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Z*NET INTERNATIONAL ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE
(c)1991, Rovac Industries, Inc.
Issue #91-37 September 7, 1991
Publisher/Editor: Ron Kovacs
Editors: John Nagy, Jon Clarke
=======================================================================
* CompuServe: 75300,1642 * Delphi: ZNET * GEnie: Z-Net *
=======================================================================
CONTENTS
THE EDITORS DESK................................Ron Kovacs
Z*NET NEWSWIRE............................................
DUSSELDORF GOES ATARI...........................Bob Brodie
1991 MDC-RCC COMPUTER FAIR REPORT................Ray Perry
GRAMMER EXPERT...............................Press Release
MISSIONWARE SOFTWARE UPDATE..................Press Release
Z*NET 1991 ATARIWATCH CALENDER............................
DC PROGRAMS OF THE WEEK.......................Announcement
CD ROMS FOR THE ATARI...........................Jon Clarke
SALES PRO....................................Press Release
AUA ANTI-PIRACY UPDATE.....................Derek Signorini
=======================================================================
THE EDITORS DESK
----------------
by Ron Kovacs
=======================================================================
We has some of your staff gone??
I have been receiving some requests for columns which have appeared
regularly here. Those include; Software Shelf, Captain Midnight,
Z*Net Canada, Z*Net Germany, Z*Net New Zealand and others... Here is
an update on some of our staff....
Ron Berinstein, author of the Software Shelf is currently expanding his
pasta wharehouse in California. As soon as things are settled down a
bit, he will return.
Drew Kerr, author of Captain Midnight and other feature columns is also
working very hard behind the scenes right now. As owner of Four Corners
Communications, a public relations firm in New York City, he is hard at
work assisting Z*Net and his regular clients and as soon as he get's
a break in the action, he will be once again submitting material.
Z*Net Canada's Terry Schreiber is wading through problems with his modem
as we speak, and during a conversation earlier this week, he was hoping
to get his FNET Node up by the weekend. Node 505 has been down for
about a week for those in FNET curious of his status. He is also
working on a number of stories which are not yet ready for publication.
Keith Macnutt, former Public Domain Update author has left the staff.
John Nagy. Well he has never left!! The information we process each
week is edited by John and occasionally he finds the time to write
original material. In case you have been asleep for the last few
months, John is the Editor of AtariUser Magazine which takes up alot of
his free time, however, he is still around editing and contributing to
this publication even though his name isn't tied to a specific column.
Jon Clarke is hard at work developing Z*Net projects in New Zealand.
His accomplishments so far have been getting an FNET node up in NZ,
focusing on the piracy problems in his area, working at a real job, and
other projects yet to be announced. His continuing world tour articles
will appear shortly.
That's the Z*Net update for now. Stay tuned for details!
=======================================================================
Z*NET NEWSWIRE
--------------
=======================================================================
CDAR505 TO SHIP IN SEPTEMBER!
Atari plans formal introduction and release of the ST BOOK and probably
other products (including the long awaited CDAR505 CD-ROM player) at
COMDEX in Los Vegas, October 21-25. The CDAR505 is not quite as
predicted--it won't even work on an ST machine as shipped. Instead of
having the ACSI/DMA port and a SCSI port as announced, it will have only
the "pure SCSI" port that is the industry standard. It'll plug right
into a TT or a MAC, or any computer that has a SCSI host adaptor. So ST
owners will need to use an ICD or other host unit to access the CD
player. Not a major problem, but certainly a disincentive. Price will
be "under $499" as things look now, and they will in fact arrive in
quantity, for sale, FCC Type B approved, by the end of September.
UNIX GURU FINISHES JOB
UNIX was shown on the TT at Dusseldorf and now seems ready to fly.
According to some, it will be a $2,000 package which will include a huge
hard drive. Exact pricing and details are not out yet. A scare rumor
that the head of the UNIX project had left Atari are misleading. David
Plummer, leader in the project of porting the UNIX kernel to the Atari,
has indeed given notice. However, he was brought in for the purposes of
the project, and now has completed the project. He's moving on to other
challenges, leaving the maintenance work to a qualified staff at Atari.
Many industry observers see affordable UNIX as the only way Atari will
break into the workstation marketplace, vital to mass sales of TT
computers.
ATARI VISITS SAN LEANDRO CLUB
Although Atari President Greg Pratt was scheduled to speak and was
unable to attend, Bob Brodie dragged a host of Atari personalities to a
meeting of the San Leandro Atari Computer Club in Northern California
last week. Speaking were VP of Sales Don Mandell, Developer Support man
Bill Rehbock, Tech department gurus John Townsend and Mike Fulton, and
of course, Bob. They spoke to nearly 100 members of SLACC, DACE, and
STACE clubs who gathered for the event. Members were treated to an up-
close look at both the ST BOOK and STylus, pre-release samples of
technology soon to come from Atari. A good time was had by all!
GREG PRATT AND JACK TRAMIEL AT TRIAL
The Federated Trial is progressing, and Atari President Greg Pratt and
Chairman of the Board Jack Tramiel are in Los Angeles this month for the
proceedings. At issue is the alleged fraudulent presentation of the
Federated Group chain of appliance and electronics stores. Atari claims
that the value and debt position of the Federated Group was
misrepresented when Atari bought the chain several years ago. Last
year, Atari liquidated the remaining stores and took a substantial loss.
If fraud is found, Atari can expect a multi-million dollar judgement
against the old Federated owners and/or their accounting firm.
FSM GDOS BY OCTOBER 1
Packaging is all that remains to make FSM GDOS ready for market,
according to sources in Atari. The new type manager system for Atari
will give scalable, rotatable outline font technology to dozens of
existing applications, and a new level of quality output for others.
Long delayed, the last touches are now said to be done. A last minute
debate raged between adding features requested by several major
developers, but it was found that the changes were mutually exclusive.
To add bezier curve functions would have "broken" FSM GDOS on many more
standard uses. Look for announcements of availability and pricing SOON.
ATARI RELEASES POWERBASIC
Sunnyvale -- Atari Computer Corporation announced the release of
PowerBASIC(tm) for the Portfolio Palmtop Computer. Within the swelling
wake of continued growth and support for the Portfolio, a PC-based
portable computer weighing less than one pound, commercial and amateur
programmers now have a powerful programming environment specifically
designed to take advantage of the Portfolio's versatility and features.
Author, Bob Zale, famed for his release of the desktop PC-based
PowerBASIC, worked closely with Atari engineers and marketing personnel
to refine a development package which offers tremendous flexibility.
The source code generated by PowerBASIC is compatible to the compilers
on desktop systems, and in fact, may be created on desktop editors for
the convenience of long-term programming sessions. The full-range of
commands include support of graphics, file management, and advanced
mathematic operands. Users may also use PowerBASIC to make direct BIOS
calls as detailed by Atari's Technical Reference Guide. Developers for
the Portfolio have found existing desktop-based development packages to
be quite functional and useful. Now, with PowerBASIC, addressing
Portfolio's specific features is fast, fun and easy. PowerBASIC is a
compiler and offers the ability to create run files. PowerBASIC owners
are entitled to distribute the run-time library, which operates
ingeniously as a TSR, with their products. Also included are sample
programs and demos as well as information for serious developers to
obtain even greater development support packages. In the spirit of
Atari's tradition of providing exceptional products at the lowest price,
PowerBASIC sports a manufacturer's suggested price of only $99.95. It
is available at better Portfolio retailers. The suggested retail of the
Portfolio computer is only $299.95. The Atari Portfolio palmtop
computer is supported on CompuServe Information Service and GEnie with
thousands of forum members and hundreds of file downloads. Atari
Computer Corporation is a worldwide manufacturer and marketer of palmtop
through desktop computer systems. The company, a division of Atari
Corporation (AMEX:ATC), sells its systems, peripherals and software
through authorized distributors, resellers and integrators. For more
information, contact Don Thomas, Computer Marketing Director, Atari
Computer Corporation, 1196 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1302;
(408) 745-2031. Atari is a registered trademark; Portfolio is a
trademark of Atari Corporation. PowerBASIC is a trademark of Spectra
Publishing.
=======================================================================
DUSSELDORF GOES ATARI
---------------------
Eyewitness Report Exclusive for Z*Net
by Bob Brodie, Director of Communications, Atari Corp.
=======================================================================
For the fourth year, Atari has hosted the world's largest Atari Fair at
the Dusseldorf Messe. This year's fair ran from August 23-25 in
Dusseldorf, Germany. The gigantic Duesseldorf Messe ("fairgrounds")
halls held over 20,000 square meters of show space for the event
utilizing two separate halls for the event. This roughly translates to
over 180 exhibitors at the show, many with very large booths. Atari
themselves had over 60 displays in their exhibition area.
This year for the first time, Atari made provisions to have developers
from North America in booths at the show. Bringing their products over
for the show were CodeHead Software, D.A. Brumleve, Double-Click, JMG
Software, and Wuz-Tek. Other North American developers were at the show
as well, but were showing their wares in their distributors booths, or
their own. This includes developers like Gribnif Software, FAST
Technology, ISD, Gadgets by Small, and ICD.
The Atari Messe is quite literally the biggest Atari show in the world.
Last years attendance was set at 42,000. This year, the final count has
not been announced, although many feel that the show was perhaps 20%
slower than in years previous. However, in checking with exhibitors and
Atari Germany, sales figures didn't bear that out. Atari Germany felt
that the different layout of the hall this year that resulted in wider
aisles made the show seem not nearly as busy, but much easier to
navigate the show. Atari Germany seemed very pleased that their market
is now beginning to move to a different type of user--this year's show
had a lot less of the phreaks, hackers, and pirates that have been at
other Atari Messe's. This year, the type of client at the show seemed
to be a more professional user.
As in years past, the show also featured a number of different seminars
for the attendees to enjoy. Among the many seminars given were
Portfolio Telecommunications, DTP-the 2nd Generation, Programming with
Omnikron products, Using 1st Base, SCSI usage, Multi-tasking and virtual
memory, programming the XL/XE, Database applications, addressing the
math coprocessor, Overscan, MIDI with the Portfolio, Using Notator 3.0
in Opera, Multimedia Publishing, Music Software demonstrations, and
Using the 68040.
In going to this show, Atari US had some specific goals in mind: first
and foremost, they wanted to continue to "build the bridge" between the
US and Europe. Convinced that many people were overlooking North
American developers, Atari provided exposure to the world for the North
Americans in the hope that they would acquire international
distribution. Further, Atari has long recognized that there are some
outstanding applications across Europe, that need to brought over to
North America. In the past, this was apparently very difficult to do.
However, this time around, Atari found the going much easier. In almost
every case when Atari US representatives spoke to a software company,
their was great interest on their part to getting their products
represented in North American.
I took special time to introduce myself to the European Atari media that
was present at the show. I enjoyed speaking to them thoroughly, and
they were quite willing to go over and visit with our North American
developers. This will hopefully lead into some German reviews being
written about products like MaxiFile, Kid Publisher Pro, HyperLINK, DC
Novetalk, STalker/STeno, and DEKA. I spent time with XEST, ST Magazin's
editor Hartmut Ulrich, and TOS magazine publisher Horst Brandl. In many
cases, arrangements were made for review copies to be provided, and more
than once I heard the phrase "Who is your representative here in
Europe?"
DMC, the producers of CALAMUS, were showing their latest module for
CALAMUS S/L, a multimedia package that works with a CODE-A-CHROME
interface box for a digital frame grabber. The frame grabber inputs
into Calamus S/L at 16 bit color/greyscales. 24 bit color digitizing is
next on the horizon for Calamus S/L! The results were amazing! The
staff of DMC would be demonstrating their product, with a digital camera
mounted at the top of the large screen monitor. When they got to a
point that they needed to import an image, they simply digitized the
crowd standing behind the monitor, and immediately imported the image
into Calamus. The results are true magazine quality instant photos.
Double Click Software was showing their DC NoveTalk. This is an ST the
capability to run a real Novell network while they are running a PC
emulator on their ST. These guys from Houston were showing the product
with a STacy with an AT-Speed board installed in it. The product
occupies that cartridge port on the ST computers, and is said to provide
a Local Talk capability under TOS for ST users to network with Mega STEs
and TT's.
At least three German companies were showing their own networking
solutions: PAMS Net, Riebel (being shown in Atari Germany's booth) and
BioNet. Each are true ethernet compatible networks.
Dave and Sandy Small aren't just showing Spectre GCR now. Now they are
getting into the accelerator business with their Gadgets by Small SST.
This 68030 device not only completely replaces the ST's 68000, but also
adds additional ram capabilities to the system as well. Up to 12 megs
of ram can be added.
One of the great cries that Atari US has heard is "Now that there are
VME busses in your computers, when will you have graphics cards?" I'm
pleased to state that we saw several more at the show. In addition to
the MATRIX card and the AlberTT card, which Atari is quite familiar
with, we found at least three other graphics cards. All of these cards
had a variety of capabilities, and costs. For example, the IMAGINE
Farbgrafikkarte had the following capabilities:
320x200 256 colors
640x480 256 colors
800x600 256 colors
1024x768 256 colors
1280x1024 16 colors
In addition to the resolutions, the product also came with a long list
of compatible software. Here's just a portion of the list: Calamus,
Arabesque, Cubase, Gemini, GFA Basic, LDW Power, Retouche Professional,
Script II, Signum!2, That's Write, TMS Cranach, First Word Plus.
In the same booth, we also found they had done some TT conversions to a
tower case. Most of these units had at least 8 megs of ram, and very
large hard disks (200 megs plus!), Syquests, and of course a high speed
modem mounted internally. We found a company with a PCB (printed
circuit board) layout program called PCB-layout plus. This program
featured a full board design, and interface to a router to actually have
the board etched/built by the computer! There was at least one other
company doing the same type of demonstration there, showing the ST
controlling the router, and the board design in progress. Very
interesting, indeed.
The gang from Atari Journal was busy showing an amazing product-software
that gets beamed into your home via a satellite dish! From Channel
Videodat this interface box allows you to get literally megabytes of
data transferred for your computer, as a subscription offer. Truly
amazing!
GE Soft Computersysteme was the first company to come out with a third
party ram upgrade board for the TT. And of course, typical of third
party upgrades, it has to be different from anything that the computer
company manufactures. In this case, the ram board (called the Mighty
Mic Profiline) breaks the 16 megabyte limit that Atari has imposed on
the TT. Instead, their product will come with 4 megs, 8 megs, 16 megs,
20 megs, and a whopping 32 (that's right THIRTY TWO!) megabytes of TT
ram!
From Holland came a very interesting type of disk magazine: one that is
offered a shareware disk. It's called STabloid and is done by a bunch
of hard core Atari fanatics. The disk is loaded with amazing demos,
lots of information on how to do them. STabloid also has articles of
interest to most Atari owners about current events. Chief Editor Jam
Willekens is very excited about new arrangements in the US to distribute
his shareware disk magazine.
The fischertechnik company also showed a Lego-like contstruction set,
all controlled by the ST. This was quite reminiscent of the Atari ROBO
Kit, put out by Atari UK and now being carried by Atari US.
Fischertechnik had a miniature car wash erected, and an ST was
controlling all the actions of the car wash, including moving a model
car up and down the line, and rotating the brushes on the car wash.
Very impressive models!
One of the great needs in presentation hardware has always been the need
to interface with an overhead projector. Here in the US, N-View has a
lock on the Atari market. Not so in Germany--SHARP makes and sells the
QA-75, which does a beautiful job of displaying a computer image on an
overhead projector. No more trying to gather the gang around the
monitor. The QA-75 makes it easy to us a computer to give classes, or
just demonstrate the capabilities of your software with an ST/STE/Mega
STE/TT!
The Portfolio was not to be overlooked in any of this. There was an
abundance of software available for the Portfolio on a number of tables
across the halls. SWIFT! is a company that is making software for the
Portfolio to do banking, insurance quotes, financial operations, and
stock brokerage operations! In addition, the company also has their own
version of BASIC (called SWIFT! BASIC) complete with a compiler. They
also have a file transfer program called SWIFT! Link ST, making file
transfers painless between the ST/STE/Mega STE/TT and the Portfolio.
This show is so overwhelming, it's easy to feel that you would never be
able to cover the show properly. I am sure that there are things that I
have omitted in this report that others will report as very interesting
events/products. I trust that this will serve as just something to give
you a hint of everything that went on in Atari Messe.
=======================================================================
1991 MDC-RCC COMPUTER FAIR REPORT
---------------------------------
by Ray Perry
=======================================================================
[This article may be reprinted, in its entirety, without prior
permission from the author. However, any modifications to the original
content must be approved in advance by contacting the author at the
address below.]
On Saturday, August 31, the McDonnell Douglas Recreational Computer Club
(MDC-RCC) held its fourth annual Computer Fair in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Fair took place at the North County Recreation Complex, located at
2577 Redman Road on the grounds of the Veterans Memorial Park. Between
the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., more than 1101 people visited the
show (as measured by door prize tickets). This is the largest turnout
in the 4-year history of the Computer Fair, and it is particularly
remarkable given the strong competition from the Labor Day weekend and
the huge V.P. (Veiled Prophet) Fair in St. Louis.
The following is a list of exhibitors that were present at the Computer
Fair. ("SIG" refers to an MDC-RCC hardware or software Special Interest
Group.)
Apple-Related Exhibitors: Amiga-Related Exhibitors:
MDC-RCC Apple SIG MDC-RCC Amiga SIG
Apple Jacks (user group) Gateway Amiga Club
VMI Company of St. Louis
Atari-Related Exhibitors: Macintosh-Related Exhibitors:
MDC-RCC Atari SIG MDC-RCC Macintosh SIG
EAUG & STar (user groups) Dove Computer Corporation
Troy & Corey Baldwin
Randall Kopchak
Randall's Home Computers Texas Instruments-Related Exhibitors:
SKWare One Software MDC-RCC Texas Instruments SIG
Kyle Cordes (CorCom) Gateway 99'ers (user group)
Greg Kopchak
Other Exhibitors: Multi-Platform Exhibitors:
MDC-RCC Commodore SIG Microsoft Corporation
MDC-RCC CP/M SIG MDC-RCC Membership & Swap Tables
MDC-RCC IBM SIG Granny Grinder's...Software
MDC-RCC Tandy SIG Dale's Music
MDC-RCC Timex/Sinclair SIG Plato Computers
The Computer & Copier Center
Mind's Eye Computers
The Computer Fair took place inside of a large building that also serves
as an ice-skating rink during hockey season. This facility has more
than 18,000 square feet of floor space and 200 Amps of 115-volt
electrical power. Into this building, we placed 70 8-foot by 30-inch
tables, and 140 folding wooden chairs. The tables and chairs were
organized into several display areas for the various exhibitors. As I
am the Director of the the MDC-RCC Atari SIG, my comments will deal
primarily with the Atari exhibit. However, I will also mention some
other items of general interest.
The Atari display area consisted of 10 tables, which I arranged into two
back-to-back arcs, vaguely reminiscent of the Atari fuji logo. At the
apex of this pseudo-fuji, one of four large Atari banners hung from the
ends of two parallel tables. A 20" TV/VCR sat above the banner, facing
outward toward the center of the building. This TV was used to show
Antic's "Cybermation" video, Troy Baldwin's video effects demo, and an
ST games video prepared by Jeff Randall. Behind the TV, a network of 5
STs were running the ever-popular MIDI MAZE.
On the right side of the fuji (as viewed from the TV), the next table
after the MIDI MAZE cluster was occupied by Kelly Webb, owner of SKWare
One software. Kelly was using two ST systems (color and mono) to show
and sell his Seurat, Colorscan, and Autoart programs (I bought Colorscan
myself). Kelly reported unexpectedly brisk sales, which exceeded his
revenues from the recent all-Atari MIST show. Next to Kelly was Jeff
Randall, of Randall's Home Computers. Jeff used his Mega STe
demonstrator and an Atari SLM804 laser printer (donated by Jay Jones) to
demo Calamus and other programs available at his store. For more
information, visit Randall's Home Computers at 6166 Howdershell Road, in
Hazelwood, MO 63042, (314) 895-8862. (<-- free plug!)
Next to Randall's was the Eastside Atari User Group (EAUG) table. Hank
Vize, Dave Pintar, and Tom Guelker used two STs to demonstrate
Pagestream 2.1, VIDI ST & RGB, Maxifile, Hotwire, and my StereoTek 3-D
glasses. The Baldwin brothers (Troy and Corey) were located next to
EAUG. Corey demonstrated several Macintosh programs running via Spectre
GCR, and also showed ST software like Neodesk and Pagestream. Troy used
his JRI Genlock-equipped Mega ST4 and a Video camera to do realtime
mixing of Cyber animations over live video of the audience. He also
showed some weird VIDI ST special effects.
One the other side of the fuji, the first table after the MIDI ring was
occupied jointly by Kyle Cordes (of CorCom) and Greg Kopchak. Greg
demonstrated his It's All Relative (genealogy) and Forecaster III
(meteorology) programs for the ST, and also showed a beta version of
It's All Relative running on a PC clone. Kyle demonstrated his
Abbreviator ST abbreviation-expansion program. Next to Greg and Kyle
was Randall Kopchak, demonstrating ST MIDI capabilities with a Kawai
K1m sound module and a sequencing program. The last two tables were
occupied by members of the ST Atari Resource club (STar) from Illinois.
Craig Carter and Ray Stiles used 2 Mega STes to demonstrate various
things, including IBM emulation with the Supercharger, and Mac emulation
via the Spectre GCR. An ST/STe (I can't remember which) was also used
to show/sell public domain disks, including Lexicor animation demos.
As recently as a couple of weeks ago, I was still expecting Softlogik,
the St. Louis-based developers of the Pagestream DTP program, to come to
the Fair. They had sent me an application and said they would be
bringing an Atari TT/030, an Amiga 3000, and a laser printer to
demonstrate Pagestream. However, when I didn't receive their $25 table
fee, I grew concerned and called the company. Apparently, they had just
discovered the calendar and realized that they didn't have anyone
available on Labor Day weekend. (Needless to say, I was more than a
little PO'ed that I had to call THEM to find this out.)
In spite of the SoftLogik cancellation, and the lack of any kind of
support from Sunnyvale, Atari was very well-represented at the Fair.
With a total of about 19 STs and STes running, I think there were more
Ataris there than any other brand of computer. And, in addition to the
Atari banner at the front of our display area, there was another one
hanging on a big step ladder behind the display, and two more in front
of the STar tables. Thanks to all the people I mentioned above (and
anyone else I forgot), I think we proved that Atari is still alive and
kicking in the personal computer marketplace. Thanks are also in order
for Nathan Potechin of ISD, who sent us some DynaCADD and Outline Art
brochures. I hope he can come in person to next year's show.
If Atari was the most common brand of computer at the Fair, you may be
wondering who held second place. No, it wasn't one of the "Big Two"
(IBM and Macintosh), it was the Commodore Amiga. MDC-RCC Amiga SIG
director Dave Bostic did an excellent job in putting together a
coalition of vendors and user groups to show off the Amiga's sound and
graphics capabilities. VMI and Plato were both demonstrating the
impressive NewTek Video Toaster device for the Amiga. Plato had the
biggest single-vendor display at the show, with 8 tables, a book rack,
their own cash register, and a U-Haul full of merchandise. I think they
sold a lot of stuff.
Despite its significant market share (second only to IBM), Macintosh had
a relatively small presence at the Fair. This was primarily due to a
lack of support from area Mac vendors. The Bottom Line Computers, Inc.
was supposed to come to the show, but they cancelled at the last minute,
forfeiting their table deposit. Fortunately, the Mac SIG was able to
borrow a Mac Classic and a Mac IIfx from St. Louis-based Forsythe
Computers. But Forsythe had removed everything but the System folder
from the fx's hard drive, so this $9,000 machine was reduced to running
demos and playing blackjack. It was pretty underwhelming.
There were two vendors displaying Macintosh computers at the Fair.
Dale's Music was using a Mac and a PC clone to control some
synthesizers, and Jill Middendorf, of Dove Computer Corporation was
using her SE/30 to demonstrate a Dove Fax/modem. That may not sound
like an exciting display, but what it lacked in quantity, it more than
made up for in quality (Jill is quite striking). There was no shortage
of volunteers ready to help carry her equipment.
In addition to my duties as Atari SIG director, I was also the principal
Fair organizer and Master of Ceremonies. In this capacity, I was
responsible for handing out the valuable door prizes donated by vendors.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed,
especially those who could not attend. Ironically, our two biggest
prizes came from vendors in this category. Cedar Computer has always
been very supportive of our shows, and they continued the tradition this
year. They gave us an $849 HP QuietJet Plus printer and a stack of
mouse pads, just for mentioning their name. Similarly, Ashton-Tate
donated a brand-new copy of dBase IV, in absentia. Other donations
included Jetfighter II and Links (courtesy of Mind's Eye), and DR DOS
5.0 (courtesy of The Computer and Copier Center). Several vendors also
donated gift certificates (~$10-$25 value).
Well, that's about all I have to say about the Computer Fair. Overall,
I think it went quite well, and I believe the concept of an off-site
show has been vindicated (all previous Fairs were held on MDC property,
where sales & cameras were forbidden). The only really bad thing was
the temperature: due to a Freon leak, the air conditioner wasn't working
properly, and it must have been about 95 degrees in there! Fortunately,
the snack bar was open, and they had a run on snow cones.
Ray Perry
MDC-RCC Atari SIG Director
GEnie address: R.PERRY6
P.S. I used ComputerEyes and DigiSpec to digitize some Atari-related
images from my video tape of the show. These "smooshed" Spectrum-format
pictures may be found in the archive RCC_PICS.LZH in the Atari ST
roundtable on GEnie, and on the Pub II BBS in St. Louis. Extract using
UNLZH14.PRG or equivalent, and view with SPSLIDEX.PRG or equivalent.
Enjoy!
=======================================================================
GRAMMER EXPERT
--------------
Press Release
=======================================================================
PRESS RELEASE Release Date: 1 September 1991
For further information contact:
Phil Comeau Software
43 Rueter St.
Nepean, Ontario Canada K2J 3Z9
(613) 825-6271
GEnie: P.COMEAU1 CIS: 72060,3056
OTTAWA, CANADA -- Phil Comeau Software announces the release of a new
software product called "Grammar Expert," a computerized reference for
English grammar and writing.
Grammar Expert is a complete and practical source of information for
writers, the company said. The program has been designed to quickly
answer questions on grammar and effective writing. The program focuses
on practical advice for writers and avoids long lists of academic rules,
the company said. Grammar Expert provides guidelines and advice on
topics such as the use of commas and other punctuation marks; subject
and verb agreement; abbreviations; possessive nouns and pronouns;
sentence structure; distinctions between often-confused words such as
"who" or "whom," "like" or "as," and "that" or "which"; and effective
writing. A highlight of the program, the company said, is a special
section devoted to organizing and writing effective letters. Sample
letters for a variety of business-related purposes are included with the
program.
The company has initially released Grammar Expert for Atari's line of
16- and 32-bit computers, such as the 1040ST and TT/030. The company
plans to release the program for other computers, such as the Apple
Macintosh and IBM PC compatibles, in mid-to-late 1992.
The program is designed to run "in the background," so it can be used
even while another program, such as a word-processing or desktop-
publishing program, is running. The company said that making Grammar
Expert easy to access from a word-processing program was a key
consideration in its design, since many writers compose while they type
text into a word processor. On the Atari computers, the "background"
capability is achieved using the GEM operating system's "desk accessory"
feature, which allows the user to invoke and interact with one program
while another program is running. The company plans to also use the
"desk accessory" feature on the Macintosh.
Grammar Expert is organized like a reference book, the company said,
with information presented in pages. Like a book, the program has a
table of contents and an index. Typically, a writer would locate the
topic of interest in the table of contents or index, then simply click
the mouse over the topic's entry. Instantly, the program would display
the selected page.
Pages displayed by Grammar Expert often have certain terms highlighted.
These highlighted terms are links to other pages, the company explained.
By clicking the mouse over a highlighted term, the user can read
detailed information about the term. For example, one Grammar Expert
page may state that a conjunction joins two clauses. The words
"conjunction" and "clauses" are highlighted. A user who isn't sure of
what a clause is need only click the mouse over "clauses," and Grammar
Expert will display a page which defines the term and gives examples.
The page describing "clauses" may itself contain other highlighted terms
which the user can click on in a similar way. This method of presenting
information by linking related facts is called "hypertext," the company
said.
Grammar Expert complements "The GramSlam Grammar and Style Checker," the
other grammar-related product in the company's line. GramSlam and
Grammar Expert are "two sides of the same coin," the company said.
Grammar Expert is described as a constructive tool; it aids writers
during the creative process, from first draft to final report.
=======================================================================
MISSIONWARE SOFTWARE UPDATE
---------------------------
Press Release
=======================================================================
Missionware Software (...software with a mission...) now has a >>>
DeskJet 500 <<< text printer driver available for:
*** Printer Initializer ***
This text driver was written by Bob Carpenter for Missionware Software
and has been fully tested with a DeskJet 500. Look for it on this BBS
as file "DJ500.PDT" (It's a very short file and therefore not
compressed.)
What *is* Printer Initializer? It's the "Ultimate" printer control
accessory developed by Missionware Software to help *you* better control
your printers. With it, you can create your own text drivers!
~ Completely user customizable (but comes standard with drivers for
Epson, Diconix and now DeskJet printers.)
~ Controls any printer on either the serial or parallel port...
~ Permits control of up to 6 printers from 1 desk accessory slot...
~ Works with any GEM program...
~ Permits you to easily and conveniently send commands to your printer
for selecting fonts, styles, pitch and point sizes, type output, line
feeds, carriage returns, line spacings; in essance, you can easily
control *anything* your printer can do from this one program without
having to embed control codes in the host program!
~ The program comes with a special install program that creates the
drivers and a desk accessory that later users the drivers for printer
control.
~ The programs work in either color or monochrome...
~ The desk accessory is fully compatible with MultiDesk (Copyright
CodeHead Software)...
~ Our programs are not copy protected (they are serialized and
personalized!) and are installable on your hard disk...
~ The program, with the DJ500 driver, is now available for $24.95 direct
from Missionware Software or your favorite dealer. If not in stock,
have your dealer order from Pacific Software Supply, our number one
distributor.
~ If you don't own an Epson or Diconix or DeskJet, you can still create
your own drivers for whatever type of printer you have. Missionware
will also help you create a driver for free. Just contact us directly
either via the mail or on-line.
Our address is: Missionware Software
354 N. Winston Drive
Palatine, IL 60067-4132
Personal checks, money orders and bank checks are acceptable.
If you'd like to contact us online, we're on BIX (jtrautschold), CIS
(73250,572) and GEnie (J.TRAUTSCHOL). We also have demos available on
all 3 services. Look for the file PRT_INIT.ARC for a fully functional
driver install demo and tutorial (save function is disabled and the desk
accessory is not included.) On GEnie, the file number is 19019.
=======================================================================
Z*NET ATARIWATCH 1991 CALENDAR
------------------------------
=======================================================================
September 7
The Bridgeport Connecticut Atarifest at the Bridgeport Hilton. Bob
Brodie, Gribnif Software and others are expected to be on hand. This
event will be a one day show.
September 14-15
The Southern California ATARI Computer Faire, Version 5.0, also known as
THE GLENDALE SHOW has been confirmed for September 14 and 15, 1991.
Contact: H.A.C.K.S., 249 N. Brand Bl. #321, Glendale, CA 91203, or call
John King Tarpinian, Faire Chairperson, 818-246-7286.
October 12-13
WAACE AtariFest '91, Sheraton Reston Hotel, Washington D.C./Virginia,
contact J.D.BARNES, 7710 Chatham Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815.
October 21-25
Fall COMDEX Las Vegas Nevada
November 23-24
Chicago Atari Computer Show BY ATARI. Contact Larry Grauzas, P.O. Box
8788, Waukegan, IL 60079-8788, phone 708-566-0671. Administrated by the
Lake County Atari Computer Enthusiasts (LCACE).
=======================================================================
DC PROGRAMS OF THE WEEK (POW)
-----------------------------
Announcement
=======================================================================
In February 1991, Double Click Software announced a remarkable feat to
occur: we would write one freeware program each week for one year.
Generally, the response to this concept has been nothing short of
excellent. We thank each and every downloader.
Some people, however, have used our freeware programs as an excuse to
not donate for shareware programs.
Recently a shareware author told us that several customers had told this
author that they "would not pay the shareware fee requested, because
Double Click Software would just write the program next week."
For the record, Double Click Software _strongly_ (very strongly)
recommends the continued support of shareware authors. We originally
started writing the program of the week to show our strong committment
towards supporting our original shareware contributors. Without
shareware contributions, we would not have been able to make Double
Click Software a viable company.
Please contribute to shareware authors if you use their program!
Our program of the week is very specific:
1) Programs must be ONE and ONLY ONE feature.
2) Programs must take 2-4 hours to write.
3) We will avoid at all cost rehashing a program already done.
4) We will _not_ write a program which competes against a commercial or
shareware program.
If you are using our program of the week as an excuse to not contribute
to a shareware author, then you have entirely missed the intent of why
we started doing this.
We actually started this ambitious plan back in October 1990, but only
made it public in 1991.
On October 18, 1991 we will upload our final program of the week for
1991.
=======================================================================
CD-ROM FOR THE ATARI: INTRODUCING THE CDAR504
---------------------------------------------
by Jon Clarke
=======================================================================
The following is reprinted from the September 1991 issue of ATARIUSER
MAGAZINE by permission of Quill Publishing. It may NOT be further
reprinted except by specific permission of Quill. Call 818-332-0372 or
write AtariUser at 113 West College Street, Covina, CA 91723, or call
800-333-3567 for subscriptions.
CD-ROM? You have all heard about them, maybe even read a little about
these devices. A CD-ROM is a Compact Disc player like you may have in
your stereo, but designed for a computer. Compact Disc ROM is "Read
Only Media" (not "Memory"). You can read but not write or save to the
optical disks.
CD's are massive storage devices. Atari's players (the CDAR504 and its
replacement, the CDAR505) read disks with up to five hundred and fifty
megabytes of data. That's over 600 floppy diskettes on one little five
and a quarter inch piece of aluminum! Speed of data transfer is about
half that of a hard drive, far faster than from floppies.
Imagine plugging in a CD-ROM reader into your STe and playing a fantasy
game that not only has sound, but video-like role playing on it. This
exists now--it's called "Golden Immortal" and it was mastered in the
same way an audio CD would be, some two and a half years ago by a firm
in New Mexico called Whitestar Mageware. These days, it can be seen
running on the IBM, as there were not a lot of Atari's CDAR504's out
there at the time--not that there are now!
But games are only one option for this player. In my case, I use two
CDAR504's on our BBS (in New Zealand) for our "files" area. For you
Sysops out there, I recommend you take the time to investigate
purchasing a CDAR504 or CDAR505 for you BBS. We have over one Gigabyte
of data for our users to download and use as they see fit. Just pop in
a new disk anytime we want more variety.
But it's not that simple to find the right CD. You will have to ask the
following question: Is the CD in High Sierra MAY '86, ISO9660 or in
some other custom format? Do you have the MetaDos driver for it? Is it
designed for the Atari, IBM, MAC, UNIX or other machines? Does it
matter what machine it is for if you have the right driver for it?
To run on your Atari ST, you will require an Atari CD-ROM player,
specifically, a CDAR504 or CDAR505. To run programs from a CD on the
Atari will require Atari specific software on the Compact Disc (several
are available). However if you are running a BBS, you can get just
about any breed of CD ROM for your player and transfer files without
problems.
MetaDos?? Metados is the driver software for the CD-ROM from Atari,
using (surprise) the standard disk formats, such as they are today. It
attaches to the ST operating system to access "disk drives" above and
beyond your hard disk and into the CD- ROM.
You can also do several other interesting things with the software
drivers as well as the CD-ROM player. As I am typing this I am
listening to Dire Straits for the eight thousandth time, through my
CDAR504. It has is a full infra red remote control, or it can be
completely controlled though a desk accessory on the computer, even in
audio mode.
There hundreds of disks that you can use on the Atari CD-ROM player.
The USA government puts out a catalog of disks each year along with
distributors world wide. A few of the more interesting disk we use on a
day to day basis that are designed for the Atari ST include the Current
Notes CD-ROM, the ST Software Library Clip Art Disk, and The Golden
Immortal. Other IBM and MAC based CD-ROMS in either the ISO or Sierra
formats will read just fine, as long as it is text. Any software on
them will not be understood by the ST. I don't really know how they
would fare under IBM emulation, but I have been told that the MAC
emulators won't (yet?) read the MAC CD's through the ST.
Atari announced its CDAR504 CD-ROM player several years ago, but then
decided to delay its release until it could be sold for "under $500." A
number of units were built and distributed to developers, but little
more has happened. Some were sold overseas, and a few ST titles were
released on CD. Then in March 1991, Atari announced a new unit to
replace the CDAR504. The new CDAR505 was much smaller and is to be sold
for $399--even below the target price that Atari was waiting for. Some
sources say Atari is still hopeful for a 1991 release of the long
awaited device.
A number of Atari software CD's are expected once (if?) the CDAR505 gets
a general release. They include a comprehensive PD and graphics library
from Z*NET, more clip-art disks, and Atari's own SOFTSOURCE disk. This
last disk is to include operable demos of hundreds of Atari
applications, utilities, and games, as well as a complete catalog of
"every Atari program available." The Softsource disk is to be
(eventually) available to every dealer and user group.
The Atari CDAR504 has been discontinued even before real introduction,
and replaced by the also unavailable CDAR505. While the 504 was a large
unit with a footprint a little smaller than a Megafile or Mega ST, the
505 is about the size and appearance of an external floppy drive. The
504 had a full remote control, while the 505 has none at all, except for
an EJECT button and a headphone volume control. The new unit must be
entirely operated from the computer. Both CD players have Atari ACSI
ports, otherwise known as DMA IN and DMA OUT. In the newer CDAR505 is a
full SCSI adaptor. This means the CDAR504 is for the Atari ST/TT/STe
series of computers only, while the CDAR505 will work with these and any
other computers that work with SCSI devices. This versatility might
help build the market viability of the player.
[Editors Note: See the latest information on th CDAR505 in the Newswire
in this week's issue.]
BIO: Jon Clarke globe-trots from his New Zealand home, working for an
international bank. His heavy Atari involvements keep him in touch with
the US community through GEnie telecommunication service and Z*NET.
=======================================================================
THE SALES-PRO SYSTEM
--------------------
Press Release
=======================================================================
REVISION 6.00 of The SALES-PRO System
August 20, 1991
Hi-Tech Advisers is proud to announce the immediate availability of our
NEW VERSION 6.00 of the popular Sales-Pro Point-of-Sale/Inventory
Control Software System. This new version is available for PC's, PC
LAN's and Atari TOS Computers. Updates are available for current
program users.
Just a few of the Many New Features found in Version 6.00:
* The General Ledger Module #5 is Now Totally Integrated.
* Many New features have been added to the Accounts Payable Module #4.
* 3 Separate Sales Tax Levels are now supported throughout the software.
* Taxable or Non-Taxable can now be specified on each Customer Record.
* Taxable or Non-Taxable can now be specified on each Inventory Record.
* Now you can Assign Percentage Discount Rates to Each Customer Record.
* Archive Library Files have been added for Quicker Access to All Files.
* Profit Percentages have been added to the End-of-Day/Period Reports.
* Now you can Add New Inventory Items While Posting to Existing Items.
* Minimum Payments may be specified by percentage for Receivable
Balances.
* Inventory Explosion Module #7 has been improved and updated.
* Service Center Module #8 has been improved and updated.
* 2 New Utilities have been added to Accessory #2 Utilities.
* MANY New Default Settings have been added for Even More Flexibility.
* More File and Disk Checking has been added to keep your data reliable.
* Cash Drawer Support has been made more flexible with more defaults.
* Abort During List Printing is now available on most lists.
* Deleted Inventory Items or Customers are now available on lists.
* New cosmetic and other improvements for functionality have been added.
* Many speed enhancements are included throughout this new version.
* The UPS C.O.D. Labels from Acc. #4 are now linked with the Customer
File.
* New, More Informative Error Trapping and Recovery System.
* Use Your Own Invoice Numbers or have the system automatically
generate the transaction numbers. This is available on Single User
Systems Only.
* ON PC COMPATIBLE SYSTEMS you can now specify a different parallel
printer port for your transactions, labels, etc.
Contact your local dealer, consultant or Hi-Tech Advisers today for more
information.
TO ORDER CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-882-4310
FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S. CALL 813-294-1885
For Technical Support Call (813)293-3986
For More Information Call (813)294-1885
24 Hour FAX Line (813)325-0375
Updates are being shipped to all current Auto-Update Subscribers Now!
=======================================================================
AUA ANTI-PIRACY UPDATE
----------------------
by Derek Signorini
=======================================================================
When Tony Parry and I discussed the now 3 week old "AUA ANTI-PIRACY
MOVEMENT 1991" while on the golf course, neither of us expected the
overwhelming response that we have received to date. Atari enthusiasts
from all over the world have opened their eyes to this plaguing issue.
Many thanks to Z*NET for helping us in this drive to distribute our
letter and thoughts to the masses.
In this third week of the campaign, we have found it necessary to make
an amendment to our original letter. Many thanks to Bob Brodie,
Director of Communications at Atari, for his support and guidance of
this Anti-piracy movement. Bob contacted us on GEnie to suggest that
our letters be addressed not only to the IAAD and Atari, but directly to
him. In response to his suggestion, we have done this and present a
second draft of our original letter.
If you have sent in your letter to Atari already, don't worry. Your
voice will be heard nonetheless. By adding Mr. Brodie as a recipient to
your letter, we are streamlining our target and avoiding the
bureaucratic middle man. If you have not sent your letter, now is the
time to do so, as this massive anti-piracy statement is gaining more and
more momentum!!
Please feel free to contact the AUA via the following routes:
US MAIL: The Atari Users Association
P.O. Box 123
Canonsburg, PA 15317
PHONE: 412-745-8930
EMAIL: GENIE -- DC.SIGNORINI
CIS -- 72327,1060
FNET -- Node #19 or via the AUA Crossnet
Thank you all again for your support. YOUR VOICE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
===================CUT HERE=====================================
IAAD
c/o Atari Corporation
ATTN: Bob Brodie, Dir. of Communications
1196 Borregas Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94088-3427
Dear Sirs,
I have seen ASCII captures of some of the pirate activities that have
been occurring on Atari ST BBS systems and would like to express that I
am both appalled and angry that such illegal activity is going on.
While I realize that my voice is but a small one in a very large crowd,
I believe that there is something that I can do to help put a stop to
this crime.
I am completely against any form of software piracy and wish to help in
the fight to stop it all together and believe that it is time for Atari
Corporation with the help of the IAAD, AUA, IADA, and SPA to bring these
offenders to trial.
Please give consideration to a multi-party united stance against
software piracy at once! There are too many talented developers leaving
the Atari ST platform because money is literally being stolen from their
pockets. I believe that by combining forces, we can begin to curb
software piracy and help the developers receive adequate compensation
for their hard work.
If there is anything that I can do as an individual, please let me know.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME HERE
Member of the AUA
===================CUT HERE=====================================
I encourage you to print this letter, sign it, and get it in the mail to
Atari as soon as possible. If I could make it easier for you to do or
pay for your stamp, I would! But your twenty-nine cents can make a
difference!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENIE
To sign up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon
connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type
XJM11877,GEnie and hit RETURN.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMPUSERVE
To sign up for CompuServe service, call 800-848-8199. Ask for operator
198. You will be sent a $15.00 free membership kit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Z*NET Atari Online Magazine is a weekly publication covering the Atari
and related computer community. Material contained in this edition may
be reprinted without permission except where noted, unedited and
containing the issue number, name and author included at the top of each
article reprinted. Opinions presented are those of the individual
author and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff of
Z*Net Online. This publication is not affiliated with Atari Corporation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Z*Net, Z*Net Online, Z*Net Newswire, Z*Net Newswire Ltd, Z*Net News
Service and Z*Magazine are Copyright (C)1991, Rovac Industries, Inc..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Z*Net Newswire Ltd.
Z*Net Pacific
Auckland, New Zealand BBS: (011) 64-960-8485
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Publicist: Four Corners Communications
160 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010 Voice: (212) 924-4735
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rovac Industries, Inc. Voice: (908) 968-2024
Post Office Box 59 BBS: (908) 968-8148
Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-0059 FNET: Node 593
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
