Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Amiga Update (1997-03-18)
======================================================================
_ __ _ <>_ __ _ ||
/\\ |\ /|| || / ` /\\ || A M I G A U P D A T E
/__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ || -News and Rumors-
/ \\_ | \/ ||_ _||_ \__// / \\_|| (An Occasional Newsletter)
BACK FOR THE FUTURE ||
======================================================================
AMIGA and the Amiga logo are trademarks of Amiga Technologies, GmbH
----------------------------------------------------------------------
970318
A M I G A - O N L Y T V S H O W I N B R I T A I N
A L M A T H E R A I S G O N E
W H Y T H E A M I G A I S G R E A T
L E G A C Y L A U N C H
F L Y E R B O O K F O R V I D E O F O L K
P I R A C Y C H A R G E D I N F R A N C E
B R I T I S H D E V E L O P E R S ' C O N F E R E N C E
N O V A D E S I G N S E M I N A R S
P H O N E B I L L S O F T W A R E A N N O U N C E D
N E T W O R K O S C A N R U N O N S O M E A M I G A S
M A Y T H E F A R C E B E W I T H Y O U
Editor's Introduction and thoughts:
Before we talk about the stories in this issue, we need to say a few
words about the just completed Gateway Computer Show in Saint Louis
(March 15-16). This show had been eagerly anticipated by many Amigans
(including us!) and a great deal of work and dedication were put into
it. Reports from those who attended indicated it was a wonderful
success by all the usual measures. Unfortunately, it may well be
remembered for some events that were completely beyond the control of
the show's organizers. QuikPak, the apparent leader in the race to
become the new owner of Amiga, pulled out at the literal last minute.
Reports state they left only a short message on the show chairman's
answering machine. Other reports state they also reneged on a promise
of an A4000 as a door prize. We can only speculate at this point on
the meaning of these events, but I can't believe for one minute this
bodes good things for QuikPak - or the Amiga. If we hear more, we'll
let you know.
As if that isn't bad enough we just received a notice that Almathera,
makers of Photogenics, has gone under. They were apparently dragged
into bankruptcy due to business arrangements with VIScorp, the former
leading contender for purchase of Amiga Technologies. VIScorp, of
course, has its own financial woes and is reportedly in danger of
collapse itself.
To top off the bad news side of things, we have a press release from
Quasar Distribution charging piracy in France. We don't know the
merits of the charge, but present the story just as it appeared on the
Internet. We invite an answer from France Festival Distribution and
will run it if received.
Depressed yet? Well, don't be. The future is unknown and we have no
idea as yet what will happen with the Amiga Technologies assets. Keep
in mind there are folks like phase 5 and Pios working on the Amiga's
future - or an Amiga-like future - who will not be overly affected by
any of this. And just to help you remember the good side of Amiga
computing, we pulled a gem from the net the other day. It's below as
"Why the Amiga is great".
We have some interesting and positive news for you this time too.
There are stories on a new Amiga magazine - on video tape, no less -
from longtime Amiga journalist Jason Compton; an Amiga only TV show
being started in the UK; a new book published on the Video Flyer; a
developer's conference in the UK; software to help you on-line surfers
manage your phone bill; a new network operating system from Lucent
that should run on some Amigas; and lastly, something that we hope
brings a smile. We just "gotta" end on a positive note this time.
Brad Webb,
Editor
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A M I G A - O N L Y T V S H O W I N B R I T A I N
AmigaSoc is pleased to announce what ought to be the UK's first
Amiga-only TV programme due to start on BSkyB's "Computer Channel"
next week (the week starting Monday 17th March) at 6:45 - 7pm,
Mon-Thurs, and repeated at the weekend) Channel 58 on the Sky
Transponder (after Granada Good Life). It's called "Chips With
Everything" (well we didn't pick the name!).
The show will be feature a panel of Amiga people including Dan
Winfield (founder of AmiLon -the Amiga London User Group, erstwhile
web/perl columnist for Amiga Computing magazine, Marketing Director
for IMMStudios, and AmigaSoc member). Alongside him will be Nick
Veitch of Amiga Format - one of the most popular Amiga mags in the
world (as if you didn't know!), and Sean Flowers from respected Amiga
dealer, Direct Software.
Some of the things to be touched upon in the first show will be
exactly WHY the Amiga has got on just fine without Commodore, WHY the
Amiga is such a good tool for connecting to the Internet, and of
course multitudinous plugs for Direct Software!
Please bear in mind that if there is a good response to the first few
shows, then it will definitely become a regular feature. It's up to
you!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A L M A T H E R A I S G O N E
17 Mar 1997 19:38:22 GMT
It is with great sadness that we have to announce that Almathera
Systems Ltd. has ceased trading.
We have tried to support the Amiga for the last three years since
Commodore died, and we were only able to survive this long because of
the loyalty and friendship of the Amiga community.
Last year we undertook a major project for VisCorp, for their
interactive set-top box system.
Our team dedicated months to developing this project (vui.library, a
core component for the new set-top box operating environment), but
VisCorp were unable to pay us for the work we completed, and this not
inconsiderable debt caused grave cashflow problems that we were not
able to recover from.
In the six and a half years that Almathera have been trading we have
made many friends amongst the Amiga community and wish everyone that
dealt with Almathera at any time during the past all the best for the
future.
Jolyon & Paul Ralph - ex. Almathera
----------------------------------------------------------------------
W H Y T H E A M I G A I S G R E A T
15 Mar 97 21:09:25 +0500
Endless discussions have been had on this topic in this newsgroup (it *is*
advocacy and "misc.," after all!) and I want to add my 2 cents.
A couple of days ago, I was doing the following, *simultaneously*, on
my A1200:
1) Writing something for work in Final Writer;
2) Concurrently downloading the four Open Transport 1.1.1 archives
from Apple's FTP site in IBrowse, for use with Netscape under Emplant
1200.
3) Running my Emplant 1200 Mac emulation in the background, on which I
was running a Mac CD.
And suddenly it occurs to me: on what other computer platform on
earth could I do this, let alone all at once? Answer: None. Zip.
Can't do it any other way.
"Only Amiga makes it possible"? You bet.
Now: I know that some PC user who hangs out here for who-knows-what
reason, is going to sneer, "Well, if the Amiga had blah-de-blah
software, then you wouldn't *need* to run Emplant 1200, would you?"
But of course, to anybody who has experienced the Amiga's quick,
tight, seemless multitasking and the Amiga's spooky ability to emulate
other platforms, that's not the point, is it? The point is precisely
that this is a platform that, somehow in its very design philosophy,
has always encouraged its users to push the machine farther and
farther than anyone thought possible. And, it's still happening!
That's why the Amiga is so great after all these years, IMHO.
(Of course, there's the sheer satisfaction of not putting any more
money in Microsoft's pockets, too... ;-) )
Cheers,
Steve Folberg
Rebbi@texas.net
"It is not your job to complete the work
But neither are you free to abstain from it..."
--R. Tarfon, Pirkei Avot
----------------------------------------------------------------------
L E G A C Y L A U N C H
The Innovative News Source For the Amiga Community
-----------
Published five times a year (three issues in the remainder of 1997)
Amiga Legacy is a 90-minute VHS videotape dedicated to telling the
story of the continuing adventures of the Amiga technology.
Contact Amiga Legacy:
P.O. Box 60711
Chicago, IL 60626
USA
(773) 465-5158 voice/fax
jcompton@xnet.com E-Mail
Subscription Information (Issue #1: June 1997)
8-Issue Subscription (1997 and 1998): $112
3-Issue Subscription (1997): $45
Single-Issue: $17
Prices include shipping within the continental US.
-----------
The Premiere Issue of Amiga Legacy will contain coverage from the
Gateway Amiga '97 show in St. Louis, the latest on the Amiga
ownership situation and the direction of the Amiga "successor
technologies", graphics tutorials you can use, and more!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
F L Y E R B O O K F O R V I D E O F O L K
"Production Book for Flyer Owners to be Released!"
(San Diego, March 14, 1997): Joe Tracy, Editor in Chief of
NewTekniques magazine, has announced the release of his first book for
Video Toaster Flyer owners called the "Flyer Mastery Guide". The
book, written to help Flyer owners master Flyer production, goes on
sale starting April 14 and begins shipping on April 25. The cost is
$49.95 per book plus $4 shipping.
Studio Visions, a video production support organization in Roseburg,
Oregon, is publishing the Flyer Mastery Guide which is expected to be
over 175 pages in length.
Tracy made the surprise announcement at The Professional Video
Toaster/Flyer User Group meeting in San Diego where he was giving
Flyer tutorial demonstrations on March 13.
"I've been working on the book for months," says Tracy, "but I kept it
highly secret until it was nearly complete so that people would see it
as a pleasant surprise versus an expectation."
Tracy started working on the Flyer Mastery Guide after the announced
closure of Video Toaster User, which he was editor in chief. When he
was named NewTekniques Editor in Chief a month later, he briefly
stopped writing.
"I wanted to make sure that writing the book was in no way considered
a conflict of interest by Advanstar Communications who publish
NewTekniques," says Tracy. He adds that his superior was very
supportive of the idea and with the support of Advanstar and
management in NewTek, the project continued.
"The Flyer Mastery Guide was created to help Flyer users take their
production work to a higher level. The book is full of tutorials,
tips, and techniques to help users master the art of Flyer
production," says Tracy.
Tracy wrote a column for Flyer owners in Video Toaster User called
"The Flyer Suite". He also writes a Flyer column in NewTekniques
magazine called "Flying High". For four years, Tracy also taught high
school students how to use the Video Toaster, LightWave 3D, and the
Video Toaster Flyer when it was released. Together his classes used
NewTek products to create satellite TV broadcasts that were aired
nationally and in a number of other countries. The information in the
guide is presented in a user friendly step-by-step method as was
Tracy's practice when teaching.
The Flyer Mastery Guide is not a technical reference, but rather a
production reference. Things like installing the Flyer or drives are
not covered in the guide. The focus, rather, is on production and
bringing the power of all the Flyer sections together to create solid
and influential projects.
Chapters in the Flyer Mastery Guide include: Flyer Basics & Beyond,
Optimizing Your Flyer, Flyer Tutorials, Fixing Flyer Problems, Flyer
Tips & Shortcuts, Third Party Products, and The Next Level. The
biggest chapter is Flyer Tutorials which contains over 15 in-depth
tutorials on mastering different aspects of the Flyer including
powerful tutorials on using Flyer clips with LightWave.
Studio Visions is taking a unique approach to the book's release and
future. To understand this approach, it is important to note that the
pages will not be bound, but rather in a Flyer Mastery Guide notebook
so that they can be removed and replaced. The approach is to create
Flyer Mastery Guide versions like software. The first release is
version 1.0. A number of months later, the book may need updating to
reflect new fixes, bug upgrades, and new series of tutorials. Instead
of buying a whole new book for $49.95, the owner will be able to
purchase the upgraded information at a drastically reduced cost. By
simply following the instructions of page replacement, which will be
very user friendly, the owner has a "new" book with updated
information.
Orders for the Flyer Mastery Guide aren't being accepted until April
14, 1997. The book ships on April 25. The toll free order line is
1-800-672-1880. Visa and MasterCard are acceptable payments. Checks
and money orders are also acceptable if mailed to Studio Visions, 1038
W. Harvard Blvd, Roseburg, OR 97470. Be sure to include your name
and shipping address. The total cost, including shipping, is $53.95.
Dealers are welcome to inquire by calling Studio Visions at
541-672-1880 after April 1.
More information on the Flyer Mastery Guide will be posted on-line at
www.studiovisions.com beginning on April 2, 1997.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
P I R A C Y C H A R G E D I N F R A N C E
{Please note: Amiga Update has no knowledge of the accuracy of this
message, which contains serious charges. It was posted publicly and
we think you should see it. We strongly invite comment from France
Festival Distribution and Serge Hammouche. Brad}
17th March 1997
For Immediate Public Release:
Quasar Distribution, publishers of PC-Task, DirWork, Quarterback and
Quarterback Tools Deluxe, have terminated our distribution agreement
with France Festival Distribution due to piracy of PC-Task 4.
Due to Serge Hammouche (the owner of France Festival Distribution)
illegally selling pirated copies of PC-Task updates and full packages,
they are no longer authorised to sell any versions of any of our
products.
It is disappointing to us to see this sort of behaviour occurring at
this vital time for the Amiga computer.
New distribution details will be available soon on our web site at
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~pctask
French PC-Task users are able to upgrade directly from us for US$47
including delivery. Further details are available on our web site.
All PC-Task versions are sold with printed manuals, with a properly
printed PC-Task label. If you suspect your version is a pirate copy,
please email us at pctask@ozemail.com.au
Peter Fregon
Manager - Quasar Distribution
Quasar Distribution
PO Box 101, Vermont, Victoria, 3133, Australia
WWW: http://www.ozemail.com.au/~pctask
Fax: +613 9887 2511
----------------------------------------------------------------------
B R I T I S H D E V E L O P E R S ' C O N F E R E N C E
AmigaSoc is organising a developer's conference to be held at the
World Of Amiga show in Hammersmith on May 17th and 18th. We would
therefore like to invite anyone who has an idea or a hardware or
software product which they wish to present in front of an audience.
This is an excellent opportunity for people to get expert feedback on
their projects, as well as get the chance to meet up with companies
who may be interested in their ideas. Naturally, this invitation is
open to anyone both in and outside the UK (provided you don't mind
forking out for a plane ticket!). All in all, it promises to be
something that developers should find extremely helpful.
For further details, contact us at su-amiga@qmw.ac.uk
Please watch this web page:
http://www.qmw.ac.uk/~amiga/developer.html
as we will be posting further information as it becomes available.
Andrew Elia
--
///
/// Queen Mary and Westfield College Amiga Society.
\\\///
\XX/ EMail: su-amiga@qmw.ac.uk Web: http://www.qmw.ac.uk/~amiga
Group Email: AmigaSoc@qmw.ac.uk - Flame Proof Jackets Recommended :-)
Your Mission, Should You Decide To Accept It: To Rid The World Of
Primitive Seventies Technology. This PC Will Self-Destruct In 5
Seconds.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
N O V A D E S I G N S E M I N A R S
Richmond, VA - March 1997. User groups have begun taking advantage of
all the new ImageFX Seminars give by Nova Design, Inc. staff. These
seminars, which are also available to dealers, trade shows, and
independant groups, are designed to introduce users to the power of
ImageFX, show its uses and how to use it to achieve professional
results.
Customized Instruction
The presentation is designed to fit the needs of the groups holding
the seminar. Topics cover an introduction to ImageFX, tips and
techniques, and conclude with a question and answer period where the
audience can get individualized instruction and feedback directly from
Nova Design personnel.
Times
The seminars are held exclusively on weekends and are available on a
first come, first served basis. There are a limited number of spaces
available in this year's schedule, so call as soon as you can. Our
next scheduled seminar is at Lively Computers in San Diego, CA. We
will keep a list of our scheduled seminars on our web page.
If you're an individual who is interested in attending an existing
seminar, you will need to contact the group hosting it.
Cost
The cost for the seminar is kept as low as possible. There is a
speakers fee of only $150.00 per day, regardless of the number of
people attending, plus all costs for travel and lodging.
Nova Design, Inc.
1910 Byrd Avenue, Suite 204
Richmond, VA 23230
For more information call: (804) 282-6528, or fax (804) 282-3768
Our Web Page is at http://www.novadesign.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
P H O N E B I L L S O F T W A R E A N N O U N C E D
16 Mar 1997 00:08:17 GMT
TITLE
Phonebill
VERSION
3.5
AUTHOR
Raymond Penners
E-Mail: raymondp@win.tue.nl
URL: http://www.stack.nl/~raymondp
DESCRIPTION
`phonebill' is, simply said, a log file analyzer. What it
basically does is scan log file(s) generated by a terminal program or
a mailer, extract all information about calls you have made by using
your modem, and store this in its own (short) format. After
extracting the calls `phonebill' can generate various reports in which
you can find information on duration and costs of the calls.
Here is a small list of the main features:
* Very flexible user-configurable rates, supporting exceptions
for certain days and dates.
* User-configurable log scanners: `phonebill' by default
supports various log files, but for any log file that is not supported
the user is able to create a scanner. The following is a list of
logfiles that are already supported:
* AmiTel
* AutoPilot
* CyberPager
* DreamTerm
* GMS
* Gotcha!
* GPFax
* ISDN Master Telephone log
* ISDN Wilhelmtel
* JamMail
* JrComm
* MagiCall
* MagicCX
* MailKick
* Miami
* MicroDot
* Multifax (both v2.0 and Multifax professional)
* NComm
* Off-line Amiga
* Online-o-Meter
* OnlineMeter
* Plink
* Prometheus
* Term action log and Term call log
* Terminus
* TheAnswer
* TKR-BTX
* Trapdoor
* Trapfax
* UUCP TimeLog
* UUCP uucico
* XenoLink
* ZeeTerm
* ZerMailer
* ZMailer
* Zodiac's Point
* Log files can be automatically truncated if their size exceeds
the
maximum size.
* Generates miscellaneous reports: statistics, total costs,
predicted
costs ...
* Context-sensitive online help.
* Supports new 3.0 features (new look menus, ...).
* Nice `Amiga User Interface Style Guide' conformant user
interface.
* Supports `traplist.library'.
NEW FEATURES
The following is an incomplete list of the most important changes:
* Added billing per second.
* Besides the built-in log file truncation, you can now also run
a
(shell) command when a log file exceeds its size. For example,
setting the command to `delete "%f"' deletes the log file.
* Several rates have been updated. In particular, swedish rates
now use billing per second.
* Several bug fixes.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Workbench 2.04 or higher.
AVAILABILITY
Phonebill is available on Aminet, e.g.:
* ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/comm/misc/pbill35.lha (303293)
You can also get it from my home page, located at:
* http://www.stack.nl/~raymondp
BULLETIN BOARDS
Decades BBS (Sysop: Thomas Andersson)
+46-54-831561 (USR 28.8 V.Everything)
FidoNet: 2:203/625.0
AmigaNet: 39:160/105.0
PRICE
Shareware fee of $10 US.
DISTRIBUTABILITY
The archive and its contents are freely distributable.
See documentation for details.
The package is (C) 1993-1997 Raymond Penners
--
Raymond Penners -*- raymondp@win.tue.nl -*-
http://www.stack.nl/~raymondp
----------------------------------------------------------------------
N E T W O R K O S M A Y R U N O N S O M E A M I G A S
MONDAY, MARCH 10, 1997
Murray Hill, N.J. -- Lucent Technologies' Inferno Network Software
business today announced Inferno SuperOS 1.0 -- a real-time network
operating system (OS) that provides a software infrastructure for
developers to create distributed network applications.
Inferno 1.0 provides end-to-end connectivity over the public telephone
network, the Internet, corporate networks, cable television and
satellite broadcast. With Inferno, networking and security protocols
are built in the OS, and applications run unchanged across any
communications network or device.
The product has a very small memory footprint, allowing it to act as a
stand-alone OS on information appliances and run as an application on
network elements -- such as servers, routers and switches -- using
UNIX or Microsoft NT platforms.
"Inferno is a full-featured operating system for customers developing
heavy-weight network applications for all types of information and
communication devices," said Mike Skarzynski, vice president and
general manager for Inferno Network Software Solutions. "In today's
complex mix of networks, customers can use Inferno to capitalize on
new business opportunities while leveraging existing hardware and
software investments."
OmniBox, a provider and developer of interactive services and
programming for the home electronic commerce market, is an Inferno 1.0
customer. Thomas A. Bush, president of OmniBox, said, "Our goal with
the OmniBox Network is to help communications distributors in all
channels reach many businesses, households, universities and
hospitals. We chose to build our services architecture on Inferno
because it provides the flexibility, openness and robustness that such
a sophisticated electronic commerce system requires."
The Inferno 1.0 operating system includes the Styx communications
protocols, the Limbo programming language and the Dis "virtual
machine." Applications and services developed from other programming
languages, such as Java, C and C++, are supported by Inferno 1.0.
The new release of Inferno also includes drivers for speech and audio
applications, and open database connectivity (ODBC) for Informix,
Microsoft, Sybase and Oracle databases. Enhanced documentation,
training and support include programmer's and user's guides, a Limbo
programming course and a support hotline for developers.
Inferno 1.0 runs as a stand-alone operating system on small devices
which use Hitachi SH3, DEC StrongArm, Intel Architecture, MIPS,
Motorola 68030, Power PC, SPARC and ARM processors. The product also
can be hosted as a virtual system on Sun Solaris, Silicon Graphics
IRIX, DEC Alpha, HP-UX, and Microsoft NT and Win95.
"There is great synergy between Inferno and other products and
services offered through Lucent Technologies," said Gerry Butters,
president, North America Region for Lucent Technologies' Network
Systems business. "We are committed to using 'Inferno Inside' all the
network elements and software solutions we provide."
More than 10,000 developers are currently working with the Inferno
network operating system. Customers interested in obtaining an
Inferno 1.0 Development Kit (which includes the entire system, sample
applications, developer toolkit and documentation) should call
1-888-LUCENT8. Evaluation copies of the product and application
demonstrations are available on the World Wide Web at
http://www.lucent.com/inferno/.
Lucent Technologies designs, builds and delivers a wide range of
public and private networks, communications systems and software,
consumer and business telephone systems and microelectronics
components. Bell Labs is the research and development arm for the
company. Lucent Technologies was formed as a result of AT&T's
restructuring and became a fully independent company -- separate from
AT&T -- on September 30, 1996.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
M A Y T H E F A R C E B E W I T H Y O U
17 Mar 97 22:29:44
Luke: "You used to program."
Ben: "I was once a software engineer the same as your father."
Luke: "My father wasn't a software engineer. He was a custodian at
Lockheed-Martin."
Ben: "That's what your Uncle told you. He didn't hold with your
father's ideals. He thought he should go to work. Not gotten
a degree."
Luke: "I wish I had known him."
Ben: "He was a cunning object-oriented analyst, and the best
systems
programmer in the galaxy. I understand you've become quite
a
good hacker yourself. And he was a good friend. For over
ten
years the systems programmers created user interfaces.
Before
the dark times. Before Microsoft."
Luke: "How did my father die?"
Ben: "A young systems programmer named Bill Gates, who was a
student
until his mommy kicked him out of her basement, founded
Microsoft
and helped destroy the intuitive user interface. He betrayed
and murdered the Macintosh. Gates was seduced by the Dark
Side
of Money."
Luke: "Money?"
Ben: "Yes, Money is what gives a programmer his resources. It's an
exchange system created by human beings. It surrounds us.
Works for us. Binds the economy together. Which reminds me.
Your
father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but
your
Uncle wouldn't allow it. He thought you'd follow old Obi-Wan
on
some damn idealistic crusade."
Luke: "What is it?"
Ben: "It's an object modeling tool. The weapon of a systems
programmer. Not as random or clumsy as a lexical parser. An
elegant
compiler for a more civilized age."
-Jeremy
Eternal Graphics
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Amiga Update on the net: some issues available at:
http://www.sharbor.com/amiga/news/ (in html format)
http://www.amigacom.com (in ASCII text)
Australian Mirror Site: http://www.comcen.com.au/~paulm/index.html
All back issues available (in ASCII text) at:
http://www.globaldialog.com/AdventureCentral/AU.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1997 by Brad Webb. Freely distributable, if not modified.
======================================================================
_ __ _ <>_ __ _ ||
/\\ |\ /|| || / ` /\\ || Brad Webb/AmigaUpdate
/__\\ | \ / || || || ___ /__\\ || bandr@globaldialog.com
/ \\_ | \/ ||_ _||_ \__// / \\_ ||
======================================================================
