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GEnieLamp Online Magazine Issue No.1.09
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~ GEnie STAR*SERVICES IS HERE AND NOW! ~
WHO IS THAT GIRL?
~ AN EXCLUSIVE IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH DARLAH ~
~ NEW HOTWARE FROM THE CODEHEADS! ~
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
October 1, 1990 ~ A T/TalkNET OnLine Publication ~ Issue No.1.09
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Publisher/Editor ................................... John F. Peters
Co-Editor ........................................ Darlah J. Pine
Technical Editor ................................ Jeff Williams
GEnie Lamp Staff: Sandy Wilson - Larry Duke
John J. Kennedy - Fred Beckman
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
IN THIS ISSUE
"""""""""""""
FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] THE ONLINE LIBRARY ...... [ONL]
Notes From The Editor. Words With The Letter "Z".
HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HEY] TELETALK ONLINE ......... [TEL]
Is That A Letter For Me? Who Is That Girl? It's Darlah!
ATARI_QWIK_TIPS ......... [TIP] ONLINE FUNNIES .......... [FUN]
Atarians Helping Atarians. CowTOONS!
HELP!!! ................. [HEL] A REALLY COOK'N ST ...... [COO]
(NOT) For Beginners Only. Cooking On The ST.
SOFT_reVIEW ............. [SOF] PD_QUICKVIEW I .......... [PD1]
New Hotware From The Codeheads. A $1000 Lava Lamp?
PD_QUICKVIEW II ......... [PD2] OFF THE RECORD .......... [OFF]
A Better View? Mini_Qwik_ReViews.
ASK MS. GEnie ........... [ASK] GOING BUGGY ............. [BUG]
Questions & Answers. Problems, Problems, Problems.
ST ELSEWHERE ............ [ELS] LOG OFF ................. [LOG]
Other Areas Of IntereST. GEnie Lamp Information.
[IDX]
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
READING GEnie Lamp GEnie Lamp has incorporated a unique indexing
"""""""""""""""""" system to help make reading the magazine easier.
To utilize this system, load GEnie Lamp into any word processor or text
editor. In the index you will find the following example:
FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] THE ONLINE LIBRARY ...... [ONL]
Notes From The Editor. Words With The Letter "Z".
To read Mel's article on how you can become a speed demon when
downloading files from the RoundTable, set your find or search command
to [ONL]. If you want to scan the articles, search for [EOA]. [EOF]
will take you to the last page, whereas [IDX] will bring you back to
the index.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
///////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //////////
/ "Smother her with jewels, flowers, credit cards, Radius /
/ 2-page color monitors & Moniterms, AND Quantum 105's." /
/ "It works for me" /
//////////////////////////////////////// DAVESMALL ////////
[EOA]
[FRM]//////////////////////////////
FROM MY DESKTOP /
/////////////////////////////////
Notes From The Editor
"""""""""""""""""""""
o TOP OF THE PAGE: COMMENTS & OTHER MISC. RAMBLINGS
o ATARI ROUNDTABLE ODDS & ENDS
TOP OF THE PAGE It's HERE! GEnie's online electronic playground is
""""""""""""""" now officially open. As of _now_ you can visit over
100 exciting areas here on GEnie and you don't have to keep one eye on
the screen and the other eye on the clock while you're doing it!
You can now send and receive all the email you want, get unlimited
closing stock quotes, use the online encyclopedia, shop in the GEnie
Mall, and much, much more! Want to catch up on the latest news from
across the nation and around the world? What's the weather like across
the nation? Are you into sports? In the mood for playing an online
game? Decisions, decisions. Where do you go first?
To help you take full advantage of this situation, in each issue
of GEnie Lamp, you will find one or more of the GEnie Star*Services
areas featured in our ST ELSEWHERE column. In it you will find out
what's available, where it's at and what to expect once you get there.
In short, look to ST Elsewhere as a guide to what to do when on the
"other side" of GEnie.
Now is the time to be adventurous... pick a GEnie Star*Service
area and go for it. What have you got to lose? The cost of GEnie
Star*Services is minimal and the potential is enormous! There is
something, somewhere for everyone. Take advantage of it and most
importantly, HAVE FUN!
P.S. While you're out there exploring this electronic super-
market, don't forget, you can now visit the Atari ST RoundTable at 2400
baud at a low $6.00 per hour. If you were poking along at 1200 baud,
that's about twice the downloads and two times as many messages as
before. Enjoy!
ONE_ON_ONE Just _who_ is Darlah? Who is Jeff? What does Larry do in
"""""""""" the library? How does Sandy keep up with all the messages
in the bulletin-board area? What do they do off-line? How did they and
the other SysOps get started in telecommunications? You've seen their
names when visiting the ST RoundTable. Just who are these people?
Here's your chance to meet the SysOps. Periodically, we will be
publishing in-depth articles that go behind the modem--a personal look
at the people who run the ST RoundTable. This issue, we'll meet the
person who is responsible for it all, Darlah.
RIBBONS PLUS is now refilling INK-JET cartridges of all types from
"""""""""""" $4.00 each using ink manufactured specifically for these
cartridges. (Include a $2.50 S&H charge - any size order.) They will
also reink printer ribbon cartridges. (Prices start at $2.00.) For
more information, contact:
Ribbon Plus
909 East Fillmore St.
Colorado Springs, CO
80907
1-(719) 578-5533
IN CLOSING Are you _still_ using X or Y modem to download files from
"""""""""" GEnie? After finally convincing his brother on how Zmodem
was better then Xmodem, Mel Motogawa, one of our GEnie Lamp contributing
authors, wondered just how many of you are still using the slow plain-
jane X modem protocol simply because it was there first. If you are
still using X/Ymodem to download files, the Online Library column in
this issue is a must read!
Take care,
John Peters
[ST-GUEST]
ATARI ROUNDTABLE ODDS & ENDS
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
ATARI TT No prices have been set for the TT here in the United States yet.
"""""""" The TT Desktop was completely designed here in the US at the
Sunnyvale building. As for adding icons.. there is an icon file that
is loaded from the root of the boot device at startup. This is a
standard .RSC file that contains icons. We will probably be releasing
some PD tools to help with the creation and adding of Icons to the
desktop. (TOWNS, CATegory 14, TOPic 35, Msg:152)
LOOKS LIKE IT'S OVER GANG More bad news about AVANTE-GARDE! I just
""""""""""""""""""""""""" received my last letter sent 9-1-90 returned
by the postal service. "Company no longer at this address. No forwarding
address given." A telephone call to them got a "telephone number no
longer in service, no information available" message. Looks like that's
it for AG. I hope they take a nice vacation with all our money!
(C.BRANDSEMA, CATegory 19, TOPic 6, Msg:7)
I seriously doubt that any of this has been a vacation for anyone
at Avant-Garde. (JEFF.W, CATegory 19, TOPic 6, Msg:9)
ONCE AND FOR ALL The official response is that if you are having a
"""""""""""""""" problem with your STE computer, then you should
return the unit to the place of purchase for repair or replacement or
you should contact Atari regarding the same. - John Townsend Atari Corp.
(TOWNS, CATegory 14, TOPic 40, Msg:325)
BANNER, ANYONE? We only post banners when we have room. We do get
""""""""""""""" complaints about large door files thus we don't place
every single request up but we do try where we can. When we do get a
request, we make sure the event or the file is here or the event is in
the very near future. We do not like to post a banner up for anything
that still has over a month to become a reality. This would be unfair
for our users and would make our door file excessively long.
(DARLAH, CATegory 11, TOPic 6, Msg:141)
///////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Anyone having trouble finding the WAACE show... /
/ Just look for the 4 square mile area that is blacked /
/ out because of Dave's Tesla Coil! :-)" /
/////////////////////////////////////////// STACE ///////
[EOA]
[ONL]//////////////////////////////
THE ONLINE LIBRARY /
/////////////////////////////////
Words With The Letter "Z" (Pt. I)
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
by Mel Motogawa
[M.MOTOGAWA]
No, you're not tuned in to your favorite game show. I'd like to
discuss a few programs for the ST that include the letter "Z" and will
make your use of GEnie, and the Atari ST(e), much more pleasurable.
Let's jump right in, first of all, with that big timesaver on
GEnie--the Z modem file transfer protocol.
Z WHAT? If you've ever downloaded files from a local bbs or GEnie,
""""""" you were eventually introduced to the various file transfer
protocols. Seems like there are protocols for every letter of the
alphabet, but they do serve a purpose. One of the fastest of these is
Z modem. The fact that Genie was willing to implement it says a lot on
how they're willing to go the extra mile in customer satisfaction.
Not many terminal programs for the ST have Z modem support built
in. But there are a number of Z modem programs around that can either
be executed from within a terminal program, if it supports this, or by
running them from the desktop.
Z BASICS Unlike other transfer modes that regularly pause to see if
"""""""" all is well, Z modem receives your data in a continuous
stream. It's kind of like a bus ride from point A to B with no
temporary stops in-between, if your phone line is clean. How nice! X
and Y modem are like a bus ride with a lot of mandatory stops in-
between, no matter how crystal clear your line is. Not as nice. Yet,
if your line is less than perfect, Z modem can start plugging away just
like X and Y modem. The first of many pluses in it's favor.
What if you were 25 minutes into a 30 minute d/l with X modem and
the line dies or goes to pot. Line noise garbles your transmission
until finally your term program throws up it's electrons in disgust and
aborts the transfer. Well--it's all about starting from scratch even
though you had most of the file downloaded. Guaranteed to put you in a
lousy mood especially if you're getting charged for the call.
Z GOOD STUFF But with Z modem, it doesn't have to be that way. If a
"""""""""""" transfer is aborted, the proper Z modem program can take
what it has of the file and save it to disk. Now, either wait awhile
for a cleaner line or redial the connection and start the transfer over
again. Z modem will check your download directory and if it finds a
file with the same name as the one you're downloading, it will skip
retransferring what you've already received and tell the host to just
send the rest, tying everything together into one tidy file. How's
that for convenience!
Z modem is also a batch protocol, meaning that you can download
more than one file at a time, just like Y modem. Specify which ones
you want and Z modem will send them one after another automatically. As
long as you have enough free space at your destination, everything's
peachy!
(During my daily logon routine with GEnie, I use a "m476,11" to
check out the new files in the ST Roundtable. If there's something I
like, I send a "6" for downloading. If there's more than one file I
need, I just type them into Flash's typeahead buffer and send them at
Genie's download request. For example -- "16609,16476,16490" [no spaces
between the file numbers, just a comma]. GEnie will show you only the
names of the files and then ask if you want them at Y or Z modem.
Specify Z and then go run your Z modem receive module.)
CHECK Z OUT A good way to get started with Z modem is to download
""""""""""" file #13099 XYZ.ARC. UnARC it and place the program
XYZ.TTP on the root directory of a disk or partition with plenty of
free space. If you have Flash, set up a function key with the command
">EX A:\XYZ.TTP|" (no quotation marks), substituting the drive with one
that reflects where you have XYZ.TTP. (The "|" character, BTW, is
obtained by hitting shift and the key just to the right of the Return
key and below the Delete key.) Now, when GEnie prompts you to start
the Z modem transfer, pop this function key one and you're on your way.
For those whose term program doesn't support the running of external
programs, you can still exit to the desktop and run XYZ.TTP for
downloads. (Be sure to save your capture buffer before bailing!)
IMHO, this little jewel by Alan Hamilton is the king of the Z
modem programs. There are other Z modem programs for the ST, but this
one has proven very reliable and bulletproof for me. It can also
download by X and Y modem and allows you to specify how many bad blocks
the program will tolerate before aborting, a _very_ handy feature with
noise-ridden lines. Also, I used to have a Z modem program that
wouldn't allow the restarting of a transfer, that was previously
aborted, where it left off. But XYZ.TTP works beautifully here.
XYZ.TTP is chocked full of wonderful features and the time spent in
mastering it is well worth it. Be sure to read the extensive docs to
realize it's full potential.
Z CONCLUSION Although X and Y modem have been around for a long time
"""""""""""" and are established standards in the telecom community,
give Z modem a try. Even if your term program doesn't support the
running of external programs and you have to drop back to the desktop
to run the Z modem receive module, the speed and convenience of Z modem
far outweighs any initial unfamiliarity in a new way. Z modem may not
cure the common cold, but it saves me a lot of time online which I
enjoy reinvesting in the files section and message bases of the ST
RoundTable.
13099 XYZ.ARC X A.HAMILTON1 891206 34020 879 7
Desc: ZMODEM downloading for the ST
[*][*][*]
[Editor's note: For maximum speed and economy, there is no better
combination then using Zmodem with a 2400 baud modem on GEnie. GEnie
Lamp heartily recommends this powerful combo.]
////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////////
/ "Y'know what's funny is that some people think I'm kidding /
/ in that I'm bringing a Tesla Coil to the show. I'm not. /
/ /
/ Really ..." /
///////////////////////////////////////////// DAVESMALL //////
[EOA]
[HEY]//////////////////////////////
HEY MISTER POSTMAN /
/////////////////////////////////
Is That A Letter For Me?
""""""""""""""""""""""""
o ATARI_TID_BITS
o WHAT'S NEW?
o ATARIAN MINDS WANT TO KNOW...
o HOT STUFF!
o BULLETIN BOARD SPOTLIGHT
>>> ATARI_TID_BITS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""
(Bits & Pieces From The Bulletin Board)
PAGE_1 "Before anyone gets upset, the new version of the Desktop is
"""""" shipping in all TT machines sold in Germany. As for the TT
Desktop on ST machines, there are no plans to do this at this time.
The TT Desktop is bigger than the original desktop. And as I have said
before.. there is very little room left in the ROMs. Certainly not
enough room for the TT Desktop." TOWNS@ATARI) [*][*][*] Someone
may indeed put TOS030 in a "normal" ST at some point.
PAGE 2 There is a CDAR (CD-ROM) here at the Atari area, the comment
"""""" yesterday was that Leonard says it will be released as soon as
product is available in the format. [*][*][*] Be aware a printer
buffer may _slow down_ output to your HPLJ IIP, the printer is probably
faster than the buffer. [*][*][*] The advantage of a true break is
that it can ALWAYS be discerned from valid data.
PAGE 3 All GEnie nodes now support 2400 baud. [*][*][*] GEnie
"""""" modems support MNP level 4 data correction. [*][*][*] A
CCITT modem will, 9 times out of 10, connect and talk to a BELL modem.
[*][*][*] Spectre 3.0 is looking very good, definitely faster in HD
IO and the Mac sound was working very nicely. [*][*][*] Lynx Auto
Adapter which allows two Lynx units to be powered from your car's
cigarette lighter is now available from Atari. Order Part #PA3300 at
$19.95.
PAGE 4 Flash's HG command doesn't send a long break, it just toggles
"""""" the DTR line which will hang up your modem if you have it
configured to recognize the DTR toggle. To send a long break with
Flash you press Shift-Clrhome [*][*][*] Look for a demo of the new DC
Xtract 2.0 soon. Actually, it does more than just extract, but...
[*][*][*] Watch out, though, folks. A little birdie told me recently
that there has been a nasty virus sighting in Europe that _does_ attach
itself to programs. If is quite large and infected files will be
appreciably longer. [J.EIDSVOOG1]
>>> WHAT'S NEW? <<<
"""""""""""""""""""
F-19 UPDATE Check in the MicroProse base in Scorpia's RT. They have
""""""""""" the fix for F-19 and will support U.S. import buyers on
this one update. They are saying that you should send your disk along
with a note to customer service in their Maryland office. See the MP
section in Scorpia's RT for more info. (Page 805, Cat. 12.) They are
developing M1 Tank platoon in the U.S. and will support it. All future
MP ST products will be developed and supported by their British unit.
(R.GRIDLEY, CATegory 9, TOPic 9, Msg:45/50)
ATARIFEST A new updated file on the AtariFest has been uploaded to
""""""""" GEnie. The file is WAACE-3.ARC and is number 16520. This
file contains all the fest info including an extensive vendor list and
Seminar topic list. Give the file a look for the latest in WAACE
AtariFest '90 information.....
(R.BROWN, CATegory 11, TOPic 6, Msg:150)
DIAMOND BACK II I just uploaded a patch program to Data Library 2 to
""""""""""""""" upgrade Diamond Back II V2.10 to V2.11 This patch
primarily fixes a few bugs concerning image backups of BGM(1024+ byte
per sector) partitions. The file number is 16487. You must have
upgraded to V2.10 to use this patch program.
With the increased use of TOS 1.4 and TOS 1.6 with it's built in
caching ability, the utility (read value added) of a separate cache is
not as great as it used to be. At my insistence, Diamond Back II is
being unbundled from Diamond Cache and the prices of Diamond Back II
and Diamond Cache are being reduced. For those Diamond Back II
purchasers who require a cache, the new Diamond Back II packages are
being shipped with 60% off coupons for Diamond Cache. (Note that the
Diamond Back II package still includes Diamond Find and Diamond Format.)
The upgrade policy remains unchanged i.e. if you are upgrading from
V1.04 you'll still get Diamond Cache with your upgrade for the upgrade
fee of $10 or $15 with a new manual. If you are upgrading to V2.11 from
anything else, then you already have Diamond Cache and the upgrade is
free via the uploaded patch programs.
If you have any questions, please contact Data Innovations at
(812) 438-3733. (B.LUNESKI1, CATegory 2, TOPic 42, Msg:55)
INFORMER II I called up Dick today and asked about Moniterm support.
""""""""""" He said he thought it worked in the earlier versions but
that the current one may not, although it's being addressed. If you're
already a registered owner, call them up for the latest version which
is 2.02, it's well worth it. Soft-Aware will be at the Glendale Atari-
fest if any and all would like to check Informer II out and buy a copy.
It's a terrific database!
(M.MOTOGAWA, CATegory 6, TOPic 4, Msg:52)
HYPERLINK To keep people informed, work is progressing heavily on
""""""""" HyperLINK towards its release (set for COMDEX). Due to
timeline problems the demo I've planned to upload has been delayed
slightly, but it will be showing up shortly. Thank you for all those
who have sent messages with suggestions and support. This will
definitely be a slam-bang product (though I must admit I'm biased!)...
(G.GECZY1, CATegory 6, TOPic 32, Msg:12)
MUG SHOT! Well, the wait is over. MUG SHOT! the DEMO will be uploaded
""""""""" Friday, September 14th (yes, 1990 too). It's been a long
hard road, but it's worth it. Watch for it!
The contest rules have nearly been finalized and we only await some
input from the sysops here to fine tune them. Anyone is eligible for
the contest here on GEnie except the sysops (sorry) and also the folks
who purchased or will purchase MUG SHOT! prior to September 14th, 1990
(they have a contest of their own for showing such faith in WizWorks!)
(C.WALTERS1, CATegory 7, TOPic 6, Msg:62)
CALAMUS FONT GUIDE To get your copy of the Calamus Font Guide, leave
"""""""""""""""""" me E_Mail detailing your address and how you want
to be notified of updates, along with your VISA number or send mail
order, personal cheque, etc. for $20 to Page Design, 8 Hollis Crescent,
Holland Landing, Ontario, Canada L0G 1H0. Seems mail to the US from
here is taking around 9 days, so if you mail a cheque, you should have
the Guide in about 3 weeks (18 days).
(S.CEROVICH, CATegory 16, TOPic 13, Msg:34/25)
DC DESKTOP We will have the new version of DC Desktop at the Glendale
"""""""""" show. Some of the new features include:
o Folders on the desktop.
o Color icons.
o Positioning of icon letters.
o Random desktop picture.
o A terminal program (accessible thru a keystroke).
o Access to all of the DC Desktop modules thru built-in keystrokes.
o Access to desk accessories via keystrokes.
o A new and greatly improved 88 page manual!
Upgrades are available at the show for $7.50 for the disk and $7.50
for the manual. Bring your original disk if you desire to upgrade.
(DOUBLE-CLICK, CATegory 30, TOPic 11)
QUICK ST II version 2.2 ships today. Users who sent their Quick ST
""""""""""" 2.0 disks in for updating to 2.1 will receive version 2.2
within the next few days. Please download the file QST22.TXT file
#16486 for more info.
(DAREKM, CATegory 2, TOPic 13, Msg:94)
HYPERCACHE 68030 I just saw a 68030 accelerator from the Hypercache
"""""""""""""""" folks in ST USER. They had a "MEGA" board with 30
megahertz 128 ram cache, patched TOS 1.4 and is said to run two times
faster than the TT!! Looks impressive, any thoughts on this board as I
am seriously looking for speed but don't want to be outdated by this
"plug in" screamer! Are you going to go this route also and if so will
T16 be a part of it or not? If anybody has info on prices for the 030
board in the UK please clue us in. I don't want to sound like I'm
knocking your great product I just want the best for my MEGA.
(D.BASTILLE, CATegory 4, TOPic 11, Msg:243)
The ProVME board is 25Mhz only, and is 2500DM or $1700US. There
are some serious incompatibilities...needless too...so I'd do some
research before sinking big bucks in. The 030 I planned was going to be
a T16 addon but turned into requiring a whole new board. As far as I
know they are just barely beginning to sell them, you would want to let
it come out first. Be careful where you buy things too, these boards
have custom Tos versions that are language specific!!! A UK version
will want to see the UK keyboard, etc.
(J.ALLEN27, CATegory 4, TOPic 11, Msg:245)
NEODESK 3.0 MULTILOADER To coincide with the 1st US Public Sales of
""""""""""""""""""""""" NeoDesk 3.0 I've finally decided to update,
document and release NeoDesk MultiLoader. This is the combined version
of INF_LOAD and Canvas that I mentioned about 5 months ago. It has all
the features of both with a few more added in. In addition to loading
PI?, PC? and INF files, it now loads macro files (.MAC), desktop notes
files (.NOT) and Neochrome files (.NEO). It works with NeoDesk 2.0
(revision 2.05) and NeoDesk 3.0.
(V.AVERELLO, CATegory 17, TOPic 6, Msg:57)
16499 NDMULTI.ARC X V.AVERELLO 900914 6300 98 2
Desc: INF_LOAD & Canvas Replacement
NEW VERSION OF TYPECAD Notice to all TypeCAD owners: The newest
"""""""""""""""""""""" update of TypeCAD will be mailed to you on
Monday Sept. 17th. The SAVE routine has been modified to ensure 100%
Calamus 1.09N compatibility. (Sorry about that :-)) The newest version
has some small things improved, as well, like locking your rulers and
visual indication of defined characters being the more prominent
changes, as well as the ability to load protected Compugraphic fonts
and saving them as unprotected. A great feature for those who want to
delete any unused international characters, add special characters or
otherwise modify any CG font that you might own.
(G.RODGERS2, CATegory 5, TOPic 4, Msg:40)
NEW ICD HOST ADAPTER We will be introducing a new "high end" host
"""""""""""""""""""" adapter soon called the AdSCSI Pro ST. It was
shown at Duesseldorf but haven't had time to finish it. The retail will
be $200. It will have a CPU on it and support full arbitration as well
as other features. While it is more costly, it will give you what you
want, (i.e. you can plug a Mac into the SCSI port without disconnecting
the ST Host from the bus).
(ICDINC, CATegory 4, TOPic 55, Msg:131)
DA VINCI-DELUXE PAINT ST We originally called our paint program "Da
"""""""""""""""""""""""" Vinci". Later, Electronic Arts picked it up
and is publishing the package as "Deluxe Paint ST". As a comparison,
DPST (Deluxe Paint ST) has most of the features of Deluxe Paint III, and
DPST has many features not available in DP III. Also, DPST is faster
and much more memory efficient. We have more drawing modes, multiple
animations in memory at the same time, a built in font system (with
kerning), and the list goes on... ST Format October issue has a demo
and a large article concerning DPST. This issue will be in America by
the end of this week.
(A.PABON, CATegory 7, TOPic 16, Msg:3)
DC UTILITIES V2.0 Keeping our fingers crossed, we hope to have the
""""""""""""""""" new DC Utilities V2.0 ready by the WAACE show, and
we hope to have a demo of some of the programs (including the _awesome_
DC Xtract 2.0) up before then. Throw away your ARC shell, DC Xtract 2.0
is coming! It is a totally new concept for manipulating ARC, LZH, ZIP
and ZOO on the ST (and TT :-)! DC Xtract 2.0 is _completely_ full-
screen oriented. You won't be let down by this product at all! Paul
has done a fantastic job!!! Be sure to send in your registration card
if you haven't done so yet. This is a _very_ significant upgrade for
the entire DC Utilities (plus we are adding a few programs to it).
(DOUBLE-CLICK, CATegory 30, TOPic 12, Msg:168)
>>> ATARIAN MINDS WANT TO KNOW! <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
(Facts, Fiction & Maybe)
STE TOWER One of the interesting things I saw at the show was Norm
""""""""" Weinress' STE installed in a tower case. Very neat looking
and I hear he is working with someone who wants to put together a kit
with the case and appropriate cables, etc.
(D.FLORY, CATegory 11, TOPic 19, Msg:100)
REALLY? 8 WEEKS? FCC certification should only take 8 weeks if there
""""""""""""""""" are no problems. Leonard said it will ship at
Comdex at the Glendale Show.
(S.WHITNEY, CATegory 14, TOPic 35, Msg:175)
ST TOS030 Here in Germany already two hackers did modify TOS 1.6 (for
""""""""" the STE) so that it run on a ST, too.
(T.TEMPLEMANN, CATegory 3, TOPic 3, Msg:24)
LDW 2.0 Regarding the finality of the current incarnation of LDW.
""""""" The last time I upgraded it, a few months ago, the lady
helping me with it said, "I really shouldn't be telling anybody, but...
they are currently working on 2.0 (or whatever the next full number is)
and it should be done soon." (I take no responsibility regarding her
statement's validity.)
(GSCOTT-MOORE, CATegory 6, TOPic 2, Msg:90)
AMIGA 2640 ACCELERATOR Rumor has it that Amiga has had a 2640
"""""""""""""""""""""" accelerator card ready for a LONG time already.
(J.JIMENEZ, CATegory 18, TOPic 22, Msg:453)
SUPERCHARGER & VGA When I've talked with Talon they insist that the
"""""""""""""""""" VGA card is NOT vaporware... hang in there 'till
COMDEX - maybe there'll be a surprise or two. :-)
(MRAYMOND, CATegory 33, TOPic 2, Msg:19)
EXPANSION BOX? Spoke with Mr. Miller. He has received a FAX from
"""""""""""""" Germany showing off the expansion box -- could be about
one month away!! (and I forgot to ask how many slots).
(R.ZACCANO, CATegory 33, TOPic 3, Msg:120)
SMALLER LYNX Rumors state that Atari is close to releasing a new
"""""""""""" version of the Lynx (the smaller one). Also, Current
Notes reports that Nintendo is worried about releasing their 'Super
Famacom' in the US because they think that Atari is working on a 16-Bit
home game system!
(ERIDDLE, CATegory 36, TOPic 2, Msg:117)
FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER We're hoping to ship the ST version of Flight
"""""""""""""""""""""" of the Intruder by the end of this year. Will
keep you posted on its progress.
(HOLOBYTE, CATegory 9, TOPic 34, Msg:139)
>>> HOT STUFF! <<<
""""""""""""""""""
o POSSIBLE LAWSUIT: CATegory 31, TOPic 9
o PIRATED APPLE ROMS: CATegory 26, TOPic 9
>>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
-----------
Category 19, Topic 6
Message 19 Tue Sep 18, 1990
NEVIN-S at 09:26 EDT
Well I have not spoken with the folks from AvantGarde for months
now. I do think the whole thing is a tragedy. For those who have
working boards (and scanning this category you will find a number of
happy users), PC Ditto II is a fine product. But of course, many folks
do not have working boards and those people may have lost their $150.00.
And for Bill and Ginny Teal, well I found them to be terrific people and
this is obviously horrible for them as well. Nobody likes to fail at
anything, and this was a pretty public failure. Perhaps the company
will resurface with a solution...I certainly hope so.
The one lesson users can learn is the one that HERM said in the
previous message: "Buyer Beware." It is best not to pre-order a
product, that is all there is to it. Look at all the folks who paid
$75 for Zoomracks III and got NOTHING. While a good number of PCDII
owners are satisfied, a good number are not satisfied (or maybe never
even received their board).
Unless the money means nothing to you, I think it is best to
resist the temptation to be the "first kid on the block" to have a
product. Wait until it is out and you have heard how it works. You
may pay a little more, but you will be taking the safer route, for
sure. --Nevin
-----------
-----------
Category 19, Topic 6
Message 20 Tue Sep 18, 1990
D.A.BRUMLEVE [kidprgs] at 10:36 CDT
Not only buyers, but also developers, can learn a valuable lesson
from this unhappy situation. I think it's unwise to solicit orders
before a product is truly shipping. And it's very wise to have a large
number of beta testers using a wide variety of machines, not only so
that you can arrange compatibility with the hardware and software out
there, but also so that your advertising can be precise as to system
requirements and so that you can anticipate areas which will require
support.
[*][*][*] [*][*][*]
While on GEnie, do you spend most of your time downloading files?
If so, you may be missing out some excellent information in the Bulletin
Board area. The messages listed above only scratch the surface of
what's available and waiting for you in the bulletin board area.
If you are serious about your Atari, the GEnie Lamp staff strongly
urge you to give the bulletin board area a try. There are literally
thousands of messages posted from people like you from all over the
world.
[EOA]
[TEL]//////////////////////////////
TELETALK ONLINE /
/////////////////////////////////
Who Is That Girl?
"""""""""""""""""
GEnie Lamp >>> Hi, Darlah. First off, I'd like to say thanks for
"""""""""""""" taking time out from your busy schedule here on GEnie
to meet with me. Let's start off with with what you do best, GEnie.
What exactly do you do here?
Darlah >>> Describe what I do...hmm, what _do_ I do? <smile>
"""""""""" Well, my daily tasks consist of logging on and answer
mail on various subjects from where to find a file to how do you upload
a message to, "I just want to talk and learn more about my machine."
My mail volume is quite large but I enjoy the connection with the
users. I wouldn't have it any other way. My concern is for those that
feel that we are too busy (my staff and I) to get any additional mail.
I want them to write. I want them to ask. I also want them to know
that no question is too easy. We all start from somewhere and learn
from others. I didn't even know how to format a disk when I purchased
my first computer.
The next thing I do is check who is online. Then enter each of
the three bulletin boards that I help maintain. I read all the new
messages several times a day. Sometimes I feel like I live online but
when there are less than a normal amount of messages, I feel lost. At
these rare times I get the opportunity to enjoy my outside interests.
In the bulletin board, we move messages to their proper spot,
delete blank messages, answer some of the queries and try to maintain
some sort of order to make the bulletin board easier.
I also check files when I can. I feel I need to know what is in
each area. My staff does an EXCELLENT job in not only helping with all
aspects but they also inform me of anything questionable.
In between the general maintenance that gets done, we also place
up banners, I write help files, create contests, surveys etc... Where I
can, I like to appear and demo GEnie at user group shows. I also spend
a great deal of time on the telephone when controversy and hot subjects
and files appear on this system. GEnie is always quite interesting and
holds my attention - I never tire of the job. Although it usually
consumes 10+ hours a day, 7 days a week, I feel ever so lucky to be
able to be in this position.
I enjoy being a sysop as it gives me a chance to connect with
others with a similar interest. It gives me a chance to help out where
I can and learn as well. It is one of the most satisfying jobs that I
feel I could have.
GEnie Lamp >>> GEnie is going through a lot of changes, many of which
"""""""""""""" are starting this month. How do you feel about this?
DARLAH >>> I feel very positive about the changes that are taking
"""""""""" place on GEnie. I think they are aimed at easing the
cost of the users as well as giving them the capability to check out
areas they might feel were frivolous on their budget at a great
price. There are more surprises in store next year as well. Will the
users enjoy the changes? I am positive they will.
GEnie Lamp>>> What other areas on GEnie do you spend your "extra"
""""""""""""" time.
DARLAH>>> Besides the ST RT, the Atari 8 bit RT and the Portfolio RT,
""""""""" you will find me in the Science Fiction RT, the Writers RT,
the NPC RT, the Michtron RT, Easy Sabre, NewsGrid, Bowen's column and
the Cards RT. I very rarely am able to do all of them but I rotate and
get to them when I can.
GEnie Lamp>>> Let's turn to our favorite topic, Atari. Start from
""""""""""""" the beginning. How did you get hooked on Atari?
DARLAH>>> You will laugh. I bought an Atari pong game machine from a
""""""""" Thriftys drugstore in Hollywood, California. It was a weak
moment. It was 3 am in the morning. Yes, the stores were open 24
hours there. After my hands started hurting from non stop play, I
realized that I needed something more than a game machine. I saw an ad
from Atari in the local newspaper for an Atari 800. I brought it home,
and found it was exactly what I needed. Soon after that I purchased a
300 baud modem and my world has not been the same since. The 800 was
a new Atari product and each and everytime they introduced a new
machine, I bought one.
GEnie Lamp >>> What is your latest toy?
""""""""""""""
DARLAH >>> My latest toy is my fax modem by Michtron. I love it and
"""""""""" it does what I want.
GEnie Lamp >>> When not online, do you use your Atari for other
"""""""""""""" applications?
DARLAH >>> I find myself using my machine for Desktop Publishing.
""""""""""
GEnie Lamp >>> Is there anything that you wish your Atari could do,
"""""""""""""" or do better?
DARLAH >>> Yes, I wish my Atari multitasked. I have a great need to
"""""""""" do several things at once. I would love to be able to
jump in and out of programs as I need them while still staying resident
in my machine.
GEnie Lamp >>> Over the years Atari has certainly had it's ups and
"""""""""""""" downs... which direction do you feel Atari is now
heading?
DARLAH >>> I feel very optimistic with Atari with Elie Kenan in
"""""""""" charge. I was losing hope for the viability of Atari in
the US but since Elie Kenan has been at Atari US, I have seen some very
positive changes. Although Atari does not do things quite like I would
all the time, I feel they are heading in the right direction. I am
hoping '91 is the true year of Atari.
GEnie Lamp >>> Finally, what about the _real_ Darlah? What's the
"""""""""""""" other side like... the side we don't see?
DARLAH >>> Most of us live here. I mean my outside life for me
"""""""""" consists of working out at the gym, boating when weather
is good and throwing my machines from here to there out of frustration
when they don't work.
I have a special guy in my life but he lives too far away. I have
his picture sitting on my computer. It tends to stop me from
destroying the mega that seems to have a bad DMA port and a loose MMU
chip. My dealer seems to have glued the cover down. This makes it
very interesting. I am now learning patience and an understanding for
my floppy users. All I can say to that is, "Get a hard drive" and I
need to get my machines fixed.
I also have an intense reading habit where there is rarely a day
that I don't fall asleep with a book. I like to read real life crime
books, fantasy and books of psychological interest. I also used to
paint in my other life. At 3 years old I used to draw pictures on the
wall that my older brother would then get in trouble for. It brings a
smile to my face as he used to get me in trouble in later years all the
time. :-)
At 12 I entered a contest and won a scholarship to the New York
Art Institute. My mom would not let me go. <big sigh> I would sell my
paintings on the beach and try to get some surfing done as time
allowed. I used to paint whatever the traffic wanted. Occasionally I
would get to paint what I wanted. When traffic was less than busy at
the beach, I would pay someone to sell my wares (paintings) while I
found solitude on my surfboard. I miss those days but one needs money
to live. I still paint, but only on rare occasions. Who has the time?
While I lived in San Diego, I was involved in manning a suicide
help line and also one for abuse. I think if I could feel a sense of
accomplishment, it would be when and if I could reach a dream I have
had for years. If hours in the day got extended and government funds
were there, I would like to be part of a team that would invest their
time in halting abuse before it starts. I feel as if this is such a
pipe dream at times but it is something I truly want to be involved
with.
GEnie Lamp >>> Fascinating! Are there any last words you would like
"""""""""""""" to add to sum it all up?
DARLAH >>> I find GEnie quite rewarding as it connects me with people
"""""""""" from various backgrounds and interests. Online
communication gives me the ability to connect with a greater amount of
people than I ever would be able to otherwise.
GEnie is not just a job but a place to find an answer to a query,
create friendships, share common concerns and even argue about those
points you don't agree on. I feel lucky to be given the opportunity to
connect with so many people. I also enjoy helping where I can. GEnie
allows me to do so.
With this job, I get the opportunity to meet the faces behind the
names at shows that we attend. The next show will be at WAACE. I look
forward to seeing familiar faces as well as meeting new ones. Do stop
by and say hello. Don't worry if I appear to be busy. I am never too
busy to say hello.
[EOA]
[TIP]//////////////////////////////
ATARI_QWIK_TIPS /
/////////////////////////////////
Atarians Helping Atarians
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
o INSTALLING A SOCKET FOR A NEW CPU
o DESKJET HINT
o SUPERCHARGER TIP
o MUTANT ST
o LYNX TRYX
NEW CPU SOCKET What is the 'best' way to remove the 68000 from the ST
"""""""""""""" and install a socket for the new cpu? I have a bit of
soldering experience as I have recently installed the datafree memory
board with the 19 solder points.
(W.CHOW, CATegory 4, TOPic 10, Msg:102)
Well - here's one way to do it: tools required:
o diagonal cutters
o desolder iron (the one with the bulb from Radio shack)
o desolder wick
o solder
o soldering gun
o prayer - "If I screw this up, it is entirely my fault and
I will hold Mr. Raymond in all ways blameless."
o prayer 2: "Dear God, don't let me **** up!"
A) Stare at your machine - you will never see again this way.
B) Open 'er up (You've already done this).
C) Take the diagonal cutters - a deep breath and cut all the pins
from your CPU chip into the board - do not excessively flex
the board.
D) Your goal at this time is to simply get the chip out of the
way - your chip will be total loss - if you can find one you
might want to get a replacement.
E) Using the desoldering iron - remove the solder and (hopefully)
the pin remnants from the board on the backside - you may need
to trim the pins on the upper side of the board so they may
fit through the tiny little holes on the board. If you suck
the solder and the pin is still there you can try the desolder
wick. Another trick is to add solder so you have enough to
suck on.
F) Having removed all the IC pins and the solder from the holes,
use the desolder wick to clean up.
G) Insert your socket and solder it in.
H) Inspect the board to ensure that there are no solder balls or
other junk to cause a short check you socket joints to ensure
that there are no cold soldered joints.
I) Plug your new chip in - put your machine together and test it.
J) If it works say, "Boy that Raymond sure knows his stuff!"
J2) If it doesn't work say, "Raymond knows his stuff and I screwed
up!"
Generic notes: If you live in a low humidity location - take anti-
static precautions. Be sure to use rosin cored solder - do not under
any circumstances use acid core solder or acid flux. Use a LOW wattage
soldering iron. Do NOT flex, bend, look at crossly, or drop your
motherboard - treat it like a million bucks (it doesn't cost quite that
much... but a pretty good %).
As always anything you do based on this file is your own fault. If
you don't feel comfortable doing it - take it to a tech. You have been
warned. If this is your first time to desolder something you might buy
a cheap radio or a broken electronic thingie at a garage sale to
practice on. Have fun and remember your prayers.
(MRAYMOND, CATegory 4, TOPic 10, Msg:103)
DESKJET HINT I think the problem is that DeskJets (and lasers,
"""""""""""" possibly) don't actually have sixty-six printable lines.
66 is the number you get by multiplying the eleven inch page by six
lines per inch. The DJ won't print on the bottom half-inch, and the
Laserjet has a quarter inch border around the whole page. These are
UNPRINTABLE areas, unlike a tractor feed DMP that can essentially print
on the whole page.
To test to see if this is the case, try creating a simple ASCII
file like this:
1
2
3
... (all the way down to
64
65
66
In other words, just a number on each line. Then print this ASCII
file from the desktop to your DeskJet. I'll bet you will find that at
least three of these lines run over onto the next page.
The solution of course is to find out how many lines the DJ
actually will print, and tell VIP/LOTUS/LDW etc. that number instead
of 66. (R.GRANT11, CATegory 16, TOPic 4, Msg:58)
SUPERCHARGER TIP I am glad to say that I found out the solution to
"""""""""""""""" the problem of poor text on the SuperCharger! If
you are tired of squinting to be able to read your directories then
here is the answer....
Download a program called NANSI.ARC. After unARCing it you will
find a file called NANS88.SYS. Copy this to your root directory (the
one you boot dos with). Then edit your CONFIG.SYS file to include
DEVICE=NANS88.SYS.
Download a program called BAKERS.ARC. After unARCing it you will
find two programs called SET_SCRN.EXE and SETSCRN.COM. The EXE program
when run will let you choose the type of text you would like and then
will create the SETSCRN.COM file. Copy the file to your boot directory
and then edit your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to include the SETSCRN.COM file.
Then reboot the system and now you have good bold text!
For your convenience, the SETSCRN.COM file has already been set
for bold text, so after unzipping, you can just go ahead copy the file
to your boot directory!
(S.HARRISON, CATegory 33, TOPic 3, Msg:122)
(Available only in the IBM RoundTable Library. [M 615])
7035 NANSI987.ARC X BURT.R 871118 27720 759 4
Desc: ENHANCED ANSI.SYS 9-87 REL 4-VER
5481 BAKE12-1.ARC X BURT.R 870712 86940 271 5
Desc: JIM BUTTON'S NEW UTILS 1 OF 3 PARTS
5482 BAKE12-2.ARC X BURT.R 870712 85680 239 5
Desc: PART 2 OF BAKE12-1/J. Button Utils
5484 BAKE12-3.ARC X BURT.R 870712 90720 218 5
Desc: Pt 3 of 3 by J.Button/BTTNCALC.EXE
5485 BAKETXT.ARC X BURT.R 870712 7560 232 5
Desc: User File for BAKE12-1,-2,-3.ARCs
MUTANT ST Note that if an STer has a Mega, it is fairly 'easy' to
""""""""" move the mother-board into a Baby AT clone case. I did
this a half year ago. I moved the motherboard into the case with the
back ports facing the outside, with their nudging the edge. I
positioned and anchored the motherboard by first placing the board on
top of perf board material, securing it with double stick tape. I then
used Velcro tape on the perf board and anchored this to the Baby AT's
bottom pan. Motherboard was now secure, back ports exposed.
The cartridge port was carefully removed via solder sucking. It
was removed because it would not provide sufficient clearance for any
cartridge inside of the clone case. The cartridge receptacle, now
removed, was doctored so that when reinstalled, it would face angling
upwards. I had room now for my Spectre GCR to fit *inside* of the
clone case.
I never liked the supplied floppy mechanism and replaced it with a
Teac mechanism, mounting it in the appropriate bay. My SeaGate 296n
also slid into its own bay. I still have room to spare for another
hard drive and even a SyQuest and there would still be room for other
goodies!
For those who want to contemplate this project, use a cardboard
template for initial sizing. Also be aware that your motherboard is
very delicate and not happy about being flexed during the installation.
Find a dealer who can hold your hand, if possible. You've got a power
switch, reset switch, and turbo switch to hook up. These are located
on the front on the clone case, WHERE THEY SHOULD BE.
The end result is very rewarding and not the difficult. And as
usual, don't blame Atari for smoke if you do this!!!
(LRYMAL, CATegory 4, TOPic 36, Msg:85)
LYNX TRYX I was reading the APE (Atari Portable Entertainment) news-
""""""""" letter and I quote Clinton Smith, "On level TRYX, as soon as
your ship leaves the base, press the joypad down and to the right. When
the level starts, your ship will go down through a secret hole in the
steel floor. Go through the tight squeezes until you reach a gate.
Enter the gate, and you will reach a secret level. The level has all 4
of the weapons and your opponents are the heads of the Lynx designers
and programmers!" I tried it also and got it to work. As soon as you
leave the base go through the steel floor right in front of the first
tank, and then slide through the narrow openings. The faces are pretty
funny to look at and shoot (grin). I had never seen two of those
weapons before and I'm glad they added this addition.
(S.FEENEY, CATegory 36, TOPic 2, Msg:113/115)
////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////////
/ "I kinda liked Dave Small idea for retiring old hard drives; /
/ hook up the 12v side to a couple of lantern batteries out /
/ on the shooting range, let the drive spin up to speed, back /
/ off a good distance and put a hole through the drive with /
/ your favorite assault rifle." /
/////////////////////////////////////////// ST-INFORMER //////
[EOA]
[FUN]//////////////////////////////
ONLINE FUNNIES /
/////////////////////////////////
CowTOONS!
"""""""""
By Steve "Hawk" Schultz
(Head of Heifer Control)
(__)
* (__) (oo)
\ (oo) /------\/
\-------\/ /| |/ |
| ==$ || / | [) ||
||----|| * ||----||
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
"Old "One Arm" belonged "This cow was given to
to Ceasar's Palace" Hugh Hefner for his Birthday"
////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///////
/ "I'm sure the new desktop will be available right after the /
/ blitter upgrade is available for 1040's and 520's :-(" /
/////////////////////////////////////////// TIMPURVES ///////
[EOA]
[HEL]//////////////////////////////
HELP!!! /
/////////////////////////////////
(NOT) For Beginners Only
""""""""""""""""""""""""
o 2400 = MORE!: MORE_BANG_PER_BUCK IN THE ATARI RT
By John Peters
o GEnie Qwik_TIP: TO HHH OR NOT TO HHH?
By Sandy Wilson
2400 = MORE! With 2400 baud you can get more bang-per-buck when
"""""""""""" logging onto the Atari ST RoundTable by doing a little
pre-planning. Knowing what you want can save you money. How?
KNOW YOUR PROGRAM Obvious, but important. The better you know your
''''''''''''''''' terminal program, the less fumbling around it will
take to get the results you want. Remember, the keyword here is speed.
2400 baud will bring you little advantage if you're trying to figure out
how to turn on your buffer or start a download while in the RoundTable.
Know how to turn on, save and clear your buffer capture. Know what
commands start your download. If needed, have a template by your
computer for fast reference.
Many programs allow you to set up macros or function keys to
execute various key-presses. By utilizing these features, you can
initiate a file transfer with the press of a single key. If your
program has such a feature, use it to your advantage.
GETTING THE LEAD OUT As you've probably already found out, menus are
'''''''''''''''''''' sloooooow. Sure menus are helpful, but if you
already know what you're going to do, who needs them? Turn the menus
off by entering a C at any GEnie prompt. By using the command mode, the
system will be speed up considerably since it doesn't have to print out
the complete menu. (Don't worry if you get lost as the familiar menu
is but a question mark away - just type ? to re-display it.)
The same thing goes for the bulletin board area. To save time,
while in the bulletin board area, type PROMPT, then BRIEF<c/r> to
shorten the message base commands. (To get them back, type PROMPT, then
FULL<c/r>.)
TURN THE PAGE Another cost-saving procedure it to get into the habit
''''''''''''' of using the page number instead of RT's keyword.
Typing "ST" will get you there, but by using the page number you can
speed up things considerably. (More on this later.) With the Atari
RoundTable, there are only two page numbers that you need to remember.
1) Page 475. This is the main menu you see when entering the RT.
2) Page 476. This is the library menu.
To go to the main menu area, enter M475<c/r>. Likewise, to go to
the library menu, enter M476<c/r>.
HOME SWEET HOME Use a GEnie Star*Services area for a "home base."
''''''''''''''' Since the clock is not running in a Star*Services
area, there is no rush. You can now take all the time you need to
decide exactly what you want to do _before_ you enter the Atari RoundTable.
Are you interested in seeing the list of new files? Maybe you want to
capture all of the latest messages in the bulletin board area. Want to
capture the latest issue of the online version of GEnie Lamp? Now is
the time to decide.
READY, SET, GO! Okay, you're now at Page 200 (GEnie Mail) or some
''''''''''''''' other GEnie Star*Services area. You've decided that
you want to capture all the messages that were posted since you've last
logged on. The modem is fired up and you're finger is hovering over the
capture on key. Let's capture all the new messages first. (I'm
assuming here that you have visited the bulletin board area previously.
If you have never visited the bulletin board area, (or if it has been
awhile since you've last checked in) you may want to clear all the
current messages and start fresh--or you may find yourself capturing
several hundred messages! For more details on how to do this, see ASK
MS. GEnie in GEnie Lamp, issue 1.01.)
The idea here is to get into the bulletin board area, get the new
messages and get out as quickly as possible. To do this, simply type
M475;1. This command will take you to Page 475 and it will then
_automatically_ select option 1, the bulletin board area. Once you get
to the bulletin board prompt, turn on your capture buffer and type BRO
NOR. All the new messages posted since your last visit will now fly
across your screen. Once you have captured the last message, type M200
(or some other GEnie Star*Services area) to turn the clock off. The
trick here to be in the pay-as-you-go area long enough to get what you
need.
Capturing a new file list follows the same basic procedure, but in
this case you would enter M476;11. Once again, move back to your GEnie
Star*Service area once you have the list. Now, decide which files you
want to download. When ready, enter M476;6. The next prompt you will
see will be the download files prompt. Always, always, always choose a
batch protocol. (Z modem should be your transfer protocol of choice.
See [ONL]ine Library for information on how to use Z modem.) X modem
is definitely out as it is too slow and requires too many steps.
If you follow these procedures, you will find that you will be able
to spend less time, less money and reap more benefits from the ST
RoundTable. In short, you'll get more bang per buck!
To help you get started, print the following chart and keep it
handy.
>>> PRINT ME! <<<
"""""""""""""""""
On [PAGE 475] to go to: Type: Action:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Atari ST Bulletin Board M 475;1 (Capture on)
Atari ST Real-Time Conference M 475;2 (Capture optional)
About the RoundTable M 475;4 (Capture on)
GEnie Lamp - The Online Magazine M 475;5 (Capture on)
On [PAGE 476] to go to: Type: Action:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Description of this Library M 476;1 (Capture on)
Directory of files M 476;2 (Capture on)
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GEnie QWIK_TIP The HHH sequence is suggested for ALL baud rates,
"""""""""""""" because not all nodes default to the same rate at this
time. If you use the HHH you know that GEnie will connect at the rate
you're set for. If you do not use the HHH, you may or may not have
trouble logging on, and it will take longer for the U# prompt to appear.
A pause of 1/2 to 1 second is suggested, because there can be mis-
communication if the HHHs are sent too fast. GEnie seems to expect
them to be at the speed you would manually type them, but again, there
is some variation due to the individual node, or even the quality of
the individual local lines.
Bottom line: if it works, don't worry. If it doesn't, experiment
with the HHH combination.
(SANDY.W, CATegory 8, TOPic 11, Msg:39)
/////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///////////
/ "(Another hand goes up in the crowd) Mark me down for one of /
/ them there TT to Moniterm interface cables/boards/widgets. /
/ Hope somebody works out how to do it sometime soon." /
/ /
/ "I'll stand in line for that too. Gee, that's almost ten /
/ orders already, for a product that doesn't even exist! :)" /
/////////////////////////////// JLS / C.F.JOHNSON ////////////
[EOA]
[COO]//////////////////////////////
A REALLY COOK'N ST /
/////////////////////////////////
Cooking On The ST
"""""""""""""""""
By Terry Quinn
[T.QUINN1]
MICRO KITCHEN COMPANION is a commercial recipe management program
by Concept Development Associates Inc. of Bethesda Maryland. It was
one of the earliest commercial releases for the ST and looks it.
First - What I liked:
One of the best parts of this program (or series of programs if
you wish to look at it that way) is the wide varied assortment of
recipes which are available from these people. Not only were they
generous to provide over 100 recipes with the initial release but made
over 5 additional disks of recipes available as well. They even
rewarded you for registering by sending you one of these additional
recipe disks free. Now thats the way to provide incentive to purchase
and register a product.
To their credit, all of the basic recipe functions (entering
information, resizing recipes, printing recipes, shopping lists, etc.)
all work exactly as described in the documentation. While the printed
information is entirely Apple II oriented, there is extensive on-disk
documentation and help files as well.
What I didn't like:
This program has beyond a doubt the crudest user interface this
reviewer has ever encountered. Part of the problem is its origin as a
port from the Apple II but this one is crude even by Apple standards.
For example, not only do you have to type in folder names, file names
and so on but the program will not save this information so you have to
go through the whole rigamarole every time you use it. The screens you
use to enter the recipe information and edit it do not support any kind
of screen editing at all so if you aren't much of a typist, you will
quickly become extremely frustrated. Come on people, even most MS/DOS
programs are better than this!
Another problem is that there are a lot of bugs which no one has
made any effort to stamp out. Getting the printer to work properly
will drive you crazy since the menu for doing so does all kinds of
unexpected things depending upon what you were doing before you tried
do do so. There are also some residual display bugs which will plague
you long after you have quit the program in disgust. This program will
not work reliably with any "accelerator" type programs or hardware
which is a pity since it is also dreadfully slow. It is also extremely
picky as to what programs (desk accessories, etc.) are active when you
try to run it. In fact, it will only run off floppy disks since it
will not get along with anybody's hard disk driver software.
Finally, there are a lot of things this program could do to enable
you to access the information some way other than through the screen or
printer. You don't even have a clue as to how the filing system is set
up and since the program itself generates the data and index files
(with arbitrary machine assigned names) you don't even have an idea how
to "hack" your way to build a file translator.
In general, what you have in the Micro Kitchen companion is an
incredibly good database of recipes crippled by incredibly antiquated
program for accessing it. While the packaging brags about being "State
of the Art technology for the home" don't you believe it. These people
are about as credible as Joe Izusu.
////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE /////////
/ "The lifetime of a magnetic field is directly proportionate /
/ to the importance of the data." /
///////////////////////////////////////////////// MUSE ////////
[EOA]
[SOF]//////////////////////////////
SOFT_reVIEW /
/////////////////////////////////
New Hotware From The Codeheads
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
by Mel Motogawa
CODEKEYS You've no doubt heard of freeware and shareware. Well in
"""""""" describing the latest program from Codehead Software, I
would have to coin the expression HOTware since it's value and power
will push it to the top of anyone's most-wanted ST software list.
Screen accelerators speed up your ST's screen output and
hardware accelerators speed up it's thinking processes. But Codekeys,
by Charles F. Johnson, is what I would call a productivity
accelerator.
I guess it all depends on how you look at it. It speeds up the
execution of repetitive keyboard input and mouse functions in your
day-to-day routine, or it reduces the amount of time to finish a
task. Any way you look at it, it will accelerate your productivity by
taking over many mundane tasks we formerly had to put up with.
Codekeys is a macro utility that allows you to record, edit
and play keyboard and mouse action (not continuous mouse movement,
just the clicks) macros. It consists of an auto folder program and a
desk accessory. Boot with these in place and you are ready to start
setting up your enhanced productivity environment.
Codekeys works by recording your macros either while you're in
a program or within it's own GEM window. You can record your
keypresses and mouseclicks "timed", recording the time intervals
between these actions, or "untimed" where you can take all day, only
the keyboard/mouse input is recorded. After you're through recording
a macro, there are a host of editing commands available within
Codekeys to fine tune it to your liking.
JUST ANOTHER MACRO PROGRAM? Now before you start page flipping past
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" this review figuring it's _just_ another
macro utility, consider this:
o You can _record_ macros whether you're in a GEM or TOS program.
o Record macros timed or untimed.
o Insert delays for precise execution.
o Keyboard control of the Codekeys accessory.
o Save/load macro files.
o Up to 32 macros in a file with 128 events each.
o Works in all resolutions.
STILL NOT IMPRESSED? How about:
""""""""""""""""""""
o Most any combination of keypresses can be assigned to activate
your macro.
o Cut/copy/paste/replace/delete and append when editing macros.
o Macros can call another macro.
And don't forget:
o Repeat and delayed macros for when you want to execute a
command/function on a regular basis.
o Include mouse actions in the macro!
o Enable/disable Codekeys at any time.
o Codehead reputation for quality.
And if after all that, you're still not impressed:
o Start page flipping. <grin>
Seriously, Codekeys has already freed me from a lot of repetitious
keyboard pounding and mouse tapping I've endured in my day-to-day
routine. The best way to illustrate how this program will really
simplify your life is to briefly highlight some real world examples.
EXEMPLI GRATIA You know how GEM dialog boxes have a way of forcing
"""""""""""""" you to use the mouse? Seems like the programs I have
are always throwing up these dialog boxes with little buttons that I
_must_ use the mouse on before I can go on. Especially on operations
that I use a lot, like printing a file in my wp or saving a document to
disk. Well now, you can set up a macro that will click on all the
right buttons every time and fast. Once created, you won't have to
touch the mouse again!
In my word processor, I have numerous macros that besides
answering various text based queries, include a mouseclick at the
appropriate point and time to get me through those dialog box buttons
that I've clicked on hundreds of times in the past. (I think I have
numerous points scratched in the screen where my mouse has clicked so
many many times.) You could tell your wp to print the current file
from page 1 to 3, 2 copies, a left margin of 4, with NLQ and pausing
between pages all in one keypress!
I also have a 'repeat' macro that automatically saves the document
I'm working on every 3 minutes. (I've noticed that you can have more
than one 'repeat' macro working at a time, for those who need such.)
At the appointed time Codekeys rings the system bell a few times,
prints an alert to the screen about the repeating macro and executes
it. Nice!
My timescheduling program has _no_ keyboard equivalents for the
GEM drop-down menu options. I've set up a host of mouse macros that
access the GEM menu bar and then selects the menu item I want far
faster than I could. In fact, it's so fast I can barely see the menu
bar drop before it disappears, the selection already having been made.
(Hint: If your program does have keyboard equivalents, use these
in your macro. It will be slightly faster than implementing the mouse.
If you don't _like_ the equivalents built-in to your programs, create
your own! You can convert a hardcoded "alt-control-F1" in your
application to just "F1" in a few seconds with Codekeys. When you hit
F1 the longer keycombo gets sent.)
I've set up some commonly used words/sentences as macros in my
database. Now I just hit a key (I love setting up one keypress macros
over having to hit two keys at once) to insert these in the fields,
saving mucho time. I also created a repeating macro for my database
so that every few minutes it automatically saves my work. What wonders
this does for my peace of mind. (Come to think of it, my db doesn't
save a backup file, but I can easily create a macro that will save my
file with a .bak extender too. Have each macro repeat 3 minutes apart
and I'll have double data security. Hmmmm.) No more reentering data
lost in a power glitch or an untimely earthquake. (Hey, this is CA you
know.)
My spreadsheet doesn't support passing a filename to it when
executed, so I created a macro that loads a file, answers all those
crazy dialog prompts, :-), sets the titles and tabs over to the section
I want. Again, with just one keypress.
On my telecom setup, one of my macros selects my desk acc.
notepad, loads a file into it and gives it the command to jump to the
bottom of the file. A 5-point keyboard and mouse operation that I've
reduced to a one keypress macro. I've done the operation manually lot's
of times, but now I can't get over the simplicity Codekeys has created.
Saving/loading the capture buffer and saving/appending blocks are now
no hassle, one-touch operations.
This macro business can even be fun. Record one and then watch it
play back with the cursor speeding along by itself and the mouse
pointer darting here and there. Did I pause much longer than I should
in a timed recording? Just edit out the delay and watch it go. Gives
me a good feeling knowing I'm getting done what I want and lot faster
than I could physically do it.
You'll find that mouse macros can play back _too fast_ at times.
So, in the above examples, there were points where I had to insert
delays into the macros so they would pause and allow for things like
disk access or give my program time to throw up it's dreaded dialog
box. But even then it's neat to fine tune these until the macro really
flies, giving commands as fast as the ST can take it.
Really, the only limit is your imagination as to how much time and
effort Codekeys will save you in your ST-based work (or play?) :-).
I've only touched on a few of the nearly unlimited ways Codekeys can
enhance the use of your programs. If your daily routine involves
repetitive keyboard input or mouse actions, you'll love how Codekeys
will automate these functions for you without a complaint.
A nifty program or acc can be great even if it only works with one
specific application. When a program can interact with just about any
program _and_ offer offer greater versatility, power and speed than
what you're currently getting--you know it's hot stuff. Don't take my
word for it, download the demo file #16609 and whet your appetite for
power macros.
AS THEY SAY IN THE UK - "STOP PRESS!!" It can be very hard to write a
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" review of a Codehead program.
Just when you get your copy set, Charles will add even more features
and make a great program even better. As this review was put to bed,
I received a beta version of Codekeys 1.1 which adds even more goodies
for the macrooligist.
The most intriguing is the Link function wherein you can create a
file of programs linked to Codekeys' .key files. Codekeys reads this
special file at bootup and when a program in the list is run, the
appropriate key file is automatically loaded into Codekeys. A similar
feature exists in Charles' program G+Plus with assign.sys files and
makes the use of Codekeys nearly transparent.
Macro files can be loaded/saved partially instead of all 32 at a
time which is useful for merging macro files.
You can now either copy or move a macro to another macro slot in
the Codekeys window.
The Info box now contains more buttons for enabling/disabling the
Link function, whether or not your default set of macros will be
restored when you exit the existing application, turning the completion
bell sound off/on, and whether or not you want a keyclick or mouse
movement to abort the macro in progress or not. You can also print a
list of your macros, either all 32 or just the ones you've defined.
The title editing box has been greatly expanded to include easier
creation of repeating/delayed macros and if you want the macro to
automatically run after the Codekeys desk acc. has loaded.
IN CLOSING How's that for a _brief_ review? <grin>. Keep in mind
"""""""""" that Codekeys is only a few weeks old and probably hasn't
made it yet to ye ole mailorder house or dealer. There is a topic
already devoted to Codekeys in Category 32, topic 22. If you just can't
wait, order your copy today direct from Codeheadquarters and start
experiencing power macros.
Do you have a need for speed? You need Codekeys.
Codekeys
$39.95
Codehead Software
P.O Box 74090
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Phone: (213) 386-5735
Fax: (213) 386-5789
[EOA]
[PD1]//////////////////////////////
PD_QUICKVIEW I /
/////////////////////////////////
A $1000 Lava Lamp?
""""""""""""""""""
By John Peters
[ST-GUEST]
Program Name : The SuperPolyscope
Version Reviewed : N/A
Filename : SUPRPOLY.LZH
Author : Sterling K. Webb
Program Type : Graphics Demo
File Type : Freeware!
Library Area : 2
Program Number : 16570
File Size : 23936
[*] [*] [*]
WHAT IT IS I suppose the Superpolyscope is a distant descendant of
"""""""""" the most pre-historic of all screen ancestors: PONG! Ah,
yes, sitting in the Student Union playing just one more game of PONG
compulsively after another even though finals start in just two days...
Sort of a neanderthal of an algorithm: when you get to the edge of the
screen (or the paddle) BOUNCE off at an angle equal to the one you
glided in at. Unthought-of were the problems of multiple interception
detection, missile graphics, hardware sprites, bitplanes, and a host of
other complexities that lay ahead; for now, it was just GLIDE and
BOUNCE across that fuzzy little screen.
The Super Polyscope just bounces along, changing size, direction,
and color in a whirl of cyclic color animation --- you've probably seem
something like it, but the Super Polyscope gives you control of the
working variables so that you create a wide variety of effects on-
screen. You can alter the size of the step between each printing of
the figure, the way the figures are drawn, the animation palette, even
create your own!
WHAT IT DOES So, SUPRPOLY.PRG turns your Atari into a $1000-dollar
"""""""""""" lava-lamp! You can just run it, ignoring the dialog for
now. Flashy, huh? After you're finished being impressed, press the
<Esc> key. The Super Polyscope Dialog will come up, full of nifty GEM
gadgets. The Dialog lets you set the running characteristics of the
Super Polyscope. And here they are:
o The STEP data-button sets the pixel interval at which the
Poly's are printed to the screen.
o The STAGGER Switch-Box being ON causes the Poly's to move at
two different angles, depending on whether they're getting
bigger or smaller.
o BORDER outlines each Poly with a black border which enhances
the geometricity of their pattern.
o When RESET is ON, the screen is cleared (the position of the
Poly's is not changed, though) cyclically, after a delay of
the number of seconds specified in the SECONDS data-button.
o The CLEAR Switch-Box, when ON, will clear the screen after
exiting from the dialog. (This resets the timer for the AUTO
RESET is it's ON.)
PD_Q RATING * * *
"""""""""""
DOCUMENTATION Excellent
"""""""""""""
PD_Q COMMENTS I can't help it... everytime I see a program that puts
""""""""""""" wild psychedelic colors on my screen, I find myself
slipping back to the sixties. That's not to say that the sixties were
anything special really, it's just that if this program were available
back then, I _really_ doubt it would have been released as freeware--it
is that good. (Or should I say really groovy?)
The author mentions that there are several programs floating around
that are similar to SuperPolyscope. Either I've missed a few programs
or he's being very modest--SuperPolyscope is impressive! A rainbow of
colors pulsate and various shaped objects seem to take on life of their
own -- and that's just using the default settings! With a wide variety
of bells and whistles the author has provided, playing with this color
show becomes irresistible. Keep SuperPolyscope handy for the next time
someone asks you, "So, just what can an ST do?"
For those of who are interested in programming, the source code for
SuperPolycode is also available. (File #16572)
///////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE /////
/ "HEAR HEAR! And let's hope they get a speeling cheker /
/ reel soon," /
///////////////////////////////////////////// Z-NET //////
[EOA]
[PD2]//////////////////////////////
PD_QUICKVIEW II /
/////////////////////////////////
A Better View?
""""""""""""""
By Fred Koch
[F.KOCH]
Program Name : Type
Filename : TYPE.LZH
Library Area : 2
Program Number : 15608
File Size : 17640
Program Type : Text File Viewer
Author : SKWare
Version Reviewed: No version number
File Type : Public Domain for advertising purposes
[*] [*] [*]
WHAT IT IS This program is designed to replace the desktop show utility.
"""""""""" It allows moving forward and backward through a text file by
one screen or line at a time. It can be installed at the desktop for
various extenders allowing automatic execution when clicking on those
files.
WHAT IT DOES Easily reads any DOC file in any-rez, the fastest loading
"""""""""""" and displaying text reader program around!
TYPE gives you 80-col display even in low resolution, with fast
forward and reverse scrolling, and it's less than 16 Kbytes.
The commands are all in the ledger line at the bottom of the
screen when TYPE is running. TYPE can also be called from the Desktop by
installing document filetypes as applications for the TYPE.PRG. Then,
when you click on a file of that filetype, TYPE is loaded and displays
the file.
PD_Q RATING * * *
"""""""""""
DOCUMENTATION POOR (but not really needed, mostly an advertisement)
"""""""""""""
PD_Q COMMENTS This program is fast at displaying files. It can handle
""""""""""""" non-ASCII files without bombing. The display goes
strange but it does recover with the HELP or UNDO key press. Pressing
HELP brings up an item selector to allow viewing another file without
re-running the program, a very nice feature. If you are looking for a
straight forward alternative to the desktop show file routine, give
this program a try.
////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE /////////
/ "There are a million uses for this wonderful tool (tie-wraps, /
/ toenails, guitar strings, etc.) Try to avoid using them for /
/ cutting copper tubing, chain link fences, and iron shackles." /
/////////////////////////////////////////// R.RANDALL5 ////////
[EOA]
[OFF]//////////////////////////////
OFF THE RECORD /
/////////////////////////////////
Mini_Qwik_Views
"""""""""""""""
o THEIR FINEST HOUR
o LDW POWER
o LYNX GAME PREVIEW
THEIR FINEST HOUR When I first booted the game and started playing I
""""""""""""""""" nearly tossed the disks and box in the garbage, the
game ran soooooo slooow it was quite aggravating. But after adjusting
the ground detail things were just fine. It is a great game and very
addictive. Although I can think of very few things that are worth that
long a wait. :-)
D.BECKER13, CATegory 9, TOPic 74, Msg:138)
When there is a lot happening on screen, the game does slow down
even with ground detail off. Its still a great game. Has anyone
noticed if any of the software accelerators speed this up?
(R.GRIDLEY, CATegory 9, TOPic 74, Msg:139)
LDW POWER LDW Power is basically a clone of Lotus 1-2-3 Release 2.01.
""""""""" There are some minor incompatibilities (difference in the
way the Data Parse command works, for one) but there is also a non-
Lotus-compatible Power Mode that uses GEM much better than the 1-2-3
style. There are some other nice features that make LDW Power better
than 1-2-3 in many ways. 1-2-3 is still considerably faster with
screen updates and scrolling on a reasonably quick 286 machine, though.
Will using LDW Power help you to learn Lotus 1-2-3? Well, it won't
_hurt_. I think the work habits would be slightly different from one
to the other, though.
(G.CALVIN, CATegory 6, TOPic 2, Msg:93)
Though the more technically minded might be able to cite each and
every distinction, LDW is a Lotus clone. It CAN create Lotus
compatible files. It will certainly help in learning Lotus, but don't
use the mouse. That's cheating.
Also, regarding lack of continuation of LDW development: I got
the newest update a couple of months back (1.3?) and was told by a
secretary, "I shouldn't be saying anything yet but version 2.0 should
be out any day now."
(GSCOTT-MOORE, CATegory 6, TOPic 2, Msg:04)
LDW Power is compatible with Lotus 1-2-3, Release 2.01. When LDW
Power stores its worksheets, it is in LDW format, but they provide a
utility to convert an LDW file into a WK1 file. Also, one can File
Retrieve a WK1 file directly into LDW Power without conversion.
However, one must specify if one prefers a 1-2-3 macro mode or an LDW
macro mode. Personally, I always use the LDW macro mode without
problems with my Lotus files, but I suppose that there are some Lotus
files with complex macros that need it.
(M.SQUIRE, CATegory 2, TOPic 2, Msg:95)
LYNX PREVIEW Welp...many of the forthcoming Lynx games were readily
"""""""""""" available to be played at the Glendale AtariFaire this
last weekend.
Ms. Pacman was unbelievable! Better than I could hope for! It
even included the intermission screens! The music sound and sound
effects are right on!
Klax is fantastic! You will NOT believe your eyes and ears with
this cartridge. Throw your other Lynx carts in the drawer ... Klax
should be available within 2 weeks.
Paperboy is a MUST HAVE for those that like this type of game.
Great job of reproducing the arcade classic!
I didn't get a chance to play some of the other titles. Slime
World should be on your dealer's shelf THIS WEEK!
Ms. Pacman and Klax are SO good that I wished I hadn't played
them. I don't think I can stand the wait! :-)
(STACE, CATegory 36, TOPic 2, Msg:121)
[EOA]
[ASK]//////////////////////////////
ASK Ms. GEnie /
/////////////////////////////////
Questions & Answers About GEnie
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
o BULLETIN BOARD POWER
HI EVERYONE! Welcome to, "ASK Ms. GEnie!" I've been selected by the
"""""""""""" GEnie Lamp Staff to field any questions that you may have
about the Atari ST RoundTable, the ST, GEnie or anything else you can
think of. Let's get started...
[*][*][*]
Dear Ms. GEnie,
I'm TRYING to use the RAM command (is there anyplace here that has
a full list of Genie type-in commands????) to be a bit more efficient
in getting to the NEW message topics I want to read. The Genie manual
I've found useless in helping me.
If I select a CATegory, then use selection 13 or the IGN command,
then selecting my topic to be ignored permanently (like... 18 PER),
shouldn't that take topic 18 of that category off the topics that I
receive through the RAM command?
What I WANT to do is to get on the RT and issue one command which
will read me all new messages ONLY ON THE MARKED TOPICS THAT I STILL
AM INTERESTED IN - in all categories that I have marked topics in. Is
that the way it's supposed to work? MIKEY NEEDS HELP!
Dear Mikey,
In certain Rts, I use the RAM command. I use it in areas where I
never want to see a newly created topic. To select topics you are
interested in be sure to download the latest index that gets posted in
the library. One just recently was placed up. Then use the SET #
command to move from one category to the next in this fashion:
SET 5 <--- Will get you to Category 5
Set 12 <--- Will get you to Category 12
When you are set to a category that has a certain topic that you
are interested in then do this:
MAR 5 <--- Will mark topic 5 in whatever category
you are set for.
Remember to use the SET command to go from one category to the
next.
After doing so, you will then be able to type RAM and see all
categories with only the topics you marked.
If you use this, do yourself a favor and download the index each
time it is posted. It is quite small as it is compressed. You will
then be able to see if there are any new topics that might interest
you. Any further help you may need, please ask away. Enjoy!
Have A Happy!
Ms. GEnie
[*][*][*] [*][*][*]
The questions and answers found in Ask Ms. GEnie have been taken
from the bulletin board area. Ms. GEnie would like to thank Darlah
Pine for answering the question in this issue's column.
If you have a question you would like for Ms. GEnie to address,
post your question on the GEnie Lamp Bulletin Board, CAT 34, TOPic 4 or
leave E/Mail to me, Ms. GEnie, in the "Feedback to SysOps" option on
page 475.
////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ///////////
/ "The next person who gives a new game a glowing review BEFORE /
/ I own it is in BIG TROUBLE!!" /
////////////////////////////////////////////// ALEXANDRI ////////
[EOA]
[BUG]//////////////////////////////
GOING BUGGY? /
/////////////////////////////////
Problems, Problems, Problems...
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
o TOS 1.6 BUG_FIX
In GOING BUGGY? you will find messages that have been posted by RT
members that have found a problem with a particular piece of software or
hardware. We will also print their solutions (if any).
It's important to remember that just because someone says they have
found a bug or caught a virus that things are sometimes not always as
they seem. There is the possibility that they may be having a problem
with a conflicting desk accessory or auto-program or it could even be
hardware related and specific only to their set-up.
[*][*][*]
TOS 1.6 BUG_FIX Here's another TOS 1.6 bug I have just confirmed
""""""""""""""" through extensive testing: it is the "Show | Print |
Cancel" bug first mentioned early this year by the first users of the
STe.
For those unfamiliar, this "undocumented feature" of TOS 1.6
manifests itself in the following manner: At seemingly random
occurrences, when one double-clicks a PRG, APP, or TOS file to execute
it, the "Show | Print | Cancel" dialog box pops up instead of running
the program. Selecting "Cancel" and double clicking again will then
run the program normally.
After being frustrated with the apparent lack of rhyme or reason
to this irritating bug, I began an intensive investigation into the
conditions causing this bug to manifest itself. After searching for
any and all available clues, here is what I have discovered:
The bug will reveal itself under the following conditions using
TOS 1.6:
1) The PRG, TOS, or APP filename must be eight characters
long, i.e. "TESTPROG.PRG".
2) The file must be in a folder that has a name of exactly
two characters, such as "PD". (No extension or underscores)
If these conditions are met, trying to run A:\PD\TESTPROG.PRG by
double clicking it will result in the dialog box "Show | Print |
Cancel", which is normally called up for non-PRG, APP, TOS, or TTP
files.
I have verified that this is not the cause of any resident
programs or desk accessories, as I have booted with nothing installed,
except the ICD hard disk driver software that is automatically booted
from the hard disk. All options of this booter are turned off (caches,
verify, etc). The bug will reveal itself with or without STEFIX.PRG
installed. The STe tested has four megabytes installed.
So if you are an annoyed STe user, just add an extra character to
those two letter folder names, or lop off one letter from the filename
of each program within it that has eight characters.
A new task for Atari or those industrious assembly language
utility programmers out there: A new STEFIX program that patches this
bug, the existing DESKTOP.INF bug, and any others remaining in this
otherwise clean, fast operating system.
Robert Bergeski RGB Computing Services 9/20/90
(R.BERGESKI, CATegory 14, TOPic 40, Msg:21)
////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE ////////
/ "A background Z modem desk acc--it's what I dream about at /
/ night while I'm catching some acks. <grin>." /
/////////////////////////////////////////// M.MOTOGAWA ///////
[EOA]
[ELS]//////////////////////////////
ST ELSEWHERE /
/////////////////////////////////
Other Areas Of IntereST
"""""""""""""""""""""""
o GENIE STAR*SERVICES IS HERE!
Looking for some fun or informative places to explore? Welcome to
GEnie's Star*Services electronic playground! Here is a list of a few of
the many areas that you can visit.
CINEMAN This is a source of entertainment reviews and information.
""""""" There are reviews of current movies as well as an extensive
database of reviews for recent and old movies. There are also reviews
and information about current and future books and records as well as a
weekly column which reviews recent video releases.
Keyword : CINEMAN
Product : Cineman Entertainment Information
Category : Reference
Page # : 330
GE Mail : CINEMAN
Surcharge : NO
ADVENTURERS This game is single player game is similar to regular
""""""""""" Adventure... except this one has more monsters and
treasures.
Keyword : A550
Product : Adventure 550
Category : Games
Page # : 824
GE Mail : MAPLES
Surcharge : NO
BE CREATIVE! GEnie Banner Maker is an easy way to create text banners
"""""""""""" to display anywhere. Whether it's HAPPY BIRTHDAY or
JUMP IN A LAKE BOB, you can make your own banners to reflect your
feelings.... then just print them out on your printer.
Keyword : BANNER
Product : GEnie Banner Maker
Category : Games
Page # : 839
GE Mail : FEEDBACK
Surcharge : NO
GAME PLAYERS In this game, your vacation to Romania's legendary
"""""""""""" Carpathian Mountains ends with you in a mysterious
castle (complete with Vampire). You have to survive... kill the
vampire and accumulate as much treasure as possible.
Keyword : CASTLE
Product : Castle Quest
Category : Games
Page # : 822
GE Mail : MAPLES
Surcharge : NO
NEED A JOB? DR.JOB (TM REG.) is a weekly Question and Answer column
""""""""""" covering career and employment issues written by business
journalist Sandra Pesmen. Topics discussed range from corporate
politics to communications to career decisions. Questions or comments
can be left for DR.JOB and will be answered privately via E Mail. Some
of these questions will be used in future Dr.JOB columns, but names
will NOT be included in the columns. Upon request, questions will not
be considered for publication in the column.
Keyword : DR.JOB
Product : Dr. Job
Category : Reference
Page # : 395
GE Mail : DR.JOB
Surcharge : NO
SCHOOL HELP The electronic edition of the Academic American
""""""""""" Encyclopedia (referred to as Grolier's Encyclopedia) is
an indispensable reference tool which provides timely reference
information... from the pharaohs to Ronald Reagan. The 10 million word
database includes more than 31,000 articles.
Keyword : GROLIERS
Product : Grolier's Electronic Encyclopedia
Category : Reference
Page # : 365
GE Mail : GROLIERS
Surcharge : NO
WANT TO KNOW MORE? The easiest way to find out what is available on
"""""""""""""""""" GEnie? It's as easy as typing PAGE 15<c/r> at any
GEnie prompt. Next issue will feature full in-depth reports on some
excellent GEnie Star*Services areas you can visit.
////////////////////////////////////// GEnie QWIK_QUOTE //////////
/ "YOU had eight inch disk drives? I had to use wood drives -- /
/ you know, the head writes with ink on the wood platter. One /
/ use only, like a worm, but only 40 characters per track." /
///////////////////////////////////////////// DAVESMALL ////////
[EOA]
[LOG]////////////////////////////////
LOG OFF /
///////////////////////////////////
GEnie Lamp Information
""""""""""""""""""""""
COMMENTS? If you would like to ask a question, leave a comment or just
""""""""" drop in and say hi, you can contact us in CAT 34. If you
prefer to remain private, you may use the "FEEDBACK TO SYSOPS" command
on page 475, or leave a message to one or more of the following
addresses:
o John F. Peters (ST-GUEST) Publisher/Editor
o Darlah J. Pine (DARLAH) Co-Editor
o Jeff Williams (JEFF.W) Technical Editor
o Larry Duke (LARRY.D) GEnie Lamp Advisor
o Sandy Wilson (SANDY.W) GEnie Lamp Advisor
o Fred Beckman (FB) GEnie Lamp Advisor
o John J. Kennedy (JJKENNEDY) GEnie Lamp Advisor
- Terry Quinn (T.QUINN1) Contributing Author
- Mel M. Motogawa (M.MOTOGAWA) Contributing Author
- Fred Koch (F.KOCH) Contributing Author
HOT OFF THE PRESS GEnie Lamp is published on the 1st and the 15th of
""""""""""""""""" every month for our Atari ST RoundTable members on
page 475, option 5.
If you prefer to download your issue of GEnie Lamp, you will find
the current issue as well as all the back issues on page 476, in the
GEnie Lamp library, #35.
WRITERS! Do you want instant riches, fame and good health? Well, you
"""""""" won't find it here, but you will find the satisfaction of
seeing your article published and distributed world-wide via GEnie Lamp
Online Magazine. Get in on the fun... contact us now!
SYSOPS Why not offer GEnie Lamp Online Magazine on your BBS as a
"""""" bulletin or in the database as a online readable file?
Although GEnie Lamp is directed towards the subscribers of the GEnie
network, each issue brings you news, views and reviews that affect all
Atari users. Try us online. (And if you do, we'd like to hear about
it!)
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
(c) Copyright, 1990 T/TalkNET OnLine Publishing, Atari Corporation,
GEnie, and the Atari RoundTables. May be reprinted only with this
notice intact. The Atari RoundTables on GEnie are the *official*
information services of the Atari Corporation.
Signed articles and message reprints are the opinion of the authors
and are not necessarily the opinion of the publisher or staff of
GEnie Lamp. We reserve the right to edit all letters and copy.
To sign up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 1-800-638-8369. Upon
connection type HHH. Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: XJM11877,GEnie
and hit RETURN. The system will then prompt you for your information.
////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
[EOF]
