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Z*NET Online Magazine Issue 236
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=======================================================================
Volume 5, Number 1 Z*NET ONLINE January 5, 1990
------------
(½) 1990 by Rovac Industries, Inc.
Post Office Box 59
Middlesex, New Jersey 08846
CompuServe Mail - 71777,2140 GEnie Mail - ZMAGAZINE
=======================================================================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
- THIS WEEK
What's happening in week in ZNet!.................Ron Kovacs
- CES PREVIEW
What's Atari Doing?................................John Nagy
- STATIC ALERT AT CES
Atari vs Nintendo............................Richard Sherwin
- ZNET NEWSWIRE
Atari News Update and more!.................................
- CORDLESS MOUSE
Practical Solutions new mouse reviewed.............John Nagy
- REVOLUTION WEEKLY CALENDER
What you might want to do to help..............Donald Thomas
- PUBLIC DOMAIN UPDATE
BlitzFix Offered............................................
- NEW LIFE FOR YOUR MOUSE
Atari Mouse Fix..................................Mike Bryant
- LINE NOISE
BBS info and tid-bits from the ZNet BBS...........Ron Kovacs
- HARDWARE REVIEW
Spectre GCR Revisited..............................Kris Cruz
- SHAREWARE SPOTLITE
Codehead Software Utilities......................Ken Johnson
- SOFTWARE REVIEW
C-Breeze from Michtron............................Sally Nagy
* THIS WEEK
-----------> 501 AND MORE?
-------------
by Ron Kovacs
Were Back!
501
You downloaded ZNET501.ARC. When we released ST*ZMagazine last year at
this time, we started with issue #1, when we started ST-Report and the
first regular Atari online magazine ZMag, they also started with issue
#1 and put our numbering system into chaos! Since we started in 1986
with Volume 1 Number 1, we will start 1990 with Volume 5 Number 1 and
ease the issue number problem. This system will also assist everyone
with a time stamping of the issue. Examples: #1 is January, #5 is
February and #10 from March.
Alice Amore and Mark Quinn are still on vacation and will return next
week with the Shareware Survey. Sally Nagy appears with a review of C-
Breeze from Michtron.
This week an update about the rumored FCC Modem Tax, a preview of the
Winter CES Show and what Atari might be doing, a look at some messages
from the ZNET BBS and some NEW features.
Special thanks go to Robert Ford, ZNet SysOp for his assistance during
the holidays and John King for supplying us the latest information on
the FCC story.
* CES PREVIEW
-------------> WHAT IS ATARI DOING?
--------------------
by John Nagy
Atari will be attending the CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW held this weekend
in Las Vegas. Although there may be some surprises, this show is not
expected to bring many new announcements from Atari. Remember, Atari
likes to make announcements at these major shows, like the introduction
of the LYNX at the last CES in Chicago.
A clue to the lower profile expected from Atari this time is the fact
that they will NOT appear on the main floor of the CES show. Instead,
we are told that Atari will have a suite of its own, preferring to show
their products in a more private setting.
CES is traditionally a home and entertainment product show, a place for
manufacturers to meet distributors and dealers. The game lines for
computers are strong here, although computers have been getting a
smaller and smaller portion of CES as the recent years have passed. It
was at CES that Atari would show its FUN side, its consumer line. That
also has meant the Video Game and 8-bit line.
The likely highlight this time is the "ATARI POWER PACK", a 520STFM
bundled with a stack of software at a very attractive price (said to be
around $400 retail). Although the productivity end of the package is
not settled yet, it will include Music Studio, Neochrome, Planetarium,
maps and Legends, Star Raiders, Missile Command, Alien Brigade, and F15.
Undecided is whether to also include the Timeworks set of Word Writer,
Swiftcalc, and Data Manager, to be relicensed as Atari products, or to
go with the combination of other applications like First Word Plus,
Phasar, and Informer II.
Research was done for Atari by the marketing powerhouse Schiat-Day to
determine what a computer buyer really wanted and needed in the way of
software. Surprising no one, they found that most want a word
processor, a spreadsheet, and a database, plus some games. In the POWER
PACK, Atari hopes to meet all the immediate startup needs of the first-
time computer buyer, and provide a satisfying base of software to build
on. Some sort of tutorial disk or video tape is also to be included to
let the new user get started more easily. At or below $400, this set
looks mighty attractive.
You may be asking, "A 520STFM? Why not the STE? Isn't there a similar
bundle being sold in Europe that includes the new machine?" Yes, there
is. But the STE is apparently still not passed by the FCC for sale in
the United States. Although popular in Canada already, the domestic
price of the STE alone is expected to be significantly higher than the
Power Pack. This gives Atari an opportunity to move the leftover 520's
at a price that may make users out of lookers.
The LYNX will certainly be there to help make this CES memorable for
Atari. The hand-held color game unit sold out in every store before
Christmas, with the last ones in New York said to be selling for $230...
that's more than $60 ABOVE list price! The demand has been staggering,
and the supply has been inadequate. That is expected to change by
February, allowing dealers who are freshly impressed with the unit this
weekend to have a hope of stocking them before long. In a side note, it
has been rumored that SEARS has announced that the LYNX is no longer
available. This is not true, it has not been discontinued, just hard to
get. Sears' current contract with Atari runs through August, and the
LYNX will become more easily available soon. The rumor was started
innocently by Sears when they changed the internal part number assigned
to the Lynx. Perspective buyers would ask about the old number and told
it was no longer available.
Z*NET ONLINE will let you know about what develops in Las Vegas, and if
there are any surprise announcements, look for a special bulletin.
Remember, NO ONE expected the blockbuster introduction of the LYNX last
time.... so who knows for sure?
* STATIC ALERT AT CES
---------------------> LYNX vs NINTENDO
----------------
by Richard Sherwin
Reprinted by permission from the New York Daily News 1/5/90
LAS VEGAS - A musician's strike here may have quieted things down a
little on the eve of the giant Winter Consumer Electronics Show, but a
marketing fight between Atari Corp. and Nintendo threatens to raise the
decibel level at this usually harmonious event.
Ron Stringari, president of Atari's entertainment products division said
Atari " is getting back into the marketplace and plans to fight Nintendo
and the other Japanese companies."
The battle for supremacy in the multibillion-dollar video games system
market is taking place at the world's biggest trade show. The four-day
winter show draws more than 100,000 manufacturers, retailers and
industry executives and is designed to showcase what's hot for the
consumer as the electronics industry enters its eighth decade.
Nintendo, biggest exhibitor here, is a $5 billion Tokyo-based video game
system company that controls nearly 85% of the market. Sunnyvale,
California-based Atari and Sega, also from Japan, share the remaining
15%.
Stringari boasts that Atari intends to knock its Japanese rivals on
their heels with its recently available Lynx hand-held color video game
system ($159).
Despite its hefty price tag, Atari expects Lynx to outsell Nintendo's
Gameboy monochrome video game system ($89) by the end of this year.
"We plan to sell more than 1 million units (worldwide) by the end of
1990," Stringari said.
"As one of the last wholly-owned American companies, we've got to show
the entire world the type of products we can create, produce and sell,"
he added.
Nintendo spokesman Richard Linder said he welcomes the competition.
"Nintendo intends to sell 5 million Gameboy systems by the end of 1990,"
he said. "Along with our licensees, we will also sell 20 million
software programs for the Gameboy."
Atari spokesman Andrew Marken said the company is backing the ongoing
launch of the Lynx with a mulitmillion-dollar ad campaign. "We spent
more than $1 million in advertising in the New York area alone last
month...and the Lynx has already out sold new tabletop video game
machines from Sega and NEC," Marken said.
Mark Smotroff, a spokesman for Sega, disputes Atari's sales figures.
"We've recorded more than $100 million in sales in the last five months.
We're ahead of Nintendo and Atari," he countered.
Meanwhile, NEC and Sega do not intend to surrender in the video game
battle. NEC will be showing off its Turbo Grafix 16 system ($250-$350),
which it claims has twice the power of the original Nintendo machine.
The Turbo Grafix system also can be purchased with a special CD-player
that plays music CDS, CD-graphics discs and special high-tech CD-based
video games.
Sega'a new Genesis System ($200) also uses 16-bit technology but doesn't
come with all the frills of the NEC machine.
Both NEC and Sega refused to reveal whether they had plans to challenge
Atari or Nintendo with portable systems of their own.
* ZNET NEWSWIRE
---------------> ATARI NEWS FIRST!
-----------------
CSS CLOSES:
Computer Software Services, a major midwest distributor of computer
hardware and software of all brands, has apparently ceased business.
Phones and FAX numbers are unanswered as some developers and dealers try
to figure out what to do next. The Addison, Illinois company had many
dealers depending on them alone, offering a wide base of products that
prominently included Atari and Amiga. Remaining distributors American
and Pacific, Triangle, and Horizon will have to pick up the slack, and
hopefully soon.
SLOW CHRISTMAS SEASON:
Software developers have experienced a slow Christmas season according
to some observers. Although the Software Publisher's Association
announced that overall software sales were up 10% last year, things
appeared not to pick up as expected in the fall. However, the software
sales are picking up NOW, AFTER Christmas, due to new computer owners
selecting software for the hardware they got last month.
PLAYBOY MAGAZINE:
Although it is older news, occurring mid 1989, Playboy Magazine mentioned
in a very recent column that "FEDERATED" of California was going to pay
12 MILLION dollars in a settlement to over 8,000 employees and
applicants who were forced to take a polygraph test before employment.
This is, indeed "our" Atari FEDERATED stores. The lie-detector tests
are illegal under California law and Federal rights to privacy, and
Atari/Federated will have to pay. However, the wrongdoing was by the
former owners of the ill-fated electronics store chain, and so the
settlement will be just another part of the ongoing suit by Atari
against the former owners. Atari says that the chain's value was
seriously overstated in the material supporting the purchase, and that
items like this settlement were not disclosed. The former owners of
Federated are expected to be quite "collectable" when the suit is
finally settled or tried, making the Federated adventure less painful
than it might otherwise be.
ATARI MAKES TOP 15 of 1989:
Here is an abridged version of the Top 15 AMEX stocks of 1989.
No. Stock Sales High Low Close Net Change
=====================================================================
12) NY Times A 35,870,600 34 3/4 24 1/2 26 1/2 off 3/8
13) Home Shopping 35,098,900 7 5/8 3 7 1/4 up 2 3/4
14) ATARI CORP ** 34,492,500 13 3/4 4 3/4 8 5/8 up 3
15) Wstn Digital 34,111,500 15 1/4 5 3/4 8 3/8 off 6 3/8
MINISCRIBE FILES BANKRUPTCY:
MiniScribe, a Disk Drive manufacturer filed a federal bankruptcy
petition on January 2. Miniscribe has taken this step because of a
number of investor lawsuits it now faces. In September 1989, a report
stated that former managers committed massive fraud over a three year
period. Miniscribe will be phasing out it's US manufactured products by
the end of the first quarter of 1990.
WORDPERFECT 24 HOUR SUPPORT:
WordPerfect recently announced that it will provide customer support
around the clock. The company now has a staff available for customers
who need help after normal work hours. About one-third of WPCorp's work
force is assigned to customer support duties. Customers who need
technical help after regular business hours may call the special support
line at (801) 226-6444.
* CORDLESS MOUSE FROM PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
-----------------------------------------> A HARDWARE REVIEW
-----------------
by John Nagy
I LOVE IT! The wireless mouse, tailless mouse, cordless mouse, what
ever you call it, it really works GREAT! I don't normally get this
worked up over as mundane an item as a replacement mouse for the ST, but
the new unit from Practical Solutions is truly a delight.
Imagine a sleeker, more rounded mouse with half the height of the Atari
mouse... and then cut the cord. The PS Cordless Mouse handles better
and faster than the Atari mouse, with the added weight of a pair of
penlight batteries giving it a great tactile velocity. The buttons are
crisper than the Atari, making the "double click" a different experience
that will take a few hours for most users to totally get used to.
Another button is on the side of the unit, right where right-handed
users will find their thumb when moving the mouse. This is the ON
button. Press it, and the mouse will be "live" for about 7 minutes
AFTER the last movement you make. That lets it shut itself off when you
stop using it, to conserve the batteries. Normal life of the 2 AAA
cells should be about a month.
The mouse uses infra-red pulses, just like most tv remote control units.
The receiver is a little pod with a red eye that can mount anywhere it
can "see" the mouse. Orientation is not important... mount it with a
supplied stickum pad on the side of your monitor, under the monitor
shelf (upside down or on its side is fine), or anywhere convenient. The
mouse is reliable and very direction-independent in operation at up to 5
feet. Although it works even from 12 feet back, you will have to deal
with aiming the mouse at the eye (and squinting at the screen!)
Frankly, at $129 retail, I didn't expect to be able to recommend this
mouse... I couldn't figure the cord had ever been THAT much of a hassle.
And maybe it wasn't, but I don't want to find out by going back to the
old one! Best yet, I have occasionally seen the unit at around $90 from
some dealers. At those prices, a regular mouse (around $45) can't
compare.
Mark Sloatman of Practical Solutions says sales of the ST version of the
mouse have been great, surpassing their expectations. Versions are also
available at similar prices for the MACINTOSH and AMIGA. It's exactly
the right choice for the computerist who has everything. Well, not
EVERYTHING, because if you have too much clutter, you might lose the
mouse! Owners of cordless phones who have had to have someone call them
in order to find the misplaced phone will sympathise.
Practical Solutions, 1135 N. Jones Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85716, (602)
322-6100.
* REVOLUTIONARY CALENDER
------------------------> WEEKS 1 and 2
-------------
by Donald Thomas
WEEK 1
PRIOR TO AND INCLUDING January 6, 1990
LET'S GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD!
Write a letter, once a week each to the following three individuals:
SAM TRAMIEL, President PRODUCER
Atari Corporation 20/20, ABC TV
1196 Borregas Ave 1330 Avenue Of The Americas
Sunnyvale, CA 94086 New York, NY 10019
The Editor's desk of your local newspaper.
Tell Sam Tramiel that you have joined "The REVOLUTION" and are prepared
to wage the war in favor of better consumer exposure of the Atari
computer lines. Ask for his recognition and support. This will leave
no doubt in Atari's mind that the campaign has substance and they
better be building a few more computers next year for the U.S.
Tell 20/20 and your local paper, in your own words, that you have
joined "The REVOLUTION"; a consumer interest movement organized to
build public awareness about the best available computer values. Tell
them the organization has chosen Atari as a well rounded computer
which is easily adapted for education, business, music and leisure. As
an active member, tell them you request their coverage of the campaign.
This activity will be a major step to alert the media that they need to
be aware that something is going on.
WEEK 2
January 7 through January 13, 1990
NATIONAL ATARI PUBLICATION RECOGNITION WEEK
During this week, choose one or more Atari orientated publications.
There are many. Artisan Software can provide you with addresses or
phone numbers of your favorite publication if you wish. When
subscribing, include "My subscription is in the spirit of 'The
REVOLUTION'!" on your order.
Also during this week, choose a topic concerning "The REVOLUTION" and
write a minimum of two paragraphs about your opinions of it. Send it to
the editor of your chosen publication.
* PUBLIC DOMAIN UPDATE
----------------------> BLITZ FIX OFFERED
-----------------
Editors Note: The following was extracted from the pd file BLITZFIX,
currently available on GEnie and CompuServe for downloading.
BLITZFIX for the Atari ST rev - 12/30/89
BLITZFIX turns off the drive connected to the BLITZ copy cable. Useful
after powering up computer.
Copyright (C) 1989 by Wayne S. Arczynski All rights reserved
-----------------------------
I was getting annoyed at the fact that every time I reset my computer,
my disk drive connected to the BLITZ copier cable would turn on. So, I
wrote BLITZFIX.
Place BLITZFIX in your AUTO folder and when you turn on your computer
(or press reset). BLITZFIX will turn off the disk connected to your
BLITZ cable.
------------------------------
This software is copyrighted and may NOT BE SOLD. You may distribute
it FREEly as long as both files ( BLITZFIX.PRG & BLITZFIX.TXT ) are kept
together.
This software is free, but copyrighted. You may use it, you can give it
away (only in its original form), and you can alter it for your own,
personal use. You may not sell it. You may not distribute altered
copies.
-----------------------------
If you would like a copy of the source code, send $5 and a blank disk
to the address below. If you prefer, send $10 and I'll provide the
disk. For your money you will receive the following software:
o BLITZFIX.S 68000 source
o BLITZFIX.PRG Latest Rev.
o BLITZFIX.TXT This File
You will also receive:
o BLITZFX2.S 68000 source to NON-STOP version
o BLITZFX2.PRG Latest Rev. of NON-STOP version
The NON-STOP does not wait for a key press to exit to GEM. The source
code and NON-STOP version of BLITZFIX are available only through this
offer.
Send your order to:
Wayne S. Arczynski
8646 Chelsea Bridge Way
Lutherville, MD 21093
Send comments or suggestions: GEnie: WAYNE.A
½ 1989 Wayne S. Arczynski, All rights reserved
* NEW LIFE FOR YOUR MOUSE
-------------------------> MOUSE FIX
---------
by Mike Bryant
Is your mouse getting old? Do you often embarrass yourself when you try
to show someone how wonderfully easy it is to run a program from the
desktop, only to find yourself double-clicking five or six times to get
it to run? After months of such frustrations, I was even beginning to
have visions of shelling out fifty dollars for a new mouse some day
soon. The buttons simply didn't have that quick response that they had
when the mouse was new.
Fortunately, I overheard someone at a recent SBACE (South Bay Atari
Computer Enthusiasts) meeting mention having fixing a mouse with a
similar problem by disassembling it and filing a bit from a plastic tab.
I decided to give it a try and found it to be ridiculously easy. Best
of all, after about five minutes of effort I now have a mouse that
clicks like new! I had forgotten just HOW quick and easy a double-click
can be.
When you press a mouse button, the actual switch that is activated is in
the bottom of the mouse. A long plastic post is attached to the
underside of the button and presses the switch when the button is
pressed. Over time (years), this button wears very slightly and simply
doesn't reach the switch like it should.
What I discovered on my mouse was that a small plastic tab, visible from
the outside of the mouse, was the thing stopping the button from being
depressed further to compensate for the worn post. If your mouse
buttons are getting unresponsive, take a look at the tab just above the
cord as you press the mouse button. If the button strikes the tab
before it hits the rest of the mouse case, you can probably fix it with
this easy procedure.
Open the mouse case by removing the two screws on the bottom of the
case. Also remove the two small screws on the underside of the mouse
top cover, in the strip of black plastic covering the button hinges.
Remove the black strip and then remove the two buttons from the mouse
cover. Either file or shave the plastic tab on the mouse cover by a
small amount. Don't worry, you really can't shave too much off. That's
all there is to it! Reassemble the mouse, and, if you're as lucky as I
was, it will work like new again.
* LINE NOISE
------------> Z*NET BBS TID-BITS
------------------
Message : 59 [Open] 12-23-89 12:33pm
From : Ben Hamilton
To : Ron Kovacs (x)
Subject : BBS
Sig(s) : 10 (Z*Net Online Issues)
Ron,
I just downloaded the latest ST*ZMagazine, and I saw the BBS listings
near the end. I just wanted you to know that I've been making the mag
available on my BBS since issue 49, and I get very positive reader
response to it. Please include my number in your future listings...
The Gate BBS, Copperas Cove, Texas
Node 1: (817) 547-1734
Node 2: (817) 547-1739
Using MichTron BBS v3.0, at 300/1200/2400 bps on both nodes.
Message : 83 [Open] 12-28-89 1:40am
From : Sean Sudol
To : Sysop
Subject : BBS list
Sig(s) : 1 (General)
Hi, I was trying to enter a new BBS listing but wasn't able to. I'm the
sysop for Off The Wall BBS in Barrie Ontario, Canada (north of Toronto)
the number is (705)734-0349 max. 2400 baud. I'd appreciate you adding
it.
Message : 89 [Open] 12-28-89 11:08pm
From : Terry Schreiber
To : All
Subject : User group magazines
Sig(s) : 8 (Public Service Announcements)
PUGET SOUND ATARI NEWS
**********************
The Puget Sound Atari News is a publication put together from various
user groups both in the United States and Canada. This monthly
publication has been in existence for over eight years and still
growing. We are currently looking for other Atari user groups to join
in the publication. If your user group does not currently publish a
newsletter, or there is not a club currently in your area that is part
of P.S.A.N. we would like to hear from you.
The magazine covers all aspects of Atari products and third party
developers. All reviews written are by Atari users like yourself in
plain and simple english for even the most un-experienced computerist.
You need not be an English major to write an article.
The cost factor of a monthly newsletter is the main reason most clubs
shy away, topics and input are another. P.S.A.N. currently consists of
over fifteen clubs, each providing monthly input. You get billed only
for the amount of issues that you order, and you order what you know
will be sold. Advertising costs offset the price of the newsletter
bringing it down to a cost effective alternative for everyone.
In addition P.S.A.N. also carries Z-NET, produced by the same people
that bring you ZNET ONLINE, the online magazine. This, six to ten page
section, keeps users abreast of what is happening nationally, who's who!
and who isn't anymore. The newest product releases, software and
hardware updates, and what is in store for the future.
We look forward to hearing from you in the near future and seeing your
club name in print. Retailers, who also may wish to purchase copies are
invited to enquire.
In the U.S.
Jim Chapman (206) 566-1703
c/o S.P.A.C.E.
P.O. Box 110576
Tacoma Washington
98411-0576
In Canada:
Terry Schreiber (604) 275-7944
c/o T.R.A.C.E.
8611 Cantley Rd.
Richmond B.C.
V7C 3S2
Message : 113 [Open] 12-30-89 4:32pm
From : Grady Johnson
To : All
Subject : BBS
Sig(s) : 1 (General)
Fantasy-Island-BBS
Atari St support/67 meg storage, 7 message bases
u/l-d/l facilities for ST/ST Midi/GIF pics
3oo/6oo/12oo/24oo baud, open 24 hours/7 days/every week!
Oregon, Ohio
~=*> 419-691-6459 <*=~
Message : 124 [Open] 12-31-89 10:13pm
From : Robert Ford
To : Tony Brandao
Subject : #116 PC DItto 2 vs. PC-SPeed
Sig(s) : 1 (General)
Tony,
The "box" that you were speaking of from Talon Technologies was written
up in the January 1990 issue of STart. For those interested it is
basically an 8 MHz 512K IBM XT in a box that plugs into your DMA port.
If you use a hard drive just plug the Supercharger, that is it's name,
into the hard drives thru port, that's all.
The Supercharger has 512K of RAM and when used, that is the memory that
is used in IBM emulation. Your ST's memory is NOT used. Let me make
this less wordy and just give a list of features.
1. Processor: NEC 8-MHZ V30 (same as PC Ditto II and PC Speed)
2. Socket for 8087 math coprocessor.
3. Autoboot off any partition.
4. CGA support: 320x200 with four colors. (Color monitor)
640x200 with two colors. (Color or mono monitor)
5. Hot key to switch between ST and IBM mode. When emulation program
is run again you will be right where you left off!
6. Future updates:
a. VGA card.
b. Expansion box to allow use of IBM cards.
SuperCharger
Talon Technologies
243 N. Hwy. 101, #11
Solano Beach, CA 92075
Retail: $399
the CyberPunk
I'm Proud to Support the REVOLUTION!!!
Message : 126 [Open] 12-31-89 11:46pm
From : Trac-rat
To : Richard Guadagno
Subject : #120 PC DItto 2 vs. PC-SPeed
Sig(s) : 1 (General)
ST World (UK) had a great article on the PC emulators...they compared
PC-Speed and SuperCharger...SuperChargers the new PC emulator from
Europe that plugs into the DMA port...It has it's own memory and
processor Built in... It does have problems with hard drives both supra
and ICD, but the ICD can be used, they do have a patch. SuperCharger is
the only PC emulator out that lets you use your Atari mouse (with no
problems). PC-Speed has a problem with the Atari mouse, they want you
to use an IBM Serial mouse that you'd hook up to your modem port.
SuperCharger turns your Mouse port into a serial port, so you can't use
a Modem with either. Since they're both the same price, I think that
SuperCharger is a little better of a buy.
Say "Cheese" The Trac-Rat
Editors Note: Call the ZNET ONLINE BBS (201) 968-8148 and list your BBS
today. If you have news you think we should cover or interesting tid-
bits about software or new releases, simply leave a message and it will
appear here!
* HARDWARE REVIEW
-----------------> SPECTRE GCR REVISITED
---------------------
by Kristofer H. Cruz
(Reprinted from the Puget Sound
Atari News, December 1989)
Gadgets By Small Inc.
40 W. Littleton Blvd #210-211
Littleton, Colorado 80120
(303) 791-6098
After more than three months of waiting, I finally received my Spectre
GCR. I was not sure how many more delays I would have to endure. At
times I wondered if I would ever see GCR or my money ever again. My
friends and I made bets on which would arrive first GCR or PC Ditto (I
won). Lots of money was collected and Dave Small was showing working
Spectre's all over this country and several others.
It seemed as if fate had cursed Small. The original Spectre did not
have packaging due to a particular unscrupulous local packager in Dave's
base of operations: Littleton, Colorado. Then, the GCR was delayed
because a Taiwanese worker gets his hand caught in one of the molds for
the plastic cases. (If you were interested, he is well on his way to
recovery and should be able to return to work soon... to paraphrase the
GCR manual.) Perhaps Dave Small should put in the orders for packaging
now for any future products - then when they are ready, these items can
be shipped immediately. However, for those who did not get on the
waiting list to be the "first" on the block to get GCR, they are now
shipping, although they are heavily back-ordered. So if you wondered
just what all the noise was about, then read on.
I began my trek, a few years back with a designer paper bag and a little
rabbit in the hat fittingly dubbed the Magic Sac. This device made your
Atari into a Macintosh, a feat that was thought impossible. I still
remember a quote from Mac User magazine "Until Apple gives it the green
light, it won't see the light of day.". Of course Mac dealers would
laugh, saying that it was impossible for an "Atari" (as if it meant
Plague) to run Macintosh software. These are the guys who would tell
you that the blank unformatted 3.5 " disks they sold would only work in
"their" machine. I knew better. I ran 3.5" drives off my 800XL for at
least 2 years. Even though I was pleased with the Magic Sac, there were
little annoyances - transferring the disks to a special format, etc...
Some programs would not run at all. They were for the newer 128K
machines.
Then low and behold, the same creator of the Magic Sac, made a new
device and called it Spectre. The name Magic Sac had been copyrighted
and the business end of the now divorced enterprise was awarded the
holder of the copyright. To name the new Mac emulator, Small went
searching through a thesaurus and came up with the name Spectre, the
"reincarnation of Magic Sac". As if a phoenix rising from the ashes,
the new emulator swept the Atari world by storm. So, of course you
knew I just had to have one. I was, of course, the first person in town
to get the Spectre . It eliminated the need for a beastie know as Hard
Disk 20 (Apple's version of the 40 folder limit for the Macintosh). It
also added HFS which meant disks now would store 800k. There was
limited screen dump support for the Atari laser printer and a host of
other neat new features. But it still did not read Mac format disks...
until now.
Before I get to the nitty gritty, let me tell you a little bit about
myself (I am sure you are dying to know, right?). When I first got my
Magic Sac, it was 1987 and I was then employed as a computer maintenance
technician with the USAF in California. I had just recently bought a
1040ST with monochrome monitor. Upon seeing a friend's Magic Sac, I was
truly impressed. I ordered one. My friend, Marie Foster (the world's
friend), set me up with everything I needed. I was happy with the
Magic Sac and kept it when I left the Air Force in 1988, to move to
Spokane, Washington and attend college while freeloading off my parents
(What can I say?). So I now an attending Eastern Washington University
up here in Washington (the state). My first post Air Force job was in a
print shop typesetting on a Macintosh. Then, the university was kind
enough to allow me to work part time in their computer labs as a
consultant. They have three lab areas where I work - Mac, IBM and VAX.
Can you guess where I work most? You got it, the Mac lab. I can truly
say this is a position I absolutely enjoy. I supervise a network of 10
Mac Plus's and a server system, with 40MB hard drive, laserwriter plus
and 530 MB CD ROM of PD software. My position requires me to be versed
in several Mac applications in order to answer questions and assist
users with their needs. I have also been learning to program Mac-style
in Turbo PASCAL. Could you see why a person might want the ability to
use native Mac format disks with Spectre? I ordered the GCR as soon as
Dave was taking advance orders. I found out about this through his
newsletter which registered owners receive about every three months.
After about three months of waiting, the GCR finally arrived in late
October. I was elated.
The Review
And so now here it is, what you have been waiting for, an in depth
review of the Spectre GCR. It comes in a plastic molded carrier with
purple lettering and the Gadgets Logo on the front. The case is gray,
measuring about 4.5 X 3.5 inches and about 1.5 inches deep. The manual
is a full size 8" X 10" shrink wrapped bundle similar to those for
clones. But don't look for the binder, there isn't one. Content-wise,
it is a combination of the old Spectre manual with GCR specific stuff
and some fables included as well.
The cartridge unit comes with the shells apart, so you can put in the
128K ROMS (buy REAL Apple ROMS and stay out of jail) without much fuss.
The PC board is a high quality silk screened job, with gold fingers on
the cartridge connector. Two floppy ports, like the one on your ST, are
in the back of the cartridge. To attach the GCR unit, you plug it into
the computer and run a cable (included) to the ST drive port of your
computer. It will also support external drives in addition to the
internal one found on the ST.
Two disks come with the GCR. The first is a regular ST disk with
Spectre and Transverter as well as a host of other programs. There is
even a program to launch the Spectre GCR from bootup. The second disk
is an actual Mac disk in the GCR format. Briefly, GCR is how the Mac
does disks, it is nonstandard and no one else's drive can read them -
Apple made sure of that.
This second disk contains many PD utilities you may already have in
Spectre format. But this disk also serves as a test of the ability to
read native Mac disks. And that was exactly what I did first (after
reading the manual, of course).
All went well. The Spectre came up in Mac mode and read the PD disk.
Then I tried "my" Mac disks. Chunk, chunk, up pops the disk on the
desktop. Then I proceeded to try every native Mac disk I had (including
my Pagemaker program, which set me back $600 and was worth every penny).
None of them failed to read properly, so I decided to give it a test
from Spectre to Mac.
I took ten disks and formatted them on the GCR. I then took them to the
Mac lab and proceeded to read and write two files from these disks on
each of ten individual Macintosh's as well as their accompanying
external drives. None of them had any problems, and as far as the Macs
knew, they were real Macintosh disks. They did not care if these disks
came from an Atari or a Mac. Now if only the Mac guys saw it this way.
So if you add it up, I read 40 files and wrote 40 files using disks that
had been formatted on the GCR. None failed. Then I took these disks
home to read them using GCR. All went fine, no problems.
I have been using the GCR since the middle of October and have yet to
have any troubles. However, let me state that it is not such a story
when using another persons computer. I did a demo of the GCR at a
friend's house on her 1040 and on another friend's Mega. The GCR seemed
more sensitive to crashes on these other machines. This, I suspect, was
due to excessive RF on both systems, because I have my monitors well
away from my GCR. This is explained in the manual that comes with the
GCR. This is not to say the GCR failed on other systems, just that when
it crashed I found the hard drive partitions nearly impossible to
recover until I brought my hard drive and GCR home to my computer. I
could, of course, have tweaked an adjustment, but I was just doing a
demo and did not want to have to do that again when I got home. I was
able to recover when I got home, and I must say I have never lost a
partition from Spectreor Spectre GCR. The last ditch measures have
always been successful. I suspect this is a better average than Small
himself has had with Spectre according to his writings.
In Addition..
Even though the main advantage to the GCR is the ability to use real Mac
disks, and of course, existing Spectre format and Magic disks, there are
more perks included.
One major one is improved software compatibility. Among the biggies
that now run are Microsoft Word 4.0 and Filemaker. There are still
games that will not run, but the ST does have many superior games, so
this isn't a big deal.
The digitized sound is now done in a more elegant manner. It will
automatically switch the sound on and off. You can select which SCSI ID
your laser will be at: 7 or 5 (The new ones are address 5). The Viking
monitor is supposed to be supported, but when I tried this on a
friend's, it failed. I asked Small why this was so, and he told me that
he was apparently sent the developers version of the driver for the
monitor, and everyone else got a different one. The next version of the
software will remedy this.
Laser printing is now available in up to 144 DPI, but not direct
Postscript to the SLM804. Chooser works without crashing, so you don't
need that specially configured system file in order to choose the
laserwriter without crashing. The right mouse button now acts as the
shift key, which makes things easier.
A 320K floppy disk cache will speed up operations for those with memory
to burn. MFS and HFS floppies can be formatted from the ST side. And
now you can even format GCR type disks directly from the Mac desktop,
the same way the real Mac does. Smart floppy copy algorithms mean less
disk swapping. If you have enough memory to hold an entire disk, then
you only put it in once.
There is a slug of keyboard commands to set the particulars, such as
screen dumps, disk mount/unmount, printer interceptor, and a key to kick
out incomplete pages from the laser printer.
Caveats
There are a few not so great things about GCR too. If I did not mention
them, then I would not be doing an honest evaluation.
First, some Mega 2 computers have some weak chips in them that affect
the operation of the Spectre. There are four of them and they are
inexpensive logic chips. It is just that Atari used weak version
instead of a more robust version. You will need to either fix this
yourself or have a dealer do if for you.
Second gripe is that the Viking monitor does not work in this version.
Dave did promise me that the next version of the software would fix
this.
The Spectre software overrides any custom finder icons you have made. I
had little beer mugs in mine until I ran Spectre. Now they look like
bricks. This does have an advantage though. It allows the Spectre to
put a computer symbol in the icon for a GCR disk or a Gadgets Logo for a
Spectre format disk. This allows you to tell which is which.
My final gripe is that there is no accompanying binder for the manual.
I would have liked one with the Gadgets logo in matching purple letters
like the carrier. Dave can remedy this by producing one and, if
necessary, sell it (reasonably priced, I hope) to those who want one.
Summary
The Spectre GCR is the culmination of 4 years of research and
development in state of the art Macintosh emulation. As with anything,
Spectre GCR is not perfect, it crashes sometimes. But then so does a
REAL LIVE MAC. As of this writing, the Spectre GCR IS state-of-the-art.
No other company offers a product that even comes close.
This device offers you the ability to run approximately 90% of all Mac
software designed for the Mac SE and down. It also lets you exchange
data with real Macs as easily as removing a disk and inserting it again.
Screen operations are an average of 20% faster than a real Mac.
The $300 price may seem high at first. But considering that you get a
Mac Plus and a Mac to IBM disk converter, you actually save about $1200
over a comparable Apple setup. The savings get better when compared to
the price of the portable mac. In the end there is no other choice.
For serious users, Spectre GCR is the only way to go!
Sources for 128K ROMS
Pre-Owned Electronics
30 Clematis Avenue
Waltham, Massachusetts 02154
(800) 274-5343
Shreve Systems
2421 Malcom Street
Shreveport, Louisiana 71108
* SHAREWARE SPOTLITE
--------------------> CODEHEAD SOFTWARE
-----------------
by Kenn Johnson
The Auto Folder, Reprinted from:
The Puget Sound Atari News
December 1989
I was recently reformatting my hard drive and when reloading my AUTO
folder I noticed something significant. Four of the eight programs are
from the same authors. That's significant because I only use a program
if:
A) It helps make my computing life easier and,
B) It has to be well behaved; i.e., it doesn't cause problems with other
programs I use (actually an extension of A).
Each of these programs fit that criteria. This is the list of the eight
programs:
PINHEAD.PRG
FOLDER100.PRG
DESKMGR2.PRG
RESTART.PRG
UIS_II.PRG
G+PLUS.PRG
MACCEL2.PRG
HOTWIRE.PRG
Some of you will recognize that I am talking about the CodeHeads,
Charles F. Johnson and John Eidsvoog. Some of these are shareware
(PINHED14.PRG & DESKMGR2.PRG) and the others are commercial products
(G+PLUS & HOTWIRE).
PINHEAD: This shareware program has to be experienced to be believed.
Boot time (the time it takes from turning on or resetting your computer
to the desktop display) is reduced. How much depends on the amount of
memory you have, the programs in the auto folder, and most important the
version of TOS your computer has. A reduction of half can easily be
expected. It utilizes a .DAT file for those programs that require a
little more working room or turn it off if they just won't work with
PINHEAD. The DOC file included explains it all.
DESKMANAGER: This program introduced me to Charles Johnson (pre
CodeHead) and has been (is) a great asset. It allows the selection of
AUTO programs and ACCessories that you want to run on bootup. It also
allows multiple DESKTOP.INF files for those with two monitors. If one
of the AUTO programs is GDOS.PRG it will also allow selecting different
ASSIGN.SYS files for different GDOS using programs. Anyone who uses
multiple GDOS programs (EASYDRAW, TOUCHUP, PUBLISH ST, WRITE, etc.) will
note the benefit here. DSKMGR26.PRG is the latest shareware version.
G+PLUS: If you use GDOS based progams and don't know about G+PLUS (the
+ is silent), then you are in for a suprise. A total replacement for
GDOS (take GDOS and toss it), it solves most of the problems inherent
with GDOS (system slowdown, difficulty in changing ASSIGN.SYS files,
etc.) and adds some nifty enhancements. You can run any GDOS based
program simply by clicking on it. G+PLUS will read it's install file
(the program will do this for you also) and load the necessary
ASSIGN.SYS file for that program. Want to go to another, just click and
run. NO MORE REBOOTING! Another feature of G+PLUS is an accessory that
comes with the package and speeds up screen redraws significantly. This
program is so hastle free that I boot up with it most of the time and
don't even realize it's there. Try that with GDOS, friend!
HOTWIRE: The first time I used this program it took me several trys to
figure out why my system looked different. I would quit from a program
and POP I'm back on the desktop. It finally dawned on me, NO MORE OPEN
WINDOWS!!! Anyway, HOTWIRE is simply a program that replaces all the
mouse clicks and folder searching with a hot key. Press an assigned key
combination and presto the program runs.
Other CodeHead commercial products I use outside of the Auto folder
include MULTIDESK and the CodeHead UTILITIES.
MULTIDESK: allows you to have more than 6 accessories installed at one
time. In fact, installing it into itself will allow you to use up all
your memory just with accessories. A nifty feature is that you can also
use MULTIDESK as a program. This is the way I use it (through HOTWIRE)
so I only have an accessory loaded when I need it, not wasting valuable
memory.
If you have a lot of programs that run from your AUTO folder then you've
probably come across programs that will only work if they are run before
others. This becomes a hastle trying to get the combination correct.
On the UTILITIES disk is a slick program that makes life much easier.
Run AUTO_ORGANIZER and select the order you want and quit. Life should
be so simple.
All of these programs have more features. I didn't try to review them
completely, just bring them before you and hope you will try some of
them. If you use one of the shareware programs send in the fee for
registration. These guys are only getting better, so to keep them
programming, 'ya gotta keep em happy'.
* SOFTWARE REVIEW
-----------------> C BREEZE
--------
by Sally Nagy
C-Breeze with its extentions help C programmers edit C source code more
efficiently. It can be configured to be used with any language or used
as a general purpose ASCII editor. C-Breeze is compatible all major C
Compilers. Configuration macros are supplied to work with Mark Williams
C, Megamax C (Laser C), Lattice C and Hi-Tech C compilers. Within C-
Breeze a programmer can edit, debug, compile, link and run his C
programs without leaving it. Customize menu and keyboard commands to
suit your preferences.
C-Breeze offers the programmer many installation possibilities. It can
be used with floppies, RAM disks or Hard drive. Its different
configuration files can be in different directories so tailoring C-
Breeze to meet specific project needs becomes possible.
C-Breeze uses the standard GEM interface but allows for six active
windows with documents instead of the usual four. The programmer can
customize his own menu which acts as a shell for compiling, linking and
debugging for his particular C system. Install C-Breeze as an
application lets one automatically load the program when a '*.C' file is
double clicked. All commands are accessed either by the menu or
keyboard short cuts.
C-Breeze can be reconfigured to behave like any other editor with the
Calligrapher and Emacs emulations. The manual states that the basic
advantages for using these emulations are that they alleviate the need
to learn C-Breeze's new command key strokes and reduce the confusion of
constantly moving between different command sets of editors and word
processors.
C-Breeze offers advanced C Source Code Editing. Several macros included
in its standard configuration automate entry of standard C source text.
C-Breeze has all the features found in other editors and more. It
remembers all deletes and offers an Undo last delete facility.
Keystrokes that are repetitive can be captured and replayed. C-Breeze
has commands which allow jumping directly to a named function, marking
functions, next/previous function jumping, auto indentation and brace/
comment insertion, and showing balance of brackets. The current date
and time can be inserted directly into the text. Output to the printer
is dated, numbered, paged and titled.
Under C-Breeze's Help menu option one obtains help in the following
areas: general help, keyboard commands help, menu commands, and mouse
control. Its' online manuals provide a C quick reference. Quickly find
an ASCII Table with the ST character set and control characters and
crash analysis which contains some reasons why programs bomb, along with
BIOS and GEMDOS error return codes. Manuals contain information on
Standard C Strings, Math, Files and Miscellany. These provide help in
remembering operator precidence, keywords, character constants, and
complex declarations.
C-Breeze's Manual leaves the user searching. Pages are not numbered
consecutively between sections. Each sub topic is a world unto itself.
Installation, for instance, has 34 pages. The next chapter starts over
again at page 1. When you get to the index, you have a page listing
like 4-21 so you have to remember that the Reference Guide is chapter 4.
Lots of fun, huh? This disappointing manual is unexpected. MichTron's
manuals are usually excellent. I hope they plan to improve it in later
printings. I really do like its plastic ring binding.
C programmers who aren't pleased with their compiler's text editor can
really benefit using C-Breeze, especially if it's an older compiler.
Some may find C-Breeze does not offer them enough. Please remember that
MichTron also offers Tempus II.
C-Breeze sells for $49.95 and is available from
MichTron
576 S. Telegraph
Pontiac, MI 48053
(313)334-5700
========================================================================
Z*Net Online is a weekly online magazine covering the Atari
community. Opinions and commentary presented 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 is credited and
the article is not edited without permission. =/=
=======================================================================
ZNET ONLINE Volume 5 Number 1 Atari News and Reviews FIRST!
Copyright (c)1990 Rovac Industries, Inc..
=======================================================================
