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Z*NET Online Magazine Issue 507
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Atari Online Magazine Issue #507
=========================================
(½) 1990 by Rovac Industries, Inc.
Post Office Box 59
Middlesex, New Jersey 08846
=======================================================================
Publisher/Editor - Ron Kovacs Editor - John Nagy
Z*Net Online 24 Hour BBS (201) 968-8148 3/12/24
CompuServe 71777,2140 GEnie Z-NET
=======================================================================
FEBRUARY 16, 1990
#######################
TABLE OF CONTENTS
#######################
- THIS WEEK
Update..............................................Ron Kovacs
- Z*NET NEWSWIRE
Atari/Industry News Update....................................
- MULTI-TASKING FROM ATARI CORP
Latest news from Atari...............................John Nagy
- ERIC'S COLUMN
New feature.......................................Eric Florack
- TELECOMPUTING FROM DOWN-UNDER
New feature.........................................Jon Clarke
- THE REVOLUTION
Part 20 of the series continues..................Donald Thomas
- COMPUSERVES DEMOGRAPHICS REPORTS
CompuServe area explored............................Ron Kovacs
- TERMINAL GRAPHICS
From the Z*Net BBS............................................
***********************************************************************
THIS WEEK - by Ron Kovacs
***********************************************************************
Alice Amore and Mark Quinn's columns do not appear this week due to some
personal priorities and a short vacation, both columns will return
shortly.
Last week ST-REPORT detailed news of John Nagy being approached by
Atari. Well, since this was a private matter between Nagy and Atari I
felt it was not important to report until something concrete had
occurred. To date, there are still no concrete decisions to report and
we thank everyone who encouraged the possible move. The subject at hand
though is not the news but reporting something that could be effected by
the report. In my opinion, it wasn't relevant to report and could (if
it hasn't already) effect the out come.
Eric Florack has sent Z*Net a few articles which will be the start of a
new feature. Coverage included in this column will range all computers
and focus on the FCC. Another feature starting this week are articles
from New Zealand by Jon Clarke.
Thanks for reading!
***********************************************************************
Z*NET NEWSWIRE - ATARI NEWS
***********************************************************************
ATARI COMPUTER HAS NEW PRESIDENT:
This week, Atari Computer (USA) appointed yet another new President.
Meade Ames-Kline comes to Atari from Koala Springs Beverage Corporation,
and is expected to have strengths in marketing and distribution that
will offset his lack of experience with a computer product line.
WORLD OF ATARI IS ON:
After considerable doubt, it appears at this time that Atari will be
supportive of the World Of Atari show to be held in Anaheim, California,
April 7 and 8. While Atari show stock is at an all-time low, and
promotor Richard Tsukiji has promised vendors lots of equipment from
Atari, CEO Sam Tramiel has commented that Atari must do all it can for
shows. Some observers were concerned as to whether the Disneyland WOA
would happen at all after seeing a series of ads in Tsukiji's own ST
WORLD magazine. First, it was shown as a three-day affair, April 6,7,
and 8... the next ad said only 7 & 8... and the next month, the same ad
ran but with no dates whatsoever. However, the newly released issue
again says April 7 & 8, at the Disneyland Hotel. Z*Net will be there,
bringing you live reports and pictures.
SPECTRE NEW VERSION SUPPORTS PRODIGY:
Gadgets by Small will very shortly be sending notices and newsletters
announcing their latest update of the SPECTRE GCR software. The mighty
MAC emulator Version 2.65 will replace current version 2.3K (although
most disks say 2.0), and includes numbers of improvements. Although the
"system clock" still is dead (although no time is wasted this way!),
compatibility is UP. Among the newly usable programs is the PRODIGY
front-end software for use of the IBM/SEARS telecommunication service...
making Spectre the first ST avenue into that service. IBM emulators
have failed to run the PC version of Prodigy to date.
68030 ST ADAPTER LOOKING GOOD FOR APRIL SHOWING:
Dave Small says that the 68030 upgrade project that he and Jim Allen (of
FAST TECHNOLOGY) have been working on for the last few months may be
ready for an operational display at the April Atari show in Anaheim.
Still too far off to say much about commercial availability or price,
but Dave says that 16 MHZ operation is assured, and he hopes that he
will have 32 MHZ workable enough to show soon too. These upgrades will
make an ST really fly, perhaps performing at speeds even above those
projected for the 16 MHZ "TT" from Atari.
AVANT GARDE FINDS PCDITTO II FIX:
From the GEnie ST RT, reprinted by permission: We are happy to announce
we have found the problem with pc-ditto II hardware not working with
some STs. We were correct about the changes in timings of some machines
being the heart of the problem and our correction widens the tolerance
for machines with different timings. We can discuss our findings at a
later time in detail, if there are any engineers interested. For now,
however, the following describes what to do to receive an update:
1. Correction involves replacement of two socketed chips on your pc-
ditto II board. The chips are labeled: U27 GLUPAL (part TIBPAL
20L8-25CNT) and U15 EMSPAL (part TIBPAL 16R4-25CN).
2. Please carefully remove these chips (a flat-edge screwdriver under
the end of each chip works best). CAUTION: Please observe static
discharge procedures (as noted in the pc-ditto II Installation
Manual) to prevent damage to your board.
3. Then, wrap the two chips in a soft packing material and return to
Avant-Garde Systems at the following address:
Avant-Garde System
381 Pablo Point Drive
Jacksonville, Florida 32225
(You may call (904) 221-2904 9am to 5pm Mon-Fri if you have
questions.)
4. Please include your name and return address.
5. We will return two new replacement chips immediately along with
instructions on replacing them.
For owners with pc-ditto II that are already working, replacement of
these two chips will not help you. Therefore, we would not recommend
"fixing your product if its not broken".
We are now working on a blitter fix and standardized Mega expansion port
fixture and will post a message soon about those items.
(Also, if you have already called or written, you will be receiving a
letter concerning the above, as well). Thanks!
DCDESKTOP A GO FOR MARCH:
Double Click Software says development is on schedule for release of its
modular desktop enhancement system. Planned for March 14, the DC
DESKTOP will incorporate variations of many of the time-saving features
already offered by existing systems, plus a number of innovative
additions. Friction arose recently between DC and GRIBNIF, makers of
desktop alternative NEODESK. A very preliminary story on DC DESKTOP
that appeared in ST-INFORMER's January issue showed a sample screen...
that unwisely included icons that were identical to those of NEODESK.
DC is designing their own icons, and may have been using NEODESK icons
to help lay out their plans, but Gribnif was not amused to have their
efforts appear even briefly as "part of" a competing project in
development.
ARTISAN SOFTWARE RELEASES WORD QUEST:
Artisan Software has just released WORD QUEST UTILITIES; a powerful
Gem-based system to interface with existing WORD QUEST and WORD QUEST 2
puzzle files. Now users can merge and save puzzle files in either
format or take advantage of a host of advanced features.
In the tradition of all Artisan Software titles, WORD QUEST UTILITIES is
versatile and easy to use. It is fully functional on monochrome and
color systems. Commands are accessible by keyboard or mouse. There is
an integrated text extraction feature which allows users to specify any
documentation file and isolate eligible words without having to retype
them in. There are five distinct sort functions and a versatile
selection of word list print options. Users may now print original Word
Quest puzzles in DEGAS format. Other features include flexible load,
editing, and merge operations as well as a new DEGAS image inversion
feature to swap black and white images.
WORD QUEST UTILITIES is available to registered Artisan Software
customers only. As an aftermarket support program, it will not be made
available through dealers. This ensures that every purchaser already
owns WORD QUEST or WORD QUEST 2.
To order, send $19.95 plus $1.50 shipping and handling to Artisan
Software, P.O. Box 849, Manteca, California, 95336. California
residents must add sales tax.
Ask your dealer for WORD QUEST or WORD QUEST 2 or order them for only
$29.95 each plus $1.50 shipping and handling. The WORD QUEST POWERPACK
includes both popular titles for only $49.95 plus $3.00 shipping and
handling.
IBM-MANUFACTURED 386 SHIPPED:
IBM announced this week that it has started shipping selected models of
the Personal System/2-a Model 70 that contain 386-a microprocessors
manufactured by IBM. However, IBM will continue to rely on Intel Corp
for the bulk of its 386 microprocessor requirements, and will be using
the IBM chips primarily as a second supply source for the PS/2-a.
IBM INTRODUCES RISC SYSTEM-6000:
IBM unveiled new powerful workstations late this week and expressed
hopes the advanced line of computers will give the company the lion's
share in the fastest-growing sector of the industry. The RISC System-
6000 family of four high-performance desktop workstations and five
servers, or networking units, can operate at speeds of 27.5 million to
40 million instructions per second, ranking among the most powerful on
the market. IBM said they expected the computer systems to be highly
competitive with the most basic system priced at a low $20,500, or about
$1,000 less than its nearest competitor. The workstations are priced
from about $13,000 to nearly $74,000 while the servers range from more
than $20,000 to more than $111,000. Most of the products in the new
line which can serve from five to 250 users, can be ordered for delivery
in 90 days, while the higher end of the line will be on the market
beginning in November. The workstations feature a high-quality graphics
system, including tri-dimensional display, designed by Silicon Graphics
Inc.
***********************************************************************
MULTI-TASKING FROM ATARI CORP - by John Nagy
***********************************************************************
We've heard much hollering through the years from our comrades who
bought "the other" machine about how they have "multi-tasking" and the
Atari does not. And many third-party developers have come up with
various alternatives to give some multi-processing abilities to our
machines. Some, like JUGGLER (MICHTRON) and REVOLVER (DOUBLE CLICK)
achieve a type of multiple environment that allows the user to suspend
one program and join another, then switch back at will. These are not
"multi-tasking" because only one can actually run at one time. Other
systems achieve a degree of real multi tasking through desktop
accessories that run "background", like the MYSIC DISK FORMATTER and the
SHADOW downloading utility.
Still other companies have redesigned the entire operating system and
produced a true multi tasking environment in a UNIX work-alike design.
These include IDRIS and the BECKMEYER RTX systems. These offer real
processing of multiple applications even by multiple users all at the
same time, but usually at the cost of the GEM interface. Since most
users come to the Atari ST because of the easy to use graphic interface,
these systems are not a good solution for many. All existing GEM
programs are simply unable to run... and a return to the command-line
interface is too much to expect for most Atarians.
Musicians have probably the largest need for signal processing in real-
time, with many programs each doing something to/for/about a MIDI event.
Thus, many developers have come up with integrated systems of their own
to make the most of a single computer. But most of them are only
designed to interact with their own company's software, limiting the
usefulness of the multiple processing for user of several brands of
software. Competent systems of this type are offered by STEINBERG, DR.
T, and C-LAB to name only a few.
Now, Atari Corp has selected a true multi-tasking environment to be
promoted as the standard for the MIDI market. Called "MIDI-TASKING"
because of an Atari belief that it has particular value only to the
musician's market, it will nonetheless be useful in other applications.
Atari's MIDI-TASKING system was designed by Intelligent Music of New
York, and was to be called "ST RAM" until Atari selected it to be their
chosen standard. It is a combination of AUTO and ACC files, enabling up
to six independent and autonomous partitions, each running
simultaneously. Screens from each partition can co-exist on the monitor
(easiest on the huge Moniterm), although screens will not be updating on
"unselected" windows. Shown at the January NAMM show in Anaheim, it
really works - I saw it. Designers Mark Brown and Eric Ameres proudly
displayed it in operation and entertained lots of questions and answers.
Intelligent Music President Joel Chadabe emphasised that the system was
to support all MIDI developers and systems, not just to single out one
system as "best" or "sanctioned". Developers were given beta copies of
the system to help work out just what MIDI-TASKING will be when
completed, and how long it will take to be ready for market will depend
on just how much the developers want to add or change.
From what I saw on the screen, Midi-tasking has several parts. The
individual GEM environments arise through the use of the desk
accessories. At run time, you have the choice of letting the
application selected determine the amount of RAM needed for it, or you
can set the memory limits manually. Once allocated, the application is
not relocatable in the machine memory. However, applications that have
been terminated appear to return their RAM to the usable pool, even if
the available RAM is not then contiguous within the machine.
Internal "patch bays" allow piping of MIDI information between
environments, as though each partition had its own MIDI ports. The
"real" ports are allocated to whatever application is desired by the
operator. Same goes for printer and RS232 support, it is switched
within the system among well-behaved (read: carefully written to the
MIDITASKING standards) programs.
To quote from Atari's MIDI MAGAZINE, a handout at NAMM that promises to
be a quarterly feature:
"The data-sharing system, or "scrapbook", offers a unique set of
features specifically for MIDI program users...
"The MIDI-tasking system's built in timers can be shared by programs and
are the key to multiple realtime sequencing. MIDI applications can be
run synchronously - either through an internal timer or from an
external timing source. The programs tell the MIDI-tasking system's
timers how often and at what resolution periodic tasks should be run.
Any MIDI-tasking system-compatible application receives automatic SMPTE
and MIDI Time Code (MTC) support, with simultaneous support of 768 ppq,
960 ppq, SMPTE-bit, and millisecond timers."
"Atari officials emphasized that the key difference between the Atari
MIDI-tasking system and systems such as Softlink, MROS, MPE, and
Hybridswitch is that the Atari system uses the ST's built in GEM kernal
to do multi-tasking, giving the user simultaneous access to all
programs."
It should be noted that the Atari system is "compatible" with most or
all of the existing "switcher" and internal multitask systems from the
MIDI developers... several "incompatible" sets of interactive programs
can trade data from separate simultaneous environments. This fact was
not completely clear to some developers at NAMM who were, at first,
adamantly against "some other" company's concept of a multi-task
standard. Having invested in years of development of ones own internal
standards, these developers felt threatened by the new system until they
understood that their systems could work within it with greater benefits
all around.
What does the multitask environment offer to non-musicians? A lot, and
a little, depending on the application. There is little point in much
that passes for multi-tasking. Most programs do nothing much while not
being operated (word processors for example), and other applications are
greedy about memory and peripheral usage. As a result, most users have
little need for true multitasking. Yet we hear a lot about it from our
Amiga friends... well, now we will have it too. Without a doubt, it
will likely spawn some nifty program combinations for those of us who
have large amounts of RAM.
Again from the Atari MIDI MAGAZINE:
"Many GEM program can be used with the Atari MIDI-tasking system,
assuming the program was written according to Atari's established
guidelines. Although the system can work with non-MIDI applications,
Atari doesn't plan to promote the MIDI-tasking system outside the music
market."
"The Atari MIDI-tasking system functions with all Atari MEGA and ST
computers. A minimum of one megabyte RAM is recommended. The MIDI-
tasking will soon be available through Atari dealers for $12.95
suggested retail."
Intelligent Music of Albany, New York, will continue to manage the
development of the MIDI-tasking system, under license agreements with
Atari. Plans include bundling the completed system with the STACY
portable ST for sale in music outlets.
***********************************************************************
ERIC'S COLUMN
***********************************************************************
by Eric Florak
New Recipients of this column this month: THE LILLYPAD, which is the
newsletter of the F.R.O G. Computer Society, in Rochester, NY. This
makes it at least 3 BBS's and 2 club papers that this column reaches.
F.R.O.G. stands for First Rochester Osbourne Group. and they are an
offshoot of the FOG, which is the national organizational of Osbourne
users. The Osborne is a machine that runs under the CP/M operating
system, and these folks help just about anyone who runs a CP/M system,
including the C=128.
Well, that's their roots, anyway, but nowdays, they not only support
CP/M, in all it's forms, but also MS-DOS. The president of the club is
good friend Jim McCollum. Glad to have the LILLYPAD aboard!
COMPUTER SHOPPER
I note with a bit of a frown that the COMPUTER SHOPPER no longer does
it's BBS lists, or at least this issue I just bought didn't. I wasn't
aware they had dropped them, (which shows you how long it's been since
my subscription ran out!) and I'm sad to see the lists go. They must
have been a bear to keep accurate. (Interestingly enough, the lists
were kept by the people at the National FOG office!)
Many of the systems I'm on frequently were listed in there. They all
got calls from across the country as a direct result of those listings.
I wonder how much business they will lose because of this move. I know
this much; they've lost mine. It was the feature I looked forward to
the most in that publication. Since they took the Commodore 8 bit stuff
out, what I get most out of buying that one is exercise. (This thing is
still heavy! Nice if you like ads, I guess.)
MINISCRIBE
I note that a Hard drive maker, MiniScribe, has gone under. Some of you
had heard, no doubt, last September, that they were in trouble. Former
managers living like Jim & Tammy Bakker, without the makeup. You know
the story. Anyway, they've filed for bankruptcy as of January 2nd, and
according to reports I've seen, will be gone altogether by the time you
read this. One report left open the idea that they may manufacture
outside of the US after the dust settles, but their US operations were
out the window, period.
FCC UPDATE
There's little in the way of update from both the NY State Senate bill
S-5604 or the FCC regards Docket 89-79, both mentioned in last month's
NOTES, except for the following:
State Senator Dunne (Nassau County, NY) has been offered a position, I'm
told, in the Cuomo office. Position as of this writing is unclear, (I
haven't been able to get the straight story) but the rumor mill has it
that he will take it and leave his Senate post. If that's true, 5604 is
dead in the water, given that it has no co-sponsor in the senate. We
can only hope.
As for the FCC proposal, some comments I have gotten here figure that
I'm referring to an old FCC proposal 87-215 in the columns of the last
few months. Not so. Yes, there was, in fact, a proposal put forth by
the FCC to impose a "modem charge tariff" in 1987. It was Docket #87-
215. It died, mostly due to the angry scream from those users who would
be affected by it. The FCC got more comments from that one proposal,
than from any in the history of the commission.
Unfortunately, the idea didn't die with the bill. So, on March 30, 1989,
the FCC proposed a new surcharge (read surcharge to go to Telco's
pocket) in CC-docket 89-79 , "ONA Tariffing Policies." (In the FCC-
speak, ONA = Open Network Architecture.")
If passed as such, 89-79 means that the telcos, via the FCC, want more
money for data communications, and they now appear to be attempting to
"back door" the failed docket #87-215 by proposing new "Carrier Switched
Access Charges" on ENHANCED SERVICE PROVIDERS (operators of on-line
information services). Thus, were 89-79 to pass, you could apparently
wind up indirectly paying the same rate hike you would have paid under
the failed proposal. I've pointed out the similarity, in the past,
between this move by the FCC, and Congress attempting to get a tax
increase though on the tails of a child care bill.
Now, despite the fact that the original comment 'window' for this
proposal was closed last JULY 26th, the FCC is still taking comments.
Many of these comments look like they are referring to the old proposal.
(So, I guess I can understand why readers figure I messed up.) But,
the Commission staffers, like they KNOW this is a second attempt at 87-
215, are taking letters on the topic and placing them in the 89-79 file!
Kind of telling in itself.
It simply amazes me that this 89-79 could see light of day, given the
response given to 87-215.
By the way, I've heard charges of 89-79 not being increased income for
the Telcos, but, rather a tax. These are unfounded. If this were the
case, you would see the Telcos line up in opposition to this bill. They
don't want to become tax collectors. As it is, they stand to make money
from the proposal, and as such are supporting it. Besides, it's
CONGRESS that levies taxes, the FCC doesn't have the power. Also, it
would appear that the chairperson of the FCC is against the proposal,
based on statements he's made.
I'm keeping a watch on these two actions. I hope you are as well.
ATARI
Interesting note from the ATARI world this month. Former Commodore CEO
Jack Tramiel has been quoted as projecting that they will, at Atari, be
knocking the prices on the 520-ST and perhaps the 1040-ST, down to get
them to move like the 64 did for Commodore. Perhaps he's trying to re-
capture the success he had with the 64? He plans to promote them as the
ultimate GAME MACHINE. (A move sure to tee off many current owners of
the 520/1040, much as that move with the 128 and the 64 did not so very
long ago.)
Looking back into Commodore's history, I personally can't help wondering
what Commodore's future would have been like with a lot less of Jack
Tramiel. Ditto his presence at Atari. Much as the Tramiel leadership
did to help, it can't be denied that there were problems, as well, at
Commodore, and there are now with Atari, under his leadership.
As for their current situation, seems to me they'd be better off
promoting the machines on another angle. The Home Office leaps to mind.
It's a projection of many experts that better than 70% of the office
equipment and supplies sold over the next 10-12 years will be for the
home office. This includes computers. You know, home. Mom, Dad, and
the Kiddies. Mostly Mom and Dad, though. Cottage industries are the up
and coming thing. One of the makers should have figured out by now
that tapping this market places one in a very good position. Wish
someone would. Commodore, and/or Atari would profit most from this
stance. The easiest niche to break into would be the home office, for
these companies. Certainly, it stands to be the most profitable.
Atari, as well as Commodore, already have reputations as /Game/ machine
companies, one they've been losing their collective shirts on for
several years. Nobody takes them seriously as a business machine
makers, despite the fact that they make rather nice machines that can be
used for the purpose of business. A home office machine stance might
change all of this.
Trouble now, of course, is that past predictions for a home market
fizzled, big time, and now nobody wants to take the chance of losing out
again. Well, very few, anyway. With a huge home userbase installed,
though, and sales continuing to keep even with the population, and
growing in some areas, perhaps it's time to give the home market another
look.
How about it, computer makers? Are the clone makers going to win this
one by default? I see one of the major clone makers, already is touting
the 286 clone (made by them, of course) as the ideal home computer.
Given the lack of serious competition from the Commodore and Atari
people, one wonders if they aren't right. No, I'm not questioning the
Commodore or Atari machine's ability to do the job. I OWN a C=128,
myself. I DO question, as always, the ability of the /companies/ to
handle the task of promoting their product correctly.
IBM
Speaking of the Clones, here's a note from the rumor mill: IBM is
quietly working on it's own version of EISA, (Extended Industry Standard
Architecture). This after telling everyone that next to it's own
MicroChannel Architecture, EISA is a flop. IBM went even so far as to
suggest that EISA's demise would be a swift one.
But, consider: IBM's stock has been going down, their 'workstation'
(translation: PC) income has been going down like someone pulled the
plug. Can it be that Big Blue is admitting defeat? I personally don't
figure on them ever doing that, publicly, at least. But, given their
current situation in the PC market, and just how much they have lost in
sales, there has to be someone at IBM who is wondering if the game they
played was worth the cost.
Now, 20 years ago, IBM could do anything it wanted as far as standards
went. Not so, anymore, since they are no longer the leader in the PC
world. This may be a little hard for IBM, and their supporters to take,
but it must be said that IBM blew their market leading status in the PC
world by going with PS/2. They are going to have to do something drastic
to have any chance at all of regaining their former league-leading
status, and darn soon, at that. /I/ think so, anyway. It's going to
have to be better than the childish-sounding "PS/2 it!" jingles we've
been enduring of late. It's my personal thinking that the PS/OS/2 will
go the way of toaster pancakes. Nice idea, and rather hot, actually,
but overall, a flop, that makes rather a mess of things.
All in all, it's a good thing for IBM that the PC is only a small part
of their product line. Their other operations, mid and upper-level
systems sales are going fairly well. So, overall, they aren't doing as
badly as they might be. Come to think of it, this alone might explain
the rather back-handed way they've been treating the PC market.
MODEM OWNERS
Those of you with modems hooked to your systems: Beware!
This time of year the Telcos may have a "shock" for you. With the snow
on all their wires, they have to do something. The easier way to clear
the wires of snow and ice, as opposed to paying lots of people to go
out and clear them, is to shoot high levels of juice through them. The
resulting heat does them some good.
Trouble is, this gives your modem a jolt that you may or may not be able
to handle. Most of the time, you can. However, just to be safe, I've
installed a modem surge suppressor. Many power line suppressors now
include protection for your phone line. I suggest you look into this.
Reason I say this: I lost a modem last month. Fortunate for me, I have
several. But if I didn't, this column would get out because my system
wasn't protected.
This column, and it's content, are the property of and (C) 1990 ENF Data
Services, who is solely responsible for it's content. The column is
released once per month, and is available for reprint from the FREE FILE
FARM BBS in Rochester, NY at 716-352-6544, or can be requested on GT-net
from Eric Florack at Net/Node 041/002, via netmail.
***********************************************************************
TELECOMPUTING FROM DOWN-UNDER
***********************************************************************
By Jon Clarke , Auckland, New Zealand
By now alot of you will be familiar with the various online services
like GEnie, Compuserve and Bix. Many of you may even be using them from
a day-to-day basis. All you do is dial a local phone number or maybe
dial a toll free number and you have instant access into the system of
your choice.
Sounds easy as 1-2-3 doesn't it? Consider this, from where I sit here
in a town called Auckland in New Zealand, these systems and other BBS's
in the USA are in reality thousands of miles and a hemisphere away.
Food for thought isn't it, when most of you reading this are ready to go
to bed we have just finished work and slowly finding our way home from
the grind for our evening meal, plus we are a day ahead, no wonder
"Kiwi's are advanced".
So with all the time and distance differences in mind how do we get
online internationally? I will cover this and a few other points, but
bare in mind the same types of Networks and carriers are available there
in the USA, but under different names. One very important point to
remember in the USA and many other countries world wide, is that you
support the "BELL" Standard, here in New Zealand, England, Australia and
many other countries, we support the "CCITT" Standard. Which means our
phones are not compatible, however more on this later.
Instead of the 300/300, 1200/1200, 2400/2400 or B103 etc you are used to
reading about, we have V21(300), V22(1200), V22bis(2400), and one speed
that is a split baud-rate called V23(1200/75). We can use three
different methods of access to go any where in the world, and you can
do the same thing.
1/ IPSN : Wow, sounds important, and you've seen it mentioned in
computer mags for years now, but never knew what it meant, and
were afraid to ask.
IPSN is simply 'The Internation Packet Switch Network'. It will do the
conversion from CCITT to BELL and VISA-VERSA.
What do you need to do to get onto the Packet Switch Network (some times
called "PacNet")?
a/ Find a local carrier who has ISPN, or in smaller countries make a
call to your Telecom or Post Office and ask them, in the USA see AT&T
and ma-Bell (plus many more)
b/ Get a NUI (Network User I/D) from them, and the local phone number
that you will have to dail to gain access onto the network.
c/ Ask for a list of DNIC's (DNIC is a French abbreviation, which means
country address, like your ISD codes on your normal phones), so when
you want to dial Germany you will know to put a 0023 prefix in front
of the the service you are calling.
d/ Now you are ready to dail up a BBS, or a the system you may want to
send some electronic mail to. Send email in your mail box in Finland
because it is cheaper than sending a faxs to New York, and your New
York office does the reverse to drop you a line. Well all you need
is the NUA, yet more jargon ekkkk! A NUA is the Network User
Address. The electronic address of the service you are calling, or
the address of the PAD (Packet Assembler Dis-assembler) they have
their modem or modems connected.
e/ So a typical call might look like this....
ATDT 1743 ?n1234565-003601-1234567
^Phone number ^NUI ^DNIC ^NUA
It is as simple as this, and by far the best way to guarantee World-
Wide communications. Over 158 countries support ISPN.
2/ PORT/PADs':- This is another way of using the ISPN by a local
Carrier, or using their own world wide network to gain
access onto what ever service that you wish to use. A
few cases of this are General Electric with their GEnie
and other Mailbox services, Reuters has a similar
service along with numerous other companies. How to go
about getting access to Ports/Pads.
a/ Find a local carrier who has a Port/Pad you can access. The best way
to do this would be to ask the Service you wish to use, what network/
carrier do they use? By knowing what they use, will save hours of
searching for a Network carrier and endless hours of phone calls
explaining exactly what you want to do, only to be told "Huh, don't
know what you are talking about" or "No, it can not be done". (Those
of you using GEnie already use this type of access.)
b/ Arrange for an I/D and Password to allow you to use their Port/Pad.
c/ Tell the BBS or Service you will end up using how you have gained
access to them so they may pass this information on to other users.
d/ I use this type of system to call into an Electronic Mailbox in
Finland, my call goes like this....
I call a local number in Auckland, it is sent to Wellington in New
Zealand. From Wellington it is sent via Satellite to Sydney Australia
to another network, were I am directed to Germany and from there onto
Wmail in Finland. All this is under 1 second, and just like a local
call.
3/ DIRECT DIAL: Well this is the old time proven method of calling a
service, pick up a phone and dial the number, connect
and you are in, boot's and all. This is by far the
easiest way of doing it BUT also the most expensive
method. We unlike many other other countries do not pay
for local calls, so all this is free, we only pay for
TOLL calls and to call the USA, it works out to $NZ3 per
minute, so 20 minutes on a support BBS costs more than
the original software, a trap for young players.
If you want to get into this Global Village concept I suggest that you
join the thousands of us using ISPN or the Local Port/Pad method. There
are hundreds of services available to you world wide, with many Atari
Related BBS's or sub boards. I use one in Germany called CT, which is
the support BBS for one of their largest computer mags called "CT", and
it is full of ST hints tips and software that the majority of the world
has not even heard of, a small note, they are introducing an ENGLISH
menu system for us non-German reading folks as well. Some of you over
the years will have seen many of us on the Plinkers BBS, Bix, Compuserve
and GEnie, Dow and many more, this is because we have ISPN access, so
system operators of BBS's how about putting an ISPN PAD on one of your
BBS Nodes, and give the world access to BBS. The cost is quite low, and
we were amazed that it was only $90 per month for a single PAD at v21,
v22,v23, and v22bis (300-2400), so now that the big move has settled
down we will soon have Tinker Bell, and Discovery BBS open to the world.
A footnote. All ISPN and local Port/Pad calls will have a charge for
either time used or a charge per 'Kilosegment' or both. However it is
by far cheaper than a direct phone call in most cases 1/8th the cost or
less.
Join the A.U.A and support the Revolution, Tell the world about your
Atari.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
\My Mailbox; GEnie Mail:J.CLARKE6, Echomail:Jon Clarke, FNET:Jon Clarke\
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
***********************************************************************
THE REVOLUTION - PART 20
***********************************************************************
"RAMBLINGS" - by Donald A. Thomas, Jr.
(c)1990 ARTISAN SOFTWARE
(This is PART 20 of a series of articles published and distributed by
Artisan Software. Please feel free to copy and distribute this article
as you please provided you include all unedited text. Also feel free to
upload to boards and communication services. These articles are
designed to entice you to take constructive action. Write to involved
parties and tell them how YOU feel about the subject.)
I just today received my copy of the Lake County Illinois Atari Computer
Enthusiasts (L.C.A.C.E.) Newsletter. Although we receive newsletters
from many Atari Users' Groups, this one always stands at the top as
being well thought out and implemented. Of course I am prejudice since
they support The REVOLUTION as well as they do. If you are interested,
you can write L.C.A.C.E. at P.O. Box 8788, Waukegan, Illinois 60079-
8788.
I find a wealth of information available through users' groups
newsletters. Aside from the minutes of their meetings, inspiring and
informative pieces can be found which are written by excellent freelance
authors.
In the advertising industry, there exist companies who assemble copies
of ads from newspapers and magazines across the country. Marketing
professionals can order a subscription to the types of ads which relate
to their business. This service allows subscribers to keep up with
strategies, pricing and marketing trends. It occurs to me this might
work with user group newsletters. Write to me if you produce
newsletters and are interested to form an exchange network....or let me
know if one already exist.
Did you know that there are companies who do nothing but try to get
products into movies and on TV. Atari has one on retainer. The
CATALYST GROUP is located in Burbank, California. They offer producers
the opportunity to obtain consumer items to be used as "props".
I have been in touch with The CATALYST GROUP and offered them as much
assistance as possible. I mailed them a hardcopy of The REVOLUTION
HANDBOOK and have pushed through two shipments of items (a Portfolio and
a STACY) to be used.
Users' Groups may wish to be in a position to offer a similar service.
Use an Atari desktop publishing system and design an attractive brochure
offering producers an opportunity to "borrow" products the group (or
local dealer) can make available. Pool the talent from your group to
offer custom graphics and interactive software. Send the solicitation
to studios, producers and production companies near you. Most major
cities will have them. Some key markets are, Los Angeles, San Francisco
Dallas, Chicago, New York and Orlando. Name someone in your group to be
a primary contact and assist that person with an "inventory" of items
your group can provide.
To easily find the names and addresses of contacts, you can buy a book
entitled "THE WRITER'S YELLOW PAGES" published by Steve Davis
Publishing. You can order it from your local bookstore.
I spoke recently with an Atari dealer whom I am still trying to figure
out. I placed the phone call in an attempt to locate a dealer willing
to accept phone orders for the specific cables needed to use various
functions of the Portfolio. I wanted to direct the public to one of
Atari's dealers rather than Radio Shack. (By the way, Radio Shack
employees have been quoted to say, "Nothing we sell works on anything
Atari makes".)
At the conclusion of my discussion, I asked for the dealer to make one
promise to me. She asked what that would be and I reminded her to
suggest memory cards and other accessories to the customers when they
called. The message behind my statement was "Let's make some money!"
To my surprise I received the reply, "We would never do that!" The
individual told me that they never suggest things to people because
their customers know what they want. They dislike the hard sell
approach and would never push products on anyone.
Personally, I have been in sales or sales related positions for many
years. I attribute the successes I have realized from avoiding hard
sell too. But, but... well would they tell me if I am buying the wrong
item? Would they keep me informed about newer or better ways to get my
tasks accomplished? Would they be kind enough to remind me of
something else I need and forgot to order? Do they want to make money?
You figure it out.
Recently, I captured the messages written on a popular online service
regarding The REVOLUTION. As I read the individual comments, some
interesting points come to mind.
One issue I see is a debate about which issues in The REVOLUTION are
worth participating with and which are not. It occurs to me that this
is an individual decision. I can understand why someone may not wish to
participate with one or another, but why discourage someone else who is
willing to do it? I think people agree in total that the spirit of The
REVOLUTION is sound and positive. Some of the objectives are purposely
far fetched to attract attention. All are designed to be accomplished
with minimal expense.
One author indicated that writing to Roseanne Barr is fruitless. This
interests me because one episode early this season was how Roseanne lost
a chance at getting hired at a great job because she did not have any
data entry background. Why would Roseanne care if they used an Atari
computer instead of an IBM clone to accomplish the plot? Wouldn't it
make sense to use a computer which hundreds or thousands of viewers
indicated they wanted shown?
Another author suggested that a carbon copy of all letters should be
sent to Sam Tramiel. This is a great idea and I encourage all
participants to do this. It's certainly notable to receive hundreds of
letters in a couple of weeks from encouraged users, but it is easy to
forget within the daily grind of business events. We should provide a
means for constant reminders.
I often have to chuckle at reading messages from people who have
questions or suggestions and claim they are going to write to Artisan
Software. I personally read every letter. Only a portion of those who
threaten to write do. Is there a reason for this? Do people easily
forget their commitments? If so, why are we blaming Atari for doing the
same thing?
I would like to openly apologize for those many invitations from SYSOPS
and other individuals who have requested Artisan Software to "log on"
and offer the latest about the greatest. As much as I would like to, it
is quite expensive to get online with so many boards and modems across
the country. I would like to offer the opportunity for anyone to "catch
up" with REVOLUTIONARY CONCEPTS by sending a formatted diskette and a
return, postage paid envelope. Every edition to date will be returned
free of charge.
Artisan Software also replies individually to every letter requesting a
reply to questions or comments.
For information on how you can "JOIN THE REVOLUTION" and actively
support the exposure of Atari computers, send $6.00 to ARTISAN SOFTWARE,
P.O. Box 849, Manteca, California 95336. An ST/MEGA compatible disk-
based HANDBOOK will be rushed to you by return mail. The HANDBOOK is
also available from ST INFORMER, CURRENT NOTES, MEGABYTE COMPUTERS
(Hurst, Texas), COMPUTER STUDIO (Asheville, North Carolina) and as a
download from COMPUSERVE, GENIE and DELPHI.
***********************************************************************
COMPUSERVE'S DEMOGRAPHIC REPORTS
***********************************************************************
The following is a capture we did of our local area. (Middlesex NJ) It
is a new area set-up on CompuServe for those looking for demographic
information for specific areas of the country. Please note that there
is a surcharge of $10.00 for each zip code entered.
CompuServe DEM-52
The Neighborhood Report is available to all CompuServe Information
Service subscribers; the full set of demographic reports that comprise
SUPERSITE is available to Executive Service Option subscribers only.
The Neighborhood Report provides the demographics for a Zip Code. The
surcharge for the report is $10. The report requires a display with at
least 80-column wide output. The Neighborhood Report makes special
provisions to allow you to capture it to a printer. And, in the event
of printer problems during display, a report can be redisplayed
immediately without incurring additional surcharge.
Neighborhood Reports represent only a sample of the demographic
information offered on the CompuServe Information Service. SUPERSITE,
which is only available to users with the Executive Service Option,
enables you to produce a variety of demographic and sales potential
reports for the entire US, any state, county, Zip Code, SMSA
(Metropolitan Area), ADI (Arbitron TV Market), DMA (Nielsen TV Market),
Place, Census Tract, MCD (Minor Civil Division) or aggregation of these.
The pricing and sample reports of SUPERSITE can be viewed by picking
SUPERSITE on the menu or by typing GO DEM at any Information Service
prompt.
1 How to Use Neighborhood Reports
2 Sample Neighborhood Demographic Report
3 Neighborhood Demographic Reports ($)
4 Sample Neighborhood Civic Report
5 Neighborhood Civic Reports ($)
6 Sample Neighborhood Gift Report
7 Neighborhood Gift Reports ($)
8 Sample Neighborhood Sports/Leisure Acitivities Report
9 Neighborhood Sports/Leisure Activities Reports ($)
10 Feedback
NEIGHBORHOOD DEMOGRAPHICS REPORT ( 1989 DATA )
This report carries a $10 surcharge for each Zip Code you request. You
must have a display with at least 80-column width capability. The
report contains more than one screen of information and scrolls until
all information is displayed.
Enter Zip code: 08846
Selected 08846 in MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.
1989 NEIGHBORHOOD DEMOGRAPHICS REPORT
ZIP CODE: 08846
MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY
************************************************************************
* 1980 1989 *
* --------- --------- *
* TOTAL POPULATION 13755 14427 *
* TOTAL NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS 4572 5120 *
* AVERAGE AGE 34.8 37.9 *
* AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME $ 24807 $ 44593 *
************************************************************************
AGE GROUPS: HOUSEHOLD INCOME:
0 -4 6.5% $ 0-14999 10.6%
5-11 8.3% $15000-24999 11.0%
12-16 6.1% $25000-34999 15.4%
17-21 6.9% $35000-49999 24.3%
22-29 13.6% $50000-74999 25.4%
30-44 23.3% $75000+ 13.4%
45-54 10.7% --------
55-64 11.1% 100.0%
65+ 13.6%
-------- TYPES OF HOUSEHOLDS:
100.0% SINGLE PERSON 14.6%
MALE 4.8%
OCCUPATION: FEMALE 9.8%
EXECUTIVE 9.2% FAMILY 82.8%
PROFESSIONAL 11.1% NON-FAMILY 2.6%
TECHNICAL 3.2% --------
SALES 6.7% 100.0%
CLERICAL 24.2%
PRIVATE 0.1% OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS:
SERVICE 9.3% OWNED 76.1%
FARMING 0.4% RENTED 23.9%
CRAFT 16.3% --------
OPERATOR 15.2% 100.0%
LABORER 4.3%
-------- AVERAGE HOME VALUE $ 63480
100.0% AVERAGE RENT $ 330
RACE: OCCUPIED HOUSING BUILT IN:
WHITE 96.6% 1975-1980 2.7%
BLACK 2.0% 1970-1974 4.2%
OTHER 1.4% 1960-1969 28.1%
-------- 1950-1959 28.1%
100.0% 1940-1949 15.3%
PRE-1940 21.7%
--------
100.0%
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Important: 1. Percentages for age, household income and race reflect
1989 updates. All other percentages are based on 1980 information.
2. 1980 income figures are expressed in 1979 dollars. 1989
income figures are expressed in 1988 dollars. Home value and rent are
expressed in 1980 dollars.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright CACI, Arlington, VA 12-Feb-90
***********************************************************************
TERMINAL GRAPHICS
***********************************************************************
(Editors Note: Having read this on our BBS, I thought it might be of
interest here. The original question asked what difference is between
Vidtex, VT-52 and VT-100.)
From the Z*Net Online BBS (201) 968-8148
Message : 633 [Open] 2-11-90 5:45am
From : Richard Levy
To : Mike Mezaros
Subject : #612 Terminals
Sig(s) : 3 (Technical/Help/Data)
VT 52 was developed in the early 70's as a way for dumb terminals to
talk to mainframe computers. The communications protocol (VT52) was a
rather straight forward ansi translation (having none of the color
features that we have added). But you had a number of other graphic
features such as double or double high characters. There are alot of
other features too, but at this early hour these are just a few of the
ones that I can remember.
VT100 was developed (by DEC incidentally, that's Digital Equipment
Corporation) a couple years later. Again it's purpose was as a dumb
terminal to communicate with mainframe computers, but VT100 terminals
had some added features over the VT52 terminals. 132 character wide
lines, and some added graphic features. The VT100 also had the ability
to do graphics on the screen (bitmapped, much like your ST), only they
were alittle slow, but for that time they were rather FAST! The graphics
on the screen were an add on feature, but if you ran a research facility
in the mid 70's to early 80's and had a DEC mainframe or mini system,
these terminals gave you the ability to have a workstation hooked up to
it at the price of a dumb terminal.
DEC went on to make further advances of the terminal, I think now they
are up to VT300, I don't know too much about this one, I know more about
the older ones (VT100-VT241) the last one (VT241) was the first truly
color dumb terminal that DEC produced, that was somewhere around 1984
area. I think the resolution was 640 X 200 with 16 colors.
If you want to know all the commands for these terminals and all the
subtle differences, I used to have them written down on paper
somewhere. I don't think that most Atarians would be very interested in
it, other then nostalgic sack, for the VT52 that we use to communicate
is a high bred of all these terminals, and we owe it all to DEC, not big
blue, but the little guy DEC.
This response probably had very little to do with the question that you
had asked, and I apologize for it's length, but every so often I get the
urge to babble on like this.
***********************************************************************
THE REVOLUTIONARY CALENDAR
***********************************************************************
WEEK 8
February 18 through February 24, 1990
NATIONAL USER GROUP RECOGNITION WEEK
If you do not belong to a user group, find one in your area and join.
If you already belong, make it a project to ask a minimum of one friend
to be your guest to the next meeting. It's preferred that your invited
friend does not own an Atari computer. This will be an opportunity to
share information on why they may wish to consider one.
Call your local newspaper and ask for the local news desk. Ask them to
print announcements of meetings for your local group on a regular basis.
WEEK 9
February 25 through March 3, 1990
NATIONAL CAR WASH WEEK
Get with your local users' group and organize a benefit car wash to
raise money to buy an Atari computer for the school. Set a goal of one
520ST and go from there. Groups exclusively centered around 8-bit can
set a goal of one XE system. Contact the school in advance for their
permission and to help organize the event. Most local gas stations will
donate space and even water access to do this since you will be
attracting customers for them. Volunteer to help the school to set the
system up. Make certain your local dealer participates and invite him
to hand out flyers during the event. Put up Atari posters at the site.
Also make certain to use "The REVOLUTION's" namesake for the event.
Write to Atari and ask them to send you a window sticker for your car.
They were available and, if not, they will just have to print more.
Request one for each car you own.
WEEK 10
March 4 through March 10, 1990
NATIONAL ATARI IN SCHOOLS WEEK
Continuing an effort to get Atari Computers in schools, write a letter
to the largest school in your area and tell them that you would prefer
that they use Atari computers for education. List 25 reasons why in
your letter. Ask your family to send similar letters under separate
cover. Invite the school to contact your local dealer for information.
Include your dealer's phone number.
WEEK 11
March 11 through March 17, 1990
NATIONAL ST. PATRICK'S BALLOON LAUNCH WEEK
In advance, locate a store in your area that sells helium filled
balloons. Look for a green, non-metallic one. Users' groups may wish
to obtain a tank or two from a local supplier. Listings are easily
found in most phone books. Write a note stating: "SAVIN' O' THE GREEN..
use Atari Computers" and sign it: "The REVOLUTION".
Tie the note to a string attached to the balloon you purchase in a
timely fashion to be launched on Saturday, March 17 at Noon in your
time zone.
You may singly launch the balloon from your back yard or organize a full
blown event with your users' group. PLEASE DO NOT LAUNCH BALLOONS IN
AIR TRAFFIC AREAS OR IN A MANNER WHICH MAY CAUSE HARM TO LIFE OR
PROPERTY. IF LAUNCHING IN A GROUP, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL POLICE FOR ADVISE
AS TO BEST LOCATION TO CONDUCT THE LAUNCH. THIS PROJECT MAY BE SUBJECT
TO LOCAL LAWS. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT PARTICIPATION IS AT YOUR OWN RISK
AND ARTISAN SOFTWARE ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGE CAUSED TO ANYONE BY YOUR ACT OF RELEASING A BALLOON. A SIMPLE
PHONE CALL TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN ADVANCE WILL ASSURE YOUR SAFE
PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROJECT. Larger groups should contact the local
newspapers in advance for coverage.
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ZNET ONLINE Atari News and Reviews FIRST!
Copyright (c)1990 Rovac Industries, Inc..
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