ST Report: 4-Oct-91 #740
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aj434@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 10/07/91-04:15:12 PM Z
From: aj434@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 4-Oct-91 #740
Date: Mon Oct 7 16:15:12 1991
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> 10/04/91: STReport #7.40 The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine!
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WHAT'S NEW IN THE ATARI FORUMS (October 4)
NEW FORUM LIBRARIES ARE COMING!
New Library Software is on the way. Beginning on October 14, CompuServe
will be installing this new software in all Forums.
Check out the Practice Forum's Library 3 (GO PRACTICE) where you'll find
several files designed to familarize you with the coming changes.
NEW VERSION OF B/STAT
Version 2.41D of B/STAT, a shareware statistical and analysis program,
is now available in LIBRARY 1 of the Atari Productivity Forum (GO
ATARIPRO) under the filename BSTAT2.LZH.
NEW FROM SUPRA
Version 4.10 of Supra's removable device driver and SUPRMOD (a program
that can be used to configure some of the device driver's parameters) is
now available in LIBRARY 15 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN) under
the filename REMOVE.LZH.
NEW FROM DOUBLE CLICK SOFTWARE
Download DCHGUP.ARC from LIBRARY 13 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO
ATARIVEN) for a program that will hangup your modem after a time of no
modem activity. For example, if you are transferring a file and the
remote system hangs, (or something else occurs), DC Hang Up will
disconnect you after a configurable time.
CREATE COLORFUL DEMONSTRATIONS
Demo Maker, DEMOMA.LZH, from LIBRARY 1 of the Atari Arts Forum (GO
ATARIARTS) will help you create your own demos with pictures, sound and
music. Easy to use language and instructions.
NEW IN ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM
COLLEGE CLASS SCHEDULE MAKER - Given a list of classes, sections, and
times, this program finds all the schedules without time conflicts. After
spending hours devising a semester's schedule, have you ever waited hours
in the registration line to find out that some of the classes you wanted
were full? This program can help. Now runs on your Atari Portfolio!
Download file SCHED.ZIP from LIBRARY 1!
THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE
HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN
OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION
"GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM"
***********************************************************************
> CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
=================
Issue #40
Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
-- Apple & IBM to Cooperate and Compete
Apple and IBM, two long-term rivals, this week officially outlined five
future joint ventures.
First, the Taligent's operating system will be able to run applications
written for IBM's OS/2 and AIX as well as Apple's System 7.
Second, Kaleida will be a joint venture that will promote standards for
multimedia. Engineers from Apple and IBM will be seconded to Kaleida to
work on multimedia development. Kaleida will then make its technology
available to other vendors.
Third, Power PC is a new PC hardware architecture based on IBM's RISC
System/6000 technology. IBM and Motorola will work together to develop
and build the Power PC chips, then Motorola will offer these chips to
other vendors, while both IBM and Apple will build systems around them.
Fourth is PowerOpen, a Unix-based operating system that will run on
Power PC-based systems. Power Open will bring together Apple's A/UX
version of Unix and IBM's AIX.
Fifth will be an effort to simplify networking between Apple and IBM
systems. The two companies will license each other's networking tech-
nologies (Apple's AppleTalk and IBM's Token Ring) and develop products
to help their PCs work together.
-- Rock Bottom Price for 9600 V.32 Modem
QuickComm has introduced the Champion 1, a V.32 modem at 9,600 baud with
V.42bis and MNP Class 5 data compression. The internal PC half-card sup-
ports the 16550 UART PC bus interface and will retail at $299. An exter-
nal version is priced at $359.
-- New Sharp Notebook Incorporates an Active Matrix LCD Screen
According to sources at Sharp Corp., they have developed the first note-
book PC to incorporate an active matrix liquid crystal display. The co-
mpany has a 21-cm color display in a PC under 50 mm thick.
-- Kodak Introduces Low-Cost Portable Printer
Eastman Kodak has introduced a lightweight, portable printer with a list
price of $399. The Kodak Diconix 180si ink-jet printer weighs less than
three pounds without batteries and is roughly the size of a standard
office dictionary.
-- Tandy and Matshushita Form PC Joint Venture
Tandy Corp. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. have formed a joint
venture company to manufacture 16- and 32-bit laptop and notebook per-
sonal computers. The new company, called PTCC Inc., will begin produc-
tion by February 1992, at an existing Tandy site in Fort Worth, Texas.
-- Toshiba and IBM Japan Develope Active Matrix LCD
IBM Japan and Toshiba Corp. have jointly developed a 13.8" active matrix
liquid crystal display (LCD) for engineering workstations. Active matrix
LCDs achieve a high picture resolution on a flat screen by using thin
film transistors (TFTs) to switch on and off individual points of light.
The new displays will use a total of over three million TFTs for over
one million points of light.
-- Intel Faces New Challenge
Chips & Technologies introduced seven microprocessors in a direct chal-
lenge to industry leader Intel Corp in an attempt to make money after a
loss of $9.6 million in fiscal year 1991, ended June 30.
Unlike Advanced Micro Devices Inc., which introduced an Intel 386 chip
clone last April, the Chips & Technologies microprocessor doesn't dup-
licate Intel's design. The company is said to have spent four years and
$50 million developing its own Intel-compatible architecture.
-- Ashton-Tate Lays Off 8% of Staff
In an attempt to trim expenses and operate more efficiently, Software
publisher Ashton-Tate Corp. says it is reducing its employee rolls by
about 100 workers or about 8 percent of the total staff.
-- The Vatican Archives Moves to Computer
A team of archivists headed by Francis Bloin from the University of
Michigan has used computers to index eight centuries worth of archives
of the Roman Catholic church. The team began the project in the fall of
1989 and spent two years at the Vatican sorting out records, most of
which are written in Italian or Latin.
According to Blouin the Vatican material is "an unparalleled source for
the study of western history and culture, but until now no one had done
a complete systematic inventory of the archives." "Cataloging each of
the Vatican's documents, which if laid end to end would stretch for 10
miles, would have been too time consuming and costly. Instead, the re-
searchers divided the records into 800 classifications, and entered them
-- in English -- into a computer. The resulting database can be accessed
by scholars and researchers through the Research Library Information
Network, which has 50 locations across the country."
Said Blouin, "You just call up Vatican Archives Project and get a list
of 800 years worth of bureaucratic divisions and the history of those
divisions. If you're interested in the missions in the 17th century it
will tell you that they had an ambassador in Florence. It will tell you
there are several record groups produced by that ambassador and the
dates and what months. You can then go over there and ask for those
records."
The professor says he hopes to further computerize the Vatican archives,
if he can get funding. "We're proposing to add another layer of descrip-
tion to bring out other subjects like social history or the church as a
sponsor of works of art as an employer."
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DELPHI- It's getting better all the time!
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> GFA Conf. STR Feature GFA Delphi Formal Conference, Oct. 1st, 1991.
=====================
GFA ONLINE - DELPHI
===================
Transcript of Formal Conference, October 1st, 1991.
.Gordie>
I'd like to welcome John Barger, the Technical Director for GFA
Software Technologies to DELPHI. GFA is back and ready to totally
support the Atari ST community in North America. John, any opening
remarks?
.John @ GFA>
Well, yes. I would like to say that I (as an ST user) and GFA (as an
ST based company) are REALLY here to support the ST and hope to see it
thrive.
.Kwai>
Glad to hear that, John.
.John @ GFA>
We have Plenty of support products for the Atari version of GFA-Basic
and have discount prices for Atari owners.
HAIRMAN>
What exactly is the GFA shell like? Or aimed at? GA
.John @ GFA>
It is a replacement for the MENU/MENUX program that comes with the
basic. It has many adavnced fetures like... It has a GREAT user
interface that is VERY intuitive. Online help. Control over ALL
compiler and Linker functions. Variable setting for repetitive
compiles. Many built-in disk utilities. Switch from Med to Low res
(for a game or other low res program) and a few others. Sound good?
HAIRMAN>
Sounds real good!
DABRUMLEVE>
Yes, John... There is a wealth of source code available, but much of
it is in tokenized .BAS format, and folks with only the newer GFAs
can't use it. Could GFA release a conversion program whose sole
purpose is to load BAS/GFA files and then save them in .LST format? GA
.John @ GFA>
I'll see what I can do. In the mean time. GFA-BASIC is effectively
PD. You CAN use that. But I will check on a Converter. I think I
heard about one out in the PD. MAYBE?
DABRUMLEVE>
GFA Basic, John? PD?
.John @ GFA>
Sorry. GFA-BASIC 2. Oops! Slap my face!
DABRUMLEVE>
Is it all right then if we distribute GFA 2.x to friends???
.Gordie>
Gee, or upload it here?
.John @ GFA>
Well.. Since Antic released in on their Disk, it is all over anyway.
So we have just said go for it.
DABRUMLEVE>
Gee. Nice! But even so, I hope you will pursue a .LST converter on
all formats. You see, a conversion program would help people convert
across formats. And GFA 2.x for the ST won't run on the IBM/Amiga.
I was thinking of a conversion program that would be available in all
formats. GA
.John @ GFA>
That is a GOOD Idea. I'll see what I can do.
.Dana>
John, first of all, welcome to Delphi....
.John @ GFA>
thanks
.Dana>
Just curious to know how the "new" GFA has been received since leaving
MichTron and Antic? GA
.John @ GFA>
It is being received very well. We had a "few" problems with Antic
but most people Like (or Love) the BASIC so much that they waited for
us to get that fixed.
.Dana>
Glad to hear that GFA is back on the road again, with big success.
GA That's it!
.FizzySoftDrink>
Ok, this will be my first of several questions for the night, I
won't ask all at once :) When will the GFA Basic Compiler be out for
the IBM, and will an upgraded version of GFA Basic be included
with it. GA
.John @ GFA>
The Windows 3.x compiler IS out. and the MS-DOS version will start
shipping at the end of the month. I think the compiler for MS-DOS
will be intergrated into the Editor. If so, an Interpreter Upgrade
is there. ga
HAIRMAN>
What about asm in basic code?? ga (asm= assembly language.)
.John @ GFA>
It is great for the people that have PRE-WRITTEN ASSM code. I don't
use it a whole lot.
HAIRMAN>
But how exactly is it done? (I've never done it w/ basic.)
.John @ GFA>
It is a little hard to explain in a chat mode. It depends on exactly
what you are doing.
HAIRMAN>
ok.
.John @ GFA>
What version of the BASIC do you have? ga
HAIRMAN>
I don't use basic that much, I'm just interested. I use C mostly.
.John @ GFA>
Oh. OK, it is fairly easy. I use it for playing digitized sounds. ga
HAIRMAN>
How about speed? ga
.John @ GFA>
John Jainschigg from Atari Explorer just did a review on GFA-BASIC.
In his bench mark. We were 5 TIMES FASTER than Mark Williams 'C'. ga
HAIRMAN>
whaaa????
.John @ GFA>
That's what I said.
HAIRMAN>
Compiling or run time?
.John @ GFA>
Compiled. (Runtime.)
HAIRMAN>
WOW!
.John @ GFA>
You see GFA-BASIC is not basic... GFA-BASIC is a MACRO-ASSEMBLER that
has macros that LOOK like basic.
HAIRMAN>
Oh, that explains it.
.John @ GFA>
The programmer thinks he/she is using BASIC. The computer sees ASM
code. ga
.FizzySoftDrink>
Ok, two more questions for ya. (This may have been said earlier, I was
a little late) When is GFA Basic 4.0 for the ST supposed to come out,
or is it at all? And how about a Mac version of GFA, any plans? GA
.John @ GFA>
GFA-ST 4.0 does not have a final release date. But, it will be some
time next year. A MAC version is looking VERY possible. ga
.Gordie>
John, can you talk a little bit about the ability to use code from one
platform on another platform?
.John @ GFA>
Sure. The idea with GFA-BASIC is to be able to write a program on the
computer that you feel most comfortable with and be able to port this
to another platform. Before, the only REAL way to do this was with 'C'
but 'C' for MS-DOS does not have the Atari's built in GUI functions.
So, we made our own. and I think the Programmers did a GREAT job!
HAIRMAN>
Laser does....
.John @ GFA>
They have Laser 'C' for MS-DOS?
HAIRMAN>
Ida know. I meant gui stuff.
.John @ GFA>
What I meant was, with 'C' if you write a program for the Atari, you
can not just port over ALL the GUI stuff to MS-DOS. With GFA-BASIC,
"OPENW" opens a window on the ATARI ST/TT, AMIGA, WINDOWS 3.x and
MS-DOS.
HAIRMAN>
You mean that if I wrote a program in GFA that used windows, it'd work
anywhere?
.John @ GFA>
Yep. Barring any OS calls. GEMDOS. BIOS or XBIOS. We made our own
GRAPHIC GUI in MS-DOS. It looks GREAT! Kind of a cross between GEM
and MS WINDOWS 3.0. ga
HAIRMAN>
Wow! Neat. GA
.Ron <ym>
I use the ST version of GFA for my own projects (and love it), and
purchased the PC version as well. Where I work we had to convert
some basic programs for windows and told them about GFA. They bought
a copy when it first came out, but found it to be quite buggy, and
have switched to Visual Basic. Almost all of my ST programs use GEM
Dialog boxes, which do not directly convert to the PC. My question
is as follows: Are there any plans for an analog of the Resource
Construction Set for the PC or Windows versions, and how do the
people where I work get the update to the Windows version? (They
haven't received any info yet, and they bought GFA directly from
you). BTW: In my own comparisons, GFA is only slightly slower than
Laser C, and only if Laser uses register variables. GA
.John @ GFA>
If you have the first version of the WINDOWS BASIC. There have been 3
updates since then. You will get a Free upgrade with the Compiler.
Switching to VB will, more that likely, cause more headaches then it
is worth. The newest GFA-WINDOWS has a RSC that actually creates GFA
code(as opposed to a RSC file.) ga
.Ron <ym>
Should we have received some sort of notification about the new
version being available?
.John @ GFA>
Not really. It is being sent out on a first come/first served basis.
You sould get it in a few weeks. ga
.Ron <ym>
Great. I will look forward to it. What problems should they expect
with Visual Basic?
.John @ GFA>
It is VERY slow. you CAN NOT call the serial ports. Writing FULL BLOWN
applications become incredibly hard. ga
.Ron <ym>
Hmmmm.... This application REALLY needs the serial ports. Well, at
least I'm not involved in using the VB stuff. GA
.John @ GFA>
VB just can not do it. ga
.FizzySoftDrink>
Does G-Shell come with source code? And what can you tell us about
GFA-Edit?
.John @ GFA>
G-SHELL does not come with sorce code. I don't think it ever will.
I have never heard of GFA-EDIT. Is it a text editor for GFA-BASIC
or general purpose? ga
.FizzySoftDrink>
It's a general purpose text editor. Made by GFA.
.John @ GFA>
When/where did you hear about it?
.FizzySoftDrink>
I saw it mentioned in the German magazine PD Journal.
.John @ GFA>
I will check on it, but I don't think we ever released anything like
that. ga
.Ron <ym>
On the ST, I can dimension an array as large as the available memory
(up to 4 meg). I've played with the PC version, and it seems to be
limited to the 640K limit. What's the limit for the MS Windows
version, for one contiguous array? Also, you'd better make sure that
GFA-MAC works on Spectre!
.John @ GFA>
MS-DOS in general is limited to 640K. Most languages in DOS only allow
arrays up to 64K. The WINDOWS version allows up to free "WINDOWS"
memory or 20megs, which ever is lower. ga
.Ron <ym>
Great. One of my applications needs this.
MICKEYANGELL>
Will GFA be at the WAACE Show. If so, can we upgrade there? GA
.John @ GFA>
I'm sorry no. I want to go like you would not believe. But it is
too close to COMDEX. For which, we are all ready obligated. ga
.Gordie>
This might be a good time to explain the upgrade procedure and prices,
John. Who do we call and how much do we send? <g>
.John @ GFA>
OK. I will give all upgrade paths.
-If you have 2.0(the real 2.0 with a book) the cost is $74.95
-If you have 3.0 with out a compiler the cost is $64.95
-If you have 3.0 and the compiler the cost is $49.95
-If you have the Basic for one platform and want it for another, it
other version is HALF PRICE!
-The 2.0 upgrade includes the full package as you would buy it in a
store.
-The 3.0 without compiler upgrade includes 2 new chapters for the
new commands and a compiler manual.
-The 3.0 with compiler upgrade includes the 2 new chapters.
-Some people with 3.0 have the OLD Michtron spiral bound manual.
That manual was kind of hard to use, so if you have 3.0 and would like
the new manual, you can upgrade like the 2.0ers for $74.95.
Of course that all includes the new 3.5 software. ga
<Whew!>
.Gordie>
Hmmm. What about the ads that are running that say, 'Upgrade now to
Release 3.5 for only $49.95'? Is that only from v3.0? The wording of
the ad is a little unclear.
.John @ GFA>
Yeah, that ad assumes that you have 3.0 and the compiler. Since we
were unable to get a real registered owner list from Antic, we did not
realize that there were so many GFA-BASIC owners out there with 2.0 or
3.0 without the compiler. Sorry. ga
.Ron <ym>
I just read a review of GFA for the PC in some new Basic Programming
magazine (forget the exact name). They thought it was real powerful,
but their main complaints were about the manuals (GREAT in a few
spots, REAL BAD in others), and about the lack of debugging tools
(like a single stepper, break points, etc.) Any plans on solving
either of these problems? (In the PC manual it doesn't seem to
mention SHOWM and HIDEM, though when I ported an ST program they
worked fine! I wonder what else is missing.) Also, how much to go
from PC to Windows?
.John @ GFA>
Well the guy that did that review, did not like GFA-Basic at all.
According to him GUIs and mouse drive applications are a niche market
and "real people" don't want to use mice. So he REALLY didn't like us.
The Big bullies "pushing" GUI down everyone's throat. I guess he
doesn't realize that Microsoft has sold 5 million copies of WINDOWS 3.0
in the last year.
We have some GREAT debugging tools. like being able to use multiple
monitors or multiple computers to trace your program. We DO have Break
points and the commands that were missing in your manual should be in
the readme file and have been inserted into the newest manual.
.Ron <ym>
I don't recall reading that. It may have been a different review,
though I didn't read it all the way through. It was a review of GFA
and of something called ZBASIC.
.John @ GFA>
That is the same guy. He did not say that in the review, but rather
to ME on the phone.
.Ron <ym>
Funny, since that magazine seems to be pushing Visual Basic.
.John @ GFA>
I know. It is amazing. He is not a "true" employee of the Mag. He
is a freelancer. ga
OZ1>
I upgraded 3.0 for 3.5, the new manual, and MS-DOS versions, great
stuff! Will more be available on compatability differences between
the ST and DOS?
.John @ GFA>
I believe ABACUS is working on a Book right now. I think the president
of GFA-DATA MEDIA(in the UK) is working on one as well. ga
HAIRMAN>
I got some source code from the databases recently but none of it is
ASCII.
.John @ GFA>
Is it in 2.0 "BAS" format? What is the extender? XXXXXXXX.GFA or
XXXXXXXX.BAS?
HAIRMAN>
I think it was .GFA.
.John @ GFA>
If it was XXXXXX.GFA you should be able to call it in directly to
GFA-BASIC 3.0 or higher
HAIRMAN>
I don't have GFA.
.John @ GFA>
Oh. Well...
HAIRMAN>
But I would like to look at it anyway. Would that converter thingy
work?
.John @ GFA>
I don't know what to say, except, find a friend with GFA.
HAIRMAN>
Why not just use ASCII in the first place? That's what standards are
for.
.John @ GFA>
D.A.BRUMLEVE was making a suggestion for a converter. It is not a
reality yet.
HAIRMAN>
I know.
.John @ GFA>
Because we save the code in a PSEUDO-ASSEMBLER format that makes
loading
faster and execution faster. Otherwise, we would be as slow as every
other BASIC.
.Gordie>
I think the use of a tokenized 'save' is rather widespread. But when
someone uploads code here, it'd be nice to see it in ASCII. I don't
think GFA is breaking a 'standard' as much as the uploader might be.
Just my observation, of course.
.Ron <ym>
I just remembered: one BIG problem when I port a program between the
ST and the PC is the character for end of line remarks is different
in the two versions. The ST uses ' and the PC uses !. This means
that I can't use remarks, except for REM full line ones, if I want to
port my program without major editing. Any good reason for this?
Also, you going to the Chicago Show in Nov.?
.John @ GFA>
I don't know. I think that will be changed in a future version.
As for Chicago, I hope so. I plan to.
.Ron <ym>
Great. ga
MICKEYANGELL>
I had missed the remarks after the $49 flyer. The flyer does not
mention you have to have version 3.0. It does say you have 30 days to
order and has an 800 number. I assumed I got this because I am a
registered GFA 2.0 owner.
.John @ GFA>
That was an oversite due to the fact that we did not get a registered
owner list from Antic and there for did not realize that we had so
many 2.0 users out there. GA
MICKEYANGELL>
Does Maurice Giguere have any pull? The letter is sigened by him.
.John @ GFA>
I hope so. He is the President of the Company and my Boss.
MICKEYANGELL>
I know he is the president. <grin> Just hoping that your letter is
correct.
.Gordie>
John, you want to make a special offer for just those of us here
tonight? $49.95 to upgrade to v3.5 from any previous version? <grin>
.John @ GFA>
Gordie, SURE as long as that "ANY VERSION" is 3.0
.Gordie>
Oh, fine, put conditions on it... <g>
.Ron <ym>
How about an upgrade for users of Turbo Basic XL on the 8-bit Atari?
It was written by Frank Ostrowski, wasn't it? (hehe)
.John @ GFA>
;}
.Gordie>
hehehe
MICKEYANGELL>
Is the upgrade a complete package or do I have to use a 3.0 manual
or files?
.John @ GFA>
$49.95 = you need 3.0 $74.95 = FULL PACKAGE.
.Ron <ym>
What about upgrading GFA-PC to GFA-Windows?
.John @ GFA>
$147.50 until November 15. After that, $247.50. It retails for $495.
.Gordie>
(For GFA-PC to GFA-Windows?)
.John @ GFA>
For GFA(any version) to GFA-Windows.
.Ron <ym>
So it isn't an upgrade, but I would then be a registered user of
THREE versions of GFA, right?
.John @ GFA>
RIGHT. It is a "Side grade"
.Gordie>
hehehe
.Ron <ym>
Maybe I'll see if I can buy the Windows version from where I work,
since they aren't using it anymore. (Before they discover problems
with VB :)
.John @ GFA>
hehehe
.Gordie>
Any closing remarks, John?
.John @ GFA>
Well. I guess just to say good night and if you want to talk to me
(or someone else) call (508) 744-0201.
.Gordie>
I want to thank you, John, for talking with us tonight, and want to
welcome you again to the ST Advantage here on DELPHI!
.John @ GFA>
Thanks, it was fun.
**End of Formal Session**
________________________________________________________________
> WAACE UPDATES STR SHOW NEWS "THE PREMIER EAST COAST ATARI FEST!"
===========================
WAACE AtariFest '91 Special Event Schedule
==========================================
(times and speakers, subject to change)
Friday October 10, 1991
8:00 PM Midi Concert, by Dave Kaufman's Midi Machine
Saturday October 11, 1991 Seminar Schedule
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
11:00 AM What's New from Gribnif
Rick Flashman, Gribnif Software
12:00 PM Atari Corporation Speaks
Robert Brodie, Director of Communications, Atari Corp.
1:00 PM Dave Small: Live and in Person I
Dave Small, Gadgets by Small
2:00 PM Mailing List and Desktop Publishing, with Tracker ST and
PageStream 2.1
Nevin Shalit, Step-Ahead Software
3:00 PM Atari Myths and Mysteries
David Troy, Toad Computers
4:00 PM STReport "Computers - Now & In the Future"
Question and Answer Session
Ralph Mariano, ST Report International Online Magazine
7:00 PM Pre-Banquet Social Hour (poolside weather permitting)
8:00 PM 1991 WAACE AtariFest Banquet
Guest Speaker: Nathan Potechin, President, ISD Marketing
Inc. and the President of International Association of
Atari Developers
Sunday October 12, 1991 Seminar Schedule
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
11:00 AM Hardware Acceleration
Featuring developers of the latest technology for both
68000 and 68030 CPU accelerators.
12:00 PM eSTeem PILOT
Tom Nielson, eSTeem, inc.
1:00 PM Dave Small: Live and in Person II
Dave Small, Gadgets by Small
2:00 PM Software that isn't Here!
Applications and Development Tools that never made it to the
Atari ST.
Andrej Wrotniak, Debonair Software
3:00 PM Meet the Atari Press
Featuring members of the Atari electronic and print media:
John Jainschigg, Publisher/Editor of Atari Explorer
Magazine; Joe Waters, Publisher of Current Notes Magazine;
Ralph Mariano, Editor of STReport International Online
Magazine and Bill and Patty Rayl Publisher/Editors of Atari
Interface Magazine;
The Seminar Speakers:
Ralph Mariano is the publisher/editor of the weekly STReport International
Online Magazine. STReport has been going strong for four years now
providing the ST community with up to date information on whats happening
in the ST world and never hesitating to speak out on any issue in the
Atari world. STReport is released every week at about 6pm on GEnie,
Compuserve and Delphi online information services.
Gribnif Software is the developer of NeoDesk 3.0 - The Desktop Alternative
for the Atari ST, a complete desktop replacement for the ST. Gribnif
Software is headed by Rick Flashman, Dan Wilga, and Tricia Metcalf.
Currently they are busy developing new and exciting software for the ST,
including CardFile 3, Stalker and Steno. NeoDesk is one of the best
selling (if not the best selling) non-game utility software program for
the ST.
Dave Troy of TOAD Computers is the producer of the TOAD File 44 removable
cartridge hard disk drive system. Dave has been involved with Atari
computers for over eight years and is the co-owner of the TOAD Computers
store in Severna Park, MD. Dave also writes a monthly column in Current
Notes magazine titled "Atari Myths and Mysteries".
Dave Small of Gadgets by Small requires no introduction to the Atari
community. Mr. Small is the leading developer of Macintosh emulation on
the Atari ST. His current products include the popular Spectre GCR
Macintosh Emulator, the Mega Talk board for Mega ST computers and the SST
68030 Accelerator Board. Dave is also a featured columnist in Current
Notes Magazine and noted Tesla Coil Enthusiast.
J. Andrzej Wrotniak is the developer of the mathematical program El Cal
(Elementary Calculator) and Star Base by Debonair Software and a regular
columnist in Current Notes ("ST Toolbox") magazine. Andrej will explore
the many applications and development tools that never made there way to
the Atari ST.
Nevin Shalit is the President of Step-Ahead Software and author of the
popular and powerful mailing list/mail merge software package Tracker ST.
Nevin is also a sysop of the SoftLogik Roundtable on GEnie, supporting the
PageStream Desktop Publishing System.
Tom Nielson is the developer of eSTeem PILOT, an authoring language for
the Atari ST that allows the creation of tutorials, tests, simulations,
games, laser videodisc programs, and interactive RS-232 control.
Bob Brodie is the Director of Communications for the Atari Corporation.
Hear what Atari plans for the future and be sure to bring all your
questions concerning your favorite computers.
Nathan Potechin is the President of ISD Marketing, Inc. and the President
of International Association of Atari Developers. ISD markets the popular
Calamus Desktop Publishing system and the forthcoming Calamus S and
Calamus SL which will extend the envelope of desktop publishing on the
Atari ST/TT computers. Nathan will explore the "Atari in the Middle
Earth", a light-hearted look at the world of Atari computing.
WAACE, Inc. AtariFest '91 Dates:
--------------------------------
The Fest is scheduled for 12 and 13 October '91. The show hours are
from 10am to 5pm both days. We also expect to sponsor some special events
on Friday evening.
The show will feature a full round of seminars and demonstrations.
There will also be a swap meet. There will be a cocktail party and a
banquet on Saturday evening.
Further Information:
--------------------
For additional Information please contact either of the following:
General Chairman Vendor Coordinator
Charles S. Smeton John D. Barnes
P.O. Box 0122 7710 Chatham Rd
Columbia, MD 21045-0122 Chevy Chase, MD 20815
GEMail: C.S.SMETON GEMail: J.D.Barnes
CIS: 73047,2565 DELPHI: JDBARNES
FNET: Charles Smeton, Node 500 Internet: JOHNBARNES@ENH.NIST.GOV
***********************************************************************
:HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
_________________________________
To sign up for GEnie service:
Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo)
Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
Wait for the U#= prompt.
Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.
GEnie costs only $4.95 a month for unlimited evening and weekend access to
more than 100 services including electronic mail, online encyclopedia,
shopping, news, entertainment, single-player games, and bulletin boards on
leisure and professional subjects. With many other services, including
the biggest collection of files to download and the best online games, for
only $6 per hour.
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! Any time during your first month of membership if
you are not completely satisfied, just ask for your $4.95 back.
WHAT'S NEW ON GENIE
-------------------
1. 4 New Basic Products on GEnie on Oct.1........................
2. TWO Game Products go BASIC on Oct. 1..........................
3. TWO NEW BASIC Leisure RoundTables come to GEnie Oct.1.........
4. New navigational menus in GEnie Value.........................
5. New GEnie User's Manual Now Available.........................*ORDER
6. Kids are going to the Birds in................................PET
7. CONTEST! Help us design our "Front Door"....................MAINFRAME
8. Win CA$H & connect time prizes in our online tournament.....BACKGAMMON
9. Take A COURSE Online This FALL................................CALC
10. LASER PRINTER repair and rebuilding secrets...................PSRT
11. Radio Control Toys....YOU WANT TO PLAY...............IN.......HOBBY
12. Trying to find ORG, The Official Recreation Guide.............OAG
13. Test drive your favorite Computing RT in November.............
14. Federation II - the adult space fantasy.......................FED
15. Do the software Deal of the Century...........................SOFTCLUB
ATARI ST RT
-----------
WAACE! -> Big Doings for Atari Enthusiasts !!!!!!!
The PREMIER EAST COAST SHOW for Atari fans will be taking place on
October 12th and 13th in Reston, VA. WAACE '91 will be offering an
outstanding collection of Atari developers, Atari personalities, the
latest in hardware and software, all at bargain prices.
Check Category 11 topic 6 in the ST RT on GEnie and the latest issue
of GEnie Lamp magazine for up to date details and contact points.
This show really has "all the trimmings" - Make your reservations now!
If you give your GEmail address to the WAACE registration desk you can
get $1 off of a one-day pass or $2 off of a two-day pass (Not Valid in
combination with any other discount).
The ST RT's Darlah Pine, Jeff Williams, John Kennedy and Nathan
Potechin will be there live and in person! Vince Averello and Richard
Brown (GEnie Lamp) may be in attendance as well. We look forward to
seeing you there!
-* "Fast Technology will be offering a show special price on the fabulous
TURBO20 accelerators...$300 each, CASH MONEY".
-* ISD will be offering show specials on products old and new, which must
be seen to be believed. :-) Expect incredible prices on anything that
we bring, including the Calamus family of software and DynaCADD. We
all look forward to seeing you there.
-* "Step Ahead Software will be introducing version 3.0 of their
Tracker/ST mailing list software, which now includes telephone
dialing, duplicate-name warning and more. List price: $79.95. Show
special: $49.95!"
-* From Omnimon:
Omnimon Rainbow...$499, normally $599 <- Free T-shirt
D.E.K.A...........$99, normally $129
HDrive............$159, normally $199
OmniChrome........$299, normally $399 <- Free T-shirt
Xwitchit..........$29, normally $59
Vlink.............$9, normally $19
Omnimon HiFi......$29, normally $59
-* GEnie will be holding a raffle for FREE hours used anytime that you
see suited. Stop by the booth and fill out a ticket. It is the ONLY
way you can WIN. GEnie will also be selling disks at their cost filled
with software such as the latest Air Warrior setup kit, the latest
RSCARDS package, latest Aladdin software, and the latest issue of
GEnie Lamp. This is all packed into one disk and compressed. Utilities
to extract are included. Get the MOST out of GEnie with this disk. Any
querys you may have regarding GEnie, write them down and be sure to
come by and ask. We will be GLAD to help you. See you there!!!
Missionware Software is proud to present the demo of OFFENDER (file
#20956.) We're looking for folks who enjoy shoot 'em up type games to take
a honest look at this game demo and to tell us what you think. Please
give us feedback on such items as graphics, playability, interest,
challenge, etc. in Category 9 Topic 16 of the Bulletin Board. All comments
will be passed on to the author.
Step Ahead Software Announces TRACKER/ST v3.0, a Major Upgrade to
their Mailing List/Mail Merge Program. See File #21151!
GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric
Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission
***********************************************************************
> The Flip Side STR Feature "...from a different view point.."
=========================
A Little of This, A Little of That
==================================
by Michael Lee
This week's column is a mish-mash of various posts that I've had setting
around but hadn't gotten around to publishing yet. There's some interes-
ting tidbits to be found in them...
----------------
According to an Atari representative, if you want to use a non-Atari
multisync monitor on the Mega STe, you should look for one that has
at least a .31mm dot pitch but one with a .28mm or .25mm would be
even better (and naturally, more expensive). One that can handle
1024x768 non-interlaced video would be nice in case you ever wanted
to upgrade to one of the new graphics cards.
You should be careful of the cheap multisync monitors that only have
a .35mm (or larger) dot pitch.
New Atari customer service number is 408-744-0880.
----------------
From S. Sanders (Software Development Systems) - Cat. 4, Topic 9, Msg.
105 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie...
Software Development Systems is now offering Avery Laser Labels in
smaller packages as well as continuing to support the larger boxes of
mailing and diskette labels.
Here is our updated pricing schedule (Larger quantity purchases may
qualify for discounted rates...contact us for details):
AVERY Stock#5160 (3000 mailing labels) @ $34.95 per box
~ 2 5/8" x 1" ~
AVERY Stock#5161 (2000 wide mailing labels) @ $34.95 per box
~ 4" x 1" ~ (^^^ For upgrade only soon to be released ^^^)
AVERY Stock#5196 (630 3 1/2" diskette labels) @ $34.95 per box
~ 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" ~
AVERY Stock#5260 (750 mailing labels) @ $12.95 per box
~ 2 5/8" x 1" ~
AVERY Stock#5261 (500 mailing labels) @ $12.95 per box
~ 4" x 1" ~ (^^^ For upgrade only soon to be released ^^^)
Shipping is $3.00 per box plus $1 each additional box. Label orders
must be pre-paid (no COD's). To order send check or money order to:
Software Development Systems
996 Redondo Ave. #404
Long Beach, Ca 90804
(213) 595-9799
Stay tuned to this category and your favorite ST magazine for
information about our soon to be released upgrade to the Deskjet
Utilities Pak (called The Printer Utilities Pak -- registered owners
will receive our newsletter).
----------------
Some discouraging comments by Jim Kudron - Cat. 13, Topic 2, Msg. 94 -
from the ST Roundtable on Genie...
Last week, I sent WordPerfect Corp a letter stating my interest in a
version 5.0 for the Atari platform. Today I received a reply from Liz
Tanner (Corporate Communications). Below is the letter in it's
entirety:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Jim,
Thank you for your letter about WordPerfect Corporation's Atari
development. I understand your concern.
Each product we produce is set up as its own profit center. The
revenues from the product must be able to support the resources
dedicated to it. When we first started working on the Atari version
we hoped that it would do well and be able to support ongoing
improvements. This has not been the case. Though it would be nice to
have the full 5.0 functionality in the Atari product, the revenues
received are not enough to finance a full-fledged 5.0 development
effort.
Although we have not been able to upgrade the Atari version of
WordPerfect as we have the DOS version, we continue to support
version 4.1 with toll-free customer support and occasional updates
with necessary corrections. We hope that WordPerfect 4.1 for the
Atari will continue to be of use to the Atari community.
I am receiving quite a few letters like the one you sent. Perhaps you
could pass this information along to other with similar concerns.
I hope you continue to enjoy using WordPerfect for the Atari. If you
have further questions or concerns, please write again or call me at
(801) 228- 5004.
Sincerely,
Liz Tanner Corporate Communications
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know about you, but I don't like the tone of this letter at
all! First of all, I paid hard-earned, big bucks for this program.
Then I get a reply from Ms. Tanner stating my concern that there will
not be any more upgrades.
But I think the real kicker is in paragraph four where Ms. Tanner
states that she is getting "quite a few letters like the one you
sent". (That's good - at least the Atari userbase is getting involved
and voicing what they want). If you are receiving "quite a few"
letters like mine, then maybe that tells you that "quite a few" Atari
WordPerfect users want the upgrade and are willing to pay for it! But
then the next sentence states "Perhaps you could pass this infor-
mation along to others with similar concerns". GIVE ME A BREAK MS.
TANNER!! Does that mean that WordPerfect Corp. does not want to be
bothered by the userbase?
I strongly urge all Atari WordPerfect users to start writing letters
and voice your opinion. Let them know how you feel. Tell them that
you want and DESERVE the upgrade (After all, you already spent the
money for the original product!).
----------------
From Drew Kerr (author of "Captain Midnight's Game Room" - Cat. 18,
Topic 17, Msg. 210 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie...
I don't exactly love rumors but I heard some pretty nasty ones today.
If you follow the Games category, you know that Spectrum Holobyte has
practically yanked the plug on all future ST games -- Flight Of The
Intruder seems to be their last. Today I heard Microprose is on the
verge of doing the very same thing, here and in the UK. I also heard
that Sierra-On-Line has a few ST ports sitting in their warehouses
waiting to go, but they are holding them up.
First, the European versions of many games come in well ahead of the
American versions. FOTI's European versions came in well ahead of
their US counterparts. But Spectrum Holobyte is only looking at the
US numbers and needless to say, they look bad. Probably because many
anxious ST gamers bought the European version.
The losses of Microprose and Sierra would be severe blows to the ST.
What you can do is the following:
A) Make sure you have filled out your warranty cards and sent them
in. Let these companies know that their games are being bought by ST
users. If you have the European version of a game and don't want to
mail the card to the UK, therefore letting the US HQ's know you
bought the game, send it to the US addresses!
B) Let Microprose, Spectrum Holobyte and Sierra know that you are
buying their products. Their addresses on GEnie are, respectively,
MICROPROSE, HOLOBYTE and SIERRA.
C) If you bought the European version of FOTI, send them a note
saying you have this version, please note! Don't let them think that
they only sold 500 copies the first month!
D) Sometimes e-mail doesn't reach the right person, so real mail is
the way to go. Let them know what products you own and that they are
NOT pirated:
Bill Stealey Microprose Software 180 Lakefront Drive Hunt Valley, MD
21030 301- 771-1151
Gilman G. Louie Spectrum Holobyte 2061 Challenger Drive Alameda, CA
94501 415- 522-1164 415-522-3587 (fax)
Ken Williams Sierra-On-Line Inc. P.O. Box 485 Coarsegold, CA 93614
----------------
Some people (developers and users alike), are blaming software for not
being well written, if a particular piece has problems running on some
of the new graphic cards available for the ST. Here's some enlightening
comments from Charles Johnson (Codehead Software) on Delphi...
This "well-behaved software" issue needs some discussion. I think too
many _perfectly_legal_, written-by-the-rules programs are starting to
get the bad rap of being "badly behaved", because there is suddenly a
popular idea that the only way to write legal ST software is to use
nothing but VDI calls, and avoid Line A.
This is NOT TRUE.
In fact, the Line A calls supported by TOS have always been documen-
ted parts of the operating system. The documentation actually urges
developers to _use_ Line A in some places -- because it has less
overhead than VDI and works faster in some instances.
Recently, Atari seems to have decided that upgrading Line A to work
with the new high-res color boards was too much work; so instead they
essentially nuked a documented part of the OS, and started saying
that developers should avoid Line A.
Do you see my point? A program that uses Line A is _NOT_ necessarily
an ill-behaved program. When it was written, the programmer was using
a documented part of the ST's operating system, in a documented
manner. There was no way anyone could have predicted that Atari would
have chosen to simply erase Line A calls from their documentation.
This is kind of a sore point with me, because I've written programs
that use Line A. I don't like having my work called "ill-behaved"; I
follow the rules as scrupulously as possible. And I don't like being
blamed for not knowing in advance that Atari would be too lazy to
update their documented system resources.
By the way, while I was in Germany, I heard about a "Line A Emulator"
that would let many of these "ill-behaved" (faw!) programs work with
the Matrix and other high-res boards.
----------------
Some comments from Delphi from John Eidsvoog (the other Codehead) about
the ST's internal clocks and hardware clocks...
I think the missing link in the explanations has been that it hasn't
be made clear exactly what the "ST's clock" really is. There are two
internal "clocks" in your computer. But they are just memory loca-
tions that store a number. As time passes, an interrupt routine
increments the value stored in these locations. If you haven't got a
battery-backed clock, the time will be lost when you turn off your
computer.
The clock on your hard disk controller is just another clock, but it
has a battery to retain its time. Special software is required to
read it, however, and that software also sets the internal memory
clocks. It is one of the internal memory clocks which is used by the
system to control all time functions, such as stamping files with the
time/date.
----------------
Until next week.....
_______________________________________________________
> SEYBOLD REPORT STR SHOW NEWS Eyewitness Reports from the show
============================
ATARI AT SEYBOLD
================
Compiled by Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
After a two year lapse, Atari is again showing at Seybold, one of the
premier desktop publishing shows in the world. Seybold consists of two
halls totaling approximately 20,000 square feet. Anyone who is anyone in
the DTP field comes to Seybold, and this year Atari is showing the
DTPing world that Atari is indeed SOMEONE to be reckoned with!!
According to sources on Genie, PUBLISH spent time in the Atari booth
and seemed to be favorably impressed. An official Seybold Editor spent 2
1/2 hours with ISD's Calamus SL and TMS Cranach Studio, more time with
Codehead's Avante Vector and is expected back in the future.
The following is an uncomplete list of some of the ST notables showing
at Seybold...
Softlogic who has a TT workstation hooked up to a top of the line
Linotype 530.
Codehead is showing their new Avant Vector.
Compo is across from Softlogic.
Goldleaf Computerbild has three stations, one a workstation with
Sherlook, a second with Didot Professional, and a third with Retouche
Professional CD.
ISD also has three stations. One has Calamus SL setup using its new
Multimedia module with a video camera hooked up live and recording
both picture and sound into Calamus for output to either the SLM605
or the Spectrastar color thermal printer.
ISD's second station is displaying their not yet released, TMS
Cranach Studio. It is connected to an Epson 300 dpi color scanner and
Mitsubishi Dye Sublimation color printer.
ISD's third station has straight Calamus SL hooked up directly to the
LI2 port on a second L530 from Linotype.
Here's a first hand report from Genie by Dave Flory:
Atari-ST RoundTable
Category 14, Topic 16
Message 3&6 Thu Oct 03, 1991
D.FLORY [ALERTsys*Cop] at 09:05 EDT
Just got back from Seybold, first day, and the Atari booth compared
quite well with those of names like Kodak, Aldus, etc. Atari develo-
pers in the booth were demo'ing Atari software for people from
Seybold itself, after the show. Specifically the Seybold people
seemed quite interested in the Demo Retouche.
I was very impressed with Calamus SL and Avant Vector. The former
being demo'ed by Nathan Potechkin and one of his Canadian folks, and
two of the programmers from Germany, sorry I didn't catch all the
names.
Pagestream was there, [also shown] along with a demo of FSMGDOS which
has just had the last bug quashed and should ship next week to people
like GoldLeaf, etc.
I asked about the news reported here elsewhere that GE is in negotia-
tions with Atari to do Atari service and was told that it is progres-
sing and should be officially announced "soon". In my personal
opinion this latter developement will be a real milestone in Atari
development of credibility as a serious computer company. Maybe with
GE service I can get my city to consider the best computer value I
know of for my use at work too.
There were about a dozen people manning the booth, and, while it was
not mobbed when I was there, neither was most of the rest of the hall
on Wednesday after-noon. I was told that a couple of serious DTP
publications had shown _real_ interest in the Software and hardware
they saw in Atari's booth.
Seybold is the premier DTP and Graphics, animation, etc. show. The
show this year is in the new San Jose Convention Center which covers
a square block of San Jose. I'd hesitate to guess what the total for
attendees is, but if I didn't see a couple of thousand people in
there when I walked in, yesterday about 1:30, I've never seen a
crowd.
All the big names in graphics, like Radius, Silicon Grapics, every
body who does sophisticated grapics processing goes to see the people
who sell the hardware and software to do it. The demos feature some
of the wildest computer simulations any of us have ever seen.
Here's a first hand report from Genie by Nathan Potechin:
Atari-ST Roundtable
Category 11, Topic 8
Message 1 Thu Oct 03, 1991
ISD [Nathan] at 00:06 EDT
For the first time in 2 years, Atari is officially participating in
the most prestigious desktop publishing show of them all, Seybold...as
well they should. :-)
Depending on which door you use to enter the San Jose Convention
Center, Atari is either towards the back or just off to the left side.
Anyway, Adobe is on one side, LaserMaster on another etc.. Anyone that
has anything to show in the field of DTP is present. As was the case at
CEPS, the Atari booth is under the auspices of the Professional Systems
Group in large letters. Much smaller letters indicate that this is a
division of Atari. And no one is taking the Atari display lightly.
Softlogic has a top of the line Linotype L530 with RIP hooked up to
their TT workstation. Compo is across from them. Codehead is proudly
displaying their new acquisition, Avant Vector. A sign that reads
"Scaling Font Technology" or something like it is across from the
Codeheads. Then over to my own stations; the first reads "Multimedia
Publishing" and we have Calamus SL using its new Multimedia module, a
video camera hooked up live and recording both picture and sound into
Calamus for output to either the SLM605 or the Spectrastar color
thermal printer. Our second station is displaying the new, not yet
released, TMS Cranach Studio using an Epson 300 dpi color scanner and
Mitsubishi Dye Sublimation color printer while the third station has
straight Calamus SL hooked up directly to the LI2 port on a second L530
from Linotype. Then Goldleaf Computerbild has a workstation with
Sherlook, a second with Didot Professional, and a third with Retouche
Professional CD.
If I've made a mistake or overlooked something, my apologies. Its been
a long day and I'm still on east coast time. I invite any of my fellow
participants to enlarge upon my small overview. I will try to do the
same tomorrow.
The point is though, that we are being taken very seriously indeed.
Publish spent quite some time in the booth this morning and an official
Seybold Editor spent an hour within the Atari booth this evening and
plans on a few more hours tomorrow to see and meet with everyone there.
This is very exciting and great news for us all.
More later
Atari-ST Roundtable
Category 11, Topic 8
Message 7 Fri Oct 04, 1991
ISD [Nathan] at 02:02 EDT
As Dave mentioned, this is a who's who in DTP and is attended by anyone
either currently involved or about to become involved in DTP. Two
halls, maybe 20,000 square feet or so. Jonathan Seybold is one of the
most respected names in the business and his Seybold Report is a must
have subscription for the trade. I am exhausted from another day at
the show but I will say that one of the Editors of Seybold spent 2 1/2
hours with Calamus SL and TMS Cranach Studio this afternoon and this
same person had already spent time with 3K product. He finished his
day with a complete demo of Avante Vector from Charles and John and he
is expected back tomorrow. This is exciting news. He took copius
notes and I asked him if I should prepare a test for him the next
morning to see if we overloaded him or he actually retained it. :-)
This man was very sharp and very knowledgeable which was fine with us
as we have a story to tell!
All and all, another great day at the show.
Nathan Potechin ISD (Calamus SL and Cranach Studio) :-)
Here's a first hand report from Genie by John Eidsvoog of Codehead
Software:
Atari-ST RoundTable
Category 32, Topic 23
Message 80 Fri Oct 04, 1991
J.EIDSVOOG1 [CodeHead] at 02:11 EDT
Greetings for the Seybold Desktop Publishing Exhibition. I thought
you might be interested in an experiment we ran on a TT at the show.
We found a brochure from the show which had a wood cut type of
graphic on the front. We used Repro Studio to scan the picture in two
passes of a hand scanner at 400 DPI. Repro Studio was able to glue
the two halves of the scan together quite nicely. We traced the 350K
file in Avant Vector. It took about 5 minutes (most tracing takes
under a minute) and was saved as a 25K CVG file! The resulting vector
was virtually perfect, requiring only the editing of one fill area.
The vector graphic prints out beautifully on an Atari laser printer
and is undiscernible from the original. We've been checking out as
many auto-tracing programs as possible and in our (understandably
biased) opinion, Avant Vector beats them all...usually in time, but
always in quality.
_______________________________________________________
> STReport's Editorial Page "SAYIN' IT LIKE IT IS!"
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From the Editor's Desk
----------------------
Waace is NEXT Weekend!! From the reports we have been getting in, the
hotel is already BOOKED SOLID, but have hope, there are fine hotels in the
immediate area that have some rooms available. The show's arrangements
are all complete and the excitement of the WAACE is show is building with
each passing day. Waace has become a "must do annual event" for most east
coast Atari ebnthusiasts. If you've never attended an Atari show, this is
by far, the one to do. Of course, there has to be a very good reason most
of us come back every year to WAACE. Come find out for yourself. Its a
wonderful show. See you there!
Ralph......
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> STR Mail Call "...a place for the readers to be heard"
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An open letter to Atari...
September, 1991
To: The Atari Corporation
Subj: Laser Printer Suggestion
Dear Sirs,
I am considering the purchase of a new printer for my Atari Mega ST4
computer. My current printer (a Hewlett-Packard DeskJet Plus) has served
me well, but now I want higher speed and better quality. I recently saw a
demonstration of an Atari SLM804 laser printer, and I was very impressed
with the throughput from a Mega 4 running the Calamus desktop publishing
program. Such fast print time (< 30 seconds) is particularly impressive
when compared to "industry standard" printers like the Apple LaserWriter.
I often must wait 6 minutes or more to print complex MacDraw II documents
on a Postscript LaserWriter IINT at work. When printing a similar Calamus
document, even my DeskJet+ is faster than this!
I think Atari made a really good decision when you chose to make a
"dumb" printer with a fast interface, instead of a "smart" printer with a
slow interface. Unfortunately, most other computer manufacturers chose
the latter. Because of this, the Atari laser printer is difficult or
impossible to use with an IBM PC or Apple Macintosh ("real" or emulated).
And there are also times in Atari mode when at least a minimally
intelligent printer is desirable. Not all ST programs support the Atari
laser printer, and not all STs have enough memory to use it.
The factors mentioned above have caused a lot of Atari owners
(including myself) to buy other brands of printers. However, I think
there is a way to sell more Atari printers, both to present and future
Atari owners, and to owners of "other" computers.
The replacement for the Atari SLM804, the SLM605, shares many
internal components with the Epson EPL-6000 "Action Laser." But, unlike
the EPL-6000, the SLM605 does not have the internal memory, processor,
interface, or cartridge ports necessary to emulate the HP LaserJet II
printer.
I propose that the LaserJet emulation capability of the EPL-6000 be
offered as either an option, or as standard equipment, on the SLM605.
Depending on cost, either a smart (electronic), or a dumb (mechanical)
switch could be used to select between the Atari direct memory access
(DMA) port and the printer's parallel and/ or serial interfaces. This
kind of switch is not without precedent in the printer industry. Apple
LaserWriters have two interfaces (AppleTalk & RS-232), and the HP LaserJet
III has three (RS-232, Centronics, and AppleTalk).
This multi-mode capability would give the SLM605 owner the best of
both worlds: fast DMA print-out from Atari programs that support the
SLM804/605, and compatibility with other programs and computers (or
emulators) that don't. And, because this printer would be compatible with
all MS-DOS computers (including the line of Atari PC clones), it might
even compete with other HP LaserJet clones like the EPL-6000. Just
imagine the impact on the ST/TT market if there was an existing base of
home and business printers out there with Atari DMA ports in them.
Please tell me if you think this concept is technically or
financially feasible. I would be willing to pay extra for a LJII
emulation option, but considering the list prices of the EPL-6000 and the
SLM605, this does not seem necessary.
Sincerely,
Ray Perry
Director, Atari Special Interest Group
McDonnell Douglas Recreational Computer Club
635 Burning Tree Drive, Apt. C
Chesterfield, MO 63017
(314) 469-1214 (home)
(314) 777-3879 (work)
GEnie address: R.PERRY6
from GEnie, STReport's Category
Category 26, Topic 2
Message 160 Mon Sep 30, 1991
ATARIUSER [THE KING] at 22:36 EDT
LLoyd,
I offer an alternative to the slide of membership rolls among Atari User
Groups. I have been a member of such a user group since 1979 and have
been it's president for more years than I want to think about. I have
found that the basic type of person buying Atari computers have changed.
In the old days, 8-bit and the first few years of the 16-bit, the people
buying Atari's were hobbiests. They tended to join clubs because this was
their hobby.
I find that now-a-days the type of person buying ATARI computers are
buying a tool and not a home computer, as a hobby. In L.A. we have more
than a few musicians. They are buying a tool to ad to their studio and to
help them make a living. Very few are hobbiests. We now have people that
buy Atari's because they are perfect, low cost, DTP systems, etc. These
people, too, are not hobbiests but are interested in the technical aspects
of the machine and not the recreational pleasures.
The two above mentioned types of recent ATARI owners tend not to have the
time or inclination to regularly attend club meetings. They may come to a
meeting, once, get some questions answered and are never seen again.
This is my observation as to what I feel is the major reason for the
decline of club memberships. I feel that this will hold true even as
Atari ownership increases in the future. <sigh>
JKT
------------
Got an opposing viewpoint? Let's hear from you.
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STReport "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" October 04, 1991
16/32bit Magazine copyright 1987-91 No.7.40
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