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Atari Explorer Online Issue 1992 03
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ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE MAGAZINE
May 30, 1992 Volume 1, Number 3 Issue #92-03
Copyright (c)1992, Atari Computer Corporation
||| PUBLISHER - Bob Brodie, Director of Communications
||| EDITOR - Ron Kovacs
||| CONTRIBUTING EDITORS - Ed Krimen, Ron Berinstein
||| Z*NET NEWS SERVICE - Ron Kovacs, John Nagy
| | | TABLE OF CONTENTS | | |
||| THE PUBLISHERS WORKSTATION.............................Bob Brodie
An update on the current happenings with the publication and
some short discussion on Atari in general.
||| THE EDITORS DESK.......................................Ron Kovacs
Issue discussion and a short discussion about where Atari
Explorer can be found.
||| THE Z*NET NEWSWIRE............................................ZNS
ZNS stands for the Z*Net News Service and the news about the
Atari community continues!
||| LYNX OWNERS UPDATE...............................................
Latest details direct from CES about NEW Lynx releases coming
in the months ahead.
||| CODEHEAD TECHNOLOGIES IN CONFERENCE..............................
Edited transcript of a recent conference on CompuServe with John
Eidsvoog and Charles Johnson.
||| MICS - BYES AND ATARI...............................Richard Brown
Reprint from GEnie Lamp magazine. 10 steps to PostScript
Nirvana!
||| PORTFOLIO OWNERS COLUMN.............................Bruce Coleman
Remove your LCD by following the directions in this article.
However, you will void your warranty and have to put it back
together on your own!!
||| PERUSING GENIE..........................................Ed Krimen
An overview of happenings on GEnie in the Roundtable Bulletin
Board. Updates on Lexicor, Codehead and more!
||| THE MUSICAL STATE OF ATARI.........................Craig Anderton
Commentary and facts about Atari and the MIDI arena. This is a
reprint from Atari Explorer Magazine!
||| MOVING AROUND GENIE........................................Auntie
Short article describing ways to maneuvre around GEnie with
keywords and phrases.
||| AN INTERVIEW WITH WALTER KOENIG.......................Mike Fulton
Atari's Mike Fulton interviews Walter Koenig, (Chekov of Star
Trek fame) about his Atari and his career!
||| THE SOFTWARE SHELF.................................Ron Berinstein
The latest PD/Shareware uploads are outlined.
| | | THE PUBLISHERS WORKSTATION
| | | By Bob Brodie
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to another edition of Atari Explorer Online. We've been busy,
and hope you'll enjoy our efforts!
First, we're pleased to announce a liaison between Atari Explorer Online
and ST Format, the best selling British ST Magazine. We've long admired
this high quality magazine. It's been a popular magazine even in North
America for some time now. And part of the reason isn't just the high
quality magazine itself, it's their terrific cover disk! Now, through
an exclusive arrangement between Atari Explorer, ST Format and GEnie,
you can get the cover disk from ST Format online on GEnie! Darlah
Potechin of the Atari ST Roundtables has added a special library for
Atari Explorer and ST Format. In addition to being able to get all of
our issues from this library, you'll also be able to download the
contents of each one of ST Format's cover disks from their magazine!
This months programs include complete mission in PACIFIC ISLANDS, a
state-of the-art battle simulation, Astrolcalc 22, to generate and
interpret your birth chart, a fully configurable database, plenty of
handy utilities, "a cheeky desk accessory" and more!
Those of you without GEnie accounts need not dispair, the disks can be
uploaded to your favorite network or BBS 30 days after they've been put
out on GEnie. But if you just can't wait to get it, then fire up your
modem NOW! Call GEnie at 1-800-638-8369 in the US, or 1-800-387-8330 in
Canada. When you connect, enter HHH. At the U# prompt, enter
XTX99436,GENIE then press return. Have a major credit card ready. In
the US, you may also use your checking account number. You will be set
up with your own account in no time at all.
Currently ST Format includes two disks on their issue. One is PD
material, the other disk is contracted programs that ST Format has
licensed especially for use with their magazine. At this time, we're
only uploading the PD material. If you'd like to get both disks, drop
us a line, and we'll be happy to send you out the full information on
subscribing to ST Format. Our British counterparts are as excited about
this new endeavor as we are, in the words of Andrew Hutchinson, editor
of ST Format- "Brilliant!" We'll also be working with ST Format to
being them online to North America via the FNET.
Speaking of magazines, the latest edition of our printed magazine, Atari
Explorer is hot off the presses and heading out the door to you.
Featuring a dynamic cover of the BATMAN movie logo, this issue is a LYNX
special issue. You can count of BATMAN Returns being in the movie
theatres and on your dealers shelf on June 19th. Catch the movie at the
theatre, then head over to your favorite dealers shop and pick up the
Lynx game that shares the name of the movie. While you don't have to
see the movie to enjoy the game, you'll appreciate many of the subtle
fine-points of background, animations, and characterization more fully
if you do! Game producer John Skruch talks about designing BATMAN
RETURNS in an article in this edition of EXPLORER. As summer starts
rolling, Atari is at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago featuring
the colorful Lynx hand held game machine from their suite in downtown
Chicago. Atari Explorer fills you in on the latest in the gaming action
for summertime, with a crop of new releases for the Lynx. Basketbrawl,
Hydra, Lynx Casino, Lynx Hockey, and Rampart are all on the way. Here
in Atari Explorer Online, we'll fill you in on the latest happening from
the Consumer Electronics Show from the Atari point of view.
In our last issue, I shared with you the news that John Jainschigg was
remaining in New York as we start to move Atari Explorer to Sunnyvale.
We've begun the task of finding a replacement for John, and it's going
well. I've been investing a lot of time in this talent hunt. While
I've had a chance to meet some new people, I confess that I've really
enjoyed rekindling relationships with some of the Atari journalists of
old. It's been very gratifying to hear that they still love their
Atari's, even if fate has placed them at a non-Atari publication. One
of the candidates is a former ANTIC Magazine staffer, who made no bones
about telling me that PaperClip for the Atari 130XE still does things
for him that no other word processor can do! We're narrowing the field
of applicants down, and I expect to make an announcement about the new
editor within three weeks. We'll keep you posted.
On a somewhat similar note, here in Sunnyvale we've had more changes.
Director of Atari Service Ted Maciejewski and Don Mandell, Vice
President of US Sales and Marketing are no longer with the company.
Longtime employee Art Morgan has accepted the challenge of Atari
Service. In an interim move, James Grunke, Director of International
Music Markets will be handling Don Mandell's duties. James brings a
strong knowledge of retail sales with him to this job. Both James and
Art have begun undertaking their new responsibilities. As Art will need
some time to get up to speed, dealers are asked to call him from 8:30 AM
to 12:00PM PDST for the next few days. You can reach Art at 408-745-
2029, or fax him at 408-745-2088. James can be reached at the same
voice number as before, 408-745-2014, and you can also fax him at 408-
745-2088. We at Atari wish Ted and Don every success in their future
endeavors.
Lastly, as part of this issue of Atari Explorer we're pleased to offer
another software bonus to our readers. This time, we've got an
exclusive program from Atari Corp.. FontGDOS, an upgrade from the
original GDOS. Along with FontGDOS, we're including all the CPXs for
use with XCONTROL, and accessories for those than prefer to use the
standard .ACC files. Full documentation is naturally included. We'd
planned to release the entire FontGDOS.LZH file as part of the issue,
but at over 400K, it's simply too big. There's plenty here to get you
started with FontGDOS, though! The file FNT_GDOS.LZH is included with
this issue of Atari Explorer Online. The entire package (FONTDGDOS.LZH)
will be available exclusively on GEnie for downloading.
Thanks to Leonard Tramiel, Vice President of Software, and Bill Rehbock,
Director of Application Software for allowing Atari Explorer Online to
bring you this software update!
| | | THE EDITORS DESK
| | | By Ron Kovacs
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
We have made it Issue #3 and although there is a LITTLE confusion
behind the scenes, there are plans being made and a commitment to
continue releasing regular editions.
Atari Explorer Online can be found on GEnie, CompuServe, Delphi and the
FNET (FoReM Network). AEO also manages an FNET conference available to
any FoReM or Turbo BBS system by sending mail to node 706 and requesting
addition to conference #20448.
We are looking for CompuServe coverage and will provide the elected
volunteer with FREE COMPUSERVE ONLINE TIME! Please send inquiries to
75300,1642. Include a short list of your qualifications, sample(s) of
your work and a phone number.
| | | Z*NET NEWSWIRE
| | | Atari News Update
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
AJAX UPGRADES
Atari dealers have begun to receive Ajax upgrades again after a period
of unavailability. Problems with the TOS 3.06 with 1.44 meg floppy disk
drives and the Ajax controller have been resolved by a dealer-performed
modification of the power supply and wire shielding on TT machines. If
not installed correctly, users may find that the drive will not operate
in some circumstances. In a related item, a number of Mega STe
computers have been found in dealers inventory that have the new Ajax/
1.44 meg drive installed, but are equipped with TOS 2.05 instead of
2.06. The latter is required in order to achieve IBM 1.44 meg disk
format compatibility. While Atari 1.44 disks will work fine, a 2.05
formatted 1.44 disk may not read in an IBM. All other functions,
including "normal" density disk interchangeability, are unaffected by
the earlier TOS version.
LEXICOR EXPANDS
Lexicor has become a Silicon Graphics Iris independent vendor under the
Iris partners program. This means that Lexicor is licensed to port it's
Phase-4 software products to the Silicon graphics platform. Lexicor is
also authorized to sell Silicon graphics hardware and software directly.
Lexicor plans to continue support for the Atari computers. They are
continuing development of their 15/24 Bit true color applications and
expects software support in the near future.
HYBRID ARTS BOUGHT OUT
The original Atari music software and hardware developer, Hybrid Arts,
has been acquired by Audio FX, a growing high-tech conglomerate in San
Jose, CA. The Hybrid Arts line of Atari hardware and software will
continue uninterrupted. Hardware, including the line of ST-driven
Digital Master direct-to-disk recording and editing units will appear
under the "Digital FX" nameplate operating out of Glendale, CA.
Software (GenEdit and others) will be branded with "Barefoot Software"
monikers, located in the San Fernando Valley North of Los Angeles. The
existing staff of Hybrid Arts will also make the move to the new
company, although relocated within Southern California.
NEW PRO-QUALITY VIDEO DIGITIZER COMING
SDS Software, the makers of utilities and accessories for the Atari line
of computers, expects to release software drivers that will enable Atari
ST and TT owners to use the Logitech digitizing video camera with their
computers. Providing color and/or 256 gray scale output suitable for
magazine reproduction, the Logitech has been a popular addition to
publishing companies who use MAC and PC equipment now. The unit
attaches at the serial port. The addition of Atari compatibility can
only increase the interest in the entire Atari DTP and professional
press applications. Scott Sanders of SDS says that the software should
be ready by mid-summer 1992, and will be also available bundled with the
camera at around $600.
BATMAN RETURNS GAME HITS STORES
Batman returns for the Lynx will hit store shelves during the week of
June 19. Atari will begin an intense national promotion and advertising
campaign with new print and television ads to announce the availability
of the Batman Returns game. Lynx counter cards and visuals will promote
the Batman Returns game and Atari will be sponsoring contests through
sampling events and print advertising as well. One major event this
summer will enable nearly 90,000 consumers to sample Lynx products,
including Batman Returns.
LYNX SALES ON TARGET
Atari recently announced that Lynx systems and software sales are in
line with projections to double the 1991 volume. Less than six months
ago, cartridge sales eclipsed the one million mark. Atari's research
indicates that the average Lynx owner buys more than four games a year.
Lynx has the largest game library for color portables with 45 games
currently available and nearly 80 total games by the end of 1992.
| | | LYNX OWNERS UPDATE
| | | Lynx Kicks Off Summer Of Software With 20 New Titles
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
Atari will ship 24 Lynx titles during the upcoming summer season,
followed by an additional crop of 15 titles for fall and winter release.
Below we have listed the releases for June thru September 1992.
JUNE RELEASES
BATMAN RETURNS - Only Lynx brings you the Bat, the Cat and the Penguin
in time for the movie release. This tough superhero smash will amaze
you with incredible graphics and fast action battles. Watch out for the
motorcycle gang! Keep your Batarang handy at all times.
BASKETBRAWL - How tuff R U? Beat the School Boyz in the roughest game
on the courts. Someone in your face? Better hit him before he punches
you. The trick is to score between the fights. Grab clubs, knives and
whips to make beating your opponent easier.
LYNX CASINO - Viva Las Vegas! Viva Lynx! Now you can bring the best of
Vegas with you wherever you go. Play blackjack, video poker, craps,
slots and roulette. Be sure to talk to other gamblers as you tour the
casino. 1-2 players.
RAMPART - The castle is under attack! Man the battlements! Load the
cannons! Rampart gives you only seconds to prepare with an enemy fleet.
After the smoke clears, you must quickly rebuild your ramparts or the
castle will fall. 1-2 players.
JULY - AUGUST RELEASES
HOCKEY - Choose your favorite team from the divisions around the league.
Tailor its strengths to suit your style of play. Hit the ice with speed
and skill. Fast-paced action makes Hockey the hottest game you can play
in the cold. Check out the shootout and fight modes! 1-2 players.
HYDRA - Your hydra ship cruises at hyper speeds and also flies for short
distances. Speed down dangerous rivers blasting hostile forces with
powerups you purchase in hidden shops along the way. Nine death-defying
missions!
HYPERDROME - Speed through a futuristic grid arena, picking up valuable
gems and blasting then into your goal. Watch your energy and your
enemies. Awesome scaling and colors highlight this original game that
combines the principals of soccer with the technology of the 22nd
century! 1-4 players.
KUNG FOOD - A different kind of food fight, Kung Food is a battle
against food gone bad and gone mad. Karate chop attacking carrots and
rotten tomatoes to escape from the freezer levels and the fridge, then
fight across the kitchen floor and through the cabinets. This is no
cakewalk!
PINBALL JAM - Two awesome pinball smashes, Elvira and the Party Monsters
and Police Force, combine to give you portable power in the palm of your
hand. Hear Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, praise your ball-handling
skills. This witty game has beautiful graphics and smooth, fluid
motion. Police Force features the digitized voices of police
dispatchers and beat cops in cars.
PIT FIGHTER - The long-awaited arcade wonder comes to Lynx with
digitized graphics and the original characters. A fighter's dream,
choose your warrior based upon his strengths and weaknesses, and take
the pit for the toughest fighting ever. 1-2 players.
ROLLING THUNDER - You're a top secret agent on your most dangerous
mission - rescuing your kidnapped girlfriend from the clutches of your
arch-enemy. Ten action-packed levels await you in your quest to rescue
your girl.
SHADOW OF THE BEAST - Transformed from a human to a hideous creature,
you vow to return to the lands of Necropolis to avenge the death of your
parents and your people. Enter the Shadow of the Beast and vanquish the
Beast Lord forever!
STEEL TALONS - Lynx puts the awesome arcade helicopter gunship battle
into your hands. The 16-bit graphics engine lets you thread between
polygon obstacles in your path. A terrific title for those who love
fight and battle games.
WORLD CLASS SOCCER - All the rough and tumble fast action of soccer is
yours in World Class Soccer. Choose teams from countries all over the
world. Tournament rules apply, or play in practice mode. 1-2 players.
SEPTEMBER RELEASES
BASEBALL HEROES - Play Ball! Lynx brings you the boys of summer,
letting you manage all the action. Control the play from behind the
catcher, behind the pitcher, or in the outfield. The Lynx's powerful
scaling lets you keep a great perspective as you follow the ball and the
base runners around the bases. 1-2 players.
BATTLEZONE 2000 - This amazing 3-D tank battle game combines simulation,
strategy and skill. Upgrade your equipment and ammunition as the game
progrsses. 1-2 players.
DIRTY LARRY, RENEGADE COP - You're the one detective who can rid the
streets of the scum that ruins the city. Forget the bureaucrats, you're
here to solve the problem. There are pyromaniacs, bikers and mad
scientists you'll have to outduel to clean up this town.
DAEMONSGATE - This incredible RPG has you search mystical lands,
discovering magical spells, strange creatures, treasures and special
items you'll need in your quest.
DINOLYMPICS - You'll have to teach your Cro-Magnon compatriots to work
together in order to cave-clan to survive. Use a variety of different
cavemen to perform tasks necessary for you and the other cavemen to
survive. Use the wheel, the spear, the rope and fire. Consult the King
and the Shaman for leadership and magic. 1-2 players.
DRACULA, THE UNDEAD - Sepia tomes and gloomy graphics add mood to the
classic tale of Dracula. Special programming techniques make it
possible for you, Jonathan Harker, to walk 360 degrees in search of
clues for an escape from Castle Dracula.
JIMMY CONNORS BAD BOY TENNIS - The original Bad Boy serves up a
championship game. You'll hear the voice of Jimmy Connors adding color
commentary as you move up the ladder to face the master himself. 1-2
players.
MALIBU BEACH VOLLEYBALL - Enjoy the sun and surf while you blast the
tunes you choose on your portable boom box. Play tournament style or
just for fun. 1-2 players.
NFL FOOTBALL - Pick from your favorite NFL teams and choose from a
variety of run, pass, or specialty plays designed by a real NFL
offensive coordinator. Lynx NFL Football packs hard-hitting action into
great graphics and digitized voices for all the realism you're used to.
1-2 players.
SWITCHBLADE II - As Hiro, you must jump, kick and slash your way through
this futuristic world to battle the leader of evil. Look for ways to
upgrade your weaponry as you advance.
THIRD PARTY DEVELOPER RELEASES - TELEGAMES USA
GUARDIANS: STORM OVER DORIA - The Guardians search the kingdom of Doria
for Quellin, the Master of Mystical Arts, who has kidnapped Prince
Creshin and the Crown of Versilles, which controls the weather. Talk to
townsfolk, use spells, scrolls and multiple weapons to find Creshin and
save Doria from eternal winter. 1-4 players.
SUPER OFF-ROAD - The Tradewest arcade smash comes to Lynx, letting you
get down and dirty! Choose from many stadium tracks as you grind it up
and kick up some mud. There are jumps, mud pits and barriers to
negotiate in this race game. 1-4 players.
DOUBLE DRAGON - Twin brothers take to the streets armed with their
expert knowledge of martial arts. Their quest: To rescue their friend
Marion from Black Warriors street gang. Use weapons and street strategy
in this masterful fight game. 1-2 players.
SCHEDULED TITLES FOR RELEASE IN OCTOBER - NOVEMBER - DECEMBER
720' Blood & Guts Hockey Cabal
Eye of The Beholder Full Court Press Heavyweight Contender
Lemmings Ninga Gaiden III Ninja Nerd
Power Factor Rai-Den Road Riot 4WD
Space War Super Asteroids/Missile Command
Vindicators
Batman and all related elements are property of DC Comics, Inc.
Trademark and copyright 1992. All rights reserved.
Atari, the Atari Logo, and Lynx are trademarks of Atari Corporation.
Atari is traded on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol ATC.
| | | CODEHEAD TECHNOLOGIES IN CONFERENCE
| | | Edited from Transcripts available on CompuServe by Ron Kovacs
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
Pattie) Tonight's guest speakers are John and Charles from CodeHead
Technologies. They're back to tell us about their exciting new product
Caligrapher, and take questions on their other fine products. Do you
have any opening remarks?
John @ CodeHead) Actually, I haven't prepared any opening statement. I
do have a couple of things to mention though. We just got our initial
shipment of Calligraphers today. And we learned a few new things about
it that we didn't know. One thing is that there is a demo version. I
trust everyone has read our press release. That's all. Charles?
Charles) :) So that means we're shipping Calligrapher now!
keith joins) Does Calligrapher use GDOS? I'm a bit behind in my
reading. :)
Charles) Yes. Calligrapher uses GDOS, or I should say, G+PLUS. It uses
G+PLUS along with another AUTO program called LINE_ARC.PRG which serves
a function similar to FSMGDOS - i.e. it handles the scaling of the
outline fonts.
John @ CodeHead) A special version of G+Callig is included. I'd like to
also mention that another thing we discovered today is that PostScript
support is included in the Professional version. You don't need to go
for the Gold to get PostScript. <grin>
keith joins) So it (LINE_ARC.PRG) will replace the need for FSMGDOS as
far as calligrapher goes?
John @ CodeHead) That's right. FSMGDOS has yet to be officially
released. So we're very happy that we don't need it.
Charles) Yes, and there is a quite extensive library of fonts available
for use with LINE_ARC, at very low prices.
Bill @ AIM-HQ) The press release mentions that Calligrapher can do
Tables and Formulae, does this mean it has some spreadsheet-like
capabilities, too? Or just the ability to create mathematical
equations?
John @ CodeHead) The formulae capabilities do not include actual
calculations...rather, you are able to enter mathematical equations
using symbols such as "integral" and "root" and they are automatically
sized to fit their contents. The tables can be created using tabs, via
easy-to-use rulers or you can automatically create tables by entering
vertical bars, e.g.
Col 1|Col 2|Col 3
23|14|16
etc.
Bill @ AIM-HQ) Great! That's a feature I wish was in current DTP
packages. The press release also mentions an "Outliner" built into the
software. Can you give me some details on it?
Charles) The outliner is great stuff. It lets you graphically arrange a
"tree" of idea boxes, sort in different orders, manipulate the
hierarchy, etc. It's very cool. A little hard to describe, but when
you see it, it's like an awakening...."Gee, you mean, and outliner
really can be useful??" :)
John @ CodeHead) The outliner looks similar to a flowchart, and you can
paste the results into your document.
Bill @ AIM-HQ) A well done outliner is a great tool for writers...it's
another tool we haven't had on the ST until now.
John @ CodeHead) BTW, Calligrapher has great tab support... with
leading, centered, left, right, and decimal tabs.
Dazzz Smith) With the release of Calligrapher Codehead Software has a
well rounded product line. Are there any other areas you intend to
produce more software for? e.g. midi, comms, etc.?
John @ CodeHead) One of these days, I'll actually finish the manual for
our MIDI Spy program. The project has been pushed back many months due
to all of the other new things we've taken on.
Charles) And we're also still actively looking into FAX software.
Dazzz Smith) With all these projects on the go how much time do you have
for updates to your current products?
John @ CodeHead) We don't have too much time, but luckily everything
else is perfect <grin>. Seriously, Charles has been investing a lot of
his time in Warp 9 tweaks.
Charles) We just updated CodeHead Ramdisk, and MultiDesk just got an
update too. Eventually, I'm gonna tear into MaxiFile again, to make it
more compatible (friendly) with Multi-TOS.
John @ CodeHead) Speaking of Warp 9, we're about to upload a free update
to Warp 9 that gives everyone a lot of new compatibility and some new
speed increases, too.
Pattie) My question is about Calligrapher... you mentioned GDOS and
PostScript...how do you get them to mix?
John @ CodeHead) One of the drivers is a PostScript driver. So G+ is
being used to send output to the PostScript driver, which creates a disk
file.
Charles) There are Calligrapher equivalents for many of the common
PostScript fonts, like Times, Helvetica, Garamond, etc., and you can
tell Calligrapher to substitute the PostScript names in the output.
John @ CodeHead) We've only tested some rather simple PS files, but the
ones we tried printed well from UltraScript and CompoScript.
Pattie) Perhaps I'm a little confused...are you saying it's a two-step
process to get GDOS fonts printed out on a PostScript printer?
Charles) Pattie: no! You _can_ print directly to a PostScript device
too. You can print either directly to a PS device, or to a disk file
for use with a service bureau.
John @ CodeHead) you might want to output to a PS file and take it to a
lino bureau. PS is very flexible and can be used in many ways.
keith joins) What fonts come with it and have you set pricing on the
additional ones yet?
John @ CodeHead) The included fonts are: Zurich (Helv), Holland
(Times), Holland Italic, Math (Greek, Symbols), Ornaments (Dingbats) and
Unitype (Courier). There are 64 other font disks available. We haven't
formally set a price, but I believe it will be between $30 and $35 per
disk. These outline fonts are from URW, a very professional font
foundry.
Rob Rasmussen) Midi Spy is listed in your catalog as being for sale, but
when I called CH, and from what you just said, I get the impression it
isn't ready yet. Is it ready?
John @ CodeHead) I can't apologize enough for the delay on MIDI Spy. If
you only knew how much (little) free time I have, you'd figure it will
never get released. The program is basically finished, but the manual
has not been finished. The original release date was December 16th.
Obviously, I missed it. <grin>
Dazzz Smith) How extensive are the spellchecker and thesaurus
(spelling?) in Calligrapher?
John @ CodeHead) The spell checker has 160,000 words...with phonetic and
alphabetic guessing. You can skip on or all occurrences, and "learn" and
so on. Spell checking can be done manually on the document or
automatically while you type. The Thesaurus is very hip. It has
200,000 synonyms and maintains a word trail that you can use to back up.
It also has antonyms.
Bill @ AIM-HQ) The Calligrapher press release doesn't mention this, but
I heard (somewhere) that the program can set text on a user-defined path
(wavy line, etc). Is this true? Are there any other neat-o features we
have yet to hear about (and if so, what are some of 'em)? :-)
John @ CodeHead) That's a feature of Calligrapher Gold. It's called
Flextext. <grin>
Charles) Yes, that's the FlexText feature. It's one of the external
modules (known as "paks"). And that, by the way, is one of
Calligrapher's nicest features, the ability to call external modules.
This means that new features, import/export modules can be added as
needed without having to update the main program.
John @ CodeHead) Calligrapher Professional lists for $175. Calligrapher
Gold is $250, and the Gold Extension (update from Pro) is $100.
John @ CodeHead) Barcode generation is another feature. There's also a
grammar checker. And an automatic timed save. And a label printer.
These are all features of the Gold version.
Charles) Another thing that wasn't mentioned in the press release:
Calligrapher has "paragraph tags" similar to Pagemaker that let you
quickly set up paragraphs in your favorite styles, you can edit the
tags, and automatically update all paragraphs that use them.
John E CodeHead) There are also dictionaries available in French,
German, Spanish, Italian, Catalan, and Dutch.
Pattie) OK... If we can move off Calligrapher specifically for a second.
I would like to know how you guys feel about all the software coming
from overseas nowadays. Is that good or bad?
John @ CodeHead) I think some of it's good and some of it's bad. The
software _we_ import is good, and the rest is bad. <grin> But seriously,
we're just glad to be able to provide the US users with quality software
that meets our high standards...even if we didn't write it.
Charles) Some companies seem to have made importing their entire
business. We're still actively developing products of our own such as
Warp 9, MIDI Spy, Icon Juggler, and others, so we're keeping our hands
very much in the development side of things too.
John @ CodeHead) And we've also been careful in selecting imports that
allow _us_ to write modules. We've already written seven modules for
MegaPaint and we've got some great plans for Calligrapher.
Pattie) Do you feel it's a function of the small market now that
developers, whether on this side of the ocean or that, have to think
globally to be successful?
Charles) Well, one unfortunate side effect of the small US market is
that the "major" applications have not found fertile soil in which to
develop. A program like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator takes an
ENORMOUS amount of time and money to bring to fruition, and these kinds
of resources just haven't been available to US developers. (With a few
notable exceptions.) However, in Europe (UK and Germany in particular)
the market has been much stronger and consequently the software has had
more of a chance to mature and develop. There's still a lot of trash
(after all, Sturgeon said "90% of everything is trash"), but there is
also some excellent stuff. We're trying to separate the wheat from the
chaff in our own efforts. <gasp>
Dazzz Smith) Is there any other software you've got your eye on overseas
that you may want to import?
John @ CodeHead) Nothing interests us currently (as if we'd tell you
here <grin>).
Charles) No comment.
Rob Rasmussen) Is that first shipment of Calligrapher is spoken for (Can
I get it NOW?:) Also are there still plenty of TEC boards?
Charles) We still have some left in the first shipment. Yes, you can
get it right NOW!
John @ CodeHead) BTW, during this conference I'm multi-tasking. I'm
looking through a new brochure we received today, and I'm learning even
more new things about Calligrapher that I didn't know before. Yes we've
got TECs. One thing we haven't mentioned...Even though Calligrapher was
developed overseas, our deal is different with Working Title UK. We've
set up another company called Working Title US. This company is in
partnership with Working Title UK and we'll be manufacturing the product
here. This will allow us to offer larger margins to distributors and
dealers, increasing the market share for everyone.
Rob Rasmussen) And I can use it with a color monitor, correct?
Charles) Rob: yes. :)
John @ CodeHead) Yes, Calligrapher runs in all resolutions except low
(and TT low).
Pattie) Thank you Rob! I guess I'm the lucky person with the last
question before Charles and John get to make any closing remarks! :)
Can you tell us what your thoughts are on the new system and what it
could mean to the future of Atari?
John @ CodeHead) It has some enormous potential.
Charles) It's a killer machine. But they can't delay for too long, or
everyone will have them.
Pattie) Thank you for joining us tonight...now's your chance to say
anything at all by way of closing! :)
John @ CodeHead) We've been really lucky to be able to sell the TECs
here in the US and it's opened our eyes to the value of selling hardware
as opposed to software. We've got some plans for a couple of other
hardware devices also...surprise. That's all I'm going to say right
now, but we're excited.
| | | MICS - BYES AND ATARI: 10 Steps To Postscript Nirvana!
| | | By Richard Brown
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
Reprinted from The GEnie Lamp Online Magazine
(c) Copyright 1992 T/TalkNET OnLine Publishing, GEnie, and the GEnie
Computing RoundTables.
...NOT!
An ST Pontification, batteries included, or
...getting real with the ST, Printing, and Software Support
From time to time I'll meet a new Atari user, or a user that's been
around for some time, and they will express their doubts about their
system, lamenting on its shortcomings next to the "mainstream"
computers.
One need only query as to the demands made of the Atari to understand
one of the problems in the ST world: while many initially purchased an
Atari for its low cost and high apparent value, minimal investment
followed the purchase leading to a problem we can call "underachiever"
syndrome.
Many ST's are emasculated via a reliance upon the internal floppy
drive. A second floppy or hard disk purchase can make a profound
impact on the utility of the machine.
Video gamers rarely require such hardware, but as the gaming falls by
the wayside, all too often, so does the ST. One-time gamers might not
ever harness the power of their machines. With failing color monitors
and dirty, uncared for keyboards, the computer may seem a relic before
its true utility is realized.
Unfortunately, there are mail order retailers whose entire existence
relies upon the games market, and these "dial-a-dealers" do little to
promulgate a future for the ST.
Time and again, ST users "move on" to find that, in the Mac and IBM
worlds, well, things get very pricey...
Simple economics can usually point out a folly in progress:
Are we to assume a new IBM clone or Mac system is cheaper than, say, a
memory/speed upgrade, hard drive, and monochrome monitor which will
serve to invigorate a basic ST? And at what price software? At what
cost learning a more primitive OS? And, what is the value of the
downtime in productivity such a choice will inevitably demand?
Some would say that they've held out for DOS to get Windows 3. Just
like an ST, they think, but with all that power. I bought it just to
see, folks, and then I talked with a representative from one of the top
Fortune 500 companies about it: a red herring, folks. The Fortune 500
company man explained, quite simply, that no "power user" can avail
himself of Windows. It is the proverbial "dog with fleas."
Nag, nag... Perhaps I digress...
Finally, we come to the point of the output, or how the general public
sees the results of the computer's labor.
Impressed by any number of factors, the now "serious user" may end up
buying that "quality printer" that his sparkling new system deserves.
Wait a minute.... why not for the Atari?
Perhaps the casual ST user fails to realize that every ST begs to be
connected to a better printer?
The days of dot matrix, many times the "standard" equipment of the ST
world, especially for the "old timers," is drawing to an end with the
advent of low cost ink jet and bubble jet printers from powerhouse
manufacturers like Hewlett Packard and Canon. Both of these companies
either are delivering or stand ready to deliver full color jet
printers.
Beyond the jet printers, there abounds a sea of laser printing options,
from the Atari laser to the HP Laser jet to the various PostScript
printing options.
A step past the personal printing options just mentioned are the
imagesetters, featuring typeset-quality output standardized at up to
3000 dots per inch resolution. These machines are intended for pre-
press printing options, including type, halftones, and color
separations.
But what printer is for you?
To answer this question, you have to ask yourself about your output
demands. Beyond the simple conveyance of words, what do you wish to
tackle with your ST? Newsletters, for example, require desktop
publishing if they are to look comparatively acceptable. Photo
reproductions may also be needed.
On the ST, both the Canon Bubble jet (even the portable, battery-capable
BJ130) and the Hewlett Packard Deskjet 500 are excellent choices. Both
represent reasonably small investments for excellent capability. Both
excel in particular ways: the Bubble jet does better with typography,
but the Deskjet seems to have an edge in graphics. Neither printer is
anything to write home about as far as paper handling goes, except both
do envelopes.
This estimation may be unfair to some degree. I own both the BJ130 and
the Deskjet 500C, and am comparing a truly portable, fold-up notebook-
sized portable against a fixed desktop model. More than this, my
Bubble jet has gone through airport baggage handling, etc., in more than
a continent's worth of travel. Still, the Bubble jet _is_ crisper on
type at its 360 dpi resolution, next to the HP's 300 dpi.
Laser printers are a better option for more serious DTP applications,
and this is truly an area of "Atari Advantage." Programs like Calamus
are devoted to maximizing the benefits of Atari's own SLM series of
laser printers, whereas programs like PageStream focus more on the
PostScript printing options.
But change is in the air. Soon, Calamus SL is expected to dish out its
power to PostScript printers through a new module, and the DTP world
will never be the same.
The Atari SLM series is quite affordable, whereas PostScript options,
though getting more affordable, tend to get pricey.
The fantastic (in its native 'tongue') HP Laser jet 3, with its circular
variable dot capability, can be adapted via cartridge to PostScript
use, but users report this results in a massive loss of speed (not to
mention extra money for more printer RAM and the pricey cartridge
itself).
In short, there is a lot of give and take in laser printing decisions.
Atari provides one choice, which may be enough for many users, but in
pursuing the high-end DTP market, faced with PostScript as the defacto
standard of imagesetters everywhere, buying a PostScript printer
eventually becomes inevitable.
In my company and our affiliates, a lot of PostScript printers have
been put to the test, so here are some shopping tips:
>>> TEN STEPS TO POSTSCRIPT NIRVANA <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ Useful Information and Tips on
Selecting Your PostScript or Laser Printer ~
1. DPI (dots per inch): 300 is the old standard, but 400 and 600 dpi
are becoming more common.
2. Does the printer run Adobe PostScript (the origin of PostScript),
or does it run a compatible emulation? Many new RISC-based high
speed PostScript printers use emulation, but not all are good at
all things PostScript (the NewGen line seems well worth a look for
_high speed_ RISC-based PostScript emulation).
3. How black is black? Surprise! There are very pricey PostScript
printers out there that do not print black! Dark gray, maybe, but
a Bubble jet or Deskjet will easily outperform it for blacks. Have
the dealer print you a nice 5x7 inch box (or full page) as SOLID
BLACK. Look at the page. Sometimes, you'd swear the Milky Way is
running through the "black" box. This is usually not a good sign.
If possible, also print a TIFF or EPS halftone graphic. Printers
that do not support black often "give up" in printing a halftone,
defaulting to paper white far too quickly in the printing of
halftones. You'll see the halftone pixels lightening, then stop
suddenly, leaving the photo or graphic with an unnatural visual
feel. Graphic halftones are the real test of PostScript printers.
Many newsletters, for example, don't need to be output on an
imagesetter at $7 or more per page. It is important, therefor,
that the office (or home) printer does a good job with graphics and
halftones.
4. Read the small print: have a type sample printed, and look at type
sizes between 3 and 10 points. Some PostScript printers are sloppy
and although a 300 dpi printer isn't expected to do so well at 3
point type, but it is a telling factor on machine precision (some
are readable!).
5. Check out ordinary print: output a page with "normal" font sizes,
from 10 to 72 point (72 points to the inch). Study the page. Does
the printer "overspray," that is, leave a mist of tiny extra black
pixels in the white space around the character? This is a tradeoff
of sorts. Sometimes a printer with good blacks and halftone
reproduction will exhibit "overspray". The idea is to find a
printer that provides a balance between the two. A rule of thumb:
take the good graphics reproduction, and suffer through a little
overspray. Pictures are worth the proverbial thousand words, after
all.
6. Coordinate accuracy: PostScript uniformly describes a page through
a complex series of ASCII commands which address a "page
description" graphic language. The problem is, that's all
software, and therefor, theory. What about the hardware? Another
test page: using whatever software is linked to the printer, place
a uniform 7.5 x 10 inch unfilled box CENTERED on the page. This
leaves a uniform half inch border on all sides of an 8.5x11 page.
Print it. Now, fold the paper, carefully, down the middle both
vertically and horizontally, matching the edges. Using the folds,
hold the paper to the light and look at the box corners
superimposed over each other (top meets bottom, left meets right,
etc.) Oops! Doesn't align! Not printed square to the page? This
can be important: When I changed PostScript printers recently,
_all_ my stock page templates had to be adjusted about 3/16 of an
inch, and on an angle to the upper right, as I remember!
7. Lines: Test print a series of lines, cascading up in point size
from .1 to 6.0. Of course, the dealer may balk. Fine. Two lines,
.1 point and 1 point. There should be a big difference, EVEN at
300 dpi.
8. Does the printer have a smart interface? Does it sense incoming
data and automatically choose between a variety of printer
emulations? (Again, the NewGen looks good, printing just about
anything thrown at it - even screen dumps.)
9. Does the printer handle a wide range of paper stocks? Many
printers get very finicky over paper weights, and 24# stock is
often the limit. This is upsetting when using a PostScript
printer, and you need, say, some quick business cards. My old AST
PostScript printer (now gone from the marketplace) easily handled
heavier stocks with its excellent mechanism. The same goes for
envelopes, by the way... Some do, some don't.
10. Annoyance Factors: What is the maximum paper capacity? This goes
for both the incoming and outgoing capacities. On my NEC
Silentwriter, I find paper capacity very poor, and paper handling
even worse. For writers (I'm a screen writer), being able to
confidently print 100 or more pages at a time is important. The
NEC barely takes the 110 or 120 sheets I need, and if that stuffed,
often (like clockwork) jams while printing due to very poor paper
handling.
Even worse, the outgoing "basket" chokes every 20-25 pages,
meaning: in a 110 page printing session, I have to stand over the
printer the entire time to clear paper jams, check for missing
pages due to the jams, and clear the out- basket at least five
times during the print session. In the days of my excellent AST
Turbo Laser, I could print the same document, and after the first
page settled in the huge 'out-basket' (or tray), I could go to
lunch with confidence.
"Print and go to lunch" capability will be more important than you
think.
SOFTWARE OPTIONS
Having a great printer necessitates great software.
Calamus and PageStream offer sophistication as page layout programs, as
mentioned before.
Didot Professional also looks to be a winner, with the dual capacity
for using PageStream's (or IBM) Type 1 PostScript fonts as easily as it
uses Calamus fonts. Didot combines this font power within a package
that has an astounding array of high-end functions, including Calamus
Outline Art-type font tricks directly within its document processor!
(Also, would you believe, font editing and autotracing of bitmaps?)
And unlike PageStream, which offers extreme power at the cost of screen
redraw speed, Didot is lightning fast, not unlike Calamus. Didot also
has extensive support of imagesetter technology, or so an imagesetter
I know has told me (I have yet to _see_ the proof of it).
However, while a desktop publishing / typesetting pre-press option for
years, Atari today is finally coming into its own in terms of graphics
production.
Programs like Calamus SL, PageStream, and Didot Professional all have
significant color capabilities, and new software, like Retouche
Professional and Cranach Studio / Paint, are on their way, arriving
just in time to bring excellence in "photo- graphics" to the ST and TT.
Beyond the scope of the simple bitmap, these high-end gray scale
packages support many color and gray scale picture formats, bringing
Mac-like power to the ST.
High-end bitmap/vector art packages abound for the ST, with the
CodeHead Technologies' import, "MegaPaint Professional" and Gribnif's
import, "Arabesque Professional" leading the way for the combined
vector/bitmap art crowd. Both print to a wide variety of printers
(though PostScript is yet to be supported).
CodeHead's spectacular "Avant Vektor" is another, ultra-serious
autotracing/vector art package that supports the two most important ST
standards, Calamus' *.CVG and PostScript's *.EPS
The number of European programs heading towards English conversion
seems to be on the increase. These programs (like Calamus) are usually
heavily supported, and much R&D continues on them, making major
upgrades a common event. For this reason, keep looking to the major ST
supporters, like ISD, CodeHead, and Gribnif (I know there are others:
this is not a complete list) to bring new standards of excellence to
your Atari that compare in every way to the "powerhouse" Macs and DOS
clones.
And don't forget the home-grown: SoftLogik, the maker of PageStream, is
a company dictated by the U.S. market, and a classic example of a
company driven by that market.
Unfortunately today, there are far more Amigas in the U.S. than there
are Ataris, and the force of the market alone has shifted SoftLogik's
basic support to favor the Amiga first over the Atari.
The profound results for PageStream's ST market:
Calling SoftLogik's technical support can be a frustrating experience
with busy signals.
Users have come to expect only management or bug fix updates, not major
upgrades, and that's what they can count on pending an upsurge in
product support.
One need only to look at which version is on which machine, and the
tale is told. Rumor: fantastic PageStream ST upgrade coming, but will
it be in 1994? Historically, PageStream 2 was announced in May of
1990, but did not reach the end users until July, 1991. This is not
SoftLogik's fault, folks.
Remember WordPerfect? The world's foremost word processing software
company decides to support the "new" Atari ST. A computer for the
masses, and the best software too. But, where was the support? The
company had no problem meeting the trickle of demand it received, and
soon enough, decided to cut its losses. It costs, in terms of both
labor and money, to develop any commercial software.
ST users need to support this effort. The few stateside software
manufacturers deserve the ST community's support.
If an ST user switches platforms, then he immediately invests HEAVILY
in hardware, software, and expects support. He gets it, because he's
joined a _nation_, not a fraternity. He'll think nothing of plunking
down many hundreds of dollars to get the software he needs to get
things as close to his expectations as possible.
Where is this spirit in the U.S. Atari market?
More than ever, for very real and tangible reasons, Atari sparkles with
the promise of a significant rebirth.
But Atari Corporation needs to hear from the U.S. masses. Corporations
are basically greedy enterprises. If Atari Corporation believed that
it could sell a million ST's in the U.S. this year, it would bring
about a revolution.
Computer stores are also basically greedy enterprises, and where demand
goes, they follow. ST's could find their way into new dealers, and
like the phoenix, resurrect those that have died.
(Let me adjust the soapbox a little...)
The common complaints of current and ex-Atarians (no support, etc.) are
not the fault of the much-maligned Atari Corporation; it is simply the
expected response that follows a lack of a market.
So call two friends, have them call two friends, and so on... and
create that demand!
You can count on support, despite all the doomsaying! Just look at the
facts:
The true-believers, principally European software concerns and their
brilliant Atari programmers, continue to dole out excellence in high-
end software.
American true believers, like SoftLogik, Gribnif, Double Click, Gadgets
by Small, FastTech, and CodeHead Technologies (I know, I know... there
are more), continue to support the ST and need your support. They are
also some of the principal sources for the European imports...
With the current hardware/software offerings, it is extremely unlikely
that any average to serious computer user will outgrow the Atari line
of computers, _ever_.
All it takes is the right point of view.
Now, make those calls!
| | | PORTFOLIO OWNERS COLUMN
| | | LCD Removal Possible! By Bruce Coleman
| | | ________________________________________________________________
O.K... For all you Hardware-Hackers-Who-Can't-Resist-Taking-Your-
Portfolio-Apart-To-See-What-Makes-It-Tick: It *is* possible to take the
LCD part of your Port apart WITHOUT breaking it...BUT... As you all
know: Messing around with your machine like this WILL, most assuredly,
Void Your Warranty! Having said that here we go.
Yesterday I watched Don Thomas take an old dead Portfolio LCD PC board
out of it's protective covering. This is how he did it (BTW, we didn't
put it back together, so no guarantees!).
*** NOTE: Read everything first BEFORE you try this procedure! ***
*** Warranty will be voided if you try this! ***
The first thing you must do is peel the clear LCD screen cover (the one
with the words "Portfolio" and "16 bit personal computer" on it) off.
This cover is glued on, but the glue used is a resealable kind so you
can put it back. Be careful when you pry an edge up that you don't mar
or crease the flexible plastic.
After you have carefully peeled the clear plastic LCD cover off, you
will notice two phillips head screws: one at the lower left of the
screen and one at the lower right of the screen. Unscrew these and put
them in a safe place. These two screws are security screws that hold
the LCD lid together.
Now comes the scary part. Around the edge of the Port lid (where the
speaker and the LCD reside) you will see a seam. Insert a broad, flat,
thin piece of metal (say, the dull edge of a utility knife blade) into
this seam and carefully pry the front and back part of the Port lid
apart. It is held together with little plastic "catches": 4 on the the
top and 2 on each side, none on the bottom. Start prying at the top
left and do a little at a time across the top and down each side, but
not the hinge edge.
The reason that there are none on the bottom is both the front and back
of the cover are securely attached to the hinge. This means that you do
not want to try and pry that section of the lid apart. It won't work
and you don't need to get it apart there anyway.
At this point, you will be gleefully looking at the inside of the
Portfolio lid. There is a PC board, a speaker and a ribbon cable that
connects the PC board to the mother board in the base of the Port. The
speaker is just floating in the PC board hole, so don't tip the Port
upside down or it will fall out. If you want to get at the speaker you
can gently pull the top of the PC board forward to expose the underside
(the top and bottom of the Port lid is still attached to the base at the
hinges). This is where the speaker wires attach to the PC board. Be
careful when you do this because the only thing holding the PC board to
the Port is the ribbon cable.
If you want to remove the PC board completely you must open up the base
of the Port to get at the other end of the ribbon cable. This is scary
due to the delicacy of the connector on the motherboard and I would not
advise doing this.
That's it! Your on your own as far as getting it back together! Don
and I didn't put ours back together. Just reverse the taking-apart
process. Once you see how it all comes apart you shouldn't have any
problem getting it back together. Once again, your warranty is now
void, but if you break it and want a new one, call Don Thomas and he'll
tell you how you can send in your old dead Port and some money and he'll
send you a new one.
Good luck and be careful!
| | | PERUSING GENIE
| | | Compiled by Ed Krimen
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
Some messages may have been edited for clarity, correct spelling,
punctuation, and grammar.
LEXICOR
-------
Lexicor Software has been making quite a few waves in the last few
weeks. Here are some exciting excerpts from their category.
-=> In the "Lexicor Product Support" category (25)
-=> from the "Chronos Keyframe Animator" topic (3)
Message 97 Sat May 16, 1992
LEXICOR [Lexicor] at 04:50 EDT
Roy18
MonaLisa will be our 24-bit graphics application. Right now it is being
designed to be for the lack of a better description very much like
Quantel Paint box. As we finalize its functions we will begin to share
the many tools and features and I will begin doing more work with it and
uploading examples for all to see.
Since we have now become Silicon Graphics developers as well as Atari
developers and PIXAR developers, you will see more and more cross over
applications that will allow more sharing of very high end approaches
and those one might expect on the ATARI.
THE EXTENT OF THE USE of such tools will depend a great deal on the
features and capability of any future hardware that may appear
incorporated in Atari computers. In addition, should you have access to
these other systems, you will find our software there waiting.
It has been my policy to share with our customers the on-going
development and process of software development. I have always hoped
that our customers would appreciate what it takes to develop and market
software, as well as give them an opportunity to have a say in the form
and nature of the software they will buy from us.
Lee
-=> In the "Flaming - Debating - Discussions - Rumors" category (18)
-=> from the "Atari in the 90s: Will it survive?" topic (18)
Message 144 Wed May 20, 1992
LEXICOR [Lexicor] at 03:50 EDT
Mas2743,
Your comment relating to Atari and SGI are more true than you know. And
In a sense they are very close to becoming one.
How? Well, as you may know, Lexicor has become an IRIS Partners
Independent partner. We are currently gearing up to port Phase-4 into
the Iris platform. We have expanded into two divisions: one is TOS,
the other Unix. In about 9 months from now, give or take a bit of time,
you will be able to get an entry level Iris Indigo with Phase-4 for
about the same as a fully loaded TT (that includes all the extras for
video).
There will even be some direct compatibility between the two platforms.
So you see Atari is doing some very high-end thinking. It may not be as
direct as you would like, but the fact is Lexicor could not be in this
position with out the help and support that ATARI provides through folks
like Bob Brodie... et al. There is much more I would like to say but
can not at this time. Make no mistake about it Atari is far from going
down the tubes.....You are in for some "BIG" surprises in the coming
months.
Lexicor Software
-=> In the "Lexicor Product Support" category (25)
-=> from the "Prism Paint" topic (4)
Message 77 Sun May 17, 1992
LEXICOR [Lexicor] at 01:50 EDT
Just a bit of clarification. Prism Paint is not being upgraded into a
24-bit application because the author walked out on us and refused to
finish version 1.5 of Prism Paint.
This is most unfortunate because apart from any contractual problems
this causes, we had to get a new author to begin a 15/24-bit paint
application. Because we have become Silicon graphics vendors, we now
have the new Iris Indigo system for 24-bit color development. Our new
paint application with the working title of MonaLisa will be developed
on the Iris and Atari under TOS and Unix.
We have three new developers who are assigned to this development team.
One is someone you all know. Mr. Bob Steel now living in Hawaii and soon
to be joining us on the mainland. The other is Paul Furgison who has
his Iris Indigo and working on our new applications now.
And lastly the design team of John Cole18 and Tom P. who are doing the
tools and DSP side of the applications.
We will be offering our next "Phase-4" systems applications on both
Atari (when available) and Silicon graphics at the same time, just to
different customer bases. There will be file and system compatibility
where possible between these two systems.
Lee
----------
Message 83 Mon May 25, 1992
LEXICOR [Lexicor] at 01:24 EDT
SS,
Just to make a distinction: Lexicor does not sell Falcons or any other
Atari computer. We have no official position or comment on any ATARI
computers with bird names appended.
Further, Lexicor does not sell any Atari in conjuction with its
software. Lexicor is a software developer and manufacturer.
We have begun porting our software to SGI and will include direct
compatibility between Atari and SGI on a UNIX basis and tag TOS has hard
as is practical.
SGI has already begun working with Lexicor on advertising and will be
including demos and samples of Phase-4 on their next CD sampler and
demo, which they give away to all existing owners of SGI HWD and which
they use in all sales efforts.
Advertising by Atari to draw the connection you refer to is the business
of Atari only. If they feel that some benefit might accrue to them by
mentioning the connection possible between ATARI owners and SGI owners
using our software then I am confident that Atari will put as much
effort in that direction as they have in their past and current
advertising programs.
The main advantage to current Lexicor users will be that they will upon
upgrade to SGI compatibility be able to use "some materials created on in
SGI
environments" provided that the target Atari system is capable of
handling the resolution and colors.
Lexicor
-=> In the "Lexicor Product Support" category (25)
-=> from the "Lexicor-Newsletter" topic (10)
Message 132 Tue May 19, 1992
LEXICOR [Lexicor] at 03:07 EDT
OK Wilton: Here it comes.......................!
Biff Bofff Pow....Slam....Take dat n' Dat........
And now a fate worse than Anigaites.......
As you know, Lexicor has become an "Iris Partners Independent Vendor".
Lexicor is expanding to accommodate this new platform. As a part of
this expansion, Lexicor is now joined by Mr. John Cole who will head
Lexicor's TOS Division, with Mr. Paul Dana heading Lexicor's Unix
Division.
Lexicor will soon be adding its Phase-4 software to the Silicon Graphics
platforms. This will include their Iris Indigo, Personal Iris, and Iris
CPU systems. One of the best features of all this is that there will be
direct compatibility between the TOS and Unix versions. In other words,
you will have ATARI/Iris compatibility. The nature and extent of this
compatibility will be announced through Mr. Cole at the appropriate
time.
With regards to Mr. Cole, he will continue here with me in our online
support and class efforts. In addition Mr. Cole will be taking over
full responsibility for all TOS (Atari) development and software duties.
He is also an author in his own right and will be publishing some new
and exciting software for TOS in the near future.
Lexicor's expansion also includes the addition of several new authors in
the Unix division and our existing DSP development team. As in the past
our front door is open and you our users will still have direct access
to Lexicor upper management.
Welcome to Lexicor Mr. Cole we are happy you have joined us.
Lee Seiler, President
=======================================
FALCON TALK
-----------
-=> In the "Flaming - Debating - Discussions - Rumors" category (18)
-=> From the "Atari 'Falcon' Project" topic (20)
Message 201 Thu May 21, 1992
MIKE.SCHUETZ at 03:08 EDT
Well, the Atari officials held their word :-) as promised at CeBIT about
40 Falcons have reached Germany and are about to be distributed among
the developers.
One developer though <G> couldn't wait that long and flew himself to
Sunnyvale a couple of days ago.... and got his machine directly from
there...
So there is much more to the Falcon than rumors..... although of course
no details are to be none, but as Jack Tramiel put it in Hannover this
March: 'We'll bring the workstation into your living room.'
Now all there is left... is to wait if the Fall delivery date is kept
too...
=======================================
PLI
---
-=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
-=> from the "Atari's Service Agreement with GE" topic (26)
Message 33 Sat May 16, 1992
S.SANDERS2 [SDS] at 04:45 EDT
PLI reportedly has made most of their line of storage devices available
for Atari users. There's a nice big ad on the back of Explorer.
Supposedly we'll be seeing hard drives, CD roms, cartridge drives, and
optical drives available soon.
-Scott @ SDS
Member IAAD
----------
Message 34 Sat May 16, 1992
S.WINICK at 06:41 EDT
PLI has also contacted major Atari dealers and made arrangements for
sale of their SCSI drives through existing dealerships. They have a
really full and excellent line of products. Definitely a great addition
to the Atari community. We've received a complete packet of product
literature and pricing/ordering information from them already. Any
dealers out there who haven't yet received this information should
contact them directly.
The TT030 fortunately uses a standard SCSI connection that opens up a
world of possibilities. We've also been building our own line of
external SCSI drives for our TT030 customers that simply plug directly
into the SCSI port without requiring any additional interfacing.
Just a hint to anyone adding SCSI devices -- regardless of all the
misinformation that I've seen posted regarding terminating resistors,
you will need to terminate the first and last devices in the SCSI chain.
The internal drive in the TT030 is already terminated; if you add
additional devices, the LAST one must also be terminated. If you plan
on adding more devices at a later date, I'd strongly recommend NOT using
the terminating resistor packs on the drive itself, but instead use an
external terminating plug on the pass-through 50-pin Centronics port on
the back of your external SCSI case. That way, adding additional
devices is a simple plug in and go situation, and a simple relocation of
the terminator plug to the last pass-through port of the last device.
Sheldon (Computer STudio - Asheville, NC)
=======================================
OVERSCAN
--------
-=> In the "Hardware" category (4)
-=> from the "Overscan" topic (21)
Message 140 Sun May 24, 1992
V.PATRICELL1 [Vince] at 15:45 EDT
Ken Van,
AutoSwitch OverScan is a commercial hardware and software product made
in Germany that expands the pixels on ANY monitor, including the SM124,
SM147, SC1224, or any multisync. It is relatively easy to install
(knowledge of basic soldering is required) and the directions are easy
to follow. It will work with any original Atari ST or Mega (not STE).
This product is very impressive. I just installed mine a few weeks ago
and I really like it! It expands the pixels on a SM124 up to 704x480,
a SC1224 up to 752x240, and a multisync monitor up to 768x480 in mono
and 816x240 in color. It comes with an auto folder program and reads an
INF file that is very configurable so that programs that are not
compatible will automatically switch to the regular screen size. It is
compatible with most software, though, and really makes a *big*
difference when using PageStream or WordWriter. The desktop looks much
nicer now, not nearly as cluttered. It has a setup program that lets
you determine exactly how many pixels you want in each resolution (a
large box that shows the border that you can shrink or enlarge with the
arrow keys). My SM124 now has a very small black border of only about
1/2" to 3/4" and the screen on my SC1224 is expanded the full size of
the monitor. Very nice!
The official representative for AutoSwitch OverScan in the USA is RIO
computers, but they have been out of stock for several months. They
have it in stock and ready for shipping at Joppa Computers (800)876-
6040 and at Toad Computers (301)544-6943. The cost is about $100.
Vince
=======================================
CODEHEAD UPDATE
---------------
-=> In the "CodeHead Software" category (32)
-=> from the "Ask the CodeHeads" topic (11)
Message 18 Mon May 25, 1992
J.EIDSVOOG1 [CodeHead] at 07:51 EDT
MIDIMIKE,
As Tomas said, we do sell the TEC Manual and Utilities disk (including
Icon Juggler) for $10 plus $3 S/H. Icon Juggler has also been
undergoing an upgrade which will turn it into a full-fledged icon editor
and NEWDESK icon assigner. At that point, it will be sold as a
commercial product. We'll announce it when it's ready.
John
=======================================
GRIBNIF UPDATE
--------------
-=> In the "Gribnif Software" category (17)
-=> from the "STalker 3" topic (3)
Message 178 Sun May 24, 1992
G.FUHRMAN [gnox] at 21:31 EDT
This is a bit out of context, but I'm in the mood for a testimonial.
I've been using STalker and STeno for years, but I've _really_ come to
appreciate the way they handle windows since I got a big monitor.
I often run STeno as a program, with its window on the left half of the
screen, and STalker as an ACC on the right. This means I can (for
instance) open a file in STeno while the STalker window remains on top!
You have to try this on a 1280x960 to appreciate the elegance of it.
I also frequently use another STeno as an ACC on the right side and cut
scraps from the STeno on the left to paste into the one on the right.
The way STeno.ACC windows remain on screen while other ACCs or PRGs are
running is extremely handy - for instance I have lots of little keyboard
-equivalent lists that I load into STeno.ACC and park in a corner of the
screen while using another program.
We all know that STalker is in a class by itself, but let's not forget
Eric's _other_ masterpiece!
gnox
-=> In the "Gribnif Software" category (17)
-=> from the "Crazy Dots Graphics Card" topic (12)
Message 75 Sat May 23, 1992
GRIBNIF [Dan] at 13:21 EDT
Stan,
Ok, let's see if I can help. Maybe. <smile>.
Crazy Dots functions fully in color. It's more a question of what
programs can work with it. If a program was written for a particular
screen layout it may have difficulties. This is the same thing you run
into when, for instance, trying to use programs that were not designed
with large screen monitors like the Moniterm in mind.
Line A graphics are also an issue. This is a set of graphics routines
that have been present in all of the ROM versions so far, though Atari
says that support for them is being phased out. The problem with these
routines is that, unlike the VDI, they make some assumptions about the
maximum number of bitplanes and the layout of the screen memory. These
assumptions make it very difficult for Crazy Dots (or any other board
which provides more than 16 colors on screen at once) to remain
compatible. Unlike some other boards, Crazy Dots uses the same screen
layout in monochrome as the normal Atari monitors, and therefore the
Line A graphics work in this mode.
This is not to say that a program has to be designed to work
specifically with Crazy Dots, it doesn't. If a program only uses the
VDI, does not make bad assumptions like "high resolution is always 640 x
400 pixels", and never writes directly to the screen memory, then it
should work right out of the box. However, until recently, none of
these things were discouraged and therefore many programs on the Atari
do have problems.
Why provide 16+ million colors? Simply because the more hues you have
available, the greater detail can be achieved. If you want a smooth
gradient from light blue to black, you can get it. And, yes, with the
Crazy Dots 15, you can show 32,768 colors at one time, and each color
can be any of those 16+ million hues.
On the plus side, if you are going to make a comparison to Spectrum 512,
you should know that there are no limits on the number of colors you can
use on one scan line. Crazy Dots also works with new hardware like the
TT and the T25 from Fast Tech, unlike Spectrum.
Dan
=======================================
MULTITOS
--------
-=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
-=> from the "MultiTOS" topic (34)
Message 25 Mon May 25, 1992
J.EIDSVOOG1 [CodeHead] at 07:50 EDT
To All,
If you have a copy of MultiTOS and you are NOT an official beta-tester
by agreement with Atari, YOU ARE IN POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY. If
criminal activity is not your intention, delete all remnants of it
immediately.
John Townsend,
Lately, we've been getting some calls from customers asking why Warp 9
doesn't work under MultiTOS. When I ask them where they got it, the
usual answer is "from a friend" (who is a beta-tester or something).
Upon further questioning, they are usually reluctant to reveal the name
of the friend.
Some have even started asking me questions about how to get MultiTOS to
work. I have to tell them that unlike their "friend", I am obliged to
honor my non-disclosure agreement and that they are in possession of
stolen property (which never seems to really sink in).
I believe that MultiTOS is probably available on pirate boards by now
and I'm actually surprised that it's been kept under wraps this long.
Knowing the few American beta-testers that have MultiTOS, I suspect that
the leak has come from over in Germany.
John Townsend informed readers of this topic long ago that the product
is under development and will not be discussed "officially" at this
time.
As for the suggestion that there was "a developer that was kind enough
to show it", it's not an issue of being "kind". It's a matter of being
responsible and honoring one's agreements. Atari may decide to show
MultiTOS at shows, but that still does not give a developer the right to
even talk about it (much less show it) unless they've been given
permission from Atari.
I can appreciate the frustration of not having any response to questions
in other topics in this Category, but there's a reason for the lack of
response in this one. As a matter of fact, there's a reason for the
lack of response in the other topics...there's no official
representative here from Atari. John Townsend comes here and offers his
services as a favor to us all. He does not get paid to do so, and does
not necessarily know the answers to everyone's questions. If you're
really interested in getting more response in this Category, I urge you
to "write your Congressman" -- in this case Leonard Tramiel, and ask
Atari to hire an official on-line technical representative.
John
=======================================
(Gadgets by Small RoundTable)
-=> In the "SST/68030 for the Atari ST" category (9)
-=> from the "SST/68030" topic (2)
Message 242 Fri May 15, 1992
J.BRUBAKER at 18:48 EDT
George - are you still developing the Video Board for the SST? I
haven't heard much about it lately.
Thanks --- John.
----------
Message 243 Fri May 15, 1992
G.RICHARDSO1 [G.RICHARDSON] at 20:05 EDT
Not at the moment, John. It seems to be in limbo for the time being.
Without support, I can't continue with it.
George Richardson
Merlin Group, Inc.
----------
Message 244 Sat May 16, 1992
R.WOODBRIDG1 [Rob] at 01:28 EDT
What?? "LIMBO"??? What does "Without support" mean? Or should a mere
mortal not ask such a question? :^)
Rob
----------
Message 245 Sat May 16, 1992
G.RICHARDSO1 [G.RICHARDSON] at 07:23 EDT
Support means "cash". I don't have the money to go further with the
board, and that's why it's in limbo.
George Richardson
Merlin Group, Inc.
=======================================
| | | THE MUSICAL STATE OF ATARI
| | | By Craig Anderton
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
Reprinted from the February 1992 edition of Atari Explorer Magazine.
Atari has always emphasized their computers' place in music for two main
reasons: built-in MIDI ports, and comparatively low cost. It was
precisely these reasons that attracted some excellent software
developers to the machine, and their contributions have made Atari the
computer of choice for many musicians. Over the years, though, even as
Atari grew to become the number-one music computer in Europe, its
presence has been felt less in the American market. Nowadays, European
music trade-shows look like an Atari commercial -- row after row of
Atari STs running incredible software, along with a sprinkling of Macs
and IBMs. On this side of the pond, however, the Mac currently
dominates.
Why such a difference between the US and Europe? Europeans have
traditionally placed a great deal of importance on price/performance,
and compared to other American or European computers, the Atari is well
ahead of the pack in this regard. Germany, in particular, took to the
machine, and in the process, contributed some of the best music software
for the Atari platform. This built up Atari's momentum -- the more
software support, the more desirable the computer -- to where it started
making serious inroads into the rest of Europe, as well as
internationally. (It probably won't be too long before Eastern Bloc
countries, who are even more concerned about cost-effectiveness due to
the low value of their currency, will flock to the Atari line as well.)
Sensing success in Europe, Atari directed most of their attention and
production capacity to that market. And it paid off: not only does the
company dominate the European music market, but Atari has also made
inroads in desktop publishing and small business against IBM-type
machines. But Atari's decision to dedicate most of its resources to
Europe left little for the United States, to the point where 85% of
Atari's computer sales were overseas. American musicians would often
ask me whether Atari was serious about music, not realizing that on the
other side of the ocean, Atari was the de facto standard for music
computing.
As a result of Atari's emphasis on European marketing, and intense
competition from developers in other parts of the world, some American
companies dropped their support for Atari music products. For a while,
some even feared that Atari was going to concede the American music
market to other computer manufacturers. But just like the scenes in the
movies where help comes just in time to save the hero, Atari has grown
big enough outside of the US to develop resources to cultivate the
American market -- and Atari is on the move again.
Music as a Niche Market
Atari's overall strategy in the US is to identify "niche markets" and
pursue those markets aggressively. Music is one such niche market, and
Atari brings a lot to the party: realistic pricing, very strong software
support, several new machines (including the STe and TT), and a
reputation as a company that makes music seriously. The main question
is, what does Atari offer that IBM, Apple, and Commodore do not?
Software is an important part of the answer. I know some Macintosh
musicians who have gone over to the Atari because they feel the software
is more sophisticated than what's available for the Mac. In any event,
there's no denying that Atari has some of the finest music software
available on any platform. Atari users take sequencers like Notator,
Cubase, and Omega for granted, but some of their features simply aren't
available anywhere else.
Cost is another issue. Although nowadays you can get inexpensive
clones, and even Apple has a "low-cost" computer (the Mac Classic),
Atari machines still provide the most power for a given investment.
Nor are Ataris just for those on a budget. For some, the fact that
Atari offers "more bang for the buck" translates to their being able to
afford more than one computer. I use both Atari and Macintosh in my
studio, for example, and find the combination much more useful than
having a single high-end machine like the Mac II fx.
Two computers multiplies the number of software options and insures
compatibility with more people (as well as European clients in the case
of the ST). Multiple computers can be used separately for
"multitasking," or together -- for example, one machine can be dedicated
to hard disk audio recording and the other to sequencing. One
combination I use a lot is Atari for the Hotz Translator (one of the
most fascinating instruments to pass through my studio in some time, by
the way) with a Mac running a sequencer to capture the Translator
output. As someone at Atari once said, "every Mac owner is a potential
Atari owner." When you can spend $400 for a computer and have it run
your automated mix down, it makes economic sense to have multiple
computers optimized for particular tasks.
Some musicians have even discovered the advantages of owning two or more
Ataris. Tangerine Dream's Paul Haslinger, for example, uses a minimum
of two STs in the studio: one running Cubase, the other a variety of
patch librarians and sample-editors. On the road, each of the Dream's
three keyboard workstations is similarly equipped, and additional STs
supervise synchronization and other stage-wide aspects of performance.
Speaking of performance, another important point is that Ataris are
fast. I remember the first time I played with a Mega ST after using a
Mac Plus -- I couldn't believe the speed of the screen redraws and
calculations. From what I've seen of the new TT, it looks like an
amazing value for the price, and it should give blazing fast results
with music programs due to the 32 MHz clock speed and 64 bit bus. Like
most musicians, I can't stand to have a music-making machine that
interferes with the creative process. I find Ataris feel a lot faster
than the price point would imply.
A Question of Priorities
The people who do music programs for the Mac and IBM are very dedicated
and do excellent work, but one glance through the glossy Mac or IBM
magazines is sufficient to realize that music doesn't have a high
priority within the industry in general, except perhaps as an adjunct to
multimedia. As a result, only a relatively limited number of fairly
high-end companies are involved with music on these platforms. On the
Atari side, because many musicians with more brains than bucks bought
Ataris, there are many small as well as large companies offering a wide
variety of musically-oriented software.
The ratio of music programs to all available programs is very high in
the Atari market, and Atari has made music a focus of their marketing
efforts. They obviously think music is important enough to dedicate an
issue of Atari Explorer to the subject, which says something; and the
Atari is being sold through an increasing number of music stores, a
channel of distribution that is almost insignificant amount of business
for other computer makers. The music market may be too small for the
big companies, but it's the right size for a smaller one.
The Computer in Recessionary Times
Okay, so Atari makes a great computer for music, and it has a loyal
following. But no one wants to get stuck with an orphan, and what are
the chances of Atari expanding its user base in the U.S?
Although predicting the future is chancy, there are some encouraging
signs. First is Atari's decision to really pursue the American music
market. Considering that they've done quite well so far in the U.S.
with minimal marketing efforts, putting a push on music should up their
market share. The combination of recessionary times and the large
library of European-developed software are other factors favoring the
Atari family of computers. (Interestingly, sales of Atari computers
through music channels are increasing despite a flat overall market for
hardware.)
It's significant that some musicians are now buying Ataris just to run
specific pieces of software. People don't buy a computer because it's a
cool box; they buy it for the software they can run -- how many Apple
IIs would have been sold if VisiCalc hadn't given people a reason to buy
the machine? Since Atari wants to take over the music market, they're
fortunate to have software support that can go head-to-head with the
best programs on other platforms. Some of the things musicians can do
with Atari software are enough justification to buy the computer.
The TT is another important step. A company needs more than music to
survive, and the TT seems like the machine that will put Atari on the
map for small business and workstation applications. Penetrating
markets other than music is vital to the company's credibility, which in
turn increases the willingness of companies to develop software, which
causes more people to buy the computer, which increases the company's
credibility -- and the circle starts all over again. Fortuitously,
Atari's Lynx game system (which is amazing, by the way) will be putting
the Atari name in front of millions of consumers; and other new
machines, such as the upcoming ST Book, will broaden Atari's product
line in order to attract a wider pool of consumers.
If you're into music, Atari is one company that places the same
importance on music as you do. There are a lot of fine computers out
there, and a lot of excellent software packages; making a decision on
which computer to buy is never easy. But you may end up kicking
yourself later if you don't take a long, hard look at the Atari. I've
found it to be a cost-effective, easy-to-use machine that has become
vital to my studio's operation. Atari's slogan has always been "power
without the price." Unlike a lot of slogans, that one rings true for
me.
Guest Editor Craig Anderton is one of the most respected and widely-read
observers of today's MIDI music scene. Formerly Editor of Electronic
Musician Magazine (MIX Publications), Craig is the author of 11 books on
MIDI, musical electronics, and computing, including the classic MIDI For
Musicians (Music Sales, 1986). Pioneer in acoustical engineering and
music synthesis, Craig presently consults to companies such as E-mu,
Ensoniq, and Yamaha, on documentation and sound design; and is
concurrently Editor-at-Large for Guitar Player Magazine, and West Coast
Editor for EQ. An equally prolific musician, Craig's discography
numbers over twenty albums, in genres ranging from rock, to classical,
to New Age.
| | | MOVING AROUND GENIE USING PAGE NUMBERS AND KEYWORDS
| | | By Auntie
| | | ---------------------------------------------------------------
Every major menu in the GEnie system has a page number. For example,
to move to page 8004, type M8004 at the Prompt.
KEYWORDS
For example, to move to the *MAIL menu, type *MAIL at the prompt.
To get a list of all of the Keywords and Page Numbers available, type
*INDEX. Keywords that have an asterisk (*) in front of them are in
Basic*Services.
HELP
When you visit a BB, you will see a list that looks like this:
1. CATegories 10. INDex of topics
2. NEW messages 11. SEArch topics
3. SET category 12. DELete message
4. DEScribe CAT 13. IGNore category
5. TOPic list 14. PROmpt setting
6. BROwse new msgs 15. SCRoll setting
7. REAd messages 16. NAMe used in BB
8. REPly to topic 17. EXIt the BB
9. STArt a topic 18. HELp on commands
Enter #, <Command> or <HEL>p
1 ?
To get more information on what these choices mean, you can begin by
choosing option 18 HELp on commands for a brief description. For a
fuller description, just type HELp ALL at the prompt.
(You may find it a good idea to turn on your capture buffer before you
do this.)
STARTING TOPICS
One of the most common mistakes a new user makes is starting a topic
that duplicates a topic already available on GEnie. I started a topic
my first night on GEnie, too! Before you start a new topic, take a
look at the BB Index, to see if there is already a topic in place that
might fill your needs.
Almost any question you can think of is answered somewhere on the
GENIEus Bulletin Board, this is the place to go to find out where
things are on GEnie, and ask questions about how to use the system. To
reach GEnieus, type M8001;1.
If you are unsure of where to find the information you need, try
Category 6, Topic 2, Where Can I find....? Someone will come along in
a very short time and answer your question. To get there, type M8001;1
then SET 6 to get to CATegory 6, then REPly 2 to post your question.
To start and stop the scroll of your mail, use CTRL-S and CTRL-Q.
Some helpful hints about online customs and etiquette.
1. Please don't use all capital letters when posting on the boards.
All caps is considered shouting in polite GEnie society. Also, use
ONLY your backspace/delete key and space bar to edit on-line, if you
use your cursor arrow keys, you get stuff that looks like this:
D]C]C]CA]A]A
2. When you come to a new BB, type NAMe and give yourself a nickname so
that people will know what to call you. This will appear next to
your GE Mail address on the upper left hand corner of the messages
you post.
3. Try to keep your replies on-topic. If the topic is about whales,
please don't talk about kittens, unless, of course, your kitten has
recently turned into a whale.
4. Most Bulletin Boards have a place to introduce yourself, take a
minute and reply to that topic, even if you just say Hi!. It gives
the other users a chance to welcome you to the area.
5. Many messages you read will include acronyms and emoticons. Some of
these are:
ROFL=Rolling ON the Floor Laughing
LOL= Laughing Out Loud
BTW= By The Way
IMHO=In My Humble Opinion
<g,d,&r>=Grin, Duck and Run
Emoticons are little faces you make with your keyboard. Some of
these are:
:) Happy
:( Sad
:0 Alarmed
For more information about these, look in the Category 10, Topic 11 on
the GENIEus BB.
GEnie has a new feature, a FREE practice Software Library. In the
*Library, you will find the most recent copy of the GEnie Users Manual,
along with other helpful information and utilities that will make your
GEnie navigation more pleasant.
This is also the place to practice uploading and downloading software.
If you get stuck and can't find help you need, come into the GENIEus
Help Desk by typing M150;2. The Help Desk is in the Real Time
Conference Room, so you can get instant answers to instant questions.
It does cost $6 per hour, but most questions can be answered in two or
three minutes.
If your communications software has a Split Screen option, turn it on
when you arrive in the RTC.
Aladdin is the BEST way to navigate GEnie. Aladdin is a communications
program that is specifically for use on GEnie. Aladdin is available
for the PC, AtariST, and Amiga computers. Aladdin costs approximately
$3.00 (three dollars) to download. To reach the Aladdin Roundtable
specific to your computer, type M8016.
For specific help with your computer, please look in the Computing
Roundtables. Computing RoundTables, including the Bulletin Boards,
are in Value Services.
Amiga...............555
AppleII.............645
Atari ST............475
Atari 8-Bit.........665
Commodore...........625
IBM.................615
Macintosh...........605
Tandy...............635
TI..................575
Value Services are $6 per hour during Non-Prime hours.
If you download Aladdin, I also have Auntie's Aladdin Quickstart Guide.
-Auntie- Copyright 1992
| | | AN INTERVIEW WITH WALTER KOENIG
| | | By Mike Fulton
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
Reviving the role of Chekov in this season's Star Trek VI, Walter
Koenig's other pursuits stretch as far and wide (almost) as the
Enterprise's travels. Talk shows, production, script-writing, and other
projects are all currently in the works. And the computer he'll be
using? Atari's Mike Fulton reports.
AE: The Atari is your first computer, right? What does your system
consist of?
WK: Yes, this is my first machine. I have a Atari Mega STe with 4 MB
RAM, the Atari SLM605 laser printer, and the SM124 monochrome
monitor.
AE: How did you first hear about Atari computers?
WK: Through Mike Kelley, the fellow for who I am going to be doing a new
talk show, as executive producer and host, on the new Science
Fiction Fantasy cable TV network that he is putting together. We
agreed that in this capacity, I would definitely need a computer,
and he recommended the Atari from his experience with it.
AE: I understand that you've already gotten software from several Atari
developers.
WK: That's true, I've got PageStream 2.1 from Soft-Logik, and I'm using
that for the screenplays that I am working on. I've also got
several font packages from Computer Safari to use with PageStream.
AE: You've also got Hotwire on your system, from Codehead Software, I
noticed.
WK: That's right, it helps me get into and out of the programs quickly,
which is a big help to me as a beginner.
AE: In your role as Chekov in Star Trek, you've been identified with the
high technology of the 23rd Century. But when Star Trek first came
on the air, personal computers didn't even exist yet.
WK: Did radio even exist yet? (Laughing) It's been so long!
AE: Did working in Star Trek affect your expectations for working with
personal computers at all?
WK: No, my own personal mindset regarding any sort of technological
apparatus is such that my immediate reaction is one of fear,
overwhelming fear. Perhaps that's not totally founded in reality,
but I've just learned to expect that it will be very difficult for
me to do. As I get to this Atari, some of that trepidation is
lessening, and I suspect that it won't be the problem I expected
initially. But my working on Star Trek, hitting all those buttons
... I hit the yellow button when I was feeling cowardly, the purple
button when I was in a rage, and the green one when I was feeling
envious. So it really had nothing to do with technology, and did
not work as a forerunner for my introduction to real-life computers.
There was no relationship between what I was doing as the navigator
of the Enterprise, and what a real computer actually does.
AE: Besides, on Star Trek, you could just tell the computer what to do,
instead of having to deal with the mouse and keyboard.
WK: Well, that's in the 24th century, with Star Trek: The Next
Generation. On our show, we still had to hit the buttons!
AE: You're using PageStream for your script writing?
WK: Yes, it's set up so that all the different formats for my script
writing, such as a dialog format, a scene description format, or a
camera dissolve format, and so on, are all programmed in using
PageStream's TAG feature, and each TAG is assigned to a different
function key using Pagestream's macro function. So when I'm
writing, I just hit the function key for the format I need at any
given time.
AE: So writing a script requires that you use a very specific format?
WK: Yes, for example, the dialog that the actors speak is always
indented on both sides, in the center of the page. A stage
direction or scene description would use all capital letters and not
be indented, and so forth. By sticking to a specific format like
this, it makes it easier during production to take a certain number
of script pages and figure out how many minutes of screen time it
will take.
AE: For our readers who would like to know more about you, please tell
us a bit more about yourself.
WK: I started working in television back in the early sixties, as a much
younger man, obviously. I did shows like The Untouchables and
Combat. I did several episodes of the Mr. Novak show, playing many
different characters, one of which was a Russian, a defecting
Russian student.
AE: Is that where you figured out the accent to use for Star Trek?
WK: Well, yeah. I have somewhat of an ear for accents. My parents are
both from the Soviet Union. My father had a strong accent, so I
probably just assimilated some of it from home, and the other part,
as I say, is that I just have a feel for doing accents. I've done a
whole bunch on TV, French, German, English, and I've done some
others in the theatre.
I worked fairly steadily in the middle sixties. Then Star Trek came
along, and then I was pretty well tied into that for a few years,
'67, '68, and part of '69. At the same time, I was doing a lot of
stage work. When Star Trek went off the air, and the phone stopped
ringing, and I had no prospects in film or TV. So I started
writing.
I wrote a novel, which didn't sell, but I wrote it. Then I started
writing screenplays, and one of them led to work in television,
working as a writer on television episodes.
AE: What TV series did you write for?
WK: The first thing I did was an episode of a series called The Class of
'65, an anthology series. It was my most satisfying experience,
because it was only me and the producer. There weren't six story
editors, four associate producers, three co-producers, and so forth,
getting in and changing everything. Everything that went on the
screen came right off the pages that I wrote, which was very
gratifying.
From there, I wrote episodes of Family, Land of the Lost, The
Incredible Hulk, and The Powers of Matthew Star. Those experiences
weren't as satisfying as the initial one, because I was writing to a
formula, and I had to somehow harness my own feelings, and my own
ideas and inventions and make them compatible with the producer's
ideas about the series. It became more and more disillusioning.
Particularly to see my scripts rewritten and rewritten, and I
finally stopped writing for television in the late seventies, and I
started concentrating mostly on motion picture scripts.
I also finished another novel, which a few years later did get
published, called Buck Alice and the Actor Robot. I started writing
features, and had several optioned. NBC was going to make one into
a movie of the week, but that fell through for various reasons. I
did a pilot for a strip show, which would have been called Face to
Face. It was shot, but didn't get sold.
AE: What you do mean by "strip show"?
WK: A strip show is one that comes on every day, five days a week. It
had a psychologist as the host, and it would have had dealt with
family problems, with re-enactments and discussions. Each story
would have been five days long. I did the pilot, but it didn't get
sold. Life is a series of trains that we don't catch, you know?
Built into my contract was an agreement that I would direct two of
the first thirteen stories (10 of 65 episodes). That certainly
could have been a springboard for a whole new career. It would have
been enormously beneficial for me towards opening up a new career,
but the show didn't sell, so that didn't happen.
In the mid-seventies I started working again in television, with
shows like Medical Center, Ironsides, The Man from Shiloh, and in
really good, guest-starring roles. At the same time I was doing
theatre, not to supplement my income, because it didn't pay very
much, but rather to give some expression to whatever artistic needs
I had. I was doing plays like The White House Murder Case,
Steambath, and again in very formidable, challenging roles.
I was also directing theatre at that time, I did Hotel Paridiso, a
production of Beckett for Theatre 40, Twelve Angry Men, and so
forth. So I was keeping my hand in in the craft of acting.
AE: So this would have been about the time that the first Star Trek
motion picture came out.
WK: Yes, also in the late seventies I was teaching acting. I taught at
UCLA, the Sherman Oaks Experimental Film College, and I taught
privately. I taught at the California School of Professional
Psychology, teaching post-graduate psychology students. What I was
doing was using principles of acting to help heighten self-awareness
and self-perception, which would help them relate to their patients.
It wasn't a regular part of the curriculum. I was asked to come in
and create something and this is what I came up with.
And then we started doing "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1978.
AE: They had originally planned on doing a whole new TV series, not a
movie. Were you all signed up for that?
WK: Yes, the resurrection of Star Trek had a lot of false starts. In
1975, there was going to be a new screenplay for a new feature,
which the studio turned down. Gene Roddenberry had a story which
dealt with the finding of God.
AE: Something similar to what ended up in Star Trek V?
WK: Not really, there was a certain relationship to the original Star
Trek movie, but it was different. But because it did deal with God,
the studio was somewhat sensitive about doing it. And it was
finally shelved.
Then around 1977, they started talking about doing a new series.
They took scripts from the original series which hadn't been shot,
and they started also assigning stories to writers for new scripts.
They were thinking about Paramount having its own new television
network, with the new Star Trek series being the masthead
production. I knew the reason why they didn't go forward with it.
It had to do with the studio couldn't be competitive with the
network on advertising rates. The networks would come in and
undercut the ad rates.
Then the studio came in and said we were going to do a low-budget,
B-level feature. But when Star Wars came along right after that,
and was so extraordinarily successful, Paramount decided that they
should do something of a comparable nature, and since they already
owned Star Trek, they decided to expand it into a major feature.
And that's how it began, and we did Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Each time we did one, with the exception of Star Trek IV, we thought
it was the last one. But Star Trek IV had been so successful,
grossing over $109 million domestically, we knew that we would have
to do a Star Trek V. But after we did Star Trek V, we thought it
was really the last one.
AE: I thought part of the problem was that Star Trek V had too many
deliberate attempts at humor that fell flat.
WK: That's an interesting point. After Star Trek IV, the studio
determined that there should be more humor. But the difference was
in Star Trek IV, the humor came organically out of the story. It
evolved. It was part of the plot, part of the characters. But in
Star Trek V, the humor seemed more imposed.
AE: Like Spock doing a one-liner about Kirk needing a shower.
WK: Right, and I think ultimately that underscored its failure. We were
manufacturing comedy when it wasn't appropriate.
AE: Well, onto Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. It opened in
theatres on December 6, 1991. I understand it was originally
supposed to open on the 13th, but they moved it up.
WK: Yes, it was moved up a week. From all reports, it's going to be
very successful. The studio is very keen on the film. The buzz all
over town is that it's going to be very good. I've been told
there was a film which was scheduled to open on the same date, that
has changed its release in order not to compete with us.
If that is the case, then it will be fine send-off, a final
heralding, a final trumpeting of our saga, because this is
definitely written as being the last film, the last story for this
crew.
AE: As to that last point, it's also been said, however recently, that
because the story and everything was coming together so well in this
one, there was the feeling that it might not end up being the last
one. That if it does well, they might consider doing something else.
WK: Well, if the picture grosses $100 million, it would suggest that we
are still viable, that the characters have not over stayed their
welcome, and that there are still stories to be done with this group
of people.
I think one of the main concerns has been that we are all growing
older, and the media has been merciless in reporting that, with each
succeeding film.
AE: Fortunately, I don't think you've been getting the worst of that.
WK: Well, they kind of blanket it, they say "this is an octagenarian
cast. They need ramps for wheel chairs on the bridge."
AE: Has any discussion ever been made of doing a movie with just part of
the original cast? Sulu finally has his own command in this movie.
WK: I think there's going to be a lot of speculation as a consequence of
Sulu having his own command. I think a lot of fans are going to
wonder if that means there going to do another film with Sulu.
I don't think there has been much consideration of doing another
Star Trek movie with just part of the cast. Leonard Nimoy has been
quoted as saying that he'll never do another Star Trek movie.
AE: (blank stare...)
WK: Yeah, well, right. But I try to take people at face value, most of
the time. I think what they're talking about, is that since Next
Generation has just one more season to run after this...
AE: On their original contracts.
WK: Yes, they may segue into feature films and use the Next Generation
cast. Should that be the case, then ... and I'm just guessing here,
with no basis for this in fact, then they might want to bridge that
transition by somehow using some members from the old series.
AE: Like what they just did with having Spock in a two-part episode.
WK: Right, so they might want to do that. In which case, it probably
wouldn't be Chekov, it would probably be Captain Kirk.
AE: Would you be interested in doing an episode of Next Generation if
someone came up with a good story?
WK: I would be interested in working as an actor, and that includes
working in the Next Generation. If the work is respectable, then
yes, I'd be interested in doing it. But I'm not sure I'd be more
interested in doing Next Generation than I would in doing L.A. Law,
or something like that.
AE: Well, maybe we'll get an Atari user on the L.A. Law staff to read
this and take that into consideration. Besides scripts, you've also
done some other work, such as the DC comics and such.
WK: Yes, I did an issue of the Star Trek comic book. I was sort of
challenged by the editor to do it, and I wrote one that I thought
was reasonably successful. People seemed to like it. I'm trying to
sell a comic book superhero idea right now. DC Comics told me they
would be interested under different circumstances, but that they
didn't have have an editor to handle it. They felt it needed
special care, because I would retain authorship, it couldn'd just go
into their mainstream line. So I'm looking at a couple of other
places right now.
And then I've been approached from another source to do a bi-monthly
comic book of science-fiction and fantasy stories. My name would be
in the title, and I would contribute one story to each issue.
We reprinted Chekov's Enterprise (a book about the making of Star
Trek: The Motion Picture), and that seems to be selling quite well.
And I'm also working on a screenplay. I'm on the first draft.
AE: Tell me about that. What's it about?
WK: It's a character piece about two attorneys, a white attorney and a
Native American attorney. They are on the same side on a case, in
which they are defending someone accused of murder. They are on the
same side, but not necessarily for the same reasons. It examines
the whole idea of a means to an end.
AE: You mean, if the end justify the means?
WK: Yeah, you can have two people who obstinately promote the same idea,
but because they come at it from different places, the virtue is
greater in one person than the other. Which is somewhat subtle,
because the effect is still the same. The two men are defending a
Native American, but without the same life experience, they don't
deal with it the same way.
I'm mostly done with the first draft. I have to do some more work
on it. I've got about four or five pages left on this rough first
draft, then I'll be making some changes and corrections. And then
I'll show it to some people, writers and producers, my agent, and
then either submit it as is, or do some more work on it.
AE: Sounds good . Now with the Atari you'll be able to churn the pages
out that much faster.
WK: That's right. That's exactly true. The time I spend with an
electronic typewriter erasing and whiting out mistakes ... My
typewriter doesn't even have a spell checker, so the time I spend
looking up words in the dictionary ... A good twenty percent of my
day is affected by these things, which can be totally circumvented
by using the computer.
AE: Do you know the joke about how do you know when a Klingon has been
using the computer?
WK: Right, from all the white-out on the monitor screen!
| | | THE SOFTWARE SHELF
| | | By Ron Berinstein
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
"Be here now" was the theme that so many people sung once upon a time.
I doubt that many people today though, find that enough. Keeping up to
date with the obligations that are presented during our daily rounds
seems hard enough, but recording accurately the results of our efforts,
and charting our appointments and goals for the future seems an endless
task. I doubt that secretaries will go out of fashion in this decade,
but not being able to afford one to assist with our life structure
requirements forces many to turn elsewhere for help.
"If I had only known" is a phrase spoken all to often by those who would
have acted differently had they, "only known." It is a plain fact of
life that those who are well informed have the best chances of success
with their goals. Combining access to that which has already occurred,
with a grasp of what it is that we know is scheduled to occur may
provide the necessary order needed to both predict the future headlines
in our lifes, and insure happiness rather than depression.
Lucky for us that we as Atari users can give ourselves a gift of the
planning tools needed for organization and a winning spirit!
CAL26B.LZH contains one of the most updated calendar programs ever
written this side of the Nile River! Cal v6.2b talks with MultiDesk
Deluxe 3.4 to see if it has loaded as an MDX. You are able to look at
any month/year; schedule events by date, position in month, or every so
many days. It provides more room for events, cyclic events, save/load/
merge, keyboard shortcuts, auto conversion from v5.x... Cal 6.2 shows
more info, adds more features; sorts by and shows alarm times, etc. It
may even order your breakfast for you in a future version!
CALZYR.ARC This archive contains two zaps for Cal 6.2b that change the
behaviour of new date events. THISYEAR.ZAP will make Cal default to one
-time date events - it will automatically add the current year in the
Year field. NOYEAR.ZAP will reverse this change. Archive includes
SUPERZAP.PRG and short docs.
CALAST.LZH This is a data file for CAL. It contains lunar phases,
meteor showers, eclipses, equinoxes and solstices from June '92 until
Jan. '96. Merge this with your current calendar or use it on its own.
TODAY199.LZH (also see TODAYS V1.99 FOR BBS'S) Version (1.99) of
TODAYS.PRG, the program that tells you what happened on todays date in
history! The program has gone through a lot of changes, please read the
docs! (Users of version 1.9x, please read the UPDATE.199 file!) New
users will also want to download the previously posted Data file for
some data for the program. TODAY version 1.99 for BBS Express and
FOREM.
ONTIME22.ARC Version 2.2 of ON TIME DESK ACCESSORY/PROGRAM allows you
to set the system date/time, view a calendar of the month, select a
background fill you like, put the clock anywhere on screen, (And that's
nice.. you all remember J Clock which always seemed to get in the way)
3-D buttons to click on, use the mouse for all operations, acc. or prg.,
ST med. or high, view upcoming events at boot-up or anytime, and enter
memos, reminders, etc.
If what you need to determine is numerical...
PROCAL.LZH Scientific Calculator Accessory/Program, shareware from
Advanced Software. Full-featured professional calculator featuring
scientific, binary/octal/ hex/decimal modes, and a unique hour:
minute:second calculation mode. Includes trig, nested parenthesis,
multiple memories, logical operators, backspace key, full keyboard
support, and built-in active-scrolling help dialog. Runs as a program
or accessory (just rename it .PRG or .ACC).
If you need to find that misplaced file...
HEIDISEEK 1.9 Locates files on any drive,from A-P, using user defined
search strings. Even finds Hidden files. WILDCARDS ARE SUPPORTED. Can
be run as either an ACC or PRG, and repositioned ANYWHERE on the screen.
NEW: Load\Save\Scroll templates, Alerts follow Main Panel, ST\STe\TT
compatible, positional memorization. SHAREWARE.
And if finding a file isn't enough, but rather you need to create files.
DBWRIT.LZH dbWRITER version 1.4 includes a new PRINTOUT CONFIGURATION
DIALOG with multiple copies, form feeds, top/left margins, user
selectable spacing and print starting from any page. Also a new MEMORY
SAVER SPELL CHECK that uses half the memory. MULTIPLE ENTRY CLIPBOARD
can stack blocks on top of one another. New COMMAND LINE COLOR FLAG.
Lots of bug fixes. The dictionary file remains unchanged. It features
about 40,000 words for you to choose from! Mono freeware.
STW48GS.LZH Update of foreign versions of ST Writer Elite. Works on
all TOS's on ALL ST and TT's, in ALL resolutions. Floppy disk
formatting for 1.44 Meg Floppy Drives. Corrected spellings. Help
dialog. And by the way FDCPATCH.LZH adds a feature in TOS 2.05 which
doesn't automatically install the _FDC cookie as does TOS 2.06 when the
config. switches are set for the presence of a high density drive & AJAX
chip in the MEGA STE. This will put the proper cookie in the jar and
allow HD formatting if the hardware is present (& the dip switch set).
And it will allow ST Writer to format HD on TOS 2.05. ONLY for TOS >=
CALLIGRAPHER DEMO See also: CALDEMO.LZH The demonstration version
of Calligrapher -- the Ultimate Writing Machine from CodeHead
Technologies and Working Title US! This LZH archive contains everything
you need to quickly set up the demo, including an example document that
will take you on a tour of some of Calligrapher's many powerful
features. Also included: details about a special "trade-up" discount
from other word processors. Be sure to read the file called README.1ST
for installation instructions! (Note: archive contains folders.)
G+CALDEM.LZH Oops! The special version of G+PLUS included in the
Calligrapher demonstration package doesn't work on a TT030. Here's a
new version of G+CALDEM that does. Just replace the file included in
the demo with this one.
WORD400.ARC contains a small text editor accessory.
WRITE ON WORD PROCESSOR DEMO is the demo of Write On -- a new word
processor. The program isn't as powerful as Calligrapher, but is
useful. A big brother/sister of Write On is That's Write - it has a
spell checker and other goodies. The full Write On program was
distributed with ST Format (the British magazine) last month. Printing
is disabled in this demo, but it is worth the download time if you want
to play with a slick program. The LZH file contains folders -- if they
get messed up, the folder FONTS contains all the files except the
program and the two demo files.
FIX_WP.LZH Word Perfect has a bug that causes MultiDesk Deluxe to
crash if you open a nonresident accessory -- but only if Warp 9 is also
installed! This LZH file contains a prg. and two data files that patch
either the August 18, 1989 version or the April 18, 1991 version of Word
Perfect, removing the offending code so that MultiDesk Deluxe and Warp 9
can operate correctly.
And for printing out or just reading your files:
IDEALI.LZH A fine text file printer program. German but, the English
version is included. Some say it is better than 2 Columns. This
program will print a file in 1-9 columns, using your printer attributes,
with headings per page, print alternate pages (even only or odd only),
interfaces seamlessly with text editors (works great with Tempus)
passing the file in memory, supports Clipboard, prints to disk.... tons
of features. Btw, some say they'll stick with 2 Columns too..
REV226.LZH The Revenge Document Displayer v2.26. New version with
several enhancements. Now conforms to ANSI C standards and has been
recompiled using Lattice C 5.51 resulting is a slight speed
improvement. If you use this program, then upgrade to v2.26 to take
advantage of the new developments.
TX2CNVT3.LZH TX2 Converter 1.11 by David Holmes. It will convert
STReport, Atari Explorer Online, and GEnie Lamp PR into the TX2 format,
with special effects and an index. NEW: When Atari Explorer Online
released their second issue, they changed the layout just enough to mess
up the TX2 Converter. This supports the different arrangement, and
more! Freeware
K_TEXT VERSION 1.8.0 See also: KTEXT180.LZH K_TEXT Version 1.8.0:
Read text files (including VT52 commands) with ease. Also allows the
incorporation of pictures. K_TEXT will convert pictures for viewing in
all resolutions. Ability to load pictures compressed with JAMPACK 4
(JAMPACK is included in file). Samples files included.
QUICK VIEW V1.0 Quick View 1.0 and Quick Print 1.1. Quick View is a
file viewer which you can use to thumb through ST REPORT or READ ME
files or any other text file. It also prints. Runs in any resolution.
Quick Print 1.1 is the latest version of the text screen dump desk
accessory. Documentation for both is included. Shareware. ** Note:
This is a circa 1989 file, and the mailing address in the doc file is no
longer valid. Darek Mihocka may, however, still be reached here on
DELPHI as DAREKM.
SERIAL PORT FILE PRINTER Serial Port File Printer This is a program /
desk accessory that formats ascii text files and allows them to be
output to the computer's SERIAL port. Useful for people like the
uploader, who has a serial printer. Pascal source code included.
Freeware.
PARALLEL PORT FILE PRINTER This is a program / desk accessory that
formats ascii text files and allows them to be output to the computer's
PARALLEL port. Good for printing source code and other ascii files.
PRTUTILS.LZH This AUTO program from the UK sets up an area of RAM to
work as a print spooler. Rename the PRTXXX.PRG file to allocate the
amount of RAM you want set aside.
IMGPRT42.LZH This is the new version of IMG/DEGAS/TNY printer program
for HP Deskjet/Laser jet/500 printers. It supports dithering for Color
Degas and Tiny files and it supports saving IMG monochrome files. All
files can be compressed or not. It is a DEMO and can be converted to
full by entering the password, upon full registration.
MXIMSR.LZH MaxiMiser*ST 2.09B. The Qmail/MaxiDoor offline QWK reader.
Now has a GEM interface, and this version fixes some of the bugs
reported in 2.09A.
For envelopes..
HPENVEL.ARC HPenvel prints envelopes on an HP DeskJet. It has
configurable startup files, an address file capability, and custom
envelope sizes. Works in MONO or MED resolution.
For Networking with others for new ideas..
FD314REL.LZH FIDOdoor is a set of programs designed to interface with
BBS's and provide a fidonet technology message system for the ST/TT. It
contains a GEM-based system generation module, a high-speed message base
compation module, and a message base module. This set of programs are
keyware, a full ver. but with a limit of 5 message bases. Registration
fee is $25.
MNETV103.ARC See also: MICHTRON NETWORKING SYSTEM Michtron NETwork
written by Jeff Wells. Now network your BBS with this easy to install
system. Now running it in the PA and Texas areas and he has added a few
new systems. So Jeff hopes you will check it out....Contact Jeff Wells
for information. Information is in the file.
For keeping track of your time..
TIMECARD 1.01 See Also: TIMECARD.ARC TimeCard is a desk accessory
that will keep track of the time you spend on a particular project. If
you use your Atari ST for professional work then you may find this
program useful.
And for making time pass faster..
TT_START.LZH This is a disk of programs and utilities that make life
using the Atari TT computer alot nicer! A CodeHead Quarters BBS user
packaged these utilities together and he (Jacob Riskin) welcomes any
input.
SPBT74.LZH Super Boot V7.4 loads auto/.acc/.inf files on boot up.
Should now be compatible with all ST/STe TOS and built in resolutions.
Includes docs and programs to convert earlier version(s) data files.
(Lh5)
Presents for your computer:
X_SAVER.TOS See also: STSAVER2.LZH is the latest version of the
Soft-Sci Screen Saver. This Saver displays a color or monochrome
picture in a floating balloon when no keyboard, mouse or RS232 port
activity occurs for a period of time. Version 2.0 automatically selects
a new balloon image for the next boot up. Complete instructions
included. --Shareware from Soft-Sci-- BS.LZH Benchmark Systems
presents ACTIVE CPU SPEED TESTING TECHNOLOGY Monochrome shareware.
DSKSAV.ARC See also: DISK SAVER DISKSAVE.ARC Last resort disk saver.
Attempts to read raw sectors from floppy disks with damaged or destroyed
fat, boot sector and directory structures. This is a tos program and
works with all versions of TOS in rom. Includes small doc file and the
executable.
AUTOCP.LZH See also: AUTO_CPU.LZH Auto CPU sets the Mega STE's CPU
speed automatically when you run a program. It will kick down the CPU
speed to 8mhz for "flaky" software and then kick the CPU back up to
16mhz with cache when you exit back to the desktop. Also includes
stand-alone CPU speed switch programs. Freeware. All resolutions.
MegaSTE only!
PROTECT6 See
also: PROTECT6.LZH This prg. will monitor for disks with
executable boot sectors. It will also monitor for a program modifying
another (the way that link viruses spread). If an executable boot
sector is detected, you will be asked if you wish to erase it or ignore
it. If a program is detected trying to modify another, you will be told
of the offending program and asked if you wish to allow it to happen or
reset.
UVK_DEM.LZH DEMO of Ultimate Virus Killer v5.04d Available from the
ST Club in the United Kingdom. This is functional, some things only
work once, and it has a few commercials, but it does a good job of
showing off the program. Can check for Link viruses, identify/restore
commercial boot sectors, and it will alert you to odd vectors in your
ST's operating system.
REBOOT2 Re_Boot2 from Mark Matts of the U.K. Use this program to
delay the bootup process so your hard drive has time to come up to
speed. Can also be used to cause a cold-boot reset from the desktop or
other shell.
MOUSE BOOT V3D an ST autoboot program that looks and works like a
real GEM program. That's right, no more plunking around the keyboard
like an IBM trying to remember what ATL+TAB+CTRL+HELP does, or some
bizarre use of the mouse as arrow keys - an honest to God mouse pointer!
In addition, every function is mouse driven and available from within
the program via dialog boxes and buttons (no more construction sets to
worry about) - all for under 20k of non-resident code.
SCROLFIX.LZH Fix for the double-scroll bug by Ian Lepore, source
included, ALL machines, like BUTTNFIX, but uses only 800 bytes RAM.
Public Domain, source included.
SERIALFX.LZH SerialFIX is a prg./CPX used to fix problems in the ST/TT
Modem 1 port (for STE/TT users) or the Serial Port (for ST users). It
works with all ver. of TOS(1.0-2.06/3.06). Allows you to lock the port
into RTS/CTS mode, to use of RTS/CTS with prg's that don't support
RTS/CTS(Flash 1.6). Allows you to set both RTS/CTS mode & XON/XOFF,
(the ST/TT system doesn't do it.)
RAMROM.ARC This program allows TT users to copy TOS into Fast ram to
get an additional 10-15% speed increase. Tested on a TT. May cause
disk IO problems, use at your own risk.
CODERAM PATCH/UPGRADE See also: CRAMPAT2.LZH This program updates
CodeHead RAM Disk 2.3 to 2.4. The main change in operation is that it
now works correctly on any TT, regardless of your memory configuration.
Some other minor bugs have been squashed as well.
Games people play (on their STs!) - recent uploads -
ASTEROIDS (also ASTEROID.LZH) - SPACE EMPIRE ELITE V11.31 - KILLER
ROBOTS - MR. DASH - SEARCH ME - NEW VERSION OF MR. ELIZA (See also:
MRELIZA.LZH) Mr. Eliza, The Talking Psychiatrist - TAKETWO.LZH, a new
version of a 'match the tiles game.' Also, E_PRS.ARC (based on the
old game Paper, Rock, Scissors), and ST_CONC.LZH the game of
concentration for the ST.
Communication alternatives...
RUFUS110.LZH "The terminal program for the POWER user!" Can be used as
a Desk Accessory or a stand alone program. Background file transfers
allowed in Zmodem and Y-Modem. MANY features! Commercial quality.
RUFUS106.LZH Rufus V1.06. Works as a program or desk accessory. VERY
well reviewed German Terminal program, that will even do Z-Modem
Background transfers. Converted to English and has English docs.
Music to your ears?
PLAYBACK.ZOO is a GEM-based MIDI playback program that can load and
play standard MIDIFILES. It can adjust a lot of parameters to adjust
the file to your personal keyboard/synthesizer/sound module/drum
machine's needs. By John Janssen in the Netherlands.
Q_PLAY32.LZH See also: QUARTET PLAYER VERSION 3.20 Play QUARTET songs
with ease. Now allows a single entry to play matching song and voice
sets. Includes a great tune, 2002: A SPACE ODDITY.
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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>.
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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.
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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
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