for ALL Falcon owners!
Do you have problems deleting folders, printing text or renaming files?
Tired of losing memory?
Need quick and easy access to a floppy disk formatter?
What about one with extensive, simple-to-use options?
Would you like to configure system parameters to your preferences?
Then have I got a package for you!
TraceTech's Falcon030 ToolKit, a demoware package by Keith Gerdes and
Trace Technologies, offers several answers to those questions and more.
o What does the Falcon030 ToolKit do?
The F030TKIT is a multi utility package.
1) TOS4Trap v2 addresses changes in TOS4's GEMDOS to improve software
compatibility.
2) From a co-author of DC Formatter, Trace Formatter Jr CPX gives
you quick and easy access to a floppy disk formatter which has
flexible options such as number of tracks, DD/HD format, faster
I/O, etc.
3) NVRAM (non-volatile RAM) Configurator allows you to setup your
F030's hardware and system software with simple user preference
selections.
o TOS4TRAP.PRG v2
An upgrade to the shareware program, TOS4Trap v1, the _original_
TOS4 "fix" utility which set the standard for bridging the gap of
TOS4 GEMDOS compatibility.
For example: helps pre-STalker 3.03, pre-NeoDesk 4, MaxiFile,
DeskManager, some GFA compiled programs and many other programs.
Accept only the best, which gets better in TOS4Trap v2. v2 also
ends those memory loss blues. Simply open and close directory
windows at the GEM Desktop to see what I mean.
o TRACEFMT.CPX
fka DC Formatter Jr - A CPX-based floppy disk formatter originally
scheduled for release in the DC CPXtensions package.
Available options:
1) # of tracks - 0, 40 and 80-85
2) # of sides - 1 and 2
3) Sectors per track - 9, 10, 18 and 20
4) Drive - A and B
5) Format type - Normal and Skewed
6) Volume label
+ Convenient save configuration feature.
+ Reverse formatting for data safety.
+ Abort feature with continue option.
o CFGNVRAM.APP
Configure various NVRAM settings used by TOS4.
Special NOTE: Contains a unique bootup setting option for TOS 4.04.
Available options:
1) System bootup delay - Time (0-80 seconds) [NOTE: TOS 4.04 only]
2) System bootup video mode - ST Low, ST High or No Change
3) International time format [_IDT] - 12 or 24 Hour
4) International date format [_IDT] - MMDDYY, DDMMYY, YYMMDD or YYDDMM
5) Keyboard preference [_AKP] - 8 countries
6) Desktop preference [_AKP] - 5 languages
Also related to NVRAM:
RESETNVR.PRG - reset your NVRAM to default configuration
DO_BOOTN.PRG - writes an executable boot sector to a floppy which will
reset the NVRAM to default configuration on bootup
Don't be locked out of your computer if your NVRAM gets messed up!
o RUN_COFF.PRG/TTP/GTP
Run a program with the 68030 cache turned OFF, restored on exit.
o And updates to a couple of 'DC Programs of the Week'.
o All programs are 100% assembly.
o Strong support from one of the oldest developers for the Atari ST
whose current product line includes Data Diet, Squish II, Data Rescue,
Load Aladdin, TOS4TRAPv1, FastPath -and soon to be released- FlexMenu
and Missouri.
o A demo version is freely available on online services.
NOTE: Some features are not available in the demo version.
++++
Purchasing the F030TKIT:
-----------------------
**** TOS4Trap v1 registered user notice ****
Registered users of the TraceTech shareware product, TOS4Trap v1,
can apply that paid fee toward this order. For example, if you sent
in $5, deduct $5 from the total owed for the F030TKIT.
[NOTE: Canadian users- please see specific F030TKIT order info below.]
As an introductory special, order BEFORE November 16, 1994 and save $5!
Send US$25, which includes shipping & handling.
o Outside the U.S. - add $5
o For priority mail in the U.S. - add $3
To get this discount, your letter MUST be postmarked NO LATER than
November 15, 1994.
Orders postmarked AFTER November 15, 1994:
Send US$30, which includes shipping & handling.
o Outside the U.S. - add $5
o For priority mail in the U.S. - add $3
If you haven't picked up the new FastPath utility yet, it is ONLY $10
when ordered with the F030TKIT.
And not to forget MORE MONEY SAVING discounts, contact TraceTech for
special direct order prices on our commercial products.
Texas residents must add 8.25% sales tax.
Please make payment by check (issued by a U.S. bank), U.S. funds
money order (drawn on a U.S. bank), or postal money order.
[NOTEs: GEnie gifts of time are not accepted.
And no credit card order capability.]
Payable to:
Trace Technologies or Keith Gerdes
Send to:
Trace Technologies [F030TKIT]
PO Box 711403
Houston, TX 77271-1403
What else do you get for your investment?
-> Tech support and bug fix updates!
-> Plus special discounts on future products.
==== Canadian users ====
In order to save you money and offer you quicker turnaround, I
started a registration service with Howard Carson, a member of the
Toronto Atari Federation User Group. Howard will take care of
processing all Canadian orders- including user registration, money
transactions and software distribution.
Please note, tech support and all other support will still be
the sole responsibility of TraceTech.
F030TKIT orders before November 16, 1994:
The Canadian registration fee is $40 Cdn, total amount.
To get this discount, your letter MUST be postmarked no later than
November 15, 1994.
F030TKIT orders after November 15, 1994:
The Canadian registration fee is $48 Cdn, total amount.
If you haven't picked up the new FastPath utility yet, it is ONLY $16
Cdn when ordered with the F030TKIT.
You can contact Howard for MORE MONEY SAVING discounts on TraceTech
commercial products.
Send all Canadian registrations to:
Howard Carson
#601-2904 St. Clair Ave. East
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M4B 1N7
And make all Canadian payments to:
Howard Carson
Howard accepts personal cheques and current account cheques drawn on
Canadian banks and trusts, as well as MO's, drafts and cash. He will
try to service registrants within 72 hours (for cash, M.O and
draft/certified cheque customers), and within 10 days for personal
cheque customers. '72 hours' and '10 days', refer to the actual elapsed
period before an item is mailed/registered/applied (as appropriate).
==== Other currencies ====
If you wish to setup a distribution point for other currencies, please
contact me.
++++
Customer support is available via:
Phone: (713)771-8332 [weekdays 1PM-5PM Central Time]
GEnie: Category 2, Topic 12 or K.GERDES
Internet: k.gerdes@genie.geis.com
++++
Products mentioned are copyright by their respective owners.
++++
Reprint notice:
Reprint permission is granted as long as it is done in entirety.
______________________________
> Lexicor News! STR InfoFile! - Phoenix/Xenomorph Deal!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Lexicor Software Corporation - info@lexicor.com
============================
* Get Graphical Special International Deal Phoenix/Xenomorph Deal *
* Object Scanline Renderer - 93% rating in STF *
Phoenix 1.0 regular retail: 69.00 U$D
Cybersculpt regular retail: 34.95
======
103.95 U$D
Phoenix/Xenomorph version 1.0 including manual and Cybersculpt + Manual
Both together for ONLY 39 U$D for 2 weeks starting from October 1994
You can later upgrade to version 2.0 for 49.95 U$D only
for ST/STe/TT'030/Falcon030
Raystart version 1.1 Analytical Raytracer - RRP: 99 U$D
40 U$D only, Object Creator, Renderer and Raytracing package in one,
for ST/STe/TT'030/Falcon030
Demo versions on ftp.std.com in /pub/atari/Graphics/Lexicor/Demosoftware
VISA-Mastercard Accepted, news info included in later text
Lexicor Software Corporation
36 Queensberry Street, suite 6
Boston, MA 02215
Tel: (617) 437 0414
Fax: (617) 437 9413
Standard Features of Phoenix
============================
o Render Objects with smooth shading, no more polygon edges!
o Objects will render with highlights
o Objects may be textured with wood grain, marble, or wrap and
image around the object
o Each Object may have it's own color palette
o Number of Objects is limited only by memory
o 4 different light source type, up to 21 lights in a scene.
o 3 different camera types. Maneuver the camera anywhere in a
scene.
o Graphical object, light and camera positioning editor.
o View and save rendered images as 512 color Spectrum SPC files,
2 to 256 color GIF files, or true color (24bit) Targa files at any
resolution.
o Simple animation capabilities, or render CTL script animations
(Cyber Control v.1.1 required for CTL animations) or use the new
ANM-LINK (Relativity) to render Chronos Key-frame animations with
morphs and cycles.
o Several tutorial and sample objects included
o Runs in any 80 column color or monochrome resolution
o Full math co-processor support
o Plus much much more!
There is a lot more to the new Phoenix, especially the new powerful
Color Spline to give you close to absolute texture control. Lexicor
Software will soon come with a special disk of over hundreds of new
textures for use in Phoenix, but here is a small list of the Textures
available straight away in the Phoenix 2.0 disk.
- Wood
User definable with grain color and width, Object Texture
Ratio, view
- Marble
User definable with color bands, turbulence, base color, grain,
view, Object Texture Ratio and more
- Image Mapping
Load SPC, TGA,GIF or FLC/X animations to map in S map (Plane,
Cube, Cylinder or Sphere), O Map (Reflection, Obj Normal, Obj
Center, S Map Norm), Tiling (single or tiled, morph lock, view
control, turbulence and Mask (no mask, foreground or opaque mask)
on the object of your choice with your own created image.
On the Internet you may contact us on staff@lexicor.com or
support@lexicor.com, optionally you may also email
Lexicor@world.std.com
On COMPUSERVE contact 75300,763 or 73073,142 or visit us in topic 11
(LEXICOR) on atariarts or atariven (type go atariarts).
GENIE contact LEXICOR or Y.SIU or visit us at the GRAPHICS RT on page
1415 (type m1415) in Category 22 (LEXICOR SUPPORT) or just type
GRAPHICS to enter the forum.
On DELPHI contact LEXICOR or LEXICORWORLD or visit us in the Atari
Advantage Area (type go com atari).
This is an official announcement from LEXICOR SOFTWARE CORPORATION
Lexicor Software is extremely proud to announce the release of RAYSTART
in the U.S.A. It comes, naturally completely in English and is one of
the best Raytracers around on the Atari Platform.
Check out some of the Raytraced Images of RAYSTART in our Lexicor
Graphics Library.
Ray tracing allows you to produce near-photorealistic images and
animation. The ray tracer can accurately model such lighting effects
as shadow, reflection and refraction, magnification, mirrors, and
textured surfaces.
It is a lovely addition to our family of Graphics Software. Perfect
for use in Presentation, Multimedia, Animation maybe and definitely
DTP.
It has a built in Editor very similar to CAD-3D2 from Antic and is 3D2
file Compatible which means that you can use your Cyber Models (3D2)
with it.
I will quote Godefroy de Maupeou from the French Magazine ST-Mag.
(translated from French into English)
"Raystart 1.0 is a big surprise. For a price that is usually for small
Utilities, it is an extremely powerful Raytracer and very easy to use!"
Godefroy de Maupeou
In the same article he said:
"Raystart is extremely fast, judge for yourself. A Sphere in 160x120
mode TIF with the raytracing option, a mirror of 100% and one solar
light takes 22 Seconds, without anti-aliasing, 57 Seconds with
anti-aliasing set to 1 (Four rays per Point rather than one)."
He however failed to mention the testing conditions, as RAYSTART v.1.0
has no Math Co-Processor support these times are extremely fast for
any raytracer, may it be for a TT, Falcon or just a plain ST.
So how do I make a 3D Design and Raytrace it?
- Load or make an Object
- Confirm the Object for Output
- Choose a Color for your Object
- Choose a Texture
- Choose it's attributes (when a ray of light hit's th Object)
- Position the light sources
- Position the Camera
- Select the method of calculation
- While an object is raytraced you have the option to interrupt it and
continue later on
Positioning the Camera can be done using either a Coordinate System
just like PHOENIX or a point and click interface like CHRONOS.
Parallel, Point, Ambient and Spot light sources
Additional options for Interpolation, Mirror, Transparency, Convex,
Reflections, Shine, Texture, density, anti-aliasing and more.
Functional and Analytical Objects.
Intuitive Point and click Graphical User Interface, very easy to use.
The Textures Menu have four different types of color deviations (if
that is the right word): Block, Rings, Spherical and Striped. Each one
of these Textures can be parametrised with a dozen other features,
including the random functions.
I won't go into detail of each those other functions as they are too
specific.
Distortion Raster
The built in Editor allows you to change or distort a previously
defined.
Object via a mathematical function which can be user-defined.
System Requirements:
Any Atari ST, STE, Mega, TT or Falcon.
Price: 99.00 U$D
And from a happy Nova user...
Newsgroup: comp.sys.atari.st
From: D.SMITH@genie.geis.com (Dave Smith)
Subject: Happy Lexicor/Nova User
D.SMITH200 [Dave]
To All Concerned:
This is a bit of testimony to the excellent support received by this
Lexicor user:
I originally bought my Nova 16M VME at the '93 CAF. The card performed
beautifully until last month, when I booted up and was looking at a
rather pleasant blue screen with scattered white pixels.
At that point, Lexicor was going through some transitions, moving it's
support offices to their present Boston location. Rather than ship the
board to the original Berkeley location, I tho
ught I'd wait for the dust
to settle before sending the card in for the needed repairs.
Then a thought came to mind: Lexicor was going to be present at the CAF
in Bridgeport on the weekend of the 27th... So why not take the
1&1/2 hr. drive and see to it personally.
Well, the Lexicor booth was a very busy place, with the North American
Debut of the Medusa, and the rest of the product line being demo'ed.
In spite of the confusion with buyers and onlookers (and the hook-up
problems for the VCR and the subsequent "disappearance" of their demo
tape)... Yat took the time to swap out the board for one of the sale
units, and sent me home with a brand new board, plugged into my original
interface... with the promise of a free exchange for a totally new board
if things failed.
I hooked it back up, booted up, and things were fine for about an hour...
then the original problem re-surfaced.
I gave Yat a call Monday, and he stepped me through a debug of the
interface. It worked.
Suffice it to say, I'm sitting here with a NEW Nova card, debugged
interface, at no charge to me. And we're talking about a board that
was 9 months out of warranty. Thanks, Yat!
I'm currently playing with the filters in DA's Picture. Look for
uploads. And look no further for great support.
Dave Smith
____________________
Jaguar Section
==============
"ALIEN VS PREDATOR"
Nothing else need be said!
--------------------------
> From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
It's official as of today, but some of us have already managed to
acquire Alien vs Predator and logged a number of hours (days?) playing
it! I haven't had a chance to really get involved with the game yet,
but I hope to finally have a peaceful weekend with the lights down low
and the sound up - this game is wonderful!! The Jaguar areas on
Compuserve and the Usenet have been deluged with AvP comments. I've
seen very few "serious" negative comments about the game. Just about
everyone is extremely happy with it. Rebellion has a real winner on
their hands, as does Atari! If you don't have it yet, find it and get
it - you will not be sorry.
We're feverishly in the process of putting together two reviews of
AvP for an upcoming issue. The game is not one that can be finished in
a few hours or days; which is a real plus for players. We want to
really want to thoroughly explore this game to be able to provide you
with a comprehensive look. We know you'll appreciate it.
We know you're all anxious to get on with the game, so we'll move
right along ourselves. Watch your back!!
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!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
-/- Nintendo Patent Suit Dismissed -/-
A federal judge in Los Angeles has dismissed a patent infringement
lawsuit filed by inventor Edward Gussin against Nintendo of America Inc.
U.S. District Judge Lourdes Baird of the Central District of
California dismissed the case on five separate and independent grounds,
ruling in response to Nintendo's motion that Nintendo's Super NES video
game system, when used with the Mario Paint computer drawing and
painting accessory, did not infringe Mr. Gussin's patent.
"Judge Baird's decision to dismiss Gussin's case, along with
Nintendo's victory against National Semiconductor earlier this year,
are evidence of the growing trend in which the federal courts are
willing to weed out meritless patent infringement cases prior to trial,"
observes Nintendo counsel John J. Kirby. "In light of the complexity of
patent cases and the difficulty of making complex technologies and
concepts of patent law understandable to jurors, courts are becoming
more vigilant against letting meritless claims go to trial. The
willingness of courts to apply the law to undisputed facts at an early
stage not only conserves judicial resources but also prevents the
unjust harassment of innocent businesses."
Howard Lincoln, Nintendo of America's chairman, adds, "This is the
second time this year that Nintendo has thwarted an attempt to extract
money from it based on a meritless patent claim. We are gratified that
these courts have soundly rejected such baseless attempts to profit
from Nintendo's success in the U.S. market."
Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Washington, is a
wholly owned subsidiary of Nintendo Company, Ltd., of Japan, the
world's largest manufacturer and marketer of video games.
-/- Mindscape Acquires SSI -/-
Home software publisher Mindscape Inc., formerly known as The
Software Toolworks, says it has acquired Strategic Simulations Inc.
for undisclosed terms.
SSI, based in Sunnyvale, California, is a privately-owned developer
of computer war games, sports simulations, and fantasy role-playing
games for personal computers, on-line services and video game systems.
Mindscape is a subsidiary of Pearson plc, a London-based
international media group whose other interests include Addison-Wesley
Publishing Co., Penguin Books, Thames Television Ltd., The Tussauds
Group, satellite broadcaster Sky, and The Financial Times of London and
50 percent of The Economist magazine.
"SSI is a cornerstone in our efforts to establish Mindscape as a
major player in the field of entertainment software," says Bob Lloyd,
chairman and CEO of Mindscape, which is located in Novato, California.
"This acquisition augments our already-strong educational and
informational development efforts with outstanding entertainment
development expertise."
Earlier this week, Mindscape announced the acquisition of French
entertainment software developer Atreid Concept.
SSI will become a Mindscape, subsidiary. SSI's management will
remain in place.
SSI was founded in 1979 with three employees. Today, the company
has grown to over 80 employees and has published more than 150 games
and over 470 different versions.
____________________________
> Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
CATnips... Jaguar notes from Don Thomas ...
Atari is now beginning a shipment of cinema-quality Alien Vs. Predator
posters to Atari Jaguar retailers. These posters are extremely
impressive. They feature the image seen in the opening of Atari's
new Alien Vs. Predator video game for the Jaguar 64-bit game system.
I have obtained permission to set aside a limited number of these
posters for our VERY patient online Jaguar gamers. Here's the deal...
Listen CAREFULLY!
While they last in my hot little (actually medium size) hands, you may
have one poster FREE! There is a catch I'll mention in a moment, but
this poster is real cool AND is FREE just because everyone has been
real patient and we like your support and if you like your poster,
you'll show your friends and they'll buy an Alien Vs. Predator
cartridge because you told them to. Whew!
The catch?!... Oh yea. The poster is carefully rolled in a special
mailing tube and ready to be slapped with your address. All we ask is
that you prepay Atari's minimum shipping and handling fee to cover our
expenses of the tube, label, postage, etc. That fee is only $4.95 each
poster. The posters are already in tubes, so I cannot double up
posters and, besides, that wouldn't be fair so don't ask for more than
one per mailing tube please!
This is the EXACT same poster you will see in stores soon and it's
certainly going to become a collector's item.
To get yours, send $4.95 ($8.95 U.S. funds for Canada) in the EXACT
amount. Payment may be received in Money order, check, MasterCard or
Visa.
I cannot ship out of North America. Other countries should see what
promotions Atari U.K. may be devising OR make arrangements with someone
they know in North America to forward it to them.
REQUESTS BY EMAIL with CREDIT CARD:
75300.1267@compuserve.com
REQUESTS BY BBS with CREDIT CARD:
CATscan @ 209/239-1552
REQUESTS BY MAIL:
Don's Really Nifty FREE AvP Poster Deal
P.O. Box 61657
Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1657
(offer good while quantities last - poster offer is independent from
other offers and cannot be combined with other transactions)
NOTES TO SYSOPS: Please help spread this offer. Put it in banners if
possible. Please help make sure all members of your forum are exposed
to the offer ASAP.
_____________________________
Sb: Crank the Beach Boys!
Fm: Steve Watkins 74241,3001
To: all
Catchy subject, eh? It relates to my latest 'Net Surfin' Safari...
Here's all the rumors that are printed to fit. :) (From Robert Jung
who claims to have gotten it from someone inside Atari. Since this was
on the 'net and that reaches a couple billion people, I think I'll
re-post it here. I'm hoping no Atari heads will roll over this...
seriously. I'm not one to START rumors, but I'm not above passing
them on. :)
Nothing new, but supposedly the release dates are more solid.
Here's what he says:
" The following list of upcoming Jaguar games release dates dropped
into my greedy mitts from sources fairly close inside Atari. Please
note that (1) it is an INCOMPLETE list, and (2) these represent best
guesses, not actual commitments. Take it with a grain of salt, but I
think most of this list is dead on:
GAME TITLE EXPECTED DATE
======================== =============
Air Cars December '94
Arena Football League 1Q 1995
Assault 1Q 1995
Barkley Basketball 2Q 1995
Battlemorph December '94
BattleWheels 1Q 1995
Blue Lightning December '94
Brett Hull Hockey 2Q 1995
Bubsy December '94
Cannon Fodder November '94
Checkered Flag November '94
Club Drive November '94
Creature Shock 1Q 1995
'Dactyl Joust 2Q 1995
Demolition Man January '95
Doom November '94
Double Dragon V December '94
Dragon's Lair 1Q 1995
Dragon November '94
Dungeon Depths 1Q 1995
Fight For Life 1Q 1995
Flashback December '94
Hardball III 2Q 1995
Highlander (CD) 1Q 1995
Horrorscope 1Q 1995
Iron Soldier November '94
Jack Nicklaus Golf (CD) 2Q 1995
Kasumi Ninja November '94
Rage Rally 1Q 1995
Rayman December '94
Robinson's Requiem 1Q 1995
Soccer Kid 1Q 1995
Space War December '94
Star Raiders 2000 1Q 1995
Syndicate November '94
Theme Park November '94
Tiny Toon Adventures 1Q 1995
Troy Aikman NFL Football December '94
Ultimate Brain Games December '94
Ultra Vortex December '94
White Men Can't Jump 1Q 1995
Zool 2 November '94
And now, to REALLY make you tear your hair out...
Remember the big secrecy Atari had over FIGHT FOR LIFE? Well, I
think I also unearthed the names of some of Atari's other top-secret
projects. I could spill the beans now, but that'd drive the folks
at Atari nuts and probably get me into some hot water. But I don't
like saying something without proof, so...
So, as a compromise, here's a censored list of the they-exist-but-you-
haven't-even-heard-of-them-yet Jaguar games that are in the pipeline.
Any Atari insiders who want to fill in the blanks and tell me how
(in)accurate I am are welcome to do so...
GAME TITLE EXPECTED DATE
======================== =============
B-----t 1Q 1995
D---------t (CD) 2Q 1995
H---r S----e 1Q 1995
V-l D-----e S----g December '94
a-d S----------g
(Rob disavows all responsibility if something doesn't pan out. Hey,
this is grist for the RUMOR mills, kids)"
There you have it. Now, here are some strange guesses from other
'netters:
" >======================== =============
>D---------t (CD) 2Q 1995
Deathknight fits, but I have no idea.
>H---r S----e 1Q 1995
Based on what Travis said, Hover Strike
>V-l D-----e S----g December '94
>a-d S----------g
This must be Val D'Issere (or something like that :) Skiing and
Snowboarding. I think it's out for the SNES too, but I'm not sure. "
I'm going to put my vote in saying the Val D'Issere thingy is correct,
since I can't fathom anything else fitting. And Dactyl Joust fits for
the D---------T CD entry. As for the others? Who knows. Only the
Shadow!
Steve
Fm: Steve Horn 74461,637
Next up for Atari (I got this from Garry) is Club Drive (about 2 to
3 weeks) then Bruce lee followed almost immediately by Doom and then
KN and Checkered Flag.
Sandy, Garry's sec. , told me the KN development crew brought in their
sleeping bags and worked all this weekend on KN. They're trying their
best to get it out soon. If I remember right, Garry said it was in final
testing now.
#: 56724 S15/Jaguar General
18-Oct-94 20:40:28
Sb: Crank Beach Boys Pt Deux
Fm: Steve Watkins 74241,3001
To: all
This 'Net nugget appears to be on the level and it is something I know
we here haven't discussed (at least recently):
>>>"Subject: Soccer
From: wbdev@tdc.dircon.co.uk (Glenn Williams)
Date: 17 Oct 1994 08:39:32 +0100
Message-ID: <37t9nk$7hi@tdc.dircon.co.uk>
We've just finished development of Sensible Soccer for the Jag. it'll
be in the shops this christmas.
If your into football, this is the most playable thing you'll find
on any machine.
The graphics are not like FIFA but play them both and see which is the
best.
..Glenn..
.Williams Brothers Development.
wbdev@dircon.co.uk
10 PRINT "HELLO"
20 GOTO 10 (c) 1978 ( I was impressed......)"<<<<
I have no clue why this soccer game is Sensible <G>, but then again I'm
not a marketing *genius* <G>
____________________________________
> ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
=====================
On CompuServe
-------------
compiled by
Joe Mirando
CIS ID: 73637,2262
Hey there friends. Y'know, this part of the column is always the
hardest to write. I mean, what can I tell you? That the Atari market is
alive and well?? That developers are raking in big bucks?? That we've
got a long and rosy future with our present machines?? I think not. Now,
before some of you decide to get in my face and complain that I'm bashing
the Atari scene, let me finish. I intend to continue using my STe and
Stacy until they die. They do everything I need them to do. They're fast
enough for my word processing needs, they telecommunicate at 14,400 baud,
they play all of my favorite old games, and they even play those cool
sound files in MicroSoft WAV format that sysops and DOS/Windows users keep
telling me that you need an Intel-based machine for. I remember the first
time that WAV files became an issue: CompuServe posted a song by Aerosmith
in WAV format and, before letting you download the file, asked you several
times if you had:
1) An IBM compatible computer,
2) MicroSoft Windows, and
3) a 8 or 16 bit sound card.
Well, I have none of those things, but I knew that my trusty STe or
Stacy could play the file. All I needed was a $15.00 program by DMJ
Software called SoundLab. Since I had SoundLab, I went ahead and
downloaded the Aerosmith tune. I kicked it up and, whaddaya know, the
song came through like it was intended from the beginning to be played on
an ST. Yes folks, instead of going out and spending several thousand
dollars on one of those other machines, I did a bit of looking around and
found that my STe and Stacy could do what I wanted them to. When they
stop doing what I need them to, then I'll think about jumping ship. I'm
having too much fun to even think about switching right now. And I love
being able to tick off those Windoze snobs once in a while.
You'd be surprised at the amount of interest, the questions, answers,
and the facts that surround our favorite machine. So, let's take a look
around CompuServe, shall we?
From the Atari Computing Forums
===============================
Simon Moore asks about using his ST to access the Internet:
"Is anybody accessing the Internet in England through Demon and using
the software that you can get from them (for the Atari range of
computers)?...
I want to be able to read the news groups and generally use the Demon
service like I use Compuserve with Quickcis. Any Ideas ?"
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Simon:
"Hmm.. I've never done that part myself... I've only used demon to
download files via ftp. I usually just read the newsgroups here on
CompuServe..."
On a related subject, Joseph Zecchin tells us:
"I have an interest of using my STE to send and receive E-Mail. I am
having problems on Internet. Where can I get some help?"
Bob tells Joseph:
"There is a whole Forum for Internet help... just GO INTERNET right
here on CompuServe."
John Masters asks:
"Can you use QuickCIS to send e-mail to an INET address and if so how?
I've been trying and keep getting a message back from the mailbase to
the effect of >>I don't understand the address To: INTERNET:
xxxxx@xxxxx.xx
Also, if it is possible (perhaps I'm being particularly dense today),
will the return address be correct. i.e. will I get a reply?"
Sysop Bob tells John that he's...
"Just guessing here, but if the address is really in the form you
listed in your message, try omitting the space after the INTERNET:
Also, yes.. your return address should be correct, so the recipient
can just do a reply and you should receive it."
John tells Bob:
"I tried omiting the space but it didn't work. Ended up writing the
message on WP and uploading it manually, then SENDing it, typing the
address in when requested. that worked. got a reply within 30 mins.
Better than Royal Mail and nearly as good as Wells Fargo. <grin>"
Bob tells John:
"Great to hear you got it working..!
It's really amazing how that can work... I was exchanging mail about
Dungeon Master with people all over the world, and I would sometimes
receive a reply before I logged off.."
John continues:
"It works through an automated mail server. I don't know if you know
about this, it's probably old hat to you, but I've just come accross a
way to access the INTERNET using solely e-mail. And that includes using
gophers, Archie, Veronica, WWW the whole kit and caboodle. It's a
little slower than direct access but for a doddery old codger like me
that's not a minus and until Compuserve get doorway into the NET it's
the only way in (I think)."
Bob adds some more info to the mix:
"According to CompuServe A-Z you go >INTERNET:[Internet address] I
don't use it that often, but tested it first to my Cix address and it
seemed to work. Remember your CIS address is also accessible through
the Internet by going [CIS ID]@compuserve.com only you need to change
the comma to a stop. Try e-mailing yourself to test it."
On the subject of telecommunications, Jon Sanford posts:
"I am using Flash 2 but not the last up grade. Our local CIS connect
just alowed us to connect at 9600. * Wonderfull * But now I cant get
the downloading part of Flash 2 to work?
Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine asks Jon a few questions
to narrow down the problem:
"Are you using the CIS B protocol? Also is your terminal emulation
set for vidtex?"
Jon tells Albert:
I have tryed X, CIS B others.. My terminal is probably TTY. What is
bothering me is ..nothing has changed from when it worked at 2400 bps
except changing to 9600bps.
Nothing happens when I go to the down/up load menu & change choices
there. This is when CIS is waiting for me to get in the right mode to
receive."
Albert tells Jon:
"I think someone mentioned (maybe John T. of Missionware) that CIS has
different settings for the different baud rates. So you would have to
reconfigure it for the particular baud rate you use. In this case 9600
baud."
John Trautschold, of the aforementioned Missionware Software, tells both
Albert and Jon:
"The last I checked, CIS maintains *separate* user options for each
baud rate you connect at. You've probably got your CISuser options set
to Vidtex and CIS B+ for 2400 baud operations, but you may need to
reset those options for 9600 baud. Type GO OPTIONS to check your
settings.
Other than that, there's no reason why F2, any version, wouldn't do B+
uploads or downloads here. I'm currently online at 14400 and B+
transfers work just peachie!
Let us know if you have any more problems."
Jon, now a happy camper, tells John:
"I didn't know that, thanks ...I love it when it is so simple!"
Jon Oliver asks for help:
"I'll keep this brief. I'm a software developer that's looking for
some quick and dirty answers about an Atari MegaST. It appears that
you're a proficient Atari user. Can I shoot you some quick questions?
1) How can I cheaply and easily obtain a simple shareware terminal
package?
2) Can I download one from CompuServe somewhere?
3) If yes to #2, How do I get this file from Win/MSDOS to the Atari?
4) Where, in general, is a good resource for burgeoning Atari users?
This information is of little personal relevance to me, but there's a
12-year old boy thirsting to get in on the technological world. I
thank you for your time and effort.
Postscript: A little factual information about myself. I'm a
27-year-old male physicist, working in Peoria, IL. I'm a Mac head at
heart, use IBM's routinely, and wish I knew more about Ataris. Thanks
again for the time..."
Sysop Jim Ness tells Jon:
"There are several [telecom packages] in Library 2 here
(Telecommunications Library)...
The Atari machine will read MSDOS disks, as long as they are formatted
for similar drives. For instance, if the Atari has a 720k 3.5" drive,
you have to format the MSDOS disk for that size drive...
This forum should suffice [as a resource], and there are still BBSs
around the country which support Atari machines."
Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine adds:
"There is a shareware terminal package called STORM and probably a few
others in the library. The disk format on the Atari is based on the
IBM filesystem to a large degree. So you can format a 720K (3.5 inch)
disk on the IBM and then use it to move files back and forth."
Timothy Rollins asks:
"Does anyone know where I can get a Midimate for my Atari 8 bit
computer?
I have no Midi software or hardware. I am interested in Midi. Any
suggestions?"
Mike Mortilla tells Timothy:
"If anybody on CIS has it, it'll probably be here, but I wouldn't hold
my breath!
But the news ain't all bad... It's not unusual to see used STs for
cheap around here and you might be able to update the whole system!"
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Timothy:
"I think Mike might have the best idea... used STs are showing up all
the time pretty inexpensively, and they not only have the MIDI
interface built in, they also have fairly well supported MIDI
applications available.
The MIDImate interface was a very expensive and almost non-supported
curiosity. You'd be completely on your own as far as software and
compatibility with anything else in the world.
(As a bonus, the ST comes with at least 4 times the memory and double
the screen size, not to mention a much faster processor and far better
software availability overall..)"
Robert Aries tells Timothy:
"I'll tell ya, I always hate it when I post a question on CIS and
someone answers me by telling me to ditch whatever it is I'm looking to
buy or upgrade and *buy something else*!! <vbg>
In this case, though, I have to agree with everyone here! Used ST's
are getting real cheap these days. Not only that but my personal
favorite sequencer program, Dr. T's Omega, has seen its price drop from
~$350 to $59!! I don't think I'm going out on a limb by saying that
this program will blow away any midi software you coul find for the
8-bit Atari. Of course if you want to spend more there are other great
seq. & notation programs for the Atari.
BTW, do you actually know that you can FIND any midi software for your
8-bit??"
John McCarthy posts:
"My quasar HD (1gig) doesn't respond to the Falcon when booting up. I
was told it came pre-formatted and terminated. The i.d is set to 0 as
it should be since its the only SCSI 2 device connected to the port.
Before I take it back to the dealer, who is 45 min. away, I'm hoping
someone in this forum may have a saving suggestion. I hope its just the
cable but when I walk into a computer store they tell me they know
nothing about SCSI 2 and wouldnt know how to test it. Am I missing
something obvious in the connection procedure? Has anybody had any
trouble with the Falcon's SCSI 2 port? I'd be grateful for any help."
Robert Aries tells John:
"I'm not really the right person for this, but I'll try to help. I
take it the disk WAS working and then failed? Is this your boot disk?
What software are you using to access the HD: Atari, ICD, or another
brand?
I use ICD software; they have a program called ICDBOOT that you can
run from a floppy when the hard drive goes out. With this I can mount
the hard drive and write an auto-boot sector on i. Once, I believe
that this sector got scrambled because my HD was no longer recognized.
Running ICDBOOT and re-writing it solved the problem."
John tells Robert:
"I logged on and saw your kind reply to my hard drive problem and
logged off to try it out.Besides I.D 0 (which seems to be the # the
drver(?) looks for, I tried #1 and then #6( I assume that would be the
chains last # if I had other devices) but it didn't wor work. I'm
taking it back along with the Falcon to get them both checked out. I
need a RAM upgrade anyway. I'm sure I'll get it back ready to run
whatever the problem is."
Albert Dayes tells John:
"For SCSI-2 cables it is best to ask for one for a Sun SPACE
workstation. Then most dealers understand about SCSI-2 cables. If you
change the SCSI ID to a different number (ie 1-6) do you get the same
result?"
Robert adds:
"[ICD's] ICDBOOT program can be set to scan every SCSI number. When in
doubt, you just run that program off a floppy and it will mount any
SCSI drive. If the drive isn't recognized then, it means there's a
problem with the cable or the drive itself.
You still haven't told us what software you use to boot with (or I
haven't caught it if you did) so it's hard to help. To the best of my
knowledge, you must *configure* your boot software to recognize a new
drive...it doesn't happen automatically!
And yes, I believe that a HD would be recognized even if it weren't
formatted; as far as termination, that's probably a different story.
Incorrect termination screws up the data that travels to & from the
drive; that could definitely cause problems that would account for what
you're seeing Generally, the first & last SCSI device on a chain must
be terminated."
John tells Robert:
"The only thing I have is a file called shdriver.sys which seems to
address the internal HD, a Conner 85mg.On the language disk that came
wi with the Falcon there is a prg. that places this shdriver.sys fle in
the boot drive C: None of the prgs. in the language disk have given me
any options concerning A SCSI device. There is nothing called ICDBOOT.
I doubleclicked the shdriver file and then clicked on SHOW and besides
the usual weird symbols there was first a warning which read: Warning
You are using an unofficial ROM release of the operating system. This
driver may not work correctly with it it. Files on your hard disk may
be damaged." Following some more lettering there appears the same
message that appears when I normally boot up, "Doing programmed I/O
for IDE Loading... ATARI Hard Disk Driver AHDI 6.04 Apr. 8 1993 IDE
Devices: SCSI Devices: Unit 0: not responding"
I clicked the SHOW of this file a second time and after IDE DEvices:,
It had ACSI Devices:. I left and then clicked a third time and after
Unit 0: Not Responding, it said something about" SCSI no
Identification." Upon booting up the message after IDE Devices, is
always :Conner Peripherals 85mg (something like that), That's the
internal HD with which I have no problem. I should add that when
booting up, the part of the message that reads "SCSI Devices: Unit 0:
not responding" has always come up, even beford I got the SCSI HD.
That warning about the unofficial ROM o.s. bothers me.In the Cubase
manual there is mention of Falcons manufactured before April(?) 1993
may have proble recording digital audio. What does that have to do with
the SCSI HD not responding, though? Is my o.s the culprit? Do I need a
different driver file perhaps? I saved up for a whole year after buying
the Falcon for Cubase Audio and a fast 1 gig HD. For this??!!!
Hopefully its just something I missed or the cable,etc.Anyway, thanks
again for your help."
Carl Barron jumps into the discussion and adds:
"SHDRIVER.SYS... that's Atari's Hard Disk Driver. There should be a
program on your floppies AHDI.PRG, THIS will load the driver from
floppy. If the driver file shdriver.sys is munged you get a lot of
problems like you describe. I use a TT but the driver software is
similiar, if not identical. Try AHDI.PRG if that works, then rename
the driver file on the HD and run install.prg to write a new one from
the floppy to the hard disk. Then 'maybe' the problem is gone... Cable
problems are a possibility."
John tells Carl:
"I tried that but the hinstall.prg offered only drive partitions
c,d,e,or f of my internal hard drive. I did create an icon :g but the
computer says there is no HD :g. I'm beginning to think that
shdriver.sys is des designed to drive only the internal disk that came
with this Falcon. Perhaps I need a different driver. In any case I'll
try what you suggest once more just to make sure."
Carl gives John something else to try:
"If the drive does not exist when the software is loaded, either by
auto booting, or ahdi.prg after a floppy boot, it does not 'exist'. I
have a soon to be replaced 30 meg supra on my TT that sometimes 'does
not exist' cables are screwed in and original, go figure.
At least the icd stuff, if needed [apparently will be so] will not
drive you to the poor house, completely....
The AHDI.prg I am talking about should write what it is on the screen
with no windows, and proceed to attempt to load shdriver.sys from the
floppy, nothing else. HDX contains the formatter, partitioner,bad
sector finder. Hisnstall should be the auto boot installer.
HDX,HINSTALL are gem based. Ahdi.prg is really an auto folder program,
but it will work from the desktop."
Robert Aries tells John:
"As others have told you, your best bet is to get the ICD software
instead (it's comercial, 3rd party software; that's why you don't have
ICDBOOT or HDUTILS.PRG on your system). Until you do, you may be able
to get things going if you have the Atari driver software (AHDI.PRG).
I believe Carl Barron's reply mentions how to use that.
BTW, when I was using the Atari HD software on my system, I got the
same "Unit 0 not responding" message when booting from my Megafile 30.
This is NORMAL; I believe it's because the message refers to SCSI
devices, and the Megafile is an RLL drive. In your case, your internal
drive is IDE, but the same concept applies. (Someone please jump in
here if I'm wrong...)."
John posts his findings from runnning AHDI "One last time":
"...AHDI.PRG gave me a SCSI menu Unit 0, Unit1,etc. but next to all of
them it said not responding. I pressed OK anyway (to format) and the
prg. told me to check all connections so at least its been narrowed
down to that. Faulty cables or faulty SCSI port. Frank Heller's message
above addresses another problem I'm going to have even after I get the
cable and/or port straightened out. I'll get those utilities and nip
that one in the bud."
Frank Heller tells John:
"Every problem you've described gets solved by the ICD utilities. Get
the program. It'l be the best 49 bucks you spend on the Falcon. I had
to make a mod on the Falcon that added a chip and some jumpers to solve
an early problem that the Falcons had dealing with digital audio. All
of the recent Falcons are supposed to have this fixed. If your Falcon
is less than 6 months old, you're probably OK. Since you're using CAF
I'm going to recommend a couple of additional programs to make your
life easier. Diamond Edge by Oregon Research, WARP 9 by Codehead
Technologies and Diamond Back 3 by Oregon Research. Edge is a very
robust Defragging prgram (it does other stuff but its main gig is
defragging) This will make audio files generated by CAF to eventually
play back more efficiently. WARP 9 is a screen accelerator. CAF really
taxes the processor and things can look pretty slow. This program helps
bunches. Diamond Back 3 is a data backup system. CAF comes with
utility to back up to regular audio DAT's. This program is for
everything else. Bob Luneski (the author of DB3) tells me he's working
on a backup routine for CAF within the DB3 shell. We'll have to wait
and see on that one. My basic advice is: stop screwing around with
AHDI. This will only drive you nuts. Get the ICD utilities. All of the
above mentioned programs are Falcon compatable...and work great. ICD,
Oregon Research and Code head Technologies all have forums in the
ATARIVEN section. Leave messages there for information. Browse their
libraries for info and download it...or find out if the dealer who sold
you the Falcon carries their products."
John reports on the resolution to his problem:
"I was able to reach a dealer today who had the ICD instock. I sped
over and back and I'm sure you know the result.OUTSTANDING!!!!It
identified the drive, the make,partitions, etc.I cant thank you
enough!!!!!...
ICD utilities solved the driver problem. The support from people like
you in this forum has been nothing short of excellent!I was going
nuts!!"
Steve Peters tells us:
"I'm running my Falcon030 in my production studio. The hard drive
constantly whirring away is driving me crazy! Is there some sort of
external keybaord I can attach to the Falcon so I can put it under a
table or in another room? That way I'd just have the keyboard, mouse
and monitor in the studio and not have to worry about the noise from
the hard drive."
Albert Dayes tells Steve:
"There is a rackmount case for the Falcon from Wizztronics which would
probably do something similar for what you need to do..."
Frank Heller tells Steve:
"I had the same problem in my studio. First off, more noise actually
comes from the Falcons cooling fan. The rest is from the HD. My
solution? I removed the fan. This made the unit heat up from the
HD...so I unplugged that and now boot from my 1.2gig ext. HD. ICD
software required for this BTW. Works for me. No problems in over a
year..."
Robert Aries tells Steve and Frank:
"A while ago I bought a 21 meg floptical drive to use as a backup for
my hard drive and as storage for my Peavey SP sample playback module.
I now use it as my MAIN hard drive--no fan, no hard drive spinning
constantly, no NOTHING. Pure silence in my music studio! (My hard
drive is a Megafile 30--The drive with the world's loudest fan
<grin>!)."
Frank tells Robert:
"I have an STe in my office. For a long time I had a Megafile 30
attatched to it. Even though this isn't in the studio, the noise from
that unit drove me absolutely insane. I wound up buying a SupraDrive
52. The Megafile now acts as a very expensive door-stop. The Supra
isn't totally silent but it at least 30-45dB quieter than that godawful
Megafile."
Robert tells Frank:
"Yea, the Megafile is one noisy beast. I bought it used (got a pretty
good deal on it), and of course 30 megs seemed to be so much storage
after years of using only floppies!
Now, it's actually WEIRD to be using my computer with no fan or disk
noise at all!"
Well folks, that's about all the time (and space) we have for this
week. I'm glad that you stopped in to check out what's going on. C'mon
back next week, same time, same channel, and be ready to listen to what
they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> A "Quotable Quote" "The Rude Awakening"
"""""""""""""""""
The game is not over, BUT THE GOOD TIMES MAY BE for Japan's videogame
giants Nintendo and SEGA. The arrival of new technology and strong rivals
means that their duopoly is FINISHED and life for the two companies is set
to be tougher than ever before, analysts said.
... Reuters
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> DEALER CLASSIFIED LIST STR InfoFile * Dealer Listings *
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ---------------
ABCO Incorporated
=================
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1994 Fall SPECIALS NOW IN EFFECT!
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===============
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FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
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MEGABYTE COMPUTERS
==================
907 Mebourne
Hurst, TX 76053
1-817-589-2950
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
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SAN JOSE COMPUTER
=================
1278 Alma Court
San Jose, CA. 95112
1-408-995-5080
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
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CompuSeller West
================
220-1/2 W. Main St.
St. Charles, IL., 60174
Ph. (708) 513-5220
FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER
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(DEALERS; to be listed here FREE OF CHARGE, 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 21, 1994
Since 1987 copyright (c) 1994 All Rights Reserved No.1043
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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
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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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