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| (((((((( | Z*Magazine International Atari 8-Bit Magazine
| (( | ---------------------------------------------
| (( | January 27, 1992 Issue #202
| (( | ---------------------------------------------
| (((((((( | Copyright (c)1992, Rovac Industries, Inc.
| | Post Office Box 59, Middlesex, NJ 08846
| (( |
| (((((( | CONTENTS
| (( |
| | * The Editors Desk..........................Ron Kovacs
| ((( ((( | * Z*Net Newswire......................................
| (((( (((( | * NAMM Show Report...........................John Nagy
| (( (( (( (( | * The Black Box.......................................
| (( (( (( | * 8-Bit Update......................AtariUser Magazine
| (( (( | * Carolyn's Corner......................Carolyn Hoglin
| | * New 8-Bit Support....................Jeff McWilliams
| (( |
| (( (( |
| (((((((( |
| (( (( |
| (( (( | ~ Publisher/Editor..........................Ron Kovacs
| | ~ Contributing Editor........................John Nagy
| (((((((((( | ~ Contributing Editor......................Stan Lowell
| (( | ~ Contributing Editor........................Bob Smith
| (( ((((( | ~ Newswire Staff......................................
| (( (( | ~ Z*Net New Zealand.........................Jon Clarke
| (((((((((( | ~ Z*Net Canada.........................Terry Schreiber
| |
|-------------| $ GEnie Address..................................Z-NET
| ONLINE | $ CompuServe Address........................75300,1642
| AREAS | $ Delphi Address..................................ZNET
| | $ Internet/Usenet Address................status.gen.nz
|-------------| $ America Online Address......................ZNET1991
| |
| Z*NET | * Z*Net:USA New Jersey...(FNET 593).....(908) 968-8148
| SUPPORT | * Z*Net:Golden Gate......(FNET 706).....(510) 373-6792
| SYSTEMS | * Blank Page.........(8-Bit FNET 9002)..(908) 805-3967
=======================================================================
* THE EDITORS DESK by Ron Kovacs
=======================================================================
In a future edition, I would like to publish a list of Atari 8-Bit
support systems. Please help us out by sending in your BBS or favorite
system number in email on any of the services listed above.
FNET UPDATE
The Z*Net Conference is going to be included on AtariBase which debuts
March 1, 1992 in FNET. Beta-Test and hardware set-up is taking place
right now and all users and user groups are enouraged to sign-up for
the Z*Net Online Fnet Conference. Bob Brodie will be participating via
AtariBase, to be called officially, Atari Corporation Online, in the
Z*Net Conference, the Lynx Conference, Star Trek Conference, FoReM
SysOp's Conference and others to be named later.
An additional note, User Groups are encouraged to hook-up to FNET via
FoReM BBS software where Atari will call into your node direct so that
all registered Atari User Groups can participate in the Atari User Group
Conference. This conference, set-up exclusively for Atari User Groups
will provide a communication link to Atari and Bob Brodie from all over
the country.
If your interested in more information on the Z*Net Atari Online
Conference or the Atari User Group Conference, send email today to Node
593 in FNET. Stay tuned for further details as they become available.
Since there is a month before the official debut, some of these comments
may change. You can also contact Node 593 directly at 908-968-8148.
=======================================================================
* Z*NET NEWSWIRE
=======================================================================
PAGESTREAM OFFER - UPDATE
A few months ago, Z*Net published a Soft-Logik User Group offer for a
free copy of PageStream to Registered Atari User Groups. Soft-Logik has
asked the User Groups that responded to the offer for their registered
Atari User Group number, which is non-existent. Atari's Director of
Communications, Bob Brodie does NOT assign any numbers to the groups.
Soft-Logik has been made aware of this and there is no longer a need to
call Atari Corp directly for this number.
ATARI ADS APPEAR IN DISCOVER
Discover Magazine, recently purchased by Disney will include a center-
fold advertisement from Atari for the Portfolio and the new Atari Music
Division. This ad will appear in the February 15th issue. This -World
of Science- subcriber base exceeds 1.2 million readers.
PORTFOLIO SELLS OUT
On December 2, 1991, the Atari Portfolio was unleashed into 20 CompUSA
stores. Last week in Tampa Florida, Atari made arrangements for a
talking Robot powered by a Portfolio for the opening of the store there.
The store sold out several hundred Portfolio's on the opening day. Next
week there are similar openings scheduled in the Philadelphia and
Chicago areas. Atari is also said to be assisting in radio and print
advertising for these stores and events.
=======================================================================
* NAMM - A First Person View by John Nagy
=======================================================================
Atari Corp was virtually the only computer being seriously shown at the
National Association of Music Merchants show last week. Sounds simple
enough, just another trade show, right? Well, yes and no. NAMM is held
twice a year in fashion similar to that of COMDEX (computer trade) and
CES (consumer electronics products). Its a conclave of everything from
sellers of guitar picks to makers of turn-key recording studios for the
stars. It's a trade show in the same sense and scale as the others, but
the emphasis on the musical arts makes it a very different affair... in
the people it brings out.
The Winter NAMM is traditionally held in the Anaheim Convention Center,
just down the street from the original Disneyland in metropolitan Los
Angeles, California. This year, it was Friday through Sunday, January
10-12. Spanning three huge interconnected convention halls, this NAMM
offered more, louder, and more varied music products this year than in
the past. Last year's Winter event was quite subdued, occurring just
after the start of the Gulf War. The Summer event (in Chicago) was
still smaller and lackluster. Recession or no, this NAMM made up for
lost time.
But the mix of PEOPLE was different, too. Far less green hair and see-
through leotards. About the same amount of leather. Far more suits and
ties (Brooks Brothers with Dreadlocks was an -in- look). And more
serious business attitudes all around. In the middle of this musical
phantasmagoria was Atari Corp's booth.
I won't repeat the details of the new Atari Music Division or the FOSTEX
announcements, as they were given in depth last week in Z*Net. But the
-feel- of the show is news in itself.
The Atari area was the largest yet at any NAMM, apropos of Atari's new
commitment to its official new Music Division headed up by James Grunke.
An open area accommodated as many as 25 work stations manned in COMDEX
fashion with a host of third party developers. They included music
specialty developers Hybrid Arts, Thinkware, Roland, Steinberg-Jones,
Dr.T's, C-LAB, Fostex, JLCooper, Interval, Pixel, Korg, Hotz, and many
more, each showing off their latest products for the Atari platform.
For a change, non-musical software was also being shown. Codehead
products, Tracker-ST, Calamus, PageStream, DiamondBack, and many other
productivity titles were shown to musicians who had, in many cases, not
considered using their MIDI computer for anything else.
About a third of the Atari booth was a glass sound studio in which
musicians were able to witness real-time use of Atari computers and
software in a live and recording studio atmosphere. Here is where
fairly continuous demos and press conferences were offered, educating an
eager public to the virtues of Atari.
And eager they were. Where prior NAMM showings brought respectful
attention to Atari, this one brought a searing spotlight. It may be
that only now are musicians realizing their need for computerized help,
and Atari was the ONLY computer company with a satisfying booth. Or it
may be that Atari is increasingly understood as the overall winner in
price, performance, and accuracy when it comes to MIDI applications. I
expect it is both. No APPLE/MAC at this show. No AMIGA. A trifling
IBM booth showing... windows? Atari alone had the music technology
specialty offerings for the entire conflagration of Music Merchants to
view. And they did more than view.
They Bought. They Bought BIG. In the first half day of the three day
show, Atari had already penned more deals at higher bucks than at the
entire show last year. And the sales pace kept up throughout the show.
A major piano and organ chain opened its first purchase of Atari
hardware with a six-figure order. To start. The crowds never let up
inside the Atari booth, even when the isles and surrounding booths were
on the wane. That was unlike any trade show Atari performance I have
ever witnessed. It was EXCITING.
It got more exciting when COMPUTER CHRONICLES, the National PBS computer
series, arrived to interview, tape, and profile lots of people in the
Atari booth. While their special show on MIDI/MUSIC that will air the
week of February 25 will feature all platforms, expect a MAJOR portion
of it to be about the Atari. They were visibly impressed, and filmed
for hours.
It stayed more exciting as countless face-recognition entertainment
personalities sauntered through the booth, picking out what they planned
to get next -- for their Atari. The usuals, including the towering Mick
Fleetwood, of course. Plus everything from jazz to classical to acid to
punk to funk. I recognized many of them by face (thanks to MTV), but
their names aren't part of my repertoire. They signed a big autograph
board, but I couldn't read most of them. Sorry.
The hottest news of the show was the new alliance of FOSTEX and Atari,
with C-Lab, Dr. T's, and Steinberg working together to create the first
automated/computerized control studio. Fostex has integrated MIDI
control of multiple track tape systems. Now, from the Atari console,
full control of any and all tape functions can be executed or assigned
to infinite combinations of controlled MIDI events. The motto is
-Thread it and forget it.- The Atari makes it possible, for the first
time. The impact of this was NOT lost on the endless legion of
professional recording engineers that stood, mouths open and drooling,
over the equipment.
Nor did they miss the impact of the remarkable Hybrid Arts Digital
Master direct-to-disk recording and editing system. Featuring an Atari
ST as the head end, this unit RETAILS for under $5,000, complete, and
can record with CD digital perfection, up to 12 minutes of fully
editable stereo sound. The EX version, to be ready for sale shortly,
will feature 16 tracks and 4 output tracks, for true full recording
studio power in an noise-free ALL ELECTRONIC media. Cheaply.
And the STBook wasn't missed either. As a replacement for the STacy,
the STBook was a hit as the ONLY -notebook- computer anywhere with
built-in MIDI. Atari promised shipping in quantity for March '92. The
line has formed already.
Innovative incentives made potential dealers into signed dealers. A
promotion called -Do the Loop- invited dealers to visit each and every
station in the Atari area, qualifying them for a drawing for a TT030
system. By the time they were qualified, they were typically convinced
to be dealers, too.
The TT gathered support as a new top professional option for MIDI work.
All of Dr. T's products work on at TT, CUBASE has been upgraded for the
TT, and C-Lab has committed to upgrade ALL of their products for use on
the TT030 by year's end.
A music developer conference, numerous press conferences, and a party in
James Grunke's suite on Saturday night firmed up more contacts and
contracts than Atari ever imagined or hoped. NAMM '92 was an
unqualified smash sucess for Atari, establishing it as, if not the ONLY
serious music computer manufacturer, at least the ONLY one who cared
enough to come to the musicians with the tools they need, want, and can
afford.
If this is -Atari '92,- we are in for a GREAT year.
=======================================================================
* THE BLACK BOX
=======================================================================
Information on the BLACK BOX *NOW AVAILABLE* from Computer Software
Services
There has been a great deal of interest since the announcement of the
Black Box, so hopefully this file will answer the majority of questions.
The Black Box is a add-on board for the Atari 600XL (upgraded), 800XL,
and 130XE 8-bit computers. It is a T-shaped board that plugs into the
PBI port of the XL computer, or the ECI and cartridge ports of the
130XE. Connectors for both types of computers are built-in to the Black
Box, so no adaptor boards are necessary. A cartridge port is available
on the board itself for 130XE users, since the board plugs in where
cartridges are normally added. The board is 12 inches wide and 3 inches
deep, sitting back 3 inches from your computer. It has two switches,
two push-buttons, and a set of dip switches on the top.
The Black Box provides many unique and useful functions. The three
primary functions are: RS-232 serial modem port, Parallel printer port,
and a SASI/SCSI hard disk port. A fourth floppy disk port for
connection 3.5- or 5.25- floppy drives will be available at a later
date.
The RS-232 port provides the full RS232 specification signal levels for
a modem, or other serial device. It emulates the Atari 850 interface
very closely, but goes beyond by providing 19,200 baud capability. The
R: driver is built-in to the Black Box, so it does not use ANY user
memory!
The Parallel Printer port interfaces to most all Centronics-type
printers. You may assign the printer number and linefeed options from
within the Black Box's configuration menu. The Black Box also provides
you with a printer buffer, if the board or your computer has extra
memory. A printer buffer allows you to quickly dump your file to be
printed into the buffer memory, then go about your business as the Black
Box sends the data to your printer; a real time saver! The Black Box
will use either its own RAM (if you order the 64K version), or the 130XE
extended memory banks; its all controlled by the configuration menu.
The Hard Disk port is the real reason for the design of the Black Box.
You may connect most any hard disk controller that is SASI or SCSI
compatible, or drives with embedded SCSI controllers. It is totally
compatible with the current versions of MYDOS and SpartaDOS (which both
have a limit of 16 megabytes per logical drive), but a newer version of
MYDOS is provided that is capable of 48 megs per drive. Combine that
with nine drives, and that's over 400 megs available at one time! The
Black Box also provides a conversion toggle for drives capable of 512
byte sectors only. Many of the embedded drives have this limitation,
and previously were unusable. The Black Box splits each 512 byte
sector into two 256 byte sectors, so your DOS will still only see what
it requires. Another advantage is storage space. Many drives/
controllers will give you more storage when using 512 byte sectors, some
as much as 15% more! Currently, format software for the Black Box
supports the following drives/controllers: Adaptec 4000A and 4070, Xebec
S1410, Western Digital 1002SHD, OMTI 352x controllers, and all Maxtor
and Seagate embedded SCSI drives.
A partition is defined as a part of the hard disk which is seen by the
computer as a separate disk disk drive. Since many hard disks are very
large, it is useful to create several partitions of the drive, instead
of one single drive, as your DOS sees it. The Black Box goes one step
further in not only letting you define the partition for each of your 9
available drives, but allows you to have a list of up to 96 partitions,
with names! Since a partition can be very small, you can make up
several small partitions of 720 sectors (the same length as a standard
floppy disk), and sector-copy any of your non-protected programs to
these partitions. Now you can swap that partition in as drive 1, and
boot your program at hard disk speed!
The configuration menu is the 'heart' of the Black Box. You can enter
the menu from anywhere you are by simply pressing one of the buttons on
the board. You may now edit the hard disk configuration, exchange drive
numbers, enable/disable the modem and printer ports, or go into the 6502
monitor. After you are finished, pressing ESCAPE will put you right
back into the program you were using! No memory or screen display is
destroyed by using the menu!
The 6502 monitor is very handy for machine language programmers. How
often have you wondered where your program was, or what caused an
apparent 'lock-up'? Entering the monitor will show you all the
processor registers, and display the disassembly of the instruction it
was about to execute when you entered pressed the button. Users of
MAC/65's DDT will feel right at home with the monitor's use.
The Black Box has other 'goodies' in it. Any communication with your
floppy drive will be in high speed if you are using a XF-551, a modified
1050, or a happy 810. This will work with just about ANY DOS or
utility!
A text or graphics printer dump of your current screen may be done at
any time by pressing one of the buttons on the Black Box. (The graphics
dump is only available for dot-matrix printers capable of graphics.)
You may write-protect ALL of your hard disks by flipping another switch
on the board. This can be a real life-saver when running a new piece of
software. The Black Box provides disk I/O tones with separate pitches
for disk reads and writes to your hard disk, so you can hear what's
going on! This option may be disabled within the configuration menu.
The Black Box also provides support for users who have used a MIO
previously to store data on a hard disk. The MIO actually stores data
inverted; this is fine as long as the MIO reads it, but when another
host adaptor reads the same data, it will be meaningless. By setting a
dip switch, a previous MIO user will now be able to access all the data
on his drive with the Black Box, with a small sacrifice of speed.
If you have any more questions, please feel free to call. User group
and dealer discounts are available. The retail price of the Black Box
with no buffer ram is $199.95, and with 64K, $249.95.
Computer Software Services
P.O. Box 17660
Rochester, NY 14617 (716) 586-5545
=======================================================================
* 8-BIT UPDATE
=======================================================================
The following article is reprinted in Z*Net by permission of AtariUser
magazine and Quill Publishing. It MAY NOT be further reprinted without
specific permission of Quill. AtariUser is a monthly Atari magazine,
available by subscription for $18 a year. For more information on
AtariUser, call 800-333-3567.
Many of you classic users have had difficulties getting product, or
knowing who offers what. Well, here is your AtariUser 8-bit RESOURCE to
answer all of those questions!
Major Hardware/Software Developers for 8-bit Products:
Computer Software Services is your contact for high performance
upgrades. CSS offers several different ROM upgrades for both Atari 8-
bit disk drives and computers. In addition to system RAM upgrades and a
flock of utilities, there is a product called the MULTIPLEXER which will
allow multiple classic computers to be interconnected, with the
capability of sharing peripherals. The ultimate upgrade for the XL/XE
systems offered by CSS is the BLACK BOX, which is a combination serial
port, parallel printer port, hard disk host adapter, and floppy disk
enhancer. A couple of additional unique features built into the 'BB'
are a machine code debugger, and a print screen button. An expansion
connector on the 'BB' will allow connection of parallel floppy drives
(availability to be announced). CSS offers complete hard drive
solutions, or just the components you need to finish off your custom
design. You can talk to Bob at (716) 429)5639, or by mail at CSS, P.O.
Box 17660, Rochester NY 14617. CSS also operates a24-hour BBS which can
be called at (716) 247-7157, using 300, 1200, or 2400 baud.
Innovative Concepts offers a wide assortment of used software and
hardware, in addition to several different memory upgrades for your
computer and enhancements for your disk drives. 'IC' has a large list
of Printshop clipart and printer drivers, and a whole line of budget
priced Public domain, shareware and commercial software. Contact Mark
at (313) 293-0730, or write to I.C. at 31172 Shawn Drive, Warren MI
48093.
One of the original and reliable resources for classic users looking for
dependable products is ICD, Inc. Sadly, ICD is clearing out their 8-bit
products (this may be your last chance to get that ICD product you have
had your eye on!). One of ICD's most known products is their disk
operating system called SPARTADOS. The latest version of SpartaDOS is
called SDX, and is a plug in piggy-back cartridge, with many advanced
features including a MSDOS look to their command line. A real-time
clock cartridge called RTIME-8 is also offered by ICD and supported by
SpartaDOS. If you need more RAM, their RAMBO upgrade will allow your XL
(800XL and 1200XL) to be upgraded to 256K of memory, which is supported
by various utilities and SpartaDOS. The P:R: connection is an
inexpensive alternative to other serial and parallel adapters, and will
work on all of the 8-bit systems (1200XL will require minor
modifications).
If you only need a printer interface, the PRINTER CONNECTION is the
answer. For a complete solution to connectivity, the MIO (Multi-I/O)
box will work with 600XL, 800XL, or 130XE (XE requires an adapter)
computer to provide serial, parallel, and hard disk support. MIO's are
available in either 256K or 1Meg RAMT and/or RAMdisk selectable by the
built in configuration menu. The complete OSS line of languages
including BASIC XL, BASIC XE, MAC/65, and Action! are also marketed by
ICD. ICD can be contacted at (815)-968-2228 by voice, or (815)-968-2229
is their BBS number. Mail can be sent to ICD Inc., 1220 Rock Street,
Rockford Illinois 61101-1437.
ReeveSoft, as featured in the June '91 issue of ATARIUSER, offers the
Diamond Graphical Operating System. This is a plug in cartridge which
contains the complete GOS in ROM (a disk version is also available).
They also have several programs which are Diamond compatible, including
Diamond Write, Diamond Paint, and Diamond News Station. For more
details on these, refer to the June ATARIUSER magazine, or contact
ReeveSoft by phone (312) 393-2317, or mail at: 29W150 Old Farm Lane,
Warrenville IL 60555.
Alpha Systems produces a variety of software and hardware products for
your favorite machine. The Parrot II sound digitizer allows you to
capture sounds with your computer, and play them back later. Alpha
Systems also markets a whole series of books and software relating to
Software protection and system optimization. They can be contacted by
phone at (216) 374-7469, or you can write them at 1012 Skyland Drive,
Macedonia, OH 44056.
DataQue, maker of the Turbo-816 CPU upgrade, is one of the few 8-bit
developers still expanding their product line by developing new products
and acquiring a few from others. Recently DataQue added the TransKey
adapter to their catalog, which is a small PC board which will allow you
to attach an IBM/PC/XT/AT keyboard to your 8-bit system. Other products
offered by DataQue include a line of MS-DOS cross-development utilities
(to target the Atari 8-bit systems), the Turbo-Calc spreadsheet, and
currently in development the Turbo-C8 'C' language development
cartridge. For more information, contact DataQue on GEnie/Delphi with
the username of DataQue, or CIS PPN of 71777,3223. Additional
information can be also requested by mail at Post Office Box 134,
Ontario, OH 44862-0134.
Replacement Parts, Software, and Hardware:
These companies have many hard to find hardware and software items at
reasonable prices. If you need a replacement part for one of your
systems, or a program no longer in distribution, here are *the* contacts
to check first (in alphabetical order):
American Techna-Vision
15338 Inverness Street
San Leandro, CA 94579 (415) 352-3787
Best Electronics
San Jose, CA 95126 (408) 243-6950
B&C ComputerVisions
3256 Kifer Road
Santa Clara, CA 95051 (408) 749-1003
San Jose Computers
640 Blossom Hill Road
San Jose, CA 95123 (408) 224-8575
Software/Hardware Mail Order Houses:
These mail order outlets offer a wide variety of software and/or
hardware for your 8-bit Atari system:
Black Moon Systems
P.O. Box 152
Wind Gap, PA 18091
Compsult
Post Office Box 3233
San Luis Obispo, CA 93403-3233 (805) 544-6616
Marcel Programming
298 Fifth Avenue Suite 141
New York, NY 10001
Software Clinic
4916 Del-Ray Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814 (301) 656-7983
Team Computers
22205 Kelly Road
East Detroit, MI 48021 (313) 445-2983
Toad Computers
556 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd
Severna Park, Maryland 21146 (301) 544-6943
Public Domain and Shareware Software Distributors:
If you are interested in Public Domain, or shareware software, and
other online services, the following companies offer such software at
reasonable prices:
Software Infinity
642 East Waring Avenue
State College, PA 16801
Sagamore Software
2104 Arapahoe Dr.
Lafayette, IN 47905
BellCom
PO Box 1043
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9J7A5
BRE Software
352 West Bedford Ave, Suite 104
Fresno, CA 93711
M.W.P.D.S.
890 N. Huntington St
Medina, OH 44256
Vulcan Software
P.O.B. 692
Manassas, VA 22111-0692
National Magazines which support the Atari 8-bit Systems:
Prices listed are for one year subscriptions. Some magazines run
promotional specials from time to time, so inquire about any specials
when you order. All prices are in US dollars.
AtariUser
113 W College St
Covina, CA 91723 (818) 332-0372
12 Issues/year @ $18
Free through user groups
Current Notes
122 N. Johnson Rd.
Sterling, VA 22170 (703) 450-4761
10 issues/year @ $27.00
participating user group rates available
Atari Interface Magazine
c/o Unicorn Publications
3487 Braeburn Circle
Ann Arbor, MI 48108 (313) 973-8825
participating user group rates available
ZMAGAZINE Online Atari Magazine
(8-bit support electronic newsletter)
Z*Net/Rovac Industries
P.O. Box 59
Middlesex, NJ 08846
BBS: (908) 968)8148
Published roughly monthly, available on GEnie, CompuServe, Delphi,
F-Net, and private BBS systems - no subscription fee.
=======================================================================
* CAROLYN'S CORNER by Carolyn Hoglin
=======================================================================
This month's column is a departure from my usual discussion about word
processing. But it does involve printing - the printing of color
graphics.
So far as I am aware, there are only two programs for the 8-bit Atari
that will print screen graphics in full color: YEMACYB/4, by Michael L.
Clayton; and PicPrint, by Kyle Dain.
Each of these programs is designed for Epson-compatible printers using
four-color ribbons. They employ a clever combination of yellow, red,
blue, and black in dot patterns created in a 4 x 4 matrix that result in
a hardcopy printout that may include any or all of the 128 colors
available on the 8-bit Atari. Sample picture files are included with
each program.
Having only four colors in a color ribbon would seem to allow only seven
hues plus the white of the paper, since red and yellow make orange, red
and blue make purple, and blue and yellow make green (didn't I learn
that in kindergarten?). However, the program analyzes the color of each
pixel on the screen and mixes the colors of the ribbon in varying
proportions in an attempt to achieve a printout that matches the screen
display as closely as possible.
A color's dot pattern may be made up of only one dot for a very pastel
effect, or as many as 16 for the brightest hue. For instance, a pale
pink might use only the red ribbon in a pattern of widely separated
dots, allowing a lot of white to dilute the red. Orange would be
achieved by printing yellow followed by red. Yellow and red would each
be printed in the dot pattern required by the shade of orange in the
picture. Each pass of the printhead prints first yellow, then red,
blue, and black as required by the program's color analysis.
Paint programs usually employ GRAPHICS 15 which allows your choice of
four colors per picture consisting of 192 rows of 160 pixels each. To
increase the apparent number of colors in a picture, a variety of
patterns composed of the four colors are provided. YEMACYB/4 and
PicPrint faithfully reproduce these patterns as well as the solid
colors. With the judicious use of DLI's (Display List Interrupts -
usually only understood by advanced programmers), a picture can even
display all 128 colors at the same time.
I have found that pictures loaded into either of these fine programs
produce printouts virtually identical to one another. However, the
programs themselves differ in many ways.
YEMACYB/4
You may have guessed that the title of this program (pronounced
-YEM-a-sibe-) comes from the hues of a standard color ribbon - yellow,
magenta, cyan, and black. (Magenta and cyan look pretty much like red
and blue to most of us.)
Incidentally, the original version of this program (-YEMACYB- without
the -/4-) is for non-color Epson-compatible printers and involves
passing the same sheet of paper through your printer four times using
individual yellow, red, blue, and black ribbons. The program provides a
means of precisely aligning the paper before each pass. While the
procedure is rather tedious and time-consuming, the final result is the
same as if printed on an Epson JX-80 or a Star NX-1000r.
This program requires BASIC, but is self booting. There are no DOS or
AUTORUN.SYS files on the program disk, nor are they necessary. Only
Drive 1 is supported. The program documentation states that your
graphic file must be in standard 62-sector format (either GRAPHICS 7 or
GRAPHICS 7+ [GRAPHICS 15]), but I found that it would load some, but not
all, compressed files as well.
After the file is loaded, the picture is displayed on the screen.
Touching a key brings you to the color change menu. At this point, you
may choose to change your picture to monochrome. Or, if you are
printing in color, here is where you have the opportunity to change the
colors in each register (line by line, if you wish). Unless you have a
listing of the pokes to memory locations 708, 709, 710, and 712, and the
colors they produce, this is likely to be a lengthy trial-and-error
procedure. You may also load DLI data that has been saved on disk.
When you have finished your changes, the picture is redisplayed for your
approval. You may go back to the color change menu as many times as
necessary. There is no provision to restore the original colors, or to
go from monochrome back to color without reloading the picture.
When you are satisfied with your picture, you have the opportunity to
save the color changes you have made. This color data is not saved in a
DOS format, but is unconditionally written, for future use, on the last
six sectors of whatever single-density disk is in the drive.
My test picture took about 15 minutes to print and was centered on the
paper both vertically and horizontally. The number of the column being
printed is displayed on the screen, beginning with 159 and counting down
to 0. While printing is in progress, it can be either paused
temporarily or aborted.
With the differences among monitors, printers, ribbons, and paper, you
may find that the printout does not match the screen display exactly.
Included with YEMACYB/4 is a separate utility program to create your own
modified color pallette to use instead of the default pallette provided.
There are five more utility programs provided, as well as a menu to
select them from. You must first load your favorite DOS, then run
MENU.BAS.
The program YFLIPPER.BAS will mirror flip a Micropainter picture file in
GRAPHICS 7 or GRAPHICS 15, and resave it to disk.
YSAVUSCR.BAS enables you to capture to disk a GRAPHICS 7 or GRAPHICS 15
picture that is displayed in a BASIC program.
YDLISCON.BAS will convert that DLI data from the last 6 sectors to a DOS
file and back again.
YBAREBON.BAS is a few-frills GRAPHICS 7 editor with text entry
capability.
YWINDOWS.BAS confused me. Documentation needs to be provided for this
program.
YEMACYB/4 is a powerful program that does what it claims very well
indeed. A very nice feature is the file COLCHART.PIC which creates a
full-screen 128-color display that also functions as a reference color
chart when printed. The DLI data on the program disk makes this
possible. This reference chart is a great help when creating a custom
pallette. The documentation includes a chart of the 45 dot patterns
used to create various hues which makes the concept much more
understandable.
On the negative side, I found the program somewhat awkward to use at
times, and wished it were possible to redisplay my picture without going
round and round in the menu. If you load the wrong picture by mistake,
you must proceed as if you intend to print it through quite a few
commands before finally being offered the option of starting over.
Michael L. Clayton
Electronical Software
P.O. Box 8035
Rochester, MI 48063 (313) 942-9504
PicPrint
This program is extremely user friendly and has the immediate advantage
of being able to load and display graphic files from just about any
paint program written for the 8-bit Atari. In many cases the program
automatically identifies the type of graphic file and displays it
accordingly. A few files produced by programs using GRAPHICS 7,
GRAPHICS 8, or mixed screens are loaded by pressing console keys
according to instructions.
Another advantage is that it supports not only Epson-compatibles, but
also Atari XMM-801, and Canon thermal printers, in color or black-and-
white. All drives are supported, including ramdisks.
After the picture is loaded, it is displayed with an overlaid menu
window which provides a great many useful options. Pressing -V- allows
viewing of the entire picture until another key is pressed to bring back
the menu.
If you have selected a non-color printer, your picture is shown in
monochrome. If you have a color printer, but want to make a monochrome
printout (using a black or another single-color ribbon), you can change
the display to black and white.
In either case, you can change each color register by choosing its
number (1 through 4) and then pressing + or - keys. I especially like
the way you get instant feedback when making these changes.
Display List Interrupt data cannot be originated from the program, but
pressing -D- will load the .P? files from Philip Price's PD Painter
program files. These files provide for displaying up to 128 colors in
one picture. The DLI's won't show on your screen, but they will print
on paper.
You may also flip your picture - very useful for making T-shirt
iron-ons.
Pictures may be changed to and from GRAPHICS 8 monochrome mode. Whether
you actually see monochrome on your screen depends upon what kind of
Atari and monitor you are using. If you have an XE computer that
outputs separate chroma and luma and a monitor and cord that supports
this, the picture appears in black and white. If you are using an XL
computer, or your monitor or cord only supports composite video, you may
see a lot of purple and green due to artifacting. Since these colors
are not -real- colors, they will not be printed as such, even on a color
printer.
In this GRAPHICS 8 mode, you can also switch to a negative image. This
is great for pics that normally display white on a black background.
Another plus is that you can restore colors in GRAPHICS 15 pics if you
messed them up or have changed them to black and white.
You can save your picture in standard 62-sector uncompressed format for
use with other programs.
If you press -C-, the values of the color registers will be shown on the
screen (behind the menu window). Unless you also want them on your
printed picture for some reason, I don't advise using this option, as
there is no way to undo it short of reloading your picture!
When you are ready to print your picture, you can use console keys to
enable double strike (great when your ribbon is fading) and/or disable
ANTIC DMA to speed up the printing. (For some reason, this last feature
didn't work for me.) The test picture I printed took about 18 minutes
to finish. A nice touch is the moving bar on screen indicating printing
progress. The printout will be centered horizontally, but not
vertically, so you need to set your paper so that printing begins about
one inch from the top.
There are many factors that affect matching the colors on screen to the
colors printed on paper. Try displaying the same picture on two
different monitors, or on a monitor and a TV set. They seldom are the
same. So which one is PicPrint to match? If you can see that the
colors are not going to satisfy you, you can abort the printing, reload
the pic and adjust the colors. There is no programmed pause-and-resume-
printing feature, but I noted that setting my printer off-line did not
cause an error for a good 30 seconds.
Included on the program disk are two valuable utility programs.
CONVERT.COM will convert pics to and from GRAPHICS 8, ST PI3, and IBM
monochrome format. PAINTR.COM is Philip Price's DLI program. A brief
explanation of PAINTR.COM is included with PicPrint, but you should
really read the documentation in ANTIC Magazine's September 1984 issue
to get the full benefit of this sophisticated and powerful program.
Patrick Dell'era's enhancements to this program are documented in
ANTIC's March 1985 issue.
PicPrint is a compiled TurboBasic program and must be run on an Atari XL
or XE computer. It will not run correctly under the OmniView OS, and
you must be sure to disable BASIC when booting. If I could change
anything, I would add the ability to pause the printout, and possibly
disable BASIC automatically. But this is nitpicking. If you have a
color printer (or even if you don't), contact Kyle Dain to purchase
PicPrint!
Kyle Dain
MKD Systems
125 Goodview Drive
Apollo, PA 15613 (412) 727-7987
=======================================================================
* NEW 8-BIT SUPPORT by Jeff McWilliams
=======================================================================
Heads Up, Atari 8-Bitters!! This Is For YOU!
Beginning 1992, the Atari 8-bit computers- and the community of USERS
who still cherish these machines- have been officially discarded by
Atari Corporation.
BUT WE REFUSE TO ROLL OVER AND DIE AT ATARI'S COMMAND!!
We believe there are enough of us left to pursue our 8-bit interests
independently of Atari Corporation.
Would you like to see a common forum in which users, developers, and
vendors can communicate? A print medium wherein advertisers can be
assured of reaching their intended audience, and where users can look
with confidence for information about new products? A user-oriented
publication to fill the void left by the collapse of ANTIC and ANALOG?
My name is Jeff McWilliams, and I'm a dedicated 8-bit user. I want to
present the Atari 8-bit community the chance to gather under one
publication dedicated exclusively to the Atari 8-bit computers. A
magazine that will unite our community and give it the strength it needs
to survive. A forum where users can ask tough questions and read
unvarnished product reviews. A magazine whose ads will be almost
exclusively from 8-bit vendors.
I propose a write-in campaign to Atari Interface Magazine, asking for a
separate, exclusively 8-bit magazine called -Atari Classics-. Atari
Interface Magazine already has a strong presence in the Atari community.
For several years AIM has been a combined ST/8-bit magazine whose
publishers have indicated a willingness to support the Atari 8-bit
community as long as interest warrants it. NOW is the time to ask them
for our own magazine!
As Campaign Manager, I will act as the focus for this effort. Now, you
might be wondering, -WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?-. That part is EASY!
Just SEND me your NAME and POSTAL MAILING ADDRESS. I will mail you a
FREE Information Kit describing our goals in greater detail. Included
with the Kit is a stamped postcard on which you can express your
interests and willingness to subscribe to an exclusively 8-bit magazine.
(Or, if you disagree with our approach, you can just toss it away and
that will be the end of it- BUT WE DON'T THINK YOU WILL!) You'll also
be invited to indicate your willingness to PARTICIPATE in the magazine
DIRECTLY by being a regular columnist, editor, or just writing about a
special project you did or review a product you used.
Ben Poehland, the former 8-bit Editor of Current Notes Magazine, is
fully supporting this campaign and has offered to donate his services to
-Atari Classics- when repairs to his fire-damaged home are completed
later this year.
The cutoff date for receiving the postcard responses is: MARCH 31, 1992
If by that time I have received 500 positive commitments via postcard,
they will all be sent to AIM along with a petition requesting the
formation of our proposed exclusive 8-bit publication -Atari Classics-.
If I receive less than 500 replies, then we will know that the 8-bit
community has indeed become a lost and hopeless society.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT. THIS MAY BE THE LAST OPPORTUNITY YOU WILL HAVE TO
KEEP YOUR MACHINE ALIVE AND SHARE EXPERIENCES WITH FELLOW USERS.
IMPORTANT!! Only the OFFICIAL Campaign postcards will be accepted!
Those responding by other means will be mailed an Information Kit with
which they can register their official response. Regrettably, due to
limitations of time and cost, the Campaign will be restricted to
addresses in the USA only. However, unofficial responses from outside
the USA are welcome and will be included in the final count.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND MONEY! If anyone wishes to assist the Campaign, they
can do so by posting this release in its unmodified entirety to other
on-line services, BBS's, usergroups, friends, and vendors. Additional
assistance can be rendered by gatheringnames and addresses of Atari 8-
bit owners and furnishing them to me so I can mail them an Information
Kit.
Jeff McWilliams
2001 G. Woodmar Dr.
Houghton, MI 49931-1017
Genie address is J.MCWILL
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