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Atari Explorer Online Issue 1993 04
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:: Volume 2 - Issue 4 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 14 February 1993 ::
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:: ::
:: ATARI .............. News, reviews, & solutions ............ ATARI ::
:: EXPLORER ............ for the online Atari .......... EXPLORER ::
:: ONLINE ................. Community .............. ONLINE ::
:: ::
:: Published and Copyright (c) 1993 by Atari Corporation ::
:: """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ::
:: Editor .............................. Travis Guy AEO.MAG ::
:: Assistant Editor GEnie............ Ron Robinson EXPLORER.1 ::
:: Assistant Editor CompuServe...... Albert Dayes AEO.1 ::
:: Assistant Editor Delphi..... Andreas Barbiero AEO.2 ::
:: News Editor ........................... Lyre AEO.3 ::
:: Editor-at-Large ................. Ed Krimen AEO.5 ::
:: Hardware Editor .......... Britton Robbins AEO.4 ::
:: ::
:: Contributors ::
:: """""""""""" ::
:: John J. Lehett Timothy Wilson ::
:: ::
:: ::
:: Editorial Advisory Board ::
:: """""""""""""""""""""""" ::
:: President, Atari Corporation........................Sam Tramiel ::
:: Director of Application Software...................Bill Rehbock ::
:: Director, Computer Marketing ........................Don Thomas ::
:: Director of Communications...........................Bob Brodie ::
:: Corporate Director, International Music Markets....James Grunke ::
:: Atari Explorer Magazine............................Mike Lindsay ::
:: ::
:: Telecommunicated to you via: ::
:: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" ::
:: GEnie: AEO.MAG ::
:: CompuServe: 70007,3615 ::
:: Delphi: ABARBIERO ::
:: Fnet: AEO Conference, Node 706 ::
:: AtariNet: AEO Conference, Node 51:1/10 ::
:: ::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Table of Contents
* From the Editors .................................... Murphy, Brownouts.
* Atari Works ................... Atari's dazzling new integrated software
package offers power. Andreas previews.
* Krimen from GEnie .................................. Piracy justified?!?
* Atari Explorer Review .................. Oregon Research's Diamond Edge.
* Dateline Atari! ................... Bob Brodie's February 5th GEnie RTC.
* GEnie News ........................... New files & happenings on Atari's
Official Online Resource.
* AEO Calendar of Events ............... Atari shows for the rest of 1993.
* Andreas' Den ............................ Atari Falcon030s on the telly.
* The Great Connecticut Trading Fair ......... Lyre. The snow. Great buys.
* An Introduction to UNIX and the Internet .................. Part 3 of 4.
* Developing News! ....................... SpiritWare keeps NIV, adds NASB
SoftLogik Font Blowout
MDS intros MultiWriter
STraight FAX V 1.07
STraight FAX BBS
Calligrapher 3 & STraight FAX
* Shutdown ............................. LAN across the USA - CodeHead RTC
Atari Falcon030s RSN!
--==--==--==--==--
||| From the Editors ....... Atari Explorer Online: The Next Generation
||| Travis Guy
/ | \ GEnie: AEO.MAG
-------------------------------------------------------------------
You aren't supposed to be reading this.
Seriously.
There's been an avalanche of ill-timed events that have conspired to
prevent this issue of AEO from being assembled. From all-night power
outages to thunderstorms to snowstorms to hard drive crashes to
cross-country crew training to atrocious "real work" schedules, Murphy
has worked overtime to thwart publication.
Now, unless a huge Electro Magnetic Pulse has wiped out every
electrical device on the planet more advanced than a light bulb in
the time since I've uploaded, we have succeeded in bringing you the
latest Atari Explorer Online, your guide to The World Atari.
Our feature article this issue is a preview of Atari Works, Atari
Corps new integrated database, word processor, spreadsheet and
telecom package - we've added a few PC3 snapshots for flavor.
I've used Atari Works for the wordprocessor. I can say that it is a
highly interesting and comfortable piece of software. I enjoy working
with it.
I'm pleased to start two new features in AEO. First, Atari Explorer
Review is a reprint of a recent product review from Atari Explorer
Magazine. In this issue, Ron Robinson gives Oregon Research's Diamond
Edge the once over.
Our second new feature is the AEO Calendar of Events. Lyre is keeping
track of user group and trade industry shows and we will republish
the Calendar on an occasional basis to keep you informed. If you have
an item you wish to have included in the Calendar, drop us a note in
the electronic aether stream.
We've listened to some of our reader feedback, and so are modifying
the amount of reposts from online services that we carry. Modified
versions of Threads from the Internet, and Atari Users Online: GEnie
will return next issue.
Snapshot Time!
The snapshots included in our archive this week have to do with Atari
Works. They are:
GRAPHS.PC3: Two graphs that I created in seconds from that bogus
spreadsheet data I entered on the left. (Something neat
that I noticed - a change to the data in the spreadsheet
resulted in immediate changes to the graphs!)
DB.PC3: A shot of a hastily created database file. You can drag the
fields around the screen and resize them. Another nice touch:
note the use of SpeedoGDOS fonts in the database window.
WP.PC3: Fooling around with the article. Note the toolbox at the top
of the document window. You can select justification, line
spacing, 4 different kinds of tabs, font attributes, and
drawing tools. Look in the Title Bar of the window, and
you'll see that Works keeps track of whether you have made
changes to your document, and if you need to save it.
In the left hand margin, check out the speaker icon and the
page icon. These icons (representing attached digitized voice
files and "notepad" files) can be "played" or "read", deleted,
and moved about. They're cool.
PREFS.PC3: The main Set Preference Dialog for Atari Works.
Make sure you read The Shutdown at the end of this AEO. There's some
good news for all Atarians tucked away in there. I hope you'll enjoy
it as well as the rest of this edition of AEO.
--==--==--==--==--
||| Atari Works .... Atari's reentry into the software application field.
||| By: Andreas Barbiero
/ | \ Delphi: ABARBIERO GEnie: AEO.2
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Atari Works - Professional software development comes in house!
Program written by Pradip K. Fatehpuria
For a long time, many Atarians have voiced an interest in obtaining a
comprehensive, multi-function program to handle word processing,
database needs, spreadsheet manipulation, and telecommunications.
Those needs have been listened to and are about to be filled. Atari
has personally undertaken this project instead of relying on third
party developers. With the introduction of SpeedoGDOS (SGDOS) and
MultiTOS, Atari has placed two new standards into the marketplace, and
with their integrated package, Atari Works, they are providing a
program that is compatible with both of these systems and with all
Atari computers - setting the standard for a new generation of
software.
Even with the new power of MultiTOS (MTOS), an integrated package is
still needed. All the functions that a small business (or a large
family!) requires are available in Atari Works. The user will no
longer need to rely on several applications which might not talk
effectively to each other, or even run under MTOS! Compatibility
between such programs is extremely useful, as anyone who has ever
wanted to mail merge a database file into a wordprocessor file knows.
Atari Works uses both the new SpeedoGDOS (SGDOS) font scaling
technology, and MTOS. But even without MTOS or Speedo, Atari Works can
still multitask its own modules, and can be used as a plain
nonscalable font wordprocessor. This is a system independent product,
which can be used by older 68000 STs with four megs, as well as any
TT030 or Atari Falcon030.
The word processor in Works is possibly the best in its class. It
incorporates iconified text, margin, and font handling, with basic
drawing functions and graphic import. A command bar across the top of
the screen allows one to easily manipulate a highlighted section of
text, and perform quick italics, underlining, superscript and
subscript on a font without resorting to loading the specific font
with the desired text feature.
With a click in the margin bar, you can add margin notes through a
dialog box. Nice for when you're turning in an article to your
editor, and you want to flag a section of text! For those with DMA
sound, Audio Annotation is an option that allows you to attach an
.AVR sound file to a document. For those lucky enough to run Works on
an Atari Falcon030, the Audio Annotation file can be generated from
the Falcon030's microphone input!
Atari Works is not a replacement for a full fledged DTP product like
Calamus or PageStream, but for someone who wants to product
professional looking letters and flyers, it is more than sufficient.
The area of commands in the wordprocessor module tends to be
reminiscent of PageStream, what with keyboard commands to capitalize a
block of text, or to make it uppercase or lowercase.
The spelling checker and thesaurus are a delight. You can spell check
the entire document, or just a highlighted section of text. The
thesaurus offers definitions of many, many words, and can give you
synonyms, related terms, and antonyms.
Works combines abilities in text editing, without the fancy fonts or
graphics, as well as commercially supported fonts numbering in the
thousands, making it more than just a document processor, but not a
complete desktop publishing program.
//// More Than A Three Ring Circus
Remember that Atari Works is several programs in one. The spreadsheet
has all the basic functions you might expect from any spreadsheet, but
with this one you can use custom fonts, create all kinds of custom
charts, like pie and bar charts, and cleanly cut the data and place it
into the wordprocessor. The spreadsheet currently is Excel command
compatible, although it doesn't read or write Excel compatible files.
If you are lucky enough to have a TT030 with the 19" monochrome
monitor you can have several full screen text, database, and
spreadsheet files open at the same time and smoothly cut and paste
between them. Updating a number in a spreadsheet automatically
updates any connected graphs - I am still amazed at the nice touches I
find while exploring Works.
The ability to use all of these features on a regular 68000 ST
(achieving great results) is fabulous. I am using SpeedoGDOS and Atari
Works to write this on a MSTe, and the speed is more than usable. I
honestly was prepared to find a product dog-slow in redraws, but I was
wrong! I have six megabytes of fonts installed on my system and my
Deskjet 500 has never been happier!
//// The Future For Works
Atari Works is a program under development, but at this stage, it is
fully usable. Other options are underway right now, such as a wider
variety of file import modules and built-in a telecommunications
module.
What that will be like, I don't know, but Bill Rehbock assured me that
they are making sure that it has ALL the basic features needed for
telecommunications, as well as the ability to send faxes, and to
support a Falcon030's DSP port modem! Bill is very pleased with the
depth of Works in general, saying online that, "Atari Works has been
a very good proof of theory regarding the O/S and GEM, and son of a
gun, it really does work :-)"
IMG support, and more sophisticated graphics handling are expected, as
well as any other options that the extensive team of beta testers are
suggesting. In conclusion, this program will provide all Atari users
with a powerful business application that can be used by home users,
small businesses, and everyone else who is lucky to have access to an
Atari computer!
Well, I guess that wraps up this preview of Atari Works. When Version
1.0 of Works is finished and ready to ship, look for a in-depth
review of it right here - first - in AEO.
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||| Krimen on GEnie ..................... Piracy - Life in the Fast Lane.
||| By: Ed Krimen
/ | \ GEnie: AEO.5
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You won't believe this: I've found a way to justify piracy!
It's a similar theory to driving over the speed limit. Even though
it's illegal, no one abides by the 55mph rule. With the way cars are
designed these days, with aerodynamics and high-performance
suspensions, you can be going 70mph on the highway and it will feel
like 30- or 40mph. It's too easy, just like copying software. In Los
Angeles, people are going 70 in the slow lane. There's no way you can
hold it under 55.
Some people will agree with me on those points, but they're very poor
justifications for piracy. Piracy won't produce the physical scars
that a speeding car crash will, but it creates emotional pain for
those who try to make a living by putting their hearts and souls in
programming, only to have selfish thieves steal their hard work. I
won't say that the size of the ST market is due to piracy, but the
piracy that does occur doesn't help the situation. There certainly is
more piracy in the DOS and Macintosh markets, but because our market
is smaller, we feel it much more.
The ST developers that write the programs you love, like the program
that you used to download this magazine, are only one- or sometimes
two-people operations. No, they don't have spacious offices on a
multiple-acre, Microsoft campus; they often only have a spare bedroom
in their house or a small office which they use for programming,
packaging, and distribution. When you steal their program, you steal
their livelihood. Although ST developers don't charge that much for
software, you'll agree that it beats the competition on other
platforms which charge much, much more.
I decided to focus on this topic since a burst of messages (numbered
130 through 133) recently appeared in Category 18, Topic 7 in the
Atari ST Roundtable. Wally Wilson started it off.
It's happened again for the buzillionth time in my computing
lifetime...
FRIEND: Wally, what kind of computer should I get?
WALLY: Well, what do you want to do with it?
FRIEND: I want to keep my checkbook, do some graphics, maybe
write some letters, and play a game every once in a
while.
WALLY: Heck, sit down here and try this computer out.
(They try out my Atari for an evening, and like it mucho.)
FRIEND: Does it run IBM Software?
WALLY: It will with an emulator, and the new Atari coming out
will take an IBM emulator card...why?
FRIEND: Well, my dad (insert name here...dad, friend, uncle,
etc.) has an IBM, and he'll give me copies of all his
_really good_ software. I want to get an IBM compatible
because I don't want to spend all my money buying
software.
WALLY: How do you think your dad got all his software?
FRIEND: When he bought his computer one of his friends at work
gave him copies of all his _really good_ software. He
doesn't like to buy software.
...and so on, and so on, and so on, ad nauseum.
This makes me want to scream. Just imagine, I personally know of
no less than seven people with the exact same software. They all
get quite a kick out of the way they "recycled" it amongst
themselves. Yes, each software title was only purchased by one
person, and they then _shared_ their copies amongst each other.
This is just among people I know personally in a town of 8,000
people.
I'll let all of you draw your own conclusions, but to me this is
disgusting. It is piracy.
Incredible, a whole line of computers sold on the premise of cheap
(free) and easy access to software that your friends have (and
who knows where they got it from, but if you like, they'll let you
photocopy their photocopy of the manuals).
Does anyone in the IBM world actually _buy_ software, and if they
do, do they ever refuse to give a copy to a friend of theirs?
To me it's obvious that this isn't the generation of computer
users that started out writing their own games and software on a
brand-spanking new Commodore PET or a TRS-80. They have no idea
of the amount of sweat and blood and brain cells that go into the
making of something like CorelDraw. They have no appreciation or
consience for others' efforts to make a living.
They have no idea that they are the vanguard to the death of
their own platform if they keep this up -- and if not _the death_,
then certainly software out of the reach of their pocketbooks or
not up to the standards of quality they are suddenly getting used
to.
When they finish ruining the IBM as a platform, who's next?
Totally disgusted,
Walter S. Wilson
Then Al Fasoldt responded with another example of blatant piracy.
Wally,
As a newspaper columnist one of the standard kinds of calls I get
from readers goes like this:
"Hi! I'm using ABC program and I'm having a hard time getting it
to work. Do you know anything about ABC?"
"No, not much. I use another program for (word processing,
database, spreadsheet) use...."
"Want me to send you a copy?"
I agree, IBM users seem to feel that laws are made for someone else.
Al
The word "piracy" will elicit different responses from different
people. There are three basic reactions.
The first type is puzzlement, and represents the reaction of the
majority of users. When mentioning the word "piracy," they'll just
look at you like they have absolutely no idea what you're talking
about - and they really don't. As computers become easier to use and
more like standard appliances that everyone can use, you'll encounter
more people who don't know that copying software is illegal. They
don't understand the amount of work that goes into producing an
application of any size. Without education, this problem will
continue. Spread the word. There's been some effort to inform us ers,
but it's not enough.
The second type of reaction is disregard. These people know what
piracy is and that copying software is wrong, but they do it anyway
because it benefits themselves. They're selfish people. They don 't
think about the harm they're doing to themselves, not to mention
programmers. If they didn't steal the software, more companies might
be interested in supporting the various computer platforms with
better software. Pirates don't consider that someone has worked
diligently on this product, and they're stealing it, just like
shoplifting or purse-stealing.
The third type of reaction is gut-wrenching agony. Programmers, their
families, and their friends feel this painful emotion when they learn
that software pirates are raping the programmers of their hard work
and diligent efforts. It's difficult to stomach the fact that instead
of spending even $30 or $40 on a program in the ST market, pirates
prefer to obtain the application illegally. It hurts when you put hard
work into a product and its support, and your reward is virtually nil.
Developers support a platform because they want to see it succeed.
Purchasing software encourages developers to expand software and whole
product lines. More money in the hands of developers means that they
can hire more programmers so that software can be enhanced with more
and better features. Everyone wants a fantastic program with an
abundance of quality features, and the only way that's going to happen
is if people pay for software.
John Weaver replied to Wally's and Al's claims with the following
remarks.
I've owned a dozen different computers, and I've heard the
_exact_ same conversations relative to _all_ of them.
I've also known owners of _all_ of those different computers who
walked the straight and narrow, who paid for every program they
used, and who refused to hand out copies of those programs, to the
point of losing friends.
Piracy isn't a function of platform - it's a function of morals
and ethics. There are people with (and without) those qualities
to be found on _all_ platforms.
Software pirates forget the many benefits of purchasing a software
product.
Foremost is the manual. Many people should read manuals, but they
don't. Sure, the programmer worked hard to make the program easy to
use, but you know those features that you find out about from your
friends months after you've had the program? Well, those are in the
manual, and if you'd read the manual, you'd know about them right
away, instead of waiting and relying on your friends to tell you.
For instance, manuals often list a program's hotkeys, which are always
a quick way to perform certain functions. I usually read the manual
before I install the program, just to make sure there isn't anything
special that I should keep in mind when using it. If you read the
manual beforehand, you have a pretty good overview of how it explains
the application, so when you have questions later, you know where to
quickly find the answers, even if the manual has an index.
Futhermore, the manual is much quicker than telephoning the developer
or posting a message. And hey, browsing a manual is free - the phone
call is not.
Another benefit of purchasing software is vendor support. If you're
having a problem with an application and you're sure the answer isn't
in the manual, you can call them on the phone or post a message on a
BBS or network without feeling guilty that you've stolen their
software. Of course, it's up to you to determine if the level of
support that the developer provides is adequate for your needs. Poor
customer support is no excuse for stealing software. Buy software from
companies that provide excellent support and you can be guaranteed
that they'll stick around and treat their customers right.
Finally, purchasing software qualifies you to purchase upgrades and
updates. Companies with excellent customer support are always
upgrading their software to add and enhance features, and fix compati
bility problems. Informing developers of your wants and desires for a
specific program will often make your wish come true; all you gotta do
is ask. Chances are, other people have asked for similar features.
The more demand there is, the more likely the feature will be
implemented. Most developers even offer new versions at extremely low
cost - sometimes free.
Craig S. Thom provided some input regarding how businesses treat
software and its licensing.
Wally, something to remember is that most peecees are sold for
business use, and most businesses (or at least enough to matter)
are very scrupulous with "keeping legal" with software licensing.
The company I work for, for example, has clear documentation on
every license for every piece of software in use. We make sure
that, when software is installed, there is a matching license in
the dat abase for it. We periodically audit workstations within
the company to make sure no one is installing software of their
own. For network-based applications, we use a product that makes
sure no more users can be accessing the programs than we have
licenses for, and we only do this with programs that allow this in
their license. We've got hundreds of legal copies of fairly
expensive (by Atari terms, anyway) applications. We even include
copyright awareness in our computer training, and have a company
policy that willful copyright violation is grounds for dismissal.
With home use, yes, software theft is rampant for all platforms.
But it's business use that makes software profitable.
True, there are many, usually smaller, businesses that steal
software, too, or buy just one copy of a program and spread it
around, but these are just as contemptable as individual thieves.
Honest businesses are far more common.
Software piracy is a serious matter. In the DOS/Windows and Macintosh
markets, the damage that piracy has caused is not as apparent as
damage that it causes on smaller markets such as the ST's and Amiga's.
The only solution for smaller markets is to encourage users to buy
software. There's no two ways about it. Without software sales, there
won't be a market for developers to develop software. Goodbye
platform!
--==--==--==--==--
||| Atari Explorer Review ............... Oregon Research's Diamond Edge.
||| By: Ron Robinson
/ | \ Courtesy: Atari Explorer Magazine
---------------------------------------------------------------------
//// The following article originally appeared in the November/
//// December 1992 issue of Atari Explorer Magazine under the umbrella
//// theme of Hard Disk UTILITIES. This article is Copyright ½ 1992,
//// Atari Explorer Magazine. Look for an Atari Explorer subscription
//// form following the review!
DIAMOND EDGE, the newest and possibly the finest hard disk repair
utility, has arrived. Oregon Research's latest program features a very
easy to use graphical interface and a comprehensive collection of disk
diagnostics, undelete, protection, repair and optimization functions.
An elegantly designed user interface makes the program very easy to
use. All functions are accessible from the control screen and GEM drop
down menus. Graphical displays give you bar graphs depicting
percentage fragmentation by file size. A map gives a visual picture of
where the data is placed on your hard drive. Clicking on All Info
graphically shows you the space available on all your drives. Most
operations can be performed on one, any or all of the partitions on
your hard disk with a single command.
//// Diamond Edge Anatomy
Diamond Edge is supplied on a single floppy with a very well written
76 page spiral bound manual. The manual includes an excellent
tutorial on the Anatomy of a Disk Drive. This tutorial goes a long
way towards clearing up some of the mysteries of disk drive technology
and provides enough information to understand the what's and why's
behind using Diamond Edge. Diamond Edge provides a wide range of disk
utilities which can:
[] Graphically and statistically examine your drives to see if
optimization is needed. Regroup your files and directories for faster
access speed. Files can be placed on your drive to maximize the speed
of reading or writing to and from your disk.
[] Save, edit and restore critical partition and file data. This
allows you to recover from hard disk crashes or repair damaged drive
information.
[] Test and repair physical errors on your hard disk. Sectors with
defective media can be marked to prevent their use by programs. Data
can be recovered from files that include physically defective sectors.
[] Test and repair file errors on your hard drive. File and disk
structure damage can be detected and corrected. Files and directories
can be recovered. A memory resident Mirror utility automatically saves
critical information allowing the recovery of deleted files and
directories.
[] Perform partition maintenance operations such as: configure, zero,
un-zero and wipe.
[] Test the data integrity of the files on your drives using checksum
and/or CRC data. Use this data to verify that optimized or restored
files are good.
[] Perform partition to partition copies as image or defragmentation
copies.
[] Provide on-line help for most functions.
[] Work well (most operations) on floppy disks also.
//// Starting Up Diamond Edge
When first run, Diamond Edge starts things off with a fully automated
installation program that asks for information allowed by the Geneva
Convention such as your name, address and serial number. The program
files and AUTO folder programs are then automatically decompressed and
installed on the drive you choose. You are wisely advised to perform a
back-up and read the manual before using the program. In the event
you're struck by a disaster, the manual walks you through the
generation of an Emergency Disk that can be used to restore file,
partition and SCSI information. By periodically saving this
information, you can protect yourself from future hard drive crashes
or even virus attacks. Diamond Edge is now ready for a test flight.
You can first set up your preferences for using the program. All
configuration settings are saved and reloaded the next time you use
the program. An Expert/Novice mode controls the level of help warnings
you get before performing operations. An extra level of warnings can
be enabled - handy when first using the program to ensure you do not
do something you may later regret.
An Active Drive window across the bottom of the screen allows you to
select the drive you wish to test. A Disk Information screen provides
you with everything you would ever want to know about your hard drive
and the files it contains. The Fragmentation Map graphically shows the
physical relationship of the files on your drive. Files, free space
and fragmentation are all visually displayed along with the
appropriate statistics for the partition or drive. This display fills
in the same order as a real directory search would, giving you a very
good indication if the drive speed would benefit from optimization.
The Fragmentation Map is also fun to watch! An All Drive information
display gives you a bar-graph display for each of your drives
indicating the percentage of space used along with some additional
statistics for the drives.
//// Disk Repair Shop On A Disk
A Medic disk repair feature allows you to test and repair the file
structure of your hard drive. A brief description of the types of
errors Diamond Edge can detect and help you correct includes:
[] Boot Sector - disk structure information can be restored from
archived data.
[] FAT Fault - File Allocation Table (FAT) info is stored in two
identical tables. If they do not match, Medic will help you determine
which are most correct and assist you in a repair.
[] Invalid Directory - garbaged directories can be truncated or
deleted.
[] Unreadable Directory Sectors - damaged directory sectors are
adjusted or deleted.
[] Illegal File Names - invalid characters in filenames are corrected
as well as two files in the same directory with the same name.
[] Bad Directory Entries - directory entries that aren't valid are
deleted.
[] Inconsistent File Size - if the number of clusters allocated to a
file do not match the count contained in the directory, the directory
is adjusted to match reality.
[] Bad FAT Entries - entries that point to illegal or nonexistent
clusters are deleted. Files are truncated and the file size adjusted.
[] FAT Chain Collisions - if two or more files think they own the
same cluster, copies of each file are made and you can then decide
which is correct.
[] Lost Clusters - clusters in the FAT that don't belong to any of
the files are adjusted.
The Diamond Edge documentation provides very good explanations for
each of the above types of problems. While running, a visual screen
shows you where errors are detected. Disk Medic can automatically
repair errors and/or log errors to a file if you choose. A built-in
file view utility can be used to display any affected files. The
integrity of data on your disk can be validated using Diamond Back II
compatible CRC and checksum files of the information on your drives.
This file contains a unique number that identifies the content of
each file. The file can then be used to make sure the information
within each of your files has not changed since the last time you
performed a checksum or CRC. You can save hard disk configuration
information using the Archive features that allow you to save the file
structure and SCSI partition info. The complementary function provides
restoration of the file structure and SCSI partition info if needed.
This capability allows you to restore even very badly damaged disks or
recover crashed disks. As a non-scientific test of the repair
features of Diamond Edge, I have reset the computer in the middle of
an optimization. (Don't do this at home folks.) Diamond Edge was able
to recover the partition automatically - no muss, no fuss.
//// Bad Sector Mapping
A Map disk operation will verify that the sectors on your drive are
good by finding and marking any bad sectors that may have cropped up.
Three types of bad sector mapping are available:
[] Read/Read Non-destructive - each sector is read twice. If the reads
do not match, an error is noted.
[] Read/Write/Read - each sector is read, written back and read again.
If the second read does not match the first, an error is noted.
[] Write/Read (destructive) - random patterns are written to the disk
and read back. If the data does not match, an error is noted. Data on
the drive is overwritten while doing this and should only be used if
you have backed up the data on that drive.
Again, the documentation provides clear explanations of each of the
tests. A graphic screen tracks progress through the tests and
displays bad sectors. Bad cluster numbers are also displayed.
//// Data Recovery
The Diamond Mirror system automatically saves critical disk
information that allows you to recover deleted files. The Mirror
program automatically runs from your autofolder to keep track of
changes in the FAT resulting from deleted files and saves that
information for future recovery. The program's intelligent undelete
feature will automate recovery of the files. If Mirror has not been
run, undelete will still help recover files if possible under TOS.
Using Mirror, even fragmented files and subdirectories can be
recovered. The program uses FAT and directory information stored in
the mirror data files to help reconstruct a deleted file. The program
will validate the integrity of the undeleted file if you have a
current set of validation files. Data from lost clusters or zeroed
disk partitions can also be identified and recovered.
//// General Disk Management
A wide variety of powerful disk management and information tools are
available within Diamond Edge. These utilities include hard disk
partitioning, copying, zeroing, wiping, etc. A utility to edit the
partition map of the drive is available within the program. SCSI drive
partitioning is supported for most of the Atari ST and TT030 standards
(Atari, BMS, ICD, Supra). You can modify your partitioning scheme,
hide partitions, save and restore partition information. Backup
utilities provided with Diamond Edge include hard drive to hard drive
backup capabilities to copy a partition with defragmentation or to do
an image copy partition for very fast backuphandy for SyQuest owners.
//// Optimization
The optimizer part of the program can restore speed to your hard drive
by regrouping files and directories. A fast compress free space mode
minimizes the time to group files together. Read/Write speed
prioritization can be used to tune your drives for the way you use
them. The drive is automatically tested before optimization using the
Disk Medic functions. As your drive is optimized, a graphic status
screen shows the files being moved on the drive map display during
optimization. Diamond Edge performs a full optimization by
defragmenting directories and placing all of the directory sectors
consecutively on the disk. This will speed file searches, and places
all of the files within each directory consecutively to optimize disk
performance. This means Diamond Edge always performs a complete disk
optimization where other utilities may only un-fragment files.
//// Documentation And Support
Oregon Research Associates has a very good reputation for taking care
of their customers who own their Diamond Back hard disk backup
utility. Existing Diamond Back II owners can take advantage of a
special limited time offer and purchase Diamond Edge for $50 plus $5
for shipping and handling. Just furnish your Diamond Back II owner's
registration number when ordering.
//// Got A Hard Drive? You Need The Edge!
Diamond Edge is a genuine bargain at $69.95 - particularly when you
consider there are several programs in one: optimizer, disk
diagnostics and repair, data recovery, delete protection and disk
utilities. Not only does it perform superbly, but all of its various
functions are controlled through an excellent user interface. If a
utility program saves a critical file from a crashed hard disk just
once, the product will more than justify its price. This is why I
would strongly recommend purchasing more than one disk utility as a
check/backup. You may find a situation where one works where the other
does not. I feel everyone who owns a hard drive should check out
Diamond Edge - it's a winner!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// HD Utilities Benchmark Chart
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Benchmarks to compare optimization speeds of several utilities were
performed on a very, very fragmented partition. As a reference point,
the first item in the table is a ``partition to partition'' image
copy.
After defragmenting the partition, each program was run again to see
what the minimum time would be (second column), optimizing a partition
that essentially did not need defragmentation.
Test Partition:
Total Bytes: 21,425,152
Used Bytes: 18,993,152
Number of Folders: 83
Number of Files: 1,002
# of fragmented files: 121
Before After
Product Optimization Optimization
Diamond Back Image Copy 228 sec
Diamond Edge (OR Res. Assoc.) 451 sec 26 sec
MOS Utilities (Max Out. Soft.) 685 sec 54 sec
HD Sentry (Beckemeyer) 1,040 sec 103 sec
HD Toolkit (MichTron) 1,854 sec 363 sec
Test hardware was a MegaSTE connected to a fairly slow (in today's
terms) external hard drive (old ICD host, CDC Wren drive). The above
results may not reflect the latest versions for some of the programs
listed - your mileage may vary.
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||| Dateline: Atari ............ Bob Brodie's February 5th RTC on GEnie
|||
/ | \ Courtesy: GEnie
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Special Edition Friday Night Conference
GEnie ST RoundTable
Dateline Atari! with Bob Brodie
Host - Lou Rocha
February 5, 1993
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Welcome to another session of Dateline Atari! with Bob
Brodie. Let me begin by thanking Bob and his colleagues at Atari (Bill
Rehbock, John Towns, Greg LaBrec, Dan McNamee) for their online
support of GEnie members. Their participation has been most helpful to
all and has certainly raised the excitement level in the ST Round
Table.
Since we last met Bob, there has been increasing information about new
software to be bundled with the Falcon030. We have also heard about
MultiTOS, SpeedoGDOS and that great new integrated application, Atari
Works <originally named ST Sutra, then Concierge>.
Bob, I have really been looking forward to tonight's RTC. I think the
transcript for this one may set a new record for downloads surpassing
even your last meeting with us. So let's get this show on the road
with your opening comments. GA
<BOB-BRODIE> I'd like to welcome every one to our February installment
of Dateline Atari! I hope that all of you are enjoying these
conferences as much as I am. I'm pleased with the opportunity to
interact with each of you, and share with you all the latest events in
the Atari Community.
Tonight, I want to start things off by discussing the current status
of the Atari Falcon030, and then we'll talk about our integrated
package, Atari Works.
At our last session of Dateline Atari, I told you about the delay in
the shipments of the Atari Falcon030 to North America. The reason for
the delay was unacceptable performance from one of the contracted
manufacturers that Atari is dealing with. At that time, I also
indicated to you that we would be bringing on another firm to supply
us with Atari Falcon030s, as well as attempting to resolve the quality
concerns with the units at the original manufacturing site. I'm
pleased to report that the new factory has come on-line in the speedy
fashion that we anticipated that they would. We have seen the first
runs off of that line, and the quality is dramatically better than the
original units. A recent run tested out at less an 0.5% defect rate,
which is thrilling news to me! This means that our projections last
month that Falcons would be available in North America in March is
right on target! We _WILL_ to have the machines in stock in March!!
The added plus of this delay is that we have completed MultiTOS, and
all of the machines in North America will ship with MultiTOS! There
will be no customers that will purchase Atari Falcon030s that will
have to be "retrofitted" with MultiTOS! While we are still debating
internally how we want to distribute MultiTOS to the established user
base, I'm very pleased that it is _done_. In addition to the
inclusion of MultiTOS, we will be finalizing Atari Works as well, and
hope to have that available as well to ship with each Atari Falcon030,
along with SpeedoGDOS.
Let's talk about Atari Works at this point, and try to give you a
glimpse of what is coming with that product. Atari Works is a fully
integrated word processor, database, and spreadsheet. It's intended
to provide the average user just about anything that they might
require in a package to be used in either the home, or for a small
business/home office scenario. Most of our energies with Atari Works
have been focused on the word processor component of Works, as we
believe that word processing is still the most common usage for home
users. The Atari Works word processor offers multiple documents, full
cut and paste between documents and the other portions of Works, easy
set up of justification (left, right, center, or proportional), and
importing of GEM metafile images. Atari Works has full SpeedoGDOS
support, which means multiple scalable outline fonts with multiple
sizes, and your usual bold, italics, underline, outline, superscript,
subscript, footnotes, and headers. Works uses the Proximity
dictionary system, and updated version of the system that was used
with Word Up and Word Flair II. There is also a thesaurus included
with Works. Works has full search and replace capabilities, again
easily activated by drop down menus.
One of the features that I really enjoy in using Atari Works is the
exceptionally easy mail merge capabilities with Atari Works database
module. It's always been something of a pain for me to have to mail
merge. It seemed to me that there was never really a system that felt
very intuitive to me for mail merging. With Works, there is a drop
down menu called "Begin Merge" that allows you to begin the process.
It's TERRIFIC!!! On the editing side of the coin, Works allows you to
transpose letters that just need to be flip-flopped with a Control-T
command. Its also "intelligent" about it's editing, in that if you
begin moving around text, Works will recognize the need for additional
spaces and automatically insert the spaces for you. There are also
commands that will allow you to do a number of different text
commands, like setting areas to all caps, or all lower case, and other
text handling.
The word processor of Atari Works also supports the importation of
standard ASCII text, the Microsoft Rich Text Format (RTF) files. This
is an increasingly popular format used with PC and Mac word
processors, like Microsoft Word. The logical extension of that is
that your documents at work can be saved out as .RTF files, and
readily brought into Atari Works with the formatting fully intact!!
The database portion of Atari Works will import .DBF files, tab
delimited ASCII, and comma delimited ASCII. The Atari Works database
is a breeze to set up and work with, too! If you start a new database
file, the system begins prompting you for field names, until you tell
it you're done. Once the fields are entered, you simply click on the
fields and hold down the mouse button while you drag the field to the
desired size! Simple, eh? You can add additional fields later by
simply clicking on the database form with your mouse. Fields are
moved about the page simply by clicking and dragging them. You can
display the records in a form fashion, or in a list fashion that looks
very spreadsheet-ish to me. :) Since everything in Atari Works is
fully GEM compliant, you can also highlight portions of the database
records, and save out the area as a GEM metafile and drop it into your
document! Of course, this also applies to the spreadsheet as well.
That makes displaying graphs and tables as part of your document
easier than it's ever been before.
Bill Rehbock, the product manager for Atari Works, tells me that the
database portion of Works will feel very familiar to anyone that has
ever used a database on a Mac. My sentiment was that I didn't find an
overpowering need to run to the docs just to get things going, the
database has a very comfortable "feel" to it. I'm not generally
comfortable with ANY database, so I have great confidence that most of
you will really enjoy the database portion of Atari Works.
The spreadsheet portion of Atari Works is Excel command compatible.
Our intention with the spreadsheet is not to compete against stand
alone products like LDW Power, but to provide a good, basic speadsheet
for users to be able to chart, graph, and track their finances. We
have some portions of our business presently tracking their finances
under the spreadsheet of Atari Works.
I could go on a little bit longer about the spreadsheet, but I think
I've gone on about as long as I dare on this opening. Let's see what
kind of questions are out there, Lou!
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob, this is terrific news. Thank you for preparing
these opening comments. Since we have so many new users with us
tonight, could I please ask everyone to use the /nam (your name)
command before you /rai your hands. Our first question is from Bob
Frazier of the Kansas City Atari group. Go ahead Bob.
<[kcac-prez] B.FRAZIER2> Bob....I need to know if you found a firm
date for the Kansas City Atari Fest..We are at a standstill
<BOB-BRODIE> Hi Bob, I spoke with Garry Tramiel today, and don't have
a yes or no about our attending CES in June yet. The possibility
exists that we might still have a booth at that show to launch the new
Atari Jaguar Game Console. We'll pick this up in email later on, with
Dorothy Brumleve. I also got a fax from the CT. Show folk, and they
are looking at a June Show Date as well. I'm very happy that we have
you online now here on GEnie, as it is making our planning for what is
shaping up to be an EXTRAORDINARILY busy show summer much easier. I
know that the gang from San Antonio, Indy, and Asheville also very
much appreciate the cooperative spirit that you have shown. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob... do you have any questions about the Falcon or
Atari Works? You may have a followup.
<[kcac-prez] B.FRAZIER2> No....I just needed to know about the show
date...Thanks...
<[Lou] ST.LOU> OK... our next question comes from JCD at New
Dimensions.
<[JCD] NEWDIMENSION> Hi Bob. The upcoming Atari products are excellent
as ususal, but are we really going to see an major increase in Atari's
market share in the computer industry? Will Atari _finally_ understand
that a national advertising campaign is desparately needed. It seems
more advertising dollars are put toward the Lynx than the computer
line. GA
<BOB-BRODIE> Hello, Jeff. Nice to see you again online tonight. As I
have indicated in previous conferences, Atari has the confidence that
this machine will be a tremendous success. Sam Tramiel indicated back
in August of last year that Atari didn't have the same confidence in
the Mega STE/TT030 line as a major success in the US, due to the
pricing/features/performance constraints. In short it's not a question
of Atari finally understanding that they need a national advertising
campaign, it's a question of Atari having the faith in a product that
can be a national success. The Lynx is clearly a technically superior
product to the other handhelds in the marketplace, which explains the
advertising support that the Lynx has enjoyed. The Atari Falcon030 is
also a product that represents a major technical advancement over the
existing CPUs in the marketplace. As a new dealer, I'm sure that you
can also understand the importance of not just having a product that
you are a fan of, but a product that the public can see a real value
in for them to buy. I know that you'll also be pleased to hear that
the number of dealer inquiries since the article in BYTE have
skyrocketed. You'll probably not be the only Atari dealer in your area
for very long. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> JCD... there is quite a lineup of questioners. Please
hold your additional question for now and /RAI again. Thanks. Next is
Joe Torres.
<[STimpy!] J.TORRES17> I have a three part question on ATARI WORKS
(YEAH!): 1)Does it support graphics (lite DTP)? 2) What resolutions
will it support (falcon only?)? 3)Is it too early for
price/availabilty for existing STe Users? GA
<BOB-BRODIE> Hiya, STimpy, it supports GEM metafiles in the word
processor which are readily available both online here, and in
packages from people like Migraph's Easy Draw. Atari Works will
function in any mode that supports 80 columns, which of course
includes ST Medium resolution. Pricing is still under discussion, but
will include a bundling of SpeedoGDOS and about 14 BitStream fonts in
the package. It will be competitive with other verions of WORKS that
are already in the marketplace on other platforms. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob... John Cole from Lexicor is our next guest. GA
John...
<[Lexicor] J.COLE18> Bob, just got the latest version today, fast and
great. My first bug report is that I just looked up the plural for
'spelling' and it's 'spelling' not 'spellings' as in the menu bar :-)
Fantastic program and I cant wait for it and Falcon. GA
<BOB-BRODIE> John, glad to hear that you like it. The bug is probably
related to the Indian roots of our programmer, Pradip Fatepuria. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Thanks John. Next is Eric Nickolaise.
<E.NIKOLAISE2> Hi Bob! What is Atari doing to get Developer Support
for the Jaguar game system?
<BOB-BRODIE> Hi Eric, most of that information is covered by non-
disclosure at this point. I can tell you that we have development
units out, to a number of very talented software houses now. We've
also had at least two developer conferences for Jaguar, one here and
one in the UK. Both of them have been greeted with a great amount of
enthusiasm by the developers and their publishers. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Scott Lapham has our next question, Bob. GA Scott.
<[Scott L.] S.LAPHAM1> Bob. at the beginning of the conference, you
said that the quality of the Falcons coming off the "new" line are
much better than before. My question is are any of those units off
the first line going to be sold? And if so, how would one tell if you
bought a Falcon if it was off the first line or second? GA
<BOB-BRODIE> Scott, the units *_have_* been sold. They are already out
the door in Germany. As long as you don't try to mail order one from
Deutchland, you shouldn't have to worry about. it. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Thanks Scott. Next is Robb Albright.
<[Robb] R.ALBRIGHT7> Bob, I hear that the deal with Ingram Micro
(Distributor) has been tabled, and that Atari plans direct marketing
for the first push for Falcon. Are there any deals set with larger
chains to carry the Falcon, or any planned, and if not, what will be
the way that thousands can get their hands on one?? ga
<BOB-BRODIE> Gee, Robb. That's new to me. Might I enquire what your
source is for that information?
<[Robb] R.ALBRIGHT7> A local developer said he got this from Bill
Rehbock about a month ago. ga
<BOB-BRODIE> Well, Robb, Thanks for bringing this rumor to the light
of day. I appreciate the opportunity to dispel this type of
disinformation at the earliest possible time. We have a number of
different arrangements working for Falcon distribution, and I'm
confident that the thousands of people that want to have Atari
Falcon030s will be able to get them. Regardless of what you're un-
named local developer might have suggested to you. <grin> ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Thanks for clarifying that Bob. Next we have
I.DUCKETT... welcome.
<[Evil E] I.DUCKETT.> How will the release of the Falcon help, The STE
user? GA
<BOB-BRODIE> I see why your nickname is Evil. <grin> How did the
release of the Quadra help the Mac? How did the release of the 486
help the 386? The answer to that is it gives the STE user a higher
quality machine to upgrade to that retains a high degree of software
compatibility that protects your investment in software. Does it mean
that the STE is obsolete? No. It does mean that you can upgrade to a
newer, more powerful machine and not have to lose your investment in
Atari and Atari related products. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Good answer Bob. BTW folks... I have been using Atari
Works on my ST and STE... runs great. Next we have Steve Miller. GA
Steve..
<[Steve] S.MILLER58> Hi, I am a somewhat digruntled TT owner who has
been an atari owner aince the ole 400 and this my question where is
the TT going to be when the Falcon _finally_ makes its appearance? Is
the 68030 going to be supported on both systems or will the TT be a
fluke machine here in the US sticking me with $6000 worth of unsup.
hardware? and if the TT is going to be 'supported' when is the
software going to be there to take advantage of he 68030 and the math
co??????
<BOB-BRODIE> The TT030 will continue to be a high end, powerful
workstation even when the Falcon030 makes it's appearance NEXT MONTH
here in the US. The 68030 will continue to be support on both systems.
There are products already that take advantage of the 68030 and the
FPU, like DynaCadd, all Lexicor products, and Calamus SL. In addition
to those products, there are other things like PageStream and Touch Up
that are very happy on a TT030, especially when they have a graphics
card installed in it, like an AlberTT card, a Crazy Dots board, or a
Matrix card. I've also seen an goodly number of Musicians that are
happy with their TT030s, and development tools like Lattice C 5.5 that
have 030 libraries and FPU libraries. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Thank you Steve. T.WILSON is next, Bob.
<[Dark.Oak.Sof] T.WILSON14> Are we going to see more guidelines from
Atari on building apps for MultiTOS? I'm writing a multi-tos Zmodem
program and was wondering if I should make it with GDOS, clipboard
support, or would a simple .ttp CLI-callable be ok?
<BOB-BRODIE> Are you a registered developer, Tim? Our last developer
newsletter had an article on user interface guidelines.
<[Dark.Oak.Sof] T.WILSON14> I can't afford it at the moment, I'm using
net knowledge.
<BOB-BRODIE> Net knowledge is a little too far from the source, and I
urge you to register as a developer at the earliest possible time. We
provide a good deal of documentation to the developers as a portion of
the MultiTOS distribution packet. Right now, that is only available to
registered developers, and most of the support is done online, in our
Atari.RSC area here on GEnie. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Mike McFee from Pittsburg, California is next Bob.
<M.MCFEE> BOB when will MultiTOS be out for the TT if at all?
<BOB-BRODIE> Hi Mike, it will be released for all Atari Computers, as
I THINK I indicated in my last conference. :) As I indicated in my
opening remarks tonight, we're still having discussions regarding the
distribution method to be used with MultiTOS. I remain a staunch
proponent of the "upload it and let nature take it's course" stance,
but cannot guarantee that we'll be doing that. The product is done, we
just have decisions to make now. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> I have a little surprise for everyone... we have a free
one year subscription to EXPLORER to give away. Then Scott Lapham will
have the next question. Here goes a roll of the dice....
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Job 24... you win! Dorothy!!!!
<BOB-BRODIE> It's not a fix, I swear it is not a rigged deal you
guys!!!!
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Dorothy is the winner! Dot... any words? ;-)
<D.A.BRUMLEVE> Thank you, thank you! Maybe this subscription will
actually arrive at my door! My other one hasn't. ;-) And I've been so
interested to see how the new staff is coming! So thank you very, very
much!
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Next we have Scott Lapham....
<[Scott L.] S.LAPHAM1> Bob, have you heard any new news on any
products that will allow the SLM lasers to work on the Falcon?? GA
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob says he
has another subscription to give away
folks. Right after this answer.
<BOB-BRODIE> Scott, sorry for the delay, was sending. :) Yes, I have.
There is a company that is working on this product, and we have
discussions scheduled with them this next week to ensure that it WILL
BE DONE, and users of SLM series laser printers will be able to use it
with the Atari Falcon030. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> OK... here goes another roll of the dice.... Job 15...
Chuck Haines is the winner of a free one year subscription to
Explorer! Congratulations. Any comments Chuck?
Chuck is speechless!
<E.NIKOLAISE2> Does anyone (if so who?) make a VME RAM board that can
be used with the Mega STE? Thanks! GA
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Folks, there are only two in the queue. This is a good
time to /raise if you have a question.
<BOB-BRODIE> Erik, I'm not aware of any such ram board. I've heard
that they do exist on the VME bus, but don't think that the software
exists to make our system aware of the ram once such a board has been
installed. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Next is Robb Albright.
<[Robb] R.ALBRIGHT7> Bob, any announcements of terrific, *BLOW-EM-
AWAY*, mind boggling games that will be released for the Falcon.
Either planned or set-in stone. ga
<BOB-BRODIE> Robb, there are about 35 games that are being developed
for... the Atari Falcon030. Most of them are better than anything...
that I have seen on any other computer game anywhere. And for that
matter, better than most of the console games, too. We covered that in
an edition of Atari Explorer Online a coule oops Couple of weeks ago,
when we had a review of them from Andreas Barbiero when he came over
to the office and sat down with a Falcon030, and one of those really
cool joysticks for about oh...three hours or so. :) In particular, the
sound is dramatically better than any other system that I've heard.
I'm sure that we'll be able to convince Andreas to come back to the
office again, to write a few more lines about Falcon gaming without
too much arm twisting...at least until it's time for him to leave the
office. :) ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Steve Miller is back with another question for you,
Bob. Oh, and thanks, Robb.
<[Steve] S.MILLER58> Is the Atari community ever going to be tightened
between us and Europe so that when new and interesting
software/hardware comes out there, we can take advantage of it here?
It seem as if we always have to wait for A LONG time for it to trickle
down to us. GA
<BOB-BRODIE> Steve, much of that depends on distribution arrangements.
Some of the developers don't like to have to support their products
overseas, or mess around with translations. I know that some of the
German developers have a hard time with the needs of the US users, as
they have a particular view on things like users interface. :) But we
are working on those arrangements, and I expect that you will be
pleased with the way that things are going to turn out. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> I Duckett has another question too.
<[Evil E] I.DUCKETT.> Is there any way I can get info on the Falcon
here in New York and support for all Atari system in my area?
<BOB-BRODIE> Regarding info on the Falcon030, there is a wealth of
info in the Atari BB area right here on GEnie. We've posted a HUGE
amount of information in a number of conferences, and in the BB
message area itself. I'd suggest that you look at those files first.
After that, I'd suggest one of the high quality mags that are out in
the marketplace, like our own Atari Explorer Magazine or the equally
wonderful AtariUser Magazine. Both of them do a excellent job of being
factual in their reporting. And of course, be sure to check the
weekly issues of Z*Net Online Magazine, which is also uploaded here
weekly in the Atari Roundtable. We upload our own online magazine,
Atari Explorer Online Magazine here bi-weekly. That should give you
plenty of reading material about the Falcon030. As far as support
goes, why don't you send me e-mail with your specific questions and
I'll be happy to deal with them personally rather than tie things up
here any longer tonight. :) ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> I.Duckett... I suggest you use FEEDBACK and you will
get lots of help from my fellow sysops! ;-) Next we have Joe Torres,
then Bob Frazier, Mike Allen and Andreas Barbiero.
<[STimpy!] J.TORRES17> (Let me just put down my LYNX - Pinball Jam :>
) Does SPEEDOGDOS support a wider range of printers than FontGDOS
does/did? I have a Panasonic KXP1142pi printer and was basically told
by tech-support 'tough luck'
<BOB-BRODIE> SpeedoGDOS has support for the following printers at this
point.. Atari Laser printer, SMM-804, Canon Bubble Jet 10e, Epson
FX-80. Epson LQ-570, HP PaintJet, DeskJet 500, HP LaserJet, NEC P
Series Okimate 20, Star NB24-15, Star NX-1000, and of course, STraight
Fax as well. :) You should be able to use the Epson LQ-570 driver
with your unit. Just be sure that you have the dip switche in the
Epson emulation mode. Have you tried that yet? Most of the time you
have to have the printer off when you change the switches, and then
re-start it. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Thanks... now fellow sysop and RTC Shotgun <shogun?>...
Mike Allen
<MIKE-ALLEN> Bob - I wonder if the SpeedoGDOS/Works combo is going to
be available through Atari dealers in the near future? I'd really like
to support my local dealer.
Also I still have to disagree about the Mega STe. I really feel that
it is a product that suffered from improper marketing. A good product
that no one outside of the Atari user community knew about. ga.
<BOB-BRODIE> Mike, I respect your opinion about the Mega STE, and
share it. However, I don't own enough stock to change the decisions on
that type of issue, and have to rely upon my persuasive ability from
time to time on those matters. I think that part of the reason that
the Mega STE didn't get a better "shove" is because the Falcon030 was
expected sooner that this time frame. Now, re the shipments of Atari
Works/SpeedoGDOS, the manuals are.. being done now, I suspect that it
will be in the March time frame as well. Not two weeks, but likely six
weeks at the max. I'm still twisting a few arms here on a couple of
points about Atari Works, like allowing the importation of IMG files
as well as just GEM files. If we can have that added, I think it's
worth a little delay in shipping the product. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Andreas has been waiting very patiently :-) GA
<[Andreas@AEO] AEO.2> Bob, I have been inundated by info from NAMM,
and while I might have missed something due to bad phone lines earlier
tonite on it, I was wondering if you could comment further on the
FEEDING frenzy that went on with the new dealers?
<BOB-BRODIE> Andreas, the timing for NAMM was excellent for us. The
write ups in Keyboard, Electronic Musician, and EQ Magazine are very
exciting, and it appeared that most of the show attendees had read the
magazines. :) We got a large number of dealers that are very
interested in the Falcon from NAMM, and expect even more
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Joe has the last question... unless I missed someone's
/RAI ? GA Joe Torres...
<[STimpy!] J.TORRES17> I am concerned about the apparent throw away
memory boards on the Falcon... The fact that you have either a 1, 4 OR
14 meg board. Why not a user expandable version (I would eventually
like a 14 meg... GA
<BOB-BRODIE> Joe, there is simply not enough real estate for that to
happen via a normal/conventional means like your basic throw away
SIMMS <grin>. What is going to happen with the Falcon030 is the same
thing that happened with the STE and Mega STE. People will buy bigger
supplies of RAM, and try to sell or trade in their old memory units.
Dealers will capitalize on this to have a ready source of ram
available. There are already other developers that have announced
plans for third party memory boards. For example, Zubair will have a
board as well. However, it will not use SIMMS either. There is simply
not enough room SIMMS in the Falcon case. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob... two more questions and then a wrap... OK? First
J.VOGH then John Stanley. GA J.VOGH.
<J.VOGH> What about PC boards for the Falcon? What is the staus of 468
emulation?
<BOB-BRODIE> Oh, that. Had me worried for a second there. As we
reported in our online magazine, Atari Explorer Online at COMDEX,
COMPO Software is working on a 486 board. I was personally assured by
the company president, Theo Bruers, that the product would be done in
March. It is to support the full VGA Color, etc, etc, etc. Although I
recognize that having such an item is attractive to some people, I
think that you will find that products like Atari Works will make you
much less inclined to have to sully your machine with MS-DOS. <grin>
ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob... last question from John Stanley...
<[John STanley] JLS> I got here late so this may have already been
asked. What's the current eta for MultiTOS? (Ballpark estimates... 2
days, 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 __??__) ga
<BOB-BRODIE> You're right, it was already answered...:) It's done, and
will be shipping with Falcons. We're still discussing internally here
how we want to handle the distribution of the product to the existing
user base. I guess the answer from most perspective will be 2 long. :)
BTW, you also missed the drawings for free subscriptions to Atari
Explorer, too! :) ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob... my local dealer wants to order 50 packages of
Atari Works. Please tell me what he needs to do and can it be ordered
directly from Atari by the individual user?
<BOB-BRODIE> Gee, Lou, he must have been really impressed with it!
<[Lou] ST.LOU> All I did was tell him about my beta copy!
<BOB-BRODIE> At this point, he can't. But we'll be making our dealers
aware of all the pricing on Atari Works as soon as possible. The
manual will probably be inserted here in the US in the Falcons at this
point. It will be available via the normal sources, both directly from
Atari, and from our distributors as well. ga
<[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob... what can I say.... I am really excited and can't
bear the thought of a few more weeks. Let's hope that our next
Dateline Atari! has some real shipping dates. Thank you once again for
such a terrific evening. GA
<BOB-BRODIE> Thanks, Lou. As always, it's a pleasure to be online here
on our official online resource, GEnie. Thanks to everyone for taking
the time to be here tonight, and I hope that you got a little bit
better feel for how things are progressing. In our next issue of Atari
Explorer Online Magazine, we'll be featuring a preview of Atari Works,
including screenshots of the program. It'll be up here in the
libraries in about a week for you to download. Thanks again for
attending!!
--==--==--==--==--
|||
||| GEnie Atari ST RoundTable News
/ | \ Courtesy: GEnie
------------------------------
Atari Roundtable Weekly News 2.2
= DARLAH'S TREAT =
NEWS FLASH - NEW TREAT!!! Option 9 on PAGE 475
This package contains the two programs, DigiPlay Plus 1.8 and
ANSITerm version 1.9. DigiPlay Plus is a digital sound player/editor
with the ability to add sound effects like echo. ANSITerm is a
16-color 80-column fully ANSI compatible terminal with blinking and
file transfer abilities (X/Y/Zmodem, Ymodem-G and Batch). Both
programs are fully STe/TT compatible and require a color monitor.
Note: The various download protocols are supported by using Alan
Hamilton's XYZ.TTP which is included in this file.
SPECIAL VALENTINE'S TREAT II!!! Option 10 on PAGE 475
NEW VERSION of CYBERDROME 1.1 DEMO! --- The Hoverjet Simulator by
Rhea-FX and Fair Dinkum Technologies. Cyberdrome combines the
realism of a real-time low-level flight simulator with the maze
exploration of an adventure game. The demo also supports a
2-player/2-computer mode. Minimum 1Mb RAM and color monitor
required. ST, STE and *TT* compatible!
= REALTIME CONFERENCES =
Feb 17 - CODEHEADS LIVE in Conference!! The CODEHEADS!!!
(Wed.) Join Charles and John for this exciting RTC!!!!
If you don't know who the CODEHEADS are then you are in
the wrong RT!! Think of MultiDesk Deluxe, Hotwire,
Maxifile, Codekeys, Calligrapher, Warp 9 and Midi Spy
just to name a few. Come in and chat with two of your
favourite developers. If you are new to ATARI then these
are the people to talk with regarding useful products.
= Scheduled Wednesday RTC Guests =
Have an idea for an Realtime Conference? Wish to promote a product,
show or service? Atari Roundtable Realtime Conference provides an
excellent platform for announcements and discussions. Contact RTC$,
for requirements and information on holding formal RTCs. We also
capture and edit the formal conferences and uploads them into the
Atari RT's Library for you.
= Monday Realtime Conference =
Stop in for Monday's Desktop Publishing Realtime Conferences. Hosted
by Lou Rocha with regular guests dealing with all aspects of DTP and
associated topics.
= Atari ST Help Desk =
Atari ST Roundtable holds a Sunday Help Desk to answer your questions
on GEnie, Atari ST Roundtable and the line of Atari computers. Stop in
and ask questions or just visit the Atari RT staff and users. The Help
Desk starts at 9:00 pm EST Sunday on page 475;2.
= RTC Transcripts =
--------------------------------------------------
27614 BRODIE5.ARC X ST.LOU 930206 16896 486 13
Desc: Brodie RTC Transcript Feb 1993
27339 IAAD_RTC.ARC X BRIAN.H 930115 17152 139 13
Desc: IAAD RTC 13 Jan 93
27268 BRODIE4.ARC X ST.LOU 930109 17152 684 13
Desc: Falcon 030 and Software News!
--------------------------------------------------
For Realtime Conference inquires and comments contact: RTC$
= LIBRARY =
Last Week's Top Downloaded Programs/Utilities:
---------------------------------------------------
27568 CENTPED.LZH X GRMEYER 930202 92416 272 8
Desc: awesome version of Centipede
27506 SERFX20.LZH X BPENNER 930130 10880 268 2
Desc: Serial Fix 2.0 Serial port patch
27557 SAVERS12.LZH X J.DILLENBURG 930201 71936 222 21
Desc: 6 Warp 9 screen savers
27634 MANDALA.LZH X J.EIDSVOOG1 930207 5120 177 2
Desc: Kaleidoscopic Extend-O-Save Module
27623 LEGAL.LZH X J.SCHWARTZ18 930206 45056 143 6
Desc: 80 forms RE:Business, contracts, etc
27530 TLCFORM3.LZH X T.HAYSLETT 930131 21248 143 2
Desc: FAST Read and Write format; 1.44 too
27618 FREEFL12.LZH X F.KOCH 930206 2176 127 7
Desc: Download Free Files Aladdin Script
27611 VIRT_REA.ARC X A.HAJNAL 930206 25344 126 28
Desc: Virtual Reality House Tour
27513 ALVIN.LZH X REALM 930130 27776 115 2
Desc: Converts measurements,fractions too!
27516 ALADSH03.ZIP X T.WRATHER 930130 23424 110 2
Desc: Ver 0.3 of Aladdin file searcher
---------------------------------------------------
Last Week's New Demos:
---------------------------------------------------
27636 SOLUTION.LZH X P.DUBE 930207 233856 6 10
Desc: Solutions demo, mathematics software
27609 MULTIWTR.DOC X BPENNER 930205 3200 131 10
Desc: PRESS RELEASE for new MultiWriter
27608 MTW_DEMO.LZH X BPENNER 930205 76672 79 10
Desc: STWRITER USERS - MultiWriter Demo
27529 MOUSEBT4.ZIP X P.LEFEBVRE 930131 54528 52 10
Desc: Mouse Boot IV demo
27520 PIANODEM.LZH X J.COLLINS22 930131 53504 87 10
Desc: DEMO version of Pianistics 1.10
27514 RUNME1ST.LZH X CYBERCUBE 930130 30464 24 10
Desc: CyReL M16-1280 Install Program
---------------------------------------------------
Last Week's Press Releases in the Library
---------------------------------------------------
27648 SHOWINFO.LZH X B.WELSCH 930209 3712 3 14
Desc: Kansas City AtariFest vendor pak
27647 SHOWINFO.ASC X B.WELSCH 930209 1536 7 14
Desc: Kansas City AtariFest Press Release
27640 TOAD0208.LZH X TOAD-SERV. 930208 10496 118 14
Desc: SPECIALS/News from Toad Computers!
27639 TOADBBS.TXT X TOAD-SERV. 930208 1664 30 14
Desc: NEW Toad Computers STraight FAX BBS!
27615 SACEXPO4.ASC X M.WARNER8 930206 7040 70 14
Desc: Vendor/Developer List
27604 CTSWAPEX.TXT X D.FINCH7 930205 5376 13 14
Desc: More on exhibitors at CT swapmeet
27598 GLEAFNAM.ARC X WORDFLAIR 930204 2944 45 14
Desc: Goldleaf's activities at NAMM
27576 BAGGETTA.TXT (CT_SWAP) X D.FINCH7 930203 3200 25 14
Desc: Press Rel. re Connecticut Atari Show
27565 CT_SWAP.TXT X D.FINCH7 930202 2432 25 14
Desc: Press Rel. re Connecticut Atari Show
---------------------------------------------------
Contact: LIBRARY$
= COMMENTS =
You are free to use anything in this brief but files and Bulletin
Board quotes must be made in accordance to Atari ST Roundtables, Atari
Corporation and GEnie policies.
Feel free to contact me on any questions, comments or suggestions.
John G. Hartman [J.G.H.] Atari Roundtable, PR Sysop
--==--==--==--==--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- --==--==-- GEnie Sign-Up Information --==--==-- --
-- --
-- 1. Set your communications software for half duplex (local echo) --
-- at 300, 1200, or 2400 baud. --
-- --
-- 2. Dial toll free: 1-800-638-8369 (or in Canada, 1-800-387-8330). --
-- Upon connection, enter HHH. --
-- --
-- 3. At the U# prompt, enter XTX99436,GENIE then press <Return>. --
-- --
-- 4. Have a major credit card ready. In the U.S., you may also use --
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-- For more information in the United States or Canada, call 1-800- --
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-- --
-- --==--==-- Atari's Official On-line Resource! --==--==-- --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--==--==--==--==--
||| AEO Calendar of Events
||| Compiled by: Lyre
/ | \ GEnie: AEO.3
------------------------
Looking for the latest Atari event taking place in your neck of the
woods? Well, look no further! Here are all of the events that will be
attended by Atari Corp and/or Atari User Groups - including important
conferences held on the various online networks. Although all material
is factual, keep in mind that this information is subject to change
without notice. We will, of course, keep you aware of any changes that
are announced.
If your group, or one you know of, is sponsoring a user show, leave
me a note on GEnie and I'll include you in the listing!
//// Sacremento Atari Computer Exposition March 13-14, 1993
The Sacremento Atari ST Users Group (SST) is proud to sponsor the
Sacremento Atari Computer Exposition (SAC EXPO) at the famous Towe
Ford Museum in Sacremento, California. The Towe Ford museum is famous
for the largest collection of antique Ford automobiles. But there is
more then just a car collection! The special events area - where the
SAC EXPO is to be held - is a part of the Alhambra Theatre replica;
destroyed in 1973, a replica of the exterior and forecourt was built
here and houses a Wurlitzer pipe organ donated by the estate of Cecil
B. de Mille.
Saturday the 13th, at 10am, Sacremento celebrity Matias Bombal will be
the master of ceremonies at the Grand Opening ribbon cutting ceremony.
Famed organist Dave "Vox" Mereno will start off the show with some
tunes on the Wurlitzer. Some other "famous" attendees include Barefoot
Software, San Jose Computer, Codehead Technologies, STeve's Software,
Oregon Research, ST Informer Magazine, Cottonwood Computer, Safari
Fonts, B & C Computervision, Marcel Software of California, Branch
Always Software / Purple Mountain Computer, A & D Software, Compo
Software and the SST users group will have their own booth.
The show will be spread out through several areas of the museum and
free admission to wander through the antique car displays is included
with the show. So come down and see the capital of the wild west with
all of its historic atmosphere.
Tickets are $6 for a single day, $10 for both days. The museum is
located at the intersection of Interstates 5 and 80, just 15 minutes
from the Sacramento Metropolitan Airport. For more information or
advance ticket purchase (with a free $5 discount coupon for purchases
from STeve's Software), contact Nick Langdon (Vendor Coordinator) C/O
SST, P.O. Box 214892, Sacramento, CA 95821-0892, phone (916) 723-6425.
For travel arrangements or hotel accomodations, contact Mark or Del at
Sports Leisure Travel (800) 321-4758. Online via GEnie, contact Mark
Warner at M.WARNER8. Alternately, you may contact the ST-Keep BBS
(SST) at (916) 729-2968.
//// PACS March 20, 1993
For those living in the Philadelphia, PA area, the PACS group is
sponsoring the Computer Festival at the Drexel University Main
Building on the corner of 32nd and Chestnut Streets between 9am and
4pm. Although a multi-platform show (in its 16th year), Atari
computers will be represented by NEAT, CDACC and JACS user groups.
For more information, call (215) 951-1255. Or to arrange for a booth,
contact for Atari display: Alice P. Christie, 207 Pontiac Street,
Lester, PA 19029. Alternately, by phone, call (215) 521-2569.
//// CT AtariFest '93 June 12-13, 1993
The Connecticut AtariFest was such a rousing success last year
that it has been moved to the Windsor Court Hotel in Windsor, CT.
This major northeast computer event is once again being sponsored by
ACT - an umbrella organization consisting of Atari user groups in
Connecticut.
Although the show has moved from last year's location, it is only a
mile away. Yet it is still convenient to I-80, I-84, I-90, I-91 and
I-95 and to Bradly International Airport. Windsor Court Hotel offers
an excellent room rate of $35.00 per room. Otherwise, all prices
remain the same as last year. However, vendor booths will be almost
50% larger! Additional floor space, free parking, more vendors and
alternative activities for family members are available (a craft fair
and consumer electronics show are running concurrently).
Already, commitments from A&D Software, Gribnif Software, Barefoot
Software, Toad Computers, Computer Studio, Baggetaware, Derric
Electronics, E.Hartford Computer Repair, Wizztronics, and GFA Software
Technology have been made. There are other vendors making inquiries
also. Last year there was fourteen user groups in attendance, we
expect even more for this year's show. Come and see a Falcon030 at the
show. For further information, call Brian Gockley at 203-332-1721 or
Doug Finch at 203-637-1034.
//// Kansas City AtariFest '93 June 26-27, 1993
<<[[ New Date ]]>>
Join the members of the Kansas City Atari Connection for their first
major Atari show at the Stadium Inn, 7901 E 40 Highway, Kansas City,
Missouri. The show date, which conflicted with two other shows, has
been changed - please make a note of the new date. Advance ticket are
$4.00 per day or tickets may be purchased at the the door at $5.00 per
day.
Attend the show and visit the commercial developers: Cali-Co
Software, ICD, MissionWare Software, Fair-Dinkum Software, Systems For
Tomorrow, New Dimensions Computer Center, Compu-Seller West, ChroMagic
Software, Paul's Software, CodeHead Technologies, Clear Thinking
Software, SKWare, Electronic Spinster Graphics and many others. For
advance tickets, please send payment to: Kansas City AtariFest, P.O.
Box 1653, Lee Summit, MO 64063. User groups may request a User Group
Information Package.
To make room reservations please call (800) 325-7901. If you will be
arriving by plane, you may call (800) 874-7691 and a local travel
agent will arrange a special airfare rate for those wishing to attend
the show. For more information, you may leave inquiries on GEnie to
B.WELSCH, B.FRAZIER2 or J.KRZYSZTOW. On CompuServe, contact Jeff
Krzysztow at 74027,707. On Delphi, contact BOBTROW. Or you can call
(816) 224-9021, or send mail inquiries to the post office address
listed above.
//// The Glendale Show September 18-19, 1993
The Southern California Atari Computer Faire, version 7.0 takes place
in Los Angeles, California. The largest domestic event for Atari
computer enthusiasts for the last several years, many developers and
vendors attend to show off their latest products. For more
information, contact John King Tarpinian (of the HACKS user group) at
(818) 246-7286.
//// COMDEX November 15-19, 1993
This industry-wide computer show occurs in Las Vegas, Nevada each
year. More info as it becomes available.
--==--==--==--==--
||| Andreas' Den ............... Atari Falcon030 spotting on the telly.
||| By: Andreas Barbiero
/ | \ Delphi: ABARBIERO GEnie: AEO.2
-------------------------------------------------------------------
There is a great deal of news being made in the World Atari this
month, the least of which is the US Atari Falcon030 arrival in
March with MultiTOS! But the Atari Falcon030 is getting some prime
time attention from the rest of the world. Not only was NAMM a
major sucess, but in the UK, TV and print coverage continues. The
Lynx is being pushed heavily also in the UK with a advertizing
campaign on the back of Kelloggs cereal boxes of all things.
Here's a few messages discussing all of this.
>From: evilandi@vnet.ibm.com (Andrew Oakley)
>Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 11:36:27 GMT
>Subject: More Atari ST stuff on British TV
>Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
The UK commercial teletext system "Teletext On 3", broadcast on the
commercial network TV channel ITV, this week decided to drop its refusal
to publish ST-related items.
The "Digitiser" section, which runs from pages 370-379, mainly concerns
itself with games reviews, hints & tips, but there is quite often a look
at the technology behind the screens (pun intended).
The response is apparently due to the number of letters received from
UK ST enthusiasts. The Children's ITV programme "Bad Influence" has been
subject to a similar campaign, with presenter Andy Crane remarking in
several programmes about the number of letters received asking for more
Atari coverage.
"Bad Influence" featured a preview of the Falcon some weeks back, with
Andy demonstrating its sampling and graphics capabilities. He showed how
a microphone could be plugged *directly* into the Falcon, and used a
German program to record and effect-process his speech, followed by a
slideshow and an animation of a bird. Andy seemed to have very positive
thoughts about the Falcon, and seemed to believe it was going to be the
next *big* home computer.
The ST has also been featured several times on the Channel 4 programme
"Gamesmaster".
Andrew Oakley <evilandi@vnet.ibm.com> (JANET: <evilandi@com.ibm.vnet>)
IBM Warwick, UK (I speak FROM IBM, not FOR IBM) UK Tel. 0926 464830
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Evil Andi of GOTHIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE: Computing for the culture-shocked
Budgie UK titles: Ballpark, Flipped & Square Off
Shareware titles: ST-Zine Disk Mag Kit, Quiz Construction Kit & others
----------------------------------------------------------------------
>From: cstadbs@csv.warwick.ac.uk (Mr P M Donovan)
>Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
>Subject: Falcon on TV again
>Date: 22 Jan 1993 16:09:33 -0000
>Organization: Computing Services, University of Warwick, UK
Atari UK really do seem to be pushing the Falcon here in the UK.
They have been taking it to the directors of the popular computer
games programs with a view to getting it shown on the programs.
Someone has already reported the review of the Falcon on the program
'Bad Influence', where they showed ray-traced animations and the
excellent 16-bit sampling.
The Falcon was on TV again last night, on the Channel 4 program
'Gamesmaster'
This program consists of kids and celebrities competing on different
games, but they also have reviews and special features.
Last night they had a feature on the new 32-bit machines, namely the
Falcon, the Acorn A3010 and the Commodore A1200. They had a spokesman
from each of the companies talking about their new machines. Atari
were shown first and Commodore last!
The demonstrations of the machines were a bit hard to see because
they were shown behind the spokeman, but the Falcon looked very
inpressive.
The demo was a ray-traced animation of a colourful cartoon-style bird
walking along a pavement(sidewalk). The bird was held in the centre
of the screen, and the pavement and wall behind were scrolled along in
an isometric view giving the impression that the bird was walking down
the street.
The guy from Atari also stressed the 16-bit recording and playback at
'better' than CD quality.
The demo of the A1200 was just an ordinary looking Amiga game.
It has also been reported that a new games program to be broadcast at
6:30 in the evening every weekday on the satellite channel Sky One may
use a Falcon to run a game that viewers can play using touchtone
phones. The Falcon is being considered because the DSP can be used to
process the incoming calls from the contestants.
So, it doesn't look at all bad here in the UK at the moment in terms
of marketing.
Paul Donovan
cstadbs@csv.warwick.ac.uk
Many developers have their Atari Falcon030, and have had them for
quite some time now, and while some of them have been highly
publicized, it seems that all the bad vibes are gone and ALL
levels of developers have them! Several UK magazines report
dozens of new games and applications being developed over there,
as well as new titles for the ST. Recently reviewed were Street
Fighter II, Lethal Weapon, Elite 2 (with autodocking!!!!),
Daemonsgate- Donovan's Key, Lemmings 2, Legends of Valour, (this
one is really neat, you see your customized character's face on
wanted posters, and have smooth scrolling everywhere!) Reach for
the Skies (from Rowan, a great WW2 British flight sim) and WWF2.
(wrestling!) Next issue, I should have a review of ISHAR, its been
out for a bit, but a view backwards to see how it stands up with
all the new competition around is in order!
Here in the US it is not so glum either... Lexicor should have
some more exciting software for us, and I will be reviewing the
Atari Falcon030 specific software soon.
Here is an example of how far the Atari Falcon030s have
penetrated into the developer market.
>From: grier@bnr.ca (Brian Grier)
>Subject: Falcon Sighting (Developer Unit) in NH
>Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 15:07:08 GMT
>Organization: Bell Northern Research
I recently received a couple phone calls from members of the ST group
I used to belong to in New Hampshire. The Falcon had been demonstrated
at the monthly meeting and needless to say every I spoke with was
extremely impressed.
Frank Palowski, creator of OutBurST, demonstrated his FALCON 030 to
the Nashua Area ST Users Society, NASTUS. Frank demonstrated the
bundled software and a few of ST programs. The two people I spoke
with were amazed at the performance. One of the people I spoke with
owns a TT with 4meg of ST ram and said he felt the Falcon was the
equivalent of his TT, running PageStream in 640x480 with 16 colours.
Franks system has 14mb/65megHd.
Frank did not demonstrate Multi-Tos, no reason given.
From what I know of 68030 implementations and what I've read here, and
from Atari on the Falcon, the performance reports are about what I
expected.
Another good sign is that developers like Frank have Falcons. There
have been lots of complaints, here and on GEnie, about developers not
being able to get Falcons.
Brian, WS1S (ST/TT User)
Bell Northern Research
Research Triangle Park, NC
From the Delphi Atari Forum - if you liked Empire, the multiplayer
air/land/sea global warfare game, you will want to read this!
47771 31-JAN 11:57 Games & Entertainment
Empire Deluxe!!
From: AMWILLIAMS To: ALL
Finally Empire 2 (Deluxe) is here! But not for the Atari. I called
New World Computing (800-325-8898) and asked if there where plans to
bring it out on non-Dos platfroms. They may release an Amiga version
in the near future but when I asked about my beloved ST there was a
long pause followed by "we have no plans to issue an Atari version"
(well at least she knew the ST is an Atari product). I would to see an
Atari version and would buy it at any cost. as a matter of fact I
ordered the PC varsion and will get the Amiga one when it comes out so
I'm not writing this for myself, I just don't what to see another
peice of software go by with joining the fight so heres the
number(800-325-8898) call if you care and list the numbers and names
for other software we desire I'll support you if you'll support
yourself.
(Message is courtesy of Gordon Meyer, Co-sysop of the Delphi Atari
Advantage SIG)
--==--==--==--==--
||| The Great Connecticut Trading Fair
||| By: Lyre
/ | \ GEnie: AEO.3
-------------------
February 6 - Stamford, CT
Ah, Saturday February 6th - the day of the Great Connecticut Trading
Fair. A day I had been looking forward to as it drew nearer. It was
finally here.
I "woke up, jumped out bed, dragged a comb across my head" and noticed
that there was snow all over the place! (Yeah, right. _Real_ snow.) Uh
oh, I thought is the Fair still on? Well, I had no time to inquire
because my ride down to Bridgeport was leaving so I jumped into their
car and took off.
But it got even worse. Bridgeport had more snow, the roads were
slippery with ice and the wind was vicious. Arriving at the Bridgeport
Train Station, I found to my dismay that I had not taken the phone
number for St. Benedict's in Stamford. With the train coming in a few
minutes I knew I couldn't call information and obtain the number. I
decided to risk it all and grab the train to Stamford anyway.
And I am glad that I did.
When I arrived in Stamford, I called St. Benedict's and found out that
the Fair was indeed taking place. Taking a taxi, I arrived at the Fair
in about 10 minutes. I asked the cabbie how business had been for the
day and he responded by telling me "Great!" This was a bad thing. You
see, in bad weather any kind of show is affected. People don't really
want to go wandering the streets when things are miserable out. And
one good way to gauge the impact the weather will have is to see how a
cabbie's business has been for the day. The better their day, the
worse it is for the show.
But the Fair did okay. Upon arriving and paying the four dollar cover
charge, I found out their were already forty attendees. Since it was
only 45 minutes after the show had started and considering the
weather, this was pretty good.
While the Fair was not a huge show, it was not meant as a replacement
for the CT AtariFest. CT AtariFest is a developer's, distributor's and
retailer's show. The Trading Fair was meant to be a way for users to
get together, sell each other some hardware and software, and have
some fun without any sales pressure. You know, look for old programs
that you did not purchase but now found that you needed. Clear out
some of the programs you no longer need. That sort of a show.
In that respect, I personally think it was a success. I had not been
able to attend the CT AtariFest '92, so the Trading Fair allowed me to
pick up a few things and talk to some people.
I had a lot of fun. I ran over to Gribnif and immediately purchased
XBoot and CardFile. Then Dan Wilga treated me to a demonstration of
the latest version of NeoDesk (yet another program I have to update).
Having purchased these programs, I decided that I had better take a
look at some of the other offerings before I purchased anything else
from them. After all, I hate finding out that I missed a program I had
been looking for for a long time, simply because I spent all my money
at one booth.
So I wandered the floor looking at BagettaWare's products, Derrick
Electronic's offerings, the Central CT user groups table and several
more. But ummmm, I've forgotten their names. Anyway, I found out that
Derrick Electronics has a lot of Antic software - anyone looking for
Antic software that is no longer available might want to inquire with
them. While they might not have it, the chances are pretty good that
they will. After all, I was able to find a copy of Genesis - The
Molecular Modeler from Antic. Genesis wasn't available from Antic
before its demise so you can just imagine my pleasure at finding this
program - still in its shrinkwrap! I also picked up the diskettes for
the Abacus GEM Programmer's Reference, ST Internals and 3D Graphics
books.
BagettaWare had all of their ElieMouse offerings. I was desperately
tempted to purchase them for my nephew. However, I call my nephew
"Monster Tom" for a reason - he's pretty darn active. Heck, he
_already_ wants a "puter" like "Unka Itcher." The only problem is that
he hasn't even turned 4 yet! And I don't dare allow him to use my Mega
since I work on it. But in the near future I will definitely take
another look at ElieMouse for him. First I need to acquire another
computer.
There were also some users selling their 8 bit products - including a
lot of programs and books. A gentleman from a store in Danbury, CT was
providing information and demonstrations of how the Atari and MIDI
operate hand in hand. He had some great tunes going and lots of people
stopped by to make inquiries with him. However, I couldn't look.
Really. If I got hooked on MIDI I would probably be arrested for
Disturbing the Peace. I'm tone deaf and musically illiterate.
Having seen the various offerings, I went back to the Gribnif booth
and purchased Stalker and Steno. But not without some difficulty. You
see, Rick Flashman wanted to sell me a Crazy Dots board (and I wanted
to buy it) but it was outside of my price range. So he said that if I
give him my Mega, he'd give me the Crazy Dots - but when I asked about
where I would install it, Rick replied that was the catch! I offered
him a friend's dead 520ST but he added a "Must be in working
condition" clause. Drats!
Next, Rick offered to sell me Convector and Arabesque and I would be
given Stalker and Steno free. Despite the sales price of these
programs (and due to my other purchases at the Fair) this deal was
also outside of my wallet's capacity. Sigh. So I simply purchased
Stalker and Steno and glanced longingly at Convector and Arabesque. It
might not have been "the deal of the century" but it was a very good
deal - and I couldn't take advantage of it.
But Gribnif did inform me that they plan to be attending the CT
AtariFest '93 (which will be bigger and better this year!) since it is
their closest show. Maybe I'll inquire with Rick as to what deals he
can offer me then.... ;)
Oh, one last thing, I attended the Fair "incognito." I used my real
name and did not inform anyone that I was "Lyre"; this only seems
appropriate. After all, I am just another Atari Computer user and I
don't really want special treatment or deals from the developers and
distributors that are not available to other users. So when I attend
events I do so quietly. Oh, a few people knew who I was, but only
those few did - and most of them had set up the Fair.
Well, that was my impression of the Connecticut Trading Fair. Now, as
it is snowing and the wind is howling again, I have to stop
reminiscing about the show and save this article from Steno.
--==--==--==--==--
||| A Beginner's Guide to UNIX and the Internet - Part 3
||| By: Timothy Wilson
/ | \ Internet: WILSONT@RAHUL.NET GEnie: AEO.8
----------------------------------------------------
A beginner's guide to UNIX, and the Internet. How it applies to the
Atari world, and other tricks, tips, places, services, and files of
interest.
Chapter 3, Getting Gigabytes of neato files into your Atari.
(provided you have gigabytes of hard drive space.. :) )
OK, now we get into the juicy stuff of the Internet. We'll be hopping
from site to site, and grabbing those files.
There's a UNIX thing called FTP - File Transfer Protocol. FTP is how
machines can use the Internet to transfer binary (full 8 bits) of data
around. (mail supports only 7 bits)
Another thing we've discussed briefly is: telnet. Telnet is a UNIX
command that lets you log into another machine on the Internet, just
like you log into the UNIX machine you call locally. Note... it's not
'telenet', that's a packet switching service, and not a UNIX command.
Oh yeah, as a quick diversion, there's some Internet lingo and
abbreviations I'll go over. You probably have seen this stuff before
on BBSes but maybe not.
BTW: by the way
IMHO: in my humble opinion
IMNSHO: in my not so humble opinion
IMO: in my opinion
TLA: three letter acronym
:-) sideways smiley face. usually means a joke.
:-P smiley sticking his tongue out.
X-I smiley is dead.
>:-) evil grin smiley.
O-I robot smiley.
:) smaller smiley.
:-/ sarcasm smiley.
:-O Holy &^%#! smiley
BRB be right back.
MUD Multi-User Dungeon/Dimension
B-) I got my sunglasses on.
>B^) evil clown wearing sunglasses.
IP A (numeric) address like 128.32.12.2
a.a. atari archive.
archie: a site that collects directories of FTP sites.
Fubar: F&%^$ up beyond all repair.
CD compact disc :)
Usenet: the news groups that travel the Internet.
GB: galactic bloodshed (a multiplayer game on the net)
C:-) I got a Elvis haircut smiley.
:-( sniff sniff, I'm sad smiley.
tar: a UNIX archive system.
flame: sorta like hate mail, more of a nasty criticism.
!= not equals, its a C expression
=) outdated smiley.
That should be enough to get you started.
Now, back to getting files.
First we'll get a file from Atari archive, ls-lR.Z. "What the heck is
that Tim!?" you're probably asking.
Remember ls? the command that gives you a directory listing? Well if
you have subdirectories, and you are at the top directory, you can
type:
---------------
unix% ls -lR
---------------
which means, list in long form, Recursively through all directories.
The .Z on the file, is a UNIX form of compression, I'll get to it
soon.
A quick note, please use 'ftp' at night! A lot of FTP sites (and the
network in general) are busy during the day doing other things (school
work etc..) So don't go wasting other peoples processor time. You'll
find transfer rates are slower during the day too. (From UNIX site to
UNIX site: the next topic.)
OK. So get on your UNIX machine and type:
--------------------------
unix% ftp atari.archive.umich.edu
(You should get something like:)
connected to terminator.cc.umich.edu.
220 Name (atari.archive.umich.edu:wilsont):
(At this point type the word (lower case!): anonymous
331 Guest login ok, send email address as password
(just type your mail address here, I would type, wilsont@rahul.net)
--------------------------
You won't see anything echoed, its OK if you misspell, it's a
courtesy to the FTP site to enter your name in.
Now you might get a welcome message or something and then:
-----
ftp>
-----
We need to get to the atari area.
Type:
--------------
ftp> cd atari
CWD command successful
ftp>
--------------
Now we are at atari archive! ALWAYS, after you login to a FTP site,
type:
--------------
ftp> bin
Type set to BINARY.
--------------
'bin' means use a full 8 bits. If you don't type bin, all of your files
will get the 7th bit chopped off, and your .arc files or .prg files
won't work!
You can 'ls', and 'cd' all you want and look around. But we're here
to get a file to save us that time.
return to the root ( cd /atari ), and now type:
-------------
ftp> get ls-lR.Z < case sensitive! >
Opening BINARY data connection for ls-lR.Z (120212 bytes)
Command completed in 10.5 seconds (5.5kb/sec)
ftp>
--------------
The file, ls-lR.Z is now at your own UNIX site. Now type:
---------------
ftp> bye
221 Goodbye
Connection Closed by foreign host.
UNIX%
---------------
Great! You just got your first file!
Before we can look at it, we have to decompress it. (like a arc or lzh
file)
type:
----------------------
unix% uncompress ls-lR
( the .Z isn't needed)
unix%
----------------------
Now if you do an ls, you'll set something like:
--------------
unix% ls
/News /Mail ls-lR
unix%
---------------
We can now use 'less' or 'more' on it (or any editor) to look at the
gobs of files on atari archive.
Sometimes you wind up with a .tar file. To extract a .tar file, use:
--------------
unix% tar -xf filename.tar
--------------
Most tar files are compressed with the .Z extension, so uncompress them
first. tar files usually contain directories and files.
There is another file, called 0compind.Z that gives you a short
description of each file as well. Also, in each directory or
subdirectory (on Atari archive) there is a 0index file. It may be at
the top of a directory, maybe not.
Most sites have a 'Index', 'index' or 'contents' file somewhere, just
look for it. The index files usually explain what all the files
are/do/contain.
OK. One more time, the process, with just our commands.
ftp sitename
anonymous
mylogin@mysite
bin
(now you can do the following)
cd (till you get to where you want)
ls (to get a listing)
dir (gives long listing)
help ( gives ftp commands)
help command name (gives you a quick rundown on that command)
get filename (get one file from current directory)
put filename (put a file from your UNIX directory into this ftp
directory)
mget filename filename filename.... (also works with wildcards)
An example for atari archive:
ftp atari.archive.umich.edu
anonymous
mylogin@mysite
bin
cd atari
Then for example:
cd Utilities
get 0index
Now for a UNIX trick. After the index is done transferring, press:
ctrl-Z
You'll see...
----------
transfer complete.
ftp> ^Z
unix%
---------
We are still connected to the FTP site, but its kinda like on hold.
Now do whatever you want (say... less 0index), and when you are done
type:
----------
unix% fg
ftp atari.archive.umich.edu
ftp>
----------
fg means 'foreground', ctrl-Z is a universal UNIX keypress (like
ctrl-R for redraw). Ctrl-Z suspends a program (or 'process' for UNIX)
and shoves it into the 'background'.
You'll be able to do this on your own programs with MultiTOS when it
comes out, and you can do it already with MiNT.
Also, if you don't return to the ftp site (with 'fg') quickly enough
the ftp site might kick you off, it may be only 5 minutes, maybe less.
Ctrl-Z is NOT how to log out quickly, it's just like putting someone
on hold using the phone.
If you're transferring a big file (1 meg or more) to shove the ftp
into the background and let it run there, start the transfer, then
'shell out', as its called, with ctrl-Z.
then type:
-----------
unix% bg
-----------
The ftp program is restarted, but you'll still have your UNIX prompt.
The transfer continues, when the ftp site wants you again, you'll see
something like...
----------
ftp atari.archive.umich.edu (stopped, tty output)
----------
...pop up on your screen.
This means that the background process tried to put something on your
screen, but couldn't since it was in the background, out of sight.
So now we would...
---------
unix% fg
ftp>
---------
...and get the ftp prompt back.
Ctrl-Z works with just about anything! You can see all of your stopped
and running programs with:
---------
unix% jobs
[1] - (stopped) ftp atari.archive.umich.edu
[2] + (running) arc -x bigfile.arc &
----------
The '&' is a nifty suffix. As in the example...
-----------
unix% arc -x bigfile.arc &
-----------
...would unarc the file in the background. Since ARC, LHARC and ZOO
write a lot to the screen you could do this. (Remember redirection?)
-----------
unix% zoo -x file.zoo >& zoo.out &
-----------
This will put all of that zoo nonsense into a file called zoo.out and
do all this in the background.
If you know the name of a file, we can see if atari archive has it.
try:
-----------------
unix% grep word ls-lR
-----------------
It will then list any line with the word 'word' in the file ls-lR
Of course you can use this on anything. You could also try a pipe!
(Remember those?)
-----------------
unix% grep color Compindex | less
-----------------
This puts all the lines from Compindex with 'color' in them into a
page-by-page reader for you.
Or try a long file, to a file in the background:
--------------
unix% grep ferrari carindex.text > ferraris &
--------------
'grep' is really powerful - do a 'man grep' to find out more about it.
That's one FTP site, there are hundreds more! There is an index
called Archie that a few sites maintain. Let's try it out!
---------------
unix% telnet archie.unl.edu
(login as "archie" )
----------------
You'll get a big opening screen and a prompt:
----------
archie>
----------
If you read the man pages on 'grep' you'll know how to use archie,
but the command is:
-----------
archie> prog regexp
-----------
regexp= regular expression, the same type of stuff you can give grep.
Examples are:
^word matches filenames and directories starting with 'word'
word matches filenames and directories with 'word' anywhere in them
w.rd would match 'ward', 'word', and 'werd', etc... any character
can go in the place of the '?'
Also you might try:
----------
archie> help
----------
After you enter a parameter, archie will try its darnest to find a
match on the 100+ gigabytes on the Internet.
a readout is shown, like...
( 23/ %56)
...means that %56 of the database has been searched and 23 so far
have been found. At any time, press ctrl-C to stop archie, and show
you what its has so far.
To 'shell out' from a telnet connection, you can do this...
(same timing rules apply, the remote site might kick you off if
you're not actively doing stuff)
-----------
ctrl- ] (bracket)
-----------
Everytime you make a telnet connection, it will always tell you what
the 'escape character is', that's not an "Esc" escape, its a telnet
escape.
After typing ctrl-] you'll get...
---------
telnet>
---------
...now you can 'shell out' totally by ctrl-Z.
When you 'fg' the process (telnet program), you'll be popped right
back into the other computer... so it'll look like...
---------
unix% fg
telnet archie.unl.edu
(press return again)
archie>
---------
...now you should be able to find any file you want, and go out and
get it... at least into your account... how about getting it into your
Atari!
use:
sz filename filename filename ....
or
sb filename filename ....
sx filename
they are: sz "send zmodem"
sb "send batch ymodem"
sx "send xmodem"
You're telling the UNIX machine to start sending, get it?
Also, you can use rx, rb and rz to tell the UNIX machine to start
receiving a file.
Not all sites have all of these, so beware. My site only has sz/rz so
I needed a zmodem protocol, (like xyz.ttp)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Internet Games!!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Yes, the Internet is full of multi-player games run by bored CS students
with nothing to do on their $50,000 dollar workstations. Seriously
though, there are lots of games out there: Muds, Galactic Bloodshed,
Net trek, Xtank, Empire, Net hack, Megahunt etc..
Some require Xterminals, using X-windows (a UNIX GUI), some don't.
Most all of these are multiplayer games, you can mail me if you'd like
to know where to find them, but try the news groups first. (Discussed
in the final chapter)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Chat Lines from hell!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
On the Internet, there is a thing called IRC, or Internet Relay Chat.
It's a lot like a RoundTable conference on GEnie, or the CB simulator on
CompuServe. (Just a lot cheaper.)
To check it out, use:
---------------
unix% irc nickname
---------------
Replace 'nickname' with whatever you'd like your irc name to be. Once
on, try the commands (slash required!):
/list (shows channels and topics)
/help
/join channelname (joins that channel, case sensitive)
/nick newnickname
/who * (shows who's on your current channel)
To make your own channel, just
/join mychannelname
then:
/topic mytopic
and wait for people to show up.
some constant channels (maintained by programs, or they're incredible
popular) are:
Anime! (Japanese animation)
hottub (the electronic version of a party tub)
initgame (a game of guessing initials)
atari (usually one around)
amiga
nihon (requires special program that displays hiragana)
IRC uses a 'client' to interface with the other computer. A client is
a program that interprets incoming data and massages it into a more
readable form. IRC actually telnets to a IRC server, and splits the
screen up, so you can see what you are typing. A server is a program
that serves data to clients.
Well, that's about it for this chapter, if you have questions
go ahead and mail me at: wilsont@rahul.net
The next chapter is about News and finishing up this UNIX guide.
------------------------------------------------
Now, the last part of the Internet access guide.
name ----------> MSen
area codes ----> 313
local access --> All of SE Michigan (313)
fees ----------> $5/month + $2/hr or $20/mo for 20 hr
voice ---------> 313-998-4562
fax -----------> 313-998-4563
name ----------> NEARnet
area codes ----> 508, 603, 617
local access --> Boston, MA; Nashua, NH
fees ----------> $250/month
email ---------> nearnet-join@nic.near.net
voice ---------> 617-873-8730
name ----------> Netcom Online Communication Services
dialup --------> (310) 842-8835, (408) 241-9760, (408) 459-9851, (415)
424-0131, (510) 426-6860, (510) 865-9004 'guest'
area codes ----> 213, 310, 408, 415, 510, 818
local access --> CA: San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles
services ------> shell, ftp, telnet, irc, WAIS, gopher, SLIP, feeds
fees ----------> $19.50/month + $15.00 signup
voice ---------> 408-554-UNIX
name ----------> OARnet
area codes ----> 614, 513, 419, 216, 800
local access --> OH: Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton
fees ----------> $4.00/hr to $330.00/month; call for code or send email
voice ---------> 614-292-8100
fax -----------> 614-292-7168
<< panix >>
name ----------> PANIX Public Accss Unix
area codes ----> 212, 718
local access --> New York City, NY
long distance -> provided by user
fees ----------> $19/month or $208/year + $40 signup
voice ---------> 212-877-4854 [Alexis Rosen], 718-965-3768 [Jim Baumbach]
<< portal >>
name ----------> The Portal System
dialup --------> (408) 725-0561 'new', 'info', 'help'
area codes ----> 408, 415, PDN
local access --> CA: Cupertino, Mountain View
fees ----------> $18.95/month + $19.95 signup
voice ---------> 408-973-9111
name ----------> PSI's Global Dialup Service (GDS)
area codes ----> PDN
local access -->
fees ----------> $39/month + $39 startup
voice ---------> 703-620-6651
fax -----------> 703-620-4586
name ----------> PSILink - Personal Internet Access
area codes ----> PDN
local access -->
fees ----------> $29/month + $19 startup (PSILink software included)
voice ---------> 703-620-6651
fax -----------> 703-620-4586
name ----------> Rock CONCERT Net
area codes ----> 704, 919
local access --> NC: Asheville, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro,
Greenville, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Research Triangle Park
fees ----------> $30/month + $50 signup
voice ---------> 919-248-1999
name ----------> NeoSoft's Sugar Land Unix
dialup --------> 713-684-5900
area codes ----> 713
local access --> TX: Houston metro area
fees ----------> $29.95/month
voice ---------> 713-438-4964
name ----------> The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
dialup --------> (415) 332-6106 'newuser'
area codes ----> 415, PDN
local access --> Sausalito, CA
fees ----------> $15.00/month + $2.00/hr
voice ---------> 415-332-4335
name ----------> The World
dialup --------> (617) 739-9753 'new'
area codes ----> 617, PDN
local access --> Boston, MA
fees ----------> $5.00/month + $2.00/hr or $20/month for 20 hours
voice ---------> 617-739-0202
That's the end of 'em.
--==--==--==--==--
|||
||| Developing News: Important items from TOS platform developers
/ | \ -------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// SpiritWare's Concordance and NASB
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
For those using SpiritWare's Concordance program, there is some good
news. Zondervan has granted SpiritWare an exemption from the minimum
distribution they had previously required. Instead of having to sell
1000 copies, Zondervan is allowing SpiritWare to sell 100 copies of
Concordance per year - allowing for the NIV Bible to be available for
at least another year.
Also, the New American Standard Bible (NASB) has become available to
SpiritWare by the auspices of the Lockman Foundation. In the next few
weeks the NASB disks should be available to SpiritWare. Once received,
they plan to release NASB in a few additional weeks. At this point,
the end of March is a possible release date. A donation of $30.00 will
be asked for NASB.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Typeface and Graphics Library Clearance Sale
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
St. Louis, MO
SoftLogik has announced a huge clearance sale of their professional
quality fonts and clip art at a price never before seen. SoftLogik is
discontinuing the Typeface and Graphics Libraries (due to
non-renewal of the license agreement). However, their is a large
supply of materials related to these products. Instead of simply
destroying them, SoftLogik wants to pass them along to you in the form
of a sale.
This sale is a one of a kind. Until April 4, 1993 you can take
advantage of the offers shown below. But thereafter, SoftLogik will
no longer be selling these items. Nor will they ever offer such a
great deal again!
The SoftLogik Graphic Library is the only professional quality
structured drawing collection for the Atari. With over 3000
illustrations, you can be sure of finding what you need. Because the
illustrations are structured drawings, you can resize them without
creating jaggies. You can import and edit them with PageStream, Art
Expression and Professional Page 4 and then print them on any type of
printer!
Volume Contents Volume Contents
-----------------------------------------------------------------
01 Miscellaneous 02 Miscellaneous
03 Miscellaneous 04 Cartoon People
05 Cartoon People 06 Business & Industry
07 World Maps 08 Miscellaneous
09 Design Elements 10 Symbols & Headings
11 Food & Entertainment 12 Occasions
13 Lifestyles 14 Office & Education
15 Universal Symbols 16 Celebrity Caricatures
17 Silhouettes 18 Design Backgrounds
19 Fabulous Fifties 20 Business Cartoons
21 Borders & Ornaments
Each volume may be purchased singly for $40. When purchasing two or
more volumes, the price is $30 per volume. Alternately, you can
purchase the entire series for $200 on a hard disk or $450 on floppy
disks.
~*~
The SoftLogik Typeface Library is the largest collection of
professional outline fonts for the Atari. These fonts work great with
PageStream and Art Expression, and can be converted for use with many
other Atari programs. Individual fonts (an entire family) may be
purchased for $10. Alternately, you may purchase the entire typeface
library for $650 on a hard drive. Orders for the entire typeface
library on floppy disk are possible =only= as individual fonts ($10
per family).
LIST OF FONTS IN EACH FONT
VOLUME
Starter Fonts Volume: $40 Newsletter Fonts Volume: $40
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cooper Black Brush Script
ITC Machine Comic Book Two
ITC Souvenir Light Lubalin Graph
ITC Souvenir Light Italic MiniPics
ITC Stone Sans Medium Olive Antique
ITC Stone Sans Bold Olive Antique Bold
Surf Style Bold Stone Informal Medium
Stone Informal Medium Italic
Designer Fonts Volume: $65
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arquitectura Ad Lib
Alexander Bold Banco
ITC Clearface Contour Corvinus Skyline
Eurostil Extended Bold Fraktur
Friz Quadrata Friz Quadrata Bold
Gentle Sans UltraBold L&C Hairline
Murray Hill New Yorker
Reporter Uniform 49 Ultra Condensed
Designer Fonts Volume: $65
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ITC Berkeley Book ITC Berkeley Book Italic
ITC Berkeley Bold ITC Berkeley Bold Italic
ITC Caslon Book ITC Caslon Book Italic
Castle Commercial Script
ITC Fenice Regular ITC Fenice Regular Italic
Futura Condensed Bold Futura Cond XBold
Futura Light Futura Medium
Gentle Sans Gentle Sans Bold
Best Sellers Pack: $80
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aki Lines Allegro
Augustea Augustea Inline
Bernhard Tango Brush Script
Castle Champagne
Commercial Script Drop Caps 1
Drop Caps 2 Fraktur
Gallia Liberty
Liberty Outline MiniPics
Mistral Murray Hill
New Yorker New Yorker Engraved
Park Avenue Scanning
Sterling Thor
Vivaldi
The Font Plus Pack (equivalent to the 35 PS fonts, but in DMF format)
has been discontinued as well, and is available for $10.
If you purchased anything from the Typeface Library or Graphic
Library on or after January 1, 1993 at the regular prices, you can get
extra product credit by calling SoftLogik Sales.
Please Note: To qualify for the discount price offered for the entire
typeface of clip art libraries on a hard drive, you must provide
either three 44Mb or two 88 Mb Syquest cartridges or a SCSI hard
drive. Once received, the entire library will be copied onto your
cartridge/hard drive. The entire clip art library may be obtained on
floppy disks, but the typeface library can not be ordered in this
manner. However, you can purchase the entire typeface family as
individual fonts at $10 per family. The clip art library requires
120MB of space. The font collection requires 75MB of space.
To purchase any of these items, contact Soft-Logik at (800) 829-8608
or in the ST. Louis area, call (314) 894-8608 or by FAX (314)
894-3280. This offer expires April 4, 1993, so order today!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// MultiWriter¿ Annouced from Medical Design Software
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Suggested Retail: $69.95
Edmond, WA
Medical Designs Software has announced the release of MultiWriter for
the Atari ST, STe, TT030 and Falcon030 computers.
MultiWriter, an outgrowth of ST Writer and ST Writer Elite, is
compatible with existing files from either program. The displays and
functionality of MultiWriter resemble ST Writer Elite; so current
users of ST Writer Elite will find that they can easily become
proficient with MultiWriter.
MultiWriter is compatible with all versions of TOS and the new
MultiTOS operating system soon to be released by Atari Corporation.
Re-written to be MultiTOS compliant, MultiWriter has been tested on,
and works with: Gemulator (available from Branch Always Software) and
Spelling Sentry (available from Wintertree Software Inc).
However, MultiWriter is much more then an ST Writer Elite look-a-like.
Supporting multiple font sizes (including large sizes for use by the
visually impaired), multi-colored menu items, loading and saving in
multiple file formats, use of the Atari Clipboard, configurable in
three languages, it works in all ST, STe, TT030 and Falcon030
resolutions, and is fully compatible with TOS and MultiTOS.
MultiWriter allows import and export of text in five formats: ASCII,
ST Writer Elite, WordPerfect, 1st Word and WordWriter.
MultiWriter can be configured initially to utilize either English,
German or Spanish. Printer support is also user configurable. After
saving these options, they will be utilized whenever the program is
run. Printer configuration files for Epson compatible and
Hewlett-Packard Laserjet compatible printers are also provided.
If you are currently using ST Writer Elite, and will be upgrading to
the new MultiTOS or Falcon computers, MultiWriter is for you. A demo
version of MultiWriter is available from the File Libraries on GEnie
and CompuServe.
For more information, contact Medical Designs Software, 21701 76th
Avenue West, Suite 206, Edmonds, WA 98026. Or, by phone, call (206)
742-2032. Dealer inquiries are welcome.
MultiWriter is a trademark of Medical Designs Software.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// STraight FAX Version 1.07 / Toad Computers Bulletin Board
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Severna Park, MD
Since all of the STraight Fax users own a modem, what would be more
natural then a bulletin board devoted to STraight FAX support? So, as
of Monday, February 8th, Toad Computers has established a new bulletin
board system. To use the bulletin board, you may call 24 hours a day
at 300- 14,400 baud. The phone number is (410) 544-6999. Charles
Smeton of NewSTar Technology Management and the programmer of STraight
FAX, is co-sysop of the board. He will frequently be online to answer
user's questions, provide upgrade information and new accessories.
Primarily intended to provide STraight FAX support, users can also
find the latest "Toad Specials."
For more information about STraight FAX or the new bulletin board,
contact Toad Computers, 570-F Ritchie Highway, Severna Park, MD
21146-2925. Or call (410) 544-6943. FAX at (410) 544-1329. On GEnie,
you may send inquiries to TOAD-SERV or C.S.SMETON. On CompuServe, you
may contact 72470,1605.
Version 1.07 of STraight FAX! is due out in the next 2-3 weeks.
To upgrade, please send $2 plus your original disk to:
Toad Computers
570-F Ritchie Highway
Severna Park, MD 21146
Voice (410) 544-6943
FAX (410) 544-1329
BBS (410) 544-6999
See the 1.07 README file in the STraight FAX! file section for a complete
discussion of the features available in 1.07. Briefly, new 1.07
features include:
- The ability to include GRAPHICS in ASCII text conversions
- Support of Supra Caller ID Feature
- Support of Supra Silent Answer Feature
- Page Margins may now be specified (Top, Bottom, Left and Right)
- During ASCII Text to FAX conversions, the text will now word wrap
- Images from the Clipboard may now be scaled into a clip area
- ASCII Text may be pasted from the Clipboard into a clip area
and will be converted into a bit-mapped format
- A new command exists to rotate a graphic window
- Dynamic scrolling: drag the graphic within the window
- Set input and output I/O buffer size parameters
- Bezier curves are now supported in GEM/3 Metafiles
(requires GDOS and MEMORY.SYS)
Plus there are many more features.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// STraight FAX & Calligrapher 3
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Columbia, MD
CodeHead Technologies and Working Title US have announced the release
of the Calligrapher 3 graphics-based word processor. Calligrapher 3
does not require the use of GDOS or G+Callig as GDOS has been built
into Calligrapher 3. While GDOS is not used by Calligrapher 3, GDOS
printer drivers are used by Calligrapher 3 for printing.
We have been informed by Codehead Technologies that users of
Calligrapher 3 will be able to use the existing STraight FAX! GDOS
Printer Driver (STFAX.SYS) to "print-to-disk" FAX files.
The STFAX.SYS driver should be copied to the Calligrapher 3 FONTS
folder and the Calligrapher 3 Setup program should be used to select
this driver as one of the two printer drivers that may be selected.
While we have not verified this here at NewSTar Technology Management,
the STFAX.SYS GDOS Printer Driver was constructed using Atari
Corporation's GDOS Printer Driver Builder Kit just as regular GDOS
printer drivers are.
Calligrapher 3 uses its own scalable font technology, so we anticipate
that FAX files generated with Calligrapher 3 will be of the same high
quality as the FAX files generated from Calamus, PageStream and
FSM/Speedo GDOS applications.
Also, all customers are asked to re-register the STraight FAX! with
NewSTar Technology Management, users may FAX their registration
information to our FAX support number at Toad Computers at
410-544-1329 or send _private_ GEMail to C.S.SMETON. Our postal
mailing address is:
NewSTar Technology Management
P.O. Box 122
Columbia, Maryland 21045-0122
Please be sure to include your 10 digit Registration Number, place of
purchase, and your online mailing address.
We are also asking that any users who are still waiting for disk
upgrades, new manuals, Font GDOS or the Canon/Navaronne Scanner driver
from orders placed with the previous marketing company to please let
us know about your order via FAX, private GEMail or postal mail.
Users who have never sent in their Registration Cards or who have just
purchased the STraight FAX! should re-address their Registration Card
to the mailing address above.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Purple Mountain Moves
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Bellevue, WA
Purple Mountain Computers, Inc. has moved its warehouse facilities
to a larger locale. More importantly, our phone number has also
changed, the new number is 206-399-8700. Our mailing address still
remains the same: Purple Mountain Computers, Inc., 15600 NE 8th St.
Ste. A3-412 Bellevue, WA 98008
--==--==--==--==--
|||
||| Shutdown ............................ Power off, EXIT, BYE, Logoff
/ | \ ------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
//// THE WORD from Atari this morning.... Atari Falcon030s will begin
shipping in the first week of March. With luck, we'll have more
information in our next issue.
//// I had an interesting experience last Sunday that I'd like to
relate.
Background: I worked with Chris Latham for a short spell a few years
ago at A&D Software. There, Chris was busy developing a LAN for TOS
platform machines. (Chris is one of the foremost assembly language
programmers on the TOS platform - an honest, unassuming man who loves
tinkering with our Ataris.)
We eventually went our seperate ways. I wound up working with Atari
Explorer and running AEO. Chris stayed in the LAN field. (Chris
practically _is_ the LAN field.) We keep in touch, and last Sunday,
while chatting with him, he asked me if I'd like to test out a LAN
driver that would allow a remote computer to establish a LAN
connection over a modem.
I said yes, and I downloaded about 9K (yes, nine kilobytes) of files,
copied them to their proper folders on my system, and rebooted my
PowerDOS equipped TT030. After connecting modems again through a
special DA, I could open a directory window on my GEM Desktop that
gave me access to Chris' hard drives, printer, and screen. (And I
gave him similar access to mine as well.)
We printed a few messages on each other's screens, and I spent a few
minutes copying some sound files from my HD to Chris' HD. Then I found
a simple game on Chris' HD, and I double clicked on the filename.
(Remember, I'm still at my good old Desktop.) After a few seconds,
the file had been transfered into my TT030 where it ran - just as if
it had been on my HD.
Chris lives in Oregon. I live in Florida. Talk about a cross-continent
computer connection! It was well cool! I was totally impressed with
the experience. Then again, maybe I just impress easily.
This driver isn't for sale - yet. Chris is working on improving its
performance, and hopes to add it to his PowerNET package one day.
//// The CodeHeads will have a Real Time Conference this Wednesday the
17th on the GEnie ST RoundTable. The CodeHeads always have something
very interesting to say, and are simply fun to talk with - making this
a RTC to attend. Please do so.
//// The Atari Explorer Online Programmer's Journal is in the early
stages of pre-development. In plain Engligh, that means the first
issue of AEO-PJ is still being assembled. Albert and the AEO Editorial
Force have been active this past week, with ideas bouncing around in
EMail like ping-pong balls. AEO-PJ #1 should be ready for upload to
the nets by the end of the month. Look for it then.
//// As always, we encourage submissions for AEO and AEO-PJ. If you
would like to write for either AEO magazine, and feel that you can
"live up" to our standards, contact us. Use any of our online
addresses to contact us. Or drop us a note in our topic area on GEnie:
Category 15, Topic 20.
Until the next issue of AEO, I remain,
Your Editor
Travis Guy
--==--==--==--==--
(This issue printed on recycled photons)
--==--==--==--==--
Atari Explorer Online Magazine is a bi-weekly publication covering the
Atari computer community. Material published in this issue may be
reprinted under the following terms only: articles must remain unedited
and include the issue number and author at the top of each article
reprinted. Reprint permission is granted, unless otherwise noted at the
beginning of the article, to registered Atari user groups and not for
profit publications. Opinions presented herein are those of the individual
authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff, or of Atari
Corporation.
--==--==--==--==--
Atari, ST, Mega ST, STE, Mega STE, TT030, Atari Falcon030, TOS,
MultiTOS, NewDesk, BLiTTER, Atari Lynx, Atari Jaguar, Atari Portfolio,
and the Atari Fuji Symbol are all trademarks or registered trademarks
of Atari Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned in this issue
belong to their respective owners.
--==--==--==--==--
Atari Explorer Online Magazine
"The Official Atari Online Journal"
Copyright (c) 1993, Atari Computer Corporation
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:: Volume 2 - Issue 4 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 14 Feburary 1993 ::
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