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Syndicate ZMagazine Issue 035
-----------------------------------
Zmagazine January 19, 1987
Issue 35
-----------------------------------
Zmag Staff:
Publisher/Editor in Chief:Ron Kovacs
Editor/Coordinator:Alan Kloza
Software Reviewer: Eric Plent
-----------------------------------
____________________________________
This Week in Zmag......
<*> CES WRAP-UP REPORT
MORE ST PRODUCTS
<*> ATARI 8-BIT PRODUCTS
SHOWN AT CES
<*> APPLE COMPUTER UPGRADES
THEIR IIE'S
<*> VIDEO GAMES MAKING
NEW COMEBACK
<*> COLECO INDUSTRIES CALLED
MOST PROFITABLE COMPANY
<*> GOING ONLINE AT COMPUSERVE
VISITING THE SIG*ATARI
All this and more in this weeks
edition of Zmagazine.....
____________________________________
Xx ATARI CES WRAP-UP
....Good Show! for the ST...........
____________________________________
ANTIC PUBLISHING INC.
REPRINTED BY PERMISSION.
Hybrid Arts Inc., showed one of the
most exciting new products in the
Atari world: The ADAP Soundrack.
ADAP stands for Analog to Digital
Processor. It's a $2000 hardware
plus software system, built in
conjunction with Nilford
Laboratories, Inc., for the Atari
ST, designed to replace equipment
costing over thirty times as much.
The basis of the ADAP is a racey
black rack mount box with sound
input and output lines, plus
an interface box which plugs into the
cartridge port of a one- (or more)
megabyte machine. What does it do?
Digital sampling. And it does it
well.
Digital sampling is a process where
sound is converted into digital
patterns which a computer can store,
manipulate, and play back at will.
Compact discs have been using this
technology for years now.
Sound enters the ADAP box from
virtually any sound source (such as
a compact disc player) and is
converted into digital signals in
the ST's memory.
Once the sound is in the ST, it
appears as a digital waveform in a
window in the center of the screen.
You can examine the waveform by
zooming in or out on either the X or
Y axis, or even both. You can
scroll along the waveform to see its
entirety, or even sample more than
one sound and switch between them.
Hybrid Arts claims the system can
sample at a rate of 44.1 Khz with 16
bits of resolution -- that's compact
disc quality! It even samples in
stereo. Once a sample is made, it
can be played back at the push of a
button.
The sound is phenomenal. But ADAP
doesn't just let you record samples.
You can also edit them. You can
cut, copy, and paste portions of a
sample. You can even do mixing,
looping, or modify the actual
waveform freehand.
The ADAP system replaces some
super-sophisticated musical sampling
equipment by allowing you to -play-
the samples from your MIDI keyboard,
polyphonically, with up to eight
voices going simultaneously.
Some of the other features it boasts:
- Fully MIDI compatible
- Polyphonic
- Storage of up to 64
multi-samples in memory for
instant playback.
- Real-time digital effects
processing (delay, echo,
reverb, etc.)
- Real-time oscilloscope
- Direct from compact disc,
digital to digital sampling.
- Multi-sample keyboard splits.
- Compatible with the new MIDI
digital sample dump data
standard. Will work with
data from other MIDI sampling
devices.
- 19- black rack-mount case.
- Suggested retail price is
$1,995.
When asked why they chose the Atari
ST as the host sytem, Frank Foster,
president of Hybrid Arts, replied:
-It's not like we actually 'chose'
Atari. It simply couldn't be done
on any other machine. Not on an
Amiga. Not on a Macintosh.- Now
that's a compliment.
Other music news: Electronic Music
Publishing House has MIDIPLAY, a
real-time MIDI record/playback system
which supports all 16 channels of
MIDI information. List price is
$49.95, and a demo disk is $5. They
also have Musidisks, a series of
pre-recorded data disks of
everything from Bach to the Beatles.
List is $19.95.
The Catalog software division of
Antic Publishing was showing, center
stage at the Atari Booth, the 3-D
Liquid Crystal Shutter Glasses
along with some spectacular demos of
upcoming software. The new releases
include Wanderer, a point-of-view
space game, CAD-3D 2.0, CyberMate,
the much anticipated stereo modeling
and animation system, a molecular
modeling program, and Stereo Maps &
Legends.
Certainly the most impressive demo
was the world-premiere of Tom
Hudson's SteelyBoink!, a stereo
ray-tracing demo illustrating a
simulated depth of 8-10 inches into
the ST's monitor. START Magazine
will be presenting a version of
the SteelyBoink! demo which does not
require the StereoTek glasses on
Antic Online in February. This
will highlight Tom's ray-tracing
article in START #4 (available in
March).
The following represents only a few
of the many ST programs shown at the
Winter CES. New products information
and reviews of both these and any
omitted programs can be found in
upcoming issues of Antic and START.
Firebird, of Ramsey, New Jersey has
several new programs for the ST.
Universal Military Simulator lets you
create your own combat scenarios, or
even enter in the parameters of real
battles and then modify them -to
explore the 'what if'
possibilities.- Tracker is a
shoot-em-up arcade game which
combines a huge playfield with
artificial intelligence routines.
Your deadly enemies, the Cycloids,
remember your play tactics and try
to prevent you from using them
again. Golden Path is a new animated
illustrated graphics adventure game.
You use the mouse to control your
character through 45 screens of
graphics and animation. All
three games should retail for $44.95.
WordPerfect, the best selling and
highest rated full-feature word
processor for the IBM PC, is now a
reality on the ST. WordPerfect
Corporation was demonstrating a
prerelease version of the product at
the Atari booth.
The Atari version of WordPerfect
features the best of both worlds:
it is GEM based, using menu bars and
windows, but it also supports the
full array of keyboard commands
familiar to users of the IBM
version. Additionally, users moving
from the IBM to the Atari version
will also benefit from full file
compatiblity with WordPerfect 4.1.
The program uses high-speed
assembly language routines for
ultra-fast response times. I gave it
the acid test and found it faster
than any other word processor for
the ST, faster even than ST Writer,
the venerable speed-demon.
WordPerfect supports footnote and
endnote compilation, full keystroke
macros, automatic calculation of
numeric tables with the built-in
math mode, complete database merge
capabilities, an outline feature, a
nine-keyword sorting facility for
alphabetizing lists, a 115,000 word
dictionary, including legal and
medical terms, a five-level table of
contents and index generator, a five
newspaper-style columnar display, a
sophisticated thesaurus, a
three-level undo capability, and a
virtual memory data system, allowing
data to flow onto disk when computer
memory is full.
This will clearly be the most
sophisticated word processor for the
Atari ST, taking full advantage of
the new one, two, and four megabyte
machines. WordPerfect for the Atari
is scheduled for release second
quarter, 1987. The suggested retail
price is $395, although a
representative from WordPerfect
indicated Atari users should
be able to purchase it in the low
$200s.
Timeworks has released their three
powerful productivity software for
the ST: Word Writer ST, a word
processor, Data Manager ST (covered
in the Brian Lee's Database Overview
in START #4. out in March), and
Swiftcalc ST, a spreadsheet. The
Timeworks programs are designed as
an integrated package. Suggested
retail is $79.95.
____________________________________
Xx ATARI 8-BIT NEWS
....New Hardware and Software.......
____________________________________
Although not as numerous or as
flashy as the new ST software, there
were several companies showing
software or distributing information
for the 8-bit Atari line. These
companies shared a half-dozen XE
computers, which sat alongside the
new XE [game and computer] System,
the new 8-bit 3 1/2 inch drive, and
Atari's 1200 baud XE modem (which
will also work on the STs).
Prices on this hardware have not yet
been set.
New from Hi-Tech Expressions is
AwardWare, a program allowing you to
custom-design and print awards,
certificates, tickets, coupons
and checks. The program includes
templates for your forms -- just
type in your message and you're
ready to give someone that special
greeting! Retail price is $14.95.
Also from Hi-Tech is CardWare, an
animated birthday card, for $9.95;
PartyWare, card and party design
kit with database of friends and
events, for $14.95; HeartWare, an
animated greeting disk and love note
maker (let a machine do the mushy
stuff for you) $9.95; and
WareWithAll, which includes colorful
stationery, envelopes, stickers,
markers, and disk labels, for
$14.95.
ICD, Inc. was promoting their
large array of 8-bit Atari products,
such as P:R Connection, an interface
allowing your XL or XE to run a large
variety of disparate printers and
modems; the Printer Connection, a
-smart- cable which will make your
8-bit Atari compatible with any
Centronics parallel printers; Multi
I/O, a box which gives you a
RAMdisk, parallel printer interface,
serial printer and modem interface,
a printer spooler, and a hard disk
interface; an 80-Column Adapter,
which plugs inside of the Multi
I/O case; US Doubler, a chip set
which gives your 1050 drive true
double density and an accelerated
I/O rate; SpartaDOS Construction
Set, ICD's custom DOS; SpartaDOS X,
a cartridge-based DOS; R-Time 8; a
piggyback cartridge clock; and RAMBO
XL, a program enabling your 800XL or
1200XL to make use of 256K of RAM
(you supply the DRAM memory chips).
Zobian Controls was promoting RAOS
(Rat Actuated Operating System),
their operating system giving your
XE a GEM-like OS, including
pull-down windows, a
mouse-controlled arrow-pointer, and
icons. Zobian also has improved
their mouse, originally called the
Rat. The SuperRAT is now a
two-button digital mouse, which
works in conjunction with the Zobian
DESKTOP program Z-DOS (included in
RAOS). The SuperRAT/RAOS
combination sells for $99.00.
____________________________________
Xx ZMAG PC NEWS
....Newsmakers In Computing.........
____________________________________
LOTUS DEVELOPMENT SUES PAPERBACK
SOFTWARE, MOSAIC SOFTWARE
Lotus Development Corp. today sued
Paperback Software of Berkeley,
Calif., and Mosaic Software of
Cambridge, Mass., accusing them of
copyright infringement, false
advertising and unfair trade
practices and seeks an injunction
and unspecified damages.
A statement from Lotus headquarters
alleged that Mosaic's program called
The Twin and Paperback Software's VP
Planner -deliberately recreate, with
only trivial variations, the 'look
and feel' and user interface of
Lotus 1-2-3 ... in violation of US
copyright law.- It says the
competing software copied 1-2-3's
specific command and function
names, the organization of menu
choices, the sequence in which these
choices appear and 1-2-3's macro
language.
The suit, filed in Boston federal
court, also alleges ads that claim
similarity between the programs and
1-2-3 -are misleading with respect to
the performance and quality of these
products,- according to the
statement. -We are disappointed,-
said Jim Manzi, Lotus president and
chief executive officer, -that so
much time and talent in our industry
has been spent in imitating rather
than innovating. We expect that the
successful prosecution of these
suits will serve to channel energy
away from imitation and back to
the development of truly innovative
products.-
APPLE UPGRADES IIE
Apple Computer Inc., citing a
commitment to the Apple II product
family, has introduced an updated
version of the Apple IIe personal
computer.
The updated IIe, which is available
immediately, comes with an expanded
keyboard, a built-in numeric keypad,
improved training and reference
materials and Apple's new -platinum-
color scheme.
The new IIe is completely compatible
with all existing IIe software and
peripheral equipment. The IIe's
suggested retail price remains at
$829.
-The introduction of an updated IIe
completes the revitalization of the
Apple II product family that Apple
began in September by launching the
IIGS, a memory expansion module for
the IIc and several new
peripherals,- commented Delbert W.
Yocam, Apple's executive vice
president and chief operating
officer.
-Three strong systems give educators
and consumers a wide range of price
and performance options and
establish a foundation on which the
Apple II family can grow far into
the future,- he said.
COMPUTER CRIME RISES IN BRITAIN
LONDON -- British computer crime is
on the rise and most security is too
lax to halt the trend soon,
concludes BIS Applied Systems in its
latest -Computer Related Fraud
Casebook.- The survey shows an
eight-fold increase in UK computer
crimes, with average losses jumping
from a mean of $46,000 in 1983, to
$393,000 last year.
Prominent in the cases studied was
manipulation of electronic funds in
financial services, especially among
junior staff.
For instance, a 24-year-old bank
supervisor and a younger accomplice
used a home computer and password
known to several other bank
employees to divert $8.5 million of
Eurobonds to a Swiss account. They
were discovered only because the
bonds were from their bank's
own investment account and officials
noticed a shortfall in interest that
they should have earned.
Older employees, for whom
self-imposed exile in South America
or on the Spanish Costa del Crime
may be less attractive, prefer to
work within their company and
defraud it over a number of years,
according to the study.
The classic protracted fraud is the
-salami technique,- in which
perpetrators round off totals in
multiple accounts and transfer them
to their own bogus account.
BIS says security problems are
intensified by an increasingly
computer-literate population and a
greater presence in business of the
microcomputer, which permits
unauthorized local printing or
copying of confidential information,
data transfers out of the company,
and simple malicious damage.
BIS suggests an overall heightening
of awareness and responsibility
among senior executives in dealing
with computer security.
In the meantime, BIS says worried
executives might do better by
employing more women in high-risk
positions. In the study, women were
found to be four times less likely
to commit computer crimes, and when
they did, were less greedy.
BRODERBUND TO AWARD PRIZES FOR
OUTLANDISH FINANCIAL STORIES
Have you got a crazy, weird story
about managing your money? If so,
Broderbund Software just might give
you a prize for it.
To promote its new On Balance
software for money management, the
San Rafael, Calif., publisher is
sponsoring an -Off the Wall- story
contest. The person who submits the
most outlandish money story by April
1 will receive a library of
Broderbund software worth $1,000.
The second-place winner receives
$500 worth of software.
The publisher says that between now
and April 15, it will release some of
the more bizarre stories of
semi-finalists -to encourage (or
console) taxpayers as they prepare
their tax returns.-
Here's the first one:
-A young California bachelor used to
file each week's financial records
in the corresponding issue of a
national newsweekly; then he kept
the issues stacked in his living
room. The system worked fine --
until he lent his apartment to his
sister one weekend. In gratitude,
she 'helped' her untidy brother by
cleaning his apartment thoroughly.
In the process, she threw
out all the 'old' magazines -- along
with an entire year's worth of
statements and receipts, plus a few
unpaid bills.-
Broderbund says that each
semi-finalist will receive a copy of
the $99.95 On Balance software,
which is available for the Apple
IIc, 128K IIe and IIGS computers.
Story entries should be mailed to -Off the Wall,- Broderbund Software,
17 Paul Drive, San Rafael, Calif.
94903-2101.
All entries become the property of
Broderbund Software.
_____________________________________
Xx GENERAL COMPUTER NEWS
...Video Games Coming Back...........
_____________________________________
VIDEO GAMES MAKING A COME-BACK?
Don't throw out your game paddles --
the video game console is coming
back.
At least, that's what manufacturers
have told writer Dave Matheny of The
Minneapolis Star and Tribune.
A little history: In 1982, the last
golden year of the video- game craze,
some 8.2 million consoles were sold
by companies like Atari, Coleco and
Intellivision. Then, because of
consumer burnout, or competition with
less-expensive computers, or bad
karma, the bottom began falling out
of the market.
However, while most electronics
consumers have been looking elsewhere
for diversions, the video game market
has been restructuring itself and
adding new players, like Sega and
Nintendo, and now the games, says
Matheny, -have returned like prodigal
sons, rising like a phoenix from the
ashes of three years ago to snake
their black cables across
the living-room rug to the TV set.-
New manufacturers tell the newspaper
they've determined the competition
between computers and dedicated game
consoles is a false one, that, in the
words of Gail Tilden of Nintendo of
America, playing video games is a
-whole different atmosphere- from
using a computer.
-You want your computer for more
serious purposes,-she says.-You have
it on a desk in another room. Two
people don't pull up to a desk to
play baseball.-But, she says, they
do gather in front of the TV set to
play.
_____________________________________
Xx GENERAL COMPUTER NEWS
....Random Notes.....................
_____________________________________
COLECO MOST PROFITABLE FIRM
Coleco Industries Inc., which was
roughed up a few years ago trying to
sell its low-end Adam Computer,
certainly has bounced back. Forbes
magazine now rates it the most
profitable of large US public
corporations.
Coleco halted marketing of Adam at the
beginning of 1985 after it didn't
capture the home market.
According to most observers, much of
the credit of Coleco's good fortune
goes hand in hand with the -colossal-
success of its Cabbage Patch dolls.
Also on Forbes' list of top
profit-makers this year is Apple
Computer Co. in the No. 10 spot.
_____________________________________
ZMAG PANORAMA
..Features, Entertainment and Reviews
_____________________________________
Compuserve's SIG*Atari
For those of you who have used the
CompuServe Information Service, you
have no doubt heard of one of it's
most-used SIGs, SIG*Atari. For those
who have not ventured into this
world, here is a look at one of the
best sources of information for the
Atari home computers.
To access the SIG*Atari 8-bit forum
directly, simply log on to CompuServe
and type -GO ATARI8-. You will be
rushed to the -Front Door-, so to
speak, of the SIG, and it is here that
you have the chance to join SIG*Atari.
You will have the choice of visiting
the forum, or joining right now, so
choose -Join Atari 8-bit forum-. The
system will ask for your name. Type
it in, and you are now a member of
SIG*ATARI! After joining, you will
have access to all of the many
functions of this SIG. One hint: If
you are the type of person that does
not like to use menus, choose -User
Options- from the forum's top menu.
From here you will have the option
of turning off the menus, choose to
read waiting messages right away,
and many others. After you finish
up in this section, type -T- to get
back to the top forum menu.
Top Level Menu
==============
Now we get to the best part: Using
the SIG! Here is a view of the top
level menu.
ATARI 8-Bit Forum
FUNCTIONS
1 (L) Leave a Message
2 (R) Read Messages
3 (CO) Conference Mode
4 (DL) Data Libraries
5 (B) Bulletins
6 (MD) Member Directory
7 (OP) User Options
8 (IN) Instructions
Leave a Message: This will allow you
to -Post- a message on any of the SIG'
message bases. You can send a message
to a user you know, or to all of the
users on the SIG by answering -ALL- to
the -TO:- prompt. NOTE: When entering
a message, you MUST enter that users
User ID Number at the -TO:- prompt
if you are sending it to any one
person.
Read Messages: Select this option,
and you will see the following menu.
READ MESSAGES
1 (RF) Forward
2 (RR) Reverse
3 (RT) Threads
4 (RS) Search
5 (RM) Marked
6 (RI) Individual
7 (QS) Quick Scan
8 (BR) Browse
Enter choice !
Conference Mode: This is the SIG
version of the CB Simulator. The
-CO- option allows you to talk to
people from all over the U.S. in
-Real Time-. You can also be a part
of the many formal Conferences that
take place in the SIG. These
Conferences ('COs' as the regulars
call it) are held with many kinds
of people that are part of the
Atari world. Software programmers
like Bill Wilkinson, Neil Harris,
and Keith Ledbetter can all answer
your questions in -CO- mode, or you
can drop them a message with the
-Leave a Message- option from the
top level menu. I will list the
CompuServe ID numbers for the SIG
SysOps(Systems Operators) at the
end of this article.
Data Libraries
==============
In the (D)ata (L)ibraries, you can
find Compuserve's public domain
file library. Some of
the best programs come from here,
like the Express! modem programs,
and even Bulletin Board System
software like FOREM and AMIS.
There are quite a few data libraries
to choose from. Here is an up-to-
date list:
0 [*] General
1 [*] GAMES
2 [*] Telecommunications
3 [*] Utilities
4 [*] Graphics
5 [*] Application pgms
6 [*] Sound & Music
7 [*] HOT News/Rumors
11 [*] BBS related
Choose from any of the above, and
you have a whole data library to
look through!
Bulletins
=========
Here is where you can read the latest
bulletins from the SysOps. New
Bulletins are automatically shown at
the time you log into the SIG. If
you missed it, or want to read it
again, this is where to go.
Member Directory
================
Use the Member Directory to search
for information on fellow users. You
can search for a users name, state,
ID Number and interests. This is
handy if you see a message from
someone you want to talk to, but
did not get that person's ID number.
User Options
============
Here is where you can select from
many options to make using the SIG
easier for you. The User Options
menu looks like this:
USER OPTIONS
[ ] represents current setting
1 (SM) Stop After Msgs [Always]
2 (CN) Name [Eric S. Plent]
3 (PC) Prompt Character []
4 (ED) Editor [EDIT]
5 (SU) Subtopics [...]
6 (HI) High Msg Read [176026]
7 (RE) Replies Info [None]
8 (UM) Use Menus [No]
9 (TY) Type Waiting Msgs [Yes]
10 (SK) Skip Msgs You Left [No]
As you can see, there are many things
you can change on the SIG, all of
which can make the SIG easier to use
for you. For example, take a look
at option 8: -8 (UM) Use Menus [No]-.
Select this, and you will be promped
to turn menus ON or OFF. If you choose
OFF with menus ON, you will be asked
if you want to have this setting for
all SIG access, or just for this one
time only. Remember: If you choose
to make this your default, it does
not mean you are stuck with Command
Mode for ever! You can change it back
at any time.
Instructions
============
Choose this from the top menu to
view a help file from the SysOps. You
can get just about all the help you
need from the many on-line help files,
but if you have a problem that is not
covered in the help file, post a
message to the users or SysOps. They
will be glad to answer any questions
you might have on the SIG.
As you can see, the Atari SIG on
CompuServe has many things to offer.
There are the tons of Public
Domain programs you can download,
the message bases, where you can
read and enter messages that will
be seen by all the membership, and
the Conference Mode, where you can
talk in Real Time to all of the
people you have been trading messages
with in the past.
I hope I have been able to show you
the SIG in a way that will make you
want to try it. I have had much fun
with the Atari SIG, and I am sure
you will too. If you are already
a member of CompuServe and/or the
Atari SIG, you can leave me any
comments at User ID# 76246,201. Please
send the message through EasyPlex
(GO EASY).
-------------------------------------
Zmagazine January 19, 1987 Issue 35
Please Contribute!!!
-------------------------------------
Next week: Results of the first Zmag
Survey...
Final words on CES...
Current 8-Bit software update...
User Group Report:CHAOS
