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Syndicate ZMagazine Issue 125
[This copy of Z*Mag #125 appears to be incomplete.--aa700]
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SYNDICATE ZMAGAZINE ISSUE #125 OCTOBER 2, 1988
| HOT Atari News and Reviews |
AMERICAN PUBLISHING ENTERPRISES, INC
POST OFFICE BOX 74
MIDDLESEX, NEW JERSEY 08846-0074
PUBLISHER ZMag EDITOR ASSISTANT EDITOR GEnie Rep
Ron Kovacs John Deegan Carlos Hernandez John Nagy
=========================================================================
Available on: * CompuServe * GEnie * Delphi * The Source * F-Net *
=========================================================================
Copyright (c) 1988 APEInc, SPC -- All Rights Reserved --
*=* CONTENTS *=*
EDITORS DESK BY JOHN DEEGAN
ON TO BETTER THINGS BY RON KOVACS
DATAPACIFIC NEWSLETTER NEWS
GLENDALE ATARI FAIRE NEWS
ST XFORMER UPDATE BY DAREK MIHOCKA
GOIN' SOUTH COMMENTARY
SX212 MODEM FIX ST USERS
ZMAG HARWARE DEPARTMENT TANDY
WEATHERMAN'S WISDOM BY L. ESTEP
Editors Desk
by John Deegan
As reported in Issue #54 of ST-Report last week, Neil Harris has resigned
from Atari Corp. The following article appeared in the Atari16 SIG of
CompuServe. It is an opinion release by Dave Small. Following this
reprint, our opinion to this material.
#: 111539 S7/ST News/Reviews 25-Sep-88 12:33:50
Sb: #111449-#Farewell
Fm: David and Sandy Small 76606,666
To: Neil 70007,1135
********************************N O T E**********************************
This is Dave Small's response to the announcement by Neil Harris
that he has resigned from Atari. For those who don't know Dave he is the
developer of the Magic Sac and Spectre 128: devices that emulate the
Macintosh computer on the Atari ST.
**************************************************************************
This is really stunning.
If you think this is just another -Atari employee splits- note, consider:
1) Neil was the spearhead of Atari online. Here, Genie, Usenet, Delphi,
you would find Neil. The support other than Neil has been fragmented to
be charitable. (Due credit goes to Julius, though). Given the power of
the online networks for marketing, and Atari's upper management
completely missing that, this is big trouble.
2) Unless I am much mistaken, I'll guess Neil had Atari stock options.
What does it tell you that he's leaving? I don't know how Atari stock
could drop more (it's down to 6), but there's always a way. Maybe they
can -un-split- stock to get it back to 12, *grin*. This means Atari is
in big trouble.
3) Neil is the *only* effective public speaker Atari had. Atari did manage
to waste much of it by forcing him to go say things that weren't so, or
were only a little bit true. Neil gave innumerable talks and
presentations to user groups at shows across the country. Just who is
going to replace him? You don't find people like that easily, or
sometimes, at all -- look at the number of corporations who have *no
one* like that. This means Atari is in big trouble.
4) This happened right before the -big- CO here online with Sam. Big
trouble.
5) This happened right before Comdex. Big, big, big trouble. Neil was one
of the few people in an autocratic, 1950's-style management office that
had any feel at all for reality. Now, what are we going to get? A
repacked ST game machine with a laser tag pistol? A VCS / ST? You
can bet that when it appears (if) at Comdex, there will be ghostly
vapor surrounding it, the signal of a product not to appear for another
year. Big, big trouble.
6) Atari has no grasp of the current US marketing situation; you can't
stop support the instant the customer walks out the door with their ST
and you cash their check. Atari tries to do that, of course. I remember
well Alex Leavens getting canned for daring to support people who hadn't
bought the developer's kit (among other peccadillos). -Business is war-,
when the people you are warring on are your *customers*, is dumb. We
are in a service economy now; people expect *service*.
No? Atari top management held up release of the auto hard disk booter
for a LONG time, claiming it would -cause a lot of tech support calls-.
The author, one Landon Dyer, is now at Apple, disgusted with Atari. He
*wrote* most of the ST's BIOS; losing a lore-master like that is always
very painful for a company.
7) Neil Harris has been with Jack T. a *long* time. What does it tell you
that he's bailing out now? Do you think he would if he saw any hope of
things changing? Do you think he'd go through the shock of job loss,
moving, new company, etc, if he saw any chance at all? *Neil is not
stupid*. Atari made him say stupid things, and folks like ST-Report
interpret that to mean Neil is stupid. Wrongo.
8) John Skruch -- whose word I trusted, a rarity at Atari -- is gone.
Sandi Austin, who did those user group shows (remember?) is gone.
Richard Frick, who was *instrumental* in getting the Magic Sac going,
only to watch Atari's top management cold-shoulder it (Quote: -Why
would anyone want to run Mac software when they have TOS?-), is gone.
They've all left Atari recently.
9) Just who is going to get Atari publicity from folks like Jerry
Pournelle anymore? Neil sold a lot of Ataris that way, and made the
Tramiel people a lot of money.
10) Is it possible that Neil feels he's getting out before his reputation
is ruined by an Atari crash? Already it's been damaged by things he had
to say (Atari corporate policy).
11) The Comdex timing is especially significant. If Neil saw a future at
Atari, it would be new products announced at Comdex. I have heard from
other sources that Atari's top level management is now backing off from
introducing ANYTHING new or interesting at Comdex -- wouldn't want to
distract people from the ST, folks. Quote: -Atari's domestic market is
Europe. The US is Atari's international market-. Unquote. This makes
Comdex look like a splash to me -- much like the May one, in the
Abandoned Booth.
12) It says a LOT to me about working conditions at Atari that even Neil,
who is pretty tough and good at political infighting, is leaving. If
you've never seen a 1950's style autocracy, well, check it out. It is
hard to stand (look at the number of people Atari has gone through at
top management), clearly. Other companies don't tax their personnel
like this; they realize that this is not the 1950's anymore, people are
scarce and hard to find, and need to be *part of the company*, not just
some slave-employee. Many other reports of working conditions at Atari
make it sound like hell to work at.
13) If Neil doesn't think there's going to be profit in his stock options,
you ought to be thinking about it too. (Again, this is a guess). It is
possible that Atari is folding up; the collapse will just take awhile
to reach the public.
14) Most ST developers are seriously considering jumping ship; a lot
already have. Even Tom Hudson, arguably the best, is gone. Given how
little Atari supports its developers (something Neil fought for) and
gives online support (ditto), and that it could care less about selling
into the US, it seems a waste of time to develop for the ST for the US
market, when there's markets like Amiga, IBM, and Mac to develop for --
who have good documentation, people who aren't propeller-hat-heads
online, and so on.
15) I think this marks the end of Atari US. The Spectre 128 is almost
certainly my last ST product.
Dave Small Gadgets by Small, Inc.
OUR THOUGHTS??
After reading this message, a few thoughts struck me to be rather strange
and almost shocking!! The bit about Neil being told what to say was just
about the strangest thing I would expect. Neil spoke loosely about topics
he either did not know about or put himself in the middle of topics by his
own doing.
I am NOT defending Atari's position here, but you are way off base to
elude ST-Report as a cause for Neil's apparent ignorance. From your
comments, you DO NOT enjoy reading ST-Report. I fail to see the
connection between the two.
To state that Atari is going out of business is another foot in your
mouth. For whatever reason former employees of Atari have left is not
meant to be used as an evaluation factor for business closing.
After reviewing the last six months of public chatter, originated from
Neil Harris, I can say that either Sam Tramiel stood over Neil with an axe
telling him what to say or he spoke on his own behalf. I wish to believe
the latter since the previous could not be believable.
ZMAG UPDATE
Effective with this release, ZMag returns to Sunday evening release dates.
One addtional note here, ZMag will make 40 column editions available with
Issue #126 and all following issues.
Buried within this issue are sign-up offers for CompuServe and The Source,
take advantage of these offers!
The Syndicate BBS is being scheduled for re-debut sometime in late
October, early November, stay tuned to ZMag for the latest. I have been
told that Ron Kovacs will return with an 8 bit system.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ON TO BETTER THINGS by Ron Kovacs
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What will Atari do now?? My best hope is that Neil Harris will be
replaced by a person who will report and give the community, Atari
information which is in-line with current Atari policies.
I hope to see less opinion and more facts. Less banter about products not
released and a NO COMMENT when appropriate! This might erase the VAPORWARE
from the lipps of the Atari users.
Lets see more involvement with the developers, user groups and subscribers
of the online services. Better communications with the public are sure to
improve the Atari image. I feel respect of the community will provide
Atari a better user base and more dollars!
Sam Tramiel has promised better things for 1989, lets hope so!!!
I am surprised at you Dave Small!
Data Pacific Newsletter
Msg#: 4622 *ATARI_ST* 09/02/88 17:16:00
From: MICHAEL SCHUSTER
To: ALL
Subj: DAVID SMALL/DP
Subject: New Data Pacific Newsletter
Data Pacific has released a new newsletter in the last few days that
deserves a warning. It's full of distortions, half-truths, is misleading,
and contains some flat false information. It's going to confuse a lot
of people, so I'm trying to spread the word.
For instance, the newsletter contains columns from people who no longer
work at dP (most of dP's staff quit in March-April, including me). It
talks of a new tech person, -Mike-, who does not exist and who always has
been a pseduonym for Joel when taking tech calls.
More subtly, the newsletter implies that dP is having me look into a 128K
ROM version of the Magic Sac. This is false; I have nothing to do with
Data Pacific (except for one contract job -- version 6.1 of Magic Sac, in
exchange for a LaserWriter). dP (Joel) agreed long ago to stop using my
name to try to sell their products; they've broken their promise.
The newsletter says Dan Moore (dlm@druhi here) -worked overtime- to
produce Mover 1.7. The truth is, Dan did Mover 1.7 for a flat $150 fee in
July. He was paid by check after dropping off the disk; his bank later
told him that Joel *had stopped the check*. In short, dP is selling a
version of Mover 1.7 that they flat stole from Dan.
If you appreciate any of the contributions Dan has made to the ST world,
such as the Twister disk format, Meg-a-minute backup, Protect desk
accessory, and others, you could return him the favor by refusing to buy
dP's disk until they remove Mover 1.7 from it, and letting them know why.
Dan's had a rough month; he broke his hand recently, and is in a cast to
his elbow (any get well cards sent via email would be greatly appreciated),
by the way.
In my opinion, Data Pacific is attempting to present an image that things
are as they were during the good days, while selling off as much stock as
possible, with this newsletter -- then they're getting out. How else to
explain them putting Apple's own Switcher and FONT/DA Mover on their
-public domain- disk -- other than dP isn't planning on being around long
enough for Apple to catch them (and rightfully so; Hertzfeld worked hard
on Switcher).
I'd like it made clear I have nothing to do with Data Pacific anymore; I
answer dP related questions out of courtesy to my old customers, and
nothing more. The same is true for Dan Moore. The tactics Data Pacific is
stooping to, in my opinion, to milk a little more money from the Magic Sac
before folding up are shoddy in the extreme, and I think it's a shame my
name is still associated with this company. Hence, this note.
As for me, I have a new company, Gadgets By Small, Inc, and we're planning
on releasing our first product (the Spectre 128) on Sept. 16, at the Atari
Glendale Atarifest show. Since dP has broken it's word (again) to give me
access to their customer mailing list, which I built, I can't put out the
word about the Spectre 128 upgrade to the Magic Sac except by the networks.
For the record, and to answer a previous questions, I left Data Pacific
in March of this year, when it became clear that (a) Joel was not going
to honor our agreements, and (b) when I found out the FCC number being
put on the Translator units had been forged, and Joel had no plans to ever
FCC certify the unit. Believe me, I want no part of trying to slip one
past the FCC. (Every Translator unit shipped bears this same false number.)
I wouldn't be party to this; neither would Dan, when he heard. (Thanks
to our friends from Supra for checking the number at the FCC BBS and
telling us what had happened!)
I plan to carry on support of dP buyers with my new company, here and on
other networks, as a courtesy to the people who shelled out money for the
Magic Sac, but via a new company (Gadgets), as well as -push the envelope-
further on Mac emulation with the Spectre 128 product. I don't want to
advertise here on the net publicly; please drop me email privately if
you're interested (hplabs!well!dsmall or dsmall@well); I don't think the
local community would appreciate a few hundred -Yes, please send me info-
notes here in comp.sys.atari.st.
Thanks for reading a rather long note; I plead that I'm used to getting
paid by wordcount <grin>.
-- Thanks, Dave Small
Gadgets by Small, Inc. --- TBBS v2.0
* Origin: the Night Shift BBS - Staten Isl, NY - (718) 816-7792 (107/109)
GLENDALE ATARI FAIRE
From: <a href="mailto:rjung@nunki.usc.edu?subject=Re:%20Z*Magazine:%20%202-Oct-88%20#125">rjung@nunki.usc.edu</a> (Robert allen Jung)
Subject: Glendale Atari Faire v.3 report(!)
Well, it's now Sunday, 9/18/88, and the Glendale Atari Faire v.3 is over.
Here's a report, for those who are interested.
The Glendale Faire may have been a local event, but there were a few
things that net.people would be interested in:
* SPECTRE 128.
It's _here_. NOW. David Small brought 200 copies out to Glendale, and were
they selling! The price is around $180 -- Make your checks out to -Gadgets
By Small-. David (a very funny and fun guy) was accompanied by his wife
Sandy, his infant son, and a few friends. And yes, I did see Hypercard
running on an ST with my own eyes. David also gave a humorous talk on the
development of the Spectre, and denies any plans to do an Amiga emulator
for the ST or a Mac emulator on the Amiga.
* 8-bit GEM.
You want to revitalize your 8-bit Atari? Then take your picks:
Obviously, the biggest expectation in the 8-bit community is GOE (Graphics
Operating Enviroment). Yes, it was at the Faire, and yes, Total Control
Systems is selling them. They're not _shipping_ until October, but you can
order it now and get a discount. It looks like a TOTAL clone of the ST's
GEM (You can even hook up an ST mouse and run GOE through it), it ran
solid for the entire show. The author says it will run 95 percent of all
8-bit programs. It comes on a ICD -piggyback- cartridge, and takes up
only 8K of RAM. There's supposed to be a library of GOE routes, so other
developers can easily make GOE calls and write GOE products. Looks really
terrific.
From the makers of _Celebrity Cookbook_ comes DIAMOND OS (aka ST jr,
depending on what time of the day you were at the booth). For $30, it's a
graphics interface that offers drop-down menus, windows, and other good
stuff (it doesn't _look_ like GEM, however). Reeve Software is promising
to release DIAMOND Paint, Write, Publish, and Programmer's Kits, for $30
each as well. It looks like it's disk based (I can't be sure), but that's
okay -- it can support up to 16 megabytes(!) of RAM.
* Genlock for the ST was demonstrated, in an open-board -final- version.
JRI says they're only waiting for the FCC, and then they'll ship. It's
very impressive -- An ST Cyberpain animation was being superimposed over
a music video, and the Genlocked result was being shown on both a standard
TV _and_ the SC1224 (how do they do that?). Ready to tackle the Amiga?
* Neocept, makers of FONTZ! and WORDUP (a great word processor -- an
unsolicited endorsement) were present. Nothing major was presented,
although the new version of WordUp, with numerous minor bug fixes, is
expected to ship in two weeks. Registered owners will recieve a card in
the mail about the upgrade procedure. Neocept also says they'll gladly
take user input for improvements for their products -- Just drop them a
line.
* Animation buffs like myself will be happy to hear that FILM DIRECTOR is
finally being released. Epyx has gotten the rights to this two-year-old
cel-based animation program, and it has been SUBSTANTIALLY improved (16
screens for cels, runs in 512K, better user interface, etc.). It should be
out in October, and the $50 price tag gets you both FILM DIRECTOR and ART
DIRECTOR -- A bargain! Maurice Molyneaux (a fun guy to chat with, a real
professional artist) had a lot of input into the final user interface, and
it shows. I can't wait.
* Megamax was also showing their soon-to-be-released Laser DB. It's a
source level debugger for Laser C, and offers lots of features -- Source-
code trace viewing, register value displays, breakpoints, multiple
windows. If you liked Laser C, you'll want this.
* Codehead software was also demonstrating G+PLUS (I won't say anything
about this, everybody and his cousin knows about it by now) and a new
product called MULTIDESK. MDesk allows you to have 16 accessories of your
choice in ONE menu slot. Even better, you can clear out and load NEW
accessories at any time! You can also change the name MultiDesk registers
itself on the menu, so you can have six copies of Multidesk -- each one
with 16 different accessories -- for a mind-numbing total of 96 accessories
avaliable simultaneously. Future products promised include FatBack (-A
unique hard disk backup system-) and CodeHead Utilities (A collection of
programs and accessories).
* ICD was present and selling their cartridge-based SPARTADOS X. My friend
bought a copy ($80, on a piggyback cartridge), and it appears to work just
fine. Improvements include 1000+ files per directory, faster disk access,
and built-in ARC/ALFCRUNCH support. The manual is still a preliminary
copy, however, but ICD promises to send out the finals to registered
owners when they become available. They also showed their FA-ST hard
drive, available for 8-bit or ST hookup.
* Regent Software was selling copies of REGENT WORD II for the jaw-
ropping price of $15 each -- Not $15 off, $15 EACH.
* Broderbund, surprisingly, was present. They were showing their new
_Typhoon Thompson_ game for the ST (known on the Apple as _Airheart_), as
well as _Star Wars_ (imported from Europe; Broderbund is distributing). A
version of _Karateka_ for the ST is promised, and -maybe- _Print Shop_,
but little else. (The dealer was frank in why there was less Atari support
-- -Our biggest market is the gs-). No word on 8-bit support.
* And now, the word from Atari. Conspicuous by their absence, none of the
Tramiel family showed up. Instead, we were treated to Sig Hartman, who
promised us that -[1989] will be a critical point for Atari in the US
market-. He also apologized for the lack of more ST's in America (-We had
a limited number of Ataris, and we decided to put them in West Germany --
If we didn't, there would have been a hole for the Amiga or the Macintosh
to get in-), and pledged closed attention to the end users, through user
groups and public information services. Sig refused to -officially-
confirm/deny the existence of the Atari Transputer, the 68020/68030
workstation/machines, or anything else -- except by saying -We're working
on 7 or 8 products right now, and I can't say what they are.- He did
promise that 520/1040 owners will be able to get TOS and blitter upgrades,
and that he will personally try to get more companies to produce 8-bit
titles.
In a related vein, Federated promised the increased development of
-compu-centers- in all their stores, and the possibility of offering in-
store servicing for Atari products. They are also supposedly toying with
the idea of carrying hardware accessories (boards, wiring, etc.) in the
centers.
* Pledged to appear -- but never did -- were Data Pacific and Antic.
Dealers who did appear, but didn't produce anything major, included Astra
systems, Michtron, Migraph, and Seymour-Radix. Bill Skurski Enterprises
was present, peddling copies of his -New User's Guide to the Atari ST-
(book and videotape), as well as Best Electronics, Logical Choice for
Computing, Mid-Cities Comp/Soft, and Comsoft.
Special thanks to John King Tarpinian, the local user groups, ACENET, and
everybody else for makign the whole thing possible.
ST X-Former Update
by Darek Mihocka
Always wished there was an easier way to transfer files from your 8 bit
floppies to the ST? Are null modem cables just not your style?
Finally! Move all your Atariwriter and other word processing files to the
ST. Graphics screens and icons. Database files and spreadsheets.
It's ready! About a month ago I first announced the development of an
interface to allow STs to communicate with 8 bit disk drives, like the
810, 1050, and XF551 drives. I will start shipping them on Oct. 3.
The interface consists of a cable that connects between the ST and the
disk drive, and allows for two way disk and file transfers, with the proper
software. This software is in several forms, for different users.
Because the cable does not necessarily require that it be used with the
ST XFORMER emulator, it is going to be sold separately from any software.
To be fair to current registered users of the ST XFORMER Atari 8 bit
emulator, they will have first crack at the cables. To qualify, you must
have already registered your copy of Xformer 2.1 ($20). (I have your names
on file, so don't cheat!) The cable will then cost you $20 US (or $25
Canadian). In conjunction with the release of the cable, a new version of
the ST XFORMER will be made available on Oct. 1, and as usual, will be
made available on Compuserve, Genie, and Delphi. XFORMER 2.2 will have all
of the features of version 2.1x with the added capability of using the
cable to boot the Atari emulator directly from an 8 bit drive. (Even from
copy protected disks, although not all of them)
The few users who have just registered recently for version 2.1 are being
kept on file until October and will receive version 2.2, since other
enhancements have been added to the program.
This leaves tens of thousand of ST and 8 bit users who do not qualify. For
you folks, the cable is $25 US (or $30 Canadian), and of course, you will
have access to ST XFORMER by modem or by registering. Registration for the
XFORMER is $20, but since I am eager to get more users, you can get the
cable, XFORMER 2.2 and the printed manual for $40 US (or $45 Canadian).
For those people who want the cable to transfer files, but are not
interested in the emulator, I have a utility for you! The XFORMER Quick
Transfer Utility allows you to grab files of entire disks and transfer
them quickly. Those of you who saw the several megabytes of 8 bit ANALOG
files that I recently uploaded to Compuserve and Genie may be interested
to know that each floppy disk took under two minutes to transfer to the ST
(the same time it takes to read the disk into a sector copier on an 8 bit).
Imagine how quickly you can transfer your entire 8 bit library to the ST
(where, one day, you will decide to run it on the emulator).
The current limitation is that the disks must be in DOS 2.0 format to
allow the files to be extracted, although if you plan to use the emulator,
the disks can be formatted by most DOSes, and even be boot disks.
I am still working on several other major utilities, including one that
allows most other ST programs to read and write directly from the 8 bit
disk drives, and more. When it is ready, I will let everyone know.
Also in the works is a 520ST version of the emulator that supports the
interface (an enhanced ST XFORMER JUNIOR).
To order, send a MONEY ORDER or (no personal checks from the US!!! because
Canadian banks are not too swift at processing them) to me:
Darek Mihocka
310-D Bluevale St. N.
Waterloo, Ontario N2J 4G3
CANADA
Thank the almost 100 registered users of ST XFORMER who motivated me (and
demanded!) that this interface be created.
Pricing is as follows.
Registered users:
-----------------
US $ Canadian $
ST XFORMER Interface Cable 20 25
ST XFORMER 2.2 update
(with Quick Transfer Utility) 10 10
(note, users who just registered in the last couple of weeks will
get the update free in October)
Non-registered users:
---------------------
US $ Canadian $
ST XFORMER Interface Cable 25 30
Quick Transfer Utility 10 12
ST XFORMER 2.2 registration 20 20 (shareware)
All 3 of the above 40 45
Please add $3 per order for my postage and shipping costs.
I would like to get users groups involved in this. I have visited about
half a dozen local user groups and found a lot of interest in the emulator
and interface. The problem was that many of the users, both 8 bit and ST,
do not have access to Compuserve or Genie, or even a modem, and so, were
unaware of the existense of the emulator. Therefore, I would like to
give discounts to large orders placed through user groups, because it
helps me. Call me by voice for details.
Oops, did I mention the BBS yet? As mentioned last month, I am going to
put up a support BBS shortly. I am writing it from scratch, but it is
coming along. It will provide additional support for all Atari users,
by providing information about the emulator and interface, and files
for downloading,
ST XFORMER BBS / voice support (519)-747-0386
BBS: 12am-6am EST (sometime soon)
voice: other times
During other hours, I will answer by voice and provide support for the
products.
Thanks again for your support.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
(Ed. The following is provided for the enjoyment of our readers, we are
also interested in your comments. Opinions and commentary listed here
are those of the original author, these thoughts DO NOT reflect those
of Syndicate ZMagazine, ST-Report or any other APEInc Publication.)
GOIN' SOUTH Volume I Issue I September, 1988
------------------------------------------------------------
Statement of purpose:
-Goin' South- was created in the spirit of the reporter in the movie,
-Inherit the Wind-. We are here to -afflict the comfortable, and comfort
the afflicted-. The editorial staff of -Goin' South- considers itself
among the -afflicted- and finds comfort in making this newsletter (if
that's what this is). This is the premier issue, and as such, has not yet
taken on a final form. The last time -Goin' South- was uploaded, several
BB sysops decided that it was too -generic- for their -exclusive- BBs
(IBM, MAC, APPLE). Others (ATARI 8-bit, AMIGA, NPC, and WRITERS) seemed
to feel that -Goin' South- might add to the BB they run. We're hoping that
the -BIG boys- will have a change of heart, and -allow- us to be seen by
the members.
If you are a member of any of the BBs that chose to exclude -Goin' South-
from their -available files-, please do what you can to encourage a change
in policy. That, and joining us by contributing ideas and material, are
the most valuble things you could do to show appreciation of and/or concern
about the topics we raise. This is a blossoming journalistic effort which
still needs and wants you (the reader) to add your two cents. Oh, one
exclusion on our part; we will gladly take all the -hate mail- that comes
our way, but we will NOT allow -hate articles- to appear in our work. So
if you have vindictive crosses to burn (or axes to grind), sorry, but not
here.
So far, very few people have joined the -bandwagon-. Those who have will
no doubt recognize their concerns as they are included in one area or
another of this issue. As more persons join in the production of -Goin'
South-, the -causes- with which we concern ourselves will gain in scope
and variety. So it you finish this issue with the feeling that it is a
bit -one-sided- (or maybe -lop-sided-), remember, YOU can make that
difference!
......Send all mail, inquiries, and comments to -ED.SOFT-.....
##### DOES IT BOTHER YOU THAT... #####
...you can go to the beach to get innoculated?
...you can beg money to run a political campaign, but in some cities you
can't beg for food?
...you can be asked to prove you are innocent without being charged with
a crime? (Some Americans are willing to say, -If you're innocent, what
do you have to fear?-, and thereby give-up the principal of being
-innocent until PROVEN guilty-.)
...in today's conservative political mood, -liberal-, the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Congress of Industrial Organizations
(AF of L / CIO) are considered un-American?
...some religious leaders preach the ultimate treason, replacing the
Constitution? (with what does not matter)
...some school systems refuse to allow -meditation time- for students?
...the two leading killers in our society, alcohol and tobacco, are
protected by our government (by us). (Most children can name (and
correctly spell) more of these products than they can (name and spell)
Presidents.)
...the world (planet Earth) is on the verge of being overdosed by people
population and people waste (and we're NOT talking toilets)? (Some
groups feel birth control in any form is evil.) (Some groups feel
-Western Civilization- MUST keep growing [in numbers]...even though
-the West- produces most of the pollution in the world.)
...we want stiffer penalties, but we're NOT willing to pay the tab (taxes
for more jails), so... (Some judges refuse to sentence cocaine dealers
to jail for less than 5 pounds!) (Some jail systems are mass early-
releasing inmates [If this keeps up, it will mean -The more crime, the
SHORTER the time in jail per criminal-; don't think that's the way it
should work].)
...there are hard-working (if they could find a job) people who go
unemployed and homeless while ex-convicts make large amounts of money
from their books and lectures?
...our infant mortality rate in among the HIGHEST in the industrialized
world?
...our -middle class- elderly lose their life's savings to our -old age
system-?
...advertisements have to carry -small print- in order to -tell the truth-
(at least, -the truth- in a legal sense)?
If you think any of the preceeding -statements- are erroneous, PLEASE
WRITE IN, leave a note at ED.SOFT; we'll be glad to answer your questions.
If you think you have a good -Doesn't it bother you that...- situation,
PLEASE WRITE IN; we'd love to share it with our readers.
SOURCE OFFER
Special Offer From The SOURCE to readers of ST REPORT/ZMAGAZINE!
Until December 31, 1988, The Source is making a special offer to readers
of ST REPORT who want to signup for an account with *no*membership*fee*!
And with this offer, you receive a $60 credit applied to your first year
of usage. To take advantage of this offer, you'll need your credit card,
call 1-800-336-3366 (in Virginia 1-703-821-6666). Tell the operator who
answers you would like to signup under offer #7BL0U60.
In addition, you may purchase The Source Manual for $12.95 (+$3.50 post-
age and handling). To signup for your account AND order the manual, tell
the operator you'd like to signup under offer #7BM0U60.
COMPUSERVE OFFER
$15 Free Credit for New subscribers of CompuServe!
If you are interested in joining the rest of your neighbors, you can do so
right now, Please send us your name and address and we will forward a
CompuServe sign up kit with 15$ credit. Please include the following
number in your request via email or postal: Z880210
**********************************
SX212 MODEM FIX
**********************************
RS-232 Port of Sx-212
13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
-------------------------------------------------------
\ o o o o o o o o o o o o o /
\ /
\ o o o o o o o o o o o o /
\_______________________________________________/
25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14
1-Protective Ground
2-Transmitted Data
3-Recieved Data
4- not connected
5-Clear to Send
6- not connected
7-Signal Ground
8-Carrier Detect
9-19 not connected
20-DATA TERMINAL READY
21- not connected
22-Ring indicator
23-25 not connected
Serial I/O Port sx-212
2 4 6 8 10 12
-----------------------
/o o o o o o \
/ \
/o o o o o o o \
-------------------------------
1 3 5 7 9 11 13
1-Clock Input
2-Clock Output
3-Data Input
4-Ground
5-Data Output
6-Ground
7-Command
8-Motor Control
9-Proceed
10-+5/Ready
11-Audio Input
12- not connected
13-Interrupt
Those two ports, a hole to adjust the volume, a telephone jack, an on/off
switch, a dc power jack, and some indicator lights are all you get with
this baby. Not really a lot to play with, no nice confusing dip switches
to messup, also no nice dip switches to set dtr to always on.
Therefore to use Shadow backgound Terminal Program to it's fullest some
method must be found to keep the DTR line voltage up during a system
reset, so that you can get out of that game or heaven help us, crash, so
that you can keep from loosing the file you are downloading.
The way to do this is to get an RS232 jumper box and connect pin 1 on
SX-212 to pin 1 on st, and connect pin 2 to 2, pin 3 to 3, 5 to 5, 7 to 7,
8 to 8 and 22 to 22. Then make up a jumper wire that will reach from the
jumper box pin 20 on the modem side to the no.5 pin on the 8-bit SIO port
of the SX-212. to get a connector to fit on the pin of the SIO port you
can tear apart a Radio Shack 276-1538 that cost $2.49 for one connector
to solder on the end of the jumper wire, or hand roll one from an old HO
guage track connector like I did.
Once this is done you will have to use +++ ath0[return] to hang up the
modem, but it wont hang up when you don't want it to.
If anyone knows a way to make the SX212 have DTR always on by sending an
s register command, Please leave me E-mail on Genie to: T.LAMPARTY1
ZMAG HARDWARE DEPARTMENT
Author Unknown
Connecting the Tandy 3 1/2 inch drive to the Atari ST
To connect the Tandy 3 1/2 inch external drive to the ST, the following
connections must be made:
ST Floppy Port Pin Function Tandy Drive Pin
1 Read Data 30
2 Side 0 Select 32
3 Ground Any Odd
4 Index 8
5 Drive 0 Select 10
6 Drive 1 Select 12
7 Ground Any Odd
8 Motor On 16
9 Direction In 18
10 Step 20
11 Write Data 22
12 Write Gate 24
13 Track 00 26
14 Write Protect 28
These connections may be made using two methods. The easiest would be to
take an ST drive cable, cut off one connector, and connect the cable
directly to the 34 pin header on the drive itself. This will directly
bypass the circuit board inside the Tandy drive case. The major drawback
to this method is the fact that you will not be able to unplug the cable
from the drive.
The other method, although more complicated, will allow you to utilize the
30 pin edge connector mounted in the back of the Tandy drive case. First
remove all paths leading to the upper pads of the edge connector and all
paths on the bottom side that do not lead to ground. Wire all connector
pads on the bottom side together so that they all are connected to ground.
At the point where the ribbon cable from the drive is attached to the
circuit board, wire the necessary connections to the pads of the 30 pin
edge connector. Remember, any odd number pin on the drive itself is
ground, so connect one to the bottom connector pads of the circuit board
being modified. Be sure to note each connector pad you are using, and it's
corresponding function. Now attach the ST drive cable to a 30 pin edge
plug in accordance with the wiring accomplished on the circuit board.
Once wiring has been completed, place the jumper on the drive mechanism to
the A0 position. If your computer won't recognize the drive, try the A1
position.
The drive requires 12V 230mA and 5V 240mA for power. I use a standard PC
power supply using either connectors P10 or P11.
Weatherman's Wisdom-October 1988
By:Lawrence R. Estep
INTRODUCTION
------------
This month I begin what I hope will become a monthly feature of this
newsletter. In this article each month, I will review the new and old
(classic) Atari 8-bit programs, talk about rumors, Online services news,
etc. I will also try to keep you up to date with the latest happenings in
the world of Atari itself. I hope you enjoy this article each month, and
I would greatly appreciate any comments, questions, complaints, or
suggestions you have about it!
NEW APPLICATION PROGRAMS FOR THE 8-BITS
---------------------------------------
In the past few months, several new application programs for the Atari
8-bits have been released. Among them, are Newsroom from Springboard, and
Video Title Shop from Datasoft/Electronic Arts, which we will review this
month!
Newsroom
Springboard Software,Inc.
Catalog Sales
7808 Creekridge Circle
Minneapolis,MN 55435-9805
Suggested retail price:$39.95
Equipment Needed: Atari 800XL, 65XE, or 130 XE & Dot-matrix printer.
Optional Equipment: Joystick, 2nd Disk drive.
Yes, Atarians! Finally, we have got a program for publishing purposes for
the 8-bit! After a long write-in campaign by Antic magazine readers,
Springboard finally has developed Newsroom for the Atari, along with 3
data disks ($39.95 for all).
I have found Newsroom a very simple program to use, and it produces great
looking results! The production of a newspaper is simple. You begin in the
banner area to create the banner for your paper (the area on the top of
the first page that includes the title, date, etc.), and then you proceed
to the photo lab, where you choose the graphics you are going to need, and
you take electronic photos of them. After taking your photos, you then
proceed to the copy desk, where you add text, and arrange your panels to
be placed on a page.
After you have arranged your panels, you then go on to the layout area,
where you arrange your pages. The final step in the production is the
press, where you do the actual printing of the paper. An inexperienced
user can produce a 3-page paper in a little over an hour, if they read the
directions before they begin.
Here is what I thought of the program:
-Advantages: Use of joystick to speed layout procedure, ease of use, etc.
-Disadvantages: Slow speed without the use of joystick, inability to
convert and import other graphics into the program, limitation of 2
small,and 3 large fonts,etc.
-Overall rating: ***+- (3 1/2 stars-slightly above average- This program
definitely needs to be revised upon users suggestions to include the
option to import other graphics, and fonts,etc.).
Video Title Shop
Datasoft
19808 Nordhoff Place
Chatsworth,CA 91311
(818) 886-5922
Suggested retail price:$29.95
Requirements: Atari 64k+ home computer, compatible disk drive, TV or
monitor, joystick, blank formatted single-density disks, VCR, videotape.
Video Title Shop for the 8-bits is a rather unique program that allows
you to use your computer to produce titles and introductions for your
videos, or credits for your productions. This program really does not
need a lot of explaination, so we will just get right to the point!
Video title shop lets you use several different fonts from large to small,
which you can add to Micropainter (62-sector) pictures, either included on
the disk, or your own, to produce a stunning graphics display for your
home video productions. This program includes the Micropainter program &
instruction guide, along with the Graphics Companion I disk, which
includes over 30 full screen canvases. An additional disk is available for
$14.95 with more graphics.
Here is what I thought of the program:
-Advantages: Special effects abilities, ability to use other pictures in
production, ease of use,etc.
-Disadvantages: Inability to take advantage of 130XE extra memory, very
slow in loading procedure of graphics, etc.
-Overall rating:***-- (3 stars-Average- as with Newsroom, this program
needs to be revised upon the users suggestions, but I believe that both
programs are worth the money, and that we should buy, and support them!)
HIGH-TECH MOVES
---------------
High-Tech Expressions, makers of Printpower, Awardware,etc. has moved!
Their new information is as follows:
High-Tech Expressions
584 Broadway
Suite 1105
New York,NY 10012
(212) 941-9703
IN OUR NEXT ISSUE
-----------------
<*>Information on 130XE Nickelprint keyboard problem/exchange program.
<*>High-Tech Expressions programs reviewed
<*>And much,much more!
AEL TALK
--------
There will be a special halloween program disk for the 130XE, and regular
8-bits, at the October AEL business meeting in the PD library for $3. For
more information contact Jason Dickens, or Lawrence Estep. We also hope to
have special holiday disks for Thanksgiving and Christmas in the coming
months.
Also,watch for the NEW edition of THE BBS GAZETTE, coming to the Atari
Scene!, and CompuServe soon! It will have complete details on the changes
in THE BBS REPORT, and much, much more!
COPYRIGHT 1988 Atari Exchange Of Louisville,KY
