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ST-ZMagazine 047
ST*ZMAGAZINE WEEKLY ONLINE MAGAZINE
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November 17, 1989 | Volume 1 Number 47
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Publisher/Editor: ||||| Copyright (c)1989
Ron Kovacs ||||||| Rovac Industries,Inc
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The ZNet BBS ||| CompuServe:71777,2140
(201) 968-8148 | GEnie: ZMAGAZINE
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EXCLUSIVE COMDEX COVERAGE INCLUDED
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Xx CONTENTS
<*> Editors Desk.........................by Ron Kovacs
<*> Atari Takes Comdex....................by John Nagy
(A ZMagazine Special Report LIVE from the show)
<*> ZNet Comdex Newswire..............................
<*> ZNet Newswire.....................................
<*> Shareware Survey....................by Alice Amore
<*> PD Pub...............................by Mark Quinn
<*> The Revolution Continues..........by Donald Thomas
<*> David Small Conference Highlights.......Ctsy GEnie
<*> Mega ST Floppy Drive Sheild..........by Mark Booth
<*> Advanced UltraScript Applications.................
Xx EDITORS DESK
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Ron Kovacs
Thanks for downloading another edition of the latest Atari news!
The ZNet BBS has been up for a week and I want to thank everyone who has
taken a few minutes to call. When you call, please leave me a message
stating you read about the BBS in ST*ZMAG. The number is (201) 968-
8148.
This week Z*Correspondent John Nagy reports direct from the Fall Comdex
with a report on happenings and vendors. Next week an update to this
article will appear along with VIDI-ST uploads to both online services.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Xx ATARI TAKES COMDEX - ZMAG SPECIAL REPORT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
by John Nagy
"A Computer for Everyone." This is the motto of Atari Computer at the
Fall '89 COMDEX, underway through November 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
They don't just mean that their computer is for everyone, they mean that
Atari has a full line of computers that will compliment the needs and
uses that any user will have. And from the miniature Portfolio (which I
am using to write this even now) through the ST's to the new TT, ABC
(PC compatibles), and on up to the ATW (not shown at Comdex), it looks
like Atari is more poised for success than ever before.
COMDEX is where the manufacturers strut their wares for dealers and
distributors to pick and choose their product lines. Here is where the
newest technology is offered into the channels that carry the products
to you and I in the coming year. And here, in exciting Las Vegas where
gambling is a way of life, Atari is looking like a sure bet.
It's Thursday night as I begin this article, and I have spent all day at
the Atari Computer booth. As we previewed last week, the booth is very
large and finally has the look of a major player in a serious business.
The sprawling display Atari area features light colors and openness, the
exact reverse of the effect at the April COMDEX in Chicago. Dozens of
mini-booths are each dedicated to individual third party developers,
some of which also had full-fledged booths elsewhere in the 9-building
trade show. (The show is really too big to see in a week, with nearly
2000 exhibitors and a crowd that actually fills every hotel and motel
for miles around, and in Vegas, that's saying something!) Nearest the
rear of the booth, Atari displayed their own newest hardware in front of
a smoked glass enclosed meeting room and second-floor conference area.
This time, there were LOTS of conferences going on. That means DEALS
with dealers and distributors. Word was that over 100 requests for new
dealer-ships were entered by Wednesday - halfway through the show.
The mood here is optimistic for the first time in quite some time. The
new products look REALLY GOOD. The star is the Portfolio, of which
there are probably a hundred on display... which is a few hundred less
than there are people to wooo over them.
On to bigger things. The STE is here... in a very standard 1040ST case.
Running is a game that makes very good use of the digital stereo sound
and somewhat less dramatic showing of the enhanced color palette. An XE
Game System Light Gun (the only vestige of anything even vaguely 8-bit
at the Atari booth) is attached via one of the two new controller ports.
Can there be anyone who thinks that this is not Atari's "Amiga
response"? It looks to me to be clear that the 1040-style machine is
now considered the game-end of the ST line... although officials tempt
the imagination by mentions that "more new machines at both ends of the
lineup are yet to be announced." But not now, not here.
And the TT! Yes, there are at least five on display, running, and
apparently several more for backup of versatility in setting up the
displays. Looking a bit pale in almost-white, the TT 68030 machines
literally roar through ST software (see the speed ratings, courtesy of
Darek Mihocka's QUICK INDEX, following this article).
Several demos were whipped up for the TT's introduction here, and the
colors and speed are outstanding. One features what could be a spectrum
picture, but even more photographic than any I have seen...even on an
Amiga. Floating around in "front" of the picture is a magnifying glass
that realistically enlarges the area beneath it...revealing even better
detail. The new monitors feature extra resolutions - even monochrome in
your choice of colors! ST programs run fine for the most part, but some
dialogs are so fast that you can hardly see them! It appears that
compatibility is there, but more ways of "de-tuning" the speed will be
needed for some software. Most programs really shine in the high speed.
REZRENDER literally does in seconds on the TT what the ST takes HOURS to
compute! And PageStream gives a new meaning to PAGESCREAM when flying
low on the TT. Developers were invited to try their wares on the demo
machines, and grins were the order of the day. Remember, this is the
machine that critics are saying is "too slow" by comparison to other
68030 machines. Nevertheless, it is rumored that a 24 mHz or faster TT
may later be available to replace or supplement the 16 mHz ones on
display now.
Although not ready for distribution, the TT is expected commercially
before March, 1990. Expect it to effectively replace the marketplace
held by the MEGA computers now, for the 2-meg TT with internal hard
drive and special monochrome monitor will be only about $2,000.00. Many
Mega machines were in use at the booth, and the Mega's figure
prominently in the Atari sales literature, but not much is being said
about them. Time marches on... maybe the prices will drop on the MEGAs?
ABC Computers grace several boothettes. These are mostly 286 AT-clones,
that offer a very nice mix of features and affordable...if you are
into clones. One was running Microsoft EXCEL, and for a moment I
thought that it was port to the ST line... wrong. Just showing speed
and graphics on the popular MS-DOS platform.
Yes, several Megafiles (removable media hard drives). No, no CD-ROMs,
although they figure prominently in announced dealer/developer support
plans (that's another story...). Nope, no LYNX portable game machine
(but after all, this is a COMPUTE show, not an entertainment electronics
show). And yes, the STACY laptop ST is here... in force!
Stacy's display is one of cleanest and most stable I have seen on
backlit LCD screens to date. I could easily work at it all day. Many
of the display units are Stacy 4's, with 4 meg RAM and 40 meg internal
hard drive. At the front left corner of the Atari booth is Dave Small
and his Spectre GCR...the OTHER star of the Atari area. The anti-
emulation stance of corporate Atari seems to have softened dramatically
since Dave's better-cleaner-faster-and-mucho-cheaper-instant-laptop-
Macintosh-clone is the talk of Mac users and dealers throughout the
show. Dave is much in demand, and has interviews lined up for major
stories in most MAC magazines. I witnessed the admiration and name
recognition that the Atari public has for Dave firsthand when I traded
badges with him. My press credentials allows me to use a video camera
at the show... Dave's exhibitor one doesn't, so we swapped for about an
hour to enable Dave to get some videotape of the show. EVERYBODY wanted
to talk to me, seeing Dave's name. Yike. I was nice to me again!
Yes, for the cost of the "real" Mac Laptop unit, you can have THREE
Stacy's, each paired with a GCR emulator... and each Stacy will out-
perform the "real" one. And yes, dealers and distributors took careful
notes.
Also featured up front was Michtron's PC SPEED, the IBM emulator that
beat Avant-Garde to the US market. It was impressively compatible and
four times faster than an IBM XT.
Other booths with the Atari area:
# John Russel Interprizes had several GENLOCK displays going.
# IBP of Germany showed their rack mounted "190ST, which reduces the
entire Mega into a hard-drive size module. They are specially
designed for industrial applications.
# ISD showed DYNACADD running on a ABC PC, driving a huge roller
plotter. Another booth showed their CALAMUS.
# Electronic Arts offered a selection of games.
# First Byte had educational software running on another ABC, next to
the Microsoft EXCEL I mentioned earlier.
# Viewtouch had the point-of-sale touch-screen system, now offering
development tools for custom setups.
# Seymor-Radix ran their DVT video tape backup unit, complete with a TV
to show what raw data looks like.
# Abacus had BeckerCad running into another big plotter, plus offered
the first Portfolio guidebook. It's bigger than the computer!
# Antic Software demoed GFA products as well as Cyber series graphics
titles.
# Migraph offered the Touch-up and hand scanner duo.
# Fast Technology showed Turbo-16, a truely effective accelerator board.
# Atari had the "final" version of Deskset II, their entry in DTP.
# WordFlair from Blue Chip is also ready for sale, and looked better
than ever. It is more than a word processor, but less imposing than a
desktop publishing.
# Michtron had FleetStreet 3.0 for all to see, and it is clearly head-
and-shoulders above the previous versions.
# Imagen showed Ultrascript, the Postscript emulation.
# Softlogik had PageStream 1.8 running in full color! They indicate a
renewed interest in the ST market.
# LDW Power, a 1-2-3 spreadsheet clone, was being demoed by the
inimitable Bob Brodie, although Bob was often asked to do his Sig
Hartmann imitation. We were not treated to a reprise of "Dueling
Sigs" since the real Sig is busy at his new position as Executive Vice
President of TeleVideo Systems, a San Jose terminal manufacturer.
# SOFTAWARE presented the remarkable semi-relational database called
INFORMER II. It features some very interesting graphic manipulations
as well.
# And WORD PERFECT continues to show 4.1 for the ST.
MIDI programs and hardware played fabulous music all day. Dr. T's,
C-Lab, and Thinkware all had dramatic presentations... enough to draw
Michael Jackson himself to the COMDEX MIDI booths to look it all over.
Michael's picture adorns the Thursday COMDEX NEWS daily, and he is shown
looking at an Atari! Frank Foster of Atari says Jackson will be using
Atari equipment from now on. (Who's BAD?)
Oh, BAD were NAVARRONE, who failed to show up to use their space and
show their flatbed scanner, as well as PRECISION SOFTWARE who similarly
snubbed their reserved space for SuperBase Professional.
Side notes:
Talked about but not shown is a new true multitasking system for the ST
and TT! It works under the new TOS, apparently as an AUTO program, and
allows several simultaneously running GEM windows, even for major
applications. No memory partitioning is said to be needed. The system
was to be demoed at the Wednesday evening developer gathering, but never
got shown. This development may break through the final "advantage"
barrier that the Amiga claims over the Atari line!
The Commodore Amiga booth was about 1/4 the size of Atari's... and was
positively BORING. The Amiga 3000 was postponed until next year, and
the 2500 was being pushed in a new 68030 flavor for a mere $4000 plus.
Critics of the "NO UPGRADE PATH" from the ST to TT should observe the
upgrade offered by Amiga... you can buy the 68030 card alone and upgrade
your 2500 for a mere $2,100. That's the approximate cost for the entire
base TT with hard drive and a monitor. And with the TT "upgrade", you
get to keep your old ST too!
The air of impending resurgence of Atari was not lost on the other major
manufacturers. A rep from Star-Micronics asked me who to talk to about
the possibility of them doing custom printer hardware, laser support,
etc. That would Not have happened last year at this time!!
Leonard Tramiel has spent a great deal of time in the Atari booth,
talking to everyone. He has quite effectively dispelled the image that
some have tried to paint of him as nothing more than a cold and
disagreeable autocrat.
In all, Atari has shown enough of a new face here at COMDEX to give real
reason to believe that they really could pull it off and become a
respected and successful domestic computer company... next year.
For those who immediately say, "Yah, I heard THAT before", indeed you
have. But Atari has been there, year after year. Tenacity itself says
something... and marginal companies don't launch this many exciting new
products! Most of all, the new people in Atari have more know-how,
ambition, and particularly a more open and supportive outlook than ever
before... but that's another story.
(Hey, a 13K story, typed mostly in a single session on this tiny
keyboard! I wonder if this is the first major article done on one?
Yep, the Portfolio is going to be just fine for me. The thing that
slows me down the most is having to show it to everyone when I use it in
public. The bartender here at Las Vegas's ALADDIN called it right:
"It's a laptop without the lap!")
DEVELOPERS UPDATE
At the show Atari announced it's new Developers Assistance Program and
premiered their Atari Development Partner Newsletter. Charles Cherry
the new "Tos Pusher" will have some involvement in the newsletter which
is supposed to be a regular feature of the DAP. Atari is taking the
position to support their developers through this program.
Developers will be offered Atari products at fifty percent off retail
price in an effort to get software available by the time products are on
the shelves. Atari is asking all dealers/developers to re-register and
sign a new non-disclosure agreement.
In an effort to get new owners to register with Atari, four Atari
related publications will offer free three month subscriptions. These
publications include, ST-World, ST-Informer, STart, and Atari Explorer.
For the present owners who have not registered there is hope of
something, although we are not sure what Atari has planned at this time.
Xx ZNET "COMDEX" NEWSWIRE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Compiled by Z*Staff
CMS ENHANCEMENTS
CMS Enhancements Inc. introduced a 40-Mbyte, floppy tape subsystem for
laptop computers. Designed for ease-of-use, the LiteTape includes easy
-to-use menu driven software, which automates and speeds up the backup
procedure, and a convenient ''totable'' case. The LiteTape will be
available on December 15 and is compatible with laptop computers such as
Zenith SuperSoft, Tandy 1400 LT, Toshiba 1200 and Sharp 4501. Suggested
retail price of the LiteTape is $649.
HITACHI
Hitachi Group's, a supplier of monitors for the CAD/CAE market,
introduced its model CM2186AF, a 21-inch color monitor supporting
resolution of 1280 x 1024 and a dot pitch of 0.28 mm. Its $3,795 list
prices puts it at the top of the price/performance scale. It features a
flat screen, an anti-reflective panel and dynamic beam focus for sharper
clearer display. Shipments will begin in January 1990.
PRINCETON GRAPHIC
Princeton Graphic Systems introduced the Ultra II, a 14 inch high-res
1024 by 768 color monitor featuring innovative screen capabilities and
exceptional performance for graphics applications such as AutoCAD and
CAD/CAE/CASE applications, as well as window-based applications, and
desktop publishing environments. The Ultra II is compatible with IBM
PC, XT, AT and PS/2 Systems, as well as the Apple Macintosh II and
compatibles.
PROCOM TECHNOLOGY
Procom Technology announced a new floppy controller for XT- and AT-type
computers that allows OEMs and systems integrators to upgrade current
floppy storage capacities to 2.88 Mbytes. The floppy controller is
priced at $99. The 2.88 floppy drive is expected to become the new
industry standard in much the same way the 1.44 Mbyte, 3.5 inch disks
replaced the 5.25 inch, 1.2 Mbyte floppies years ago.
SEAGATE
Seagate announced the industry's fastest 760 megabyte, 5.25-inch disc
drive the WRENRUNNER-2. Designed for PC customers looking to increase
system performance by reducing time to data, the WRENRUNNER-2 offers an
11.9 millisecond average access time, 2.5 millisecond track-to-track, an
average latency of 6.25 milliseconds and a maximum data transfer rate of
3 megabytes per second.
NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR
National Semiconductor announced that Canon's new four page-per-minute
laser beam printer utilizes National's 32CG16 as its main processor.
The LBP-4 joins Canon's LBP-8 Mark III Series as Canon's second family
of printers based on National's 32CG16. The new LBP-4 measures 13.8 x
15.9 inches and weighs approximately 23 pounds. It features scalable
fonts and font special effects, built-in video, parallel and serial
interfaces, extensive software support, and 512KB built in memory, which
can be increased to 2.5MB with an optional RAM expansion board. The
LBP-4 utilizes Canon's printing system language called CaPSL and is the
same command set available with the company's advanced LBP-8 Mark III
series printers.
DATA GENERAL
Data General introduced a five-pound, battery-powered portable terminal
that allows users to exchange information with home or office computers
from any location. The compact (12"w x 10.6"d x 1.9"h) WALKABOUT
terminal, fits into a briefcase and features a tiltable, 25-line liquid
crystal display (LCD) screen and full-sized keyboard. Volume shipments
will begin in the first calendar quarter of 1990.
VERBATIM
Verbatim introduced a 5 1/4-inch erasable optical disk. The TMO 5 1/4-
inch erasable optical disk is available in two versions: the Model 505,
which contains 512 bytes per sector, and the Model 510, which contains
1024 bytes per sector. Both versions are double-sided, with a user
capacity of 600 megabytes and 650 megabytes, respectively.
COMMODORE
Commodore announced the Amiga 2500/30 personal computer, the development
of several new A2000 Series peripherals, and the appointment of a former
Disney producer to head a new multimedia marketing group. The new Amiga
2500/30 comes standard with a Motorola 68030 co-processor card running
at 25 Mhz with 2MB of 32-bit RAM, (expandable to 4MB of 32-bit RAM). It
features a 25MB 68882 math co-processor, a 68851 memory management unit,
1MB of 16-bit "chip" RAM; a built-in 3.5-inch floppy disk drive; a pre-
configured 40MB hard disk drive and autobooting SCSI hard disk
controller. The suggested retail price is $4,699. Owners of an A2000
series Amiga can upgrade existing machines by purchasing a 2630 card
from an authorized dealer for $2,195 (suggested retail price).
OKIDATA
Okidata announced a new low-profile laser printer. Compactly packaged
and under 6 inches high, the specially designed OKILASER 400 is a light-
weight personal laser printer that fits as comfortably on any office
desk as it does on a home-office work table. The OKILASER 400 is
compatible with a wide array of popular word processing and graphics
software to create and crisply print dynamic reports, correspondence,
memos, graphs, spreadsheets and a wide variety of illustrative
materials.
Xx ZNET NEWSWIRE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NINTENDO WINS
The Soviet video game Tetris belongs to Nintendo for all home video
systems, a federal judge ruled in San Francisco last Monday, November
13. The U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Judge Fern M. Smith, had
earlier awarded Nintendo a preliminary injunction against Atari/Tengen
sales of its version of Tetris for home video game systems. A trial on
the question of a permanent injunction and damages was meant to
commence. The judge cancelled the trial announcing that she intended to
award summary judgments to Nintendo because there were no material
factual matters which Atari/Tengen could prove.
ATARI GAMES RESPONDS
The following is a statement by Dennis Wood, senior vice president,
Atari Games Corp.
''Today's court decision by Judge Fern Smith of the U.S. District Court
in San Francisco granting Nintendo's motion for a summary judgement
regarding the rights to 'Tetris' is a disappointment to Tengen. The
court's finding is based simply on a contract issue that has no bearing
on the larger anti-trust and patent disputes between the parties related
to 'Tetris.' The judge's ruling is confined to 'Tetris' and in no way
affects Tengen's ability to market any of its 14 independently
manufactured Nintendo-compatible video games. We are confident that we
will prevail on our anti-trust and patent infringement allegations
against Nintendo when the issues come to trial. An appeal of today's
decision is being prepared.''
ATARI POSTS LOSS
Atari reported the results of operations for the third quarter ended
Sept. 30, 1989. Net sales for the quarter were $81.4 million compared
to $98.8 million for the like quarter last year. The net loss was $5.4
million compared to net income of $.9 million. Net sales for the nine
months were $253 million compared to $300 million for the like period
last year. There was a net loss of $1.8 million compared to a net
income of $12.1 million for the like nine months last year. Sam
Tramiel, said "This has been an encouraging yet difficult quarter for
Atari. Towards the end of the quarter we began shipping many new
products which represent our future. For example, we started shipping
Portfolio, our new hand held MS DOS command compatible computer, and the
Megafile 44, our new removable media hard disk drive. Also, during the
quarter, we began shipping the STE computer, an improved version of our
core ST product. Additionally, during the fourth quarter, we expect to
start shipping Lynx, the new hand held color LCD video game system.
However, to reflect the dramatic drop in component prices, especially
semiconductors and disk drives, the company has taken a special charge
during the quarter of approximately $10 million in respect of such
inventory. With the shipment of new products and less volatile DRAM
costs in the fourth quarter, we anticipate normalization of margins as
and when the inventories of older products are sold. Portfolio
production is ramping up now as planned. Initial sales appear
consistent with our expectations." Greg Pratt of Atari Corp.,
408-745-2349
CHICAGO GETS NEW AREA CODE
On Tuesday the 312 area code for Chicago changed to 708. Contact your
phone company if you have any questions on the area this new number
covers.
Xx SHAREWARE SURVEY
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Alice Amore's CARE enough to . . .
SHAREWARE
SURVEY S U P P O R T S H A R E W A R E
Also see Mark Quinn's "PD PUB" below
How many shareware programs do YOU use? Remember: Regular use of non-
registered shareware is PIRACY. The main difference between shareware
and commercial software has to do with marketing methods. That's
because shareware IS "commercial software", only you don't have to
travel all over the place to find it, you don't have to go broke
registering it, and you'll never be fooled by it because you can "try
before you buy".
Take a good look at your software collection NOW, find the shareware
within it, and send in YOUR payments TODAY!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Filename: DESKMG27.ARC Program Name: DESK MANAGER
Program Type: Boot Utility Version: 2.7
Programmer: Charles F. Johnson Registration Fee: $15.
DESK MANAGER, which resides in your AUTO folder, performs a variety of
useful tasks automatically. Among other things, it will let you:
+ Load the correct DESKTOP.INF file for your preferred resolution.
+ Choose which AUTO programs to load.
+ Choose which desk accessories to load.
+ Choose any ASSIGN.SYS file.
+ Use the mouse to select files.
+ Display a .SPC picture (color) or a D.E.G.A.S. *.PI3 picture (mono)
at boot-up.
Setting up DESK MANAGER is easy. Create a folder (within the AUTO
folder) to hold a DESKTOP.INF file for each resolution, plus all ASSIGN.
SYS files. (The important part of the ASSIGN.SYS filename is the ".SYS"
part. You can call the rest of the filename whatever you wish, making
it easy to select the right .SYS file for whatever program you're
planning to use.) Then copy the DESK MANAGER program to your AUTO
folder and run the program. You will be asked a variety of questions
which will then be used to customize DESK MANAGER to your needs. You
can decide on:
+ How long to hold the boot picture on the screen (between 0-9 seconds).
+ A "timeout length". Within the number of specified seconds, DESK
MANAGER will continue to the next task if you don't hit a key.
+ Yes/No to ringing a bell when your input is needed.
+ Yes/No to "run or bypass" the selection screens at boot-up time.
+ Definition of a "hotkey" to toggle between "run and bypass" when
booting.
Next, you will be prompted to save your configuration. Although the
config is saved to the DESKMG27.PRG file itself, you can change the
config at any time by holding down the HELP key before the program runs.
Once the program is running, you will be given a very detailed account
of what's happening at all times. First you are shown the names of all
the AUTO programs you are running. You can use the mouse or the RETURN
key to select or deselect files. If a GDOS*.PRG is found, you'll now be
able to select the proper ASSIGN.SYS file to match the application
you'll be working on. Next, make your selection of .ACC files from the
main directory of your boot disk. Although the ST will hold only 6 .ACC
in memory at one time, DESK MANAGER will show you a maximum of 128 .ACC
files from which to choose. Every file with an .AC? extension will be
on the list. If you try to select more than 6, a bell will sound as a
gentle reminder.
Throughout this entire process, you can usually go backwards through the
menus by hitting the BACKSPACE key. You can hit the HELP key to get
more information, or hit the UNDO key to exit the program.
One bonus of this program is that instead of listing your AUTO programs
alphabetically, it lists them in running order. If there's a fight
going on in your AUTO folder with no one winning, this will let you know
when the fight started, and who was there.
It is also possible to run DESK MANAGER directly from the desktop. In
this mode, you have the option of reinitializing the programs in the
AUTO folder.
DESK MANAGER 2.7 is the solution to the boot dilemma. It was written in
68000 assembly language, and takes up less than 10K of disk space.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Filename: PT08ACC.ARC Program Name: PERFECT TIMING
Program Type: Accessory Version: 0.8
Programmer: Chor-Ming Lung Registration Fee: $10.
Although this program hasn't yet reached version 1.0, it is still a very
useful desk accessory. Able to run on a color or mono system, it
contains a calendar, a diary, a memo pad, an appointment book, and an
anniversary marker.
The calendar goes back to January, 1601, and forward to December, 2999.
The memo pad can be used for writing down upcoming events. Although the
appointment book and the anniversary marker will eventually link date,
time, and upcoming events, this feature is not yet implemented.
While accessing PERFECT TIMING, if you close the window, your diary or
memo file will be saved automatically. You can save a different memo or
diary file for each month, and load the file into memory whenever
necessary.
In the editing box, the arrow keys, shift-arrow keys, mouse, and
vertical slider bar can be used to change position on the screen
quickly. When searching for a string (case-insensitive), you are given
the date of the entry in which the string can be found.
PERFECT TIMING has been written to run alongside PTPRINT (shareware,
same author), a program which allows you to print out your entries.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Filename: FB2.ARC Program Name: FIRST BASE
Program Type: Database Version: 1.6
Programmer: Dave Henry Registration Fee: Not Specified
If you want to keep a database of just about anything, FIRST BASE
should suit your needs. Although it's not "full-featured", many of us
don't need a lot of bells and whistles to keep track of our birthday
lists, videotape collection, address books, or recipes. This database
is fast and very easy to learn, and runs on a mono or color system.
The entire database is kept in memory at all times, so there's no
annoying wait for disk access. Up to 13,000 records can be entered (if
you have the memory). Up to 11 fields can be created, and each record
can contain up to 1,000 characters. Data is saved as an ASCII file with
one record per line. This makes it readable by other programs, if
desired.
FIRST BASE makes extensive use of editing and function keys. This makes
it user-comfortable when editing entries or displaying records. Sorting
can be done on any field, either ascending or descending, and double
sorts are supported. For Epson and compats, two printing types are
supported: normal 80-character lines, and condensed (132 characters per
line). Reports may be generated and printed using up to 11 lines per
record.
"""""""""""""""""""""
More new and exciting shareware released this week:
MMMUPDAT.ARC by Dave Henry
MIDI Music Maker update. Demo of a shareware program. Massages many
types of music data files and saves them to MIDI file format.
GO_ST_10.ARC by A. F. Ciarochi
A beautiful implementation of "Go", the oldest strategy game known to
humankind. Requires GFA BASIC 3.0 or GFABASR3.PRG to run.
TOPDOWN.ARC by John Eidsvoog
"TopDown Loader" forces AUTO programs and accessories to run at the
top end of memory, thus allowing greater access to bottom memory.
P_OR_SAV.ARC by Chet Walters
PRINT OR SAVE enables screen saves and printer dumps from within
other programs. Excellent support for HP DeskJet users.
PERUSER.ARC by Dan Panke
PERUSER is a spiffy file-reader which allows you to include DEGAS
pictures (compressed or uncompressed) within your ASCII files.
Xx PD PUB
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Mark Quinn
(The following program runs in low resolution ONLY.)
File name: KP_DEMO.ARC
Program name: Kidpublisher Professional Demo
Program type: Demo (for grade school children, ages 5-11)
Programmed by: D.A. Brumleve
"A desktop publishing program for--umm--kids? This D.A. Brumleve must
be KIDding," you say.
No, she is not, and Kidpublisher Professional promises to have features
that young minds can not only effectively grasp, but learn with. Ms.
Brumleve brings to KP experience gained through her CAREWARE programs,
and it seems she has not wasted her time.
KP has a format only parents, educators, and kids could love (you get
the idea). Children can switch between two screens: a thirty-three
column typing screen with upper and lowercase, word wrap, underlining, a
BLANK feature, a choice of four automatically-loaded fonts ("'...fonts
can be created or altered with any Degas-compatible paint program...'"
Our 'battery' of one thirty-one-year-old, Diet Coke-swilling tester was
pleased to discover this feature.) and a drawing screen with the
self same BLANK feature as well as UNDO, ERASE, FILL, CIRCLE, BOX, LINE
and DRAW--most of these features are represented graphically, which
should prove to be a time saver for any budding Guttenberg. The text
fills the upper half of each page of the document; the graphics fill the
lower half. Five pages of text and graphics can be held in memory.
When the student is done, he/she can print out a booklet, complete with
a title page.
The working version of Kidpublisher Professional, with the SAVE and
PRINT features enabled, can be ordered from your dealer or by sending
your name, address and a check for $25.00 dollars to:
D.A BRUMLEVE
KIDPUBLISHER PROFESSIONAL
P.O. BOX 4195
URBANA, IL 61801-8820
Bravo Brumleve! (Kidpublisher Professional was written in GFA BASIC 3.0)
(The following program runs in high resolution ONLY.)
File name: COLUMNS.ARC
Program name: COLUMNS
Program type: Game
Programmed by: PCM Van Der Arend
This is what seems to be a nice game with a horrible clunker of an
opening tune. COLUMNS is another in a growing line of Tetris variants.
In this version all the blocks are vertical bars, and are divided into
three squares, which each may consist of one of six different shades.
The orientation of the squares may be flipped ninety degrees. If you
get three or more of the same squares in a row in any direction, they
disappear and make way for the squares above.
This is one of the nicest Tetris clones I've seen on a monochrome
monitor, and it really deserves better title music. Where is John
Williams when you need him? Probably working on the next STar Wars.
"Quinn's Quickies":
INTERPHS.ARC
Playable demo of Interphase. You're on a rescue mission in a mainframe.
UNIPLAY2.ARC
An update to UNIPLAY. Faster, and will (as always) play all formats of
digitized sounds.
COOKEDIT.ARC
Allows BBS operators to edit "fortune cookie" files, or allows users to
edit them from door.
ABBCOS.PRG
A small portion of Abbott and Costello's classic "Who's on First"
comedy routine. Self-running.
Xx "REVOLUTIONARY CONCEPTS" PART 2 - "LET'S START A REVOLUTION"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Donald A. Thomas, Jr.
=1989 ARTISAN SOFTWARE
(This is PART 2 of a series of articles published and distributed by
Artisan Software. Please feel free to copy and distribute this
article as you please provided you include all unedited text. Also
feel free to upload to boards and communication services. These
articles are designed to entice you to take constructive action. Write
to involved parties and tell them how YOU feel about the subject.)
As a software publisher and long time zealot of Atari computers, I grow
increasingly concerned with the concept of "Power Without The Price";
Atari's owned service mark. I often feel the phrase might be more
accurate as "Power Without The Name", but of course, that wouldn't sell
computers.
As we approach the dusk of the 80's, we are encouraged by the promise of
a new decade and discouraged by the lack of momentum propelling us into
it. Backed by the finest computer value in the world, we have made
small valiant efforts. Such efforts sustained dedicated Atari dealers
and distributors. Such efforts booked well-attended Atari shows.
Such efforts nourished the pride we all have owning a computer easily
tailored for education, music, business or fun. Such efforts reminded
all of us that our investments were sound and without remorse.
Even amidst our triumphs, we find ourselves losing miles for the yards
we gain. Unintentional games of politics poise organizers of different
Atari exhibitions against each other without either one raising a
victory flag. Instead of combining the artillery, we find all the bombs
dismantled and sometimes blowing up at the wrong times.
Lack of coordination and wise marketing ploys by the nation's family of
Atari users and colleagues are causing diminishing rewards for all who
have a scheduled turn at bat. Whil Atari users seem to breed loyalty
between themselves, we fail to spin the marketing web to attract new
buyers... new users... a growing family. And we clench our hands into
angered fists; extending one finger to point to Atari.
Nobody is prepared to etch a faceplate on an award to Atari for their
superior efforts toward sales growth in the United States. Even their
popularity in the music industry is thanks to a fluke that Atari decided
to build the MIDI port right in. Yet Atari has supported our trade
shows, Atari has attempted to expand visibility with an acquired chain
of electronics stores, Atari has responded to our most animate demands
to show support only to persistently discover that we do not really know
what we want. And still we raise our pointed hands to the mirror and
pretend to see Atari.
The irony of all the aging arguments pertaining to Atari's power
struggle in the U.S. is that the power built into every computer isn't
in the computer at all... it's within ourselves. Without the genius we
put into our computer, it just sits there collecting dust as a
meaningless box of microscopic switches with a few custom chips. We
also have within ourselves the ability to overcome the intimidation of
ridicule by those who insist IBM, Macintosh, or the Amiga are better
computers. We are professionals and make up a valuable component in the
matrix of consumer computer sales.
We ought to be masterminding a revolution.
I suggest that we pool our expertise and our resources into a common
cause. A cause designed to expand the visibility and use of Atari
computers in the United States. We can build a revolution and have fun
doing it. By assembling the talents and convictions between us, we can
become the marketing machine to enhance Atari's image and we will find
Atari oiling our gears as we prove we can make something happen.
What are the benefits to each of us? Atari-based entrepreneurs will
make more money and why shouldn't they? If they provide valuable
products and services, they are entitled to some financial glory. Users
will find more and better quality software and applications for their
computer investment. Teachers will discover creative ways to educate
and students will find learning simplified. Parents, attorneys,
doctors, scientists, retailers, and business executives will all benefit
from an expanding base of Atari computer users and suppliers.
The point is that word-of-mouth is a powerful tool in any sales
environment and we need to start using it with the outside world, not
just our little cloister of single minded hobbyists. If you are
inclined to ask "Why should I?", then you should not. But if you are
inclined to ask, "How do I get started", this is what you do:
Join "THE REVOLUTION" and actively support the exposure of Atari
computers, send $6.00 to ARTISAN SOFTWARE, P.O. Box 849, Manteca,
California 95336. An ST/MEGA compatible disk-based HANDBOOK will be
rushed to you by return mail. The HANDBOOK is also available from ST
INFORMER, MEGABYTE COMPUTERS (Hurst, Texas) and as a download from
COMPUSERVE, GENIE and DELPHI.
Xx DAVID SMALL IN CONFERENCE - HIGHLIGHTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Edited by Ron Kovacs
(C) 1989 by Atari Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari Roundtables. May be
reprinted only with this notice intact. The Atari Roundtables on GEnie
are *official* information services of Atari Corporation. To sign up
for GEnie service, call (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type
HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type XJM11877,GEnie
and hit RETURN. The system will prompt you for your information.
<JEFF.W>
Thank you for attending this special RTC. Our guest is Dave Small, of
Gadgets by Small, makers of the Specter 128 and Spectre GCR Mac
emulators.
<DAVESMALL>
Gadgets' 68030 Project
Last year in May, after leaving Data Pacific, there was a GEnie
conference on whether or not I should develop a 128K ROM Mac emulator.
Many people attended, said I should, and it was a key reason we decided
to do the Spectre 128 (and Spectre GCR) products.
Tonight I'd like to try the same thing again: propose a new Gadgets
project to you, and see if you're interested. We're already working on
this product for our own internal use; we want a hot, fast ST that's
competitive with the latest from NeXT and Apple. What we need to decide
is if we market it to the world.
Present ST Speed / Processor
Right now, your ST is designed around an 8 Mhz 68000. This is a fine
design, but, unfortunately, is starting to become dated. Newer
processors, which give you far more power, are out, and at higher
speeds; Apple's got the Mac II, a 68020 at 16 Mhz, and the Mac IIci, a
68030 at 25 Mhz. The NeXT is at 25 Mhz. Ultimately all that horsepower
lets people write programs they couldn't write before.
68030
What we want to do is give present ST owners an *upgrade path* to a very
powerful new processor: the 68030. For many rather technical reasons, a
68030 is much faster than the ST's present 68000, and could give many
new capabilities to the ST -- memory mapping, memory protection for
multi-tasking, better Spectre capabilities (our best thing!), and so
forth.
If we could get a 68030 board out for the ST, I'd bet the people at
Codehead wouldn't sleep for weeks, just thinking of new things to do.
The 68030 is very far ahead of the 68000 and opens up all kinds of
possibilities. But software compatibility ought to be very high, since
the 68030 is very compatible with 68000 software.
We will also "clock" the 68030 processor at a much higher speed than the
ST's 68000. The ST runs at 8 mhz (millions instructions / second);
we'll go for at least 16 Mhz and possibly more.
The primary intent of the 68030 board will be *speed*. While it is
difficult to estimate the speed improvement, we're confident of at least
4 - 8 times speed increase.
Why not an exact figure? Well, it's the old drag-racing adage:
Speed costs money; how fast do you want to go?
For instance, we can use a 25 mhz 68030, the same processor as in the
new NeXT and Mac IIci, but it will cost a lot; a 16 mhz 68030 would be
much less expensive. We don't want to make a product so expensive that
ST owners can't afford it; we want this to be a *practical*,
*affordable* upgrade for ST owners. We want to keep the pricing as far
under $1000 as we can, probably with options to let a user expand later
as their budget can afford.
[Of course, I'll probably put a 25 Mhz 68030 in mine...]
Memory Limit
We also want to "break" the 4 megabyte memory limit. We see no reason
why the ST shouldn't be able to go to 12 megabytes with a bit of work,
and with a faster processor, there will be plenty of uses for that
memory. (If nothing else, the digitized music industry could really use
extra RAM to hold digital samples. But imagine a 10 megabyte Ramdisk..)
This will also solve the primary problem of why it's hard to accelerate
the ST: video contention.
Compete with TT? Nope.
We aren't trying to compete with the Atari TT here, either. The TT is a
completely new machine, with multiple serial ports, VME slots, new high
res color modes, and so forth. For instance, the UNIX option is
definitely not intended for home users! What we are trying to do is
give your ST enough horsepower to extend its useful life some years.
That's a brief, 83-line intro to the Gadgets 68030 project. Again,
we're certainly going to do one of these for us, to make code
development for Spectre/GCR much, much faster; we're interested if
anyone else out there wants a very fast, large memory ST.
<K.FORD1>
Any ideas what effects the 68030 would have on PC-Ditto II or GCR?
<DAVESMALL>
I don't know on PCD-II, since I haven't seen one. The GCR, it would
make scream -- very very fast Mac emulation. Excuse me, I'm slobbering
on the keyboard.
<M.SAVU1>
dave would this 030 board be linked to spectre so you could run
programs that would require the 030 like soft PC and some versions of
excel and I vote positively YES!! to sell it!
<DAVESMALL>
Yes, it would, and thank you! The 128K ROMs support the 030 directly,
with a little hacking ...softPC should run without any trouble, but you
never know until you try it. Besides, pc-ditto-II should be pretty cool.
<J.ALLEN27>
And you could use things like Virtual memory programs!!
<DAVESMALL>
You bet. Jim brings up an interesting point:
The 68030 is so powerful it can support many different machines *at
once* in the same memory architecture (if you have enough memory). So,
with 68030 helping us in hardware, it would be easy to bring up an ibm/
Mac/ST that would be a key flip away between the machines ..or, multiple
STs, where if one ST crashes, the others keep right on going. The 68030
is really an amazing chip.
<[Dave Troy] TOAD-SERV.>
Dave: three things:
1) YES I want one - can we trade for Toadfile 44 carts? ;-)
2) I got all my GCRs today! ;-) (again) and...
3) This isn't my area, but how are you going to implement memory, in
terms of installation & management, how will it fit (physically) and
what will be the fate of the old MMU in light of the built in MMU in
the 030?
<DAVESMALL>
The new RAM will be on the 68030 board. There will be an interface,
some way, into the ST's old memory, provided we don't decide to shut
down the shifter and use it directly at 16 mhz. The 68030 handles most
of its own memory management. For right off, I'd give it a straight
memory map, but that's all programmable, for all the hackers out there,
to do all sorts of fun stuff! Does that answer the question?
<[Dave Troy] TOAD-SERV.>
Yes - Dave it sounds funky! I am sure you can do it. Count me in for a
few dozen.
<P.ATKOCIUS>
Will mac 030 software compatibility be a problem since apple at 512K
ROMS?
<DAVESMALL>
No. The 128K ROMs are 030 compatible.
I'm sure a few dumb PD programs will break, but big deal ... all the
major stuff, and most of the minor stuff, will work.
<B.MITTELMAN>
Dave, can you do anything to get output to a projection TV so I can demo
the GCR at Mac meetings ?
<DAVESMALL>
Hmmmmm. That's beyond my knowledge. I know at Comdex last year they
had a big screen hooked to monochrome; you could ask Frank Foster at
Atari how they did it. That's all I know, though.
<B.HILL2>
I've heard that the Spectre won't work with programs that use Midi/SCSI
to talk to musical instruments (i'm thinking of Alchemy for ex.). Will
the new board allow this?
<DAVESMALL>
It is true that Spectre won't work with only the MIDI Input-Output
portions of various Mac MIDI programs (like Opcode Systems, etc, et
all). It is possible that the mapper function of the 68030 could fix
that. Interesting, interesting idea! HmmMMMMmmmm. Thank you.
<B.HILL2>
Follow up - Consider using a Stacy with an 030 running this s/w.
Portable MAC for music purposed s but much more reasonable.
<DAVESMALL>
Sure be nice. I dunno, though; many musicians tell me the ST is far
superior in music software (but those discussions are always sort of
like religious discussions). Still, a darn-fast-Stacy wouldn't hurt,
either -- particularly if the faster MIDI implementations get
standardized.
Speaking of Spectre, we had a mild event this week --
Microsoft Word 3.02, my old old enemy, came up this week and worked.. I
fought that $%^#@$%^ thing for 1 1/2 years, beat it this week.
<[Norm] N.RECHTMAN1>
Are there other manufacturers drives having problems? I know John
Wyncott is having a strange problem with a diverse data drive, MFD 720.
I was wondering if the TEAC mechanism was stable?
<DAVESMALL>
Not consistently. There are always onesy-twosy problems -- bad drive,
alignment problems -- but the two consistent ones we see are RFI
problems inside the Mega case, curable by shielding, and the GTS-100
drive (an NEC drive), which we haven't solved -- but we've only had the
drive a few days, give us a little time. I've been repeatedly assured
that these drives absolutely *can* read/write Mac data if something is
not interfering with them.
<[Eric] MAJOR-HAVOC>
How long before Gadget Labs have a working 68030 board?
<DAVESMALL>
Remember, all, this is NOT a promise to do this project and market it;
this is market research. We don't know yet. (I shudder when I hear the
word "working". Getting boards -- the process has started. Getting
them WORKING -- that's a whole 'nuther kettle of wax.)
<[John] JJKENNEDY>
How compatible will the 030 board be with the TT (if at all)? Will some
/many/most prg written for the TT work on the 030 upgrade?
<DAVESMALL>
Very compatible. Very. However, the TT has features the ST does not in
the screen, etc, and in sound, that it couldn't be backwards compatible
with.
(Editor Note: This is just a FEW of the highlights of the conference.
The text is available on GEnie in the the ST RT download area.)
Xx ATARI MEGA ST FLOPPY DRIVE SHEILD
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Mark E. Booth
This file extracted from an archived file available on GEnie. Two files
will be found in the ARC file:
D_SHIELD.TXT - This text file.
D_SHIELD.PI3 - A monochrome DEGAS drawing of the shield.
This text will be short. It will only briefly cover the purpose,
construction and installation of the drive shield. For more info about
the purpose and/or use of this drive shield please refer to the GEnie
online information service.
Instructions for becoming a GEnie member will be found at the end of
this text file. Once you are online on GEnie type "M690" to get to the
Gadgets by Small Product Support RoundTable. Further information about
the use/purpose of this drive shield can be found in the Gadgets
Bulletin Board, Category 8, Topic 4.
DISCLAIMER: Simple...CONSTRUCT AND USE AT YOUR OWN RISK! Neither I
nor Gadgets by Small can be responsible for any problems that may arise
from the use or installation of this "modification". (If it makes you
feel any better, I have had one installed on my Mega's internal drive
for several months without any problems what-so-ever.
Purpose: Some (NOT ALL) Mega internal drives seem prone to picking up
radio frequency interference (RFI) normally found within the CPU's
housing. In some cases, this RFI "noise" causes problems with the
drive's ability to read and write to Mac disks using Spectre GCR. By
"shielding" the drive from the rest of the computer its ability to read
and write Mac disks is GREATLY improved. (Some users have reported
improvements in the performance of their internal floppy drives in *ST*
mode as well!)
Construction:
It would probably be a good idea if you printed the drawing of the
shield so that you can refer to it during the construction and
installation process.
Go to your grocery store and purchase a large disposable aluminum cookie
baking sheet. It needs to have at least 12" by 7" of FLAT surface.
(Some users have reported good luck using two layers of heavy duty
aluminum foil!). Whatever you use it needs to be fairly bendable. The
non-disposable type of cookie sheet is TOO thick.
Using the demensions provided, cut out your aluminum "shield". Cut out
the four 1/2 square holes with a sharp exacto knife. These four holes
are for the floppy drive posts to go thru. Using a small hole punch,
punch a small hole in the approx. positition shown in the drawing.
Attach a short piece of stranded insulated wire to this hole. Spread
out the strands of the wire so they are touching the aluminum sheeting
in several places and secure it with masking tape. The other end of
this wire will eventually be connected to the power supply's grounding
post screw on the right side.
Cover both sides of the shield with some insulating material. I found
that adhesive contact paper (the type used to line shelves) worked quite
well. You can also use some wide strips of masking tape..etc. Cut away
excess contact paper so that it is the exact same demensions as the
shield. Also, using the exacto knife cut the contact paper out of the
four square holes for the drive posts. Finally, using 1/2" wide masking
tape, wrap around all edges of the shield.
The final product will be a aluminum shield with a wire attached that is
COMPLETELY insulated on all sides and edges.
Installation:
(It is assumed that you are already knowledgeable in the process of
opening your Mega CPU housing. If you are not familiar with this
process and/or feel uncomfortable about it then DON'T DO IT! Maybe a
friend or Atari service tech can do the installation for you.)
WARNING! OPENING THE CASE ON YOUR MEGA *WILL* VOID YOUR WARRANTY!
Remove the top case and top shielding of the Mega. Unplug and remove
the floppy disk drive. Place your newly constructed drive shield over
the drive support posts with the 6 3/4" side to the left, the 5 3/4"
side to the right and the 12" long side along the front. The part on
the shield marked Extension "B" should fit UNDER the floppy disk drive
I/O cable and almost up against where the floppy I/O cable connects to
the Mega's motherboard.
Reconnect the floppy power cable and I/O cable to the drive and fold the
excess cable lengths toward the FRONT of the motherboard so that, when
the drive is set in place on the posts, the excess cable length is
folded back on itself BETWEEN the bottom of the drive and the drive
shield. This will help insulate the I/O and power cables from picking
up any RFI noise as well.
With the drive held in place on its support posts, fold the right side
of the shield up and around the drive. Properly folded you will end up
with about a 1/2" strip sitting on top of the drive. Again, holding the
drive firmly in place, fold the left side of the drive shield up and
over the top of the drive. The shield should fit snuggly against the
drive. When properly installed the left edge you just folded up and
over will line up exactly with the right edge of the disk drive
(overlapping the 1/2" strip that was folded up from the right side).
Secure the drive shield in place with a 3" piece of masking tape.
Fold the part marked Flap "A" down behind the drive. This little "flap"
helps to shield the back of the drive from RFI.
Connect the other end of the shield wire to the power supply grounding
post on the right side. Use the screw that holds the power supply leg
to the motherboard.
Make sure that the shield is still completely insulated from all
components. Check for any accidental tears or rips in the contact paper
that might allow the aluminum sheet to come in contact with any metal
pins or leads.
That's it!! All that is left is for you to carefully re-install your
Mega's top shielding and top cover and give her a whirl! If your's
works as well as mine did then you will be able to read, write and
format Mac disks all day long!
Again, please leave any questions of comments in Category 8, Topic 4 of
the Gadgets by Small RoundTable on GEnie.
To sign up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 1-800-638-8369. Upon
connection type "HHH" (no quotes) [RETURN]. Wait for the U#= prompt.
Type "XJM11877,GEnie" (again, no quotes) [RETURN]. The system will
prompt you for further information.
(C) 1989 by GEnie and the Gadgets by Small RoundTable. May only be
reprinted with this notice intact.
Xx ADVANCED ULTRASCRIPT APPLICATIONS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Once you have mastered the use of UltraScript with your ST and printer,
here are some tips and tricks that will increase the functionality of
this remarkable PostScript emulator. These examples were tested using
an ST with 2.5 megs RAM running the Mac emulator Spectre 128 by Gadgets
by Small and the file called Laser Prep 5.0 (c) Apple Computer, Inc. and
the equivalent file for PageMaker, called Aldus Prep (c) by Aldus Corp.
The UltraScript program looks for a file called STARTUP.PS during its
initialization process. Using the Control-K command documented in the
first part of this tutorial will create a PostScript file with the Laser
Prep header attached. TransVert this PS file to ST mode and use a text
editor to save from the beginning of the file to the command %EOF.
The resulting file should be about 26k. Name it STARTUP.PS and save it
into your UScript directory. Transverting the Aldus Prep file is even
easier, as it can simply be TransVerted over to ST mode and needs no
editing at all. You will use the Laser Prep version of STARTUP.PS when
you are printing from any Mac program EXCEPT PageMaker, or if you choose
the Apple dictionary option in PageMakers PRINT dialog. I keep both
STARTUP files in my UScript folder and rename them as my needs dictate.
Now, whenever you output a PostScript file to disk, you do not need to
press COMMAND-K, which includes the Laser Prep header. You will find
that files saved using the COMMAND-F key combination (Control-F on the
ST) will be much smaller files, Transvert more quickly and print at
normal speeds.
In the case of PageMaker, select PRINT from the file menu and then click
OK while pressing "Option" (the Alternate key on the ST keyboard). When
the dialog box comes up, make sure "Include Aldus Prep" is NOT selected.
In addition, if you wish to download Mac PostScript fonts to the disk,
ensure that the "Download PostScript Fonts" box is selected. Be aware
that PostScript output files with several downloaded fonts can be HUGE.
Another great trick is how to get UltraScript to recognize and print out
downloadable PostScript fonts. These fonts are known as TYPE 3 fonts
and are typically third-party PostScript fonts from vendors other than
Adobe.
It seems that most of these Mac fonts have been created with the program
Fontographer. Use a disk editor such as FEdit to edit the following
line found near the beginning of the data fork of the downloadable font:
/cache{NL 0 eq{setcachedevice}{6{pop}repeat}ifelse 0 0 moveto}
Change this line to read:
/cache{0 0 moveto NL 0 eq{setcachedevice}{6{pop}repeat}ifelse}
Older fonts (created with Fontographer version 1.0) have different code,
but the principle is the same. Use FEdit to search for SETCACHEDEVICE
and move the "0 0 moveto" so that it is before SETCACHEDEVICE, not
after.
This needs to be done only once to each PostScript font. UltraScript
will then correctly interpret the "downloaded" font information and
print it!
The last tip involves using a LaserWriter driver known as ASYNC LASER.
This file is found on CompuServe and will allow Spectre versions 1.9 or
earlier to switch between dot-matrix and LaserWriter drivers at will.
It has been noted that LaserWriter drivers 3.1, 5.0, 5.1 and 6.0 work
properly with UltraScript. LaserWriter version 5.2 definitely does not.
1040 owners take note, UltraScript can now be used on 1 meg STs! Imagen
has released a version that will print on Epson FX/LX/LQ/LQ950, NEC
5x00, HP DeskJet and HP Laser Printers! (The Atari SLM-804 requires 2 mb
RAM.)
Finally, Lucida screen fonts for the Macintosh are available for down-
loading from the Adobe forum on CompuServe.
Thanks to Imagen, Hedley Rainnie, Doug Wheeler, Dave and Sandy Small.
This tutorial document may be freely distributed. (c) 1989 Graeme
Bennett. Products mentioned are registered trademarks of their
respective companies.
= 1989 by Rovac Industries, Inc.
======================================================
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Issue #47 November 17, 1989
BBS: (201) 968-8148 3/12 w/2400 coming soon!
