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ST-ZMagazine 043
| ST*ZMAGAZINE ISSUE #: 43
||| ---------------------------------------------
||||| October 20, 1989
||||||| ---------------------------------------------
||||||||| Editor: Ron Kovacs
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||||||||||||| Part of The Developing Revolution!
||| ||| ---------------------------------------------
||| ZMAGAZINE ||| COMPUSERVE: 71777,2140 GO ATARIARTS LIB 15
||| ||| ---------------------------------------------
||||||||||||| GEnie: ZMAGAZINE ST RT BB CAT 31, LIBRARY 25
||||||||||| ---------------------------------------------
||||||||| Copyright 1989, Rovac Industries, Inc.
||||||| Post Office Box 59
||||| Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-0059
||| (201) 968-8148
| ---------------------------------------------
CONTENTS
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Issue #43
San Fransisco Earthquake........................Ctsy GEnie
Earthquake Forum...........................Ctsy CompuServe
John J. Anderson Dies in Quake...................John Nagy
ZNet Newswire.............................................
Public Domain Shelf............................Alice Amore
The PD Survey...................................Mark Quinn
The DC Utilities................................WK Whitton
The Revolution...............................Donald Thomas
ComputerFest 1989................................Jim Ullom
SAN FRANSISCO EARTHQUAKE - CTSY GENIE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Editors Note: The following messages are reprinted with permission of
GEnie. They are reprinted here to give everyone a feeling of what
happened in California by the persons living there. Most of the
messages have been deleted from the reprint and can be read online in
the ST RT on GEnie, Category 14 Topic 13.
Topic 13 Tue Oct 17, 1989
GORDON at 23:33 EDT
Sub: EARTHQUAKE
Message 2 Wed Oct 18, 1989 by TOWNS at 00:25 EDT
Well, I am at home now in Fremont.. For those that don't know, Fremont
is on the East side of the bay approximately 10 miles north of San Jose
and 18 Miles from Sunnyvale.
The latest word is that the quake was centered in Hollister about 20
miles south of San Jose and measured between 6.5 and 7.0 on the Richter
Scale. We are getting after-shocks measuring between 3.0 and 5.0 about
every half hour.
There is major damage in San Francisco..Wow! Another small Aftershock
as I type this... anyway, there is major damage in SF and MAJOR damage
in Oakland. Part of the Bay Bridge fell down (a 50 foot section) and a
1.5 mile section of the double-decker Highway 80 near Oakland/Berkeley
fell down COMPLETELY and is nothing but rubble. They estimate that 40-
50 people were crushed in this freeway when it fell.
The emergency rooms around the Bay Area are packed with people, SF is
without water and power as well as most of the North Bay is in the same
situation. Things are a MAJOR MESS here right now. I have been
watching news coverage on TV for about four hours now. We are still
seeing major loss of property and injuries around the Bay Area. This is
the scarist thing I have ever seen.
As for Atari, I didn't go to work today (Thank God! Atari is ONE scary
place to be during an Earthquake..) and I spoke with some people at
Atari. They are saying that Atari came though the Quake fairly well.
If communications with Atari are a little harder than usual, please bear
with us. I think things are going to be a little on the abnormal side
for the next couple of days.
Anyway, Pray for those of us in the Bay Area and I hope that all of your
loved ones in the Bay Area are safe! We will keep you posted on what is
happening as we know more.
-- John
PS. The Quake hit at 5:04pm.. at the height of rush hour <sigh>
Message 12 Wed Oct 18, 1989 by TOWNS at 14:23 EDT
Well, it's the morning and things are looking a little better. Here in
Fremont, its business as usual. Most schools and businesses are open,
we have power, gas, water, and even Cable TV. I guess the phones are
easing up a little. I just got two calls from out-of-state this morning
around 5am.
Oakland and San Francisco are still a mess. The Marina area is a
complete disaster and most of the city is still without power. There
are grave fears about the condition of Santa Cruz where the Quake was
centered. Not much news is coming out of that area.
The last aftershock I felt was this morning around 3:30am. I think it
was in the same range as the 3.0 - 4.0's we have been having since the
original quake.
They are estimating that the Bay Bridge will be out of commission for
at least 3 weeks. The Cypress Structure (the freeway that collapsed on
approx. 250 people, crushing them to death) is said to be beyond
recovery and they are afraid at the moment that is will fall even
further if the aftershocks continue.
It seems that large parts of the South Bay have survived the Quake with
no major problems. It's San Francisco and Oakland that are having the
major problems at this point.
Anyway, enough for now..
-- JOhn
Message 13 Wed Oct 18, 1989 by BOB-BRODIE at 14:23 EDT
For those of you concerned, let me say that the building is OK. One of
the warehouses apparently lost very little stuff, the other has some
problems. I was at Atari when the quake hit, sending e-mail on GEnie.
Although I tend to use humor to playdown the severity of the problems at
Atari, this is one time I will **not**! The headquarters at Atari
rocked, and after we all got outside, the smell of either gas or sewage
was evident.
We stood in the parking lot for about 20 minutes, then we were allowed
inside again to get our things. I managed to get a quick phone call off
to my family (still living in the LA area, I haven't moved them up here
yet) to let them know I was OK. Today, there is pretty much a skeleton
crew here. The word is that the Tramiels homes sustained substantial
damage during the quake. Lots of folk have stayed home due to the
schools being closed. Water conservation measures have been instituted.
I drive to work everyday on I-880, the freeway that was buckled and
pancaked down on as many as 200 people. Although I do not pass on that
particular stretch of the I-880, it is still scary. Cal-Trans was out
on the parts that I do travel today, building scaffolds/supports for the
overpasses.
Although I have not visited the R & D and tech support areas yet, I am
told that there is some damage to hardware there that was thrown around
during the quake. All of my stuff seems to have come through ok. I did
manage to re-boot and park the HD heads while dialing the wife.
Of course, I have only talked with a few of the people here at Atari.
Elizabeth Shook actually lives in San Francisco. Although her home was
undamaged, they did not have power until after 1:00AM. The Power
Company could have turned it on, but was afraid to, as more fires might
have resulted from possible gas leaks.
I was in Whittier during the big quake there a couple of years ago, and
the one thing that I have a deadly fear of is the aftershocks. The
Whittier quake was on Friday morning. Sunday, at around 1:00AM we had a
real big shock, 5.5! I don't relish the thought of the ground moving
like that again. Right now, just hearing a door slaming shut scares me.
Bob Brodie
Message 19 Wed Oct 18, 1989 by FB [Fred Beckman] at 23:31 EDT
After being knocked off GEnie yesterday at 5:04PM because the house was
rocking and my three year old's were screaming as we dove for the
doorway in the center of the house. The little boys kept pleading with
me to make it stop shaking Daddy and all I could do is hold on to them
and pray that my wife in a large electronic plant and my daughters at
choir practice would not be hurt.
After what seemed like an hour (really 20 to 40 seconds by most
accounts) it stopped moving too much. Trees swayed for another couple
of minutes and the light in the dining room was swinging 5 minutes (I
checked my watch). The power was off and there was no way to contact
anyone to find out about the rest of the family.
The girls showed up about 20 minutes later. They had been playing tag
when the ground started to move outside where they were playing. My
wife called about 15 minutes after that and said that she would be home
soon. Since it is 3 miles to where she work I thought it would be
sooner than the 45 minutes it took. All the lights were out with power
lines on the ground.
Cooking dinner outside was fun for one meal but to do it any more than I
wanted to do. Luckily for us the power was back in the middle of the
night. The other 400,000 folks that are still without have my prayers
that the power company will get it back soon.
Everything looked so normal this morning until you noticed the cars
parked in the driveways while the everyone swept up the glass and mess
that fell in the garages. Everyone also had very tired looking eyes as
most of us spent most of the night comforting your little ones that it
would not come back, and that mommy and daddy would be there for them.
When we moved from room to room there was always a crowd with us. I am
very lucky and my heart felt grieve goes out to those that are not as
fortunate as I am.
Fred
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
CompuServe and the Prodigy service are providing earthquake coverage,
the following article shows what CompuServe has set up for aiding
earthquake relatives.
ONLINE SERVICES
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Ctsy CompuServe
EQFORUM
The Earthquake Forum is the place to exchange information on the people,
places, things, and ideas affected by the San Francisco Earthquake of
1989.
To join us, give the Forum the JOIN command at a "!" prompt, or choose
Join from the opening Forum Menu.
Whether you need help, have assistance to give, or just want to know
what's happening, The Earthquake Forum is the place.
News Flash:
Welcome back to the Bay Area members who are getting back on-line. If
you'd like to share your experiences with us we'd like to hear them.
If you're in the Bay Area and are having trouble contacting someone by
voice or if you're trying to call the Bay Area and can't get through,
the voice services are very overloaded but are slowly improving.
If you're in the Bay Area and want to send a message to someone in
another area, a number of members have volunteered to act as a 'message
relay'. Check Section 1 for someone relaying in your target area or see
the file RELAY.TXT in Library 1.
If you're trying to contact someone in the Bay Area, please leave as
much information as you can (name, phone number, address, city) and
we'll try and get a short message to them and get back to you.
All Bay Area nodes are working as of 3:00 AM PT, 10/20.
-- The Earthquake Forum welcomes you
The Forum is devoted to the issues raised by the recent earthquake in
the San Francisco Bay area; we hope to provide a place to both collect
and distribute useful information about this event.
The Forum has sections for relief efforts, locating people,
transportation availability, and late breaking news. We'll be adding
more sections and libraries as required.
We hope that you will contribute useful information (not unsubstantiated
rumors) if you are in the area, and, if your circumstances allow, that
you will help in the People Locating efforts in Section 1.
We will try to keep the Late Breaking News up-to-date in Section 2.
The Relief Exchange will list sources for official and unofficial
relief, such as loans, supplies, or labor; we hope if you have relief
efforts to contribute you will list them in Section 3.
Travel & Transportation is the subject of Section 4.
News about Silicon Valley is the subject of Section 5; here you can find
out what's happening in that bastion of hi-tech. Silicon Valley was
very close to the quake's epicenter.
Special Earthquake-related communications issues are addressed in
section 6.
Some folks have interesting stories about the quake; they are in section
7.
COMPUTER WRITER JOHN J. ANDERSON DIES IN QUAKE
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Story by John Nagy
The aftershocks of the San Francisco earthquake continue to rock us all
and some of those shocks are personal rather than seismic. Although the
death toll looks at this time to be well below the darkest estimates of
many hundreds, that is little consolation to the families of those who
died last Tuesday. Many of the dead are yet to be identified. Almost
worse than the knowledge that a loved one or a friend is gone is the
waiting to find out if they indeed survived. Our own publisher of ZMAG,
ST*ZMag, and Z*Net, Ron Kovacs is still waiting to hear from a loved one
in San Francisco for a business meeting on Tuesday and is among the
thousands who have not yet been heard from. Our thoughts and prayers
are with the families of the missing, almost all of whom are safe, but
are unable to make outside contact in the wake of the quake-ravaged
utilities.
We do know of some specific fatalities... it was reported that among the
dead was John J. Anderson, a long time Atari enthusiast and writer.
John was in San Francisco less than a year as a senior editor of MACUSER
Magazine, a Macintosh specific publication. He had moved there from
Titusville, Florida, after several years editing COMPUTER SHOPPER
magazine. John always worked to raise the image and awareness of the
Atari line in CS as well as a number of other magazines he regularly
wrote for. Those included continuing Atari columns and feature articles
in FAMILY COMPUTING, CREATIVE COMPUTING, and many more.
Part of the reason John left Computer Shopper was his frustration in
working under Stan Veit, who seemed to want John to take over the
magazine but who refused to yield sufficient authority to John to
accomplish it. About the same time John Anderson left CS, the magazine
was bought by Ziff Davis Publishing Company, and soon afterwards Stan
was "retired" by the new owners. New Editor Bob Lindstrom has announced
that Atari 8-bit coverage will end with the December 1989 issue of CS
(along with ADAM, C64, TI, and the other older "classic computers"), and
that the ST and AMIGA are being watched carefully to determine if
coverage of those lines should also be cut in the future. While no one
can say what would have happened to Atari coverage if John had stayed at
CS, it is at least likely that he would be alive today to see it.
It was John Anderson who called me at home one day a few years ago and
asked if Computer Shopper could reprint an article I wrote that appeared
in ZMAGAZINE. (It was about the then-embryonic 8-bit emulator being
developed by Darek Mihocka, and his trouble with Atari about getting it
approved for distribution.) As we talked, John mentioned that he was a
regular reader of my work in both ZMAGAZINE and the user-group
publication that I founded and edited, Michigan Atari Magazine. He
commented that he found himself re-using much of the information I wrote
about in his own columns, and asked if I wouldn't mind doing my own
column in Computer Shopper. That call began a new career for me, and
John and I became long-distance friends. We talked often about our joys
and frustrations with Atari, and later, his frustrations with Computer
Shopper magazine. I was sorry to see him leave, but the MACUSER offer
was clearly a step up, and we all wished him well.
John leaves his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Anderson of Cresskill, NJ,
and his wife, Lauren Hallquist, and two children, Peter, 4, and Kate, 1,
of Boulder Creek, CA. Friends and fans who wish to send condolences to
his family may do so c/o Atari Explorer, 7 Hilltop Rd., Mendham, NJ
07945.
--Betsy Staples
ZNET NEWSWIRE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Editors Note: Although the California earthquake has dominated the
news in all areas this week, there are other things happening and here
is a briefing on that news.)
~ Commodore announced this week that a preliminary review of its results
for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 1989 indicates that the company will
report a loss for the period due to continuing weakness in consumer
product sales in certain major markets. Commodore noted that this news
was preliminary and that final results for the quarter are scheduled to
be announced in early November.
~ Apple resumed all business operations on Thursday following the major
earthquake experienced near its headquarters. The company had closed
all San Francisco Bay Area facilities on Wednesday, Oct. 18 following
the earthquake to assess physical damage to its buildings in order to
insure the safety of employees before allowing them to return to work.
Most of Apple's office buildings suffered only minor damages and all
crucial business capabilities such as telephone lines are almost
entirely restored.
~ Desktop Data announced NewsEDGE, the first in a new class of products
called ''live news processing'' earlier this week. NewsEDGE captures
and combines stories from multiple news wires onto a customer's personal
computer. Desktop Data has completed news license and distribution
agreements with McGraw-Hill and PR Newswire. The company is in similar
discussions with several other newswire publishers.
PUBLIC DOMAIN SHELF
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Alice Amore
** ARPBK_11: From Robert Arp's "ARPBOOK: Atari ST Machine Specific
Programming in Assembly", this is part of a chapter dealing with
producing assembly language source files from machine language code.
** PINEWOOD, CUBSCOUT: PINEWOOD, written in GFA BASIC by Pat Peronto,
details a better way to run a Pinewood Derby (a yearly Boy Scout event).
At the typical Derby, each car gets one chance to race, and, through the
process of elimination, one car wins all. Boring. Once a scout is
eliminated his enthusiasm is gone. Using the "Stearns Method" (which
should be interesting to all math buffs out there), this program handles
all the calculations to enable the following:
- any number of tracks can be used
- any number of scouts can participate
- every car races the same number of times
- every car races in each round
- every car races in each lane
- a maximization of the number of opponents each car races against; in
most cases, every car gets to race against every other car. The file
CUBSCOUT contains extra documentation.
** LQPRTIT: LQ Print It!, ver. 1.0, from Ray Roux, offers a quick way
to print out graphic libraries from PrintMaster. Some features:
- A printed header containing the library name and the number of
pictures it contains.
- Up to 56 pictures, with names, can be printed per page.
- Up to 50 libraries can be printed at once, with each library holding
up to 200 pictures.
- Progress reports appear on the screen during printing.
(Another good program of the same sort is Chet Walters' PM_CAT. Try
both!)
** KEYCLICK: This is an extremely small program. Click on it and those
annoying keyclicks from your speaker will vanish. Click on it again and
they're back. By Jim Kershner.
** IDLE20: This is a different kind of screen saver. Put this .ACC
file in your AUTO folder. To enable it, hold down the SHIFT key, then
pull IDLE 2.0 from the DESK MENU. You can now tell your ST to show you
a Fuji symbol on a black background if your ST is idle for (your choice)
1, 5, or 10 minutes. You can also choose to have the display restored
not only from mouse movement, but also from serial port activity. From
Eric Rosenquist of Strata Software.
** GRAN_VOX: shows a nice graphics display while each of the four
SysOps (Ray, Ron, Dave, and Grant) of CRASH BBS (604 299-5111) can be
toggled through the function keys so that we may hear their very own
personal voice digitizations inviting us to call their BBS. CRASH BBS
extends a special welcome to STOS programmers.
** SC_BIN12, SC_SRC12: These two files contain the Sozobon C Compiler
and its source code. This is release 1.2, and is basically a preview of
the improved compiler features and code generation that will be
available in the next major release. The programmers, Tony Andrews,
Johann Ruegg, and Joe Treat, would appreciate any bug reports.
** NOTES2: provides a convenient way for you to keep your jottings
handy at all times. Notes are typed in on simulated index cards and can
be retrieved or sent to the printer. Written as shareware by Tom
Tolstead, NOTES can be run as a desk accessory or a .PRG file.
** REVOLT: From Artisan Software comes "The Revolution(tm)", a disk-
based handbook which hopes to help the Atari community organize itself
into a dynamic force capable of spreading the word about Atari
computers. This handbook is an ambitious project and is manifesto-like.
It even contains an extensive calendar which details the steps necessary
to win this computer war.
** ARTST230: Art-ST is one of the finest pieces of ST shareware around.
It is an impressive drawing program which supports lines, boxes,
circles, text, fine pixel editing, fills with user-definable mono or
multi-color patterns, copy and paste, and support of all available
multiple picture buffers. Picture files from other drawing programs can
be imported, and animation is supported. This upgrade includes many
improvements. From Robert M. Birmingham of Axolotl Software.
** COLRQUST: "Color Quest" is a Simon-like game in which four colored
buttons (each of which is accompanied by a musical tone) are struck in a
progressively longer sequence which the player must duplicate. This
version is nicely done. It will support a 2-player game in which a
button is added to the sequence by each player. Both players must
repeat the sequence before adding another button. This program is
shareware from J. P. Peach.
** CLASS201, CLASSDOC: In a nutshell, this is a combination database
and spreadsheet for teachers. Here are some of its features:
- Alphabetizes, stores, and prints a list of all students in the class
and their grades.
- Ranks students according to their scores on any assignment.
- Calculates current or final averages for each student.
- Acts as a "grade calculator" for unrecorded grades.
- Determines the letter grade that corresponds to each student's score.
- Calculates the frequency, mean, variance, and standard deviation for
each grade and assignment.
- Displays a table and graph of the distribution of each grade.
- Lets you record letter grades quickly using the number keypad.
- Allows you to set and change the ranges and weights for each grade.
- Lets you set a "curve" and calculate grades accordingly.
- Lets you experiment with different curves and immediately see the
results in graph form.
- Does all of the above for either number or letter grades.
The improvements in this upgrade include the ability to:
- Transform all grades and files recorded as scores into equivalent
letter grades.
- Automatically set or adjust the ranges for each grade to fit a normal
curve.
- Automatically check for typos when recording grades.
- Change the labels for assignments.
- Delete an assignment.
- Store and display up to 30 grades for each student.
- Print roster with single or double spacing.
The file CLASSDOC contains information about CLASS201. Read it to help
you decide if you want CLASS201. CLASS201 is shareware from Gary Wren.
** CHRGN109: This program generates 2nd Edition AD&D characters based
on TSR's famous role-playing system.
- Up to 8 characters can be created at once using character buffers.
- Characters can be saved and loaded.
- No illegal choices are allowed.
- All possible races, characters, and multi-classes are instantly
displayed.
CHRGN109 was programmed by Ron Rabaut in GFA BASIC 2.0.
** SIMOCT89: Armchair pilots will enjoy SIMOCT89, which is the first
issue of "The Instrument Flyer", a guide to the charts used by pilots.
You must have the desktop publishing program "Publish It!" from
Timeworks to see this interesting file.
** LZ_COMPR: These files concern themselves with the various algorithms
of data compression. An article by H. Okumura is included, plus three C
programs illustrating LZARI, LZSS, and LZHUF.
** XRAMXXXX: Here's a RAMdisk which lets you specify the drive letter
and the capacity right in the filename itself. Simply substitute the
X's with drive letter (at the beginning) and drive size in Kbytes (at
the end). Copy the file to your boot disk, install the drive from the
desktop, and save your configuration. Written by James C. McCormick.
THE PD SURVEY
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Mark Quinn
File name: BANANA_2.ARC
Program name: Banana
Program type: Utility
Programmed by: Stu Lees
Oops. Now I have to admit it--I goofed (how many times have you heard
this before someone tries to sell you a couch, or perhaps a patented
slicer/dicer/depilator?): the first version of this utility, which
allows hard drive owners who don't have enough memory for some of the
larger .DLT files to play them from their drives, would not play all
.DLTs, as I suggested in a previous article (I'm afraid that little
mistake drained some of the "art" from it). Sorry--may "OH-I/O", the
god of I/O errors, strike my machine silly someday (but not NOW).
The doc file for this program states that BANANA_2 will play all delta
animations, of any length. There you have it. I tested it with an old
"Cyber" animation (the type that sports a .PI1 file) and it worked just
fine. I didn't drag out the "Smurf" picture files I used to test the
"create animation" feature of the first Banana. (I won't say anything
about a "second Banana" here. Nosiree.)
This update has many new features:
Join - allows you to append delta-to-delta, or D.E.G.A.S.-to-delta
Query - will return information on the number of pieces the file is
stored in on your drive (Fragmentation), the total number of
frames in an animation (Frames), and the average frame size
in bytes (Average Compression)
Smooth - removes "any screen redraw distortions"
Use
Template - will either mask D.E.G.A.S. picture or use it as a
background when creating animations
Banana
Split - Will store very large delta animations on one or more
floppies, single or double-sided. (Used with the "Join"
feature, above.)
Multiple
Sources - Banana keeps requesting more source files until "cancel" is
highlighted on the file selector
The one thing I noticed while using the "Query" feature was that if a
frame's average size is one thousand or more, the 1's column is cut off.
Other than that small detail, I found the program to be significantly
improved.
File name: BLOODMON.ARC
Program name: Blood Money
Program type: Game demo
Programmed by: Psygnosis Ltd.
This is a playable demo of "Blood Money", by Psygnosis. I saw a game
with a similar concept played on an Amiga on the "Computer Comicals"
show. And let's face it: the guy on "Comicals" was a better player
than I am.
In BM (now, now) the object is to vaporize everything in sight and
actually collect money for doing so. The player maneuvers a red (not
yellow? Shucks.) submarine past jellyfish, slimy things and doo-dads of
all descriptions. I was amused when I fired several missiles at a
jellyfish (ahh--overkill) and it exploded, turning into a coin.
Equipment can be purchased with the money one collects.
(I noticed some "flickering lines" at the top of my monitor screen. I
wasn't able to determine whether this program is set up for European ST
monitors or not (they use a different Hertz rate) because I adjusted the
vertical hold on my monitor to compensate for such programs. There are
utilities which will "change your Hertz", as well.)
The graphics alone are worth the download. Trust me: I'm "HYP-MO-
TIZED".
File name: DUNGEON.ARC
Program name: Dungeon
Program type: Game
Programmed by: Philip E. Mullen
"Dungeon" is Mr. Mullen's translation, from Atari BASIC to STOS BASIC,
of a game he originally wrote on an Atari 800. I was amused to learn
that "...The old version used only about 17K altogether; this one uses
around 70K for the source code and 153K compiled." In this Rogue-type
game (I am on shaky ground here--this game probably existed before Rogue
did.) one accumulates treasure (one can only carry so much of the stuff)
and shoots magic and mundane arrows and so forth. This is a direct
translation of the 8-bit game, and it looks it. But then again, you
really don't _need_ finely-detailed graphics to move a stick figure
around in a dungeon.
Each dungeon is different, so there is a "Save Game" feature. You can
haggle with the innkeeper over the price of your provisions, too. (This
isn't exactly a Holiday Inn, so take care.)
THE DC UTILITIES
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
by WK Whitton
DC Utilities come at a time when many ST folk are finally able to sit
down and do some _serious_ work on their beloved ST, and are in the
market do it with style and speed. Until now, there has been only one
warehouse for an abundant supply of ST utilities, that being the good
folk at Codehead Software. The wizards at Double Click Software have
produced several fine shareware utilities in the past, such as DC
Formatter (I've never used any other for 3 years now!) DC Clock, DC
Stuffer, and the Mystic formatter. But now they have decided to bombard
us with several top notch utilities at once in their first commercial
software venture, and are these programs ever good!
DC DESK ORGANIZER
DC Desk Organizer gives you the ability to take your DESKTOP.INF file
and make a loadable program from it. What this means is that you can
now compile a series of desktop configurations to suit your every need.
Instead of the normal opening, closing, re-sizing and feverish
manipulating of your GEM windows, DC Desk Organizer comes to the rescue!
After renaming your original DESKTOP.INF file to something else, such as
Desktop.Bak, you are asked to create a new desktop setup. After
configuring things as you wish to have them, you then save this
DESKTOP.INF file. Next, rename this file to something different, as I
renamed mine to Disk1.INF. After creating several configurations, I
then proceeded to run the DC Desk Organizer program. This utility,
through the use of the Atari File Selector, created a runable program,
with the name of my choice, that would automatically load the
DESKTOP.INF I had previously saved. I created several desktop
arrangements, such as one expressly to copy from Drive A: to Drive B:,
and called it COPY_A2B.PRG. Another was created to copy from Drive B:
to Drive D:, and was accordingly dubbed COPY_B2D.PRG. With these small
programs that DC Desk Organizer produces, you can load various desktop
configurations with remarkable ease.
In order to run a file that has been created by DC Desk Organizer, all
one has to do is double-click on the selected file from the desktop.
You will see the windows magically transform themselves to the pattern
you previously saved, adding or subtracting icons along the way.
DC XTRACT
DC Xtract is a desk accessory that allows you to decompress .ARC files
faster than you thought possible on your ST. The first few times I used
DC Xtract, the process went along at such a rapid clip I was sure that
something had to be wrong! The only utility that is even close to DC
Xtract in its speed of operation is DCopy, although DC Xtract won in a
comparison with this program as DC Xtract is compatible with ALL forms
of .ARC compression, while DCopy is not at the present time. This small
and handy utility is written totally in assembly and only consumes 12K
of your precious memory.
Although you can extract, test or list an .ARC file from DC Xtract,
there is one feature which this program desperately needs. This feature
is the ability to extract an .ARC to a folder. This would allow you to
click on the .ARC you wish to decompress, and DC Xtract would
automatically create a destination folder on the selected drive with the
same name as the file you are currently decompressing.
DC SEA
DC Sea allows you to create self-extracting ST archives (SEA). By
running the SEA archive, you'll be able to extract or list the file
contents. I am sure we have all had the unpleasant experience of
downloading a new utility or toy from our favorite Information Service
or bbs, and then spent the next 3 hours searching for that pesky
"decompression" program so you can make the file usable. With DC Sea a
"decompression" program is not needed! The process is amazingly simple.
First, you create a normal archive using ARC.TTP, Dcopy or any program
containing the necessary arc routines. Then the user will run the DC
Sea program, and this program will then modify your archive and make it
executable. To extract the files in a SEA archive, just double-click on
the program, and then click on "Extract" or simply hit return when the
DC SEA dialogue box pops up. I'd recommend copying the SEA into a
folder before running it so you don't end up with a bundle of files in
your main directory. Also, in my tests of DC SEA 1.1, it had problems
with the combination of Tos 1.4 and G+Plus in my "Auto" folder. When I
removed G+Plus all problems then vanished, so it is a simple matter of
booting without G+Plus active in order to enjoy the benefits of DC Sea.
DC RAMDISK
DCramdisk is a ramdisk whose makeup is such that it is totally unique in
the ST community. It can be reset-proof, and configured so that it
appears just like one of your 3.5" disks as it has sides, sectors and
tracks. You can even sector copy to and from your DCramdisk! DCramdisk
can be run as a program, or installed an an accessory. It is easily
configured, and can be setup in 2 ways.
One method is by entering manually the size you wish the ramdisk to be,
while the second is to tell DCramdisk what type of floppy you'd like the
ramdisk to appear to be, and then click on "Params". This will
automatically size the amount of memory you will need for your "high-
speed" ramdisk. Either way, you will not be able to make a ramdisk that
is larger than your current free memory of course.
The "copy" menu, which appears after all configuration information has
been entered either manually or reloaded as a part of the bootup
sequence, has been thoughtfully devised and is quite "intuitive" to say
the least. You will then be able to select your source and destination
"drives", whether you desire to format the destination disk, obtain info
about the ramdisk, erase the ramdisk, or copy the source disk in the
"image" or "sector" modes.
The default copy method here is to sector copy your disk to the ramdisk.
A second and much faster method is the "image" method. This will copy
your source disk to a single file in the ramdisk, and you will be
prompted for a name for this file. This will drastically speed up the
loading of your ramdisk, or the writing of the contents back to a normal
floppy. Once you start using this fine utility, shades of "SCOPY" from
good ole' SpartaDos on the Atari 8 bit will reappear on your mental
horizon! If DCramdisk is installed as an .ACC, then it will "keep" the
block of memory you have selected for it to occupy. If DCramdisk is
installed as a program, the memory will be released as soon as you exit.
If you wish to install your DCramdisk each time your computer is booted,
you need to put the companion program, DCramit, in your auto folder.
This program will read the configuration file you have created and
configure things accordingly. A DCramit configuration file is an ASCII
test file that looks like this:
+- always a space
|
|+- size of RAMdisk on Kilobytes
||
####
The first digit does not need to be a zero, but you should always have
four digits.
Not only can DC Ramit automatically create a ramdisk each time you boot,
the DC RAMIT desk accessory can automatically load in an image file of a
disk every time you reboot the computer! DC Ramit is especially a boon
to those who don't own a second ST disk drive, but do have 1 meg or more
in their computer. It is the closest thing ever to actually having a
second 3.5" floppy!
DC SQUISH
DC Squish is a utility that will compress your program, yet allow it to
still remain fully executable. The Double-Click folk have recently
introduced version 1.1 of DC Squish. This new update allows even more
compression than the old version. As an example, when I "squished" my
WordWriterII program file the first time, it went from approximately
158k to 100k. Now, when the same operation is performed, the file
shrinks even further to a remarkable 89K, and loads even faster! This
also means that some files that would not allow "squishing" with the
previous version of this utility can now be compressed! If you should
try to load a version 1.0 Squish file, it will automatically be
converted to version 1.1 format when a "resquish" is attempted. When
the file uncompresses itself in memory, there is only a momentary pause
in the loading process, in fact it is almost not noticeable at all!
Several new options have been added to DC Squish 1.1, including
automatic renaming of the source file to avoid confusion, automatic
saving of the "Squished" file in the same directory as the source file,
and batch operations to allow you to automate the compression process.
DC Squish also allows owners of TOS 1.4 to set the "Fast Load Bit" of
the program you are squishing. This will speed up the execution of your
programs as it tells the St not to clear all the free memory before
running your program. If you find that your program does not load
properly with the "Fast Load Bit" set, or you are using TOS 1.0 or TOS
1.2, then you will want to use the "TPA" option. This routine is much
faster than the "clear memory" routine of the early TOS versions, and
will not cause conflict with program execution. This will allow ST
users to enjoy a portion of the speed and versatility that TOS 1.4
offers, without actually using the updated operating system itself.
On a side note, owners of the DC Utilities are asked not to pass on
squished files to any other user as this would allow them to enjoy the
benefit of DC Squish without actually having purchased this fine
utility. The DC Utilities are not copy-protected, and work fine under
all versions of the TOS operating system.
DC DESKEY 2.0
DC Deskey 2.0 is an amazing DA that allows you to assign keystrokes to
any selection found in a GEM drop-down menu. With its handy key
assignment system, you can setup different keystroke layouts for _each_
GEM program you use (the total number is limitless!.) DC Deskey 2.0
will automatically load in the proper configuration file for any program
you choose to run! This means that you can choose from over 2,000
possible key assignments for each and every GEM program you use! Using
the mouse and GEM menu selectors are without a doubt handy, but there is
no substitute for keyboard macros when you are looking for optimum
speed! Due to a bug in TOS 1.0 and 1.2, a DA might "fall asleep" and
need to reawakened before it can be activated. DC Deskey 2.0 contains a
fix for this problem, and when used in the preferred mode, you'll never
find DC Deskey 2.0 fast asleep. But there is a small conflict between
Hotwire! from Codehead Software, and DC Deskey 2.0 as Hotwire! uses a
method to solve this same problem that serves to inadvertently defeat
the fix in DC Deskey 2.0. The Double Click programmers have therefore
included a Hotwire! compatibility button that allows you to turn on or
off the fix we have just mentioned with DC Deskey. You might also wish
to know that this "Sleeping DA syndrome" does NOT occur with Tos 1.4,
only 1.0 and 1.2.
The only major shortcoming of any significance in the entire DC
Utilities package is the lack of printer support for DC Deskey 2.0. An
extremely handy feature for this program would be the the ability to
print out each Deskey configuration file (*.DSK) in compressed print
form. It is hard enough to remember keystrokes that are embedded within
a commercial program, but even more so when they are user installed as
you'll surely not find them in any manual! If one was able to print out
these templates, the whole process, both the initial creation of, and
fine tuning of, your DC Deskey 2.0 keyboard layout, would be enhanced
significantly.
Additionally, I like to see printer support added to DC SEA and DC
Xtract so one could print the directory of an .ARC if the need arises.
Even more useful would be the addition of printer support to DC Squish
so one could keep a log of the before and after effect that it has upon
their storage situation.
If you wish to purchase DC Utilities, you can order them for $30 + COD
charges. Or prepay your order and save those charges by mailing payment
to:
Double Click Software
P.O. Box 741206
Houston, Texas 77274-1206
Support BBS: (713)944-0108
or leaving e-mail on GEnie to: M.Vaderman2
Double Click Software's Update Policy:
An UPDATE is classified as bug fixes or minor enhancements to a program.
UPDATEs may be downloaded from the Double Click Software BBS for *FREE*
any time after the update is available.
If you do not have a modem, or do not wish to call the BBS, you may send
in your original diskette and $5.00 (US Dollars) for the latest
versions.
An UPGRADE is classified as *MAJOR* enhancements to a program and are
denoted by a whole number change in the version number (ie, v1.1 to
v2.0).
The cost of an UPGRADE will be announced at the time of the upgrade.
We will make all attempts to notify you of our upgrade policy, as well
as the release of the upgrade at the appropriate time.
The Double Click Software support BBS will be the first place to
contain release information.
Extra manuals may be purchased for $5.00
System Requirements:
Computer Memory: Minimum:512K
Computer Display: Medium & High Resolution
Computer Storage: Minimum: One 3.5' drive
Computer Type: All ST models
Optional Devices: Hard Drive
Ratings - DC Utilities by Double Click Software
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"First Glance Usability" | 92
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Speed | 95
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Pleasing to the eye | 90
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Clarity of Documentation | 90
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Flexibility | 96
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Portability | 100
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Printer Support | 0!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Attention to detail | 95
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Customer Support | 90
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Updates | 95
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Packaging | 85
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Value of package (A good buy?) | 100
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Works in how many resolutions? 2
Both keyboard and menu activated functions Yes
Hard drive installable Yes
Most Liked Feature - Automatic loading of different configuration files
for DC Deskey 2.0 when a new GEM program is loaded.
Least Liked Feature - Lack of printer support for DC Deskey 2.0. Would
be extremely advantageous to be able to print out keyboard layouts for
use with DC Deskey.
Summary - DC Utilities area set of handy tools that will increase your
overall speed and productivity on the ST. These basic function of these
utilities are:
1. DC Squish - Allows compression of ST programs, to allow for speedier
loading and execution, and at the same time take up less disk space.
2. DC Xtract is a lightning fast DA that allows to to view or decompress
.ARC files.
3. DC Deskey 2.0 is a DA that allows you to assign keystrokes to any GEM
drop down menu item from a possible 2,000 combinations!
4. DC SEA is a utility that allows you to produce "Self Dissolving
Archives" on the ST. Run them and they decompress automatically!
5. DC Desk Organizer turns your Desktop.INF files into small programs so
you can change from one customized desktop layout to another in a
snap!
6. DC Ramit allows you to treat your ramdisk as if it were an actual 3.5
floppy, with size and sides totally configurable.
7. DC Ramdisk works in conjunction with DC Ramit, and sets up a reset-
proof ramdisk that is easily configurable.
THE REVOLUTION
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments by Ron Kovacs
Handbook by Donald A. Thomas Jr.
ST*ZMagazine and associated publications are officially endorsing the
Revolution and we are committing space throughout 1990 to remind the
Atari user base each week. Starting this week through the end of the
year, we will reprint the actual Revolution article in weekly
installments, and stay one week ahead of the proposals discussed.
The file Revolt.Arc already discussed earlier in the Public Domain Shelf
by Alice Amore, is an excellent idea and amusing too. It will surely
keep the Atari user busy with interesting tasks through December 1990.
If any of the proposals suggested work, it alone will spread the word
about Atari and this Revolution.
The REVOLUTION(tm) HANDBOOK by Donald A. Thomas, Jr. is =1989 ARTISAN
SOFTWARE and all rights are reserved.
INTRODUCTION
There is a war going on in the United States and, if you are an Atari
computer user, you are a part of it. The allies are the manufacturers,
publishers and users of Atari computers. They are the front line people
doing what they can to see that the system survives. They, as you, are
the people who face the ridicule from the universe of IBM, Amiga and
Macintosh proponents to support a conviction in the really best computer
value available.
To proclaim a war, there must be a cause... essential basic values worth
fighting for. In this case, these values hinge on the need to expand
our family of Atari owners and users. We must face the reality that our
family of Atari users is not growing in the United States... it's
shrinking. This fact should be disturbing to you. The passion you have
for your computer will likely crumple to disgruntled aggravation as
fewer companies support your investment and more and more users switch
to a more popular system.
Many of us have been waiting for Atari to fight this war for us. We
have listened to commitments to run advertising and support users'
groups and trade shows. We have also been exposed to Jack Tramiel's
philosophy that "Business Is War". In many instances, Atari has made
admiral efforts to strengthen their domestic position. For instance,
over $67 million dollars was poured into a chain of retail electronics
stores known as the Federated Group. The theory was that by owning a
significant retail outlet, they could dictate the amount of shelf space
and customer assistance dedicated to Atari computers and games. While
the theory was sound, they were not prepared to invest the added
millions of dollars it would take to salvage the risk. Atari has also
supported the user shows with their presence and dealer support by
loaning equipment for the show and providing seminars.
Atari's dilemma is that the return on invested dollars is best paying
off overseas right now. Prices are higher there, piracy is a lesser
threat, and the consumer can view the Atari line of computers without a
tainted prejudice for another system which is not as well established.
Yes, it appears Atari can not get a fix on what needs to be done for the
U.S., but there is already enough work keeping up with European demand.
"Business Is War" means exactly that and Jack Tramiel is going to fight
for businesses' primal need... PROFITABILITY.
Looking into the crystal ball, Atari will certainly find some success
with the Portfolio and other attempts to approach the PC market. They
may see their domestic cash flow swell when they do. As a result, an
increasing PC consumer base will be supporting the Atari name which will
drown out our cries for support with our XL, XE, ST and MEGA machines.
Already, the Atari magazines have covered the Portfolio.
Artisan Software believes that there is a hidden army of Atari users who
realize that, if anyone is going to fight this war, we must do it
ourselves. Since Atari Corp. and third party developers are simply
profit machines, they are always going to spend as little as possible to
sell their products. After all, that's what business is all about. Yet,
if someone were to mastermind an ultimate attack to enhance United
States sales of Atari computers, Atari would support its' success.
Artisan Software is asking you to join in on the ultimate user-based
campaign to attract an expanding universe of Atari owners and users.
You may participate as intensely as you wish, but your every effort will
go a long way by reading this material and doing whatever you can.
The campaign is called "THE REVOLUTION". It will be in effect
throughout 1990 and scheduled to continue through the 90's. The premise
will be to optimize the power of "word-of-mouth" advertising. This form
of advertising is the least expensive and the most effective.
Concentration will be on a calendar of projects which will strike
targets in cumulative force. You will find participation fun and easy.
No one appears to have a firm idea how many Atari users there are in the
U.S., many say there about 100,000 ST compatible machines out there, but
that can not be verified. Atari, understandably, keeps this a secret so
they do not scare away potential developers. Regardless how many there
are of us, we have the potential to exercise a lot of power. If united,
we can not be ignored.
The benefits you reap from this project are plentiful. First of all,
you will see Atari users ban together as a nation for the very first
time. You will witness significant news coverage and experience the
growth of new companies emerging to support your system. You will also
discover it increasingly easier to find friends and colleagues using an
Atari computer. Best of all, you will have fun.
Respectfully,
Donald A. Thomas, Jr.
President, Artisan Software
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Below are some questions and answers regarding "The REVOLUTION". You
may be able to satisfy any inquiries you have by reviewing this
material.
Q. WHAT IS "THE REVOLUTION"?
A. "The REVOLUTION" is a structured user-based campaign design to
enhance Atari computer sales in the United States by primary use of
"word-of-mouth" advertising. It is made up of users and companies
across the nation who wish to support the cause.
Q. WHAT IS "WORD-OF-MOUTH" ADVERTISING?
A. "Word-Of-Mouth" Advertising is the most valued form of advertising
for any reputable business. While paid advertising boosts public
awareness, it is often by someone's recommendation that high ticket
purchases are made. In basic terms, word-of-mouth advertising is the
act of voicing your opinion about a product or service in a favorable
way. In addition, "The REVOLUTION" campaign is designed so that all
our voices are focused toward specific targets at any one given time.
Q. WHO IS COORDINATING "THE REVOLUTION"?
A. ARTISAN SOFTWARE President, Donald A. Thomas, Jr., plans to
coordinate the campaign.
Q. WHAT IS ARTISAN SOFTWARE?
A. Artisan Software is a California based software publisher dedicated
to the Atari ST and MEGA computers.
Q. WHY IS ARTISAN SOFTWARE DOING THIS?
A. Artisan Software currently offers three products for the ST computer.
This is not the place to talk about them, but you will find separate
ASCII text files in later weeks about them. While Atari users
support their products, it has become disenchants to realize that
the Atari user base is not large enough to keep sales at a profitable
pace. Rather than diverting attention to non-Atari computers, it has
been Artisan Software's decision to expand the Atari computer user
base.
Q. WHAT SPECIFIC ATARI COMPUTERS ARE REPRESENTED?
A. Although Artisan Software publishes only ST/MEGA compatible titles,
it is recognized that the 8-bit community has just as much to be
proud of over their systems too. Atari video game systems,
cartridges and PC compatible products are not represented here.
Q. WHAT DOES ARTISAN SOFTWARE HAVE TO GAIN BY COORDINATING "THE
REVOLUTION"?
A. Frankly, a lot. First, Artisan Software will expand its exposure of
it's products to the existing base of Atari users. Secondly, this
base will grow and, therefore, so will sales.
Q. WILL IT COST ME MONEY TO PARTICIPATE?
A. Not necessarily. As an individual, you are asked to become a
registered participant by making a minimum pledge of $15 to help
initiate the cause for the first year. Pledges for more than that
amount is encouraged, but you are not required to pay any amount at
all to participate.
Part of your pledge will cover the costs of distributing "The
REVOLUTION HANDBOOK" and other costs such as phone use and coordinating
costs. Corporate pledges are also invited if you wish to show your
company's support and benefit from the campaign.
Other costs to you depend on the projects you voluntarily elect to work
on. In most cases, it is simply a few letters and postage stamps per
week.
It is important to register your participation regardless of the size of
your pledge. Your registration becomes an integral necessity to provide
a statistical analysis as to the size of the movement, the primary use
of the computers and estimated growth patterns. It is also important
that you register individually. Individual and group registrations are
maintained by separate accounting methods to insure the integrity of
individual participation statistics.
Q. OK, WHAT DO I NEED TO DO SPECIFICALLY?
A. Your participation is needed on four levels.
First, read this HANDBOOK and fill out the form included. Send the
form to Artisan Software today.
Secondly, go out of your way to discuss "The REVOLUTION" with your
user group or other Atari users. Provide them copies of this
HANDBOOK. Verbally encourage them to participate. Also, approach
your local dealers. Encourage them to distribute copies of this
HANDBOOK to their customers. Permission is granted to copy and
distribute this HANDBOOK if the copyright and authorship is
acknowledged when you do. Exceptions to this include professional
duplication in a bound and covered book to be sold for profit. The
distinction should be clear, but contact Artisan Software if you have
any questions. Your active involvement to spread the word about this
campaign is a critical component to its' success.
Third, write your favorite Atari magazine and ask them to provide
consistent coverage of this campaign.
Finally, follow this HANDBOOK as completely as you are willing and
able.
Q. WHERE DO I SEND MY REGISTRATION?
A. Send all correspondence, including registrations to: "THE REVOLUTION"
c/o ARTISAN SOFTWARE, P.O. Box 849, Manteca, CA 95336.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
This is a large undertaking and will be interesting. Each week until
completion, we will reprint the entire article and re-run them through-
out 1990. More details on ZMAG's involvement in the coming weeks.
Every week, the following form will be included for your convenience.
PARTICIPANT REGISTRATION
PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM AND MAIL WITH YOUR CHOSEN PLEDGE TO:
ARTISAN SOFTWARE
P.O. BOX 849
MANTECA, CA 95336
PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY!
___ YES, I understand the campaign entitled: "The REVOLUTION" and
agree that a unified national effort to enhance Atari computer
sales may be a fun project and one that will better protect my
investment in the future. I acknowledge that the campaign
HANDBOOK makes suggestions only. I am not obligated to do any or
all of them if I choose not to. (Make checks payable to Artisan
Software.)
PLEDGE ENCLOSED $_________________ (NOT REQUIRED)
SIGNATURE _______________________________ DATE ____________
NAME _______________________AGE ___ PHONE (_____) _________
COMPANY OR USER GROUP REPRESENTED (if applicable):
COMPANY NAME ___________________________________
ADDRESS ________________________________________
CITY __________________ STATE _____ ZIP ________
COMPANY PHONE NUMBER (_______) _________________
DEALER ___ DISTRIBUTOR ___ PUBLISHER ___ MFG___
OTHER _________________________________________
PERSONAL ADDRESS __________________________________________
CITY ___________________ STATE _____ ZIP _________
OCCUPATION ________________________ PHONE (_____) _________
COMPUTER(S) OWNED _________________________________________
MY USER GROUP MEMBERSHIP IS AT ____________________________
___________________________________________________________
I USE THE COMPUTER PRIMARILY FOR __________________________
___________________________________________________________
PLEASE ADD COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS ON THE REVERSE SIDE.
Next week: Part II
COMPUTERFEST 1989 (Not WAACE)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Jim Ullom, MVACE
Computerfest 1989 was held August 26th & 27th, at Hara Arena, in Dayton,
Ohio. The festivities began promptly at 10:00 am, and consisted of
about 20,000 vendors and users groups from all over the United States
and Canada. Dave Small of Gadgets by Small, Charles F. Johnson & John
Eidsvoog of CodeHead Software, Bill Teal of PC-ditto, and nearly all of
the famous programmers that you always read about and always wanted to
meet were there, available to answer your questions, or just chat. As
usual, Atari Corporation went all out to assist the local users groups
in their endeavors, donating displays and providing financial assistance
to the faithful. Atari also sent media representatives to assist in
marketing their new hardware, as they had a large display in the main
arena that dwarfed the competition.
Yes, Jack and the rest of the crew from Atari Corp were there, and gave
a private demonstration of the new Stacy laptop and Portfolio computers.
As a matter of fact, Atari presented each of the users group members
that worked the show with their very own laptop & Portfolio computers,
free of charge, just for being loyal to the company for all these years.
Jack came around and personally thanked each and every one of us for
"keeping the faith" with Atari. I immediately sat down and began
working with the complementary ST laptop, but suddenly heard a loud
buzzing noise. Things started to spin and fade out, and suddenly, I
awakened to............. the sound of my alarm clock. I woke up, and
then realized..... Computerfest '89 was at hand.
MVACE, the Miami Valley Atari Computer Enthusiasts, in conjunction with
two other Atari users groups, Troy ACE (TRACE) and Northmont Systems of
Atari Computers (NASAc), had an impressive display that consisted of
twenty (count 'em, 20) tables. Demonstrations were going on at least 15
computers, with the Spectre and PC-ditto drawing a large share of
attention. Bruce Hansford, ramrod of the ACES, and partner in 1st STOP
Computers, brought along his new Vidi
-ST (video image digital interface)
package and new MiGraph Hand Scanner to demonstrate, and put on quite a
show. Games, desktop publishing, and a really dynamite MIDI
demonstration kept the crowds buzzing around the booths nearly all of
the two days of the festival. Both ST and 8-bit systems were well
represented.
With a few dollars burning a hole in my pocket, I ventured forth onto
the sales floor, and found myself surrounded by a cornucopia of computer
goodies. Software, hardware, paper, labels, disk carriers, cables, and
just about anything that a dedicated hacker could possibly wish for, was
present. Mendelson Electronics of Dayton had their usual spread of
hardware, both new and used, at very attractive prices. And speak of
software... several vendors had some real bargains, all you had to do
was look to find something that you could use, many of which were real
deals in the $2.00 to $10.00 range. Ah yes, so many deals.... so little
money.
Of particular note, was the spectacular graphics shown by the MS-DOS
crowd, on their VGA equipped IBM's and clones. Displays that looked all
the world like a photograph, with absolutely stunning colors and
detailing. It seems only yesterday that we were the envy of the
computer world with our Atari graphics. What happened, to our graphics
capabilities guys?
All in all, Computerfest was a great experience, well worth the time and
effort to attend. Too bad that it only comes around once a year. One
consolation however, there is a strong rumor of an Atarifest in the
Dayton area, and Hamfest is just around the corner, so all hope for a
computer-active fall and winter season is not lost. MVACE will have a
booth at the Hamfest if possible, the Atarifest, if there is one, and
also at the Computerfest next year, so.... come see us, we'll be looking
for you!
[Computerfest has been presented every year for the past 14 years by the
Dayton Microcomputer Association (DMA Inc.), a non-profit corporation.]
=======================================================================
ST*ZMagazine Issue #43 October 20, 1989
Copyright (c)1989, Rovac Industries, Inc..
=======================================================================
