ST Report: 20-Apr-90 #416
From: Len Stys (aa399@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 05/12/90-03:38:24 PM Z
From: aa399@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Len Stys)
Subject: ST Report: 20-Apr-90 #416
Date: Sat May 12 15:38:24 1990
*---== CPU NEWSWIRE ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
_____________________________________
from
STR Publishing Inc.
""""""""""""""""""
April 20, 1990 No.4.16
=======================================================================
CPU NewsWire Online Magazine?
featuring
STReport Online
__________________________
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida
32205 6672
R.F. Mariano
Publisher - Editor
_________________________________________
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT
BBS: 904-786-4176 12-24-96 HST/14.4
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EDT
_________________________________________
** F-NET NODE 350 ** 500mb Online **
STR'S owned & operated support BBS
carries ALL issues of CPU/STR Newswire?
and
An International list of private BBS systems
carrying CPU NewsWire for their users enjoyment
__________________________________________________________________
> 04/20/90: CPU Newswire? #416 The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine!
----------------------------
- The Editor's Podium - CPU REPORT - CPU STATUS REPORT
- POOLFIX4 - MIDITASKING? - STACY POWER
- PCD2 SHEESH! - BECKEMEYER NEWS - CPU CONFIDENTIAL
---===*** ATARI USING BRAIN DEAD MMU CHIPS? ***===---
---===** STE DELAYED TILL JUNE? **===---
---====*** ATARI TAIWAN BUSTED FOR PIRACY! ***====---
==========================================================================
CPU NEWSWIRE?
"Only UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
-* FEATURING *-
Current Events, Up to Date News, Hot Tips, and Information
Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
==========================================================================
CPU/STR's support BBS, NODE # 350 invites systems using Forem ST BBS to
participate in Forem BBS's F-Net mail network. Or, Please call # 350
direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging ideas about
the Atari ST computers through an excellent International ST Mail Network.
==========================================================================
AVAILABLE ON: COMP-U-SERVE DELPHI GENIE BIX
==========================================================================
> The Editor's Podium?
Ah yes.... a week closer to the PACE show and the Atari arena is still
anxiously awaiting the long overdue arrival of the fabled STe. Sure
enough, it certainly has passed the FCC testing ..weeks ago. Now, "where
is it" is the haunting question from coast to coast. I can't help but
recall the now very famous; "real soon now" as an appropriate answer.
<sigh>
While third party activity is high, the reports from the west coast
and central regions leave a great deal to be desired. It appears that
Atari is in a 'holding pattern' for some odd reason. Time will reveal the
true reasons for the more than obvious delays.
Sadly, the repeated delays have hurt the few dealers Atari has left,
reasonably, one can't help but wonder just what Atari is doing or going to
do to show their appreciation to the dealers who HANG TOUGH and remain
with Atari. Atari has, in the past, shown some reciprocity for their
loyalty. This sure seems like the longest drought we have seen from Atari
in ages, almost as long as the one between the 800xl and the 130xe and
realistically speaking its just as damaging to the dealers.
Someone ought to spread the goodwill and cheer on Wall Street, it
appears the "pinstripes" have ATC finishing last this year with a probable
buy out in the offing. Jack had better step in and get this outfit back
on track, the shrill screaming on the top floors of Atari are not in
character any longer nor are they anywhere near as effective as Jack's
bellow. In fact, most folks who hear the 'tinny, high pitched' screaming
are mostly "amused."
Speaking of third party developers and suppliers, it seems there are
two of them (well known) squaring off and getting set for an opportunity
to give their hard earned dollars to attorneys. As the song goes... "when
will they ever learn?" <big sigh>
There still is time.......
Ralph........
Question of the Week: "Where are my Explorer issues I subscribed for?"
**********************************************************************
:HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
_________________________________
To sign up for GEnie service: Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
Wait for the U#= prompt.
Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.
**** SIGN UP FEE WAIVED ****
The system will now prompt you for your information.
THE GENIE ATARI ST ROUNDTABLE - AN OVERVIEW
___________________________________________
The Roundtable is an area of GEnie specifically set aside for owners and
users of Atari ST computers, although all are welcome to participate.
There are three main sections to the Roundtable: the Bulletin Board, the
Software Library and the Real Time Conference area.
The Bulletin Board contains messages from Roundtable members on a variety
of Topics, organized under several Categories. These messages are all
Open and available for all to read (GEnie Mail should be used for private
messages).
If you have a question, comment, hot rumor or an answer to someone else's
question, the Bulletin Board is the place to share it.
The Software Library is where we keep the Public Domain software files
that are available to all Roundtable members. You can 'download' any of
these files to your own computer system by using a Terminal Program which
uses the 'XMODEM' file-transfer method. You can also share your favorite
Public Domain programs and files with other Roundtable members by
'uploading' them to the Software Library. Uploading on GEnie is FREE, so
you are encouraged to participate and help your Roundtable grow.
The Real Time Conference is an area where two or more Roundtable members
may get together and 'talk' in 'real-time'. You can participate in
organized conferences with special guests, drop in on our weekly Open
COnference, or simply join in on an impromptu chat session. Unlike
posting messages or Mail for other members to read at some later time,
everyone in the Conference area can see what you type immediately, and can
respond to you right away, in an 'electronic conversation'.
**********************************************************************
> CPU REPORT?
==========
Issue # 63
----------
by Michael Arthur
Remember When....
Jack Kilby, then a newly hired engineer at Texas Instruments,
invented the concept of integrated circuit on July 24, 1958, and how, in
January 1959, a Fairchild Corp. physicist called Robert Noyce
independently arrived at a more complete integrated circuit model? Or how
Jack Kilby later headed the team which invented the pocket calculator, and
Robert Noyce went on to become a founder of Intel Corporation?
CPU MacNews?
===========
Ashton Tate Announces Full Impact 2.0 Spreadsheet
-------------------------------------------------
Ashton-Tate Corporation has recently announced Version 2.0 of its
Full Impact spreadsheet program for the Macintosh. Full Impact 2.0, which
requires at least 1 Meg of RAM, features:
- Improved Support for Presentation Graphics: Several different
types of charts, including Three Dimensional Bar Graphs, can now
be generated. Chart positioning is improved, with the ability to
control the elevation or perspective of a graph, or rotate it
using the mouse. 32-Bit Quickdraw is also supported, allowing a
16 million color palette for charts.
- Improved print quality for Postscript printers, and support for
many other output devices and non-Postscript printers.
- Intelligent Recalculation. With this, the entire spreadsheet is
not recalculated after every change or addition, but only those
spreadsheet cells which are affected by that change. This results
in MUCH faster recalculation times.
- Import/Export (Load/Save) support for Excel spreadsheet files, and
the ability to make any Full Impact object (like text, pictures,
or charts) a "Button", or clickable object. Spreadsheet macros
can then be latched onto these buttons, resulting in "Button
Macros" which are activated when one double-clicks on them.
Apple Revenues Increase by 7 Percent In Second Quarter
------------------------------------------------------
Apple Computer Inc., has reported these financial statistics for the
end of the Second Quarter of 1990. Interestingly, its International
Sales made up 47 percent of its revenue (a 7 percent increase), and Apple
is now saying that while it predicts increased growth in International
sales, it is "cautious" about strong growth in American sales at this
time. Also, while it has maintained its single-digit revenue growth
rates (which are slim, when compared to its previous double-digit revenue
growth rates since 1985), Apple has improved its net margins due to the
lower cost of DRAM chips and other components, as well as the introduction
of the Mac IIcx and Mac IIci....
Fiscal Year 1989 Fiscal Year 1990
Revenues - Second Quarter: $1.2 Billion $1.3 Billion
Six Month Period: $2.8 Billion $2.6 Billion
Earnings - Second Quarter: $56 Million $132 Million
Six Month Period: $196.8 Million $256.7 Million
CPU INSIGHTS?
============
CeBit, Unix, and the Atari 68030 TT
-----------------------------------
Path:bdt!unisoft!hoptoad!pacbell!ames!uakari.primate.wisc.edu
!zaphod.mps.ohio-state. du!rpi!uupsi!sunic!tut!tukki!jyu.fi!sarnila
From: sarnila@tukki.jyu.fi (Pekka Sarnila)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Atari TT
Message-ID: <SARNILA.90Mar27231008@tukki.jyu.fi>
Date: 27 Mar 90 20:10:08 GMT
Sender: news@tukki.jyu.fi
Distribution: comp
Organization: University of Jyvaskyla
Lines: 55
Well they had the TT in CeBit (also the unix model).
The TOS version (TT030/2) should be available in Germany in May:
- 2 Megabytes of memory
- 40 Meg hard disk (not 30 even they say so)
- VGA monitor
- 6500 DEM (available only in this configuration)
The box (TT Cabinet) is really silly looking.
The unix version (TT/030X)should be available to developers in May:
- 2 Meg (slow) memory for Video
- 4 Meg full speed memory (unix will use primarily this)
- HD size not sure yet (at least 80 and propably 120, 170)
- tower case
- either 14 inch (VGA) color monitor (640x480 16 out 4096 colors)
or 19 inch mono monitor (1280x960 mono) (really nice with X)
- price not yet know (round 10000 DEM)
(Editor's Note: All models of the TT have 2 Megs of slower burst-mode
RAM, which serves as both Video RAM and System RAM)
The unix version (ATX = Atari Unix) is officially (AT&T) Sys V.3.1
(SVID 2) but it has really a BSD 4.3 kernel modified for Sys V. On shell
level command switches are Sys V, but the kernel also has:
- Full BSD 4.3 syscall interface
- BSD Signals (including ones needed for full job control)
- BSD Sockets
- TCP/IP
- BSD Fast File System
- disipline 2 tty driver (supports SIGSTOP etc. = ^Z).
This gives nearly full BSD compatibility. Csh is the full BSD with
full job control, (and) Tcsh compiles. (Also,) Gnu CC (1.36), CC+, gdb,
gas are fully ported (really same as Sun m68k) and officially distributed
by Atari.
Comes with NFS and X11.4 (has got 3 button mouse). For developers
there also comes the Hewlett Packard extended XFaceMaker tool kit. Kernel
size with basic drivers + TCP/IP + NFS is 650K (large). Pager is so
customized that it will take pages from full speed memory first, and only
if that runs out, from the slower dual-purpose (video) memory. As I tried
it out it seemed OK.
(^Z) really worked. The (VGA style) display seemed slowish (must be
in driver). For a X-Windows Terminal the speed seemed fine. It seems
like a nice (BSD) hackers home unix machine (better then Sys V 3.2/80386).
But .... Two buts. 16MHz, it is 1990, should be at least 25 (it
seems that TOS compatibility requires either 16 or 32, for video shifter
to work properly). And the price!!!!. I think far too much to really
compete with 386. It seems Atari really doesn't trust it will sell in
great volume, for the current projected price is clearly a low volume
price. Also it is late.
It took so long because Atari wanted full TOS compatibility. The
Unix only prototype was ready more than two years ago. It seems Atari
didn't believe a Unix only version would sell well enough, and also they
wanted a future for the TOS Line.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pekka Sarnila, University of Jyvaskyla Finland
sarnila@tukki.jyu.fi
-------------------------------------------------------------------
(Editor's Note: ATX (Atari Unix) also comes bundled with X/Desktop 2.0,
as described in last week's issue of CPU Report.)
But ponder, if you will, this question:
1) Digital Research has recently stated that it will begin to focus less
on GEM itself, and more on making GEM-based applications. Given the
prospect of Apple losing its lawsuit against Microsoft, how will this
affect the Atari ST?
> CPU STATUS REPORT?
=================
- Scotts Valley, CA SEAGATE SUED BY CONNER PERIPHERALS
-----------------
Conner Peripherals has recently launched a lawsuit against Seagate
Technology Inc., the world's leading hard disk OEM Vendor, alleging, among
other things, a breach of contract. Conner Peripherals charges that after
it bought out Imprimis Inc., a company which supplied Conner with thin
film heads (an important hard disk drive component), Seagate illegally
stopped shipment of thin film heads to them. The lawsuit also accuses
Seagate of fraud, a interference with contractual relationship, and unfair
competition. Conner Peripherals is seeking both injunctive relief, and
monetary compensation in this lawsuit. Conner Peripherals, among other
things, makes the Hard Drive Atari is bundling with the STacy 2 and 4 ST
Laptops....
Cambridge, MA OSF, UNIX INTERNATIONAL, AT&T END UNIX UNIFICATION TALKS
-------------
The Open Software Foundation, Unix International, and AT&T's Unix
Software Division have abruptly ended a six-month long series of
Negotiations on both merging the three organizations, and creating a
universal Unix standard. Not surprisingly, the only thing that all three
organizations agreed to do is support X/Open, POSIX, and X/Windows as Unix
industry standards. However, all three companies had previously stated
their support of these standards at least a year before this meeting.
One reason that the talks broke down because of organizational and
management issues involving an OSF/UI merger. However, the main reason
was the same technological issues which caused the formation of the OSF
and Unix International. While Unix International insisted on AT&T Unix
System V.4 becoming the Operating System Kernel, the OSF wanted to use its
OSF/1 Operating System, which uses the Mach OS as its Unix Kernel. Also,
while the OSF insisted on OSF/Motif becoming the Graphical User Interface
for the "Super Unix", UI wanted to develop a common API (Application
Programming Interface) for both OSF/Motif and AT&T/Sun's Open Look GUI's.
While the OSF and UI are still talking about unified standards for
multiprocessing extensions to Unix, and support for non-Roman character
sets, the only Unix merger now foreseen is AT&T's selling off parts of its
Unix Software Division to Unix International. However, several member
companies of the Open Software Foundation, such as IBM, DEC, and Hewlett
Packard, reaffirmed their support for the OSF/1 Operating System. OSF/1,
currently in Beta Testing, is based on A/IX (IBM Unix) Version 3, with the
Mach OS (currently used on the NeXT Computer) as its System Kernel.
- Provo, UT NOVELL STOCKHOLDERS SUE NOVELL TO BLOCK MERGER
---------
Two Novell stockholders recently filed a lawsuit against Novell
Inc.'s Board of Directors, charging that by making a Letter of Intent to
merge with Lotus, the Board put its own interests ahead of the company's
stockholders. The lawsuit alleges that Novell shareholders were, "offered
a deal substantially below the fair and inherent value" of the company,
and that the merger isn't in the stockholders' best interests. With the
lawsuit, the two stockholders are seeking an injunction against the
Lotus/Novell Merger. However, since the Merger agreement has to be
approved in June 1990 by all of Novell's stockholders, the lawsuit may not
have much effect....
Interestingly, while Novell was prepared for stockholder protests to
the merger, it seems that the speed of this lawsuit was unexpected. The
lawsuit also reflects the sentiments of a lot of Novell stockholders, who
feel that Lotus is essentially buying out Novell, and getting a very good
bargain (to their detriment) in the process. This sentiment was
responsible for a 10 percent drop in Novell's price shortly after the
Merger announcement. However, Industry Analysts are now saying that the
merger could help both Lotus and Novell software be more versatile in the
networking field, to the detriment of Microsoft.
- San Francisco, CA IS SOVIET SILICON VALLEY ON HORIZON?
-----------------
The Soviet Union has signed an agreement with the Bechtel Group, a
major engineering, architecture, and construction company, to fund a
project studying the feasibility of developing a "Soviet Silicon Valley"
near the city of Troisk, a small city 20 miles southwest of Moscow, which
now holds a major Soviet scientific Research Community. Called the
Troitsk Research Development Project, it is aimed at designing a
commercial high technology center for international businesses to help
develop and invest in Soviet advances in fields such as nuclear fusion
and laser technology.
The Soviet Union is also giving $100 million a year to fund this
project, which is expected to provide a more conducive environment for the
Soviet Union to develop avenues into the worldwide marketplace. Among
other things, the Bechtel Group expects to eventually build Conference
Centers, a new International Airport, and an advanced telecommunications
network in Troisk by the year 2010. By that time Troisk, which currently
has a population of 30,000, is expected to have a population of over
100,000....
________________________________________________________
> POOLFIX4 CPU/STR InfoFile? It gets better all the time.
==========================
From: MFAGKCHR@HMARL5.BITNET
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: POOLFIX4
Message-ID: <9004050709.AA03798@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 4 Apr 90 11:55:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 101
I had problems in getting POOLFIX3 running with CBHD 3.5 (the hardisk
driver from scheibenkleister). I asked Claus Brod about it. It turns out
these problems have nothing to do with the FAT problems I am experiencing.
POOLFIX3 just does not like any other programs that run before it and grab
the TRAP#1 vector. Claus has send me an update of POOLFIX which he called
POOLFIX4. The readme file is included below. I will send the update to
anyone who can put it on an archive site, just ask.
Chris Evelo
POOLFIX4
========
Yep, it's true, TOS 1.4 is buggy. Well, ATARI has done something about
it and released several fix programs to blow up your AUTO folder. A
very... ahem... remarkable representative of this kind of programs is
POOLFIX written by Allan Pratt which tries to fix a new bug in the pool
manager. Allan released three versions of this program, and then he
settled down with a long sigh of relieve thinking he did it right at
last.
Well, he wasn't quite right. Allan's POOLFIX versions needed to be
placed first in the AUTO folder because POOLFIX tries to locate some
illegal system variables by following the TRAP #1 vector into ROM code.
If any program occupies the TRAP #1 vector before POOLFIX shows up, things
are messed up: POOLFIX refuses to install itself.
This isn't a big problem for most of you out there, but it is a
problem for people using hard disk drivers and other programs that start
up before AUTO folder programs and use the TRAP #1 vector for their own
purposes. It is also a pain in the neck for everyone to be forced to
re-order their AUTO folder once again, and as time passes by, you tend to
forget which programs in the AUTO folder need to be started in which
order, and soon chaos spreads.
I was faced with the problem when I realized that POOLFIX3 didn't
want to install itself when my own hard disk driver (included in the book
SCHEIBENKLEISTER), version 3.5, was running. This is due to the fact that
I use the TRAP #1 vector in CBHD 3.5 (my HD driver) to do some DESKTOP.INF
patching that my readers urged me to implement. The problem, however,
could have been solved easily if POOLFIX would follow the official ATARI
guidelines for XBRA completely. CBHD 3.5 uses XBRA to notify other
programs that it linked into the TRAP #1 vector, and so it would be no
problem for POOLFIX to follow the TRAP #1 XBRA chain into ROM. Allan,
however, didn't think of this neat possibility - being able to follow the
chain was, as far as I know, one of the main reasons for adopting the XBRA
standard.
(The same problem occurs with FATSPEED, a freeware (?) GEMDOS speed-up for
TOS 1.2; if the programmer of FATSPEED should read this some day, he or
she should think of implementing this follow 'the chain into ROM
technique' into FATSPEED, too. Thanx so much.)
As always, users are forced to do the patching themselves. In this
case, I reassembled POOLFIX and inserted a full-blown XBRA algorithm.
Apart from that, I optimized the program a bit so that it occupies lesser
space in RAM than the previous version. It's also a bit shorter on disk,
but since it uses 2 clusters as before, there's no speedup when booting.
BTW: I used TURBO ASS for this job, a remarkably fast shareware assembler
written by Markus Fritze and Soeren Hellwig, Birkhahnkamp 38, 2000
Norderstedt 1, West Germany.
POOLFIX4, as I called it, has been tested successfully on my MegaST
with TOS 1.4 in ROM, on my STE with TOS 1.6 in ROM, and with a 1040 with
TOS 1.2 (where it doesn't install itself since TOS 1.2 doesn't need the
patch). If there are any incompatibilities with any programs, please tell
me:
Claus Brod
Am Felsenkeller 2
8772 Marktheidenfeld
West Germany
(049-)(0)9391-3206
==============================================================
Dept. of Occup. & Chris Evelo
Environm. Health MFAGKCHR@HMARL5 (BITNET)
and Toxicology.
University of Limburg Tel: 31-43-888635
P.O. Box 616 Fax: 31-43-436080
6200 MD Maastricht
The Netherlands
==============================================================
___________________________________________________________
> BECKEMEYER DEVELOPMENT CPU/STR FOCUS? Keeping 'em working!
====================================
PRODUCT INFORMATION
HARD DISK TOOLKIT
$29.95 RETAIL
Fast, Reliable Hard Disk Backup/Verify/Restore
The backup program safely copies data from your hard drive to floppy
disks. It maintains the full directory/file-name information, including
date, time, and file attributes. Backups can be done on a whole
partition, a single folder, a folder and all its sub-folders, or using
file masks (wildcards like *.DOC). Multiple file masks may be used on the
same backup set.
Many options are provided for the backup, including compression method,
floppy drive type, and incremental mode, where only the files modified
since the previous backup are copied, saving time and floppy disks. All
opion selections can be safved to a configuartion file so that you don't
have to setthem each time you run the program.
The data is written to the flopy disk using a raw format for speed and
data security. Using this advanced data format gives higher performance
and increased data reliability. Each file has a checksum to guarntee that
it is safely stored on disk. If one backup disk becomes damaged, you do
NOT lose the entire backup set, you might lose a portion of the file(s)
contained on the bad part of the disk, but you won't lose all the files.
Individual files and folders can still be listed or restored using the
HARD DISK TOOLKIT programs.
There are three options for storing your data: raw (uncompressed),
standard compress, and fast compress. Raw is the fastest (up to 1 MB oper
minute) and standard compress requires the fewest number of disks (storing
up to 4MB per disk). Once the file is stored, the file will automatically
be restored or listed correctly -- you don't have to remember how you
saved it.
The program will tell you how many disks are needed for the backup. It can
format the floppy disks for you as it fills them up (format and write).
There is a format "as needed" option where the program will automatically
detect if a disk needs to be formatted, and only format the disk if
necessary.
Files of any size can be safely backed up, even if they exceed the size of
RAM or one floppy disk. There is no need for a large RAM disk or 1MB of
RAM -- The programs will run in as little as 150K of RAM.
There is a verify program which will compare the contents of the files on
the backup disks with the actual files on the hard disk and report any
errors. If the verify succeeds, you can be assured that you have a safe
and accurate backup, each file matching byte for byte and each diskette
containing no errors. Since errors can be introduced after the backup
diskette is written, this is much safer than any write verify on-the-fly
scheme, which are error-prone and unreliable.
The restore program can restore by the same selcetion criteria as the
backup, so you can restore just a folder or file, or the whole disk
partition. It will automatically create directories as needed and it has
options for selecting whether or not existing files should be over-
written.
HARD DISK SENTRY
$49.95 RETAIL
The Hard Disk Repair and Optimize Utility
SENTRY is the safest and most reliable disk maintenance utility you can
buy. It is three programs in one. The repair program will analyze TOS
formatted disks (floppy or hard disks) and report any inconsistencies and
system problems. If so instructed, SENTRY will repair the damaged disk
and clean up all the problems, sometimes recovering lost files and
"forgotten" disk space. This function alone is well worth the price of
the entire set of programs included with SENTRY. These problems do occur
on TOS disks on a fairly regular basis and they will "catch" you someday.
Without SENTRY you would have to reformat and restore your disk to correct
even a simple problem which SENTRY will repair in a few seconds.
The second function, is the disk optimizer, which reorganizes the data on
a "fragmented" disk to put things "back in order" again. The result of
this is that TOS can read and write to the disk much faster. SENTRY gives
you an option for leaving an area of free space near the start of the disk
which can greatly speed up TOS file creation and writing.
The third part of the SENTRY package is a low-level disk tester. This is
handy when you suspect a disk is damaged or wish to confirm that it is
not. It will test every sector of a disk (floppy or hard disk) and verify
that it is readable. It also has a non-descructive write test option. If
a sec or is bad, this program can mark it bad in the FAT table so that TOS
won't use it.
CONTACT:
BECKEMEYER DEVELOPMENT
PO BOX 21575
OAKLAND CA 94620
(415) 530-9637
GENIE: D.BECKEMEYER
CIS: >INTERNET:UNISOFT!BDT!DAVID
UUCP: ucbvax!unisoft!bdt!david
________________________________________________________
> Stock Market CPU NewsWire? Watchin' the Sheckles Grow?
===========================
THE TICKERTAPE
==============
by Michael Arthur
Concept by Glenn Gorman
First Week: April 2,1990 - April 6, 1990
----------
On Monday, Atari Stock went down 3/4 of a point, but shot up 3/8 of a
point on Tuesday. Atari Stock went up 1/4 of a point on Wednesday, but
went down 1/8 of a point on Thursday. Finally, it was up 1/4 of a point
on Friday. Finishing up the week at 6 3/8 points, Atari stock went down
1/8 of a point since the last report.
Apple Stock was down 3/8 of a point from Friday, March 30, 1990.
Commodore Stock was down 7/8 of a point from 3/30/90.
IBM Stock was down 1/4 of a point from 3/30/90.
Stock Report for Week of 4/02/90 to 4/06/90
_________________________________________________________________________
STock| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
Reprt|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|
-----|-------------|------------|-------------|------------|-------------|
Atari|5 3/4 - 3/4|6 1/8 + 3/8|6 3/8 + 1/4|6 1/4 - 1/8|6 3/8 + 1/8|
| | | | | 57,000 Sls |
-----|-------------+------------+-------------+------------+-------------|
CBM |8 3/8 - 1/4|8 3/8 ---- |8 1/4 - 1/8|7 7/8 - 3/8|7 3/4 - 1/8|
| | | | | 47,400 Sls |
-----|-------------+------------+-------------+------------+-------------|
Apple|40 1/4 ----|41 3/4 |41 1/4 - 1/2|40 1/4 - 1|39 7/8 - 3/8|
| | +1 1/2| | |1,055,700 Sls|
-----|-------------+------------+-------------+------------+-------------|
IBM |105 7/8 -1/4|106 5/8 |106 1/2 -1/8|106 1/8 -3/8|105 7/8 -1/4|
| | +3/4| | | 752,300 Sls |
-----'-------------------------------------------------------------------'
Second Week: April 9,1990 - April 13, 1990
-----------
On Monday, Atari Stock went up 1/8 of a point, but for the rest of
the week its price remained the same. Finishing up the week at points,
Atari Stock went up 1/8 of a point since the last report.
Apple Stock was up 3 3/8 points from Friday, April 6, 1990.
Commodore Stock was 3/8 of a point from 4/06/90.
IBM Stock was up 1 1/4 points from 4/06/90.
Stock Report for Week of 4/09/90 to 4/13/90
_________________________________________________________________________
STock| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
Reprt|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|
-----|------------|-------------|------------|-------------|-------------|
Atari|6 1/2 +1/8|6 1/2 ----|6 1/2 ----|6 1/2 ----|6 1/2 ---- |
| | | | | 36,500 Sls |
-----|------------+-------------+------------+-------------+-------------|
CBM |7 3/4 ----|7 1/2 -1/4|7 1/4 -1/4|7 3/8 + 1/4|7 3/8 ---- |
|7 3/4 | | | | 109,500 Sls |
-----|------------+-------------+------------+-------------+-------------|
Apple|41 1/8 |41 1/4 +1/8|42 1/2 |43 1/4 + 3/4|43 1/4 ---- |
| +1 1/4| | +1 1/4| |1,891,100 Sls|
-----|------------+-------------+------------+-------------+-------------|
IBM |105 1/2 -3/8|105 7/8 +3/8|106 3/8 |107 1/8 +3/4|107 1/8 ---- |
|105 7/8 | | +1/2| | 921,600 Sls |
-----'-------------------------------------------------------------------'
'Sls' refers to the # of stock shares that were traded that day.
'CBM' refers to Commodore Corporation.
'----' means that the stock's price did not change for the day.
______________________________________________________________
> BRODIE "On The Road Again" CPU/STR InfoFile?
===========================================
BOB-BRODIE [Atari Corp.] posts;
Ok, here is the present plans for next group of appearances.
Leaving tomorrow for the MidWest Atari Swapfest on April 22, 1990
Saturday, April 28th, at an areawide meeting of user groups in the Western
New York area, to be held at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Please
contact BRUCENELSON here on GEnie for further info.
Sunday, April 29th, at the North East ATARIfest in Pittsburgh.
May 9th, a visit with the South County Users Group, in San Jose, CA. That
is on a Wednesday evening, at 7PM at San Jose Computers.
Saturday, May 12th, a meeting with the Phoenix Area ST Users Group, in
Phoenix, AZ. Please contact LE Pulley here on GEnie for details on the
time and location of the meeting.
Monday, May 21, a meeting with the San Diego Atari Computer
Enthusiasts. Contact Richard Betson - TALON.TECH here on GEnie for
meeting time and place details, or perhaps STACE...nothing happens in San
Diego without him knowing about it!!
Tuesday, June 12th, a meeting in Upland, CA with the Atari Anonymous
Users Group. Meeting to be held in the Upland Public Library at 7:00PM.
Contact Todd Bane (T.BANE here on GEnie) for further details.
Other plans for the rest of the year include visits to Sacramento,
Ashville North Carolina, Seattle, Spokane, Milwaukee, Glendale, and
Boston. More information as those dates come closer.
Regards to all, and hope to catch you at one of the meetings.
Bob Brodie
___________________________________________________
> CPU NEWSWIRE CONFIDENTIAL? Sayin' it like it is.....
=========================
- Chicago, IL. **** MARK WILLIAMS CO. KISSES ATARI OFF ****
------------
Mark Williams 'C' for the Atari ST at one time, "was" bundled with the
ST Development Kit... Used to be and never will be again according to the
recent commentary emanating from MWC Co. "We have no intentions of
providing any further upgrades for the Atari ST market." Atari continues
to "win friends and influence people".......
At the same time, MWC has released Coherent. Coherent is a complete
multitasking Unix-like operating system that runs on top of an existing
operating system. It is being positioned as a more reliable alternative
than Minix and a less expensive option than Xenix and the "real Unixes."
$99.95 is the price. However it is not anticipated that it will be ported
to the ST.
- Sunnyvale, CA. ****** ATARI TAIWAN BUSTED FOR PIRACY! ******
--------------
Atari Corp. replied to accusations by the Business Software Alliance
that it found several UNAUTHORIZED individual copies of Ashton-Tate Corp.
and Lotus Development Corp. business software disks in use on PC
compatible computers at Atari Taiwan Manufacturing Corp. in Taipei.
Atari's reaction was as expected, catagorical denials of any wrong doing
or condoning of the actions of a few individuals. They (Atari) made it
very clear that the infractions were perpetrated without the company
having any knowledge of the infractions.
- Chicago, IL. **** ATARI USING BRAIN DEAD MMU CHIPS? ****
------------
The newer MMU's coming out from IMP that Atari use will not address
above 1MB. The Atari part number escapes me, but it's something like
CO900209-001 or some such. The one that works is the COxxx12-38.
A quote from a memory upgrade informational letter ....
"In the 1989 ST's we have noticed a MMU that can only address up to a
Megabyte of memory. Atari has adopted this policy to stop users from
upgrading. The good news is that you can get the older style MMU
(CO25912-38) from your dealer or from us for around $40.00 and replace
the newer MMU CO100109-001 in five minutes."
Certainly Atari has the user's best interests in mind when these decisions
are made, perhaps it was done this way to protect the user from the
headaches of the LS373s or maybe the problem of trying figure out what
they are to do with all the new memory.
- Sunnyvale, CA. ***** STE TO BE DELAYED UNTIL JUNE? *****
--------------
According to reliable insider information, the fabled story of the on
again - off again delivery of the STe to the US market is facing delays
once again! This time it seems someone "forgot to order or send out the
order for the required stamped metal sheilds the FCC requires for the STe
to pass. In case you were unaware, the STe did pass the FCC approval
tests and can now be sold in the USA. If there were some here to sell.
There may be a few delivered in April, but the bulk is expected to be
delivered to dealers during the month of June. As for other product, well
its basically the same story, late May to early June... And those
products, the 520stf, monitors etc., have all passed the FCC certification
test a long time ago. So why the outrageous and harmful delays?? In any
case, the drought will be over "real soon now".
- Sunnyvale, CA. ****** MEGA STe A REALITY? ******
--------------
With the multitudes of users clamoring for the positive decision to
manufacture the STe in the Mega style cabinet. There is more than a
flicker of real hope that the "wigs" at Artari will give this
configuration serious consideration. Here's hoping they take a moment to
listen to the userbase and once again, come out with a real winner.
Almost all our mail pertaining to this subject is in favor of the Mega
STe.
_______________________________________________________________
> STACY CASE CPU/STR InfoFile? ITS A POWER SUPPLY TOO!
===========================
April 18, 1990
For Immediate Release
MultiByte
Portable Power Case
_________________
The Portable Power Case is a soft carrying case and integral battery
power source for the Stacy laptop computer from Atari. The standard
configuration allows a Stacy4 with a 40 megabyte hard disk drive to
operate for up to four hours on battery power. These batteries can be
completely recharged in under an hour with, or without Stacy being on. The
charger's microprocessor control prevents overcharging and all battery
packs are equipped with quick blow fuses for additional protection.
The Portable Power Case provides two pockets for battery packs. Fresh
battery packs may be inserted with Stacy on, thus providing potentially
unlimited battery power. Additional battery packs may be purchased with
endurance capabilities of four or eight hours. A Portable Power Case with
two fully charged, eight hour battery packs would have an endurance of
sixteen hours. A third pocket is provided to store the charger, and there
is an extra pouch on the lid for books, extra floppies, cables, and
anything else one would want to carry.
Stacy itself is attached to a stiff middle divider that has enough
space to also attach Spectre GCR, or any other large cartridge without
difficulty. The top lid zips off for unlimited easy access to Stacy and
all of the connectors on the back. Constructed of thick Cordura(tm) nylon,
the carrying case is water resistant, protecting Stacy from the elements,
and padded, preventing bumps and scratches. The MultiByte Portable Power
Case is available in Flat Back, Stacy Grey, Woodland Camouflage, and Hot
Fluorescent Pink. (Additional colors are available upon special request.)
For additional information, orders, or technical support twenty-four
hours a day, call (703) 406-9139 or FAX (202) 625-6447. The new MultiByte
Portable Power Case gives you the freedom to use your Stacy laptop
computer anywhere and at anytime.
MultiByte Portable Power Case for the Atari Stacy
Suggested Retail - $348
MultiByte
Power ... Without The Plug
15 Wedgedale Dr., Sterling, VA. USA 22170
Voice (703) 406-9139 / FAX (202) 625-6447
Specifications and prices subject to change without notice. Stacy,
Stacy4 and Atari are trademarks of Atari Corp. Spectre GCR is a trademark
of Gadgets by Small, Inc. MultiByte Portable Power Case is a trademark of
MultiByte, Inc.
Additional notes:
The MultiByte Portable Power Case will be on display Sunday, April 22,
1990 at the PACE AtariFest in Pitsburgh, PA.
________________________________________________________________
> PCD2 SHEESH! CPU/STR OnLine? They're busy because of what??
===========================
The users on both of the major online services are getting extremely
restless and need some solid answers now.
Ctsy CIS and GEnie ST RT
Sb: Avant-Garte...the PITS!!
Fm: Mike Lovelace
To: All
As many of you, I waited long and patiently for Avant-Garte's PC Ditto
II. Upon receiving it, I instantly knew that it would not fit inside of
my 520ST, which has a 4 meg upgrade. The original add stated that it
WOULD fit inside of ANY ST with or without RAM upgrade.
After a month and a half of fruitless attempts to contact AG on their
phone line, I finally got through today, in order to request a refund. I
was told that since it has been over 30 days since I received it, they
will NOT honor my request for refund.
The device was never installed, nor was an install attempted. The
reason they give is "I should have contacted them within 30 days". Not
that it matters that I was unable to get through to them due to constant
busy signals, "days off", and short hours. Not that it should matter that
they FRAUDULENTLY advertised the product as being compatible with ALL
ST's. Not that it should seem strange that it was OK for them to hold our
money for MONTHS longer than originally stated. Just don't be unable to
contact THEM for an extra 2 weeks or you are SCREWED! Plain and simple!
Avant -Garte has went from an excellent company to a complete JOKE in
the computer world. It seems I must now do things the hard way and seek
litigation against this sorry excuse for a company on the basis of fraud.
Once an avid supporter, I will now do everything in my power to bring this
company to it's knees. It was bad enough getting jerked around for months
of cinstant delays. It was worse being their beta testers. This is the
final straw, and is beyond belief!
If any others out here are experiencing similar problems obtaining a
refund, please contact me so that we can discuss a Class Action Lawsuit
against Avant-Garte.
--Mike Lovelace
D.DALEN1 posts;
Avant Garde
In reference to my earlier question about Quattro Pro.. (thanks for
the response), first a little background... When using PCD 1, I could
only get it to work by installing it as a color monitor and running it in
color mode on a MONO monitor. Without changing a thing and switching to
the color monitor (or any other way of booting it ), the program would
hang just about the time the spreadsheet was about to be drawn. In other
words right after the startup screen it would start to draw the
spreadsheet and hang. Then without touching the software, I would switch
to the mono monitor and reboot, then QPRO would work. (on PCD 1, if your
patient). Now when I try PCD 2 it reacts with the same lockup no matter
what I try. I have reinstalled it several times with many combinations
and no luck.
I hope you can figure it out. It's a wonderful program going to waste.
On the subject of sounds. I have tried Tetris, (the real one) and it
works, but I can play it at the top level due to the slowdown. (and I'm
the worlds worst game player). I want to get some games for my 3 year old
and need to know if they're going to work before I buy.
I too, have found that communication is IFFY under PCD2 sometimes I
can get a program to work other times the keyboard goes away and won't
come back until I reboot.
Any news on EGA?
Thanks. Dan Dalen
DCASTALDI posts;
Avantgarde:
Only me again reminding you that I still have problems with my comm port!
Communications are very unreliable (at best). I have also experienced the
slowdowns when using graphic intensive programs - what gives?
L.LOE posts;
AG: I am having problems with my PCDII. This is the same problem that I
have had since I got it to get past the boot. It locks up at random in
most of the programs that I use. I seem to get only 4.8 volts from my
power supply and it drop another 2 tenths (4.6) by the time it gets to the
coprocessor socket. I really would like to keep this thing but if this
keeps up, the frustration factor is going to cause me to send it back. I
do get continuity on all of the pins. H E L P !!!!!
P.S. If anyone knows what to do help me,
because I really want to keep this thing! Larry Loe ( L.LOE)
B.STRINGER posts;
Hi all, I seemed to have similiar problems with the old pal chips, loose
clip, etc. Finally got PCD2 to work and then noticed increasing rate of
crashes and bombs over next 2 weeks. The problems seem to be solved by
soldering the chip to the cpu chip. Be very careful for all 64 joints and
use a 15 watt iron (the Radio Shack one seemed to have a good taper). It
don't think the installation should be considered "solderless" any more
than it is an internal installion. The board works in a ZipLoc bag in back
of my 1040ST. But it does work!
I.ADAMS posts;
Avantgarde - one more try at getting some support for this thing. I have
spent countless hours over the last several weeks dialing and re-dialing
your telephone number with no luck. I have no more time to spend at that.
My board doesn't work. It has the new PALs, I've tried both the old and
new software, I've checked the "clip" continuity, and I don't have the
"bad" chips in my ST. I have a 520ST-FM, Rev. D motherboard with the CPU
parallel to the internal drive. PCD-II tells me to insert the DOS disk
and then when I hit RETURN there's one drive-stepping growl and everything
locks up but the blinking cursor. Is there a fix for this? I've seen
some speculation that PCD-II just won't work with Rev.D ST's, and I notice
that you don't seem to have ever used any Rev.D machines in your testing.
Also, have you come up with a smaller version of the board? There's no
way this thing will fit into my computer short of tearing parts out of the
computer and I've no intention of doing that. I might use it externally
IF it would work at all.
J.PIERCE5 posts;
It seems many of us are not able to view Spectrum Pictures with pc-ditto
II installed, IS THERE A FIX FOR THIS????????????????????? Also, any
word on EGA? Let's face these graphics are pitiful.
Jim Pierce
BOOJIBOY posts;
In response to some of the above messages, (1) I think I have a solution
to the clip problem. What A-G has to do is make a "clip clamp" which
would be made of a non-conductive material and compress the pins of the
clip against the pins of the CPU. Something like two small bars, one on
either side of the clip with holes at either end. Nut and bolt at one end
and the same at the other. Tighten the bolt on both ends and the clip
will force a good connection. As a bonus, the clip would stay in place
without soldering and would allow for easy removal for use on another
computer. I will accept a modest royalty on this idea!!! :) (2) I have
experienced no problems with viewing Spectrum pictures, but it sounds like
a timing problem some people are having which may be a result of the extra
load, sounds like replacement of the 74LS373 chips are in order. (3) As
to the daughterboard in the Megas, I had to desolder the daughterboard
from the CPU and solder it to the corresponding pins on the PCD2 clip. It
worked fine. Use a 15 watt soldering iron and any old solder sucker,
which is available at most electronic stores for around $10.00. See Ya!
P.ANTHONY posts;
To PPS, your Mega 2 sounds just like mine. First the little board on top
of the 68000, unsolder it and solder it to the same pins that stick
through the top of the PC Ditto II clip (pins 12 through 16 if I remember
correctly, count them before you desolder). I stongly recommend you
solder the PC Ditto II clip to your 68000 (I had problems with lockups
after my Mega warmed up that went away when I soldered the clip). It is
not easy to remove the expansion bus clip to get at the 68000 pins (I gave
up and broke away the plastic and bent the pins out of the way so I could
get at the 68000, then straighted out the expansion bus pins). As to you
IMP chips, the two square ones should be replaced, I also replaced the
rectangular video shifter chip just to be safe. My local Atari dealer
charged a nominal $20 to swap all three chips. Hope this helps you.
P.Anthony
MUSE [Tomas] posts;
I have the Rev D motherboard in my 1040ST, the 68k chip is parallel to the
drive. At this point I have pc-ditto II working pretty well. Some minor
things are happening, like I can't run some programs twice in the same
session without a complete cold boot. On the subject of Spectrum pictures,
I've been doing some experimenting. I have the newer, ajustable power
supply and I have been able to boost the output to the point where the
problem disappears completely. The 5+ volt pin was reading 5.27 at the
post and somewhat less on the PCditto board. Unfortunately, adding the
EZ-RAM board has drained the +5v line such that SPC files will not display
well unless the emulator is unplugged . I haven't tried it yet, but it
seems to me that if I run a solid line to whatever component needs the
boost in order to show the pictures, I could leave PCditto II hooked up
all the time and I can wrap up all my little hardware hacks and get back
to *using* my ST! I also think that the board could use an extra ground to
the ST chassis. My voltage readings at co- processor socket improved when
I used the ST's chassis as the ground point. I don't think I'll install
the screws just yet. *smile*
===Tomas===
Sb: Avant-Garte...the PITS!!
Fm: Mike Lovelace
To: Jim Ness
Jim, still working on the 2.0 version of QC?
I too was surprised by AG's attitude. I was further dismayed when I was
told Bill Teal would call me, and as of yet, he has not. I suspect their
new attitude has to do with them losing their butt on the ditto II screw
up? The sad thing is that I can't even find someone who will buy it at
cost due to it's lousy reputation! This has been a bad experience from
the start. First the months of delay, the non-working boards, and now
this. I think what really ticks me off the most is that all during the
months of delay, we were told "Trust Us...it will be worth the wait".
They didn't mind holding people's money for months and expected us to
understand. Now when it comes to them, they want to enforce a 30 day
timeline! This company is truly pathetic! AG and the Teals have lost ALL
credibility as far as I am concerned.
--Mike
_________________________________________________________
> MIDITASKING CPU/STR PROBE? What is it supposed to do?
==========================
ctsy GEnie RT
IS MIDITASKING MULTI-TASKING OR NOT?
Below we present a number of posts centered around a confusing point
of information or two. It seems that certain of Atari's folks feel
completely different about what or how Miditasking is to work or be put to
use.. Hopefully, by spotlighting this issue, a clear answer will be
forthcoming.
John Townsend posts;
I don't know much about this one other than it was being handled by
Frank Foster here at Atari. I will pass along the message and see what
kind of information comes my way. For those that don't know.. Frank has
been out of the country for quite some
time now. It's been at least a month.
-- John
JLS [John STanley] posts;
John, if someone working on an important project at Atari is leaving the
country for over a month, does Atari normaly just let the messages for
that person stack up on their desk and 'hope' that the developers trying
to make serious business decisions relating to ST products will still be
around (in business) when the person in question returns??? This is VERY
disturbing news.
R.NOAK posts;
Jim,
That's bad news. I really liked the IM stuff. Do you know if Dr. T will
only support current product or will they handle upgrades, bug fixes,
etc.? The fact that there is no contract is a real shocker... from those I
spoke with, it seemed a done deal. Perhaps John or Bob from Atari could
let us in on the latest developments?
Randy
REMO posts;
Randy,
Here's a new twist for you [and the rest of us]. Intelligent Music, the
developers of MIDI-Tasking, have gone out of the software business. Dr. T
will be distributing and handling tech support for almost all of their
current products across ST, Mac and Amiga.
I spoke with Richard Lainhart at IM about what this means for MIDI-Tasking
and his comment was that there has been NO action from Atari since last
NOVEMBER. IM has yet to finalize any agreement (never seen a contract)
and is seriously questioning Atari's committment to multitasking. In fact,
they can't even get Atari to return their phone calls. Is this yet another
case of Atari pulling out at the last second leaving the developer (and we
users) in the dust? The project is still staffed, for the moment, at IM
but a lot of uncertainty and little cause for any long term activity.
Jim Pp
REMO posts;
Frank Foster is finally back at Atari so I asked for his comments on the
current MIDI-Tasking situation. Bottom line is that Atari is 100%
committed to the project and that it is viewed as a multitasking vehicle
for both MIDI and nonMIDI applications. There has been a slow but steady
acceptance of MIDI-Tasking by the numerous MIDI developers. NonMIDI
developers should contact Frank at Atari to get the system software and
see what is involved.
Dave - I hear you and John, and know full well that your system certainly
has been around the longest with a great amount of support and
development. I don't speak for Atari (thank God!) so cannot comment on
merits of one versus the other. Before you and others continue lambasting
MIDI-Tasking, I simply ask you to take a look at it so that the rest of us
could benefit from well-informed criticism rather than 2nd hand
speculation. I don't pretend to know enough system level programming to
say where one works and another is doomed. Quite honestly your comments
sound a lot like sour grapes (having also read your other posts on
different categories in this roundtable). I'd like to know exactly where
the flaws are, as you see it.
Jim Pierson-Perry
DOUG.W posts;
It would have been nice if Atari had sent copies to developers before they
accepted it as the standard... It reminds me of HDX 3.0, which was
announced to developers the same day it was uploaded to the public.
--Doug
C.F.JOHNSON at 21:51 PDT
Jim,
The irritating thing about MIDI-tasking to many developers is that, as
Doug said, once again Atari has decided on a "standard" with absolutely NO
consultation of the people who've been writing and marketing applications
and system level software for the ST for years. The unfortunate truth is
that many MIDI developers operate in a total vacuum, as far as real-world
ST software; they don't use, and aren't even aware of, many of the most
popular non-MIDI products. And as a result, many of their programs only
work in a computer with NO TSRs and NO accessories loaded.
Given this...yes, it is rather galling that Atari suddenly announces a
multitasking "standard" that will be written and developed by programmers
who have knowledge only in a certain very specialized field.
I'll reserve any further comment for now. But I'll just add one more
thing; I also have heard that the number of non-MIDI (or even MIDI)
applications that will run under MIDI-tasking is quite small.
- Charles
P.S. I'm not saying that ALL MIDI developers are guilty of the Ivory Tower
syndrome. Stefan Daystrom of Hybrid Arts, in particular, has been really
great about finding solutions and cooperating with non-MIDI developers.
TOWNS [John @ Atari] at 02:31 EDT
Charles.. please, turn off the flames. The idea behind MIDITASKING..
(notice I didn't say MULTI-tasking) is that it provide a way to run
multiple MIDI programs at the same time.
It is designed to be a solution for our MIDI customers who need it. It is
NOT designed as the final solution for a multi-tasking TOS. This type of
project (multitasking TOS) would be done in house.
-- John
C.F.JOHNSON posts;
John,
We seem to have two very different outlooks on MIDI-tasking here. On
one hand, Jim's message seems to say that Frank Foster told him
MIDI-tasking is:
>> viewed as a multitasking vehicle for both MIDI and
>> non-MIDI applications.
On the other hand, your last message says:
>> It is designed to be a solution for our MIDI customers who need it.
>> It is NOT designed as the final solution for a multi-tasking TOS.
Which is the official line? I know that articles in STart and
elsewhere have definitely given the public the idea that MIDI-tasking is
going to be usable with all "properly-written" GEM programs. (Whatever
that means.) If MIDI-tasking is not designed to be used in non-MIDI
situations, then somebody needs to start getting their PR straight.
- Charles
Editor Note:
We have often been categorized as too critical when it comes to Atari
and its dealing with the userbase. We ask only one question here; "Is
this miditasking TRUE multi-tasking or are we again involved in a shell
game of words?" On one hand we are told it is multi-tasking and on the
other hand, we are told it is a means to an end and not necessarily multi-
tasking. We are sure to hear more on this one folks...
________________________________________________________
> ONLINE TODAY CPU/STR OnLine? The wires are hummin'!
============================
ONLINE TODAY
============
by O. Steele
Hi! This week I've completely caught up in the GEnie message base.
Expect a lot of new recent activity reported next week. Also, next week
and for a few weeks later, I'll stress covering the download section while
maintaining current info in the message base. And eventually, I'll be
juggling the message base, download section and the weekly conferences
with timely reports on each.
GAMES - CATEGORY 9
Beware, certain games do not work on all ST systems! Topic 7 covers games
incompatible with certain versions of TOS (semi-recent activity).
Recent activity in topic 26, English Imports and New Releases. Get
info on the latest games and imports.
ATARI USER GROUP SHOWS - CATEGORY 11
Keep up to date on the current events of the upcoming Atarifest Pittsburgh
show (April 28, 29 1990) in topic 11.
The Midwest Atari Swapfest has some activity; it's coming up shortly.
See topic 16.
The WAACE Atari show (scheduled for October 6, 7 1990) has some early
activity (October 6, 7) in topic 6.
And the World of Atari Anaheim show, although over, is overflowing with
messages after the fact in topic 14.
THE OTHER STUFF - CATEGORY 12
Having problems with your system? Virus attacked you? NeoDesk's
Recoverable Trash Can icon discussed. According to John Eidsvoog, it
causes orphan clusters. Also, Cheetah copier mentioned as unreliable even
as version 2. See Topic 16.
ATARI - CATEGORY 14
Atari users seem to be captivated over whether Atari advertises or not.
The reason is simple, most everyone knows that advertising will make or
break a product. Although we aren't seeing national huge media blitzes,
the situation does seem to be improving, from ads in airline magazines to
local dealer spots. Atari's latest marketing situation in topic 3.
Do you wish Atari would finish that blasted Diablo emulator update for the
SLM804 laser printer? Post "specific" bug reports in topic 11.
Apparently Bob Brodie has talked to Leonard, who in turn won't release the
emulator (which has been upgraded) until he can be sure that all bugs have
been eliminated. Atari has a ton of printouts of bug reports, but he
wants "specific" bug reports. Excuse me, but isn't that the programmer's
job? Is it too radical an idea to have the programmer check out the
emulator very thoroughly, possibly even release an interim version that
has as many bugs fixed as HE (why do the users have to be burdened) can
find. Then release an update (a louisiana the Codeheads' continuous
upgrade plan). For Atari, or at least its executives that's a radically
new concept!
Topic 29 contains everything you every wanted to know about the Stacy
portable and more. Developers have 'em and Hard Drive problems are
supposedly fixed. Atari is shipping to MIDI dealers, some have received
them and sold out already (at list price of $2899.95).
The STe Topic also contains mucho info. Where's my STe? All the hurdles
Atari claimed were hurdles are jumped. And still we don't see STe's.
Also, upgrading the STe's memory (4 MB for about $240) and various STe
related issues (JRI color board). See topic 40.
Latest word on the ATW is possible release in Canada and Europe (topic
38).
In the Feedback to Atari section, there's an interesting discussion of
Softsource, a way to get demos of commercial products for the ST. Pros
and cons discussed in topic 31.
Seems like all of the promised Atari product categories are active. The
TT is no exception. Throw in some CD-ROM discussion and you have topic
35.
__________________________________________________________
> Hard Disks CPU/STR InfoFile? Affordable Mass Storage....
===========================
NEW PRICES! & MORE MODELS!!
============================
ABCO COMPUTER ELECTRONICS INC.
P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672
Est. 1985
_________________________________________
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT
BBS: 904-786-4176 12-24-96 HST
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 PM - 6 AM EDT
_________________________________________
HARD DISK SYSTEMS TO FIT EVERY BUDGET
_____________________________________
All systems are complete and ready to use, included at NO EXTRA COST
are clock/calendar and cooling blower(s).
-ALL ABCO HARD DISK SYSTEMS ARE FULLY EXPANDABLE-
(you are NOT limited to two drives ONLY!)
(all cables and connectors installed)
* ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS *
* ICD ADVANTAGE HOST ADAPTERS * FULL SCSI COMMAND SET SUPPORTED *
* SCSI EMBEDDED CONTROLLER MECHANISMS *
51mb #SGN4951 529.95 65mb #SG60101 619.95
80mb #SGN296 709.95 100mb #SG84011D 839.95
170mb #SGN2962 1369.95 260mb #SG60102 1849.95
>>ALL ABCO DRIVES ARE HIGH SPEED UNITS<<
Ask about our "TAX REFUND SPECIALS"
CALL FOR SUPER SAVINGS ON ALL OUR OTHER CUSTOM UNITS
FROM 30mb
--==*==--
SHIPPING AND INSURANCE INCLUDED
============================================
* SYQUEST 44MB (#555)>> ABCO "44" << REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE *
- SYQUEST 44 MB removable media drive - ICD ST Host Adapter
- ICD Mass Storage Utility Software - 3' DMA Cable
- Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply
(1) 44 MB Syquest Cart.
COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED AND READY TO RUN!
>> SPECIAL NOW ONLY __$865.00__ <<
*** SPECIAL SYQUEST OFFER!! ***
ORDER YOUR SYQUEST UNIT NOW AND GET A SECOND COMPLETE UNIT!
****** for $100.00 LESS! ******
-> DO IT YOURSELF BARE SYQUEST UNITS $625.00ea 2 for $1150.00
* cartridge included *
Syquest Mechanism - 2 year warranty
* TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT *
SPECIALLY PRICED $1539.00
* SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS *
- Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives -
50mb SQG51 $1279.00 30mb SQG38 $1199.00
65mb SQG09 $1339.00 85mb SQG96 $1399.00
LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS
***** COMING SOON! INSITE FLOPTICAL DRIVE *****
August-September, 1990
20 MB 3.5 FLOPPY DISK MASS STORAGE OPTICAL DRIVE!
uses standard 3.5" floppy disks and Floptical disks
Will access and read your present library of floppys
$789.95 approx.
CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE
Listed above are a sampling of the systems available.
Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations
(over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited)
*** ALL Units: Average Access Time: 24ms - 34ms ***
ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> SUPERCHARGER - PC-DITTO/II - SPECTRE/GCR
LARGER units are available - (special order only)
NO REPACKS OR REFURBS USED!
- Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets - TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets -
Keyboard Custom Cables Call for Info
ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED
-* 12 month FULL Guarantee *-
(A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE)
QUANTITY & USERGROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE!
_________________________________________
DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!
please, call for details
Personal and Company Checks are accepted.
ORDER YOUR NEW UNIT TODAY!
CALL: 1-800-562-4037 -=**=- CALL: 1-904-783-3319
Customer Orders ONLY Customer Service
9am - 8pm EDT
Tues thru Sat
_______________________________________________________________
> A "Quotable Quote"?
=================
"BLIND LEADERSHIP IS THE CATALYST OF EXTINCTION"
...Alfred E. Newmann
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU/STR? "Your Independent News Source" April 20, 1990
16/32bit Magazine copyright = 1990 No.4.16
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
the editors, staff, CPU? NEWSWIRE? CPU/STR? or CPU Report?. Reprint
permission is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. All reprints must
include CPU NEWSWIRE, CPU/STR or CPU Report and the author's name. All
information presented herein is believed correct, the editors and staff
are not responsible for any use or misuse of information contained herein.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Compliments of Phillip M. Chow.
--
-----------------------------------------
Return to message index
