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GEnieLamp Online Magazine Issue No.2.38
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~ SUPER REVIEW/INFO ISSUE! ~
o SILENT SERVICE II o KAOSDESK o KLATRIX o DATA DIET o
o ARABESQUE PROFESSIONAL o ATARI'S PORTFOLIO o STRIKE EAGLE II o
~ CODEHEADS BUY QUICK ST III AND OFFER 2.06 TOS UPGRADE ~
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
December 15, 1991 ~ A T/TalkNET OnLine Publication ~ Issue No.2.38
////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Publisher/Editor ....................................... John Peters
Co-Editor ........................................ Darlah Potechin
Technical Editor ................................. Jeff Williams
TX2 Editor ...................................... David Holmes
[IDX] """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ WHAT'S HAPPENING ON GEnie? TAKE A LOOK! ~
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HEY]
Notes From The Editor. Is That A Letter For Me?
HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM] OF MICE AND BYTES ....... [MIC]
It's Christmas! Arabesque Professional.
DEALER VIEWPOINT ........ [DLR] RANDOM ACCESS ........... [RND]
Atari's Ultimate Traveler. Door Prize Controversy.
THE ONLINE LIBRARY ...... [LIB] GAMES PEOPLE PLAY ....... [GAM]
PS's: HOT Files! MicroProse Times Two.
MEL'S MANOR ............. [MEL] MINI_BYTES .............. [MIN]
Data Diet: Time For A Diet? Three On One: Kaosdesk 2.1.
PD_QUICKVIEW ............ [PDQ] LINKING UP WITH LYNX .... [LYN]
KLATRIX: Yours For The Asking. Atari Handheld Power!
LOG OFF ................. [LOG]
GEnie Lamp Information.
~ GEnie LAMP AND TX2: SEE THE DIFFERENCE! ~
[REA] """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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 ASCII word processor
or text editor. In the index you will find the following example:
HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM]
[*]GEnie Fun & Games.
To read this article, set your find or search command to [HUM]. If
you want to scan all of the articles, search for [EOA]. [EOF] will take
you to the last page, whereas [IDX] will bring you back to the index.
TX2 FORMAT What are you missing when reading the ASCII version of
"""""""""" GEnie Lamp? EXCITEMENT! Whenever you see a [*] in the
index or in the article header, that indicates that the article contains
TX2 graphics and/or pictures. To see the graphics, you will need the
following files:
LMP_xxx.LZH GEnie Lamp in TX2 format.
MINI_TX2.LZH Mini-version of TX2 Viewer (File #20441).
MESSAGE INFO To make it easy for you to respond to messages re-printed
"""""""""""" here in GEnie Lamp, you will find all the information you
need immediately following the message. For example:
(DARLAH, CAT6, TOP1, MSG:58/M475)
_____________| _____|__ _|___ |____ |_____________
|Name of sender CATegory TOPic Msg.# Page number|
In this example, to respond to Darlah's message, log on to page
475 enter the bulletin board and set CAT 6. Enter your REPly in TOPic 1.
A message number that is surrounded by brackets indicates that this
message is a "target" message and is referring to a "chain" of two
or more messages that are following the same topic. For example: {58}
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
/////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE /////
/ "I hate it when people complain that software is upgraded /
/ TOO much, as if someone is holding a gun to their head and /
/ making them upgrade each new version. The CodeHeads get /
/ that complaint a lot. I prefer authors to upgrade their /
/ software AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, and let ME determine my up- /
/ grade frequency." -Terry L. May /
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
[EOA]
[FRM]//////////////////////////////
FROM MY DESKTOP /
/////////////////////////////////
Notes From The Editor
"""""""""""""""""""""
By John Peters
[GENIELAMP]
o TOP OF THE PAGE: Random Ramblings.
o THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW: RoundTable Happenings.
o HOT SPOTS: Where The Action Is.
o IT CAN'T WAIT: Hot Info!
TOP OF THE PAGE Publishing very 15 days or so does have its
""""""""""""""" disadvantages. If you haven't been online lately, you
might have missed the roundtable bulletin announcing the marriage of
Darlah Pines and Nathan Potechin. The wedding was held offline <smile>
but we did have a wedding reception of sorts in the Wednesday night RTC
where we all (in our own little way) congratulated the happy couple.
Lately, I've been exploring some other areas of GEnie. My latest
hangout is the Home Office Business RoundTable. Mike Banks and Jerry
Pournelle were recently featured in an RTC. The two authors have gotten
together and have come up with a book which is said to be "THE de-
finitive book on communications." The book, "Pournelle's PC
Communications Bible," will be published by Microsoft Press and should
be available in March '92. Jerry also reports that he had just turned
in his last INFOWORLD column. Byte magazine has been after him for
years to be an exclusive with them and it looks as though BYTE has made
an offer that Jerry can't refuse.
I've been lurking in the DTP and WRITERS RoundTables too... hey,
did you know there's more to computers then the ST? :-) There's a whole
world of information waiting for you on GEnie. Now, if I could only
figure out how to tap into it all! Of course, with ST Aladdin, I'm
definitely off to a good start.
The quoting feature found in the latest version of ST Aladdin is a
handy option. With it, you can highlight message segments in your
replies. This helps remind the reader of what you are responding to.
Unfortunately, the quoting option isn't really all the powerful. Tim
Purves, the author of ST Aladdin, has stated that he plans on re-doing
the quoting feature to make it more useful. Until then, Jonathan Budil,
has come up with a fantastic tip to help make things easier:
For those of you concerned with neatness, here's a way to guarantee
that your quotes have an unbroken chain of ">" marks to the left of
them.
As you know, GEnie reformats all text not saved with an "*SN", or
without a space before each line. So, most of the messages you clip for
quoting have been formatted by GEnie to as close to 80 characters per
line as possible. Therefore, whenever you use the ALT-Q feature on a
line that is already 79 or 80 characters, you get that annoying almost
barren line with the one or two characters that wrapped around after the
quote.
(Why doesn't GEnie reformat the text? Because the ALT-Q feature
inserts a SPACE before the ">" quote indicator.)
So, how to work around this annoyance:
1. Copy the message in the normal way. (ALT-C)
2. Open the reply window. (via the R key)
3. Use ALT-V instead of ALT-Q to paste the quote.
4. Delete any unnecessary parts of the quoted message.
5. Reformat the quoted paragraphs (ALT-P). Aladdin limits them to
either 60 or 70 characters per line, I believe.
6. Highlight the text you just reformatted, and cut it (ALT-X)
*** And now for the clever part ***
7. Paste it back in using ALT-Q. Yes, you can format anything in
ST Aladdin's Clipboard file as if it were a quote. It doesn't
have to be from someone else's message.
The result is a quoted passage with plenty of white space on the
right, the lines are kept together because no line is close to the 80
character limit, and everyone else in the message base will think you're
just too suave for words. ("There's something great about that guy...
I--I can't put my finger on it, but...")
Neat idea, John. I knew there had to be a better way.
Finally, do you have trouble with line noise on GEnie? Tim says
that the next release of ST Aladdin will include special coding that
will not be bothered by line noise at all. In fact, he reports that he
can pick up the extension phone, start dialing and if the connection
doesn't break it works fine. He also has plans on making several
interface changes to the popular front-end program in the near future.
CAT5, TOP1, MSG:{150}, M/1000
Welp, that's about it for now. Let's move onto the Bulletin
Boards!
>>> THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The HyperLINK folks have certainly been busy... They have plans on
releasing a public domain dialer module which will allow any HyperLINK
owner to load it in and then any application you build can make use of
it (such as address books, etc.). They have also announced a new
contest for HyperLINK owners. (See "Odds & Ends" for details.) If you
have purchased HyperLINK, _be sure_ to send in your registration cards
as the version 1.6 is going to be sent out soon to all registered
owners, FREE! CAT6, TOP32, MSG:{154}
Cherry Fonts will be represented exclusively by CodeHead Software.
You will be able to get their popular font packages via local dealers or
directly through CodeHead Software. CAT5, TOP4, MSG:{149}
Lots of talk going on about the new Artifex adaptor board which
will allow older STs to upgrade to 256K TOS (2.xx). Older STs use a
192K rom so the TOS upgrade is physically impossible to do without
adding a daughterboard. Atari will sell the TOS chipset whereas a US
distributor will sell the Artifex. Rumor has it that the Codeheads may
be a source as they already have distribution channels open with
Artifex. (IT'S TRUE! Just as we we're going into the final draft, the
CodeHeads released a press release on the new Artifex board. See What's
New for all the latest details!) John Townsend of Atari Corp. reports
that the the TOS Group at corporate level has already released the ROMs
and each subsidiary is tasked with implementing an upgrade plan. No
word yet to as how much or when they will be available. CAT14, TOP8,
MSG:{5}
Another hot area that is taking off is the CD-ROM bulletin board.
(CAT18, TOP11, MSG{4}) John Nagy reports that he has been asked to
research the practicalities of doing a CD-ROM which would include all
the STart magazine's text, graphics and programs. Lots of hurdles to
overcome before it becomes a reality, however.
Looking to upgrade your old GFA 2.0 from the STart disk? If so,
you have until January 22, 1992. The fee is half of the current retail
price, $75.00. To upgrade from 3.5e to 3.6 will run $10.00. For more
details, call 1-800-766-6GFA. CAT22, TOP8, MSG:46
Bill Rehbock of Atari Corp. reports that we should expect a
delivery of Class B TTs in mid December to early January. He also notes
that there is no functional difference between the class A or class B
computers. CAT14, TOP7, MSG:164
HARD DISK TOOLKIT fans will be happy to hear that there is a new
version of this utility in the works. Any existing owners who would
like to become beta testors for the new version should GEMail
D.BECKEMEYER or leave Email on the BDT BBS at 510-530-9682. CAT2,
TOP34, MSG:151
Craig Harvey is raising the price of his popular text editor, Edhak
to $29.95. (Upgrades are still just $5.00.) This will go into effect
when version 2.3 is released. A couple of changes in the new version
will allow you to use Edhak as a capture buffer in STalker and access
the Atari clipboard for block saves and merges. Craig is also looking
for beta testors. (GEmail to C.HARVEY.) CAT2, TOP40, MSG:106
ARRRGH! Bob Brodie keeps posting messages about his new BBS, Z*NET
Golden Gate, but NO PHONE NUMBER! One thing for sure, it is online.
Hopefully by the time the next issue comes out, I'll be able to post a
phone number for interested callers. CAT31, TOP3, MSG:{67}
Thinking about upgrading your modem? There's an active BB going on
in the ST Aladdin area about which modem is best. See CAT6, TOP2{26}.
>>> BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
[*] CAT9, TOP38, MSG:{1}......HOT games that you can download.
[*] CAT15, TOP9, MSG:{141}....STart's problems and possible solutions.
[*] CAT18, TOP11, MSG:{1}.....More STart talk.
[*] CAT12, TOP4, MSG:{36}.....An online Atari store on GEnie?
[*] CAT4, TOP36, MSG:{202}....Mutant STs.
[*] CAT26, TOP2, MSG:{405}....STReport: Need I say more?
[*] CAT5, TOP1, MSG:{155}.....Atari's Clipboard.
[*] CAT9, TOP10, MSG:{47}.....Railroad Tycoon by MicroProse.
[*] CAT18, TOP20, MSG:{94}....Are the Tramiels really in control?
>>> BULLETIN BOARD OFF_TOPIC <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
[*] CAT14, TOP3, MSG:{167}....Bird Talk for "beak-freaks!"
[*][*][*]
IT CAN'T WAIT DEPARTMENT The situation with the STylus is not quite as
"""""""""""""""""""""""" bleak as reported. We have the burner turned
way up on shipping STBOOKs and TT's and FSMGDOS more than we have the
burner turned 'down' on the STylus.
As I stated at the Chicago show, we are carefully looking at the
Pen-Based market. We spoke at great depth with people at Comdex that
looked at the Momenta, and the offerings that were at the Microsoft Pen-
Windows booth. End-users demand well less than 1% error rate in the
handwriting recognition software; nobody can offer that in software yet.
We are standing ready to launch it if the market should be able to
bear the product, but right now, there are a lot of companies spending a
lot of money on the Pen-Based market and getting absolutely _nowhere_
with them. The GridPad has been on the market for over three years and
it along with the other dozen or so Pen-Based units that have been on
the market have had less than 10,000 total sales WORLD-WIDE. The Pen-
Based market is still for the Vertical/Industrial OEM-types, not the
consumer-oriented.
We are monitoring the market very carefully and assure you that the
ball won't be dropped, but we're not going to waste our time chasing
windmills when our time and resources are better spent on much more
important things. -Bill@Atari
(B.REHBOCK, CAT14, TOP7, MSG:154/M475)
Happy holidays!
John Peters
[GENIELAMP]
[EOA]
[HEY]//////////////////////////////
HEY MISTER POSTMAN /
/////////////////////////////////
Is That A Letter For Me?
""""""""""""""""""""""""
o ATARI ODDS & ENDS
o WHAT'S NEW?
o ATARIAN MINDS WANT TO KNOW
o MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT
>>> ATARI ODDS & ENDS <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
BUYING DIRECTLY FROM THE UK Firstly, support your local dealers if at
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" all possible. If not, try and get it
through US mail order dealers. These two groups need all the support we
remaining ST owners can give them.
To anyone interested in buying games directly from the UK, I
strongly recommend a company called Special Reserve. I used this
company when I lived there and still do sometimes. I have never been
let down by them (I'm not saying it can't happen).
It will cost you ten pounds for membership. This gets you a bi-
monthly games review guide (I don't think much of their reviews) and a
price list. The price list is for ST/Amiga/PC, but the ST list runs to
approximately 300 titles.
Once you've joined you will find the prices range from about five
pounds, for clearance items, up to about twenty pounds. On top of that
you have to add shipping. Here are some examples:
Assuming 1.7 dollars to 1 pound.
Item Cost(dollars) Shipping(25%) Total
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Starglider II 6.80 1.70 8.50
Dungeon Master 18.70 4.68 23.38
F19 34.00 8.50 42.50
Railroad Tycoon 39.10 9.78 48.88
These prices are very good, even compared to US prices. If any-
one wants to contact these people, here are the details;
Special Reserve P.O. Box 847, Harlow. ENGLAND. CM21 9PH]
Tel: 011 44 279 600204 (includes all you need to call England)
Their office hours are 9 to 8 weekdays, 9 to 5 Sat and 10 to 5 Sun.
England is about 5 hrs. ahead of the east coast and about 9 hrs for the
west coast. -N.Steel
(N.STEEL, CAT9, TOP47, MSG:113/M475)
CD-ROM TALK At the ChicagoFest, eSTeem showed the alpha version of
""""""""""" eSTeem PILOT controlling an Atari CDAR504. The simple
PILOT demo module played--via an interactive dialog with the user-
selected tracks and musical passages from 'Weird' Al Yankovic and Wendy
Carlos' audio CD, Peter and the Wolf. This alpha version of eSTeem
PILOT was limited to audio commands. The final version will have both
audio and data capabilities.
Unfortunately, Atari will not sell the CDAR504 in the U.S. and the
new CDAR505 is a plain-vanilla embedded-SCSI ROM drive--it has no Atari
host adapter which is needed to talk to our ST machines (the CDAR504
does have one built in). Sooooooo, we will need to go the SCSI route to
talk with the new 505s as well as most other ROM drives (e.g., Sony,
Pioneer, NEC).
Now, when ICD adds a CDROM SCSI driver to their host adapter
packages we will be in business (RSN, I hope). Then we can choose any
of the SCSI ROM drives (not just Atari's CDAR505), connect them to our
systems fitted with ICD host adapters, and enjoy the integration of
CD-ROM technology to our STs. :-)
eSTeem PILOT will be one way of building and customizing
interactive, multimedia CD-ROM interfaces and applications. I under-
stand that HyperLink will provide another avenue. eSTeem is developing
several prototype interfaces 'for music and data lovers'. When a SCSI
driver is ready, eSTeem PILOT and COPILOT upgrades with CD-ROM
capability will be released.
For the few out there who do own a CDAR504, please contact me via
email for the availability of the beta version of eSTeem PILOT with
CDAR504 capability. -Tom @ eSTeem, inc.
(ESTEEM, CAT14, TOP28, MSG:125/M4575)
UPGRADE YOUR HP DESKJET Here's the "official" info I took from an HP
""""""""""""""""""""""" upgrade brochure I called for:
Upgrade for DeskJet 500 : $450
DeskJet Plus: 550
DeskJet : 550
All upgrades require that you send your machine to HP. They DON'T
upgrade your machine. Instead, they send you the new DeskJet 500C,
which is fully IBM compatible. (The DeskWriter C is for Apple folk.) I
hope you guys are right on rapid driver availability for Calamus, etc.
For more information, call HP at (800) 752-0900. (That number may
refer you to another number -- I can't remember. It's been a few weeks
since I called for the brochure.) The mailing includes all the paper-
work for upgrading to the 500C.
Soooo, for me the question is -- as always -- now or later? Should
I take the upgrade route while it's available ('though HP has a
reputation for long-term upgrade availability) or should I wait until
the street price gets low enough for me to have two of the critters?
For anyone at HP reading this: it would be wonderful if the
brochure included an actual printed sheet for the 500C.
(G.HAUER, CAT4, TOP3, MSG:22/M475)
dBMAN UPGRADES Yes, they have fixed most of those annoying bugs. I
"""""""""""""" don't think that 5.3 for the ST is ready for shipping
just yet, but they DEFINITELY are dedicated to an Atari version. I have
been working with Charlie Seng and his main programmer for the ST and
Amiga, Ben rather closely since I started at Atari just over a year ago.
I'm trying to convince them to put in some very high neat-o factor
things into the Atari release, so GET THOSE UPGRADE DOLLARS INTO THESE
GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The upgrade for TOS is as follows...
Your current dBMAN version: Development Sys. Runtime Sys.
=========================== ================ ============
5.2 $45.00 $40.00
5.1 $70.00 $60.00
4.0 $105.00 $90.00
3.0 or older $140.00 $120.00
The 5.3 TOS version will have support for networking that will work
with and AtariNetworkingStandard Network. (Such as the A&D Universal
Network). Please contact VersaSoft and get you upgrades.
-Bill Rehbock, Director of Technical Services (and 3rd Party Developer
Coordinator, Atari Corp.)
(B.REHBOCK, CAT6, TOP16, MSG:177/M475)
FINALLY... THE HYPERLINK APPLICATION BUILDING CONTEST !!!
"""""""""" Here's the Details Everybody! Beginning immediately, JMG
is accepting entries for our first HyperLINK Contest. Create your own
HyperLINK Application and submit the entry. You could win :
FIRST PRIZE
$ 200 CASH!!! AND LIFETIME FREE UPGRADES!!!
THREE RUNNER UP PRIZES
LIFETIME FREE UPGRADES AND MAYBE SOME SURPRISE HAPS!
(Depends on whether they get done in time:-)
BUT : EVERYBODY IS A WINNER !!! Send us a disk with your original
HyperLINK Application and not only will you get an entry into our
contest but you will also be sent back a disk with some of the better
HyperLINK Applications we have received!!! All entries become Public
Domain so that we can start compiling a good library of HyperLINK
Applications for everyone to use!
Send your Disk Entry to : JMG Software 892 Upper James Street
Hamilton, Ontario CANADA L9C 3A5 or EMail your entries to D.THOMPSON66
right here on GEnie. Entries are being accepted starting immediately
and the closing date for any entries is April 30th, 1992. Thanks for
your attention and we now return you to our regularly scheduled
programming! (D.THOMPSON66, CAT6, TOP32, MSG:167/M475)
>>> WHAT'S NEW? <<<
"""""""""""""""""""
~ CodeHeads Are HOT! ~
CODEHEAD TO TAKE OVER QUICK ST SUPPORT! NEWSFLASH! As of January 1,
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 1992, CodeHead Software will
be taking over worldwide development and distribution of the popular
Quick ST 3.0 software accelerator! Darek Mihocka, the original creator
of Quick ST, is selling the flagship product of Branch Always Software
in order to spend more time developing a PC based Atari ST emulator.
According to Darek, "The response to my emulator demo at the
Chicago Atarifest was very positive. In order to bring the emulator to
market in a timely fashion, it became clear that I couldn't do that
while at the same time trying to develop new versions of Quick ST.
Both products would ultimately suffer. In the capable hands of CodeHead
Software, Quick ST will continue to exist and be improved upon, and ST
and TT users can look forward to a long life for the product that speeds
up their machines. It's a win-win situation for everyone."
Quick ST 3 is a program that intercepts GEM's screen output
routines, and replaces them with highly optimized assembly language code
that is much faster. Windows pop open, graphics appear instantly, text
zaps onto the screen at high speed, and everything you do with your
computer takes less time. It's an indispensable utility for all owners
of Atari computers, since the built-in screen output routines are
written in slow, inefficient C code. CodeHead Software is well-known
for their line of utility and productivity solutions (and now graphics
software as well), and Quick ST is a logical extension of that line.
Charles F. Johnson, co-owner of CodeHead, said, "We're quite excited
about Quick ST, and are looking forward to supporting this excellent
product; and since we've purchased the source code, you can also look
forward to further development of the program." Quick ST is now the
only US-made screen accelerator that is still being actively supported.
CodeHead will also be handling updates from older versions of Quick
ST. You can upgrade to the latest version by returning your original
Quick ST 2.x master disk to CodeHead Software along with a check or
money order for $20. Owners of Softrek's Turbo ST (any version) may
also upgrade to Quick ST 3 by sending in your Turbo ST master disk and
$20.00. The retail price of Quick ST 3 is $34.95; to order, contact
your local dealer or call the CodeHead order desk at 213-386-5735.
Mastercard, Visa, and American Express accepted.
CodeHead Software
P.O. Box 74090
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Tel 213-386-5735
Fax 213-386-5789
CODEHEAD ANNOUNCES THE TOS EXTENSION CARD! A BRAND NEW COMPUTER FOR
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" $140! How would you like to
have a BRAND NEW COMPUTER, with system software that makes it the equal
of anything else on the market ... for less than $140?
Well, now you CAN! CodeHead Software is proud to announce the TEC
-- the TOS Extension Card! This amazing little circuit board, developed
by Germany's Artifex, allows you to use the very latest version of Atari
TOS (2.06) in your existing 520ST, 1040ST, or Mega ST!
That's right! Now, you can have the same excellent new system
software that owners of Mega STes and TT030s are enjoying, without
spending megabucks for a whole new computer system. In fact, the price
for this upgrade, including the board, is only a little bit more than
the price to upgrade from TOS 1.0 to TOS 1.4! The TEC is a tiny card
that will fit in ANY model of ST computer, regardless of design. It is
compatible with existing upgrades, such as monitor interface boards or
processor cache cards. The low price includes the ROMs containing TOS
2.06 -- and there sure are lots and lots of new goodies in those little
chips!
WHAT TOS 2.06 CAN DO FOR YOU TOS 2.06 is a MAJOR upgrade to the ST's
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''' operating system; it's a vastly more
significant upgrade than from TOS 1.0 to TOS 1.4 (Rainbow TOS). The
most noticeable change is the new desktop, which has many of the
features of the popular commercial alternate desktops (and some unique
features too!), but with two BIG advantages: it does not use large
amounts of RAM, and it does not need to be loaded from disk.
Some of the features of the TOS 2.06 desktop:
o Programs, files, and folders can be placed directly on the
desktop and started with a double click.
o Up to 20 programs or documents can be assigned to the ST's
function keys and started with a single keypress.
o Data files can be "dragged" and dropped on program files, which
starts the program and automatically loads the document! Some
programs even support multiple document files in this manner.
o Each file on your disk can have its own unique icon, or you can
use a common icon type for each type of file. New icons can be
created and added to the system.
o Keyboard commands for almost everything! And not only can you
control the new desktop with the keyboard (as well as the mouse),
you can also redefine any of the key commands to suit your own
tastes!
o A powerful file search function, that lets you find and select
files that match your specified criteria.
o Window management is considerably enhanced; scrolling has been
sped up, and selected files can remain selected even if you
scroll the window to a different area of the file list.
o Up to seven desktop windows can be open at once, and you can open
directory windows with simple key presses -- even change a window
to show a different drive without closing and reopening it.
o The "View" menu now has an "unsorted" option, for showing the
actual order of files and folders in a directory.
o Any character in the "upper half" of the ST's font can be typed
in by holding the Alternate key and typing its ASCII number on
the numeric keypad.
o Many of the special functions of the desktop (like copying,
renaming, etc.) can now operate in "batch mode", to let you
quickly rename or show info for a group of selected files, for
example.
o The bootup sequence now includes a graphic display of the Atari
Fuji logo, and a memory test, and a configurable bootup delay
that allows hard drives time to power up. It's also possible
to bypass the AUTO folder entirely by holding Control during
bootup.
o Internal changes in the TOS program code result in very
noticeable performance improvements in many areas.
o ...and of course, lots more. This list barely shows the tip of
the iceberg, in fact.
THE TOS EXTENSION CARD Because the new TOS 2.06 is located at a
'''''''''''''''''''''' different address and requires more space in
the ROMs, you can't simply pull out your old ROMs and plug in the new
ones. This is where the TEC comes in! The TOS Extension Card can be
installed in any model of ST within minutes. Its size is a mere 2.5" x
2.5", and its unique design allows it to be placed almost anywhere
inside the case of the computer. This means that it will even work if
you have a hardware accelerator, MS-DOS emulator, or graphic card
already installed. Some simple soldering is required to install the
base model of the TEC; any authorized dealer should be able to handle it
easily. There are also two other configurations of the TEC that are
100% plug-in solutions, requiring no soldering:
o The TECbridge BUS card, which plugs into the processor bus of
the Mega ST.
o The TECbridge CPU, for computers which have socketed 68000 chips.
This option plugs into the CPU socket, and requires that there
be enough room above the CPU within the case.
THE PRICE The retail price of the TOS Extension Card is $139.00. This
''''''''' price includes the TEC board, Atari's official TOS 2.06
ROMs, a disk containing the official Atari system utilities (including
the new XCONTROL Control Panel), and a manual describing the
installation of the TEC and the new features of TOS 2.06. The TECbridge
BUS and TECbridge CPU options are priced at $155.00. The TEC will begin
shipping on January 10, 1992 (maybe even sooner, depending on how long
it takes to translate the manual); advance orders are being accepted
now. Of course, we won't charge your credit card or cash your check
until your order has been shipped. To place an advance order for the
TEC, call the CodeHead order desk at 213-386-5735. Mastercard, Visa,
and American Express accepted.
CodeHead Software
P.O. Box 74090
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Tel 213-386-5735
Fax 213-386-5789
NEW ARCSHELL RELEASED Hiya folks! I'm just about to upload ARC Shell
""""""""""""""""""""" 3.0 to the library. It will be available as
soon as the sysops clear it.
New features:
o Vastly improved interface for Thomas Quester's LHARC programs,
allowing access to many of their special features.
o A "Group Extract" function that lets you automatically extract
all ARC/LZH files in a directory to their own individual
folders.
o An improved "Install Application" dialog box.
o Greater configurability.
o And of course, the obligatory LOTS MORE.
Have fun with the new version; please note that if you've already
paid the shareware fee for ARC Shell, I'm asking a small upgrade fee for
this latest version. I think this is very fair, since I've been
continually upgrading and enhancing ARC Shell for years without ever
charging an upgrade fee. Thanks to all the folks who've paid the share-
ware fee for ARC Shell -- you're the ones who've made it possible for me
to continue improving the program for all this time. But payments have
slowed down drastically recently, and if you'd like to see me continue
to support and develop ARC Shell, an upgrade payment will do wonders
toward that goal! Thanks, and have fun with the new version. -Charles
(C.F.JOHNSON, CAT32, TOP13, MSG:78/M475)
>>>>> Hi everyone. As is usually the case, I test a new version of
""""" ARC Shell as thoroughly as I can (yeah, right!)... release it,
and bang, the bugs start coming out of the woodwork. I discovered today
that some things aren't working exactly right, like the automatic
deletion of LZH files after extraction. Sorry...I've already found and
fixed all the bugs, and added a couple of further enhancements to the
"Install Application" box while I was at it. (You can now set the
destination for extracted files, and save the options.)
There will be a version 3.1 soon, folks. -Charles
(C.F.JOHNSON, CAT32, TOP13, MSG:82/M475)
>>> CODEHEAD ANNOUNCES SCANNER SUPPORT FOR MEGAPAINT PROFESSIONAL! <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Recently, CodeHead Software became the exclusive representative in
the USA and Canada for MegaPaint Professional, an extraordinarily fast
and feature-packed painting/drawing program developed by Germany's
TommySoftware.
Now, CodeHead has added support for several popular scanners to
MegaPaint Professional, through communication with Dr. Bobware's new
low-priced ScanLite desk accessory. ScanLite supports the Migraph,
Geniscan, Golden Image and Datascan scanners -- and now, so does
MegaPaint Professional!
Charles F. Johnson, co-owner of CodeHead Software, said, "When I
spoke to Dr. Bob at the Chicago Computerfest, I was excited to discover
that he had built into ScanLite the ability to communicate with outside
applications. As soon as we returned from the show, I wrote a small
external module for MegaPaint Professional that calls ScanLite and tells
it to scan straight into the MegaPaint picture area."
Once you've scanned an image, you can then use MegaPaint's
impressive array of drawing and painting tools to retouch it, enhance
it, transform it, or anything else you can imagine -- all at incredible
speeds! In operations such as loading an IMG file, or rotating a block,
MegaPaint Professional has been benchmarked at speeds almost 200 times
faster than its closest competitor, Migraph's Touch-Up.
According to Mr. Johnson, "MegaPaint's ability to use 'external
modules' means that it is the only ST/TT graphics package that will
never go out of date." Programmers interested in writing MegaPaint
modules should contact CodeHead Software for more details.
PRODUCT INFORMATION
'''''''''''''''''''
Product: MegaPaint Professional
Retail Price: $175
Available from: CodeHead Software
P.O. Box 74090
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Tel 213-386-5735
Fax 213-386-5789
Product: ScanLite
Retail Price: $20
Available from: Dr. Bobware
180 N. Hazeltine Ave
Campbell, OH 44405-1024
Tel 216-743-4712
>>> ATARIAN MINDS WANT TO KNOW! <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
(Facts, Fiction & Maybe)
WHERE IS FSM GDOS? The "real" FSM GDOS will have Atari Packaging.
"""""""""""""""""" (Even if it is done with Crayons :-) I might get my
nephew to help, although we'd wind up with Ninja Turtles on the
packaging. <g> (Other than the packaging, there is no difference
between the disks Goldleaf is publishing and the January issue) -Bill
(B.REHBOCK, CAT14, TOP18, MSG:174/M475)
CD-ROM? This time around, within the next few months there WILL be CD-
""""""" ROM hardware available for Atari machines, whether Atari them-
selves provided it or not. Atari folks like Bill Rehbock have already
worked hard to assure that this will be the case.-George @ JMG Software.
(JMGSOFT, CAT14, TOP28, MSG:123/M475)
FALCON -> JAGUAR Interesting specs. The other rumor I have heard is
"""""""""""""""" that the Falcons will have the same graphics chipset
as the Jaguar. This makes a lot of sense to me since that means that
the Jaguar will have an instant, low-cost development platform, and that
Atari can recover the engineering investment spent on the chipset more
quickly by using it in multiple products. Also, it would be nice to see
Atari's computers be "stunning" again the way they used to be, and a
cool graphics chipset could do the trick.
It also raises the possibility of being able to plug Jaguar games
into your Falcon, giving you all of the power of a general purpose
computer and a videogame console at the same time.
(L.A.POPKIN, CAT18, TOP20, MSG:75/M475)
TT/CODERAM PROBLEM SOLVED I have determined the cause of the crashing
""""""""""""""""""""""""" of CodeRam on some TTs. If there is not
exactly 4 megs of ST RAM it will crash. This is why some people with 2
megs were crashing and I'm crashing with 10 megs. A fix is on its way...
but when, I don't know. -John
(J.EIDSVOOG1, CAT32, TOP4, MSG:141/M475)
SPECTRE / HD SUPPORT I'm sure Dave will put in HD floppy support some-
"""""""""""""""""""" time, but I think he has other major priorities
right now, such as SST, MegaTalk, Spectre 3.1 for System 7 support, and
fixing the problem with some TTs. I don't think HD floppy support is
too far down the list though.
(E.KRIMEN, CAT4, TOP17, MSG:22/M475)
MANDELBROT ONLINE? I will see if I can permission to upload the
"""""""""""""""""" Mandelbrot Program that uses the FPU after the
holiday. <Sorry, I won't be back in the office until after
Thanksgiving..> -John
(TOWNS, CAT14, TOP14, MSG:146/M475)
ADOBE TO FSM-9 UTILITIES There are conversion utilities to go from
"""""""""""""""""""""""" Adobe Type-1 to FSM-9 in the works, my
_guess_ is that at least one should be ready mid-1st quarter '92. Fonts
will be shipping from Atari by the end of January. There are about 150
fonts available. -Bill Rehbock, Atari Corp.
(B.REHBOCK, CAT14, TOP18, MSG:162/M475)
ROSETTA SOON! Rosetta will be shipping next week! Persons that
"""""""""""""" purchase Rosetta directly from Lee will be getting them
first. Lee will be sending it also to RIO Computers. Rio should be
shipping to their customers after that. -Ringo
(R.MONFORT1, CAT25, MSG:20/M475)
MORE LEXICOR GREAT NEWS! The Lexicor Wiz System: Graphic Tablet will
"""""""""""" be shipping by next week. The Lexicor manual is ready
and persons that order it from Lexicor will the tablet first. The next
group goes to RIO and Rio will ship it to their customers. ROSETTA will
also ship next week. -Ringo
(R.MONFORT1, CAT25, MSG:33/M475)
STYLUS - MAYBE Agreed, John. However.. I would rather devote our time
"""""""""""""" to making sure that STBook is really great (and it will
be!), then put out two mediocre products without the proper systems
software and applications software to make them powerful.
Don't get me wrong.. I think STylus is a really neat product. I
was working on applications for it in my spare time. I think it will
eventually be produced by Atari as well.. Time will tell! -John
(TOWNS, CAT14, TOP7, MSG:159/M475)
LONGER FILENAMES There have been some discussions here at Atari about
"""""""""""""""" coming up with a method to use longer filenames.
But, there are problems with doing this. We would really like to
maintain a DOS compatible format as much as possible. Adding long file-
names would make us incompatible (DOS doesn't have long filenames..
Windows does, but it is an extension of windows and each file has a
'DOS' filename)-John(TOWNS, CAT1, TOP7, MSG:68/M475)
DIAMOND NEWS I am busy (and finally making progress) on Diamond Edge.
"""""""""""" Part of my plans for the next generation of Diamond Back
include a .ttp version and a user programable macro language to allow
the ultimate in customization of backups and restores. -Bob
(B.LUNESKI1, CAT2, TOP42, MSG:224/M475)
LARGER INK CART FOR DESKJET? While poking around the giant Fry's
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Electronics store in Sunnyvale the other
day, I noticed that they now stock a HUGE number of DeskJet ink cart-
ridges (several hundred!). But more important was a special note on the
new cartridge boxes. It proclaims that there is now a new cartridge for
the DeskJet that holds twice the ink supply. Fry's didn't have any of
the new ones in stock, but I assume they will be showing up soon.
Interesting....
Maybe the new "bigger" capacity cartridges will be priced such that
they will become the new standard. Just goes to prove what we all knew
already that the cartridge can still work long past the time when the
original supply of ink runs out by simply refilling the cartridge.
Looks like HP took a lot of flack for relatively short print life and
the proliferation of refill kits. Now, if they only would sell
cartridges with ink colors other than black. -Dave Heine Fremont, CA
(D.HEINE1, CAT4, TOP9, MSG:60/M475)
NEW PRISM-PAINT? A new Prism-Paint is in the works but that is all I
"""""""""""""""" can tell you for now. Maybe Lee will say some more
but it sure is going to be a a major rework. -Ringo.
(R.MONFORT1, CAT25, MSG:43/M475)
>>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Atari-ST RoundTable
Category 14, Topic 13
Message 86 Tue Nov 26, 1991
TOWNS [John@Atari] at 15:23 EST
I would like to respond to a couple of the comments here.
1. Atari hasn't specifically said that 68000 multi-tasking is out
of the question. I believe that we have said that we are looking
into the possibility of multi-tasking on 68000 machines and we
are working on multi-tasking in general. However, we are not
and have not done anything specific to limit multi-tasking to
the 68030.
2. The 68000 doesn't have the ability to do hardware memory
protection. This is really needed to do multitasking. Otherwise,
programs can and do occasionally step all over each other.
3. I don't believe a decision has been made. I think we will
evaluate the situation and see what we can do.
4. Multi-tasking on a 8Mhz 68000 is going to be VERY slow. As they
say, be careful what you ask for.. you may get it! ;-)
I will let you know when I hear more on the subject.
-- John Townsend, Atari Corp.
[*][*][*]
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]
[HUM]//////////////////////////////
HUMOR ONLINE /
/////////////////////////////////
It's Christmas!
"""""""""""""""
By Terry Quinn
[T.QUINN1]
o Twas The Night Before Implementation.
o Best Ever Fruitcake: DON'T Forget The Brandy!
o The Bite Before Christmas: An Online Card.
>>> ST ELSEWHERE <<<
""""""""""""""""""""
ONLINE FUN! One major ingredient present in many of the Roundtables on
""""""""""" GEnie is humor. Since the holiday season is upon us, a
sampling of the holiday humor being posted now is an appropriate bit of
levity.
The most concentrated assemblage of humor on line is located in the
TeleJoke RT (Page 230). While some of what passes for humor here is
pretty rank (and not all that appropriate for family viewing), some of
it is both clever and entertaining. For example a little Christmas (and
computer humor) to start things off:
Here's a little Christmas poem that should hit pretty close to home
for all the programmers out there:
>>> Twas The Night Before Implementation <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Twas the night before implementation and all through the house,
Not a program was working, not even a browse.
The programmers hung by their tubes in despair,
With hopes that a miracle soon would be there.
The users were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of inquiries danced in their heads.
When out in the machine room there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.
And what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a super programmer ( with a six-pack of beer ).
His resume glowed with experience so rare,
He turned out great code with a bit-pusher's flair.
More rapid than eagles, his programs they came,
And he cursed and muttered and called them by name.
On Update! On Add! On Inquiry! On Delete!
On Batch Jobs! On Closings! On Functions Complete!
His eyes were glazed over, fingers nimble and lean,
From weekends and nights in front of a screen.
A wink of his eye and a twitch of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
Turning specs into code; then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger upon the "ENTER" key,
The system came up and worked perfectly.
The updates updated; the deletes, they deleted;
The inquiries inquired, and closings completed.
He tested each whistle, and tested each bell,
With nary a bomb, and all had gone well.
The system was finished, the tests were concluded,
The users' last changes were even included.
And the user exclaimed with a snarl and a taunt,
"It's just what I asked for, but not what I want!"
(D.L.DELEGAL, CAT2, TOP9, MSG:7/M230)
[*][*][*]
What holiday is complete without fruitcake? Now most of you who
like it (and there are few of you who don't) will just go out and buy
one this year. Believe it or not, baking a fruitcake is actually not
all that hard. Just take a look at this recipe posted on one of the
newest Roundtables - the Food & Wine RT (Page 1150):
>>> BEST EVER FRUITCAKE <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
o 1 Cup Butter
o 2 Cups sugar
o 4 Large Eggs
o 2 Cups mixed Candied Fruit
o 1 Tsp Baking Powder
o 5 Cups of Flour
o 1 tsp Salt
o Juice of 1/2 Lemon
o 2 Cups of Chopped Nuts
o 2 Quarts of Brandy
Before starting, check and sample all ingredients, especially the
brandy. Mmmm... Fine Wasn't it? Now proceed. Select a large mixing
bowl, measuring cup, wooden spoon, etc. Use the brandy to check the
accuracy of the measuring cup. Fill cup completely, pour into a glass
and drink - repeat process for better accuracy.
With an electerirc er.. electicer er.. a mixer, beat 1 cup of
butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add 1 sup of cugar and seat again.
Meanwhile, make sure the brandy is of finest qualityl Cry another tupl.
Open second quart if necessaryl.
Add tow leggs, 2 cups of fried druit and beat till high. If druit
sticks to beater, pry loose with a drewsriverl! Sample the brandy
again, checking for tonscisticityl... or whatever.
Next, sift 3 cups of salt or anything else, it doesn't matter.
Sample the brandyl. Sift lemon juice. Fold in chopped butter and
strained nuts. Add 1 Babblespoon of brown thugar, or whatever color you
find and mix well.
Grease oven and turn cake pan 350 gredees. Now pour cake into the
oven and ake. Check the brandy again, bo to ged and forget the whole
experience... (S.MEASE, CAT2, TOP14, MSG:122/M1150)
>>> THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Since I have made so many friends on here, I would like to send
each and every one of you a Christmas card, but finances will not permit
that. So, today I bought a Christmas card for you all :) Here it is:
Ingredients:
o 1/2 cup butter
o 1.1/2 cups wheat germ or graham cracker crumbs
o 1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened condensed milk (Not evaporated)
o 1 cup mashed bananas
o 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
o 1.1/3 cups flaked coconut
o 1 cup chopped nuts
o 13 x 9 inch baking pan
(preheat oven to 350 degrees)
Twas the bite before Christmas, when all through the house not a
Sweetness was stirring; somehow we ran out.
The little one clung to his stocking with care, in hope that some
chicklets soon would be there.
The rest of the kids were awake in their beds, while visions of
sugar plums danced in their heads.
When out in the kitchen there arose such a clatter, I sprang from
the couch to see what was the matter. The missus was fumbling and
fussing with cans, until she held sweet condensed milk in her hands.
She grabbed for a bowl and poured it all out, then found 2 bananas
and let out a shout.
While mashing and smashing to make it all smooth, she turned on the
oven to heat up the mood.
"What's better than butter?" I've known her to say. So she popped
in her best pan and melted away.
Was it wheat germ or graham crackers looking like crumbs? They
fell like snowflakes from her fingers and thumbs.
And after she coated the buttery pan, she picked up the bowl to
start pouring again.
Now into the baking pan evenly laid was the creamy banana
concoction she made. Chop Walnut, or Pecan or Peanut or Cashew (it
doesn't much matter if anyone asks you). What matters is all of the
patience it takes to press them all down with some coconut flakes.
And last but not least were the chocolate chips which she carefully
placed while she puckered her lips.
And then with a wink of her eye she was done, so we sang while we
waited and chatted for fun.
Thirty minutes to bake,m and thirty to chill, and thirty to finally
have our sweet fill.
And the sweetness did stir as it should on that night. Merry
Christmas to all, and to all a good bite.
Hope everyone has a lovely holiday season.
Bruce and Sylvia Mease
Palm Bay, Fl
(S.MEASEM, CAT3, TOP25, MSG:247/M1150)
Yum, that was good! In fact for a more detailed look at this
roundtable, stay tuned for ST Elsewhere next month when we explore Food
and Wine RoundTable in depth.
[EOA]
[MIC]//////////////////////////////
OF MICE AND BYTES /
/////////////////////////////////
First Look: Arabesque Professional
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Richard Brown
R.BROWN31]
>>> ARABESQUE PROFESSIONAL: A FIRST LOOK <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ With a Few Things to Put a Spin on the Ball ~
Arabesque Professional is an intriguing new entry into the ST/TT
graphics domain. Imported and Anglicized by Gribnif Software, the much
heralded creator of the Neodesk desktop replacement, this is a software
that holds a lot of interest, but also suffers from a few idiosyncratic
quirks.
I was first introduced to Arabesque in person at the Gribnif booth
at the Glendale Atari Show. Seeing it work on the large monochrome
screen on their demo TT was an impressive sight, so I plunked down a
credit card and made an 'advanced purchase' at a discount rate. More
than two months later (German is not so easy to translate, I suppose) I
received the release version of the disk along with a 34 page 'quick-
start' manual, as the full manual was still in the works.
For veteran users of other graphics software, Arabesque
Professional should be relatively easy to use, but like other German-
origin offerings, full of surprises awaiting discovery.
AN OVERVIEW Arabesque is a unique, two-in-one combination program.
""""""""""" One mouse click toggle between bitmap and GEM vector art
modes. Many graphic formats are supported, including the new GEM3,
Calamus' CVG, Degas, IMG, and proprietary Arabesque formats.
The program does not use drop down menus in favor of a pop-up menu
that appears anywhere on the page with a right mouse click. The
measuring system can be set to centimeters, inches, or points and
drawings can be made to scale. The grid is adjustable and 'snap-to
capable'.
Magnifications go down to pixel level and most tools, either
drawing or editing, operate at all magnifications, a very nice
achievement.
Of interest in bitmap mode, gradient fills are available (black to
white only at this time), and any bitmap block can be 'poured' into any
desired shape using a 'fit' command.
Other block functions include horizontal and vertical mirroring,
inverting, bitmap smoothing (for the 'jaggies'), interesting distortion
effects (ever used sinusoidal distortion?), shadings, horizontal or
vertical 'compression' - there are a host of powerful features.
The bitmap lasso function will allow a complex shape to be cut and
pasted at will, with the excess whitespace (if you have lassoed an
object loosely) being truncated to the edge of the object itself.
Standard drawing tools complement or expand upon those you've seen
in other drawing packages (like Degas) with nice 2D and 3D wireframe
'extruding' tools, and a host of variables per tool: line style/
thickness, many (and editable / grabable) fill patterns, with replace,
transparent, XOR, invert, outline / no outline, fill / no fill drawing
controls. The configurable airbrush sprays in the current fill pattern,
and freehand drawing remains the same as you would expect.
VECTOR GRAPHICS Arabesque Professional's vector graphic mode has a lot
""""""""""""""" of the power you'd expect, with a variety of
primitives, layering, rotations, scaling, bezier and functions. In
vector mode, Arabesque can save in Calamus' CVG format, and yes, I've
tried it in Calamus Outline Art (it loads!) and is transportable to EPS
format using Outline Art's CONVRT2X.TOS utility (it prints in
PostScript, too!).
As a vector art package, Arabesque does not match the power of
programs like Calamus Outline Art or Avant Vektor (from the Codeheads),
but is significantly simpler to use than a program like Outline Art.
For those not needing the sophistication of Outline Art's amazing
capabilities (including vectorised font manipulations), or Avant
Vektor's autotracing capabilities, this is a good and useful package.
ARABESQUE PROFESSIONAL: NOT QUITE PARADISE Some caveats:
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Some of the block tools
(like one of the rotate tools) seemed not only not to work, but would
begin doing odd things, like grabbing the characters of the coordinate
(top) bar or the scroll bars (both of which later can be pasted on the
page). Luckily, hitting 'Backspace' will clear the problem, restoring
the original block. Luckily, there seems to be a crossover on some of
the tools, so all is not lost. I would expect this problem will be
corrected in the already announced next generation (true color!)
Arabesque.
More quirks: after some furious 'playing around' with the program I
found an annoying tendency for the pop-up menu to suffer from gross
distortion (only over a small area) that made some of the icons un-
readable (like disk operations and the 'STOP' [read that 'quit']
buttons!). In clicking on the garbled icon, the next menu was clean and
usable. Only the pop-up menu seemed to suffer from this apparent problem
which did not clear up until reloading the program later in the day.
THOSE OTHER PROGRAMS - AVANT VEKTOR / OUTLINE ART More than Arabesque
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" or Outline Art's
current incarnation, Avant Vektor seems to have its priorities straight
in the 'art' department - the built-in ability to autotrace a bitmap
for faster high end vector graphic creation and immediate, available
support for both PostScript and Calamus' vector formats. The dizzying
complexity offered in autotracing, and the speed with which professional
illustrations can be created with such systems is nothing short of
amazing.
This has long been the staple of Macintosh and IBM drawing
programs, and with a few new offerings for autotracing on the ST/TT,
Atari can claim a new position among the 'leading' machines.
It is rumored that new capabilities may be on the way for Outline
Art, but we'll have to wait and see.
I should probably qualify my next comments to the greater portion
of ST DTP and graphics users. My avid support for PostScript output is
commonly lambasted, but, sticking to my guns, my simple requirement for
'professional systems' is: the ability to acquire typeset quality output
(1270-3000 DPI) on a stock imagesetter commonly available virtually
everywhere in the world. No proprietary front ends, no need to 'have
the fonts online', etc. Just an ordinary service bureau that can
receive and print any file with any font, any graphic, etc., etc., at
any time.
Try to find a Mac (especially!) or an IBM program that does not
support PostScript as one of its default printing configurations. You
won't find a single major title that does not support PostScript. Not
one. Remember, for the professional graphic artist or typesetter - 300,
400, even 600 DPI laser printers are merely 'preview' or 'proof'
printers prior to the eventual 2540 DPI output. Remember, with the
power of the TT, and its ability to handle gray scales (256 shade TIF
files, for example), you NEED 1270 dpi and above to recreate those
grays! And wait until you
need color separations!
One thing that the world of Atari doesn't need is to get mired in
its own dark ages. Each parallel attained by Atari and Atari's software
developers with regard to the world computing community is a step toward
a brighter future. When programs like the great new IMAGE CAT come out
with true PostScript support, these programs now are 'contenders' and
leave no room for IBM scoffing.
I have heard good things about Arabesque (at the Glendale show)
where PostScript support for the future was mentioned. I also under-
stand that there may be a module coming for Calamus to allow any Post-
Script printer (not just special service bureaus) to print from Calamus
at full resolution.
But for my purposes, and the reason for the previous 'soap box'
proselytizing, with no Atari laser and with my bubblejet on loan, I was
stuck when doing this review of Arabesque. PostScript printing was my
only option. It was necessary to import all files to PageStream and
printed out on an NEC Silentwriter, which, although a PostScript
printer, is not one I would recommend to my friends (POOR paper
handling! LOTS of paper jams!). Luckily, the NEC is just on loan while
my old AST Turbo (great printer!) gets fixed.
Once more, in today's computing society, one should not be 'stuck'
with a two thousand dollar printer!
THE FINAL SCORE Arabesque should be a strong contender for those
""""""""""""""" needing a bitmap/vector art solution in one package.
The fact that both modes of operation share many of the same functions
and have a similar 'feel' will make this a software that can be more
easily grasped than two dissimilar programs, like Touch-Up and Outline
Art, as an example.
Having used many of the available graphics programs on several
platforms, I'd say Arabesque Professional is off to a good start - can't
wait for the next release!
[EOA]
[DLR]//////////////////////////////
DEALER VIEWPOINT /
/////////////////////////////////
Atari's Ultimate Traveler
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Sheldon Winick
[S.WINICK]
>>> HANDIEST COMPUTER EVER DESIGNED <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The Atari Portfolio is definitely one of the handiest computer
packages ever designed. In fact, I'm writing this article on my Port-
folio while traveling back to Asheville from a trip to South Florida.
Weighing in at around only 1 pound (batteries included), and compact
enough to fit in a coat pocket, the Portfolio is Atari's, and the
computer industry's, most compact system able to provide full computing
power for anyone needing the utmost in portability.
The Portfolio's soft leather carry case with belt loop is
especially handy for carrying it around anywhere, and offers protection
for the unit as well as storage space for peripherals. When not
attached to my belt, it easily stows away into the smallest corner of a
briefcase or overnight bag. The real beauty of the Portfolio is its
ability to go anywhere and be instantly ready for action. Its battery
compartment holds 3 AA batteries which provide enough power for about 40
hours of continuous operation; and the optional A/C adapter conserves
battery life when an electric outlet is handy.
My Portfolio customers range from college students to international
business travelers. I have customers using the Portfolio for everything
from a simple electronic address book (with automatic telephone dialer)
and appointment calendar to programming a complex sheet metal laser
cutting machine. The built-in Lotus-compatible spreadsheet and word
processing software provide compatibility with virtually any other
computer platform. Files are easily transported between systems through
a serial port null-modem connector, a smart parallel port connector or
over a regular phone line using a modem. A Portfolio ram-card drive is
also available so owners of a conventional MS-DOS system can "upgrade"
their desktop computer and give it ability to read and write directly to
a Portfolio ram card (and "upgrade" their system with an Atari
peripheral to add some "real" class to an otherwise mundane, run-of-the-
mill PC clone).
For programmers, there's "Power Basic"; and for end users like the
majority of my Portfolio customers, there's a growing number of
customized software packages available from games (yes, even games!) to
complex business and professional programs. Available software includes
everything from flight programs for pilots, to integrated phone pager
systems for busy business executives, and most everything in between.
The Portfolio's built-in sound system can even be programmed to
play a tune! There are several demo programs available here in the
GEnie library that will play music on your Portfolio. If graphics
interests you, you're sure to be impressed with the Portfolio's graphic
capabilities -- and I'm not talking about simple ASCII Art either!
OK, there is one thing the Portfolio lacks that is available on
other Atari systems... MIDI ports. Of course we did have our regional
KAWAI rep going one day when we pasted pictures of MIDI ports on the
Portfolio case and convinced him they were real!
Of course you need to keep in mind that the Portfolio is really a
DOS-based system. But that doesn't mean you're going to be inundated
with having to learn all those retarded type-in commands, or have to
constantly face that user-unfriendly empty line DOS prompt. After all,
the Portfolio is still an Atari! Atari programmers have thoughtfully
bundled "File Manager" and "Tutorial" software with every system. Even
though the Portfolio doesn't have a mouse, the "File Manager" software
offers you a simple, user-friendly point-and-click interface that will
make even the most avid ST-owner feel right at home.
Those of you who haven't yet added a Portfolio to your Atari
collection are in for a special treat from Atari just in time for your
last minute holiday shopping. Not only do you get a "File Manager/
Tutorial" ROM card, but the holiday special also includes a free RAM
card. At Computer STudio, we're offering two free 32K RAM cards with
each Portfolio purchase through December. Other dealers have their
own holiday specials for their customers. Visit your nearest Atari
Portfolio dealer and check it out for yourself. What a great time to
take the plunge and join the growing family of Portfolio owners.
Happy (Atari) Computing.
Sheldon Winick (GEnie Address: S.WINICK)
Computer STudio (Asheville, NC)
[*][*][*]
Sheldon owns and operates Computer STudio, a full-service
Atari dealership in Asheville, North Carolina. In addition to
(Atari) computing, other interests include motorcycling,
skiing, camping and hiking. He is also Newsletter Editor for
the Blue Ridge Atari Computer Enthusiasts (BRACE) and was past
president of that user group. Sheldon is also a registered
architect, and operated his own architectural office between
1971 and the time he turned his computer hobby into Computer
STudio in 1988. He still does architectural work for select
clients, and currently has work in progress in Florida, North
Carolina and Colorado. His current architectural drawings are,
of course, being prepared on his Atari based CADD system,
using DynaCADD software.
[EOA]
[RND]//////////////////////////////
RANDOM ACCESS /
/////////////////////////////////
Door Prize Controversy
""""""""""""""""""""""
By Dorothy Brumleve
[D.A.BRUMLEVE]
>>> DOOR PRIZES: WHERE DOES ONE DRAW THE LINE? <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
We've seen a *lot* of discussion here about exclusivity. One thing
that's been touched upon but not explored is the concept of reciprocity.
One hand washes the other. But what if one hand is already clean, and
the other is very, very dirty?
Donations of door prizes are a marketing tool. The show-givers
post the door prizes and their recipients. The prizes are officially
announced and the presentation of prizes is often accompanied by
ceremony. The press sometimes follows up by reporting at least the
major prizes. The grateful recipient talks up the prize at his user
group meeting. The good feelings flow. The P.R. is there in major
proportions.
But suppose P.R. simply isn't enough...Suppose the "donor" wants
some greater return on his "donation". What is acceptable compensation?
Show-givers _need_ door prizes, and they may be willing to pay for them,
but I don't think they should. Whether it comes in the form of actual
cash, a rebate on the donor's booth rate, or an article for an online
magazine that serves as an advertising vehicle for the donor's mail-
order business, such compensation stretches the definition of "donation"
much too far. The door prize that comes with such strings attached has
been _sold_, not donated, and should not be misrepresented as a
donation. Otherwise, the problems associated with this practice will be
legion.
If such compensation is permitted, where does one draw the line?
When a user group receives a copy of a program, they often promise the
manufacturer a review in their newsletter. Does the manufacturer have
the right to demand a _positive_ review in return for the product? If a
discount is offered to show vendors who donate a door prize, should the
discount vary according to the retail value of the "gift"? If such
compensation became routine, would anyone pay for a booth? If the
compensation required work by the group putting on the show and all door
prize donors demanded such work, would any shows have door prizes?
Would any group be willing to take on the monumental task of putting on
a show _and_ satisfying vendor demands? Would there _be_ any shows at
all?
Suppose the "donor" is dissatisfied with the compensation...
Should he reclaim his product? Can he demand that further compensation
be provided? Should he publically call the show-givers/group on the
carpet for breach of promise? Suppose, for example, that a certain text
is submitted to the vendor's online magazine in compensation for the
donation of a product. Suppose the vendor has demanded exclusive rights
to this text in return for the prize. Suppose, then, that the vendor
discovers that a very similar text has been prepared for a rival
magazine. What can that vendor do to extract justice?
What is the recipient's position in this situation? He has done
nothing to compensate the vendor for use of his product. Those who
_have_ compensated the vendor do not have use of the product (unless by
some freak coincidence they have won it). Is the recipient now beholden
to the group for the compensation they provided the vendor? Perhaps the
vendor should skip the middlemen and offer the "winner" an opportunity
to buy his product directly. What a prize that would be! A chance to
buy Product X for one's very own!
This dilemma is very troubling to me as a vendor. I've always made
it a policy to donate a prize at every show I attend. I've often
satisfied user group requests with samples of my products. I've never
asked for any compensation in return, nor do I desire any beyond the
good vibes one expects from such gift-giving. This seems to be the
routine practice among vendors in this market. In fact, I'm aware of
only a single case in which a prize was given with such strings
attached, _exclusively_ one single case.
The precedent set by this case has ominous proportions. I hope
that user groups and show promoters will steer very clear of such
arrangements in the future. And I hope that vendors will never again
attempt to extract more value from a "donation" than is legitimately
due. The results, as we can clearly see in this thread, are less than
satisfactory for all involved.
(D.A.BRUMLEVE, CAT26, TOP2, MSG:427/M475)
[EOA]
[LIB]//////////////////////////////
THE ONLINE LIBRARY /
/////////////////////////////////
Get It While It's Hot!
""""""""""""""""""""""
by Mel Motogawa
[M.MOTOGAWA]
>>> P.S.'s <<<
""""""""""""""
WHAT'S NEW IN THE ST LIBRARY With all the cold weather across the
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" nation this time of year, more ST/TT
users must be staying indoors archiving. There are many new or updated
archive shells uploaded to the file library, many of them tailor-made to
fit Thomas Quester's great Lzh201X Lharc series. The superior LH5
compression of this program is taking the ST/TT world by a storm, so
don't get left out on the great space savings over normal lzh. You'll
notice that some files contain an "(LH5)LZH" in their name. This is to
keep the current version of ST Aladdin happy when downloading the file.
Otherwise the file would be named with an incorrect extender. Comments
of my own are shown within double asterisks "** ... **" after the file
description, in the ascii GEnie Lamp version and also in italics in the
TX2 version. Enjoy!
[*][*][*]
#21865 LZHSHELL.LZH (LH5)LZH 14208
A shell for Questor's LHZRC.TTP LZH compression utility. Supports all
the various options with an easy to use interface. Freeware from the
United Kingdom.
-----
(Note: This is a re-upload of file #21849)
Use any LH5 extractor such as LHARC201I.
TESTED->TOS 1.4 COLOR/MONO ** Another comprehensive shell for
Quester's Lharc program. Lot's of options. **
#21854 STDCAT50.ARC 92160
Great upgrade to a great program. If you've had any sort of problems
finding out which file is where then this is THE program to check
out!! Allows comments appended to individual files, catalog your
harddrive, printed reports, and much, much more. Docs included.
Support Shareware-->it pays :}
-----
Use a current ARC utility like ARC602ST.ARC (file #13310) to extract.
TESTED-> TOS 1.4,COLOR/MONO
#21852 ARCSHL30.ARC 55424
Here it is: ARC Shell 3.0, the latest version of the powerful GEM
front end for ARC.TTP, ARC602.TTP, and Thomas Quester's LHARC! ARC
Shell 3.0 has many new features, including a vastly improved interface
for the Quester LHARC programs, more configurability, a new "Group
Extract" function, and more. Full documentation is included. ARC
Shell 3.0 is shareware! Copyright 1991 Charles F. Johnson & Little
Green Footballs Software. All Rights Reserved. (Hint: Christmas is a
great time to pay those shareware fees you've been putting off!) :)
Use ARC602ST (#13310) or other ARC extractor. TESTED->TOS 1.0/1.4
MONO/COLOR ** Quite an upgrade! **
#21850 ARC_M_10.LZH (LH5)LZH 35712
ARC_Magic is an archive shell from the United Kingdom. Lots of
options, designed for support of batch extraction/compression.
Supports all .TTP utilities, which you must supply. Shareware, this
is a semi-crippled version. (It forgets your configuration settings
every sixth time so you have to redefine your paths and so on.) This
is an LH5 archive.
------
Use any LH5 extractor such as LHARC201I.
TESTED->TOS 1.4 COLOR/MONO
#21846 CAPTHOOK.ARC 10496
Captain Hook is a shareware program that allows you to "unhook" your
resident programs to eliminate interference with the programs you run.
It is especially useful for eliminating conflicts with MIDI programs,
but will help with almost any kind of program conflict. Specially
designed to work with CodeHead's MIDI Spy background recorder.
Documentation included. By John Eidsvoog
-----
Use ARC602ST.TTP (#13310) or other current ARC utility to extract.
TESTED->TOS 1.4 ** A must-have download for any musicians having
problems running their midi stuff with other programs. And a good
download for anyone else. **
#21840 FFU.ARC 11392
This program checks to see f if the MC68882 co-processor is present
and runs three little timing tests to see how effective it is.
----
Please use ARC602ST.ARC (file #13310) to extract.
SysOp note: Tested on a TT.
#21827 MSPYDEMO.ARC 46848
This is a free demo version of CodeHead's MIDI Spy recorder. MIDI Spy
is a unique MIDI sequencer that records and plays in the background.
It will record at any time no matter what you are doing with your
computer. Or you can have it play a list of pre-recorded MIDI files
while you use your computer for other things. Docs, songs, and press
release included. By John Eidsvoog, CodeHead Software.
------
Use ARC602ST.TTP (#13310) or other current ARC utility to extract.
TESTED->TOS 1.4 COLOR/MONO
#21819 WINNER.LZH 1500672
This is the winning entry in the Atari STE Demo contest. Programmed by
Noel Saw and Arvin Castillo, both of California, this demo provides an
in depth walk through on the STE in an eye catching and informative
fashion! Arvin and Noel won a TT030 for their winning entry! The file
has been LZHed with LHarc 2.01h and ArcShell 2.6 This file requires an
STE with four megs of ram and a hard drive It's big, but well worth
the download!
------------
STe REQUIRED!
Use latest version of Quester's LHARC program to extract. (-LH5
format) ** Yeah, a big one to download, for sure. But it netted them
a TT, so please excuse the large size. At least it's LH5'd. **
#21799 SUDDEN.LZH 129792
This is the latest version of Sudden View, a very quick text editor.
If you have an earlier version and have had a problem with Alt, shift
or Control keys when running with Neodesk III or other resident
programs, download this file. There have been other bug, feature and
documentation changes as well. See Category 13, Topic 19 for more
details. Sudden View is a beta test of a commercial product and is a
functioning demo with documentation. It is archived using LHA 1.30.
** If you had problems getting the earlier demo to work right, try this
one out. It works great for me. **
#21798 CLIPCPX.ARC 11520
This is the Atari Clipboard Configuration CPX V0.9 from Software
Development Systems. It allows you greater flexibility when used with
programs that support th Atari Clipboard. This file requires Atari's
XCONTROL.ACC available here on Genie or from your local dealer. This
program is Freeware.
--
Please use ARC602ST.ARC (file# 13310) to extract.
#21792 SCANCOL3.ARC 80256
Coalesce has received an upgrade already! New features include
"extended view" and "stretch" and also ST medium res support. Designed
explicitly for merging two half-page scans into 1 full page.
(Coalesce is included with "The Tray" (tm) from WizWorks! or
separately. ScanLite is Scan-n-Save software that runs as a program or
as an accessory. Configurable scanbuffer and communicates with other
applications (such as Coalesce) allowing you to scan from within that
'ScanLite-Compliant' app;-) ScanLite works with the GeniScan/ST,
GoldenImage, Migraph and GoldenImage hand-scanners! Whoooowheeeee! Use
ARC602ST.TTP (#13310) to extract. TT Compatible. ** If you have a hand
scanner, you should check these out for sure. **
#21790 WSC_DEMO.ARC 67968
This is a fully function demo of the commercial program WORD SEARCH
CREATOR available from Fair Dinkum Technologies. This DEMO is nearly
identical to the full commercial version but you are limited to a
maximum of 5 words. Create word search puzzles for educational use or
just plain fun the fast and easy way with WORD SEARCH CREATOR.
Ordering info is included in the ARC file (it's only $19.95, folks!)
or contact FAIR-DINKUM on email for more info or call (505) 662-7236,
24 hours. Check it out!
----------
Use ARC602ST.TTP (#13310) to extract.
TT Compatible in ST Medium or ST High resolutions. ** Another
interesting program from Fair Dinkum. **
#21780 KAOS21EG.LZH (LH5)LZH 83456
KAOSDesk v2.01 is a desktop replacement program with many features.
This archive (in LH5 format) contains the program, icon editor, lots
of icons, and documentation. All docs and program menus/prompts/etc
are in English.
----
Use an LH5 extractor like LZH201I.
TESTED->TOS 1.4 MONO
#21776 INVPRO6.ARC 262528
This is the latest V6.00 of the very popular INVENTORY-PRO software
system from Hi-Tech Advisers. Call it Shareware or call it a Demo,
this is a fully working program with the only limitation being a fifty
record limit. Use this program at home or in your business to track,
sort, list and make labels of anything that you want to keep an
inventory of. Many new features, etc. in this New Release. For more
information or to order call 1-800-882-4310. Outside the US call
(518)756-3800. Technical Support call (518)756-6666. Hi-Tech Advisers
PO Box 128 Ravena, NY 12143. We also have many other
----
Please use ARC602ST.ARC (file #13310) to extract.
#21768 STWEL44.LZH 31104
FIXED BUGS IN TRANSFORM COLOR (NOW ON VERT. BLANK), TYPOS IN HELP.
CODE OPTIMIZED FOR SPEED AND SIZE. SEARCHES 20% FASTER.
WORKS ON ALL TOS'S, ST'S, TT'S, IN ALL RESOLUTIONS.
--
Please use the latest LZH extractor. ** The venerable ST Writer just
keeps getting better. **
#21743 REQUEST.LZH 26240
REQUEST is a full featured GEM shell to be used with the QUESTER LZH
archiving series. The full command set includes Add, Extract, Move,
Verbose, Freshen, Update, Delete, Test, Display, and AFX support. A
large subset of Quester's options, such as recurse subdirectories and
add comments, is supported as well. REQUEST can also be installed as
an application and be called up by double clicking on an archive file.
Get the full power of Thomas Quester's superb LZH archive utility **
A good shell for delving into many of the lesser known options of
Quester's program. **
#21742 JPEG1SRC.LZH (LH5) 227968
This is the JPEG image compression port for the ST. This archive
contains the source code. Compiled binaries can be found in the
accompanying file, JPEG1BIN.LZH.
#21739 JPEG1BIN.LZH (LH5) 84096
This is a JPEG image compression port for the ST. It was distributed
on Usenet. These are only the binaries. Source code included in
accompanying file, JPEG1SRC.LZH. ** If you're into graphics, you're
probably familiar with JPEG compression. **
#21737 CPXMDLS.LZH 30848
New in this version:
""""""""""""""""""""
-FILEINFO.CPX pop-up menus handling corrected. Press and holding
mouse button works now. Selection unpress mouse
button.
-SYSTEM.CPX pop-up menus handling corrected. Extended description
and and data type (BIT).
-NVDICONF.CPX Must be rename, because a official version of NVDICONF
with the same CPX-ID is registered. The new name is
CONFNVDI.CPX, CPX-ID: 'nVdi'. Please don't use the old
version (NVDICONF.CPX, 'NVDI', (c) D.Fiebelkorn)
#21732 FPUSNOOP.LZH 4608
FPU_Snoop 0.03
This program will peek inside your computer and check to see if there
is a 68881 FPU lurking within. Note that this program can only find
an FPU operating in peripheral mode, like in the MegaSTE or the Atari
FPU board. Please reboot your system after running this utility, as
some low memory vectors get trashed in the process.
----------
Use UNLZH.PRG to extract.
#21728 BSTAT242.LZH 242432
B/STAT is a shareware graphics and statistical analysis program. It
requires a minimum of 1 megabyte of memory and a double sided drive.
This is version 2.42. B/STAT will use GDOS (not FSM) but does not
require it. B/STAT may not be distributed in France.
---------
Use UNLZH.PRG to extract.
TT Compatible. Run in ST Medium or ST High resolutions only.
#21722 EDMSHL21.LZH 44800
EDM SHELL 2.10 by David Holmes
This is a new version of an easy-to-use shell for handling ARC, LZH,
ZIP, and ZOO functions. Everything is already set-up for basic use,
but it is also very versatile and configurable. Uses the remarkable
new EDM interface. Many bugs fixed over previous version. New
features include: improved CONVERT, with the option of renaming the
destination file, and accepting passed filenames. Shareware.
#21714 NBMG.LZH (LH5) 8448
This is beta v0.2 of NBMG, a proposed graphics benchmark addition to
NBM itself. Rewritten in Pascal, to overcome 68030 incompatibilities.
---------
Use QUESTER's LHARC program to extract (latest version LZH201I). TT
Compatible in ALL resolutions. **More comprehensive text tests in
this screen/cpu accelerator benchmarker.**
[*][*][*]
Mel Motogawa has been hooked to his ST since 1986 and when not
online, enjoys reading every ST mag he can lay his hands on.
"After years of just reading messages and garnering infor-
mation, I decided it was time to break out. Don't be a lurker
forever, get the most out of the ST Roundtable. Ask questions
online or answer the ones you can. Share the wealth!"
[EOA]
[GAM]//////////////////////////////
GAMES PEOPLE PLAY /
/////////////////////////////////
MicroProse Times Two!
"""""""""""""""""""""
By Paul Varn
[P.VARN]
o SILENT SERVICE: Great Job MicroProse!
o F-15 STRIKE EAGLE II: What It Should Have Been.
>>> TWO FOR TWO <<<
"""""""""""""""""""
MicroProse strikes twice with two game re-makes for the ST.
Reviews of F-15 Strike Eagle II and Silent Service II.
Movie makers like to cash in on past success with sequels. This
rarely happens with computer games that originally came out on 16 bit
machines. MicroProse has had some great best sellers that came out on 8
bit that although ported to 16 bit, didn't have the performance we've
come to expect on these machines.
The last couple of years they've put determined energy into really
updating their classics. A couple that've finally made it to the ST
recently are F-15 Strike Eagle II and Silent Service II. In both cases,
the fundamental nature of the game hasn't changed but the graphics,
sound, and finesse of the programming have improved dramatically.
Silent Service II starts my lineup as the simulation classic of all
time.
The drama of the imaginative tile screen aptly prepares you for
what is to come. The style of the game will be very familiar to
original Silent Service players. Many of the controls are the same, and
the main screens have the same functions. Digitized sound and ship
images replace filled shapes and sythesized squawks. Gone is all the
8-bit programming style. In addition, the art work has been approached
with a fine touch and the colors are blended carefully to minimize
jaggies.
Although the number and types of enemy ships hasn't really changed,
their realism has. The technique is similar to that with Lucasfilms.
Detailed models were photographed and used as templates for the ship
art. Although the 8 color gray scale and low rez of the ST is not
ideally suited for realistic digitizing, this style is the best for
battle simulation. I just tell myself I'm looking through a blurred,
water stained periscope. It beats the original all to pieces.
It seems as though most the memory is used to hold these images and
the extensive digitized sound with the program and battle code. Every
time you call a new screen, it has to be loaded from disk. Some
compensation is the two disks are unprotected and can be installed on
hard disk. I have a medium fast drive and the change takes nearly 5
seconds, closer to 10 seconds from floppy. Impatience is smoothed over
a bit more by a type ahead buffer so commands will be initiated with
the new screen. It also runs fine on Rainbow TOS.
Have your upgrade handy? You need 1 meg or more. If you have more
than a meg, you get some start-up music. I ran the game on 8 MHz
machines and was glad there was a slow-down switch which I used to keep
the game from running too fast when there was less graphic demand. I
estimate the slowest (normal) speed is closer to two times real instead
of four times as in the original. In addition, the acceleration modes
are now smooth and no longer cause the erratic behavior in the first
Silent Service.
I miss some things from the original. As the weather and sighting
distance changes, you don't see this at the scope screens. Changing
cloud formations and color are gone...(_sigh_). Now there is a dark or
light sky. You have to spend the time to call up a special screen to
get a detailed text report on sighting ranges. Also, you always battle
in open ocean. No more land detail (although you will be in shallow
water if you patrol near land.) Unlike the original, you can't
navigate your way to deeper water if escorts are hounding you. Another
minor detail is no text warning of approaching escorts and instead of
propeller noise as they get near, you hear sonar pings when in range.
I thought the prop noise used to add some realism and drama.
Other changes improve game playing such as a night scope no matter what
sub type or time period. Every sub model during the war is available
and duds can be turned off or on. Port repairs are no longer an
option. The sub is always under repair until sunk.
In my playing, the biggest improvements are a little more subtle.
While the original had scenarios, and a war patrol, SSII has this and
random single battles, plus fight the whole history of the war in
several patrols. You can fight with the subs from the time period,
choose any you like, and move up through the models as they become
available. This is made possible by game saves. I used to play a
patrol over two or three days with my computer on pause to get the high
scores. This is a very welcome feature. The whole war might last from
over a week to several months of real-time play. There are skill
levels for everyone from can't lose to slightly harder than real. The
battle logic is now as good as it can be (although I think there is
something not right with the deck gun inclination on aft as opposed to
bow targets.) All other ships and weapons seem to do what they should.
The sub's operation and abilities are now more historically accurate
and the periscope can be locked on a target so maneuvering and firing
is easier.
The sound is the best I've ever heard from this type of game. The
torpedoes gurgle out of the tubes as if I am in the torpedo room
accompanied by an animation of the fish leaving the tube. When the
periscope is lowered, I expect my monitor to sink into the floor.
Explosions on the surface are thunderous while the ones during a dive
are an ominous deep thump. Ships mortally wounded will explode with
resignation again as they disappear from the sonar. Now damaged ships
trail smoke and flames (not just reduce speed as in the original.)
Depth charge attacks are animated also. The hull creaking from too
deep dives no longer sound like a horse neighing but resonate the
tension of the deep. These and more quality sounds make it worth the
memory drain and screen change delay.
Before I bought this game I watched comments on GEnie. People seemed
so divided I couldn't tell from the IBM comments whether it was a
winner or not. I decided that since I already liked the original, they
couldn't hurt it _that_ much. I'm glad I bought Silent Service II. The
few things I miss in the original get eventually lost in the quality
action and sound. In over 100 hours of play I've not seen any bugs,
lock-ups, or crashes on TOS 1.0 or 1.04. The manual is superb. Great
job MicroProse!
>>> F-15 STRIKE EAGLE II <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ What It Should Have Been ~
This carries on the fine graphic programming style perfected in
F-19 Stealth Fighter. Again here, little change in the style of the
game. Like the original, the missions and controls are simple and the
interior cockpit un-adorned. For those familiar with F-19, F-15 is F-
19 with a powerful mach two fighter and a couple more areas of the
world to explore. I purchased the original as one of the first flight
battle simulators on the ST and I'm not afraid to say was very
frustrated with it. I played it a couple times and never touched it
again.
This time it's a playable game. Six areas of world conflict
(including the Persian Gulf) promise adventure. Those who might
purchase it for gulf war action, will not see it, due to sensitivity for
those involved in the conflict. You are sent to strike targets in
countries of our allies in the war however! Strange inconsistency
although true to past conflicts.
The real strength of the game is the wonderful terrain generator
made famous in F-19 and the same external views. Where they remained
true to the original is where the game is weakest in the lack of
cockpit realism and simple ground strike missions.
The instrument panel does not look realistic although the three
CRTs clearly display necessary tactical information in a useful way.
The player is given two ground strike targets and the ability to land
and take off as many times as it takes to fulfill them. Each time the
player lands, the plane is re-armed and repaired.
I finally started playing on the highest level and flew around
until I blew up every possible target on the map, hitting the mission
targets last for maximum score. Early on in each mission the player is
hungrily pursued by a swarm of air opponents. Wiping them out clears
the way for striking the ground targets at will. There is so little
variety in tactics and missions that if it wasn't for some real bright
spots, the game would remain too true to the original for my taste.
When taking off from fields in the Persian Gulf I found myself
pursued by enemy planes from the same field while the "friendly"
fighters nearby ignored them as always. Contrary to the manual, there
aren't any real friendly airfields except that you are permitted to land
and equip at some of them. Even Saudi Arabia launches attacking air-
craft and missiles at you as if at war. This is why I think the Persian
Gulf is the hardest to play although among the lowest scoring areas.
Also, you're up against US made planes. This same philosophy was used in
F-19 and I was disappointed to see the same thing here.
In Germany, enemy migs will chase the player far into friendly
lines un-opposed by friendly air or ground. While venturing into enemy
territory, missiles fill the air like arrows from a Robin Hood movie.
SAM launchers have no qualms about the possibility of hitting their own
aircraft (they never do) while friendlies depend entirely on one
aircraft for their total defense. As with most battle programming,
you're a one man air force. Teamwork and strategy is the key to
success in modern warfare today. That aspect is virtually ignored by
most air combat simulations and I find that tiresome.
Another frustrating "feature" is the sidewinder missile's
insistence on hitting the closest target regardless of the one you have
selected or the player's heading. Missiles will turn around and hit a
friendly aircraft behind, even though there's an enemy selected almost
nose to tail. The radar CRT doesn't have enough definition to tell
which aircraft are closer when there are several nearby. Also, aircraft
behind disappear. Enemy launched sidewinders do not have that problem.
As in F-19, "training" mode is a bit of a misnomer. You can still
be shot down and your pilot erased from the roster. It's just that for
all the trouble you go through, your score isn't retained. This aspect
bothered me in F-19 Stealth Fighter also.
Along with detailed terrain and varied real-world geography, there
are bright spots enough to retain interest. As a flight simulator, the
sensation of movement and intuitive controls makes this program a
delight to use. Carrier operations also present a realistic challenge
always providing some increased heart rate. Air combat lacks realism
but requires skill (alas no AAMRAMS) and is capable of absorbing your
best shots. Doppler radar missiles will test your flying ability
without the benefit of electronic countermeasures. There are several
graphic surprises in parts of the world that are fun to observe.
When I get tired of crawling around in F-19 and getting blasted. I
zoom in there with F-15 and smash everything in sight with impunity. I
like that. Going vertical through layers of multi-colored clouds as I
elude attack has the right feel of thrill attached to it. Quality
shows in the flight characteristics code (except for G forces and
ballistic speed maneuvering) and as usual, the manual meets
MicroProse's high standard of excellence.
Although F-15 Strike Eagle II does not present anything new, and
might have too much old, it does represent high standards in flight
gaming that can supply many hours of high speed combat and real-world
scenery on its two self-loading disks. It is solidly coded and does not
lock or crash.
If you are after realistic fighter and combat simulation, this game
has too much of the original "arcade" type style. The sound is poorly
synthesized and is too "boopy" and "squeaky" for me. F-19 sound
unfortunately did not make it to F-15. 512K ram is enough but the
technical supplement does not mention whether there is disk protection
or the ability to run on hard disk. If you want flight combat that is
simple to learn with superlative graphics, and the flavor of the
original F-15 Strike Eagle, this "II" game will have you flying at
super sonic speed to remote parts of the world in moments.
~ Written by Paul R. Varn 12/8/91 ~
[EOA]
[MEL]//////////////////////////////
MEL'S MANOR /
/////////////////////////////////
Data Diet: Is It Time For a Diet?
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
by Mel Motogawa
[M.MOTOGAWA]
DATA DIET is a new program for the Atari ST/TT series and it is one of
""""""""" a kind. As such, it has generated much interest and
enthusiasm. When something new comes out that has never been tried
before, it is bound to garner many questions. So perhaps you've heard a
little about Data Diet and have been wondering just what it's all about,
what does it do, is Data Diet for me?
WHAT IS DATA DIET Data Diet is realtime compression/decompression of
""""""""""""""""" data. Let me illustrate. You probably archive
seldom used files using ARC or LZH archivers. They take up far less
space that way. When you want to use one of these files, you use the
archive utility to extract the file and then load it into your
application. Well, imagine a scenario like this that skips the archive
utility? A resident program that seamlessly compresses files when you
save them to disk and uncompresses them when they are accessed. All
without any interaction from you. The files take up a fraction of the
space they originally did (close to ARC'ing them), but you can use them
anytime, straightaway. Word processing, database, spreadsheet, picture
files, source code, ascii text, .rsc, .dat, .inf, cfg files, etc.. And
the popular *DC Squish* is included with the package so you can pack all
your executable .prg, .tos, .ttp, .app and .acc files. You can put off
buying that bigger hard disk, trimming that spare tire off your existing
one.
WHY NOT JUST BUY ANOTHER HARD DISK If a "disk full" alert sends you
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" packing to the phone to UPS red
another sleek 500 meg Quantum hard drive into your DMA chain via
American Express, then Data Diet is not for you. But if you can't
afford another hard disk, don't want to dip into installation
hassles/charges and up your electric bill, want to add more storage
capacity to your system with a minimum of investment, then Data Diet is
a sweet deal. Plus, what if you have a portable and don't feel like
hacking in a bigger hard disk? Maybe you don't even have a hard disk,
but would like to get more mileage out of your floppies?
I'M STILL LEERY OF THE IDEA? Once you install Data Diet, you can tell
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" it exactly where it will and won't work on
your system. If you're nervous, only allow it to compress (dietize) on
one partition, a folder or an extender. You can have it dietize all
files on all partitions or limit its activities to specific areas or
files. When you get your confidence up, you can go ahead and dietize
away willy-nilly. (Personally, I allow Data Diet a free hand throughout
my entire system and appreciate all the space it saves me.) If you
discover a program that doesn't like dietized files (rare), just
uncompress (normalize) the files in question and no problems.
HOW DOES THIS DIETIZING WORK? Installation of Data Diet is easy. A
10k long auto folder handler program is, in essence, the whole show.
Once this is loaded at bootup, any files saved will be compressed
(dietized) and any dietized files accessed will be uncompressed
(normalized) before being read by the application. Besides deciding
whether you will allow Data Diet a free hand or what/where you want to
exclude from dietizing, you must decide where to put your work
directory.
The *work directory* is central to the dietizing concept. A folder
you place somewhere on your system. When a file is saved to disk, it is
placed in the work directory. Any further saves are made to this copy.
Eventually, depending on which of the two compression modes you're
using, this copy is dietized and copied to the path you or the
application specified and the work directory copy is deleted. When a
dietized file is accessed, the file is first uncompressed and then
placed in the work directory to be read by the application.
The two compression modes are *Realtime* or *Terminate*. In
Realtime, each time you save a file the work directory copy is
immediately dietized. In Terminate, the work directory copy is dietized
when you exit the application. Pros and cons? In Realtime, when you
exit the application you immediately drop back to the desktop but you
will momentarily wait each time you save the file as it is dietized. In
Terminate, you will momentarily wait when exiting the application as
dietizing is taking place, but saves during your work session are full
speed since no dietizing is done then.
How long of a wait does dietizing impose? My suggestion is to
download the demo of Data Diet (file #21165) and see for yourself.
Personally, the time is not onerous to me, considering the terrific
space savings. Usually anywhere from tenths of a second to one or two
seconds on normal sized files. But if you find large file dietizings
time consuming, you can always configure Data Diet to exclude these from
compression or use the faster compression type.
Two compression types are available to give you a balance between
better or speedier compression. *Type A* is very fast. *Type B* is
slower, but achieves better compression. You can switch between
compression modes and types, set exclusion, examine which files are
currently being used, turn Data Diet off/on, run Data Diet Tools and
reconfigure your dietized system anytime with the *Data Diet accessory*
included with the package.
*Data Diet Tools* is a powerful, comprehensive utility for
dietizing, normalizing, getting file information or generating
statistics on your dietized/squished system. It batch dietizes/normal-
izes whole partitions, folders, extenders and can tell you exactly how
hard Data Diet is working for you. One could probably do a whole review
on all its features.
There are a couple of points to keep in mind when setting up Data
Diet on your system. Be sure to use some means for increasing your
folder buffer count to get around the infamous 40 folder bug, when doing
batch dietizings. Also, be sure not to Squish your hard disk driver
.sys file, Timeworks DTP .ovl files, GDOS printer driver .sys files or
Neodesk.exe. And any programs in the auto folder that access dietized
files will have to be after Datadiet.prg, the auto folder handler.
STATISTICS To get an idea of what Data Diet is currently doing for me,
"""""""""" here is a statistic report generated by Data Diet Tools for
my 85 meg hard drive, checking for all dietized and Squished files:
Statistics for : Both
Search filespec : *.*
Total files : 3300
Total filesize : 49513622 bytes
Virtual filesize : 66706459 bytes
Compressed files : 2171
Compressed size : 23491974 bytes
Uncompressed size: 40684811 bytes
Avg. compressed : 42%
Space saved : 17192837 bytes
Average saved : 25%
Drive size : 14842880 bytes
Drive ESP : 19789824 bytes
Total drive size : 84520960 bytes
Total drive ESP : 117466112 bytes
CDEFGH
As you can see, I have 67 megs of files residing in 50 megs of
space. Instead of being close to the "I need to get another hard disk"
range, I still have a comfortable 35 megs of free space. Of the
compressed files, Data Diet and DC Squish are saving me 17 megs of
space. My 85 meg hard drive is now virtually a 118 megger, if it was
full with the same average savings as right now.
IN CONCLUSION Data Diet is for me. If you have an IBM or Mac buddy
""""""""""""" who has been ragging on you for not having realtime data
compression programs, suffer no more! I like programs that work
effortlessly in the limelight, silently saving me time or expense. For
the price, value, performance and customer support behind it, Data Diet
is a real milestone for the ST/TT computers.
Data Diet 1.0
$74.95
Double Click Software
P.O. Box 741206
Houston, Texas 77274-1206
(713) 977-6520 orders
(713) 944-0108 bbs
[EOA]
[MIN]//////////////////////////////
MINI_BYTES /
/////////////////////////////////
Three On One: KAOSDESK 2.1
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Program Name : KAOSDesk
Filename : KAOS21EG.LZH (LH5)LZH
Library Area : 1
Program Number : 21780
File Size : 83456
Program Type : Desktop replacement
Author : Andreas Kromke (?)
Version Reviewed: 2.01
File Type : Freeware
[*][*][*]
KAOSDESK V2.00 OVERVIEW is an alternate desktop that is similar to the
""""""""""""""""""""""" popular commercial desktop, NeoDesk by
Gribnif. It allows custom icons for the normal desktop items as well
as for programs and files. Up to 20 icons may be placed on the desktop
for quick access. Keyboard equivalents are provided for most window and
menu operations suiting every type user. KAOSDESK can be set to clear
from memory when a program is run to free valuable RAM. It is released
as FreeWare from Germany but all text is in English.
[*][*][*]
MINI_BYTE BY SHEPHERD [90] KAOSDESK V2.00 has many useful features.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" One I especially like is the horizontal
menu bar of each window being a graphic display of remaining disk space,
great for trying to get the most on all those floppies. If you want to
see the actual bytes used, just click on the bar. The icons are very
nice and an icon editor is included, although no instructions for
creating or using custom icons is provided. The windows will display
multiple columns and whether size/date/time or any combination is
displayed with the file names is selectable in the text display. This
is a very intuitive program similar to the Atari desktop, but with many
more features. Unfortunately, the documentation is very difficult to
read, written for a system programmer it seems, and fails to explain
several features, like how to use the 12 program slots. This is one
alternate desktop I will keep around for when I need it's special
features. Definitely give this program a try. The Shepherd's humble
opinion.
MINI_BYTE BY HERETIC [85] Kaosdesk 2.1 is public domain alternative
""""""""""""""""""""""""" desktop resembling either Neodesk or
DC Desktop. Unlike VDOSPRO, GOGO ST, and other p/d offerings, this one
has a strong icon orientation. It permits custom icons for programs and
folders; has an icon editor, and allows you to arrange program icons on
the desktop itself. This program also enhances several of the standard
desktop functions including an improved bidirectional text viewer.
How well does it work? In a word - great! It's a significant
improvement on the standard Atari Desktop bringing many of the functions
of NEWDESK to older machines. If you have an older ST (TOS 1.4 or
older) and are not using a commercial alternative desktop, it definitely
deserves a tryout. Does it have any significant drawbacks? Well the
only one worth mentioning is that if you are already short of memory,
you should think twice about adding this since it does consume a
significant amount. If you only have a color monitor, you also might
want to pass since this program was primarily designed to operate with a
monochrome monitor. This reviewer awards a grade of 85 for this
program.
MINI_BYTE FROM MOGUL [90] "KAOSDesk Version 2.01", is a fantastic new
""""""""""""""""""""""""" entry into the GEnie ST Library. This is a
high-end desktop replacement that adds extraordinary capabilities that
you may thought were the domain of Neodesk or Atari's own Newdesk on the
Mega STe and TT.
KAOSDesk pulls some of the best features found in Newdesk, the Mac
desktop, Amiga's desktop, and Neodesk, providing a tidy, very functional
desktop. I found its many features easy to use and nothing short of
superb. Of particular note, a good corner clock, the current "SORT BY
??" (like "NAME") visible in the the menu bar at all times, multiple
text sizes, good and editable icons, the (FUNTIONAL!) ability to place
any program, folder, or file icon on the desktop, a well-implemented
"Install Application" feature, keyboard equivalents, environmental
variables, and a very nice touch: in 'Show As Text' mode, executable
files are instantly found via a 'bullet' (a period, actually) just to
the left of the file name -- it's a function packed winner.
As an aficionado of Neodesk, no, it's not quite Neodesk (a few
steps away), but for those needing a staging point to see what Neodesk
is all about, this is the ticket. For some, it may be all the desktop
they _ever_ wanted. I did find one of the keyboard equivalents non-
functional (Alt-Z for 'Show Time'), but on the whole, it's a terrific
offering. I'd rate it a 90 (I could live with it). If you don't own
Neodesk - download KAOSDesk NOW!
[*][*][*]
No. File Name Type Address YYMMDD Bytes Access Lib
----- ------------------------ - ------------ ------ ------- ------ ---
21780 KAOS21EG.LZH (LH5)LZH X GRMEYER 911201 83456 156 1
Desc: KAOSDesk v2.01 in English
SHEPHERD ........................................... 90
HERITEC ............................................ 85
MOGUL .............................................. 90
""""
AVERAGE SCORE ...................................... 88.3
MINI_BYTES RATING SYSTEM
""""""""""""""""""""""""
0 / Not worth the download - pass on this one.
10/20 Bored? Looking for something to do?
30/40 Got money to burn? Go for it! A definite maybe.
50/60 You may like this one - unfortunately, I did not.
70/80 I like it! You will probably like it too.
90/100 What? You haven't downloaded this program YET?
>>> REVIEWER PROFILES <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
SHEPHERD...mostly uses information storage programs
and utilities, crazy about time saving
programs, spends lots of time online and
only plays games very rarely.
HERETIC....Uses mostly Wordwriter ST, Aladdin, and
ST_Talk Professional. He writes a lot and
is very hard to please. Loves sticking
pins in sacred cows (both computer and
political). He rarely has time for games
(either the enjoyable kind or Bureaucrap!)
MOGUL......uses the ST as a full-time professional
platform, emphasizing word processing,
spreadsheet, DTP, graphics applications,
and a host of utilities/accessories for
all exigencies.
[EOA]
[PDQ]//////////////////////////////
PD_QUICKVIEW /
/////////////////////////////////
Yours For The Asking
""""""""""""""""""""
By Fred H. Koch
[F.KOCH]
Program Name : Klatrix
Filename : KLATRIX.LZH
Library Area : 8
Program Number : 21800
File Size : 136832
Program Type : Game, Color only
Author : Mats Hogberg
Version Reviewed: Not specified
File Type : Shareware $10.00
[*][*][*]
WHAT IT IS Klatrix is a cross between Klax and Tetris. A falling
"""""""""" shape matching game with a twist.
WHAT IT DOES Sets of three shapes fall down the screen to be matched
"""""""""""" with the field below. Shapes can be all one color, which
results in immediate elimination of the set, all different colors or two
different colors. The falling set is moved side to side with the
joystick and shape colors are rotated by pressing the fire button.
Shapes are eliminated by matching three colors vertically, horizontally
or diagonally. As matches are made a ripple effect eliminates more
shapes by falling columns causing more matches, resulting is a
constantly changing playing field. The shapes and field background
change as each level is completed. An opening screen provides for
turning off the background music. The top ten scores are displayed and
recorded for permanent record.
[*][*][*]
PD_Q RATING * * *
"""""""""""
DOCUMENTATION None
"""""""""""""
PD_Q COMMENTS Klatrix can become addictive. The graphics are out-
""""""""""""" standing, matching and even surpassing many commercial
games. Port 1 is used for the joystick so the mouse doesn't have to be
removed, a favorite feature of mine. The play field never gets boring
since both the shapes and background change with each level. I was only
able to get to level 4 so I don't know what happens above that. There
are no instructions with the file, so something may have been missed,
however play is straight forward and easily figured out.
I had some problems with my TOS 1.0 system and Klatrix. There was
a continuous high squeal when the music was turned off, very annoying if
you get tired of the music. A pet peave is having to reboot to exit the
game. There may be some other way to exit, but I couldn't find it. A
soft reboot left my floppy drives unaccessible, so a cold boot was
needed to remedy the problem.
Even with the few problems, Klatrix is a game worth the download.
[EOA]
[LYN]//////////////////////////////
LINKING UP WITH LYNX /
/////////////////////////////////
Atari Handheld Power!
"""""""""""""""""""""
o LYNX QWIK_CHART
o NEW GAMES FOR THE LYNX
o LYNX ODDS & ENDS
"According to the several Good Guys stores and Software Etc.
stores I went into this week.. the Lynx is outselling the
GameBoy overall. In two stores, I was told "Lynx is the
hottest hand-held game system for us right now. We are
selling tons of them!" -John Townsend @Atari Corp.
LYNX QWIK_CHART Here's a reprint of the Lynx game review charted
""""""""""""""" posted a few days ago since GEnie reformatted it. I
hope this works right! (NOTE: Some slight editing was done)
STAR-LINX BBS ----------------------------------------------
(602) 464-4817 1200bps | | | | |G |C | | |L |P P| |
(602) 464-1136 2400bps | | | | |A |O | | |O P|A R| T |
GAME RATING/REVIEW SYSTEM | | |S |M |M |M | E | |N L|C E| O |
--===11/30/91 Update===-- | | A |O |U |E |L | X | C |G A|K S| T |
| G | N |U |S |P |Y | C | H | Y|A E| A |
+------------------+ | R | I |N E|I |L |N F| I | A |T A|G N| L |
| 5: Outstanding | | A | M |D F|C |A D|X E| T | L |E B|I T| |
| 4: Great | | P | A | F|A S|Y E| A| E | L |R I|N A| S |
| 3: Good | | H | T | E|L C| S| T| M | E |M L|G T| C |
| 2: Fair | | I | I | C| O|& I| U| E | N | I| I| O |
| 1: Poor | | C | O | T| R| G| R| N | G | T|& O| R |
+------------------+ | S | N | S| E| N| E| T | E | Y| N| E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|----|
STUN Runner |5.0|5.0|5.0|3.5|5.0|N/A|5.0|5.0|5.0|3.5|4.66|
Klax |4.5|4.1|4.9|4.2|4.5|N/A|4.3|4.6|4.4|3.8|4.33|
Shanghai |4.4|4.0|3.7|4.6|4.4|3.5|3.5|4.3|4.4|4.0|4.10|
Warbirds |4.2|4.5|3.3|3.0|4.5|4.7|4.2|4.1|4.2|4.3|4.10|
Qix |4.5|4.0|3.0|3.5|4.5|N/A|4.0|4.0|4.0|4.5|4.00|
Slime World |4.5|4.5|3.4|2.6|4.2|4.5|4.0|4.2|4.0|3.4|3.90|
A.P.B. |4.1|4.3|4.6|2.8|3.8|N/A|4.0|4.0|3.7|3.5|3.88|
Checkered Flag |4.3|4.2|3.8|3.2|4.4|3.8|4.1|4.1|3.6|3.0|3.80|
Robotron |3.0|3.0|5.0|4.0|4.0|N/A|4.0|4.0|4.0|3.0|3.77|
Chess Challenge |3.6|3.3|2.3|2.3|4.3|4.6|3.6|5.0|4.0|4.3|3.70|
Blockout |4.1|4.2|2.7|2.8|4.3|N/A|3.5|4.3|4.2|3.4|3.66|
Chip's Challenge |3.3|3.4|3.1|3.4|4.3|N/A|4.0|4.5|4.2|3.3|3.66|
Zarlor Mercenary |4.4|4.0|3.3|3.0|3.9|3.3|3.8|3.7|3.3|3.5|3.60|
Gates of Zendocon |4.0|3.8|3.7|3.5|3.7|N/A|3.5|3.6|3.4|3.0|3.55|
California Games |3.8|4.0|3.0|3.5|3.4|3.9|3.5|3.5|3.5|3.0|3.50|
Blue Lightning |4.2|4.2|3.1|2.5|3.7|N/A|3.6|3.4|3.1|3.2|3.44|
Road Blasters |4.0|3.7|3.5|3.6|3.1|N/A|3.2|3.7|3.0|3.6|3.44|
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adv|4.0|4.0|3.0|3.0|3.0|3.0|3.0|4.0|4.0|3.0|3.40|
Xenophobe |4.0|3.9|3.6|2.6|3.2|3.3|3.4|3.5|3.3|3.4|3.40|
Electrocop |3.9|3.8|3.3|3.1|3.1|N/A|3.1|3.6|2.7|2.9|3.33|
Ninja Gaiden |4.4|3.8|2.9|2.8|3.1|N/A|3.1|3.3|2.8|3.5|3.33|
Hard Drivin' |4.0|4.0|3.0|2.0|3.0|N/A|3.0|4.0|3.0|3.0|3.22|
Ishido |3.5|4.0|2.5|2.0|3.5|N/A|3.5|4.0|3.5|2.5|3.22|
PacLand |3.7|3.5|3.0|3.5|3.2|N/A|2.7|3.5|2.7|3.7|3.22|
Scrapyard Dog |4.1|3.8|2.6|2.6|3.3|N/A|3.1|3.6|3.3|3.0|3.22|
Rampage |4.5|4.2|3.0|2.7|3.4|3.5|2.5|2.1|2.5|3.5|3.20|
Ms. Pac-Man |2.8|3.0|3.1|3.0|3.2|N/A|3.1|3.2|2.7|3.2|3.00|
Rygar |3.5|3.7|2.7|2.5|3.3|N/A|3.0|2.8|2.3|3.1|3.00|
Turbo Sub |4.1|3.5|2.6|2.5|3.0|3.1|3.0|2.7|2.4|2.7|3.00|
Viking Child
|4.0|4.0|3.0|3.0|3.0|N/A|3.0|3.0|2.0|2.0|3.00|
Gauntlet 3 |3.0|3.3|2.6|3.0|2.8|3.0|2.3|3.0|2.1|2.7|2.80|
Paper Boy |2.2|2.5|2.2|2.0|2.2|N/A|2.0|2.5|2.0|3.2|2.33|
Robo-Squash |2.4|2.4|1.7|1.7|1.8|3.0|1.8|1.8|1.6|2.2|2.10|
----------------------------------------------
(S.JOHNSON10, CAT36, TOP5, MSG:324/M475)
>>> NEW GAMES FOR THE LYNX <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
BILL & TEDS! I just picked up Bill & Teds yesterday (11/27/91) here in
"""""""""""" Los Angeles and I must admit that it has become very
addicting. You must travel back and forth through time in the 'phone
booth' to locate things then bring them back. You start off in Egypt
1700 then go to Egypt 1500, then Rome and then to Europe! That's is as
far as I have gotten so far. I highly recommend this game if you like
adventure type games.
(A.HASKELL, CAT36, TOP27, MSG:1/M475)
AWESOME GOLF! Hi all! Yes, Awesome Golf is out (South Florida's
""""""""""""" EB's), and my friend just picked it up this afternoon.
I saw it and its pretty good (mind you, I am not a golf player). The
graphics are well done, the digitized voice is very clear, and the
effect of the ball "flying up and out of the screen" is very impressive.
Of course, as in the real thing, there is not a heck of a lot of action/
activity happening on the screen. BTW, all of the above are my own
opinion and is based on 5 minutes of quick playing (3 holes). Oh, one
more thing - a total of 4 players can be Comlynx'ed together... Well,
hopefully this will be enough info for now until someone that really
likes golf can tell us how good (or bad) the game really is. Until next
time, happy Lynx'n... -Rafael.
(R.MUNOZ, CAT36, TOP2, MSG:199/M475)
>>>>> Well, I've played 36 holes, now. The first 9 holes I was 8 over
""""" par. The second 9 holes 2 over. Then 8 over. Finally, even
par. I always have 1 or 2 bad holes that ruins the fact that I had 3-4
birdies. Even had an eagle (2 under par).
I like the way it plays, but it is simple compared to the computer
versions. The overhead view, (after hitting the ball) is okay, but I
would have preferred the view staying from the player's perspective. The
distance a ball will go is a little hard to get used to; I have a lot of
shots that go way to far or drop 30 yards short, but I'm getting better.
I like the mechanism for hitting the ball, the scale is fast but manage-
able with practice.
Overall, a good golf game and fun to play when a slower pace is
wanted. I will be lynxing with another person tomorrow, will post my
opinions about that, later. oh, It has a handicap built in, but haven't
used it, yet. (M.GARTON, CAT36, TOP2, MSG:201/M475)
>>>>> Well, I played a linked game of Awesome Golf today. What
""""" happens is you get to watch the other player do his shot on your
screen, same via that he sees. Nothing new or different you just get to
watch, waiting for your turn. It helps, though, you get to see what he
does right, or wrong. I shot a 63 on the Japan course, the easiest in
my opinion, or 9 under par. My friend shot an 88, or 16 over. He
hasn't figured out which club to use when, but his putting is good.
Overall, they should have let you player a four player game on one
machine for the same result. (Pass the lynx around). The linking isn't
really that much of an addon, buy another game if you're into linking.
I like the game, its relaxing to play, but not made for multi-player
linking. I would of liked to see a skins game or best ball game
implemented for linking, but only regular golf. -Mike
(M.GARTON, CAT36, TOP2, MSG:203/M475)
>>> LYNX ODDS & ENDS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""
LYNX REPAIR/REPLACEMENT Repair/Replacement on just the Lynx itself is
""""""""""""""""""""""" $50 (i.e. just the unit, no power supply,
carts, comlynx cable), and it must be sent in to us at Sunnyvale, the
Chicago offices can not help you with this. The address to send it to
is:
Atari Corporation
1196 Borregas Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94076
Just send the Lynx and a check or money order for $50. Your Lynx
will be replaced with a new style Lynx.
-Dan McNamee / Atari Softsource Administrator
(D.MCNAMEE, CAT36, TOP9, MSG:102/M475)
NI-CAD BATTERY PACK FOR LYNX Picked up a Game Gear Ni-Cad battery pack
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" from toys-R-us the other day. This pack
works great!! on the Lynx. All I did was adapt the plug on the end to
fit the Lynx. The battery pack costs $50.00 and lasts 5 to 6.5 hours on
my Lynx II!!! It takes 10 hours to charge. The instructions say that
it will last about 3 hours so I guess that the Game Gear draws more
current than the Lynx. I am very happy with the look and operation of
my new battery!!(A.HASKELL, CAT36, TOP18, MSG:138/M475)
REPLACEMENT PARTS Best Electronics in California has lots of replace-
""""""""""""""""" ment parts for the Lynx. They carry the right angle
power jack for $2.00. If anyone is interested, or would like a catalog
of all sorts of Atari replacement parts, call them at (408)243-6950!
(T.ELLERING, CAT36, TOP9, MSG:96/M475)
Christmas is almost upon us and the best gift you can give to your favorite
Lynx owner(next to a couple of games and maybe a second Lynx) is a year's
subscription to A.P.E.(Atari Portable Entertainment) Newsletter.
GOING APE OVER THE LYNX! Each issue of APE is full of the news, infor-
"""""""""""""""""""""""" mation, and game tips a Lynx fan needs. Find
out what new games are coming up (usually months before you read about
it in the full color glossy magazines you'll find at the newsstands).
Get the tips you need to help you conquer those tough games. Hear
what's going on with third party developers and what they have in store
for you. Check out what rumors are circulating on the grapevine. Find
out what hidden secrets are lurking in your favorite games and more...
APE is written 5 times a year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall,
Christmas) by Clinton Smith. Clint has been playing Atari games since
the late 70s and makes it his business to find out everything that's
going on with the Lynx. He has written game reviews for Atari Explorer,
STart, and is currently the Lynx columnist for AtariUser.
A year's subscription to APE costs only $6. The following back
issues are available for $1 each.
APE #1(Summer 90):Summer CES news, Game tips for California Games,
Chip's Challenge, Gauntlet 3, Electrocop, Gates of Zendocon
and Blue Lightning.
APE #2(Fall 90):Third Party Report, Lynx Accesories, Game tips for
Slime World and Klax.
APE #3(Winter 90/91):Winter CES news, Lynx secrets, Game tips for
Ms.PacMan, Robosquash, Paperboy, Xenophobe, Rampage, Road-
blasters and Zarlor Mercenary.
APE #4(Spring 91):Lynx Status report, Zarlor LIFE secret, Lynx
Secrets, Multi-player game tips, nd Shanghai tips.
APE #5(Summer 91):1st Anniversary issue, Summer CES news, Jaguar
report, Game tips for Chess and Warbirds, Game ratings.
APE #6(Fall 91):Lynx 2 report, new game preview, 3rd party update,
Mandlebrot secrets of Chip's Challenge, Game tips for Ninja
Gaiden, Pacland, Blockout and APB.
Subscribe now to receive APE's first Holiday issue(#7):Lynx
holiday package, Chicago Atarifest report, New games for 92, Lynx buying
guide, Game tips for Turbo Sub, Scrapyard Dog, Checkered Flag, Ishido,
Qix, Robotron and Viking Child.
Send a check or money order made out to Clinton Smith to:
APE NEWSLETTER
2104 NORTH KOSTNER
CHICAGO,IL 60639
If you send more than $6 be sure to indicate which back issues you
want. If you want to receive your first issue (or any back issues) in
time for Christmas, send in your check or money order as soon as
possible. If you have any questions you can leave a message to Clint on
GEnie at C.SMITH89
(C.SMITH89, CAT36, TOP17, MSG:100/M475)
//////////////// Softcase Game Card Wallet ///////////////////
//////////////// for the Atari Lynx ///////////////////
NOW $5.95!!
Greetings from Realm...
A couple years ago Realm introduced the Softcase System. It was
comprised of 3 pieces that acted individually or together. One of those
pieces was the Game Card Wallet. Do to the overwhelming cost of the
system and cheaper cases being released we had to discontinue the other
two pieces. The Wallet is and will be supported for a long time to come.
The Wallet was created to overcome some of the limitations of
permanently attached pockets. The largest being no expansion room once
full. Plus the inconvenience of having to drag the case along, even if
your moving one chair over for the big Comlynx match.
The Wallet itself is basically the size of a sheet of paper and
folds similar to a letter. It has an outer lining of Black DuPont
Cordura and an inner lining of 1/8" foam backed headliner. Sewn to the
headliner is 3 rows of 3 Clear vinyl pockets topped with black edging.
The Wallet folds compactly so that all games are held securely in place.
It holds 9 (over $250 worth) of games or you can double stack and get up
to 18.
Now for the good news! As of this message the Wallets will be
$5.95 ea plus shipping (that's down from $12.95!). Shipping will be
$3.00 up to 3 then $.50 for each additional 3. For Example: If you
order 1-3 Wallets shipping will be $3.00. If you order 4-6 Wallets
shipping will be $3.50 and so on... Full Money Back Guarantee!
In order to accomplish such a great price I had to go direct only.
You can send a Check or Money Order to REALM, 10504 Easum Rd.,
Louisville KY 40299, Call 502-267-7024 for info or leave E-Mail on GEnie
to REALM (it will be answered the same day). All orders are shipped in
1 Day or less (10 minutes being the record). Please send a UPS'ble
address (No PO's) if possible. Thanks for the support!
-Joey Sherman/Owner
(REALM. CAT36, TOP18, MSG:139/M475)
HOT RUMOR! In the December 1991 "Video Review" magazine, in an article
"""""""""" about new video games, featuring the Sega Genesis, Turbo-
Grafx-16, and SuperNES, there's a blurb about the Jaguar after they
briefly describe the Neo-Geo. The portion reads:
"Atari, which scrapped plans to introduce a 16-bit system
tentatively called Panther, reportedly is working on an even more power-
ful system called Jaguar. (Atari's handheld game system is called Lynx,
so at least the line is consistent.) The company isn't talking, but
word on the street is that Jaguar will be a 64-bit system developed in
conjuction with a third-party source. Things have come quite a way at
Atari since Pong."
I know this isn't news, but I thought you'd be interested.
(E.KRIMEN, CAT36, TOP20, MSG:222/M475)
[EOA]
[LOG]//////////////////////////////
LOG OFF /
/////////////////////////////////
GEnie Lamp Information
""""""""""""""""""""""
o COMMENTS: Contacting GEnie Lamp.
o GENIE LAMP STAFF: Who Are We?
o WITH A LITTLE HELP: GEnie Lamp Writers.
o CONTRIBUTORS: This Issue.
o WRITERS: Writing For GEnie Lamp.
o HOT OFF THE PRESS: When And Where?
COMMENTS? If you would like to ask a question, leave a comment or just
""""""""" drop in and say hi, you can contact us in CAT 34 in the ST
bulletin board area. If you prefer to remain private, send your GEnie
Email to GENIELAMP$ on page 200, or leave a message to one or more of
the following addresses:
GEnie LAMP STAFF
""""""""""""""""
o John F. Peters [GENIELAMP] Publisher/Editor
o Darlah Potechin [DARLAH] Co-Editor
o Jeff Williams [JEFF.W] Technical Editor
o David Holmes [D.HOLMES14] TX2 Editor
- Fred Koch [F.KOCH] PD_Q/GEnie Lamp [PR]
- Mel Motogawa [M.MOTOGAWA] Mel's Manor/PS's
- Terry Quinn [T.QUINN1] ST Elsewhere/Softview
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o Larry Duke [LARRY.D] GEnie Lamp Advisor
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o Nathan Potechin [ISD] GEnie Lamp Advisor
U.S. MAIL
"""""""""
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ATTENTION WRITERS Have you ever thought about writing an article?
""""""""""""""""" Well, here's your chance. WRITERS.ARC File #17920
located in the GEnie Lamp library, #35 is a short text file that will
give you information on our polices, what we are looking for and how to
go about writing and submitting your article for possible publication in
an upcoming issue of GEnie Lamp. Whether you are interested in taking
on one of the columns now found in GEnie Lamp, starting a new column, or
just submitting a one time article, we want to hear from you. So, take
a quick look, fire up the word processor and get busy on that article!
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. GEnie Lamp is also distributed
on electronic bulletin boards worldwide. (If your favorite BBS doesn't
have it, upload it!)
DON'T FORGET! GEnie Lamp sisters issue, GEnie Lamp [PR] is released
""""""""""""" every Friday night here in the ST Library, #35. In
GEnie Lamp [PR] you will find all the latest press releases,
announcements show information and want ads from the library and
bulletin board compiled into one easy to download file. Contact Fred
Koch [F.KOCH] for details.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
Material published in this edition may be reprinted under the
following terms only. All articles must remain unedited and
include the issue number and author at the top of each article
reprinted. Reprint permission granted, unless otherwise noted, to
registered Atari user groups and not for profit publications.
Opinions present herein are those of the individual authors and
does not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or staff of
GEnie Lamp. We reserve the right to edit all letters and copy.
Material published in this edition may be reprinted only with the
following notice intact:
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
(c) Copyright 1991 T/TalkNET OnLine Publishing, Atari Corporation,
GEnie, and the Atari RoundTables. The Atari RoundTables on GEnie
are the *official* information services of the Atari Corporation. 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]
