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Z*NET Online Magazine Issue 522
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Z*Net Atari Online Magazine
(½) 1990 by Rovac Industries, Inc.
=======================================================================
Issue #522 June 1, 1990
=======================================================================
Publisher/Editor: Ron Kovacs
Editor - John Nagy
===============================
CONTENTS
===============================
- Z*NET ATARI NEWSWIRE.................................................
- Z*NET NEWSWIRE.......................................................
- Z*NET DOWN-UNDER...........................................Jon Clarke
- PD/SHAREWARE STOP..........................................Mark Quinn
- PORTFOLIO PUBLIC DOMAIN SHELF..............................Ron Kovacs
- LETTERS TO Z*NET........................................Grady Johnson
- SO, YOU WANT TO BE AN ST HARDWARE DEVELOPER.................Jim Allen
- USING TOS 1.4 AND NEODESK 2.05..............................Tom Blair
===============================
Z*NET ATARI NEWSWIRE
===============================
ERRATA: NO TOS 1.6 IN STACY
Last week, Z*Net reported that Los Angeles Atari dealers received STACY
portable computers. Within that story, we reported that the machines
did not all seem to be alike, and that one store had TOS 1.6 in their
machine. This is apparently not so, as it has been pointed out to us
(abundantly!!) by programmers and developers that 1.6 cannot operate in
a Stacy. The story originated directly from an ATARI employee who was
on hand for extended attempts to set up the machine in question at one
of the dealers, and it was his insistence that the Stacy "showed" that
it had TOS 1.6. Bob Brodie of Atari has assured us that all STACY
computers, whether prototype or production, have TOS 1.4.
SURPRISE CHARGES TO WOA VENDORS
At least one vendor who had a booth at the latest World of Atari show
was recently surprised by unexpected bills. MID CITIES COMP/SOFT from
the Los Angeles area, received a bill of $800 from Greyhound Exposition
Services, supposedly to pay for services of union workers at the show.
Manger Jane Hughes says that workers appeared at the dock when Mid
Cities was unloading on Friday afternoon before the Anaheim WOA, and she
was told that they were to move the equipment and stock. After waiting
more than an hour for a positive answer as to whether they were required
to use this service, she allowed them to do so, as did the other vendors
she saw. Jane said that in the end, they were not given a choice, and
that it was quite different than the previous year when they carried
their own stock. She recalls no mention in any WOA show materials about
extra charges for union workers, and she did not agree to any charges
with anyone on the show site, so the bill was completely unanticipated
when it arrived a month later. As the charges would wipe out much of
what had been expected to be her company's profit from the show, she
protested to Greyhound. They told her that all the dealers had to use
their services, and that many of them have received their bills by now.
Jane says that she has sent the bill and a letter of protest to Richard
Tsukiji, promoter of the WOA shows. A few vendors got away without the
union help. At least one dealer, SAN JOSE COMPUTER, is said to have
gotten special permission from WOA management to move their stock in
late on Friday night, and COMPUTER GAMES PLUS of Orange, California,
arrived too late to unload Friday... but they were allowed to anyway,
after the union workers had left for the day. Word from ATARI is that
they paid over $3,000 to Greyhound for loading and unloading, despite
volunteer workers from Southern California user groups doing 100% of the
packing and setup/breakdown of their area.
WOA VS. GLENDALE CONTINUES
Richard Tsukiji has not made a public statement referring to his
recently announced World of Atari show in August in San Jose,
California, since being notified by Atari that they had major concerns
about scheduling. However, we have reports that vendors have continued
to be contacted by Tsukiji, who is still selling the show hard. When
they asked him if Atari had committed to appear or to support the show,
he is reported to have only said that Atari would be crazy not to
support a show in their own backyard. Atari has provided all of the
vendor equipment and advertising money for WOA shows to date. However,
Atari has announced their commitment to support the user-group sponsored
GLENDALE show in early September, as well as several industry shows in
June, July, and August. There has been some talk of vender
dissatisfaction with what they see as Tsukiji's indifference to concerns
that his schedule will damage the Glendale show, and several have said
privately that they will not attend further WOA shows as a consequence.
ATARI OWES PORTFOLIO ROYALTIES:
DIP, the UK company that designed the PORTFOLIO computer for Atari, is
reported to claim that Atari has defaulted on their royalty payments for
the units. Some $4 per unit sold was to have been paid to DIP for the
continued use of their operating system. DIP is said to have cut off
support for Atari regarding the Portfolio, pending resolution of the
delinquent payments. A newer revision of DIP's operating system (2.11,
version 1.1) is available now only in the machines sold under DIP's own
brand, which are not available in the USA. It has been reported that
Atari has similarly not paid CONNER, the hard drive manufacturer, for
their drives being used in the STACY computer. This may be due to the
design problems that may or may not have been completely resolved and
that required many Stacy computers to be refitted with new drives.
Industry observers are not surprised by the payment stalling, and say
that this is fairly normal procedure for large companies who are trying
to force a renegotiation of terms or to break a contract in order to
deal with a new supplier. We all recall that it is the Tramiels who
promote the saying, "Business is War".
GFA UPDATE: GOOD NEWS?
Bill Rehbock posted a copyright message in the ST RT Bulletin Board
earlier today stating that a new and improved customer support and new
and improved versions of GFA Basic would be coming soon. The US office
for GFA Datamedia UK will be opening soon and Antic Publishing would no
longer be distributing GFA Basic as of June 1, 1990. Along with the
updated GFA Basic, other new utilities include GFA GEM Utilities, a
collection of source code and bindings to make life with GEM much
easier, and a new and improved shell to replace MENUX.
===============================
Z*NET NEWSWIRE
===============================
WESTERN UNION AND MCI
Western Union and MCI have agreed to interconnect their public
electronic mail services, which will allow the exchange of messages.
Western Union 400 service will be interconnected with MCI Mail's
XChange 400 service, using the international X.400 company's EasyLink
public messaging service. Western Union announced previously that X.400
interconnections with AT&T Mail, SprintMail, General Electric
Information Services and the IBM Information Network.
NEW EDITOR
John Dickinson, former executive editor of west coast operations for PC
Magazine, has been hired as the monthly's editor, reporting to Editor-
in-Chief Michael Edelhart. Preston Gralla has been named editorial
director, responsible for designing new sections.
WINDOWS 3.0 TEST DRIVE OFFER
PC World and InfoWorld readers will be offered a "test drive" of
Microsoft's new Windows Version 3.0. Disks containing a working copy of
the software and a tutorial will be available to readers who return a
postage-paid card. The card will be inserted in the July issue of PC
World, which will be mailed to subscribers June 8 and will be on the
newsstands starting June 19. The July issue also features a preview of
Windows 3.0. Readers of the May 21 issue of InfoWorld also will have an
opportunity to get the disk by completing a one-time-only postage-paid
order card.
PIRACY RAIDS
The SPA announced last week that its court ordered raids earlier this
month in LA at the National Business Academy resulted in seizures of
more than 600 copies of allegedly illegal software valued at more than
$250,000. Marshals acting on behalf of Lotus, Microsoft and WordPerfect
in its May 8 raids on the Van Nuys, Inglewood and Glendale, Calif.,
locations. NBA is an adult vocational school that trains individuals in
word processing and spreadsheet programs. The school is alleged to have
illegally used, duplicated and distributed software produced by the
three publishers.
TWO SUITS SETTLED
Apple announced it has settled two class action lawsuits filed against
the company in 1989. The suits, Hussey vs. Apple Computer, and Zeid vs.
Apple Computer, both alleged damages to persons who purchased Apple
stock from Jan. 17 through Jan. 27, 1989, resulting from events
occurring during January 1989. The settlement calls for Apple and its
insurance company to pay a total of $5.65 million.
NEW CHIPS
National Semiconductor unveiled some new chips that are geared toward
specific applications rather than general purpose functions. Two of the
microprocessors are the first 32-bit processors that incorporate
software-programmable digital signal processing and are designed for
products such as laser-beam printers and fax machines. The NS32CG160
integrated system processor is geared for use in mid-range office
peripherals including monochrome and color page printers and document
scanners.
UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLIES
Exide Electronics announced uninterruptible power supplies for office
environments. The Powerware Plus 5 is the first UPS system to provide
customer configurable input/output voltage, phase and frequency with
function key control and ease. It supports the power protection
requirements of data processing, telecommunication, and process control
applications. The Powerware Plus 5 is currently available through
authorized distributors and manufacturing representatives. List price
begins at $4,730.
ULTRA 96 SMARTMODEM
Hayes announced immediate North American availability of Hayes V-series
ULTRA Smartmodem 9600 (ULTRA 96). ULTRA 96 provides CCITT V.32 for 9600
bps modulation enhanced with CCITT V.42bis error-control and data
compression for data throughput up to 38.4 Kbps.
AT&T SPONSORS CURRENT ISSUE OF COMPUTER RESELLER NEWS
Computer Reseller News announced that a single advertiser, AT&T Computer
Systems, is the sole sponsor of its issue published June 1, 1990. AT&T
purchased all available 24 pages of the 48-page publication for use by
itself and its resellers. The CRN midweek issue is timed for
distribution at COMDEX. CRN, recently honored by the Computer Press
Association as the best newspaper in the industry, will distribute the
issue to its 64,000 weekly subscribers, as well as the COMDEX 10,000
attendees.
MEDIAGENIC AND MAGNAVOX REACH AGREEMENT
Mediagenic announced that they have reached an agreement with Magnavox
for long term payment of the patent infringement damages awarded to
Magnavox earlier this year. The agreement provides for monthly payments
of $150,000 from July 1990 to Dec. 1993, with a balloon payment at Dec.
31, 1993. The agreement covers the $6.6 million in damages awarded in
the previously announced decision in a patent infringement suit brought
by Magnavox against Mediagenic (then Activision) in 1982.
NINTENDO SUES ANOTHER
Nintendo filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in San Francisco against
Lewis Galoob Toys for copyright infringement. The suit claims a new
Galoob product called Game Genie, which is designed for play with a
Nintendo home video game system, creates "derivative" works of Nintendo
copyrighted video games, in violation of U.S. law. Galoob's Game Genie
is connected to a Nintendo video game cartridge and inserted into a
Nintendo home video game hardware unit. When operated, Game Genie
changes certain essential features of a Nintendo video game. An example
of the changes, in Nintendo's Super Mario Bros video game, Game Genie
can be used to alter the main character's speed or cause him to float
through the air to avoid obstacles originally programmed into the game.
The number of lives a player can lose before the game ends can be made
indefinite and the player can skip entire levels of game play and take
shortcuts to progressively more difficult worlds, or game levels, which
a player must enter in order to complete the game.
ELECTRONIC ARTS SIGNS MICHAEL JORDAN
Electronic Arts announced it has signed a contract with Chicago Bulls
Michael Jordan to help co-design multiple video and computer games.
Electronic Arts plans for these products to be available for play on the
Nintendo Entertainment System, in addition to other systems.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
[] _ []
[] o(_) Z*Net Down Under []
[] / /\ Z*Net Down Under [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
[] [] Communications []
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] A NEW Breed of User []
by [] THE WALLIES []
Jon Clarke [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
----------------------------------------------------------
**-> Wallies Take your generosity and eat it for Lunch. <-**
There is a new breed of modem user out there in modemland, worldwide.
We have nick-named them "Wallies" or "Wally" for short. 'Wallies' are
the users who call their local BBS and demand to have full access to all
parts of the BBS after defaming your name and leaving messages that a
policeman would cringe at. 'Wallies' are a strange breed of people.
**-> If Wallies had their way they would download at 19200 baud <-**
The 'Wallies' are the users who if they had their way would design a
modem that uploads in 100 baud and downloads in 19200 baud. The fact
that you have a upload/download ratio only serves to feed their need
"to catch the SYSOP out". "Why upload new software to this BBS? We
have a better idea. Lets upload a small text file we dloaded from here"
Now that the 'Wallies' have split up an archive and resent the files,
their upload/download ratio is set for a further download frenzie.
There is a new cry among "Wallies", 'We want a comms program that will
allow 10 megabytes of files to be downloaded in one session, and fool
the upload/download ratios'.
**-> It is Un-cool for a 'Wally' to logoff a BBS the normal way <-**
The 'Wallies' will logon to the the BBS with the "Control C" key at the
ready. Then when the system has been changed they will hail abuse in
the message section at you for not telling them. It is not deemed
"COOL" for a 'Wally" to check if there is any new system messages at
logon. The BBS menu is the second biggest source of amusement to the
"Wallies". They will win the "Wally of the week award" if they find
some hidden menu option. Or get second place in this weeks awards if
they find a series of keystrokes that will cause the BBS to 'CRASH'.
**-> Wallies are in constant search for the thing called "TOS" <-**
To win the 'Wally of the month award' a 'Wally' must not only crash a
BBS, but also it appears find his or her way to the thing called "TOS".
You can see them striving for this goal in many ways. By continual
"hacks" at the menu prompts, allowing time outs in the "Doors" area, or
the most common approach is to badger the SYSOP with messages or chats,
demanding they be given "SYSOP status" so they can look at your system
in depth. The later of these is by far the easiest way to spot a
'Wally'. After months of defamation of your BBS in the message base or
in Email they will demand that you either give them access as a "SYSOP"
or they will crash your BBS. I might point here if they do not make
this demand at least once a month they will be deemed a 'useless Wally'
by their peers.
**-> A 'Wallies' sport is to see if the Sysop can catch them <-**
To enhance the kudo's the 'Wallies' will receive from their peers they
decide to logon to a BBS under many names. When they logon to the BBS
they will page the "SYSOP" to see if he is around and if as expected by
the 'Wally' he is not around he/she will continue their acts of
terrorism against the innocent BBS.
**-> Being caught by the SYSOP is part of the FUN <-**
The 'Wallies' bask in glory the day the SYSOP nearly caught them. Tales
of 'horror' and how they escaped detection from a SYSOP gives them a lot
of mileage amongst their "Wally" friends. "Ah the SYSOP of a BBS
deleted my USER id/ but he did not know I had 3 others. Now I will
kill his BBS!!" The 'Wallies' see this as open season on a BBS when the
SYSOP deletes one of their User numbers.
How to spot a WALLY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1/ Multiple User numbers.
2/ Constant message abuse, ie foul language in the message base.
3/ Stories of "HACKING a BBS", real hackers stay quite.
4/ Constant uploads of the same small unarchived, duplicated files.
5/ The next sequential file downloaded from the files section by another
user.
6/ When you ring the user that is on-line and they say "WHAT IS A BBS?"
7/ Intimidation while on-line, or on the phone by a 'Wally'
8/ The guy who has a 60000 baud modem on his ST he dials the moon with.
9/ The people who will NOT read system messages/notices.
10/ The people how know it all and will NOT be TOLD, as they know best!
oooooOOOooooo
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Gentlemen, Ten things not to do to your Girlfriend //
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
[1] Tell your girlfriend you have a computer
[2] Admit to your girlfriend that your computer is your mistress
[3] Use your computer when your girlfriend is at your house
[4] Leave the modem on the line and blow your girlfriend's ear off
[5] Propose to your ST instead of your girlfriend
[6] Propose to your Girlfriend and when she says "no", say "Operator
Error"
[7] Confuse your girlfriend voice with that of the computers
[8] Call your girlfriend "Atari" instead of 'Honey'
[9] Tell her "Just a minute, I'll finish this", and arrive 3 days later
[10] Tell her that you will fix the garden, the day you brought a new
game
[Caution "ST's" are jealous things]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The End... Finish... End of File... EOF... Terminated at request
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
===============================
PD/SHAREWARE STop
===============================
by Mark Quinn
File name: DBIIDEMO.LZH Author: Robert Luneski
Program name: Diamond Back II demo File type: Utility
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I am one of the few hard drive owners who takes the "make frequent
backups" rule seriously. Even before I was initiated into hard diskdom
by the purchase of a used Supra, I backed up EVERYTHING I deemed worthy
of keeping. This policy has failed me only once. Both copies of a text
file died one day. It took enough time to reconstruct the file to drive
home the necessity of making frequent backups. A one-dollar investment
in another floppy is certainly preferable to the alternative: the loss
of the time you've invested in the data on your hard drive.
Diamond Back II is a means to the end of protecting your investment. It
has the following features. (From the docs and help files.)
- 100 percent GEM user interface
- Extensive online help
- Full or partial backup/restore of any number of drive partitions,
directory paths, single directories, or specific files in a single
pass
- Flexible creation of backup sets from different paths or partitions
- Wildcard masks to include or exclude files may be different for each
path
- Incremental backups by date/time or archive bit (TOS 1.4)
- Load/save custom backup configurations
- Automatic drive switching
- Full or partial restore
- Recreate original directory tree or specify new structure during
restore
- Flexible disk formatting options
- Preformatted disks do not have to be the same type
- Intelligent Image backup option
- File compression and encryption available
- Backup to floppies of other partitions
- Create CRC validation logs from hard disk or floppy files
- Backup and restore Spectre partitions
- Create file listings during the backup or from floppy disks or
selected paths
- Turn verify on and off
We bought a copy of this program several weeks ago, so I speak from
experience. I had no problem backing up both partitions on my hard
drive with D.B. II. I simply fed my GTS-100 unformatted disks, and the
program filled them readily enough. Diamond Back II is a very well
thought out program. This is the first and the last backup utility for
the ST we'll have to buy.
Quinn's Quickies
----------------
MVG_DEM5.LZH
Update. Demo of "Dr. Bob's MultiViewer Graphica", which allows
editing, printing, etc., of monochrome format files (IMG included).
Many new features.
KP_6_2DM.ARC
Update. Demo version of Kidpublisher Professional, version 6.2.
HYSCRN13.ARC
Update of HyperScreen. Requires 1 megabyte to run.
JAC_BALL.ARC
Game. Blast your opponent silly in this simple game which pits two
space ships against each other.
DIRSORT.ARC
Sorts file directories. Sorts folders, too.
FONEVOIC.ARC
Shareware by Albert Baggetta. Put a synthesized voice on your
answering machine. Also has sound effects.
GOODEMO.ARC
Backup utility. Backup your hard disk files for safety's sake.
BIGCOLOR.LZH
Shareware. Emulates monochrome on the SC1224 monitor.
CARTDEMO.ARC
Demo of a level editor for Dungeon Master and Chaos Strikes Back.
COLA_2.ARC
Cost of Living Adjustment Calculator. Figures the value of commodoties
through the years, taking inflation into account.
SPACEWAR.ARC
Keep your ship in orbit in the gravity well of a star while trying to
defeat your opponent.
VERSYS.ARC
Shareware, utility. Performs date-stamped, incremental backup of
files. Good for programmers, or anyone else who must make frequent
backups.
FCOPY30.LZH
Utility. German copy program. Produces Spectre and MS-DOS formats.
Contains English manual.
PCXLOADR.LZH
Loads D.E.G.A.S. Elite (.PC1 or .PC3) pics.
PEANUT.ARC
Game. Shareware by Albert Baggetta. Find out which one of a group of
unsavory characters stole the peanut butter.
KV_ME1ST.ARC
Educational game. Put the drawings in the proper sequence.
Reminiscent of many an IQ test.
===============================
PORTFOLIO PUBLIC DOMAIN SHELF
===============================
by Ron Kovacs
The following files are now available in CompuServe's APORTFOLIO Forum.
PARSE.ZIP Title : text file analyzer
New version of parse, to eliminate the divide by zero error in certain
cases. This program will display a count of characters, word,
sentences, as well as a reading level. Modified for the Atari Screen.
TIMEZN.ZIP Title : timezone
This is a program to set the clock as you pass thur different time
zones.
TONE.ZIP Title : manual touch tone dialer
This is a little manual dialer for the portfoilo.
AAF.ARC Title : "Advance Australia Fair"
AAF.ARC contains a batch file which will play the Australian national
anthem through the Portfolio's tone generator while displaying the
words to the first stanza. In order to use this file you must have an
ANSI driver installed and you must have BEEP.COM by Bruce Coleman, both
of which are available in the file YANKEE.ARC.
DIAL.COM Title : Alphanumeric dial program.
Small manual dialing program. Use numbers or letters, like normal
touch-tone keypad. What should I do with Q & Z? Esc to exit.
PC.ARC Title : Programmer's Calculator
Programmer's Calculator manipulates and converts integers in hex,
octal, binary, or decimal. ARC file contains .COM as well as user's
guide document. Programmer's Calculator runs only on the Atari
Portfolio.
BATCH.ARC Title : Usefull batch files
Very usefull batch files, they control the keyboard buffer and can be
used for jobs like putting the portfolio into server mode, call
somebody etc.
FUNCTI.ARC Title : function analysis
FUNCTIO.EXE is a program that uses the graphic capabilities of the
ATARI Portfolio. The program plots X-Y diagrams from any equation
the user supplies, where Y is a function of X.
TODAY Title : TODAY lists your appointements for today.
Today! Version 2.0, need 500 Bytes less. Make your daily use of your
Diary much faster and easier. It lists your appointements for today.
COPY1.ZIP Title : copy files from one CCM to another CCM
A simple copy program to tranfer files ( 63k or less) from one memory
card to another.
PORT2W.ZIP Title : unwrap wordwrapped files
A simple program to "unwrap" the portfoilo's editor files.
PSTAT.ZIP Title : status display program
A program to display the various setting on the portfolio.
PTOOL.ARC Title : PORTOOLS.ARC - Portfolio Tool Kit Version 1.0
A set of useful utilities for the Atari Porfolio. Includes full
documentation. Utilities include option setter, tone generator, file
finder, disk information, system information routines.
===============================
LETTERS TO Z*NET
===============================
The following is a letter lost and later found that we failed to include
a few weeks ago. Although it is late, I feel it is important to pass
the word. - Ed.
Ron, I am in a bad situation here and was wondering if perhaps you and
Z*Net may be able to help me out?
On 10/22/87, I bought a 2400 bps modem from Communications Electronics,
Inc. The price of the modem was $200 and came with a 5 yr limited
warranty. The modem did eventually go on the blink, so I called CEI and
they gave me the number for the manufacturer of the modem and also the
warranty holder, InComm Data Systems, Inc., located in Wheeling,
Illinois. I called InComm Data and told them the modem was in need of
repair, so they gave me an RMA number (Returned Merchandise
Authorization) #900-180. I sent them the modem and a letter describing
the problems I was having with it on Feb-13-90, by UPS, 2nd day air.
They told me on the phone that it generally took 3-5 days for all modem
repairs. As of March-15-90, I still had not received the modem, so I
called them and they verified that they had received the modem on
Feb-15-90, but it had not been repaired as of that date. As a matter of
fact, the box had not even been opened.
I spoke to service manager Brad Grinstead, told him of the problem and
gave him my voice number. He said he would check it out and get back
with me, which he never did. As of Apr-10-90, I still had not received
any word of my modem, so I called InComm Data once again. I asked for
Brad Grimstead, service manger and also Vice President of the company.
Well, Brad Grimstead was busy, so I left him my voice number once again
so he could return my call. As a matter of fact, I called InComm Data 4
times that day, on Apr-10-90, getting absolutely no response from Brad
Grimstead whatsoever. The only help I did receive was from whomever
happened to answer the phone. I also called an attorney that same day
and he informed me that there really aren't ANY laws to protect
consumers in a situation like this. Court costs, etc., would make
almost any action against InComm Data impractical.
So, as to this date, I really don't think InComm Data even intends to
return my modem. I have been running my BBS on a modem loaned to me by
a good friend and it looks like I will have to go buy a new modem to run
my BBS on and forget about the $200 I invested in my original modem from
InComm Data Systems. The only re-course I have is in messages such as
this one to advise other potential modem buyers/users to avoid
purchasing a modem manufactured by InComm Data Systems. One would think
the Federal Government would have laws protecting consumers against
warranty fraud but I have now talked to 2 attorneys and they both inform
me there is nothing to be done.
So, to others, PLEASE check the manufacturer of the modem if you intend
to purchase a new modem or add one to your existing equipment. My story
I have presented to you is 100% true and pure fact...I have all
receipts, warranty slips, etc., to prove this to anyone who is a
dis-believer. Please don't make the same mistake I did. You will be
sorry if your modem ever needs to be repaired. It has been 55+ days and
my modem still has not been returned and I get no response at all from
InComm Data Systems.
Grady Johnson
Sysop of Fantasy Island BBS
419-691-6459 Oregon, Ohio
===============================
SO, YOU WANT TO BE AN ST
HARDWARE DEVELOPER
===============================
by Jim Allen
Reprinted by permission from the April/May 1990
Issue of ST Journal Magazine Volume 1, Issue 1.
ST hardware developer - sounds like a glamorous and exciting occupation,
but the truth is, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy - well, maybe I
_would_.
The first thing you need to know about the ST is that it is a very
simple computer. The design is straight-forward. (The block diagram
would be as busy as a Death Valley roadmap.) Motorola 68000 based
computer designs are very sensible; no funny timing relationships, no
esoteric circuits. All you really need is the databook, available from
Motorola for the asking. Think of the 68000 as, not the "Model T," but
the "Model A" of computer chips; not the first chip, but just as
utilitarian and replete with optional extras as the original.
The second thing you need to *know about the ST is that it is also a
very complicated computer and has been very carefully designed. Atari
built it as both a 68000 (simple) computer, and a DMA equipped (complex)
computer. The element that sets the ST apart from other computers is
the DMA feature. This same feature also makes the ST significantly
faster than the Mac Plus. The ST also has a complex video design. Its
video system (invisible to the 68000) is a special kind of DMA where
memory information is sent to the screen without interfering with the
68000 and its duties. This requires a memory that is twice as fast as
would normally be needed. And, since it is twice as fast, the memory
meets the information needs of both the 68000 and video circuit without
interference to either.
The reason I am so negative about being a hardware developer for the ST
is that this complication has led Atari to take some shortcuts. The
video circuit, and, indeed, all the ST circuits, make assumptions about
the type and speed of the processor with which the system is equipped.
Flexibility has been omitted in order to achieve the high degree of
integration the ST represents. This leaves hardware designers in a
tough position. There is no formal documentation on the circuits; no
theory of operation manuals to ease the task of providing enhancements
to the basic ST design. Each developer is on his/her own to reverse
engineer the ST circuits in order to come to an understanding of the ST.
In the case I am most familiar with, that of Fast Technology, it took
months behind an oscilloscope and logic analyzer before we fully
understood the design. For us, this has paid off; for others, it has
led only to failure.
Atari didn't really want the ST to be upgraded. They, didn't
incorporate any means for the customer to expand memory or enhance
performance. It is this difficulty of wedging into a fixed design that
has made so many companies come and go in the ST market. There have
been at least 30 memory-upgrade board manufacturers; some great, some
terrible. But all faced the incredible challenge of going where no man
has ever been before, or has even been wanted.
If you can get past this obstacle and come to understand the ST well
enough to alter it, then you may have the right stuff. As long as you
know, going in, that there are 9 revisions of the ST motherboard
(there's at least one I haven't seen); as long as you know the only
place to get schematics is from an Atari dealer; as long as you know
that there are many versions and revisions of the custom chips, some of
which don't work too well; and, as long as you've been warned, you'll be
ok. Once past the obstacles, you will be faced with a sometimes hostile
developer community. Some members of this community, especially the
'importers', will do anything they can to stop you. Importers,
typically, don't develop products; they just package and sell them.
Therefore, they have no respect for the work you have done. Always
expect to be bushwhacked early and often. If you have a competitive
product and go up against the "big" guys, you will have a rough journey.
Success takes more than just a superior product and you must work just
as hard as you would if you were in the Mac or PC market. While there
are fewer competitors in the ST market, there are also fewer customers
and those customers are much more careful with their money. There may
be 80,000 STs in North America, but I suspect most are buried in closets
across the continent. Expect to reach only a few thousand people with
your product. So far, the most successful single product in the Atari
field is the Mac emulator, Spectre, by Gadgets by Small. Gadgets has an
extremely unique and complicated product that addresses a real need...
want. Other, more specialized, devices sell in only a few dozen units
rather than thousands.
THE RULES
Rule #1: Make sure the price is right. Always price your product so
you will definitely make money. You must at least make back
your investment in R&D or all you'll have is a hobby. Don't
think that lowballing the price will bring the flocks to your
door; people will pay for a product that is well executed and
solves a problem. Charge what the product is worth, not what
some people tell you they would pay.
Rule #2: Do your market research. You need to understand the problem
before you can administer the cure. Never take on a product
that "sounds' as if it will be a winner. Everyone will tell
you that they want to put blitter chips in their 520/1040 STs.
It sounds simple, right? Wrong! The cost of the chip is so
high that no one would actually pay what it's worth. The
blitter doesn't provide $150 worth of speed-improvement, so,
no one will pay for it. But, everyone will tell you that it
would make a great product. Market research doesn't mean
going out and asking people what they want (they'll tell you
they want the moon and the stars... free!); it means asking
them what "problems" they are having. You need to find the
root motivations behind the desire. People want the blitter
chip because they think it will speed up their computers.
They wanted speed not the blitter, specifically.
So, go further and analyze this need for speed. This analysis
is what led us at Fast Technology to build the Turbo16. We
realized that the need for speed went way beyond drawing
lines. It was obvious that people wanted a faster computer
and were willing to pay the price. The blitter chip was
merely the device they thought would get speed for them. In
your product area, you must know what will get the best
results. You must develop the solution that makes the
customer happy and makes you money.
Rule #3: Know your pundits. There are a few well-respected individuals
in every market who can help you get your foot in the door.
These are the same people you have listened to in the past.
Dave Small is one example; he always tells it like it is.
When it comes to your product, both you and your customers-to-
be can count on him.
It is especially important with hardware that you get the word
out right away. You can circulate prototypes among the
pundits and let them get the feel of your product. This can
go a long way in establishing a high level of anticipation for
your product.
Rule #4: Contact all developers whom your product might affect. Let
them have access to it as soon as possible so that they can
address any incompatibilities in advance. You will quickly
learn whom you can rely on for help and whom you cannot. Most
developers are very helpful and friendly and will bend over
backwards to help you. Some names that come to mind: Gadgets
by Small, ISD; Avant Garde; Codehead; Gribnif, ICD; Practical
Solutions; and a few others. These people have been there;
they know what you face and will ease your entry into a tough
occupation.
Rule #5: Contact *Atari and let them know what you are doing. Become a
registered developer and ask for all the help you need. Don't
expect to get it, but ask. Actually, Atari is changing and
trying to be very helpful. They don't have tremendous
resources, and some things just aren't documented, but most of
their engineering staff, although they can't be of much help,
will be glad to offer what information and advice they can.
Atari can help you with sales leads and other matters and will
help support you at trade shows. Get to know who's who so you
can ask the appropriate person for help.
Rule #6: Get to know the press... both printed magazines and online
services magazines. They'll help you reach your market
through advertising. Get all the free publicity you can;
there's no such thing as too much. Persuade the press to do
reviews - a "preview' review at first, then an in-depth review
once the market is aware of your existence. Have press
releases and good, catchy brochures printed, and hand them out
freely.
Rule #7: Rely on local user groups. Visit them early on and use them
to judge acceptance of your product and marketing methods.
Drum up business locally as early as possible so you can find
and solve any problems within driving distance. Use a limited
-beta tester... someone who will use your product to death in
return for getting a price break. I can't tell you how
valuable such a person can be, especially if, as a "special'
customer, he has money invested in your product.
ENOUGH FOR NOW
Those are the rules for now. Knowing all this, if you still want to be
a developer, then you might just have the right stuff. Next time, I'll
tell you about all the business pitfalls to avoid.
================================
USING TOS 1.4 AND NEODESK 2.05
================================
by Tom Blair
Reprinted from the May 1990
Issue of the Puget Sound Atari News
Well I just installed the TOS 1.4 chips in my old 520ST and the
experience was both good and bad. I really like the new TOS (too bad it
took so long to get and it costs so much). I did spend a GREAT DEAL OF
TIME getting everything to work properly. Here is the key... If you
use TOS 1.4 and run Neodesk then you should put SHEL_FIX.PRG in your
auto folder, AS THE LAST PROGRAM TO RUN. SHEL_FIX.PRG comes with
NEODESK but Gribnif Software never mentioned that it should be run last.
I was running Mouse Doubler and the ICD Timeset program after it and
nothing seemed to work. I have had no trouble since I reordered the
programs in my AUTO folder.
I won't repeat the explanation that Gribnif gives for needing
SHEL_FIX.PRG but suffice to say that I did not need it under TOS 1.0.
After installing the new TOS and using Neodesk, I found that Flash would
crash when I hit the right mouse button. Phasar 3.0 also crashed. I
was beginning to think that I was not going to be able to use Neodesk,
which I really like. Anyway, I hope this saves somebody from the
aggravation that I experienced.
The improvements in TOS 1.4 have been mentioned several places (i.e.,
START, Jan. 1990). In my opinion, Atari should have come out with it
much earlier. Secondly, since it fixes a number of bugs in the old TOS,
the user shouldn't have to pay ~$125.00 to have it installed. OK, the
new TOS contains several "enhancements" as well as "fixes." This is
really a matter of your perspective. I consider TOS 1.4 the operating
system that Atari should have had from the very beginning. It is clear
that TOS 1.0 was a rushed job. It contained several bugs and did many
things very inefficiently. I realize that any design can be improved
but TOS 1.0 simply left too much room for improvement. I think that
Atari should be willing to just cover costs in supporting good customers
who want to upgrade. I know, everybody has lots of free advice for
Atari Corp.
The most noticeable feature of TOS 1.4 is the disk read/write speed
improvement. Based upon my simple test of saving a Word Writer file to
my hard disk, it is faster by a factor of 3. Since I no longer need
(nor can use) TURBODOS.PRG, I have gained over 100k of memory and still
have the same speed. I also gained same memory by eliminating several
TOS 1.0 patches from my AUTO folder. After all, the name of the game is
speed and memory, right? That's what most computer improvements boil
down to.
To summarize, I am very glad I installed TOS 1.4 even though I was
unsure at times. I would strongly recommend it if its cost was $50.00.
At the current price, I still think it's worth it but it makes the
decision a little tougher. I feel much better about it - having thrown
a few stones at Atari. Thanks for reading.
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Copyright (c)1990 Rovac Industries, Inc..
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