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Z*NET Online Magazine Issue 91-07
==(((((((((( == Z*NET INTERNATIONAL ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE
=========(( === -----------------------------------------
=======(( ===== February 23, 1991 Issue #91-07
=====(( ======= -----------------------------------------
==(((((((((( == Copyright (c)1991, Rovac Industries, Inc.
PUBLISHED BY ROVAC INDUSTRIES INC.
----------------------------------
Editor: Ron Kovacs Senior Editor: John Nagy
Assistant Editor: Terry Schreiber, Z*Net Canada
Contributing Editors: Jon Clarke, Mike Schuetz, Dr. Paul Keith
Contributor: Keith MacNutt Correspondent: Song Kim
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* USA * CANADA * NEW ZEALAND * JAPAN * GERMANY * UNITED KINGDOM *
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CONTENTS
Z*NET NEWSWIRE............................................
SAM TRAMIEL CONFERENCE ON COMPUSERVE.............John Nagy
Z*NET GERMANY EXCLUSIVE - CALAMUS SL......Atari PD Journal
CALAMUS FONTS................................Press Release
CALAMUS TUTORIAL - PART II.....................GXR Systems
DR. T'S SEQUNCERS........................Jonathan Whitcomb
PUBLIC DOMAIN SHELF.............................Ron Kovacs
PUBLIC DOMAIN UPDATE.........................Keith MacNutt
PORTFOLIO DOS UTILITIES.........................CompuServe
Z*NET NEWSWIRE
==============
ATARI CANADA RELEASES MAX2PORT - Press Release
Atari Canada has just announced the release of the program MAX2PORT for
use with the Atari Portfolio computer. The utility MAX2PORT allows any
any Maximizer user to convert and export CLIENT.DAT files into a new
file that will work with the Portfolio's built in Address Book. Thru
the unique and powerful export features of Maximizer, users are now able
to take important client information (name, address, phone number)
stored on the one pound Portfolio, into the field for quickand easy
reference. Because the Maximizer allows for very distinct files by
date, description or database it is possible for a Portfolio user to
have several Address files for hot prospects, personal contacts,
qualified leads, or contacts by date for example. Also of interest to
many Maximizer users will be the Portfolio's built in word processor,
Lotus compatable spreadsheet, diary and powerful calculator. The word
processor imports ASCII files for almost any MS-Dos word processor
(Maximizer, Word Perfect, Word, ect). The program will be distributed
free of charge by participating authorized Portfolio dealers across
Canada, an optional copying fee may be charged by some dealers. MAXPORT
was written by Murray Brown (Western Canada Sales Rep. Atari Canada) and
is released as freeware.
ATARI ENTERS MIDI TRAINING JOINT VENTURE - Press Release
Director Neils Hartvig- Neilsen (ICA) and Murray Brown (Western Canada
Sales Mng) announced an agreement has been reached and received approval
by Geoff Earle (General Sales Manager Atari Canada Corp.) Under the
agreement Atari Canada will provide B.C. dealers wishing to participate
in the program with posters and promotional material which offer any
purchaser of an Atari ST a five hundred dollar training allowance
towards a course offered by the Institute of Communication Arts. ICA is
one of the most respected digital arts learning institution in North
America. They have a multitude of Atari equipment connected to the
latest music equipment and specialize in teaching high-tech digital
recording techniques. "We are very positive towards this move as it is
the first training course Atari has offered to users and could be the
start of other courses being offered", stated Murray Brown.
HOTWIRE VERSION 3.0 - Press Release
CodeHead Software Announces HotWire 3.0. CodeHead's HotWire now offers
even more power than before! With a SINGLE keypress or mouse click you
can start up to 74 Programs, Documents, Menus, ASSIGN.SYS files,
MultiDesk Setup Files, or Work Files!! HotWire 3.0 is now fully
compatible with the Atari TT as well as the Mega STe...all resolutions
on all Atari computers including all large-screen monitors! The many
auxiliary programs included in the HotWire package are also now TT-
compatible. HotWire includes a special version of Charles Johnson's
Button Fix accessory that communicates with HotWire to let you enable or
disable BUTTNFIX automatically for each program. This solves the
notorious "double button press" problem with TOS versions 1.4 and
higher. Many other enhancements, bug fixes, and user interface tweaks
make this new version of HotWire a MAJOR upgrade. Suggested retail
price for HotWire 3.0 is $44.95, or you can get HotWire Plus -- HotWire
packaged together with MaxiFile -- for $69.95, a savings of $15.
CodeHead Products are available from your local Atari dealer, through
mail-order houses, or directly from CodeHead Software: CodeHead
Software, P.O. Box 74090, Los Angeles, CA 90004, Phone: (213) 386-5735,
FAX: (213) 386-5789, BBS: (213) 461-2095.
IBM DENIES REPORT
IBM described as false and misleading to customers a February 15th
Computer Reseller News press release and February 18th CRN news article
about IBM's workstation business. In the annoucement, IBM stated that
it h ad no plans to announce a new product line called the "RS/5000 and
had indicated in the past that they plan to enhance the RISC System/
6000 line with new models at both the high and low end in 1991.
IBM GIVES $265,000
Clark Atlanta University's new program to expand training of minority
teachers in science and mathematics has received a grant from IBM that
encompasses PS/2 computers and educational software worth $265,000.
IBM's grant includes 23 PS/2 computers and the latest in instructional
courseware which will be used by faculty, staff and the more than 500
undergraduate and graduate education students. Also included are
printers, IBM InfoWindow system for development of touch screen courses,
and all of the equipment needed for a complete desktop publishing
system.
BORLAND SHIPS OBJECTVISION
Borland announced it has begun shipping ObjectVision, a new visual
programming tool that enables non-technical professionals and managers
to easily create interactive business applications for Microsoft Windows
3.0. The new product combines popular features from spreadsheets,
databases, forms products and front ends into an easy-to-use WYSIWYG
application. ObjectVision's suggested retail price is $495 but will be
offered in the United States and Canada at a special introductory price
of $99.95 through May 31.
TOYS "R" US SELECTS ACCLAIM
Toys "R" Us, has selected Acclaim "Vendor of the Year" for 1990.
Acclaim was selected by Toys "R" Us executives for its noteworthy
contribution to the company's overall sales, exceptional vendor
communications, and continuous efforts to enhance its alliance with Toys
"R" Us in a year when video games comprised approximately 20 percent of
all toy industry sales.
HAL AMERICA SIGNS CONTRACT WITH NCAA
Hal America has announced an exclusive licensing agreement with the
National Collegiate Athletic Association. The first-ever agreement
between the NCAA and Nintendo allows Hal America use of the NCAA seal,
conference names, and teams for its new 16-bit basketball video game.
PHILIP MORRIS FILES SUIT
Philip Morris announced it has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit
seeking monetary damages and immediate remedial actions against Sega
because of its continued unauthorized use of the Marlboro cigarette
brand logo in its children's video arcade games.
APPLE INTRODUCES MACINTOSH COMMON LISP 2.0
Apple introduced a new version of its Common Lisp development
environment -- Macintosh Common Lisp 2.0 on Friday February 22. This
programming environment, formerly known as Macintosh Allegro Common
Lisp, makes extensive use of the intuitive Macintosh graphic interface.
It now offers programmers additional tools and increased performance to
further aid them in their application development.
MAN ACCUSED OF ABUSING YOUTH
Police arrested a 28-year-old man on charges of sodomy and sexual abuse
of a 15-year-old Las Vegas boy who authorities allege he contacted
through a computer bulletin board system set up for gay youths. John
Keeley, from Park Slope, N.Y., was arrested this week and pleaded not
guilty. The indictment charges Keeley with first and third-degree
sodomy, third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a
child.
SAM TRAMIEL CONFERENCE ON COMPUSERVE - HIGHLIGHTS
=================================================
Prepared by John Nagy
Thursday night, February 21, 1991, Atari CEO Sam Tramiel was the guest
of a special conference on CompuServe. For this evening event, CIS
waived all connect charges for the participating callers. The
conference was moderated by Ron Luks, the manager of the Atari areas on
CIS. Here are some key comments of Mr. Tramiel, edited for length only
and re-ordered for clarity.
On New Products to come from Atari:
> Unix will be shown on March 13 at the Hannover faire in Germany. It
will be Unix System V.4, X-windows, Motif, and a front-end named
"Wish".
> Panther... is a 68000 running at 16MHz game machine which we will
probably ship in early 1992. Software is now being written for the
Panther. It will even allow for Lynx to network with some games.
> We plan to make more applications software and peripherals available
on the Portfolio. We are definitely planning to make small notebook-
like machines which will be 68000 ST-based.
> MIDI-tasking is currently in beta-testing, and will be released as
soon as it is finished.
About emulators being built in to Atari products as original equipment:
> This is an interesting idea that you have, and we are investigating
such things all the time. I cannot say more than that.
On Atari's plans for Dealers and Marketing:
> We think that we have a very clear marketing direction. We are trying
to sell personal computers to people at the best possible price. Of
course, we consider backup and service by our dealers, and we want to
develop a good dealer network. We do plan to sell customers like
Circuit City [God willing]. We have no plans at present to sell at
K-Mart. The TT030 will definitely be sold through qualified dealers
who can explain advanced computer use.
> We plan to support our long-time dealers even more than we have in the
past. Greg Pratt, who was our corporate CFO, is now President of
Atari US, and is making a big effort to build up a team to support all
of our dealers. We are looking for dealers who really understand our
products and who will be there to support you... If any of you out
there have suggestions for dealers who want to make money in the long
term, please call Greg Pratt at 408-745-2349 and give him the name and
address of such dealers.
> We plan to advertise in the US through our dealers. And as this
network expands, we will do national advertising. This will not occur
until we do have a national network. We feel that advertising through
our dealers will get us good exposure and will start to expand the
user base. We are also bringing in MIDI software from Europe and will
work closely with developers to assure its availability. We are, as
you know, supporting our own magazine, Atari Explorer. And are happy
to support any other magazine as well. Stacy is available for
professional use, ie. Musicians.. We have them in stock, and can ship
now. If you have any particular questions in the music area, please
call James Grunke at 408-745-4966. He is our new MIDI guru and ex-
Beach Boy member. We will be happy to support an attend any
coordinated effort for a user group show in the south. Contact Bob
Brodie at 408-745-2052.
About Upgrade paths and dropping prices:
> We are planning a 1.44 mb drive in the future and will also make this
available as an upgrade on TTs and Mega STEs.
> We offer more power, features, for less money over time. If we do not
lower prices and offer more features, we would quickly be out of
business. The 1.44 mb floppy is being designed at present and when
the Mega STE and TT were designed, this was taken into consideration.
We are not trying to abandon, and will not abandon, 1040 owners.
However, we cannot always satisfy issues like this. The VME card is a
whole different issue. To offer expansion requires larger power
supplies and other components which increases the cost of the
computer. The 1040 is a lower priced machine, and therefore cannot
have such features. If you don't buy it now, and always wait for the
next price reduction/feature improvement, you'll never buy a computer.
You'll always be waiting.
> I appreciate that you love your Atari 8-bit system. Unfortunately,
most users in the US have been convinced that they need 16-bit or 32-
bit systems. Because of this, very few 8-bit machines are being sold
in the US. And therefore, little software is being developed. If you
have needs for commercial software, come on, let's go for it! Buy an
ST!
Z*NET GERMANY - EXCLUSIVE
=========================
by Mike Schuetz, Contributing Editor
CALAMUS SL - First impressions of the new DTP Giant
---------------------------------------------------
(C) Atari PD Journal 1991
Original article by Christian Strasheim
translated for Z*NET by Michael Schuetz
Two weeks before the CeBIT, we had the chance to visit DMC, developers
of the DTP program Calamus, at their office in Walluf, Germany, to get
some first hand information about the status of the long awaited Calamus
SL. We became the first to see how intensively DMC is working on the
completion of this product when we saw a sign at the office entrance
showing in form of a countdown, the days left until CeBIT 1991. The
following report is based on a Beta-Version of Calamus SL, that was
given to us by DMC for a first hand test in our editorial office.
Needless to say that we were especially curious about the new program,
since our whole magazine is done with Calamus ever since we started
doing PD Journal in the summer of 1989.
Up front it has to be said that Calamus SL internally almost doesn't
have anything to do anymore with the old Calamus program versions. Due
to the multiple conceptional changes and new features like color
separation, the adaptation of the old Calamus would have been enormous.
DMC has also learned from the many complaints from customers about the
program crashs, occuring with the old versions. So at the development
of the new version the avoiding of crashes and the interception of
errors had high priority. The program crashes that occured during our
tests - after all it still was the Beta version - never led to a
complete system crash, but where intercepted with elegance, so that it
was possible to keep going without the need of rebooting.
Modules
The structure of the new Calamus SL is based completely on the principal
of modules: The new Calamus is just the frame program for all the other
modules, that give you the necessary functions to create and edit a
document. Even some of the functions, that were already integrated
within the old Calamus are now called upon as modules (naturally these
essential modules are still included within the whole salespackage). If
for example you have to prepare a series of documents, where you won't
be needing any lines, you do not need to load the line module at all, or
you can specifically remove it from the system memory, to make room for
more working space and save loading time. The concept of modules also
brings other advantages: Additional functions that not everybody will
need, can be offered as modules and in this way they don't eat up memory
and money of the 'normal' user. DMC plans to release several modules
that can raise the value of Calamus SL and with this concept the user
has the chance to 'build' himself a version of Calamus that fits his own
needs in the best way. Also, third party software developers will be
offered the chance to receive the necessary information from DMC to
produce their own modules for Calamus SL.
Import & Export
The modular concept has also been transformed in the matter of drivers
for the import- and export-functions. In the old versions the routines
for import and export of pictures and text files were integrated
directly within the main program. Now the equivalent conversion-
routines are offered as external modules, too. This is a very big
advantage when a new format - be it text or picture - will be
introduced. It can be expected that either DMC or another developer
will release new drivers for this format for usage with Calamus SL.
This conecpt will proof to be very useful especially in the field of
raster graphics, where already at the moment an almost chaotic variety
of picture file formats exists. When this article was written, DMC
could not yet say, which drivers will be included within the basic
Calamus SL version. But it can be expected with certainty that the
number of supported formats will be much higher than the one with
Calamus 1.09, especially when it comes to the support of color graphics.
View from the top
So much to the internal structure of Calamus SL. After you load the
program you will be greeted by an almost familiar looking screen. On
the first view not too much seems to have changed. The user interface
looks a lot like the old Calamus 1.09, but a closer look will soon
reveal some changes: Many functions, that could be found in GEM drop
down menus, have now been included in the icon orientated control panels
(this way becoming external modules). To save time that would be wasted
by having to jump through several modules and function groups, you now
have the possibility to place various function panels anywhere on the
screen. This feature is extremely useful when working with big screen
monitors like the TTM194 or the Moniterm.
Another new feature is the possibility to have seven different documents
loaded at the same time. In conjunction with the new file select box,
that allows you to select multiple files, it now is even possible to
load all needed documents at once. The same naturally also goes for the
loading of fonts.
Let there be Color
Before going further into details about some of the new functions -
which there are a lot - we will focus our attention on the most
important new feature: the color managment of Calamus SL. Internally
all functions are designed in a way, so that up to 16.7 Million colors
will be managed - this is more than even the human eye is able to
distinguish. Each object, be it text, a line, a fill pattern, or a
picture can take on one of these many colors. To determine the colors,
you either use the simple RGB-mixing-method, or one of the additional
modules that offer the adjustment of HKS-, Pantone- or Palette-141-
colors. When the output is done on a Linotype (as in all those German
Atari DTP centers) then Calamus SL will take care of the necessary color
separation itself, producing four films per color-page, that can be
worked with at the printing company in the next step. Calamus SL even
supports the usage of so called adornment colors. These are colors that
are not made up as a mixture of the basic colors and therefore Calamus
will print one addtional film for the adornment color, if one is used.
Colors on the screen
Before the test we were a little sceptical about the display of color
documents on the screen. Naturally there exist many graphic cards for
the Atari ST (and in the meantime also for the TT) that are able to
display 256 or more colors out of the 16.7 Million possible ones; since
those expansions (and especially the then needed monitors!) are still
very expensive, the semi-professional user will at first have to be
satisfied with what he's got. During our test we used Calamus SL on our
32 MHz TT with the regular TT color monitor in TT-medium-resolution
(640x480 pixels - 16 colors).
We were suprised by the good quality of the color display even with only
16 colors! Through mixing and rastering Calamus SL is able to produce
a very good approximation of the selected color tones, that will be
sufficient for most applications. Even on a monochrome monitor - we
used a SM124 on the ST and the new 19" TTM194 on the TT - the
transformation into shades of grey is done so well, that one already
gets a pretty good picture of how the document will look in final print.
Apropos TT: Naturally Calamus SL runs flawless under all resolutions
with at least 640 x 400 pixels on the TT. The FastRAM is used in the
process completetly, so that on our 8 MB TT, 6.5 MB of RAM where
available for documents!
New functions
Even those who can do without the color separation features of Calamus
SL will find a variety of new features. Some we will list in the
following paragraphs: The clipboard is now capable of accepting as many
frames as you want, the number is only limited by the RAM available.
The doublepage feature has been improved enourmosly, so that fast
changes between single- and double pages are now possible. The
necessary conversion, where especially the frames situated at the border
of both pages are very critical, is done by Calamus SL itself. Certain
components of a page, that belong not to the page itself - fitting
marks, that are extremely important for color separation - can be placed
on one of the master pages, where they do not distract one during work
on the page, and if requested they can be shown during output.
In the old version only text within a frame could be rotated, now the
rotation function works with all kinds of objects, that can now be
freely rotated and mirrored vertically or horizontally. Only raster
graphics can be rotated in 90 degree steps only; but that might be even
a good limitation, any other availability of rotation for raster
graphics could cause the creation of Moire-patterns.
Additional to the old method where there were only virtual and physical
copies, one can now even create multiple copies at once. Even the
horizontal and vertikal distance between the copies and the original can
be entered. This makes it possible to create certain constellations
such as grids without big efforts.
The zoom-value for the display on screen can still be selected freely,
instead of one user defined display resolution it is now possible to
create three different ones. Additionally a zoom function has been
added, that allows the enlargment of screen-parts.
Typography
Besides the possibiltiy of coloring text, the font size can now be
selected much more exact in steps of 1/1000. An exactness not to be
seen by the human eye, but for some printing products a necessity.
Additionally the user got two more font-attributes, skewed and
compressed, to play with. Each font can now be italicised and expanded
or compressed. The degree of the italicisation can be entered again
with upmost exactness.
Even a simple attribut as underline can now be used as decoration tool,
since color, thickness and position of the underline can be selected.
The text shadow, as expected, can be colored too.
In style
An important function of Calamus SL ist the managment of text styles,
which allows, to save the style-features with a macro-like feature. If
you use headlines in 30 points Avant Garde Medium, bold, italicised by
20% with a grey underline (no matter how bad it looks <g>), you can
define this combination as text style and call it up later again via
mouse click.
Future features
Not included in the beta version was the spell-checker and the
separation-function, that is supposed to work online now, too. Another
feature we could not test yet, allows formatting of text around any kind
of objects, that are made up of Bezier-curves. Another problem, that we
noticed during layouts of our magazine are constantly confronted with,
is the placing of graphics within text frames. Once you change the
text, you had to rearrange most of the time the graphics too. A new
method that will allow automatic embodiment of the graphic at a certain
text-position is supposed to solve this problem.
S or SL?
A lot of confusion was caused in the past by the mentioning of the two
different versions S and SL. By now it is definite that Calamus S, as
predecessor to Calamus 1.09/1.09N will be distributed by Atari
(Germany). This version will also be situated in the same price range
as the old Calamus (DM 700-800 which equals approx.$500-600). Opposite
to former specualtions Calamus S will be modular and expandable, too!!
The features that will be missing in the S version are the functions for
color display on the screen and the module Paint & Draw. Also 10
Linotype Fonts, that are included together with the standard fonts in
the SL version will be missing in the S version. Nevertheless it is
possible to produce color-documents, but on screen you will just see
shades of grey with the S version. Calamus SL will retail for DM 1.498
(~US$ 1.000).
Upgraders from the old Calamus version 1.09 to SL will be charged DM
898, and from 1.09N, DM 798 in Germany. The price for updates from
1.09/1.09N to Calamus S will be set by Atari and will be announced
possibly at CeBIT. A document-converter (the old CDK-format is not
compatible to the new one) is included within the program package.
About the usage of old fonts with the new versions the following can be
said: Legally obtained and from DMC licensed fonts, that work flawlessly
with 1.09N, will also work OK on Calamus SL.
A look ahead
This article only shows a smallpart of the new possibilities and
capabilities of Calamus SL. Functions such as the free generation of
patterns and the possibility to work with raster- and vectorgraphics
were left out and will be picked up at the review of the final version.
Also the concept of virtual memory managment, the new macro option and
many other small goodies were not mentioned here yet.
A beta version never allows one to draw a final conclusion about a
product. But it can be stated in any case, that Calamus SL has already
very much advanced in its development process. Even the completely new
designed 600 page long (German) manual is already running through the
printing presses as you read this. The version we were able to review
makes us confident that the wait for the final version of Calamus SL
will be over very likely in the nearest future.
Modules for Calamus:
Here a quick overview of some of the modules that will be available for
Calamus SL:
Job Manager
Expanded module for Linotype DTP centres for automatic exposure of
Calamus documents.
Mount & Print
Module that allows splitting up large documents into smaller pieces,
thus allowing printout of large documents on small printers, so that for
example, a DINA3 document can be printed out as two DINA4 pages.
4 Color HKS, Pantone and Palette-141
Three modules to define colors based on standard color palettes.
Paint & Draw
Raster- and vectorgraphic module (belongs to Calamus SL package) can be
bought additionally to Calamus S.
Curve & Line
An auto-tracer module. We got a brief look at the beta version, that
looked already very promising especially speed-wise.
Logo Art
Special vector-editor for company logos etc.
Data Former
A collection of export-modules for certain fileformats especially in
the field of vector graphics.
Type Art
A new font-editor with several new features, possibly with integrated
vectoriser.
More modules are already being worked on.
Note: In the US and Canada Calamus 1.09(N) and Calamus S(L) are being
distributed, of course, by ISD Marketing.
CALAMUS FONT RESOURCE GUIDE
=========================== Press Release
Page Design is proud to announce the release of the latest version of
T H E C A L A M U S F O N T R E S O U R S E G U I D E
This latest version features font samples of every font currently
available in North America for use with Calamus or Outline Art (over 500
fonts). All currently available Calamus fonts from Cherry Fonts,
Compugraphic, DMC (Calamus Designer Fonts), FontAbility, Fonts By Guber,
Ideal West, Mainstream Fonts, Mirthful Fonts!, MS Design, Dennis
Palumbo, Safari Fonts, and pd/shareware fonts are displayed. The Guide
also contains information about all Calamus products distributed by ISD,
GENUS (formerly TypeCad), FontVerter, Font Designer, The Calamus Font
Utility, and WP to GEM.
Whether you use Calamus, Outline Art, or FontVerter (to convert to the
PageStream format), the Calamus Font Resource Guide is an indispensible
tool.
The Calamus Font Resource Guide is distributed by:
PDC (Public Domain Corp.)
4320-196th SW
Suite B-140
Lynnwood, WA 98036-6721
1-800-255-8220
The Guide is available directly from PDC or from your local Atari
dealer for $19.95.
CALAMUS TUTORIAL - PART II
========================== Page Design and First Text Elements
Copyright (c)1991 by Geoff LaCasse
GXR Systems, Vancouver, B.C.
Load Calamus, then go to the FILE menu and select LOAD DOCUMENT. If
your Calamus.set file (see session 1) is correct, the file selector
should show you your files in the Document folder. Double-click on your
file from session 1 or single-click and select OK. Your blank page
should appear.
In desktop publishing, it is important to visualize a document before
beginning work on the computer. Create a rough layout on paper and use
it as a guide when working in Calamus. Ask yourself what purpose the
document is to serve. Determine what page size, layout, margins, fonts,
etc., you will use. Don't be afraid to experiment, but remember desktop
publishing places in your hands immense control over a document's
appearance and can be a recipe for disaster if misused. Changes
afterwards will be time-consuming. In this series, appearance is less
important than teaching, but I would suggest you follow guidelines on
desktop publishing laid down here or in a good manual until you feel
comfortable with the subject.
Our first document will be one page, letter size (8.5 by 11), with a
single column, from which we will experiment with a number of text
commands. Go to PAGE menu, and click on PAGE LAYOUT. A dialogue box
will appear showing Calamus's default layout values in highlight:
Letter size, Portrait, Single pages, 0.00 margins, measurements in
inches, etc. Since we want to use these values for our first document,
exit the menu by clicking on OK (Cancel would also work because we
haven't made any changes).
Calamus uses icons as commands and you must become comfortable with
each. They are located in multi-tiered icon pads on the left side of
the screen, the order of selection being top to bottom. The five icons
on the left side of the top row form Calamus's basic functions, and its
primary pad. Each has its own set of icons which will appear on the
second row, and form our second icon pad. Additional pads (which may be
multi-rowed), in turn, depend on the icon selected from the second (and
subsequent) pad. The concept will be confusing at first (a person's
family tree is perhaps the best analogy), but with practice will become
second nature. Icon names (for those who can't remember what each
represents) appear in the upper left when the mouse overlays any icon.
I will refer to an icon's position once, hereafter by its name. Icons
are highlighted when selected.
With your blank page on the screen, select FRAME (second from left) from
our primary pad if not already highlighted (FRAME is default when
Calamus loads). Go to our second pad and select the third icon from the
left, HELP LINES. A third icon pad will appear, its commands restricted
to those under Help Lines. On the row below the Trashcan (DELETE
AUXILIARY LINES), select the two left-side icons, SNAP TO HORIZONTAL/
VERTICAL AUXILIARY LINES. On the bottom two rows, select the left icon
of each--HELP LINES VISIBLE and AUXILIARY LINES FOR COLUMNS. The last
will bring up a dialogue box which sets frame guides into which we will
type or import text and graphics. Replace the default values with 1 for
Row and Column, and 0.50 (inches) for Top, Bottom, Left, Right margins
(you can use the Escape key to clear default values). These margins
will appear on-screen. Finally, select the right icon on the bottom
row, RULER ON (a ruler will appear along the top and left sides of the
document), return to our primary pad, and select the third icon from the
left, TEXT. A new second pad will appear and we are now ready to create
our page layout.
In Calamus, text and graphics are typed, created, or imported into
frames, different frame types being needed for text, lines, rasters
(fill patterns), paint and drawing files. TEXT pad commands control the
appearance of your text on the screen and printed page. Select the
fourth icon on the second pad, TEXT RULER. Its icons consist of (from
top to bottom) various tab formats, vertical line spacing called
leading, text justification (Left, Right, Justification, Centre),
paragraph spacing, and ruler line icons which will be discussed next
session. Leave Calamus's default values--DECIMAL TABULATORS, RELATIVE
LINE SPACING, LEFT JUSTIFICATION, LINE SPACING set to 2.0 points,
PARAGRAPH SPACING to 6.0 points--as is. Go back to our second pad and
select FONT MENU (icon to right of TEXT RULER). FONT MENU allows you to
select a font to be used in your text. If you are a new user, Swiss 50
will be the default (and only) font in the table. Exit this menu by
selecting the FONT SIZE AND STYLE icon, to the right of FONT MENU. This
pad controls the size and style of text. Select 14 points, and go up and
select FRAME.
Select the icon on the extreme left--FRAME GENERAL FUNCTIONS--from the
second pad. The pad which appears allows you to create, select, delete,
and modify frames. Make sure default is TEXT FRAME, in the upper-left
corner of the new pad (ABC-DEFG). Move your mouse cursor to your on-
screen document. The hand shape you see allows you to move, but not
create frames. Click the right mouse button. The cursor shape will
change to a small pointer (shaped like that in the FRAME icon). Click
on the left mouse button somewhere on the page and then click it again.
The frame will fill the space between the margins because we had
selected previously SNAP TO HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL AUXILIARY LINES. New
(and selected) frames have eight handles including four corner and four
mid for resizing.
The new frame will have in the upper-right corner the TEXT FRAME symbol.
Make sure you have created a text frame (different frame types have
different symbols) because you can't place text in a Line, Raster, or
Graphic frame. The text frame we created has another important
property. The values we set up under TEXT RULER, FONT MENU, and FONT
SIZE are now default values for our new frame (and any other we create
at this time). We can test this by selecting TEXT, then GENERAL TEXT
FUNCTIONS (second pad, far left icon), and finally OPEN TEXT EDITOR (the
typewriter icon). A window will appear in the middle of the screen,
icons along its top. You can type directly into a Calamus frame but the
process is painfully slow. The Text Editor, while clumsy at times,
speeds up keyboard text placement. The text below the Text Editor's
icons should read [TEXT RULER][STYLE SWISS 50 , c1, 14]. Text Rulers we
will deal with next session, Style is the font selected, c1 is black (as
opposed to white) ink, and 14 is point size. Exit the Text Editor by
selecting second icon from left (an arrow pointing up at ABC overlying a
typewriter). Text flows back into the frame.
Go to FILE menu and select SAVE. Because you have previously saved your
file, Calamus will save the changes under the same name (I call mine
Example.CDK), and rename the previous save with a .BAK extender. Next
session we will discuss in greater detail the Text Editor, Text Ruler,
Styles, etc.
Editors Note: GXR systems is a business and education dealer for Atari,
specializing in the TT. Geoff LaCasse is a six-year veteran of the ST
wars, and a partner in GXR. He looks after the education and CaDD
markets, and client training.
DR. T'S SEQUENCERS
==================
by Jonathan Whitcomb, from Usenet
Dr.T sells an entire line of music software. Several of these programs
may be loaded into the ST's memory at once if you have a master MPE
(Multi Program Environment) program. The two master MPE modules that I
have seen are KCS (Keyboard Controlled Sequencer) and Tiger Cub, which
is a low priced sequencer/editor package (more on both of these
sequencers later). Once either one of these sequencers is run, you may
load up to eight MPE compatible programs if memory allows. (The newest
version of KCS, OMEGA, claims that now ANY program may be loaded into
MPE, but I have not personally verified this.) What this means to the
musician is that you no longer have to exit your sequencer program when
you want to load your patch editor or librarian. You can also have
editors for each of your instruments loaded at once. When you enter an
MPE module from KCS, it leaves all of the KCS settings intact until you
return. Conversely, changing a sequence in one MPE module changes it in
all...the sequencer data is shared.
Another nice benefit of MPE is that even non sequencer modules can use
the sequencer data. A typical problem with a non MPE sequencer and
patch editor is that you may have to go back and forth between the
programs to get your sound just right. Say you had just sequenced a new
horn line, but you aren't satisfied with your trumpet patch. So you
exit your sequencer, load up your editor and change the trumpet patch.
Unfortunately, the only way to hear the new patch in context is to load
up the sequencer again, re-load the sequence you were working on (hoping
that you remembered to save it!), and play the sequence. Pretty
tedious, especially if you need to do this several times. With MPE,
both programs stay resident in memory, so switching back and forth is
quick and easy. Even better, X-or, Dr.T's universal editor/librarian
program, lets you play the current cue loop in KCS without even having
to switch back to KCS at all. You can stay in X-or, tweak your patch
and listen to it in context as many times as you want without switching
back.
KCS is a *very* powerful sequencing program. It allows you to sequence
MIDI data in several ways, and then provides a full arsenal of editing
tools. The sequencing mode that I do most of my work in is called Track
mode. Track mode has been designed to operate much like a multi-track
tape recorder (which is a more familiar interface to most musicians than
a menu of sequencing options). It has record, play, fast forward,
rewind, stop and pause buttons that act almost exactly like a tape
recorder. Each "track" of sequenced MIDI data has it's own line on the
screen that defaults to indicating the MIDI channel, but may be edited
to any label you like. When that track is sounding, a little note icon
flashes next to the label. You can isolate or mute a track by clicking
on the label. You can also erase the most recently recorded track, but
you have to go back to the edit screen to erase any other track (gripe
#1).
The cue loops are really nice. I don't know how many hours I've wasted
running the tape on my reel to reel back to the right section to record
over a bad part. And sometimes I was tempted to keep a mediocre solo
because I wasn't sure I could do better. Now I just set a cue loop and
play the part a few times (muting the new tracks as I record them), then
listen to each one and decide which I want to keep. If you then want to
insert the new segment into an existing track, you can either merge
tracks or use the "punch in" feature. Once you've set a cue loop in
KCS, you can access it from TIGER and X-or too. You can save up to six
cue loops at a time.
There are *lots* more options on the track screen, and pull down menus
make them fairly easy to execute. It is certainly possible to use only
this screen and treat KCS as a software tape recorder and nothing else.
But wait, there's more...
The Edit screen is one of the most powerful features in KCS, and it also
seems to scare many people away from KCS. The reason is that this
screen displays the MIDI data mostly numerically, which is foreign to
most musicians. A scrolling window on the left half of the screen
displays MIDI information for one track at a time. Data given includes
event number, measure, step, event type, note, velocity, and duration.
You may select groups of notes (or, more strictly speaking, events) with
the mouse and perform several editing operations on them, such as pitch
transposition, velocity or duration scaling or limiting, channel
translation, etc. You may also perform cut and paste operations, which
should be familiar to anyone who has used a word processor or text
editor. Unfortunately, unless the timing of the first and last event is
corrected relative to the new position of the section, you may end up
with unexpected results. There are ways to work around this, but they
are not obvious, and can be frustrating to use. Luckily, the Undo
command may be used for most operations, and a Backup command stores the
current contents of the buffers to a backup buffer so you can recover
from multiple operations. You can also toggle between Undo or Backup
copies and the current sequence to decide which sound better. Of
course, you can also save your current work to disk at any time to be
absolutely safe.
A much more intuitive editor is TIGER, which may be loaded into MPE (it
is included in the KCS OMEGA package). Notes are displayed in a
modified "piano roll" format, graphicly showing pitch, timing, velocity
and duration with nary a number in sight. Want to change a note's
pitch? Pick up it's icon with the mouse and move it vertically. Change
the timing? Slide the note horizontally. Change the duration? Stretch
the note icon. Change the note's velocity? Alter the note's stem
length. Great fun! Up to three tracks may displayed at once, and you
have access to all the KCS cue points. Of course, changing a note in
TIGER also changes it in KCS. My favorite feature of TIGER (which stand
for The Interactive Graphic EditoR) is that you can draw MIDI
controllers in real time with the mouse. This is especially nice for
volume envelopes, pitch bends and tempo changes.
TIGER is nice to use when you want to hunt down a bad note...it lets you
"see" the note, and change it with the mouse. You can also use the
mouse to draw in new notes.
I find that TIGER is most useful for editing individual notes and
controllers, while the KCS editor is better for moving segments around,
although you can perform most of the operations in either, so it's
mostly a matter of taste. My main problem with TIGER (gripe #2) is that
the screen control commands are a tad cryptic, and I find I have to keep
referring to the command sheet to keep the cursor from leaving the
portion of the sequence I'm working on. Most of the screen commands in
KCS and TIGER have keyboard equivilents, which must be memorized if you
don't want to interrupt the musical flow by flipping through menus (or,
gasp, the manual) to find a command.
KCS also includes what is called "Open Mode" sequencing, but I have
never really gotten a handle on it. It is designed as a generalized
sequencing mode, that allows you to start and stop sequenced segments as
you wish, or even write sequences that start and stop other sequences,
but I have always found it confusing...and I am a software engineer by
trade! The new Song Editor is easier to use, as it allows you to
graphicly link sequences together to create songs. It has virtually the
same interface as TIGER, so you really don't need to learn a new set of
commands to use it.
I use the Song Editor mostly for songs that I am writing as I sequence
them. I'll sequence several segments, say a basic verse, chorus, and
bridge, and then make copies of each and tinker with them, so each verse
has it's own flavor. Then I'll call up the Song Editor and try several
arrangements until I find one I like. You can link song segments
sequentially, or overlap them, for some interesting effects. Also, if I
decide to add another verse later, I just add in another segment. It's
quick and painless. You can also chop segments up, if for instance you
only want to insert a half verse. All of this is done graphically with
the mouse, ala TIGER.
KCS includes a simple scoring program called Quickscore, but it is of
limited usefulness. I suspect it is included as a teaser to get you
interested in Dr.T's professional scoring programs. Still, if you need
a quick and dirty transcription, it's nice to have. Someone asked if
Quickscore allows you to enter song lyrics beneath the notes. Sorry, it
doesn't.
The other section of KCS that I have never ventured into is called
Programmable Variations Generator (PVG). It allows the program to
randomly alter sequences you create with KCS to add color or variety to
repetitive sequences. The user can control the degree of randomness,
and which parameters may be changed. I hope to get into this in the
future (I plan to use it to "humanize" my drum parts"), but I have been
having too much fun with the other features to mess with it yet.
I guess what I like the most about KCS, is that there are so many ways
to skin the cat. I don't always write songs the same way, so why should
I have to record them the same way? Dr. T doesn't force you to adopt
any one method, and all of the options encourage you to experiment. It
allows you to explore musical ideas in new ways, and that can really
spur your creativity. The trick is not to let all of the options
overwhelm you... bite off a little at a time and go with it.
Tiger Cub is Dr.T's entry level sequencer, and I played with a copy of
it that was sold to me with my ST. It is basicly a slightly simplified
version of TIGER with a limited track mode screen ("only" 15 tracks).
I sequenced a rather complex song with it and was so impressed that I
ran out and bought the TIGER package to use with KCS (it now comes
bundled with KCS Omega). If you are just starting out with MIDI and
want an affordable sequencer that you won't outgrow in a few months,
look no further. Oh, yeah, you also get Quickscore with it.
One other MPE module that might be of interest to computer types, is
called T-Basic. It is an interpreted Basic language that allows you
complete access to all of the KCS arrays. This way, if there is some
bizarre editing function you need that KCS doesn't provide, you can
write it yourself. I find it's editor to be frustrating at times (no
cut and paste or block functions), but this is a problem I have with
most interpreted languages.
One thing it is hard to knock Dr.T's on is documentation and support.
The manuals are well written and easy to get around, and most of the
menu commands are self explanitory. Once you've finished the quick
tutorials, you can dive right in. The customer service phones are
manned by responsive, helpful people, and if you need to contact the
wizards on-line, they are available through the Berkely BBS in Boston
where you can also get minor upgrades, bug fixes and user uploaded
programs and sequences. Demo versions of much of this software is also
available.
Many folks have knocked Dr.T's for having copy protection on the disks.
Happily, KCS Omega is NOT copy protected. Dr.T says they will see how
this goes before removing copy protection on future versions of their
other software.
There is lots to be said about X-or, the universal patch editor and
librarian, but I will expound on it's virtues (and vices) another time
if anyone wants to hear.
Overall, I am pleased with this system, and I have been able to create
music with it that I couldn't have conceived of without it. It isn't
the easiest thing to learn, but as a software engineer I know that there
is always a trade-off between powerful features and ease of use.
Personally, I'd rather have the features. Dr.T is constantly updating
it's products, so I'm not worrying about outgrowing it.
MPE is also available on the Amiga, and Dr.T's also has software
packages for the Mac and PC, but I don't know how similar these are to
the ST versions.
I am not an employee of Dr.T's, blah blah blah, and to be fair, I
haven't spent much time with other sequencers (but if anyone wants to
send me a free copy of one I'll be glad to check it out for comparison
:-) ).
Jonathan Whitcomb UUCP: <...!mcnc!aurgate!whitcomb>
(919) 850-6231 I'm not a software engineer,
Raleigh, NC but I play one on TV.
PUBLIC DOMAIN SHELF
===================
by Ron Kovacs
GFAMAK06.ARC - This file is an update of GFAMAKER.ARC. Use this
program to convert resource files from Atari's resource construction
program into GFA BASIC 3.0 code.
ZEST.ARC - This is a demo program that simulates the look of the NeXT
desktop in GFA Basic. Source code included in the archive. The demo
includes a calendar, database (address book), typewriter and paint
program.
FUJDESTT.ARC - FujiDesk for the TT, overscan and the ST. This works in
ST lo, ST med, ST hi, ST bigscreen mono, ST overscan, TT med, TT hi.
Survives resolution changes and does work properly on overscan.
MASSKILL.LZH - Utility to delete numerous files at one time.
RSCTOOLS.LZH - This is Rmerge, a GEM-based program for selectively
merging resource files. Rmerge differs from the cut and paste functions
in various resource editors in that it preserves tree and object names;
thus Rmerge can be very helpful when you're sharing a resource file with
someone else, and also when you have designed some forms you would like
to use in a new project. Rsh is a command line driven program which
facilitates resource file imbedding within a program. It goes beyond
the RCS "RSH file" option in language/compiler keyword support, speed,
and integration with make. Rsh can merge its output with a C "skeleton
file" (included) containing function definitions for rsrc_load, etc.
Define the proper rule for make and turn a .rsc file into a .o file
automatically.
DEMO23.ARC - Four new display fonts for PageStream and Calamus from\
Safari Fonts. This demo has DEMO23.fonts and a PageStream Document file
to print out. Included are: Danelian - School days blackboard type
font, AIRLOCK - Eurostyle stencil high-tech, ICEQUEB - A bold sans-serif
that was left out in a snowstorm, PATRIOT - A true Stars and Stripes
Font. You need PageStream to use this demo. Ordering instructions
included.
SPEEDIAL.LZH - This program speeds up your dialing by setting the S11
register on your Supra 2400 Baud Modem to 50. It does a carrier detect
to see whether to do anything or not.
INVPR575.ARC - This is the NEW VERSION 5,75 of the popular INVENTORY-PRO
from Hi-Tech Advisers. New features and improvements have been added.
This is a fully working COMPLETE program with the only limitation being
the entry of fifty records maximum.
MUSIC STUDIO data files from Fresh Aire II by the Mannheim Steamroller.
VELVET.SNG, SHADETRE.SNG, INTLUDE7.SNG, INTLUDE5.SNG, EMBERS.SNG,
AMBER.SNG, BACHSES.SNG, GTAPLACE.SNG, TUTALUTE.SNG and REDWINE.SNG.
MAC2IMG.ARC - A freeware program that will convert MacPaint files into
the IMG raster graphics file format. From Maxwell CPU.
CAL45.ARC - CALENDAR desk accessory and replaces the previous version,
CAL44.ARC. The previous version of this program suffered from a 3-day
error during the months of March thru December (i.e., showed March 1st,
1991 as a Tuesday) when loaded into memory using Codehead Software's
MultiDesk (v2.1) as a desk accessory. This version does some additional
register clearing in the day-of-the-week routine whichs fixes the
problem.
SNAFU0_2.LZH - Demo version 0.2 of SNAFU, a full-featured TOS Shell.
TCHASE05.LZH - This is a modem game for 2 players, and has a good 1
player mode.
BOOKER.ARC - Booker prints any text file in book format, landscape mode
4 pages per sheet. You will need a laser printer for this program.
D_VIEWER.ARC - D_Viewer is a Text viewer that follows mouse movement,
no more buttons, arrows or hassles, will also page move and block mark
text or saving or printing.
DMJ_GIF.ARC - DMJ_GIF is a new GIF to Spectrum picture converter. This
one is far superior to any previous converter due to its conversion
techniques, explained in the included manual. Written in GFA Basic 3.0.
These files are all available in the GEnie ST RT Library.
PUBLIC DOMAIN UPDATE
====================
by Keith MacNutt
DC DirDump V1.0
Double Click Software
Have you ever tried to dump a directory of files from the desktop? It's
not an easy job unless you own UIS III, NEODESK 3 or the latest offering
from Double Click, DC DirDump. DirDump will organize your files in
alphabetical order and prompt you to save the output to the screen,
printer or to a file.
If you own DC Desktop, you only need to place the program in your AUTO
folder after either DCD AUTO or DC Desktop, and DC DirDump will now
become memory resident.
If you don't own DC Desktop, simply put DirDump on to one of your
drives, floppy or hard, and double click on the program. You will see
an alert box appear asking if you would like to install or run the
program. Clicking on RUN brings up another file selector asking for a
directory to view, print or save as a file. Once you have picked the
directory, an alert box appears asking if this is to be a screen,
printer or file save. If you choose printer and it is not on line, the
program will send the output to the screen.
DirDump is very easy to use and comes with very good documentation. For
those of you that invested in DC DESKTOP, DirDump can be installed in
the AUTO folder and activated at anytime by pushing (Control)+(F3).
PORTFOLIO DOS UTILITIES
=======================
Captured from CompuServe APORTFOLIO Forum
This is a list of the files on the DOS UTILITIES CARD from ATARI CORP.
They are very useful for writing batch files or using alone. Makes
life at the DOS level a little easier.
ANSI screen driver for Portfolio
ASK displays a prompt, clrs the kbd buffer then wait for a keypress
ATTRIB displays or sets the attributes of files
BEEP generate tones for a period of time
CMDEDIT buffers mand history which you can edit
DIF compares text between two files.
DSKCHK checks the disk's structure for corrupted clusters
FIND searches each file for specified text
FM File Manager DOS shell
FREEDSK displays the amount of free space and returns ERRORLEVEL
FREEMEM Amount of free space in the largest block of memory.
KSIM provides keypress to the O.S. from an object file from KSIMCOMP
KSIMCOMP Compiles text which automates keystrokes
MODE select Setup options from a batch file instead of setup menu
PASSWORD Control access to your Portfolio
REBOOT warm or cold reboot from software
SORT Sort a text file
SPOOL Install print spooler
TOD time of day and sets errorlevel for country
UPDATE update internal software
XCOPY enhanced copy recognizes subdirectories
XDIR extended version of dir - displays contents of dirs and subdirs
XTERM a small xmodem communications program
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Z*Net Newswire, and Z*Net News Service are copyright (c)1991, Rovac
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