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Atari Explorer Online Issue 1992 02
** ** ** Atari Explorer Online Magazine ** ** **
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May 15, 1992 - Issue #92-02
The Official Atari Online Journal
(c)1992, Atari Corporation
| | | Atari Explorer Online Staff | | |
Publisher..................................Bob Brodie
Editor In Chief............................Ron Kovacs
Columnist...................................Ed Krimen
Columnist..............................Ron Berinstein
| | | CONTENTS | | |
|||> The Editors Desk.........................Ron Kovacs
|||> The Z*Net Newswire.................................
Latest Atari News and Community Update
|||> Atari User Group Show Update.......................
Connecticut AtariFest 1992
|||> Perusing GEnie............................Ed Krimen
Messages updating Gemulator, Atari Laser printers,
ISAC and AlbertTT and more....
|||> Migraph OCR......................John L. McLaughlin
Review of a New Migraph product.
|||> Consider The Alternatives............Sheldon Winick
Reprint from GEnie Lamp. Interesting comments from
the Atari dealer point of view.
|||> What's New In PD For The Portfolio.......Ron Kovacs
New files available from the Official Atari Support
site for the Portfolio.
|||> Building A Scan-Board..................Marvin Purdy
An article for hand-scanner owners!
|||> ST Format News Pages...............................
Latest Atari happenings from the UK.
|||> New ST Online Magazine.............................
STe News
|||> 8-Bit Update.......................................
Z*Magazine Issue #207, Contents.
|||> AEO Featured File...................John Jainschigg
View Degas Pictures. (File Attached to Issue)
| | | THE PUBLISHERS WORKSTATION
| | | By Bob Brodie
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to the second edition of Atari Explorer Online. Thanks for
making the first issue of our new magazine such a roaring success. The
inaugural edition of Atari Explorer Online achieved record downloads on
GEnie. Last time I checked, it was way past the 1200 download marker!
Thanks for your backing of our efforts.
This edition marks a significant change from our initial plans. Atari
has long planned to bring Atari Explorer back to Sunnyvale from the
east coast. We've always believed that having the staff in house would
be more cost effective, as well as make access to the latest technology
easier for our journalists. The time for this move has come. With the
transition to the West Coast comes other changes as well. Publisher
John Jainschigg has decided to stay in New York, and will put out one
more issue of the print version of Atari Explorer. We had hoped to be
able to convince John that California is a great place to be, but he
loves New York.
John, I know that everyone that has ever read one of "your" issues of
Atari Explorer will miss you. You have set new standards of excellence
in the past few issues of Atari Explorer. I have admired your work,
appreciated you as a colleague, and enjoyed our friendship in all of
the activities that we've shared. We have to find a new editor, but no
one will replace you my friend. Who else would have the audacity to
start a topic for the magazine on GEnie entitled "Subscribe to Atari
Explorer - The best magazine in the Universe"! Or to respond to some
of the online barbs by saying that you would rather discuss the latest
PRINCE video? Your glib sense of humor, and intellectual prowess will
be a tough void for anyone to fill. Thanks for everything, you will be
missed.
Lest all of our readers worry, my taking over as publisher of Atari
Explorer Online is only a temporary situation. We are actively
recruiting for someone to follow in the substantial footsteps of John
Jainschigg. This challenge is sure to attract a lot of interested
people. If you're one of them, let me know! I've merely jumped in
here as a stop-gap measure until the new leadership is in place here in
Sunnyvale. Our goals haven't changed, and they won't. We still want
Atari Explorer Online to be the best way to get information off of our
Atari's, and onto to yours. Thanks to the considerable talents of Ron
Kovacs, that will be an easier task than if I was having to do it
myself.
Thanks for reading Atari Explorer Online. Here's how you contact me to
convey your impressions of our latest offerings:
GEnie: BOB-BRODIE
Delphi: BOBBRO
FNET: Bob Brodie at Node #706
BBS: 510-373-6792
CIS: 70007,3240
Voice: 408-745-2052
FAX: 408-745-2088
| | | THE EDITORS DESK
| | | By Ron Kovacs
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
Although I have worked with John Jainschigg a short time, I enjoyed it
and found the news a surprise, but I am sure John made the best
decision. His talents will be missed.
While we continue to construct this magazine, please keep the comments
coming as we feel they are important and let us know where to tweak
future releases.
All Atari Explorer Online issues may be carried in User Group libraries
and articles reprinted in User Group Newsletters. The only reprint
not permitted are in commercial publications or where it is stated at
the top of articles.
Again, thanks for the encouraging response to Issue #1. See you in 2
weeks!
| | | Z*NET NEWSWIRE
| | | From the Z*Net News Service
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
AUA RETURNS
Eric Lambeth, former Librarian and columnist for the AUA has taken over
the Atari Users Association. In a press release earlier this week,
Eric detailed the problems that have been occuring within the
organization. Quoting the release, Eric stated: "Last summer, the AUA
undertook a very strong anti-piracy campaign, which included, among
other things, the forwarding of certain information about certain
pirate BBS's/individuals to the authorities. Although it may be a
coincidence, it appears that someone did not like this campaign very
much. The next month, A total phone bill of $1864 was received due to
phone "phreaking." Of this amount, we settled for aproximately half of
it with the PUC and Ma Bell. The AUA budget, including all membership
dues, was paid out to cover the phreaked phone charges. On March 10 of
this year, I returned from a 9-month stay in Germany. Shortly
thereafter, Derek Signorini told me the basics of what had happened.
I offered to take up the operation of the AUA, as I still have faith in
the Atari community and would like to try to breathe some life back
into the organization."
CODEHEAD ANNOUNCES CALLIGRAPHER
CodeHead Technologies has announced exclusive representation in the US
and Canada of Calligrapher, developed in Great Britain by Working
Title. Calligrapher runs under all versions of TOS in all resolutions
except Low. Standard GEM interface includes a complete desktop, with
moveable icons for your documents, trashcan, clipboard, etc. Editable
dictionary and spell checker, tables and formulae, mail merge with
personalizing and conditional selectivity, hyphenation with
configurable rules, headers, footers, and footnotes. Calligrapher
supports a number of printers, including 9-pin, 24- pin, NEC P6, HP
Laserjet+, Laserjet II, Epson GQ3500, and Atari SLM804/605.
Calligrapher will be available on May 15th. For more information
contact CodeHead Technologies, PO Box 74090, Los Angeles, CA 90004,
(213) 386-5735.
NEW SILHOUETTE VERSION RELEASED
Maxwell C.P.U. has announced Version 1.37 of the bit-image, vector
graphics drawing program Silhouette. For registered users of versions
1.25 or higher, this release is offered as an update - free of charge.
Enhancements to Version 1.37 include: Advanced bezier curve handling,
shipment of Silhouette with FONT-GDOS, direct Silhouette print function
and convertibility of FSM outline fonts to vector objects. Silhouette
will soon offer the option of interfacing with the ScanLite desk
accessory by the WizWorks. This will allow owners of handscanners and
ScanLite to scan images directly into Silhouette. For more information
contact Maxwell C.P.U., PO BOX 576, Louisville, CO 80027-9998, (303)
666-7754.
GEMULATOR SEPTEMBER RELEASE EXPECTED
Gemulator, the Atari ST emulator for DOS based PC clones, is expected
for a release in September at the Glendale Atarifest. Darek Mihocka
announced that production of plug-in boards for beta testing has begun
and may be pre-ordered for $199 (U.S. funds) until August 31, 1992,
after which time the regular price will be $399. The price includes the
Gemulator plug-in board and emulation software. TOS ROMs may also be
ordered. For more information, you can contact BAS between 8 pm and
11 pm Pacific time Monday through Thursday nights. Branch Always
Software, 14150 N.E. 20th St., Suite 302, Bellevue, WA 98007, Phone/
FAX: 206-885-5893.
NEW PROSPECTIVE UPI OWNER
Pat Robertson, prospective new owner of UPI intends to maintain the
wire service as an independent operation free from his personal views.
Robertson entered a high bid of $6 million for UPI at a bankruptcy
auction this Tuesday and has until June 30 to finalize the purchase of
the 84-year-old news agency.
| | | ATARI USER GROUP SHOW UPDATE
| | | Location: Windsor Locks, Connecticut
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
Local Atari computer user groups are joining forces to stage a two-day
computer show later this year in Hartford, Conn. An umbrella
organization representing Atari users in Fairfield County and the
Danbury and New Haven regions has announced dates and site for
Connecticut AtariFest '92. The event is scheduled for August 15 and
16, 1992 at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport,
Windsor Locks, Conn.
The show is being sponsored by the ACT Atari Group [Affiliated
Connecticut (CT) Groups], an umbrella organization comprised of these
Atari user groups:
F.A.C.E. (Fairfield County)
S.T.A.R.R. (New Haven area)
D-BUG (Danbury area)
A.U.G.O.G.H (Greater Hartford)
To date, the following exhibitors have agreed to participate in
Connecticut AtariFest '92: Atari Computer Corporation, Atari Explorer
magazine, the Boston Computer Society, The Computer Zone, GEnie,
Gribnif Software, GFA Basic, Joppa Software Development, Sam Ash Music
Inc., Step Ahead Software, Soft-Logik Publishing, Tidbit Software, Toad
Computers, and ICD Inc.
The show will showcase the latest Atari products and services, and will
include seminars on desktop publishing and video production, hands-on
instruction from manufacturers and software developers, MIDI
demonstrations, giveaways, 8 bit support, a petting zoo, a swap room
and much more.
The ACT Group has just announced that there will be an exciting dinner
dance Saturday evening featuring luminaries from the Atari market. The
core band will be composed of Atari Explorer's John Jainschigg and
Peter Donoso, as well as Sam Ash's Fadi Hayek. Interested musicians
are invited to sit in. At the cocktail hour, during the buffet, and
between the live sets, pre-recorded Atari produced synthesized music
will be played for your listening pleasure. With a spacious dance
floor, cash bar and plenty of room for schmoozing, this should be a
wonderful and fun evening.
With some of the best names, latest products, and top vendors in the
Atari market, we think you'll find the CT Fest to be both thrilling and
educational. With a major emphasis on the musical side of the ST/TT
(via major vendors like Sam Ash and Manny's Music). We'll have non-
stop performances by live and studio musicians both days. Of course,
other aspects like DTP, graphics, video, telecomm, etc will be equally
represented. Raffles, door prizes, swap rooms, hands on DTP classes,
desktop video classes and more! Smack dab between New York and Boston,
this may be the highlight of the summer!
The following are some of the special interest areas we will be
highlighting:
MIDI - In addition to the Sat. night entertainment, we will have
continuous musical activities, involving both performance and
classes. Representatives from Sam Ash Music Stores and Manny's
Music will be on hand, as will several important software
vendors. We will have a synthesizer set up for all who wish to
bring in any pre-recorded samples on floppy disk or casssette
tape.
DTP - Representatives will be on hand to demonstrate Pagestream,
Calamus and Publisher 2 in both a booth setting as well as in a
classroom environment. Come see some of these exciting new
products!
Port - The Atari Portfolio will be spotlighted as an exciting link to
the desktop environment. Its size, portability, convienience
and extensive capabilities will be demonstrated throughout the
show. Telecommunications, word processing, P(ersonal)
I(nformation M(anagement), file transfer and many other features
will be shown.
Atari Petting Zoo - Representatives from dozens of User's groups will
be showing a wide variety of their created applications, ranging from
business to entertainment. Several workstations will be in continuous
operation, allowing attendees to work with the systems directly. Come
see what your fellow Atarians have created!
8-Bit- We have a strong 8-Bit presence here in New England, and we will
be making every effort to support our friends. With the noted
8-bit hardware vendor ICD Inc. present, we expect there will be
some wheeling and dealing going on.
Finally, we will be having tons of prize giveaways, and a very exciting
raffle for the grand prize!
For more information about attending or exhibiting at Connecticut
AtariFest '92, contact Brian Gockley, chairman, 18 Elmwood Avenue,
Bridgeport, CT 06605 [Phone (203) 332-1721], or Doug Finch @ (203)
637-1034.
| | | PERUSING GENIE
| | | Compiled by Ed Krimen
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
The following messages have not been edited and were captured from the
GEnie Telecommunications Service. Each topic contains the category
where the message was taken and the topic.
ALBERTTT & ISAC UPDATE
-=> In the "Hardware" category (4)
-=> from the "Dover Research Corp. (AlberTT & ISAC)" topic (28)
Message 125 Sun May 10, 1992
J.CRASWELL at 14:57 EDT
Great news for those who want the STANDARD in high res for the MegaST.
Thru a new series of wheeling and dealing we are offering the ISAC card
for the new price of $299.95!! Yeow! Yippie, watch out asimo!! This
is the right one baby! Compatability like nothing else. Not to
mention that optional FPU socket for DynaCad. Non-interlaced output
for those who don't like to "twitch" while they type! Requires a 48Khz
Monitor to run. Works with MegaST 2 or 4. Full 90 warranty (of
course) Act (or Ack if your Bill the cat) now as this is a limited
offer. When these are gone its a new story baby! Operators are
standing by .... Well at least one is <grin>
=======================================
ATARI LASER PRINTERS - UPDATE
-=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
-=> from the "Atari Laser Printers (SLM804 & SLM605)" topic (11)
Message 123 Mon May 11, 1992
S.SANDERS2 [SDS] at 05:05 EDT
V.CROSS1: The SLM605/804 is a 'dumb' printer. That means that it uses
no onboard memory. It requires a controller to work and it utililizes
the ram onboard the computer meaning you need an extra meg reserved in
RAM to print. The controller itself is not 'dumb' but can't handle
font requests, etc... Essentially, all page construction is handled in
the computers' memory before anything is printed and then it's dumped
as one big page image at one time. It has a standard 300x300 DPI and
is comparable in print quality to a standard Laserjet.
-Scott @ SDS Member IAAD
----------
Message 124 Mon May 11, 1992
ISD [Nathan] at 15:57 EDT
Further, programs such as Calamus have beautiful printer drivers that
when combined with the DMA port on the SLM605, result in the fastest
output ever seen, far and away faster than a laserjet for example.
If you do require PostScript, there are a few software-based PS
emulators currently available such as Ultrascript.
6 pages per minute but I repeat, that first page gets their real fast.
:-) The DMA port has a transfer rate of something slightly under 10
MIPs.
I hope this helps. Nathan @ ISD (Also proud member of the IAAD) :-)
----------
Message 125 Mon May 11, 1992
D.FLORY [ALERTsys*Cop] at 21:06 EDT
Nathan is right, the main reason I bought an Atari laser, besides the
price is that I was spoiled by using an SLM804 with Calamus 1.09 for a
long time. Then I had to sit their listening to my whiskers grow for
about a year waiting for my Mac/HP laser to print straight text, you
definitely age waiting for a complex grapics page. Instantly is when
straight text comes out of the SLM and seldom _ever_ more than 45secs
for graphics. Its really a spoiler.
=======================================
GEMULATOR UPDATE
-=> In the "Emulation for the ST" category (19)
-=> from the "GEMULATOR (Atari ST emulator)" topic (15)
Message 105 Tue Apr 28, 1992
CHERRY.FONTS [Todd] at 01:42 EDT
Darek brought his 486 laptop and Gemulator over to my house a couple
nights back and let me try anything I wanted with it. I ran (and
actually really utilized) the following software with NO crashes or
bugginess noticed at all:
Avant Vector (Codehead's Autotracing program)
Warp-9
Genus (The Calamus font editor I use to creat Cherry Fonts)
Calamus 1.09N
Cardfile (Gribnif's desk-acc phone/address database)
Proflight (HiSoft's flight Simulator) * It ran fine in both low and
high resolutions!
STeno (Gribnif's desk-acc text editor)
Searcher (my own Aladdin datafile string-search desk-acc/prg written
in GFA Basic.)
Then I ran out of time. Bummer, I had lots more to try.
The only 'problem' I found was when I ran a demo version of MegaType's
Font Designer. Darek quickly found Gemulator's problem (with his
debugger) and fixed it on the spot. The Font Designer demo now runs
like a charm.
The speed wasn't overly amazing; it ran slower than a stock 8 mhz ST on
his 486 for calculation intensive software (Avant Vector), and video/
mouse interaction was a bit sluggish which Darek explained as an
artifact of using a cheap 8-bit VGA card (which he had installed in his
laptop.) He assured me that speeding these items up to their maximum
before the product is released was priority-one for him now.
Thanks for the boo, Darek!
..Todd
=======================================
MULTITOS
-=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
-=> from the "MultiTOS" topic (34)
Message 199 Sat May 09, 1992
G.T.GRAY [Gary Gray] at 14:49 EDT
It has been reported several times in the European press and elsewhere
that Sack the German developers of AT-Speed were working with Atari to
develop DOS emulations as original equipment. PC emulation on the ST
family machines is quite well understood. Unfortunately there have
been 3 main problems.
(1) No proper installation. A processor direct slot on new machines,
would allow a reliable end user installation.
(2) Limited video capability. Rumours of Falcon's 16 bit color with a
pallette of 262,000 colors is the same as many modern SVGA cards.
This would allow SuperVga DOS emulation. I also read reports of a
blitter on these machines, a good fast blitter aid screen speed
could also help an emulator run VGA well.
(3) Price performance. DOS emulators on the ST have always suffered
from being to slow at to high a price. Atari's quantities make the
board inexpensive to manufacture. Recent drastic price drops on
SX386 parts also help. Finally, new processors like the Cyrix
486SLC offer 486 performance in a 386SX package, at prices close to
a hundred dollars a chip. These parts will be fifty bucks each in
6 months. Atari could therefore offer 486 level emulation cards
for $299 retail.
There are other reported features of the new machines that also make
emulation easier and more attractive. The new machines have IDE hard
disks internal. Reports of a more standard printer port design, could
help with compatability issues. But the most interesting would be
MultiTos. DOS emulation in a Window under MultiTos would be big plus.
Why would Atari bother with PC emulation in the first place? Because
properly done it would sell a lot of machines. The Amiga offers
factory PC emulation, and it sells machines for them. I suppose also
that Atari would like a box that they can sell of the shelf at Computer
City or CompUSA type of stores. Excellent PC emulation would make the
product much more saleable in those stores.
=======================================
FSM-GDOS
-=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
-=> from the "Font Scaling Module -- The New GDOS" topic (18)
Message 165 Wed Apr 15, 1992
M.ABDULKAREE [ASX] at 21:45 EDT
Yes FSMGDOS output is astonishing.. I was seriously amazed at the
quality on my NEC P2200 even at small font sizes! Compared to Calamus
1.09N it was VERY clean!
And nope, FSM does work on the Multitasking AES.. come on it is not
like Atari works on one project at a time! Most likely the
multitasking OS was simultaneously developed. Besides, I was shown a
demo of FSM's full capabilities down there thanks to Mike Fulton.
----------
Message 166 Wed Apr 15, 1992
S.SANDERS2 [SDS] at 23:10 EDT
SDS has some very exciting new projects coming that will take advantage
of any GDOS system. We will be making specific product announcements
when they become available.
-Scott @ SDS Member IAAD
----------
Message 167 Thu Apr 16, 1992
TOWNS [John@Atari] at 14:03 EDT
There are a number of issues that have to be settled before we can
release a version of FSMGDOS to the retail channel. There is no truth
to the comments made here. Atari is not "bored" with the product, we
aren't waiting for applications to appear that use it, nor is FSMGDOS
broken under MultiTOS. All of these comments are completely false.
I am not at liberty to discuss the issues at hand. But, please allow
me to say that we are working on solving those issues and our first
concern is with regard to our customers. We want to make sure that
everything is complete and in order before shipping the product.
I am sorry that I can not provide you with more information. I will do
my best to keep you updated.
-- John Townsend, Atari Corp.
----------
Message 168 Thu Apr 16, 1992
R.MONFORT1 [LEXICOR] at 15:29 EDT
Towns. Lexicor is or will be developing applications that will use
FSMGDOS. We cannot talk about them but you will be seeing them in the
future.
Ringo.
----------
Message 170 Thu Apr 16, 1992
G.T.GRAY [Gary Gray] at 19:28 EDT
John,
All my comments maybe incorrect speculation. They are totally logical
suppositions based on the comments made upto this point. For all I
know Atari is holding FSM back to support type 1 fonts. They could be
planning to use some hardware maybe even a DSP available on future
machines to do high speed font rendering in a high color enviroment.
That would be very nice, antialiased real time fully scaled fonts. Not
only that imagine a fast SCSI port hooked to a 600x600 or better
controller for SLMs. All these things are very possible and realistic
things to do with a system wide font imaging system. But I will bet
the issue are legal, economic or just bugs. Anyway the longer FSM is
in getting to market, the less likely developers are to get behind this
scheme. It is proprietary and it very late.
Unfortunately Metados an operating system extension that ought to come
in the box of every ST family machine shipped in recent years is still
not available. No expalnations.
I have figured it out. The reason FSM has not shipped is the packaging
Atari was waiting to ship it in can't be designed because layout and
design software they want to use for the packaging requires FSM which
is not yet available.
=======================================
LEXICOR UPDATE
-=> In the "Lexicor Product Support" category (25)
-=> from the "Lexicor-Newsletter" topic (10)
Message 112 Sat May 09, 1992
J.COLE18 [John Cole] at 22:09 EDT
I would like to welcome N.STEEL to Lexicor's Silicon Graphics
development team. Lexicor Software has recently become official
Silicon Graphics developers and has a separate development team from
the Atari software division. We hope to have our prouducts available
on more than one platform soon, starting with SG and N.STEEL will be a
key figure in making that possible. Welcome!
John Cole Lexicor Software
----------
Message 114 Sat May 09, 1992
LEXICOR [Lexicor] at 23:01 EDT
JC-18
Just an additional comment or two. For those who are interested, we
are in effect cross developing on both platforms. Many of the advanced
rendering tools used on the SG platform will also be found in our Atari
applications. As the new machines that will inevitably become
available on the Atari platform, they will be able to handel more
complex software.
In fact atari users may be surprised to learn that many of the features
of Chronos are very simular to SG applications.
If you are doing well with chronos then you would do well running SG
software given the chance.
I would like to add my personal welcome To Bob Steel as the newest
member of our Silicon graphics Indigo development team!
In closing just a bit of a tease.....The next upgrades to Phase-4 will
take the Atari user in to both high quality and full true 15/24 Bit
color worlds. There will also be some very interesting Spectrum like
applications for the traditional ST user as well.
Lee Seiler
----------
Message 115 Sun May 10, 1992
N.STEEL at 02:41 EDT
In addition to my previous post, I would just like to add the following
comments and observations.
I seriously considered selling my Atari equipment and buying an Amiga
setup. You can do some nice work on an Amiga, but the truth is that
most people using them for MTV etc, are using banks of accelerated
machines, usually 10-15. That doesn't seem very cost effective to an
individual like myself. A single, low-end, SG machine runs twice as
fast as a top of the line Mac Quadra, and almost 85% of current
professional graphics work is done on SG equipment.
That last fact alone, makes learning with Lexicors software a perfect
stepping stone.
N.Steel
=======================================
CODEHEADS WARP 9
-=> In the "CodeHead Software" category (32)
-=> from the "Warp 9, the Accelerator" topic (31)
Message 192 Thu Apr 23, 1992
R.MORROW10 [Bob M.] at 22:01 EDT
Is there any particular place in AUTO that W9 needs to be? With the
old Quick ST, it had to be at the back of the AUTO folder. Is this
still true?
----------
Message 193 Thu Apr 23, 1992
C.F.JOHNSON [CodeHead] at 22:49 EDT
Bob,
If you use the Warp 9 Control Panel desk accessory, it doesn't matter
where the Warp 9 program runs in the AUTO folder. In fact, it's best
to have it run as early as possible; I have it running right after
PinHead on my system. When Warp 9 runs early in the AUTO folder, it
can actually accelerate the bootup process significantly.
The Control Panel desk accessory sends a special message to the
resident program after everything else has loaded, telling it to
reinstall itself in the exception vectors. (Sorry if I'm getting too
technical -- but to boil it down, the whole point of this
"reinstallation" business is to let Warp 9 operate at its optimum peak
efficiency.)
If you don't use the Warp 9 Control Panel, the Warp 9 program should
run as close to the end of the AUTO folder as possible, so that it
installs its exception vectors after everything else, and can run as
fast as it can (without the extra boost provided by the Control Panel).
Note that Warp 9 itself _does_not_care_ about its AUTO folder position;
it can run before or after GDOS, before or after big screen drivers,
etc. One of the primary goals in creating Warp 9 was to free the
program from dependency on AUTO folder order, and to achieve the
ultimate acceleration no matter what its AUTO position. However, some
other programs may be sensitive to their position in the AUTO folder,
and may need to run before or after Warp 9, for reasons of their own.
The only examples I know about right now: Hisoft's AMON debugger needs
to run BEFORE the Warp 9 AUTO program, and some versions of UIS 3 also
need to run before Warp 9. The current version of UIS 3 (v3.3) doesn't
care about its AUTO folder position; if you don't have this version,
you should upgrade for full compatibility with Warp 9.
=======================================
WORDUP
-=> In the "Word Processing" category (13)
-=> from the "Word Up" topic (6)
Message 91 Mon May 11, 1992
JEFF.W [ST Sysop] at 11:46 EDT
David,
Charles beat me to the punch about Calligrapher.
But on the subject of WordUp, you said you're getting tired of waiting
for Atari to update WordUp. You sound like you had expected them to
update it.
While it is common knowledge that Atari bought the source code of
WordUp from Neocept, there has been no announcement from Atari that
ever indicated they planned to do an update of WordUp. Waiting for an
unannounced, and possibly unplanned, update of WordUp from Atari will
likely be very tiring for anyone engaging in such an expectation.
I'm sure Atari has intentions for the source code they purchased from
Neocept, but they have never shared that by way of public announcement
with us outsiders.
Sadly, too many people tend to take a little information and fill in
the blanks and then hold Atari responsible for not accommodating their
fantasies. This can happen both inside and outside of a company like
Atari. After a while, fancy seems to become fact when people don't
know the whole story, accepting whatever is fed to them at face value.
=======================================
| | | MIGRAPH OCR
| | | By John L. McLaughlin
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
Requirements: Any ST/STe/TT computer with 2 MB or more RAM and hard
disk. Hand- or full-page scanner optional.
Summary: Sophisticated, trainable optical character-recognition (OCR)
package, capable of making short work of data-input.
Manufacturer: MiGraph, Inc., 32799 Pacific Highway S., Federal Way, WA
98003 (206) 838-4677
Price: $299.00
Though paper provides a convenient and tangible medium for human
communication, it's not great for talking to machines. Scanning has
solved the problem of how to get images from paper into computer
memory. But because computers store images and text in completely
different ways, images of text, such as a scan of this magazine page,
require further processing before the information they contain can be
used by word processors, spreadsheets, and other "text-handling"
applications.
MiGraph OCR (short for "Optical Character Recognition") provides the
missing link -- converting scanned text to ASCII files that can be used
directly by a wide variety of applications. The program can accept
previously-scanned monochrome .IMG or TIFF files; or process input
directly from a MiGraph or compatible hand-scanner.
The OCR Process
MiGraph OCR begins its job by methodically chopping up a scanned image:
first into discrete lines of text, then into masses identified as words
and subdivided into characters. This, alone, is a fairly complicated
process, involving raster image-processing (to remove spurious
background shading and stray pixels, improve contrast and separate
characters, etc.) and geometric analysis (to correct for text
misalignment). Next, using a font-recognition engine licensed from
Omnifont (world leaders in OCR software design), MiGraph OCR turns the
bitmapped image of each character into a vector expression describing
its shape in terms unrelated to size or resolution.
Characters are recognized by comparing their vector descriptions
against a dictionary of character forms in different fonts and point
sizes -- a process that yields a far higher percentage of "hits" than
prior OCR techniques involving bitmap comparisons. Additional
refinement is obtained by referencing against a user dictionary,
created by "training" the device on text with particular
characteristics.
As a last step, MiGraph OCR performs a complex lexical and syntactic
analysis, using one of four supplemental dictionaries based on the
Proximity/Merriam-Webster Linguibase. This further assists the program
in making intelligent "guesses" about characters whose forms remain
ambiguous.
Using OCR
Installing MiGraph OCR is simple. An INSTALL program is included on
the main disk that lets you specify the folder into which you want
program files stored. The utility also lets you identify which of the
four supplemental dictionaries you wish installed: versions for
English, German, French, and Dutch are included on two support disks.
A minimum of 2 MB free space must exist on the target partition, prior
to installation.
OCR's main control screen is simple and well-designed, and a little
random button-clicking quickly reveals how most of the program works.
Nevertheless, to help get you started, the manual includes several
step-by-step, hands-on tutorials. The general control panel, accessed
by clicking on the "hammer" icon, lets you specify input source
(scanner or file), output format, and set refining parameters for the
OCR process. Selecting "scanner" as the input device causes the
appearance of a secondary scanner configuration dialog which lets you
define resolution, area, and direction of input scans.
Select "Get Image," and you're flying. If you've elected to scan, the
hand scanner is activated and managed automatically -- all you have to
do is move it down (or across) the page. OCR performs best when
presented with a straight scan, so a scanning tray is recommended. The
only glitch I noticed was caused, as it turned out, by the fact that I
was running MiGraph OCR on a Mega STe at 16 MHz, with blitter and
caches enabled. Apparently, some combination of these features throws
off the sample timing, so that illegible scans are produced. The fix,
at least until MiGraph issues an upgrade, is to use the Control Panel
to turn off all enhancements while scanning is in progress. They can
(and should) be turned on again, afterwards, since OCR processing
benefits from the increased system throughput.
Once scanning is complete, the scanned image appears in OCR's work
window. Your first job is to assess the quality of the scan, to
determine if it is appropriate for OCR processing. Because low-quality
scans take unnecessarily long to process, and produce a large number of
errors, it's best to repeat doubtful scans at this point.
The next step is to select regions of the scanned image for input to
OCR. This is done in very straightforward fashion, by dragging
rectangles or drawing polyline boxes around desired portions of the
image. Multiple regions can be sorted so that they are processed in
any desired order. An added plus: to avoid having to make duplicate
scans of the same material, MiGraph OCR also lets you define the
graphic regions of any scan, saving them as .IMG or TIFF files.
When OCR is initiated, the program performs several unattended passes:
rectifying the image, segmenting it, and generating a first
interpretation of its content. Because the process can take a while,
you are kept appraised of progress by a succession of dialog boxes. If
automatic processing has been selected, output text is then saved
transparently to the designated file. Otherwise, the interactive
learning phase begins.
During interactive learning, the system presents you with problem areas
of your scan, in greatly enlarged form, and asks you to correct or
approve of its interpretations. The process is easily managed, though
it can be time-consuming if many problems exist (the process can be
aborted at any point, however, and the resulting text file saved to
disk with markers inserted to indicate ambiguous characters). When
correcting a problem, it's important to determine whether it's a result
of poor scan quality or from an unfamiliar font or point size. When
scan-quality is at fault, you should correct the problem in text,
without updating the current user dictionary.
Entering a correction is usually a matter of typing a single letter,
though occasionally, the program will present you with groups of
several adjacent letters for identification. Very rarely, the program
will assume that two adjacent characters are one, and will not accept
multiple characters for insertion.
Alternatively, when you've identified a legitimate "training" situation
(i.e., the program has failed to recognize text because it contains
some regular feature (e.g., font, point size, or special letterform)
which is unfamiliar) you can "train" OCR to recognize the character in
the future. A vectorized image of the new letterform is added to the
current user dictionary, which can be saved back to disk at the end of
the session. Over time, dictionaries can be developed and refined for
each type of text you regularly use as input, and these can add
remarkably to the accuracy of OCR's interpretation.
When you tell OCR to "learn" a new character, you must take care to
input the correction properly. OCR immediately applies any corrected
interpretation to similar ambiguities throughout the text -- a process
designed to prevent your having to correct the same mistake more than
once. Unfortunately, however, this also means that an erroneous
correction can easily be propagated through your output, and -- if
unrecognized at the end of the session -- perhaps even entered
accidentally in the current dictionary when it is saved back to disk.
Unfortunately, there's no way to "edit" the updated dictionary after a
training pass, nor to return to a problem area during the pass, to re-
enter a correction. So a fair amount of dictionary-refinement can be
lost, if you're not careful.
While I've described using OCR to process only a single scanned unit of
text, it's also very easy to append the results of several OCR sessions
to the same output file, creating a single result document that can be
imported to a word processor. Alternatively, however, I've had good
luck employing utilities such as WizWorks!' Scan-Lite to conjoin
several scans into one uniform image before importing into OCR.
Unfortunately, I have no means of testing how well MiGraph OCR would
perform on input from a full-page flatbed scanner; but I suspect that
for serious applications, this option should be thoroughly explored.
Performance
Once a sufficiently-refined user dictionary has been created for text
from a particular source, MiGraph OCR is very accurate. It's also
fairly quick, at least when processing in automatic mode: a page of
Courier 10-pitch type, scanned at 300 dpi, can be output as ASCII in
something like three minutes, which is marginally faster than an
average-to-good touch typist could enter the same material. Naturally,
text output by OCR must be further processed before it can be
considered correct. At least part of this process (i.e., spell-
checking) can be automated, however.
Because performance accuracy is so dependent on user dictionaries,
MiGraph OCR is most useful when input is derived from only a limited
range of text-types. Even with this constraint, however, it's easy to
imagine a broad range of applications. Particularly intriguing is the
idea of using MiGraph OCR to convert faxes, received via faxmodem, to
ASCII files -- providing a wholly "paperless" solution to fax
correspondence in the computer context.
Only one significant feature is lacking: the ability to queue multiple
files for input and unattended processing. Hopefully, this feature
will be added in a future upgrade, since it would make the program
highly competitive with Kurzweil and other dedicated OCR systems,
particularly in the small office environment.
| | | CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVES
| | | By Sheldon Winick
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
Reprinted from The GEnie Lamp Online Magazine
(c) Copyright 1992 T/TalkNET OnLine Publishing, GEnie, and the GEnie
Computing RoundTables.
Many Atari owners seem to find it difficult to maintain an upbeat
attitude towards the Atari platform, especially when one of those
periodic complaining discussions erupts. There never seems to be a
shortage of someone or other urging an abandonment of the Atari
platform because of a shortage of dealerships, Atari's periodic
shortages of equipment, Atari's lack of advertising, or some developer
not supporting the Atari platform. What they seem to lose sight of is
why we chose the Atari platform in the first place.
Perhaps we should periodically go back and re-evaluate our computer
needs and desires, take a clear look at what we use our systems for,
how we use it, and what we really need it for. And, of course, it
would always be a good idea to take a closer look at the alternative
platforms.
I can't help but be somewhat amused when I hear complaints about
various software and hardware incompatibilities on the Atari platform.
Think we have it tough? Try talking to someone who owns a MeSsyDOS
machine. Try adding Windows to attempt to get a more user friendly
interface and see what happens to your software compatibility and
system speed. Try installing virtually anything and see what a chore
it can be to resolve all the conflicts and get the system to perform
properly. Anyone who complains about having to reorder the programs in
an Atari 'AUTO' folder, obviously has never been exposed to the 'fun'
of having to revise a 'AUTOEXEC.BAT' and 'CONFIG.SYS' file whenever
adding a new piece of hardware or software to a system.
It's really easy to let those little irritations get out of hand and
turn into serious complaints. I guess it's human nature to take the
familiar for granted, and lose our perspective when something irritates
us. I suspect those feelings can be compounded by the media hype we're
continually exposed to advertising the alternative platforms, as well
as finding ourselves surrounded by a plethora of IBM clones and clone
owners constantly bragging about their machines.
Perhaps, as a dealer, my perspective is a little different as I hear
the complaints from computer owners on both sides of the fence.
Perhaps I benefit from the opportunity to listen to the owners of IBM
clone machines complain about how difficult everything is on their
machines compared to what they see us doing on our Atari systems at
Computer STudio. Perhaps I'm also in the unique position of being in
a small town where software isn't as easy to find as in a major city,
so our local Atari owners find themselves with as good or better
selection as anyone else. I also find myself selling a lot of software
to clone owners who enjoy browsing through our software racks to get
ideas of what is available for all personal computers. And I also get
the opportunity to listen to 'them' complain about the complexity of
their software and hardware, and the lack of those great productivity
titles we take for granted.
I also get a great joy out of watching the expressions change on the
faces of the 'walk-ins' who just happen to be walking through the mall
and wander into the store along with their 'attitude' --- you know what
I'm talking about --- they have a such-and-such with 4 bookoodles of
RAM, SVGA, 6 gazillion titles of pirated software, and walk in the door
feeling they can sneer at the 'inferior' platform. I usually just let
them talk, don't argue with anything they say, but while listening,
crank up something like Calamus or DynaCADD and whiz through something
creative while they continue to ramble. It doesn't take long before
that rambling turns into a 'Wow' or 'How did you do that?'. Within
minutes they're usually sitting down watching in total amazement. Then
there's the 'I didn't know Atari still made computers' and finally the
'So how come more people don't own an Atari'. You'd be surprised how
many of those visitors wind up coming back with computer shopping
friends to show them 'our' alternative platform. Yes, Virginia, MS-DOS
"IS" a curable disease!
I also hear the horror stories from the other side when it comes to
support, service and repair for 'their' systems, the prices they had to
pay, and how long it took.
Then there's the novice clone owner who benefited from a 'friend' who
advised them what to buy and found them a 'great' deal on a mail order
clone system. They reel off a list of features their system has ----
you know, 89 megabytes of RAM (you'd be surprised how many folks STILL
don't know the difference between RAM and hard drive size), 5-1/4"
floppy drive, 3-1/2" hard drive (they usually are referring to the
3-1/2" floppy drive), super VGA monitor, etc. And.... they love the
system!! They've only had it for about 6 months and they already know
how to use the word processing software a little and play some games.
Wow!! And whenever they buy a new game, they get their friend to come
over to install it on their hard drive 'cause they haven't learned how
to do that yet.
Then we see the those IBM PS-1 owners wandering in looking for anything
for their systems, and listen to their complaints about the cost of
upgrade boards, and lack of support for their micro-channel
architecture. Think they are a very happy camper after the reality of
the situation sets in?
How 'bout all those parents who, even recently, ran out to get Johnny
an Apple 2 or Apple 2 clone 'cause that's what he was using at school,
and now finds his system totally unsupported by anyone, including our
only local Apple dealer. Or the young fellow whose friends talked him
into an Amiga, and now finds the only place he can get software is mail
order or by special order from his local Atari dealer <big grin>.
It's easy to go through life with blinders on, but it can sometimes be
a good idea to step back and look at the world from someone else's
viewpoint. It's also easy to take the familiar for granted. Things
like our Atari's dependability and durability, its' fantastic GEM-based
user interface, and the excellent software that is so easy to learn and
use. You really can't appreciate how easy memory upgrading is on an
STe, Mega STe or TT030 until you've experienced the hassle of doing
that on one of those 'other' systems.
And no matter how much Microsoft advertises Windows and Window
applications, they are still much more complex and difficult to learn
and use than our trusty 'ol Ataris. But Microsoft does know one thing
--- with enough money and enough media hype, you can sell anything!
Happy (Atari) Computing,
Sheldon Winick (GEnie address: S.WINICK)
Computer STudio - Asheville, NC
Sheldon owns and operates Computer STudio, a full-service Atari
dealership in Asheville, North Carolina. Sheldon is also a registered
architect (licensed in Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, and
Colorado, as well as holding a National NCARB certificate). His
current architectural drawings are, of course, being prepared on his
Atari-based CADD system, using DynaCADD software.
| | | WHAT'S NEW FOR THE PORTFOLIO
| | | Compiled by Ron Kovacs
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
New Uploads to the Atari Portfolio Forum on CompuServe (Go APORTFOLIO)
MAKSND.ZIP MakeSound: Create standalone, compressable sound
This is the sound equivalent of PREAD and MAKERT. Use this to create
a sound file. Faster than VOICE.COM! Includes a sample file.
PSND1.ZIP PSOUND: Portfolio digital sound player
Here's another version of PSOUND, now *faster* than VOICE.COM.
Includes two samples, including: "Help, I'm trapped!" and "Don't
panic!" from Hithhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
PGCPZL.ZIP PGC Puzzle 1.0 - PGC Graphics Tile Puzzle
PGC Puzzle is similar to TILES, except it lets you play a sliding tiles
game with any PGC graphic image. Features include SAVE/LOAD game in
progress, set number of tiles, and much more. Documentation is in
PREAD format. FREEWARE by Don Messerli
DU1.ZIP Diary Utility 1.0
This is a sharware utility that allows TODO Notes to be included within
your Port diaries. TODO Notes can be viewed for a specific date. This
version has been re-zipped with version 1.1.
VOICE.COM Speech Output on the Portfolio, Demo.
Found in England: Hey, there is someone trapped in my computer!
Speech output on the Portfolio!
LISTER.ZIP
This is a program to work with lists. You can create, save, view lists
and import text files into the program. This is freeware by Tom
Showers.
FNDADR.EXE Search the Address files for a Name
As requested, here is a program that will search all your address files
for a particular phrase. Written and Uploaded by BJ Gleason.
VIEW.ZIP
Greatly enhanced. This is a must for Portfolio graphics admirers.
Requires desktop PC clone with 640K RAM minimum and VGA capabilities.
Written and uploaded by Don Thomas; Artisan Software. (c)1992
REPORT.EXE Re:Port animation
This is an animation of the Re:Port logo, pretty neat. Created with
Windows 3.1 PaintBrush, my new WinPGC converter, and Don Messerli's
PGFLIX. Hit ESC to stop it.
GOLF10.ARC BGCC Golf Simulation Game v1.0
The Brooklyn Golf & Country Club is a nine hole golf simulation game.
It uses PGC graphics to show overhead views of the course and each
shot. The golfer must choose the right club and power setting. There
are water hazards and sand traps to deal with. This is a single player
version. The back nine are currently under construction. Requires
PBasic 4.91 to run.
BDAY.EXE Birthday Animation
Run this graphics file when you have a birthday -- or for someone else
who is having one! Written by David E. Stewart
RECIPE.ZIP Recipe Mate
Recipe Mate is a PBasic program which scales recipes. If you have a
recipe to feed six but need to make a meal for three, Recipe Mate will
make the conversion for you.
ROMAN.ZIP
This is a little novelty pbasic program for the programming competition
which deciphers roman numerals.
PRTBIB.ZIP Medline and Psychlit adr files
If you have to constantly collect references which later have to be
entered into a bibliographic database, you may find these address file
templates useful. Following the example at the start of each file you
can enter in your references which will then be in a format for bulk
input into your database. Most bibliographic databases will import in
medline or psychlit formats and the process can save a lot of time.
WSH10.BAS W Shape Calculator v1.0
A database of Steel shapes useful for dimensioning and detailing for
Architects and Builders. Includes 187 entries ranging from W4x13 to
W36x300. Provides information on depth, width, flange thickness and
web thickness of each W Section. Requires PBasic 4.91. (This file is
compressed) Please send any comments or bugs to Hugh J. Campbell
(70611,3212)
STAIR.BAS Stair Calculator v1.1
A PBasic program to calculate the design requirements for stair
construction. Useful for Architects and Builders to establish number
of riser & treads to rise to an entered floor to floor height. Also
calculates the size of the enclosure required. Can help design 1,2,3
or 4 run stairs as well as doughnut stairs and enclosures. Requires
PBasic 4.91 (Compressed file).
SCARD.BAS Golf Scorcard v1.1
Electronic golf scorecard program for the Port. Will keep scores for
a foursome and will display statistics (birdies,pars). Can continue a
saved game at any point. Requires PBasic 4.91 to run.
CSH10.BAS Channel Calculator v1.0
Database of American Standard Steel Channel sections. Useful for
Architects, Engineers and Builders in dimensioning and detailing steel
drawings. Includes 30 different channels ranging from C 3x4.1 to C
15x50. Requires PBasic 4.91 to run (This is a compressed file).
STOCK.ARC Stock Watch
A spreadsheet for tracking and evaluating a portfolio of securities.
This archive contains 3 files: the documentation and two spreadsheets,
one a bit shorter than the other. This "system" allows you to price
your securities, compute capital gain, annual yield and total return.
STHNGE.ZIP The Stonehenge Collection
This is a collection of pgc graphic files featuring Stonehenge and a
moody animation. Created using Graphics Workshop, Windows Paintbrush
and Don Messerli's graphics tools.
FONTS.ZIP
Sample of what you can do with Win 3.1's new PaintBrush program and
the Portfolio, with a little help from my WINPGC program. Contains 5
.PGC files
DSPPGC.ARC
A bare bones PGC viewer for the Atari ST computer. Will display
Portfolio graphic compressed files in any of three ST resolutions.
DOES NOT RUN ON PORTFOLIO. A bare bones PGC viewer for the Atari ST
computer. Will display Portfolio graphic compressed files in any of
the three ST resolutions.
LOCK.ZIP
These programs are from the PCMag utils disk and enable file encryption
and decryption. As each program is only 620 bytes in length, they are
ideally suited to the Portfolio.
TMW11.ZIP Port diary utility
Portfolio diary utility. TMW version 1.1 provides easy and quick
access to todays, tomorrows and any dates appointments. The zip file
contains the Pklited executable and a document file describing TMW's
capabilities.
| | | BUILDING A SCANBOARD
| | | By Marvin Purdy
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
Hand scanners are becoming a beneficial peripheral for computer users.
Applications include scanning images for use as clip-art, scanning
pictures for a base of family photographs, scanning text for Optical
Character Recognition (OCR), or many other uses. But no matter what
idea comes to mind the hardest part of using hand scanners is pulling
the scanner in a straight line.
Scanboard to the rescue
With enough practice most hand scanner users can pull a fairly straight
line, but help yourself by constructing a simple guide. The parts list
is only five tems: a long, wide clipboard for enough working surface;
a flat edge ruler at least 1/4 inch thick for guiding the scanner; a
couple of pop rivets for attaching the ruler to the clipboard; several
thin washers for spacing and support; and several small, hard plastic,
adhesive backed, 1/4 inch thick stand-offs.
NOTE: If using a steel or aluminum ruler ensure the edges are smooth
and slightly rounded to prevent an abrasive effect on the scanner's
plastic housing while being pulled.
Construction
Place the ruler along the left edge of the clipboard (or right edge for
left handed users) and use a couple of small C-clamps to hold the ruler
in place. Be sure the ruler is at a right angle with the paper
holding clip on the top of the clipboard. Drill a hole the size of the
rivet one-half inch from the top and bottom of the ruler's centerline.
Insert the pop-rivets and secure them into place.
Since the pop-rivets will cause the clipboard to sit at an angle on the
desktop it is beneficial for the user to attach small, hard plastic
stand-offs to back of the clipboard. These stand-offs will keep the
rivets from gouging the desktop and the clipboard from sliding around
while pulling the scanner.
Also, it is beneficial to place very thin washers as spacers between
the ruler and clipboard. These spacers will allow sliding of oversize
papers or photographs under the ruler's edge for a better scanning
alignment. Additional washers are beneficial between the pop-rivet to
ruler and pop-rivet to clipboard, since these washers add strength to
these joints.
The cost of all the necessary parts will be less than twenty dollars.
The only problem some users will encounter is the availability of a
pop-rivet gun, a friend can usually help those users.
Benefits
The hand scanner user now has a large, flat surface to work on with a
straight, thick edge for guiding and pulling against. With the large
surface to work the user can place the ScanBoard anywhere and obtain
good results. With the thick edge of the ruler to pull along straight
scans are obtainable and measurements are easily made for correct
scanning program setups.
Users with good construction skills can produce a few for their friends
as wonderful gifts. Some users can construct a few to sell to other
computer club members (at cost of course, since clubs are for computer
friends to get together). No matter how the ScanBoard is obtained,
hand scanning can now be enjoyable and rewarding.
| | | ST FORMAT NEWS PAGES
| | | Extracts from June 1992 Issue
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
Extracts taken from the June issue of the UK s best-selling ST
magazine. For full details, catch next month s issue of ST FORMAT - on
sale 14th May. Alternatively, call 0458 74011 and speak to Trevor Witt
about how to subscribe. Failing that, write to Trevor Witt, ST FORMAT,
The Old Barn, FREEPOST, Somerton, Somerset, TA11 7BR. ENGLAND.
ATARI TAKES THE LEAD WITH STE-ONLY GAMES
Since the release of the STE over three years ago we've been waiting to
see new games which take advantage of all the enhanced features of this
incredible machine. Atari is finally taking the lead and writing a
series of games which fully exploit the potential of this new machine.
According to Product Manager, Bob Katz, the decision to produce STE-
only games came from the top. Sam Tramiel, boss of Atari US, wanted
to produce STE-only games in a move to increase programmers awareness
of the hardware potential of the machine.
Atari has acquired the rights to several major coin-op games for
conversion for use on the STE only, taking full advantage of the
machines custom hardware. The first two games to be converted are Road
Riot Four Wheel Drive, an off-road driving game, and Steel Talons, a 3D
polygon based helicopter simulator. The arcade coin-ops use 256 color
hardware graphics boards. Though the STE comes with a palette of 512
colors, only 16 can be displayed on screen at once but Atari are using
a palette switching technique to overcome this hurdle and give 48
colours per line, achieving an accurate representation of the arcade
graphics.
The games will take full advantage of the blitter chip to shift
graphics around the screen at high speed and they will come with full
8 channel DMA stereo sound.
More importantly, the STE's built in hardware scrolling abilities will
be supported so these games are certain to be some of the fastest
you've ever seen on the ST. Each game will be fully compatible with
the Mega STE and TT range, automatically detecting which type of
machine it is running on and adjusting itself to take advantage of
increased clock speeds and the 68030 processor. Bob Katz of Atari said
these games will be the first that really thrash the STE s hardware.
The games are being developed under the Atari Games umbrella and they
will only be produced for Atari machines, with no other formats planned
for release. Each game has a dedicated development team working on it.
More STE-only games are planned for the future, both coin-op
conversions and original designs. If Atari can prove that there is an
eager market for STE only games, other software publishers are likely
to follow suit.
FSM GDOS READY FOR RELEASE
A cut-down version of FSM GDOS is available for release here with the
full version expected in about a month. Atari is poised to release the
full version of their revolutionary new GDOS replacement first in
America and then in the UK. The official price for the US version has
been set at $49. A cut-down version of FSM GDOS is already available
here.
According to Atari US Director of Communications, Bob Brodie, the US
version of FSM GDOS will be available for sale as a separate package
as soon as possible. Atari UK's Bob Katz told ST FORMAT that Atari is
looking for ways to distribute the package in the UK with a minimum
amount of fuss.
FSM is a direct replacement for
GDOS which has been marketed for the ST
since it's conception. GDOS offers a range of fonts for any ST but has
been heavily criticised for being too slow. As a result very few fonts
have been created and only a handful of programs make use of GDOS. That
is set to change once FSM GDOS is officially released. This re-written
version is faster and much easier to use and according to Bob Brodie,
the output speed of FSM GDOS on an Atari Laser printer is very fast, as
fast as Calamus.
Any program which already uses GDOS will work perfectly with the new
FSM GDOS. Word processing and Desktop Publishing packages are certain
to be the main beneficiaries, though programs like Degas Elite are
already geared up to make use of the new technology.
The full version requires at least 1MByte of memory to run but Atari
has produced a cut down version for 512K machines. The cut down
version, called Font GDOS, will run on all 512K machines. This program
is a direct replacement for the old version of GDOS and is
substantially faster in operation and much easier to set up. All the
currently available GDOS fonts will work with Font GDOS. New printer
drivers have been written finally enabling owners of the Deskjet 500,
Canon BJ-10e and other high resolution output devices to use the
program. Font GDOS and the full range of printer drivers is
immediately available from the ST Club on GDOS Disk E for 2.95. The ST
Club has a GDOS distribution licence from Atari and can be contacted at
0602 410241 for more information.
In the US, the full FSM GDOS is supplied with Wordflair 2 a word-
processor which makes extensive use of the features of this font
scaling module. An earlier version of Wordflair is distributed by
Hisoft (0525 718181) in the UK. Hisoft's David Link confirmed to ST
FORMAT that they intend to release Wordflair 2 in the UK very shortly
for 99.95 though Atari UK may insist that FSM GDOS is removed from the
package.
WHAT CAN FSM GDOS REALLY DO?
FSM GDOS is a program which brings high resolution scaleable outline
font technology to ST owners. Outline fonts enable characters to be
enlarged to any size with no loss of resolution because each letter is
stored as a set of data. If a letter is required at a larger point
size it is simply redrawn at the larger size from the basic data. Only
one set of files is required for all sizes of a font instead of a
different file for each point size. Another point to note is that
because the screen and printer fonts use the same information, the
resultant printout is exactly the same as the screen display.
The basic package contains the installation program, standard bitmapped
Dutch and Swiss fonts, the 13 font Lucida family, FSM accessory and
CPX, FSMPrint printer selector accessory and CPX, FontGDOS accessory
and CPX and 12 printer drivers. Printers covered include Atari Lasers,
Canon and HP inkjets, Epson FX, HP Laserjet, the NEC P-series, HP
Paintjet, Okimate 20 and Star printers.
MULTITOS UPDATE
In a fresh mood of openness, Atari UK demonstrated their new MultiTOS
to ST FORMAT, confirming many of the details we revealed exclusively
last month.
MultiTOS enables you to run several applications at once in separate
windows on an ST or TT. Several programs were demonstrated running
simultaneously in five separate windows on a TT. Well behaved ST
programs will run under MultiTOS but most applications will have to be
tweaked slightly to respond to MultiTOS commands. Most major UK
software developers have already started to upgrade their major
applications to run under MultiTOS. Compo Software, creators of That's
Write are known to be updating their forthcoming update.
On 68030 machines (the TT and the Falcon) MultiTOS takes advantage of
built-in memory protection commands. This means a program will not try
to use an area of memory being used by another application or process,
thereby preventing any loss of data. However, on the 68000 based ST
machines memory protection is not available so software needs to be
converted to recognise these commands.
The MultiTOS program itself is still under development and is not
likely to be available until late in 1992. It will be available to all
existing Atari owners as a disk based upgrade.
Atari US is still insisting that the Falcon 030 is due for release in
late autumn in which case Multi TOS is unlikely to be included on ROM
as part of the operating system.
| | | NEW ONLINE MAGAZINE
| | | STe News
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
P R E M I E R E I S S U E !
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The STE*Net (Intergalactic) On-Line Newsletter
Bringing You The Latest News And Information About
Atari STE-68000 and TT-68030 Computers
Issue #1 Spring 1992
"Because ST Is Just Not Good Enough!"
(and Neither Is IBM!)
"From The Publisher's Desk"
Hello everyone. Welcome to the first issue of "STE*Net", in electronic
on-line form. The ST is a nice computer, but if you want some serious
computing power, and a reasonable price, the STE is the way to go. Or,
if you got bucks to spend, and want a truly amazing system, the TT is
your answer! This seasonal publication is designed to help you set up
your computer system for the most efficiency and power, while paying a
price that's fair. You'll learn how to take full advantage of your
1040 STE, Mega STE, and/or TT030 system. Like, how easy and
inexpensive it is to upgrade RAM on an STE (compared to a regular ST).
What are those funny looking new controller ports on the left hand side
of my STE, and what can I plug in there to make use of them? How do I
take advantage of the extended color pallette in my STE? What TOS
version should I be using? What STE-specific software is out there for
me to run? These are some of the questions this newsletter will try to
answer for you about your STE, as well as other logical solutions that
are expected to arise in the future. STE*Net will also try to cover
information on the new TT030 system, and the new Atari Falcon computer
when it's released in Germany this spring. If you own an STE (or TT),
and would like to write articles for STE*Net, see the end of this text
file for details on how you can participate! I need all the help I can
get from my fellow Atarians! Thank you all, and let's get this thing
going!
(Editor Note: You can find future releases of STE on: 209-636-2RAD
The -=Rad=- BBS, 408-745-2191 AtariBase BBS, 213-461-2196 CodeHead
Quarters BBS, plus CompuServe, GEnie, DelPhi, and many many other
networks.
| | | 8-BIT UPDATE
| | | Z*Magazine Issue #207 Contents
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
The lastest Issue of Z*Magazine, the original Atari online magazine
continues production with Issue #207. In this edition...
* ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE MAGAZINE DEBUTS
Press Release announcing the merger of Z*Net Online and Atari Explorer
tp produce Atari Explorer Online Magazine. Also, a full transcript of
the recent Atari Explorer Conference on GEnie.
* STAR*LINX BBS - GAME RATING & REVIEW SYSTEM
APB is reviewed by a number of user of the Star*Linx BBS. Comments
and ratings by all who commented are included.
* BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE
A complete solution to the game.
* PERUSING THE INTERNET
An overview of various topics including...
o Recent postings on the net indicate that an alpha copy of Bob Puff's
LZH extractor (v0.1) is in circulation.
o COLRDUMP.BXE that prints the Colrview RGB pictures to a 24 pin Epson
compatible color printer.
o Digi-Studio
o Mail Order Companies
o CSS Wants a 6502 Programmer
o Cold Only Power Supply
o Cheap 360K DS/DD Floppies
o Percom Drives
| | | AEO FEATURED FILE
| | | By John Jainschigg
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
A DA for Viewing Degas Pictures
Articles for Atari Explorer are edited on word processors. The only
thing lacking with this setup is that it requires us to keep installed
one of the popular DA "file viewers," in order to examine illustrations
-- frequently saved as Degas .PI? or .PC? files -- while writing
captions, etc. What these "file viewers" do: loading an image into a
window, covers most of the essential themes of GEM programming.
That said, this issue's add-in program restates those themes in simpler
fashion. It's a Desk Accessory that loads Degas .PI? and .PC? files
into a resizeable viewing window. Scroll bars let you "pan" the window
over the face of the illustration, and a new illustration can be loaded
by clicking the "fuller" button in the window's upper-right-hand
corner.
Most of the essential techniques of GEM programming are used, and very
little else. Covered are a list of topics including: application
launching, the ST boot process, desk accessories, evnt_multi
programming techniques, window creation and management, the VDI
interface, bit-blitting, the File Selector ... and (as they say) more!
C-language source code (PVIEW.C) and an executable version of the
accessory (PVIEW.ACC) are compressed with this issue of Atari Explorer
Online. The source code can be reviewed with any text editor. To use
the accessory, just place the file PVIEW.ACC in the root directory of
your boot drive, and reboot to install.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To sign up for GEnie service call (with modem) (800) 638-8369. Upon
connection type HHH and hit <return>. Wait for the U#= prompt and type
XTX99436,GEnie and hit <return>.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To sign up for CompuServe service call (with phone) (800) 848-8199. Ask
for operator #198. You will be promptly sent a $15.00 free membership
kit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Atari Explorer Online Magazine is a bi-weekly publication covering the
Atari computer community. Material published in this edition may be
reprinted in non-commercial publications unless otherwise noted at the
top of the article. Opinions presented herein are those of the
individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
Atari Explorer Online Magazine is Copyright (c)1992, Atari Computer
Corporation. Z*Net and the Z*Net Newswire are copyright(c)1992, Z*Net
News Service/Ron Kovacs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Atari Explorer Online Magazine
"The Official Atari Online Journal"
Copyright (c)1992, Atari Computer Corporation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
