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Z*NET Online Magazine Issue 508
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Atari Online Magazine Issue #508
=========================================
(½) 1990 by Rovac Industries, Inc.
Post Office Box 59
Middlesex, New Jersey 08846
=======================================================================
Publisher/Editor - Ron Kovacs Editor - John Nagy
Z*Net Online 24 Hour BBS (201) 968-8148 3/12/24
CompuServe 71777,2140 GEnie Z-NET
=======================================================================
FEBRUARY 23, 1990
***********************************************************************
CONTENTS - ISSUE #508
***********************************************************************
- Z*Net NEWSWIRE
Latest Atari News and more................................
- GCR/STACY MAKES MAC USERS GASP
Bob Brodie at MACTECHNICS........................John Nagy
- FCC UPDATE
Latest happenings with the FCC................Eric Florack
- ST STACK
Latest PD Report...............................Alice Amore
- COMPUSERVE ATARI UPDATE
New file-finder area......................................
- PC-DITTO 2 UPDATE
Text files available............................Ron Kovacs
- 8 BIT QUESTIONNAIRE
Request.....................................Elliott Coerper
- STE AUDIO ENHANCEMENTS
More on the STE..................................Ctsy PSAN
- PUBLIC NOTE
Commentary.......................................John Kent
- SUPER BOOT 6
Review.......................................Bruce Gardner
***********************************************************************
Z*NET NEWSWIRE
***********************************************************************
NEOCEPT UPDATE:
WordUp Version 3.0 is just about 2 weeks from beta testing. WordUp is a
graphics word processor that integrates pictures and text as it always
has but the new version will include a regular printer font output. It
will support the big screen monitors such as the Moniterm, a contextual
spell checker and a smart spell checker. A thesaurus that will let you
select near and true antonyms as well as synonyms.
ONLINE UPDATE:
Gordon Monnier has admitted to using the BSTONE account name during the
recent PC-Ditto message battle on GEnie. No comments were made during
the episode after the original accusations, but this week a message was
posted explaining the situation by Monnier.
GRIBNIF NEWSLETTER RELEASED:
Gribnif has released a new customer newsletter. A new version of
NeoDesk is discussed in this release with some of the following features
expected. Full resolution support including low, split windows,
resizing of background windows, windows can independently display icons
or text, separate sort for each window, display font changing, faster
file sorting, file search functions, and the ability to place a folder
on the desktop. The new version is being written in Borland Turbo C
which will make the program faster and smaller. Expect to see something
in late spring. The newsletter itself is six pages long and interesting
reading for NeoDesk owners.
LYNX GIVEN AWAY:
WHTZ Z100, a local radio station serving the New York area was giving
away Atari Lynx machines during the Morning Zoo program Friday. The
radio show which regularly gives away prizes, tickets and record albums,
was the first station in the area to give away Atari equipment.
FEDERATED SOLD - UPDATE:
Atari received $17 million, plus stock options, for this transaction.
The options are a part of a deal that will allow Atari, over a 5 year
period, to purchase up to 3.87 million shares in Dixon Group, the parent
company of Silo. It is apparent that Atari is not actually getting out
of the superstore business, just shifting financial responsibility a
bit. In case you are curious, Dixon Group is a rather large firm, based
mostly in the U.K. at this time, and to give you a feeling for their
size, they recently held off a takeover offer of $1.4 billion from a
competitor.
ELECTRONIC SKETCH PAD:
Sony is set to release its "Electronic Sketch Pad" that will allow
children to draw and design animations on their home TV. The unit is
set to retail for $130 and should start shipping in April.
$599 FAX MACHINE:
U.S. Marketing is due to release a new low cost, plain paper FAX
machine. This item will sell for $599, and is the first unit at this
price to make its appearance in a non-office model. These units have
been previously available, but only at much higher prices and were
designed for commercial use only.
TRAVEL COMPUTER COMING SOON:
Radar detector giant, Whistler, is set to unleash its "Interstate
Travel Computer" on an unsuspecting world! This system will allow its
owners to obtain data on food, gas, hotels, hospitals, rest stops, and
local points of interest when they merely input their location (such as
closest mile-marker, direction, and state highway number). Data is
stored under super-compression in a 1 meg rom, and manipulated by the
four-bit microprocessor system. This LCD, battery powered wonder will
retail for $99, and should make its appearance in stores in April.
HP LASERJET SERIES III:
Hewlett-Packard will soon release the LaserJet Series III, and stop
production on the LaserJet Series II. Features that will part of the
new Laserprinter are: Scalable fonts, Font outlining, 8 totally new
typefaces, 9 Gray scales, and increased output speed. HP will continue
to support the Laserjet Series II. This may be the time for folk to
consider their laser purchases carefully. If you hold off for a bit,
you will be able to obtain the top-of-the-line LaserJet Series III, or a
reduced price Series II following the announcement of the Series III.
TRAVEL PILOT:
Blaupunkt displayed its "TravelPilot" system which is currently in use
in Germany. This auto navigation system uses a CD-ROM mapping system to
show the car's actual position, destination, and preferred route to get
there. This 5 piece system (digitized map on CD-ROM, CRT, CD-ROM
player, compass and wheel sensors) sports zoom capability (1/8 mile to
30 miles) and menu driven software to allow user to plot their position
and destination.
CD UPDATE:
Camerica/PowerMaster of America will soon release CD-ROM kits for the
Nintendo, Atari St, and the Commodore 64. The unit will retail for
$199, and will include interface and 3 game disks.
OTHER PIRACY PROBLEMS EXIST:
Computer software folk are not the only people sufferings from "piracy".
An interesting study of home satellite distribution and usage revealed a
similar alarming trend in this field as well. Conservative estimates
put the total of households with dishes at 2 million, and the study
pointed out the fact that 60% of dish owners also own a descrambler.
This works out to almost 1.6 million descramblers currently in use,
while General Instruments, maker of the VideoCipher descrambler system,
revealed it currently only has 680,000 subscribers on its logs. Quick
calculations show us that over half a million, or one in four dish
owners, are pirating the signal, if we are to go by these figures.
Irregardless of the accuracy of this supplied data, the trend toward
piracy is indeed alarming.
HEWLETT PACKARD UPDATE:
Hewlett-Packard has recently made several announcements: The first is
that they have now extended the warranty on all Deskjet and Deskjet Plus
printers from the old period of 1 year to 3. This covers all Deskjet/
Plus printers purchased on or after Feb 1st, 1990. Officials at HP
stated that the reason they are able to offer this extended warranty is
due to the fact that over time the Deskjet series of printers have
proven to be an extremely durable product, coupled with the fact that
the print head is actually replaced each time the owner replaces the ink
cartridge. Effective February 1st 1990 thru June 30th 1990 HP is
offering a $150 rebate on all Deskjet Plus purchases, and a $75 rebate
on all Deskjet purchases made within this same time frame.
TELEVIDEO REDUCES PRICES:
TeleVideo reduced list prices this week on its computer products by as
much as 20 percent as it continued to experience cost reductions. The
price reductions cover most configurations of TeleVideo's 386-based
systems and the 286-based diskless workstations for local area networks.
TeleVideo credits its transfer of systems manufacturing from Korea to
the United States for its ability to be more aggressive on pricing.
COLOR NEXT:
Steve Jobs told reporters this week that a color version of his NeXT
machine will be out later this year. Jobs said that NeXT has delayed
introduction of color machines in order to develop a full 32-bits per
pixel version rather than use the small screen 8-bit systems, as
in the Apple Macintosh. NeXT will offer a plug-in board including a
custom chip as graphics accelerator.
APPLE UPDATE:
Apple Computer announced this that it will trim its workforce by
approximately 3 percent. As part of a company wide cost reduction
program designed to bring expense growth better in line with current and
anticipated business conditions, about 400 positions will be eliminated.
The reductions are occurring in the Human Resources, Finance, Customer
Service and Information Technology, and Community and Government Affairs
groups as well as the Marketing and Distribution groups of the Apple USA
Division. Shortly after this announcement, Apple said that it will
decrease the suggested retail price in the United States on all models
of its Macintosh SE and SE/30 personal computers and LaserWriter IINT
and IINTX printers.
***********************************************************************
GCR/STACY MAKES MAC USERS GASP - by John Nagy
***********************************************************************
As part of the User Group Coordinator and general Atari man of the world
Bob Brodie's Michigan tour last weekend, Bob addressed the MACTECHNICS
meeting. The MacIntosh User Group had over 400 visitors packed in at
the Ann Arbor, Michigans Crisler Center, at the University of Michigan
Campus. They weren't there just to see Bob though, also on the agenda
was Timeworks, Adobe and Articulate Systems.
Timeworks showed Publish It (for the Mac of course), and it is quite
different from the PUBLISHER ST we are familiar with. Selling for
$349.00 there is little to give us hope of an ST version of the upgraded
DTP system at least in the near future.
Articulate Systems, from Boston, demoed a $1250.00 voice recognition and
response system. The version they showed the MAC group was setup to run
with a CAD program, and required a mear 5 meg of RAM to operate.
Adobe, the DTP trend setter, had a new product called PHOTO SHOP selling
for $850.00, this is a color compatible draw and paint application that
is said to be pretty dazzling.
Bob spoke for about half an hour as did the other guests, showing the
Stacy (The four meg ram 40 meg HD version), with Gadgets By Small's
Spectre GCR Mac emulator, Bob found the audience to be very receptive.
When Bob got around the mentioning cost for the Atari product line a
gasp, a physical reaction from virtually every person, rolled through
the meeting hall. After a moment of stunned silence meeting organizer
Doug Houseman, who is also a writer for MacUser Magazine took the
microphone.
He said, "In case you missed the significance of what this gentlemen
just said, let me repeat it. You can get one machine with four meg of
RAM, a forty meg hard drive, monitor, laser printer and mouse plus IBM
compatibility and MacIntosh compatibility and it will even run ST
software, all for less then the cost of a Mac LaserWriter Laser printer
ALONE." Again the gasp followed by numbers of questions not the least
of which was "Where can we get one of these!?!"
After the presentation part of the meeting Bob was approached by the
Adobe people who wanted to try out their Photo Shop software on the
Stacy GCR. Bob started to back pedal a bit saying "You know, if your
system makes an illegal call to the MAC hardware, it's not there..."
Adobe loaded their application...and it ran. Properly. Bob breathed
easier and the audience breathed harder even more enthused at what Atari
was doing for (or, PERHAPS to the MacIntosh community).
Proof of the success of the Mac meeting was available the next day when
Bob spoke to the largest Detroit area user group, MACE. Attending were
about 150 Atari users ... and a group of MACTECHNICS members who wanted
to see and here more, and get some hands on time on the Atari equipment.
Also attending the MACE meeting were group of Canadian users, they
indicated some dissatisfaction with the support being given them by
Atari Canada and asked Bob what Atari USA could do to help them. The
answer is likely to be nothing, the curious thing is that all prior
experience with Atari Canada has seem to indicate that their presence in
the market and support of users has, if anything, been more satisfying
then the Atari USA response.
Users from several Michigan Atari user groups were in attendance at the
MACE meeting, they included MAGIC and GAG. MACE had a good return on
the event booking many new members and selling lots of disks from the
library. One estimate showed that MACE profitted approx $600 at the
single meeting, making Bob Brodie and even more desirable commodity on
the meeting circuit.
***********************************************************************
FCC UPDATE - by Eric Florack
***********************************************************************
I got word just prior to Christmas, that a new bill was before the New
York State Senate. I note that it was mentioned on CUGOR BBS before I
got a chance to upload an info file about it. (Good!) Many of you know,
I've long been of the opinion that most of our government types don't
have the foggiest of what tele-computing, or for that matter, computing
itself as a hobby, is all about. With the following bill as example, I
rest my case. The bill in question would amend section 94-a of the
public service law. Read, in particular, the words in ALL CAPS. This
is the section that would, if enacted, change the existing law.
5604
1989-1990 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
May 15, 1989
Introduced by Sen. Dunne -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to protecting the
confidentiality of individuals in whose name identifying information is
entered into advertisements on electronic bulletin board or interactive
phone services.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY
DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Legislative findings and intent.
The legislature hereby finds that while the content of private
communications and advertisements should be afforded the fullest
protection practicable and due under the constitutional protections of
free speech, there is also vital considerations of privacy and the
emotional well-being of the residents of New York state that require a
balancing of those interests. It is the intent of the legislature that
the public service commission promulgate regulations that will serve to
prevent the invasion of privacy and severe emotional stress imposed upon
persons whose names and and other identifying information such as
numbers or addresses are placed in advertisements on electronic bulletin
board or interactive phone services without verification of their
voluntary informed consent.
Section 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section
94-a to read as follows:
Sec. 94-a. PROTECTING CONFIDENTIALITY IN ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARD AND
INTERACTIVE PHONE SERVICES. THE COMMISSION SHALL HAVE THE POWER AND
DUTY TO PROMULGATE SUCH RULES AND REGULATIONS AS ARE NECESSARY TO ENSURE
THAT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PRACTICABLE, THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF ANY
RESIDENT OR DOMICILIARY IN WHOSE NAME ADVERTISEMENTS OR COMMUNICATIONS
ARE PLACED ON ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARD SERVICES OR INTERACTIVE PHONE
SERVICES. IN CARRYING INTO EFFECT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION THE
COMMISSION SHALL TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE EXISTENCE AND RELIABILITY
OF PROCEDURES TO VERIFY THE VOLUNTARY INFORMED CONSENT OF ANY
DOMICILIARY OR RESIDENT OF NEW YORK STATE TO THE PLACEMENT AND CONTENT
(INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE NAME, TELEPHONE NUMBER AND ADDRESS) OF
ANY ADVERTISEMENT OR COMMUNICATION PLACED BY OR ON BEHALF OF SUCH
RESIDENT OR DOMICILIARY ON ANY ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARD SERVICE OR
INTERACTIVE PHONE SERVICE.
NO TELEPHONE CORPORATION SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, FINES OR OTHER
PENALTIES RESULTING FROM (i) ITS GOOD FAITH EFFORTS TO COMPLY WITH THE
REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SECTION OR RULES AND REGULATIONS PROMULGATED
HEREUNDER, OR (ii) ITS GOOD FAITH EFFORTS TO COMPLY WITH ANY COURT OR
REGULATORY ORDER OR REQUEST FROM A GOVERNMENT LAW ENFORCEMENT OR
REGULATORY AGENCY CONCERNING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROCEDURES THAT MAY
BE IN VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION OR RULES OR REGULATIONS PROMULGATED
HEREUNDER.
Sec. 3. The public service commission shall promulgate rules and
regulations implementing the provisions of this act within 180 days of
the effective date of this act.
Sec. 4. This act shall take effect IMMEDIATELY.
Comments from Kevin McLeavey, SysOp of THE BIG EXPERIMENT BBS from the
Albany area say it far better than can I, so.... with thanks to the TBE
BBS:
While the actions in Texas and Florida may be old news to a lot of you
by now, the Proposed NY state law and the NY PSC hearing may have the
most potential for killing off the BBS hobby.
NY Senate Bill S5604, proposed by State Senator John R. Dunne (Nassau
County) would have far reaching impact on the BBS hobby. Sen. Dunne's
law, if enacted would seem to require that a SYSOP must validate each
and every message posted on his board, in addition, it would require him
to have a signed sworn affidavit in hand before any message containing a
real name, an address or a phone number could be released on the board.
Further, it would also seem to require that he install, at his own
expense, a device that would automatically record the telephone number
of each person who calls his BBS.
It would affect small, free hobby type BBS systems, as well as systems
such as Compuserve and GEnie. Communications such as E-mail, which are
considered private would have to be monitored to ensure compliance with
this law. This would seem to fly in the face of numerous Federal laws
governing the right to privacy, if not the First Amendment to the
Constitution.
While I can applaud Senator Dunne's ultimate goal (preventing a repeat
of an incident on a BBS in Nassau County, NY where the name address and
phone number of a 12 year old girl was posted on an adult BBS stating
that she was available for "fun and games"). He is going about it in
the wrong manner. NY already provides for criminal sanctions against
those who gain access to computer systems without authorization.
It would seem that the expense to the SYSOP imposed by this law would
mean the death of the small free hobby type BBS that many of us now use
or run, and it would also mean an increase in the cost of using
commercial services such as Compuserve as the would have to comply with
the provisions of this proposed statute. It could, in fact, mean the
cessation of operations by Compuserve within the New York State as NY
would become the only state requiring such safeguards. Sen. Dunne would
better serve his constituency by addressing the problem through
strengthening and fine tuning the existing laws.
---------------------------------------------------------
The bill, itself, is currently in the energy committee, where all bills
pertaining to the PSC go. It's to be acted upon this spring. (Not so
far off!) Meanwhile, you might want to contact your state senator's
office, (you DO know who that is, right?) and secure a copy of S-5604.
It's free for the asking. If they get enough action, they will want to
know WHY so many folks are interested in this bill. Then, it's our turn
to TELL them. I'll keep you posted.
Lest you think this is a one time deal, here, let me clear that up right
now. This type of bill is coming on more all the time. Every time you
turn around of late, there's another proposed law that will either
regulate the modem user, or place some new fee on us. Here's another
example, this time at the Federal level:
MOBILIZE!
=========
Two years ago the FCC tried and (with your help and letters of protest)
failed to institute regulations that would impose additional costs on
modem users for data communications.
Now, they are at it again. A new regulation that the FCC is quietly
working on will directly affect you as the user of a computer and modem.
The FCC proposes that users of modems should pay extra charges for use
of the public telephone network which carry their data. In addition,
computer network services such as CompuServe, Tymnet, & Telenet would
also be charged as much as $6.00 per hour per user for use of the public
telephone network. These charges would very likely be passed on to the
subscribers. The money is to be collected and given to the telephone
company in an effort to raise funds lost to deregulation.
Jim Eason of KGO newstalk radio (San Francisco, Ca) commented on the
proposal during his afternoon radio program during which, he said he
learned of the new regulation in an article in the New York Times. Jim
took the time to gather the addresses which are given below.
Here's what you should do (NOW!):
1- Pass this information on.
Find other BBS's that are not carrying this information. Upload the
ASCII text into a public message on the BBS, and also upload the file
itself so others can easily get a copy to pass along.
2- Print out three copies of the letter which follows (or write your
own) and send a signed copy to each of the following:
Chairman of the FCC Chairman, Senate Communication Subcommittee
1919 M Street N.W. SH-227 Hart Building
Washington, D.C. 20554 Washington, DC 20510
Chairman, House Telecommunication Subcommittee
B-331 Rayburn Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Here's the suggested text of the letter to send:
Dear Sir,
Please allow me to express my displeasure with the FCC proposal which
would authorize a surcharge for the use of modems on the telephone
network. This regulation is nothing less than an attempt to restrict
the free exchange of information among the growing number of computer
users. Calls placed using modems require no special telephone company
equipment, and users of modems pay the phone company for use of the
network in the form of a monthly bill. In short, a modem call is the
same as a voice call and therefore should not be subject to any
additional regulation.
Sincerely,
[your name, address and signature]
It is important that you act now. The bureaucrats already have it in
their heads that modem users should subsidize the phone company and are
now listening to public comment. Please stand up and make it clear that
we will not stand for any government restriction on the free exchange of
information.
Thanks for your help. Dan Garnitz, Sysop
The Pedalers Palace BBS 703-532-3051
GT Net 033/006 AdultNet 703/000
FIDO 1:109/120.106
===============
A good deal of the problem, as I see it is that most of the people
attempting to regulate us, while trying to do so in good faith, I'm
sure, really don't have the foggiest of what we are all about. Thing
is, WE AREN'T TELLING THEM...I strongly suggest you act on this
information presented here.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
" S T S T a c k " by Alice Amore
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
RUNNER.ARC <--------- !This file is SHAREWARE!
Programmer: Dave Thorson
RUNNER, a "desktop alternative", has a wealth of useful and interesting
features. Here are some:
* It runs in any resolution.
* Programs can be run without worrying about which folder or disk
they're physically stored in. RUNNER switches to the program's disk
and folder automatically.
* TOS-Takes-Parameters (.TTP) programs normally require a command line
or parameters to be entered. RUNNER prompts you for this. Command
lines can be longer than the 20 characters allowed in the desktop's
dialogue box. The previous command line can be recalled and edited.
* RUNNER lets you install up to 15 programs per menu. Any of these
programs can be run with a mouse-click. No more waiting for the
desktop to redraw; on exiting a program, you are returned immediately
to RUNNER's screen. Programs are installed by simply selecting them
from a file selector box, regardless of drive or folder. Additional
information may be entered about each program to customize its
installation.
* Any of the 15 programs in a menu can be a menu itself, giving you
access to 15 more programs or menus by clicking on the menu.
* Menus can be nested up to 15 levels deep. This means you can
logically arrange your programs for quickest access. RUNNER can
theoretically store many billions of programs in its menus.
* Programs and menus are listed using descriptions rather than
filenames. Descriptions can contain up to 20 characters.
* Programs and menus can be installed to appear only in certain
resolutions. "Spectrum 512" won't appear in the list when using a
monochrome monitor, for example. (It is possible to override this and
list all programs when needed.)
* RUNNER can force the screen resolution on a color monitor from low to
medium or from medium to low, and this is remembered independently for
each installed program.
* Programs and menus can be added, removed or changed at any time.
* Access to a file selector is always a mouse-click away. If a selected
file is a program, RUNNER will run it as if it were installed in a
menu. Otherwise, RUNNER will display the file on the screen. "Funny"
characters are stripped out, and the text is wrapped at the
appropriate place. Low resolution is temporarily switched to medium
during file views. RUNNER's file view fixes text files in "strange"
formats (such as "ST Writer" data files).
* Up to 16 programs can be "installed" in a fashion similar to the
desktop, with support of wildcards in the extensions (for example,
".PI?" will load a program for files selected with extensions of .PI1,
.PI2, and .PI3).
* If you use an advanced file selector (such as "Universal Item
Selector"), all of its features will still be available to you.
* RUNNER will use any DEGAS-compatible picture as a background display.
Pictures for the current resolution can be loaded on start-up or after
RUNNER is running. If memory is short, a picture can be unloaded to
free up 32,000 bytes. Template "guide" files are included to help you
design your own background scenes.
* Desk accessories are available while in RUNNER.
* RUNNER's menu lists can be saved any time, loaded on start-up, or
loaded from within RUNNER. You can save different "configuration"
files (containing menu lists and color selections) for different
purposes.
* The palette used for running programs and viewing files can be
selected to be the desktop colors, the colors last saved in
RUNNER.CFG, or the colors of whatever picture file is loaded at the
time. This palette selection does not affect the displayed picture
(unless you want it to).
* RUNNER will not permit the selection of "bad" colors (colors which
would deem the screen unreadable to the human eye). If a loaded
picture file causes the text and background colors to be too close,
RUNNER changes the text color.
It's obvious that RUNNER has a great deal to offer the user, so go ahead
and look in the refrigerator. (Only after you see RUNNER will you
understand what "the refrigerator" has to do with all this.)
""""""""
BGIF.ARC
Programmer: Bradford W. Mott
BGIF does a beautiful job converting .GIF pictures to .PI1, .PI2 DEGAS,
or .SPU (Spectrum) pictures. I converted many pictures and never
encountered a glitch. It was also quite interesting to convert the same
.GIF file to more than one other format for comparison/educational
purposes.
""""""""""""
BLOCKADE.ARC
Programmer: David Scantlebury
BLOCKADE-types of games have been around for a long time. This version
from Europe, ALIEN BLOCKADE, is nicely done. Starting with the second
level, background pictures are slowly revealed as each part of the
picture is eliminated.
""""""""""""
GRAFX_09.ARC
Programmer: Jeffrey Kinzer
GRAFX, not yet up to version 1.0, will load D.E.G.A.S. (compressed or
not) or NEOchrome pics automatically, regardless of resolution. Color-
cycling is supported, as is variable-speed page-flip animations of any
group of pictures in memory. More features are promised. Let's hope we
see this program expanded. What already exists is quite good.
""""""""""""
HAMPSOMS.ARC
Programmers: M. Hampson, P. Dalesio
Although entirely different, this puzzle recalls Rubic's Cube in its
ability to frustrate. By clicking on a "cube", the cubes immediately
surrounding it are turned either on or off, but the object of the puzzle
is to turn ALL the cubes on or off. This is a puzzle only for the hair-
pullers among us.
""""""""""""
QUICKTOS.ARC
Programmer: Darek Mihocka
With all the versions of TOS in use, it's no wonder that some programs
have problems running on certain machines. QUICKTOS allows you to
circumvent your TOS in ROM and load in the TOS you need in order to run
these "uncooperative" programs. To use QUICKTOS, you must have a DISK
VERSION of TOS. Try to get a copy from your Atari dealer.
""""""""""""
SKG_DEMO.ARC
Programmer: D. A. Brumleve
Here's a demo of SUPER KIDGRID, a creative graphics design program for
children (ages 3-11, but I suspect others will enjoy it as well).
Triangles in any of 14 colors are placed on a grid to make designs and
pictures. Finished products may be printed, and a "picture show" is
sure to delight children of all ages. Attention to detail has made this
program 100% child-proof.
""""""""""""
TV_TITLE.LZH <--------- !This file is SHAREWARE!
Programmer: J. P. Deziel
This is the demo version for TV TITLER, a shareware program which allows
you to create video titling effects (such as scrolls, spirals, dissolves
and fades). To transmit your work to your VCR, you will need a 520STFM,
Video Key, or JRI Genlock.
""""""""""" """""""""""
STEPIX1.LZH, STEPIX2.LZH
Courtesy: Z-NET
These two files contain 4 digitized pictures (in DEGAS .PC1 format).
- The 4160STE logo on the top of the machine.
- A close-up view of the SIMMS RAM card cage.
- The "naked" STE motherboard.
- Internal shielding showing changes.
"""""""""
ST_CD.LZH
Courtesy: Z-NET
Here are digitized views of the compact disc from D&C Enterprises for
the Atari ST. Although the CD player couldn't be captured, there are
four views of the CD presented here, including one of the CD in its
case.
""""""""""
ACYPRY.ARC
Programmer: Tim Ekdom
To conserve memory (and for other reasons), some programs require that
you remove all .ACC files from memory plus any .PRG files in your AUTO
folder. ACYPRY makes easy work of this by renaming the files in
question automatically. The first of ACYPRY's programs renames the
files so that they're disabled at boot-up, and the second program
restores the original names to the files.
""""""""
DEPS.ARC
Programmer: Larry Weinheimer
For users of DEGAS ELITE, this desk accessory allows replacement of
pixels within the workscreen from one palette assignment to another.
""""""""""""
DICTNARY.ARC <--------- !This file is SHAREWARE!
Programmer: Dan Panke
This "dictionary program" lets you create your own dictionary. About
32,000 words can be stored in your personal dictionary. You can then
use the dictionary to spell-check documents.
"""""""""" """"""""""
DITTOA.LZH DITTOB.LZH
Uploaded by: G. Cross
For those having problems installing PC-DITTO II, here are a total of 15
low resolution DEGAS pictures (made using VIDI-ST) which outline the
installation process in pictures and words.
""""""""""""
FINDSALE.ARC
Programmer: Merlin L. Hanson
A one-of-a-kind program, FINDSALE helps all you garage sale freaks (I
don't exclude myself, here) locate sale sites more easily. When you're
through entering your data, take your hard copy with you. Drive safely,
arrive early.
""""""""""""
INF_LOAD.ARC
Programmer: Vince Averello
This will be of interest to owners of NeoDesk 2.05 and above. It is a
loader accessory for .INF files, and was written using the NeoDesk
Programmer's Kit.
""""""""""""
LASBRAIN.ARC
Courtesy : Atari Corp.
LaserBrain 1.31 is the Epson emulator for the SLM804 laser printer.
ARCed with ARC 6.02, it requires at least 1 meg of free space on your
drive to deARC. Mono only.
"""""""""
ORBIT.LZH
From: Plexus Systems Limited
Here's a whiz-bang Arkanoid clone. Beautifully done. This game is
included when you buy STOS, but it is also in the public domain.
""""""""""""
SPACEACE.LZH
Courtesy: ReadySoft
A demo of SPACE ACE from ReadySoft. The sound and graphics are so far
advanced, I won't begin to describe them here, since you'll be hearing
so much about them in the future. Be aware that this demo uses a highly
non-standard disk format. Even OPENING the disk directory can cause
system crashes. After deLZHing the file, run ULTRA.PRG (included) which
will set up the files for you on your floppy. Then reboot your ST,
disabling any hard drives on your system. It sounds like a lot of work
just to see a demo, but in this case, it's worth it.
""""""""""""
TEMPEL19.ARC <--------- !This file is SHAREWARE!
Programmer: Thomas Tempelmann
A machine language monitor and debugger, TEMPLEMON preserves your
program despite any bombs your system produces. Instead of bombs, you
will get a message telling you what happened. Supported are all STs,
color/mono, and screens that "overscan".
"""""""""""
T_RECTS.LZH
Uploaded by: C. Lichtenste
Interesting program which locates rectangles randomly, then tweens them
to the next set randomly. Several functions are user-settable.
""""""""""""
WFHLPDOC.ARC
Courtesy: Dave Heine
If you need help with the Wordflair demo (filename: WF.ARC), see this
file which is a Wordflair tutorial of sorts, and includes screen shots
of the various icons.
***********************************************************************
COMPUSERVE ATARI FORUMS UPDATE: WHAT IS THE ATARI FILE FINDER?
***********************************************************************
File Finder is an online comprehensive keyword searchable database of
file descriptions from Atari related forums. It was designed to provide
quick and easy reference to some of the best programs and files
available in the following forums:
Atari Productivity Forum
Atari ST Arts Forum
Atari Vendors Forum
Browsing through files has never been easier or more time efficient.
File Finder provides you with seven common search criteria for quickly
finding the location of a wanted file or files. You can search by
topic, file submission date, forum name, file type, file extension, file
name or submittor's userid. File descriptions, forum and library
location are displayed for the matched files giving instant information
on where to find a most wanted file.
HOW TO ACCESS THE ATARI FILE FINDER
The Atari File Finder can be accessed by selecting the appropriate menu
choice from the ATARINET Menu (GO ATARINET) or by typing GO ATARIFF at
any CompuServe service "!" command prompt.
HOW TO USE THE ATARI FILE FINDER
The File Finder database consists of files from various CompuServe Forum
Libraries. This database allows you to search for files under the
various criteria, which are listed below. The area also gives you the
date the file was uploaded, the Forum where you can download the file,
the library where the file resides, and a description of the file.
You can locate your file of interest by using the search procedure that
is available from the menu and based on one or more of the following
categories.
KEYWORDS
You are prompted for the keywords you would like the software to search
by. This would be useful when you would like to find a file relating to
a certain topic, but you are unsure of the filename. If you would like
help in locating keywords, choose choice 3 from the preceding menu.
SUBMISSION DATE
This search criteria selection will allow you to search the database for
files submitted during a specific time period. You will be prompted for
the upper and lower limits of the range. If you know that a file was
submitted to a forum during a certain period of time, you might use this
method to locate the file.
FORUM NAME
Searching by Forum Name will allow you to select the forum you want to
search from. You will be given a menu of available Forums. If you know
the forum where a file resides, you can search that particular forum
under any of the other search criteria that are listed.
FILE TYPE
You will be prompted for the type of file you would like to search by.
Your choices are:
ASCII Binary Image Mac Graph
FILE EXTENSION
This option will allow you to search a file by its extension, such as
ASC, TXT, ARC, DAT, or BIN.
FILE NAME
If you know the exact filename, this option will allow you to search for
the file by name.
FILE SUBMITTER
This criteria will allow you to search for the files in the database
that were uploaded by a particular User ID#. Should your search
criteria come up with nothing, you will be prompted for your "Next
Action", which could be:
1. Begin New Search
2. Restore Previous Selection Set
After a search has been completed, if the number of files found is
larger than 19, you will be prompted to take an additional action. Your
options would be:
1. Display Selections
2. Narrow the Search
3. Begin a new search
Option 1 will allow you to look at the files that have met the criteria
that you specified in your search. When you choose to display the
selections, you will be presented with a menu. Once you select a file
from the menu, you will see the forum name, the library number of the
file and the filename.
By selecting option 2, you will be able to continue to do a search using
the selection set that was created by your initial search.
Option 3, will allow you to start all over and begin a new search
through the database.
If your search criteria comes up with less than 19 files, the filenames
will be displayed to you and you can select the file that you would like
to review.
***********************************************************************
PC-DITTO 2 UPDATE
***********************************************************************
by Ron Kovacs (Courtesy GEnie ST RT)
Avant Garde released the following files this week in response to much
online chatter about the product and other topics. You can find these
articles on GEnie's ST Roundtable. This is a capture of the files
available and the description left.
Number: 14094 Name: PCDII10.DOC Address: AVANTGARDE Date: 900220
Approximate # of Bytes: 1260 Number of Accesses: 69 Library: 24
Description:
Avant-Garde STs used in testing pc-ditto II (for the curious)
Number: 14093 Name: PCDII8.DOC Address: AVANTGARDE Date: 900220
Approximate # of Bytes: 2520 Number of Accesses: 64 Library: 24
Description:
pc-ditto II new connector for STs with 68000 under spacebar
Number: 14092 Name: PCDII7.DOC Address: AVANTGARDE Date: 900220
Approximate # of Bytes: 1260 Number of Accesses: 72 Library: 24
Description:
pc-ditto II diagnostics and missing program info
Number: 14091 Name: PCDII6.DOC Address: AVANTGARDE Date: 900220
Approximate # of Bytes: 1260 Number of Accesses: 73 Library: 24
Description:
pc-di II Mega Expansion bus connector info
Number: 14090 Name: PC_D2.2 Address: AVANTGARDE Date: 900220
Approximate # of Bytes: 54180 Number of Accesses: 85 Library: 24
Description:
pc-ditto II Version 1.0001 file B - fixes a video glitch, speeds up
the video, and increases the compatibility.
Number: 14089 Name: PC_D2.1 Address: AVANTGARDE Date: 900220
Approximate # of Bytes: 52920 Number of Accesses: 81 Library: 24
Description:
pc-ditto II Version 1.0001 file A --fixes a video glitch, speeds up
video even more, and provides more compatibility.
Number: 14088 Name: PCDII2.DOC Address: AVANTGARDE Date: 900220
Approximate # of Bytes: 1260 Number of Accesses: 107 Library: 24
Description:
Info on smaller pc-ditto II board
Number: 14087 Name: PCDII1.DOC Address: AVANTGARDE Date: 900220
Approximate # of Bytes: 1260 Number of Accesses: 65 Library: 24
Description:
Info about pc-ditto II missing warranty card and user manual.
***********************************************************************
8-BITTERS QUESTIONNAIRE
***********************************************************************
by Elliott John Coerper
Hello, it's me again. No article this time, but some questions. Sorry,
but Sunday is when I fine tune my articles for Z*Net ONLINE. And this
Sunday the local Korean TV stations showed the Buster-Tyson Boxing
match, live!
Anyway, what I'm looking for is some advice from you, the Atari 8-Bit
user. What kind of articles would you like to see in Z*Net ONLINE? I
have ideas for about 15 or so more articles, but I would like to know
what is on your mind. So, if you will send me a letter answering as
many of the following questions as possible, I'll do my best to get
reply articles out. Thanks for your help and advice!
1. What Atari computer(s) do you own?
2. How much memory do you have?
3. What kind of disk drive(s) do you have?
4. What do you primarily use your Atari for?
5. What other kind of computer(s) do you own (if any)?
6. If you have a modem, what baud rate is it?
7. What kind of printer(s) do you own?
8. What kind of printer interface do you own (if any)?
9. What is your favorite program?
10. What are your top 10 favorite games?
11. What languages (if any) can you program in?
Basic__ Fourth__ Assembly__ C__ Pascal__
12. What new product (hardware or software) would you like to see for
the Atari 8 bit line?
13. What kind of articles would you like to see?
14. What would you do if you were the CEO at Atari?
15. What is your age?
16. Are you male or female?
17. Why did you buy Atari?
18. Will you buy Atari in the future?
19. Other Comments
When sending me your answers, please ensure that you have the correct
Zip Code. If you are one number off, it could be sent anywhere in the
Pacific (Guam, Philippines, Japan....).
Thanks again for your help and always remember, keep the faith, support
the Revolution and always talk up Atari computers.
Elliott John Coerper
Box 7137
APO SF, CA 96366
__ _ _ ___ __
/ ` // // _/_ _/_ ( > / / )
/-- // // o ____/ / __/______/_ ____ / ____/> __ _ _ __
(___, </_</_<_(_) (___<__ / / (_) / /_/ / < (__/ (_) (__/ (_/_)_</_/ (
<_/ /
'
Editor's note: Elliott can also be reached via Internet at the
following address: COERPER@lognet2.af.mil or by sending email to
71777,2140 on CompuServe or Z-NET on GEnie.
***********************************************************************
STE AUDIO-ENHANCEMENTS
***********************************************************************
by Rich Gratzer of S*P*A*C*E
(Reprinted from the Puget Sound Atari News, February 1990)
My original intention for this article was to discuss all of the
enhancements inside the new Atari STE. It seems however, that Darek
Mihocka has saved me the trouble by writing an in-depth report based on
first-hand experience with one. For that reason I will limit this
article to a brief discussion of the much improved Audio capabilities of
the STE.
Not too long ago I was looking through a European magazine that had an
article with pictures of a dis-assembled STE. It looks quite nice
inside, but what caught my eye was a new National-Semiconductors chip.
Of course being the hardware Nerd that I am, I had to go right home and
look up the part in my Data Book. The new part is an LMC 1992/3, a
Computer Controlled Tone and Volume Circuit.
This IC is truly a marvel! It is controlled entirely by a serial
digital interface. The maximum clock frequency for data transmission is
500 KHz and the word length is 11 bits minimum for an impressive control
bandwidth of approximately 45 KHz. The serial data stream contains
information as to which function of the chip is being accessed and also
the control data that is intended for that function. The available
functions are Volume control, Treble and Bass cut and boost, Fader
(balance ?) control, Input Source select, and also Loudness if they used
the 1993 chip... I don't remember which one it was!? OK, on to the
spec's.
SPECIFICATIONS
The Volume control circuitry provides a dynamic range of 80dB in 40
steps of 2dB each, thus the total range for volume control is about
10,000 to 1 in coarse increments. This is about 40 times greater range
than an 8-bit Digital Audio Signal is capable of! (Dynamic Range is a
ratio of the Loudest to Quietest sound and is usually referred to a
specific signal level. The tremendous Dynamic Range of CD based audio
equipment (approx. 88-96dB) is the reason that they sound sooo.. good.)
The Tone controls are capable of providing Bass and Treble cut and boost
of up to +/- 12dB in 2dB increments. The plus and minus 12dB relates to
a 4 to 1, or a 1 to 4 ratio respectively. This should be sufficient for
tone equalization since many inexpensive graphic equalizers provide
about the same range. Also, a Bass-boost/Treble-cut configuration can
provide Lo-Pass filtering to smooth out some of the distortion created
by the Digital to Analog conversion process.
The Fader controls along with multiple outputs allow a great deal of
flexibility, however they will most likely be implemented as a balance
control for the stereo outputs on back of the new STE. The Fader
control circuitry provides yet another 40dB of dynamic range in 2dB
increments; 40dB being equal to a ratio of 100 to 1. That's plenty of
range for some nifty sweeping effects and providing good stereo
separation.
On top of all this, Atari has also included true 8-bit DAC's (Digital to
Analog Converters) in the new machine. How many is still a mystery to
me. Different sources have speculated 4 to 8 DAC's (or voices). With
all the potential of the LMC 1992/3 it would be possible to effectively
double the number of voices (via software) while providing only 7 bits
of resolution per voice, and still suffer only a small loss in sound
quality. In other words, as long as we have just a couple DAC's we're
in fat city!
Also, most importantly, the new DAC circuitry will be DMA driven. No
longer will graphics intensive games be bogged down by the sound
processing (like Falcon...). DMA hardware allows the sound chips to
receive data at optimum speeds without requiring the 68000 to handle the
exception processing which is significantly slower. Good move Atari!
SUMMARY
Well, what does all this information really tell us? At first glance,
it looks as if the sound hardware is capable of absolutely incredible
dynamic range. This is true, except that in reality, the 'peak to peak
output voltage' and the 'noise floor' of the system will determine the
actual limits. I think we can reasonably expect 'near' CD quality
sound out of the STE. We won't have the luxury of a straightforward 12
to 16 bit-wide Digital to Analog output, but we will realize a
significant savings of storage space.
If properly utilized, the LMC 1992/3 IC, along with the new DMA driven
DAC's' could make the STE the uncontested leader in the Musical
Applications field. The LMC 1992/3 could be used to control audio-
envelope information while allowing the 8-bit DAC's to retain accurately
detailed waveforms. This gives the STE the ability to 'emulate' CD-
Audio technology.
It will also be possible to generate several distinctly clear voices,
independent of the number of DAC's provided (within reason, of
course..). This must be handled via-software and the data must be pre-
mixed prior to updating the DAC's. None-the-less, it will be done. I'm
sure!
With the Audio-hardware that Atari has designed into the STE, there are
no other Personal Computers, currently available, that remain
competitive. Yes, that includes the Amiga!
I believe we can now say that Atari 'owns' the Audio Spectrum!
***********************************************************************
A PUBLIC NOTE OF GRATITUDE
***********************************************************************
Feb 21/90
by John Kent, MD
through TRACE: (604)272-5888
Quick Utilities Policy
=Branch Always Software
=Darek Mihocka & Ignac Kolenko
These two Great Canadian Programmers are doing wild things in Waterloo,
Ontario. Just hiding out until the world grabs them, I think. They are
the most professional and ethical people I've seen yet in software and
here's why:
Their programs were previously shareware and include ABSOLUTELY
ESSENTIAL ones like:
QUICKST
screen speedup, as quick and CHEAPER than TURBO-ST
QUIKVIEW
TXT file viewer "par excellence," keyed to skip quickly through
STReports and Z*NET by topic, plus other valuables
QUIKFIND
file search utility for forgetful hard drive owners
QINDEX
benchmark testing of ST speed in 11 categories (AWESOME)
QUIKINF
desktop information editor, works with QUICKST
QPRINT
text-only screen dumper: [ALT]-[HELP] produces text output, not a
full graphics dump, in seconds
QUIKLABL
label generator for multiple diskette, etc., output
ALL of these utilities could be run as ACC or PRG applications simply by
renaming them. ALL of them were available for a one-time $30.00 charge,
with updates available for $3.00 + return of original diskette.
The documentation is complete and very professional.
When Branch Always decided to market QUICKST commercially (with other
utilities added on), particularly a "Version 2" quicker and smaller than
TURBO-ST I thought to myself "Oh no, there goes my shareware
contribution down the drain, 'cause they're going to want top dollar for
store-bought stuff."
NOT SO. Those of us who gave them shareware support are _REWARDED_.
Even though these guys are successful enough to go commercial, shareware
contributors will be FULLY SUPPORTED by them with the original upgrade
promise. That means $3.00 + disk for new-version, outstanding programs,
not just rehashed, Tweaked, Tinkertoy Toss-offs Targeted To Toiling
Trolls with Tiny Timex Z28s To Toy with.
Version 2 of QUICKST is now out, with Version 2 of most of the other
utilities targeted for release by March 1, 1990. Those shareware
supporters who send in for upgrades now will have their orders held
until the very newest versions are available for release. I'm talking
Ethical with a capital "E."
I often wear a hat, and it is off to Darek and Ignac, particularly in
view of the very rough treatment given them by Atari officials in the
past few months. Darek certainly had every right to drop Atari
programming forever, just because he "dared" to criticise Tramiel
publicly for the very poor track record of Atari in programmer support.
Yet he not only stayed on but has redoubled his efforts to bring truth
to the Branch Always slogan --
"...the way the ST could have been is now a reality..."
The preceding was neither paid, nor political, nor an announcement.
Just a statement of fact, with grateful thanks to two people who are
showing the world that you CAN be a nice guy and still make it!
***********************************************************************
SUPERBOOT 6.0 REVIEW
***********************************************************************
Reviewed by Bruce Gardner, S*P*A*C*E
(Reprinted from the Puget Sound Atari News, February 1990)
I have been using Super Boot, by Gordon W. Moore, for almost two years
now and I look at this program a lot like I look at my hard disk....
It becomes psychologically addicting after using it for a while. Now
with his latest update, version 6.0, being rapidly distributed, I think
a quick review of what this program does and what new things have been
added would be warranted.
Super Boot is an "all-in-one" type program that does just about
everything you could ever want to do each time you boot your computer.
It allows you to:
- Auto boot any GEM program.
- Choose which Accessories to load in.
- Choose which AUTO programs to run.
- Select the most used file configurations by simply pressing a function
key, with up to 30 function keys supported.
- Choose from a number of DESKTOP.INF files, allowing you to change your
resolution, color scheme, etc. on each boot.
- Customize Super Boot the way you want it using The Super Boot
Construction Set -- a separate, easy to use GEM program.
- Choose from a number of ASSIGN.SYS files for GDOS.
- Choose other data files used by up to 8 different programs.
- Display a welcome screen from any picture in Degas, Neochrome, or
Tiny-stuffed format, even on systems with both color and mono
monitors; and it can rotate colors on color systems.
- Set the date if you so choose.
- Set the time if you so choose.
- Choose whether or not Super Boot will run by holding down a "hot-key",
by a time delay feature, or by both to restrict access to your system
by use of a password (mainly useful for hard drive owners).
- Set the floppy disk seek rate.
- Have Write Verify turned off if desired.
- Set a default configuration if Super Boot is bypassed.
Super Boot works on all Atari ST models, from any boot drive, and on
both color and monochrome monitors. And Super Boot now supports all
versions of TOS including TOS 1.4 (Rainbow TOS).
In addition Super Boot utilizes the function keys by allowing separate
file configurations to be assigned to each one (for 30 different
function key combinations). When a function key is pressed, all files
specified for that function key will be activated, and the other files
not specified for that key will be inactivated.
Now having stated what Super Boot does, let's look at the new items
which Gordon Moore has implemented in version 6.0.
First, of all, the program has taken on a optional new look on the menu
screen. Now you can look at all 30 function keys at once if you choose
either by default or by pressing the letter "F". Also, for those who
have been using Super Boot, Gordon has thoughtfully included a
conversion utility (in the archived file package) which will allow the
user to convert the old data files to the new 6.0 data files. It took
me all of five minutes to install the new version on my system!
As noted above, the program now supports TOS 1.4. When using the
Construction Set the user can specify whether they want to use
"Startgem", "Headstart", or TOS 1.4 to auto start Gem programs.
Supposedly Startgem had some compatibility problems with some programs,
so we now have the option of using Headstart in place of Startgem.
Another nice addition was to allow the user to "hide" selected programs
from Super Boot 6.0. This is useful for programs like Fatspeed and
Pinhead 1.4 which need to be placed as close to the top of the auto
folder as possible. Since I use these programs every time I boot up, I
placed them before Super Boot 6.0 in the auto folder and then hid them
so Super Boot would not deactivate them.
Placing new programs to 'auto start' in the menu is easier now also
because Super Boot now uses the file selector box to help us select the
path of the new program. What could be easier?
One of the most requested features of the new program is that of mass
copying and mass deleting. It is so easy now to copy an .ACC or auto
program to all 30 function keys at once. Or, when we find that the
program has incompatibility problems, to delete it from all the function
keys at once.
I've covered most of the new features, but not all of them. After all,
what fun is it to run a new program and not be able to discover some of
its secrets by yourself?
This program is shareware. The author only asks $15 dollars for a
program that I would pay much more to have. Please support him, so that
he will continue to put out quality programs like this.
Super Boot 6.0 and Super Boot Construction Set are Copyright (c)1990 by
Gordon W. Moore. (Ed., Mr. Moore may be contacted at: 2300 W. Beech
Street, Ashland, KY 41101; or via E-mail on Compuserve - 73647,2735;
GEnie - G.W.MOORE; or The Abyss BBS (606-223-2782); or Fnet node 470.)
=======================================================================
ZNET ONLINE Atari News and Reviews FIRST!
Copyright (c)1990 Rovac Industries, Inc..
=======================================================================
