Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Z*NET Online Magazine Issue 91-09
==(((((((((( == Z*NET INTERNATIONAL ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE
=========(( === -----------------------------------------
=======(( ===== March 9, 1991 Issue #91-09
=====(( ======= -----------------------------------------
==(((((((((( == Copyright (c)1991, Rovac Industries, Inc.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Ron Kovacs...........................Publisher/Editor
John Nagy...............................Senior Editor
Terry Schreiber......................Assistant Editor
Jon Clarke........................Contributing Editor
Ron Berinstein....................Contributing Editor
Mike Schuetz......................Contributing Editor
Dr. Paul Keith..............Special Assignment Editor
Keith Macnutt...............................Columnist
Mike Mezaros......................Contributing Editor
CONTENTS
EDITORS DESK.............................Ron Kovacs and John Nagy
Z*NET NEWSWIRE...................................................
NEW FREE ATARI MAGAZINE ANNOUNCED...................Press Release
THE GLENDALE ATARI SHOW.............................Press Release
FAXNET.................................................Jon Clarke
COMPUSERVE INFORMATION SERVICE.......................Scott Lapham
CALAMUS TUTORIAL - PART IV..........................Geoff LaCasse
THE SOFTWARE SHELF.................................Ron Berinstein
MIST PLANS ATARIFEST................................Press Release
LEXICOR UPDATE..........................................Z*NET BBS
PUBLIC DOMAIN UPDATE................................Keith Macnutt
EDITORS DESK
============ Special Commentary and Update
Z*NET; WHERE ARE WE, WHERE ARE WE GOING?
by Ron Kovacs and John Nagy
Anniversaries... they make us think about the past and the Future.
Ron Kovacs is about to begin his SEVENTH YEAR of weekly online
publishing for Atari users. March marks the beginning of our third year
of Z*NET MONTHLY, our hard-copy newsletter supplement that has served
over 50 user groups world-wide.
ROVAC INDUSTRIES, Inc. was legally incorporated in 1989 in the State of
New Jersey by Ron Kovacs for the purpose of furthering what had, until
then, been a solo, totally volunteer effort to bring Atari users the
best information available. John Nagy became a regular contributor,
editor of the monthly newsletter, and staff manager for the growing
number of "Z*projects". The online magazine remains to this day to be
100% volunteer supported, non-commercial and non-profit.
In 1990, "Z*NET International Atari Online Magazine" became the single
name for what had been ZMAGAZINE and ST*ZMAGAZINE. Distribution of the
weekly electronic magazine under Ron's editorship was on CompuServe,
GEnie, Delphi, USENET, and over 600 registered carrying private
bulletin board systems. Later in 1990, Z*NET entered the FNET system
and has primary distribution to 50 FNET BBS systems... and ultimately to
perhaps thousands more independent BBS systems around the world. Z*Net
maintains staff writers in the USA, Canada, England, Germany, New
Zealand, and Japan, with correspondents in many other countries.
On GEnie alone, JUST the 1990 Z*NET issues have been downloaded 30,000
times (thirty THOUSAND!), with another 8 THOUSAND downloads of related
files, pictures, Z*BREAK news bulletins, etc. This made Z*NET the
NUMBER ONE ONLINE MAGAZINE and the most prolific of ALL GEnie
contributors in 1990! We are convinced that part of what makes us
respected and popular is Z*NET's continued resolve not to preach, push,
pirate, or pander.
During 1990, Z*NET continued to evolve. First, the Z*NET NEWS SERVICE
was featured as a regular contributor to the German magazine PD JOURNAL.
Later, Z*NET NEWS SERVICE was recognized by several British Atari
magazines, and was also quoted as an original source in reports
appearing in non-computer-specific national news services. Reprints or
quotes of Z*NET articles appear regularly in almost every user-group
newsletter and have also appeared in many commercial publications
including COMPUTER SHOPPER, ST INFORMER, ST WORLD, CURRENT NOTES, AIM,
PSAN NEWS, and while in publication, ANALOG, ST-LOG, and ANTIC. In
1990, Z*NET became a continuing column in ST JOURNAL magazine, then
moved to become the exclusive news agency for START, the largest US
Atari magazine.
Z*NET was first with major Atari stories. The 32mHz TT, Elie Kenan
resigning, layoffs, the MEGA STE introduction, and more stories were
broken by Z*NET special reports. Even though many of those stories were
denied vigorously by Atari officials and decried by other publications,
each of them came to be shown as true, accurate, fair, and FIRST. By
Z*NET's writers doing on-site reporting at major Atari events, including
live mini-conferences and pictures of the shows, often while they were
still in progress, Z*NET's credibility had crystallized; it had become
widely accepted that, if it was reported by Z*NET, you could depend on
it.
That's not to say that we were always right... occasionally we reported
what was in fact true at the time of the report, only to have situations
change. And of course, we occasionally really blow it, and make a plain
error in interpretation or timing. We also have inadvertently angered
the occasional developer, dealer, user group, or Atari official with our
reporting of things that might not always put them in the best light.
But we haven't been shy about owning up to errors in reporting as soon
as they were detected, nor about offering reply space for any irritated
reader. And yes, we've been threatened with lawsuits on several
occasions. None, it turns out, have actually been filed, despite
continued harassment.
Also in 1990 and since, Ron Kovacs began several Atari and non-Atari
projects under the Z*NET auspices:
* Z*NET MECHANICS ONLINE NEWSLETTER was the first, offering the proven
format of the online publication to automobile mechanics, both
professional and amateur. Gatewat Associates, a development company
formed by Bruce Kennedy, the original Z*Magazine editor and founder,
has been the co-publisher/editor of the publication since the start.
The MECHANICS ONLINE may be continuing or may change format and
distribution in support of a commercial sales effort of completely
databased auto service bulletins.
* Z*NET MACINTOSH ONLINE MAGAZINE had a trial run and is being
considered for continued status.
* Z*NET PC ONLINE MAGAZINE has just been test released, and is enjoying
remarkable startup success and favorable commentary, despite some
very vociferous complaints from Atari users who believe that it shows
Z*NET is abandoning Atari.
* Z*NET ATARI CD-ROM DISK was planned and prepared, but is currently on
hold due to the unavailability of Atari CD-ROM players. If that
situation reverses, the Z*NET disk will offer a terrific collection
of many hundred megs of Atari software, pictures, animations, sounds,
and information.
... and there is more that we just aren't ready to discuss!
Keep in mind that the ROVAC/Z*NET effort is entirely a "hobby" on many
levels... each of us involved have a "real" full time job, and do
Z*stuff on our own tabs on our own time. Only a few of our enterprises
actually pay for themselves. Some regular readers seem to forget that
and are less than charitable when Z*NET is not available for them quite
"on time", or when the Z*NET BBS is down for a while due to waiting
hardware repairs or PHONE BILLS to be paid!
What will the future bring for Z*NET? No, we are NOT abandoning Atari
despite new activity in other areas. Z*NET International Atari Online
Magazine will continue to be published as long as there is Atari news
that deserves impartial telling. It may be that the staff will change
somewhat, but Ron Kovacs will remain the publisher and will retain final
editorial supervision. Z*NET MONTHLY will continue under the editorship
of John Nagy, supplementing user group newsletters until or unless it
becomes unnecessary or impractical. And our other projects will
continue to expand... to take up every spare minute of time available!
But Z*NET Atari Online remains as our center, our touchstone and
template for all our other projects. In some ways, the weekly magazine
is the engine that keeps all of our other projects in motion. We WON'T
be dropping it in the foreseeable future.
We DO need to solicit for more input, more contributors, and even more
"permanent" staff members. So, readers, consider yourselves solicited.
You can reach us to volunteer your talents (and heck, we wouldn't turn
down offers of hardware or cash, either!) via EMAIL, US mail, or phone.
The relevant numbers are at the top and bottom of every issue of Z*NET.
And Thanks for Reading! Your appreciation is our greatest reward.
Now let's begin our seventh year together...
Z*NET NEWSWIRE
==============
NEW 1040STE PRICING AT NEW LOW
Atari Canada annouced new retail pricing at $499.00 cdn. Murray Brown,
West Coast Sales Manager for Atari stated that Atari is taking a get
tough approach. With the new pricing in hand you can now purchase a
1040STE, colour monitor and 30 meg hard drive for the same price as a
Mac Classic, which comes without a hard drive, midi ports, stereo sound,
built in operating system ect... This will also make PC buyers sit up
and take notice. Atari is alive and wants their fair share of the
market. National advertising begins next week in an all out effort to
make the public awareness and show that Atari doesn't take prisoners!
Atari is once again "Power without the price."
ATARI NEW ZEALAND
Atari New Zealand have released a new newsletter aimed at all the
education facilities in New Zealand offering special "education" pricing
on most of its product range.
MNP VRS PEP
Like the old Beta verses VHS video wars of the 80's the MNP and PEP
modem compression wars have come to an end with the MNP standard
becoming the modem standard in New Zealand for BBS's. (sig: much to my
horror I have a PEP)
NEW CD_ROM
Rumours abound about a new Atari compact disk player for the ST/STE/TT
range of computers due for release in May or June of this year. It
appears the old Chinnon engine is to be replaced with a more up-to-date
version.
CD_ROM DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES
A US based company with ties in New Zealand and Malaysia continues to
amaze the computing world with their innovations in the cd_rom world.
Whitestar Mageware of Sante February NEW MEXICO have successfully
completed their port from the Atari ST to the MAC and IBM platforms of
the game " Golden Immortal".
X32 FULLY IMPLEMENTED
Telecom International and Networks have completed their upgrades of the
X32 network in New Zealand and now offer full world wide X32 dial out.
Users in New Zealand may access X32 on the following phone number 1750.
DUALFMT.PRG TIME BOMB?
Users of a public domain floppy disk formatter for the ST may be heading
for data disaster, according to Steve Decker, who contacted Z*NET
yesterday. Steve claims that DUALFORMAT, a program by Alan Lindsey that
will format two disks in two drives at once, will cease to create unique
serial numbered disks after a number of uses. This creates disks that
your ST can't tell apart. Swap disks with the same serial number, and
the computer will not know to start fresh, and will write parts of the
old disk directory into the new one... trashing the file structure
beyond repair. Symptoms of this problem have reportedly come to the
attention of GRIBNIF SOFTWARE as well, when callers were worried that a
bug in their NEODESK might be to blame. Those cases were reportedly
also traced to DUALFORMAT users. Until/unless we find out more from the
author (who does not list a telecom address), we can only recommend that
all users and BBS SYSOPS remove DUALFMT.ARC from their file library for
their own safety.
FOUR MORE NEW ST GAMES FROM OCEAN/EA
Late February press releases from Ocean Software through Electronic Arts
Distribution announced four more new game releases for the Atari ST
computers:
* F-29 RETALIATOR (ST and AMIGA, Ocean Software, $49.95): A futuristic
flight simulation with four battle scenarios and 100 missions to fly.
Real-time cockpit, internal and external viewpoints and fast, detailed
graphics.
* NIGHTBREED (ST, PC, and AMIGA, $39.95): Based on the Clive Barker
horror film, you are Aaron Boone, fighting both to save the race of
the supernatural "Breed" from both the police and a villain called
"The Mask". An interactive adventure.
* THE UNTOUCHABLES (ST, AMIGA, and C64, $39.95): Another movie action/
adventure conversion. Control Eliot Ness's squad in "spectacular
busts, raids, shoot-outs and duels" in Mafia-infested 1920's Chicago."
* LOST PATROL (ST, AMIGA, PC, $49.95): It's 1966, and you and six other
soldiers are crashed in central Vietnam. Will you survive the 57 mile
trek through enemy forces with little food and less ammunition? This
strategy adventure allows you to deploy your troops as you see fit...
and one of your guys just might be a psycho!
TI INTRODUCES MICROCHIPS
Texas Instruments introduced a family of customizable microchips this
week that enable electronics manufacturers to design smaller and more
powerful high performance computer systems, central office telephone
equipment, computer workstations and other advanced electronics
equipment. The new TGB1000 family is the first customer-configurable
solution available that offers up to 150,000 gates operating at speeds
that can keep pace with today's most advanced electronic systems.
HP 17 PPM LASERJET PRINTER
Hewlett-Packard announced on March 4, 1991, its fastest, most advanced
300 dpi desktop printer, the HP LaserJet IIISi printer. The 17 pages-
per-minute laser printer uses Resolution Enhancement technology and HP's
PCL 5 printer language and has a U.S.list price of $5,495. The new
printer is designed to produce up to 50,000 pages per month.
SEAGATE EXPANDS
Seagate announced March 5, 1991 new 3.5, 5.25 and 8-inch drives. The
new line-up includes several products that set new standards for their
form factors. The Elite 2 IPI and Elite 2 SCSI, respectively, provide
the fastest data transfer rate and highest formatted storage capacity
in the 5.25-inch market. The Sabre 6, meanwhile, offers the fastest
data access time in an 8-inch drive. The new products will publicly
debut at Hanover Messe CeBit '91 in Hanover, Germany, March 13-20.
Demonstrations will take place during the show at booth number D24-E23,
Hall 8, Nesssegelande Hanover. The newest product offerings include:
ST3144 - This 3.5-inch disc drive, available with both AT and SCSI-2
interfaces, is geared towards the low-profile desktop, laptop and the
emerging entry-level workstation markets.
EPSON TO UNVEIL FULL NEW PRODUCT LINE
Epson products will be shown in Booth 1240 at FOSE '91. Two new
products are being featured, the Equity 386SX/20 PLUS desktop computer
and the LQ-200 dot-matrix printer. Both of these products set new price
/performance standards in their respective categories. Other products
in the Epson line-up include the Equity 386SX PLUS and Equity 386/25
PLUS computers. Along with computers, Epson will demonstrate its new
EPL series of laser printers.
COURT FINDS IN APPLE'S FAVOR
Apple announced this week that Judge Vaughn Walker of the U.S. District
Court in San Francisco has strengthened Apple's case by clearing the way
for a trial in Apple's copyright infringement suit against Microsoft and
Hewlett-Packard. The judge denied motions from Microsoft and HP and
upheld Apple's claim that the Macintosh computer audio-visual displays
are original to Apple. The judge also held that the major portions of
Macintosh audio-visual displays -- overlapping windows and icons -- are
not licensed to Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. Apple filed suit against
Microsoft and HP in March 1988, to protect its copyrighted Macintosh
audio-visual displays against copyright infringement by two products:
Microsoft's Windows 2.03 and Hewlett-Packard's New Wave. Apple's audio
-visual displays make the Macintosh personal computer unique and
distinctive, and in computer parlance, extremely "user friendly."
FREE MONTHLY MAGAZINE ANNOUNCED
=============================== Press Release
For Immediate Release.....
FREE MONTHLY ATARI MAGAZINE ANNOUNCED, AVAILABLE IN MAY
COVINA, CA -- Quill Publishing, publishers of ST JOURNAL MAGAZINE, have
replaced the Journal with ATARIUSER, the first and only FREE ATARI
SPECIFIC MAGAZINE. ATARIUSER will be distributed free internationally
through computer stores, Atari dealers, developers, distributors, and
registered Atari user groups. Select book and retail stores and
businesses will offer it for free or $1.00 per issue, at their option.
Preferred delivery subscriptions to ATARIUSER are available, direct
mailed for only $12 a year. All outstanding subscribers to ST Journal
will be individually contacted regarding upgrading to extended ATARIUSER
subscriptions.
AtariUser will cover the ENTIRE Atari computer product lineup, including
the TT, STe, ST, MEGA, MEGA/STe, Portfolio, Lynx, and even the out-of-
production Atari 8-bit series of computers. It will also grow as the
Atari product mix grows in the coming years. ATARIUSER's editor-in-
chief is well-known industry journalist JOHN NAGY. Says Nagy, "We'll
focus on the facts that will make it easier to be an ATARI USER. Every
month we will try to cut to the meat of what is happening, what is
available, what it can do for you, and how to get it. And we'll do it
FAST, with less than two weeks between final edits and distribution.
Our concept and goal is to be your standard monthly reference for all
Atari interests... at a price Atari Users can truly say is POWER WITHOUT
THE PRICE... FREE!"
ATARIUSER will begin with the May 1991 issue, expected to be available
starting April 15. Distribution will be at a minimum of 30,000 per
month. P. Kevin Horn, Quill's Marketing Director, said "ATARIUSER is
the most inexpensive Atari national publication to advertise in. We
have broad distribution and the lowest cost per thousand. No one can
beat us!" Dealers and user groups interested in providing ATARIUSER
monthly, free, to their customers and users should contact Quill
Publishing directly, and quickly, if they wish to receive sufficient
quantities of the May '91 issue. Groups are also solicited to suggest
and perhaps cooperate in placement of ATARIUSER distribution points in
their areas as part of their own membership outreach. Simply call our
offices and let us know how many issues your group can realistically
place.
Single sample issues will be available by mail after April 20 - send
$1.00 to Quill Publishing. Potential advertisers should contact P.
Kevin Horn. Aspiring writers should contact Editor John Nagy or
Assistant Editor John King Tarpinian at the Quill offices below.
ATARIUSER magazine from Quill Publishing Co.
113 W. College St.
Covina, CA 91723
818-332-0372 - Editorial and business.
818-332-2869 - Fax.
818-332-5473 - Direct advertising line.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ATARI COMPUTER FAIRE - VERSION 5.0
====================================================== Press Release
The Southern California ATARI Computer Faire, Version 5.0, also known as
THE GLENDALE SHOW has been confirmed for September 14 and 15, 1991. We
are proud to announce that, as with all of our prior Faires, ATARI has
offered both its attendance in force and its complete support.
This is the Premiere West Coast Faire. The Glendale Show was the first
joint ATARI-User Group sponsored show in the nation, and last September
featured the largest array of Atari vendors ever formed at a domestic
consumer show. You can expect this year's show to again be the largest
exhibition of Developers, Dealers and Retailers under one roof. You'll
be able to meet the people behind the software, talk to the Atari
officials you normally just read about, and see and buy the widest
variety of Atari goods ever assembled in the USA.
We also will offer more of our popular seminars, which last year
featured standing-room-only talks by Leonard Tramiel, Bob Brodie, Dave
Small, and many other Atari personalities. Make your vacation and
travel plans now to come to the Los Angeles area this September, and be
here for the GLENDALE SHOW, September 14 and 15, 1991.
Please address EXHIBITOR questions to:
H.A.C.K.S.
249 N. Brand Bl. #321
Glendale, CA 91203
or call:
John King Tarpinian
Faire Chairperson
818-246-7286
FAXNET: THE END TO FAXCARDS AND HOME TO FIRST PUBLIC EDI SYSTEM
===============================================================
by Jon Clarke
How many times have you popped over to friends and thought, "Ahh if only
I brought that disk with me" or "why did I not bring that disk on site
with me?" Well help is here for all New Zealand users.
A service called Paxus Faxnet allows you to do full file/email/document
and fax exchange with only the aid of a modem. Several of the Atari BBS
operators down here have been using Paxus to node their BBS's to all the
major cities in the country and allow users to call world wide via the
Public Data Network and connect as though they made a local call.
This portion of the "Faxnet" service is the most popular with the
private users here in New Zealand. It works like 'Internet' or the
'GEnie' and 'Compuserve' PAD services. Make a local call and you pop
out on a BBS in a distant city all for a nominal fee. Now I have been
a user of this service and it has reduced my toll bill by 90 odd
percent. I am also lucky enough to have my BBS as a dial out option on
here as well and enjoy callers from all over the country. It makes our
BBS become a local BBS even though we are over 800 plus odd miles from
some of the users.
So using it as a private user I thought this was all that "Faxnet" had
to offer bar a few services for IBM and as I use an Atari ST user at
home I could not see any use for the service. Now how many times have
you based your opions on a limited exposure to an item, service or what
ever? Well I was totally WRONG! My old ST now has full fax facilities
with out the need for expensive add on faxcards or faxmodems. That is
right this old bucket of bolts (you have to see it to believe it) can
now send and receive faxes as though it was a regular fax machine at a
cheaper cost than a regular fax for that matter (40 NZ cents per fax).
I can send documents I have prepared in Tempus (like this one) to
"Faxnet" and they appear as a fax a few minutes later on some ones fax
machine. For that matter I can send a file or what ever via their
document/file exchange service. Imagine this, here I am 200 miles away
from work or home and I forgot to take a disk or program with me. I
call my office and ask them to pop it into my mailbox so I can get it
(like you do on a BBS but with compression and document conversion). So
they hop on to my PC at work or my ST at home and tell the Faxnet Smart
Terminal(TM) to connect send file xyz.prg to me and it does the logon,
upload and even confirms that it worked 100%. So I get my file and we
all live happily ever after. For more details on Paxus Faxnet users
world wide ZNet International readers can call this service via the
Public Data Networks at this Network User Address +53019500001313.
There is a Guest user i/d set up for use. You will see it on connection
via the PDN node. Enter it in and follow your nose.
THE COMPUSERVE INFORMATION SERVICE
================================== Z*Net Special Report
by Scott Lapham
If you are reading this, you probably have a computer. If you have a
modem with your computer, you've probably heard of CompuServe
Information Service (CIS). If you don't have a modem, or haven't heard
of CIS, then read on. You may decide to get a modem just to be able to
gain access to this wealth of information, services and products. And
it's not expensive, either. Only $6.00 an hour connect charge for up to
300BPS, $12.50 an hour for 1200 or 2400BPS. 9600BPS service is being
expanded this year.
CIS certainly is a diversified service. The first menu you see when you
log on gives you a good idea of what's available. It currently looks
something like this:
1. Member Assistance (FREE)
2. Find a Topic (FREE)
3. Communications/Bulletin Boards
4. News/Weather/Sports
5. Travel
6. The Electronic MALL/Shopping
7. Money Matters/Markets
8. Entertainment/Games
9. Hobbies/Lifestyles/Education
10. Reference
11. Computers/Technology
12. Business/Other Interests
Choosing any of the above categories brings you to sub-menus that break
down the generic choices into specific choices. For instance, if you
chose "1" (Member Assistance) from the main menu, you would be given the
following choices in the sub-menu:
1. Tour/Find a Topic
2. Command Summary/How to Use
3. Ask Customer Service
4. Membership Changes
5. What's New
6. Practice Forum
7. Billing Information
8. Telephone Access Numbers
9. Order from CIS
10. Rules of Operation/Copyright
11. Membership Directory
12. Specials/Contests
You then make a choice from the sub-menu and you either get the
information you were looking for or another sub-menu to give you more
choices. How could it be any easier?
Not only is CIS a great place to get information, it's a great place to
go shopping! The Electronic Mall on CIS lets you shop to your hearts
content without ever leaving your home. And we're not talking about a
few stores. There are almost 100 merchants that sell items in
departments such as: apparel/accessories, arts/music/video, auto, books/
periodicals, business/finance, clubs/memberships, computing, gifts/
flowers/gourmet foods, health/beauty, hobbies/toys/pets, information/
services, merchandise/electronics, office supplies, sports/leisure and
travel/vacations. And you'll find many very familiar stores like Sears
and JCPenney. All it takes is a quick "GO SEARS" or "GO JCP" command at
any prompt on CIS and you're off and shopping. Beginning this spring,
the ELECTRONIC MALL will be free of connect charges.
Hobbyists will find CIS very useful too. Some of the hobbies supported
in the forums include aquaria/fish, astronomy, food/wine, ham radio,
model aviation, photography, and science fiction, just to name a few.
More on how forums work later.
Need to fly somewhere? Log on to EAASY SABRE and make your own flight
arrangements. Even write your own ticket and have it sent to your home!
There is a small monthly charge to use this service, but if you fly
often, it could be worth it.
CIS doesn't forget about your children's education either. The Groliers
Academic American Encyclopedia is available online to help with the
toughest homework assignments. And it's updated far more often than a
normal encyclopedia, too.
Or if you need to send someone a quick letter, CIS' electronic mail
service is also a snap to use. You can compose your letter online or
compose it offline on your computer and upload it. And your recipient
doesn't have to be a CIS subscriber. You can also exchange messages
with any TELEX or TWX machine, or a subscriber of the MCI Mail
electronic mail service. You may also send electronic messages to FAX
machines.
CIS and ATARI
Now let's look at CIS from an ATARI point of view. And there is plenty
to look at, too. Whether you have and 8-bit, ST, game machine or
portable DOS machine, it's covered on CIS. All you have to do, once
you're logged onto CIS, is type "GO ATARI". In a few seconds you're
taken to ATARINET (Atari Users Network). Once there, it's just a matter
of choosing the right forum. Your choices are:
1. What's New in the Atari Forums
2. Atari File Finder
3. Atari 8-Bit Forum
4. Atari ST Productivity Forum
5. Atari ST Arts Forum
6. Atari Vendors Forum
7. Atari Portfolio Forum
Each of the Atari hardware and software forums can be reached without
going to this menu if you want to save a little time. Type "GO ATARI8"
(Atari 8-Bit Forum), "GO ATARIPRO" (Atari ST Productivity Forum), "GO
ATARIARTS" (Atari ST Arts Forum), "GO ATARIVEN" (Atari Vendors Forum) or
"GO APORTFOLIO" (Atari Portfolio Forum).
The overall Forum Manager/SYSOP and contract holder for all Atari Forums
on CIS is Ron Luks. He can be contacted via electronic mail (userid
76703,254) or on any of the forum message boards if you have any
questions about ATARINET.
All the forums have message boards. They are used to discuss any and
all subjects pertaining to the particular forum. The boards can be very
handy, whether you are an old pro or a new Atari user. You can post a
question there you may have about your hardware or software and will
most likely get an answer from someone in just a day or so. There are a
lot of very knowledgeable people logging onto these boards that would
love to help you out if they can. Or you can just read the messages
there to keep abreast of what's going on in the Atari world.
All of the forums have libraries. The libraries contain thousands of
files that you can download; games, utilities, applications, demo's of
commercial software or just informational text files. Or if you have a
program or file you'd like to share with other Atari users, you can
upload it to the library. Not a bad place to try to sell your old Atari
400 when you decide you want to upgrade to a TT! All of the files
uploaded to the libraries are previewed by a SYSOP to make sure they
work as described.
With all those hundreds (or even thousands) of files contained in the
Atari libraries, how could you possibly find a particular file you may
want? No problem. The Atari File Finder to the rescue. The File
Finder is an online comprehensive keyboard searchable database of file
descriptions from Atari related Forums. It was designed to provide
quick and easy reference to some of the best programs and files
available in the Atari ST Productivity, Atari ST Arts and Atari Vendors
forums. It provides you with seven common search criteria for quickly
finding the location of a wanted file or files. You can search by
topic, file submission date, forum name, file type, file extension, file
name or submitter's user identification number. File description, forum
and library location are displayed for the matched files giving instant
information on where to find a most wanted file. You can access the
File Finder by selecting option 2 on the main ATARINET menu or type "GO
ATARIFF" at any CIS prompt. Once at the File Finder main menu, you get
the choices:
1. About File Finder
2. Instructions For Searching
3. How To Locate Keywords
4. Access File Finder
5. Your Comments About File Finder
Take your pick and off you go! It's very user-friendly.
ATART8 (Atari 8-Bit Forum)
The Atari 8-Bit Forum supports the Atari 8-bit line of personal
computers and Atari video game machines, including the portable Lynx.
They have a real-time conference every Sunday night at 9:00 PM EST in
Conference Room 4. These conferences give you the opportunity to talk
to and ask questions of a variety of people related to the Atari 8-Bit
Forum. It could be anyone from an Atari Corporation executive to the
author of your favorite piece of software. Try one some night. I think
you'd enjoy it. The library in this forum includes files in the
following categories (my comments, in brackets, do not appear on the
actual menu):
1. New Uploads (all new uploads, regardless of category)
2. Telecommunications (helps get the most of online time)
3. System Utilities (various utilities)
4. Graphics/RLE/PIC's (mostly clip-art)
5. Productivity Software (be productive)
6. Sound & Music (pretty self explanatory)
7. News & Reviews (see above)
9. BBS Programs/Information (in case you run a Bulletin Board)
10. Games/Entertainment (self explanatory)
11. ZNET Online (Atari specific online magazine)
14. Programming Aids (in case you are a programmer)
15. Innovative Concepts (to support their software)
17. Misc./HELP (just as it says)
ATARIARTS (Atari ST Arts Forum)
The Atari ST Arts Forum supports various art forms for the Atari ST line
of personal computers. They have a Community Gab Conference every
Thursday at 10:00 PM EST. The exact conference room will be available
when you log-on to join this conference. Again, you could get to chat
with anyone related to Atari or Atari products in this conference. The
library in this forum includes files in the following categories (my
comments, in brackets, do not appear on the actual menu):
1. New Uploads (same as ATARI8)
2. Games (games)
3. Game Data Files (self explanatory)
4. GIF/RLE/FCP Pics (clip art in GIF, RLE and FCP format)
5. Music/MIDI (for music lovers/composers)
6. DEGAS/NEO/TINY Pics (more art, different formats)
7. SPECTRUM Pics (more art)
8. CAD3D/Animations (computer aided design stuff)
9. CYBER files A-M (software support)
10. CYBER files N-Z (more of above)
11. LEXICOR Software (supporting their software)
12. Demo programs (gives you chance to look before buying)
13. R-rated pics (mostly nude/semi-nude clip-art)
14. Viewers/Utilities (for viewing art in various formats)
15. News & Reviews (self explanatory)
17. Misc. Files (self explanatory)
ATARIPRO (Atari ST Productivity Forum)
The Atari ST Productivity Forum supports, naturally, productivity
related subjects. They have a Programmers/Technical Conference every
Friday night at 10:00 PM EST. You'll have to log on to find out which
conference room they are in. And like the other forums, you could meet
just about anyone. The library includes files in the following
categories (my comments, in brackets, do not appear on the actual menu):
1. New Uploads (guess!)
2. Telecommunications (we've seen this one before)
3. Programming Tools (for all you programmers)
4. Utility Programs (we all need these useful little devils)
5. Applications (to be productive)
6. ACC's & Setups (accessory-type programs)
7. *ATARI Registered developers (Restricted)
8. News & Reviews (self explanatory)
9. Printer/Fonts/Icons (mostly self explanatory)
10. Program Demo's (look before you buy)
11. Tutorials (to help with those tough programs)
14. GNC Compiler Files (you'll know if you need these)
15. TeX/LaTeX (ditto on these)
16. Xformer II (run 8-bit stuff on the 16-bit machines)
17. Misc. Files (self explanatory)
To gain access to the restricted developers section, drop a message to
ATARI DEVELOPER SUPPORT 70007,1072 and they will request that the sysops
activate your user ID for this section.
ATARIVEN (Atari Vendors Forum)
The Atari Vendors Forum supports numerous third-party vendors that offer
Atari-related products. I don't have any information that suggests they
have conferences here, but they do have a bulletin board and a library.
The library includes files in the following categories (my comments, in
brackets, do not appear on the actual menu):
1. Forum Business (self explanatory)
2. Intersect Software (supporting their software)
3. Michtron (product support)
4. Precision Software (supporting their software)
5. QMI (product support)
6. Maxwell CPU (product support)
7. ICD, Inc. (product support)
8. GRIBNIF Software
9. LEXICOR Software
11. PageStream/Publishing Partner (product support)
12. Practical Solutions (product support)
13. Double Click (supporting their software)
14. Gadgets by Small (product support)
15. Supra Corporation (product support)
16. CodeHead Software (supporting their software)
17. ISD Marketing (product support)
APORTFOLIO (Atari Portfolio Forum)
The Atari Portfolio Forum supports the Atari portable DOS computer.
This forum has been named by ATARI as an OFFICIAL online area for
Portfolio support. They have a conference every Thursday night at 9:00
PM EST. Log on to see in which conference room it is taking place.
There is also a private message section and library for registered Atari
Portfolio developers. To apply for access, send CIS Mail to "Atari
Developer Support", userid 70007,1072. The library includes files in
the following categories (my comments, in brackets, do not appear on the
actual menu):
1. New Uploads (guess again)
2. Communications (kinda like telecommunications)
3. Utilities (of the DOS variety)
4. Entertainment (have fun)
5. Editors/Word Processors (self explanatory)
6. Database Functions (to keep track of things)
7. Applications (get productive again)
8. Programming (for programmers (really?))
9. *Registered Developers (must be registered to enter)
11. GRAPHICS (art)
14. *HyperList Testing (must be registered to enter)
15. *PowerBASIC Testing (must be registered to enter)
16. New Products (self explanatory)
17. Misc. Files (self explanatory)
That's about it. I could go on for pages on how I specifically use CIS,
but Ron Luks told me to keep it short (how am I doin', Ron?). There are
even programs that will help you navigate around CIS faster and easier
but I'll save that for another time. The bottom line is that CIS has a
lot to offer an Atari computer user. And since you are probably an
Atari user yourself, why not give it a try.
CALAMUS TUTORIAL - PART IV
========================== Working With Multi-Column Documents
Copyright by Geoff LaCasse
GXR Systems, Vancouver, B.C.
A number of individuals have expressed concern that this tutorial could
be perverted by those with pirated copies of Calamus. That was never
the intent. Piracy is hateful because it devalues the developer's and
retailer's efforts, and ultimately the general user base suffers. For
those with illegal copies, if these sessions convince you Calamus is
worth having, buy a copy, its not expensive. In the interim, use the
demo program ISD has put up on the BBSs. But don't pirate software.
In our last session, we looked at a number of ways to modify the form
and style of the text. Calamus's philosophy is simple. All aspects of
design and creation lies in the hands of the user. Any new point sizes,
justification, tabs, style, etc. (among others) become default values
until changed or the computer is turned off. A troublesome concept for
beginners (or those from other dtp platforms), the end result is
complete control over the medium you are working in.
This session, we begin a new document with a more practical application.
Create a NEW DOCUMENT. Make sure its PAGE LAYOUT (see previous
sessions) is Letter, Portrait. Click on HELP LINES. Click RULER ON,
SNAP TO HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL LINES, HELP LINES VISIBLE, and finally,
AUXILIARY LINES FOR COLUMNS. Enter 1 rows, 3 columns in the dialogue
box, 2.00 (inches) for top margins, 1.25 for bottom, 0.25 between
columns, and 1.00 for left/right.
Select TEXT, and TEXT RULER. Check that the latter's icon pad defaults
are Left Justification, Line Spacing 2.0 (points), and Paragraph Spacing
6.0 (points). Select FONT MENU, and click on Swiss 50 (if it isn't
already highlighted), then FONT SIZE and 12 (point), Normal (style).
New text frames will use these values until we repeat the selection
process.
Select FRAMES, then FRAME GENERAL FUNCTIONS. Move the cursor onto the
document and click the right mouse button to change the hand cursor to
pointer. Create your 3 frames. Click the right mouse button to re-
select the hand shape, then select the left frame. Select FRAME SPECIAL
FUNCTIONS from the second icon pad (second from left). Ignore the 3
icons at the top. The 12 icons below control text flow (called Piping
in Calamus) from frame to frame and text flow around other frames.
Highlight DISPLAY PIPING CHAINS (right side, second from bottom). With
your left frame still selected, click on PIPING FROM FRAME TO FRAME.
Move the cursor to your first frame (notice special piping cursor
shape), and click left mouse button. Repeat for the next (centre)
frame, and again on your third. Save the result.
Piping controls the flow of text when typing in or importing a text
file. Frame selection order determines frame text fill order; frame
selection need not be consecutive. Flow between frames is shown by the
Piping Chains (see DISPLAY above). Frames which are part of the Piping
chain have an arrow at the top left and bottom right ( --> ), except
that the first and last in the chain show an arrow in the bottom right
and top left, respectively.
The next step is to import a text file (4-6K). Select the left frame.
If you try to select the frame without de-highlighting PIPING FROM FRAME
TO FRAME, a dialogue box with the message 'You cannot pipe text in a
circle' will appear. Click the right mouse button or PIPING FROM FRAME
TO FRAME icon, then the frame. Select IMPORT from FILE menu. Because
we are importing to a text frame, Calamus will bring up a list of text
file filters. Each filter translates the word processor's styles
(centre, tabs, bold, etc.) into something Calamus will recognize.
Experiment with your word processor for best results. Word Perfect, for
example, works well with Calamus.
Click on your word processor filter to bring up Calamus's file selector
at the drive and folder as set out in Calamus.set (see session 1). If
necessary, reset the path for the documents folder in the Calamus.set to
correspond to your document folder in your favourite word processor
(default is Calamus's Text folder). This will simplify Import. Floppy
drive users should copy files to their Calamus TEXT folder before
beginning the session. (If you haven't, save the document, exit
Calamus, copy the file, and re-load the program and document.)
Select the file to import. When importing a word processor (not ASCII)
file, Calamus will bring up a second dialogue box asking if you wish to
replace specific text styles (bold, italic, underline, etc.) with a
different font. Click on a style at top left, then select font from the
table below. If you have no changes, or no additional fonts, select OK.
The imported file will flow from the first (selected) frame to the
second and third. If there is more text than the frames can hold, a +
sign will be visible at the bottom of the third frame. Notice that the
first frame remains selected, text is Left Justified, 12 point (check
with Text Editor), Swiss 50.
Text can also be hyphenated as it is imported, if your system has more
than 1 megabyte of memory. Hyphenation is useful for narrow columns
because it tightens up letter and word spacing (discussed in a later
session). Select TEXT, then DICTIONARY (second icon pad, third from
left). Click on LOAD DICTIONARY (1040s will not have the memory),
highlight HYPHENATION AFTER IMPORT ON/OFF, then import the file. A
dialogue box will inform you 'hyphenating file' as Import begins. Each
word will have hyphenation points (shown as -) which can be seen in the
Text Editor.
Frames can be deleted and added to a Piping chain. Deleting empties a
frame and moves text to next frame in the Piping chain. For example,
select the middle frame, click on FRAME, and FRAME SPECIAL FUNCTIONS.
Click on DELETE FRAME OUT OF PIPING CHAIN (bottom row, middle icon).
Text flow, as seen by the piping chains and flow arrows, will route from
first frame to third, although the middle frame will still exist. To
re-insert the frame into the chain, select empty frame, click on INSERT
FRAME INTO PIPING CHAIN, and click on the frame which will follow in the
piping chain. Text will reappear in the middle frame, restored text
flow confirmed by the Piping chains.
You can also cut a piping chain. This is useful when breaking a long
text file into chapters or sections which need not be directly linked.
Select the middle frame. From within FRAME SPECIAL FUNCTIONS, select
CUT PIPING CHAIN (bottom, right). Text in the first two frames is now
separate from that in the third. A selected frame ends a chain, except
when last in the chain to start with. Selecting the last frame begins
a new chain. In our 3 column example, the middle or right frames have
the same effect. To rejoin involves a little more work. Select TEXT,
TEXT CLIPBOARD (far right of second icon pad), and highlight one of
empty boxes (any of five). Place text cursor anywhere in third frame,
go to EXTRAS menu, and click SELECT ALL. Text will highlight. Select
CUT (scissors shape) from icon pad, and text (to end of file) will be
moved from the frame into the Clipboard. The first few characters will
be visible. Place text cursor at end of text in the middle frame, and
select COPY TEXT TO FRAME. A (+) sign will appear at the bottom of this
frame. Select FRAMES, FRAME SPECIAL FUNCTIONS, then PIPING FROM FRAME
TO FRAME, and click on the now empty third frame. Text will reflow into
it. Click off PIPING FROM FRAME TO FRAME. Save the file.
Next session we will look at Printing our document, and some of the
options. The session after, we will work with graphics.
THE SOFTWARE SHELF
==================
by Ron Berinstein
CodeHead Quarters BBS
1610 Vine Street
Hollywood, CA 90028
Wow, it seemed like we would not only need a crane, but also a carpenter
so that the second story floor would be reinforced before we finally got
the heavy box of disks up the stairs, and, into the computer room. Even
the tape holding the box together was a sight! Luckily I have some real
sharp knives in the restaurant kitchen below. Herb Chong was the man
responsible. Rather than upload them, he sent about 10 megs of really
interesting source files, most ported from the PC & Unix world to us at
CodeHead Quarters BBS. Over a hundred files!
A programmer's delight. A to Z. They start with ATC.LZH Air Traffic
Controller from 4.3 BSD Unix games library, APML.LZH Arbitrary Precision
Math Library, ASSEM.LZH Generic assembler, AVL.LZH An AVL-tree function
library, amongst other 'A's! One that Herb uses often: CTAGS.LZH. Same
builds a cross reference file of C, Fortran, Pascal, and Lisp program
functions and type definitions from multiple files. Meant to be used
with the vi text editor: vi -t func will edit the file containing the
function named 'func' and place you at the head of the function. Ok,
for the rest of the story you'll just have to look at the other ninety
plus files yourself! <big smile>
By the way, most will need some work, with few exceptions only C source
and documentation is provided. Most were ported using Mark Williams C
3.0.6 and Herb suggests that they should be compiled into TOS or TTP
files in all but a few cases.
* ALERT: It happened again.. another disk with data trashed!
The user reported using Cheetah v.3. Some of the filenames did have a
"_" in them, which seems to have been a problem before. A strict word
of caution is thus repeated. When flying you either get speed, or, you
get comfort, usually not both. When copying disks, either you get speed
without a lot of safety checks, or, you get a dependable copy with
safety checks, usually not both speed and safety. Cheetah IS very fast,
but, it is without allot of safety checks.
A Suggestion: FCOPY35 from Germany is real reliable. It also has virus
checking and a fast format feature. For people who own ICD Tape Backup
units, you can copy data REAL FAST with it's software. MAXIFILE too,
will provide good fast file copying.
Under the heading: "Sure, We'll Give You the Boot!"
ICD released it's new complete (351K) Host Adaptor Disk that contains
v.5 booter for TT compatibility and some new utilities. STHOST_E.ARC is
available on GEnie, NOT on local boards.
SPBT70.ARC (shareware $15) Superboot v.7 is out! It now includes
Digitalized Sounds, and, STARTGEM can now be changed.. Plus, bugs fixed
include one that allows the program to properly recognize certain folder
extensions, and Degas Compressed now works too. For convenience
STARTGEM (PD) is also included in the file.
Also available, SBSOUNDS.ARC a file that has digitalized sounds and
welcome screens drawn in.TNY format for Superboot, and SB_OTHER.ARC, a
file containing ACC.PRG (lets one load an accessory from the root
directory), DIGIEDIT.PRG (Digitalized sound file player/editor), and
PICSW7.PRG (a picture viewer/format converter).
WARNING: ACC.PRG may well still have a problem.. it replaces the trap 1
vector and can unhook other resident programs.
Under the heading: "Are You Really Game For This?"
MORIADIS.ARC was uploaded this week containing UMORIA 5.2.2 - a single
player dungeon simulation text game that unlike some other text games
displays a picturesque map of events. This is a game for someone who is
nothing less than a game expert! The text file describing the game's
rules, 100K! And you have to read another file for installation
instructions! This is a game player's game. Color/Mono
STTETRIS.LZH (copyright 1989) made an appearance this week. Based on
Sun Tetris by Rick Iwamoto. So, what game did every kid who came over
for the party here a little while ago want to play? You guessed it!
Color/Low Res.
CRISSLE.LZH is an arcade type game with several levels. One important
feature is that it also contains a screen editor with password
protection. Color/Low Res.
RATEHD.ARC version 2.0 has been released. This Hard drive performance
test is designed to test fairly the speed of different drives. It does
not address the handler's speed so that as close as possible each drive
can be compared on an equal basis.
RSC2CODE.ARC (shareware $5) will read RSC and convert it into GFA 3.xx
source code.
Under the heading: "My Mother-in-Law Will Do the Same Thing!"
TYPTUTOR.ARC will tell you word for word about your errors! It will
measure your typing speed, and allow you to make your own tests as well.
A quick and easy, to the point, type of program. (puns not intended!)
<sure>
Under the heading: "Talk About Quick and Easy"
PET_GIRL.ARC gets this month's "Exploitation Award." The beautiful
miniature .NEO nude is pictured in the palm of a man's hand. (Right, a
real likely story, huh?)
SOUNDTKR.LZH a player program requiring an STE, or TT, makes great use
of the digital sound chip. Files are reported to sound,
"Grrrreeeaaatttt!"
SHREDRPL.LZH (Shareware $5) v.2.1 of the file deletion utility that
really makes sure what you had on your drive isn't there anymore. This
new version now accepts a command line from Hotwire or other shell, and
conforms to an even stricter security policy.
STEXT13.LZH v.1.3 of the text file reader. Doesn't appear to refresh
your original screen colors. This is always a real problem for me.
Also, doesn't appear to have a way to accommodate half height fonts.
And talking about fonts...
CALAMUS wins this week with the most uploaded ones for you to choose
from. MEDICI.ARC, ZALESCAP.ARC, and LEECAPS, and the nice Art Nouveau
font HORSTCAP.ARC are up and available for downloading. Unlike the
others though, HORSTCAP.ARC only features the letters, no numbers,
commas, etc.
For those that spend allot of time online refer to the following three
files:
SBUFFERS.LZH will increase your computer's serial port buffers to 4K!
What does that mean? Well that means that you might not loose the text
that otherwise might overflow into your term program's screen, because
while the incoming text was arriving you were possibly in the capture
buffer of your program. However, doesn't really work with FLASH though,
as Flash automatically sets 2K buffers. It will help with STALKER/STENO
which currently only has a program to increase the serial buffers to 1K.
MCGBROWS.LZH A must for several GEnie ALADDIN fans, this file will
convert Aladdin's .DAT files to ASCII format.. It is possible though
that your screen will not refresh it's colors. :(
And Now, for My Favorite of the Week, the one MUST HAVE download!
*Drum Roll Please*
BUSYBUD.ARC Same will allow you to be online, go to the bathroom, have
a personal family conference, get another drink from the bar or,
whatever, and, never, ever, be "timed out!" It is a little .ACC that
can be turned on and off easily and will always keep you online.
Particularly helpful for those who spend allot of time in their text
editor/capture buffer as well.. (or, their bathroom!)
EDITORS NOTE: PUBLIC DOMAIN ALERT
A Z*Net reader notified us this week about a program called DUALFRMT.ARC
which is available on some local BBS's and the pay services. What this
utility is designed to do is format two disks (A) (B), at the same time.
The problem which happened this week was disasterous for Steve Decker
and something others may have expirenced also. While formatting the two
disks, the serial numbers the formatter places on this disk are
duplicate and concurrent on the 70 plus disks formatted causing problems
since the GEM window was not updated in memory. I might have a detail
or two misplaced, but the point here is to notify everyone of the
potential problems that could happen to you. Steve was very annoyed at
his losing valuable data and back-ups, and found later that the large
amount of disk formatting turned out to be a great waste of time, and
concern. We will keep you updated on further developments.
Software Shelf is compiled by Ron Berinstein co-sysop CodeHead Quarters
BBS, (213) 461-2095, from files submitted to CodeHead Quarters BBS, and
those downloaded from GEnie and Delphi online services. CompuServe
coverage begins shortly.
MIST PLANS ATARIFEST III
======================== Press Release
Indianapolis, IN July 27,1991
For a third year, an AtariFest is planned at Indianapolis, Indiana on
Saturday, July 27th, sponsored jointly by the user groups at
Indianapolis and Bloomington known as MIST (Mid-Indiana ST). The show
was formerly titled the MIST SwapFest, and took place in Nashville,
Indiana. While Nashville is a lovely and scenic place, we thought if
our show was to live up to it's true potential, we would have to
relocate to Indianapolis, where we could find a larger venue.
For swap, for sale or just for display... whether it's 8-bit or ST...
even game machines... all are invited to bring software, hardware,
gadgets, accessories, books, magazines, etc. Commercial sales and
displays also are invited. Past shows have seen folks like D.A.
Brumleve, SKWare One, AIM, MS Designs, Computer Works, Cal Com, One
Stop, T&H, and others. Last year's show was quite successful, and this
year looks like it'll be even better! We have tentatively lined up ISD,
who will be demoing DynaCadd and Calamus. There are others in the
works, so stay tuned!
MIST AtariFest III will be held at CADRE, Inc. on the north side of
Indianapolis. The address is: 6385 Castleplace Drive, Indianapolis, In.
46250-1902. There will be specific directions in a later posting.
Admission to the 'Fest will be $3.00, and will include a raffle ticket.
We will be raffling hardware from Atari Corp, and software from
attending vendors and developers. Additional raffle tickets will be
available for purchase.
Anyone interested in attending or reserving vendor/developer tables
should contact me by one of the below methods:
For more information, leave mail on GEnie to W.LORING1, or: Call the
BL.A.ST BBS at 812-332-0573 2400bps, 24 hours. Write us at BL.A.ST,
PO Box 1111, Bloomington, IN. 47402. Call me by voice at 812-336-8103.
Vendor packets are in the works, and should be ready to send shortly.
More details will be available at that time.
Brought to you by MIST (Mid-Indiana ST), the merging of the ASCII (Atari
St Computers In Indianapolis) and BL.A.ST (BLoomington Atari ST) user
groups.
Thanks for your interest, and we'll see you at the 'Fest!!
Sincerely,
William Loring, President of BL.A.ST
LEXICOR UPDATE
==============
Reprinted from the Z*Net Online BBS
Conf : Z*Net Online Conference
Msg# : 2140 Lines: Extended Read: 10
Sent : Mar 6, 1991 at 7:11 PM
To : ALL
From : SHERVIN SHAHREBANI at LEFTOVER HIPPIES 1:250:744
Subj : Lexicor Corp. and TT
Replies: 2141 2160 2163 Date: 01 Mar 91 16:15:00
From: Enartloc Nhoj of 1:250/98
To: All
Subj: LEXICOR 24-bit color package (info)
From: ramsiri@blake.u.washington.edu (Enartloc Nhoj)
Date: 23 Feb 91 23:53:02 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Message-ID: <17043@milton.u.washington.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st,comp.graphics.visualization
* More info on LEXICOR 24-bit color graphics package *
(STart did an article on this.. though I haven't seen it.. so there is
likely to be a lot more info in the mag.)
Talked with Lee Seiler at LEXICOR (415) 453-0271. He said I could
repeat anything from our conversation this morning. While I admit to
not having a complete understanding of everything he said, I will give
you the best of my memory of the conversation. Hopefully, others will
call him and correct any mistakes I may make here on.
LEXICOR is offering a photorealistic 24-bit color package that will run
on anything from the 520ST to the soon to be seen TT... device and
resolution independent. The package is a combination of software, which
can be purchased and run on an ST as is, and the hardware color
processor, which will come in various configurations: a cartridge for
the 520ST..and perhaps an internal board for the 1040's.. a card for
the Mega's and TT's. The initial software release will be two of four
modules: PRISM PAINT- a drawing program; and CHRONOS- an animation
program. Prices he quoted me were something like $60-80 for PRISM and
$199.00 for CHRONOS. The remaining two pieces of software to complete
the package include a Renderer and ROSETTA- a file translator which
allows you to IMPORT/EXPORT AutoCAD DXF and DXB; CAD-3D; SCULPT 3-D for
MAC and AMIGA; SWIVEL 3-D for MAC ; and output for PIXAR's RENDERMAN RIB
files (a la LUCAS FILM). The total software package RIO will be selling
for around $370.00. The 24-bit color processor will list for around
$600 or so... and is "..very fast.. and designed for animation with NTCS
out. Fastest thing you have ever seen! " due in June or July.
LEXICOR will be supporting two other graphics boards out of Germany:
MATRIX board (don't know if this is the name?) .. for Mega and TT..
which supports resolutions of 2024 x 1240? down to 640 x 480. There
was also mention of some SUPER HIGH res monitor which this board will
drive with 4090x4000 pixels. He mentinoed "RETOUCH" .. a german DTP
that compares with CALAMUS ..to be sold by RIO.. I think he said this
package would allow for 4 color separation for "magazine" quality
photorealism DTP...etc. Then there was a third board mentioned for the
Megas.. 1224x768 palette of 4096 with 16 on the screen. He said,
however, that with the first board mentioned above and the software, we
could get 24 bit photorealism on our standard ATARI RGB's.. I honestly
don't know how all this works.. would be nice if someone could explain
this...
The ** TT ** vs Amiga 3000 :
Lee has an A3000 sitting there on his desk next to a TT. I was asking
him about the differences in performance. Basically he said, and I
don't want to start wars: "The amiga has a rotten operating system and a
bad image - interlace flicker- which you don't get on the ATARI at high
res's."
Performance: To explain why he says the TT blows the A3000 away in
terms of speed, he described to me a test he ran. Took the same SCULPT
3-D image in full color with I don't recall how many faces or vertices..
and rotated the images starting at the same time on each machine side by
side.
ATARI TT: 1 hour and 20 minutes
AMIGA 3000: all night and till 11:30 am the next day.
Again.. this is not meant to start wars.. merely so show that the TT and
LEXICOR should be one hell of a bargain.
LEXICOR is also providing a PRISM drawing TABLET 1200 dpi that RIO says
they will sell for about $229.00.
I just received video tapes of DIGITAL ARTS and AUTODESK 3-D animation
packages. Digital Arts complete package SANS hardware is $10,000.
Autodesk's 3-D sans hardware is $3,500. LEXICOR will run files from
both of these products. Seems like a deal to good to be true... but
it's for real!
Hopefully someone will read this article and call Lee.. ask him
questions and PLEASE correct me on anything i have misrepresented.
ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu
--- D'Bridge 1.30/001331
* Origin: EGSGATE Fidonet<->Usenet Gateway (1:250/98)
PUBLIC DOMAIN UPDATE
====================
by Keith MacNutt
SuperBoot V7.0
Gordon W. Moore
2300 Beech St.
Ashland, KY 41102 USA
At last the long awaited update to Superboot has arrived and can be
found on most of the major BBS'S. Suberboot V7.0 has all the features
found on V6.0 and added some new ones that most will find useful and
some that will add spice to using your computer. To give you an Idea of
what Superboot can do, here is a list of some of the things the a user
will find:
Choose accessories at boot time
Choose AUTO programs
Choose DESKTOP.INF files from a list of different configurations.
Choose assign.sys files for GDOS
Choose data files for up to 8 different programs
Display a degas,neo or tny picture at bootup
Play digitized sounds
Set the time and date if you choose
Choose if Superboot will run by a hot key on a warm or cold boot.
Use a password to protect your system
Set the seek rate of your floppy drives
Set write verify on or off
Select your most used file configurations by a simple key press
Customize Superboot by using the construction set program
Auto boot any gem program
Set a default configuration if Superboot is bypassed
The documentation states that Superboot works on all models of the ST,
on any boot drive and on both color and mono monitors. Up to 151 files
can be controlled in any combination by using any one of the 30 function
keys (the usual 10 and by using the alternate and control in conjunction
with the Fkeys).
With the Construction SET included with the program, you have complete
control on how Superboot will act on your system, from configuring each
of the 30 function keys with your favourite groups of programs to auto
booting a gem file at boot time. I think one of the best new features
added to this version of Superboot is the ability to load degas, neo and
tiny pictures along with a sound file at boot time. You can have these
chosen at random or pick one from a group just by re-configuring the
program to load your choice.
One of the problems facing anyone trying to do even a short review on a
program like this is the volume of information you find in the
accompanying document. Superboot comes with almost 30 pages filled with
all you need to know about the program and is written in a style that
most people will find easy to follow. For the new user Superboot can be
setup in a simple configuration and as the user becomes more familiar
with his or her system, Superboot will allow them to re-configure the
boot process to be as simple or complex as they like. Power users will
also find features that make life easier, and push the limits of just
what they can do on their system.
I'm sorry that the description of this program is not longer, but to do
justice to the program, this review would be almost as long as the
documentation itself. Anyone, and I mean Anyone that has a hard drive
or even two floppy drives with at least 1 Meg of memory should be using
this program.
This program is shareware and means that if you use it please send in
your donation to the author. The asking price is only $15 and is well
worth the cost.
If you have GENIE access there are two other associated files, one
containing sounds and pictures and the other utilities to convert
pictures and sound files for use with Superboot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Z*NET International 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,
Z*Net Newswire, and Z*Net News Service are copyright (c)1991, 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 International Atari Online Magazine
Copyright (c)1991, Rovac Industries, Inc..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
