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Z*NET Online Magazine Issue 91-02
==(((((((((( == Z*NET INTERNATIONAL ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE
=========(( === -----------------------------------------
=======(( ===== January 12, 1991 Issue #91-02
=====(( ======= -----------------------------------------
==(((((((((( == Copyright (c)1991, Rovac Industries, Inc.
PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Ron Kovacs SENIOR EDITOR: John Nagy
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Jon Clarke, Terry Schrieber, Mike Schuetz
*-- Contents --*
================
Atari Moves Entertainment Division
Atari Fires Sales Reps
Sam Tramiel To Speak In Online Conferences
Atari CES Announcements
Z*NET Conference Members Listing
Z*Net Newswire
Z*Net New Zealand
Z*Net Atari Newswire
Atari Product Annoucements and New Games
EDITORS DESK
============
by Ron Kovacs
This week Atari attended the Winter CES in Las Vegas and will be once
again attending the Winter NAMM show. We will have full reports from
NAMM, Vancouver next week, and some coverage of CES this week. We have
compiled reports from Atari press releases at CES.
Z*Net Conference members are listed this week and we encourage you to
support these systems. We are publishing the list in an effort to cut
down on long distance calling by our readers. If these systems are
local, call them, if you know of a BBS that is carrying our publication,
please let us know so we can update our BBS listing.
Look for Z*BREAK releases, if required from Vancouver during the week
ahead.
Z*NET ATARI NEWSWIRE
====================
ATARI RELOCATES ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION
Atari announced that it has relocated the firm's entertainment division
to the Chicago Area. The relocation was made in conjunction with the
appointment of Lawrence Siegel as president of the entertainment
division. Siegel was previously vice president of software development
for Atari. Atari's announcement of the new $99.95 Lynx at the Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas is already having an impact on its
entertainment division. The new Atari Entertainment Division will be
located at 330 North Eisenhower Lane, in Lombard, Illinois.
ATARI FIRES ALL SALES REPS
In a move that signals a major reworking of rthe marketing plan for
Atari, the company fired all of their full-time sales representatives
last week, and let most or perhaps all of their contracted rep firms go
as well. This action follows the prior week's departure of sales VP
Bill Crouch after a review of sales figures. Atari had only six full
time staff representatives, and at least some of them are being
considered for other positions within the company. The reasoning for
the move is said to be that the reps are not generating sales beyond
that which can be had more efficiently by sales through national
distributors. Pacific Software is offering one-day shipping of Atari
1040STe's, monitors, hard drives, and software, and may very well carry
the Mega STe when it enters the market in February. Atari plans to beef
up its in-house sales support in order to "hand-hold" with personal
service, albeit on the phone, the high-end dealers who will also be the
initial primary outlets for the TT.
CES PRIVATE SHOWING OF THE ATARI PANTHER
There were no press releases about the new video game to come (shortly?)
from Atari at this week's Consumer Electronics Show (see related
coverage in this issue). Nevertheless, the PANTHER, said to be a 68000
CPU game box unrelated to the ST computer line, was shown privately by
Atari's Leonard Tramiel to select developers during the huge Las Vegas
entertainment product show. Details? Sorry, all we could get from a
source within Atari about the Panther was "Nice kitty, kitty..."
ATARI TO ATTEND VANCOUVER SHOW
In Canada this week Atari was preparing for the Pacific Rim Computer and
Communications Show held each year in Vancouver. Atari has transported
it's large booth out to the westcoast in anticipation of a larger show
than previous years. Z-Net will be bringing you first hand reports from
the show as well as interviews with some of the notable Atari
personalities attending. Look for special Z*BREAK updates next week and
a full report in next issue.
SAM TRAMIEL TO "SPEAK" ON GENIE, COMPUSERVE CONFERENCES
Atari CEO Sam Tramiel is scheduled to be the featured guest in an online
conference on GEnie telecommunication service on January 30, and shortly
thereafter, on a similar conference on COMPUSERVE. The GEnie appearance
will reprise Sam's conference of last year when a record number of
people attended the live on-line question and answer session. It will
occur as part of the regular Wednesday night "RT CONFERENCES" held each
week at 10 PM Eastern, 7 PM Pacific time. Sam may tip his "listeners"
to his plans for new products in the ST and game product lines for 1991.
More live conferences are planned as well, with other notables from
Atari including the head of the UNIX development group.
SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS FOR PORTFOLIO
Atari and third-party developers have unveiled 14 new software titles
for the Portfolio. Software programs for the Portfolio include: Power
Basic, by PC-SIG is a full-fledged powerful basic compiler that allows
users to write application programs for the Portfolio that can be
tailored for specific needs. Portfolio Stock Tracker, from Lifestyle
Software, keeps track of users stocks, bonds, annuities, options, cash,
mutual funds, treasury issues, warrants, real estate, hard assets, autos
and any other investments the user defines. The program allows for
hardcopy printout. Atari Turbo Translator, from Organised Solutions,
can translate approximately 1,000 phrases and 2,000 words into six
languages (English, Swedish, German, Italian, Spanish and French).
Personal Finance, from Bytesize Software, is an easy-to-use tracking
program that allows input and sorting by category. This software
package can also be used to record time/expenses for attorneys or anyone
who must keep an hourly time sheet for billing. Scientific Calculator
contains approximate scientific transcendental functions. With this
program, users no longer need to carry a scientific calculator in
addition to their organizer. Portfolio Bridge Baron, from Lifestyle
Software, is for people who want to learn how to play Bridge or improve
their game strategy. It includes 91 challenging deals as well as a
variety of both elementary and advanced declarer strategies. Portfolio
Wine Companion, from Lifestyle Software, allows users to catalog their
wines, choose just the right wine for the occasion and track their wine
cellar value and composition. This package has been a strong seller in
the PC world. Portfolio Astrologer, from Lifestyle Software, uses the
three main astrological calculation bases (Placidus, Koch, and Equal
House), to provide a complete natal chart, influences, a planetary map,
daily data and even the interpretation of the data. The program allows
for hardcopy printout. Chess, has all the strategy and challenge the
game is known for. Assisting in the design of this Portfolio game was
the renowned chess and computer chess authority, David Levey. Hyperlist
performs outline functions with main topic headings and subheadings.
Hyperlist is ideal for anyone who must manage a tight schedule or
prepare a presentation on short notice. The Portfolio Diet/Cholesterol
Counter, from Lifestyle Software, lets you monitor your caloric intake
as well as fat consumption for a total dietary evaluation according to
official U.S. government RDA guidelines. U.S. Traveler's Guide, from
Organised Solutions, is a complete guide to most major continental U.S.
citys (including Canada). 24-Hour phone numbers, emergency services,
restaurants, hotels, transportation, and entertainment listings are all
at the user's fingertips. The Traveler's Guide is ideal for both novice
and seasoned travelers. European Traveler's Guide, by Organised
Solutions, is a complete guide to most major European cities. It offers
the same features as the U.S. version of the Traveler's Guide and is
certain to be as integral to European travelers as their passports. The
Spell Checker/Dictionary/Thesaurus can be run in an interactive mode
with the Portfolio's ROM-based editor or as a standalone program that
can be used for a text-based file that was previously saved.
ATARI INCREASES DEALER SUPPORT
Atari Entertainment has announced that they will significantly increase
its promotional activities and dealer support program during the first
half of 1991. The specifics on the new creative and media campaign are
being finalized but that the advertising for the first six months will
focus on the use of cable and syndicated television and targeted spot
radio in key markets as well as game and entertainment publications.
First ads will highlight the Lynx's new retail price of $149.95 and will
feature Atari's offer of a free second game cartridge with each system
purchased. The offer will also be tied to dealer support activities
which will include counter cards with tear-off pads, dealer roto and
newspaper advertising support, as well as radio. For dealers who don't
have the floor space necessary to devote to the kiosks and pedestals,
Atari will offer countertop and slotwall displays. These displays
feature self-running tapes that demonstrate the color, graphics and
sound capabilities of the Lynx.
ATARI LYNX GAME LIBRARY AT 16
Rampage and Rygar, were among the five latest additions to the expanding
library of single- and multiple-player games for the Atari Lynx.
Rampage, from Bally has a suggested retail price of $34.95. Road
Blasters from Atari Games has a suggested retail price of $39.95.
Zarlor Mercenary, an Epyx original, will have a suggested retail price
of $34.95. Rygar, the 1989 coin-op Game of the Year from Temco, has a
suggested retail price is $39.95. Ms. Pac-Man, a coin-op smash hit from
Namco, Ltd., suggested retail price is $34.95. The other Lynx games at
prices of $39.95 include, California Games from Epyx, Paperboy from
Atari Games, Gauntlet and KLAX from Atari Games. At $34.95, Xenophobe
from Bally Manufacturing, Todd's Adventures in Slime World from Epyx,
RoboSquash from Atari Games, Blue Lightning from Epyx, Chip's Challenge
from Epyx, Electrocop, an Epyx and Atari collaboration, and Gates of
Zendocon from Epyx. For complete information on Lynx, Atari's home
video game systems and growing family of video game software, contact
your local video game dealer or call/write Lawrence Siegel, President,
Atari Entertainment Division, 330 N. Eisenhower Lane, Lombard, IL 60148;
(708) 629-6500, FAX (708) 629-6699.
NEW LYNX ACCESSORIES
Atari announced a complete line of Lynx accessories. The accessories,
which were designed to enhance the portability of the handheld video
game system, include a traveling case, a carrying pouch, a sun visor/
screen guard, and a cigarette lighter adapter.
ATARI TO EXPAND LYNX GAME LIBRARY
With the 16 new releases, on-the-go video game enthusiasts will have
more than 30 games available for their Lynx portable systems. Many of
the 16 games scheduled for release take full advantage of the Lynx
features, with some allowing up to eight players. The new titles, which
have a suggested retail price of from $29.95 to $39.95, will be on
dealer shelves during the first and second quarters of 1991 and include:
World Class Soccer, an Atari Games original, Ninja Gaiden, 1990 Arcade
Game of the Year from Techmo, Blockout from California Dreams, Xybots
from Atari Games, Shanghai from Mediagenic, Warbirds an Atari Games
original, NFL Football, Vindicators from Atari Games, Grid Runner an
Atari Games original, Turbo Sub another Atari Games original, Checkered
Flag, A.P.B., Scrapyard Dog, and Tournament Cyberball 2072, from Atari
Games.
NEW GAMES AVAILABLE FOR 7800
Eight new action-packed video games for the Atari 7800 home video
entertainment system are now available bringing the total to nearly 40
games. The new, full-color games include: Ikari Warriors from SNK,
Planet Smashers, MotorPsycho, and BasketBrawl all Atari Games originals,
Mean 18 Ultimate Golf from Accolade, Mat Mania Challenge from American
Technos, Ninja Golf and Alien Brigade, Atari Games originals.
ATARI MIDI SOFTWARE AVAILABLE
There are more than 35 sequencing programs available for the Atari
Computer systems. Some of these include: C-Lab Notator from C-Lab,
Pro-24 from Steinberg/Jones, Tiger Club from Dr. T's. Notation and
printing software includes: Copyist DTP from Dr. T's and EZ Score Plus
from Hybrid Arts. Library and Patch Editing software include: Super
Librarian Pixel Publishing and GenWave from Interval Music Systems. The
Educational platform is covered, including: Electronic Courseware
Systems and The Ear from Steinberg/Jones.
Z*NET NEWSWIRE
==============
NATIONAL INTRODUCES ETHERNET BOARDS
National's Computer Enhancement Group introduced three adapter cards
that connect Apple Macintosh computers to 10BASE-T (twisted-pair)
Ethernet local area networks early this week. These new products expand
National's EtherNODE family of cards for PCs and Macintosh computers.
Here is a breif listing of the new baords introduced:
EtherNODE-16NB-TP
A 16-bit NuBus adapter for all models of the Macintosh II
EtherNODE-16SE-TP
A 16-bit board for the Macintosh SE expansion slot
EtherNODE-32SE/30-TP
A 32-bit DMA board for the Macintosh SE/30 processor-direct slot (PDS).
AMERICAN VIDEO SUES NINTENDO
American Video filed a $105 million damage lawsuit against Nintendo
charging the Japanese companies with violations of antitrust laws. The
suit states that Nintendo dominates the home video entertainment
business with an 80 percent market share, and that it is using its
monopoly power to cause the bankruptcy of the San Jose firm. In the
complaint filed January 8, 1991, American Video stated that Nintendo
ships 60 million Nintendo cartridges per year from Japan to the United
States with a retail value of about $3 billion.
COMMODORE ANNOUNCES CDTV PLAYER
Commodore announced the launch of the CDTV player, the industry's first
compact disc-based consumer Interactive Multimedia player at the winter
CES show. The new player is expected to be available through audio/
video retailers, department stores and software outlets in the United
States and United Kingdom in the first quarter of 1991. Applications
currently planned include products from Disney Software, Grollier,
Lucasfilm, Guinness, Psygnosis, Cinemaware, Accolade and Music Sales.
The retail price of the CDTV player will be $999 and CDTV titles should
to range between $30-100. This announcement was made by Commodore's
Chairman Irving Gould and Nolan Bushell, General Manager.
COMMODORE LAYS OFF 10%
Commodore announced earlier in the week that it intends to reduce the
company's work force in the United States by about ten percent or 250
to 300 people of it's 3,000 employees worlwide.
RECORDABLE COMPACT DISC UNIT
Kenwood will demonstrate a prototype for a home compact disc unit that
will record on blank disks at the Winter CES Show. The LZ-13, a CD-WO
(Write-once) unit that is capable of producing recorded disks from
various sources. The disks can be played in any CD player in the same
way as a conventional CD.
SIG HARTMANN JOINS LDW
Logical Design Works announced the appointment of Sig Hartmann as
executive vice president. Most recently an executive vice president
with Televideo. Before working with Televideo, Hartmann served in
executive vice president positions with both Commodore and Atari Corp.
Logical Design Works, Inc. is based out of Los Gatos and specializes in
exporting computers and electronics into Eastern Europe.
Z*NET NEW ZEALAND
=================
by Jon Clarke, Contributing Editor
This week we cover a few items of interest from hardware hacks to the
greatest games from 1990. Also with the increased quality in PD
software I have enclosed a partial list of Public Domain software houses
in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. I will conclude this
listing in next weeks Z*Net International On-line issue.
I would like some feed back from the readers if I am be so bold as to
ask. Last year I did several items on communications. I have had
several requests from people to continue in this vain about global
communications in the Atari Arenas. How ever I need to know a few names
there in the USA, Canada and Europe for the Public Data Network
Carriers. If you are familiar with your local carriers can you please
drop a note to me at the following address's.
GEnie : J.Clarke6
Compuserve : 72000,3555
UseNet : Jon_Clarke@kcbbs.gen.nz
STT@kcbbs.gen.nz
72000.3555@compuserve.com.us
Fido-Mail : Zone 3:1xx _ALL_SYSOPS Jon Clarke
or direct to the Z*Net fnet conference and make it attention to Ron.
Top 10 Simulation games for year ending 1990
----------------------
in the United Kingdom.
Ranking Title Software Company
1 F19 Stealth Fighter Microprose
2 Kick Off II Anco
3 Sim City Infogrames
4 Wayne Gretzky's Hockey Mirrorsoft
5 3D Tennis Palace
6 Greg Norman Golf Gremlin
7 Fighter Bomber Activision
8 Debut Pandora
9 F29 Retaliator Ocean
10 Cricket Captain D&H Games
Top 10 Shoot-'em-Up games for the year ending 1990
----------------------
in the United Kingdom.
Ranking Title Software Company
1 Xenon 2 ImageWorks
2 Blood Money Psygnosis
3 R-Type Activision [my Favourite]
4 Thunder Strike Millenium
5 Turrican Rainbow Arts
6 Simulcra Microstyle
7 Wings of Death Thalion
8 Rotox US Gold
9 Saint Dragon The Sales Curve
10 Anarchy Psygnosis
Please Note : Not all these games are available in the USA.
Atari ST Public Domain software houses across the 'pond'.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This week letters A-P next week P-Z.
If you are looking for some public domain software, below is a list of
some companies you may like to contact and see what they have available.
Name Address POST CODE Country
Advent Po Box 414 , Norwich NR1 4NX ENGLAND
Alpha Computing 32 Meadow Drive, Halifax, W Yorks HX3 5JZ ENGLAND
Atari Advantage 56 Bath Road, Cheltenham GL53 7HJ ENGLAND *
Awesomedemos 3 Mason Road, Seaford, E Sussex BN25 3EE ENGLAND
B Soft 33 Corsham Road, Calcot, Reading RG3 5ZH ENGLAND
Budgie UK 5 Minster Close, Rayleigh, Essex SS6 8SF ENGLAND *
Computer - Ashlaw House , Euximoor drive
Connections Christchurch , Wisbech , Cambs PE14 9LS ENGLAND
Demo City 15 the Wynd, Dunshalt, Capar,Fife KY14 7HE ENGLAND
Demo Club 23 Alma Place , Spilsby , Lincs PE23 5LB ENGLAND
ElmSoft PO Box 17 , Loughton , Essex IG10 2EE ENGLAND
Entertainment - 11 Calbourne Drive, Calcot,
Soft Reading, Berks RG3 7DB ENGLAND
Floppyshop ST 45 Provost Grahan Ave., Aberdeen AB1 8HB SCOTLAND
Freaks P.D.L 29 LeapValley Cres,Downend,Bristol BS16 6TQ ENGLAND
Goodman - 16 Conrad Close, Meir Hay Eastate
P.D.L Longton,Stoke-on-Trent,Staffordshire ST3 1SW ENGLAND *
HAL Computing 15 Regents Terrace, Leeds LS6 INP ENGLAND
Kad-Soft 2 Ebor Paddock , Caine , Wilts SN11 0JY ENGLAND
LAPD 80 Lee Lane, Langley,Heanor, Derby DE7 7HN ENGLAND
Metroplis 38 Howick Park Drive , Penwortham PR1 OLV ENGLAND
MPH 10 Chandlers Court, Eaton, Norwich NR4 6EX ENGLAND
MT Software 14 Lanes End,Totland,Isle of White PO39 0Al U.K
PG 6 Publishing Po Box 54, Stafford ST16 1DR ENGLAND *
Paradise Compt. 9 Westfield Crescent, Brighton BN1 8JB ENGLAND
* = known to be suppliers international mail order PD. The turn around
time via airmail is very quick, 10 days from NZ to UK to NZ.
Please note : All these software houses will supply P.D software
internationally. Remember to ask for a PD catalogue and prices.
Double your ST's joystick ports.
--------------------------------
Some games on the ST like Gauntlet , Leathernecks and others require
you to have four joysticks to play the game to the max. Below is a
simple and easy way to do this.
All you need is : 1 x D25 plug like your printer plug [ST end]
2 x D9 plugs [like the current joystick/mouse plugs]
18 inches of multi-core cable. [Min. 6 wires]
Printer Plug [D25] Joystick 1 [D9] Joystick 2 [D9]
1 -------------------- 6
2 -------------------- 1
3 -------------------- 2
4 -------------------- 3
5 -------------------- 4
6 -------------------------------------------- 1
7 -------------------------------------------- 2
8 -------------------------------------------- 3
9 -------------------------------------------- 4
11 -------------------------------------------- 6
24 -------------------- 8
25 -------------------------------------------- 8
Looking at the Printer Plug [D25] Looking at the Joystick Plug [D9]
1 1 1 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5
---------------------------- -----------
\. . . . . . . . . . . . . / \. . . . ./
\. . . . . . . . . . . . / \. . . ./
\______________________/ \_____/
1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 6 7 8 9
4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5
[If you have any problems refer to your Atari Hand book for pin outs]
Hardware protection from Virus's for the ST's floppy disk drive.
-------------------=============================================
If in doubt write protect it!
As we all know the safest way to stop a virus is to write protect our
disks. But the only time we do not do this we catch a virus. Here is a
hardware write protect switch, similar to what the Atari 8 bits used on
the Atari 1050. This will work with any Atari drive internal or
external but remember doing this project will void any and all
warranties you may have on your Atari ST. I nor Z*Net take any
responsibility for this and or any damage caused to your system when
proceeding with this project.
So please proceed with caution.
You will need the following : A DPDT Switch [smaller the better]
About 6 inches of 2 core wire
Soldiering Iron
Soldier
Drill
Phillips screw driver
Pliers.
Because there are so many different disk drive configurations out there
I will not bore you with a 101 and one ways to remove the case/housing
your drive, but only say this. If you have an internal drive _BE
CAREFUL_ you do not disturb anything on the ST's motherboard.
Ok Lets do it .. Remove the case surrounding your drive. Now remove any
metal casing there maybe. You might need the Pliers to twist the little
metal tabs so it can be removed. Done that? Good now this is what we
want to do. Find pins 8 and 14 on the Drive cable. Look below at the
diagram for help to find them. When you locate them make sure you can
indentify that they are really pins 8 and Pin Outs on Disk Drive Port
14.
Now we have gone this far we now need
____________________________ to find a place on the outside case we
| | can drill a hole and fit our small
| 11 12 | switch. Do this with care as a wrong
| | hole will be a horrible sight for a
| 9 8 | long time to come. Have the hole
| /* | drilled, fit the switch into it. Make
| 7 13 12 / 6 | sure it is a flush fit and looks OK.
| / | Remove the switch. Solder the two
| 5 14*/ 4 | wires to the plug and solder the other
| | wires at the other end to pins 8 and 14
| 3 2 | to the disk drive port or to the ribbon
| 1 | cable connector. (what ever is easier).
|____________________________| Please make sure you are careful not to
overheat any of the components !!!
Now mount the switch back into its hole and replace the system to how
you found it. Make sure you have no spare parts left over! Time to try
it. Place a _blank_ disk in the drive and select the format option from
the desktop on your ST. Now depending which way you have wired the
switch you should get an error saying the disk is write protected. To
make sure you have done everything properly remove the disk and make
sure it is NOT_WRITE PROTECTED. Try again to see which way the switch
should be for write protect and which position is un-write protect. I
would suggest you mark these positions to save any future worries.
A thought for the day :
"PRACTICE SAFE COMPUTING! WEAR A WRITE PROTECT TAB!" J.Towler 1989
OPERATION DESERT SHIELD
=======================
Saudi Arabia, Desert Shield and the State of Atari
--------------------------------------------------
by Scott Lapham
Some of you may remember me from the articles I wrote on the WAACE
AtariFest this past October. Well, I'm back with another article. This
time about a trip I took to Saudi Arabia from November 13th to December
21st. No, I'm not in the military and I didn't go there for a vacation.
(Just for the record, I did my time in the military when I was drafted
in 1969.) I do work for the U.S. government but as a civilian. (Yes,
there are civilians being sent to Saudi Arabia.) Luckily, though, I had
a specific job to do and was able to do it and come back in a relatively
short time. The following are some observations I made while there
regarding Saudi Arabia, Operation Desert Shield and our favorite
computer. (Please don't sue me if I got any facts wrong; I was only
there 5 weeks and didn't know how reliable my sources were!)
Saudi Arabia:
I must admit, Saudi Arabia is a lot different than any other country
I've ever visited. And of the 20 years I've worked for the government,
I've spent 16 years at locations other than the United States. Like
most places, there are good and bad sides to life in Saudi Arabia.
(Although what I consider bad might not be what the average Saudi (male)
believes.) As you probably know, women there have it a bit tougher than
our women. Not only can't they drive cars or wear western style
clothes, they have to sit in the back of the bus on public
transportation, can only sit with men in restaurants that have special
"family" rooms, and have to have written permission from a male member
of their family to travel outside of the country. I imagine it would
take some getting used to if an American woman married a Saudi and moved
there. But then there is the "reverse tax" that Saudi citizens enjoy.
There is no federal tax, state tax, sales tax or any other tax that I
know of in Saudi Arabia. Instead, the Saudi government gives their
citizens money every year. (Hence the term, "reverse tax".) It works
out to about $30,000.00 per family member per year. Is this incentive
to have children or what? (I may be wrong, but I think only male family
members get this bonus.) It's a way of spreading around the vast
revenues oil brings in annually. (Currently about $300,000,000.00 per
DAY!) I think I'm in the wrong business! Please, if there are any
Saudi citizens out there reading this, I'm not saying Saudi Arabia is a
bad place to live. It's just different.
Operation Desert Shield:
The troops seem to be in very good spirits, considering what the future
may hold for them. They're pretty confident too, that no matter what
happens, we'll come out on top and quickly. And, as has been reported
in the news here, a lot are getting impatient and feel we should do
something or get out. I guess only time will tell.
One of the reasons spirits are so high over there is the mail. They get
tons of it every day. And not only from the people they know. They get
an unbelievable amount of mail addressed to "Any Soldier". And believe
me, it's appreciated. Three cheers to all of you out there that have
taken the time to write to people you've never met. It means a lot to
them to know that America is behind them. I saw dozens of posters and
banners that were made by grade school classes, scout troops, college
fraternities and sororities, etc., etc. They hang on the walls in chow
halls, offices, hallways or where ever they'll fit. They're a constant
reminder that they are being thought of back home. If you've been
thinking of writing to "Any Soldier" and haven't yet, please do. It
doesn't take long and it'll mean a lot to a guy or girl far from home.
A note on the American military versus the Saudi military: It was
learned while I was there that a Saudi officer, equivalent in rank to a
U.S. Army/Air Force colonel (O-6), makes more money than an American
4-star general (O-10). Plus the Saudi gets a free car (usually a
Mercedes) and a free house (usually BIG). Oh well, money and status
symbols aren't everything.
ATARI in Saudi Arabia:
Believe me when I say that Atari has a strong presence in Saudi Arabia.
At least in the parts that I was in (Riyadh, mostly). Any shop that
sold any type of electronics, sold Atari products. There were "Atari
only" stores. The Fuji symbol was everywhere. OK, the prices aren't so
hot for some items, but we're talking about one of the richest countries
in the world. What do they care about prices? I saw more Atari
computers there than all the other brands put together. And I mean the
entire line from 2600 game machines to Mega4's and even Atari PC's.
Here's what they cost in a very large electronics store in a very large
(200 plus stores) mall in the capital city of Riyadh:
Product Cost
Name Rials Dollars Note
2600 145 38.66 Includes 64 games*
2600 220 58.66 Includes 192 games**
65XE 550 146.66 Includes 2 programs
65XE 390 104.00 With Arabic/English keyboard
520ST 1990 530.66 Includes 25 programs***
1040ST 2990 797.33 Includes 25 programs***
Mega2ST 5400 1440.00
Mega4ST 7200 1920.00
SM124 650 173.33
SC1224 1500 400.00
PC3 4400 1173.33 With color monitor
Portfolio 1530 408.00
32K Card 300 80.00
64K Card 480 128.00
128K Card 730 194.66
Above is using 3.75 rials to 1 dollar.
None of the ST's came with monitors.
*-These come in a normal looking cartridge that has 8 dip switches that
you set to choose which of the 64 games you want.
**-You don't need a cartridge to play these games. All 192 games (all
different) are BUILT IN to the machine!
***-All 25 programs come in identical packaging. Hmmm.
As you can probably guess, all the "freebies" with the 2600's and ST's
are questionable as to their legal status. (Bet you didn't even know
there was 192 different games for the 2600!)
As these machines, cartridges and programs are sold out in the open
almost anywhere, I suspect copyright laws are not enforced in Saudi
Arabia. (Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.) You can, though, buy legal
copies of programs for Atari computers in most stores. It's just that
the "other" ones are so much cheaper and easily available. (No, I
didn't buy any.)
The sales people I talked to are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their
STe's and TT's. They said they'll sell them as fast as they can get
them in. No matter what the price.
That's all I've got for now. Glad to be back in the good old USA. And
hope to be able to write another article about Atari real soon. This is
fun.
Cheers.
Z*NET CONFERENCE MEMBERS
========================
The following list is a compilation of the bulletin boards currently
listed in the Z*Net Online Conference available in the FoReM FNET
system. These boards also carry the weekly releases in the conference
which we send out in.
If these systems are local to you, please support them by calling today!
NODE - BOARD NAME - - NUMBER - - CITY, STATE, COUNTRY -
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
5 Mile High 303-431-1404 Denver, CO
97 Big Foot 206-726-9739 Seattle, WA
133 Hologram Inc. 201-727-1914 Old Bridge, NJ
135 Batcave BBS 215-755-0166 Philadelphia, PA
153 The Temporal Fixation 609-423-4865 Paulsboro, NJ
168 C.C.B.B.S. 609-451-7475 Bridgeton, NJ
171 The Outland 403-475-9588 Edmonton, AB, Canada
204 Full Moon: FoReM Spt 508-752-1348 Worcester, MA
209 Ez STreet 609-723-2796 McGuire AFB, NJ
224 Flash BBS 314-275-2040 St. Louis, MO
266 The Patch House 212-824-5512 New York, NY
300 ST.AT.U.S. BBS 203-528-7693 East Hartford, CT
304 The Twilight Zone 407-831-1613 Longwood, FL
322 ACEY BBS 509-966-8555 Yakima, WA
391 HyperSpace I 803-576-6212 Spartanburg, SC
401 HyperSpace III 404-452-7488 Atlanta, GA
410 ACE Information 513-233-9500 Huber Heights, OH
423 White Runes/Tinuviel 303-972-8566 Littleton, CO
429 MASATEK 213-518-9524 Torrance, CA
437 STinger BBS 805-834-9405 Bakersfield, CA
440 Realm of Chaos 602-789-9426 Phoenix, AZ
441 The Boiler Room BBS 313-562-1142 Detroit, MI
448 Crash ST BBS 604-299-5111 Burnaby, BC, Canada
467 Sherwood Forest 718-522-0768 New York, NY
469 The Outer Region BBS 303-766-2778 Aurora, CO
477 SST BBS 702-645-6185 Las Vegas, NV
489 STeal Your Face 201-920-7981 Brick, NJ
500 Battlezone 301-969-0621 Glen Burnie, MD
504 Media 2000 301-360-0397 Pasadena, MD
505 Atari West BBS 604-272-5888 Richmond, BC, Canada
513 The Forgotten Realms 615-833-4971 Nashville, TN
523 Leftover Hippies BBS 416-466-8931 Toronto, ON, Canada
532 Bill's BBS 403-461-7546 Edmonton, AB, Canada
534 Pinky's House/Horror! 415-531-1576 Oakland, CA
538 The Dragon's Lair 803-788-7806 Columbia, SC
546 Bear Swamp BBS 513-644-0714 Marysville, OH
556 Thieves Guild 301-894-8516 Suitland, MD
574 Asylum 505-897-4306 Albuquerque, NM
593 Z*Net Online 908-968-8148 Middlesex, NJ
594 Excalibur 719-596-4196 Colorado Springs, CO
596 Super 68 206-859-9644 Kent, WA
602 Cartoon Haven 719-574-7406 Colorado Springs, CO
616 MoDeM MaDnEsS 516-295-3827 Woodmere, NY
If your system is interested in joining this conference, leave email to
me through any of these systems and send it to Node 593. Set up your
base today and let us know to add you. The conference code is 20448 and
again the lead is Node 593.
PUBLIC DOMAIN UPDATE
====================
by Keith MacNutt
KXPSET V4.2
by Bill Aycock
2310 North Elm ST.
Greensboro, NC 27408
In this weeks article I'd like to cover a printer utility that I found
on a local BBS about a month ago. At that time I had just upgraded from
a 9 pin printer that I had use for about 4 years on the 8 bit and then
on my two ST's, to a PANASONIC 24 pin KX-P1124. Looking through the
manual I began to realize that even though the printer was easy to use
and set up, there must be a utility that could make the job even easier.
KXPSET was just the program I had been looking for. It was not only
easy to use, but took up very little memory (about 23k if used as a
accessory). At a glance I saw programmable features I didn't even think
my printer could do.
On the opening screen, all features are laid out in columns and with
similar features grouped together. Under the first column and in the
first box is the NLQ on and off feature. The default for this is
"neither" so that printers without NLQ could also be supported.
Super/Subscript section lets you print in normal, Superscript or
Subscript. In the later two the printing is about 2/3 as tall as normal
print.
Font selection allows you to choose one of the built in fonts which
include bold ps, courier, prestige, sans serif or script. For those
printers that don't support these fonts, a default feature can be used
instead.
Next comes setting the pitch, with a choice of 6 possible values. The
settings are 10,12,15,17,20 or proportional spacing.
Line spacing sets the amount of paper feed between lines, with settings
of 6 or 8 lines per inch or set the amount in 60ths, 180ths, or 360ths
of an inch.
Print options contain settings for italics, emphasized, double strike,
double wide and double high.
Next comes a choice between uni or bi-directional printing. Uni-
directional will give you better quality printing but be slower then bi-
directional.
Half speed mode setting may also improve output and make the printer a
lot quieter.
Re-initialize sends a command to the printer setting it to the same
values as if you just turned it on. This features is nice in that if
you just ran another printer program you may have left the printer in an
unknown state.
Form feed does just that, form feeds your paper to insure that you will
start on a new sheet of paper.
The word processing option sets the printer into special modes that
will:
1) center each line
2) justify by stuffing each line with spaces so that all lines are of
equal length
3) right align which pushes each line to the far right
There are included in the next feature, a list of 3 pre-defined or 6
custom slots that can be pre-programmed and saved for later use. These
slots save the users settings under a title, and can contain different
selections for each one.
Page setup button brings up a dialog box containing individual on/off
boxes to set page length, skip over perforation an right and left
margins. Beside each of these features is a type in line that allows
the user to set the parameters for each function. The lower half of
this menu contains settings for
1) no tabs
2) tabs every.. up to 32 horizontal or 16 vertical tab stops
3) set these tabs, allows you to pull up a screen to enter
these settings.
The final step consists of clicking on the send commands button which
takes you back to the desktop if you have set the program up properly.
If not, just review your settings and make the necessary changes before
exiting. A final note, if you have generated any new preselected
definitions in the Custom setup boxes, please save these to the program
before you exit or they will be lost.
Overall this has got to be one of the best printer setup programs I've
come across to date. Not only will it work on 24 pin, but most Epson FX
compatible 9 pins should also be able to use this program. If you are
using a 9 pin printer the documentation states all the features the 9
pins will not support.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Z*NET Atari Online Magazine is a weekly publication covering the Atari
and related computer community. Material contained in this edition may
be reprinted without permission except where noted, unedited and
containing the issue number, name and author included at the top of each
article reprinted. Opinions presented are those of the individual
author and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff of
Z*Net Online. This publication is not affiliated with Atari
Corporation. Z*Net, Z*Net Atari Online and Z*Net News Service are
copyright (c)1991, Rovac Industries Incorporated, Post Office Box 59,
Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-0059. Voice (908) 968-2024, BBS (908) 968-
8148 at 1200/2400 Baud 24 hours a day. We can be reached on Compuserve
at PPN 71777,2140 and on GEnie at address: Z-Net. FNET NODE 593 Z-NET
(TM) pending.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Z*NET Atari Online Magazine
Copyright (c)1991, Rovac Industries, Inc..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
