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Z*NET Online Magazine Issue 526
////// // // ////// ////// Z*Net Atari Online Magazine
// / /// // // // June 29, 1990
// /// // // // ////// // ---------------------------
// / // /// // // Compiled and Edited by:
////// // // /////// // Ron Kovacs and John Nagy
Issue #526 Atari News First
----------
(½) 1990 by Rovac Industries, Inc.
Post Office Box 59
Middlesex, New Jersey 08846
Z*Net Online BBS: (201) 968-8148
=======================================================================
CompuServe 71777,2140 * Cleveland Free-Net * GEnie Z-NET
=======================================================================
CONTENTS
THIS WEEK...................................................Ron Kovacs
Z*NET NEWSWIRE........................................................
ATARI LEADS AT NAMM - EYEWITNESS REPORT.................Dr. Paul Keith
Z*NET DOWN-UNDER............................................Jon Clarke
PD/SHAREWARE STOP...........................................Mark Quinn
ISD OUTLINE CONTEST...................................................
LEXICOR DEVELOPER REQUEST.............................................
ATARI SWAPFEST ANNOUNCED.................................Press Release
===============================
THIS WEEK
===============================
by Ron Kovacs
Happy July 4th! Have a SAFE and enjoyable weekend/holiday!
Commentary?? Is it really required? For the latest opinions and views
on the state of Atari, read the messages on the pay services,
(CompuServe and GEnie and possibly your local BBS system). Personally,
there has been enough said that most of the commentary appearing is
turning into re-runs.
I have received interesting email and a FEW letters, actually 3 letters
and a post card, requesting we (Z*Net) take on another online magazine's
commentaries about Atari. Well, simply put, WHY? They are doing such a
fabulous job of it, why share the spotlight?
A message posted on GEnie this week noted the fifth anniversary of the
release of the ST this month.... It escaped me... Does anyone remember
the release dates of the OTHER Atari products... Interesting though, I
didn't realize so much time went by?? It has been over 10 years since
the original Atari 8-bit.
===============================
Z*NET NEWSWIRE
===============================
ATARI EYES MOVE TO BOSTON AS ONE OF MANY OPTIONS
ST-REPORT issue #625 reported that Atari was considering a move to
either Canada or the Northeast USA. Officials at Atari this week
confirmed for Z*NET that a move to the BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS area was
one of several possible options for the Sunnyvale, California company.
However, they stressed that at this time, it is only being evaluated for
practicality, and that no plans have been made for moving anywhere. The
new General Manager-to-be, Elie Kenan, has asked for input regarding
possibilities that may make the management of the USA/CANADA/FRANCE
operations of Atari more manageable from one location. The East coast
site could offer fast commutes to Canada when needed, and would cut six
hours off the flight to France, as well as improved business-hours
telephone contact with the continent. While there may yet be no
decisions on moving, it is known that there have been recent additional
layoffs of key warehouse and financial management personnel at Atari.
This gives rise to at least the suspicion that future warehousing and
distribution may be done at a site other than Sunnyvale. It should be
noted that Atari in Sunnyvale is at least three distinct operations:
Atari USA, Atari Corporate (Worldwide), and Warehouse/Distribution/
Accounting. An Atari move out of the Silicon Valley might involve only
one or two divisions.
KENAN TO TAKE ATARI REIGNS IN JULY
July 15th may signify the new independence day for Atari. That's the
day Elie Kenan returns to Sunnyvale after touring the facilities and
offices of Atari in Canada and other locations. Upon his return, he is
expected to submit a plan and proposal that will make Kenan the
unquestioned manager of all operations of Atari USA, Canada, and France.
It appears to be a foregone conclusion that the plan will be accepted,
and that the Tramiel brothers will no longer be the controlling voices
of Atari USA. Just what this may mean in the long term remains a
mystery, but users and dealers and distributors all hope that a new day
of organization and cooperation and MARKETING will result from the
unification and consolidation of real authority.
MIDITASKING READY; RELEASE DELAYED
The unexpected low turnout at the recent Summer National Association of
Music Merchandisers caused the cancellation of Atari's MIDI developers
meeting. It was to have been the last developer meeting prior to taking
Atari's MIDI-Tasking module to the marketplace. Atari has not announced
a revised schedule for release of the system that will enable multiple
MIDI (and perhaps other) applications to run simultaneously on any ST
computer. See the complete NAMM report, elsewhere in this issue of
Z*NET.
NEW LASER PRINTER FROM ATARI
Atari will shortly release a replacement to their SLM804 laser printer.
It will be smaller, lighter, quieter and SLOWER than the SLM804, but
should retail for a bit less than the old laser printer, unchanged since
its introduction several years ago. While the 804 can do 8 pages a
minute, the new unit will be limited to about 6 pages per minute output.
The advantages will include easier access to service and supplies, as
the new Atari unit will be mechanically identical to models already
available from Epson, Mannesman-Talley, and several other brands.
Operationally, the new unit will act exactly as an SLM804, as it will
use the same interface/controller now in use. Like the older model, the
new printer will have NO onboard memory, using the RAM in the ST or MEGA
to build the image much more quickly than is possible with in-printer
memory. Preview units at Atari headquarters have produced flawlessly
with a variety of software, the most recent being HYPERPAINT. A drawing
application very popular in Canada, Hyperpaint is rumored to also exist
in a BETA version especially for the STE, offering access to its full
4,096 color pallet. Testers last week reported that Hyperpaint had no
problem importing a DEGAS cartoon and printing a pile of copies with the
new Atari laser printer for distribution.
NATHAN POTECHIN AND THE PIPS AT RENO?
No, the President of ISD (marketers of CALAMUS and DYNACADD) is not
doing a lounge act... He'll be part of a National PIP copy center show.
PIP is a major copy and printing service chain, and over 200 vendors
will be at the national show for their managers and franchisees July 3
through 7 at Bally's in Reno, Nevada. Nathan Potechin will be joined by
Bob Brodie and others to display the powerful ATARI printing solution of
the ST, Laser Printer, and CALAMUS. At least one PIP center in
Bellflower, California, is already using the Atari system for in-house
production of customer requested art and layout. While many printing
centers use MAC machines and even offer them at a rental rate on-site
for consumer-produced documents, the ATARI system has typically not been
seen in copy centers. The PIP using it in Bellflower is very satisfied
with the CALAMUS solution for doing fast layout and faster printing of
in-house production for client specifications. After the July show,
there may be more ATARIs at PIPs. This show is one of a series of
industry and "private" showings that Nathan and Atari have been quietly
offering to receptive audiences across the continent for some time now.
ISD has also announced an Outline Art Contest. The details are included
in this edition of Z*Net.
BRASOFT MOVES TO USA
As of last Monday, Branch Always Software, Makers of QUICK ST, QUICK
TOOLS, etc., is now registered in the state of Washington. The new
permanent mailing address for it is:
Branch Always Software
14150-F1 N.E. 20th Street Suite 302
Bellevue, WA 98007
U.S.A.
Darek Mihocka, owner and programmer of all BRA-SOFT products, is moving
to Washington from his former Toronto home. He hopes to have a 1-800
telephone support number soon. The old address will remain valid, but
will be slower since the mail is being forwarded. The old phone numbers
are NO longer valid.
ERRATTA: Last week Z*NET ran a NEWSWIRE item co-authored by DAREK
MIHOCKA, but due to a berzerk spelling checker, it came out "DEREK"
every place it was to say "DAREK". DAREK MIHOCKA says he knows no DEREK
MIHOCKA, so we hope DAREK MIHOCKA will accept our apologies.
HYPERCARD SOFTWARE UPGRADE
Apple introduced a new revision of HyperCard software at the opening day
of Digital World in Beverly Hills earlier this week. HyperCard 2.0 now
provides users with easy access to Macintosh programming, and greater
flexibility to manage and create information, using any type of media.
The new version contains over 100 features. HyperCard 2.0 will be
available in July. Software-only upgrades will be available through
user groups, book publishers and Apple dealers. HyperCard 2.0 can also
be purchased separately for $49.95.
NEW APPLE PRESIDENT
Apple announced in Beverly Hills that Robert Puette will become the new
president of the company's Apple USA division, July 1. Puette will be
responsible for all of the division's sales, marketing, support and
channel activities. Puette comes to Apple after a 24-year career at
Hewlett-Packard Co., where he led the startup, development and expansion
of Hewlett-Packard's worldwide personal computer business.
HYPERCARD EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE
Apple announced the availability of the HyperCard for Education software
tool for the Macintosh computer. Tailored for teachers to help organize
their classroom management tasks, HyperCard for Education demonstrates
the capabilities of the HyperCard software tool in education.
ATARI GAMES BUYS BACK STOCK
Atari Games, not affiliated with Atari Corp., announced the signing of
an agreement to repurchase its stock presently held by Namco America
Inc., the wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Ltd., Japan. Part of the
agreement calls for Namco, a major shareholder in Atari Games, to sell
all of the shares it owns back to Atari Games, along with cash and other
consideration. In turn, Namco will receive ownership in Atari
Operations Inc. which operates approximately 40 video game arcades in
the Western and Southeastern United States. According to Atari Games,
the repurchase of the stock and subsequent sale of Atari Operations will
provide Atari Games with new opportunities to conduct business in Japan
and the Far East. Atari Games is a privately held company whose
majority shareholder after the transaction will be Time-Warner Inc.
Atari Games is not affiliated with Atari Corp. and should be referred to
as Atari Games.
NEW PERSONAL COMPUTER
IBM introduced Personal System/1, a personal computer with powerful
features but easy enough to be used by children. IBM priced the new
line of four personal computers from $999 to $1,999 - broken down
according to memory capacity and to whether the monitor is color or
black-and-white. The four PS/1 are available in three U.S. markets,
Dallas, Chicago, and Minneapolis, and will be shipped in September to
retailers throughout the country. The computers can be used in 17
different languages. PS/1 also comes with Prodigy, a computer service
accessing databanks with travel, financial, and shopping information.
Prodigy is a joint venture between IBM and Sears, which is putting the
computer on shelves this week at 20 Sears locations.
ROY NUTT DEAD AT 59
Roy Nutt, one of the developers of FORTRAN, died in Seattle at the age
of 59 after a long bout with cancer. Nutt became one of the early
experts in the '50s in the field of systems programming.
LAWSUIT SETTELED
Conner Peripherals and Seagate have resolved their legal dispute over
supplies of thin film read/write recording heads. Conner's suit, filed
last April, alleged that after Seagate's acquisition of Imprimis
Technology, Seagate terminated its contract with Conner for thin film
heads, a principal component in disk drives. The film heads were
previously supplied to Conner Peripherals by Imprimis.
NINTENDO TO LAUNCH GAME COMPUTER
In November, Nintendo is expected to start selling in Japan a new 16-bit
video game computer with software. Super Famicom, will be launched with
three related software packages, including Super Mario Brothers 4, and
will eventually also be sold in the US and Europe. The new software
will not be compatible with Nintendo's earlier game computers.
MOTOROLA APPEALS ORDER
Motorola has filed a formal appeal in the patent dispute case over its
68030 chip. The action means the company may continue to produce and
sell the processor until at least July 4th while the appeal is being
processed. US District Judge Lucius Bunton originally granted a stay of
his order and urged the companies to settle the case out of court. But,
because they had failed to reach an agreement, the judge lifted the stay
last Tuesday. Later that day, the Washington appeals court issued a
temporary stay of its own. The chipmakers later agreed on a tentative
settlement to their 18-month fight over patents. They also jointly will
seek a stay of a court order barring them from making and selling their
products, including Motorola's important 68030 chip.
IBM TO REPLACE POWER CORDS
IBM notified customers and distributors this week of a potential safety
problem with power cords intended for use on one model of its Personal
System/2 computers. The problem prevents the PS/2 system unit from
operating, so only power cords in inventory or on systems that have not
yet been installed and made operational are potentially affected. The
affected power cords were sold through IBM channels in the United States
Canada, Latin America and certain countries in Asia. For details of the
exchange program, customers should contact their authorized IBM dealers
or IBM marketing representatives.
SEPTEMBER DATE FOR FIRST "SIMPSONS" GAME
The Simpsons will reach gaming fans in September when Acclaim begins
shipping its new SuperPlay Hand-held electronic video games based on the
original family of characters created by cartoonist Matt Groening.
Under an exclusive licensing agreement, Acclaim is creating SuperPlay
Hand-held, Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy video games based
on the popular Simpsons property. The Acclaim Simpsons SuperPlay Hand-
held will be available in September and is expected to retail for
$19.95.
NEW STANDARDS 3.5-INCH HARD DRIVES
Seagate has set new standards of disc storage performance with the
introduction of the ST1480 and ST1400 hard disc drives designed for
desktop and downsized workstation market, network file servers and array
applications. Seagate's patented "Zone Bit Recording", offer 426 and
331 formatted megabytes of data storage, respectively. Both products
are differentiated by a unique spindle rotation speed of 4400 RPM
allowing for the fastest data access due to a reduced latency of 6.8
milliseconds. Seagate's line now features more than 46 models ranging
in capacity from 20 to 426 megabytes with a selection of interfaces
including ST412, embedded XT and AT, SCSI, SCSI-2 and ESDI.
FIRST SEGA VIDEOGAMES
Electronic Arts announced the shipment of their first ever videogames,
Populous and Budokan: The Martial Spirit. Both titles are for the
16-bit Sega Genesis System and were introduced at the June CES. To
celebrate shipping its first videogames, Electronic Arts gave each
employee his or her own personal Sega Genesis machine and a copy of the
Populous game.
===============================
ATARI LEADS AT SUMMER NAMM
===============================
Eyewitness Report for Z*NET
by Dr. Paul Keith
The 1990 Summer National Association of Music Merchandisers (NAMM) Show
was held at the sprawling McCormick Place in Chicago, on Saturday, June
16 through Monday June 18. The theme of the show this time was the
"International Music and Sound Exposition". And our favorite computer
company, ATARI, had one of the largest exhibits at the show.
Atari's overhead banners could be seen from anywhere in the massive
hall. The Atari booth featured a classroom, bannered as the Atari MIDI
Education Center. Atari had some of the finest names in the MIDI field
on hand to give presentations on the features of the Atari MIDI
offerings. Offerings throughout the show included a seminar on selling
Atari computers, clinics on Cubase by Steinberg, a Notator clinic by C-
Lab, "Selling MIDI Software to the Education Market" by Electronic
Courseware, an "Introduction to Sound Tools for the Atari ST" by
DigiDesign, an "Introduction to Encore for the Atari ST" by Passport, a
SMPTE Track Clinic by Hybrid Arts, a Tiger Clinic by Dr. T's, Jimmy Hotz
showing the Hotz MIDI Translator, and last but certainly not least, a
seminar by David Small entitled "The Best of Both Worlds; Running
Macintosh Software on the Atari ST".
The Atari MIDI Education Center filled the bulk of Atari's space, with
the various developers set up along the outside walls of the Education
Center. The display was anchored at each corner with two of the most
interesting (and controversial) booths of the show. On the left side
was Jimmy Hotz, once again showing the Hotz MIDI Translator, and on the
right side was Gadgets by Small, showing off the MegaTalk Board as well
as Spectre GCR. Dave, Sandy, and Doug had a Moniterm monitor with a
T-16 accelerator installed, wowing the Mac users with the speed and ease
of use in the remarkable Spectre GCR. Also on display in their booth
was a Stacy 4, with a T-16 AND an INTERNAL GCR!! This hybrid high speed
portable was causing a lot of Mac users to rethink their hardware
purchases. More than one of them was heard to remark very favorably on
the superb Stacy screen, and the flawless emulation of the Mac, even
running MultiFinder! The MegaTalk board, although not yet on the
market, was up and running the best of the Mac MIDI software, including
Finale, one of the premier Mac MIDI software packages. MegaTalk appears
being close to ready although it still stumbled on some of the MIDI
files that it played. The MegaTalk "Appletalk" network emulator
promises to be the final step to achieve total compatibility with the
Mac world. MegaTalk simply plugs into the Mega expansion bus, and
brings out two Mac Serial ports to the back of the Mega. Many Mac user/
developers stopped by to chat with Dave, only to leave with a new
respect gained for the Atari solution to MIDI needs.
Jimmy Hotz was showing the Hotz box again as I mentioned, and this time
Atari was even offering them for sale! A price reported to be $5000 for
the Hotz box had smaller dealers dismayed, but the recording studios
were stepping right up to place orders. Some still regard the Hotz box
as just a glorified cord organ, while others hail it as a multifaceted
tool for musicians, recording studios, and "true professionals". Rumors
abound that Jimmy is near completion of a deal with a major recording
company to place HOTZ Code on all of their CD's. Imagine being able to
connect your synthesizer up to your computer, while accepting input from
a Hotz coded CD!
And speaking of respect, the "other" computer companies showed their
respect, or lack of it, by not showing up for this NAMM. Atari was the
only computer company on display. Commodore, a last minute booth at the
January NAMM in Anaheim, was nowhere to be found. A check through the
booths in the exhibit hall found just a scattering of Amigas. Apple was
once again a no-show at NAMM, making it two shows in a row! Could it be
that Apple has decided that they are going to abandon the MIDI market?
It could be that John Sculley and crew are still seeking answers for why
the famed Mac Portable, while more available (and far more expensive)
than Atari's STACY, will not run MIDI software.
Supply of Stacys here in the US continues to be spotty, yet more than
one developer at Atari's booth was using their own Stacy to show their
wares. A newcomer to Atari's booth was MultiByte Systems, an east coast
company selling rechargeable battery packs, and carrying cases for the
Stacy. The cases are great, available in a wide number of colors
(including Camouflage!), made of a high quality fabric designed for
those that plan to take their Stacy with them EVERYWHERE. Even Bob
Brodie, Atari's designated travelling man, was seen selecting one of
these beauties.
A recent issue of Start had a section on how the "pro's" were using the
Atari to meet their needs. Sometime those needs can prove to be rather
unique. Atari MIDI rep John Morales was on hand, helping sign up new
dealers, and demoing some of the latest MIDI software. He gave a brief
demo to some of the attendees of the high quality direct to disk
digitizing that can be accomplished on the ST.....at a rate of 10 megs a
minute! John has installed a 200 meg Conner hard disk inside his
Megafile 44. He has the Conner partitioned into just TWO partitions!
One of his files of digitized recording finished up at just over 53
megs! Imagine downloading that file from a BBS!
It seemed that Atari is making a strong effort to remain a viable force
in the MIDI/Sound market. Frank Foster reported that Scott Gershwin of
"Born on the Fourth of July fame" is busy at work on other movies, once
again using his Atari to handle all of the sound needs. Look for a film
this summer called "Solar Crisis" (sure to be a blockbuster according to
Frank) that once again uses the Atari for all of the sound editing.
Director Oliver Stone was so pleased with the results of "Born on the
Fourth of July" that he has his next movie already gearing up with even
more ST's to handle the tasks of movie making. Director Stone has just
finished up another movie with Gershwin called "The Doors", a story on
rock legend Jim Morrison. If Atari is moving, perhaps it should be to
Hollywood!
The rest of the NAMM Show was very ho-hum after visiting Atari's booth.
The only other eye catching displays were from companies trying to sell
light and sound equipment for mobile DJ's, along with the mandatory fog
machines. The rest of the show was pretty well consumed by music supply
houses, selling sheet music and guitar strings, foot pedals, and
amplifiers. Pioneer was there, showing off their new "Karoke", kind of
an electronic "sing along with a laser disk" product. The Karoke played
musical videos, while you sing along. While the Karoke is a big hit in
Japan, reaction here was less than lukewarm. Hyundai was there with a
large display of pianos, from grands all the way to the cheapest
uprights. All in all, hardly a shadow of the show that was held in
Anaheim in January. Why? One observer was heard to remark that while
Chicago is a great crossroads for the country (and therefore a great
place for something like CES), it isn't much of a music town.
Apparently the executives at NAMM have recognized that. The Summer NAMM
of 1991 will be held in July, at the Javitz Center in New York City.
The low turnout for the show didn't seem to be a factor for Atari. They
were still briskly hustling people in and out of meetings with Bill
Crouch and Frank Foster. About the only "casualty" of the low turnout
was the cancellation of the MIDI developers meeting that should have put
the MIDI-Tasking module out to the end users. While all of the
companies involved with the development of the MIDI-Tasking were there,
some of the real "movers and shakers" were not. Apparently, we'll all
have to be patient, as the MIDI-Tasking development continues on the
PAN Network.
All in all, the Summer NAMM show seemed to bear out once again that
Atari is the true market leader when it comes to MIDI.
===============================
Z*NET DOWN-UNDER
===============================
by Jon Clarke
ZDN NEWSWIRE
------------
PIRACY RING BUSTED IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Australian federal police believe they have broken a major computer
piracy operation after seizing more than 3700 illegally copied disks
worth an estimated value of $A250,000. The raids took place over the
last three weeks on two homes in Adelaide. Most of the diskettes seized
were games, although some were business related packages. During the
raids five personal computers were also seized. Three people are now
expected to be charged under the Federal Copyright act after police
complete inquires into the ownership of copyright of the programs.
Detective Constable Rick Irvine, of the Federal Police in Adelaide, said
the raids were the culmination of a six month long investigation of a
piracy with overseas links. It appears the offenders received pirated
programs from America and Europe. They proceeded to copy the pirated
programs and then offered them for sale through a network of computer
users in Australia. Mr. Irvine said the underground operation was well
organized and was part of a wider blackmarket trade in copied programs.
He also said he believes the ring leaders are still at large.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::: The Atari ST user know's more than the MS_DOS user ::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::Ever try to explain GEM to a MS_DOS User?::
::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::If looks could kill:::
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::When asked for a sector editor, the Mac dealer said " A what?:::
:::we do not cater for 'power users'!!!!:::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
[]The Atari ST the LINK in the Corporate chain[]
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
or
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The "Atari ST series", The corporate solution?
==============================================
By Jon Clarke
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Remember when you heard Atari computers were a games machine? "Oh", you
still think they are indeed that?
What with all the advertising saying just that and the neat 'games
packs' you get FREE with most purchases of an Atari ST, I don't blame
you for thinking like this. The Atari ST series of computers does have
some very nice games, so does the MAC and the IBM for that matter.
Games play is only a small part of computing but alas it seems to
dominate the advertising and conception of Atari computers.
So with this understanding in mind lets take a leap into the commercial
world of computing. What are your instant thoughts? "Ah, the MS_DOS
world" or maybe " Hmm, the Mac world". Many of you will have either
used or seen an IBM or clone. Some of you may have used them in the
MS_DOS environment or used the Mac in a similar fashion and not
forgetting the big grunters "the mini and mainframes".
Well here is the bottom line. The Atari ST will out preform most PC's
in the commercial world. A bold statement? NO! Lets look at what has,
and is happening in the corporate/commercial world of computing.
[1] Systems managers/buyers will go with the mainstream to protect their
jobs and ego's.
[2] A good computer salesperson will in most cases oversell a product to
his customer. For instance; sell a 35mhz 486 PC clone to a company
who only want to run a spreadsheet and a payroll package. But
because this machine is "now the minimum entry point into business
computing", the client will see his ego hyped and will go for the
deal, when a 12mhz AT clone would do it just as well.
[3] With new EDP managers will come nine times out of ten, a new
'vendor' of computer hardware and possibly a totally new type of
machine/operating system.
[4] Branches and even departments with in various companies use
different machines. The WP area may use a Mac or a Wang for all the
word processing. Accounts may use network of PC clones in "token
ring", while the treasury area may use a mini or mainframe linked to
their local PC's for all their activities. The list goes on and on.
[5] "Software is used in one area of the company only as it will not
work on your computer". Heard this before? "We can not cost -
justify the purchase of this software". Heard this from your
manager?
[6] In a multi user/vender situation you may find computers in a stand-
alone environment because they can not be linked in to the LAN/
network, or the cost to do it is far to high.
[7-999] The list goes on and on and on and on and on and on .......
So where the Atari ST fit into all of this?
Right in the middle?
At the Start? Off to the Side?
The final solution?
Well, like it or not the Atari ST is the only solution to multi vender
applications. The ST series is the TOTAL solution. So lets look at why
this is the case.
IBM MAC
program----------+ +----------- program
| | | |
| | | |
IBM ATARI ST MAC
+------------+ +---------------+
| | -----[YES]----> | |
| | | |
| IBM/MS_DOS | <---[ NO ]---- | MAC |
| | | |
| | | |
+------------+ +---------------+
\ /
| [YES] [YES] |
| +-----------------+ |
| |Atari ST/Mega/STe| |
| |With PC_SPEED/GCR| |
[Yes/no] | | [Yes/no]
| | MS_DOS and MAC | |
| |VT52,Kermit,Ascii| |
| | and MORE. | |
| | All in one PC | |
| +-----------------+ |
| | |
[YES]
|
+-----------------------------------------+
| Main frame/EDI/Network/LAN/Other |
+-----------------------------------------+
While the MAc does have packages like Soft_pc one of the IBM/MS_DOS
emulators, the IBM does not have an emulator for the MAc. While the
Atari ST will run the standard IBM file format with no modification
[Tos 1.4 or greater] from desktop and with PC_Speed emulate a PC with a
Nortons rating of 4.0. Now combine PC_speed with Spectre GCR and what
we have is a full blown Mac and IBM all in one machine.
So where is the cost benefits or the the system benefits?
System benefits.
----------------
[a] In a multi vendor environment ie Mac/MS_DOS, the ST will do the
following.
[i] Integrate all machines/Operating systems into one computer,
including Unix and the likes.
[ii] ST software is transportable ie: 1st Word - Word Processing
: Emacs - Editor
: LDW Power - Lotus 123
: DBmans - Dbase 2
: Touchup - DTP icons
: And the list goes on and on.
[iii] Has a standard Serial and Centronic's port.
[iv] Can run with "ENet" LANS.
[v] Will run "Kermit","VT52" and other mainframe links.
[vi] Handles EDI either in emulation mode or in normal ST mode.
[vii] Will operate "stand alone" or as a "multi emulation" computer.
[b] If MS_Dos/IBM users wish to emulate the ST there is now an emulator
for the IBM to emulate the ST.
[c] Half to a third the ammount of computers required to do the same
job.
Cost Benefits
-------------
[a] An Atari ST with hard disk, printer and emulators is 1/2 to 2/3 the
cost of a Mac and PC combined.
[b] The Atari software is 1/2 to 2/3 cheaper. For instance.. Do the
following exercise and prove it to yourself. In the Desktop
Publishing area, inquire how much the MAc "Pagemager" costs. Find
out how much an IBM version of "Venturer" costs. Now see how much
the Atari ST package "CALAMUS" costs and also see which is the best
quality.
[c] The Atari ST will use most existing peripherils in your office. For
instance.. Your printers, modems, plotters, etc..
[d] No need to purchase extra machines/hardware to integrate existing
systems, and allows the maximum utalisation of all existing systems.
[e] Service contracts are 40-70% cheaper than most in the market place.
[f] Atari periferials are transportable across most machines and are at
least a 1/3 cheaper.
For instance : Megafile 44 Carts = Syquest 44meg carts= Mac/Ibm
: Atari external disk drives = IBM 3.5 720k drive
: Indus external disk drives = IBM 5.25 720k drive
: Atari CD_ROMS = IBM/MAc CD_ROMS
The Atari ST is one of the worlds best kept computer secrets. Hardware
venders beware, this computer may if marketed properly do what it has
done in Germany, totally dominated the market place in all areas, both
the commercial and corporate areas.
===============================
PD/SHAREWARE STop
===============================
by Mark Quinn
Authors: Charles F. Johnson, John Eidsvoog File name: HOTDEMO2.ARC
File type: Utility Demo Program names: HotWire! Demo, version 2.3
----------------------------------------------------------------------
If you've never heard of HotWire, you're in for a feast, and if you have
an older version of HotWire, you're in for a treat. Visualize yourself
sitting at your computer and typing "F" to run Flash, or "W" to run Word
Writer. In fact, there are over 400 "hot" key combinations available
with the program. "That would be fine if I had a hard drive," you say.
"Since HotWire can also be installed as a resident program (aside from
running in the normal way), you can simply insert a floppy and hit a
key," I say.
"Hmm. . . What other features does it have?"
- Call up the HotWire menu any time at the GEM desktop with a keypress
or a button click.
- Auto-start any ST program at bootup.
- HotWire Menu displays up to 54 programs at once.
- HotWire Menu displays graphic representations of "hot" keys.
- Every program on HotWire Menu can have up to a 20-character "title".
- Lists of programs can be loaded or saved via the file selector or a
keypress.
- Unique "work file" command line features make HotWire an excellent
shell for developers working in C or assembly language.
- Runs either from an AUTO folder or from the desktop.
- Written in assembly language. Uses only 40K of memory.
- Works properly with applications that communicate with desk
accessories via the AES event system.
- New version now uses a GEM menu bar.
- Owners of MultiDesk accessory loader/unloader (version 2.0 or greater)
can install MultiDesk "setup" files in the HotWire menu, and load or
unload groups of accessories with a single keypress or button click.
- Block save, load and delete functions.
- Unlimited number of "nested" menus.
- Programs can be "chained" together, or even run in loops.
- Restricts unauthorized access to certain programs or data files.
"Stop! How could I have missed out on such a valuable program?"
"It wasn't easy."
To order HotWire!, contact:
CodeHead Software
P.O. Box 74090
Los Angeles, CA 90004
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author: David Baggett, others
File name: PICFRMT.ARC
File type: Text file
If you are a programmer (or anyone else) interested in picture file
formats, then this text file should help answer your questions. PICFRMT
has information on the following formats:
NEOchrome, NEOchrome Animation, DEGAS, DEGAS Elite, DEGAS Elite
(Compressed), Tiny, Spectrum 512, Spectrum 512 (Compressed), Art
Director, C.O.L.R. Object Editor Mural, Doodle, Animatic Film, GEM Bit
Image, STAD, Imagic Film/Picture, IFF, MacPaint, PackBits Compression
Algorithm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author: David W. Binnion *SHAREWARE*
File name: STICKLER.LZH
File type: Application
Program name: Stickler
This program will not goad you into cracking programming books, unless
you tell it to do so. Your mother or wife is a different story
entirely.
If you want the program to run automatically at boot time (ask your
mother or wife to do that!), you can use a GEM boot utility such as
HEADSTART or GEMBOOT to do so.
STickler handles four types of events: One-Time, Daily, Weekly, and
Monthly. You'll be reminded once or twice that the event(s) in question
is forthcoming. You can even Show the event again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Quinn's Quickies"
PATIENCE.LZH
Monochrome game. Egads! It's another German import! This one is a
nifty solitaire game. Looks great. (But then again, I'm not a card
shark.) You must have PATIENCE.
PHOTON.LZH
Demo. Game, by Jeff Minter. Space shoot-em-up with elements from lots
of old favorites.
===============================
ISD OUTLINE ART CONTEST
===============================
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> OUTLINE ART CREATIVITY CONTEST <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
From July 1 to September 30, 1990, ISD Marketing, Inc will sponsor an
Outline Art Creativity Contest with the winners receiving the prizes
listed below. One winner will be selected along with three runner ups.
Winners will be selected from the files either uploaded into our Email
address on either Compuserve at 76004,2246 or GEnie at ISD or mailed
directly to our offices at:
ISD Marketing, Inc.
2651 John Street
Unit #3
Markham, Ontario, Canada, L3R 2W5
Mailed entries must be postmarked no later than September 30, 1990 and
received by us in-house by October 15, 1990 to qualify for entry. This
contest is open to all REGISTERED OWNERS of Outline Art only. (Note: If
you have recently purchased Outline Art but have not yet had the
opportunity to send in your registration card, then please accompany
your entry with a properly filled in registration card.)
You may enter as many times as you choose but any one individual may
only win once. Although the author shall retain any copyrights to their
entry, all winning files shall be considered 'publicly distributable
files' and may be made available for downloading from both CompuServe
and GEnie. As well, the winning entries will be published in START
magazine with the appropriate Author quoted and the prize won indicated
as well as ONLINE.
The contest prizes are listed below.
Prizes:
The winners will receive the following prizes:
1st Prize
---------
$1,500.00 worth of AGFA Compugraphic fonts for use in either Calamus or
Outline Art.
1st Runner Up
-------------
An Atari Megafile 44 Hard Disk Drive.
2nd and 3rd Runner Up
---------------------
$50 connect time credit from both CompuServe, to be applied to your
CompuServe account and $50.00 connect time credit from GEnie.
The Judges for this contest include: Geoffrey Earle, General Manager of
Atari (Canada) Corp., Tom Byron (Editor) and Julianne Ososke (Director
of Creative Services) START Magazine, and Nathan Potechin (President)
and Mario Georgiou (Graphic Artist) of ISD Marketing, Inc..
RULES:
1. The ISD Marketing, Inc. Outline Art Contest is a skill-based contest
for any member who is a properly registered Owner of Outline Art.
Participation in this contest is open to residents of Canada, United
States, Australia and New Zealand, providing that their copy of
Outline Art is the one published by Ditek International. Employees
of CompuServe, GEnie, ISD Marketing, Inc., Ditek International, DMC,
Antic Publishing, Inc., Atari Corp. and all Atari Subsiduaries,
SysOps, GameOps, their affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies
and immediate families are ineligible to win prizes. This contest is
subject to all local, state/provincial and federal regulations and is
void where prohibited by law. All taxes are the sole responsibility
of the winners.
2. From July 1, 1990 at 12:01 AM EST to September 30, 1990, 11:59 EST
those who meet the above eligibility requirements can enter the
contest. The files should either be uploaded directly to the ISD
Email accounts in either GEnie at ISD, CompuServe at 76004,2246 or
submitted by mail directly to ISD at our mailing address indicated
above. (Note: Entries will not be accepted by courier. Use regular
mail only.) One winner and 3 runner ups will be named.
3. The decision of the judges is final and not reviewable by any other
person, agency, or tribunal. Winners will be notified by CompuServe
or GEnie EMail and/or regular mail on or about October 30, 1990, and
their names will be published online in the Atari Forums on
CompuServe, the Atari RT on GEnie and in STart Magazine along with
their winning submission.
4. This contest may be publicized outside those venues indicated above.
No prize may be exchanged, substituted, modified, or redeemed for
cash. Prizes are not transferable. Prizes won by entrants under the
age of 18 will be awarded to the winner's parent or legal guardian.
All prizes will be awarded and mailed to the winner's address
contained in their Outline Art Registration form. By acceptance of
their prizes, winners consent to publication of their names,
likenesses, and/or User ID without further compensation for
advertising or promotional purposes. Prizes not claimed after 21
days of the day of notification, for any reason whatsoever, will be
forfeited. Prize winners may be required to execute an affidavit of
eligibility and publicity release within 21 days of notification.
Non-compliance within this time period will result in
disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected if
possible.
===============================
ATARI SWAPFEST ANNOUNCED
===============================
Press Release
MIST Plans Atari SwapFest II Nashville, IN August 25,1990
For a second year, an Atari SwapFest is planned at Nashville Indiana on
Saturday, August 25, sponsored jointly by the user groups at
Indianapolis and Bloomington known as MIST (Mid-Indiana ST). The
SwapFest will be a meeting of minds and computers, in the beautiful
Indiana countryside. Only minutes from many lovely gift shops, two
state forests, and the Hoosier National forest.
MIST Atari SwapFest II will open at noon August 25 at the Brown County
Inn motel in Nashville at the corner of Ind. 135 and 46. Nashville is
about 40 miles south of Indianapolis, and 15 miles east of Bloomington.
For swap, for sale or just for display... whether it's 8-bit or ST...
even game machines... all are invited to bring software, hardware,
gadgets, accessories, books, magazines, etc. Commercial sales and
displays also are invited, see below for more info.
There will be door prizes from local vendors, and Atari Corp. There may
be a small fee for door prize tickets.
There will also be a mini Midi-Maze tournament, with the possibility of
prizes for the winners.
Tables will be available for set-up at 11 a.m. with commercial vendors
given first choice at that time. Closing time is 4 p.m. Table space
will be free to non-commercial attendees, on a first come, first serve
basis. Registration for vendors will be a whopping $10.00. Tables are
standard motel dining room type (capable of seating three on each side),
and covers will be provided by the motel. Our rental arrangement with
the motel, however, is a low-budget deal and you should supply your own
sign-holders and other fixtures.
The motel will supply electrical power, but it is from a limited number
of wall outlets so exhibitors will need to take along their own
extension cords and plug strips.
For more information, leave mail on GEnie to WLORING1, or:
Call the BL.A.ST BBS at 812-332-0573 2400bps, 24 hours. Write us at
BL.A.ST, PO Box 1111, Bloomington, IN. 47401. Call me by voice at
812-336-8103 after 6:00pm (cst)
Brought to you by MIST (Mid-Indiana ST), the merging of the ASCII (Atari
St Computers In Indianapolis) and BL.A.ST (BLoomington Atari ST) user
groups.
Thanks for your interest, and we'll see you at the 'Fest!!
===============================
LEXICOR UPDATE
ATARI SOFTWARE DEVELOPER
REGISTRATION ANNOUNCEMENT
===============================
Press Release
Lexicor Software Corporation is pleased to announce that it has opened
software developer registration to the Atari community.
Lexicor was created by a group of computer programmers and animators who
are committed to developing powerful solid modeling, animation, and
photo-realistic rendering software for home and professional use that is
both inexpensive and easy to use. The corporation was set up to support
software developers on a royalty basis and provide the necessary
materials required to create quality products which individual authors
would otherwise be unable to market without outside assistance.
Lexicor does not hire programmers on a salary basis; instead, the author
is paid to develop his own ideas into solid and marketable products. We
do this through royalties paid on the total gross sales of a product,
and, depending on the circumstances of an individual, by providing
advance royalty payments, development tools, hardware support, and
additional financial support to the developer. You are free to work at
home or your own office at your own pace. In return, Lexicor only
requires the exclusive marketing rights of your product in exchange for
support. The typical royality amount paid to the sole author of a
product is twenty-five percent (25%) of gross sales.
HOW TO REGISTER
---------------
On an standard Atari 360K/720K micro-floppy disk, place three files:
1. AUTHOR.TXT: This file should contain your name, address, telephone
number, and Compuserve address. DO NOT PLACE ANYTHING ELSE IN THIS
FILE.
2. PERSONAL.TXT: This file should contain information about yourself.
Describe any programming experience that you have including: products
that you have developed, job and academic background, and ideas about
any future products that you are interested in creating. Please
describe the computer equipment that you own and use for development
purposes. You do NOT have to own an Atari computer to register.
Also, in order to decide on a schedule for the release of your
product, please tell us about your current activities (school, work,
etc.) and how much time you can devote to software development. If
you are still in school and/or do not have any formal programming
experience, this will not exclude you from qualifying; however, if
you are under 18 years of age, a special contract will be sent to you
that must be signed by your parent or legal guardian. Finally,
please specify if you are already a registered software developer
with Atari Corporation.
3. SAMPLES: Place at least one executable program in this folder which
you feel best demonstrates your programming skills and ideas. Auto-
booting disks will not be reviewed and your program must load
properly from the standard GEM desktop. Each program should have a
companion text file which describes its features and positive aspects
and explains how to use it. Remember, you do not have a non-
disclosure agreement with us yet, so protect yourself by including
copyright notices in your documentation and programs. You also have
the option of including sample source code in this folder which may
increase your chances of being assigned to a project more quickly.
This source code should be a complete, but not long or involved,
fragment from a program that you have written. Although our
developers primarily use the 'C' programming language, we have need
for programmers experienced in many other languages.
REGISTRATION FEE: A $20.00 registration fee should be included with all
applications. This is a one time fee which covers the cost of data
entry, initial paper work, and developer evaluation. Please enclose a
personal check. DO NOT SEND CASH.
HOW REGISTRATION WORKS: When Lexicor receives your developer
registration, the files on the disk will be reviewed and evaluated. If
your application is accepted, the information on your disk will be
placed in our author database and a non-disclosure agreement will be
sent to your address. As soon as a signed copy of this agreement is
returned, we will be able to offer assignments and a written contract
for you to consider. Lexicor will also review any programs or product
ideas that you have already developed or want to propose.
** If you do not qualify, your disk and registration check will be
returned **
The requirement for the registration fee is mainly to separate the
casual programmer from the serious software developer. Our policy is
that anyone serious enough to send money would be demonstrating their
willingness to make the kind of commitment required to follow through on
programming commitments.
Mail your application disk and registration fee to:
LEXICOR Software Corporation
58 Redwood Road
Fairfax, CA 94930
DO NOT SEND YOUR APPLICATION BY ELECTRONIC MAIL. IT WILL NOT BE
CONSIDERED.
If you have any questions, please send Easyplex mail on CompuServe to
Lee Seiler [76106,3024] or call our developers line at (415) 453-0271.
Thank you for your interest in ATARI software development
Lee Seiler, Vice-President, Lexicor Software Incorporated
=======================================================================
=======================================================================
Z*Net Atari Online Magazine is a weekly released publication covering
the Atari community. Opinions and commentary presented are those of the
individual authors and do not reflect those of Rovac Industries. Z*NET
and Z*NET ONLINE are copyright 1990 by Rovac Industries. Reprint
permission is granted as long as Z*NET ONLINE, Issue Number and author
is included at the top of the article. Reprinted articles are not to be
edited without permission.
=======================================================================
=======================================================================
ZNET ONLINE Atari News and FIRST!
Copyright (c)1990 Rovac Industries, Inc..
=======================================================================
