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Z*NET Online Magazine Issue 548
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Z*NET ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE
December 8, 1990
Issue #548
Publisher/Editor : Ron Kovacs
Z*Net USA: John Nagy Z*Net New Zealand: Jon Clarke
Z*Net Canada: Terry Schreiber Z*Net Germany: Mike Schuetz
CONTENTS
Z*NET GERMANY........................................Mike Schuetz
Z*NET NEWSWIRE...................................................
SPILT PERSONALITIES ON BULLETIN BOARDS...........Rangott Spliekin
Z*NET MAILBAG...(Computrol Industries)...........................
HARDWARE REVIEW: ICD ADSPEED ST......................John Damiano
STIK-GRIPPER........................................Press Release
ATARI TT WITH TOS 3.1.......Christian Strasheim & Michael Schuetz
ST-PLUG UPDATE......................................Press Release
A STORE IS BORN...............................John King Tarpinian
PUBLIC DOMAIN UPDATE................................Keith Macnutt
Z*NET CANADA......................................Terry Schreiber
Z*NET GERMANY
=============
by Michael Shuetz
Gute Besserung (News)
ATARI GERMANY LOWERS PRICES FOR TT MODELS
Effective on December 1st, 1990, Atari Germany announced that the list
prices for the 32 MHz TT models are to be lowered. The price reduction
comes right in time for the Christmas season and at a moment where a
shortage of Mega ST2 and Mega ST4 models exists in Germany.
The last 300 or 400 'regular' Mega models in Germany are believed to
have been shipped from the Atari Germany Warehouse to the dealers in the
country a few weeks ago. Here are the new official retail prices for
the TT models in Germany:
Atari TT with 8 MB: DM 5.298.- (~US$ 3.500)
Atari TT with 6 MB: DM 4.798.- (~US$ 3.100)
Atari TT with 4 MB: DM 4.298.- (~US$ 2.800)
Atari TT Color Monitor: DM 998.- (~US$ 640)
Atari TT 19" Monitor: DM 2.198.- (~US$ 1.400)
All prices for TTs including the 48 MB harddrive and without monitor.
(The dollar equivalent for the German prices are based on the current
exchange rate for the DM: 1 US$ = ~ 1.55 DM.) Note: These prices are
only effective in Germany. US prices will as far as we know vary.
Furthermore Atari Germany scheduled a major press conference for
Wednesday, December 12th, 1990. The event will take place in the city
of Munich. It is obvious that Atari will present the new Mega STE
models, that were already shown at Comdex in November in the United
States, to the German Computer Press. No official release date for the
sale of the Mega STE models is known at this point, but certain signs
seem to indicate, that the first units might become available around
Christmas (1990 that is).
SC PLUS/286 EXPANSION FOR SUPERCHARGER
Beta Systems AG, the German developer of the popular SuperCharger MS-DOS
emulator for the ST, announces a new expansion-kit for the SuperCharger,
after presenting the SCplus/NET networking expansion for easy
integration into Novell PC networks this fall.
The new SCplus/286 expansion turn the SuperCharger into a PC/AT. The
286 CPU runs with 12 MHz on a real set of chips and comes with its own
memory (1-4 MB). It offers real AT slots, allowing usage of standard PC
expansion boards like VGA, Fax cards and interface cards. An optional
386SX-CPU will also be available.
The SCplus/286 will be available in Germany in the first quarter of
1991. Beta Systems AG, Staufenstr. 42, 6000 Frankfurt, Germany
Z*NET NEWSWIRE
==============
APPLE NAMES CLIFF JENKS VP
Apple Computer announced that Cliff Jenks has been named vice president
Channel Strategy and Reseller Development for Apple USA. Jenks will be
responsible for heading a new Apple USA organization charged with
further developing channel capabilities and enhancing relationships with
all U.S. channel partners --including resellers, education sales
consultants, value added resellers (VARs), original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs), and other solutions providers such as systems
integrators, and consultants. He reports directly to Robert Puette,
Apple USA president.
HP INTRODUCES FIVE SYSTEMS
Hewlett-Packard introduced five business systems and servers that
deliver mainframe-level performance at minicomputer size and price. The
computers are designed for client-server and multiuser applications.
Submicron CMOS technology allows HP to design extremely dense chips that
greatly increase processor performance. PA-RISC allows HP to build
systems that are less expensive than comparable systems using
traditional architectures. HP has 92,000 employees and had revenue of
$13.2 billion in its 1990 fiscal year.
HAYES SUIT GOES TO TRIAL
Hayes announced that a trial date has been set for Jan. 4, 1991, in
US District Court, Northern District of California, San Francisco.
Hayes is pursuing patent infringement actions against Ven-tel Inc.,
Prometheus Products Inc., Omnitel Inc., and Everex Systems Inc. Hayes
is seeking an injunction against further manufacture of modems that
infringe the Heatherington U.S. Patent No. 4,549,302 as well as damages
for past infringement, attorneys' fees, prejudgment interest, and
treble damages for willful infringement.
APPLE INTRODUCES HYPERCARD FOR IIGS
Apple introduced HyperCard IIGS, a user-focused toolkit of information
management software for the Apple IIGS. The product will allow IIGS
users to create their own custom software and personalize the way they
store, explore and present information.
COMPUTER FREEDOM CONFERENCE
The first Conference on Computers, Freedom and Privacy will be held
March 26-28 in San Francisco with a keynote speech by Harvard University
professor Laurence Tribe. The conference will have sessions on freedom
of electronic speech and assembly, law enforcement practices, computer
surveillance and data collection. If you want more information contact
the CPSR national office at 415-322-3778.
PACIFIC RIM COMPUTER AND COMMUNICATIONS SHOW
January 14,15,16th in Vancouver B.C.
Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre
* Sharp Electronics will present its Color PC-8501 Laptop computer. The
industry's first 20MHz 386DX laptop with VGA - Thin film Transistor,
active matrix and multi-color LCD display.
* Abacus from Comsoft will present its newest release in accounting
software. Abacus, a Canadian company, has G.S.T. tracking facilities
on both the payable and receivable side.
* Atari Canada will be in attendance with the full line of
products including the new TT and Mega STE.
SPLIT PERSONALITIES ON ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARDS
=================================================
by Rangott Spliekin, Soviet News Agency TASS
Translated from PRAVDA
Translation (c) 1989 by Yves Barbero
During my brief visit to the United States in the fall of 1989, I was
able to study certain specialized cases of split personalities. While
they are considered harmless and perhaps tolerably eccentric by the
American psychiatric establishment, it is acknowledged that it is a
growing problem among young technicians.
Frustrated by a lack of popular recognition which continues to be
focused on earners of large income (The "bottom line" as it is popularly
called), these young geniuses are beginning to talk to themselves. But
unlike the ramblers and murmurers we find here in Moscow, they use the
technology available to individuals in America: the home computer.
A network of electronic bulletin boards exists in the U.S., connected by
commercial telephone lines and available to almost anyone who has a
computer and a telephone connection device known as a "modem."
Individual subscribers can then sign in and talk to other, similarly
uninspired individuals. The system was developed for the quick transfer
of information but has degenerated into a remote, arms-length
communications system.
In fact, anyone who can afford to have their home computers occupied
most of the time can establish such a board with "free" software
provided by generous programmers. When I suggested to an official of a
conglomerate telephone company that it was they who created the software
to keep technicians occupied instead of productive and to increase the
profits of the telephone company, the charge was denied.
But I digress.
I interviewed Dr. George Sands of the Institute for Abnormal Electronic
Behavior in Berkeley and he acknowledged that there is a growing problem
am ong young technicians (which he insisted on calling "users") as the
amount of bulletin boards continue to grow.
"There are actually more bulletin boards than users in the Bay Area
[San Francisco and environs] and they kept talking and arguing with the
same people. Some were clearly showing symptoms of boredom. A few
clever ones signed on these boards under several names, taking on a new
persona for each name. They would call under one name and answer under
another name.
"In one case, a man in his mid-fifties had as many as six personas and
possibly as many as eight. One of the personas was actually promoted to
assistant system operator."
"How could that be?" I asked.
"The operator had never actually met this man. Nor heard his voice. In
fact," he chuckled, "one of those personas was a woman. Now that
couldn't happen if he had ever spoken to him on a voice line."
Dr. Sands dismissed my contention that the bulletin board system was
dehumanizing, explaining that that was what was said about telephones
when they were first developed. "Americans have too little history to
take it seriously. They much prefer playing with their tools which they
often mistake for toys. Ships were redesigned, in the Nineteenth
Century, for quick, commercial, and sometimes revenue-evading, trips to
all parts of the world. Soon afterwards, Americans were racing them for
sport. The home computer is just another misused tool."
The real danger, he went on to say, is that more individuals will become
isolated from their fellow men. "Home computers are much more
entertaining than even T.V. and television has created a whole
generation of stay-at-homers, referred sarcastically by some
commentators as 'couch potatoes.'" If anything has staved off this
horrible eventuality, he went on to say, it is the fact that more
training is required to operate a home computer than a television set.
At the moment, only "the best and the brightest and the most eccentric"
falling prey to this problem."
I asked the good doctor how such people can be spotted and
institutionalized for their own good.
He gave the following indications.
1. Their homes lack most furniture, having only the bare essentials.
2. Everything is spotlessly clean except for the television set which
will have a layer of dust on the screen.
3. The bed is never made.
4. There will be six or seven phone lines to the home.
5. Only computer manuals will be present, no other books.
6. The men will be almost universally divorced (no women have fallen
prey to this yet despite the fact that some of the pathological
personas are women) or be on the verge of divorce.
7. Their children, if any, will have run away from home. No very young
victim has had any children.
8. Sexually, they will be inactive. At least, they won't reproduce.
9. As with alcoholics, they will be scrupulously careful to report to
their jobs each day but they will be uncreative and rarely be
promoted to positions of responsibilities. Not because of lack of
abilities, but because they will evade the extra time necessary to
accomplish these goals.
10. The refrigerator will contain only spoiled potato chips and half-
opened cans of beers. Many of these users drink soft-drinks because
of the high sugar content. One institutionalized case had not eaten
in six days. He was found by the police in a small grocery store,
after closing hours, with open bags of chips and six-packs of Cokes
lying about, laughing hysterically and trying to dial out on the
computerized cash register. When they saw the thick glasses and the
plastic pen holder in his pocket, they notified Dr. Sands.
The United States government has tried unsuccessfully to introduce
electronic bulletin boards in the Moscow area so our geniuses are
similarly engaged in fruitless labor. The great Pavlov once pointed out
that to hypnotize a chicken, you merely need to draw a chalk line along
pavement, place the chicken so its legs are on either side of the line
and it will freeze. Human beings require a more complex hypnotic tool
and television has served the state well over the years.
Now, such a hypnotic tool has been found for the intelligentsia. It's
even got them talking to themselves.
Z*NET MAILBAG
=============
COMPUTROL INDUSTRIES
by Duane A Charter
I am writing to warn your readers about Computrol Industries. They
advertise memory upgrades for Atari computers. In April, I contacted
Computrol Industries and inquired about their upgrades. They convinced
me that I should also get TOS 1.4 and a Turbo 16 accelerator and
promised a 24 hour turn-around with a six month warranty. Convinced, I
immediately mailed my computer to them overnight UPS.
Two days later I called back to check if my computer had been shipped,
and was informed my computer was lost somewhere in the store. After two
more days of looking, my computer was found and sent to me by UPS
overnight (at my expense).
Immediately upon turn-on, the computer began to experience intermittant
lock ups. I called Eugene at Computrol and was told to return the
computer to him. He would repair it and have it back within 72 hours.
I returned the system by overnight UPS. Here the trouble started.
Conversation with Eugene informed me that the Turbo 16 was defective and
being replaced. The Turbo 16 was checked by Jim Allen of Fast
Technologies and returned with no defects found. When the computer
still failed, the Turbo 16 was replaced. Repeated conversations with
Eugene resulted in my being informed my computer would be shipped the
next day. The computer was never shipped.
I contacted the New York States Attorney and the New York Better
Business Bureau in regards to my problem. Computrol never answered
their requests for information. I also contacted the Visa card company
in an effort to stop payment on the charges.
Finally in June I was informed that my computer was fixed and had been
shipped Federal Express overnight. When the computer did not arrive the
next day I again called Computrol. I was promised the computer had been
shipped and was given an Airbill Number. A call to Federal Express
revealed that the Airbill number had never been received. I again call
Computrol and was assured that the package had been shipped and it was a
Federal Express problem. I again called Federal Express and was
informed that Computrol was a Cash Only account and that no packages had
been shipped by them. For the next three days the phone was off the
hook (verified by the operator).
When I again reached Computrol I was informed that the label had fell
off at the Federal Express office and that the problem was corrected and
the package was shipped. I was given another Airbill number. Again,
Federal Express informed me the Airbill number was invalid. I called
Computrol and was assured it was shipped and even given the adress of
the Federal Express office where he personally took it. Another call to
Federal Express confirmed that NO package had been received from
Computrol and the Airbill number was invalid. For the next week the
phone was again busy.
When I again reached Computrol I was informed that my system was lost.
When pressed on where my computer could be, I was told "maybe in our
truck on the way to the UPS office".
About this time I was informed by the bank that the charges had been
reversed and my account had been credited with the full amount. At
least I was not out a computer and $873.
The next time I called, Eugene questioned if I had requested a "charge
back" from the bank and admitted he had been lying because he had not
been able to fix my computer. He said he had lied because he did not
want to give me bad news. It was his highest priority and would be
shipped within 3 days. A call the next day resulted in being told my
computer had a bad Turbo 16 and would be shipped the next day.
A telephone conversation three days later revealed the new Turbo 16 was
also bad and my computer would be fixed within the week and returned to
me.
Three days later my computer was repaired, and would be shipped the next
day. A call the next day resulted in being told the computer had been
shipped. He questioned what to do about the charges. To get my
computer back I agreed to allow the reposting of charges.
I finally got my computer back. Unfortunately, it still did not work.
Because the malfunction was blamed on the Turbo 16, Mr Jim Allen of
Fast Technologies (designer of Turbo 16) generously offered to repair
the machine for free. He informed me that there were some major
problems with the modifications that Computrol had done. I cannot
recommend Turbo 16 or Fast Technologies enough. Very few developers
would back their product to this extent, especially one that had been so
badly modified by a third party. Mr. Allen spent many hours fixing a
computer he had no liability to repair. I want to publicly thank him.
Thanks Jim!
In an effort to prevent others from suffering at the hands of Computrol,
please publish this information. I made detailed transcripts of all
conversations with Computrol, and even recorded some. I can document
all the above statements and will stand behind what I have said. I will
accept all liability. More information can be found on GEnie in
Catagory 4, Topic 19. Additional information will be provided upon
request.
Editors Note: We have published this information and made one attempt
shortly before publication to contact Computrol for a statement. We
were not successful. We did confirm the story through the New York
Better Buisness Bureau who stated that there were concerns on record
about Computrol.
If you have a problem with any mail order company, please contact your
local Better Business Bureau. They will make attempts to research your
complaint and keep a record in their file. Some areas have a Consumer
Affairs Division that will also run interferance in these matters.
HARDWARE REVIEW
===============
ICD'S ADSPEED ST
by John Damiano, Transierra Technology
Captured from GEnie ST Roundtable
What is it? Its a 68000 Accelerator for the Atari ST line of computers.
And it cooks. I decided to buy this hardware accelerator for my Mega 4
computer while talking to ICD at the Glendale Atari Show. I purchased
it on the spot but it took a while to recieve it. It finally arrived
last week and I finally found the time to install it today.
Installation was somewhat truamatic but not difficult. My advice would
be to take ICD up on their offer and send your computer and $40.00 to
them. However, if you want to do it yourself here are some
recommedations. Tools you should have on hand are a phillips
screwdriver, small small sharp sidecutting dikes, some needle nose
pliers, a 25 watt soldering iron or battery powered soldering iron and
small diameter solder, a solder sucker, and some patience. A static
suppression wrist strap is also a good idea but not mandatory. First
you take apart your computer, a somewhat time consuming task consisting
of removing the plastic covers and shielding, power supply and disk
drive. You kind of feel your way along if you have never done it
before. It's a logical operation. Disassembly of a 1040, 520 or Mega
is a similar procedure. If you are going to upgrade to TOS 1.4 now is
the time. I did this and also added a moniterm driver board. Really
pushing my luck, I suppose.
Before touching anything on the board itself touch your hand to the
ground plane around the edge. This SHOULD put your body at the same
potential as the ground or common. If you move, get up, etc. do it
again. Also, be aware that some of the cheaper soldering irons use an
ungrounded tip and can generate static discharges. Having ICD do it is
starting to look better..no? With the PC board loose you simply cut off
the 68000 by cutting each pin next to the chip body. (note which way
the notched end of the 68000 points) I had to also eliminate the small
daughter board on top. This required adding a single jumper. Their
instructions make it quit clear. You now have 40 legs sticking up where
the 68000 used to be.
Take the small iron and grab each leg with the small dikes while heating
the connection. Wiggle the leg gently and pull it out when the solder
holding it softens. If you get a tough one, go on and come back to it.
I got all but 6 out easily. Some of those 6 were bent over on the
bottom and some were attached to a large metal ground plane. I had to
remove the solder from the bottom before I could get these last ones
out. Now you have to get the solder out of the holes.
Take some very small diameter solder and add it to each hole. Although
this may seem redundant, it will allow you to use the solder sucker more
easily as the solder pool will transfer heat to the connection quickly.
I sort of cheated on solder removal. I own an avionics business and so
had an expensive PACE solder removal tool available. It made solder
removal quick and easy but, I am sure with some patience, I could have
cleaned the holes with a cheap solder sucker such as sold by Radio
Shack. I did not test this theory however. After all the holes are
clean you install the supplied socket paying attention to getting the
notch on the same end as the 68000 you removed.
Now just hold it in place while you tack a couple of corners from the
back side. Now solder the rest of the connections. Use plenty of
solder as it needs to wick through the holes and solder the other side
as well. Inspect all connections for shorts between pins. I cleaned
the board of flux with some flux remover so I could see the connections
a little better. Isopropal alcohol and an old tooth brush (or even your
wife's toothbrush) works fine. Next you reassemble the computer up to
where you put the top cover on.
Now take the ADspeed itself and line it carefully up with the socket.
If the pins don't line up exactly you should make sure they do so none
get bent while pushing the unit into the socket. It did not push in
easily. I had to exert a lot of pressure. This is normal with a new
socket. Start one end then go to the other end. You kind of work it
down into place. That's it. You can add a hardware switch if you like
at this point. This involves soldering two wires in place of a jumper
and running them to a SPST switch. You have to drill a hole somewhere
to add this and I choose not to do so at this time. The switch allows
you to change from 8 MHZ to 16 MHZ speed easily. You can do the same
thing using the ACC they supply or a 16/8 speed set program. Using
Deskmanager or Superboot you can configure the system at boot up for
whatever you are going to do. I may add the switch later if events
warrant it.
Once the computer is reassembled you have to test it. I always dread
this part. What if I have taken a perfectly good computer and turned it
into a perfectly dead one. No problem this time. It booted up totally
ignorant of the fact I had just given it a heart transplant. After it
booted up I copied the ICD supplied software to the auto folder and root
of the boot disk. I rebooted and it came right back up. Gosh, twice in
a row! I set it up to run in 16 Mhz mode and it flies..it really does.
It's like having a new computer. Except it's still the friendly ST I
have grown to know and love. I have not found anything that is
imcompatable with it so far. I will keep checking but I am not going
out of the way to find something. If it shows up in routine use I'll
let ICD know about it.
The one I received was supposed to be a gamma release (whatever that
means) but it seems flawless so far. I would expect nothing less from
ICD. They have shown that their standards are very high by the quality
of their other products. ADspeed works as advertised. Buy it and
support ICD. They have another winner.
Price: $299.00 suggested list, I believe. I paid somewhat less since I
was so bold as to accept the dreaded gamma edition.
Time to install: 2 hrs. I could do it in 1 hr but hate to rush
something like this.
Where to buy it: At this point only directly from ICD
ICD Inc
1220 Rock Street
Rockford Il 61101-1437
Phone: 815-968-2228 voice or 815-968-2229 BBS
STIK-GRIPPER
============ Press Release
*-------------------------------------------------------------*
* *PRESS RELEASE* *PRESS RELEASE* *PRESS RELEASE* *
*-------------------------------------------------------------*
Duggan DeZign Inc. proudly announces the release of another fantastic
new product directed at anyone who plays games on any personal computer!
It's called 'THE STIK-GRIPPER T.C.S.' (Total Control Stand) and it will
bring the fast and furious arcade action into your home!
THE STIK-GRIPPER T.C.S. is a rugged, three piece plastic stand which you
easily mount your Joystick to thru the use of the large Velcro pads
provided or the Suction cups on your Joystick! Here's how it works:
Simply place the T.C.S. on any chair with your legs over the base of the
stand (see below). This will firmly hold your Joystick front and center
of you where you need it! This product is excellent for Flight
Simulators as it gives the true 'Flying by the Stick' feel! It also
allows you to use the Keyboard and the Joystick at the same time which
can be life saving at crucial moments!
The STIK-GRIPPER T.C.S.
O
____|____
Joystick --> |_________|
--------- <- TOP PLATE
|
|
Your | Your
Leg | Leg
---------------- <-BASE
------------------------
| | Chair | |
| | | |
THE STIK-GRIPPER T.C.S.TM is very versatile as just about any Joystick
can be mounted to it. Even large Joysticks such as the Gravis SWITCH
STICK and MOUSE STICK; the FLIGHT STICK from CH; and the BeeShu HOT
STUFF can be mounted to it. Smaller Joysticks such as the Suncom SLIK
STIK and the Atari 2600 Joysticks also work excellent with this product.
THE STIK-GRIPPER T.C.S. also adds Tremendous value if your Joystick has
Suction cups as you can stick them to the top of the T.C.S. instead of
have to secure it to a table!
Best of all, the THE STIK-GRIPPER T.C.S. is ergonomically designed for
long, comfortable play. It eliminates hand fatigue from holding the
Joystick and allows you to rest your arms and hands while you play!
THE STIK-GRIPPER T.C.S. has a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of
only $19.99 and will be available on December 1st, 1990 at computer
dealers everywhere or send a check or money order to:
Duggan DeZign Inc.
300 Quaker Lane, STE # 7
Warwick RI 02886
Phone (401) 823-8073 FAX (401) 826-0140
For further information, contact Duggan DeZign Inc.
ATARI TT WITH 32MHZ AND TOS 3.1
===============================
By Christian Strasheim & Michael Schuetz
Copyright 1990 - ATARI PD JOURNAL
As already previously stated the TT once again was shown in Duesseldorf
this year. All TT machines at the Atari booth were running with a clock
speed of 32 MHz. So the rumours that had been floating around since
June now finally have been officially confirmed. The TT also is for
sale now.. (at leasthere in Germany). The first units were sold after
the show and small shipments arrived at German dealers shortly later.
But the biggest surprise was the new TOS version that was already
running with a German version of the new desktop.
The casing of the new TT is the same as with the 'old' 16 MHz versions.
Currently there are three different 32 MHz machines available. They
only differ in RAM size. (4, 6 or 8 MB). All models include a 48 MB
harddisk. But Atari officials say that other harddisk configurations
will be available soon, too.
The general technical specifications of the TT are already general
knowledge for some time. So we will just cover those specs briefly: The
CPU of the TT is the 68030 processor from Motorola, the right now most
powerful, in quantity available processor in the 680XX series. The
68030 is a true 32 bit processor, which turns the TT also into a true
32 bit machine. In order to prevent a slowing down of the working speed
the TT contains two caches for inctructions and data.
The CPU gets additional support from a mathematical coprocessor of the
type 68881/68882 and several other custom chips. Within the main memory
of the TT there are three different kind of RAMs. The ST RAM can be
used freely by any software just like the RAM of the ST models, for
example for DMA-data-transfer, as screen memory or to play back music.
The Fast RAM on the other side is exclusively reserved for the CPU and
the SCSI-DMA. Therefore programs run within the Fast RAM naturally much
faster than within the ST RAM. The VME RAM is accessed through the 16
bit wide VME bus of the TT, which makes it just as fast as the ST RAM.
The TT offers six graphic resolutions:
==================================================
Modus Resolution Colors
--------------------------------------------------
ST Low 320 x 200 16
ST Mid 640 x 200 4
ST High 640 x 400 2
TT Low 320 x 480 256
TT Mid 640 x 480 16
TT High 1280 x 960 2
==================================================
Just like the STE the TT can choose its colors out of a 4096 color
range. All modes except the TT high resolution mode can be run on the
TT color monitor. Right now the official TT color monitor is the
TTC1434. As an alternative Atari will soon present the model TTC1426
which can also be used as VGA monitor on PCs. For the TT high
resolution mode Atari will also soon sell a modified version of the 19"
big screen monitor SM194, that will be able to support the 1280 x 960
pixels.
By the way - the ST high resolution mode 640 x 400 on the TT is not a
black & white but a duochrome mode. This option allows you to choose
your own two colors.
Soundwise the TT is equal to the STEs stereo sound, that is created
through the DMA port. The registers of the TT in that matter use the
same addresses and functions as the STE does. The sound from the TT
comes just like with PCs out of the computer itself and not like with
the STs out of the speakers of the monitor.
Now lets focus our attention on the new desktop, that was presented in
Duesseldorf. The Drop-Down Menus contain many new features and almost
all functions can now also be called up instantly through key commands.
You can display for example the directory of drive A just by pressing
ALTERNATE-A. Also up to seven windows can now be open at once. A
search option allows you to preselect directories.
But also optically the new desktop has been severly improved. Much more
icons are now available and with the help of Resource Construction Sets
own icons can be created easily. The used icons are saved in a so
called resource file that is loaded during boot up time. It is now even
possible to take file-icons out of the folder and place them on the
desktop. You can even pull data files on top of program files with the
result that the program is started, automatically loading the data file.
Additionally up to 20 programs can be started with the help of the
fuction keys (F1 to F10, Shift-F1 to Shift-F10).
These are just a few of the many new features that the new TOS 3.1
offers. It would be most interesting to see such a desktop also on the
ST. Asked about this matter, Richard Miller, system developer for Atari
Corp in Sunnyvale, just gave us the meaningfull (or is it meaningless ?)
answer... MAY BE.
Note: If you liked this article and are looking for more. Check out
CATegory 18 of the Germany RT (type: GERMANY). In this category we (the
editors of the German computer magazine ATARI PD JOURNAL) will give
regular insights in German and English about what's going on over here
in Germany Atari-wise.
ST-PLUG UPDATE
============== Press Release
PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE
ST-PLUG
1670 Heron Road, Box 22026,
Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1V 0C2
BBS (613) 731-2779
* * * PRESS RELEASE * * *
December 1, 1990
Product: ST MUSIC MATRIX
Description: MIDI DISK MAGAZINE FOR ATARI ST
Purpose: TO AID THE ST MUSICIAN TO UNDERSTAND AND WORK WITH MIDI.
Philosophy: TO AIM TOWARD NEW HORIZONS FOR MIDI MUSICIANS
ST-PLUG has obtained the North American distribution rights to 'THE ST
MUSIC MATRIX'. Based in Fife, Scotland, THE ST MUSIC MATRIX is
published bi-monthly at a price of $20.00 per issue (in US or Canadian
funds) or $75.00 for any 4 issues. Subscriptions are available at the
rate of $75.00 for 4 issues.
WHAT IS THE ST MUSIC MATRIX?
The ST Music Matrix is a disk magazine. However, the Matrix is a disk
mag with a BIG difference for musicians. The Matrix can put together,
for the first time, Coloured or Mono Graphics, Text, Sound, Score and
Software data.
Musicians can now PARTICIPATE in the playback of other musicians
material. This has been called INTER-ACTIVE MUSIC. They can learn
arrangement and composition and they can examine the score, study the
progressions, bass-lines and drum tracks from the data supplied on the
Matrix disk.
The Matrix has many other things to offer the musician, both beginner
and pro. The study of Algorithmic Composition (or as we prefer to call
it algoRHYTHMIC composition) is now maturing from its early beginnings
and several pieces in the Music Matrix are dedicated to this arcane
study.
As a value for money exercise, the Matrix always has a LEADER ARTICLE.
This is usually a Synth Editor, or Banks of Synth Voices, and in some
cases Sequencer Demos or even COMPLETE USABLE SEQUENCER SOFTWARE. These
leaders are usually worth more in value than the cost of the complete
Matrix issue! Most of the Matrix is copyright and produced at some cost
in the time of the professional musicians who support it.
We would like to point out why the MATRIX is so named. The MUSIC MATRIX
is intended to be a set of inter-connected musicians spanning the globe,
supporting and encouraging growth of new musical styles.
The Matrix is basically a teaching publication, and it is dedicated to
expanding the knowledge of the new technology to all musicians. The
incredible pace of the technological advance is INCREASING even as you
read this article and some of the break-throughs that the Matrix
foreshadows will be literally breath-taking. Soon, very soon, musicians
will have TOTAL CONTROL over all aspects of music FROM THEIR ATARI ST
CONSOLE!
If you would like to hear more about THE ST MUSIC MATRIX then simply
drop us a note or call our BBS. We'll be glad to hear from you.
Available Back Issues of THE ST MUSIC MATRIX
Issue 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11
Price: $20.00 each or 4 for $75.00
Korg M1 Special Disk: contains 500 NEW VOICES
Price: $50.00
Please make your cheque or money order payable to 'ST-PLUG'. Sorry, we
do not accept charge cards at this time.
A STORE IS BORN
===============
ST-JOURNAL REPRINT
This feature is a reprint from the December/January 1991 ST-JOURNAL
MAGAZINE, presented here by permission. THIS ARTICLE MAY NOT BE
REPRINTED IN ANY OTHER PUBLICATION OR NEWSLETTER WITHOUT EXPRESS
PERMISSION FROM ST-JOURNAL, 113 West College Street, Covina, CA 91723,
818-332-0372. Individual copies of ST-JOURNAL are available from the
above address.
by John King Tarpinian
I have heard a lot of talk recently about the shrinking Atari Market,
that Atari dealers are closing left and right and some major cities
don't have any Atari dealers. Well, this month I am going to tell you
about the opening of a new Atari store near me. This is not intended to
be an ad for this store, but an article telling about how a store gets
its front door open.
A few months back, a friend contacted me to say that he and two
associates had decided to open an Atari dealership. They sought out my
council because I was an accountant and could tell them if they had a
ghost of a chance to make it before they got in too deeply. I agreed,
out of friendship, and they offered me a free meal.
We met at Sizzler (so much for the Peking Duck) and started out with
them giving me what they thought were realistic profit and loss figures.
I added a few numbers of my own and fine-tuned some others. They had
the general idea as to what-was-what and were not going into this
venture with their eyes closed. They had knowledge, but not enough
experience to run a retail operation. I suggested they contact a fourth
party to manage the retail end. Luckily for them, a very experienced
person was available and took them up on their offer.
They now had all bases covered. All they had to do was find a retail
store front that was affordable, become an authorized Atari dealer,
purchase product, get the word out about their opening, etc., and so
on...
They looked and looked for a retail store. A broker was also secured to
find the perfect location. The store-fronts were either too small or
too expensive. But, as luck would have it, a "drive by" found the
perfect location. In fact, this store-front was the second location of
the store from which, ten years ago, I had bought my Atari 800 and met
one of the principals. They secured the lease.
They spent most of a month making the store in their image. They built
the counter, tore down walls, built walls, and moved walls. They
painted everything, put in carpet, and added new lighting. Just like
magic, the store was ready for product and customers.
Let me digress and give the qualifications of the four principals who
run the store. They are Mark Krynsky, Tony Lee, Brian Celano, and Rick
Vonk.
Mark has managed or worked for computer stores that sell Atari products
for almost six years. He manages the retail end of the operation. He
also does the ordering, gets pricing, and is the person most people meet
first when they come into the store. Mark turned down an offer to
manage an Egghead computer store for this opportunity. He believes in
the Atari community.
Tony Lee manages the repair center, which will be offering both in-store
and on-site repair and service. He had been repairing Atari computers
for almost ten years, and managed the repair center at a store for which
Mark was co-manager. He also did the repair and maintenance for Hybrid
Arts, and still does work for them on a contract basis. He even repairs
equipment for prominent Atari employees, past and present. Tony is also
in his last semester of getting a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Bryan Celano worked with Tony at Hybrid Arts. As Director of Product
Support, he was a product specialist and published all printed
literature, including product catalogues and manuals. He's in charge of
the vertical-end market of the store, which will be offering in-store
and on-site classroom training, sales, and set-up. Most of all, Bryan
is the store's MIDI expert. He has a dual degree in Computer Science
and Music and also many friends and contacts in the music business.
Rick Vonk is the fourth principal of this partnership. Rick is the
jack-of-all-trades. He helps out at the retail end, service,
installation, and repair. Both he and Tony were members of my computer
club, H.A.C.K.S. He's also in his last semester of getting a degree in
Electrical Engineering.
Now, back to the future. These four have already opened their doors for
business. In fact, they used the Glendale Atari Faire to let people
know they were open. They also had a grand opening which was attended
by local developers, along with Bob Brodie and Wayne Smith. (Atari does
support its dealers when asked and whenever logistics allow.)
In summation, these four have talent and connections. They defined the
market they wanted and are now ready to go after it. And, while they
know it's not going to be easy, they know it's out there and they know
that they can make it. They're willing to compete against the IBM and
the MAC. They also know that when somebody comes into their store, they
can convince them that an Atari is a viable alternative.
Again, this article was not done to promote a specific store; it was
written to let you, the Atari community, know that there is hope. Don't
just listen to the doomsayers. We have a viable machine that fits
perfectly in its niche. Atari is going to make it and will be around
for a long, long time.
PUBLIC DOMAIN UPDATE
====================
by Keith MacNutt
Little Green Selector V1.8B
CHARLES F. JOHNSON
P.O BOX 1250
PACIFIC PALISADES, CA 90272
Little Green item selector is a complete replacement for the selector
found is TOS. The program can be either installed from the desktop or
placed in the auto folder of your boot drive. Once installed the
difference between the TOS version and Little Green Selector is like
night and day. Suddenly changing drives, folders or looking for files
becomes a joy instead of a pain. Only in versions 1.4 and 1.6 of TOS
did some of these feature get included. Once loaded all program calls
that would normally bring up the GEM selector now displays LG item
selector. This allows the user a host of features, from displaying only
files with certain file extensions (like arc files) to changing drives,
and you can even pick a default path from a list of 18 that you can
assign and change at anytime.
DRIVE BUTTONS
Once loaded and accessed through a program, the user will notice that on
the right hand side of the pop up window there are 16 drive icons, with
only the installed drives in dark print, all others are in a light
shaded color. To change drive paths you only need to click on that
drive letter and the window will update to show files on that drive
(LGSelect displays 16 files instead of the usual 9).
SORT BUTTONS
Just under the drive buttons there are located different choices for
sorting your files. Files can be sorted by name, extension, size, date
or unsorted if you like(nice if you need to know in what order your
programs in the AUTO folder are going to run).
PATH BUTTONS
Clicking on Paths allows you to access, by a dialogue box, a list of up
to 18 different paths and 20 different default extensions. To set the
path for each line you need only left click the mouse on that line and
select the drive and your path choice in the LGSelect window. To delete
the contents of a line you only need to right click and answer ok in the
pop up window. Selecting the file extension (like arc files) to be
displayed for that path, is as easy as clicking on one of the 20 listed
in the lower left hand corner. When you next select that path option
only those file extensions will be displayed in the item selector. To
customize this list of file extension, you will need to edit one or more
of the 20 in the list to reflect your personnel choices and click on the
save button. Also within this window you will find other buttons
labelled...
1) SHOW HIDDEN FILES- files that are hidden usually are not shown from
the desktop, but in this case will be in light type to distinguish
from hidden and un-hidden.
2) SAVE- saves the current paths and file extension choices to the
LGSelect program as defaults.
3) CLEAR- clears all path lines and extensions so the user can
reinstall other selections.
4) FILENAME.EXT- displays the present three letter extension that was
passed by the program accessing the window.
5) EXIT- returns the user to the main LGSelector screen.
FILE DISPLAY OPTION
At the bottom of the main LGSelector window is a area that is bordered
by two arrows. This box displays the number of files in the directory
and the arrows are used to scroll the display to show the size and date
when the file was last modified.
THE CLOSE BOX
Just like the GEM selector, the LGSelector has in the upper left portion
of the file window a button that backs the user out one level at a time.
One other nice feature is the ability to back all the way out to the
root level by either double left or single right clicking the mouse on
this button.
UP AND DOWN BUTTONS
Right clicking on the up or down scroll buttons will take you instantly
to the top or the bottom of the present window, while using the left
will scroll the window one file at a time, but much faster then the
regular GEM one.
PASSING A TITLE
This feature is used mainly by programmers whose wish to inform the user
what files they may load (using an un-arc program would display that the
program wants you to select an arc file to work on).
SELECTING A FILE
To select a file you may either click once on the file name and then
click on OK, or double click on the file, or right click once to exit
the window and run the program.
OTHER FEATURES
LGSelector will show up to 300 files in any one directory and if more
files are present the selector will crash( because of a bug in the
operating system).
Unlike the GEM selector, LGSelector allows "type ahead" input while the
window is being redrawn.
POSITIVES
LITTLE GREEN SELECTOR is in my books, one of the few indispensable
programs that no ST user should be with out. The added features over
the GEM equivalent make it so easy to move around the file system, that
in no time at all you wonder how you could have ever lived with out this
program.
NEGATIVES
One of the few features missing on this wonderful program is a way to
call it up at anytime while you are on the desktop or within a program.
It would be nice to be able to access it from the desktop as a desk
accessory like it's counterpart UIS_III.
SHAREWARE PLEA
Many hours have gone into a program like this, with updates every few
months. All that is asked is a $15.00 donation to register and the user
will be informed ahead of time when and how to get an advance copy of
the new update. CHARLES F. JOHNSON has written other shareware programs
like DESK MANAGER, ARC SHELL and PINHEAD which are first rate programs
and have no commercial rivals for ease of use and solid performance. It
would be a shame if CHARLES stopped writing and updating these and other
programs just because the ST community couldn't find a few dollars each
to reward a great programmer for all the work he has done in making the
ST one of the easiest and powerful systems available today.
Z-NET CANADA
============
by Terry Schreiber
A CHRISTMAS WISH
Z-Net Canada wishes all the very best over the holiday season. Looking
back over past year we have seen many things change in the world as we
know it. The Middle East Crisis is probably the one single event that
has effected all our lives. Please remember to give thanks this
Christmas to our people over there trying to bring justice, democracy
and peace once again to world.
Christmas is the time of year to be good to your fellow man. I would
like to take this opportunity to remind our readers not to drink and
drive over the holiday season. Please, call a taxi or use a designated
driver if you are going to drink. Many companies in recent years have
hired drivers for their office or company parties but even more common
practice is the company will pay for taxi service. Please check and see
if your employer has such a service in place, if not, why not suggest
it. It would be much cheaper than training a new person to fill a
vacant position left open by a drunk driver and much easier on the
conscience as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Z*NET Atari Online Magazine is a weekly publication covering the Atari
and related computer community. Material contained in this edition may
be reprinted without permission except where noted, unedited and
containing the issue number, name and author included at the top of each
article reprinted. Opinions presented are those of the individual
author and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff of
Z*Net Online. This publication is not affiliated with Atari
Corporation. Z*Net, Z*Net Atari Online and Z*Net News Service are
copyright (c)1990, Rovac Industries Incorporated, Post Office Box 59,
Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-0059. Voice (908) 968-2024, BBS (908) 968-
8148 at 1200/2400 Baud 24 hours a day. We can be reached on Compuserve
at PPN 71777,2140 and on GEnie at address: Z-Net. FNET NODE 593
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Z*NET Atari Online Magazine
Copyright (c)1990, Rovac Industries, Inc..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
