Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Silicon Times Report Issue 1123
SILICON TIMES REPORT
====================
INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
=============================
from
STR Electronic Publishing Inc.
A subsidiary of
STR Worldwide CompNews Inc.
June 09, 1995 No. 1123
======================================================================
Silicon Times Report
International OnLine Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155
R.F. Mariano, Editor
Featured in ITCNet's ITC_STREPORT Echo
-----------------------------------------
Voice: 1-904-783-3319 10am-4pm EST
STR Publishing Support BBS
* THE BOUNTY INTERNATIONAL BBS *
Featuring: * 4.5GB * of Download Files
Operating with * Mustang Software's WILDCAT! BBS v4.10 *
Fully Networked within the following Nets:
ITCNet 85:881/253 JAX HUB ~ FIDO Net 1:112/35
Prowl ~ USPOLNet ~ FNET 350 ~ Nest 90:301/3
Delivered via Subscriber List through Internet
904-786-4176 MULTI-NODE 24hrs-7 days
2400-115.2 bps V.32-34 v.42 bis 28.8
Hayes Optima 28.8 v.34 V.FC Data/Fax
USRobotics D/S Data/Fax 28.8 V.34 Everything
FAX: 904-783-3319 12am-6am EST
-----------------------------------------
The Bounty STReport Support Central .... 1-904-786-4176
FNET. 620 : Leif's World ................1-904-573-0734
FNET. 690 : PASTE BBS....................1-206-284-8493
FNET. 489 : Steal Your Face BBS..........1-908-920-7981
MNET - Toad Hall BBS.....................1-617-567-8642
______________________________________________________________________
> 06/09/95 STR 1123 "The Original * Independent * OnLine Magazine!"
"""""""""""""""""
- CPU INDUSTRY REPORT - CREATIVE UPDATES - ATI NEWSBITS
- dBASE & Win'95 - TOP TEN POINTERS - ADOBE Hints Book
- Genie CUTS Rates - MCI, FOX & Delphi - Frankie's Corner
- PinBall Fantasies - People Talking - JAGUAR II ?
-* IBM; Hostile Takeover of Lotus! *-
-* CD PLUS Spec Released *-
-* Win'95 Pricing Announced *-
==========================================================================
STReport International OnLine Magazine
The Original * Independent * OnLine Magazine
-* FEATURING WEEKLY *-
"Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
==========================================================================
STReport's BBS - The Bounty BBS, invites all BBS systems, worldwide, to
participate in the ITC/Fido/Internet/PROWL/USENET/USPOLNet/NEST/F-Net Mail
Networks. You may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 1-904-786-4176.
Enjoy the wonder and excitement of exchanging all types of useful
information relative to all computer types, worldwide, through the use of
excellent International Networking Systems. SysOps and users alike
worldwide, are welcome to join STReport's International Conferences. ITC
Node is 85:881/250, The Fido Node is 1:112/35, Crossnet Code is #34813,
and the "Lead Node" is #620. All computer enthusiasts, hobbyist or
commercial on all platforms and BBS systems are invited to participate.
==========================================================================
HTTP//WWW.ICBA.COM/STREPORT
CIS ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX ~ FIDO ~ ITC ~ NEST ~ EURONET ~ CIX ~ USENET ~
USPOLNET CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ~ PROWL ~ FNET ~ AOL
==========================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------
LottoMan V1.3 Results: Florida Lotto; 06/03/95: 1 match in 1 play
------------------------------------------------------------
> From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""
School's out in our area, so I'm certain its out in other areas too.
Please drive carefully, the children are our most important asset for the
future. This weekend is going to be BBQ Time! It beats using the oven
and stove in the house during these luscious summer-like days. Windows
..ah yes a term that endears all sorts of warmth and affection. Well at
least it will in the future as Win'95 becomes more and more popular. The
release date is hard set at August 24th. At that time, the beginning of
an entirely new era in computing will begin. The end of which will come
with the advent of Cairo. Cairo being the combination of Windows NT and
Win'95.
Win'95 is a sheer delight to use. With the Internet facilities that
are included along with the various applications and utilities also a part
of Win'95.. It really is a super neat package that's absolutely fun to
use. Sure, just like you, I've seen the slams and slaps thrown at Win'95.
All that can be said about that nonsense is its simply that ...nonsense.
It never ceases to amaze me at how the "my dog's bigger than your
dog" dimwits seem to come crawling out of the woodwork the minute
something comes along that they feel is a threat to them and their small,
dust filled, little worlds. There's the Dos "diehards" (no reflection on
a great battery) who constantly moan about wanting that retarded backward
compatibility. Its what has kept the MS DOS world at war with the 640k
barrier for so long. Its gone folks and the Dos babies will have to kiss
it goodbye with their "tear stained cheeks" glistening away.
Then comes the "OS/2 cowboys and the "Gates haters". OS/2 does it
all so perfectly (one hears the cheerleaders yapping) that IBM is going to
bundle Win'95 with its new computers. "End of story" there folks, the
handwriting is already on the wall. OS/2 will be fondly remembered but
that's about it.
The "Gates Haters" are another, very distinct, runaway virus type
breed. They've absurdly gone as far as setting up a PAC (Political Action
Committee) in Washington D.C. in an attempt to convince Congress, the
Senate and the World that Bill Gates ad Microsoft going to make us all
endangered something or other! These guys have got to be prime candidates
for first, the rubber room and then the funny farm in retirement.
Seriously, the group has to be the epitome of super envy and sick jealousy
all wrapped up in one, neat hefty garbage bag. Sad to say, in reality, it
appears to be another in a long line of hustles to make a buck. Barnum
was right, there's one born every minute.
The beauty of all this is so simple. When all the dust settles...
Win'95 will have the lion's share of the world marketplace. It will be
known as the nicest operating system to use. The best looking OS and
finally, as I've said many times; "Win'95 is an operating system that's
extremely easy to learn and fun to use." Its great stuff!
Ralph....
Of Special Note:
----------------
HTTP//WWW.ICBA.COM/STREPORT
===========================
STReport is now ready to offer much more in the way of serving the
Networks, Online Services and Internet's vast, fast growing site list and
userbase. We now have our very own WEB/NewsGroup/FTP Site and although
its in its early stages of construction, do stop by and have a look see.
Since We've received numerous requests to receive STReport from a wide
variety of Internet addressees, we were compelled to put together an
Internet distribution/mailing list for those who wished to receive
STReport on a regular basis, the file is ZIPPED, then UUENCODED.
Unfortunately, we've also received a number of opinions that the
UUENCODING was a real pain to deal with. So, as of May 12,1995, you'll
be able to download STReport directly from our very own WEB Site. While
there, be sure to join our STR list. In any case, our mailing list will
continue to be used for at least the next eight weeks. At that time,
however, it will be discontinued. Each of our readers will have by then,
received their information packet about how they may upgrade their
personal STR News Services.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU!
""""""""""""""""
Publisher - Editor
""""""""""""""""""
Ralph F. Mariano
Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor, Current Affairs
Section Editors
"""""""""""""""
PC SECTION AMIGA SECTION MAC SECTION ATARI SECTION
---------- ------------- ----------- -------------
R.D. Stevens R. Niles J. Deegan D. P. Jacobson
STReport Staff Editors:
"""""""""""""""""""""""
Michael Arthur John Deegan Brad Martin
John Szczepanik Paul Guillot Joseph Mirando
Doyle Helms Frank Sereno John Duckworth
Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur
Melanie Bell Jay Levy Jeff Kovach
Marty Mankins Carl Prehn Paul Charchian
Contributing Correspondents:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Dominick J. Fontana Norman Boucher Clemens Chin
Eric Jerue Ron Deal Mike Barnwell
Ed Westhusing Glenwood Drake Vernon W.Smith
Bruno Puglia Paul Haris Kevin Miller
Craig Harris Allen Chang Tim Holt
Patrick Hudlow Tom Sherwin
Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
via E-Mail to:
CompuServe................... 70007,4454
Delphi......................... RMARIANO
GEnie......................... ST.REPORT
BIX............................ RMARIANO
FIDONET........................ 1:112/35
FNET........................... NODE 620
ITC NET...................... 85:881/253
NEST........................ 90:21/350.0
America OnLine..................STReport
Internet.............RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM
Internet.......70007.4454.compuserve.com
Internet................STReport@AOL.Com
HTTP//WWW.ICBA.COM/STREPORT
IMPORTANT NOTICE
----------------
STReport, with its policy of not accepting any paid advertising, has over
the years developed the reputation of "saying it like it really is". When
it comes to our editorials, product evaluations, reviews and over-views,
we shall always keep our readers interests first and foremost. With the
user in mind, STReport further pledges to maintain the reader confidence
that has been developed over the years and to continue "living up to
such". All we ask is that our readers make certain the manufacturers,
publishers etc., know exactly where the information about their products
appeared. In closing, we shall arduously endeavor to meet and further
develop the high standards of straight forwardness our readers have come
to expect in each and every issue.
The Staff & Editors
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
SYSOP NEWS & CYBERWORLD REPORT
==============================
The Leading Hard Copy News Source
in
the BBS & Online Telecommunications World
Your own personal copy mailed to your home every month; STReport's
special offer! Annual Subscription Rate of $15.95!! (normally 20.95).
Include the STR offer number (STR-21) for your discount.
You can send your subscription in to:
-------------------------------------
BBS Press Services, Inc.
8125 S.W. 21st Street
Topeka, KS 66615
Or, to order by phone, Please Call:
1-913-478-3157.....(Voice)
1-913-478-9239......(Data)
1-913-478-1189.......(FAX)
Note: Checks, MasterCard & Visa ok, Please include Full Name, Address,
===== Phone Number, Card type, number & expiration date when ordering.
If by mail, please _sign_ your personal order.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> STR INDUSTRY REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
"""""""""""""""""""
Computer Products Update - CPU Report
------------------------ ----------
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Issue #23
Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
******* General Computer News *******
>> IBM Plans to BUY LOTUS <<
IBM Corp. says it plans to acquire software publisher Lotus Develop-
ment Corp. for $10 billion. The computer giant offered a $60 per share
tender offer for Lotus' this week. IBM says it plans to pay for the deal
with money from its cash reserve.
Lotus is best known for its Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet software,
although the firm has recently concentrated on "groupware" products that
allow people to work in teams. The company also offers the Ami Pro word
processor and several other business and personal productivity
applications.
IBM's sudden $3.3 billion hostile bid to take over Lotus Development
Corp. would have been unthinkable for the IBM of a few years ago,
analysts are saying this week.
Experts say the $60-a-share cash represents IBM trying to end Big
Blue's years of frustration in PC software by swallowing the maker of
one of the hottest products, namely Lotus Notes, which makes it possible
for many PC users to work on the same document and route it to one
another.
IBM is launching a three-pronged attack on Lotus:
-:- Filing suit to eliminate the Lotus "poison pill" takeover
defense.
-:- Beginning its tender offer.
-:- Taking steps to oust the the Lotus board of directors through a
shareholder vote.
While all of this was happening, Lotus Development Corp. may have
been looking for a savior to deflect IBM's $3.3 billion hostile takeover
bid.
Analysts are saying they hear Lotus has approached several possible
buyers -- including AT&T, Hewlett-Packard Co., Oracle Corp. and Intel
Corp. -- but sources say the companies named as potential suitors all
have declined comment.
Some analysts already have said Lotus will probably reject IBM's $60
a share offer, which was nearly double the price of Lotus shares prior
to the announcement, in hopes of getting Big Blue to sweeten its bid.
Microsoft Corp. chief Bill Gates isn't easily surprised, but he
acknowledges he was taken off-guard by IBM's $3.3 billion bid this week
to take over Lotus Development Corp. And he doesn't think an IBM-Lotus
combination makes sense.
Gates told reporters, "I just don't think hardware companies can
manage software companies. IBM's sort of proof of that." He cited IBM's
software disappointments including its OS/2 operating system and its
OfficeVision product.
But he said he wishes Big Blue would buy even more of Microsoft's
rivals with its $10.5 billion cash reserve. "I think that would be a
positive development for us," he said.
Gates also says that even if the takeover is successful, he doesn't
believe IBM can revitalize Lotus's office-productivity programs, noting
that his own firm commands about 80 percent of the market.
>> IBM Teams With DreamWorks <<
For undisclosed terms, IBM has entered a technology alliance to
supply overall computer management for the yet-to-be-opened DreamWorks
SKG movie studio.
A report says IBM will supply DreamWorks -- which was formed last
fall by Hollywood veterans Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and
David Geffen -- with a Scalable Powerparallel Systems(a), or SP2,
machine.
>> Hyundai Opens Flash Memory Unit
Hyundai Electronics Industries says it has established a new flash
memory division in Sunnyvale, California.
The start-up operation, a division of Hyundai Electronics America,
will apply new flash memory technologies to various applications,
including PCs and peripherals.
A flash memory chip retains data even after its power source has been
disconnected.
>> CD Plus Specification Released <<
Sony Corp. and Philips Electronics N.V. have jointly released the
final "Blue Book" specification for their CD Plus format.
The new standard combines regular CD audio tracks with CD-ROM data in
a single multisession disc. Besides music, a CD Plus disc can include
such information as video clips, lyrics, photographs, animation and text
that can be displayed on multimedia computers. The disc's audio tracks
are playable on any existing CD audio player.
The two companies note that a logo will be licensed to software
publishers, record companies, drive makers and other firms utilizing CD
Plus technology.
Apple Computer and Microsoft both support the new format. The
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the trade group
representing U.S. record labels, will be the official registration
office for operating systems and platforms supporting the format.
>> Pricing for Windows 95 Announced <<
Microsoft Corp. has released pricing details for its Windows 95
operating system slated to hit the shelves in August.
Sources quote the company as estimating retailers will price the
software at $109.95 for an upgrade package for users of Microsoft's
Windows or comparable software, such as IBM's OS/2 system. Users of
Microsoft's older DOS software, or those without any operating system,
will pay about $209.95, it said.
The company shortly will produce the first "release candidate," a
near-final version of the program that will be heavily tested by
external users and Microsoft employees before creating a so-called
"golden master" version used in manufacturing, according to Microsoft
group manager Mike Conte.
>> Conner Drives Pass Win95 Tests <<
Conner Peripherals Inc. says it is the first hard disk maker to have
its products pass compatibility tests with Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows
95 operating system.
Conner notes that its Cabo line of 3.5-inch disk drives have passed
testing under the Windows 95 logo program. The "Designed for Microsoft
Windows 95" logo aims to help computer users easily identify certified
PCs and peripherals engineered specifically to work with Windows 95.
The storage tests are part of Microsoft's Hardware Compatibility
Tests for Windows 95, which also include test suites for manufacturers
of PCs, modems, printers and add- in adapter cards.
"The many new features of Windows 95, such as Plug and Play for
automatic hardware set up, built-in video playback capability and
support for 32- bit applications, will greatly increase the consumer
appeal of PCs," says Gary Marks, vice president of disk drive marketing
at Conner.
>> Tiny Memory Chip Unveiled <<
IBM Corp., Siemens A.G. and Toshiba Corp. have unveiled the smallest
and fastest fully functional 256-megabit DRAM chip ever developed.
With a size of 286 square millimeters (less than one-half inch) and a
memory access time of 26 nanoseconds (26 billionths of a second), the
new chip is at least 13% smaller and has an access time nearly twice as
fast as any other competing chip.
DRAMs are the fingernail-size silicon devices that store electronic
data in products ranging from mainframe computers to home appliances. A
256Mb DRAM can hold more than 25,000 pages of double-spaced typewritten
text, or the equivalent of the entire works of William Shakespeare, plus
those of Johann Wolfgang Goethe, as well as the Manyoshu, the Kokinshu
and the Tale of Genji. There still would be enough bits left over to
store a typical edition of the International Herald Tribune.
>> Creative Unveils New Sound Card <<
Creative Technology Ltd. has announced Sound Blaster 32, a new PC
sound card that combines Sound Blaster audio with wavetable synthesis
technology and 32- note output.
The entry-level product uses E-mu Systems' EMU8000 chip to provide
32-note polyphony. The $170 card also offers 128 General MIDI-compatible
instruments and sounds, 10 drum kits, reverb and chorus effects and an
IDE CD-ROM interface. Other features include enhanced FM synthesis, 16-
bit digital stereo sampling and a variety of bundled software titles.
The card's on-board memory can be expanded to 28MB to accommodate new
instruments and sounds.
>> Claris Cuts Organizer Price <<
Claris Corp. has cut the price of its Claris Organizer software to
$49 as part of a new "Get Organized" promotion for the Macintosh
personal information manager.
The program provides automatic linking, drag-and- drop scheduling,
Smart Find, custom views, importing and printing features.
>> Taligent to Unveil Common Point <<
CommonPoint, aimed at making it easier to develop complex programs
through object-oriented software, is expected to be unveiled this week
by Taligent Inc., a venture of IBM, Apple Computer Inc. and Hewlett-
Packard Co.
Sources say that industry executives say the software will be a
scaled-back version of what the venture had hoped for.
>> AMD Ships Faster '486 Chips <<
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. says its latest '486 chips run about 20%
faster than its existing '486 models.
AMD officials said the new chip operates at 120MHz. (Its previous
top-end '486 ran at 100MHz.)
>> Compaq Cuts Notebook Prices <<
Compaq Computer Corp. has reduced prices on its high-end LTE Elite
notebook PCs by up to 29% and on selected entry-level Contura notebooks
by as much as 17%.
LTE Elite prices now begin at $1,999. The LTE Elite 4/40C Model 170,
with a passive- matrix color display and 4MB of RAM has been reduced
from $2,499 to $1,999. The LTE Elite 4/75CX Model 510, with an active-
matrix color display, 8MB of RAM and a 16K internal cache, now sells for
$4,799. The system also comes with a free SmartStation desktop expansion
base in a promotion that runs through June 30.
Prices in Compaq's Contura notebook line now range from $1,799 to
$2,499. The Contura 400CX, featuring a 40MHz 486DX2 microprocessor, 4MB
of RAM and an active matrix color display has been reduced from $2,699
to $2,199.
>> TI Offers Low-Cost 486DX2 Chip <<
Texas Instruments said today it is opening the door for PC makers to
produce high-performance computers for less than $1,000 by using its new
$80 486DX2-class microprocessor. Chips in this class normally sell for
more than $100, TI officials say.
The company also called the 486-class chip is the most popular micro-
processor in the world today, quoting research by the Storeboard Channel
Tracking Service as saying that 57% of PCs sold through retail channels
in the U.S. were based on 486DX-class processors. For 1995, Computer
Intelligence InfoCorp, a market research firm, predicts that 35 million
out of the more than 55 million microprocessors that are expected to
ship will be 486-class processors.
>> HP Unveils New Vectra PCs <<
Hewlett-Packard Co. has introduced a new line of 486- based entry-
level desktop PCs.
Starting at $791, the Vectra VE models are up to 23% less expensive
than competitors' comparable models, says HP. The company notes that its
VE DX4/100 PC, with a 420MB hard disk and 8MB of RAM, is priced 12%
lower than a comparably configured Compaq Prolinea desktop.
>> Practical Cuts Modem Prices <<
Practical Peripherals has lowered prices on its 14.4K bps modems by
up to 18%.
The Class 144 MiniTower, which formerly sold for $139, now costs
$119. The price of the Class 144 Half Card has been dropped from $119 to
$99. The MacClass 144 MiniTower now costs $129, down from $139.
All three modems feature maximum throughput speeds ranging up to
57.6K bps, V.42 error control, Class 1 and 2 and Group 3 fax
capabilities.
>> Franklin Sells 10 Millionth Unit <<
Franklin Electronic Publishers Inc. says it has sold its 10 millionth
hand-held electronic book.
The company says it now holds more than 70% share of the domestic
market for such units, which have LCD screens, keyboards and databases
from which users retrieve information.
Franklin -- which started life in the 1980s as an Apple computer
clone maker and nearly went bust after legal battles with Apple --
released the first electronic book eight years ago, the Spelling Ace,
which offered instant spelling correction in a pocket-size unit.
Now Franklin markets more than 100 titles, including its new Bookman
dictionaries, Bibles and encyclopedias.
>> HP Discontinues Pen Plotters <<
Hewlett-Packard Co. says it is discontinuing its last large format
pen plotter. Production of the DraftPro Plus plotter will cease on July
1.
Pen plotters, which have been used for decades to draw architectural
blueprints, engineering plans and other detailed documents, have been
largely supplanted by faster, cheaper and less troublesome ink-jet
units.
Pen plotter sales dropped 25% in North America during 1994, while
ink-jet sales increased 250. Ink-jet models became the prevailing
plotter technology in 1994, capturing 64% of the North American market.
>> HP Cuts Scanner Price <<
Hewlett-Packard has cut the price of its ScanJet 3p scanner from $599
to $399.
The grayscale flatbed unit scans both images and text. It offers an
optical resolution of 300 dpi that can be enhanced to 1,200 dpi. The
unit is compatible with both PC and Macintosh systems.
The scanner accepts documents measuring up to 8.5 by 11.7 inches.
With an optional $239 20-page automatic document feeder, users can scan
multiple documents ranging up to 8.5 inches by 14 inches.
An optional $86 stand allows users to stack the scanner on top of a
desktop printer to save space.
The ScanJet 3p is backed by a one-year limited warranty.
>> Pioneer Offers CD-ROM Changer <<
Pioneer New Media has introduced the DRM-624X, a new six-disc CD-ROM
changer.
The four-speed unit is designed to allow users to access an array of
CD-ROM information without swapping discs. Pioneer says the device can
be used for data archival, imaging management, multimedia and numerous
other applications in government, defense, corporate, education, legal
and personal computing environments.
The drive offers a 676KB per second data transfer rate and a 110ms
average seek time. The $795 unit supports all leading standards and
formats and can change discs in under 5 seconds.
_________________________________________
> CREATIVE NEWSNOTES STR FOCUS!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
CREATIVE ANNOUNCES SOUND BLASTER 32
===================================
Next Generation Sound Blaster Extends Family of Wave-Table Products
SINGAPORE -- June 6, 1995 -- Creative Technology Ltd. (Nasdaq: CREAF)
today announced Sound Blaster 32, a professional PC audio card that
combines industry standard Sound Blaster audio with Creative's powerful
wave-table synthesis technology and up to 32 note polyphony. Sound
Blaster 32 is an entry level solution that further extends the Sound
Blaster standard to the next generation of audio technology at an
economical price point. The product provides genuine instrument sounds
and digital effects processing for entertainment titles, business
presentations and music applications. Sound Blaster 32 will be available
this month at retail outlets for a projected price of $169.99
"Sound Blaster 32 brings high-quality professional audio to the mass
market, and it continues Creative's commitment to providing products that
serve consumers' diverse needs," said Arnold Waldstein, vice president of
U.S. software and product marketing for Creative Labs, Inc., Creative
Technology's U.S. subsidiary. "By offering next generation Sound Blaster
audio with wave-table synthesis at aggressive consumer pricing and
assuring software support from leading developers, Creative is redefining
the audio standard in multimedia computing."
Features of Sound Blaster 32
----------------------------
Sound Blaster 32 uses E-mu Systems' EMU8000 chip to provide 32-note
polyphony of realistic wave-table sounds, 128 General MIDI-compatible
instruments and sounds, 10 drum kits, and reverb and chorus effects. It
also provides 16-bit digital stereo sampling and playback; enhanced FM
synthesis and a variety of software titles, including Voyetra MIDI
Orchestrator Plus and Creative's family of audio utilities. In addition,
Sound Blaster 32 features an IDE CD-ROM interface for connection to
today's high-speed CD-ROM drives and an upgrade path for adding up to 28
MB of standard memory. The additional memory allows new instruments and
sounds to be easily added to the card.
"Whether it's an online game, an interactive encyclopedia or a classical
music score, Sound Blaster 32 turbocharges multimedia computing with
special effects and real instrument sounds," said Scott Taylor, audio
product marketing manager for Creative Labs, Inc.
All of Creative's current Sound Blaster audio cards now either incorporate
wave-table synthesis or are wave-table upgradeable with Wave Blaster II, a
General MIDI wave-table synthesis daughterboard.
Creative's wave-table product line now includes Sound Blaster AWE32, Sound
Blaster 32 and Wave Blaster II-GamePak. From the high-end award-winning
AWE32 audio card to the Wave Blaster II-GamePak wave-table upgrade
daughterboard, Creative is dedicated to providing consumers with a
wide-range of wave-table solutions.
CREATIVE ANNOUNCES SOUND BLASTER PERFORMANCE 4X
===============================================
New High Performance Sound Blaster Wave-Table
Multimedia Kit is First in a Series and Extends
Company's Quad Speed Product Line
MILPITAS -- June 6, 1995 -- Creative Labs, Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of
Creative Technology Ltd. (Nasdaq: CREAF), today announced Sound Blaster
Peformance 4x, first in a series of high performance multimedia kits to
provide the next generation of Sound Blaster audio and the latest CD-ROM
technology. Sound Blaster Performance 4x adds to Creative's growing line
of best-selling quad speed kits, combining the pro-audio quality of Sound
Blaster wave-table synthesis, Creative's quad-speed IDE CD-ROM drive and
new powerful stereo speakers. With real instrument sounds, leading edge
CD-ROM technology and highly popular software titles, Sound Blaster
Performance 4x is the ultimate upgrade kit that gives home PC users a
powerful multimedia computing tool for entertainment and education. Sound
Blaster Performance 4x will be available at retail outlets this month for
a projected price of $429.
"Consumers have come to expect the highest level of quality from Creative,
the most trusted name in the multimedia industry," said Arnold Waldstein,
vice president of U.S. software and product marketing for Creative Labs,
Inc. "Sound Blaster Performance 4x is a perfect example of our dedication
to making the newest technology available to the widest range of
consumers. This high performance kit continues this commitment by
combining the next generation of Sound Blaster wave-table audio together
with standard-setting quad speed technology, great sounding speakers and
leading software for the home computer user and the greater multimedia
market."
Features of Sound Blaster Performance 4x
----------------------------------------
Sound Blaster Performance 4x includes a wave-table Sound Blaster 32 audio
card for real instrument sounds, a quad speed IDE CD-ROM drive and
powerful stereo speakers from Creative plus software titles from leading
publishers including, Papyrus, Electronic Arts, Interplay Productions and
Grolier Electronic Publishing.
The kit's Sound Blaster 32 card uses E-mu Systems' EMU8000 chip to provide
32-note polyphony of realistic wave-table sounds, 128 General
MIDI-compatible instruments and sounds, 10 drum kits, and reverb and
chorus effects. It also provides 16-bit digital stereo sampling and
playback, enhanced FM synthesis and an upgrade path for adding up to 28 MB
of standard SIMM memory. The additional memory allows new instruments and
sounds to be easily added to the card.
Sound Blaster Performance 4x's quad speed drive provides a 600KB per
second transfer rate, a better-than 250ms access rate and compatibility
with the Kodak photo CD. Its IDE interface is best suited to handle the
high-speed transfer rates of quad speed drives, allowing users to obtain
optimum performance of software titles.
In addition, the kit's high value software bundle includes six audio
utilities from Creative and the following eighteen titles for education
and entertainment.
Interplay Productions' Descent Destination Saturn
id Software Inc.'s Doom Episode 1
id Software Inc.'s Heretic Episode 1
Papyrus' NASCAR Racing
Electronic Arts' Hong Kong Mahjong Pro
Origin Systems' Pagan: Ultima VIII
Electronic Arts' SSN-21: Seawolf
Origin Systems' Shadowcaster
Origin Systems' Strike Commander
Electronic Arts' Syndicate Plus
Origin Systems' Ultima Underworld
Blizzard Entertainment's WarCraft Special Edition
Origin Systems' Wing Commander II
Grolier Electronic Publishing's Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia
Davidson and Associates' KidWorks II
Davidson and Associates' Spell It 3
Davidson and Associates' The Cruncher
Voyetra Technologies' MIDI Orchestrator Plus
"Sound Blaster Performance 4x is great for those who want to upgrade their
PCs with the latest audio technology for professional-quality sound that
enhances most software applications," said Kim Federico, product marketing
manager, multimedia kits for Creative Labs. "This multimedia kit makes
buying new technology 'worry-free' by matching the next generation Sound
Blaster audio with a powerful quad speed drive and a library of wave-table
software products."
Creative's quad speed product line now includes Sound Blaster Performance
4x, Sound Blaster Multimedia Home 4x, Sound Blaster Digital Schoolhouse
4x, Sound Blaster Discovery CD 4x and Blaster CD 4x. Each of these
products serve the differing needs of PC users and the various multimedia
market segments. For example, Blaster CD 4x provides consumers with a way
to upgrade to quad speed CD-ROM technology, while Performance 4x launches
a new series and gives families everything they need for high performance
multimedia computing.
CONTACT INFORMATION
-------------------
Theresa Pulido Lisa Kimura
Creative Labs, Inc. Copithorne & Bellows
(408) 428-6600, ext. 6416 (415) 284-5200, ext. 209
Sound Blaster is a registered trademark and Sound Blaster AWE32, Wave
Blaster and Blaster are trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd. E-mu is a
registered trademark of E-mu Systems, Inc. ShareVision is a registered
trademark of ShareVision Technology, Inc. All other products mentioned
herein are trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby recognized
as such.
Creative Technology Ltd. develops, manufactures and markets a family of
sound, video, software and telephony multimedia products for PCs under the
B l a ster family name, and the ShareVision line of desktop video
conferencing products for Macintoshes and PCs. The company's Sound
Blaster sound platform enables PCs to produce high-quality audio for
entertainment, educational, music and productivity applications, and has
been accepted as the industry standard sound platform for PC-based
software.
Creative Technology Ltd. was incorporated in 1983 and is based in
Singapore. Creative Technology's U.S. subsidiaries include Creative Labs,
I n c ., E-mu Systems, Inc., Digicom Systems, Inc. and ShareVision
Technology, Inc. Creative also has other subsidiaries in Australia,
China, Europe, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. The
company's stock is traded on Nasdaq under the symbol CREAF and on the
Stock Exchange of Singapore.
__________________________________________
> Frankie's Corner STR Feature
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The Kids' Computing Corner
--------------------------
MIXED-UP MOTHER GOOSE DELUXE CD-ROM
===================================
available separately
for
Windows and Macintosh
ages 4 and up
approximate street price of $40
by Sierra On-Line
IBM Requirements Macintosh Requirements
CPU: 386/33, 486 recommended CPU: Color Macintosh
RAM: 4 megs RAM: 2.2 megs
Video: 640 by 480, 256 colors Video: 13" monitor
Hdisk: 1 meg Hdisk: n/a
CD-ROM: double-speed recommended CD-ROM: double-speed recommended
OS: Windows 3.1 OS: System 6.0.7
Misc.: Sound card, mouse
by Frank Sereno
Mixed-Up Mother Goose was first introduced in 1988. The program combined
whimsy, songs, and puzzles into an intriguing animated storybook.
Children interacted with characters from classic tales to correct mixed-up
nursery rhymes. Today's updated version combines enhanced graphics,
professional voice talent and eighteen new songs to form an even more
entertaining and educational product.
Mixed-Up Mother Goose Deluxe uses the same interface as the original. The
child can choose from twelve children to be his on-screen image. Then he
will see that child in a bedroom. Clicking on the book begins the
adventure as the child will be whisked away to the land of Mother Goose.
She will explain that her rhymes are missing important items and that they
must be repaired. This is accomplished by talking to the characters and
learning what items they need. Once an item is found, it can be returned
to its proper owner. The child then sees an enactment of the nursery
rhyme along with its song.
The main screen shows the child's character in his travels around Mother
Gooseland. Seven smaller windows are available along the right and bottom
edges of the screen. These windows include icons for quitting the game,
controlling the speed of the on-screen character, adjusting the volume of
the background music. In the lower right corner, the mouth icon activates
conversations with the nursery rhyme characters. To the left is a small
window which shows the child's inventory. Only one item can be carried at
a time. The map icon places the map on the main screen. It shows the
child's present location and all solved nursery rhymes. The final window
has eighteen depressions. Each depression will be filled with a golden
egg when a nursery rhyme has been repaired.
The child moves his character about the screen by moving the cursor and
clicking the mouse button. When the character walks close enough to a
needed object, it will automatically be placed in his inventory. Only one
item can be in inventory. The child must then guide his character to the
nursery rhyme character needing the item. If the on-screen persona gets
too close to another object, it will replace the current one in the
inventory.
The graphics are very good. The characters are more lifelike and their
faces are much more expressive than in the original version. The
animations are very fluid with realistic movements. The program has
excellent sound qualities. All voice characterizations are easily
understood and are well-acted. Sound effects are use quite liberally.
The music is varied and interesting. Many types of music are used,
including country, rock, and rap. Children will gain music appreciation
by listening to these many varieties of music.
Mixed-Up Mother Goose Deluxe has a very simple and intuitive interface.
Children as young as four years-old should have little trouble using this
program with minimal supervision. Sometimes the character can get caught
behind an object but this is only a minor inconvenience.
My children have enjoyed playing this program. It is filled with many
humorous animations. The dialog and music are very entertaining. The
location of the missing items is changed with every play so the game
remains challenging.
Educational value is good. Children will learn eighteen nursery rhymes.
They can choose to play in either English or Spanish so they can learn
another language. When the nursery rhyme songs are played, the words are
displayed on the screen for building reading skills. The game encourages
development of creative thinking and problem-solving skills.
Mixed-Up Mother Goose Deluxe provides excellent value. It features a
great combination of play and educational value along with a reasonable
price.
Ratings
Graphics ........... 9.0
Sounds ............. 9.0
Interface .......... 9.0
Play Value ......... 8.5
Educational Value .. 8.5
Bang for the Buck .. 8.5
Average ............ 8.75
Thanks for reading!
__________________________________________
> ADOBE FORUM STR InfoFile Good Pointers for all
""""""""""""""""""""""""
TEN TIPS FOR GETTING THE MOST
FROM THE
ADOBE APPLICATIONS FORUM
(GO ADOBEAPP)
===> TIP 10 - Post your message in the best section
A common reason for delayed or no reply is messages posted in an
inappropriate section of the forum. To help you pick the best place for
your message, here is a list of the sections on ADOBEAPP and a short
description of the purpose of each one.
+ Section 1: Chat Room +
Have a question about what shareware is, when Adobe merged with Aldus,
where to find clip art, why CompuServe hung up on you, or how to
download/use a library file? Wish to send a happy birthday or
congratulations note to another forum member? Then this is the right
section.
+ Section 2: Pre-sale and Upgrades +
This is the "customer service" section of the forum. Ask here for
information about purchases, upgrades, cross-grades, prices, phone
numbers, and addresses. This is not the right place for technical
questions about Adobe products, even if you haven't purchased them yet.
+ Section 3: Acrobat +
Do you have any questions about using the Adobe Acrobat family of
products? If so, this is the place to ask. Please indicate which platform
and product you use in your message. If you wish to inquire about Acrobat
development, post on the Adobe Systems Forum (GO ADOBESYS) in Section 4,
Acrobat Developers.
+ Section 4: Type +
Questions about installing/using Adobe fonts and the Type-On-Call and Font
Folio CD-ROMs belong in this section. This is also the best place to get
answers to questions like "Does Adobe make a Type 1 version of Sumerian
Cuneiform Clay Ultrabold?"
+ Sections 5 & 6: ATM - Mac & ATM - PC +
Having problems with Adobe Type Manager (ATM), SuperATM, or with fonts
installed on computers using them? Need to know if the version of ATM you
have is outdated? Select one of these sections for your post, according to
your platform.
+ Section 7: Illustrator Tips +
Share your Illustrator tips, tricks and helpful hints with other users in
this section. This is a platform-independent section where you can discuss
use of the tool, as opposed to the platform-specific sections which
address technical problems using Illustrator (see below).
+ Sections 8 & 9: Illustrator - Mac & Illustrator - PC +
Need help installing/running Illustrator or using one of its many
features? Ask in whichever of these sections is appropriate to your
platform. This is also the best section for questions about Adobe
Streamline.
+ Section 10: Photoshop Technique +
Have you created a unique effect in Photoshop, or would you like help
learning how to do so? Share your discovery or find assistance in this
section. If you have a technical question about Photoshop, choose Section
11 or 12 to post.
+ Sections 11 & 12: Photoshop - Mac & Photoshop - PC +
Photoshop is one of the most powerful, and most complex, applications on
any computer platform. As a result, users often have problems with it.
Tell us what yours are here, where you'll find expert help on call for Mac
and PC Photoshop.
+ Section 13: PageMaker Technique +
Since PageMaker is virtually identical on both platforms, whether you're a
Mac or PC user, this is the best place to ask about laying out pages,
importing graphics, using the Story Editor, and other general PageMaker
questions.
+ Sections 14 & 15: PageMaker - Mac & PageMaker - PC +
If you're unable to install, run, or print from PageMaker, or if you're
having frequent crashes while running it, post in the section relevant to
the platform you use.
+ Section 16: Persuasion +
Technical questions about Adobe Persuasion belong in this section. When
you ask, be sure to indicate whether the question is Mac or PC, and which
version of Persuasion you are using.
+ Section 17: PhotoStyler +
Although the Windows-only application PhotoStyler has been dropped from
the Adobe product line, support for PhotoStyler users continues to be
available in this section. Please ask about cross-grading from PhotoStyler
to Photoshop in Section 2, Pre-sale and Upgrades.
+ Section 18: Other Products +
Do you use Adobe Dimensions, CheckList, Gallery Effects, PrePrint, Type
Align, Fetch, or Type Reunion? This is the section to get help with these
and other Adobe products not specifically supported in their own section
(but please see footnote).*
+ Section 19: Plug-in Wishlist +
Wish there were a plug-in that provides a feature or enhancement one of
the Adobe applications you use lacks? Let Adobe know about it in this
section.
+ Section 20: Feature Requests +
Are there features you would like to see added to, or changed in, any
Adobe product to make it more useful to you? Tell the Adobe developers
what they are by posting in this section.
+ Section 21: Adobe International +
If you are located outside the United States, or in the states but you use
a foreign-language version of an Adobe product, this is the place to ask
your questions. If German is your native language and you feel more
comfortable using it, check out the Adobe Software GmBH forum at GO
ACR-43.
+ Sections 22 and 23: Premiere/Video, Mac & Premiere/Video, PC +
Have questions video/animation products? These are the sections to ask
them in. Premiere and related products, both hardware and software, are
supported here.
* The following applications are not supported on ADOBEAPP. Both customer
service and technical assistance are available as noted below.
- Products from the Adobe Consumer Division: ArtExplorer, TypeTwister,
HomePublisher (formerly PersonalPress), IntelliDraw, SuperPaint
Support source: Adobe Systems Forum (GO ADOBESYS)
Section 8, Adobe Consumer Products
- Products from the Adobe Prepress Division: ColorCentral, PrePrint Pro,
PrintCentral, PressWise, TrapMaker, TrapWise
Support source: Desktop Publishing Forum (GO DTPFORUM)
Section 5, Hi-Res and Service Bureaus and
Section 12, Printing and Prepress
- FreeHand (no longer an Adobe/Aldus product)
Support source: Macromedia Forum (GO MACROMED)
- TouchBase/DateBook Pro bundle, TouchBase, Datebook (no longer Adobe
products)
Support source: Now Software, 71541,170 or INTERNET:support@nowsoft.com
For help using the services of CompuServe in general, here are some
recommended sources.
- GO NEWMEMBER for an overview of how CIS and the forums work (FREE)
- GO PRACTICE for help with CIS and the forums in general (FREE)
- GO CIMSUPPORT for help with all versions of CIM (FREE)
- GO NAVSUPPORT for help with MAC Navigator (FREE)
- GO WCSNAVSUP for help with WIN CSNav (FREE)
- GO TAPCIS for help with DOS TAPCIS (+)
- GO OZCIS for help with DOS/WIN OZCIS (+)
- GO DVORAK for help with all versions of NavCIS (+)
===> TIP 9 - Post your question only once
After reading TIP 10, still not sure which section to put your message in?
If so, just take your best guess and post in that section. Please don't
post the same question in multiple sections of the forum. This practice
makes forum members who have to read your post repeatedly at their expense
rather testy, and accelerates the scroll rate (the period of time messages
remain on the board before being pushed off by newer ones). If warranted,
a sysop will move your post to a better section.
===> TIP 8 - Count to ten before you post in anger
It's wise to keep a courteous tone. It is not uncommon to let frustration
over a problem show in your message, but remember the sysops and other
members are people, too. A calm, rational, and polite appeal will bring
you higher quality assistance. For best results, explain the problem as
you would if you were face to face with a real person.
===> TIP 7 - Take advantage of the resources in our libraries
The libraries of the Adobe Applications Forum contain a wealth of
information. To get an overview of the files there, download APPLIB.SIT
(for Macs) or APPLIB.ZIP (for PCs) from Library 1. After decompressing the
file, you will have a listing of all library files which can be read in
any text editor or word processor. The listing is updated on the first of
each month.
===> TIP 6 - Protect your product serial numbers and credit card numbers
Omit your serial numbers and credit card numbers from public posts. Should
they be required to assist you with an upgrade or for another legitimate
purpose, you'll be asked by a sysop to provide it in a private message or
in email. Requests for this info from anyone who is not a sysop should be
reported to a sysop immediately.
===> TIP 5 - Observe the conventions of CompuServe "netiquette"
When you post a message on a forum asking for help or information, revisit
the forum every 2-3 days to check for replies. Asking a question and
requesting replies via email or Internet mail is considered impolite, and
sending email costs CompuServers money. It's improper to ask forum members
to dig into their own pockets to serve as your personal help desk when the
same help would benefit all on the public forum.
It's best to address such posts to Sysop/All. This practice will make sure
your post is read by a sysop, while inviting other forum members who may
know the answer to reply. Sending a message to "Adobe tech support" will
not come to the attention of anyone in particular.
Compose your forum posts in standard upper and lower case. Messages in ALL
CAPS are hard to read, and some forum members find them irritating enough
that they'll decline to respond, even if they know the answer. All caps
should be reserved for times when you want to make it clear you are
SHOUTING.
===> TIP 4 - Reply to the person you're talking to
Be sure to reply to the specific post you are answering in a thread,
rather than just tacking your reply on to the last message in the thread.
When you do the latter, your post will not be flagged to the attention of
the person you are answering, but instead will be directed to the last
person who said something on the subject.
===> TIP 3 - When answering a message, use the reply function
When you see a post you wish to respond to, use the reply option in your
telecomm software rather than sending a new message. Messages on
CompuServe are kept in "threads," which makes it easy for others to follow
the dialogue. When you post a new message instead of replying to an
existing one, it "breaks the thread" and destroys the continuity of the
discussion.
Please do not delete posts addressed to you when reading messages on the
ADOBEAPP (or any other) forum. When you do so, you remove it permanently
from the message board, breaking the thread and making it impossible for
other readers to find out what you were talking about in your reply.
The only exception to "do not delete forum messages" applies to private
ones. Since only you and the sender can "see" private posts, the polite
thing to do is delete them after reading, to avoid accelerating the
forum's scroll rate (see TIP 9).
===> TIP 2 - Describe the environment and problem in detail in your post
"I can't print, what do I do now?" doesn't help us to help you much. When
you have a problem, please include as much information as possible about
the problem itself and your system environment. Please tell us:
- Your platform, in non-Mac/PC areas
- Your hardware: computer, memory and disk space available, peripherals
- Your software: OS version + enhancements, application version + patches
- Your problem: What, when, where, why, how does it happen? Is it
repeatable?
===> TIP 1 - Become acquainted with the forum staff and how we work
With one exception, the sysops of this forum are not employees of Adobe.
We do not have access to all the infinite variety of hardware and software
options forum members and Adobe developers have, we work on our personal
machines. We volunteer our own time each day to read and respond to
requests for assistance with Adobe products.
We do our best to answer all messages, but occasionally a post falls
through the cracks. If several days go by and your question has had no
replies, please contact a sysop to make sure your post isn't overlooked
entirely.
While Adobe employees do visit and answer questions on occasion, they do
it on their own time, and only as their time permits. When warranted, you
can get help directly from Adobe Tech Support or from Adobe Customer
Service through the sysops, who will gather the information needed from
you and forward it to Adobe on your behalf.
CompuServe forums are not designed to take the place of extensive
technical support nor real-time troubleshooting. If you are on a tight
deadline, the quickest solution is to call the appropriate telephone
number. A list of current phone numbers can be downloaded from Library 1
(see TIP 7).
******
This document was prepared by Adobe Forums Wizop JB Whitwell with
suggestions and contributions from several other forum sysops and members.
We hope you find it helpful. Please send feedback to JB at 76704,21. Last
updated 6/5/95.
_________________________________
> VISUAL dBASE STR Spotlight Borland Support, "Always Top Notch"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
VISUAL dBASE: THE NEXT GENERATION OF dBASE
Borland Database to Provide A Smooth Transition for
Developers to Windows 95
SCOTTS VALLEY, CA -- June 5, 1995 -- Borland International Inc. today
announced it will rename its dBASE product-line to better reflect the
database's advanced, award-winning development capabilities. Visual
dBASE 5.5 and the Visual dBASE Compiler will be available this Summer, and
will provide a smooth transition path for database developers and their
clients planning the move from Microsoft Windows 3.1 to the coming Windows
95 operating system.
"We are excited about unveiling the new 'Visual dBASE' name to both
our existing and potential customer-bases. It acknowledges that dBASE is
a competitive player in the emerging visual database tools market," said
Mark de Visser, Borland's director of dBASE marketing. "The research that
we have conducted shows that the new name conveys a much clearer
description of the dBASE products that Borland is now developing and
delivering: that of a modern, object-oriented, rapid application
development database."
Referred to until now by its code-name, Voyager, Visual dBASE 5.5 is
the only second-generation, object-oriented Xbase product. Based on a
sophisticated, yet easy, programming language and leading-edge visual
tools which allow users to create and reuse objects without programming,
Visual dBASE provides the productivity and power to control business data.
Besides support for both the Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 operating systems,
the database will feature mature client-server capabilities, Rapid
Application Development (RAD) tools, and significant performance
enhancements. The separate Visual dBASE Compiler, which will ship at the
same time as Visual dBASE, will allow developers to create and deploy
stand-alone (.EXE) applications royalty-free. Borland will announce
additional product information and pricing for Visual dBASE later this
month.
Smooth Transition to Windows 95
-------------------------------
Visual dBASE will provide an ideal development solution for
developers during their client's transition from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95
because it supports both operating systems. A native 16-bit product,
Visual dBASE has been architected to automatically detect whether the
system is running Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, and then takes advantage of
that operating system's capabilities and user interface. In addition,
applications developed with Visual dBASE and distributed with the Visual
dBASE Compiler will also automatically support Windows 95.
Visual dBASE and applications developed with Visual dBASE will
support many Windows 95 features, including long file names, OLE 2.0
Automation, the Application Key, extended file attributes, the universal
naming convention (UNC), and Microsoft interface standards such as
context-sensitive menu and icon bars, right-click context menus, system
metrics, and tool tips.
"Visual dBASE gives me and my clients a huge advantage because it
allows us to manage the move to Windows 95 when we are ready," said James
Sare, a database developer based in the Detroit area. "For those
customers who want to stay with Windows 3.1 for a while, I'll be able to
distribute sophisticated applications that run in only six megabytes of
RAM. For clients moving to Windows 95 early, I'll be able to deploy
high-performance applications with the new look-and-feel on the day that
the operating system ships. The real beauty of the Visual dBASE solution
is that this transition is automatic and transparent -- it virtually
requires no extra work on the developer's part."
About dBASE
-----------
dBASE 5.0 for Windows, winner of PC/Computing Magazine's 1994 MVP
Award and the PC Magazine 1994 Award for Technical Excellence, is the most
powerful and advanced Windows database and application development
environment available. Built upon the industry-standard dBASE language
and easy-to-use object-oriented technology, dBASE for Windows enables
users to access the most popular corporate data sources, including dBASE
and Paradox, Oracle, Microsoft/Sybase SQL Server, Borland InterBase, and
all ODBC- compliant databases, such as Informix, DB2, and AS/400.
For more Info, Contact:
Steve Curry
Borland International Inc.
(408) 431-4863
scurry@wpo.borland.com
Pat Lucas
Borland International Inc.
(408) 431-4872
plucas@wpo.borland.com
About Borland
-------------
Borland International Inc. (NASDAQ:BORL) is a leading provider of
products and services targeted to software developers. Borland is
distinguished for its high-quality software development tools, which
include Delphi, Borland C++, dBASE, Paradox and InterBase. Borland's
award-winning products are supported through comprehensive programs for
small- and large-sized software developers, corporate developers, value
added resellers and systems integrators. Founded in 1983, Borland is
headquartered in Scotts Valley, California. For more information on
Borland products and services, customers can access Borland Online,
Borland's World Wide Web (WWW) site, at http://www.borland.com.
Editor Note:
------------
Look for an in-depth review of this product, here in STReport,
towards the late summer or early fall.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
___ ___ _____ _______
/___| /___| /_____| /_______/
/____|/____| /__/|__| /__/
/_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/
/__/|____/|__|________|__/
/__/ |___/ |__|_/ |__|_/_____
/__/ |__/ |__|/ |__|______/
________________________________________
/_______________________________________/
MAC/APPLE SECTION (II)
======================
John Deegan, Editor (Temp)
> PHOTOSHOP; NEW BOOK! STR FOCUS!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PHOTOSHOP SPECIAL EFFECTS HOW TO
================================
by Sherry London for Waite Group Press
Photoshop Special Effects How-To is the product of a solid year of work.
While first conceived as a book about Photoshop 2.5, it was completely
re-written to reflect the massive changes made to Photoshop in Version
3.0. Ultimately, You are the beneficiary of these changes.
Many of you will ask the question "Why another book on Photoshop?" Most
authors feel that their book is special, but I really think that this one
truly is. I have read so many books where the most interesting parts of
an image were passed off with a remark such as "just take a brush as add
the finishing touches" without telling me how to add the "finishing
touches." I have also gotten very frustrated seeing the work of expert
artists and not getting the detailed instructions needed to duplicate
their effects.
I wanted to write a book where every step is detailed so that you know how
to create every image in the book. That's what makes this book so
special. Which is why many educators feel results in stronger
learning-leads you to make the connections yourself. Although there is a
brief introductory chapter that shows you the basic Photoshop controls,
there is not a long section specifically devoted to using Layers anywhere
else in the book. However, when you have worked through all of the
examples, you will be an expert user of Layers. This is what I mean by
the "inductive" approach. The exercises are organized around results
rather than Photoshop commands, but as you work, you will master all of
the commands. In addition, you will see how, why, and when to use them
and be able to come up with new effects on your own.
Someone on AOL recently wrote that "other programs are just applications;
Photoshop is a way of life." I sincerely feel that way about Photoshop,
and I hope that you will share my enthusiasm as you read this book.
Table of Contents
-----------------
"A good farmer prepares the soil before planting the seed; an artist
preps the canvas..."
Part 1-Canvas...
Chapter 1-Tools, Commands, Dialogs, and Filters...
"A journey of a thousand miles starts with just a single step..."
How do I...
1.1 Change Colors?
1.2 Set Tool Preferences?
1.3 Magnify an Image?
1.4 Adjust colors using Levels?
1.5 Adjust colors using Curves?
1.6 Use Quick Mask Mode?
1.7 Use the Channel Palette?
1.8 Use the Layers Palette?
1.9 Use Filters?
1.10 Classify Filters?
1.11 Explore Filters?
1.12 Identify the most useful native filters for special effects?
Chapter 2-Channel Operations...
"Rearrangements and re-combinations are the DNA of the universe..."
How do I...
2.1 Learn about CHOPs?
2.2 Use CHOPs to produce embossed effects?
2.3 Use Trey Yancy's methods for creating special effects?
Chapter 3-Color...
"The universe and all the colors of the rainbow..."
How do I...
3.1 Replace one color with another?
3.2 Reduce the number of colors in a document?
3.3 Use color palettes and Color Tables to change my image?
3.4 Create and view multiple colorways?
3.5 Re-Index the colors in an Indexed Color Table?
3.6 Create unusual color effects like solarization?
3.7 Create rainbow gradients?
"What is in the background sets the stage..."
Part 2-Background...
Chapter 4-Block repeat patterns...
"To bring order out of chaos ..."
How do I...
4.1 Create a Simple Repeat Pattern?
4.2 Create a Linked Block Repeat?
4.3 Create a Seamless Block Repeat?
4.4 Create a Stripe, Column, or Diaper Pattern?
Chapter 5-Block repeat textures...
"And find beauty in the texture of life..."
How do I...
5.1 Create a random, noisy texture?
5.2 Create a beaded texture?
5.3 Create a wiggly texture?
5.4 Create a grainy, linear texture?
5.5 Design a random repeating texture?
5.6 Create Anne Wysocki's woven texture variations?
5.7 Create Anne Wysocki's "Painterly" textures?
Chapter 6-Symmetries...
"And harmony in the mirrored repetition..."
How do I...
6.1 Create symmetrical patterns with no rotation?
6.2 Create symmetrical patterns with twofold rotation?
6.3 Create symmetrical patterns with threefold rotation?
6.4 Create symmetrical patterns with fourfold rotation?
6.5 Create symmetrical patterns with sixfold rotation?
6.6 Use the Terrazo filter to create symmetrical patterns?
Chapter 7-Alternate Grids...
"Of alternate worlds and realities..."
How do I...
7.1 Create a half drop or brick pattern?
7.2 Create a linked half drop or brick repeat?
7.3 Create a seamless half drop or brick repeat?
7.4 Create an irregular repeat?
7.5 Create a linked irregular repeat?
7.6 Create an endless irregular repeat?
7.7 Create a sateen repeat?
7.8 Create a scaled pattern?
7.9 Create a 3-Dimensional or overlapped pattern?
Chapter 9-Materials...
"Where elements and fabrications merge..."
How do I...
8.1 Create the Look of Woven Fabric?
8.2 Create a Tie Dyed pattern or background?
8.3 Create a Marbled Paper or Fabric?
8.4 Create a Batik Fabric?
8.5 Create Marble Textures?
8.6 Create a wood grain texture?
8.7 Develop a texture that looks like granite?
"You cannot weave a cloth without a warp and weft..."
Part 3-Elements
Chapter 9-Pixels...
"Every little bit counts..."
How do I...
9.1 Change an image to a bitmap?
9.2 Create a Mezzotint from a color image?
9.3 Create a recursive halftone?
9.4 Combine a grayscale image with a mezzotint?
9.5 Create a color mezzotint?
9.6 Get a stippled or silk screened look?
9.7 Add color to a black and white mezzotint?
9.8 Re-create Rob Howard's mezzotint project?
Chapter 10-Text...
"And knowing the subtext helps too..."
How do I...
10.1 Create graffiti text?
10.2 Create scratchboard text?
10.3 Stamp text?
10.4 Create Patrick Quinn's Metallic text?
10.5 Create Embossed text?
10.6 Create fully rounded, dimensional text?
10.7 Create Eric Reinfeld's dimensional text?
Chapter 11-Susan Kitchens's Fractal Techniques
"Find splendor in complexity's heart..."
How do I...
11.1 Wrap images around a fractal?
11.2 Use fractals as masks?
11.3 Use fractals as frames?
11.4 Layer fractals together?
11.5 Create difference fractals?
11.6 Weave fractals together?
Chapter 12-Borders...
"And always surround yourself with beauty..."
How do I...
12.1 Create a soft-edged border?
12.2 Create a geometric border pattern with straight lines?
12.3 Create Susan Kitchen's fractal-patterned border?
12.4 Create embossed or pictorial frame moldings?
12.5 Create Susan Kitchen's "Victorian" fractal frame?
"And in the foreground..."
Part 4-Composition...
Chapter 13-Techniques...
"Stroking out a tree where nothing stood..."
How do I...
13.1 Mix Paints Like a Traditional Artist?
13.2 Paint a cloudy sky?
13.3 Paint sunsets and dawn?
13.4 Paint a starry sky?
13.5 Paint dewdrops?
13.6 Color filter an image?
13.7 Subtly merge Paint Alchemy brush strokes in to an image?
Chapter 14-Styles...
"Studying the angles and the planes..."
How do I...
14.1 Create and color Nat Merriam's comic book Line Art?
14.2 Posterize a photograph?
14.3 Create a flat color image with detail?
14.4 Use Sean Marshall's watercolor technique?
14.5 Create an Anne Wysocki landscape?
Chapter 15-Fantasy...
"To see illusions that the hand creates..."
How do I...
15.1 Create ghosted images?
15.2 Create glows and sparkles ?
15.3 Create woodcut and contact print images?
15.4 Paint with Difference mode?
15.5 Create a fantasy wash?
15.6 Change image coordinates?
15.7 Combine Grayscale images?
Chapter 16-Composites...
"A puzzle has pieces that must fit..."
How do I...
16.1 Use portions of two images to create a third?
16.2 Predict the results of luminance masking?
16.3 Pull a sunprint?
16.4 Create a saturation mask?
Chapter 17-Unusual Output...
"Though inventiveness engenders unexpected outcomes..."
How do I...
17.1 Use Photoshop to create knitting patterns?
17.2 Create a chart for Counted Cross Stitch?
17.3 Design needlepoint using Sherry London's techniques?
17.4 Create heat transfers from my printed output?
17.5 Output to a film recorder?
17.6 Use Jon Cone's techniques to produce Fine Art prints?
"So create beauty and begin...
The empty canvas waits"
**********************************************************************
ATARI/JAG SECTION (III)
=======================
Dana Jacobson, Editor
> From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Well, it appears that I might take the plunge and upgrade my own
personal Atari system. I have an opportunity to pick up a Falcon030 at
a terrific price; and it's almost too good to pass up. I've been
considering getting a TT or Falcon, if the price was right, for some
time now, but have never really seen anything priced at a point where
I'd reach for the checkbook.
Perhaps a number of you are saying that I'm crazy to consider
making such a purpose, considering what's available on the other
platforms. Well, you could be correct. However, I keep telling myself
that it doesn't make much sense to invest in an entirely new system
(other than Atari) and end up buying software that, although likely
better, is similar to what I'm currently using.
Another possibility that I've considered was to buy a PC and add
a GEMulator. It sounds enticing, but I'm just not sold on a PC
environment quite yet. I'm extremely comfortable with the Atari
computers - that's really important to me. The PC world just seems too
overbearing and foreign enough to discourage me. I enjoy using the
Atari computer. What can I say? I guess I enjoy not being in the
mainstream of today's computer users and being overwhelmed with the
complexities of it all. Crazy? Maybe. Happy? Absolutely!
Until next time...
__________________________________________
Delphi's Atari Advantage!!
TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (6/7/95)
(1) SPEED OF LIGHT 3.8 (6) COLD HARD CACHE V4
(2) NISHIRAN! (7) DR. BOB'S ICON DRAW 1.42
(3) SEAWOLF ARCADE GAME *(8) MUNSIE VIDEO NEWSLETTER
(4) LITTLENET/MIDI PORT NETWORK (9) PSST! 1.0
(5) PICTURE FILE BROWSER 1.0A *(10) GHOST LINK 1.02 BETA
* = New on list
HONORARY TOP 10
The following on-line magazines are always top downloads, frequently
out-performing every other file in the databases.
STREPORT (Current issue: STREPORT 11.22)
ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO: JAGUAR EDITION 3)
Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database.
____________________________________________
> ExtenDOS Pro! STR NewsFile! - Anodyne Announces Latest Upgrade!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Anodyne Software announces:
ExtenDOS Pro v2.1: CD-ROM for everyone
--------------------------------------
ExtenDOS Pro version 2.1 is the latest version of Anodyne Software's
CD-ROM drivers for Atari systems. Like previous versions, it provides
access to CD-ROMs and audio CDs on most popular CD-ROM drives, but v2.1
offers many features that make it easier to use than ever before,
including:
. easier installation and reconfiguration via the new GEM-based
installation program
. support for multiple CD-ROM drives using one copy of the drivers
. better audio player graphics, by using 3D gadgets where available,
and providing an alternate smaller window to reduce screen
clutter.
With ExtenDOS Pro, you can play audio CDs as easily as you can access
the data on CD-ROMs. Put a CD-ROM in your drive, and access it like a
large removable hard disk, or pop in an audio CD and use the included
program to turn your CD-ROM drive into an audio player.
Audio support
-------------
ExtenDOS Pro includes the following audio functions:
. play/pause/stop/eject
. track forward or back
. index forward or back
. skip forward or back
. cd repeat/shuffle
. volume control
These are provided through an interface visually similar to a standard
audio CD player, with clearly-marked buttons and a complete time/track
display. A smaller version of the main window may be selected at any
time; this is particularly effective in reducing screen clutter when
running the audio player as a desk accessory.
ExtenDOS Pro conforms to the proposed CD-ROM software interface standard,
simplifying use of CD audio by third-party products. Further details
are available on request from Anodyne Software at the address below.
Data support
------------
ExtenDOS Pro provides support for industry-standard CD-ROM formats.
You can access any ISO9660or High Sierra format CD-ROM as if it were a
removable hard disk, switch between supported disk formats without a
reboot, and access files of any size. ExtenDOS Pro even provides a
built-in configurable cache facility to speed up data access. And with
the right drive, ExtenDOS Pro supports single-session or multi-session
photoCD as well.
Hardware requirements
---------------------
ExtenDOS Pro requires a SCSI CD-ROM drive connected directly to a SCSI
port, or connected to an ACSI port via an ICD AdSCSI+, Link, or Link2
(or equivalent) host adapter.
Please note that other host adapters (including the original Atari host
adapter, the Supra, the BMS, and certain early ICD adapters) may not be
capable of transmitting the commands necessary to support audio CD and
photoCD. If you're not sure whether your adapter is compatible, please
contact Anodyne Software at the address below.
ExtenDOS Pro runs on all TOS-based Atari systems, including the ST, STe,
Mega, MegaSTe, TT030, and Falcon030. Supported functions depend on the
type of drive:
Function Type of drive
-------- -------------
read standard CD-ROMs Any
read single-session photoCD Most current drives
read multi-session photoCD Selected drives, including the
NEC 74-1/84-1 and the Toshiba 3401
audio control/play Any fully SCSI-2 compatible drive;
selected SCSI-1 drives, including
models from NEC and Sony
The following is a partial list of supported drives:
. Apple CD-300/CD-300+/PowerCD
. Chinon 525/535
. Compaq 561
. MediaVision Reno
. NEC 25/35/72/77/80/82/37/74/84/38/74-1/84-1
. NEC 210/3Xe/3Xi/3Xp/3Xp+/4Xe
. Pioneer 602X/604X
. Plextor 3024/3028/5024/5028/4plex
. Sony 6211/8022/541/561/55S
. Texel 3024/5024
. Toshiba 3201/3301/3401/3501/4101/5201
For the latest information on supported drives, please contact
Anodyne Software via GEnie (R.BURROWS1), or via the Internet
(r.burrows1@genie.geis.com), or write to the address below.
Software requirements
---------------------
ExtenDOS Pro requires one of the following standard operating
environments:
. TOS
. MultiTOS (with MiNT v1.08 or v1.12)
. Geneva (v003 tested)
. Mag!X (v2.01 tested)
Availability
------------
ExtenDOS Pro v2.1 is available now at a suggested retail price of $39.95.
Order from your local Atari dealer, or directly from:
Anodyne Software
6 Cobbler Court
Ottawa
Ontario K1V 0B8
CANADA.
ExtenDOS Pro Upgrades
---------------------
If you are an existing ExtenDOS Pro user, you may upgrade to version
2.1 AT NO CHARGE by downloading the upgrade file, EPRO_210.ZIP. This
is being distributed to several online services, including GEnie.
Alternatively, you may upgrade by sending your original diskette plus
$8 (including shipping) to Anodyne Software at the above address.
Please see below for methods of payment.
ExtenDOS Upgrades
-----------------
Until 31st July 1995, existing owners of ExtenDOS may upgrade to
ExtenDOS Pro v2.1 by sending the original ExtenDOS diskette plus $15
(including shipping) to Anodyne Software at the above address. After
that date, the upgrade charge will increase to $20. The upgrade
includes a new manual. Please see below for methods of payment.
Methods of payment
------------------
For North American orders, please make your payment by cheque or money
order, in US$ for shipping to the U.S.A., in Canadian$ for shipping
within Canada. Ontario residents please add 8% sales tax.
For shipments outside North America, please pay by money order in US$.
Please add an additional $2 for airmail shipping.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roger Burrows, Anodyne Software, 6 Cobbler Court, Ottawa, Ontario K1V 0B8.
r.burrows1@genie.geis.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roger Burrows | (613) 238-8151 | rzb20@juts.ccc.amdahl.com |
Amdahl Corporation | | |
[The opinions expressed above are mine, solely, and do not ]
[necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Amdahl Corp. ]
_____________________________________________
> GEnie Pricing Announcement! STR InfoFile! - GEnie Drops Surcharges!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
From a recent e-mail letter from GEnie Services:
Dear GEnie Subscriber,
Have high speed surcharges got you down? Have they kept you from
downloading that feature file or from finding that perfect vacation in
our travel area.
Well, as of August 1st, those pesky on-line surcharges will disappear
from GEnie! That's right, GEnie will eliminate Communications
Surcharges for SprintNet and GEnie 9600 baud access for both U.S. and
Canada. Along with the elimination of high speed surcharges, GEnie
announces the availability of 14.4 baud access through SprintNet and
the reduction of Canada's Datapac surcharges to CAN $5.00/hour. You'll
save time and money, and have a greater opportunityto explore more of
the award winning offerings in our on-line community.
You asked for us to find better and more efficient ways for you to
access GEnie's RoundTables and services. The new GEnie for Windows was
the first step. This pricing change is the second, and in the coming
weeks, you'll see announcements about some blockbluster content,
including games from two of the world's most innovative game
developers - Interplay & Microprose. Stay tuned, and enjoy your time
on-line.
Doug Perkins
Vice President GEnie Services
-/- IBM Plans to Buy Lotus -/-
In a blockbuster move, IBM Corp. says it plans to acquire software
publisher Lotus Development Corp. for $10 billion.
The Armonk, New York-based computer giant will launch a $60 per
share tender offer for Lotus' stock tomorrow. IBM says it plans to pay
for the deal with money from its cash reserve.
"Combining IBM and Lotus represents a truly unique opportunity,"
says IBM Chairman and CEO Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. "Lotus employees are
proven innovators."
Lotus, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is best known for its
Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet software, although the firm has recently
concentrated on "groupware" products that allow people to work in
teams. The company also offers the Ami Pro word processor and several
other business and personal productivity applications.
"Our goal is to accelerate the creation of a truly open, scalable
collaborative computing environment so people can work and communicate
across enterprises and across corporate and national borders," adds
Gerstner.
A statement issued by Lotus says the company finds IBM's
announcement "particularly surprising in light of discussions and
negotiations on contracts and joint development that have been under
discussion between the two companies for several months."
Lotus adds that it will study the offer and then "take any and all
appropriate action to preserve and promote the vital best interests of
this company."
-/- Lotus Seeking 'White Knight'? -/-
Word around Wall Street is Lotus Development Corp. may be looking
for a savior to deflect IBM's $3.3 billion hostile takeover bid.
Analysts are saying they hear Lotus has approached several possible
buyers -- including AT&T, Hewlett-Packard Co., Oracle Corp. and Intel
Corp. -- but United Press International says the companies named as
potential suitors all have declined comment.
Reporting from Lotus's Cambridge, Massachusetts, headquarters, UPI
says the software publisher, best known for its Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet,
has not yet responded to IBM's Monday offer, but that it has 10 business
days to do so.
"Some analysts already have said Lotus will probably reject IBM's
$60 a share offer, which was nearly double the price of Lotus shares
prior to the announcement, in hopes of getting Big Blue to sweeten its
bid," the wire service says.
As reported, IBM appears most interested in the firm's Lotus Notes,
a business network software product that generated an estimated $190
million in sales last year with 1995 revenues expected to hit $1 billion.
Lotus has been criticized for its perceived failure to market Notes
effectively.
UPI writes, "The prospects for the alternative scenario of a 'white
knight' emerging with a friendly takeover deal for Lotus are murky since
other potential buyers would be wary of getting into a bidding contest
with IBM. Big Blue has more than $10.5 billion cash on hand."
Three Silicon Valley companies mentioned as potential
suitors -- Intel, Oracle and Hewlett-Packard -- are viewed as
longshots, UPI says, because "they all have closer ties to Lotus rival
Microsoft Corp. than to Lotus and are probably not likely to want to
become major players in the business software area."
AT&T has a joint marketing agreement with Lotus and enough money to
buy the company, "but its stock price has been held back by several
other large deals," UPI says, noting the firm spent $12.6 billion last
year to buy McCaw Cellular Communications.
-/- Fox, MCI Team for Online Service -/-
Fox Broadcasting is teaming up with MCI Communications to develop a
new online service. Look for the two to try to beat Microsoft Corp. and
NBC to market with it.
News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox, has told
Communications Daily the firm will announce "within a couple of weeks a
very, very big joint venture with MCI with our online services which
will be way out there operating ahead of Microsoft and NBC."
The deal apparently isn't final, but Murdoch said it "probably" will
be announced before the Fox affiliates meeting that starts June 22 in
Los Angeles.
CD says MCI invested $2 billion in Fox, and joint production of an
online service will be one of first results. "Fox already owns Delphi
Internet online service, while MCI has begun (an) aggressive campaign
to establish itself as (an) Internet service provider," the newsletter
adds.
It reports MCI officials familiar with the deal were in London last
week meeting with News Corp. officials. An MCI spokeswoman said new
services, directed toward the business-to-business market, could be
offered over a variety of platforms, including Internet, Delphi and MCI's
information services.
As reported last month, NBC and Microsoft have announced formation
of a multimedia alliance covering a broad range of areas, including
online, CD-ROM, interactive TV and other digital products, as well as
the integration of those efforts into traditional broadcast and cable
television.
Murdoch also told the newsletter he thinks Fox is "probably ahead
of anybody else" in preparing for digital high-definition television
(HDTV).
Said Murdoch, "We've got to see, when will the boxes be ready?
Will people pay for them? It will depend on the set manufacturers and
it will depend on the set-top manufacturers. We're not sure of the
timing, nor is anybody else."
-/- Bill Targets Online Child Porn -/-
A new Senate bill would make it a federal crime to transmit
pornography by computer to minors.
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who introduced the measure
yesterday, is quoted by the Reuter News Service as saying, "Computer
pornographers are out to destroy our children and our families. We must
go after them here and now."
The Iowan added in a statement, "Every day child molesters send
young children computerized pornography in an attempt to seduce children
and entice them into illicit relations. At the same time, ruthless,
profiteering pornography merchants transmit pornography to children for
money."
Reuters says Grassley's bill would make it a crime:
-:- For computerists to knowingly or recklessly transmit pornography
to minors.
-:- For online services that permit users to access electronic
bulletin boards to wilfully permit adults to transmit computer
pornography to minors.
______________________________________
JAGUAR SECTION
==============
Pinball Fantasies Out! Review!
Ultra Vortex News!
CATnips!
White Men Can't Jump!
And much more!
> From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Pinball Fantasies hits the streets, today! I've had a head start
on this game for about three weeks now - and I've been having a ball
with it! I've been a pinball player for as about as long as I was able
to see over the glass on the arcade machines. Video pinball is a
relatively new experience for me; the few other non-arcade pinball
games I've played include one on the Lynx and one for the ST. Pinball
Fantasies is the first of a number of pinball games to come out for the
Jaguar. With the enjoyment I've had so far, I can't wait to see more!
Look for a review of Pinball Fantasies later on in this issue.
As I mentioned last week, it appears that the month of June will
be the tip of the iceberg for new games coming out - with July and
August to follow up with a bang. One can only hope that what's planned
to appear, does. Jaguar owners have been waiting...and waiting for
quite some time now - they deserve to see some continuous flow of games
for awhile.
We've got a lot of interesting news and information in this week's
issue, so I'll quit babbling and let you read on!
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 $29.99 Atari Corp.
J9005 Raiden $29.99 FABTEK, Inc/Atari Corp.
J9001 Trevor McFur/
Crescent Galaxy $29.99 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.
J9029 Doom $69.99 id/Atari Corp.
J9036 Dragon: Bruce Lee $39.99 Atari Corp.
J9003 Club Drive $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9007 Checkered Flag $39.99 Atari Corp.
J9012 Kasumi Ninja $69.99 Atari Corp.
J9042 Zool 2 $59.99 Atari Corp
J9020 Bubsy $49.99 Atari Corp
J9026 Iron Soldier $59.99 Atari Corp
J9060 Val D'Isere Skiing $59.99 Atari Corp.
Cannon Fodder $49.99 Virgin/C-West
Syndicate $69.99 Ocean
Troy Aikman Ftball $69.99 Williams
Theme Park $69.99 Ocean
Sensible Soccer Telegames
Double Dragon V $59.99 Williams
J9009E Hover Strike $59.99 Atari Corp.
Pinball Fantasies $59.99 C-West
Available Soon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
Super Burnout TBD Atari
Air Cars TBD MidNite Entertainment
Fight For Life TBD Atari
Flashback TBD U.S. Gold
Power Drive Rally TBD TWI
Rayman TBD UBI Soft
Ultra Vortex TBD Atari
White Men Can't Jump TBD Atari
Jaguar CD-ROM $149.99 Atari
Hardware and Peripherals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER
J8001 Jaguar (complete) $189.99 Atari Corp.
J8001 Jaguar (no cart) $159.99 Atari Corp.
J8904 Composite Cable $19.95
J8901 Controller/Joypad $24.95 Atari Corp.
J8905 S-Video Cable $19.95
CatBox $69.95 ICD
> Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
-/- 'Virtual,' 'Cyber' Top Trademarks -/-
A new survey of the latest trademarks suggests marketers are betting
that the language of the Internet will help sell their products, with
"cyber" and "virtual" among the most frequent choices for new names.
Philadelphia trademark attorney Glenn Gunderson, who compiled the
annual survey, told David Enscoe of United Press International,
"Trademark filings are a barometer of what marketers think will appeal
to consumers in months to come."
UPI says about 140,000 applications for trademarks were filed last
year and of those, 226 included the word "virtual," 95 percent more than
in 1993. "Cyber" was nearly as popular, with 199 trademark applications
last year, up 83 percent from the previous year.
"Other computer-age terms gaining in trademark popularity were
'interactive,' up 64 percent to 199 filings, 'multimedia,' up
123 percent to 96 filings, and 'Internet,' up 172 percent to 87 filings."
Gunderson said he found continuing popularity for the word "smart,"
which appeared in 740 brand names, up 19 percent. (The word "dumb"
appeared in only four new filings.) But the the vogue for trademarks
using the prefix "Euro" waned last year, with 17 percent fewer filings.
Trademarks with the word "America" or "American" remained popular, with
filings increasing 3 percent to 1,650.
Adds UPI, "Other old standby trademarks that fell out of favor last
year included 'choice,' with filings down 13 percent, the prefix 'acu,'
down 14 percent and 'clear,' down 26 percent."
-/- VR Health Risk Described -/-
An article in the June 5 issue of Electronic Engineering Times warns
that overuse of poorly designed virtual reality (VR) technology could
lead to health problems, including permanent brain damage.
According to Thomas Furness, director of the Human Interface
Technology Laboratory at the University of Washington, a poorly designed
VR head-mounted display (HMD) could result in permanent brain damage,
including LSD-like flashbacks, caused by the so-called corruption of
the vestibulo-ocular reflex.
"In the near future, many of the VR headlines we are likely to see
will be made by lawyers," Furness told the trade journal. "There are
also long-term psychosocial and psychophysiological effects that need
more study now before the lawyers start suing," he added.
_______________________________________
>Jaguar Game! STR Review! - "Pinball Fantasies"
""""""""""""""""""""""""
"PINBALL FANTASIES"
===================
Available: June 9
Developed by: Spidersoft
Published by: Computer West
Price: $59.95
By Dana P. Jacobson
Pinball Fantasies, published by Computer West, has just become
available at your local video game outlet. Thanks to Computer West's
Peter Curry, we were able to get a copy of the game while it was in
production. For the record, the game that is being reviewed is a
finished product, in EEPROM form. The manuals weren't available at the
time we received our copy; so, if I'm missing some relevant factors to
the game, it's because I haven't noted them during gameplay nor did we
have the ability to note them via a manual. Anyway, who needs a manual
to play pinball?!? ;^}
Pinball Fantasies consists of four separate pinball games:
Partyland, Speed Devils, Billion Dollar Gameshow, and Stones N' Bones.
They're all fun to play, but Speed Devils and Stones N' Bones got the
majority of gameplay, with my favorite being Stones N' Bones, at the
moment.
If you've ever played "Pinball Jam" on the Lynx, you'll have an
idea as to what to expect with Pinball Fantasies. Like "Jam", these
games are vertical scrollers. This factor occasionally makes things
difficult, but overall I don't have any real concrete complaints other
than an occasional lost ball down the middle because I wasn't able to
ascertain where the ball was going to go!
Turning on the game gives you the usual Jaguar roar and graphics.
Pressing any of the controller buttons moves you to a number of credits
screens. These include the usual developer credits, game titles, high
scores, etc. Pressing numbers 1-4 will bring you to the corresponding
game to play. At that point, you'll be shown the pinball table slowly
scrolling up and down to get a feel of what's in store. You're then
supposed to press a number from 1-8 to determine how many players will
be competing. I've only played in 1-player mode.
To start gameplay on any of the games, press the "C" button will
pulls back the plunger. The "B" button acts as your right flipper
control while the direction pad acts as the left flipper. The "A"
button may be used to "shake" the pinball "table" but watch out that
you don't TILT!!
Most of the games have features similar to real pinball arcade
games: thumper bumpers, light targets, bonuses, bonus multipliers,
free balls, specials, multiple flippers, rail chutes, and more. Some
games have very few of the above - something that I feel is an
oversight that should have been corrected.
Let's take a look at each of the games for a general feel for each
game...
Partyland has a carnival aura about it. The graphics are well
done, with very colorful designs all over the table. There's an extra
flipper at the top-left of the table, but the control for it is
difficult. There are a number of "hole" specials on the table - hit
these holes for special bonus points. There are also a number of other
bonus specials and chutes which score bonus points. There are a few
thumper bumpers which are quite "active" when hit. There's also a
bonus multiplier special which increases your accrued bonus points.
Light up PARTY and get a special. There's also a "Tunnel Skill Shot"
special which gives you a million points which increases each time you
get it, by a million points each time!
I liked this table, but it needs targets to hit; I don't recall
this table really having any. Most of the gameplay was aiming for
different chutes to obtain the specials and bonus points. Partyland
ranked third of the four tables to choose.
Speed Devils is a good game with a racing motif. Without the
manual, I was unable to really get a handle on what needed to be done
in this game. However, it was fast-paced and there was a lot to do
while playing. In retrospect, it appears that there are ways to
advance your position in the "race" by achieving certain points or
specials. I believe that you're required to drive so many "miles" to
accomplish this. Again, the specifics have alluded me so far.
Speed Devils also has a third flipper near the top right of the
table. It keeps the ball in play and also allows you to keep shooting
at the "Pit Stop" rollover targets in that corner. However, it does
little else to add to the gameplay. There are a number of rollover
and stationary light targets. There is a bonus-multiplier and a free
ball bonus. The graphics are pretty good, but nothing overly eye-
catching. The gameplay was fun and challenging - I rated it second of
the four games.
Billion Dollar Game Show was the worst of the four games. The
subject of the game is obvious from the title. There are no apparent
targets to hit. There are a couple of long chutes to obtain bonus
points and specials, however. There's also a third flipper near the
top right of the table which allows you to hit one of the chutes if
your timing is good. There is a bonus-multiplier; and there's likely
other special features which I haven't discovered yet.
Stones N' Bones was my favorite of the games included. This
game's atmosphere is spooky, with eerie music and sound effects to
complement the game.
Ironically, there is no extra flipper in this game, but I really
can't see a strategic spot to have one. There are plenty of rollover
and other targets to hit which will provide specials. There are "hole"
bonuses (The Well Treasure and The Vault) which give you outrageous
bonus points! There are a few thumper bumpers which aren't overly
active when hit, but they're there nonetheless. There are jackpot
bonuses, kickbacks, and extra ball capabilities. There is also a
bonus-multiplier chute which multiplies your bonus according to the
number of "screams" that you score.
Stones N' Bones can be very fast-paced and there's a lot to do in
the game. The graphics are quite good, but I thought that the various
lights could have been brighter. I'm still having a LOT of fun with
this table!
Graphics: 7.5
Sound FX/Music: 8.0/4.5
Control: 8.5
Manual: N/A
Entertainment: 9.5
Reviewer's Overall: 8.5
Overall, I thought that the graphics were quite good. For a
pinball game, it's not really necessary to have great graphics on the
table because the player is more concerned with making good shots
rather than seeing how the graphics are. To be fair, though, it's nice
to see well-designed targets and other features. One very excellent
graphic feature that I noticed very quickly was the scoring display.
Your score is displayed in multi-colored numbers. Also, when you
obtained a bonus or special feature, the display occurs on the scoring
window. Some of the specials and bonus displays were exquisite!
The music was adequate, but not something that I really needed to
complement the games. The music for Stones N' Bones was better than
the others; and I actually enjoyed having it there as it did complement
the gameplay and sound effects. The sound effects for all of the games
were quite good. Sometimes they required the volume to be turned up,
but once you could hear them well, it was enjoyable. Again, the
affects on Stones N' Bones were excellent.
Game control was pretty good considering that this was not an
electronically-controlled arcade game. Flipper control on an arcade
game is much better, naturally; but the flippers on the Jaguar did what
was required, just not as sharply. The action on the extra flippers
was slow. You could "catch" the ball on your flippers just like most
arcade games to be able to have better control of your shots. There's
also a "center-post" between the lower flippers to help minimize losing
the ball down the center. However, it's easy to forget that the post
is there; and the normal reaction is to try and hit the ball with your
flippers rather than hope the ball will hit the post perfectly and
bounce back onto the playing table. You can "shake" the machine via
the controller's "A" button, just like the real thing. This feature
does come in handy. However, like the big guys, you can easily TILT
your current ball in play by pushing too hard. The bumpers aren't too
active, but work similarly to the arcades.
The entertainment value of this game was rated high because the
games are fun to play. If you like pinball games, as I do, you'll
enjoy these games. I would have given a score of 10 had the "Billion
Dollar Game Show" table been a better game. Pinball games have been
with us for a very long time and have always been fun. A console
version, while not on the same level as the arcades, provides much of
the same entertainment.
Pinball Fantasies, overall, is an excellent compilation of pinball
games. There are, however, some things that I feel are missing from
the game, for whatever reasons. First of all, I wish that there were
more targets to shoot at. I loved to shoot at drop-down targets on the
arcade games. The targets provided on the Jaguar games are comparable,
but difficult to see. Two-dimensional targets are less appealing than
3-D. Some of the target chutes were extremely long, taking up space
that could have been used for other targets or features. The "third"
flipper on some of the games didn't seem to work as well as the lower
flippers making control difficult. I wish that all of the flippers had
just a little more "oomph" to them!
The scoring, bonus, and specials displays were very good. Hitting
specials in pinball is a feat in itself usually, but the special
effects to go along with them in these games made the feats even more
enjoyable.
If you're a fan of pinball machines, you're going to want to get
this game. Will it be the best of the pinball games coming out for the
Jaguar is unknown. I'd rate it as a potential top pinball game even
without seeing the others currently being developed. Even if pinball
isn't your forte, I think that you'll become addicted to Pinball
Fantasies. That in itself makes the game worth getting! Here's your
opportunity to become a "pinball wizard" with those "crazy flipper
fingers"!! "...sure plays a mean pinball...."
________________________________________
> Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
CATnips... Jaguar notes from Don Thomas
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
[Editor's note: This recent "issue" of CATnips has been edited due to
portions of it having been published in last week's issue]
Pinball Fantasies WILL BE IN STORES on June 9. The product has shipped
from the factory and is in route to retail shelves NOW. I played with
Pinball Fantasies at E3. I found it to be as appealing as any pinball
game I have played with the added appeal of multiple playfields. I happen
to like pinball simulations and I found Pinball Fantasies to be
addictive. It includes high resolution graphics and all the bells and
whistles found on real pinball machines.
Laury Scott has announced in the Jaguar forum that "Super Burnout" is
IN PRODUCTION. YEA! This motorcycle race game is VERY controllable as
well as a heck of a lot of fun to play.
A lot of Jaguar gamers have asked about the Jaguar's ability to
integrate Q-Sound(tm) effects into software. Q-Sound is a proprietary
method to reproduce sounds so they audibly "appear" to be actually
coming from their original source. This technology effectively emulates
sounds made in front of the listener on a horizontal plane. In other
words, the sounds cannot reveal whether they were made higher or lower
than the listener, but can reproduce sources in front of the listener
at variable distances within almost 180 degrees. I'm sure a developer
can explain it better, but the technology is licensed by Atari and
routines have been distributed to developers to integrate Q-Sound
effects into future games. As I understand it, the routines work by
passing monophonic sound samples to them with parameters that define
the position of the sound source. I think this offers a lot potential
for future development.
Jeffrey Norwood's recent informal conference went very well. His
impromptu style lured a lot of participants including Atari
personalities such as Francois Bertrand and Laury Scott.
### END OF FILE ###
CATnips... Jaguar tidbits from Don Thomas
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I've always thought it would be fun to own a private arcade room.
Nothing elaborate.... just a few professional coin-op machines. A
"Space Invaders", a "Missile Command"... an Asteroids perhaps. My
brother has a classic "Kickman" machine... remember that one? I once
owned a generic knockoff machine that had an abstract resemblance to
"Galaxian", but it never worked well and I sold it one day to someone
who knew how to fix it up better than me.
I don't think I will really ever own that arcade. Neither will I ever
build that personalized cinema or private amusement park that's always
sounded fun, but I do own an Atari Jaguar. With the Jaguar, I already
own the exact arcade version of "Raiden" (2 player is better on the
Jaguar) and a super new version of "Tempest". "Defender" is forthcoming
soon and other classics have been promised.... (Not to mention other
great titles such as "Iron Soldier", "Doom" and "Alien vs. Predator",
but that's another great story.)
At the recent E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo; the huge trade show
for the gaming industry in Los Angeles) I had the opportunity to preview
a new game which is coming to the Jaguar this Friday (June 9th). The
game is called "Pinball Fantasies" and is published by CWest. CWest
emerged recently as a new software publisher. They ONLY publish games
for the Jaguar and released "Cannon Fodder" a couple months ago. Look
for a preview of their third title on the Atari Explorer Online (AEO)
video coverage of E3.
"Pinball Fantasies" is like getting four great pinball coin-op machines
and putting them into my virtual arcade. I was hooked within minutes of
playing the game. My favorite is "Stone's 'N' Bones"; a playfield based
on a ghosts and goblins theme, but there's also "Partyland"; based on a
traveling carnival, "Speed Devils"; based on an automobile raceway and
"Billion Dollar Game Show"; based on popular television game shows.
A lot of video games cater to gamers who want to spend hours and hours
doing complex things without coming to any ending. Earning health,
casting spells, collecting jewels, answering riddles and maneuvering
along obstacle-infested pathways are some of the basic components of
contemporary game playing. For those of us who just want some old
fashioned mindless entertainment sometimes, nothing beats the hypnotic
roll of a pinball as it pounds it way up and down the cling-clang
alleyway. "Pinball Fantasies" has all the bells and whistles... the
responsive flippers, the high-score screens, the ability to "nudge"
the table, colorful targets, score multipliers, touchy bumpers,
run-a-way ramps, drop zones and more. It has darn right decent sound
effects and brings home the arcade feel of good pinball arcade action.
If you remember "David's Midnight Magic" for the Atari 2600, that was
one great pinball game back then! Now "Pinball Fantasies" brings it all
up to date with four fun playfields on one cartridge.
The suggested retail of "Pinball Fantasies" is $59.95 and it will be
at your dealers June 9th. The suggested retail on "Cannon Fodder" (also
by CWest) is Now Only $49.95.
Last week, CWest announced an interesting offer out to all retail video
game department employees on "Cannon Fodder". There is a $500 reward,
a $300 reward, (12) $100 rewards, (24) $25 + a Jaguar T-Shirt rewards,
and "a ton" of FREE Jaguar T-Shirts. If you are a good video game player
you might want to check in with your local retailer and team up with a
qualified employee and go for it.
### END OF FILE ###!
[Don's been busy lately...]
CATnips... Jaguar tidbits from Don Thomas
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Okay. LOTS of you <<<S-C-R-E-A-M-E-D>>> (just as you should have) over
the Ultimate Gamer magazine article which appeared in their premiere
issue (cover date; July 1995). For example, in that issue, Jaguar
gamers were misinformed that the CD-ROM (to be released in August) was
going to be single speed and... well, let's just say it was a bad hair
day for the unnamed author of that article.
Since a lot of onliners contacted me about the Ultimate Gamer's issue,
I was invited by Ultimate Gamer to have lunch with them this afternoon.
The lunch was hosted by Chris Gore and Randy Brown. Chris is the
Editor-In-Chief of Ultimate Gamer, Video Games, and Tips and Tricks
Magazines.
Chris and Randy were meeting with Ron Beltramo; Vice President
Advertising and Marketing for Atari Corporation and John Mathieson;
Vice President Advanced Technology for Atari Corporation. We ducked
into a restaurant called Pacific Fresh near the office and really got
down to business. After all that was said and done, I think we made
a lot of headway and I'd like to share what I can with the people who
helped correct this issue... the online community.
Chris appeared in his trademark cap, calloused punch-button thumbs and
glazed-over video eyes. He was all ablaze with energy. He talked about
the future of the gaming industry and how well he thought Atari fit into
the plan with a super system priced at less than $160. He shared with us
his enlightenment from the E3 show and how he has come to conclude that
there's room in the market for multiple high end systems as long as they
were priced affordably. He talked about some great things happening in
upcoming issues of his magazines and how much he has come to realize
Atari is in a great position and that fact will be reflected in
forthcoming issues.
With Chris' permission, I have managed to grab some snippets from the
Editorial by Ultimate Gamer's Frank O'Connor which will appear in the
second issue to released July 25. I am obligated to say that this
preview is subject to grammatical and technical corrections before it
is actually printed....
"Plugged In..."
"Welcome to the second issue of ULTIMATE GAMER. The response to the
first issue was over-whelming,..."
"It seems we also upset and confused a number of Jaguar owners. We
incorrectly reported that the Jaguar CD was a single-speed unit..."
"We apologize both to Atari and to nervous Jaguar owners for our
unforgivable error..."
"...it must be said in Atari's defense that E3 was a very good show
for the company. All things considered, there was more software, better
games and a much healthier presence..."
"The Atari Virtual Reality headset was drawing crowds from all over..."
"Jaguar's custom graphics hardware is almost perfectly suited to the
shaded polygons required by Virtual Reality games. Better yet, the
multi-processor architecture means there is less of the annoying
Virtual Reality lag when you move too quickly..."
"Atari may have single-handedly cracked open a new market, being the
first company to produce a VR game system..."
"Atari really hasn't made any big mistakes. Its machine is hot, the
pricing is incredible and the ideas are fine..."
"The company that started the business may yet find itself in a
position to dominate..."
I hope Jaguar users will pick up this issue of Ultimate Gamer and let
me know what they think. It is also important that Jaguar gamers let
Ultimate Gamer know that they are appreciative of healthy Jaguar
coverage. Ron Beltramo was very instrumental in getting Chris Gore and
company to look hard at Atari's position and the way the video game
market is shaping up. We all agreed at lunch to the obvious... more
quality software ASAP! We also agreed Atari is dealing with this in a
very serious way with a lot of great software coming very soon. Now,
more than ever, Atari is in a great position to make that happen as
long as we stick by our guns, er, I mean joypads! <g>
By the way, you can contact the Editorial offices of Ultimate Gamer by
writing:
Ultimate Gamer Magazine
9171 Wilshire Boulevard, #300
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
### END OF FILE ####
From CompuServe's Atari Gaming Forums (items not verified to be true):
Sb: #Report From Sunnyvale...
Fm: Larry Tipton 74127,601
To: All
Just picked this up off NEWSGROUPS... Interesting stuff!!! Take
it for what it's worth... -lt
[Editor's note: spelling & format edited for clarity]
I just got back from the shareholders meeting and here are some
things that I didn't know:
- 3rd packing for CD 'probably' Blue lighting.
- Virtual set 'hopefully' early 96, if all works out well.
- White Men CJ 'on production' to be bundled with the 4 player
adapter (price?).
- With current development tools: ports in 6 mos, original games in 12
- Nerf game exclusive for Atari this xmas :(
- PC titles: T2K (386 and up) others for pentium only. Highlander series
is the first title developed in parallel for both systems.
- Batman Returns early 96 with movie video release. Atari got the
license from Acclaim but the same company is developing for
Acclaim and Atari (Probe?).
*** Development kits for JagII ready for September. Motorola was
supposed to have the first chip already but they 'screwed up'. Code
name: Midsummer, as in Shakespeare. I didn't catch the names of the 2
chips. Fully compatible with Jag. 2-4 times faster than PSX. Full C++
libraries for the guys at Electronic Arts (who don't like to program')
- Software Etc (same owner as Babbages???) to start carrying the Jag at
100 locations right away.
- New controller ready. It looks basically the same.
Jorge
ps I didn't take notes so don't flame me.
Atari's Laury Scott _did_ take notes, and replied:
Sb: #82250-#Report From Sunnyvale...
Fm: Laury Scott [ATARI] 75300,2631
To: Larry Tipton 74127,601 (X)
I also attended the shareholders meeting and most of what was posted
was accurate-
>>3rd packing for CD 'probably' Blue lighting.<<
'Probably' was the important word here. I can tell you that the game
has not been finally selected but BL is definitely on the short list.
>>Virtual set 'hopefully' early 96, if all works out well.<<
That's correct.
>>White Men CJ 'on production' to be bundled with the 4 player
adapter (price?)<<
Yes, see my posting in the Jaguar Games section. [Editor: see below]
>>Nerf game exclusive for Atari this xmas<<
Yes, but I really don't know much about it.
>>PC titles: T2K (386 and up) others for pentium only. Highlander
series is the first title developed in parallel for both systems.<<
Yes, that is correct.
>>Development kits for JagII ready for September.<<
That is the target.
>>Code name: Midsummer as in Shakespeare. I didn't catch the names of
the
2 chips<<
The chips are called Oberon and Puck.
>>Fully compatible with Jag. 2-4 times faster than PSX.<<
I believe that Sam said at least 4 times faster than the PSX.
>>Software Etc (same owner as Babbages???) to start carrying the Jag at
100 locations right away<<
That is correct.
>>New controller ready. It looks basically the same.<<
Except for the 5 extra buttons on it <g>
-Laury
Sb: #WMCJ Release Date
Fm: Laury Scott [ATARI] 75300,2631
To: All
Just wanted to let you all know that White Men Can't Jump is now in
production. We will be shipping it in the second half of July and will
be doing an initial promotion by packing it together with a Jaguar Team
Tap (4 Player Adapter) at no additional cost.
I haven't actually played it as a 4 player game but every time I walk
by certain offices after hours I see 4 guys having a great time playing
this
game. They tell me it is a lot of fun.
-Laury
P.S. For all you Pitfall Fans I saw a demonstration today of the latest
version this game and it is definitely nearing completion and it looks
pretty good.
Sb: Ultra Vortex...Soon
Fm: Larry Tipton 74127,601
To: All
I called Beyond Games (BG) today. According to BG, Ultra Vortex just
entered production this week and should be available in about 3 weeks.
I specifically asked BG if the game would be out by the end of June '95.
I was simply told "yes." Wow, if this is true, that is some kind of
production schedule. I vaguely remember someone at BG stating that
they found a production facility locally that could turn the game over
in 3 weeks about 6-8 months ago. Hmmmmmm. I guess we'll know soon!
_______________________________________
> ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
=====================
On CompuServe
-------------
compiled by
Joe Mirando
73637,2262
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. As you probably know, that Atari world
just keeps getting smaller and smaller. It's to be expected though. I
mean, heck, Atari is now in the video game business and not the computer
business and since there aren't many folks just getting into Atari
computers and more and more of us are looking to other machines, the
userbase takes a beating.
For this reason, I try to keep in touch with many of the Atarians that
I've met over the years. This past week I got in touch with one of
the former Atarians who I've always gotten along well with. She "jumped
ship" about two years ago and landed in the "Sea of Mac". We had a
great conversation. After catching up on each others' personal lives,
she started telling me about the multitude of packages available for the
Mac and how fast her machine is, and how healthy the Mac market is at
the moment.
What could I say? She was once an Atarian, she knew what the Atari
market was like. I couldn't simply tell her that yes, the Atari market
was fine as well. So I decided to kind of tread water until she changed
the subject.
I didn't have to wait for long. The very next words out of her mouth
were "Y'know, the only thing that I still miss about the Atari world is
the people I've met over the years. I miss the friendship and
willingness to jump in and help out. You just don't see that on other
platforms".
TA-DAH! There it was. The one thing that the Atari world has that other
platforms don't. As long as there are people who need help in the Atari
world, and people who can help them, I'll be in the Atari world too.
Let's take a look at some of what I'm talking about.
From the Atari Computing Forums
===============================
Sam Wells asks:
" Does anyone know if there exists an Atari ST version of PGP, the
encryption program?"
Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Sam:
"PGP is available for the Atari. Its probably not on Compuserve but
somewhere on internet due to legal problems of exporting from the US
encryption software, etc."
Sam tells Albert:
"I am pretty new to the Internet. Any suggestions as to where I
might be able to D/L the PGP for the ST?"
Albert replies:
"Carl Barron [75066,3204] said it is on CIS somewhere but requires a
CIS clearance.
I do not know where it is on internet since I have not do much internet
searching or file transfers in a very long time."
Patrick Wong jumps in and asks:
"What's a PGP and why is there so much hush, hush about it?"
Carl Barron tells Patrick (and the rest of us):
"PGP is an encryption program. It is so good that the 'big brothers' in
Washington, don't want it exported. Too bad it is avail. in Europe via
ftp. Perhaps Washington has not learned that the end of the SU was
aided by the internet! It also lets you electronically sign your
e-mail, so I know it comes from you. It is extremely easy, to forge
straight internet mail. Tooo EASY!!"
Patrick tells Carl:
"Thanks for telling me about PGP. I didn't even know that Washington
makes encryption programs for the ST. This program sounds great. Is
it available on all computers?"
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Patrick:
"Washington didn't have anything to do with inventing the encryption
methods... they just don't want anyone giving them away to
"foreigners" who might use them "against" the U.S.
The problem is that the encryption is SO good that the CIA wouldn't be
able to crack any messages sent between "foreign spies" coded with
these methods.
The only problem with THAT is that it's so easy to get them here in
the US that any "spies" who wanted to know about it probably already
do.
Mostly all it does is make things inconvenient for "regular people"..
spies probably aren't bothered by it at all."
Sysop Jim Ness adds:
"And, more down to earth, criminals of all sorts are beginning to
communicate using encrypted text on computers. Local police don't
have a prayer trying to eavesdrop on what's being communicated. There
is a movement of sorts to make the use of encryption illegal in
non-government communications."
Patrick adds his thoughts:
"It sounds like something out of James Bond. I'm sure there has to be
a way we can keep foreigners from using our encyption system. That
sounds ridiculious."
Sysop Bob mirrors my own thoughts:
"Oh my... sounds like a field day for the civil rights folks...
Next the government will make it illegal to whisper on the telephone,
just in case the wire's tapped... or speak in pig-latin..."
Albert Dayes adds:
"Because PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is such a good encrpyption program
that no one can easily break the code. It uses public key / private
key and according to the way it works it should take 70 years of
computer time to break. There is a US legal statute that says you can't
export encryption technology from the US. You can import any
encryption technology into the US however.
It became more popular because of the US goverment decided to force all
telecommunications devices to use the clipper chip. The clipper chip
is an encryption technology but the US government has a back door into
it. Supposedly the US goverment will have to get a court order before
they can activate the back door. But we know how well that works ...
<g> Hence PGP became very popular as a result.
The newest version uses technology from RSA for its public key/private
key encryption.
In AEO-PJ (Atari Explorer Online - Programmers' Journal) #4 there is
discussion of RSA public key / private key technology and an article
from Wired magazine. Something about Cyberspace, Jackboots and the
clipper chip. It is in the library if you want more information on
it."
Patrick tells Albert:
"I didn't know that the clipper chip was already being used. I thought
that the government had to wait to hear what the courts say.
I'll look up the AEO-PJ. One thing that puzzles me though, if the
Europeans can download it from a FTP site like Carl said, how can they
stop some other foreigner from downloading it too? I guess the
government is relying on the 70 years to crack thing."
Sysop Bob Retelle adds:
"Incidentally, Albert... I just read that the RSA encryption WAS
recently "cracked" by a team using high powered computers...
But it took so much computing power and manhours to do that they still
consider it "uncrackable" from a practical standpoint."
Well, from PGP to NOS we go. Neil Newman posts:
"I've been trying to get NOS working and I am having problems getting
the program to activate my modem. I've got NOS.TTP,STARTUP.NOS and
DIALER.PP0 in the root directory of E drive, both the startup and
dialer files have been adapted to my needs.
My MODEM WORKS O.K. with my stalker program, I checked the Modem setup
in the control panel which whe I activate nos, changes the setting to
Parity - none, BITS/CHAR - 8, stopbits 1, flow control - none, but
strangely enough the serial port option says MODEM 1 grey/disabled. My
computer is a Falcon.
Anyone have any suggestions as to what the problem may be?"
Carl Barron tells Neil:
"The ST/TT modem 1 and the falcon modem chips are NOT THE SAME. It is
entirely possible that ka9q does not work with SCC ports like are on
the Falcon. I don't have a Falcon or a stray modem to hook to an SCC on
this TT but I'd guess that is at least one problem."
Michel Vanhamme tells Carl:
"I just did a check on my Modem setup, and did a test session with NOS
without problems, on my Falcon...
My Modem setup is the following: Baud Rate: 19200, Parity: None,
Bits/Char: 8, Stop Bits: 1, Serial Port grey/disabled (I think this is
because the Falcon's Modem port is "Modem 2": maybe the CPX doesn't
know it), Flow Control Rts/Cts.
So if your settings are the same, there shouldn't be a problem here.
How do you start your NOS session? In particular, do you run the dialer
manually or automatically? If your STARTUP.NOS file doesn't contain
the line "dialer pp0 dialer.pp0", or if it is 'commented' ("# dialer
pp0 dialer.pp0"), then, after lauching NOS, you have to type that
command manually when you're in NOS.
Also check if your STARTUP.NOS contains a line that looks like "attach
asy AUX: 0 ppp pp0 32767 1500 19200" This attaches the default serial
port in PPP mode.
If you still can't get it to work, maybe you could send/post a copy of
your STARTUP.NOS and DIALER.PP0 files (WITHOUT your password!!!)..."
Richard Brown posts:
"Check out my company's latest contribution to the MagiCMac scene:
DynaSTar's MagiCMac (TM) Keyboard Editor! Uploaded about 3:20 a.m. on
Sunday, June 4, so I'm not sure when it will hit the libraries.
We've been using MagiCMac for quite a few hours, and continue to be
impressed. You can clearly see a functional speed increase even with
our little keyboard utility:
An NVDI 3.0 accelerated TT030 vs. an unaccelerated PowerBook 145B
running MagiCMac - results? The PowerBook is visually and functionally
_faster!_ I think it may be a bogus idea to run benchmarks to measure
the real speed of MagiCMac. You have to use the programs to be sure.
Desktop operations are HUNDREDS of times faster than System 7.1.p's
awkward attempts. PageStream flies. PowerPrint printing mode works fine
with the Portable Stylewriter serial to parallel printer adapter (don't
buy PowerPrint if you have the the Portable Stylewriter cable!)
Running multiple programs, even though MagiCMac is not in its final
multitasking version, works quite efficiently anyway. That's the joy
of not having your excellent word processor take up 35,000,000,0000,000
bytes of RAM :) as the Mac equivalent seems to want... Atari program
efficiency really shines in only 8 megs on a PowerBook!"
Leslie Katz tells us:
"From 1988 until recently, I used ST's both at work and at home. My
word processing program was First Word Plus. If I wanted to work at
home on a work word processing file, I just brought it home on a
floppy.
Recently, I switched to IBM at work, so that I could access CD-ROM's I
need for work. The machine came with MS Works installed, so I've just
been using that as my work word processing program.
However, I've lost the ease of working at home on work word processing
files I used to have with my two ST's. Now, I have to use ASCII instead
to exchange information, which causes me all sorts of problems.
I saw recently in my ST users' group newsletter a reference to a
shareware ST word processing program called "Marcel". It was said that
Marcel could read files saved in RTF format and could itself save in
RTF format. Such a program would suit my needs, because MS Works reads
RTF and saves in it.
I looked for Marcel in this forum without success, finding only a
dictionary for it.
Can anyone tell me please of a source for the program? Does it work
properly? Does anyone have any other suggestions as to how I can
easily share files between the two computers?"
Albert Dayes adds:
"There is also Papyrus which also reads/writes RTF files and is a
commercial product. I think Marcel is now shareware but not sure."
Leslie tells Albert:
"Thanks for the information about Papyrus. I suspect that it won't do
me, because (something I omitted to mention in my first message) both
my ST's have only 1 Mb of RAM. Nevertheless, I'll look into it if I
can't find another solution."
Chas Cartwright tells Leslie:
"There is a shareware program called 'The Ultimate Converter'
(TUC.TTP) which might suit your needs as it claims to convert between,
among others, 1st Word and RTF. It appeared on the ST Format issue 62
(Sep 94) cover disk."
Patrick Wong asks for help:
"I have an NEC with a SCSI CD-ROM, would I be able to connect the hard
drive to the back of it?
Would you know how much would replacing a drive mechanism cost if I
bought it to a repair center? Is that all I need to fix this problem?"
Albert Dayes tells Patrick:
"To look at current hard drive prices you can try (GO PCA) pc catalog
and check out the storage systems section. That should give you a good
indication on what the current pricing is on average.
The last time I checked a 1 gig SCSI drive was around $475 so
everything less than that should be cheaper.
To use ExtenDOS PRO CD-ROM driver software requires an ICD host adapter
currently. If you have a SCSI hard drive you should be able to daisy
chain it from the NEC CD-ROM drive."
Patrick tells Albert:
"Actually I meant if I could hook up my Supra to the back of my NEC
CD-ROM and check the hard drive from my NEC computer for the problems.
Sorry about the mix-up."
Albert replies:
"That might cause problems with your Supra controller. If you hooked
it up bare (assuming it is a SCSI drive) it should work."
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Patrick:
"Hmm... you should be able to daisy chain the hard drive with the
CD-ROM, as long as both devices have different SCSI IDs. Usually the
Atari hard drives are Device 0, so you'd need to know what device
numbers the PC host adapter and the CD-ROM drive are using. Then you
could try to format the drive with the PC.
Actually though, since I just read in another message that you can
still use the drive on your STe, just can't format, it might be better
to just leave it alone for now... I don't know for sure that you'd
still be able to use the drive as you are now, after formatting it on
the PC.
A service center could replace the drive for you, or actually you
could do it yourself pretty easily. Replacing a hard drive is one of
the simpler things you can do.
Besides checking the online catalog Albert mentioned, try checking at
your local library to see if they have a copy of Computer Shopper (or
you could pick one up at a store). There are lots of ads for SCSI hard
drives there, and some places specialize in the smaller sizes you'd
probably want for an Atari drive (capacities on hard drives have been
increasing incredibly lately, with 540 Megabytes being almost the
minimum size you can obtain anymore). A 40 or 80 Megabyte SCSI drive
should cost well under $100.
If you feel better about having a service center do the work for you,
it's possible that you could just take it to any local computer repair
facility.. the drive is fairly straightforward, so it wouldn't have to
be an Atari repair shop.. any PC repair will be able to swap the drive
for you, and it shouldn't cost very much to have them do it."
Patrick tells Bob:
"I did what Albert suggested by going to the Supra forum and I easily
found the utilities so I'm going to download it and hope for the best.
I don't think I have Supra's software because the software I have
resembles the one on my friend's Mega STe.
If I do decide to swap drives, what would be a decent size hard drive
for the STe? I bought my 486-66 over two years ago, it came with a 240
megs hard drive. I actually thought that was a lot back then."
Bob replies:
"The size of the hard drive you get would depend on what applications
you want to store and run...
In general though, drives for PCs need to be much larger because the
applications tend to be larger, and the operating system is loaded
from disk (and the OSs tend to be way bigger than on the ST too).
I thought my Astra 20 Meg hard drive on my 520ST was huge... until I
filled it up with games and stuff...
There are a couple of considerations beyond just what you want to
store on the drive too...
One is the cost... a small drive like a 40 or 80 Meg (amazing that I
can call 80,000,000 bytes small..!) will cost a lot more per Megabyte
than a larger size. An 80 Meg may run about $100, while a 540 Megabyte
IDE drive for a PC only costs $199 now. (A SCSI version of the 540 Mb
drive that you could use on your Atari computer would cost a little
more, but not a great deal). So the "cost per Megabyte" goes down as
the size goes up.
It all depends on how much money you want to spend to upgrade the
drive.
The second factor is that there are some limitations on how big a hard
drive can be easily used on an Atari system. When you get over a
certain size, you have to start using "tricks" to get around some of
the limits, and there may be other problems resulting from that.
I've never tried to use a large hard drive on an Atari system, so I
can't give any real advice about that issue.. maybe someone else here
in the Forum can fill you in on those details.
(Another thought that just occurred to me is that a local store might
even have a relatively small used SCSI drive from someone who's
upgraded to a much bigger one that you could probably use.. something
in the 80-100 Megabyte range would probably be about ideal.)"
Well folks, that's it for this episode. Tune in again next week, same
time, same channel, and be ready to listen to what they are saying
when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
________________________________________
Special Notice
--------------
WANT YOUR 5 MINUTES OF FAME?
============================
We need a really first class (like who doesn't?) C programmer for the
FIRST home v.r. game.
Everybody from Nintendo, S.G.I. to Acclaim has flipped out for this
technology and we're cranking for a Christmas release.
We need someone in the L.A. area who has the skill to clean up some
existing code - you'll get help from the guy who wrote it - and finish the
game. We have the graphics team, sound team and prgramming assistance,
but we need someone who has the talent and wants to walk into every store
in the country this Christmas and say... "see that - yup - I programmed
it."
You need to be in or willing to relocate for a few months to L.A. area.
Please contact us at 75144,43 or mother@primenet.com
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> A "Quotable Quote" A true, "Famous Last Words"
""""""""""""""""" "DOS works BEST for ME!"
"YOU CAN'T DEPEND ON YOUR EYES...
WHEN YOUR IMAGINATION IS OUT OF FOCUS."
- Mark Twain
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport International OnLine Magazine
-* [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport *-
HTTP//WWW.ICBA.COM/STREPORT
AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE ON OVER 100,000 PRIVATE BBS SYSTEMS
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STR OnLine! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" June 09, 1995
Since 1987 copyright 1995 All Rights Reserved No. 1123
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
All Items quoted, in whole or in part, are done so under the provisions of
The Fair Use Law of The Copyright Laws of the U.S.A. Views, Opinions and
Editorial Articles presented herein are not necessarily those of the
editors/staff of STReport International OnLine Magazine. Permission to
reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints
must, without exception, include the name of the publication, date, issue
number and the author's name. STR, CPU, STReport and/or portions therein
may not be edited, used, duplicated or transmitted in any way without
prior written permission. STR, CPU, STReport, at the time of publication,
is believed reasonably accurate. STR, CPU, STReport, are trademarks of
STReport and STR Publishing Inc. STR, CPU, STReport, its staff and
contributors are not and cannot be held responsible in any way for the use
or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained
therefrom.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
