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Z*NET Online Magazine Issue 241
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Volume 5, Number 5 Z*NET ONLINE February 2, 1990
------------
(½) 1990 by Rovac Industries, Inc.
Post Office Box 59
Middlesex, New Jersey 08846
BBS - (201) 968-8148
CompuServe Mail - 71777,2140 GEnie Mail - Z-NET
=======================================================================
Publisher/Editor: Ron Kovacs Editor: John Nagy
ISSUE #241 TABLE OF CONTENTS
---------- -----------------
- THIS WEEK
Quick overview................................Ron Kovacs
- Z*Net ATARI NEWSWIRE
Atari News Update and MORE..............................
- Z*Net INDUSTRY NEWSWIRE
Industry News Update and more...........................
- PC-DITTO 2 REVIEW - PROBLEMS
Hands on review..............................Jerry Cross
- ST STACK - PD PUB
PD/Shareware Update..............Alice Amore, Mark Quinn
- ATARI 8 BIT
Wordprocessors................................EJ Coerper
- Z*NET BBS SYSTEMS
Update..................................................
* THIS WEEK
===========> by Ron Kovacs
=============
Shortly after we release this issue we will upload PC-Ditto and CD-Rom
pictures to the commercial services and Z*Net BBS. Please take a few
minutes out to download these pictures. They are worth the time. Also,
look for the NAMM pictures we recently uploaded.
Atari News in abundance this week. Jack Tramiel returns, Stacy update
and more this week!
Please give the Z*Net BBS (201) 968-8148 3/12/24 at call and register
your BBS system. We want to know who you are. Thank you for your
support and time!
* Z*NET NEWSWIRE
================> ATARI NEWS FIRST
================
JACK IS BACK:
"Retired" major stock holder of Atari Corp and father of CEO Sam
Tramiel, JACK TRAMIEL is back at the helm of Atari. Reports from inside
and near the company confirm that Jack has resumed, for at least the
moment, a major role in guiding policy and planning. Sons Sam, Leonard,
and Gary were apparently not performing up to Jack's expectations, plus
dad felt it was time to settle some internal disagreements with some
firm supervision. Just what this will mean in the long run, only the
long run will tell. However, it has been known for some time that Jack
is not a fan of the entire STACY product line, and he does not believe
that the musician market has ever offered a significant buying
potential. A study he has confidence in, places MIDI related Atari
hardware sales at about 1% overall.
STACY NO LONGER A LAPTOP:
Partially due to the FCC rating that allows sale of the STACY to music
store outlets only (for now), and partially due to the fact that the
batteries in the hard drive equipped STACY last FIFTEEN MINUTES ONLY(!),
STACY has been re-dubbed by the marketing department as the "STACY
Portable MIDI Controller". That's the long-form title that is being
applied in new advertising and information pushes. Perhaps if and when
it is redesigned to pass FCC regulations as a COMPUTER, it will again
be a "Laptop".
PORTFOLIO RETURN HASSLES FOR DEALERS:
In the face of both high defect rates and direct sales competition from
Atari itself, dealers now have another thorn in the Portfolio rose. A
recent decision at Atari (unannounced to dealers til later) puts
stringent new restrictions on dealer defective returns. One dealer was
told flatly that the six units he had waiting for a return authorization
(after he had refunded or replaced each purchase) were simply not going
to be accepted. Several frustrating hours later, an "exception" was
arranged for this one shipment. New requirements insist on the dealer
supplying the original shipping records, packing slip showing the
specific serial number of the returned unit, customer sales receipt,
customer return receipt, and 100% of the packing materials and
documentation. While this all sounds picky but possible, it contrasts
sharply with the scrutiny level of ST and MEGA returns.
WHERE-HOUSE REPORT:
Backordered Mega 2 machines (unavailable since sometime last fall) are
now being shipped... as MEGA 4 units... to dealers at NO increase of
dealer cost above the STILL unavailable Mega 2 machines. This
"windfall" is appreciated by dealers who have not since cancelled their
backorders. The favor pales a bit when one considers that RAM prices
have fallen by much more than 1/2 since last September... and the Mega
list prices remain unchanged. By the way, late production Mega 2 units
that CAN be found do NOT have any reasonable way to upgrade the RAM to
4 meg!
MORE:
Atari Monitors are in hot demand, but remain unavailable. Color
monitors are said to be in the warehouse but dealers have been waiting
for delivery. Monochrome monitors have been back ordered at Atari since
late fall, and 400 of the 800 back ordered are said to now be passing
customs on the way to the warehouse. What of the other 400, plus some
sales stock? Unknown. Dealers have been unable to move ST's to new
buyers, since monitors are unavailable. Professional users with dead
mono monitors are buying less satisfactory and much more expensive
multi-sync monitors just to stay in business... or else they are using
this "opportunity" to buy the MAC system that they can find in stock.
Popular assumption at Atari is that the "low" stock on some items is due
to concentration on major build-out of the Portfolio, of which 18,000
are supposed to be in the warehouse. Also back-ordered for some time:
Mice; 520STFM's (which are NOT going to be restocked).
ATARI SELLS TO DAK:
All existing stock of Atari SX212 1200 baud modems will soon be sold to
DAK, the folks that make that high-tech closeout catalog. DAK will
probably offer a blow-out price of under $40.
FEDERATED A MEMORY:
As of Tuesday, January 23rd, the last Federated Store closed its doors
forever. Atari's chain stores are mostly sold (leases and in some
cases, stock) to other companies in varying size chunks. It appears
that a few stores may still remain available.
GLENDALE ATARIFEST RETURNS:
Organizer John King Tarpinian has just given Z*Net a preliminary press
release announcing that the Premier West Coast user group Atari show
will be back this September:
"The Southern California ATARI Faire, Version 4.0b will be
held on September 15 and 16, 1990. It will be held at the
Glendale Civic Auditorium, Glendale, CA. Hours will be
Saturday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and Sunday, 10:00 to 5:00 PM.
For EXHIBITOR information, write: John King Tarpinian, 249
North Brand Boulevard, Glendale, CA 91203, or call 818-246-
7286."
The last Glendale show was scheduled for last fall, but was cancelled
due to poor dealer response during a flurry of one-week apart show dates
and a last minute additional California show conflict (also later
cancelled) by the World of Atari shows. This year, the shows appear to
all be more conservatively scheduled, and the Glendale show is sure to
be its traditional success.
ISD ADDS POSTSCRIPT:
Nathan Potechin of Canada's ISD announced this week that they have
completed an output conversion module for CALAMUS OUTLINE ART that will
convert the remarkable graphics program's output to either PostScript or
Encapsulated PostScript format. This will allow many non-Calamus
platforms to use art and logos developed under the unique Outline
system. At this time, it appears that the converter will be sold at
some additional cost rather than included with OUTLINE ART, itself not
quite ready for distribution. Plans for the future include a similar
converter for CDK files, the actual full page output of the CALAMUS
desktop publisher program.
ATARI MULTITASKING for $12.95:
Response remains good among developers for Atari's proposed MIDI-TASKING
system, a multitasking environment tailored especially for music MIDI
users but adaptable for anyone. Z*Net planned to have an in-depth
article this week, but time pressures plus Atari asking us to review our
final story with them before publishing it has delayed that story. We
hope we can tell you more next week. Details are in hand, but were
obtained by a Z*Net reporter at a developer meeting that also included
confidential information. One thing that IS publishable now is that
Atari plans to market the software to the public for a mere $12.95!
ST CD ROM ARRIVES:
Z*Net received a sample ST program disk in CD ROM format from the
company that designed the system for Atari, D & C Enterprises. A VIDI-
ST picture of the disk will be made available online at the major
telecommunication services. Company rep Carl Bacani contacted Z*Net to
ask us if WE knew why Atari was not moving on the sales of the completed
player units after reading our reports of the Atari developer support
plan. In our last Z*Net monthly User Group Newsletter Supplement, we
reported that Atari plans to use the CD ROM units in dealerships for
demos of software. Bacani wondered if we had a clue to why Atari won't
sell the units to consumers... since his company had completed the
system AND driver software LAST YEAR. Atari has said that the reason
for withholding the units has been due to a lack of driver/interface
software. Although we don't yet have a real answer, more than one Atari
insider has suggested that Atari has no idea how to market the new
device to end users, or even what price point to target. Hence, the
decision to use them internally for the foreseeable future. Yikes.
D & C Enterprises, 3785 Balboa Street, San Fransisco, California, 94121.
(415) 751-8573.
NEW ATARI HELP BOOK:
Ralph Turner gave us the little blue jewel "ATARI ST BOOK" in 1988. It
covered the HOW TO for even the rawest of new ST users, who come to the
machine not knowing a double-click from a desk accessory. Now, Ralph
has released a new book, "Intermediate and Advanced ATARI ST SUBJECTS".
This one takes up where the first left off, and discusses in
understandable language many higher level subjects. Binary code, ASCII/
HEX/DECIMAL, file editing, control codes, file recovery, hard disks and
assembly of your own, IBM emulation, and more topics each are treated in
the new 150 page manual. We'll have a full review soon, but it looks
like a good read for the up-and-coming "power user". At bookstores and
Atari dealers, or direct for $16.95 plus shipping from INDEX LEGALIS,
P.O. Box 1822, Fairfield, IA 52556, phone 515-472-2293.
GROUNDHOG SEZ EARLY SPRING:
Puxatauney Bill did NOT see his shadow today which gives us a hint on
the debut of spring. Having failed at viewing his own shadow, spring
will appear early this year. If Bill were to have seen his shadow,
six more weeks of Winter would be on tap. We wonder how many times this
Hog has correctly forecast the future....
NORTHEAST ATARIFEST '90: (Press Release)
Sponsored by PACE (the Pittsburgh Atari Computer Enthusiasts)
Where: Chartiers Valley High School, near Pittsburgh, PA. Located just
off I-79 at the Heidelburg / Kerwin Heights exit, Within 15 minutes of
the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, Easy access from the PA
Turnpike via Exit #3.
When: April 28th & 29th, Time: Saturday the 28th - 10:00 am to 5:00
pm and Sunday the 29th - 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
Users Groups: Tables are available to any Officially Atari Recognized
User's Group for only 25.00 per table. Need more Information?: Call the
PACE BBS at 412-571-0891 and read the show message base. Validation is
immediate! Or call 412-843-0628 voice after 5:00pm EST. If you've ever
been to a show that PACE has put on before, you'll know that they are
well attended by the best retailers & developers!
PCS SCHOOL ADOPTS NEW NAME:
PCS School for Advanced Learning has formally changed it's name to:
PCS Centers for Enhanced Learning. We are attempting to remove
ourselves from the NEGATIVE image of SCHOOL as well as impart the idea
that our CENTERS are for ALL Kids, NOT just the 'Super Brains'. Our
GEnie name/address is also changed from P.MCSHANE1 (our founders name)
to the following: PCS-CEL. All messages directed to the founder should
be sent through: PCS-CEL. Patrick McShane, Founder PCS-CEL, 623 Holly
Street, Nampa, 83686-5855 (208) 465-5443.
HELP WANTED:
Ted Maciejewski, Manager of Dealer Services/Technical Support is looking
for qualified candidates to staff the Atari Technical Support areas. If
your interested, send your resume to:
Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale, CA, 94088-3427
attention: Ted Maciejewski
Resumes may be faxed to 408-745-2088. Questions? Phone calls are
not preferred, but if there is no other way, call him at 408-745-2466.
This job requires heavy phone work, ranging from people who cannot get
their 7800 connected properly, to people that need help in programming
in various languages, to disk drives, on up. Online experience is
helpful. A BS in Computer Science will be helpful.
TID BITS:
Robert Brodie, Atari User Group Coordinator will be visiting Michigan
Atari User Groups this month. On the schedule; Feb 17 at Mac Users, Feb
18 at WAUG, (contact Craig Harvey 313-994-5619 for more info), Feb 19 at
Grand Rapids and Feb 20 at MACE, (contact Ed Hanson 313-675-0044 for
more info). Look for Bob at Redding Feb 10th and in Santa Rosa on Feb
15.
MIDWEST SWAPFEST CONVENTION:
Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, Atari User Groups Plan SwapFest
Lake County Atari Computer Enthusiasts and MilAtari LTD. have finalized
plans for Midwest Atari SwapFest '90 to be held Sunday, April 22, 1990
from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The event will be held at The Diplomat, 5572
Grand Avenue (IL 132), 1/4 mile east of I-94. The Diplomat is part of
the new Gurnee Days Inn complex near the main entrance to the Great
America theme park. The location is approximately 40 minutes from both
Milwaukee and Chicago via Interstate 94.
Expected in attendance will be at least 10 area vendors offering Atari
related Import and Domestic software, Hardware, and accessories.
Representatives of the local Atari User Groups; GRACE (Chicago), RACC,
(Rockford), SCAT (West Suburban Chicago), and the hosts, MilAtari LTD
(Milwaukee) and LCACE (Chicago Northern Suburbs) will be on hand. The
groups will have Public Domain software, and used hardware and software
for sale.
An invitation has been extended to Mr. Bob Brodie, Atari Corp.
Coordinator of User Group Activities. Bob plans to give a presentation,
and will show "whatever he can get his hands on" in the way of new
products from Atari.
General admission to Midwest Atari SwapFest '90 will be $2.00 if
purchased in advance through one of the above mentioned user groups.
Admission the day of the event will be $3.00. The admission includes
entrance to all seminars and a chance at door prizes. The latest Fest
'90 information will be posted on the LCACE Club BBS (708-680-5105, 300/
1200/2400, 24 hours).
A limited number of vendor, and individual table spaces remain for
Midwest Atari SwapFest '90. Please contact Mr John Schultz at 708-356-
5306 or write to P.O. Box 8788, Waukegan, IL 60079-8788, concerning
availability and rates. Space will be allocated strictly on a "first
come" basis. -- Mike Brown (LCACE)
* Z*NET NEWSWIRE
================> INDUSTRY NEWS
=============
9 YEAR OLD BOY SUES NINTENDO:
A 9-year-old boy has sued Nintendo and Major League Baseball over a
video game he claims fails to live up to its promises. Lawrence Kanaga
said this week that he filed the suit in Bridgeport Superior Court on
behalf of Clark Thiemann. The lawsuit, which seeks class action status,
aims to stop Nintendo from continuing to produce or sell the game.
Thiemann also wants a return of the $40 he used to buy the video
baseball game. The Westport boy made the money by returning cans and
bottles. Thiemann claims the video game falsely claimed its users can
simulate being a manager of a baseball team by choosing which
ballplayers to field.
COMPUTERLAND OPENS IN USSR:
ComputerLand announced that its Secaucus New Jersey franchise has opened
the first computer store in the Soviet Union. According to store owner
Michael Tseytin, a Russian immigrant who owns ComputerLand stores in
Secaucus, the Moscow operation will carry products from major vendors,
including IBM, Compaq, Epson, AST and Hewlett-Packard. The grand
opening was held in anticipation of the International Computer
Technology Exposition, to be held in Moscow March 6-13. ComputerLand
is a sponsor of COMTEK '90, which will be the largest computer trade
show to date held in the Soviet Union.
APPLE MANAGER RESIGNS:
Allan Z. Loren, president of Apple USA, has resigned his position with
Apple effective immediately, according to an announcement made this
week by John Sculley, chairman and chief executive officer. Loren
resigned under pressure amid disappointing sales and profits.
COMMODORE POSTS LOWER EARNINGS:
Commodore has posted a drop in second quarter earnings. During the
quarter Commodore had earnings of $11.3 million, or 35 cents per share.
In the second quarter of 1988 the company had earnings of $38.2 million,
or $1.20 per share. Revenues for the period ended Dec. 31 dropped to
$310.7 million from $349 million a year ago. Commodore attributed the
decline in revenue to lower sales, unfavorable currency adjustments and
increased operating expenses.
SEARS TO SELL LAPTOPS:
Sears has signed a deal to sell Zenith Data Systems' SupersPort 286
Model 20 laptop computer in its Brand Central home electronics
departments. Zenith Data says the Sears agreement is part of its new
distribution strategy to use a few key national merchandisers to reach
consumers who work at home. The Model 20 Laptop has a four-hour
battery, a 20-meg hard disk and a backlit screen that displays in a
double-scan (640 X 400) CGA mode. It operates with an 80C286 processor
running at 12 MHz and includes 1 meg of memory, expandable to 2 meg.
NINTENDO NETS $172 MILLION:
Nintendo has raised its forecasts for sales and profits in the current
period because of unexpectedly strong demand for its products and a
lower yen. Nintendo raised its projection for profits in the seven-
month period ending March 31 to 25 billion yen ($172 million) from a
previously forecast 21 billion yen ($145 million). It also expects
sales in the period of 207 billion yen ($1.43 billion), up from 180
billion yen ($1.24 billion) previously forecast. The company is
changing its financial year end from August 31 to March 31, in line with
most other Japanese corporations.
COMPUSERVE MAIL INTRODUCED:
CompuServe's public and private electronic mail systems, InfoPlex and
EasyPlex, have been renamed CompuServe Mail (GO MAIL). Effective March
27, the new name will be used throughout the CompuServe Information
Service. The change reflects continuing efforts to provide leading
electronic mail services to businesses and personal computer owners.
The same features are available -- fax, telex and postal capabilities;
text and binary message transfer; Internet and MCI Mail connections.
For more information, type NEWS at the CompuServe Mail main menu !
prompt.
LOW-PRICED MACINTOSH NOT IN PLANS:
Apple's CEO John Sculley has nixed the idea of introducing a low-priced
Macintosh before the firm's fiscal year ends on September 30. Apple
will at some point introduce new low-end products aimed at first-time
users, but would not reveal when they would be available. Apple's new
product that is scheduled for introduction next month is the Macintosh
IIxi, a machine that boasts high levels of speed and will cost more than
$10,000. The System 7.0 Macintosh will probably be introduced this
summer.
* PC-DITTO II REVIEW
====================> PROBLEMS
========
by Jerry Cross (GAG)
The long awaited PC-Ditto II, an IBM emulation board, was finally
shipped to customers who had sent in their pre-paid orders. After
months of eager waiting, it appears some folks may have to hang on for a
while longer.
I received my board a few weeks ago on a Friday. I quickly installed it
into my computer (a Mega 4) and I had a bunch of problems. It just
wouldn't work. I then attempted to place it into a 1040ST and again, it
wouldn't work. But this time I had a whole bunch of different problems.
Now I was getting worried. My calls to Avante-Garde produced a constant
busy signal. I then called Genie and CompuServe and discovered that
many other's had received their boards and they, too, would not work.
After several days, and numerous other reports of board failures Avant-
Garde finally went to work trying to locate the problem. The boards had
been tested (burned in) before they were shipped, and worked just fine.
There were scattered reports that some of the boards that were shipped
were working just fine. So Avant-Garde went out and purchased five
brand new 1040 STs and tried installing a known good PC-Ditto board into
each of them. Four had the same problems the users had (DOS would not
boot), but the fifth worked. They compared all the machines and found
that the computers they had purchased used Revision 1 motherboards,
while the one used for development was different. They swapped most of
the chips but discovered there was no difference. As of their last
posted messages they believe the problem is with the timing difference
between the various machines. They believe that the fix will be nothing
more than a software update to change the timings, and nothing will have
to be done to the hardware when completed, the updated software will be
available on the major information services.
It appears that Revision "D" motherboards will work just fine with PC-
Ditto II. This was confirmed by at least one source, the service
technician at Riteway Computers in Warren, MICHIGAN., Jack Meister. It
was also reported that Revision "C" boards would also work, but a
message posted on Genie claims this is not the case.
The Mega's are a whole different story. The PC-Ditto will not interface
or handshake with the blitter chip. It has been reported that if you
turn off the blitter it "may" work, but no guarantees. I have not been
able to talk to anyone with a Mega to confirm this. I will again try to
install it in my Mega 4 later this week and report back on it later.
(I'm not holding my breath this time...)
It is obvious that this product was not properly beta tested before
shipping. Even though the board actually does work on certain 1040's,
these problems would have been quickly discovered if a few boards had
been sent out to a few users to check. Avant-Garde's lack of support
after shipping the boards out was extremely sloppy. For example:
* Callers attempting to reach Avant-Garde by phone were greeted by
either constant busy signals, or an answering machine. No calls were
ever returned.
* Some of the boards were sent out with a chip missing. I don't quite
understand how it could have passed a burn-in test in this condition.
Also, some people received their packages with no software disk,
manuals, or instructions.
* People on Genie and Compuserve, listed as a good sources for product
support, had to wait over a week before hearing from Avant-Garde, only
to get the advice to double check the clip to be sure it's properly
installed. Countless people, certain that this *must* be their
problem, took their machines to service centers (at a sometimes hefty
fee) to have the clip soldered to the 68000 chip. Naturally, this did
nothing but lighten the load on their pocketbook.
* Local dealers, as of this writing, still have not been informed of
these problems. Our local service center attempted for over two weeks
to contact Avant-Garde by phone to no avail. They were grateful when
I informed them of the problem so they would not have to waste more
time trying to troubleshoot systems brought into their store.
Unfortunately, I was unable to get in touch with Avant-Garde before
writing this report, but it was necessary to get the word out so people
who received the boards don't panic needlessly and return the boards for
a refund. This would be a big mistake. The boards do work, and work
extremely well! What's really sad is that the word is spreading that
the PC-Ditto board does not work. One dealer I talked to was actually
informing prospective customers that he read in the on-line newsletters
that these boards were having problems and folks were returning them.
He recommended the PC-Speed instead. When I pointout that it wasn't the
boards fault but the difference between the different board revisions,
he agreed to inform his customers so they could decide which route to
go. Spending $399 for the PC-Speed, plus another $50 to have it
installed is certainly something to consider.
Here are the current problems you may run into when installing the PC-
Ditto. I have confirmed these problems myself while trying to install
my board, plus a number of other who posted their experiences on Genie.
When installed in a MEGA you will be able to boot up and get into the
desktop. As soon as you try to access a window or disk drive the mouse
disappears and the computer will lock up. To solve this, remove the
board and format a fresh boot disk, but this time turn off the Blitter
chip and save the desktop. Now when you boot up the computer with the
board installed you *might* have better results.
Again, I have not tested this yet but it's reported by Jim Allen to
work. There is sufficient room to install the whole board inside the
Mega, but I can't say how it will work with other add-ons or internal
hard drives.
When installed into a 1040ST the desktop will appear as normal. You
would then install the PC-Ditto software, configure the disk and then
run the PC-Ditto program just like you did with the early versions of
PC-Ditto. At the "insert DOS disk" prompt the disk will spin for a few
seconds then stop. Everything at this point stops and you would have to
re-boot. This apparently is the point at which the software switches
control over to the PC-Ditto board you just installed, and the switch is
where the problem occurs. If you get past this point you probably have
the famous "Revision D" motherboard.
Here are some tips you should know before installing your board.
Carefully check your 68000 clip connector. This is probably going to be
the major source of problems, Avant-Garde supplied a small bottle of
TWEEK, which enhances the connection between the chip and connector.
It's recommended that you solder the clip directly to the 68000 chip
instead. This should be done only someone with experience since it's
going to be a bit tricky. It may be easier to install a socket and then
plug the PC-Ditto to the socket, but that may create other problems.
The 68000 chip is under the keyboard, and by adding another socket you
may have problems seating the keyboard. It was also suggest that you
cut out both the upper and lower center posts of the case, and install
the board between the disk drive and power supply. I have some pictures
to show this setup, but I assure you it's a very tight fit. Part of the
power supply shielding will have to be removed, and you will need to cut
some of the motherboard shielding also. A major concern is the stiff
ribbon cable, since it has to loop around from the clip to the board.
This may cause problems with the keyboard also. I plan to try
installing the board so the ribbon cables run out the back of the
computer, and have the board kept outside altogether. I am not sure if
there will be problems with this since I could not reach anyone with a
working Ditto board who tried it. There may be too much RF interference
to allow this.
The cable that was supplied with this package is a flat ribbon cable.
It is extremely thick and hard to bend into a decent configuration. If
you are not extremely careful the tension could lift up on the clip and
you could loose some connections. It was also reported that if you
install the clip too low you may not get all of the pins to connect.
One person reported that when he lifted the clip slightly he
successfully made all of the connections and the PC-Ditto board worked.
These are the types of problems you will get when you rush a product to
market before it's been properly tested. I believe that Avant-Garde
will solve their problems with the software soon and this will be an
excellent product. The reports from those who have successfully
installed the board claim it's extremely fast and works with lots of
different software. I, for one, plan to sit back a while longer and
wait for the bugs to be ironed out. The rest of you can take up the
offer from several people offering to purchase your boards.
A final note, I had my first look at the PC-Speed board from Michtron.
It is about 1/4 the size of the PC-Ditto board, and *should* install
without a problem. But that was not the case this time.
The PC-Speed board also connects directly over the 68000 chip, and the
board extends toward the back of the computer. It is designed to be
placed partly under the disk drive (on a 1040ST). It was necessary to
cut away the disk drive supports. This made the drive hang unsupported
so another hole was drilled in the case and a new support placed.
Installing the socket was tricky since there were some other components
in the way but this was tackled after some careful soldering. Our
problem was that the disk drive rested directly on two of the chips of
the motherboard. These chips were in sockets, so the only solution was
to remove the sockets and solder the chips directly to the board (a
tedious job). The only other solution was raise the disk drive and cut
away part of the opening, but that would look too sloppy. I was
surprised to notice that my own 1040 did not have these sockets so the
installation would have been simple.
I wonder why Atari kept modifying their boards?
* ST STACK
==========> PD/SHAREWARE UPDATE
===================
by Alice Amore
PSDEMO18.LZH
From: SoftLogik Publishing Corp.
This is the demo version of PageStream, version 1.8. It is the same as
the commercial version with the following two exceptions:
- you will not be able to save your work.
- your printed output will have the words "PageStream Demo Version"
superimposed over your printed output.
Setting up the demo is easy. Be sure to copy the .PRT, .IMP, and the
font files to their appropriate folders.
Among the features unique to PageStream are:
- A DUPLICATE feature allowing lines to be duplicated and resized.
- An ALIGN feature which lets you take seemingly unrelated objects
(and/or text) and align them at any point along any edge.
- TWO-DIMENSIONAL FONT SIZING.
- ROTATING OBJECTS lets you rotate graphics as well as text. You can
also rotate or "skew" graphics or text.
DEMODOX.LZH
From: SoftLogik Publishing Corp.
... and for a quick look at PageStream output, this archive contains a
chart, and some rotated graphics with "text runaround". A text fully
explains how the documents were created.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
ARPBOOK8.ARC ARPBOOK9.ARC NEW_PRG1.ARC
PRG_6.ARC PRG_7.ARC PRG_8.ARC PRG_9.ARC PRG_10.ARC
Programmer: Robert C. Arp
The above files are part of the ARPBOOK series, an advanced assembly
language tutorial. Beginners can use the tutorial as well, as long as a
beginners' text is used in conjunction with the ARPBOOK series. As
there is only one other Atari-specific MC6800 book available anywhere,
the ARPBOOKs are much appreciated.
The programmer wrote these tutorials for his own use, but soon realized
that others might use and enjoy them. They are, indeed, an important
resource for programmers, and highly readable. The program files listed
above contain programming examples which can be used concurrently with
the *BOOKs files.
"""""""""""
BOOTMNG.LZH <--------- !This file is SHAREWARE!
Programmer: Robert Kilroy
BOOTMANAGER ST puts you in a computing "environment" by letting you
configure your ST to boot up specific desk accessories and/or AUTO
programs. Use the configuration program to create your environment.
Items can be included/excluded at any time, and pressing a single key
at boot-up will interrupt or change the configuration. BOOTMANAGER ST
will work with floppies as well as hard drives. It is especially useful
to those who use both color and mono monitors, as three different
DESKTOP.INF files will be available at all times.
Suggested uses for BOOTMANAGER ST include:
- Grouping accessories with a related function.
- Saving an environment with no desk accessories to (saves RAM).
- Running programs from the AUTO folder for quick start-up of often-
used programs.
- Isolating those accessories that have problems co-existing with other
accessories.
- Changing resolutions easily.
- Having a wide variety of pre-configured RAMdisks available.
- For those with switchable ROMs, different TOS environments can be
created.
""""""""""""
MICRORTX.ARC <--------- !This file is SHAREWARE!
From: Beckemeyer Development Tools
This is the shareware version of MICRO RTX, available from Beckemeyer
Development Tools. MICRO RTX is an OSE replacement which allows
multitasking of TOS programs. It resides in the AUTO folder.
A manual is included in this shareware version, although technical
support is not. Try it for yourself.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
NAMMPIX1.LZH NAMMPIX2.LZH NAMMPIX3.LZH
Courtesy: Z-NET
These three files contain uncompressed D.E.G.A.S. pictures digitized by
John Nagy using VIDI-ST. The pictures were taken at the NAMM (National
Association of Music Merchandisers) show, which was held January 19-21.
Included in the collection are pictures of Atari luminary Bob Brodie,
Jimmy Hotz (of Hotz Box fame), Scott Gershin (who used Atari equipment
for music and sound on the movie hit "Born on the 4th of July"), and
Mick Fleetwood.
There are pictures of the Atari booth at NAMM, both inside and out, and
a picture of a Mega in a racked unit, with a black case (looks
terrific!), plus a STacy.
""""""""""""
DESKCALC.ARC
From: Structured Technology
This is a demo for DESK-CALC!, a GEM-based color/mono scientific
calculator which may be used either as an accessory or a program. Over
65 functions are available including disk and mouse manipulation
routines.
DESK-CALC! uses RPN logic, a computational logic popularized by Hewlett
Packard, and Automatic Memory Stack (AMS).
Although some of the functions have been disabled for this demo version,
the important ones work.
""""""""""""
IGS_ED01.LZH <--------- !This file is SHAREWARE!
Programmers: Anthony Rau and Kevin Moody
IGS EDITOR TOOLBOX is an editor for composing files for use with IG
("INSTANT GRAPHICS!"). INSTANT GRAPHICS (shareware, by Larry Mears),
puts a new wrinkle in online communications by being able to handle
graphics and sound. The TOOLBOX is a drawing program of sorts, and
allows you to design the IG graphics, which can then be sent or received
by any BBS which handles INSTANT GRAPHICS as an online option.
""""""""""""
TEXTDUMP.ARC <--------- !This file is SHAREWARE!
Programmer: Michael Shallop
TEXTDUMP, a desk accessory, is an ASCII file printer. It can:
- Print any file stored in ASCII format.
- Print 55 lines per page.
- NOT print on the page perforation.
- Strip form-feeds from text.
- Ask for and print in condensed mode.
- Print multiple files.
- Print at the fastest speed your printer can print.
- Report the file length, byte count, letter count, word count, line
count, and page count of any file it prints.
Anyone with an ST and a printer can save a lot of time and frustration
by using TEXTDUMP.
""""""""""
SKINNY.ARC <--------- !This file is SHAREWARE!
Programmer: Albert Baggetta
SKINNY SECRET MESSAGES lets kids write "messages" which are then printed
out in long, tall, skinny letters. In order to read the messages, the
paper must be viewed while almost perpendicular to the eyes. It works!
Be sure to set your printer to 960 pixels per line; the easiest way to
do this is to use the "Install Printer" feature in CONTROL.ACC.
"""""""""""
REV89DB.ARC
From: D. Atkinson
REV89DB is a database of over 1200 reviews gleaned from the pages of
Atari magazines during the year 1989. Magazines covered are STart,
ST-Log (plus ANALOG/ST-Log), Atari Explorer, ST Xpress, Compute!,
Computer Shopper, Current Notes, and Electronic Musician (which isn't an
Atari magazine, but contains reviews of Atari-specific software from
time to time).
REV89DB is to be used in conjunction with DataHandler, version 1.3
(DHANDLER.ARC, GEnie file #7983). Simply boot up DHANDLER, load in
REV89DB, and read, read, read. If you're thinking of buying a present
for your computer, consult REV89DB first to see what others have to say
about specific products.
""""""""""""
SOFTSEAS.LZH
Programmer: M. Zorola
These are demo fonts from Software Seasonings. The fonts are for use
with PrintMaster Plus, and were designed using RECIO, Software
Seasonings's PrintMaster/PrintMaster Plus Font Editor.
""""""""""""
PUBDIREC.ARC
Programmer: Charles F. Johnson
Help for those who use UltraScript with TimeWorks Desktop Publisher...
The PUB DIRECTOR, a desk accessory, will force UltraScript's PostScript
driver to write its .PS file to any path and filename of your choosing.
No more renaming.
""""""""""""
DSKCH32A.ARC (UPGRADE!) <--------- !This file is SHAREWARE!
Programmer: Ron Sanborn
DISK CHART gives you lots of information (graphically and otherwise)
about the status of your hard disk. New and improved.
""""""""""""
COWORKER.LZH (UPGRADE!) <--------- !This file is SHAREWARE!
Programmer: Jim Ness
Less buggy, this is version 0.7 of CO*WORKER, a split-screen terminal
useful for online chatting.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
PD PUB by Mark Quinn
File name: WF.ARC
Program name: Wordflair
Program type: Demo/Application
Programmed by: Mike Ruchlis, Mike Ost
If your needs for a word processor lie somewhere between the boundaries
of writing and desktop publishing, this demo should help you decide if
you want to add Wordflair to your library.
The archive contains everything you need to preview the program,
including twenty eight "examples" of what the program can do. GDOS and
an ASSIGN.SYS file are also included. There is no documentation, but
there are generous built-in Help files, and a README file that details
how to get things configured. I found a couple of "typos" in the Help
file (accesing, instead of accessing, loads, instead of load) but no
meanings were misconstrued.
After the main program is booted (assuming all of its files are in their
proper niches), eight pull-down menus, fifteen icons and an editor
(ruled in inches) appear. As with many demos, the print and save
commands have been disabled.
The user may choose between four paper types (US Letter, US Legal, A4
Letter, and B5 Letter), three fonts (Swiss, Dutch and Typewriter), three
types of imported files (GEM, IMG, and text), seven print styles, seven
point sizes, three units of measurement (inches, centimeters, and picas)
and a variety of options. Text may be highlighted, moved, and copied
with various keyboard commands. Most commands have keyboard
equivalents. There are also commands to clear the editing screen,
display the number of pages, and show total, used, and free memory. The
icons control everything from drawing a line, to doing calculations, to
setting up a database.
Wordflair looks to be a full-featured and powerful program.
"Quinn's Quickies"
ANDURLIN.ARC
Monochrome game. From Germany. Fly an armed, winged creature,
collecting treasures and avoiding pitfalls.
INVADER.ARC
Another German monochrome game. The arcade classic that helped usher
in the video game craze.
NOVA_CAM.ARC
Shareware game, written in STOS. Color! Conduct a rescue with a
robot, picking up armaments along the way. Good fun.
ARC_LZH.LZH
Nice looking program that will convert .ARC files to .LZH files, and
self-extracting .LZH files to normal .LZH (and vice versa). ARC.TTP,
LHARC.TTP, SFX_LZH.PRG and DESELF.TTP are required to fully use the
program.
FSTLZH16.LZH
Shareware. Update to FASTLZH 1.6. Some bugs fixed.
COMPRES2.ARC
Two programs, one to compress PI1 pictures, and the other to decompress
them and play them back as an animation. Allows a more efficient use
of memory.
LHARC141.ARC
Yet another port of LHARC.
HD_LOCK.LZH
Write-protect your hard drive, and stop those nasty viruses!
* ATARI 8 BIT
=============> WORD PROCESSORS
===============
by Elliott John Coerper
Osan AFB, Korea
Miami Valley Atari Computer Enthusiasts (MVACE)
There could have been several different reasons why you purchased your
Atari 8 bit computer. Maybe because it has hundreds, no, literally
thousands of inexpensive games available. Maybe it was the abundance of
educational programs that persuaded you. Or possibly it was the
numerous music programs that enticed you. As for me, I wanted an
inexpensive word processing system.
During the years I have managed to acquired about 20 different word
processing programs. Some are incredible and worth twice what I paid,
but then, some are..... You would think with 20 different programs to
chose from it would be fairly easy to select which programs to evaluate,
right? Wrong, there are three programs I wish I had to evaluate (Turbo
Word 80, Atari Writer 80 and Richmans Word Processing System). Anyway,
after careful consideration (and help from my son) I narrowed it down to
five programs, so put on your reading shoes and lets go.....
PAPERCLIP
Paper Clip is by far the most powerful writing tool available for the
Atari 8 Bit computer. Almost everything was thought of when they
designed this full-featured program. Because of this, I call PaperClip
the "Yes" word processor. Yes to a print driver utility. Yes to a
spell-checker (loaded into a ram disk with the XE). Yes to extra XE
file sizes. Yes to mail merge. Yes to double column printing. Yes to
header and footers, (up to three lines). Yes to proportional spacing.
Yes to horizontal scrolling. Yes to having more then one window, (2
windows per screen is allowable). Yes to an undo function and yes to
batch printing.
However, Paper Clip does have one no, it is not menu driven. Therefore,
Paper Clip is very, VERY, hard to learn. Even with a it's extensive
help file (actually using the help key) and a cheat sheet, I had
problems. But once you master Paper Clip, you have all the power and
versatility that anyone could ever ask for.
There is one significant "annoyance" with Paper Clip that needs to be
mentioned. Paper Clip uses a dongle to protect its software >from
pirates. (A dongle is a small devise you plug into your joystick port.)
In other words, if you don't have a dongle, or you lose yours (like me),
you have a worthless program. Hey, I'm all for protection, but have
your kids ever gotten into your stuff? Luckily, the program "Chipmunk"
eliminates the dongle.
ATARIWRITER PLUS
Atari Writer Plus is one of the best word processors available. It is
menu driven and very easy to learn. With it's easy to follow
documentation and the Quick Reference Guide, even the hardest of
commands are learned in a snap. For me, it has been my "Work Horse"
over the years with over 1,000 hours of processing time.
Although Atari Writer Plus doesn't have as many features as PaperClip,
it is still packed full. You still have needed commands like double
column printing, horizontal scrolling, mail merge and header and
footers, to name a few. And on XE or XE compatibles, your file size is
a whopping 46.5k! Unfortunately, if you don't have an XE, you are
limited to only about 12k.
The only problem I have with Atari Writer Plus is it's saved files.
Atari Writer Plus saves each document with a sting of garbage in the
beginning of each file. Thus, when I convert the file to MS-DOS I'm
stuck doing a bunch of editing. All things considered, AtariWriter Plus
is my favorite word processor.
FIRST XLENT WORD PROCESSOR
There are definitely many advantages to owning First XLent (around
$12.00). One of them being, its very affordable price. Another is it's
amazing speed. By using the joystick you literately fly though your
document. You also have an almost instantaneous search and replace
feature.
First XLent is unprotected and uses a standard DOS (Atari 2.5). However
if you want you can replace this with your favorite DOS. It has one of
the best 80 column print preview screens available. By using a software
generated 80 column text screen it produces a (some what) readable
example of your text as it will appear when printed.
I could go on and talk about more of it's features like it's ability to
import graphics or that it is icon based, however I'll save that for a
full featured article. Overall First XLent is a fantastic product.
Although it doesn't have a spelling checker, it does give one of the
cleanest outputs that I have seen. This product is well worth the
money.
HOME WORD
Truthfully, I wasn't going to evaluate Home Word, however if I didn't,
my 12 year old son would have been impossible to live with. For him,
hands down, there is no better word processing system. As for me, I
believe, at best, Home Word is a good "kids" word processor.
It starts out with graphic pictures at the bottom of the screen. You
decide if you want a file cabinet or printer. This is the primary
reason my son and his friends like this program. No matter where you
are in this program, you have some kind of line drawing graphic at the
bottom.
Once you are into the document you have two thirds of the screen to see
what you are typing. The lower third is then divided into thirds. The
first two thirds shows you the status of memory available on both the
document and the disk. It also tells you what page you are on. The
last one third gives you a neat page preview showing what your document
will look like when printed out.
However, there are several crucial design defects that make this program
nearly worthless. The most significant is the use of a nonstandard DOS.
I haven't found a spelling checker yet that can read it. Thus, I feel
this program is only good for short letters or a note. Had it not been
for my son's love of this program, I would have formatted the disk a
long time ago.
HOMEPAC'S HOMETEXT
HomePak by Batteries Included is a bundled software package that
consists of three programs, HomeFind, HomeTerm and HomeText. Like all
bundled software I have come across, HomePak gives you only the basics
of each program and not enough of each to make it worth the money. If
you want a good word processor, look for a word processor and not an all
in one program.
If I like to think of Paper Clip as the "Yes" word processor, then
HomePak is the "No". No Spelling checker with it. No extended printer
codes. No double column printing. No proportional spacing. No
horizontal scrolling. No undo function. No patch printing (but then
again, only Paper Clip allows this). No auto back up (again only Paper
Clip) and no extra XE file size.
And speaking of file sizes, the maximum file size for HomeText is only
6,620. That is only about 1,000 to 1,500 words! How can you use this
program for any serious application? I have hear, but have not seen a
Public Domain program that allows you to work around this handicap.
Overall, if you are considering this program because of the three
programs in one, save yourself the aggravation and purchase another
system.
Ok, there you have it, a quick look at five different word processing
programs. If you are not already using one, give it a try. I have done
more work on my Atari at home then I have ever done on my Zenith MS-DOS
compatible at work. And looking at the completed product, you cannot
tell which one was done on which.
Well, until next time, have a wonderful time using your Atari. And
don't forget, "Talk up Atari Computers"!
* Z*NET BBS SYSTEMS
===================> FROM THE Z*NET BBS
==================
Message : 460 1-29-90 4:20am
From : Austech Computers
To : Sysop
Subject : bbs
(Edited Message)
This is Austech Computers in Australia. We run a Michtron ver 3.0 bbs
multiline here. I have come across your Z*Net reports and I would like
to post them on our bbs and also your pd files that are listed in the
magazine.
Our bbs number in Australia is 03 894 2155 for v22 v22bis
03 878 1279 for v32 9600
Message : 475 1-31-90 2:34am
From : Charles Medley
To : Ron Kovacs (x)
Subject : E.K.A.
1-703-360-1984. Eastern Knowledge Alliance.
Message : 485 [Open] 1-31-90 9:35am
From : Paul Hanley
To : Ron Kovacs (x)
Subject : STarBase BBS
Sig(s) : 10 (Z*Net Online Issues)
Just wanted to let you know (if you didn't already) that STar User Group
here in Pensacola/Fort Walton Beach area pays for every issue of Z-Net
(that is, remburses the few bucks it takes to download). All issues go
on STarBase BBS and (once I finish my own MAIN.MCL) will have a
permanent spot in the STar Archives (we already have every issue in the
library). Z-Net is one of my most popular downloads!
STarBase BBS -- (904)432-6009
========================================================================
Z*Net Online is a weekly online magazine covering the Atari community.
Opinions and commentary are those of the individual authors and do not
reflect those of Rovac Industries. ZNET and ZNET ONLINE are copyright
1989, 1990 by Rovac Industries. Reprint permission is granted as
long as ZNET ONLINE and the original authors are included.
=======================================================================
ZNET ONLINE Atari News and Reviews FIRST!
Copyright (c)1990 Rovac Industries, Inc..
=======================================================================
